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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>ARTAMENES, OR THE GRAND CYRUS, AN EXCELLENT NEW ROMANCE.</P>
<P>Written by that famous Wit of FRANCE, <HI>MONSIE&V;R de SCVDERY</HI> Governour of NOSTRE-DAME.</P>
<P>And now ENGLISHED by <HI>F. G.</HI> Gent.</P>
<P><FIGURE>
</FIGURE></P>
<P>LONDON, Printed for HUMPHREY MOSELEY at the Prince's Arms in S. <HI>Paul</HI>'s Church-yard, and THOMAS DRING at the George in <HI>Fleet&s;treet.</HI> 1653.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<HEAD>TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE AND MOST PERFECTLY NOBLE, THE LADY ANNE LUCAS.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_IF I thought this but an ordinarie <HI>Romance,</HI> I would not pre&s;ume to bring it under your <HI>Honour's</HI> Protection. 'Twas Dedicated by the <HI>Author</HI> to the <HI>Dutche&s;s</HI> of <HI>Longueville</HI> and to others of the greate&s;t Nobility of <HI>France:</HI> I have cho&s;en to in&s;cribe it only to your <HI>Lady|&s;hip,</HI> becau&s;e You comprehend all tho&s;e excellencies which are &s;hed and &s;catter'd in other &s;ingle Per&s;ons. But I humbly beg pardon for pre&s;enting a <HI>Tran&s;lation</HI> to You who &s;o perfectly command the Original. Were it a Di&s;cour&s;e of the mo&s;t profound Learning that Humane Nature is capable of, and written in Greek or He|brew, I would make its Dedication to your Noble <HI>Lord,</HI> who is ac|knowledg'd (by tho&s;e that have the honour to know him) &s;o to have Ma&s;ter'd all the Learned Sciences and Languages, that it is no ea&s;ie task to find His Equal, not only among tho&s;e of His own noble Order, but among them who&s;e Profe&s;&s;ion hath oblig'd them to be Scholars: Though all His Learning (accompanied with the highe&s;t Fortitude of Body and Mind) dwels in &s;uch eminent Candor and Meekne&s;s, as is only pa|rallel'd by the like in your <HI>Ladi&s;hip.</HI> For if tho&s;e rare Vertues which adorn your excellent Soul can admit of Degrees, 'tis becau&s;e your <HI>Mode&s;ty</HI> is Tran&s;cendent over the re&s;t. I confe&s;s <HI>(Madam)</HI> &s;ince I had Relation to this Book, I de&s;ir'd to be as kind to it as I could, and I knew no better way to promote its good, than by entit'ling your <HI>Ladi&s;hip</HI> to it. What more particularly concerns this <HI>Edition,</HI> I &s;hall tell <HI>to the Reader.</HI> Here I &s;hall only &s;ay, that tho&s;e who have read it conceive it written with &s;o much Wit and noble Pa&s;&s;ion, that the Wi&s;e&s;t &V;nder&s;tanding, that is your <HI>Ladi&s;hips,</HI> may be &s;een to per|u&s;e it, which was a great Motive why now it is pre&s;ented, by</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE> <SIGNED>Your Honour's mo&s;t humble and mo&s;t obedient &s;ervant.
HUM: MOSELEY.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="stationer to the reader">
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<HEAD>THE STATIONER TO THE READER.</HEAD>
<P>_I Shall wa&s;te no time to tell you how this Book hath &s;old in <HI>France</HI> where it was born: &s;ince nothing falls from <HI>Mon&s;ieur de Scu|dery</HI>'s hand, but is receiv'd there as an unque&s;tionable piece, by all that have a Ta&s;t of <HI>Wit</HI> or <HI>Honour.</HI> The <HI>Tran&s;lator</HI> hath in&s;erted no fal&s;e &s;titches of his own, having only turn'd the wrong &s;ide of the Arras towards us, for all <HI>Tran&s;lations</HI> (you know) are no other. I have brought you al&s;o our Author'<HI>s Illu&s;trious Ba&s;&s;a,</HI> which the late fam'd Author of <HI>Ca&s;&s;andra</HI> and <HI>Cleopatra</HI> preferr'd before his own; whereupon our <HI>Author</HI> (for his dead Friend's &s;ake) hath taken a re&s;olution to per|fect <HI>Cleopatra,</HI> as &s;oon as he hath fini&s;h'd his own <HI>Grand Cyrus.</HI> But fir&s;t you mu&s;t &s;hew what welcom you afford to This and his <HI>Ba&s;&s;a,</HI> el&s;e you are not like to enjoy the remainder. If you ask why this &s;hould have any Precedence before other <HI>Romances,</HI> 'tis &s;oon an&s;wer'd, that our <HI>Author</HI> in this hath &s;o laid his Sceans, as to touch upon the greate&s;t Affairs of our Times: for, De&s;igns of War and Peace are better hinted and cut open by a <HI>Romance,</HI> than by down-right Hi&s;tories; which, being bare|fac'd, are forc'd to be often too mode&s;t and &s;paring; when the&s;e di&s;guiz'd Di&s;cour|&s;es, freely per&s;onating every man and no man, have liberty to &s;peak out. And though this hath &s;o many Turns and Changes (which is its peculiar Beauty) yet thereby it is not made dark and Clowdy, but is every where <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that is, a <HI>bright Sun,</HI> for &s;o the word &s;ignifies in the <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> Tongue, as well as in <HI>Hebrew.</HI> Perhaps you would know what <HI>Cyrus</HI> this is, whether the fir&s;t Great <HI>Cyrus</HI> who founded the <HI>Per&s;ian Empire</HI> (who&s;e life you have in <HI>Herodotus, Solinus,</HI> &amp; <HI>Ju&s;tin)</HI> or that other &s;econd <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who&s;e <HI>In&s;titution</HI> and <HI>Expedition</HI> is &s;o well writ by <HI>Xenophon:</HI> Be pleas'd to know, 'Tis neither of them, and yet both; for our <HI>Author</HI> hath drain'd all the Excellencies of both tho&s;e Two to fill and accompli&s;h this his <HI>Grand Cyrus.</HI> Some literal <HI>Errata</HI> the Printer is guilty of, e&s;pecially in the <HI>Fir&s;t Part,</HI> where from <HI>pag. 26.</HI> to <HI>pag. 50.</HI> he hath mi&s;printed <HI>Part II.</HI> (on the head of each page) for <HI>Part I.</HI> And the like in the <HI>Second Part,</HI> pag. 154. 156. 162. 174. 184. 190. 192. 194. 206. on all which pages he hath &s;et <HI>Part III.</HI> for <HI>Part II.</HI> 'Tis the Printer's fault, and he ought to hear of it. And I tell you now of it, becau&s;e we intend no &s;econd Impre&s;&s;ion; &s;o that if you wave this Edition, you are like to have none. Some may po&s;&s;ibly quarrel with the Beginning, as too Sudden and Abrupt, ru&s;hing on <HI>Sinope</HI> as all on fire without any Introduction. But &s;uch may know, our <HI>Author</HI> profe&s;&s;edly did it on purpo&s;e, for the &s;ub&s;equent Story clears it up to be &s;o. And tho&s;e are &s;tran|gers to <HI>Moun&s;ieur de Scudery,</HI> who know not he is Ma&s;ter of <HI>Judgment</HI> and <HI>Learn|ing</HI> as well as <HI>Wit.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>Farewell.</SALUTE> <SIGNED>H. M.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<HEAD>ARTAMENES: OR CYRVS the Great.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="book">
<HEAD>BOOK I.</HEAD>
<P>_THE Conflagration of <HI>Sinope</HI> was &s;o great, that the very skie, the Sea, the valleys and tops of Mountains though far remote, were all illu|minated by its flames: &s;o, that notwith&s;tanding the black mask of night, all things might mournfully be di&s;cerned: never was object more terrible to Spectators then this; Twenty Ships might be &s;een burning all at once in the Port; which though floating in the mid&s;t of water, did belch up flames as high as Cloudes: the&s;e affright|ing flames, being blown by the bellowes of an impetuous winde, did oft times wend toward the Town; and as if but one huge faggot were &s;et on fire, &s;eem'd to con&s;ume it all. They fla&s;ht from place to place in an in&s;tant; and there was &s;carce one Quarter in all the Town, which by a dire communication did not feel its fury. All the Tackling, Cordage and Sails being &s;et on fire, flew horridly into the aire, and fell down again in &s;parks upon the hou&s;es, which being thus con&s;umed, are forc't to yield unto this mercile&s;s Element, and tumble down in tho&s;e Streets, unto which they were before an Ornament. The hideous multitude of flames which &s;tream'd through &s;everall &s;treets, and which had more or le&s;s fury, according to the &s;ubject upon which they &s;ei&s;ed, did &s;eem to Combat one with another, by rea&s;on of the whirling winde which counter|moved them; &s;ometimes mingling together, &s;ometimes parting, as if they did di&s;pute about the Glory of de&s;troying this &s;tately Town. Amid&s;t the&s;e Lightning flames, one might be|hold whole Clouds of &s;moak, which by their di&s;mall duskie colour, did add much terror to this dolefull &s;pectacle: Al&s;o, the great abundance of &s;parks (of which we &s;poke before) whi&s;ling up and down the Town, like enflamed &s;torms of Hail, was doubtle&s;s mo&s;t horne, to all beholders. Neer this confus'd combu&s;tion, there was a Ca&s;tle, &s;eated at the lower
<PB N="2" REF="4">
end of the Town, built upon the top of a &s;turdy Rock, which did &s;hoot it &s;elf into the Sea; unto this, the flames had yet not reached, but did every moment threaten it, becau&s;e the vi|olent winde did waft that way: It was likely, the fire would fir&s;t &s;ei&s;e upon the Gate thereof, becau&s;e the hou&s;es neer it, were mo&s;t enflamed, and neere&s;t ruine. In the mid&s;t of the&s;e fiery flames, one might perceive &s;ome Churches and great &s;tone hou&s;es, which gave more re&s;i|&s;tance then the re&s;t, and retained &s;o much only as might te&s;tifie the Magnificence of their &s;tructure, and move Compa&s;&s;ion for their inevitable ruine. In &s;hort, this terrible Element devoured all, or at lea&s;t &s;eem'd &s;o neer it, that the &s;ad &s;ight of &s;uch a di&s;mall chance, did move both terror and compa&s;&s;ion in all beholders.</P>
<P>The Amorous <HI>Artamenes,</HI> in the head of four thou&s;and men, marching out of a low valley, covered with a thick wood, was much &s;urpriz'd with wonder at this dreadfull object, and &s;eem'd &s;o amazed, that he was not able to expre&s;s his wonder by his words: He looked, upon the Town, viewed the Gate, he ca&s;t his eyes upon the Sea, which &s;eemed all fire by reflexion from the Clouds; he gaz'd upon the Mountain tops, and &s;aw all the plains plainly; he lifted up his eyes to Heaven; he had not power either to &s;peak, or go any further, as if he were un&s;atisfied whether what he &s;aw was reall, or el&s;e but a delu&s;ion of his phanta&s;ie. <HI>Hi|da&s;pes, Chri&s;antes, Aglatidas, Ara&s;pes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> did &s;ee this fatall flame, but though they were neer him dur&s;t not &s;o much as look upon him. <HI>Artamenes,</HI> turning his Hor&s;e on to a little higher ground, did from thence perfectly perceive, that this Town, which &s;o burned, was the very &s;ame which he intended to &s;urprize that very night; and according to his provi|dent Intelligence, brought hopes with him to relieve his Prince&s;s, which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> there detain'd a Pri&s;oner. He being thus extreamly tran&s;ported with Pa&s;&s;ion, began to ex|po&s;tulate with the Gods; Is it po&s;&s;ible, &s;aid he, you can be &s;o cruell and unju&s;t, as to Con|&s;ent unto the Lo&s;s of the faire&s;t Prince&s;s that ever was? and that you &s;hould Prede&s;tinate her ruin, at that very in&s;tant, when I undoubtedly re&s;olved her &s;afety? In &s;aying this, he ad|vanc't a little forward; none but <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> followed him; Alas my Friends (&s;aid he, beginning to gallop, and commanding the re&s;t to follow) how Lamentable are my De&s;tinies? and unto what a di&s;mal &s;pectacle have they brought me? Come follow, fol|low me my friends, and let us die in the &s;ame flames which have &s;eiz'd upon my illu&s;trious Prince&s;s; Can it be (did he &s;ugge&s;t unto him&s;elf) that the&s;e flames which now I behold, dare offer to de&s;troy my mo&s;t ador'd <HI>Mandana?</HI> But why do I &s;ay, can it be? No, no, alas, it is too too true be doubted: The Gods I &s;ee have kindled too great a fire for her to e|&s;cape it; had it been their plea&s;ure to have pre&s;erved her, &s;urely they would have Pumpt up the waves of the Sea, to Quench the flames; and never have permitted her to incur this danger: But alas, &s;aid he, mo&s;t injurious Rivall: Can&s;t thou endeavour thine own &s;afety, more then hers? has not thy unworthine&s;s caus'd her de&s;truction? If I did behold my di|vine Prince&s;s (&s;aid he in turning towards <HI>Chri&s;antes,)</HI> in the hands of a Tirantique Prince who was in the head of a hundred thou&s;and men, ready to &s;acrifice her before my eyes, I &s;hould not apprehend &s;o much de&s;pair as now; for theu I &s;hould have an enemy before me which I might a&s;&s;ault, though not vanqui&s;h; but here I have nothing to do in the world, but to throw my &s;elf into the&s;e flames which have con&s;um'd my Prince&s;s. After the&s;e expre&s;|&s;ions, he pa&s;&s;ed &s;ilently on, a little farther, and &s;eeing none neer which could under&s;tand, but <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> he violently broke thus into pa&s;&s;ion: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Heavens, &s;aid he, am not I acce&s;&s;ory to the death of my deare&s;t Prince&s;s? Is it not for the affection that &s;he bares unto me, that &s;he her &s;elf hath cau&s;ed this Conflagration, rather then &s;he would fail in her fidelity to me, the unfortunate <HI>Artamenes?</HI> But oh ye Gods, if it b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">en I do confe&s;s I have de&s;erved all my misfortunes, and am worthy of my wor&s;t re&s;entments: <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> &s;eeing him &s;tand &s;tock &s;till in a &s;ilent melancholy po&s;ture, drew neer him, and endeavoured to cheer him up: But then <HI>Artamenes,</HI> going on, and looking back with &s;o &s;ad an a&s;pect as might move com|pa&s;&s;ion out of in&s;en&s;ible &s;tones, &s;aid unto him, No, no, <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> &s;uch di&s;a&s;ters as the&s;e are not capable of any Con&s;olations, There is no way for me but one, and that I'le immediatly take: yet this poor comfort remains, that the &s;ame fire which con&s;um'd both my Prince&s;s, and my Corrivall, which mixed both her innocency and his crime together, and which de|prived me, both of the object of my hate, and of my Love, &s;hall al&s;o de&s;troy me for com|pany, and mingle the A&s;hes of my adored Prince&s;s, with mine together: In &s;peaking this, all the &s;igns of ab&s;olute de&s;pair appeared in his face: his tone was &s;adly mournfull, and all his actions &s;eemed preparations for pre&s;ent death. Day now began to dawn; the Suns ap|proach did &s;omewhat mitigate the horror of the accident: the Sea, the valleys, the Moun|tains, a&s;&s;ume again their naturall colours; and the Face of this &s;ad Scene, &s;eemed &s;omething
<PB N="3" REF="4">
to change complexion. <HI>Feraulas,</HI> ob&s;erved two remarkable pa&s;&s;ages, and hinted unto his Ma&s;ter. S^r (&s;aid he) Do you not di&s;cover a Galley in the Sea, which &s;trives with all its pow|er to Row from this unfortunate Town? And do you again ob&s;erve, how every one endea|vours to extingui&s;h, tho&s;e flames which fla&s;h towards the great Tower, that is over the Por|tall of the Ca&s;tle? I do ob&s;erve them both (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes;)</HI> Certainly (&s;aid <HI>Chri|&s;antes)</HI> the&s;e are infallible &s;igns, that the Prince&s;s is not yet peri&s;hed, but may happily be pre&s;erved, either in this Galley, or that Tower which the flames have not yet touched: Alas (cried out <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;uddenly,) I &s;hould be happy, and begin to breath &s;ome hopes again if this were &s;o. By this time they were approached neer the Town, where he di&s;covered ma|ny men, &s;triving to &s;top the fire from catching hold of the Tower. Be&s;tir thy &s;elf (cried he out, and mended his pace,) mo&s;t unhappy Rivall, and endeavour the &s;afety of our Prince&s;s: A&s;&s;ure thy &s;elf, that if thou do&s;t pre&s;erve her from this danger, I will forgive thee all the Injuries thou ha&s;t done me. This Prince did not continue long in the &s;ame re&s;entments; for one while he was all Prayers and Vows in behalf of his Mi&s;tre&s;s; another while all Cur&s;es and Imprecations again&s;t his Rivall. Pre&s;ently after, Looking upon the Galley, and di&s;co|vering &s;ome Women upon the Deck, he was then in an exta&s;ie of Joy. But upon &s;econd thoughts, con&s;idering that though the Prince&s;s were one of the&s;e upon the Deck, yet as to him &s;he was for ever lo&s;t; then he began to rea&s;&s;ume his fir&s;t de&s;pair: Afterward, when he viewed the Tower, and ob&s;erved how the Sea and the Fire did wholly inviron it, and that happily his Prince&s;s might be in it, then he changed his apprehen&s;ions, and gave order, that tho&s;e Troops which came to de&s;troy the Town, &s;hould now pre&s;erve it, and help to extin|gui&s;h the flames. <HI>Artamenes</HI> being in no di&s;po&s;ition to go back again, &s;ent <HI>Feraulas,</HI> to take Command of his Men, and to march &s;peedily after, him. Coming neer the Town, they found the Air very fiery hot, and heard &s;uch hideous noi&s;e, that none but <HI>Artamenes</HI> him|&s;elf would enter the roaring of the Sea, the rumbling of the Winde, the fla&s;hing of the flames; all the&s;e, added to the horrid noi&s;e of whole hou&s;es tumbling, which were &s;haken into heaps of earth; the lamentable complaint of living, and the cruel cryes of dying men; all the&s;e di&s;mal dinns, which were an&s;wered by an Eccho from the Mountains, did make a mo&s;t mournfull and horrid harmony, if I may call a &s;ound &s;o full of &s;ad confu&s;ion, a har|mony: But all this could not divert the intentions of <HI>Artemenes:</HI> For he being now neer the Town, and all his men drawn up in a body, he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf, and &s;pake unto them, in the&s;e winning words: <HI>Imagin, my fellow Souldiers, that it is I which is in that Tower; that it is I my &s;elf who am at the very brink of peri&s;hing, between fire and water, and that it is I whom you come to &s;ave: Or to expre&s;s my &s;elf a little better: Imagin a &s;ay that your King, your Prin|ce&s;s, your wives, your fathers and your children, were all enclo&s;ed within this Tower, and with</HI> Artamenes <HI>ready to peri&s;h; let all the&s;e dear relations row&s;e up your &s;pirits unto a gallant deport|ment: you mu&s;t (my Companions) do as never yet was done; you mu&s;t de&s;troy your enemies, and yet, you mu&s;t &s;ave them: you mu&s;t fight again&s;t them with one hand, and &s;ave them with the other: In &s;umme, you mu&s;t attempt all manner of wayes to pre&s;erve that Prince&s;s who may be your Queen, and de&s;erves to be &s;o of the whole world.</HI> After this, <HI>Chri&s;antes, Ara&s;pes, Aglatidas</HI> and
<HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> who had each of them the Command of a thou&s;and Men, came unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> to receive their ultimate Orders: <HI>Feraulas</HI> was admitted unto Councel, who was no mean agent in the bu&s;ine&s;s; who al&s;o had tran&s;acted for Intelligence within <HI>Sinope,</HI> and unto whom <HI>Artucas</HI> had promi&s;ed to deliver up a Port of the Town, that &s;ame night. <HI>Feraulas</HI> gave his vote, that it were expedient to proceed in the very &s;ame manner, as if the Town were not on fire, and without any further Inqui&s;ition, to march &s;traight unto the Gate by <HI>Mars</HI> his Temple; becau&s;e, &s;aid he, if perchance this accident has not put the whole Town into a gene|rall di&s;order, we may perhaps find re&s;i&s;tance at any other place; it being alwayes a Cu&s;tom upon &s;uch accidents to double their Guards, lea&s;t the fire &s;hould proceed from &s;ome de&s;ign of their enemies; whereas, on the contrary, if you proceed this way, we are &s;ure to finde no oppo&s;ition; for if <HI>Artucas</HI> and his Complices be not all con&s;um'd in fire, we &s;hall certain|ly have their a&s;&s;i&s;tance; and although they &s;hould be all peri&s;hed, yet we are certain to finde none in that place to ob&s;truct our pa&s;&s;age. This advice was good, and &s;ounded all rea&s;on. Afterwards it was put to the Que&s;tion, What Cour&s;e was mo&s;t Commodious where|by to gain the foot of the Tower. <HI>Aglatidas</HI> ob&s;erved the fire to cea&s;e on that &s;ide of the Gate, becau&s;e the Ships being &s;ooner con&s;umed then the hou&s;es, it mu&s;t therefore con&s;e|quently follow, that the fire mu&s;t &s;oone&s;t cea&s;e there al&s;o; therefore he conceived it the mo&s;t convenient cour&s;e, to take the way of the Port, becau&s;e then they &s;hould have but one &s;ide to guard, and becau&s;e that al&s;o this way was the ea&s;ie&s;t to go unto the foot of the Tower.
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<HI>Artamenes,</HI> who thought each minute an age till he was there, would contradict no|thing, lea&s;t he &s;hould lo&s;e time; he marched him&s;elf fir&s;t, and gave command through the Army, to divulge it about the Town, how he had no other de&s;ign in coming thither, but to pre&s;erve the Prince&s;s; inducing the People thereby, to refu&s;e re&s;i&s;tance, and not impede his plot. They all begin to march; <HI>Feraulas</HI> guided <HI>Artemenes</HI> (who was like the re&s;t, on foot,) unto the Gate by <HI>Mars</HI> his Temple: and there they found him whom they &s;ought for, who was in &s;uch de&s;pair of <HI>Artamenes</HI> coming (for this &s;ad &s;ight had much retarded him) that he was carele&s;s whether he threw him&s;elf into the flames, or lived any longer. He no &s;ooner &s;pied them he long'd for, but he caus'd the Gates immediatly to fly open. The Guards at the place were very thin, for maugre his commands, mo&s;t of his men ran away to &s;ee in what condition the fire had left their hou&s;es, their wives, their fathers, and their children: &s;o that they found no great difficulty in becoming ma&s;ters of that Guard; yet they found enough to do in defending them&s;elves from fire. <HI>Artamenes,</HI> in marching through the inflamed &s;treets, expo&s;ed him&s;elf unto extraordinary danger, and was many times in hazard to being over|whelmed with falling fiery hou&s;es: though the object was terrible to him when he was with|out the Town, yet it &s;eemed much more horrid when he was within: they marched with Swords in their right hands, and Bucklers in their left; they had hotter &s;ervice in pre&s;erving them&s;elves from burning coals, which continually tumbled upon their heads, then from the Darts of their enemies. Upon the unexpected arrivall of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> all they who &s;urviv'd within the Town, did begin to double their lamentations and amazement: Many of the Grandees who before were bu&s;ie in quenching the fire of their own hou&s;es, did quit that cha|ritable office, and endeavoured to mu&s;ter into Arms, to make &s;ome re&s;i&s;tance; but alas, neither Arms, nor Captains, nor Souldiers, nor any thing fit for oppo&s;ition, can be found in &s;o confus'd a di&s;order: In &s;ome places, men were pulling down their own hou&s;es to pre&s;erve their neighbors: others threw their Plate, their Jewels, and their riche&s;t things out at win|dowes, in hopes thereby of &s;aving &s;omething: Mothers without any care of goods, or hou|&s;es, or any thing, might be &s;een running about the &s;treets with hair burned off their heads, and nothing left, unle&s;s in either arm a Childe. In &s;hort, the &s;ight was &s;o &s;ad and terrible, that if <HI>Artamenes</HI> had not been &s;o tran&s;ported as he was, with vehemency of pa&s;&s;ion, doubt|le&s;s he would have &s;topt his cour&s;e, to have &s;uccoured them, &s;o worthy were they of pity, and &s;o &s;en&s;ible was he of their mi&s;ery. Neverthele&s;s he marched on: the report of his Arrivall was every where divulged: <HI>Aribees,</HI> the Governour of <HI>Sinope</HI> (who u&s;ed his endeavours to prevent the fires catching hold of the Tower, and who upon this occa&s;ion had rallied mo&s;t of the men and Souldiers which &s;urviv'd) was at his wits end, and involved into &s;uch anxi|eties of minde, that he knew not whether was mo&s;t expedient, to fight <HI>Artamenes,</HI> or to quench the flames; for thus he argued; What will all my &s;ervices advantage the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> though I &s;hould get the victory, whil&s;t he in the mean time is ruin'd by the enra|ging flames: on the contrary, what &s;hould I get by quenching the fire, whil&s;t in the mean time I am taken a Pri&s;oner by <HI>Artamenes?</HI> I, who am his mortall foe; I who betray'd the King my Ma&s;ter; I who tran&s;acted the conveyance away of the Prince&s;s his daughter; I who mov'd the People to revolt: No, no, let us fight with <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who is as terrible to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> as fire, or flames, or any thing el&s;e can be; let us provide for our pre|&s;ervation that way: In &s;aying &s;o, he gave command, that all they who were quenching fire, and with engins pulling down the fired hou&s;es, &s;hould now take up Arms, and tho&s;e men who had none, to provide them with all &s;peed, and take them where ere they found them; let fire rather hurt their hou&s;es then not &s;uccour him. When <HI>Artamenes</HI> had pa&s;&s;ed through a great part of this pitifull Town, and marching along the Port, he came unto the foot of the Tower; did wonder to &s;ee none quenching the flames, and was amazed when he &s;aw <HI>Ari|bees</HI> with re&s;olutions to fight him: What (cried he out) do I come to quench the fire, and mu&s;t I now hinder it from being extingui&s;hed? No, no, my friends, it mu&s;t not be; Upon that he gave command that &s;ome of his men &s;hould help to extingui&s;h the fire, whil&s;t with the re&s;t he fought with tho&s;e who&s;e office it was to have done it: When all was thus order|ed, he advanced towards the main body of his enemy, in the head of which was <HI>Aribees. Artamenes,</HI> turning his eye towards the top of the Tower, there e&s;pied the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> who &s;eem'd to be in a very de&s;perate condition, as if he were indifferent whether he ca&s;t him|&s;elf into the flames, or Sea. This &s;ight confirmed <HI>Artamenes</HI> in his opinion, that his Prince&s;s was alive, and therefore he gave &s;econd orders of quenching the fire: then he marched with the re&s;t and charged his enemy; who received him with great and de&s;perate re&s;olu|tions: &s;o &s;oon as they joyned, he got &s;ight of their Generall. <HI>Aribees</HI> (&s;aid he aloud) I
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come not to fight but to puni&s;h thee: the fault &s;hall be thy own, if I do not procure thee a Pardon from the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> upon Condition thou wilt cea&s;e Arms, and help to pre&s;erve thy Prince&s;s and mine. But <HI>Aribees</HI> who thought his Crimes too great to be pardoned, in lieu of An&s;wer, did run at him with his drawn Sword, and began a fight in the mid&s;t of fire: the fight was more terrible to him then the fire; for blowes fell from an invincible arm, in whom Love, hate and revenge, did kindle more then accu&s;tomed valour at this time, although he was ever the mo&s;t valiant man alive. <HI>Hidaspes, Artucas, Chri&s;antes, Aglatides</HI> and <HI>Araspes,</HI> drew neer <HI>Artamenes:</HI> as for <HI>Feraulas,</HI> his orders were to quench the fire. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> all this while did not once behold, that which would produce his &s;afety or his &s;orrow, his weal or his wo, and would either lo&s;e his life or kill his enemy. <HI>Artamenes</HI> ca|&s;ting up his eye often towards the Tower, &s;aid to him&s;elf, I &s;hould be infinitely happy, if my Prince&s;s did but &s;ee what I do to pre&s;erve her: were I certain that &s;he were an eye-wit|ne&s;s, either of my victory or of my death, I &s;hould de&s;ire no more. Mean while, the fight was furious: in the mid&s;t of fight, <HI>Artamenes</HI> minde was much upon <HI>Feraulas,</HI> and his orders in quenching the fire: In conclu&s;ion he undertook a &s;ingle Combate with <HI>Aribees,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> amid&s;t all this confu&s;ion, which indeed was an act too opinionative and hazardous; for though this Traytor had to deal with the Gallante&s;t of Men, yet de&s;pair might by chance have done that in him, which true valour might do in the other: yet for all this <HI>Artamenes</HI> fought full of hopes, and was confident that after this, there was nothing but a few walls be|tween him and his Prince&s;s. Indeed his acts were Miracles; he &s;lew all that &s;tood in his way, and wounded <HI>Aribees</HI> in &s;o many places, that in conclu&s;ion he had no other re&s;olu|tions but to render him&s;elf, if upon a &s;udden an enflamed hou&s;e had not falne upon the place of Combat, &s;o that <HI>Aribees</HI> was covered with its ruin'd rubbi&s;h; and all men thought he had peri&s;hed both by fire and &s;word, as de&s;erving double puni&s;hment for his perfidious re|bellion. <HI>Artamenes</HI> al&s;o, who though he had received but few wounds from his Antago|ni&s;t, yet thought him&s;elf in a dangerous &s;tate, when he was &s;urrounded with flames and &s;mak; and certainly, had he not &s;hielded his head with his Helmet, he had inevitably peri|&s;hed: his Cote of Arms was burnt, and a thou&s;and to one but he had been &s;mothered in this adventure. The fall of this hou&s;e did rai&s;e &s;o thick a du&s;t, a &s;moak &s;o black, and a cloud of &s;parks &s;o fiery, that for a long time nothing could be di&s;cerned upon the place. That which mo&s;t vexed <HI>Artamenes</HI> in this accident was, that <HI>Aribees,</HI> who was upon the very point of &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, had retreated forty or fifty paces, and thereby e&s;caped his revenge; <HI>Artamenes</HI> touched him with the point of his &s;word, but by a miracle of fortune mi&s;&s;ed him, and now found no enemy amid&s;t the&s;e fatall ruins. After this accident, all they who had dependance upon <HI>Aribees,</HI> were all amaz'd and fled. But this Hero <HI>Artamenes</HI> runs after them, and cries aloud, that he came with intentions to &s;ave, and not to hurt them: In conclu&s;ion, he per|&s;waded them, to lay down Arms and tru&s;t unto the word of a Conqueror, who heretofore had given te&s;timonies of his Genero&s;ity; and &s;o in a &s;hort time, all &s;eem'd to be on one &s;ide. <HI>Artamenes</HI> encouraging his men, did &s;hew them by example what they &s;hould do, and him&s;elf quenched the fire. All the people wondered to finde &s;o charitable an enemy: his Souldiers pul'd down hou&s;es with their engins of Artillery: they did employ their Bucklers and Helmets in carrying water to throw upon the fire. In &s;hort, they neglected nothing which might be thought expedient in the bu&s;ine&s;s. Every Captain did admirably demean him&s;elf in this encounter; among&s;t the re&s;t, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;eem'd rather to fight for death then victory, &s;o couragiou&s;ly did he expo&s;e him&s;elf unto the fury of the fight and fire: Mean while, <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;eeing the fire decrea&s;e, was infinitely tran&s;ported with joy and hope to &s;ee his deare&s;t and faire&s;t Prince&s;s. She is (&s;aid he in his heart,) within this Tower, and if&punc; be not the mo&s;t unfortunate wretch that ever liv'd, I &s;hall pre&s;ently ble&s;s my eyes with a &s;ight of her, my mo&s;t adored Prince&s;s. I may chance have the honour from her own lips to be ter|med her Liberator; and now I hope to &s;ee both the object of my Love and of my hate. The fire is now extingui&s;hed and he approached under the walls of the Tower; he gave orders to &s;ecure all advenues and Ports of the Town: as he began to demoli&s;h the walls of this Tower, not yet knowing whether he &s;hould meet with any oppo&s;ition, he e&s;pied a man of good han&s;ome deportment, who opened the Gate unto him, and in lieu of di&s;puting his en|trance (which indeed he had done, had he not known <HI>Artemenes</HI> from the battlements of the Tower) he reverently addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf, and in a pa&s;&s;ionate manner &s;aid; S^r, if the Name of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> be not quite forgotten, do him the honour to u&s;e all your endeavours to pre|vent the ruin of a mo&s;t illu&s;trious Per&s;on, of who&s;e &s;afety we &s;hall utterly de&s;pair, unle&s;s your timous a&s;&s;i&s;tance help it. <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;uppo&s;ed it to be the Prince&s;s who was in &s;ome extre|mity,
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and therefore did not in&s;i&s;t upon the nicety of Ceremonies with <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> whom he pre&s;ently knew by his voice: Come along my old Conqueror (&s;aid he to him,) let us ha&s;te to releeve this illu&s;trious per&s;on. As &s;oon as ever he had uttered the&s;e words, he ran ha&s;tily up the &s;tairs, and many followed; among the re&s;t <HI>Hidaspes, Chri&s;antes, Aglatides, Thra&s;i|bulus</HI> and <HI>Feraulus:</HI> but they all, except <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> wondered, to &s;ee no Souldiers in the Tower, nor in any other place of the fort: <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> by order from <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;taid at the Gates, to prevent &s;urpri&s;als: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was &s;o tran&s;ported with de&s;ires of &s;eeing the Prin|ce&s;s, that he was at the top of the Tower before the re&s;t; but, O Heavens, how &s;adly he was &s;urpris'd with amazement, when in lieu of the Prince&s;s, he found none but the King of <HI>A&s;&s;i|ria,</HI> who was his Rivall, and Ravi&s;her of the Prince&s;s, al&s;o his utter enemy? an unarmed ene|my, &s;unk in &s;orrowes: <HI>Artamenes</HI> turned toward <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> and askt him, if this was his illu&s;trious Per&s;on he meant: he &s;eeing all the Company following with de&s;ire to come unto the top of the Tower, and con&s;idering with him&s;elf, that his di&s;cour&s;e with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;i|ria</HI> would not be fit for all publike ears, beckned unto them to retire: Then he asked where the Prince&s;s was, imagining &s;he might be in &s;ome lower room of the Fort; but he was much more &s;urpri&s;ed with wonder, when the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> &s;aid unto him, You &s;ee <HI>Artamenes,</HI> a Prince more unfortunate then your &s;elf, &s;ince he is the cau&s;e both of your di&s;a&s;ters and his own. You may &s;ee (&s;aid he, &s;hewing him the Galley which was not yet far off, by rea&s;on of contrary winde) another Ravi&s;her of your Prince&s;s more guilty then my &s;elf, becau&s;e he profe&s;&s;ed amity and friend&s;hip unto him, whereas I never gave you the lea&s;t hope of any Love from me. What (cryed out <HI>Artamenes</HI> in looking upon the Galley, and not regar|ding his enemy) is not the Prince&s;s here in your Power? No, no, an&s;wered the King of <HI>A&s;|&s;iria</HI> &s;ighing) the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> that mo&s;t perfidious <HI>Mazares,</HI> has Ravi&s;ht her both from me and you, and hath rob'd you of the glory of your Victory; but &s;ince you cannot &s;atisfie your Love in &s;eeing your Prince&s;s, &s;atisfie your hate, and take a full revenge upon me your Rivall enemy: you &s;ee, I am not in condition to oppo&s;e you; I was re&s;olved, as &s;oon as this Galley was out of &s;ight, &s;ince I could not follow it, to ca&s;t my &s;elf either into the flames or Sea, and &s;o fini&s;h my misfortunes, rather then fall into the hand of you my Rivall enemy. The enemies of <HI>Artamenes</HI> (an&s;wered this generous and &s;ad Prince,) have never any cau&s;e to fear him but when they have Arms in their hands. The Condition in which I finde you, is your umbrage from the heat of my anger, and pre&s;erves you from the fury of my re&s;entments. After the&s;e words, poor <HI>Artamenes</HI> was &s;o &s;added with &s;orrow, as never man was more. He &s;ees his Prince&s;s, Ravi&s;hed away the &s;econd time, but cannot follow, &s;ince all the Ships were con&s;um'd, &s;o that there appears no po&s;&s;ibility of relief or revenge upon this &s;econd Ravi&s;her. He looks upon his fir&s;t Rivall Ravi&s;her, and &s;ees him in his Power, but &s;ees him unarmed, and without any de&s;ign but death. <HI>Artamenes</HI> has now no heart, he &s;ees his di&s;a&s;ters are without either parallell or remedy; he had &s;ometimes &s;ome thoughts (had not the genero&s;ity of his &s;oul &s;tayed him) of &s;atisfying his revenge upon his Rivall, and &s;ometimes upon him&s;elf: he was &s;o &s;urrounded vvith &s;orrow and anxious cogi|tations, as he neither knew what he &s;hould or what he would do. Pre&s;ently he heard the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> &s;ay, I &s;ee <HI>Artamenes,</HI> Fortune is your good friend, and the very windes are obedient unto your wi&s;hes, in blowing back the Galley to the &s;hore, &s;o that happily you may &s;afely receive your Prince&s;s again. <HI>Artamenes</HI> looking toward the Sea, did plainly per|ceive the Galley was forced by contrary windes &s;o neer back again, that Women might per|fectly be di&s;covered upon the deck; and might ea&s;ily &s;ee how Saylors tug'd with all their &s;trength, to part the violence of the waves, keeping them&s;elves as far from Land as they could by force of oar. At this &s;ight Joy might be &s;een to &s;parkle in the eyes of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> but as for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> &s;ad &s;orrow and de&s;pair &s;eem'd to be all his hopes; knowing vvell enough that though the favorable winde did waft&punc; the Galley &s;afe into the Port, yet the &s;weetne&s;s of that fortune would be all <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and not his; yet he cheered up him&s;elf with hope of &s;eeing <HI>Mazares</HI> puni&s;hed. I hope you will permit me (&s;aid he to <HI>Artamenes,)</HI> that if it be the plea&s;ure of the Gods to make you happy, in &s;afely re&s;toring you the Prin|ce&s;s,) to &s;ave you the labour of puni&s;hing this Ravi&s;her: be pleas'd, but to allow me Com|bate with him, and furni&s;h me vvith a Sword, and I vvill promi&s;e you, that immediatly af|ter my revenging victory, I will force it through my own heart: by this means I &s;hall per|mit you to enjoy that Happine&s;s quietly, which as long as life is in me I &s;hall always di&s;turb. This Revenge mu&s;t I re&s;erve unto my &s;elf (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> yet in con&s;ideration of that re&s;pect which I bear unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> and his misfortunes, I will deprive my &s;elf of that &s;atisfaction which I could finde in revenging my &s;elf upon his own Rival&s;hip: But as for
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<HI>Mazares,</HI> I mu&s;t re&s;erve the puni&s;hment of his perfidious fact unto my &s;elf. After this, the&s;e two Rivals, without any more memory of old hate, applied them&s;elves to ob&s;erve the Galley, both wi&s;hing Happine&s;s to the Prince&s;s, and Cur&s;es upon the Ravi&s;her, as if both of them had one and the &s;ame intere&s;t. This object had &s;uch plea&s;ing influence, upon their eyes, their &s;pirits, and their imaginations, as that now they &s;eem to be very good friends. But in conclu&s;ion they &s;ee the Sea begin to change colour, the windes ri&s;e, the waves boi&s;terous, &s;ometimes to&s;&s;ing up the Galley as high as Clouds, and &s;ometimes bulging it to the bottom of the Sea with its &s;urges. This &s;ad &s;ight, had likewi&s;e the &s;ame effect upon both their mindes, and moves them equally unto Pa&s;&s;ion; <HI>Artamenes</HI> lookt upon the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> with an unexpre&s;&s;able &s;adne&s;s, and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> lookt upon <HI>Artamenes,</HI> vvith a face full of black de&s;pair; the equality of their misfortunes did &s;u&s;pend all their cogitations: and they apprehended all that Love could po&s;&s;ibly imagin dolorous and re&s;entive. They &s;aw, if the winde continued where it was, that the Galley would be driven again&s;t the foot of that Tower wherein they were, and &s;o da&s;h all in pieces; &s;o that now they begin to fear vvhat before they de&s;ired, vvi&s;hing the vvindes vvould now &s;econd the Prayers of the Ravi&s;her, and blow them far from Land: Mean vvhile, the &s;torm encrea&s;eth, and according to the or|dinary capricious incon&s;tance of the Sea, a vvhirl-winde, did upon a &s;udden &s;o inter&s;hock the waves, as the Galley was carried far from the Town with incredible celerity, &s;o that the&s;e two Rivals lo&s;t the &s;ight of it, and vvith it all their hopes and their hearts. What fears of &s;hip|wrack the&s;e two illu&s;trious, but impro&s;perous Princes, did re&s;ent, is not imaginable. Fain they would exclude <HI>Mazares</HI> out of their Prayers for <HI>Mandana;</HI> but rather then &s;he &s;hould want a wi&s;h of &s;afety, they pray for both, and repent them of their fir&s;t de&s;ires. Now, when that object, vvhich before did take up their pa&s;&s;ionate re&s;entment of each other, was out of &s;ight, they began to conceive of one another as two Rivals and two enemies. <HI>Artamenes</HI> was upon departure, vvith intentions of committing the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> into &s;afe cu&s;tody, when the King began to &s;peak thus unto him: I know <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that your Birth and Quality is equal unto mine; I am &s;ure of it by infallible and mo&s;t certain grounds: I do retain much Confidence in your Genero&s;ity, of vvhich I have had &s;o much experience, and of vvhich, mangre my hate, I have been a long (though tacit) admirer. Therefore I vvill both beleeve and hope, that you vvill not deny me one favour vvhich I &s;hall de&s;ire. As you are my Ri|vall (&s;aid <HI>Artamenes)</HI> I &s;hould deny you all your de&s;ires; but as you are the King of <HI>A&s;&s;i|ria,</HI> I can deny you nothing, &s;o it be not prejudiciall unto the King whom I &s;erve, nor his Daughter vvhom I adore; and be confident, I will deny nothing which will not vvound my Honour or my Love: I oblige my &s;elf unto it by the vvord of a Man, vvhom you &s;ay is not inferior unto your &s;elf, although it pa&s;s not &s;o in the opinion of the World: Demand then vvhat you plea&s;e, but fir&s;t con&s;ider well with your &s;elf, lea&s;t, again&s;t my vvill you &s;hould provoke me to a deniall. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> as &s;oon as <HI>Artamenes</HI> had &s;aid &s;o, re|plied: I know that I am in your power, and you may transfer me into the hands of <HI>Ciax|ares;</HI> I know again it vvill be of much advantage unto him, to get that King unto his fetters, a great part of vvho&s;e Kingdom he hath Conquered: But I know you too Noble to triumph over me, or to in&s;ult over your Captive Rivall; vvhom you cannot chu&s;e but know to be a Man of Soul, &s;ince he hath mea&s;ured his Sword with yours: Suffer me therefore, to have &s;o much Honour as to Contribute my endeavours towards the Puni&s;hment of our Common enemy, and of Relea&s;ing the Prince&s;s: And I do oblige my &s;elf by Promi&s;e, that if it plea&s;e the De&s;tinies to be &s;o propitious unto me, as that I &s;hall finde out the illu&s;trious <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet I vvill never tran&s;act any thing unto your prejudice, untill fir&s;t the fate of Arms in Duell, have decided our Fortunes: I confe&s;s <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid he further) that my reque&s;t is &s;ome|thing difficult, yet if your &s;oul be not capable of any but ea&s;ie things, I &s;hall conceive you unworthy to be my Corrivall, 'Tis true (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> but <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> cannot Con&s;ent unto your de&s;ire: It is much more ea&s;ie for me to determin our Controver&s;ie by the Sword, then Con&s;ent unto your Liberty; nor is it in my power &s;o much, as perhaps you imagin. As my Love is not inferior into yours <HI>Artamenes</HI> (replied the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria)</HI> &s;o my de&s;ire of Combat is no le&s;s violent in my &s;oul then yours; yet I would not fight for the enjoyment of the Prince&s;s, &s;ince &s;he is not in a Condition to be the Prize of the Conqueror: but <HI>Arta|menes,</HI> our be&s;t and mo&s;t expedient cour&s;e, is to pur&s;ue the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and to Contribute both our endeavours jointly together for her freedom, &s;ince our intere&s;ts unto her are &s;o equall. Do you not apprehend, that if both of us &s;hould fall in Combat, then would the Glorious <HI>Mandana,</HI> remain in the Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of our Common Rivall, without either protection or defence? At the&s;e words, <HI>Artamenes</HI> paus'd; and then replied;
<PB N="8" REF="7">
Doubtle&s;s it were not ju&s;t to expo&s;e our Prince&s;s unto &s;o much hazard; nor is it fit for me who am entru&s;ted by the King of <HI>Medes</HI> with his Army, to di&s;po&s;e &s;o peremptorily of &s;uch a Pri&s;oner as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria;</HI> All that I can vvith Honour and &s;afety promi&s;e is, to em|ploy the be&s;t of my endeavours for his relea&s;e. But to te&s;tifie in the mean time, how de&s;i|rous I am to encounter &s;o Gallant an enemy, and that I will if po&s;&s;ible procure his freedom; I do now engage my Honour, never to pretend any thing unto the Prince&s;s, although &s;he were in my po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, though the King of <HI>Medes</HI> &s;hould con&s;ent unto it, and &s;he her fair &s;elf were plea&s;ed with it, before the fate of Arms has rendred me a Conquerour in Combat with you. I cannot deny (&s;aid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria)</HI> but your Arguments are Convincing; that you have rea&s;on to treat me as you do; and that my reque&s;t was unrea&s;onable: And, though you be wi&s;er then I am, yet I be&s;eech you confe&s;s I am more Amorous, &s;ince I have lo&s;t &s;o much rea&s;on, which you have retained. I mu&s;t di&s;pute with you (replied <HI>Artamenes,)</HI> that Controver&s;ie more ob&s;tinately then the other. Then, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> without any fur|ther replies, did entreat him to endeavour his relea&s;e, which once happily obtained, might much conduce to the &s;afety of the Prince&s;s. Upon this <HI>Artamenes</HI> retired, and committed the guard of the <HI>A&s;&s;irian</HI> King unto <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> commanding to treat him with all ob&s;ervance and po&s;&s;ible Civilities, waiting upon him unto his accu&s;tomed Lodging, and &s;o at this time they parted. <HI>Artamenes</HI> marched through all the &s;treets; kept the People in good or|der, and quite quenched the fire: he &s;ent out &s;everall Men, to &s;ee if they could di&s;cover any happy tydings of that Galley which had carried away his Prince&s;s: He di&s;patched Po&s;ts unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> with Intelligence of all adventures, and employed all the re&s;t of the day in giving out Orders: At night he retired unto that Chamber where his Prince&s;s was wont to lie, which he knew to be the &s;ame by the information of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> unto whom he applied him&s;elf, with as much Civility as the inquietude of his minde would permit him; he gave or|der for reparation of his Ships which had been torn by the tempe&s;t, and con&s;umed by fire: He related unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> how the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> did treat him with much re&s;pect, and permitted him to lie within the Ca&s;tle, where he did &s;ee the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> and how the la&s;t night, they were all very apprehen&s;ive of that noi&s;e which the burning of Ships did cau&s;e; and how the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> call'd for his Sword, and never re&s;ted in a place; that he having a de&s;ire to go unto the Prince&s;s Lodging, found it lockt, but found no Souldiers which u&s;ed to guard the Fort, and e&s;pecially that place; that he call'd for his Servants and broke open the Chamber-door, but found no body in it: afterwards, when he de&s;ired to go out of the Fort, he found it a thing impo&s;&s;ible, by rea&s;on of the fire: That after all this, he often went unto the top of the Tower, where too deeply re&s;enting his di&s;a&s;ters, he re&s;olved every minute to throw him&s;elf either into the fire or the water. <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> could make no further Relation becau&s;e he arived at <HI>Sinope</HI> but the day before; &s;o he left <HI>Artamenes</HI> in his Chamber, who at their parting a&s;&s;ured him, he vvould move the King to make him &s;ati&s;|faction for his Ships which had been burnt: <HI>Thra&s;ibulas</HI> did highly commend his Modera|tion, becau&s;e in all the&s;e &s;udden and unexpected &s;ad di&s;a&s;ters, he did not deject him&s;elf by unprofitable &s;orrowes, but Couragiou&s;ly endured this &s;o con&s;iderable a Lo&s;s. <HI>Artamenes</HI> did wake away the night in &s;uch di&s;turbed imaginations, as cannot be conceiv'd by any but him&s;elf. Behold (&s;aid he in his melancholy minde) the place where my Prince&s;s is abus'd! Me thinks I &s;ee her with a dolefull memory think upon me, and where perhaps &s;he mourns for the misfortunate <HI>Artamenes!</HI> Without doubt &s;he hath &s;poke &s;omething concerning me; for by what other way was it po&s;&s;ible, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> could know, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was more then reall <HI>Artamenes?</HI> I, who during the time I was in the Court at <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> pa&s;&s;ed for no other then &s;uch a one as <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> a &s;illie Knight, though perhaps I was as amorous as he, and by con&s;equence as unlike to delude: But, alas, my mo&s;t divine Prince&s;s, how fatally comes it to pa&s;s, that I &s;hould be here in your Pri&s;on? and that I &s;hould finde your Ra|vi&s;her here, but not you? I finde a Rivall upon whom I cannot with Honour exerci&s;e my revenge; I have lamentably lo&s;t a Prince&s;s whom I know not how to follow; Her Beauty, which vvas my highe&s;t Glory and only Happine&s;s, I finde now to be cau&s;e of my dire di&s;|a&s;ters, and her own mi&s;erable misfortunes; She has met with many adorers, but yet they are &s;uch as are without becoming reverence. In what places &s;oever &s;he came, &s;he procured Ri|vals unto me, and enemies: Ah Divine eyes (cried he out,) how comes it to be po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould infu&s;e &s;uch inju&s;t and &s;o irregular re&s;entments? You, I &s;ay, which never charm'd my heart, with any other thoughts, but tho&s;e of fear and reverence? I who never dur&s;t pre&s;ume &s;o high as to &s;ay I lov'd you; I, who never lookt upon you, but was Planet-&s;truck and trem|bled: I, who have long, long adored you in the &s;ecret of my Soul: I (I &s;ay,) who had rather
<PB N="9" REF="7">
die a thou&s;and deaths, then any one of all my actions, &s;hould in the lea&s;t degree in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ur your di&s;plea&s;ure: But for all this, you are Courted by hearts who are mo&s;t unworthy of you; hearts which never &s;tudy that reverence which is your due, but aym only at their private &s;a|tisfaction; for my part I cannot repent me of my humble Pa&s;&s;ions; and in &s;pite of this misfortune in mi&s;&s;ing this &s;oul of my life, I had rather be <HI>Artamenes</HI> then <HI>Mazares;</HI> not but that he is happy in his very Crime; for he &s;ees her, &s;peaks to her, and has the opportunity to di&s;cour&s;e of his Pa&s;&s;ions; but doubtle&s;s her an&s;wers are all di&s;dam, and tho&s;e eyes, which are his glory and delight, will become his puni&s;hment when they &s;parkle anger at him. In a word, I had rather lodge innocently in the heart of my Prince&s;s, then lie an offender at her feet: But oh Heavens (cried he out, in a &s;udden pa&s;&s;ion) will you permit this terrible tempe&s;t to continue, and be her ruin? As he was mu&s;ing thus in the&s;e melancholy Imagina|tions, he heard a great noi&s;e without: and pre&s;ently <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> coming ha&s;tily unto the Chamber; S^r (&s;aid he) the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> will e&s;cape, or to &s;peak truth, I think he is gone; for <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> hearing a noi&s;e in the Kings Chamber, within which (out of reverence unto him) he did not lie; opened the door, but found no King: we went all immediatly out and &s;earched diligently; we finde, that under his window which is directly oppo&s;ite unto a fire|ruined hou&s;e, there is a great heap of ruinous rubbi&s;h, which hath filled up the Mote under the Ca&s;tle in that quarter, &s;o that it rai&s;ed up a high hill of combu&s;tible ruins, by which we &s;uppo&s;e the King e&s;caped. <HI>Artamenes,</HI> though he was much moved at this unplea&s;ant news, yet &s;ent out Orders immediatly unto all the Ports of <HI>Sinope,</HI> and went him&s;elf to &s;eek his Pri&s;oner. As he was at one end of the Town, he di&s;covered a Troop of Men in Arms at the other end; and who endeavoured to become ma&s;ters of the Port: he ha&s;ted thither, but all too late, for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> was already gone, and had charged through the Court of Guard. The&s;e were &s;ome, who were commanded by <HI>Aribes,</HI> and who every one did beleeve to be dead, but he did lie clo&s;e under the rubbi&s;h of that ruin'd hou&s;e, which &s;eem'd to bury him alive: This Man to gain more time for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;irias</HI> e&s;cape, began a skirmi&s;h, notwith&s;tanding all the wounds which he had formerly received. <HI>Artamenes</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but &s;aid, What, Traytor, art thou ri&s;en again to betray thy Ma&s;ter? if thou wilt e&s;cape with thy life, then thou mu&s;t give me my death: In &s;aying &s;o, he made at him with &s;uch a fu|rious impetuo&s;ity, as <HI>Aribees,</HI> though couragious enough, was forced to retreat a little; yet it was but to retard his death one moment longer, for <HI>Artamenes</HI> did pre&s;s &s;o &s;ore upon him, as he had enough to do to defend him&s;elf, and mu&s;t needs fall under the valour of him who ne|ver fights but conquers: In conclu&s;ion, he be&s;towed upon him &s;uch a fatall blow acro&s;s his body, that in &s;pight of his Cura&s;s he fell at his feet. Before he died, he confe&s;&s;ed, that being &s;o concealed under that heap of rubbi&s;h, he rallied as many of his men as he could, and hid them among&s;t the ruins of hou&s;es; and having in the interim enquired what Chamber the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> did lie in, he got up to his window in the beginning of the night, by that heap of cinders and half-burnt wood which was under it, and &s;o with as little noi&s;e as po&s;|&s;ibly he could, he helped the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> to e&s;cape. At the end of this Confe&s;&s;ion, this perfidious wretch lo&s;t both his &s;peech and his life both together. All his complices, &s;eeing him in &s;o &s;ad a condition, betook them&s;elves to their heels. <HI>Artamenes</HI> could pur&s;ue the King no further by rea&s;on of the nights ob&s;curity. Upon his return unto the Ca&s;tle, he &s;ent unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to adverti&s;e him of the accident, and &s;pent all the night in contemplation of all the mutable and capritious humour of his fate: he was much amazed, when he con&s;idered all his adventures, and that one &s;o young &s;hould be the &s;ubject of &s;uch vici&s;&s;itudes in Fortune: Whil&s;t he was thus deep in thoughts, and walking in his Chamber (for his turbulent minde would not permit him &s;leep) he found upon the Table a very rich Table-book, who&s;e leaves were of Indian Palm; But, oh Heavens, into what an exta&s;ie was he wrapt, when upon the opening it, he found the hand of his Prince&s;s: he looked upon it again mo&s;t earne&s;tly, and the more he lik't the Lines, being now fully per&s;waded it was her hand, and thus began to read.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria.</HI></HEAD>
<P>REmember, S^r, you told me a hundred times that you could deny <HI>Mandana</HI> nothing; if you think upon that, you will not accu&s;e the generous <HI>Mazares</HI> of any infidelity, &s;ince he was moved at my de&s;ire, to act as he did; not that he has any other intere&s;t in my Liberty, then &s;uch as virtue does infu&s;e into &s;ouls well de&s;cended. Re&s;olve then to pardon him that Crime, which to speak truly does
<PB N="10" REF="8">
in &s;ome &s;ort reflect upon your own advantage, &s;ince it is a means to le&s;&s;en my aver&s;ion, by the te&s;ti|mony which you gave me of your Love. Know, that I will protect him in my Fathers Court, who hath protected me in yours. Know al&s;o, that it is by the Pardon of <HI>Mazares,</HI> by which you may obtain yours from <HI>Mandana,</HI> and may finde more room in her e&s;teem, then ever you could in her affection.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Mandana.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>Artamenes</HI> had read this Letter, he pre&s;ently repented of his malignity again&s;t <HI>Mazares,</HI> and now made as many Prayers for his &s;afety as he had before for his ruin: Ap|pearances (&s;aid he) are fallacious, and it is too much ra&s;hne&s;s to Cen&s;ure upon the Actions of another, without mo&s;t certain knowledge. Would not any one have concluded <HI>Ma|zares,</HI> the mo&s;t unworthy man upon earth? and that his infidelity unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> had no other foundation, but his unju&s;t Love? but it &s;eems, that Pity and Compa&s;&s;ion were the only Motives, which prompted him to his tran&s;action: I perceive it is not his fault, I am not the happie&s;t man in the world; but if the Tempe&s;t do not prevent me, I &s;hall hope to enjoy my Divine Trea&s;ure; and in the mean time, I &s;hall re&s;ent the actions of <HI>Mazares,</HI> as having no other de&s;ign in them, then &s;uch as conduce unto the Liberty of my Princes, though it was my cro&s;s fortune to come too late to relieve her: But, &s;aid he, what imports it, by what means Good fortune come, &s;o I enjoy it? I will therefore in this hope revive; and re&s;olve to become a friend unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> in protecting him again&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria.</HI> After he had thus rea&s;oned with him&s;elf, and ruminated upon what his Prince&s;s writ; he looked if there were any more within the book. But, alas, he found that which he expected not; it was a Letter from <HI>Mazares</HI> to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> and thus endited.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>Mazares</HI> Prince of <HI>Saces</HI> to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>I</HI> Will now no longer conceal my Crime, but will ingeniou&s;ly di&s;cover unto you how great it is: I have not only been Perfidious unto you, but have al&s;o deluded her, whom of all the world I mo&s;t adore, which is, the Prince&s;s <HI>Madana:</HI> She thinks I endeavour to le&s;&s;en her misfortunes, whil&s;t my Aimes are only for my &s;elf. In &s;hort, my &s;inne is again&s;t her as well as you, and it proves al&s;o again&s;t my &s;elf, &s;ince for ought I &s;ee, all my endeavours are ineffectuall. But what &s;hould I do? It was Love con&s;train'd me, and I mu&s;t obey. If you be truly Noble you will pity me, without any thoughts of revenge, unle&s;s upon your Self as well as me. Yet I mu&s;t tell you, that I &s;hall be &s;uf|ficiently Puni&s;hed by <HI>Mandana,</HI> as long as <HI>Artamenes</HI> keeps &s;uch &s;trong po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of her heart, and denies admittance unto you, unto me, and unto all the Princes in the world, except him: It is again&s;t the Law of perfect Genero&s;ity, to puni&s;h me for that crime, of which your &s;elf is guilty.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Mazares.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>What's this I &s;ee? &s;aid <HI>Artamenes;</HI> I expected to finde a friend, and in the turning of an eye, I have found a Rivall: and a Rivall too who perhaps has u&s;ed my Name, and abus'd my Prince&s;s in conveying her away, &s;he &s;uppo&s;ing it to be my de&s;ign, which he tran&s;acts for him&s;elf: But mo&s;t Glorious Prince&s;s; can I hope for &s;o much ble&s;&s;edne&s;s, as to be enter|tained into your heart, as <HI>Mazares</HI> thinks? If it be true; then I am the mo&s;t happy; and the mo&s;t unhappy man, both together, that ever breath'd: happy in having that Honour which all the Princes in the world cannot de&s;erve; and unhappy in having a Title unto that Trea&s;ure which I cannot po&s;&s;e&s;s. Capritious Fortune which orders all occurrences, does never afford me any good, but &s;he makes me more re&s;entive of it by a deprivation; as if &s;weets would not reli&s;h unle&s;s I ta&s;ted the bitter al&s;o: I &s;hould never have known, that I was thus Loved, unle&s;s by the extremity of my misfortunes I had been thus brought to hate my life and wi&s;h my death. Whil&s;t he was in the&s;e Contemplations, one came and told him, that no Intelligence could be learnt all along the Sea co&s;t, concerning that Galley in which the Prince&s;s was: this gave him &s;ome hopes to mingle with his fears of her &s;hipwrack, and did &s;o elevate his &s;pirits, that he admitted of the company of his Commanders in the Army, who followed him. <HI>Hida&s;pes, Chri&s;antes, Aglatidas, Ara&s;pes, Feraulas</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> that famous Greek, all came into his Chamber; where <HI>Artamenes</HI> entertained the la&s;t of the&s;e more particularly, and told him how &s;orry he was, that he could not &s;o readily as he de&s;ired,
<PB N="11" REF="8">
furni&s;h him with Ships; but if it were &s;o, that his de&s;igns at Sea were only to &s;ecure him&s;elf from his enemies (as &s;ome had formerly hinted unto him) then he would promi&s;e him a &s;afe Sanctuary in the Court of the King of <HI>Medes;</HI> and did further oblige him&s;elf to remit him unto his former e&s;tate, as &s;oon as he had found out the Prince&s;s his Daughter. <HI>Thra|&s;ibulus</HI> returned him mo&s;t humble thanks, for this obliging offer, and accepted of it, &s;ince this was all he was able to do for the pre&s;ent. The valour, and winning qualities of <HI>Arta|menes,</HI> had po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed this mans &s;oul with &s;o much Love, ever &s;ince he fir&s;t knew him, that this happy meeting proved an Antidote unto him again&s;t his former misfortunes. After <HI>Artame|nes</HI> had thus honoured him, he went out with him and all the re&s;t of the Officers into the &s;treets of the Town, where the fire was quite quenched, yet all the rude rubbi&s;h remained; the &s;ad &s;ights which every where appeared, great beams half burnt, whole hou&s;es quite de|moli&s;ht, and &s;uch lamentable objects, infu&s;ed &s;uch melancholy imaginations into them all, as it was impo&s;&s;ible to think of any thing but &s;adne&s;s in a place &s;o di&s;mally di&s;mantled: there they &s;aw &s;ome men &s;earching for their Trea&s;ure which was buried among the cindars of their hou&s;es. Others, who were compo&s;ed of a more tender di&s;po&s;ition, were raking among the ruins, for the bones of their burned kindred and Friends. <HI>Artamenes</HI> was much mov'd with the&s;e mournfull &s;pectacles; he commi&s;erated and comforted all he met, and promi&s;ed unto the Inhabitants in generall, that notwith&s;tanding their Rebellion, he would move the King to rebuild their Town. <HI>Feraulas</HI> then pre&s;ented a man unto him who brought a Letter from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria;</HI> He took the Letter, broke open the Seal, and reading it in a low voice unto him&s;elf, found the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> unto <HI>Artamenes.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>I</HI> Commend your &s;crupulous virtue, which would not permit you to make u&s;e of your genero&s;ity: Doubtle&s;s you could not well have con&s;ented unto the Liberty of your Pri&s;oner who de&s;ired it, unle&s;s you had failed in that duty which you owe unto the King of <HI>Medes:</HI> As I will be ju&s;t to you, be not you unju&s;t to me, nor blame a Prince who had not made an e&s;cape, had you tru&s;ted him upon his Parole; nor can he think he hath committed a Crime, &s;ince he e&s;caped your Guards with inten|tions to endeavour the delivery of our Prince&s;s. To te&s;tifie unto you that in breaking my Pri&s;on I have not broken the Conditions of our Treaty, I do here promi&s;e you again, that I will adverti&s;e you of all Pa&s;&s;ages, and that I will make no war upon the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> but afford him &s;ome Auxiliaries: And that which is mo&s;t difficult for me to perform, I promi&s;e you not to &s;peak a word more of my affection to the Prince&s;s, though it &s;hould be my happy fate to deliver her; nor will I think it was your neglect which gave me my Liberty; Keep Promi&s;e with an Enemy if you would have him keep Promi&s;e with you.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>The King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><HI>Artamenes</HI> read this Letter with a double re&s;entment both of joy and &s;orrow; he was well pleas'd with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;irias</HI> Promi&s;es, for the Prince&s;s might as &s;oon fall into the hands of <HI>Labinet</HI> as his; but on the other &s;ide it much griev'd him, that he &s;hould, in the face of all the peoole, receive &s;uch a Letter from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> as he mu&s;t not &s;hew unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> for many rea&s;ons therein contained, and therefore he would not impart it unto any. When he was come into his Chamber, he took a leaf made of the bark of Cedar, or &s;ome &s;uch like (for the Ancients were not acquainted with Paper,) and writ the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>Artamenes,</HI> to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>I</HI> Will never fail where once I Promi&s;e, but &s;hall account it as a due Debt, which mu&s;t and &s;hall be paid: Be confident, that I will punctually Perform every circum&s;tance which was agreed upon between us; I wi&s;h we were now in a Condition to di&s;pute the Prize of which I am unworthy, which yet none &s;hall ever enjoy but by the death of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Artamenes.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><PB N="12" REF="9">
When this Letter was &s;ealed, he gave it unto the &s;ame man who brought the other; who drawing neerer, whi&s;pered him in the ear, and told him how he had Command from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> to acquaint him, that if he had any occa&s;ion to &s;end unto him, he was retired unto <HI>Pteria,</HI> a Town whereof <HI>Aribees</HI> had been Governour, as well as of <HI>Sinope,</HI> and that it was now committed unto his fidelity: After this the man departed. <HI>Artamenes</HI> went out al&s;o, and continued his walk round the Town; he went unto the Temple which he mo&s;t preci&s;ely viewed, &s;ince it was the place where fir&s;t began his Love: upon his departure from thence, not well knowing whither he went, or what he did, he continued his cour&s;e along the Sea &s;ide, where the Galley which conveyed away his Prince&s;s did once &s;tand: whil&s;t he conti|nued his melancholy walk, with his two faithfull Companions in all his Adventures, the wi&s;e <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> and the valiant <HI>Feraulas,</HI> Was ever time &s;o ill imploy'd (&s;aid he to them) as &s;ince we came to <HI>Sinope?</HI> It is impo&s;&s;ible to be more to&s;t and cro&s;t with multitudes of &s;ad events, then we have been: The time is tedious al&s;o in con&s;ideration of the &s;mall or no utili|lity which any of our tran&s;actions have produced ever &s;ince: I came with hopes to releeve my Prince&s;s, and alas, I finde her in mo&s;t eminent and dreadfull danger, where I cannot bring her any A&s;&s;i&s;tance: When I gave any credit unto tho&s;e fears which &s;ei&s;ed upon my &s;oul, then was I ready to ca&s;t my &s;elf into the flames and be reduc't to a&s;hes, as well as the Town: on the other &s;ide, when I rows'd up my &s;oul, what pains did I take to releeve my Prince&s;s? I fight, I quench the flames, and puzle my &s;elf, but when all is done, in lieu of my Prince&s;s, I finde her Ravi&s;her, and finde him in &s;uch a condition as I cannot take revenge, without a &s;tain unto mine honour: And then again, I finde another new Ravi&s;her of my Prince&s;s, and in &s;uch a place as is inacce&s;&s;ible: Pre&s;ently, I finde my Rivall Pri&s;oner make an e&s;cape, and mu&s;t pray for <HI>Mazares,</HI> who&s;e ruin I de&s;ire. Oh De&s;tinies, cruell De&s;tinies, who order all our Fortunes, I be&s;eech you, make me either ab&s;olute happy, or ab&s;olute mi&s;era|ble; and to&s;s me not continually between hopes and fears, between life and death. S^r (&s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> unto him) after &s;o many misfortunes which you have either &s;uffered or preven|ted, you mu&s;t hope to &s;urmount them all: And it is to be hoped (added <HI>Feraulas,)</HI> after all the&s;e cro&s;s events, Fortune will be weary of her ob&s;tinacy and give over. During all this time, the Heavens were clear, the winde &s;oft, and the Sea &s;erene; the waves da&s;h gently upon the banks, and in a calm temper &s;eem'd to be obedient unto that Supream Power which pre&s;cribed them their limits. <HI>Artamenes</HI> was much plea&s;ed with this Halcion &s;erenity; he was as much tran&s;ported with Joy as the Ravi&s;her him&s;elf could be. In conclu&s;ion, he loo|ked along the Sea &s;ide, and &s;aw many People a&s;&s;embled together, who by their bu&s;ie actions did &s;eem to be much amazed: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was exa&s;perated with much Curio&s;ity, and chang|ing colour upon a &s;udden, What can this People be doing, &s;aid he to <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Ferau|las?</HI> S^r, an&s;wered they, Perhaps they are Fi&s;hers, and are untangling and drying their Nets upon the &s;hore: whil&s;t they were walking towards them, <HI>Feraulas</HI> &s;pied upon the water &s;ide, &s;ome wreck of a Ship, but beckned unto <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> not to take any notice of it unto their Ma&s;ter, who was &s;o intent upon tho&s;e Men by the Sea &s;ide, that he took no notice of what
<HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> had &s;een; yet he had hardly gone twenty paces further, but tur|ning his eye towards the water which was upon his left hand, alas he &s;aw it all covered with broken planks intermingled with Cordage and other wreck, and among&s;t the re&s;t a dead Corps. Oh what horror did <HI>Artamenes</HI> apprehend? he &s;tood &s;tone &s;till; lookt upon the wreck, viewed the Corps; gaz'd upon <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> and dur&s;t not move a &s;tep further towards tho&s;e Men, who were not above forty paces from him, fearing to finde there the dead Corps of his deare&s;t Prince&s;s. <HI>Feraulas</HI> &s;eeing him in this perplexity, &s;aid unto him, What S^r, do you think there was no Ship upon the va&s;t Ocean but this, that you &s;hould be thus troubled at it? Do you not con&s;ider, that &s;hipwrack is a thing mo&s;t common? This is the cau&s;e of my grief, an&s;wered unhappy <HI>Artamenes;</HI> if the&s;e misfortunes were Rare, I &s;hould not fear &s;o much. Then, maugre all his apprehen&s;ions, he drew neerer tho&s;e Mari|ners, who&s;e trade it was to look for wreck, and thrive by the misfortunes of others: <HI>Artamenes</HI> enquired of them, what they knew concerning this fatall accident; one of them an&s;wered, that they &s;uppo&s;ed it to be &s;ome Galley which peri&s;hed this la&s;t night in the tempe&s;t, as might be conceived by what the Sea brought to the &s;hore, and by what they had collected from a han&s;ome and well fa&s;hioned Man who was taken up and carried into a Cabbin &s;ome hundred paces from the &s;hoar, and who violently refu&s;ed all tho&s;e a&s;&s;i&s;tances which we endea|voured to afford them: <HI>Artamenes</HI> without any further inqui&s;ition, went to the Cabbin, where he found them all officious to help this half-dead Man: he pre&s;ently knew him to be <HI>Mazares,</HI> for he had often &s;een him at <HI>Babilon</HI> in the Court of <HI>Nitorcris,</HI> Mother to the
<PB N="13" REF="9">
King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> &s;o that he perfectly knew him to be the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana:</HI> He la<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> upon a bed more drownd in tears then water of the Sea, and more changed by his de&s;pair, then by &s;hipwrack. This dejected Prince, did &s;ometimes lift his eyes up to Heaven, and &s;ome|times ca&s;t them down upon a rich Scarf which he held in his hand, and which <HI>Artamenes</HI> did know to be the &s;carf of <HI>Mandana,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he had heretofore refu&s;ed him the Honour to be&s;tow it upon him. This &s;ight had &s;uch a &s;ad operation upon the heart of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> as he re&s;olved to live no longer: But when &s;orrow had &s;ilenc't his Tongue, he under&s;tood that <HI>Mazares</HI> who &s;eem'd to be at his la&s;t ga&s;p and &s;triving to &s;peak, cried out as loud as his weakne&s;s would permit; Oh mi&s;erable remainder of my fair Prince&s;s, why did I not peri&s;h with her, &s;ince I could not pre&s;erve her? Alas, alas, what do you do unto me? why do you &s;hew me the mournfull Reliques of my unfortunate Prince&s;s, whom I have de&s;troyed? On ye Gods who guide our De&s;tinies, and are not ignorant of my endeavours to pre&s;erve her, why did not you a&s;&s;i&s;t me? At this <HI>Artamenes</HI> drawing neerer, who&s;e Grief, Anger, Rage, De&s;pair and Love, would not permit him to re&s;olve, whether he &s;hould kill this more then half dead man, or no; or whether he &s;hould charge him with his Crime, or further inform him&s;elf how this fatall Accident happened. Sometimes he was in that cruell re&s;olution; and &s;ometimes he would Que&s;tion him: Sometimes he would lament his Prince&s;s, and &s;ome|times accu&s;e the Gods; &s;ometimes he would kill his Rivall, and &s;ometimes him&s;elf; his Tears and Lamentations would &s;ometimes break forth whether he would or no, and that &s;o pa&s;&s;io|nately, as <HI>Mazares</HI> under&s;tood who he was, by &s;ome who pronounced the Name of <HI>Artame|nes.</HI> He then turned him&s;elf with as much precipitance, as a man in his feeble condition could do; and beholding <HI>Artamenes</HI> with a mo&s;t pitifull and re&s;entive a&s;pect; Is it you, &s;aid he, who was the mo&s;t happy Man in the affection of a great Prince&s;s, and whom I have made the mo&s;t unfortunate by her ruine? Is it thou (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes</HI> with a heart wounded through with woe) who by thy injurious act, has undone the world, and deprived it of Her who vvas the faire&s;t and mo&s;t illu&s;trious in it? It is I, replied the unfortunate Prince, with his eyes drown'd in tears, who am the &s;ame unworthy wretch you &s;peak of; and vvho would immediatly puni&s;h my &s;elf for it, if I had but &s;trength enough; but death I hope ere long will do it for me: me thinks I finde you too calm; I &s;hould be obliged unto you, if your hand vvould undertake that office. Tho&s;e vvho fir&s;t found me floating upon the wa|ter, I beleeve, do know I did not much court them to pre&s;erve me; for it is infinitely again&s;t my vvill to live after the death of this divine Prince&s;s. But is it certain, &s;aid <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that the Prince&s;s is dead? did you &s;ee her peri&s;h? did you u&s;e all your power to pre&s;erve her? did you not part from her? did you &s;ee her in the water? did you &s;ee her dead? I &s;aw her upon the Galley (an&s;wered the &s;aid <HI>Mazares,)</HI> I &s;aw her fall into the Sea, and I ca&s;t my &s;elf after her; I took hold upon her by this Scarf, and held her up a long time upon the waves; but oh ye cruell Gods, one rowling billow unloos'd this fatall Scarfe, and parted us, &s;o that I could never &s;ee her more: Ask me no more after this what I did, or vvhat I thought, for I de&s;ired death, and freely bequeathed my &s;elf unto the waves, not valuing my life at any rate; and at la&s;t I vvas found floating upon the water, by the&s;e charitable men who brought me into this Cabbin: Now <HI>Artamenes,</HI> you have all I can inform you of: Here, unhappy Prince, &s;aid he, take this Scarf, which more belongs to you then me; I de&s;ire nothing in this world, but the glory to die by your hand, if you would plea&s;e to honour me &s;o much; <HI>Ma|zares</HI> pronounced the&s;e la&s;t words &s;o faintly, that every one thought him dying. <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;eeing him in this &s;ad condition, took the Scarf, which feebly fell from the hand of this faint Prince; and he went away from this de&s;picable weak enemy, who was not worthy of his Revenge, having too &s;adly &s;atisfied his Curio&s;ity. He dolefully droopt, as he walked along the Sea &s;ide, being followed by <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who ob&s;erved as they went whe|ther they could e&s;pie any thing belonging unto this dead Prince&s;&s;e: He commanded the Mariners to go all along the &s;hore, and among the Rocks, to &s;ee what they could di&s;cover: Never was man in &s;o pitifull a plight as poor <HI>Artamenes. Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> had not hearts to &s;peak unto him; nor did he him&s;elf know that they were near him: He lowr'd, and look't upon the water, &s;uppo&s;ing every thing he &s;aw to be the dead Corp&s;e of his dear|e&s;t Prince&s;&s;e: he would &s;ometimes &s;tride a mo&s;t precipitate pace, then upon a &s;udden &s;top, and &s;tand in a deadly dump: after he had in vain walked very long by the water &s;ide, he &s;tept upon a &s;mall Rock which &s;tretched it &s;elf a little into the Sea, to &s;ee if the waves would re&s;tore unto him that which they had taken away; and commanding every one to continue their Que&s;t, their remained none with him but <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who, &s;ay what he could, would not leave him: But alas, what lamentable expre&s;&s;ions did poor <HI>Artamenes</HI> utter?
<PB N="14" REF="10">
What did he think? Am I not, &s;aid he, the mo&s;t unlucky man that ever lived? Can a more horrid torment be imagined then this, which by the Tyranny of my Fate I now endure? Ah my faire&s;t Prince&s;&s;e, was it the intentions of the gods only to &s;hew you upon the earth? Did they make you to be the wonder of the world, and mu&s;t not we all adore you? Ah! alas, alas, ye furious fatall flames, (cried he out looking upon the Town, who&s;e ruines might be &s;een far off) what cau&s;e have I to cur&s;e you for the lo&s;&s;e of my unparalleled Prince&s;&s;e? I know too well it was your oppo&s;ite element which gave me my dire and di&s;mall lo&s;&s;e; yet mercile&s;&s;e though you be, you would have left me her precious a&s;hes, that &s;o mine might have had the glory to be mixed with them: but the rigour of my fate is &s;uch, that this inex|orable element of water will not render me my Prince&s;&s;e either alive or dead, although it is her will to &s;ave the life of her Ravi&s;her and my Rivall: Had the fates left this Rivall in &s;uch a &s;tate, as I might without blemi&s;h unto my honour have &s;atisfied my revenge, it had been &s;ome light con&s;olation amid&s;t my grand misfortunes: But this barbarous Element re|tains my Prince&s;&s;e and &s;aves my Rivall, only to tell me the &s;ad news how he &s;aw her in ine|vitable danger, and left her in the arms of death; that he &s;aw her in &s;uch re&s;entments of me, as I dur&s;t never hope for, and at la&s;t lo&s;t his tongue, &s;o that I could gather from him nothing but de&s;pair. You have this comfort yet remaining (&s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes)</HI> that he could not &s;ay he &s;aw her dead, that ultimate and fatall &s;yllable was not yet pronounced: Al&s;o it may rationally be hoped (added <HI>Feraulas)</HI> that the &s;ame fate which followed <HI>Mazares</HI> might al&s;o follow her; and haply hers much better then his, for &s;he hath no rea&s;on to wi&s;h her own death like him: yes Sir, it may very well be &s;he lives, and hath no &s;ad re&s;entments but of you. Ah <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> ah <HI>Feraulas</HI> (cried he out) this poor pittance of hope which remains at the root of my heart, may chance to cau&s;e a greater evil. Yet if this were not, you might be &s;ure, my Friends, that without any further cries, or tears, or &s;ighs, I would pre&s;ently follow my mo&s;t adored <HI>Mandana,</HI> there is not any thing but this faint hope which re&s;trains me: And though it be a good Pre&s;ervative, and a cordial Antidote again&s;t all mi&s;|fortunes, yet it is too weak to hinder me, if I once were fully per&s;waded my Prince&s;&s;e were peri&s;hed: Alas <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> me thinks I &s;ee her in the Sea how di&s;dainfully &s;he receives help from her Ravi&s;her: Methinks I &s;ee that boi&s;terous wave take her from him, who when he he had ruin'd her, would then too late pre&s;erve her: Me thinks I &s;ee the waves (oh ye gods what &s;hould I &s;ay, what &s;hould I think?) &s;mother her, and &s;ink her to the bottome of the Sea. I &s;aying &s;o, tears did flow: He ki&s;t the Scarf with profound &s;orrow, and &s;adly &s;aid, Oh thou which heretofore was the height of my ambition to wi&s;h for, and thought thee <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he greate&s;t honour I dur&s;t pre&s;ume to a&s;pire unto; I could never beleeve that I &s;hould re|&s;ent thee with &s;o much &s;adne&s;&s;e: All I de&s;ire from thee now is, to in&s;pire me with courage enough to vanqui&s;h tho&s;e who are enemies unto my King and my Prince&s;s. I look upon thee now as a motive unto my memory of <HI>Mandana,</HI> which will double my de&s;pair, and ha&s;ten my death. Now <HI>Chri&s;autes,</HI> &s;aid he, do you not now wonder at the odde contrivances of my humorous fate? that I &s;hould receive more te&s;timonies of my divine <HI>Mandana's</HI> affection to me, from my Rivall then from her &s;elf? Her &s;evere vertue did di&s;tribute her favors with &s;o much wi&s;edom and re&s;ervedne&s;&s;e, that I my &s;elf could never pre&s;ume of &s;o much happi|ne&s;&s;e: as I under&s;tood from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> from <HI>Mazares</HI> his Letter, from <HI>Ma|zares</HI> him&s;elf, and from <HI>Mazares</HI> dying, who all do tell me I had a greater &s;harer in her heart, then ere I could hope for; But oh ye gods why do you afford me &s;o great a bli&s;&s;e, &s;o much certainty of her affection, &s;ince &s;he in who&s;e election my felicity con&s;i&s;ts, is not in a condition to love, and &s;ince I mu&s;t abandon life, hope, and all which can be called happy? After he had thus vented his &s;orrow, he was a while &s;ilent, &s;ometimes looking up|on the Sea, &s;ometimes whether tho&s;e he had &s;ent to &s;earch were returned; and &s;ometimes ca&s;ting his &s;ad eyes upon the Scarf, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> &s;eeing the day was much &s;pent, would per|&s;wade him to walk towards the Town, becau&s;e the day was far &s;pent. This rea&s;on, though it had argument enough in it to per&s;wade him, yet it could not have cau&s;ed him to remove, if he had not &s;een at a good di&s;tance off <HI>Thra&s;ibulus, Ara&s;pes, Aglatides, Hida&s;pes,</HI> and many others coming towards him, who out of civility did retire, to give him the liberty of en|joying his thoughts, but after they had a rea&s;onable time ab&s;ented them&s;elves, they drew near; he no &s;ooner &s;aw them but he ri&s;e up, and looking upon <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;aid, What &s;hall I do to per&s;wade the&s;e men that my Pa&s;&s;ion for the Prince&s;&s;e is for her, as the daughter of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and not as the Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e of <HI>Artamenes?</HI> happily you may (&s;aid he unto them) but certainly, my friends I cannot; I know if <HI>Mandana</HI> could appear at this n&s;tant &s;he would command it, and would charm my tears; as &s;oon as he had &s;poken, <HI>Thra&s;i|bulus</HI>
<PB N="15" REF="10">
and all the company came near, &s;o that he became &s;ilent and met them. They percei|ved &s;ome odde adventure had chanced, and becau&s;e he was infinitely beloved of all, e&s;pe|cially tho&s;e who had neer relations unto him, they changed countenances al&s;o, and did par|ticipate of that grief whereof they knew not the cau&s;e; They were ignorant of it a good while, and it was a very very death unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> to tell them: <HI>Feraulas</HI> &s;aved him the labour, and by a &s;hort relation told them the &s;ad news; he was very brief, le&s;t if he &s;hould aggravate the matter, <HI>Artamenes</HI> would not be able to contain him&s;elf, but would give too many te&s;timonies of what he de&s;ired to conceal. <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> lamented the lo&s;&s;e as much as po&s;&s;ible; <HI>Hidaspes</HI> being more concerned as having intere&s;t in the hou&s;e of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was deeply perplexed; <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> al&s;o did &s;adly re&s;ent it; <HI>Aglatidas</HI> who naturally was of a Melancholy Compo&s;ition, did be&s;t &s;ympathize with &s;orrow, and was &s;o &s;ad as if he had a particular intere&s;t in the Prince&s;&s;e. <HI>Artamenes</HI> who thought the Town would be a better um|brage for his grief then where they were, becau&s;e he might ret<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> unto his Chamber under pretence of writing unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> therefore he walked on, giving order into <HI>Feraulas,</HI> to take them which came with <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> and go &s;eek out for intelligence either of the &s;afety or lo&s;&s;e of the Prince&s;&s;e: All the way he pa&s;&s;ed to the Town he ob&s;erved much &s;ilence; Mean while, every one got information of the accident: There was an univer&s;all condole|ment for the Prince&s;&s;e, and of tho&s;e eminent excellencies in her; Her amazing beauty; her tran&s;cendency of &s;pirit, and her Divinity of &s;odl: Some lamented the King her Father, and his &s;ad re&s;entments: Others &s;orrowed that &s;uch an illu&s;trions Race as the King of <HI>Medes</HI> &s;hould extingui&s;h in the Prince&s;&s;e by &s;o fatall a Chance. In &s;hort, they all lamented; and a|mong&s;t them all none knew who had lea&s;t cau&s;e to complain; <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> &s;peaking to <HI>Chri&s;an|tes,</HI> &s;aid unto him; This accident makes me remember what grief the King of <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> my Ma&s;ter re&s;ented, when he fir&s;t received the &s;ad news of young <HI>Cyrus</HI> his &s;hipwrack, who as you know better then I, was a Prince of the mo&s;t &s;uperlative hopes in the world: and que|&s;tionle&s;&s;e <HI>Ciaxares</HI> will be as &s;en&s;ible of the Prince&s;&s;e his daughters misfortune, as <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> was of that Prince his &s;ons. I did extreamly lament that lo&s;&s;e, for though I was not &s;o near|ly concerned as the King his Father, yet I could not chu&s;e but as much bewail him: <HI>Chri|&s;antes</HI> diverting this Di&s;cour&s;e, &s;aid unto the &s;ad <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that happily the me&s;&s;enger whom he &s;hould &s;end unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> would finde him forward in his march, he having mu&s;tered together his men when he came away, with intentions to follow pre&s;ently after. <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who&s;e thoughts were all compos'd of Love and Melancholy, addre&s;&s;ing his Speech unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I a&s;&s;ure you, &s;aid he, although I be the &s;ubject of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and by con&s;equence an enemy unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria:</HI> yet I cannot chu&s;e but pity the la&s;t, as one who when he &s;hall hear of this &s;ad accident will think him&s;elf the mo&s;t undone man up|on earth; for (&s;aid he) though he was not beloved, yet he was a Lover, and love doth &s;o ex|ceed all the other re&s;entments, which either nature, rea&s;on, or friend&s;hip can give, that there is no compari&s;on between them. As for my part, &s;aid he, if in heu of a Lover who was hated, as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> was, I &s;hould know a Lover which was beloved, who had &s;uch a lo&s;&s;e, I am per&s;waded my very pity of him would endure unto my death. But as the vertue of the Prince&s;&s;e was too re&s;erved to expre&s;&s;e any affection unto any one, therefore I mu&s;t needs lament the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> who indeed really de&s;erves it. <HI>Artemenes</HI> was too much troubled to an&s;wer unto this urgent Di&s;cour&s;e, and though he had power to re&s;train his tears, yet he had not enough to &s;top his &s;ighs; he only told <HI>Aglatidas</HI> that the Prince&s;&s;e was &s;o full of all admirable virtues, as that all who knew her did adore her; and therefore all tho&s;e who had that happine&s;&s;e mu&s;t needs lament her, whether <HI>Medes, Per&s;ians,</HI> or <HI>A&s;&s;y|rians.</HI> Then <HI>Artamenes,</HI> becau&s;e he grew weary of all company, did go &s;ome thirty&punc; paces before all the re&s;t. <HI>Mandana</HI> was the &s;ubject of every ones di&s;cour&s;e, but of <HI>Artamenes</HI> grief. Every one commended the affection, which <HI>Artamenes</HI> bore unto the King his Ma|&s;ter. Although that &s;ad accident had as &s;ad an influence upon them all; yet &s;ome among&s;t them had never &s;een the Prince&s;&s;e, and &s;ome again had never been in Love, &s;o that a va&s;t difference might be ob&s;erved between their lo&s;&s;e and his, and they were ignorant of the main principal cau&s;e of his grief.</P>
<P>When they were come into the Town, <HI>Artamenes</HI> went into his Chamber, and di&s;mi&s;&s;ing all his attendants, remained &s;adly by him&s;elf alone, entertaining nothing but despair, by calling to memory all his dire di&s;a&s;ters: He took <HI>Mandan's</HI> &s;carffe, which he found in the hands of mi&s;erable <HI>Mazares,</HI> and lock't it in his Cabinet; but all his care in keeping it was rather an addition unto his de&s;pair, then any con&s;olation to him in his &s;orrows: And to aug|ment his injury he recalled into memory every &s;leight favour that ever he had received from
<PB N="16" REF="11">
his Prince&s;&s;e. This great &s;oul, who&s;e thoughts had never any reflexion but upon Heroik at|chievements, did upon this occa&s;ion permit the Idea, of &s;o many hardy combats, &s;o many victorious battles, and &s;o many glorious triumphs as he had obtained, to come afre&s;h into his imagination, to the end his de&s;pair might be more excu&s;able, and that they might better colour the weakne&s;s which he &s;hould di&s;cover in this adventure: he re&s;ented all his atchieve|ments, as performed in the &s;ervice of that Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e whom now he thought not to be in this world. The memory of the&s;e were great additions unto his mi&s;ery; if it can be conceived po&s;&s;ible any addition can be unto a &s;orrow, which from the fir&s;t re&s;entment was extream and un&s;upportable. He could not re&s;olve with him&s;elf, whom he &s;hould &s;end to carry this &s;ad news unto the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> and far le&s;&s;e could he re&s;olve to tell the di&s;mall &s;tory with his own mouth. In &s;uch confus'd and anxious thoughts did he pa&s;&s;e away all that night, as he could not determine any thing upon it. In the morning, <HI>Feraulas</HI> coming to him, <HI>Arta|menes</HI> asked him what news of <HI>Mazares,</HI> and whether he recovered that weakne&s;&s;e wherein la&s;t night he left him. Let &s;ome run, &s;aid he, to know; and if he be able, let him be brought hither: he gave this order very ha&s;tily, not knowing almo&s;t what he &s;aid; but a while af|ter, news was brought, that the Fi&s;her-men in who&s;e Tent <HI>Mazares</HI> lay, did report, that <HI>Mazares</HI> never revived out of that &s;ound in which <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;aw him, but died immedi|ately after his departure out of the Tent. The report of his death infu&s;ed various imagina|tions unto <HI>Artamenes;</HI> He admired divine ju&s;tice in de&s;troying a Prince whom he knew to be mo&s;t criminall, and murmured again&s;t tho&s;e rigid gods for ruining a Prince&s;&s;e whom he knew mo&s;t innocent: And as his &s;pirits were wholly taken upon with the grandure of his lo&s;&s;e, &s;o he made no &s;trict inqui&s;ition concerning the Funerals of <HI>Mazares:</HI> The very thoughts of this Ravi&s;her were &s;o tormenting to him, that he did quite obliterate his me|mory. Amid&s;t the&s;e re&s;tle&s;&s;e thoughts, news was brought, that it was &s;uppo&s;ed <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was upon his march, with all his Army, near the Town; for a great thick du&s;t ri&s;ing out of a Valley was di&s;covered from the top of the Tower, which could be nothing el&s;e but the march of his Troops. This news did much &s;urpri&s;e <HI>Artamenes,</HI> but much more, when he &s;aw <HI>Andramias</HI> arive, who informed him that within a little more then an hour <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would be in <HI>Sinope: Artamenes</HI> then began to be&s;tir him&s;elf, and &s;o di&s;creetly, that he was in &s;ome hopes to hide part of his &s;orrow: he commanded all the Officers to draw up into <HI>Batalia;</HI> he mounted him&s;elf on hor&s;eback, and was followed by <HI>Thra&s;ibulus, Hidaspes, Chri&s;antes, Ara&s;pes,</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> he marched to meet the King, who when he was within the &s;ight of <HI>Sinope,</HI> left his Army, and marched in the company of the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> of the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> of <HI>Per&s;odes</HI> Prince of the <HI>Caducians,</HI> of the Prince of <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> of the Prince of <HI>Licaonia,</HI> of <HI>Gobrias, Gadates, Timocrates, Artaba&s;es, Madates,</HI> and <HI>Adu&s;ias,</HI> who were <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> and <HI>Grandees</HI> among&s;t the <HI>Homotimens,</HI> like as <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> who ac|companied <HI>Artamenes;</HI> Never was meeting more &s;ad then this; <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;eeing the Town &s;o ruin'd, could not chu&s;e but &s;igh; <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> unto whom he mu&s;t be a Me&s;&s;enger of &s;uch &s;orrowfull news, had not the heart to move towards him, yet &s;tirring a little, and the King coming very fa&s;t, they were pre&s;ently within thirty paces of each other. Then <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and all who accompanied him, alighted, and went on foot to meet the King. <HI>Artamenes,</HI> notwith&s;tanding his &s;orrow, pre&s;ented <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> unto him; then <HI>Ci|axares</HI> giving them all his hand to ki&s;&s;e, commanded them to Mount; And calling <HI>Arta|menes</HI> unto him, he began to di&s;cour&s;e of their tran&s;actions in generall; and to aggravate their misfortunes he told <HI>Artamenes</HI> that he under&s;tood <HI>Mazares</HI> had carried away his daughter. S^r, &s;aid &s;ad <HI>Artamenes,</HI> you will think your &s;elf more unfortunate when you &s;hall know that <HI>Mazares</HI> lives not, and that it may be&mdash;At the&s;e words <HI>Artamenes</HI> pen&s;ively paus'd, and could tell no further. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> looking upon him with a moved a&s;pect, &s;aid to him, What, <HI>Artamenes,</HI> have you any more ill news yet to tell me? S^r, an&s;wered <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> the news is &s;o very bad, I dare not tell it; I be&s;eech your Maje&s;ties patience untill we arrive at the Town, before you be further informed; for your &s;orrows will be le&s;&s;e &s;een in your Clo&s;et then in the open field; <HI>Ciaxares</HI> wondred at his dark di&s;cour&s;e, and looking him in the face, he perceived &s;uch &s;igns of &s;orrow in his eyes, that he dur&s;t not pre&s;&s;e him any more to relate that which rather then his life he de&s;ired to know, le&s;t if he found what he feared to be true, he &s;hould di&s;cover too much weakne&s;&s;e before all the&s;e illu&s;trious Prin|ces: He gaz'd in the eyes of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and con&s;ulted with his own rea&s;on, and winded all his own thoughts to gue&s;&s;e at it: but it was ea&s;ie to be perceived by <HI>Artamenes</HI> his deport|ment, and by his &s;ilence, that he much feared to relate all he knew, and <HI>Ciaxares</HI> dur&s;t not enquire of that whereof he was ignorant: Mean while, tho&s;e which came with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI>
<PB N="17" REF="11">
and they who came with <HI>Artamenes</HI> talking together, the Accident was divulged among&s;t them: The &s;ad news cau&s;ed many murmures and mourning exclamations among&s;t them; &s;o that the noi&s;e reaching the ears of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> he knew well enough there was &s;ome &s;trange adventure happened, which he mu&s;t know: Being come to the Town, the &s;ouldiers which <HI>Artamenes</HI> brought with him, ob&s;erving the orders which they received, made a guard for the King to pa&s;&s;e through, and though <HI>Ciaxares</HI> did extreamly long to &s;atisfie his curio&s;ity, yet would not before all the world, but &s;ilently went on till he came to the Ca&s;tle: As for his Army, he ordered it to incamp in the valley, which was between a great Hill and the Town, and which was &s;pacious enough to lodge them, though they were a hundred Thou|&s;and men. The King was no &s;ooner lighted, but <HI>Artamenes</HI> conducted him unto the be&s;t Chamber of the Ca&s;tle; he was no &s;ooner there, but he carried him into a Clo&s;et; Come my Dear <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;aid he to him, what &s;trange news have you to relate, which yet I have not been acquaiuted with? This demand did much &s;urpri&s;e <HI>Artamenes,</HI> yet &s;eeing there was no remedy, he was con&s;trained to acquaint him with the Prince&s;&s;e &s;ad fortunes; he could not contain but his tears went before his tongue; <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;eeing his tears trickle down his cheeks, &s;aid to him, What would your tears tell me <HI>Artamenes?</HI> Is my Daughter dead? Then <HI>Artamenes</HI> with a profound &s;adne&s;&s;e, told him in few words all he knew concerning <HI>Mandana's</HI> &s;hipwrack: The report &s;truck <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to the &s;oul; Never did Father expre&s;&s;e more tenderne&s;&s;e and grief for a daughter then he. <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;eeing he might now well weep it out, and not be ob&s;erved by <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who was blinded with his own tears, began, and continued it &s;o long, as never was &s;ight more &s;ad; he &s;poke not a word to <HI>Ciaxares</HI> by way of comfort, neither could <HI>Ciaxares</HI> finde any fault with the tears of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> Was there ever (&s;aid this mourning Father) any Prince more unhappy then I? Could not I have fore&s;een my misfortune, by &s;o many Oracles, told unto <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> that the Scepter which he bore and left unto me, &s;hould ere long be transferred into the hands of a &s;tranger? might not this ere long be transferred into the hands of a &s;tranger; might not this have informed me, that I having but one daughter &s;hould inevitably lo&s;e her? Alas, <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> turmoiled him|&s;elf him&s;elf, and turned every &s;tone to de&s;troy them who might u&s;urp the Crown; but he never dreamt of pre&s;erving her who &s;hould lo&s;e it in lo&s;ing her life! Is there no hope re|mains? Is it certain, &s;aid he, &s;he is quite gone for ever? Well well, &s;aid he, my Dear inno|cent daughter &s;hall not die unrevenged: The gods who have puni&s;hed <HI>Mazares</HI> one of her Ravi&s;hers, hath taught me what I &s;hall do unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria:</HI> He &s;hall die, he mu&s;t, and that immediatly. As he is the cau&s;e that the Illu&s;trious race of the Fam'd <HI>Dejoca</HI> is ex|tinct in the per&s;on of my Daughter, &s;o &s;hall the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria's</HI> al&s;o extingui&s;h in his own. The gods, no not the very gods &s;hall prevent his death, nor mitigate my fury: <HI>Artamenes</HI> amazed at this expre&s;&s;ion, &s;aid, S^r, did you not meet with him whom I &s;ent to acquaint you with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria's</HI> e&s;cape? What do you &s;ay <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> is&mdash;(replied he angerly) I &s;ay Sir (&s;aid he) that I &s;ent one to acquaint you with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria's</HI> e&s;cape; how (replied <HI>Ciaxares</HI> angerly) is not he in my power? Is he at liberty? Ah no no, it cannot be; I cannot beleeve he is gone; I cannot ea&s;ily think <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> will &s;uffer a pri&s;oner of &s;uch a con&s;equence to e&s;cape. It is too true (an&s;wered <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> faintly) It was my ill and his good fortune to e&s;cape my guards: But, Sir, &s;aid he, let not this trouble you &s;o much; for if it were as ea&s;ie for me to regain the Prince&s;&s;e, as it is to give you the death of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> your de&s;ires &s;hould have &s;atisfaction: <HI>Ciax|ares</HI> was not plea&s;ed with this Reply, and though he alwaies loved <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and had great obligations towards him, nor did he ever entertain the lea&s;t &s;u&s;picion of his fidelity; neither did he beleeve this accident proceeded from any other ground then from his negli|gence and improvidence; nor yet could he in all his tran&s;actions accu&s;e him of the lea&s;t fault, yet he re&s;ented this e&s;cape but odly, and went out of the Clo&s;et without &s;peaking one word. Then finding all the Commanders and Grandees who followed him in the Chamber, he di&s;|cour&s;ed unto them concerning his lamentable lo&s;&s;e with much con&s;tancy, though with much &s;orrow, and every one of them according to their &s;everal relations, did te&s;tifie how they &s;ha|red in his misfortune with him, alwaies hinting unto him that as long as the Corps was un|found, there was &s;ome hopes remaining: As for <HI>Artamenes</HI> he retired a while into another Chamber, where &s;everal Complements pa&s;&s;ed between him and all the Princes which came with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> for they all honoured and e&s;teemed of him as much as of the King whom they &s;erved: Mean while, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was very de&s;irous to have all the pa&s;&s;ages concerning the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria's</HI> e&s;cape to be made more apparent unto him: he under&s;tood that <HI>Arta|menes</HI> ordered <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> to command the Guard over the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> and that <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> was
<PB N="18" REF="12">
one whom <HI>Artamenes</HI> loved; yet do what he could, he could not di&s;cover that <HI>Artamenes</HI> had any con&s;ent in his e&s;cape: But among&s;t tho&s;e who came with the King there was one who was an intimate friend of <HI>Aribees;</HI> this man when he under&s;tood that <HI>Aribees</HI> was dead, entertained much hatred again&s;t <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who finding out by chance that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> had writ unto him, acquainted <HI>Ciaxares</HI> with it: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent immediatly for <HI>Ar|tamenes;</HI> he no &s;ooner &s;aw him but he asked him very &s;harply, why he did not acquaint him how the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> did write unto him concerning his e&s;cape: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was much &s;tartled at this Que&s;tion, becau&s;e the Letter contained &s;uch matter as mu&s;t not be made known, and &s;tood a good while before he an&s;wered: at la&s;t he told <HI>Ciaxares</HI> that it was not &s;trange he &s;hould forget a thing of &s;o poor importance as that, &s;ince he had &s;o many pa&s;&s;a|ges of &s;ad concernment to acquaint him withall: and &s;ince the letter contained nothing but how the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> told him he had not tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed the Laws of genero&s;ity in making an e&s;cape, &s;ince he was not tru&s;ted upon his Parole: We &s;hall be better &s;atisfied, &s;aid <HI>Ciax|ares,</HI> by the Letter it &s;elf then by words. Sir, replied <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I &s;hould mo&s;t willingly &s;atisfie you, but as I was walking ye&s;terday by the Sea-&s;ide, hearkening after news of the Princes, I unfortunatly lo&s;t it, and I &s;uppo&s;e it fell into the water: <HI>Artamenes</HI> made this an&s;wer &s;o coldly that it moved <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to tell him roughly contrary to his cu&s;tome, that he thought this chance very &s;trange, and in plain terms that the managing of this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e did not plea&s;e him. <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who bore much reverence unto him as the Father of his Prince&s;&s;e, and who knew he had rea&s;on to &s;ay as much as he did, therefore he did &s;ilently withdraw, and becau&s;e <HI>Ciaxares</HI> turned his back, and would hear no more, he went out of the room. Night being come, &s;ome Commanders retired to the Camp: All the Princes were lodged in the Ca&s;tle, and faire&s;t Hou&s;es of the Town, which the Fire had &s;pared; <HI>Ciaxares</HI> did pa&s;&s;e over the night with re&s;tle&s;&s;e minde, but <HI>Artamenes</HI> much more, who be&s;ides his own Pa&s;&s;ions did participate of the Kings, notwith&s;tanding his jealou&s;ie and rough deportment towards him. It &s;eems Fortune ob&s;erves no mean, neither in her favour nor her frowns, but exalts her Fa|vourites unto the highe&s;t top of felicity; and &s;inks tho&s;e whom &s;he is di&s;plea&s;ed with into a Gulf of mi&s;ery: Thus &s;he dealt with <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who now &s;eem'd to faint under the pre&s;&s;ure of this di&s;a&s;terous accident, and thought him&s;elf and his honour deeply concerned. The next morning <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent for him into his Clo&s;et: When he was come, there appear'd more anger then grief in his Countenance, which plainly told <HI>Artamenes</HI> there was &s;ome fre&s;h misfortunate &s;torm ari&s;ing; but as the &s;tate &s;tood with him, he valued his life and his death at the &s;ame rate, and was indifferent whether of them &s;hould be his fate. The violences of <HI>Ci|axares,</HI> and his angry looks did not much trouble him, but he reverently asked him if he would command him any &s;ervice; <HI>Ciaxares</HI> an&s;wered, yes, he would &s;ee the Letter which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> writ to him; And looking upon him with eyes full of anger; Look you <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;aid he, &s;ee how innocent you are of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria's</HI> e&s;cape; expound unto me this my&s;terious Riddle which I cannot under&s;tand. <HI>Artamenes</HI> was wonderfully a&s;toni&s;h|ed at it, becau&s;e he &s;aw it was the &s;ame Letter which he writ unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> and which he gave unto that man who brought the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria's</HI> Letter unto him, yet to be better &s;atisfied, he opened it, and read the very &s;ame words <HI>verbatim</HI> which he had written. As he was reading, he often changed colour, and was as long about it as he could be po&s;&s;i|ble, thinking in the mean time for &s;ome hand&s;ome reply; for he plainly &s;aw that if he did not ingenuou&s;ly paraphra&s;e upon the Letter, his honour would receive a great blemi&s;h, &s;ince it would &s;eem, as if he had been perfidious unto his Ma&s;ter, and held corre&s;pondency with his enemy: On the other &s;ide, he thought, that if he &s;hould di&s;cover his love, then he &s;hould too much traduce the honour of his Prince&s;&s;e, which he valued at a higher rate then his own. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> who had not yet &s;ounded him to the bottome, was di&s;plea&s;ed at his long &s;ilence. What look you for <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) in that Letter? Is it for &s;ome fine excu&s;e you are &s;o long pumping? Speak I &s;ay, and explain what you have writ from the fir&s;t to the la&s;t &s;yllable; In &s;aying &s;o, he took the Letter out of <HI>Artamenes</HI> hands, who all this while behav'd him&s;elf with much reverence; S^r, &s;aid he unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> if I could produce the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria's</HI> Letter, your Maje&s;ty might &s;ee I am not &s;o guilty as you &s;uppo&s;e me; nor that the&s;e compacts between us are of &s;uch a &s;train as you imagine: If you be not faul|ty, then inform me better, &s;aid <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> &s;uppo&s;ing he had &s;ome &s;ecret rea&s;ons in his heart which happily might ju&s;tifie him: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> opening the Letter read aloud what <HI>Artamenes</HI> had writ, and looking &s;ternly upon him; How expound you the&s;e words, &s;aid he unto him,</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="19" REF="12" MS="y">
<P>I will never fail where once I promi&s;e, but &s;hall account it as a due debt, which mu&s;t and &s;hall be paid; be confident, I will punctually perform every circum&s;tance which was agreed upon between us.</P>
</LETTER>
<P>Speak <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;aid he, tell me what you have promi&s;ed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria:</HI> and in|deed how could you promi&s;e him any thing without breach of duty to me? Sir, an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes,</HI> you know there hath been &s;ome &s;mall differences between the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> and me. There is al&s;o &s;ome tran&s;actions between us, which do not at all concern your Ma|je&s;ty; And that the love of honour hath a long time made us Corrivals. Tell me then (&s;aid <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> a&s;perating his &s;peech) what colour can you glo&s;&s;e upon the&s;e words at the end of the Letter,</P>
<LETTER>
<P>I wi&s;h we were in a condition to dispute for that prize of which I am mo&s;t unworthy, yet, which none &s;hall ever enjoy but by the death of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Artamenes.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>What proze is this <HI>Artamenes</HI> which is &s;o dear unto you? I told you Sir, an&s;wered he, that glory and honour is the prize, and the only cau&s;e of all the differences and tran&s;actions which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> hath, or ever &s;hall have with <HI>Artamenes.</HI> It is for the fir&s;t rank in point of valour, for which I will contend as long as I live. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> af|ter all your plau&s;ible expo&s;itions, I cannot conceive what prize you &s;hould contend for, un|le&s;&s;e my Crown or my Daughter: and which of the&s;e &s;oever it be, it makes you equally culpable; yes, and you <HI>Artamenes,</HI> much more in fault then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> &s;ince her quality may pretend to both; but your condition, by all appearances, is far below them. Sir (replied <HI>Artamenes</HI> faintly) by this argument, you may &s;uppo&s;e that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> would never contend with me about &s;uch a thing into which I could never pretend. You &s;peak (replied the King) in a tone &s;o di&s;&s;onant unto your condition, that it doth rather confirm my jealou&s;ie then extenuate it; for though the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> be my enemy, yet he is a King, and in that re&s;pect you owe him more regard then is fitting for your Di&s;cour&s;e: When I have a &s;word by my &s;ide (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes</HI> who could no longer contain) it may be, I &s;hould make a King look about him as well as another man: you know &s;ome who can inform you whether I &s;peak truth or no: and he who&s;e part you &s;corn to take can tell you &s;omething, if he had not a very bad memory; I do not que&s;tion your gallantry (&s;aid <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> nor make any doubt of your valour; but I have &s;ome cau&s;e to &s;u&s;pect your fi|de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">lity. Your Maje&s;ty needs not to doubt of either, if you did but know me well (&s;aid <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> to him.) It cannot be imagined his faith &s;hould be corrupted, who hath had &s;o com|manding a power as I have had: why then (replied the King) do you not make your a|ctions more clear and intelligible, &s;ince you are &s;o innocent? I be&s;eech your Maje&s;ty (an|&s;wered me) Pre&s;&s;e me no more to di&s;cover a thing which I neither ought nor can reveal: It is &s;ufficient, &s;aid he, that the gods have &s;o often imployed my hand to &s;upport that Scep|ter unto which you think I pretend, and kept your Crown upon your head; Upbraid me not with your &s;ervices (retorted <HI>Ciaxares</HI> angerly) for if you remember what once you were, and what now you are, you will acknowledge they have not been ill rewarded: I have remembred them too much, and if I had lo&s;t the memory of them, perhaps you had ere now lo&s;t your life: Con&s;ume no more time in contriving excu&s;es to palliate your crime; I &s;hould be as glad as you, that you could purge your &s;elf from them. Sir, replied <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I am far from upbraiding you with my &s;ervices; for they have been &s;o incon&s;iderable, I &s;hould not &s;o much as have thought upon them but in vindication of my injured Innocency. Can you produce any proof of your pretended Innocency, &s;aid <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to him; yes, an&s;wered <HI>Artameus,</HI> from arguments drawn from my virtue, if you were capable of knowing it. Well (Replied <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> you will not then di&s;eover unto me what this corre&s;pondence is which you hold with my Enemy and Ravi&s;her of my daughter. Sir (an&s;wered the innocent <HI>Arta|menes)</HI> you &s;hall never kuow that <HI>Artamenes;</HI> this man whom it &s;eems you know not; the man who as you are per&s;waded would betray you; the man whom once you loved, that this man did ever hold any intelligence or corre&s;pondency with your enemies. I &s;hall in time make you confe&s;&s;e (replied <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> for it is apparent enough both by your Letter and your Di&s;cour&s;e: and as the knowledge of every particular in this clo&s;e con&s;piracy is nece&s;&s;ary to my own &s;afety, and good of my Kingdom; &s;o perhaps, when you are in a clo&s;e Pri&s;on, &s;afer
<PB N="20" REF="13">
then that wherein you kept the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> then I &s;ay you may perhaps better inform me; Sir, an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes</HI> (without any pa&s;&s;ion or tran&s;portation:) Pri&s;ons and pu|ni&s;hments compell <HI>Artamenes</HI> to reveal what he hath a minde to conceal. My pri&s;on &s;hall thus far comfort me, that I have exchanged my &s;word for fetters in a time when your Maje&s;ty have no potent enemies to mole&s;t you; &s;o that thus lo&s;ing me, you have but lo&s;t an unpro|fitable Servant. I under&s;tand you very well, (replied <HI>Ciaxares</HI> in much choler) you can|not forbear upbraiding me with your &s;ervices; then going to the Chamber-door, he call'd for the Captain of his Guard, and commanded him to conduct him unto his Chamber, and keep him &s;afe upon forfeiture of his life. The Captain who dearly loved <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and who knew how great a favourite he was, &s;tood amazed at the command, not well knowing whether he &s;hould obey or no; and finding &s;o &s;udden a Revolution in the fortune of one who the very day before was the only man in the Kingdom, and who ordered the de&s;tinies of Kings and Princes as he plea&s;ed, he was &s;o confounded that he knew not what to do. But <HI>Artamenes</HI> ob&s;erving his a&s;toni&s;hment, Come (&s;aid he) let us go (giving him his &s;word) and pay this la&s;t &s;ervice unto the King, thereby teaching the re&s;t of his Subjects to obey with a willing minde more cour&s;e commands then the&s;e: In &s;aying &s;o, he made low obei&s;ance unto the King, and followed <HI>Andramias</HI> with as &s;low a motion as if he had been free. After this, the King commanded to &s;ecure <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> and was obeyed. It were a very difficult task to re|late fully how <HI>Artamenes</HI> re&s;ented this pa&s;&s;age, and what &s;trange thoughts he apprehended. The King of <HI>Medes</HI> al&s;o had much reluctancy for what he did: <HI>Artamenes</HI> did more wonder at the oddne&s;&s;e of his Fate then lament it: The King repented almo&s;t every minute of what he had done: What &s;hall I do, &s;aid he, with this offender who hath done me &s;o much good &s;ervice, and whom I loved &s;o well, who hath &s;tolen away the hearts both of my friends and enemies? this offender I &s;ay who all the world e&s;teems, yet none knows where he was born; Who ever met with &s;o cro&s;&s;e an accident? Can it be imagined that <HI>Artamenes</HI> by who&s;e va|lour I have obtained &s;o many Victories, and conquered &s;o many Kings and Countries, &s;hould wound his honour with Treachery? On the other &s;ide, what can I conceive of this Letter, which puzzles him to explain, and the Crime is &s;o great that his pretence and colours cannot hide his corre&s;pondency with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria;</HI> No, no, &s;aid he, <HI>Artamenes</HI> is guilty: And though it be either in matter of love or matter of ambition, he is culpable, and de&s;erves puni&s;hment. The wor&s;t is, loving him as I do, I &s;hall grieve more for him then he will for him&s;elf; but &s;aid he &s;uddenly, the &s;orrows which I re&s;ent for the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Mandana,</HI> will quite me from that of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> And my &s;oul will be &s;o &s;en&s;ible of the one, that there will be no room for the other. But let us u&s;e all expendients to bend this ob&s;tinate &s;pirit: Let us do what we can to make him confe&s;&s;e his fault, that &s;o we may have occa&s;ion of pardon. Whil&s;t <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was thus arguing the matter with him&s;elf, <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who&s;e amorous &s;oul could not be &s;eparated from the memory of <HI>Mandana,</HI> was more troubled at her &s;hipwrack then his pri&s;on; and entertain'd more &s;ad apprehen&s;ions of her lo&s;&s;e, then &s;orrow for his own: Do your wor&s;t, ye rigid de&s;tinies, &s;aid he, you cannot afflict me more; My &s;oul is not &s;en&s;ible of any &s;orrow, but for <HI>Mandana,</HI> therefore I defie you: Multiply your penalties upon my Per&s;on, and I will not complain of your inju&s;tice. Since my Prince&s;&s;e wants a Tomb, it is no matter though I langui&s;h in a Dungeon, the wor&s;t is, it can but hinder me from a more high and generous death. Ah faire&s;t Prince&s;&s;e, &s;aid he, whether you inhabit among&s;t the dead, or among&s;t the living, in heaven or upon earrh, If you could but &s;ee the unhappy <HI>Artamenes</HI> in <HI>Caixares</HI> Pri&s;on, you would re&s;ent it with wonder and &s;orrow; However I complain not of his &s;everity or inju&s;tice &s;ince I &s;eem culpable in his eyes; and indeed I am &s;o, but it is in a far different manner then he apprehends it. I am culpable Deare&s;t Prince&s;&s;e, but it is again&s;t you, indeed I am, I confe&s;&s;e it, I am culpable in loving you, not as you are the daughter of the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> but as you are the faire&s;t Angel that ever lived. As you are the daughter of a great King, it was lawfull for me to love you; But as you are <HI>Man|dana,</HI> I mu&s;t love you, and not reveal it; I mu&s;t &s;uffer and not complain; I mu&s;t adore you in my death, and I mu&s;t die dumb, and not &s;peak a word of love: Yet alas <HI>Mandana,</HI> (cri|ed he out) I fear, I am the cau&s;e of your dire misfortunes: for if I had not loved you, and your &s;oul not po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with any thoughts of grace towards me, then perhaps you might have plac't your affection upon that great Monarch of the world, and without all the&s;e mis|fortunes have been Queen unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria:</HI> then, &s;aid he further, I &s;hould not have been &s;o happy, in the glory of her Love, nor would you have had any thought of <HI>Ar|temenes,</HI> the unfortunate <HI>Artamenes,</HI> a lover who&s;e ob&s;ervant pa&s;&s;ions never offended a|gain&s;t the Laws of vertue, by any exorbitant de&s;ires; and who&s;e ob&s;equious &s;oul was ever
<PB N="21" REF="13" MS="y">
obedient unto your will, who&s;e life and death is con&s;ecrated unto your &s;ervice: In &s;um of all, I will die (my Prince&s;&s;e) and never let <HI>Ciaxares</HI> know what the ground is of <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> corre&s;pondency with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria.</HI> Think not this (my Divine <HI>Mandana)</HI> a &s;mall &s;acrifice which I am re&s;olved to offer unto you in the carriage of this affair. The de|&s;ire of glory is a Pa&s;&s;ion as well as Love; a pa&s;&s;ion mo&s;t violent and imperious; yet for all that I mu&s;t value the honour of my Prince&s;&s;e above it: What though <HI>Ciaxares</HI> think me perfidious, it is no matter, &s;ince I am not &s;o; I know the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> though my enemy, will vindicate me; and though he be my Corrivall, yet he will &s;peak in my behalf: Beleeve on, <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and think me a Traitor as long as you plea&s;e, &s;ince you do not know the true &s;tate of the matter; for though my Prince&s;&s;e was mo&s;t innocent, and her vertue had but too much &s;trictne&s;&s;e in &s;o pure an affection, yet for all that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and the cen&s;orious Court, it may be, will never beleeve that I could be &s;o long di&s;gui&s;ed, without her con&s;ent. If I &s;hould di&s;cover who I am, it would more confirm <HI>Ciaxares</HI> in that opinion which he enter|tains, that I a&s;pire unto the Crown, although I am not born &s;o far from a Crown as he ima|gins: Alas, &s;aid he, how rigid are my de&s;tinies! I am afraid to ju&s;tifie my &s;elf, though it be mo&s;t naturall to do it: My fears to offend my Prince&s;s tran&s;cend my fears of infamy, although the fear of infamy &s;hould be above all other what&s;oever, and though never any did more greedi|ly thir&s;t after glory then <HI>Artamenes:</HI> But why &s;hould I fear it as long as I have the Te&s;timony of my own con&s;cience, and the te&s;timony of my mo&s;t mortall enemy? The gods who are pro|tectors of oppre&s;&s;ed innocency will &s;urely vindicate me after I am dead: They who now accu&s;e me will then ju&s;tifie me, by waies which I cannot apprehend. Truth in conclu&s;ion will be found the &s;tronge&s;t: While&s;t <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Ciaxares</HI> were thus tormented in their own melancholy re&s;entments, all the Court and all the Army were angred at the accident: The King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> the Prince of the <HI>Cadu&s;ians,</HI> the Prince of <HI>Licaonia,</HI> the Prince of <HI>Paphlagonia, Hidaspes, Chri&s;antes, Aglatidas, Thra&s;ibulus, Madates, Megabi|tes, Adu&s;ius, Artaba&s;es</HI> and <HI>Feraulas;</HI> all the&s;e were wonder&s;trook at the impri&s;onment of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and not only the&s;e Princes and Captaims, but al&s;o all the Inhabitants of <HI>Sinope,</HI> and the whole Army, all the&s;e did ill re&s;ent it: As &s;oon as the news was divulged, all the Kings, Princes, and Commanders, went unto the Lodging of <HI>Artamenes</HI> but were denied en|trance; <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent for them all, and told them that he was compelied for the good of his affairs to arre&s;t <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and commanded them to have a care that the &s;ouldiers who he knew loved <HI>Artamenes</HI> very well, did notmutiny: He told them that this tran&s;action would conduce much to the &s;afety of the State, and the good of all the Princes his Allies. This far fetcht Di&s;cour&s;e made no impre&s;&s;ions at all upon their &s;pirits, but all of them unanimou&s;ly did be&s;eech him to act warily in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of &s;o great importance: You know Sir, &s;aid the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and I do beleeve it an ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibility, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould be|tray you; you may remember Sir, that the time was when we were at variance, and I fully per&s;wade my &s;elf if any &s;uch thing had been tran&s;acted by him I &s;hould have known it. The King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> &s;econded and &s;aid, it cannot &s;ink into my belief that ever he can be guilty of any trea&s;onable de&s;igns. No I warrant you, &s;aid <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> I would not beleeve it though he him&s;elf &s;hould &s;ay it. If my head would be accepted as a gage for his innocency, &s;aid <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> I would throw it at your Maje&s;ties feet: If &s;o much innocency as he carries, a|bout him, had half the Army for his accu&s;ers (&s;aid the Prince of the <HI>Cadu&s;ians)</HI> the army of <HI>Artamenes</HI> would confound them all if they &s;hould re&s;i&s;t. I &s;hould &s;hamefully belie my own eyes and my own knowledge, &s;aid the Prince of <HI>Licaonia,</HI> if I &s;hould witne&s;&s;e again&s;t him. I do not think, &s;aid the Prince of <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> that there can any one in the world be found who can or dare accu&s;e him. I am his Complice, &s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> if he be criminall, and yet I am mo&s;t certain that I am far from any trea&s;on: I have &s;een his &s;oul &s;tand firm, amid&s;t the cloud of his misfortunes, and cannot think it &s;hould &s;hrink in the Sun-&s;hine of his pro&s;perity: It is neither credible nor po&s;&s;ible, cried <HI>Madates</HI> and <HI>Migabites</HI> both toge|ther: If your Maje&s;ty would <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> be plea&s;ed to bring his accu&s;ers face to face, I &s;hould &s;oon &s;top their mouths, &s;aid <HI>Feraulas:</HI> In &s;hort all the&s;e Princes and all the Captains one after another, and &s;ometimes altogether, did &s;trive who could pleade with &s;tronge&s;t argu|ments in behalf of this unfortunate, yet famous <HI>Artamenes:</HI> one put him in minde of his victories, another of his genero&s;ity; one extold his valour, another his fidelity: In conclu|&s;ion, they all fell off from the reverence which they owed unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> becau&s;e he would not allow <HI>Artamenes</HI> time to an&s;wer in his own defence: The King was then much tran&s;port|ed with pa&s;&s;ion, and &s;hewed unto them the Letter which <HI>Artamenes</HI> acknowledged to be his own hand, and &s;aid unto them in great fury, Look I pray you, whether he whom you &s;o vi|olently
<PB N="22" REF="14">
defend be &s;o innocent as you &s;uppo&s;e him. The King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> read the Letter, and upon the fir&s;t apprehen&s;ion did think it a little odd, yet for all that he could not alter his minde, no more then all the re&s;t which heard it: after they had a while con&s;idered, that ap|pearances were fallacious, but no proofs; they all unanimou&s;ly concluded, with one voice (though they could not well argue it) that &s;till <HI>Artamenes</HI> was innocent; and that he was &s;o con&s;iderable a Per&s;on, as though he were culpable, yet the King ought not to lo&s;e him upon a &s;light occa&s;ion. So we do apprehend it (an&s;wered <HI>Ciaxares,)</HI> yet notwith&s;tanding, I would have you know, that in this juncture of time when the Souldier is in&s;olent and ready to revolt, it is not &s;afe to countenance turbulent &s;pirits too much. When the Kings, Prin|ces and Commanders, perceived the King &s;o much in pa&s;&s;ion, they would pre&s;s him no more: and the valour of <HI>Artamenes</HI> had made &s;o perfect a purcha&s;e of all their hearts, and made them all either his very &s;ubjects or allies, therefore they would never quit their re&s;pect unto him, nor ever become un&s;erviceable unto him whom they &s;o much loved, as doubtle&s;s they had done, if they had exa&s;perated that &s;pirit, which was already too apt to kindle: Therefore they left <HI>Ciaxures</HI> to ruminate upon the matter, and gave him time to recollect what he had done, and what was be&s;t hereafter to be done. Mean while <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> upon their departure from the King; did vent a thou&s;and Prote&s;tations in behalf of their Ma&s;ters innocency, and &s;tuck clo&s;e to their re&s;olutions of Con&s;tancy in his &s;ervice; They prote&s;ted to peri&s;h, rather then one of &s;o high a &s;oul &s;hould &s;uffer &s;uch injuries: There was nothing they dor'd at but this Letter, and <HI>Artamenes</HI> had this good fortune, that every one beleeved there was &s;ome my&s;terious matter in it which he him&s;elf would cleer. There was not one could beleeve him to be guilty, for there was no probability, that he &s;hould comply with that man whom he endeavoured to conquer, and who&s;e Empire he &s;trove to overthrow. The Officers had much to do to keep the Souldiers in order; they &s;o tampered with them, that they left them in a di&s;po&s;ition to be at <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;ervice when ever he &s;hould need them: they were glad to give them good language, and de&s;ire their patience, telling them that <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> would be pre&s;ently at Liberty; and that if they &s;hould ra&s;hly go about to deliver him, it would make his Condition wor&s;e: &s;o that mixing commendations of <HI>Artamenes</HI> with their plau&s;ible per&s;wa&s;ions, they cheri&s;hed them, and prevented their Revolt both together, and did &s;uppre&s;s their violences which yet did not need, without lo&s;ing their loves. But for all this, the whole Camp and all the Town did ring in his Commendations; the Name of <HI>Arta|menes</HI> Ecchoed every where: the <HI>Medes;</HI> the <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> the <HI>Cappadocians,</HI> the <HI>Phrygians,</HI> the <HI>Hircanians;</HI> the <HI>Cadu&s;ians,</HI> the <HI>Paphlagonians,</HI> and all other Nations whereof the Army was compo&s;ed, all cried up <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and made Songs and Elegies every one in his own Lan|guage, and after his own Cu&s;tom, in commendations of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and who but <HI>Artamenes</HI> in every mouth? There was not a Captain in that va&s;t Army, which vaunted not of &s;ome Honour which he particularly had received from <HI>Artamenes;</HI> nor was there a common Souldier which did not brag that <HI>Artamenes</HI> knew his Name and him&s;elf too: In &s;umme, <HI>Artamenes</HI> was the &s;ubject of every ones di&s;cour&s;e; every Souldier left the Camp, and went into the Town to learn how Squares went with <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and every Inhabitant of the Town went into the Camp, to incite the Souldiers in behalf of their beloved Generall <HI>Arta|menes;</HI> there was not one to be found, only except this friend of <HI>Aribees,</HI> who tran&s;acted privately and prejudicially to <HI>Artamenes</HI> in incen&s;ing the King again&s;t him: Every one ex|cept him I &s;ay, was a well-wi&s;her unto <HI>Artamenes.;</HI> It was this man, who had not only got knowledge that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> had writ unto <HI>Artamenes;</HI> but it was he al&s;o who gave the Letter unto the King of <HI>Medes: Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> did much admire which way <HI>Ciaxares</HI> could come by it: but Heaven which would have Crimes alwayes di&s;covered, made it evident at the la&s;t, they much beat their brains, and turned every &s;tone to finde it out, but could not. But thus it fortun'd; the Me&s;&s;enger whom the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> &s;ent unto <HI>Arta|menes,</HI> and by whom <HI>Artamenes</HI> returned this Letter in An&s;wer unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> did in his return back, meet with one who was Brother unto <HI>Aribees,</HI> who falling into di&s;cour&s;e with this Me&s;&s;enger, asked him whether he travelled and from whence he came, and by de|grees &s;cru'd out of him, what his bu&s;ine&s;s was: this Brother &s;o tampered and &s;uborned this Me&s;&s;enger, that he &s;hewed unto him the Letter, and when he had read it, did by his permi&s;|&s;ion copy it out: he also told the Me&s;&s;enger, that he might do a mo&s;t excellent piece of &s;er|vice, not only unto all <HI>Medea,</HI> and all <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> but unto <HI>A&s;ia</HI> al&s;o, and indeed unto all the World, if he would return back again to <HI>Sinope,</HI> and carry this Letter unto a friend of his who waited upon <HI>Ciaxares</HI> (the very &s;ame man who was &s;o clo&s;e an enemy unto <HI>Artamenes,)</HI> he further told this Me&s;&s;enger, that it would be a mo&s;t acceptable piece of &s;ervice unto the
<PB N="23" REF="14">
King, &s;o that he need not doubt of being largely rewarded: and that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> who &s;ent him, would al&s;o be much plea&s;ed at it, he having &s;o great an intere&s;t in the ruin of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> and that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> would be as well plea&s;ed with the Copy as the Ori|ginall, and that he him&s;elf would carry the Copy to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> whil&s;t he did return unto <HI>Sinope,</HI> and carry the Originall unto this friend of his. He per&s;waded him not to &s;cruple at the Ruin of an ambitious man, who&s;e aims were at univer&s;all Monarchy; a man whom all men &s;eem'd to love, but their loves did proceed from fear, &s;o that if ever fortune &s;hould frown upon him, he would a&s;&s;uredly be ruin'd without recovery; and that all things would then look with new faces; and that tho&s;e who were now in appearance his deare&s;t friends, would then become his utter enemies; and that for his part he would be &s;ure to have the be|nediction of all the world, if by his means this de&s;ign were brought about, which though it was great, yet might &s;afely be negotiated without any danger at all: for all the difficulty was in delivery of this Letter unto the King, and if that were done undi&s;covered, then all the pe|ril were pa&s;t. In &s;hort, this Brother or <HI>Aribees,</HI> who&s;e Name was <HI>Artaxes,</HI> did know well enough how to deal with him he &s;poke unto; &s;o that giving a bag full of golden per&s;wa|&s;ions unto him, he gul'd this poor fully mercinary wretch, to do as he would have him. <HI>Ar|taxes</HI> writ unto his friend, how he had met with an admirable expedient to be revenged for the death of his Brother, and de&s;ired him by all means to put it into execution: and that for him&s;elf, he would go unto <HI>Pteria,</HI> a Town not far off <HI>Sinope,</HI> whether the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> was retired, and would tran&s;act with that Prince again&s;t <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and there wait upon the &s;uc|ce&s;s of that de&s;ign, which he had now committed unto him, not daring to appear at Court. This mercinary Me&s;&s;enger arrived at <HI>Sinope,</HI> found out that friend of <HI>Arabees</HI> and <HI>Artaxes;</HI> found him di&s;po&s;ed according unto his wi&s;h, and pro&s;ecuted the de&s;ign &s;o clo&s;e, as he brought it unto that &s;tate wherein you finde it. It is a very remarkable pa&s;&s;age; that this Me&s;&s;enger who was fully per&s;waded he &s;hould act an univer&s;all good unto all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> in Ruining <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> did to his great a&s;toni&s;hment finde, in lieu of a generall Joy, that he had cau&s;ed an uni|ver&s;all &s;adne&s;s; and how he had brought all things into &s;o great a di&s;order and confu&s;ion, as it was hard to reduce them into their former tranquillity. This man, who certainly had a &s;oul as &s;imple as &s;infull, was much moved and angred, he &s;hould be &s;o gul'd as to &s;wallow &s;uch a gudgeon: &s;o that he did ab&s;olutely re&s;olve to addre&s;s him&s;elf unto the friends of <HI>Ar|tamenes,</HI> and acquaint them it was he who had incen&s;ed <HI>Ciaxares</HI> again&s;t <HI>Artamenes.</HI> This man, repaired fir&s;t unto <HI>Feraulas,</HI> and ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;&s;ed all the pa&s;&s;ages, but with &s;uch &s;igns of &s;o &s;ad remor&s;e, that although he was the man who had brought his Ma&s;ters life in danger, yet he would not treat him hardly. Then after he had &s;ouldly chid him for his fir&s;t act, he much commended him for his &s;econd, and re&s;olved to make more u&s;e of him in di&s;co|very of this &s;ecret enemy unto <HI>Artamenes.</HI> He pre&s;ently acquainted his Ma&s;ter with it, though <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had forbid any &s;hould &s;peak unto him; for the Captain of the Guard be|ing fully &s;atisfied concerning <HI>Artamenes</HI> Innocency, did not ob&s;erve his Order &s;o exactly, but he gave him liberty of entercour&s;e by Letter: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was glad when he knew how this Letter came unto the hands of <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> for though Great Souls who are incapable of Crimes, cannot ea&s;ily beleeve others are more culpable then them&s;elves; yet he entertained &s;ome light kinde of jealou&s;ie, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> had a hand in the bu&s;ine&s;s; and the thought of that did much torment him: For, &s;aid he, If by happy Fate <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould be alive, and &s;hould accidentally fall into the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria's</HI> hands, then what confidence, &s;aid he, can I have in the word of &s;uch a Prince, who is guilty of &s;o perfidious a fact? All this while <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> endeavoured to u&s;e all means that Fortune would afford them, to|wards the pre&s;ervation of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and found it to be a very difficult bu&s;ine&s;s, for as the Ca&s;e now &s;tood, they knew not whether or no it becom'd their duty, to acquaint <HI>Ciaxares</HI> with the truth of <HI>Artamenes</HI> his &s;tory, and all his adventures: they &s;aw it would accu&s;e him one way, and excu&s;e him another: yet they conceived that his Life would be le&s;s in danger, as a Lover of the Prince&s;s, then as a Friend unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria;</HI> his Quality which was much above what it &s;eemed to be, did appear unto them to be but an ill expedient, thereby to ad|vantage him. They were full of &s;o many fears and doubts as they knew not what to re&s;olve upon or to imagin: In conclu&s;ion, they thought it not fit or ju&s;t, to tru&s;t intirely unto their own opinions in a matter of &s;uch high importance; nor to charge them&s;elves &s;olely with the event of an affair, whereupon depended the &s;afety or de&s;truction of the mo&s;t eminent man in the world. Therefore they concluded it mo&s;t fit and &s;afe, to make choice of &s;ome principall Per&s;ons, and other &s;trange Princes who were mo&s;t affectionate unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and whom he had mo&s;t obliged to be of their Councell: They thought it be&s;t to let the&s;e
<PB N="24" REF="15">
know, that he whom they &s;o well loved, was much more worthy of their affection and a&s;&s;i|&s;tance, then they thought him to be; and to de&s;ire their advice, what cour&s;e were be&s;t to be taken in this transaction. They had a great de&s;ire to ask the leave of their dear Ma&s;ter, before they went to work, but that was &s;o nice a thing to tru&s;t unto, as they would not ha|zard it; for he &s;eem'd to be &s;o carele&s;s of Life, that they thought, he would not take the pains to pre&s;erve it, or u&s;e the be&s;t expedients for it; and therefore they did imagin, he would never con&s;ent they &s;hould reveal him. In their laying a foundation for this de&s;ign, they re&s;olved not to tru&s;t this &s;ecret unto any but <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> and &s;tranger Princes, and not to impart it unto any <HI>Mede</HI> upon any condition: becau&s;e they being Subjects unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> might perchance di&s;pen&s;e with the Laws of Friend&s;hip, and reveal it, or at lea&s;t ob&s;erve them with &s;ome reluctancy and &s;cruple: So when they had fully re&s;olved upon this de&s;ign, they &s;ought out opportunities to put it in execution; and they hoped to receive this &s;atisfaction from it at the lea&s;t, that they had not neglected any expedient which might pre&s;erve him who is the mo&s;t fortunate, and unfortunate man both, that is in the whole univer&s;e.</P>
<TRAILER>The end of the fir&s;t Book in the fir&s;t Part.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="book">
<PB N="25" REF="15">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES: OR CYRVS the Great.  BOOK II.</HEAD>
<P>_THE De&s;ign which <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> undertook, was &s;o Ju&s;t, that Fortune, who is an enemy to Virtue, and was much incen&s;ed again&s;t the illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes,</HI> did &s;eem to &s;mile in lieu of frown|ing upon it. The&s;e two faithfull &s;ervants, intending to a&s;&s;emble to|gether tho&s;e who had been deare&s;t friends unto their Ma&s;ter, except|ing again&s;t <HI>Medes,</HI> made choice of the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> the Prince of the <HI>Caducians,</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> whom <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;ent to vi&s;it &s;ince his Arre&s;t: <HI>Adu&s;ias</HI> and <HI>Artabaces</HI> met al&s;o in Councell: Like|wi&s;e all the re&s;t of the Princes, except the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> who kept near <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> in hopes to mitigate his choler: who notwith&s;tanding all endeavours to the contrary, was in all di&s;|cour&s;es concerning <HI>Artamenes</HI> much incen&s;ed again&s;t him. In conclu&s;ion, the King of <HI>Hir|cania,</HI> addre&s;ting him&s;elf unto <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> did entreat him, that &s;ince he had &s;o great a &s;hare in the friend&s;hip and affection of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and had al&s;o &s;o long a time been related unto him, he would be plea&s;ed to inform them of all his Adventures, ever &s;ince he came into the Court of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> al&s;o acquaint them with his birth, to the end that thereby they might happily finde out &s;ome conveniency which might conduce unto his pre&s;ervation, by the in|tere&s;t of that Prince, under whom he wat born a &s;ubject, or at the lea&s;t, to make u&s;e of &s;ome han&s;ome pretence, which might keep <HI>Ciaxares</HI> in &s;ome &s;u&s;pence, untill his anger was a little over. Furthermore, <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> added, That <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his Army con&s;i&s;ting of &s;o many &s;everall Nations, he might perchance be one of them; if &s;o, it were good to know his Countrey, be|cau&s;e it would be a &s;trong motive unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to be reconciled unto him, for by that con&s;equence he might win the hearts of all tho&s;e who have the honour to be born in the &s;ame Country, under the &s;ame Laws and Prince that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is: if he &s;hould prove to be born in an enemies Country, then <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> it may be, con&s;idering he hath a man of that Concernment in his Power, will be &s;ooner induced to Pre&s;erve him, as a means to draw &s;ome advantage from his enemies by it. As &s;oon as <HI>Hidaspes</HI> had delivered his Vote, all the re&s;t
<PB N="26" REF="16">
did concur and approve of it. Perhaps (added <HI>Thra&s;ibulas,)</HI> by the knowledge of his &s;tory, we may come to di&s;cover the Rea&s;ons, why <HI>Artamenes</HI> held Intelligence with the King of <HI>A&s;|&s;iria,</HI> and what the Cau&s;e may be, that he will not reveal it unto <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> for the&s;e are the two my&s;terious Labyrinths which mo&s;t amaze us. Sirs (an&s;wered <HI>Chri&s;antes)</HI> I appre|hend it as a good Omen, that you &s;hould thus prevent the intentions of <HI>Feraulas</HI> and my &s;elf, for we came unto <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> with the &s;ame de&s;ign, and to a&s;&s;emble together all you whom good Fortune has thus happily brought unto this Hou&s;e: The &s;equell of my di&s;cour&s;e will inform you, why we made choice of <HI>Hidaspes</HI> his hou&s;e; and why we thought it fit, that &s;o many famous <HI>Medes</HI> as were friends unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> do not meet here: In a word, Sirs we come to tell you who <HI>Artamenes</HI> is. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;poke that la&s;t &s;yllable, but all the Princes interrupted him with Acclamations of Joy, and expre&s;&s;ions of hope to have him of their Nation; No, &s;aid the King of <HI>Hircanias,</HI> I &s;hall not be &s;o happy as to have that Honour: The Prince of the <HI>Cadu&s;ians</HI> &s;aid the &s;ame, and all de&s;ired it, but tacitly confe&s;&s;ed they were all unworthy to be Soveraigns over &s;uch a Subject, yet that he him&s;elf de&s;erved to be Monarch of the whole world: In conclu&s;ion, all the Princes were full of impatiency till they knew it; and commanding that the door &s;hould be &s;hut, lea&s;t the Narration &s;hould be di&s;turbed, they &s;it down and pre&s;&s;ingly de&s;ire <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to begin. Some did put it to the Que&s;tion, Whether it were not fit they &s;hould &s;tay for the King of <HI>Phrygia;</HI> but the major part did &s;o burn with de&s;ire to know the originall of him who had &s;o highly demean'd him|&s;elf, that they would not permit &s;o long delay, but did double their entreaties, that <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> would &s;atisfie their longing de&s;ires: After he had paus'd a while, and recollected into his memory the Idea of &s;o many great exploits as he had &s;een him perform, re&s;olving to follow the cour&s;e which was concluded between <HI>Feraulas</HI> and him, he began the Story.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of <HI>Artamenes.</HI></HEAD>
<P>MY task is to &s;peak of things &s;o wonderfull, that I conceive it convenient to prepare you before hand, lea&s;t you &s;hould be &s;tartled with admiration: for indeed S^r (&s;aid he, ad|dre&s;ting him&s;elf to the King of <HI>Hircania)</HI> the Birth and Life of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> is &s;o full of ex|traordinary glorious and tran&s;cendent circum&s;tances, as will hardly finde belief in tho&s;e who only hear and have not &s;een them: therefore I think it fit to prote&s;t unto you, that all is pure Truth which &s;hall be related unto you, and if I &s;hall chance to fail or le&s;&s;en the Truth, it is the mode&s;ty of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> which hath accu&s;tomed me to conceal part of his Glory, and never to aggravate the greatne&s;s of his Acts. Neverthele&s;s S^r, this <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who&s;e Valour and Virtue has rendred him &s;o Famous, is not le&s;&s;ened by the Greatne&s;s of that Prince who gave him Life: For S^r, when I &s;hall tell you, that this <HI>Artamenes</HI> was before his birth Pre|de&s;tinated by the Gods to be a Terror unto all the Kings of the Earth, and that he is no other then <HI>CYR&V;S,</HI> Sonne of <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> King of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> I &s;hall tell you nothing but what is mo&s;t true, and what I &s;hall very ea&s;ily make appear. At this, <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> and all pre&s;ent cri|ed out; What (&s;aid they with one voice) is <HI>Artamenes CYR&V;S?</HI> Is <HI>Artamenes</HI> Sonne to the King of <HI>Per&s;ia? Artamenes</HI> (replied <HI>Chri&s;antes)</HI> is the very &s;ame I tell you; and by con&s;equence of the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Family in the world, &s;ince his Predece&s;&s;ors the Valiant <HI>Per&s;eus,</HI> derives his Pedigree, from the Sonne of <HI>Jupiter.</HI> But (&s;aid <HI>Hida&s;pes)</HI> Did not you confirm me in that opinion which all the world had, of his Shipwrack? And did not you your &s;elf tell me, how you changed Ma&s;ters after his death? and that he whom you then waited upon, was called <HI>Artamenes?</HI> Mo&s;t true, Replied <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> I confe&s;s I did &s;o, but I did it by the command of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who de&s;iring to pa&s;s under that Name, obliged me to call him &s;o, and I will phra&s;e him &s;o throughout mo&s;t of this Relation, to the end you may more ea&s;ily under&s;tand it. In the &s;equell and conclu&s;ion of this my di&s;cour&s;e, you &s;hall know what were his rea&s;ons which moved him to a&s;&s;ume this dignity. I mu&s;t needs &s;ay (&s;aid <HI>Hi|daspes)</HI> you had great rea&s;on to prepare tho&s;e which hear you again&s;t wonder: But (&s;aid <HI>Artaba&s;es)</HI> Tho&s;e have lo&s;t their rea&s;on who &s;u&s;pect the truth of it, when they &s;hall con&s;i|der on what affectionate termes of familiarity <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> were linked unto him. There need not many Arguments (&s;aid the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> &s;peaking to <HI>Hidaspes, Adu&s;ius</HI> and <HI>Artabaces)</HI> to per&s;wade me that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is <HI>Cyrus:</HI> It were more difficult to think that &s;uch an extraordinary man &s;hould be of a common extraction. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Thra|&s;ibulus)</HI> I have had &s;ome &s;uch thoughts ever &s;ince the fir&s;t day I knew him: for his high Actions would not permit me to doubt of his Quality. <HI>Per&s;odes</HI> Prince of the <HI>Cadu&s;ians,</HI>
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applying him&s;elf unto <HI>Hidaspes, Artabaces, Adu&s;ius, Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;aid unto them; You are &s;o highly honoured in being Subjects unto &s;uch a Prince, that I mu&s;t needs think your glorious &s;ervitude excels my Soveraignty; and that it is a greater Honour to obey <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then to command a hundred thou&s;and men. <HI>Hidaspes</HI> was &s;o inflamed with de&s;ire of knowing more preci&s;ely all particulars concerning the Life of him, who&s;e fir&s;t Adventures he had been well acquainted with, as he de&s;ired <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to begin his &s;tory, from the fir&s;t departure of <HI>Cyrus</HI> out of his fathers Court. But becau&s;e <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> knew nothing, and the other Princes never heard of the Pa&s;&s;ages in the Court of <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> only by common voge, which often is a lyar, therefore it were more expedient he &s;hould begin his whole &s;to|ry; &s;o that the memory of tho&s;e who knew the Pa&s;&s;ages might be revived, and <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> who was altogether ignorant in them, might be informed. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> then, after a little &s;i|lence, in contriving the method of his di&s;cour&s;e, and turning towards the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> began thus. Sir, I will not abu&s;e your Patience in Repetitions of <HI>Artamenes</HI> his mo&s;t glorious de&s;cent: It will &s;uffice to &s;ay his Name is <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and derived from the illu&s;trious Race of <HI>Per&s;ides.</HI> This is enough to inform you, that there is not one more Noble in the world: <HI>Cyrus</HI> hath this advantage above others, that he is Soveraign of a people (if it befit a <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> to &s;ay it) among&s;t whom Virtue is loved, and vice abhorred with &s;uch di&s;gu&s;t, that it dares not appear unle&s;s under a cloak of Virtue: <HI>Artamenes</HI> moreover (for &s;o I will call him yet) has the glory to be &s;ubject unto a Prince and Prince&s;s, who&s;e Applauds fills the &s;tory of all Nations, &s;o that he derives nothing from them but what is mo&s;t Noble and Heroicque. Now &s;ince the Hi&s;tory of the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> does much conduce to the cleering of my relation, I &s;hall be forced to fetch far off a foundation to build the re&s;t of my di&s;cour&s;e upon. Be plea&s;ed to remember, how the Ancient Kings of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> became Lords of all higher <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> and how the wi&s;e and famous <HI>Deiocus</HI> Sonne of <HI>Phraortes,</HI> did incite his Countrymen, to rebell again&s;t their Tyrant Kings: and after he had got the Soveraignty of the <HI>Medes</HI> into his own Pow|er, re&s;tor'd it into the hands of a <HI>Mede</HI> again: You know Sir, that this Great and Generous Prince, was Lineally de&s;cended from the Ancient Kings of <HI>Medes;</HI> and that it was he who ordained &s;uch excellent Laws; who built the &s;tately Town of <HI>Ecbatane;</HI> and who reduced under his obedience all the &s;tate of his Ance&s;tors, which were the <HI>Bru&s;&s;ians,</HI> the <HI>Paratece|nians,</HI> the <HI>Struchatians,</HI> the <HI>Ari&s;entines,</HI> and the <HI>Budiens.</HI> After <HI>Deiocus,</HI> who raigned fifty three years, <HI>Phaortes</HI> his Sonne inherited the Crown, and raigned &s;o peaceably, as if the <HI>A&s;&s;i|rians</HI> had never u&s;urped. But being not content to &s;it quietly in the Throne of his Prede|ce&s;&s;ors, he began to make war again&s;t the <HI>Per&s;ian,</HI> a People &s;o ru&s;ted with more then a whole age of Peace, that they finding them&s;elves a&s;&s;aulted by a mo&s;t Martiall People accu|&s;tomed to conquer, and to prevent the utter de&s;olation of their Country, complied with them; and Peace was &s;o concluded, that the two Crowns of <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Media</HI> were in&s;epe|rably intere&s;ted; &s;o that as often as <HI>Phraortes</HI> &s;hould &s;tand in need of their A&s;&s;i&s;tance, they were obliged to lend it: Here Sir, was the fir&s;t Connexion of the <HI>Medes</HI> with the <HI>Per&s;ians.</HI> I need not relate how <HI>Phraortes,</HI> &s;wel'd with ambition, pronounced war again&s;t the King of
<HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> who &s;lept &s;ecurely in a downy bed of Peace within his own Dominions: Nor how, after he had raigned two and twenty years, and be&s;ieging the Town of <HI>Minos,</HI> peri&s;hed in the attempt: Nor how after his death <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his Sonne, the fir&s;t of that Name among the Kings of <HI>Medes,</HI> &s;ucceeded in the Kingdom: nor how Fortune was &s;ometimes a friend, and &s;ometimes a fo unto this Prince: for I know you are not ignorant, how in giving Battle to the <HI>Libians,</HI> when he was at the very point of being victorious, it became &s;o accidentally dark upon a &s;udden, that it was impo&s;&s;ible for him to continue fight, and fini&s;h his almo&s;t gotten victory: You know al&s;o, that in be&s;ieging the Town of <HI>Minos</HI> (of which we &s;pake before,) intending to revenge the death of his Father <HI>Phraortes,</HI> who was killed before this Town, and being at the very point of taking it, <HI>Medeas</HI> King of the <HI>Scythians</HI> appeared with an Army of a hundred thou&s;and men, within &s;hot of his Camp: You know al&s;o, how this King lo&s;t the Battle unto the <HI>Scythians,</HI> and his Empire with it, but got again into the Throne; for this Inva&s;ion of the <HI>Scythians</HI> la&s;ted not above eight and twenty years: You know al&s;o, that this <HI>Ciaxares</HI> not changing his Re&s;entments with his fortunes, revived the warre with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> and at la&s;t became Ma&s;ter of the Town of <HI>Minos:</HI> Then Sir, you know, how this fir&s;t <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was Father unto <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> whom he left a quiet Inheritor of his Dominions: but as this Prince was born in a turbulent time, &s;o I beleeve, that the re&s;tle&s;s &s;pirit of the Father, was tran&s;migrated into the &s;oul of the Sonne, and imprinted &s;uch Melancholy thoughts in this Prince his Sonne, as cau&s;ed him to pa&s;&s;e his life with much in|quietude; and was partly a cau&s;e of all tho&s;e thwartings in <HI>Artamenes</HI> his fortunes: He was
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married very young, and in a manner, doubtle&s;s extraordinary, though out of my memory. The Battle which the King his father lo&s;t unto <HI>Aliattes</HI> King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> by rea&s;on of that ob|&s;curity which blinded both Armies, was a cau&s;e of this marriage; for after &s;o &s;trange an ac|cident, the King of <HI>Medes</HI> con&s;ulted with the Prie&s;ts, and <HI>Aliattes</HI> went unto the Temple of <HI>Diana</HI> at <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> which by rea&s;on of the Oracles there, was grown in great repute: The&s;e Princes were told by the Prie&s;ts and by the Oracle of <HI>Diana,</HI> that the Gods did expre&s;s by this remarkable &s;ign, they were not plea&s;ed with the warre, but that they ought to re&s;olve upon termes of Peace. The King of <HI>Sicily,</HI> who was a mediator in the matter, did &s;o nego|tiate between them, that the King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> who had but one Daughter, Si&s;ter of <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> &s;hould marry her unto <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> the Sonne of his enemy: So you may collect by this, that the marriage which was made up &s;o &s;oon after the warre of <HI>Lydia,</HI> gave me (&s;ome &s;ay) cau&s;e to &s;ay, that this Prince, born when the Starres had &s;uch tumultuous influence, received from them &s;uch trouble&s;ome Inclinations. As for his Raign Sir, becau&s;e it is &s;o late &s;ince it ended, it would be &s;uperfluous to relate it. Let it &s;uffice to tell you, how he knowing that none of his Predece&s;&s;ors, ever &s;ince the Famous <HI>Deiocus</HI> had enjoyed their Kingdom in Peace, therefore he alwayes &s;tood upon his guard, and feared &s;ome Revolt: You know Sir, that he had by the Queen his wife, and &s;i&s;ter of <HI>Crae&s;&s;us, Ciaxares</HI> who now raigns, and retains the invincible <HI>Artamenes</HI> pri&s;oner: You know al&s;o that he had one Daughter called <HI>Mandana,</HI> an ad|mirable Beauty, of great virtue and wi&s;dome: That long &s;ince the Queen his wife died, and with her all his affections to any other, &s;o that he would never marry more: Since this lo&s;&s;e, all his thoughts are upon his young Sonne <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and his young fair Daughter <HI>Mandana;</HI> endeavouring to keep him&s;elf peaceable within his own limits, without any attempts upon his Neighbours: And though he had the good fortune never to be in any con&s;iderable actuall warre, yet he had to be in continuall preparations for it; &s;ometimes again&s;t his an|tient enemy the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> &s;ometimes again&s;t his Allies, and &s;ometimes again&s;t his own Subjects; yet for all the&s;e inquietudes, which his perpetual turbulencies did procure him, his Court held up the proude&s;t head in all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> For (as you know,) the <HI>Medes</HI> were alwayes addicted to Magnificence and Plea&s;ures, <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> e&s;pecially who was mo&s;t of all devoted un|to all manner of Diver&s;ions of his Melancholy and pen&s;ive cogitations: <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> was the fitte&s;t &s;eat for it of all places in the world. This Prince therefore ever &s;ince the birth of his Sonne <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> did alwayes every year Celebrate a certain day of publike Jollity. It was his Cu&s;tom to go him&s;elf unto the Temple to thank the Gods for his Sonne, and offer Prayers for his Pre&s;ervation: The young Prince <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was then about &s;ixteen, and the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter about fourteen years of age: when one of the&s;e Fe&s;tivall Ceremonies were ob&s;er|ved, there chanced a &s;trange Accident, which did much di&s;turb their Devotion and Jo|candry; for as <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> was going out of his Pallace in the morning unto the Temple, and carried with him the Prince his Sonne, upon a &s;udden, the brightne&s;s of the day became all dully dim; and the Sunne &s;o eclip&s;ed, as it ca&s;t &s;uch a black ob&s;curity over the face of the whole earth, as none could almo&s;t di&s;tingui&s;h each other; that little light which was, gave &s;uch a glooming &s;haddow, as was mo&s;t terrible to them all: This Accident extreamly trou|bled <HI>A&s;tiages:</HI> The People took it for no good Omen; for though tho&s;e which &s;aw this Eclip&s;e, had &s;een others al&s;o, yet this was much more affrighting then they, as well becau&s;e it was much greater, as becau&s;e it happened upon &s;uch a remarkable day: In&s;omuch as they did think it more then a meer cur&s;ary and naturall accident, and concluded it to be a Com|met or &s;ome &s;ign from Heaven, by which the Gods did portend and adverti&s;e the King and People of &s;ome important matter. Some remembred that terrible darkne&s;s which affrighted <HI>Ciaxares</HI> the Father of <HI>A&s;tiages;</HI> and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> none made it any que&s;tion but it was an adver|ti&s;ement from Heaven, to move the t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">gs of <HI>Medes</HI> and <HI>Lydia</HI> unto Peace, and there|fore they thought this Commet to &s;ignifie &s;ome &s;uch thing. To be &s;hort, every one vented his peculiar phan&s;ie, and explained the meaning of it according to his own capritious hu|mour: Some &s;aid it might pre&s;age the Kings death: others feared the de&s;truction of the Empire: Some, the lo&s;&s;e of the Prince his Sonne, and all did Augure mourning con&s;equents. But although this ob&s;curity did much amaze them, yet that which followed this Eclip&s;e did ab&s;olutely confound them; for after it had continued thus dark four compleat hours, the Sunne, contrary to its common naturall cour&s;e, di&s;covered it &s;elf all at once in an in&s;tant; and was &s;o hot, &s;o cleer, and of a light &s;o tran&s;plendent, as it blinded all them who dur&s;t gaze upon it: the heat no le&s;&s;e extream then the brightne&s;s, for it was &s;o exce&s;&s;ive, as the People thought all the earth &s;et on fire. All this while <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> who was alwayes naturally too apprehen&s;ive and &s;uper&s;titious of &s;uch Accidents, and was fully per&s;waded that the Prie&s;ts
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knew almo&s;t all things future; therefore he a&s;&s;embled them together, and commanded them to con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly, what might be the meaning of this Prodigie: Doubtle&s;s Sir, you know how the&s;e men lead theirlives, which afford them lea&s;ure enough to contemplate the&s;e cele&s;ti|all Signs; and have &s;o deep an in&s;pection into the influence of Stars, that they can by them oftentimes divine long before, what &s;hall afterwards come to pa&s;&s;e. The Gods al&s;o, do &s;ome|times in&s;pire them by &s;ecret wayes which are unknown unto the vulgar: Their An&s;wers are as certain as Oracles, and have this advantage above them, that they have much more cleer|ne&s;s, and far le&s;&s;e riddle in them then Oracles u&s;e to have: &s;o that <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> having got them together as I formerly &s;aid; and after they had pray'd unto the Gods, and contemplated the Starres, they told the King (having prepared him beforehand to receive patiently what|&s;oever they &s;hould tell him, lea&s;t he &s;hould break into any violent pa&s;&s;ion) That according unto their &s;peculations, tho&s;e gifts, and that knowledge which they had received from Hea|ven, this great Eclip&s;e, which had &s;uch &s;upernaturall Cour&s;es, did &s;ignifie either his own death, or the Princes his Sonnes, or the decline<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> his Soveraign Authority: As for the two fir&s;t of the&s;e, they told him, that they <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">onceive it &s;hould be either of them; becau&s;e they had heretofore, according to his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ands Calculated both their Nativities, and had collected &s;everall A&s;tronomicall Ob&s;ervations concerning both their Lives; they alwayes found and concluded, that both their Lives &s;hould be long; therefore, they mu&s;t by Con&s;equence conclude, that it Portends decay in Dominion; and that univer&s;all revolution threatens all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> particularly <HI>Medea;</HI> and that it &s;hall be upon them &s;uddenly, unle&s;s they make &s;ome happy u&s;e of tho&s;e Adverti&s;ements which Heaven does &s;ignifie unto them, as <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his Father had done before him. <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> was Planet-&s;truck with this di&s;cour&s;e; and conceiving that out of fear, the Prie&s;ts had not yet revealed all they knew, did pre&s;&s;e them further to declare their full knowledge: In conclu&s;ion, they told him, that in their opi|nions it was to be feared the extraordinary brightne&s;s which followed the darkne&s;s, and the Sunnes &s;o &s;udden di&s;covering it &s;elf in an in&s;tant, did &s;ignifie that the Prince his Sonne, fol|lowing too much the Coun&s;els of Ambitious &s;pirits, would one day u&s;urp his Crown: The darkne&s;s did &s;ignifie his Power, which &s;hould al&s;o be ob&s;cured; and the brightne&s;s did &s;ig|nifie the &s;udden &s;plendor of the young Prince: But yet, for all this there was a Remedy; for the Gods did not admoni&s;h Men in vain: But that the King his Father when he was fore|warned, did appea&s;e them, in making Peace with <HI>Lybia:</HI> And &s;o likewi&s;e ought he to render him&s;elf &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive unto them; by Sacrifices, by Prayers, and by his Virtues: and that he ought to have extraordinary care, in placing Wi&s;e and Prudent men about the young Prince, &s;uch as &s;hould infu&s;e &s;apient In&s;tructions into him, and root out of his minde all tho&s;e cor|rupt &s;eeds, which ill di&s;po&s;ed men had &s;owed: The King no &s;ooner heard what the&s;e magick Prie&s;ts had &s;aid, but he was fully &s;atisfied: for though his naturall di&s;po&s;ition was alwayes prompt, and &s;uper&s;titious in &s;uch things, yet he had &s;ome apparent colour for this, becau&s;e <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his Sonne did begin to put forth &s;ome ambitious budds: and all his inclinations were Grandure and Dominion: Al&s;o he had many about him who fomented this naturall propen&s;ity, &s;o that the thoughts of <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> no &s;ooner reflected upon him, but he imagined him in his Throne, &s;natching the Scepter out of his hand, and throwing him into Pri&s;on. You may imagin Sir, how di&s;gu&s;tive this di&s;cour&s;e was unto the &s;oul of a Prince, who priz'd his Crown above his Life, but who in &s;pite of all jealous re&s;entments, did yet retain the affe|ction of a Father towards a Sonne. In the mean while, he charged the Prie&s;ts not to publi&s;h what they had told him; fearing that it might cau&s;e his ruin if they did: and that if his Sonne &s;hould come to the knowledge of it, he might chance think it no Crime to make bold with the Crown, &s;ince it &s;eem'd to be the plea&s;ure of the Gods to have it &s;o: Therefore, he gave expre&s;s command unto them, that they &s;hould tell the Prince his Sonne, and divulge it unto all the People, how this Eclip&s;e had nothing extraordinary in it; that the Circum&s;tance of Day upon which it happened, was a meer Ca&s;ualty, from whence no ill con&s;equences can be drawn; and that they &s;hould not cea&s;e their Prayers unto the gods for his good fortune: The Prie&s;ts were obedient unto his commands, but he did not reap that profit from their obedience which he expected. For &s;ince the People were told it threatned no evil, they ap|prehended and feared much more: The young Prince did imagin, that perhaps the Magi|cians found it foretold his death: &s;o that both Court and People were in great di&s;order: The King did all he could to te&s;tifie he harboured no ill apprehen&s;ions in his minde: yet for all that in the mid&s;t of the fea&s;ting jollities, which were &s;umptuou&s;ly prepared for his diver|&s;ion, and di&s;gui&s;e of his melancholy thoughts, one might &s;ee him troubled, and his minde much di&s;quieted. His heart was po&s;&s;e&s;t with two Pa&s;&s;ions at once; Paternall affection
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towards a Sonne, contending with Jealou&s;ie of his Soveraign Authority: &s;o that it was ea&s;ie to conclude, he was not at peace within him&s;elf: he loved the Crown as well as he did his Sonne; and perhaps was bia&s;&s;ed on that &s;ide more then the other, as the &s;equell pre&s;ently after made it appear; for advi&s;ing with him&s;elf by what expedients he &s;hould divert the young <HI>Ciaxares</HI> from his a&s;piring thoughts, he concluded the be&s;t was to &s;end him farre off from Court, where the Grandees of State were alwayes re&s;ident, and who all lookt upon him, as one, who one day &s;hould be their King, which was dangerous to a di&s;po&s;ition too apt already to hearken unto ill councell; yet this re&s;olution of removing him, was not with|out much anxiety and &s;orrow: for he feared, lea&s;t this cour&s;e &s;hould more incen&s;e <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> for (&s;aid he to him&s;elf) as long as he is with me, and under my eye, I &s;hall need no &s;pies to ob&s;erve his actions, I &s;hall my &s;elf be a witne&s;s of them: but when he is in a farre off Coun|try, whom &s;hall I tru&s;t to be his Protectour? may it not be well &s;uppo&s;ed, that many ill di&s;|po&s;ed per&s;ons will there &s;peak aloud, that which here they dare not &s;o much as think? In conclu&s;ion Sir, when he had throughly argued the matter, and weighed every Circum&s;tance, he conceived he had found out a &s;afer <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> then to remove him; for when he remembred, that the King of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> had but one <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ghter living, under the tuition of the Queen her Mother, he thought that if he could bring about a Match between her and his Sonne <HI>Ciax|ares,</HI> it would be an excellent way to remove him, without giving him any occa&s;ion of com|plaint, and without any appearance of any clo&s;e de&s;ign in it. Moreover, it might probably be conjectured, that the putting one Crown upon his Sonnes head, would &s;atisfie his young Ambition, from a&s;piring unto the other, and &s;tifle all u&s;urping de&s;igns again&s;t his Father: To be &s;hort, he apprehended &s;o much advantage in this Match, as he bended all his endea|vours to bring it about. I will not trouble you Sir, with relating all the Pa&s;&s;ages in tran&s;|acting it, nor the rubbs he met withall in the negotiation; for I do &s;uppo&s;e you are not ig|norant of a Law in <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> which permits not their Kings to marry their Daughters un|to any &s;trange Princes, lea&s;t their Kingdom &s;hould become &s;ubject unto the dominion of a Forraigner; yet <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> acted his part &s;o well, and with &s;uch good &s;ucce&s;s, as the Marriage was concluded: for he found it out by chance, that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was born in <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> For the Queen his Mother going a Pilgrimage to vi&s;it a famous Temple which was in that Coun|try, fell &s;ick when &s;he was great with childe, and was delivered of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> within the con|fines and juri&s;diction of <HI>Cappadocia.</HI> At la&s;t, he married his Sonne <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> unto this young Queen, who&s;e Beauty and Virtue might be rated at a higher value then her Crown: As &s;oon as &s;he was married, the Queen her Mother died: the People re&s;ented her death as a puni&s;h|ment for not preci&s;ely ob&s;erving the fundamentall Law of the Land. Mean while, <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> is &s;ecure, finding his Sonne wondrous well pleas'd with his condition. Al&s;o that the Crown of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> and the Virtue of the Prince&s;s his Wife, did highly contribute unto his hap|pine&s;s, and that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;o e&s;teemed of it. After this Marriage, all Plea&s;ures and Delights do bid adieu to <HI>Ecbatane:</HI> The young Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> Daughter to <HI>Astiages,</HI> will needs depart from that Court, wherein &s;he was &s;o adored; for &s;ince the ab&s;ence of the Prince h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> brother, there was none could obtain any thing from the King her Father but by her inter|ce&s;&s;ion. Amid&s;t this calm &s;erenity and univer&s;all quietne&s;s, <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> had a mo&s;t odd and horrid Dream, which is talked on by every one. As he was in con&s;ultation again with his Prie&s;ts, concerning the accidents of his Life; they told him, how they found, that all their former Prediction was in a likelihood to fail; but that infallibly, the Prince&s;s his Daughter &s;hould have a Sonne, who would make him&s;elf Ma&s;ter of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and by con&s;equence &s;hould po&s;&s;e&s;s this Throne in lieu of his Sonne <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> and who, to conclude, &s;hould cau&s;e a generall Revolution. <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> contrary to his old cu&s;tom, had much ado, to be|leeve a Tale &s;o unlikely to prove true, and for a long time rejected the Prie&s;ts, thinking all their Predictions to be no better then lies, &s;ince they &s;o failed in their fir&s;t. But tho&s;e extra|vagant vi&s;ions, and operations of his phan&s;ie did perplex him &s;o many nights together, that he began to think again, that there might be &s;ome truth in their &s;peeches; yet this had not cau&s;ed him to fear the menaces of the&s;e &s;igns &s;o much (though Dreams were much con|&s;iderable among the <HI>Medes,</HI> e&s;pecially their Prie&s;ts, who beleeved them to be the ordinary wayes, by which the Gods did communicate them&s;elves: unto men) if other &s;igns al&s;o had not concurred, and augmented his fears, and &s;eemed to authori&s;e them. The Prince&s;s <HI>Man|dana,</HI> who knew nothing of all the&s;e Pa&s;&s;ages, being one night in her Clo&s;et, which was il|luminated by many Lamps of Cri&s;tall, it was told her, the King her Father intended a vi&s;it, for <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> was re&s;olved to entertain him&s;elf with her, in hopes to temper his di&s;turbed minde, by the moderation of this Prince&s;s &s;ociety; who, without doubt, was as virtuous as
<PB N="31" REF="18">
ever any: He no &s;ooner was &s;etled in the Room, but all the Lamps did immediatly of them|&s;elves extingui&s;h, only one which was ju&s;t over the head of <HI>Mandana,</HI> which &s;till retain'd its light, and doubled that which all the other had lo&s;t: <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> more troubled at this Prodi|gie, then at all his Dreams, con&s;ulted afre&s;h with his Magicians, who a&s;&s;ured him that this was an infallible &s;ign his Soveraignty &s;hould cea&s;e, and be all in &s;ubjection unto that one Son which <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould be mother of, according unto the dreams which before they had interpreted unto him: The next day after when the Prince&s;&s;e was at the Temple, the Earth quaked, and all the ornaments of the Church fell to the ground, except the Image of a young Childe, which &s;till &s;tood upright, holding a bow in his hand: The Magicians con|&s;trued this Childe to Embleme that which &s;hould be born of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and become the love of all Nations, but ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of the mo&s;t noble part of all the world. Since the&s;e ac|cidents and reiterated prodigies, the heart of <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> was all fear; The Prince&s;&s;e which be|fore was his only joy, is now the cau&s;e of all his &s;orrow; Yet truly he &s;uffered not alone, for &s;he was &s;harer with him, though in a far different manner; &s;o that when &s;he knew what Expo&s;itions the Magicians had made concerning <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and her &s;elf, this wi&s;e Prince&s;&s;e went to her Father, and mo&s;t humbly de&s;ired him not to trouble him&s;elf concerning her, for &s;he a&s;&s;ured him, that if he thought it fit &s;he would never marry; and by that means the me|naces which aim at him &s;hould all become void; or rather then her life &s;hould cau&s;e his di&s;|gur&s;t, &s;he would re&s;olve her death, and think it a happine&s;&s;e to be a victim which would ap|pea&s;e the angry gods, and re&s;tore him unto his &s;ouls tranquillity: &s;he told him that &s;he thought it but her duty to value his &s;atisfaction before her own life. When <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> heard his daughter thus expre&s;&s;e her &s;elf, in lieu of being moved at it, he did beleeve &s;he acted &s;ome peece of di&s;&s;imulation: and that it was &s;ome fears made her &s;peak &s;o confidently: Moreo|ver, he bethought him&s;elf of a Prince his Allie called <HI>Artamba&s;es,</HI> who was captivated by the beauty of the Prince&s;&s;e, and who entertain'd &s;ome far fetcht hopes of her favour. <HI>A&s;ti|ages</HI> thought this Prince (who indeed was of a nature ambitious) might become the father of that childe which he &s;o much feared, &s;o that without returning any an&s;wer to what the Prince&s;&s;e had &s;o &s;ubmi&s;&s;ively &s;aid, he &s;ternly commanded her not to &s;tir out of her Cham|ber, and prepare her &s;elf to be obedient unto what&s;oever he &s;hould command: The Prin|ce&s;&s;e after &s;he had promi&s;ed an ab&s;olute, though blinde obedience, retired. <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> remain|ed in the room and in a mo&s;t re&s;tle&s;&s;e minde: he could neither re&s;olve of his daughters death, nor put any confidence in her promi&s;e of never marrying: for (thought he) though her re|&s;olution perhaps for the pre&s;ent be &s;o, yet <HI>Artamba&s;es</HI> in conclu&s;ion will winne upon her, or perchance make head again&s;t me without her con&s;ent; &s;he is young and fair, and by con|&s;equence may be tempted beyond her green re&s;olutions, therefore it is dangerous to confide in her words; though I &s;hould in clo&s;e her, Love will break the &s;tronge&s;t wals, and deliver her either by power or policy: If I &s;hould let her be at liberty they would court her before my face again&s;t my will, &s;o that I know not what to do, or what to think upon: but at la&s;t &s;ince he had no minde to de&s;troy her, he thought it the be&s;t cour&s;e to marry her, yet to marry her &s;o as in all likelihood there might be no fear of what the Fares threatned. After he had a while thus wandred in his own di&s;compo&s;ed thoughts, he remembred him&s;elf of <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> who lately &s;ucceeded in the Kingdom of <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> by his Fathers <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">&punc; him <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> thought mo&s;t fit to be his guard from all his fears: For (&s;aid he) I am &s;ure the <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> are not ambitious: but they are ju&s;t, and contented with their own, without any thoughts of enlarging limits: they &s;ecurely re&s;t them&s;elves upon the downy Bed<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> peace, and will ne|ver di&s;turb that &s;oft repo&s;e in any hopes of uncertain conque&s;ts <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> I know <HI>Cam|bi&s;es</HI> in particular doth as much exceed other Princes in point of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> as the Per&s;i|ans in generall exceeds all other people of the world: He governs his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> by Laws, not will: So that he is a father as well as a King unto his Subjects: Moreover the Kingdom of <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> is not &s;o ab&s;olute but that it retains &s;ome &s;hadow of a Common wealth, where many will not &s;oon induced to undertake a war as one &s;ingle man may be: nor hath ambition &s;o predominate an influence upon a Senate, as it hath over the minde of an ab&s;olute Prince. In conclu&s;ion, Sir, (not to lengthen my Story with what is ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary) be plea&s;ed to know that the King of <HI>Medes</HI> re&s;olved upon this Marriage, and pre&s;ently propounded it unto <HI>Cambi&s;es,</HI> who re&s;enting it with much joy, &s;ent his Amba&s;&s;adors unto <HI>Ecbatane</HI> to court the Prince&s;&s;e. <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> who him&s;elf procured the match, you may be &s;ure would not refu&s;e it, but pre&s;ently con&s;ented, and &s;ent the Prince&s;&s;e his daughter into <HI>Per&s;ia.</HI> She, according to her accu&s;tomed vertue, is all obedience, and in a &s;hort time after, thought her &s;elf the happie&s;t Prince&s;&s;e in the world, when &s;he found her husband owner of &s;o many admirable
<PB N="32" REF="19">
qualities, and received from him &s;uch ample te&s;timonies of his affection towards her: To be &s;hort, <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> according to all appearances, &s;eemed to re&s;t in much &s;atisfaction and &s;ecu|rity; and <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his Son was likely to &s;ucceed him in peace: Al&s;o the Prince&s;s his daugh|ter was &s;etled in &s;o calm a Countrey, that according to all prudential appearances there was not any re&s;emblance of a war to ari&s;e: But this &s;erenity la&s;ted not long in the &s;oul of <HI>A&s;tia|ges: Mandana</HI> was no &s;ooner &s;etled, but he repents of the match, and endeavours to get her again into his power. That which &s;tir'd upon his jealou&s;ie, and begot new fears was, be|cau&s;e all the &s;acrifices which he offered unto the gods, did &s;eem to be all rejected: And the Magicians who &s;ince his dreams had much bu&s;ied them&s;elves in contemplation of the &s;tarres, and ob&s;ervation of other caele&s;tiall motions, did all unanimou&s;ly conclude, that the great Re|volution which threatned <HI>Medea</HI> was at hand; and that they did every day more and more fre&s;hly di&s;cover the malignancy of tho&s;e Con&s;tellations, which did portend a dire confu&s;ion to it; In&s;omuch as that there was more nece&s;&s;ity to prepare how to endure it, then waies how to prevent it. Things &s;tanding thus, <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> &s;ends to entreat <HI>Cambi&s;es,</HI> that he would be plea|&s;ed to permit the Queen his wife to come unto him. The Queen, although &s;he was well ac|quainted with the humorous di&s;po&s;ition of the King her Father, did de&s;ire her Husband that he would be plea&s;ed, &s;he might have leave to pay this &s;atisfaction unto him who gave her life, for &s;ince &s;he knew her Fathers re&s;tle&s;s &s;oul, &s;he was in &s;ome hopes to qualifie him: And though &s;he loved <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> infinitely, yet &s;he was contented, rather to leave him for a time, then cau&s;e a warre between him and her Father, which might chance to ari&s;e upon a refu&s;all, <HI>Cambi&s;es,</HI> although extreamly tender over the Queen his wife, was yet &s;o complacentiall as to &s;end her into <HI>Medea</HI> in an equipage befitting her quality: and to make her appear more Glorious in the <HI>Medean</HI> Court where &s;he was brought up, then before &s;he did; the King her Husband, conducted her to the frontiers, and there bad adieu with as much affectionate cere|mony as is imaginable: As for <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he feared the King her Father would keep her for the &s;atisfaction of his minde, and to free him&s;elf from all his jealou&s;ies and fears, &s;o likewi&s;e her &s;oul was &s;en&s;ible of much &s;orrow, when &s;he feared al&s;o that her Husband would not &s;o part with her: but for this time they parted, <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> to <HI>Per&s;ipolis,</HI> and melancholy <HI>Man|dana</HI> to <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> where at fir&s;t &s;he was received with abundance of Joy, &s;o that <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> was more at hearts ea&s;e then he could have imagined: Before &s;he was married, many di&s;&s;waded him from it, but now &s;ince &s;he was married and &s;o far from her Husband, he could not con|ceive any thing po&s;&s;ible to di&s;turb his quiet. He fore&s;aw that if he &s;hould retain her long, and &s;he de&s;irous to depart, perhaps a warre might thereupon ari&s;e 'twixt him and the <HI>Per|&s;ian,</HI> but he valued that le&s;&s;e, then to &s;ee <HI>Mandana</HI> in a condition to have a Sonne: &s;o then all was fill'd with welcomes, fea&s;ts and jocundary; in&s;omuch as the Prince&s;s began to be in &s;ome hopes &s;he &s;hould be deceived in her former fears. Yet amid all the&s;e plea&s;ant diver|&s;ions, her health began to impair, and vi&s;ible marks of indi&s;po&s;ition appeared in her com|plexion: &s;he beleeved the cau&s;e might proceed from her wearine&s;s in her journey, or from the change of (though her native) air; only it might be her re&s;entments of her Husbands ab&s;ence; but within a little after, &s;he certainly perceived &s;he was with childe; and this trou|bled her &s;o much as &s;he fell ab&s;olutely &s;ick: for &s;he concluded it que&s;tionle&s;s, that her Fa|ther would not &s;uffer her to return in that condition: and if &s;he &s;hould &s;o chance as to be delivered of a Sound in <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> the be&s;t of her expectations would be an exchange of his Cradle for a Pri&s;on, or &s;o ordered that &s;he &s;hould not have the di&s;po&s;e of her own Childe. Sometimes &s;he imagined her Husband angry with her for concealing from him her Fathers humour, and &s;o <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> troubled thoughts did di&s;turb her as &s;he &s;tood in need of all her Con|&s;tancy to concealed Melancholy: Mean while, &s;he re&s;olves to conceal her Condition as long as &s;he can: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> keeps her Chamber continually, and for the mo&s;t part, her bed. A while after &s;he complains of the Air in <HI>Ecbatan:</HI> and intends a reque&s;t unto the King her Father, that &s;he may return into <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> or el&s;e that he would be pleas'd to permit her, to go unto a fair hou&s;e in the <HI>Country,</HI> about &s;ome five miles from <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> conceiving that place was mo&s;t fit to conceal her condition in: But as ill-luck would have it, one of the Phy&s;icians which came to vi&s;it her, di&s;covered the truth, in &s;pite of all her care to conceal it: for &s;he often complained of &s;o many untrue di&s;tempers, thinking thereby to delude them, and divert them from knowing the true cau&s;e, as made them more inqui&s;itive. The Phy&s;ician, hoping to be a welcome intelligencer, told <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> &s;he was with Childe: &s;o that when the Queen pre&s;ented her de&s;ires unto her Father, &s;he was han&s;omely denied and told, this was much better Air, &s;o that if &s;he were in <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> &s;o ill as &s;he is, he would wi&s;h her in <HI>Medea</HI> for re|covery of her health; this being both her native, and incomparably better Air then that
<PB N="33" REF="19">
of <HI>Per&s;ipolis,</HI> therefore he would by no means have her think of return: That he would mo&s;t willingly con&s;ent unto her de&s;ires of going into the Country, if he could be per&s;waded it were better, for <HI>Ecbatan</HI> had more plea&s;ant Gardens by much, and the Court was fitter for diver|&s;ion of her melancholy, then any Country &s;olitude could be: therefore he de&s;ired her to re|main where &s;he was. Pre&s;ently after, all her women about her are removed, and others put in their rooms: The time of her delivery drew neer, and <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> is fuller, if fuller po&s;&s;ible can be, of new fears: In few words Sir, <HI>Mandana</HI> is delivered of a Sonne; and timorous <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> cau&s;eth his confident <HI>Harpagus</HI> to take it, with expre&s;s charge to carry it clo&s;ely in|to &s;ome remote Mountain, and there leave it among&s;t Tygers in the wilderne&s;s: This Prince was &s;o inhumane, as he would have pre&s;ently killed him, but the Gods re&s;trained him from a fact &s;o foul: <HI>Harpagus</HI> being &s;omewhat le&s;s cruel then he, would not at that time do it, but faithfully promi&s;ed it &s;hould be done: and not daring to be &s;een in the de&s;truction of this Infant, he committed it unto the execution of a Shepherd called <HI>Methridates,</HI> who dwelt at the bottom of a great Mountain in the wilderne&s;s, whom he &s;ent for, and commanded him to do with this Childe, as he had received charge. And be pleas'd to know Sir, that this Shepherd carried this Childe away, which was the faire&s;t that ever eye beheld: During the time that this Shepherd was at the Town with <HI>Harpagus,</HI> his Wife chanced to be delivered of a dead Childe: the Shepherd brings this live one to her, which pre&s;ently began to Laugh upon her, &s;he took in her arms, and for&s;aking the Corps of her own dead Childe, took the care of this fair Little one, and would never let her Husband re&s;t untill he con&s;en|ted: As for the dead Childe, he threw it out among&s;t the wilde bea&s;ts, to be there torn in pieces. This poor Nur&s;e who&s;e Name was <HI>Spaco,</HI> thought no more of the dead one, but re|&s;olved to become Nur&s;e unto the other who &s;he knew to be of &s;ome high quality, by the Mantle in which the Childe was lapt, it being made of cloth of gold. You may &s;ee Sir, It had been an ea&s;ie matter for <HI>Methridates</HI> (living at the foot of a de&s;art mountain far off, but towards the north of <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> and the Euxean bridge) to have put this Childe to death, and never fear di&s;covery in a place &s;o rude and de&s;art: And you know Sir, as well as I, that all the parts of <HI>Medea</HI> towards <HI>A&s;pires,</HI> are mountainous wilde forre&s;ts covered with woods, and fill'd with &s;alvage bea&s;ts. Be plea&s;ed Sir to know further, that this <HI>Methridates,</HI> put|ting his own dead Childe into the Cradle which was very rich, and which brought <HI>Manda|naes,</HI> &s;hewed it unto tho&s;e which <HI>Harpagus</HI> &s;ent thither to &s;ee it: The&s;e men taking it, car|ried it unto their Ma&s;ter <HI>Harpagus,</HI> who having acquainted <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> with it, received orders to entomb it among&s;t the Kings of <HI>Medea.</HI> Thus you &s;ee Sir, the Sonne of a Shepherd in a Royal Sepulcher, and the Sonne of a great King in a Shepherds poor Cottage: Know al&s;o, how <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> cau&s;ed it to be divulged about the Court, that <HI>Mandanaes</HI> Sonne died of &s;ome di&s;ea&s;e, and told the &s;ame unto the Prince&s;s: he &s;ent al&s;o unto <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> to condole the lo&s;s: But poor <HI>Mandana</HI> all this while, although &s;he did more then &s;u&s;pect the truth, yet &s;he with much ado continued in her Con&s;tancy, and took no notice: And though the deep melancholy which dwelt in her eyes, did witne&s;s as much, yet &s;ince it could not be helped, &s;he would not di&s;cover the cau&s;e, nor infu&s;e any jealou&s;ies of it into her Husbands thoughts. The better to colour her grief, &s;he de&s;ired the &s;econd time leave to go into the Country, which now without any repugnance is con&s;ented unto: And <HI>Astiages</HI> &s;ent afterwards unto her, to let her know, that if &s;he plea&s;ed, &s;he might return into <HI>Per&s;ia;</HI> for he had this conceit, that it was the fir&s;t Sonne of <HI>Mandana,</HI> only whom he had to fear, which being &s;ecured, he was then glad to be rid of the Mother, whom if &s;he &s;hould detain any longer, would by her extremity of &s;orrow draw a thou&s;and reproaches upon him&s;elf. As &s;oon as this Liberty is obtained, &s;he pre&s;ently returns to <HI>Cambi&s;es,</HI> unto whom &s;he opened not a &s;yllable of her troubled &s;oul, but attributed the alteration of her Complexion unto her ab&s;ence from him, and her &s;orrowes for the death of her Sonne. I am forced Sir, to be a little longer then is fitting in the relation of my Ma&s;ters &s;trange Infancy, who though all this while in a poor Shepherds homely Cottage, was notwith&s;tanding Apprehen&s;ive of tho&s;e Glories which belong unto a Kingdom: Be plea&s;ed Sir, to know in few words, that this young Prince, though then unknown unto him&s;elf or any el&s;e to be one, did then act the part of a King, and cau&s;ed him&s;elf to be called &s;o among&s;t all the neighbours Children, which played with him when he was but ten years of age: He made him&s;elf feared, loved and obeyed among&s;t them, as if he had been really their ab&s;olute Prince; One day, having puni&s;hed one of the boyes whom he called &s;ubjects, for &s;ome offence committed, the Father of that Childe &s;o puni&s;hed, chanced to be an Officer in the Kings hou&s;e; who coming to the knowledge of this pa&s;&s;age, and wondring that this young poor Shepherds Sonne &s;hould act the part of
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a King &s;o well, told <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> of it, and infinitely extolled the beauty and boldne&s;s of this Childe: The King caus'd him to be &s;ent for, and asked the Childe why he puni&s;hed the other boy: the Childe did return &s;o quick an an&s;wer, as &s;truck the King into a wonder, &s;ee|ing him &s;peak unto a King with as much confidence, as if he had been among the boyes: Moreover, <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> was infinitely a&s;toni&s;hed, to &s;ee this Sonne of a poor Shepherd, &s;o much re&s;emble his Daughter <HI>Mandana,</HI> as never two were more like: Indeed, he had &s;ome &s;ecret &s;u&s;picions in his &s;oul, which told him, it was the &s;ame that he &s;u&s;pected him to be. In conclu&s;ion Sir, <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> could not be &s;atisfied, untill he &s;ent for the Shepherd him&s;elf out of his Cottage, and asking him in a terrible tone, and with &s;tern looks, where he got this Childe; the poor &s;imple <HI>Methridates,</HI> thinking the King had known the pa&s;&s;age, and being terrified with the Kings looks and que&s;tion, confe&s;&s;ed the whole &s;tory. The King, in &s;pite of all his fears, could not chu&s;e but like and love this admirable Childe; and after he had a&s;&s;em|bled all the Magicians, they told him (whether it was the truth of their thoughts, or whether it was their pity which moved them to di&s;&s;emble, I know not) that the Royalty which this Childe had exerci&s;ed over the boyes, was an infallible &s;ign that the Gods had heard their prayers, and that all the Dominion which this young Prince &s;hould have over the <HI>Medes,</HI> was limited and confined unto that which he hath exerci&s;ed over the boyes, &s;o that there need no more fears of him: They further told him, that the Gods do &s;ometimes threaten great Princes by the&s;e Prodigies, only lea&s;t they &s;hould forget that duty which they owe unto them: and in conclu&s;ion they told him, that if he would be plea&s;ed to follow their advice, he &s;hould &s;end this young Prince unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> his Father. <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> who con|ceived many affectionate thoughts of this Childe, was glad of the advice, and being him&s;elf of a weak &s;oul, relied much upon the judgement of the&s;e Magicians, and was fully per&s;wa|ded, that this imaginary Royalty, was the fulfilling of his Dream; and truly Sir, as the ca&s;e &s;tands now with <HI>Artamenes,</HI> it is apparent that <HI>Astiages</HI> has no rea&s;on to fear <HI>Cyrus:</HI> yet though he permitted this young Prince to live, whom he named <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he would not pardon <HI>Harpagus,</HI> for he bani&s;hed him the Court and Kingdom: This man, who would neither be ab&s;olutely pittifull, nor ab&s;olutely cruell, is left without &s;upport or refuge, and compl'd to the rigor of a long exile. Neverthele&s;s (as I know you are not ignorant) <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> &s;ent <HI>Cy|rus</HI> unto <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> his Father, writing this excu&s;e unto him, That to prevent certain malig|nant Con&s;tellations which threatned this Childe, he out of his affection was forced to hide him, and cau&s;e his &s;orrowes in divulging him dead; but this &s;orrow will quickly change it &s;elf into a double recompence of joy, when he &s;hall &s;ee him living, &s;o well, and &s;o amiable. <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> received him with unexpre&s;&s;ible joy; and the wi&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> gave as many thanks unto her Father <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> as ever &s;he received cau&s;es of di&s;plea&s;ure from him; though &s;he had learned the truth of the &s;tory by the information of <HI>Harpagus,</HI> who was fled thither and told her all, in hopes thereby to procure him&s;elf Protection. And though &s;he could not be convinc't, that <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> was &s;o innocent as he made him&s;elf, yet by the knowledge of what was pa&s;t, &s;he was in&s;tructed how to prevent the like for the future: Mean while, the young <HI>Cyrus</HI> is in <HI>Per&s;ipolis:</HI> for joy of who&s;e welcome, both publike and private <HI>Sacrifices</HI> are made throughout all <HI>Per&s;ia;</HI> and for who&s;e Education, all men of high parts throughout the whole Kingdom are imployed: When <HI>Ciaxares</HI> heard of the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, he &s;ent unto <HI>Cam|bi&s;es</HI> and the Queen his Si&s;ter, to congratulate their good Fortunes in finding their Sonne; and he writ in a high Complement unto the Queen, how he wi&s;ht his Daughter <HI>Man|dana</HI> might hereafter become worthy to be the Mi&s;tris of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who&s;e fame fil'd all the world: This young Prince&s;s was born unto the King of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> about three years after the birth of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and had the Name of her Aunt <HI>Mandana</HI> given unto her? Now Sir, to tell you how young <HI>Cyrus</HI> was educated would but abu&s;e your Patience, for his high atchievements &s;ince, does &s;ufficiently demon&s;trate it unto all the world: I &s;hall only tell you, that both the King and Queens endeavours were with all po&s;&s;ible care to infu&s;e &s;uch good di&s;po&s;itions as now appears to be in him: For all men finde, in all his actions and all his words, &s;omething &s;o &s;weet, &s;o high, &s;o complacentiall, and &s;o full of goodne&s;&s;e, as it is an ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibility to know him and not to love him. He was marvellous well propor|tioned, exceeding fair, and as this charming Symmetry did from his very infancy appear in all parts of his body, yet his &s;oul and &s;pirit was infinitely above it. Perhaps you know, that in <HI>Per&s;ipolis</HI> there is a plea&s;ant, &s;pacious place, called the place of Liberty, in one Quarter thereof &s;tands the Kings Palace: None inhabit within this &s;quare but Grandees, and wi&s;e&s;t &s;ort of Per&s;ians: for wi&s;edom in that Nation is no le&s;&s;e valued then Nobility by de&s;cent, which al&s;o is in very high e&s;teem: It was within this famous Quadrangle, wherein none but
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per&s;ons of great wi&s;edom and Nobility did live, that the young <HI>Cyrus</HI> was educated. A|mong&s;t us, all private men do breed their children with as much care as if they were to be all Kings, and are per&s;waded that to be men, and to be virtuous are terms in&s;eparable: <HI>Cyrus</HI> coming out of a poor uncouth &s;hepheards Cottage, unto this mo&s;t famous and learned Aca|demy: it was a wonder that nature &s;hould furni&s;h him with as much prudence and wi&s;edom, as if he had been brought up here from his Cradle. He had for his Tutors in vertue, the wi|&s;e&s;t which could be cull'd out of the Old Doctors: Active young men for the exerci&s;e of his body, and a younger &s;ort for his recreation, which were well educated in all virtuous qua|lities: Great care was had to prevent all &s;orts of vicious per&s;ons from coming about him, le&s;t they &s;hould chance to corrupt his own naturall &s;weet inclinations, for they knew well, that if the &s;oul of a Prince who mu&s;t rule over a People be once poy&s;oned, the people al&s;o will be infected, though here he &s;aw none but examples of goodne&s;&s;e and vertue. Modera|tion, Liberality, Ju&s;tice, Valour, and all the vertues were &s;o eminent in him, and got him &s;o much applau&s;e among the Per&s;ians, that they extol'd him as a Childe &s;ent from Heaven ra|ther to in&s;truct, then be in&s;tructed by them: But I fear Sir, that I have already tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed my limits, and by con&s;equence abu&s;ed your Patience, e&s;pecially tho&s;e Per&s;ians which hear me, becau&s;e perhaps they know the&s;e things better then I my &s;elf. My Ma&s;ter lived in this Quality until his &s;ixteenth year of Age, And then Fortune began to offer him opportuni|ties of di&s;covering the greatne&s;&s;e and genero&s;ity of his &s;oul, both in his words and Acts; And to put in practice that greatne&s;&s;e of &s;pirit which his youth did promi&s;e: you remember Sir, how <HI>Harpagus</HI> was bani&s;hed by the King of <HI>Medes</HI> for not exactly obeying his com|mands in putting to death this young <HI>Cyrus;</HI> This exile had formerly been of great power in <HI>Medea,</HI> being &s;o in &s;uch favour with the King as he made him Governour in one of his greate&s;t Provinces: This man did endeavour to reconcile him&s;elf unto <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> but all in vain: he was in this di&s;content forced to travel from Court to Court to finde out protecti|on and relief from tho&s;e Princes which were enemies unto the King of <HI>Medes;</HI> and being &s;ome certain daies di&s;gui&s;ed in <HI>Per&s;ipolis,</HI> found out an opportunity to di&s;cover him&s;elf: His habit was Per&s;ian, he mingled him&s;elf among the multitude which waited upon the Prince to hunt, and having the language of the Countrey pa&s;&s;able enough, he was not known to be a &s;tranger. <HI>Cyrus</HI> was lively and active at the &s;ports, and none are le&s;&s;e tyred, or more bold and forward at the&s;e &s;ports then he, either in following the Cha&s;e, or a&s;&s;aulting the wilde Bea&s;t at a Bay: He drew a bow, threw a dart, and u&s;ed a &s;word admirable well: he was al|waies victor in the publique games, and bore away the prize; but to return to <HI>Harpagus:</HI> he did follow <HI>Cyrus</HI> very clo&s;e at this great hunting whereof I &s;poke; and waited upon him &s;o near, when the Prince followed a wilde bore &s;o eagerly and fa&s;t through the thick of the Forre&s;t, le&s;t he &s;hould lo&s;e &s;ight of the bore, as none of all the <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> was able to fol|low, only <HI>Harpagus: Cyrus</HI> overtook this wilde Bea&s;t, bent his bow, and &s;hot an arrow through his heart: After this Victory, whereof <HI>Harpagus</HI> only was a witne&s;&s;e, he &s;at down, and re&s;ted him&s;elf until &s;ome of his own &s;ervants came in upon a bank clo&s;e by a little brook, which ran acro&s;s the Forre&s;t in that place: In all the&s;e cha&s;es it is the cu&s;tome of the Coun|trey for Hunters to carry a Bow, a Quiver, a Sword, and two Javelins: This gallant young Hunter wore them all, and his Buckler al&s;o, for them al&s;o they u&s;e in hunting as well as wars; Ys he was thus &s;itting, <HI>Harpagus</HI> drew near him: <HI>Cyrus</HI> who had not yet &s;een him, took him for a <HI>Per&s;ian,</HI> began to &s;hew him the Prize, and cried out, I have killed him, I have killed him: but <HI>Harpagus,</HI> kneeling upon the ground, told him, that he knew how he might obtain a more glorious victory then this: The Prince, thinking the man had di&s;covered &s;ome greater Bore then this which he had killed, ro&s;e up, and asked him heartily whether he &s;hould go to get this victory? Into the head of an Army of thirty thou&s;and men (an&s;wer|ed <HI>Harpagus)</HI> which I come to offer unto you; &s;o that if you plea&s;e to accept of it, you may make your &s;elf Lord of a Kingdom: <HI>Cyrus</HI> a&s;toni&s;hed at his words lookt upon him more earne&s;tly then before, and &s;uppo&s;ing he had &s;een him formerly, Who are you (&s;aid he) that make this gallant offer? I cannot yet think my &s;elf worthy of it, &s;ince my valour was never tried again&s;t any but Bear, Bores, Lions and Tigers? I am Sir (&s;aid he) one that is &s;ent by the gods to tender you a brave opportunity of getting immortall glory. If all be true you &s;ay (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> &s;hew me the way I mu&s;t take, and let it be as difficult as it can be, I will follow it with all alacrity. I have already told you Sir (&s;aid <HI>Harpagus)</HI> you mu&s;t re|pair unto the head of an Army of Thirty thou&s;and men, which wait for your commands, and to conquer when you bid them. It becomes not him to command (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> who hath not yet learnt how to obey, it is far fitter I &s;hould be their Companion then their Generall.
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But I pray you (Noble Stranger, whom I think I have &s;een before though not remember you) tell me where this Army is, and who they are, al&s;o who is the Enemy, and what the Kingdom you would have me conquer. Sir (an&s;wered <HI>Harpagus)</HI> I am not at all unrea&s;on|able in my de&s;ires, when I wi&s;h your a&s;&s;i&s;tance again&s;t a King who hath ba&s;ely broken the Laws of humanity again&s;t a Prince who is both the Love and Wonder of all which know him; A King I &s;ay who hath acted again&s;t Nature, Rea&s;on, and Ju&s;tice; who by an ill governed am|bitious jealou&s;ie would again&s;t all humanity or con&s;cience take away the life of &s;uch a Prince, in who&s;e behalf I now &s;alute you; It is in the Behalf of a hopefull, young, innocent Prince, and again&s;t &s;uch an unnaturall unworthy King I de&s;ire to animate you: It neerly concerns your own honour to conde&s;cend unto my de&s;ires: Your de&s;ire (an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus)</HI> is too full of ju&s;tice to be denied: And not to keep me any longer from this Army which you de|&s;ire I &s;hould repair unto; Inform me who is this barbarous King, and who is the injured Prince: for I do much wonder &s;ince I have been &s;o carefully informed of all the prime pa&s;|&s;ages of the world, I &s;hould not gue&s;&s;e at them both: Sir (then an&s;wered <HI>Harpagus)</HI> you are the Prince which owes revenge. Yes, (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus.)</HI> And by whom Noble Stranger can I be injured? I who have hardly yet begun to live, I who ever &s;ince I fir&s;t breathed have been rockt in a Cradle of &s;lumbering Peace, who never had enemies in all my life, and who never yet was enemy unto any, but &s;uch wilde bea&s;ts as the&s;e which infe&s;t the Forre&s;ts? Sir (replied <HI>Harpagus,</HI> who perceived &s;everall Hunters to come from &s;everal Quarters of the Wood:) If you plea&s;e to go a little further into the wood, and lend me your audience, you &s;hall under&s;tand that you have enemies, and more terrible ones then you imagine; &s;uch, as if you do not make open war upon them will make a &s;ecret one upon you, and that in &s;uch a manner as may perhaps become mo&s;t fatal to you. <HI>Cyrus,</HI> according to his de&s;ire, &s;tept &s;ome twenty or thirty paces into the Wood, and beckned with his hand unto tho&s;e which followed, that they &s;hould not approach; Then looking mo&s;t attentively upon <HI>Harpagus,</HI> Is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid he to him) that what you tell me can be true? and that you &s;hould know my life better then I do my &s;elf? And &s;ince you have told me who the Prince is, pray tell, who is his enemy? Sir (an&s;wered <HI>Harpagus)</HI> the King of <HI>Medes</HI> is he, who endeavoured to kill you, and who will yet kill you, if you kill not him fir&s;t. How (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> more amazed then before) is <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> my enemy? and is there a nece&s;&s;ity I mu&s;t be his? no, no, (&s;aid he) it mu&s;t not be; but if he have any enemies, I pray tell me them, that in his behalf I may fight, and overcome them, if I can. But to undertake a warre again&s;t him is a thing I nei|ther can, nor will, nor ought to do. <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> is Father of that Queen who&s;e Son I have the houour to be, and I mu&s;t look upon him as one who gave life unto her who gave me mine: neither can I forget how he treated me, with many te&s;timonies of his affection to me: It was he who had a tender care of my life at my birth, and cau&s;ed tho&s;e reports of my death to no other end, but to make me live: It was he who brought me out of the poor Shep|herds homely hou&s;e unto a Princes Throne; It is he who hath de&s;erved my Love, my humble reque&s;ts, and good opinion. <HI>Cyrus</HI> having ended his reply, <HI>Harpagus</HI> de&s;ired leave to &s;peak, and related unto him the whole pa&s;&s;ages, of which the Prince had hitherto been ignorant, for the Queen his Mother &s;poke not a word of it unto him ever &s;ince his re|turn: <HI>Harpagus</HI> began then to aggravate the cruelty of <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> and to a&s;&s;ert the truth of his information, by this infallible proof, that he him&s;elf was the man, who received that bloody command to kill him, from the mouth of <HI>A&s;tiages:</HI> yet he dur&s;t not tell unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> how he left him with <HI>Methridates</HI> to do it for him; but he rather related, as if he was the means whereby he was pre&s;erved: at la&s;t he told him, how he had received Intelligence from the Province of <HI>Paretacenes,</HI> that if he would plea&s;e to command all tho&s;e forces which they would bring into the field, and Per&s;onally appear among&s;t them, all <HI>Medea</HI> might ea&s;ily be conquered: <HI>Cyrus</HI> hearkened very attentively unto this di&s;cour&s;e, and paus'd a good while before he an&s;wered: at la&s;t, he &s;aid to <HI>Harpagus</HI> with a countenance more dejected then be|fore; I know not <HI>Harpagus</HI> whether I &s;hould be angry with you, or whether I &s;hould thank you, but I am &s;ure you have made me very &s;ad, in telling me that I &s;hould be the innocent &s;ubject of that Princes inju&s;tice, in who&s;e Honour I have &s;uch an intere&s;t: But Sir (an&s;wered <HI>Harpagus)</HI> your own Honour ought to be con&s;idered in the fir&s;t place: Therefore it is (re|plied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that revenge is not permitted me: Cruell friend, &s;aid he to him; what Propo|&s;itions do you come to make me? you offer me an Army, which I have a de&s;ire (but dare not) to accept of? you tell me of an Enemy whom I mu&s;t not fight with; and you pro|pound &s;o many ju&s;t and &s;o many unju&s;t things all together, that it is impo&s;&s;ible but my thoughts mu&s;t waver at them: Yet know <HI>Harpagus,</HI> though I have ardent de&s;ires of Glory,
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to become Famous, and to Conquer Crowns, at lea&s;t de&s;erve them, yet I cannot now accept of your offer; And though I am arrived at that age which ought to give &s;ome tokens of va|lour, yet it is requi&s;ite as well that I give &s;ome te&s;timonies of my Temperance; Hah <HI>Har|pagus,</HI> what would you have me do? why did you not tell me of &s;ome lawfull Enemy? Sir (an&s;wered <HI>Harpagus</HI> very coldly,) I had thought that the King of <HI>Medes</HI> injuries had been convincing rea&s;ons for you to di&s;pen&s;e with tho&s;e obligations of Con&s;anguinity, which otherwi&s;e would have required re&s;pect from you: but &s;ince I am (it &s;eems) deceived, it be|comes me Sir to be &s;ilent, and to be no more &s;en&s;ible of tho&s;e affronts which are put upon you, then your &s;elf are: and &s;ince you are plea&s;ed to te&s;tifie your temperance &s;o far, as to forget your own injuries, I &s;hall perhaps (whil&s;t I pa&s;&s;e the re&s;t of my dayes in exile for &s;a|ving you) be &s;orry that <HI>Cyrus,</HI> Sonne to the wi&s;e <HI>Cambi&s;es,</HI> and virtuous <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;hould &s;ink under the wrongs of the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> who without all que&s;tion will attempt upon his illu&s;trious life either by Poniard or Poi&s;on: upon <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I &s;ay, from whom &s;uch high acts are expected, and who may now if he had but a minde, take a full revenge, prevent the &s;torm, pre&s;erve the <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> ancient Laws and Liberties, become Lord of a large Kingdom, and perhaps of all <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> him whom the Gods by &s;o many Prodigies do invite unto Sove|raign Dominion, and act as I propound unto him; and who tell him that if he undertake this warre, if he ran&s;ack all <HI>Medea,</HI> conquer all the Land, and mount into the Throne of <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> he then does no more, but what is ju&s;t, and the plea&s;ure of the Gods for him to do. If it were their plea&s;ure to have it &s;o (an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;harply) they can tell how to bring it to pa&s;&s;e without my entermedling: However, I do not conceive it Ju&s;t, and I am re&s;olved never to wear a Crown upon unju&s;t termes. Kingdoms are not got without Combat (an|&s;wered <HI>Harpagus,)</HI> and Glory is a Cruel Mi&s;tris, which will never be enjoyed by any but &s;uch as Court her in a field full of dangers. I &s;hall expo&s;e my &s;elf unto dangers enough (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> in not de&s;troying him who&s;e de&s;ign is to de&s;troy me: But let me entreat your Pa|tience <HI>Harpagus,</HI> untill we can do it more Nobly, and if I be not much deceived, I &s;hall ac|quit my &s;elf with more Honour in this innocent warre within the&s;e woods, then in that: Mean time, to make it manife&s;t, that I am indulgent towards <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> &s;o I will be ju&s;t to you, know, that if you &s;hall inform me of any other, who &s;hall be culpable of the like injuries, he &s;hall not e&s;cape my revenge: For your part, <HI>Harpagus,</HI> &s;ince you would not con&s;ent unto my death, nor put the cruel commands of <HI>Astiages</HI> into act; I will pre&s;ent you unto the King my Father, and the Queen my Mother; this Court &s;hall be your Sanctuary, Provided that you do not hereafter propound any thing which may divert my duty to <HI>A&s;tiages:</HI> I &s;hall think it was the heat of your zeal to &s;erve me, prompted you unto the&s;e unju&s;t Propo&s;itions: and I &s;hall con&s;ider that as it is my duty to re&s;pect my enemy, &s;o I &s;hall think my &s;elf obliged to gra|tifie him who pre&s;erved me from his injuries. But <HI>Harpagus</HI> &s;aid he with a more plea&s;ant a|&s;pect, it is not now a convenient time to talk more with you, and I am very &s;orry to break off any di&s;cour&s;e of Wars, Combats, Victories and Triumphs. After the&s;e words, this miraculous Childe turned towards the company; and <HI>Harpagus</HI> being ravi&s;hed with the wi&s;dome of &s;o young a Childe, accepted of his offer, only de&s;ired him that he would be plea&s;ed to acquaint the Queen his Mother, and know her plea&s;ure, before he appeared in Court; which <HI>Cyrus</HI> did al&s;o promi&s;e him: thus <HI>Harpagus</HI> parted from him, and mingled with the multitude; and <HI>Cyrus</HI> al&s;o went away with intentions to follow the &s;ports no longer. I then had the Ho|nour to be neer him, and was appointed by the King and Queen, to have the particular care of him: And <HI>Feraulas</HI> whom you &s;ee here, being but too years elder then <HI>Cyrus,</HI> waited up|on him as a Playfellow, being very fit for &s;uch a purpo&s;e, and of a clo&s;e re&s;erved inclination. <HI>Feraulas</HI> was the fir&s;t, who ob&s;erved how the minde of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was troubled, and coming unto me, who at that time did not minde him; Sir (&s;aid he to me) methinks the Prince is very re|&s;erved, and melancholy upon a &s;udden, from whence &s;hould this change ari&s;e? I know not (&s;aid I) nor did I perceive he has had any mi&s;chance all this day: Perhaps (&s;aid he to me) the man whom I &s;aw talking a long time with him in private, hath told him &s;omething which hath angred him. As we were thus di&s;cour&s;ing, <HI>Cyrus</HI> came neer us, and &s;aid, <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> I would &s;peak with you; all the company then kept their di&s;tances, and the Prince began to tell me, in a low voice, all which <HI>Harpagus</HI> told unto him, with his an&s;wer unto it: he told it me with &s;uch gravity, wi&s;dome, genero&s;ity and &s;pirit, as really I was amazed, and lookt upon him as a miracle: When he did expre&s;s that Joy which he apprehended when <HI>Harpagus</HI> of|fered him an Army of thirty thou&s;and men: Oh Heavens, with what unwillingne&s;s did he re|fu&s;e it: and when he would &s;hew his &s;orrows, that it was not permitted him to accept the of|fer, he expre&s;&s;ed it to the life: I cannot beleeve any man of greate&s;t wi&s;dome and highe&s;t
<PB N="38" REF="22">
parts that ever this age produced, could with more prudence, wi&s;dome and noblene&s;s, deter|termine upon a matter &s;o nice and curious, as he did upon a &s;udden. He repented him though of his promi&s;e to protect <HI>Harpagus,</HI> and of pre&s;enting him unto the Queen his Mother; for, thought he, if &s;he &s;hould know of her Father <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> his cruelty, it would but become her torment, and it would be an infinite grief unto him, to be a cau&s;e of hers. In conclu&s;ion, he &s;aid unto me, Pray <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> tell me, whether I have done well or no, and give me your coun&s;el what I &s;hould do in the bu&s;ine&s;s; for (&s;aid he) although I dare tru&s;t unto my own Courage, yet I dare not conclude too much in my own Prudence and di&s;cretion, &s;ince I have not yet attained unto &s;uch years of experience as I dare tru&s;t my &s;elf: When he had ended, I gave him his de&s;erved commendations, and told him, I thought all he &s;aid was very well: but as for acquainting the Queen with what <HI>Harpagus</HI> told him, I did not conceive why he &s;hould not: Take it upon your &s;elf then <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (an&s;wered he,) as for my part, I con|fe&s;s it goes again&s;t the hair of my di&s;po&s;ition to tell &s;o bad a &s;tory: I promi&s;ed him that I would; When we came to <HI>Per&s;ipolis, Cyrus</HI> went unto the Kings Lodgings, and gave me op|portunity to go unto the Queens: I acquainted her with the Adventure, and it moved her unto much Joy and much &s;orrow, for &s;he de&s;ired to keep the Prince ignorant of <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> her fathers cruelty: al&s;o &s;he did much rejoice that her Sonne was &s;o rarely qualified, and had returned &s;o wi&s;e an an&s;wer. Upon the whole matter &s;he charged <HI>Cyrus</HI> to &s;peak nothing of it unto the King his Father, &s;ince it was irrepairably pa&s;t, and would but mo&s;t unprofitably vex him. As for <HI>Harpagus,</HI> &s;he thought it but ju&s;t to protect him; and that it was nece&s;&s;ary to detain him &s;till in <HI>Per&s;ea,</HI> in order to the Reconciling him unto <HI>Astiages:</HI> for &s;aid this vir|tuous Prince&s;s, although the King my Father was too too blame, yet I am his Daughter, which is argument enough, for me to pre&s;erve him to the utmo&s;t of my power; therefore <HI>Harpagus</HI> mu&s;t not upon any terms depart a malecontent; &s;ince he has thirty thou&s;and men at his devotion, which may kindle &s;uch a war in <HI>Medea</HI> as may prove its ruin: It were bet|ter Policie to let this my own Country be his Sanctuary, then another Princes, who by his power and Intelligence, may become prejudiciall unto me and my Father al&s;o. Alas, alas (&s;aid he) what cro&s;&s;e Fate is this? <HI>Harpagus,</HI> as he is Rebel to my Father, &s;hould be my fo; but as he pre&s;erved my Sonne, mu&s;t be my friend, and de&s;erves protection. The King of <HI>Medes,</HI> as he is my Father, I owe him all obedience and love; but as he is my Sons enemy and would de&s;troy him (if I may &s;ay it,) I do hate him. What think you <HI>Chri&s;antes?</HI> how can I reconcile the&s;e things? In conclu&s;ion, after &s;he had well weighed all circum&s;tan|ces, &s;he re&s;olved to move the King her Husband for <HI>Harpagus</HI> his Protection, as one who had been an ancient &s;ervant unto her Father the King of <HI>Medes;</HI> and whom he bani&s;hed for &s;ome cau&s;e which afterwards &s;he would devi&s;e: and to &s;tay him in <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> as long as they could, lea&s;t he &s;hould cau&s;e a war in <HI>Medea:</HI> But withall to contrive it &s;o, as that he &s;hould dwell in the Country, and not appear in Court, lea&s;t the entertaining of him &s;hould become offen&s;ive unto <HI>Astiages.</HI> She gave me an e&s;pecial charge, to prevent his coming near young <HI>Cyrus,</HI> lea&s;t he &s;hould corrupt his thoughts: All things are tran&s;acted according to the&s;e Re&s;olutions: The Queen is extreamly fond of her Sonne, and commends him for his di&s;cre|tion in his carriage of the bu&s;ine&s;s; <HI>Harpagus</HI> is civilly treated, and pre&s;ented unto the King her husband; afterwards &s;ent unto one of the Kings faire&s;t hou&s;es, with orders taken for his &s;ub&s;i&s;tency, and kept continually in hopes. All this while, <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> is not rightly compo&s;ed in his minde; but &s;till fears lea&s;t the menaces of the gods &s;hould be &s;econded with &s;ome di&s;|a&s;terous effects: He had Spies con&s;tantly at <HI>Per&s;ipolis,</HI> who gave him intelligence of <HI>Harpa|gus</HI> his arrival and reception; and how he had Conference with the Prince in the Forre&s;t; for afterwards, &s;everal <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> knew <HI>Harpagus,</HI> and divulged it: He al&s;o had adverti&s;ement how the Province of <HI>Paretacenes,</HI> whereof <HI>Harpagus</HI> had been Governour, &s;tood affected, and that he had opportunity to make head, if he had a di&s;po&s;ition to it: He had al&s;o &s;everal Informations, of &s;ecret A&s;&s;emblies and Con&s;ultations, the Cau&s;es whereof he was ignorant: All this, coming at one time to him, from divers places, added to his own timerous di&s;po&s;i|tion, did cau&s;e him to rea&s;&s;ume his former fears and inquietudes: He a&s;&s;embled the whole pack of the Magi; they con&s;ult afre&s;h with the Gods and Starres; they pray, and offer Sa|crifices; upon the re&s;ult of all, they tell <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> that they would never fail in their fidelity, nor conceal what they di&s;cover in the Starres and Victims, which &s;eemed to portend nothing but de&s;truction and change, and that pre&s;ently: for doubtle&s;s ere long the effects would follow the malignant &s;igns: there needed no more to wound the &s;oul of that Prince who was alwayes naturally apt enough to beleeve them: and who by other concur|ring circum&s;tances did too apparently &s;ee the probability of what the Magi told him.
<PB N="39" REF="22">
<HI>Ciaxares</HI> his Son was yet King only of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> and had one only daughter. This jealous Prince apprehended that if young <HI>Cyrus</HI> had any de&s;ign in forging, he might much more ea&s;ily put it in execution then if <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had a Sonne, knowing well enough that the peo|ple do commonly more affect a King then a Queen: Moreover <HI>Harpagus</HI> being fled into <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> who had &s;uch a &s;trong Faction, and good intelligence within his Dominions, it was therefore to be doubted things would not &s;ucceed well upon that &s;core. Thus <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> fear|ing every thing, and &s;uppo&s;ing his own &s;hadow to be a Plot: and apprehending not only things &s;emblable, but al&s;o ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibilities, he became the mo&s;t wretched man that ever was. The Queen of <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> had al&s;o intelligence of all her fathers di&s;tempers; for as he had his Spies in <HI>Per&s;ipolis,</HI> &s;o had &s;he hers in <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> who every hour advertis'd her; and who upon this news renewed her &s;orrows. It was her plea&s;ure to honour me &s;o far as to di&s;|cover her fears, and tell me how &s;he doubted the King of <HI>Medes</HI> her Father, being prompt|ed by his old Pa&s;&s;ions, would take &s;ome violent de&s;ign in hand to de&s;troy her Son <HI>Cyrus;</HI> her experience of things pa&s;t was a ground for her jealou&s;ie of things to come: I diverted her Pa&s;&s;ion as much as po&s;&s;ible, but &s;he being a woman of a high and apprehen&s;ive &s;oul, it was not ea&s;ie ab&s;olutely to remove her re&s;entment, &s;ince there was &s;o much rea&s;on in it, &s;ince <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> might act &s;uch a thing in &s;ome clo&s;e private manner as we could not fore&s;ee. However, &s;he commanded me to have an extraordinary care of <HI>Cyrus</HI> her Son, and to pre|vent his hunting as much as I could, but not to let him know the rea&s;on; for it might be i|magined that if <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> had any Plot upon his life, he might there in wilde Forre&s;ts finde a fit opportunity for it. I promi&s;ed my obedience, and found it no great difficulty to ob&s;erve her order: for &s;ince the la&s;t time of hunting <HI>Cyrus</HI> became &s;o deeply melancholy, &s;o as that which before was wont to be a plea&s;ant Recreation, did now but augment his humour: Yet notwith&s;tanding he was of &s;uch a natural and &s;weet Complacency, that when I attempted to ob&s;erve the Queens Commands very punctually, I was not denied my Reque&s;t unto him: for as he de&s;ired one day to hunt, more for cu&s;tome and company then any delectation he found in the &s;port, I told him that I had &s;ome advice to give him, which I humbly be&s;ought him might be well accepted: he a&s;&s;ured me that he would ever follow my Coun&s;el without contradiction; Then I told him that as hunting in his younger years might be allowed him as his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, &s;o on his riper years of di&s;cretion, it &s;hould be u&s;ed &s;eldome and as a recre|ation only: therefore it would appear an act of wi&s;edom to forbear it, or at lea&s;t u&s;e it not &s;o often as he was wont. Your Advice good <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he to me) is very good: and it is not long &s;ince I did entreat <HI>Feraulas</HI> to a&s;&s;i&s;t me in contriving &s;ome ingemous waies, wherein I might more nobly imploy my time. S^r &s;aid I to him, <HI>Feraulas</HI> de&s;erves the honor of your love, and his advice is to be asked. But I conceive it no great difficulty to finde oud ma|ny waies wherein your hours might be better &s;pent then in hunting <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he to me) it is not &s;o ea&s;ie as you imagine. While&s;t we were thus in di&s;cour&s;e, the Queen &s;ent to enquire for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;o that the hunting and our Di&s;cour&s;e both, were at this time prevented. Some few daies after, the King took a journey about &s;ome great bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, which would be a Moneth before his return: he left the Queen and Prince both at <HI>Per&s;ipolis,</HI> with orders to &s;tay there until his Return: After he was gone, <HI>Cyrus</HI> would hunt no more, but was com|po&s;ed all of gravity and &s;adne&s;&s;e: I pre&s;&s;ed <HI>Feraulas</HI> to tell me the cau&s;e of his Melancho|ly, but I could not get a &s;yllable out of him what the Prince had told him. I urged him again, and that &s;o importunately, as at la&s;t he told me how <HI>Cyrus</HI> complained he could not endure this idle kinde of life, and often lamented it unto him: after this, the Prince grew to be of &s;o dull a complexion as he was not knowable; The lively features which formerly moved a|doration in all the Ladies of the Court, are all dampt and vani&s;ht: his thoughts run no more of hunting, his &s;tudy is mu&s;ing and pen&s;ivene&s;&s;e: He forgot his exerci&s;es of darting, &s;hoo|ting, and the like: Solitude is the only life he leades: The Queen was much troubled at this alteration: And many times told him of it, but his an&s;wers were, that &s;ome &s;leight, &s;imple indi&s;po&s;ition had produced the&s;e effects in him, and humbly de&s;ired her not to trouble her &s;elf about it any more: <HI>Harpagus</HI> all this while, he chears up him&s;elf in hopes that when <HI>Cyrus</HI> is elder, he may then chance to exchange &s;ome of his affection for &s;ome ambition; which might then afford him &s;ome opportunities of acting that which he was now but plot|ting. Thus being the &s;tate of things, I one day ob&s;erved the Prince more pen&s;ive and &s;ad then ever: and &s;eeing he refu&s;ed all manner of recreations or &s;ociety, I &s;aid unto him, Sir, you have ever heretofore done me the honour to beleeve me when&s;oever I took the bold|ne&s;&s;e to adverti&s;e you of any thing which might conduce unto your good: I perceive that of late you have habited your &s;elf unto &s;uch a quite contrary cour&s;e or life then that which
<PB N="40" REF="23" MS="y">
you were accu&s;tomed, as I cannot chu&s;e but ask the rea&s;on: Have you not often told me <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he) that the joys of children ought not to be the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of men? I have told you &s;o indeed Sir (an&s;wered I) but yet there is a great deal of difference between play|ing the childe, and doing nothing at all. 'Tis true <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (an&s;wered the Prince) if I &s;hould do no more hereafter then I do at pre&s;ent, I were not worthy to live; yet the unhappine&s;&s;e of my condition doth in this intervall, give me lei&s;ure to contrive waies of changing my idle cour&s;e of life. Why Sir (&s;aid I to him) do you &s;ay your unhappy condition? Are you not the Son of a great King and a great Queen? Doth not fortune &s;o much &s;mile upon you as that you are beloved of your Subjects and feared of your enemies? You, I &s;ay, who &s;hall one day be po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or of a great Kingdom, where &s;uch a la&s;ting peace is &s;o &s;urely &s;etled as no|thing can di&s;turb it: you whom the gods have adorned with &s;o many admirable Qualities, of &s;o generous a minde, &s;o &s;ublime a &s;oul; all who&s;e inclinations are noble, who&s;e per&s;on is admirably hand&s;ome, who&s;e &s;trength &s;o incomparable, and who&s;e proportion of body, moved by &s;o couragious a &s;oul may ea&s;ily prompt you to the mo&s;t heroike actions. Suppo&s;e I were all the&s;e you tell me (an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus</HI> very quickly) and that they were &s;purs to quic|ken me unto high actions, and that the gods have given me &s;uch qualities to employ them in common, poor, idle things, am I not then the mo&s;t unhappy man alive to make no bet|ter u&s;e of them? If I &s;hould continue this cour&s;e of life long, po&s;terity would not know that <HI>Cyrus</HI> ever lived: No no <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> I am not &s;o happy as you think me, e&s;pecially &s;ince the time that <HI>Harpagus</HI> talkt with me in the Forre&s;t: Let me tell you, I have endured &s;uch angui&s;h of &s;oul ever &s;ince, as you would pity me if you knew it: and I would acquaint you with it, if you will promi&s;e to be faithfull and obey me; Sir (&s;aid I to him) I &s;hall never fail in my fidelity, and I will promi&s;e ever to obey you &s;o far as your commands are ju&s;t. I de|&s;ire no mote (&s;aid he) then looking upon me with &s;uch an a&s;pect as would win the heart of a &s;avage man, My Dear <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he) if you knew the torments of minde I have endu|red, I am &s;ure they would move compa&s;&s;ion: <HI>Harpagus</HI> you know motioned a war unto me, and I refu&s;ed it. Doth it repent you Sir? (&s;aid I, interrupting him,) No, (&s;aid he) but it troubles me that any man &s;hould propound any difficult bu&s;ine&s;&s;e unto me, and I not in a condition to accept it; not to di&s;&s;emble with you, If I had followed the &s;ugge&s;tions of my own minde, I &s;hould not have been eight daies after that cro&s;&s;e accident, but would have found out &s;ome ware in &s;ome Countrey or other, that I might thereby make it apparent un|to <HI>Harpagus</HI> and all the world how the only rea&s;on why I refu&s;ed his motion was, becau&s;e I thought it unju&s;t, and not becau&s;e I thought it difficult or dangerous: Who knows (&s;aid he) whether <HI>Harpagus</HI> will think it cowardi&s;e or temperance in me? I am now of age wherein my valour may be &s;u&s;pected; and I &s;hall never re&s;t &s;atisfied until by &s;ome honourable and dangerous adventure I have ju&s;tified my &s;elf, and redeem'd my honor: This is it <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> I am infinitely weary of my idle, nor can I under&s;tand why you &s;hould commend me as you have done unle&s;&s;e it were to rou&s;e up my dull &s;oul unto &s;prightly Action. It hath been my Le&s;&s;on never to be weary in any Action I &s;hall undertake, and that delicacy is a crime: I have been taught that Valour is e&s;&s;entially requi&s;ite in a Prince: and how he ought to fight, to know the u&s;e of his Bow, his Spear, his Buckler, his Sword; but to what purpo&s;e are all the&s;e if he never u&s;e them? what good is there in ability of body to endure hard&s;hip, if I &s;hould be ever treading in the &s;mooth pathes of the Courts tranquillity? What u&s;e can I make of my Valour, as long as I am lul'd in a la&s;ie Peace? What &s;hall I be better for comba|ting with wild bea&s;ts, which know nothing but as nature teacheth them? In &s;hort, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (not to conceal my &s;oul from you) I conceive the &s;apient documents and in&s;tructions, which have been infu&s;ed into me, do all authori&s;e the de&s;ign which I re&s;olve upon as &s;oon as ever I can get an opportunity for it; And what is your de&s;ign, &s;aid I to him? I would (an&s;wered he) leave the lazy Court, and travel into <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> and from thence into <HI>Phrygia,</HI> or any place where I &s;hall hear there is any war: I have a de&s;ire to in&s;truct and improve my &s;elf to the be&s;t advantage, I would learn to know my &s;elf, and all the world. Your De&s;ign is great (&s;aid I) and proceeds from a mo&s;t Noble Soul; But Sir, &s;uch de&s;igns as the&s;e ought not to be &s;o lightly and incon&s;iderately taken up: I do not well know (an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus)</HI> how &s;hall I take it, &s;ince fortune doth oppo&s;e me; but this I know, that I will employ the utmo&s;t of my power to undertake it: Good <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> Let me entreat you not to di&s;&s;wade me, for all you can po&s;&s;ibly &s;ay will be in vain; I am throughly re&s;olved upon it: I am not ignorant of that duty which I owe unto the King my Father, and unto the Queen my Mo|ther, I am infinitely tender of them both, but yet my de&s;ire of honour and love of glory is above both. Whether you allow or di&s;allow of this Re&s;olution, beleeve me, Dear <HI>Chri|&s;antes,</HI>
<PB N="41" REF="23">
I will finde out a way to put it in execution, or death &s;hall be the only ob&s;tacle which can hinder me. <HI>Cyrus</HI> pronounced the&s;e words with &s;o much active animo&s;ity, and with &s;uch heroick violence, as I paws'd and wondered, and could not an&s;wer: his eyes more then ordiuary &s;parkling: his complexion more vermilion; every part &s;o agile, and his di&s;cour&s;e &s;o po&s;itive, that there was no contradictions to be thought upon. I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I did much honour this budding virtue in him; and I could not contend, with what I &s;o much liked and admired: In conclu&s;ion, I de&s;ired eight dayes time for con&s;ideration, not liking to undertake a matter of this con&s;equence too ra&s;hly, but I had much ado to obtain it, for he was re&s;ol|ved to be gone whil&s;t his Father <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> the King was in his progre&s;s: Then Sir, I did think my &s;elf &s;trangely entangled in the bu&s;ine&s;s: I did perceive by the Queens intelligence from <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> that the fears and jealou&s;ies of <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> did rather much encrea&s;e, then any thing dimini&s;h: and I &s;aw that this violent, &s;crupulous and &s;uper&s;titious Prince, would either de|&s;troy <HI>Cyrus,</HI> or declare a warre upon <HI>Per&s;ia;</HI> and that it was impo&s;&s;ible to prevent the one of the&s;e two: I pre&s;ently addre&s;t my &s;elf unto the Queen, and told her, that I di&s;covered every day more and fre&s;h di&s;contents in the Prince her Sonne, and moved her to per&s;wade the King her Husband, that the Prince her Sonne might undertake &s;ome Travels; and in a di&s;gui&s;e &s;ee the world, be acquainted with the Manners of other Countries, and remove from under that malignant Con&s;tellation, which in this place, at this time was &s;o predomi|nate. But &s;he an&s;wered me, That &s;he thought <HI>Cambi&s;es,</HI> being per&s;waded the Manners of the <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> were more virtuous then tho&s;e of other People, he would therefore never con&s;ent unto it, unle&s;&s;e he had &s;ome &s;trong Arguments to induce him thereunto: yet as for her part, in con&s;ideration of the King her Father his humours, &s;he did not much di&s;approve of the motion: I perceived &s;he had &s;ome inclinations that he Sonne &s;hould be removed, but, that her Maternall tenderne&s;s, joyned with her de&s;ires of concealing her Fathers cruelty from <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> knowledge did impede it: and that this was her only rea&s;on which hindred her from ab&s;olute con&s;enting to his departure: both &s;he and I did conceive much likelihood of producing good effects, provided he were &s;o han&s;omely di&s;gui&s;ed, and not di&s;covered by the Spies which <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> had lurking in every corner of <HI>Per&s;ipolis:</HI> Moreover, &s;he con&s;i|dered that the King of <HI>Medes</HI> her Father was old, and of a mutable di&s;po&s;ition: therefore it might &s;o happen, that during her Sonnes travell, he might either die, or alter his minde, when he knew that he, who was the cau&s;e of his fears, was far enough remote from being in the head of any Army, to trouble him: and &s;ince he was &s;o giddily travelled without any Ac|commodations or Train proportionable to his quality. And though the Queen did well enough re&s;ent and under&s;tand all this, and confe&s;&s;ed it, yet the pre&s;ence of her Sonne was &s;o deer unto her, as &s;he could not fix upon this har&s;h re&s;olution, however &s;o full of rea&s;on. I, pondering all the&s;e Circum&s;tances, and knowing that Honour was the only motive which prompted <HI>Cyrus</HI> to this de&s;ign, al&s;o conceiving it the only prudential cour&s;e for the pre&s;er|vation and maintaining of Peace between the&s;e two great Kingdoms, then I re&s;olved with|out di&s;clo&s;ing any of the&s;e rea&s;ons unto the Prince, to con&s;ent unto his de&s;ire, and I my &s;elf to be a partaker of his Fortunes, and a witne&s;s of his vertues, from which I expected high at|chievements. Certainly it was not without great rea&s;on that I concealed from him the cau|&s;es of all our fears which we apprehended of his Life, if he had &s;tayed any longer in <HI>Per&s;ia;</HI> for doubtle&s;s if he had known the truth, he would quickly have alterd his re&s;olutions, and would not have quit the Name of <HI>Cyrus</HI> for that of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> which now I advi&s;ed him to take upon him, I cannot expre&s;s the joy this Prince was in, when I went unto his Chamber and told him, that he had overcome me, and that I would con&s;ent unto his de&s;ires, upon con|dition he would promi&s;e me, that in all the voyage, he would be plea&s;ed to promi&s;e me, to conde&s;cend unto mine, and be rul'd by me: Indeed, I never in all my life &s;aw &s;o many &s;igns of full &s;atisfaction, as appeared in his looks: Ha, my <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (cried he out, and embracing me) &s;ince you have con&s;ented in this, fear not but I will obey you in any thing. Let us go; let ut go upon any conditions; for as long as you &s;hall demand nothing but what is ju&s;t and honourable, be confident, I will never di&s;obey. In conclu&s;ion Sir (not too much to abu&s;e your Patience,) it was re&s;olved, that <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and I, and <HI>Feraulas</HI> (from whom he had not hid the de&s;ign,) and two other &s;ervants, &s;hould be all the number. As for our &s;ub&s;i&s;tence, we took with us all the Princes Jewels, which were not a few nor common ones, though the <HI>Per|&s;ian</HI> Nation does openly profe&s;s to contemn all &s;uch magnificent &s;uperfluities; but the Queen following the cu&s;tom of her own Country, brought with her a va&s;t number, and gave the mo&s;t and be&s;t of them unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> her Sonne, who &s;eldom wore them, unle&s;&s;e at publike Fea&s;ts and grand Ceremonies, intending to poi&s;e him&s;elf between the magnificent <HI>Mede,</HI> and
<PB N="42" REF="24">
the moderate <HI>Per&s;ian.</HI> We put up all the&s;e Jewels, and pretending to Hunt with a &s;mall num|ber, we did prolong the Cha&s;e until night; then di&s;per&s;ing our &s;elves in the Forre&s;t; and meeting at an appointed Rendez-vous, we took our way and began our voyage; the hor|rid &s;equel where of affrights me when I think upon it: But before our departure, the Prince writ unto his Father, asking pardon for departing out of the Kingdom without his leave: He wrote another Letter al&s;o unto the Queen his Mother upon the &s;ame &s;ubject; and without acquainting me, he left a Note to be conveyed unto <HI>Harpagus;</HI> in which he told him, that though he had refu&s;ed his offer, yet he &s;hould &s;ee ere long, by what Rule he &s;quared his Actions: As for my part, I thought it not good for me to write unto the Queen, lea&s;t the King &s;hould come to &s;ee what I writ, and gather &s;omething out of it, which the Queen would have concealed. Now Sir, <HI>Cyrus</HI> mu&s;t cea&s;e to be <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and under the Name of <HI>Artamenes</HI> you &s;hall under&s;tand &s;ome of his glorious Acts. After we had layn three dayes in the wildred Forre&s;t, where we chang'd our habits, and travelled three nights, we arrived at <HI>Su&s;ianes;</HI> that way &s;eeming more &s;afe then the other to pa&s;&s;e into <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> of which you know <HI>Babylon</HI> is the Metropolis; a Town, then of the greate&s;t &s;plendor of any that ever was. But Sir, it befits me not to &s;peak of it before you, &s;ince you all, except <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> contributed to the de&s;truction of it, and therefore are not ignorant: I will only tell you, that though <HI>Artamenes</HI> had no intentions to take part with the <HI>A&s;&s;irian</HI> again&s;t the <HI>Phrygian,</HI> becau&s;e the <HI>A&s;&s;irians</HI> were the old enemies of <HI>A&s;tiages;</HI> yet we went thither to &s;ee the Court, which then was the greate&s;t and mo&s;t pompous in all <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> When we approached neer it; the object did much delight <HI>Artamenes.</HI> As we pa&s;&s;ed along the banks of the River <HI>Euphra|tes,</HI> we admired the &s;ituation of this proud Town, which &s;tood between two of the mo&s;t fa|mous Rivers in the world, <HI>Tygris</HI> and <HI>Euphrates.</HI> Here, pa&s;&s;ed by us, two men talking to|gether, how that the Queen was po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with great Joy, and great &s;orrow, both together: <HI>Artamenes</HI> did overhear them; and you mu&s;t know Sir, <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> had alwayes a great de&s;ire that his Sonne &s;hould be taught the Languages of all the prime Nations in the world: It was his cu&s;tomary Speech, that it were very &s;trange a Prince &s;hould not under&s;tand the Language of that Nation from whom he would entertain an Emba&s;&s;adour: &s;o that both <HI>Artamenes</HI> and I under&s;tood that Language: <HI>Artamenes</HI> then under&s;tanding what the&s;e two men &s;aid, addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf very civilly unto them, and asked them in their own Language: What did the Queen &s;o much joy and &s;o much &s;orrow at? The one an&s;wered; That her joy was, be|cau&s;e about &s;ome eight dayes &s;ince, the tedious warre between the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> and the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> was happily ended: a happy Peace was concluded upon advantagious termes, and joyfully proclaimed about &s;ome two dayes &s;ince: But the joy of this great Queen, who &s;olely governed the Kingdom &s;ince the death of the King her Husband, although &s;he had cau&s;ed the Prince her Sonne to be crowned King, this joy I &s;ay was turned into great &s;orrow; the rea&s;on of it is, becau&s;e &s;he having but this only Sonne, whom &s;he intended to marry unto the Daughter of a Prince called <HI>Gadates,</HI> with whom this Peace was concluded, and whom this Prince could not affect, was gone from the Court, and none knowes what is become of him. After the man had thus &s;atisfied the Princes demands, and the Prince retur|ned thanks, the man took his way and we ours: But when I lookt upon <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and found him all &s;adne&s;s, What Sir (&s;aid I to him) have you any &s;uch intere&s;t in the bu&s;ine&s;s of the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> as that you &s;hould be a partner in her grief? <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he to me) Although I know this Prince&s;s to be the glory of her Sex, and the fame of her Name and Virtues moves me to a high e&s;teem of her, yet it is not her &s;orrow troubles me mo&s;t; but I am vexed at the giddy fanta&s;ticalne&s;s of my fortune: I come hither to &s;eek for a warre and finde all hu&s;ht up in Peace: I thought to finde a turbulent Country, turmoild in confu|&s;ions and divi&s;ions; and behold, all compos'd into tranquillity: I hearkened for the &s;hrill &s;ound to Trumpets, and I hear nothing but acclamations of joy: I went to the Court to &s;ee how the mo&s;t potent Prince of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> lived in this mo&s;t &s;tately Town, and it &s;eems hee's fled, and nothing but Cries and Tears where I expected &s;uch Magnificence: But <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid he turning towards him,) this &s;hall di&s;quiet me no more, and if other bu&s;ine&s;s troubled me no more then this, my heart would be more at ea&s;e: <HI>Feraulas,</HI> as well as I, did cheer him up, and told him, that the di&s;grace which he apprehended concerning <HI>Harpagus,</HI> was nothing, nor &s;o great as it &s;eems he thought it: yet notwith&s;tanding we went into <HI>Babylon,</HI> and ob&s;erved it with much circum&s;pection: The Prince viewed the Fortifications, and I was amazed to hear with what judgement he &s;poke of tho&s;e things in which he had never been ver&s;ed or in&s;tru|cted: The Martial humour of this Prince, caus'd us to &s;tay longer upon &s;uch things then any other: He did mo&s;t &s;eriou&s;ly view the prodigious walls of the Town; the Motes and Ditches
<PB N="43" REF="24">
full of water which inviron'd it; the hundred gates of bra&s;&s;e, which &s;hut and opened into it; the River <HI>Euphrates</HI> which added much &s;trength unto it: He lookt upon the&s;e more preci&s;e|ly then upon the magnificence of the Kings Palace, or the rare Gardens, which may be &s;aid to be in the aire, becau&s;e they are over all the Hou&s;es and all the walls: Nor did he much minde the Temple of <HI>Jupiter Belus,</HI> which you know is one of the greate&s;t Rarities in the world: In all his walks, and all his Journeys, all his thoughts, and all his di&s;cour&s;e was all of warre: If I were to take this Town (would he &s;ay,) I would a&s;&s;ault it on that &s;ide: And when he &s;aw a great Plain which had any ri&s;ing ground about it, he would tell me, that he &s;hould be Ma&s;ter of the Field, if he gave battle unto the Enemy from that piece of ground: Thus did we view <HI>Babylon;</HI> and becau&s;e many things were very remarkable, we &s;tay'd a moneth in it: During which time, we often &s;aw the Queen, who doubtle&s;s was one of the greate&s;t Prince&s;s in the world: It was &s;he which built that magnificent Bridge, that huge piece of work, whereby &s;he turned the cour&s;e of the River <HI>Euphrates,</HI> which hath &s;ince cau&s;ed much &s;orrow unto <HI>Artamenes:</HI> Notwith&s;tanding her grief for the ab&s;ence of her Sonne, yet &s;he did not de&s;i&s;t from the work, but we &s;aw her every morning and evening, go her &s;elf to ha|&s;ten it on, which has rendred her famous unto Po&s;terity: In this Court we &s;aw <HI>Mazares</HI> Prince of <HI>Saces,</HI> who &s;ince, was much engaged in my Ma&s;ters Adventures, and has cau&s;ed him a thou&s;and &s;ad di&s;a&s;ters, &s;uch as was like to be at the Price of his Life. <HI>Artamenes</HI> one day thinking upon <HI>Nitocris</HI> and her great work, turned to me and &s;aid: This Prin|ce&s;&s;e makes me wonder at the indu&s;trious care which &s;he takes about this work: Cer|tainly her aims in it are all for Fame and Glory; But poor I have not yet done any thing to advance my honour. Di&s;quiet not your &s;elf Sir (&s;aid I to him) &s;ince you are yet but young and cannot complain of any lo&s;t time, you have much before you, and will have occa&s;ions enough to make you talkt on: At la&s;t we &s;atisfied his impatience and left <HI>Babylon,</HI> becau&s;e we had intelligence that there was &s;ome &s;igns of a war began to appear between the King of <HI>Lidia</HI> and the King of <HI>Phrygia:</HI> But as I was not &s;o forward as he to run into danger, &s;o I endeavoured to &s;tay him until &s;uch time as the wars were publiquely declared, yet to travell both the Countries without engaging on either &s;ide: at my de&s;ire he con&s;ented, when he call'd to minde his promi&s;e of being ruled by me all the voyage: and he re&s;olved to perform his word though with much repugnancy: So we travelled tho&s;e Countreys which were govern|ed by tho&s;e great Princes, and <HI>Artamenes,</HI> though as impatient as any to have his arms on, yet was per&s;waded by me: It mu&s;t be acknowledged that the Greek Nation hath many ad|vantages above others, and if it were united as it is divided, and if tho&s;e which dwell in the ancient Countrey would concurre with tho&s;e who inhabit <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> then perhaps they would teach obedience unto all them which they term Barbarians: Well Sir, after we had &s;een ma|ny places, which would be over-tedious to relate, we came to the Town of <HI>Milete,</HI> which we found to be very factious, &s;ome lamenting their Prince which others had depo&s;ed, and tho&s;e others plotting how to prevent his ever-re&s;tauration, le&s;t they &s;hould be treated as Trai|tors: We &s;aw the Towns of <HI>Mius</HI> and <HI>Priennds</HI> both of them within <HI>Caire:</HI> We went af|terwards to <HI>Cla&s;&s;omenes,</HI> to <HI>Phocius,</HI> and <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> where the beautiful Temple of <HI>Diana</HI> told <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that our own Nation might be a&s;hamed they did not build &s;uch another, but that they &s;hould &s;o offer their &s;acrifices upon the tops of mountains: Concerning that, the be&s;t works of all the Sons of men were yet farre too unworthy to be the hou&s;e of God. Certainly this Temple is a peece &s;o magnificent, that it well de&s;erves the name of the worlds wonder. We under&s;tood that the late King of <HI>Lidia</HI> named <HI>Alliatte,</HI> Father of <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> who now reigns, had great devotion unto this place, and how he &s;ent hither offerings &s;o rich as the Temple of <HI>Delphos</HI> had not the like, although it was fam'd all over the world, and more ancient then that of <HI>Ephe&s;us:</HI> We under&s;tood here al&s;o, that the Inhabitants of that Famous Town were not well pleas'd with <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> as they were formerly with his Father, having &s;ome jealou&s;ies he intended war upon them: <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;tayed here &s;ome daies longer then in|tended, purpo&s;ely to d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e into the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: During which time we could not chu&s;e but wonder at the multitudes of &s;trangers which re&s;orted hither to con&s;ult with the Oracle. I moved <HI>Artamenes</HI> to enquire concerning the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of his voyage and fortunes, yet he would not, but told me that he had more reverence unto the gods then to pry into their &s;e|crets, nor was it fit to &s;atisfie fond curio&s;ity &s;o far as to fore-know his future Fortune: yet that which chiefly re&s;train'd him (as I conceive) was his fear not to finde that in the an&s;wer of the gods, which he &s;o much de&s;ired, to wit, Glory, and the occa&s;ions to acquire it, War: but the Event of things did &s;hew how his fears were fal&s;ly grounded, and that the De&s;tinies would have told him nothing but of his Victories and Triumphs: While&s;t we were at <HI>Ephe|&s;us,</HI>
<PB N="44" REF="25" MS="y">
we conver&s;ed with many Grecians which came to that place, &s;ome out of Devotion, and &s;ome Curio&s;ity: among&s;t the re&s;t <HI>Periander</HI> King of <HI>Corinth</HI> came hither in di&s;gui&s;e, and lodged in the &s;ame place with us: Many terms of Friend&s;hip pa&s;t betwixt him and me (if it become to &s;ay &s;o of a Soveraign.) This wi&s;e Prince who&s;e wi&s;edom was in highe&s;t e&s;teem throughout all <HI>Greece,</HI> had &s;o great a phan&s;ie unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> as he forced me to promi&s;e him, as &s;oon as our affairs would permit, to travell unto <HI>Corinth.</HI> After we had pa&s;t o|ver all <HI>Chaire</HI> and part of <HI>Lidia,</HI> we vi&s;ited both high and low <HI>Phrygia:</HI> in the fir&s;t of the&s;e we &s;aw that great Town of <HI>Apameus,</HI> and in the other the mountain <HI>Ida,</HI> the Port of <HI>Tenedos,</HI> the River of <HI>Xanthis,</HI> and the deplorable ruines of <HI>Troy; Artamenes</HI> &s;taied here with much delight, and viewing the places where the valiant <HI>Hector</HI> and famous <HI>Achilles</HI> fought, he could hardly &s;tir off it: at la&s;t we pa&s;t on, and behold the Tomb of this Demigod. As we came in|to <HI>Jonia,</HI> we procured a man of the I&s;le of <HI>Samos,</HI> who being a great Scholar, well travelled, and very knowing in all Antiquity, became our guide, and &s;hewed unto us all that was rare: <HI>Artamenes</HI> asked him a thou&s;and Que&s;tions concerning <HI>Troy</HI> and its Leaguer. There re|mains yet &s;ome ruines of the two Marble Ca&s;tles which neither the Flames nor old Time had yet demoli&s;hed. The Prince was much plea&s;ed with the &s;ight, and went over all the Ruines, and Rocks, and over the Famous Rivers of <HI>Scamander</HI> and <HI>Simois.</HI> This Countrey, which heretofore did flow with Noble bloud, &s;eemed now to be a Land con&s;ecrated unto the gods of Peace; This Learned Grecian which we had with us, told us that <HI>Periander</HI> whom we had &s;een in <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> was not the only wi&s;e man of <HI>Greece,</HI> but that the Nation was now as full of wi&s;e and excellent men, as in the daies of <HI>Agamemnon, &V;ly&s;&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Ne&s;tor.</HI> This com|mendations moved <HI>Artamenes</HI> to have a great de&s;ire of going thither. So that we &s;eeing the wars in <HI>Phrygia</HI> proceeded no further, I per&s;waded him to pa&s;&s;e into <HI>Greece,</HI> to which he con|&s;ented, and we went. To begin with the mo&s;t famous fir&s;t, We came to <HI>Athens,</HI> which we much admired, as well for that Famous Port of <HI>Pireus,</HI> as the excellent order of Laws here e&s;tabli&s;hed by a man of great wi&s;edom who&s;e Name was <HI>Solon,</HI> and who did voluntarily ba|ni&s;h him&s;elf ten years for his own Countrey: To the end his Laws might thereby not be changed, he having obliged the Citizens by Oath to ob&s;erve them until his return: <HI>Arta|menes</HI> came here acquainted with <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> who as &s;ome &s;aid became Tyrannicall; While&s;t we were at <HI>Athens,</HI> there was a flying Report that <HI>Solon</HI> was in the I&s;le of <HI>Cyprus.</HI> &s;o that I confe&s;&s;e I did forward <HI>Artamenes</HI> his de&s;ire of going thither, as well to &s;ee that fair I&s;land &s;ea|ted in the <HI>Aegian</HI> Sea, al&s;o that Famous Temple of <HI>Venus,</HI> as to be acquainted with that pru|dent <HI>Graecian,</HI> but we were not &s;o fortunate as to finde him there, yet it was <HI>Artamenes</HI> his good fortune to contract friend&s;hip with a Prince called <HI>Philoxippes,</HI> a man of high &s;pirit and great vertue: But I will not trouble you with every particnlar pa&s;&s;age of our Voyage, and omit many I&s;lands which we &s;aw in the <HI>Aegian</HI> Sea; I will only tell you that after our coming to <HI>Athens,</HI> whether my Ma&s;ter promi&s;ed <HI>Philistaates</HI> to return, we went to <HI>Lacede|mon,</HI> which government did not plea&s;e him who thought all the Earth too little to fill up the chinks of his ambition. This Great Soul, thought two Kings in one Kingdom incompatible: At la&s;t we come to <HI>Delphos, Argos, Micenes,</HI> and <HI>Corinth,</HI> where we were magnificently treated by the wi&s;e <HI>Periander:</HI> for this gallant man ever thought the Laws of Ho&s;pitality in|violable, and that &s;trangers could not be welcomed with too much Civility: It was his plea|&s;ure that the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Cleobuline</HI> his daughter, who&s;e beauty and wit was fam'd throughout all <HI>Greece,</HI> &s;hould honour <HI>Artamenes</HI> with her conver&s;e: he was as exact in the Greek tongue as any Native. <HI>Periander</HI> to entertain him cau&s;ed <HI>Arion</HI> (that famous Mu&s;ician as well for his excellency in that Art as for the Dolphin which pre&s;erved him) to play before him. I will trouble you no more Sir with many remarkable pa&s;&s;ages, and how my Ma&s;ter did infinitely better him&s;elf by the ob&s;ervation of the &s;everal Manners and Cu&s;tomes of tho&s;e people and places where he came: But in the Conclu&s;ion of all, I mu&s;t tell you, that at the Port of <HI>Co|rinth</HI> where men from all parts arrive, there we came to know, that the war between <HI>Lidia</HI> and <HI>Ionia</HI> was now broke out and publi&s;hed, and that the &s;torm which had long hovered, was now fallen upon them: Upon this <HI>Artamenes</HI> becomes all Impatiency till he were in Arms, and pre&s;ently re&s;olved for <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> there to engage with them again&s;t <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> their Enemy. In taking leave of <HI>Periander</HI> he told him how de&s;irous he was to recompen&s;e the <HI>Graecians</HI> for the Civilities which he had received from them. So <HI>Periander</HI> fu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ni&s;hing us with a well tackled Ship we put to Sail with a favourable winde. <HI>Artamenes</HI> thought now he had met with an opportunity to put that prodigious valor, which nature had infus'd into him into practice: his de&s;ire of glory did elevate his &s;oul &s;o high, as that he was wrapt into a hea|ven of unimaginable joy? But Fortune which had made him wait &s;o long for an opportunity,
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did now offer him one which he looked not for, and which was like to have proved very fa|tall unto him; for &s;uddenly a Marriner cried out, he di&s;covered four Sail of Ship coming towards them, and if we looked not well about us, they would immediatly fetch us up: The Pilot he lookt, and was more di&s;mayed then the fir&s;t: for he di&s;covered that it was certainly the valiant Pirate who made up to a&s;&s;ault us. Pardon me, Generous <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Chri|&s;antes,</HI> and breaking of his Story) If in following my Narration exactly, if I give you a Name which was &s;o much renowned in all the Seas where we pa&s;&s;ed. No no (&s;aid <HI>Thra&s;ibu|lus</HI> to him) I think never the wor&s;e, that you &s;hould give me a name which my ill Fortune made me a&s;&s;ume, and which perhaps better Fates may render more con&s;iderable upon the <HI>Aegian, Helle&s;pont,</HI> and <HI>Euxian</HI> Seas, and which may wipe off all that infamy which waits upon the Quality of a Pirate: Continue on your Story, and omit not the lea&s;t circum&s;tance which relates unto the Story of <HI>Artamenes. Chri&s;antes,</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> &s;ilent, and all the Princes prepared for attention, he went on. The Pilot then being confident it was the vali|ant Pirate which came with re&s;olutions to &s;et upon us, without any further order endeavou|red to &s;hun all encounter, and fly from &s;uch an enemy as alwaies u&s;ed to conquer; e&s;pecially &s;ince their number &s;o exceeded us: which <HI>Artamenes</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw but he took hold of him with one hand, and hold of the &s;tern with the other; No no, &s;aid he, thou &s;halt not be Ma&s;ter of this Ship if thou beginne&s;t to run away; Mark me, if thou do&s;t not immediately carry me &s;traight unto the enemy, I will throw thee into the Sea, or run thee through with my &s;word: The Pilot as well as I was &s;o amaz'd at his violence, as he threw him&s;elf at his feet, and &s;aid, that he did not think he would undertake &s;uch an enemy as there was no hopes or po&s;&s;ibility of overcoming: Do as I bid thee, &s;aid <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and leave the re&s;t to the gods and my courage, When I heard the Prince &s;ay &s;o, and having learned from the Marri|ners how the famous Pirate was mighty &s;tout; Sir, &s;aid I to him) what do you mean to do? I will either conquer or die, &s;aid he, and will not loo&s;e this fir&s;t opportunity which Fortune <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> to make u&s;e of my valour: But Sir (replied I) how can you conquer where there is neither po&s;&s;ibility or hopes of it? Have I not told you (&s;aid the Prince) if I cannot conquer I can die; and I had much rather do &s;o then fly and not fight when I have occa&s;ion offered: Sir (replied I) to retire from an enemy too numerous and &s;trong, is not a di&s;graceful flight, but a prudent and honourable retreat, and you ought not to mix ra&s;hne&s;&s;e and valour toge|ther: Di&s;cretion is the better part of valour; I know not how to make the&s;e faint di&s;tincti|ons (&s;aid the Prince very roughly to me) I am afraid to be deceived by them in a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which concerns my honour; the &s;urer way is to fight, and that I'le take: Therefore (&s;aid he, &s;peaking to the Souldiers and Mariners) I heartily de&s;ire you all to prepare your &s;elves for fight, and imitate me: During this Argument the four Ships which gave us cha&s;e, and were much better Saylors then we, were come &s;o near us, that I &s;aw there was no way but to prepare for defence: and it was not to be imagined that the Prince would now retreat or &s;ubmit without combat: Then I began to a&s;&s;i&s;t the Prince in giving orders: And after we had commanded them all not to row when we were almo&s;t within Oar-reach of the Ship, and the Pilot to make towards their Admirall, <HI>Feraulas</HI> and I rankt our &s;elves next him: I mu&s;t needs give this Te&s;timony of his vertue, never was &s;een more con&s;tancy and alacrity in &s;o great a danger, as appeared in the &s;oul of this young Prince; He had got ready by him a Bow, a Quiver, abundance of Arrows upon his &s;houlder be&s;ides &s;ome in his hands, al&s;o ma|ny Darts and Javelins, but he thought &s;o little of a Buckler and of any danger, that he had wanted it, if I had not brought him one ju&s;t when we began to acco&s;t the enemy: All this while the Renowned <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> &s;ees our inequality, and thought to take us without a blow, but <HI>Artamenes</HI> is of another minde, and in&s;pires mettle into the Souldiers and Mariners, and com|mands the Pilot to make towards the enemy who doth &s;o punctually obey, that we were pre|&s;ently within reach of each other; &s;o that in lieu of Vailing Bonnet as <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> did beleeve we would, we &s;aluted him with a Cloud of Arrows which killed many of his men whom we &s;aw tumble down upon the Deck; This bold attempt made the Pirate conclude, that either &s;ome man of a mo&s;t high courage was in the Ship, or el&s;e &s;ome de&s;perate enemy who would die fighting without &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion: He being thus incen&s;ed with our bold affront, begins to or|der him&s;elf like a Souldier who knew how to fight: He commanded all his Ships to enclo&s;e us round, that &s;o he might the more a&s;toni&s;h us and take us without boarding: yet do what they could it was two hours at the lea&s;t before he could compa&s;&s;e us, and if the Prince would have been contented with fighting thus upon &s;uch unequal terms, and have retreated without an ab&s;olute victory, he might ea&s;ily have avoided that danger wherein afterwards we were &s;urrounded; for at la&s;t the&s;e four Ships (in &s;pight of all our Pilots art) did compa&s;&s;e us a|bout,
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and fell upon us with &s;uch fury, as we fought in darkne&s;&s;e, by rea&s;on of the &s;howrs of Arrows which covered our Ship, and fell upon our her heads. <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;eeing it thus, com|manded <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> to make at the Admiral and a&s;&s;ault him: we all obey, we grapple, we bord him, and begin a fight, the like was never &s;een: <HI>Artamenes</HI> leapt into the Ship of <HI>Cor&s;aires,</HI> at the &s;ame time when the Pirate leapt into his: &s;o that in an in&s;tant of time the&s;e two Gene|rals were amid&s;t their enemies: The fight is now mo&s;t &s;trange; and that happened upon this accident, as the like I beleeve will never do again: for we were all very attentive unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and when he leapt unto the Pirates Ship, all of us leapt after him, except &s;ome few that were repul&s;ed or killed: on the other &s;ide, the Souldiers of <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> did the like, and followed their Captain with the like fury that we fellowed ours. By this confu&s;ion <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> became Ma&s;ter of <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> his Ship, and <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> Ma&s;ter of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> At their fir&s;t entrances they both rejoyced and thought they had been Victors, but when they per|ceived their errour, and that they had only changed Ships: <HI>Artamenes</HI> by menaces made the Mariners of <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> Ship obey him; <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> did the like with <HI>Artamenes</HI> Mariners; they then began to fight afre&s;h, and &s;trive to reenter into their own Ships: The fight is fu|rious, and this odd chance did a while prolong it, and our de&s;truction; for the three other Ships of <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> did not perceive this changing chance, as well becau&s;e they were far off, as becau&s;e of the chick clouds of Arrows: therefore they move not a finger again&s;t the Ship of their Admiral in which we were, but they a&s;&s;ault our Ship in which <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> was; &s;o that he could neither defend him&s;elf nor offend us; My Ma&s;ter knowing him to be the Chief of the enemies, did undertake him &s;ingle, with &s;o much vigour and re&s;olution, as none ever &s;aw the like: And all the Mariners who were Spectators of the Combat, did a&s;&s;ure us, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> more then twenty times entred the ve&s;&s;el: and the Valiant Pirate did the like be|fore any advantage on either &s;ide did appear; All after their example pu&s;ht the Pike, &s;hot Arrows, and did &s;la&s;h with &s;words: As for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> he u&s;ed all the&s;e weapons: for when he was far off he &s;hot Arrows; when nearer he us'd the Pike; and when joyned, his Sword was not idle: The truth is, he was &s;o admirable at them all, as I could not beleeve it to be him: Pre&s;ently after, the three Ships di&s;cover their error, and fight no more again&s;t their Ma&s;ter: but fall all pelmel upon us: Now when <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;aw no hopes of any thing but peri&s;hing; and &s;pying <HI>Feraulas</HI> and I near him, <HI>(Feraulas</HI> I &s;ay, of who&s;e valour I will not &s;peak in his pre&s;ence) he turned towards us all in a fury, and &s;aid, I &s;ee, My Friends, we cannot overcome, but if you will &s;econd me, the Pirats &s;hall pay very dear for their Victo|ry; After this, what did he not do? or what can I &s;ay more then is truth? Though he &s;aw the Ship be&s;et round with enemies, and though he found their Commander <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> of great courage; and though he &s;aw mo&s;t of his own men which remained alive almo&s;t all wound|ed, and him&s;elf al&s;o received a wound with an Arrow upon the left &s;houlder, yet for all this he was not at all di&s;mayed; he was &s;ometimes at the Prow, and &s;ometimes at the Poop of the Ship: Here he pu&s;ht a Pirate into the Sea, there he kild another with his Sword at one blow; and &s;o be&s;tird him&s;elf that one might well know he was incapable of &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion: All this while, <HI>Feraulas</HI> and I had the misfortunes to be &s;o wounded, as we were carried out of the combat; <HI>Feraulas</HI> having two wounds with a Javeline through both his thighs; and I, two cuts with a Sword upon my right Arm: Yet for all this, though <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;aw he was quite lo&s;t, and heard me cry unto him, that it was no di&s;honour to render him&s;elf a Pri&s;oner, and that the Pirate would &s;ave him; and though he &s;aw the Deck covered with bloud, and dead men, yet this Imp of <HI>Mars,</HI> this inflexible heart of &s;teel would not &s;urrender, but fought on with more violence then before: In conclu&s;ion, a Valiant Greek, who was very eminent for combat, did grapple with him; they both tumble into the Sea: Then did all the Souldiers which were alive &s;ubmit, and the Pirate now having no enemies to re&s;i&s;t him, did &s;ee &s;ome 30 paces off his Ship the invincible <HI>Artamenes;</HI> who &s;wimming with one hand, and holding his Sword in the other, did yet maintain fight again&s;t that Valiant Grecian, which tumbled into the Sea with him, who &s;eeing <HI>Artamenes</HI> lance alwaies again&s;t him with much courage, began a terrible &s;trong Duell: This Greek being elder, much &s;tronger, and le&s;&s;e wounded, did better re&s;i&s;t the violence of the waves, which &s;ometimes did &s;eparate them, and &s;ometimes brought them together, &s;ometimes &s;eemed to choak them both, and end their quarrell in tri|umphing over both; the like Combate was never &s;een upon Land: I leave you Sir to imagin what effects this wrought upon my &s;oul, who by rea&s;on of my wound in the Arm, had lo&s;t &s;o much blood, as I could not move or help; Imagin, I &s;ay, what I thought when I &s;aw this ex|cellent Prince in &s;uch a condition: I know not well what my de&s;ign was, but I remember how I would have thrown my &s;elf into the Sea, but was not able: at la&s;t the Pirate being
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charmed with the valour of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and &s;eeing him in this danger, commanded five or &s;ix of his men to take a little Boat and &s;ave him: The&s;e men did pre&s;ently obey his com|mand; and making towards <HI>Artamenes,</HI> commanded the &s;tout Greek to forbear Combate; whereupon, he got into their Boat, and changed his de&s;ires of killing, into endeavours of &s;a|ving <HI>Artamenes.</HI> They did their be&s;t to catch hold of him, which they could not have done, if he had not been much wearied with &s;wimming, and had received another wound in his right Arm again&s;t the Point of a Rock which was invi&s;ible within the water: he &s;trives to &s;wim fa&s;ter, and acco&s;t this Boat; and a violent wave wre&s;ted his Sword out of his hand: as he was about to dive for it, tho&s;e which were in the Boat, catched hold, and drew him in; brought him abord the Ship, and pre&s;ented him unto the renowned Pirate, who received him with a genero&s;ity beyond example; and &s;aid unto him, Have I fought with &s;o poor a cou|rage, that you think me unworthy to be both your Conqueror and deliverer? You have fought (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> with &s;o much Courage, that my fears of never equalling you make me de&s;pair, and I care not for receiving my Life from that man whom I would have killed and could not. The inequality of your number (an&s;wered the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Pirate very &s;weetly) does ju&s;tifie your valour &s;ufficiently, and gives excu&s;e enough unto your de|feat: if I &s;hould Triumph thus again, I &s;hould never Triumph more: and I finde my victory &s;o deerly bought and honourable to you; that if there were a Pro&s;e to be given unto the Conqueror, I would give it unto you, and not a&s;&s;ume it unto my &s;elf: When he had &s;poken thus, he gave command that there &s;hould be as great a care of <HI>Artamenes</HI> as of him&s;elf: And after he was informed who&s;e this &s;hip was, and under&s;tood them to be meer &s;trangers, whom Curio&s;ity only brought into <HI>Greece,</HI> then he treated us with much more &s;weetne&s;s then be|fore. I &s;hall not now tell you Sir, of all the Civilities which this Noble <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> u&s;ed to|wards <HI>Artamenes</HI> and us all, becau&s;e the honoured <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> knows it well enough: I &s;hall only tell you thus much: that if <HI>Artamenes</HI> had been his Brother, he could not have expre&s;|&s;ed more indulgence: My Ma&s;ters wounds were not dangerous, <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> was the wor&s;e, but both quickly healed: yet <HI>Feraulas</HI> and I could not &s;o &s;oon recover. Now, although <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> could not comfort up him&s;elf with any honour he had gotten, &s;ince he was not ab|&s;olutely Conquerour in this fir&s;t Combate which ever he had made; yet Virtue, being ever full of attractive charmes, cau&s;ed a great league of Love, in&s;en&s;ibly to grow, between him and the renowned Pirate: This Amity was the Cau&s;e why this illu&s;trious Pirate was not &s;o forward in offering my Ma&s;ter his Liberty, and why my Ma&s;ter was &s;o backward in asking it. So that the occa&s;ions of <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> being towards the <HI>Euxian</HI> bridge, we went along with him: not con&s;idering whether or no it would conduce to the good or bad fortune of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> In our pa&s;&s;age thither we put in at <HI>Le&s;bos,</HI> where the Noble Pirate had &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s: my Ma&s;ter and I went to &s;ee a cry'd up Beauty there, who&s;e Name was <HI>Saphon,</HI> whom all <HI>Greece</HI> admired; indeed, we found her worthy of that fame, both for her Beauty, and the Ver&s;es which &s;he compos'd. But Sir, to come unto the bu&s;ine&s;s of my Story: I mu&s;t tell you in few words, that in our pa&s;&s;age to the <HI>Euxian</HI> bridge, after we had &s;ailed three days and three nights, <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> who u&s;ed to a&s;&s;ault others, was now a&s;&s;aulted him&s;elf by &s;ix Ships. This Combate, which was both long and fierce, <HI>Artamenes</HI> would needs be in; and performed Acts &s;o gallant and high, that the mode&s;ty of the famous <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> made him &s;ay after the battell, that he ought the victory unto <HI>Artamenes:</HI> In conclu&s;ion, he thought him&s;elf &s;o obliged unto my Ma&s;ter, that of three Ships which he had taken he would needs give him two: yet <HI>Artamenes</HI> would take but one; in which he de&s;ign'd him&s;elf for the Helle&s;pont and the Aegian Sea, and &s;o for <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> intending to &s;end <HI>Periander</HI> this Ship in lieu of his own, which was much torn and leakie, &s;ince the la&s;t Combate. Thus he parted from this generous Pirate, not knowing him nor being known unto him; for as they were both re&s;ol|ved not to di&s;cover them&s;elves; &s;o they would not ask one another that que&s;tion which they them&s;elves would not an&s;wer unto: And thus their friend&s;hip, though very great, did cau&s;e them both to moderate their de&s;ires, and would not be too inqui&s;itive into what both of them de&s;ired to conceal: Al&s;o &s;uch was the di&s;cretion of my Ma&s;ter, that he fought in this la&s;t encounter, and never knew again&s;t whom, nor &s;o much as asked the que&s;tion, becau&s;e he found that the generous Pirate made a my&s;tery of it. <HI>Artamenes</HI> then, with <HI>Feraulas,</HI> my &s;elf, and to &s;ervants more which <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> gave my Ma&s;ter, returned from whence we came, and at fir&s;t found a favourable winde; yet we had &s;carce &s;ailed &s;ix hours, but a terrible tem|pe&s;t began to ri&s;e, and that &s;o extraordinary and violent, as the Pilot him&s;elf began to trem|ble: the Air was duskie, the Sea boi&s;terous, and rowled <HI>(Montes volvuntur aquarum)</HI> mountains of waves upon us, and upon one another; it roared horribly, and to&s;t the Ship &s;o
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high, and then again &s;o low, as the Marriners had much ado to keep it upright: the fla&s;hes of Lightning, the rumbling of Thunder, and the nights ob&s;curity, all the&s;e, made us &s;ee when we could &s;ee nothing el&s;e, That they who are of a lofty compounded &s;oul, cannot fear death, let it appear in what horror it can; for my Ma&s;ter was no more moved at it, then if he had been floating in the calme&s;t River in the world; he gave out Orders without any confu&s;ion: Though the Danger was &s;o great, and Death looked &s;o inevitably grim; yet fear did not &s;o much as make him alter his Countenance or di&s;cour&s;e. We continued three days and three nights in this manner, and were quite driven out of our aims; for intending at the <HI>Euxian</HI> Bridge, we found our &s;elves upon the fourth day at Sun ri&s;e, ca&s;t upon the Port of <HI>Sinope,</HI> which you know is in <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> towards the Frontiers of <HI>Galatia.</HI> I relate this Sir, that you may more wonder at the oddne&s;&s;e of phanta&s;tical Fate, who pre&s;erves <HI>Artamenes</HI> from the fury of the incen&s;ed Sea, to ca&s;t him in the mid&s;t of his enemies Land; for <HI>Ciaxares</HI> you know was the Sonne of <HI>A&s;tiages;</HI> and indeed it was he who had more rea&s;on to fear the me|naces of the gods then <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> his Father; who was &s;o old, as he had as many feet in his grave as in his Throne: Yet when we under&s;tood that the Court was not at <HI>Sinope,</HI> but at another Town called <HI>Pteria,</HI> I was in le&s;&s;e fears; and though I did not &s;ee how it was po&s;|&s;ible <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould be known, yet I endeavoured as much as might be, not to put in there, but it could not be avoided. We &s;aw from the place where we were, that &s;tately Tem|ple dedicated unto <HI>Mars,</HI> which, as you know, is a little out of the Town, The next mor|ning, while&s;t our Ship was repairing which had been much torn by the Tempe&s;t, we went to vi&s;it the Temple: And as things that are extraordinary, are commonly the di&s;cour&s;e of them who travel for Curio&s;ity, and have nothing el&s;e to do but &s;ee Wonders, the Prince began to ask the rea&s;on, why in &s;o many places as he had travelled, he &s;hould finde fewer Temples dedicated unto <HI>Mars</HI> then any other of the Gods or Godde&s;&s;es; and as if he were jealous of the Honour of that God, he called to memory all the Temples which had been dedicated unto <HI>Venus:</HI> and found, that there was many more devoted unto that Godde&s;s of Love, then to that God of War: and why Sir (&s;aid I to him &s;miling,) are you an enemy un|to that Divinity, which is &s;o much adored throughout all the world, and every one does offer Sacrifices unto her? I am no enemy, an&s;wered he, but I am very jealous of the others Ho|nour, and think it fitter that <HI>Mars</HI> &s;hould have more Altars then &s;he: Perhaps (&s;aid I) you will not be always in that minde: I know not (an&s;wered he) but in the minde I am in now, War &s;hall ever be preferred before Love: You have rea&s;on Sir (&s;aid I) for the one is much more Heroick then the other, but as zealous as you are now for <HI>Mars,</HI> you may per|haps one day become a Convert and pay as much Devotion unto <HI>Venus.</HI> I cannot think &s;o (&s;aid he,) I am much deceived if ever that come about; As &s;oon as he had &s;aid &s;o, we entred in|to the Temple, which we found magnificently adorned. There was then very few People in it, &s;o that we had convenience of ob&s;erving every thing: we found here in the Temple a &s;tran|ger of a very han&s;ome garb, and well proportioned, much about the age of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> or about two years at the mo&s;t more then he: This Gallant, ob&s;erving the cu&s;tom of the Coun|try, where they u&s;e to be &s;oon acquainted, came among&s;t us and di&s;cour&s;ed with <HI>Artamenes:</HI> They earne&s;tly view one another, and with &s;ome a&s;toni&s;hment: This Stranger found we &s;poke the Language of that Country which much re&s;embles that of <HI>Medes,</HI> as well as that of
<HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> by rea&s;on of its neerne&s;s to both: he &s;poke in the &s;ame we did, and &s;eemed to be one of an ingenious &s;pirit: Pre&s;ently we &s;ee much company come into the Temple, and ob&s;erved to pa&s;&s;e before us preparations for &s;ome co&s;tly Sacrifice; they were a hundred white Bulls crowned with Garlands of Flowers, driven by two Men, the ordinary number for Heca|tombs: we &s;aw many ve&s;&s;els of Gold pa&s;&s;e by to receive the blood of the&s;e Victims: we al|&s;o &s;aw men carry the &s;acred Chafing-di&s;hes, on which to burn their Incen&s;e; al&s;o their rich Knives wherewith to cut their Sacrifices; and all the Sacrificers in their Ceremonial habits, walked two and two together: Pre&s;ently all was ready to be &s;acrificed, only there wanted the per&s;ons who mu&s;t offer them: As we were looking upon all the&s;e things with much de|light, upon a &s;udden we heard many &s;ay aloud, Room for the King; Room for the King: at the&s;e words the People pre&s;&s;ed unto both &s;ides&punc; and made a pa&s;&s;age for the King: I con|fe&s;s to you Sir, this accident did much &s;urpri&s;e me; and I was very angry to &s;ee <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;o neer <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who came this morning from <HI>Pteria</HI> unto <HI>Sinope</HI> to offer the&s;e Sacrifices: <HI>Artamenes,</HI> too curious and forward to &s;ee the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, would, whether I would or no, range him&s;elf in the fir&s;t rank of the People, ju&s;t in the Prince his pa&s;&s;e: The train of Cour|tiers which u&s;e always to walk before the King, were come to the Altar: <HI>Artamenes</HI> who much longed to &s;ee the King of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> &s;ees him enter, and leaning upon the Arm of
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<HI>Aribees,</HI> who was then a great Favourite; after him entred the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> his daugh|ter; who without all manner of di&s;pute was ab&s;olutely the faire&s;t that ever eye beheld: I no &s;ooner &s;aw her appear, but I &s;aw <HI>Artamenes</HI> al&s;o pre&s;&s;ing near her, and leaving the &s;tranger which we met with for a fairer object: This Prince&s;s might well kindle &s;uch curio&s;ity in the &s;oul of <HI>Artamenes</HI> as &s;he did: Be plea&s;ed Sir to remember, as I told you in the beginning of my Relation, that this Prince&s;s was born about three years after <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;o that the fir&s;t time he &s;aw her, &s;he entred upon her &s;ixteenth year: &s;he was this day mo&s;t richly dre&s;t, and though there did not appear any affectedne&s;&s;e in her habit, yet it was infinitely becoming; her Tiffany Vail of Silver did not at all hide the &s;plendour of a thou&s;and rich Jewels &s;et in Gold to deck her Hair, which was the faire&s;t flaxen that ever was &s;een; her Ornaments did not Eclip&s;e the vivacity of her &s;prightly looks, which is the e&s;&s;ential part of a perfect beauty: She was of an excellent &s;tature, and walked with &s;o much mode&s;t Maje&s;ty, as &s;he did attract the eyes of all beholders: Her neck no &s;now &s;o white, her eyes were blewi&s;h fair, but &s;o &s;weet, &s;o lovely, &s;o &s;parkling, and &s;o full of inviting charms as it was ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible to look upon them and not admire; Her lips no Ro&s;e &s;o red, Her teeth no Ivory &s;o perfect white, nor no Rule &s;o even: Her complexion &s;o pure, &s;o clear, &s;o &s;mooth, and &s;o exact ver|milion, that all the lu&s;tre of a flowry &s;pring was ugly in compari&s;on of her glorious Idea: Her hands as white and clear as ever any eye beheld, for I beheld this la&s;t peece of beauty, as &s;he lifted up her Vail, at her entrance into the Temple, and as afterward with wonder I bebeld all the re&s;t: In &s;hort Sir, all the&s;e beauties and attractive charms which la&s;t I related, are good arguments to render <HI>Artamenes</HI> more excu&s;able: He was &s;o Planet-&s;truck with all the actions and motions of this Prince&s;s, that whether &s;he walked or &s;at, whether &s;he &s;poke or were &s;ilent, whether &s;he &s;mil'd or frown'd, &s;he was all charms, all attracts, all admirable: With this Divine apparition was <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;urpri&s;ed, and amorou&s;ly bla&s;ted: So that not regarding <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> he beholds <HI>Mandana</HI> coming in &s;uch a manner as I told you; but fairer by a thou&s;and degrees then any tongue can tell: He was &s;o ravi&s;ht, that removing from his &s;tation, he got up clo&s;e to the very foot of the Altar where &s;he kneeled: <HI>Feraulas</HI> and I &s;ee|ing him do &s;o, pre&s;&s;ed up al&s;o: and we &s;aw him &s;o placed that he might both &s;ee and be &s;een by her: for I never in the whole cour&s;e of my life &s;aw &s;uch a pa&s;&s;age: &s;ince the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cap|padocia</HI> came into the Temple, <HI>Artamenes</HI> minded nothing but her: he knew not whether it was a &s;acrifice, or only an A&s;&s;embly, or &s;ome publique game for a price; he &s;aw nothing but <HI>Mandana:</HI> He lookt upon her continually, and the more he lookt the more he lik't, and of|ten changed colour: he told us afterwards how he was &s;o wrapt with the Divine Vi&s;ion, as he had not power to look off her: and he a&s;&s;ured us he did what he could to divert his eyes and thoughts, but it was not in his power: Mean while the Sacrifice begins, and the Chief Prie&s;t being pro&s;trate at the foot of the Altar, pronounced the&s;e words; the King, the Prince&s;s, and all ob&s;erving a hu&s;ht &s;ilence.</P>
<P><HI>FOr the happine&s;&s;e of this ble&s;&s;ed Peace which we enjoy, Accept (O Mighty God of War) the&s;e pure and innocent Victims which here we come to offer, in lieu of tho&s;e which young</HI> Cyrus, <HI>the terrour of all</HI> A&s;ia <HI>would have offered, if the goodne&s;&s;e of Heaven had not e&s;tabli&s;hed the Thrones of all the Kingdoms of the Earth in Peace by his death. Receive from the King, from the Prince&s;&s;e his Daughter, from all</HI> Capadocia, <HI>and from all</HI> Medea, <HI>the&s;e their most devout thanks for the great benefit of his death. His death I &s;ay, which hath given a happy Peace unto all</HI> A&s;ia, <HI>and who&s;e life would have put the whole Earth into confu&s;ion and mi&s;ery.</HI></P>
<P>I leave you to judge Sir, in what a ca&s;e I was in, and how my Ma&s;ter was &s;tarted though he minded nothing el&s;e but <HI>Mandana;</HI> for he was much a&s;toni&s;hed when he heard him&s;elf named: I lookt him in the face, and he lookt upon me, but his minde was upon &s;omething el&s;e; I removed from my &s;tation to come to him: Sir, &s;aid I very low, we &s;hould not do ill to be gone from hence, but we &s;hall do better (&s;aid he blu&s;hing) to &s;tay here; When I &s;aw the Prince in that Re&s;olution, I dur&s;t not pre&s;&s;e him further le&s;t &s;ome notice &s;hould be taken of us: Then I &s;taied by him, who notwith&s;tanding all this did &s;till look upon <HI>Manda|na</HI> with &s;o much earne&s;tne&s;&s;e that he neither minded the death&punc; of the &s;acrifices, nor the perfumes: He perceived no &s;uch thing until all the Ceremonies were over, and th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> King and Prince&s;&s;e his Daughter were going out of the Temple. Then he followed them out, and I think he would have followed them into the Ca&s;tle whither they went to dinner, and which was &s;ome &s;ixty paces out of <HI>Sinope,</HI> if I had not &s;topt him. Sir (&s;aid I, &s;hewing him the way) that is your way to the Town: then <HI>Artamenes,</HI> without any an&s;wer
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to what I &s;aid, but &s;till looking after the Prince&s;s Chariot: as long as they were within &s;ight he never turned his head that way: at la&s;t we came to the hou&s;e where we lodged. All this while our Ship was trimming, and putting into &s;ome condition to make &s;ail; but when we came to it, there was a great alteration; for <HI>Artamenes</HI> at his going to the Temple, was all for ha&s;te; but at return, he &s;aid they made too much ha&s;te to do it well. All dinner while, he &s;poke little, ate le&s;&s;e: for my part, although I &s;aw him look very attentively upon the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> yet I did not think he could &s;o &s;uddenly, in &s;o &s;hort a time be char|med. Pre&s;ently after dinner, <HI>Feraulas,</HI> whom we had lo&s;t in the crowd, comes back; and he having more particularly enquired into the cau&s;e of the Sacrifice, he drew <HI>Artamenes</HI> and me a&s;ide; Sir (&s;aid he to him) you mu&s;t prepare for your departure hence, and that pre&s;ently: and Why &s;uch ha&s;te, an&s;wered the Prince &s;miling? becau&s;e (replied <HI>Feraulas</HI> you are in a Country where the People give thanks to the Gods for your death; and think it &s;uch a hap|pine&s;s as they have offered Sacrifice for it. I know that already, an&s;wered the Prince with|out any motion, but &s;ince they think me dead they will not &s;eek me alive. But <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid I) do you know any more then what you had from the mouth of the Prie&s;t when he &s;poke in the Temple? I have learned (an&s;wered he) from one of the Sacrificers, that <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> be|ing a&s;&s;ured by &s;everal intelligences that young <HI>Cyrus</HI> is peri&s;hed by &s;hipwrack, and beleeves him to be dead, therefore he hath commanded that &s;ame day which is &s;uppo&s;ed he peri&s;hed upon, to be a day of Thanks unto the Gods in all the Temples of <HI>Medea</HI> and <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> for delivering them from the cau&s;e of that apparent danger which the Starres did threaten unto them. Therefore (&s;aid he to me) it concerns you to have a care of the Prince his &s;afety, and to con&s;ider what would be his Fate if he &s;hould be known unto the King or the Prince&s;s of this Country, who do &s;o much rejoyce for his death, as that they render publique thanks unto the Gods for it. During this Di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Feraulas, Artamenes</HI> was very pen&s;ive: and perceiving I was going to &s;peak unto him, he prevented me, and &s;aid, with a mo&s;t &s;ad and di&s;conteuted countenance, Fear not <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> that I &s;hall be di&s;covered, if any thing do it, it will be our too ha&s;ty preparations of departure: This may make us &s;u&s;pected, therefore let us &s;tay, and re&s;t quietly: Let us not depart tumultuou&s;ly. In &s;aying &s;o, he turned from us and would not &s;tay our An&s;wer: Then he took a walk by the &s;ea &s;ide, be|ing followed by two Slaves which the valiant <HI>Cor&s;aires</HI> gave unto him, and <HI>Feraulas</HI> and I followed pre&s;ently after: But alas, this walk little plea&s;ed him, for we found him in a pro|found melancholy dump. In &s;hort Sir, he was in Love; and loved &s;o de&s;peratly, as ne|ver man was in more deep Pa&s;&s;ion. And as this Pa&s;&s;ion had taken &s;uch &s;trong po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of his &s;oul; &s;o the expre&s;&s;ions which he had u&s;ed again&s;t Love in his fir&s;t going to the Tem|ple, cau&s;ed him to conceal it from us, he being a&s;hamed to di&s;cover his weakne&s;s. He was continually expo&s;tulating with him&s;elf what it was which thus troubled him, not well know|ing whether it was Love or no: What kinde of torment (&s;aid he to him&s;elf) is this which I endure? From whence proceeds this re&s;tle&s;ne&s;s of minde? If the &s;ight of the faire&s;t Angel upon earth, be the cau&s;e, then am I the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man alive? Yet methinks &s;uch beautifull Objects &s;hould not infu&s;e any Pa&s;&s;ions but delight and joy: How comes it to pa&s;s then that the Faire&s;t Pro&s;pect which ever eye beheld, &s;hould cau&s;e my &s;orrow? I know not (&s;aid he) whether I &s;hould think it Love, or whether &s;ome wor&s;e humour: But what is it I would have? or what is it I can have? Alas, alas, I neither know what I would, or what I can have; and hence comes all my misfortune and my &s;orrows: Yet I am mo&s;t cer|tain of this; that if I follow my own inclination I mu&s;t Love the Fair <HI>Mandana,</HI> as great an enemy as &s;he is unto me; But what do I &s;ay, I mu&s;t Love? Ha, no no, I do explain my thoughts but ill; and my tongue betraies my heart if it do not &s;ay, I do Love <HI>Mandana,</HI> and that I will for ever Love her, and that I think my &s;elf the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man unle&s;s &s;he Love again. But alas, alas, Mi&s;erable unfortunate <HI>Artamenes?</HI> Came I here to &s;ee her offer Sa|crifices of Thanks unto the Gods for my death? Did I come to learn how <HI>Cyrus</HI> can never plea&s;e her, but in the Tomb wherein &s;he thinks him buried? After the&s;e Contemplations his Pa&s;&s;ion was a little qualified: But pre&s;ently hope which makes Love live, and undertake all impo&s;&s;ibilities, and without which there is no &s;ub&s;i&s;tence, did per&s;wade him, that <HI>Arta|menes</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> were two: and that he, as he was <HI>Artamenes,</HI> was not at all intere&s;t in tho&s;e things which the <HI>Medes</HI> re&s;ent again&s;t <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;on to the King of <HI>Per&s;ia:</HI> and that although <HI>Cyrus</HI> was hated, yet <HI>Artamenes</HI> may happily be beloved, if he u&s;ed the means, and endea|voured by his &s;ervices to render him&s;elf worthy of it: As he was thus entertaining him&s;elf with this flattering argument; the ardent de&s;ire of Fame and Glory which heretofore had held a &s;trong po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion in the heart of my Ma&s;tes, began to come in competition, and di&s;pute
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for victory, with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> When his thoughts reflected upon this glo|rious Rival of <HI>Mandana,</HI> he then began to rou&s;e up and re&s;olve never to think upon the Prince&s;s any more: Why &s;hould I (&s;aid he) for&s;ake a Mi&s;tre&s;s which will never fail to recompen&s;e me and all which follow her; and who&s;e &s;ervitude is &s;o glorious, as &s;he rewards them which are faithfull unto her, with no le&s;s then Kingdoms, Crowns and immortal Glo|ry: What is become now of my eager de&s;ires, to know and to be known of all the world? Poor I, who &s;culks under the fal&s;e name of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and am buried alive to &s;atisfie my enemies? Have I left <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> for nothing el&s;e, but to become a fooli&s;h Lover of a <HI>Cappado|cian</HI> Prince&s;s? and have I left <HI>Cyrus</HI> to become a Slave unto one who thanks the Gods for my misfortunes? and who perhaps her &s;elf with her own hands would throw me into my grave? No, no (&s;aid he) I mu&s;t not be &s;o fooli&s;h as to fetter my &s;elf: Recollect thy &s;elf <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid he) and remember how oft thou ha&s;t been told in <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> that Love is a dangerous Pa&s;&s;ion: Stop entrance therefore into thy heart at fir&s;t, never let it take Po&s;|&s;e&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ion, and domineer. But alas, (added he pre&s;ently) what do I &s;ay? what can I do? I &s;peak of re&s;i&s;tance, and am already fettered: I &s;peak of Liberty, and I finde my &s;elf in &s;trong Chains: I think of Reigning, and am a Slave: I &s;peak of Glory and Ambition, and heaven knows, I have no higher then to be <HI>Mandanaes</HI> &s;ervant: and I will never &s;eek any greater honour, then I can finde at the feet of my Prince&s;s: I plainly &s;ee, that I am more hers then my own, and that all my Rea&s;on is farre too weak to oppo&s;e Love: My own eyes betray me; my heart has left me, and my will is all hers; I would not Love my life but in hopes to imploy it in her &s;ervice: And I finde that my Rea&s;on, as rebellious as it is again&s;t my heart, begins to argue in behalf of my Prince&s;s; it tells me &s;ecretly that Love is the noble cau&s;e of all Heroick Actions; that it took up Lodgings in the hearts of all the He|roes: and that the famous <HI>Per&s;ian,</HI> the fir&s;t King of my Race, for all his valour, was over|come by it, when he fir&s;t &s;aw his <HI>Andromede:</HI> It tels me that the Gods them&s;elves were &s;en&s;ible of it; And that it is never idle, but in the hearts of &s;luggi&s;h &s;pirits; yet mo&s;t agile in the &s;ouls of them who are truly generous. In conclu&s;ion of all, it tels me, That &s;ince <HI>Mandana</HI> is the Faire&s;t, and mo&s;t ab&s;olute Beauty in the world, I am excu&s;able if I love her: And that though perhaps I &s;hall not be much commended for it, yet it a&s;&s;ures me, I &s;hall not be much blamed; Follow on then <HI>Artamenes,</HI> pur&s;ue thy humour which thus tran&s;ports thee; and make no more re&s;i&s;tance again&s;t a Fair enemy, whom thou can&s;t not vanqui&s;h, or if thou did&s;t, would repent it. After the agitations and to&s;&s;ings of this vio|lent and noble &s;pirit, the Prince began to mend his pace; <HI>Feraulas</HI> and I followed, but found him &s;o altered, that we began to wonder; &s;uch a &s;orrow &s;added his eyes, and all his ge&s;tures were &s;o turbulent and di&s;ordered, that I began to undertake him, and &s;aid; Sir, I cannot un|der&s;tand, from whence all this melancholy can proceed which thus di&s;compo&s;es your face: for though the&s;e Sacrifices for your death, I know, cannot be plea&s;ing to you; yet me thinks, &s;uch a &s;oul as yours &s;hould contemn, and not permit them to trouble you: you I &s;ay, who have been taken for dead more then once, and in a more ga&s;tly manner, You have rea&s;on <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he to me,) to think that this publike thanks is not the cau&s;e of my grief; for I a&s;&s;ure you, that as &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> does revive again, this fal&s;e joy of his enemies &s;hall be tur|ned into &s;orrow. But <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> there is another cau&s;e, which I would tell you if I had but confidence enough; for I do confe&s;s your wi&s;dome makes me fearfull to reveal it: Sir (&s;aid I to him) one of your age had need be wi&s;e to judge of the wi&s;dome of another: This wi&s;|dome whereof you &s;peak, knowes no cau&s;es of any fear you &s;hould have, but &s;hall think him|&s;elf honoured whe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> you &s;hall impart any &s;ecrets unto him. I know not &s;aid <HI>Artamenes</HI> whether or no I &s;hould tell you that&mdash;at the&s;e words <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;topt, and could not for his heart go any further; but not being able to expre&s;&s;e him&s;elf he blu&s;ht, and &s;igh'd, and &s;mil'd; at la&s;t looking me in the face he &s;aid, Do you not gue&s;&s;e my Dear <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> at what I dare not tell you, and for which I fear you will chide me, when you know it? When I heard him &s;ay thus, the zeal he u&s;ed in the Temple, and his eyeing the Prince&s;s, made me con|clude he was in Love: And remembring what I &s;aid unto him, at his fir&s;t entrance into the Temple; I &s;aid unto him, Is it not, that <HI>Venus</HI> has a minde to be revenged on you for taking <HI>Mars</HI> his part &s;o much again&s;t her? I &s;aid this unto him in a laughing and jea&s;ting man|ner, &s;uppo&s;ing that this humour might chance be but a peece of Gallantry, and a light Phan&s;ie which might ea&s;ily be blown over: But alas, <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who asked me the que&s;tion more in earne&s;t, an&s;wered me in &s;uch a tone, as I &s;aw it mu&s;t be no common remedy that could cure his di&s;ea&s;e. But after he had fully opened him&s;elf, and told me all, I contributed all I could to divert his thoughts and di&s;&s;wade him;
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I urged the little rea&s;on he had to love &s;o violently, and the impo&s;&s;ibility of ever being belo|ved again: for Sir (&s;aid I to him) if you appear as <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the Prince&s;s will be &s;o far from loving, that &s;he will hate you, and <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> will be &s;ure to load you with fetters at the lea&s;t: on the other &s;ide, if you court her as bare <HI>Artamenes,</HI> what hopes can you ever have from <HI>Mandana?</HI> Can a poor &s;imple Knight pretend unto the Daughter of a great King? A Prin|ce&s;s who is lookt upon as the &s;ole Succe&s;&s;or unto the Crowns of <HI>Medea, Cappadocia, Galatia,</HI> and <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> al&s;o? for &s;ince they think you dead, <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> and <HI>Ciaxares</HI> will doubtle&s;&s;e pre|pare them&s;elves to u&s;urp it, if <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> die fir&s;t; And though they both know that the King|dom of <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> is elective, yet &s;ince it hath continued &s;ucce&s;&s;ive in the illu&s;trious Line of <HI>Per|&s;ides,</HI> ever &s;ince his time, they will now pretend it ought to be &s;o &s;till; Recollect your &s;elf therefore Sir; be a man, and a&s;&s;ume your Rea&s;on: Ca&s;t not your &s;elf away frivolou&s;ly: Hath the gods de&s;ign'd you for &s;uch high things, and mu&s;t you dream away your time in Love? What would you have me do (&s;aid the Prince) I have not rendred my &s;elf captive with fight; I have con&s;ulted and argued with my &s;elf as much as you can, and produced as many rea&s;ons: therefore <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> I cannot promi&s;e to cure my &s;elf upon a &s;udden, there mu&s;t be time for it: therefore urge me no more to depart from hence, but give me time to con&s;ider: Sir, Replied I, Love is a di&s;ea&s;e who&s;e venome is contagious, and of a nature &s;o malignant and &s;ubtle, that one cannot too &s;oon fly from the place infected: Tho&s;e who are already infected, do carry the Di&s;ea&s;e with them (replied the Prince) although they do change Air; therefore pre&s;&s;e me no more to depart I conjure you, unle&s;&s;e you intend to make the Di&s;ea&s;e wor&s;e. But (&s;aid I) if you &s;hould chance to be di&s;covered, your Ruine were mo&s;t certain. It would be more certain (an&s;wered he) if I &s;hould depart, therefore pray let us &s;ubmit to Fortune, and talk no more of it; The Prince &s;poke to me in &s;uch a manner as it was apparent he de&s;ired I &s;hould have &s;ome indulgence towards him, &s;o that I was glad the Ship was not trim'd up; The next morning <HI>Artamenes</HI> went again to the Temple of <HI>Mars,</HI> pretending to inform him&s;elf of &s;ome particulars concerning the Country: but indeed his de&s;ign was to finde out &s;ome Subjects, to &s;peak concerning the Prince&s;s: He fell into Di&s;|cour&s;e with one of the Sacrificers, whom he found to be a man of good ingenuity; he asked this Prie&s;t a thou&s;and Que&s;tions, before he could hand&s;omely bring in <HI>Mandana:</HI> at la&s;t the asked him, whether <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had any more Children be&s;ides this Prince&s;s his Daughter? No, &s;aid the Prie&s;t, And it is very &s;trange, for the people were wont to affect a King rather then a Queen, but now they have left off that humour; for &s;ince this Prince&s;s came at age of di&s;|cretion, her beauty, and her vertue hath &s;o dazled the eyes of all, that they will not change the Queen for any King. <HI>Artamenes</HI> was ravi&s;ht to hear the Prie&s;t &s;ay &s;o, and &s;aid unto him, if the beauty of her &s;oul were like to that of her body, doubtle&s;&s;e then &s;he de&s;erved that good opinion; Yes, yes, (an&s;wered the Prie&s;t) a thou&s;and times more excellent and more vertuous then either you or I can imagin: for &s;he is wondrous fair without vanity or affe|ctation; &s;he &s;its in a Throne without pride, and con&s;iders the misfortunes of poor men with compa&s;&s;ion, and her bounty doth often relieve them: Tho&s;e who have the honour to be more about her then I have, do &s;ay, that &s;he is of a mo&s;t winning conver&s;ation: As for my &s;elf I cannot &s;peak of her but with thoughts of that Piety which &s;he expre&s;&s;eth towards the gods: I can a&s;&s;ure you Sir there is none more religious and vertuous then &s;he, nor of great|er wi&s;edom and knowledge in all things that a humane &s;oul is capable of: In a word (added the Prie&s;t) &s;he is the honour of her Sex, and a &s;hame unto ours. I leave you to judge Sir, whether the Amorous <HI>Artamenes</HI> was not in an exta&s;ie of joy, that he was not deceived in her; and whether or no this did augment his Pa&s;&s;ion; He lookt upon me all the time of this Di&s;cour&s;e, and was glad he had found &s;o good an excu&s;e for his weakne&s;&s;e: He lengthened the plea&s;ant Di&s;cour&s;e as much as he could, and asked the Prie&s;t if &s;he came often unto the Temple? When &s;he was at <HI>Sinope</HI> (an&s;wered he) &s;he came hither almo&s;t every day. And where ere &s;he is, &s;he will come one day in a year with the King, to render thanks unto the gods for the death of a young Prince, who if he had lived had u&s;urp'd all <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> Then &s;he hates his memory (&s;aid <HI>Artamenes</HI> blu&s;hing and interrupting him) and is very glad of that mans death, who would have hindred her from being Queen of &s;o many Kingdoms? I never di&s;covered any thoughts of hate in her (&s;aid the Prie&s;t) and I beleeve her too good to carry malice to the grave, or to hate the man &s;he never knew, e&s;pecially &s;uch a one as he whom report &s;peaks to have been rarely accompl&s;hed; &s;he knows it her religious duty to take both the good and the bad which the hand of heaven doth give with an equall Thanks; and &s;ince &s;he knows that Conquerors and U&s;urpers cannot act their de&s;igns but by the permi&s;&s;i|on of the gods, who makes them only In&s;trumental to cha&s;ti&s;e tho&s;e whom it is their plea&s;ure
<PB N="53" REF="29">
to di&s;throne; therefore I &s;uppo&s;e her joy proceeds from her knowledge that the gods are appea&s;ed by the death of that young Prince who&s;e life did portend de&s;truction to us, but then this Joy is &s;o moderate, and &s;weetly tempered without the lea&s;t ingredient of hate or anger, that her &s;oul keeps hell within her limits and without di&s;ordered pa&s;&s;ion. To thank the gods for the death of a man, con&s;idering him &s;imply as a man, were impious and &s;acrilegious rather then any devotion: and neither the King nor the Prince&s;s, nor any of the Magi are &s;o ill in&s;tructed in Divinity: But to render thanks for the death of Tyrants and U&s;urpers, who would pull down Thrones, and depopulate Kingdoms, is an act both of ju&s;tice and pi|ety, which doth not contradict the Rules of Religion, humanity or ju&s;tice: <HI>Artamenes</HI> did hearken unto this Di&s;cour&s;e with &s;uch different re&s;entments, as indeed I pitied him: &s;ome|times he was all joy, and &s;ometimes all &s;orrow; now in hope, then pre&s;ently in de&s;pair: but however he thought it a great happine&s;&s;e to hear that <HI>Mandana</HI> was owner of as much ver|tue and wi&s;edom as he &s;aw &s;he was of Beauty: Mean time, this Prie&s;t liked <HI>Artamenes</HI> very well, and &s;aid thus unto him: Friendly Stranger, If you de&s;ire to &s;ee our &s;tately Ceremo|nies, Come hither three daies hence, for tho&s;e which we &s;hall then celebrate, will be much more magnificent and &s;umptuous then the&s;e which you have now &s;een. <HI>Artamenes</HI> thanked him, and de&s;ired to know the end and rea&s;on of them; to whom the Prie&s;t an&s;wered, that there was a Prince and Neighbour unto <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> called the King of <HI>Pont</HI> and <HI>Bythinia:</HI> This Prince being in Love with <HI>Mandana,</HI> had &s;ent his Emba&s;&s;adours unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to de|mand her in marriage; <HI>Artamenes</HI> being much moved at this, interrupted, and asked him, Whether this Ceremony was for the Marriage of the Prince&s;s? No, no, an&s;wered the Prie&s;t, for we do ob&s;erve the cu&s;tom of the <HI>A&s;&s;irians,</HI> who were our ancient Lords, that when a Prin|ce&s;s mu&s;t &s;ucceed unto the Kingdom, &s;he cannot by this Cu&s;tom marry a &s;tranger: and therefore <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had refu&s;ed the King of <HI>Pont;</HI> who being not content with this an&s;wer, nor able to help his pa&s;&s;ion to the Prince&s;s, hath confederated with the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and declared War again&s;t the King of <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> &s;o that their Army being ready to march, the King and Prince&s;s come at the time I told you, to &s;upplicate the Gods, e&s;pecially him to whom this Temple is dedicated, that he would be plea&s;ed to pro&s;per their Proceedings, and a&s;&s;i&s;t them in &s;o ju&s;t a War, which maintains the fundamental Law of their Land: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed with different Apprehen&s;ions, as he had no minde to ask any more que|&s;tions, but after he had in few words given many thanks, he civilly took his leave; and as he was fully re&s;olved, not to hide any of his thoughts from either <HI>Feraulas</HI> or me, becau&s;e he could receive no a&s;&s;i&s;tance but from us; &s;o, as &s;oon as he had opportunity he &s;aid thus un|to us; Was ever &s;uch conceited Fortune as mine? are the Gods re&s;olved I &s;hould be tor|mented with two violent Pa&s;&s;ions at one time? I am no &s;ooner in Love, but I am Jealous al|&s;o; I no &s;ooner &s;aw her Beauty and her Wi&s;dome, but I under&s;tand how it has captivated the heart of a Prince, and that an excellent Prince, whom only one bare Cu&s;tom of the <HI>Cap|padocians</HI> has cau&s;ed to be rejected, and nothing el&s;e: Who knows, whether the Prince&s;s does not in her heart di&s;allow of this Cu&s;tom? and whether I do not Love one who&s;e &s;oul is already be&s;towed? Alas, alas, this Cu&s;tomary Law, which makes &s;omething wor&s;e for the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> makes me de&s;pair: For as he is a &s;tranger, &s;o am I; therefore, for that rea&s;on, as al&s;o many others, I can never have any hopes of Pretence unto her. Sir, &s;aid I to him, if all the&s;e difficulties which you imagin, and which are a thou&s;and times greater then you do apprehend, would alter your re&s;olutions, I &s;hould with all my heart con&s;ent unto it: but &s;ince I cannot, yet do not (I be&s;eech) you contend with mon&s;ters, and almo&s;t impo&s;&s;ibilities: No, no, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (an&s;wered he,) never hope to make me give over my de&s;ign; e&s;pecially now, &s;ince I can &s;atisfie my de&s;ires of Glory, and my Pa&s;&s;ions for <HI>Mandana</HI> both together: And &s;ince I finde a War in <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> why &s;hould I go &s;eek it at <HI>Ephe&s;us?</HI> But Sir, &s;aid I to him, If you &s;hould chance be di&s;covered, in what danger are you then? It is not the con|&s;ideration of any danger (replied he) that can alter me; but I ought, on the contrary, to &s;eek after dangerous enterpri&s;es: and to give you full &s;atisfaction, know, that I am ab&s;olutely re|&s;olved to carry my &s;elf &s;o Gallantly in this War, under the Notion of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> as that <HI>Cy|rus</HI> may without danger come out of his Tombe afterwards. Sir, &s;aid I to him; all this while the King your Father and the Queen your Mother, do think you dead, and doubtle&s;s are in|finitely troubled at it; it is a piece of inhumanity to &s;uffer them continue in it: Why &s;hould not you think (as I do, &s;aid the Prince,) that this report of my death, is nothing but a device of my Mothers, to divert <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> from &s;eeking me? and that &s;he hath acquainted the King my Father with his cruelty, &s;o that this fal&s;e news is di&s;per&s;ed by his con&s;ent, and hath &s;ent it to <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> as true; &s;o that <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> your rea&s;ons are too weak to convince me, or make
<PB N="54" REF="30">
me alter my re&s;olutions: Indeed, I did finde &s;ome probability in what the Prince had &s;aid, not imagining, how any other way, this report of &s;hipwrack &s;hould ari&s;e: But yet notwith|&s;tanding, I fell afre&s;h to per&s;wade him from his Pa&s;&s;ion: to fly from that Court which was &s;o full of danger to him; and to give intelligence of his being alive, unto the King his Father and Queen his Mother; But as to the fir&s;t of the&s;e, I might as well have bid him do a thing ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible: As to the &s;econd; as no danger could di&s;may his &s;oul, &s;o he told me, that my rea&s;ons were not good, but that I gave them becau&s;e I had no better: And as to the la&s;t, Know, &s;aid he, <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hall never be known unto the King of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> until <HI>Artamenes</HI> has rendred him&s;elf famous throughout all <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> yes <HI>Chri&s;antes, Astiages</HI> &s;hall e&s;teem of <HI>Artamenes, Ciaxares</HI> &s;hall favour him, the King of <HI>Pont</HI> &s;hall fear him, and <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hall Love him; otherwi&s;e he &s;hall &s;leep in the Tombe with <HI>Cyrus:</HI> and he had rather die in earne&s;t, then not fully &s;atisfie his de&s;ires of Glory, and al&s;o his Affection which he owes unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cappadocia.</HI> Sir, &s;aid I to him, for my part I cannot yeeld unto Pa&s;&s;ion, or con&s;ent unto the opinion of a man who&s;e Rea&s;on is prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed and partial, un|les I &s;hould render my own &s;u&s;pected: Thus we parted, and he went unto <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who be|ing younger then I, was not &s;o cro&s;s unto him in his de&s;ign, and therefore better plea&s;ing. I began to contemplate and weigh what cour&s;e to take was be&s;t, in a bu&s;ine&s;s of &s;uch intricacy and danger: As for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> it were a needle&s;s que&s;tion to ask how he entertain'd him&s;elf with <HI>Feraulas,</HI> for you may be &s;ure <HI>Mandana</HI> was all their di&s;cour&s;e. <HI>Artamenes</HI> asked him, if &s;he were not the mo&s;t perfect Beauty in the world? and as he an&s;wered that all <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> had not one comparable to her; that's not enough (replied the Prince:) but tell me, that all <HI>Greece,</HI> where the faire&s;t women in the world are, has not one who by a thou&s;and degrees comes neer her;) and &s;ay, that the famous Image of <HI>Venus,</HI> which we &s;aw at <HI>Cyprus,</HI> who char|med all that came near, was illfavoured in compari&s;on of the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> &s;o much does &s;he tran&s;cend all the Beauties of the world! Perhaps Sir, I have in&s;i&s;ted longer then was &s;it upon the Pa&s;&s;ions of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and their effects, but I was con&s;trained to &s;uffer that evil which I could not prevent, and to endure that which I could not help. Mean while, the day of Sacrifice, of which we &s;pake before, approached, <HI>Artamenes</HI> mu&s;t be there, and more ha&s;ty then any of the Sacrificers, for he was there before any doors were opened: But for all his earne&s;tne&s;s, we found the young Stranger, which we met withall in the Temple, before us, who al&s;o waited for the opening of the gates: My Ma&s;ter, though he knew no rea&s;on for it, yet had &s;ome &s;ecret odd thoughts of him, finding him there, and more forward then him&s;elf; and though out of his civility he could not chu&s;e but &s;peak unto him, yet he did it in &s;uch a manner, as partly di&s;covered his anger, and made me wonder, for there was never a &s;weeter and more complacential &s;pirit in the world then his; yet I found by his words as well as by his tone, that this young Stranger did not plea&s;e him: Certainly (&s;aid he to him, in meeting with him,) you are either very full of Devotion, or very full of Curio&s;ity, that you come thus early, to &s;ee a Ceremony, wherein on my con&s;cience you have no great Intere&s;t, and which cannot afford you any Novelty &s;ince you have already &s;een them: I may &s;ay the &s;ame to you (an&s;wered the young Stranger) &s;ince I finde you as forward as my &s;elf; but I will confe&s;s to you, that I &s;aw &s;uch delectable &s;ights in the Temple, the la&s;t time I met you here, that I could not chu&s;e but come again. I would gladly know (replied <HI>Artamenes</HI> very &s;harply) which was the mo&s;t delectable &s;ight you found in the Ceremony; whether the Ornaments of the Temple? the abundance of Victims? the co&s;tline&s;s of the &s;acred Ve&s;t|ments? or the function of Prie&s;ts? the confluence of People? the Maje&s;ty of the Prince? the Magnificence of the Court? or the Beauty of the Prince&s;s? It might be all the&s;e (an|&s;wered the &s;ociable Stranger:) but if I be not deceived, you your &s;elf can gue&s;&s;e, which a|mong them was the faire&s;t object. Since I beleeve we are of &s;everal Countreys (replied my Ma&s;ter) we may perhaps differ in our opinions, and therein al&s;o be &s;everal; and that which is fair to me, may chance not be &s;o to you; The <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> delight mo&s;t in their Temples; the <HI>Serthians</HI> in their Hou&s;es; the <HI>Graecians</HI> immortalize them&s;elves by their Statues; the <HI>A&s;|&s;trians</HI> and Medes, in their magnificent Palaces: &s;o every one has his Phan&s;ie for his rea|&s;on, and thinks nothing fair but what complies with his own humour, and carries with it the Cu&s;tom of his Nation: Yet, replied the Stranger, there be &s;ome univer&s;al general Beati|tudes, which plea&s;e and hit the Phan&s;ie of all Nations; the Sun delights the whole world; Diamonds &s;parkle in all eyes; and al&s;o many Perfections there are which are beautifull to all men upon earth. This di&s;cour&s;e, though it was very general, yet it did not plea&s;e <HI>Arta|menes;</HI> and I am per&s;waded, that if one of the Sacrificers had not come to open the doors of the Temple, this di&s;cour&s;e had not ended &s;o civilly as it begun; for indeed <HI>Artamenes</HI> har|boured
<PB N="55" REF="30">
a great di&s;like of him, although he had but few his equal in point of han&s;ome beha|viour: The door of the Temple was no &s;ooner open, but pre&s;ently they parted, and <HI>Artame|nes</HI> &s;hunned conver&s;e or meeting with him as much as he could, but mingled among&s;t the company which came into the Temple. Indeed this Sacrifice was much more magnificent then the la&s;t; for as the People are always more forward to pray unto the Gods for deli|verance from future misfortunes, then to thank them for any benefit pa&s;t; &s;o now there were many more multitudes of men, then before, more Ceremonies u&s;ed, the Victims bet|ter adorned; and every thing more delightfull to the eye: the Prince&s;s al&s;o was more beau|tifull in the eyes of Amorous <HI>Artamenes</HI> then the fir&s;t time he &s;aw her: And as Love is al|ways ingenious in conceipt, &s;o my Ma&s;ter thought <HI>Mandana</HI> prayd unto the Gods with more fervency and zeal then &s;he did before: This joy'd him much, and made for his advantage, that &s;he &s;hould be more earne&s;t with the Gods, for his good &s;ucce&s;s in War, then &s;he was in thanking them for his death: But immediatly his Joy turn'd it &s;elf into a contrary Pa&s;&s;ion; for, Who knows, &s;aid he, whether or no &s;he prays for my Rival? and whether the inward de|votion of heart do not contradict the outward expre&s;&s;ion of her lips? Perhaps &s;he prays more for the King of <HI>Pont</HI> then for the King of <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> and that the happy &s;ucce&s;s of her affection to that Prince, is the happy &s;ucce&s;s of the War that &s;he prays for? But what am I thinking, mad man that I am? &s;aid he to him&s;elf? I am offending again&s;t a Prince&s;s who&s;e Vertue is without blemi&s;h, and who&s;e Soul is &s;o &s;weetly calm, that it cannot be po&s;|&s;e&s;t with any Pa&s;&s;ion: I &s;ee it by her eyes, and judge it by her motions, and haply I may finde her heart not &s;o &s;tony in&s;en&s;ible of Love? In &s;hort Sir, not to abu&s;e your Patience; This &s;econd view did confirm what the fir&s;t begun; and one Pa&s;&s;age chanced which did much augment his Pa&s;&s;ion, which was this; The Sacrifice being ended, the Prince&s;s did not go out of the Temple &s;o &s;oon as the re&s;t, but &s;tayed at her private Prayers after the King: The People, knowing her cu&s;tom, retired, and left her at her devotion: <HI>Arta|menes</HI> did not &s;o, for he went not out as long as &s;he &s;tayed: The young &s;tranger was no forwarder to go out then he, but &s;tood alwayes before <HI>Mandana:</HI> The Sacrificer, with whom my Ma&s;ter had di&s;cour&s;ed three days &s;ince, found him out among the pre&s;&s;e; and being wil|ling to do him any favour as a &s;tranger who travelled out of Curio&s;ity, and as a man who&s;e deportment and conver&s;e had much plea&s;ed him; he came unto him, and told him in a low voice, that if he would have a little patience, he might hear the Prince&s;s &s;peak as &s;he went out of the Temple, for (&s;aid he) I have a Petition unto her. <HI>Artamenes</HI> being much ravi&s;hed with this happy accident, thanked him very civilly for his kinde offer, and prepared him&s;elf for this happine&s;&s;e which he did not &s;o &s;oon expect. The young &s;tranger over-hearing this, pre&s;&s;ed after very boldly. The Prince&s;s being ready to depart, as &s;he was at the gate of the Temple, the Sacrificer went unto her, my Ma&s;ter following him, and the young &s;tranger fol|lowing both; The Prie&s;t did mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech her that &s;he would be plea&s;ed to mediate unto the King her Father, that during the&s;e en&s;uing wars, he would have a care for the pre|&s;ervation of the Temples: For Madam (&s;aid he) the gods are the gods of all Nations; <HI>Cap|padocia</HI> hath Altars as well as the King of <HI>Pont;</HI> and as victory inclines unto one &s;ide, enemies mu&s;t not be taught how to commit Sacrilege, nor by example of others draw upon them&s;elvs the anger of incen&s;ed gods. The Prince&s;s conceiving his de&s;ire ju&s;t, did thank the Prie&s;t, and a&s;&s;ured him, &s;he would have a particular care that no di&s;order in the Temples &s;hould be u|&s;ed, as heretofore had been in the war between the Scythians in <HI>Medea</HI> and <HI>A&s;&s;iria;</HI> And that &s;he would move her father to it in the be&s;t manner &s;he could. But Grave <HI>Thiamis</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to him, for that was his Name) Be you &s;ure to pray unto the gods for Peace, which is the be&s;t way to pre&s;erve your Temples; for my part I &s;hall not be at re&s;t as long as the war la&s;ts; and I confe&s;s, that I prefer a peace before a victory: Therefore pray unce&s;&s;antly unto the gods that they would be plea&s;ed to change the heart of the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> and that they would direct the heart of the King my Father to preferre the &s;afety of his Sub|jects in generall before his particular glory: After the&s;e words the Prince&s;s went away, and left <HI>Artamenes</HI> in a wonder at her beauty and wi&s;edom; For though &s;he had &s;poken little, yet he found much purity of expre&s;&s;ion, much &s;pirit, much complacence and goodne&s;&s;e in the &s;en&s;e of her words. In &s;hort Sir, the &s;tate of <HI>Artamenes</HI> was incurable: and though I had been able to have ea&s;ed him, yet he would not hear me; But when we were returned to the Town, and I had con&s;idered the matter more &s;eriou&s;ly, I found no &s;uch great danger in it, as at the fir&s;t I did apprehend: for who knows (thought I) whether it be not the plea&s;ure of the gods by this innocent way, in &s;pight of all the prudence of <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> and all his fears, to bring <HI>Artamenes</HI> unto the <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> Crown, and to make him Lord of all <HI>A&s;ia?</HI> Can it be i|magined
<PB N="56" REF="31">
that the Divine Powers who never act again&s;t rea&s;on, have fore&s;hewed all the&s;e prodigious portents unto the Magi concerning <HI>Cyrus</HI> in vain? Did they not expo&s;e him to the danger of being devoured by Lions and Tigers? yet did they not miraculou&s;ly &s;ave him? Have they not mo&s;t divinely accompli&s;hed him? Have they not infu&s;ed great thoughts and inclinations into him? and Have they not conducted him through &s;everal Nations without a &s;top? Did they not pre&s;erve him from the danger of that cruel combat with the Pirate? Did they not bring him by Tempe&s;t amid&s;t his enemies, and landed him at <HI>Sinope?</HI> Did they not bring him in the nick of time to be a Spectator when a &s;acrifice of thanks was offering for his death? Have not the gods ca&s;t him into love of her who offered it? Have they done all the&s;e wonderful things (I &s;ay) to de&s;troy him? no no, It is impo&s;&s;ible: Had not the gods de&s;tin'd him unto &s;ome greater Fortune, they would have &s;uffered him to peri&s;h by Tygers and wilde bea&s;ts in the hou&s;e of <HI>Mithridates,</HI> or have let him peri&s;h at Sea, or kil'd him in &s;ome civil combat, or el&s;e this Port on which we were blown might have been a Rock. Moreover, I conceived it impo&s;&s;ible that <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould ever be taken for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> becau&s;e the <HI>Cappadocians</HI> do &s;eldome or never come into <HI>Per&s;ia:</HI> I remember that the la&s;t time <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent thither, his Emba&s;&s;adour was a <HI>Medean;</HI> and I know when he returned he came not to this Court, but went unto <HI>Ecbatan;</HI> &s;o that of all the places in the world which I can think of, this Court &s;eems to be lea&s;t dangerous for him: I cannot imagine which way <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> can come to know that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is <HI>Cyrus,</HI> or if he &s;hould, it may well be thought he would not treat that Prince ill, who is in Arms for the intere&s;t of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his &s;on; nei|ther can it be thought that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> will &s;o much di&s;honour him&s;elf as to be &s;o full of fears as his father. Whereas if he were in any other Court, or if he &s;hould be di&s;covered in that other Court, then <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> would &s;uppo&s;e him to be cajolling and inciting his enemies again&s;t him, and would contrive all po&s;&s;ible waies to de&s;troy him. As long as <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> lives, <HI>Cyrus</HI> cannot be more &s;afe then in the <HI>Cappadocian</HI> Army; &s;ince the beginning of his Travels he is more changed then can be credited, &s;o that it will be very difficult for tho&s;e who &s;aw him at <HI>Ecbatan</HI> to know him again: or for tho&s;e who &s;aw him &s;ince in <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> for then he was very young and very little. 'Tis true, <HI>Feraulas</HI> and I, who lived in &s;ome con&s;iderable rank at <HI>Per|&s;ipolis</HI> may chance come to be known; But we can ea&s;ily put it off by &s;aying that we chan|ged Ma&s;ters after the &s;hipwrack of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> Be&s;ides all this; may not Fortune be tru&s;ted with any thing? Moreover, who knows but that Love is the only nece&s;&s;ary Pa&s;&s;ion whereby to attain unto glory? Ambition in &s;o young a heart as his cannot retain its violent and har&s;h de&s;ires &s;o long, as to adde victory unto victory: yet &s;ince the Genius of this age is &s;o much devoted unto plea&s;ures, there is not a more delectable humour in the world to make the mo&s;t rugged and difficult things &s;eem fea&s;ible and ea&s;ie, then Love: Moreover, &s;ince <HI>Artamenes</HI> is &s;o amiable and extraordinary hand&s;ome, who knows but the Prince&s;s may love him as well as he loves her? And it may be certainly concluded that &s;ince he is hated unknown, he will never be loved if he were known to be <HI>Cyrus.</HI> The&s;e rea&s;ons Sir moved me to give &s;ome &s;a|tisfaction unto my Dear Ma&s;ter: yet becau&s;e I would not tru&s;t only unto my own rea&s;on in a bu&s;ine&s;s of this importance, I cau&s;ed a Sacrifice the next day to be offered unto the gods, that they would be plea&s;ed to in&s;pire me with knowledge how to tran&s;act in &s;o nice a bu&s;i|ne&s;s. After the offering I found my &s;elf &s;o &s;trongly confirmed in my re&s;olutions to comply with <HI>Artamenes</HI> in his amorous de&s;ign, as I thought it would be to oppo&s;e the order of hea|vens, if I &s;hould cro&s;s him in his affection any more. Thus Humane Prudence which is but a blinde directer in future things, moved me to con&s;ent unto a De&s;ign which hath ca&s;t my dear Ma&s;ter into that danger wherein now you finde him: I did not yeeld unto him upon a &s;ud|den, but by degrees, and &s;eem'd to re&s;i&s;t him a little at the fir&s;t: But as &s;oon as I gave my con&s;ent that he &s;hould endeavour to make him&s;elf eminent in the war in which he had enga|ged him&s;elf, our bu&s;ine&s;s was only to appear in an Equipage befitting men of &s;ome quali|ty: We had yet Jewels &s;ufficient to carry it out, and many more then we &s;tood in need of; &s;o that the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e being fully re&s;olved upon, he writ a Civil Letter unto <HI>Periander,</HI> and commanded the Ship to make for <HI>Corinth,</HI> and to pre&s;ent that Ship and Letter unto that Fa|mous Greek in lieu of his own which was gravelled upon the Sands in the la&s;t Sea combate. While&s;t the King and Prince&s;s &s;taid at <HI>Sinope, Artamenes</HI> &s;aw them very often; and though he had &s;everal opportunities of being made known unto them, yet he refu&s;ed them all, being re&s;olved to do it in a more glorious way then &s;o: Mean while, all preparations for the war goes on, and news is brought every day that the King of <HI>Pont</HI> and the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> were forward on their march towards <HI>Galatia. Ciaxares</HI> to prevent them draws &s;peedily to the general Rendezvous, endeavouring as much as he could to enter into <HI>Bithinia,</HI> and carry
<PB N="57" REF="31">
the war nearer his enemies Countrey: And &s;ince the Prince&s;s his Daughter was the cau&s;e of the war, therefore fearing le&s;t the enemy might attempt upon her per&s;on in his ab&s;ence, he would have her follow unto a Town called <HI>Anigres,</HI> which was not far from that place where he re&s;olved to enter the enemies Countrey: Mean while, <HI>Artamenes</HI> furni&s;heth him|&s;elf with &s;uch nece&s;&s;aries as are fit, to wit, Arms, Hor&s;es, and Tents: He often met with the young Stranger which he had &s;een in the Temple of <HI>Mars:</HI> And the &s;ame man which &s;old Arms unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;old al&s;o unto <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> for that was the Name which that Stran|ger owned; &s;o that meeting together in this place they both of them knew that one and the &s;ame de&s;ire of glory and honour did enflame their &s;ouls to engage in this warre; and were both of them but a little &s;atisfied with one another; But not to in&s;i&s;t Sir upon any thing which is not ab&s;olutely pertinent unto the Story; we come to the Rendezvous: the King viewed his Troops, and we marched towards the enemy: <HI>Artamenes</HI> with &s;orrow &s;aw the Prince&s;s go to <HI>Anigres</HI> with two thou&s;and men for her Convoy and Guard: But &s;ince it was his de&s;tiny to endure all that love could call rigorous, he re&s;olved to comfort up him&s;elf in her ab&s;ence with hopes of Victory and Return: My Ma&s;ter ranked him&s;elf in the Squadron of Voluntiers, as well to encamp and fight near the Kings per&s;on, as becau&s;e in tho&s;e Troops which had no particular Captain, nor obeyed any orders but the Generals, he might more ea&s;ily conceal him&s;elf, and al&s;o becau&s;e they who de&s;ired to make them&s;elves eminent by any notable, might there finde the be&s;t opportunities. The Army of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> con&s;i&s;ted of forty thou&s;and men, that of the Enemy of fifty thou&s;and. I will not trouble you with relating how many of them were Archers, How many were Darters, nor how many Hor&s;e, or how many Foot, &s;ince it is not pertinent to my Di&s;cour&s;e; and &s;ince I have &s;o many Combats and Bat|tels to relate, it is not requi&s;ite to in&s;i&s;t upon that: For my intention is not to compo&s;e the Hi&s;tory of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> it is the Hi&s;tory of <HI>Artamenes</HI> only which I rehear&s;e: Let me there|fore only tell you, that when the&s;e two Armies fir&s;t faced one another, I never in my life &s;aw <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;o plea&s;ed: He was armed that day after a very remarkable manner. His Arms were Ru&s;&s;et wrought with flames of gold; His Plume waving and reaching to the very crup|per of his Hor&s;e, was of a lively Flame colour: His Hor&s;e, according to the fa&s;hion of the Countrey was trapt with &s;tuds of &s;teel, part Ru&s;&s;et, part gilt: <HI>Artamenes</HI> carried two Lan|ces in his left hand with a Buckler upon the &s;ame Arm; Another Lance in his right hand, and a broad &s;hort Sword by his &s;ide to u&s;e in the throng of his enemies: I never &s;aw him &s;o gallant and plea&s;ant in my life; And though the <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> were never much commended for good hor&s;eman&s;hip, yet he managed his with &s;uch a quick facility, and &s;ate him in &s;o brave a po&s;ture, and with &s;o fine a grace, as he did attract the eyes of all men upon him. The Ar|mies being both ready to fall on, and charge &s;ounded on both &s;ides, <HI>Artamenes</HI> who was pla|ced in the fir&s;t rank, no &s;ooner &s;aw a &s;quadron vapor, but he was gone in an in&s;tant like a Thunderbolt above a hundred paces before the re&s;t, and fell upon the Enemy with &s;uch a fury as he di&s;ordered them, broke their Ranks, and &s;truck terror and death into their Army. After the fatal Clouds of Arrows which darkened the Air and fell upon both Armies, were di&s;pelled, and that they came to hand blows, <HI>Artamenes</HI> then performed &s;uch Acts as &s;ur|pa&s;&s;ed all imagination: His three Lances held three of the enemies brave&s;t men; and when he drew his Sword, wo betide him that &s;tood in his way, and death to him that dur&s;t encoun|ter: He looked every where for the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> and de&s;ired to have a bout with him, but could not finde him, for happ would have it &s;o, that while&s;t he was on one &s;ide of the Army, the King of <HI>Pont</HI> was on the other: and though his valour broke all their ranks, &s;quandred their &s;quadrons, and nothing could re&s;i&s;t his valour, yet he was not &s;atisfied, and thought nothing eminent enough unle&s;&s;e he either held or took the King of <HI>Pont</HI> Pri&s;oner: His cou|rage was much exa&s;perated when he &s;aw <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> amid&s;t the thick of the confu&s;ed fight, and ob&s;erved him as valiant a man as the world had: his valour won him the e&s;teem, emula|tion, and admiration of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> when he &s;aw none fight like him; &s;o that ob&s;erving each other with a brave emulous eye, they &s;trive to &s;urmount one another; and from this time became Corrivals in Ambition and valour: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was more happy one way then <HI>Phi|lidaspes,</HI> and fortune gave him better opportunities of &s;hewing him&s;elf: For the King of <HI>Pont</HI> who thought he could not end the war better then by taking the King of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> Prl&s;oner, &s;ince for his ran&s;ome he might obtain his Daughter; he therefore kept a re&s;erve of ten thou&s;and men, the be&s;t of all his Troops, who had Orders not to fight until a certain &s;ign was given, which &s;hould be when they were informed where <HI>Ciaxares</HI> did keep his Quarter, then they to fall upon him and take him Pri&s;oner: The&s;e Orders were punctually obeyed. The King of <HI>Pont</HI> and the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> &s;eeing that the victory did poi&s;e in an
<PB N="58" REF="32" MS="y">
equall balance, and having di&s;covered the place where <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was in per&s;on, they give the &s;ignall: The ten thou&s;and men fell furiou&s;ly upon us, and put our Army into great confu|&s;ion: <HI>Artamenes</HI> had the good hap to be near the King when he was compa&s;&s;ed about and ruffly a&s;&s;aulted by his enemies: Indeed, if he had not been there at that time, beleeve it <HI>Ci|axares</HI> had not been now in a condition to keep him his Pri&s;oner, for all the world did &s;ee he had there el&s;e peri&s;hed. <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;eeing this fre&s;h &s;torm fall upon the King, took the bold|ne&s;s to come to him, and &s;aid, Sir, though I am but an unfortunate &s;tranger to you, yet if your own Subjects will but do like me, you &s;hould overcome (I warrant you) then, not &s;tay|ing for any an&s;wer from the King; Come, Come, Follow me my brave men (&s;aid he to them which were about him, trembling for fear,) If you will but take heart and follow me, I'le warrant you we will pre&s;erve the King, and yet honour enough be&s;ides. The&s;e words, and the confidence which they &s;aw in the eyes of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> did &s;o rou&s;e up their dull &s;pirits that they began to courage up: then he led them on, and charged the enemy with an unimagi|nable fury; Now &s;ince the Enemy had commands to &s;pare <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his life, and to take him pri&s;oner only, therefore they dur&s;t not fight &s;o tumultuou&s;ly le&s;t then they &s;hould per|haps kill him unawares; yet <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;lew &s;uch a Number of them though they defended them&s;elves as well as they could, that it was a wonder he was not tired with killing: But while&s;t he was in this gallant Fury he heard many cry confu&s;edly <HI>The King is taken,</HI> and im|mediatly after, <HI>The King is kil'd:</HI> At the &s;ound of the&s;e &s;ad words he turn'd about, and &s;aw a body of Hor&s;e who guarded the King whom they had taken, whether alive or dead: he made &s;traight towards them: Then animating tho&s;e <HI>Cappadocians</HI> which followed him, and &s;pying <HI>Feraulas</HI> and me, cal'd us by our Names; Come away, &s;aid he to us, Let us go and relieve the King; and let us not be le&s;s valiant in delivering him then onr enemies have been in taking him: Then we charged that body of Chivalry, in the mid&s;t of which we perceived &s;ome confu&s;ion, and as it were a fight. The Gallant <HI>Artamenes</HI> brake the ranks of the Ene|my, and gave a death to all he met; Being come to the middle of the Squadron, he &s;aw <HI>Ci|axares</HI> with &s;ome fifteen or twenty, who having got Arms in their hands, would not render them&s;elves unto tho&s;e who compa&s;&s;ed them about: And when the Enemy &s;aw that <HI>Arta|menes</HI> was like to relieve <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> there was one de&s;perate fellow among&s;t them, who thonght it was more advantagious for the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> that <HI>Ciaxaees</HI> were kil'd rather then e&s;cape: therefore he lifted up his arm which held a great Sword, to &s;trike the King upon his head, which was then bare, for he had lo&s;t his Helmet in the Combat, the buckles being bro|ken: This blow had inevitably kil'd him, if <HI>Artamenes</HI> had not &s;tept in with his Sword, and run this ra&s;h man through the heart, and made him fall at his feet, ju&s;t as the blow was fal|ling upon the Kings head: The King &s;eeing this, called him his Pre&s;erver and Deliverer: And my Ma&s;ter, thinking the like chance might hap again, took his own helmet from his head, and put it upon the Kings: Then without &s;peaking a word or lo&s;ing a minute of time, he went immediatly out again to fight, re&s;olving his buckler &s;hould defend the blows from his head: This act which was ob&s;erved both by friends and enemies, wrought different ef|fects: The King was amazed at it, and would needs give him his head-peece again; But his enemies when they &s;aw better then before the admirable beauty of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and that mar|tial di&s;po&s;ition which did &s;o ea&s;ily become him in Combat, they thought &s;ome Divinity had de&s;cended to pre&s;erve <HI>Ciaxares</HI> from his enemies, and again&s;t whom it was no boot to re&s;i&s;t; therefore their fears did encrea&s;e, and many thought their heels to be the be&s;t arms: <HI>Arta|menes</HI> followed them, and drave them upon the left wing of their own Army which put them into di&s;order, &s;o that he had ab&s;olutely defeated them if night had not been &s;o near, which hindred his pur&s;uit, and cau&s;ed both parties to retire unto their colours. <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> though he was not pre&s;ent at all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, yet did he much contribute unto the happy &s;ucce&s;s of this great Action? for it was he who kept our right wing from giving ground, and who &s;ought with the left wing of the enemy while&s;t we had our hands full in delivering the King; &s;o that if he had not beeen, we &s;hould have had the main bodies of both the Kings upon us, and then could never have been able to do as we did: And &s;o that it may truly be &s;aid it was only <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philidaspes</HI> which pre&s;erved <HI>Cappadocia</HI> at this time; yet &s;ince the art of <HI>Artamenes</HI> had the fortune to have the King for a witne&s;s, who thought it <HI>Artamenes</HI> only which &s;aved his Crown and his life, therefore he had the greater honour and better fortune: Mean while, night invites all unto their Tents, the Victory not being ab&s;olutely declared: <HI>Artamenes</HI> bethought him&s;elf of two &s;light hurts in his left Arm, which though, it did not cau&s;e him to bed: The King al&s;o received a little hurt in the hand, but we under&s;tood by one of our Souldiers who had been taken Pri&s;oner and e&s;caped, that the King of <HI>Pont</HI> had a
<PB N="59" REF="32">
con&s;iderable wound with an Arrow, and which was a cau&s;e neither &s;ide had any minde to fight again. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was no &s;ooner come into his Tent, but he &s;ent to &s;eek out his deli|verer, and to bring him thither; yet &s;ince none knew the Name of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> it was next day in the morning, before <HI>Ciaxares</HI> could &s;atisfie his extream de&s;ire to &s;a|lute and thank him for &s;aving his life: at la&s;t, my Ma&s;ter being found out, and be|ing &s;o commanded from the King, he comes unto him; but he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf with &s;uch mode&s;ty and reverence, as if he had done him no &s;ervice at all. After his fir&s;t appearance before the King, every one acco&s;ted him, and de&s;ired acquaintance: <HI>Phi|lidaspes</HI> al&s;o gave him a re&s;pective Complement for his good fortune the day before: all admired his han&s;ome pre&s;ence, and were inqui&s;itive to know the place where he was born: The King no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but he went to meet him and embrace him: After the&s;e fir&s;t welcomes, the King did commend him &s;o much, as the mode&s;ty of <HI>Artamenes</HI> could not endure it: Sir, &s;aid he to him, I have done yet &s;o little in your &s;ervice, that if I did not hope to do you more another time, I &s;hould be very much a&s;hamed of this: but if I may have the honour to continue a Souldier under your Colours, the zeal which I have unto your &s;ervice, and the examples of the&s;e gallant men, which are in the Army, will create new de&s;ires of Glory in me, and enable me to accompli&s;h it; and till I have done &s;omething worthy of them, I dare not without blu&s;hing receive &s;uch commendations from &s;uch a Prince as <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> Your mode&s;ty, an&s;wered the King, does as much a&s;toni&s;h me as your valour, it being more extraordinary to finde that grave Vertue in one &s;o young, then to fight, which is a tumultuous act, and more &s;uitable with your years. Sir (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> your Maje&s;ty mu&s;t pardon me, if I think you not Phra&s;e it aright, and call that mode&s;ty in me, which is but a bare re&s;entment of my con&s;ciou&s;ne&s;s, for &s;ince I have &s;een all the&s;e Gallant men which hear me, perform &s;uch brave Acts, and among&s;t the re&s;t (&s;aid he in &s;hewing him <HI>Philida&s;pes)</HI> this Noble &s;tranger, it would be extream boldne&s;s and vanity in me, to think I can de&s;erve any commendations for what I have done: rather I will receive them from your Maje&s;ty, as a &s;pur to quicken me up hereafter unto Gallantry, then as a recompence for what is pa&s;t. I &s;ee (an&s;wered <HI>Ciaxares,)</HI> it is a hard matter to overcome you in anything, and this makes me afraid to ask you of what Country you are, lea&s;t you &s;hould have no willing|ne&s;s to impart it: Sir (replied <HI>Artamenes,</HI> following the re&s;olution which we fixed upon when we came from <HI>Sinope,</HI> and which I forgot to tell you) I was born in that Country, where the People are from their Cradles both Wi&s;e and Valiant: and the rea&s;on why I de&s;ire to conceal it, until I have made my &s;elf worthy of it, is, lea&s;t my Actions &s;hould become a &s;hame unto it: If that be your rea&s;on (replied <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;miling) you may very well &s;atisfie my Curio&s;ity: for whether you be <HI>Greek</HI> or <HI>Per&s;ian,</HI> which in my opinion, are the two Na|tions which come neere&s;t the de&s;cription you gave of yours, or whether you be the Sonne of &s;ome great and wi&s;e King, it would be an honour unto him to have you for his Country man: <HI>Artamenes</HI> with a low reverent Conge, &s;aid unto him; Since you both commend and command me Sir, I will tell you that my birth is very Noble, and moreover that I am of that Country which is as con&s;iderable as any one upon earth: But to tell you Sir the Names of my Parents, and the particular Place where I was born, is a thing I neither can nor ought to do, having, for &s;ome rea&s;ons which would very little concern your Maje&s;ty, if you knew them, promi&s;ed, and fully re&s;olved not to make my &s;elf known until my return: therefore I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech your Maje&s;ty, command me not to di&s;cover it: And be plea&s;ed to know, that when your Maje&s;ty hath any Service to command me, he who calls him&s;elf <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> &s;hall obey you: It were mo&s;t unju&s;t (an&s;wered <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> to exact that from you, which you are not willing to impart, and I am too much indebted to you to compell you un|to any thing: See Sir, all the di&s;gui&s;e which <HI>Artamenes</HI> takes upon him; this Great and Noble Soul being exact in all Vertue, could not &s;peak the lea&s;t lie: After this, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> did treat him with all imaginable civility, and de&s;ired him to Command a thou&s;and Hor&s;e, who&s;e former Commander had been killed in the late battle: <HI>Artamenes</HI> at the fir&s;t excu&s;ed him|&s;elf, and refu&s;ed it; but afterwards, lea&s;t he &s;hould di&s;plea&s;e <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> he accepted of it; he thanked the King for the Honour, and a&s;&s;ured him that he would imploy it the be&s;t he could in his &s;ervice. And becau&s;e there was another place vacant, by the death of the former Com|mander al&s;o, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> conferred that Regiment upon <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> whom he had known lon|ger then my Ma&s;ter; for <HI>Aribees,</HI> who as I formerly &s;aid was then a favourite, had pre&s;ented him, before the coming from <HI>Sinope.</HI> The King had no &s;ooner conferred this la&s;t Honour upon <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> but <HI>Artamenes</HI> did congratulate with him, who returned him a civil Com|plement, but yet harboured within his heart many &s;parks of jealou&s;ie at all the Honours
<PB N="60" REF="33">
which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had done unto <HI>Artamenes:</HI> Mean while, <HI>Artamenes</HI> is looked upon as the Kings deliverer, and it were a crime in any one not to bid him welcome. So that as well for that re&s;pect, as becau&s;e he had a natural plea&s;ant way of attracting the hearts of all which &s;ee him, therefore he is vi&s;ited, extolled and welcomed by all the Court and all the Army: The Regiment e&s;pecially which he commanded, were beyond all expre&s;&s;ions pleas'd with him, and came to tender him their fir&s;t offers of obedience with abundance of joy: <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> and he did al&s;o vi&s;it one another; and you mu&s;t know that <HI>Philidaspes</HI> reported his Country to be <HI>Bactrian.</HI> Now &s;ince the battle was bloudy on both &s;ides, and all things in great di&s;order, therefore, neither &s;ide thought yet of any fighting again; wherefore the King being de&s;i|rous to adverti&s;e his daughter of all pa&s;&s;ages, and being plea&s;ed to honour my Ma&s;ter &s;o far as to acquaint him with his de&s;ire, commanded him to go unto <HI>Anigres,</HI> and carry his Let|ter unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> and al&s;o to acquaint her how he was alive, and pre&s;erved by his valour; the King &s;aid unto him &s;miling that a man which bore his arm in a Scarf might very well leave the Army for four daies without di&s;honour or &s;u&s;pition of being taken for a di&s;&s;ector of it, and at the de&s;ire of his friend not refu&s;e &s;uch a Commi&s;&s;ion. I leave you to judge Sir how this joyed <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and how it wrought upon his thoughts: he changed colour at The fir&s;t motion of it, and not daring to accept of it without fir&s;t refu&s;al, Sir, (&s;aid he) the hurts which makes me carry my Arm in a Scarf are &s;o &s;mall, that they will not hinder me from fighting again&s;t your Enemies, if occa&s;ion &s;hould be offered, and becau&s;e I am afraid &s;ome &s;uch opportunity may pre&s;ently pre&s;ent it &s;elf, I dare not accept of this Commi&s;|&s;ion wherewith you would honour me; No No (&s;aid <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and giving him the Letter unto the Prince&s;&s;e) do not think that we will fight without you: for you are &s;ufficiently con|vinced me, that it is ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ary to have your help before we can conquer our Ene|mies: But yet it is fit that a Prince&s;s who mu&s;t wear the Crown of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> as &s;oon as &s;he comes at that age which is appointed by the Laws, &s;hould know what &s;ervices you have done her, and that &s;he &s;hould receive the intelligence from your own mouth, to the end you may receive from hers that acknowledgement and thanks which is your due; As <HI>Artamenes</HI> was ready to an&s;wer, <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> who for &s;ome rea&s;ons which you &s;hall hereafter know, was not plea&s;ed with my Ma&s;ter, &s;hould have this Commi&s;&s;ion, addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto the King with a very comely grace, and &s;aid &s;miling unto him, If it be your Maje&s;ties plea&s;ure the Prince&s;s &s;hould be informed of all the brave acts of this gallant Stranger, I conceive that &s;ince he is &s;o mode&s;t, it is not convenient to &s;end him, becau&s;e that Mode&s;ty will rob him of that honour which is his due; therefore if your Maje&s;ty would be plea&s;ed to give me leave, I &s;hall pre&s;ent his Panegyrick unto the Prince&s;s; I, I &s;ay, who was an eye-witne&s;s of his valour, and a great admirer of it: <HI>Artamenes</HI> hearing and &s;eeing <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> &s;o forward, was afraid the King &s;hould con&s;ent unto his de&s;ire, therefore without giving the King time to an&s;wer, he &s;aid, Sir, &s;ince the acts of this Gallant Stranger who &s;peaks, are &s;o illu&s;trious, and much more then mine, it would be but ju&s;t in me to pre&s;ent them unto the Prince&s;s my &s;elf: therefore without any further oppo&s;ition unto your Maje&s;ties Commands, I will ac|cept of the honour, &s;ince there is more rea&s;on I &s;hould &s;peak his Elogie then he mine. Sir, Replied blu&s;hing <HI>Philidaspes,</HI> his going will le&s;&s;en the honour of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> but (Replied my Ma&s;ter) it &s;hall not le&s;&s;en the honour of <HI>Philidaspes.</HI> The King being much plea&s;ed with this plea&s;ant Controver&s;ie (of which you &s;hall hereafter know the cau&s;e) would be Empire in the matter, and gave this judgement betwixt them. I will (&s;aid he to <HI>Artamenes)</HI> thus far hearken unto the advice of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> as to u&s;e it as an Antidote again&s;t your too much mode&s;ty: I will therefore have <HI>Arbaces</HI> the Lieutenant of my Guard go along with you, to help out your mode&s;ty, and &s;peak aloud tho&s;e things which perhaps you will not; &s;o the King took the Letter from him, and when he had altered it gave it unto him again; <HI>Arta|menes</HI> took it with as much joy as <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> &s;aw it with anger: As I remember it was thus indited:</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="61" REF="33">
<HEAD><HI>Ciaxares</HI> King of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> and <HI>Galatia</HI> unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> his Daughter.</HEAD>
<P>HE who &s;hall give you this Letter having &s;aved my life, I thought none more fit to acquaint you with the danger wherein I was, then he who delivered me from it: And I could not de|vi&s;e a more prevalent way to cau&s;e his &s;tay amongst us then tho&s;e praiers and de&s;ires which I know you will make unto him: And becau&s;e I am acquainted with his mode&s;ty, therefore I have &s;ent <HI>Arbaces</HI> with him, that he may tell you what perhaps the modesty of the other will not permit him; for I &s;ee he hath a better faculty in extolling the valour of another then his own. In &s;hort, he hath &s;aved my life, and hath vanqui&s;hed all my Enemies, if night had not hindred his pur&s;uit. Pray unto the Gods that all my Captains may be like unto him: and though you cannot make him my Subject, endeavour at the least to make him my Friend:</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Ciaxares.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>Judge you Sir, what Joy was this unto <HI>Artamenes: Feraulas</HI> waited upon this little jour|ney, and was a witne&s;s of all pa&s;&s;ages and my Ma&s;ters Entertainment. Alas! &s;aid he to him|&s;elf in reading the latter end of the Letter, how unnece&s;&s;ary is this Praier? how impo&s;&s;ible a thing it is to be a Lover of <HI>Mandana</HI> and not a friend unto <HI>Ciaxares?</HI> yes, yes, think no more of it; I am, and will be a friend unto the King of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> and to the King of <HI>Medes</HI> al&s;o, and &s;o great a friend too that I will be an enemy unto <HI>Cyrus;</HI> Let him keep in his Tomb &s;till, unhappy <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who is the object of all the fears and hates of the&s;e Princes as long as <HI>Artamenes</HI> is thus happy, keep &s;till in the ob&s;curity of thy Sepulchre, and never come out: Oh <HI>Artamenes,</HI> happy <HI>Artamenes,</HI> (added he) thou art going to &s;ee thy Prince&s;s, and to &s;peak unto her; to be commended by her, to be known unto her, and happily may prove &s;o for|tunate as not to be hated: But alas, alas, that is not enough, for to be perfectly happy is to be beloved: Thus Sir, were the &s;pirits of <HI>Artamenes</HI> in&s;pired with all the delicate and tender pa&s;&s;ions which Love could contrive: Sometimes his &s;oul was all joy, &s;ometimes again quite qua&s;ht with fear, for who knows (&s;aid he) but that for all the Kings Letter to her, I &s;hall in|curre her di&s;like? there ere &s;ecret &s;ugge&s;tions of &s;oul which moves us to love or hate, for which no rea&s;on can be given, and again&s;t which there is no re&s;i&s;tance: &s;o that perhaps though I be not the mo&s;t odious of men, and though I have done &s;ome con&s;iderable &s;er|vice to the King and her, yet, if I &s;hould be &s;o unfortunate as to finde &s;uch an antipathy in her &s;oul, then all my actions, my &s;ervices, and ob&s;ervances, though I owned all the vertues in the world, and though I had all the Crowns of the earth upon my head, yet I &s;hould ne|ver win her affection: I may perhaps by the&s;e obtain her liking and e&s;teem, but that will not &s;atisfie me: Love is &s;uch a capritious Pa&s;&s;ion as it will never be content with any thing but Love again: And I &s;hould conclude my &s;elf the mo&s;t unhappy of men, if I &s;hould finde in my Prince&s;s only a bare e&s;teem without affection: The violent Raptures of his &s;pirit, made him bu&s;ie him&s;elf about a hundred petty things which heretofore he never thought up|on. As &s;oon as he came to <HI>Anigres,</HI> he would him&s;elf chu&s;e what clothes to wear, and asked <HI>Feraulas</HI> a hundred times, which he &s;hould take, and which did be&s;t become him; To <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e &s;hort, when he was dre&s;t and wearing a very magnificent rich Scarf of golden Ti&s;&s;ue, to bear his Arm in, he was conducted by <HI>Arbaces</HI> unto the place where the Prince&s;s was. <HI>Artamenes</HI> Sir, did afterwards confe&s;s unto us that he had more timorous motions of &s;pirit at that time, then when he fought with that valiant Pirate, or when he fought in the la&s;t battle: This great heart which never trembled in mo&s;t horrid hangers, was now po&s;&s;e&s;t with &s;uch fear, that had not his joy a little tempered it, he had quite &s;hamed him&s;elf, and incurred the Prin|ce&s;s di&s;-favour: but at la&s;t being come into her Pre&s;ence-Chamber, magnificently furni&s;hed <HI>(Arbaces</HI> having acquainted her before, while&s;t he was dre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf, in what manner &s;he &s;hould receive him) where &s;he was waited upon by a great number of Ladies which waited upon her in this voyage, and al&s;o many others of the Town and Province: She was that day dre&s;t but negligently, yes &s;o fair and charming did &s;he appear in his eye, that (as he told me afterwards) he &s;aw none of the other beauties and rich attired Ladies about her; &s;o much was his eyes and minde po&s;&s;e&s;t with this powerful object. The Prince&s;s no &s;ooner &s;aw my Ma&s;ter but &s;he ro&s;e up, and having been already told of all the &s;ervices which he had done her father, &s;he prepared her &s;elf to receive him with joy and thanks: <HI>Artamenes</HI> made
<PB N="62" REF="34">
two congies, and approaching with all reverence due to one of her quality, he ki&s;&s;ed the Kings Letter and pre&s;ented it unto her: When &s;he had read it, he was beginning his com|plement, but the Prince&s;s in a mo&s;t obliging manner prevented him and &s;aid; What Divinity (Noble Stranger) brought you among&s;t us to pre&s;erve all <HI>Cappadocia</HI> thus in pre&s;erving the King, and which enabled you to do him better &s;ervice then all Subjects could? Madam (an|&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> you have rea&s;on to think &s;ome Divinity brought me hither, and that &s;ome Benevolent Divinity too, &s;ince it hath brought me to the honour of being known un|to you, and enabled me to render &s;ome &s;mall peece of &s;ervice unto the King, which might have been performed by any other hand as well as mine: Mode&s;ty (&s;aid the Prince&s;s, turning to the Ladies about her) is &s;o e&s;&s;entially belonging unto our &s;ex, as I know not whether I &s;hould &s;uffer this Gallant Stranger to u&s;urp it or no: he cannot be content to enjoy his own eminent valour, unto which we cannot pretend, but he mu&s;t take upon him our mode|&s;ty al&s;o; when we commend his Gallantry, as women may very allowably do when their beauty is commended: For my part, (added &s;he) and looking upon <HI>Artamenes:</HI> I finde &s;ome inju&s;tice in your proceedure, and ought not to &s;uffer it, though I cannot chu&s;e but infinitely commend you for it. Such Madam as you (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> ought to receive prai&s;es from all the world, and not to give them unto any but very &s;lightly, le&s;t you &s;hould repent, there|fore I be&s;eech you Madam do not run that hazard; &s;tay Madam until I have the honour to be better known unto you: I know already by <HI>Arbaces,</HI> an&s;wered &s;he, that you are thought to be of that Nation (though you will not confe&s;s it) who among&s;t all tho&s;e great qualities you attribute unto them are &s;u&s;pected of craft and Subtlety; yet that which you have done doth well de&s;erve to be excepted out of the general rule, nor can I &s;u&s;pect that your Prudence out of your exce&s;s of rea&s;on, &s;hould degenerate into craft: but on the contrary, I am fully per&s;waded you are the very &s;ame you &s;eem to be. I am much obliged unto you Madam (an|&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> that your Goodne&s;s is plea&s;ed to make &s;uch a favourable exception; I can a&s;&s;ure you that in doing &s;o you are not deceived, and the cunning Artifice of which the Greek Nation is &s;u&s;pected cannot be laid unto my charge; But Madam, whether I be Greek, as it &s;eems you think I am, or of any other more ingenious Nation, I have ever rea&s;on to &s;ay, that &s;ince you have a good opinion of me, I have cau&s;e to fear le&s;t time &s;hould make you alter your opinion: Time (replied &s;he) can never make any &s;uch alteration, but what you have already done de&s;erves commendation, and for it mu&s;t ever retain a good opinion of you, as of him that hath &s;aved the life of my Father. I wi&s;h Madam, an&s;wered he, you may never lo&s;e it, and that the mo&s;t glorious Prince&s;s of the world may ever do me that honour as not to think me quite unworthy of her e&s;teem. After this, the Prince&s;s did enquire of all circum|&s;tances concerning the fight, and <HI>Artamenes</HI> did exactly relate it excepting tho&s;e pa&s;&s;ages which concerned him&s;elf, and them he &s;lightly pa&s;&s;ed over in few words, which made <HI>Man|dana</HI> (who had all the &s;tory of his acts from <HI>Arbaces)</HI> much to wonder: But <HI>Artamenes</HI> did not fail to &s;peak very advantagiou&s;ly in the behalf of <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> and his valour; whom the Prince&s;s remembred to have &s;een at <HI>Sinope</HI> a little before her departure. In &s;hort, his deport|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> was &s;o happy in this fir&s;t acquaintance, as he was highly cried up by all the Ladies: And though he had not the entire freedom of his &s;oul, &s;ince he was &s;o heart-bound, and tied by the eyes unto the beauty of <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet did he not now &s;eem half &s;o much bewitched as formerly he had been: His lovely pre&s;ence, di&s;creet Civility, &s;weet mode&s;ty, and his hand|&s;ome Garb, joyned to the Eloquence of his words and wi&s;edom of his minde, did blinde all the di&s;orders of his &s;oul, and made them not perceived, &s;o that he departed from this enter|tainment with a general applau&s;e. <HI>Arbaces</HI> lodged him in a Chamber of the Ca&s;tle which looked towards the Garden, and expre&s;&s;ed all the care which was due unto one who had pre|&s;erved the King his Ma&s;ter: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was no &s;ooner in his &s;tately Chamber, but de&s;ired to walk in that Garden which was a Pro&s;pect unto his Chamber; &s;o little re&s;t did his amorous inquietudes permit unto him; not but that he was infinitely joyed at the Prince&s;s, and the Civilities wherewith &s;he treated him; but as an effect of Love which is of &s;uch a nature as it alwaies cau&s;eth plea&s;ing troubles, and never moves unto any joy or &s;orrow but tumultu|ou&s;ly, and in odd agitations or di&s;orders. <HI>Artamenes</HI> then, as happy as he was, yet was re&s;t|le&s;s, and would fain have entertained more Di&s;cour&s;e with the Prince&s;s, &s;o more &s;trongly have captivated him&s;elf in fre&s;h chains and charms, which he found in her eyes and di&s;cour&s;e. However, his Rea&s;on doth no more oppo&s;e his Love, but rather a&s;&s;i&s;t it in contriving waies conducible unto his &s;atisfaction. Sometimes he feared he had not &s;poke all he had to &s;ay, or that he was not well enough prepared to &s;peak what he did. However, the &s;weet Idea of <HI>Mandana</HI> was it which filled every cranny of his amorous &s;oul: At every turn he thought
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he &s;aw her, and fancied every feature: telling him&s;elf a hundred times She was ab&s;olutely the faire&s;t and wi&s;e&s;t in the whole world. After he had thus fancied her, and thinking that &s;he had &s;omething of Gallantry in her &s;pirit, which (without prejudice to her naturall mode&s;ty) did incomparably &s;et her off; after I &s;ay he had plea&s;ingly contemplated all the&s;e things o|ver and over again; O ye Gods (&s;aid he) if &s;ince &s;he is &s;o lovely it &s;hould &s;o fatally fall out, as that &s;he cannot love me, what will then become of mi&s;erable <HI>Artamenes?</HI> but (pre&s;ently recollecting him&s;elf) &s;ince &s;he &s;eems to be &s;en&s;ible of benefits and glory, let us go on as we have begun, and act &s;o gloriou&s;ly, that although her Genius &s;hould be again&s;t me, yet her e|&s;teem of them may win her affection at lea&s;t e&s;teem of me whether &s;he will or no: For though I confe&s;s one may e&s;teem a thing a little which they do not ab&s;olutely love; yet I conceive one cannot e&s;teem any thing very much which they do not love a little. Let us hope then, and render our &s;elves worthy of pity if not of Love. As he was thus de&s;canting upon the &s;tate of his love, <HI>Feraulas</HI> told him that he &s;aw the Prince&s;s at the end of a Walk; who according to her u&s;ual Cu&s;tom came to take the Air in the Garden about the Sun-&s;et|ting: <HI>Artamenes</HI> ob&s;erving &s;he came towards him, had doubtle&s;s out of reverence gone into another walk, if &s;he had not beckned unto him to come neerer: But Sir, to avoid being te|dious, I mu&s;t in &s;hort tell you, that in this walk and new di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Artamenes</HI> di&s;covered &s;uch fre&s;h Beauty, and &s;o much admirable wi&s;dome in the &s;oul of <HI>Mandana</HI> that as before he only Loved her, &s;o now he adores her. The Prince&s;s al&s;o better di&s;covering the &s;pirit of my Ma|&s;ter, conceived a very great e&s;teem of him, and treated him more re&s;pectively then at fir&s;t. To fulfill the Kings commands, &s;he endeavoured to per&s;wade his Continuance among&s;t them: but alas how unnece&s;&s;ary was that Prayer? and what joy did he re&s;ent, to hear her ask that which he him&s;elf had &s;o great a de&s;ire unto, and which was &s;o &s;utable unto his Pa&s;|&s;ion? After he had brought the Prince&s;s unto her Chamber, who was waited upon by many Ladies of Honour, &s;he gave order he &s;hould be waited upon unto his with all po&s;&s;ible mag|nificence, and was punctually obeyed. All this while he mentioned not a &s;yllable at the Ta|ble concerning the Battle, but when all the waiters were retired, and he being alone with <HI>Feraulas,</HI> all his di&s;cour&s;e was of <HI>Mandana;</HI> he asked his opinion concerning her; Whether all the&s;e felicities which had been conferred upon him did not plea&s;e him? But before they ever thought of it, and contrary to their intention, the night was more then half &s;pent in di&s;|cour&s;e with <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who doubtle&s;s did not cro&s;&s;e his fancy, &s;ince he found <HI>Mandana</HI> fair above all natural excellencies: At la&s;t, they went to bed, but not to &s;leep; for when it came into his thoughts, that he was to return unto the Camp in the morning, and that Manners commanded him to take his leave before he went, then there was no room for &s;leeping; but he ro&s;e in the morning before he had &s;hut his eyes, and as &s;oon as the Prince&s;s was to be &s;een, he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto her, and de&s;ired he might return to the place whither his duty cal|led him, and where the King and &s;tate of things required him: But &s;he would not permit him, for &s;he told him, that &s;he de&s;ired he &s;hould be a witne&s;s of a Sacrifice of thanks, which &s;he would that day offer unto the gods, for pre&s;erving by his hand, the King her father: and that he might a&s;&s;ure him&s;elf &s;he was plea&s;ed with his company, &s;he expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf thus, I pray you <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;tay, but I dare not command you: But you may Madam, an&s;wered he, and more then that, for I and all the earth ought to pay obedience unto &s;uch a Prince&s;s. <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;tayed then the other day in <HI>Anigres,</HI> and went unto the Temple with the Prin|ce&s;s, whom he had the honour to accompany: All the People cried him up with ten thou|&s;and applauds as their Benefactor, for it was divulged in a moment, both by <HI>Arbaces</HI> and the Prince&s;s Dome&s;tiques; that it was he which pre&s;erved the King. The next morning be|ing come &s;ooner then he wi&s;ht it, he mu&s;t take leave, and be gone; which without doubt he did with as much grief as Love, although he dur&s;t not expre&s;s either, more then by &s;ilence and profound reverence. She gave him a Letter to the King her Father, the effect whereof I can tell, for <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;hewed it unto every one, in hopes to oblige my Ma&s;ter the more by it, and there was none in all the Army, which had not either &s;een it or heard the contents, which were the&s;e:</P>
<LETTER>
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<HEAD>The Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> to the King of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> and <HI>Galatia</HI> her Father.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>IT was not without &s;ome rea&s;on, your Maje&s;ty did mi&s;tru&s;t the Mode&s;ty of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;ince it was only by the Lieutenant of your Guard, that I came to know what he had done for your Pre|&s;ervation, and by con&s;equence for the pre&s;ervation of all <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> all <HI>Galatia, Medea,</HI> and of <HI>Mandana,</HI> who&s;e death had been included in yours: He told me of the great danger to which your Maje&s;ty was expo&s;ed, but he intimated not a &s;yllable of his own valour which releeved you, &s;o that I might for ever have been ignorant of it, had I not heard more from others then him. I have &s;o per|&s;waded him of your Vertue, and tyed him to your &s;ervice, as more endeavours had been u&s;ele&s;s. But Sir I be&s;eech you, let not my Prayers be fruitle&s;s, when they &s;hall de&s;ire you, not to expo&s;e your pre|cious Life unto any more hazards: Your Maje&s;ty may do well to con&s;ider, how the happine&s;s of all the Kingdoms depend upon it; and perhaps <HI>Artamenes</HI> may not be alwaies &s;o fortunate as to re|leeve you: Commit the care of Conquering your Enemies unto this Gallant Stranger, and employ him no more in pre&s;erving the Life of that Prince, in which is in&s;eperably concerned the Life of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Mandana.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><HI>Artamenes,</HI> delivering this Letter to the King, was welcomely received; <HI>Philidaspes,</HI> who heard it read, was the only man who &s;eemed to be di&s;plea&s;ed at it: The envy which appeared in his looks, di&s;covered the anger and trouble of his minde. Few days after, my Ma&s;ters wounds were well recovered, and he was not idle in the exerci&s;e of that Regiment under his command: As the two Armies were entrenched neer one another, &s;o he was continually &s;ending out Parties, which always returned with the advantage, for he quite beat up one quarter of the King of <HI>Phrygias</HI> Brigade: <HI>Philidaspes</HI> was al&s;o very fortunate in the like en|counter. Now though this War was begun by the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> becau&s;e he was refu&s;ed the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cappadocia;</HI> yet becau&s;e this ground for it, was not plau&s;ible enough in the eyes of the People, &s;ince nothing ought to be more free then Marriages, nor nothing could be more ju&s;t then the authority of Fathers over Children; nor nothing more unalterable then the fundamental Laws of a State, which here did forbid the banes; therefore the pretence and colour of this War was given out to be, a right he had unto two Towns, which bordered on either &s;ide of a great Plain, between <HI>Galatia</HI> and <HI>Bithinia;</HI> both the&s;e Princes conceiving, that both the&s;e Towns belonged unto them, though both of them were in Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that Town which bordered upon their own Provinces: So the&s;e two Towns were declared the cau&s;e of the War: the one called <HI>Cera&s;ia,</HI> in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the King of <HI>Pont;</HI> the other <HI>Ani&s;a,</HI> in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the King of <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> But &s;ince the King of <HI>Pont</HI> was much wounded, and his Chirurgions told him, he would not quickly recover, therefore he protracted fight as much as he could: yet for all that, he could not chu&s;e but be often skirmi&s;hing. The victory &s;eem'd always to poi&s;e equally, unle&s;s when <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philidaspes</HI> appeared: Mean while the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> had received private intelligence, how the King of <HI>Lydia</HI> would declare war again&s;t him, and enter into his Dominions: he imparted it unto the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> who was much troubled at it; knowing that if the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> fell off, he was not able to re&s;i&s;t <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who had under his command, not only <HI>Cappadocia</HI> and <HI>Galatia,</HI> but al&s;o all <HI>Media</HI> and <HI>Per&s;ia.</HI> Whil&s;t the Princes were in Councel what to do in &s;uch a cro&s;&s;e conjun|cture, the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> advi&s;ed, That before this News was divulged or known unto <HI>Ci|axares,</HI> it were expedient to &s;end unto him, and make an offer, to determin the controver&s;ie by Combat of two hundred men again&s;t two hundred men, that &s;o the War may be &s;ooner ended, and much bloud &s;pared: for, &s;aid the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> to him, if the War with <HI>Lydia</HI> do not hold me long, Pretences enough may befound out to break the Peace with the King of <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> The King of <HI>Pont</HI> &s;eeing no likelihood for him to come off with honour, if <HI>Phrygia</HI> &s;hould decline him, therefore he approved of this advice notwith&s;tanding all his bravery, and his Pa&s;&s;ion for the Prince&s;s, or his ambitious de&s;ires of Glory. He &s;ent therefore Propo&s;itions unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> accordingly; who held a Councel of War concerning it: Opinions were different, &s;ome for it, &s;ome again&s;t it; <HI>Aribees</HI> who found the continuance of the war was for his own advantage did openly oppo&s;e it; but yet <HI>Ciaxares</HI> con&s;idered
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that <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> his Father King of <HI>Medes</HI> was &s;o old he could not live long, and therefore had no minde to be engaged in a long War, &s;ince when his Father died he was then to leave <HI>Cap|padocia</HI> and go into <HI>Medea;</HI> and con&s;idering the &s;tate of things, how the <HI>Ponteans</HI> were more numerous then the <HI>Cappadocians,</HI> and that &s;ucce&s;&s;e of warre is dubious, therefore he accepted the offer: The Controver&s;ie was to be determined within eight days. The Articles of Condi|tions were the&s;e following.</P>
<P N="1">1. That both Princes &s;hould draw off their Armies into tho&s;e two Towns which were un|der their re&s;pective &s;ubjections, and which were the Cau&s;es of the War.</P>
<P N="2">2. That the Combat &s;hould be fought in that great Plain between the two Towns, and where now the Armies were entrenched, and tho&s;e two Towns to be the utmo&s;t limits of them.</P>
<P N="3">3. That either Prince &s;hould as he plea&s;ed, chu&s;e tho&s;e which &s;hould fight for their inte|re&s;t, without con&s;ideration of Rank or Quality, but that valour only was &s;ufficient to be ad|mitted into Combat.</P>
<P N="4">4. That the Combatants of both &s;ides, coming out of the&s;e two Towns at one time, &s;hould meet in the middle of the Plain where they were to fight.</P>
<P N="5">5. That they &s;hould fight on foot, and have no other Arms, then each man two Javelins and a Sword, but not to bring any Bows or Arrows.</P>
<P N="6">6. That the two enemy-Kings &s;hould &s;tay the event of this Combat, each of them in the head of their own Army, neer the Town where they are to encamp, without any information but by the return of the Conqueror, it not being permitted unto the Conquered to return, or have any Quarter of Life from their enemies; nor either party to &s;end any intelligence of di&s;advantage.</P>
<P N="7">7. That the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of the Combat being known; the two Kings, guarded only with two thou&s;and men a peece, &s;hall meet in the place of fight, as well to &s;alute one another, as to ve|rifie the report of the victorious.</P>
<P N="8">8. That Ho&s;tages &s;hall be given on both &s;ides.</P>
<P N="9">9. That the&s;e Ho&s;tages which &s;hall remain in the two Camps, &s;hall vi&s;it, and &s;earch the two hundred men which mu&s;t fight, to the end, they &s;hall bring no other Arms then is per|mitted by Conditions.</P>
<P N="10">10. That after the Combate, the Party vanqui&s;hed &s;hall abandon the Town, and draw off his Army into his own Country: that the Conquerour &s;hall take Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that Town for which the Warre Commenced.</P>
<P N="11">11. That the bodies of tho&s;e two hundred men of the Parties vanqui&s;hed, &s;hall receive no ignominy, and that their Funerals &s;hall be &s;olemnized with honour together with tho&s;e which are dead of the Party conquering, upon the place of Combate.</P>
<P N="12">12. That after this, Peace &s;hall be firmly e&s;tabli&s;hed between the two Princes, and Com|merce allowed between their Subjects, the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> to be compri&s;ed within this Peace as an allie of the King of <HI>Pontes.</HI></P>
<P>All the&s;e Articles being agreed upon, and &s;igned by both Parties, they were publi&s;hed in both Camps, and both Armies began to move towards the Towns unto which by Articles they were to repair. The Prince&s;s hearing of it, de&s;ired to &s;ee her Father and came unto <HI>Ani&s;a,</HI> the day before tho&s;e who &s;hould be cho&s;en Combatants were elected. I leave you to judge Sir, how all they who had a de&s;ire to purcha&s;e Fame and Honour, were &s;olicitous to be accepted of in this &s;ervice: and I leave you to judge al&s;o whither <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Phi|lida&s;pes</HI> would not be with the formo&s;t. The la&s;t of the&s;e two did pre&s;ume upon the favour of <HI>Aribees;</HI> and my Ma&s;ter, though he was extreamly thir&s;ty of Honour, yet could not a&s;&s;ure him&s;elf of that favour; for though he had done the King great &s;ervice, and his va|lour was &s;ufficiently known, yet becau&s;e he was a &s;tranger, his fears were above his hopes, and that objection would be a great ob&s;tacle: yet he thought that if he were not accepted to be one of them, then all his hopes of <HI>Mandana</HI> would be qua&s;ht: For, &s;aid he, what can I do to obtain her e&s;teem in a calm Court, where I &s;hall finde no occa&s;ions of &s;erving her? but if I could be an a&s;&s;i&s;tant to get this victory, I &s;hould then have &s;ome ground to build my hopes upon: But alas, I fear that I am not fortunate enough for that happine&s;s, and I fear <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> will be preferred before me, though he be a &s;tranger as well as I: For, Sir, it is not to be imagined how the&s;e two young Gallants did in all their actions extreamly envy, at lea&s;t emulate one another. The Prince&s;s was no &s;ooner come, but <HI>Artamenes</HI> went im|mediatly to her without my knowledge, and as &s;oon as he found an opportunity, Madam, &s;aid he, I come to beg a favour, though I confe&s;s, I am unworthy of it: You are worthy
<PB N="66" REF="36">
of all (an&s;wered the Prince&s;s &s;weetly) and be a&s;&s;ured, if the thing you de&s;ire be neither unju&s;t nor impo&s;&s;ible, you &s;hall certainly obtain it: and &s;ince I know you are too noble and wi&s;e to de&s;ire any &s;uch, you cannot doubt but your de&s;ire is granted: I know, Madam (&s;aid he, doing humble reverence) that the thing I de&s;ire is in your power, &s;ince it is in the Kings, who I am &s;ure can deny you nothing; but I confe&s;s I dare not a&s;&s;ure my &s;elf there is as much ju&s;tice in my Petition, as there is po&s;&s;ibility; and though I do but what I ought in endeavouring to obtain it, yet I know not whether you &s;hall do as you ought in granting it: Neverthele&s;s Madam, I will ask it, and that with as much zeal as my &s;oul is capable of: and if it be &s;o that the good fortune which I had in doing the King a little &s;er|vice, has any thing obliged you, I be&s;eech you let me obtain this de&s;ire, as the greate&s;t and mo&s;t glorious recompence that ever I can obtain. Prevail I be&s;eech you mo&s;t adored Prince&s;s, with the King your Father, that he will do me that great honour, to admit me to be one of the two hundred Combatants which mu&s;t fight. That which you ask (replied the Prince&s;s with much wonder at his genero&s;ity) is not impo&s;&s;ible, but mo&s;t advantagious unto the King my Father: but I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I do not think it ju&s;t, &s;ince, when you have &s;aved his life as you have done, you &s;hould receive &s;o bad a recompence, as to expo&s;e your own in a fight, which according to the Articles mu&s;t needs be bloody, and full of danger: You are too good Madam (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> to fear my de&s;truction: But trouble not your &s;elf Madam; for the care you have of me will pre&s;erve me in the mid&s;t of dangers; and it cannot be thought the Gods will de&s;troy what you would &s;ave: Therefore Madam, (continued he &s;miling) &s;ince I &s;hall fight without danger, do me the honour to a&s;&s;i&s;t me in my &s;ute: For Madam (added he, a&s;&s;uming a more &s;erious look) if I do not obtain it I mu&s;t needs fly from the place I live in, &s;ince I cannot live in it without di&s;honour, and where they do not think me worthy to do that which two hundred others can do. If there were but one to fight, perhaps then I &s;hould not dare to think my &s;elf, being a &s;tranger, worthy to defend your intere&s;t; but &s;ince the number is two hundred which mu&s;t have the honour, I think Madam, I may without any great pre&s;umption beg this noble Office: I would very willingly (an&s;wered the Prince&s;s mo&s;t candidly) Petition you another might be cho&s;en in your room, but &s;ince you do &s;o earne&s;tly de&s;ire it, I will promi&s;e you to ask the King my Father. As <HI>Artamenes</HI> was ready to an&s;wer and gratefully ca&s;t him&s;elf at her feet, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> comes into the chamber: the Prince&s;s no &s;ooner &s;aw him but &s;he went to|wards him, &s;aying, Sir, This Noble &s;tranger is &s;o in&s;atiable of honour and glory, as not being content with the &s;ervice he hath done you already, would yet have you receive ano|ther victory from his hand, and de&s;ires you to admit him into the number of the Comba|tants. <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> ravi&s;hed with this Propo&s;ition, embraced him and thanked him for his zeal to his &s;ervice, but it was a long while before he would con&s;ent, and &s;ince the Prince&s;s did not &s;peak all this while, <HI>Artamenes</HI> turned towards her and &s;aid, Madam, do you re|member your promi&s;e? No, an&s;wered &s;he, I do confe&s;s I cannot keep my word, and that fighting is &s;o contrary to my di&s;po&s;ition, that nothing can be obtained from me, but pray|ers that all Warres and Fightings may cea&s;e; Ah Madam (replied he) your goodne&s;s ob|liges me, and undoes me both. Then did he &s;o earne&s;tly importune <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> that after many denials, he con&s;ented: not but that he was very glad a man &s;o valiant as <HI>Artamenes</HI>
would fight, but his denial proceeded from him as an effect of his love to him, and becau&s;e he feared to lo&s;e him in this encounter. To tell you what was the Joy of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> how many thanks he gave the King, what gracefull addre&s;&s;es he made unto the Prince&s;s, and what excu&s;es he had, that he had &s;o flenderly &s;erved her, would be to lo&s;e pretious time, &s;ince I have &s;o many notable things to tell you; however I mu&s;t needs tell you how <HI>Phili|da&s;pes,</HI> who put on to be one of this fatall number, did mi&s;s of his de&s;ire; for though <HI>Ari|bees</HI> could have told him that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would not admit him, yet he excu&s;ed it han&s;omly, and told him that <HI>Artamenes</HI> having &s;poken fir&s;t, and <HI>Ciaxares</HI> having already con&s;ented unto one &s;tranger, would not by any intreaties admit of any more, lea&s;t the <HI>Cappadocians.</HI> &s;hould murmure, who would think it a wrong done unto them&s;elves. This accident cau&s;ed much &s;orrow in <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> &s;o that had he not otherwi&s;e been more con&s;iderably intere&s;ted in the King, he would have quitted the Court and Camp upon it; that which mo&s;t &s;tuck in his &s;tomack, was that <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould be preferred before him, being a &s;tranger as well as he: And though <HI>Ciaxares</HI> told him afterwards, that if he had &s;poken fir&s;t he &s;hould not have been denied, yet this did not &s;atisfie him: On the contrary, the joyes of <HI>Artamenes</HI> were doubled by the &s;orrows of <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> and this great &s;oul, as generous as he was, could not chu&s;e but rejoyce at his grief, &s;uch was the violent emulation between the&s;e two
<PB N="67" REF="36">
high &s;pirits. Am I not very happy, &s;aid he to me, when he met me, that I mu&s;t either over|come in the Quarrel of my Prince&s;s, or I mu&s;t die for her? If I e&s;cape the danger, I &s;hall be the Me&s;&s;enger of Victory and Triumph; or if I die, I am certain &s;he will lament me: Ah <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> what honour is this? Ha, Sir, an&s;wered I, what have you done? That which I ought, my dear friend, an&s;wered he, and that which you would have done if you had been in my ca&s;e: But, Sir (&s;aid I to him) have you forgot that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is more then &s;uch a common Knight as he &s;eems to be, but that he is Son to the King of <HI>Per&s;ia?</HI> No, no, my Governour (an&s;wered he) and becau&s;e I know my birth is not common, there|fore I mu&s;t &s;trive to do things above common capacities: But Sir (&s;aid I) why have you not obtained as much for <HI>Feraulas</HI> and me, as you have for your &s;elf? Is it becau&s;e you &s;u&s;|pect our courages? Ah <HI>Cri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he, imbracing me) I will rather &s;u&s;pect my own; but it was not po&s;&s;ible to be done; and if I had put in for &s;o many, I might perhaps have been denied my &s;elf: But notwith&s;tanding all his rea&s;ons, and though I was not po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with &s;uch violent Pa&s;&s;ions as he was, yet I was very &s;orry he &s;hould be engaged in &s;uch a de&s;perate De&s;ign; but there was no remedy: he had got him&s;elf Li&s;ted before I got know|ledge of his intention. The choice of Combatants being made, the day of Combate comes on; Ho&s;tages were given on both &s;ides; they &s;earch and view the Combatants, and Arms, according to the conditions of the Articles: Notice is &s;ent unto the King of <HI>Pont</HI> of their readine&s;s, who &s;ent the &s;ame me&s;&s;age back of his men. This &s;elected Troop pa&s;s before the King, who at break of day offered a Sacrifice unto the Gods for their Pro&s;perity. <HI>Ar|ramenes</HI> was in hopes the Prince&s;s would have been with the King her Father when they parted, yet &s;he not having a heart for it, &s;taied &s;till in the Temple praying for them, &s;o that he was deprived of that hope for con&s;olation. As for my &s;elf Sir, I could not chu&s;e but drop &s;ome farwell tears at parting, &s;ince it was not now permitted to go with him as at other times, but now we were not &s;uffered to a&s;&s;i&s;t him or be a witne&s;s of his Valour: He perceived our &s;orrows, and &s;aw us all drooping: He looked upon us with as Gallant and Plea&s;ant an a&s;pect as ours was &s;ad: Cheer up, &s;aid he to us, I will Conquer, Il'e warrant you; and &s;o laughed at us, I &s;ee you are but bad Fortune-tellers; as he &s;poke the&s;e words, they came to the Gate of the Town where the King &s;taied. Sir (&s;aid my Gallant Ma&s;ter to him, marching in the head of the Troop) I am going to make my &s;elf worthy of tho&s;e ho|nours which your Maje&s;ty hath done me, and to imitate the example of the&s;e brave men, which go with me: And I am going (an&s;wered the King) to prepare a Lawrel for you and them, not doubting of good &s;ucce&s;s, &s;ince <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and &s;uch men are to fight. Thy Glory is great, cried the hopele&s;s <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> and thou &s;hould&s;t not be alone, if I had as much of thy good fortune as I have of thy Valour: We &s;hould be very &s;trong if we had you with us, an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes,</HI> but we will endeavour to vanqui&s;h without you: After the&s;e, two hundred Heroes which were devoted unto the Grandure and tranquillity of <HI>Cap|padocia</HI> were gone out of the Town, and the Gates were &s;hut, we had no full information of that fierce encounter, wherefore I &s;hall rehear&s;e as much as we knew, and re&s;erve the re&s;t un|to the end of my Story. When the&s;e two Troops came upon the Plain, they halted a little, and &s;ent out a Party of four to di&s;cover whether their numbers were equal, and Arms according to Articles: All being found right, and an equal ground cho&s;en, they advance without any noi&s;e or vapour, but in a &s;ilent terrour: When they joyned they u&s;ed their Javelins, which did great execution, but much more upon the <HI>Cappadocians</HI> then the other &s;ide; at la&s;t fal|ling to their Swords, and &s;hielding them&s;elves with their Bucklers, they begin to mix: <HI>Arta|menes</HI> (as we had the knowledge of it afterwards) &s;tept a little before his fellows, and at one blow with his Sword did offer the fir&s;t Victim of this Sanguine Sacrifice: His valour was not &s;o happily &s;econded, for to &s;peak in general the <HI>Ponteans</HI> had got much advantage of the <HI>Cappadocians;</HI> not but that they did behave them&s;elves as gallantly as men could do, but that the other &s;ide proved more fortunate, and their wounds le&s;s mortal: <HI>Artamenes</HI> looking about, and perceiving that maugre his fury, the number of the <HI>Cappadocians</HI> did dimini&s;h, he fell into a &s;trange rage, and acted &s;uch things as indeed can neither be imagined nor credi|ted; and it might ju&s;tly be &s;aid, that the event of Combate did ab&s;olutely depend upon him: he was not &s;atisfied with offending his Enemy, and defending him&s;elf, but he al&s;o de|fended every one of his Companions, and received the blows which were aimed at his next fellow. In &s;hort, he did &s;uch Heroique acts, and wrought &s;o many wonders as he was an ab|&s;olute miracle of valour. In&s;omuch as one of his Enemies who&s;e name was <HI>Artanus,</HI> began to think, that for all the advantage which his &s;ide had gotten, it would be hard to get the Vi|ctory, and therefore he began to think how he &s;hould &s;ave his own life, and &s;culk away; for
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(&s;aid he in him&s;elf, as afterwards we had knowledge) if my &s;ide prove &s;tronger I can mix a|mong&s;t them in the end of the fight without di&s;covery; and if they peri&s;h then I &s;hall &s;ave one by the &s;hift, although I quit my Countrey and live unknown in &s;ome other Quarter of the world: Being thus ba&s;ely re&s;olved and during the confu&s;ion of Combate, he &s;tole back|ward by degrees until he was quite behinde all his own &s;ide, then he ran away &s;ome twenty paces off, and as if he had been kil'd fell down, then crept further and further off, in&s;en&s;ibly by little and little, until he came unto a little Hill where he might be an invi&s;ible Spectator of the Combat: All the re&s;t being bu&s;ied in fight, minded him not; Mean while, the &s;tate of the Fight came to that pa&s;s, as <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;aw but fifteen of his &s;ide again&s;t fourty enemies: I leave you to judge Sir, If the <HI>Pontean</HI> &s;ide did not hope to be Conquerors, and the <HI>Cappa|docians</HI> fear defeat; yet &s;ince it was no boot to ask Quarter, but either to fight or die, which would make the mo&s;t de&s;perate become mo&s;t valiant: <HI>Artamenes</HI> did &s;o encourage them both by words and example, as he infu&s;ed fre&s;h life into his fellows: As for him&s;elf, every one thought him ab&s;olutely invulnerable, and &s;aid that a di&s;mal fatality was tied to his Sword, which at every blow was dipt in the bloud of his enemies. He had a blow for all: He fol|lowed tho&s;e which fled or &s;hrunk from him: he kil'd them which &s;tood clo&s;e to him: In &s;hort, he laid &s;o about him, that from the fourty which was again&s;t fifteen, he brought it to be ten to ten: This rea&s;onable equality got him a new heart: Come on (&s;aid he to his fel|lows) let us fini&s;h the Victory which is almo&s;t already gotten; and indeed, con&s;idering how the ca&s;e was altered, he might well &s;ay &s;o, yet he knew not that three of his nine Companions were &s;o wounded that they fell pre&s;ently after; &s;o that there remained but &s;even again&s;t ten: he him&s;elf was all the while &s;o fortunate, as he had all this while received but one &s;light hurt on his &s;ide, by rea&s;on of his ill Cura&s;&s;e; yet it had only ra&s;ed the skin, &s;o that it did not trouble him at all. This heart of a Lion, &s;till fought with the &s;ame fury and &s;trength that he did at fir&s;t: He killed two of his ten enemies pre&s;ently, the third held him play a long while, yet fell at la&s;t: As he turned him&s;elf about thinking to rejoyce with his Companions, he found but one left, and three enemies upon him; he ran in all ha&s;te to relieve him, but he came to late, for his fellow fell ju&s;t as he came in. Now Sir, the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;tood in need of all his courage, when after three hours Combat, and that more &s;harp then ever battel, he found him&s;elf &s;ingle again&s;t three enemies. Yet lo&s;ing neither heart nor judge|ment, he fought with them after a quick, moving, and nimble manner, le&s;t he &s;hould have his enemies on all &s;ides him at once: and &s;hewed &s;uch &s;prightly agility that his three Ene|mies found they had enough on him, and felt his Sword at every Pa&s;&s;e: When they pre&s;&s;ed upon him, he in the turning of an eye was on the other &s;ide; and though all their blows did not mi&s;&s;e, for bloud ran down in many places, yet for all that his &s;trength failed not. But he being re&s;olved either to conquer or die, and his enemies being amazed to &s;ee one man re|&s;i&s;t them &s;o long, they made at him all together at one. <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hielding him&s;elf with his Buckler, charged violently through them all, and did &s;eparate one of them from the o|ther two; He fell like a Fury upon this third man, and made him fall at his feet by running him through the body. This chance made the other two to droop, but gave new courage unto <HI>Artamenes;</HI> So that now altering that manner of fighting which before he was com|pelled to take, when he had three again&s;t him: he begins to charge them with &s;uch precipi|tation as that one of them &s;tumbling upon a Buckler which was under his feet, <HI>Artamenes</HI> not lo&s;ing this opportunity fell upon the other, and kil'd him: pre&s;ently: Now, cried out <HI>Artamenes</HI> (and flouri&s;hing his Sword as he was turning toward his la&s;t Antagoni&s;t;) Now mu&s;t true Valour decide the Controver&s;ie, without mixture of Fortune, and where none can &s;hare in the glory of the Conquerour: In &s;aying &s;o, he fell like a Lion upon this la&s;t Ad|ver&s;ary who received him with more Gallantry then u&s;eth to be in common &s;pirits. Now has <HI>Artamenes</HI> but one to fight withal, but believe me a doughty one, whom Fortune it &s;eems had re&s;erved to make <HI>Artamenes</HI> pay dear for his Victory: The&s;e two Valiant Heroes, one of which was to carry away the Glory of the Day, took time to breathe and look about them: They &s;aw them&s;elves all bloud, and amid&s;t a field covered with dead men, &s;o that Vi|ctory did not look with any charming countenance: and though both of them had hopes to be victorious, yet this di&s;mal &s;ight terrified them. Pre&s;ently the Combat begins afre&s;h, and with &s;uch fury as the like was never &s;een. He who fought with <HI>Artamenes</HI> was a man of good quality, as well as <HI>Artanus,</HI> who all this while lay lurking; and becau&s;e he had &s;een my Ma|&s;ter &s;o thunder up his fellows, dur&s;t ri&s;e up to a&s;&s;i&s;t his Partner. Here Sir, may be admired the wayes which the gods u&s;e, when they are re&s;olved to &s;ave one; and it mu&s;t be acknow|ledged their &s;ecrets are in&s;crutable; For the ca&s;e &s;tanding thus, could any man believe that
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<HI>Artanus</HI> who was all this while hid, and fre&s;h, and &s;aw my Ma&s;ter wounded in many places, &s;hould not dare for all this to ri&s;e and help his fellow to conquer one man who&s;e bloud gu&s;ht out in &s;o many places: but he thought it &s;afer to &s;tay there, and keep in a whole skinne: Thus you &s;ee <HI>Artanus</HI> was not very valiant, but as I have heard &s;ince, undertook this Engagement with very ill will: This man, &s;eeing <HI>Artamenes</HI> when he was &s;ingle again&s;t three, could not be conquered, but brought it one to one; and who remembred that this la&s;t man who fought with my Ma&s;ter was his Corrival; and &s;eeing how the ca&s;e &s;tood now, never thinking of his Country but of his revenge, his jealou&s;ie, and his love, he re&s;olves to get the Victory, and never fight for it; for (&s;aid he to him&s;elf, as afterwards he confe&s;&s;ed) this combat cannot end but one of the&s;e two at the lea&s;t mu&s;t die, &s;ince they fight with &s;uch re&s;olution; and he which dies, will before his death give many wounds unto his enemy; If he which is enemy to my Country fall, I &s;hall finde my Rival in a condition ea&s;ie to be vanqui&s;hed; and if my Rival die, I &s;hall as ea&s;ily overcome the enemy of my Country, &s;ince he has lo&s;t &s;o much bloud as he can hardly &s;tand, and who has &s;hed &s;o much of his enemies as he has left him&s;elf none; &s;o that which &s;ide &s;oever Fortune turns on, I will fight with the la&s;t man, and he &s;hall die too, and I will live, and Triumph without danger. The&s;e were the thoughts of <HI>Artanus,</HI> who prayed equally for the death of both his two enemies: And truly it &s;o fell out, as his unju&s;t prayers wanted but a little of being heard; <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Pharnaces</HI> (for we knew afterwards that to be his Name) breathing a while as we &s;aid before, began a Combat, and &s;uch a one, as all ambitious de&s;ires of glory could not make more fierce: And <HI>Artame|nes</HI> fearing lea&s;t his lo&s;&s;e of &s;o much bloud &s;hould betray his corage; therfore he charged his enemy with all his force: &s;o that <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> who &s;aw there was but two ways to chu&s;e, ei|ther death or victory; had yet this con&s;olation left him, that he thought <HI>Artanm</HI> his Rival and enemy was dead, &s;ince he &s;aw him not fighting: and this hope not to be any more cro&s;t in his Love, begot a fre&s;h de&s;ire of vanqui&s;hing; and moved him to fight &s;o fiercely, that I heard my Ma&s;ter &s;ay, before he knew any thing of it, that he did imagin it to be Love which &s;u&s;tained his courage, and enflamed him with that Heroick heat. They fought yet a long time: <HI>Pharnaces</HI> wounded <HI>Artamenes</HI> in four places: <HI>Artamenes</HI> him in &s;ix: Their &s;trength began to fail, and their bodies to reel, &s;o that to fini&s;h the Combat &s;ooner, they &s;tep nearer one another: Thru&s;ting is all their play, not u&s;ing their Bucklers, which they were hardly able to lift; They pa&s;&s;ed at one another both together, but hit differently; for <HI>Artamenes</HI> ran <HI>Pharnaces</HI> through the heart; and <HI>Pharnaces</HI> ran <HI>Artamenes</HI> through his thigh; and left his Sword in it. So that my Ma&s;ter, yet holding his Sword in his hand, and couragiou&s;ly drawing his enemies out of his thigh, holding both Swords in his hands, he cried out, I have got the victory: and pre&s;ently after, being very weak, he fell: But here's the wonder Sir, for if <HI>Artamenes</HI> had not fallen as he did, he had died, becau&s;e <HI>Artanus</HI> would have pre&s;ently di&s;patched him: who (as we knew by his confe&s;&s;ion, and as you &s;hall know in the &s;equel of the Story) as &s;oon he perceived his Rival dead, did ri&s;e up, and prepared him&s;elf to fall upon my Ma&s;ter, whom he perceived to reel; but as &s;oon as he &s;aw him fall, he moved no further towards him, he cared not for going to &s;ee him take his la&s;t ga&s;p, but went as fa&s;t as he could to tell the King of <HI>Pont</HI> he was the Conqueror: This man (if he be worthy of that name) was fuller of joy then the true Conqueror was; for he was full of glorious fancie; he had &s;een his Rival die, and hoped that this victory would certainly obtain him his Mi&s;tris, who was Si&s;ter unto the King of <HI>Pont:</HI> He could not imagin any thing could be a dor unto his felicity, unle&s;&s;e his remor&s;e of Con&s;cience, and his unparallel'd Cowardize. I know very well Sir, that I have not half particularis'd this great encounter; &s;ince it came unto light only by <HI>Artanus,</HI> when he was vanqui&s;hed, and kept a Pri&s;oner of War among&s;t us; and by my Ma|&s;ter, who&s;e Mode&s;ty would not &s;uffer him to relate any thing wherein his own valour would be mentioned: Mean time, <HI>Artamenes</HI> is very weak, and continued &s;o a long while: His &s;ounding caus'd his bloud to &s;top, &s;o that when he recovered out of tho&s;e fits, he got a little &s;trength, and crawl'd up upon his knees with his Sword in his hand, as if he would look about, to &s;ee whether any would di&s;pute with him about the victory: yet he &s;aw nothing but bro|ken Javelins, half Swords, bloudy Bucklers and Men, who though dead, yet did retain grim faces of fury: on the one &s;ide he &s;aw a <HI>Cappadocian,</HI> on the other a <HI>Pontean;</HI> on all &s;ides, horror and bloud in abundance: He tried often if he could walk, but found it impo&s;&s;ible, by rea&s;on of his la&s;t wound, which had &s;o weakned him, as he was not able to &s;u&s;tain him&s;elf: Mean time, He knew it was the duty of the Conqueror to carry news of the victory, &s;ince their Combat had no other witne&s;&s;es; and &s;ince the fate of Arms had thus ordered him, he was not able, for it had left him only &s;o much Life, as he was &s;en&s;ible of unimaginable pain:
<PB N="70" REF="38">
Alas, &s;aid he, What good will my victory do me; &s;ince when I am dead, they will not know I am victorious? <HI>Ciaxares</HI> will repent of the Honour which he did me: and <HI>Mandana,</HI> il|lu&s;trious <HI>Mandana</HI> will perhaps think I died in the beginning of the Combat, before I had done her any con&s;iderable &s;ervice: and that I have &s;o poorly behav'd my &s;elf, as <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> would have carried it better; Yet oh ye Gods, ye Ju&s;t Gods, ye know what I have done for my Prince&s;s, and how dear the victory does co&s;t me: After this he looked round, but &s;aw none; &s;o that hot knowing what to do, and verily beleeving he &s;hould die before any could know of his conque&s;t; he began gently to draw unto him as many Javelins, Swords, Hel|mets and Bucklers as he could reach, and piled all the&s;e Arms one upon another, as if he would build a Trophie; then he took a great &s;ilver Buckler, which once cal'd the valiant <HI>Pharnaces</HI> Ma&s;ter, and dipping his finger in his own bloud, which by rea&s;on of his motion be|gan to run again, he writ upon it the&s;e vermilion Letters,<LB>
<HI>To Jupiter, the Guardian of Trophies.</HI><LB></P>
<P>And plac'd it upon the top of this Glorious Pile of Arms, which he had erected neer him. After which, weak and weary as he was with this Triumphant Labour, he did lie down a little, his left arm leaning upon his own Buckler, and holding his Sword in his right, as if he would defend the monument of victory which he had compiled: But notwith&s;tanding this unea&s;ie condition, all his thoughts (as he told me &s;ince) were be&s;towed upon his Prince&s;s: and the hopes he &s;till had that &s;he might come to know of his Conque&s;t, made death appear very plea&s;ant and welcome unto him; yet if he could but have that happine&s;s to &s;ee her only once more, it was all that ever his heart could de&s;ire. Mean time, <HI>Artanus</HI> who was gone to pub|li&s;h his fal&s;e Triumphs, had fill'd all the hearts of his party with Joy, e&s;pecially the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> who though he did not much love <HI>Artanus,</HI> yet was very glad to receive this welcome news from him. The Ho&s;tages, which according to the Articles, remained with the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> were as much dejected; and certified the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ad tydings unto their Ma&s;ter, to the end that Ho&s;tages on both &s;ides might be returned, and both Princes meet in the place of Combat, with two thou&s;and men apeece, according to agreement: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Man|dana</HI> were in a &s;ad perplexity; for &s;eeing none of their party return, there was great likeli|hood things went not well on their &s;ide; but at la&s;t, being put out of doubt by return of the Ho&s;tages, that which at fir&s;t was only a perplexity, becomes now an ab&s;olute &s;orrow: yet notwith&s;tanding, becau&s;e he would keep within the limits of Conditions, he goes unto the place of Combat, with that number of men as was agreed upon. The King of <HI>Pont</HI> did the like; but as for the Prince&s;s, &s;he mourned extreamly, and &s;taid in the Town. When the &s;ad News was fir&s;t brought unto the King, the fir&s;t word &s;he &s;poke was with tears in her eyes: Alas Sir (&s;aid &s;he) poor <HI>Artamenes</HI> will never &s;erve you more; the good &s;ervice which he did us in &s;aving your Life was but ill requited: As for <HI>Feraulas</HI> and my &s;elf Sir, I leave you to imagin how great our &s;orrows and our de&s;pairs were; and though we knew the News too too true, yet we would accompany the King on to the field, and pay our la&s;t &s;ervice unto the body of our deare&s;t Ma&s;ter: So we went with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who came upon the ground ju&s;t at the &s;ame time with the King of <HI>Pont:</HI> But both parties were extreamly amazed, when in coming near the place, they &s;aw <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who having recovered a little &s;trength, at the &s;ight of the King for whom he had fought, was got up upon his knee, with his Sword in his hand, near the Trophee which he had erected, and &s;eeming to put him&s;elf into a po&s;ture of defence, if any &s;hould oppo&s;e him: But among&s;t all them which were a&s;toni&s;hed, <HI>Artanus,</HI> who was waited upon as Triumpher was the mo&s;t; e&s;pecially when he heard <HI>Artamenes</HI> in a loud voice, &s;ay to <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> Sir the victory is yours, the gods by my hand have given it un|to you: when the King of <HI>Pont</HI> heard this, he &s;aid, that it was him&s;elf to whom the victory belonged, &s;ince here was pre&s;ent one of his Combatants, who was not &s;o much as once woun|ded, ready to ju&s;tifie it: Then &s;aid <HI>Artamenes,</HI> without doubt, he who told you that Lye, did run away from fight and death, and Triumphed before he had fought: for if he had been Conqueror, why did he not make an end of me? and hinder me from piling up this Trophie? I left thee for dead (an&s;wered the impudent <HI>Artanus,)</HI> for thou had&s;t done fighting long before I came away: Thou ba&s;e Impo&s;ture (&s;aid <HI>Artamenes</HI> to him) if I had not had more terrible enemies to fight with then thou, the victory which I have obtained, &s;hould not have co&s;t me &s;o dear; this valiant man whom thou &s;ee&s;t dead at my feet (&s;aid he in &s;hewing him <HI>Pharnaces)</HI> was the la&s;t man of thy &s;ide which was in the field, and who only was in any hopes to overcome me: but as for thee, it &s;eems, thou ha&s;t not got &s;o much as a &s;cratcht
<PB N="71" REF="38">
finger in that field thus covered with dead men, and dare&s;t thou brag of victory? The Con|dition which thou art in (an&s;wered the malepert <HI>Artanus,)</HI> is nothing like that of a Con|queror. At the&s;e words, <HI>Artamenes</HI> being tran&s;ported with anger, gathered up all his &s;trength and &s;trove to ri&s;e; then looking about for <HI>Artanus,</HI> with a face full of lovely fury, Come (&s;aid he to him, and holding his Sword in his hand) come on, thou which vaunt&s;t of victory without a wound; weak as I am, and cut in pieces, thus &s;teept in my own and ene|mies bloud, I will yet maintain thou art a ba&s;e lying impo&s;ture; and that it is impo&s;&s;ible thou dur&s;t ever fight: At the&s;e words he put him&s;elf into a fighting condition; when the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> who came with the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> being much taken with the magnanimity of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> cried out, that there was no Ju&s;tice, a man who &s;eem'd &s;o valiant, &s;hould in &s;uch a weak condition, undertake a new fight: My Ma&s;ter interrupting him, Sir &s;aid he, Perhaps I have not &s;trength enough to live an hour, yet I have enough to fight with &s;uch a feeble fellow as he. <HI>Artanus</HI> was &s;o confounded at all this, that in&s;pite of his impudence, it was ea&s;ie to perceive there was no truth in his words: However <HI>Ciaxares</HI> lighted from his Hor&s;e, and both Kings were on foot: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> embraced <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and commanded to &s;u|&s;tain him, &s;o that <HI>Feraulas</HI> and I &s;tept in to hold him up, again&s;t his will. Then &s;aid <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> although <HI>Artamenes</HI> were in a condition to fight, yet I know no rea&s;on why I &s;hould &s;uffer him, there being no ju&s;tice a Conqueror &s;hould hazard the victory a &s;econd time: In&s;o|much as this conte&s;t had like to have been put unto the wor&s;t extremity; and doutle&s;&s;e if the King of <HI>Pont</HI> had not worn his Arm in a Scarf, by rea&s;on of a wound received in the la&s;t fight, this di&s;order had not ended &s;o well. The King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> as one lea&s;t intere&s;ted, did &s;omething qualifie the anger of the&s;e two Princes, and told them that the bu&s;ine&s;s did re|quire &s;ome time to examin the truth more exactly, but in any ca&s;e not to do things over|ra&s;hly and incon&s;iderately: The two Kings, con&s;enting unto this Propo&s;ition, retired: And <HI>Artamenes</HI> did earne&s;tly de&s;ire that his Trophee might &s;tand, and that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would be plea&s;ed to leave a guard with it, which was con&s;ented unto. During the&s;e conte&s;ts, there was a nece&s;&s;ity of carrying away <HI>Artamenes:</HI> I &s;ent unto the Town to get a Litter; the Prince&s;s, hearing of it, &s;ent hers; for which my Ma&s;ter (as you may imagin Sir) thought him&s;elf not a little obliged: After the Princes had given orders for the Funerall of the Combatants upon the place of fight with all &s;olemn Pomp, as well one &s;ide as the other, <HI>Feraulas</HI> and I did carry <HI>Artamenes</HI> into a hou&s;e in the Town where we had lodged &s;ome days before; yet <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would not &s;uffer it, but cau&s;ed him to be carried into the Ca&s;tle: All the Kings Phy&s;icians and Chirurgions were brought into the Chamber: After they had viewed his wounds, put in their fir&s;t tents, and dre&s;&s;ed them, they told the King that they hoped none of them were ab&s;olutely mortall, although two were very dangerous, &s;o that by their care and his own &s;trength of nature, a happy cure was hoped for: The Prince&s;s al&s;o that fir&s;t night, &s;ent many times to know in what &s;tate he was; and he under&s;tanding of it, though the me&s;|&s;enger &s;poke very low, the Phy&s;itians having forbidden all noi&s;e, he called to the me&s;&s;enger, and would him&s;elf receive the Prince&s;s Complement; after he had received it, feebly turning him&s;elf on one &s;ide, and opening the curtain of the bed, which was cloth of gold; Tell the Prince&s;s (&s;aid he) that I ask her pardon for fighting her enemies &s;o poorly, and bringing home a Victory which was yet di&s;putable. If I die I hope her goodne&s;s will pardon me; and if I &s;cape, I &s;hall hope to repair the fault by &s;ome better &s;ervice: Give her mo&s;t hearty thanks for this honour of remembring me, and a&s;&s;ure her that her goodne&s;s does not oblige an ungratefull &s;oul. Mean while a Fever &s;o violently &s;eizes on him, as every one de&s;paired of his life: I cannot tell how to expre&s;s the &s;orrows and cares which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and the Prin|ce&s;s had of him, unle&s;s I &s;hall tell you, that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was as dear over him, as if <HI>Mandana</HI> had been &s;ick; and <HI>Mandana</HI> al&s;o as if <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had been &s;o wounded: But in a little time, the danger was over, and I could not chu&s;e but wonder at the humorous conceit of Fate, which made this Prince and Prince&s;s, who the other day offered Sacrifices of thanks for his death, now as forward to make Prayers for the pre&s;ervation of his life. At length every one is well plea&s;ed to &s;ee that all their cares were not in vain; for after the twentieth day, his Phy|&s;itians que&s;tion not his perfect recovery, but promi&s;e a pre&s;ent cure: As &s;oon as he was in a condition to be &s;een, both all the Court and Camp did vi&s;it him. <HI>Aribees,</HI> as great a Fa|vourite as he was, came oft to tender his complement: <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> in &s;pite of his ambiti|ous jealou&s;ies which the Valour of <HI>Artamenes</HI> procured him, fail'd not to pay civilities; and the King, who &s;aw him every day, brought the Prince&s;s to congratulate his recovery: This wrought a wonderfull effect in <HI>Artamenes:</HI> So that in few daies after his wounds heal|ed extraordinarily; &s;uch power, it &s;eems, has the &s;oul over the temper of the body. I will
<PB N="72" REF="39">
not trouble you Sir, in telling what were the entertainments at the&s;e two vi&s;its; it being ea|&s;ie to imagine, that the de&s;erts and valour of <HI>Artamenes</HI> was the whole &s;ubject of their con|ver&s;e: But Sir, to return unto matters of War where we left: Be plea&s;ed to know, that while&s;t <HI>Artamenes</HI> was thus in cure, Emba&s;&s;adors pa&s;&s;ed continually between the two Kings, to finde out &s;ome expedient how to determine this difference, and bring it to Arbitrement. The King of <HI>Pont</HI> protracted it as long as he could: hoping that during this vacancy the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> might perhaps be free from the de&s;ignes of his enemies, and according to that he could conclude either Peace or Warre: but the matter continued &s;o dubious, that it &s;eemed the Gods did purpo&s;ely ordain it &s;o, to give <HI>Artamenes</HI> time of recovering his &s;trength, to vindicate his Honour, and acquire more Glory. He left his chamber &s;ome two moneths after his fir&s;t wounding, and went to pre&s;ent his thanks unto the King and Prin|ce&s;s: afterwards he returned civil complements unto all the Court and Camp, e&s;pecially unto <HI>Philida&s;pes.</HI> By this time Sir, the two enemy Kings, having agreed upon Judges to hear and determine upon the rea&s;ons and arguments of both Parties impartially, They erected a very Magnificent Tent upon the Plain where the Combate was, and clo&s;e by the Trophy which <HI>Artamenes</HI> had compiled: Four of the <HI>Cappadocian</HI> and <HI>Galatian</HI> Grandees, and as many of <HI>Pont</HI> and <HI>Bithinia,</HI> were con&s;tituted Judges of this famous Controver&s;ie, after they had all taken &s;uch oathes as were nece&s;&s;ary to remove all &s;u&s;pitions of prejudice and partiality; al&s;o three &s;tately Thrones equally erected, and under them a long &s;eat covered with Purple, for the Judges of the Field, and all this han&s;omly prepared, the King of <HI>Pont</HI> and the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> conducted <HI>Artanus</HI> to ju&s;tifie his pretended Victory: But though he had more &s;pirit then valour, he went unto this Combate much again&s;t his will, though it was not to be a bloudy one. <HI>Artamenes</HI> was al&s;o conducted by <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> Four thou&s;and men of both &s;ides ranged them&s;elves, half upon the right hand, and half upon the left. The&s;e Kings taking their Places according to their Rank, and Judges &s;itting at their feet, <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Artanus</HI> &s;tood at the Barre: &s;ilence was proclaimed: But Sir, I will not trouble my &s;elf to repeat <HI>verbatim</HI> the Speeches of the&s;e two Orators, I &s;hall only tell you the i&s;&s;ue of them; he which &s;poke fir&s;t was <HI>Artanus,</HI> who though he was eloquent, and delivered it with a good grace, yet it made no impre&s;&s;ion upon the hearers: But on the contrary, the Speech of <HI>Artamenes</HI> having the Rhetorick of truth in it, and pronoun|ced by a man of &s;uch an excellent Pre&s;ence, gained the hearts of all his Auditors: His cou|rage did &s;o &s;et off his Eloquence, and wrought &s;o upon the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> that he could not chu&s;e but admire the Spirit as well as Valour of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> At the&s;e words the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> begun to &s;peak and &s;ay, Wi&s;e <HI>Cri&s;antes,</HI> I be&s;eech you, do not deprive us of the happine&s;s to know the &s;en&s;e of what was &s;poke in this glorious Court, in which the Cau&s;e depending was &s;o uncommon, and where the Judges were &s;ubjects unto them whom they were to Judge, &s;o by con&s;equence mu&s;t needs beget a curio&s;ity in them who are ignorant of it. Since it is your plea&s;ure Sir, replied <HI>Cri&s;antes,</HI> I &s;hall relate as much as my memory is capable of. The fir&s;t which &s;poke, as I told you already, was <HI>Artanus,</HI> who after he had made low reverence unto the Kings and Judges, began his Speech to this effect:</P>
<Q><TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="oration">
<HEAD>The Oration of <HI>Artanus.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>SInce it doth not reflect upon my Honour in particular, I will not &s;tand to relate unto my Judges all that I did in the Combate wherein I was; It will &s;uffice if I only &s;hew that it is my party which hath conquered, and who ought to enjoy the fruits of their Victory. I think there can no que|&s;tion be made, but if it be granted I was there, and fought, that then I did overcome: therefore it imports the ju&s;tice of my Cau&s;e, to make it appear by &s;trong and pregnant conjectures, &s;ince all the witne&s;&s;es of my actions are dead, that though I was without wounds at the end of the Combat, yet it was the particular goodne&s;s of the gods unto me, and not my cowardi&s;e which pre&s;erved me. Ima|gine O ye, my Judges, what probability or likelihood there is, that I could fly or hide my &s;elf in &s;uch an open Plain, or that where the Combat was, where the danger was not le&s;s in flying, then in fighting, &s;ince if it had been di&s;covered by any of my enemies, I had infallibly been pur&s;ued; and if by my Friends, then I had expo&s;ed my &s;elf unto their Revenge, and all the Puni&s;hments which were due unto one who had ba&s;ely de&s;erted and betraied his King and his Countrey: &s;o &s;hould I have incen&s;ed again&s;t me, either my Friends, or my Enemies, or both; and &s;o by con&s;e|quence &s;hould have incurred greater danger then if I had remained fighting: Moreover Sirs, you know that none were compelled to undertake this Combat, &s;o that had I not found in my &s;elf heart
<PB N="73" REF="39">
good enough for it, I &s;hould never have engaged in the bu&s;ine&s;s: All</HI> Pont, <HI>nor all</HI> Bithinia; <HI>were not to fight; all the gallant men of either Nation were not emploied in the encounter, &s;o that if I had feared fighting, I could have declined my Engagement without any more di&s;honour, then a hune dred thou&s;and others, who did not engage them&s;elves. I could have te&s;tified de&s;ires to have been one as others did, yet not have accepted of it more then they; and &s;ince fear is alwaies witty, I could have invented excu&s;es enough to have put it off if I &s;hould have been accepted: The&s;e Circum|&s;tances I conceive are &s;ufficient to convince any rea&s;onable and unbya&s;&s;ed man that I did fight, and if it be granted that I fought, it mu&s;t con&s;equently follow that I got the Victory, &s;ince it belongs un|to that man who remains la&s;t in a condition to take away the life of his Enemy; Now, every one knows how</HI> Artamenes <HI>was more unfortunate then I was: The Kings which hear me, did &s;ee how he was &s;teept in bloud, all wounded, and &s;o weak, that his Sword was more &s;upported by his courage then &s;trength, and therefore they would not permit him to &s;ight it out in that condition: I confe&s;s, the great inequality between us, was extraordinary; and it might very well cau&s;e wonder, that of four hundred men which fought, there &s;hould remain but two living, the one whereof to be wound|ed in &s;o many places, and the other &s;o fre&s;h and whole as if he had never fought; But the gods work miracles when they plea&s;e: yet can it be that wounds &s;hould be taken for marks of Victory? If &s;o, why hath our Tutors &s;o carefully taught us to defend our &s;elves from blows? Why do we wear any Bucklers? but let us go to wars without defen&s;ive Arms: Wounds Sirs, are ra|ther &s;igns of weakne&s;s in the party who receives them, then of his great Courage; if men may brag of Victory becau&s;e they are wounded, the weake&s;t, the ill-favoured&s;t, and mo&s;t unfortunate have the advantage over the &s;trong, hand&s;ome, and mo&s;t happy men: In Duels, a little &s;cratch is counted a great di&s;advantage: 'Tis true, his wounds are certain marks that he was in danger but it is as certain that his valour was not able to avoid them; Me thinks I hear &s;ome &s;ay that his wounds do argue for him; but if I under&s;tand their Language right, they pleade his defeat and my Tri|umph, As for this Trophy which he rai&s;ed in my ab&s;ence; I conceive it was no difficult matter for him to do &s;ince he was alone; And it was a cunning devi&s;e of him, which &s;hame of being over|come, and de&s;ire of honour made him invent; But after all this, Sirs, &s;uppo&s;e that I did not fight, but that I fled in the beginning of the Combat, yet where is the great advantage which he pretends unto? It is true, that then I de&s;erved puni&s;hment, but it is not true that he de&s;erves to have the Victory, &s;ince he had the advantage of one man more on his &s;ide then his enemy had; and &s;ince the &s;tate of the Combat was brought unto that wherein you found him, it had been ea&s;ie for that one man which was wanting to have kil'd him and got the Victory. Can he &s;ay him&s;elf that he &s;aw me fly? if he can, I may chance doubt of the Victory, and hereafter tru&s;t more unto his eyes then my own valour; but &s;ince my Enemy can &s;ay nothing again&s;t me, only that he did not &s;ee me fight, and that I had received no wounds: I &s;hall de&s;ire that his weak rea&s;ons may not be accepted of, but rather mine which have truth and weight in them: For it must be a con&s;equent, that if I fought I conquered; and it is apparent that I fought, &s;ince I was accepted for a Combatant, and that of my voluntary dispo&s;ition and de&s;ire. And that though I did not fight, yet cannot he be declared Conqueror becau&s;e then he fought upon inequalities, and therefore his Conque&s;t is not Lawfull; Therefore Sirs defer no longer, but pronounce judgement; for I do not oppo&s;e again&s;t the glory of</HI> Artamenes: <HI>Let it be granted he did gallantly, and that his wounds are marks of courage and not weakne&s;s: I will only in&s;i&s;t upon this, that there was not an enemy to oppo&s;e me, nor any who can speak a word in contradiction of what I &s;ay, unle&s;s that he did not &s;ee me fight; he (I &s;ay) who per|haps was &s;o wounded at the beginning of the fight, that he could not &s;ee any thing, there|fore I de&s;erve judgement to be pronounced on my &s;ide; for if he did not &s;ee me, his eyes were full of bloud, and therefore could not: But as for me who by the goodne&s;s of the Gods and my own valour did keep my &s;ight, my bloud and my &s;trength; I &s;aw him fight, and &s;aw him wounded, and fall dead, clo&s;e by this imaginary Trophy. So Sirs, having no more to &s;ay, but de&s;ire that the honour of my Countrey and my Triumph may be no longer deferred.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>Artanus</HI> had ended his Speech, there was heard a &s;trange odd grumbling and muttering noi&s;e, without any acclamations among&s;t the A&s;&s;embly: by which it might ea&s;i|ly be gue&s;&s;ed that the people di&s;liked his Di&s;cour&s;e. <HI>Artamenes</HI> told me &s;ince that never any thing in his life did &s;o much trouble him as to endure this ignominy; yet he re&s;olved to an|&s;wer without any di&s;turbing pa&s;&s;ion; and the weakne&s;s of this feeble fellow made him turn his anger into pity, and caus'd him to omit every thing that concerned his private injury, only &s;o far as concerned the advantage of his cau&s;e and ju&s;tification of his valour: After the mur|mure of the people ceas'd, and <HI>Artamenes</HI> had in a graceful demeanure done reverence to the Kings and Judges, the people pre&s;&s;ing in &s;ilence to hear him, he began his an&s;wer thus</P>
<Q><PB N="74" REF="40">
<TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="oration">
<HEAD>The Oration of <HI>Artamenes.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>VIctory is &s;o high a good, and Cowardi&s;e &s;o ba&s;e an evil, that I wonder not to finde a man who would gladly enjoy the fir&s;t without winning it, and &s;hun the &s;econd though he do de&s;erve it. De&s;ire of glory and honour is born with us, and fear of infamy is found in the ba&s;e&s;t of men, mo&s;t de&s;erving it: Neither do I at all wonder that</HI> Artanus <HI>would triumph without fighting: But in|deed I wonder that con&s;idering he is a man of more wit then valour, he hath not &s;haped his lie more re&s;emblant unto truth; and that he hath made no particular relation of his acts, which had been very requi&s;ite, before he can convince us of his coming off &s;o without wounds: at lea&s;t he &s;hould have told us who was the God which &s;o pre&s;erved him: I am mo&s;t certain the valour of one man could not pre&s;erve him &s;o miraculou&s;ly, but it mu&s;t needs be &s;ome other Divinity which kept him invi&s;ible from my eyes, whenas after I only was left again&s;t three, I &s;aw none about me but they; they (I &s;ay) who by their own fate rather then my force did fall before me: I am mo&s;t cer|tain that</HI> Artanus <HI>was none of tho&s;e three; yet I know that the valiant</HI> Pharnaces <HI>was the la&s;t of them which remained, and &s;ought with me &s;toutly, di&s;puting the Victory; and who if he had been &s;econded by &s;uch a fre&s;h unwounded man as</HI> Artanus, <HI>would ea&s;ily have carried away the Victory from me, who was then &s;o weak &s;ince he had almo&s;t done it without him; I know well enough that wounds are no infallible marks of Victory, but I know al&s;o that to boa&s;t of not being wounded is no proof of his fighting: Methinks he &s;hould have at the lea&s;t &s;hewed &s;ome of his Enemies bloud upon him though none of his own; but it &s;eems</HI> Artanus <HI>went out as if to a Combat of &s;imple Gallantry, where bloudy Victory is forbidden: I confe&s;s I cannot &s;ay any thing particularly again&s;t him; I neither know when he fled, nor how he hid him&s;elf, or how he vani&s;hed: I only know that I did not &s;ee him fight, and this is &s;ufficient to convince, that he did not overcome, &s;ince he left me alive. There are crimes of another nature, whereof tho&s;e who are accu&s;ed cannot be convinced without fight, as that &s;uch a one was &s;een kill a man in the corner of &s;uch a Wood, and pull him by the arms, and run his Sword through him; &s;ome &s;uch circum&s;tance mu&s;t be &s;een, or el&s;e tho&s;e who do accu&s;e do rather ju&s;tifie then condemn. But here in this ca&s;e it is quite contrary, for in &s;aying negatively that I did not &s;ee</HI> Artanus <HI>fight, is all that I can &s;ay again&s;t him: But I do affirmatively accu&s;e him of a Crime of which he cannot ju&s;tifie him&s;elf, only in &s;aying that he &s;aw me, that he fought with me, and that he overcame me, which in my opinion will not be ea&s;ie for him to do or prove. Then furthermore, though he dares not tru&s;t too much to the exploits which he hath performed; yet he dares &s;ay that becau&s;e he fled, and I fought upon inequalities, therefore I mu&s;t not have the Vi|ctory: But Sirs, where found he any Law to authorize this Di&s;cour&s;e? At the begin|ning of a Combat, doubtle&s;s the number of Combatants ought to be equall, and their Arms al&s;o: but when once the Combat is begun, every one may lawfully take tho&s;e advantages which Fortune pre&s;ents, or which his Enemy &s;uffers him; What though a Souldier go out of Combat ei|ther by death or otherwi&s;e? or if he fly, he is as well vanqui&s;hed as if he had been killed or taken Pri&s;oner? and he who doth oppo&s;e the Victory of his Enemy no way but by flying, or &s;aves his life only by not expo&s;ing it, is mo&s;t unworthy to have any &s;hare of Honour or Glory in the Victory: But if he do, then I confe&s;s, that</HI> Artanus <HI>having managed his life &s;o thriftily, has &s;ome rea&s;on to &s;ay he de&s;erves the Triumph better then I do, who indeed have not been &s;o sparing of my bloud as he: But this Victory did depend upon the death of all enemies; if &s;o, then he cannot &s;ay the victory was his, &s;ince all the&s;e Kings and Judges who hear me, did finde me alive with Arms in my hand, ready to defend my right, against him or any who oppo&s;ed. Now Sirs, to make it appear that I neither fear his force nor his fortune, although he &s;eems invulnerable, in a Combat where &s;o many gallant men lost their lives; I most humbly de&s;ire you to permit me Combat with him in Lists, and in the pre&s;ence of tho&s;e Kings who hear me: for if you will be plea&s;ed to grant me this Peti|tion, which he never &s;o much as mentioned, and which in ju&s;tice you cannot deny me, I will promi&s;e you he &s;hall vani&s;h no more out of my &s;ight, but I will render you a better account of him. I know well that in &s;ome re&s;pects it is an injury unto the Ju&s;tice of my Cau&s;e, and to the Title of that mo&s;t illu&s;trious King who&s;e intere&s;t I maintain to put it unto a &s;econd hazard: But &s;ince upon the whole matter, there is only his Negative, and my Affirmative, without other te&s;timonies which does ap|pear before you Judges, who can never be convinced of the truth, either by the words of</HI> Artanus <HI>or mine, but only by our Actions; therefore I conceive there is no other way to cleer the matter in question: and to tell you truth, I care not for pre&s;erving that by my eloquence, which (without canity be it spoken) I have got by my valour: The Glory of this Victory is too great to cost the valiant</HI> Artanus <HI>not one little drop of blood; He mu&s;t Sirs, he mu&s;t either confe&s;s the truth before
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all you who hear us, or el&s;e mu&s;t have the Life of</HI> Artamenes: <HI>and &s;ince two hundred men were not able to give him one &s;cratch, he needs not fear one &s;ingle man, and one who is &s;o much weakned by his wounds as he is, yet one whom I a&s;&s;ure you he &s;hall not vanqui&s;h without Honour: Therefore cer|tainly, if he did fight before, he will not fear to fight now. I ask no more advantage for my Cau&s;e, O ye Judges; and you cannot pronounce any other judgement but with a trembling accent; and do what you can any other way, one &s;ide will complain: whereas, if I &s;hall make you under&s;tand the truth from</HI> Artanus <HI>his own mouth, then you may boldly give Sentence, without any fear of injustice, or that either &s;ide will complain of you: Deny me not therefore, I conjure you, &s;ince I de|&s;ire nothing but what is most ju&s;t and rea&s;onable: Moreover, that</HI> Artanus <HI>may oppo&s;e this my de&s;ire, by hopes of avoiding Combat, though if Ju&s;tice be granted unto me, he cannot avoid it: ther|fore I advi&s;e him to hope for Pardon, by confe&s;&s;ing his fault, and ingeniou&s;ly tell us, that he thought it better to steal a victory, then to run a hazard for it. But if he will di&s;pute the bu&s;ine&s;s, and &s;tand upon termes of Ju&s;tification, then this gallant Man must re&s;olve upon this cour&s;e which I de&s;ire, and which I be&s;eech you to ordain. I freely give him his choice of Arms: and promi&s;e this fur|ther, that though he fall into my power I will not kill him, provided he will confe&s;s the truth, and be more ingenuous under my feet, then he is before this maje&s;tical Tribunal: It is in your Power to pronounce this ju&s;t Sentence, which I expect from you, it being the only way to make that truth ap|pear which I affirm.</HI></P>
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<P><HI>Artamenes</HI> had no &s;ooner ended his Speech, but all the people made a great &s;hout, much different from that which they made at the end of <HI>Artanus</HI> his Oration, for then there was nothing heard but a hollow murmuring: but this was lively acclamations and applauds which &s;eemed to tell the Kings and the Judges, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> mu&s;t have the Victory: His very enemies could not chu&s;e but commend him, &s;o charming is vertue, and &s;o powerfull is truth. <HI>Artanus</HI> would have an&s;wered in oppo&s;ition of Combate, but none would hear him. None of the Kings did like of this Propo&s;ition which <HI>Artamenes</HI> made, for <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was unwilling to hazzard again the life of &s;o excellent a man: and the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> not well &s;atisfied, that his cau&s;e &s;hould depend upon the hands of <HI>Artanus,</HI> whom he had no great good opinion of. Mean while, the Judges ri&s;e, and con&s;ult in private: During which in|terval, <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> who was pre&s;ent at all the pa&s;&s;ages, and was driven into ab&s;olute de&s;|pair by &s;eeing new honours every day heaped upon <HI>Artamenes,</HI> addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto <HI>Ci|axares,</HI> and moved him to take into his con&s;ideration the &s;mal time &s;ince <HI>Artamenes</HI> left keeping his bed, and his chamber, therefore he humbly de&s;ired him to let him have the honour of fighting with <HI>Artanus,</HI> in ca&s;e the Judges permitted a &s;econd Combate, which favour would eternally oblige him. <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> &s;poke not &s;o low, but <HI>Artamenes</HI> jealou&s;ly ob&s;erved him, and &s;u&s;pected &s;uch a thing, and fearing le&s;t he &s;hould obtain his de&s;ire, he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf and &s;aid, Sir, do not hearken unto <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> &s;ince what he de&s;ires is equally injurious both unto his Honour and mine; How know you that, replied the young &s;tranger? I know (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> that &s;uch a man as <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> ought not to fight with a coward, u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">le&s;s he were forced to it as I am; and it is a wrong done unto my &s;elf, to think that I have need of all my &s;trength to vanqui&s;h &s;uch an enemy as he is. Although <HI>Artanus</HI> were <HI>Artamenes,</HI> replied <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> roughly, I would de&s;ire as much. And though <HI>Artanus</HI> were <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> (replied my Ma&s;ter) I would not yield my place unto another: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;eeing them &s;o high in conte&s;t, and fearing it might proceed further, did embrace them both; and commending their courages and zeal, cau&s;ed them to embrace each other: He told <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> that he was not to be judge in his own cau&s;e, therefore could not &s;atisfie him; and he told <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that he had no rea&s;on to have an ill opinion of <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> for his offer: He commanded them both to expect the &s;entence of the Judges patiently. The Judges were in long Con&s;ultations before they could re&s;olve what &s;entence to pronounce: For though every one did verily think that <HI>Artanus</HI> had plaid the villain, yet notwith&s;tanding he &s;o peremptorily denying it, and there being no witne&s;s to prove it, they were much intangled in their judgements. Tho&s;e of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his &s;ide could not give &s;entence again&s;t their Prince, for all they which knew <HI>Artamenes</HI> could not doubt but he had Vanqui&s;hed; and tho&s;e of the King of <HI>Pont</HI>'s &s;ide, although they did believe the &s;ame, yet dur&s;t not give &s;entence again&s;t their Prince, becau&s;e their belief was grounded only upon conjectures. So that after a full Con&s;ideration of the whole matter, they re&s;olved upon Combate; and gave Sentence, That he who could cau&s;e his enemy to confe&s;s he was Van|qui&s;hed, &s;hould be e&s;teemed victorious: And if it &s;hould &s;o hap that his enemy &s;hould die without confe&s;&s;ion, the matter &s;hould be interpreted advantagiou&s;ly for him who killed
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him: That the Duel &s;hould be in clo&s;e Li&s;ts, as <HI>Artamenes</HI> de&s;ired it, and in the pre&s;ence of both enemy Kings. No &s;ooner was this &s;entence pronounced, but <HI>Artamenes</HI> was all Joy, and thanked the Judges after &s;uch a manner as did pre&s;age Victory, but &s;o did not <HI>Artanus,</HI> who went along grumbling again&s;t the Judges and the King his Ma&s;ter; &s;o that (as we came to know afterwards) this Prince being of a gallant di&s;po&s;ition, did treat him but &s;curvily, and told him &s;harply, that if he had really overcome before, he might over|come again; but if he had plaied the part of a ba&s;e coward, as he began to &s;u&s;pect him, then he &s;hould be very glad to &s;ee him puni&s;hed by the hand of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> adding further, that he &s;hould not grieve &s;o much for the lo&s;s of <HI>Cera&s;ia,</HI> as he &s;hould rejoyce at his ruine, and that the one would be a Cordial again&s;t the other. After all, this Prince cau&s;ed him to be diligently watched, lea&s;t this coward &s;hould play him a &s;econd prank, and avoid Combate by &s;light, as doubtle&s;s he had done, if he could have found a han&s;ome opportunity. As for <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> he was &s;orry for nothing, but that he was to hazzard the life of &s;uch an il|lu&s;trious man, and engage him in fre&s;h danger, &s;ince the verie&s;t coward might by a mi&s;|fortunate hit, chance to wound the brave&s;t man in the world. Mean while, the time of Combate being limitted to be within four daies, every one retreats unto the Towns in which the Kings had encamped their &s;everal Armies. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was no &s;ooner in the Town of <HI>Ani&s;a,</HI> but he went unto the Prince&s;s chamber, waited upon by <HI>Aribees, Artamenes, Phili|da&s;pes</HI> and many others. He no &s;ooner acquainted her with what was re&s;olved upon, but &s;he pre&s;ently &s;aid, What Sir, is it ju&s;t that he &s;hould be put to overcome an enemy twice? Is not one drop of <HI>Artamenes</HI> blood more worth then the conque&s;t of <HI>Cera&s;ia?</HI> For my part (added &s;he, and held her hand before her face to hide her blu&s;hing) I confe&s;s my weak|ne&s;s, and cannot hear you talk of Combats and fights, without fear and trembling, e&s;pe|cially when they reflect upon the Life of him who has pre&s;erved yours Sir. Madam (in|terrupted <HI>Artamenes)</HI> you infinitely honour me, in taking any care of my life, which could never be better expo&s;ed then in the Kings &s;ervice: But Madam, never fear me in this Combate, rather be &s;orry that I have &s;o weak and ba&s;e an enemy to fight withall. The fault is not in <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> Madam (&s;aid <HI>Aribees</HI> unto the Prince&s;s) that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is expo|&s;ed unto this danger, &s;ince he hath endeavoured all he could to exempt him, and fight in his room; It is very true Madam (&s;econded <HI>Philida&s;pes)</HI> that I a&s;&s;umed the boldne&s;s to Peti|tion the King for it, but he did not think me worthy of that honour. That's not the rea&s;on (an&s;wered <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> I did not deny you becau&s;e I thought you were unworthy, but be|cau&s;e I thought it unju&s;t. Then added my Ma&s;ter, This is another rea&s;on, Sir, becau&s;e <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> would not have &s;uffered him, for he never u&s;es to yield his place unto another: The King who was afraid lea&s;t the&s;e two Gallant &s;trangers &s;hould fall out upon it, broke off di&s;cour&s;e and left the Prince&s;&s;es, carrying with him all them which followed him unto <HI>Man|dana.</HI> For all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, Love was predominate in <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;o that he never was with the Prince&s;s but he ob&s;erved her with a mo&s;t circum&s;pect eye: When he was in his chamber with only <HI>Feraulas</HI> and me, he asked us what we thought of that blu&s;h which ap|peared in the face of <HI>Mandana,</HI> when &s;he talked of him, and of her di&s;like that he &s;hould fight any more? Was it (&s;aid he to us) only an effect of her natural, &s;weet and calm di&s;|po&s;ition which is antipathious unto Warre? or was it, think you, the &s;ervice which I have done her Father that has &s;omething ingaged her &s;oul in &s;ome di&s;po&s;ition not to hate me? But alas, &s;aid he pre&s;ently, (not giving us leave to an&s;wer) Was it not that &s;he was a&s;ha|med, and repented of tho&s;e obliging words which &s;he &s;poke in my behalf? Is it not an in|fallible &s;ign that her tongue did contradict her heart? I cannot ab&s;olutely tell what to think of that lovely blu&s;h which lookt &s;o like Divinity, and charm'd my &s;oul anew? Flatter me not dear <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid he) but tell me truly, What do you think of it? and how &s;hould I interpret it? Sir, (&s;aid he to him) I cannot conceive any thing by it, but what makes for your advantage; for admit it to be but an effect of pity, yet it will be a good ground for you to build your hopes upon, and you may more ea&s;ily work upon her &s;oul, when &s;he &s;hall be acquainted with tho&s;e Pa&s;&s;ions which you endure for her &s;ake: Ah <HI>Feraulas</HI> (cri|ed he out) When will that be? How long before I mu&s;t make it known unto her? <HI>Cyrus</HI> dares not peep out of his Tomb to tell her; and <HI>Artamenes</HI> who appears to be no more then a bare &s;imple Knight, dare he entertain &s;o ra&s;h a thought, without extravagant folly? To tell you truth Sir, <HI>Artamenes</HI> his minde ran more upon the Prince&s;s then upon <HI>Artanus;</HI> not but that he thought upon the Combate with as much care and memory as was fitting but that when he thought upon any thing what&s;oever, &s;till there was a mixture of <HI>Mandana</HI> in it: And Love which works &s;uch wonders, be&s;towed this priviledge upon him, that he was
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able to di&s;cour&s;e of Warre, of bu&s;ine&s;s, of news, of complements, and every thing, with|out ever omitting the dear thoughts of his Prince&s;s. Mean while, the day of Combate comes on, and he mu&s;t go to take his leave of her, with &s;uch jolly looks, as gave a&s;&s;urance of Triumph. Madam (&s;aid he) I come to beg &s;ome Arms of you, wherewith to fight <HI>Artanus:</HI> I had rather (an&s;wered &s;he mo&s;t &s;weetly, but more &s;ad then u&s;ual) finde out a way to make you invincible: You may do it ea&s;ily Madam (&s;aid he) if you do me but the honour to accept favourably of tho&s;e &s;ervices which I &s;hall do for the King and you; and doing me only the favour, of wi&s;hing me Victory. For if I be &s;o happy, though <HI>Artanus</HI> were the Valour of the world (as heaven knows he is not) I &s;hould mo&s;t undoubtedly vanqui&s;h him. If there want nothing but acknowledgement of your &s;ervices (replied the Prince&s;s) and my prayers to make you triumph, go <HI>Artamenes,</HI> go, and fear not being vanqui&s;hed. After this, the Prince&s;s, as if &s;he were weary of this kinde of di&s;cour&s;e, bad him farewell in a mo&s;t &s;weet and obliging manner; and <HI>Artamenes</HI> went towards the King, who was ready to go unto this Combate: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was followed only with two thou&s;and men as before: The Kings of <HI>Pont</HI> and <HI>Phrygia</HI> met al&s;o with the like number in the &s;ame Plain and Place where the Judges pronounced Sentence, that was clo&s;e by the Trophy of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> There they rail'd out a piece of ground which was longer then wide, and of &s;ufficient bigne&s;s for a Combate. <HI>Artanus</HI> who thought his Sword too much, would fight with no other offen&s;ive Arms; alwaies imagining that the fewer Arms his enemy had, the le&s;s &s;hould he be expo&s;ed unto them: Either of them one Sword and one Buckler was all their Arms. At the two ends of the Li&s;ts there was two Scaffolds erected for the enemy Kings: and at either &s;ide another for the Judges. The four thou&s;and Souldiers were rank|ed &s;ome behinde the Scaffolds, &s;ome on the &s;ides of the Li&s;ts, all remaining under their own Colours, not mixing, but &s;o placed that all might &s;ee. At both ends of the Li&s;ts there was two entrances for the two Combatants, into which <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Artanus</HI> entered at one time, and pre&s;aged the event of the Combate at the fir&s;t, by their different A&s;pects: <HI>Artanus</HI> would fight on hor&s;e back, having more confidence in his &s;trength and nimblene&s;s, then in the courage and valour of him which rid him. But he knew not that the more vigorous and fierce his Hor&s;e was, the le&s;s was he &s;erviceable unto that Rider who was afraid to ride him, or could not guide him: <HI>Artanus</HI> then appeared in mo&s;t magnificent Arms, and up|on a milk white Hor&s;e, &s;o fine, &s;o well made, and &s;o &s;prightly, that at fir&s;t he invited all to look upon him: he had a lively and a proud look, pawing with his foot, &s;haking his main, foming at his mouth, and violently neighing, he began his carrear: he &s;eemed impatient to carry his Ma&s;ter unto his enemy. But Sir, although the Hor&s;e of <HI>Artanus</HI> did winne the admiration of all men, yet the ill-favoured po&s;ture of him who rid him de&s;ired the pity of all &s;pectators: the lea&s;t motion of the Hor&s;e &s;hook him almo&s;t out of the &s;addle: and one might plainly perceive, all his endeavours were to keep him from his enemy, as if he were afraid to be too &s;oon a&s;&s;aulted. As for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> he ap|peared otherwi&s;e: for though he rid upon a very han&s;ome black Hor&s;e, yet this day he took but very common Armes, as being a&s;hamed to fight with &s;o ba&s;e an enemy. He carried his body boldly, and his countenance confidently; he &s;ate his Hor&s;e gracefully, and was &s;o dexterous a Ma&s;ter of him, that it was ea&s;ie to perceive he knew how to command him: All &s;uch Ceremonies as are commonly u&s;ed upon the like occa&s;ions being ended, and the &s;ignal by Trumpets no &s;ooner given, but putting on his Hor&s;e to gallop, he made to|wards <HI>Artanus</HI> with mighty fury: he did &s;o little fear his feeble enemy, that he almo&s;t neg|lected the u&s;e of his Buckler: As for <HI>Artanus</HI> he knew not at all what he did: for giving his Hor&s;e too much bridle, then pulling him in too &s;uddenly, one great bound boun&s;t him all on one &s;ide; then this Hor&s;e &s;haking his head fiercely, and half rearing upright, he &s;uddenly runs away with his rider to the other end of the li&s;ts, before <HI>Artamenes</HI> could &s;alute him with one blow; but <HI>Artamenes</HI> turning his Hor&s;e, he followed him, and fell upon him before he was well got into the Saddle again: then he paid the debt he owed him, and gave him &s;uch a blow with his &s;word upon the right &s;houlder, that bloud ran down his gallant &s;uit of Arms; <HI>Artamenes</HI> gave him another: <HI>Artanus</HI> all this while kept him&s;elf upon his po&s;ture of De|fence, but dur&s;t not &s;trike &s;o terrible an enemy, le&s;t he &s;hould further provoke him, alwaies hoping that <HI>Artamenes</HI> his Hor&s;e would tire before his, or that &s;ome accident or other would chance to take pity and relieve him: Mean while <HI>Artamenes</HI> was much angred, for he could kill him when he pleas'd; but that Victory would not plea&s;e him: for he de&s;ired to &s;a|tisfie the world out of <HI>Artanus</HI> his mouth concerning the truth of the whole matter, he fought and &s;pared him al&s;o: Notwith&s;tanding this advantage which <HI>Artamenes</HI> gave him, yet this
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wretch dur&s;t never turn one blow back! he was hurt in four &s;everal places, not once daring to lift up his Sword again&s;t my Ma&s;ter: His Hor&s;e being a&s;hamed to bear &s;o ba&s;e a burthen, would have thrown him; at la&s;t, my Ma&s;ter extreamly di&s;daining &s;uch a coward, gave him a lu&s;ty blow with the back of his Sword, which made him tumble upon the neck of his Hor&s;e, who thereupon took that opportunity to throw him half dead upon the ground; his Helmet falling off his head, his Sword out of his hand; and he held fa&s;t unto nothing but his Buck|ler, of which he alwaies made more u&s;e then any other Arms. <HI>Artamenes</HI> lighted pre&s;ently from his Hor&s;e, and running at him with his Sword lifted up, Confe&s;s thou ba&s;e enemy (&s;aid he to him) all the truth of my fir&s;t Victory? I'le confe&s;s all an&s;wered this wretched coward, (covering him&s;elf with his Buckler) &s;o you will &s;pare my life; There is &s;o little honour in ta|king it from thee (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter, holding his foot upon his neck) that I will grant it: But be &s;ure thou telle&s;t no more lies before the Judges: If thou do&s;t not tell all the whole truth, there's nothing &s;hall &s;ave thee from the fury of immediate Revenge. The Judges de|&s;cending from the Scaffold went into the Li&s;ts towards <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who &s;eeing them coming, Come, &s;aid he to them, Come and hear the truth from the mouth of an Enemy. Speak it then, &s;aid he to him, if thou wilt live, and defer no longer the vindication of my honour: Then the wretched <HI>Artanus</HI> being moved with remor&s;e, but much more with fear of death; told in few words the whole truth of the Story: &s;aying only by way of excu&s;e, that when he perceived the manner of the fight, and that the victory was in great di&s;pute, that in all pro|bability all on their &s;ide would be lo&s;t, therefore he thought to have that by cunning which he could not by valour: In conclu&s;ion, he confe&s;&s;ed that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was left but fifteen a|gain&s;t fourty, that he brought it to be ten to ten; afterwards &s;even to ten; after that him&s;elf to again&s;t three; pre&s;ently him&s;elf again&s;t two; and at la&s;t him&s;elf again&s;t <HI>Pharnaces</HI> only: In &s;hort, he confe&s;&s;ed all he knew, and feared death, much more then infamy. And truly, &s;ince he was &s;o pitifully bafled, he needed not to fear the lo&s;&s;e of any more honour, having lo&s;t &s;o much already, that it was impo&s;&s;ible for him to lo&s;e more: The Judges, hearing the confe&s;&s;ion of <HI>Artanus,</HI> did entreat my Ma&s;ter to content him&s;elf with this acknowledgement, and to let him ri&s;e and live: I will let him ri&s;e and live, an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes,</HI> upon condition he will live in honour, and u&s;e to play &s;uch ba&s;e tricks no more. The Judges then were in no more controver&s;ie, but all agreed that my Ma&s;ter was victorious: Declaring <HI>Cera&s;ia</HI> to be|long unto the King of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> and ordained that the Trophee which <HI>Artamenes</HI> had pi|led up &s;hould be hereafter built in earne&s;t unto the honour of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> The King of <HI>Pont</HI> did receive this news like a Prince both of courage and wi&s;edom, and he witne&s;&s;ed more re|&s;entment of &s;orrow for the vile action of <HI>Artanus,</HI> then for the lo&s;s of <HI>Cera&s;ia:</HI> As for <HI>Ci|axares</HI> he received <HI>Artamenes</HI> with extraordinary joy, which doubtle&s;s was no welcome news <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nto <HI>Aribees</HI> and <HI>Philidaspes</HI> who were both pre&s;ent: As for <HI>Artanus,</HI> &s;ince he was of great quality, &s;ome of his kindred took him off, and had care of him, notwith&s;tanding the Kings anger: But the King told them, that though they did cure him of his wounds, yet he would never look upon him again. When the Judges of both &s;ides had acquainted their Ma|&s;ters the Kings with their judgements, the two enemy Kings, and the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> did meet, and &s;aluted one another the &s;econd time; The King of <HI>Pont</HI> told <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> that he would return unto his Army, and the next day withdraw it off from before <HI>Cera&s;ia,</HI> to the end he might take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of it; He told the King of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> in conclu&s;ion, that he had more rea&s;on to e&s;teem him&s;elf happy in having the friend&s;hip of &s;uch a man as <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> then in recovery of the Town; and for his part, he would with all his heart give half his Kingdom, to have but one Souldier &s;o valiant as he: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was clo&s;e by <HI>Ciaxares</HI> when this complement pa&s;&s;ed, who returned an an&s;wer full of mode&s;t civility, though all which come from a Lover of <HI>Mandana</HI> was nothing plea&s;ant to him: After this, the Kings depart|ed, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to <HI>Ani&s;a:</HI> All the people came out of the Town to meet him: the whole Army was drawn up into Batalia: The Prince&s;s her &s;elf being adverti&s;ed of all pa&s;&s;ages by a man whom the King had &s;peedily di&s;patched with intelligence, met the King ju&s;t at the gate of the Ca&s;tle, where <HI>Ciaxares</HI> pre&s;ented <HI>Artamenes</HI> unto her, whom &s;he received with abun|dance of joy; But as &s;he did expre&s;s her joy that he was come off &s;o &s;afe from &s;o dangerous an encounter, Call it not &s;o Madam, I be&s;eech you (&s;aid he to her, and blu&s;hing) do not wrong me &s;o much as to beleeve I could think my &s;elf expo&s;ed unto any danger in this Com|bat. The honour which you were pleas'd to do me, in promi&s;ing your praiers for victory, had &s;uch an operation, as I became victorious without any danger. I know not (an&s;wered the Prince&s;s) whether you vanqui&s;hed without danger; but I am certain you did not vanqui&s;h without honour: Many other Complements pa&s;&s;ed which would be too long to relate; and
<PB N="79" REF="42">
<HI>Ciaxares</HI> to recompence in &s;ome manner the &s;ervices of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> be&s;towed upon him, not only the Government of <HI>Cera&s;ia</HI> which he had conquered, and of which he thought to take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion the day after; But the government of <HI>Ani&s;a</HI> al&s;o, with all the Countrey about it, it being vacant by the death of a former Governour. It is but ju&s;t, &s;aid the King, that <HI>Arta|menes</HI> &s;hould enjoy that which he hath got, and that which I had lo&s;t but for him. <HI>Aribees</HI> dur&s;t not directly oppo&s;e this great benefit which the King had conferred upon <HI>Artamenes,</HI> becau&s;e his &s;ervices did well de&s;erve as much; for he had performed ab&s;olute miracles in the Battle: He had &s;aved the Kings life, he had brought the enemy unto many di&s;advantages: He did prodigiou&s;ly vanqui&s;h in Combat of two hundred, and had concluded a General Peace by one particular Victory. But although <HI>Aribees</HI> did not ab&s;olutely oppo&s;e this great recompence; yet he thought <HI>Artamenes</HI> did eclip&s;e him and <HI>Philida&s;pes:</HI> he told the King in a low voice, that he apprehended much danger by tru&s;ting tho&s;e two places in the hands of a Stranger; and that it were better to recompence <HI>Artamenes</HI> by &s;ome other places in the mid&s;t of the Countrey, then by tho&s;e Frontier Towns: yet &s;ay or do what he could, the King would not alter his re&s;olution: It was his plea&s;ure al&s;o to ob&s;erve the &s;entence of the Judges, and to erect an everla&s;ting Monument unto the glory of <HI>Artamenes</HI> in the place where he him&s;elf had compiled the Trophies: And commanded the Architectures to place all tho&s;e Trophies upon a magnificent Pillar of Marble, which &s;hould ri&s;e a great height with a glorious In&s;cription upon it: this was in a little time after fini&s;hed, notwith&s;tanding the continuance of the war: for Sir, you mu&s;t know that the King of <HI>Pont</HI> did very punctually keep promi&s;e, and retired from <HI>Cera&s;ia:</HI> But you mu&s;t know al&s;o, that the Inhabitants of this Town did &s;o extreamly love this Prince, under who&s;e Government they had lived &s;o long: and had been &s;o ill u&s;ed by the la&s;t Kings of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> under whom they once lived, that the King of <HI>Pont</HI> do what he could, was not able to per&s;wade them to open their Gates unto his Enemy: yet he thought that when he was gone from them they would then change their Re&s;olution, &s;o that he would not &s;end any thing of it unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> le&s;t it &s;hould in|cen&s;e him again&s;t them, but retreated him&s;elf as he was obliged, leaving only one Captain with five hundred men with Orders to remain there, and deliver up the place unto tho&s;e whom the King of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> &s;hould &s;end to receive it. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> being plea&s;ed to favour <HI>Artamenes</HI> in all things, told him very graciou&s;ly, that he would have him go take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of his own Conque&s;t in the head of &s;ix thou&s;and men: But when <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> came there, he much wondred to finde the Gates &s;hut, and all the walls man'd with Souldiers to defend it and them&s;elves, if any would a&s;&s;ault it; he thought it &s;trange that he &s;hould be forced to &s;torm it; yet he would know what the people would &s;ay before he would fall on: He therefore commanded his Troops to keep out of Arrow-&s;hot, and &s;ent to &s;um|mon the Town, commanding the Inhabitants to open their Gates, according to the condi|tions with the King of <HI>Pont:</HI> But they being fully re&s;olved not to change Ma&s;ters, took up Arms, and di&s;armed tho&s;e five hundred Souldiers which the King of <HI>Pont</HI> had left: then they prepared a Declaration, and threw it over the walls unto the Herald which &s;poke unto them, telling him, that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> might there &s;ee in writing their rea&s;ons why they defended the Town again&s;t him; and perhaps might approve of them; al&s;o bidding him be gone pre&s;ent|ly, el&s;e they would make him; for they were re&s;olved to defend them&s;elves though the King of <HI>Pont</HI> had for&s;aken them: <HI>Artamenes</HI> having read the Manife&s;to, &s;tood a&s;toni&s;hed, not only at the han&s;ome compo&s;ure of it, but becau&s;e he &s;aw that never were Subjects &s;o faith|ful unto their Prince as the&s;e: I do not well remember the whole contents of it, but I have not forgot that it ended in the&s;e words.</P>
<P>If we were per&s;waded that we were your lawful Subjects, we would do the &s;ame unto the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> which now we do unto you; But as on the contrary we take our &s;elves to be his, we will die a thou&s;and deaths rather then receive any other Ma&s;ter: We know, that he hath abandoned us, but we know withall that he did not abandon us without &s;orrow; &s;o that we are re&s;olved to keep it for him whether he will or no, and as the ca&s;e &s;tands be ra|ther Rebeis unto him then change Ma&s;ters: If we can re&s;i&s;t you, we &s;hall rejoyce and be hap|py: If we peri&s;h in re&s;i&s;ting you, death will free us from all &s;ervitude: What&s;oever befals us we will not change our King and government: If you be generous, and well advi&s;ed (as we hope you will be) you will rather recompence then puni&s;h us for our fidelity: and you may be glad that we have given &s;o good an example of fidelity unto your Subjects, which may teach them to be as faithful unto your &s;elf when there is occa&s;ion for it.</P>
<P><HI>Artamenes</HI> finding the people to be of Heroique di&s;po&s;itions, would not &s;torm the Town without further order, he &s;ent me unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to carry this Manife&s;to, and receive his
<PB N="80" REF="43">
Commands, &s;taying him&s;elf in the head of his Regiments, and facing <HI>Cera&s;ia.</HI> The King doubtle&s;s was much moved at this event; and <HI>Aribees</HI> who had a cunning wit did believe that the people had &s;ome other ground for their action, then their pure affections unto their Prince, and imagined that their Prince did prompt them to it: So that &s;ince the continu|ance did redound unto his private advantage, he did exa&s;perate the King as much as po&s;&s;ible he could: Neverthele&s;s (as we came to the knowledge of it afterwards) the only cau&s;e which moved the Cera&s;tians unto this generous re&s;olution, was only their affection unto their King, and di&s;like of the Cappadocians. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent to the King of <HI>Pont</HI> to com|plain of the inhabitants, to tax him with breach of Covenant; and without any more lo&s;s of time, he cau&s;ed his Army to advance again&s;t the Town, and to enter it any manner of way what&s;oever. The King ordained <HI>Artamenes</HI> his Lieutenant General; this &s;truck &s;or|row and anger to the very heart of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> when he con&s;idered that now he was &s;ub|ordinate unto the only man of all the world, which was an ob&s;tacle unto his Glory, and con&s;equently unto his main de&s;ign. The Prince&s;s was much troubled at the accident: <HI>Phi|lida&s;pes</HI> more then &s;he: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> is re&s;tle&s;s: The King of <HI>Pont</HI> is both glad and &s;ad: The King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> is angry: <HI>Aribees</HI> is well plea&s;ed; and <HI>Artamenes</HI> is neither moved with one Pa&s;&s;ion or other, but keeps a <HI>medium</HI> between both, &s;ince he &s;aw his love was not con|cerned in it, and that was the only thing which could move him either to joy or &s;orrow. The King of <HI>Pont</HI> an&s;wered tho&s;e whom <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent unto him, that he was very &s;orry and much offended that the Cera&s;ians did not obey him: and that for his part, he had done all he could: for all he could do was to command them to &s;et open their Gates. But (&s;aid he to the Emba&s;&s;adors) I do not think my &s;elf obliged to go and be&s;iege them or to fight again&s;t tho&s;e who out of their extream affection to me, do ca&s;t off obedience. It is &s;ufficient that I will not aid them: Be&s;ides, they are now none of my &s;ubjects, they are the &s;ubjects of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and it belongs to him to order them: Yet I do, indeed, think my &s;elf bound to intreat them, but not rigorou&s;ly to compell them. This Prince, thus di&s;mi&s;&s;ing the Em|ba&s;&s;adors of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> &s;ent one of his own Heralds with them, whom the King of <HI>Cappa|docia</HI> cau&s;ed to be conducted unto the Wals of <HI>Cera&s;ia,</HI> for to &s;ummon them to &s;urrender the Town: But they would not obey, and bid him tell his Ma&s;ter, that though he had cru|elly for&s;aken them, yet they preferred death before &s;ubjection unto the King of <HI>Galatia. Ciaxares</HI> &s;eeing their con&s;tant re&s;olution, did commend them for it in his heart, yet he plotted how to a&s;&s;ault them; to that end he held a Councel of Warre, the re&s;ult of which was, To carry this Town by force. In order to which, he &s;ate down before it: Quar|ters are cho&s;en: Lines are drawn: Trenches are ca&s;t up: Ladders and other Engines are prepared. Mean while, <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> whom we did not believe to be of &s;uch an ambitious &s;pirit, was full of re&s;tle&s;s envy: It did appear &s;o vi&s;ible in his eyes, that all the world took notice of it. He thought, that if he did not come off very eminently at this &s;iege, he &s;hould come infinitely &s;hort of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who had carried it &s;o highly; and &s;o by con&s;equence his great de&s;ign would be ruined: He al&s;o thought what gallant things &s;oever he did in this expedition where <HI>Artamenes</HI> was appointed Governour, they would all redound unto his advantage. Neither was the King of <HI>Pont</HI> without his &s;hare of vexation in minde; for his <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;tuck in it; and this affection of the people towards him, moved much tender|ne&s;s in him towards them again. So that que&s;tionle&s;s had not the <HI>Lydian</HI> Warre which the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> feared, diverted him, he would have been willing to begin that Warre which he had but newly ended. But Sir, it was not long before he had what he wi&s;ht for; becau&s;e the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> newly received &s;ome intelligence, that the King of <HI>Lydia</HI> was not in condition for Warre, a great part of his own &s;ubjects being lately revolted. This news begot new re&s;entments in the minde of the King of <HI>Pont:</HI> But whil&s;t he was delibera|ting what was be&s;t to be done; <HI>Ciaxares</HI> cau&s;ed <HI>Cera&s;ia</HI> to be &s;tormed: <HI>Artamenes</HI> did things above admiration, and <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> did no le&s;s. I will not Sir &s;tand to de&s;cribe ex|actly all the particularities of this &s;iege; having many things of greater importance to re|bate: Let me tell you only in few words, that the inhabitants of <HI>Cera&s;ia</HI> did de&s;perately de|fend them&s;elves, and &s;ound enough for the valour of <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> to work <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">en; and I have &s;ince heard my Ma&s;ter &s;ay, that he never found &s;uch &s;tout re&s;i&s;tance as from them: nor did he ever fight more again&s;t the hair of his di&s;po&s;ition: for con&s;idering the cou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ag<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> minde of the men, and their incomparable fidelity, it could not chu&s;e but <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> him that his valour &s;hould be imployed again&s;t &s;uch men: They maintained the Town again&s;t four A&s;&s;aults, with Gallantry above example: They &s;aw all their Gates broken down, and a great part of their Wals demoli&s;ht with martial Engines, before they would
<PB N="77" REF="43">
render them&s;elves: And being intrenched towards the highe&s;t part of the Town, they &s;till found us work enough. <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> helped not a little in this &s;iege, and both <HI>Artamenes</HI> and he did &s;o highly e&s;teem of one another, that it may well be &s;aid, valour did never be|get &s;o much admiration, and &s;o little love. But in conclu&s;ion, after the&s;e unfortunate inhabitants had a long time very &s;toutly re&s;i&s;ted, they were compelled to yield: Yet before they were the la&s;t time a&s;&s;aulted, <HI>Artamenes</HI> did be&s;eech the King that he might &s;end a &s;ummons unto them once more, with a&s;&s;urance of a general pardon, if they would render them&s;elves, and re&s;i&s;t no more, which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> con&s;ented unto. At that very in&s;tant, there arrived an Emba&s;&s;ador from the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> to intreat the King he would be plea&s;ed to pardon the inhabitants of this Town, when he had vanqui&s;hed them, and not to die his victory too deep in blood: He pre&s;ently returned this an&s;wer, that he would pardon any but Rebels. But this la&s;t &s;ummons which was &s;ent into the Town returned in vain, and the de&s;perate men made an&s;wer, that Let things go as they would, they had rather dye glori|ou&s;ly, then abandon their King, as he had them, nor would they ever have any other Ma&s;ter, and by con&s;equence could de&s;ire nothing but death, &s;ince there was no other way to get their Liberty. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> finding their ob&s;tinacy, did not only give orders to A&s;&s;ault them, and &s;o take them, but do what <HI>Artamenes</HI> could, he gave orders al&s;o to put them all to the Sword: The lo&s;s of &s;ix thou&s;and men at this &s;iege was it which mo&s;t incen&s;ed him. As for <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> never man fought better then at this la&s;t A&s;&s;ault: For &s;eeing it was ordered that this mi&s;erable Town &s;hould be de&s;troyed, he helped forward with it as he could; for it was &s;ome &s;atisfaction unto his ambitious jealou&s;ie, to &s;ee that Town rui|ned whereof <HI>Artamenes</HI> was to be Governour: But my Ma&s;ter &s;aved it as much as po&s;&s;i|ble, and at the end of the Combate, did force the King to grant life unto a few which re|mained, who were con&s;trained to receive it again&s;t their wils. This &s;ad Victory was very happily gotten, both for <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> neither of them having received but one &s;light hurt. Mean while, both love and anger di&s;turbed the King of <HI>Pont</HI>'s minde: Now he only wants a han&s;ome pretence to begin a Warre: He &s;ends to <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and much complains of his cruelty towards the Cera&s;ians: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> an&s;wers, that tho&s;e whom he had puni&s;hed were his &s;ubjects, and &s;uch &s;ubjects as rebelled again&s;t him more then once; of whom he was not bound to render an account unto any. The King of <HI>Pont</HI> was pretty well &s;atisfied with this tart an&s;wer, becau&s;e it furni&s;hed him with a &s;light occa&s;ion of quarrel: He &s;ends back to <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and tels him, that he would hold Alliance no longer with a Prince, who u&s;ed his own &s;ubjects &s;o &s;curvily, and therefore would from hence forward declare him&s;elf an enemy. <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> for all this, knew that he had an infallible expedient to make peace when he plea&s;ed, &s;uch an one as would make him throw his Arms down pre&s;ently, and therefore he never complained again&s;t his procedure: You know Sir, that this expedient, which the King of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> did mean, was the marriage of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> unto him. But yet notwith&s;tanding <HI>Ciaxares</HI> received this me&s;&s;age very &s;owrly, and an&s;wered him with as much tartne&s;s as the Emba&s;&s;ie was full of Inju&s;tice. Now &s;ee how things are more embroyled then before: <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who&s;e Army was much weakned, retreated towards <HI>Ani&s;a,</HI> after he had burnt the Town of <HI>Cera&s;ia,</HI> as well to prevent the King of <HI>Pont</HI> from ever repairing it, as becau&s;e he would not be put to the nece&s;&s;ity of lea|ving a Garri&s;on in it, as al&s;o to make it a terrible example of his revenge. <HI>Artamenes,</HI> lea&s;t the King of <HI>Pont</HI> &s;hould think that this retreat proceeded from any fear, he did intreat <HI>Ci|axares</HI> that he might &s;tay about <HI>Cera&s;ia</HI> with ten thou&s;and Foot, and four thou&s;and Hor&s;e, to ob&s;erve the motions of the enemy; and to let him &s;ee, that there was no fear of him. Mean while, the King might Recrute his Army out of tho&s;e Garri&s;ons and Places which were near him, he might quickly make new Levies: and with tho&s;e Troops which he car|ried away with him, he might appea&s;e that Tumult which was lately ri&s;en, which was not of any deep con&s;ideration. The King approving of <HI>Artamenes</HI> his Propo&s;ition, con&s;ented unto it, and appointed tho&s;e Troops which were to remain under conduct of my Ma&s;ter Ob&s;erve here Sir, the &s;trange and fanta&s;tical effects which violent Pa&s;&s;ions doe produce in that &s;oul which is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with them: <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> who was ab&s;olutely de&s;perate to be put upon &s;uch a nece&s;&s;ity, that he mu&s;t obey <HI>Artamenes</HI> as his Leiutenant General, and who for many rea&s;ons was to follow the King unto <HI>Ani&s;a,</HI> whither he was now upon return: yet notwith&s;tanding all tho&s;e occa&s;ions which required him to be about <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and notwith&s;tanding tho&s;e &s;ecret grudges to be under command of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> he did for all that &s;olicit <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to be one of tho&s;e which &s;hould be with <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and was &s;o very earne&s;t that he obtained his de&s;ire; The Rea&s;on of his de&s;ire was, becau&s;e it was an intollerable vexation of &s;oul unto him, to
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&s;ee <HI>Artamenes</HI> every day purcha&s;e new glories and honours, and he no partaker with him; and becau&s;e he was ab&s;olutely re&s;olved to be his inveterate Rival in point of Ambition. The King of <HI>Pont</HI> under&s;tanding that his enemies Army was divided, advanced immediatly with all his Forces towards <HI>Artamenes;</HI> His Army con&s;i&s;ted of five and twenty thou&s;and men: with them he re&s;olved to &s;wallow up <HI>Artamenes,</HI> or at lea&s;t make him retreat to his Ma&s;ter at <HI>Ani&s;a:</HI> But this inequality of number could not make <HI>Artamenes</HI> budge a bit: I took the bold|ne&s;s to tell him that there was too much hazard in the Adventure; but he an&s;wered me that there was more hazard if he declined Combat; &s;ince by that he &s;hould lo&s;e him&s;elf in the e&s;teem of his Prince&s;s; No No <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> &s;aid he, the de&s;igns of my &s;oul are all extraordi|nary and above common reach: To gain a battel upon equal terms, is the common glory and fortune of every day, which any paltry valour may chance to &s;tumble upon: But to get a battle when in all likelihoods it is quite lo&s;t, this is that which <HI>Artamenes</HI> mu&s;t do if he will hope to pre&s;erve him&s;elf in <HI>Mandana's</HI> favour; and <HI>Artamenes</HI> mu&s;t &s;uffer as <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> or el&s;e oblige her &s;o that &s;he will not hate <HI>Cyrus:</HI> In conclu&s;ion Sir, He cal'd a Coun|cel of war; But though <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was of <HI>Artamenes</HI> his opinion and would fight it, becau&s;e he would not &s;eem le&s;s bold then <HI>Artamenes,</HI> yet all the re&s;t of the Captains declined it: But however at this time prudence mu&s;t give place unto valour. Notwith&s;tanding <HI>Artamenes</HI> was as wary as he could, He po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed him&s;elf of all the advantages which the place would afford, and be&s;tir'd him&s;elf with as much vigilance and prudence as the greate&s;t Captain in the world could do. The King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> and the King of <HI>Pont</HI> did often fall into the Quar|ters o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Artamenes,</HI> but were alwaies beaten off with lo&s;&s;e: and in what Quarter &s;oever they lighted, they alwaies found my Ma&s;ter in the head, they alwaies were repul&s;ed, and found lam<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">inoble. The&s;e two Kings did &s;et a high value upon him (as we afterwards came to know) for they feared <HI>Claxares</HI> more by rea&s;on of him then by rea&s;on of all his power be|&s;ides, whether con&s;idering him as the Son of the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> or as King of <HI>Cappado|cia</HI> and <HI>Calatia:</HI> But Sir, to make a &s;hort Relation; It may truly be &s;aid that <HI>Artamenes</HI> gave and got three little Battles in a &s;hort time: In the fir&s;t he undertook a &s;ingle Combat with the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> and gave him a little hurt, and had the better of that Bout. In the &s;e|cond the matter was more dubious, <HI>Philidaspes</HI> did miraculou&s;ly, and attempted to take the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> Pri&s;oner: But in the third there hapned a chance unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> which &s;aved his life afterwards, as I &s;hall tell you in the &s;equel of my Di&s;cour&s;e, and indeed it doth de&s;erve your knowledge. Then Sir, I &s;hall tell you, that it was alwaies the cu&s;tom of <HI>Arta|menes</HI> in all fights that ever he was in, to &s;eek out as much as po&s;&s;ible the principall Comman|ders of the Enemy: He laboured with all diligence to finde out and fight with the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> as he was the King-Enemy and King-Lover of <HI>Mandana.</HI> As he was &s;earching all a|bout, he &s;aw upon his right hand one Knight who defended him&s;elf again&s;t fifteen or twenty of <HI>Cappadocian</HI> Souldiers; He went to them, and he knew him to be the King of <HI>Pont</HI> who by that number had inevitably been utterly ruined; He went &s;traight to them, and making him&s;elf known by his voice; Hold, my Companions (&s;aid he to them) Kings mu&s;t not be overcome thus, they mu&s;t fight more nobly, and not be oppre&s;&s;ed by multitudes: Upon his words, the Cavaliers held their hands, and he addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf unto the King of <HI>Pont;</HI> Valiant Prince (&s;aid he, and &s;topt a little) It &s;hall be none of my fault but yours, if you doe not revenge the bloud which I &s;pilt, and fini&s;h that which was the other day begun: Gene|rous Enemy (Replied the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> going back and holding up his Sword) It would not be ju&s;t in me to fight again&s;t my Deliverer; neither will I put you to take that from me which you came to give me, nor will I ever put my &s;elf unto &s;o much di&s;honour, as to kill him who &s;aved my life. But when he &s;aw that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was not plea&s;ed with his An&s;wer, and perhaps would force him to fight, he left him, and mingled &s;uddenly among&s;t the multi|tude, whither <HI>Artamenes</HI> followed but could not meet with him that day: This pa&s;&s;age moved both <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">onder and &s;orrow in my Ma&s;ter: For con&s;idering the brave acts which he had &s;een the King of <HI>Pont</HI> perform, he knew it could be nothing el&s;e but genero&s;ity of &s;oul which moved him to do thus: Alas (&s;aid he to me, when he returned at night unto his tent) what a dangerous Rivall have I met with? and how unhappy &s;hould I be if <HI>Mandana</HI> knew him as well as I do? But O ye gods (&s;aid he) that this Prince did but know who he was that would have fought with him, and what the Rea&s;on was which moved me to &s;ave his Life! He knows not that I &s;aved it only to take it away; for he did not look upon me as a Generous Enemy, nor &s;u&s;pect me to be his Rivall. But <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he to me) how is it po&s;&s;ible that the &s;hould know him and hate him? Have not I more cau&s;e to fear who am but bare <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and who am more hated as the Son of the King of <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> then as a meer &s;tran|ger?
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Afterwards as a &s;park of jealou&s;ie he commended me to enquire with all care and wit concerning the original of the King of <HI>Ponts</HI> love, which I did, and which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> found out, there being none in all <HI>Cappadocia</HI> which was ignorant of it: I found, that the late Kings of <HI>Pont</HI> having a war with the King of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> and in conclu&s;ion being drawn to terms of Peace, they were to give Ho&s;tages on both &s;ides; and that the King of <HI>Pont</HI> &s;ent one of his children with this, who then was not the elde&s;t: That within &s;ix Moneths after he had been in the Court of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> his love took fir&s;t beginning, but dur&s;t not openly profe&s;s it, be|cau&s;e it was not he who was to &s;ucceed his Father in the Kingdom: That in conclu&s;ion his Father and elder brother being dead, and he &s;ucceeding in the Crown, he &s;ent Amba&s;&s;adors to court the Prince&s;s by way of marriage, but &s;he was refu&s;ed him upon &s;everall rea&s;ons al|ready mentioned. <HI>Artamenes</HI> under&s;tanding this was &s;trangely di&s;quieted, for all the ver|tue, mode&s;ty and &s;everity of <HI>Mandana</HI> had much ado to per&s;wade him, but that this Prince who was &s;o generous, &s;o hand&s;ome, &s;o lovely, &s;o amorous, and &s;o compleat a man, mu&s;t needs in &s;ix moneths time obtain one corner in heart and affection; yet when he remembred how the Prince&s;s did cordially rejoyce at any victory obtain'd from this Prince, his fears of it begun to vani&s;h and di&s;pell his inquietudes: But his &s;oul was not yet at re&s;t; for (&s;aid he) &s;ince this Prince who is very hand&s;ome, of a good deportment, extraordinary valiant, and full of wit (as they tell me) cannot gain her heart; How can I ever hope to pretend unto it? I who am a Prince indeed but dare not tell it, who pa&s;s only for an unfortunate &s;tranger, without e&s;tate or Countrey: So it was Sir, that after this third Combat wherein <HI>Artamenes</HI> had the better, and <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> became very eminent, he thought good to refre&s;h his Troops a little while, e&s;pecially &s;ince the King of <HI>Pont</HI> did the like: During which intervall, tho&s;e Forces for which order was given to be drawn out of &s;everal Gari&s;ons, were come up, his new Levies al&s;o compleated, and then his Army amounted unto above fifty thou&s;and men effectual; the King of <HI>Pont</HI> recruited al&s;o: So that the&s;e two enemy-Kings were both &s;trong and able to di&s;pute the Victory upon equal terms: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was received both by the King and Prince&s;s with wonderful applau&s;e: <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> al&s;o was well welcomed, though much below <HI>Artamenes,</HI> which drave him into a mo&s;t melancholy mood. During the time, they continued at <HI>Ani&s;a,</HI> they often waited upon the Prince&s;s, and commonly both together, which did nothing at all plea&s;e <HI>Artamenes;</HI> How cruel is <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> (would he expre&s;s him|&s;elf unto me) to &s;teal from me the one halt of <HI>Mandanaes</HI> adorable looks, and all the &s;weet|ne&s;s of her Di&s;cour&s;e? For he is &s;o continually in her pre&s;ence, that though every one did not think him capable of &s;uch a high ambition, yet they thought he was in love; Why doth he not hang upon <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and &s;eek his Fortune that way? Can he not let me alone with the Prince&s;s? Let him not think that I will ever be his Rivall in that Ambition, to become great in the Kings favour: If thou thinke&s;t I do, alas thou do&s;t abu&s;e thy &s;elf: No No <HI>Phi|lidaspes,</HI> enjoy and enjoy freely all the wealth of <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> Be more in the Kings favour then ever any, I allow it, but leave <HI>Mandana</HI> only to me; take &s;ome other cour&s;e to come unto that which thy Ambition aims at, and trouble not me thus in my freedom of Di&s;cour&s;e with her; which to me is a very heaven of joy: I know very well (&s;aid he to us) that I dare not yet tell her of my pa&s;&s;ion; for her vertue commands my &s;ilence; her mode&s;ty and &s;everity forbids me&punc; I have not yet done things great enough to expo&s;e my &s;elf unto &s;o great a dan|ger: yet notwith&s;tanding I cannot chu&s;e but de&s;ire mo&s;t earne&s;tly to entertain di&s;cour&s;e with her without any witne&s;&s;es: For my Friends, if ever that happy time once come unto me, none &s;hall ever &s;hare with me in her favour and lovely looks: I only will enjoy her eyes and thoughts: I &s;hould prize this as an infinite happine&s;s though I &s;poke not a word to her of my pa&s;&s;ion. How do I know but that this Divine Prince&s;s who is &s;o full of wit and ap|prehen&s;ion will when I am alone with her perhaps gue&s;&s;e at that which I would have her know? and common courte&s;ie cau&s;eth her to divide her minde between <HI>Philidaspes</HI> and me: But what is this I &s;ay? (&s;aid he reprehending him&s;elf) No, No, it is not yet time to di&s;|cover thy Love <HI>Artamenes;</HI> but keep it clo&s;e and let none know it: <HI>Artamenes</HI> is not yet arrived at that Point where he would be: nor hath he &s;hare enough in the Heart of <HI>Mandana</HI> to arm him&s;elf withall again&s;t her Anger; He mu&s;t fir&s;t oblige her more by his great Services; and gain more e&s;teem by his Heroique Acts: force her inclinations by perpetual complaceny: divert her di&s;plea&s;ure alwaies if po&s;&s;ible, and merit her love by as many amorous re&s;pects as ever &s;oul was capable of: And then perhaps it will be time to &s;peak unto her upon terms of Love: But alas (added he) if <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> do con|tinually enjoy her company, how can I have opportunities to do it? In conlu&s;ion, he was &s;o full of fears, lea&s;t <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> &s;hould be in&s;pired with Love, as well as Ambition, that
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tho&s;e different thoughts troubled him infinitely. Mean while, all the fre&s;h Recruits were come up; and the King, before he advanced again&s;t his enemy, who was in the field rea|dy to pre&s;ent him battel, would take a General view of his whole Army: And in order to that, cau&s;ed it pa&s;s under the Wals of <HI>Ani&s;a,</HI> upon which the Prince&s;s &s;tood to behold that Martial Ceremony. <HI>Artamenes</HI> was that day in very common Arms, although he had very rich ones trimmed up, which none ever yet did &s;ee, but he &s;aid they were not made to be &s;een, and therefore he would not wear them untill he had &s;een his enemies in them: telling <HI>Feraulas</HI> and me merrily, that Arms were never han&s;om untill they were &s;anguin'd with the blood of his enemies. But although he did not that day rely upon his gallant and han&s;om deportment, yet notwith&s;tanding he did excell all the re&s;t of the Army, even <HI>Phi|lida&s;pes</HI> him&s;elf, though <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was very han&s;omly proportioned, and that day very proudly trim'd up in Arms. The Prince&s;s being then upon the Wals, waited upon by all the Ladies of the Court and of <HI>Ani&s;a,</HI> &s;he viewed the Troops, who after they were pa&s;&s;ed by the King and her, were by the orders of <HI>Artamenes</HI> drawn up into Battalia, who &s;tood in the Head of them, and carried him&s;elf with &s;o gallant a grace, that he did with delight attract the eyes of all upon him: It might be &s;aid, that all this great body was linked unto him by an invi&s;ible chain, &s;ince by the lea&s;t motion of his hand, or accent of his voice, it moved as he commanded; &s;ometimes to the Right hand, &s;ometimes to the Left; &s;ometimes to the Rear, &s;ometimes doubling their Ranks, and &s;ometimes their Files; in &s;hort, there was Let <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> very Sergeant in all the Army which under&s;tood his office better then <HI>Artamenes</HI> did. As they were bu&s;ied at this brave exerci&s;e, the Prince&s;s di&s;covered afar off upon the Plain, one of the King of <HI>Pont</HI>'s Heraulds, who was ea&s;ily known by his di&s;tingui&s;hed ha|bit. When he was come near the fir&s;t Ranks, he was conducted unto the King, of whom he de&s;ired permi&s;&s;ion to &s;peak unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> concerning &s;omething from the King of <HI>Pont; Ciaxares</HI> calling him, the Herauld addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech unto him, Sir (&s;aid he) the King of <HI>Pont</HI> my Ma&s;ter, who e&s;teems you, and thinks him&s;elf obliged unto you, and who would not have the Victory, if it be his fortune to get it, imputed unto any ba&s;ene&s;s of his men, hath &s;ent me to adverti&s;e you, that there are fourty Knights in his Camp (whom he does not know, for if he did, they &s;hould all be puni&s;hed) who have took a &s;olemn Oath, and con&s;pired again&s;t your life, to be at the fir&s;t Battel, and not to &s;eparate nor &s;eek for any but <HI>Artamenes,</HI> nor fight with any but him, but either to kill him or peri&s;h them&s;elves. This is the Con&s;piracy Sir which the King my Ma&s;ter hath enquired out, and which was found in a Paper &s;cattered in the camp, but he cannot di&s;cover who are the parties or who that writ it: Therefore Sir, the King of <HI>Pont</HI> and the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> who &s;ent me to you, to adverti&s;e you of it, not daring to de&s;ire you that both for their honour and your &s;afety you would forbear <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ight that day, knowing well that your great Spirit cannot forbear: but they advi&s;e you at lea&s;t to wear &s;ome &s;imple unknown arms that day, to the end the&s;e ba&s;e men may not ea&s;ily di&s;tingui&s;h you, nor effect their unworthy de&s;ign. The Herald having deli|vered his Me&s;&s;age, and made low reverence, al&s;o <HI>Artamenes</HI> another, unto the King he de&s;i|red leave to an&s;wer the Herald, which he did mo&s;t civilly, although it did much vex him he &s;hould receive &s;uch Obligations from his Rivall. I am much obliged unto the King, your Ma&s;ter (&s;aid he unto the Herald) for the care which he takes in pre&s;erving my life; But to te&s;tifie unto you that I am not altogether unworthy of that honour which he hath done me, I mu&s;t de&s;ire leave of the King (&s;aid he in turning towards <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> that I &s;tay you a little before I give you my An&s;wer. Then he whi&s;pered <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who was clo&s;e by him, in the ear, and commanded him &s;omething which none under&s;tood: but it was pre&s;ently known, for <HI>Feraulas</HI> making ha&s;te, and my Ma&s;ters Tent not being far off, we &s;aw him return pre&s;ently and followed by a Souldier which carried as a Trophee that magnificent Sute of Arms, which <HI>Artamenes</HI> had cau&s;ed to be made for him&s;elf: This &s;ight &s;urpri&s;ed Spectators, and begot a curio&s;ity in the Prince&s;s: for <HI>Feraulas</HI> ob&s;erved that &s;he eyed the Arms, and was much a&s;to|ni&s;hed at them; Certainly Sir <HI>Artamenes</HI> could not make choice of any thing more magni|f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">cent nor more ob&s;ervable. They were engraved with gold, and enamelled with &s;uch lively <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> as the bow of heaven had none more glittering: All the nails were headed with Ru|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, intermingled with Emeraulds: In the middle of his Buckler was a great Sun, repre&s;ent|ed by Diamonds which dazled all tho&s;e who beheld it: Upon his Head-piece was an Eagle of M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;ie gold, mo&s;t rich, which her wings di&s;played, who bending down her head, and holding the beh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">s top in Beak and Tallons, did &s;eem to gaze upon the Diamond Sun which &s;hin'd in the mid&s;t of his Buckler: as who &s;hould &s;ay, that this Sun, which according to <HI>Artamenes</HI> his devi&s;e did embleme the Prince&s;s, did de&s;erve more regard then that Sun which &s;hined in
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the Heavens. From the Train of this proud Bird did i&s;&s;ue a Plume of Feathers, admirably well mixt with twenty &s;everal colours: The Hilt of his Sword, the Scabberd, the Belt, the Gauntlet, the Sute of Arms and all the appurtenances were &s;uitable unto this magnificence, which for the richne&s;s of the &s;ub&s;tance, the excellency of the work, and the admirable vari|ety of colours, nothing could more invite the eye to gaze then it: As &s;oon as they appea|red, every one began to ask and de&s;ire to know what <HI>Artamenes</HI> would do with them. The King lookt upon my Ma&s;ter, and &s;tept nearer to hear what he would &s;ay, when <HI>Artamenes</HI> af|ter a low Congy, and asking leave to an&s;wer the Herauld, Tell thy Ma&s;ter (&s;aid he to him) that &s;ince my Arms are good enough to re&s;i&s;t his which are &s;o dreadful, I &s;hall think them therefore good enough, not to fear tho&s;e gallant Cavaliers who have &s;uch a high opinion of their valour as that they mu&s;t needs be fourty to fight with one: I Prethee publi&s;h through|out all the King of <HI>Ponts</HI> Camp; that the&s;e Arms which here thou &s;ee&s;t &s;hall be tho&s;e which I will wear upon the day of Battle. And a&s;&s;ure thy Ma&s;ter from me (if the King will plea&s;e to permit me) that to acknowledge his genero&s;ity in &s;ome manner, there &s;hall none ever a&s;|&s;ault in my pre&s;ence but one to one: nor &s;hall his valour &s;ink under an oppre&s;&s;ing multi|tude if I be there: The Herald though a&s;toni&s;hed at the greatne&s;s of <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;oul, would have an&s;wered &s;omething, but he hindered him: No No my Friend (&s;aid he) do not oppo&s;e thy &s;elf again&s;t my de&s;ign, and be confident that if the King thy Ma&s;ter did but throughly know me, he would not di&s;allow of what I do; <HI>Ciaxares</HI> hearing what he &s;aid would have oppo&s;ed him, in&s;tancing, that it was not wi&s;edom or ju&s;tice &s;o &s;lightly to hazard a life which was &s;o con&s;iderable: My Honour Sir (Replied he) ought to be more precious unto you, therefore I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech your Maje&s;ty, force me not unto any di&s;obedience: But this (Replied <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> is to no purpo&s;e, yet he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed the Herauld without any other an&s;wer. When he was gone, and the Arms carried back unto the Tent, <HI>Artamenes</HI> was not moved at it one jot, though the advice did &s;o nearly concern his life. But <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had o|ther re&s;entments of it, and was much perplext, almo&s;t re&s;olving not to advance towards the Enemy, fearing to hazard that life which was &s;o dear unto him: The Prince&s;s who &s;aw the Herald come unto the King, and who knew <HI>Feraulas</HI> which carried tho&s;e magnificent Arms, had a great de&s;ire to know the meaning of it; &s;o that &s;he &s;ent one of her &s;ervants to enquire, who met us as we were conducting the Herald out of the Camp, after we had according to the orders of <HI>Artamenes</HI> carried him through the body of the whole Army, my Ma&s;ter being de&s;irous that the Herald &s;hould inform the King of <HI>Pont</HI> in what a gallant it was, then we gave him at the parting according to my Ma&s;ters appointment a Diamond of a very con&s;ide|rable value. This Servant of the Prince&s;s enquired of us all which he de&s;ired to know, and we told him in few words relating the genero&s;ity of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> He was &s;o generally loved, that this man &s;eem'd to be much troubled at the great danger which my Ma&s;ter did expo&s;e him&s;elf unto, though he was much joyed to &s;ee that he turned all the de&s;igns of his enemies unto his honour. He acquainted <HI>Mandana</HI> with the bu&s;ine&s;s of the King of <HI>Ponts</HI> Herauld, and with <HI>Artamenes</HI> his An&s;wer: We knew afterwards by a Lady whom the Prince&s;s loved very well, and unto whom <HI>Feraulas</HI> did afterwards bear a very good will, that the Prince&s;s did pre&s;ently change colour at the news: that it did trouble her extreamly, and that &s;he com|mended <HI>Artamenes</HI> highly. <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> who was al&s;o clo&s;e by the King as well as my Ma&s;ter, did al&s;o extoll him; but it was out of different re&s;entments, anger and jealou&s;ie: Nowith|&s;tanding I found out this anger and this ambitious jealou&s;ie, which is in&s;eparable from all tho&s;e who a&s;pire unto high reputation, <HI>Artamenes</HI> had &s;ome light &s;u&s;picions that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was in love with the Prince&s;s; And I think <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> had no le&s;&s;e jealou&s;ie of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> However both of them tran&s;act as if they both knew it; And they were po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with the &s;elf-&s;ame pa&s;&s;ions. The Prince&s;s for her part thought that they were both of them in love with honour and glory only, and dreamt not of any &s;hare which &s;he had either in their ha|tred or love: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> que&s;tionle&s;s did love them both, becau&s;e they did both of them high|ly de&s;erve it, but with this difference; that his inclination did forcibly compell him to prefer <HI>Artamenes</HI> before <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> although he had as many obliging engagements to the one as the other. It is very true that <HI>Philidaspes</HI> was much held up by <HI>Aribees,</HI> who being de&s;irous to oppo&s;e this new favourite <HI>Artamenes,</HI> did think no way &s;o expedient as to make this other young &s;tranger his &s;talking-hor&s;e, who as well as my Ma&s;ter had the advantage of novelty, which is a great charm throughout the world: So that the&s;e two being in oppo&s;ition one to another, he betwixt them both might better pre&s;erve his own power and credit. Mean time, my Ma&s;ter who let no occa&s;ions of his re&s;tle&s;s love e&s;cape his thoughts, re&s;ented them very deeply when he under&s;tood how the Prince&s;s commended the King of <HI>Ponts</HI> genero|&s;ity.
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How unhappy am I (&s;aid he to us at night when he was retired) and how ought I to &s;u&s;pect my fortune &s;ince &s;he u&s;eth all her art to torment me? O thou too generous Enemy (&s;aid he) can&s;t thou not con&s;pire again&s;t my life, without advi&s;ing me to pre&s;erve it in &s;uch a cruell manner? Why do&s;t thou not contrive &s;ome other way to get the reputation of the world without making me the Subject of thy de&s;erving it? But (&s;aid he) I am too blame that I do not make my true ca&s;e known unto the King of <HI>Pont:</HI> It is to abu&s;e his genero&s;ity, to hide from him that I am his Rivall, again&s;t whom perhaps he would con&s;pire if once he knew as much; But alas, dare I di&s;cover my love unto my Rival, who dare not tell as much unto my Prince&s;s? and can I endure that the King of <HI>Pont</HI> &s;hould thus load me with obligations, and force me again&s;t my will to return genero&s;ity for genero&s;ity, and al&s;o to pre&s;erve that life which I would take from him, which I &s;hall infallibly do whenever any honorable occa&s;i|on offers it &s;elf, unle&s;s he exchange his pa&s;&s;ions? Alas, unhappy Prince (&s;aid he) that I &s;hould lament thee! thee who que&s;tionle&s;s do&s;t e&s;teem of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> thou do&s;t wi&s;h him engaged in thy &s;ervice; that he had been born thy &s;ubject, and that he would become thy Creature: But O ye gods: although he were thy Creature, thy Subject, and thy Brother, yet he would be alwaies thy Rivall, and therefore thou &s;houlde&s;t not wi&s;h his life &s;o much as it &s;eems thou do&s;t. But in the mean time thou pre&s;erv'&s;t it do what I can, if what the Herauld doth inform me be true; and certainly I &s;hall owe thee my life if I e&s;cape; &s;ince if I had not been pre|pared for it, it would have been impo&s;&s;ible for me not to fall uopn tho&s;e di&s;advantages. Ah <HI>Mandana</HI> (&s;aid he pitifully) incomparable <HI>Mandana,</HI> do not be&s;tow all your e&s;teem upon my Rivall: Stay until the end of the battle, then compare his Actions and mine together, and then di&s;pen&s;e it with equity: yet nowith&s;tanding there is a va&s;t difference between him and me; for <HI>Mandana</HI> knows the King of <HI>Pont</HI> is in Love with her, but &s;he is ab&s;olutely ig|norant of my pa&s;&s;ions. May be Sir (&s;aid I to him) that the knowledge &s;he hath of his Pa&s;&s;i|on is more prejudiciall then advantagious unto him: No No <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he to me) as &s;evere as my Prince&s;s is, and what rigorous vertue &s;oever be in her, it is impo&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould deprive love of that priviledge, but that all glorious actions beget a new e&s;teem in tho&s;e who know them: yes <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> Love is a cau&s;e of Love; And it is without all doubt that when &s;he is per&s;waded, all the Glorious and Heroique acts which are done are done for her; if &s;he do not then return Love; yet &s;he will at lea&s;t e&s;teem and &s;ometimes pity; &s;o that <HI>Chri|&s;antes,</HI> at this very time it may be <HI>Mandana</HI> doth e&s;teem and pity my Rival, and perhaps I may have &s;ome &s;hare in her e&s;teem, but I &s;hall have none of that pity; and I am well a&s;&s;u|red that in all her recompences which &s;he hath conferred upon me, there was not any ingre|dient of her heart or affection in them; may be &s;he infu&s;ed into them &s;uch a mercenary re|&s;pect as belongs unto one who hacks out his Fortunes by his valour, and who looks more after recompence then glory, But as for the King of <HI>Pont</HI> he cannot be thought one of the&s;e: All his actions are &s;utes for Love: the war he makes with her father &s;peaks the violence of his affection; His genero&s;ity per&s;wades her he is worthy of hers, and all things argue for him and again&s;t me: I &s;hould never make an end Sir, if I &s;hould repeat all his words: Ne|verthele&s;s as he was the next morning to march towards the Enemy, and after he had given order for all things nece&s;&s;ary for his voyage, often charging that his Sute of Arms &s;hould be &s;ure not to be forgotten, he waited upon the King unto the Prince&s;s to take his leave. <HI>Ci|axares</HI> did there highly extoll him; but after he had done his Commendations he began to chide him as much for his opinionative re&s;olution to carry tho&s;e remarkable Arms: There|fore (&s;aid the King unto him mo&s;t affectionately) I am re&s;olved to pre&s;erve your life as you pre&s;erved mine; you &s;hall &s;tay with me upon the day of batele. Sir (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes,</HI> throwing him&s;elf at his feet) I am infinitely engaged unto your Maje&s;ty for your goodne&s;s towards me, but I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you to pardon me, if I do not in this obey you; But I am re&s;olved to re&s;erve my &s;elf as much as po&s;&s;ible, &s;ince it is neither wi&s;edom nor ju&s;tice to expo&s;e my &s;elf unto the fury of fourty at a time, who perhaps may wound me more dange|rou&s;ly in con&s;ideration of that &s;ervice I &s;hould do your Maje&s;ty, then they could in con&s;ide|ration of my &s;elf; Then fight in plainer Arms, Replied the King: for though you have &s;ent word otherwi&s;e, yet you &s;ent without my con&s;ent, and it is I that mu&s;t be Ma&s;ter in my own affairs, and in my own Army. It is mo&s;t true Sir, Replied <HI>Artamenes,</HI> But Genero&s;ity ought to be Ma&s;ter of both our actions, and by con&s;equence I mu&s;t not do that which redounds unto my own di&s;honour. When the King &s;aw that <HI>Artamenes</HI> would not be per&s;waded, I will leave you to my Daughter &s;aid he, and turned to the Prince&s;s, Per&s;wade him if you can, and I will thank you: At the&s;e words the King embraced the Prince&s;s, and went out, She waiting upon him to the door: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was then obliged to &s;tay after him, and as the
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Prince&s;s returned from waiting upon her Father, whom &s;he did not part from without tears, <HI>Artamenes</HI> unto whom &s;he had given her fair hand, would needs take his leave of her; but &s;he &s;taying him in an inviting manner, <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to him) do you &s;o much fear my praiers, that you will needs be gone &s;o ha&s;tily? You are dreadful in all your Actions Madam (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter) and it is my duty to depart from my own genero&s;ity rather then from you: I have no de&s;ign (Replied &s;he) to per&s;wade you out of your Genero&s;ity: but my de&s;ire is if I could po&s;&s;ible to oblige you not to expo&s;e without nece&s;&s;ity, unto danger, a life &s;o glorious as yours, and which hath been &s;o &s;erviceable unto my Father: You know (&s;aid &s;he) that rea&s;on &s;hould be the limits of all our actions: Valour hath its bounds, beyond which is ra&s;hne&s;s rather then right valour. Madam (&s;aid he interrupting her) it better be|comes a man of my age, rather to go beyond tho&s;e &s;trict limits which your exact wi&s;edom pre&s;cribes, then to &s;tay &s;hort of them: The exce&s;s is alwaies better then the defect: Your Argument is good (Replied the Prince&s;s) but I would have <HI>Artamenes</HI> be neither too timo|rous nor too bold. Madam (&s;aid he, interrupting her again) it is not impo&s;&s;ible&punc; but I may regulate my &s;elf according to this preci&s;e mediocrity which you de&s;ire me. But in the choi&s;e of the&s;e two extreams, I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you, Give me leave to incline more unto that way in which I may meet with honor, then the other where honor never comes: Oftentimes (&s;aid the Prince&s;s interrupting him) we mu&s;t &s;urmount and overcome our &s;elves; Yes Madam (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes,)</HI> We mu&s;t, &s;o the Victory do not make us unworthy to conquer others; <HI>Mandana</HI> then &s;aid, I do not de&s;ire of you that you will not fight, but only that you would not wear tho&s;e remarkable Arms at the fir&s;t battle. Madam (replied my Ma&s;ter) you may command from <HI>Artamenes</HI> that which is mo&s;t hard for him to part from, without any thought of di&s;obedience; but for this he cannot con&s;ent unto your de&s;ire; a Di&s;gui&s;e (&s;aid he and blu&s;ht) is allowable in Love but not in War: In &s;hort Madam (conti|nued he and &s;mil'd) it is far from my di&s;po&s;ition to hide my &s;elf from my enemies, or to ren|der my &s;elf le&s;s remarkable. If I were &s;o ab&s;olutely qualified as to merit a Favour from the mo&s;t excellent Prince&s;s upon earth, I &s;hould then take the boldne&s;s to beg of illu&s;trious <HI>Man|dana</HI> that glorious and magnificent Scarf which now &s;he wears: and if I had the glory to ob|tain it, it would be an infallible Pre&s;ervative again&s;t all dangers, and an ab&s;olute certainty of Victory: It would render me invincible in rendring me more remarkable. <HI>Artamenes</HI> (Re|plied the Prince&s;s, and blu&s;ht her turn) hath all the excellent qualities to de&s;erve the care of the greare&s;t Prince&s;s of the world for his pre&s;ervation: And if I were per&s;waded that this Scarf whereof you &s;peak could pre&s;erve you invulnerable, you &s;hall without all doubt ea&s;ily obtain it: But I am &s;o far from thinking it will pre&s;erve you, that if I &s;hould give it unto you, I &s;hould fear my &s;elf acce&s;&s;ary unto your ruine, and that it would invite the arrows of your enemies unto your heart, for which end I have not kept it: You are (mo&s;t ingenious Madam, an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> and can oblige me in denial of it: But Madam (continued he with a more &s;erious countenance) I have nothing to ask you, for indeed to de&s;ire that were to de|&s;ire my enemies &s;hould not &s;ee me, as perhaps &s;ome of them &s;hall not, if my Fortune do not fail me, nor my courage betray me: I am glad (replied the Prince&s;s) that you have put me in a condition to refu&s;e you nothing: But <HI>Artamenes</HI> (continued &s;he) what will you do? I will vanqui&s;h your enemies Madam (an&s;wered he) and do that which &s;hall make you know I have vanqui&s;hed them; which I could never do, if I &s;hould hide my &s;elf as you de&s;ire me. As they were in this di&s;cour&s;e, in comes <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> who came to take his leave of the Prin|ce&s;s: All three changed colour at once: <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> for anger to finde my Ma&s;ter there: <HI>Artamenes</HI> for &s;pite, to be &s;o interrupted by him: and the Prince&s;s for &s;hame whereof &s;he her &s;elf could not tell the cau&s;e. Becau&s;e it was a good while, &s;ince the King went out of <HI>Mandanaes</HI> Chamber, therefore he thought fit to leave <HI>Philidaspes</HI> with her, whil&s;t he went to &s;eek the King, but it was ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible for him to &s;tir; and therefore, he &s;tayed there as long as <HI>Philida&s;pes.</HI> As &s;oon then as <HI>Philidaspes</HI> entred, the di&s;cour&s;e did alter, as though there had never been any expre&s;&s;ions of Love between <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Mandana,</HI> and as though &s;he never knew that my Ma&s;ter was in Love with her? for that pure and noble fire, which afterwards did enflame his heart, his &s;oul and all his faculties, was yet but a little weak &s;park; yet <HI>Feraulas</HI> and I did think (for we were both pre&s;ent at this di&s;cour&s;e) that this arrivall of <HI>Philidaspes,</HI> did a little cro&s;&s;e and anger the Prince&s;s. He no &s;ooner came neer her, but &s;he &s;weetly &s;poke, with abundance of civility to him; but how much &s;weetne&s;s &s;oever the incomparable <HI>Mandana</HI> retain'd in her &s;oul, yet &s;he always appear'd maje&s;ticall, mode&s;t, and high in her looks; &s;o that my Ma&s;ter has often told me, when he was with her, he dur&s;t not &s;o much as think upon his Pa&s;&s;ion, much le&s;&s;e expre&s;s it; in&s;omuch as &s;he made
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him fear as well as Love her: <HI>Philidaspes</HI> and <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;taid a good while with her, but dur&s;t not openly expre&s;s the lea&s;t &s;hadow of that &s;ecret aver&s;ion which they had one of another: And as they were both &s;trangers to her, &s;he treated them both alike with equall civilities. Yet notwith&s;tanding, becau&s;e <HI>Artamenes</HI> had the Command over <HI>Philidaspes</HI> in this Martiall occa&s;ion, and perhaps the Inclination of the Prince&s;s prompted her, therefore &s;he did more honour unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> then to <HI>Philidaspes.</HI> As they were ready to depart, Go, Generous &s;tranger (&s;aid &s;he to them,) go and be happy; and manage your Lives &s;o, in the day of battle, that I may receive all the particulars of the victory from your two mouthes; but above all things, have a care of the King. It is to me Madam (replied <HI>Philidaspes)</HI> whom that Honour belongs, for as for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> he will have enough to do with his fourty Cavaliers, without looking unto any el&s;e: We &s;hall &s;ee, Madam, at the end of the Battle (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> who it is which be&s;t acquits him&s;elf of his Duty: for if I be not mi&s;taken, it is be&s;t judging upon the event. I que&s;tion not, replied the Prince&s;s, but you will both of you do &s;uch things as will well become men of great Souls and high Honour: and I will go to pre&s;ent my Prayers unto the Gods, that they will be pleas'd to make you Con|quer and Triumph. Upon the&s;e words &s;he left them both, and went immediatly unto the Temple. Pre&s;ently after, the Lieutenant of the Guard, came to tell <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Phili|daspes,</HI> that the King commanded them to ha&s;ten unto their Commands; and certainly it was well this Order came &s;o happily: for if their conver&s;e had continued but a little longer in the ab&s;ence of the Prince&s;s, I beleeve they would have made a quarrell of it; &s;o aver&s;e were their di&s;po&s;itions when they were together. The rea&s;on why they were &s;o ha&s;tily com|manded away, was becau&s;e the Souldiery was a little in di&s;order, and talked very high, in a time when it was fit for them to think of Action. They both then went after the King: and the whole Army which was already upon their March, advanced toward the enemy; who was not above two days march from thence. I know Sir you wonder to hear me tell of &s;o many Battles as <HI>Artamenes</HI> fought and got in this War: But Sir, to le&s;&s;en your wonder, you mu&s;t know, that there are not many Garri&s;ons or places of &s;trength, neither in <HI>Bithinia, Ga|latia</HI> or <HI>Cappadocia;</HI> &s;o that the victory doth alwaies fall unto him who can make him&s;elf Ma&s;ter of the field, which cannot be but by fighting and gaining of battles. The fir&s;t day of this March <HI>Artamenes</HI> was all in a dump: And becau&s;e I knew it could not be the apprehen|&s;ion of this danger whereof he was forewarned, which could cau&s;e this re&s;ervedne&s;s, but I knew that his phanta&s;ticall pa&s;&s;ions of Love would oftentimes forge Mountains out of mole|hils, and make every triviall accident to be a matter of great importance, therefore I re&s;ol|ved to ask him what it was which &s;o much troubled his minde; whether it was becau&s;e the Prince&s;s denied him the Scarf which he asked, or the deniall of any thing el&s;e which was le&s;s advantagious to him? Can the rea&s;on of it <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he) be, becau&s;e &s;he hath a care of my life? and thinks this Scarf which is &s;o rich and maguificent will make me more remar|ked by the eye of my Enemies? Or is it not rather becau&s;e &s;he thinks me unworthy of it, and becau&s;e &s;he will not give me any cau&s;e of complaint: therefore her dexterous with hath contrived this obliging pretence to colour her deniall? In &s;hort, whether do you think it was for <HI>Artamenes</HI> or again&s;t <HI>Artamenes</HI> that &s;he refu&s;ed it? and whether mu&s;t I commend or complain of her for it? Should I be &s;ad or be glad at it? Would I could rightly know the thoughts of my Prince&s;s, that I might regulate mine own accordingly? But alas (&s;aid he) what&s;oever her thoughts are, they are all rea&s;on, and I have no cau&s;e to complain: If &s;he refu&s;ed it becau&s;e &s;he feared &s;ome fatality in it prejudicial to my life, it were an unconceiva|ble favour; and if &s;he refu&s;ed it becau&s;e &s;he thought my quality unworthy of &s;uch an ho|nour, then &s;he hath done only a wrong to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but not to <HI>Artamenes.</HI> But O ye gods (ad|ded he) if after the &s;ervices which <HI>Artamenes</HI> hath done her &s;he refu&s;ed the Scarf unto him becau&s;e he was but <HI>Artamenes,</HI> how can he ever hope &s;he will ever permit him to tell her that he loves her? or how can he ever hope to be beloved? No No, &s;aid he, Let us not con|ceive &s;o cruell a thought; Let us re&s;ent the Prince&s;s refu&s;all in a more advantagious &s;en&s;e; and let us think that what &s;he &s;aid, and &s;aid &s;o &s;weetly, was for us, when &s;he did it again&s;t us; Let us not interpret her meaning, and dive too deep into the &s;ecrets of her Divine Soul; Let us rather &s;uffer our &s;elves to be plea&s;ingly deceived, then endeavour to finde out &s;o irk&s;ome a truth; After this, <HI>Artamenes</HI> did ponder upon the Prince&s;s her behaviour unto <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> even to the lea&s;t circum&s;tance; and though he perceived that him&s;elf was much more re|garded then he, yet he could have been contented if he had not come in at all; and almo&s;t wi&s;ht that his Prince&s;s had no cau&s;e of quarrel with him; therfore he chid him&s;elf for all tho&s;e fanta&s;ticall thoughts which his Pa&s;&s;ion caus'd to conceive of her; Her, who as violent as &s;he
<PB N="85" REF="47">
&s;eem'd to be, did yet permit him to follow the rules of rea&s;on. But to be &s;hort Sir, we <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d that day: The morrow after we came within &s;ight of the enemies Van-guard; and withinn the compa&s;s of two daies time we were in readine&s;s to give battle unto the Enemyy; which both &s;ides much de&s;ired with equall longings. The King did all he could to hinder <HI>Artamenes</HI> from wearing tho&s;e remarkable Arms, but could not prevent him: I never &s;aw my Ma&s;ters countenance &s;o plea&s;ant as that morning. As for my part I trembled to think of the danger unto which he expo&s;ed him&s;elf, for all his valour which I knew to be in him: <HI>Feraulus</HI> and I re&s;olved to follow him clo&s;e as near as the di&s;order and confu&s;ion of the fight would per|mit us, and either pre&s;erve his life or lo&s;e our own: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> did all he could to keep him near him; and when he perceived that there was no per&s;wa&s;ions would prevail, he cocommit|ted the command of the right wing of the Army unto his Command; and unto <HI>Aribies</HI> the left wing, under who&s;e command he alwaies ordered <HI>Philida&s;pes.</HI> In &s;hort Sir, without any further particularizing the order of the battle; It will &s;uffice I tell you that <HI>Artamenes</HI> did prodigious acts; in&s;omuch as I, who was an eye-witne&s;s of them, could not conceive them within any compa&s;s of po&s;&s;ibility to be done. He performed his Promi&s;e unto the King of <HI>Ponts</HI> Herauld, and wore tho&s;e magnificent Arms which I told you of: So that it was ea&s;ie enough for tho&s;e fourty Con&s;pirators to know him and fall upon him when they found their opportunity. Their Re&s;olutions were (as &s;ince we learnt) not to a&s;&s;ault him when he was alone by him&s;elf, but when he was bu&s;ily engaged again&s;t &s;ome others of their party; But &s;ince <HI>Artamenes</HI> was prepared for them, they could not act their de&s;ign. When both parties were within the &s;hot of Arrows, which had ob&s;cured the Air with clouds of them, <HI>Feraulas</HI> and I who had no eyes but upon <HI>Artamenes,</HI> did &s;ee that he was more oppre&s;&s;ed with them then any which were about him: that his Buckler though it was covered with a plate of gold was very much battered: and that there was &s;ome likelihood a great number had compact|ed together, who aimed all at him: But <HI>Artamenes</HI> without the lea&s;t a&s;toni&s;hment or any fear of that danger wherein he was, lifting his Buckler up with his left arm, to pre&s;erve him&s;elf from the Arrows which lite like hail upon him; and turning unto tho&s;e about him; Come my Companions (&s;aid he to them) let us go and vanqui&s;h tho&s;e which fight &s;o well at a di&s;tance, and who perhaps will not be &s;o valiant with Swords as they are with Bows. In &s;aying &s;o, he led them on; they follow and fell on with &s;o much courage and precipitation, that the Enemies left wing was di&s;ordered and thought to call for Quarter: But pre&s;ently after they took heart, and the Combat was &s;tifly di&s;puted: Mean while the fourty Con&s;pi|rators which were to fall upon <HI>Artamenes</HI> did not forget the promi&s;e which they made unto him who emploied them, and it was ea&s;ie to di&s;tingui&s;h him from other enemies who had no particular de&s;ign upon his life. For the&s;e did alwaies &s;hun our men when they a&s;&s;aulted them, and would not engage with any who fell upon them unle&s;s my Ma&s;ter: &s;o that it is impo&s;&s;ible he &s;hould ever have any re&s;t which tho&s;e who fight in the bloudie&s;t Battles &s;ome|times have; for which way &s;oever he &s;tirred he was ready to be compa&s;&s;ed about; If he charged one, then he was pre&s;ently be&s;et with four or five; if he killed one, he brought two more upon him for it: the more he defended him&s;elf the harder he was be&s;et; the more he made them fall the fa&s;ter they came in, and did treble their number to execute their plot. <HI>Fe|raulas</HI> and I contributed all our force to fight the&s;e cruel enemies, who fell fo fiercely upon him; yet if his own valour had no better befriended him then ours, all our a&s;&s;i&s;tance had been in vain: But he Sir laid about him with wonderful fury, and did things &s;o much above imagi|nation, that becau&s;e they are &s;o incredible I dare hardly relate them: The chief of the Con&s;pirators was &s;o &s;ubtle and &s;o ba&s;ely wicked that he commanded his Cavaliers to endea|vour all they could to kill his Hor&s;e, that &s;o he being that way overturned, &s;ome of their com|panions might more ea&s;ily kill him: This Plot took effect twice; The fir&s;t time I had the good fortune to be near him, and give him mine whether he would or no; and I verily be|leeve he would not have accepted of him, if I had not at that &s;ame time accidentally light upon another, one of her &s;ide who was next me being killed. But for the &s;econd time, I &s;aw the Hor&s;e which I gave him fall dead, and my Ma&s;ter recover him&s;elf from under him, fight|ing with tho&s;e that fell upon him before I could get in to his a&s;&s;i&s;tance, for the Con&s;pira|tors had &s;o compa&s;&s;ed me about, that they hindred me. A thou&s;and to one but he had been kil'd at this bout; yet it was the will of heaven to pre&s;erve him, and make him &s;o for|tunate to kill one of tho&s;e Con&s;pirators who&s;e Hor&s;e was an excellent good one; So that <HI>Artamenes</HI> without the lo&s;s of a minute of time, and in &s;pite of all their re&s;i&s;tance which op|po&s;ed him, he got upon him, cutting off the hand of one who had hold of the Bridle, and putting to rout all that dur&s;t re&s;i&s;t him: In conclu&s;ion, Sir, <HI>Artamenes</HI> to my knowledge
<PB N="86" REF="48">
kil'd and wounded above thirty, and took many Pri&s;oners be&s;ides, both Con&s;pirators and o|thers: Mean while, the enemies right wing &s;tood out better then their left; and for all the valour of <HI>Aribees</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> the Victory did co&s;t them dearer then it did <HI>Artamenes,</HI> al|though they had no particular enemies to fight again&s;t, yet in the end they obtain'd it. <HI>Ci|axares</HI> for his part he was in the main body of the battle, fell upon the Enemy, and quite di&s;ordered them; &s;o that the Victory went clearly on his &s;ide: All was in a mighty confu|&s;ion, The Conquerors pur&s;ued the conquered very eagerly: &s;ome rendred them&s;elves, and threw away their Arms; Others preferred death before captivity; In &s;hort, the Victory is got, and all by the valour of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who without all que&s;tion was the principall cau&s;e: for I had forgot to tell you, that at the beginning of the battle <HI>Aribees</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> were forced to give ground a little, by rea&s;on of the violent charge of the Enemy, whereof <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> being adverti&s;ed, and &s;uppo&s;ing him&s;elf able to deal with the Enemy wich he had in hand, without them, &s;ent to two thou&s;and men, to the relief of <HI>Aribees</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> which Auxiliary pre&s;erved them from being vanqui&s;hed, and by con&s;equence was the very getting of the Victory: In all this great confu&s;ion <HI>Artamenes</HI> who had received but two fleight hurts, charged and pur&s;ued the Enemy in all places where he &s;aw them rally or make any head: As for tho&s;e who were not in a condition to make re&s;i&s;tance, never was a Con|queror &s;o full of &s;weet, and full of clemency as he. As he was thus engaged in this pur&s;uit, he di&s;covered the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> whom <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> did heavily pre&s;&s;e upon with twelve or fif|teen men, and had inevitably kilied him, if my Ma&s;ter, who was followed by <HI>Feraulas</HI> and me with two others, had not come in to re&s;cue: As &s;oon as he came near, &s;peaking as loud as he could, and di&s;per&s;ing tho&s;e a&s;&s;i&s;ted <HI>Philida&s;pes:</HI> Generous Prince (&s;aid he to the King of <HI>Pont)</HI> &s;ince you are not &s;o fortunate as I am though you are more valiant; you would not perhaps &s;o happily e&s;cape from tho&s;e who &s;et upon you, as I have them who &s;et upon me: If I do not keep promi&s;e with you, it is becau&s;e you will ob&s;tinately fight again&s;t tho&s;e men who are not ab&s;olutely under my Command; the King whom I &s;erve being per&s;onally in the Army: But either render your &s;elf a Pri&s;oner, or el&s;e fight with me &s;ingle, I give you the choice of the&s;e two: Unto the&s;e words which did infinitely ravi&s;h the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> and &s;urpri&s;e <HI>Philidaspes,)</HI> the King of <HI>Pont</HI> began to reply ju&s;t when a hundred of his Hor&s;e ral|lied together, and &s;ought about for him, began to charge them who had compa&s;&s;ed him a|bout. But the King &s;eeing that he could not fight with <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> who would have taken a|way his life, unle&s;s al&s;o he fought with <HI>Artamenes</HI> who pre&s;erved it, went away with as much ha&s;te as he could: This little lookt for accident did &s;o &s;urpri&s;e <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> as you cannot imagine: yet pre&s;ently after when he had recovered his amazement, never thinking to fol|low the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> he turned angerly towards <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and &s;harply &s;aid unto him, What, will you have none to triumph but your &s;elf? and are you not content with your own Victories, but you mu&s;t al&s;o rob other men of theirs? <HI>Artamenes</HI> looking upon him with a fiery a&s;pect, It is &s;uch a one (an&s;wered he) who makes u&s;e of the valour of others to van|qui&s;h a di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Prince, abandon'd of his men, who ought to be reproached with &s;tealing a victory, and not <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who never imploys any arm but his own to obtain it; and who leaving all the Plunder of a Field unto the Souldiers, doth &s;eldome make them partakers of his dangers: Tho&s;e whom Fortune favours (Replied <HI>Philida&s;pes)</HI> need not to call any others to their help: Tho&s;e who dare tru&s;t unto their own courage (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> never beg the help of Fortune: I am certain &s;he hath been your friend and helped you at this bout (Replied <HI>Philidaspes,)</HI> And certainly &s;he hath for&s;aken you (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> that you &s;hould thus need the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of twelve or fifteen to deal with one &s;ingle Prince. It is an ea&s;ie matter for you to vanqui&s;h (an&s;wered <HI>Philida&s;pes)</HI> who never hath any to fight with but ba&s;e, &s;aint-hearted, and &s;imple Antagoni&s;ts. It is an ea&s;ie matter for you to vanqui&s;h an abandoned King with a great number, but you would perhaps finde it a harder matter (added he, and rai&s;ed his voice) to vanqui&s;h <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;ingle, when&s;oever you &s;hall give him an occa&s;ion to fight with you; for he de&s;ires it, and it &s;hall be to morrow morning if you plea&s;e: Let us not &s;tay &s;o long (Replied <HI>Philida&s;pes)</HI> then he &s;tood upon his Guard ready to receive <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who came mo&s;t fiercely upon him, and gave a furious blow, which doubtle&s;&s;e had deeply wounded him if his hand had not turned, and the Sword glided upon his Arms. To be &s;hort, they both of them felt the weight of each others blows, and the &s;trength of their Arms, do what we could who endeavoured to part them: But here Sir, I be&s;eech you, admire what vertue and true valour can do; we were but only four which followed <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and they were twelve or fifteen which followed <HI>Philida|spes;</HI> who when they &s;aw the di&s;pute that was between them, though they took his part
<PB N="87" REF="48">
again&s;t the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> yet they would not do &s;o again&s;t my Ma&s;ter, but turned on his &s;ide. At this very time <HI>Claxares,</HI> followed by a great number of men did draw neer us, and cau&s;ed the&s;e two &s;urious Combatants to give over, and &s;u&s;pend their choler. What <HI>Demon</HI> enemy unto my Glory (&s;aid <HI>Claxares)</HI> would ruin the&s;e who have made me victorious? And why would ye do that your &s;elves which Fifty thou&s;and men could not do? After the&s;e words he asked what was the ground of their Quarrell; and when he under&s;tood it, he chid <HI>Philida|&s;pes</HI> very much for drawing his Sword again&s;t one who had the Command over him; and he did a little blame my Ma&s;ter, for &s;o &s;aving the King of <HI>Pont.</HI> Sir (&s;aid <HI>Artamenes</HI> to him) I will engage my &s;elf, to repair this fault by &s;ome way that is more Honourable: and I will promi&s;e to bring you this illu&s;trious Pri&s;oner before the War be ended, or el&s;e peri&s;h in the attempt: Did I not promi&s;e in your Maje&s;ties pre&s;ence, that I would not &s;uffer him to be vanqui&s;ht by any numerous multitude? and I did but keep my word with him. If the King had not come&mdash;(replied the de&s;perate <HI>Philida&s;pes)</HI> you might perhaps have been puni&s;hed, (then added my Ma&s;ter interrupting him) for your boldne&s;s and ra&s;hne&s;s. The King impo&s;ed &s;ilence upon them both, and by vertue of his Soveraign Authority, agreed them upon the place, and caus'd them to embrace one another before him. In conclu&s;ion, a Retreat being &s;ounded, they encamped upon the field of Battle, and every one returned into his Tent, and <HI>Artamenes</HI> thought upon his; <HI>Feraulas</HI> who had been wounded did the &s;ame: As for me, who had e&s;caped more happily then they, I found my &s;elf in a condition to do them both &s;ervice. The King came to vi&s;it <HI>Artamenes</HI> at night, who not being able to con|tain his joy that my Ma&s;ter had e&s;caped &s;o dangerous an adventure, he expre&s;&s;ed all the &s;igns that po&s;&s;ibly could be of a mo&s;t dear and tender affection towards him. He &s;ent immediat|ly unto the Prince&s;s his fair Daughter, to acquaint her with the Victory, and Pre&s;ervation of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> and my Ma&s;ter (as you may very well beleeve) did receive this Honour from the King with much joy and reverence. All this while, though <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> were good friends from the face outward, yet they were not &s;o at the heart; and it may ea|&s;ily be conjectured, that this la&s;t adventure did &s;harpen their &s;pirits: it begot phanta&s;ticall re&s;entments in both their &s;ouls. For Sir, to di&s;gui&s;e the matter no longer<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> whom my Ma&s;ter thought to be only an ambitious man, did love the Prince&s;s as well as he; and this is the rea&s;on why he was &s;o hot again&s;t the King of <HI>Pont:</HI> looking more upon him as a Lover of <HI>Mandana,</HI> then as an enemy unto <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> Neverthele&s;s he drew &s;ome re&s;t unto him&s;elf out of this accident: for con&s;idering how generou&s;ly <HI>Artamenes</HI> had pre&s;erved the King of <HI>Ponts</HI> Life, he could not &s;o much as &s;u&s;pect my Ma&s;ter to be his Rivall; thinking it a thing impo&s;&s;ible in &s;uch a ca&s;e to be a Rivall, and &s;o Generous both. As for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> his thoughts ran quite contrary concerning <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> for his &s;u&s;picion of his Love to the Prince&s;s, was by this days accident more augmented then ever. How is po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid he to us at night, after <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was gone out of the Tent) that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> who cannot harbour any particular hatred of the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> unle&s;s becau&s;e he is his Rivall, &s;hould offer to kill him, as he was about to do? That Prince, I &s;ay, who &s;eems to be of a brave and Generous Soul, and is in&s;pired with a Gallant de&s;ire of Glory? Ah: No, no <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he to me) <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> Loves <HI>Mandana,</HI> if I be not the mo&s;t deceived man in the world. Thus Sir, you &s;ee, that one and the &s;ame action produces different effects: for <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> did think, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> did not Love <HI>Mandana,</HI> becau&s;e he &s;aved the Life of the King of <HI>Pont:</HI> and on the contrary, <HI>Artamenes</HI> thought that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> did Love her, becau&s;e he did endea|vour to kill him in a manner &s;o di&s;honourably. Yet notwith&s;tanding this, all the&s;e diver&s;ities of opinions were &s;o dubious, &s;o uncertain, and grounded only upon weak conjectures, that they could not a&s;&s;ure them&s;elves of any truth: but they entertained an inveterate aver&s;ion one again&s;t the other. However, &s;ome two or three days after the Battle, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> held a Councel of War, to con&s;ult, Whether or no, they &s;hould Pur&s;ue their Enemies, who were re|treated, and who waited for a Pui&s;&s;ant Recruit: And to amaze them the more, it was re&s;olvd to divide the Army, and &s;end one part of it to be&s;iege a &s;trong Fort in <HI>Bythinia,</HI> which was &s;eated upon a great Lake: by this means to divert, and impede th&s;e Forces which the Enemy expected: Mean while, the mo&s;t con&s;iderable part of the Army, to &s;tay and wait upon that part of the Enemy which had Rallied, and to act according as they &s;hould &s;ee cau&s;e. Things being thus Re&s;olved upon, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> who did finde him&s;elf not well, returned to <HI>Ani&s;a,</HI> and left <HI>Artamenes</HI> Lieutenant Generall of the Army which was to keep the field; <HI>Aribees</HI> fol|lowed him, and &s;ent <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> with the re&s;t of the Troops, to be&s;iege that Town whereof I &s;poke before: The Capricious humour of the&s;e two Rivals, would not &s;uffer either of them to be contented with their employment. <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> &s;aw that <HI>Artamenes</HI> being in a condition
<PB N="88" REF="49">
wherein he might &s;ight with the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> had therefore the advantage of him: And <HI>Artamenes</HI> thought that the gaining of &s;uch a con&s;iderable Town, was more advantage then gaining a Battle: for &s;aid he, after the taking of the Town, be is got into a place of great im|portance, whereas, after the winning of a Battel, the Conqueror gets nothing but a bare em|pty field, without any other benefit of the vanqui&s;hed: But at la&s;t, they mu&s;t be content; <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> departs with Sixteen thou&s;and men, and <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;tays with Thirty thou&s;and; the King re&s;erved no more with him, then what was nece&s;&s;ary for his Guard: My Ma&s;ter had received &s;uch &s;light hurts, that he kept his bed but one day: The&s;e two Rivals, taking their leaves of one another in the pre&s;ence of the King, did in appearance wi&s;h all good for|tunes one to another, but inwardly with a counterfet hate. The next morning, the King re|moved, and left the command of the Army unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> in &s;pite of all the &s;olicitations of <HI>Arabees</HI> to the contrary. There were two Pri&s;oners which were taken in the fight, one of them was much wounded and de&s;ired to &s;peak with <HI>Artamenes</HI> concerning &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s of importance: My Ma&s;ter being told of it, went pre&s;ently unto their Tent, &s;uppo&s;ing it might perhaps be &s;omething which might be &s;erviceable to the King: when he was entred, the wounded man &s;poke fir&s;t; Sir, &s;aid he unto him, &s;ince you have be&s;towed upon me &s;uch de|mon&s;trative marks of valour, by tho&s;e wounds which I have received from your hand, I will give you a full &s;ubject for your Ju&s;tice or for your Clemency: Tho&s;e are two Virtues, re|plied my Ma&s;ter, in the choice of which there is no danger of being deceived; yet my nature being evermore inclinable unto Indulgence more then Rigour, you may almo&s;t be certain which of them I &s;hall choo&s;e and fellow: Sir (&s;aid he which was not wounded) that which my brother would &s;ay, and which becau&s;e he is very weak I will &s;ay for him, will &s;hew you &s;ufficiently which you will follow, and ju&s;tifie all the rigour which you can devi&s;e again&s;t us; for indeed Sir (continued he and ca&s;t him&s;elf at his feet) we are vile, wicked men, whom our knowledge of your Vertue, hath made vertuous and in love with your Glory, and who by <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ce do hate our Lives, untill we have by &s;ome poor &s;ervice, made a little &s;atisfaction for that evil we would have done you. <HI>Artamenes</HI> hearing the&s;e men &s;ay &s;o, knew not what to think; at la&s;t, he which was wounded began to &s;peak, and with much pain, tell him thus: Sir, not to hold you any longer in &s;u&s;pence; and to te&s;tifie, we are really penitent for our Crime, &s;ince we di&s;cover it our &s;elves; know Sir, that my brother and I were two of tho&s;e fourty Cavaliers, who con&s;pired again&s;t your Life, and who did &s;et upon you with &s;o much ba&s;ene&s;s in the la&s;t Battle: Alas, my friends (&s;aid <HI>Artamenes</HI> interrupting him which &s;poke, and looking upon them both without any anger) What moved you to do &s;o? and what moves you to do thus? Why would you then de&s;troy me? and why would you now &s;ave me? how dare you expo&s;e your &s;elves unto the will of a ju&s;tly incen&s;ed Conqueror? Sir, (<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> that Con&s;pirator) we would have de&s;troyed you, becau&s;e we were unfortunate men, with whom, hopes of Recompence was more prevalent, then true love of Honour: But now Sir, your illu&s;trious example has better taught us, and we do prefer one act of Vertue, before all the Grandure of the earth; and therefore itis, that we had either hazard our Lives in di&s;|covering our fault, then conceal from you, how the chief Author of that Con&s;piracy is now unknown in your power; and if he &s;hould chance be exchanged or delivered among&s;t other Pri&s;oners, perhaps he would act wor&s;e then before, and attempt again&s;t the mo&s;t Noble Life living upon earth: How, &s;aid <HI>Artamenes,</HI> the chief Author of the Con&s;piracy in my hands? Who may this man be whom certainly I never offended &s;o much as to hate me; and who hates me &s;o much as he prefers the death of his enemy before his own Honour? It is <HI>Artanus</HI> Sir (replied they both together:) Is it <HI>Artanus</HI> (replied my Ma&s;ter?) Yes Sir, &s;aid one of them, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> was indeed <HI>Artanus,</HI> who contrived that Note which was found in the King of <HI>Ponts</HI> Camp, and engaged us among&s;t the fourty Con&s;pirators, who were to fight again&s;t none but <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and kill none but him: And that man who &s;pake unto us from him, and &s;hould have given that Note back unto him, did lo&s;e it among&s;t the Tents; &s;o that it being carried unto the King, he cau&s;ed this information to be given of it: But &s;ince neither <HI>Arta|mes</HI> nor any of the Con&s;pirators were named in the Writing, nor known unto any, nor could he di&s;cover the Author or any of his Complices, therefore he &s;ent to adverti&s;e you of it, but was not able to remedy it by the puni&s;hment of them, becau&s;e he knew not who they were: Beleeve it S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">, it was <HI>Artanus</HI> who &s;uborned us; it is he who is in de&s;pair, and a&s;hamed of what he would have done, and that he &s;hould be overcome by you in a manner &s;o &s;hamefull unto him&s;elf, and &s;o prejudiciall unto the Love which he bears unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pont,</HI> in aflection to whom he is deeply engaged: To get him&s;elf into this Prince&s;s favour, he came di&s;gui&s;ed into the Army: where not doubting, but by that Party which he had prepared, he
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&s;hould kill you, he intended to &s;hew him&s;elf after the Battle with your Arms, and if I dur&s;t &s;peak it, with your Head in his hand, to the end the King of <HI>Pont</HI> might take him unto favour, becau&s;e he had got the Victory over the mo&s;t valiant of his Enemies: But Sir, the Ju&s;tice of the Gods and your valour has prevented him: and now Sir you may di&s;po&s;e of our For|tunes and our Lives as you plea&s;e: If your wounds be not dangerous (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes,</HI> looking upon him which was in bed) you may have time to repair your fault by &s;ome gene|rous Act: for I cannot puni&s;h tho&s;e who repent, nor revenge my &s;elf upon tho&s;e who are not in a condition to defend them&s;elves: Ah Sir, &s;aid the&s;e two men (the one holding up his hands and the other kneeling) again&s;t what man, or rather again&s;t what good have we been &s;uborned? Again&s;t a man who fears the gods (Replied my Ma&s;ter) taking the one of them up with one hand, and holding out the other unto his brother; and one who does preferre death before the lea&s;t inju&s;tice or the lea&s;t ba&s;ene&s;s; And therefore (continued he) I will forget that crime which the unhappine&s;s of your condition cau&s;ed you to commit; and be|cau&s;e I will recompen&s;e you for your Repentance, and for the good &s;ervice you have done in telling me the Authour of your crime is in my power, I will give give you your lives, and promi&s;e you liberty, which otherwi&s;e &s;hould not have been without ran&s;om: Oh Sir, &s;aid they, command any thing and be obeyed, for what doth not tho&s;e men owe who have life given them when they de&s;erved death? I command then, Replied <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that before you be &s;et at liberty, you &s;olemnly &s;wear that for no con&s;ideration what&s;oever you will ever employ your valour again&s;t any as you did again&s;t me: and that you will not di&s;honour your lives nor your Noble profe&s;&s;ions by any ignoble actions; Fight again&s;t me like valiaut Souldiers as an Enemy unto your King, and do what you can to overcome me; for I pro|mi&s;e not to refu&s;e the mea&s;uring of my Sword with either of you; or fall on me both toge|ther, if you have &s;o good an e&s;teem of me that you dare not do it &s;ingle; but do not &s;ell the bloud and the life of any one; nor endeavour to gain by infamy. O Sir, &s;aid they, inter|rupting him, we will rather run our &s;words through our own hearts, then ever draw them again&s;t you, nor ever imploy them in any unworthy action: After this, <HI>Artamenes</HI> did make very much of them; and having learnt who it was which kept <HI>Artanus</HI> Pri&s;oner, who con|ceal'd him&s;elf as much as he could, he commanded him to be brought into the Tent where the&s;e two Cavaliers were: as &s;oon as he was come thither, and &s;aw him there, then he thought he was di&s;covered, and therefore not &s;taying till <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;poke to him or mentioned his his crime, I know (&s;aid he) that tho&s;e Traitors whom I &s;ee, who though they had not power to re&s;i&s;t my promi&s;es, have yet the perfidie to accu&s;e me, therefore I will not go about to deny that whereof they may ea&s;ily convince me. But Sir (&s;aid he to him in a mo&s;t &s;uppliant manner, and in whom fear of death did plainly appear) what would you have a man do who in lo&s;ing his honour hath lo&s;t his rea&s;on, but to cover one crime with another; and finde his own life in your death? I know this is but an ill argument; but &s;ince I have no other, I mu&s;t addre&s;s my &s;elf unto clemency, and ask pardon, &s;ince I cannot ask ju&s;tice but I mu&s;t ask pu|ni&s;hment with it. This this is a &s;trange kinde of fearing ignominy (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> that you &s;hould di&s;honour your &s;elf for fear of being di&s;honoured: No No <HI>Artanus,</HI> your Pa&s;&s;ion hath made you extravagant: and this cour&s;e which you take is not the way unto ho|nour: I think that I know a little better then you how to finde out the paths which leades unto it, therefore &s;et me be your Guide, and tell you without any anger or reproach, that the way to make you forget your former faults is not to commit new ones: If you have any intention to blot out of the memory of men any act which perhaps is ignominious: you mu&s;t repair it by a hundred acts of vertue and honour; not fall from wor&s;e to wor&s;e: there|fore <HI>Artanus</HI> I intend to &s;end you unto the King your Ma&s;ter; At tho&s;e words <HI>Artanus</HI>
changed colour, and it plainly appeared that he had rather &s;tay in the hands of him who&s;e life he had attempted again&s;t, then return unto the King of <HI>Pont:</HI> &s;o that <HI>Artamenes</HI> ob&s;er|ving it, Fear not <HI>Artanus</HI> (&s;aid he) but that if I &s;end you I will &s;end &s;ecurity of your life with you: If I had a minde to ruine you, I &s;hould not need to &s;end you any whither to be puni&s;ht: If I may gue&s;s at what will be hereafter by what hath already been, I finde very few hopes of your goodne&s;s; and if I may judge you by your pre&s;ent looks, it is ea&s;ie to &s;ee in your eyes and in your way of proceeding, that your heart harbours much anger and fear, but yet for all that <HI>Artanus</HI> is no more terrible unto me living, then if he were dead: Therefore I will forget what's pa&s;t; I will commit the future unto the gods, and behave my &s;elf for the pre&s;ent like a man of courage; Do you &s;o to <HI>Artanus</HI> if you be wi&s;e; In conclu&s;ion Sir, after much di&s;cour&s;e together, <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;ent <HI>Artanus</HI> unto the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> and would never have di&s;covered the crime of the man, if it had not been alwaies dangerous for Kings
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to keep &s;uch wicked wretches about them without the knowledge of it: but he entreated him to be contented with knowledge of <HI>Artanus</HI> without puni&s;hing him, ordering the He|rauld whom he commanded to conduct him, that he &s;hould not leave the King of <HI>Pont</HI> until he had engaged his promi&s;e not to puni&s;h him: <HI>Artanus</HI> who in &s;pight of all his malice could not chu&s;e but &s;ee the moderation of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> yet could not chu&s;e but complain of his hard fortune which made him finde &s;o much rigour in the clemency of his Enemy, &s;ince in giving him life and liberty he gave him &s;hame and confu&s;ion al&s;o in &s;ending him unto the King of <HI>Pont</HI> and &s;poiling his reputation in the e&s;teem of his Prince&s;s whom he loved: As for the&s;e two Cavaliers Pri&s;oners, after <HI>Artamenes</HI> had given them their liberty, they be&s;eech him not to &s;end them unto the King of <HI>Pont</HI> their Ma&s;ter, but to let them hide their infamy in &s;ome far off Country: <HI>Artamenes</HI> who judged that perhaps the&s;e men might fear the revenge of <HI>Artanus,</HI> who was a man of &s;ome quality in his own Countrey, did con&s;ent unto their de|&s;ires as &s;oon as he which was wounded was recovered: gratifying them with great rewards at departure: When this Act was made known unto the Prince&s;s, &s;he did extreamly commend him for it, as well as the King of <HI>Pont</HI> when <HI>Artanus</HI> came home; &s;o that my Ma&s;ter had the commendations both of his Rivall and his Mi&s;tre&s;s at one time. It is true, the Prince was ignorant that he whom he &s;o much extolled was the greate&s;t ob&s;tacle in the world unto his de&s;igns; and that Prince&s;s al&s;o was ignorant of his being her Adorer. We under&s;tood Sir, by the Heraulds return, how the King of <HI>Pont</HI> had much ado to re&s;olve whether or no he &s;hould &s;uffer <HI>Artanus</HI> to live; but the Herauld ob&s;erving my Ma&s;ters command not to leave him until he had obtained the Kings promi&s;e to let him live, the King did at la&s;t promi&s;e not to puni&s;h him upon condition he &s;hould never come in his pre&s;ence, but for ever go out of his dominions. During all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, <HI>Artamenes</HI> never di&s;patched any Me&s;&s;enger to <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> but he pre&s;ented his Complements unto the Prince&s;s; And the Prince&s;s never &s;aw any come from the Camp unto <HI>Ani&s;a,</HI> but &s;he was very inqui&s;itive how he did, and was much plea&s;ed to hear all the wonders of his life related. To &s;um <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> up all in few words, it may ju&s;tly be &s;aid of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that what&s;oever he did, was excellently done: And I re|member at that time there was an old <HI>Cappadocian</HI> Captain who was quartered in <HI>Galatia,</HI> and had committed &s;ome di&s;order in his Lodging, whereof the Inhabitant came to complain; <HI>Artamenes</HI> knowing him a very &s;erviceable Souldier, and had lived long in Arms, de&s;ired to give him &s;uch a check as &s;hould correct him but not incen&s;e him; thinking it fit to have &s;ome re&s;pect unto an old Officer, who had been &s;o much longer in Arms then him&s;elf; Therefore he &s;ent him this me&s;&s;age in a peece of paper, that he conjured him, not to force a young Souldier to take &s;o much holdne&s;s upon him as to chide and cha&s;ti&s;e an old Captain. I relate this pa&s;&s;age Sir to the end you may know the judgement and moderation of my Ma|&s;ter, and that you &s;hould not wonder to under&s;tand that though he was a &s;tranger, yet he &s;o demeaned him&s;elf as he was as much feared, loved, and obeyed as if he were a <HI>Cappadocian</HI> born, and one of the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Families among&s;t them. Mean while, the King of <HI>Pont</HI> having received great Auxiliaries from <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and &s;o recruited his Army, that he was in a condition to undertake both <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philidaspes</HI> at one time if he had plea&s;ed: But yet he thought it more expedient to offer fight with <HI>Artamenes</HI> before he divided his Forces, becau&s;e then he would be more numerous then my Ma&s;ter, intending to relieve that Town which <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> be&s;ieged, (and which was well provided with all things nece&s;&s;ary to endure it) after he had gotten the better of the day as he hoped to do: But &s;ince he was &s;o much in love with the valour of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and owed him his life, He would in &s;ome way or other requite it: The King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> and he, did &s;tudy how to finde out &s;ome extraordinary cour&s;e to be di&s;engaged from tho&s;e obligations wherein he had fettered them, and not to be &s;o perpetually overcome, as well by his virtue as his valour; They fixed upon a &s;trange and new re&s;olution: 'Tis very true the King of <HI>Pont</HI> who was really generous, was concerned in it: For although he knew that <HI>Artamenes</HI> did not &s;o much as &s;u&s;pect his genero&s;ity in that bu&s;ine&s;s of the fourty Con&s;pirators; yet &s;ince <HI>Artanus</HI> was bani&s;hed, &s;ome ill meaning mindes, or perhaps <HI>Artanus</HI> him&s;elf would forge a fal&s;e report, that the Authour of that con|&s;piracy is not yet known, and will tacitly give it out, as if the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> although he did ad|verti&s;e <HI>Artamenes</HI> of it, yet was the Authour of it: and that his genero&s;ity in &s;ending unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> was a meer &s;ubtlety: This Prince therefore did de&s;ire to ju&s;tifie him&s;elf from any &s;ycg &s;candalous reports: and in order to that the two Kings cau&s;ed this command to be pub|li&s;hed throughout all the Army, exacting &s;trict obedience, that none who&s;oever &s;hould u&s;e any Bows, Arrows, Slings, Darts, Javelins, or any far off Engines again&s;t <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who&s;e Arms were &s;o remarkable, that none could mi&s;take him: and to u&s;e no other wea|pon
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but &s;word only again&s;t him, and not to fight again&s;t him but only one to one, as much as the confu&s;ion of the Battle would permit, le&s;t &s;o gallant a man as he &s;hould die by the hand of a Coward who might kill him at a di&s;tance with an Arrow, or le&s;t he &s;hould be rui|ned by a multitude as <HI>Artanus</HI> attempted; They conceived this Act would redound unto the glory of their Nation, they thereby re&s;tifying unto the world that they cared not for victo|ry upon ba&s;e di&s;advantages. The day after the publication of this Order <HI>Artamenes</HI> (who tru&s;ted unto none but him&s;elf in all matters of importance, and who was &s;o able, &s;o vigi|lant, and capable of every thing, (if I may &s;ay it) as he took upon him&s;elf the charge of the whole Army, and tran&s;acted &s;ucce&s;&s;ively) he cau&s;ed a party to go out with him and face the Enemy. The King of <HI>Pont</HI> being adverti&s;ed of it by his Spies, &s;ent the like number to beat off tho&s;e who approached &s;o near them: But <HI>Artamenes</HI> wondred that he was not covered with Clouds of Arrows as he u&s;ed to be, and far from being compa&s;&s;ed about by multitudes, for he never had but one at one time upon him, he him&s;elf a&s;&s;aulted many, but he was never a&s;&s;aulted by more then one at once: This accident did a while a&s;toni&s;h him, for things were not wont to go &s;o; yet in the heat of action he reflected but &s;leightly upon it, nor thought of any thing but getting the Victory: In conclu&s;ion, a great part of the Enemy was cut off, many took Pri&s;oners, and the re&s;t &s;aved them&s;elves by flight in the di&s;order of the battle. <HI>Artamenes</HI> being returned to the Camp, the Pri&s;oners which were taken hoping to be u&s;ed better for it, did publi&s;h the genero&s;ity of their King, and the prohibition which he ordain|ed concerning my Ma&s;ter. The Souldiers hearing &s;o unu&s;ual a procedure, and <HI>Artamenes</HI> co|ming to the knowledge of it, he cau&s;ed all the Pri&s;oners to be pre&s;ently &s;et at liberty, de&s;i|ring them to tell the King their Ma&s;ter, that he &s;hould pre&s;ently &s;ee he was not altogether unworthy of that honour which he had done him; I was by him when this happened; and he was no &s;ooner got by him&s;elf, but looking upon me with admiration, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he to me) what odd fortune is this, to have a Rivall who overloads me with &s;o many favours, and &s;o much genero&s;ity, that I am almo&s;t forced to hate him? Such an one as by his good intentions unto me, drives me into a &s;trange de&s;pair! Doubtle&s;s he thinks to purcha&s;e the Prince&s;s e&s;teem by this way, and &s;eeks more after publique acclamations then victory; Oh, if it be &s;o, &s;aid he, how much more terrible is he to me when he pre&s;erves my life, then when he a&s;&s;aults me to take it away? No No too generous Rivall (&s;aid this amorous Prince) I will not &s;uffer thee to &s;urmount me in virtue; and I am re&s;olved to di&s;pute with thee more &s;tifly for the e&s;teem of <HI>Mandane,</HI> then ever I contended with thee for victory in the head of an Army: yes <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he, and lookt upon me) my Prince&s;s &s;hall never &s;ay that the King of <HI>Pont</HI> hath done any brave act, but &s;he &s;hall &s;ay that <HI>Artamenes</HI> hath done another as Heroique; at lea&s;t, I will make &s;uch a Combat in the &s;ecret of <HI>Mandanaes</HI> heart, as he &s;hall not with ju&s;tice overcome me, unle&s;s the inclination of my Prince&s;s be bya&s;&s;ed by lean|ing more unto his &s;ide, and &s;urmount me that way more then by his own merit: After this Sir, I would have &s;aid &s;omething, but he would not hear me. The next morning he held a Councel of War, and according to the order thereof it was thought be&s;t he &s;hould impede the enemy from attempting to rai&s;e the Siege which <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> attended upon, in ca&s;e there were any intentions of the Enemy di&s;covered to take that cour&s;e: yet he could not re&s;olve to contribute &s;o much unto the glory of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> nor leave the King of <HI>Pont</HI> &s;o long in the advantage of his high genero&s;ity; Therefore he &s;o wrought with all the Captains of his Army by that winning eloquence which nature and education had given him in the Greek Language, at they were all re&s;olved to force the Enemy unto battle, as he him&s;elf intended: Judge Sir whether it were a hard matter to make two Enemies meet which &s;ought one ano|ther, therefore it was not long before <HI>Artamenes</HI> had his de&s;ired &s;atisfaction: But here you may wonder Sir at what the de&s;ire of glory can do in a &s;oul that is truly generous: <HI>Artame|nes</HI> who upon the King of <HI>Ponts</HI> notice concerning the Con&s;piracy again&s;t his life, had cho|&s;en the mo&s;t glorious Arms that the world could make, to the end he might better be known to them who <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ought for him in the la&s;t battle, and who now thought that all who knew him by tho&s;e Arms would not fight again&s;t him neither with Bow, Arrow, Javelin or dart, nor fall upon him &s;ingle; he therefore left off tho&s;e gallant Arms, to the end he might not be known: Thus did he endeavour to &s;hew unto the world that none &s;hould conquer him in point of ge|nero&s;ity: Sir, &s;aid I unto him (in the morning when he was putting on his Arms) will you hide all your gallant Acts in &s;uch ob&s;cure Arms as the&s;e? It is fit I &s;hould, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) at this time, if I will &s;hew my &s;elf worthy of that Honor that is done me: But Sir (&s;aid I,) is it not to be feared that it will take away the hearts of your Souldiers, when they cannot di&s;tingui&s;h you from that great number who are Armed as you are? If they follow
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me (an&s;wered he) they cannot chu&s;e but know me; and I intend to behave my &s;elf &s;o, as it may be, they &s;hall ea&s;ily finde me: At la&s;t, Sir, they fought, and <HI>Artamenes</HI> did &s;uch things as are not imaginable. Untill now he fought but like a valiant man: but at this time it might very well be &s;aid, he fought like an incen&s;ed God; one would have thought he knew him&s;elf incapable of Wounds, &s;eeing how he adventured him&s;elf: He drove their Squadrons on heaps, he broke their Ranks, and charged through and through their be&s;t compo&s;ed bodies: nothing could re&s;i&s;t him: In conclu&s;ion, he carried the matter &s;o prodigiou&s;ly, as he made both his friends and his enemies know him, notwith&s;tanding his &s;imple Arms, which were all &s;anguin'd with the blood which he had lo&s;t, and which running upon his Curace made him mo&s;t terrible to look upon: His Buckler was all mangled with Arrows which fell upon it. The King of <HI>Pont</HI> meeting him in this condition, and ea&s;ily knowing him: It is not my fault, Generous <HI>Artamenes,</HI> (cried he aloud unto him,) &s;ince I have done what was fit to pre&s;erve your Life: Nor is it my fault (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes,)</HI> that your valour does not re|ceive an advantage in my defeat, &s;ince I do all I can to make you Glorious; and do not &s;pare a Life, which perhaps is more ways then one, an ob&s;tacle unto your victory and happi|ne&s;s. But valiant Prince, &s;aid he, we have contended long enough upon points of Genero&s;i|ty: Let us now try if we can fight as well as we can acknowledge a benefit, for I am much deceived, if we can otherwi&s;e overcome one another without di&s;honour: Upon the&s;e words the King of <HI>Pont</HI> would have replied &s;omething, but <HI>Artamenes</HI> making &s;igns that he had ra|ther fight then talk, did advance towards him; and then the&s;e two Gallant Men began a Combate, which perhaps had been very fatall to them both, if night and darkne&s;s had not again&s;t both their wills parted them, and by con&s;equence had not left both their generall and particular victories in doubt: yet notwith&s;tanding the advantage did fall upon <HI>Artame|nes</HI> &s;ide; for he lo&s;t few men, killed many, and took many Pri&s;oners: But &s;ince the Com|bate was not ended when night came on, and &s;ince both of them remained upon the field in their Arms, it was difficult to &s;ay ab&s;olutely which &s;ide was lo&s;er, or which a gainer: yet it was partly a cau&s;e of taking the Town which <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> be&s;ieged; becau&s;e that after this the King of <HI>Ponts</HI> Army was not &s;trong enough to be divided, nor venture to &s;uccour that Town, and come between both our Armies. The next morning <HI>Artamenes</HI> having intelli|gence, that two thou&s;and men were upon the way on the Mountains which bordered upon that Plain betwixt <HI>Ani&s;a</HI> and <HI>Cera&s;ia,</HI> conducting Money unto the King of <HI>Ponts</HI> Army for payment of his Souldiers; he went to give a &s;top unto this Convey: &s;o that meeting with them, he forced them into a valley environed with inacce&s;&s;ible Rocks, to &s;helter them&s;elves; who &s;eeing them&s;elves brought into that &s;trait condition, con&s;ulted what they &s;hould do; &s;ince if they fought, they were lo&s;t; and if they &s;taid there, it would be a lo&s;&s;e unto their Ma|&s;ter: &s;o that to &s;ave them&s;elves, and be rid of that ill condition, they beat a Parley, and &s;ent twelve of their Company unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> with their Bucklers full of gold and &s;ilver, en|treating him to accept of that for their ran&s;ome, and let them depart: <HI>Artamenes</HI> who was alwaies more heroique in all his actions then they could imagine, told them, that he would freely give them their lives and liberty, and al&s;o &s;uffer them to pa&s;&s;e with their Gold and Silver, &s;o they would leave their Bucklers which held it, behinde them, as marks of his Vi|ctory: But the&s;e &s;tout and couragious Souldiers, throwing down all that was in their Buck|lers upon the earth, and putting them upon their left Arms, taking their Swords in their right, You &s;hall &s;ee (&s;aid they-turning away towards their Companions) that our Nation never u&s;e to leave their Bucklers but with their lives; and may be (what inequality &s;oever there is between us) you &s;hall never get them without danger of your own. <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;eeing the Souldiers carry it out &s;o very bravely, was &s;o charmed with a generous envy, as he could not re&s;i&s;t them: And when he con&s;idered that he had got this advantage without honour, becau&s;e he got it without danger; and that as the &s;tate of things were, an addition of two thou&s;and men could not much alter the ca&s;e: And &s;eeing the&s;e twelve Souldiers go away in &s;uch a gallant re&s;olution, Valiant men (cried he to them) come again, and take both your money, your Lives and your Liberties, which you &s;o well de&s;erve: you have over|come me, my Companions, &s;aid he to them, and if you had been in the la&s;t Battle, the King your Ma&s;ter had defeated us. The&s;e Souldiers were as much &s;urpris'd with his Genero&s;ity, as he was with theirs, and knew not whether they &s;hould give any credit to his words: But at la&s;t they beleeved, and having acquainted their Captains with it, all &s;houted for joy and wonder, and made all the Rocks round about ring with the Name of <HI>Artamenes</HI> and his glo|ry. Thus were the&s;e Gallant men relea&s;ed out of the valley which enclo&s;ed them; who when they came unto their Camp, did publi&s;h the Genero&s;ity of my Ma&s;ters Name, for which the
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King of <HI>Pont</HI> &s;ent a Trumpeter to thank him mo&s;t heartily for his civility. But Sir, I never con&s;ider, how I abu&s;e your Patience, nor how long tho&s;e Pa&s;&s;ions which I re&s;ent for <HI>Arta|menes</HI> have kept me; therefore let me reflect if you plea&s;e upon the mo&s;t important things of my Ma&s;ters &s;tory. Winter drawing on when this la&s;t Battle was fought, and the Town which <HI>Philidaspes</HI> be&s;ieged being pre&s;ently after taken, where <HI>Philidaspes</HI> behaved him&s;elf like a man of great Gallantry and prudence, and <HI>Ciaxares</HI> having had &s;uch happy &s;ucce&s;s within the compa&s;s of eight moneths, he called off <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philidaspes,</HI> who after they had &s;etled all their Troops in their winter-Quarters, and &s;een their Enemy do the like, did come unto the King, who now returned unto <HI>Sinope.</HI> I need not tell you Sir how <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philidaspes</HI> were entertained by the King and the Prince&s;s: for you may be a&s;&s;ured that it was with as much civility and joy as their great &s;ervices could de&s;erve. As they were di&s;po|&s;ed when they took their leaves of the Prince&s;s, &s;o they were the very &s;ame at their return; the fir&s;t time that they &s;aw <HI>Mandana</HI> at her chamber, there they met; It &s;eemed by <HI>Feraulas</HI> who was there and well recovered of his wounds, that the Prince&s;s was di&s;plea&s;ed and an|gry, yet &s;he &s;hewed nothing but &s;uch charms as were able to captivate the hearts of mo&s;t rebellious Lovers; She diverted her Di&s;cour&s;e after &s;uch an ingenious manner by her &s;weet complacence, which had nothing of affectation in it, that &s;he gave them no occa&s;ion to renew tho&s;e differences which pa&s;&s;ed between them in the la&s;t battle, of which the Prince&s;s was not ignorant. When you took your leaves of me (&s;aid &s;he to them) I remember that I entreated you to look unto your &s;elves &s;o well, as I might from your own mouths receive the particu|lars of the Victory; but now I will &s;pare you that labour; for I have &s;uch an indi&s;po&s;ition unto war that I do not love much to di&s;cour&s;e of tho&s;e glorious advantages which my father hath obtained by your valour: Never fear that I am ignorant of them, or that I will ever forget them. Fame doth court and love <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;o much, and doth not hate <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> that the lea&s;t of your actions mu&s;t needs be publi&s;hed: My &s;oul is more ingenuous then to lo&s;e the memory of benefits: But truly I do much affect peace; the calm and quiet vertues do much better agree with my inclination then the&s;e lofty proud ones. That Prince then (Replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> could be very unhappy, who hath a particular aim to plea&s;e you, and could finde out no other way to pay you &s;ervice but by Sword, and Fire, and Bloud. Que|&s;tionle&s;s (added &s;he) that a Prince who had nothing but valour, and good fortune in fight|ing hath not in my opinion all the qualities nece&s;&s;ary to de&s;erve the e&s;teem of a rea&s;onable Prince&s;s. For if he have tho&s;e only and no more, I &s;hould beleeve that a common ordinary e&s;teem might well enough content him, but he ought not to pretend unto &s;o high a degree as Love: What qualities then I be&s;eech you Madam (replied <HI>Philidaspes)</HI> are requi&s;ite to pur|cha&s;e that favour of an illu&s;trious and great Prince&s;s? It is requi&s;ite (an&s;wered &s;he, if I be not deceived) that his valour be not too cruell: that he love victory better then bloud, that his fury la&s;t no longer then fight: That he be ever civil: That he affect glory without pride, That he lookt for it in &s;uch waies where he may finde it; That &s;weetne&s;s and clemency be his predominant qualities: That he be very liberal, but liberal with di&s;creet choice; That he be alwaies gratefull; That he do not envy the glory of another; That he be ju&s;t unto his very enemies; That he be an ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of his pa&s;&s;ions: That his conver&s;ation be not lofty or proud; That he be alwaies faithfull to his friends, and terrible to his enemies; and to &s;peak all in one word, that he have all the virtues and none of the vices: You have rea&s;on Madam (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> to &s;ay that he ought to be exact in all, who de&s;erves the affecti|on of an illu&s;trious Prince&s;s: But Madam, doubtle&s;s &s;he mu&s;t be &s;uch a one as re&s;embles you, who without inju&s;tice can de&s;ire that perfection which is not to be found among&s;t men; and if &s;he never confer her affection upon any but tho&s;e who are worthy of it, then that trea|&s;ure would never be enjoyed by any, though without que&s;tion it be de&s;ired by all the Prin|ces upon earth. I know not (&s;aid &s;he) whether the affection of &s;uch a Prince&s;s as re&s;embles me, be a thing &s;o precious as to be called a Trea&s;ure; but I know very well that if &s;he re&s;em|ble me, her affection &s;hould not be ea&s;ily obtained, &s;ince by a premeditated de&s;ign I am re|&s;olved never to be&s;tow any part of my Love lightly, but to fight again&s;t my own inclinati|ons if they &s;hould offer to overcome me; I know not Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> interrupting her) whether this hardne&s;s of heart be not as much to be condemned in your &s;ex, as you conceive pride is in ours; I do not think it (&s;aid &s;he,) if I did, I &s;hould perhaps change my minde: But what&s;oever it be, to &s;hew that I am not unju&s;t, I pray know that I am as libe|rall of my e&s;teem as I am wary of my love, &s;ince truly I &s;hall never refu&s;e it unto my great|e&s;t Enemy when they &s;hall de&s;erve it; Imagine then (&s;aid &s;he to <HI>Artamenes)</HI> if I do not on|ly much e&s;teem you but admire you for all tho&s;e gallant acts which you have performed:
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And imagine <HI>Philidaspes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he in turning towards him) if you have not much rea&s;on to pretend unto a great part of my Commendations for what you have done: Thus did this di&s;creet and wi&s;e Prince&s;s entertain the&s;e two Gallants whom &s;he perceived to be very ambi|tious and extreamly jealous of their honours; and therefore &s;he dur&s;t not aggravate the great actions of my Ma&s;ter, le&s;t <HI>Philidaspes</HI> who &s;eem'd to be the more violent and ha&s;ty &s;hould be offended. Then they parted being very well pleas'd with <HI>Mandana</HI>'s civilities, but much troubled to have it from her own mouth, that her affection was &s;o hard to be obtain|ed. It appeared that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> who was as amorous as <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and did entertain the &s;ame re&s;entments, was a little more netled then he, e&s;pecially &s;ince throughout the Prin|ce&s;s di&s;cour&s;e he found many more obliging terms towards his Rivall then him&s;elf: All this while <HI>Ciaxares</HI> thinks upon nothing but Fea&s;ts and publique jollities. <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> hearing of his Victories, &s;ends to congratulate with him, and &s;ent al&s;o a great Complement unto my Ma&s;ter, reflecting upon his valour: The Court was never &s;o full nor &s;o glorious as now: All the Officers of the Army made <HI>Sinope</HI> their Rendezvous, and almo&s;t all the Ladies of Quality throughout both Kingdoms repaired thither: The pre&s;ence of the Prince&s;s was free and open: there was not a day but the King went unto her Chamber, and by con&s;e|quence every one had permi&s;&s;ion to enter: For &s;ince the King was very well acquainted with <HI>Mandanaes</HI> vertue: He did permit men of Quality to enter into her pre&s;ence, though he him&s;elf was not there, &s;ince the Lady of Honour her Governe&s;s, and all her other wo|men were continually there, and never left her: So that it might be &s;aid <HI>Artamenes</HI> did &s;eem to be very happy though indeed he was not: For he had the good fortune, during the time of his pa&s;&s;ion to get infinite honour, to &s;erve <HI>Ciaxares</HI> mo&s;t highly; to oblige the Prince&s;s mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly in &s;aving the life of her father, and overcoming all his enemies, &s;o that he might be almo&s;t a&s;&s;ured of her e&s;teem: But on the other &s;ide when he con&s;idered the au&s;tere vertue of the Prince&s;s, of which &s;he made profe&s;&s;ion; he could never hope &s;he would ever &s;uffer either <HI>Artamenes</HI> or <HI>Cyrus</HI> to pre&s;ume &s;o boldly as to &s;peak of Love: Moreover, the King of <HI>Pont</HI> and his Pa&s;&s;ion &s;tir'd up his jealou&s;ie; and the pre&s;ence of <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was trouble&s;ome to him though he knew no rea&s;on for it: yet <HI>Artamenes</HI> and he lo&s;t not an inch of any opportunity to &s;ee the Prince&s;s; They followed her unto the Temple; They waited upon her into the Park and Walks; and vi&s;ited her at all permitted hours; They neglected nothing that two men equally po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with pa&s;&s;ion could do: But that which mo&s;t amu&s;ed my Ma&s;ter concerning <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> was, that be&s;ides his dili|gence about the Prince&s;s, one might &s;ee him alwaies bu&s;ie about <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and <HI>Aribees,</HI> and &s;eem'd to be &s;o urgent in all his actions that my Ma&s;ter did &s;u&s;pect his ambition as well as his love, though he every moment thought him capable of both: In all matters of gallan|try they were alwaies oppo&s;ite one to another; In all their opinions they differed: 'Tis true <HI>Artamenes</HI> had this advantage that he oppo&s;ed <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> without any &s;hew of humorou&s;|ne&s;s in his minde, which his Rivall could not brag of: For though really he was a very com|pleat man, yet he was of a more violent, conceited and active temper: he was alwaies too full of contradiction in his Di&s;cour&s;e, and therefore not &s;o plau&s;ible. Truth is, it appear|ed one night when they were with the Prince&s;s that he was not ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of him&s;elf or thoughts, but &s;uffered them &s;ometimes to rove further then he would have them; There was then but few about her, and the&s;e two &s;ecret Lovers were there almo&s;t alone with her. After di&s;cour&s;e upon many &s;everall Subjects, The Prince&s;s had a great de&s;ire if it were po&s;|&s;ible to unite them, to the end they might become more &s;erviceable unto her Father, and beginning to di&s;cour&s;e upon what might be the ordinary cau&s;e of friend&s;hip; I have won|dred a hundred tunes (&s;aid &s;he to <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes)</HI> that I could never di&s;cover any great matter of friend&s;hip betwixt you two; for though I know you do e&s;teem of one another very much, yet me thinks you love not one another &s;o much as you &s;hould do: I mean (&s;aid &s;he) that confident friend&s;hip and tenderne&s;s of affection which dare tru&s;t and tell all things unto him that is loved, and partake of one anothers &s;orrows and joys. For you are both of you &s;trangers, and both men of &s;pirit, courage and genero&s;ity; You &s;erve the &s;ame Prince, and you &s;hould love one another; fot I beleeve your &s;ouls are too gallant to be capable of envy: If &s;o, then how comes it to pa&s;s that you do not love as much as e|&s;teem one another? And why cannot I finde that Union of &s;oul betwixt you, which makes Friends reveal their hearts and &s;ecrets one to another? Perhaps Madam (an&s;wered <HI>Philida|&s;pes)</HI> it is becau&s;e we e&s;teem too much to love one another al&s;o; And perhaps al&s;o it may be Madam (replied <HI>Artamenes,)</HI> that our &s;ecrets are of two great a con&s;equence to be re|vealed unto any; I would therefore gladly know (replied the Prince&s;s, and that very pre|ci&s;ely)
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what it is which doth di&s;unite you; For I do confe&s;s I cannot finde it out; For my part (continued &s;he) I know but of two pa&s;&s;ions which can hinder gallant men from loving one another, tho&s;e are Ambition and Love: As for the fir&s;t of the&s;e, I do beleeve my Father is able to &s;atisfie you both. As for the &s;econd, I can neither &s;u&s;pect that two men &s;o generous as you are can be &s;o weak, nor indeed do I &s;ee any appearance of it: And it may be that there is not one of my Women (&s;aid &s;he &s;miling and looking upon them all) that hath not &s;ecretly chid her Beauty, becau&s;e &s;he has not fettered you, &s;ince you came to Court; where it is ob&s;erved, that the inclination is not at all that way: Tell me, then (&s;aid &s;he to them) I conjure you, and do not hide the truth of the matter from me; I leave you to judge Sir, in what a Labyrinth <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philidaspes</HI> were noe entangled: and what an odd chance this was, that the Prince&s;s &s;hould de&s;ire that thing which they could not tell her, and that which would have amazed her, if they &s;hould have a&s;&s;umed the boldne&s;s to have told what they knew, though neither of them in particular knew all they de&s;ired to know. For it is certain, that as yet &s;he did not &s;u&s;pect any thing either of the Pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> or <HI>Philida&s;pes:</HI> and that <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> did hate one another rather by rea&s;on of certain &s;ecret jealou&s;ies which they had of their de&s;igns, then out of any certain knowledge of the truth. Yet the Prince&s;s, who&s;e aym it was to act the mo&s;t advantagiou&s;ly &s;he could for the &s;ervice of the King her Father, and to reconcile the mindes of the&s;e two Men who were of &s;uch eminency, did very much pre&s;&s;e them, to tell her what was the ob|&s;tacle which ob&s;tructed their friend&s;hip: Madam (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes,)</HI> It will be a hard matter for me to tell you, &s;ince ordinarily I do not u&s;e to have any difference with tho&s;e I e&s;teem: As for me (replied <HI>Philida&s;pes,)</HI> I will go a little further then that, and &s;ay, I am never u&s;ed to have any thing but difference with tho&s;e I do not Love, whether I e&s;teem or di&s;pi&s;e them: my Heart (&s;aid he) cannot re&s;t in &s;uch a ju&s;t Medium, between Love and ha|tred: and though I could, yet I &s;hould bya&s;&s;e more to one &s;ide then the other: you make me much joyed (an&s;wered the Prince&s;s very ha&s;tily, lea&s;t <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould make &s;uch a re|ply as &s;hould &s;harpen the &s;pirit of <HI>Philida&s;pes,)</HI> for I never could &s;u&s;pect that he could hate &s;uch a man as <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who never offended you; whom all the Court knows; whom the King my Father does extreamly Love, and whom I e&s;teem very much: &s;o <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> (con|tinued &s;he, not giving him leave to &s;peak) &s;ince doubtle&s;s you cannot hate <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I con|clude that of nece&s;&s;ity you mu&s;t Love him a little: and if &s;o, I hope that I &s;hall not have no hard task to make you Love him much: for, &s;aid &s;he, in turning towards <HI>Artamenes,</HI> Doubt|le&s;s you will never re&s;i&s;t me, nor ever di&s;agree with <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> who is owner of a hundred excellent Qualities, and whom the King my Father e&s;teems infinitely; he who certainly Loves you a little, and who de&s;erves the approbation of tho&s;e who are more knowing then I am: And, added &s;he, if there be any prevalency in my Prayers, you &s;hall, for the Love of me, carry it &s;o for the future, that the whole Court &s;hall take notice of the good corre&s;pondence which is betwixt you, and no more wonder at the coldne&s;s which appears in all your actions, and in all your words, the cau&s;e whereof every one is mo&s;t ignorant. Perhaps Madam, an&s;wered <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> we know it not our &s;elves: But, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, whether you know it, or know it not; I hope you will do as I de&s;ire you: The Gods, Madam (&s;aid <HI>Artamenes,)</HI> for ought I &s;ee, are not &s;o rigorous as you, &s;ince they allow us liberty to Love or hate tho&s;e whom we judge worthy of either: Be plea&s;ed to be &s;atisfied Madam with that Lawfull Autority which your rare Qualities have given you over the hearts of all them who have the honour to come neer you; and do not Tyrannically (if that which I owe you will permit me to phra&s;e it &s;o) impo&s;e upon <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> to Love <HI>Artamenes</HI> compul&s;ively: nor upon <HI>Artamenes</HI> to Love <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> whether he will or no: If they will at any time Love, let them have the freedom of their own choice entire, and take not from them the Merit of their Affection: And if they will eternally hate one ano|ther, (replied <HI>Philidaspes,)</HI> let them have the liberty to do it, without any ju&s;t offence to you. That cannot po&s;&s;ibly be (replied &s;he,) for I e&s;teem both of you too much to &s;uffer it. Why Madam, &s;aid <HI>Artamenes</HI> to her (and changing colour,) Cannot I hate <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> unle&s;s I do anger the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana?</HI> No, &s;aid &s;he, nor <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> hate <HI>Artamenes,</HI> without of|fending me extreamly, &s;ince I have &s;o de&s;ired of him the contrary. We are both of us then, very happy, and very unhappy, replied <HI>Philida&s;pes:</HI> and you &s;hall be both of you very rea&s;onable, if you will Love one another, for the Love of me. This is not po&s;&s;ible, replied <HI>Philida&s;pes.</HI> Indeed Madam, an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I think it would be much more ea&s;ie for us, to hate one another for the Love of you, then to Love one another for the Love of you; for, &s;aid he, both of us ayming at Glory as we do, and &s;eeking out all occa&s;ions to eminent
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our &s;elves by obtaining the e&s;teem and friend&s;hip of the King, if you &s;hould byas more unto <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> then unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I think that <HI>Artamenes</HI> though he dur&s;t not complain of you, yet he would hate <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> a little: And I my &s;elf think (replied this violent Prince,) that though it &s;hould happen &s;o to me, <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> would content him&s;elf with e&s;teeming <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> without any Loving him. The Prince&s;s was then very &s;orry &s;he had undertook a bu&s;ine&s;s, which &s;he found much more hard to compo&s;e then &s;he believed; therefore &s;he thought it better to end this di&s;cour&s;e then continue it any longer. Then &s;he begun to &s;peak unto them with abundance of excellent &s;weetne&s;s; at lea&s;t, &s;aid &s;he, will you Promi&s;e me to live together as if you did Love one another; and that you will not contradict one another in any thing? <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> &s;eems to be &s;o zealous in the Kings &s;ervice and yours, Madam, and I al&s;o the like, that it may be imagined, there will be always much concurrencie in all our de&s;igns: I know (replied <HI>Philida&s;pes)</HI> that at the lea&s;t we &s;hall meet one another very often: And I think that ever &s;ince the fir&s;t day <HI>Artamenes</HI> arrived in <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> I have every day &s;een him. It is true that I met you at the Temple of <HI>Mars</HI> (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> the &s;ame day I came to <HI>Sinope:</HI> What day was that (asked the Prince&s;s?) It was the &s;ame (an&s;wered <HI>Philida&s;pes,)</HI> whereon you offered a Sacrifice of Thanks unto the Gods, for the Death of that Prince who would have &s;ubverted all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and u&s;urped your Crown from you; I remember it very well (&s;aid the Prince&s;s, de&s;iring to break off the former di&s;cour&s;e,) and I never in all my life, had &s;o little devotion to ren|der thanks unto the Gods for a Benefit as I had that day; not but that according to the Predictions of all the Magi, the Ruin of young <HI>Cyrus</HI> was a happy fate for all <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> but becau&s;e that naturally, I ever had &s;uch a repugnancie in me again&s;t rejoycing at the death of any one, as that I had need to have a great intere&s;t in the Publique Felicity if I con&s;ent unto it. Why Madam (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter, blu&s;hing a little,) are you &s;o good as not to hate <HI>Cyrus?</HI> How (&s;aid <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> interrupting him, who always would be of a contrary opinion) Can &s;he hate a Prince whom &s;he never &s;aw; and who is her Co&s;en, and who, as I am a&s;&s;ured, was one of much merit? therefore it was neither rea&s;onable nor po&s;&s;ible to hate him: But (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter) it &s;eems you told me, that he would have &s;ubverted all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and u&s;urped the Crown from the Prince&s;s: But I &s;aid it (replied <HI>Phili|da&s;pes</HI> &s;harply) becau&s;e the Magi &s;aid &s;o, without &s;eeing any appearances of it. <HI>Cyrus</HI> (an|&s;wered my Ma&s;ter very coldly) would be much obliged to you if he were living: but not very much to you, replied <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> who would have him hated when he is dead. Since the King my Father (&s;aid the Prince&s;s to them) has both you about him, who are &s;uch gal|lant Defendors, in his Service, I beleeve it had not been ea&s;ie for <HI>Cyrus</HI> to de&s;troy us. This opinion, Madam, an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter, is a great Glory to us. I &s;hould have acknowledged as much, replied <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> if &s;he had named none but me. I &s;hall leave you to judge Sir, what effects this di&s;cour&s;e did beget in my Ma&s;ters &s;pirit: but as he was about to reply, the King came in, and broke off further di&s;cour&s;e. After he had &s;taid a while with <HI>Mandana,</HI> he went out to walk by the Sea &s;ide, and every one followed him. As ill luck would have it,
<HI>Aribees</HI> held the King in a long private di&s;cour&s;e, &s;o that <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> turned to each other, and took a walk by them&s;elves: and &s;ince they came out from the Prince&s;s with exa&s;perated &s;pirits, &s;o they were a little while &s;ilent, both of them que&s;tionle&s;s recalling unto memory all that pa&s;&s;ed: Did ever any one &s;ee &s;uch cro&s;s Fortune as mine (&s;aid <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> to him&s;elf) <HI>Mandana</HI> would force me to Love <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> who Loves not me; who is oppo&s;ite to all my de&s;igns; who contradicts all my di&s;cour&s;e; whom I always finde a|bout the Prince&s;s; who looks upon me with envy, and perhaps is my Rivall. This la&s;t re|flexion imprinting it &s;elf very deep in his &s;oul, did move anger to appear very high in his looks; and I, who was not far off, ob&s;erved it; I think his enemy al&s;o, had very neer the &s;ame thoughts: at length I perceived <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> and he change colours both together at an in&s;tant; and by their mu&s;ing &s;tudy which both &s;tood in, I perceived them to be very angry and cholerick: After they had &s;tood a while without &s;peaking a word, and &s;tanding at di|&s;tance once from the other; <HI>Artamenes</HI> on a &s;udden rou&s;ing him&s;elf out of his mu&s;ing, &s;aw that the King and the company was a good di&s;tance <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ff, and remembring what <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> had &s;aid in the Prince&s;s pre&s;ence; You have rea&s;on, &s;aid he, to &s;ay that we meet very often, &s;ince without any de&s;ign we are met here &s;ingle together in the mid&s;t of &s;o much people: I I care not much (replied <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> briskly) for meeting here in a walk; but I mu&s;t confe&s;s to you, I do not love to meet you neer the King, or the Prince&s;s, or in a Battle when I am up|on the point of taking Kings Pri&s;oners. For my part, replied <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I have no &s;uch aver|&s;ion from meeting you; and I &s;hould be glad to finde you in the head of an Enemies Army,
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where we might di&s;pute the Victory, and &s;hew you how to take Kings pri&s;oners in &s;uch a way as would be glorious. There needs not, an&s;wered <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> an Army of fifty thou&s;and men to give you that &s;atisfaction which you de&s;ire, and if you de&s;ire it, I &s;hall ea&s;ily &s;atisfie your longing. It &s;hall &s;tick only upon you, replied <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and lea&s;t the preten&s;ions which you have at the Court &s;hould hinder you from giving me this &s;atisfacti|on, or oblige you to repent of what you have &s;aid, Let us to morrow morning before Sun ri&s;e, &s;ee whether the Prince&s;s have rea&s;on to de&s;ire that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> &s;hould love <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and <HI>Artamenes</HI> love <HI>Philida&s;pes.</HI> I like it well, an&s;wered he, and take heed lea&s;t the Ho|nours which you have from the King, and the re&s;pects you bear unto the Prince&s;s do make you alter your re&s;olutions: Therefore, replied <HI>Artamenes,</HI> Let us meet behind the Temple of <HI>Mars,</HI> where I will &s;tay for you with a Sword by day-break: Mean while I think it good to follow the King, lea&s;t any &s;u&s;pi&s;ion &s;hould be of our de&s;ign. After this they appeared before the King, and carried the matter &s;o well, as none did dream of any thing which pa&s;&s;ed between them: I my &s;elf, who as I &s;aid before, had ob&s;erved &s;ome di&s;orders in their faces, was deceived like the re&s;t: And I had been &s;o often accu&s;tomed to &s;ee alte|rations in his countenance without any misfortunes to follow, that I by this could not fore|&s;ee that which followed. At night, when <HI>Artamenes</HI> was retired, he &s;hut him&s;elf in his clo|&s;et with <HI>Feraulas,</HI> unto whom he imparted his de&s;ign, becau&s;e he had need of his help to get him out un&s;een. <HI>Feraulas,</HI> as he told me, did di&s;&s;wade him, laying before him the ine|quality which was betwixt <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> and him, who&s;e condition was &s;o much inferiour, as that there was no ju&s;tice they &s;hould mea&s;ure Swords together. But my Ma&s;ter an&s;wered him, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> did appear to be no more then <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> and that in Combats va|lour was to be more valued then quality: At la&s;t he told him, that he &s;hould fight better again&s;t a valiant Souldier, then a great cowardly King. Neverthele&s;s Sir, although the bu|&s;ine&s;s which <HI>Artamenes</HI> had in hand, might well have taken up all his thoughts, yet it did not hinder him from telling unto <HI>Feraulas</HI> all the di&s;cour&s;e which pa&s;&s;ed betwixt the Prince&s;s, <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> and him&s;elf: And his Pa&s;&s;ion did &s;o much reflect upon his &s;oul, as that he &s;tood firm in the mid&s;t of greate&s;t dangers. What &s;hould be <HI>Mandanaes</HI> de&s;ign, &s;aid he to <HI>Fe|raulas,</HI> in &s;o earne&s;tly de&s;iring that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> and I &s;hould love one another? Was it only a bare effect of her wi&s;dom and goodne&s;s? or was it &s;ome &s;ecret good will that &s;he bore unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> or <HI>Philida&s;pes?</HI> Has &s;he &s;een into my heart, and there found all tho&s;e jea|lou&s;ies which cau&s;e my aver&s;ion to love him? But alas, if &s;he had done &s;o, &s;he would have &s;een that I adored her, and would not have been ignorant of tho&s;e Pa&s;&s;ions which I endure for her, and would have been farre off from commanding me to love him; I conceive &s;he would rather have commanded me not to come near him: Oh ye Gods, &s;aid he, How &s;hould I know whether it be only Ambition in him, or whether he be in Love? What&s;o|ever he be, I hope the Prince&s;s is ignorant of his Pa&s;&s;ion as well as of mine; that which &s;he &s;aid unto us in the beginning of her di&s;cour&s;e, tels me as much. I believe you too Generous, &s;aid &s;he, to &s;u&s;pect any &s;uch weakne&s;s in you. Ha <HI>Mandana,</HI> Illu&s;trious <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;aid he, this weakne&s;s is glorious, and it mu&s;t be a great &s;oul only which is capable of it: But is it po&s;&s;ible, &s;aid he further, that my eyes, and all my actions have not yet given you the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition of my Love? Do you not conceive that all my Martial adventures, and acts which I have done, were done for you? Has any &s;een me ask any recompence for what I have done? or had I any intere&s;t of my own in it? And cannot <HI>Mandana,</HI> the mo&s;t divine <HI>Man|dana</HI> imagine that &s;ome Pa&s;&s;ion more noble then Ambition, did move <HI>Artamenes</HI> to his Ad|ventures? Neverthele&s;s <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;aid he, this amiable and Prince&s;s, who is &s;o far from ha|ving the lea&s;t knowledge of it, did add this unto her di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>And it may be there is not one of my women that has not &s;ecretly chid her beauty, becau&s;e it has not captivated you, &s;ince you came to this Court, where every one ob&s;erved that your inclination was not that way.</HI> Ah, too unju&s;t Prince&s;s, &s;aid he, Why did you not ob&s;erve it? and why did you not rather &s;ay in your &s;elf, <HI>Since</HI> Artamenes <HI>does not love any in the Court, doubtle&s;s he lives me:</HI> But al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, &s;aid he, <HI>Mandana</HI> tels me by this di&s;cour&s;e, that &s;he would not have me to be her Conque&s;t; and that &s;he thinks &s;he has done me honour enough in selling me, that the beauty of her women might have captivated me. Sir, &s;aid <HI>Feraulas</HI> unto him, this is only <HI>Artamenes</HI> who hath received this &s;light injury. It is true, replied he, But dare <HI>Artamenes</HI> be <HI>Cyrus?</HI> Can he cea&s;e to be <HI>Artamenes</HI> and not be hated? Ah cruel word (cried he again) what abun|dance of &s;orrow, and de&s;pair do&s;t thou afford me? I wi&s;h <HI>Mandana</HI> knew I loved her, but I would not be the teller of it: and by what means can &s;he ever know it, if &s;he bu&s;ie her &s;elf in &s;eeking about the Court for one to captivate me, and if &s;he never apprehend; that none
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can look upon her, but needs mu&s;t love her? and that though <HI>Artamenes</HI> be only <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> having a heart &s;o great as he has, he cannot aba&s;e him&s;elf to love el&s;ewhere. That which gives me a little comfort is, &s;he treats my pretended Rival no better then &s;he does me; and that through all her di&s;cour&s;e, her words were more favourable towards <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> then him. If I had been well a&s;&s;ured he had been my Rival, my &s;orrows would have been my death, and my &s;ymptomes of jealou&s;ie would have di&s;covered my Love unto my Prince&s;s; in &s;hort Sir, <HI>Artamenes</HI> talked with <HI>Feraulas</HI> as if he had nothing to do in the morn|ing; but &s;eeing he never thought of bed, he put him in minde of it, and my Ma&s;ter follow|ed his advice, ri&s;ing in the morning by break of day. I had forgot to tell you, that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> and my Ma&s;ter had agreed to fight on Hor&s;eback, without any other Arms but one Buckler, and one Sword, lea&s;t their de&s;ign &s;hould be di&s;covered, and that either of them &s;hould have one E&s;quire with them, to be &s;pectators of the Combat. <HI>Feraulas</HI> went out with <HI>Artamenes:</HI> as &s;oon as they were ready they went out at a back door, and &s;tole away quietly, not being &s;een by any: They came upon the place appointed half an hour before <HI>Philida&s;pes:</HI> Here Sir, <HI>Artamenes</HI> did begin very much to fear the Prince&s;s di&s;plea&s;ure, who when &s;he &s;hould hear of a quarrel &s;o &s;oon after her de&s;ires to love one another, had ju&s;t cau&s;e of offence; yet this &s;trong aver&s;ion which he had towards <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> was more prevalent then his fears, and concluded it better to expo&s;e him&s;elf once unto the di&s;plea&s;ure of his Prince&s;s, then not to be revenged of a Rival: He looked for <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> with much impatience: But he pre|&s;ently appeared, and perceiving my Ma&s;ter &s;taied for him, I de&s;ire your pardon <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;aid he, for coming no &s;ooner, but I will endeavour to make &s;atisfaction for my &s;luggi&s;hne&s;s, by that diligence which I bring with me to vanqui&s;h you if I can. I hope, replied <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that mine will prevent you, and we &s;hall pre&s;ently know whether we &s;hould love or hate one another. After this, both drew their Swords, and after they had either of them made a pa&s;s with their Hor&s;es, as it were to put them into winde; they then &s;taid a while oppo&s;ite one to another to take their mea&s;ures, and &s;eat them&s;elves in their &s;addles; after which they fell too't, and &s;truck &s;o furiou&s;ly as both of them had like to have fallen: <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> his Sword did glide upon the Buckler of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and the Sword of <HI>Artamenes</HI> did gra&s;e a little upon the right &s;ide of <HI>Philida&s;pes:</HI> Their Hor&s;es which were ready guided, did not &s;tar|tle at a charge &s;o violent, and the&s;e two terrible Rivals turning &s;hort both together, did en|deavour to croupper each other if they could, but they were both &s;o quick, and fought with &s;o much judgement, as it was not po&s;&s;ible for either to do it: Then giving the rein to their Hor&s;es, and making a &s;econd Pa&s;s, the Sword of <HI>Artamenes</HI> the &s;econd time light upon the head of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> and gliding down to his &s;houlder, gave him two wounds at one blow; the Sword of <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> al&s;o was &s;tain'd with the blood of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and run him into the thigh through and through: My Ma&s;ter perceiving him&s;elf wounded, became more furious; and <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> &s;eeing his blood run in divers places, did double his choller. Behold here Sir, the&s;e two fierce enemies as much animated, as if both of them had known each others qua|lities and loves: All that skill, &s;trength and valour could do, was done at this time: <HI>Arta|menes</HI> pre&s;&s;ed upon his enemy; his enemy upon <HI>Artamenes</HI> again: Sometimes they would &s;hift and husband their &s;trength warily, then upon a &s;udden they would vanqui&s;h or die; and both did di&s;pute the victory &s;o &s;toutly, that they began to e&s;teem, though not Love one another much more then before: But without troubling you with relation of every particu|lar pa&s;&s;age of this fierce Combate, I will only tell you, that my Ma&s;ter wounded <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> in &s;ix places, and received but three wounds him&s;elf: Being in this condition, <HI>Artamenes</HI> be|gan to be de&s;perate to &s;ee him&s;elf &s;o long re&s;i&s;ted: and ca&s;ting his Buckler behinde him, put|ting on his Hor&s;e with &s;pur and voice, and lifting up his Sword as high as his arm could reach, he let it drive at the head of <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> &s;o terribly that it bore him down half in a &s;ound, be|tween the feet of their Hor&s;es, catching his Sword into his hand as he fell. My Ma&s;ter lighted immediatly from his Hor&s;e, and holding both Swords in his hands, did run unto him, and cried, <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> if thou can&s;t ri&s;e I will permit thee, and render thee thy Sword; but if thou can&s;t not, then acknowledge that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is worthy to be thy friend. <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> as the&s;e words recovering out of his &s;ound, did offer to ri&s;e, but he could not po&s;&s;ible: &s;o that looking upon my Ma&s;ter with his eyes like fire, Thou ha&s;t overcome me, an&s;wered he, kneeling, but thou &s;halt not overcome me alwaies, if thou bee&s;t &s;o humane as to let me live: In this condition they were, when <HI>Aribees</HI> accidentally returned from hunting, and followed by many people, who &s;eeing my Ma&s;ter with a Sword in his hand, came up to them, not well knowing whom it &s;hould be: As &s;oon as he was come neer, and &s;aw my Ma&s;ter, he was
<PB N="99" REF="54">
a&s;toni&s;hed, e&s;pecially when he &s;aw <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> whom he had overcome. What <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;aid he to him, you fight then with the Kings friends as well as his enemies: I will fight, an|&s;wered he, with the Kings enemies where&s;oever I meet them, and I will al&s;o fight with the ene|mies of <HI>Artamenes</HI> in what place &s;oever I meet them. My Ma&s;ter then turning towards <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> who was at deaths door for very &s;pite and grief to be &s;een in this po&s;ture, where|in he could not &s;tir; <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> (&s;aid he to him, throwing him his Sword) thou ha&s;t u&s;ed it too well to be deprived of it; and if thou bee&s;t as full of Rea&s;on as Valour, thou wilt never put me to that condition as to do thee the like favour again. <HI>Artamenes</HI> not &s;taying for his an&s;wer, would have got up upon his Hor&s;e, but he &s;tood in need of <HI>Feraulas</HI> his help, for his lo&s;s of blood had extreamly weakned him, yet being a very little held up, he kept him|&s;elf very firm in his &s;addle. But it was not &s;o well with <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> for he was very much wounded, and carried by five or &s;ix men unto the next hou&s;e, there to have his wounds dre&s;&s;ed. <HI>Aribees</HI> leaving &s;ome of his men with him, and having given order for &s;ome of the Kings Surgions to have a care of him, he went to acquaint <HI>Ciaxares</HI> with the accident: as for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> he would not go publikely into the Town, but went unto the Sacrificer, with whom he had di&s;cour&s;e the fir&s;t time he came unto the Temple of <HI>Mars,</HI> having &s;ince that time confirmed a great league of friend&s;hip between them. As &s;oon as he was there, and had taken order concerning his wounds, he &s;ent <HI>Feraulas</HI> unto the King and the Prince&s;s to de&s;ire their pardon, and to be&s;eech them not to condemn him before they under&s;tood the matter.</P>
<P>As <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> was about to go on with his Relation, the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> came in, who coming from <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> interrupted this Relation, and told all this illu&s;trious company that the Prince did continue &s;till inflexible, and that he was every day more and more incen&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Artamenes:</HI> Alas (&s;aid the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the Princes who had heard <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> tell the &s;tory) if you did but know who this <HI>Artamenes</HI> is, whom you &s;peak of, you would much more lament him then you do: It would be very hard for me (replied the King of <HI>Phrygia)</HI> to be more &s;orry for him then I am, for I have &s;o great e&s;teem of him already, that I cannot intere&s;t my &s;elf in the pre&s;ervation of &s;o brave a man, more then I have: But you will change your thoughts (an&s;wered the King of <HI>Hircania)</HI> when you &s;hall rightly know who <HI>Artamenes</HI> is: And you will confe&s;s (added <HI>Per&s;odes)</HI> that never was Prince more illu&s;trious then he: A Prince (replied the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> ha|&s;tily) yes Sir (replied <HI>Hida&s;pes)</HI> and one of the mo&s;t con&s;iderable Princes of the world. After the&s;e words, the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> was very urgent with them to inform him further: Then all of them would needs tell him &s;omething of it: One would tell him of his birth; another would extoll his valour; a third would relate &s;ome particulars of his love; and all of them, according as pa&s;&s;ages did mo&s;t move them, would needs &s;et out the illu&s;tious life of <HI>Artamenes. Chri&s;antes</HI> &s;eeing this forwardne&s;s among&s;t &s;o many famous per&s;ons, al|though thus confu&s;ion was very glorious unto his dear Ma&s;ter, &s;ince it was but an effect of their pa&s;&s;ions towards him, did intreat them to defer the bu&s;ine&s;s untill another time; he him&s;elf undertaking to relate the beginning of this Hi&s;tory unto the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> parti|cularly, to the end that afterwards they might altogether meet, and hear the marvellous &s;equel of it, from the relation of <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who was better known in it then him&s;elf; he being younger and more imployed in all the Pa&s;&s;ages of my Ma&s;ters love. All the Princes did con&s;ent unto the rea&s;onable motion which <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> had propounded: yet notwith|&s;tanding they could not part &s;o &s;oon, but continued a good while together extolling the unfortunate <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and magnifying equally his virtues; his misfortunes, and his Glory.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The end of the &s;econd Book in the fir&s;t Part.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="book">
<PB REF="55">
<PB N="101" REF="55">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES: OR CYRVS the Great.  BOOK III.</HEAD>
<P>_WHil&s;t the&s;e two famous Friends of <HI>Artamenes</HI> di&s;cour&s;ed of his great misfortunes and high qualities: he in the mean time rendred him&s;elf worthy of more prai&s;e then they did give him, enduring his Pri&s;on with mo&s;t admirable patience. The uncertainty of the Prince&s;s life was the only di&s;turbance of his &s;oul; but his Captivity was too incon|fiderable to move it at all. To &s;peak the truth, never man was more in Love then he; this did &s;o extreamly torment him, as there was no need of any other pa&s;&s;ion to be added. When he cal'd in his memo|ry the wonderfull events of his Life; and remembred how many dangers he had e&s;caped; what love he had purcha&s;ed from <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> what &s;ervices he had done for <HI>Mandana,</HI> and what Pa&s;&s;ions he endured for her: what ob&s;tacles he had met with in his de&s;ignes; how quiet a life he might have led, if he continued in <HI>Per&s;ia;</HI> what Travels he has undergone; how gloriou&s;ly Fortune had &s;hined upon him; what illu&s;trious Rivals he had met withall; what famous Victories he had obtained, and into what a &s;ad misfortune he was now reduced; All the&s;e, I &s;ay, coming confu&s;edly into his minde, he had much a do to give credit unto him&s;elf; nor when he was alone &s;olitarily in his chamber, he knew not well whether he was <HI>Cyrus</HI> or <HI>Artamenes,</HI> or either of them; but he was &s;ure that he was the mo&s;t unhappy Prince upon earth, who without &s;ome extraordinary a&s;&s;i&s;tance from the Gods could never hope for any &s;atisfaction in his Life. The ab&s;ence of the party belov'd (&s;aid he to him&s;elf) is, in the e&s;teem of all the world, the wor&s;t misfortune. But alas, I am not &s;eparated for a time only, but I fear, for ever: When I was in the Army, I knew &s;he was at <HI>Ancyra</HI> or <HI>Sinope:</HI> I knew &s;he was well; I was certain &s;he was in plea&s;ant company, and a delightfull place, &s;o that then my ab&s;ence from her did not vex me; I had none but my own &s;orrows to endure, and my only &s;orrow was, to be ab&s;ent from her: The Gods do know my grief, and how the deprivation of her &s;ight was intollerable to me: But alas, alas, I am now in a mo&s;t lamentable condition; for I know that my Prince&s;s is either dead, or
<PB N="102" REF="56">
el&s;e in the barbarous hands of &s;ome who detains her again&s;t her will; I am mo&s;t certain &s;he is either in her grave or in a pri&s;on: And in what place &s;oever &s;he is, I know &s;he &s;uffers, and doubtle&s;&s;e pities my misfortunes; yet (&s;aid he) if I could with honour &s;hake off my fetters, I would finde out either her Tomb or her Pri|&s;on; for the Sea, according to its cu&s;tome, would render me this fair Corps either alive or dead: I would either die with her in the one, or deliver her out of the other; And it would be a greater con&s;olation to me in my misfortunes to do &s;o, then to langui&s;h out my life in pri|&s;on, where I endure an unju&s;t accu&s;ation, not daring to ju&s;tifie my &s;elf; not becau&s;e I &s;hould appear unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> more criminall as a Lover of <HI>Mandana,</HI> then as a friend unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria;</HI> not becau&s;e it is a crime whereby <HI>Artamenes</HI> is di&s;honoured, but rather it is in|finite honour unto him, and becau&s;e the honour of my Prince&s;s is infinitely above my own: that &s;evere vertue whereof &s;he makes profe&s;&s;ion, alwaies forbidding me to give the lea&s;t &s;u&s;|picion of my love unto any what&s;oever; and therefore I will die a thou&s;and deaths rather then let the lea&s;t &s;hadow of it appear; Not that (O my mo&s;t illu&s;trious Prince&s;s) you have any rea&s;on to make me hide my Love as if it were vitious; or conceal any of your favours to me, as if they were not corre&s;pondent with your virtue: for indeed what have you ever done for <HI>Artamenes</HI> which you had not good rea&s;on for? or which might contradict your pure&s;t innocence? you have oftentimes rigidly denied your &s;elf and me, and hid &s;ome part of your good will towards me, you never gave me any more te&s;timonies of it then &s;uch as by &s;ome weak conjectures I could draw, that you did not hate me; you have oftentimes de|prived me even of your very looks; you have warily re&s;erved your very words; and all that I can &s;ay of you is, that you had the power to de&s;troy me, but did not: But O ye gods, Can you have &s;uch a thought as to ruine a man who loves you? A Prince who hath con|cealed all his de&s;ires from you, who &s;tifled them in their birth, and never dur&s;t de&s;ire any thing which might offend the pure&s;t vertue? A Prince I &s;ay who adores you as men adore the gods, and who hath devoted unto you every minute of his life; yet for all this, it is your plea&s;ure I &s;hould keep clo&s;e my pa&s;&s;ion, and that to me is an ab&s;olute command: There|fore I am re&s;olved never to di&s;cover my Prince&s;s: I will look for death without complainr, and never reveal the true cau&s;e of all my &s;orrows; Thus did the Amorous <HI>Artamenes</HI> pa&s;s his time: He had this benefit in his pri&s;on, that his Keepers did both lament and re&s;pect him; &s;o that if he had been di&s;po&s;ed to make an e&s;cape, he might ea&s;ily have done it: <HI>Andra|mias</HI> who commanded the Guard was a neer kin&s;man unto <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who bore &s;o great a Love unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that he neglected nothing which was in his power to deliver him: Be&s;ides this alliance which was between <HI>Andramias</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> there was &s;ome other Obligations which tied <HI>Aglatidas</HI> unto him; &s;o that he permitted <HI>Aglatidas</HI> to vi|&s;it <HI>Artamenes</HI> when he plea&s;ed. It happened one night when all were retired to their Lodgings, that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> went unto his Chamber, and offered him all his a&s;&s;i&s;tance; He &s;poke unto him of &s;ome waies which conduced unto his flight if he plea&s;ed: <HI>Artamenes,</HI> did thank him very civilly, but told him that he would never come out of pri&s;on, unle&s;s by the &s;ame power which put him in; he &s;aid that guilty men might do well to &s;lip out of their chains, but innocent men ought to &s;tay till they were untied, and therefore he de&s;ired him to re&s;t &s;atisfied concerning that matter, and not to hazard the Kings di&s;plea&s;ure for the love of him: He told him that it would be a very great comfort unto him to &s;ee him &s;ometimes, e&s;pecially &s;ince his melancholike di&s;po&s;ition did be&s;t &s;ute with his pre&s;ent fortune; but that it was not ju&s;t to permit him for his &s;ake to run into danger; <HI>Aglatidas</HI> then an&s;wered <HI>Ar|tamenes,</HI> that he found no &s;uch joy in his life as to fear the expo&s;ing it, but in this he did not run any hazard at all, becau&s;e fir&s;t the King had not &s;trictly forbid the &s;eeing of him; Se|condly, <HI>Andramias</HI> being his Friend, his Co&s;en, and one that was obliged unto him, it was no extraordinary courte&s;ie to let him vi&s;it his friend: Al&s;o his Chamber being within the Chamber of <HI>Andramias,</HI> &s;o by con&s;equence far enough off from the Guard, he might con|veniently vi&s;it him often without being perceived and might afford him that poor comfort to have one with him, who might condole his misfortunes. <HI>Artamenes</HI> denied him, but <HI>Ag|latidas</HI> was &s;o urgent, that in the end he permitted him to come every night in into his cham|ber. There was none more fit to comfort an unfortunate man then <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who was alwaies &s;ad even then when any joy appeared in the faces of them who were in his Compa|ny: This Noble melancholy man came one night unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and after they had a long time di&s;cour&s;ed of the mutability in Fortune, and mi&s;eries of life, they both of them were a long while &s;ilent. <HI>Aglatidas</HI> who knew nothing of his love, and who de&s;ired to cheer him up a little, &s;poke thus unto him: Sir (&s;aid he) I &s;ee you are unfortunate, yet for
<PB N="103" REF="56">
all that you are not &s;o unfortunate but one may po&s;&s;ibly be much more: That Grandure which you have lo&s;t, may ea&s;ily be found again: It is a common thing for a Prince to pa&s;s from a Throne to a Pri&s;on, and from a Pri&s;on to a Throne again: There are many misfor|tunes which &s;eem le&s;s glorious are yet more &s;en&s;ible; and the more clo&s;e they are kept, the more are they in&s;upportable: You have this &s;ad comfort at the lea&s;t (&s;aid he) that all the world laments you: and &s;uch great fals as yours do move compa&s;&s;ion in all hone&s;t men. On the contrary there are misfortunes of &s;uch a dire nature, as they are not pitied by any; and are &s;o far from inviting compa&s;&s;ions as they who endure them are accu&s;ed of weakne&s;s, of folly and &s;implicity: So that to prevent the growth or encrea&s;e of our misfortunes and &s;orrows, we mu&s;t &s;tifle our &s;ighs, and hide our Tears, or at lea&s;t never to publi&s;h the cau&s;e of our afflictions. <HI>Artamenes</HI> hearing <HI>Aglatidas</HI> talk thus, did imagine that the &s;ad melan|choly which continually &s;at upon his &s;oul, and appeared in his face, was doubtle&s;s cau&s;ed by love, though he never did di&s;cover it before this time. As curio&s;ity to enquire after the misfortunes of &s;uch as have re&s;emblance of our own, is a quality incident to all unfortunate men; So <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;ighing and looking upon <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> Is it not po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid he to him) that your melancholy which I have ever thought to proceed from your naturall temper, may have &s;ome other &s;ecret cau&s;e which yet I never asked you? Yes Sir, Replied <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> there is one, but it is of &s;uch a nature as I ought to conceal it from &s;uch as you who&s;e &s;ouls perhaps are &s;en&s;ible only of ambition and glory, who having never found the force of Love, would call all tho&s;e things which the pa&s;&s;ion produceth, folly and weakne&s;s, as I &s;aid before, Never fear (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;ighing the &s;econd time) that my vertue is &s;o &s;evere as you beleeve; for though my unhappy life be not yet far &s;pent, yet in &s;o many travels as I have gone through, perhaps I have not been altogether in&s;en&s;ible of that pa&s;&s;ion: There|fore my Dear <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> (&s;aid he to him) if you have any de&s;ire to comfort me in my mis|fortunes, let me not be ignorant of yours, and I do conjure you not to think but my &s;oul &s;hall be very &s;en&s;ible of them, and though I am overwhelmed with my own &s;orrows, yet I &s;hall make &s;hift to condole yours al&s;o. <HI>Aglatidas</HI> did a while deny him, but at la&s;t being overcome by his importunity, and by the per&s;wa&s;ions of <HI>Andramias,</HI> who had been a wit|ne&s;s of his misfortunes, he began thus, after that the Captain of the Guards had given all re|qui&s;ite Orders to prevent either di&s;covery or interruption.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The History of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI></HEAD>
<P>I Have often heard &s;ay that Love above all other pa&s;&s;ions does mo&s;t fortifie or mo&s;t en|feeble men, according unto the occa&s;ions which pre&s;ent them&s;elves: and that it never doth &s;o ab&s;olutely &s;ubdue a &s;oul, but it leaves &s;ome Reliques of its ancient dominion: but yet it is not &s;o in my heart; this general rule, hath its exception in me; for &s;ince Love com|manded in chief, it hath quite rooted out all ambition, it hath ab&s;olutely extingui&s;ht all de|&s;ires of glory, and left no other re&s;entments but jealou&s;ie and &s;orrow. I will not &s;tay you Sir, in telling that I am de&s;cended from the illu&s;trious Race of famous <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> (who&s;e Name I own) who did &s;uch gallant acts under the Reign of <HI>Phraortes,</HI> in his <HI>Per&s;ian, Medean,</HI> and <HI>A&s;&s;irian</HI> Wars; for perhaps you do already know them: I will only tell you, how &s;ince that time all they of my Family have alwaies held the fir&s;t Rank (next after the Princes of bloud) about the King: I was born then Sir in a high condition; and I dare &s;ay of my &s;elf that my inclinations have not degenerated from the worthine&s;s of my birth. I had a father, who&s;e indulgent cares did doubtle&s;s give me good education; and if Love had not given a &s;top unto what he expected from me, perhaps I &s;hould at this day have been much above what I am. I no &s;ooner attained unto my &s;eventeenth year, but having a de&s;ire to get &s;ome e&s;teem in the world, and &s;eeing all was peace in <HI>Medea,</HI> I went unto the King of <HI>Saces,</HI> Fa|ther of Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> who has &s;uffered &s;hipwrack, where I dare &s;ay of my &s;elf that in a little time I got &s;ome honour: But after his wars were ended, and peace was e&s;tabli&s;hed throughout all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> I was compelled after two years &s;pent among the <HI>Saceans,</HI> and in my Travels, to return unto <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> which as you know is one of the goodlie&s;t, mo&s;t magnifi|cent, and mo&s;t delightfull places in the world. I arrived there &s;ome few daies after. <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> received news of the death of young <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;on to the King of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> and the Prince&s;s his daughter. Then I know you have been Sir &s;o long in <HI>Cappadocia</HI> as you cannot be ignorant of all the pa&s;&s;ages in <HI>Medea:</HI> of the menaces of the gods, of the fears and frights of <HI>A&s;tia|ges,</HI> and of the joy which he conceived for that &s;ecurity which all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> hoped for by the
<PB N="104" REF="57">
death of that Prince, who, as men &s;ay, did promi&s;e mighty matters unto the world: I came then to the Court in a time of great jollity and fea&s;ting, and there I &s;taid a while with all de|light imaginable: The King never hunted but I was with him; There was never any meet|ing of Ladies but I was &s;ure to be there; I wore rich clothes, and recreated my &s;elf in the plea&s;ant walks: And as you know there is not a more delightful place upon Earth then the Kings Palace, and Gardens at <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> &s;o there was not one day which did not afford me fre&s;h delights: The King was plea&s;ed to take more notice of me then I de&s;erved. I got the love of all the young Gallants in the Court, and if I dur&s;t &s;ay it, there was none of the La|dies which did hate me; for as my de&s;ign was generall to plea&s;e all, &s;o it had been a hard matter to have di&s;plea&s;ed any one in particular. Thus did I enjoy my youth and liberty with abundance of &s;atisfaction: Whenas <HI>Artambaces</HI> who as perhaps you know had heretofore been in love with the Queen of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> before &s;he was married unto <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> Father of <HI>Cy|rus</HI> (of whom I &s;peak, and who going from the Court upon that occa&s;ion, was afterwards married in the Province of <HI>Ari&s;antine</HI> unto the daughter of a great Prince in that Countrey, and who went away from <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and carried with him his only daughter about fifteen years of age, whom he loved extreamly, and who doubtle&s;s did de&s;erve as much.) It chanced &s;o at that time, being glutted with variety of plea&s;ures, and weary of the tumultuous court, I took Hor&s;e (being waited upon by only one &s;ervant) to go and enjoy my &s;olitude, at a fair Hou&s;e which my Father had &s;ome thirty miles from <HI>Ecbatan:</HI> I departed very melan|choly and lumpi&s;h, not knowing any cau&s;e for it at all, my de&s;ign being only to recreate my &s;elf in viewing the Pictures, Statues, Gardens, Grotts, and Fountains about my Fathers Hou&s;e, that thereby I might make my conver&s;ation more plea&s;ant at my return to the Town. But alas Sir, little did I think what would hap unto me in this Voyage; I have often won|dred &s;ince at the pains which I took to captivate my &s;elf, and how I found out a way which lead me into &s;uch a Labyrinth of trouble as hath di&s;quieted all my life, When I came into a great high way a hundred paces of the Ca&s;tle, I &s;aw a chariot overturn'd which was quite broken in peeces; the magnificence of it did tell me that it belonged unto &s;ome per&s;on of quality; but &s;ince there was no Grooms about this Chariot of whom I could enquire, I went on: being come unto the fir&s;t Gate of the Ca&s;tle, the Porter who opened the Gate told me that <HI>Artambaces</HI> who&s;e Name and Quality I knew very well, coming from the Countrey to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> had the misfortune to break one of his Chariots, and &s;eeing he could travell no further that day, de&s;ired to &s;tay there that night while&s;t his Chariot was repaired: The Porter told no more then that <HI>Artambaces</HI> was there, but mentioned not a word of <HI>Her|mani&s;ta</HI> his wife, or <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> his daughter; So after I had given order for the be&s;t entertain|ment po&s;&s;ible, I went &s;traight into the Garden, where I was told he was: But Sir, I was much amazed, when cro&s;&s;ing a Quarter in the Garden, I &s;aw in a green Arbour the faire&s;t Lady that ever eye did look upon, and whom I did not know at all; for <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had never been at Court: This beauty was no le&s;s &s;urpris'd to &s;ee me, then I to meet her in that place: For &s;he thinking there had been none in the hou&s;e but Servants, &s;he little expected there one of my Garb: It was very hot, and &s;he had none with her but one of her women; &s;he had pulled off her Cypre&s;s, wherein &s;he u&s;ed to cover her fair neck; and being bare armed, &s;he lay negligently upon a bed of green gra&s;s, her head lying upon the knees of that woman, which was with her: I no &s;ooner &s;aw her but I &s;topt, and as &s;oon as ever &s;he perceived me, &s;he &s;tarted up and put on her Cypre&s;s: we both did blu&s;h at the pa&s;&s;age; but certainly it was out of different apprehen&s;ions, mode&s;ty cau&s;ing that in her which Love did in me: For Sir, the fir&s;t minute of this fatal view was the fir&s;t minute of my Pa&s;&s;ion; yet, notwith&s;tan|ding all my unparallel'd a&s;toni&s;hment and wonder, I &s;aluted the adored <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> with much devotion; and beginning di&s;cour&s;e, Madam (&s;aid I, to let her know who I was) I did not think to finde &s;uch fair and plea&s;ing company in my Fathers Hou&s;e; and if I had known that &s;uch an one as you had been in the Arbour, the reverence I owe unto &s;uch as you &s;eem to be (though I think there is not &s;uch another in the world) would have taught me better manners then to di&s;turb your re&s;t. Sir (an&s;wered &s;he) it belongs to me to de&s;ire pardon for interrupting the plea&s;ure of your &s;olitude, which it &s;eems you came to take in this plea&s;ant place: But Sir, (&s;aid &s;he in beginning to walk on) It is my Fathers part to make excu&s;es for the freedom which he took upon him to lodge with you to night, &s;ince an unexpected peece of luck did force him to it: Seeing then that her de&s;ign was to conduct me to her Father, I pre&s;ented her my hand, and ea&s;ily ob&s;erved by this fir&s;t addre&s;s, that &s;he had a de&s;ire to make me know who &s;he was: for there appeared in all her actions &s;o much gallantry, &s;pirit and mode&s;ty, as I &s;aw &s;he was Mi&s;tre&s;s of as much Soul as Beauty. Madam (&s;aid I, conduct|ing
<PB N="105" REF="57">
her, and an&s;wering unto what &s;he &s;aid) it is a great happine&s;s to be interrupted by &s;uch an one as you; and I think there is no rea&s;onable man, who would not for &s;uch a ble&s;&s;ed|ne&s;s not only quit his &s;olitude but the Court al&s;o with all its magnificence and plea&s;ures: I alwaies lookt for Flattery (&s;aid &s;he &s;miling) out of <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and perhaps I &s;hall well enough defend my &s;elf again&s;t it here; but I do confe&s;s unto you that I do fear it a little here where I did not think to be a&s;&s;aulted. When you came into the Arbor where I was, I was commend|ing unto my woman whom you &s;aw with me, the innocency of the&s;e woods, and the hone&s;t &s;implicity of our Countrey, but for ought I &s;ee the dominion of Flattery extends it &s;elf fur|ther then I imagined, &s;ince there is no &s;afety for humility and mode&s;ty within thirty miles of <HI>Ecbatan;</HI> If you &s;hould Madam (replied I) forbid all tho&s;e prai&s;es which without doubt the Court will pay you, then certainly you mu&s;t forbid your own knowledge, and be ignorant that you are the faire&s;t beauty in the world. By this time we were approached &s;o near <HI>Ar|tambaces</HI> and <HI>Hermani&s;ta</HI> his wife, as in lieu of her an&s;wer, &s;he told him who I was, and ob|liged me as was fit, to pre&s;ent my Complement unto them: they made many excu&s;es for the freedom which they had taken; I profe&s;&s;ed that my Father was much obliged unto them for it; and that for my own particular I took it for an infinite honour: they an&s;wered me with the like civility; and their conver&s;ation &s;tood too much upon Ceremony: &s;o dangerous it is to &s;tay long in the Countrey from the Court: After this they began to commend the han|&s;omene&s;s of the Gardens and Fountains. And <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did like the beauty of the place &s;o well, that &s;he could not beleeve <HI>Ecbatan</HI> had any place could plea&s;e her better: although &s;he heard many wonderfull reports of it. <HI>Artambaces</HI> enquired concerning Court-news, and was &s;atisfied in a hundred things whereof he was ignorant before, becau&s;e they happen|ed &s;ince his departure: I had the happine&s;s to finde a great di&s;po&s;ition in <HI>Artambaces</HI> and <HI>Hermani&s;tra</HI> to affect me: As for <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> I was well &s;atisfied to finde &s;ome hopes that &s;he woule not hate me: And &s;ince &s;he was of an excellent judgement, knowing there was much difference between the Court and the Countrey-Tone, &s;he would &s;peak but little, and with much moderation, being re&s;olved to re&s;erve her &s;elf until &s;uch time as <HI>Ecbatan&punc;</HI> had a little glo&s;&s;ed her, before &s;he would &s;uffer her charming &s;oul to &s;hine. And it was a &s;ecret which many who come out of the Countrey unto the Court, may make good u&s;e of, if they de&s;ire to get e&s;teem there; for their manners, cu&s;tomes, and fa&s;hions are &s;o contrary, that let the&s;e new comers do what they can, they will run into many ab&s;urdities, if they talk much, and the more they expo&s;e them&s;elves the more they become ridiculous. <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> therefore kept her fir&s;t conver&s;ation very re&s;erved: but yet it was impo&s;&s;ible to hide tho&s;e rare qualities wherewith &s;he was adorned. During one day and a half that <HI>Artambaces</HI> &s;taied at my Fa|thers hou&s;e, I gazed &s;o long upon the &s;plendour of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> Beauty, as I was dazled: I wondred at the cleanne&s;s of her accent; the &s;weetne&s;s of her expre&s;&s;ion; with what a na|turall eloquence &s;he &s;poke: I admired al&s;o at the &s;olidity of her judgement, the gallantry of her &s;pirit; the quickne&s;s of her wit; the complacence of her humour, and the charms of her di&s;cretion in re&s;erving her &s;elf. During the time that the&s;e welcome gue&s;ts were there, I &s;tudied all the diver&s;ions I could devi&s;e to entertain them: I carried them to hunt in a Park which was behinde the Garden; I led them into all the &s;hady Walks in the heat of the day; where, what with the Singing of the Birds, the noi&s;e of the Fountains, the curio&s;ity of the flowry Borders, the Statues and Pictures in the Galleries, and my conver&s;e, I gave &s;ome &s;atisfaction to the&s;e illu&s;trious per&s;ons, who a&s;&s;ured me they thought them&s;elves welcome. After then Sir I had treated them with all the magnificence I could po&s;&s;ible, they re&s;olved to depart; but it was not in my power to &s;tay there any longer, though I came with inten|tions to &s;tay &s;even or eight daies; I told <HI>Artambaces</HI> I would be his guide, and go to blaze the apparition of that bright Star unto the Court, (pointing at <HI>Ame&s;tris;)</HI> &s;he blu&s;ht at the phra&s;e, and replied without pride or affectation. The Chariot being put into order, we par|ted; I took Hor&s;e, and kept continually on that &s;ide where <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did &s;it: and all the way I did as I did the fir&s;t minute I &s;aw her, to wit, look upon her, and adore her with &s;o much de|light and &s;atisfaction, as I thought it impo&s;&s;ible there &s;hould be &s;o many vexations in Love was talked of: My eyes, my heart, my thoughts, my &s;oul, and all, was upon <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> But all this while I found my &s;elf &s;o tranquil, and &s;o plea&s;ingly contented, that I beleeved this kinde of Love which I bore unto this excellent beauty, was no other then &s;uch as men u&s;e to have unto all beautifull objects: I did finde that I had nothing el&s;e in any admiration; and as I know that I had never &s;een any thing &s;o beautifull, &s;o I wondred not at any thing el&s;e: I did infinitely joy to &s;ee her; to have the honour to be near her and hear her &s;peak: Thus did we pa&s;s on the time and the way from my Fathers hou&s;e until we came at <HI>Ecbatan.</HI> Du|ring
<PB N="106" REF="58">
which intervall I acquainted <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> with all the delights and diver&s;ions of the Court; She asked what Ladies had the Empire in matter of beauty, and who were e&s;teemed the be&s;t wits: And a hundred &s;uch Que&s;tions as the&s;e, which <HI>Artambaces</HI> or <HI>Hermani&s;ta</HI> or <HI>Ame|&s;tris</HI> do put unto me; She knew the Court before &s;he came there: at la&s;t we arrived at <HI>Ec|batan,</HI> and went unto the ancient Palace of <HI>Artambaces</HI> which is one of the faire&s;t there: I &s;uppo&s;e Sir, that you do well remember, how this famous Town hath &s;even wals one within another, that the battlements for di&s;tingui&s;hment are all of &s;everall heights; And to make the object more magnificent unto the eye of tho&s;e who behold them, they are painted all with &s;everall colours; tho&s;e of the &s;ir&s;t were white; tho&s;e of the &s;econd height black; tho&s;e of the third red, the fourth blue, the fifth orange, the &s;ixth &s;ilvered, and the &s;eventh gilt: And Sir, be plea&s;ed to know, that within the circuit of this la&s;t wall was the Palace of the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> ever &s;ince the famous <HI>Deiocus</HI> did build the&s;e proud wals; and within the circuit of that wall next it were the Palaces of tho&s;e per&s;ons which were of the highe&s;t qua|lity: The Palace of <HI>Artambaces</HI> was between the wall with golden battlement, and that with &s;ilver; and as chance would have it, my Fathers joyned unto it: As we were arrived at the gate of <HI>Artambaces</HI> Palace, there we found a great number of his ancient friends, who there expected him: &s;o that I could not pre&s;ent my hand unto my adored <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> to conduct her unto her chamber, becau&s;e that great number of men which were there, &s;tept in before, and pre&s;ented them&s;elves unto <HI>Hermani&s;ta</HI> and her: Untill now Sir, my &s;oul was all joy; and love, that dangerous Serpent, was lurked &s;o clo&s;e under tho&s;e plea&s;ing flowers, that I did not di&s;co|ver its &s;ting: But from the fir&s;t minute of my thoughts to part from <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and to take my leave of her, then did love appear unto me immediatly in a mo&s;t horrid &s;hape, I &s;aw him armed with his Bow and Arrows: I &s;aw him with a Torch in his hand, and knew him perfectly to be the mo&s;t terrible of all the Gods: No &s;ooner did I perceive the company preparing to depart, but I blu&s;ht, and became dumb immediatly, I was all &s;erious and &s;ad; and looking upon <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> without a heart or a tongue, my minde told her many things which &s;he could not under&s;tand: In conclu&s;ion, part we mu&s;t, and part we did, but it was with &s;o much &s;orrow, and &s;o much love, that never was Pa&s;&s;ion like unto mine. My Father asked me at night, why I return'd &s;o &s;oon? But as I was going to an&s;wer, in comes a Gentleman from <HI>Artambaces,</HI> to thank him for all civilities which he had found at his hou&s;e; and indeed it fell out happily for me, becau&s;e my &s;oul was unquiet, and all &s;o di&s;ordered that I knew not how to frame a han&s;om an&s;wer unto my Fathers que&s;tion. I retired then unto my chamber, and was very indifferent what became of me: Me thought the Idea of fair <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> haunted me alwaies, and I could not forbear admiring her Beauty, her Wit and her Judgement: my imagination preferred her before all that the Court had amiable; and I could finde nothing comparable to her: I was a&s;toni&s;hed to &s;ee one brought up in the Country, and in a Country &s;o far re|mote, &s;hould not be di&s;tingui&s;hed from tho&s;e which were mo&s;t accompli&s;hed in the Court, neither in her Garb, or her Habit, or her Language; I con&s;idered her as an ab&s;olute mira|cle: Then, thus e&s;teeming of her, you may be certain that I admired her with abundance of &s;atisfaction. But that which I did think mo&s;t &s;trange, was that in &s;pite of my heart, I was unquiet and melancholy. What would I have? (&s;aid I unto my &s;elf) How comes it to pa&s;s that the beauty of my lov'd and ador'd <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;hould not produce the &s;ame effects in my &s;oul, which other beautifull objects do u&s;e to do? for commonly the &s;ight of Fair and Fine things does fill our imaginations with delight; from whence comes it then, my divine <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> that in thinking upon you, I &s;hould be thus turbulent and di&s;ordered? but on the con|trary, have I not &s;ufficient cau&s;e to be content? I have &s;een you the fir&s;t of any in your coming to the Court; and had the good fortune to finde you in a hou&s;e where I was able to pay &s;ome part of that &s;ervice which is your due; and after &s;uch a manner it was performed, as the civility mu&s;t needs invite you to prefer me before the acquaintances you &s;hall get at Court: At the lea&s;t I have this advantage, to be the fir&s;t of your acquaintance who admires you, and&mdash;(at this word I &s;topped, not knowing whether I &s;hould &s;ay) who e&s;teems, loves, and adores you: But determining the matter in my &s;elf, after I had a while con&s;ulted with my thoughts, No, no, my heart (&s;aid I) con&s;ider it no more; confe&s;s that thou do&s;t e&s;teem and love, and adore <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> and if there be any other phra&s;e more fit to expre&s;s &s;o vio|lent a pa&s;&s;ion, make u&s;e of it upon this occa&s;ion, and publi&s;h unto all the world how happy thou art to be the fir&s;t Conque&s;t of &s;o perfect a beauty? From whence then comes all this melancholy? (&s;aid I in my &s;elf, and examining the cau&s;e) but alas Sir, I was yet a very &s;implician in love; and did not know that the nature of this pa&s;&s;ion was to bring a re&s;tle&s;s di&s;po&s;ition with it. I knew not that the happine&s;s which a lover hopes for, does afflict him;
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that the favours he enjoyes do make him re&s;tle&s;s; and that which he has lo&s;t makes him de&s;|parate: I was &s;uch a novice as I knew not that grief and melancholy were in&s;eparable con|comitants of love, That a Lover never gets a conque&s;t without pain: That he can never keep his Mi&s;tre&s;s without trouble, nor cannot lo&s;e her unle&s;s he lo&s;e his rea&s;on al&s;o: But yet I re&s;ted not long in this ignorance, for I had &s;uch &s;ad experience of its rage, as never man became more knowing then my &s;elf in all the fanta&s;ticall, giddy humours of love. After I had throughly con&s;ulted with my apprehen&s;ions, I did conclude, that without all manner of doubt, I was in Love; and that re&s;tle&s;s di&s;po&s;ition which reigned over me, did very appa|rently proceed from that fear which is alwaies born with Love, to wit, lea&s;t he which loves &s;hould not be beloved by her he does Love. And when I began to think, that perhaps all my &s;ervices would not finde a favourable reception; this word perhaps did &s;eem mo&s;t &s;ad unto me; and that uncertainty was &s;o tormentive, that I became almo&s;t mad: So that if I dur&s;t have followed that folly which po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed me, I &s;hould have accu&s;ed <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> of that which &s;he never thought upon, and de&s;ired her to recompen&s;e a love which yet &s;he knew not of, and of which I my &s;elf but a little before was ignorant. I &s;hall de&s;ire your pardon Sir, if I do particularly relate unto you the rovings of my pa&s;&s;ion: For I conceive it will be pertinent unto my de&s;ign, that you &s;hould know them; lea&s;t you &s;hould be a&s;toni&s;hed to finde with what violencies I have been tormented in all the &s;equel of my life. After I had then pa&s;&s;ed over that night with much turbulency of minde, I aro&s;e in the morning, and in|tended to pre&s;ent my &s;elf with my father unto <HI>Artambaces,</HI> to accompany him when he went unto the King, &s;uppo&s;ing it to be in &s;ome kinde a rendring of &s;ervice unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> in pay|ing it unto one who was &s;o near and dear unto her: In conclu&s;ion, <HI>Artambaces</HI> after he had &s;aluted my Father, thanked me for my la&s;t civility, as a thing which obliged him very much; for he was not ignorant that <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> looked favourably upon me: We went then unto the Court, and to the King, where I could not chu&s;e but &s;peak of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> unto every one I met. I publi&s;hed unto all them whom I knew to be in love already, that their con&s;tancy would be put unto a dangerous triall: and I warned all them which were not in love, that if they had any de&s;ire to pre&s;erve their liberty, to be &s;ure they never looked upon <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> Upon the matter, I may &s;ay I &s;poke &s;o, that I &s;poke too much, as you &s;hall know by the &s;equel of my di&s;cour&s;e. Pre&s;ently after I asked my &s;elf what de&s;ign I had, in de&s;iring to gain &s;o many hearts unto <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> and where &s;ome &s;ecret re&s;entments of jealou&s;ie bad me be &s;ilent in the mid&s;t of all my di&s;cour&s;es of her. Going the next day unto <HI>Hermani&s;ta,</HI> I under&s;tood &s;he was not to be &s;een, becau&s;e &s;he found her &s;elf very ill the la&s;t night. Then I went to vi&s;it &s;ome other Ladies, not in hopes of any diver&s;ion, for there was now no thoughts of any &s;uch things in me, but only with <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> but my intentions were to &s;peak of her, not fearing to procure my &s;elf any Rivals: &s;o I went unto the rare&s;t beauties of all the Court and Town; and though it was not very judiciou&s;ly done, to commend unto any fair one, the beauty of another, and that &s;o extraordinarily as I did: yet I did it with &s;uch aggrava|tions, as I was &s;ure that I procured my &s;elf the hate of all tho&s;e I &s;aw that day: And I u&s;ed the matter &s;o, as there was none but <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> her &s;elf, who was ignorant that I was in love with her. I moved jealou&s;ie in &s;ome, envy in others, and a curio&s;ity in the wi&s;e&s;t: The next day <HI>Hermani&s;ta</HI> found her &s;elf to be rea&s;onable well di&s;po&s;ed: all the Court came to vi&s;it, and I among&s;t the re&s;t the fir&s;t: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was very han&s;omly dre&s;t that day; and I thought her &s;o wonderfull fair, as I wi&s;ht a hundred times that I might be &s;o happy as to be her &s;lave: She entertained me with much civility, and de&s;ired me &s;weetly, that I would tell her the names of all tho&s;e which came to vi&s;it her, lea&s;t &s;he &s;hould out of ignorance commit a fault again&s;t their quality: You may well &s;uppo&s;e Sir, that I received this command with abun|dance of &s;atisfaction, and went not that day from her. I confe&s;s unto you that I pa&s;&s;ed it over with different thoughts: both joy and &s;orrow mingled in my &s;oul; &s;o that I could &s;ay I enjoyed not plea&s;ure without pain; nor any pain without plea&s;ure: It is very true as I told you before, that the whole Court came to vi&s;it <HI>Hermani&s;ta;</HI> and it is more true, that the beauty of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did charm them all: Not a man did enter, but was amazed; nor a wo|man, though the faire&s;t in all the Court, but blu&s;ht to &s;ee her &s;elf excelled by any Country Lady: It would be a hard matter to tell you Sir, how much I joyed at the glory of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> or to tell you how it troubled me to think that I was &s;ure to have as many Rivals as men which &s;aw her. That which moved mo&s;t admiration in me, was, that in this fir&s;t day of her vi&s;its, &s;he committed not the lea&s;t ab&s;urdity in all this &s;o great and &s;o long a conver&s;ation; and that &s;he received the commendations which every one did give her with &s;o much mode|&s;ty, that the faire&s;t of our Ladies, in &s;pite of their ecclip&s;e, could not chu&s;e but love her, and
<PB N="108" REF="59">
confe&s;s &s;he de&s;erved the e&s;teem of all the world: When mo&s;t of the company was gone, on|ly &s;ome five or &s;ix, whereof I was one; I began like the re&s;t to commend her, but &s;he told me that though perhaps &s;he had not committed any gro&s;s ab&s;urdity in this meeting, yet &s;he had &s;o many obligations to me, that though it may be &s;he did de&s;erve &s;ome commendations, yet &s;he was not to receive them from me; I would have an&s;wered her, and told her that &s;he might very well pretend unto my be&s;t commends and prai&s;es, yet &s;he would not &s;uffer me, but began to di&s;cour&s;e of what &s;he had &s;een before: She highly commended the beauty of all tho&s;e who vi&s;ited her, and enquired more particularly of them; prai&s;ing &s;ometimes the wit of one, and &s;ometimes the han&s;om behaviour of another: I mu&s;t confe&s;s unto you Sir, that I was very much perplexed; for I ob&s;erved every one found her to be &s;o fair, that I was afraid to &s;atisfie her curio&s;ity, in &s;peaking over well of any that might be my Rivall: And I found by her inqui&s;itive curio&s;ity of every one, that &s;he had a de&s;ire not to be hated of them: I &s;poke therefore with as much moderation as I could: I commended my deare&s;t friends, though contrary to my cu&s;tom, with le&s;s zeal; le&s;t I &s;hould perhaps help them to de&s;troy my &s;elf. Night drawing on, I mu&s;t leave her; and as &s;oon as I went from her, I went unto the King, where we talked of nothing but the beauty of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and that &s;o advan|tagiou&s;ly, as the King de&s;ign'd a vi&s;it unto <HI>Hermani&s;ta;</HI> and <HI>Artambaces</HI> told her &s;he might expect him the next day; though his age, you know, might very well have di&s;pen&s;ed with thy curio&s;ity of &s;eeing fair Ladies: But the next day the King went thither, and, as the re&s;t did, acknowledged <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> for a miracle: I cannot tell you how many &s;laves this Beauty captivated; how many Lovers threw off their old fetters, and entred into hers; and what a &s;trange Revolution &s;he cau&s;ed among&s;t all the Gallantry of <HI>Ecbatan.</HI> But I can very well'tell you, that there was not one in all the Court which had not &s;een her, and which did not love her, or at the lea&s;t admire her, except one who was my friend called <HI>Artabes,</HI> brother unto <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> who was there; and who as you know is al|lied a little unto the Royall Family; This man was of a good di&s;po&s;ition, and &s;hewed much affection towards me; and I al&s;o returned unto him &s;o much fidelity that I pre|ferred him before all the re&s;t of my friends: <HI>Arbates</HI> affected &s;olitude, and never car'd for the conver&s;ation of Ladies, &s;o that &s;ay what you would unto him, he could not be won unto this vi&s;it; He was contented to &s;ee <HI>Artambaces,</HI> but he had never &s;een <HI>Hermani&s;ta,</HI> and by con&s;equence <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> yet I vi&s;ited this bright Star with a con&s;tant a&s;&s;iduity, and I had better opportunities then any other for it, becau&s;e there was a very great League of friend&s;hip betwixt <HI>Artambaces</HI> and my Father: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had &s;uch an ab&s;olute power over my &s;oul, and I &s;o much reverence of her, that I du&s;t not di&s;cover the pa&s;&s;ions of my heart unto her, but did hide them with as much pains as others to make theirs known, &s;uch were my fears to anger her: Among&s;t many others I perceived that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was one who was fettered in the chains of <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> This did very much vex me, and as I never u&s;ed to con|ceal my &s;oul from <HI>Arbates,</HI> &s;o I acquainted him that his Brother <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was become my Rivall, and asked his Coun&s;el in the bu&s;ine&s;s: He gave it me, and doubtle&s;s mo&s;t faithfully; He told me that if he could po&s;&s;ible he would cure me of my dangerous di&s;ea&s;e; but if he found that he could not, then he would endeavour to cure my Brother: But he told me in the mean time how he thought it fitting that &s;ince I was the fir&s;t Lover of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;ince &s;he came to Court, So I &s;hould be al&s;o the fir&s;t which &s;hould di&s;cover my Pa&s;&s;ion unto her: I thanked him for his faithfull advice, and was &s;o importunate with him to &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that in the end I prevail'd, upon condition I would undertake to prepare her &s;o as the conver&s;a|tion might be &s;olitary, without multitudes of company. I went then unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> whom by good fortune I found alone, &s;o that I had an opportunity to &s;peak unto her unheard by any: Madam (&s;aid I after other indifferent Di&s;cour&s;e) you will perhaps think me very bold in not being contented with that honour which I have in coming to you my &s;elf, but that I mu&s;t al&s;o beg leave to bring a friend of mine, who pa&s;&s;ionately de&s;ires to receive the &s;ame honour, although it was never his cu&s;tome to vi&s;it Ladies: I am the more obliged (an&s;wer|ed &s;he) and &s;ince you think him worthy to be your friend, it would be a happine&s;s to me to become mine: Madam (&s;aid I and changing colour) I would de&s;ire one favour from you, and if it be po&s;&s;ible obtain it, that you would carry it &s;o with my friend as he may only e|&s;teem and admire you without loving you: I think (&s;aid &s;he &s;miling and blu&s;hing both to|gether) that you de&s;ire a very difficult matter: but &s;ince you forbid only impo&s;&s;ibilities I will do what I can to &s;atisfie you; Ah Madam (&s;aid I unto her) little do you think what you have &s;aid, you would think this which I de&s;ire to be impo&s;&s;ible, if you did but know your &s;elf as well as I do: <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (an&s;wered &s;he with a more di&s;plea&s;ed &s;mile) know, that I pre|tend
<PB N="109" REF="59">
unto no more, then that you who are a friend unto <HI>Artambaces</HI> my Father, &s;hould not live with me as others do, from whom I endure their flatteries out of complacence and cu|&s;tome; but as for you I would not have you u&s;e it, and if you continue the&s;e kinde of &s;peech|es unto me, you will force me to carry my &s;elf &s;o towards you, as perhaps di&s;plea&s;e you: Why Madam (&s;aid I to her) will you let all the world commend you, and will you not permit <HI>Ag|latidas</HI> to &s;ay that all the world does love you? or at the lea&s;t I am certain it is &s;o, if I may judge others by my &s;elf. I confe&s;s, (&s;aid he &s;miling, and turning her Di&s;cour&s;e unto a je&s;t|ing) that &s;ince you &s;peak your affection unto me after &s;o unu&s;uall a way, and &s;ince, not in &s;peaking of your own fancy but the fancy of the Court in generall, I have no rea&s;on to blame you in particular: But (&s;aid &s;he then, and changed her Di&s;cour&s;e) Go, bring your Friend, and as for the re&s;t, leave the care of it unto my &s;mall merits; without any fear of his being captivated. I wi&s;h Madam (Replied I) that he may be more happy then one of his deare&s;t friends is: You are &s;o unwi&s;e (replied &s;he) that one may finde of your &s;peeches more &s;ubject to pity you then to quarrell with you, therefore <HI>Aglatidas</HI> for this once I will be more indulgent to you; in &s;aying &s;o, &s;he ri&s;e, and went unto a Balcone which opened in|to a Garden; &s;he called two of her women unto her, &s;o that I &s;aw &s;he de&s;ired to break off di&s;cour&s;e. Then I went unto <HI>Artambaces</HI> and <HI>Hermani&s;ta,</HI> from whom after I had held a little di&s;cour&s;e, I departed, and went to finde out <HI>Arbaces,</HI> unto whom I imparted the per|mi&s;&s;ion I had obtained from <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> I related unto him all that I &s;poke unto her, and all her an&s;wers, and how I de&s;ired her to give <HI>Arbaces</HI> leave to enjoy his freedom: It &s;eems (&s;aid he unto me &s;miling) that you are not only jealous of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and others who have &s;een your <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> but you are al&s;o jealous of <HI>Arbaces</HI> who never &s;aw her, and who never de&s;ired to &s;ee her, and who never would have &s;een her if you had not de&s;ired him: <HI>Arbaces</HI> &s;poke this with &s;uch an angry &s;mile, that I was much puzzled; certainly if I had not already asked leave of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to bring him, I &s;hould have been well contented to have let it alone: But as the ca&s;e now &s;tood I &s;hould have &s;eemed too giddy-headed unto my Friend, and <HI>A|me&s;tris</HI> would have thought it &s;trange if I did not bring him: yet when I con&s;idered that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was his Brother, and a Lover of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I thought my &s;elf &s;afe enough; and that which &s;o much troubled me before, did now not at all di&s;quiet me, &s;uppo&s;ing that <HI>Arba|ces</HI> would never become a Rivall unto his Brother and his Friend both at once: I remained &s;ilent a good while after I had propounded unto my &s;elf that <HI>Arbaces</HI> &s;hould not &s;ee <HI>Ame|&s;tris:</HI> but upon a &s;udden I &s;aid No No, I will not deprive <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> of the acquaintance with &s;o compleat a man as <HI>Arbaces;</HI> or him of the incomparable delight in hers; but if &s;he &s;hould chance to enchain me (&s;aid he &s;miling) what would become of our friend&s;hip? then if you break tho&s;e chains (an&s;wered I) for the love of me, our friend&s;hip will be more &s;trong; But what if I cannot (Replied he) will you then blame me? I know not (Replied I) but yet I know that I do not &s;ee how any one &s;hould love a Rival: Never then (an&s;wered he) put me to the hazard of lo&s;ing your friend&s;hip; and &s;ince <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> is &s;o terrible and dangerous, leave me to my &s;olitude, and let me enjoy my liberty; for if I &s;hould have the misfortune to lo&s;e it, I know not whether I &s;hould hate you more for being the cau&s;e of it, or you me for being your Rival: not that I finde any di&s;po&s;ition in my &s;elf why I &s;hould fear any &s;uch thing at all; but on the contrary I perceive the &s;pirits of the mo&s;t rationall men are &s;o weakned by this Pa&s;&s;ion, as I will never be without an Antidote, again&s;t this &s;o dangerous a poi&s;on: Fear me not <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid he to me) and beleeve, that if I do lo&s;e my Liberty, it &s;hall not be without &s;trong oppo&s;ition: When you were catcht, Love took you unprovided, and put a trick upon you: You went into the Countrey to enjoy your &s;olitude, and unexpectedly you finde <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> there; you were not prepared for &s;o &s;udden an a&s;&s;ault: Your eyes were blinded with over-&s;udden light; Your rea&s;on was confu&s;ed, and your heart was &s;upri&s;ed: and therefore it was no wonder if &s;he captivated a man who had no Arms wherewith to de|fend him&s;elf. But it is not &s;o with me, for all the world tels me of it, you your &s;elf tell it, and that a hundred times, how <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> is the Faire&s;t upon earth; and from the&s;e Reports I have fancied &s;o perfect an Idea of her, that I am ab&s;olutely per&s;waded &s;he cannot &s;urpri&s;e me; and perhaps too I have over-fancied her, and &s;hall finde her a meaner Beauty then my expectation lookt for: Moreover, I go with re&s;olved intentions to di&s;pute with her for my heart, as much as po&s;&s;ible; and &s;ince my Brother loves her, and you love her, very rea&s;on &s;aies, that there is no danger I &s;hall be captivated: I told him that I wi&s;hed as much; yet I could not chu&s;e but fear the contrary. <HI>Arbates</HI> not being able to forbear laughing, you are &s;o &s;imple (&s;aid he to me) that the very fear which I have to be like you, may well
<PB N="110" REF="60" MS="y">
make your minde at re&s;t; yet notwith&s;tanding let me tell you while&s;t it is time, if you plea&s;e, I will not &s;ee her: &s;ince there is nothing but hazard in it; I confe&s;s unto you Sir, that I was in a hundred mindes whether or no I &s;hould take him at his word, but I could not re|&s;olve upon it; I found &s;uch folly in my procedure, that I was confounded at la&s;t, I told <HI>Arbates</HI> that I would not alter my minde, but to morrow after dinner we would go unto <HI>Ame&s;tris. Arbates</HI> as I have de&s;cribed him, was &s;omething &s;olitary, but he was none of tho&s;e angry Melancholiques who&s;e conver&s;ation was clowni&s;h or incommodious; but on the contrary he was of a very plea&s;ant di&s;po&s;ition in any company which plea&s;ed him. The cau&s;e of his re&s;ervedne&s;s was not any melancholique compo&s;ition in his natural temper, but it was becau&s;e he was of a more delicate fine &s;pirit, which without much difficulty could not endure the lea&s;t fault in his friends: he looked for perfection in every thing, and could not endure defects; &s;o that &s;ince it was a hard matter to finde many exactly perfect, therefore he found but few to love, and many to &s;hun: As for me, he did me the favour to finde an exception for me out of the generall Rule, and forced his inclination to love me. The next day we went unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> with whom we found <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> who was the mo&s;t a&s;tiduous ob&s;ervant of all my Rivals, and mo&s;t to be feared, being without que&s;tion the hand&s;ome&s;t and compleate&s;t man about the Court. As &s;oon as we entred, I pre&s;ented <HI>Arbates</HI> unto <HI>Her|mani&s;ta,</HI> and after to <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> They received us both with much civility, and treated us after &s;uch a manner as I might di&s;cern they e&s;teemed tho&s;e whom I did; for be&s;ides the com|mon re&s;pect which was due, and which they rendred unto his condition and merit, they did things in &s;uch an obliging manner, as told me without words that the Favours which <HI>Arba|tes</HI> received, were partly done for the Love of <HI>Aglatidas.</HI> To &s;peak truly tho&s;e fir&s;t wel|comes which he received, becau&s;e they could not be attributed unto his merit, in &s;o &s;hort acquaintance, therefore they were far from moving any jealou&s;ie in me, but rather much joyed me, not but that I had &s;ome farre fetcht fears le&s;t this civility &s;hould engage <HI>Arbates</HI> more then I would have him, but becau&s;e &s;he did quickly di&s;&s;ipate them. The Conver&s;ation therefore was very plea&s;ant that day, for <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was &s;o &s;urpris'd to &s;ee his brother a|mong&s;t Ladies, that he could not forbear telling <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> this was one of the greate&s;t mira|cles of her beauty: Think not Madam (&s;aid he) that my Brother comes hither to finde in you all tho&s;e excellencies which all the world admires: But on the contrary Madam, I dare a&s;&s;ure you that he would be ravi&s;ht with joy to finde if it were po&s;&s;ible any imperfe|ction in your beauty; or any fault in your Language: any dullne&s;s in your wit; or any har&s;hne&s;s in your humours. Perhaps it would be advantagious unto <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> and many others (Replied <HI>Arbates)</HI> that the fair <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had &s;ome imperfections, &s;o that &s;he could cen&s;ure theirs; but as for me (who never look for any defects but becau&s;e I look for per|fections) I am ravi&s;ht with joy to finde them all in one; and to &s;ee my &s;elf undeceived in that errour wherein I have been, in beleeving that there was nothing perfect in the world; You are a very good flatterer, for a &s;olitary man, Replied <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> I am very &s;incere Ma|dam (Replied he) and therefore I freely tell you what I think: After this <HI>Hermani&s;ta</HI> diver|ted the Di&s;cour&s;e; News and Court-diver&s;ions was all that afternoons entertainment. For my part I &s;poke but little all the day: I was &s;o taken up with looking upon <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and ob&s;erving <HI>Megabi&s;es, Arbates,</HI> and <HI>Otanes,</HI> that I cared not for di&s;cour&s;e: I &s;aw <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> grew every day more in Love; and a hundred others al&s;o were daily captivated: <HI>Arbates</HI> for a man who affected &s;olitude methought was much plea&s;ed with this fir&s;t daies conver&s;a|tion: and <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did deal her civilities with &s;uch equalitie, and covered her thoughts with &s;o much mode&s;ty, that I could not di&s;cover any partiality: Indeed I was very unquiet all the time, in&s;omuch as <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> perceiving it did plea&s;ingly chide me, &s;aying, that if &s;he had not known how I had a better reputation then my friend, &s;he &s;hould have taken <HI>Aglatidas</HI> for <HI>Arbates,</HI> and <HI>Arbates</HI> for <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> Yet I thought my &s;elf happy that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> would take any notice of my naughty humour; and <HI>Arbates</HI> was very well &s;atisfied, &s;o that his accu&s;tomed &s;olitude appeared no more Melancholy then any other. Night being come, every one retires to his own Lodging: I carried <HI>Arbates</HI> unto my Fathers hou&s;e, and becau&s;e I had a minde to treat him civilly I carried him upon a Tarra&s;s where we &s;aw the River <HI>Orontes,</HI> which runs by <HI>Ecbatan:</HI> We took two turns upon that Tarra&s;s, and &s;poke not a word: <HI>Ar|bates</HI> not daring perhaps to tell me what he thought of <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> nor I daring to ask him his opinion: But here Sir, you may admire at the fanta&s;ticallne&s;&s;e of Love: I prote&s;t unto you, I equally feared that <HI>Arbates</HI> would commend <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> too much, or that he would not commend her enough: I feared that he would not di&s;approve of my choice; and I feared that he him&s;elf would chu&s;e where I had cho&s;en before him. I being then thus perplexed,
<PB N="111" REF="60">
as I have told you, and walking &s;ilently two turns about the Turra&s;s, at la&s;t I broke the &s;i|lence, and &s;aid with a little forced &s;ight, Well <HI>Artabes,</HI> have you defended your &s;elf very well: has not the fair <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> made a Rivall of the deare&s;t friend I have? You are &s;o jea|lous (an&s;wered <HI>Artabes)</HI> that to break that ill habit, I will not &s;atisfie your curio&s;ity: I will only tell you thus much, that I think <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to be worthy of all admiration: But if you admire her (&s;aid I to him) I believe you love her al&s;o: That is not an ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity (an&s;wered he) nor a nece&s;&s;ary con&s;equence, yet I will not talk any more of it; for I would work a cure upon your minde, and in&s;en&s;ibly unaccu&s;tom you not to fancy mon&s;ters to fight withall: Ah my dear <HI>Artabes</HI> (&s;aid I to him) leave me not in the mid&s;t of the&s;e uncertain|ties; Tell me I be&s;eech you, what are your reall thoughts of <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> What would you have me tell you (an&s;wered he) if I commend her, you will &s;ay I am in love; and if I di&s;|commend her you will &s;ay that I either deceive you, or have lo&s;t my rea&s;on: It is no matter (&s;aid I to him) though you &s;hould let me know that you only e&s;teem her, but I would know whether your heart be not taken; and whether you love her &s;o much, as you mu&s;t one day hate me for it. I know not what's to come (an&s;wered he) but for the pre&s;ent I know I am infinitely obliged unto you, for bringing me to the knowledge of the faire&s;t Lady in the world. I con&s;e&s;s Sir, that &s;eeing <HI>Artabes</HI> &s;poke with &s;uch freedom of &s;pirit, I did beleeve all his tart an&s;wers had been only in je&s;t, and mocks at my imbecillity: &s;o that being a&s;hamed of my &s;elf, I left off troubling him, and went quietly to &s;upper. In conclu&s;ion, I found, that though <HI>Artabes</HI> was extreamly wounded with the beauty of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> yet he would not be forced to love her, and by the power of his vertue, he re&s;i&s;ted it as much as he could, and &s;trove with all his &s;trength not to become a Rivall unto his brother and his friend, &s;uch a friend too, who had made choice of him to be his confident, and without whom he had never &s;een <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> It is to be beleeved that what he told unto one who was a friend both to him and me, was true; that he did all things po&s;&s;ible not to love her: But Sir, all was in vain; love made a wonderfull &s;trange alteration in him: Untill now he &s;eemed to be the mo&s;t &s;in|cere and faithfull friend unto me of all men that ever I did meet withall; but he became up|on a &s;udden the vile&s;t cheat upon the earth: We met many daies, but not a word of <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> as if he had never &s;een her: He did &s;o cure all my jealou&s;ies of him by this cunning, that I de&s;ired him to let us vi&s;it her &s;ometimes, but he denied it very &s;tifly: and indeed he was many dayes and never went unto her: But to my misfortune, I knew afterwards that he had &s;een her thrice in the Temple, twice walking in the Garden of the Kings Palace; and once walking upon the banks of the River <HI>Orontes,</HI> where &s;he often u&s;ed to walk: <HI>Artabes</HI> then &s;eeming unto me to be farre from any de&s;ign upon <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I kept corre&s;pondency with him, I &s;poke to him concerning my Pa&s;&s;ion, and asked his coun&s;ell. When I told him that I had not yet followed his coun&s;ell in di&s;covering my love unto her as &s;oon as I could, becau&s;e &s;he did &s;hun all &s;uch occa&s;ions; then he an&s;wered me thus; When I coun&s;elled you to &s;peak of your pa&s;&s;ion &s;o &s;oon, I did not then know <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> But oh Gods, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid he) I have much altered my opinion upon &s;ight of her, and finde, that the grave mo|de&s;ty which I ob&s;erved in her countenance, doth tell me you mu&s;t not di&s;cover your love too ha&s;tily and lightly unto her. Beleeve me (&s;aid this treacherous friend) you mu&s;t not think to tell <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> of any love, untill you rendred her a hundred &s;ervices, and untill you have brought her to that pa&s;&s;e, as &s;he cannot deny you without ingratitude. This way (&s;aid I) is very far fetcht; Yes it is &s;o (&s;aid he) but it is very &s;ure, and the other very dangerous: for (&s;aid he) what if &s;he &s;hould be di&s;plea&s;ed when you di&s;cover your pa&s;&s;ion? if &s;he &s;hould forbid you to &s;ee her? if &s;he &s;hould &s;hun you, or if &s;he &s;hould hate you; what cour&s;e would you take then? Surely (replied I) I &s;hould die: But (continued I) if &s;he be never acquain|ted with my pa&s;&s;ion; if I never mu&s;t tell her, but let my Rivals be more favoured then my &s;elf, and &s;peak of their loves, how can &s;he come to know of mine? Would you have her recompen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e me for that which &s;he is ignorant of? I would have her know it (an&s;wered he) but I would have it after &s;uch a manner as will not di&s;plea&s;e her; I would have her heart engaged a little to embrace your love when you tell it openly: But who &s;hall engage, repli|ed I, this illu&s;trious heart of <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> Your endeavours, your &s;ervices, your reverence, and your &s;ilence (an&s;wered he) whereas others procure her hatred by their importunities: And believe me <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> although I am not acquainted with matters of love, more then by report of others; as I have examined the pa&s;&s;ion in it &s;elf, knowing the cau&s;e, I can gue&s;s at the effects: Be a&s;&s;ured then, that if you love, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> will come to the knowledge of it; Love is a fire, which &s;hines as well as burns; and cannot be, but be di&s;covered. Therefore <HI>Aglatidas</HI> re&s;t contented concerning that: Let all your cares be to finde out waies of &s;erving
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her whom you adore, and make her plainly know your love without telling her. Thus Sir, this cunning <HI>Artabes,</HI> who knew well enough my di&s;po&s;ition, cau&s;ed me to re&s;olve not to di&s;cover my pa&s;&s;ion more then I had already, unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> or any el&s;e: But though all the Court did &s;u&s;pect me to be in Love, yet I confe&s;&s;ed it unto none but <HI>Artabes:</HI> And though many others did appear to be before me, yet I kept my &s;elf within the limits which my un|faithfull friend pre&s;cribed me; I promi&s;ed to order my &s;elf according to his directions: and he al&s;o promi&s;ed me to take off one of my mo&s;t dangerous Rivals, not conceiving it; as he told me, that this de&s;ign was advantagious unto <HI>Megabi&s;es.</HI> Indeed he promi&s;ed very fair; but alas, all was for his own ends, as afterwards you &s;hall know. Then Sir, the true rea&s;on why he would not go &s;o often unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> was, not only to hide from me his love unto her, but al&s;o that the coun&s;ell which he intended to give unto <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> his brother might not be &s;u&s;pected. In the morning therefore he went into his chamber where he found him alone, and after di&s;cour&s;e of a hundred indifferent matters, he asked him how he would be|&s;tow the day? <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> who did not &s;u&s;pect the &s;ubtilty of his brother, an&s;wered him in|geniou&s;ly, that he would &s;pend the day with <HI>Hermani&s;ta:</HI> You &s;hould have &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Artabes</HI> laughing and &s;coffing at him) for what vertue is there in <HI>Hermani&s;ta:</HI> If <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had no beauty, I believe you would not vi&s;it <HI>Artambaces</HI> &s;o often. It is true (an|&s;wered <HI>Megabi&s;es)</HI> but what do I more then all the Court does? <HI>Aglatidas</HI> who is your &s;pecial friend, is not he continually with <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> as well as I? Yes (an&s;wered the fal&s;e <HI>Ar|tabes)</HI> and I would to heavens he were not &s;o; for loving his quiet as I do, I wi&s;h he would not trouble him&s;elf with a de&s;ign which cannot be advantagious unto tho&s;e who are &s;o much bent upon it. I know very well (replied <HI>Megabi&s;es)</HI> that love is a re&s;tle&s;s pa&s;&s;ion, which af|fords no &s;erene delights; yet for all that, if <HI>Artabes</HI> did experimentally know it, he would not be &s;o forward to blame tho&s;e who are po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with it; and would finde, that how ri|gorous &s;oever the pains of love do &s;eem to be, yet it affords more delight, then all the plea|&s;ures in the world, which are not cau&s;ed by it. Yet this wherein you are engaged (an&s;wered <HI>Artabes)</HI> is &s;o full of danger, that I would do any thing in the world which were in my pow|er to divert you; begin then with <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> embracing his brother) and beleeve me I &s;hall be more obliged unto you for curing his di&s;ea&s;e then mine. I'le do my be&s;t (replied <HI>Arabes)</HI> and perhaps I have already done more to him then you. Oh heavens (replied <HI>Megabi&s;es)</HI> is it po&s;&s;ible that you can divert <HI>Aglatidas</HI> from prejudicing me con|cerning <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> Certainly (an&s;wered <HI>Artabes)</HI> I will do all that is in my power that <HI>Ag|latidas</HI> &s;hall not prejudice other lovers of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> But deceive not your &s;elf, and know that it is not with any intention that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;hall get any more intere&s;t in her by it. But on the contrary, I wi&s;h with all my heart that he would prejudice others no more then I would have <HI>Aglatidas</HI> prejudice him: What then would you have me do? (replied <HI>Megabi&s;es)</HI> I would (an&s;wered <HI>Artabes)</HI> have you &s;trive to &s;tifle a pa&s;&s;ion which has much weakne&s;s in it in generall, and will in this particular procure you much unprofitable trouble: for, &s;aid he, there are a hundred more which promote the &s;ame de&s;ign; and which is more; you are to Court one who&s;e heart is &s;tone, and therefore difficult to be pierced. Difficulty (an&s;wered <HI>Megabi&s;es)</HI> is the life of love: Yes, replied <HI>Artabes,</HI> but impo&s;&s;ibilities will make it die: It is true, an&s;wered <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> but why is it impo&s;&s;ible that one of my quality &s;hould marry the daughter of <HI>Artambaces?</HI> I do not hold it ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible, replied <HI>Artabes,</HI> that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;hould marry <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> But I do not hold it an ea&s;ie matter to be beloved, for I know by <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who is very well informed of it, that <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> for all her mode&s;ty, is &s;o pa&s;&s;ionately in love with her own beauty, that &s;he is ab&s;olutely incapable of loving any thing el&s;e: Then brother, do you imagine it &s;uch a happine&s;s to marry a woman who loves her looking gla&s;s better then her husband? and who&s;e &s;oul is &s;en&s;ible of nothing but her own attracts. Moreover, continued he, a&s;&s;uming a more &s;erious countenance, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> is daugh|ter to <HI>Artambaces,</HI> a bani&s;hed man eighteen years &s;ince, and who has made his peace no otherwi&s;e, but becau&s;e <HI>Ciaxares</HI> (who hates him in behalf of the Queen of <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> his &s;i&s;ter) is not now here: Do you not think, &s;ince <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> is &s;o very old, that <HI>Artambaces</HI> mu&s;t pack out of <HI>Ecbatan</HI> the very &s;ame day that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> leaves <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> and a&s;&s;umes the Crown of <HI>Medea?</HI> Imagine then <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> what plea&s;ure you will have in leaving this Kingdom to live in the Province of the <HI>Tri&s;antines</HI> with a proud in&s;en&s;ible woman, who will wa&s;t your fortunes in lieu of advancing them; and who then perhaps will not be &s;o fair (for a hundred things be&s;ides age may decay a beauty) nor contribute anything to your &s;atisfa|ction. Ah brother, &s;aid <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> you are deceived, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> will be for ever fair: Do but a&s;&s;i&s;t me &s;o farre as to marry her, and never trouble your &s;elf with my good fortunes
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afterwards: What though I be bani&s;hed? I care not though &s;he be in&s;en&s;ible, it is no mat|ter, &s;o we be bani&s;hed together; for then I &s;hall enjoy my good fortune with more freedom, and if &s;he be incapable of loving any thing, then I &s;hall be free from all cau&s;es of jealou&s;ie: Therefore if you love me, a&s;&s;i&s;t, but no more oppo&s;e my pa&s;&s;ion: You de&s;ire that of me which I cannot do (an&s;wered <HI>Artabes)</HI> we mu&s;t not give poi&s;on unto frantique friends when they ask it, principally to you. Hard-hearted, in&s;en&s;ible brother (replied <HI>Megabi|&s;es)</HI> I do almo&s;t wi&s;h you my Rival to puni&s;h you for condemning my pa&s;&s;ion &s;o &s;everely, and to teach you experimentally that love is not a voluntary bu&s;ine&s;s: You would perhaps repent you of your wi&s;h; replied <HI>Artabes,</HI> if it could po&s;&s;ibly be; but however confe&s;s unto me thus farre, that you would be more happy if you were at liberty, then you are at pre|&s;ent: then promi&s;e me only that you will endeavour a while to break out of your pri&s;on: Never think it po&s;&s;ible for me to do it; replied <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> but becau&s;e I will not deny you in every thing, I will promi&s;e you to try; though to tell you truth, it is as good as if I promi|&s;ed you nothing. <HI>Artabes</HI> perceiving that he could work no more upon the minde of his brother, left him for that time; re&s;olving to di&s;pen&s;e with the intere&s;t of a brother and a friend, and promote his own love before theirs. I was per&s;waded, as he &s;aid him&s;elf, that he was forced unto this by the extremity and violence of his pa&s;&s;ion; and that he did take up the humour without much re&s;i&s;tance unto him&s;elf: But I am per&s;waded that let love be ne|ver &s;o potent, it neither can nor ought to force us unto things which are contrary unto Ho|nour or Hone&s;ty: and that though this pa&s;&s;ion be the mo&s;t noble, yet it mu&s;t not excu&s;e any ba&s;e or wicked act. However <HI>Artabes</HI> was involved into a mo&s;t perplexed condition: He was deeply in love with one whom he dur&s;t not vi&s;it, lea&s;t changing his retired life; he &s;hould grow to palpable and become &s;u&s;pected by his brother and my &s;elf: He was violently in love, but dur&s;t not di&s;cover it: He had two Rivals whom he loved and whom he was en|gaged to love: His brother commanded him not to be his hinderance; and he had pa&s;&s;ed his promi&s;e to a&s;&s;i&s;t me: He a&s;&s;ured me that he would do all in his power to reclaim <HI>Mega|bi&s;es;</HI> and he told <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> that he would &s;et <HI>Aglatidas</HI> free: What &s;hould he do then to &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> to betray his brother; to deceive his friend; and to promote him&s;elf unto their prejudice: He knew they were in&s;eparable from <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> what cour&s;e could he then take to vi&s;it her every day without being &s;u&s;pected by us both? and what cunning could he u&s;e to bring about his de&s;ign? Prepare your &s;elf Sir, to hear the mo&s;t notable piece of Trea&s;on that ever love did prompt any man unto, and be per&s;waded that you mu&s;t needs be amazed at what I am to tell you. <HI>Artabes</HI> then a while after came and told me that he had imployed the be&s;t of his endeavours to reclaim his brother, and cure his pa&s;&s;ion; and indeed, as the thing was true, &s;o he related it &s;o punctually, as I made no que&s;tion of the truth: I thought my &s;elf &s;o obliged unto him for it, that I think if he had di&s;covered his own love unto me, I &s;hould have returned &s;o much friend&s;hip unto him; as to have died, and yielded up my intere&s;t of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to him al&s;o; &s;o &s;en&s;ible was I of &s;o great a benefit and addicted unto the Laws of Genero&s;ity. While&s;t <HI>Artabes</HI> had &s;ufficiently amu&s;ed me for &s;ome time by the relation of all he had &s;aid unto <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> and all <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> an&s;wers unto him; He per&s;onated him&s;elf of another hu|mour with his Brother, and feigning him&s;elf by little and little to be very compa&s;&s;ionate unto his Brother, heacted his part &s;o well, that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> made him his deare&s;t confident; He was his only Oracle, and was guided only by his Orders as well as I. As <HI>Artabes</HI> feared nothing more, then that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and I &s;hould finde him alone with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and moreover, finding that according to his plot there was a nece&s;&s;ity of our being often with her, &s;o I was &s;ure to give notice unto <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> of the time when I ought to be with her, and al&s;o to give me no|tice in my cour&s;e when my brother &s;hould be there; In&s;omuch as &s;ince he tran&s;acted in our bu&s;ine&s;s we never &s;aw <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> one without the other: Love and jealou&s;ie moved him to fear one Rivall &s;ingle with <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> more then many together. Yet he had this piece of prudence to de&s;ire me both for my intere&s;t and his own, not to quarrell with my brother, and to a&s;|&s;ure me alwaies upon his word, that he would tran&s;act with all his power to ruine the de|&s;igns of <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> which al&s;o as he told me did not plea&s;e him: He al&s;o advi&s;ed my Brother not to quarrell with me, le&s;t when we were gone far off to fight, others might in the interim &s;tep in and &s;upplant him: And thus we lived: <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> he complained that I was a per|petuall ob&s;tacle unto him; and I complain'd that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was the &s;ame to me; As for <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;he lived in &s;uch wi&s;edom and re&s;ervedne&s;s that her vertue could not di&s;cover any of his Projects. It is certain that notwith&s;tanding her impartiall behaviour and civility which &s;he u&s;ed unto all that came unto her; yet every one ob&s;erved that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and I had a greater &s;hare in her e&s;teem then any el&s;e: and that <HI>Otanes</HI> who doubtle&s;s you have &s;een in
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the Court of <HI>Medea,</HI> was the man mo&s;t hated and &s;corn'd: for my part I could not di&s;co|ver any more extraordinary favour from her then unto many others: but thought that <HI>Me|gabi&s;es</HI> was the happier of the two; in&s;omuch as I could not forbear to complain continual|ly of <HI>Artabes: Megabi&s;es</HI> for his part he thought that I was better treated then him&s;elf, and complained al&s;o of his Brother, who indeed intended to betray us both alike: One night then, when we were alone in my Chamber, My dear <HI>Artabes</HI> (&s;aid I to him) how long will you hold me in hopes? and how long mu&s;t the Pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> per&s;ecute me? Why has the enticing eyes of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> made a Lover of my Friends Brother, and &s;uch a Lover upon whom they look more favourably, if my jealou&s;ie do not much deceive me? Ah my dear <HI>Artabes</HI> (&s;aid I) if <HI>Migabi&s;es</HI> had not &s;uch relation unto you, my &s;word &s;hould long &s;ince have done me right, and revenged that inju&s;tice which is done unto my Love, which I am &s;ure preceded his, and which perhaps would have been more faithfull and &s;incere unto me. <HI>Artabes</HI> &s;eemed much touched at my complaints and &s;orrows: Sometimes he would de|&s;ire pardon for his Brothers injuries; &s;ometimes thank me for the re&s;pect which I had unto his friend&s;hip; and &s;ometimes he entreated me to continue it: After he had asked as much as he de&s;ired, looking &s;uddenly upon me with a troubled countenance: You &s;hall &s;ee <HI>Agla|tidas</HI> (&s;aid he) If <HI>Artabes</HI> did not love you, and love you as much as one can love another, he would not make that Propo&s;ition unto you which he is about, and act &s;uch a piece of Trea&s;on as he has premeditated: Know then (&s;aid he) I know but one way which will infal|libly break the de&s;igns of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> upon <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> Ha my dear <HI>Artabes</HI> (&s;aid I) let us quickly take that happy way, if it will rid me of my Rivall who is &s;o much to be doubted; You know (&s;aid he to me) that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> loves me with abundance of tenderne&s;s, &s;o that he will perhaps do that for my pre&s;ervation which he would not do for my prayers and rea|&s;ons: I mu&s;t then (&s;aid he) for a certain time &s;eem more troubled and melancholique then I u&s;e to be; and when he asks me the rea&s;on of it, and pre&s;&s;eth me importunately more then once, I will tell him that I am in love with <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> and that all my trouble and me|lancholy was nothing el&s;e but my endeavours to overcome my own pa&s;&s;ions which I could not do; In conclu&s;ion, I will entreat him, and pre&s;s him to take &s;ome care of my life, and with tears, and &s;ighs, and &s;orrows di&s;pute with him for the Victory: I know very certainly (&s;aid he) that he loves me mo&s;t dearly, and that it will go hard with him to re&s;i&s;t me: I blu&s;h (&s;aid this vile perfidious <HI>Artabes)</HI> my dear Friend, to propound &s;o horrid a Trea&s;on, but what will not one do for a Friend he loves? But My dear <HI>Artabes,</HI> (&s;aid I, embracing him, and fearing he &s;hould be offended at what I was intended to tell him) &s;ince the Friend&s;hip you have with me moves you &s;o &s;trongly to deceive <HI>Megabi&s;es;</HI> what would you not do both to him and me if you &s;hould chance become in love with <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> And may I not fear that counterfeiting to be &s;o in Love, you &s;hould become really &s;o? Is it &s;o (Replied the crafty <HI>Artabes,</HI> &s;eeming very angry) do you thus take the proofs of my affection? Take heed <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> le&s;t if I keep within the &s;imple limits of rea&s;on, I do not a&s;&s;i&s;t <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> again&s;t you, and prefer the con&s;ideration of bloud before that of Friend&s;hip: <HI>Artabes</HI> pronounced the&s;e words with &s;o &s;erious a look, that I thought I had angred him; &s;o that checking my &s;elf I began to tru&s;t in his Promi&s;es, and &s;poke him &s;o fair that his counterfeit choler was appea&s;ed, and his an&s;weres were &s;o well that my fears did vani&s;h: I confe&s;s Sir, that at the fir&s;t this Propo&s;ition did a&s;toni&s;h me, but con&s;idering the benefit which I might perhaps re|ceive by it, and re&s;olving that I would never lo&s;e <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> without lo&s;ing my life; I thought it better to have recour&s;e unto gentlene&s;s then force, and con&s;ented unto his Plot, having no &s;u&s;picion or jealou&s;ie; or any imagination of his real being in love with her: fearing only le&s;t he &s;hould hereafter be entangled: Mean time this was &s;ufficient for him to have the freedom of &s;eeing <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> without incurring any di&s;plea&s;ure from me; but yet he wanted the &s;ame advantage over his Brothers minde, therefore the next morning he went unto him and deceived him as well as me, and almo&s;t after the &s;ame manner, though the rea&s;ons which he u&s;ed were not the &s;ame: he found <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> in the Kings Garden, where he was infor|med he might finde him: as &s;oon as he met him; What makes you here Brother (&s;aid he unto him) while&s;t perhaps <HI>Aglatidas</HI> is with <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> at lea&s;t I am certain he went this morning to <HI>Artambaces:</HI> You would do much better (an&s;wered <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> roughly) to be no more his friend, but rather leave him unto my fury and jealou&s;ie, then to tell me of his tenders to <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> Never think that I am able to endure this complacentiall way; my Patience will not alwaies &s;uffer <HI>Aglatidas</HI> to be the Friend of <HI>Artabes,</HI> and to be favoured by her I love; <HI>Aglatidas</HI> I &s;ay who of all my Rivals is the only man I fear, and he alone can come in competition with me. <HI>Artabes</HI> was &s;urpris'd and a&s;toni&s;hed at this, and looking upon
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<HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> Why Brother (&s;aid he) would you have me break with <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> becau&s;e he is your Rivall? He who is &s;o generous as not to break with me although you be his Rival and I your brother; who has asked me pardon a hundred and a hundred times, for that it was his ill fortune to be &s;o engaged in the Love of <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> who moreover loved her before you knew her; and who has lately given me &s;ome hopes to conquer his pa&s;&s;ion for the love of you and me? yet for ought I &s;ee (&s;aid the crafty <HI>Artabes</HI> &s;eeming very angry, and offer|ing to go away) you take all the good offices which I have done you in &s;o bad a &s;en&s;e, as I will trouble my &s;elf no more about them. Ah my dear Brother (&s;aid <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> &s;taying him) I pray you pardon an unfortunate man who hath lo&s;t the u&s;e of his rea&s;on, and leave him not thus in de&s;pair: I &s;aw (continued he) that you loved my Rivall &s;o much that I took you for him, and again&s;t my will my anger &s;urpri&s;ed me, and forced me to &s;ay &s;ome|thing, which perhaps has angred you: But pardon me I mo&s;t heartily be&s;eech you: and &s;ince it is &s;o that you love me and love <HI>Aglatidas</HI> both, cau&s;e him, I conjure you, to leave loving <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> for I am not able to endure it, he mu&s;t either leave loving or el&s;e I mu&s;t leave living: You are very violent (Replied <HI>Artabes)</HI> and what likelihood is there to help a man who is &s;o uncapable of rea&s;on? one who would have to renounce all manner of gene|ro&s;ity, to &s;atisfie an unruly pa&s;&s;ion? Love (replied <HI>Megabi&s;es)</HI> excu&s;es all &s;orts of injuries; Remember what you &s;ay (Replied <HI>Arabes)</HI> and to prevent &s;uch an incovenience as that my Brother and Friend &s;hould quarrell, I will become a Traitor unto <HI>Aglatidas</HI> in behalf of <HI>Me|gabi&s;es.</HI> At the&s;e words <HI>Artabes</HI> &s;topt, the better to examine him&s;elf concerning the Propo|&s;ition which he was to make (for <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> related it all afterwards) and after he had a while ruminated upon the matter, he began to &s;peak in a more &s;erious Tone, Hitherto Bro|ther (&s;aid he) I have tran&s;acted with <HI>Aglatidas</HI> only by per&s;wa&s;ive rea&s;ons, to give over his Pa&s;&s;ion, he I &s;ay who re&s;pects you much, and who doubtle&s;s bears as great a Love to you as me: But now &s;ince I perceive your Love is grown unto &s;uch an extremity, and &s;ince I fear my affection to <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;hould hazard his life, I will follow your own Maximes with|out con&s;ideration of what is ju&s;t or what unju&s;t. I will therefore counterfet a fal&s;e friend|&s;hip unto <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and ask his pardon for a &s;ecret which I am to reveal; I will tell him that when I endeavoured to reclaim his Love, that it was meerly for my own intere&s;t, and not for his nor yours; In concu&s;ion, I will earne&s;tly pray him and pre&s;s him, that he will give me leave to love and &s;erve <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> as a hundred others do the like; telling that o|therwi&s;e it will co&s;t me my life, conjuring with all feigned tears and &s;ighs not to hate me or &s;uffer me to de&s;pair: But how will this feat advantage me (Replied <HI>Megabi&s;es?)</HI> I hope (an|&s;wered <HI>Artabes)</HI> that perhaps he will yeeld <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> unto me, or at the lea&s;t when he knows that I am in love with her, he will not think it &s;trange if I vi&s;it her, and not &s;u&s;pect that I am with her upon your account: Ah Brother, &s;aid <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> if <HI>Aglatidas</HI> knows how to love he will never yeeld unto you, but will di&s;pute the matter as well with you as me: However (Replied <HI>Artabes)</HI> you will get this advantage by it, that you will have a faithfull man about <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> who will defeat all the de&s;igns of your Rivall, and advance your own: Your rea&s;on is good (an&s;wered the too credulous <HI>Megabi&s;es)</HI> but Brother (&s;aid he) I &s;aw you once with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> was it not becau&s;e you did then a little love her? When I was there (Replied <HI>Artabes</HI> &s;miling) I loved your Rivall too well, and it was at his importunity that I came thither; and he thought &s;o little of any &s;uch thing, that I think you need not be jea|lous of your Brother: Con&s;ider it well (&s;aid he) and re&s;olve whether I &s;hould &s;erve you, or whether I &s;hould not: For I a&s;&s;ure you I &s;hould think my &s;elf much obliged unto you, if you would not imploy me in any &s;uch infidelity to my friend: <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;eeing &s;uch an in|differency in the minde of <HI>Artabes,</HI> a&s;&s;ured him&s;elf, nor could &s;u&s;pect that man who loved both <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and him&s;elf &s;o much, would ever fall in love with <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> And thus Sir he cozened both him and me, and brought all things to the pa&s;&s;e he de&s;ired: In conclu&s;ion he a&s;&s;ured me that he had acted his part unto <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> according as was covenanted be|tween us: He expre&s;&s;ed his &s;orrows and de&s;pair to the life, and told me that he would not ab&s;olutely promi&s;e him to &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> no more, but he had given him permi&s;&s;ion to &s;ee her, and to endeavour with her in his behalf, &s;wearing unto him, that if I found her more tra|ctable, he &s;hould then ab&s;olutely retreat, and leave him in quiet po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of his good for|tune; Then Sir, the &s;ame which <HI>Artabes</HI> told me he told al&s;o unto <HI>Megabi&s;es:</HI> and per&s;wa|ded him that I re&s;pected you &s;o much as to yeeld up <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> unto you, and that he &s;hould al|&s;o permit him his leave to &s;ee, and then Sir there was nothing which could oppo&s;e his joy; &s;o that he told us &s;everally there was no more to be done, but for him to court her in their be|halfs daily, and to gain her e&s;teem by &s;ome particular civility: But &s;aid I then to him, My
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dear <HI>Artabes,</HI> if &s;he &s;hould chance to love you in earne&s;t, during this fiction, where were we then? I fear not that (an&s;wered he, and doubtle&s;s it was the lea&s;t of his fears) for my own defects a&s;&s;ure me of the contrary; And moreover (continued he) I will faithfully promi&s;e you that when I am alone with her I will not then &s;peak a word to her but in your behalf, and therefore there is no danger at all: In a word Sir, <HI>Artabes</HI> did &s;o work upon the minde of <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> and mine, as we did con&s;ent that he &s;hould vi&s;it <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and that he &s;hould be very a&s;&s;iduous with her, I leave you to judge Sir, if ever the like chance happened: and if ever there was a more pro&s;perous cheat for a while; for &s;ince I thought that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> retired him&s;elf, becau&s;e he thought <HI>Artabes</HI> would be better treated then him&s;elf: I wi&s;ht <HI>Artabes</HI> all good &s;ucce&s;s: Al&s;o <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> having the &s;ame thoughts, had al&s;o the &s;ame de|&s;ires: Thus did both of us pray for our greate&s;t enemy and our mo&s;t dangerous Rival: and while&s;t he was tran&s;acting our Ruines we gave him as many thanks as if he were perpetua|ting our felicity: He went daily to <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> who treated him with abundance of civility, and &s;hewed him more favours then any el&s;e, becau&s;e &s;he conceived his vi&s;its were only in con&s;ideration that he had quitted his &s;olitude, and changed his cour&s;e of life: he had free|dom of di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> when he plea&s;ed, and that with more re&s;pect then either of us: for as we were both of us per&s;waded that when he di&s;cour&s;ed alone with her, he &s;poke unto our &s;everall advantages, we endeavoured to facilitate the way unto him; and we our &s;elves furni&s;hed him with Arms to de&s;troy us: for in lieu of imploying tho&s;e precious mi|nutes with her in private to the advantages of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> or me, he all the while was endea|vouring to get him&s;elf into her good opinion: But for the fir&s;t daies, it was after &s;o hand|&s;ome and re&s;pective a way, that &s;he could not be angry: and if &s;he did &s;u&s;pect any &s;uch thing as love, &s;he thought al&s;o that he had never given her any occa&s;ions of di&s;plea&s;ure; &s;he be|haved her &s;elf unto him with much re&s;ervedne&s;s, but yet as I have &s;aid with very much civi|lity, becau&s;e indeed he was worthy of it, both in re&s;pect of his quality, and of his wit; <HI>Me|gabi&s;es</HI> asked him every day whether I began to change my thoughts, and I asked him very often, if his Brother did pity his counterfected Pa&s;&s;ion: To this he an&s;wered me, that he be|gan to have very much hopes of him; and to the other, that yet he knew not what to hope of him: To the one, that the thing was po&s;&s;ible, that the thing was po&s;&s;ible, but difficult; to the other, that notwith|&s;tanding all the difficulty he would bring it about: and to them both that nothing ought to be done precipitately, if they would have it done will; and that they ought to give time of con&s;ideration and contrivance of the matter: In &s;hort Sir, this Impo&s;tor tran&s;acted his en|terpri&s;e &s;o cunningly, that whereas he &s;hould have acted for us, we both of us acted for him, and gave him a thou&s;and thanks for his knavery: We met oft all together at the Cham|ber of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and both <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and both <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and my &s;elf endured torments beyong imagination: Sometimes our Pa&s;&s;ions were turned all into de&s;pair, &s;ometimes jealou&s;ies mingled; <HI>Mega|bi&s;es</HI> &s;u&s;pected his Brother was more my Servant then his: I al&s;o thought that <HI>Artabes</HI> would betray me to favour him, &s;ometimes we were all fears, and &s;ometimes we did appre|hend that <HI>Artabes</HI> neither was in love nor ever would be. As I remember I told you, that by the orders of my unfaithfull friend I was never to &s;peak openly concerning my Pa&s;&s;ion for
<HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> But though I ob&s;erved that order mo&s;t exactly, yet dare &s;ay the fair <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was not ignorant what power her bewitching eyes had over my heart: And although my tongue did never reveal the &s;ecrets of my &s;oul, yet all my actions, my looks, and al&s;o my common di&s;cour&s;e of indifferent matters, did clearly evidence (I knew not how) the violence of my love, e&s;pecially unto any that was po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with any inclination to judge things for my ad|vantage: I was obliged for the ju&s;tification of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and her favours to me, to &s;ay, that &s;ince it was her plea&s;ure to honour one &s;o much, it was becau&s;e &s;he knew that <HI>Artambaces</HI> and <HI>Hermani&s;ta</HI> allowed of it; it being certain, as I was well informed &s;ince, that it was their de&s;ire I &s;hould become a &s;ervant unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> becau&s;e I was the fir&s;t man of all the Court which had the honour to be known unto her, and becau&s;e I had never &s;aid or done any thing which di&s;plea&s;ed her, but was upon all occa&s;ions diligent to &s;erve and direct her: Yet not|with&s;tanding her &s;light di&s;po&s;ition not to hate me, did not at that time afford me much hap|pine&s;s, becau&s;e the &s;everity of her wi&s;dom, and prudence of her civilities was &s;uch, that none could rea&s;onably gue&s;s &s;he bore any good thoughts of me; neither fear &s;he had any ill, be|cau&s;e of her a&s;pect, &s;uch was the wi&s;dom and judgement of her behaviour. Yet I dare &s;ay that <HI>Artabes</HI> as pro&s;perous as he was in his knavery, had &s;ome angry times; for when he was with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> between <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and me, it was impo&s;&s;ible but he &s;hould be &s;tung with &s;ome remor&s;e of con&s;cience, for betraying his brother and his friend, and &s;ometimes apprehend the end of the adventure; not but that he had fore&s;een all things; and that if his de&s;ign did
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not hit, he was not to &s;eek for excu&s;es: His de&s;ign was, that when he had a&s;&s;ured him&s;elf of the favour of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> to ask pardon of us both, for covering his love to <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> with the cloak of a &s;eeming it to be affection unto us, and to &s;eem &s;o extreamly &s;orry for the accident, that we &s;hould pity him: He imagined that for his brother there was no fear of his life from him, and as for me, he believed that our friend&s;hip, and the reverence I bore unto <HI>A|me&s;tris</HI> would hinder me from &s;poiling his de&s;ing; and after all, the fair <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> would not expo&s;e her &s;elf unto any danger of cau&s;ing a quarrell. Thus had <HI>Artabes</HI> laid the foundation of his Plot: But Fortune, which meddles in many matters, would not &s;uffer it to hit: And thus we lived for a rea&s;onalbe long time: Then <HI>Artabes</HI> &s;eeing how he was baited both by his brother and him&s;elf: and thinking that he was upon good terms with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> he began to expre&s;s his pa&s;&s;ion more openly then formerly he had, and intended to open his de&s;ign un|to her; and a while after he found a favourable opportunity. He told <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and me &s;everally, that now he was re&s;olved to know which of us two &s;tood be&s;t in the favour of <HI>A|me&s;tris;</HI> but to that end we mu&s;t not go unto her this two daies, but give him the opportu|nities to entertain her in private: We both con&s;ented unto his de&s;ire, though on my &s;ide with much ado: He went then unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> unto whom he could not &s;peak the fir&s;t day, by rea&s;on of much company; there happened to be then there one of her lovers, called <HI>Ol|tanes,</HI> an illfavoured man, and mo&s;t di&s;plea&s;ant both to her and all the Court: This man was &s;eldome from her; not but that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had a very great di&s;like of him, but becau&s;e he being a man of quality, <HI>Artambaces</HI> would not forbid him his hou&s;e: It was this man who did mo&s;t hinder <HI>Artabes</HI> from &s;peaking unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> the fir&s;t day: but the next day after proved more happy, for he found her without any company be&s;ides her own women: She her &s;elf was leaning upon a Belcone which looked into the Garden; &s;o that he might deliver his minde without being heard by any: At fir&s;t their di&s;cour&s;e was upon indifferent things; but &s;ince he had a hidden de&s;ign, and de&s;ired to fall in&s;en&s;ibly into di&s;cour&s;e of &s;omething which might di&s;cover it unto her: Madam (&s;aid he to her) I found you ye&s;terday in &s;uch a &s;olitude as was not u&s;ual with you, very like unto that humour out of which you have drawn me; I &s;hould think my &s;elf much honoured (an&s;wered &s;he) in being a means to re|gain you unto your friends: But I believe it rather the per&s;wa&s;ions of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Agla|tidas</HI> which had that power over you, then that I contributed any thing at all. <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (replied he) has not &s;o much power over me as the fair <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> You are very unju&s;t then (an&s;wered &s;he) for in my opinion they have more right unto that power then <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> hath, who de&s;ires power over none but her &s;elf: That which you re&s;erve unto your &s;elf (replied <HI>Artabes)</HI> is doubtle&s;s much better then all the re&s;t of your Empire: though I a&s;&s;ure you, that you have an ab&s;olute dominion over all tho&s;e who have the honour to come near you; and for my particular, I preferre you before all the Crowns in the world: If difficulty in getting of any thing (an&s;wered &s;he) do add any thing to the value, then you have rea&s;on to e&s;teem me &s;o, &s;ince it is mo&s;t certain, that it is no ea&s;ie matter, ever to get an ab&s;olute power over the heart of <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> That would be too much, Madam, to de&s;ire an ab&s;olute Sovereignty in &s;o glorious a place (replied <HI>Artabes)</HI> and I know &s;ome men, who&s;e ambition would be contented with le&s;s, and account them&s;elves mo&s;t happy if you would ac|knowledge them for your &s;laves: For my part (replied <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> without thinking that <HI>Artabes</HI> would more clearly explain him&s;elf, I would advi&s;e none, either to give or receive any fetters; and by my good will, none of my friends &s;hall ever become unhappy: Ah Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Artabes</HI> then) continue alwaies in &s;o ju&s;t a minde, and never repent it: To repent of things which are ju&s;t, replied &s;he is doubtle&s;s a crime, which I do not intend ever to commit: If &s;o Madam, replied he, why do you &s;uffer one man in the world (who adores you without pa|rallel, and who&s;e rigorous &s;ilence cannot expre&s;s him&s;elf) without &s;hing upon his misfor|tune, by your favourable a&s;pect? you I &s;ay, who expre&s;&s;e your &s;elf &s;o divinely, and &s;ay, that by your con&s;ent none of your friends &s;hall ever be unhappy? <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;tood a while without an an&s;wer, not knowing well whether <HI>Artabes</HI> &s;poke concerning <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> my &s;elf, or him|&s;elf: She was &s;o &s;u&s;pri&s;ed at the di&s;cour&s;e, that &s;he knew not well how to expound it: but the fir&s;t di&s;order of her &s;pirit being pa&s;&s;ed over; I know not <HI>Artabes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he in a higher tone) whether or no you have any de&s;ign upon me, to make me follow your accu&s;tomed humour, and preferre &s;olitude before &s;ociety: but I know very well, that though you do not change me, you move me to advi&s;e you to re&s;t your &s;elf quiet in your own clo&s;et, and trouble my chamber no more: I cannot be any where but with you (replied <HI>Artabes</HI> pre|cipitately, who was naturally of a ha&s;ty violent temper, though he &s;eemed dull and melancho|lique unto tho&s;e that knew him not very well.) Surely <HI>Artabes</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> in looking
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upon him with many marks of anger in her eyes) you do not know me? Pardon me, Ma|dam, an&s;wered he, I know you very well, and cannot be ignorant, that you are the faire&s;t, and mo&s;t amiable in the world: but it is you Madam, added he, who knows not the unfor|tunate <HI>Artabes;</HI> he, I &s;ay, who adores you, as devoutly as men adore the Gods; he, who&s;e thoughts are all upon you; and who &s;eeks nothing upon earth el&s;e; I &s;ay, who will die, and die a thou&s;and deaths rather then live without the love of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> Then you mu&s;t pre|pare your &s;elf for death (replied &s;he and broke off his di&s;cour&s;e) for <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> will not be|&s;tow her e&s;teem e&s;teem nor love, nor friend&s;hip upon any, who want tho&s;e re&s;pects unto me which are fitting. It to adore you to want re&s;pect? replied he: To tell me as much, is, an&s;wered &s;he: Do as the Gods do then (an&s;wered <HI>Artabes)</HI> and know my thoughts, and like them, receive my praiers, and grant me that which it is your plea&s;ure I &s;hould not ask: I'le grant nothing, &s;aid &s;he, unto them who render them&s;elves unworthy, no not my compa&s;&s;ion, which I &s;eldom refu&s;e unto any in mi&s;ery: But <HI>Artabes</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> I de&s;ire no more of your company, and forbid you ever vi&s;iting me any more: In &s;aying &s;o, &s;he would have gone away, but he &s;taied her: Since this is the la&s;t time (&s;aid he unto her) that I mu&s;t have the ble&s;ledne&s;s of your company, you may very well hear me all I would &s;peak, and it is but fit I &s;hould let you know what <HI>Artabes</HI> is; to the end, that before you do ab&s;olutely de&s;troy him, you may con&s;ider well whether you have any rea&s;on for doing it: I know but too much, replied &s;he, and it would have been better for him if I had known le&s;s: You do not yet know Madam, &s;aid he, that he who &s;peaks unto you does love you &s;o extream violently, that there is no crime which he hath not committed for your &s;ake; he hath betraied his friends, he hath co&s;ened his kindred, he hath di&s;honoured him&s;elf, and there is nothing which he hath not done, which might make him re&s;t capable of getting your affection, and to hinder all others from po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing it. The rea&s;on, Madam, why I tell you what I have done, is, that you may know what I can do: If there be any of my Rivals which di&s;plea&s;es you, do but &s;eem to wi&s;h, and I &s;hall pre&s;ently rid you of them; but (continued he) <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> they are more fortunate then I, if you de&s;ire to pre&s;erve them, hide &s;o all your advantagious thoughts of both of them, that I do not perceive them, and that they them&s;elves do not perceive them. <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> replied &s;he, are wi&s;er then you are, in my opinion: I know not Madam, an&s;wared he, whether they be wi&s;er; but I know very well, that if they be more happy then I, they &s;hall not be &s;o long: At the&s;e words <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> grew &s;o extreamly angry, that &s;he u&s;ed all the vile and ill terms &s;he could in|vent again&s;t <HI>Artabes,</HI> who doubtle&s; did often repent him of his violence, though in vain: This crafty and &s;ubtle man, by the violence of his pa&s;&s;ion and &s;orrow, had lo&s;t all policy and craft upon this occa&s;ion. As they were upon the&s;e terms, a &s;ervant came in and told <HI>Ame|&s;tris</HI> that there were a great number coming to vi&s;it her; but &s;ince &s;he found her &s;pirits a lit|tle di&s;ordered, and left any &s;igns of anger or &s;orrow &s;hould appear in her face, &s;he left <HI>Artabes</HI> upon a &s;udden, and went into her Clo&s;et to compo&s;e her countenance. Mean while <HI>Artabes</HI> went out of the chamber, but in &s;uch a fury, and &s;o de&s;perate as po&s;&s;ible a man could be: Sorrow &s;o po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed him, that becau&s;e he could not re&s;olve to &s;ee either <HI>Me|gabi&s;es</HI> or me: he took his hor&s;e and went for &s;ome certain daies into the &Ccedil;ountry, leaving order to tell every one, that important bu&s;ine&s;s &s;o hapned that he was forced to go without bidding adieu to any of his friends, or &s;eeing us: Mean while, <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and I, who knew nothing of the truth, and who were in ab&s;olute di&s;pute, becau&s;e <HI>Artabes</HI> had rendred us no account of the di&s;cour&s;e which he had with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> we would go the next day unto her; but we were told that &s;he was not well, and would not be &s;een: The next day we went again and &s;aw her, but much more melancholike then accu&s;tomed: Methought &s;he treated us more coldly then formerly &s;he was accu&s;tomed. I leave you to imagine Sir, how troubled I was; for as I beleeved that <HI>Artabes</HI> had &s;poken to her concerning me, the la&s;t time he was with her, &s;o I expounded this coldne&s;s in her, in a cruel &s;en&s;e: <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> as I have heard &s;ince, he was at no more re&s;t then I, and therefore pa&s;&s;ed all that afternoon in much melancholy: But here may be admired Sir, how Fortune di&s;po&s;es of things; All the while I was thus tormenting my &s;elf, and had tru&s;ted the conduct of my Love unto a Friend who had betraied me, my Father, I knowing nothing of it, was an earne&s;t &s;olicitor for my happine&s;s, as you &s;hall know. I was then very melancholike both at the ab&s;ence of <HI>Artabes,</HI> and the coldne&s;s which I ob&s;erved in the Countenance of <HI>Ame|&s;tris;</HI> when my Father &s;ent for me, and propounded unto a Marriage, with the Daughter of <HI>Artambaces,</HI> not only as a thing which he wi&s;hed might be, but as a thing al|ready done up among&s;t them. Sir, Replied I, this which you propo&s;e is too advantagious to
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be con&s;ented unto without much Joy: But do you think Sir, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> does re&s;ent it with the like gladne&s;s? <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> an&s;wered he, does not yet know of it; but I beleeve &s;he is &s;o well educated to be obedient unto her Parents, who I know do de&s;ire it as much as I; Sir, &s;aid I to him, I would know it from <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and not from <HI>Artambaces;</HI> It is your own office (replied my Father) to inform your &s;elf of her thoughts and de&s;ires: I leave you to judge Sir, how infinitely I was joyed at &s;uch welcome news: it was &s;o abundantly plea&s;ant, that I reli&s;hed it but imperfectly, and it moved &s;uch violence in my &s;oul that I could not re&s;ent it as I ought: Oh Heavens, how oft did I wi&s;h, the perfidious <HI>Artabes</HI> were there to be a witne&s;s of my good fortune, and to ask him pardon for the di&s;plea&s;ure <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> did re&s;ent: Mean time, becau&s;e I thought it &s;trange, that they &s;hould marry me <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> before I had acquainted her with my Love; I took an occa&s;ion the next mor|ning to vi&s;it her, and it was my happine&s;s to finde her alone: I ob&s;erved, that &s;he did of|ten change colour, and I imagined, as indeed it was true, that &s;he had been acquainted with the intention of <HI>Artambaces</HI> concerning our Marriage, of which he had &s;poken unto her, an hour before I came: But alas Sir, what &s;trange inquietudes did this fair and amiable divinity afford me? and how great were my fears, that &s;he had no di&s;like of me, becau&s;e they had propounded it unto her! Madam (&s;aid I to her almo&s;t trembling) dare <HI>Aglatidas</HI> be &s;o bold as to ask the fair <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> whether the many changings which he perceives in her fair face, be a good or a bad omen for him? I think, &s;aid &s;he (blu&s;hing very much) that I have heard the Magi &s;ay, that men ought not to con&s;ult with any but the Starres, to know their Fortunes, and not to trouble them&s;elves at &s;uch lame and &s;light ob&s;ervations. I think (replied I) that tho&s;e who de&s;ire to know whether they &s;hall be Rich, or fortu|nate in War, ought to do as you &s;ay; but I beleeve that they who would know nothing el&s;e but what the heart of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> thinks, ought to con&s;ult with nothing but her eyes; and ought to ask their good fortune from nothing el&s;e but them. <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> (an&s;wered &s;he) is is not con&s;iderable enough to give Felicity or bad fortune unto any: But, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> may believe that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> will never &s;eek her own good fortune, but by the will of tho&s;e who ought to di&s;po&s;e of her: But Madam, &s;aid I, if tho&s;e whom you &s;peak of &s;hould advi&s;e you unto a thing which is repugnant unto your minde, would you obey them without murmur? I would, doubtle&s;s (replied &s;he) as long as I have life; and I hold it better for my &s;elf to do that which I ought, then to do that which plea&s;eth me: It is a mo&s;t &s;evere virtue, repli|ed I, and methinks it is a little too blind an obedience; for Madam, unto how much de&s;pair would that man be driven, who &s;hould be &s;o happy as by the choice of your parents to be a husband unto the divine <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> if he &s;hould afterwards know that &s;he obeyed her pa|rents only, and married him by con&s;traint? I would hide my thoughts &s;o clo&s;e, an&s;wered &s;he, that he &s;hould never know it: Ah Madam, &s;aid I to her, do not abu&s;e your &s;elf &s;o much, this is a thing which cannot be; Therefore Madam, I conjure you by all that is mo&s;t yene|rable and holy, to tell me ingenuou&s;ly upon what terms am I in your heart? for I cannot think my &s;elf more unhappy, then that you &s;hould be ignorant how you are ab&s;olute Com|mander over mine; yes Madam, &s;aid I, you know that &s;ince the fir&s;t minute I had the ho|nour to &s;ee you, I have loved you with unequalled pa&s;&s;ion: that I have &s;erved you with as much reverence as any can the Gods; and &s;ecretly adored you with every atom of my heart: Then Madam, it's your part to let me know whether I mu&s;t hope or fear, whether you can endure me without aver&s;ion, or whether you like me out of Complacencie without compul&s;ion; it is ab&s;olutely in you to determine upon either my good or my bad fortane: I have already told you (replied &s;he) that I have no power in my own felicity, and therefore by con&s;equence cannot have in anothers: But <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> &s;ince I have received a command from <HI>Artambaces</HI> and <HI>Hermani&s;ta</HI> to entertain you, when you &s;peak of your affection, let me tell you with much &s;incerity, that I think the choice which they have made for me is very advantagious for me, and &s;o much, that when I under&s;tood it, I was in much confu&s;i|on; and if you ob&s;erved any alterations in my countenance, doubtle&s;s it was, becau&s;e I was a&s;hamed to be no more worthy of the honour which you do me, then I am: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> pro|nounced the&s;e words with &s;uch re&s;ervedne&s;s, that I could not di&s;cover her heart, which put me into great perplexity and melancholy: I was at this time almo&s;t angry with my father for &s;o &s;oon putting forward my good fortune; for, &s;aid I to my &s;elf, how &s;hould I know now whether or no <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> loves me; <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I &s;ay, who is the wi&s;e&s;t Lady upon earth, and one who would dwell with the ill-favour de&s;t man if &s;he once married to him: So very much was I po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, Sir, with this kinde of unquietude, that I could not hide it from <HI>Ame|&s;tris:</HI> Madam (&s;aid I to her) you &s;ee here before you the mo&s;t happy and the mo&s;t unhappy
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man both, of all men upon earth: The mo&s;t happy, in the noble hope which <HI>Artambaces</HI> gives unto my father, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> will not refu&s;e me; but the mo&s;t unhappy, in that I cannot know whether <HI>Aglatidas</HI> be the choice of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> or <HI>Artambaces:</HI> What will it ad|vantage you to know it, or to know that which I know not my &s;elf? For as I have ever been &s;trongly of this opinion, that I ought not to di&s;po&s;e of my &s;elf, &s;o I am contented to deny my heart my own choice, and &s;ubmit my &s;elf unto a blinde obedience: Then Madam (&s;aid I un|to her) if your Parents &s;hould command you to accept of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> or <HI>Otanes,</HI> would you obey them? I have already confe&s;&s;ed it if I be not much mi&s;taken, replied &s;he: Oh heavens (cried I) Madam, why will you not make me happy? I will not deny you happine&s;s (an|&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> if my con&s;ent be nece&s;&s;ary unto it: But Madam (&s;aid I, interrupting her) how &s;hall I be a&s;&s;ured that your con&s;ent is more then a con&s;train'd obedience? &s;ince you tell me that you will obey, though never &s;o repugnant to your minde: You are very unju&s;t <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> &s;aid &s;he to me, to de&s;ire that I &s;hould tell you my thoughts, and I only to gue&s;s at yours; therefore endeavour to di&s;cover them if you can, and content your &s;elf to know thus much, that <HI>Artambaces</HI> has the heart of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> in his power, and if he di&s;po&s;e of it unto you, as very likely he will, then you &s;hall have an ab&s;olute and lawfull power over it: This is not yet enough Madam, &s;aid I unto her, I would preci&s;ely know what you thought of <HI>Ag|latidas</HI> at that very time before <HI>Artambaces</HI> did &s;peak unto you in his behalf? I thought, &s;aid &s;he, doubtle&s;s as all other rea&s;onable people would think: But were you &s;o ab&s;olutely in|different, &s;aid I to her: You are too inqui&s;itive (an&s;wered &s;he &s;miling and blu&s;hing both) and if I &s;hould continue an&s;wering you thus, it &s;hould go hard but I would &s;ay &s;omething which &s;hould be either to your di&s;advantage or my own. After this manner Sir did this wi&s;e and nimble Lady free her &s;elf from my per&s;ecution, and cured me a little of my melancholy humour; for I thought &s;he &s;poke the&s;e la&s;t words in &s;uch a manner that I might very well expound them in a favourable &s;en&s;e for my &s;elf: Then thought I my &s;elf mo&s;t happy; and if <HI>Artabes</HI> had but been at <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> there was nothing more which I could have wi&s;hed; yet &s;ince per&s;ons of Quality do never marry in <HI>Medea,</HI> without the Kings con&s;ent, <HI>Artam|baces</HI> and my Father did conceal it &s;ome certain daies, untill they found a fit time to acquaint <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> with it; But Sir, they were happy daies for <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> what delights did he not finde in the conver&s;ation of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> for &s;ince her Father commanded her to re&s;pect me as one that was to be her husband, I found in her &s;oul &s;o &s;weet a complacence, and ob&s;erved &s;uch tenderne&s;s towards me, that I might very well &s;ay, I was fully recompen&s;ed by the&s;e ble&s;&s;ed minutes, for all the ill ones that ever I &s;uffered: Yet &s;he would never confe&s;s that &s;he loved me, or ever did love me; but permitting me to hope what might be hereafter, &s;he &s;aid enough to &s;atisfie me that &s;he did not hate me: <HI>Artambaces</HI> and my Father having met with that fit opportunity which they waited for, &s;poke unto the King concerning our mar|riage, who pre&s;ently con&s;ented unto it, becau&s;e he knew not that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> pretended unto <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> The con&s;ent of <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> was no &s;ooner obtain'd, but immediatly the matter was divulged about the Court: <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> being pre&s;ently informed of it, went pre&s;ently unto the King, and de&s;ired him to forbid the Banes; but the King told him he &s;poke too late, that his word was pa&s;t, and the thing was ab&s;olutely without remedy: <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> went a|way from the King &s;ufficiently Malecontent, and re&s;olved of another way to compa&s;s his end, he &s;ought an occa&s;ion to meet me, and having found me, without any more pream|ble, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid he to me with a low voice in my ear) you &s;hall not enjoy <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> but by the death of <HI>Megabi&s;es;</HI> therefore, without more ado, let us go out at the gate which opens towards the Mountains, and compleat your joyes by my de&s;truction. <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> (&s;aid I to him) I need no pre&s;&s;ing to go whither you would have me; but I confe&s;s I would not, if po&s;&s;ible otherwi&s;e, take Sword in hand again&s;t the brother of <HI>Artabes:</HI> But you may (re|plied he) if you will yield <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> unto me: <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> replied I, Ah, no no, <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> I can never yield her, and if there be no other way to give you &s;atisfaction, we mu&s;t follow your intention: In &s;aying &s;o we went out, as &s;oon as we were rid of tho&s;e which were about us, and came unto the foot of a great Rock under a great Hill, where he would have us fight, I confe&s;s that the friend&s;hip of <HI>Artabes</HI> troubled me a little, and I had no minde to lo&s;e the bloud of his brother: But when I began to think that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was my Rivall, and that the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of his <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> depended upon his life or death, all other con&s;iderations va|ni&s;hed, and fury become ma&s;ter of my &s;pirit: We were no &s;ooner at the place which he aimed at, but we drew our Swords, for it was &s;o near the Tower, that though we were on foot, yet we need no taking our breaths: <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> came up to me with &s;o much fury and violence, as let me know I had a dangerous enemy to deal with; and I dare &s;ay he received
<PB N="121" REF="65">
me with &s;o much re&s;olution, as he had no ill opinion of my courage; We being both of us nimble and well skild at weapon, did hold out many blows without a wound, which I believe did anger us both: So that we re&s;olved to put the matter unto Fortune, and not to &s;tand fencing any longer. <HI>Artabes,</HI> the politique <HI>Artabes,</HI> having in all likelihood invented &s;ome new cheat for us, and returning to Town, &s;aw us afar off at the foot of the Rock; who not knowing who we were, rid up unto us with drawn Sword to part us: But, O heavens, how he was &s;urprized when he knew us; and what variety of thoughts he had upon it: <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> being his brother, it may ea&s;ily be beleeved, he would intreat me to hold, and regarding me as his friend, he obliged his brother to u&s;e his Sword no more again&s;t me: But when he did re&s;ent us as his Rivals, I know not whether he had a minde to &s;et upon us both, and lay a&s;ide all re&s;pects of fraternity or friend&s;hip: yet natural re&s;entments alwaies appearing fir&s;t upon &s;udden accidents, <HI>Artabes</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw us and knew us, but he cried out as loud us he could to hold our hands: his voice being known unto us both, and both <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and my &s;elf being moved at it, we turned a&s;ide and &s;aw <HI>Artabes</HI> with drawn Sword, as I &s;aid before, who having got between us, in parting us, not lighting from his hor&s;e, What &s;trange fury po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;es you (&s;aid he unto us) and what new quarrel is ri&s;en between you? The fault's not mine, my dear <HI>Artabes</HI> (&s;aid I to him) the Gods do know with what unwillingne&s;s I came to it; Why then 'tis you <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Artabes</HI> to him) who without con&s;ideration that <HI>Ag|latidas</HI> my friend, and contrary unto your promi&s;e, have begun this quarrel in my ab&s;ence? It was I indeed (replied he) who invited him to it, and who will &s;end him to his grave, un|le&s;s he either &s;end me to mine fir&s;t, or yield <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to me: <HI>Artabes,</HI> who knew not how things &s;tood &s;ince his departure, and would not have his brother <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> to enjoy <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> no more then he would have his friend <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> therefore looking upon us both; You are too furious (&s;aid he) and have lo&s;t your rea&s;on; I never heard &s;ay that <HI>Artambaces</HI> would give his daughter unto him that was mo&s;t valiant, therefore in lieu of fighting to no purpo&s;e, go both unto him together, and he to him he con&s;ents, let him continue quiet po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;or of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> Ah my dear <HI>Artabes,</HI> you have pronounced a mo&s;t favourable &s;entence, for <HI>Artambaces</HI> has promi&s;ed his daughter unto me: Yes, &s;aid <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> and the King has con&s;ented; therefore judge you if it be not time to fight with <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> or whether I am in &s;uch a condition as to follow your coun&s;ell. At the&s;e words <HI>Artabes,</HI> who doubtle&s;s would never have given that coun&s;ell, but that he imagined <HI>Artambaces</HI> would never be&s;tow his daughter upon men that would quarrel about her, and thereby he might get advantage by it, therefore he began to change coulour, and looking upon me with eyes full of rage and de|&s;pair; And is it true, &s;aid he unto me, that they have promi&s;ed you <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and that <HI>Ame|&s;tris</HI> hath con&s;ented? It is true, &s;aid I to him, and I rejoice in the good fortune, and <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did obey without any murmure: Hah, if it be &s;o, &s;aid he, <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> let me &s;ight with the happy lover of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and do not you meddle, for I have more intere&s;t then you have, and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;hall be more innocent in cau&s;ing my death, if it chance, then yours; In &s;aying &s;o, he fell upon me with much fury, and I &s;tept a&s;ide, not being willing to fight with my friend, and yet wondering from whence the&s;e words &s;hould proceed. <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> very generou&s;ly &s;tept in betwixt us (and incen&s;edly &s;aid unto him) What wilt thou &s;hame us both, and make all the world beleeve we were two again&s;t one? Retire, or el&s;e my thoughts of honour and love &s;hall make me forget tho&s;e of nature; at the&s;e words I let fall the point of my Sword, to let <HI>Artabes</HI> &s;ee I had no de&s;ire to fight with him: How now <HI>Artabes,</HI> &s;aid I to him, can I beleeve what I &s;ee? and can <HI>Aglatidas</HI> imagine that <HI>Artabes</HI> is become his enemy? Ah, no no, &s;aid I, I can never believe it; for I cannot hate any unle&s;s the lovers of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> And it is under that notion (an&s;wered the furious <HI>Artabes,</HI> lighting from his hor&s;e, and advancing towards me) that I cannot &s;uffer your good fortune, and which prompts me to di&s;pute the matter with you unto my very la&s;t drop of bloud: Are you a lover of <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Me|gabi&s;es)</HI> as well as I? Yes, I am (replied he unto us) and &s;o zealous a lover too, that none &s;hall ever enjoy her as long as I live: I leave you to judge Sir, how <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and I did wonder; and admire a little the various effect of <HI>Artabes</HI> his language: I who a little before did love this perfidious friend, and hated <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> as &s;oon as I heard him &s;o expre&s;s him&s;elf, the love I had formerly to him extingui&s;hed, and the hate which I bore unto the other &s;u&s;|pended, this new jealou&s;ie operating upon my fancy more &s;trongly then the old one: <HI>Me|gabi&s;es</HI> for his part, looking upon me as one that had been deceived by <HI>Artabes</HI> as well as him&s;elf, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> le&s;&s;en his aver&s;ion to me, and increa&s;e his hate of the other: And <HI>Artabes</HI> be|ing all de&s;pair and violent pa&s;&s;ion, made no difference, as I thought, between his brother and me his friend; although I think he was the mo&s;t unhappy, it being to be thought, that the
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mage of his crime and double trea&s;on did often pre&s;ent it &s;elf into his minde, and tormented him without ce&s;&s;ation; yet <HI>Artabes</HI> could not now fight with me, becau&s;e indeed I refu&s;ed, and becau&s;e <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> would not &s;uffer him; and on the other &s;ide, he would not &s;tay to be a witne&s;s of the Combate which was begun between <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and my &s;elf, nor was he as furious as he was able to fight again&s;t us both, nor would I have &s;uffered him to fight with his brother. But becau&s;e <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was not le&s;s amazed at the love of <HI>Artabes</HI> then I was; Since when, brother (if I may call you Rival, &s;aid he to him) have you been in love with <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> Since the fir&s;t minute that ever I &s;aw her: (an&s;wered he) What (&s;aid I to him, interrupting him) did you fall in love with her that day I carried you unto her? Yes, cruel friend, replied <HI>Artabes,</HI> it was you which forced me to go, and who forced me to betray you afterwards; to deceive <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> to offend <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and to di&s;honour my &s;elf: There-<HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid he) &s;ince I can be no longer your friend, it mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be that either you or I mu&s;t die: It were better, &s;aid I unto him, that you did repent of your crime: I cannot repent (an&s;wered he) untill <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> leave loving <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> Since it cannot be but upon tho&s;e terms (&s;aid <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and I both together unto him) we mu&s;t bethink our &s;elves whether it be better to pardon or to puni&s;h you: As we &s;tood thus argu|ing the matter, we &s;aw a number of people coming towards us, who being told that we went out of the Town together, came to &s;eek us, having &s;ome &s;u&s;pition of our quarrell: The furi|ous <HI>Artabes,</HI> having no minde to &s;tay, took hor&s;e, and told me in my ear, that three daies hence he would expect me from morning till night, in a certain place which he appointed, and told me that if I were not the ba&s;e&s;t coward that ever lived, I would come thither and give him &s;atisfaction: Then he pre&s;ently rid away, and we lo&s;t the &s;ight of him. Tho&s;e men who &s;ought us, did finde us, and brought us to the Town, but for all their vigilance, both <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and I e&s;caped them, and went out to fight &s;ome five hundred paces from <HI>Ecbatan.</HI> I will not trouble you with relating the particulars of our Combate; I will only tell you, that I was &s;o fortunate as to hurt <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;lightly in the hand, and di&s;arm him: I thought it not fit to go into the Town the &s;ame day, becau&s;e <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was allied unto the blood Roy|all, and it would &s;eem &s;ome di&s;re&s;pect in me to fight with him, though it was not I who be|gan the quarrell: I went therefore unto a friends hou&s;e, without thinking that this way led me unto the place which <HI>Artabes</HI> had appointed: for if I had con&s;idered it, it may be I &s;hould not have took that way, &s;o much was my former love to him &s;tronger then my pre&s;ent hate: But Sir, I forgot to tell you that in di&s;arming <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> my own Sword did break, &s;o that in the end of the Combat I could not re&s;tore unto him his own, &s;ince it &s;eemed not ju&s;t unto me that he who had the good fortune to be Conqueror, &s;hould him&s;elf be di&s;armed: There|fore I had then <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> Sword, by rea&s;on of the f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ilt which was of a very extraordinary fa&s;hion: So that as I came to the place <HI>Artabes</HI> had appointed, and where he punctually ex|pected me: he no &s;ooner &s;aw me but he knew the Sword of <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> and thought I had killed him: This fight &s;u&s;pended all other thoughts for a time: Why now (&s;aid he in com|ing towards me) I do not only &s;ee him who enjoyes <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> but al&s;o my brothers mur|derer: Your brother (&s;aid I to him in going back) is not in that condition; and if it were as ea&s;ie for me to leave loving <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> as it is to render you your brother, we &s;hould be quick|ly friends: That cannot be &s;o, &s;aid he, for none of our Family u&s;e to quit their Swords but with their lives, but however it be, you mu&s;t fight with me, and though that &s;hould not be, yet I have other cau&s;es to hate your life; and wi&s;h your death: In the name of the Gods <HI>Artabes</HI> (&s;aid I to him) do not urge me to kill the man I &s;o much love, and lend me &s;o much patience as to hear me a little: <HI>Artabes</HI> at the&s;e words &s;tayed, and did not pre&s;s upon me &s;o hard: I began then to &s;peak of a hundred things (notwith&s;tanding my hate, and my re&s;ent|ments) to bring him unto rea&s;on, though I could not do it; Why, &s;aid I to him, do you not remember that I was your friend? Yes, &s;aid he, but I remember better that you are my Ri|val, and &s;uch a Rival who is to marry <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> The Gods are my witne&s;&s;es (&s;aid I to him) I would yield her to you, if it were in my power, notwith&s;tanding all your trea&s;ons again&s;t me: So would not I, an&s;wered this de&s;perate man) if it were my ca&s;e; for if I thought my heart could &s;toop to yield her unto any one, I would run my Sword through it, for a puni&s;h|ment for a thought &s;o ba&s;e and unworthy of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> But, replied I, though I &s;hould not marry <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> perhaps <HI>Artabes</HI> would never be the better, but another might be more happy then us both: That other, replied he, &s;hould be unto <HI>Artabes</HI> as <HI>Aglatidas</HI> is at pre|&s;ent, that is, a man who&s;e &s;ight nor life I could endure: If I look upon you a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> friend, I am confounded at my treacheries which I cannot reperit of; If I look upon you as the Vanqui&s;her of my brother; I mu&s;t revenge his di&s;honour: If I look upon you as my
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Rival, I mu&s;t hate you, and kill you if I can: But, &s;aid I to him, mu&s;t I &s;ight with you with the Sword of <HI>Megabi&s;es?</HI> and wound you with the Arms of your brother? My brother, &s;aid he, is my Rival as well as you, and you imploy none but the Arms of an enemy again&s;t me, when you imploy his: In the name of our former friend&s;hip (&s;aid I to him) do not force me to fight: In the name of our hatred and love to <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> (replied he) di&s;cour&s;e no more: Upon the&s;e words he fell upon me, and I was forced to look to my &s;elf: I was a long time only putting by the blows he gave, &s;o long that I ob&s;erved his an|ger and fury had lo&s;t him his judgement; he &s;truck at random, and laid him&s;elf open all the while, and if I had a minde, I could have run him through a hundred times: But when I ob&s;erved how he fought, I pitied him: and he &s;hould not have died if he him|&s;elf had not cau&s;ed his de&s;truction: When the Combat had la&s;ted a long while, he ob&s;erved how I &s;pared him, and then that which &s;hould have relented him, did the more exa&s;perate his fury; &s;o that making a Pa&s;s at me, and &s;tepping on the wrong &s;ide with great violence he ran him&s;elf upon my &s;word, which pierced him to the hilt; I drew it out in&s;tantly, but it &s;eem'd I gave a freer pa&s;&s;age for his &s;oul, for he died immediately without &s;peaking one word. I confe&s;s to you Sir, I never found my &s;elf more troubled then now, for indeed I loved <HI>Artabes</HI> very dearly, more I was &s;orry it &s;hould &s;o fall out as as to be with his Bro|thers &s;word; but that which I was mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible of, was, becau&s;e it would retard my marri|age, and force me for a time to forbear the Court, &s;ince <HI>Artabes</HI> was a man of that Qua|lity: yet it &s;o fell out that <HI>Artabes</HI> fell upon me, there were divers people Spectators of our actions, and &s;uch as were able to te&s;tifie in my behalf if nece&s;&s;ity &s;hould require it: But as my &s;orrows were extream, after I had entreated tho&s;e people to take care of the body of my unfaithfull and unfortunate friend, I went unto a Kin&s;mans hou&s;e not far off that place: I was no &s;ooner there but I di&s;patched a Letter to my Father, to <HI>Artambaces,</HI> and to <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> to acquaint him with the accident, and I neglected nothing which was fit to be done upon &s;uch an unlucky occa&s;ion: I will not lo&s;e &s;o much time as to relate the various cen&s;ures of &s;everal men, &s;ince you will ea&s;ily conjecture them: The death of <HI>Artabes</HI> made a great noi&s;e throughout the Court: The chance to fight with two Brothers in a day, and to kill <HI>Artabes</HI> with his Brothers Sword, were circum&s;tances, that in appearance did aggravate the matter; but in &s;ub&s;tance did not at all make me more guilty: yet notwith&s;tanding, <HI>A&s;tia|ges</HI> &s;eemed much incen&s;ed, and <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> thought his Brother had betrayed him, and was his Rivall, yet he could not chu&s;e but &s;hew much re&s;entment of his death, and cloak the inte|re&s;t of his Love with Revenge of his Brothersdeath: <HI>Artambaces</HI> therefore and my father re|&s;olved that for a while I &s;hould keep clo&s;e, and get from <HI>Ec<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">atrn</HI> as I could, to the end a new quarrell with <HI>Migabi&s;es</HI> might be prevented; and they did both of them contribute all their endeavours to compo&s;e the matter: they had no &s;ooner re&s;olved upon my departure, but I was acquainted with it; and that I did fore&s;ee as much, yet I could not chu&s;e but be much &s;urpri&s;ed at it: The thought of that felicity wherein I was before, and the condition where|in now I was fallen, did &s;o much &s;ad me, as I hardly had the power over my own rea&s;on; I therefore &s;ent to be&s;eech my Father that he would be plea&s;ed to give me a little time to re|&s;olve upon this irk&s;ome departure, and to prepare my &s;elf for it, which was ea&s;ily granted unto, becau&s;e he knew I was in a Hou&s;e which you &s;afely conceal me; and he thought, though <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> was much incen&s;ed again&s;t him, yet he &s;uppo&s;ed that he would not long con|tinue &s;o again&s;t the Son of one who had &s;o long time &s;erved him. I &s;tayed here &s;ome few daies, during which time I want three Letters unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> to obtain leave of her that I might come, and bid her adien, but notwith&s;tanding all my urgent praiers, and rea&s;ons, I beleeve &s;he would never have &s;uffered me, if I had not employed a Kin&s;man unto net, who was al&s;o a prevalent friend of hers: In conclu&s;ion Sir, I obtained Licen&s;e to come one night into the &s;tately Gardens which are about a hundred paces from <HI>Ecbatan</HI> upon the South &s;ide, and who&s;e va&s;t extent was &s;uch, that it de&s;erved the phra&s;e of a great Park rather then a great garden: Hither it is where tho&s;e who are weary of the tumultuous Town, u&s;e; to come and walk, there being much le&s;&s;e company then in the Kings Garden, or upon the Bank of <HI>Orantes.</HI> Perhaps you remember Sir, that in that place there is a great Border who&s;e Partitions are gra&s;&s;e, in the mid&s;t of which there is a &s;tately Fountain who&s;e Ba&s;&s;in is half &s;a|ble, half argent; who&s;e &s;ides are coloured Ma&s;&s;ie green, who&s;e largene&s;s and coolne&s;s af|fords a very plea&s;ant neat unto tho&s;e which de&s;ire to re&s;t them&s;elves: Then Sir, this great border is environed with a Table and thick wood, in which is many paths cut, and which by a hundred turns and returns makes the walk very long and difficult to finde the way out. Al&s;o it is much le&s;s frequented that not at all le&s;s plea&s;ant then the re&s;t; But becau&s;e the other
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borders are neerer the entrance, therefore they were more u&s;ed, and none but &s;olitary and melancholy per&s;ons u&s;ed to go unto this Fountain: It was in this place where the fair <HI>Ame|&s;tris</HI> being per&s;wadeed by my Kin&s;woman and her Friend re&s;olved to meet me: It would be hard Sir for me to tell you all the joy which I received at this welcome news: I forgot that I was to &s;ee her upon terms of bidding her farewell, and never thought of what might fol|low this enterview. I thought only of her permitting me to &s;ee her in a place where I might di&s;cour&s;e of my Love; and where perhaps I might receive &s;ome te&s;timony from her that &s;he was not di&s;plea&s;ed with me. I came thither before break of day for fear of di&s;covery: I pa&s;|&s;ed away all the morning and the afternoon in a little Lodge at the farre end of the Walk, where none dwelt but the Gardiner, who for a little money will do what you plea&s;e; the Sun no &s;ooner began to decline neer her Bed, but I aro&s;e, and went into the thick wood which compa&s;&s;eth about the green border of gra&s;s, looking and longing with much impa|tiency for the coming of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> with abundance of impatience; The winde whifled not a leaf, but I thought I heard her coming, and her fair Idea pre&s;ented it &s;elf &s;o lively in my fancy, as though I &s;aw her often when I &s;aw her not: At la&s;t, the Sun being &s;et, this glo|rious Star appeared, and I &s;aw her come out of a part of the Wood, attended by my Kin&s;|man, and three or four of her women; for though this &s;ecret meeting was no crime, yet this wife Lady did chu&s;e rather to come accompanied with a rea&s;onable number then a few. I no &s;ooner &s;aw her, but I went to meet her, and pre&s;enting her my hand, I led her unto the Fountain, where we were certain to be heard by none, nor fear any &s;urpri&s;all: At fir&s;t I thanked her for her goodne&s;s towards me with all the reverence and re&s;pect that was po&s;|&s;ible; but &s;ince time was precious, &s;he was no &s;ooner &s;eated, but I kneeling unto her, while&s;t my Cozen and the re&s;t of her women di&s;cour&s;ed of the beauty of the place, &s;ome &s;ix paces from us: Madam (&s;aid I to her) may the unfortunate <HI>Aglatidas</HI> beleeve that you have honoured him &s;o far as to &s;ee him here with a good will? and was it not by chance that he hath this delight to meet you? No, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (an&s;wered &s;he) it was by my own con&s;ent that I &s;ee you, and I beleeve that my Father having commanded me to honour you very much, would think it no crime in me to give you this te&s;timony of my e&s;teem, and (if I dur&s;t &s;ay it) of my friend&s;hip: Ha Madam (&s;aid I to her) hide not my happine&s;s from me, and if it be &s;o that I am &s;o happy as to move you unto any &s;light acknowledgement of my Pa&s;&s;ion, let me know Madam, whether it be your plea&s;ure to pre&s;erve my life, and think not that I am of their humour who u&s;e to flatter them&s;elves, and expound all things to their own advantage; but on the contrary I do alwaies u&s;e to be jealous of my &s;elf, and doubt whether any can e&s;teem me: therefore Madam, I be&s;eech you be &s;o indulgent unto my weakne&s;s as not to incline &s;o much unto that &s;evere humour, which makes you think Love to be a crime, and which cau&s;eth you to u&s;e only the&s;e cruell words of e&s;teem and friend&s;hip in all your di&s;cour&s;e, but tho&s;e of Love and Pa&s;&s;ion are never heard from you: Be plea&s;ed to con&s;ider that I am an unfortunate man, and am to be an Exile in &s;ome Coun|trey where I can finde no joy: Think I conjure you that I have need of &s;ome con&s;olation, during this cruell ab&s;ence, and that if you do not afford me &s;ome &s;igns of your affection, I mu&s;t die with de&s;pair and &s;orrow; Do you think <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to me) that the&s;e are &s;mall things which I do for you? to come into the Garden, to admit you private Di&s;cour&s;e, and to hear you di&s;cour&s;e of your Pa&s;&s;ion, which how lawfull &s;oever it be, yet has danger in it &s;ince it is &s;o powerfull? and which cannot be endured by a maid without injury to her mode&s;ty, if &s;he be really rea&s;onable: Why Madam (&s;aid I to her) does a Pa&s;&s;ion which <HI>Ar|tambaces</HI> and <HI>Hermani&s;ta</HI> approve of leave any &s;cruple in the minde of <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> and is it a crime in <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> (who has not one &s;ingle thought to offend you) to tell you of his Love? Ha Madam, if it be &s;o, I &s;hall think my &s;elf the mo&s;t unhappy man upon earth; No No, <HI>Ag|latidas</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to me) I will not be &s;o &s;evere: I con&s;e&s;s (&s;aid &s;he ca&s;ting down her eyes) that I e&s;teem too much to be angry with you for loving me, and I wi&s;h you may alwaies do &s;o; I know not <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> if it were true that I did love you, &s;ince you would have me be|leeve you love me; I know not I &s;ay whether it be not out of cour&s;e to tell you as much, or whether it be not better to let you gue&s;s at my thoughts, then to explain them plainly; for indeed <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) ab&s;ence does often weaken the &s;tronge&s;t affections: and if it &s;hould &s;o fall out that you &s;hould alter, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;hould never enjoy her &s;elf, if &s;he had once confe&s;&s;ed her &s;elf &s;en&s;ible of your Love: Ha Madam (&s;aid I unto her) let not that con|&s;ideration deprive me of one favourable word from you: and be confident that when <HI>Ag|latidas</HI> does not love his adored <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> then he is not in this world: Time and ab&s;ence are two potent enemies (Replied &s;he) Yes Madam, again&s;t weak men (replied I) but <HI>Agla|tidas</HI>
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is not of that number, your fair eyes have too &s;trongly tied his heart ever to be di&s;en|gaged. But you Madam (&s;aid I) whom all the earth adores, does tell me that you have re|&s;erved one corner of your &s;oul for &s;ome one of my illu&s;trious Rivals, which you have not given unto me; for Madam I mu&s;t conclude this from all that you have &s;aid, that I am be|holding unto <HI>Artambaces</HI> for all the favours of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> You are not beholding to him for this Walk (replied &s;he) &s;ince none knew of it: Good gods Madam (&s;aid I to her looking upon her) will you not determine my fate? and either po&s;itively tell me you hate <HI>Aglati|das,</HI> or you love him? the fir&s;t is not ju&s;t (Replied &s;he) and the other though it were no fault yet it were not very hand&s;ome. I be&s;eech you then Madam (&s;aid I to her) be plea&s;ed to let me explain all your actions, and all your words unto my advantage, to make your eyes confe&s;s you love me, and let &s;ilence be a con&s;ent &s;ince words mu&s;t not. I permit you (&s;aid &s;he to me blu&s;hing) to think all that will pre&s;erve the life of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and to bring him to me full of fidelity home again; It is enough Madam (&s;aid I to her) it is enough, and &s;ince it is your de&s;ire I &s;hould be con&s;tant, there needs no more to make me the happie&s;t of men: But Madam &s;ince you have by &s;uch a glorious Commandment engaged me to be faithfull, dare I then per&s;wade my &s;elf, that &s;ince you have done &s;o, you will be &s;o your &s;elf? Beleeve it <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid &s;he then unto me) <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> does not u&s;e to engage her heart upon ea&s;ie tearms, and &s;ince you have a Place in it, nothing &s;hall take it out but death: I leave you to judge Sir what effects the&s;e favourable words wrought in my &s;oul; Then I took <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> by the hand, and ki&s;&s;ing it whether &s;he would or no, with as much reverence as love, I thanked her in &s;uch pa&s;&s;ionate terms, that I dare &s;ay they mollified her heart; yet &s;ince I left <HI>Megabi&s;es, Otanes,</HI> and a hundred more in Love, Ma|dam (&s;aid I to her) I have one favour to de&s;ire which I dare hardly name, and which yet I cannot conceal: then &s;he pre&s;&s;ed me to know what it was, a&s;&s;uring me that any thing which was not unju&s;t, &s;hould not be denied: that which I de&s;ire Madam is, if without forfeiture of my re&s;pect I may name it, that you would be plea&s;ed to be as re&s;erved of your favors as you can both unto <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Otanes,</HI> and a hundred others who are your &s;ervants, and not to let all my Rivals be happy, while&s;t the unfortunate <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;uffers unimaginable tor|ments: I do ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s, Madam, that my de&s;ire is unrea&s;onable, but Love knows no Laws of rea&s;on, nor can be kept within limits: I cannot promi&s;e you (an&s;wered &s;he) not to &s;ee them whom you call your Rivals: but I will a&s;&s;ure you I will not give them any favourable re&s;pect: This is too little to &s;atisfie my jealou&s;ie Madam (Replied I) unle&s;s you will be plea&s;ed to do me &s;o much honour as to promi&s;e me to re&s;pect them as little as can be po&s;&s;ibly: for Madam (&s;aid I) though your eyes be never &s;o much di&s;plea&s;ed, yet they are alwaies lovely, &s;o &s;prightly and &s;o divine, that it is much better to &s;ee them in their anger, then not to &s;ee them at all: Therefore Madam I be&s;eech you have compa&s;&s;ion upon my im|becillity, and refu&s;e me not the con&s;olation to hope that my enemies &s;hall not gain by my ab|&s;ence: and that I may not be the only man which &s;hall be deprived of that happine&s;s in &s;ee|ing you: I would <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to me) &s;ee your heart at re&s;t concerning that, and a&s;|&s;ure your &s;elf that I will with as much care affect a &s;olitude, as I &s;hould rejoyce in your pre|&s;ence and pre&s;ervation: But in con&s;enting unto this which you de&s;ire, I mu&s;t tell you thus much, that I will engage my &s;elf no further then civility will permit, thinking it not ju&s;t I &s;hould promi&s;e more: That perhaps may be too little Madam (&s;aid I) to &s;atisfie my Love, though it be enough to &s;atisfie one that gives Laws unto the whole world, and receives none from any but his own will: And indeed it is too much for me, if I do rightly con&s;i|der my little and your great merit, I &s;hould con&s;ume too much time Sir, if I &s;hould relate all that was &s;poken at this &s;ad but plea&s;ant conference, but &s;ince it was grown very late, <HI>A|me&s;tris</HI> would part, and I parted from her both with &s;orrow and &s;atisfaction: The more ob|liging words &s;he had given me, the more unhappy did I conceive my &s;elf in leaving her: and I could almo&s;t have wi&s;hed that &s;he had been le&s;&s;e favourable, that I might have been le&s;&s;e grieved: After I had a while continued my &s;o much intere&s;ted thoughts, I did &s;o much love the cau&s;e of my grief that my grief became precious and plea&s;ant unto me: And I cheri&s;h|ed them with more care then I can expre&s;s unto you: and from that fatall minute when I left <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> until this, wherein I &s;peak unto you, I almo&s;t never cea&s;ed from entertaining them: I followed <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> by my eyes as long as po&s;&s;ible, and parted from her &s;ighing, not being able to &s;peak adieu: I returned unto my melancholy lodging, not minding my way, nor any thing el&s;e but my &s;orrows; The Idea of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> with all her attracts, and charms, and all her &s;plendour, appeared unto me, notwith&s;tanding the darkne&s;s of the night. Two daies after this enterview, I went into the Province of <HI>Ari&s;antines&punc;</HI> where <HI>Ar|tambaces</HI>
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procured a convenient Retreat for me, with one of his Friends who had been Go|vernour of a con&s;iderable place; I will not relate my Melancholy &s;orrows all this voyage and exile. It's enough you know that the violence of my love was &s;o predominate in my heart, and my &s;oul was &s;o much infected with that Pa&s;&s;ion, as I was never at re&s;t: And to more augment my &s;orrows, I was no &s;ooner departed but I received the &s;ad news that <HI>Her|mani&s;ta</HI> being &s;ei&s;ed upon by a violent Feaver, did die the &s;eventh day, and that <HI>Artambaces</HI> who loved her with un&s;peakable tenderne&s;s, was fallen &s;ick upon it; But the misfortune en|ded not here, but a few daies after I heard that the loving Husband followed his wife to the grave: And that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> by Orders from the King was committed unto the Guardian&s;hip of one that was allied unto <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> and not at all a friend unto me: Imagine Sir, into what a condition this di&s;mall news tran&s;ported me; for I was infinitely bound unto <HI>Artam|baces</HI> and <HI>Hermani&s;ta;</HI> and moreover I re&s;ented the &s;orrows of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> I imagined that I &s;aw her in the hands of her enemies, who would not ea&s;ily &s;uffer me to &s;ee her, and upon the whole matter, I had nothing to relie upon but the fidelity of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> which me thought I had not well enough de&s;erved, to put too much confidence to it: Not but that I knew my Father did very much de&s;ire our Marriage: But yet there was &s;ome cau&s;e to fear, le&s;t if when he &s;aw the King alter his minde in favour of <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> who had already made his peace, that then my Father &s;hould comply with the time and alter his minde, in hopes he might more ea|&s;ily obtain my pardon: Thus I lived in &s;uch Melancholy as may be more ea&s;ily conceived then expre&s;&s;ed: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> al&s;o for her part her life was very full of bitterne&s;s: I did write unto her con&s;tantly every week by an expre&s;s me&s;&s;enger whom I &s;ent, and &s;he did me &s;o much fa|vour as to an&s;wer me, and that with &s;o much wit and wi&s;dom both, as her Letters moved no le&s;s wonder then love in me. As &s;he was extreamly troubled for the lo&s;s of <HI>Artambaces</HI> and <HI>Hermani&s;ta,</HI> &s;o &s;he writ unto me in &s;uch &s;ad expre&s;&s;ions as would have in&s;pired &s;orrow in a &s;oul that was in its height of jollity: She expre&s;&s;ed &s;uch tenderne&s;s for tho&s;e &s;he loved, that I almo&s;t wi&s;hed my &s;elf in the room of <HI>Artambaces</HI> and <HI>Hermani&s;ta,</HI> that I might &s;o re|ceive the feeling te&s;timonies of her affection. Alas, &s;aid I, how well does this fair Lady know how to love tho&s;e whom it is her plea&s;ure to love? and how infinitely happy &s;hould I be in the enjoyment of her affection in quiet and liberty? But whil&s;t I &s;igh't and complain'd away my daies and nights, without any other comfort but the Letters of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> my bu&s;i|ne&s;s rather went wor&s;e then mended, becau&s;e <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> having ingratiated him&s;elf in the Kings favour, did impede it; in &s;o much as my Father alwaies &s;ent me word I &s;hould come no nearer <HI>Ecbatan</HI> but re&s;t in patience: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> al&s;o feared I &s;hould run &s;ome hazard for the love of her; and lea&s;t I &s;hould expo&s;e my &s;elf unto &s;ome fre&s;h quarrell with <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> or <HI>Otanes,</HI> who were bu&s;ie about her; he praied very importunately not to return too ha|&s;tily: Thus I &s;aw I was arre&s;ted, and remained in the mo&s;t cruel anxiety that eve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> did Lover; I knew that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was ever upon better terms with <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> then any other of my Ri|vals; that for a long time &s;he had treated us with equal re&s;pect: that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was han|&s;ome, and had Courage, Wit and Quality enough. Moreover I con&s;idered that his E&s;tate was much augmented by the death of his brother <HI>Artabes,</HI> and that he was much in the Kings favour: So that as I made all the&s;e things Arms wherewith to per&s;ecute my &s;elf, I did charge my &s;elf with all tho&s;e misfortunes which I feared; imagining, that if I had not killed <HI>Artabes</HI> I &s;hould not have had &s;uch cau&s;e to fear that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> could marry <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> becau&s;e he was not &s;o rich, nor perhaps in &s;uch favour: Thus did I live the mo&s;t unhappy of men, al|waies per&s;wading my &s;elf, that what I wi&s;ht for, would never happen; and that which I fear|ed would fall out every minute. Sometimes I could not hope that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> would continue &s;incere and faithfull; &s;ometimes I conceited her Letters were but di&s;gui&s;ements of her thoughts, and that all the te&s;timonies of her affection were but tricks to delude me; but yet (as I knew afterwards) the amiable Lady pre&s;erved her faith, and her &s;elf inviolably for me; for &s;he did not only re&s;erve her Love for me; but &s;he acted &s;o vigorou&s;ly and &s;o &s;everely with all the re&s;t of her Lovers, that if &s;he had in&s;pired meaner pa&s;&s;ions, her cruelty to them had ab&s;olutely cured them. But as her beauty never begot any but violent loves they could not quite give over their de&s;ign, but did daily per&s;ecute her; yet her time of mourning which &s;he did really (as well in her heart as her habit) ob&s;erve, furni&s;hed her with a &s;pecious pretence of re&s;ervedne&s;s and melancholy, &s;he kept her &s;elf within tho&s;e limits as exactly a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> upon &s;uch occa&s;ions is required: And &s;he became &s;o &s;olitary and retired, as tho&s;e who loved her had much ado to get &s;o much opportunity as only to &s;ee her: The fir&s;t moneth of her mourning being over, &s;till &s;he did not alter her &s;able mode, but did refu&s;e all manner of di|ver&s;ions what&s;oever; only the conver&s;ation of <HI>Mena&s;tes</HI> (for &s;o they called him that was
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my kin&s;man and her friend) was &s;ome comfort and plea&s;ure unto her: They went out &s;ometimes together to walk in the &s;ame Garden where I &s;aw her la&s;t, and &s;he te&s;tified all that love could infu&s;e into a virtuous Lady, and certainly he infu&s;ed in my behalf as much re&s;ent|ments as he could into the adored <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> But alas, I was not a jot more happy; and I looked upon things much otherwi&s;e then they were: not but that I &s;uppo&s;ed <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to be faithfull unto me, and did really love me: But, O heavens, this plea&s;ant imagination, how delightfull &s;oever it was, yet did it not free me from impatience; but I had an extream de|&s;ire which moved me to go unto <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> with greater hopes to &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> con&s;tant, then to &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> unfaithfull: In conclu&s;ion, I was &s;o prompted both by my Love, and by my Jealou&s;ie, that I re&s;olved for <HI>Ecbatan</HI> &s;ecretly, and to go unto that Gardiner, where I &s;taied a day, when I took my leave of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and whom I found very pliable to receive gifts, and do me any good office I &s;hould imploy him in; &s;o I went with one man only, ma|king all po&s;&s;ible ha&s;te to be at <HI>Echatan,</HI> before any report of my departure could come ei|ther to my Father or to <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> becau&s;e I had obliged him with whom I dwelt, not to write of it unto the Court: My de&s;ign was to arive in the night for fear of being known; and having &s;ent my &s;ervant unto the lodging which I appointed him, I went pre&s;ently to the Garden re&s;olving to inform my &s;elf &s;ecretly how <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did before I &s;aw her; after my &s;ervant had carried my hor&s;es unto their lodging at the next Town: I pa&s;&s;ed away all the night in that place where I &s;aw her la&s;t; and calling into my memorial the favourable words which I had from her fair &s;elf; I was in &s;uch delighting &s;atisfaction as I cannot expre&s;s unto you: I know not by what &s;ecret charms this place did qualifie the turbulency of my &s;oul; but I am certain that &s;ince I came thither, not any jealou&s;ie or melancholy, or any other di&s;tempered pa&s;&s;ion troubled me, only my impatience, and longing de&s;ires to &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> and that was &s;o great, that as I told you, I walked all the night, it being an ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;i|bility to &s;leep. Then, as I could no way let <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> know of my arivall but by my kin&s;|man, I mu&s;t therefore &s;tay untill day time; but I had the misfortune to under&s;tand that he was gone into the Country, and would not return untill the next day: Yet notwith&s;tanding I conceived it better to confine my &s;elf unto my patience, then to hazard the di&s;plea&s;ure of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> by letting her know the news by any way then as &s;he was accu&s;tomed to receive it. I will not tell you Sir, how re&s;tle&s;s I was that day in the Gardiners hou&s;e, whither I was re|tired, to prevent my di&s;covery: But I will tell you that as &s;oon as the Sun was &s;et, that I thought there was no danger to be within the little paths of the thick wood which compa&s;&s;ed about the gra&s;s border, in the mid&s;t of which was the Fountain, as I have already told you&punc; then I went thither to rejoyce my &s;elf in that place, where I la&s;t &s;aw her I loved: I look up|on all the places where <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had been, e&s;pecially that where &s;he did &s;it: It was here, in this very place (&s;aid I) where the incomparable <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> a&s;&s;ured me of her con&s;tancy, when &s;he commanded it upon me, and where &s;he permitted me to think any thing that might con|duce unto the pre&s;ervation of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and bring him back full of fidelity unto her: See (&s;aid I to my &s;elf, and as if I had &s;een her) &s;ee here adored <HI>Amestris,</HI> the &s;ame <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> the very &s;ame you de&s;ired him to be, that is the mo&s;t faithfull, the mo&s;t amorous, and mo&s;t pa&s;|&s;ionate of all your Lovers: But my loved and adored <HI>Amestris</HI> (&s;aid I) I hope you al&s;o will retain the &s;ame I left you; and I hope to have nothing to contend about, but that &s;evere vertue which forbids you things mo&s;t innocent: As I was in the mid&s;t of the&s;e plea&s;ant con|templations, I di&s;covered through the boughs of trees, on the other &s;ide of the green Bor|der, one who &s;eem'd to be <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> waited upon by three other women. I looked upon her mo&s;t earne&s;tly, and I was confirmed in my belief: I &s;aw &s;he made towards the Fountain, after &s;he had looked about her, to &s;ee if the coa&s;t was clear from any interruption of her &s;o|litude, &s;he &s;at down by that plea&s;ant &s;ource, directly in the &s;ame place where I kneeled unto her when I took my leave: She leaned her head on one &s;ide upon her left hand, which did lie upon the mo&s;s-colour edge of the Fountain, and letting her right hand negligently upon her garment, &s;he looked upon the water like one that was in a profound &s;tudy, at lea&s;t as I might judge by her po&s;ture, for her face was not towards me: But, O heavens, what operation had this vi&s;ion upon my &s;oul? My heart trembled, my &s;pirits were di&s;ordered; and I was not ma&s;ter of my rea&s;on; I would have advanced towards her, though I had not power to &s;tirre: and I know not what odd fancy, which I cannot expre&s;s, moved me to &s;tay un&s;een, rejoycing a while at that good fortune which chance afforded me beyond my hopes: Indeed Sir, my joy was &s;o ab&s;olutely predominate to my &s;oul, as I was never &s;en&s;ible of the like; for I did not only &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> in a place where I hoped pre&s;ently to &s;peak unto her, but I &s;aw her in &s;uch a place as moved me to think &s;he thought of me; and that the end of
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her coming thither was but to remember our la&s;t di&s;cour&s;e: O mo&s;t happy <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> &s;aid I to my &s;elf, what do&s;t thou mu&s;e upon? Why do&s;t thou not pre&s;ent thy &s;elf unto thy faith|full <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> upon the&s;e words, violently bending the bows which hindred my pa&s;&s;age, I was going out of the wood to throw my &s;elf at her feet, and to interrupt the thoughts &s;he had of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> by rendring her <HI>Aglatidas</HI> him&s;elf: But when I was almo&s;t out of the Wood, and ready to enter into the green Border, I &s;aw one on the other &s;ide, who by his garb and gallant aray, &s;eem'd to be a man of quality: Then I retir'd with as much ha&s;t, as I advanc'd before, and as Love is alwaies ingenious to per&s;ecute tho&s;e who acknowledge it for their Soveraign, I &s;uddenly exchanged my joy for inquietude; which of my Rivals is this, &s;aid I, which comes to interrupt the thoughts of divine <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> from her dear <HI>Aglatidas?</HI> Ha, &s;aid I, if it be true, that I am in any corner of her heart, why &s;hould I envy him that throws him&s;elf at her feet, to acquaint her with his pa&s;&s;ion? But who knows, &s;aid I pre&s;ently, whe|ther or no <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> does not &s;tay her to meet this happy Rivall? and whether &s;he do not prophane that place by her infidelity, which I took to be a te&s;timony of her affection? Doubtle&s;s (&s;aid I, being much tran&s;ported, and hardly my &s;elf, when I &s;aw him advance to|wards her) this incon&s;tant woman &s;tayes for him; for if it were not &s;o, he would not make &s;uch ha&s;te, but would approach her with le&s;s &s;training him&s;elf: But, O heavens, what multi|plicity of &s;orrows &s;eized upon me, when I perfectly &s;aw that he who came unto her was not only my Rival, but the mo&s;t of all dangerous Rivals, <HI>Megabi&s;es&punc;</HI> I could not think on it with|out extraordinary turbulency: Yet &s;ince from the place where I lay hid I could not &s;ee the face of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> neither dur&s;t I change place for fear of making &s;uch noi&s;e as might di&s;cover me, therefore I could not preci&s;ely know whether &s;he &s;aw him coming or no: Yet as jea|lou&s;ie blinds all objects, I did imagine &s;he &s;aw him coming towards her; and by con&s;equence, becau&s;e &s;he did not ri&s;e and go to him, therefore I beleeved &s;he &s;taied for him; and that there was a great familiarity between them, becau&s;e &s;he did him not the honour to &s;alute him, nor u&s;e any manner of Ceremony: I know not Sir how I &s;hould expre&s;s unto you my &s;ad re&s;entments at that time; but I am mo&s;t certain that Love did never invent any &s;o cruel to torment tho&s;e &s;he would puni&s;h, then that which I endured upon this occa&s;ion. In conclu&s;ion Sir, to make it known unto you, that what joy &s;oever the &s;ight of that fair and dear Per&s;on had given me in the in&s;tant before, I mu&s;t tell you I could not chu&s;e but pa&s;&s;io|nately de&s;ire I were de&s;troied, I wi&s;hed &s;he would ri&s;e and be gone from that place: But, &s;aid I, if &s;he go away I &s;hall &s;ee her no more, yet if &s;he &s;tay, I may perhaps &s;ee her be&s;tow her favours upon my Rivall; If &s;he &s;hould ri&s;e he would follow her, and I &s;hould not &s;ee the manner of his treatment: But if &s;he do not go away, &s;aid I, is it not an infallible proof that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and &s;he are upon good termes? Go then, adored <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> (&s;aid I, joyning my hands) and &s;tay not for my greate&s;t enemy: But alas, this illu&s;trious Lady, never thought of going; for &s;he was &s;o taken up with thoughts of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and his long ab|&s;ence, that &s;he never &s;aw <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> until he was &s;o neer her that &s;he could not &s;hun him. She no &s;ooner perceived him, but &s;he ro&s;e, contrary to my expectation: and as I knew af|terwards, asked him with much &s;everity, why he came to mole&s;t her &s;olitude: But, oh Hea|vens, as I did not &s;ee the face of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> nor her &s;idelity to me, nor her rigour towards <HI>Me|gabi&s;es,</HI> &s;o I was not a jot &s;atisfied: I was in a hundred mindes to ru&s;h out of the wood, and break off their di&s;cour&s;e which I could not under&s;tand: I thought to a&s;&s;ault <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> be|fore the face of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> yet &s;eeing he had not a Sword, and I but one, I changed that de|&s;ign and deferred my revenge; and notwith&s;tanding my de&s;pair, my jealou&s;ie, and all I &s;aw, I had &s;o great a re&s;pect unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that though <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> had had a Sword as I had mine, yet in con&s;ideration of her, I think that I &s;hould not have dared to have &s;et upon him; be&s;ides the con&s;ideration of a &s;curvy noi&s;e which this manner of doing it would have rai&s;ed: Therefore then I remained an immoveable &s;pectator of this tedious di&s;cour&s;e: for as I exactly learned aftwards, after &s;he had &s;hewed <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> how ill &s;he took his abrupt intru&s;ion, &s;he would have gone away: but he did conjure her &s;o urgently to hear him, as the la&s;t time, prote&s;ting unto her, that if after he had expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf, &s;he &s;hould then for bid him any hopes of her affection, he would never importune her any more, nor &s;ee her; <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> thinking &s;he had found a good occa&s;ion to be delivered from the per&s;ecution of <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> told him at the la&s;t, that he might &s;peak, upon condition it &s;hould be the la&s;t time; and upon condition he would ab&s;olutely re&s;olve, to follow her order what&s;oever it might be: <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> being glad in the mid&s;t of his de&s;pair, that he had obtained permi&s;|&s;ion to &s;peak, after a low reverence, thanked <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> for the favour &s;he had done him: But alas Sir, How deep a wound did this thanks make in my heart? and how little did I
<PB N="129" REF="69">
under&s;tand the truth of the pa&s;&s;age? the Fountain was in the mid&s;t of the Green Border; the Border was very large; the Wood which compa&s;&s;ed it about, was every where equally di&s;tant from the mid&s;t where they were, and the Border round: I was too far off to under|&s;tand: I could come no neerer without di&s;covery: I &s;aw not the face of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> I &s;aw <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> in a po&s;ture of thanks for &s;ome favour, and I could conceive nothing but cau&s;e of de&s;pair; nor do nothing, but endure the mo&s;t intollerable Hell that ever was. Yet <HI>Mega|bi&s;es,</HI> not to lo&s;e his precious time, whereupon the joy or the &s;orrow of all his life did depend, began to &s;peak unto her in the&s;e termes: You know Madam, &s;aid he to her, that my Love to you has ever been &s;o full of reverence, that it never almo&s;t dur&s;t appear in your eye, but when de&s;pair had robd me of my rea&s;on, and forced me to reveal it: Yes Madam, I have &s;uffered, I have endured without complaint, untill the news of that good fortune which <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was to enjoy, for me to di&s;pute with him for an Honour, unto which I thought I had as much right as he: For, indeed Madam, our Qualities are equall: I have Loved you &s;ince the fir&s;t minute I &s;aw you: I have &s;erved you with an unparalleled a&s;&s;iduity, and unexampled fidelity: and all this Madam without receiving one favourable word from you, nor one common Smile which had the lea&s;t &s;weetne&s;s intended in it towards me: I have found you civil, it is true; as long as only matters of indifferency were in agitation: but as &s;oon as I had di&s;covered my Pa&s;&s;ion, ha Madam, then, tho&s;e eyes, tho&s;e fair eyes which I adore, never looked upon me but in anger: you have &s;hun'd me as an enemy: and to lap up all in a few words, I beleeve you have hated me: Yet for all this Madam, I have not left adoring you: you I &s;ay, who has deprived me of my re&s;t, and troubled the tranquility of my life: who has made me lo&s;e a Brother whom I much loved: you rob'd him of his rea&s;on and vertue, and cau&s;ed me to hate him; you have preferred the man who kil'd him with my own Sword: Yet Madam, I Love you &s;till, and &s;hall eternally Love you: yet notwith&s;tan|ding there remains &s;ome beams of under&s;tanding in me, though my &s;oul and &s;pirits be infi|nitely troubled: and I de&s;ire to conjure you to tell me without di&s;&s;imulation, What is the Cau&s;e of your aver&s;ion towards me? to the end I may regulate my re&s;entments: for al|though I know well that your Marriage was re&s;olved upon with <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and I know that <HI>Artambaces</HI> Loved him, yet I am not re&s;olved whether it was by his choice or yours. Therefore tell me Madam I conjure you, Whether your in&s;en&s;ibility of my Love, be an ef|fect of your Sumpathy with <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> or your naturall Antipathy to <HI>Megabi&s;es:</HI> Speak Madam, I be&s;eech you, to the end I may know after what manner I ought to tran&s;act; and fear not my de&s;pair: but on the contrary I promi&s;e to acknowledge your &s;incerity for a double favour when you &s;hall pronounce the &s;entence of death upon me. I could Madam (&s;aid he) without further troubling my &s;elf to di&s;cover your true thoughts, make u&s;e of other means, and take other cour&s;es to effect my de&s;igns: you know that I do not &s;tand upon ill termes with the King: and that you are at pre&s;ent with one of my friends and allies, who might advantage me more wayes then one; and that either by cunning, or the Authority of <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> I could take more violent and infallible cour&s;es. But Madam, I cannot, I am not capable of &s;uch wayes: the heart of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> is a thing which can never be gotten with &s;a|tisfaction, but by her &s;elf: therefore Madam, it mu&s;t be you only which with ingenuity can tell me the &s;ecret of your &s;oul: for if it be not engaged, then I &s;hall e&s;teem my &s;elf a mo&s;t happy man, and will not de&s;pair of good fortune; but if Madam it be engaged, it is but ju&s;t, that I only &s;hould be unhappy and not be perpetually a trouble unto you, either to your &s;elf, or to that happy Rivall whom you have cho&s;en: Speak Madam I be&s;eech you (&s;aid he to her in a mo&s;t &s;uppliant and pa&s;&s;ionate manner) and deny not unfortunate <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> this &s;mall favour: At the&s;e words he &s;topt, and with much impatience waited for the an&s;wer of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> which I could not under&s;tand: But alas mine was more cru|ell? and when I thought that perhaps the an&s;wer of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> unto <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was fa|vourable: I was upon the point of re&s;olving to leave the place where I was, and inter|rupt their Di&s;cour&s;e: Yet notwith&s;tanding it being the nature of jealou&s;ie to nouri&s;h poi&s;on, and to &s;eek that which will maintain it, and &s;hun that which would de&s;troy it, &s;o I kept my &s;tation, and endeavoured to know by the countenance of <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> whe|ther the an&s;wer of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was gracious to him or no: for (as I told you before I could not &s;ee hers: This wi&s;e Lady then, being moved with &s;ome compa&s;&s;ion towards <HI>Magabi&s;es,</HI> re&s;olved to try if &s;he could cure him, by telling him her very reall thoughts: But here admire Sir the fanta&s;ticall effects of Love: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> di&s;covered more things now to my advantage, unto <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> then ever &s;he had di&s;covered unto me in all her life, and while&s;t &s;he was telling them, I took them for &s;o many injuries done unto my
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own heart, &s;uppo&s;ing all her actions and ge&s;tures to be Te&s;timonies of a new Pa&s;&s;ion: and all tho&s;e words which I could not under&s;tand to be &s;o many infidelities: After then a little &s;tudy upon that which &s;he would an&s;wer, I know not (&s;aid &s;he to him) whether what you tell me be your reall thoughts or no; but I know very well that I will not di&s;&s;emble mine: Know then <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> that I have e&s;teemed you according to your de&s;erts, and I held you in a de|gree of friend&s;hip as long as I beleeved you intended nothing but civility towards me; but &s;ince you have given me &s;uch te&s;timonies of a violent pa&s;&s;ion, I do think that I ought not to deceive you by any fal&s;e ill-grounded hopes: for &s;ince I was re&s;olved ab&s;olutely to obey my father, I would never give my own minde leave to determine upon any thing: What (&s;aid <HI>Magabi&s;es</HI> interrupting her) if <HI>Artambaces</HI> had commanded you to accept of my &s;er|vices, would you have con&s;ented? Doubtle&s;s I had (an&s;wered &s;he:) But (&s;aid he) have you the &s;ame re&s;olved blinde obedience for <HI>Aglaridas?</HI> and did not your own choice precede the choice of <HI>Artambaces?</HI> It did not precede his,: an&s;wered this lovely La|dy: But <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> it is &s;o &s;trongly confirmed that nothing can alter it: Never think (&s;aid &s;he) that by acknowledging I do not hate <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> this &s;hould give you any ground for hope, that &s;ince my heart is &s;o &s;en&s;ible of him, it can ever be &s;o of yours: No <HI>Mega|hi&s;es</HI> deceive not your &s;elf, I love <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> becau&s;e my Father when he was dying com|manded it, and becau&s;e my own inclination does not refu&s;e it, and becau&s;e my own rea|&s;on argues for him: But be&s;ides all this I mu&s;t acknowledge &s;omething more unto you, and tell it in hopes to cure you, though I cannot without blu&s;hing tell you that I doe love him, and I will love him eternally: I have no other rea&s;on to give you but I do and will love him: Love (&s;aid &s;he) is doubtle&s;s a Pa&s;&s;ion, which if it were po&s;&s;ible we ought not to have: But when it is entertained, and innocent as mine is, it ought to be made illu&s;trious by an inviolable con&s;tancy; My Fathers command hath rendred the originall of this Pa&s;&s;ion in me to be no crime; and I mu&s;t not make it become criminall by infidelity; never think <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> that there is any thing offen&s;ive unto you in the affection I have unto <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> I cho&s;e him not, but he was given unto me, but &s;ince I have ac|cepted of him, I mu&s;t pre&s;erve him till death, and keep my &s;elf for him as long as I live: yet notwith&s;tanding to re&s;tifie that I will do all I can for you; I per&s;wade you to regulate your thoughts if you can: Content your &s;elf with my e&s;teem and friend&s;hip, and be confident you &s;hall enjoy both them as long as I live: <HI>Amo&s;tris</HI> having done &s;peaking, the unhappy <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> who bore an unconceivable re&s;pect unto her, in lieu of breaking into complaints and reproaches, thanked her for her freedom and &s;incerity, and te&s;tified with tears in his eyes that he was much obliged unto her for offering unto him her e&s;teem and friend&s;hip; but as he had a little changed his &s;tarion, &s;o that I could &s;ee no more then his &s;ide; I could not perceive any melancholy in his face, I only &s;aw a ge&s;ture, as if he had gi|ven thanks for &s;omething, which (as you may conceive) did not a little vex me; yet <HI>Mega|bi&s;es</HI> after he had a little deplored his misfortune, and admired at the change and his own mo|deration, told <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that he dur&s;t not promi&s;e her an alteration in his thoughts: But at the lea&s;t Madam (&s;aid he) I will &s;o hide them that you &s;hall never perceive them, and &s;o far I will promi&s;e you: I will not have you (&s;aid he &s;ighing) divide your heart: No Madam, &s;ince I can have no room in your affection &s;uch as I with never be&s;tow your e&s;teem nor your friend&s;hip upon me neither: Drown all tho&s;e petty favours in the love you bear unto too happy <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and give nothing unto unfortunate <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> only one favour which he de&s;ign'd to ask you: After this Madam he will be as good as his word, he will &s;peak un|to you no more: therefore Madam (&s;aid he with eyes full of teans) refu&s;e not to grant me this Reque&s;t; and permit me during this Bani&s;hments which I intend, to &s;ay, that you have not ab&s;olutely for&s;aken me&punc; A&s;&s;ure your &s;elf (&s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to him) any thing which will neither offend again&s;t my own duty, nor <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;hall not be denied you; Say then only Madam (added he) that if de&s;pairing <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> had been happy, he might have been loved by the divine <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and that being unfortunate &s;he hath only &s;ome &s;light compa&s;&s;ion upon his misfortune: I have already &s;aid the fir&s;t (an&s;wered &s;he) and for the &s;econd, as I am neither blinde nor &s;tupid, and do &s;ee things as they are; and as I ought to &s;ee them, and to &s;ay more, I think as I ought to think of them: but ask me no more and remember your Pro|mi&s;es: I die, if I remember them Madam (an&s;wered he) but I will never forget them: at the&s;e words he kneeled to give her thanks and bid his la&s;t adieu, and before &s;he had any time to hinder it, or make any &s;ign, &s;he was di&s;plea&s;ed with it, he ki&s;&s;ed her hand twice: Oh Heavens Sir, what did I think I &s;aw what I now tell you? at that very in&s;tant both my Love and my Love and my Jealou&s;le gave place unto another pa&s;&s;ion, and that was hatred; or to &s;ay bet|ter,
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Hatred, and Love, and Jealou&s;ie, Anger, Fury, Rage, met and mingled all together in my minde: and all &s;triving to be predominate in my &s;oul, put it into a great di&s;order, &s;o that I had no re&s;pect for <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> I began then to come out of the wood where I was hid, and re&s;olved to be&s;tow a thou&s;and taunts upon her, and perhaps wor&s;e upon <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> when pre&s;ently I di&s;covered the King attended by the whole Court, who contrary to cu&s;tom came to walk there: the Guards no &s;ooner appeared but <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> parted from <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> who for his part went to lament his misfortunes in &s;ome &s;olitary place; But they neither of them came towards the place where I was, and &s;taied alone, not being able either to complain or revenge my &s;elf: I went into the thick of the wood, but &s;o tormented by all pa&s;&s;ions that I could not fix my minde upon any object; I no &s;ooner began to think of the infidelity of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> but I thought of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> his good fortune: and as &s;oon as I thought to come plain of my Mi&s;te&s;s, but I began a de&s;ign to revenge my &s;elf upon my Rivall: My &s;oul was &s;o tormentingly to&s;led that I was not a minute at quiet in my &s;elf; yet as the King came late, &s;o he &s;taid not long: Night coming on apace I only waked and &s;taid in the Garden, I remember the Moon &s;hined very weakly that night, becau&s;e &s;he was at the la&s;t end of her cour&s;e, and that dim Melancholique light &s;uited be&s;t with my humour, after I had &s;ent my Servant to fetch my Hor&s;es, I pa&s;&s;ed away the night without &s;etting down or re&s;ting my &s;elf, only a little while upon the &s;ide of the Fountain: I walked in every path, and one might have &s;aid I was &s;eeking my Mi&s;tre&s;s and my Rivall in every corner of the wood, al|though I knew neither of them were there; But when I came to the place where I &s;aw them together, It was here (&s;aid I) where I &s;aw the unfaithfull <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> be&s;tow a favour upon my Rivall, &s;uch a one as I dur&s;t never pretend unto: Here it was, in this place (added he) where I received &s;uch a favour as I thought none could ever have obtained but my &s;elf: Yes <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I thought your virtue was &s;o preci&s;e that without the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of <HI>Artambaces</HI> I &s;hould never have obtained any place in your heart: but for ought I &s;ee, <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> needs none to help him unto the Soveraignty of your heart; and your incon&s;tancy has excluded the unfortunate <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> But cruell Lady (&s;aid he) mu&s;t you needs chu&s;e the very &s;ame place which was the only Te&s;timony of that love you gave me, and there be&s;tow your fa|vours upon <HI>Megabi&s;es?</HI> Mu&s;t you needs betray me there where you promi&s;ed your fidelity unto me? Is it po&s;&s;ible but that in &s;peaking unto <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> you &s;hould remember <HI>Aglatidas?</HI> Does not the murmure of this Fountain, with which you &s;aw me mingle my tears at parting, put you in minde of him? Did not that mo&s;&s;e-green Cu&s;hion upon which you leaned re|member you that I bedewed it with my tears? Cruell and perfidious Lady, have you forgot how you drew back your fair hand which I would have ki&s;&s;ed, and which <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> hath obtained with your full con&s;ent: Why (unju&s;t and ungratefull <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> were you &s;o li|berall unto him, and &s;o <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">igardly of your fayours unto me? Do you not remember how you permitted me to think of any thing that might pre&s;erve <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and bring him back un|to you full of fidelity? Would you have him pre&s;erve him&s;elf only to ruine him? and did you de&s;ine him to continue con&s;tant, to the end he might be more &s;en&s;ible of your infide|lity? If it had been your minde I &s;hould have been unhappy, had not that been enough, but you mu&s;t make me &s;en&s;ible of it al&s;o? Had it not been more honour for you to have treated me ill then to betray me? You had been only cruell then, and perhaps le&s;s unju&s;t; but as you have now u&s;ed me; you are cruell, wicked, perfidious, and inhumane; But alas (&s;aid I) is it po&s;&s;ible that all the while I courted <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;he did not love me? Whether it is that &s;he alwaies did deceive me or has changed her minde? Mu&s;t I look upon <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> as one that is a cheat, and in&s;en&s;ible, &s;uch a one as laughs at the misfortunes of another? or mu&s;t I think her weak, uncon&s;tant, and a Lover of novelty? who loves tho&s;e &s;he &s;ees, and forgets tho&s;e &s;he &s;ees not? Such a one as gives her heart to any, that asks it? But alas (&s;aid I) that heart, that glorious heart, has co&s;t me too dear in the obtaining for that to be &s;o. How many tears have I dropt? how many unprofitable &s;ighs? and what abundance of pains have I taken be|fore I could receive the lea&s;t &s;hadow of any good will unto me? what then can I think of you unfaithfull <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> have you ever loved me? or have you ever hated me? Ha, No No (&s;aid I pre&s;ently) you did love me when I la&s;t left you; I di&s;covered your heart moved, I perceived in your eyes whether you would or no, &s;ome tears of tenderne&s;s which your mo|de&s;ty did &s;trive to keep in: You did hide &s;ome of your re&s;entments from me, you grieved when I left you, and certainly you did then love me mo&s;t lovely <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> But unhappy man&punc; that I am, you did not love me more then you had rea&s;on for: I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> (&s;aid I) that ab&s;ence is mo&s;t dangerous, but alas, I was ab&s;ent for the love of you. More|over you have alwaies writ unto me, as if you had continued faithfull and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> I &s;ee you
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the mo&s;t unfaithfull woman that ever was: Ha, too happy <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> (&s;aid I) never think you &s;hall enjoy your happine&s;&s;e quietly: for I mu&s;t revenge the wrong that you have done me. Is it thou, who by &s;ome trick or other has altered the heart of <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> and &s;educed her from her good inclinations to me: It mu&s;t be thou doubtle&s;s who is the only cau&s;e of her Crime, and my misfortune: I will therefore have this re&s;pect unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> as not to &s;peak any thing unto her concerning it; nor complain of her inju&s;tice, nor charge any but him only who has made her culpable. But Oh Heavens (&s;aid I) <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> is one of an excellent wit and judgement; &s;he cannot ea&s;ily be deceived: <HI>Artabes</HI> as cunning as he was, could do no good upon her: No, no; let me not flatter my &s;elf (&s;aid I) the heart of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> holds corre&s;pondence with <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> &s;he is as culpable as he: and he enjoyes not her affection, but becau&s;e &s;he has given it unto him. If I &s;hould tell you all I &s;aid, Sir, and all I thought upon, I &s;hould not fini&s;h my &s;ad &s;tory this night, but &s;hould too much abu&s;e your patience and goodne&s;s: I will only relate, that I intended a hundred times to quit <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> to forget her, and &s;corn her: then again I re&s;olved a hundred times al&s;o, to repent and Love her eternally, maugre her crime: there was only one re&s;olution which I kept con&s;tantly in my minde, which was, to kill <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> where&s;oever I found him; but yet I did not know &s;ometimes whether I &s;hould Love or hate <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> yet however I was fixed upon it to ruin my Rivall: Day and my Hor&s;es were no &s;ooner come, but I &s;ent my Servant to know whether <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was with her, and inform me of it; but to my ill fortune, he was gone into the Country, and none of his men could tell which rode he took: This chance did much di&s;plea&s;e me; and the thought, that this meeting of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> was only to bid adieu in that place, did double my de&s;pair: Then I &s;ent to &s;ee whether <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> was returned out of the Country, to the end I might make my com|plaints unto her of the perfidy of her friend; but I under&s;tood &s;he was fallen &s;ick, and could not &s;o &s;uddenly return: Then was I the mo&s;t de&s;pairing man upon earth: I had &s;een &s;uch pa&s;&s;ages as moved me not to doubt of the Infidelity of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> I &s;aw her more fair then ever, at lea&s;t in my imagination: My Rivall was ab&s;ent; my only confident was &s;ick, &s;o that I had no opportunity either to lament or revenge my &s;elf. I &s;tayed two dayes clo&s;e in a little Town neer <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> in this deplorable condition, with intentions to be informed whether <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was gone; but do what I could, there was no certainty of it to be learned: I was only told that he went that way which leades into the Province of the <HI>Ari&s;antines,</HI> which was the place of my retreat: yet becau&s;e there was divers cro&s;s wayes conducting to &s;everall places, I could not conclude any certainty thereupon; yet I did imagin that he was gone to &s;eek me out and fight with me, that &s;o he might more quietly enjoy <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> This thought made &s;uch impre&s;&s;ion in me, that I took hor&s;e to return, enquiring very exactly all the way for him: &s;ometimes thinking I had found him, and then pre&s;ently found my &s;elf deceived: I came at la&s;t to the place of my retreat without any intelligence of <HI>Megabi|&s;es:</HI> At my return I found a Letter from <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> which came during my ab&s;ence, and which did vex me &s;o much as it would have plea&s;ed me if my minde had not been prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed: but &s;ince it is not very long, and &s;erves to the purpo&s;e which I intend, I will relate it to you; and if I be not mi&s;taken it was thus indited;</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>From</HI> Ame&s;tris <HI>unto</HI> Aglatidas.</HEAD>
<P>SInce you have &s;o much Curio&s;ity and de&s;ire to know how I do, and what my diver&s;ions are, know, that I do &s;hun the tumultuous Court as much as han&s;omely I can; that there is only one, who&s;e Conver&s;ation I can endure without regret; and that I do as much as I can, make this Conver&s;ation &s;olitary and retired, you may very well imagin that I do not choo&s;e the Gardens of the Palace for my walks, but the Fountain in the Green Plain, is the ordinary place where I en|tertain that only one Per&s;on, who at pre&s;ent can afford me any delight in <HI>Ecbatane:</HI> there it is where I entertain my &s;elf: I will not tell you <HI>Aglatidas</HI> all my thoughts in this retired place, for perhaps it will more conduce unto your quiet, to keep you ignorant; and perhaps al&s;o it will be more advantagious unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> if you do not gue&s;s at them.</P>
</LETTER>
<P>I be&s;eech you Sir, to wonder at the odne&s;s of this accident; If I had received this Letter, be|fore I had &s;een what I did, I had been ravi&s;hed with joy: for then I &s;hould have under&s;tood this &s;olitude whereof &s;he &s;peaks, to have been for the Love of <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> I &s;hould have ta|ken that only Per&s;on which &s;he could endure, to have been my Cozen with whom &s;he had di&s;cour&s;t of me; I &s;hould have thought her going to the Fountain in the Green Plain, had
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been to remember the la&s;t time I &s;aw her: and &s;hould doubtle&s;s have thought her Letter to be infinitely obliging, &s;ince in telling me it would not conduce to my quiet, that I &s;hould know her mu&s;ing thoughts, I &s;hould have interpreted her meaning was, that the knowledge of her &s;orrowes would augment mine: And I &s;hould have thought that none could expre&s;s affection more &s;trongly and gallantly then &s;he did in the end of her Letter, in &s;aying, that per|haps al&s;o it would be advantagious for her that I &s;hould not gue&s;s her thoughts: But Sir, this Letter did work a far different effect in my minde; and I expounded it in a quite oppo|&s;ite &s;en&s;e to what &s;he did mean it: I did apprehend it &s;o inhumane, that &s;eeing &s;he betrai|ed me and had written to me in a double &s;en&s;e, I beleeved that the more to oblige <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> &s;he had &s;hewed him the Letter: yes yes perfidious <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> (&s;aid I in reading the Letter, and commenting almo&s;t upon every word) I have &s;ome de&s;ire to know what you do, and what are your diver&s;ions, I know indeed that you do not lie when you write unto me that you &s;hun the tumult of the Court, and that there is but one per&s;on whom you can endure without regret, and that you al&s;o do what you can to have that conver&s;ation in a &s;olitary and retired place: you tell me cruell <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that I may imagine you &s;hun the Gardens of the Palace for your walks; but perfidious as you are. I cannot imagine you go unto the Fountain in the green Plain unto any other end then to entertain <HI>Megabi&s;es:</HI> yet I do un|der&s;tand and &s;aw with my own eyes that the only per&s;on in <HI>Ecbatan</HI> which can plea&s;e you is the too happy <HI>Megabi&s;es:</HI> You &s;ay further, that you entertain your &s;elf: Ah, I have &s;een too much, cruell <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I wi&s;h the gods I had not &s;een it: But you have rea&s;on (&s;aid <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">) to &s;ay, that it would conduce unto my quiet to be kept ignorant of your Mu&s;ings, and more rea&s;on to &s;ay that it would not be advantagious unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> that I &s;hould gue&s;s at them: But how (unju&s;t Lady) can you acknowledge them a wrong, and not repent of them; but perhaps you writ this Letter before that cruell di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Megabi&s;es:</HI> and indeed I was not mi&s;taken in my conjecture, for looking upon the Date of the Letter, and remembring the day I &s;aw them together, I found it was writ the day before it: This did put me into &s;o hot a chafe, that I was re&s;olved to u&s;e all po&s;&s;ible means for the curing of my ill-grounded Pa&s;&s;ion: You may ea&s;ily conceive that I took up this re&s;olution with abun|dance of &s;orrow, and that I was to endure more then one Combat before I could overcome: I re&s;olved to wait until Fortune gave me an opportunity to be revenged of <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> and not to travell the world over in que&s;t of him, as I once intended: and I re&s;olved to &s;ur|mount tho&s;e re&s;entments which Love had infu&s;ed into my &s;oul: I would not an&s;wer <HI>Ame|&s;tris</HI> nor &s;eek for any Con&s;olation in reproaching or taxing her for her crime; but I com|manded him who u&s;ed to receive the Letters, to &s;end them back again without letting me &s;ee them or opening of them: If you ever were in love Sir, I need not tell you what I endured upon this occa&s;ion: You will ea&s;ily know that it is a mo&s;t difficult thing to break ones heart of a violent pa&s;&s;ion: That I have rea&s;on enough not to think upon <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> yet I thought perpetually upon her: and it is in vain to make any offers to &s;corn her, &s;ince I did ever e|&s;teem her more then all the world: I &s;ought out company and di&s;cour&s;e, thinking to divert my &s;elf that way; but it was &s;o di&s;ta&s;tefull that &s;olitude was le&s;s &s;upportable: I called books to my relief, but in them I found nothing but good improfitable Coun&s;els: I went to hunt&punc; but I found that my wearine&s;s of body did nouri&s;h the di&s;tempers of my minde: In conclu|&s;ion I re&s;olved to let time cure that which nothing el&s;e would: But O Heavens, this remedy was long and tedious. All this while the innocent <HI>Amestris,</HI> &s;he hearing no news of me, and &s;eeing all her Letters &s;ent back, gave over writing to me any more, and was in a very &s;ad condition: Sometimes &s;he imagined I was dead, but my Cozen under&s;tood from my Father that it was not &s;o: They endeavoured, but in vain, to finde out the cau&s;e of my &s;ilence; and the innocence of <HI>Amestris</HI> was &s;uch as &s;he could not gue&s;s at it: She had &s;ome fears that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> would render but an ill account unto me, and had told him &s;ome tales of her: But upon &s;econd thoughts &s;he could not beleeve him &s;o ba&s;e as to do &s;uch a vile act, nor me to be &s;o weak as to beleeve him &s;ince I was his Enemy and Rivall; &s;o that there was no like|lihood of any &s;uch thing; for he was too much a man of honour to u&s;e any &s;uch cheats&punc; al&s;o he was going to live in a place where he could enjoy no fruits of his policy, &s;ince it was then known that his de&s;pair had carried him into tho&s;e wars which were then up in <HI>Lidia:</HI> What did not then the amiable <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> think? and of what crime did &s;he not accu&s;e the unfortu|nate <HI>Aglatidas?</HI> She thought him to be uncon&s;tant, that &s;ome new beauty and fre&s;h pa&s;&s;ion had wrought a change in him, and upon that thought &s;he would forget her &s;orrows, and repent &s;he had ever loved him: She told a hundred Stories again&s;t me and my Love, and did all &s;he could to take that heart from me which &s;he had given me; <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> who loved
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me very well, and who was returned out of the Countrey, was not able to excu&s;e me, but &s;he nouri&s;hed all her angry thoughts again&s;t me: Indeed Sir, it might very well be &s;aid that we were both of us as unfortunate as we were innocent, In the mean time, he with whom <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> lived, and who had a de&s;ire to plea&s;ure <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> and who &s;eeing that he was ab|&s;ent, al&s;o knowing that there were abundance which pretended unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> intended to take a Voyage in the Province <HI>Ari&s;antines,</HI> where the greate&s;t part of his E&s;tate was, to take &s;ome order concerning urgent bu&s;ine&s;s there; for Sir, it was unknown at Court, whither I was retired, and this man did not know I was there. <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> who could not endure the Court was much again&s;t her minde, and who de&s;ired to hide her &s;orrows, was very glad of the motion, and much the more (as I heard &s;ince) becau&s;e &s;he hoped coming into that Province where I was, &s;he might finde out the cau&s;e of my alteration, of which yet &s;he was ignorant: In the mean time, as the ab&s;ence of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> did facilitate the matter, my Fa|ther having obtained my favour with the King, commanded me to return unto <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> ju&s;t at the &s;ame time when <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> went out of it. I confe&s;s I received this news with &s;orrow, and &s;hould have been content to have continued longer in bani&s;hment: Yet notwith&s;tand|ing I thought to tell things as they were, and &s;eemed to beleeve that my heart was &s;ufficient|ly cured from fear of any more wounds at the &s;ight of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> I then returned unto <HI>Ec|batan</HI> and met her not, becau&s;e &s;he took another way: I cannot relate Sir what troubles my minde was in when I came near <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> when I entred into it, and pa&s;&s;ed by the Palace gate of <HI>Artambaces.</HI> I feared to meet <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and I looked about me exactly in pa&s;&s;ing through all the &s;treets: I would have deceived my &s;elf, and not known the place where &s;he was: But alas, that I &s;hould know my &s;elf &s;o little, and that I &s;hould be &s;o ignorant of what was to come: I was no &s;ooner lighted from my Hor&s;e, but I went to my Fathers chamber who received me with unexpre&s;&s;ible joy: though he re&s;ented &s;ome &s;orrows to &s;ee my face &s;o altered as it was: for indeed Sir I was &s;o much changed, that I doubted whether I &s;hould have been taken for my &s;elf: My Father at la&s;t told me that he had been &s;o &s;ollicitous about the bu&s;ine&s;s which concerned my life, that he never thought of pre&s;&s;ing forward the bu&s;i|ne&s;s of my marriage, becau&s;e that might have too much incen&s;ed <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> both unto love and unto revenge: Sir, &s;aid I unto him, you have done very well, for at the pre&s;ent, Mar|riage is a thing which I more fear then de&s;ire: My Father de&s;ired me to explain that <HI>Enig|ma,</HI> but I excu&s;ed it, and went unto my old Chamber in a mighty melancholy. The next mor|ning my Father carried me unto the King, who received me very well, and who would have reconciled the Family of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and ours, but as for <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> he was not yet returned unto <HI>Ecbatan.</HI> In going from the Court, I was not long alone, for the report of my return was no &s;ooner divulged in <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> but many of my friends came to vi&s;it me: And &s;ince my Love unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was known unto every one; After the fir&s;t complements were pa&s;&s;ed <HI>Arbatan</HI> the Brother of <HI>Harpagus</HI> (whom the King had heretofore employed to de&s;troy young <HI>Cyrus)</HI> who was in the Catalogue of my be&s;t friends, asked me if I did not meet the fair <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> upon the way as I returned to Court: I blu&s;ht at the name of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and asked my friend whether <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was in <HI>Ecbatan</HI> or no; to which he an&s;wered, that que|&s;tionle&s;s &s;he was not: But here Sir, admire what Love can do! I was no &s;ooner a&s;&s;ured of her ab&s;ence but I re&s;ented both joy and &s;orrow together: and my minde was &s;o divided up|on this occa&s;ion, as I could determine upon nothing: yet notwith&s;tanding I think that if the ground of my heart had been well examined, I &s;hould have more de&s;ired her re|turn to <HI>Ecbatan</HI> then rejoyced at her ab&s;ence: not that I was fully re&s;olved never to make the lea&s;t &s;hadow of Love unto her, but, not to di&s;gui&s;e the matter, I did yet love her more then I thought I &s;hould: and it is the naturall quality of Love to de&s;ire the &s;ight of the party loved: I re&s;erved my minde &s;o clo&s;ely all the time of this conver&s;e, that I never was the fir&s;t which &s;poke: I had a hundred de&s;ires, that every one &s;hould &s;peak unto me of it, but I never dur&s;t &s;peak of it my &s;elf: &s;ince I had no other confidents unto whom I dur&s;t open my Pa&s;&s;ions; but <HI>Artabes</HI> who now was dead, and <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> who was gone with <HI>Ame|&s;tris:</HI> I could not make misfortunes known unto them who already knew them not. Yet notwith&s;tanding I altered my re&s;olution, and <HI>Artaban</HI> did &s;o diligently &s;eek my friend&s;hip, and enquired concerning the cau&s;es of my profound melancholy which appeared in my face, and all my actions, that I being moved by his affection and my own &s;orrows, did acquaint him with the originall of my Love, with its progre&s;s and end; for &s;ometimes I was &s;o bold as to &s;peak as if I were no more in Love. It chanced one day when we were both alone to|gether, and di&s;cour&s;ing of &s;ome Pa&s;&s;ages at Court, I took the heart to tell <HI>Artaban</HI> that the time was when I loved <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> But Sir, in pronouncing the&s;e words I blu&s;ht: And
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<HI>Artaban,</HI> embracing me, &s;aid, Ah my dear <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> you do love &s;till, your face does be|tray you, your heart has more &s;incerity then your tongue: I know not whether I love yet (&s;aid I unto him &s;ighing) but I do know very well that I ought not to love her any longer, and more then that, I will not love her any longer. Love (an&s;wered he unto me) does not u&s;e to ask coun&s;esl of rea&s;on, nor de&s;ire the con&s;ent of our wills to &s;ubject us; The &s;ame vio|lence which made it ma&s;ter of our hearts whether we would or no, can maintain it by the &s;ame waies: Love (&s;aid <HI>Artaban)</HI> is not a lawfull King but a Tyrant, which does not more kindely u&s;e them who do not defend them&s;elves, then they who will di&s;pute with it for their liberty, and who will have the Soveraignty where it would reign: What&s;oever it can do (&s;aid I) whether I love <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> or whether I love her not, &s;he &s;hall never have any more &s;hews either of Love or hatred from me: You will &s;oon change this Opinion (Replied he unto me:) There needs not many words to prove that every minute of your Life &s;peaks Love unto her; all your Di&s;cour&s;es, and all your actions do manife&s;t that you will be alwaies faithfull unto her: your Pa&s;&s;ion of her is very lively painted in your eyes: for (&s;aid he, not giving me time to an&s;wer him) From whence el&s;e can this &s;trange alteration which appears in your face, in your &s;pirits, and in all your humours procede? from what cau&s;es can ari&s;e this profound melancholy, this Solitude which you prefer before all your friends; the&s;e con|tinuall &s;ighs; that indifferency wherewith you look upon all Court-diver&s;ions, from whence can the&s;e proceed but from your being in Love? I do not nor will not love <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> any more (replied I) and I hate all the re&s;t of the world be&s;ides, except <HI>Artaban.</HI> And why do you hate them? (an&s;wered he) &s;o many brave and gallant men, who do court you, and in|finitely honour you? what will they do? what will &s;o many fair and amiable Ladies as are in <HI>Ecban</HI> &s;ay? what has nature and they done that you &s;hould thus hate them? No no <HI>Agla|tidas</HI> (continued he) deceive not your &s;elf, you do love <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and you do love her &s;o much as you hate all the world be&s;ides: If you did not love her, doubtle&s;s you would not hate others, but would love them as all other grave men u&s;e to love them: If I did love <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> (&s;aid I to him) I &s;hould have wi&s;hed her return, and have known of her depar|ture, and have re&s;ented it: This re&s;entment (Replied he) is no le&s;s a mark of your Love then your wi&s;hes; for <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> cannot be terrible unto you: you cannot fear her return but you mu&s;t love her: Moreover (&s;aid he) what other ground can you finde for your Melan|choly? You are beloved of all the world; you have a Father which con&s;ents unto any thing you de&s;ire; your quality is inferiour unto few; you are abundantly rich; you enjoy youth and health; you are of a compleat and hand&s;ome deportment (&s;aid he flatteringly) you have courage and reputation enough: What is it then <HI>Aglatidas</HI> that you want? Where is any ground for your Melancholy? The remembrance of my misfortunes (an|&s;wered I) the remembrance of your misfortunes (replied he) &s;hould cau&s;e your joy when they are pa&s;t: You had better have &s;aid your misfortunes do continue: But I be&s;eech you (&s;aid he) what will make you happy? They mu&s;t be things impo&s;&s;ible (&s;aid I to him) no|thing el&s;e but that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had never been perfidious: What then (Replied <HI>Artaban)</HI> is your good fortune &s;o in&s;eparably annexed unto <HI>Ame&s;cris?</HI> Can you never be happy with|out <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> You are very urgent (&s;aid I to him) and I will an&s;wer you no more: Tell me you cannot an&s;wer, but at the &s;ame time confe&s;s that you are the mo&s;t in love of any man in the world: But my Dear <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Arbatan)</HI> why do you conceal &s;o great and dangerous a di&s;ea&s;e which can never be cured but by di&s;covering it? I hide it (&s;aid he and changing colour) becau&s;e I think it incurable; and if I did not infinitely love <HI>Arbatan,</HI> I &s;hould not tell him as I do, that in de&s;pight of my rea&s;on and again&s;t my will, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> the perfidious <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> does take up all my thoughts, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;es my heart whether I will or no: As I left &s;peaking, <HI>Artaban</HI> embracing me, began; Now (&s;aid he to me) you have told me your di&s;ea&s;e, I will endeavour to cure it: I beleeve you wi&s;h it (&s;aid I to him) but it is not &s;o ea&s;ie to do as to &s;ay it; for know <HI>Artaban,</HI> that though <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;hould repent her of her infidelity, and come to me with tears in her eyes, I could not yet be perfectly &s;atisfied: the remembrance of what is pa&s;t would keep me in continuall inquietude for the time to come; and I &s;hould po&s;&s;e&s;s a trea&s;ure which I &s;hould be in perpetuall fears to lo&s;e: As often as &s;he gave me any obliging language, I &s;hould imagine that the &s;ame expre&s;&s;ions were u&s;ed in favour of my Rivall: And I could not re&s;pect the heart of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> otherwi&s;e then as a prophaned Altar: What if <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> (&s;aid then <HI>Artaban)</HI> &s;hould with all her charms and beauty ask pardon for her weakne&s;s and change, would you refu&s;e her? Ah cruell friend (&s;aid I to him) what delight can you take in per&s;ecuting me in lieu of pre&s;er|ving me? and telling me of &s;uch impo&s;&s;ibilities? But if it &s;hould &s;o happen (&s;aid he to me)
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how would you u&s;e her? In &s;pight of all my inqui&s;itive jealou&s;ies which fills my heart, I think I &s;hould throw my &s;elf at her feet, and hearken unto her repentance, to a&s;&s;ure her of my eternal love, and to require more exact fidelity from her, then hitherto &s;he has ob|&s;erved. But alas, how far am I from that condition? But will you follow my coun&s;el (&s;aid <HI>Artaban</HI> to me?) I will do any thing (&s;aid I to him) that would procure me &s;ome con&s;o|lation. If &s;o (&s;aid he) neglect not what I &s;hall tell you, and know, that con&s;idering the &s;tate of your &s;oul, I have found an infallible remedy, either to make <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> give you full &s;atisfaction, or el&s;e to rid you of your pa&s;&s;ions to her. If I &s;hould hearken unto Rea&s;on (&s;aid I unto him) I &s;hould rather chu&s;e the &s;econd then the fir&s;t; but if I hearken unto my own heart, I &s;hould prefer the fir&s;t before the &s;econd. Know then (&s;aid <HI>Artaban</HI> unto me) &s;ince Love is &s;o noble a Pa&s;&s;ion, as nothing can recompen&s;e it but it &s;elf; and is &s;o powerfull, that nothing can overcome it but its own forces: you mu&s;t love, to make Love cea&s;e; and the hatred which commonly &s;ucceeds that Love, is but Love di&s;gui&s;ed under an appearance of anger; which is more dangerous then if it appeared in its natural colours. In &s;hort, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid he to me) you mu&s;t cure one Pa&s;&s;ion with another; and to make you leave loving <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> you mu&s;t love another Beauty. Alas (replied I then) how ea&s;ie a matter it is for <HI>Artaban</HI> to give &s;uch coun&s;el, and how hard it is for <HI>Aglatidas</HI> to follow it? But (an&s;wered he me) the Remedy which I will tell you &s;hall be ea&s;ie, and not &s;o impo&s;&s;ible as you think it: Truly, &s;aid he, as long as you remain in this kinde of &s;olitude wherein you now live, it will not be an ea&s;ie matter for you to engage your &s;elf in any new love: But you ought to look upon tho&s;e which may entangle you; you mu&s;t expo&s;e your &s;elf unto the waves, and throw your &s;elf into the Sea, to avoid &s;hipwrack: The di&s;ea&s;e is &s;o dangerous, and the phy&s;ick &s;o extraordinary, that you mu&s;t almo&s;t die in hopes to live the longer. But do you believe (&s;aid I to him) that it is po&s;&s;ible that I &s;hould not only love any other Beauty, but that I can endure it? You may que&s;tionle&s;s if you will (an&s;wered he;) but at the fir&s;t you mu&s;t only feign a love of &s;ome other, and perhaps it will at length become a reall Love. If it do come to pa&s;s, that you do love another, then you'l jeer at the incon&s;tancy of <HI>Ame|&s;tris;</HI> and if it do not come to that pa&s;s, yet at the lea&s;t, it will be a hand&s;ome revenge for the injuries you have received. Perhaps, &s;aid he, this fiction may bring your Mi&s;tris unto &s;ome rea&s;onable tearms; and her jealou&s;ie may give you that your love could not bring about. This Remedy, &s;aid I to him, is very dangerous, very uncertain, and very difficult; for you &s;ay, that perhaps I &s;hall love, and perhaps I &s;hall not love another; perhaps I may revenge my &s;elf; perhaps <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> will &s;ee her error. In a word, all is grounded upon perhaps'es; that is to &s;ay, upon little or nothing; and I &s;ee &s;o much uncertainty in this remedy, that I cannot think it good. Will you have another, &s;aid he to me? I have one, &s;aid I to him, which is infallible, and that is death, which will doubtle&s;s rid me from all my &s;orrows. That is the la&s;t Remedy which you mu&s;t u&s;e (an&s;wered <HI>Artaban)</HI> and it mu&s;t never be made u&s;e of, but when all others have failed. In conclu&s;ion, Sir, what Arguments &s;oever he could u&s;e, I could not con&s;ent unto him that day: But a while after, hearing that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was to return, he did &s;o importune me to follow his coun&s;el, as I re&s;olved to follow this coun&s;el, though it went much again&s;t the &s;train of my mind. There was then in the Court a Lady called <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> one indeed of great merit and beauty, yet one who&s;e beauty had never made many conque&s;ts, and was doubtle&s;s far le&s;s fair then <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> yet fair enough: Chance would have it &s;o, that the &s;ame day whereon I had con&s;ented to try the remedy which <HI>Artaban</HI> had pre&s;cribed, I found her in the walks of the Garden in the Palace, where I had not of a long time been, becau&s;e I had &s;hunned company as much as po&s;&s;ible: And as I neither had nor could have any particular inclination unto any, nor had any liberty to chu&s;e in a time when none but <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> could plea&s;e me. Chance, I &s;ay, making me meet <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> &s;ooner then another, I did not refu&s;e di&s;|cour&s;e with her, as I was u&s;ed to do with all other Ladies, &s;ince my return to <HI>Ecbatan;</HI> I mean as much as civility would permit me: I &s;pake then unto that Lady divers times that day; and although our di&s;cour&s;e was upon nothing but upon very indifferent things, &s;he thought her &s;elf much obliged to me, becau&s;e I had done more unto her then unto any other Lady &s;ince my return to Court. And certainly it was advantagious to me, that the &s;olitude wherein I had lived, did help me to per&s;wade the world unto that which I would have it believe; el&s;e doubtle&s;s it had not been &s;o ea&s;ie for me to deceive it, as it deceived it &s;elf, and likewi&s;e if <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> had not helped me to delude it: For Sir, I did not think that the complacency which this fair Lady rendred me, was any effect of my merit; but on the contrary, I plainly &s;aw it had a reflexion from <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> it being mo&s;t certain that <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> would not have treated me &s;o favourably as &s;he did, but that &s;he conceived it did redound
<PB N="137" REF="73">
much unto her honour, that the man who had formerly loved the faire&s;t Beauty of the World, &s;hould quit tho&s;e fetters to be captivated in hers. This petty jealou&s;ie of Beauty, cau&s;ed <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> then to treat me with all po&s;&s;ible civility; and I finding &s;o much facility to execute what <HI>Artaban</HI> advi&s;ed me unto, did tran&s;act as he would have me: Not Sir, that I could ever re&s;olve to tell <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> that I loved her, as well becau&s;e in very truth I had no &s;uch pa&s;&s;ion in me, as becau&s;e I thought it did too much tre&s;pa&s;s upon the Laws of Gene|ro&s;ity; yet my manner of living with her did tell the Court as much, and likewi&s;e told the thoughts of <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> the &s;ame, for I did vi&s;it her very oft, I almo&s;t &s;poke unto none but her, I appeared very melancholy and di&s;ordered; &s;o that all the world took the&s;e things to be effects of a fre&s;h pa&s;&s;ion. <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> on the other &s;ide, did &s;ee that I was chained unto her &s;ociety, and that I did upon all occa&s;ions which were offered, commend her; that I refu&s;ed the company of all other women but &s;he; and that in our Di&s;cour&s;es I did often appear as if I were a little frantick, not knowing what I would &s;ay. But alas, all the&s;e which &s;he took to be effects of my love to her, were onely effects of that which I bore unto <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> how perfidious &s;oever &s;he &s;eemed to be unto me. Really, I did &s;ometimes repent the following of <HI>Artaban</HI>'s coun&s;el, and all others al&s;o, when I began firmly to re&s;olve of lo|ving <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> and to bani&s;h <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> from my heart and memory. Change, change, (&s;aid I to my &s;elf) this feigned Pa&s;&s;ion unto a real one, and be no longer faithful unto one that hath betrayed me; do not betray one that has nothing in her but &s;incerity for me. 'Tis true, <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> is not &s;o fair as <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> yet perhaps &s;he will love me more faithfully: Tell her then that thou love&s;t her (&s;aid I to my &s;elf) although thou yet do&s;t not; &s;o that being ob|liged by Genero&s;ity not to lie, thou mai&s;t no longer remain in any fears of returning unto incon&s;tant <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> or to ever &s;ee her, or &s;peak unto her, when &s;he returns, as they &s;ay &s;he will. This thought, Sir; did &s;o forti&s;ie it &s;elf in my minde, that I went three or four daies together unto <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> with intentions to tell her I loved her, but &s;ome intervenient pa&s;&s;age or other hindred me from executing them; but when I found the opportunity, not|with&s;tanding all my determinate re&s;olutions, I was dumb when I was about to &s;peak unto her; I diverted the di&s;cour&s;e, my tongue would not obey, my heart revolted again&s;t my will, my will it &s;elf altered and was un&s;etled; and indeed, not de&s;iring that which I de&s;ired but one moment before, I dejected my eyes as being equally a&s;hamed of what I did, and what I would have done. But, Oh Heavens, that which &s;hould have de&s;troyed me in the opinion of <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> did confirm me; for &s;he &s;uppo&s;ing that the love and reverence which I bore unto her, had cau&s;ed all the&s;e di&s;orders which &s;he di&s;covered in my minde, &s;he did treat me more kindly, and would not &s;ee it. All the Court Sir, beleeved I was in love with <HI>Anati&s;a;</HI> one of my Cou&s;ins did write as much unto <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> who, as I have told you, was with <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> but this Lady who writ, did mention it very ob&s;curely, knowing that &s;uch news would be re&s;ented with &s;orrow, and therefore &s;he would not plainly tell it, untill &s;he came to <HI>Ecbatan</HI> to &s;ee it. Mean time, I heard of two things together which much grieved me; the one was, That <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> would pre&s;ently come back; and the other, That <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> would very &s;hortly be in Town; This bu&s;ine&s;s which fell out onely by accident, did &s;eem unto me a thing agreed upon; and I did ab&s;olutely conclude, that the voyage of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was cau&s;ed by the ab&s;ence of <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> though I could not gue&s;s at the rea&s;on. But as jealou&s;ie al|waies inclines more unto that which will augment it &s;elf, then that which would le&s;&s;en it, I did not bu&s;ie my &s;elf to rea&s;on the matter, from whence I might perhaps draw &s;ome con|jectures unto my advantage, but I &s;ought out tho&s;e conjectures which would more tor|ment me. They return, &s;aid I, to triumph over my mi&s;eries before my eyes; and they can|not e&s;teem them&s;elves happy, unle&s;s I be the witne&s;s of their felicities. However, perfidi|ous <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> you &s;hall not have &s;o much &s;atisfaction, as to think that I am unhappy; I will carry the matter &s;o with <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> as you &s;hall not &s;o much as &s;u&s;pect that I love you. But as for you <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> never hope to enjoy your conque&s;t quietly, for though I will pre|tend no more unto her, yet I will take away the enjoyment from thee, in taking away thy life, or at lea&s;t di&s;pute it unto the la&s;t minute of my life. The&s;e tumultuous thoughts being a little appea&s;ed, I had &s;ome comfort to think, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;hould believe I was in love with <HI>Anati&s;a;</HI> and I was for a certain time &s;o clo&s;ely with her, as I my &s;elf did wonder at it. In the mean while <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> came to Town, and <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> was much confirmed in her be|lief of my new pa&s;&s;ion; yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;he would &s;peak with me before &s;he would ab&s;olutely condemn me; and &s;he quickly found the opportunity; for indeed, as &s;he was my Cou&s;in, I was in civility obliged to give her a vi&s;it, which with much ado I re&s;olved up|on; yet I would not go alone: but do what I could, &s;he &s;poke unto me particularly of it.
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Is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid &s;he to me) that what I hear can be true? Can any man who has been &s;o happy, as not to be hated by <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> think upon loving <HI>Anati&s;a? Ame&s;tris</HI> (&s;aid I unto her) has not thought <HI>Aglatidas</HI> worthy of her; and I do not know <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> whether &s;he or I has made the wor&s;e choice: She perhaps did that out of weakne&s;s or an humour, which I have done out of Rea&s;on, and to be revenged on her. But <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> let us talk no more on it; &s;he was alwaies your friend, and I my &s;elf believed &s;he concealed it from you, to be|tray me. It mu&s;t needs be (an&s;wered &s;he) that &s;he has kept it &s;ecret, if it be true that &s;he be|trayed you, for I never knew of it; but I confe&s;s, I have much ado to be per&s;waded of the truth. I have had more to do (replied I;) and if I my &s;elf had not been a witne&s;s of her in|fidelity, if I had not with my own eyes &s;een her perfidious Trea&s;on, I &s;hould never have believed it; no, though you your &s;elf &s;hould have a&s;&s;ured me of it: But as I would not have believed you, &s;o you your &s;elf would have &s;poke again&s;t her; nor do I think that you will ju&s;tifie her now. No, no, <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> &s;peak no more on it, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> has betrayed me, and I have left her; &s;he has not thought me worthy of her affection, and I have not thought her worthy of mine; though, &s;etting her infidelity a&s;ide, &s;he is the admiration of all the Earth; and &s;ince &s;he either hates or &s;corns me, I am di&s;pen&s;ed from that fidelity which I promi&s;ed unto her. I confe&s;s, &s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> if &s;he be culpable you are not to be much bla|med: But however, you are to blame; for did you ever complain unto <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> have you ever accu&s;ed her? did you ever give her time to ju&s;tifie her &s;elf, or to repent of it? Com|plaints, &s;aid I, are requi&s;ite, when the Crime of the party beloved is in any doubt, or when it is &s;o &s;mall, as a Confe&s;&s;ion may wipe it off: But when the offence is of &s;uch a nature as that is which I have received, complaints do but procure new matter to be again deceived: Spare therefore your pains unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> (&s;aid I) and move her not to confe&s;s a thing which &s;he cannot confe&s;s without confu&s;ion, as anticipated as &s;he is in the Love which &s;he po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;eth. <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> was &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed to hear me &s;peak &s;o, as &s;he could not an&s;wer; for &s;ince <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> never told her of any conver&s;e which &s;he had with <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> &s;he could not ima|gine any other colour of complaint which I could have: &s;he thought, that to excu&s;e my in|con&s;tancy, I had &s;uppo&s;ed a Crime whereof &s;he was innocent, as appeared by her eyes, and that I was much more culpable than &s;he. That which confirmed her in her opinion, was the di&s;order which &s;he had ob&s;erved in my minde; not doubting, but that the di&s;order was grounded upon my being a&s;hamed of my weakne&s;s, and upon this change which I had made; yet notwith&s;tanding, being de&s;irous to augment it, I do a&s;&s;ure you (&s;aid &s;he) that during all this voyage which <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> hath made, there was not one Lover which could com|mend her for her indulgency towards him, nor brag of any favour. I do not doubt it (an|&s;wered I) for &s;he is more faithfull unto him whom &s;he has preferred before me. But who is that &s;o happy Lover of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> (replied &s;he in anger) that <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> &s;hould not know him? Since you would have a &s;ecret of it (&s;aid I unto her) I will have &s;o much re&s;pect unto her, as not to reveale what I know, and help her to hide that which cannot but be too much pub|li&s;hed, and of which within this little time you will make no doubt of. As we were upon the&s;e tearms, there came in &s;o much company, that our di&s;cour&s;e could not continue longer, and I went from <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> in a doubled perplexity: For &s;aid I, if <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> were within the compa&s;s of repentance, her &s;oul would have confe&s;&s;ed &s;ome part of her weakne&s;s, or at lea&s;t would have found out &s;ome hand&s;ome pretence and excu&s;e for it: But in denying all, it renders her culpable of all; and &s;ince &s;o, I have nothing to do but to revenge my &s;elf: Revenge then, &s;aid I, the real infidelity of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> by a feigned infidelity. I will render my diligence unto <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> though I cannot render her my heart; I will puni&s;h her by this bad choice, and neglect nothing that may &s;atisfie my re&s;entment, though I cannot &s;atisfie my love. Mean while <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> who was really incen&s;ed again&s;t me, and thinking none would tell <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> of my new Pa&s;&s;ion, thought fit to tell her of it, and went unto her that &s;ame evening. She was not the fir&s;t who brought her the news; for among&s;t &s;o many as did vi&s;it her, there was &s;ome who out of malice or &s;implicity had told her of that thing, wherein all the world knew &s;he had &s;o much intere&s;t. <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> found her very &s;ad; for Sir, to make you under&s;tand my misfortune the better, I am con&s;trained to acknowledge, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did love me, and loved me with &s;uch tender affection, as I cannot yet think upon it, without extreme joy, and extreme &s;orrow, and &s;trange confu&s;ion both together. She no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> but &s;he made it evident by her melancholy, that &s;he was acquainted with my new Pa&s;&s;ion, yet at the fir&s;t &s;he &s;poke onely of indifferent things. <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> for her part, not knowing well where or how to begin &s;o vexatious a di&s;cour&s;e, nor knew well what &s;he &s;hould &s;ay, did an&s;wer her with half broken off words. But in the end, the adorable <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI>
<PB N="139" REF="74">
not being able to hide her re&s;entments any longer, asked her whether &s;he had &s;een me? and whether my new love was &s;o &s;trong as to make me forget my Civilities unto her? I have &s;een him (an&s;wered &s;he) but I have &s;een him &s;o deprived of rea&s;on, that I would no longer acknowledge him for my kin&s;man, nor believe that it was <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> whom I formerly knew, and &s;o much e&s;teemed. Indeed (&s;aid &s;he to her) he courts <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> he follows her every where, and I think he really loves her. But although this Crime be too great, yet it is not that which animates me mo&s;t again&s;t him, for tho&s;e who are naturally weak and incon&s;tant, do de&s;erve rather compa&s;&s;ion then reproaches, &s;ince they do no more then what they can|not help: But <HI>Aglatidas</HI> would excu&s;e his fault by laying it upon you; this is that which I cannot endure, and this is that which I thought fit to tell you, to the end that you may pu|ni&s;h his folly and ingratitude by your hatred and &s;corn. What (&s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> doth <HI>Agla|tidas</HI> accu&s;e me of any thing? Yes, replied <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> he &s;aies that you have betrayed him; he &s;aies he &s;aw it with his own eyes, that he cannot doubt of it; and that your new choice is more unrea&s;onable then his: Indeed (&s;aid &s;he) I can &s;ay no more, but that he is full of folly and malice both. <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed at the &s;tory, that her Soul, as great as it was, could not choo&s;e but tremble; &s;he changed colour, tears &s;tood in her eyes, and her wi&s;dome had much ado to re&s;train them. If &s;he called to minde the love which I profe&s;&s;ed unto her, and the reverence wherewith I &s;erved her, &s;he con&s;idered my change as an un|repairable lo&s;s: If &s;he remembred the goodne&s;s which &s;he u&s;ed to me, &s;he could not enough condemn my ingratitude: If &s;he con&s;idered the Fidelity which &s;he con&s;tantly pre&s;erved for me, &s;he abhorred my perfidie: And if &s;he ob&s;erved the difference which was be|tween <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> and her &s;elf, &s;he could not but be a&s;toni&s;h'd at my weakne&s;s and blindne&s;s. But upon the whole matter &s;he mu&s;t needs conclude me capable of both, and &s;he could not po&s;&s;ibly doubt of it. <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> did a&s;&s;ure me afterwards, that the wrong which I did unto her Beauty, in preferring one who was in all things &s;o much inferiour to her, did not &s;o &s;en|&s;ibly move her, as the wrong which I did unto her Vertue, in accu&s;ing her of incon&s;tancy. What, &s;aid &s;he, does <HI>Aglatidas</HI> take from me that heart which he had given me? Will he neither love me, nor &s;ee me? And has he forgot all his Obligations which were upon him for &s;uffering him to manife&s;t his Pa&s;&s;ions? But for all this, I will puni&s;h my &s;elf without anger, and perhaps I will cheer up my &s;elf by rea&s;on. But <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that he &s;hould excu&s;e his own imbecilities by accu&s;ing me, this is a thing which is above my Patience; and makes evident unto me, that Love is a mo&s;t dangerous Pa&s;&s;ion: For truly, did he ever meet with any more excu&s;able then I, or more innocent? I loved <HI>Aglatidas</HI> it is true, but I loved him not onely becau&s;e he loved me, but becau&s;e my Parents did believe him to be a man of wi&s;|dome and judgement, and that he had all the qualities requi&s;ite to be in a compleat man. Moreover, might I not well believe, that Fortune having made me rich enough, his own intere&s;t might move him unto that which my mean Beauty could not? And whether it was Love or Ambition which he was &s;en&s;ible of, I might well hope he would be faithfull. Yet it &s;eems I was deceived in my conjectures, and I was ignorant that he could not love any thing. But alas, &s;aid &s;he, is it not in our power, when Innocen&s;e and Rea&s;on has planted Love in my heart, to finde a means to root it out? Yet it mu&s;t be, added &s;he, and I am &s;o fully re&s;olved, that I cannot hope to bring it to pa&s;s. In &s;hort, Sir, the adorable <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> being not well at peace in her &s;elf, could not re&s;olve what to do; and &s;he de&s;igned the next day to take &s;ome &s;olitary walk with her dear Confident, and endeavour to &s;ettle her re&s;o|lutions upon the bu&s;ine&s;s, and to &s;hun the conver&s;ation of all indifferent people, who as the &s;tate &s;tood with her &s;oul, did but importunately trouble her. They went the next day unto the Garden, whither very few u&s;ed to re&s;ort, and where <HI>Artaban</HI> by accident did meet them; he no &s;ooner &s;aw them, but he had a great curio&s;ity to under&s;tand their di&s;cour&s;e; to that end, he hid him&s;elf behind a thick hedge, and following them by the eye, he &s;aw them &s;it down in a green Arbor. Thither he went, &s;hading him&s;elf by the boughs of a great tree which hung down, and there couched him&s;elf behind a little bu&s;h of Myrhe, which was clo&s;e by the Arbor; he was no &s;ooner &s;etled, but he under&s;tood that <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> an&s;wered un|to &s;omething which <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had &s;aid, and which he could not under&s;tand: No, no, &s;aid &s;he to her, you mu&s;t not take revenge upon your &s;elf, it is fit that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> alone &s;hould bear the burden of his Crime. Do not confound Innocency and culpable together: Hate <HI>Aglatidas</HI> if you can, and do not puni&s;h <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> who is in no fault. <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> (replied this lovely Lady) not being able to hate where &s;he loves, what would you have her do? and why &s;hould &s;he not think her &s;elf as culpable, for loving where &s;he &s;hould hate, as <HI>Aglatidas</HI> is for hating where he ought eternally to love? After this, the&s;e two Ladies
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began to di&s;cour&s;e upon that which might have given me the boldne&s;&s;e to accu&s;e <HI>Ame|&s;tris;</HI> for (&s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta)</HI> what likelihood is there that without any pretence or colour, he &s;hould be &s;o incon&s;iderate? <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> reflecting upon what <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> &s;aid, began to tell her that which &s;he knew not before, to wit, the conver&s;e which &s;he had with <HI>Megabi&s;es;</HI> but (added &s;he) if <HI>Aglatidas</HI> had been pre&s;ent at it, he would rather have thanked me then complained: but he was far off, and <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> for his part, being ever &s;ince in <HI>Lidia,</HI> could not inform him any thing: No No, &s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that cannot be the cau&s;e, for he did not &s;o much as name <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> unto me, and without all que&s;tion if it had been he, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> would have named him to me, and &s;poke of him: &s;o that it mu&s;t be concluded, that he be|ing a&s;hamed of his weakne&s;s, was forced to fly unto this impo&s;ture, thereby to excu&s;e him|&s;elf when he &s;poke unto me: Truly tho&s;e who commit crimes, &s;aid &s;he, do &s;everely puni&s;h them&s;elves in committing them; and had you &s;een how re&s;tle&s;s and unquiet <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was when he &s;poke unto me, you would have con&s;ented unto it: That which does mo&s;t wonder me, &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> unto her, is, that when we were in the Province of <HI>Ari&s;antines,</HI> we did under&s;tand that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;eemed alwaies to be melancholy: If his change had chanced &s;ince his return to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> then I mu&s;t needs conclude, that out of a capricious humour, or el&s;e out of rea&s;on, he has preferred the beauty of <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> before that of <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> But I conceive <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that his change took beginning during his exile, in a time when he recei|ved mo&s;t te&s;timonies of affection from me, for I writ unto him, and that in a mo&s;t obliging manner: But after all this (&s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta)</HI> what do you intend to do? I intend (&s;aid he) to puni&s;h my &s;elf for my misfortune, To lament it eternally, To repent me of my weakne&s;&s;e, and &s;trive to forget <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> though perhaps it is not in my power; and to leade a clo&s;e and more unhappy life then ever any did. But (Replied <HI>Mena&s;ta)</HI> I had rather you would take into your con&s;ideration one of the&s;e two important cour&s;es: The fir&s;t is, that if you cannot per&s;wade your &s;elf to hate <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> then to try all po&s;&s;ible means that may bring him unto rea&s;on: The &s;econd is, that if you can bring your &s;elf to hate him, then to puni&s;h him &s;everely for his crime: Alas, Alas, Replied <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> how difficult a thing is to hate where one hath re&s;olved to love all their life long, and how hard it is to puni&s;h where one loves: I have one infallible way (&s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta)</HI> but by the way you may admire Sir the odd de&s;tiny of things in this world; for <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> did propound the very &s;ame way unto <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> which <HI>Artaban</HI> had propounded unto me: to wit, that &s;he &s;hould feign to entertain &s;ome one of her pretenders very kindely: for &s;aid this Lady unto her, I have ever known <HI>Aglatidas</HI> to be extream &s;en&s;ible of honour, &s;o that when he plainly &s;ees that his mutability has put <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> into a capacity of preferring another before him, then one of the&s;e two things will come to pa&s;&s;e, that is, he will either for&s;ake <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> and return unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> or el&s;e at the lea&s;t he will be &s;ufficiently tormented in his heart; Moreover, who knows but that by permitting your &s;elf to be loved, you may come to cea&s;e loving him? Love for ought I under&s;tand (&s;aid he) is never cured by contrary remedies, nor by any violent applications; Time and rea&s;on by more in&s;en&s;ible waies brings many things to pa&s;&s;e, therefore if you will beleeve me follow my advice; It conduceth much unto your honor (added &s;he) that the world &s;hall not &s;u&s;pect you ever loved <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> and to prevent it you mu&s;t do as I advi&s;e: This la&s;t con&s;ideration was very forcible upon the &s;oul of <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> who after much other di&s;cour&s;e, re&s;olved to take my coun&s;ell. In the mean time <HI>Artaban</HI> who was ravi&s;hed to hear the di&s;|cour&s;e of the&s;e two Ladies, did gently &s;teal away without being perceived; going in ha&s;te unto all places where he thought to finde me, but as my ill fortune was he could not finde me: After he had in vain &s;ought me at the Court, in the Palace-Gardens, and at <HI>Anati&s;a's</HI> Lod|ging, he re&s;olved to &s;tay till night when I &s;hould return, not imagining that the ignorance of what he knew could be of that importance as to be &s;o prejudiciall unto me: But O Heavens, how fatall it was unto me? and how many &s;ighs did that journey which I then took co&s;t me? I have already told you Sir, that the Garden where <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was is a very &s;olitary place, where very few people u&s;e to walk: But all ill Fortunes con&s;pired together to afflict me, and to make me the mo&s;t unhappy man upon earth. <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> prompted by my evil de&s;tinies, de|&s;igning to walk with &s;ome of her friends, made choice of that place becau&s;e &s;he had never &s;een it; and I did particularly chu&s;e it that I might there enjoy my &s;ad thoughts, becau&s;e I did verily think not to meet <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> there, nor <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> nor any thing that might interrupt my mu&s;ing contemplations: But Sir I was wonderfully &s;urpri&s;ed, when in entring into the Garden, I &s;aw <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> afar off walking with her dear <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> and at the &s;ame time I &s;aw <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> at the the foot of an Arbour, compo&s;ing &s;ome flowers which &s;he had gathered: This unexpected &s;ight did much trouble me, and &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed me that I &s;topt upon a &s;udden: I
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knew not whether I &s;hould apply my &s;elf unto her whom I loved and had betraied me; or to her who loved me and whom I betraied: I &s;tood in &s;uch an anxiety as I could not re|&s;olve nor can expre&s;s: I was in a minde to go unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and my jealou&s;ies did almo&s;t &s;ubmit unto my Love; I thought to go and throw my &s;elf at her feet without regarding <HI>Ana|ti&s;a;</HI> But her crime coming fre&s;h into my memory, I altered that determination, and began to incline towards <HI>Anati&s;a;</HI> yet I made my approach &s;o gentle, and was &s;o unwilling to turn from <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that I was in a minde to go unto neither, but to &s;ink down under the load of my &s;orrows; yet my di&s;dain driving me out of an extream anxiety into an invincible ob|&s;tinacy: I regarded not <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> but went unto <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> unto whom I &s;poke as I was ac|cu&s;tomed: But yet I acted it with &s;uch di&s;traction of &s;pirits, as that if this Lady had not been di&s;tracted her &s;elf with ob&s;erving the actions of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;he might ea&s;ily have perceived the cau&s;e of my inquietude; But &s;he was wrapt into &s;uch an exta&s;ie of joy to &s;ee her &s;elf prefer|red before the Faire&s;t Lady in the world, as &s;he neither minded the alteration in my counte|nance, nor the ob&s;curity of my words. <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> (as &s;ince I heard) now &s;eeing that her &s;elf which before &s;he had heard only by reports, was extraordinarily &s;urpri&s;ed: Until now, this adorable Lady re&s;ented only &s;orrow for my change, but now, &s;eeing with her own eyes, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> at the feet of <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> her anger began to row&s;e up her &s;pirits: and a &s;ecret re|&s;entment of honor did infu&s;e into her &s;o great a de&s;ire to be revenged for the &s;corn which I offered unto her, as &s;he could not forbear to te&s;tifie as much unto <HI>Mena&s;ta.</HI> Here Sir may be admired the prodigious accident which chance only brought about in this bu&s;ine&s;s: I think, I told you how <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was to return within a few daies; and after he had been in the wars of <HI>Lidia,</HI> he re&s;olved to returned unto <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and never thought to call me unto any ac|count, neither for the death of his Brother whereof he knew I was culpable, nor for any o|ther of our ancient differences. The King did &s;end unto him to forbid him ab&s;olutely, after the reconcilement which was made between our Families, and had commanded me to quar|rell no more, but to &s;hun meeting as much as po&s;&s;ible, it being but ju&s;t to have re&s;pect unto a man who&s;e Brother I had killed: <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> came into the Town in the night that he might be more particularly informed in the &s;tate of things before he received any vi&s;its; and re&s;olved to pa&s;s away the re&s;t of the day in the Garden where I was, knowing it the lea&s;t frequented, and where al&s;o was <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Anati&s;a; Megabi&s;es</HI> then who knew him un|to whom the Garden belonged, entred into it as &s;oon as he lighted from hor&s;e, and at the very &s;ame in&s;tant when <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> being tran&s;ported with anger to &s;ee me with <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> did &s;ay unto <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> that &s;he had good rea&s;on to coun&s;ell her to puni&s;h me: <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> entring in confidently, was infinitely &s;urpri&s;ed to &s;ee both his Mi&s;tre&s;s and his Rivall in that place: But he was more amazed to &s;ee me not with <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> yet Sir, &s;ince <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> had not &s;een her &s;ince the time he promi&s;ed to &s;ee her or &s;peak to her no more, I would make it known unto her by his re&s;pect that he had not forgotten to keep his word; &s;o that after he had made her a mo&s;t low reverence, he retired and would have gone out of the Garden; But <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> who&s;e &s;pirit was highly incen&s;ed, and thinking it a fit occa&s;ion to be revenged, called him unto her, and received him with much civility: This afforded him as much joy as me &s;orrow: For Sir, I &s;aw <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> enter; I ob&s;erved how he would have gone away, and &s;he to &s;tay him; I &s;uppo&s;ed that he offered to go away becau&s;e he &s;aw me there: And I doubted not but that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> knowing of his coming, came thither purpo&s;ely to meet him: I leave you Sir to gue&s;&s;e at the trouble of my &s;oul, and the agitation of my minde: For my part I never think upon the condition wherein we were, but I wonder at the capri|tious humour of Fate: For <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> was wrapt up into the height of joy to &s;ee her &s;elf prefer|red before <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> by <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who neither preferred her nor loved her: <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> for his part he was infinitely glad to be called back by her who had for ever bani&s;hed him, though &s;he which called him back did it not out of any affection &s;he bore unto him: onely <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and my &s;elf, who if we had rightly under&s;tood one another, had been the happie&s;t of all, we were the mo&s;t perplexed &s;ouls upon earth: Mean time, though <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> thought him&s;elf very happy in being with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> yet the remembrance of his brothers death, and the &s;ight of him who killed him, did &s;o reflect upon his heart as he had no good minde to be where I was: Madam (&s;aid he unto <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> I &s;hould make a doubt whether the command which I received from the King could work &s;o prevalently upon my &s;pirit as to hinder me from my ju&s;t re&s;entments again&s;t a man whom I &s;ee before me, if the re&s;pect which I owe unto you did not re&s;train me; Therefore Madam, fear le&s;t this re&s;pect &s;hould not be &s;trong enough to re&s;i&s;t the apprehen&s;ions of bloud and nature, I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you to par|don my incivility, and give me leave to leave you: Upon tho&s;e words he made a very low re|rence
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unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and without &s;taying for any an&s;wer he went out of the Garden; She who only &s;taied him to anger me was not forward to retain him: As for me Sir who never under&s;tood what they &s;aid, I no &s;ooner &s;aw him gone, but I was in as great a chafe as I was to &s;ee him enter, imagining that he only went out to di&s;gui&s;e the appointment which <HI>Ame|&s;tris</HI> had given him. Not being to &s;tay where I was, and thinking I &s;hould better hide my perplexity in walking then &s;taying there, I propo&s;ed a departure unto <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> who con&s;ent|ed unto it: But &s;he, more out of vanity then complacency, would needs, do what I could, go unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> thinking it would be a Triumph unto her to carry her &s;lave whether &s;he plea&s;ed: Then we went to meet <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> and as we came near one another, <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> not telling me her de&s;ign, began to &s;peak unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> whereat I was &s;o angry that I was in a minde to leave her, and be gone from that place where the object of my love and the object of my hatred were together: I neither dur&s;t nor would look upon <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I wi&s;hed with all my heart that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> were there that I might fight with him: Some|times I thought <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> le&s;&s;e fair, and <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> more: But O Heavens, that &s;ometimes was quickly over, and I thought <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> ugly, and <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> Angelike fair: yet <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> who as I told you, would needs triumph, and better a&s;&s;ure her &s;elf of her Conque&s;t, &s;poke very &s;pitefully unto <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> and in acco&s;ting her, I am very happy (&s;aid &s;he unto her) to meet &s;uch good company in a place which is u&s;ed to be very &s;olitary, and I have rea&s;on to think my &s;elf &s;o, &s;ince expecting only the plea&s;ure of the walk, I have met al&s;o with the delight of company; My company (an&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> very coldly) is &s;o far from plea|&s;ant, that you have rather cau&s;e to complain, if you had not &s;ome other to divert you. If you &s;hould put to Judges (replied <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> maliciou&s;ly) I am &s;ure <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> who I &s;aw with you would not be of your minde; and as for <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> he is no competent Judge, for he would give &s;entence in my behalf: As for my part (&s;aid I in a great confu&s;ion) I do not doubt but <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> findes <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to be incomparable in all things; and I con|fe&s;s (&s;aid I changing colour) that he has good cau&s;e to publi&s;h, that the conver&s;ation of <HI>A|me&s;tris</HI> is the mo&s;t complacentiall of any in the world when &s;he plea&s;eth: Ah Madam (repli|ed <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> who was ravi&s;hed with joy to &s;ee &s;uch &s;igns of anger in the face of <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> be not now of that humour, and be plea&s;ed to &s;uffer all tho&s;e commendations which I will give you: I de&s;erve &s;o little (an&s;wered &s;he) that I will not advi&s;e you to imploy your time to &s;o little purpo&s;e. There is a kinde of humility (replied <HI>Anati&s;a)</HI> which honour will not admit of: Yes (replied <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> and there is al&s;o a kinde of fal&s;e humour, which covers oftentimes abundance of ba&s;ene&s;&s;e: I &s;uppo&s;e (an&s;wered <HI>Anati&s;a)</HI> that neither you nor I are guilty of either: I know nothing (replied <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> for none do know them&s;elves ve|ry well: It is much more hard (&s;aid I unto her) to know the thoughts of another, e&s;pecial|ly of tho&s;e (replied &s;he) who do counterfet to be generous and &s;incere, but indeed are not &s;o; I am confident (&s;aid the malicious <HI>Anati&s;a)</HI> that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> cannot di&s;gui&s;e his thoughts; Tho&s;e who like him (an&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> thinking to &s;pight me) do affect true honour, do ne|ver u&s;e to do &s;o: there is none but ba&s;e men u&s;e to di&s;&s;emble their thoughts. I confe&s;s unto you Sir, thas I was infinitely perplexed to hear <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> thus expre&s;s her &s;elf, that I could not po&s;&s;ibly &s;tay any longer in that place: As I came not into Garden with <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> I thought my &s;elf not engaged to &s;tay with her: Furthermore I was not in a condition to ob&s;erve an exact corre&s;pondency in my actions. I had &s;een <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> plea&s;ed &s;o well, I ob&s;erved <HI>Ana|ti&s;a</HI> &s;o well content, I &s;aw <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;o fierce, contrary to her cu&s;tome; and I found my &s;elf &s;o &s;ad, &s;o angry, and &s;o de&s;perate, that at la&s;t being &s;tirred by my Love, my hate, and my Jealou&s;ie: I left this both dear and intollerable company: I went then out of the Garden with an ill intent, re&s;olving to be revenged upon <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> for all the wrongs that <HI>Ame|&s;tris</HI> had done me: And to that end in lieu of entring into the Town, I went to conceal my &s;elf in the hou&s;e of one of my acquaintance, with intention to &s;end the next day unto <HI>Mega|bl&s;es,</HI> to meet me with his Sword. I would not adverti&s;e <HI>Artaban</HI> of my de&s;ign, becau&s;e I knew he would contradict it; but alas, I did not know that I &s;hould have been the happie&s;t man upon earth, if I had &s;een him, whereas now I am the mo&s;t unfortunate. In the mean while, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> who had not treated <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;o well, but only to anger me, had no &s;oon|er lo&s;t the &s;ight of me, but not being able to endure the company of her Rivall, &s;he thought out a pretence to leave her, and went to complain of her misfortune in &s;ecret unto her dear <HI>Mena&s;ta.</HI> As for <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> it may be &s;aid, that his good fortune was but a fla&s;h and away; which ending as &s;oon as it begun made it more dusky and intollerable then before. And as for <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> though her joys to be preferred before <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did la&s;t a little longer, yet it was but to torment her more &s;en&s;ibly afterwards. For my part Sir, I never thought my &s;elf
<PB N="143" REF="76">
&s;o unhappy as now I found my &s;elf: At the fir&s;t time when I &s;aw <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> favourable unto <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> I had this advantage as that &s;he took a little pains to delude me; &s;he knew not that I &s;aw her; and at that time when &s;he &s;poke unto him &s;o mildly, &s;he did not write roughly unto me: I might then think that her heart was divided, and that he did not &s;o ab|&s;olutely po&s;&s;e&s;s it, but there might be a corner of it for me: Moreover, he then &s;aw her to bid her adieu: but now, doubtle&s;&s;e he came not with any intention to leave her, and <HI>Ame|&s;tris</HI> was certain in the Garden &s;taying for him: She now &s;aw me before he came in, and cared not whether or no I was a witne&s;s, &s;ince &s;he did not go away before he came: As for <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> he would be &s;omething more di&s;creet, he &s;eemed to have no de&s;ire to &s;tay when he had di&s;covered me; but &s;he did mo&s;t cruelly call him back to &s;pight me; &s;he looked upon me with anger, but upon him with &s;weetne&s;&s;e, and commended him before my face: She (I &s;ay) who heretofore made profe&s;&s;ion of &s;uch au&s;tere vertue, &s;he who denied me her affecti|on &s;o ob&s;tinately, &s;he who was &s;o &s;evere and rigorous unto me: How comes it to pa&s;&s;e <HI>A|me&s;tris</HI> (&s;aid I) that you have thus changed your humour? But however, I mu&s;t be &s;o bold as to trouble your felicity as well as you have done mine, and though my re&s;pects be &s;uch as I will not revenge my &s;elf directly upon you, yet you &s;hall give me leave to be revenged upon <HI>Megabi&s;es:</HI> See Sir, how I did draw poi&s;on out of the mo&s;t innocent things; and how I interpreted all the actions of <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> who for her part did as much upon mine, and who determined to be revenged upon me in a mo&s;t cruell manner: But Sir, I mu&s;t tell you be|fore-hand, that he with whom <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> lived, being bribed unto it by <HI>Otanus,</HI> did no longer take the part of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> for her, and did continually per&s;ecute her, to the end that he might bring her unto that pa&s;&s;e as to preferre Riches, before all other things in the world, and never to con&s;ider the good or the bad qualities of him whom &s;he was to marry: Moreover, <HI>Artaban</HI> not finding me went to her, but her minde was not for any conver&s;ati|on, therefore &s;he left me alone with <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> in her chamber, and &s;hut her &s;elf in her clo&s;et. Then Sir, the di&s;cour&s;e between the&s;e two was only upon me: <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> who knew that <HI>Artaban</HI> was my Confident, did &s;o pre&s;s him, as he acknowledged that it was a terrible jea|lou&s;ie which had taken me off from the &s;ervice of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> but do what &s;he could, &s;he could &s;crue no more out of him; for &s;ince he was to meet with me at night, therefore he would not di&s;cover any more unto her, lea&s;t I &s;hould perhaps not allow of it. His vi&s;it con|tinued not long with <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> becau&s;e he did &s;it upon thorns untill he had di&s;cour&s;e with me: He was no &s;ooner gone but &s;he went unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> in her clo&s;et, who was retired thi|ther under pretence of writing &s;ome Letters of importance: She told her how after much other di&s;cour&s;e <HI>Artaban</HI> had confe&s;&s;ed that it was a horrid jealou&s;ie which cau&s;ed my change. How (an&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris) Aglatidas</HI> extreamly jealous? Good Gods, how is it po&s;&s;ible he can be &s;o? What cau&s;e have I given him? Which of his Rivals is it that I have favoured &s;o much as to give him any colour or cau&s;e of change? Has any ob&s;erved any &s;uch complacence in me? Have I &s;ought out any occa&s;ions to &s;ee and be &s;een? Have I held any private di&s;cour&s;e with any one? Have I been a frequenter of any &s;u&s;pected walks? Have I received any &s;ecret letters or writ any? Is there any one that can vaunt of any fa|vour received from <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> except the perfidious <HI>Aglatidas?</HI> Indeed <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> what have I done? what have I &s;aid? or what have I &s;o much as thought, which can excu&s;e his incon|&s;tancy? for my part (&s;aid &s;he) I never knew the like jealou&s;ie to this; But I pray tell me; &s;uppo&s;e I could learn the ground and commencement of it, what can I do to help it? I mu&s;t certainly never look upon any, but mew upon my &s;elf eternally; How is it po&s;&s;ible, in a great Court, in a populous Town, where I am &s;een by all the world, and where I &s;ee with equall indifferency all tho&s;e who come to me, that I &s;hould ever finde out who it is which cau&s;eth his inquietude? For perhaps it is <HI>Andramias,</HI> perhaps <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> perhaps <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> and perhaps the King: How &s;hould I then help it <HI>Mena&s;ta?</HI> How &s;hould I cure him if I would? It mu&s;t needs be confe&s;&s;ed (an&s;wered my cozen) that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> has carried it very ill: Say (&s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> that he has lo&s;t his rea&s;on, in lo&s;ing that e&s;teem which he ought unto me; for con&s;idering how I have carried my &s;elf unto him, he ought never to have made an ill interpretation of my actions, or &s;u&s;pected them, nor beleeved any thing again&s;t me, though his own eyes had per&s;waded him unto it. Mu&s;t incon&s;tancy be a con&s;equent of jealou&s;ie? For my part, I think that jealou&s;ie makes men unhappy, but I do not believe that it ought to make them perfideous: That <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> becau&s;e he thinks no &s;incerity in my words, will not &s;ee me, nor love me any more, but hate me, I do not blame him: I look upon his hatred as a con&s;equent of his violent love unto me; but that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> as &s;oon as he thinks that I do not e&s;teem him, &s;hould at the very &s;ame in&s;tant have a &s;oul &s;en&s;ible of a
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fre&s;h new pa&s;&s;ion; this <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> is a thing which cannot be. If he had loved me very well, what cau&s;e of complaint &s;oever I had given him, it was impo&s;&s;ible but he &s;hould love me yet, or at lea&s;t not hate me; and it is more impo&s;&s;ible (if I may &s;ay it) that he can &s;o &s;oon love <HI>Anati&s;a.</HI> Ha, &s;aid &s;he, who&s;oever &s;hould have told me heretofore, that I &s;hould &s;ee <HI>Aglatidas</HI> come into a place where I was, and leave me to go unto <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> I &s;hould not have beleeved it: Yet it was inju&s;tice (not to &s;peak of love) after he had &s;een me this la&s;t time, entertaining thoughts very advantagious for him, to acco&s;t me in &s;o offen|&s;ive a manner; Could he not have re&s;trained <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> from coming to me? Might he not have &s;hun'd the meeting? No, no, &s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> he would not, but he on the con|trary had a de&s;ire to put my patience unto the mo&s;t vigorous Te&s;t: I know, added &s;he, that at the la&s;t he quitted the company, and went alone out of the Garden; but it was confu&s;ion and anger, not repentance which drove him away; he was a&s;hamed of his crime, but he had not &s;o much vertue as to di&s;ingage him&s;elf: So that after all this, though he &s;hould have repented, yet I &s;hould not have been &s;atisfied. But (&s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> unto her interrupting her) what do you re&s;olve upon? I will (an&s;wered &s;he with a quite altered complexion) never think upon <HI>Aglatidas</HI> any more, and &s;o carry the matter, that he &s;hall whether he will or no think eternally upon <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> I will make him acknowledge his own crime by the thought of my innocency, and that he &s;hall know my innocency by my misfortune: I mu&s;t make him &s;ee that I never loved any but him, and that I have been ever faithfull unto him: But in letting him &s;ee it, it &s;hall be done after &s;uch a fa&s;hion, that he &s;hall get nothing by it. If he do not repent of his fault, &s;aid &s;he, I &s;hall puni&s;h him for loving, and if he do repent, then I &s;hall puni&s;h him for betraying me, and puni&s;h him according to his de&s;ert. I do confe&s;s (&s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> to her) I cannot ea&s;ily devi&s;e what kinde of revenge it is that you have con|trived: It is &s;o &s;trange a one (an&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> that I dare hardly tell it, lea&s;t you &s;hould divert me from it either by your rea&s;ons, or your praiers. But how can you make him certainly &s;ee that you have continued faithfull, &s;ince you do not know what it is which hath made him jealous? 'Tis true indeed, replied <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I do not know the cau&s;e of his jealou&s;ie, but I do know him who is not the cau&s;e of his jealou&s;ie; and that &s;hall &s;erve me, both for my Ju&s;tification, for my Revenge, and for my Puni&s;hment all in one: <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> hearing her &s;peak &s;o, and finding little &s;en&s;e in her ob&s;cure words, was very urgent with her, to explain her &s;elf, and did oftentimes a&s;&s;ure her that &s;he would not contradict her intenti|ons, untill at length &s;he told her: You are not ignorant (&s;aid &s;he to her) neither you <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> nor the incon&s;tant <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> what an extream aver&s;ion I have ever had again&s;t <HI>Otanus,</HI> notwith&s;tanding all his wealth and quality; for I have told you both a hundred and a hundred times, that for all his Riches and condition he is the man whom of all the world I do mo&s;t &s;corn and hate: You know al&s;o, &s;aid &s;he, that he has loved me ever &s;ince the fir&s;t day I came to <HI>Ecbatan;</HI> and that I have hated him ever &s;ince the fir&s;t minute I &s;aw him: Know then <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that before I will in any part reclaim the perfideous <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> I will obey my kin&s;man who is my Guardian, that is, I will marry <HI>Otanus,</HI> who is the ill-favour|ede&s;t man alive, and thereby make <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;ee whether I ever loved any of his Rivals: What, &s;aid <HI>Menasta,</HI> will you marry <HI>Otanus?</HI> Yes, an&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I will marry him, and I cannot make choice of a greater puni&s;hment wherewith to afflict my &s;elf for loving <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and al&s;o to cha&s;ti&s;e <HI>Aglatidas</HI> for betraying me: This is the way <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, whereby I will both ju&s;tifie and revenge my &s;elf, although I do not know him whom <HI>Ag|latidas</HI> thinks to be my partner in my crime: By this cour&s;e I &s;hall be &s;ure to cure <HI>Aglati|das</HI> of his jealou&s;ie: for indeed <HI>Otanus</HI> has &s;o many defects that I am &s;ure I cannot deceive my &s;elf, it being ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;hould have been jealous of him. Ah <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> then, Do not confound innocency and crime together; puni&s;h <HI>Aglatidas</HI> alone, but do not puni&s;h <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> rather marry <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> and beleeve that you will be &s;ufficiently revenged of my perfidious kin&s;man that way: No <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, that which you propo&s;e is not ju&s;t; that way would be a revenge upon my &s;elf, and not up|on <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> for <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> is han&s;ome enough to make <HI>Aglatidas</HI> think that I loved him; &s;o that if it were &s;o that ever he loved me, he would then quit that pa&s;&s;ion, and &s;tick clo&s;e unto his dear <HI>Anati&s;a:</HI> Then indeed he had &s;ome ground to beleeve that I might love a man who indeed was worthy of it: But when he &s;hall &s;ee that I have cho&s;en one for a husband, whom he knows certainly I could never love, then perhaps his heart, as perfidious and in|con&s;tant as it is will repent it of its fault: But it &s;hall be an unprofitable repentance, for when I have married <HI>Otanus,</HI> I will then be as faithfull unto him, as if I did love him, and as if he were the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed man of the world: Ha heavens (&s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> interrup|ting
<PB N="145" REF="77">
her) take good heed what you &s;ay. Can you have &s;uch a re&s;olution (or to give it a fit+ter phra&s;e) can you be &s;o inhumane unto your &s;elf, as to expo&s;e your &s;elf unto the greate&s;t of misfortunes? Do you think, that you can all your life long endure the pre&s;ence of a man who&s;e conver&s;ation has glutted you in one &s;ingle hour? I cannot endure it doubtle&s;s (an|&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> the torment which I &s;hall endure will ju&s;tifie me yet in the minde of <HI>Agla|tidas;</HI> and after I have in that manner cleared my &s;elf, my death immediatly and infallibly following, will beget &s;uch a torment al&s;o in his &s;oul, as &s;hall never extingui&s;h: If there were any other way to ju&s;tifie my &s;elf, then perhaps I &s;hould not take this: But upon the whole matter, &s;ince <HI>Aglatidas</HI> does not him&s;elf complain, how can I gue&s;s at his di&s;ea&s;e and cure him otherwi&s;e? Yet (&s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> to her) appearances are oftentimes fallatious, and for ought you know there may be &s;ome other cau&s;e which has begot this jealou&s;ie in <HI>Agla|tidas,</HI> which you are ignorant of: Though that &s;hould be &s;o (an&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> yet <HI>Aglatidas</HI> is not more innocent: I do confe&s;s he might be a little jealous, and I &s;hould not have been offended at him; but it &s;eems he could not love <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> &s;ufficiently, without do|ing me this irrepairable wrong: Therefore <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> I mu&s;t, if it be po&s;&s;ible, I mu&s;t choak this new taken up love in him by an eternall &s;orrow, and an unprofitable repentance: But do you not con&s;ider (&s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta)</HI> that in de&s;troying this love in him, you de&s;troy your &s;elf al&s;o by &s;uch an unheard of way? That's it which I de&s;ire (replied <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> and if I did not know that melancholy is a gentle poy&s;on, which by in&s;en&s;ible degrees does operate its effects, I would not abandon my &s;elf unto it: Permit me (&s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta)</HI> to &s;peak once more with <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> When I am dead (&s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> I will permit you; and then I conjure you to aggravate my &s;orrows unto him that it may increa&s;e his: What (&s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> to her) do you &s;peak of death and marriage together? Yes (replied <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> and as I am going to the Church, I will imagine it to be unto my grave, and &s;hall hope that the Nuptiall Torches will &s;oon be changed unto Funerals: But why would you die, replied <HI>Mena&s;ta?</HI> Becau&s;e (an&s;wered &s;he) I cannot both live happily and inno|cently, &s;ince I finde it to be very criminall to love <HI>Aglatidas.</HI> In conclu&s;ion Sir, <HI>Me|na&s;ta</HI> was con&s;trained to leave <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> becau&s;e it was very late. This prudent Lady was no &s;ooner come unto her lodging, but &s;he &s;ent to &s;eek me, being re&s;olved to &s;peak unto me, and if &s;he could to cure my minde both of this jealou&s;ie and this new pa&s;|&s;ion, for &s;he did verily beleeve that I was in love with <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> but all her labour was lo&s;t: The next morning &s;he &s;ent al&s;o unto <HI>Artaban,</HI> to de&s;ire his help in &s;eeking me, but &s;he &s;ent a little too late for he was newly gone out: Mean while <HI>Artaban,</HI> as well as <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> did de&s;pair of finding me: And the&s;e two which had &s;uch plea&s;ant things to relate unto me, were both of them much troubled that they could not learn what was become of me: They were not like to know, &s;ince I concealed my &s;elf as clo&s;e as I could with intention to let <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> hear from me. Indeed, day did no &s;ooner dawn, but I &s;ent a man with a note unto him, which acquainted him how I de|&s;ired to fight with him upon that Quarrell which he might ea&s;ily gue&s;s at; and to let him know that the man whom I &s;ent would conduct him unto the place where I would expect him with a Sword in my hand: But &s;o it chanced that he whom I &s;ent unto him found abundance of company with him, becau&s;e three of his friends came to him and would have him go unto the King who intended to hunt that day, and to be with him before he went; this Note therefore could not be &s;o han&s;omely delivered, but it was perceived, and &s;u&s;pected what the bu&s;ine&s;s was, &s;o that it was impo&s;&s;ible for <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> to give me &s;atisfaction. <HI>Artaban</HI> coming to hear of the&s;e reports acquain|ted the King, who gave order to &s;ecure <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> and commanded to look out for me: But here Sir may be admired how fortune does &s;port her &s;elf at the de&s;tinies of men: Although I did challenge <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> yet there was almo&s;t none in the Court that would beleeve it, unle&s;s tho&s;e which were with him when he received the Note; and the report of it being &s;pread abroad that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> would fight, it was not thought likely that I who had killed his brother &s;hould al&s;o call him to an account: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> thought it to be <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> who called me in que&s;tion, and not I him; and did imagine that this would more confirm me in the opinion I had of her, &s;o that &s;he re|&s;olved to go on in her odd determination: Mean while <HI>Artaban</HI> with ten or twelve of his friends took hor&s;e and all the care they could to finde me out: I knew by the re|turn of the man whom I &s;ent that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was clapt up, and that he &s;ent me word by him he would give me &s;atisfaction as &s;oon as he could: But when I perceived <HI>Arta|ban</HI> &s;ome two hundred paces off, and becau&s;e I would not be clapt up as <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was,
<PB N="146" REF="78">
I galloped away, and as I often turned my head, I &s;aw <HI>Artaban</HI> before the re&s;t riding as hard as he could, and making &s;ignes with his hand to &s;tay me, becau&s;e he would &s;peak with me. But as my misfortune had re&s;olved my ruine, I per&s;waded my &s;elf that the wi&s;dom of <HI>Artaban</HI> thought it not fit I &s;hould call that man in que&s;tion who&s;e brother I had killed, and indeed I my &s;elf did think it unrea&s;onable; &s;o that imagining that he had nothing to &s;ay unto me, unle&s;s that the King would make <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and me friends, the more he made &s;ignes to &s;tay, the more I &s;purred my hor&s;e: I did oft under&s;tand what he &s;aid, but would not make an&s;wer; and I think he had overtook me, had I not met with a great Ditch which my Hor&s;e did freely take, but his would not under a quarter of an hours beating: In the mean time, I having found a thick wood which hindered his &s;ight of me, I quit the common road, and took &s;uch an ob&s;cure path that <HI>Artaban</HI> was con|&s;trained to return very &s;orry and angry that he had not &s;poke with me. I not well knowing what re&s;olution to take after I had contrived and devi&s;ed a hundred de&s;ignes, I went unto a Church which was not farre off, the Prie&s;t whereof I knew, with whom I had an intention to &s;tay four or five daies concealed, imagining that they would re|&s;train <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> very long, and that as &s;oon as he was at liberty, he would give me &s;atisfaction; It would not be at all advantagious to you Sir, to tell you what kind of life I led in this place, &s;uppo&s;ing that you will imagine it to be mo&s;t re&s;tle&s;s and melancho|lique. This Church was built in an ancient Forre&s;t, the trees whereof were &s;o thick, that the Sun did never &s;hine upon it: I wandered all the day in places lea&s;t frequented; Some|times I pa&s;&s;ed away the time with the <HI>Magi</HI> which dwelt thereabouts, and with him with whom I lodged: I had told him that &s;ome grumblings at Court cau&s;ed me to retire for a time: But who&s;oever I entertained my &s;elf withall, and where&s;oever I walked alone, <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> took up all my thoughts: Perhaps, &s;aid I, they are ju&s;t now toge|ther; perhaps <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> is talking of me unto him with &s;corn, perhaps &s;he is entreating him not to expo&s;e him&s;elf unto a new Quarrell; perhaps &s;he is praying again&s;t my life; and perhaps <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and &s;he are married: To tell you Sir, how &s;adly this la&s;t thought was re&s;ented, and how deeply it wounded my &s;oul, is a &s;tory which I cannot po&s;&s;ibly re|late. Upon a day then when I was mo&s;t dejectedly walking in the Forre&s;t, I di&s;covered a Coach full of Ladies; I no &s;ooner &s;aw it but I ru&s;ht into the Wood: But one of the Ladies &s;pying me, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (cried &s;he) do not fly, and but &s;uffer me I be&s;eech you to &s;peak one minute with you: I knew the voice full well to be <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI>'s, and imagi|ning that perhaps <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was with her, I knew not whether I &s;hould &s;tay or &s;hun her: But at la&s;t hearing her call very earne&s;tly and very often, I turned and came to her, as &s;he was coming out of the Coach, which was very near the Church; &s;he having two friends and one &s;ervant with her, did leave them, and de&s;ired them to go and &s;tay in the Church whil&s;t &s;he did &s;peak with me concerning &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s &s;he had with me: we being co&s;ens, the Ladies which were with her did not think &s;trange at her freedom to me, &s;o that <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> giving me her hand, and walking &s;ome twenty or thirty paces into the Wood without &s;peaking a word to each other, &s;he &s;aid unto me, looking me ear|ne&s;tly in the face; I do not know <HI>Aglatidas</HI> whether what I have to tell you will be welcome or unwelcome unto you, for &s;ince you love <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> &s;o well, you will not regard the marriage of <HI>Ame&s;tris. Ame&s;tris</HI> (cried I out being tran&s;ported with &s;orrow and jealou&s;ie) is &s;he married? Yes, replied <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> faintly, but <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> what does the news concern you, that you &s;hould be &s;o troubled at it? you who have told me you did not nor would not love <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> any longer? I think &s;o to, replied I, and I beleeve I &s;hould not love her; but I do hate <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;o much that I cannot hear of his happine&s;s without an unimaginable de&s;pair: If <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> (an&s;wered &s;he) have no other joy but what the marriage of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> affords him, I would advi&s;e you not to trouble your &s;elf at his good fortune: What (&s;aid I to her with a minde full of ha|tred, &s;orrow and jealou&s;ie, not knowing her meaning) can <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> marry <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and not be the happie&s;t and mo&s;t &s;atisfied man in the world? Ha <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid I not giving her time to an&s;wer) this is not po&s;&s;ible, but you have more rea&s;on to &s;ay that &s;ince he enjoyes &s;o much good fortune, that he &s;hall not enjoy it long: for indeed that unju&s;t Ravi&s;her of the Trea&s;ure which belonged unto me, and which I thought to obtain, &s;hall die by my own hand: <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> wondering to &s;ee me &s;o troubled, and tran&s;ported with anger, &s;he looked upon me, and interrupting me &s;aid, If you do not hate <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> I tell you again, but as the husband of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> you may let your &s;oul be in quiet, &s;ince it is not <HI>Mega|bi&s;es</HI> who has married her: Is it not <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> that has married her, &s;aid I? No, &s;aid &s;he: Ah
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<HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid I with a le&s;&s;e troubled minde) do not mock me but &s;peak more &s;incerely unto me; I prote&s;t unto you (&s;aid &s;he) I do not lie; for <HI>Otanus</HI> is the man whom the incompa|rable <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> hath married: <HI>Otanus</HI> (&s;aid I to her) married <HI>Ame&s;tris? Otanus</HI> the uglie&s;t of men; he whom &s;he mo&s;t hated? Ha, if it be &s;o, then either her Kindred or the King has compelled her unto this &s;trange marriage: Not at all (Replied <HI>Mena&s;ta)</HI> and you had more intere&s;t in her affections then any had: I (replied I) being all amazement? I confe&s;s unto you (&s;aid I not knowing well what I &s;aid) that I had rather &s;he &s;hould have married <HI>O|tanus</HI> then <HI>Megabi&s;es:</HI> But for all that, know <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> could not marry <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> or if he had been di&s;po&s;ed it would not have been advantagious to him: yes (Replied <HI>Mena&s;ta)</HI> it would before the Beauty of <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> had ra&s;ed out of your heart the love of <HI>Ame&s;tris: Anati&s;a</HI> (replied I ha&s;tily) had never any place in my heart: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> the perfidious <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> only did reign there with Soveraignty: <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> not being le&s;s a&s;to|ni&s;hed to hear me &s;ay &s;o, then I was to her &s;ay <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was married, did ask me if it were very true that I loved <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> yet? yes <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid I unto her) I do love her yet; and though my own eyes did &s;ee &s;uch things, as I did not think I &s;hould ever &s;ee, yet I did leave adoring her perpetually: The love I &s;hewed unto <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> was but counterfeit, and a meer effect of my de&s;pair: But <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid I to her) what was it that &s;et <HI>Me|gabi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> at odds? and what moved her to marry <HI>Otanus? Megabi&s;es</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to me) was never in league with <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> Ha <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> (Replied I) you &s;aw not that which I &s;aw; Ha <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) you &s;aw nothing but what I know: You may here admire Sir what &s;trange effects Love produced in my &s;oul: The news of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> her mar|riage did infinitely afflict me; but becau&s;e I thought &s;he had been married unto <HI>Megabi|&s;es,</HI> and afterwards heard &s;he was not, I did a while re&s;ent &s;ome joy to mingle among&s;t my &s;orrows; this gave me a little comfort: But in conclu&s;ion Sir, after that <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> had cau&s;ed me to &s;wear a hundred and a hundred times that I did not love <HI>Anati&s;a;</HI> She began to aggravate the Obligations which were upon me unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> for her fidelity to me, and her rigour unto <HI>Megabi&s;es;</HI> And to make me more re&s;ent it, &s;he told me how <HI>Ame|&s;tris</HI> had forbidden <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> for ever &s;eeing her, and how he promi&s;ed her that he would not, at the Fountain in the Green Border within the Garden, where accidentally they met. Ha <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid I interrupting her) then have my eyes mo&s;t cruelly betraied me; and done me very bad &s;ervice; So it was Sir, that <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> telling me nothing but truth, and finding my &s;oul &s;oftened with &s;orrows, it was no hard matter for her to per|&s;wade me: The Mi&s;t of Jealou&s;ie which was before my eyes did vani&s;h; and I immediatly &s;aw that which I &s;aw not before; that is, I &s;aw <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> appear extreamly innocent, and my &s;elf infinitely to blame; After this, <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> told me all that I have told you; the de|&s;pair of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to &s;ee me uncon&s;tant, and to know that I was jealous not knowing of whom, and at la&s;t to ju&s;tifie her &s;elf in my minde, &s;he undertook this &s;ad de&s;tinie to mar|ry <HI>Otanus,</HI> knowing well that it was impo&s;&s;ible it &s;hould be he of whom he was jealous. In conclu&s;ion <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> told me that whereas I might have been the happie&s;t of men, and given <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;atisfaction, I had made my &s;elf the mo&s;t unhappy, and made her more un|fortunate then my &s;elf: Ah <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> (cried I out) this is not po&s;&s;ible, if it be, then never was misfortune equall unto mine: She told me further, that the quarrell which I intended with <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> did ha&s;te on her odd re&s;olution: That my ab&s;enting my &s;elf, and <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> going into the Countrey at the &s;ame time, cau&s;ed her to think that the voyage was agreed upon betwixt us: and &s;he told all tho&s;e who &s;poke unto her in the behalf of <HI>Otanus,</HI> that &s;he was re&s;olved to marry him, &s;o that the bu&s;ine&s;s was not protracted but quickly di&s;patch|ed: At the &s;ame time &s;he asked the Kings con&s;ent, who con&s;ented willingly thereunto, &s;up|po&s;ing it to be a good expedient to reconcile <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and me, both of us being equally in the principall cau&s;e of our differences: <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> told me al&s;o that the King &s;poke to my Fa|ther concerning it; and that my Father &s;eeing the coldne&s;s that was in me towards <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and being glad that I &s;hould be no longer intere&s;ted in the Love of <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> did him&s;elf de&s;ire the King to conclude up the match: In &s;hort Sir, <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> told me that the bu&s;ine&s;s was &s;o clo&s;ely carried as almo&s;t none knew of it when they went unto the Church to be mar|ried. Alas <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) had you &s;een <HI>Amestris</HI> in that condition, you would have rather thought her going to a puni&s;hment then a Marriage; and might very well have &s;een her innocency by her &s;orrows: I &s;aw her (&s;aid &s;he) an hour before this &s;ad Ceremo|ny, and &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw me, but looking upon me with tears in her eyes, I know not (&s;aid &s;he to me) whether the uncon&s;tant <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> if he &s;aw me, would re&s;ent my &s;orrows, and re|pent of his crime; But however <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> it were requi&s;ite that I did ju&s;tifie my &s;elf: I would
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let him &s;ee his jealou&s;ie was ill-grounded, and I mu&s;t die for grief; but if my praiers have any prevalency in them he mu&s;t eternally lament it: As &s;oon as &s;he had uttered the&s;e dolefull words, they called her to the Church, and I followed after with tears in my eyes like a &s;ad Mourner: Every one who &s;aw her wept al&s;o: all that knew of the Marriage were amazed, <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> although he was very patient at it, yet it infinitely &s;tung him: <HI>Artaban</HI> was ready to forbid the Banes when the Ceremony was almo&s;t fini&s;hed, coming into the Church no &s;ooner: <HI>Otanus</HI> him&s;elf. was &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed, and not &s;o well &s;atisfied as he might be, be|cau&s;e he did not very well under&s;tand how this good fortune did come about; and becau&s;e he was &s;o con&s;cious of &s;o many defects in him&s;elf, as he knew that he could not be beloved: indeed it was the di&s;cour&s;e of all the world, and every one vented their conceits concerning it, though there was none but <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> which knew that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was the only cau&s;e of this &s;o unju&s;t, &s;o unrea&s;onable, and &s;o di&s;cordant a Marriage. Never ask me (&s;aid &s;he unto me) what <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did after this di&s;mall day; &s;he was all Melancholy, all altered, and I could never look upon her but with tears; if you &s;aw her your &s;elf, you would pity her and be &s;ad. As we two were thus together, <HI>Artaban</HI> (to compleat my misfor|tune) having at la&s;t di&s;covered where I was, came and found me hearkening unto <HI>Menasta:</HI> He no &s;ooner &s;aw me, but coming to me, Ah cruell Friend (cried he) what have you done? And why did you &s;o ob&s;tinately fly me? I who had the be&s;t and mo&s;t delightfull news in the world to tell you? I that could have told you that your own eyes had deluded you, and that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was mo&s;t innocent. <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> much &s;urpri&s;ed to hear him &s;ay &s;o, as|ked him what he meant by &s;aying &s;o? Then he told her before me, how he heard <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and &s;he in the Green Arbour, where he had learned by their di&s;cour&s;e, how that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was faithfull unto <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and that &s;he never loved <HI>Megabi&s;es:</HI> how that their meeting in the green border by the Fountain, was by meer chance and not appointed, how that &s;he had commanded <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> never to &s;ee her more, and that accordingly he went away and ob&s;erved her order, and in conclu&s;ion that he heard how <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was purely innocent. I hearing then <HI>Artaban</HI> &s;peak thus, and being no longer in any &s;u&s;picion of the fidelity of <HI>A|me&s;tris;</HI> Tell me &s;ome more cruell friend (&s;aid I to him,) And double my misfortune by telling me thus of my good: Forget nothing which might have made me happy, to the end I may be eternally mi&s;erable. It is hard for me to tell you Sir, what confu&s;ion my thoughts were in upon this accident; I looked upon my errour with a horrid &s;hame: I hearkned un|to the ju&s;tification of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> with abundance of joy; and I re&s;ented my own misfortune with a &s;trange de&s;pair: But when my imagination pre&s;ented unto my &s;oul, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> the faire&s;t Lady in the world, &s;hould be in the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the mo&s;t ugly and odious man; I quite lo&s;t all Patience, and could not chu&s;e but lament and be &s;tupid: But &s;ince <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> could &s;tay no longer, &s;he left me: at la&s;t I &s;aid to her, May I not once more &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> I do not think (replied <HI>Mena&s;ta)</HI> that &s;he will permit it; and in that minde which I left her, you can never hope for any more favour from her: Ha <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> (&s;aid I) do not add to my de&s;pair; I would gladly &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I would di&s;cour&s;e with her, I would throw my &s;elf at her feet; and if you would be plea&s;ed to facilitate the way, I may perhaps do &s;ome|thing which would plea&s;e <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and which might render my de&s;pair more publique: In &s;hort Sir, I &s;poke with &s;uch violence as moved <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> to pity me: and promi&s;ed me to deceive her friend for once: and to let me hear from her when &s;he found a &s;it time for her to meet me in &s;ome place: After this, <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> went away, and <HI>Artaban</HI> who had no other bu&s;ine&s;s but to finde me out, and tell me that it was his de&s;ign to prevent my misfortune, he &s;taied with me, and would not leave me in that condition wherein I was: and &s;o much the willinger becau&s;e he &s;aw the Coun&s;ell which he had given me took &s;uch unfortunate ef|fect: But I was &s;o ju&s;t as not to be angry with him for it: I accu&s;ed only my &s;elf not my friend: Mu&s;t it not be confe&s;&s;ed (&s;aid I) that I am the mo&s;t unfortunate, the mo&s;t culpa|ble, and therefore the mo&s;t to be blamed of any man in the world? for indeed (&s;aid I to <HI>Artaban)</HI> I have had a greater lo&s;&s;e then ever any had; I have been in greater fault then ever any was; and I have &s;uffered more then the mo&s;t unfortunate man ever did; After I had &s;aid &s;o, I was a while &s;ilent, then again upon a &s;udden I began to &s;peak: But <HI>Artaban</HI> (&s;aid I unto him) did you &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> in the Church? No (an&s;wered he) for I was &s;o troubled when meeting <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> who told me that <HI>Otanus</HI> had married <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that I could be no more inqui&s;itive concerning a bu&s;ine&s;s which I could not help, and which I had helped doubtle&s;&s;e, if I had but known it one quarter of an hour &s;ooner: What then (&s;aid I to him) is it mo&s;t true that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did alwaies love me? and is it al&s;o certain &s;he never favoured <HI>Megabi&s;es?</HI> and after all this can I be happy? How <HI>Artaban</HI> can this po&s;&s;i|bly
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be? No, no (&s;aid I) I cannot comprehend it; &s;ince <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> is <HI>Fidele,</HI> and <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> not happy, in this re&s;pect the heart of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> mu&s;t needs rejoyce: But alas, the thought that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> is <HI>Fidele,</HI> and mu&s;t never be mine, this re&s;pect makes dead in &s;orrow; No, no I had rather you were uncon&s;tant then faithfull; and &s;ince you are never to be mine, Why do you, cruell <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> pre&s;erve your affection for me, yet deprive me of all the con&s;e|quents? To deprive me of your &s;ight; your di&s;cour&s;e, and your fair &s;elf? This is (inhu|mane <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> to conceal a Serpent under Flowers; This is the way to poi&s;on your pre|&s;ence; and indeed it is to be barbarous under a colour of being pitifull; Alas, had it not much more availed me not to have ju&s;tified your &s;elf, then to have done it in &s;uch a &s;trange, &s;uch an extraordinary, and &s;uch a cruell way? For in beleeving you to be uncon&s;tant, I had none but my own misfortunes to &s;upport: I then thought you happy while&s;t I &s;ighed; and I did not know that your felicity did not cau&s;e my greate&s;t puni&s;hment: I had not ex|perimentally tried that I &s;hould be more &s;en&s;ible of the misfortunes of the party beloved then of my own. What, <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> Mu&s;t you be for ever unhappy, and unhappy for the Love of me? Mu&s;t you eternally endure the &s;ight of a man whom you hated, and never &s;ee another whom you once honoured with your Love? and all this becau&s;e <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;eem'd to be perfidious unto you, and becau&s;e he was jealous without rea&s;on, though not without &s;ome kinde of appearance, and by con&s;equence without any &s;hew that I loved you &s;till; though none are ever jealous of that which they do not love. Alas <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> (&s;aid I) Did you &s;o little know your own Beauty, that you &s;hould &s;uffer your &s;elf to be deluded by a trick &s;o ea&s;ie to be di&s;covered? Could you ever think that any heart which once loved you and adored you could offer any Victims unto any other Divinity? As for <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> he might with rea&s;on think him&s;elf not beloved by <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> his own defects might authorize his &s;u&s;pition: But as for <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> how is it po&s;&s;ible, &s;he &s;hould &s;o much as conceive, much le&s;&s;e firmly beleeve, that any one could cea&s;e from loving her? and &s;o cea&s;e to love her as to love any other? yet &s;he did think it, &s;he beleeved it; and &s;he has revenged her &s;elf, and after &s;uch a &s;ad manner as mu&s;t make me eternally &s;igh: for to &s;ay truly, there neither is, nor was, nor I think ever can be any misfortune comparable unto mine; I know not (&s;aid <HI>Artaban</HI> then unto me) whether all tho&s;e who are not beloved will acknowledge what you &s;ay; Tho&s;e who are not loved (an&s;wered I) may hope that one day they may be, and that hope may &s;upport them amid&s;t their inquietudes. But as for me, on the contrary, though I confe&s;&s;e I was beloved, I &s;hall never receive any &s;igns of that affection: I mu&s;t never &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> again, never &s;peak to her; &s;he will never write unto me again, but &s;hall be treated as one &s;he hates: No, no <HI>Artaban,</HI> I am certainly the mo&s;t unhappy man in all the world: yet tho&s;e who lament for the death of their Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es will di&s;pute with you for the fir&s;t rank in unhappine&s;&s;e, although you would have all they would yeeld it unto you: they do di&s;pute with me for it without rea&s;on (Replied I) for who hinders them from following tho&s;e they love unto the grave? There are a hundred waies which leade to death, and the end of their evils is in their own di&s;po&s;ition: But it is not &s;o with me, for as long as <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> lives, this remedy is denied me: I mu&s;t pre&s;erve my life as if &s;he were delighted with it: for indeed I cannot leave <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> becau&s;e I cannot omit any occa&s;ion which may &s;erve her, and becau&s;e after all this I would &s;ee, as well as I can, how far the fidelity of this Lady will go; Then confe&s;&s;e, &s;aid <HI>Artaban,</HI> that tho&s;e who &s;ee their Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es not only uncon&s;tant and married, but married unto tho&s;e whom they are more indulgent unto then the fir&s;t they loved, have more cau&s;e to complain then you; I &s;taied a while at this before I an&s;wered; but pre&s;ently beginning to &s;peak as if I had &s;een <HI>Ame|&s;tris:</HI> Pardon (Divine Lady) my imbecillity, and do not hate me, if in this accident I do con&s;ider my &s;elf more then you: Yes yes <HI>Artaban</HI> (&s;aid I in turning towards him) I do confe&s;&s;e that I do contradict my own thoughts: and although I am de&s;perate at the mis|fortune of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> yet I would not have her happy with <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> but I had rather &s;he &s;hould be unfortunate with <HI>Otanus;</HI> I had need to call all my rea&s;on and my genero&s;ity to a&s;&s;i&s;t me, and to keep this criminous joy from entring my heart: I cannot forbear the en|tertaining it when I know that he who now enjoys <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;hall never enjoy her love: and when I know &s;he thinks upon me with &s;orrow, and eternally regrets me: I would have her know my innocency as I know hers, and that I &s;hould be ju&s;tified in her thoughts as &s;he is in mine: I know (&s;aid I) this will augment her &s;orrow, &s;ince it may come to pa&s;&s;e that de&s;pite will choak &s;ome part of that affection &s;he bears unto me: But, adorable <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> (&s;aid I) &s;eek out &s;ome other remedies for your &s;orrows, and finde it rather in the &s;weet|ne&s;&s;e to know, that you are perfectly though improfitably loved: After this I went &s;ilently
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to walk: afterwards upon a &s;udden I began to &s;peak, an&s;wering unto what I had thought upon: No <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> &s;aid I, I will not fight with you: and though you &s;hould offend me, yet if you &s;till love <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> you are more cruelly puni&s;hed then any death can inflict: And afterwards to &s;peak the very truth, without that Pa&s;&s;ion which hath blinded me, I did owe &s;o much re&s;pect unto the bloud of his Brother which I had let out, as not to think of &s;pilling his: But as for <HI>Otanus</HI> (&s;aid I) how can I &s;uffer him to live? and knowing the ver|tue of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> how dare I &s;o much as to de&s;ire his death? What then (&s;aid I to <HI>Arta|ban</HI> with more anger then I can now expre&s;&s;e) mu&s;t I all my life long &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> the incomparable <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;ubject unto a man unto whom the gods have denied all things ex|cept his bare condition and his Riches? and unto whom they have not given any more &s;oul then as much as will render him odious? Why <HI>Artaban</HI> is it not permitted me to &s;et <HI>Ame|&s;tris</HI> at liberty? Ha No No (&s;aid I to my &s;elf) I dare not attempt it, I dare not propound it unto her; I dare not &s;o much as have a thought of it le&s;t &s;he &s;hould forbid it; what &s;hall I then do (&s;aid I to <HI>Artaban)</HI> and what &s;hould I think? So it was Sir, that I can well &s;ay, that I &s;uffered as much as was po&s;&s;ible to be &s;uffered, and not die: the joy which I re|&s;ented at the innocence of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did doubtle&s;s keep in my life, it not being po&s;&s;ible with|out that cordiall to have kept my heart from breaking when I heard &s;he was married: But though I lived, yet &s;urety it was to endure more &s;orrow: for certainly the ob&s;curity of a grave was much to be preferred before the trouble and mi&s;ery which I endured: Sometimes <HI>Otanus</HI> did not &s;eem &s;o odious unto me as he alwaies before did &s;eem; &s;ometimes I thought that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did not apprehend his defects &s;o great, becau&s;e it was grown habituall unto her to &s;ee them: I feared al&s;o that the Trea&s;ures which <HI>Otanus</HI> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed did not really reach his heart, but tho&s;e fears la&s;ted not long: My greate&s;t Con&s;olation was to think that <HI>Ame|&s;tris</HI> could not love him who po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed it: In the mean time the night drawing on, it was time to retire: I pa&s;&s;ed that night away without &s;leep, and I complain'd away the two next daies; Upon the third in the morning I received news from <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> who &s;ent me word that if I would be in the Garden about the green Border where the Fountain is by &s;ix of the clock at night, &s;he would bring <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> thither, as not knowing that I would be there; but to prevent any di&s;covery of this meeting, it were requi&s;ite &s;he went into the thick wood on the right hand of the Fountain: Who&s;oever &s;hould have told me Sir but one minute before that I &s;hould have another minute of joy in all my life, I could not have beleeved him: yet I no &s;ooner knew that I &s;hould &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> again that day, but I abandoned my &s;elf entirely: I went thither an hour before, never thinking either of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> or <HI>Otanus,</HI> or of the marriage of <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> and never thinking of any thing el&s;e but that I &s;hould &s;ee her, that I &s;hould &s;peak to her, and that perhaps &s;he would an&s;wer me favourably. And afterwards reviving upon a &s;udden out of the plea&s;ant Lethargy of thought: Alas! (&s;aid I) what can &s;he po&s;&s;ibly an&s;wer me, which can render me le&s;&s;e mi&s;erable, &s;ince the more &s;weet &s;he is unto me, the more mi&s;erable does &s;he make me? yet for all that I de&s;ire her to be &s;o, and not incen&s;ed again&s;t me. I entertained all that day on this manner with <HI>Arta|ban,</HI> and I &s;ent unto <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> that I would not fail to be there: Mean while, this witty Lady did really delude <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> (as &s;ince I came to know) and propounded this &s;olitary walk un|to her, as mo&s;t &s;uteable to her humour and pre&s;ent condition: yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;he thought it convenient, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;hould not re&s;ent me &s;o culpable as formerly &s;he did, therefore &s;he brought her an hower &s;ooner unto the Walk then &s;he appointed me, to the end that &s;he might have more time to prepare her: As they were then in that little Wood where &s;he led her, the fair afflicted Lady did her &s;elf begin to contribute unto the de&s;ign, and begun a di&s;cour&s;e of which my Cozen was very glad: It mu&s;t be acknowledged <HI>Mena|&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to her) that the misfortune which thus per&s;ecutes me, is very rigid again&s;t me, &s;ince it will not &s;uffer me to have that comfort as to know what <HI>Aglatidas</HI> does think of my misfortune: He is &s;o taken up with <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> that perhaps they mock at my Me|lancholy de&s;tiny: and perhaps <HI>Aglatidas</HI> thinks my Marriage rather an effect of my hu|mour then as a misfortune whereof he is the reall cau&s;e: But (&s;aid &s;he) my &s;oul is a little more rea&s;onable, for I cannot forbear wi&s;hing two different things at once: I no &s;ooner had wi&s;hed to know that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was &s;en&s;ible of my misfortune, but pre&s;ently after I de|&s;ire for my own quietne&s;s to under&s;tand no more of him; never to meet him as long as I live; nor hear no more &s;poken of him: but alas, all the&s;e de&s;igns have but an ill bottom in my heart; and I have more rea&s;on to re&s;ent my Marriage as a great puni&s;hment for any loving &s;uch a perfidious man: I wi&s;h, &s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that you had never thought him &s;uch a cruell man, or that you would no longer think him &s;o; but as I think you are more
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unhappy by re&s;enting him &s;o; What (&s;aid <HI>Amestris</HI> interrupting her,) &s;hould I not be|leeve that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was perfidious? and can I think that he is not &s;o &s;till? Ah No No <HI>Mena&s;ta.</HI> I mu&s;t not think him otherwi&s;e, and for the future I mu&s;t not per&s;wade my &s;elf of any thing that may ju&s;tifie him: I wi&s;h only that he would repent of his crime, to the end that he may be a puni&s;hment unto him&s;elf: But know that as long as I do not think <HI>Aglatidas</HI> repentant and unhappy, he does not put the &s;tability of my &s;oul unto any dan|gerous triall: And it would be more cruell unto me to tell me that I was deceived; that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was never culpable; that what I have &s;een was but an illu&s;ion; that he hath been alwaies faithfull unto me; That he never loved <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> and that he hath ever loved <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> I confe&s;&s;e <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that if I could be per&s;waded of all this, then I &s;hould be more unhappy then I am: and though I &s;hould not become more criminall, yet doubtle&s;s I &s;hould become more unfortunate: But this is a thing which can never be, and a thing which I need not fear: I would to God (&s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> to her) it were po&s;&s;ible you never were acquainted with the innocency of <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> The innocency of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (replied <HI>A|me&s;tris?</HI> Ha, I do entreat you not to make merry at my misfortune; it is too great <HI>Mena|&s;ta</HI> to be u&s;ed for your diver&s;ion; and I am more your friend then to be treated &s;o. No No, replied &s;he, I &s;peak &s;eriou&s;ly; <HI>Aglatidas</HI> it is true was very unwi&s;e, but he was ever faithfull: What, replied <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> did not <HI>Aglatidas</HI> love <HI>Anati&s;a? Aglatidas,</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> never loved any but you: O Heavens (cried out this wi&s;e Lady) mercile&s;s and cruel woman that you are, why do you &s;peak thus unto me? If this you tell me be fal&s;e, why do you tell it? and if it be true, why did you not either tell it &s;ooner, or eter|nally conceal it from me? I could tell it no &s;ooner, replied <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> becau&s;e I knew it no &s;ooner; and I could not hide it, becau&s;e <HI>Aglatidas</HI> is re&s;olved to tell it you him|&s;elf: Oh (replied &s;he with a quite altered countenance) whether <HI>Aglatidas</HI> be culpa|ble or innocent, I will never &s;ee him as long as I live; if he be culpable he is not wor|thy of it; and though he be innocent, yet I &s;hall be criminall to &s;uffer it; therefore <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> talk no more of him, he does but too much take up my memory; he is but too much in my heart, and I wi&s;h to heaven he were le&s;s: After the&s;e words &s;he was &s;i|lent; and <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> &s;eeing her minde was &s;o much troubled, did repent of her promi&s;e and was a good while before &s;he dur&s;t &s;peak any more unto her: After &s;ome minutes had thus pa&s;&s;ed on, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> looking upon her with eyes &s;wimming in tears, and beginning to &s;peak with le&s;s violence; But yet, &s;aid &s;he, <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> what moved you to &s;peak thus unto me? I dur&s;t tell you no more, an&s;wered <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> for &s;eeing the innocence of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> did torment you as much as if he were criminall, I thought it better to &s;peak no more of him, neither as faithfull or as incon&s;tant: Know <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> replied &s;he, that I love you &s;o much as to pardon &s;uch a fault, and know (&s;aid &s;he blu&s;hing) that I de&s;ire you to tell me all you know concerning <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and di&s;gui&s;e nothing from me: <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> de&s;ired it, told her all &s;he knew concerning my adventure; to wit how I came to be jealous by &s;eeing <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> with her in the Garden: how that moved me to leave wri|ting unto her: how I did not cea&s;e to love her: how <HI>Artaban</HI> had coun&s;elled me to love <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> or at lea&s;t to &s;eem as if I did; and how I challenged <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> and hid my &s;elf to no other end but to fight with him; and in conclu&s;ion, &s;eeing <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> hearken favoura|bly unto what &s;he told her; then &s;he told her further what I had told unto her; and con|fe&s;&s;ed &s;he had di&s;covered in me &s;o many &s;ignes of ab&s;olute de&s;pair, that &s;he was not able to deny me one reque&s;t which I made unto her, which was that I would be a means that I might once more &s;ee her: In conclu&s;ion, Madam (&s;aid &s;he) that you may not be too much &s;urpri&s;ed at it, be plea&s;ed to know, that I induced you hither, only to the end that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> might pre&s;ent him&s;elf unto you: Ah <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> what have you done? unto what have you expo&s;ed me? how do you think I can endure the &s;ight of a man whom I have made &s;o unfortunate? and how can I deny that unto a man who might have made me all happine&s;s? Yes <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> you have done me great wrong, if this meeting &s;hould be di&s;covered, would the world not think it was by my con&s;ent? What will all the Court &s;ay? what may <HI>Otanus</HI> think? unto how much danger do I ha|zard my reputation? No no, I mu&s;t never con&s;ent unto what you have promi&s;ed him: how would you have me &s;peak unto him? what would you have me &s;ay? Shall I tell him I love him &s;till? alas I cannot do &s;o without a crime, or at lea&s;t it is not han&s;om to do it; Shall I tell him that I hate him? Ha, good Gods, how can I &s;ay it? I who did not &s;o, when I thought him perfidious? Speak then <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> I conjure you; you have wit and virtue, and di&s;cretion, I be&s;eech you advi&s;e me, and advi&s;e me faithfully: Yet (replied &s;he, not
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giving her leave to an&s;wer) it is better to ask no coun&s;ell at all, and &s;hun &s;o dangerous an occa&s;ion: In &s;aying &s;o, &s;he began to walk, and go away; When <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> did bid her look where I was coming; &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw me, but &s;he &s;hed tears; and as &s;he turned from me to hide them, I kneeled down at her feet, before &s;he was well recovered in her &s;ight; I thought Sir that I had &s;uch a &s;hare in tho&s;e &s;orrows which I ob&s;erved in <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and they did &s;o augment mine, that I had much add to &s;peak; yet after much &s;training my &s;elf, I &s;aid unto her, You &s;ee at your feet Madam, the mo&s;t culpable, the mo&s;t inno|cent, and the mo&s;t unfortunate man that breathes, who as criminall comes to ask puni&s;h|ment; who as innocent comes to ju&s;tifie him&s;elf before you; and who as unfortunate comes to beg compa&s;&s;ion, and &s;ome comfort in his mi&s;ery: Not Madam, that I &s;eek to live, but that I de&s;ire to die more cheerfully and gloriou&s;ly both: And this will be (Di|vine <HI>Amestris)</HI> if you will be plea&s;ed only to acknowledge that I have not meritted my misfortune; and that you would not judge me unworthy of a more happy de&s;tiny. I know not <HI>Aglatidaas</HI> (an&s;wered &s;he, and rai&s;ing me up) neither whether I &s;hould an&s;wer you, nor whether I &s;hould hear you, but I know very well that you are the only cau&s;e both of your misfortunes and mine; for indeed <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> is not one of whom one ought to be jea|lous: Why Madam (&s;aid I) &s;hould I give the lie unto my own eyes? Should I tru&s;t more unto your merit and your goodne&s;s, then to their te&s;timony? Do you not know Madam, that except the la&s;t time when I had the honour to &s;peak unto you, you never had given me any &s;trong arguments to beleeve but that I &s;tood upon any good terms in your minde? What then would you have it Madam which &s;hould &s;u&s;tain my weakne&s;s upon &s;uch an oc|ca&s;ion? If I had received &s;everall proofs and trials of your affection to me, then it had been a horrid crime to &s;u&s;pect your incon&s;tancy: But what engagements had I from you Madam, which might create in me &s;o great a confidence: It is true indeed that I have had &s;ome favourable expre&s;&s;ions from you, and was permitted to interpret them in the be&s;t &s;en&s;e for my &s;elf, and that I have received &s;ome civil and obliging Letters from you: but Madam, were all the&s;e &s;ufficient to belie my own eyes; and had my pa&s;&s;ion been worthy of you if I had retained all my rea&s;on upon &s;uch an accident? No Madam, to love you perfectly is to lo&s;e all rea&s;on as I have lo&s;t it; and to pre&s;erve only re&s;pect as I have pre&s;er|ved it; for indeed I did not complain it before all the world; I lamented in &s;ecret, I &s;ought out folitude to &s;igh it out there; and when I returned to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> I was forced to it: You returned (&s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to me interrupting me and changing colour) to wait upon <HI>Ana|ti&s;a</HI> before my eyes, and to force me again&s;t my will to receive a pa&s;&s;ion which could not enter into a &s;oul that was not preceded by another. Ah Madam, &s;aid I to her, I be&s;eech you do not upbraid me with a fault which indeed I have committed, but I committed it by the coun&s;ell of another: 'Tis true I did counterfeit a love unto <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> but it was only becau&s;e I ever loved you; that open love was but an effect of my true concealed love; and I know not how the adorable <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;hould &s;uffer her &s;elf to be deceived by &s;o gro&s;&s;e an artifice, and which I u&s;ed with &s;o little care; Do not think Madam that I have prophaned the &s;ame words which I imployed to per&s;wade you of my affection, and that I ever courted <HI>Anati&s;a;</HI> No, I never told her that I loved her; I let her interpret my melancholy as &s;he plea&s;ed, but I never did &s;ay &s;o much as <HI>I love you.</HI> I do confe&s;s that I once did intend it, but my heart and my tongue were, whether I would or no, faithfull unto you: Yes Madam, when I fled from you, when you thought I courted <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> even then I gave you con|vincing te&s;timonies of the greatne&s;s of my affection: For to love the faire&s;t Lady in the world as long as &s;he is gratious and favourable, this is a thing mo&s;t ordinary; but for me to continue loving her, when I thought &s;he had for&s;aken me, when I beleeved &s;he had be|traied me and loved another, and I for fear of di&s;covering my weakne&s;s &s;eemed to love another; Ah Madam, this is it which makes it evident, that nothing can extingui&s;h my pa&s;&s;ion but death, and that you will reign eternally in my &s;oul: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> all the time of this di&s;cour&s;e dejected her eyes, and afterwards upon a &s;udden lifting up her eye-lids with extream melancholy: Ju&s;tifie your &s;elf no more (&s;aid &s;he to me) for you are yet but too much in my minde; and let me imploy that little time I have to be with you in telling you ingenuou&s;ly my reall thoughts: I would Madam (&s;aid I to her) if it may be with|out prejudice to that reverence I owe you, be&s;eech you fir&s;t not to make me de&s;pair, but to let me die le&s;s violently; I would gladly ask you why when you thought me culpable, you &s;hould then be revenged upon your &s;elf? Could you not invent a puni&s;hment which I alone might have &s;uffered the mi&s;ery which you thought I de&s;erved? Why did you not rather doom me to die before your eyes? Why Madam did you puni&s;h me by making your
<PB N="153" REF="81">
&s;elf unhappy? I thought it be&s;t (an&s;wered &s;he) in my opinion to make you mi&s;erable by this cour&s;e, becau&s;e I could not otherwi&s;e ju&s;tifie my &s;elf in your minde, and I thought I could not do it more certainly then by marrying <HI>Otanus,</HI> whom you knew well I did not love, and of whom I knew mo&s;t a&s;&s;uredly you were not jealous: Ah Madam (&s;aid I to her) what do you tell me? Mu&s;t <HI>Aglatidas</HI> hear from your own mouth &s;uch cruel words? What Madam, <HI>Otanus?</HI> that &s;ame <HI>Otanus</HI> who I have &s;een to be the greate&s;t object of your aver&s;ion: Can he ever be the husband of <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> Yes, an&s;wered &s;he, &s;ince <HI>Ag|latidas</HI> would not: I be&s;eech you Madam, &s;aid I to her, have not &s;uch a thought of me; but on the contrary beleeve that if you will but let <HI>Aglatidas</HI> alone, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;hall not be long the wife of <HI>Otanus;</HI> I pronounced the&s;e words in a very pa&s;&s;ionate violence: But oh Heavens, how a&s;toni&s;hed I was, when I &s;aw <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> go back and look upon me with an imperious aire, wherein appeared no le&s;s anger then &s;orrow: Know <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> &s;aid &s;he to me, that as I have not changed my opinion of you, &s;o I have not changed my vertue, I am the &s;ame you knew me, and ever will be, It is incapable of any inju&s;tice; I have lo|ved you, I confe&s;s, but I loved you without a crime; Never think then, that although I ever had a great aver&s;ion towards <HI>Otanus,</HI> and had never married him out of &s;uch a thought as I cannot my &s;elf expre&s;s, yet I &s;ay never think that I can ever de&s;ire not to be his Wife: The time was indeed when I did not de&s;ire it; but &s;ince I am &s;o, it befits me to live with him as my Husband, and not to deceive. You know (&s;aid &s;he, with eyes full of tears which &s;he would have re&s;trained) that I will live out all the re&s;t of my daies with <HI>Otanus,</HI> whom I have ever hated, as if I had ever loved him; and with <HI>Aglatidas</HI> whom I ever loved, as if I ever hated him: Why Madam, &s;aid I to her, will you live with <HI>Agla|tidas</HI> as if you ever hated him? What rigid vertue can impo&s;e &s;uch a &s;evere law upon you? No, no Madam, &s;aid I to her, do not fear that I will u&s;e any violence; do not puni&s;h me &s;o cruelly for one word pronounced again&s;t my will in pa&s;&s;ion, and without any de&s;ign to execute it: I would have killed <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> becau&s;e I thought you loved him, and I will not attempt again&s;t <HI>Otanus,</HI> becau&s;e you do not love him, and I will hope that you will never love him: Let then this happy Husband of the fair <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> live, &s;o I may have &s;o much happine&s;s as &s;ometimes to &s;ee her, that I may be put in minde of tho&s;e glorious hours, wherein by the will of <HI>Artambaces</HI> I might have po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed the place which <HI>Otanus</HI> not en|joyes; let him enjoy that glorious place in peace, &s;ince the fatall De&s;tinies would have it &s;o; but let me al&s;o po&s;&s;e&s;s in peace that which you have given me; let me Madam enjoy &s;ome glimp&s;e of that felicity to the la&s;t minute of my life: You may, if you will, bring me to my death, as they u&s;e to bring Victims, that is, with Songs of joy and Crowns of flowers: Yes Madam, I &s;hould die with joy and honour, if you would only permit me to render you an account of my &s;orrows: And never fear that I &s;hall ever de&s;ire any thing from you which can di&s;plea&s;e you; No, divine <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I would only have my complaints to be favourably heard, and I would only be comforted by &s;ome words of pity: you have hearkned unto <HI>Me|gabi&s;es</HI> whom you do love, and will you refu&s;e the &s;ame favour unto a man whom you have not hated, nor perhaps do yet? That's the rea&s;on (replied &s;he) why I ought to deny it; for indeed <HI>Aglatidas</HI> I did love you, and I cannot hate you, &s;o that for that very rea&s;on I ought to mi&s;tru&s;t my own thoughts: It is not (&s;aid &s;he) and the gods do know it, the affection which I bear unto you can ever cau&s;e me to fa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l in that duty which I owe un|to <HI>Otanus,</HI> nor in that which I owe unto my &s;elf, but becau&s;e I am not in a capacity ever to be yours, therefore I ought not to admit of &s;eeing you or loving you: What then Madam, &s;aid to her, do you intend then to hate me? I cannot do that if I would (an&s;wered &s;he) but I can forbear &s;peaking to you: Ah if you can do that (&s;aid I to her) then you will not love me any more: And take heed Madam, you do not renew a fre&s;h jealou&s;ie in a de&s;|perate &s;oul, and per&s;wade me, that perhaps the riches of <HI>Otanus</HI> did gain your heart: Doe not Madam &s;tir upon &s;uch a violent pa&s;&s;ion in my minde; and to prevent it afford me at the lea&s;t &s;ome &s;mall &s;igns of indifference: For indeed Madam, If you &s;hould cau&s;e me to de&s;pair, I &s;hould again lo&s;e my Rea&s;on ab&s;olutely, as I did in my fir&s;t jealou&s;ie, and per|haps &s;hall not be able to pre&s;erve that re&s;pect which I ever have done: Tell me then, ado|rable <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that you do not hate me, and that you would have me love you: and al&s;o permit me &s;ometimes to tell you that I am ready to die for the love of you: I will tell you more then that (&s;aid &s;he;) for I will confe&s;&s;e that I e&s;teem <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> as I ought to e&s;teem him; and that I love him as well as ever I did love him; and that I will love him &s;o untill I die: But after all this; he mu&s;t &s;ee me no more as long as he lives: All that I can do for you is to permit you to think that when you &s;hall hear of my death (which I beleeve will
<PB N="154" REF="82">
be ere long) that melancholy was the cau&s;e, and that my la&s;t thoughts would be of <HI>Agla|tidas;</HI> Now (&s;aid &s;he) you &s;ee all I can do, and perhaps more then I ought to do, and therefore never hope for any more: Who ever &s;aw (&s;aid I unto her) the like adventure unto mine? You tell me that you have loved me, and that you love me &s;till; you tell me that you will die in thoughts of me, and why will you not while&s;t you are alive hear me &s;ometimes? It is becau&s;e I cannot (an&s;wered &s;he) without &s;ome offence to vertue, and without too much expo&s;ing my reputation: Does not your innocency (&s;aid I) &s;uffice to &s;atisfie that? No (an&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> it behoves to appear as well as be vertuous: Ap|pear then (&s;aid I to her) to be good and pitifull, if it be true that you are &s;o: Do you (&s;aid &s;he) appear rea&s;onable and generous, if you will continue to be alwaies what you are: Would you have <HI>Aglatidas</HI> Madam, &s;aid I, &s;ee you no more, and perhaps love you no more? I ought to wi&s;h the latter as well as the fir&s;t (replied &s;he) but I confe&s;&s;e I can|not: What would you then have me do, &s;aid I? I would (an&s;wered &s;he) have him love <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> without any hope; that he &s;hould comfort him&s;elf without &s;eeing me; that he &s;hould live with de&s;ire of death; and that he never forget me: In &s;aying &s;o, &s;he would have left me, but I took her by the hand whether &s;he would or no, holding her by force, and kneeling down: In the Name of God Madam (&s;aid I) either grant me what I de&s;ire, or do not forbid my death: I can con&s;ent unto no more (&s;aid &s;he to me) honour bids me deny what you de&s;ire, and my affection bids you live at lea&s;t as long as I: Have Pa|tience <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) perhaps the time will not be long: Ah Madam (&s;aid I to her) &s;peak not thus of your death; Rather forget <HI>Aglatidas</HI> then let the Faire&s;t Lady in the world finde a Tomb; you might do better (&s;aid &s;he) to phra&s;e her the mo&s;t unfortunate, and perhaps al&s;o the mo&s;t unju&s;t, and the mo&s;t inhumane: But in the Name of tho&s;e gods which I have already invoked Madam (&s;aid I to her) let me &s;peak unto you but once more: A|dieu <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) adieu, I begin to think my heart would betray me if I &s;hould hearken to you any longer, and that I ought to tru&s;t unto my own vertue no longer: Live (&s;aid &s;he) if you can, and if it be po&s;&s;ible love none but <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and never &s;ee her more; &s;he praies you, and if you will admit of it, &s;he commands you; I pronouncing this &s;ad &s;entence &s;he left me all in tears; and all that I could do was to ki&s;&s;e her fair hand which &s;he drew away from mine with too much violence: you may judge Sir in what a condition I was when I &s;aw <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> going away with <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> who all the while of our di&s;cour&s;e, &s;tood five or &s;ix paces from us, to watch le&s;t any came, and under&s;tood nothing at all what we &s;aid: I will not in&s;i&s;t Sir upon repetition of my apprehen&s;ions, for it would but too much abu&s;e your patience: Let this &s;erve for all, that there was never any e&s;teemed him|&s;elf more undone and unfortunate then I: for indeed I found that I loved and was belo|ved, but for all that there is not any ingredient of hope left for me: I found that it was not permitted me to force my happine&s;&s;e from him which enjoyed it: I had no more Ri|vals to puni&s;h, I had no more incon&s;tant Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es to complain upon, What comfort could I ever hope for amid&s;t my &s;orrows? I had no power to forget one which loved me, who had all my heart, my &s;pirits, my &s;oul, my memory, and all, and for whom I forgot all the word be&s;ides: There was not any hope for me to &s;peak unto her; She had forbid me to die; Indeed I found nothing but what did extraordinarily afflict me; yet notwith&s;tan|ding I would try whether by the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> I could &s;peak once more unto <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> but Sir it could not po&s;&s;ibly be obtained: and from that day this cruell Lady would never walk in any place, le&s;t &s;he meet with me: al&s;o &s;he feigned to be &s;ick, to the end &s;he might not go out at all. When I under&s;tood by <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> the full re&s;olution of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> ne|ver to alter, I then determined to remove from that place where I could not &s;ee her; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;t in con&s;ideration of me, I might perhaps have contributed unto her death, by cau&s;ing her re&s;traint: As for <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> who was as much vexed at the marriage of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> as I was, although he was thought not to love any longer when he came to <HI>Ecbatan:</HI> yet he found as well as I that it was not &s;uch an ea&s;ie matter to extingui&s;h a violent pa&s;&s;ion. <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> ha|ving heard where I was, did reconcile us, without &s;eeing or embracing one another, comman ding me becau&s;e I had killed his brother to &s;hun meeting him as much as I could po&s;&s;ible. The cau&s;e of our la&s;t querrell was not known unto any, no not unto <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> him&s;elf, who was alwaies ignorant that I had &s;een him in that fatall garden, near the Fountain in the green border: As concerning <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> I left <HI>Ecbatan</HI> before &s;he returned out of the Countrey: &s;o that I cannot tell you what &s;he thought of me: I did write a Letter at my departure unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> which I &s;ent unto <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> but I never had any an&s;wer unto it. I went wandring a while from Province to Province, not well knowing what I did, nor what cour&s;e to take
<PB N="155" REF="82">
until &s;uch time as the War begun in <HI>A&s;&s;iria;</HI> I hoped there to put a period unto my misfor|tunes, in finding out an honourable death. During all the time I was there, I never recei|ved any news, neither from <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> nor <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> although I u&s;ed all po&s;&s;ible means to engage &s;ome or other to enquire of them: And ever &s;ince that you have been a witne&s;&s;e of my Melancholy, although you knew not the cau&s;e: And &s;ince that I never heard more of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> unle&s;&s;e what I knew by <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> how that <HI>Otanus</HI> was yet living, and that yet &s;he was unfortunate, and in all likelihood, &s;ince Melancholy did &s;o remain in her face, &s;he yet perhaps loves the unfortunate <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> Now Sir, you under&s;tand what the adventure was which you de&s;ired to know, and what were the misfortunes of that man who more then any man in the world wi&s;hes a happy end unto yours, and who expects nothing but death to put an end unto his own.</P>
<P>After the&s;e words <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was &s;ilent; and <HI>Artamenes</HI> thanked him for the pains which he had taken: asking him pardon for cau&s;ing him to revive his &s;orrows, and did &s;eem to be extreamly &s;en&s;ible of them: I confe&s;s, &s;aid he to him, that you are much to be lamented, and the accident which has made you &s;o unfortunate was a very extraordinary event: But for all that, &s;aid he to him &s;ighing, you do know that <HI>Amestris</HI> is living, and you need not doubt but that yet you are beloved: So that you may hope that Time and Fortune may work a happy change in your affection; But I do know &s;ome more unfortunate then you: I know not that Sir, replied <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> but I do know very well that I did lo&s;e an ine&s;tima|ble Jewel in lo&s;ing <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and that if ambition &s;hould join it &s;elf unto Love to per&s;ecute me, I could not be more Melancholy then I am; yet Sir, it is very generous in you, to intere&s;t your &s;elf more in the misfortunes of others then your own: You have unju&s;t and heavy fetters of your own to complain of, and need not trouble your &s;elf to lament the un|happine&s;s of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who is not worthy of that honour. <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> an&s;wered he, is wor|thy of all that is great in the world, and therefore I hope that one day, the Gods will put a period unto his misfortunes: Although I had all the qualities in the world, replied <HI>Ag|latidas,</HI> tho&s;e which you do attribute unto me, would not create any hope in me; and as long as <HI>Artamenes</HI> continues unhappy, I know not why any who have any vertue, &s;hould ground their hopes upon that rea&s;on which is not alwaies infallible: Thus did <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> di&s;cour&s;e away the time untill <HI>Andramias</HI> told them that it was time to re|tire: <HI>Aglatidas</HI> asked <HI>Artamenes</HI> whether he could do him any &s;ervice, de&s;iring to let him know that he could contribute &s;omething towards his delivery; but <HI>Artamenes</HI> thanked him, and told him that his pri&s;on was not &s;o great a misfortune, but if he could he would never come out, unle&s;s by the &s;ame hand which put him in.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>The End of the Fir&s;t Part.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 N="2" TYPE="part">
<PB REF="83">
<PB N="1" REF="83">
<HEAD>THE SECOND PART OF ARTAMENES, OR Cyrus the Great.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="book">
<HEAD>BOOK I.</HEAD>
<P>_THough this Illu&s;trious Pri&s;oner was carele&s;&s;e of his Liber|ty, yet his friends did contribute all their diligence to procure it: and <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> entertained not a thought of any thing el&s;e, ever &s;ince he knew <HI>Artamenes,</HI> to be <HI>Cy|rus:</HI> Not onely <HI>Hida&s;pes, Aducius, Artaba&s;es, Chri&s;an|tes,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who were native &s;ubjects unto the King his Father, and hereafter to be his, did all of them in particular, contrive all expedients for his &s;afety: But the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> the King of <HI>Phrygia, Per&s;odes, Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> and many others al&s;o, were not le&s;&s;e &s;olici|tous. So that, to lo&s;e no time, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> went the next morning betimes unto the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> with inten|tions to relate unto him, in a more conci&s;e manner, all <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">t, which the day before, he had related concerning the unhappy life of his dear Ma|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">r: but &s;ince they thought it expedient to keep alwayes &s;ome about <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to pre|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">t him from taking any violent re&s;olutions again&s;t <HI>Artamenes,</HI> the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> &s;aid, thought it fitte&s;t for him, to undertake that office, &s;ince he was mo&s;t affectionate, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d mo&s;t prevalencie with the King of <HI>Medes.</HI> In that con&s;ideration therefore, <HI>Chri|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">tes</HI> did in &s;hort tell him the &s;tory of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> whereof he him&s;elf had &s;een a great <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">t, and re&s;olved hereafter, at more lea&s;ure, to relate the particulars in a more ample <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">nner. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> did &s;o &s;atisfie the curio&s;ity of this Prince, and did &s;o extreamly <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">me him by his relation, although it was but a bare abridgement of his Life, that he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> infinitely redouble his e&s;teem of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> and cau&s;ed him to go with more diligence <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">o <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and ob&s;erve all his Re&s;entments. In the mean time, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Fe|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">s</HI> went unto the hou&s;e of <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> where the King of <HI>Hircania, Per&s;odes, Thra&s;ibul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ba<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es, Adu&s;ius,</HI> and all tho&s;e who heard <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> the day before did <HI>Rendez-vous.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">y no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> but they did very importunately de&s;ire them <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ni&s;h their di&s;cour&s;e of the glorious life of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> The Princes would have &s;ent the King of <HI>Phrygi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">:</HI> but <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> told him how he had already &s;atisfied his Curio|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, and then they did <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">it down, while&s;t <HI>Feraulas</HI> did pur&s;ue that &s;tory which <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> began the day before.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
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<HEAD>THE CONTINVANCE OF THE HISTORY OF Artamenes.</HEAD>
<P>_WHen I call to memory all the great Acts, which <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> told you ye&s;terday, I have much ado to think it po&s;&s;ible, there &s;hould be any thing el&s;e to tell you; And when I think upon all which re|mains, that I am to relate unto you, then me thinks <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> hath told you nothing, &s;o full of miracles is the life of my Ma&s;ters. I know Sir (&s;aid <HI>Feraulas</HI> to the King of <HI>Hircania)</HI> you have not forgot, how after that combat twixt him and <HI>Philida&s;pes,,</HI> wherein he had the advantage, he retired unto that &s;acrificer whom he &s;aw in the Temple of <HI>Mars,</HI> when he came fir&s;t to <HI>Sinope,</HI> and from thence he &s;ent unto the King and the Prince&s;&s;e, to pre&s;ent his excu&s;es, and beg pardon for the combat which he had made, but I think you know not the &s;equell of that accident: <HI>Aribeus</HI> who did patronize <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> did all he could to cau&s;e the fault to reflect upon <HI>Artamenes;</HI> but although <HI>Aribeus</HI> &s;poke all that his Genius could &s;ugge&s;t in behalf of <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> yet the eloquence of my Ma&s;ters great &s;ervices &s;poke more effectually for him&s;elf. Nothing made a greater noi&s;e in the Court then this Combat: every one was inqui&s;itive of the cau&s;e, but none could finde it: It was the common di&s;cour&s;e of the Court; and every one imagined that Ambition cau&s;ed the quar|rell: but yet as none did particularly know the originall, &s;o each one took the liberty to think as they would. The King was extreamly angry at the mi&s;chance: for as they were men of high &s;ervice, both of them; &s;o he was afraid to lo&s;e them both, or at lea&s;t one, becau&s;e their wounds were very great; e&s;pecially <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> who&s;e hurts were much more dangerous then tho&s;e of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> And though the King did highly prize them both; yet his minde did put a great difference between them: when he begun to con&s;ider how he owed his life unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and unto his valour all his illu&s;trious victories, he could not choo&s;e but in &s;pite of <HI>Aribeus</HI> and all he could &s;ay, prefer <HI>Artamenes</HI> before <HI>Phili|da&s;pes.</HI> He was extreamly di&s;plea&s;ed at the matter; but he conceived he ought not to pu|ni&s;h them, as well becau&s;e he loved them and was obliged unto them, as becau&s;e neither of them were born &s;ubjects unto him, and therefore by con&s;equence ought not to treat them rigorou&s;ly; yet notwith&s;tanding, for formalities &s;ake upon &s;uch an occa&s;ion, he would have the Prince&s;s come to ask their pardon, which by ab&s;olute command from the King &s;he did, though not without &s;ome repugnancy. After this formall ceremony he &s;ent to know of their healths; and to tell <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that he had done wor&s;e in &s;o expo&s;ing him&s;elf, then if he had hazarded a Battle: He al&s;o &s;ent &s;ome obliging complement unto <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> &s;o that the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was better pa&s;&s;ed over then every one did think it. That which did mo&s;t vex <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was to &s;ee all the Court take <HI>Artamenes</HI> part, except &s;ome old friends of <HI>Aribeus,</HI> who fauned upon his favourite. Now Sir, It is time to tell you what the Prin|ce&s;s thought upon the matter: for although by the Kings command &s;he had begged pardon for the&s;e two Illu&s;trious offenders, yet &s;he kn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">w not, whether for her particular, &s;he could con&s;ent unto it: I am now about &s;peaking &s;uch &s;ecrets concerning her, as you will be in|qui&s;itive how I &s;hould come to the knowledge of them; therefore it is requi&s;ite I &s;hould now tell you, that a long time &s;ince, one of <HI>Mandana's</HI> women, called <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> with whom I had a great league of friend&s;hip, did tell it unto me: for at that time there pa&s;&s;ed between us onely a bare common civility; and I was then altogether ignorant of what I
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now intend to relate. You may be plea&s;ed to remember, that the day before this Combate was fought, the Prince&s;&s;e u&s;ed all her endeavours to contract a league of friend&s;hip be|tween <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> and how &s;he entreated them to live at lea&s;t, as if they did (though they could not) love one another: So that as &s;oon as &s;he under&s;tood of their fighting, &s;he was in a great choler, and thought that they failed in their Re&s;pects to her. <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> of whom I &s;poke, was &s;he, whom of all her women &s;he loved mo&s;t, and in whom &s;he had mo&s;t confidence; but untill that time <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> had ta&s;ted more of her liberality then her tru&s;t: and I beleeve that what the Prince&s;&s;e thought of <HI>Artamenes</HI> upon this oc|ca&s;ion, was the fir&s;t great &s;ecret which &s;he imparted unto her; nor had &s;he as I think any other, who &s;he plea&s;ed to create her confident. It was now a long time &s;ince the Prin|ce&s;&s;e looked upon my Ma&s;ter with much e&s;teem; and indeed, I learned from <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> that &s;he did extreamly commend him, ever &s;ince the fir&s;t time &s;he &s;aw him; and &s;ince that time, upon a hundred accidents, &s;he has &s;poke of him after &s;uch a manner as &s;he was not wont to &s;peak of any el&s;e; &s;he ob&s;erved his hand&s;ome Garb; &s;he liked his plea&s;ant &s;pi|rit; &s;he commended his wi&s;dom; &s;he admired his valour; &s;he could not comprehend his good fortune; and indeed &s;he &s;aid, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was every way a miracle, and one whom the Gods had &s;ent as a Protector of her fathers life, and glory of his Raigne; But upon this la&s;t accident, her anger had &s;o incen&s;ed her minde, as it compelled her to open her heart unto <HI>Marte&s;ia.</HI> I know not (&s;aid &s;he to her that night the fight was) whether or no I &s;hould, after the example of the King, pardon <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes:</HI> for in|deed <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> could there be any thing more offen&s;ive unto me, then this their procedure? I no &s;ooner de&s;ired them to love one another, but they pre&s;ently quarrell; I wi&s;ht them to live, as if they loved at the lea&s;t, and they immediately fight; even that morrow after I de&s;ired them: in truth I cannot think they could have &s;et &s;o &s;light a value upon my words, neither do I think I can pardon them. I do beleeve Madam, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> that there is &s;ome hidden cau&s;e in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, which is not under&s;tood, and which perhaps, would ju&s;tifie them if you knew it: for certainly they are men of &s;ouls, and high judge|ment, and men al&s;o who much reverence you: But they have afforded me very ill te&s;timo|nies of it, (replied the Prince&s;&s;e very &s;harply) and I intend to let them &s;ee I am &s;en&s;ible of the injuries: But you are al&s;o &s;en&s;ible of their good deeds, and being &s;o, what will be|come of all their brave &s;ervices (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia.)</HI> But <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I would fain know, (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e to her) what I ought to think of the boldne&s;&s;e of <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Phi|lida&s;pes,</HI> and know which of them was the fir&s;t A&s;&s;aulter: The event of the Combate tells me that <HI>Artamenes</HI> had the better of it; but nothing tells me which of them was mo&s;t culpable. I think Madam (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who was alone with her in her clo&s;et) that both of them may without in ju&s;tice be blamed; for did you not entreat them both to love one another? Yes, replied the Prince&s;&s;e, but though neither of them can be innocent, yet it is probable, they are not both of them equally culpable, and that is it which I would preci&s;ely know; not but that I think <HI>Artamenes</HI> is le&s;&s;e in fault. And why Madam do you think &s;o (an&s;wered <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> &s;ince you have no more proofs for the one then the other? I know not (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) but I do more &s;u&s;pect the ha&s;tie violent humour of <HI>Phi|lida&s;pes,</HI> has failed in his re&s;pects unto me, &s;ooner then the wi&s;e temper of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> more|over, (added &s;he) the victory which <HI>Artamenes</HI> got over him is an infallible mark of the ju&s;tne&s;&s;e of his cau&s;e: Indeed (&s;aid &s;he blu&s;hing) though I cannot tell for what rea&s;ons, yet I cannot chu&s;e but wi&s;h <HI>Artamenes</HI> be found le&s;&s;e culpable then <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> and I &s;hould be very glad that a man who has &s;o much obliged &s;hould give me no cau&s;e of complaint. It is very true, (an&s;wered <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is a man incomparable, and one who&s;e merits does doubtle&s;&s;e de&s;erve a higher e&s;teem then any other: But Madam (added &s;he) what &s;hould be the rea&s;on that a man of &s;uch extraordinary vertues &s;hould con|ceal his Quality and place of birth? It is to be beleeved (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e blu&s;hing) that his Quality is equall to his carriage, for if it were not, he would never conceal it: But (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> what brought him to this Court? and why &s;tays he here? for I hear &s;ay he never asked any thing of the King. Never any thing, (an&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e) but onely leave to fight again&s;t enemies: yet (&s;aid &s;he) his &s;ervices have not been &s;mall, nor all his actions meanly glorious, and here this great Prince&s;&s;e began to repeat what my Ma|&s;ter had done in the fir&s;t Battell, when he pre&s;erved the King her fathers life, out of the hands of his enemies who had inviron'd him with danger: The prodigious advan|tages that he got above all others; The wonderfull Combat, wherein he remained the only Conquerer of two hundred enemies: How he erected a glorious Trophe: The Combat
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which he had with <HI>Artanus:</HI> The taking of <HI>Cera&s;ia:</HI> The Battles that he won again&s;t the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> The remarkable Arms which he wore, to make him&s;elf better known unto tho&s;e who con&s;pired again&s;t his life: The poor &s;imple Arms which he made choi&s;e of to conceal him&s;elf from tho&s;e who had order to &s;pare his life: His generous behaviour unto tho&s;e valiant &s;ouldiers which would not yeeld their Bucklers, and of his rendring them their money again: And al&s;o all his other Gallantries, which &s;he remembred as fre&s;hly and preci&s;ely, as if they were done but ye&s;terday: and yet after all the&s;e (&s;aid &s;he to <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> there appears not the lea&s;t Ambition in his minde, and I neither know what brought him hither, what he &s;tayes for, nor what he aims at: not but that the King my father would do very much for him; but upon the whole matter, his &s;ervices are infinitely above all recompences; and this is the rea&s;on <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> why I wi&s;h him more innocent then <HI>Philida&s;pes.</HI> And although <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> be a man of a high &s;oul and excellent &s;pirit, al&s;o in divers occa&s;ions hath done good &s;ervice, yet there is a great difference between them: The turbulent humour of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> does not plea&s;e me; moreover, I think him more Ambitious, and fuller of &s;elf ends then <HI>Artamenes.</HI> After this manner, Sir, was the fir&s;t di&s;cour&s;e of him: Mean while, as the king did pardon the&s;e two illu&s;trious Offenders, the Prince&s;s would not make her re&s;entments of them to appear; &s;o that &s;he &s;ent to know how they did. <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was a long time very ill, and his life in &s;ome doubt: but my Ma&s;ters wounds were never in any danger: and within three weeks after the fight, he pre&s;ented him&s;elf unto the King and Prince&s;&s;e: to thank the fir&s;t for his grace towards him, and the &s;econd for interceding in his behalf. She was then in her clo&s;et, and none but her women with her, &s;o that as <HI>Artamenes</HI> did addre&s;&s;e him&s;elf to give her thanks, and acknowledge the favour; Think not (&s;aid &s;he to him) though I did beg your pardon, that I my &s;elf in particular did con&s;ent unto it: no <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he in a more imperious Tone) It is onely the King hath pardoned you, but <HI>Mandana</HI> is yet di&s;plea&s;ed. If to die at your feet (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> would give you that &s;atisfaction, I am mo&s;t ready to do it. But Madam, what's the crime I have committed? How can that man, who does reverence you, with as much devotion as he does the Gods, po&s;&s;ibly offend you? Pray tell me then (&s;aid &s;he to him) whether it was not a neglect in your duty, to &s;light my reque&s;t as you did, when I de&s;ired you to live peaceably with <HI>Philida&s;pes?</HI> But Madam, (&s;aid he) you al&s;o de&s;ired <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> to live peaceably with <HI>Artamenes:</HI> 'Tis true,) &s;aid &s;he) and I intend not to ju&s;tifie him by accu&s;ing of you: I would onely know which of you is more or le&s;&s;e culpable then the other: Indeed I know not that my &s;elf, (replied <HI>Artamenes</HI> and chang|ing colour) the ground of our quarrell is &s;o dubious, that we did not explain it one to another, nor perhaps ever &s;hall. Did you know one another, (demanded the Prince&s;&s;e) before you came hither? No Madam, (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> our acquaintance and our aver&s;ion began together, at this Court and almo&s;t at the very &s;ame minute: But Madam, it befits not me to ask what moved you to de&s;ire that I &s;hould love <HI>Philida&s;pes:</HI> It is the duty of <HI>Artamenes</HI> onely to ask pardon for not obeying you. As I &s;eldom u&s;e to make unju&s;t reque&s;ts (replied &s;he) &s;o I am not u&s;ed to be denied: and I did not think that
<HI>Artamenes,</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> would have been the fir&s;t. My Ma&s;ter, &s;eeing the Prince&s;&s;e angry, was mo&s;t extreamly &s;en&s;ible of it: Ah Madam, (&s;aid he to her) if I had thought I could not revenge my &s;elf without incen&s;ing you, doubtle&s;&s;e I had never done it: But Madam, is there no hope to obtain a pardon for that crime which was not voluntary? Is the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> more inexorable then the Gods, who are indulgent to all repentant tears and prayers? The Prince&s;&s;e who did really e&s;teem <HI>Artamenes</HI> very much, and had already entertained &s;ome di&s;po&s;ition to love him; &s;he &s;eeing him much troubled, was afraid le&s;t her being more &s;evere then <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> &s;hould offend him; &s;o that, over-ruling her own &s;elf, &s;he re&s;olved to qualifie him, and freely pardon him: Well <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to him) the inquietude of your own &s;oul does &s;ufficiently puni&s;h you; and I will in|flict no other penance upon you, but that you do not any more expo&s;e your &s;elf unto any more dangers. Ah Madam, &s;aid he to her, your goodne&s;&s;e is divine in pardoning me; but it is very rigorous, that you &s;hould impo&s;e it upon me, to be indulgent unto him who oppo&s;eth him&s;elf again&s;t all my de&s;ires. I promi&s;e you, (&s;aid &s;he to him) that if <HI>Phili|da&s;pes</HI> do prefer any thing unto the King, which may be prejudiciall unto you, I will take your part again&s;t him. No Madam, (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> there is nothing I can crave of the King; I have received more from him then I can de&s;ire, and if <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> do con|tend with me for nothing but recompen&s;es, we &s;hall never fall out again; and for what el&s;e, replied the Prince&s;&s;e, can he di&s;pute with you about? At the&s;e words, <HI>Artamenes</HI>
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being much plunged could not chu&s;e but blu&s;h, and looking mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionately upon the Prince&s;&s;e, I think he would have di&s;covered part of his deepe&s;t &s;ecrets unto her, if the King had not come into the Room: <HI>Mandana,</HI> who had a mo&s;t admirable wit, and having exactly ob&s;erved all the actions of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> took e&s;peciall notice of his troubled &s;oul, yet &s;ince the King was there, &s;he could not po&s;&s;ibly make any long reflection thereupon. <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> after much other di&s;cour&s;e told her, how it was his ab&s;olute plea&s;ure, that <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> &s;hould for the time to come live lovingly together; and to that end, he would have <HI>Artamenes</HI> accompany him in a walk which he intended to take; and that as they pa&s;&s;ed by the door of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> they would in pa&s;&s;ing by vi&s;it him, becau&s;e <HI>Aribeus</HI> de&s;ired as much, and then he would cau&s;e them to embrace each other: <HI>Artame|nes</HI> would gladly have &s;tayed behind; but <HI>Ciaxares</HI> ob&s;erving his repugnancy, told him that Conquerors ought not to keep at &s;uch di&s;tances with their enemies conquered: more|over he would have the Prince&s;&s;e take this walk and vi&s;it; &s;he &s;hould be his U&s;her, and thereby make the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e more hand&s;ome and advantagious for him: When the Prin|ce&s;&s;e &s;aw the Kings de&s;ire, &s;he re&s;i&s;ted not, and indeed &s;he thought that &s;he ought not to be any hindrance unto &s;uch an Accommodation. As for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> he &s;eemed much vexed at it, and did obey with much adoe; for, as he re&s;ented it, it was a very cro&s;&s;e adventure to agree with <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> and go unto him, and al&s;o to be conducted thither by the Prin|ce&s;&s;e her &s;elf: yet &s;ince he &s;aw there was no remedy, he re&s;olved upon it. The King and the Prince&s;s took their Coaches, and went out of the Town, for <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was not yet returned into it, by rea&s;on of his hurts. After they had took the Air, and ended their walk, they came unto the place where he was: The King di&s;cour&s;ed in a low voice private|ly with <HI>Mandana,</HI> at the foot of the &s;tairs a long while: Mean time, my Ma&s;ter ad|dre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> but &s;o di&s;turbedly, his mind and his countenance &s;o alte|red, that he was &s;carce knowable. <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> who perceived it, could not chu&s;e but chide him, telling him that his hatred was too violent, and that if he knew as well how to love as to hate, his friend&s;hip were the mo&s;t excellent Jewel in the world: Doubt it not <HI>Mar|te&s;ia,</HI> &s;aid he, and if ever I love, I &s;hall love more violently then I hate <HI>Philida&s;pes.</HI> You make me very inqui&s;itive, &s;aid &s;he to him in a low voyce. And I extreamly de&s;ire to know, whether or no you do love, and who it is you love: I cannot (replied he blu&s;h|ing) &s;atisfie the half of your curio&s;ity; it not being ju&s;t that I &s;hould tell you that which I never told unto any, and perhaps never will: As they were thus di&s;cour&s;ing, the King and the Prince&s;&s;e ended theirs: And my Ma&s;ter was obliged, to pre&s;ent his hand unto the Prince&s;&s;e, who ea&s;ily had ob&s;erved the turbulencie in <HI>Artamenes</HI> mind. The King found <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> that day in a good condition, but &s;o &s;urprized at the &s;ight of <HI>Artamenes</HI> in his chamber, that his wounds began to open, and bleed afre&s;h, at the &s;ight of him who made them, &s;uch was the violent agitation of his re&s;entments. <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to prevent the like re&s;entments in <HI>Artamenes,</HI> told him that he would have them embrace each other. The violent di&s;po&s;ition of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> upon this occa&s;ion, had much adoe to contain it &s;elf: Yet &s;eeing the King was peremptory and would have it &s;o, and that the Prince&s;&s;e com|plained of him, al&s;o all the Court being pre&s;ent, he recalled him&s;elf and obeyed. <HI>Man|dana</HI> then cau&s;ing <HI>Artamenes</HI> to come neerer, and telling him that it was the part of him who was mo&s;t in health to come the greater part of the way, and indeed &s;he did gently pu&s;h him forward towards <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> who embracing him by force, told him, that Kings ought to be obeyed in their own Dominions. You have good rea&s;on for it, an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter; and upon the &s;ame ground I do as the King and the Prince&s;&s;e commands me. Who&s;oever Sir, did well ob&s;erve the motions of the&s;e two gallant &s;trangers, might ea&s;ily di&s;cover, that there was &s;ome great &s;ecret which did lie at the heart, but none could know what it was. This vi&s;it la&s;ted not long, but while&s;t it continued, <HI>Artamenes</HI> was alwayes looking upon <HI>Mandana,</HI> or el&s;e upon <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> who for his part was &s;o qua&s;ht that he almo&s;t looked upon no body. The King being retired, and the Prince&s;&s;e following, both returned to the Palace, where <HI>Mandana</HI> was no &s;ooner arived, but &s;he had no di&s;po&s;ition to &s;ee any one: As for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> he &s;tayed yet with the King, but with &s;o much re&s;tle&s;&s;e|ne&s;&s;e, that he could not &s;tay there long, therefore he al&s;o returned vnto his Chamber. He was no &s;ooner there, but ruminating upon all the pa&s;t pa&s;&s;ages, he thought it no di&s;|plea&s;ure, &s;ince he could pick &s;ome comfort out of it. Why &s;aid he &s;ighing, mu&s;t it not be permitted me to hate my enemie? will <HI>Mandana</HI> eternally contradict all my inclinati|ons? What hidden intere&s;t can &s;he have in this de&s;igne, which mu&s;t oblige me to love <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> to love me? Is it onely a bare de&s;igne to pre&s;erve the lives of
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two men whom &s;he thinks are not unprofitable unto the &s;ervice of the King her father? or el&s;e becau&s;e having &s;ome particular e&s;teem of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> &s;he would take off from him an enemy; who by all treatable means would not be reconciled? and under pretence of trea|ting us equally, &s;he has &s;ome unequall bia&s;&s;ed thoughts of us: But alas, (&s;aid he) why &s;hould I be &s;o unju&s;t, as to interpret the actions and words of my Prince&s;&s;e in &s;uch a &s;ence? &s;he who ever did treat me well? what can I in rea&s;on complain of? Can <HI>Artamenes,</HI> as <HI>Artamenes</HI> ask any thing of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> which he has not already obtained? She has highly commended me; &s;he has treated me with all civility; &s;he freely honours me with her di&s;cour&s;e without di&s;dain; &s;he has offered to be his Advo|cate vnto the King; &s;he has taken care of his life; when he offended, &s;he procured his pardon, and indeed, there is nothing which the illu&s;trious <HI>Mandana</HI> does not do for <HI>Artamenes;</HI> But alas, although <HI>Artamenes</HI> be contented as <HI>Artamenes,</HI> yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> is nothing &s;atisfied as <HI>Cyrus:</HI> This <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;aid he, whom the Prince&s;&s;e thus favours, is not he whom I wi&s;h &s;he would favour: <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;eemes to affect nothing but war; he aims all at honour and glory, but he whom I would have her know and favour loves nothing but <HI>Mandana,</HI> and &s;eeks for nothing but her affection. Sir, (&s;aid I to him, for I was clo&s;e by him when he thus di&s;cour&s;t with him&s;elf aloud and all alone) How can this amorous <HI>Artamenes</HI> be in any hopes to be favoured as you de&s;ire, if <HI>Madana</HI> do not know him? Would you Sir have the mo&s;t vertuous and glorious Prince&s;&s;e of the world to love you, before &s;he knows &s;o much as that you love her? And would you, replied <HI>Artamenes,</HI> have this mo&s;t glorious and vertuous Prince&s;&s;e indure that I only as <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould &s;peak unto her upon terms of love? No Sir, (&s;aid I) but <HI>Artamenes</HI> is <HI>Cyrus:</HI> This is rea&s;on (replied he) but is there not as much danger in appearing <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as <HI>Arta|menes?</HI> As <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;he will perhaps only put me off with a little pitty, but as <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;he will puni&s;h me with hatred and anger: But however, an&s;wered I, if you will ever be be|loved, you mu&s;t &s;ome way or other let her know you love her, otherwi&s;e you will never bring it to pa&s;&s;e; Though you &s;hould gain a hundred Battels, and Conquer as many King|doms and Empires, after all your Victories and Conque&s;ts you will never triumph in the heart of <HI>Mandana,</HI> unle&s;&s;e you make <HI>Mandana</HI> know that &s;he triumphs in yours. Love Sir, can never be gotten without love: The Prince&s;&s;e will commend you; &s;he will e&s;teem you, but never love you: for indeed Sir, all your great acts which you have performed, relates only unto your &s;elf; the Conque&s;t of your own heart is that which belongs to her, and which will only plea&s;e her: If you de&s;ire that your Victories &s;hould become &s;erviceable un|to you, let her know that &s;he hath vanqui&s;hed the Conquerour of them all: and that he whom none could re&s;i&s;t, is captivated by her charms and beauty. But <HI>Teraulas</HI> (&s;aid he to me) how dare I &s;peak to her of it? and how can I chu&s;e but be affrighted at the anger of a Lady who&s;e mode&s;ty is extream? and who&s;e vertue is &s;evere even to the very height of ri|gour? I do not &s;ay Sir, replied I, that it is convenient to &s;peak unto the Prince&s;&s;e down-right and openly of love; but only to give her &s;uch an ea&s;ie ta&s;te as that &s;he may gue&s;&s;e at the re&s;t: But if in gue&s;&s;ing at it (replied he) &s;he &s;hould chance to hate me, what would then become of me? Fear it not (replied I) and know Sir for certain, that love was never the cau&s;e of hatred: <HI>Mandana</HI> may perhaps command you to be &s;ilent; and perhaps &s;he may reject you, but &s;he cannot hate you for loving her: The manner, Sir, of making her to under&s;tand it may indeed be &s;omething dangerous; and therefore in di&s;covering your love unto her, you mu&s;t not hint a word of your being beloved: you mu&s;t not ask any thing; nor hope nor pretend unto the lea&s;t favour; only comfort your &s;elf in making your di&s;ea&s;e known unto her who is the cau&s;e of it; and as long as you car|ry it only &s;o Sir, believe me, it is hard for her to hate you, let her vertue be never &s;o &s;e|vere: Indeed, &s;aid I, as long as <HI>Mandana</HI> does not know you love her, it is a que&s;tion whether ever &s;he will love you; yet on the contrary, if you let her gue&s;&s;e at your pa&s;&s;ion, perhaps in &s;pight of all her rigour &s;he will love you: But <HI>Teraulas,</HI> &s;aid he to me, what if &s;he &s;hould bani&s;h me? No, no, (&s;aid I to him) never fear any &s;uch rough treatment: So many great actions as you have done, will plead unto her in your behalf, &s;o that &s;he cannot be &s;o inhumane, and if I be not extreamly deceived, the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e will work better then you imagine. So Sir after this manner, a good part of the night was &s;pent in rea&s;oning upon the matter between <HI>Artamenes</HI> and me: <HI>Artamenes</HI> re&s;olved to find &s;ome fit opportunity, of making his pa&s;&s;ion known unto the Prince&s;&s;e, without any point-blank expre&s;&s;ions of it: But alas, while&s;t we were hamering out this re&s;olution, <HI>Mandana</HI> took a quite contrary cour&s;e to our expectations, and defeated our plot. I told you Sir, how &s;he retired into her melancholly clo&s;et, whither &s;he was no &s;ooner entred, but &s;he called for her confident
<PB N="7" REF="87">
<HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and asked her what <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;aid unto her, while&s;t &s;he was &s;peaking with the King her father in the entrance into <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> his hou&s;e? for &s;he had an eye upon them when they di&s;cour&s;ed: This Lady was obedient, and told her word for word all the di|&s;cour&s;e; and adding her own thoughts unto tho&s;e of my ma&s;ter; for my part Madam (&s;aid &s;he to the Prince&s;&s;e) con&s;idering the manner how <HI>Artamenes</HI> an&s;wered me, when I de&s;ired to know whether or no he was in love, and whom he loved; I do verily think he is in love: <HI>Mandana</HI> blu&s;ht at the word, for &s;he her &s;elf began already to &s;u&s;pect &s;ome &s;uch thing: But &s;he being de&s;irous to pump the thoughts of <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> without di&s;covering her own: With whom (asked &s;he) do you think it is that he is in love, with me? Madam (an&s;wered <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> I have thought &s;o ever &s;ince; though my own rea&s;on could not ab&s;olutely con|&s;ent unto it: For truly, <HI>Artamenes</HI> vi&s;its not any &s;olicitou&s;ly, he does not &s;o much as &s;peak unto any of my companions, but only as far as common civility requires: he pa&s;&s;es away all the day with the King or you; and if <HI>Artamenes</HI> were of any other quality then he is, he might ea&s;ily be &s;uppo&s;ed to be in love. For Madam (&s;aid &s;he to her, quaking a little) <HI>Artamenes</HI> looks upon none but you, nor &s;peaks unto any el&s;e; he commends you, he e&s;teems you, and it may almo&s;t be directly &s;aid he adores you. He follows you to the Temple; he walks, he hunts with you, and waits upon you to all publique fea&s;ts: when the King your Father comes to you, he is &s;ure to come with him; and though the King comes not, yet he never failes: He blu&s;hes as oft as he comes near you, or when you are alone where he is; Indeed &s;aid &s;he laughing, If <HI>Artamenes</HI> were a King, or the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana, Marte&s;ia,</HI> I &s;hould believe he were in love with her: I think (&s;aid the Prin|ce&s;&s;e, interrupting her) that <HI>Artamenes</HI> has done you &s;ome ill office or other, for if you &s;hould per&s;wade me of the truth of what you tell me, you may well conceive he can never be happy, nor could you ever find out a wor&s;e way to be revenged of him. I &s;hould be very &s;orry Madam, (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> a&s;&s;uming a more &s;erious look) to be a cau&s;e of any ill unto <HI>Artamenes;</HI> But as your intere&s;ts are more dear unto me Madam, then his; I thought it my duty to tell you, that I knew not whether it were not worth your pains Madam, to ob&s;erve his actions, &s;ome certain days, that my doubts might be made more clear unto you. The Prince&s;&s;e blu&s;ht at this di&s;cour&s;e more then &s;he did before; and le&s;&s;ening her voice as if &s;he were afraid, that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> unto whom &s;he &s;poke &s;hould hear her; As you are wi&s;e and di&s;creet (&s;aid &s;he to her) I confe&s;&s;e that &s;ince this morning, I have had &s;ome &s;u&s;pition of what you &s;ay, and I am po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with &s;uch confu&s;ed thoughts, le&s;t <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould di&s;cover any of his folly, as I cannot expre&s;&s;e my &s;elf; for truly in one minute I have ob|&s;erved a hundred things which before I took no notice of; or to expre&s;&s;e my &s;elf better, I look upon them after another manner then I did before. Do you Remember <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> the fir&s;t day he &s;aw me, after he had &s;aved the life of the King my father? Did you not then think that he looked upon me with an extraordinary ob&s;ervant eye, and full of pa&s;&s;ion, how al&s;o he did not &s;o much as look upon any one of tho&s;e beanties which were then in my company? have you not forgot, after what a fa&s;hion he de&s;ired me to obtain permi&s;&s;ion from the King, to fight with his enemies, and after what a manner he took his leave of me? Did you not further ob&s;erve him when I de&s;ired him not to wear tho&s;e remarkable Arms? Did you not &s;ee, I &s;ay, after what kind of odd manner he denied me? and with what an ami|able air he asked the &s;carfe which I refu&s;ed? in what termes he did interpret it, when I told him, I wi&s;ht <HI>Artamenes</HI> would neither be too prudent, nor too ra&s;h? It is not po&s;&s;ible Madam (&s;aid he to me) that I can regulate my thoughts, according to that Madam which you de&s;ire. Do you not remember al&s;o &s;ince the day that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> and he, came toge|ther to bid me adieu? For my part I do now admire that I &s;hould at that time interpret the inquietudes which I then &s;aw in his face no better: Do you not yet further remember the joy which appeared in the eyes <HI>Artamenes</HI> at his return? and al&s;o that conver&s;e which I had with him and <HI>Philida&s;pes?</HI> But above all the re&s;t, (&s;aid &s;he) do you remember what were the re&s;entments of <HI>Artamenes</HI> when I would have obliged him to love <HI>Philida&s;pes?</HI> For my part (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> interrupting her) I think Madam, by all which you have re|membred, and by a thou&s;and other trivial pa&s;&s;ages, which I have particularly ob&s;erved, and which you could not &s;ee, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is not only in love, but that he is al&s;o jealous of <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> and that perhaps, <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> is in love with you as well as <HI>Artamenes.</HI> You are not too wi&s;e (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e to her) to let me hear of too many injuries at once: No <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> no, <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> is only ambitious, and for my own quiets &s;ake I would not &s;u&s;pect him of any other humour; That would be too many crimes to puni&s;h, e&s;pecially for one who loves not to infflict any puni&s;hments at all; therefore let us not think upon any
<PB N="8" REF="88">
but <HI>Artamenes:</HI> But for that (&s;aid &s;he) &s;ome hand&s;ome order mu&s;t be taken; and if it be po&s;&s;ible, I mu&s;t prevent receiving &s;uch a &s;en&s;ible di&s;plea&s;ure, for indeed I do e&s;teem <HI>Arta|menes</HI> very much; I have many obligations upon me to him, and I &s;hould be very &s;orry to be put unto any nece&s;&s;ity of treating him ill: Therefore <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I command you to be continually near me, and cau&s;e all the re&s;t of your companions to be &s;o al&s;o; and leave me not alone at any time; It cannot now be long before he depart, and the time of drawing into the field comes one, therefore this con&s;traint will not Continue long. After this &s;he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and remained alone in her clo&s;et; But oh heavens, what vexing and tyrannical thoughts did to&s;&s;e her mind? that &s;mooth tranquillity which heretofore was regent in her mind, did now no more vi&s;it her turbulent &s;oul; yet &s;he continued in that re&s;olution which &s;he fixed upon with <HI>Marte&s;ia.</HI> You may judge then Sir, how difficult it was for <HI>Artamenes</HI> to execute his de&s;ign of di&s;covering his pa&s;&s;ion unto the Prince&s;&s;e, &s;ince &s;he had ob&s;tructed all tho&s;e wayes which formerly were wont to be open. For three weeks together, it was carried &s;o hand&s;omly, that he did not think <HI>Mandana</HI> to be at all acce&s;&s;ary to it; he rather thought it to be unluckie chance which cau&s;ed it: yet as oft as he be|thought him&s;elf of how many favourable opportunities he had let &s;lip, mavgre the a&s;&s;idui|ty of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> he was almo&s;t in ab&s;olute de&s;pair; But when he bethought him&s;elf again, how that it was not now <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> who prevented the execution of his de&s;igne re&s;olved upon, he thought it then onely the malignity of his de&s;tiny: But &s;o it was, that he was not long without this ob&s;tacle al&s;o; for within twenty dayes after, the King and the prin|ce&s;&s;e did vi&s;it <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> he came to pre&s;ent his thanks, and to take up the &s;ame room about <HI>Mandana</HI> as he was accu&s;tomed before; therefore <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was not &s;o much nece&s;|&s;itated to attendance; and now <HI>Artamenes</HI> did quite de&s;pair of ever getting an occa&s;ion to di&s;cour&s;e particularly with his prince&s;&s;e. There pa&s;&s;ed many general di&s;cour&s;es, where|in <HI>Mandana</HI> did let <HI>Artamenes</HI> know, how dangerous a de&s;igne his was to talk of any love; for though it was but in &s;peeches by the by, addre&s;&s;ed unto another, yet &s;he &s;o explained her thoughts, as he could not chu&s;e but think, they related unto him, con&s;idering the me|thod and decorum of her words, and therefore he concluded, that to di&s;cover his pa&s;&s;ion unto the Prince&s;&s;e were to expo&s;e him&s;elf unto danger: The difficulty which he re&s;ented, and had not fore&s;een, cau&s;ed in him mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible &s;orrow; and it night well be &s;aid, though his tongue was tied, and did not &s;peak of any love unto the Prince&s;&s;e, yet all his actions &s;poke plainly for him; &s;o that as I knew &s;ince by <HI>Marte&s;ia;</HI> his dumb eloquence was well under&s;tood: and the Prince&s;&s;e did interpret his perplexities, his melancholie, his impatience, the alteration in his countenance, and his mu&s;ings, as they ought to be; &s;o that &s;he doubted not at all but <HI>Artamenes</HI> was pa&s;&s;ionately in love with her. Here Sir, may be admired, how fallible is all humane prudence; for if my Ma&s;ter had then &s;poke unto the Prince&s;&s;e of any love, con&s;idering how things then &s;tood, hee had irrecoverably been un|done; for then &s;he would have ever treated him but badly; and doubtle&s;&s;e would have for ever bani&s;hed him from her; notwith&s;tanding all the e&s;teem &s;he had of him, and not|with&s;tanding all the great &s;ervices he had done unto the King her father: But becau&s;e he &s;poke not a word of it unto her, yet patiently endured and &s;till had her in amorous reve|rence, the Prince&s;&s;e had pity of him, and whether &s;he would or no, did entertain into her heart, &s;uch a tenderne&s;&s;e of him, as might perhaps be phra&s;ed love; not that this vertu|ous Prince&s;s did think it &s;o, for if &s;he, doubtle&s;&s;e &s;he had &s;urmounted her &s;elf what&s;o|&s;oever came of it: nor that &s;he did with any heed ob&s;erve her &s;elf; but becau&s;e love car|ries with it &s;uch a blinding quality, as that the cleere&s;t judgements cannot look about them, and which hinders them who are po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with it both from knowing others and them&s;elves al&s;o: Sometimes &s;he would ask her &s;elf many odd que&s;tions, which &s;he her &s;elf could not preci&s;ely an&s;wer: &s;he would oftentimes wonder, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> whether &s;he would or not &s;hould come into her thoughts; and why &s;ince &s;he knew of his love, &s;he &s;hould not be more angry: Why (&s;aid &s;he unto her &s;elf) &s;hould I permit a man who comes into the Court but as a common ordinary Cavalier to love me, and I endure his &s;ight and company? Ah no, no <HI>Mandana,</HI> this &s;trict &s;evere vertue, whereof you make profe&s;&s;ion, mu&s;t not endure it; And though 'tis true, that love can never be without hope, yet it befits me to puni&s;h <HI>Artamenes</HI> for his ra&s;hne&s;&s;e and folly, for what can he ever hope for, without a wrong unto me? what can he de&s;ire without extravagancie? and what can he ask me, without offence? But alas, &s;aid &s;he, he has told me nothing that does an|ger me, nor indeed ought to anger me: he asks me nothing which can di&s;plea&s;e me; I owe unto him the life of the King my father; and the King owes many victories unto
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him; and perhaps I owe unto him, the joy of my dayes, &s;ince it is to be beleeved, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would have been victorious but for him; and then, I &s;hould either have been his wife or his pri&s;oner; Let me not therefore hate <HI>Artamenes</HI> becau&s;e he loves me; and &s;ince he &s;peaks nothing to me of his love, let not me &s;peak any thing unto him of my anger. Alas (&s;aid &s;he &s;ometimes unto <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> why &s;hould <HI>Artamenes</HI> have any &s;uch thoughts in his minde? why does he not keep within the limits of a good e&s;teem? For my part Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to her) I think you know not well what you &s;ay; nor I cannot imagine what kind of vertue that is, which takes up your &s;oul, and had ra|ther that <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould not love you at all, then that he &s;hould love you as he does, as long as he does not &s;peak of it unto you. You put me very much to it <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> (re|plied the Prince&s;&s;e) yet notwith&s;tanding I will tell you, that I do &s;o much e&s;teem <HI>Arta|menes,</HI> as in con&s;ideration of him&s;elf I ought alwayes for his own tranquilities &s;ake, to wi&s;h that he were not in love with me: I know indeed Madam, (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> that in con&s;ideration of him&s;elf, you ought to wi&s;h his tranquillity, but I know al&s;o very well, that in con&s;ideration of your &s;elf, the &s;ame is in &s;ome &s;ort advantagious to you, to &s;ee the Gallante&s;t man of the world, and the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed in all things, to e&s;teem and love you, even to the height of adoration. I doubt not (replied <HI>Mandana)</HI> it is honourable unto me, and I mu&s;t tell you, that honour is it which I prefer before all the earth; But <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> I would have him keep within the limits of e&s;teem, and ob&s;erve &s;uch a friend&s;hip, as a man of his condition ought to keep unto one of mine; Tell me Madam, I conjure you (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> whether it would plea&s;e you, that <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who loves you &s;o well, &s;hould love any other better then he does you? Indeed you put me into a <HI>Dilemma</HI> (replied the Prince&s;&s;e;) But I alwayes thought, that though <HI>Artamenes</HI> e&s;teemed me more then any in the world, yet I would not care if he did love me a little le&s;&s;e. Ha Madam, (replied <HI>Mar|te&s;ia)</HI> you abu&s;e your &s;elf, and one cannot have that indifferency to the affection of tho&s;e who&s;e e&s;teem they de&s;ire: Indeed Madam, it would be a great wrong unto you, that he, who of all men in the world, has mo&s;t &s;pirit and judgement, &s;hould not e&s;teem you mo&s;t of all the earth. Pray Madam, what does the illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> want? A Crown (replied the Prince&s;&s;e blu&s;hing) and let that &s;uffice <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> to make me fear the pa&s;&s;ion of any man who is not a King, and to hold all his future actions in &s;u&s;pition, and indeed to make me more then my &s;elf: For truly (&s;aid &s;he) I have an enemy, which holds &s;ecret intelligence in my heart, and bids me love him, if one invincible Remora were removed; which doubtle&s;&s;e does forbid me <HI>Artamenes</HI> and all his high accompli&s;hments, and cau&s;es me, maugre his love, his merit, and my own re&s;entments, to keep my own liberty entire. Thus Sir, was the &s;tate of things at that time: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was deep in love, and dur&s;t not tell: <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was no le&s;&s;e amorous, nor le&s;&s;e clo&s;e, being for diver&s;e rea&s;ons engaged to di&s;gui&s;e his thoughts: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> loved them both, but <HI>Artamenes</HI> incomparably more then <HI>Philida&s;pes:</HI> And <HI>Mandana,</HI> though &s;he knew it not, did doubtle&s;&s;e love my Ma&s;ter a little, and e&s;teem <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> although his humorous di&s;po&s;ition did much le&s;&s;en it. At this time the Son unto the King of <HI>Armenia,</HI> called <HI>Tygranes,</HI> came to the Court of <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> A great league of friend&s;hip &s;prung between him and <HI>Artamenes.</HI> Me an time, the &s;pring ap|proaching, certain intelligence was brought, that the confederate Kings had already drawn their Armies into the field: This news ha&s;ted on all the new levies, and all requi&s;ite orders were given to prepare all things in a readine&s;&s;e to receive the enemie in a &s;hort time: One Brigade of the Army was already in the plain of <HI>Ceracia,</HI> yet in all likelihood, it was not in any condition to re&s;i&s;t the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> although they were advantagiou&s;ly entrenched. Now &s;ee, <HI>Artamenes</HI> con&s;trained to depart, and to de|part without power to reveal that he loved; this was no &s;mall di&s;gu&s;t unto him: He went in all ha&s;t to take leave of the Prince&s;&s;e, becau&s;e &s;econd intelligence came which a&s;&s;ured <HI>Ciaxares</HI> that this Army was ready to be &s;hut up, between the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> forces, and a pui&s;&s;ant Recruite come out of <HI>Phrygia</HI> in a few dayes; &s;o that my Ma&s;ter, not having time to &s;tay a minute, le&s;t he &s;hould come too late, was forced to depart abruptly, and to lock up all his pa&s;&s;ion in his heart; yet for all that it appeared plain enough in his eyes, and he &s;ignified it &s;ufficiently unto the Prince&s;&s;e by his &s;orrows. Go <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to him, in bidding him adieu) and be as happy as you have been; if you will oblige the King my father, have not a greater care to vanqui&s;h his enemies, then to pre&s;erve your own life. <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;poke this before all the people, &s;o that <HI>Artamenes</HI> dur&s;t return her no other an&s;wer, then as all the re&s;t there did; that was, with much reverence and acknow|ledgement: then he left her, without any further explaining him&s;elf, then by &s;toln looks,
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and re&s;trained &s;ighes, half cut off in the middle, as &s;oon as they were breathed: As for <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> his turn was not yet to go, for he was to command tho&s;e troops which were not yet in readine&s;&s;e: But my Ma&s;ter went, and was followed by all the young Gallantry of the Court, who upon this occa&s;ion, which in all appearances was like to be full of dan|ger, did &s;et out them&s;elves in the brave&s;t Equipage; The Prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> would needs be one, and ranked him&s;elf among&s;t the Voluntiers of whom he was chief: We made all po&s;|&s;ible ha&s;te, but &s;ince <HI>Artamenes</HI> was not throughly informed concerning the enemies, and how they lay, when we came within fifty furlongs of the Plain of <HI>Ceracia,</HI> he &s;ent out <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> with a Party of ten or twelve onely, to enquire of news, and to know whether all the Pa&s;&s;es were open or &s;hut, and whether the Armie was inclo&s;ed between the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and tho&s;e Auxiliaries from <HI>Phrygia:</HI> Mean time, he made a halt, at a &s;mall uninhabited village, where they might defend them&s;elves, in ca&s;e the enemies Scouts came upon them: We found hid, among&s;t the old ruines of the Town &s;ome poor Pe&s;ants, who told us for certain, that the Confederated Kings had two mighty Armies, and that if our Army were not hemmed in, it would be pre&s;ently. <HI>Artamenes,</HI> finding the &s;tate of the war, to &s;tand upon as bad termes as the &s;tate of his love, was vexed beyond all expre&s;&s;i|on. He could not endure to hear that tho&s;e enemies which he had formerly conquered, &s;hould now be in a likely condition to Conquer. He ab&s;olutely re&s;olved to die a thou&s;and deaths, rather then to &s;urvive a defeat. No, no (&s;aid he in him&s;elf) I cannot ever look the Prince&s;&s;e in her fair face after a beating; and if ill fortune will needs have it &s;o, that I mu&s;t be beaten, then there is no way but to prepare for death: I (I &s;ay) who after all my great Victories, dur&s;t never approach her pre&s;ence but with trembling; nor ever had &s;o much confidence, after I had conquered Kings, to let her know I was her &s;lave: But (oh heavens) mu&s;t I die, and <HI>Mandana</HI> not know that I die for her? And can I not have &s;o much &s;ad con&s;olation, as to hope, that &s;he &s;hall not be ignorant of all tho&s;e tor|ments that I have endured &s;ince the fir&s;t time I &s;aw her? Perhaps when &s;he under&s;tands my love, by hearing of my death, that the knowledge of it will not then incen&s;e her &s;oul, and ea&s;ily pardon a man, who in lo&s;ing his life did not lo&s;e his devotions to her; Let me tell her then by my death, that I lived not but for her: And to le&s;&s;en my crime, let me acquaint her with my condition, though not ab&s;olutely to know who I am; It will be enough &s;he know that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is of a Royall extract, without knowing that <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Artamenes</HI> are the &s;ame; Let me not be my &s;elf the ob&s;tacle which &s;hall hinder her from that compa&s;&s;ion which I expect from her goodne&s;&s;e, nor &s;top tho&s;e tears which I hope will flow from the tenderne&s;&s;e of her heart: I know well enough (&s;aid he) that the delights of the grave are lea&s;t &s;en&s;ible, but however, if I lo&s;e the Battle and my life, I &s;hall more delightingly lo&s;e them both, by vertue of this hope, and I &s;hall murmure le&s;&s;e at the rigour of my De&s;tinie. This thought Sir, did &s;o flatter his de&s;pair, that pre&s;ently he &s;et him&s;elf to write unto the Prince&s;&s;e, and to di&s;cover that unto her which he had &s;o long, &s;o carefully concealed. Af|ter he had writ, and read, and over-read the Letter, he &s;ealed it, and calling me in private, <HI>Teraulas</HI> (&s;aid he to me) you mu&s;t do me a piece of very important &s;ervice, and do it with all po&s;&s;ible exactne&s;&s;e. Sir, &s;aid I to him, I &s;hould e&s;teem my &s;elf very happy, if I could find that which I have &s;o long looked for, and would gladly make you know my zeal unto your &s;ervice: You may doubtle&s;&s;e (&s;aid he) but I fear that the courage of <HI>Teraulas</HI> will fail and denie me, and I &s;hall have much ado to per&s;wade him, not to fight at this time. I confe&s;&s;e Sir, (&s;aid I to him) I cannot ea&s;ily conceive, what it is you would command me; and it is a hard task for me, not to partake of that danger unto which you expo&s;e your &s;elf: Yet it mu&s;t be &s;o, (&s;aid he to me) con&s;ider me either as your Ma&s;ter, your Prince, or your Friend, and deny me no more; you know (&s;aid he with abundance of &s;weetne&s;s) that I am well acquainted with the couragious heart of <HI>Teraulas,</HI> and I need no more te&s;timonies of his valour; therefore let not that trouble you, and beleeve it, you can never in all your life &s;o much oblige me, as you may at this time: Though indeed I might perhaps command you to do what I de&s;ire, yet upon this occa&s;ion I will earne&s;tly intreat you. At the&s;e words, I was not able to endure any longer; Sir, (&s;aid I to him) you make me wonder extreamly, therefore I be&s;eech you defer no longer, but tell me pre&s;ently what I mu&s;t do, that I may as pre&s;ently obey you. You mu&s;t not fight at all my dear <HI>Teraulas,</HI> (&s;aid he) but alwayes keep in that Quarter which is free&s;t from any danger, and there ex|pect the event of the fight, which we intend &s;hall be pre&s;ently: If &s;o it chance, that I fall, and die, as certainly I will, if I be vanqui&s;hed, then go you in all ha&s;t, and carry this Let|ter unto <HI>Mandana;</HI> and let her &s;ay what &s;he will, tell her not that I am <HI>Cyrus;</HI> you may
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declare my Quality, but not directly the place of my birth; This is all, my dear <HI>Teraalas,</HI> that I would have you do, and fail me not I conjure you; be as faithfull to me in this bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e as ever you have wont to be. Sir, (&s;aid I to him) with tears in eyes, this is mo&s;t cruel, that I &s;hould receive a command, which I mu&s;t not execute untill after you death<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> But I hope Sir, Fortune will ordain it otherwi&s;e, I wi&s;h it may (an&s;wered he) but it is not likely: Yet however do not you fail in that which I de&s;ire you, &s;aid he embracing him, and te&s;tifie unto me, that there is no &s;ervice &s;o difficult, which you will not performe for me: I promi&s;ed him Sin, to do all I could, and how could I deny a Prince that was ex|treamly troubled, and in love, and al&s;o &s;taggering in his re&s;olutions? Pre&s;ently after, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> returned, and brought two pri&s;oners with him which he had taken, and who told <HI>Artamenes</HI> that the King of <HI>Phrygia's</HI> Army would not come up until the next day; and that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> Army, in which was the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> him&s;elf, would decline fighting untill the other Army was joyned with it, and then they would infallibly &s;ur|round the <HI>Cappadocean</HI> Army, and between them both, hem it in: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was very glad of the news; and to under&s;tand from <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> how he had di&s;covered a Pa&s;&s;e which the enemies did not guard, where he might ea&s;ily convey his men. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> had no &s;oo|ner brought this intelligence, but we immediately took hor&s;e, and marched with &s;o much ha&s;t, and &s;o happily, that night favouring our de&s;igne, and concealing our motion, we came unto the Camp undi&s;covered or meeting any. I will not &s;tand to tell you Sir, how great was the joy of all the Officers and Souldiers when they &s;aw <HI>Artamenes;</HI> him whom they looked upon as a God, and beleeved invincible: As &s;oon as he arrived he took a view of the Army, which he found not to exceed the number of &s;ixteen thou&s;and men: &s;o that though indeed the&s;e Troops were the be&s;t of all <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> yet <HI>Artamenes</HI> thought him&s;elf very hard put to it. For the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> Army which had quitted their tren|ches and Garri&s;ons, and who&s;e vanguard was within &s;ight of my Ma&s;ters Army, con&s;i&s;t|ed of twenty thou&s;and men, and tho&s;e which were to joyn with them, were fifteen thou|&s;and men effectuall. Finding him&s;elf then brought unto this extremity, and &s;uppo&s;ing that his enemy would force him to fight, before <HI>Ciaxares</HI> could be advertized of it, he re&s;olved upon as bold an enterprize as ever any did. Be&s;ides tho&s;e rea&s;ons which I have already related, he had one more, which in my opinion was of no &s;mall con&s;ideration: He knew that <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> would exa&s;perate the King to make all ha&s;t, and would come with all tho&s;e Regiments which were ready to march, but <HI>Artamenes</HI> would not &s;uffer him to have &s;o much advantage as to engage him&s;elf in &s;o great a danger. After &s;erious con|&s;ideration of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, he cal'd a Councel of Warr: But the opinion of <HI>Artamenes</HI> was alwayes the re&s;olution of every one, and how hard and difficult &s;oever, it found no contradiction: He told all the Commanders, that if they were once &s;urrounded by the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the King of <HI>Phrygia's</HI> Armies, there would be no &s;afety for them, but if po&s;&s;ible they mu&s;t fight them &s;everally: That if they &s;hould fall upon the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> Army fir&s;t, it was to be feared that the enemy would decline it, and delay untill the <HI>Phrygian</HI> Army came up, while&s;t we were bu&s;ied with them, and &s;o infallibly defeat us: That if we &s;hould &s;tay &s;till in our Trenches, and relie upon Relief, doubtle&s;&s;e they would be forced out before <HI>Ciaxares</HI> could come to them: &s;o that con&s;idering the &s;tate of all things, the be&s;t cour&s;e was to fall upon the <HI>Phrygian</HI> Army, unperceived by the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> and that to be effected according as he had already contrived: That our Army being more in number then theirs, and theirs tired out with a tedious march, they might ea&s;ily be defeated: after which, perhaps we &s;hould be upon even termes to fight the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> So Sir, all that <HI>Artamenes</HI> propounded, was approved of and followed: He &s;ent out a Party to &s;top that Pa&s;&s;e, where the <HI>Phrygian</HI> Army was to march: And being certainly informed that this very night they would encamp &s;ome thirty furlongs off; as &s;oon as night came on, he and his Army began to march &s;ilently, without either Trumpet, Drum, or any noi&s;e; and left in his own Camp, onely a &s;mall guard, &s;ome hangers on, and &s;uch as could not fight, commanding them that as &s;oon as he was a pretty way off, they &s;hould kindle many fires, thereby to deceive the enemy, and take away all &s;u&s;pition of his enterprize, from the King of <HI>Pontus.</HI> I &s;taid Sir, in the Camp again&s;t my will, with an ab&s;olute command from <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that if I &s;aw him not return the next morning, then to go pre&s;ently unto <HI>Sinope,</HI> and acquit my &s;elf of my charge: Not Sir, that you &s;hould think, a Camp wherein almo&s;t none were, was a place of any &s;ecurity; but becau&s;e <HI>Arta|menes</HI> had hopes his de&s;igne would &s;ucceed, but if it did not, then I might more ea&s;ily and &s;afely retire, as &s;oon as I heard of his death: Yet Sir, though I went not with my
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ma&s;ter, I knew all the pa&s;&s;ages of this dangerous adventure: But not to forget any thing which I &s;aw, let me tell you how <HI>Artamenes</HI> before his departure did encourage his Officers and Souldiers; how he embraced them, flattered them, commended them, and promi&s;ed mighty matters to them.</P>
<P>Now is the time, my dear Companions (&s;aid he to them) when I mu&s;t re|member you of your Ancient vertues, and bid you fight with as much fury, as if all the world were &s;pectators of your actions: I cannot now look upon your valours, neither wil this dark night let me &s;hew you what you &s;hould do by my own example: I cannot exa&s;perate you by my voice, &s;ince our de&s;ign is to &s;ur|prize an enemy in the ob&s;curity of night&punc; and vanqui&s;h them before they awake: your &s;elves mu&s;t be the only witne&s;&s;es of your own valours and fidelity. Never think that darkne&s;&s;e can cover either our valour or our cowardize: It will be known do what we can: The victory of our enemies, if they do get it, will te&s;tifie what you do. And on the contrary, when I &s;ee your hands full of bloudy &s;poils of dead <HI>Phrygians</HI> to morrow at the break of day, and all their En&s;igns broken, then &s;hall I te&s;tifie on your behalfs what you have done: The&s;e are the &s;igns, my friends, which mu&s;t &s;peak your actions; and the&s;e are the marks by which you &s;hall know my own valour.</P>
<P>After the&s;e words, all the Commanders and Souldiers did lift up their &s;pears and &s;words to te&s;tifie their approbation, and by a &s;ilent kind of confu&s;ed noi&s;e, did a&s;&s;ure my ma&s;ter that they would punctually obey him. Then they began to march with all alacri|ty and &s;peed; and after he had put about him a white &s;carfe to be known by in the dark of night, they went upon this expedition, without any other arms then &s;pears and &s;words, becau&s;e bows and arrows were u&s;ele&s;&s;e in the dark of night. <HI>Artamenes</HI> was &s;o fortunate as to find his enemies fa&s;t a&s;leep, which did not a little facilitate his enterprize: Since they knew the King of <HI>Pontus</HI>'s army did wait upon ours, they could not dream how it was po&s;&s;ible they &s;hould be &s;urprized; So that they &s;lept &s;ecurely without any fear of Quarters being beaten up: Their fir&s;t Guard did not fail in their duty; but it was &s;o quickly repelled, that before the &s;ouldiers were awake, or could rank them&s;elves under their Colours, or get into any po&s;ture of defence, they were many of them killed. He who commanded the&s;e forces, was called <HI>Imbas,</HI> and was very valiant; he made it ap|pear upon this occa&s;ion that he was &s;o, &s;ince notwith&s;tanding this &s;urprize and di&s;order of his Army, he had rallied a very con&s;iderable body together, and did &s;o gallantly en|tertain <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that for a while he was in hopes of victory. The like was never heard of, as tho&s;e who were in the combate did report; for after the fir&s;t &s;hock was over, wherein <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> had commanded all &s;ilence to be ob&s;erved, he began to make him&s;elf known by his voice, to the end he might encourage his men; and as all did an&s;wer him in a Trium|phant and mortal language, they made &s;o great and terrible a din; that the enemy thought them&s;elves very ill informed, and gue&s;&s;ed us to be at lea&s;t thirty thou&s;and men. The night, though dark, becau&s;e there was no Moon, yet not &s;o ob&s;cure by rea&s;on of a &s;tarry fir|mament, but one might perceive another: And in this gloomy light, <HI>Artamenes</HI> failed not to keep good order in that combate which was &s;o full of confu&s;ion and di&s;order. As he found that there was yet a good clo&s;e body to contend with, and which &s;toutly re&s;i&s;ted him, he doubted whether <HI>Imbas</HI> whom he knew to be a man of courage, and commanded this Army, could be found or no; but &s;ince he could not directly &s;ee how to a&s;&s;ault him, he bethought him&s;elf of a project which took effect: He &s;poke as loud as ever he could, the&s;e words; If the valiant <HI>Imbas</HI> would be victorious, why does he not come out and fight with <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and di&s;pute with him for the victory in per&s;on? This language cau&s;ed <HI>Imbas</HI> to come unto him with a drawn &s;word; I did not think (&s;aid he) I had &s;uch an il|lu&s;trious enemy &s;o near me, nor &s;o lawful an excu&s;e for my defeat if it chance; at the&s;e words they fell to work, and fought, and often charged that none &s;hould part them; but in conclu&s;ion, my ma&s;ter being &s;tronger, and more fortunate, he &s;truck the &s;word of <HI>Imbas</HI> out of his hand, and &s;eizing upon his bridle, threatned to kill him if he did not render him&s;elf: <HI>Imbas</HI> being in that condition, without more ado rendred him|&s;elf; and <HI>Artamenes</HI> committing him to the guard of four &s;ouldiers, went to con|&s;ummate the conque&s;t which yet remained: The Cavalry of <HI>Artamenes</HI> trod the Phrygian
<PB N="13" REF="90">
Infantry under their hor&s;es feet; And almo&s;t all the Cappadocian Infantry were become Cavalry; for in the di&s;order, as the Phrygians were taking hor&s;e, our men killed them, and got into their &s;addles, riding their hor&s;es again&s;t their ma&s;ters friends; &s;ome exchanged their natural &s;leep for an eternal nap: others half armed, defended them&s;elves as well as they could; &s;ome again, took the advantage of the nights ob&s;curity and fled for &s;hame; others without any arms did ob&s;tinately di&s;pute for their lives, and all in generall was in a mighty confu&s;ion. In conclu&s;ion, Sir, after two hours di&s;pute <HI>Artamenes</HI> found none to fight with; and &s;ounding a Retreat, every one repaired to his Colours, and altogether returned to the Camp. This enterprize was &s;o judiciou&s;ly contrived, and &s;o happily ex|ecuted, that at break of day I &s;aw <HI>Artamenes</HI> return in the head of his Troops; who calling unto tho&s;e who guarded his pri&s;oner, &s;uffered him to march by him: My ma&s;ter held a &s;word in his hand which he had forced from one of his enemies, and <HI>Imbas</HI> who knew it, a&s;&s;ured him that it was the &s;word of his Lieutenant General: Never was beheld a more magnificent triumph then this; there was not a Captain nor Souldier which had not &s;ome Trophee of Victory in his hand: Some had Phrygian bucklers; others &s;utes of bloudy arms; &s;ome en&s;igns half broken; others whole bundles of &s;pears upon their &s;houl|ders: Some had the heads of dead &s;ouldiers which they carried by the hair, and a great number brought chained pri&s;oners. The Prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> had two en&s;igns of his enemies which he had forced from them; and there was not one but could &s;hew an a&s;&s;ured mark that he was in combate: when <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;aw them all, he was extreamly joy'd, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e com|mended and cheri&s;hed them; and to make his word good, he &s;hewed them the General of their enemies which he had taken pri&s;oner; al&s;o the &s;word of their Lieutenant General which he had forced from him. <HI>Artamenes</HI> was thus in his Triumphant conceits, when news was brought, that there appeared about fifty men on hor&s;es, from <HI>Sinope</HI> &s;ide: he &s;ent out a party to di&s;cover who they were; but it was found to be <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> who being envious at <HI>Artamenes</HI> honour, was come from Court without leave; and could not endure that his Rival &s;hould be in any dangerous adventure wherein he was not: yet I think, Sir, that he repented him&s;elf of his forwardne&s;&s;e, when he under&s;tood that he was not to have any &s;hare in that victory which was got without him. He came unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> when all the Commanders and Souldiers held their gallant Trophees in their hands, and when he knew how &s;quares went by that Party which was &s;ent out to meet him, he had a mind to go no further; yet civility would not permit him to return: My ma&s;ter no &s;ooner &s;aw him but he was troubled; yet notwith&s;tanding, there was never man more &s;weet, and civil after a Victory, then he, and he went to meet him: Judge <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> (&s;aid he to him) what we &s;hould have done if you had been with us, &s;eeing we have done thus much in your ab&s;ence: I know not (an&s;wered he) whether I &s;hould have been partaker of your glory, but I am &s;ure I &s;hould have been a partaker of your peril: There is enough of that yet (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> &s;ince we have yet an Army of twenty thou&s;and men before us to fight with: The fir&s;t victory you have got, (an&s;wered <HI>Philida&s;pes)</HI> is it not a certain omen or a &s;econd, and perhaps in participating of the peril with you, I &s;hall be no partaker of the glory? we &s;hall pre&s;ently &s;ee that (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> for I do not think it good to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> our enemy fortifie him&s;elf before we fight him. We mu&s;t make the be&s;t benefit we can <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> tho&s;e favours which fortune affords us; &s;he is a capricious Lady and would not be &s;light|ed, and &s;ometimes withdraws her favours for ever, if they be not taken when &s;he pre&s;ents them; you are better acquainted with her then I am, (an&s;wered <HI>Philida&s;pes)</HI> who never yet received any good from her: Let us &s;ee (replied <HI>Artamenes</HI> who was a little nettled at this di&s;cour&s;e) whether the good or the bad which I have received, hath brought me to that acquaintance: After this, turning towards the Commanders and Souldiers, and &s;peaking unto them with &s;o much boldne&s;&s;e, and &s;uch plea&s;ant eyes, as &s;eemed a happy pre&s;age.</P>
<P>Certainly (&s;aid he to them) my brave Companions, Conquerours are ne|ver weary: Tell me, were ye not more weary before, then &s;ince you have van|qui&s;hed your enemies? But my dear companions, let us not deceive our &s;elves, for we have yet only begun to Conquer, and we mu&s;t &s;econd that good begin|ning, as long as there is any to oppo&s;e us: Let not the number of your enemies affright you, for I can a&s;&s;ure you, that we are more terrible to them then they ought to be unto us: It being a more difficult ta&s;k to fight with &s;ouldiers accu|&s;tomed
<PB N="14" REF="91">
to Conquer, then with tho&s;e that never fought. The noi&s;e of our Vi|ctory has animated our Army, and fainted the hearts of our enemies: Fear and Terrour has half defeated them before we come at them; and if my con|jectures do not much deceive me, this &s;econd Victory will come at as ea&s;ie a rate as the fir&s;t: The pre&s;ence of the valiant <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> will render it more facile; and fortune which alwayes favours bold and dangerous enterpri&s;es, will not for&s;ake us in this. Come on my brave Companions, let us go, for if you love difficulties, you will never be without honour; and if you expo&s;e your &s;elves to ea&s;e, you will never be in &s;afety, but put your enemies into a condi|tion to be alwayes as thornes in your &s;ides.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>Artamenes</HI> had ended his Oration, all the Officers and Souldiers did ap|plaud the re&s;olution he had taken: In pur&s;uance whereof, he took a Mu&s;ter of his Army, to &s;ee how many he had lo&s;t; and he found wanting only five hundred men, though he had defeated &s;ixteen thou&s;and: After this he commanded them all to take a little repo&s;e, and within two hours after to prepare for Combate: Mean while he treated <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> with all civility: But as he would have the reports of this fir&s;t victory animate his Army, and be a foundation for a &s;econd; he &s;ent back to the King of <HI>Phrygia, Imbas</HI> his Lieutenant General whom he had defeated, and took pri&s;oner, as I formerly told you; commanding the Herauld which was to conduct him to tell that Prince, how gallantly this valiant man had defended him&s;elf; and had given &s;uch te&s;timony of a noble &s;oul during his di&s;|grace, that he would not do him the di&s;plea&s;ure to keep him Pri&s;oner during the Battle; nor deprive him&s;elf of that honour to vanqui&s;h him the &s;econd time, if good fortune failed not: <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> hearing him &s;ay &s;o, could not forbear contradicting him, and told him, that this man might be made u&s;e of after the Battle, if the &s;ucce&s;&s;e &s;hould not be fortunate: If we be overcome (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> we &s;hall have no u&s;e of pri&s;oners, &s;ince then we &s;hall be either dead or pri&s;oners our &s;elves, and tho&s;e whom we have already taken, will then be relea&s;ed in &s;pight of our teeths: And if we be Conquerours (&s;aid he) then all will be in our own power: But it mu&s;t be acknowledged (replied <HI>Philida&s;pes)</HI> that you have given a valiant man unto your enemies: 'Tis true, replied <HI>Artamenes,</HI> but in gi|ving that one we have relea&s;ed many which otherwi&s;e &s;hould have guarded him: yet &s;o it was Sir, that my ma&s;ter did what he plea&s;ed, and <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was &s;ilent: Mean while the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> were extreamly &s;urprized, when at break of day they were adverti&s;ed in their Tents of the great &s;houts of joy which were heard in <HI>Artamenes</HI> his Army, and that many Phrygian En&s;igns were &s;een there. The&s;e Princes having &s;een the fires in the campes of their enemies all the night long could not imagine how it was po&s;ible, they &s;hould fight and defeat the forces which they expected: Neither could they believe that <HI>Imbas</HI> would betray his King &amp; countrie, and take part with the <HI>Cappadocians.</HI> Soe that in their incertainties they neither knew what to think or &s;ay: All the Captaines and Souldiers were no le&s;&s;e troubled: and all together concluded that things went not well: But as they were &s;ending out to know what the matter was, they &s;aw <HI>Imbas</HI> arrive, who being moved by his own genero&s;ity and intending to excu&s;e his defeate by the valour of his enemies, did &s;o much extol their courage, and magnified <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;o highly, that he &s;truck terror into the &s;ouls of all who heard him: you have &s;aid enough, (an&s;wered the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> to take away the di&s;honour of your defeate, in &s;aying it was <HI>Artamenes</HI> who overcame you: And it is enough (&s;aid the King of <HI>Phrygia)</HI> to oblige us not to flie &s;uch an enemy, who if wee be vanqui&s;hed by him it is no di&s;honour: Tell then <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> unto the Herauld) that we will prepare to receive him as he de&s;erues, and if we can, render him favour for favour, and endevour to be in that condition as at our return we &s;hall &s;end him pri&s;oners after the Battle. Meane while, <HI>Artamenes</HI> was re&s;olved to fini&s;h this warr at this bout, and neg|lected nothing which might Conduce to his happine&s;&s;e, he met not a captaine unto whom he did not promi&s;e &s;ome recompence from the King: He never &s;aw a common on &s;ouldier pa&s;&s;e by, whom he did not call by his name; and unto whom he did not be&s;tow &s;ome obliging language: He did in&s;pire into them all both by his words and by his actions, &s;uch an ar|dent de&s;ire of glory, that he was hard able to re&s;traine them, &s;uch was his powerfull art to invite mens hearts, and make him&s;elf ab&s;olute ma&s;ter of their mindes. After then all the Troopes had &s;olaced them&s;elves with a &s;light repa&s;t, and offered a &s;acrifice unto the Gods,
<PB N="15" REF="91">
in the head of their Armie: <HI>Artamenes</HI> marched &s;traight to the enemy in Battalia, with Prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> and <HI>Philidaspes</HI> who would not leave him, to the end that <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould doe nothing which he did not doe as well as hee. I Confe&s;&s;e Sir, that when I &s;aw things in that condition; I could not re&s;olue any longer obedience unto the command of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> but I put in among&s;t this young gallantrie of the court, which made up a Troop of Voluntiers, and followed my ma&s;ter. But yet I know not how he got a &s;ight of me, and as &s;oone as he &s;pied me, he made a &s;igne with his hand; then I quit my rank; and as he came forward to me &s;ome fifteen or twenty paces, Sir (&s;aid I coming to him) I be&s;eech you give me leave to fight: No no (an&s;wered he) I will not; and your di&s;obedience has angred me: I have done Sir, (&s;aid I) &s;ince you will not permit it, and I will retire my &s;elf. However <HI>Teraulas</HI> (&s;aid he) if I die at this time, you may a&s;&s;ure the Prince&s;&s;e that the day of my death was a bloody day unto my enemies, &amp; that in one day I was both Conque|ror &amp; conquered, after the&s;e words my deare &amp; be&s;t ma&s;ter, commanded me aloud to ob&s;erue his orders, to the end that none &s;hould think wor&s;e of my Courage and my retreat, which otherwi&s;e might have been blemi&s;hed: After this I left him, and he marched to wards the Enemy, who did prepare to receive him. They endevoured to per&s;wade their Souldiers, that the former defeat of their Troops would be advantagious to them, &s;ince they had &s;o wearied their Enemies as they mu&s;t needs be weak; yet for all that, &s;ay what they could, the very name of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> did more daunt them, then all the good language of the Princes could encourage them: Meane while, both armies &s;eemed to be in&s;pired with the &s;ame &s;pirit and the &s;ame furie they both advanced, &amp; Ioyne; the Aire is ob&s;cured with Arrowes: the breaking of which, as they met, and cla&s;ht one again&s;t another, added a terrible noi&s;e to the martiall harmonie: The&s;e fir&s;t blowes on both &s;ides, did redouble their ardent de&s;ires of vanqui&s;hing in the hearts of both parties: After they had emptied their Quivers, Bowes were u&s;ele&s;&s;e, and they draw nearer; tho&s;e who&s;e armes were &s;pears did pu&s;h them with furious violence: &s;words followed pre&s;ently after; And both &s;ides com|ing to handy blowes, all behave them&s;elves like valiant &s;ouldiers, lead on by valiant com|manders, and now begins the mortall millelanie: Every one fights, every one would van|qui&s;h, &amp; every one is both a&s;&s;aulted &amp; a&s;&s;aulter: The left wing of <HI>Artamenes</HI> his army, did foile the right of the Confederate Kings: And the right of the Princes did much &s;hake the left of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> as for him, he did not only doe according as he was accu&s;tomed, but he did that which never was done: The Prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> did al&s;o &s;ignall him&s;elf at this time: <HI>Philada&s;pes</HI> after their example, did all that could be expected from a man of a great &s;oule: &amp; my ma&s;ter him&s;elf, has often told me, notwith&s;tanding his hate of him, that he de&s;erved immortall pray&s;es: It is no wonder therefore if the le&s;&s;er army get the betteer of the greater; having three &s;uch extraordinary men in it which &s;u&s;tained it. It mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed, that the getting of the Battle de&s;erues to be wholy Atributed unto <HI>Artamenes.</HI> Not only becau&s;e a hundred times more valiantly then any other: Not on|ly becau&s;e he gave out orders with more excellency of iudgment then any other: Not on|ly becau&s;e he did extreamly animate his Souldiers: whom he often rallied: whom he of|ten Supported; whom he often defended, and was in every place where need was; but al&s;o becau&s;e he did on thing which put more enemies to rout then any thing that all others did: My dear and invincible ma&s;ter who was re&s;olved to vanqui&s;h or dy, and to pre&s;erve the honour of his fir&s;t victory, which he knew he &s;hould Lo&s;e if he lo&s;t this Battle, and would be accu&s;ed for hazarding it too much: <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I &s;ay; who would eyther Try|umph or Peri&s;h, did not now &s;tudy to pick out enemyes to fight with, and &s;pare their Blood, as almo&s;t alwayes he u&s;ed, thinking it better to hazard being wounded by ende|vouring to take valiant men pri&s;oners, then to kill them, as he ea&s;ily could have done: But now at this time, he fell upon all that &s;topt his pa&s;&s;age: he wounded all which did not render them&s;elves, and killed all that ob&s;tinately re&s;i&s;ted him: Meeting then with a body of hor&s;e which &s;tood firm, he charged them; he foiled them, and made them fly, not ob|&s;erving that the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> that generous Rivall, whom he &s;o much e&s;teemed and lo|ved, was he which made mo&s;t re&s;i&s;tances, But having wounded him in the right arme, and this Prince being out of Combate, and out of hopes to be relieved, &s;ince he was &s;o com|pa&s;&s;ed about with the Souldiers of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> Seeing him&s;elf, I &s;ay, in this condition, and knowing my Ma&s;ter, he had rather render him&s;elf unto him then any other: and in this thought, &s;eeing him&s;elf pre&s;t on every &s;ide, and ready to Peri&s;h: I mu&s;t render my &s;elf <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid this wounded Prince) I mu&s;t &s;ubmit and confe&s;&s;e you de&s;erve to conquer: At the&s;e words, <HI>Artamenes</HI> knowing him, came neer, and &s;eeing he could not lift his &s;word,
<PB N="16" REF="92">
he de&s;per&s;ed tho&s;e who pre&s;&s;ed upon him; you yeeld rather unto my fortune then my valour, (replied he) But however, I mu&s;t make u&s;e of by good fortune, and will endeavour to &s;hew you that it is accompanied with &s;ome vertue; in &s;aying &s;o, he turned towards <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> who fought alwayes neer him, and putting the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> into his charge, goe <HI>Chri|&s;antes</HI> &s;aid he, Conduct the King unto our Camp: for he will be better waited upon there then in his own, where all is in confu&s;ion; but look to him, (&s;aid he) as a Prince who would have been our Conqueror, if al his &s;ouldiers were as valiant as him&s;elfe. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> obeying my Ma&s;ter, and guarded by two hundred hor&s;e, did convey the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> to whom <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;aid in parting with him, with much Civility, Sir, I would goe my &s;elf to wait upon you, if the nece&s;&s;ity of my office would permit me. But &s;ince I &s;ee &s;ome of your Soul|diers with Arms in their hands, your Maje&s;tie will pardon me if I leave you, and goe to put my &s;elf into &s;uch a condition, as I may return with more reverence and lei&s;ure to &s;erve you: at the&s;e words, &s;tooping as low as the skirt of his &s;addle, he turned his hor&s;e; And this Conquered Prince, Submitting him&s;elf to the law of a Conqueror, who treated him with &s;o good a grace, and followed <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> not at all then King of his liberty: yet the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> coming pre&s;ently after to know that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was taken pri&s;o|ner, began to be in a mighty fury, and though he was not now much above the age of a young man, yet was he Ma&s;ter of much vigour, and Genero&s;itie; &s;o that apprehending this lo&s;&s;e, he doubled his &s;trength in his endevours to repair it: he mu&s;tered together as many men as he could, and went him&s;elf into places fulle&s;t of danger: <HI>Artamenes</HI> being informed where this Prince did fight, went thither, and tooke as many of his men with him as he met in the way, and began a fre&s;h combate: Nothing was to be &s;een in all places, but dead, and dying men, Souldiers throwing away their Armes either to Render them|&s;elves or fly. And the victory was clearly on <HI>Artamenes</HI> his &s;ide; yet the night drawing on apace it could not be di&s;cerned where men fought, and where men fought not: And <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> whom the Croud had &s;eparated from <HI>Artamenes,</HI> notwith&s;tanding his re&s;olu|tion not to for&s;ake him; having vanqui&s;hed all tho&s;e which Re&s;i&s;ted him, and not &s;eeing my Ma&s;ter to give out orders, cau&s;ed a retreat to be pre&s;ently &s;ounded: immediately after, every one was rallied under his own En&s;igne: The party of <HI>Artamenes</HI> was ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of the field, and of all the Enemies Baggage which they had for&s;aken: But as for the Con|queror him&s;elf, none could tell any tydings of him: All the Captains asked one another where he was; and all the &s;ouldiers were inqui&s;itive what was become of their Generall: one &s;aid, I &s;aw him not, &s;ince in the head of our company, he rowted a whole &s;quadron which re&s;i&s;ted him, another &s;aid, I never &s;aw him &s;ince he killed a brave gallant man which oppo&s;ed him: and indeed every one ob&s;erved him the la&s;t time they &s;aw him, by &s;ome heroick Act or other: But though all &s;aw him in the Combate, yet none knew now where he was; he was not to be found any where; He was neither in the Camp nor in the Field of Battle; &s;o that it mu&s;t clearly be concluded, he was either a pri&s;oner or dead: <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> him&s;elf was much moved at it, whether it proceeded from his genero&s;itie, or from a quite contrary re&s;entment, he was very carefull to enquire him out. For my part Sir, I never was &s;en&s;ible of &s;o great a &s;orrow: <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> was not a little &s;ad; And it was well &s;aid, that that there was not one in all the army, which grieved not more for this lo&s;&s;e, then the gai|ning of two Battles did rejoyce them: In the meane time &s;ince <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> undertooke the Command of the Armie under the notion of the Generall: all the officers did without any difficulty receive orders from him: As for the Prince <HI>Tigranes,</HI> he was not to &s;tay long in Cappadocia, nor take upon him any imployment, only as a voluntier: All the Souldiers had &s;ouls &s;o inqui&s;itive of their Generall, that they mu&s;t be better &s;ati&s;fied concerning his fortune: They &s;poke unto <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> to enquire of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> into what place they believed the King of
<HI>Phrygia</HI> was retreated, to the end a Herald might be &s;ent thither, to know if <HI>Artamenes</HI> were there a Pri&s;oner: for indeed there was two Souldiers, who were certain they &s;aw <HI>Artamenes</HI> a good way off, iu&s;t at night, pur&s;uing his Enemies on that quarter where the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> made his Retreat. It was I Sir, who was imployed unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who was Lodged in my ma&s;ters &s;ent. He a&s;&s;ured me, that the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> was at that Towne neare&s;t <HI>Cera&s;ia</HI> clo&s;e upon the River <HI>Sangar</HI> But Sir, I never in all my life found a Prince more rea&s;onable then he; for when I expre&s;&s;ed my fears that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was taken Pri&s;oner: If that be all (&s;aid he to me) never feare him: and calling for pen and paper, though he was wounded in his right arme, yet he writ a letter unto the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> by which he de&s;ired, that if <HI>Artamenes</HI> chanced to be in his power, to treat him with all po&s;&s;ible civility: a Herauld then was di&s;patched to the
<PB N="17" REF="92">
King of <HI>Phrygia: Chri&s;antes</HI> and I, with an infinite number of others, of all conditions, lighting abundance of Torches, went to &s;earch among&s;t the dead for that which we wi&s;h|ed never to finde, though we much feared we &s;hould: Alas, (&s;aid I to <HI>Chry&s;antes)</HI> can the Gods be both &s;o favourable and &s;o aver&s;e unto <HI>Artamenes?</HI> would they permit him to get two glorious Victories in one day, to let him peri&s;h thus, and let <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> enjoy the fruits of all his hard&s;hip? Though day did break, yet we continued on our fears, and glad we were to &s;ee we &s;ought in vain. Since we knew that Quarter where <HI>Artamenes</HI> was &s;een the la&s;t time, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and I went thither, not well knowing why we &s;cattered &s;o from the re&s;t of the company: But the De&s;tinies who conducted us, knew that which we were ignorant of. As we began to be in ab&s;olute de&s;pair of ever finding our dear Ma|&s;ter, and were re&s;olving to return back, we heard a pitifull weak voyce calling us; we went thither in all ha&s;t, and found two &s;ouldiers &s;ore wounded, the one in the legg, the other in the thigh, who not being able to ri&s;e, lay there all night, hoping for &s;ome Pa&s;|&s;enger to help them; having both of them received their wounds in that place, as they pur&s;ued the enemy: But though their wounds were great, and weakne&s;&s;e extream, by rea&s;on of their lo&s;&s;e of blood, yet the fir&s;t thing they &s;poke, was not to ask any help, although they were our own men; but on the contrary, one of them, &s;peaking and look|ing upon us (for he knew we belonged unto <HI>Artamenes,)</HI> Go (&s;aid he to us) towards the &s;ide of that river which you &s;ee &s;ome two hundred paces off, and look carefully there, whether your Illu&s;trious Ma&s;ter be not in the &s;ame condition that we are in. Our Ma&s;ter (&s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and I both together) Alas, my friends, what can you tell us concerning him? We &s;aw him ye&s;terday very late (an&s;wered the &s;ouldier which &s;poke be|fore) pur&s;uing the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> who retreated from fight, but as they pa&s;&s;ed by us, we &s;aw that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was wounded, at very parting of day, for we &s;aw his &s;uit of Arms all bloody: We, alas, were as you &s;ee us, among&s;t the&s;e bu&s;hes, which did interpo&s;e be|tween our &s;ight of the adver&s;e Party; but we &s;aw the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> before him, and a great company following after him; and we &s;aw him in yonder place, which I point at, maintain a furious fight, and if I be not much deceived, there I &s;aw the Illu&s;trious <HI>Arta|menes</HI> fall, at lea&s;t, I am certain, there was none &s;tayed there, nor any went off, but &s;ome which &s;wam the River, of which I am certain <HI>Artamenes</HI> was none of them. The &s;oul|dier had no &s;ooner ended &s;peaking, but <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and I began to run to the place which he &s;hewed us, with doubled fears which we could not expre&s;&s;e: I think we had left the&s;e two poor &s;ouldiers without help, had we not accidentally met &s;ome of our own men, unto who&s;e care we committed them: Mean while we came to the river &s;ide, which is the river <HI>Sangar,</HI> that parts the Kingdom of <HI>Pontus,</HI> from the Kingdom of <HI>Bithinia:</HI> As &s;oon as we came there, we &s;aw all the banks covered with killed men: There was a little wood bridge, which &s;eemed newly broken; and as the &s;tream of this river was not impetuous we &s;aw all along as far as we could look, men killed, and Arms broken; the water it &s;elf was changed colour, and all the gra&s;&s;e on the bank-&s;ides was &s;anguin'd: never was object more mournfull then this: we found many of our own men among&s;t the dead, and many al&s;o of the King of <HI>Phrygia's;</HI> But oh heavens, how I trembled, when following the ri|ver a little lower, I knew my dear Ma&s;ters-hor&s;e, which I, &s;aw dead on the &s;ide of the water; two of his feet in the river, as if he would have pa&s;&s;ed over, when he was &s;hot dead with an arrow which &s;tuck in his flank: Alas, alas <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (cried I) doubtle&s;&s;e our Illu&s;trious Ma&s;ter is peri&s;hed either by &s;teel, or water; which way &s;oever it be, wee have lo&s;t, alas we have lo&s;t the great <HI>Artamenes:</HI> It is impo&s;&s;ible to tell you Sir, how great was our &s;orrows and a&s;toni&s;hment. We &s;aw his hor&s;e, which was very markable; and within two paces further we found his head-peece, and as the river was narrow, we could &s;ee his Buckler, which being within lined with wood, did flote in the water, and &s;top by &s;ome ru&s;hes which grew there: In conclu&s;ion Sir, we ab&s;olutely concluded him lo&s;t, &s;ince we had &s;earched &s;o exactly all along the river, and found him not; and &s;ince upon our returne to the Camp, the Herauld which we &s;ent to the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> brought no news of him: upon a &s;econd reviewing of our &s;orrows, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and I, went again unto the fatall river, and mixed our tears among&s;t it: We followed the &s;ides, as far as in all probability the waves could convey the Corps of our dear, dead, and honoured Ma&s;ter: and &s;ince this river did empty it &s;elf into the Sea, not far di&s;tant, we imagined it might convey the Corps in that Abi&s;&s;e; at la&s;t Sir, we returned again unto the Camp all in de|&s;pair, we ab&s;olutely thought him dead, and &s;o did all the Army as well as we: Never was Victory &s;o &s;adly re&s;ented as this; and the lo&s;&s;e of twenty Battles, had not moved &s;o much
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&s;orrow as this: Every one &s;ighed, all wept and lamented; the Captaines had much ado to keep in their &s;ouldiers from disbanding them&s;elves, and they did publi&s;h aloud, that now there was no more hopes of any victories, &s;ince <HI>Artamenes</HI> lived not: Some &s;aid that now they would &s;erve no longer, becau&s;e there was no more recompence to be looked for; others that they would never more expo&s;e them&s;elves to any dangers, &s;ince never any would be &s;o exemplary as <HI>Artamenes</HI> was; All &s;aid, Let us lament a General who made us to Con|quer without almo&s;t any danger; who ever did more him&s;elf, then he commanded others to do: who did magnificently recompence us for the lea&s;t &s;ervices; who took all the dan|ger to him&s;elf, and left the plunder to us: who by his &s;weetne&s;&s;e, and charming familia|rity was as well our companion as our general. You may &s;ee Sir, what the &s;ouldiers &s;aid, while&s;t all the Commanders lamented as much as they, either publikely, or el&s;e privately in their Tents: The pri&s;oners we had taken were al&s;o very &s;en&s;ibly &s;ad at it; and could find no con&s;olation in their captivity, &s;ince they were not now under the power of <HI>Arta|menes,</HI> from whom they hoped for favourable treatment: The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> particular|ly was extreamly grieved at it, and &s;eemed to be more &s;orry for the lo&s;&s;e of him who had wounded him, who had vanqui&s;hed him, and who had taken him pri&s;oner, then he was for the lo&s;&s;e of two battles, and his liberty. <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> him&s;elf, notwith&s;tanding all their thwartings and aver&s;ions, &s;eemed to be much grieved at this pittiful accident; and if he did entertain any joy, he di&s;gui&s;ed it &s;o well that it appeared not in his face: But while&s;t all the world was mourning, I departed from the Camp full of de&s;pair, and told no body, no not wi&s;e <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> and I went to <HI>Sinope,</HI> to acquaint my &s;elf of that &s;ad com|mi&s;&s;ion, which my Ma&s;ter impo&s;ed upon me, and to carry his Letter unto the Prin|ce&s;&s;e of <HI>Cappadocia.</HI> I made &s;uch ha&s;te as I arrived there four hours &s;ooner then he who <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> &s;ent to acquaint the King with all pa&s;&s;ages, and to bring new Orders. But &s;ince I de&s;ired to &s;ee none but <HI>Mandana,</HI> I went the back way of the Town, and footed it un|to that gate which is next the Ca&s;tle, and which as you know is not above twenty paces from it; after I had told them who &s;topt me at the Gate, that I came from <HI>Thermicira,</HI> they let me pa&s;&s;e; &s;o that I came into the Ca&s;tle unknown unto any, becau&s;e it was almo&s;t night, and going up a pair of back &s;taires, which conducted unto the Prince&s;&s;e chamber; I came into her outward room un&s;een by any. I &s;ent fir&s;t unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> to tell her that <HI>Feraulas</HI> had &s;omething to impart to her in private: I under&s;tood &s;ince by this Lady, that the Prince&s;&s;e had been extreamly &s;ad all the day, and that &s;he was much moved when &s;he was told that I de&s;ired to &s;peak with her, before any knew what I had to &s;ay: What would <HI>Feraulas</HI> have with me (&s;aid &s;he to <HI>Marte&s;ia?)</HI> If <HI>Artamenes</HI> be Conquerour, it is the King un|to whom he ought to render an account of his victory; and if he be Conquered (&s;aid &s;he &s;ighing) I &s;hall but too &s;oon know his misfortune. Madam (an&s;wered <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> I can &s;ay nothing, for I no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Feraulas,</HI> but without giving almo&s;t as much time as to tell me he de&s;ired to &s;peak with you, I came to tell you. Let him come (&s;aid &s;he) into my clo&s;et whither I will go, and do you bring him thither. <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> having received this order, came to me where &s;he left me, and conducted me to the Prince&s;&s;e, without opening my mouth, &s;o full was I of &s;orrow; I no &s;ooner &s;aw the fair <HI>Mandana,</HI> but in &s;pight of my re&s;traint, my cheeks were all tears: The Prince&s;&s;e &s;eeing me in that &s;tate, changed colour, and &s;poke fir&s;t with much ha&s;te; has <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) lo&s;t the day? and are our enemies Conquerours? <HI>Artamenes</HI> Madam (&s;aid I) has vanqui&s;ht your ene|mies; he has brought the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> to be your pri&s;oner, and has won you two bat|tles in one day; But Madam (&s;aid I doubling my tears, and much ado to &s;peak) at la&s;t <HI>Artamenes</HI> lo&s;t his life, and won the day. Is <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he in the &s;adde&s;t tone, that &s;he could expre&s;&s;e) lo&s;t in this battle? yes Madam (replied I) <HI>Artamenes</HI> is no more of this world: See (&s;aid I in pre&s;enting the Letter which my Ma&s;ter writ unto her) what he gave me before he went to fight, and what he injoyned me to deliver unto your hand after his death, if it &s;hould chance in this di&s;mal battle. The Prince&s;&s;e at the&s;e words, could not re&s;train her tears no more then I: &s;he went to a table where there was a light, and did &s;it &s;o as I could not &s;ee her face, purpo&s;ely to hide her tears; But do what &s;he could, and notwith&s;tanding my own &s;orrows I ob&s;erved that her grief was extream. I owe &s;o much unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he in taking the Letter) that I &s;hould be very ungrateful, if I did not &s;adly re&s;ent his lo&s;&s;e; and if after his death, I do not what&s;oever he de&s;ires me; for (&s;aid &s;he turning a little towards me) I do imagine that this illu&s;trious man would com|mend &s;ome of his &s;ervants unto me, and ask &s;ome recompences for them which he never would for him&s;elf. I know not Madam (&s;aid I to her) what my ma&s;ter has writ: But I
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know that they who had the honour to be his, de&s;ire now nothing but death; and neither pretend either unto any fortune or any life: Mean while the Prince&s;s, after &s;he had dried her eyes from tho&s;e tears which &s;he could not keep in, &s;he began to read my Ma&s;ters Letter, which as <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> told me afterwards, was thus indited.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, TO THE Prince&s;&s;e of Cappadocia.</HEAD>
<P>BEfore you read what an unfortunate Prince does write, Think I be&s;eech you, that he which takes this liberty to write unto you, will never write again; and he could not re&s;olve to fail in that reverence which he ows you, until after he had lo&s;t his life in your &s;ervice. But Madam, as he dur&s;t not di&s;plea&s;e you as long as he lived, &s;o he would not deprive him&s;elf of &s;o much con&s;olation, as to hope, that you &s;hould know after his death, how he lived not but unto you, and how he never loved and adored any el&s;e but you; Yes Madam, <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who by his birth is not ab&s;olutely unworthy of the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> is &s;o con&s;cious of de&s;erving the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> that from the fir&s;t minute he &s;aw her, he never dur&s;t tell her that he loved her; and how his love was it which cau&s;ed all his good fortune in Armes, and all the torment of his life. No, Divine Prince&s;s, it was only for your &s;ake, that I was here in this Court di&s;gui&s;ed, and unknown: it was for you I fought, I van|qui&s;ht, and refu&s;ed all the earth; though it is one of the mo&s;t noble parts of it which if I had lived I had commanded. That which mo&s;t perplexeth me at pre&s;ent is, that I cannot know whether I &s;hall die Conquerour, or Conquered; If the fir&s;t, then Ma|dam receive the Victory as the fruits of my love, which I purcha&s;ed at the price of my bloud; if the later, then pitty an unfortunate man who died in your &s;ervice, and who died adoring you: &s;ince I have nothing to hope for, I believe your vertue will not be offended at my re&s;pectful pa&s;&s;ion; and you &s;hall never find wor&s;e then I di&s;co|ver, &s;ince the first time that I write unto you is my la&s;t of life. There needs no other an&s;wer Madam, unto what I de&s;ire, but &s;ome &s;light te&s;timonies of &s;orrow and pitty; refu&s;e them not then I conjure you: And that you may be the ea&s;ier induced to pardon my boldne&s;s, con&s;ider if you plea&s;e Madam, that if I had lived, you had perhaps been for ever ignorant of what I now tell you, when I am entering into my Grave.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ARTAMENES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>As long as the reading of this Letter la&s;ted, tears did &s;o abundantly trickle, that &s;he was forced divers times to break off: But when &s;he had ended, knowing that &s;he was not able to re&s;train her lamentations more then &s;he could her tears, &amp; being de&s;irous that I &s;hould be no witne&s;s of her exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrows; <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to me) you &s;ee that I have not forgot how the illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;aved the life of the King my Father, &s;ince I &s;o condole his lo&s;&s;e, that I can take no joy in all tho&s;e glorious advantages which he hath atchieved for us: But (&s;aid &s;he &s;ighing) what can be done le&s;&s;e for him, who in one day hath won two battles; hath taken an enemy King pri&s;oner, and hath be&s;towed an everla&s;ting peace upon all <HI>Cap|padocia,</HI> then to make that memorable day, a day of &s;orrow and tears for his lo&s;&s;e? Grief did &s;ad this Prince&s;&s;e, that &s;he could hardly pronounce the&s;e la&s;t words; &s;o that to be at more liberty of lamentation, Go <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to me) lament your glorious ma&s;ter, and come hither in the morning, for I &s;hall be glad to &s;ee you: Then I made a low reve|rence to depart, and was at the clo&s;er door, when &s;he called me back; <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid &s;he
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to me) tell me before you go, of what Country was the mo&s;t Famous <HI>Artamenes?</HI> and exactly tell me, what was his quality? He was a Prince Madam, (&s;aid I to her) and had if he had lived been a King of a great Kingdom: But Madam, this is all I have in com|mi&s;&s;ion to tell you, my Ma&s;ter having expre&s;ly forbidden me to tell his name: 'Tis enough, &s;aid &s;he, for the glory of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and too much for the tranquillity of <HI>Mandana:</HI> &s;he being more loaden with &s;orrowes at the&s;e words, di&s;mi&s;&s;ed me, and &s;taid alone, only with her dear confident <HI>Marte&s;ia.</HI> I was no &s;ooner gone (as &s;he told me afterwards) but giving her my Ma&s;ters letter to read: See there (&s;aid &s;he) alas there you will find the cau&s;e of my exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow. Con&s;ider I pray you, if ever any was more lamentable: <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> obeying the Prince&s;&s;e, began to read the Letter in a low voice unto her &s;elf: but <HI>Mandana</HI> would not &s;uffer her: No (&s;aid &s;he) <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I would under&s;tand, what I confu&s;edly beheld, and what perhaps I have read fal&s;e. <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> began to read the letter aloud, but, oh heavens, how oft was this reading interrupted, and how happy had <HI>Artamenes</HI> been, if he had known her re&s;entments of him; who&s;oever &s;hould have told me within this hour (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e to <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> that I &s;hould receive a declaration of love without anger; and that I &s;hould pitty him which made it, and dearly loved his memory; Ah <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> I &s;hould not have believed it. Yet I cannot chu&s;e but confe&s;&s;e my weakne&s;&s;e unto you, and acknowledg that I do infinitly compa&s;&s;ionate the unfortunate <HI>Artamenes.</HI> I am not angry at him for loving me: yet I know not (added &s;he) whether if he &s;hould ri&s;e again I &s;hould repent of what I &s;ay, and all I would doe, &s;hould be to hide my re&s;entments: yet <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I doe well find, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> had a greater &s;hare in my heart then ever I thought, and perhaps more then he ought to have, or I to afford him. Indeed <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> my &s;oul is extreamly troubled, I am very &s;en&s;ible of tho&s;e &s;orrowes which are in me, and whether I will or no, all the&s;e &s;ad pa&s;&s;ions doe not offend me; I perceive, (added &s;he) that the knowledg of his quality mingles a &s;ecret Sentment of Ioy in my &s;oul: I recall his life, and all his heroick Acts, into my memory; And again&s;t my own mind and con&s;ent I cannot forbear to be glad when I find all the&s;e things and circum&s;tances which have been told unto me, confirm me in the belief of his birth and love. Indeed <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> not to di&s;&s;emble the truth, I do think, that as <HI>Artamenes</HI> loved me, and I had no certainty of it, &s;o I did love him al&s;o, and knew it not: that which I named e&s;teem and acquaintance (&s;aid &s;he and blu&s;ht) might perhaps have been called &s;omthing el&s;e: Indeed I know that I did oftimes wi&s;h a Crown upon the head of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and knew not well why I wi&s;ht it: and I knew moreover, that though the &s;u&s;pitions which I had of his pa&s;&s;ions did di&s;turb me, yet I was never ab&s;olutly unwilling that he &s;hould love me: But, oh Heavens, that which is mo&s;t con&s;iderable, and mo&s;t vexatious is, that I know I &s;hall re&s;ent his death &s;o deeply, as it will mole&s;t all the tranquillity and hopes of my life: The &s;ad <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;topt at the&s;e words: And <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> though &s;he was much troubled at the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> yet to comfort the Prince&s;&s;e told her, that the Gods were ever wont to mix bitters and &s;weets, goods and bads together, and never the one without the other; and therefore, at this time &s;he mu&s;t think that all the&s;e victories are bought at a deerer rate: Ah <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to her) that victory which is at the price of <HI>Artamenes</HI> life, is infinitly too dear, though it had brought me a Crown with it: For my dear <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> It is a hard matter ever to be comfor|ted after the lo&s;&s;e of &s;uch a Prince as he: A Prince I &s;ay, who was owner of all excellent Qualities and no bad ones: al&s;o one who loved us. But, (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to her) if he had lived you had never known as much: or if you had you would have been offended at it. I confe&s;&s;e, (replyed the Prince&s;&s;e ha&s;tily) I &s;hould have been offended, and that mortally: But <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> he never told me of it, but untill he was at the point of death: I knew it not untill he was in &s;uch a condition as he could not know what I thought of it; and it is this principally which cau&s;eth my mo&s;t &s;harp &s;orrow: All the great acts of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and all his high vertues, were things which truly did gain and merit my e&s;teem: but I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e unto you, that his reverence and re&s;pect of me, has ab&s;olutly gained my heart: The Combats which he fought: the battles which he won, and all his other glorious actions, which he did, to merit my approbation, did not &s;o much appertain unto me, but that he and others did &s;hare in the glorie with me: But that <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould love me, and out of his profound reverence and re&s;pect unto me, &s;hould not tell it me untill his death; This <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> reflects wholy upon <HI>Mandana:</HI> this it is which makes me plainly &s;ee that <HI>Artame|nes</HI> he did value me: And this is it, which obliges me to love the memory of a man, who had rea&s;on in his love, and loved me without offending or di&s;plea&s;ing me. Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> then unto her) I do conceive it ju&s;t indeed, that you &s;hould cheri&s;h the memory
<PB N="21" REF="94">
of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> but yet I know not why you &s;hould &s;o much injure your &s;elf as to grieve &s;o exce&s;&s;ively: I know not (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) whether it be ju&s;t, or hand&s;ome, but I am &s;ure, I can do no le&s;&s;e: I &s;hould never have fini&s;hed my relation Sir, if I &s;hould tell you all that <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;aid and did upon this occa&s;ion: She went to bed and would not eat any meat: &s;he pa&s;&s;ed away all the melancholy night, without a wink of &s;leep. The &s;ame night that the King knew of the victories and death of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> by him whom <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> &s;ent to adverti&s;e him; he te&s;tified an extreame &s;orrow for his lo&s;&s;e: All the Court and all the Towne were &s;ad: one would have thought his Battle had been lo&s;t, and the whole Kingdome utterly ruined: All were quite deceived, only <HI>Aribeus,</HI> who was glad in his hart, though he dur&s;t not let it appear; &s;ince the King thought that the Prince&s;&s;e was yet ignorant of this &s;ad news, he &s;ent to tell her, and went him&s;elf the next morning to condole, and al&s;o comfort her, for he knew very well that &s;he did very much e&s;teeme <HI>Arta|menes:</HI> This meeting was condoled on the Kings part very tenderly and &s;adly; and very wi&s;ely and re&s;ervedly on the Prince&s;&s;e part; for &s;he di&s;covered no more &s;orrowes and com|pa&s;&s;ion, then the intere&s;t of the &s;tate might rea&s;onably cau&s;e in her &s;oul, for &s;uch a lo&s;&s;e: but as &s;oon as the King was gone, &s;he &s;ent to &s;eek me, and as I could not &s;tay any longer at <HI>Sinope,</HI> &s;o they found me coming to take my leave on her: when I came into her Chamber, Madam (&s;aid I coming neer her bed (I come to de&s;ire your leave that I may returne to the Camp: what will you doe there (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) I would goe (replied I) to &s;ee if <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> have &s;ince my departure from him, yet found the corps of my deare dead Ma&s;ter, which before we could not finde: what (&s;aid the Prince&s;s &s;ighing) has not the unfortunate <HI>Artamenes</HI> received the honour of a Burial? No Madam, (&s;aid I with eyes &s;weld with tears) unle&s;&s;e <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> have found him &s;ince my departure. Then &s;he en|joyned me to relate unto her all that I have told you; to wit, all that we found along the river of <HI>Sangar,</HI> and all I knew concerning the death of my dear Ma&s;ter: after I had told her all, and by my &s;ad relation cau&s;ed her to bedew all her fair face with a deluge of tears, &s;he began to pre&s;&s;e me again to tell her his name: For (&s;aid &s;he) what good rea&s;on could he have to conceal it? I know not Madam (an&s;wered I) nor can I, I confe&s;&s;e compre|hend it, con&s;idering the greatne&s;&s;e of his birth: But it belongs not to me to examine my Ma&s;ters rea&s;ons; it is my duty onely, to execute his la&s;t Commands with all punctuall ob|&s;ervance: You have rea&s;on (&s;aid &s;he to me) and I have done you wrong in pre&s;&s;ing you unto &s;o unju&s;t and unrea&s;onable a thing; It is &s;ufficient that I know that he was of a Royall extract; and there is not any Prince in the world, let him be as great as he can be, but may de&s;ire a Son which &s;hall be like unto him: Mean while, (&s;aid &s;he to me) beleeve it <HI>Feraulas,</HI> and a&s;&s;ure <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> of as much, that all they which had relation unto the mo&s;t glorious <HI>Artamenes,</HI> may obtain any thing from the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> and that which &s;he has not done for him, &s;he will do for his. You are too generous Madam (&s;aid I to her) but I have already told you, tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> ask no more from the Gods, but onely the Corps of our dear Ma&s;ter, and the honour to bring him unto his grave; the&s;e words did &s;o extreamly move the Prince&s;&s;e, that putting out her hand unto me, &s;he &s;aid, you are worthy &s;ervants of &s;uch a Ma&s;ter as you have lo&s;t: Go and &s;eek out with all diligence the&s;e glorious and &s;ad Relikes, until you have found it out; and when you have found it, let me be acquainted with it, to the end I may move the King my father to pay tho&s;e ho|nours which are due unto his merit, and unto tho&s;e &s;ervices which we have received. After this, &s;he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed me with a profound &s;igh, and would have given me a Jewel, but I re|fu&s;ed it, and went from <HI>Sinope</HI> to the Camp, that I might follow the invincible <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> if I could do nothing el&s;e: Mean while, although the King was much troubled at the lo&s;&s;e of my Ma&s;ter, yet I would not lo&s;e the fruits of his Victory; and fearing left the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> &s;hould bring fre&s;h forces into the Field, and relieve the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> therefore he &s;ent the next morning that I parted from <HI>Sinope,</HI> a command unto <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> to bring the pri&s;oner King to Court, &s;o that the day after I came to the Camp, <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> with &s;ix thou&s;and men, went to conduct him: He left the command of the Army, by Order from <HI>Ciaxares</HI> unto <HI>Artaxes,</HI> brother of <HI>Aribeus,</HI> and came unto <HI>Sinope</HI> with inten|tions to Triumph, and a&s;&s;ume unto him&s;elf all the glorious Labours of my mo&s;t Illu&s;trious Ma&s;ter. Neither <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> nor I would return to Court, but both &s;tayed in the Camp, and continued our &s;earch all along the fatall river <HI>Sangar,</HI> and in all places thereabouts for what we had lo&s;t, and to lament our misfortune. The Prince <HI>Tigranes,</HI> who &s;aw there was no more to do in the Army, returned to <HI>Sinope,</HI> much grieved for the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Artame|nes;</HI> As for <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> as generous as he was, I do beleeve that if he was not glad of the
<PB N="22" REF="95">
death of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> yet he had &s;ome re&s;emblances of it, which pre&s;ently after produced, the &s;ame effects in his heart. He departed from the Camp, in &s;uch a manner as was not or|dinary, but very magnificent: As for the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> he had contrary re&s;entments in his &s;oul, for he was extream &s;ad at the lo&s;&s;e of the Battel; much grieved at the death of him which won it; angred to follow <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> as his Conquerer who was not &s;o; and in extream confu&s;ion, to appear as a conquered pri&s;oner, before that Prince&s;&s;e whom he loved: yet among&s;t all the&s;e bad re&s;entments, he had &s;ome &s;ecret joy, that he &s;hould &s;ee her again: Mean time <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> marcht in all ha&s;t, and as he went to <HI>Sinope,</HI> he ordain|ed a petty Triumph, wherein might be &s;een all &s;ignes of mourning, as well as Victory, for the death of their General, not daring to expre&s;&s;e it otherwi&s;e. Then, as at the la&s;t Bat|tle, all the Baggage of both Kings was all taken; &s;o al&s;o they met with many things which the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> had formerly taken from <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> in a war which was betwixt them: <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> made u&s;e of all the rich Plunder to make the Pomp more proudly Magnificent: He cau&s;ed two thou&s;and men of war to march fir&s;t, in the head of which were carried a|bundance of En&s;ignes gained from the Enemy; and the better to &s;et forth the death of their General, they which carried them were in mourning.: Fifty Trumpets followed the&s;e En&s;ignes, in black Mantles and Pennons: afterwards followed fourty Coaches, co|vered with black, all fil'd with magnificent coats of Arms, Head-pieces, Plumes of divers colours, Bucklers of a hundred &s;everal fa&s;hions; Swords, Bowes, Quivers, Arrows, and Lances; And all this in &s;o hand&s;ome a mixture, and &s;o well &s;et out, with order and with confu&s;ion both, that as they who were there told us, nothing could be beheld more beauti|full and Pompous: Six other Chariots followed the&s;e fourty fir&s;t, all fil'd with that which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had formerly lo&s;t, to wit, magnificent Pavilions, great pieces of Plate, both &s;il|ver and gold, pri&s;ed at an ine&s;timable rate and value, both for their huge Prodigou&s;nes, and rich engravings; a Throne of Gold, richly be&s;et with Onyx, Topaz, and other rare Pretious-&s;tones: After the&s;e Charets, marcht the King pri&s;oner on hor&s;eback, but with|out a &s;word, invironed with a hundred for his guard, in mourning Ca&s;&s;ocks, and followed with fifteen hundred Pri&s;oners, chained four to four: Immediately after marched <HI>Philida&s;|pes</HI> alone, cloathed in mourning, and his hor&s;e furniture &s;utable, with the Ba&s;ton of a Ge|neral in his hand; The re&s;t of the Regiments followed, marching in the &s;ame order as the fir&s;t. As this Triumph came into the great Plain within twenty furlongs of <HI>Sinope,</HI> they of the fir&s;t Rank &s;aw a Litter, which cro&s;&s;ing the way about an hundred paces before them, did &s;tay as if it were to let the Souldiers pa&s;&s;e: yet they were no &s;ooner within compa&s;&s;e of looking into the Litter, but pre&s;ently making a &s;top, they began to run out of order, and cry out, It is <HI>Artamenes,</HI> it is <HI>Artamenes:</HI> This word pa&s;&s;ing from the fir&s;t Rank to the &s;econd, and from the &s;econd to the third, and &s;o thorowout all, the glorious name of <HI>Artamenes</HI> did in an in&s;tant fill the mouthes of friends and enemies; Captains and Souldi|ers, Conquerors and conquered: all &s;topt, and in a moment, all would advance to be bet|ter certified of the matter: <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> who was afraid it &s;hould be &s;ome &s;tratageme of the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> to put his Souldiers in di&s;order while&s;t he relieved the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> commanded every one to his place, and advanced to the place where the noi&s;e began. But oh Heavens, how was he &s;urprized, when looking into the Litter, he &s;aw that it was really <HI>Artamenes</HI> which was within it, who held his hand out to the Souldiers, and cheri&s;hed all them which came near him: This &s;ight did doubtle&s;&s;e a&s;toni&s;h <HI>Philida&s;|pes,</HI> and perhaps made him &s;ad: But as he was one of a great &s;oul, wit, and genero&s;ity, &s;o he partly hid it, without expre&s;&s;ing much joy, or much &s;orrow; he lighted from his hor&s;e, and came neer my Ma&s;ter. <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid he in coming to him, and pre&s;enting him his Generals Staff) could never ri&s;e in fitter time: he who died in the day of Victo|ry, revives again, in the day of Triumph: In the ca&s;e that I am in (replied <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;miling, and mo&s;t civilly &s;aluting him) I may more aptly be taken for a vanqui&s;hed, then a vanqui&s;her: And to tell you truly, I think that I am neither fit to follow a Chariot, nor to go before it. Chariots of triumph (an&s;wered <HI>Philida&s;pes)</HI> are not difficult to be con|ducted, for commonly fortune guides them; <HI>Artamenes</HI> had not lea&s;ure to an&s;wer this nice complement: for all the Officers, whether <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> who commanded them, would or no, did quit their places, and acknowledge him no more, but came to &s;alute their General <HI>Artamenes;</HI> All the Regiments not daring ab&s;olutely to quit their Ranks, becau&s;e of the Pri&s;oners which they guarded, yet they pre&s;&s;ed &s;o, that all the Souldiers might at lea&s;t &s;ee the Litter where he was. The King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> impatient to embrace his glorious Conque|rour, &s;ent one of them who was appointed for his guard to ask leave for him to come
<PB N="23" REF="95">
neer: The &s;ouldier coming neer, and pre&s;enting what the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> de&s;ired, my Ma&s;ter with an unparalelled mode&s;ty, making a &s;igne to him with his hand, It is <HI>Phili|da&s;pes</HI> (&s;aid he) and not <HI>Artamenes,</HI> which can grant him that leave, and of whom he mu&s;t ask it, &s;ince he received the la&s;t Orders from the King, and commands in Chief <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> being even confounded, and half angry at my Ma&s;ters &s;weet civility, &s;aid un|to him, That his power was nothing &s;ince he was pre&s;ent, and therefore the command was in him. I care not for commanding others (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> when I am not in a condition to do that my &s;elf which I bid others do: You mu&s;t at this time (an&s;wered <HI>Philida&s;pes)</HI> endure this inconveniencie, for I do not think there is any will take your Office out of your hand. Why you may better take it upon you then I (replied <HI>Arta|menes)</HI> Your Souldiers will not con&s;ent, replied <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> and I think they have good rea&s;on for it. In conclu&s;ion Sir, after this mode&s;t conte&s;t <HI>Artamenes</HI> took upon him that Command which belonged unto him, and turning towards the me&s;&s;enger from the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> My friend, &s;aid he to him, tell the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> that if I were able to goe, I would come where he is, and do him that reverence which is his due, and tell him that he may do what ever he plea&s;es. This generous Royal pri&s;oner came then with great joy to &s;alute the man who had captived him: I could not but grieve much (&s;aid he in co|ming to him) at your lo&s;&s;e; and I never had any thought of my liberty, untill that mi|nuit you were beleeved to be dead. Sir, (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter with much &s;weetne&s;&s;e) if I were not &s;o wounded, as I could not &s;u&s;tain my &s;elf, <HI>Artamenes</HI> would not receive the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> after &s;uch an uncivil manner; and doubtle&s;&s;e he would let him know, that he thinks his Victory very unfortunate, that he is not had in more Veneration. Never &s;peak of unfortunate (an&s;wered the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> my fetters are not ba&s;e &s;ince you did put them on; nor have I need of all my Victories to follow <HI>Artamenes</HI> as my Con|queror: Such as you, who de&s;erve to Conquer (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter) ought to be but little troubled at being conquered, and it is a greater argument of your valour, then mine, that you find &s;uch con&s;olation in your misfortune. The King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> drawing back a little, to give room unto tho&s;e who yet had not &s;aluted <HI>Artamenes,</HI> my Ma&s;ter had a de&s;ire to know whether or no the Victory was compleat: he asked of the King and the Prince&s;&s;e: he enquired particularly of mo&s;t part of all the Officers; and he had the goodne&s;&s;e to ask where <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> and where I was: He cheered up tho&s;e with his eyes unto whom he could not &s;peak; and a&s;&s;ured all the Souldiers &s;miling, that he de&s;ired not from them any part of the Plunder or Booty. Every one de&s;ired to know what had become of him: But he told them all, that this was not a fit place for it, and de&s;ired their patience. After this joyfull tumult was appea&s;ed, <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;ent to the King to acquaint him with his being alive, and that he was in the head of &s;ix thou&s;and men, who brought the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> unto him, to the end he might acquit him|&s;elf of his former promi&s;e, and to tell that hee waited for his Orders; Mean time, they marched gently, and came within &s;ixe furlongs of <HI>Sinope.</HI> I leave you to imagine Sir, what different thoughts came into my Ma&s;ters mind: Tis true that he &s;aw he returned to the Court in a mo&s;t glorious manner, having gained two Battles in one day, and brought a King a pri&s;oner with him: But yet he knew the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was his Rivall, and that did make him almo&s;t repent the taking him: The &s;ight of <HI>Phili|da&s;pes</HI> al&s;o did agitate in his mind, the remembrance of all their ancient differences, and &s;tir'd up no &s;mall turbulency in his &s;oul; but of all other inquietudes, the incertainty whether or no I had delivered the letter unto the prince&s;&s;e did mo&s;t grate in his mind: Sometimes, he de&s;ired it were: Somtimes he feared it was: Somtimes he was incertain which he &s;hould wi&s;h, and could not determine what to think: <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> for his part was not with out his turbulencies; he &s;aw the glorious re&s;urrection of his enemy: and looked upon him as more his Conqueror, then the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> did: and thought it concern, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> him as neer as the lo&s;&s;e of his libertie. This Prince, though indeed he was the mo&s;t unfortunate of all at this time, yet he did not think him&s;elf &s;o; for he knew not that <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> and <HI>Arta|menes,</HI> were his Rivalls: but on the contrary he was in hope that my Ma&s;ter would doe good offices to the King and Prince&s;&s;e; &s;o that he loved him with an extream tenderne&s;&s;e. Thus did the&s;e three Illu&s;trious lovers of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> re&s;ent the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: meane while, the me&s;&s;enger which my Ma&s;ter &s;ent before to carry newes of his happy re|&s;urrection, arived at <HI>Sinope:</HI> you may Imagine Sir how he was received: The King, re|&s;ented it more Joyfully then he could expre&s;&s;e, and made him which brought the happy ti|dings repeat it a hundred times over: The King &s;ent pre&s;ent to acquaint the Prince&s;&s;e, who
<PB N="24" REF="96">
te&s;tified an unimaginable &s;atisfaction: The whole Court was ravi&s;ht: All the people re|joyced: <HI>Aribeus</HI> him&s;elf was compeld to &s;eem &s;o becau&s;e he mu&s;t not be &s;ingular, and made &s;ome counterfet &s;ignes of gladne&s;&s;e as he did before of &s;orrow: The Prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> who had de&s;igned his departure deferred it, in hopes to &s;ee <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and went not untill the fifth day after his return. The King, de&s;irous to honour my Ma&s;ter, &s;ent him word that he would not have him come into the Towne in a Tumult, and without Ceremony; and appointed him to encamp his Troops neer the Ca&s;tle, about &s;ix furlongs from thence: and there he would have him lodg, a&s;&s;uring him, that he would come that night to embrace him: He was obeyed, and all things were as he commanded: The King then went and carried Chirurgions, and Phy&s;itians with him unto <HI>Artamenes:</HI> whom he chered up, the like was never &s;een: He received <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> al&s;o very well, but not comparable to my Ma&s;ter, who was con&s;trained to go into his bed: As for the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> he appointed unto him the be&s;t chamber in the Ca&s;tle: and as a little before <HI>Ciaxares</HI> came, this Prince &s;ent unto my Ma&s;ter, de&s;iring him to obtain from the King, that he might not enter in|to <HI>Sinope,</HI> among&s;t the re&s;t of the Pri&s;oners; So my Ma&s;ter, who thought he could never enough acknowledg the genero&s;ity of this illu&s;trious Pri&s;oner, was ever forward to render him any good office he could de&s;ire, Provided, it did not relate unto his love: For as <HI>Ci|axares</HI> told him it was not Ju&s;t that he &s;hould enter <HI>Sinope</HI> as if he were not conquered; <HI>Artamenes,</HI> did de&s;ire him as a recompence for all his &s;ervices, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> might come into the Town in the night, as well as him&s;elf. It will be &s;ufficient Sir, (&s;aid he) that the people &s;ee the plunder of the field, and the other pri&s;oners, without augmen|ting the misfortunes of this great Prince (unto whom I am obliged) by an unprofitable Pomp; and without making me a&s;hamed of tho&s;e honours which I de&s;erve not. The King could hardly re&s;olve what to doe, but in conclu&s;ion, he mu&s;t yeild unto him who was ever wont to Conquer. <HI>Artamenes,</HI> be&s;eeched <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> that he would be plea&s;ed to &s;ee the the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his pri&s;oner, which at the reque&s;t of my Ma&s;ter he did: The enterveiw of the&s;e two enemy Princes pa&s;&s;ed with all po&s;&s;ible Civility between them: meane while the King burned with an ardent impatience, to know where <HI>Artamenes</HI> had been: how he e&s;caped, and how he came &s;o opportunely to meet the Army, he no &s;ooner knew from the Chirurgions who had &s;earched his wounds whil&s;t he went to vi&s;it the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> that they were all ab&s;olutly without danger, but he pre&s;&s;ed him extraordinarily to relate it: <HI>Artamenes</HI> would have had a dayes di&s;pen&s;ation, but the Impatiency of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would not permit it: he exactly told them, all that which I am now going to tell you, and which I afterwards had from his own mouth: to let you know then what was becom of my Ma&s;ter, I mu&s;t returne to the place of Battle, and tell you, that when tho&s;e two Souldiers of which I &s;poke did &s;ee him pa&s;&s;e; it was true, as they believed, that he was wounded in the left &s;houlder, and yet he did not cea&s;e following the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> as far as the River <HI>San|gar.</HI> As this Prince in his retreat pa&s;&s;ed over a little wood bridge, which I already &s;poke of, the multitude of tho&s;e which followed, and which would pa&s;s all at a time over with him, cau&s;ed the bridge to break when he had halfe his men on the one &s;ide, and half on the other &s;ide of the river: But that which &s;eemed to do him an ill office, did him a good one, be|cau&s;e by this accident my Ma&s;ter was &s;tayed, and he could not continue his pur&s;uite: yet tho&s;e which were on this &s;ide the broken bridge, redoubling their valour out of de&s;pair to &s;ave them&s;elves, did ob&s;tinatly defend them&s;elves: on the other &s;ide, <HI>Artamenes,</HI> all in an|ger that this Prince had e&s;caped him, did a&s;&s;ault them with unimaginable violence, and &s;o there began a fre&s;h Combate: Tho&s;e which followed the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> on the other &s;ide the River, thinking them&s;elves &s;afe, endeavoured to help their own &s;ide by &s;hooting abundance of Arrowes, from the other &s;ide of the River, and wee could not return the like, becau&s;e <HI>Artamenes</HI> had then no Archers with him: In conclu&s;ion, almo&s;t all they which fought being dead, and day at an end. One of the Arrows from the other &s;ide, &s;hot the hor&s;e of <HI>Artamenes</HI> in the flank; the hor&s;e perceiving him&s;elf wounded began to run with all his &s;peed along the River &s;ide, and whether my Ma&s;ter would or no carried him from tho&s;e few of his men which remained; Afterward falling to Curvett upon a &s;ud|den, and Leaping by the water &s;ide, as if he would &s;wim the River, he fell dead down, in danger to Drown my Ma&s;ter, becau&s;e that &s;ince he had fought neer the bridge, he had received a wound in the thigh, &s;o that he had much a doe to di&s;ingage him&s;elf from under his hor&s;e, and get out of the water on to Land. Yet notwith&s;tanding all the blood which he had lo&s;t, and the heavine&s;&s;e of his Arms, he recovered him&s;elf. But as &s;oon as he had got out of this danger, he was pre&s;ently engaged in another; for he perceived
<PB N="25" REF="96">
he was much more wounded then he thought to bee, it being ab&s;olutly impo&s;&s;ible to hold him&s;elf up; be&s;ides the night came on, and he &s;aw not one about him: yet he heard a noi&s;e of men which fled and pa&s;&s;ed by not far of that place; but becau&s;e he knew not whether they were friends or enemies, he Paus'd a while to deliberate whether he &s;hould call them or no; but pre&s;ently, he heard no more of them, and there he lay, not knowing what to do or what would become of him, knowing well that he had not &s;trength enough to carry him to the Camp, though in the ob&s;curity of the night he &s;hould chance to &s;tumble upon the way: moreover it was &s;o dark that he could not &s;ee, nor had he &s;trength if he had had eyes to find his helmet, and Buckler which he had lo&s;t in fighting, though he &s;ought them as well as he could&punc; he &s;ate then down at the root of a Tree, re&s;olving to &s;tay there untill the next day: Certainly if any had &s;een him in that deplorable Condition, it would have been hard for them to beleeve, that he had gained two Battles in one day: Tooke a King a Pri&s;oner, and Cha&s;ed another. But after he had &s;ate a while in this cold man|ner, chance would have it, that a hor&s;e which was left without a ma&s;ter in the fight, wandring along the River &s;ide, pa&s;&s;ed by him; as &s;oon as the Animal by favour of the &s;tars e&s;pied him, he &s;tarted back with all &s;peed; but by good fortune his bridle which hung down did entangle his feet, and made him &s;tumble &s;o neer my Ma&s;ter, that he catching hold of the bridle, he &s;eized upon him and held him: The hor&s;e being none of the mo&s;t metled, &s;topt pre&s;ently: and <HI>Artamenes</HI> knowing him&s;elf weak with lo&s;&s;e of blood, and con&s;idering he was far from the Camp, with much ado got up, and re&s;olved to go unto any place, where he could di&s;cover any light, or hou&s;e, thinking it were bet|ter to ask help of an enemy, rather then peri&s;h at the foot of a Tree, where there was none to help him: he knew that there was one part of <HI>Bithyria</HI> which was not very af|fectionate unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who&s;e father had u&s;urped it from tho&s;e which were the legitimate owners. Indeed, becau&s;e he could do nothing el&s;e, he marched &s;traight to the place where he &s;aw light; As he came neer it, he &s;aw it had been a goodly fair Ca|&s;tle, built with Fortifications, and which now had no Towers nor Walls: <HI>Artamenes</HI> entered it without re&s;i&s;tance; but, the feet of his hor&s;e made &s;uch a noi&s;e in the ears of them that were within, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> heard a great number of women crie, as if two thou&s;and men were coming to take them: but my Ma&s;ter putting them out of fear, by the weakne&s;&s;e of his voice, he &s;aw appear a woman well on in years, and of a good de|portment upon the battlement, whom four other women lighted with torches: Mean while, <HI>Artamenes</HI> being lighted from his hor&s;e, though in great pain, he &s;aw this Lady look upon him with extraordinary ob&s;ervance, and after &s;he had thus well con&s;idered him, not giving him time to &s;peak, &s;he cried out upon a &s;udden; Ah my &s;on; ah <HI>Spitridates</HI> is it you? ah <HI>Spitridates,</HI> is it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould &s;ee you here? At the&s;e words, although there were men in the hou&s;e, &s;he ran to help <HI>Artamenes,</HI> tho&s;e which took him by the arms &s;u&s;tained him; all the women came near to look upon him, and this Lady which &s;poke unto him, de&s;iring to imbrace my Ma&s;ter, he fell into a &s;ound, and remained as dead in her arms, which troubled her much. In a belief he was her &s;on, &s;he commanded they &s;hould carry him to a chamber, to di&s;arm him and get him to bed; for &s;ince he was all bloody, &s;he knew he was wounded: By good fortune there was a young Chirurgion, which after the rout of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> Army came thither: Mean while, though <HI>Artamenes</HI> had not &s;trength enough to an&s;wer that Lady, which called him <HI>Spitridates,</HI> yet he did remember it, at his coming again to him&s;elf; but he was much a&s;toni&s;hed, when opening his eyes, he found he was in a fair chamber, in a &s;tately bed, and many Ladies about him, among&s;t which there was one who was admirably fair; he al&s;o &s;aw her which called him <HI>Spitrida|tes,</HI> but he &s;aw all tears for his wounds, and for the Arms &s;he &s;aw him have: My Ma|&s;ter notwith&s;tanding his weakne&s;&s;e, had no &s;ooner recovered his &s;ight, and his rea&s;on, but he &s;aluted the Ladies with much reverence: He intended to pre&s;ent a complement and ex|cu&s;e his &s;urprize, but this aged Lady prevented him, and &s;aid unto him &s;ighing; Alas, is it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould &s;ee you again? and that the Gods among&s;t all my bitter misfortunes &s;hould afford me this good one? to find you after I have &s;o long lamented and bewailed your ab&s;ence? but alas, I find you wounded, and in Arms for our Enemies, in which, perhaps you have killed your father, or your brother, or both, for we hear no news of them, and they were in the Battle, as it &s;eems by your wounds you were al&s;o: Ah <HI>Spitri|dates,</HI> what cau&s;e has the King given you, that after five years travels you &s;hould return in Arms again&s;t him and your Countrey? My Ma&s;ter hearing this Lady &s;peak thus was much &s;urprized, and though he could not without trouble to him&s;elf, yet he would needs un|deceive
<PB N="26" REF="97">
her: If I were he whom you think me to be (an&s;wered he unto her) I &s;hould not di&s;own my &s;elf, but &s;ince I am not, I ought not to let you go on in your errour, though perhaps it might have been advantageous unto me. What, &s;aid the Lady, are you not my &s;on? No Madam, an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter, I am &s;o far from being your &s;on, that you have relieved an enemy, but &s;uch an enemy, as hath done nothing which might in rea&s;on incite you particularly again&s;t him, &s;ince his de&s;igne aims no other, then faithfully to &s;erve that King in who&s;e &s;ervice he is engaged. I &s;ee my &s;on (&s;aid &s;he interrupting <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">m) that you are a&s;hamed of what you have done, and will not confe&s;&s;e who you are, &s;ince we hear no news of tho&s;e two are &s;o nearly related unto you, and who perhaps you have fought withall, and knew not; nor will I (&s;aid &s;he leaving him) di&s;turb you in that condition you are in. After this, the Lady went out of the Chamber, and left my Ma|&s;ter in much wonder, &s;eeing they would needs take him for one, whom he was not: He pa&s;&s;ed over that night very quietly, for though he had lo&s;t much blood, yet no fever &s;eized on him; and his wearine&s;&s;e cau&s;ing him to &s;leep, he was as well the next morning, as one who had two &s;uch great wounds could po&s;&s;ibly be hoped for. This Lady, failed not to vi&s;it him in the morning, and renewed her complaints: &s;he then &s;aw there was &s;ome dif|ference between <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Spitridates,</HI> but no more then &s;he thought five years might alter, it being &s;o long &s;ince &s;he &s;aw him: My &s;on, &s;aid &s;he to a woman who was there, was not &s;o big when he left us; he had not the &s;ame Symmetry of face, &s;o high and &s;o noble; but he was then young, and five years might make a great change in a man of his years: yet <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who would by no means lie unto her, &s;poke &s;uch things unto her, as &s;he doubted of it: he be&s;eeched her that he might &s;end a letter unto the Lieutenant General of the <HI>Cappadocean</HI> Army, but &s;he would not confent unto it: No, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I can|not be yet re&s;olved of my doubts: My eyes tell me you are my &s;on, but your words a&s;&s;ure me you are my enemy, and which of them &s;oever you be, peradventure you have killed my husband: at the&s;e words, tears flowing in her eyes; If ye be my &s;on (&s;aid &s;he to him) I ought to pardon you, and though you &s;hould be an enemy unto the King under who&s;e government we are at pre&s;ent, yet I ought to be compa&s;&s;ionate, and pity you, &s;ince you are &s;o unfortunate and generous as not to delude me; and for the&s;e rea&s;ons I will a&s;&s;i&s;t you. I know, my &s;on, that &s;ince you have for&s;aken the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> I mu&s;t hide you, as one that is delinquent: But, my &s;on, &s;aid &s;he, I am your mother, and moreover we are a&s;&s;ured the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> is taken pri&s;oner, and you know the Prince&s;&s;e his &s;i&s;ter will not entertain you in his ab&s;ence; and we do every day receive a hundred &s;ecret a&s;&s;i&s;tances, in con&s;ideration of you; &s;peak therefore, I conjure you, and tell me exactly the truth; Tell me whether you be <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and what is your true name, and Countrey: My Ma&s;ter now found him&s;elf in a labyrinth: there was no colour of rea&s;on to tell he was <HI>Artamenes,</HI> for that would be to put &s;uch a man as he, perhaps into the hands of his enemies; he be|&s;eeched her therefore for the pre&s;ent, to beleeve that he was not <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and not to pre&s;&s;e him any further to tell his name; he a&s;&s;ured her, that the King whom he &s;erved would not be plea&s;ed with it, and that for diver&s;e other rea&s;ons, he could not do it. This di&s;cour&s;e was long and tedious, and cau&s;ed my Ma&s;ters wounds to bleed afre&s;h; a fever &s;ei&s;ed upon him, and he was eight dayes very ill: During which time, nothing was &s;poke of but curing him, and during all which time, he was marvellous well treated by this Lady, though eve|ry day, &s;he &s;ometimes thought him an enemy, and &s;ometimes her &s;on, but hearing at la&s;t, that her husband, and her other &s;on were e&s;caped the Battle and fled with the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> her &s;oul was more tranquile, and more capable of rea&s;on: The next morning when &s;he under&s;tood my Ma&s;ter was rea&s;onable well, &s;he would try another way, to di&s;|cover whether he was her &s;on: She imployed that fair Lady her daughter, whom my Ma&s;ter did principally ob&s;erve at his fir&s;t coming; and &s;he came unto him, with two other women, and thus put him to a new triall: Brother (&s;aid &s;he to him) Madam (an&s;wered he interrupting her) I &s;hould be infinitely honour'd in the name, but &s;ince I am not <HI>Spi|tridates,</HI> I mu&s;t needs undeceive you, and content my &s;elf with the title of your mo&s;t hum|ble &s;ervant. What&s;oever you are, replied this fair Lady, you de&s;erve more then that phra&s;e, &s;ince, con&s;idering the &s;tate we are in, there is none more unfortunate then we: yet to clear my doubts, both mine, and others in the hou&s;e, I de&s;ire you to take &s;o much pains, as to open this Box, where perhaps, you may find &s;omething which will plea&s;e you; in &s;aying &s;o, &s;he pre&s;ented a Box, in which was a very rare Picture, and looked upon him with extream attention: <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who knew not why &s;he would have him open this Box, obeyed her, and was indeed well plea&s;ed with the picture of a Lady admirably fair: but
<PB N="27" REF="97">
&s;ince he knew not who it repre&s;ented, and having in his heart another picture which dark|ned the beauty of this, there appeared no extraordinary &s;urprize in his eyes; he looked upon it as a fair thing indeed, but it moved him neither unto a great joy, nor any inquie|tude: This fair Lady ob&s;erving the calmne&s;&s;e with which he looked upon this picture; Ha generous &s;tranger (&s;aid &s;he) I am now certain that you are not <HI>Spitridates,</HI> for he was never able to look upon this picture with &s;o much coldne&s;&s;e; after the&s;e words &s;he left my ma&s;ter, and went unto her mother: you need no longer doubt (&s;aid &s;he to her) but this man is not <HI>Spitridates;</HI> for he beheld this picture without any joy or turbulency at all: he grew neither pale, nor red at it; his &s;oul was quiet; his eyes ap|peared neither plea&s;ant nor &s;ad, and therefore it is impo&s;&s;ible he &s;hould be <HI>Spitridates:</HI> no Madam (&s;aid &s;he to her) he is not my brother, &s;ince he is not a lover of the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pontus;</HI> I mu&s;t conclude he is not in Love, &s;ince he can look upon this picture with &s;o much indiffe|rency; he I &s;ay, who never heard her named without a blu&s;h; nor ever &s;aw her without a&s;toni&s;hment: Thus &s;poke this young fair Lady, and it was her words which did indeed mo&s;t undeceive the old one. My Ma&s;ter came to know all this which I intend to tell you, from a woman which looked unto him, and who being de&s;irous to oblige him, told him all &s;he knew. So Sir, this Lady being now fully per&s;waded, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was not <HI>Spi|tridates,</HI> did yet re&s;olve to treat him very well; and his merit having already gained &s;o powerful an influence upon her heart, &s;he came to him the next morning, and found him in a good &s;tate: Generous &s;tranger (&s;aid &s;he to him) &s;ince you have no mind to be <HI>Spi|tridates,</HI> be therefore what you plea&s;e; and let me lo&s;e a &s;on whom I thought I had found: I be&s;eech you, let not the re&s;emblance he has unto you offend you, for of what condition &s;oever you are, his name cannot be very di&s;honourable unto you, &s;ince his Ance&s;tors in lo&s;ing the Crown of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> have not lo&s;t their noblene&s;&s;e of bloud. Madam, &s;aid <HI>Arta|menes</HI> then unto her, I mo&s;t humbly de&s;ire your pardon, if I have not rendred unto you that reverence which is your due, and my duty: Excu&s;e not your &s;elf (&s;aid &s;he) in what you have not failed, &s;ince (added this Lady &s;ighing) Prince&s;&s;es which live under the Do|minion of an U&s;urper, mu&s;t not exact that, which perhaps their condition might another time require: Although, &s;aid &s;he, you be not my &s;on, yet you do much re&s;emble him, and for that rea&s;on, I am obliged to render you your liberty. If you be my &s;on, you are in no &s;ecurity within this hou&s;e; and if you be not my &s;on, yet you can have no more a&s;&s;urance of &s;afety; therefore it were better that you depart, and I will cau&s;e you to be con|ducted unto what place you plea&s;e. My ma&s;ter was ravi&s;hed with joy, at the genero&s;ity of this Lady; he thanked her, and prote&s;ted that he would &s;erve her all the dayes of his life; and perhaps more effectually then &s;he believed: To which end, he de&s;ired her to lend him a Litter which might carry him to the Camp of <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> My ma&s;ter was yet far from being well; but love adding new &s;trength unto him, he would depart the next morning; and go thither where he might hear <HI>Mandana</HI> talked on: He was waited upon with the young Chirurgion who dre&s;&s;ed him; and two others who had orders, that if they met any of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> party, or the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> to &s;ay that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was a Cou&s;in unto their Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, whom they carried unto her, and who had been wounded in the la&s;t battle. My ma&s;ter at departure, did receive a hundred civilities from all the&s;e illu&s;trious per&s;ons, which he rendred back unto them afterwards with intere&s;t, promi&s;ing them that ere long they &s;hould hear from him. As they went the way towards the Camp, he met &s;ome &s;tragling &s;ouldiers, of whom he enquired where the Army was; who an&s;wer|ed that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> the day before, went from the Camp to conduct the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> un|to <HI>Sinope;</HI> So that changing their road, they went to meet <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> which they doubted not but to do, &s;ince Coaches and pri&s;oners marched &s;lower then the Litter did: and he did meet them in the plain, as you have been already informed. See Sir, what my Ma&s;ters adventure was, when they thought him dead. Since the pa&s;&s;age was &s;omething extraordi|nary; <HI>Artamenes</HI> had &s;o much curio&s;ity as to ask the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> whether there was a Prince called <HI>Spitridates,</HI> which re&s;embled him? The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> told him, that he had thought him&s;elf deceived &s;everal times, for that it was not po&s;&s;ible any two &s;hould be more like one another then <HI>Spitridates</HI> and he, both &s;ymmetry of face, compo&s;ure of parts, and &s;tature. But to return unto my di&s;cour&s;e where I left: After <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had heard from my ma&s;ters own mouth, all his adventure; he admired his good fortune, and ex|treamly rejoyced at it; and after a long di&s;cour&s;e, he left him and returned to <HI>Sinope.</HI> Yet notwith&s;tanding, it was re&s;olved that the next morning, all the plunder, and all the pri&s;oners &s;hould enter the Town; and that at night, the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and <HI>Artamenes</HI>
<PB N="20" REF="98">
&s;hould be conducted thither. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was no &s;ooner departed, but my Ma&s;ter &s;ent to tell the Pri&s;oner King, he had obtained his de&s;ire, which cau&s;ed him to rejoyce very much: afterwards <HI>Artamenes</HI> thought of &s;ending back the Litter which was lent him; and in &s;ending it, he made choyce of the Riche&s;t and faire&s;t of all his Jewels, and pre&s;ented it unto that fair young Lady which &s;hewed him the picture, de&s;iring her, &s;he would honour him &s;o much as to receive that poor te&s;timony of his acknowledgment; not daring to &s;peak of any kind of gratuity unto the Prince&s;&s;e her mother, con&s;idering her high Genero|&s;ity: he did mo&s;t noblie recompence the Chirurgion which dre&s;&s;ed him, and all tho&s;e of the hou&s;e which had been &s;erviceable unto him: who were all extreamly well &s;ati&s;fied, as well with the richne&s;&s;e of his pre&s;ents, as with the knowledg of the manner how <HI>Artamenes</HI> was treated both by the King and all the Court: They imagined their Mi&s;tris did not know the true quality of her pri&s;oner. After that my Ma&s;ter had given out all nece&s;&s;ary orders, and night being come, he was all alone, and at Liberty to entertaine his pa&s;&s;ion: I &s;ee my &s;elf, (&s;aid he unto him&s;elf) e&s;caped from abundance of dangers, &amp; few there are which doe not admire my good fortune: But for all this good fortune, which perhaps in|cites others to envie me, I cannot chu&s;e but e&s;teem my &s;elf the mo&s;t unhappy man upon earth; &amp; doubtle&s;s &s;hall ever be &s;o vntill I &s;hall obtain &s;ome te&s;timony of my Prince&s;s affection: or at lea&s;t that &s;he does favourably accept of mine: alas (&s;aid he further) if <HI>Feraulas</HI> have pre|&s;ented that letter which I commanded him, perhaps &s;he has read it with di&s;dain, &amp; was &s;o far from having any compa&s;&s;ion, that &s;he was angry: Perhaps al&s;o (added he) &s;he has pardo|ned me, and pitty did &s;o tender her heart, that &s;he received my declaration without hate: But admit &s;he did &s;o (&s;aid he) and pardoned me when &s;he thought me Dead, who knowes whether &s;he will doe &s;o now I am Living? Perhaps <HI>Feraulas</HI> has not yet delivered it, and then I &s;hall continue &s;til innocent in her thoughts, as I was at parting: But then al&s;o (&s;aid this Prince) I &s;hall be unhappy that way: for if &s;he doe not know I love her: how dare I ever tell it? what would I have? (&s;aid he yet) and what can I de&s;ire? I fear that &s;he &s;hould know of my love, and yet I de&s;ire &s;he did. I doe entertaine both feares, and hopes: I de&s;ire to &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> and am &s;o neer either my &s;upream felicity or my &s;upream misfor|tune, that my &s;oul mu&s;t needs tremble: and the uncertainty of my good or my bad de&s;tiny, that it di&s;turbs my rea&s;on. In &s;uch thoughts as the&s;e <HI>Artamenes</HI> pa&s;t away a great part of the night: yet &s;leep &s;eizing upon his eyes again&s;t his will, he was the next morning in a ve|ry good condition: and the Kings Chiurgions a&s;&s;ured him, that with in a few dayes he would not only be able to quit his bed, but his chamber al&s;o, and be perfectly recovered. He received vi&s;its from the Court all the day long: and &s;ent to pre&s;ent a complement unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> who received it with much civility, and returned him the like againe; but it was after &s;uch a manner, that though my Ma&s;ter did oftentimes repeat word for word all that &s;he &s;aid vnto him, and contemplated upon it, yet he could not pick any thing out of it, which might either fortify his hopes and encrea&s;e his fears. The morning was imployed in entering into <HI>Sinope</HI> with all the Booty and Plunder, and Pri&s;oners, conducted by <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> after all the mourning was taken of; And the Prince&s;&s;e out of a window in the Ca&s;tle, beheld them all with a mind as turbulent as my Ma&s;ters. Night being Come; the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was conducted by guards unto the Town, and put into a place of &s;afty: but in pa&s;&s;ing under the window of the Prince&s;&s;e, he both &s;aw her and was &s;een, by Candle light: This moved pitty in <HI>Mandana,</HI> and &s;hame in the Pri&s;oner: <HI>Artamenes</HI> followed the King of <HI>Pontus.</HI> The inhabitants of <HI>Sinope</HI> knowing that he was to enter the Town in the night, did light Candles in all the &s;treets, hanging Lamps at every window: &s;o that by the &s;houts of joy, and multitudes of Lights, this night Entry was very Triumphant, and magnificent: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was accompanied by all the Grandees of the Court, who con|ducted him to the King: my Ma&s;ter was in one thing le&s;&s;e happy then the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> for he &s;aw not the Prince&s;&s;e in pa&s;&s;ing under her window, becau&s;e &s;he was gone to bed immediatly and faigned to be ill. <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who from the fir&s;t minute that her mi&s;tris heard <HI>Artamenes</HI> was alive, had ob&s;erved much joy in her eyes, was now much ama&s;ed to ob&s;erve the di&s;turbances in her &s;oul: therefore &s;eeing none with her, and that &s;he might &s;peak freely: Madam, (&s;aid &s;he to her) &s;hall I ask whether it be barely &s;ome indi&s;po&s;ition in you, which moves you to go to bed; or is there &s;ome misfortune hapned unto you which I am ignorant of, and which di&s;turbs that &s;atisfaction which you might take from one of the happie&s;t dayes in all your life? For indeed Madam you &s;ee the wars are ended mo&s;t gloriou&s;ly: you &s;ee that King which you would not marry, in pri&s;on, and you &s;ee that Prince, whom you thought dead, and &s;o much lamented, to be living. I confe&s;&s;e, my
<PB N="21" REF="98">
Dear <HI>Maxte&s;ia</HI> (an&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e) that I am very happy in many things but not in all; and I am &s;o &s;en&s;ible of my misfortune, that I take no joy in all tho&s;e apparent felici|ties, which tho&s;e who know not the bottom of my heart, do think I doe; Madam (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> what can it be that &s;hould trouble you? The King loves you; all <HI>Cappadocia</HI> Adores you: A Halcion Peace invites you unto all the delights of the Court: and as the Kings Phy&s;itians &s;ay, <HI>Artamenes</HI> wil be quickly recovered. <HI>Artamenes</HI> (replied the Prince&s;s &s;ighing) will perhaps be but too &s;oone recovered; and though I wi&s;h him all manner of good Fortune, yet I would he were in &s;uch a condition, as not to leave his chamber untill I were fully re&s;olved how I &s;hould live with him: How Madam (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> in a wonder, &amp; interrupting her) <HI>Artamenes</HI> whom you wept for &s;o bitterly, doe you &s;ay, per|haps he &s;hall be too &s;oon recovered? Ah Madam, certainly I did not rightly under&s;tand you: or els you did ill explain your &s;elf: No, no, <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> (replied &s;he) The Cro&s;&s;ne&s;s of my de&s;tiny is &s;uch, as that I de&s;ire not to &s;ee <HI>Artamenes</HI> as much as I did de&s;ire his Life: For know (&s;aid &s;he in changing colour) that I doe love honour and glory, above all other things; but I doe not hate <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;o much as to be deprived of his conver&s;ation with|out repugnancy: yet you may well think <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> that after he has let me know that he loves me, I ought not to give him that liberty which heretofore he had, and that I live with him, with more re&s;traint, then I did in tho&s;e times when I had not that tenderne&s;s for him, which I &s;en&s;ibly finde to be in my heart, in &s;pite of all my vertue. For indeed <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;ince I may di&s;cover the bottom of my &s;oul unto you) Let me tell you, that if <HI>Artamenes</HI> had been &s;o bold as to &s;peak unto me of any love, I had then treated him but ill. I &s;hould then have excluded him from my company, and perhaps I had le&s;&s;e e&s;teemed him, becau&s;e then I &s;hould have &s;u&s;pected he had not a true e&s;teem of me; But this way which he takes to let me know his love, (Compa&s;&s;ion having &s;oftned my heart) I have under&s;tood it without anger; and I have believed it without any difficulty: and &s;ince I &s;aw he could have no dangerous de&s;igne in his affection, I did not oppo&s;e and &s;tifle it in the beginning: but I called into my memory all his Services: and I re|peated in my mind all his Services, his virtues, and all his rare Qualities a hundred and a hundred times over: all the&s;e have told me that he loved me in a mo&s;t re&s;pectfull man|ner: I have given more Credit unto it then if he had told it: and I have more ac|knowledged it, then ever he could hope for: indeed <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> his death, gave life unto my friend&s;hip (not to give it any other phra&s;e) which is an affection unto him mo&s;t pure and innocent: Judg then, if, after I have given up my &s;oul unto &s;uch a harmle&s;&s;e pa&s;&s;ion, it will be ea&s;ie for me to re&s;i&s;t, and overcom it. (But Madam, &s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to her) is <HI>Artamenes</HI> more in fault now he is living then he was in his grave? No? An&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e, but he is more to be feared: Not that I intend ab&s;olutly to withdraw my affecti|on from him; All that I can doe, will be to re&s;train my &s;elf from giving him any &s;ignes of it: But Madam (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> why will you puni&s;h him, who is not in any fault? and why will you torment your &s;elf in making him unhappy? Stay Madam untill he give you &s;ome cau&s;e to complaine: and if he &s;peak any thing unto you which &s;hall di&s;plea&s;e you, then it will be time enough to deprive your &s;elf of his &s;ight. But <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e interrupting her) how do you think I can look upon him without extream &s;hame? and how can I bani&s;h out of my &s;oul, that affection which I entertained when I thought him dead? For my part Madam (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> I doe confe&s;s unto you, that I cannot conceive what rea&s;on you can have to love <HI>Artamenes</HI> when he is dead, and hate him when he is alive. Ah <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (cried <HI>Mandana)</HI> how far are my thoughts from any hate? And how happy would <HI>Artamenes</HI> be if I Lov'd him a little le&s;&s;e then I did: for indeed, if I did not di&s;tru&s;t my own heart I &s;hould live with him as I did before: I would &s;tay, as you bid me, untill he gave me iu&s;t cau&s;e of complaint: and re&s;t in quietne&s;&s;e. But Madam (re|plied <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> I &s;ee no cau&s;e why he &s;hould &s;o di&s;quiet you, for as he did write un|to you, and as <HI>Feraulas</HI> told you, he is a Prince: neither do I &s;ee any cau&s;e why he &s;hould be &s;o offen&s;ive unto you, in comming to tell you him&s;elf, what before he did write unto you: Ah my dear <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) that which you tell me for my con&s;o|lation, is that which mo&s;t torments me: for if <HI>Artamenes</HI> were not of that quality he &s;aith he is, his boldne&s;&s;e &s;hould not have offended me, and dead as he was, I &s;hould only have pitied his folly and misfortune: But now I find nothing which can offend me or an|ger me: upon the whole matter I mu&s;t not chu&s;e my &s;elf a husband: moreover, that Fatall cu&s;tome, which the A&s;&s;yrians when they were lords of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> did leave upon it, will not permit me any pretence or colour to Iu&s;tifie the affection of <HI>Artamenes</HI> unto me,
<PB N="30" REF="99">
and much le&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana's</HI> unto him: So that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> he mu&s;t overcome him&s;elf; he mu&s;t u&s;e all extream violences to do it; he mu&s;t render <HI>Artamenes</HI> unhappy, and me unfortu|nate: Me thinks (&s;aid &s;he) that I &s;ee him &s;earching in my eyes for the manner of my re|ceiving his Letter: But alas, what do I &s;ay? will not <HI>Feraulas</HI> tell him, that he di&s;cove|red no &s;ignes of anger in my minde? but that he &s;aw me weep, and blu&s;h, and indeed tell him that he is &s;ure I love him? and perhaps that I loved him, before he had made me know he loved me? Ah <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) this misfortune is befalne me, and it is in vain to hide my thoughts from <HI>Artamenes:</HI> he knows it (&s;aid &s;he) he knows it; and perhaps, does imagine it otherwi&s;e then it is, which cau&s;eth him to conceive &s;ome criminal hopes, and to prepare him&s;elf for offending me: Alas (&s;aid &s;he) who&s;e misfortune ever equal'd mine? I mu&s;t pa&s;&s;e away all my dayes in an unparalelled retiredne&s;&s;e: I mu&s;t deprive my &s;elf of all innocent delights, le&s;t they &s;hould render me &s;u&s;pected: I mu&s;t forbid en|trance into my &s;oul any thing that tran&s;cends not &s;evere&s;t vertue. I mu&s;t give re&s;i&s;tance unto the Merits, the &s;ervices and all the great Qualities of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and my heart mu&s;t not give it &s;elf up unto him, but at his Grave; yet perhaps, at this very hour, when I am &s;peaking of him, <HI>Artamenes</HI> repents that he &s;poke unto me &s;o &s;oon: and perhaps he thinks that he had been better entertained if he had &s;poke unto me the fir&s;t minuit he &s;aw me; and thinks this rigid vertue whereof I make &s;uch &s;trickt profe&s;&s;ion is but an artificiall Cloak. But what &s;hall I do? (&s;aid &s;he) Certainly I do accu&s;e him unju&s;tly, and he is innocent doubtle&s;&s;e: No, no <HI>Artamenes</HI> will interpret my tears in another &s;ence: he will think that compa&s;&s;ion onely cau&s;ed me to drop them: he knowes that I do ow unto him the life of the King my father; and for that rea&s;on onely I owe unto him my &s;ighes and my tears; Let me be therefore more at re&s;t in my &s;elf, (&s;aid &s;he) let me be &s;atisfied with mine own innocencie; let me onely take away from <HI>Artamenes</HI> all occa&s;ions of &s;peaking with him in private; let me hide from him that tenderne&s;&s;e towards him, which I have entertained in my heart, if I cannot overcome my &s;elf; and let befall what will, let me re&s;olve rather to die, then to do, &s;ay, or think any thing which is not ju&s;t and vertuous, and which does not give full &s;atisfaction unto that love which I have unto Glory. Thus did the glorious <HI>Mandana</HI> entertain her &s;elf with <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> while&s;t my Ma&s;ter who knew not whether &s;he had received his Letter or no, was more perplexed. <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> all this while almo&s;t never appeared: he &s;aw the Prince&s;&s;e at his entrance into <HI>Sinope,</HI> but that was all, and while&s;t he went to give orders for tho&s;e new Levies which he thought to com|mand, and which were mu&s;tered neer a Ca&s;tle, about &s;ixty furlongs from <HI>Sinope,</HI> whereof he was Governour. The Prince&s;&s;e had more liberty to ruminate upon her re&s;olutions: Mean while, my Ma&s;ters hurts healed fa&s;ter then the Chirurgions could hope for. He was in few dayes not onely able to quit his bed, but his chamber al&s;o, and in a condition to go and pre&s;ent him&s;elf unto the King and <HI>Mandana:</HI> He wi&s;hed heartily that I were with him, that he might know what I had done; yet he thought it would be a long time before I came, for though he had &s;ent orders unto me to come unto him, yet it was &s;o far off from <HI>Sinope,</HI> where we were encamped, that without extraordinary ha&s;t I could not come &s;o &s;oon: So that being pre&s;&s;ed on by his pa&s;&s;ion, and in extream impatience to &s;ee the Prince&s;&s;e, after he had been with the King, he pre&s;ented him&s;elf unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> and went with &s;uch agitation of &s;pirit, as the like was never &s;een until now; he was wont to approach with an ordinary reverent fear: But now, he re&s;ented all manner of fears that was po&s;&s;ible to be imagined: The Prince&s;&s;e for her part, knowing that <HI>Arta|menes</HI> would come unto her chamber, did often change colours, and &s;ometimes would be angry, that &s;he was not ab&s;olute mi&s;tre&s;&s;e of her own heart: As &s;he &s;at upon her bed, it was more ea&s;ie for her to hide the di&s;orders of her minde from <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who as ill luck to him would have it, did finde much company with the Prince&s;&s;e. He &s;aluted her with all befitting reverence, and &s;he received him with all the civility that a Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Cap|padocia</HI> could pay unto a man who had obtained for her &s;o many glorious Victories, and brought her a King a pri&s;oner; yet notwith&s;tanding, my Ma&s;ter ob&s;erved, that her civi|lities were expre&s;&s;ed with &s;o much re&s;ervedne&s;&s;e, as that he &s;ometimes beleeved &s;he had &s;een what he had written: Doubtle&s;&s;e &s;he knows (&s;aid he in him&s;elf) what I de&s;ire &s;he &s;hould, and which I fear &s;he does not: Pre&s;ently after, when the Prince&s;&s;e had given him &s;ome obliging language or other; I am deceived (&s;aid he) &s;he knows it not, and I dare not tell her of it: The Prince&s;&s;e on the other &s;ide, &s;he was very much perplexed; &s;he con|demned all her thoughts; &s;he repented of all &s;he &s;aid, when &s;he commended <HI>Artamenes;</HI> &s;he thought he did interpret all her commendations to his prejudice: and then &s;he would
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be all &s;ilence, or an&s;wer coldly; yet &s;he feared to di&s;oblige him, and again&s;t her own in|clination did repair that coldne&s;&s;e with &s;ome &s;light civility. This vi&s;it did &s;o pa&s;&s;e, and <HI>Mandana</HI> carried it &s;o hand&s;omely, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> could not di&s;cover her true re&s;ent|ments, and he retired with more love, and more inquietude then before. At his return, there came unto him an old Captain of hor&s;e, who de&s;iring to &s;peak in private with him, and told him, that about three or four hours &s;ince, he met with a man on hor&s;eback co|ming to the Town as he was. He demanding whither he went, the man did an&s;wer him very &s;urlily; afterwards falling into di&s;cour&s;e of diver&s;e matters, they quarrelled and fought; that there were certain men came in, and parted them: But during this Combat the man dropt a Letter, which I took up after he was gone, in which there might perhaps be &s;omething worth his notice. <HI>Artamenes</HI> thanked the Captain, and taking the Letter, it contained the&s;e words:</P>
<LETTER>
<P>DO not fail in any thing which you have promi&s;ed; and be a&s;&s;ured, that for my part, I will not neglect to do what I ought: make &s;ure of the Guards, which have engaged their faith unto you, as I will of the Souldiers which I &s;hall bring unto you: Prepare men which &s;hall ob&s;erve re&s;pect unto that Per&s;on who mo&s;t of all the world de&s;erves it, and promi&s;e them &s;uch recompen&s;es, as are worthy of their &s;ervices. Moreover, though you have told me, and though I have promi&s;ed you, that my pa&s;&s;ion cannot endure it &s;hould be you onely that &s;hould work out all my good fortune, &s;o &s;tay for me, before you begin to execute your de|&s;igne: for peradventure it may &s;o fall out, that when the Prince&s;&s;e &s;hall &s;ee the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> at her feet, &s;he will forgive his violencies, or at lea&s;t excu&s;e them: And as &s;he is equally ignorant that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> is in love with her, and that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> is &s;onne to the Queen <HI>Nitocris.</HI> So it is fit it &s;hould be I which &s;hould acquaint her with both, as &s;oon as we have carried her away, to the end that we may le&s;&s;en her di&s;plea&s;ure, by acquainting her with my condition and quality. He which brings this Letter is faithfull: Tru&s;t him freely with your an&s;wer; and make ha&s;te, if you will oblige the mo&s;t amorous Prince upon the earth and the mo&s;t thankfull.</P>
</LETTER>
<P>After <HI>Artamenes</HI> had read this Letter, he was extreamly &s;urprized: he commended the fidelity of the Captain; promi&s;ed him recompence, and that he would make it known unto the King: and after he had cau&s;ed him to &s;tay a while, he gave him a very good hor&s;e, and a fair &s;uit of Arms; then he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed him, appointing him not to be out of the way, in ca&s;e he &s;hould have any need of him: After this Officer was departed, <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> did read over the Letter again: Oh heavens, &s;aid he, <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> is the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> is in love with <HI>Mandana;</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> would carry her away: I know his hand, and I know by it, that he is not more happy then my &s;elf, the Prince&s;&s;e is yet ignorant both of his Quality and his Love: Let me gather &s;ome benefit out of this ignorance; let me be faithfull unto my enemy, and not di&s;cover him, le&s;t in the di&s;co|very I &s;hould prejudice my &s;elf; his con&s;piracie mu&s;t be defeated &s;ome other way: I mu&s;t Put the Prince&s;&s;e into &s;afety by taking away his life. He pre&s;ently &s;ent to know where <HI>Phi|lida&s;pes</HI> was: But notwith&s;tanding all his care and diligence it was not po&s;&s;ible for him to finde him out. Some &s;aid he was in that Ca&s;tle of which he had the Command; others a&s;&s;ured, he was not; &s;ome &s;aid, he was rid out of Town for five dayes; and mo&s;t &s;aid, they knew not where he was. Mean time, as <HI>Artamenes</HI> did not know the time when this con|&s;piracy &s;hould be acted, he found the matter required quickne&s;&s;e; yet it was a long while before he could re&s;olve to acquaint <HI>Mandana</HI> that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was one day to be the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> He remembred that when he came to <HI>Babylon,</HI> this Prince was departed thence two dayes before; and he al&s;o remembred that he &s;aw him in the Temple of <HI>Mars,</HI> the fir&s;t day he came to <HI>Sinope:</HI> What &s;hall I do (&s;aid he) again&s;t this dangerous Rivall? &s;hall I acquaint the King with this plot, without imparting it to the Prince&s;&s;e? Or &s;hall I go to the Prince&s;&s;e before the King? Since the matter relates directly unto her, perhaps &s;he will be offended if I do not make my fir&s;t addre&s;&s;es unto her. Go then, <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and di&s;cover the whole truth unto her, and di&s;gui&s;e it not at all. But what do I &s;ay? am I certain that I can be as good as my word? No, no, it is impo&s;&s;ible? Can I tell my Prin|ce&s;&s;e, that my Rival loves her? and that he is one of the greate&s;t Princes of the world? and that he wants nothing to compleat his good fortune, but the con&s;ent of the fair <HI>Man|dana?</HI> I that dare not &s;peak for my &s;elf, mu&s;t I &s;peak for my Rival and my enemy? Mu&s;t I &s;tifle my own &s;ighes, and conceal my own tears, and go to acquaint my Prince&s;&s;e with
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the raptures and pa&s;&s;ions of my Rival? A Rival that is hand&s;om, who has a heart and a &s;oul, and whom I have often heard the fair <HI>Mandana</HI> commend. Ah No, no; I had far better die: But on the other&s;ide (&s;aid he) the con&s;piracy is ready to break out, if I do not &s;hew that which <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> hath written, but content my &s;elf only to &s;ay that there is a per|cious de&s;ign on foot; and that he is the contriver, who knows whether I &s;hall be believed? every one knows that we two are not very good friends; and this con&s;piracy has &s;o little probability in it, that before I can per&s;wade them it is true, and endeavour to prevent it, it will be executed, the Town will be &s;urprized, the Prince&s;&s;e carried away, and this hap|pie Rival will carry with her all that can induce me to love my life: Speak then <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;peak for thy Rival to the end thou maye&s;t tran&s;act again&s;t him: If he were in a plate where I could find him, I would acquaint him with my pa&s;&s;ion, and not di&s;cover his unto the Prince&s;&s;e; and after that endeavour to leave him in a condition unlikely to carry any one away: Indeed I would do that which I am bound to do; he &s;hould die, or I would die, and &s;o all our differences would be terminated. But, alas, he hides him&s;elf; he keeps out of my violence: I know no more of his enterprize, but as much as cau&s;es jealou&s;ies, fears, ha|tred and de&s;pair: I am ignorant who are his complices; I know neither when nor how they mu&s;t act, I only know that they are de&s;igning my ruine. What &s;hall I do unfortunate man? I lo&s;e time, while&s;t mine enemy is advancing his de&s;ign: Go then, go to the Prince&s;&s;e; Tell her that which never any lover but my &s;elf did or would do, to the party loved: Perad|venture (&s;aid he) I may draw &s;ome advantage out of my misfortune by it; I may chance di&s;cover in her fair eyes, the motion of her &s;oul, and &s;ee the &s;ecrets of her heart; and per|haps al&s;o, that after I have &s;poke for another, I may find opportunity to &s;peak for my &s;elf: Go then unhappy lover; follow as thy de&s;tiny leads thee, and defer it no longer: Hope &s;till, that in declaring the love of <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> thou maye&s;t cau&s;e her to hate him; and make all ha&s;te po&s;&s;ible le&s;t he execute his de&s;ign, and carry her away, el&s;e he will get her into his power, and there he'l keep her: perhaps he will win her heart, obtain his par|don, and for ever enjoy her. This la&s;t thought moved him to re&s;olve, not to lo&s;e one minute more of time, but to go pre&s;ently unto <HI>Mandana;</HI> and did &s;o in all ha&s;te, de&s;iring &s;o much favour as to &s;peak with her in private. The Prince&s;&s;e did imagine that his drift was to &s;peak unto her concerning his love, and therefore was offended at him; &s;ending him word &s;he was bu&s;ie and he could not &s;ee her. <HI>Artamenes</HI> even de&s;perate at this an|&s;wer, &s;ent her word the &s;econd time, that he de&s;ired to &s;peak but one minute with her concerning &s;omething which related unto the &s;ervice of the King and her, and which would not admit of any delay; <HI>Mandana</HI> wondering at this urgency of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> did think to deny the &s;ight of him; but fearing that his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e might indeed concern the &s;ervice of the King,; &s;he commanded he &s;hould enter, and commanded <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> with another of her women, not to &s;tir out of her clo&s;et. My ma&s;ter then entred, and not being able with his own mouth to relate the pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> unto the Prince&s;&s;e; Madam, &s;aid he to her (after he had &s;aluted her with much reverence, and pre&s;enting the Letter which <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> had writ unto her) you will there find the ju&s;tification of my im|portunity: <HI>Artamenes</HI> pronounced the&s;e words with &s;uch a troubled minde, that <HI>Man|dana</HI> fearing it was &s;ome new device to &s;peak unto her concerning his love, was in a mind to refu&s;e it; but taking it afterwards with a trembling hand, and opening it with a blu&s;h, &s;he was cleared of all her doubts, and &s;he learned that from <HI>Artamenes,</HI> which &s;he never did think to learn: Immediately there appeared much anger in her eyes, and my ma&s;ter received &s;o much &s;atisfaction, as to know a&s;&s;uredly, that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> had no deep &s;hare in the heart of <HI>Mandana:</HI> I am much beholding to you (&s;aid &s;he to him) for giving me notice of &s;o important a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; but tell me, I pray you, all that you know concerning the de&s;ign. <HI>Artamenes</HI> then told her how he came by the Letter, and told her further, that if he could have found <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> he would have defeated the con&s;piracy, and ne|ver acquainted her with it. The Prince&s;&s;e then thanked him as civilly, as the trouble wherein &s;he was would permit her; and wondering extreamly at this adventure; what (&s;aid &s;he) will <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> U&s;urpe a Crown by violence &amp; Trea&s;on, as I do imagine his de&s;ign is? But that a lover &s;hould manife&s;t his love by a raping way, is a thing without example, and above my patience: Mine I &s;ay (added &s;he all in di&s;order) who could not indure a declaration of love from one of the greate&s;t Princes upon earth, after ten years &s;ervices, re&s;pects, &s;ighs, and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ions. <HI>Artamenes</HI> heard the&s;e words with much &s;orrow; and fearing to find the like, he interrupted her, and asked her what was her plea&s;ure he &s;hould do in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e? I would have you (&s;aid &s;he) go with me to the King, and
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acquaint him with it, and not to for&s;ake me when I &s;hall &s;tand in need of your valour: As long as I live (replied my ma&s;ter) you &s;hall not need to fear <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> and be con|fident Madam, if you plea&s;e, that I will be no le&s;&s;e &s;olicitous to defeat his wicked de&s;ign, then you your &s;elf are: I am obliged unto you (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) but let us lo&s;e no time, but pre&s;ently go to the King: I know not Madam (&s;aid my ma&s;ter) whether my zeal to you will not &s;eem a neglect of duty unto him, and whether he will not take it ill, that I have told you the ra&s;h enterprize of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> before I advertized him; what you &s;ay (an&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e) is not without &s;ome colour, therefore he mu&s;t be told you met with me accidentally, as you were coming with the Letter unto him, and &s;o you told it unto me: Soveraign power (&s;aid &s;he) is a thing &s;o nice, &s;o delicate, and &s;en&s;ible, that how good &s;oever your intentions were, yet perhaps the King will not like your proceeding; &s;o that it is not a mi&s;&s;e, if you tell him a hand&s;ome little innocent lye, to colour the matter. Then they went to <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his chamber, and told him what they knew, and the manner how they came to know it: <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;ent to &s;eek the Captain who gave him the Letter, to the end the King might under&s;tand from the mouth of that officer, the whole matter. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> knowing the hand of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> did certainly conclude it to be a dangerous con|&s;piracy; He him&s;elf remembred, and knew that the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was not at <HI>Babylon,</HI> nor had been a long time; therefore that confirmed him in his opinion, that <HI>Phili|da&s;pes</HI> was he: But &s;ince the complices were not mentioned in the Letter they could not gue&s;&s;e at them. The Prince&s;&s;e and my ma&s;ter &s;u&s;pected <HI>Aribeus</HI> to be one, yet &s;ince they knew the King loved him, they dur&s;t not openly declare their thoughts; Mean time, <HI>Artamenes</HI> having Orders to do what&s;oever he &s;hould think fit for the &s;afety of the Prin|ce&s;&s;e; cau&s;ed all the guards of the Ca&s;tle and Town to be changed: and having cau&s;ed all the Inhabitants of the Town to take Armes; he placed Courts of guard in every &s;treet: afterwards, he asked leave of the King, that he might go and cha&s;ti&s;e <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> but <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would not permit him to go out of the Town; and the Prince&s;&s;e did &s;o &s;trongly oppo&s;e it, that he thought no more of it, &s;ince indeed, they knew not very well where he was. The &s;ix thou&s;and men which conducted the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> were di&s;po&s;ed of unto &s;everal Gates and Avenues about <HI>Sinope;</HI> for it was not doubted but <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> would make u&s;e of tho&s;e four thou&s;and men which were about the Ca&s;tle, whereof he was Gover|nour, to execute his de&s;ign. <HI>Aribeus</HI> carried it extream craftily, and after the King told him of it, he &s;eemed to be very zealous again&s;t it, and blamed <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> very much, and did &s;eemingly mo&s;t endeavour to apprehend him; &s;ince it was not known whether he was lying hid in the Town, or in his Ca&s;tle, they were much confu&s;ed: yet notwith&s;tanding the next morning, <HI>Artamenes</HI> was &s;o urgent, that he was permitted to take the &s;ix thou&s;and men, and go to &s;ummon the Ca&s;tle, to be &s;urrendred up unto him, and al&s;o to fight the four thou&s;and men which were there, in ca&s;e he found any oppo&s;ition: But he was migh|tily amazed when he came there, and found none in the Ca&s;tle, and not a man of the four thou&s;and Quartered about it: all he found was, that indeed <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> had been there, but went out the la&s;t night, and that about thirty furlongs from thence, he disbanded all his Troops, and went with a &s;mall Company unto a Forre&s;t which was not far off: <HI>Arta|menes</HI> went thither, and &s;earched all about, &s;ending many &s;mall Parties unto &s;everal quarters of the Forre&s;t to hear of news, yet none was to be met with, only &s;ome Souldiers which fled and knew nothing, but that long &s;ince <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> endeavoured to get the love of the Souldiers; and that ere long he did intend to imploy them upon &s;ome important de&s;ign. <HI>Artamenes</HI> then &s;eeing he could hear no more of him, returned to <HI>Sinope,</HI> to ren|der an account to the King and Prince&s;&s;e of what he had done: Mean while they kept up their Guards, and held an ob&s;ervant eye upon all tho&s;e who had any Command of Forces in the Town. After all this Tumult and trouble, <HI>Artamenes</HI> being alone in his Clo&s;et, did recall into his memory, his la&s;t adventures, and to grieve at that extream violence, which he had ob&s;erved in the Prince&s;&s;e mind, when &s;he was told of the love of <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> what &s;hall I do (&s;aid he) and what can I hope for from her, who &s;peaks of the mo&s;t pui&s;&s;ant Prince of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> with &s;o much pride and di&s;dain? yet (&s;aid he) &s;hould I have been more happy if &s;he had &s;poke with le&s;&s;e rigour then &s;he did? for as &s;he has expre&s;t her &s;elf, I have no cau&s;e of jealou&s;ie, and therefore need not to fear the greate&s;t torment of love: But alas, although &s;he le&s;&s;ens my jealou&s;ie, yet &s;he augments my de&s;pair; fo r&s;ince one of the greate&s;t Princes of the world, hath declared his love unto her, and done ten years &s;ervices, re&s;pects, &s;ighs and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ions, yet all this pa&s;&s;e for a crime in her mind; what can I hope for, who has not a Crown&punc; to pre&s;ent unto her? I who perhaps &s;hall not be very well en|certained
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by the King my Father, when I &s;hall return into <HI>Per&s;ia:</HI> I (I &s;ay) who am &s;uch a one as I dare not tell her, nor cannot tell her unle&s;&s;e I incur her hatred? Oh heavens! what will the prevention of this dangerous Con&s;piracy avail me? and why &s;hould I wi&s;h my Rival removed, &s;ince the heart of <HI>Mandana</HI> is inflexible, and &s;o hard that nothing can move it? As he was thus entertaining him&s;elf with the&s;e thoughts, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and I arrived, and told him all our adventures: After our fir&s;t welcoms, and after <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> who was more weary with the ha&s;te we made, then I was, went to re&s;t him&s;elf; My ma&s;ter embra|cing me with a mo&s;t obliging tenderne&s;&s;e: What <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid he to me) is become of the Letter which I gave you? is it yet in your hands? or did you deliver it the Prince&s;&s;e, when you came to <HI>Sinope,</HI> as I was told you did? Sir, (replied I) this demand, does call in que&s;tion the fidelity of <HI>Feraulas;</HI> and you cannot doubt of my exact obedience, but doubt al&s;o of my affection to you: what <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) then you have deli|vered it? yes Sir, &s;aid I, and &s;he has received it: Ah <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid he) do not make me de&s;pair; and if <HI>Mandana</HI> told you then any thing which di&s;plea&s;ed her, I think it were good that you did not acquaint me with it; yet notwith&s;tanding (&s;aid he, not giving me leave to &s;peak) it is better that I knew the whole truth, that I may no longer trouble my &s;elf with an unfortunate life, and pre&s;erve an unprofitable hope. Sir (&s;aid I) you are far more happy then you think you are: No, no <HI>Feraulas</HI> (an&s;wered he) do not flatter me, and do as I did at fir&s;t bid you. No Sir (&s;aid I to him) I do not di&s;gui&s;e the matter; and then I exactly told him all that the Prince&s;&s;e &s;aid unto me. I repre&s;ented unto him her &s;or|rows; I told him of her &s;ighes, and that I &s;aw a deluge of tears flow from her eyes; that &s;he &s;poke unto me with extream tenderne&s;&s;e; that for his &s;ake &s;he would have me &s;erve her; that &s;he was fully informed of his quality; that I told her nothing but what was his plea&s;ure &s;he &s;hould know: and that if any judgement were to be given of e&s;teem and friend|&s;hip, by the &s;orrows which &s;he te&s;tified; I a&s;&s;ured him, he was then at a very high rate in her fancy: Ah <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid he to me) all that you have told me, relates onely unto poor dead <HI>Artamenes:</HI> But who knows whether <HI>Artamenes</HI> living, or if <HI>Artamenes</HI> were chan|ged into <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he &s;hould be &s;o happy? He mu&s;t hope well (&s;aid I) and I a&s;&s;ure you, that I &s;ee great appearances he will. My ma&s;ter hearkened unto all I &s;aid, as if a God were &s;peaking unto him: and I got my &s;elf &s;o much credit in his opinion by this welcome news which I told him, that from that time he did me &s;o much honour as to acquaint me with all his thoughts: He cau&s;ed me to repeat a hundred times over what I told him before; and he was &s;o inqui&s;itive, as he would almo&s;t have me tell him what the Prince&s;&s;e thought, and what &s;he &s;aid after I was gone out of her Clo&s;et, but I could not tell him that; for as yet there was no &s;uch amity betwixt <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and me, although truly it was not long after that I profe&s;&s;ed my &s;elf her &s;ervant, and became her confident. <HI>Artamenes</HI> then finding him&s;elf much more happy then he hoped, could not leave putting further que&s;tions unto me: &s;ometimes concerning things pa&s;t, and &s;ometimes what I thought of future events: yet notwith&s;tanding all this joy which I had brought him, &s;ometimes his &s;oul was not &s;erene, but feared that <HI>Artamenes</HI> would not be &s;o happy living as he was dead. And certainly his fears were not without foundation; for at that very time when I was thus with him, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> who accidentally did meet <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and me, as we arrived, went to adverti&s;e her mi&s;tri&s;&s;e of it: Ah <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to her) what do you tell me? and what is <HI>Fe|raulas</HI> going to tell <HI>Artamenes?</HI> I &s;uppo&s;e (&s;aid this wi&s;e Prince&s;&s;e) that to gain the love of his ma&s;ter, he will tell a hundred things which I never &s;aid unto him. He can tell no|thing (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> but that he heard you &s;igh often, and that he &s;aw you weep, for the death of a man, who perhaps you would weep for again if he were really dead; I confe&s;s it (an&s;wered <HI>Mandana)</HI> but if he were dead he could never come to know my weak|ne&s;s; no (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> nor ever acknowledge it by his &s;ervices and re&s;pects: But (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e) <HI>Artamenes</HI> will now know it by <HI>Feraulas,</HI> that I have done &s;uch things as are never u&s;ed to be done but unto &s;uch as we love: 'Tis true Madam (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> but would you have <HI>Artamenes</HI> believe you hate him? he who has a thou&s;and, and a thou&s;and times expo&s;ed his life in your &s;ervice; who has pre&s;erved the Kings, your Father; who has gain|ed &s;o many battles; who has brought a King a Pri&s;oner, and who at this very time pre|vents a con&s;piracy which aims at your per&s;on: No <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (an&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e) I would not have <HI>Artamenes</HI> think I am &s;tupid, ungrateful, and in&s;en&s;ible, as I &s;hould be if I &s;hould hate him: But as I would not have him think I hate him, &s;o I &s;hould be very glad if he would not think I love him: I wi&s;h that he &s;hould de&s;ire it without hope, and content him&s;elf with a great e&s;teem and much acknowledgement. The&s;e di&s;tinctions are too de|licat,
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and nice (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> and it is not an ea&s;ie matter to keep within that ju&s;t me|diocrity which you propo&s;e, nor do I think you can do it your &s;elf: mock not at my weak|ne&s;&s;e (an&s;wered <HI>Mandana)</HI> but help me to hide it in not for&s;aking me when <HI>Artamenes</HI> is with me; for I do confe&s;&s;e I &s;hould be very &s;ory he &s;hould urge me to bani&s;h him: See Sir, how the Prince&s;&s;e and my Ma&s;ter did both of them rea&s;on the matter in private: indeed the matter was carried, as &s;he re&s;olved it &s;hould, for during fifteen dayes it was ab&s;olutly impo|&s;&s;ible for <HI>Artamenes</HI> to &s;peak with the Prince&s;&s;e privatly: &s;he carried it &s;o hand&s;omly and with &s;o much Civility to my Ma&s;ter, as he could not except again&s;t it: yet notwith&s;tan|ding, he thought him&s;elf very unhappy, and not daring to complain of <HI>Mandana,</HI> did yet perpetually complain of his rigorous de&s;tiny: he knew very well, that the Prince&s;&s;e was the true cau&s;e of his di&s;tempers, but he had ever &s;o great a re&s;pect unto her that he would never accu&s;e her, but when he could find no excu&s;e, nor no other cau&s;e of his misfortunes: yet after the&s;e Fifteen dayes, though <HI>Mandana</HI> did very ob&s;tinatly avoid all manner of occa&s;i|ons to be alone with <HI>Artamenes:</HI> yet fortune for all her &s;everity brought it &s;o about, that my Ma&s;ter found an opportunity to talk in privat with her. The Prince&s;&s;e, &s;ince the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> attempted again&s;t her (for we will no longer call him <HI>Philida&s;pes)</HI> never went out of the towne to take the Aire; all her walks were Confined unto Gardens with|in the walls, which were of no great Circumference. Thither &s;he ordinarily went when the &s;un grew low; &s;he was alwaies waited upon by very many, &s;o that it was impo&s;&s;ible for my Ma&s;ter to &s;peak unto her in any language but that of eyes: yet it was a language which &s;he would not under&s;tand nor an&s;wer, for &s;ince the returne of <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;he was very weary of her looks. So it happened, that the King would di&s;cour&s;e in private with the Prince&s;&s;e, in that Garden: every one, out of reverence retired to the other &s;ide: and as this di&s;cour&s;e continued long &s;o tho&s;e who were not ab&s;olutly tyed to wait upon the King did by degrees depart: &s;o that when the King went out there were no more men left in the Garden, then were to wait upon him: my Ma&s;ter offering to follow him, and <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;eeing the Prince&s;&s;e alone with her women: no <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid the King to him) I will leave you to entertaine my daughter, and to divert her from that Solitude which &s;he is apt unto: This Prince was ravi&s;ht at this Command, and obeied it with joy; and the Prince&s;&s;e who was extreamly Surpri&s;ed at the accident, Could not find any pretence to prevent it: &s;he looked all about for <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> but &s;aw her not: for &s;he &s;eeing all the Court in the Garden could not imagine the Prince&s;&s;e would be in any need of her to prevent <HI>Artamenes</HI> from &s;peaking unto her: So that &s;he went to di&s;patch other bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: There were yet four or five other of her women with her: yet they having received no particular command to keep neer her as long as <HI>Artamenes</HI> was with her; my Ma&s;ter no &s;ooner began to lead her in her walk, but all they &s;tayed &s;ome ten or twelve paces behind: The Prince&s;&s;e was then in that Arbour which is directly oppo&s;ite to the garden dore: &s;o that though &s;he had a de&s;ire to retire her &s;elf, yet &s;he mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity walk that out: &s;he would all waies begin to di&s;cour&s;e, to the end &s;he might prevent my Ma&s;ter in his intention, who being tran&s;por|ted with pa&s;&s;ion, and invited unto it by this favorable opportunity, interrupted her, and with much reverence &s;aid unto her. If the poor &s;ervices, which I had the happine&s;&s;e to doe unto the King, hath any thing obliged you, (as you have divers times done me &s;o much honor as to &s;ay they have) then, I mo&s;t humbly entreat you Madam doe not go away &s;o &s;oone: but do me that honour, and give me &s;o much liberty, as to di&s;cour&s;e one hour in private with me. If it be, (an&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e) to di&s;cour&s;e concerning any thing which relates unto the King my father, I &s;hall mo&s;t gladly con&s;ent unto it: but if it be not, I cannot believe you have any &s;uch bu&s;ine&s;s with me as mu&s;t be di&s;cour&s;t of in pri|vate. The Prince&s;&s;e blu&s;ht as &s;he pronounced the&s;e la&s;t words, and my ma&s;ter continued &s;peaking unto her very low; that which I de&s;ire of you (&s;aid he) is more ea&s;ie then you imagine, &s;ince it is ab&s;olutely in your owne di&s;po&s;e, without implying the Kings con&s;ent: But Madam (&s;aid he) why doe you feare <HI>Artamenes?</HI> and why will you not harken unto him? I fear, (replyed &s;he, that he does not know me well; and I fear lea&s;t he &s;hould de|&s;ire &s;uch things as I could not con&s;ent unto; Therefore, if he will take my Coun&s;ell, he &s;hall not expo&s;e him&s;elf to be denied. No Madam (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> my &s;oul cannot be &s;atisfied with that: I mu&s;t either ab&s;olutely leave the court: I mu&s;t fly away for ever; I mu&s;t die in de&s;pair, or el&s;e the Illu&s;trious Fair <HI>Mandana</HI> mu&s;t hear me: I de&s;ire but this one only favour, I ask no more, and if you will be plea&s;ed to grant it, <HI>Artamenes</HI> will e&s;teem him&s;elf mo&s;t happy: as often as you de&s;ire, (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) to &s;peak in
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private, I doe alwaies imagine you come to tell me of &s;ome new Con&s;piracie; and that there is &s;ome other <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> who&s;e ill de&s;igne I mu&s;t know, and puni&s;h if it be po&s;&s;ible. Tis true (replied my Ma&s;ter) that which I have to tell you, is not &s;o far unlike that of <HI>Phi|lida&s;pes,</HI> but you may gue&s;s at it, &s;ince that &s;ame cau&s;e which moves him to act, moves me to &s;peak: But Madam, far from my thoughts be it to do you any violence: My thoughts are only to die: &amp; I de&s;ire nothing from you, but that it may be permitted me to hope from your goodne&s;&s;e, for &s;ome te&s;timonies of Compa&s;&s;ion when you &s;hall hear your Rigour has cau&s;'d my death: &s;uch as you were plea&s;ed to afford me when la&s;t you thought me dead by the hands of your enemies: This Madam is all the Favour that I ask, and all that I will pre&s;ent unto the illu&s;trious, and mo&s;t Faire <HI>Mandana:</HI> The Prince&s;&s;e being much &s;urpri&s;'d at this di&s;cour&s;e, would not give any &s;uddain or tumultuous an&s;wer, but de&s;igning to &s;atisfie her own virtue, without giving a check unto that Amitie which &s;he bore unto my Ma&s;ter, &s;he tooke a little longer time for it; therefore &s;eeing a green &s;eat neer her &s;he &s;at down, and my Ma&s;ter &s;tood by her, bending him&s;elf down the better to under&s;tand her, whil&s;t the Prin|ce&s;&s;e women leaning again&s;t a Raile &s;ome &s;even or eight paces off, did talk together. As the Prince&s;&s;e did fit, and <HI>Artamenes</HI> a&s;&s;umed again his di&s;cour&s;e, &s;he prevented him, and told him thus: I &s;ee <HI>Feraulas</HI> thought my tears very pretious, &s;ince he would not hide them from you: and the compa&s;&s;ion which I had for dead <HI>Artamenes,</HI> has made living <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> very bold: Therefore &s;ince I my &s;elf did contribute unto your fault, I will not treat you &s;o &s;everely as if you had not this excu&s;e: And I think tho&s;e obligations which I have to you, do require that I &s;hould not bani&s;h you upon a light occa&s;ion, but <HI>Artamenes,</HI> after this tenderne&s;&s;e which I had towards you, and yet &s;till have, you mu&s;t repent your &s;elf of it, and correct your &s;elf for it: If I &s;hould repent that I loved you (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter) you have pronounced the &s;entence of death upon me; and I will not deferre the execution: but Madam this is a thing which I never did, nor ever can doe; Repent at lea&s;t replied the Prince&s;&s;e that you ever told me of it: and re&s;olve with your &s;elf never to &s;peak of it any more: Since I have &s;poke of it once (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter) if you forbid me to &s;peak of it any more, I doubt I &s;hall not obey you, and my death within a few dayes will tell you of my pa&s;&s;ion: But Madam, I mu&s;t tell you once, I mu&s;t acquaint you with my love, &s;ince el&s;e perhaps you will never know it: I conjure you Madam not to refu&s;e me this favour: Remember Madam, that you told me, he who has the honour to &s;peak unto you, had the good fortune to be lamented by you, after he took upon him the boldne&s;&s;e to write unto you, that he loved you: Tis true (replied the Prince&s;&s;e much di&s;ordered) but it was prin|cipally becau&s;e you having never told me of it, I pittied you: Continue then in the &s;ame bounds and limits wherein you lived before; and I will keep the &s;ame di&s;po&s;itions which I had: But Madam, (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> I cannot recall whats pa&s;t and I can do no le&s;&s;e then I have writ: Tis true (replied <HI>Mandana)</HI> but you may forbear telling me of it any more: Though that were po&s;&s;ible Madam (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> yet my eyes and all my actions would &s;peak it for me, and my death would pre&s;ently after more &s;trongly confirm it unto you, then all my words can doe. Moreover Madam, do not think that I have rendred my &s;elf your &s;lave without a Combate: I have re&s;i&s;ted you as much as I could: and per|haps I had &s;tronger rea&s;ons then you think I had to do &s;o: I &s;aw you Madam, and I loved you, though I u&s;ed the utmo&s;t of my endeavours to the contrary: yet for all that, I could not break my Chains nor &s;hake off my Fetters: and I have ever worn them with as much patience as re&s;pect: more then this Madam I have &s;erved the King, or rather you, &s;ince I never thought upon any but you: and &s;ince the Armes of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> have been fortunate in my hands, it mu&s;t be attributed unto that ambition which &s;we'ld my &s;oul to render my &s;elf worthy of your love: you know Madam, how I have Lived: you know that I never &s;poke one word unto you which could di&s;plea&s;e you: and I had not &s;poke unto you of my Love, but when I thought I &s;hould never &s;peak more: I concealed my Love till, death, and certainly if I had not told you of it when I was thought to be in my grave, I had ne|ver told it with my tongue: But Madam, &s;ince your tears revived me: &s;ince the gods did cea&s;e tho&s;e &s;orrowes which you re&s;ented at my lo&s;s, by giving me life: why will you &s;o cruelly pu&s;h me into my Coffin? and why will you not afford &s;ome pity upon an unfortunate Prince, &s;ince you had &s;ome compa&s;&s;ion on him when he was thought to be dead? it is be|cau&s;e (replied <HI>Mandana)</HI> that the dead Prince did expiate his fault in Dying, and the Li|ving Prince did revive his crime with his re&s;urrection: indeed <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he with a very &s;erious look) I do confe&s;s that I much e&s;teem you; that I have many obligations up|on me towards you; &amp; that your &s;uppo&s;ed death did much grieve me: but at that very &s;ame
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time I al&s;o declare, that I loved my own honour and glory much more then I e&s;teem <HI>Arta|menes,</HI> though I e&s;teem him very much, and though I am infinitly tender of you, yet I would re&s;i&s;t and overcome it rather then con&s;ent you &s;hould entertain me with a pa&s;&s;ion which will render me &s;u&s;pected: Ha Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Artamenes)</HI> how ill in&s;tructed are you with that love which you have procured in my heart? and how little doe you know with what zeal I love you? Know Madam, that the purity of my pa&s;&s;ion does equall the purity of your own glorious Soul: yes Divine Prince&s;&s;e, I do love you after &s;uch a Reverentiall manner, that I would for ever di&s;claim my own heart, if it &s;hould entertaine any unju&s;t de|&s;ire. I love and prefer the Glory of <HI>Mandana</HI> before my own; and if I did find in my &s;elf the lea&s;t vitious thought, I dur&s;t never be &s;o bold as to &s;peak unto her of love: moreo|ver Madam, if my birth and quality had rendred me unworthy to carry your fetters, I &s;hould break them in giving my &s;elf a death: and I &s;hould never have &s;uffered the fair and illu&s;tri|ous <HI>Mandana</HI> to have a &s;lave unworthy of her: Oh, I wi&s;h to the Gods, that <HI>Artame|nes</HI> did me it that glorious title by his own virtues, as he merits it by his quality; yet Di|vine <HI>Mandana,</HI> it is for the love of you that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is only <HI>Artamenes:</HI> and is &s;o far from being taken for the Son of a Great King, that he pa&s;&s;es only for a man whom fortune favours: But Madam, in dedicating him&s;elf unto your &s;ervice, he cea&s;eth not to be what he is, to wit, one that ever had a great &s;oul, and alwayes uncapable of any unju&s;t thought: Do not think, I be&s;eech you, that I have known you &s;o ill, that my heart can &s;u&s;pect you of any weakne&s;&s;e; No Madam, I never could think the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> was ever capable of any violent pa&s;&s;ion, yet I hoped that &s;he would tolerate me and my pa&s;&s;ion, &s;ince it was not oppo&s;ite unto her vertue; for indeed Madam, I dare &s;ue for no|thing el&s;e but onely permi&s;&s;ion to love you; and to tell you &s;o. You ask too much by half (an&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e blu&s;hing) and I &s;hould be unworthy of that innocent pa&s;&s;i|on, which you do a&s;&s;ure me, you bear unto me, if I &s;hould con&s;ent unto what you de&s;ire, and if I &s;uffered you to tell me that more then once, which all others, except you, never told me without being hated. This exception is mo&s;t glorious unto me Madam (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> but this prohibition is al&s;o mo&s;t rigorous; I would gladly know, what crime I have committed &s;ince my returne? You have told me that (an&s;wered <HI>Mandana)</HI> which you ought not to have told me; thats your crime. Then Madam I mu&s;t have lo&s;t my life; (&s;aid <HI>Artamenes)</HI> for indeed it is come to that pa&s;&s;e, as I could not live, and not love you, nor love you without telling you, nor be &s;ilent without dying. The Prince&s;&s;e then was &s;i|lent a good while; afterwards, beginning to &s;peak, I mu&s;t needs tell you <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to him) that you do extreamly anger me: I do e&s;teem you; I am much obliged to you, and yet I have much ado to forbear bani&s;hing you. Apply your &s;elf I conjure you to re|gulate your thoughts if it be po&s;&s;ible: e&s;teem <HI>Mandana</HI> as &s;he ought to be, then &s;he will not be offended; but on the contrary, as &s;he is &s;atisfied by the &s;ecret te&s;timony of her &s;ouls purity, &s;o &s;he does ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e unto you, that &s;he is joyed <HI>Artamenes</HI> does value her, and perhaps that <HI>Artamenes</HI> loves her; but &s;he would have this affection limit|ted, and keep within its bounds: Then &s;he would have that which is not po&s;&s;ible (an&s;we|red my Ma&s;ter) but that which is mo&s;t equitable and fit (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) for in|deed vertue does pre&s;cribe limits unto all things. I have already told you Madam (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> that my pa&s;&s;ion does not contradict vertue: Time and your &s;ilence will ma|nife&s;t that (an&s;wered <HI>Mandana</HI> in ri&s;ing) and by the&s;e two, I &s;hall know whether the affection of <HI>Artamenes</HI> to me, be as pure as he &s;aith it is: Why Madam, replied my Ma|&s;ter, do you forbid me to &s;peak? Yes (an&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e blu&s;hing) unle&s;&s;e it be to tell me the true name of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> My Ma&s;ter &s;tood amazed at this an&s;wer; yet notwith|&s;tanding after he had been a while &s;ilent: If I &s;hould tell you, replied he, you would not pre&s;erve me in your good opinion: and if I mu&s;t die by your &s;everity; it were better that you do blame your &s;elf for the death of a poor &s;imple Cavalier, then for the death of a great King. This was their di&s;cour&s;e, when a great deal of company came in, and interrupted their conver&s;ation: and &s;ince the Prince&s;&s;e was moved in her minde &s;he retired, and was no &s;ooner come into the Ca&s;tle, but &s;he went into her clo&s;et, and called for <HI>Marte&s;ia;</HI> &s;he being come, the Prince&s;&s;e chid her, becau&s;e contrary to her order &s;he had left her, and af|terwards, related unto her what my Ma&s;ter had &s;aid, and her an&s;wers; but with &s;o much inquietude, that it was ea&s;ie to judge there was a great combate in her heart; and that how innocent &s;oever the pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Artamenes</HI> was, yet her &s;crupulous vertue was not &s;atisfied with that di&s;cour&s;e &s;he had with him. She &s;aid that &s;he &s;hould have &s;poke more roughly unto him, and that &s;he &s;hould have bani&s;hed him. My Ma&s;ter, for his part, did complain
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both of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and him&s;elf: he found him&s;elf nothing &s;atisfied in his love; he could not perceive that &s;he did receive his love very well, and though &s;he had not bani&s;hed him, yet he found no great concordance, between the relation of <HI>Feraulas,</HI> and what he did finde him&s;elf; and yet he pre&s;erved &s;ome hopes, and lived at a little more quiet then he did before: he never &s;aw the Prince&s;&s;e, but &s;he blu&s;hed; he never &s;poke unto her, but &s;he re|ceived his di&s;cour&s;e; and though all their talk was but general, and as it were interruptions, yet &s;he alwayes gave him &s;ome light &s;atisfaction. But indeed (not to keep you too long with my relation) <HI>Artamenes</HI> behaved him&s;elf with &s;o much reverence towards <HI>Mandana;</HI> and &s;he did &s;o perfectly &s;ee, that he had no thoughts but &s;uch as were full of innocence and vertue, that &s;he began not to &s;hun his conver&s;e &s;o much as before, but &s;ometimes to give him the liberty to tell her how much he e&s;teemed her, yet not to dare openly to profe&s;&s;e his pa&s;&s;ion. One day then when he was in her chamber, being tran&s;ported with the vio|lence of his love, and &s;eeing none but <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> with her, he did be&s;eech her with tears in his eyes, that &s;he would be plea&s;ed to tell him her true apprehen&s;ions of him. That which you ask (an&s;wered &s;he, very obligingly, and with much &s;pirit) is not perhaps of &s;o &s;mall importance as you think, and I conceive I am not bound to &s;atisfie that man &s;o far, who thinks me not di&s;creet enough to be told the true place of his birth, and his right name. Ha Madam (replied my Ma&s;ter) what do you ask me? and what would you know? Ha <HI>Artamenes</HI> (an&s;wered &s;he) what do you al&s;o ask me? and what is it you would know? That which I de&s;ire Madam (replied he) is but of a &s;mall importance, for indeed, I would onely know whether you hate me; whether you be indifferent, or whether, by good for|tune, you have any di&s;po&s;ition to admit of my love without repugnancie. That which I would know of you (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) does not le&s;&s;e concern me: for indeed, &s;ince you are not <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I ought not to con&s;ider you as &s;uch a one; and I may tell &s;uch things unto a <HI>Medean,</HI> which I ought not to tell unto a <HI>Scythian:</HI> How would you have me &s;peak unto you, &s;ince I do not know you? Does it not &s;uffice Madam (an&s;wered he) that you know my heart, and that you know I adore you? Not at all, an&s;wered &s;he, and though I do know the&s;e things which you tell me of, yet that is not enough to in&s;truct me, how to regulate my behaviour with you. So then Madam (&s;aid my Ma&s;ter) accord|ing to what I am, you will behave your &s;elf more or le&s;&s;e obliging to me; Doubtle&s;&s;e I &s;hall, replied &s;he. But Madam (&s;aid my Ma&s;ter) of what Countrey &s;oever I am, I &s;hall be the very &s;ame you &s;ee me: So that, will it not be &s;ome inju&s;tice in you to hate me, be|cau&s;e perhaps I &s;hall be of that Countrey which does not plea&s;e you? I do not &s;ay I will, replied the Prince&s;&s;e, and I do promi&s;e you, that I &s;hall alwayes e&s;teem <HI>Artamenes</HI> in my heart, of what Countrey &s;oever he be: yet if you be (&s;aid &s;he) of that Quality as you &s;ay, and as I beleeve you are, how is it po&s;&s;ible there can be any &s;uch great my&s;tery in con|cealing it: Speak then (&s;aid &s;he to him) and tell me what you are, if you would have me tell you any thing. My Ma&s;ter being extreamly put to it, did not think to reveal him&s;elf, yet upon &s;econd con&s;ideration, he re&s;olved to di&s;cover him&s;elf: for conceiving that what good thoughts &s;oever the Prince&s;&s;e had of him, &s;he would never manife&s;t them until &s;he knew it, therefore he re&s;olved upon it to tell her the truth: I know Madam (&s;aid he to her) that in telling you who I am, I do run a hazard to be hated; but I do know al&s;o, that it ought to per&s;wade you of the greatne&s;&s;e of my pa&s;&s;ion, and will do more then all my words and &s;ervices can do, &s;ince it is mo&s;t certain, that if it had not been extreamly violent, from the very fir&s;t minuit it began, <HI>Cyrus</HI> would never have loved you. <HI>Cyrus?</HI>
(replied the Prince&s;&s;e in a mighty amazement&punc;) what <HI>Artamenes,</HI> was not <HI>Cyrus</HI> drowned? No Madam, replied he, I can a&s;&s;ure you, he never was in danger of it. But is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid &s;he in wonder) that you are <HI>Cyrus?</HI> Yes Divine Prince&s;&s;e (&s;aid he, kneeling to her) you &s;ee at your feet, the &s;ame <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who&s;e life has cau&s;ed &s;o many turbulencies in the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> and who&s;e death cau&s;ed an univer&s;all joy thorow all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> when the fair and famous <HI>Mandana</HI> did thank the Gods for it, as pitifull as &s;he is, and offered a &s;acrifice unto them: yes Divine <HI>Mandana,</HI> the fir&s;t time that my eyes had the honour to &s;ee you, was in the Temple of <HI>Mars,</HI> and it was there where my pa&s;&s;ion fir&s;t took re&s;olution never to ri&s;e up <HI>Cyrus,</HI> untill <HI>Artamenes</HI> had obtain'd permi&s;&s;ion from <HI>Mandana;</HI> It is therefore in you to di&s;po&s;e ab&s;olutely of my De&s;tiny: He will &s;tay in his Tombe, if you plea&s;e; and he will come out if you permit him: for indeed, &s;ince you have done him the favour and ho|nour not to hate him, it does not much import whether he be <HI>Cyrus</HI> or <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and pa&s;&s;e as a common Knight, or as a great Prince, &s;ince mo&s;t certainly&punc; he has no higher Ambition but to be loved by you. <HI>Mandana</HI> hearkened unto this di&s;cour&s;e with much at|tention
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and a&s;toni&s;hment. At the fir&s;t, &s;he knew not what thoughts to entertain concer|ning my Ma&s;ter, or whether &s;he &s;hould beleeve him; but that doubt did quickly vani&s;h, and &s;he was &s;o well acquainted with his high genero&s;ity, that &s;he beleeved every word he &s;poke, and made no que&s;tion but that he was really <HI>Cyrus:</HI> She con&s;idered with her &s;elf, that it was no harder mater that the world &s;hould fal&s;ly beleeve <HI>Cyrus</HI> to be drown'd, then to beleeve that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was killed, as all <HI>Cappadocia</HI> thought not long &s;ince; and that it was no more impo&s;&s;ible that <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould be <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> &s;hould be the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> Rea&s;oning all the&s;e things in &s;ecret with her &s;elf, &s;he was a long time looking upon my ma&s;ter before &s;he would give any an&s;wer; which did &s;o much trou|ble my ma&s;ter, as not being able to conceal it; I &s;ee Madam (&s;aid he to her) you cannot keep your word with me, not to change thoughts of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> I perceive by your &s;ilence, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> hath di&s;turbed you: <HI>Cyrus</HI> (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) has indeed a little troubled the calmne&s;&s;e of my mind; yet I will a&s;&s;ure you he has done no ill office unto <HI>Artamenes;</HI> but on the contrary (&s;aid &s;he &s;ighing) but as I find <HI>Artamenes</HI> to be much more unfortunate then I thought him, &s;o al&s;o I find more di&s;po&s;ition in my &s;elf to lament him: But I pray, &s;aid &s;he, tell unto me all your pa&s;t adventures, and do not conceal any thing from me, which concerns the beginning of that life, who&s;e after years has rendred him &s;o glorious: My ma&s;ter to &s;atisfie her, did punctually relate unto her all that had chanced unto him: He told her what <HI>Harpagus</HI> told him concerning the ill intentions of <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> towards him; afterwards what offers <HI>Harpagus</HI> did propound unto him, how he would cau&s;e the whole Province of <HI>Paratecenes</HI> to ri&s;e again&s;t the King of <HI>Medea;</HI> he told her al&s;o how he re|fu&s;ed his offers, and how he commanded him to make no more &s;uch propo&s;itions: He told her al&s;o how de&s;ires of Travel to &s;ee the wars had cau&s;ed him to leave <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> and change his name: In few words, he told her of all his Travels; how a Tempe&s;t drove him into <HI>Sinope,</HI> and how he was in the Temple of <HI>Mars</HI> where he &s;aw her thank the gods for his death. It is true indeed, &s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e, that I was with the Sacrificers to render thanks unto the gods for the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but it is as true al&s;o that I did never rejoyce at his death: And that it did ever &s;eem unto me much ra&s;hne&s;&s;e in tho&s;e who dare un|dertake to explain the Oracles, and the meaning of the Star &s;o preci&s;ely: Can I believe Madam (&s;aid my ma&s;ter interrupting her) that the fair <HI>Mandana</HI> did not rejoyce at the death of <HI>Cyrus? Cyrus,</HI> I &s;ay, whom <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> would have &s;mothered in his Cra|dle: <HI>Cyrus</HI> whom all the <HI>Magi</HI> were certain, &s;hould po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e the Throne of the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> and command all <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> And <HI>Cyrus</HI> who from his infancy has di&s;turbed the tranquillity of a King, who has &s;uch near relation unto you. It need not &s;eem &s;trange unto you (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) that I &s;hould not rejoyce at the death of a Prince whom I knew not, and who never did me any hurt, &s;ince you had &s;o much genero&s;ity as not to take revenge upon that King who would have put you to death: and (as you have done) to &s;erve that Prince who had his life from him, who would have taken yours away. But <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) for I dare not yet call you <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;ince you have told me what you are, I have not le&s;&s;ened that e&s;teem which I had of you; and one the contrary, &s;eeing I am more obliged unto you then I thought, I think my &s;elf engaged to acknowledge it: yet notwith&s;tanding, I confe&s;&s;e that I do not well know how I ought to deal with you. If I look upon you as a Prince who would not take revenge of his enemy, by rea&s;on of re|lations in con&s;anguinity; As a Prince, I &s;ay, who in &s;pight of all tho&s;e rea&s;ons which might have ab&s;olutely diverted him, yet hath not cea&s;ed to love me: A Prince who hath &s;aved the life of the King my Father; who hath a thou&s;and and a thou&s;and times expo&s;ed his own for him; who hath received &s;o many wounds; Conquered &s;o many Provinces; won &s;o many Battles; took a King a Pri&s;oner; prevented a dangerous Con&s;piracy; and who has long loved me, without telling me of it, or di&s;plea&s;ing me: If I look upon you, in the&s;e re&s;pects I do confe&s;&s;e <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that without any prejudice to vertue or decency, I could wi&s;h, that by the con&s;ent of the King my father, I might give you &s;ome te&s;timo|nies of that extraordinary e&s;teem which I have of you. But if I al&s;o look upon you as a Prince who&s;e birth began with &s;o many prodigies, &s;o many eclip&s;es which dimmed the &s;plendor and heat of the Sun, who &s;hook the foundations of the Temple; of whom the Stars have foretold &s;o much; and all the <HI>Magi</HI> a&s;&s;ures us he will be the overthrow of all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> I confe&s;&s;e, I &s;ay, that then I cannot well re&s;olve my &s;elf; for though 'tis true my heart tels me that they who did interpret the meaning of tho&s;e things, have but ill under|&s;tood them; and that if the Stars did foretell your birth, it was becau&s;e the gods did pre|&s;age unto men by them, that you &s;hould be a Prince who&s;e vertues &s;hould be extraordi|nary:
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Though, I &s;ay, I &s;hould re&s;ent it &s;o, yet this is not enough: Doubtle&s;&s;e <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> and <HI>Ciaxares</HI> will never allow that <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould di&s;po&s;e of her affection unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> But <HI>Mandana</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Artamenes</HI> interrupting her) this &s;ame <HI>Cyrus</HI> who is &s;o terrible unto all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> is now pro&s;trate at your feet, and you may di&s;po&s;e of his fate as you plea&s;e; To what end Madam (&s;aid he) to what end are all his Conque&s;ts which he hath made? Can it be imagined that he aimed at any univer&s;al u&s;urpation, &s;ince he hath refu&s;ed all that the King would give him? though I have fought, an vanqui&s;hed, and conquered, yet doubt|le&s;&s;e he hath enjoyed the fruits of all my combates, my victories and my conque&s;ts; I am not &s;o much as ma&s;ter of my own &s;word; but &s;ince you do reign in the heart of him who&s;e hand doth guide it, you need not fear I &s;hall commence any unju&s;t war: It belongs unto you, Divine Prince&s;&s;e, to order the de&s;tinies of people and Kings; and the life of <HI>Artame|nes</HI> depends wholly upon your will: yet Madam (&s;aid he in a mo&s;t &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive manner) if it be your plea&s;ure that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hall not revive, he is ready to obey you: yes adored Prin|ce&s;&s;e, <HI>Cyrus</HI> who can di&s;turbe the tranquility of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and has hopes to reign of a great and glorious Kingdom, is ready to renounce all his rights that he hath unto the Crown of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> and pa&s;&s;e away all the re&s;t of his dayes under the cloud of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> if he find any hopes that <HI>Mandana</HI> will not le&s;&s;e e&s;teem him. And if it be &s;o that he mu&s;t wear a Scepter to merit you, chu&s;e you Madam, in what place of the world you would have him expo&s;e his life to get one, and certainly he will go: Things that are mo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible would appear unto me mo&s;t ea&s;ie, provided you will not take from me my hopes of your love; Say then, Divine Prince&s;&s;e, would you have <HI>Cyrus</HI> revive? or would you have <HI>Artame|nes</HI> live? or would you have them both die? I give you the choice of the&s;e three wayes: Speak, I be&s;eech you, and conceal not your true re&s;entment from me. Fir&s;t, would you have <HI>Cyrus</HI> come out of his Tomb? I dare not advi&s;e him to that (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) fearing if he &s;hould, he &s;hould enter it for ever. Will you then have <HI>Artamenes</HI> live, only as <HI>Artamenes?</HI> That would not be ju&s;t (an&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e) nor advantagious for him. Will you then Madam, (replied he) have them both die together? By no means (an&s;wered &s;he) for I have had too much &s;orrow for the death of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> to hope I &s;hould find any con&s;olation in the death of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and his both. What then is your plea|&s;ure I &s;hall do (replied he?) I know not (an&s;wered &s;he) but I de&s;ire to take &s;ome time to re&s;olve my &s;elf. But however Madam (replied my ma&s;ter) will you be plea&s;ed that I &s;hould hope I am not hated, whether you con&s;ider me either as <HI>Artamenes</HI> or as <HI>Cyrus?</HI> I do permit it (&s;aid &s;he, and did ri&s;e) &s;ince it is not ju&s;t I &s;hould be le&s;&s;e generous then you are. Thus Sir, the di&s;cour&s;e ended, which my ma&s;ter, as &s;oon as he was retired, did me the ho|nour to relate exactly unto me. <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> did fore&s;ee that <HI>Artamenes</HI> would not be &s;o happy living as dead; and it was only compa&s;&s;ion which moved the fair <HI>Mandana</HI> to weep. Sir (&s;aid I to him, after he had told me all that I have told you) I do not &s;ee that you have any great cau&s;e of complaint, nor why you &s;hould not hope for more indulgency from that &s;everity which the Prince&s;&s;e hath u&s;ed towards you; for &s;he has not bani&s;hed you, nor ab&s;olutely forbidden you to &s;peak, &s;he has only took time to re&s;olve her &s;elf: hope Sir, hope well, and believe that it is very hard for her, after &s;o many great acts as you have done, not to re&s;ent them well; and certainly they will plead very power|fully for you in the heart of illu&s;trious <HI>Mandana.</HI> Ha <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid he) it is not good to be flattered up with hopes, but better to re&s;ent &s;ome little di&s;pair; If you knew (&s;aid he unto me) how my heart trembled when I expected the &s;entence of death from the mouth of <HI>Mandana,</HI> the fir&s;t time &s;he &s;poke unto me, you would have pittied me. As the &s;tate of things is now, I do not know whether I &s;hould &s;till continue <HI>Artamenes,</HI> or whether I may appear as <HI>Cyrus;</HI> whether I &s;hould die, or whether they would have me live: I am ab&s;olutely ignorant whether I &s;hould be the mo&s;t unhappy Prince upon earth, or the mo&s;t happy: this cruel ambiguity mu&s;t needs put my &s;oul into great di&s;order; for indeed, it is brought unto that pa&s;&s;e, that I mu&s;t expect nothing el&s;e but either a mo&s;t inhumane death, or a life full of all felicities: <HI>Artamenes</HI> added unto the&s;e, a hundred other contemplations, which moved me unto much compa&s;&s;ion, and which did clearly let me &s;ee, that he did love, as much as it was po&s;&s;ible for any one in the world to love. But while&s;t he was thus &s;peak|ing of it unto me, the Prince&s;&s;e was in di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and told her all her re&s;ent|ments: Did ever any &s;ee the like adventure unto mine (&s;aid &s;he) while&s;t I am praying and offering Sacrifices of thanks unto the gods for the death of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that very &s;ame <HI>Cyrus</HI> is a witne&s;&s;e of all my Sacrifices and Prayers, and yet for all this he loves me, and follows me, and is continually with the King my Father? He hath performed a hundred glorious
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acts which I dare not almo&s;t remember, fearing they &s;hould make <HI>Cyrus</HI> more predominate in my heart. Alas! Oh ye ju&s;t gods (&s;aid &s;he) why have you &s;uffered men to explain your intentions &s;o badly? and that they &s;hould believe <HI>Cyrus</HI> would overthrow all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and &s;it in the Throne of the King of the <HI>Medes?</HI> He, I &s;ay, who does not imploy his va|lour unto any other end, but the advantage of him who mu&s;t one day have the Scepter of <HI>A&s;tyages?</HI> But Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to her) who knows whether the gods have not in|tended that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hall reign in <HI>Medea</HI> by Marrying a Prince&s;&s;e, who, in all likelyhood, if things do not change faces, &s;hall be the Queen of it? If the Gods had plea&s;ed to have had it &s;o (replied &s;he) they would not have moved the heart of <HI>A&s;tyages</HI> to hate <HI>Cyrus</HI> as he doth: And my dear <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) that which you imagine hath no foundation, or likelihood in it; and I mu&s;t ab&s;olutely forbid it, notwith&s;tanding all the Merits, the Quality, the Services and all the Vertues of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and not di&s;po&s;e of my &s;elf, but according to rea&s;on. But yet Madam (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to her) what do you re&s;olve upon? and what &s;hall <HI>Artamenes</HI> re&s;olve upon? Shall he be &s;till <HI>Artamenes?</HI> or &s;hall he become <HI>Cyrus?</HI> I would have him (replied <HI>Mandana)</HI> &s;eek out hand&s;ome expedients to appear <HI>Cyrus;</HI> not to be di&s;ta&s;tfull unto <HI>A&s;tyages,</HI> to be protected by the King my Father, and to obtain their permi&s;&s;ions to marry me; which if he can do, I &s;hall not be any hindrance of his good fortune, and perhaps (if I dur&s;t &s;ay it without blu&s;hing) I would &s;hare with him in it: But if he cannot do as I &s;ay, within a time that I &s;hall limit him, and which &s;hall not be long; I mu&s;t, my dear <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> bani&s;h him for ever; and perhaps, deprive my &s;elf for ever of all tranquillity and delights. Me thinks, Madam (an&s;wered <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> that this re&s;olution is too violent; and knowing the vertue of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and your own innocency as you do, you ought not to drive that Prince into de&s;pair, unto whom you are &s;o much obliged. Time, Madam, begets alterations every day: you know that <HI>A&s;tyages</HI> is extreamly old, &s;o that this <HI>remora</HI> will quickly be removed. No, no, <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;aid &s;he to her, I neither can nor ought to &s;uffer <HI>Artamenes,</HI> after he has di&s;covered his pa&s;&s;ion and his Quality to &s;tay any longer among&s;t us: If the King &s;hould chance to di&s;cover it, had he not good rea&s;on to taxe me with a Crime? and might he not imagine, that I have con&s;pired with <HI>Cyrus</HI> to partake with him in the dominion of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> which the <HI>Magi</HI> have foretold? What better way can you finde Madam (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> to prevent the too ambitious de&s;ignes of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then to keep him alwayes neer you? as long as he &s;hall be onely <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and as long as he is in love with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Man|dana,</HI> he will never make war upon <HI>A&s;tyages;</HI> he will never a&s;&s;ault <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> But who knows Madam, whether if you bani&s;h him, this Great and Heroick &s;oul will endure your Rigour with Patience? Who can tell whether or no he will bring a war upon all <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> and upon all <HI>Medea?</HI> you are acquainted with his good fortune: you know his courage; fear then, fear I &s;ay to incen&s;e it, and do not you your &s;elf contribute unto the de&s;olation of all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> Take heed Madam, take heed what you do, and do not too ra&s;hly bani&s;h <HI>Artamenes. Marte&s;ia,</HI> replied the Prince&s;&s;e, all that you &s;ay is very con&s;iderable; yet notwith&s;tanding, that which I think is no le&s;&s;e, and I had rather expo&s;e all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> unto danger, then my own glory: For if this revolution chance to come, doubtle&s;&s;e it is the determinate re&s;olution of the Gods to have it &s;o; but <HI>Mandana</HI> nei|ther can nor ought bring her &s;elf into &s;u&s;pition of a criminall intelligence, in &s;uffering a di&s;gui&s;ed Prince to be in the Court; One who is well proportioned, of a great heart and &s;oul, and moreover one that is in love with her. Ah <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> this ought not to be: Not but that if I do bani&s;h <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he and blu&s;ht) I &s;hall bani&s;h him with much repugnancy and &s;orrow; yet notwith&s;tanding, in con&s;ideration of my own Glory, it is very requi&s;ite that <HI>Artamenes</HI> do not &s;u&s;pect me of any weakne&s;&s;e. I have told him of &s;uch obliging things, that I do fear he will think more then I would have him, and indeed I had rather he &s;hould &s;uffer, and that I my &s;elf &s;hould &s;uffer, then expo&s;e my &s;elf to be le&s;&s;e e&s;teemed. But Madam (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> can you pronounce this &s;ad &s;entence? I know not (an&s;wered &s;he) and I dare not a&s;&s;ure you; yet I will &s;trive with my &s;elf, as much as po&s;&s;ible to hide from him that tenderne&s;&s;e which I have of him. Thus did the illu&s;trious <HI>Mandana</HI> re&s;olve upon that cruel &s;entence which &s;he was to pronounce again&s;t my dear Ma&s;ter; but &s;ince he did not yet know it, he &s;till lived betwixt hope and fear: Mean time, the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> although he was very well treated in his Pri&s;on, yet was he mo&s;t unhappy; for &s;ince he &s;aw the Prince&s;&s;e out of a window, at his entrance into <HI>Si|nope,</HI> that &s;ight did renew in his heart fre&s;h re&s;entments of love, as violent as he was capa|ble of: The remembrance of all tho&s;e plea&s;ant dayes wherein he had formerly &s;een her in
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that Town, did extreamly torment him. Alas (&s;aid he, as afterwards he told) what good fortune can I ever hope for? I, who during the time I was in this Court, and at liberty, never could obtain one favourable look from <HI>Mandana?</HI> what can I pretend unto who am van|qui&s;hed, and clog'd with fetters as I am? I do acquaint you Sir, with a few of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> thoughts, that you may not be ignorant of any thing which pa&s;&s;ed at <HI>Sinope.</HI> As for <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> he lived at ea&s;e and peaceably, enjoyed the plea&s;ant fruits of <HI>Artamenes</HI> his Victories. <HI>Aribeus</HI> for his part, he tran&s;acted with much &s;ubtilty, and &s;eemed to re|gard nothing but the managing of State affairs, wherein <HI>Artamenes</HI> would not meddle, limitting his employments altogether unto Martiall matters. At this time there came news, from the Camp, that the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> had not yet got any con&s;iderable Body toge|ther &s;ince his defeat: And there ran a report that <HI>Bithynia</HI> would ri&s;e, and relieve the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> but this la&s;t news was not certain, nor had the pri&s;oner King heard it, when he &s;ent in the morning to de&s;ire my Ma&s;ter that he would come unto him. <HI>Artame|nes</HI> who was naturally mo&s;t civil, and who e&s;teemed this Prince very much, though he was his Rival, did not fail to do as he de&s;ired him, after he had asked the Kings leave to &s;ee him. When he was come into his chamber, and the Guards retired, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;aid unto him: Generous <HI>Artamenes,</HI> you have &s;o nobly obliged me with Arms in your hand, that I cannot beleeve you will do it with le&s;&s;e joy now I am in your fetters, there|fore I took &s;o much liberty as to de&s;ire my Conqueror, he would be plea&s;ed to come unto me, that I my &s;elf might de&s;ire him, that he would be plea&s;ed to be my friend, my prote|ctor, and my confident, altogether. Since fortune onely (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> cau&s;ed you to lo&s;e your liberty, you have given me a Title which I ought not to abu&s;e, and you offer unto me three Qualities, which I dare not accept of, &s;ince I am not worthy to be your friend, and &s;ince I have not power enough to be your Protector, and &s;ince I have not perhaps, all tho&s;e nece&s;&s;ary Qualities which might de&s;erve the honour of being your con|fident: But Sir, without any further &s;earch what attributes you &s;hould give me, I do &s;in|cerely a&s;&s;ure you, that any thing which <HI>Artamenes</HI> can do to &s;erve you, he will do it with much gladne&s;&s;e; for indeed you have obliged me to it, and perhaps over obliged me. The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> not apprehending the my&s;terious &s;ence of the&s;e la&s;t words, did an|&s;wer nothing unto them, but began to commend him afre&s;h, and extoll his genero&s;ity. Then when he thought he had &s;aid enough, to prepare his minde not to refu&s;e him: Noble <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid he) doubtle&s;&s;e you are not ignorant, that the Prince whom you &s;ee, is fettered with more chains then one; and tho&s;e which heretofore he received from the Prin|ce&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> are yet neither united nor broken, but much more &s;trong and heavy, then tho&s;e which your valour cau&s;es me to wear. <HI>Artamenes</HI> was much &s;urpri&s;ed at this di&s;|cour&s;e; but &s;ince the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> minde was taken up with what he had to &s;ay, he did not ob&s;erve it, but continued his &s;peech: I know very well you are not ignorant, that I having been heretofore &s;ent unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> as a Ho&s;tage, during the Treaty of Peace, be|twixt the late King my father and him, I remained in this Court &s;ix Moneths; That I fell in love with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana;</HI> that I dur&s;t not di&s;cover my pa&s;&s;ion otherwi&s;e then by &s;ighes; that I departed with much grief: you know al&s;o, that at my return, I under&s;tood not onely that my Father was dead, but my elder Brother al&s;o, &s;o that as &s;oon as my tears for them were dried up, and being then a King of two Kingdoms, I thought that I might without offence, pretend unto the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> I &s;ent Emba&s;|&s;adours unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to demand her in Marriage; you have doubtle&s;&s;e al&s;o heard, how that Prince did deny her, becau&s;e I was a &s;tranger; he I &s;ay, who did not need to in&s;i&s;t &s;o rigorou&s;ly upon that Law of the State nor ob&s;erved it &s;o preci&s;ely upon that occa&s;ion, &s;ince there was not a Prince in all <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> who was capable of marrying her. Since you know all the&s;e, Generous <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I will not trouble you with a more exact relation of them: I will onely be&s;eech yov will be plea&s;ed to a&s;&s;i&s;t me with your advice, what I &s;hall do in this unhappy condition which <HI>I</HI> am in: But that ye may the better do it, <HI>I</HI> will open my heart unto you, and tell you that <HI>I</HI> do mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionately love the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Man|dana;</HI> and though <HI>I</HI> am vanqui&s;hed, yet <HI>I</HI> cannot chu&s;e but de&s;ire to Reign in her heart. Tell me then, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you, what <HI>I</HI> &s;hould do, and what <HI>I</HI> &s;hould hope for; and wheth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes,</HI> can by his favour, his genero&s;ity, and his addre&s;&s;es finde an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> means to mollifie <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and bend the unflexible minde of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and whether h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> can make me a Conquerour in my fetters. <HI>I</HI> do know very well (added he) that <HI>I</HI> d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;peak without ground, and without rea&s;on: But what would you have a pa&s;&s;ionate amo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> rous man do? who can have no liberty without <HI>Mandana;</HI> who cares not for his life without
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leave to love her: who cannot think of any peace having &s;uch an inveterat war in his heart; nor &s;peak of any Ran&s;om unto a Prince, with whom he can have no treaty without <HI>Mandana;</HI> I do know al&s;o very well that I am uniu&s;t to &s;peak thus unto you, But gene|rous <HI>Artamenes,</HI> if you ever have loved, you will lament me as much as your &s;elf, and you will comfort me in my mi&s;ery, though you cannot cure it. My ma&s;ter harkned unto this di&s;cour&s;e with extream &s;adne&s;&s;e and di&s;plea&s;ure: He had a good mind to tell the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> that he could never have made choi&s;e of a more unfit man then him|&s;elf, to do him this office, and indeed to have told him the true cau&s;e, and by that means denyed his a&s;&s;i&s;tance: yet not knowing whether the Prince&s;&s;e would think well of it, therefore he would not take that cour&s;e, and therefore again&s;t his inclination he was forced to di&s;&s;emble the truth. The condition which you are in (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes</HI> unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> after he had a little thought upon it) doubtle&s;s is worthy of compa&s;&s;ion, and I do pitty you more in re&s;pect of the fetters which <HI>Mandana</HI> hath cau&s;ed, then in re|&s;pect of tho&s;e which fortune hath brought upon you by my hand: yet &s;ince it is the Prin|ce&s;&s;e who gave them unto you, it mu&s;t be &s;he only who can comfort you: and you demand that of <HI>Artamenes</HI> which he neither can or ought to &s;erve you in: Think not Sir, added he, that it is for want of Genero&s;ity which cau&s;eth me to do this; and believe, that if you did know me well, you would not &s;u&s;pect any &s;uch thing, but would acknowledg, that I do but what I ought to doe: yet to te&s;tifie, that I have a de&s;igne to acknowledg tho&s;e obligations which I have towards you, I do promi&s;e that I will endeavour to obtain an advantag<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ous peace for you from <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> which &s;hall be more advantagious then if you were not a Pri&s;oner: and I will not neglect any thing which may obtain your liberty: But as for the Prince&s;&s;e (&s;aid he) di&s;pence with me I be&s;eech you from doing you that office or &s;peaking unto her of your pa&s;&s;ion: &s;he is a Prince&s;&s;e who makes profe&s;&s;ion of &s;o much au&s;tere vertue; and there appears &s;o much maje&s;ty and mode&s;ty in her looks; that though I were the greate&s;t Prince upon Earth and &s;ate triumphant upon a throne, and &s;he before me in fetters: yet I think that I could not without trembling &s;peak unto her concerning love either for my &s;elf or for another: &s;o Sir, in that condition which fortune hath put you, I do not think it is a &s;ervice which I either can or ought to perform for you. I know very well replied the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> that I have done you wrong to move it: But Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes,</HI> what will become of me? &s;hall I die in my fetters without complaint? and can I not at lea&s;t obtain of you, a permi&s;&s;ion once to &s;ee the fair <HI>Mandana? Artamenes</HI> was then much perplexed: for notwith&s;tanding the high vertue of the Prince&s;&s;e, yet Jelou&s;ie did &s;ei&s;e upon his &s;oul: he &s;aw that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was a Prince, of a good Symetry, and of much &s;pirit: he imagined that this enterview could not, but cau&s;e him much di&s;plea&s;ure. Yet this fir&s;t thought was pre&s;ently corrected by a &s;econd which told him there was no fear of that: he told then the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> that if he would obtain this favour he mu&s;t &s;end unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who perhaps would not deny it. But Sir (&s;aid he to him) if you would take my advice you &s;hould not doe it: for indeed, what will the &s;ight of her advantage you? you will &s;ee her &s;o fair, that perhaps you will return more unhap|py then before. Ah <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> you know not how to love, or to &s;ay better, you were never loved? for know a&s;&s;uredly, that what all v&s;age &s;oever can be, how much &s;everity &s;oever appears in the eyes of the party loved: and how much cru|elty &s;oever &s;he can have in her heart: what cour&s;e Language &s;oever &s;he can give, yet the &s;ight of her has &s;ome &s;uch kind of &s;weetne&s;s in it which moves delight: And I do not know, whether an ill treated Lover who &s;ees the party which &s;o treats him, has not &s;ome more happy minuits, then a beloved Lover who is ab&s;ent from the party beloved. So ge|nerous <HI>Artamenes,</HI> if I can but obtain &s;o much happine&s;&s;e as only to &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> I &s;hall be much comforted, although &s;he give me not one obliging word: endevour &s;o, I coniure you, that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> do not deny me when I &s;end unto him concerning it. I have told you Sir already, replied <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that I know not how to meddle with any thing which re|lates unto the Prince&s;&s;e: all that I can do is to endeavour your liberty; and that, I will &s;o ardently &s;olicit, as you &s;hall know by that how <HI>Artamenes</HI> would acquit him&s;elf of that duty and &s;ervice which he owes you: and if he do refu&s;e any thing els which you de&s;ire of him, it is becau&s;e he has invincible rea&s;ons which prevents him; do you not con&s;ider Sir, (&s;aid he further unto him) that I am a meer &s;tranger in <HI>Cappadocia?</HI> that I have no more power then what my &s;word gives me? and that this which you de&s;ire of me is a bu&s;ine&s;s which I neither can nor ought to &s;erve you in? The King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> though he was mo&s;t ignorant of the true rea&s;on, which moved <HI>Artamenes</HI> to deny him, yet did very well re|ceive
<PB N="44" REF="107">
his excu&s;es; and knowing that he de&s;ired &s;uch things as were apparently impo&s;&s;ible, excepting the &s;ight of the Prince&s;&s;e which he hoped to obtain, he asked pardon of <HI>Artame|nes</HI> for moving him with unrea&s;onable de&s;ires, and as my Ma&s;ter told him, that he &s;hould ere long know by his endeavouring his liberty, that he would do all which was fit for him to do; this Amorous Prince de&s;ired him not to make &s;o much ha&s;t; for (&s;aid he to him) I make it a que&s;tion, whether it is better to be a pri&s;oner in <HI>Sinope,</HI> or to be free upon the throne of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and <HI>Bithynia.</HI> After this <HI>Artamenes</HI> left the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> with much perplexity, and almo&s;t as much troubled as if <HI>Mandana</HI> had under&s;tood all that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had told him, and as if &s;he had &s;eemed to be much moved at it: As he went from thence, he went to the King, who bad him very welcom, and held him long in pri|vat di&s;cour&s;e: the King told him, that he did owe unto him all the glory of his Kingdom, and did attribute unto him all the favours which he received from heaven. He di&s;cour&s;ed concerning his own marriage with the Queen of <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> of all his intanglings which he ever had with the Princes his neighbours, and what happy i&s;&s;ues he had from them all: of his good fortune to have the Prince&s;&s;e his daughter, &s;o rarely accompli&s;hed as <HI>Manda|na</HI> was: then he exactly related all that the <HI>Magi</HI> had &s;aid concerning the birth of the &s;on to the King of <HI>Per&s;ia:</HI> the menaces unto all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> particularly to the King of <HI>Medes:</HI> How <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> was perplexed: how great was his joy when he was credibly informed <HI>Cyrus</HI> was drowned. But <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid he then unto him) you ought al&s;o to rejoyce at his lo&s;s, and go into the Temple to offer &s;acrifice of thanks unto the gods for his death as well as wee: for indeed &s;ince he had the &s;tars on his &s;ide, if he had lived he would have di&s;pu|ted with you for a &s;hare in your victories, &s;ince he could not make him&s;elf ma&s;ter of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> without being your conqueror. <HI>Artamenes</HI> blu&s;ht at this di&s;cour&s;e, but <HI>Ciaxares</HI> believed it was out of mode&s;ty becau&s;e of the prai&s;es which he had given him, therefore went on with his di&s;cour&s;e, and repeated all the obligations in which he was bound unto him: I leave you to Judg Sir, whether my Ma&s;ter had not enough wherewith to entertain his thoughts withall when he returned from him. He &s;aw the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was ex|treamly in love: but although one cannot love a Rival, yet this Rivall moved him to com|pa&s;&s;ion, though it was with much vexation. That which did mo&s;t trouble him, was the maner wherewith <HI>Ciaxares</HI> expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf: and from thence he concluded, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not in a condition, to ri&s;e out of his Tomb, though the Prince&s;&s;e her &s;elf &s;hould con|&s;ent unto it: &s;o that he was extreamly perplexed at it. The next morning <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent to &s;eek him, and carried him to the Temple, where he &s;aw the &s;econd time, thanks given un|to the Gods for his death: But in lieu of giving thanks (like the re&s;t) &s;o unece&s;&s;ary and ill grounded, he rendred thanks becau&s;e that &s;ame &s;acrifice for his death, was the originall of his love: Imagin Sir, if any thing could be more &s;trangely odd, then to &s;ee true <HI>Cirus</HI> under the fals name of <HI>Artamenes</HI> pre&s;ent at this ceremony. He told me afterwards, that he was often moved, to ca&s;t him&s;elf at the feet of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> in the middle of the Temple, and to make him&s;elf known who he was: but fearing the di&s;plea&s;ure of the Prince&s;&s;e he for|bore, and &s;tood dumb all the time of the ceremony: it was &s;ome Joy unto him, that <HI>Man|dana</HI> &s;aigning her &s;elf not well, would not be pre&s;ent and a&s;&s;i&s;t, &s;he not having power to hear them &s;peak of a dead Prince whom &s;he knew was living. This faigned excu&s;e of <HI>Mandana's</HI> did furni&s;h my Ma&s;ter with a pretence to vi&s;it her: he went thither as &s;oon as he returned from the Temple: and finding her upon her bed, having none with her but her women, who could not hear what he &s;aid, they keeping at a re&s;pective di&s;tance: I come Madam (&s;aid he to her in a low voice) to give you thanks, becau&s;e you came not to thank the Gods for the death of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and I come al&s;o to ask you, how long I mu&s;t be ignorant, whether I mu&s;t Live or whether I mu&s;t Die? without all que&s;tion, (replied the Prince&s;s) I would have you live, and I would have you live happily: but to tell you truth I do not &s;ee any appearance of it. Why Madam (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> am I wor&s;e in your favour then I was? No, (replied &s;he) but I do not &s;ee that you are more in favour with fortune: for indeed, the &s;acrifice from whence you came, does hint unto you, that the Kings re&s;ent|ments continue as they were; &s;o that you may very well doubt, whether, maugre all your &s;ervices you can without danger di&s;cover what you are, not that I ever ob&s;erved tho&s;e violent motions in the mind of the King which they &s;ay the mind of <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> was po|&s;e&s;&s;ed with: But my fears are le&s;t, if you &s;hould di&s;cover your &s;elf, the King of <HI>Medes</HI> &s;hould demand you of his &s;on; and that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;hould not have power to refu&s;e you unto a Prince who gave him life: Let then unhappy <HI>Cyrus</HI> remain in his grave (then an|&s;wered my Ma&s;ter) and let happy <HI>Artamenes</HI> live with you. The Prince&s;&s;e hearing him
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&s;peak &s;o, leaned upon her right arm, and looking upon him, with a mo&s;t obliging eye, though mo&s;t mode&s;tly; The Gods are my witne&s;&s;e (&s;aid &s;he unto him) if I have not a greater e&s;teem of your vertue then I have for any other; and if I do not retain in my heart, &s;uch an acknowledgement and tenderne&s;&s;e of you, as cannot be but it mu&s;t be ac|companied with much good will: But indeed <HI>Artamenes,</HI> Rea&s;on mu&s;t be predominate, and we mu&s;t not con&s;ider &s;o much tho&s;e things which do plea&s;e us, as tho&s;e which ought to plea&s;e us; and therefore although your conver&s;ation be mo&s;t delighting unto me, and the manner of your loving me does give full &s;atisfaction to my vertue, yet notwith&s;tanding, I am forced to tell you, that if within the compa&s;&s;e of three moneths, (and I doubt this terme is too long) you cannot contrive a cour&s;e which will be apparent unto me, you may revive <HI>Cyrus</HI> out of his grave without danger unto him, then you mu&s;t return into <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> and live there happily if you can, and &s;trive to forget <HI>Mandana,</HI> le&s;t &s;he &s;hould di&s;turb your tranquillity: But <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him, without giving him leave to interrupt her) to remove all cau&s;es of complaint, know that during this three moneths time which I allot you, I will contribute unto your good fortune as much as I can, and as much as ever hand&s;omene&s;&s;e will permit me. I will a&s;i&s;t you with my be&s;t advice; I will endeavour to di&s;cover the Kings minde; I will informe you by what expedients you may perhaps, gain <HI>Aribeus,</HI> who hath a great prevalence with him; and I will not neglect any thing which I can po&s;&s;ibly and rea&s;onably do for your &s;atisfaction; if notwith&s;tanding all this, the Law of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> be not an invincible ob&s;tacle unto your de&s;igne, and that the quality of a &s;tranger be not incompatible with the Kings re&s;entment: But when all is done, if both your endeavours and mine become fru&s;trate, then you mu&s;t (&s;aid &s;he, and changed colour) re&s;olve your &s;elf for an eternal &s;eparation; and rea&s;on mu&s;t ab&s;olutely triumph over all which would re&s;i&s;t it. What Madam (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> will you bani&s;h me? and ba|ni&s;h me for ever? Forbear your complaints (&s;aid &s;he to him) until the time come, that there be cau&s;e, and think not your &s;elf unhappy till you be &s;o. To &s;ee (replied my Ma&s;ter) that you can re&s;olve to make me &s;o, is to be &s;o already: for indeed Madam, if I were as much in your minde as I might be, you would have more indulgence towards my love, and you could not re&s;olve to de&s;troy for ever a Prince who adores you with an unequalled re|verence, and who will infallibly die, as &s;oon as he is &s;eparated from you. I de&s;ire you once more (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e to him) not to vex your &s;elf unprofitably; and do not mollifie my heart untill there be &s;ome need of it: be contented, that I am con&s;trained to bani&s;h you, and that I do it not with much &s;orrow; and that I was not more di&s;plea&s;ed at the re|port of your death, then I &s;hall be at your ab&s;ence: But however <HI>Artamenes,</HI> Glory is to be preferred before all things, and as long as I do not &s;trive again&s;t you, but rather to give you all &s;atisfaction, you have not ju&s;t cau&s;e to complain of me. <HI>Artamenes</HI> knew well that he neither could nor ought to hope for any more from &s;uch a one as <HI>Mandana;</HI> and though he ought to prepare his minde for it, yet he could not chu&s;e but be very much grieved at it: She knew how to comfort him &s;o &s;weetly in his &s;orrows, by the heavenly charms of her conver&s;ation; that he preferred the evils which he &s;uffered as a &s;ervant unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> before all felicity he could enjoy without her. He began then to follow <HI>Ciaxares</HI> more closely then before: He courted <HI>Aribeus,</HI> contrary to his own inclination, with more dili|gence, and neglected nothing which might get him a good e&s;teem in the Court, &s;o that though he &s;hould di&s;cover him&s;elf, they would not think of de&s;troying him: And &s;o it was, that he was univer&s;ally beloved, and &s;o much, that the extraordinary care he took did not create him any new &s;ervants, nor augment the zeal of tho&s;e he had before, &s;o great was their zeal already. In the mean time, the man who <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;ent to carry the Jewels unto the daughter of that Lady who mi&s;took him for <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and who had &s;o charitably entertained him, returned unto <HI>Sinope,</HI> who informed <HI>Artamenes</HI> that there was like to be a new war in <HI>Bithynia:</HI> he further told him, that he found the Ca&s;tle invi|roned with many Souldiers; and that when he had &s;poken unto that Lady, &s;he was ex|treamly &s;urprized to &s;ee the Jewels which he had to pre&s;ent unto her daughter: That at the fir&s;t &s;he doubted whether &s;he &s;hould &s;uffer her to accept of them; but in conclu&s;ion &s;he did permit her; That at his taking leave of her, &s;he be&s;towed a very rich pre&s;ent upon him, and charged him to tell <HI>Artamenes,</HI> after &s;he did with a&s;toni&s;hment under&s;tand it was he, that the King her husband was endeavouring to put him&s;elf into &s;uch a condition, as that hereafter he might be able to retaliate his liberality; and to make <HI>Spitridates</HI> his &s;on, who had the honour to re&s;emble him: worthy of that re&s;emblance: This man told <HI>Artamenes</HI> further; that in his returne, he &s;aw all the Countrey full of Souldiers, and that &s;ome of
<PB N="46" REF="108">
them had &s;tayed him for &s;ome certain dayes, which was the rea&s;on he did return no &s;ooner. Two hours after his arrival, there came certain news from <HI>Artaxes,</HI> that all <HI>Bithynia</HI> was in rebellion, and <HI>Pontus</HI> about to be the like; and that the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> was compelled to retreat, becau&s;e that <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> King of <HI>Lydia</HI> was entred with an Army into his Domini|ons, and that a great part of his Forces did change Ma&s;ters, and &s;ided with tho&s;e who moved the people to revolt, and who in truth had much right unto the Crown of <HI>Bithynia.</HI> In conclu&s;ion, they knew <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> husband unto that Lady who had treated <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;o well when he was wounded, and who took him for <HI>Spitridates</HI> her &s;on, was in the head of a very con&s;iderable Army; and that if the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> were not &s;oon &s;et at liber|ty, and to take &s;ome cour&s;e to oppo&s;e his Conque&s;ts, not onely <HI>Bithynia,</HI> which his father had u&s;urped, would be lo&s;t, but <HI>Pontus</HI> al&s;o which was legitimately his, would be in the &s;ame condition. It was reported that the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> was about new Levies in his Countrey: but yet the reports went al&s;o that he would have his hands full of war again&s;t the King of <HI>Lydia:</HI> In&s;omuch as it was apparent that there would fall an infallible revo|lution upon the Kingdoms of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Bithynia,</HI> if they were not pre&s;ently remedied. <HI>Artamenes,</HI> finding a good opportunity to oblige the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and acquit him&s;elf of his promi&s;e to him, and al&s;o to procure his departure from <HI>Sinope,</HI> where he was not very glad to &s;ee him, did be&s;eech the King that he would not onely give him his liberty, but al&s;o that he would lend him &s;ome Forces wherewith to reduce his Subjects unto their obedience. He repre&s;ented unto the King, that it would be much more glorious for him, and advantagious al&s;o to do &s;o, then to detain him a Pri&s;oner: Since if it &s;hould &s;o fall out, that he &s;hould lo&s;e his two Kingdoms, as very likely he was, then he would not be able to pay his Ran&s;om; but would be either forced to keep him alwayes, or el&s;e cruelly to deliver him, in a time when it was too late, and when there was no hopes to get into the Throne. Moreover, he told him that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was generous, and that ob|liging him thus gallantly, he could run no hazard of danger. In conclu&s;ion, as <HI>Artame|nes</HI> was alwayes very prevalent with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and could per&s;wade him unto any thing he plea&s;ed; &s;o, the King conde&s;cended unto his de&s;ire, upon condition, notwith&s;tanding, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;hould deliver into his hands, two con&s;iderable places, which yet held unto his &s;ide; and that he &s;hould &s;olemnly promi&s;e, never to make any war again&s;t <HI>Cap|padocia. Artamenes</HI> having obtained his &s;uit, went pre&s;ently to the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who was already informed of his misfortunes, but knew no remedy: He no &s;ooner &s;aw my Ma|&s;ter, but going to him, with much con&s;tancy, though with much melancholy; Generous <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid he to him) if in lo&s;ing the Crown of <HI>Bithynia,</HI> you had conquered it, I &s;hould not be &s;o &s;ad as I am; but that my mo&s;t mortall enemies &s;hould triumph over my misfortunes, I confe&s;&s;e that I have not patience to endure it without complaint, nor can I chu&s;e but much de&s;ire that liberty, which I have de&s;ired you to obtain for me. Sir (an|&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> as it is my u&s;e to do what I ought, &s;o I have effected your demands, and perhaps above your de&s;ires, for I do not know, whether I have not gone further then you de&s;ired. My Ma&s;ter then told him what he had done with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and how by this Article not to make any more war upon <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> it was to be tacitely under&s;tood, not to pretend any more unto the Prince&s;&s;e: As this was rea&s;onable, &s;o he did not murmur; he grieved in &s;ecret without complaint, and thanked <HI>Artamenes</HI> very civilly for his Gene|ro&s;ity: he extreamly extolled this great Act, and thanked him who brought it to pa&s;&s;e. If ever I come unto my Throne again, generous <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid he to him) I &s;hall owe unto you all my glory, and all my good fortune: and I do prote&s;t unto you, that if I can conquer again the Kingdom of <HI>Bithynia,</HI> it &s;hall be your fault onely, if you do not as ab|&s;olutely command it as my &s;elf: you are no more a <HI>Cappadocian</HI> (&s;aid he to him) then you are a <HI>Pontean,</HI> &s;o that without offence unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> I may well hope for the &s;ame happine&s;&s;e and advantage which he hath: he hath nothing now to do, but to live in peace, and I am in a way of war, and for this rea&s;on, I beleeve, that my wi&s;h is not unju&s;t, nor will di&s;plea&s;e you. Sir (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> I am much obliged unto you for the&s;e ad|vantagious re&s;entments you have of me: But Sir, if you knew me more particularly, you would quickly change your minde; and therefore &s;ince you know me no better, I will not abu&s;e you in your error, nor receive tho&s;e favours from you, which doubtle&s;&s;e you would repent of afterwards: And though, it is true, I am not born a Subject unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> yet I am &s;o tied unto his &s;ervice by many &s;trong rea&s;ons and obligations, that I can never be di&s;ingaged from him. After the fir&s;t apprehen&s;ions of joy in the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> mind were pa&s;&s;ed over; joy I &s;ay, for the liberty which he had obtained, and for tho&s;e Auxi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ra|ries
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which were offered him, Love then began to take a place in his heart; and he could not forbear &s;ome expre&s;&s;ions and &s;ignes of his weakne&s;s, and in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> grieved at tho&s;e great nece&s;&s;ities which oppre&s;&s;ed him: for (&s;aid he) as long as I am in pri&s;on, I do know very well, that I ought not to pretend unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana;</HI> and that if I remain in them, I &s;hall be &s;till in the kingdom &s;o by con&s;equence, far off from any pretentions to her: But (generous <HI>Artamenes)</HI> in ca&s;ting off the&s;e fetters wherein you have enchained me, I mu&s;t al&s;o ca&s;t off tho&s;e which I received from the faire <HI>Mandana,</HI> at lea&s;t weare them in &s;ecret: and alas in hiding them they are not le&s;s heavie, nor &s;hall I be le&s;s her &s;lave: <HI>Artamenes</HI> did know well how to an&s;wer this di&s;cour&s;e: all he could do was hand&s;omly to divert it, and to &s;peak of war in lieu of love: yet &s;ince things did very vrgently require it, he gave orders for the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> departure within a few dayes: and this Prince not being able to depart, till he had &s;poke with the Prince&s;&s;e, and took his leave of her, &s;ent to be&s;eech <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> that he would not deny him that favour: <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who was pre&s;ent with the King when this permi&s;&s;ion was de&s;ired, had a good mind to oppo&s;e it, yet dur&s;t not: Yet he was much puzzled to re&s;olve, whether he &s;hould be pre&s;ent at this enterview or not: yet notwith&s;tanding all the indi&s;po&s;ition he had to it, yet he would be a witne&s;s of it: he was in much fear that he &s;hould not be able to re&s;train him&s;elf; yet at the la&s;t could not chu&s;e but go: The permi&s;&s;ion of the Prince&s;&s;e, concerning this vi&s;it was asked; &s;he had no great fancy unto it; yet <HI>Ciaxares</HI> having promi&s;ed it, there was no re|medy; but remembring his gallant deportment unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;he re&s;olved therefore to treat him civilly. The day of this Princes departure being come, all the Ladies, and all the court, who were appointed &s;o to do, did then wait upon the Prince&s;&s;e: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was as diligent as any to be there, and doubtle&s;s as ob&s;ervant of all the pa&s;&s;ages in this enterview as any. Since this Treatie between the&s;e two Kings was &s;igned by both parties, the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> if he &s;o plea&s;ed being compri&s;ed; and all the pri&s;oners relea&s;ed, al&s;o the two Kings &s;worn in the Temple to ob&s;erve the Articles, and to live in peace with each other; the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> did not then addre&s;&s;e him&s;elf as a pri&s;oner unto the prince&s;&s;e, but as a free Prince: and waited upon by the officers of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> as he him&s;elf was: this Prince was one of an admirable pre&s;ence, and then very &s;umptuous in Apparel: The Prince&s;&s;e, who perhaps would not have been &s;o indulgent to him but in re&s;pect of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> was but very ordinarily dre&s;&s;ed, nor did &s;he need to be better, for &s;he appeared that day &s;o admirably fair, as that &s;he quite darkned the faire&s;t and mo&s;t glorious in all the company; the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> &s;aluted her with much reverence, and &s;he received him with as much civility, &s;he would have given him the precedencie, but he would not receive it? he took that place which was next the Prince&s;&s;e, &s;aying with a hand&s;om grace, that it was not fit a pri&s;oner of <HI>Artamenes</HI> (in looking upon my Ma&s;ter and &s;miling) to &s;it in the place of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Man|dana.</HI> Do not think Sir, (&s;aid &s;he to him) that your Conqueror de&s;ires to change either Rank or Condition with you; he is too generous to de&s;ire that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;hould not enjoy all tho&s;e honours which his birth hath Confer'd upon him. I wi&s;h to the Gods Madam, (replied this Prince &s;miling,) that every one who&s;e fetters I weare, would treat me as well as <HI>Artamenes</HI> doth, for if they did, I &s;hould not be in that condition I am, to wit perpetually a &s;lave, and unfortunate. I do not wonder (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e) that all they which goe to war, do not all take pri&s;oners, &s;ince then every one mu&s;t have great courage, and all be fortunate; But I do confe&s;&s;e I think it very &s;trange, that all they who do take them do not u&s;e them well: For my part I a&s;&s;ure you Sir, that by my con&s;ent, they &s;hould not wear their fetters long, but &s;hould pre&s;ently enjoy their Liberty. I doubt not Madam (replied the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> but you are full of pitty; but Madam, there are a &s;ort of cap|tives who&s;e liberty does not depend upon the wills of their conquerors, and who are ever pri&s;oners in a pri&s;on with out any gates, grates or guards. Tho&s;e who are of that humour (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) mu&s;t patiently &s;uffer that misfortune for which there is no remedy, &amp; complain of none but them&s;elves. I know &s;ome Madam, (replied the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> which have been u&s;ed to what you &s;ay, &amp; without accu&s;ing you of tho&s;e evils which they endure, &amp; do prepare them&s;elves to &s;uffer them as long as they live: I &s;hould be very &s;orry &s;aid &s;he, that &s;o great a Prince as you, &s;hould have any ju&s;t cau&s;e to complain of me, but if my memory do not much fail me, I behaved my &s;elf all the while you were in the court of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> with as much Civility as was due unto a &s;on of the King of <HI>Pontus.</HI> I do acknowledg it Madam (replied this Prince) but yet I make a doubt whether you have treated me as well &s;ince I came unto the Crown, as before, I would have you think (replied the Prince&s;&s;e)
<PB N="48" REF="109">
that you have &s;ome cau&s;e to complain of your &s;elf, &s;ince you have declared war again&s;t us; but I have much a doe to per&s;wade my &s;elf, that you had any rea&s;on for doing &s;o. If I did commit a fault (replied this Prince) I have been &s;ufficiently puni&s;hed for it: I have lo&s;t &s;everall Battels; I have lo&s;t my liberty: and I am in a way to lo&s;e both my king|domes: yet Madam, I &s;hould think all the&s;e but &s;mall, if I could but be &s;o happy as to gain any room in your e&s;teem: I know very well Madam, that &s;ince I have lo&s;t the&s;e Bat|tles and appear but as a &s;lave before you, are &s;uch things as &s;eem not to merit that honour: But yet con&s;ider Madam, that the glory of my conqueror, does le&s;&s;en the &s;hame for my de|feat, and though conquered and pri&s;oner as I am, let me not offend the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> if I begg a little room in her e&s;teem, &s;ince I mu&s;t never pretend more unto her affection. Be not Madam le&s;&s;e generous then the King your father, and the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes.</HI> The la&s;t of the&s;e did ask my liberty, and the other granted it: Refu&s;e not then the favour which I beg of you, and do me &s;o much honour to believe, that ever &s;ince the fir&s;t minuite I &s;aw you, I have as much e&s;teem and all the veneration of you than can be imagined: Indeed Madam, I adored you before I was a King: I did the &s;ame when I was owner of two Kingdomes; and I continued it al&s;o in declaring war again&s;t the King of <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> I did not repent of it when I was all wounds, and &s;wam in my own blood; and I retained the &s;ame thoughts whil&s;t I was in tho&s;e fetters, which the clemency of the King your father has freed me from; and I &s;hall ever keep them, whether my &s;word do win me my Scepter again, or whether it cau&s;e me to lo&s;e my Crownes: and as long as life is in me I mu&s;t love you Ma|dam with a mo&s;t re&s;pectfull and violent pa&s;&s;ion: now you know that, Madam, which I had a mo&s;t earne&s;t de&s;ire once in my life to tell you: and which &s;ince told will make me die &s;omthing le&s;&s;e unhappy: &s;ince my love is well known throughout all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> though I never told it you but in the Language of my eyes; I do not fear that this &s;peaking thus boldly unto you, and before &s;o great a company, will offend you; and &s;ince I know that my Pro|tector (&s;aid he in looking upon <HI>Artamenes)</HI> has &s;om credit with you, I &s;hall hope that in con|&s;ideration of him, and after his example you will not in&s;ult over my misfortunes, nor &s;peak har&s;h things unto him concerning me, &s;ince it is the la&s;t time that perhaps I &s;hall ever have the honour to &s;peak unto you. <HI>Artamenes</HI> harkened unto this di&s;cour&s;e with as much vex|ation in his mind as was imaginable: he looked upon the Prince&s;s; he looked upon his Rivall; and though he could not perfectly know the thoughts of <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet he thought them &s;omthing too favourable to the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and was often in a mind to mingle conver&s;e with them, although the quality in which he did appear did not permit him &s;o to doe: yet he was very glad to hear it from the mouth of his Rivall, that he had never &s;poke of his love unto <HI>Mandana:</HI> But he was in &s;ome di&s;order to hear tho&s;e high Commendations which he gave her, and knew very well that his love did render their friend&s;hip impo&s;&s;ible. In conclu&s;ion, after the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had done &s;peaking, the Prince&s;s, who ro&s;e at the &s;ame time he did, lifting up her eyes and blu&s;hing a little: I do not know (&s;aid &s;he) whether it be the fa&s;hion of all young Princes to colour their Ambiti|on with a more gallant pa&s;&s;ion, or whether it be only a &s;imple de&s;ire of glory, but I am cer|tain that you do give me a great &s;ubject for my vanity, and a great cau&s;e to complain of you: For Sir, I cannot deny, but that it is very advantagious for me to be e&s;teemed by a Prince who is accompli&s;hed with &s;o many excellent qualities: and I mu&s;t al&s;o tell you, that I have &s;ome rea&s;on to accu&s;e you, and perhaps to puni&s;h you too, for &s;peaking unto me as you have done: But Sir, (&s;aid &s;he to him) I will take all that you have told me as I ought to do, and will be &s;o far from u&s;ing you ill, that I do prote&s;t it &s;hall not be long of me, if you do not depart from this court, as free in your mind as in your body, and if my prayers would conduce any thing, to &s;et you in your throne again, (notwith&s;tanding all that is pa&s;&s;|ed) you &s;hould not want them: Madam (an&s;wered the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> I had rather you had harkened unto my prayers, then to inploy yours in my behalf, but that is not a thing to be thought upon, further then to puni&s;h me for my ra&s;hne&s;s in daring to love the mo&s;t glo|rious Prince&s;&s;e upon earth: After this, the Prince&s;s an&s;wered and he replied again, then he took his leave and went out: <HI>Artamenes</HI> knew not whether he &s;hould &s;tay with the Prin|ce&s;s or follow this Prince: he feared le&s;t the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> &s;hould ob&s;erve his vexation, and he was apprehen&s;ive le&s;t <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould perceive his Jealou&s;ie and be offended at it: So that to expo&s;e him&s;elf unto neither of the&s;e hazards, he went fir&s;t unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and and pre&s;ently after, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> returned to bid adieu. This word adieu, put the mind of <HI>Artamenes</HI> into its accu&s;tomed tranquillity, out of his apprehen&s;ions of Joy to &s;ee his Rivall packing, &s;o that he began to behave him&s;elf with much civility towards him: <HI>Ci|axares</HI>
<PB N="49" REF="109">
did treat him very well at parting, &amp; gave him a hundred hor&s;e for his convoy unto the campe; &amp; &s;ent orders unto <HI>Artaxes,</HI> commanding the army to obey this prince, &amp; to put a garri&s;on into tho&s;e two places, which the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was to deliver up unto the King of <HI>Cappadocia. Artamenes,</HI> waited upon by all the Court, did conduct the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> a good way out of the Town; and although he was his Rival, and entertained &s;ome &s;parks of jealou&s;ie of him; yet this Prince, did te&s;tifie &s;o much friend&s;hip unto my Ma&s;ter at parting, that he could not forbear being much moved with him: Yet after his departure, <HI>Artamenes</HI> was in a much happier condition, then he could have beleeved: For &s;ince the Prince&s;&s;e knew his Quality and his affection, and &s;uffered him to &s;ee her often: &s;ince he had no <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> to torment him; &s;ince the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was gone, never to return again, he thought him&s;elf &s;ometimes in the height of happine&s;&s;e; and &s;ometimes al&s;o he was not without his vexations of minde: For when all was done, he mu&s;t di&s;cover him&s;elf what he was, and expo&s;e him&s;elf unto the violent humours of <HI>A&s;tyages,</HI> and perhaps unto the anger of <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> Yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;ince the one of them was far off, and the other &s;eemed to love him very well, the hopes of his heart were above his fears, and he &s;eemed never to be &s;o well &s;atisfied. Now &s;ince peace brought joy thorowout all <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> there was nothing to be &s;een in all the Court, but diver&s;ions, and entertainments; and my Ma|&s;ter was no le&s;&s;e frollick and gallant among the Ladies, then he was couragious in warre, and prudent in Councels. The King went at that time unto the plea&s;ant Town of <HI>Ama|&s;ia,</HI> which as you know is &s;eated upon the river of <HI>Iris,</HI> and afterwards went unto the &s;tately Town of <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> where he &s;tayed, as well becau&s;e he had &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e there, as becau&s;e indeed the Prince&s;&s;e did love that place. For as the river <HI>Thormodon,</HI> which wa|&s;hes the feet of the walls, is one of the mo&s;t plea&s;ant Rivers of the World, &s;he took great delight in walking upon the Banks; and my Ma&s;ter had the honour oftentimes to wait up|on her, and found fit opportunities to give her a hundred te&s;timonies of his amorous and re&s;pectfull pa&s;&s;ion. Thus did he live in much &s;weetne&s;&s;e of minde, during all the three moneths which was allotted him; during which time he had gained him &s;uch a powerfull e&s;teem in the heart of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> that he was in &s;ome hopes he might di&s;cover him&s;elf without any danger. He asked coun&s;el of his deare&s;t Prince&s;&s;e, who hardly dur&s;t give it unto him, &s;ince &s;he feared to expo&s;e him unto any danger that was &s;o dear unto her: yet &s;he forced him to take that re&s;olution, by her often remembring him, how the time &s;he gave him drew on, and that he mu&s;t either try &s;ome cour&s;e, or re&s;olve to depart. There needed no more to move <HI>Artamenes</HI> to hazard all, rather then leave his Prince&s;&s;e; There|fore after he had took his leave of her, as if &s;he were going to die (being uncertain how <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would receive him) he went &s;traight to the King, with intention to tell him he was <HI>Cyrus:</HI> and al&s;o to tell him, that the love which he bore unto the Prince&s;&s;e, though &s;he did not know it, had forced him to &s;tay in this di&s;gui&s;e within this Court. As he went un|to <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> one of his Officers told him that the King had received &s;ome news from <HI>A&s;tyages</HI> which troubled him very much, and that he had orders to go &s;eek the Prince&s;&s;e, to tell her &s;he mu&s;t come unto the King: <HI>Artamenes</HI> hearing this, beleeved that it was &s;ome people that were in rebellion, not imagining it could be any thing el&s;e: But how|ever, he thought that day not a fit time to di&s;cover him&s;elf; and that it were more fit the Prince&s;&s;e were advertized of this, le&s;t being &s;ent for by the King, &s;he &s;hould be too much &s;urprized, and imagine that it was becau&s;e he had di&s;covered him&s;elf, and &s;o &s;he might perhaps &s;peak &s;omething which might prejudice them&s;elves; he turned then pre&s;ently, and told the Kings Officer, that he &s;hould be very glad to conduct the Prince&s;&s;e unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> &s;ince &s;he mu&s;t come, and de&s;ired him, that it might be his Commi&s;&s;ion to bring her. This man knowing what favour my Ma&s;ter was in, con&s;ented unto his de&s;ire, and told him him he would &s;tay in the outer Chamber, and not &s;hew him&s;elf unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> untill he brought the Prince&s;&s;e. <HI>Artamenes</HI> went then to her Chamber, and told her his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, letting her under&s;tand, by the way as they went, that he mu&s;t needs defer the execution of his de&s;igne untill he knew what was the cau&s;e of the Kings perplexity. When they came into his clo&s;et, they found him walking alone; yet he no &s;ooner &s;aw them but &s;topt; and addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech unto the Prince&s;&s;e. You had rea&s;on daughter (&s;aid he with an al|tered countenance) to ab&s;ent your &s;elf from the la&s;t &s;acrifice of thanks unto the Gods for the death of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;ince all was unprofitably rendred; and if I had known then, what I know now, I &s;hould have changed the intention of the Sacrifice. The Prince&s;&s;e and <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> both, were mightily &s;urprized at this di&s;cour&s;e, and thought verily that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> did not onely know how <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in his Court, but al&s;o in his Clo&s;et. <HI>Mandana</HI> repen|ted
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of tho&s;e favours &s;he had di&s;pen&s;ed unto my Ma&s;ter, and prepared to ju&s;tifie her &s;elf unto <HI>Ciaxares. Artamenes</HI> for his part, he was de&s;perate to ob&s;erve by the Prince&s;&s;e countenance, how much &s;he was troubled, and out of his exce&s;&s;e of love, he took more thought for her &s;orrow, then for all the danger whereunto he thought him&s;elf expo&s;ed. But &s;eeing that <HI>Mandana</HI> had not power to &s;peak, and that the King began to walk again, as if he under&s;tood that he had told them enough. Sir (replied my Ma&s;ter) have tho&s;e who have told you that <HI>Cyrus</HI> is living, told you that he hath any ill de&s;ignes again&s;t <HI>Me|dea,</HI> or <HI>Cappadocia?</HI> There needs no more (replied <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> but the knowledge of what the <HI>Magi</HI> (who are the mo&s;t knowing men of all <HI>A&s;ia)</HI> have pre&s;aged and told us concerning <HI>Cyrus:</HI> We mu&s;t therefore (&s;aid he) endeavour to finde a remedy again&s;t an evil, which is yet not gone &s;o far but it may be prevented; and &s;ince the good or bad Fate of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> depends upon the life or the death of one man, we mu&s;t do all we can, to bring him into &s;uch a condition, as that we may be able to di&s;po&s;e of his life or of his death without any danger. <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as I under&s;tand from the King my father (added he, in &s;topping, and looking upon the Prince&s;&s;e) is not at this pre&s;ent in the Head of an Army of a hundred thou&s;and men: therefore daughter (&s;aid he to her) I am not much troubled at him; and unle&s;&s;e I be very much mis&s;taken, he will not do us &s;o much hurt as is threat|ned. At the&s;e words <HI>Artamenes</HI> verily beleeving that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> knew all the truth of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, was upon the point of a&s;&s;uring him, that he would an&s;wer for the fidelity of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> when the Prince&s;&s;e interrupting him; Sir (&s;aid &s;he to the King) let us hope that the Gods, who are the Authors of all goodne&s;&s;e, will not &s;uffer all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> to be overthrown; but perhaps they will be &s;o indulgent to us, that at a le&s;&s;e rate then at the life of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> they will &s;uffer us to enjoy the felicity of your Reign, in quietne&s;&s;e. I will beleeve it Daughter (replied the King) for as long as <HI>Cyrus</HI> does not appear with Arms in his hands, he will conquer no Provinces nor Kingdoms: and though we &s;hould &s;ee him in the head of an Army, yet look upon him here, (&s;aid he, and embraced my Ma&s;ter) who we will turn loo&s;e unto him, and who I am certain will prevent his Conque&s;t of all <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> The Prin|ce&s;&s;e and <HI>Artamenes</HI> were yet &s;urprized at what the King &s;aid, as much as they were at the beginning of his di&s;cour&s;e, but yet they were much better plea&s;ed. <HI>Mandana</HI> who dur&s;t never lift up her eyes till now, looked upon my Ma&s;ter, who to confirme the King in that opinion which he had of him, Yes Sir, (&s;aid he unto <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> as long as <HI>Artamenes</HI> is <HI>Artamenes,</HI> you never need to fear <HI>Cyrus,</HI> although he were in the Head of an Army of a hundred thou&s;and men; and I am infinitely obliged unto your Maje&s;ty, for that good opinion which you conceive of me. I cannot have too great a one (replied <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> and if the Gods had not &s;ent you unto my A&s;&s;i&s;tance, I &s;hould be much more then I am troubled at what the King my father hath &s;ent unto me. Then he began to tell the Prin|ce&s;&s;e and <HI>Artamenes,</HI> how <HI>Astyages</HI> had &s;ent him word, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;een in <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> and a little after he pa&s;&s;ed into <HI>Medea,</HI> and that he went towards <HI>Bithynia</HI> and <HI>Pontus:</HI> How <HI>A&s;tyages</HI> had again con&s;ulted with the <HI>Magi,</HI> who a&s;&s;ured him more confidently then ever, that the &s;ubver&s;ion of all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> would happen mo&s;t infallibly, if they did not &s;ome way or other appea&s;e the Gods: Moreover, <HI>Astyages</HI> had &s;ent him word, how he had proclaimed a Command in all places within his obedience, to arre&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> if they could finde him, and to bring him unto him either alive or dead; promi&s;ing great recompen&s;es unto any that could either take him or kill him: To effect which, he had cau&s;ed to be publi&s;hed, the ea&s;i|er to know him, that he wore black Arms, that upon his Buckler was repre&s;ented a &s;lave, who &s;eemed to chu&s;e chains, and refu&s;e a Crown; breaking the la&s;t, and a&s;&s;uming the fir&s;t, with the&s;e words;<LB>
<HI>Mo&s;t Heavie, but mo&s;t Glorious.</HI><LB></P>
<P><HI>Ciaxares</HI> added further, that he had already given order unto <HI>Aribeus</HI> to publi&s;h the &s;ame in <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> and thorowout all <HI>Cappadocia</HI> and <HI>Galatia,</HI> and to be very diligent in a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of that importance: You may judge Sir, in what a condition <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Artamenes</HI> were in, and what different thoughts did po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e their &s;ouls. The Prin|ce&s;&s;e was &s;o impatient while the di&s;cour&s;e la&s;ted, that &s;he was once in a minde to go out, and &s;ay nothing: She had no minde to di&s;cover that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and it was &s;o much again&s;t her di&s;po&s;ition to contribute any thing unto this innocent fallacie, wherein for the &s;ecurity of my Ma&s;ter they were like to continue, that &s;he was not able to an&s;wer a
<PB N="51" REF="110">
word unto any thing the King &s;aid unto her: But by good fortune <HI>Aribeus</HI> coming in to &s;peak with the King upon &s;ome important bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; She went out, and <HI>Artamenes</HI> con|ducted her unto her clo&s;et, unto which &s;he entered without any company but <HI>Marte&s;ia:</HI> She was no &s;ooner there, but looking upon my ma&s;ter with a mo&s;t melancholly a&s;pect; well <HI>Artamenes,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to him) <HI>Cyrus</HI> need not revive, but it is time that <HI>Arta|menes</HI> were gone. This Prince hearing her &s;ay &s;o, de&s;ired to &s;ettle her mind as well as he could, and to make her think that there was not &s;o much danger as &s;he apprehend|ed: That according to all likelihood, he which was thus taken for him in <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> mu&s;t needs be the &s;ame <HI>Spitridates,</HI> for whom he was taken in <HI>Bithynia;</HI> and therefore he need not be &s;o much affrighted at it, becau&s;e very few <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> u&s;e to come into <HI>Cappa|docia,</HI> e&s;pecially any &s;uch as can know him; and it does more apparently &s;eem he &s;hould not be known, &s;ince they take another for him: Although all this &s;hould be &s;o (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e) yet this is not enough: for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I have thus long &s;uffered, in hopes that you would find &s;ome expedient or other, to di&s;cover your &s;elf without danger; and that I might be a&s;&s;ured I &s;hould not be le&s;&s;e innocent in permitting the &s;ociety of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then I have been in &s;uffering the conver&s;ation of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> But now, &s;ince I &s;ee both <HI>Cyrus</HI> and my own honour in imminent danger, I mu&s;t not long be indulgent unto you: Though I had but one of the&s;e two intere&s;ts upon me, yet were I obliged to do &s;o; but having both of them at once, <HI>Artamenes</HI> mu&s;t, he mu&s;t be gone, Tell me rather Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Artamenes</HI> and interrupted her) that he mu&s;t go and die; for indeed, I cannot live unle&s;&s;e I look upon you: Yes, yes Madam (&s;aid he) you have &s;ound out an infallible way to deliver all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> from that unhappy Prince, whom the <HI>Magi</HI> &s;ay mu&s;t Conquer it; and you could never have pitcht upon a more certain cour&s;e, to procure the tranquillity of <HI>A&s;tyages:</HI> But Madam, I be&s;eech you, be not you more inhumane, then he is cruel, in pronouncing thus the &s;entence of my death; he it is true, would have taken away my life, but it was in an age when I knew not the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of it: Moreover I had neither &s;erved no<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> loved him; whereas you with your own hand do thru&s;t me into my grave, after you had done me the honour to allow me a little room in your &s;oul: you know well that I have &s;erved you, and have adored you, and do adore you &s;till, and al&s;o mu&s;t adore you, as long as I have any breath. Does the menaces of the <HI>Magi</HI> move me? and do you look upon me as that terrible Prince who mu&s;t make all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> de&s;olate? But if it mu&s;t be &s;o Madam, that I mu&s;t die, I do con&s;ent unto it; I &s;hall make no doubt to execute your will: There needs neither any Irons nor poy&s;ons, to make you obeyed, incen&s;ible Prince&s;&s;e: the re|&s;olution to bid you adieu, is enough to put a Period unto my &s;ad dayes: No, no, my Prince&s;s, (&s;aid he and kneeled) this fatal word adieu, can never come out of my mouth without my life; and do not, I conjure you, pronounce that di&s;mal &s;entence your &s;elf, un|till you have con&s;idered upon it. <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;poke all this I am telling you in &s;uch a pa&s;|&s;ionate manner, and with &s;o much violence and re&s;pect together, that the Prince&s;&s;e was &s;omething more qualified: do not think <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to him, in rai&s;ing him up, and cau&s;ing him to &s;it down) but that &s;orrow which I re&s;ent in bani&s;hing you, will be a comfort to you in your misfortunes; What Madam, (&s;aid he interrupting her) do you think any thing can comfort me, after the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Mandana?</HI> No, no, Madam, it is im|po&s;&s;ible. You lo&s;e only the &s;ight of her, (an&s;wered &s;he) but does not lo&s;e her e&s;teem and friend&s;hip, unle&s;&s;e you will render your &s;elf unworthy of it, by too ob&s;tinate a di&s;obedence. But Madam (&s;aid he to her) though I &s;hould di&s;obey you, you could not puni&s;h me any otherwi&s;e, then to let <HI>Ciaxares</HI> know that I am <HI>Cyrus:</HI> and though he did know it, they could but put me into pri&s;on, and perhaps &s;acrifice my life, for the tranquillity of <HI>A&s;tyages.</HI> But Madam, be not deceived in this, for I had rather be fettered in <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> then Crowned in any other place of the world where you are not: And I chu&s;e rather to die by the hand of <HI>A&s;tyages</HI> then the hand of <HI>Mandana: Mandana</HI> (an&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e) would do none of this you &s;peak of; But perhaps &s;he would withdraw her affection, if you &s;hould fail in your re&s;pects of her: Ah Madam, (replied my Ma&s;ter) is it a failing in re|&s;pect, to de&s;ire the being neer you that I might more adore you? Indeed <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to him, with looks full of much &s;orrow and Maje&s;ty) It concerns my own honour, and therefore cannot prevent my re&s;olution: If it be &s;o Madam (replied he) I confe&s;&s;e you have rea&s;on, and the life of <HI>Artamenes</HI> is too incon&s;iderable, in compari&s;on of &s;o precious a jewel: I will die then Madam, but be not &s;o inhumane as to ha&s;ten my death: Let me expire gently, and refu&s;e me not the con&s;olation, to enjoy the fight of you a while: you know Madam that there remains yet fifteen dayes of the three moneths which you al|lotted
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me; and take not the benefit of them from me, unle&s;&s;e you would have me grow impatient, and perhaps di&s;obey you. <HI>Artamenes</HI> pronounced the&s;e &s;ad &s;yllables &s;o feeling|ly, that it was impo&s;&s;ible <HI>Mandana</HI> could refu&s;e his de&s;ire: but allowed him all his full time, the better to colour his departure unto <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> I do not relate all Sir, that the&s;e two illu&s;trious per&s;ons did &s;peak, during this di&s;cour&s;e, not what they &s;aid afterwards during tho&s;e dayes prefixed, for it would be too tedious, nor what my ma&s;ter &s;aid when he was in his chamber by him&s;elf. But let me tell you thus much, that never was melancholly compa|rable unto his; and perhaps the &s;ame in <HI>Mandana,</HI> though &s;he conceal'd it better. Some|times &s;he would de&s;ire him to promi&s;e her, that he would never make any war upon either <HI>Cappadocia</HI> or <HI>Medea;</HI> and he would alwayes an&s;wer her, that the mo&s;t infallible way to a&s;&s;ure her &s;elf of that, was to keep him with her. In conclu&s;ion, &s;he wi&s;hed him to love her for her own &s;atisfaction, and &s;he wi&s;hed him to forget her for his tranquillities &s;ake: but however, &s;he was &s;till re&s;olved he &s;hould depart. The bu&s;ine&s;&s;e depending thus, (and while&s;t <HI>Artamenes</HI> was with the Prince&s;&s;e, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent to &s;eek him. At the fir&s;t, &s;he had &s;ome fears that the truth of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was di&s;covered; and that the Kings &s;ending for him was to no other end but to arre&s;t him; for even that very morning <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> arrived at <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> and came from <HI>A&s;tyages;</HI> but &s;he under&s;tood pre&s;ently after, that the King did &s;end for him, to communicate &s;ome important bu&s;ine&s;&s;e unto him. For Sir, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Astyages</HI> &s;ent <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to tell him, <HI>That it was ab&s;olutely his determinate de&s;ire, that he &s;hould marrie again; becau&s;e (&s;aid he) thereupon depends the &s;afetie of</HI> Medea. <HI>This Prince added further, that he knew very well the Cappadocians did not much care for having a King; and that they loved the Prince&s;&s;e</HI> Mandana <HI>&s;o very well, as that they were de&s;irous &s;he &s;hould be their Queen: But yet it was not &s;o convenient for the Medes; for it was to be doubted that if ever</HI> Cyrus <HI>&s;hould attempt any thing again&s;t them, and &s;hew him&s;elf unto the people; the Medeans might perhaps &s;ubmit unto him, and not think them&s;elves unju&s;t in &s;o doing, &s;ince there was only a woman to reign over them: That he &s;hould therefore provide for a &s;ucce&s;&s;or; and that it was very con&s;iderable, that doubtle&s;&s;e they would never be &s;o forward to &s;teal away the Prince&s;&s;e</HI> Mandana, <HI>but becau&s;e &s;he is a heir apparent, to be Queen of many Kingdoms; that therefore he had better lo&s;e one Crown, then be expo&s;ed by &s;uch accidents to lo&s;e two: That the Laws of the Cappadocians and Medeans are diffe|rent: That the Cappadocians will not admit of a &s;trange Prince; and that on the contrary, the Medeans will never admit a &s;ubject unto the Queen of</HI> Cappadocia <HI>to be their King. Moreover, upon &s;erious con&s;iderations of all his allies, and with whom he &s;hould match, he conceived that</HI> Thomiris <HI>Queen of</HI> Ma&s;&s;agetes, <HI>was &s;he which was mo&s;t convenient for him: That &s;he was a Prince&s;&s;e of an admirable beautie, of a great &s;pirit and heart: That &s;ince &s;he had a &s;on of about fifteen years old, &s;he mu&s;t ere long inve&s;t him into the government of his Do|minions; at that it might be &s;uppo&s;ed, that this great Queen who had been accu&s;tomed unto Rule, would be glad to find &s;uch an opportunity of &s;eating her &s;elf in a Throne again: That her age was &s;uch, as children might well be hoped for, and &s;uch as might afford him a very happy life: That there was not amongst all the Princes his neighbours, one Prince&s;&s;e whom he could marry: That &s;ome of them were his enemies, and the re&s;t had no daughters. Moreover, although</HI> Thomiris <HI>had a &s;on which was fifteen years old, yet &s;he her &s;elf was not above nine and twentie: That the alliance contracted with that people, would be alwayes very advantagious to him; becau&s;e, although they be far off his Dominions, yet it may well be &s;aid that the</HI> Scy|thians <HI>are neighbours unto all the world, &s;ince having no Towns nor hou&s;es, but living al|wayes in Tents, they pa&s;&s;e from one Kingdom unto another in an in&s;tant, as they have &s;uffici|ently demon&s;trated, when heretofore they invaded all</HI> A&s;ia. <HI>So that to contract alliance with them, would be a way to make him&s;elf powerful friends, and rid him&s;elf from terrible enemies. That if, notwith&s;tanding all this, he did not like of it, then he would have him find out &s;ome other way, that the Scepter and Crowns might not de&s;cend unto a daughter.</HI></P>
<P>This Sir, was the effect of what <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> told unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> from <HI>A&s;tyages. Aribeus</HI> who was pre&s;ent at this di&s;cour&s;e, and in whom the King did confide; having &s;ecret de&s;igns in his thoughts (as afterwards was known) was very much amazed at it. Yet &s;eeming to be in a profound &s;tudy what he &s;hould advi&s;e <HI>Ciaxares</HI> unto, being thereunto required, he did approve of all that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> mentioned; fortified it with fre&s;h rea&s;ons, and did aggravate tho&s;e which <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> had but &s;lightly touched, and did indeed cau&s;e the King to re&s;olve of doing as he was before advi&s;ed unto. Not but that his extraordinary tender|ne&s;&s;e over <HI>Mandana,</HI> did cau&s;e him to contend with him&s;elf concerning this de&s;ign: But &s;ince two Crowns &s;tood in competition, and that if ever he would have the Crown of
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<HI>Medea</HI> he mu&s;t do as he was de&s;ired, therefore he con&s;ented unto it. Then &s;ince <HI>Aribeus</HI> did for &s;everall rea&s;ons wi&s;h <HI>Artamenes</HI> further from Court, he told <HI>Ciaxares</HI> that <HI>Arta|menes</HI> was the only man which could tran&s;act his negotiation of marriage with the Queen <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> and bring it unto a happy conclu&s;ion: That he was furni&s;hed with all requi&s;ite qualities for it: That he was one of an excellent &s;pirit, and great reputation. So that if he &s;ent <HI>Artamenes</HI> unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> there was almo&s;t no que&s;tion, but he would bring about this match, which was &s;o glorious for him, &amp; important to the State: <HI>Cyaxares</HI> &s;eeing much probability in what <HI>Aribeus</HI> did &s;ay, did approve of his councel, and pre&s;ently after &s;ent unto my Ma&s;ter as I have formerly told you; and &s;eeming more then ordinarily indul|gent, &s;aid thus unto him; the Gods have not furni&s;hed you with &s;o many different qualities, to imploy them one way: and therefore becau&s;e tho&s;e excellent gifts which you have received from heaven &s;hall not be idle; After all tho&s;e illu&s;trious &s;ubjects to make your valour appear, I will give you one which will try your prudence: my Ma&s;ter accor|ding unto his accu&s;tomed way, an&s;wered unto the civilities of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> with as much mo|de&s;ty as &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, &s;eeming very impatient to know wherein he might do him any &s;er|vice; <HI>Ciaxares</HI> then told all the matter wherein <HI>A&s;tyages</HI> had imployed <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> and all that which <HI>Aribeus</HI> advi&s;ed him unto, and at la&s;t, what he re&s;olved upon: moreover he further de&s;ired him, that it might be his bu&s;ine&s;s to accquaint the Prince&s;s his daughter with the bu&s;ine&s;s, and &s;o to endevour with her, as &s;he &s;hould not love her father the wor&s;e for it: for <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid he to him) I know that &s;he e&s;teems you very much, and would receive the matter much better from you, then from <HI>Aribeus</HI> unto whom &s;he has no great phan&s;ie. I leave you to Judg Sir, how much my Ma&s;ter was &s;urpris'd at &s;uch a propo&s;iti|on: he knew not whether he &s;hould contradict the Kings de&s;igne or approve of it, whe|ther he &s;hould undertake the commi&s;&s;ion of &s;peaking unto the Prince&s;s, or ab&s;olutly refu&s;e it, and he was in &s;uch fear to offend either the King or <HI>Mandana,</HI> to bla&s;t either his duty or his love in &s;o nice a conjuncture, that he knew not what an&s;wer to returne: But &s;ince <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had done him the honour to ask his advice in a bu&s;ine&s;s which was already re&s;ol|ved upon, he &s;aid thus unto him: That as concerning his marriage, it did not become him, to meddle, or &s;peak, or give any councell unto a King which was &s;o prudent as he: that as concerning his telling the Prince&s;&s;e, he would do it, &s;ince he had &s;o Commanded him; but as concerning his voyage to the Queen of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetes,</HI> that was a bu&s;ine&s;s which did not &s;ute with his Genius: If I were to goe and conquer her by force of Armes, (&s;aid he to him) I &s;hould then perhaps be proud of the imployment as &s;oon as any other; but &s;ince I mu&s;t u&s;e only per&s;wa&s;ive Arguments, di&s;pence with me Sir I be&s;eech you, from &s;uch a ne|gotiation as I am le&s;s fit for then you think I am. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> hearing this his an&s;wer, thought that it did only proceed from his u&s;ual mode&s;ty; therefore without any more adoe, he told him that he mu&s;t prepare him&s;elf for it, as &s;oon as po&s;&s;ible. My Ma&s;ter not being able ab&s;olutly to re&s;olve upon it, did not punctually an&s;wer <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> but without either refu&s;ing or accepting this office which was put upon him, he left him and went immediatly to <HI>Mandana,</HI> with orders from the King, to prepare her mind &s;o hand&s;omly, as that &s;he &s;hould not complaine again&s;t him. As &s;oon as the Prince&s;s &s;aw <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;he ea&s;ily found by him, he was come about &s;ome new and unplea&s;ing bu&s;ine&s;s: well <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to him) is <HI>Cyrus</HI> yet di&s;covered? No Madam (replied he) but I may on the contrary very well &s;ay that he is but too much concealed, &s;ince they will needs put him upon a commi&s;&s;i|on which is mo&s;t unfit for him: The Prince&s;s being more inqui&s;itive upon this an&s;wer, did pre&s;s him to explain the Riddle; which he exactly did, and told her word for word, all the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> he did aggravate the tenderne&s;s of the Kings di&s;po&s;ition unto it, in regard of her: But after he had told her, concerning the de&s;igne of marriage with <HI>Thomi|ris,</HI> and the commands he had received to go unto the Queen of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetes,</HI> and tran&s;act the bu&s;ine&s;s, he &s;et him&s;elf to ob&s;erve the Prince&s;&s;e, and to di&s;cover by her eyes, what &s;he thought of &s;uch an extraordinary accident. But, as &s;he perceived his drift, No, no, <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to him) the lo&s;s of a Crown does not at all di&s;turb my mind; and though the King my father &s;hould take from me, both the Crownes of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> and <HI>Gullation,</HI> as well as that of <HI>Medea,</HI> yet you &s;hould not &s;ee me murmur: I have a &s;oul more firm and &s;etled then you think I have, and they &s;hall take more Scepters then one from me, before I would alter Countenance. This, <HI>Artamenes,</HI> is not that true glory which I am &s;en&s;ible of: I value not tho&s;e tran&s;ient and vani&s;hing honours which depend only upon Capricious for|tune, and have no relation unto my own peculiar vertues, &s;o that I can a&s;&s;ure you, I do find nothing in my fathers de&s;igne, which troubles me, or which is not mo&s;t Ju&s;t: and I think
<PB N="54" REF="112">
my &s;elf extreamly obliged unto him, that he &s;hould &s;peak of any &s;uch thing unto me. All that you &s;ay Madam (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter) is extreamly Generous, but though you do carry your &s;elf in the matter, as a mo&s;t heroique Ladie ought to do, yet I have great cau&s;e to complain of my own Rigorous de&s;tinies: I can &s;ee no cau&s;e you have (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e) to complaine &s;o of your misfortune. Why Madam, (an&s;wered he) &s;hall they imyloy <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> in taking the Crown of <HI>Medea</HI> from you, and &s;hall he not lament it? he I &s;ay, who had rather give you all the crowns and Scepters in the univer&s;e. I have already told you (an&s;wered &s;he) that my chief felicity is not in&s;eparably linked unto a Crown, therefore never fear that you di&s;plea&s;e me by obeying the King. But peradventure <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to him with half a &s;mile) we are not both of one humour, perhaps I &s;ay, that <HI>Mandana</HI> having one Crown fewer then &s;he had before, &s;he will not &s;eem the &s;ame in your eye, as &s;he did before: Oh Madam (cryed out my ma&s;ter, and interrupting her) do you know well what you &s;ay? is it po&s;&s;ible that the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> can &s;o innocently de&s;cant up|on &s;o nice a matter? or can you &s;o ea&s;ily part from a Crown? yes Madam, (&s;aid he) it &s;eems you can; but certainly they can never do it without inju&s;tice: yet Madam, &s;ince you have pronounced tho&s;e cruel words, I will obey the King and negotiate with as much care to take the Crown from you, as I ought in all rea&s;on to endeavour the conque&s;t of it for you: yet, Madam, you have done me wrong in &s;aying &s;o unto me: to me, I &s;ay, who has built all my con&s;iderations upon your faire&s;t Face and divine&s;t Soul, and who never regarded your Crowns but only as ornaments much inferior to your vertue. Yes Divine&s;t Prince&s;&s;e (added he further) although you were as far off from a throne, as you are neer it, yet I &s;hould be the very &s;ame unto you: I care not at all, for knowing that you are to com|mand Scepters, it &s;uffices me to know that you de&s;erve them, and leave the re&s;t unto my valour: If I have &s;aid any thing, which expre&s;&s;eth an unwillingnes to take the Crown of <HI>Medea</HI> from you, it is becau&s;e I cannot tran&s;act again&s;t you: my own re&s;entments would certainly ri&s;e up again&s;t me, if I &s;hould entertaine &s;uch a thought; and on the contrary, all the motions and faculties of my heart with a full con&s;ent of my rea&s;on and my will, are de|dicated unto your &s;ervice. The Prince&s;&s;e, &s;eeing that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was &s;o apprehen&s;ive of a &s;mall injury, did repent, &s;he did it, and to appea&s;e him, <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to him) if it be &s;o (as I do believe it is) that the vertue of <HI>Mandana</HI> is it which you do love be&s;t in her, this voyage which they impo&s;e upon you ought rather to Joy then Di&s;plea&s;e you: for in|deed, to &s;peak &s;incerely unto you, it was rather the hopes of my being Queen of <HI>Medea,</HI> then of being Queen of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> which cau&s;eth them to deny me unto tho&s;e who pre|tend unto me: for although that the law which they in&s;i&s;t &s;o much upon to Authorize their deniall, be really the cu&s;tom of the country; yet &s;ince there is not at this pre&s;ent any Prince in all <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> fit to marry me, that law may perhaps admit of &s;ome expo&s;ition, to the contrary, and &s;o in taking the Crown of <HI>Medea</HI> from me, they have removed from you one great Remora; and &s;ince I &s;hall, nor can be, but only Queen of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> it will not be &s;o difficult for you to obtain the Kings con&s;ent unto your de&s;ires, provided he can &s;uffer you to be <HI>Cyrus.</HI> But Madam (&s;aid my Ma&s;ter then) when is it your plea&s;ure I &s;hould put it to the hazaard? At your return (replied &s;he) and I &s;uppo&s;e the Queen of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI>
will not denie you her a&s;&s;i&s;tance, after you have brought her into the Throne of <HI>Medea:</HI> Al&s;o, (&s;aid &s;he to him) you have the advantage to depart without my bani&s;hment: and I &s;hall have that comfort, that in leaving me, you will not grieve for me: Oh Madam (re|plied he) I &s;hall not be the happier, for ab&s;ence is &s;o great an evill unto tho&s;e who know truly how to love, that what occa&s;ion &s;oever it be which &s;eparats them from the party be|loved, they are all one unhappy: And Madam how can I be certain, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria</HI> will not attempt any thing again&s;t you? you know he has &s;ecret intelligence in the Court which we cannot di&s;cover: you know what he has already attempted; How then Madam, would you have me to expo&s;e my &s;elf again&s;t this great danger which may and does threaten my life? It may be hoped (an&s;wered &s;he) that the bad &s;ucce&s;&s;e of his fir&s;t de&s;igne, will repul&s;e the &s;econd: I mu&s;t take care to prevent them if he have any &s;uch de&s;ignes: and I do a&s;&s;ure you they &s;hall be all in vaine; And &s;ince &s;taying or departing is not in your choice nor mine, though this accident of ab&s;ence had not happened you mu&s;t be contented; and you know I alwayes told you, that it was my re&s;olution you &s;hould be gone: Therefore <HI>Artamenes,</HI> obey the King, and leave the future &s;ucce&s;&s;e unto the Gods. In conclu&s;ion Sir, <HI>Artamenes</HI> re&s;olved to depart: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> did pre&s;s it and prepared for him the greate&s;t and mo&s;t magnificent equipage, that ever was heard of before in <HI>Cappa|docia:</HI> He received orders not to propound the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which he was to negotiate at the
<PB N="55" REF="112">
fir&s;t addre&s;&s;e unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> for <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would not expo&s;e him&s;elf unto a deniall: But &s;ince there was &s;ome Pirats, which had &s;eized upon many merchants &s;hips which appertai|ned unto <HI>Cappadocia</HI> in the <HI>Ca&s;pian</HI> Sea, and that there was a kinde of a little maritine warre, betwixt the <HI>Cappadocians</HI> and the&s;e Pirates who belonged unto the Countrey of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> this was to be the pretence of his negotiation, though really it was indeed to treat &s;ecretly of a marriage between <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> I will not &s;tand to re|late unto you all the farewels which the King and all the Court did give unto my Ma&s;ter. <HI>Aribeus</HI> him&s;elf &s;eemed to be more a friend unto him then ordinary: and <HI>Artamenes</HI> had all outward incitements to be well &s;atisfied with him; yet for all this, <HI>Artamenes</HI> had &s;uch turbu|lent vexations in the &s;ecret of his heart, as did much di&s;turb him; for ever &s;ince <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> (or to &s;ay better, the king of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> vani&s;hed, there was no news heard of him: They did under&s;tand that he was not yet returned unto <HI>Babylon,</HI> &amp; that the queen <HI>Nicrocris</HI> was much perplexed at his long ab&s;ence: Sometimes <HI>Artamenes</HI> could hardly per&s;wade him&s;elf that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was the &s;ame he &s;aid he was; and &s;ometimes again he did not doubt it at all. But at the la&s;t, all his Equipage and Retinue, being ready, depart he mu&s;t, and bid adieu unto the Prince&s;&s;e. I was never more &s;trongly per&s;waded, then upon this occa&s;ion, that the Gods do &s;ometimes impart unto men, &s;uch re&s;entments of things which &s;hall &s;ucceed unto them in the future: For my Ma&s;ter was &s;o &s;unk with &s;orrows to leave <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e though very well ver&s;ed in overcoming her own pa&s;&s;ions, &s;eemed to be &s;o troubled, that if they had certainly known they &s;hould never have &s;een one another a|gain, they could not have been more &s;ad. This farewell, as you may well think, was ta|ken without any other witne&s;&s;es then the faithful <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> with whom I had already con|tracted a great league of friend&s;hip. The complement was not long, and their di&s;cour&s;e was rather &s;ilence then words. That &s;orrow which appeared in the eyes of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> was all the eloquence he u&s;ed to de&s;ire the Prince&s;&s;e not to forget him: and that grief which he &s;aw &s;et in the eyes of <HI>Mandana,</HI> was almo&s;t all the favour that he received from her at parting: Shall I Madam (&s;aid he to her) beleeve my own eyes? will you permit me to think that I have &s;ome &s;hare in that melancholy which I &s;ee in yours? Yes <HI>Artamenes</HI> (an&s;wered &s;he) I do permit it; and I &s;hould be &s;orry if you do not think that there is more in my heart then you can &s;ee in my face. There needed no more then this to revive my Ma&s;ter, if he had been dead: and I think al&s;o Sir, that there needed no more then his apprehen&s;ion of &s;orrow and joy, to make him die. The&s;e two oppo&s;ite re&s;entments cau&s;ed &s;o much di&s;order in his &s;oul, that he was dumb, and almo&s;t lo&s;t his rea|&s;on. He left the Prince&s;&s;e, and &s;poke not a word unto her, but looking as long as he could after her, he went out and took hor&s;e, not knowing who was with him, nor what way he took, nor indeed what he did him&s;elf think upon: Thus did the fir&s;t dayes journey pa&s;&s;e on; the &s;econd was not le&s;&s;e melancholy, and all the re&s;t were like them; and from the Town of <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> until he came to the banks of <HI>Araxes</HI> (that famous River which borders the Kingdom of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes)</HI> I verily beleeve my Ma&s;ter knew not which way he took. He knew not, I &s;ay, whether we went thorow the Province of <HI>A&s;pires,</HI> or thorow <HI>Col|chides,</HI> or went over the high Mountains: In &s;hort, I verily think, he knew not whether he was upon Sea or Land, or whether he went over drie Forre&s;ts, or mari&s;h Rivers: he was &s;o en|tirely taken up with his pa&s;&s;ion and melancholy, all the whole voyage, which was very long, that he ob&s;erved not at all any of the&s;e plea&s;ant objects. Being at length come to the &s;ide of the River <HI>Araxes,</HI> we pa&s;&s;ed over a bridge of Boats, which were placed there for the conveniency of Pa&s;&s;engers; and we began (if I may &s;o terme it) to enter into a new world: For Sir, we &s;aw no more Towns, nor Villages, nor Hou&s;es, nor Temples: And all that va&s;t Countrey, from the banks of <HI>Araxes</HI> unto that part which adjoyns unto the <HI>I&s;&s;edonians,</HI> is nothing but a great huge Plain, entermixed with little Hils, which are ex|treamly delightful. This &s;o new an object did a little expel the melancholy of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and moved him to ob&s;erve with much delight, that all the&s;e plains, and all the&s;e hils, were ador<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed with a hundred thou&s;and &s;everal &s;ents, differing in their forms, in their bigne&s;&s;e, and in their colour: Two or three hundred of them might be &s;een in one place; thirty or fourty in another; and &s;ome &s;tanding by them&s;elves, &s;eparated from all the re&s;t: there al&s;o might be &s;een abundance of &s;elded up Pavilions, which the people u&s;ed principally in their wars. There were al&s;o Chariots loaded with magnificent Canopies, under which they might &s;hield them&s;elves from violent Rains, and Windes, and al&s;o be an Umbrage unto them, from the over-heat of the Sun: An infinite number of Troops might be &s;een pa&s;&s;ing thorow the&s;e plains, and added much delight unto &s;o wonderfull a &s;pectacle. <HI>Artamenes</HI> then
<PB N="56" REF="113">
after he had much admired their variety of cu&s;tomes, pa&s;&s;ed on towards the Tent Royal, for &s;o in that Country do they u&s;e to call the place where the Court re&s;ides. The&s;e Tents do often change and remove from place to place, ac|cording to the &s;ea&s;ons of the year; although they do mo&s;t commonly pitch them near the banks of <HI>Araxes,</HI> by rea&s;on of the commodities which that great and plea&s;ant River does bring unto them. When we came thither, we had two whole dayes journey through the Country of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetes,</HI> before we could come unto the place where the Queen was. But Sir, to tell you truth, this voyage did afford us abundance of diver&s;ions; and the &s;ight of &s;o many uncouth things would not &s;uffer us to be weary: Moreover, the peo|ple though mixed with many which were not native Scythians, were not mean and poor in their habit; but on the contrary, they are all very rich, &s;tately, and magnificent: for their Country does abound in Gold and Copper, and they make great u&s;e of tho&s;e two mettals; but very &s;eldom or never any Iron or Silver, becau&s;e indeed they have them not: So that their Lances, Spears, their Quivers, their Bowes, their Arrows, their &s;uites of Arms, their Belts, their Swords, their Bridles, their Bitts, and all furniture belonging to Hor&s;es; and a thou&s;and other things which would be too tedious to relate, are all of pure gold, or at the lea&s;t guilt with gold: So that every thing did make a very magnificent &s;hew. We under&s;tood in our pa&s;&s;age that the Queens Son, called <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> was not then with her, but that he was gone with <HI>Ariantus,</HI> brother unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> towards tho&s;e Provinces which lie towards the Mountain <HI>Imaus,</HI> which as you know does divide the two Scythians. Yet nothwith&s;tanding this ab&s;ence, we found the Court extreamly full: for &s;ince <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> was but fifteen years old, and <HI>Aritanus</HI> was not popular in that Country, all did adhere unto the Queen, who for a long time had the government of all, and who tru|ly was a woman of very great qualities, though &s;he had &s;ome, which it were to be wi&s;hed &s;he had not: we al&s;o under&s;tood that there were two &s;tranger Princes within that Court: One of them was Prince of the <HI>Tauro&s;cites,</HI> called <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> and Nephew unto a famous Scythian who&s;e name was <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> who was then in travel: The other was called <HI>Aripithes,</HI> Prince of the <HI>Sauromates;</HI> So that, as we under&s;tood, the&s;e two Princes did render the Court more illu&s;trious then ordinary. At la&s;t Sir, we di&s;covered the Tents Royal a far off, or to phra&s;e it more rightly, The goodlie&s;t Town in the world; being mo&s;t certain that never eye beheld one more magnificent: It was in extent above five and twen|ty furlongs &s;quare, full of large &s;treets, of orderly erected Tents in an even proportion: The mixture of colours was judiciou&s;ly ob&s;erved: Purple, gilt, white and blew, were min|gled in &s;uch a confu&s;ion, out of which one might find a rare regularity: Every Tent had upon the top, great bo&s;&s;es of Gold or Copper, with waving flags in them: In divers places of the Town (if I may term it &s;o) one might &s;ee &s;ome Pavilions, much higher then the re&s;t, which looked like our magnificent Temples and Pallaces in our Towns: In the mid&s;t of all was the Pavilion of <HI>Thomiris;</HI> very remarkable for its beauty, prodigious for its largne&s;&s;e, and admirable for the Royal En&s;igns which &s;pired upon the top of this &s;tately Tent: When we were come within fifteen or &s;ixteen furlongs of it, there appeared a great body of Cavalry, in the head of which was one of the mo&s;t con&s;iderable men of all the <HI>Ma&s;&s;a|getes,</HI> who came from the Queen to receive my Ma&s;ter: for as &s;oon as we were pa&s;&s;ed over the River <HI>Araxes,</HI> &s;he was adverti&s;ed, that an Emba&s;&s;ador from <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> called <HI>Artame|nes</HI> was entred in her Dominions: So that at the name of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;he &s;ent one of the be&s;t quality, waited upon by many others to receive him: The fir&s;t com|plements being performed, we continued on our way, and when we came near it, we per|ceived this great &s;quare of Tents, was inclo&s;ed with painted and guilded Railes, and guar|ded by Souldiers of a very hand&s;ome garb: We perceived al&s;o, that there was a little River, which did divide it &s;elf into two arms; the one where of pa&s;&s;ed all along the out&s;ide of this movable Town, and the other ran through the mid&s;t, joyning again a little below this Town as before: We perceived that the Queens Pavilion, was in the mid&s;t of a great quadrangle, unto which four great &s;treets did open, with guards on every &s;ide this Angle. In conclu&s;ion, they conducted my ma&s;ter into a very &s;tately Tent, which was appointed for the Emba&s;&s;adors of all &s;trange Kings. Since the Train an Equipage of <HI>Artamenes</HI> was very great and magnificent, the people had no le&s;&s;e curio&s;ity to guard us, then we had to behold them. For the Medean habit is much more glorious then any other part of <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> And <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was plea&s;ed that our garments &s;hould be after the Medean fa&s;hion, all im|broidered with Gold, and <HI>Artamenes</HI> with Pearl: We arived about noon time, and re&s;ted our &s;elves all the re&s;t of the day; It was the next morning before <HI>Thomiris</HI> admitted
<PB N="57" REF="113">
Audience unto my Ma&s;ter. I had forgot to tell you, that, in &s;ending to meet <HI>Artamenes, Thomiris</HI> &s;ent an Interpreter, who was well ver&s;t in all the A&s;iatique Languages: But my Ma&s;ter had no need of him, for &s;he under&s;tood the A&s;&s;yrian Language, which of all others is the mo&s;t univer&s;al, and which <HI>Artamenes</HI> al&s;o under&s;tood very well, becau&s;e it much re|&s;embled that of <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> So that my Ma&s;ter being adverti&s;ed that &s;he under&s;tood this Language, he prepared him&s;elf to addre&s;&s;e him&s;elf to her in it; although he pre&s;ented his fir&s;t complement in the Cappadocian tongue, becau&s;e he would ob&s;erve ceremonies, and render the due re&s;pect unto the King who &s;ent him. The hour of Audience being come, many of the Queens officers came to wait upon my Ma&s;ter, and conduct him unto her, where both the Princes which I named unto you, and all that had any grandure or beauty either in men or women, did rendezvouze to &s;ee this Emba&s;&s;ador, of whom &s;uch brave reports was divulged; though in that place they could not judge of his hand|&s;omne&s;&s;e. They carried us through three &s;everall chambers very richly hanged, be|fore we came unto the place where &s;he was: But when we entered into that, I do confe&s;&s;e I was a little amazed; and I had much ado to per&s;wade my &s;elf, but that I was rather at <HI>Babylon,</HI> at <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> at <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> at <HI>Ama&s;ia,</HI> or at <HI>Sinope,</HI> then in a Camp of the Ma&s;&s;agetes; &s;uch magnificence and grandure did I behold. All the Chamber was hanged with <HI>Tyrian</HI> Purple, richly imbroidered with ma&s;&s;ie gold, in which was repre&s;ent|ed divers &s;tories of their preceding Kings: There we beheld at the top of the Chamber, a hundred Lamps of gold, be&s;et with precious &s;tones: The Queen was upon a Throne which was rai&s;ed three &s;teps higher, hung with cloth of gold, and a Canopie of the &s;ame, both of them adorned with ma&s;&s;ie gold plate: There was at the foot of the Throne, a little Rail and bali&s;ter of gold, which did di&s;tingui&s;h &amp; &s;eparate the Queen from all the re&s;t which waited upon her: All the Ladies richly dre&s;&s;ed, did &s;it on both &s;ides this Throne upon Cu&s;hions of purple, Laced with gold, and all the men &s;tood behind them: <HI>Thomiris</HI> did wear that day a Robe and Mantle after the Egyptian mode, which &s;eemed to be negligent|ly ca&s;t about her, yet was very Maje&s;tical, both of them were of gold Ti&s;&s;ue, &s;ewed with &s;ilkes of divers colours: For the mourning of widows among&s;t the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetes</HI> never la&s;t above the fir&s;t year: her dre&s;&s;e upon her head was high behind, from whence hung down a Cypre&s;&s;e which reached down as low as the earth, and then turned up again to her &s;houl|ders, and there was fa&s;tened: waving loo&s;ly with a great plume of feathers on her head. Her hair was flaxen, and half negligently loo&s;e: her neck was &s;mooth and white, half co|vered with a tran&s;parent Tiffiny, which was very ornamental unto the re&s;t of her habit: I forgot to tell you, that her gown was tacked up on the right &s;ide with a cla&s;p of pretious &s;tones, which cau&s;ed to be &s;een that it was lined with Tigers fur, much &s;potted and admi|rably hand&s;ome; her Buskins were of cloth of gold, lined with the &s;ame fur, and tack|ed up by the head of a Lion, who&s;e eyes were Rubies: Indeed it may well be &s;aid that the dre&s;&s;e of <HI>Thomiris</HI> was an ornament unto her beauty, as her beauty was an ornament unto her dre&s;&s;e: This Prince&s;&s;e who indeed was nine and twenty years old, &s;eemed not to ex|ceed twenty: &s;he was of a good &s;tature, and a little above the ordinary &s;ize; her garb was high, but proud withall, her eyes fair but full of fire: her colour &s;o pure, &s;o lively, and &s;o fre&s;h, as if &s;he were in the &s;pring of youth: In a word, &s;he had a hand&s;ome mouth, white teeth fair hands good arms and a hand&s;ome plumpne&s;&s;e. I &s;aw <HI>Thomiris</HI> then to be a fair Prince&s;&s;e; and my Ma&s;ter as prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed as he was, did afterwards confe&s;&s;e, that ex|cept <HI>Mandana</HI> (who without all que&s;tion was infinitely more accompli&s;hed) he had never &s;een a more &s;prightly beauty then her. This Queen did ri&s;e as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw my Ma&s;ter, and de&s;cended unto the fir&s;t &s;tep of her Throne: That Rail of gold which they opened in the mid&s;t, cau&s;ed my Ma&s;ter to advance to the foot of the Throne, and &s;etting his foot up|on the fir&s;t &s;tep, and ki&s;&s;ing her robe, he pre&s;ented unto her a box, all covered with Dia|monds, in which the Letter from <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was inclo&s;ed: Telling her in few words, and tho&s;e in the Cappadocian Language, the cau&s;e of his Emba&s;&s;ie: She an&s;wered him in the &s;ame tongue, but very little; and taking the box, &s;he gave it unto the Interpreter: After this, &s;he &s;at down in her Throne, and my ma&s;ter did &s;it in that place which was appointed for him on the right hand of the Throne, without the rail: You know Sir, that the&s;e kind of di&s;patches, are only Letters of Credence, and &s;erve only to authorize him who brings them: And that at the fir&s;t Audience they never u&s;e to &s;peak concerning the depth of their bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. After then the Letters of Credence were read, and interpreted unto the Queen, and that every one began to &s;peak in the Language of his own Country; <HI>Artamenes</HI> much
<PB N="58" REF="114">
wondered to hear <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;ay unto him in the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Tongue, I am not a little obliged unto the King of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> for making me accquainted with a man, who&s;e reputation has begot in me &s;o great a curio&s;ity: do not think (&s;aid &s;he to him) but fame can fly over <HI>Araxes,</HI> and tell us of your Acts done in all places where you came: you mu&s;t know that &s;he travels over the &s;eas, and beleeve it &s;he is welcome when &s;he reports your honour, yes renouned <HI>Artamenes,</HI> (added &s;he) we knew you before we &s;aw you: your name came be|fore you, and our e&s;teem of you preceded your Arivall. I fear Madam (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter unto her in the &s;ame language which &s;he &s;poke) lea&s;t I my &s;elf &s;hould de&s;troy that glorious e&s;teem, and do but an ill office unto that Renown and Fame which flatters me, &s;ince per|haps you will believe it no more, and hereafter take all tho&s;e truths which &s;he &s;hall tell you, for Lies: But Madam, although &s;he has done me this Favour, yet &s;omtimes &s;he renders ju&s;tice, therefore I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech your maje&s;tie, to believe her when &s;he tels you, that the Prince whom I &s;erve, is one of the greate&s;t Kings in the world. I know very well replied <HI>Thomiris,</HI> that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> is indeed a great Prince, and that he is owner of excellent qualities; moreover I know that the Prince&s;&s;e his Daughter, is as admirable in beauty as <HI>Artamenes</HI> is in valour: And I know al&s;o (added &s;he) that your hand has made the greate&s;t part of all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> to tremble; and that you have won as many Battles as you have lived yeares: my Ma&s;ter was &s;o much amazed and confounded to hear <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;peak after that manner, as he could not chu&s;e but expre&s;&s;e his a&s;toni&s;hment; Madam, (&s;aid he to her) you do extreamly amaze me, for I do not remember that I ever &s;aw any of this country of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetes,</HI> neither in the <HI>Cappadocian</HI> Court, and in the Army of <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> I cannot Imagine which way you &s;hould come &s;o well acquainted with any of our pa&s;&s;a|ges; yet notwith&s;tanding, it appears that your Maje&s;ty is not very well informed, &s;ince all that glory which is attributed unto me, does all of it belong unto the King my Ma&s;ter: who&s;e Armes, it is true, has been pro&s;perous in my hands, but they have been &s;o in all others as well as mine: I will not &s;tand to relate all this di&s;cour&s;e, which was much longer then was accu&s;tomed at any fir&s;t audience. The Queen did a&s;&s;ure my ma&s;ter in his taking leave of her, that he &s;hould have all the &s;atisfaction concerning his voyage which could be ho|ped for: and that &s;he would plea&s;e <HI>Ciaxares</HI> in all things which rea&s;on would admit her: <HI>Artamenes</HI> retired then, much &s;atisfied with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and much a&s;toni&s;hed to find &s;o neer the <HI>Scythians</HI> &s;uch magnificent people, &s;o civilized and full of &s;pirit. We afterwards came to know, that it was the cu&s;tom of <HI>Thomiris</HI> to &s;end out &s;everall men unto all the Courts of &s;tranger Princes, who unknown, did from time to time give her an account, of all the pa&s;&s;ages throughout all <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> and moreover, it was the policy of both the <HI>Scythians</HI> and of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetes</HI> who in that did imitate them, to make inva&s;ions when they were lea&s;t thought upon, and to that end, they endeavoured to know exactly all pa&s;&s;ages in every na|tion, that thereby they might prevent them&s;elves from being &s;urpri&s;ed, and &s;urpri&s;e others. In the mean time, the two &s;trange Princes who were in this Court, the one, as I have alrea|dy told you, was called <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> and the other <HI>Aripithes,</HI> and who were both of them in love with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> &s;eeing with what extraordinary civility, &s;he received my Ma&s;ter, came to &s;ee him the next morning: He returned them a vi&s;it, a few dayes after, and found tho&s;e two <HI>Scythians</HI> to be very compleat men, principally <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> Prince of <HI>Tauro&s;ci|thes,</HI> and nephew unto Famous <HI>Anachar&s;is. Aripithes</HI> al&s;o had &s;pirit enough, but he was a little too &s;u&s;pitious, and violent; whereas <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> had a perfect re&s;emblance of the <HI>A&s;iatique</HI> &s;weetne&s;s, and not at all Salvage or rude: both of the&s;e Princes &s;poke the <HI>A&s;&s;yri|an</HI> language as well as <HI>Thomiris,</HI> &s;o that they could hold di&s;cour&s;e with my Ma&s;ter, who did &s;o ravi&s;h and charm them, that they looked upon him as a God, &s;o much did they ad|mire his carrage, his manner of &s;peaking, his &s;weetne&s;s, his hand&s;omne&s;s, and his com|plexion. The Queen for her part, was very well &s;atisfied, and u&s;ed &s;uch advantagious terms, that there was no doubt, but that my Ma&s;ter had by his Pre&s;ence, much confirmed her in that good opinion which &s;he formerly had of him; for we knew, that &s;he had gi|ven out the&s;e words, in &s;peaking of his hand&s;omnes and good deportment, doubtle&s;s (&s;aid &s;he) that people who do adore none but the Sun are le&s;s rea&s;onable then we, who are ad|vi&s;ed to repre&s;ent our Gods in Figures, or do adore men; and que&s;tionle&s;s they who fir&s;t gave that advice had &s;een &s;ome which re&s;embled <HI>Artamenes:</HI> for certainly there is &s;om|thing in him &s;o great, and &s;o divine which begets admiration and re&s;pect. In &s;hort Sir, during the fir&s;t dayes we had been in this Court, it may be very well &s;aid, that every one was very well plea&s;ed: <HI>Thomiris</HI> was ravi&s;hed to &s;ee <HI>Artamenes</HI> in her Court: the two Princes were extreamly glad of friend&s;hip with &s;uch an Illu&s;trious man: all the Court in
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generall, perceiving that the pre&s;ence of <HI>Artamenes</HI> did &s;o much add unto their diver&s;ions, rejoyced: The people who naturally love valiant men, look upon <HI>Artamenes</HI> with delight: and my Ma&s;ter him&s;elf, &s;eeing the manner of his treatment, hoped for a good &s;ucce&s;s in his de&s;igne, and had no other vexation of mind, but that of ab&s;ence and his pa&s;&s;ion, which to &s;peak truth was very great; yet he was a little comforted with hopes of a ready and happy return; yet not to lo&s;e time, whil&s;t he &s;eemed to negotiate with the Queens Councell, concerning tho&s;e affairs which were the Colours of his voyage, to wit, the pirats upon the <HI>Ca&s;pian</HI> Sea, the good information which had the mo&s;t predominare &s;troke in the minde of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> to the end he might di&s;cover her thoughts, and &s;mell whether &s;he would harken unto a marriage with <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> he learned out, that one called <HI>Teres</HI> had mo&s;t credit with her, and therupon endeavoured to engage him as much as he could. But &s;ince there mu&s;t be a time for that, therefore he was forced unto patience again&s;t his will; mean while, he &s;aw the Queen every day, and almo&s;t every hour: She di&s;cour&s;ed with him concerning all different wayes of making war: &s;he enquired at what manner he governed his people: &s;he would know, how he lived in his Court during times of peace, and &s;he di&s;covered &s;o much &s;pirit, &s;o much wi&s;dom, and &s;o much delight in the company of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that &s;he could not commend him enough: &s;he did all &s;he could po&s;&s;ible, to keep him with her; for &s;he let him &s;ee all the magnifices of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;a|getes,</HI> and all their plea&s;ures: &s;he carried him to hunt; &s;he cau&s;es hor&s;e races to be made, wherein he &s;hewed his skill: &s;he &s;hewed him dances after the Scythian manner, where tho&s;e who danced were habited like native Scythians, with rich Furs of divers &s;orts; the Mu&s;ique though a little Salvage, yet was very delighting: &s;he &s;hewed him combats and victories without blood; In &s;hort &s;he neglected nothing that might divert him: He al&s;o &s;aw one of their &s;acrifices: He al&s;o had the &s;atisfaction to &s;ee that <HI>Mitra,</HI> the god of the <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> though under another name, was al&s;o the god of the <HI>Scythians</HI> and <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetes,</HI> and indeed more particularly then wee, for they never offer &s;acrifices unto any but the Sun, which we do call &s;o, and offer unto him none but hor&s;es, thinking (&s;ay they) that it is but ju&s;t, to &s;acrifice unto the greate&s;t and mo&s;t &s;wift of all the Gods, the mo&s;t noble and the mo&s;t &s;wift of all Animals. <HI>Thomiris</HI> treating my Ma&s;ter thus, he was courted by all the Court, and in all likelyhood, he would pre&s;ently be in a condition, to obtain what he could de&s;ire. He ob&s;erved that <HI>Thomiris,</HI> did re&s;ent all imaginable Complacency in his company, both <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and I, &s;aw that &s;he did infinitly e&s;teem him, but we could not fore&s;ee that it, which in all appearace &s;hould have advanced the de&s;ignes of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> did retard them, my Ma&s;ter, &s;peaking with <HI>Teres</HI> concerning affairs which related unto the pirats on the <HI>Ca&s;pian</HI> Sea: <HI>Teres</HI> by order from the Queen told him that he &s;hould receive &s;atisfacti|on, but yet he mu&s;t allow her a little patience, becau&s;e <HI>Thomiris</HI> de&s;ired that her &s;on <HI>Spar|gapi&s;es</HI> &s;hould return, before &s;he gave him an an&s;wer. In conclu&s;ion, after that <HI>Artamenes</HI> had prepared <HI>Teres</HI> by good con&s;iderable guifts, and thereby hoped he would be &s;erviceable unto him; and told him that he would gladly know whether a propo&s;ition of marriage with <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would be acceptable to her or no: my Ma&s;ter layed open unto this Prime mini&s;ter of &s;tate, the grandure of that Prince which was to be King of the <HI>Medes:</HI> the advantage and glory which would redound unto all <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetes</HI> thereby; and forgot no|thing that might induce this agent to approve of the motion; &s;o that he being throughly per&s;waded him &s;elf, might more effectually move <HI>Thomiris</HI> to harken unto it. <HI>Teres</HI> did hear <HI>Artamenes</HI> very willingly, and &s;eemed to aprove of the propo&s;ition, and promi&s;ed him to pre&s;ent it unto the Queen, with all diligence and affection po&s;&s;ible. Mean while <HI>Tho|miris,</HI> who yet knew nothing of the de&s;igne, behaved her &s;elf as &s;he u&s;ed to do, with a|bundance of civility unto my ma&s;ter: which began, not to be very plea&s;ant unto <HI>Indathir|&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aripithes.</HI> for my part, I do confe&s;s, that I began to think <HI>Thomiris</HI> did bear &s;o much e&s;teem unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> as would quickly convert it &s;elf into Affection: I per|ceived &s;he did commend him very often; that &s;he changed colour when he came neer her, and that her eyes alwayes followed him when he went from her: yet I did not tell my Ma&s;ter what I thought, for I believed him &s;o po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with his own pa&s;&s;ion, as that he would not regard it: yet Sir, this light &s;u&s;pition was not without a good ground, for we knew pre&s;ently after that this great Queen, who never had loved any before: who was mar|ried extreamly young: who had continued a widdow fifteen years: who had refu&s;ed all the Grandees of both <HI>Scythians:</HI> and who guarded her heart again&s;t the love of <HI>Indathir|&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aripithes,</HI> who were both in love with her, and &s;erved her above a year, yet could &s;he not chu&s;e but be &s;urpri&s;ed at the merit of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> But Sir, It is worthy of admi|ration to con&s;ider by what wayes the Gods will contrive things, when it is their plea&s;ure,
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to bring <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hem to pa&s;&s;e. Although <HI>Thomiris</HI> did know of many of the famous Actions which my Ma&s;ter had performed, yet &s;he knew not all the particulars; therefore being ve|ry de&s;irous to know them all, &s;he was plea&s;ed to ca&s;t her eyes upon me: &s;o that my Ma|&s;ter &s;ending me one day unto her, to tell of &s;omething, &s;he did command me to relate all I knew concerning the glorious life of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> For my part, I did then think, that I &s;hould rather have done my Ma&s;ter &s;ome &s;ervice by it, then augment the e&s;teem which &s;he had of him, (for I had then no &s;u&s;pition of what I told you) therefore I related very exactly, all his combats; all his victories, and all tho&s;e pa&s;&s;ages which his genero&s;ity had prompted him unto. How he &s;aved the life of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> by expo|&s;ing his own: The Combat of the two hundred: The duel between him and <HI>Arita|nus:</HI> The &s;iege of <HI>Ceracea:</HI> The Battle which he won: The remarkable Arms which he had on that day, when fourty Cavaliers con&s;pired again&s;t his life: The common Arms which he took afterwards to conceal him&s;elf thereby, from tho&s;e who had orders to &s;pare him: His Combat with <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> and in general all his Gallantry during the war; but concerning his love, you may well imagine that I &s;poke not a word. She asked me, what his Quality was; and I told her that it was very noble, but that I had e&s;pecial order to di&s;cover no more. To tell you the truth Sir, I think that the reputation of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> his deportment, his garb, his hand&s;omne&s;&s;e, and his &s;pirit, had kindled love in the heart of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and my di&s;cour&s;e did &s;erve for bellows to the fire, and augmented it: It became &s;o predominate that &s;he could not quench nor overcome it. I make no que&s;tion Sir, but you de&s;ire to know how I came to dive &s;o into the &s;ecret thoughts of the Queen; therefore, before that I do relate unto you &s;uch things as will &s;urprize you. I mu&s;t recall into your memory, how under the Reigne of the fir&s;t <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> father of <HI>Astyages,</HI> who now lives, the <HI>Scythians</HI> did invade all <HI>Medea,</HI> and after they had po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed it eight and twenty years they were expelled: Then Sir, in their return unto their own Countrey, they carried with them a great number of pri&s;oners, of all &s;exes, ages, and conditions. There was a man of quality among&s;t the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> which followed the <HI>Scythians,</HI> and who was in love with one who was Aunt unto <HI>Aglatidas</HI> whom you know; and who indeed is a man of much merit: This man, in his return, carried her away with him, and when he came into his own Coun|trey married her. I tell you this Sir, becau&s;e this per&s;on was yet living when we came into this Court; and yet retained &s;o great a love unto any thing that related unto <HI>Medea,</HI> that there was no good office which &s;he was not ready to render unto us: and <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> had contracted &s;uch a confidence with <HI>Gelonida,</HI> (for that was her name &s;ince &s;he came a|mong&s;t the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes)</HI> that &s;he did faithfully adverti&s;e him of all things which came within the compa&s;&s;e of her knowledge: She being much promoted, and knowing a thou|&s;and things which they were ignorant of in that Countrey. &s;he rated at a very high e&s;teem, e&s;pecially having married a man of very good Quality, and one of great e&s;teem among the people: &s;o that by rea&s;on of the&s;e good Qualities, &s;he was cho&s;en to be one that was al|wayes with the Queen from her infancy, and continued &s;o &s;till, when we came to the Court of <HI>Thomiris. Gelonida</HI> was doubtle&s;&s;e a woman of a good &s;pirit, and much vertue, and therefore &s;he was con&s;trained to tell &s;ome things unto <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (which you &s;hall know) to the end he &s;hould endeavour to free her from one mi&s;chief, which without his a&s;&s;i&s;tance &s;he could not prevent. By her we came to know Sir, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Artamenes,</HI> but &s;he began to e&s;teem him, and had &s;o great an inclination to love him, that it may almo&s;t be &s;aid, &s;he loved him at the &s;ame in&s;tant in which &s;he began to e&s;teem him. This Prince&s;&s;e had a great &s;oul, but naturally very pa&s;&s;ionate; &s;he looked upon no|thing with the golden mediocrity; her weake&s;t de&s;ires were like determined re&s;olutions; and as &s;he was per&s;waded that all her de&s;ires were ju&s;t, &s;o &s;he &s;ubmitted her rea&s;on unto her will, and endeavoured every way to &s;atisfie it: &s;o that there needs no wonder at tho&s;e violences wherewith &s;he tran&s;acted, to compa&s;&s;e her de&s;ires: yet notwith&s;tanding, when &s;he fir&s;t perceived, that her heart began to engage it &s;elf, &s;he began al&s;o to bid re&s;i&s;tance, but it was after &s;uch a manner, as rather augmented the malady then cured it: and as the agitation of the Air, does kindle fire, and makes the flames more violent; &s;o <HI>Thomiris,</HI> de&s;iring to quench tho&s;e &s;parks which &s;he perceived in her &s;oul, did inflame them more, and cau&s;ed that &s;mall &s;park, which at fir&s;t had neither light nor heat in it, to flame, by that agitation which &s;he gave unto it. She endeavoured to know what it was which tormented her, and plainly found it to be love. How comes it to pa&s;&s;e (&s;aid &s;he to <HI>Gelonida,</HI> when &s;he could not hide her grief any longer) that the &s;ight of this &s;tranger, does procure unto me both joy, and vexation? To me, I &s;ay, who have pa&s;&s;ed away thus much of my life,
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without the knowledge either of love or hatred? nor ever loved any thing but Liberty and Glory: Why am I troubled, &s;aid &s;he, both when I &s;ee him, and when I &s;ee him not? If he have a plea&s;ant and delighting &s;oul, why do I not endure his company, without pen|&s;ivene&s;&s;e? If he have not, why does his ab&s;ence trouble me? Do I not know very well, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is to be but a while here, and that the &s;ame fortune which brought him hi|ther, will pre&s;ently take him away again? But &s;uppo&s;e it &s;hould not (added &s;he) what have I to do with <HI>Artamenes?</HI> Do I not under&s;tand by one of his men, that he will not permit the place of his birth, and his Quality to be known? Moreover, do I not know, that though the&s;e arguments are very &s;trong, yet there is one mo&s;t invincible one, again&s;t which there is no remedy? For &s;aid &s;he, admit love to be a permitted pa&s;&s;ion; &s;uppo&s;e <HI>Artamenes</HI> were a Prince, and a Prince of &s;ome of the <HI>Scythians,</HI> ought <HI>Thomiris</HI> to love him, &s;ince he loves not her? Oh no, no, Let us not &s;ubvert the univer&s;al cu&s;tome of the World. The Gods gave not beauty unto women to begin love, and court men: But on the contrary, It is their plea&s;ure, that this Ray of Divinity which in an in&s;tant doth what it plea&s;es, and as well as the Sun doth &s;hine and heat immediately, &s;hould beget wo|men Adorers whether they will or no. They did not give this rare priviledge unto our &s;ex that we &s;hould renounce it; and be&s;ides, who knows whether or no the heart of <HI>Artamenes</HI> be not already engaged? and who can tell whether he have not an aver&s;ion unto the <HI>Ma&s;|&s;agettes,</HI> who have &s;o often matched with the <HI>Scythians?</HI> I &s;ee, &s;aid &s;he, that he is very civil, and complacential: But for all that he is a &s;tranger, he loves us not, and therefore we ought not to love him. <HI>Gelonida</HI> hearing her &s;ay &s;o, would have confirmed her in her re&s;olution: But <HI>Thomiris</HI> fearing to be cured of that di&s;ea&s;e which brought her almo&s;t as much joy as &s;orrow, prevented her; No, no, Mother (&s;aid &s;he to her, for &s;o &s;he often called her in private) &s;peak not yet, and do not move me to denie you; for though I &s;ay, I ought not to love <HI>Artamenes,</HI> yet I do not &s;ay that I do not love him: There mu&s;t be &s;ome excu&s;able faults, and innocent errours. Love pa&s;&s;eth among&s;t us for a dangerous pa&s;&s;ion I confe&s;&s;e, but not for a criminal one: So, when I &s;ay that I ought not to love <HI>Artamenes;</HI> it is for my own quiet that I &s;ay it, and not for my glory: For I do not doubt, but if I &s;hould move <HI>Artamenes</HI> to love me, and marry me, the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes</HI> would not commend me for it; Native <HI>Scythians</HI> who hate all &s;trangers, would perhaps blame me; But the people over whom my Son is to reigne, and the <HI>I&s;&s;edonians</HI> who&s;e Kingdom is mine, they would e&s;teem me the more for it: Valour among&s;t us is valued at a higher rate then a Crown; And if I &s;hould make choi&s;e of the mo&s;t valiant man in the World, I &s;hould merit more honour, then if I had married the greate&s;t Prince upon earth: <HI>Spar|gapi&s;es</HI> would be beholding unto me for it; and if this Hero &s;hould guide him in his fir&s;t war, I &s;hould not doubt of good &s;ucce&s;&s;e. So that <HI>Gelonida,</HI> when I love <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I am neither unju&s;t nor criminal: and &s;ince my people hath oftentimes &s;olicited me to chu&s;e for a husband, either the Prince of the <HI>Tauro&s;cithes,</HI> or the Prince of <HI>Sauromates:</HI> I may ea&s;ily imagine, they will have le&s;&s;e aver&s;ion unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;ince they do look upon him with &s;o much e&s;teem: But <HI>Gelonida,</HI> the main matter is, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> does not love me, nor knows that I love him; But perhaps his affection is &s;etled &s;omewhere el&s;e. As for the fir&s;t of the&s;e (&s;aid &s;he) he does no injury unto that mean beauty, with which they flatter me up; for though it &s;hould be &s;o, that it does not wound him, as doubtle&s;&s;e he does not think that I ought to accept of his affection, he would ea&s;ily re&s;i&s;t &s;uch weak thoughts, and vanqui&s;h them. But alas, if the ignorance wherein he is, of that which my heart apprehends of him, does hinder me from making any progre&s;&s;e in his affection, he would perhaps pa&s;&s;e from a light di&s;po&s;ition to love me, into a &s;trong inclination to hate and de&s;pi&s;e me, if I &s;hould make it known unto him: I would perhaps then think, that a wilde pa&s;&s;ion would be mi&s;tre&s;&s;e of his rea&s;on, and <HI>Thomiris</HI> who does prefer his courage, his minde, and his vertues before the charmes of his per&s;on, would be &s;u&s;pected of a di&s;ho|nourable weakne&s;&s;e: Alas (&s;aid &s;he) into what a condition am I reduced? If <HI>Artamenes</HI> do not know that I can love him, or to &s;peak truth, that I do love him; he can never love me; and if he &s;hould know it, he will never e&s;teem me: If it be &s;o that his heart be already engaged, what would I have him do? or what can I de&s;ire of him? No, no, (&s;aid &s;he upon a &s;udden) I mu&s;t cure this di&s;ea&s;e which thus torments, how bitter &s;oever the remedy be; I mu&s;t di&s;mi&s;&s;e this dangerous Emba&s;&s;adour, whom I de&s;ire might never de|part from hence; I mu&s;t, I ought, and I will do &s;o; but yet I know not whether can or not. In conclu&s;ion Sir, after a mo&s;t violent agitation, and a &s;trong conte&s;t with her &s;elf, &s;he retired without any power what to re&s;olve upon: And here admire, I be&s;eech you,
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the fanta&s;ticall humour of love, and fortune when they joyn together to per&s;ecute any one. My Ma&s;ter unto whom the remembrance of <HI>Mandana,</HI> gave re&s;tle&s;&s;e thoughts, and unto whom, the impatient de&s;ires to return would not allow a minuites re&s;t, did pre&s;&s;e on <HI>Teres</HI> to &s;peak unto the Queen, and to induce the Queen to give him a more favourable An&s;wer; He vi&s;ited her oftner then ordinary, and &s;poke unto her a long time together: Yet he could not &s;o ab&s;olutely contain him&s;elf, but that his melancholy would be predo|minate, and he oftentimes &s;ighed in &s;peaking to <HI>Thomiris,</HI> &s;eeming as if &s;omething did di&s;turb his minde: he did &s;ometimes in thinking upon <HI>Mandanas,</HI> examine the beauty of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and very &s;eriou&s;ly fix his looks upon her face and eyes. This Prince&s;&s;e is fair indeed (would he &s;ay &s;ometimes to him&s;elf when he looked upon her) but my Prince&s;&s;e is infinitely above her. I do not di&s;cover in this, that charming mode&s;ty and incompa|rable &s;weetne&s;&s;e, which is the &s;oul of beauty: Indeed <HI>Thomiris</HI> (&s;aid he &s;ighing) is not <HI>Mandana,</HI> and I look upon her beauty with indifferency, but upon the other with ado|ration. Mean while Sir, the Queen of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> who under&s;tood not this mute lan|guage, nor could rightly interpret the looks and &s;ighes of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> did think, that perhaps he might love her, and dur&s;t not tell it; and this conceit did puff her up into a|bundance of joy, and yet it was not a joy that was full of tranquillity: for (&s;aid &s;he) peradventure the cau&s;e of the&s;e &s;ighes is from <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> though he be here among&s;t the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> yet (added &s;he) it may be, that I am the cau&s;e of his &s;orrow, as well as he is of mine, for indeed though I will not beleeve my Gla&s;&s;e, le&s;t it &s;hould flatter me, yet the pa&s;&s;ions of <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aripithes</HI> do per&s;wade me to think, that it is not ab&s;o|lutely impo&s;&s;ible to find &s;ome beauty in <HI>Thomiris:</HI> Let us hope then (&s;aid &s;he) and endea|vour to undeceive our &s;elves in the interpretation of a thing which &s;o much concerns us. As &s;he was in the&s;e thoughts, <HI>Teres</HI> according to his promi&s;e unto my Ma&s;ter, came to propound unto her a marriage with <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> and &s;ince he did not at the fir&s;t tell her di|rectly the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, but oftentimes named <HI>Artamenes,</HI> this Prince&s;&s;e did not very well un|der&s;tand what he did mean, though &s;he knew very well what &s;he de&s;ired he &s;hould &s;ay: But at the la&s;t he told her, that the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of Pirates which was &s;o much &s;poken of, was onely the pretence of <HI>Artamenes</HI> his Emba&s;&s;ie, but that his right bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was to move her unto a marriage with <HI>Ciaxares</HI> King of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> and <HI>Galatia,</HI> and who hereafter was to be King of the <HI>Medes</HI> al&s;o. <HI>Thomiris</HI> was much &s;urprized at this di&s;cour&s;e, yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;ince &s;he had no minde to di&s;cover the di&s;quiets of her minde unto <HI>Teres,</HI> although he was in great favour with her; &s;he onely told him, that &s;he was much engaged unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> but that this was a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which could not be ha&s;tily re&s;olved upon: therefore, that &s;he might have the more time to con&s;ider of her be&s;t cour&s;e, &s;he bad him tell <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that he had not yet moved the matter unto her; and de&s;ired <HI>Teres</HI> to prolong the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e as much as he could. <HI>Teres</HI> promi&s;ed the Queen, that he would do as &s;he commanded: But the liberality of <HI>Artamenes</HI> had &s;o wrought upon the &s;pirits of <HI>Teres,</HI> that he told unto my Ma&s;ter the Queens true An&s;wer, giving him much hopes of his Negotiation; becau&s;e (&s;aid he) if &s;he had di&s;approved of it, &s;he would have refu&s;ed it at the fir&s;t. This hope gave much &s;atisfaction unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;o that he was more frequent in his vi&s;its, and ob&s;erved &s;ome alteration in her minde: For Sir, this propo&s;i|tion of marriage did move in her &s;uch cruel vexations of &s;oul, as &s;he almo&s;t lo&s;t her rea&s;on. Let us doubt no longer (&s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Gelonida)</HI> of <HI>Artamenes</HI> his indifferency towards us after &s;uch a propo&s;ition as this: We are &s;o certain of it, that if he had told us from his own mouth, he loved us not, we could not have been more &s;ure. But it may be al&s;o (&s;aid &s;he) that he obeys his Ma&s;ter again&s;t his will; and this melancholy which I di&s;cover in him, may proceed from hence, that he is con&s;trained to &s;peak for another, when he would &s;peak for him&s;elf. This Prince&s;&s;e continued not long in one thought, but contra|dicted her &s;elf a hundred times in one day, yet which way &s;oever &s;he turned it, &s;he ever loved <HI>Artamenes:</HI> She fancied, that if &s;he could marry him, &s;he would make the name of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes</HI> &s;ound thorowout the World; &s;o that Ambition joyning it &s;elf with love, would never &s;uffer her to be at re&s;t. Mean while my Ma&s;ter, who was ignorant of her true thoughts, lived at his u&s;ual rate of melancholy. But that there might want nothing to compleat the &s;um of his misfortunes, it happened that <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aripithes,</HI> who were both of them men of high &s;ouls, and both in love, were very prying into the A&s;&s;idu|ity of <HI>Artamenes</HI> with <HI>Thomiris.</HI> They ob&s;erved al&s;o, that the Queen was much perplexed more then u&s;ual; and that alwayes when <HI>Artamenes</HI> came to her, there did appear more joy in her countenance, then &s;he u&s;ed to expre&s;&s;e unto any el&s;e. In conclu&s;ion Sir, the&s;e
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two Princes, who when we came fir&s;t to this Court, were jealous one of another, although the Queen did treat them both alike with equall indifferency, did now cea&s;e their &s;u&s;pitious thoughts one of another, and converted their jealou&s;ies, their animo&s;ities, and &s;u&s;pitions which were between them into hatred of my Ma&s;ter; they contracted between them&s;elves a kind of confidence and friend&s;hip: and my ma&s;ter cau&s;ed that which perhaps never was &s;een before, two rivals hold good corre&s;pondency together: They could not &s;ee any important cau&s;e why <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould &s;tay long there: and the in&s;en&s;ibility of the Queen towards them, cau&s;ed them to think, that the inclination which &s;he &s;eem|ed to have unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> did not ari&s;e without his contributing &s;omething towards it. At la&s;t they believed that <HI>Artamenes</HI> loved <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and <HI>Thomiris</HI> did not hate him: They di&s;cour&s;ed together, as of a thing which did equally concern them both, and &s;eemed to be firm friends. Shall we endure this affront (&s;aid <HI>Aripithes)</HI> from this &s;tranger? Mu&s;t we &s;uffer him in the face of all the Ma&s;&s;agetes to obtain that in a few dayes, which we with all our cares and &s;ervices cannot obtain in a whole year? I know very well &s;aid <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> that he is infinitely hand&s;ome, and extreamly amiable; but that which perhaps may excu&s;e <HI>Thomiris,</HI> will not ju&s;tifie him, who ought not to exceed the quality of an Emba&s;&s;ador. All this while Sir, they were agreed concerning my Ma&s;ters crime, but they could not concur in the way of puni&s;hment; for they being too gallant to think upon any ba&s;e way of revenge: And to fight with an Emba&s;&s;ador, was the way to cau&s;e <HI>Thomiris</HI> to bani&s;h them both, who doubtle&s;&s;e would not &s;uffer the Law of Nations to be violated upon the per&s;on of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and al&s;o by that cour&s;e they &s;hould expo&s;e them&s;elves unto a Forraign war; So that they had much ado to re&s;olve upon it: neither could they agree which of them two &s;hould take this enterpri&s;e in hand, which was no le&s;&s;e difficult then glorious. <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> &s;aid it belonged unto him; <HI>Aripithes</HI> &s;aid he had as much right unto it as <HI>Indathir&s;es;</HI> and it may very well be &s;aid, that they knew not how nor when, nor why they &s;hould revenge them&s;elves upon a Rival whom they could not de|&s;troy without de&s;troying all their hopes of <HI>Thomiris.</HI> This was therefore their principal rea&s;on why they deferred their revenge, and moved them to ob&s;erve more narrowly the actions of <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Thomiris.</HI> They con&s;ented to render an account one to another of all they could learn out, and to tran&s;act joyntly, how to rid them&s;elves of &s;uch a dange|rous enemy. Certainly it were very good &s;port to &s;ee <HI>Thomiris, Artamenes, Indathir&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Aripithes</HI> all together: For <HI>Thomiris</HI> thought of nothing but how to make <HI>Artamenes</HI> love her. <HI>Artamenes</HI> thought neither of <HI>Thomiris, Indathir&s;es,</HI> nor <HI>Aripithes,</HI> but di&s;po|&s;ed of all his thoughts upon <HI>Mandana. Indathir&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aripithes</HI> forgot their jealou&s;ies one of another, and thought upon nothing but <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Thomiris.</HI> Mean while my Ma&s;ter, who thought every minute an age, did pre&s;&s;e <HI>Teres</HI> for the Queens an&s;wer: And the Queen &s;eeing her&s;elf importun'd, a&s;&s;ured <HI>Teres</HI> that <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould be &s;atisfied within the&s;e three dayes: To repre&s;ent unto you Sir, the turbulent agitations in the mind of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> during this time, would be a piece of difficulty. It will be &s;ufficient that I tell you, that this Prince&s;&s;e being very glorious, had much ado to permit her proud and lofty &s;oul, ab&s;olutely to command <HI>Gelonida,</HI> to ask <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> whom &s;he ob&s;erved often with her, whether <HI>Artamenes</HI> would be content to accept of that which he demanded for <HI>Ciaxares. Gelonida</HI> then did endeavour to qualifie the mind of <HI>Thomiris;</HI> and moved her to prefer the King before the Emba&s;&s;ador: but <HI>Thomiris</HI> an&s;wered her, that &s;he pre|ferred the vertue of <HI>Artamenes</HI> before all the Crowns upon earth: yet <HI>Gelonida</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to her) I would have you carry the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e &s;o, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould know I love him, and not e&s;teem me the le&s;&s;e for it: and order the matter &s;o as my pa&s;&s;ion for <HI>Artamenes</HI> may be &s;atisfied, with directly &s;tifling my pa&s;&s;ion which I have unto honour. Though <HI>Gelonida</HI> was much di&s;plea&s;ed with this commi&s;&s;ion, yet &s;he a&s;&s;ured the Queen, &s;ince no|thing could change her mind, to obey her with all fidelity; and &s;he did promi&s;e it the more &s;eriou&s;ly, becau&s;e &s;he feared that <HI>Thomiris</HI> could not tru&s;t this &s;ecret unto any other, who would manage it better then her &s;elf. The hopes which <HI>Gelonida</HI> would have had of returning into her own Country, if the Queen had married <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> moved her to be very &s;orry for that pa&s;&s;ion which <HI>Thomiris</HI> bore unto <HI>Artamenes.</HI> Moreover, &s;he could not imagine that my Ma&s;ter could refu&s;e that honour which was offered unto him; and &s;he did fore&s;ee, that if he accepted of it, it mu&s;t needs produce a war between <HI>Tho|miris</HI> and <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> Yet &s;he re&s;olved to &s;peak, and that quickly, for el&s;e the Queen would never be at re&s;t: having then found <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> &s;he re&s;olved to tell him the whole truth, and after that to tell him, that if he loved <HI>Artamenes,</HI> he would hinder him from
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accepting this honour which <HI>Thomiris</HI> offered him; becau&s;e el&s;e in all likelihood, he would betray his ma&s;ter unprofitably, and never enjoy any quietne&s;&s;e. <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> much ama|zed at <HI>Gelonidas</HI> di&s;cour&s;e, as &s;oon as his wonder was a little over, a&s;&s;ured her, that &s;he needed not to fear it: and that <HI>Artamenes</HI> would never accept of it: but &s;ince he would not give her any more direct an&s;wer, untill his ma&s;ter knew it, he asked her a little more time before he would ab&s;olutely re&s;olve her: he went immediately unto him in his Tent, where finding only me with him; Sir, (&s;aid he to him) I believe you cannot gue&s;&s;e what ill for|tune I have to tell you, and to what a proof your con&s;tancy is put unto: Fortune <HI>Chri&s;an|tes</HI> (&s;aid he to him) is it not very rigorous, when &s;he &s;ends us only &s;uch evils as we did fore|&s;ee, but when her malice is extream, &s;he will fatally &s;urprize, and overload tho&s;e whom &s;he intends to de&s;troy: yet notwith&s;tanding (&s;aid he) I cannot imagine, what it &s;hould be that is &s;o very aver&s;e in this Court, unle&s;&s;e by misfortune it be, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> has &s;ome &s;ecret aver&s;ion to me, which cau&s;es her not to an&s;wer <HI>Ciaxares</HI> more favourably, &s;o that I &s;hall be compelled to return without doing any thing. Sir, (replied <HI>Chri&s;antes)</HI> this la&s;t thing may perhaps fall out &s;o, but it will be by a quite contrary rea&s;on to what you &s;ay; I under&s;tand you not (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> you will perhaps under&s;tand me better (&s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to him) when I &s;hall tell you that <HI>Thomiris</HI> loves you; and loves you &s;o much as &s;he offers you that which &s;he refu&s;es <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> My Ma&s;ter cried out at this report of <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> and it was a good while before he could believe it: No, no, (&s;aid he to him) <HI>Gelonida,</HI> has either lo&s;t her rea&s;on, or el&s;e yours is not in its right place. <HI>Thomiris</HI> who has reguarded the pa&s;&s;ions of <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aripithes,</HI> with &s;uch cold indifferency for above a whole year, cannot po&s;&s;ibly love <HI>Artamenes: Artamenes</HI> (I &s;ay) who loves not her, nor has neither &s;aid nor done any thing which might make her think I did; who on the contrary has moved her to Marry the King who &s;ent him; and who can &s;eem no more then a common Emba&s;&s;ador in her eyes: So that <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> you are either not the &s;ame you u&s;e to be, or el&s;e <HI>Gelonida</HI> has deceived you. Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to him) there is no alteration in my mind, nor has <HI>Gelonida</HI> deceived me; for &s;he &s;poke unto me with great gravity and wi&s;dom: therefore I be&s;eech you give me your an&s;wer, for &s;he allowed me but until to morrow to return it unto her: <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;eemed &s;o confounded to hear <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> &s;peak in that manner, that it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee, he had much ado to believe him: yet calling unto his memory many pa&s;&s;ages which he both &s;aw and under&s;tood; and which he regarded not before, he no longer doubted the truth of what <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> told him. I could have been well contented, if it had been in his power that <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and I had never known it: and his &s;oul was in all things &s;o generous, that he would have been well plea|&s;ed to bear all the burthen of his cares him&s;elf, and have concealed them from us if it had been po&s;&s;ible: But he could not do it, therefore he began to comfort him&s;elf with us, in multiplying his misfortunes: Had ever any man (&s;aid he) &s;uch fortune as I? when I began to love divine <HI>Mandana,</HI> was it not to be thought that &s;uch a &s;weet and bitter humor might move her to compa&s;&s;ion, and to be tenderly &s;en&s;ible of it; yet, as many acts as I have performed; as many &s;ervices as I have done her; as much pains as I have took; as many thou&s;and unprofitable &s;ighes as I have breathed; as many tears as I have &s;hed, yet all the&s;e could not mollifie her &s;oul: It may very well be &s;aid, that if I were not dead, or at lea&s;t &s;he thought me &s;o: <HI>Mandana,</HI> the fair <HI>Mandana,</HI> would never have afforded me the lea&s;t te&s;timony of her affection. And yet for all this &s;he re&s;olved to bani&s;h me, and that for ever, when I came hither. But alas, the misfortune which per&s;ecuted me in <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> has not followed me hither among&s;t the Ma&s;&s;agetes in the like manner, but quite contrary, &s;ince a Queen who &s;eems to be fierce, and proud, loves him who cares not for her; offers him a heart which was never asked, and would con&s;ent unto that of her own motion, which &s;he might without inju&s;tice refu&s;e if it were asked: No, no, &s;aid he to us, this perver&s;e accident, is neither an effect of my merit, nor the imbecility of <HI>Thomiris:</HI> It is only my mistortune, and my aver&s;e de&s;tiny which would puni&s;h me as well by a refu&s;al of good things, as by tho&s;e which they never afforded me. Do not think divine <HI>Man|dana,</HI> (&s;aid he) that the &s;orrows which I am &s;en&s;ible of are any effects of my refu&s;ing a great and a fair Queen; No divine Prince&s;&s;e, I have no &s;uch thoughts; My heart does too dearly pre&s;erve the image of your Angelique beauty, to be ever moved by hers or any el&s;e: But I do confe&s;&s;e this perver&s;e accident does much di&s;plea&s;e me; And if it were in my choice, I had rather fight two Battles, then to be put upon &s;uch a nece&s;&s;ity, as to make a glorious and a proud Prince&s;&s;e blu&s;h for &s;hame and confu&s;ion Tell then <HI>Gelonida</HI> (&s;aid he to <HI>Chri&s;antes)</HI> that I would not believe what you told me; but that though you had per|&s;waded
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me to beleeve it, yet it had been to no purpo&s;e, &s;ince the fidelity which I owe unto the King whom I &s;erve, will not permit me to accept of &s;uch an honour: yet <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid he) forget not to tell <HI>Gelonida,</HI> that I gave no credit unto your words; and leave an hand&s;om way open for <HI>Thomiris,</HI> to repent her &s;elf of her fir&s;t thoughts: which per|haps &s;he has already condemned in her &s;elf. Thus Sir, did my Ma&s;ter &s;ay unto <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> who went immediatly unto <HI>Gelonida;</HI> and &s;he as &s;oon to give an account of the an&s;wer, unto the Queen: But alas, this an&s;wer produced effects, contrary to the hopes and expecta|tion of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and <HI>Thomiris</HI> would not make u&s;e of this hone&s;t way to correct her fir&s;t thoughts by her &s;econd: but on the contrary it did exa&s;perate the mind of this Queen in lieu of appea&s;ing it, and this lofty Soul thought &s;he was now doubly ob|liged to overcome him which re&s;i&s;ted her: No no, <HI>Gelonida</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto this Ladie, after &s;he had delivered the an&s;wer of <HI>Chri&s;antes) Artamenes</HI> is not &s;o hard to be per&s;wa|ded as he &s;eems, and perhaps he is but too well per&s;waded of my honour, to compas my de&s;igne: This is not a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e wherin any fal&s;ne&s;&s;e can be &s;u&s;pected, for where a Prince&s;&s;e wooes, and is the fir&s;t which &s;peaks of love, there cannot be any doubt of it. From hence it mu&s;t be concluded, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> who &s;eems not to credit, what is told him, would either be told of it often, or el&s;e he would never have it &s;poke on againe; which of the&s;e two &s;oever it be, <HI>Thomiris</HI> is not &s;atisfied, unle&s;s it be &s;o, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> thinks it to be a becoming mode&s;tie, and will not at the fir&s;t an&s;wer unto a propo&s;ition, which is &s;o advantagious for him. But however <HI>Gelonida,</HI> I mu&s;t at the lea&s;t know the heart of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> though I cannot obtaine it: And I mu&s;t &s;peak unto him, in &s;uch a man|ner as he cannot di&s;gui&s;e him&s;elf though he were as &s;ubtle as any Grecian: mu&s;t you &s;peak Madam? replied <HI>Gelonida;</HI> Alas, I be&s;eech you, be not too ha&s;tie in &s;uch an unu&s;uall way, lea&s;t you &s;hould afterwards repent it: Con&s;ult a little better, before you re&s;olve it, and do not blindly follow a pa&s;&s;ion which will draw you into too much inconveniency, if you take not heed. No <HI>Gelonida,</HI> replied <HI>Thomiris,</HI> that pa&s;&s;ion which po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth me, &s;hall not cau&s;e me to commit a fault: but know, that at this time I do prefer the &s;incerity of the <HI>Scythians</HI> my neighbours, before that hand&s;omne&s;&s;e of <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> whereof you &s;peak &s;o much: That vertue which cau&s;eth us to di&s;gui&s;e our thoughts, and hide that which is in the &s;oule, is not the cu&s;tom of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agets.</HI> Among&s;t you it is no matter if a woman do love, &s;o &s;he do not expre&s;&s;e it: whereas among&s;t us we u&s;e to bani&s;h the mo&s;t tender thoughts out of our hearts, if we do not find them ju&s;t. And &s;o I do a&s;&s;ure you, that if I could think it a crime to love &s;uch an Illu&s;trious man as <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I would contend with my pa&s;&s;ion in lieu of concealing it. But on the contrary, I do not at all hold it di&s;honora|ble or unworthy, to affect that man whom I think worthy to command all others: I can|not &s;ee that there is any &s;uch great my&s;tery in the matter as you imagine, &s;ince there is none but crimes which we ought to Cover and Conceal. But Madam (replied <HI>Gelonida</HI> &s;up|po&s;e <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould not give &s;uch an an&s;wer as you de&s;ire, and as I believe he will not, would you not repent of your &s;peaking to him? I know not what I may do, (an&s;wered <HI>Thomiris</HI> very angrily) but I know for the pre&s;ent that I will be better &s;atisfied of <HI>Artame|nes</HI> his true thoughts. Good heavens Madam (&s;aid <HI>Gelonida)</HI> are you not afraid to ruine that which you would promote? I do fear every thing (an&s;wered <HI>Thomiris)</HI> But what would you have me do? I am no more a Mi&s;tre&s;s of my own will, and I do no more then what plea&s;eth that pa&s;&s;ion which po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth me; and becau&s;e I believe it ju&s;t, I have &s;ubmitted my &s;elf unto it. <HI>Thoniris</HI> &s;poke many other things which di&s;covered the di&s;tur|bance and irregularity of her pa&s;&s;ionate mind: &s;he could not endure the conver&s;ation of <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> and <HI>Arapithes:</HI> She thought upon nothing but <HI>Artamenes:</HI> and becau&s;e it was indeed the vertue of my Ma&s;ter which had &s;uch a powerfull influence upon her heart, &s;he beleeved that all the effects of &s;o noble a cau&s;e and &s;o pure, were all innocent. Mean while, <HI>Artamenes</HI> was not a little perplexed with a fear to &s;ee <HI>Thomiris</HI> after this propo&s;ition which had been made unto him: and the Queen for her part, &s;he knew not very well how to endure the looks of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> notwith&s;tanding her &s;eeming re&s;olutions. This violent pa&s;&s;ion which po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed her being more predominate then her mode&s;ty cau&s;ed her, not to &s;tay long without the &s;ight of the object of her affection. My Ma&s;ter, not daring to omit any part of his duty, went unto her at the u&s;uall howr; &amp; as illuck would have it, found none with her bur her women, who were no hinderance unto private di&s;cour&s;e, becau&s;e they &s;tood far off at the other end of the Room. <HI>Artamenes</HI> then, &s;aluting her with a mo&s;t humble reverence; and not daring almo&s;t to look upon her, le&s;t he &s;hould put her to the blu&s;h, did &s;peak unto her concerning things far off that bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: But as <HI>Thomiris,</HI>
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retained nothing in her minde but it, &s;o &s;he turned all unto her own de&s;igne, and were the di&s;cour&s;e never &s;o far off the matter, yet &s;he did hand&s;omely draw the &s;ence of it unto her own ends. After &s;he had rendred the like &s;alute unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> with as much confu&s;ion as he; and after the fir&s;t complements, he began to di&s;cour&s;e of the beauty of the Country of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> and its va&s;tne&s;&s;e: It is true (an&s;wered &s;he unto him) our Country is not very contemptible, yet I cannot be per&s;waded, but you prefer <HI>Cappadocia</HI> before it; and perhaps (&s;aid &s;he blu&s;hing) you had rather obey there, then Command here. Doubtle&s;&s;e (re|plied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> it is but ju&s;t &s;o to do; for Madam, nece&s;&s;ity does impo&s;e it upon me, to obey in <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> although I am not born a &s;ubject unto <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> nor can I ever have any right to command among the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes;</HI> unle&s;&s;e (&s;aid he &s;miling) the King my Ma&s;ter do &s;end me to make War upon them, which your Maje&s;tie knows very well how to prevent. You know, &s;aid &s;he to him, that Crowns are obtained more ways then one. There are Kings elective, as well as there are Kings by conque&s;t: and who told you, that without fight|ing you could not Reign here, or at lea&s;t over the <HI>I&s;&s;edonians?</HI> Rea&s;on Madam, told me, (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> knowing very well, that the Crown of the <HI>I&s;&s;edonians</HI> is not elective: and al&s;o knowing mo&s;t certainly, that your people are &s;o well contented with your Government, that they will never change you. No Madam, I am not &s;o meanly ver&s;ed in the &s;everal Cu&s;toms of People, but that I know, that the <HI>Spartan</HI> Cu&s;toms and the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes</HI> are not alike, and that it is not here, as where the Kings are elective: But it is you Madam (&s;aid he unto her, and would not give her time to an&s;wer) who may get &s;everal Crowns without fighting: and your vertue hath procured you &s;o many Royal Adorers, as I may well &s;ay, you may chu&s;e Scepters and Crowns, when, and where you plea&s;e: and although tho&s;e which you have of your own already be very illu&s;trious, yet beleeve it Madam, there are others al&s;o which are not unworthy of you. For my part, (replied the Queen) I am partly of your mind in one thing; for as you had rather obey in <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> then reign here; &s;o had I rather obey here then reign in <HI>Cappadocia.</HI> Perhaps Madam, replied my Ma&s;ter, you would not &s;ay &s;o of <HI>Medea,</HI> if you were there; and the &s;tately pallaces of <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> are if I be not deceived, to be preferred before your magni|ficent Tents: No <HI>Artamenes,</HI> replied &s;he, all the magnificence of <HI>Ecbatan</HI> moves not my minde: I &s;eek for &s;olid vertues, and not &s;plendent Thrones; and I know you are too full of rea&s;on, not to be of my opinion: al&s;o I am per&s;waded, that although we have no Pallaces nor Towns, yet if you did finde among&s;t us a Prince&s;&s;e which were mo&s;t illu&s;tri|ous in every thing, you would prefer her before her that &s;its upon the Throne of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> Doubtle&s;&s;e I know Madam, an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that I &s;hould more e&s;teem &s;uch a one in a pri&s;on, then many others which wore Crowns: But Madam, when I &s;peak unto you of the Throne of <HI>Medea,</HI> I am not put to that trouble, &s;ince the Prince who mu&s;t &s;it upon it, is one that is owner of all great Vertues, and good Qualities: He knew better how to make his choi&s;e (an&s;wered <HI>Thomiris)</HI> when he committed the command of his Armes unto you: But I doubt whether he was &s;o judicious, in employing an illu&s;trious Con|querour to be an Emba&s;&s;adour, &s;ince in my opinion they are different Qualities. If fideli|ty (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes</HI> much non-plu&s;t) be one of the mo&s;t e&s;&s;ential parts of this kinde of employment: I can a&s;&s;ure your Maje&s;ty, that I have as much of it as I have of Cou|rage; and if I prove not &s;o happy in this my negotiation, as I have been in War, it &s;hall be becau&s;e Madam, your Maje&s;ty would not have it &s;o, but not my fault: No Madam, I will omit no endeavors which may conduce to the &s;atisfaction of that King who &s;ent me; and if I cannot obtain it, then I mu&s;t return back with much &s;orrow, but I will carry no|thing with me which may tax either my fidelity, or my diligence. You have not yet told me (replied <HI>Thomiris</HI> in much turbulency) the true Negotiation about which you came unto this Court; and had not <HI>Teres</HI> acquainted me, I had not known it. That which you impute unto me as a crime (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter) is indeed, out of my re&s;pect, and if I &s;ay as much, as the hand&s;ome&s;t expedient; for Madam, I did not think it fit to expo&s;e the honour of that Prince whom I &s;erve, unto any di&s;grace, nor expo&s;e your Maje&s;ty unto the open refu&s;al of a great King, if the propo&s;ition did not plea&s;e you; yet notwith|&s;tanding I hope for better &s;ucce&s;&s;e; and notwith&s;tanding all that hath been told me, to be as happy in my Negotiation, as I have been in War. No <HI>Artamenes,</HI> deceive not your &s;elf, (an&s;wered the Queen) that which you have propo&s;ed unto me, will not take effect, and you your &s;elf are an invincible hindrance unto it. I, Madam, (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter.) Yes, you (an&s;wered <HI>Thomiris)</HI> and therefore complain not, if <HI>Ciaxares</HI> receive no &s;ati&s;|faction from me. I do confe&s;&s;e Madam, (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> I do not under&s;tand you,
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You under&s;tand me well enough <HI>Artamenes</HI> (an&s;wered &s;he in a faint voice, and dejecting her eyes) but it's I that does not under&s;tand you. You may under&s;tand me Madam when you plea&s;e, replied my Ma&s;ter, and if I have been ill interpreted, I &s;hall be mo&s;t ready to cleer all your doubts and ju&s;tifie my &s;elf. Your crime (an&s;wered <HI>Thomiris)</HI> is of &s;uch a quality, as I cannot accu&s;e you, but I mu&s;t accu&s;e my &s;elf, which is not an ea&s;ie matter for me to do. As I am very confident of my own innocency (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> &s;o I do not doubt of yours; nor can I &s;u&s;pect a great Queen, of the lea&s;t errour. No <HI>Arta|menes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he and covering her eyes with her hand) I do not erre, when I think you worthy of a Crown. Alas Madam, (cried out my Ma&s;ter) doubtle&s;&s;e I am not rightly under&s;tood; and le&s;t I &s;hould neglect that reverence which I do owe you. I think it is my be&s;t not to an&s;wer you. You &s;hall an&s;wer me enough, in not an&s;wering me at all, replied the Queen, and I &s;hall not need any long di&s;cour&s;e to under&s;tand you. But Madam (&s;aid <HI>Artamenes</HI> then) &s;ince what your Maje&s;ty tels me is true, I have no other bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, but to take my leave of you and return to <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> that I may no longer keep one of the greate&s;t Kings upon earth in a fruitle&s;&s;e hope. This la&s;t di&s;cour&s;e which my Ma&s;ter had premeditated to puzzle the Queen, did much &s;urprize her, and put her unto &s;uch a non-plus, that &s;he knew not what to an&s;wer; for &s;he thought that by leaving no hopes in <HI>Artame|nes</HI> to promote the intere&s;t of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> &s;he &s;hould per&s;wade him, that &s;he loved him; but perceiving this cour&s;e did produce &s;o bad an effect, and that this re&s;olute an&s;wer took from her all pretence of &s;taying him, &s;he repented of what &s;he had &s;aid, though &s;he knew not how to remedy it; &s;he was upon the very point of more openly di&s;covering her pa&s;&s;i|on unto him; Love and Mode&s;ty did much contend which &s;hould open, which &s;hould &s;hut her mouth; &s;he would &s;peak, and &s;he would be &s;ilent; &s;he would oftentimes change co|lour and look upon my Ma&s;ter, then upon a &s;udden withdraw her looks, and deject her eyes, and all this with &s;uch violent agitation, and turbulent irre&s;olution, as cau&s;ed abun|dance of perplexity in my Ma&s;ter, whom this cro&s;&s;e adventure made even de&s;perate: But in conclu&s;ion, <HI>Thomiris</HI> not being able to &s;peak down right of her pa&s;&s;ion unto <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and not being willing that he &s;hould depart, did turn the matter another way, &s;o that be|ginning to &s;peak again, It is not now <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to him) that you &s;hall receive your An&s;wer, but &s;ince you &s;poke unto me by <HI>Teres,</HI> it is by him I will return you an An|&s;wer: Mean while, we will not yet re&s;olve upon any thing: A minuit cannot make us alter our firme&s;t re&s;olves. Perhaps you will de&s;ire nothing to morrow but what you de&s;ire now; and perhaps, I my &s;elf al&s;o, &s;hall not wi&s;h for any thing but what I wi&s;h at pre|&s;ent, though I am fully per&s;waded, that what I &s;hall de&s;ire is equally innocent and glo|rious. As they were upon the&s;e termes, <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aripithes,</HI> who &s;ince their jea|lou&s;ie of my Ma&s;ter, became in&s;eparable Companions, came in, and interrupted the di&s;|cour&s;e: The&s;e two Princes did very ea&s;ily ob&s;erve a great agitation in the mind of <HI>Tho|miris,</HI> and &s;aw &s;ome &s;igne of di&s;order in the face of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> which they imagined was cau&s;ed by their anger to be interrupted in their plea&s;ing di&s;cour&s;e, but which indeed was quite contrary. The&s;e jealous Princes &s;poke little; <HI>Artamenes</HI> for his part &s;aid not much: <HI>Thomiris</HI> was re&s;tle&s;&s;e in her mind, that not being able to endure the pre&s;ence of the&s;e two Princes, who loved her, and could not love them, and the delighting, and therefore cruel &s;ight of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> whom &s;he loved, but who loved not her, troubling her, &s;he took leave of them all; and at the &s;ame time quitted her &s;elf of the objects of her indifferencie, and of her love. After the Queen was gone, <HI>Artamenes</HI> went out al&s;o with the two Princes; and &s;ince he was much plea&s;ed with <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> whom he &s;u&s;pected not of any &s;uch thoughts as he brought with him, he left them not &s;o &s;oon: They who&s;e minds were only to di&s;cover his intentions, and being glad of this opportunity, propounded it unto him to walk out together: During this walk, they put a hundred odd froward que&s;tions unto him concerning the time he was to &s;tay in this Court, unto which he an&s;wered very innocently: So that &s;ometimes he did confirm their jealou&s;ies, &s;ometimes he would le&s;&s;en them, but yet commonly they rather augmented, then dimini&s;hed. Doubtle&s;&s;e (&s;aid <HI>Indathir|&s;es</HI> to him) It is a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of &s;ome great importance, which detains you thus long in this Court, and which moved the King of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> to imploy a man of your Qua|lity unto the Queen. My Ma&s;ter, thinking to do them a plea&s;ure in &s;peaking advantagiou&s;ly concerning <HI>Thomiris,</HI> did an&s;wer <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> in &s;uch a manner as moved re&s;entment quite op|po&s;ite to joy: The Queen (replied he) is a Prince&s;s &s;o illu&s;trious, that though the Negotiati|on were not or any great importance, yet the King whom I &s;erve would &s;end none unto her but a Per&s;on of great Quality, and if he failed in any thing, it was in that he did not make
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choice of one more worthy then my &s;elf, to treat with &s;o great a Prince&s;&s;e. I do believe (an|&s;wered <HI>Aripithes)</HI> that he could not have found out one who had been more welcom to her; But that which mo&s;t wonders me, added he, is to &s;ee the Queen treat you as &s;he does, &amp; yet di&s;patch you no &s;ooner: Affairs are never di&s;patched in &s;uch ha&s;te, replied my Ma&s;ter, un|le&s;&s;e they be &s;uch as concern open wars: Tho&s;e which you negociate, an&s;wered <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> I do believe are not of that nature, I &s;hould rather think them matters of love; &s;ince the King whom you &s;erve is not married, having only one daughter unmarried al&s;o, and this Queen a widow; and the young King her &s;on being al&s;o a great Prince, it is not impo&s;&s;ible but love may be the &s;ubject of this &s;o &s;ecret employment. No <HI>Aripithes</HI> (replied he inter|rupting him) it cannot be as you &s;ay, for the marriages of Kings and their loves are never concealed; I rather &s;u&s;pect &s;omething el&s;e: you may very well think (&s;aid <HI>Artamenes</HI> half &s;miling) that if I had any &s;uch &s;ecret orders, I ought not to tell you nor &s;hew you my in&s;tructions; but I mu&s;t leave you the liberty of your own thoughts, and give you leave to divert your &s;elves in rea&s;oning upon &s;uch a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e as I mu&s;t never tell you: I do not think, (&s;aid <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> then) that your bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is matters of war, for the mo&s;t &s;ecret things of that nature would quickly be divulged: But if I be not much deceived, our impaciency to know your bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is not greater then yours, to know the end of your ne|gotiation: For the Court of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> though it be very glorious to us Scythians who are declared enemies to all magnificence; yet it is not &s;o to you, who has &s;een the Court of <HI>Medea,</HI> and live in that of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> which is not inferiour in all gallantry and pomp. My Ma&s;ter thinking he had done them a great piece of civility, did augme<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> their jea|lou&s;ie, when he told them thus: I do confe&s;&s;e that <HI>Cappadocia</HI> has mo&s;t attractive charms in it; and I do confe&s;&s;e al&s;o that any free and rea&s;onable &s;oul mu&s;t needs find very great ones in this Court of <HI>Thomiris:</HI> and though in lieu of being in a plea&s;ant, &s;uch as hers is, &s;he &s;hould reign over that people who live under the mountain <HI>Imaus,</HI> among&s;t the Rockes and Precipices, yet &s;he alone were enough to make the place mo&s;t plea&s;ant where ere &s;he were; and would doubtle&s;&s;e &s;o charm Emba&s;&s;adors to wait long upon her, that they would make no ha&s;te away from her. Since we are &s;trangers as well as you are, replied <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> it is not fit for us to comment upon tho&s;e commendations which you be&s;tow upon the Country of the Ma&s;&s;agetes: and as for the Queen (added <HI>Aripithes)</HI> it belongs not to us to tell her what you &s;ay advantagiou&s;ly of her, it being very probable, that you being facetious as you are, you have found out wayes to acquaint her with your good opinion of her. She is one, replied <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who mu&s;t not be commended to her face; it is no le&s;&s;e injurious to take too much liberty in commending a great Queen, then it is &s;candal unto one of a mean condition: But as for <HI>Thomiris</HI> (&s;aid he to them) there is no need to tell her &s;he is infinitely de&s;erving, and by con&s;equence infinitely e&s;teem|ed, &s;ince it is not po&s;&s;ible &s;he can be ignorant of tho&s;e admirable qualities wherein &s;he is &s;o tran&s;cendent. You may imagine Sir, how the&s;e two Rivals were &s;tung at what my Ma|&s;ter &s;aid: Sometimes they would whi&s;per together, and &s;ometimes they would look upon <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and &s;eek for that in his eyes, which they plainly &s;aw in his words: As for his part, his &s;pirits were &s;o po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with pa&s;&s;ion, and angered at this vexatious adventure wherein he was entangled, that he minded neither the di&s;cour&s;e nor actions of the&s;e two Princes, as we under&s;tood by him which waited upon them, who told it afterwards unto <HI>Chri&s;antes:</HI> But in conclu&s;ion Sir, <HI>Artamenes</HI> being impatient to be alone, that he might have liberty to dige&s;t his thoughts, did end the walk, and parted from the&s;e two Princes, who left him with a colder complement, then they acco&s;ted him. We under&s;tood afterwards, that as &s;oon as my Ma&s;ter was parted from them, they began to de&s;cant upon that turbu|lency which they ob&s;erved in the Queens face: upon the pen&s;ivene&s;&s;e which appeared in the eyes of their &s;uppo&s;ed Rival, when they came fir&s;t in, and upon every word he had &s;poke unto them while&s;t they were walking: But the re&s;ult of all their arguments was, that they concluded he loved <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and <HI>Thomiris</HI> did not hate him: and in conclu&s;ion, did both think and &s;peak, as much as mo&s;t violent jealou&s;ie could prompt them unto. My Ma&s;ter, for his part, had not too much tranquillity, and the Queen was mo&s;t of all perplexed: In&s;omuch as &s;he was &s;orry to &s;ee her &s;elf in a manner, exceed the mo|de&s;ty of her &s;ex: that which mo&s;t vexed her was, to &s;ee her folly did not thrive: it grie|ved her to the heart, that neither her beauty nor her quality could move the heart of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> This moved her ab&s;olutely to command <HI>Gelonida,</HI> to &s;peak her &s;elf unto my Ma&s;ter; and pump his thoughts to the bottom of his heart: <HI>Gelonida</HI> denied a command that had &s;o little rea&s;on in it, but <HI>Thomiris</HI> would without more contradiction be punctually
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obeyed: <HI>Gelonida,</HI> &s;ince there was no remedy, &s;poke her &s;elf unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> after &s;he had prepared his mind a little, by the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of <HI>Chri&s;antes:</HI> But the truth was, her bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e was rather to help him out with a hand&s;ome pretence to refu&s;e the Queen, then any per&s;wa&s;ion of him to her: for &s;ince this Lady was &s;o affectionately tied unto the intere&s;t of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and conceiving that the Queen made a choice below her quality in think|ing upon <HI>Artamenes;</HI> &s;he carried the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e after &s;uch a manner, as did little le&s;&s;e intangle my Ma&s;ter, then if &s;he had driven on the de&s;ign which <HI>Thomiris</HI> de&s;ired her: Certainly he never met with a more peevi&s;h piece of bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: He prayed <HI>Gelonida</HI> a hundred times over, to per&s;wade the Queen that he e&s;teemed her as much as mortal man could do: But although he were extreamly in love with her, yet would he never fal&s;ifie that fidelity and reverence which he owed the King of <HI>Cappadocia.</HI> Indeed Sir, he &s;aid as much unto her, as any man of the &s;weete&s;t and noble&s;t mind could do, to conceal the &s;hame and confu&s;ion of &s;o great and fair a Queen: <HI>Gelonida</HI> and he, then being agreed upon an an&s;wer, &s;he returned to <HI>Thomiris,</HI> who did mo&s;t impatiently expect her: &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw her, but cau&s;ing all to go out of her chamber; well <HI>Gelonida</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to her) let me from your mouth hear, whether it be <HI>Thomiris</HI> or her Crown which <HI>Artamenes</HI> thinks unworthy of him&s;elf? It is rather he, Madam replied <HI>Gelonida,</HI> who thinks him&s;elf unwor|thy of both: But Madam, he &s;aid further, that though he might without inju&s;tice a&s;pire unto that honour which your Maje&s;tie is plea&s;ed to offer him, and notwith&s;tanding that e&s;teem which he ows you, yet he re&s;olves rather to die then fail in duty to his Ma&s;ter: what (replied <HI>Thomiris)</HI> would he do &s;o though he loved me? Certainly Madam (&s;aid <HI>Gelonida,</HI> to her) it cannot be thought that love will ever corrupt his duty. He told me Madam, that he adored you in his heart; but though his life was de&s;tined to be unhappy, yet he would not be wicked: his vertue indeed would be great (replied the Queen) but his love would be &s;mall if he could do &s;o; and doubtle&s;&s;e, he expre&s;&s;ed his pa&s;&s;ion unto you as an indifferent imaginary thing which never di&s;turbed his rea&s;on, by any experience he had of it: I could have &s;poke as he does the day before he came hither; but now, &s;ince I have altered my thoughts, I am per&s;waded that if he loved me, he would change al&s;o with me; and his genero&s;ity would be perhaps a little di&s;pen&s;ed with, principally in &s;uch a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e as does not directly injure his vertue: But <HI>Gelonida</HI> (added &s;he further) it is not I that can per&s;wade him; that which my merit cannot do, my rea&s;ons will not: your merit Madam, replied <HI>Gelonida,</HI> has (as he a&s;&s;ures) wrought upon his &s;oul, as much as you can rea&s;onably de&s;ire: He doth acknowledge that he both e&s;teems and admires you; but he adds withall, that it is in &s;uch a manner, as tho&s;e who are native &s;ubjects unto their Queen, although he be not one of yours: for my part, replied <HI>Thomiris,</HI> I cannot tell what to think of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> for certain I am, there is no vitious thought in my heart, for if there were the lea&s;t tincture of any &s;uch, very de&s;pite and repentance &s;hould quickly cure me of that malady which troubles me; yet although that kind of imbecility does not di&s;turbe me, my &s;oul it is not at quiet: <HI>Artamenes</HI> has induced me almo&s;t to hate <HI>Inda|thir&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Aripithes;</HI> I cannot indure the name of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> which by others he has mo|ved in, but not him&s;elf: every thing which might divert me, annoys me; my own thoughts vex me; and not well knowing whether I do love, or ought to love; I am only certain that I hate my own tranquillity, and that it will be hard for me ever to find it, unle&s;&s;e he will permit me to give him a Crown; and confer that upon him which indeed his vertue de&s;erves, and quality denies him. For my part Madam (replied <HI>Gelonida)</HI> I think that <HI>Artamenes</HI> prefers his duty before his ambition. But <HI>Gelonida</HI> (replied <HI>Thomiris</HI> very angerly) if you do imagine &s;uch an impo&s;&s;ibility in my de&s;ign, why do you not tell me that <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;lights me? that <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;peaks of me but with a faint re&s;pect; and that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is unworthy of my affection? Perhaps, if you carry it thus, very &s;pleen will work that in my heart which rea&s;on could not: But you &s;eem to tell me, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;poke unto you with &s;o much re&s;pect, and &s;o much wi&s;dom, that I can hardly either complain or de&s;pair; For if <HI>Artamenes</HI> do e&s;teem me, he may chance love me; and if he love me, then that which he cals duty unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> will quickly &s;ubmit unto that duty which he ows unto <HI>Thomiris;</HI> therefore I mu&s;t only keep <HI>Artamenes</HI> in this Court as long as po&s;&s;ible I can, and &s;ubmit the re&s;t unto fortune: I do believe Madam, replied <HI>Gelonida,</HI> that it will be very difficult to keep him long, for if I be not deceived, he will pre&s;ently ask leave to depart: he may ask it, (an&s;wered this violent Prince&s;&s;e) but he &s;hall not obtain it: The orders which I &s;hall give will &s;top his pa&s;&s;age over <HI>Araxes.</HI> This was the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ge|lonida:</HI> But to the end that <HI>Teres</HI> &s;hould not under&s;tand her intentions, &s;he gave him order
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to tell my Ma&s;ter that if he would have a little patience, &s;he would within a few dayes, give him a peremptory an&s;wer. <HI>Artamenes</HI> was then very much perplexed, for <HI>Gelonida</HI> did let him know by <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> that the Queens pa&s;&s;ion was every day more and more violent: <HI>Teres</HI> on the contrary, told him that there was great hopes in his tra&s;anction: Indeed, he neither knew well what to think, nor what to re&s;olve upon: He did &s;till urge <HI>Teres</HI> to pre&s;&s;e on the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and told him plainly, that if he received not an an&s;wer within a &s;hort time, he would be gone without it. Mean time, this bad &s;ucce&s;&s;e did much torment him; not only becau&s;e he was &s;orry that he di&s;turbed the tranquillity of <HI>Thomiris;</HI> nor becau&s;e <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would be perhaps di&s;plea&s;ed with him; but becau&s;e he apprehended <HI>Mandana</HI> might i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">agine that he did not u&s;e his be&s;t endeavour in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, &s;ince the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of it might deprive that Prince&s;&s;e of a Crown. He was forced therefore unto patience; and to wait upon the i&s;&s;ue of that bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, which in all appearance would not &s;ucceed hand|&s;omly. <HI>Thomiris,</HI> &s;ince &s;he had &s;poken unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> in &s;uch plain termes, was two dayes and would not be &s;een by any, under colour of being not well: During which time, <HI>Artamenes</HI> the better to entertain him&s;elf with his melancholly contemplations, went out to walk upon the banks of that Rivolet, which as I told you, did run along the Tents Royal, and went with very little company; He would &s;ometimes leave us among &s;ome certain Trees which grew there, and there command us to &s;tay; he would walk alone by him&s;elf, and go &s;o far &s;ometimes that he would be out of our &s;ight. Two dayes after that <HI>Geloni|da,</HI> had &s;poke unto him, <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Aripithes,</HI> who had ob&s;erved a great &s;ecrecy between <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and her, and conceived things much otherwi&s;e then they were, were extreamly tormented with their jealou&s;ies, and without any further re&s;olution, would clear all their doubts of being revenged upon <HI>Artamenes.</HI> But yet the difficulty was to agree, which of them it &s;hould be which &s;hould execute it; for &s;aid <HI>Aripithes</HI> unto <HI>In|dathir&s;es,</HI> if you &s;hould call <HI>Artamenes</HI> in que&s;tion, and he give you no &s;atisfaction, you mu&s;t then fight with him, and then perhaps you would pretend a new right unto <HI>Thomiris</HI> by this combate: No, an&s;wered <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> I promi&s;e you never to pretend any thing unto her without her free con&s;ent: So that you may ea&s;ily imagine, that my quarrel with <HI>Artamenes</HI> is not the way to procure her favour if &s;he love him, but it will put you into le&s;&s;e danger of her hatred then my &s;elf: But &s;o it was Sir, that they could not agree upon the matter; they were rather ready to fall upon one another, for it is imaginable, that union which was grounded upon jealou&s;ie was not indi&s;&s;olvable, and &s;o they parted very ill &s;a|tisfied with one another; and <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> &s;eeing my ma&s;ter go out of the Tent to walk, followed only by two or three of his men, he went after with an equal number, to &s;eek him by the River &s;ide where he often walked: As &s;oon as <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;aw him, he went towards him, and acco&s;ting him with much civility; I am happier then I thought (&s;aid he to him) &s;ince I expected nothing in my walk but &s;olitude, and find &s;uch good company; <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter civilly enough before the company: and beginning to go on, <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> propounded it to walk on foot, and my Ma&s;ter con&s;enting unto it, they gave their hor&s;es to their men, and walked alone along the River &s;ide: As &s;oon as they were at a rea&s;onable di&s;tance, and ought of &s;ight of their men; <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> looking upon
<HI>Artamenes,</HI> I know not (&s;aid he to him) whether the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e I have to tell you, will &s;ur|prize you; but I do know very well it can never trouble you &s;o much as it has me: I know not (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> whether or no it will &s;urprize me until I do know it; yet I can a&s;&s;ure you, that I u&s;e not to be &s;o at any perver&s;e events; but alwayes prepare my &s;elf to receive the wor&s;t malice of fortune with a quiet mind: my bu&s;ine&s;&s;e with you now (re|plied <HI>Indathir&s;es)</HI> is not of that quality: but before I explain my &s;elf any further, tell me I be&s;eech you, whether &s;ince you came among&s;t the Ma&s;&s;agettes, you ever heard of the cau&s;e which brought me into this Court of <HI>Thomiris?</HI> Since I do u&s;e to be &s;incere (replied Ma&s;ter) I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e they tell me it is becau&s;e you are in love with <HI>Thomiris:</HI> and that both you and the Prince of <HI>Sauromates</HI> are po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion: Knew you as much before you &s;aw <HI>Thomiris?</HI> I did &s;o (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter) why then did you not defend your heart (added <HI>Indathir&s;es)</HI> again&s;t her charms? and &s;ince you make &s;uch publike profe&s;&s;ion of genero&s;ity, why would you di&s;ingage two Princes, who have received you with all po&s;&s;ible civility? for I am certain that the Queen loves you, and I conceive that you love her: for this Prince&s;&s;e would for a whole year together ob&s;tinately deny her affection unto me, to place it upon a man, who never asked it, or does not love her: I do confe&s;&s;e (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes</HI> coldly) that what you tell me does more &s;urpri&s;e me then I thought it would: But &s;ince I
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do not u&s;e to give any explanations of this nature, unto any who complaine of me, and &s;peak unto me in &s;uch an Aire as you do, I can &s;ay nothing to you, but that I reverence the Queen more then to &s;u&s;pect her of any &s;uch imbecility, as you accu&s;e her of: And for my particular, if I have been any ob&s;tacle, unto your affection, I have done nothing but what I ought; but yet (replied <HI>Indathir&s;es)</HI> you do not directly tell me, whe|ther or no you love the Queen, and whether the Queen loues you, and whether your bu&s;ine&s;&s;e at Court will quickly be di&s;patched? I will give you no other an&s;wer (replied my Ma&s;ter) but as I did before, that I have done nothing but what I ought to do; and if you be not contented with it, then you mu&s;t look out a way to get better &s;atisfaction, for I will not refu&s;e you any that I can. I do know very well, (replied <HI>Indathir&s;es)</HI> that to a&s;&s;ault an Emba&s;&s;ador, is in &s;ome degree a violation of the law of nations, which all the people in the world thinks &s;acred; but &s;ince I am a &s;tranger as well as you, I do not think my &s;elf obliged by the lawes of this Countrey; nor that I am any thing injurious unto ho|nour, if I demand reparation for the affront which you have offered, in cau&s;ing <HI>Thomiris</HI> to hate me. Mo&s;t Ju&s;t (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter without any <HI>dorr</HI> at it) and if you plea&s;e to walk &s;ome two hundred paces further out of their &s;ight which follow us, you having a Sword as well as I, we may there end all differences, and &s;ee whether the love you bear unto the Queen, will make you Conqueror without any danger. <HI>Artamenes</HI> told us af|terwards, that his anger to &s;ee him&s;elf per&s;ecuted by a man unto whom he was not any Rivall, did &s;o tran&s;port him, that he was not le&s;s incen&s;ed then if he had been in love with the Queen. <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> then accepting the offer, they began to walk untill they were out of any &s;ight of their men, who never minded them: <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Artame|nes</HI> drawing their Swords, began the combat, the particulars whereof I cannot well re|late, &s;ince all we know was from the mouth of the Combatants, who&s;e mode&s;tie would not permit them to &s;et out their own valours: <HI>Artamenes</HI> told us that <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> &s;hewed him&s;elf a man of great Courage, and much valour, in this dangerous attempt: They made &s;everall pa&s;&s;es at on another without a touch: but at la&s;t, &s;ince it was my Ma&s;ters de&s;tinie ever to vanqui&s;h, his Sword was &s;anguin'd with the blood of <HI>Indathir&s;es:</HI> The hurt was but &s;light, yet &s;ince it was in his right Arme, it much troubled him: &s;o that fea|ring he &s;hould not be long able to manage his Sword; he re&s;olved to come up very clo&s;e unto my Ma&s;ter, who received him as gallantly: <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> was as tall as my Ma&s;ter: but there was ever &s;uch a &s;trange vigour in the heart of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> as it allwayes doubled his &s;trength in any dangers, and which ever made him victorious; &s;o that after a little time of di&s;pute, <HI>Artamenes</HI> catcht hold of <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> Sword, and pre&s;enting his own &s;word un|to his bre&s;t cau&s;ed him to confe&s;s him&s;elf vanqui&s;hed: my Ma&s;ter having both &s;words in his hands; you will now acknowledg (&s;aid he) that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is not altogether unwor|thy of the affection of <HI>Thomiris?</HI> I will confe&s;s (replied <HI>Indathir&s;es)</HI> that you have va|lour enough to vanqui&s;h me, and that my fortune is not good enough to di&s;pute with you for her: and I do confe&s;&s;e, replied my Ma&s;ter, re&s;toring him his &s;word, and imb<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">acing him (that I am not in love with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> That I never was nor ever will be: How, (re|plied <HI>Indathir&s;es)</HI> are not you a lover of <HI>Thomiris?</HI> No, (replied <HI>Artamenes)</HI> and by my good will, &s;hall never be any hinderance unto your felicity with her: &s;ince it is &s;o (repli|ed <HI>Indathir&s;es)</HI> why would you fight? becau&s;e I would better per&s;wade you of the truth, (an&s;wered my Ma&s;ter) and not &s;uffer you to &s;u&s;pect my valour: <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> was &s;o much &s;urpri&s;ed and charmed with the genero&s;ity of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that he could not chu&s;e but de|&s;ire him to explain this Riddle, and u&s;ed &s;uch pre&s;&s;ing termes, and &s;o full of &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, that my Ma&s;ter promi&s;ed him he would; yet &s;ince he was hurt in the Arme, he per|&s;waded him to returne unto his tent to be dre&s;&s;ed: the difficulty was how to get thither unperceived, and &s;ince it was not po&s;&s;ible, <HI>Artamenes</HI> de&s;ired him not to be troubled at it, for lea&s;t that <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;hould be offended with him and bani&s;h him, that he would take it upon him&s;elf, and &s;ay that it was he who fir&s;t a&s;&s;aulted: you are then it &s;eems &s;o much in her favour (an&s;wered <HI>Indathir&s;es)</HI> that you fear not her anger? Rather &s;ay, (replied <HI>Arta|menes</HI> &s;miling) that her anger is &s;o little terrible to me, that I fear not to expo&s;e my &s;elf unto it. Mean while Sir, you may Imagine how much they were amazed which held their hor&s;es, when at their returne they knew by the blood of <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> they had been fight|ing: that which mo&s;t wondred them, was to &s;ee them &s;eem as good friends, as when they went out: And indeed <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> and <HI>Artamenes,</HI> did ever after that love dearly. My Ma&s;ter becau&s;e he would keep his word, after he had brought <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> to his Pavi|lion, &s;ent <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to the Queen, to ask pardon for the combat which he had fought
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with <HI>Indathir&s;ss:</HI> that he confe&s;&s;ed he was to blame in it, therefore he begged pardon for <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> as well as him&s;elf. <HI>Thomiris</HI> much wondered at this combat, and could not gue&s;&s;e the cau&s;e: <HI>Aripithes</HI> who was quite out with <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> was angry with him&s;elf that he could not goe unto him to ask what <HI>Artamenes</HI> had told him: yet the Queen, who could not be angry with <HI>Artamenes,</HI> reflected all again&s;t <HI>Indathir&s;es;</HI> &s;aying he had ex|treamly offended her, by affronting an Emba&s;&s;ador in her Court. <HI>Artamenes</HI> knowing it by the returne of <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> went him&s;elf to be&s;eech her in the behalfe of <HI>Indathir&s;es;</HI> or if &s;he would puni&s;h him, yet not to make that the ground of it: &s;he urged my Ma&s;ter to tell her the cau&s;e of the combat, but he would not be wooed to tell her: yet in conclu|&s;ion procured pardon both for him&s;elf and <HI>Indathir&s;es. Aripithes,</HI> angry to be thus pre|vented by <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> but much more to &s;ee my Ma&s;ter e&s;cape the danger of the combat, and be victorious, re&s;olved, notwith&s;tanding his pretentions unto the Queen, to quarrel with him al&s;o, and to &s;eek out fonan opportunity: Mean while, the Prince of <HI>Tauro&s;ci|thes,</HI> who was all impatience untill he was better informed from the mouth of <HI>Artamenes.,</HI> of all which he &s;aid unto him, did &s;end very civilly unto him to put him in memory of his promi&s;e: which my Ma&s;ter the next day performed: He went unto his Tent; and ac|kowledged unto him, that his negotiation at this Court was, to propound a marriage between the Queen and <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> but not being able to give the rea&s;on, he found her very aver&s;e in the motion; and that he began infallibly to &s;ee he &s;hould return without effecting any thing, but the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which related unto Pirats upon the <HI>Ca&s;pian</HI> Sea, which was only the &s;pecious pretence of his voyage; &s;o Sir, (&s;aid he to him) you may well Judge that I am in no fault, nor &s;hall not be, although I do continue my tran&s;action of the Kings intere&s;t whom I &s;erve: But trouble not your &s;elf at it, for I do a&s;&s;ure you, that I am not able to effect it. And that I may the more quiet your mind in regard of my &s;elf: I do confe&s;s unto you, that I am in love with one who&s;e manicles I would not quit for all the Crowns of the world. <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> gave my Ma&s;ter many thanks for his genero&s;ity and freedom: and after he had promi&s;ed unto him perpetuall affection, how comes it to pa&s;s (&s;aid he to him) that you cannot promote your negotiation, &s;ince the Queen be&s;towes &s;o many marks of her e&s;teem and affection upon you? <HI>Artamenes,</HI> de&s;iring to conceal from <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> the imbecility of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> told him that it was oft times the cu&s;tom of Kings, to &s;weeten the bad &s;ucce&s;s of a bu&s;ine&s;s, by their way and manner of tran&s;acting it: yet <HI>Inda|thir&s;es</HI> was too much intere&s;ted in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e to be &s;o ea&s;ily deceived, and not to di&s;cerne the difference between the effects of common civility, and the effects of a violent pa&s;&s;ion: but do what he could, he could not move <HI>Artamenes</HI> to tell what he knew concerning the love of <HI>Thomiris;</HI> my Ma&s;ter alwayes telling him, that he may very well content him&s;elf with knowing that he had no affection unto the Queen. This di&s;cour&s;e being ended, <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> left him, and <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> came to adverti&s;e him, that the Queen had given &s;ecret orders to ob&s;erve his actions very carfully, lea&s;t he &s;hould e&s;cape away: you may Imagine Sir, how much this news troubled him; yet he di&s;&s;embled it, and &s;eemed as if he knew nothing of it. He divers times made vi&s;its to the Queen, who did not &s;peak unto him but after an ordinary manner; &s;omtimes &s;he would be melancholy, &s;omtimes &s;he would pa&s;s from melancholy, unto vexation, and &s;hew &s;ome &s;ignes of anger, and fury: &s;omtimes &s;he would a&s;&s;ume her civill and obliging humor, &s;o that it was ea&s;ie to Judge, that one and the &s;ame cau&s;e produced different effects: my Ma&s;ter did once more pre&s;s upon <HI>Teres,</HI> who made an&s;wer, that he was almo&s;t in de&s;pair of doing him that &s;ervice he would, but yet he could not give him any ab&s;olute an&s;wer: afterwards he let my Ma&s;ter know that the Queen commanded to tell him, &s;he would have him &s;tay untill the returne of <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aritanus:</HI> that &s;he could neither conclude of any thing, nor &s;end him away untill the King her &s;on came back: But with all he told him, how &s;he had &s;ent &s;ecret orders not to returne over &s;oone, and be&s;eeched him to pardon him if we were not able to performe tho&s;e good offices which he promi&s;ed: after this, we ob&s;erved that upon the matter <HI>Arta|menes</HI> was not at liberty, and that there was alwayes many men which ob&s;erved him: he could never walk, but he was accompanied with a great number, and had &s;carce the free|dome to be in his tent without guard. The ordinary guards were not only doubled; but there was courts of guard placed in &s;everall di&s;tances, round about the Railes of the Camp. We under&s;tood by <HI>Gelonida,</HI> that to color the bu&s;ine&s;s, it was given out, the Queen had received I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">telligence how <HI>Artamenes</HI> had &s;ecret de&s;ignes upon the countrey; and therefore without offering any violence unto him, unle&s;&s;e her doubts were better cleared, &s;he would have him carefully looked unto. <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;eeing him&s;elf, brought unto this extremity,
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did not know what to re&s;olve upon: he &s;aw &s;ufficiently that the marriage of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> could not be brought about: he knew that if he &s;hould move for new leave to depart, it would rather more re&s;train his Libertie, then do any good: he perceived by tho&s;e orders which were given unto the Guards about the Tent Royall, and by them which ob&s;erved his actions, that there was no po&s;&s;ibility to e&s;cape: nor could he devi&s;e how to get him&s;elf out of this Labyrinth. Alas (&s;aid he &s;ometimes unto us) what can I do? what &s;hall I &s;ay to <HI>Ciaxares?</HI> how can I &s;peak unto <HI>Mandana?</HI> Shall I tell them that <HI>Thomiris</HI> is in love with me? Is it po&s;&s;ible for me to entertain them with any &s;uch di&s;cour&s;e? But if I do not tell them, what will the King and the Prince&s;&s;e think of my flight? What will they &s;ay of &s;uch &s;trange proceedings? May they not well &s;ay I have lo&s;t my &s;en&s;es? Yet as the &s;tate of things does &s;tand, this is the be&s;t which can happen unto me: My hopes of &s;eeing <HI>Mandana</HI> will comfort me: and my innocence will not long lie hid: Thus was <HI>Artamenes</HI> de&s;canting upon the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e when <HI>Gelonida</HI> came to tell him, that &s;he would advi&s;e him to be gone as &s;oon as he could; but &s;ince he did not very well know how to do it; he thought good to colour it, and therefore he de&s;ired leave once more to depart: But &s;he an&s;wered that it could not be with conve|niency, and therefore he mu&s;t ab&s;olutely wait the return of <HI>Spargapi&s;es. Artamenes</HI> then &s;eeing him&s;elf denied, and a pri&s;oner, was extreamly melancholy; not but that <HI>Gelonida</HI> did contrive all the wayes &s;he could for his e&s;cape, but there was no means po&s;|&s;ible to bring it about. This did more di&s;quiet my Ma&s;ter, then any thing el&s;e; for if he had been permitted but a &s;word in his hand, I do verily think, he would have hoped to e&s;cape by forcing the Guards, and killing all that oppo&s;ed his pa&s;&s;age, for &s;uch wonder|full and incredible things have I &s;een him bring to pa&s;&s;e. But when he began to con&s;ider that the Queen was not thus violent and unju&s;t but becau&s;e &s;he loved him, he could not re&s;olve to di&s;honour her by &s;uch an action; nor kill the &s;ubjects of that Prince&s;&s;e, who<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e crime was an errour of love unto him. Sorrow did &s;it &s;o heavie upon his &s;oul that <HI>Inda|thir&s;es,</HI> now healed of his hurt, and coming to vi&s;it him, did perceive it, and did &s;o urge him to acknowledge that <HI>Thomiris</HI> loved him, and that her love was the cau&s;e of his &s;or|rows, as he could interpret it no otherwi&s;e, and at la&s;t told him how the Queen expre&s;&s;ed &s;uch things unto him as did induce him to beleeve it: and further told <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> that he would infinitely oblige him if he would devi&s;e &s;ome way whereby he might e&s;cape. Now you may plainly &s;ee, Generous <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> (&s;aid he to him) that I am not your Rival, &s;ince I do de&s;ire your furtherance to rid me away from <HI>Thomiris.</HI> I do indeed, (an&s;wered <HI>In|dathir&s;es)</HI> and plainly &s;ee you are in no fault, but that on the contrary I am much obli|ged to you: But for all that (&s;aid he) you do cau&s;e abundance of trouble in my &s;oul; for truely, to di&s;cover the bottom of my heart unto you, I &s;hould be le&s;&s;e troubled then I am, if <HI>Thomiris</HI> loved one who loved her: But that this Prince&s;&s;e who is &s;o admirably fair and amiable; who has a &s;oul &s;o great, and &s;o unalterably &s;etled as to re&s;i&s;t the love of <HI>Aripithes</HI> and my &s;elf &s;o long; &s;hould after all this, fall in love with a man who loves not her, I do really confe&s;&s;e unto you, that I cannot re&s;ent it but with abundance of extra|ordinary &s;orrow: 'Tis true, I &s;hould be more jealous, if you loved her, but not half &s;o much grieved: But in that &s;tate wherein I do finde my &s;elf, pardon me (&s;aid he to him) if your admirable merits can ju&s;tifie <HI>Thomiris</HI> in my thoughts: No, Generous <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I will love her no longer; I will either pull that pa&s;&s;ion out of my &s;oul, or el&s;e Ile die: and the more to facilitate your e&s;cape, I will determine upon my own; To that end, I will tell the Queen, I have received orders from the King of the <HI>Tauro&s;cithes</HI> my father, to come unto him, and de&s;ire her leave to be gone: Since I am not <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid he &s;ighing) &s;he will permit it; and the better to further our de&s;igne, you &s;hall fain your &s;elf &s;ick: In the night you &s;hall come into my Tent, and I will convey you away with me; your &s;ervants may al&s;o pa&s;&s;e among&s;t my Train, and we will go out &s;o early in the morning, that the Guards cannot know you: You may appoint &s;ome &s;ervants to &s;tay behinde, who may tell it that their Ma&s;ter is not well, they dare not go into his cham|ber untill it be late: This devi&s;e will afford you more time, and you will be further off, before your flight be di&s;covered. Tho&s;e who watch and ob&s;erve you in the day time, com|mit all the care of you in the night unto the night Guards, who watch both within, and without the Camp, &s;o that the project will aparantly take effect; and I &s;hall &s;et you in &s;uch a way, where, unle&s;&s;e I be much deceived, they will never &s;eek you: In &s;hort, <HI>In|dathir&s;es</HI> told him; I will be both your guide and your convoy: But (&s;aid he) do not think, that this office which I do you, is out of any intere&s;t or end; for let me tell you
<PB N="74" REF="122">
once more, I will love <HI>Thomiris</HI> no longer: Ab&s;ence which u&s;es to cure &s;uch mala|dies, &s;hall perfect that which anger has begun: In a word, Sir, to make my di&s;cour&s;e the &s;horter; though <HI>Artamenes</HI> was extreamly unwilling to take from <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;uch an illu&s;trious lover; yet <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> did pre&s;&s;e it &s;o upon him, that he accepted of his offer: The bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was done with more ea&s;e then we could expect: <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> asked leave and obtained it: My ma&s;ter counterfeited being &s;ick; we went out of our Tent unto that of <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> (which was very near) in the night: we appointed one of tho&s;e who was to &s;tay behind at the chamber door to conceal our flight as long as he could: at the fir&s;t break of day, we went out of the Tents Royal unperceived by any, becau&s;e we were mingled among&s;t the Train of <HI>Indathir&s;es:</HI> The guards who had orders from the Queen to let this Prince pa&s;&s;e, did not oppo&s;e our pa&s;&s;e: &s;o that we were got out of the Camp, and out of their furthe&s;t Courts of Guards undi&s;covered by any: but I forgot to tell you Sir, how much it troubled my Ma&s;ter thus to leave his men; &s;o that if <HI>Gelonida,</HI> who was privy to our departure, had not a&s;&s;ured him, that &s;he had prevalency enough with the Queen to prevent any ill u&s;age unto them: I do believe he would not have gone: but this vertuous woman, did &s;o faithfully promi&s;e to protect them, that he did believe it, and took her coun&s;el: Leaving a Letter for <HI>Thomiris,</HI> whereby he endea|voured to colour and excu&s;e his departure. Mean time, our march proved &s;o pro&s;perous, that we were not found by them who que&s;tionle&s;&s;e did &s;eek for us; for <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> did lead us &s;uch a way, as none would ever &s;u&s;pect us to take. My Ma&s;ter would have quitted this Prince from being his guide any longer; yet <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> would needs continue his office; for Sir, &s;ince he imagined, that as &s;oon as the flight of <HI>Artamenes</HI> was di&s;covered, the Queen would cau&s;e all the pa&s;&s;ages over <HI>Araxes</HI> to be &s;topped; therefore he conducted him unto a place higher up the River, where it parted into three divi&s;ions, and where they might foord it over: It was ju&s;t to the &s;ide of <HI>Araxes</HI> that <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> conducted <HI>Arta|menes,</HI> whom he loved exceedingly, although he had been a cau&s;e of much &s;orrow unto him: My Ma&s;ter did then ask pardon, for being in &s;ome &s;ort, a cau&s;e of his griefs, and both of them embracing one another with equal tenderne&s;&s;e of affection, they parted with reciprocal promi&s;es to love one another eternally. <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> looked upon <HI>Artamenes</HI> as he pa&s;&s;ed the River; who being landed on the other &s;ide, &s;aluted the Prince of <HI>Tau<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o&s;ci|thes,</HI> and he him again: Afterwards <HI>Indathir&s;es</HI> took the way unto his Country, though now he was a good way out of it; and we took that which conducted unto <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> But Sir, that which made the fir&s;t dayes journeys mo&s;t unplea&s;ant was, becau&s;e <HI>Artamenes</HI> had much ado to re&s;olve with him&s;elf what he &s;hould &s;ay unto <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> yet after he had well bethought him&s;elf, he re&s;olved to tell him only, that he did not find things in &s;o good a &s;tate, as to move <HI>Thomiris</HI> openly concerning his marriage; and that this Prince&s;&s;e being per&s;waded unto it by &s;ome ill di&s;po&s;ed per&s;ons, cau&s;ed a rumour to be rai&s;ed, that he had &s;ome bad de&s;igns in agitation; that he being adverti&s;ed, how they were jealous of his actions, demanded leave to depart; which being denied, and &s;eeing they re&s;olved to Arre&s;t him, he thought it his duty to prevent it, lea&s;t any di&s;grace &s;hould reflect upon the King: In conclu&s;ion, after he had fancied what to &s;ay, the hopes of &s;eeing <HI>Mandana</HI>
again, did revive &s;ome joy in his &s;oul; and after this, we travelled not a day wherein we did not di&s;cover &s;ome new &s;atisfaction in the countenance of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> Every &s;tep he took towards <HI>Mandana</HI> was a fre&s;h delight; and his own thoughts did &s;o plea&s;antly en|tertain him, that he did not need either the company of <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> or me, to divert him: Commonly he went either &s;ome thirty paces before, or thirty paces behind the re&s;t of the company, that he might &s;tudy out his thoughts with more freedom. One day then when we were not above five hundred furlongs from <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> and becau&s;e our journey was great, we were gone out before day did appear: After we had rode above an hour, we came into a Fore&s;t, when the Sun from the Ea&s;t did fir&s;t gild the clouds: There was one of my Ma&s;ters men, named <HI>Ortaliques,</HI> riding upon a white hor&s;e, and being the fir&s;t which rode that the re&s;t might follow him in the dark: <HI>Artamenes</HI> followed him; <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and my &s;elf with &s;ome others followed <HI>Artamenes:</HI> Marching in this order, and this ap|proaching light beginning to pierce through the thick Forre&s;t, permitting us to di&s;cern ob|jects which were not far di&s;tant; my Ma&s;ter di&s;covered upon his right hand, a great and rich Pavillion erected under &s;ome trees, and guarded by many Souldiers, and &s;eemed as if they would forbid entrance unto any which &s;hould come there: This &s;ight &s;o extraordi|nary, begot a little curio&s;ity in my Ma&s;ter: But his mind was taken up with the Idea of his Prince&s;&s;e, that it &s;topped his curio&s;ity to ask what it was: when he was gone a little fur|ther,
<PB N="75" REF="122">
he could not chu&s;e but turn his head a&s;ide, and he &s;aw through the boughs and trees a woman who lifting up the hanging of the Tent, &s;eemed to look whether or no it were day. About ten or twelve paces further, he who went fir&s;t and was called <HI>Ortaliques,</HI> be|ing then &s;ome twenty paces from <HI>Artamenes,</HI> he &s;aw a man in arms, who getting upon his hor&s;e which his Page did hold, came up to him, &amp; asked him whether he was that Country|man? and whether he could tell him which way he &s;hould cro&s;&s;e the Fore&s;t, and never enter into the plains? No Sir, (a&s;wered <HI>Ortaliques)</HI> but perhaps tho&s;e which come after me may better inform you; then <HI>Artamenes</HI> came up and asked him what this Cavalier did &s;ay? But while&s;t he was relating it, my Ma&s;ter &s;aw a dozen hor&s;e-men coming, who after they had looked upon this &s;tranger, cried out, Its he my companions, its he; &s;end pre|&s;ently to inform our Captain: then one of them &s;pur'd his hor&s;e, and rode in all ha&s;te to the place from whence they came: Mean while, the eleven which remained, fell upon this unknown Cavalier, who being retreated &s;ome certain paces, commanded his Page aloud, to go in all ha&s;te, and cau&s;e them to depart; for (&s;aid he, &s;peaking of <HI>Artamenes</HI> and the re&s;t, who &s;eeing the inequality of the combate, had their &s;words drawn ready to defend him) this relief which the gods have have &s;ent me, is &s;ufficient to make my party good with them; after which I &s;hall be with you. Indeed this &s;tranger was not deceived; and the genero&s;ity of <HI>Artamenes</HI> not permitting him to &s;ee one &s;ingle man in his pre&s;ence, a&s;&s;aulted by eleven; never &s;tood con&s;idering what he had to do, but as &s;oon as he &s;aw the&s;e Cavaliers a&s;&s;ault a &s;ingle man, drew his &s;word, and commanded us to do the like; &s;o that advancing towards the&s;e blades, he gave time unto him whom they would have de&s;troyed, to &s;peak what I already told you unto his Page; <HI>Artamenes</HI> under&s;tood not what it was he &s;aid, although I did very di&s;tinctly hear it; as &s;oon as he had given that order, this unknown Cavalier, came in to di&s;ingage my Ma&s;ter from his enemies, but he perceived that he had done it him&s;elf, by killing three of them with his own hands, and we, the re&s;t of his company &s;econding his valour as well as it was po&s;&s;ible for us; &s;o that this unknown partner joyning with us, it was an ea&s;ie matter to vanqui&s;h the remainder of our enemies, it being mo&s;t certain, that he was as valiant as any man in the world; he fought then as a man that would te&s;tifie unto his liberator, he was not unworthy of that protection which was given him: But as the la&s;t of his enemies fell dead by the hand of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and as he came unto him to render him thanks, the day being full light enough, he knew him (as we imagined afterwards;) &s;o that immediately altering his de&s;ign, he re|coiled back &amp; went towards <HI>Ortaliques,</HI> who was looking round about to &s;pie whether there were any more enemies to fight withall; and being come near him, tell your ma&s;ter (&s;aid he in great ha&s;te) that I am very &s;orry to be &s;o uncivil, and &s;eem &s;o ungrateful: But &s;ince my De&s;tinies compel me to it, I hope he will excu&s;e me. After he had &s;poken the&s;e words in great ha&s;te, he rode pre&s;ently through the trees, and followed the &s;ame way which the Ladies and tho&s;e which were with them took: <HI>Ortaliques</HI> told my Ma&s;ter what the &s;tranger &s;aid: This pa&s;&s;age, you may well &s;uppo&s;e did much &s;urpri&s;e <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;ince he could not imagine why he &s;hould &s;o ha&s;tily &s;end this complement by his man, and how pre&s;&s;ing &s;o|ever his occa&s;ions were, it would not have retarded him more to have &s;poke it unto him&s;elf, as well as unto his &s;ervants: he thought that in fighting he heard the tone of a voice which was not altogether unknown unto him, yet he could not recal who it &s;hould be: &s;o that longing exceedingly to know more of this adventure, he went to look among&s;t the dead, if there were none among&s;t them which had been known unto him: and viewing them, he found one, who by rea&s;on of a great wound received in his right hand, and another in his throat which made him &s;peechle&s;&s;e, &s;o that he was not to be under&s;tood by any thing but &s;igns: this wounded Cavalier no &s;ooner &s;aw may Ma&s;ter, but as we might conjecture by his &s;igns he knew him, although none of us could remember him, or ever &s;aw him: and to &s;ay truth it was not &s;trange at all, &s;ince it is very ordinary for thou&s;ands to know the General of an Army, whom he knows not again. This man, as &s;oon as he &s;aw my Ma&s;ter near him, &s;eemed to be very joyful, and exceedingly de&s;irious to make him under&s;tand the adventure; but the more he endeavoured to explain him&s;elf, the more he puzled <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> for he could not pronounce a word or a &s;yllable, nor was there any way to draw any conjecture from him: Sometimes he would point towards that way which the unknown Cavalier had taken, as if he wi&s;hed us to go after him: Sometimes he would point to|wards that place from whence they came, as if he expected &s;ome relief from thence: after|terwards, he would look about, and make us view that Pavilion, which the men belong|ing unto that unknown Cavalier had left, and carried away the Ladies which were in it:
<PB N="76" REF="123">
In &s;hort, all his &s;igns and actions did but augment the di&s;quiet of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> who to &s;ee if he could find any thing in that Pavillion which might better inform him, lighted from his hor&s;e and went in; but though he could not meet with any thing which could add any thing unto his knowledge: yet notwith&s;tanding he could not leave it: &s;ometimes he was in a mind, though he knew not why, to go after him whom he had &s;o opportunely relie|ved: otherimes he re&s;olved to tarry there in hopes that &s;ome would come and give him better intelligence of the accident: and &s;ometimes he would chide him&s;elf for lo&s;ing &s;o much time which was &s;o pretious: what &s;hall I do here (&s;aid he) and intere&s;t my &s;elf in other mens bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, when I may be drawing neerer my Prince&s;&s;e? and as if he were a&s;ha|med of that fault, he went out of the Pavilion: got upon horsback and commanded one of his men to take up the wounded man behind him untill he came unto the next hou&s;e where he might be dre&s;&s;ed, and from whence he might &s;end to bury the dead, who by their Arms &s;eemed to be <HI>Cappadocians;</HI> that which was mo&s;t advantagious unto us upon this oc|ca&s;ion was, that there was none of us wounded, except <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> who received a &s;light &s;cratch in his left Arme. <HI>Artamenes</HI> remembring that there was one of the&s;e twelve Cava|liers, which turned back as if he went to fetch relief, would needs &s;tay a while to &s;ee if any came, notwith&s;tanding the coun&s;ell of <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to the contrary; for indeed he &s;uppo&s;ed if there came any men they would be numerous, and that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was not in a conditi|on to re&s;i&s;t them, yet it was not that rea&s;on which hindred him from &s;taying longer? But &s;eeing that the wounded man was in much danger; and that his throat with &s;trivinge to &s;peak was &s;o &s;welled that the man almo&s;t lo&s;t his &s;en&s;es, and fearing it might choak him, he marched in all ha&s;t unto the next hou&s;e or town, as &s;oon as he came there, he &s;ent for a Chirurgion, to &s;earch the wound in his neck, and to try if there were any po&s;&s;ibility to re|cover his voice. For three dayes together, this wounded man could not &s;peak a &s;yllable, nor was there yet any likelyhood: <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;eeing that, commanded the Chirurgion to have a great care of him: he gave his Recompence before hand; and continued on his Journey: He did enquire of all tho&s;e whom he met with in the hou&s;e where we were, whether there were any men &s;een lately in armes: but wee found none, neither there, nor any where upon the Road, who could informe us any thing: <HI>Artamenes</HI> was &s;o po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with a pro|found mu&s;ing that we marched all that day, and the next within &s;ix hours of night with|out pronouncing one &s;yllable: But when we came to the banks of <HI>Thermodon,</HI> and within &s;ight of <HI>Themi&s;cira</HI> where the King told him he would &s;tay till his returne, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">oy did then a little move his heart, and turning him&s;elf towards me (who was next him) with a plea&s;ant countenance, At the la&s;t, <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid he to me) I &s;ee the place where my Prince&s;s is, and by con&s;equence, I hope to &s;ee her pre&s;ently: But, O heavens, &s;hall I find her the &s;ame I left her? &s;hall I obtaine from the &s;incerity of her vertue, &s;o much happine&s;&s;e, as to hear her &s;ay &s;he thought upon me in my ab&s;ence? Sir, (&s;aid I to him) although the Prince&s;s do not tell it you, yet you may well believe it, for I am mo&s;t certaine, it is impo&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould do otherwi&s;e: Indeed I had good rea&s;on for what I &s;aid; for a few dayes before we parted from <HI>Themi&s;cyra, Marte&s;ia</HI> had &s;o much goodne&s;s in her, as to tru&s;t me with al the advantagious thoughts which the Prince&s;s entertained concerning my Ma&s;ter: But &s;he did &s;o expre&s;ly forbid me to &s;peak of it unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that I never dur&s;t reveal them; giving him only &s;ome hopes in generall of being beloved, without particulari&s;ing any thing: And to tell you the truth, I &s;aw him &s;o grieved at his ab&s;ence from the Prince&s;&s;e, that I made no que&s;tion, but if he had known all the&s;e &s;mall circum&s;tances which I have told you, he would not have died for grief; But in conclu&s;ion Sir after much &s;uch like di&s;cour&s;e between my Ma&s;ter and me, in comming near <HI>Themi&s;cyra;</HI> and after much rejoycing in hopes of &s;eeing his <HI>Mandana,</HI> we came within a hundred paces of the gates, where we met one that was a &s;ervant unto the Prince&s;s: <HI>Artamenes</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but rode to|wards him in all ha&s;t, and asked him very earne&s;tly concerning the King, and the Prince&s;s. Ah Sir, &s;aid the &s;ervant, would you had come four dayes &s;ooner: At the&s;e words my Ma&s;ter began to look pale, and pre&s;ently to convert his hopes into tears, and his joy into &s;orrow, he looked in the eyes of the &s;ervant, for the cau&s;e of his di&s;cours, but not being able to divine it; what (&s;aid he) is there any di&s;a&s;terous accident chanced unto the King or the Prince&s;&s;e? yes Sir, (replied the &s;ervant) and doubtle&s;s the greate&s;t that could chance, for the King has lo&s;t the Prince&s;&s;e his Daughter; How, (replied my Ma&s;ter de&s;perately confounded) is the Prince&s;&s;e dead? No Sir (an&s;wered he) but &s;he is carried away; I do think it very happy Sir, that the minde of <HI>Artamenes</HI> was taken up with the wor&s;t re&s;entment fir&s;t: for indeed I am fully per&s;waded, if the thought of her
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death had not in&s;tantly preceded his thought of her being taken away, he would have &s;unk down dead upon the place. How (cried he out) is <HI>Mandana</HI> taken away? Who is the man that dur&s;t attempt &s;o ra&s;h and unju&s;t de&s;igne? <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> (an&s;wered the &s;er|vant) whom they &s;ay, was the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria: Philida&s;pes,</HI> replied <HI>Artamenes;</HI> Yes Sir, replied he, and the &s;ame misfortune would have it &s;o, that a party which was &s;ent af|ter her, were killed by &s;ome which re&s;cued her, of which the King is a&s;&s;ured&punc; Ha my friends (cried out <HI>Artamenes</HI> in turning towards us) we need not que&s;tion but that it was we, who have killed the protectors of <HI>Mandana;</HI> who have relieved her Ravi&s;her, and who are acce&s;&s;ary to her carrying away. Sir, &s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> unto him, is it not better to go into the Town, where we may be better informed of all the circum&s;tances in this great misfortune? <HI>Artamenes,</HI> notwith&s;tanding his de&s;pair, finding <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> &s;peak rea&s;on, &s;et forward; But heavens knows, how altered from what he was before, and what a prodi|gious change, &s;orrow made immediately in him; he had &s;o &s;ad and &s;o terrible an a&s;pect all at once, as one might ea&s;ily &s;ee anger mingled with his melancholy; and that now jealou&s;ie was more in his heart then love. He pre&s;&s;ed the Prince&s;&s;e &s;ervant, to tell him how the misfortune happened: He under&s;tood then, that three dayes before this accident, <HI>Aribeus</HI> moved the King to hunt &s;ome thirty furlongs from <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> and during his ab|&s;ence, the de&s;igne was executed; But, &s;aid my Ma&s;ter to him, how could they execute it? It was no difficult matter (replied <HI>Mandana's</HI> &s;ervant) for the Guards were corrupted, and it was they who carried her away: al&s;o, it is thought one of her women betrayed her, out of a &s;ecret jealou&s;ie &s;he had, that the Prince&s;&s;e preferred <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> before her: You know Sir, (added he) that the river <HI>Thormodon</HI> runs under the windows of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> and that tho&s;e windows are &s;o low, that there needs no &s;tairs to de&s;cend them. Then Sir, one of the Guards ob&s;erving the hour in which the Prince&s;&s;e was u&s;ed to retire, went and knockt at the door of the outer Chamber, as &s;he was ready to undre&s;&s;e her &s;elf; that woman which was of the con&s;piracy, opening the door, went and told the Prince&s;&s;e, there was one of the Guard, who had &s;ome important matter to acquaint her with. The Prince&s;&s;e wondring at it a little, did for all that command him to enter: Ma|dam, &s;aid he to her, I come to adverti&s;e you, that there is a de&s;igne in agitation, to carry you away this next night. The Prince&s;&s;e knowing that heretofore &s;he heard of &s;uch a thing, was much a&s;toni&s;hed; yet notwith&s;tanding after &s;he had thanked the man, &s;he asked him how he came to know it, and how it might be prevented? To give more credit unto my words (&s;aid he to her) you need onely to &s;tep unto the window, where I will &s;hew you the bars half loo&s;e. This wi&s;e Prince&s;&s;e being de&s;irous to be &s;atisfied of the truth, went unto the window: That woman who was of the Plot, taking a candle to light her; But, Oh heavens, &s;he was no &s;ooner there but the Guard breaking out the bars of the window carried her away, for they were filed loo&s;e before hand. I leave you to judge how the Prince&s;&s;e was amazed at it: She commanded him to hold off; but much more was &s;he a&s;toni&s;hed, when &s;he &s;aw &s;ix more of the Guards enter, and taking her by violence, com|mitted her into the hands of her Ravi&s;her, who was in a Boat under the window with many armed men. <HI>Mandana</HI> at the fir&s;t did ob&s;tinately re&s;i&s;t him; but was forced to &s;ub|mit: One of her women reported, that when &s;he knew him to be <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> by his voice (for he was di&s;gui&s;ed) &s;he cried out: Ha <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> if <HI>Artamenes</HI> were here thou dur&s;t not attempt this: But in conclu&s;ion Sir, <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> carried her away, and all her women cried lamentably out, but all in vain; for tho&s;e of the Guard which were not of the Plot, de&s;iring to enter, could not, for they which betrayed, barred the doors behind: The confu&s;ion was &s;o great that the&s;e women belonging to the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> cried out on every &s;ide, that they had taken away their Prince&s;&s;e, and did not open the doors unto tho&s;e which could not enter but by breaking them. I forgot to tell you, that the&s;e Ravi&s;h|ers did al&s;o take away with them that woman which was of the con&s;piracy; but as for <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> they would not take her; but yet notwith&s;tanding, this generous woman would not for&s;ake her Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, but held her &s;o hard and fa&s;t by the clothes, that they were con|&s;trained to take her al&s;o: although they doubtle&s;&s;e heard the Prince&s;&s;e cry out; Ah <HI>Mar|te&s;ia</HI> do not for&s;ake me: At the la&s;t Sir, the Boat going with the current of the River, went at &s;uch a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rate as they were quickly a furlong off on the other &s;ide of the water, where there was as many hor&s;es waiting for them as there was men, &s;o that it was not po&s;|&s;ible to be remedied; for before the Governour of <HI>Themi&s;oira</HI> could be advertized of the accident, or could know what cour&s;e to take, they were got &s;o far as there was no hopes of recovery: Yet notwith&s;tanding, the Captain of the Guard taking hor&s;e with two hun|dred
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men onely, divided them into &s;everall Parties: One of them was the twelve which met <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> and knew him rather by the Arms he wore, then by his face; for having been &s;o long concealed in the Countrey, he &s;o changed his habit and countenance as he was not knowable: Tho&s;e twelve men then knowing him, as I told you, and &s;eeing a great Pavilion erected, wherein doubtle&s;&s;e was the Prince&s;&s;e, and it being probable, he would pitch his Tent as &s;oon as he was a good di&s;tance off, one of them returned in all ha&s;t to adverti&s;e their Captain, that he might &s;peedily come and relieve his men, who &s;ince &s;ome &s;trangers had took part with <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> might be in danger to be defeated; but he was &s;o unfortunate, that he could not meet with him. De&s;perate as not to finde him, he re|turned in full ha&s;t to the place where he left his companions engaged with <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> and with tho&s;e men who accidentally met him in that place: But oh heavens, he found there ten of his companions dead, and found not the eleventh at all; he &s;aw the Pavilion &s;tanding, but none in it, and he could not di&s;cover any &s;igne that one of <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> his men were killed: So Sir, this man came to acquaint the King, who came hither in all ha&s;t as &s;oon as he heard of the accident. He hath &s;ent unto all the Ports, to prevent the pa&s;|&s;age of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> in ca&s;e he intend to take Sea: But to tell you truth, there is no great likelyhood of catching him that way, &s;ince they have failed in their fir&s;t di&s;covery. More|over ye&s;terday (added the &s;ervant) there run a Manife&s;to thorowout <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> by which it appears that <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> &s;ayes he is <HI>Labinet,</HI> Son unto Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> and &s;ole heir unto the Kingdom of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> Moreover he &s;ayes;</P>
<P><HI>THat</HI> Cappadocia <HI>by right belongs unto the Crown of</HI> A&s;&s;yria, <HI>and therefore, he could not think of any milder way to conquer it, then by making</HI> Mandana <HI>Queen of</HI> A&s;&s;y|ria; <HI>That the Law which forbids any &s;tranger to marry the Prince&s;&s;e, ought not to be ob|jected again&s;t him, &s;ince by right the</HI> Cappadocians <HI>are his &s;ubjects: That the rea&s;on why he did not ask the permi&s;&s;ion of</HI> Ciaxares, <HI>was becau&s;e he certainly knew, that all the</HI> Medeans <HI>hating the</HI> A&s;&s;yrians, <HI>both</HI> A&s;tyages <HI>and</HI> Ciaxares <HI>would not con&s;ent he &s;hould marry the Prince&s;&s;e: That as he is not a &s;tranger unto the Prince&s;&s;e of</HI> Cappadocia, <HI>no more is &s;he a &s;tranger unto him: So that he hopes the Queen</HI> Nitocris <HI>will approve of his de&s;igne, and re|ceive the Prince&s;&s;e</HI> Mandana <HI>with much joy.</HI></P>
<P>There are many other things in the Manife&s;to Sir (added he) which would be too tedi|ous to rehear&s;e. During all this di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;aid not a word; not that he heark|ned unto it with any &s;erenity of &s;oul; but on the contrary, one might di&s;cover in his face &s;uch vi&s;ible marks of turbulent pa&s;&s;ions, that he would make all that looked upon him to pity him: but the rea&s;on was, becau&s;e he perceived that he could not &s;peak without di&s;co|vering too much exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow unto a man in whom he had no confidence, and there|fore he thought it better to keep clo&s;e the va&s;tne&s;&s;e of grief unto him&s;elf. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> ea&s;ily ob&s;erving his di&s;quiet, went away in all ha&s;t as &s;oon as the &s;ervant had ended his re|lation. Yet <HI>Artamenes,</HI> not knowing well how he &s;hould endure the &s;ight of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> without too open a di&s;covery of his de&s;pair, &s;ent <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to &s;ee how the King did, to the end he might have more time to prepare him&s;elf for &s;o difficult a tran&s;action. My Ma|&s;ter, &s;eeing onely me with him, looked upon me in &s;uch lamentable manner as would have infu&s;ed pity, into the harde&s;t heart of &s;tone. <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid he to me) <HI>Mandana</HI> is car|ried away, and carried away by <HI>Philida&s;pes; Philida&s;pes</HI> I &s;ay, who I could have killed &s;eve|rall times: But oh heavens (cried he out) is it po&s;&s;ible the great Antipathy between him and me while&s;t I took him to be my Rival &s;hould ever let me mi&s;take the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Man|dana,</HI> and let my own arm a&s;&s;i&s;t my mo&s;t mortall enemy? What; my mo&s;t Divine <HI>Man|dana</HI> (&s;aid he all in fury) were you in that Pavilion which I &s;aw? and was that unknown &s;tranger, <HI>Philida&s;pes?</HI> Perhaps it was you I &s;aw lift up the hanging of the Tent? have I both de&s;troyed you and my &s;elf? have I &s;laine tho&s;e which would have relie|ved you? Did I hinder them from killing <HI>Philida&s;pes?</HI> was I in a condition to deliver you, and did not? did I help him to carry you away? And could that Traitor <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> who que&s;tionle&s;s knew me, accept of the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of his enemy? Alas, <HI>Mandana,</HI> are not you in <HI>Themi&s;cira?</HI> are you in the power of <HI>Philida&s;pes?</HI> But oh heavens, was it not too much, you &s;hould do all this by violence, but I mu&s;t contribute unto it? &amp; mu&s;t the injurious <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> carry you away by the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of my hand, and my valour? But never think, <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> (added he) quietly to enjoy &s;uch an Illu&s;trious conque&s;t; In what part of the earth &s;oever thou art, it &s;hall co&s;t thee thy life. Yes, though thou &s;hould&s;t be in Babylon, the greate&s;t
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and &s;tronge&s;t City of the world, in the mid&s;t of all thy guards, &s;itting upon the throne of thy fathers, yet will I puni&s;h thee for this mo&s;t injurious Act. Nothing but thy blood can wa&s;h it out of my memory, and nothing but thy death &s;hall be the penalty of thy crime: oh heavens, (&s;aid he) unto what dire misfortunes am I de&s;tinied? Ha <HI>Thomiris,</HI> that your unju&s;t pa&s;&s;ion &s;hould co&s;t me &s;o dear, and that I &s;hould be &s;o rigorou&s;ly puni&s;h|ed for troubling your tranquillity. But divine Prince&s;&s;e, &s;aid he; who was plea&s;ed, (as they a&s;&s;ured me) to pronounce my name, when they took you away; will you remember me in <HI>A&s;&s;yria?</HI> &s;hall not the tears of <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> charme you? will you not pardon his crime? will not the magnificence of Babylon blind your eyes? and that great court invite your mind? will you not prai&s;e the violence of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> to be exce&s;&s;e of love? will you not be the &s;ame upon the Bancks of <HI>Euphrates</HI> which you were wont to be upon the bancks of <HI>Iris</HI> and <HI>Thermodon:</HI> oh divine&s;t Prince&s;s &s;hall not <HI>Artamenes</HI> be preferred before <HI>Philida&s;pes?</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> before the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria?</HI> Alas, &s;aid he further, did the gods, the fir&s;t minute that I &s;aw <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> move me to hate him, that I &s;hould &s;erue him in &s;uch an unju&s;t occa&s;ion as this? how was it po&s;&s;ible my Rivall could &s;o di&s;gui&s;e, him&s;elf? I knew him when I ought not to have knowne him; and I did not know him at that criti|call time when it was mo&s;t important for me to know it was <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> and who <HI>Phili|da&s;pes</HI> was. Imagine <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid he to me) how great would have been my joy, if the gods had permitted me to have knowne the truth; when after I had fought and vanqui&s;h|ed <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> I &s;hould have gone unto the pavilion, where I &s;hould have found my Prin|ce&s;s, and delivered her and brought her back unto <HI>Themi&s;cira;</HI> But you may imagine how extream is my &s;orrowes and my de&s;paire, &s;ince it is I only who am the only cau&s;e of her lo&s;s; it is I who put her into the hands of <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> and am acce&s;&s;ory to the taking her away, I might have Ioyned with tho&s;e who a&s;&s;aulted him, but alas I a&s;&s;aulted them, I might have &s;aved <HI>Mandana,</HI> but alas I have Lo&s;t her; yet I mu&s;t repaire the Lo&s;&s;e if it be Po&s;&s;ible; or at the Lea&s;t be revenged of him who was the cau&s;e of it: A&s;&s;i&s;t me, O ye mo&s;t Ju&s;t Gods, with con&s;tancy enough to &s;upport this di&s;mall accident and not die: I know that death is a remedy again&s;t all misfortunes, and that this remedy would cure me of all mine: But divine <HI>Mandana,</HI> you have at this time done that in me, which the mo&s;t affrighting dangers never could: yes my Prince&s;s, that heart which never apprehended death amid&s;t the mo&s;t bloody battles, has now &s;ome fears of it under the heavie load of his di&s;contents: I do fear, my Prince&s;s, I do indeed, but I think it is not a ba&s;e and feeble fear, but &s;ince I fear not death for any cau&s;e but to expo&s;e my life to gain your liberty, doubtle&s;s you will pardon me: but alas who can tell, whether ever you &s;hall &s;peak again unto <HI>Ar|tamenes,</HI> or <HI>Artamenes</HI> ever &s;peak unto <HI>Mandana?</HI> how ever, (&s;aid he) I am &s;ure I &s;hall look <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> in the face, though he be the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and it &s;hall not be long be|fore I di&s;turbe his felicity. As <HI>Artamenes</HI> was thus re&s;enting his fate, <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> returned, and told him that he might &s;ee the King; but &s;ince his returne was divulged, more then half the Court was a&s;&s;embled about <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> which newes not much plea&s;ed him, fea|ring nothing more then to have too many &s;pectators of his &s;orrow: The &s;ight of the Ca&s;tle where he &s;aw the Prince&s;&s;e la&s;t, redoubled his &s;adne&s;&s;e: the pre&s;ence of the King, did &s;o damp his &s;oul and made his &s;orrowes &s;o apparent in the &s;ight of all that great a&s;&s;em|bly, that though <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was much &s;added, yet was he much more. This Prince no &s;oo|ner &s;aw my Ma&s;ter, but never remembring the bu&s;ine&s;s of his voyage, he reflected upon that lo&s;s, which he had. Alas <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid he to him <HI>(Philida&s;pes</HI> has not been &s;o hap|pily di&s;covered in his &s;econd enterpri&s;e, as he was in his fir&s;t: The Gods have permitted him to force away my Daughter; I wi&s;h Sir, (replied my Ma&s;ter) that I could either by my valour or my good fortune, regain her; and that I could prevent the unju&s;t <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> from long enjoying that trea&s;ure which I might ea&s;ily have taken from him: The King, not well under&s;tanding the&s;e words, de&s;ired the explanation of them; and <HI>Artamenes</HI> could not hold from relating that bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, which mo&s;t of any thing in the world did &s;en&s;i|bly trouble him: he told the King how he had met with <HI>Philida&s;pes:</HI> and how he &s;aw the pavilion &s;et up in the Forre&s;t: how he had killed them which a&s;&s;aulted the ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana:</HI> and how he had contributed to the carrying away of <HI>Mandana;</HI> This &s;trange event did &s;o much &s;urpri&s;e the King, &amp; augmented his &s;orrowes in &s;uch a new manner as he could not heed <HI>Artamenes</HI> and his grief, which appeared exceeding much when he had en|ded his relation: But by good fortune; all they which &s;aw him, did believe, that this exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow which &s;o much appeared in his face and words, was only an effect of that odd, cro&s;s adventure which he had met withall. In&s;omuch as all the Court were &s;o &s;ad
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at the misfortune of the Prince&s;&s;e, as that there was none &s;o little intere&s;ted in it, as could preci&s;ely ob&s;erve his actions. After this fatall relation was ended, and every one &s;poke of it with wonder as well as woe, (Sir, &s;aid my Ma&s;ter, &s;peaking to <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> will you permit me to go after and &s;eek <HI>Philida&s;pes?</HI> I cannot call him the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> &s;ince I can hardly believe that a &s;on of the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> who is one of the greate&s;t and wi&s;e&s;t Prince&s;s of the world, &s;hould attempt &s;o unju&s;t a de&s;igne: True it is, (added he) that it is al&s;o hardly to be believed, that any man who is not of a Royall extract, dur&s;t el&s;e undertake an enterpri&s;e &s;o bold as to force away the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cappadocia.</HI> Ah <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> the aver&s;ion which you ever had unto <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was better ground then you thought, and I doubt not but you will infinitly intere&s;t your &s;elf in this bu&s;ine&s;s: Doubt it not Sir, (replied my Ma&s;ter) for I promi&s;e you, either to deliver her, or die by the hand of her Ravi&s;her. After this, the King went into his Clo&s;et, and called <HI>Artamenes</HI> after him; to the end he might ask him, whether it was true that he came back without any traine or equipage, as he had been told. <HI>Artamenes</HI> then told him, what I have told you: But &s;ince the Kings &s;oul was &s;o &s;added with the lo&s;s of the Prince&s;s, he cared not much for the bad &s;ucce&s;&s;e of his voyage, and having &s;uch need of my Ma&s;ters valour, in &s;uch a dire conjuncture of affairs; he never examined, whether what he had &s;aid unto him were likely or no. <HI>Artamenes</HI> vrged him againe to give him leave to follow <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> though there was &s;mall hopes of finding him: And &s;ince it might &s;o hap that the Prince&s;s might fall &s;ick by the way, and retard his march, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> con&s;ented unto his de&s;ire: and gave order for three hundred hor&s;e to follow him, the next morning my Ma&s;ter asked the King if any thing of the con&s;piracy were di&s;cove|red; and whether he &s;u&s;pected any as a&s;&s;i&s;tants unto <HI>Philida&s;pes:</HI> but the King told him, that <HI>Aribeus</HI> had u&s;ed all po&s;&s;ible means to enquire into the bu&s;ine&s;s, yet unto this hour could never have any conjecture: my Ma&s;ter had a great de&s;ire to tell the King, that <HI>Aribeus</HI> was not a fit man to be imployed in that inqui&s;ition, by rea&s;on of the great friend&s;hip be|tween him and <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> but he &s;tayed untill his Jelou&s;ies were grounded upon better bottomes then &s;urmi&s;es, and untill he had more plaine and convincing arguments again&s;t him. Then he left the King, and without the clo&s;ing of an eye all that night, waited im|patiently for break of day. Mean while Sir not to hold you with relation of all the agita|tions of his re&s;tle&s;s mind, and the wearine&s;s this la&s;t voyage had cau&s;ed in him, give me leave only to tell you, that in fifteen dayes which were imployed in que&s;t of the Prince&s;&s;e, we met with nonewes that could afford any hopes unto my Ma&s;ter: but on the contrary, we were advertized, how after many cro&s;s and blind wayes which they took, purpo&s;ely to deceive followers, <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was arived with the Prince&s;s at a town within his own king|dome, which is towards the frontiers of <HI>Medea,</HI> &amp; in &s;uch a place where he might rai&s;e an ar|my too con&s;iderable for us to attempt the re&s;cue of the Prince&s;&s;e: we learned al&s;o for certaine, that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was really &s;on unto the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> &amp; &s;o we returned againe unto <HI>The|mi&s;cira,</HI> without effecting any thing, but knowing that <HI>Mandana</HI> was in the hands of &s;uch a Prince, as might, (if the Queen his mother would con&s;ent) bring an Army of two hun|dred thou&s;and men into the field. The thought of this, though it dejected the &s;pirits of all others, yet did it elevate the &s;oul of <HI>Artamenes</HI> in lieu of driving it into de&s;pair, and the quality of his Rivall, did in &s;ome &s;ort, comfort him in his di&s;grace. All the re&s;t which before went after the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana,</HI> did fruitle&s;ly returne: they only told us, that the wounded man whom we left by the way, did recover of his wounds. Mean while <HI>Aribeus,</HI> (who as you &s;hall know by the &s;equel of my di&s;cour&s;e) was not innocent from this con&s;piracy, conceiving that though perhaps my Ma&s;ter would not find <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> yet he might perchance meet with &s;ome of the guards which he had corrupted and &s;ubor|ned, did pretend a journey unto <HI>Pteria</HI> whereof he was the governour, under colour that &s;ome ancient Greek inhabitants of <HI>Sinope,</HI> did attempt &s;omthing again&s;t the &s;ervice of the King: for Sir, I think you know how this Town was built by the <HI>Mile&s;iens,</HI> and how that Grecian Colony has often changed ma&s;ters. Indeed it would be a difficult thing to define exactly, which is true <HI>Sinope,</HI> it is &s;o filled with inhabitants of &s;everall nations; having been one while po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed by the <HI>Graecians</HI> another by the <HI>Galatians;</HI> Somtime againe by the <HI>Paphlagonians,</HI> and at this day by the King of <HI>Cappadocia. Aribeus</HI> therefore rai&s;ed this fal&s;e &s;editious report, that under pretence of it, he might be gone from <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> before <HI>Artamenes</HI> returned, and &s;o came unto <HI>Sinope</HI> as I &s;aid before: So that my Ma&s;ter being rid of him, was in ab&s;olute and quiet po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the Kings mind: But as the &s;tate of things &s;tood, there was nothing to be thought upon but warr. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent fir&s;t to the
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Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> to ask her whether &s;he allowed of her &s;ons Act; and to demand the Prin|ce&s;s his daughter: he &s;ent al&s;o unto <HI>A&s;tyages</HI> to acquaint him with the misfortune, and require aide, mean while, he levied as many &s;ouldiers as ever both the&s;e two Kings were able to &s;et out: though tho&s;e orders which he &s;ent unto <HI>Aribeus,</HI> to rai&s;e men in his government, was invalid unto him, for that Traytor had di&s;po&s;ed them for other de&s;ignes. He made a &s;hew as if he would execute the Kings commands; and feigning to be &s;ick would not come at <HI>Themi&s;cyra.</HI> Mean while, we under&s;tood by the return of him who was &s;ent unto Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> that &s;he di&s;claimed the action, of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Prince; and that he&punc; was not yet come unto Babylon: at the &s;ame time, tho&s;e who were left among the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetes</HI> returned, and told us how <HI>Gelonida</HI> &s;aved them, about fifteen dayes after our departure: they brought a Letter from that vertuous woman unto <HI>Artamenes;</HI> by which &s;he &s;aid in generall, that his ab&s;ence cau&s;ed abundance of trouble in the Court of <HI>Thomiris:</HI> That &s;he had much ado to obtaine pardon for his men; yet at la&s;t &s;he told her nothing but the returne of <HI>Artamenes</HI> could give her &s;atisfaction: and that he mu&s;t either repent, or el&s;e &s;he dye, and revenge her&s;elf that way: yet we had no &s;ooner rejoy|ced at the returne of our men, but we under&s;tood that <HI>A&s;tyages</HI> falling &s;ick upon the news of the Prince&s;s being taken away by the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> was &s;o exce&s;&s;ively moved at it, in con&s;ideration of the King his &s;ons intere&s;t, and in con&s;ideration of his hatred unto the <HI>A&s;&s;yrians,</HI> that a Fever &s;ei&s;ed upon him and he died within four dayes: declaring by his will that all his &s;ubjects &s;hould take up Arms for the liberty of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana.</HI> The news of his death almo&s;t moved my ma&s;ter to tell <HI>Ciaxares</HI> whom he was: but when he remembred all the expre&s;&s;ions which he u&s;ed, when <HI>Cyrus</HI> was di&s;cour&s;ed on, his fears to be deprived of that honour to deliver his Prince&s;s prevented him: for &s;aid he, if by chance he &s;hould not change his thoughts, who knowes whether or no he will bani&s;h me? and whether in lieu of delivering my Prince&s;s, I procure my own death? perhaps he will pre&s;ently <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">log me with fetters, and &s;o this Army which ought to be imployed for <HI>Mandana's</HI> liberty, will be di&s;abled. Mean while <HI>Ciaxares</HI> mu&s;t prepare him&s;elf to take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of <HI>Medeas</HI> throne, and go to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> but before his arivall, he cau&s;ed troops to be rai&s;ed, becau&s;e he would lo&s;e no time. The <HI>Cappadocians</HI> were much troubled to &s;ee them&s;elves both with a King, and without a Queen at once, e&s;pecially &s;ince their Prince&s;s was in the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Power, fore&s;eeing that if they &s;hould returne under their government, then their kingdom would be no more then a Province; yet this feare was not univer&s;all, for there were many which &s;till retained a &s;ecret affection unto the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> nation. <HI>Aribeus,</HI> as every one thought, was of that mind, even at that very time when he was &s;o loved by <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> &s;ome al&s;o &s;aid that the originall of his hou&s;e was ex|tracted from <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> How ever it was, when the King was ready, not yet &s;u&s;pecting any trea&s;on in <HI>Aribeus,</HI> he commanded him to come unto him, intending to declare him Regent of the Realme: but he not daring to tru&s;t him, and fearing le&s;t this &s;eeming ho|nour, was but a trap to &s;ecure him: he &s;ent word back unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> that he was &s;ick; and if he were plea&s;ed to honour him with the government of the <HI>Cappadocians,</HI> he be|&s;eeched him to &s;end &s;uch orders unto him: yet the King being informed that <HI>Aribeus</HI> was not &s;o &s;ick as he fained, began to be Jealous of him, and committed all the authority unto a man of great quality, called <HI>Ariobantes,</HI> which &s;o incen&s;ed <HI>Aribeus,</HI> as he re&s;olved to act as afterwards he did. <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;ent <HI>Ortalques</HI> unto <HI>Artaxes</HI> brother of <HI>Aribeus,</HI> to com|mand him in the name of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to continue in the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his &s;ervice: <HI>Ciaxa|res</HI> went then to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and my Ma&s;ter accmpanied him. The King of <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> at the &s;ame time &s;ent an Emb&s;&s;ador to the King of <HI>Medes</HI> (for henceforward we will call <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;o) to condole with him the death of <HI>A&s;tyages,</HI> and the taking away of his daughter the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> and al&s;o within a few dayes after, he &s;ent another, to congratulate his hap|py coming unto that Crown, and to offer him a&s;&s;i&s;tance in his wars again&s;t the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> Now Sir, was <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> very much entangled; yet he feared not that my Ma&s;ter would be known, for que&s;tionle&s;s he was very much altered as well as I, who was almo&s;t of the &s;ame age, yet he was &s;ure that him&s;elf being much elder then we would be di&s;cove|red, &s;o that again&s;t his will, he re&s;olved to tell a hand&s;om Lie: he told then the <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> Emba&s;&s;adors in equivocall tearmes, that he being in utter de&s;paire ever to bring into <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> that Prince whom he carried out, he re&s;olved to wander from Court to Court, and from Countrey to Countrey: he further told them, that in a voyage unto <HI>Greece,</HI> there he met with <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and has indi&s;&s;olvably tyed him&s;elf unto his fortunes: <HI>Adu&s;ius</HI> whom you &s;ee here, and was then one of the Emba&s;&s;adors, moved him to relate all the particulars
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in the &s;hipwrack of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and to tell him whether his body was ever found: but <HI>Chri&s;an|tes</HI> demeaned him&s;elf very hand&s;omly in the di&s;cour&s;e, telling him, that they which e&s;caped from the &s;hipwrack never knew what became of them which peri&s;hed: Moreover, he be&s;eeched both him and the other Emba&s;&s;adour, not to tell <HI>Ciaxares</HI> that ever he had the honour to be with young <HI>Cyrus,</HI> le&s;t the hatred which he bore unto that unfortunate young Prince &s;hould reflect upon him: <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> al&s;o asked him, whether the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not extraordinarily perplex the King and the Queen of <HI>Per&s;ia? Adu&s;ius</HI> did an&s;wer him, that they had been much troubled at it, and &s;till were; but as they were both of them very wi&s;e, &s;o they knew how to qualifie their &s;orrows; and could not chu&s;e but a&s;&s;i&s;t that Prince which rejoyced at their lo&s;&s;e: This they will do, both out of Genero&s;ity, and Policy, &s;ince upon the whole matter, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was not blameable for what he did: for the re&s;entments of <HI>Astyages,</HI> the predictions of the <HI>Magi,</HI> whom the <HI>Medeans</HI> much reverence, and the <HI>Manies</HI> of the &s;tars did induce him thereunto. But pre&s;ently after Sir, we were informed that the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> was dead, and that the Prince her Son was come unto <HI>Babylon,</HI> and brought the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> thither in triumph. This intelligence did much trouble <HI>Artamenes,</HI> for as long as &s;he lived, it had been much more ea&s;ie for him to deliver the Prince&s;&s;e then now, it being to be &s;uppo&s;ed, that vertuous Queen would never protect any inju&s;tice, though committed by her own Son; But &s;eeing that he could not re&s;cue <HI>Mandana,</HI> untill he had taken the prime Town in the World, and &s;ubverted all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> this did infinitely perplex him: not that the greatne&s;&s;e of the enterprize did at all a&s;toni&s;h him, but becau&s;e he apprehended that it would take a long time to execute &s;o great a de&s;igne&punc; and would move the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> to take &s;ome violent re&s;olutions again&s;t the Prince&s;&s;e. Mean while <HI>Ciaxares</HI> having accepted the King of <HI>Per&s;ias</HI> offer; <HI>Aducius</HI> re|turned in all ha&s;t to inform the King his Ma&s;ter, and all &s;ides thought upon nothing but pre|parations for War: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who was not ignorant of the <HI>Mede<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n</HI> preparations, began to act his part. <HI>Mazares</HI> the Prince of <HI>Saces,</HI> who as you know was his va&s;&s;all, and who then was in <HI>Babylon,</HI> promi&s;ed him his a&s;&s;i&s;tance: And you are not ignorant Sir, how the King of <HI>Arabia,</HI> did as you did, that is, he took part with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> Al&s;o it is rather unto the generous <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> whom I now &s;peak unto, then unto this Illu&s;trious company, &s;ince there is none of them, onely he, which is ignorant of what I &s;hall hereafter tell you.</P>
<P>Then the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> interrupting <HI>Feraulas,</HI> told him, that it was true indeed, it was onely unto <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> unto whom he was to addre&s;&s;e his &s;peech: yet notwith&s;tand|ing, although he did know a good part of what he had to relate, yet he &s;hould be very glad to have it revived in his memory: <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> thanked the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> for it, and <HI>Feraulas</HI> continued his di&s;cour&s;e as followeth.</P>
<P>The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> then preparing for warre as well as we, was not onely a&s;&s;ured of help from the King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> from the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> and from the King of <HI>Arabia,</HI> but al&s;o from the Prince of <HI>Saces,</HI> from the Prince of the <HI>Paphlagonians,</HI> and from the <HI>Indians.</HI> As for the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> he was al&s;o pre&s;&s;ingly &s;olicited, to take the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> part, following the Treaty of Peace which was made with the Queen <HI>Nitocris&punc;</HI> But &s;ince he had warrs with <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and that this Prince was to a&s;&s;i&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> as well as he, he told this Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana,</HI> that he was willing to a&s;&s;i&s;t him, provi|ded his Troops might not mingle with the <HI>Lydians</HI> his enemies, which was promi&s;ed him, but which was not performed. This Prince had a good minde not to engage him&s;elf on the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> &s;ide: But having not ratified that Treaty of Peace which was con|firmed between the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> he re&s;olved upon that which he could not help. As for the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> he was not in a condition to take either part, for he was embroyled with Civil warrs in his own Kingdom, which did extreamly pre&s;&s;e, and which doubtle&s;&s;e would have de&s;troyed him, if they have not already done it. Ob&s;erve Sir, how many Kings and how many Princes had engaged them&s;elves on the unju&s;t &s;ide: Moreover, <HI>Aribeus</HI> &s;eeing the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the Throne of his father, did declare and publi&s;h thorowout all the Province of which he was Governour, that the Prince&s;&s;e con&s;ented to go with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> He leavied Troops; called back <HI>Ar|taxes</HI> his brother, who was &s;ent to help the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> notwith&s;tanding the King; la&s;t Orders, and perhaps conduced to the de&s;truction of that Prince thereby. Having then got a con&s;iderable Body together, he &s;ent it unto <HI>Babylon:</HI> Moreover, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> di&s;patched an Emba&s;&s;adour unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> as I have told you, to &s;olicite him, that he would joyn with his Army: Repre&s;enting unto him, that the <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> and <HI>Medean<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI>
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were two &s;uch Nations, as if they were joyned together, they might well a&s;pire unto the Univer&s;al Dominion of all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> Moreover, he urged, that there was ever an Alliance between the Kings of <HI>Lydia</HI> and the Kings of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> &s;o that in demanding A&s;&s;i&s;tance upon this occa&s;ion, which concerned the common good, though in appearance it &s;eemed onely for the taking away of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> he ought not to be denied: More|over yet, the con&s;ideration of Con&s;anguinity ought to be no impediment in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; &s;ince if he made warre again&s;t <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> he did it in behalf of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and that he would never have taken her away, but with intentions to put the Crown of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> upon her head. Indeed all the world knows that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was per&s;waded by him: So that his Enemy had on his &s;ide, the <HI>Saces,</HI> the <HI>Hircanians,</HI> the <HI>Arabians,</HI> the higher, and lower <HI>Phrygians,</HI> the <HI>Indians,</HI> part of the <HI>Cappadocians,</HI> the <HI>Lydians,</HI> the <HI>Paphlagonians,</HI> the <HI>Serians,</HI> and the <HI>A&s;&s;yrians:</HI> we under&s;tood how he endeavoured to engage the <HI>Carians</HI> in his Quarrell, but they refu&s;ed: Mean while the King of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> being &s;trongly &s;olicited by the Queen his wife, &s;i&s;ter unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> made choice of two hundred <HI>Homotimes</HI> (the&s;e are the noble&s;t Per&s;ons of all <HI>Per&s;ia)</HI> unto every one of the&s;e two hundred men, he gave leave to chu&s;e four others of the &s;ame Quality; &s;o that that by this means they made up a thou&s;and men; afterwards he appointed every one of this thou&s;and to leavie among&s;t the people, ten men with Bucklers, ten Archers, and ten Slingers, &s;o that this compleated the number of thirty thou&s;and men be&s;ides the <HI>Homotimes.</HI> This thirty thou|&s;and choice men were better then fifty thou&s;and others: <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> whom you &s;ee there, had the Command of this Potent Aid, and <HI>Adu&s;ias</HI> was his Lieutenant General. <HI>Ciax|ares</HI> you may well imagine, received them with much joy, and <HI>Artamenes</HI> was &s;o &s;en&s;ible of it, that I know not how to expre&s;&s;e his exta&s;ie: Mean time, he ever was &s;ending out for In|telligence, and was credibly informed, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> brought in ten thou&s;and hor&s;e, and fourty thou&s;and Foot, Bucklers, and Archers: That the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> had &s;ix thou|&s;and Hor&s;e, and twenty thou&s;and Pikes, and Bucklers: That <HI>Aribeus</HI> &s;ent out of <HI>Cappa|docia</HI> four thou&s;and Hor&s;e, and ten thou&s;and Foot: That <HI>Maragdus,</HI> King of <HI>Arabia,</HI> pre|tended to have five thou&s;and Hor&s;e, ten thou&s;and Foot, and a hundred Armed Chariots: The <HI>Hircanians</HI> were to have al&s;o a hundred Chariots, and four thou&s;and Slingers: The <HI>Cadu&s;ians</HI> eight thou&s;and Foot: The <HI>Indians</HI> as many: Al&s;o the <HI>Paphlagonians:</HI> Be&s;ides all the&s;e, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had twenty thou&s;and Hor&s;e, and fourty thou&s;and Foot. All the&s;e compleated up the number to be fourty five thou&s;and Hor&s;e, and neer a hundred and fifty thou&s;and Infantry, be&s;ides the Chariots. On our&s;ide, we had ten thou&s;and Hor&s;e, and fifty thou&s;and Foot, all naturall Subjects of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> be&s;ides the Auxiliaries from the Provinces of the <HI>Ari&s;antines,</HI> of the <HI>Struchaltes,</HI> and others, all which mounted unto ten thou&s;and Hor&s;e, and fifteen thou&s;and Foot. So that when all were joyned to|gether, with the thirty thou&s;and <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> the thou&s;and <HI>Homotimes,</HI> and five thou&s;and Hor&s;e, and ten thou&s;and Foot for that part of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> which was not Revolted, we found that our Army was in a Gallant condition; though it was not &s;o numerous as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria's,</HI> &s;ince it con&s;i&s;ted onely of five and twenty thou&s;and Hor&s;e, and one hundred thou|&s;and Foot, without any Armed Chariots: and though it was very advantagious to have thirty thou&s;and <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> Infantry, and ten thou&s;and <HI>Medean</HI> Cavalry, yet the number was much inferiour: But my Ma&s;ter &s;eemed not to be at all a&s;toni&s;hed at the inequality, nor at the great number of Kings again&s;t whom he was to fight: But on the contrary, a&s;&s;uming fre&s;h courage, in &s;o important an occa&s;ion, which might render him &s;o Glorious, although the captivity of the Prince&s;&s;e did infinitely trouble him, yet notwith&s;tanding, hope to relieve her, or el&s;e die for her, cau&s;ed him to become ma&s;ter of his melancholie. And though he was not yet known among&s;t the <HI>Medes,</HI> yet his Reputation, his Gallant de|portment, his &s;weetne&s;&s;e, his Courte&s;ie, and Liberality, had procured him already a great credit among&s;t them, &s;o that he was ab&s;olutely adored. It was at this time, when he took a love unto <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> and when <HI>Aglatidas</HI> took a love to him: but I had forgot to tell you, that <HI>Harpagus,</HI> who had all this while &s;tayed in <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> &s;ince the departure of <HI>Cyrus</HI> from thence, being de&s;irous to return into his Countrey, made u&s;e of this occa&s;ion, after the death of <HI>Astyages,</HI> who had bani&s;hed him, and came into <HI>Medea</HI> with <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> who by the Comendum of the Queen of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> made his peace with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> although he knew <HI>Cyrus</HI> no more then the <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> did. In conclu&s;ion, to abbreviate my relation, which other|wi&s;e would be too unplea&s;ant unto &s;o many Illu&s;trious per&s;ons, who were eye witne&s;&s;es of what I am to tell; The Army of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> began to march, <HI>Artamenes</HI> being his Lieu|tenant General, and commanding the Vangard. When we were ready to enter the ene|mies
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Countrey, <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;aw upon his right hand a great Eagle, which flying with im|petuous ha&s;t, &s;eemed to make towards <HI>Babylon,</HI> as if &s;he would &s;hew him the way he was to follow. The flight of this Bird was looked upon as a fortunate <HI>Omen;</HI> and <HI>Ciaxares</HI> making a <HI>halt,</HI> offered &s;acrifices, not onely unto the Gods of the <HI>Medes</HI> and <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> but al&s;o unto the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Deities, de&s;iring them to be propitious unto him. I will not &s;tand to tell you how this great Army marched, nor how prudently <HI>Artamenes</HI> ordered this va&s;t Body; I will onely relate how impatient my Ma&s;ter was to be taking pri&s;oners, that he might enquire &s;ome news of <HI>Mandana.</HI> And &s;eeing that &s;ome of the enemies Scouts ap|peared, he offered to go unto them, but they took their heels, and would not fight; &s;o that he bethought him&s;elf of a &s;tratagem, which was this; he cau&s;ed in the night time, a great number of fires to be made, behinde the place where our Army encamped, and none in the place where we were: So that the&s;e Scouts coming in the night to &s;pie, or take &s;ome of our men, they were extreamly amazed when they found us neer them, whom by the fires they thought further off. Some pri&s;oners then being taken, we knew by them that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> would within a few dayes leave the Prince&s;&s;e at <HI>Babylon,</HI> under the guard of <HI>Mar&s;ares,</HI> and that he would ere long be in the Head of his Army, accom|panied with the Kings of <HI>Hircania, Lydia, Phrygia,</HI> and <HI>Arabia:</HI> But as impatient as <HI>Artamenes</HI> was to be doing with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> whom we will now no longer call <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> he could not be at him &s;o &s;oon as he thought: For he found, that they who had diver&s;e times fled before him, went back over the River <HI>Gindes,</HI> which de&s;cending from the <HI>Mantian</HI> Mountains, pa&s;&s;es thorow the Countrey of the <HI>Dardinians,</HI> and di&s;|chargeth it &s;elf into the River <HI>Tygris,</HI> and &s;o empties it &s;elf into the Red-Sea. Then Sir, this River is &s;o violent a Current, and the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Troops having broken the Bridge, that it &s;topped him: <HI>Artamenes</HI> coming to the River &s;ide, beyond which he &s;aw men in Arms, was even de&s;perate to &s;ee it was impo&s;&s;ible to get over: he could not be per&s;waded of the danger, untill he had found it by &s;uch experience, as might have proved fatall unto him: For being exa&s;perated by the fury of his &s;oul, and the violence of his love, he &s;pur|red his hor&s;e into the mid&s;t of the River, where the rapid furie of the water had like to have engulfed him: but being come back, by good fortune unto the &s;ide again, there was one of tho&s;e white hor&s;es, &s;uch as among&s;t us are u&s;ed to be &s;acrificed unto the Sun, who of him&s;elf leaping furiou&s;ly into the River to pa&s;&s;e over, was pre&s;ently whirled into the bottom of the River and never &s;een again: So that <HI>Artamenes</HI> not knowing what cour&s;e to take for a pa&s;&s;age, bethought him&s;elf of a &s;trange extraordinary way, which was to divide the River by channels. In conclu&s;ion, he propounded this devi&s;e, and put it in ex|ecution: He took &s;uch mon&s;trous pains for eight dayes together, that all Ages may here|after &s;peak of it for a wonder: For amuzing the enemy alwayes by his pre&s;ence, on the &s;ide of the River, he cau&s;ed a great Rampire of earth to be ea&s;t up, to blinde the <HI>A&s;&s;yri|ans</HI> from &s;ight of the Pioners, that they might not &s;ee what they did, and having digged a hundred and &s;ixty Channels, which took their beginnings from the River, he made &s;o many little Rivolets out of that great one, by dilating it into &s;o many &s;everal Channels, and pa&s;&s;ed over without any trouble with his whole Army. This prodigie did &s;o amaze the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Troops on the other &s;ide the water, that they would abide no combate, but ha|&s;ted in di&s;order unto the Body of their Army; thinking that none but Gods could turn the cour&s;e of that River; and concluding afterwards that nothing was impo&s;&s;ible unto <HI>Artamenes.</HI> Indeed I am fully per&s;waded, that there are few things which can re&s;i&s;t the Courage of &s;uch a man as he, whom Love had in&s;pired with a mo&s;t Heroick heat. As &s;oon as <HI>Artamenes</HI> was got on the other &s;ide the River, he was infinitely joyed; Imagi|ning that &s;ince there was no more to do but to fight, and then enter into <HI>Babylon,</HI> nothing could debar his entrance. We marched then &s;traight unto the Enemy, who with all dili|gence was marching towards us: We were yet two dayes march from them, when we &s;aw an old man of a hand&s;ome and comely deportment coming towards us, and followed by three hundred hor&s;e, de&s;ired to &s;peak with <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and having in few words told the ju&s;t cau&s;e of his complaints again&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> &s;aid he was come to ask Pro|tection from <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and offer unto him all the &s;trength he had. Indeed <HI>Gobrias</HI> who was at this pre&s;ent in <HI>Sinope,</HI> offered unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> to put his e&s;tate into his power, as indeed a few dayes after, he did: And the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Arpa&s;ea</HI> his daughter, who is one of the faire&s;t Ladies in the World, did receive <HI>Artamenes</HI> mo&s;t magnificently into a place of &s;trength, which belonged unto him, and which &s;he did by his command, and whom <HI>Arta|menes</HI> left in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of it. But Sir, I mu&s;t not dwell upon this, though there be many
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brave things dependant upon it: It was at this time, the wi&s;e <HI>Gobrias</HI> engaged <HI>Gadates</HI> unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his party; yet not to &s;tay upon any thing which does not directly relate un|to <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I will only tell you, how the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> hath given ju&s;t cau&s;e unto the valiant King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> and to the Prince of the <HI>Caducians,</HI> to quit his party; the&s;e two Princes came and ranked them&s;elves on <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his &s;ide, or rather on <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;ince certainly the reputation of my Ma&s;ter was the mo&s;t convincing rea&s;on which obliged the&s;e two great Princes to tru&s;t his word: I will not &s;tay to tell you how the King of <HI>Cy|prus</HI> &s;ent al&s;o &s;ome Troops unto him, under the command of <HI>Thimocrates</HI> and <HI>Philocles:</HI> But let me tell you, that the two Armies being now in view of each other, and the day of battle being come; <HI>Artamenes</HI> was bu&s;ie in ordering his Troops into &s;uch a po&s;ture as they might vanqui&s;h: He commended them, and commanded them with &s;uch an imperious and obliging air, as there was not a Souldier in all the Army, which was not eager to obey him. When the&s;e two mighty Armies were come out of their Trenches; and that the armed Chariots, the Archers, the Slingers, the Launciers and Pikes, and tho&s;e which u&s;ed &s;words on both &s;ides were ranged into battalia, <HI>Artamenes</HI> in lieu of a long Oration, &s;aid nothing but this unto them.
<Q><P>Which is he amongst you, my fellow Souldiers, who will be before me? who will kill the fir&s;t enemy? which of you is it, who&s;e valour will exceed <HI>Artamenes?</HI> Come on, my companions (&s;aid he to them) I do prote&s;t that I &s;hould not be le&s;s joyed to &s;ee you &s;urmount me in valour, then if I had overcome the <HI>A&s;&s;y|rians.</HI></P></Q></P>
<P>The&s;e few words pronounced by &s;uch a man as <HI>Artamenes,</HI> had &s;o excellent an opera|tion in the hearts of the fouldiers, and wrought &s;uch great effects, that their voice made the Air ring &s;uch a peal, as re&s;embled a &s;ong of victory and triumph: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> by the ad|vice of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> would have the word of Battle that day to be <HI>Jupiter our Protector;</HI> &s;o that the combate beginning, the noi&s;e of both &s;ides was hideous, what by the confu&s;ion of cries, the cla&s;hing of Armes and Arrows, and the neighing of hor&s;es, then which no|thing is more a&s;toni&s;hing. But Sirs, all you (except <HI>Thra&s;ibulas)</HI> do know it, therefore without particularizing this dayes great bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, I will only tell you that <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;eek|ing out the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> with much diligence, at la&s;t found him, being informed by one who was taken pri&s;oner, in what quarter he would fight, and meeting with him in the throng; Let us &s;ee (&s;aid he to him) let us &s;ee, whether the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> be more va|liant then <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> and whether I can now take away his life as ea&s;ily, as I did pre|&s;erve it in the Fore&s;t where I met him? That Prince hearing the&s;e words, turned fiercely towards him, and knowing my Ma&s;ter by his voice, <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid he to him) the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> perhaps is not more valiant then <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> but he is more civil, &s;ince though he be now a King, he will not refu&s;e mea&s;uring his &s;word with you, who pa&s;&s;e but for a common Cavalier, and no more: Advance then (&s;aid my Ma&s;ter to him, when he &s;aw him &s;tudying what to do) and be a&s;&s;ured that the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana</HI> is more di&s;ho|noured in taking her away, then he is in fighting with <HI>Artamenes:</HI> I ought not to fight with you (an&s;wered that Prince) &s;ince I owe my life unto you: but what &s;hall I do? there is a &s;ecret thought in me, which moves me to hate you, and is more prevalent then my genero&s;ity: after tho&s;e words they came together and fought: The &s;word of <HI>Artamenes</HI> was died with the bloud of that Prince; and if the throng and confu&s;ion of the general combate had not &s;eparated them, I believe the death of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had put an end to the war. But at the la&s;t a report being divulged among all the Troops, that he was either dead or a pri&s;oner, it made &s;o great a di&s;order, as the like was never &s;een: Some fought, others fled; The Kings Allies thinking the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> to be dead, retired: <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> cau&s;ed all his men to be drawn off and be gone, and taking the mountainous way, &s;aved the re&s;t of his Troops from the general Rout. The King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> who had cau&s;e of di&s;content given unto him, becau&s;e one part of his men were ranked in the &s;ame body with the King of <HI>Lydias</HI> contrary to what was promi&s;ed; and he being ever in love with the glory of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> did retire, and entrenched him&s;elf in an advantagious place, and waited the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of our victory. The Prince of <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> was taken pri&s;oner, and almo&s;t all the con&s;iderable per&s;ons in the A&s;&s;yrian Army, either peri&s;hed or changed &s;ides. The truth is Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Feraulas,</HI> alwayes addre&s;&s;ing his di&s;cour&s;e unto <HI>Thra&s;ibulas)</HI> it may
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very well be &s;aid, that the gods did fight for <HI>Artamenes:</HI> for it is mo&s;t certain, that there never was &s;een &s;o many great Princes altogether which did &s;o weakly di&s;pute the victory; not but that there was great difficulty in obtaining it, becau&s;e though they did not fight it well, yet their inequality of number, made it no ea&s;ie matter. Certainly, and without flattering the Per&s;ians, the <HI>Homotimes</HI> did miracles that day; al&s;o the <HI>Medean</HI> Cavalry a well as the <HI>Hircanian</HI> wrought wonderful effects. Yet in this great di&s;order, the King o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who in all other adventures would rather perhaps have been killed, then given<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> ground, did now retire; when he &s;aw that there was no hopes of victory, and that <HI>Maragdus</HI> King of <HI>Arabia</HI> was killed clo&s;e by him: Fearing without doubt, that if the noi&s;e of the defeat &s;hould come unto <HI>Babylon</HI> before his return, there might ri&s;e &s;ome &s;uch di&s;order as might let the Prince&s;&s;e e&s;cape: This &s;udden retreat which he made, did certain|ly confirm the report of his death. The <HI>Cappadocian</HI> Troops, fearing to be under the power of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> as a ma&s;ter which was ju&s;tly incen&s;ed, joyned unto that party of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrians</HI> which were the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s Convoy: And I do very well remember, that my Ma&s;ter &s;eeing the&s;e Cappadocians fly, pur&s;ued, and cried out unto them, <HI>Why do you fly with them that are vanqui&s;hed? Is it not better to &s;tay and triumph with Conquerors?</HI> But his words were in vain; for &s;hame and fear &s;tifled their repentance. To relate unto you the number of the dead; the abundance of pri&s;oners; the va&s;t multitude of Arms and Hor&s;es; the great number of Chariots and Tents, and the infinite rich Plunder would not be much to the purpo&s;e: But let me tell you, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> moved <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to give all the Plunder of the field to the Souldiers; and for his own part he re&s;erved no more then the liberty to divide and be&s;tow it, more or le&s;&s;e according to the de&s;erts of the Ca|ptains: None of the <HI>Homotimes</HI> or <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> would load them&s;elves with any of it; but he would have the chief of them which were accu&s;tomed to fight on foot, to take the be&s;t of the enemies Hor&s;es; &s;o that he made the fir&s;t <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> Cavalry which ever was &s;een in <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> But although this defeat of &s;o many Kings, and the friend&s;hip which he had contracted with &s;o many Princes, who in re&s;pect of him had taken the King of <HI>Medea</HI>'s part, might well have &s;atisfied him, yet the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> being neither dead nor a pri&s;oner, and the Prince&s;&s;e being &s;till in <HI>Babylon,</HI> all &s;eemed unto him as if he had done nothing; So that he was not long at re&s;t, but two dayes after the Battle, marched towards <HI>Babylon.</HI> In going thither, we under&s;tood that the King of <HI>Lydia</HI> was ab&s;olutely retired; and that the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> though di&s;contented with the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian,</HI> yet waited as I told you, to &s;ee the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of things. But my Ma&s;ter de&s;iring to remove &s;uch a pui&s;&s;ant re&s;erve from his enemy, he &s;et out a con&s;iderable body of Hor&s;e under the command of <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> to go and fight him; and indeed the de&s;ign did thrive &s;o happily under <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> that after &s;everal skirmi&s;hes, they enforced the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI>'s Trenches, and took him pri&s;oner: But &s;ince <HI>Artamenes</HI> had been obliged unto him, during the <HI>Bithynian</HI> wars, he moved <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to u&s;e him very well: he left unto him the Command of tho&s;e his Troops which remained after his defeat, upon condition they &s;hould not be imployed again&s;t him, at the &s;iege of <HI>Babylon:</HI> for, &s;aid he, the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> will never fight again&s;t that Prince whom he came to aid: <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;ent him with as many <HI>Medean</HI> Troops only to &s;ecure a pa&s;&s;e, which was equally advantagious unto the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> if he would return, and to <HI>Ciaxares</HI> from being &s;et upon from that &s;ide; He al&s;o gave liberty unto the Prince of <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> who afterwards did not for&s;ake him. At the la&s;t Sir, we came within &s;ight of &s;tately <HI>Babylon;</HI> and although my Ma&s;ter found it very &s;trong when he was there, yet he found it much &s;tronger this &s;econd time, as well becau&s;e he now ob&s;erved it better, as becau&s;e the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had now a greater intere&s;t in it. As &s;oon as he e&s;pied the mag|nificent Pallace which elevates it &s;elf in the mid&s;t of <HI>Babylon:</HI> There it is <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid he to me) whither we mu&s;t go and deliver <HI>Mandana:</HI> He did pre&s;ently begirt the Town round about with his Troops, to &s;top the pa&s;&s;ages of any out, and to di&s;cover in what place and part it be&s;t was a&s;&s;aultable: But to &s;ay truly, we found the wals &s;o high, &s;o thick and &s;o &s;trong, that our Battering Rams could work no execution; al&s;o the huge deep ditches full of water hindered our approaches to make any u&s;e of our Engines: Moreover, it &s;eemed ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible to a&s;&s;ault it from the River, by rea&s;on of that prodigious work which Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> had made, whereby the River <HI>Euphrates</HI> was brought almo&s;t round the Town; as well to dilate the impetuo&s;ity of the River, as to make the acce&s;&s;e unto the Town more difficult; for the River by that means winding and crinkling as it did, it was impo&s;&s;ible that they in the Town &s;hould be &s;urprized by Boats, the&s;e turnings being &s;o long, that it would be a long dayes work to come by them into <HI>Babylon,</HI> from the place
<PB N="87" REF="128">
where they mu&s;t begin. I will not in&s;i&s;t upon exact relation of this Siege, or the prodigious pains which was taken in circling about &s;o va&s;t a Town; nor how many Towers <HI>Artamenes</HI> built up, from di&s;tance to di&s;tance an&s;werable; as well to &s;ecure his entrenchments, and fortifie his Lines, as to di&s;cover what the enemies did within their wals; nor how the&s;e Towers were placed upon wooden piles of Palme, of a mo&s;t prodigious height; nor all the en&s;ignes which he prepared for this &s;iege: nor will I tell you, how the valour of <HI>Maza|res</HI> did appear in divers &s;allyes which the be&s;ieged made, nor how my Ma&s;ter repul&s;ed them: But I mu&s;t tell you in few words, that all their attempts and all they could do again&s;t &s;o great a Town were all ineffectuall, and vaine, <HI>Artamenes</HI> de&s;pairing of gaining it, &s;ee|ing that winter drew on, and that &s;ooner then ordinary, the fields were covered with Snow, he knew not what to re&s;olve upon: For although there were an infinite number of men within the town, yet were they victualled for a long time, &s;o that he had no hopes to take it either by force or famine, unle&s;s he &s;hould tarry &s;o long a time, as the thought of it did affright him: at la&s;t he bethought him&s;elf of a way which yielded him &s;ome hopes of &s;ucce&s;&s;e: he did not think the River <HI>Euphrates</HI> could re&s;i&s;t him; more then the river <HI>Gindes,</HI> &s;o that with the con&s;ent and approbation of the King, he cau&s;ed two great tren|ches to be made, which joyned to the River, and took the water from the River above the town and let it into the Channel againe beneath: but before he had fini&s;hed the&s;e trenches, or given pa&s;&s;age for the water into them, he placed twenty thou&s;and men neer the pa&s;&s;age where the River runns into the Town, him&s;elf being in the head of them, &amp; &s;ent as many unto that place where the River i&s;&s;ues out of the Town: things being thus ordered, he gave the &s;ignal to open the trenches a little before night: &s;o that in le&s;s then two howrs, this River being made foordable; he marched him&s;elf the fir&s;t up to the knees in wa|ter (in &s;pite of the coldne&s;s of the weather, &amp; hor&s;e being unfit for takings towns) &amp; did &s;o encourage the re&s;t by his example, that all which had order for it, followed, &amp; thus they did mo&s;t Couragiou&s;ly, &amp; with fierce impetuo&s;ity enter into proud <HI>Babylon.</HI> The a&s;&s;ault <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> made at both ends of the towne in an in&s;tant, <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> not being le&s;s diligent then <HI>Arta|menes</HI> My Ma&s;ter, to make &s;ure work, went pre&s;ently unto the palace, where as we were in|formed by pri&s;oners which we took) the Prince&s;s u&s;ed to lodge, and took with him the Prince <HI>Gadates,</HI> and one of the officers of <HI>Gobrias,</HI> to conduct him thither: I will not re|late unto you, the amazement of the inhabitants; the hideous di&s;order of the night: the Combats which he was forced unto in &s;ome &s;treets; and the facilities he met with in others, nor how a great &s;edition which was in the town did help forward their de&s;tructi|on; nor will I &s;peak of the confu&s;ed eccho of the noi&s;e, the de&s;olation of the women, and the generall a&s;toni&s;hment of the people: But I will tell you how <HI>Artamenes</HI> thought upon nothing but <HI>Mandana,</HI> and went in all ha&s;t unto the Palace: At fir&s;t the guards made &s;ome re&s;i&s;tance, but as &s;oon as one of them Cryed out, that the King was e&s;caped, they left the gates; threw down their Armes; and left <HI>Artamenes</HI> ma&s;ter of the place: But Oh heavens it was in vaine to look for <HI>Mandana,</HI> for he could not finde either the King or the Prince&s;s, nor could meet with any which could informe what was become of them. As for <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> according to orders from <HI>Artamenes,</HI> he &s;ecured all the publique places, and placed Courts of guard in &s;everall &s;treets, and kept in armes all the night, &s;o that at break of day, more then half the army of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was got into the town: and <HI>Artamenes</HI> was ab&s;olute ma&s;ter of <HI>Babylon,</HI> excepting two Ca&s;tles which rendred them&s;elves the next day: But neither in the Kings Palace; nor in the Ca&s;tles&punc; nor in the Temples nor in any of the hou&s;es, (for <HI>Artamenes</HI> cau&s;ed all to be &s;earched) could the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> or <HI>Man|dana</HI> be found: only one of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> women which they had placed about the Prin|ce&s;s, and who followed not: which &s;aid, that at the beginning of the night being accom|panied with many of his men, came into her Chamber and took her and her two <HI>Cappa|docian</HI> women away with him, and went down a paire of &s;tairs which leads into the Gar|den, but whither they went afterwards, &s;he could not tell. To repre&s;ent unto you my Ma&s;ters de&s;paire is a thing impo&s;&s;ible: why does the gods, (&s;aid he) loade me thus with in&s;upportable misfortunes? why will they not permit me to deliver my Prince&s;s, and puni&s;h my Rivall? Ha <HI>Feraulas,</HI> I &s;een is impo&s;&s;ible. It was very happy that <HI>Ciax|ares,</HI> and &s;o many Grandees accompanied him&punc; and gave out nece&s;&s;ary orders, to calme this huge Town; for as for my Ma&s;ter, <HI>Mandana</HI> was the only thought that he could enter|taine. A whole month pa&s;&s;ed, without any intelligence either of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> or the Prince&s;s, during which time he &s;uffered as much torment as man could do; Alas, &s;aid he &s;omtimes unto me, what am I better for winning Battles; taking of townes, or &s;ub|verting
<PB N="88" REF="129">
of Kingdomes, if I can neither relieve my Prince&s;s nor puni&s;h my Rivall? If it were not my own hand, that put her into the power of her Ravi&s;her, I &s;hould be le&s;s troubled; but &s;ince it was by my own valour that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> carried her away; and that &s;ame valour cannot make me kill him, this is a thing which is a bove my patience: For to &s;ave the life of her enemy, when he was &s;et upon by eleven Cavaliers, and not to be able to take it from him, at that time when &s;o many others as valiant as him&s;elf felt the weight of my blowes; This is it <HI>Feraulas,</HI> that the Gods are re&s;olved upon my de&s;tructi|on, and that I mu&s;t prepare my &s;elf for it. I forgot to tell you Sir, that we found in <HI>Baby|lon</HI> a great number of Ladies, of very great quality, who having been u&s;ed with much re&s;pect (for <HI>Artamenes</HI> before he entered the Town did give expre&s;s command that none &s;hould offer any violence unto any women) came to give him thanks, and a&s;&s;ured him that the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> would thanke him al&s;o, for the Civility which they had re|ceived from him. At the very name of <HI>Mandana,</HI> my Ma&s;ter did double his civilities to|wards them: and he received this &s;atisfaction however, to heare <HI>Mandana</HI> well &s;poken of as well in <HI>Babylon</HI> as <HI>Themi&s;cyra;</HI> it being mo&s;t certain that this Prince&s;s had cau|&s;ed her &s;elf to be adored among&s;t them. <HI>Artamenes</HI> under&s;tood by the&s;e Ladies that his Rivall did treat her with abundance of re&s;pect, at lea&s;t in their &s;ight. But they told my Ma&s;ter, that &s;ince the beginning of the &s;iege, none were permitted to come neer the Prin|ce&s;s; nor any Lady to come within the pallace: I will not tell you Sir, the &s;everall re|flections which my Ma&s;ter made upon all the&s;e things, for it would too much lengthen my &s;tory; only this, that &s;ometimes, he knew not well whether he &s;hould grieve more to under&s;tand that his Rivall was more rigorous unto her, &s;ince the &s;iege of <HI>Babylon,</HI> then to u&s;e her as he did before. To &s;peak truth, I do believe, that what the&s;e Ladies had &s;aid unto him, as thinking to tell good newes, did not much plea&s;e him, &s;o much did Jealou&s;ie di&s;turb his rea&s;on, &amp; &s;o difficult a thing it is to prevent that humour from po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing tho&s;e that are mo&s;t rea&s;onable. But Sir, at the la&s;t there was &s;uch great care taken to be informed concerning the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> that they had intelligence he was retreated unto <HI>Pteria,</HI> whereof <HI>Aribeus</HI> was governor: thta <HI>Mazares,</HI> conducted him thither, and that <HI>Aribeus</HI> his old friend, had received him into the town; and that the Prince&s;s was very &s;trictly guarded in that place; yet we neither could know then, nor at this day how they could get out of <HI>Babylon:</HI> This newes did at fir&s;t afford much Joy unto <HI>Artamenes;</HI> who moved <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to di&s;encamp his Army which lay in and about this &s;tately town; and after he had left a &s;trong garri&s;on in it, and given all requi&s;ite orders for keeping it, we marched with all &s;peed towards <HI>Pteria;</HI> and although this march was very long, yet &s;uch was the prudent provi&s;ion of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> as our Troopes wanted nothing nor were they wor&s;e for it: But Sir, when we came within three dayes march of this town: that Joy which my Ma&s;ter had to know where his Prince&s;s and his Rivall were, was much le&s;&s;ened: for we had Intelligence that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> and <HI>Aribeus,</HI> had con|veyed away the Prince&s;s and them&s;elves to <HI>Sinope:</HI> when <HI>Artamenes</HI> con&s;idered how that town was &s;eated upon the &s;ea, and without a navall Army it was impo&s;&s;ible to be&s;iege it, his &s;orrowes were mightily multiplyed; For indeed <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had no &s;hips, neither could he get them &s;o &s;oone as to be &s;erviceable, and yet was all in faine to beleaguer <HI>Sinope</HI> without them, &s;ince if they &s;tormed the town from the land &s;ide, then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had the Sea open to &s;ave him&s;elf, and carry away the Prince&s;s; this was the thing which mo&s;t of all <HI>Artamenes</HI> feared: This di&s;a&s;terous circum&s;tance which was a rea&s;on, why he dur&s;t not be&s;iege <HI>Sinope</HI> with an Army of a hundred thou&s;and men, cau&s;ed &s;uch a &s;ad|ne&s;s in him as cannot be expre&s;&s;ed. De&s;perat then as he was, he propounded unto <HI>Ciaxa|res,</HI> to &s;end me into <HI>Sinope</HI> di&s;gui&s;ed, to the end I might &s;uborne &s;ome or other, and try whether the town could be taken by con&s;piracy. When <HI>Ciaxares</HI> could not think of a better way, he con&s;ented unto this, and I obtained that which I my &s;elf de&s;ired, for in|deed Sir, it was I who fir&s;t made the motion unto my Ma&s;ter. I went then after I had moulded my &s;elf into the habit of a Countrey Pe&s;ant; and &s;ince we had heretofore &s;tayed a long time in <HI>Sinope,</HI> I had got my &s;elf many friends: Among&s;t the re&s;t <HI>Artucas</HI> was one, who is a kin&s;man unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and now here with us; he alwayes loved me, though he was &s;omthing obliged unto the &s;ervice of <HI>Aribeus:</HI> when I had got into the town, and had concealed my &s;elf with one who was very faithfull unto me; I perceived that it was a thing impo&s;&s;ible to &s;peak with the Prince&s;s as I de&s;igned: And I under&s;tood that they alwayes kept Gallyes with oares, and &s;hips ready for &s;aile, in ca&s;e of any need, e&s;pecially &s;ince the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> under&s;tood, that our Army was &s;o neer him. I &s;melt al&s;o, that
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though <HI>Artucas</HI> was a Captain of one of the gates in the Town, yet he did not approve of the revolt in <HI>Aribeus;</HI> but thought it very &s;trange that the Prince&s;&s;e &s;hould be a pri&s;o|ner in a Town which was her own: I under&s;tood al&s;o that the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> had all po&s;&s;ible care of her, and did as much as he could qualifie the violent humours in the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> In Conclu&s;ion, after I had well con&s;ulted with my &s;elf what I had to do; I went one night unto <HI>Artucas,</HI> who was not a little amu&s;ed to &s;ee me: After the fir&s;t comple|ments were pa&s;t, I began to &s;peak of things in particular: I made him under&s;tand that he was engaged on the wor&s;e &s;ide, not only becau&s;e it was unju&s;t, but al&s;o becau&s;e it would ruine him: In few words, I told him &s;o many things, and &s;o hand&s;omly prepared him, that he &s;taggered, and at la&s;t I made him re&s;olve to deceive <HI>Aribeus,</HI> and become faith|ful unto his King: We agreed then that he &s;hould deliver up the Gate, on that &s;ide the Town towards the Temple of <HI>Mars,</HI> preci&s;ely upon that day and hour, that I &s;hould appoint him: So then when I got out of <HI>Sinope,</HI> and was returned to the Camp, I brought &s;uch joy unto my Ma&s;ter, as is inconceiveable: you know Sir, (pur&s;ued <HI>Feraulas</HI> &s;peaking unto the King of <HI>Hircania)</HI> That this re&s;olution was fixed upon, That <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould come with four thou&s;and men only, to &s;urprize <HI>Sinope;</HI> that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;hould follow the next day with the whole Army. But my Ma&s;ter being advanced to execute this great bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; he &s;aw as he came out of a valley, that the Town which he came to &s;urprize was all in a flame, and believed that the Prince&s;&s;e would peri&s;h in it: you al&s;o know that in lieu of de&s;troying <HI>Sinope</HI> we &s;aved that little which remains; how we quenched the fire; how <HI>Aribeus</HI> fought; how he was overwhelmed, and how he being come unto the foot of the Tower in the Ca&s;tle, the generous <HI>Phra&s;ibulus,</HI> whom you &s;ee there, opened the gate, and told my Ma&s;ter, that there was in that place an illu&s;trious per|&s;on who had need of help: Neither are you ignorant, how <HI>Artamenes</HI> running ha&s;tily up to the top of the Tower, thinking to find the Prince&s;&s;e there, he only found his Corrival: And doubtle&s;&s;e you al&s;o know, how my Ma&s;ter did &s;ee a Galley, in which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> told him, that the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> had taken away <HI>Mandana.</HI></P>
<P>In conclu&s;ion, <HI>Feraulas</HI> de&s;iring chiefly to acquaint the&s;e Princes that his Ma&s;ter held no ba&s;e intelligence with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> after he had told them all the turbulent agitations in the mindes of the&s;e two Rivals, while&s;t they looked from the top of the &s;ow|er upon the Galley during the Tempe&s;t; then he mo&s;t exactly related all the di&s;cour&s;e be|tween the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and <HI>Artamenes;</HI> making them to under&s;tand the promi&s;e which <HI>Artamenes</HI> had made, how that it was not prejudicial to the Kings &s;ervice; and that the intere&s;t of his love was the only thing which made him conceal the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s Letter. Afterwards he &s;lightly rehear&s;ed the flight of this King; the death of <HI>Aribeus;</HI> the retreat of this Prince unto <HI>Pteria;</HI> how he had written unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and the rea&s;on why <HI>Artame|nes</HI> did hide his Letter from <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> by what accident his an&s;wer came unto the Kings hands: how <HI>Artamenes</HI> believed, and almo&s;t &s;till believes that the Prince&s;&s;e peri&s;hed: how he found <HI>Mazares</HI> half drowned, and indeed all that happened until the arrival of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and impri&s;onment of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> In pur&s;uance whereof, he conjured them all to con&s;ider what was be&s;t to be done for the pre&s;ervation of &s;uch an illu&s;trious man: For, (&s;aid he to them) Sirs, all this that <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and my &s;elf have related unto you, is only to give you &s;ome light touch of his vertue, it being mo&s;t certain that it is infinitely above all that can be &s;aid or thought.</P>
<P><HI>Feraulas</HI> having ended his relation, left all tho&s;e illu&s;trious auditors in &s;o much admira|tion of the miraculous life of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and in &s;o much joy that they were not mi&s;taken in that opinion which they ever had of his innocency, that they could not chu&s;e but give &s;ome te&s;timonies of it. I ever believed (&s;aid the King of <HI>Hircania)</HI> that it was impo&s;&s;ible <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould be in any fault: And I never doubted (added <HI>Per&s;odes)</HI> but that he was ever ab&s;olutely innocent. The wor&s;t is (replied <HI>Hida&s;pes)</HI> that one cannot ju&s;tifie him before <HI>Ciaxares</HI> of that crime whereof he is accu&s;ed, but by accu&s;ing him of another which will not le&s;&s;e incen&s;e him: And I doubt (&s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> interrupting him) that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would be as well plea&s;ed with his holding &s;ecret corre&s;pondency with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> as with <HI>Mandana.</HI> If the Prince&s;&s;e &s;hould be dead (an&s;wered <HI>Adu&s;ias)</HI> there would be no difficulty to ju&s;tifie <HI>Artamenes</HI> in di&s;covering his love; but if by happy fortune &s;he be alive (replied <HI>Feraulas)</HI> my Ma&s;ter will never forgive <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and me, for di&s;covering his pa&s;&s;ion unto <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> For my part (added <HI>Thra&s;ibulus)</HI> I conceive it requi&s;ite to u&s;e much prudence in the matter, and not to di&s;cover the love of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> until &s;uch time as it be thought fit to di&s;cover his quality. But the knowledge of his quality (replied <HI>Chri&s;antes)</HI>
<PB N="90" REF="130">
is a thing altogether as dangerous to acquaint the King with: I am of this opinion (&s;aid the King of <HI>Hircania)</HI> not to do any thing &s;lightly, but to bring things unto &s;uch a pa&s;&s;e, as to hazard nothing; and to that end, before any thing be di&s;covered unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> it is expedient to gain the hearts of the Captains of Souldiers in &s;uch a manner, that there may be neither any fear nor danger in &s;peaking unto him for <HI>Artamenes.</HI> All the Princes con|curring with the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> and approving of what he &s;aid, did a&s;&s;ure <HI>Hida&s;pes, Adu&s;ius, Chri&s;antes,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> that they them&s;elves would rather peri&s;h, then &s;uffer their Ma&s;ter to be in danger of it; and that they would neglect no manner of expedient which may conduce unto his &s;afety. <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> was in de&s;pair of any power to &s;erve him any way then in his per&s;on and courage, which he would pawne for him. As they were thus debating, <HI>Gobrias, Gadates, Thimocrates,</HI> and <HI>Philocles</HI> came in: They were not pre|&s;ent at the relations of <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> becau&s;e as &s;oon as <HI>Ciaxares</HI> came to <HI>Sinope,</HI> they returned to the Camp, and lodged not in the Town, But &s;ince they were no le&s;&s;e affectionated unto their Ma&s;ter then the re&s;t of the Princes, <HI>Feraulas</HI> &s;aid unto the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> that he mu&s;t needs engage them in behalf of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> At the name of <HI>Arta|menes, Gobrias</HI> asked what he &s;hould do to &s;erve him? <HI>Gadates</HI> all impatience, that if it were only to die for him, he was and ever would be ready. <HI>Thimocrates</HI> and <HI>Philocles</HI> appeared to be as ready as any to &s;erve him: So that the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> beginning to &s;peak, let them all under&s;tand, that there was nothing el&s;e to be done, but for every one to be ready to &s;ave <HI>Artamenes,</HI> if there were any attempt to de&s;troy him. Upon the&s;e words, all the Princes did &s;olemnly &s;wear to unite them&s;elves, and take up Arms for his &s;afty when&s;oever there &s;hould be any need. They were all upon the&s;e terms, when <HI>Ar|tucas</HI> came unto <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> and told him that he came to a&s;&s;ure him, <HI>Artamenes</HI> had &s;ent a note unto the King which made him very glad, but none could tell him what it was; and &s;ince he knew him to be a lover of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> he would advi&s;e him to go into the Ca&s;tle: <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> after he had given thanks unto <HI>Artucas</HI> for his coun&s;el, acquainted all the illu&s;tri|ous a&s;&s;embly with it: who out of impatience to know what it was, went pre&s;ently unto the King, but with &s;o much e&s;teem, and &s;o much affection unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and did &s;o in|tere&s;t them&s;elves in his fortune, that any would have &s;aid, that they were all of them his kindred or &s;ubjects.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The End of the Fir&s;t Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="book">
<PB N="91" REF="130">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR Cyrus the Great. THE SECOND PART  BOOK II.</HEAD>
<P>_IT was not without good cau&s;e, that <HI>Artucas</HI> told <HI>Hida&s;|pes,</HI> how the King of <HI>Medes</HI> was very glad and joyful, at a Letter which he received from <HI>Artamenes:</HI> And the joy of <HI>Artamenes</HI> did exceed the Kings, if it be per|mitted me to put a difference between things that are both of them extreams; but to di&s;cover the true cau&s;e of the &s;atisfaction to the&s;e two Per&s;ons, who&s;e pre&s;ent conditions &s;eemed to be &s;o unlike: You mu&s;t know, that the &s;ame day about noon, a man which heretofore had &s;erved <HI>Andramias,</HI> and who &s;ince &s;erved <HI>Artamenes</HI> in the <HI>Scythian</HI> Voyage, and was &s;ent by him to <HI>Artaxes,</HI> who commanded tho&s;e Troops which were lent the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> upon his return unto the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Si|nope,</HI> he de&s;ired to &s;peak with his ancient Ma&s;ter. <HI>Ag|latidas</HI> was then with <HI>Andramias,</HI> who commanded the man to enter, and whom at fir&s;t he knew not; yet he no &s;ooner heard him &s;peak, but he knew him by his voice. <HI>Andramias</HI> gave him his hand, and asked him if he could do any thing for him? Yes Sir, (an&s;wered he) for I doubt not but if you will do me the favour to let me &s;peak with Renowned <HI>Ar|tamenes,</HI> I doubt not, I &s;ay, but I &s;hall help him unto &s;uch news to tell the King, as may obtain him his liberty. <HI>Andramias</HI> not imagining what this man could tell of any &s;uch im|portance, urged the man to tell his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e unto him, and to tell him al&s;o, why he was &s;o affectionate unto <HI>Artamenes?</HI> for <HI>Andramias</HI> had &s;ome kinde of fear to be &s;urprized, and thought this to be &s;ome devi&s;e of the Kings to try his fidelity. Then <HI>Ortalques</HI> (for that was the mans name) told him that he &s;erved <HI>Artamenes</HI> in the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettan</HI> voyage, and pre&s;ented unto him a piece of a torn Letter, upon which he &s;aw the&s;e words written, not knowing to whom they were directed, nor from whom they came.
<Q><P>Tell it, that I am living: That they carry me into one of the two <HI>Armenia's,</HI> but I know not unto whom I &s;hall go; and that the King of&mdash;</P></Q></P>
<P><PB N="92" REF="131">
After that <HI>Andramias</HI> had read this which was writ upon a loo&s;e piece of paper, he looked upon <HI>Ortalques,</HI> and asked who it was which gave it him? But the man without more adoe; Indeed Sir (&s;aid he) the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> is living: How (cried out <HI>Andramias</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> both together) is the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> living? Yes Sirs, an&s;wered <HI>Or|talques,</HI> and this which you &s;ee writ there, is as I think her own hand. <HI>Andramias</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> having not fully &s;atisfied their curio&s;ity, urged him to tell them all he knew con|cerning the Prince&s;&s;e; and the man told them, that when he was engaged in the <HI>Pontean</HI> and <HI>Bithynian</HI> war, he being &s;ent thither, it was his hap to be much wounded, and &s;tayed there a long time &s;ick, not being able to follow <HI>Artaxes,</HI> whom <HI>Aribeus</HI> had called away: that afterwards being de&s;irous to return home, he came unto a place which is neer the <HI>Euxine</HI> Bridge, in that place where the river <HI>Halis</HI> empties it &s;elf: that being there, and going out one morning to walk, he &s;aw a &s;hip on the Sea &s;ome three or four furlongs off the land, clo&s;e by which, there was one of the&s;e great woodden Boats of Pine-tree, which can very well endure the waves when the windes are high, and which are u&s;ed to carry Merchandize, into which he &s;aw many per&s;ons de&s;cend, and di&s;tingui&s;hed &s;ome women. After this, the &s;hip &s;ailed into the open Sea, and the Boat came &s;traight unto the mouth of the River; but &s;ince the &s;tream in that place was very impetuous, it was a long time before the Rowers could get out of the Sea into the River: During which time, I came unto the Rivers &s;ide, and I took notice that there was a woman in the Boat, which did very attentively look upon me; that afterwards, hiding her &s;elf behinde another woman, &s;he did &s;omething, and I &s;uppo&s;e it was to write that which you &s;ee upon that piece of paper: after which, another of the women coming unto the Prow of the Boat which touched the Land, and came within three paces of me, having lapped up this piece of paper in a hood, which &s;he took from her head, &s;he threw it unto me, &s;eeming as if the winde had wafted it from her, for it was &s;omething high, and blew it where I was: I thought that I knew the Party, and within an hour after, I recalled my &s;elf, and knew certainly that it was one of the Prince&s;&s;e women, called <HI>Marte&s;ia:</HI> The men who were in the Boat, were &s;o bu&s;ie in Rowing, and &s;triving to get up the River, that I think they did not minde the action of this woman: for my part, I ha&s;tily took up what was thrown unto me, and going a little from the &s;ide, I &s;aw that which I now give you, and I was &s;o &s;urprized at it that I knew not what to think: Mean while, the Boat being pa&s;&s;ed the mouth of the River, it made away much more readily, and was &s;o &s;oon, &s;o far off me, that I knew not what to re&s;olve upon. I had a better minde to follow this Boat, then to come unto <HI>Sinope,</HI> whither I under&s;tood the Kings Army was marched: for in|deed &s;ince I knew nothing of what pa&s;&s;ed here, I could not well tell what they de&s;ired me to do, yet after I had well examined the matter, I did conclude, that my be&s;t way was to come hither; &s;o that I embarked in the fir&s;t &s;hip I did meet with, and &s;o hither I came. As I went down to the Port, the burning of this Town, making me very inqui&s;i|tive, I there heard of all the pa&s;&s;ages of <HI>Sinope,</HI> and I made no more doubt but that it was the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> who &s;ent me hither, for I verily think I &s;aw her in the Boat: To tell you who carried her away is more then I can do: all I know is, that certainly &s;he is living. <HI>Andramias</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> after they heard this mans relation, doubted no more then he, but that the Prince&s;&s;e was living: But to make it more clear, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> told his Co&s;in, that &s;ince <HI>Artamenes</HI> had been &s;o long in the <HI>Cappadocian</HI> Court, it was impo&s;&s;ible but he &s;hould know <HI>Mandana's</HI> hand, therefore the be&s;t way would be to &s;hew him what <HI>Ortalques</HI> had brought, and not to go unto the King, and acquaint him with any thing which might move in him a fal&s;e Joy. <HI>Andramias</HI> approved of the Propo&s;i|tion, and with <HI>Ortalques</HI> entred into the chamber of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who then was profound|ly plunged into cruell thoughts of the Prince&s;&s;e death, or at the lea&s;t, at the apprehen&s;ion of it. <HI>Aglatidas</HI> coming to him, and after he had &s;aluted him, Sir, &s;aid he to him, here is a man, who&s;e name is <HI>Ortalques,</HI> who de&s;ires to &s;ee you, and has brought a piece of paper unto <HI>Andramias,</HI> which hand perhaps you know. If I know the hand, as well as I know the name of <HI>Ortalques</HI> (replied <HI>Artamenes</HI> in much &s;adne&s;&s;e) I &s;hall ea&s;ily tell you who writ it; for the man &s;o called, &s;erved me in my voyage to the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> and as I went out of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> I &s;ent him unto <HI>Artaxes</HI> who then aided the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and &s;ince that untill now I heard nothing of him. In &s;aying &s;o, <HI>Artamenes</HI> con&s;idered the Character of the paper, yet he no &s;ooner looked upon it but he blu&s;ht; and looking upon <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Andramias</HI> with &s;uch extream turbulency, more then u&s;uall; Doubtle&s;&s;e, cried he out, the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> did write this paper which you &s;hew
<PB N="93" REF="131">
unto me; and I have &s;een her Letters unto the King, too often to be mi&s;taken: Al&s;o I my &s;elf had the honour when I came fir&s;t into <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> to pre&s;ent one unto him from her, wherein &s;he was plea&s;ed to &s;peak too advantagiou&s;ly of me, to lo&s;e the memory of it: But I be&s;eech you, &s;aid he unto <HI>Andramias,</HI> if you can do it without danger to your &s;elf; Let me &s;ee <HI>Ortalques,</HI> for I do confe&s;&s;e the vertue of the Prince&s;&s;e has much intere&s;t|ed me in any thing which concerns her; and I &s;hould be very glad to under&s;tand what he knows of her: <HI>Andramias</HI> who much de&s;ired to oblige <HI>Artamenes,</HI> cau&s;ed the man to enter, un&s;een by any of the Guards; But during that time, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> ea&s;ily perceived, that the joy and agitation of <HI>Artamenes</HI> his mind, had a more powerful cau&s;e then bare compa&s;&s;ion: he beheld the paper, as if he were afraid to be mi&s;taken: he lifted his eyes up to heaven, as if he rendered thanks for &s;o great a happine&s;&s;e; he walked up and down the room, and never regarded <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> nor &s;poke to him afterwards, coming &s;uddenly to him|&s;elf, and fearing he had been too much tran&s;ported; if you did but know (&s;aid he to him) the merit of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> you would le&s;&s;e wonder at my exce&s;&s;e of joy; for although &s;he ought to be your Queen, I can a&s;&s;ure you I &s;hall intere&s;t my &s;elf as much in her &s;ervice, as any &s;ubjects &s;he &s;hall one day have in all <HI>Medea.</HI> It were to be wi&s;hed (an&s;wered <HI>Aglatidas)</HI> the King were acquainted with your zeal unto any thing which concerns her, and that he would have the &s;ame thoughts of you which I have: Mean while, <HI>Andramias</HI> brought in <HI>Ortalques,</HI> whom <HI>Artamenes</HI> embraced with exceeding tenderne&s;&s;e, &s;eeming as if the more news he told him concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> the more welcom &s;hould he be: yet notwith&s;tanding he asked him &s;o many things together, that <HI>Ortalques</HI> could not an&s;wer him; but at the la&s;t he told him as much as he knew, and as much as did not yet fully &s;atisfie <HI>Artamenes:</HI> But yet notwith&s;tanding, the certainty of the Prince&s;&s;e her life, that did afford him an unexpre&s;&s;ible joy, in&s;omuch as no other con&s;ideration, could dimini&s;h his delight: It is your duties (&s;aid he unto <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Andramias)</HI> to rejoyce at the re&s;urrection of your Prince&s;&s;e; But (&s;aid <HI>Aglatidas</HI> unto him interrupting him) <HI>Ortalques</HI> out of zeal which he bears unto you, has &s;ome thoughts which &s;eem to me very rea&s;onable, for indeed he de&s;ired to &s;ee you, with intention that it might be from your hand the King &s;hould be acquainted with the life of the Prince&s;&s;e his daughter; ima|gining with &s;ome probability, that the joy which you &s;hould give him, would in &s;ome &s;ort di&s;po&s;e his mind to hearken more favourably unto what I &s;hould &s;peak unto him in your be|half. Alas, (added <HI>Andramias)</HI> it may be thought, that &s;ince perhaps he will be nece&s;|&s;itated unto a fre&s;h war for the delivery of the Prince&s;&s;e, he will &s;ooner &s;et you at liberty. That rea&s;on would be but weak, (replied <HI>Artamenes</HI> mode&s;tly) &s;ince he has &s;o many other gallant men about him; were it not for the zeal which I have unto his &s;ervice, and which may be accounted &s;omething extraordinary: But if I &s;hould &s;end this note unto the King, would it not reflect too much upon you <HI>Andramias?</HI> and would it not accu&s;e you for giving me too much liberty? No, replied <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> not at all; for &s;ince <HI>Ortalques</HI> did once &s;erve <HI>Andramias,</HI> and afterwards &s;erved you, it is nothing &s;trange that he &s;hould be re|ceived into a place where he had two ma&s;ters; and that you knowing the hand, de&s;ired to acquaint the King with this welcome news, which <HI>Andramias</HI> may carry from you: <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> who did indeed de&s;ire to be per&s;waded, did con&s;ent unto the motion which <HI>Aglatidas</HI> made; and calling for ink and paper, he writ as followeth.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>ARTAMENES</HI> UNTO The KING his Soveraigne LORD.</HEAD>
<P>AS long as I thought my &s;elf u&s;ele&s;&s;e unto your Maje&s;tie, I endured the weight of my Chains without impatience: But the happy news of the Prince&s;&s;e being alive, per&s;wades me that perhaps I may be &s;erviceable in her Delivery; and I now dare mo&s;t humbly be|&s;eech
<PB N="94" REF="132">
you, not to deprive me of that honour, to render you that &s;ervice: Solemnly prote&s;ting unto your Maje&s;tie, to come into your Pri&s;on and put on my Fetters, the very next day that the Prince&s;&s;e is at Liberty.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ARTAMENES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><HI>Andramias</HI> taking the Letter which <HI>Artamenes</HI> writ, al&s;o the Note from the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> went with <HI>Ortalques</HI> unto the King, where <HI>Aglatidas</HI> would al&s;o be pre&s;ent, in hopes to perform &s;ome good office unto &s;uch an illu&s;trious pri&s;oner; and becau&s;e the acti|ons of my Ma&s;ter had begot &s;ome &s;u&s;pitions in him of his love, he thought that he would be very glad of liberty; and indeed, though he loved <HI>Aglatidas</HI> very well, yet he did &s;trive to conceal his joy in his own heart. They were no &s;ooner gone out, but being able to hold no longer, What, my Prince&s;&s;e (&s;aid he) are you living? need I no more fear your death? mu&s;t all tho&s;e ga&s;tly Images of Tombs and Coffins no longer terrifie my fancy? No, no, I can now believe you breath and live, and perhaps think upon me. Ah, who&s;oever it be, either gods or men which has &s;aved my Prince&s;&s;e from the waves, and from &s;uch an almo&s;t inevitable danger, what does not <HI>Artamenes</HI> owe unto them? If it was a Divinity, it me|rits my vows; If it be a Mortal weight, it is worthy of all my &s;ervices: But what&s;oever it be, &s;ince <HI>Mandana,</HI> Divine <HI>Mandana</HI> does live, I will permit my &s;oul to take full delight, as &s;he did before all &s;orrow. But alas, (&s;aid he after he had been a while &s;ilent) I am not &s;o happy as I thought my &s;elf: For though 'tis true <HI>Mandana</HI> lives, yet &s;he is a Captive; and that which is mo&s;t cruel, I am in fetters al&s;o, and by con&s;equence not in a condition to Relieve her: What King would &s;he &s;peak unto? to whom may it be imagined is &s;he a pri|&s;oner? what would &s;he expre&s;&s;e by her note? what a mo&s;t cruel accident is this, that I cannot ta&s;te, in quiet, the greate&s;t joy that ever amarous mind was capable of? yet am I not too blame (&s;aid he) to de&s;cant thus upon the pre&s;ent condition of my life, at a time when I &s;ee my Prince&s;&s;e lives, and when I may hope to &s;ee her again? For &s;ince it is the plea&s;ure of the gods to bring her from the deep Aby&s;&s;e of the Sea, they may al&s;o perhaps bring me out of pri&s;on to deliver her, and &s;et her upon her Throne. But my faire&s;t Prin|ce&s;&s;e, after all the&s;e misfortunes which I have endured, I dare not make any prayers for my &s;elf; I fear le&s;t my own intere&s;ts &s;hould be contagious and infect yours; and for the love of you I will &s;eparate them, and ask of the gods no more then what directly relates unto you. Therefore O ye Omnipotent Divinities, which govern all the Earth, cau&s;e them to deliver me, that I may deliver my Prince&s;&s;e; that I may have power to puni&s;h all her Ravi&s;hers; to bring her back unto her father, and let her po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e all tho&s;e Crowns, which you have enabled me to defend, fight for, and Conquer for the King of the <HI>Medes:</HI> Oh ye mo&s;t ju&s;t Gods, do only as I &s;ay, and afterwards let me die at the feet of <HI>Mandana;</HI> and that &s;he may never have any other &s;orrows but for the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> Thus did the mo&s;t amorous Prince in the world entertain him&s;elf, while&s;t <HI>Andramias</HI> with <HI>Ortalques</HI> was with the King; and while&s;t all his illu&s;trious friends were with <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> where they received the advice from <HI>Artucas,</HI> which made them all impatient, and moved them to go pre&s;ently unto the Ca&s;tle, as I already told you: But to make you under&s;tand how <HI>Artucas</HI> came &s;o &s;oon to the knowledge of it; you mu&s;t know, that when <HI>Andramias</HI> gave the Let|ter unto the King from <HI>Artamenes,</HI> this Prince was in a rapture of joy which cannot be ex|pre&s;&s;ed, &s;o that &s;ome of tho&s;e who were then in the Chamber, without diving any further into the matter, or &s;taying for any more, did in all ha&s;te divulge that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was in favour with the King; and it was from them which <HI>Artucas</HI> had that which he told unto <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> as knowing him mo&s;t affectionate unto <HI>Artamenes.</HI> The King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> who was with <HI>Ciaxares</HI> when he received this Letter, being de&s;irous to take hold of that occa|&s;ion; told him that &s;uch good news as that well de&s;erved liberty unto him who &s;ent it; and <HI>Ciaxares</HI> in his fir&s;t apprehen&s;ions of joy, did partly forget his anger again&s;t <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> and was glad to receive from his hand this news as a &s;ign of his affection unto his &s;er|vice. He then did exactly inform him&s;elf from <HI>Ortalques,</HI>
of all he knew, and all he had &s;een, and bad <HI>Andramias</HI> that he &s;hould a&s;&s;ure <HI>Artamenes,</HI> it &s;hould be long of him&s;elf if he did not &s;uddently come out of pri&s;on to relieve the Prince&s;&s;e his daughter, and that he &s;hould no &s;ooner acknowledge the corre&s;pendency which he held with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI>
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nor &s;hould no &s;ooner ask pardon for it, then he &s;hould forget what was pa&s;t, and re&s;tore him unto his former condition, Oh Sir, (&s;aid the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> then unto him) let not your Maje&s;ty &s;tand upon &s;uch a u&s;ele&s;&s;e piece of formality; for I do almo&s;t certainly know that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is innocent; and if there were any &s;ecret intelligence between the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and him, it was not at all prejudicial unto your Maje&s;ties &s;ervice. As they were thus in di&s;cour&s;e, the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> the Prince of the <HI>Caducians, Gobrias, Gadates, Thra&s;ibulus, Hida&s;pes, Adu&s;ius, Thimocrates, Philocles, Artucas, Feraulas</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> came in; and immediately after <HI>Aglatidas</HI> entered, with a multitude of &s;trangers of quali|ty, whom this &s;trange news did draw unto the King, every one being de&s;irous to rejoyce with him in the happy news, which did indeed de&s;erve a publique thank&s;giving. The name of <HI>Mandana</HI> was in every ones mouth, tho&s;e who knew her told it unto tho&s;e who knew her not, and di&s;cour&s;ed of all her admirable qualities; &s;o that as the &s;ouls of all were dejected at the news of her lo&s;&s;e, &s;o now they were elevated at the news of her being alive: After the fir&s;t re&s;entments of &s;atisfaction, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> much di&s;plea&s;ed that he could not preci&s;ely know what was the adventure of the Prince&s;&s;e, nor who carried her away, nor why they carried her unto <HI>Armenia:</HI> He knew very well that the King of that Country was his Tributary; that the Prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> his &s;on was gallant and generous, and one that loved <HI>Artamenes:</HI> But he knew al&s;o that the old King was capritious, and humorous, and that he &s;ent no Troops to his Army as he was obliged to do; <HI>Ciaxares</HI> therefore did not fully reli&s;h his joys, but would &s;ometimes make his unquietne&s;&s;e apparent. Sir, &s;aid the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> unto him, let not the Captivity of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> di&s;quiet you, for if you would have her pri&s;on doors flie open where&s;oever they be, you need do no more but &s;et open the pri&s;on doors of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and &s;et him before &s;o many Kings and Princes as now hear me: And you may be a&s;&s;ured Sir, that if he be our guide, we will follow him unto <HI>Armenia,</HI> and make victory follow us. When we have rendred thanks unto the Gods (replied the King of the <HI>Medes)</HI> we &s;hall then &s;ee how they will in&s;pire us: But for my part, I do not think, that in thanking them for their equity in &s;aving an innocent Prince&s;&s;e, I ought to pardon a Delinquent; and &s;uch a one as will neither ask pardon, nor repent; no nor &s;o much as acknowledge his fault, although it be mo&s;t apparent: Ha Sir, (cried they all with one voice, both the Kings, the Princes, the Homotimes, and all the Cavaliers) <HI>Artamenes</HI> indeed is unfortunate, but never was culpable. There is not one of us but will enter into his pri&s;on, and remain a ho&s;tage for him, until he has made proof of his inno|cency by his new &s;ervices, or (to &s;ay better) new miracles. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was much moved to find &s;uch violent affection, in the minds of all the&s;e illu&s;trious per&s;ons, and could not an&s;wer them but with a congie; yet &s;uch a one as left them in &s;ome hopes, in&s;omuch as they redoubled their rea&s;ons and reque&s;ts. <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was not le&s;&s;e zealous then any: And <HI>Migabi&s;es,</HI> (maugre their old quarrels) was among&s;t them in the Kings chamber, and begged liberty for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> as well as his old enemy. The King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> did extream|ly pre&s;&s;e <HI>Ciaxares</HI> unto it: The King of <HI>Hircania</HI> &s;poke wonderful boldly: <HI>Thimocrates</HI> and <HI>Philocles</HI> u&s;ed as much power, as there was in <HI>Graecia</HI> eloquence: <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> did no le&s;&s;e; <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> and <HI>Adu&s;ius</HI> &s;poke with extream violence, as well as <HI>Per&s;odes, Gadates,</HI> and a hundred others, who &s;eemed all to be linked unto the intere&s;ts of <HI>Artamenes. Ciax|ares</HI> then &s;eeing him&s;elf thus urgently pre&s;&s;ed; know, (&s;aid he unto the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and <HI>Hircania,</HI> and all the re&s;t) I wi&s;h as well as any, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> were innocent, or at lea&s;t that he would acknowledge his crime with repentance, upon condition I gave one of my Kingdoms; and to let you &s;ee that I will do all I can, I do permit you (at the return from the Temple) to go one after another unto him, to the end you may per&s;wade him unto obedience, and not to keep that &s;ecret from me, which I both will, and I ought to know. After he had &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> without giving them time to an&s;wer, went out of the chamber, and went unto the Temple to thank the Gods, for the favour he received from them, and that they would be plea&s;ed to compleat the ble&s;&s;ing, in rendring unto him the Prince&s;&s;e his daughter: All the people followed unto this ceremony; and the happy news being divulged both in Town and Camp, cau&s;ed a general rejoycing every where: At their return from the Temple, he had not forgot what <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;aid, and therefore in|treated him to give order unto <HI>Andramias,</HI> that any of his friends might go unto <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> and endeavour to di&s;cover (as he &s;aid) what the King would know. The King of <HI>Medea,</HI> &s;ince he &s;aw the &s;tate of things to be as they were, would have been very glad if <HI>Artamenes</HI> would ask pardon, that he might give it unto him; &s;uffered mo&s;t of tho&s;e Prin|ces and per&s;ons of quality, to &s;ee <HI>Artamenes</HI> in little companies; &s;o that at that time when
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permi&s;&s;ion was given, and orders &s;ent unto <HI>Andromias</HI> to that purpo&s;e; the King of <HI>Phry|gia,</HI> and the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> went to vi&s;it him, accompanied with <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Ferau|las:</HI> leaving all the re&s;t in great impatience to enjoy the &s;ame happine&s;s. In going thither, they re&s;olved to acquaint <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that they knew he was <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and that they were not ignorant of all the re&s;t of his adventures, to the end, they might afterwards advi&s;e up|on the be&s;t expedients to procure his liberty. Not but that <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> &amp; <HI>Feraulas</HI> did ap|prehend he would be angry with them, but yet they &s;aw &s;uch a nece&s;&s;ity of it, that they would run that hazard, and rather expo&s;e them&s;elves unto di&s;grace, then to hide from him a truth, which was requi&s;ite he &s;hould know: As &s;oon as the&s;e two Kings entered, <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> was much amazed as well at the &s;ight of them, as of <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> for although <HI>Aglatidas</HI> had &s;een him, during his impri&s;onment, for <HI>Andramias</HI> did &s;o much favoured his Co&s;en, yet none els of his dome&s;tiques ever &s;aw him. This famous pri&s;oner received the&s;e Princes with all the civility and re&s;pect, which <HI>Artamenes</HI> as <HI>Arta|menes</HI> did owe unto per&s;ons of that quality: but after they had &s;aluted him, and moved him to embrace <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> they told him, &s;miling, that they came to receive orders from him, and to know what he would have them do, to deliver <HI>Artamenes</HI> out of pri&s;on, and to put him into &s;uch a condition, as he might appear to be <HI>Cyrus.</HI> At the&s;e words <HI>Artamenes</HI> looked upon <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas;</HI> but the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> begin|ning to &s;peak, No (&s;aid he to him) do not blame the&s;e two men whom you ought to love better then any men in the world; and be not &s;orry that we know the &s;ecrets of your life: They were not told us but when there was a great nece&s;&s;ity, therefore murmut not, but be a&s;&s;ured that what we know &s;hall never hurt you. I know very well Sirs, (an&s;wered <HI>Artamenes)</HI> that <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> had alwayes good intentions towards me, and that que&s;tionle&s;s they could never have made a better choyce then of you, and the King of <HI>Hircania;</HI> for all that Sirs there are &s;ome pa&s;&s;ages in my adventures which I wi&s;h had been never knowne, and which I &s;hould never have told whil&s;t I had life. Had we not &s;een you in eminent danger, (&s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> with much reverence) we would have kept in an invincible &s;ecret: but we conceived, that &s;ince we could tell nothing which was not glorious unto you, we thought it better to acquaint the&s;e Kings which hear me with your Innocency, then &s;uffer you to peri&s;h. <HI>Artamenes</HI> although he was very &s;orry that they knew what he would have concealed, yet forced him&s;elf not to &s;eem &s;o openly, le&s;t he &s;hould di&s;oblige the&s;e two Princes who were thus intere&s;ted in his fortune. Then they acquainted him with the alteration which appeared in the Kings mind, and with his ob&s;tinate de&s;ire to know exactly what that Intelligence was which he had with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> Since that you know all, replied <HI>Artamenes,</HI> you may under&s;tand that I ought not to tell him: not that I care for expo&s;ing my life by incen&s;ing the King again&s;t <HI>Cyrus:</HI> But when I think how I &s;hould di&s;plea&s;e the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> by it, and &s;hould expo&s;e her perhaps unto the anger of the King her father, Ah Sirs, I do confe&s;s I can|not think on it but I tremble, and therefore it is a thing which I can never do, I had much rather that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;hould think me perfidious, then that <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould &s;u&s;pect me of indi&s;cretion: Indeed Sirs, &s;hall I tell you truly? If I have any &s;orrowes for your knowing the truth of my life, it is merely in re&s;pect of the intere&s;t of this mo&s;t Illu&s;tri|ous Prince&s;&s;e: not but that &s;he is purely innocent, or that her vertue can be &s;tayned by any Calumnies, yet for all that, I wi&s;h you thought me to be as faulty as <HI>Ciaxares</HI> doth, and were ignorant of that which might ju&s;tifie me: The&s;e Princes hearing him &s;peak &s;o, could not chu&s;e but &s;mile, and afterwards admire the power of his re&s;pectfull pa&s;&s;ion, which moved him to prefer the intere&s;t of the Prince&s;&s;e, not only before his own life, but al&s;o before his own glory. In conclu&s;ion, after a long di&s;cour&s;e, which yet would not afford them a way to re&s;olve upon, they de&s;igned to protract the bu&s;ine&s;&s; as long as they could, and obtaine for certain dayes permi&s;&s;ion to vi&s;it him. That in the mean time, they advi&s;ed him, to &s;peak concerning <HI>Ciaxares</HI> as he was wont, which was, with much reve|rence and affection: that on their &s;ides, they would tell the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> how they were in &s;ome hopes to come unto the knowledg of &s;omthing which he de&s;ired to be in|formed of, yet he ju&s;t have patience for a while: that in the interim, they would incine all the Captains and Souldiers, to ask his liberty; and in conclu&s;ion, they would Act further according as <HI>Ciaxares</HI> did appear more or le&s;s incen&s;ed again&s;t him. <HI>Artamenes</HI> thanked them mo&s;t civilly for their good intentions towards him. And did that which two dayes before he could not think he &s;hould, which was to &s;olicite them earne&s;tly to break his fetters; for &s;ince he knew the Prince&s;s living, and that &s;he was in captivity, his
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pri&s;on became intolerable unto him. <HI>Chry&s;antes,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;taying after the&s;e Prin|ces, told him the names of all tho&s;e who were acquainted with his &s;tory; and he did a little blame them for making &s;o many privie unto it: But Sir, (&s;aid they unto him) by what other wayes can you hope to break your chaines, to deliver your Prince&s;s, if &s;o many Illu&s;trious friends as you have, &s;hould be all ignorant of your innocencie? Ah (&s;aid he unto them) If all you have told them will procure me my liberty, you had good rea&s;on to do it, and I have great cau&s;e to thank you: Afterwards he told of his Joy to hear the Prin|ce&s;s was not peri&s;hed, and of his di&s;quiet in being ab&s;olutly ignorant in who&s;e hands for|tune had di&s;po&s;ed her: for, &s;aid he, you know as well as I, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> is now at <HI>Pteria;</HI> and they a&s;&s;ure you that <HI>Mazares</HI> is dead. Thus di&s;cour&s;ing of one thing or other, yet all relating unto his love, he kept <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> a long time with him. They were no &s;ooner gone out, but <HI>Per&s;odes, Hida&s;pes,</HI> and <HI>Adu&s;ius</HI> came in; after them followed <HI>Gobrias, Gadates,</HI> and <HI>Megabi&s;es:</HI> and after them againe, <HI>Thra&s;ibu|lus, Thimocrates, Philocles,</HI> and <HI>Aglatides;</HI> Indeed of all tho&s;e who had permi&s;&s;ion to &s;ee him, there was not one but earne&s;tly de&s;ired it: <HI>Artamenes</HI> tran&s;acted with tho&s;e who had been told his hi&s;tory, as he did with the Kings of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and <HI>Hircania;</HI> and with tho&s;e who knew it not, according as it was agreed upon between the Princes and him. Mean while <HI>Ciaxares</HI> di&s;patched one unto the King of <HI>Armenia,</HI> and made choi&s;e of <HI>Me|gabi&s;es</HI> for that imployment: appointing him to acquaint that King, how &s;ince he under|&s;tood the Prince&s;s his daughter was within his dominions, he de&s;ired &s;he might be &s;ent back unto him, in an Equipage proportionable unto her quality: and in ca&s;e he refu&s;ed, then to declare war again&s;t him. That which incen&s;ed <HI>Ciaxares</HI> more again&s;t him, was, that this King, refu&s;ed the payment of that tribute which he ought to do, and produced &s;ome weak bottomed rea&s;ons for his exemption: he never thought upon any new war which was likely, but he was &s;orry for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and harkened very favourably unto tho&s;e who returned from the pri&s;on, who told him, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> did alwayes &s;peak of him with very great reverence and affection, and that according to all appearances, he was mo&s;t certainly innocent: But after all, he would needs know this impenetrable &s;ecret, which they put him in &s;ome hopes to di&s;cover, yet the opinion of every one was, that &s;ince they fore-&s;aw a nece&s;&s;ity of a war with <HI>Armenia,</HI> it would move <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to pas over his fir&s;t re&s;olutions. Mean time <HI>Artamenes</HI> remembred him&s;elf of his promi&s;e unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> which was to advertize him exactly of every thing, to the end they might tran&s;act together for the liberty of the Prince&s;s: oh ye de&s;tinies, (&s;aid he to him|&s;elf, in calling to memory his promi&s;es) unto what intricate adventures do you expo&s;e me? It &s;eems I came into this world, only to do good offices unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> I found out his fir&s;t con&s;piracy to no other end, but to acquaint <HI>Mandana</HI> with his love, which him&s;elf dur&s;t not di&s;cover: I went unto the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes</HI> for nothing el&s;e but to facilitate his &s;econd enterpri&s;e: And I returned back, purpo&s;ely to &s;ave his life, and to help him in the carrying away of <HI>Mandana:</HI> I came now to <HI>Sinope</HI> to &s;ave him from the fury of the flames: and now at this time I do not under&s;tand of my Prince&s;s being alive; But to give him &s;o much &s;atisfaction as to know by what meanes, and to make the way ea&s;ie un|to him, to deliver her: For Indeed, &s;ince I have promi&s;ed, I mu&s;t and will keep it: But alas, how can I informe him, that &s;he is in <HI>Armenia</HI> whil&s;t I am a clo&s;e pri&s;oner? All his Kingdom is not yet &s;o ab&s;olutly de&s;troyed, but he has &s;ome di&s;per&s;ed troopes which he can rally together: there is one part of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> which does acknowledg his Authority: The one half of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> is for him; and he may perhaps as &s;oon deliver her as <HI>Ciaxa|res;</HI> what &s;hall I do then? and what &s;hall I re&s;olve upon? But alas, what am I doing, (&s;aid he reprehending him&s;elf) do I con&s;ider and doubt upon a thing which I have pro|mi&s;ed? No, no, waver no longer upon it: and if I de&s;ire that men &s;hould performe their promi&s;es with me, let me be &s;tedfa&s;t unto my word: And al&s;o, &s;ince the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> is &s;o gallant, let us not give him any cau&s;e to &s;upect it, or to &s;ay the truth, we do but in|forme him of that, which he cannot chu&s;e but know ere long, it not being po&s;&s;ible, that the life and the pri&s;on of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> can be long concealed. <HI>Artamenes</HI> al&s;o con&s;idered that &s;ince <HI>Ciaxares</HI> did accu&s;e him for having intelligence with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> he expo&s;ed him&s;elf unto ab&s;olute de&s;truction if ever it were di&s;covered: but the fear of any danger was not any rea&s;on at all to hinder <HI>Artamenes</HI> for performing what he had promi&s;ed, and therfore he did de&s;cant no longer upon it. This generous Prince re&s;ol|ving then to &s;end unto <HI>Pteria</HI> did look upon <HI>Ortalques</HI> as upon one whom he knew to be full of fidelity, and &s;ince at that time almo&s;t any one had liberty to vi&s;it him, he lo&s;t not that
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opportunity; &s;o that it was an ea&s;ie matter for him to excu&s;e his de&s;igne. He &s;ent then <HI>Ortalques</HI> unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> after he rewarded him very nobly for the good news he brought unto him, and appointed him to tell that Prince from him, that he adverti&s;ed him, how <HI>Mandana</HI> was living; that &s;he was in <HI>Armenia,</HI> not knowing who carried her thither: He de&s;ired him al&s;o to keep his word with a man who is &s;o punctual with him in &s;o nice a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. <HI>Ortalques</HI> did acquit him&s;elf of this Commi&s;&s;ion with as much fidelity as ha&s;t, and going out of the Town under pretence of &s;ome particular bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of his own, he went unto <HI>Pteria,</HI> which is not above a hundred and &s;eventy furlongs from <HI>Sinope,</HI> where he found the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> ready to depart from thence. This Prince was ravi&s;hed with the Genero&s;ity of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and was unexpre&s;&s;ibly joyfull at the certain|ty of <HI>Mandana's</HI> life, for by his Spies which he had in <HI>Sinope,</HI> by the means of <HI>Artax|es,</HI> brother to <HI>Aribeus,</HI> who alwayes had &s;ome powerfull friend or other, neer <HI>Ciax|ares,</HI> he knew of the &s;hipwrack of <HI>Mazares,</HI> and the fears which every one apprehen|ded of the Prince&s;&s;e being peri&s;hed: He received <HI>Ortalques</HI> therefore very well, and after he had magnificently rewarded him, Tell <HI>Artamenes</HI> (&s;aid he to him) that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> cannot promi&s;e to be his Friend, &s;ince Fate will have us ever ene|mies, but let him a&s;&s;ure him&s;elf, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> will not neglect the rules of genero&s;ity, and therefore will always keep his word exactly: But while&s;t <HI>Ortalques</HI> was at <HI>Pteria,</HI> and came back to <HI>Sinope,</HI> to give an account of his voyage unto his Ma&s;ter, and ac|quainted him with the generous an&s;wer of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> All the Kings and Princes were bu&s;ied in ob&s;erving the re&s;entments of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and contriving which way they could be &s;erviceable unto <HI>Artamenes:</HI> And all the Officers and Souldiers in the Army, moved by their own inclinations, and incited by their chief Commanders, did nothing el&s;e but ask aloud for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that he might be rendred unto them again, el&s;e they re|&s;olved never to &s;tir a foot again unto any War; while&s;t, I &s;ay, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was yet very irre&s;olute what to do, though he &s;eemed to incline towards &s;ome indulgency, <HI>Chri&s;an|tes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> were very re&s;tle&s;&s;e in their tran&s;actions: for &s;ometimes they went to vi|&s;it their Ma&s;ter: &s;ometimes they courted all the Princes which had intere&s;&s;ed them|&s;elves in his fortune: &s;ometimes they went into the Kings pre&s;ence, and very often unto <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> and <HI>Adu&s;ius;</HI> &s;o that continually be&s;tirring them&s;elves, and living between hopes and fears, their &s;ouls were never in any tranquillity. They had a de&s;igne, to &s;end into <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> and adverti&s;e <HI>Camby&s;es</HI> of the life of the Prince his Son, and the danger wherein he was, but the di&s;tance of the place prevented them; <HI>Artamenes</HI> al&s;o &s;uppo|&s;ing &s;uch a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, did expre&s;&s;ely forbid it, telling them, that he would never have the king his father know he was living, untill he might be informed of it without &s;orrow: Moreover, he told them that cour&s;e would be ab&s;olutely in vain, and the readie&s;t way to let <HI>Ciaxa|res</HI> know he was <HI>Cyrus.</HI> Upon an evening then, when <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> were both together, walking by the Port of <HI>Synope, Artucas</HI> came unto them, and de&s;ired them to go along with him, unto a place where he would freely entertain them: They knew very well the affection which <HI>Artucas</HI> bore unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and remembred how he left
<HI>Aribeus</HI> to become faithfull unto his Prince, and were contented to go with him: His hou&s;e was far off the Port, and therefore le&s;&s;e con&s;umed by fire, but was &s;till habitable. As &s;oon as they came there, <HI>Artucas</HI> carried them into a chamber, and thorow that into another, where they did finde one who at fir&s;t they knew not, for it was dark, and can|dles were not yet lighted: they &s;aw well &s;he was a woman of a good fa&s;hion, and &s;eemed to be fair, but yet they could not perceive her face &s;o plainly as to know her: This uncer|tainty la&s;ted not long, for this woman no &s;ooner &s;aw them, but leaving the daughter of <HI>Artucas</HI> who was with her, and coming towards them, &s;he began to &s;peak, and call them by their names, to &s;ignifie her joy &s;he had to &s;ee them; &s;o that the Tone of her voyce no &s;ooner &s;ounded in the ears of <HI>Feraulas,</HI> but running ha&s;tily to her, Ah <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (cried he out) is it you that &s;peaks? Can I beleeve that what I think is true? Yes, an&s;wered &s;he, I am <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and the very &s;ame you left me at <HI>Themi&s;cira</HI> with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Man|dana:</HI> At tho&s;e words <HI>Feraulas</HI> tran&s;ported with exce&s;&s;e of joy, did again &s;alute the Lady which had &s;o great a &s;hare in his heart, and had &s;o great a confidence in him. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> for his part, &s;o much e&s;teemed the vertue of this woman, that he behaved him&s;elf towards her, with all po&s;&s;ible civility. But as his &s;oul was not &s;o tender over her, as the &s;oul of <HI>Feraulas</HI> was, &s;o he was the fir&s;t which asked <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> whether or no the Prince&s;&s;e were at liberty? Alas, wi&s;e <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, and &s;ighed, I would to the Gods &s;he were, or at the lea&s;t, that your Illu&s;trious Ma&s;ter were not a pri&s;oner, as I under&s;tand he is, but
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that he were in a condition to relieve her. What joy &s;oever <HI>Feraulas</HI> had to &s;ee <HI>Mar|te&s;ia,</HI> this tale did le&s;&s;en it. But &s;ince all he thought was not to be &s;poken of before <HI>Artucas,</HI> or his daughter, who knew nothing of <HI>Artamenes</HI> Love unto the Prince&s;&s;e, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> did burn with de&s;ire to ask a hundred que&s;tions, which they then could not enquire of; and &s;he for her part did an&s;wer unto many things as &s;he would not have an&s;wered if they had been by them&s;elves; however (&s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes)</HI> you can a&s;|&s;ure us that the Prince&s;&s;e is alive? for although <HI>Ortalques</HI> told us &s;o, yet we &s;hall be far better &s;atisfied to hear you confirm it. <HI>Feraulas</HI> asked her how they e&s;caped the &s;hip|wrack? <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> would needs tell her how they grieved for the &s;uppo&s;ed death of the Prince&s;&s;e, and both of them together did make the di&s;cour&s;e &s;o interrupted and full of con|fu&s;ion, that it did but augment their curio&s;ity: <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> to &s;alute a very compleat man who came with her, and was called <HI>Or&s;anes,</HI> telling them how he had been both her Guide and Protector. This fir&s;t di&s;cour&s;e was not long, be|cau&s;e the night was late. But <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> de&s;ired them to come again to morrow morning, for &s;he &s;hould be very glad to &s;peak with them before &s;he &s;aw the King, who yet knew nothing of her return, thinking it fit to enforme her &s;elf of &s;omethings before &s;he ap|peared at Court, or &s;hewed her &s;elf unto him; and this was the rea&s;on &s;he came late in|to <HI>Sinope,</HI> and de&s;ired to lodge in her Kin&s;mans hou&s;e, where &s;he might be welcome, and he having a daughter which was very fair and vertuous; therefore &s;he conjured them not to &s;peak a word of her return unto any. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> then left her, and failed not to come the next morning as <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> had appointed them; and would not acquaint <HI>Artamenes</HI> with her arrival untill they knew more certainties of <HI>Mandana,</HI> whereby to &s;atisfie his Curio&s;ity, his Impatience, and his Love. <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was a woman of mo&s;t excellent Qualities, and one who&s;e Aunt <HI>Artucas</HI> had married, and therefore &s;he made choi&s;e of his hou&s;e in <HI>Sinope.</HI> As &s;he had ever been about <HI>Mandana,</HI> and that Prince&s;&s;e did alwayes very tenderly love her, &s;o &s;he did love her again mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionately, and could not at all reli&s;h her liberty, unle&s;&s;e her Prince&s;&s;e enjoyed hers al&s;o: and though perhaps there were &s;ome in <HI>Sinope</HI> to whom &s;he had no aver&s;ion, yet &s;he had rather have been captive with her Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, then free without her: She &s;eemed al&s;o very melancholy unto <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> when they came to her in the morning; and as &s;he knew how to carry things hand&s;omly, &s;he let <HI>Artucas</HI> under&s;tand, that &s;he had &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s to impart unto <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> which concerned the liberty of the Prince&s;&s;e, and which &s;he had orders not to reveal unto any but him and <HI>Feraulas:</HI> So that without &s;u&s;pition of any thing, &s;he received them privately into her Chamber, without any other witne&s;&s;es but one woman which waited upon her, who was &s;o far off the place where &s;he cau&s;ed <HI>Chri|&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> to &s;it down, that &s;he could not under&s;tand any thing of their di&s;cour&s;e: when then they were come unto her, and the fir&s;t complements were pa&s;&s;ed, and they &s;eated in their places: Alas (&s;aid &s;he to them) what &s;trange alterations do we find &s;ince the day you parted from <HI>Themi&s;cira</HI> to go unto the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes?</HI> and how ignorant am I of all you have done &s;ince? onely I know that the famous <HI>Artamenes</HI> has gained &s;ome Battles, and &s;ubverted Kingdoms. But oh heavens, when I came hither, and was told that he was in pri&s;on, how was I &s;urprized and &s;orrowfull? and how &s;ad the Prince&s;&s;e would be if &s;he &s;hould know of this terrible alteration? Truely, &s;aid &s;he, when I call to memory all that has hapned unto us, and that after all the&s;e hurryings away; &s;o many perfecutions; &s;o many warres; &s;o many &s;hipwracks, and &s;o many misfortunes, that <HI>Man|dana</HI> &s;hould be a pri&s;oner in <HI>Armenia,</HI> and <HI>Artamenes</HI> a pri&s;oner in <HI>Sinope,</HI> I do confe&s;&s;e unto you, that my &s;pirits are confounded. I have learned to de&s;pair of nothing, &s;ince after all this I am living, and at <HI>Sinope,</HI> and with &s;ome whom I am not &s;orry to &s;ee: You are very good <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Feraulas</HI> interrupting her) to &s;ay &s;o. And you would con|tinue that goodne&s;&s;e (&s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes)</HI> if you would relate all your adventures &s;ince our departure from <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> and by what wayes <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> brought about his de&s;igne: why he being Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> he appeared onely as <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> how he treated the Prince&s;&s;e after he took her away: how <HI>Mazares</HI> fell in love; how that Prince deceived the other and took her away; how you did during the &s;hipwrack; how you e&s;caped it; and how it comes to pa&s;&s;e the Prince&s;&s;e is not free; for I do confe&s;&s;e, this la&s;t event is in|comprehen&s;ible, and puts all the Court into amazement. None can imagine who it &s;hould be, who has thus &s;aved the Prince&s;&s;e to de&s;troy her, nor can any conceive who is that King whereof &s;he &s;peaks, and why &s;he named him not in that Note which we received from her. Therefore &s;weet <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I do conjure you by the Illu&s;trious name of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Man|dana,</HI>
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and al&s;o by the name of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> to tell us exactly all that you know concerning the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> concerning the Prince of <HI>Saces,</HI> and concerning the King whom we cannot gue&s;&s;e: You require &s;o many things, &s;aid &s;he, in requiring this, that I know not whether I can in a whole day give you that &s;atisfaction: I will therefore abbreviate my di&s;cour&s;e as much as I can: We do not de&s;ire you &s;hould do &s;o (replied <HI>Feraulas)</HI> but on the contrary, we do befeech you, not to deprive us of one of the Prince&s;&s;e thoughts, for truly <HI>Artamenes</HI> has need of all the comforts we can afford him; and we cannot bring him a greater, then to let him know what is become of that Prince&s;&s;e whom he adores: there|fore I do conjure you, to give us this &s;atisfaction, for we are gladly di&s;po&s;ed to give you hearing as long as you &s;hall plea&s;e. But, &s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> do you not think it fit that I &s;hould know al&s;o what has chanced unto you? I will engage my &s;elf to tell you all (an&s;wered he) before we part from hence, &s;o you will fir&s;t &s;atisfie our extreamly longing de&s;ires, to un|der&s;tand your adventures; for as <HI>Artamenes</HI> has no intere&s;t which is not mine, &s;o I am certain <HI>Mandana</HI> has none which is not yours. <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> &s;eeing her &s;elf &s;o urged, did re|collect her memory, to order the di&s;cour&s;e &s;he intended, into the better method; and after a little &s;ilence, &s;he began thus.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>THE HISTORY OF MANDANA:</HEAD>
<P>TO make all our adventures more clear unto you; al&s;o the rea&s;ons why the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did appear in the Cappadocian Court under the name of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> al|though his right name is <HI>Labinet;</HI> It is requi&s;ite that I do begin my &s;tory far off, and that I relate the Hi&s;tory of the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> and of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Istrina,</HI> daughter of <HI>Gadates,</HI> as well as that of <HI>Mandana:</HI> I doubt not but you wonder to hear me &s;peak &s;o preci&s;ely of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> affairs; and of the particular relations of two Princes, who have the greate&s;t &s;hare in this Hi&s;tory: But at the end of my &s;tory, I &s;hall acquaint you by what wayes I came to know, what I am now going to tell you. Doubtle&s;&s;e you know that it was the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> unto whom the Kingdom of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did belong; and it was upon this rea&s;on, that the Prince her &s;on, had not the quality of a King, although the King his father was dead. This great Prince&s;&s;e was lineally de&s;cended from the fir&s;t Kings of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> And there never was a Prince&s;&s;e ever &s;ince the great King <HI>Ninus,</HI> and the famous <HI>Semiramis</HI> more illu&s;trious then &s;he. The King her father died when &s;he was very young; and &s;he wore the Crown at an age, when any other but &s;he had &s;trength enough to &s;upport it; yet all the A&s;&s;yrians did confe&s;&s;e that they never knew more wi&s;dom and prudence in any, then &s;he did manife&s;t in all her actions: Yet notwith&s;tanding, although her own rea&s;on was very ripe, &s;he had a Councel which was compo&s;ed of the mo&s;t excellent men of the whole Monarchy who &s;teered affairs. But &s;ince by the fundamental Law of the State &s;he could not marry any &s;tranger Prince, &s;o all the A&s;&s;yrian Princes were then at <HI>Ba|bylon;</HI> and I have heard reported, that this Court was at that time the mo&s;t magnificent of all the world. As this Prince&s;&s;e was very fair, and was owner of the prime Crown in all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> &s;o &s;he moved pa&s;&s;ions in the &s;ouls of all the Princes which ever &s;aw her; and I have been a&s;&s;ured, that of all this great number of her &s;ervants, there was not one of them which were not more amorous then ambitious: I will not &s;tay to tell you with what wi&s;|dom and vertue &s;he behaved her &s;elf among&s;t them; only this I mu&s;t relate, that among&s;t
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the re&s;t, there were two which &s;eemed to be in greate&s;t hopes to effect their de&s;ign, more likely then any of the re&s;t, The fir&s;t was a Prince called <HI>Labinet,</HI> as he who is now King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> is called: The other named <HI>Gadates,</HI> who at that very time was a very miracle in beauty, in hand&s;omne&s;&s;e, in valour, in &s;pirit, in gallantry, and in vertue: his quality al&s;o was very high, and allied unto the Royal family. But as for <HI>Labinet,</HI> although he was nothing &s;o accompli&s;hed, and his good qualities were more dim, yet he had this advantage, that he &s;tiled him&s;elf to be de&s;cended from one of the children of <HI>Sardanapalus,</HI> if it may be called an advantage to de&s;cend from &s;o bad a Prince) and by con&s;equence he pretended to have &s;ome right unto the Crown, although he did not at that time openly declare his pretentions. As the Queen was then very young, &s;o &s;he did not con&s;ider this rea&s;on of &s;tate, and her &s;oul preferring him which was more accompli&s;hed before him that was le&s;&s;e; therefore her inclination leaned towards <HI>Gadates,</HI> who doubtle&s;&s;e was mo&s;t worthy, both both for his rare qualities, and in re&s;pect of his pa&s;&s;ion, &s;ince they &s;ay he adored the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> with as much purity, as men adore the Gods. This innocent pa&s;&s;ion having took root in the heart of this young Prince&s;&s;e, who thought &s;he could do nothing more advantagious for her people, then to give them a King whom &s;he knew mo&s;t vertuous; &s;he began to re|ceive the &s;ervices of <HI>Gadates</HI> in &s;uch a manner, as this precedency above all the re&s;t of them which were intere&s;ted, was made known unto them. There needed no more to trouble all the Court, principally by <HI>Labinet,</HI> who by rea&s;on of his pretentions unto the Crown was mo&s;t dangerous. Que&s;tionle&s;&s;e this Prince had no great faults in him, although he was not owner of tho&s;e heroique vertues which prefer men above their own qualities: yet not|with&s;tanding, ambition, and love together inflaming his heart, he talked of nothing but civil wars of revolt, and of &s;edition: and truly the matter was &s;o forward, that every one began to bandy parties: All the di&s;contented lovers made one faction: <HI>Labinet</HI> made another by him&s;elf, followed by &s;ome &s;tirring &s;pirits: and <HI>Gadates,</HI> he had only the Queen on his &s;ide. The young Prince&s;&s;e &s;eeing the condition of affairs &s;tand &s;o, &s;he was extream|ly troubled: and after &s;he had well con&s;ulted with her &s;elf, that perhaps it might co&s;t her a great Kingdom, &s;he took a re&s;olution which made the greatne&s;&s;e of her &s;oul and vertue to appear. For calling <HI>Gadates</HI> unto her, who doubtle&s;&s;e &s;he loved very well, and more then &s;he had &s;ignified unto him; calling him, I &s;ay, unto her to give him a te&s;timony of her af|fection after a new and &s;urpri&s;ing manner; <HI>Gadates</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I have a de&s;ire to tell you that which doubtle&s;s you are ignorant of, at the lea&s;t I am certain, that I have had &s;ome care to conceal it from you: Know then (pur&s;ued &s;he) that I have thought you worthy to wear the Crown of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> Madam (&s;aid he) it becomes the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> too well to take it from her; and he whom &s;he &s;hall chu&s;e for that honour were unworthy of it, if he &s;hould not content him&s;elf with being only the fir&s;t of her &s;ubjects: Re&s;erve your thanks <HI>Gadates</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) until the end of my di&s;cour&s;e; for after I have given you this great te&s;timony of my e&s;teem, I mu&s;t require another te&s;timony from you of your affecti|on: If it be to die at your feet Madam (replied he) I am mo&s;t ready to obey you, and I do not know any thing in the world which I would not con&s;ent unto: ob&s;erve me I conjure you; to the end I ask you nothing impo&s;&s;ible. <HI>Gadates,</HI> who never dur&s;t &s;peak of his love unto the Queen, was a little &s;urpri&s;ed, yet after this which &s;he &s;poke unto him, he quickly recollected him&s;elf, and looking upon her with as much re&s;pect as love; provided Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that your Maje&s;ty do not forbid me to adore you, I &s;hal never di&s;obey you: No (&s;aid &s;he &s;ighing) I do not intend that my authority &s;hall extend it &s;elf over the thoughts of the heart; and though, may be, my dominion would reach &s;o far, yet would I not de|&s;troy tho&s;e thoughts which your &s;oul has of me: But that which I would tell you is this, That the nece&s;&s;ity of State affairs, and the good of my people, will not permit me to make my own choice of a husband; I would have you know, I am re&s;olved to a&s;&s;emble the States General of my Kingdom, and to receive a husband by the univer&s;al allowance of my &s;ubjects; If they be rea&s;onable, you may perhaps obtain their voices, as I would have gi|ven you mine, if they would have given me the liberty: But if you cannot procure your &s;elf to be cho&s;en by them, then re&s;olve with your &s;elf <HI>Gadates,</HI> never to &s;ee me again as long as you live; but to retire unto that Province which belongs unto you, and never come at this Court. I will not &s;tand, wi&s;e <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> to tell you all the di&s;cour&s;e between <HI>Ga|dates,</HI> and the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> nor many other pa&s;&s;ages, which depend upon this di&s;cour&s;e, though they be well worth ob&s;ervation, and much concerning: I &s;hall only tell you, (to the end I may come unto the more e&s;&s;ential part of my di&s;cour&s;e) that do what <HI>Gadates</HI> could, he could obtain no more from her, but liberty to &s;ollicite the Judges of the matter.
<PB N="102" REF="136">
Then the Queen a&s;&s;embled the &s;tates generall of her kingdome, declaring unto them, that &s;he thought upon the good &amp; &s;atisfaction of her people, &amp; therefore left them the liberty to chu&s;e them&s;elves a King. When all the incen&s;ed lovers heard of this, they were &s;urpri&s;ed at the declaration; they were ravi&s;hed with the wisdom &amp; vertue of the Queen, &amp; came unto Babylon to &s;olicite their intere&s;ts: but in conclu&s;ion, this powerfull rea&s;on of &s;tate which would have all cau&s;es and pretences of civill wars removed, induced the &s;tates general to be&s;eech the Queen that &s;he would be plea&s;ed to marry <HI>Labinet,</HI> which &s;he accordingly did without the lea&s;t &s;hew of repugnancy, &amp; was all her life extreamly well plea&s;ed with her marriage, &amp; lived very well with her husband: yet it was her plea&s;ure that <HI>Gadates</HI> &s;hould obey her, &s;hould retire unto his province and never returne to the Court. The King who knew the bu&s;ine&s;s, and al&s;o was acquainted with the vertue of this Prince&s;s, did much &s;olicite her that <HI>Gadates</HI> might returne to Babylon: but &s;he would never con&s;ent unto it. A while after her mariage, &s;he &s;ent commands unto <HI>Gadates,</HI> that he &s;hould marry a Prin|ce&s;s, de&s;cended from the Ancient kings of <HI>Bithynia</HI> who was extreamly rich and infinitly virtuous; which he did, although certainly he did ever pre&s;erve his violent pa&s;&s;ion to the Queen: He lived as well with the Prince&s;s his wife, as the Queen did with her husband. Mean while <HI>Nitocris</HI> had a &s;on, which was he whom you knew &s;omtimes by the name of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> &s;omtimes by the title of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria: Gadates</HI> had al&s;o a &s;on and a daughter: and as &s;oon as they were crept out of their fir&s;t infancy, the Queen who was then a widdow, and &s;till forbade <HI>Gadates</HI> from coming to Court, commanded him to &s;end his children unto her, that his &s;on who was called <HI>Intaphernes</HI> might be brought up with the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> and the young prince&s;s his daughter called <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> lived in that place where there might love grow between her and her &s;on, unto whom &s;he had a de&s;igne to marry him, as well to &s;atisfie the law in marrying a Prince&s;s who was not a &s;tranger, as to te&s;tifie the e&s;teem &s;he had unto <HI>Gadates,</HI> thinking &s;he could not better nor more in|nocently acknowledge tho&s;e &s;ervices which he had done her, then by preferring his daughter unto the throne of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> It &s;eems al&s;o, that &s;he took not this re&s;olution out of choyce only, but out of a nece&s;&s;ity al&s;o: for all of the princes which had been pretenders unto the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> the greate&s;t part of them were re&s;olved not to match with him, and the re&s;t had no daughters: &s;o that the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was the only Lady whom the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> could marry. But here you may well admire how humane prudence is limited, and how this great Queen, who by &s;uch publique works is rendered famous throughout all the world, and ever &s;hall be to all po&s;terity, was deceived in her rea&s;ons, and how that which &s;he thought would have cau&s;ed love, did in&s;pire the heart of the young King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> with aver&s;ion. The Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was ten years of age when &s;he came to Babylon: <HI>Intaphernes</HI> her brother fifteen, and the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> fourteen: But from that very time the imperious humour which we &s;aw in <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> began to take beginning and grouth. He lived with <HI>Intaphernes</HI> after &s;uch a manner, as made all believe, he would not look upon him hereafter as a brother in law: he regarded the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> with &s;o much indifferencie, that every one beleeved, were it not for feare to di&s;|plea&s;e the Queen, the aver&s;ion he had towards her would have appeared more apparently. As for <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> as he was a Prince very well borne, &s;o he behaved him&s;elf with the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> in all &s;uch re&s;pects as was due, although he had much adoe to endure his lo&s;ty humour: yet ambition, and the advi&s;e of &s;uch as had the care over him, cau&s;ed him to be very complacentiall towards him. The young Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> for her part, &s;he carried it with all the &s;weetne&s;s and civillity towards <HI>Labinet,</HI> that can be expre&s;&s;ed; for though &s;he was very young, yet the Crown of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> unto which &s;he hoped &s;he was de&s;tined, did &s;hine &s;o bright in her eyes, that &s;he neglected nothing which might win upon the heart of that Prince whom &s;he hoped to marry: The Queen for her part contri|buted all her endeavours to plant a liking in the&s;e two young hearts which &s;he de&s;ired to unite; and to that end &s;he cau&s;ed them to &s;ee one another very oft, and at all fea&s;ts and pub|lique rejoycings, they expo&s;ed them&s;elves unto the people both together, who by their acclamations and applau&s;es did approve of the Queens choyce: for as I have heard &s;ay, it was impo&s;&s;ible for any eye to behold any fairer object then the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina.</HI> As for the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> we know that he is as well made as a man can be: <HI>Intaphernes</HI> al&s;o, was hand&s;om, and of a good garb. But do what the Queen could, the aver&s;ion of the Prince her &s;on, did grow with his age: &s;ome ill minded &s;pirits, per&s;waded him that <HI>I&s;tri|na</HI> was ambitious, and was only complacentiall towards him, becau&s;e &s;he would be a Queen, and therefore he accepted of all her civilities in a rejecting manner: he hated
<PB N="103" REF="136">
<HI>Intapherne's</HI> for no other rea&s;on, but becau&s;e he was her brother, in whom notwith&s;tanding no fault could be found: for certainly &s;he was of a fine &s;pirit, and her complexion as lovely a brown as was in the world: mean while the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> having attained unto his eighteenth year, and the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> fourteen: the Queen did motion her &s;on to marry her: but he be&s;eeched her, not to pre&s;s him yet to marry, and told her that a Prince who never yet was in any war, ought not to think of marriage. The Queen, knowing the violent humour of the Prince, thought be&s;t to give a little longer time, and the rather becau&s;e in all appearance, there was like to be a war with the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> who had made &s;ome eruptions upon the frontiers of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> Since this propo&s;ition: the Prince who before &s;eemed only indifferent, did now change his cour&s;e of life, and as much as he could po&s;&s;ible, &s;hunned meeting with the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina;</HI> and therefore, he u&s;ed to go every day almo&s;t to hunt, to the end he might not go &s;o often unto the Queen: But by &s;hunning the company of the &s;i&s;ter, he could not &s;hake off the brother, for <HI>Intaphernes</HI> followed him alwayes, which did a little di&s;plea&s;e him: It often chanced, that <HI>Intapher|nes</HI> thinking to get his e&s;teem, he encrea&s;ed his hatred: for as he did not love to be &s;ur|mounted in any thing, &s;o the extraordinary expertne&s;&s;e which <HI>Intaphernes</HI> had in darting the Javelin, &s;hooting in the Bow, and &s;uch activities did alwayes anger him: one time above the re&s;t, the Prince &s;hot at a Bear, and mi&s;&s;ed, pre&s;ently after <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;hot, and killed him dead: and the &s;ame day al&s;o, the Prince &s;hot at a Lion, and mi&s;&s;ed; but <HI>Inta|phernes</HI> killed him immediatly, the Prince was &s;o much angred at this adventure, that he could not commend him for it, but gave out &s;ome bitter expre&s;&s;ions again&s;t the action: for as &s;ome could not forbear commending him, &s;tay, (&s;aid he to the man) and keep your exce&s;s of commendations untill we have been both together in the wars of <HI>Phrygia:</HI> for in my opinion there is more honour in killing of a man who can defend him&s;elf, then in killing a bea&s;t which runs away. <HI>Intaphernes</HI> did not hear what the Prince &s;aid, although he was very near; but &s;ome or other having told him afterwards, his &s;pirit was a little exa&s;pera|ted; and upon this pa&s;&s;age did ri&s;e a report which &s;pread among &s;trange nations that the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> killed him at that hunting: The &s;ame report with as little truth in it, took the &s;on of <HI>Gadates</HI> for the &s;on of <HI>Gobrias:</HI> though the truth was only as I tell you. Mean while, the Queen, &s;eeing the <HI>Phrygian</HI> affaires were protracted, did againe pre&s;&s;e the Prince to marry <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and imployed <HI>Mazares,</HI> Prince of <HI>Saces,</HI> who was then in Court, to per&s;wade him unto it, for the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> loved him very dearly: <HI>Mazares,</HI> ac|cording to his in&s;tructions and commi&s;&s;ion, asked him from whence this aver&s;ion unto that marriage which was propounded unto him did proceed? for truly, &s;aid he to him, the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> is very faire: tis true (an&s;wered he) but &s;he is not &s;uch a one as can reach my heart: why, &s;aid <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;he is of a &s;weet and complacentiall di&s;po&s;ition as you can de&s;ire: if &s;he were a little more fierce, (replied the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> &s;he would plea&s;e me more: But do you not confe&s;s, (replied <HI>Mazares)</HI> that &s;he is one of an excellent &s;pirit and much virtue? I beleeve the latter (an&s;wered he,) but for the other, &s;ince &s;he knowes not how to move my heart, I think I may be permitted to leave it dis|putable: but after all this, added <HI>Mazares,</HI> you are not at liberty to chu&s;e, for the Prin|ce&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina</HI> is the only Lady whom by the lawes of this &s;tate you can marry throughout your whole kingdome: for my part I know not why you &s;hould not like her, and why you &s;hould not e&s;teem your &s;elf happy in &s;uch a wife, &s;ince &s;he is fair, &s;weet, &s;prightly, and vertuous: Ah <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;aid the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> this fatall nece&s;&s;ity, is the cau&s;e why I cannot endure the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina:</HI> yes <HI>Mazares,</HI> I do confe&s;s, &s;ince you will know it, that this Prince&s;s has much beauty, &s;weetne&s;s, &s;pirit, and vertue; But for all that, although I confe&s;s &s;he is very amiable, yet I cannot love her, nor ever &s;hall: No <HI>Mazares,</HI> Kings which are above the liberty of other men, ought not to be deprived of the liberty to chu&s;e a wife: It is a law which my predece&s;&s;ors have e&s;tabli&s;hed, but which I cannot ob|&s;erve, e&s;pecially in &s;uch a juncture of time, where there is none to chu&s;e, or where there is &s;uch a nece&s;&s;ity, that if I will marry an <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Prince&s;s, I mu&s;t marry <HI>I&s;trina.</HI> For al|though that <HI>Gobrias</HI> have a daughter, yet the <HI>A&s;&s;yrians</HI> make a difference between his coun|trey and ours, and moreover he is rather my va&s;&s;all, then my &s;ubject: and I am mo&s;t cer|taine, (added this violent Prince) that if the law of the &s;tate, and the Queens commands would not force me to love the Prince&s;s <HI>Istrina</HI> again&s;t my will, I &s;hould never love her. And I do confe&s;s unto you, that &s;ince I mu&s;t not chu&s;e, I cannot love her, and the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;hall never be captivated with any thing in the world, &s;ince he ought to be free. But (&s;aid <HI>Mazares</HI> unto him) Kings do not u&s;e to marry as other men do, and it
<PB N="104" REF="137">
does not much import whether they love or not love tho&s;e they marry. The <HI>A&s;&s;yrians</HI> demand a Queen from you, &s;atisfie them in their demands, and be&s;tow your heart upon none but whom you plea&s;e. My heart (replied the Prince &s;miling) is a thing which I e&s;teem more pretious then to be&s;tow it upon any but a Queen: &s;o that <HI>Mazares,</HI> if I &s;hould chance to love one who is not a Queen, I will re&s;erve unto my &s;elf, the liberty to give her a Crown, therefore let us &s;peak no more of it; and if you love me, act &s;o in my behalf, that the Queen may not be offended at my di&s;obedience. The Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> indeed, did u&s;e his be&s;t endeavours to per&s;wade <HI>Nitocris;</HI> But there was no way to make her think well of her Sons di&s;obedience: She whom all the world did look upon with high e&s;teem; and who would leave unto her Son the mo&s;t flouri&s;hing &s;tate in all <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> Then &s;he thought good to take from her Son this pretence of War with the King of <HI>Phrygia.</HI> When the Prince knew that, and not being able to hinder it, he did think that Peace would be no &s;ooner publi&s;hed, but they would pre&s;&s;e marriage upon him; So that not knowing what pre|tence to finde out, did bethink him&s;elf, to do what he could, in cau&s;ing &s;ome other young Prince to be in love with the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina;</HI> among&s;t the re&s;t he pitched upon <HI>Ma|zares,</HI> and extreamly pre&s;&s;ed him unto it: My dear <HI>Mazares</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) Let me in|treat you to love <HI>I&s;trina</HI> for the love of me; doubtle&s;&s;e you have much di&s;po&s;ition unto it al|ready: for you have told me &s;he is fair, of an excellent &s;pirit, and great vertue: Why then do you not love her? becau&s;e (an&s;wered <HI>Mazares)</HI> that fatall minuit wherein my de&s;tinies will have me begin to love is not yet come; and becau&s;e the Queen will not &s;uffer it, and becau&s;e the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina</HI> will not favourably look upon me: after he had, and all in vain, tormented <HI>Mazares,</HI> he went unto another, whom they &s;aid was really in love with her, and dur&s;t not tell it, and who dur&s;t not &s;o much as acknowledge it unto the Prince, nor accept of tho&s;e a&s;&s;i&s;tances which he offered him, out of his re&s;pect unto the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> and Prince&s;&s;e whom he loved; for indeed the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> offered then no le&s;&s;e then to take her away from them, and a&s;&s;i&s;t them in the mo&s;t vio|lent and unju&s;t cour&s;es. Seeing then, that this invention would not take, he took a per|ver&s;e re&s;olution to cau&s;e the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina</HI> to hate him; and &s;ince he knew &s;he loved her brother very dearly; he carried him&s;elf very coldly towards him: One evening then, when they had nothing to do but &s;tay for him who went to &s;igne the Articles of Peace with the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> being gone out to walk upon the banks of the River <HI>Euphrates, Intaphernes</HI> followed with many others, and as they were of that age which is mo&s;t plea&s;ant for the conver&s;ation of Ladies, <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;aid, that tho&s;e Beauties which were inclined to flaxen hair, did mo&s;t move his heart, and <HI>Intaphernes</HI> a&s;&s;ured him that the brown had greate&s;t influence in his phancie. For my part &s;aid the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> I yet neither loved flaxen nor brown, but if ever I love any, I do not think it will be that which <HI>Intaphernes</HI> loves. Love Sir, (replied this Prince) will not give us leave to chu&s;e, and perhaps you may finde his tyranny in conclu&s;ion. Love (re|plied this Imperious Prince) may perhaps as you &s;ay, become my conquerour, but I am very much deceived, if I be overcome by <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Beauties: And I can tell you there are very Glorious ones in <HI>Babylon</HI> (replied <HI>Intaphernes</HI> when he was alone with him, &s;ome twelve paces from the company.) Yes (an&s;wered he with a malicious &s;mile) but &s;ince the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina</HI> cannot vanqui&s;h me, I fear none el&s;e, and I am well a&s;&s;ured of my liberty in <HI>Babylon.</HI> My &s;i&s;ter (an&s;wered <HI>Intaphernes</HI> with much re&s;pect) has not &s;o good an opinion of her Beauty, as to pretend unto &s;uch an Illu&s;trious conque&s;t: But Sir, that which her charms cannot do, it is not impo&s;&s;ible but other may, who have more attractive power then &s;he, and who be&s;ide their merit, may perhaps have better fortune. It is very true (replied the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> very fiercely) &s;he is not very fortunate in her de&s;ignes, and &s;he has rea&s;on to complain of her fate, that &s;he has not gotten a Crown, which as &s;he thinks &s;he de&s;erves. I know not Sir (an&s;wered <HI>Intaphernes</HI> a little &s;harply) why you &s;hould &s;peak thus unto me; but I know very well that the hou&s;e from whence I am de&s;cen|ded, has more times then once given Queens unto the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Kings: and therefore when my &s;i&s;ter by the Queens command hoped for the like honour, &s;he did no more then what was rea&s;onable. Fortune <HI>Intaphernes</HI> (replied this violent Prince) is not alwayes blinde in her gifts; &s;ometimes &s;he gives them with choi&s;e; and I am certain, that &s;he &s;hall ne|ver by my hand humorou&s;ly be&s;tow any Crown, nor &s;hall ever by me, &s;et &s;uch upon the Throne, who ought not to look upon it, but with a trembling eye. In other Kingdoms (an&s;wered <HI>Intaphernes)</HI> they &s;ay, the Prince is above the Lawes; but in <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> the Lawes are u&s;ed to be above the Prince, who&s;e Glory it is to be &s;ubject unto them: and upon this
<PB N="105" REF="137">
Rea&s;on, Subjects as my Si&s;ter, need not to tremble in looking upon that Throne whereon they may &s;it. When Subjects, as your Si&s;ter, &s;hall live under the Reigne of &s;uch a Prince as I (replied he) they will better learn what they ought to do, then yet &s;he knows; and they will then &s;ee that Rea&s;on is &s;tronger then the Lawes, and that without inju&s;tice they may be broken when the Law is found unju&s;t. Learn <HI>Intaphernes</HI> (pur&s;ued he) not to tru&s;t too much unto the Law; and renounce all tho&s;e priviledges which you think it gives you, and content your &s;elf with that alliance which you have had heretofore with the Kings of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> and beleeve that if ever I Reigne, you &s;hall never have any new alli|ance. May be, (replied <HI>Intaphernes)</HI> that before the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> has left you the Crown, you may change your minde. I under&s;tand you very well (an&s;wered the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> you think becau&s;e I Reigne not yet, that you are almo&s;t my equal. But <HI>Inta|phernes,</HI> undeceive your &s;elf, and to begin to let you know that there is &s;ome difference betwixt you and I, I command you to retire, and to &s;ee me no more; If you will not, you will expo&s;e your &s;elf: to finde but cour&s;e entertainment. Oh Sir, replied <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> Per&s;ons of my quality ought not to be thus u&s;ed. I know not whether they ought to be (an&s;wered the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> but I know very well, that if <HI>Intaphernes</HI> do not obey me, and that without murmuring, I &s;hall give an example unto Princes which &s;ucceed me. Yes Sir, (replied <HI>Intaphernes</HI> in retiring him&s;elf) I will obey you, but it &s;hall be more out of the re&s;pect I bear unto the Son of the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> then out of fear to be ill en|tertained, &s;ince Princes that have the heart of <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> are confident that none &s;hall do them wrong unpuni&s;hed. The Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> by good fortune did not hear the&s;e la&s;t words, and there was none but <HI>Mazares</HI> which heard them. At his departure from thence <HI>Intaphernes</HI> went to take his leave of the Queen; who would not give it: The Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> for her part, being infinitely offended for the ill treatment of her bro|ther, &s;ince it was in her behalf, did be&s;eech <HI>Nitocris</HI> to &s;end him to her Father, but the Queen denied her, as well as <HI>Intaphernes:</HI> Alwayes telling them, that her Son would change his minde with his years, and that &s;he would order him &s;o to do: Mean while &s;he was extream angry at him, and could not chu&s;e but &s;hew it: &s;o that the Prince coming to know of it, and he which went into <HI>Phrygia,</HI> reporting the Articles of Peace to be &s;igned, he took a re&s;olution to leave the Court of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and that way, deliver him&s;elf from the per&s;ecution which he &s;uffered, and to travel unknown, untill the Queen his mo|ther had altered her minde, or that the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was married. He departed then the next morning, which was a publike day of Rejoyning for the peace of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and carried with him onely three of his &s;ervants, among&s;t which, there was one of them a man of Quality, and of the &s;ame hou&s;e from which they &s;ay <HI>Aribeus</HI> is de&s;cended, at that time when <HI>Cappadocia</HI> was under the power of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrians,</HI> I will hold you no longer to tell you the voyages of that Prince, who upon his going from <HI>Babylon,</HI> took upon him the name of <HI>Philida&s;pes:</HI> onely this I mu&s;t tell you, that after he had been in many Courts of <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> he came at the la&s;t unknown unto <HI>Sinope,</HI> upon that day wherein a Sacrifice was offered in the Temple of <HI>Mars,</HI> for the death of young <HI>Cyrus,</HI> a little before the <HI>Pon|tean,</HI> and <HI>Bithynian</HI> war.</P>
<P>For (&s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> then interrupting her) was the day of that Sacrifice, the fir&s;t day that the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> under the name of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> did &s;ee the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana.</HI></P>
<P>It was &s;o, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and it was that al&s;o on which he fell in love as well as the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes.</HI> You may &s;uppo&s;e, that after this unto his fir&s;t de&s;igne of ta|king away the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> the execution whereof <HI>Artamenes</HI> endeavoured to hin|der, I have little to tell you concerning him, &s;ince you have been witne&s;&s;es of the &s;ecret jealou&s;ie which moved them to hate one another: therefore I will not in&s;i&s;t upon the violent pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> nor his jealou&s;ie, nor any thing which his Love produced in his heart: yet I mu&s;t tell you of &s;ome things, which you could not know. How that this man who accompanied <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> and was de&s;cended from the &s;ame hou&s;e of <HI>Ari|beus,</HI> made him&s;elf known unto him, and al&s;o pre&s;ented <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> unto him as a man of Quality, who de&s;ired to travel unknown; de&s;iring him to be favourable unto him, and pre&s;ent him unto the King of <HI>Cappadocia.</HI> This was the chief rea&s;on which moved <HI>Aribeus</HI> to protect <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> and to pre&s;ent him unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> a few dayes before the King went from <HI>Sinope</HI> to the wars: Mean while, Love being chief Commander in the heart of the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and he finding an opportunity of a war in <HI>Cappadocia;</HI> he re|&s;olved to &s;tay in that Court, and live in &s;uch a manner as you know very well.</P>
<P><PB N="106" REF="138">
But I would gladly know (amiable <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Feraulas)</HI> why the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did not make his love known unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;ince he had not the &s;ame rea|&s;ons to conceal it which <HI>Cyrus</HI> had?</P>
<P>He had partly the &s;ame rea&s;ons (replied &s;he) for indeed the au&s;tere virtue of the Prin|ce&s;&s;e re&s;trained him al&s;o as well as it did <HI>Artamenes:</HI> al&s;o he was not ignorant that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would never con&s;ent that his daughter, who was to be Queen of <HI>Medea,</HI> &s;hould marry him: for double&s;&s;e you are not ignorant, how &s;ince the illu&s;trious <HI>Deioces</HI> did &s;et his Country at liberty, and delivered it from the Tyrannie of the A&s;&s;yrian Kings, there has been an irreconcilable hatred betwixt tho&s;e two people; and that all the people would re|volt from <HI>A&s;tyages</HI> if he &s;hould ever give his con&s;ent unto this alliance: The Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> then dur&s;t not &s;peak of his love, unle&s;&s;e he made him&s;elf known; and he dur&s;t not make him&s;elf known for fear he &s;hould be hated and denied, as well for the rea&s;ons afore|&s;aid, as becau&s;e the Laws, both of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> did forbid the banes. He thought then that his only cour&s;e was, to get &s;o good an opinion in the mind of the Prince&s;&s;e, as might obtain his pardon when he &s;hould take her away, as he de&s;igned: but to execute this, he imagined that his ab&s;olute be&s;t way was to make <HI>Aribeus</HI> for him and his de&s;ign: and &s;ince he had ob&s;erved in &s;everal private di&s;cour&s;es, that <HI>Aribeus</HI> was very pa&s;&s;ionately affected unto the A&s;&s;yrian Nation, and that he could almo&s;t wi&s;h the Cappadocians were under their ancient Lords; he di&s;covered him&s;elf unto him, and made him apprehend, that he could never find out a more innocent way to bring the Cappadocians under the A&s;&s;yrian power, then by favouring his enterprize: You may well imagine by con&s;idering the acti|ons of <HI>Aribeus</HI> &s;ince this time, that he hearkened unto the propo&s;ition, and con&s;ented unto it; and al&s;o promi&s;ed <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> to &s;erve him in all things. This Prince di&s;covered him&s;elf unto him, a little after the taking of <HI>Ce&s;area:</HI> and they re&s;olved that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> &s;hould make &s;ure of &s;ome &s;trong place in <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> for his retreat, when he &s;hould carry away the the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana;</HI> and not daring to think of carrying her unto the Court of Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> con&s;idering the manner how he parted from her: But &s;ince the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e requi|red &s;ome time, he re&s;olved upon patience, and for a while to defer the execution of his de&s;ign; yet he was in hopes of happy &s;ucce&s;&s;e, for he did believe, that when he had took the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> away, then the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> would authori&s;e his enterprize, &s;ince it would add three Kingdoms unto <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> and as for the Law, he thought that it might well admit of a favourable con&s;truction, by &s;aying the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> was no &s;tranger, &s;ince the Kingdom where &s;he was born, did legally belong to him. He &s;ent then unto the Governour of a Town which is &s;ome eight dayes journey from <HI>Babylon,</HI> called <HI>Is,</HI> and which is &s;cituated upon a River of the &s;ame name, to the end he might &s;ub|orn him, and oblige him to be faithful unto him. But while&s;t the&s;e things were in contri|ving, you were a witne&s;&s;e of all the pa&s;&s;ages both in Court and Army, between the&s;e two illu&s;trious Rivals; and I have nothing to tell you, untill after the two Battles which <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> gained in one day: by one of which, you know, he took the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> pri&s;on|er, and afterwards all the world believed him dead: But now in this place I mu&s;t tell you, that <HI>Feraulas,</HI> before whom I &s;peak, did perhaps ha&s;ten the execution of this fir&s;t plot to take away the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;ome moneths &s;ooner then otherwi&s;e it would.</P>
<P>I (amiable <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;aid he) and interrupted her?</P>
<P>Yes you (an&s;wered &s;he;) for when you thought that your Ma&s;ter was dead, in the violence of your &s;orrows, you could not forbear crying out in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Philida&s;pes, Alas poor Prince, mu&s;t &s;o glorious a life la&s;t no longer?</HI> he told me afterwards at <HI>Babylon,</HI> that then he &s;topt you, and asked you whether you Ma&s;ter was in that condition? and that you fained the exce&s;&s;e of your &s;orrows, made you &s;pake one word for another, but yet that did not hinder him from &s;u&s;pecting that the matter was as you had &s;aid.</P>
<P>It is very true (replied <HI>Feraulas)</HI> I remember that I committed this errour, and that in my extream &s;orrow wherein then I was, in the extream joy I was in afterwards for the re&s;ur|rection of my dear Ma&s;ter, I had ab&s;olutely lo&s;t my memory. <HI>Feraulas,</HI> having done &s;peaking, and <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> de&s;iring him to interrupt <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> no more; &s;he pur&s;ued her di|&s;cour&s;e.</P>
<P>At the return of <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> unto <HI>Sinope,</HI> the jealou&s;ie of the la&s;t did encrea&s;e, and he being a&s;&s;ured from the Governour of the Town of <HI>Is,</HI> that he &s;hould be re|ceived when he plea&s;ed, he thought upon nothing but ripening and acting his de&s;ign: he &s;aw al&s;o that he could never have a more favourable opportunity: for there being now a likely-hood of peace, he conceived that he &s;hould need no more Troops then he already
<PB N="107" REF="138">
had, &s;ince he had four thou&s;and men about the Town, which were under his command, and a Ca&s;tle to retire unto, to give a colour for his not being at <HI>Sinope,</HI> while&s;t <HI>Aribeus</HI> was tran&s;acting his plot: believe you have not forgot how a Letter which this Prince writ, fell into the hands of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and both di&s;covered and prevented this con&s;piracy: But you do not know, how he which lo&s;t this Letter, coming unto <HI>Aribeus,</HI> and not finding it about him, was extreamly &s;urpri&s;ed, &amp; confe&s;&s;ed that he feared the man with whom he had fought, had found it: Neither do you know, how <HI>Aribeus,</HI> knowing that <HI>Artamenes</HI> had been with the Prince&s;&s;e and the King, went afterwards and changed the Guards, and &s;ent to adverti&s;e <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> who after he had in the night-time di&s;per&s;ed his four thou&s;and men, which he had under the Ca&s;tle, in lieu of flying, as all the world believed he did, went unto <HI>Pteria,</HI> whereof <HI>Aribeus</HI> was Governour, and there did lie concealed, re&s;olving to wait there for a more favourable opportunity. It was for the love of him that <HI>Aribeus</HI> was &s;o de&s;irous to remove <HI>Artamenes</HI> from the Court, &s;ince he was &s;o great an ob&s;tacle un|to his de&s;ign, and therefore he propounded unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to &s;end him unto the Queen of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> to the end he might more ea&s;ily execute his de&s;ign, during his ab&s;ence: There happened one chance which much cro&s;&s;ed him, and which made him almo&s;t de&s;pair, and made him lo&s;e much time. It was this, as &s;oon as <HI>Artamenes</HI> was gone his voyage, <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> under&s;tood that the Governour of that Town of <HI>Is,</HI> unto which he was to re|treat, was dead, &s;o that he mu&s;t &s;eek out another &s;anctuary before he could attmept any thing; which took up &s;o much time that he could not act his de&s;ign until <HI>Artamenes</HI> was expected back again, of whom they had heard no news &s;ince his departure. The Gover|nour of the Town of <HI>Opis,</HI> which &s;tands upon the River <HI>Pygris</HI> being then &s;uborned, and <HI>Aribeus</HI> al&s;o having corrupted one of my companions named <HI>Arianta,</HI> and made for him almo&s;t all the Guards of the Prince&s;&s;e, he did execute his de&s;ign at <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> where <HI>Phi|lida&s;pes</HI> was come without any danger, for he &s;tirred not but in the night, and was &s;o much di&s;gui&s;ed for this purpo&s;e, that he was not knowable. Now <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> I am come unto that part of my relation which is altogether unknown unto you; But I be&s;eech you ima|gine how the Prince&s;&s;e was &s;urpri&s;ed when &s;he &s;aw <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> take her away, you have heard I &s;uppo&s;e, how I followed my dear Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, in &s;pight of tho&s;e which took her away. I will not &s;tay you &s;o long as to relate how we left the Boat into which they put us: nor how we found hor&s;es ready on the other &s;ide of the River: nor which road we took; nor who was the guide: I will only tell you that ju&s;t at break of day, we encamped within a wood, under a Tent which was &s;et up: and neither the Prince&s;&s;e nor I had &s;poke one &s;yllable; nor were capable of under&s;tanding one &s;yllable of all that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> &s;aid unto us, &s;o much was her &s;oul and mine &s;unk with &s;orrow: and I think that &s;ince the Prince&s;&s;e in the fir&s;t rapture of her &s;orrow, cried out unto <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> that, <HI>If</HI> Artamenes <HI>were at</HI> Themi&s;cira, <HI>he dur&s;t not have attempted this enterpri&s;e,</HI> &s;he &s;poke not one word at all: But after we were in the Tent, and the Prince&s;&s;e half dead, did &s;it down on a cu&s;ion, which was laid upon a footcloth, that covered all the ground of the Tent; and as I &s;tood by her as well as <HI>Arianta,</HI> who did counterfet her &s;orrow admirably well; <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> after he had placed his Guards and Centinels for mo&s;t &s;ecurity, came and ca&s;t him&s;elf at her feet: and looking upon her with as much &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion as he had audacity in taking her away; I know very well Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> is not only ra&s;h, but the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> al&s;o is mo&s;t bold, and de&s;erves to be puni&s;hed for thus offering you one of the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Crowns in the world; Yes, Divine Prince&s;&s;e, I do &s;o much prize your ver|tue above your quality, that I do confe&s;&s;e the greate&s;t King in the world cannot pretend unto the honour of your love, without too great a pre&s;umption: But Madam, &s;ince the Gods have &s;et you above all the Kings upon earth; and that none can pre&s;ume to enjoy you without an injury; I thought that I might as well as any other, a&s;pire unto this happy boldne&s;&s;e which the Gods have de&s;tined you unto: I am perhaps le&s;&s;e worthy of it then &s;ome others in con&s;ideration of my &s;elf; but I am, it may be, as much de&s;erving as others in re&s;pect of that Crown I am to wear, and more then any other in re&s;pect of my pa&s;&s;ion to you; &s;o that Madam, how unju&s;t &s;oever I am, I may perhaps merit &s;ome compa&s;&s;ion, e&s;pecially if you will but be plea&s;ed to know, that I have done nothing, but what I could not hinder my &s;elf from. For truly, if there had been any other way, to advance my hopes unto the honour which I pretend to, I &s;hould never have taken this; But you know Madam, that though I &s;hould have been &s;o happy as not to be de&s;pi&s;ed in your e&s;teem, yet <HI>Ciaxares</HI> nor <HI>A&s;tyages</HI> would ever have con&s;ented unto that propo&s;ition which I &s;hould have made; what then would you have a Prince do who lov'd and adored you? and who
<PB N="108" REF="139">
mu&s;t either have <HI>Mandana</HI> or death? Death (replied the Prince&s;&s;e in much an|ger) had been a choice more ju&s;t and fit for you; for if you love <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he will ren|der your life more cruel unto you then you death would be. Perhaps Madam (replied he) that when you &s;ee me continually at your feet with unequalled &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, my tears and my &s;ighs may move you to compa&s;&s;ion: No, no, (&s;aid &s;he and interrupted him) never expect any thing either from time, or tears, or &s;ighs, or &s;ubmi&s;&s;ions, or any thing el&s;e; the heart of <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hall never be won that way; your crime is &s;o far from being wa&s;h|ed away by your tears, that your bloud can never do it: Therefore <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> (for &s;o bad an action, de&s;erves no better title) expect from hence forward, that my hate of you which began at <HI>Sinope,</HI> &s;hall increa&s;e every minute: this &s;hall be the progre&s;&s;e of my &s;oul, and believe it I will not &s;top it as long as I am a Captive: Therefore, if there be yet any &s;park remaining in your mind, which your unju&s;t pa&s;&s;ion has not extingui&s;hed, know, that it will be much more advantagious for you, to repent of your crime, and &s;et me at li|berty, then thus to continue me your pri&s;oner: we are not yet &s;o far off <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> but you may ea&s;ily do it, and I will engage my word, to move the King my father not to re&s;ent this affront: I will promi&s;e you that the hatred which began to grow in my heart, &s;ince the fir&s;t time you de&s;igned to take me away, &s;hall vani&s;h; and I &s;hall think my &s;elf obliged unto you, if for the love of me you will &s;urmount your &s;elf: I &s;hall then believe you love me really; whereas, if you will not be per&s;waded by my rea&s;ons, I &s;hall believe that your own intere&s;t, not mine, does prompt you to this action; and that &s;ince you have no &s;ubjects of your own who is owner of any Crowns, you refu&s;e them, and marry rather out of ambition then love. Moreover, do not ground any hopes, becau&s;e I do not rail again&s;t you for the in|jury, my mouth <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> is not accu&s;tomed unto it: neither do I know in what termes to &s;peak unto tho&s;e which injure me, &s;ince till now I never was wronged: But I am mo&s;t certain, that I apprehend the injury you do me, as a Prince&s;&s;e of a great &s;oul ought to do; and without &s;uffering my &s;elf to be tran&s;ported by any unprofitable violence, I can extream|ly hate you; al&s;o I can unalterably re&s;olve never to be moved, neither with your re&s;pects, your &s;ervices, your tears, your &s;ighs, your menaces, nor by death it &s;elf, if you put me to it: Once more, <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> bethink your &s;elf, if you can repair your fault; and con&s;ider that nothing can be more unrea&s;onable then to commit an unprofitable crime: Think into what a condition you are putting all <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> all <HI>Galatia,</HI> all <HI>Medea,</HI> and all <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> or indeed to &s;ay truly, all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> into what an affrighting di&s;order it will be brought; for a&s;&s;uredly <HI>A&s;tyages</HI> and <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> will not endure this wrong without revenge, and all the Kings their allies will be ingaged in the Quarrel: Fear, <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> tremble, le&s;t you &s;hould be drowned in that River of bloud which you &s;hall cau&s;e to be &s;pilt: For there are Gods, and Gods that are ju&s;t and will revenge: Gods, I &s;ay, that will defend oppre&s;&s;ed innocents, and are declared enemies unto unju&s;t Princes: But is it po&s;&s;ible <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> that the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> who is a mo&s;t illu&s;trious Prince&s;&s;e, does know of this unju&s;t de&s;ign? Can it be po&s;&s;ible to find one in the world that would advi&s;e you to it? No Madam (replied <HI>Phili|da&s;pes)</HI> none gave me any coun&s;el in it, I did not &s;o much as con&s;ult with mine own rea|&s;on; it was love only which was my advi&s;er in the enterpri&s;e: But Madam it is now too late to advi&s;e <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> unto repentance; your glorious eyes, incen&s;ed though they be, does command me not to hearken unto your words, but confirms me in my de&s;igns: Ah, alas, if it be &s;o &s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e, I forbid you to look upon me, and I for my part will never look upon you again: Go <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> go, go out of the Tent, and enter no more, unle&s;&s;e you will augment your crime: Go out and walk in the woods I &s;ay, and con&s;ult with your rea&s;on, if you have any: Call unto your a&s;&s;i&s;tance your genero&s;ity, and dim not that ho|nour and glory whereof you &s;eem &s;o amorous and jealous. The glory, Madam, which I did and ever &s;hall aim at, is to &s;et you upon the Throne of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and to &s;ee you command in the mo&s;t &s;tately Town in the world: Therefore, Madam, I think it but ju&s;t to put all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> in arms, &s;ince <HI>Mandana</HI> is of higher merit then to be obtained without le&s;&s;e trouble, Perhaps when you &s;ee me in the head of two hundred thou&s;and men, you will change your mind, and be upon better termes with me, then you are with <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> whom you thought to be no more then a common Cavalier, and who pa&s;&s;ed in your conceit for a man much inferiour to your quality: But, Madam, upon all occa&s;ions wherein fortune &s;hall &s;mile upon me, and when I have conquered all tho&s;e Kings who you &s;ay will engage them|&s;elves in your quarrel; I &s;hall then de&s;cend out of my chair of triumph, to pro&s;trate at your feet, my &s;elf, and all tho&s;e palms wherewith they &s;hall crown me. Ah, <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e) I had rather &s;ee you in your grave, then in your chair of triumph after you
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have vanqui&s;hed my father. Madam (replied he) you may if you will prevent the war, and tho&s;e eyes, tho&s;e fair eyes, which you &s;o conceal from me, or els incen&s;edly glance them, makes my armes fall out of my hands, if they but look &s;milingly upon me. I &s;hall never end if I &s;hould tell you that which <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> &s;poke (wi&s;e <HI>Chri&s;antes;)</HI> But in conclu&s;ion, the Prince&s;&s;e being out of all patience, and &s;eeing all &s;he had &s;aid was in vaine, did then command him to go out of the Tent, by &s;uch an ab|&s;olute Authority, that he obeyed her. I mu&s;t needs &s;ay thus much for <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> that although he was very ha&s;ty, and did many things very violently, yet he never failed in his re&s;pects unto the Prince&s;&s;e: After he was gone out, we remained by our &s;elves: <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> cau&s;ed &s;omthing to be pre&s;ented unto <HI>Mandana</HI> for her to eate, but &s;he would not touch a bit: yet we were not all this while he was out of the tent, at hand&s;om freedom, for though we did not yet know that <HI>Arianta</HI> had betrayed her, yet the Prince&s;s had never any confidence in her, and for my part, &s;he was never any of my friends: yet the Prince&s;s in this deplorable &s;tate, did make me know, &s;he remembred <HI>Artamenes:</HI> &s;he &s;pent all that day, which was night to us, in lamenting her misfortune, and praying unto the gods to avert it: when night was come, they told us we mu&s;t be gone, and it was with much adoe, that I moved the Prince&s;s to eat &s;omthing: Madam (&s;aid I to her in a low voice) <HI>Artamenes</HI> can perhaps fetch you out of the hands of a Prince, who is accu&s;tomed to vanqui&s;h, but he cannot fetch you out of your grave if you be once there: Tis true <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to me) but how can I live in &s;uch a mi&s;erable condition? It becomes the greate&s;t &s;oules (&s;aid I unto her) to endure the greate&s;t misfortunes with mo&s;t con&s;tancy: Ah <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (cryed &s;he) that con&s;tancy &s;hould be &s;uch a difficult vertue? It is a deceitfull virtue al&s;o, which commonly never calmes my eyes and face, but it leaves my heartfull of cruell agitations: Indeed Sir, I &s;poke &s;o earne&s;tly unto her, that I con&s;train'd her to eat, and pre&s;ently after they con&s;trayned us to depart: we marched in this manner three nights, before <HI>Mandana</HI> would permit <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> to &s;peak a word unto her: But in the end of the third night, as we were in the tent, and I according to the direction of <HI>Mandana</HI> looking whether <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was out of the reach of hearing what &s;he &s;aid, we heard a great noi&s;e, and pre&s;ently a &s;ervant of <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> came unto us and cau&s;ed us im|mediatly to depart, not giving us any time at all. Since we heard a great noi&s;e &s;ome thirty or forty paces of us, and did not &s;ee <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> the Prince&s;s did imagine that perhaps it was &s;omerelief was coming to them; and by rea&s;on of that Imagination we u&s;ed all means po&s;&s;ible, both by prayers and promi&s;es, and al&s;o &s;triving not to go &s;o fa&s;t away, as they cau&s;ed us to go, but all would not do, for a part of them which guarded us, were &s;uch as never could hope for pardon, if tho&s;e orders which they received were not exactly obeyed: &s;o they carried us to a place where we found a coach which &s;tayed for us, and with a convoy of fifty hor&s;es; we &s;tayed there for <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> who came pre&s;ently after unto us.</P>
<P>Here <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> could not forbear telling <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> what ob&s;tacle <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> did then meet with; and how <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;aw her at the entry of the tent, but knew her not, and how he relieved <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> how he killed tho&s;e which &s;et upon him, and how he contri|buted to the carrying away of <HI>Mandana.</HI> At this di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> cryed mainly out with wonder: and after &s;he had &s;ufficiently te&s;tified her a&s;toni&s;hment at &s;uch an extraor|dinary pa&s;&s;age, &s;he continued her relation.</P>
<P>I will not &s;tay, &s;aid &s;he, &s;ince I have related unto you, this &s;trange combate, and which doubtle&s;s the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> would not have kept from <HI>Mandana,</HI> but becau&s;e he would not thereby occa&s;ion the memory of <HI>Artamenes</HI> in <HI>Mandanas</HI> mind; I will not &s;tay, I &s;ay, to repeat all our complaints during our &s;ad voyage; nor with what ob&s;tinatne&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> denied &s;peaking with <HI>Philida&s;pes:</HI> only this, that at la&s;t, we came to the town of <HI>Opis,</HI> where we were lodged in a very magnificent chamber: and where <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> neglected nothing which might render our impri&s;onment le&s;s offen&s;ive: But to tell you truly all his care was in vaine, and the Prince&s;s &s;orrow was &s;o violent, that nothing could moderate it; Mean while <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> thought that if he could move the Queen his mother to favour the matter, and that &s;he would receive the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> unto her, then things would go according to his hearts de&s;ire: for he made no que&s;tion but if the Queen <HI>Nito|cris</HI> would take her in hand, &s;he would gaine him the heart of the Prince&s;s: he al&s;o belie|ved that if &s;he did but once &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he would pre&s;ently alter her de&s;igne of his mar|riage with <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> for the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cappadocia;</HI> and indeed, he &s;ent one of his men &s;ecretly to Babylon unto the Prince of <HI>Saces</HI> who was yet in that Court: the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI>
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having &s;tayed him there ever &s;ince the ab&s;ence of her &s;on. For be&s;ides the good e&s;teem which &s;he had of him, he was nephew unto her, the Queen <HI>Iarinas,</HI> his mother, (An excellent and vertuous Prince&s;s,) beeing &s;i&s;ter unto the late King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> her husband. He writ then unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> to the end, he might pre&s;ent, what he writ unto his mother, the Queen, and forward his de&s;ires: This Prince by his letter which he writ unto this Prince&s;s, did ask her pardon for departing from the Court without her leave, he de&s;ired her to forget it, and that &s;he would be plea&s;ed to think well of his bringing the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> unto her, and that by her good con&s;ent he might marry her. Then he layed open unto her all the rea&s;ons which might induce her to approve of it, and forgot no|thing that might win her approbation; but the returne of the me&s;&s;enger did not bring him all the &s;atisfaction he expected; for he under&s;tood, that the &s;ame day he arrived at Baby|lon, there al&s;o arrived an emba&s;&s;ador from <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to demand of the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Cappadocia;</HI> and that the Queen did di&s;allow of the act, and that &s;he her &s;elf would be the fir&s;t which would take up arms to re&s;tore him the Prince&s;&s;e his daugh|ter: that when &s;he read the letter which the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had writ unto her, &s;he could not forbear expre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf, that &s;he was willing he &s;hould bring <HI>Mandana</HI> unto Babylon, but it &s;hould only be to re&s;tore her unto <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> yet <HI>Mazares</HI> u&s;ed his be&s;t endeavours to procure the Queens con&s;ent unto it, but all were in vaine: and he &s;ent un|to the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> to advi&s;e him, not to bring the Prince&s;s whom he had taken away, unto Babylon, becau&s;e he under&s;tood the Queen had promi&s;ed <HI>Ciaxares</HI> by the Emba&s;&s;ador who was returned, never to con&s;ent unto the marriage, but to u&s;e all po&s;&s;ible wayes to &s;end her unto the King of <HI>Medea</HI> her father: And indeed, if <HI>Mazares</HI> had not put her into &s;ome hopes that it were more ea&s;ie to get her out of the hands of her &s;on by policy then power, &s;he had armed all <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> again&s;t him: Mean while we were in the city of <HI>Opis,</HI> treated with all po&s;&s;ible civility: although <HI>Mandana</HI> u&s;ed all imaginable a|ver&s;ion and &s;everity again&s;t the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> for &s;he did not only forbear &s;peaking any thing which might plea&s;e him, but &s;he would not &s;peak at all unto him, and &s;omtimes &s;he would not &s;o much as &s;uffer the &s;ight of him: yet <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> did as much as po&s;&s;ible he could devi&s;e to qualifie her aver&s;ion; and &s;ince he &s;aw, &s;he did me the honour to love me, what did he not do and &s;ay to move me unto his a&s;&s;i&s;tance? but &s;ay or do what he could, I could not promi&s;e any thing, and told him that all the Grandure upon earth, &s;hould not move me to faile in my duty unto the Prince&s;s: yet &s;ince I feared the extream rigour of <HI>Mandana</HI> might exa&s;perate the minde of this Prince, and put him upon &s;ome unju&s;t de|&s;igne, I did permit him &s;omtimes to &s;peak unto me of his love, and of his de&s;pair: in|deed I do think it was not ami&s;s, to prevent any de&s;perate re&s;olutions in him, con&s;idering the violence of his love and humour: Somtimes he would &s;peak unto me concerning his love of <HI>Mandana,</HI> with as much reverence as is conceiveable; and &s;ometimes againe, he would be &s;o violent and &s;peak &s;o, as made me fear he was capable of &s;ome de&s;perate de&s;ti|ny; but when I di&s;covered his minde &s;o inclined, Sir, &s;aid I unto him: take heed what you &s;ay, for the Prince&s;s yet does only hate you; but if &s;he once &s;ee, you have any thoughts of neglecting that re&s;pect, which is her due, &s;he will then exchange her hatred for &s;corne. Ah <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid he) mi&s;take not my crimes and my raptures: &s;orrow in|deed is able to make me do the mo&s;t Inju&s;t thing, but the reverence I have of <HI>Mandana</HI> prevents me; therefore <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> pitty I be&s;eech you my weakne&s;s, and though you will not advantage, yet do me no prejudice I conjure you. Sir, (&s;aid I unto him) I neither can help nor hurt you, for I dare never &s;o much as &s;peak of you unto <HI>Mandana.</HI> But wi&s;e <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> what&s;oever I &s;aid unto the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> upon that &s;ubject, I think he did not believe me, but imagined, that I related all he &s;aid unto the Prince&s;s, though he was much deceived; for as long as <HI>Arianta</HI> was with us, we di&s;cour&s;ed of nothing but our &s;orrowes in generall; and when we were alone, <HI>Artamenes</HI> was the only &s;ubject of our di&s;cour&s;e. Alas, (&s;aid <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;omtimes, when for a little liberty, we asked leave to walk by the river <HI>Tygris)</HI> in what de&s;pair will <HI>Artamenes</HI> be when he returnes unto <HI>Themi&s;cira</HI> and finds not us there? and when he &s;hall know that <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> that &s;ame <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> whom he &s;o much hated, has carried me away? But oh heavens! will he not &s;u&s;pect my vertue? can he think that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> dur&s;t execute &s;uch a de&s;igne with|out my con&s;ent? But on the other &s;ide, can he think that <HI>Mandana</HI> is capable of any &s;uch thing? Ha no no, he will beleeve me to be innocent though unfortunate. <HI>Artamenes,</HI> the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes,</HI> will never conceive that one who has been &s;o &s;evere unto him, can be &s;o pliable unto his Enemy: Thus did we &s;pend our tedious time when we had any
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liberty, but that was &s;eldom; for be&s;ides <HI>Arianta,</HI> who alwayes kept clo&s;e about the Prince&s;&s;e, there was a great &s;ort of other women which <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> appointed to wait upon the Prince&s;&s;e, who almo&s;t never left her. But it is admirable to con&s;ider how vertue will &s;hine in tho&s;e who are in adver&s;ity, although it be extream, for the Prince&s;&s;e had not been among them above fifteen dayes, but every one of them who were about her did adore her: but we could not for all that &s;ee an end of our mi&s;ery, nor <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> of his. Still he continued writing unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> that he &s;hould &s;till &s;olicite the Queen: he writ al&s;o &s;ecretly unto <HI>Aribeus,</HI> for relief if he &s;hould &s;tand in any need of it: He &s;ent al&s;o unto the King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> to de&s;ire a&s;&s;i&s;tance, knowing him to be no friend neither unto <HI>Astyages,</HI> or <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> though there was an alliance between them: Truth, he negle|cted nothing that might advance his de&s;igne; either in inviting Princes unto his Party, or in putting the Town of <HI>Opis</HI> into a condition to abide a Siege, in ca&s;e it &s;hould be beleagured: For our parts, we neither knew what we &s;hould do, or what to hope for; for we knew not that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was returned unto <HI>Themi&s;cira.</HI> Therefore the Prince&s;&s;e, who could not endure to be &s;o in the power of a violent and amorous Prince, did one day re&s;olve to &s;peak with him, intending to ask a favour at his hand, which pre&s;ently I &s;hall relate unto you. You may imagine how joyfull <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was, when <HI>Arianta</HI> told him, the Prince&s;&s;e would &s;peak with him, and doubtle&s;&s;e, you believe he diligently obey|ed the Command. When he was entred into the Prince&s;&s;e Chamber, Is it po&s;&s;ible Madam (&s;aid he to her) that the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> will &s;peak with the unfortunate <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> unle&s;&s;e it be to pronounce the &s;entence of his death? But though you &s;hould do &s;o, (Di|vine Prince&s;&s;e) I would vpon my knee receive the Doom with joy, &s;o much does this ho|nor, in commanding me to come unto you, delightfully di&s;turb my rea&s;on. Sir &s;aid &s;he to him, (for through my advice, &s;he re&s;olved to treat him as &s;he did) &s;ince I have &s;o often in vain de&s;ired you to &s;end me either to <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> or <HI>Sinope,</HI> or <HI>Ancyra,</HI> or <HI>A|ma&s;ia,</HI> I intend to ask you a thing which you ought not to deny me: for &s;ince it is &s;o far from asking you to go out of your Dominions, as I conjure you to conduct me unto <HI>Ba|bylon,</HI> to the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> where I &s;hall be in a hand&s;omer condition then I can be here in this place: If you con&s;ent unto this favour, I &s;hall promi&s;e you, to dimini&s;h a little of that ju&s;t hatred, which is growing in my &s;oul; for I cannot endure that all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> &s;hould know I am in your power, and that I &s;hould have no other witne&s;&s;es of my vertue, but my greate&s;t enemy. Madam (replied <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> being a little &s;urprized) if you will do me the honour to go unto <HI>Babylon,</HI> with intention to be one day the Queen of it, and to take from the hands of <HI>Nitocris,</HI> that Scepter which &s;he has mo&s;t gloriou&s;ly &s;wayed, doubtle&s;&s;e I &s;hall con&s;ent unto your propo&s;ition: But if in going to <HI>Babylon,</HI> your de&s;igne be to go thereby the &s;ooner unto <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> pardon me Madam, if I be con&s;trained to di&s;obey you: And to tell the truth, &s;quares go not &s;o hand&s;omely there, becau&s;e for &s;ome cer|tain rea&s;ons I am in &s;ome di&s;gu&s;t with the Queen, yet more for the love of you, then for any other cau&s;e; therefore in de&s;iring that Madam, you would have me carry you unto a place that will be rather my puni&s;hment, then my &s;anctuary. It is not out of any fear that I refu&s;e you, but love onely forceth it. You told me once Madam, that nothing was more unrea&s;onable then to commit a great crime, to no end: Think not ill then, if I endeavour to prevent falling into the like fault. The Crime is already committed, Ma|dam: I was &s;o pre&s;umptuous as to take you away; and it behoves me endeavour for &s;o much happine&s;&s;e as to obtain my Pardon and your Love. The way you take (replied the Prince&s;&s;e very &s;harply) makes it a hard matter to obtain either your Pardon or my Love. Do you know Madam, what may be hereafter, (replied this Prince?) I know very well (replied &s;he) that the time will never come in which <HI>Mandana</HI> will love you. Yet Madam (an&s;wered he) I hope there is no ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibility in it. Who&s;oever &s;hould have told me, the fir&s;t day I came unto the Temple of <HI>Mars</HI> in <HI>Sinope,</HI> that I &s;hould fall de&s;perately in love with you, I &s;hould not have beleeved it: and who&s;oever &s;hould have told me the fir&s;t time that I &s;aw <HI>Artamenes</HI> in that &s;ame place, and on that &s;ame day, that I &s;hould mortally hate him, I could not have believed it; for truly I &s;aw no women in that Temple which could enamour me; And I found <HI>Artamenes,</HI> very hand&s;ome, well proportioned, of a good deportment, and very civil: yet I am in extream love with you, and in extream hate of him. The Prince&s;&s;e blu&s;ht at the name of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and the Prince who alwayes looked upon her, ob&s;erved it: yet notwith&s;tanding, he dur&s;t not then &s;peak of it; and it was at <HI>Babylon</HI> where he told me of it. The Prince&s;&s;e, &s;eeing her di&s;|cour&s;e was to no purpo&s;e, broke it off, and went away whether he would or no. A few
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dayes after, we heard of the death of <HI>Astyages,</HI> though <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> kept it from the Prin|ce&s;&s;e as much as he could: but when he under&s;tood &s;he knew of it, he put him&s;elf in mour|ning and came to vi&s;it her. And not long after that we heard how the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> died, after &s;he had fini&s;hed her magnificient Tombe, which is in the prime Port of <HI>Babylon,</HI> and that the di&s;obedience and bad action of her Son, was the cau&s;e of her death. The&s;e two accidents did both of them extreamly trouble the Prince&s;&s;e: The fir&s;t, becau&s;e he was &s;o neer in kinred: The &s;econd, becau&s;e &s;he relied much upon the vertue of the Queen <HI>Nitocris.</HI> We under&s;tood by one of tho&s;e women which they had placed about the Prince&s;&s;e, that <HI>Mazares</HI> did the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> very good &s;ervice at this time, and that but for him the Queen had di&s;po&s;ed of her Crown from him: We under&s;tood al&s;o by her, that the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> according unto the la&s;t Will of the Queen, went from <HI>Babylon</HI> the next day after her death into <HI>Bithynia</HI> where her brother <HI>Intaphernes</HI> then was, who went thither to a&s;&s;i&s;t <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> in recovering his e&s;tate from the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who (as was reported) was likely to lo&s;e both his Kingdoms. Mean while we were not per|&s;ecuted with any vi&s;its from the new King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> for &s;ome certain dayes, becau&s;e as indeed he had &s;ome Genero&s;ity in him, he was very &s;ad at the death of the Queen <HI>Nito|cris:</HI> Yet as Love was the predominate pa&s;&s;ion in his &s;oul, and the fir&s;t dayes of mourning being over, he hoped that the magnificence of <HI>Babylon</HI> might perhaps work upon the heart of the Prince&s;&s;e, which cau&s;ed him a little &s;ooner to cheer him&s;elf up from his &s;or|rows for the Queen his mother, who put mourning into the hearts of all her Subjects. Mean while <HI>Mazares</HI> writ unto the King, that it was very requi&s;ite he came pre&s;ently as &s;oon as he could to &s;hew him&s;elf unto the people, and that a Throne was &s;uch a place as ought not to be long empty, le&s;t &s;ome &s;hould be tempted to fill it up: Yet for all that, there was no rea&s;on of State &s;o &s;trong as could move him to leave <HI>Mandana</HI> to go unto <HI>Babylon:</HI> but he writ unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> that he &s;hould prepare all things in the mo&s;t pom|pous manner again&s;t his entrance; and that he &s;hould &s;end thither unto him all things nece&s;&s;ary to conduct the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Medea</HI> thither, for &s;ince the death of <HI>Astyages,</HI> we will no more call her the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Cappadocia.</HI> I forgot to tell you (wi&s;e <HI>Chri&s;antes)</HI> how after the death of the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> the Prince&s;&s;e by my advice &s;ent unto the new King, to tell him &s;he was very &s;orry for the death of the Queen his Mother, and how afterwards, he came to thank her for that Complement which with much ado I obtained from her. But to return unto my &s;tory; The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> came one day unto <HI>Man|dana's</HI> chamber, a&s;ter he had civilly &s;ent to ask leave; and after he had with much reve|rence &s;aluted her; Madam (&s;aid he unto her) The River <HI>Euphrates</HI> is jealous of that ho|nour, which the River <HI>Tygris</HI> hath received from you, and it is but ju&s;t that the prime Town in the World &s;hould be honoured with the pre&s;ence of the mo&s;t Fair, and Illu&s;trious <HI>Mandana.</HI> When I asked you, to go unto <HI>Babylon</HI> (replied <HI>Mandana)</HI> the Queen <HI>Ni|tocris</HI> was living: And when I would wait upon you thither (replied this Prince) the Throne of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> is ready to receive you, and all the people willing to &s;alute you by the Title of <HI>Queen.</HI> No Sir (&s;aid &s;he to him) never hope that change of place can change my &s;oul, nor that the &s;ight of &s;tately <HI>Babylon</HI> can move my heart. I had rather &s;pin away my life in a Shepherds cottage, then &s;it on the Throne of a King that is offen&s;ive unto me: No Sir, once for all, I will neither command nor obey you: I will never &s;it in the &s;eat of that Queen who&s;e vertues I cannot paralell; and I had much rather be in your pri&s;on, then on the Throne of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> If I were able to re&s;i&s;t, I would not I warrant you be hurried whither you would have me; nor would I willingly draw the war unto that Town which pa&s;|&s;eth for one of the wonders of the World: I would if I could, &s;ave the blood of &s;o many innocent per&s;ons wherewith it is filled: But &s;ince I cannot re&s;i&s;t your de&s;igne, Let me tell you, that I &s;hall be the &s;ame at <HI>Babylon,</HI> I am at <HI>Opis;</HI> and that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> with all his great Magnificence, &s;hall move no heart of mine, more then he could when he &s;eemed onely <HI>Philida&s;pes.</HI> Time Madam (replied he, becau&s;e for all her &s;everity, he was in &s;ome hopes) will &s;hew whether your rigorous re&s;olution be more &s;trong thou my per&s;everance; At lea&s;t, if you do re&s;olve upon my death, I &s;hall have a more Illu&s;trious Tombe at <HI>Babylon,</HI> then I can have here; and you will have more witne&s;&s;es of that cruelty wherein you glory. So it was <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> that three dayes after, we mu&s;t re&s;olve upon depar|ture; and to report what our equipage was, is &s;o unnece&s;&s;ary it would but abu&s;e your patience; unle&s;&s;e you be of their humour who &s;ay, that liberality is the tried mea&s;ure of love; for if &s;o, then I cannot make you under&s;tand the greatne&s;&s;e of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> pa&s;&s;ion, better, then by relating the prodigious expences at the entrance of the
<PB N="113" REF="141">
Prince&s;s into Babylon. That morning which we went from <HI>Opis,</HI> we &s;aw in a great court under the window of the Prince&s;s, Twelve magnificent Charriots, for the Ladies which were to accompany her, and another, mo&s;t incomparably above the re&s;t for her &s;elf. We &s;aw al&s;o two hundred Camels for the baggage, with &s;umpter clothes of Tyrian purple em|broidered with gold: and when we were at the gates of the town, we &s;aw in a great plaine, fifteen thou&s;and men in Armes, all having gilt morrions, and cro&s;lets of the &s;ame with Bowes of Ebonie, and Arrowes piled with gold, who dividing them&s;elves into two bodies, one part marched before, the other behind, and the Charriots in the middle: As for the Camels they went &s;ome two hundred paces before the Souldiers: And as for the King, he went on hor&s;e back next after the Chariot in which was the Prince&s;s, which went la&s;t of all the Charriots, he and a thou&s;and hor&s;e did follow him: thus went we to Babylon, untill we were within one dayes Journey, and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> de&s;ired the Prince&s;s &s;hould re&s;t her &s;elf a day in a Ca&s;tle where we lodged; mean while, all nece&s;&s;ary preparations were making for our enterance: que&s;tionle&s;s you will think it &s;trange to hear talk of all this magnificence &s;o pre&s;ently after the death of the Queen <HI>Nitocris;</HI> but it is the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> fa&s;hion as well as of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> who was once in &s;ubjection unto them, that the people never are in mourning above three dayes after the death of their Kings; be|cau&s;e, &s;ay they, there is more to rejoyce then mourne, that they have &s;o gloriou&s;ly fini&s;h|ed their raigne. See that the <HI>Babylonians</HI> had no &s;ooner ended their pomp of mourning for their Queen, but they were in another pomp of rejoycing for the Arivall of <HI>Mandana:</HI> yet you may be a&s;&s;ured that &s;he her &s;elf was no participant at the fea&s;t: mean time, al|though &s;he was re&s;olved to be &s;een that day as carele&s;ly dre&s;t as po&s;&s;ibly &s;he could, yet &s;he could not bring it to pa&s;s: For &s;ince all the women which waited upon her, and waited upon <HI>Arianta</HI> and me, were of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> placing, and &s;ince <HI>Arianta</HI> her&s;elf was of con&s;piracy with him; there was no cloaths that morning to be found, but &s;uch as were mo&s;t rich, and full of pearls and diamonds: for my part, I do confe&s;s, that this device did not anger me &s;o much as it did the Prince&s;s, who was ready to chide me for it; Madam (&s;aid I unto her to excu&s;e my &s;elf, and becau&s;e indeed, it did concur with my opinion) the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> does think que&s;tionle&s;s to Ju&s;tifie his action unto the people by your admirable beauty; and therefore de&s;ires you &s;hould appear in mo&s;t glory; but, never thinks, that unle&s;s he look very well about him you will make all his &s;ubjects Rebels; and if you will follow my coun&s;el, you &s;hall appear in all your charmes; for then, if this Prince, &s;hould ever attempt any thing again&s;t you; the people in favour of you would re|volt from him: you are very ingenious (&s;aid &s;he to me) to excu&s;e your own fault, or to &s;ay better, your &s;implicity: But <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> as flattering as you are, you w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ong me much to be moved no more then you are at my di&s;like of this, and to coun&s;ell me unto it, as you have done, for I be&s;eech you tell me, what will the unhappy <HI>Artamenes</HI> think, if he &s;hould chance to know, by the report of tho&s;e &s;pies which the King my <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ther has in Babylon, that I &s;hew my &s;elf in &s;uch a dre&s;s, as &s;peaks Joyfull, and well plea&s;ed? All the re&s;t of the magnificence cannot be imputed unto me; but it may be thought I con&s;ented unto this. Madam, (&s;aid I unto her) if you might do as you plea&s;ed, and had your choyce, I &s;hould not then advi&s;e you as I do; but &s;ince it is not, it is a good expedient, to draw a good out of an evill; and to endeavour if it be po&s;&s;ible that the &s;ame beauty which cau&s;ed you to be taken away, may al&s;o procure you protectors if you &s;hall need them: And as for what you &s;ay concerning <HI>Artamenes;</HI> beleeve it Madam, that if the King your father have any &s;pyes in Babylon, who will report faithfully what they have &s;een, they will &s;peak more of your melancholy, then your dre&s;s, you need not fear it: So in|deed <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> when the Prince&s;s could do no other, &s;he &s;uffered her &s;elf tobe &s;o dre&s;&s;ed, yet without any art or care at all: but as you know very well, her hair is &s;o admirable fair, that her neglective comline&s;s, was extreamly becoming. All the cloaths they brought us were made after the <HI>Medean</HI> and <HI>Cappadocian</HI> fa&s;hion, to wit, of fre&s;h, lively, and glo|rious colours: As for the women of quality in Babylon, they never wear any colour, but white; yet notwith&s;tanding very magnificently and gallantly dre&s;&s;ed, having no colours about them but Diamond<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, Emralds, and Rubies, which gave a glorious lu&s;tre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> and after that day, we came to know as much, for though the Prince&s;s had much unwill|ingne&s;s to be &s;een, yet more then two hundred women of quality, came to do their reve|rence unto her: &s;he received them very civilly, but in &s;o deep a melancholy, that &s;he be|got as much pitty as admiration: in conclu&s;ion, we mu&s;t depart, and in lieu of twelve Charriots full of Ladies, which we had the day before, there was now a hundred times as
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many: As for the Prince&s;s, &s;he was compelled to go into a &s;tately magnificent chair of triumph, all the ornaments whereof were pure gold; It was drawn by four Tigers, har|ne&s;&s;ed the mo&s;t ornamentally that could be devi&s;ed: four men of prime quality carried a &s;tately Canopy over the Chair, imbrodered with Gold, Pearls, and Diamonds, and &s;uch as the <HI>Sydiaonns</HI> only know how to do: I will not in&s;i&s;t upon a particular de&s;cription of this pomp; only tell you that all that great plaine as we came to Babylon, and which you know very well is &s;et with palme trees of a prodigious height, was full of troopes, but &s;uch troopes as were all armed in a mo&s;t &s;trange magnificence. At every hundred paces di&s;tance, we &s;aw Arches of triumph erected, upon which were very glorious in&s;cripti|ons: They were all very &s;tately; and we &s;aw nothing which &s;poke not Joy and Grandure: About two furlongs from the town, the Prince of <HI>Saces,</HI> who was a man very fa&s;hionable and hand&s;ome, al&s;o rich in clothes, and upon a hor&s;e of <HI>I&s;abella</HI> colour with a black mane, came in the head of two thou&s;and hor&s;e, to pre&s;ent unto the Prince&s;s from the King, great keyes of gold in a box of the &s;ame mettall, <HI>Topazes</HI> and <HI>Amethi&s;ts:</HI> Madam, (&s;aid he in pre&s;enting them unto her) the King has commanded me to obey you, and from him to offer, that which he only can give you. Sir, an&s;wered the Prince&s;s (for they had infor|med her of the quality of <HI>Mazares)</HI> If in pre&s;enting unto me two keyes of <HI>Babylon,</HI> you will a&s;&s;ure me, that I may be permitted in the morning to open the gates, to returne unto <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> or go unto <HI>Ecbatane</HI> I &s;hould accept of them, and be eternally obliged unto you for the offer; but if that liberty will not be allowed me, (pur&s;ued &s;he with a char|ming melancholy which eclip&s;ed nothing of her beauty) It &s;eems unto me to be a peece of inju&s;tice, and &s;omthing inhumane, that I my &s;elf &s;hould keep the keyes of my pri&s;on. So Sir, untill the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> be re&s;olved to grant me that, I pray you keep what you offer me, &s;ince I think they cannot be in better hands then yours. <HI>Mazares,</HI> charmed with the beauty, &s;pirit, and civility, of the Prince&s;s, told her, that he would not keep what &s;he was plea&s;ed to do him &s;o much honour as to tru&s;t him with, but that &s;he might u&s;e them at her own di&s;po&s;ition when &s;he came unto the town: and &s;taying no longer, he Joyned his troop which was very magnificent, with the Kings: this Prince, marched by him&s;elf, next immediatly after the Prince&s;s her triumphant Chair, but &s;o glorious, &s;o hand&s;ome, and &s;o glittering with gold and jewels, that except <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I never &s;aw a man of a better garb then he: At the entry into the town, the Prince&s;s was pre&s;ented with a &s;peech, or to &s;ay better an elogy: All the hou&s;es were hung with rich Tape&s;try, every &s;treet &s;trewed with flowers: All the windowes were full of women, hand&s;omly dre&s;&s;ed: Trumpets and Flutes made the Aire Echo: All the people were ravi&s;hed at the beauty of the Prince&s;s; and expre&s;&s;ed their wonder with &s;uch loud acclamations, as joy|ed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> beyond all expre&s;&s;ions; at the la&s;t <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> we were brought unto the pallace of the Queen <HI>Nitocris:</HI> the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> pre&s;ented his hand unto the Prince&s;s as &s;he de&s;cended from her Chaire, to conduct her unto her Chamber: &s;he had a good di&s;po&s;ition to refu&s;e it, but &s;he thought that it would appear phanta&s;ticall, and to no purpo&s;e. And therefore without any incivility &s;he gave him her hand; but it was after &s;uch a manner, as &s;he let &s;ee, it was not the quality of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> did move her unto that complacency, in&s;omuch as he was nothing &s;atisfied with it; we pa&s;&s;ed through &s;ome chambers all upon a floor one within another, all were magnificently furni&s;hed; in the la&s;t of the&s;e, he made her a very low congee, and told her, that from hence forward, it was in her power to command all <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> and that he was but the fir&s;t of her &s;ubjects: at the la&s;t, after an hour was &s;pent, in accepting the complements of all the <HI>Babylonian</HI> gran|dees, they left us at a little liberty; and we had &s;o much con&s;olation, as to know, that all tho&s;e women which waited upon the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> were appointed to wait upon the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;o that none came about her, but &s;uch as were per&s;ons of very vertu|ous mindes: a little while after we were left alone, and <HI>Arianta</HI> being gone into another Chamber; the Prince&s;s looked upn me with extream melancholy: Ah <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) where are we now? and how &s;hall we ever get out? did you not ob&s;erue, &s;aid &s;he to me, the mon&s;trous walls of <HI>Babylon,</HI> which are &s;o thick and &s;trong, that &s;everall Chariots may pa&s;s one by another upon them? did you not ob&s;erve the high towers all about them; and did you not mark how the River <HI>Euphrates</HI> &s;o inclo&s;es it, as makes the acce&s;&s;e unto it very difficult, if any &s;hould attempt to be&s;iege it? were you not a&s;toni&s;hed at the innume|rable company of people where with it is filled? and the gates of Bra&s;s, which &s;huts them in? Is it not to be feared, that if all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> &s;hould arm them&s;elves in my behalf, they could never get me out of it? and as valiant as <HI>Artamenes</HI> is, he can never vanqui&s;h the
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King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> as long as he is within the walls of this Town: The&s;e are the thoughts, my dear <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> which took up my minde, all the time of this di&s;gu&s;tive Ceremony; and thus much did all their Magnifice at the entry work upon me. Madam (&s;aid I unto her) The Gods can do what they plea&s;e, and that which to all humane Prudence is im|po&s;&s;ible, to them is ea&s;ie. You &s;ay well, &s;aid &s;he, and I have no other hopes but what are grounded upon their A&s;&s;i&s;tance. And indeed, the next morning, the Prince&s;&s;e would go unto the Temple, and they conducted her unto that of <HI>Jupiter Belus,</HI> which is one of the faire&s;t in the World: Mean while the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> endeavoured to win her by &s;weetne&s;&s;e, and feared to anger her. I vi&s;ited her but one hour in a day, and that was before many people, &s;o that the Prince&s;&s;e was le&s;&s;e troubled at it. The Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> by order from the King, did often vi&s;it her, the King de&s;ired him, to &s;peak unto her in his behalf, knowing that there was not any man in the world had more charming eloquence in his conver&s;ation then he. Indeed this Prince did negotiate &s;o admirably well to get unto him&s;elf the Prince&s;&s;e e&s;teem, and gain her love, that it was not a little con&s;olation unto him&s;elf: He was full of &s;weetne&s;&s;e, civility, and re&s;pect: and although he did &s;peak to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> advantage, when any occa&s;ion was offered; yet notwith&s;tanding, we di&s;covered in his eyes an obliging melancholy; and becau&s;e we thought that it was onely an effect of his compa&s;&s;ion towards us and our misfortunes, the Prince&s;&s;e could not forbear, &s;ometimes commending him. But <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> that you may the bet|ter under&s;tand the re&s;t of my di&s;cour&s;e, I mu&s;t in this part of it, di&s;cover a thing un|to you, which we knew not a long time after, nor which we did &s;o much as &s;u&s;pect at all. It is very true, that the unfortunate <HI>Mazares</HI> did admirably well di&s;gui&s;e his thoughts. But I mu&s;t tell you <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> how this Prince in pre&s;enting the Keyes of <HI>Babylon</HI> unto the Prince&s;&s;e, the fir&s;t day we came thither, did then ab&s;olutely lo&s;e his liberty, and was captivated with the Beauty of <HI>Mandana,</HI> as well as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> Since he was never in lovebefore, he was not at fir&s;t acquainted with the pa&s;&s;ion. He imagined (as I &s;ince knew by the generous <HI>Or&s;anes,</HI> who is now come with me, and who di&s;covered unto me all the &s;ecrets of his Ma&s;ters thoughts) that admiration, onely joyned with pity to &s;ee &s;o fair a Lady in mi&s;ery, was it which troubled his minde: Yet within eight dayes after, he perceived that it was more then &s;o: He accepted therefore of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria's</HI> Commi&s;&s;ion, to &s;ee her often, and to &s;peak unto her in his behalf: for what rea&s;on had he to refu&s;e it? Yet notwith&s;tanding, he &s;eemed at the fir&s;t to &s;cruple at it; but after|wards, whether he wanted a lawfull excu&s;e, or whether his &s;ecret pa&s;&s;ion would not &s;uf|fer him to refu&s;e the &s;ight of her whom he loved in &s;pite of his teeth, he promi&s;ed the King, that he would vi&s;it her, and do him the be&s;t &s;ervice he could; and indeed, he did vi&s;it her, and endeavoured to do him &s;ervice: For it mu&s;t be acknowledged, that <HI>Mazares</HI> was naturally Generous, and that love onely cau&s;ed him to do things contrary to Genero|&s;ity. <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> did a&s;&s;ure me, that he had di&s;covered his heart unto him; and that there was no cour&s;e which he did not u&s;e, to regulate his pa&s;&s;ion, and to keep it within the limits of e&s;teem and friend&s;hip, What unhappy de&s;tiny is mine? (would he &s;ay unto <HI>Or|&s;anes)</HI> I lived all my life in a Court, amid&s;t an infinite number of Beauties, and never was in love with any, but I no &s;ooner lookt upon <HI>Mandana,</HI> but I am de&s;perately captivated. Ha <HI>Or&s;anes,</HI> &s;aid he, how tho&s;e who &s;ay, that hope begins with love are deceived? For, what is it, I can hope for? I finde a pa&s;&s;ion in my &s;elf, which I ought, and which I will re&s;i&s;t; and though I cannot perhaps ab&s;olutely vanqui&s;h it, yet I will eternally con|ceal it at the lea&s;t: for truly I have promi&s;ed a friendly office unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> I am his va&s;&s;all; I have the honour to be his Kin&s;man; and he has made choi&s;e of me for a confident of his pa&s;&s;ion: How can I ever overcome all the&s;e objections? But &s;up|po&s;e my Genero&s;ity &s;hould &s;ubmit unto my love? and that I &s;hould re&s;olve to betray a Prince unto whom I owe much re&s;pect? I &s;hould not be the better, &s;ince it is to be be|leeved, that a Prince&s;&s;e who treats the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;o cour&s;ely, will never receive the Prince of <HI>Saces</HI> into favour; Therefore <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> (&s;aid he to him) there is no hopes for me, though I do love, and that &s;o de&s;perately as I have lo&s;t my rea&s;on: But, &s;aid he, &s;ince there is no hope in my pa&s;&s;ion, I will hope it will continue long, or rather think, that &s;ince my de&s;pair will not cau&s;e my pa&s;&s;ion to die, it will continue for ever: Love then, &s;aid he, love on, &s;ince it is my de&s;tiny; Love, and make no &s;cruple at it; for indeed we cannot be ma&s;ters of our affection; it is well if we can hide them, and if I can con|tent my &s;elf with the e&s;teem and friend&s;hip of <HI>Mandana.</HI> In &s;hort <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> when <HI>Mazares</HI> could not root his love of <HI>Mandana</HI> out of his heart, he re&s;olved to keep it
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&s;ecret, and not to give over doing a good office for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> but yet <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> he &s;poke not one word in his behalf, which did not yield him a thou&s;and &s;ecret vexations; nor did the Prince&s;s give him a word unto his di&s;advantage, which joyed him not &s;o much, as he had much adoe to hide it; &s;o that he was both faithful and unfaithful at once: his mouth &s;poke for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> but his heart betrayed him; and what&s;oever he either &s;aid or did, one might alwayes &s;ee his &s;oul was infinitely affraid to di&s;plea&s;e the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Man|dana:</HI> nor did I ever &s;ee in any one more re&s;pect then in him to her. Mean while, we &s;u&s;pected nothing of his pa&s;&s;ion; he &s;eemed &s;ometimes very melancholy indeed, but his addre&s;&s;es, without any words, did tell us the misfortunes of the Prince&s;&s;e did trouble him; and that he could wi&s;h the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> would give over his de&s;ign. Thus was the &s;tate of things, when a piece of cro&s;&s;e misfortune happened unto us, which did exceeding|ly trouble us; for when the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> found no alteration in the mind of <HI>Mandana,</HI> notwith&s;tanding all his re&s;pects, and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ions, and all the endeavours of <HI>Mazares,</HI> he began to think that the heart of the Prince&s;&s;e was already di&s;po&s;ed of; and when he called to mind all the jealou&s;ies, he entertained that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was in love with <HI>Mandana;</HI> and when he remembred what he had heard from the mouth of <HI>Feraulas</HI> concerning the quali|ty of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> all thought of the Prince&s;&s;e blu&s;hing at <HI>Opis,</HI> when <HI>Artamenes</HI> was named: Then he &s;aid unto <HI>Mazares</HI> (after he had related unto him all the pa&s;&s;ages in the Cappadoci|an Court) it is no more to be que&s;tioned, but that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is not only a Prince, nor a Prince only that loves <HI>Mandana,</HI> but <HI>Mandana</HI> al&s;o loves <HI>Artamenes.</HI> You may very wel imagine, how this conceit tormented the mind of this young Prince; and how it di&s;quieted the thoughts of <HI>Mazares;</HI> he was &s;o planet-&s;truck at it, that the King of <HI>A&s;syria,</HI> &s;uppo&s;ing that it was in con&s;ideration of his intere&s;t, did heartily thank him for it. Mean while, to clear all his doubts, he found an opportunity to &s;peak in private with <HI>Arianta,</HI> who unknown to us had unluckily under&s;tood our di&s;cour&s;e the night before, and where the Prince&s;&s;e and I had repeated almo&s;t all the pa&s;&s;ages of his life, excepting the name of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> which happily we pronounced not. But though &s;he under&s;tood not all we &s;aid, yet &s;he heard enough to clear all doubts, that there was a corre&s;pondency between <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Mandana:</HI> So that when the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had &s;poken with this malicious wench, he under&s;tood more from her then he de&s;ired to know: Yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;ince &s;he did make but a confu&s;ed relation of things, he re&s;olved to clear his doubts a little more fully, and &s;peak unto the Prince&s;&s;e her &s;elf: And as jealou&s;ie is a much more turbulent pa&s;&s;ion then love; &s;o the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> when he entered into <HI>Mandana</HI>'s chamber, &s;eemed un|to me much altered: There was then none with her but <HI>Arianta</HI> and my &s;elf: he &s;aluted her with all due reverence; and began to di&s;cour&s;e of things indifferent; yet notwith|&s;tanding all this, there appeared &s;o much di&s;temper in his mind, as we could ea&s;ily per|ceive it: Madam (&s;aid he to her, after much interrupted di&s;cour&s;e) I would gladly know one thing from you, which is of infinite importance both to me, and you al&s;o: If I may conveniently tell it (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) and if I know it, perhaps I may &s;atisfie your curio&s;ity. Yes Madam (an&s;wered he) you do know it, and to conceal it no longer, I wi&s;h you would do me the honour to tell me who is that great enemy who &s;urmounts me, and keeps &s;uch &s;trong po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion in your heart; for &s;uch a one there is; el&s;e I know not why all my cares, my re&s;pects, and my &s;ubmi&s;&s;ions &s;hould beget &s;uch an aver&s;ion in you to me. Sir (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e unto him, not thinking he knew any thing relating unto <HI>Artamenes)</HI> trouble not your &s;elf to find out the &s;ecret rea&s;ons of my proceedings with you; and know that though I loved you, and that extream dearly, if you would take me thus away without my con&s;ent, I &s;hould never love you after it; for I have a &s;trong aver&s;ion again&s;t all tho&s;e, who once only in their lives do fail in that duty which they owe unto me. How Madam, (re|plied this violent Prince almo&s;t again&s;t his intention) if <HI>Artamenes</HI> had done what <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> did, would you have u&s;ed him as you u&s;e me? <HI>Artamenes,</HI> (an&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e blu&s;hing) is too wi&s;e for me to think he would ever commit &s;uch a crime: But Sir, why do you &s;peak of <HI>Artamenes</HI> upon this occa&s;ion? I &s;peak of him, Madam, replied he, as of a man who has overcome me more then once, but much more cruelly in your heart, then with arms in his hands; Yes Madam, this <HI>Artamenes</HI> whom I ever hated, and whom you have here|tofore commanded me to love, is que&s;tionle&s;&s;e the man who oppo&s;es my glory, and my good fortunes: As I have no unju&s;t thoughts (replied the Prince&s;&s;e calmly) &s;o I will not deny, but I have had, and &s;till have a great e&s;teem of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> and you your &s;elf know, I am obliged not to hate him: Tho&s;e obligations, (replied this turbulent Prince) would never have moved the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> to entertain a &s;ecret affection unto a &s;imple
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common Cavalier, if her heart had not been prompted unto it by &s;ome more potent incli|nation. This &s;imple Cavalier whom you &s;peak of (replied the Prince&s;&s;e very angerly) ap|peared to be as much as <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> did at that time, and may perhaps be one day more then he, although he be King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> He &s;hall not need to &s;tay long for that, an&s;wer|ed he; for &s;ince <HI>Artamenes</HI> is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or of your affection, I value him above all Princes upon earth; though he be no more then he &s;eems to be: you expre&s;&s;e much pride, and much hu|mility together (replied the Prince&s;&s;e;) but Sir, after all this, I would wi&s;h you to un|accu&s;tome your &s;elf to &s;peak &s;o imperiou&s;ly unto me, for I cannot indure it. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> &s;eeing he had extreamly incen&s;ed the Prince&s;&s;e, and pa&s;&s;ing out of his extream violence into extream &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion; Alas Madam (&s;aid he unto her) would you have me re|tain my rea&s;on, when I under&s;tand that the &s;ame heart, which I did think all the earth could not move, is not &s;o in&s;en&s;ible of <HI>Artamenes?</HI> was it not enough to know you hate me, but that I mu&s;t know you love another? and that other whom I mo&s;t hate? As long as I believed you to be in&s;en&s;ible, the Gods do know that I did ju&s;tifie you with my whole heart, as much as ever I could; and &s;hould have confe&s;&s;ed, that you had good cau&s;e to &s;corn all the Kings upon earth, becau&s;e there was none worthy of you: I &s;hould have acknowledged that my proceedings thus with you, did de&s;erve to make me wait a long time for a pardon of my fault. But Madam, &s;ince I certainly perceive, that the only man upon the face of the earth whom I hate (though I once e&s;teemed him) is the only man you love; Ah Madam, I cannot keep within tho&s;e limits pre&s;cribed: I have complained, I have accu&s;ed you, I have lo&s;t my re&s;pect in lo&s;ing my rea&s;on; if I could have pul'd my &s;oul out of this violent pa&s;&s;ion, I &s;hould have done it with abundance of joy; I have done all I can to hate you, but the Gods do know all my endeavours are in vain; for I love you more then I did: My hate of <HI>Artamenes</HI> augments, and my love to <HI>Mandana</HI> multiplies; I find fre&s;h &s;parks of love in me: and Madam, I mu&s;t, indeed I mu&s;t cha&s;e <HI>Artamenes</HI> out of your heart; my re&s;pects, my &s;olicitations, my t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> and &s;ighs mu&s;t de&s;troy him: The truth is, I mu&s;t either die, or he mu&s;t live no longer in your memory. The Prince&s;&s;e hearing the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;peak &s;o, did no longer doubt but that he knew &s;ome pa&s;&s;age of her affection unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and therefore &s;he did not think it convenient to make a &s;ubtilty of her in|nocent friend&s;hip; and con&s;idering in what di&s;order this di&s;cour&s;e had driven her &s;oul, &s;he thought that perhaps when he &s;aw that there was no hopes of ever being beloved, he would then let her alone in quiet; therefore, being to &s;peak, Sir, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) the Gods do know whether I u&s;e any criminous di&s;&s;imulation; The ingenuity I u&s;e unto you may make you know it. Ah Madam, (&s;aid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> then) be not &s;o &s;incere, as to tell me all your advantagious thoughts of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> hide, rather from me, &s;ome part of his glory, and put not my patience unto &s;uch a vigorous te&s;t. I cannot tell you any thing more then your &s;elf knows, (an&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e) for indeed, all the Court of <HI>Cappado|cia</HI> knows, how I much e&s;teemed <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and I told you as much at that time when you were <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> But all the Court of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> is ignorant of what I &s;ee you know, and what I will confe&s;&s;e unto you; which is, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is of a quality equal un|to yours; and that if the King my father would con&s;ent unto it, then the affection which
<HI>Artamenes</HI> bears unto me, &s;hould find from me all the recompence he de&s;erves. Thus Sir, you &s;ee upon what termes the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is, and perhaps you know more now, then yet <HI>Arta|menes</HI> him&s;elf knows; and thus I have told you that important truth which you &s;o earne&s;tly de&s;ired to know: And now it is your part to regulate your de&s;igns and your affection to me; you have a high &s;oul, which is full of genero&s;ity; therefore I need &s;ay no more upon this &s;ubject. You may yet take &s;uch a cour&s;e as may oblige me to e&s;teem you, and which may yet retain the friend&s;hip of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> Ha, Madam, (&s;aid this Prince) although your e&s;teem be very glorious, yet I will have none of it without your affection: nor care I for the friend&s;hip of that man who enjoys your affection, and who is the only ob&s;tacle which hinders me from it: No, no, Madam, <HI>Artamenes</HI> and I mu&s;t take more rough cour|&s;es to decide our differences; his death mu&s;t either give you &s;atisfaction for your cruelty, or mine &s;hall a&s;&s;ure his good fortune and yours together: In &s;aying &s;o he went out, and left the Prince&s;&s;e extreamly troubled. He went to <HI>Mazares,</HI> and related unto him all that <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;aid: This unfortunate Prince did lend a mo&s;t unquiet ear unto him; &s;ome|times he would be &s;orry for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> and &s;ometimes he would be glad, there was &s;uch an ob&s;tacle in the heart of the Prince&s;&s;e, as would prevent the King from being loved; and &s;ometimes he would hope, that between a lover hated, and a lover ab&s;ent, he might perhaps thrive the better in his de&s;ign; &s;o that he re&s;olved to endeavour all wayes
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whereby he might gain the e&s;teem and favour of the Prince&s;&s;e: Yet he did not intend to act again&s;t the rules of genero&s;ity; for, &s;aid he, it &s;hall not be I who will hinder the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> it &s;hall be <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who &s;hall be the ob&s;tacle. But Oh heavens, (&s;aid he pre&s;ently to him&s;elf!) This <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who oppo&s;es the de&s;igns of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> will al&s;o oppo&s;e <HI>Mazares;</HI> yet (added he) <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;hall not vanqui&s;h him by open force, nor declared war;; policy &s;hall help out where force is inavailable; and &s;ince there is no other way to be happy, I mu&s;t have recour&s;e unto &s;ubtilty: Mean while, &s;ince he perceived the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was much incen&s;ed, and in &s;uch a condition as might per|haps move him to undertake &s;ome de&s;perate re&s;olution, he re&s;trained him with all imagi|nable art, and cau&s;ed him to rely much upon his &s;olicitations. Indeed, he went to vi&s;it the Prince&s;s, and as &s;he had much confidence in him, &amp; was not ignorant how the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria</HI> told him every thing, &s;he &s;poke unto him with &s;o much &s;pirit, &s;o much vertue, &s;o much &s;weetne&s;&s;e, and in &s;uch an obliging manner, that <HI>Mazares</HI> did almo&s;t re&s;olve, to enter|tain no more then a friend&s;hip with her; but oh heavens, how weak a foundation had tho&s;e thoughts in him, when he hearkened unto the Prince&s;&s;e his heart melted: Compa&s;&s;ion on her cau&s;ed him almo&s;t to &s;hed tears; but when he lifted up his eyes, and &s;aw <HI>Mandana</HI>'s fre&s;h flames dryed up his tears, and choaked his fir&s;t de&s;ign by enflaming his &s;oul: The Prince&s;&s;e notwith&s;tanding was very well &s;atisfied with him; for as &s;he &s;eemed to take &s;ome notice of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s violent humour: No Madam (&s;aid he to her, after &s;uch a manner as might per&s;wade her that he expre&s;&s;ed his real thoughts) fear not the violence of the King of <HI>A&s;syria;</HI> I will engage my word unto you, to imploy all my diligence, in pre|venting all vitious thoughts in him: But, if I cannot di&s;&s;wade him from any &s;uch de&s;igns, I do prote&s;t unto you, that from a va&s;&s;al I &s;hall become an enemy unto him; and that as long as <HI>Mazares</HI> lives, the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;hall find no other violence from the King of <HI>A&s;syria,</HI> then his prayers and tears, and &s;ighs. You may imagine <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> how ma|ny thanks and commendations the Prince&s;s gave him: Truth is, <HI>Mazares</HI> got &s;o much into her e&s;teem, that &s;he loved him like a brother; and this Prince for a while, was &s;o hap|py, that he neither thought of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> nor any thing which might vex him: But pre|&s;ently after, when the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was informed of the return of <HI>Artamenes</HI> unto <HI>The|mi&s;cira;</HI> and of his arival at <HI>Ecbatan</HI> with <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> al&s;o of all Military preparations again&s;t him; he then ha&s;ted the execution of tho&s;e orders which he had formerly given: for &s;ince that morning we came unto <HI>Babylon,</HI> he had &s;ent into <HI>Lydia,</HI> into <HI>Phrygia, Hirca|nia, Arabia, Paphlagonia,</HI> and al&s;o unto one of the Indian Princes: The Prince of <HI>Saces</HI> al&s;o &s;ent to entreat his father that he would ha&s;ten all tho&s;e Levies which he was to &s;end out of his country; yet we had but a confu&s;ed notion of all the&s;e war-like preparations: For <HI>Mazares</HI> who would not &s;peak a word of <HI>Artamenes</HI> unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> told her alwayes that he knew no more but that he was returned from the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes;</HI> and that there was war-like preparations in hand: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> in the mean while did often vi&s;it the Prince&s;&s;e, and was &s;ometimes all violence, &s;ometimes all &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion; &s;ometimes looking upon her with a deep &s;ilent melancholly; and &s;ometimes &s;peaking with extream anger, not daring to fix his eyes upon hers: But truly I wondered a hundred times at the goodne&s;&s;e of the Gods, that a Prince &s;o imperious as this, and of &s;o proud a di&s;po&s;ition, &s;hould ever ob&s;erve and keep within limits of re&s;pect: At fir&s;t when we came to <HI>Babylon,</HI> all Ladies were permitted to &s;ee the Prince&s;&s;e, and &s;he was &s;o infinitely loved among&s;t them, that they were willing to do any thing to deliver her, were it not for their de&s;ires they had that &s;he &s;hould be their Queen; and therefore every Lady of quality, in relation to her own &s;atisfaction; was ready to do a good office for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> yet &s;ince this Prince was informed by his &s;pies, that they came very often unto her, they were debarred of that Liberty, and the Prince&s;&s;e was &s;o &s;trictly guarded, that none, unle&s;&s;e <HI>Mazares,</HI> mu&s;t &s;ee her; and the principal rea&s;on of it was, becau&s;e the common people began to grumble, that all <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;hould be engaged in an unju&s;t war: Thus did we live in mo&s;t melancholly, and without any comfort, but the company of <HI>Mazares.</HI> The women which waited upon the Prince&s;&s;e, told us, that there came every day a great number of &s;trangers unto <HI>Babylon,</HI> and none knew what they were, for the&s;e women had more liberty then we, but not much: 'Tis very true, that we were in a very fine pri&s;on, (if any can be &s;o) for certainly the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s palace, is the mo&s;t &s;tately thing in the world: The Prince&s;&s;e chamber was on that &s;ide which looks towards the great plain, along the River <HI>Euphrates,</HI> and has a pro&s;pect of above fifty furlongs from <HI>Babylon;</HI> and you know very well, how this pro&s;pect is full of variety and delightful, either in re&s;pect of the River,
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which there winds and turns it &s;elf very plea&s;antly, or in re&s;pect of many &s;tately hou&s;es which are obvious to the eye, and which are inviron'd round with palm trees: In that quarter was the Prince&s;&s;e lodging, out of which a Balcone jetted out, in which &s;he u&s;ed to &s;it, when the weather was fair. I remember, that one night, &s;he was &s;itting there very late; and as the King her father, and <HI>Artamenes</HI> took up much of her thoughts; Imagine <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to me) how glad and &s;orry both I &s;hould be, if in the morning when I open this window, I &s;hould &s;pie a Medean, and a Cappadocian Army; really, &s;aid &s;he, I think that I &s;hould not be able to contain my &s;elf; delight to &s;ee relief, and fear le&s;t it &s;hould prove in vain for me, and fatal to them who bring it, would &s;o di&s;turb my &s;oul, that I &s;hould never have &s;trength, or con&s;tancy enough to live out the event: But alas, <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I am not likely to be either glad or &s;ad, upon &s;uch an occa&s;ion: &s;olitude and &s;i|lence, that raigns in all this va&s;t plain, which we dimly di&s;cover through the ob&s;curity of the night, does tell me that my defenders are not there; and we &s;ee nothing by the gloomy light of Stars and Moon, but only trees and this great River: It was then two dayes &s;ince we &s;aw the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> and he being the greate&s;t part of our conver&s;ation, the Prince&s;&s;e was very &s;orry that &s;he did not &s;ee her protector, for &s;o &s;he often called him: But after the Prince&s;&s;e had &s;ufficiently entertained her contemplations, &s;he retired into a chamber which joyned unto that where we were, and where commonly &s;he pa&s;&s;ed away the day. The next morning, as &s;oon as &s;he was dre&s;t, one came to tell her that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> de&s;ired admittance; and as &s;oon as he was entered, Madam, (&s;aid he to her, after he had &s;aluted her with all due reverence) will you be plea&s;ed to do me the favour, as to go in that chamber, where commonly you u&s;e to be? Sir, (&s;aid &s;he to him, making &s;igns unto <HI>Arianta</HI> and me to follow her) Captives mu&s;t not chu&s;e the places of their pri&s;on, and in &s;aying &s;o &s;he followed him, who pre&s;ented her his hand, and we al&s;o followed them. When we were come into that chamber, the King of <HI>A&s;syria,</HI> went unto the Balcone, and drawing a great Curtain which ran upon hoops of gold, to open and &s;hut as one plea&s;ed, we di&s;covered all that great plain, which the night before we &s;aw &s;o &s;olitary, full of Souldiers in arms; and as they were drawn up into multitudes of Squadrons, Battalia's, and En&s;igns, they &s;eemed to be four hundredthou&s;and men: You may imagine, wi&s;e <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> what effect &s;uch a terrible object did work in the heart of <HI>Mandana;</HI> and at the fir&s;t &s;he did imagine it to be the Army of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> but &s;he continued not in that delighting errour; for the King of <HI>A&s;syria</HI> turning towards her; you &s;ee Madam (&s;aid he to her) that my de&s;ign to Conquer and de&s;erve you, is not judged by the Gods &s;o criminal as you think, &s;ince they thus pro&s;per it; and &s;ince &s;o many Kings and Princes as there is in this Army do take my part, and &s;ince two hundred thou&s;and men are ready to expo&s;e their lives for the love of me. The Prince&s;&s;e, &s;eeing her hopes deceived, did ca&s;t her eyes upon the Army; and though by rea&s;on of the remotene&s;&s;e &s;he could not di&s;cern the En&s;igns, yet it &s;eemed they were not Medeans: Then ha&s;tily turning a&s;ide, as not enduring &s;o terrible an object; oh Sir, (cried &s;he out) what do you let me &s;ee? what kind of puni&s;hment have you invented wherewith to torment me? would you have me all at once re&s;ent the wounds, your Souldiers &s;hall give unto tho&s;e of my party? would you have me apprehend my misfortunes before they fall upon me? what would you have unhappy <HI>Mandana</HI> do? I would have you know (an&s;wered he) that upon your will depends the de&s;tiny of all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> Thus many men, thus many Provin|ces, and thus many Kingdoms, have you brought hither, in my behalf. I know Madam (added he) that the King your Father, a&s;&s;i&s;ted by the King of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> has brought his Troops into the field, and that he is upon the banks of the River <HI>Gindes,</HI> to come to you; and therefore, Madam, I put my &s;elf into a po&s;ture of defence, and try if this la&s;t remedy will mollifie your heart: Con&s;ider, if you plea&s;e Madam, that the Kings of <HI>Lydia, Phrygia, Arabia, Hircania,</HI> and a hundred other mo&s;t valiant Princes who are in my Army, do not acknowledge the King your Father, nor are they in love with you as I am, and there|fore will not &s;pare you as doubtle&s;&s;e I &s;hall do: Con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly, I conjure you, that among&s;t two hundred thou&s;and men, one of them may ea&s;ily deprive you of that per&s;on who is &s;o dear unto you: Oh cruel man (cried &s;he) unto what a fearful puni&s;hment do you expo&s;e me? Ah pittile&s;&s;e Prince&s;&s;e (an&s;wered he) who&s;e hard heart, had rather all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> &s;hould be in arms, that it &s;hould &s;wim in bloud, and be ruined, and that the King your Father &s;hould be engaged in a dangerous war, rather then accept the affection of a Prince who adores you, who lives not but for you, and who is ready to imply this &s;ame Army to Conquer more Crowns for you, if tho&s;e he has does not &s;atisfie your ambition: you &s;ee Madam, two hundred thou&s;and men, ready to march, and ready to fight when
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occa&s;ion requires: yet although &s;o many valiant Captains and Souldiers be all impatient to look their enemies in the face, and fight them, yet one favourable look from you is able to make all their Arms fall out of their hands: Yes Divine Prince&s;s, the Fate of people depends upon your eyes: Ca&s;t but one plea&s;ant look upon me; pronounce but one advantagious word unto me; be but le&s;&s;e cruel, and afford me but one &s;park of hope, and then all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> &s;hall re&s;t in peace, and the King your Father in &s;afety: Speak then I conjure you; or if you will not &s;peak, let your eyes &s;peak for you; &s;ay that you will hereafter love the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> or promi&s;e once only, that you will love <HI>Artamenes</HI> no longer. Pronounce the doome Madam, Mu&s;t I fight, or mu&s;t I di&s;arme: But con&s;ider well, before you give the fatal &s;entence. Sir (an&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e) The Gods are ab&s;olute Ma&s;ters of all men, and <HI>Mandana</HI> ought not to u&s;urp that Supream authority over them: It is my part patiently to endure the mi&s;|fortunes they &s;hall &s;end me, and not oppo&s;e their wills: If they were not re&s;olved upon a warre they would change my heart, and al&s;o the heart of my father to pardon you. So, I am not in a condition to di&s;po&s;e of my own will. It is enough I know from your mouth, that the King of <HI>Medes</HI> is in Arms again&s;t you; I may know thereby, that it is not permitted me, to afford you either a favourable look, or an advantageous &s;yllable, or to give you the lea&s;t glimps of hope. Since he holds you for his enemy, I have a new cau&s;e to u&s;e you ill, nor mu&s;t I pardon you, though I &s;hould be &s;o weak as to wi&s;h it: And though <HI>Artamenes</HI> were not living, yet I &s;hould be the &s;ame I am unto you: Moreover, although your Army be very great, yet will I hope, the Gods will be favoura|ble unto the ju&s;tne&s;&s;e of my Cau&s;e, making all my fathers enemies to fall before him, and giving him the Victory: Yet the Gods do know, if I could with the lo&s;&s;e of my life, prevent the danger of my fathers, I &s;hould &s;acrifice it with incredible joy: Yes Sir, if you can &s;uffer me to be that <HI>&V;ictim,</HI> which will bring peace unto all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> I freely con|&s;ent unto it, with all my heart: And if nothing will give you &s;atisfaction, but the taking <HI>Mandana</HI> away from unfortunate <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I al&s;o con&s;ent unto it, &s;o you will put her into her grave; and that it may be permitted her to pa&s;&s;e out of the hands of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> into the hands of Death, which &s;he would &s;ooner chu&s;e. But in the Name of the Gods Sir, be Generous: Do an Heroick act; &s;urmount that pa&s;&s;ion which is in your heart: The conque&s;t of <HI>Mandana,</HI> is not worth half the blood which will be &s;pilt. Love does deceive you Sir, and that Beauty which thus charmes you, is but a plea&s;ing de&s;u|&s;ion: And although &s;he were as fair as you phan&s;ie her, yet at the be&s;t, it would be but a trea&s;ure which time would certainly &s;teal from any that enjoyes it: Recollect your &s;elf therefore Sir, and if there be any &s;park of rea&s;on in you, affect honour, and glory, and prefer it above <HI>Mandana;</HI> That is much more fair then &s;he, and will treat you better: Then will you e&s;teem <HI>Mandana</HI> more, and al&s;o &s;he will you; nor will &s;he then blame you for the injuries you have done her: Con&s;ider that &s;uch a Prince&s;&s;e as &s;he, is not worthy of &s;o con&s;tant a love as yours; think how &s;he hates you, treats you cour&s;ly, and will never love you. In &s;hort, either by rea&s;on, or revenge, or out of genero&s;ity, re&s;tore Peace unto all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and hate <HI>Mandana,</HI> who hates you. I would do &s;o Madam, (&s;aid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> if I could, but alas, I cannot if I would; and I think, it is as impo&s;&s;ible for me, not to love <HI>Mandana,</HI> as it is impo&s;&s;ible for <HI>Mandana,</HI> not to love <HI>Artamenes.</HI> But Madam (added this Prince, in extream anger) If you love the life of your father the King of <HI>Medea,</HI> be moved with my prayers, for know a&s;&s;uredly, that there is not a valiant man in all my Army, which has not a re&s;olute de&s;igne to encounter with him: Imagine that all the Arrows in the hands of all the&s;e &s;ouldiers which you &s;ee, are aimed at <HI>Artamenes;</HI> that all their &s;pears are &s;et again&s;t his heart, and that all Engines, all Strategems, all offen&s;ive Arms, are employed particularly again&s;t him; and that, it re&s;ts onely in your power to take &s;o many enemies off him: Therefore cruel woman, if you love <HI>Artamenes,</HI> hate not me, but give me &s;ome &s;light &s;igne of your good will, and repentance. No Sir, (an&s;we|red the Prince&s;&s;e) you do not yet know me; for if I would have changed my minde, it would have been when I heard the name of my Father pronounced; and that which I will not do for him, I will never do for <HI>Artamenes;</HI> Not but that (&s;ince you force me to tell it) I am infinite tender of that Prince, and &s;hall pre&s;erve an immoveable fidelity for him: and between a Father and a Lover, I will do what befits me, without any wavering what re&s;olution to take. Then Madam (&s;aid he in a more &s;harp Tone) we mu&s;t go fight, and you have appointed it &s;o. The Prince&s;&s;e, &s;eeing that he was in earne&s;t, and was going away much moved, that boldne&s;&s;e which &s;he retained in &s;peaking unto him, did for&s;ake her, and tears came in her eyes; &s;he then threw her &s;elf at his feet, and fa&s;t holding him,
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(Oh Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him) what are you intending to do? To fight and vanqui&s;h if I can, &s;aid he unto her, and ha&s;tily lifting her up: But though you &s;hould vanqui&s;h the King my Father, yet you &s;hould never vanqui&s;h the heart of <HI>Mandana</HI> (replied &s;he) but on the contrary, I here declare unto you, in the pre&s;ence of the gods, who hear me, that if in this War, either the King my Father, or the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> do die in it, you &s;hall expect nothing from <HI>Mandana,</HI> but her death: Fight Sir, as long as you will, you &s;hall not enjoy the fruits of your victory: And &s;ince the prize for which you fight is in my di&s;po&s;e, you &s;hall never obtain it: You may perhaps overcome the King my Father; and you may perhaps, cau&s;e <HI>Artamenes</HI> to be killed, after he once gave you your life: but you cannot hinder <HI>Mandana</HI> from dying: So that Sir, if you bring her into de&s;pair, &s;he &s;hall al&s;o do the like for you. Think with your &s;elf once more, and con&s;ider it well; for indeed if you be vanqui&s;hed, then you will be vanqui&s;hed with abundance of &s;hame, con&s;idering the inju&s;tice of the Action: and if you be Conquerour, you will finde no other recompence for all your pains, but the Coffin of <HI>Mandana.</HI> The gods Madam, an&s;wered he, did not &s;end you unto the earth, to take you away &s;o &s;oon; and I will hope that if I return Conquerour, you will then change your thoughts of me. If ever I &s;ee you Victorious (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) and the noi&s;e of your Victory precede your returne, my death &s;hall precede the day of your Triumph. But Madam (replied this Prince) what would you have me do? Since things are at that pa&s;&s;e I cannot live without you; and &s;ince I cannot &s;uffer <HI>Artamenes</HI> to live, and you to love him, but not the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> yet Madam, I &s;ee you had rather all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> &s;hould peri&s;h, and you hope I &s;hall peri&s;h in it: Yes, yes Ma|dam, I read this &s;ecret joy in your heart, which mingles it &s;elf with your &s;orrows; but yet for all that, I &s;till re&s;pect you, love you and adore you: Judge Madam, whether there be any compari&s;on between the love of <HI>Artamenes</HI> and mine: For he &s;ees, he is beloved of the faire&s;t Prince&s;&s;e upon earth, what wonder is it, that he &s;hould be faithfull unto &s;uch a Prince&s;&s;e who &s;corns all the Grandure of the World for him? To know the difference be|twixt his love and mine, &s;eem Madam to &s;corne him, as you do me, and treat but him as you treat me; then, if after that, he &s;hall love you as do, I &s;hall confe&s;&s;e he has more right unto your affection then I have. You know Madam, that I am Ma&s;ter in <HI>Babylon,</HI> and &s;o can cau&s;e my &s;elf to be obeyed; Yet you have commanded ab&s;olutely here, and I let you have the liberty to &s;corne me, and all this becau&s;e I am po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with &s;uch a pa&s;&s;i|on as has no paralell, which combats with all tho&s;e violent de&s;ires which are in my heart, and which will not permit me to do any thing but adore you. Indeed Madam, I mu&s;t be gone, and carry &s;word and fire to the Camp of my enemies: I mu&s;t go and &s;eek out <HI>Arta|menes;</HI> you will have it &s;o, and I will obey you; In the mean time, I know you will pray unto the gods for his Victory and my ruine; but I conjure you to change your heart. I have onely thus much to &s;ay unto you Madam, That if when I am gone, the image of all tho&s;e misfortunes which you cau&s;e, &s;hall happily move you to repent of &s;o unju&s;t a Re&s;o|lution, and would have the Wars to cea&s;e; It is but &s;ending the meane&s;t of your &s;ervants unto me, and write onely this word, HOPE, and at that very in&s;tant when I &s;hall re|ceive that happie Ticket, though I were in the mid&s;t of Battle, and my hand lifted up to kill <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and although the Victory were almo&s;t &s;ure unto me, yet I will promi&s;e you (Inexorable Prince&s;&s;e) to &s;ound a Retreat; to flee before my enemies, to come and throw my &s;elf at your feet, and look in your eyes, for a confirmation of that ble&s;&s;ed &s;yllable. While&s;t this Prince was &s;peaking thus, <HI>Mandana</HI> was &s;o &s;unk in &s;orrows, that &s;he hardly under&s;tood him what he &s;aid; and found her &s;elf &s;o weak that &s;he was glad to &s;it down upon the &s;eat which was in the <HI>Balcone;</HI> &s;o that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;ee|ing &s;he was inflexible, and would &s;peak no more unto him, he left her, after he unperceived|ly had ki&s;&s;ed her Robe: When he was in another Chamber, he cau&s;ed me to be called unto him, but I confe&s;&s;e that I never in all my life &s;aw a more de&s;perate man: He &s;poke unto me a hundred things which I &s;hould repeat unto the Prince&s;&s;e, and I an|&s;wered him as well as I could, to reduce him unto Rea&s;on. And &s;ince the Prince&s;&s;e mena|cing her own death, did much trouble his minde, <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;aid he to me, you &s;hall an&s;wer for the life of <HI>Mandana;</HI> &s;peak no more in my behalf if you plea&s;e, but be &s;ure you look unto her pre&s;ervation: afterwards he &s;aid the &s;ame unto <HI>Arianta,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the women about her; al&s;o he &s;poke much more unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> whom he was to leave Governour in <HI>Babylon;</HI> and who had been bu&s;ied in tho&s;e Troops which his father had &s;ent up to the Rendezvouz, and that was the rea&s;on we &s;aw him not two days together. But <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> if I &s;hould relate all that the Prince&s;s &s;aid after the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was de|parted,
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it would ingage me unto a long di&s;cour&s;e: &s;he ro&s;e up, and would once againe view this multitudinous Army: But alas what &s;ad thoughts did it produce? Alas <HI>Mar|te&s;ia,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, after &s;he had been a long while &s;ilent) can I ever con&s;ent that all the&s;e troops, &s;hould march again&s;t my father, and again&s;t <HI>Artamenes?</HI> mu&s;t I expo&s;e the lives of two, who are &s;o infinitly dear unto me, to a long and dangerous war? Can I who ever had an Antipathy to war, con&s;ent, that &s;o many thou&s;ands of men, &s;o many Prin|ces, &s;o many Kings, &s;hould be killed for the love of me? mu&s;t &s;o many innocent &s;oules &s;uffer for my &s;ake? Ah no, no, <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I am infinitly wronged; and there was &s;ome pa&s;&s;ages in the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> di&s;cour&s;e, at which I doubt whether I had my rea&s;on a|bout me or no: yet I do confe&s;s that neither my heart nor my tongue had &s;o much power as to afford him one advantagious word: I know not whether it be an effect of hatred unto him as the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana,</HI> or an effect of love unto <HI>Artamenes:</HI> But per|haps, I have not &s;aid enough to qualifie him; yet what &s;hould I do? &s;aid &s;he upon a &s;ud|den, doubtle&s;s I have lo&s;t my rea&s;on; my heart and my tongue have been more Ju&s;t, then my conceipt; for the truth is, neither peace nor war are in my di&s;po&s;e; though I &s;hould expell that hatred, which I have of that Prince who has &s;o injuriou&s;ly taken me away: though I &s;hould think no more upon <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and though I &s;hould re&s;olve to be &s;o wicked as to &s;ubmit unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> yet all the&s;e ba&s;e cour&s;es would not advan|tage me, &s;ince the King my father would not give over the war; and &s;ince the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> would become more bloody and furious, for culpable <HI>Mandana,</HI> then he would be for Innocent <HI>Mandana.</HI> Moreover, do I not know very well, that ever &s;ince the famous <HI>Dejoca</HI> who &s;et <HI>Medea</HI> at liberty, and delivered them from the tyrannie of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrians,</HI> there has been an irreconciliable hatred between tho&s;e two people? &amp; were it Ju&s;t that a Prince&s;s de&s;cended from the illu&s;trious blood of the re&s;torer of her countrey &s;hould bring it againe into &s;ervitude? no <HI>Marte&s;ia;</HI> for whether I do con&s;ider the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> as the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana,</HI> or as an enemy unto the King of the <HI>Medes,</HI> or as the enemy of <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> or as the tyrant of my countrey; I have behaved my &s;elf towards him, as I ought to do. But <HI>Artamenes</HI> is in the &s;ame Army that my father is: he hath already &s;aved his life, &amp; may do &s;o againe, and con&s;idering the ju&s;tne&s;s of their cau&s;e, it may be hoped, the gods will protect and pre&s;erve them both. But <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> all her contemplations of the Ju&s;tne&s;s of her cau&s;e did not procure her &s;o much re&s;t, as the &s;ight of this va&s;t Army did di&s;quiet her: Madam, &s;aid I, look no longer upon tho&s;e troops which &s;o much trouble you; or if you will needs view them, then look upon them as a &s;ubject of glory for the King your father and for <HI>Artamenes:</HI> Ah, alas my dear <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> (cryed &s;he) who can tell whether among&s;t all the&s;e I look upon, I do not &s;ee the murderer of my father, or of <HI>Artamenes?</HI> truly <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> I was forced to pull her away violently unto another Chamber: mean while, we were informed, that the Army would depart the next morning, and that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had intelligence how the <HI>Medean</HI> Army had pa&s;&s;ed the River <HI>Gindes,</HI> by a prodigi|ous invention which you are not ignorant of &s;ince you were there; and how they had repul&s;ed &s;ome <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> troops which were on this &s;ide the river: the King therefore de|parted in all ha&s;t, and cau&s;ed the army to march: the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> moved with thoughts of honour, did much de&s;ire to accompany him: But the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> would tru&s;t the guard of <HI>Babylon</HI> and the keeping of the Prince&s;&s;e unto none but him: &s;o that he conjured him to &s;tay behind: and I know not whether, thoughts of love (notwith&s;tan|ding the great heart of this Prince) made him glad of it: It was the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> mind that the troops which belonged unto <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;hould &s;tay in <HI>Babylon;</HI> to the end, that if the people did murmur at the inju&s;tice of this war, in his ab&s;ence, tho&s;e forraigne forces might keep them in obedience: but that which was mo&s;t admirable, was this, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> a little before he left <HI>Mazares,</HI> he drew him a&s;ide; and with an un|quiet and much di&s;ordered mind &s;poke to him in the&s;e termes: you &s;ee my dear <HI>Mazares,</HI> that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is alwayes very fortunate and invincible: he hath got over that River in eight dayes, which might have been well a years work: he hath done that which was only the work of a god, and if I be not mi&s;taken, fortune has not thus friended him, to for&s;ake him afterwards, not but that I know my army is thrice as &s;trong as the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> for, for all that I may be overcome, and al&s;o killed in the fight: know, that by rea|&s;on of my unexpre&s;&s;ible pa&s;&s;ion for the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> I am terribly tormented with this cruel thought, that if I die, then will <HI>Artamenes</HI> quietly enjoy the affection of <HI>Manda|na:</HI> promi&s;e me therefore, I conjure you, that if I die, you will fight with <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and never deliver up the Prince&s;s unto the King her father untill that too happy Rivall be
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dead al&s;o: promi&s;e me this I entreat you, and &s;eal it with an oath: for after that, I &s;hall be at &s;ome re&s;t; and be le&s;s tormented with that envious Jealou&s;ie which per&s;ecutes me: and I confe&s;s unto you, that if I thought any one &s;hould enjoy <HI>Mandana,</HI> I &s;hould die de&s;perate: But con&s;idering the extream affection &s;he has unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> I &s;hall hope that if you kill him, &s;he will never love any other nor ever marry. This <HI>Mazares,</HI> is the &s;ervice I expect from you, and which doubtle&s;s you will not refu&s;e me, though it be &s;om|thing difficult, it mu&s;t be acknowledged that you cannot kill <HI>Artamenes,</HI> but it will be a great glory unto you; and you will that way find a recompence, in doing this office for me. I leave you to Judg whether <HI>Mazares</HI> was not much &s;urpri&s;ed at &s;uch di&s;cour&s;e, and you may ea&s;ily think, that without any denyall he promi&s;ed the King his de&s;ire, it being mo&s;t certaine, that &s;ince reports went in <HI>Babylon, Artamenes</HI> was drawing towards it, his pa&s;&s;ion grew more violent. So <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> went away much &s;atisfied with what <HI>Mazares</HI> promi&s;ed, which was, to fight with <HI>Artamenes,</HI> in ca&s;e he died. Now were we under the di&s;po&s;e of <HI>Mazares,</HI> who doubled his civilities and goodne&s;s to us; and in the tormenting fears in which we continually were, to hear &s;ome ill news, it might be &s;aid our captivity was not rigorous, yet it was very much notwith&s;tanding that. The Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> never came into the Prince&s;s chamber, but &s;he trembled, and looked for &s;ome ill tidings from the army. As for him; he was more and more amorous, and I think he had need of all his genero&s;ity, to wi&s;h the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> victory. I re|member, one day, that when he &s;aw the Prince&s;s much troubled, and that according to his cu&s;tom he was very melancholy, <HI>Mandana,</HI> thinking compa&s;&s;ion of her misfortunes, was only the cau&s;e of it, Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I am not a little beholding unto you, &s;ince being what you are unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> you are &s;o good as to intere&s;t your &s;elf in any thing which concerns me: Indeed Madam, an&s;wered he, you have wrought a &s;trange alteration in my heart: I confe&s;s notwith&s;tanding, that I cannot wi&s;h the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> were vanqui&s;hed, yet I have much ado to wi&s;h him victory; and all this Madam out of my love to you; and I hope you will not condemn me for it; no &s;aid &s;he but on the contrary, I much commend you, and think you more innocent for truly, not to be prejudicated in the bu&s;ine&s;s of a Prince whom you love, and to favour the intere&s;t of an un|fortunate Prince&s;s whom you &s;car&s;ly know, is truly generous: Ah Madam, replied <HI>Ma|zares,</HI> do not &s;ay I be&s;eech you, that I do not know <HI>Mandana:</HI> for I know her &s;o per|fectly well, that none upon earth knowes her betters; and therefore I do in &s;ome &s;ort be|tray the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> al&s;o I do know (added he) her own misfortunes better then &s;he her &s;elf does: I doubt it not, (replied the Prince&s;s) for &s;ince you know him who is the cau&s;e of them better then I do, you may al&s;o better &s;ee tho&s;e dangerous con&s;equences which that cau&s;e may produce. Thus <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> did <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;omtimes &s;peak &s;uch things as might move &s;ome &s;u&s;pition of his &s;ecret thoughts, and thus did the ingenuity of the Prince&s;s cau&s;e her to expound them without any &s;ubtilty: In the mean time, we were alwayes upon extream incertainties: the lea&s;t noi&s;e troubled us: I never came into <HI>Man|danas</HI> chamber, but &s;he looked in my face to &s;ee if &s;he found any ill news in it; and &s;he often thought, that &s;he found &s;ignes of victory to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> in it, and the death of her father and <HI>Artamenes.</HI> But pre&s;ently after, as we &s;tood in that Balcone, which I named before, we di&s;covered a great thick du&s;t, ari&s;e from the earth in that great plaine a great way off: and pre&s;ently after, we di&s;cerned a great body of hor&s;e appeared: this tight, and the Prince&s;s feares, made her look pale: But after we had well con&s;idered them; me thought they came too fa&s;t, and in too great di&s;order, towards <HI>Babylon</HI> to bring victory with them: Madam, (&s;aid I unto the Prince&s;s) certainly we have had the better on it; it is ea&s;ie to be &s;een; for be&s;ides that they are no great number, they come in &s;uch ha&s;ty con|fu&s;ion, as conquerors would never do. But <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> (&s;aid the Prince&s;s to me, alwayes fearing the wor&s;t) how know you, whether or no the&s;e be pri&s;oners of war, which they &s;end away; and whether the King my father, or <HI>Artamenes,</HI> be not among&s;t the&s;e I &s;ee? But <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> pre&s;ently after, our doubts were all cleared: for a little after the&s;e troopes were come into the Town, we heard a great noi&s;e upon the &s;taires<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> and after that; we &s;aw the dore of our Chamber opened, and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> enter: with his Arms all broken, and &s;tain'd with blood in divers places: his &s;carfe all to<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n and bloody <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">his plume all ruffled, broken and bloody likewi&s;e, for he had a &s;light wound in his &s;houlder: There were &s;uch &s;ignes of &s;orrow in his eyes, and &s;o many marks of fury in his face: that the Prince&s;s was out of all fears of her father or <HI>Artamenes.</HI> As &s;oon as this de&s;perat Prince was come into the Chamber; your prayers Madam are heard. <HI>Artamenes</HI> has got the better of us; and I hoped once in my life not to di&s;plea&s;e you, in &s;eeing at your feet him whom
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fortune has conquered: It is none of my fault Sir, (replied the Prince&s;s) that this misfor|tune is fal'n unto you; and if you would have &s;uffered my prayers to have overcome you, <HI>Artamenes</HI> never &s;hould have vanqui&s;hed you; and the victory which you would have obtained over your &s;elf, had been more glory to you, then that, which <HI>Artamenes</HI> has, is ho|norable unto him. Madam, (replied the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> can <HI>Mandana</HI> whom I have often &s;een &s;o &s;weet and compa&s;&s;ionate over the meane&s;t &s;ubjects of the King her father, hear with dry eyes, and calme &s;oule, that for the love of her, there is a field full of dead and dying men; Charriots overthrown; Armes broken; Kings lo&s;t their lives: Princes wounded or pri&s;oners: an infinite number of &s;ouldiers wallowing in their own blood; &amp; that neer four hundred thou&s;and men have fought for you, can I &s;ay, this obdurat Prince&s;s, &s;ee me wounded, and vanqui&s;hed at her feet, without one thought of compa&s;&s;ion? me, I &s;ay, who have quite lo&s;t all my fury as &s;oon as I &s;aw her; who as &s;oon as I look upon her has no &s;orrowes for my defeat; and who &s;hould e&s;teem my &s;elf very happy to &s;uffer all the&s;e di&s;graces if it were permitted me to hope, that &s;he would once pitty my misfor|tunes. Yes cruell Prince&s;s, though I be vanqui&s;hed, wounded, and misfortunat, yet you can if you plea&s;e, make me the happie&s;t of men: but I be&s;eech you, do not in&s;ult over a mi&s;erable man; and con&s;ider, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is not yet got into <HI>Babylon:</HI> and Madam to temper your Joy a little, give me leave to tell you, that it is not &s;o ea&s;ie a thing to enter it, as it is to vanqui&s;h in the field: Battles doe more particularly depend upon fortune then fieges, and therefore I can an&s;wer more ab&s;olutly for the event of the one then of the other: and <HI>Babylon</HI> &s;hall all be butchered, &amp; al&s;o I will burie my &s;elf in its ruines, then &s;uffer <HI>Artamenes</HI> to enjoy you: Sir (&s;aid the Prince&s;s, interrupting him without any pa&s;&s;ionate di&s;order) fear of death, does not tremble my &s;oul, and you have &s;o accu&s;tomed me to de|&s;ire it, that it is not a threatning which affrights me, if you &s;hould tell me of peri&s;hing in flames: Ha Madam (&s;aid this Prince kneeling unto her) I be&s;eech you pardon an unfortunat man, in whom you have not left the u&s;e of rea&s;on: I thought not of what I &s;aid, when I &s;aid &s;o unto you: but yet, what would you have me do? I have often told you and do &s;o againe, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hall never enjoy you as long as I live, nor &s;hall <HI>Artamenes</HI> over|come me without &s;ome danger to him&s;elf, as brave and fortunat as he is. But Sir, (&s;aid the Prince&s;s unto him) Is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould be &s;o blind, as not to &s;ee the gods are again&s;t you? But Inhumane Prince&s;s, (replied he) Is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould not con&s;ider that you are the cau&s;e of this war, and are the mo&s;t cruel woman in the world? which way can your heart be moved? when I la&s;t &s;poke unto you, I &s;aid in my &s;elf to excu&s;e you, that great &s;ouls are never flexible with armes in their hands; and you &s;peaking almo&s;t in the head of two hundred thou&s;and men, &s;aid that there would be found &s;ome way to re&s;i&s;t me: But now, I come unto you vanqui&s;ht, wounded, and mi&s;erable; (confe&s;s the truth) is it not &s;omthing Inhumane, Barbarous, and Cruel, not to look upon me with &s;ome com|pa&s;&s;ion at the lea&s;t? the gods do know Sir, (replied the Prince&s;s) that I am no lover of war, and that I am a wi&s;her of peace unto all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> But for all that I can contribute no|thing towards it but my prayers, my will depends upon my fathers; and my affection is a thing I cannot take away again after I have given it: Oh Madam, (&s;aid the King of
<HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> interrupting her) &s;peak no more in the name of the gods, drive me not into ab&s;olut de&s;pair: for I confe&s;s, I am afraid my rea&s;on has for&s;aken me, and that tho&s;e re&s;pects which I would have unto you untill death, will (whether I will or no) &s;o &s;ake me al&s;o: &s;peak not at all, when you can &s;peak nothing but what is in&s;ufferable: yet (&s;aid he in go|ing away) &s;ince my blood mingled with my tears will not move you, and &s;ince the vanqui&s;h|ed King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> is no plea&s;ing object unto you, I will leave you to rejoyce at the victo|ry of <HI>Artaments,</HI> in &s;aying &s;o, he went out of the Prince&s;s chamber; and after he had taken all nece&s;&s;ary order for tho&s;e troops, which e&s;caped the Rout; and for the pre&s;erva|tion of the town; he went to bed: for though the wound he received was not very con|&s;iderable, yet he having lo&s;t much blood, it had a little weakned him: though he was dre&s;&s;ed at a little town about twelve &s;urlongs from <HI>Babylon:</HI> you may imagin Sir, what variety of thoughts the Prince&s;s had: and how impatient &s;he was to know all pa&s;&s;ges, but it was not po&s;&s;ible for us to be better &s;atisfied: we under&s;tood that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria,</HI> after he was vanqui&s;hed, apprehending there might ari&s;e &s;ome &s;edition within <HI>Baby|lon,</HI> came in all ha&s;t, that he might be in the town, before the reports of his defeat: yet what que&s;tions &s;oever we asked, we could receive but confu&s;edly the particulars of the Battle: yet they kept us up more clo&s;e then before, and changed chambers, with inten|tion doubtle&s;s to deprive us of that con&s;olution, in &s;eeing the victorious army of the King
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her father: I will relate unto you no more of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s de&s;pair, and how ir|re&s;olute he was in coming to <HI>Babylon,</HI> whether he &s;hould &s;ee the Prince&s;&s;e or no: The &s;hame of his defeat denied it, but his extream de&s;ire to &s;ee her con&s;trained it; al&s;o he thought that happily he might move her to pitty his misfortune: &s;ince he was not much wounded, he left his bed the next day, and began to prepare for a Siege, and to take all re|qui&s;ite orders to hold it out. He imagined that &s;ince the time of lying in the field was al|mo&s;t at an end, the King of <HI>Medes</HI> could not take <HI>Babylon</HI> in one winter, but would be compelled to rai&s;e his Siege, and defer it until the &s;pring; during which time he would u&s;e all the wayes he could to move the mind of <HI>Mandana,</HI> either by fair means or foul; and al&s;o would in the mean time prepare him&s;elf for a new battle. For our parts, <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> we did not fully reli&s;h our joys; for we &s;aw <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;o &s;ad, as cau&s;ed us to apprehend he had di&s;covered &s;ome ill intentions in the mind of the King; al&s;o it was ea&s;ie for us to conceive that the Siege of <HI>Babylon</HI> could not be without much danger; yet this happy beginning gave us good heart; and &s;o much joy as drave a great part of our fears out of our &s;ouls. The Gods (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e) are too ju&s;t and good to for&s;ake us; and I have greater confidence in their ju&s;tice, then in the arms of the King my Father, or the valour of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> Mean while, we treated <HI>Mazares</HI> much more civil then ordinary; for &s;ince we feared nothing &s;o much as the violent humour of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Mazares</HI> was the only hopes we had, to pre&s;erve us from him; but we did not know all the intere&s;t he hoped for in the Prince&s;&s;e. In conclu&s;ion, as you know better then I; the Siege of <HI>Ba|bylon</HI> began, and both &s;ides did as much as men of great hearts could do, both in a&s;&s;aulting, and defending: It was now, wi&s;e <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> that our fears were without intermi&s;&s;ion; for we know there was not a day in which the Be&s;iegers did not make an a&s;&s;ault, and in which the Be&s;ieged did not make a Sally; &s;o that our whole life was but a continued fear: Our fears were not only for the King, and for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and <HI>Mazares,</HI> whom we under|&s;tood commanded the parties which Sallyed very often; but I remember the Prince&s;&s;e one day, could not chu&s;e but complain her &s;elf unto him; Generous Prince (&s;aid &s;he, when &s;he was informed he had been fighting) I look upon you as the only protector which I have in <HI>Bubylon;</HI> as one who is infinitely dear unto me, and as one who is infinitely &s;er|viceable unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and as one who&s;e vertue is a great con&s;olation unto me; yet I do know that as &s;oon as you are out of the wals of <HI>Babylon,</HI> you do become one of my mo&s;t dangerous enemies; &s;ince you are one of the mo&s;t valiant among&s;t them; and that the illu&s;trious <HI>Mazares,</HI> whom <HI>Mandana</HI> cals her dear protector, does endeavour to kill not only that man whom &s;he re&s;pects as her deliverer, but al&s;o the King her Father: In|deed (&s;aid &s;he unto him) you are very cruel to take away from me the liberty of praying for you, for indeed all that I can do upon this occa&s;ion, is, to wi&s;h that you be neither con|queror nor conquered by tho&s;e whom you a&s;&s;ault, and who are a&s;&s;aulted by you: you are all goodne&s;&s;e, (replied <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;ighing) to &s;ay &s;o unto me Madam; but yet honour, Ma|dam, will not permit me to be continually mewed up within wals, while&s;t &s;o many brave men arefighting: when I leave you in <HI>Babylon,</HI> I do confe&s;&s;e it is with much regret; And it is extreamly again&s;t my mind, that I &s;hould quit the glorious title of your protector, to a&s;&s;ume that of your enemy, but yet rea&s;on will have it &s;o, and there is no way to help it; for be&s;ides that honour which I told you of, and be&s;ides other rea&s;ons which I have, what would the King of <HI>A&s;syria</HI> think if I &s;hould do otherwi&s;e? I &s;hould become &s;u&s;pected, and perhaps be deprived of the honour and liberty to &s;ee you; Therefore, Madam, if I be cul|pable in any thing, it is not in this; yet notwith&s;tanding, I do confe&s;&s;e, that I am infi|nitely to be blamed, and the condition I am in is extreamly unfortunate. Alas, &s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e, I am very &s;orry to be any cau&s;e of your di&s;quiets, and if could find out any way, to let <HI>Artamenes</HI> know how much I am obliged unto you; I am certain he would not fight again&s;t you, if he did but know you: But rather he would fight again&s;t tho&s;e of his own &s;ide, if they &s;hould a&s;&s;ault you in his pre&s;ence: I que&s;tion not Madam, (replied <HI>Mazares</HI> blu&s;hing) but if <HI>Artaments</HI> did know me by your report, he would e&s;teem me, but if he did know me by my own addre&s;&s;es, he would not perhaps u&s;e me &s;o: you are very mo|de&s;t (&s;aid the Prince&s;s to him, who did not &s;u&s;pect any hidden &s;ence in his (words) &amp; you make me wonder; but however, &s;aid &s;he, I be&s;eech you remember two things when you go to fight: The one is, that there are in the Army which Be&s;iegeth <HI>Babylon,</HI> two Princes who&s;e lives are infinitely dear unto me; and the other is that in you only is all the con|&s;olation and &s;upport that I have in <HI>Babylon</HI> again&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;syria:</HI> As <HI>Mazares</HI> was making an&s;wer, one came to tell him that the King enquired for him, and certainly it was
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advantagious for him to be &s;o interrupted, for doubtle&s;&s;e he was much nonplu&s;t to give a direct an&s;wer unto the Prince&s;&s;e without contradicting his own thoughts, which were not very quiet, &s;ince I verily believe, that never was &s;oul more pa&s;&s;ionate then the &s;oul of <HI>Ma|zares,</HI> nor any more vertuous, although the violence of love induced the Prince unto &s;ome things that were not over ju&s;t. Mean while, winter, contrary to the common cu&s;tome of that Country, did draw fa&s;t on us, and the weather was very &s;harp, which did as much rejoyce the King of <HI>A&s;syria,</HI> as it grieved us, out of our fears that the King of <HI>Medes</HI> and <HI>Artamenes</HI> would be compelled to rai&s;e their Siege. We had then no other recour&s;e, but unto our prayers; and the Prince&s;&s;e, by the mediation of the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> obtained permi&s;&s;ion, to go unto the Temple of <HI>Jupiter Belus</HI> every day; which Temple is the mo&s;t mo&s;t &s;tately and famous Church in all <HI>Babylon:</HI> as well becau&s;e that this god is the protector of the A&s;&s;yrians, and him whom they pray unto at the beginning of Battels; as al&s;o be|cau&s;e of the Oracles which are there given by the mouth of a woman, whom <HI>Jupiter Belus</HI> made choice of to declare his will unto them who would know it: And &s;ince, I think, if my memory deceive me not, that you have heretofore told me, how you never was at the place of tho&s;e Oracles all the while you &s;taied at <HI>Babylon;</HI> and &s;ince there is no likelihood, that you &s;hould &s;ee it &s;ince, con&s;idering the tumult and confu&s;ion in which you put the Town, at the taking of it; It is therefore requi&s;ite, that I repre&s;ent it unto you in a few words; after one is entered into the &s;tately court of the Temple, and pa&s;&s;ed through tho&s;e mo&s;t magni|ficent gates of Braffe which opens into it; one &s;hall find the door of that prodigious Tower, which &s;upports &s;even others above it, unto the top of which one a&s;cends by winding &s;tairs, &s;upported by pillars of Copper: In the mid&s;t of every pair of &s;tairs, there are &s;eats to re&s;t upon, and when one is come unto the heighe&s;t Turret of all, one &s;hall find a little, but mo&s;t magnificent Temple, wherein is to be &s;een a great Statue of <HI>Jupiter Belus,</HI> made of ma&s;&s;ie Gold, a Table of Gold al&s;o, and a Throne of the &s;ame metal, and many both great and rich ve&s;&s;els; there is al&s;o a mo&s;t &s;tately Altar; upon which the Chaldeans who fir&s;t con|&s;tituted Ceremonies of Religion in <HI>Babylon,</HI> did every year at the grand Sacrifice, burn above a hundred Talents of Incen&s;e. As one goes out of that, they enter into another, but le&s;&s;e, in which was a Couch all covered over with gold, and a Table of the &s;ame metal, with a great Lamp of gold al&s;o upon it, which was alwayes burning. This place was not open on any &s;ide but the door, which being &s;hut, there was no light at all; It was in this place, where that woman whereof I &s;poke, did re&s;ide in the day time, and on that Couch &s;leeps in the nights, after the example of one who is reported to be in <HI>Egypt</HI> at <HI>Thebes,</HI> and another at <HI>Patares</HI> a Town in <HI>Licia,:</HI> Here I &s;ay does the Prophete&s;s live, &s;eparated from all the re&s;t of the world, and delivers Oracles unto tho&s;e who come, and con&s;ult with her. After this, <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> I &s;hall tell you, how being moved unto it either out of devo|tion, or by a kind of curio&s;ity, when we were one day in the Temple of <HI>Jupiter Belus,</HI> to wit, in the great Temple below, where every one does ordinarily walk, the Prince&s;&s;e had a great mind to go into the top of the highe&s;t Tower, and to vi&s;it this famous woman of <HI>Babylon,</HI> and to de&s;ire her a&s;&s;i&s;tance unto the Gods, without any de&s;ign of con&s;ulting with the Oracle at all: How, <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> may the chance of things be admired; <HI>Mazares,</HI> who was then in the Temple, pre&s;ented his hand unto the Prince&s;&s;e, to lead her up tho&s;e &s;tairs which were very &s;teep; but both he and we were much amazed, when we came to the top of this high Tower, and found the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> without any with him but the Captaine of his Guard, who was come thither to con&s;ult with this woman; certainly, if the Prince&s;&s;e had known of his being there, &s;he would not have come thither that day: &s;ince be was but only entered into the little Temple, and had not yet &s;poke with the Pro|phete&s;&s;e, he thought this accident fell out happily for him, and intended to inform him|&s;elf what he was to expect, as the event of his pa&s;&s;ion; but before he &s;poke unto the Pro|phete&s;&s;e, he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto the Prince&s;&s;e, and told her very civilly; Madam, &s;aid he, double&s;&s;e you are come hither to &s;olicite the gods again&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> But be|fore the prayers of one &s;o vertuous as your &s;elf have incen&s;ed the god of this place who is here adored; I be&s;eech you permit him to con&s;ult, and in your pre&s;ence to enquire the in|tention of the Deity: The Prince&s;&s;e, who though &s;he could expect nothing from heaven which was not advantagious for her, con&s;idering the innocency of her life, and purity of her thoughts, told him that &s;he was glad to &s;ee &s;uch &s;igns of piety in him, and con&s;ented unto what he de&s;ired: we entered then into that little place de&s;tined for Oracles, where the woman who was very fair, and in very magnificent habit, asked him, as &s;he would have done the meane&s;t of his &s;ubjects, and with no more re&s;pect, what he would know? I would
<PB N="127" REF="148">
have you (&s;aid he to her very &s;ubmi&s;&s;ively) &s;upplicated that god who reveals the &s;ecrets of men unto you, that he would be plea&s;ed to tell me by your mouth, whether the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> will be eternally inhumane, and whether ever tho&s;e torments which I endure will have an end? At the&s;e words this woman opened a great gate of Gold, which was clo&s;e by her Couch, and kneeling down upon a Cu&s;hion, &s;he was a long time, holding up her head unto the mouth of a little ob&s;cure Vault, which that golden grate did &s;hut up, and which was hewed out of the thickne&s;&s;e of the wall: afterwards, being wrapt, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with a divine &s;pirit which tran&s;ported her, &s;he unfolded the tre&s;&s;es of her hair, which &s;pread about her &s;houlders; then ri&s;ing up and turning towards the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> with a face quite altered, her eyes &s;parkling more then before, her complexion ruddy, and her voice more clear, &s;he di&s;tinctly pronounced the&s;e words.</P>
<LG>
<HEAD>The ORACLE.</HEAD>
<L>Well maye&s;t thou hope, to make her mourn</L>
<L>For all her cruelty and &s;corn,</L>
<L>Becau&s;e hereafter in her arms,</L>
<L>Thou there &s;halt find &s;uch plea&s;ing charms,</L>
<L>As quite &s;hall terminate thy pain,</L>
<L>And turn thy &s;orrows into gain.</L>
</LG>
<P>I leave you to imagine <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> how much was the joy of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and how great was the grief of <HI>Mandana:</HI> how deep was the de&s;pair of <HI>Mazares,</HI> though he dur&s;t not &s;hew it, and what a wonder it was unto me; the truth is, I cannot expre&s;&s;e it: for we did almo&s;t certainly know there could be no cheat in this Oracle, &s;ince the King could not know that the Prince&s;&s;e would come thither; and certainly the woman was of a very great reputation, and extraordinary &s;anctity, &s;o that we could not &s;u&s;pect the lea&s;t trick in it; al&s;o it was by rea&s;on of this good repute that the Prince&s;&s;e de&s;ired to &s;ee her: but oh heavens, how many tears did this curio&s;ity co&s;t her! &s;he went pre&s;ently out of the Temple, and &s;poke not a word unto this woman as &s;he did intend, and went unto the Pa|lace extreamly melancholly: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> went thither with her; and he was no &s;ooner in her chamber, but looking upon her with many &s;igns of &s;atisfaction in his counte|nance; Well Madam, &s;aid he to her, will you contend with the gods? The gods, an&s;wered &s;he, are not unju&s;t, and thats all my hope: They are not unju&s;t I confe&s;&s;e (replied he) but withall you mu&s;t acknowledge with me that they can be no lyers: I know it well (re|plied &s;he) but I know al&s;o that they are incomprehen&s;ible; and it is pre&s;umptuous ra&s;hne&s;&s;e in men, to think they can perfectly under&s;tand their language. They do explain them&s;elves &s;o clearly (replied he) that I can doubt no longer of my good fortune: They explain them&s;elves &s;o unju&s;tly in appearance (an&s;wered &s;he) that I cannot believe they are well under&s;tood; But Sir (added the Prince&s;&s;e, who de&s;ired to be alone and at liberty to bewaile this new misfortune) if it be the plea&s;ure of the gods to make an alteration in my &s;oul, leave all the care of it unto them, and meddle you no more with it; they have power enough to do it them&s;elves, if they plea&s;e to have it &s;o; and I pray you leave me a little quietne&s;&s;e; cruel woman (&s;aid he in leaving her) do you re&s;i&s;t both heaven and earth? but however it is my part to obey you; as he went out, <HI>Mazares,</HI> who left us in the Temple came in; but &s;o &s;ad, that I wonder we did not &s;u&s;pect the true cau&s;e of it, yet we had not the lea&s;t thought of it: but he di&s;gui&s;ed his melancholly, under pretence of that which he di&s;covered in the Prince&s;s, which was not a little: you are very generous <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;aid &s;he to him, not to parti|cipate of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s joy, or at lea&s;t to hide it from me at this time; I prote&s;t Ma|dam, an&s;wered he, you have no cau&s;e to thank me, for being more &s;en&s;ible of your &s;orrow then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s joy, &s;ince, to tell you truly, my heart does it without any con&s;ultation with my rea&s;on, &amp; &s;ince I do nothing but what I cannot chu&s;e. Indeed <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> told me after|wards
<PB N="128" REF="149">
that he was no le&s;s troubled at the Oracle then the Prince&s;&s;e was; and this conver&s;ation at this time was not very regular, for &s;ometimes <HI>Mandana</HI> would be re&s;erved, and &s;ometimes <HI>Mazares</HI> would &s;ilently entertain his thoughts; and <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> has told me, that when he did &s;ecretly call to minde the pre&s;ent condition of his Fortune, he could not deplore it enough: Alas, &s;aid he to him&s;elf, what can I hope for? if <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;peak, it is after &s;uch a manner as makes me believe that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is the onely happy man &s;he loves: and if I hearken unto the Oracle, then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> mu&s;t have his hopes &s;atisfied, and <HI>Artamenes</HI> mu&s;t be as unfortunate as <HI>Mazares:</HI> But while&s;t this Prince was thus ruminating, the Prince&s;&s;e coming &s;uddenly out of her mu&s;ing; how can I think, &s;aid &s;he, that my heart &s;hould change its re&s;entments; and how can <HI>Mandana,</HI> ever re&s;olve to make up the felicity of that Prince, who is the cau&s;e of all her misfortunes? which way can I ever comprehend it? If ever this Prodigy come to pa&s;&s;e, the King my father mu&s;t fir&s;t die; <HI>Artamenes</HI> mu&s;t not be upon earth, and I mu&s;t lo&s;e my Rea&s;on; for without the&s;e I cannot comprehend how <HI>Mandana</HI> can ever be Queen of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> as &s;he mu&s;t be, if the Oracle be interpreted after the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> expo&s;ition. I &s;hall never make an end <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> if I &s;hould re|peat all the di&s;cour&s;e between the Prince&s;&s;e, <HI>Mazares,</HI> and my &s;elf. The next morning, the King cau&s;ed a Magnificent Sacrifice to be offered, to thank the Gods for the Oracle he had received. But here, I be&s;eech you, admire the de&s;tiny of things; That &s;ame thing, for which the King did thank the gods, the &s;ame did incen&s;e the people; who began to grumble, and &s;ay it was fitter to offer a Sacrifice to appea&s;e the Gods, then to thank them: That the war was unju&s;t, that the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> was wronged; that the <HI>Babyloni|ans</HI> ought to re&s;tore her unto the King her father: Thus when they began to de&s;cant upon the actions of their Prince, they fell to murmur, and from murmur it grew to in&s;olence; and from in&s;olence to &s;edition, and at the la&s;t an ab&s;olute Revolt. Mean while Winter came fa&s;t on, and all was covered with &s;now: but all this did not make the be&s;iegers give over their de&s;igne, and continued it &s;o clo&s;e, that notwith&s;tanding the va&s;t greatne&s;&s;e of the Town, there entred no victuals into it: Yet notwith&s;tanding, the Oracle kept up the heart of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> but for all that he was nece&s;&s;itated a few dayes after; for the famine beginning to encrea&s;e, and pinch the people, they began to ca&s;t off their obedience unto their King; and in one night, this great Town had more enemies in Arms within the walls, then without; although the King of <HI>Medes</HI> Army, as you know, was become va&s;tly great, &s;ince the defeat of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> becau&s;e many Princes did then quit him, and joyned them&s;elves with <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> Never was greater confu&s;ion then this of <HI>Babylon.</HI> Some took up Arms, to force the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> to re&s;tore the Prin|ce&s;&s;e unto the King of <HI>Medes:</HI> Others were in Arms to keep her, and by her to make an advantagious Peace: Some there were, who being not onely deprived of all rea&s;on, but humanity, did &s;peak of &s;acrificing her; Others, on the contrary, maintained that &s;he de|&s;erved to have Altars erected unto her vertue and con&s;tancy: Some would now get, to maintain them&s;elves from tho&s;e who had too much: And others, without any other pre|tence, maintained they were in Arms to &s;hake off the yoak of Royalty, and make them|&s;elves free, &s;ince fortune afforded them &s;uch a favourable opportunity: And indeed, they all talked &s;o in&s;olently, and high, as I am verily per&s;waded, that they did contri|bute as much to the taking of the Town by their Revolt, as all the &s;trength of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his Army; or to &s;ay better, I think the gods intending to protect the Innocency of the Prince&s;&s;e, and to puni&s;h their Rebellion, did make u&s;e of them&s;elves for that purpo&s;e, and blinded them to their own de&s;truction: And although it &s;eemed, that the furie of the peo|ple was advantagious unto the Prince&s;&s;e, con&s;idering the &s;tate of things: yet in lieu of rejoycing her, it did much grieve her; it being mo&s;t certain, that nothing is more hor|rible, nor entrencheth &s;o much upon the &s;overaigne Authority of the Gods, as this re|bellious Crime, which entrencheth upon the &s;overaigne Authority of Kings, who are the Images of the gods. Yet, as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> is a Prince of a great heart, and <HI>Ma|zares</HI> of no le&s;&s;e to &s;econd him, &s;o he hoped to appea&s;e this di&s;order, and re&s;olved to take the onely cour&s;e by which popular in&s;olencie is reduced unto Rea&s;on, which is by example, and puni&s;hment of mutineers: But &s;ince the thing could not be done without &s;ome dan|ger, becau&s;e if the be&s;iegers &s;hould make an a&s;&s;ault upon the Town, at the time that the people were &s;o much incen&s;ed, it was to be feared, they would yeeld up the Town; and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> apprehended, that then he could not &s;ave the Prince&s;&s;e, e&s;pecially in the night, when the be&s;iegers were mo&s;t bu&s;ie in giving Alarms, and when the people are apte&s;t to attempt any thing, becau&s;e they who are mo&s;t forward in &s;uch tumultuous occa&s;i|ons,
<PB N="129" REF="149">
cannot be known in the dark. He con&s;ulted then with <HI>Mazares</HI> upon it, who told him, that it was Prudence in tho&s;e who do not re&s;olve to flee, yet to know how they may do it, if any nece&s;&s;ity &s;hould pre&s;&s;e them unto it. It is good rea&s;on (&s;aid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> unto him) for all <HI>Babylon</HI> and my Crown to boot are nothing to me in compa|ri&s;on of <HI>Mandana:</HI> And at this time, if I &s;hould lo&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> I &s;hould be in danger to lo&s;e my Scepter as well as her, it being to be imagined, that the people will not then endure me, nor &s;uffer me to carry away <HI>Mandana</HI> with my life: The main difficulty will be to finde out a way to e&s;cape, and get out of <HI>Babylon</HI> if I &s;hould be put to it: for, as for a place of Retreat, it is ea&s;ie to finde one; for &s;ince <HI>Aribeus</HI> is in <HI>Pteria,</HI> and keeps half of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> I cannot wi&s;h a &s;afer Sanctuary, This Traitor was &s;o cunning, as to make the people beleeve, that the Prince&s;&s;e was not aver&s;e unto &s;uch an advantagious marriage; and that it was onely the King her father whom &s;he feared, and cau&s;ed her to do as &s;he did: But before he could go unto <HI>Pteria,</HI> he mu&s;t get out of <HI>Babylon,</HI> and that was the great difficulty, there being dangers in it both without and within the Town. All this while, the &s;oul of <HI>Mazares</HI> was in torment, and his minde much divided. As he was good and Generous, he could not without great difficulty contribute any thing unto the misfortune of the Prince&s;&s;e: but as he was pa&s;&s;ionately in love with her, it was much more difficult for him to con&s;ent that ever &s;he &s;hould come into the power of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> and for his own particular intere&s;t, he had rather &s;he were in the hands of a hated Lover, then a beloved Lover: Not but that he was terrified at the Oracle, yet the aver&s;ion which the Prince&s;&s;e had unto him did make him le&s;&s;e e&s;teem it: and he found much more danger in <HI>Artamenes</HI> then in him. Jealou&s;ie therefore being predominate in his heart, he applied him&s;elf mainly to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> de&s;ires, and that with &s;ucce&s;&s;e, though it was not ea&s;ie to get out of <HI>Babylon</HI> un&s;een: But <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> I am per&s;waded, that there is nothing &s;o difficult, which love and jealou&s;ie together cannot bring to pa&s;&s;e. This Prince then, told the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> that he would finde out an expedient for it, and bade him, &s;ince he de&s;ired him to do his endeavours in it, to command the women which waited upon the Prince&s;&s;e, to let her have no clothes but &s;uch as were white, according to the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> fa|&s;hion, which yet &s;he had not worn, and al&s;o the like unto <HI>Arianta</HI> and my &s;elf: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> urging him to explain him&s;elf and his rea&s;ons for it; <HI>Mazares</HI> told him, that the cour&s;e would prove infallible; and indeed, made the King confe&s;&s;e that it was in|genious; and pre&s;ently gave orders for it, &s;o that the next morning, <HI>Arianta</HI> and my &s;elf, much wondred when we found all our clothes taken from us, and white ones left in their roome, &s;uch as women of Quality u&s;e to wear in <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> I asked the rea&s;on of it, and they told me, the King would have it &s;o, becau&s;e if it &s;hould chance the &s;edition increa|&s;ed, he might more ea&s;ily put the Prince&s;&s;e into the Temple, and for her better &s;ecurity to have them pa&s;&s;e for <HI>A&s;&s;yrians:</HI> Since <HI>Mandana</HI> was not yet awake, <HI>Arianta</HI> and I did dre&s;&s;e our &s;elves in them, thinking indeed, that this way might conduce to her &s;afety: But when &s;he called her women, and went to dre&s;&s;e her &s;elf, and when &s;he &s;aw they gave her white garments, after the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Mode, although they were very rich, yet &s;he had &s;uch and ex|tream aver&s;ion to them, that I am verily per&s;waded the gods did foretell unto her, her misfortune: &s;he would not by any means wear them, but when tho&s;e which waited upon her, told her with tears in their eyes, that it was not in their power to give her any other, &s;he did much again&s;t her minde, put them on, and &s;ighing &s;aid, that the change of her ha|bit, &s;hould never change her heart: I would make her under&s;tand the rea&s;ons which they gave for it, but &s;he was not &s;atisfied with them, nor any thing plea&s;ed with this new kinde of compul&s;ion. Mean while, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and <HI>Mazares,</HI> being re&s;ol|ved to puni&s;h the people, were very diligent in giving out orders to that purpo&s;e. The King in per&s;on, with all the Grandees of the Court, was ready to teach the people the duty which they owed unto their Legitimate King: when a Spie which had been in the Army of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> came unto him in a great amaze, and told him that within three or four hours within night, he &s;hould &s;ee the River <HI>Euphrates</HI> dry, and fourty thou&s;and men enter at both ends of the Town. At the fir&s;t, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> would not believe it, but the Spie did &s;o directly name the place, where <HI>Artamenes</HI> cau&s;ed two great Tren|ches to be digged, and turn the River into them, that he gave credit unto his words; and the example of the River <HI>Ginde,</HI> rendred this more probable: The Spie further told him, that if the &s;now had not hindred the Pioners, the de&s;igne had been executed before now. But though he was very circum&s;tantiall in his relation, yet notwith&s;tanding the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> with <HI>Mazares,</HI> went unto the top of the Tower of <HI>Jupiter Belus,</HI> the better
<PB N="130" REF="150">
to di&s;cover the Works of his Enemies, and when they were there, then the Spie &s;hewed him, though it was far off, the earth which the Enemy had thrown up, as well to &s;helter them&s;elves from being &s;een, as to empty the Trenches which were to receive the River <HI>Euphrates.</HI> You may imagine, Wi&s;e <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> in what a condition this Prince was. He &s;aw from that high Place a whole great Town in Arms again&s;t him: and he &s;aw, that he was ready to be a&s;&s;aulted in &s;uch a manner, that though the people had &s;econded him, yet he &s;hould have much ado to repell his Enemies: for &s;ince the River <HI>Euphrates</HI> was very broad, he conceived the enemy would enter at both ends of the Town in compleat Battalia; and that he had not time to rai&s;e up &s;uch works as would prevent them: But this was not the wor&s;t he feared; for he thought that as &s;oon as the Enemy appeared, the people would endeavour to take away the Prince&s;&s;e, and make their own conditions with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> by rendring her unto him: And &s;eeing him&s;elf driven to &s;uch a nece&s;&s;ity, as that he mu&s;t defend the Palace where &s;he was, both again&s;t the people and the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> he concluded it to be a thing impo&s;&s;ible. At the la&s;t, being out of any hopes to keep <HI>Babylon,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e, and love prompting him unto &s;ome other cour&s;e, he endeavoured to execute that de&s;igne which he and <HI>Mazares</HI> had contrived: He went down from the Tower in all ha&s;t, and &s;eemed as if he would appea&s;e the people by lenity, hoping thereby to gain time, while&s;t <HI>Mazares</HI> put all things in a readine&s;&s;e for the execu|tion of their enterprize at the beginning of the night, if there were any need of it: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> re&s;olved not to depart, untill the de&s;igne of his Enemies was in execu|ting; for he imagined that <HI>Artamenes</HI> would enter the Town at both ends of it, and that other places would therefore be le&s;&s;e guarded; becau&s;e tho&s;e two places would take up mo&s;t of their men. But upon a &s;udden, we heard a terrible noi&s;e, for the River being drained in a moment, and the be&s;iegers entred, they cau&s;ed a mo&s;t horrible di&s;order, and confu&s;ion. I &s;hall not need to relate any further of it unto you, &s;ince I do imagine you were there; but for my Part, I never in all my life heard &s;uch an a&s;toni&s;hment as this cau&s;ed in all the &s;treets of <HI>Babylon;</HI> In the mean time we were in great fears; for al|though the Prince&s;&s;e did imagine, that perhaps it was <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who would come and deliver her, yet the danger wherein &s;he apprehended him, cau&s;ed her fears: As for the King her father, &s;he imagined that he would not venture him&s;elf in this attempt. As we were thus betwixt hope and fears, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> came in to us; <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;tay|ed in the garden of the Pallace; with them who were appointed for our Guard: But the King entring furiou&s;ly, Madam, (&s;aid he to the Prince&s;&s;e, to the end &s;he &s;hould make no re&s;i&s;tance) the people of <HI>Babylon</HI> are in great di&s;order, and &s;ince they beleeve you to be the cau&s;e of the War, they would have you in their power, therefore I mu&s;t put you into &s;ome place of better &s;ecurity then this. Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him) &s;ince I have put my &s;elf into the cu&s;tody of the Gods, it is my duty to wait upon their plea&s;ures, and &s;ubmit unto what they &s;hall ordain me; and you would do me a great favour, if you would leave me unto their protection; But when &s;he &s;aw four or five men in Arms enter, knowing &s;he was not in a condition to re&s;i&s;t, and not knowing that what the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;aid, was untrue, &s;he went with them, and <HI>Arianta</HI> and I followed her: &s;he asked then, where <HI>Mazares</HI> was; and he an&s;wering her that &s;he &s;hould &s;ee him pre&s;ently, &s;he went whither they conducted her. Then were we led into the Garden of the Palace, where <HI>Mazares</HI> did indeed &s;tay for us: <HI>Mandana</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but letting the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> hand go, &s;he gave hers unto him, &s;uppo&s;ing now &s;he had no cau&s;e to fear, &s;ince he was with her. Then they led us unto a back door, which almo&s;t joynes unto the Gates of the Town, which the Troops of <HI>Mazares</HI> guarded, and who were acquainted with what was de|&s;igned. When we were ready to go out of the Garden, which was of a huge bigne&s;&s;e, we &s;aw by the help of a candle, which was brought, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> and ten men who were to be of the Party, took every one of them a white Ca&s;&s;ack, which covered them all over, and that they covered their heads al&s;o with white. This cau&s;ed us to think, that the white Garments which they gave us, were de&s;igned for the &s;ame u&s;e: as tho&s;e which the&s;e Princes, and tho&s;e mens were, al|though we could not imagine unto what end. Afterwards they brought twelve white Hor&s;es; Saddles and Bridles were of the &s;ame colour: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> got upon one of them, and would have the Prince&s;&s;e to ride behinde him, but &s;he refu&s;ed, and did chu&s;e <HI>Mazares,</HI> though with much reluctancy: yet the noi&s;e in the Town did &s;o encrea&s;e, though we were far enough from the place where it was a&s;&s;aulted, that her fear of falling into the hands of rude and in&s;olent people,
<PB N="131" REF="150">
cau&s;ed her at the la&s;t to let <HI>Mazares</HI> have the care of her &s;afty: Two men of quality of tho&s;e ten took up <HI>Arianta</HI> and me behind them: the candle being put out, and the dore open, we went &s;traight unto that gate of the town, which as I already told you was near it: then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and <HI>Mazares,</HI> commanded a Captain, in a low voice I mean a Captain which guarded that gate, to go and adverti&s;e, all the Princes and Souldi|ers, that they &s;hould fight it out no longer, &s;ince the town was already lo&s;t, and that as many as would might take the advantage of the dark night to &s;ave them&s;elves, and take the benefit of this gate: we were not above twelve paces from the walls, but the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> who went a little before, did ride very &s;oftly, le&s;t his hor&s;es feet &s;hould make to great a noi&s;e, more fearing the ears then the eyes of tho&s;e we &s;hould meet: for <HI>Chri&s;an|tes,</HI> the ingenuity of this devi&s;e was, in that the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> con&s;idering that all the fields were covered with &s;now, and becau&s;e there was a great mi&s;t when we went out, it was impo&s;&s;ible that <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould make good his round, and therefore he thought it would be no hard matter to pa&s;s between two Courts of guard, and never be perceived, &s;ince white is not ea&s;ily di&s;covered in the &s;now, and in the night; e&s;pecially &s;ince the moon did not &s;hine: This invention of white hor&s;es, and white habits made us invi&s;ible, to tho&s;e who met us, and they who we did meet not being in white as we were, were di&s;covered a good di&s;tance off, &s;o that we could &s;hun them before they could &s;ee us: there was nothing therefore that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> feared but the neighing of the hor&s;es and the hor&s;es feet: as for the fir&s;t of the&s;e he put it unto fortune, but as for the noi&s;e of the hor&s;es feet, the &s;now was &s;o &s;oft that they could not be heard: the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> find|ding this, went a little fa&s;ter and pre&s;ently after we di&s;covered the guard of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his Army. To tell you <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> what the Prince&s;s thought, to &s;ee her &s;elf in this Equipage, and out of <HI>Babylon</HI> at that time of night, and on horsback among&s;t a company of men all in white going in &s;uch great &s;ilence, I &s;hould lengthen my &s;tory: at the fir&s;t &s;he was glad that &s;he had e&s;caped the fury of the rude multitude, &s;o in&s;olent as to mutiny again&s;t their Prince: and &s;he thought that whither&s;oever they carried her, it would be incom|parably, more ea&s;ie for <HI>Artamenes</HI> to get her out of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> power, then in <HI>Babylon</HI> which &s;he thought impregnable: therefore conceiving it to be mo&s;t advantagious for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and for her own liberty, &s;he went with them without any re&s;i&s;tance; and thinking of nothing, but a ready way how to adverti&s;e <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that &s;he was out of <HI>Babylon:</HI> but &s;he no &s;ooner di&s;covered afar off the guard which before I told you of, but &s;he changed her mind, for when &s;he &s;aw her &s;elf &s;o near relief, &s;he was in a mind to cry out, but thinking that if &s;he did &s;o, &s;he &s;hould cau&s;e <HI>Mazares</HI> to peri&s;h as well as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> therefore &s;he was &s;ilent; but whil'&s;t &s;he was con&s;ulting in her mind about it, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> turned more upon his left hand, and fortunatly e&s;caped this fir&s;t danger. Yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;ince &s;he imagined that we &s;hould meet &s;ome other troops, &s;he began to &s;peak unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> who pre&s;ently de&s;ired her to hold her peace, generous prince (&s;aid &s;he unto him notwith&s;tanding his de&s;ire, and &s;peaking very low le&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;hould under&s;tand) if you have any reall compa&s;&s;ion upon me and my misfor|tunes, permit me, as &s;oon as we &s;hall meet any of the King my fathers troops, to call them unto my relief, and I be&s;eech you promi&s;e me that you will not oppo&s;e their endea|vours to deliver me: and by that con&s;equence, you will not hazard your own life which is very dear unto me: you may conceive I could have done it, without &s;peaking unto you, but being &s;o much obliged unto you as I am: I &s;hould think the gods would puni&s;h me if I &s;hould cau&s;e your death: Madam (&s;aid he unto her, lower then &s;he &s;poke) the gods do know how much I wi&s;h you &s;atisfaction: But Madam I only promi&s;ed you to prevent the King, from attempting any thing again&s;t that reverence which is your due: And I promi&s;ed that without any &s;cruple, becau&s;e I did him &s;ervice al&s;o by it, in preventing him from committing a crime: And I do againe promi&s;e you Madam, that as long as I live you &s;hall not &s;uffer the lea&s;t violence from him: But Madam can I in honour betray him thus? to let him be killed, and commit you into the hands of his enemies? yet notwith&s;tanding Madam, if you will do it you may, but I do prote&s;t unto you before the gods who hear me, that though I do e&s;cape from the fury of your &s;ouldiers, yet will I run my &s;word through my heart, to the end I may not be blamed and &s;hamed by &s;uch an act which doubtle&s;s you have not con&s;idered before you did &s;olicit me. Moreover Madam, &s;ince it is night, in &s;triking at me they may chance hit you, and &s;o your de&s;ires to recover your liberty may become your death: In the name of the gods therefore Madam, do not expo&s;e your &s;elf unto a danger, whereof perhaps I cannot heal you: the Prince&s;s was &s;o
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troubled, and <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;pake &s;o movingly that &s;he knew not what to re&s;olve upon: &s;omtimes &s;he re&s;olved to cry out: &s;omtimes pitty of <HI>Mazares</HI> re&s;trained her. Afterwards taking up the re&s;olation to call the fir&s;t &s;he &s;aw, &s;he found that &s;he had not the power to do it, and that &s;he determined upon a thing which was impo&s;&s;ible for her, for my part, I know that it was not in my power to pronounce a word, and when I would have &s;poke, I trembled out of a&s;toni&s;hment and fear: for we &s;aw in the field, many Tents, Sentinels, Courts of guard, men which marched, and others which &s;tood &s;till; But the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> who was our guide, did &s;omtimes turne to the right hand, and &s;omtimes to the left; and very hand&s;omly avoyded all tho&s;e, whom the whitne&s;s of the &s;now di&s;covered unto him: But <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> to leave that place, which troubled us &s;o much, give me leave to tell you, that after we had avoided the troops of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> above a hundred times, and were not above two furlongs from a wood, in which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> feared no dan|ger, becau&s;e it was very thick and dark, and he was acquainted with all the turnings in it, having been often hunting in it. But the hor&s;e on which <HI>Mazares</HI> and the Prince&s;s did ride began violently to Neigh when we were within forty paces from a place, where a company of archers who were hor&s;ed, did then quarter, who having received or|ders to come neerer <HI>Babylon,</HI> did leave that place, and go thither in all ha&s;t: &s;ome of the&s;e Archers, being already hor&s;ed, and having heard this neighing, from that &s;ide where they were took the Alarme, and went towards the place where they heard the noi&s;e; but &s;eeing nothing, they would have returned, had not one of their hor&s;es Neighed, in an&s;wer as it were unto the fir&s;t, and cau&s;ed them to advance further on; mean while the king of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> who conducted us, mended his Pace, and we went fa&s;ter then before: &s;o that &s;omtimes we &s;aw the&s;e men come &s;treight towards us, and &s;omtimes againe go from us: for their parts I beleeve they much vexed to hear hor&s;es and could find none, but at the la&s;t being out of hopes to find us, becau&s;e we changed our way &s;omtimes on the one &s;ide, and &s;omtimes on the other: they &s;hot their arrowes at random and levelled &s;o unluckily, that one of their arrowes did give <HI>Mazares</HI> a &s;light would in his &s;houlder, and another came &s;o neer <HI>Mandanas</HI> head, that the extreamity of her fears, made her to recover her voice, and to cry out, though &s;he did not intend it: this cry, being heard by tho&s;e who &s;hot, they galloped directly to the place where they thought they heard it; But in the mean while the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;hifted places; and in lieu of going forward he went backward, and bad us ride fa&s;ter. But &s;ince we were not above thirty paces from the wood, he cau&s;ed tho&s;e eight which carried no women to &s;tand &s;till, until &s;uch time as he imagined us to be in the wood, and then he and his men galloped away as fa&s;t as they could, and vani&s;hed out of the &s;ight of them whom he fought with a while, who doubtle&s;s did think there was &s;ome enchantment in the place: At his returne, we under&s;tood how they &s;aw two of tho&s;e who a&s;&s;aulted them to fall dead, and one of his troop received a &s;light hurt. As the wood was dark, and black, the very &s;ame whitne&s;s which made us invi&s;ible in the plaines did help the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> to di&s;|cover us againe and to Joyne companies: In conclu&s;ion, <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> being come into this wood as I told you, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did lead us unto a little kind of habitation, where a &s;ort of poor menlived, who&s;e profe&s;&s;ion was to find out a kind of earth whereof the wonderfull cement wherewith the wals of <HI>Babylon</HI> were built, is made; and when day begun to break, we lighted from hor&s;e, and pa&s;&s;ed away all the day in that Cabin, where our wearine&s;s afforded us more re&s;t, then the accommodations of that place could. But <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> not to &s;pend more time, in relating things of little con&s;equence, we went with much wearine&s;s the next night unto a little town which our army had not taken, nor as yet been on that &s;ide; neither was of &s;trength to defend them&s;elves if you had come unto it: the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> there got a Coach for the Prince&s;s, where <HI>Arianta</HI> and I found room al&s;o: and, both Princes went on horsback as our convoy. But without any further particularizing the way we went, we came at the la&s;t into <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> and a little after, unto <HI>Pteria:</HI> at our fir&s;t arivall the Prince&s;s was very much joyed to &s;ee it; yet, a while after &s;he found her &s;elf much more unhappy then &s;he thought for the thought of being then a captive in that place where &s;he had been &s;o long free and ab&s;olute, did extream|ly double her &s;orrow: moreover, the imagination &s;he &s;hould &s;o domineer over the King her fathers &s;ubjects, was a great vexation to her: but the great torment of all was, that &s;he was &s;till in the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> power, and that &s;he knew no way to let <HI>Artamenes</HI> know where &s;he was: mean while <HI>Mazares</HI> continued alwaies very civill, obliging, and amorous, and the king of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was &s;till very cour&s;ly treated. A few dayes after when
<PB N="133" REF="151">
the taking of <HI>Babylon</HI> was more certainly known, he con&s;ulted with <HI>Aribeus</HI> what was be&s;t to be done, but when he heard that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his army was marching towards <HI>Cappa|docia,</HI> they brought us hither by rea&s;on of the conveniencie of the &s;ea, which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> thought would be a way to prevent the Prince&s;s from ever coming into the hands of <HI>Artamenes. Aribeus</HI> and he endeavoured all they could to get up fre&s;h troops, ma|king their Rendezvous at <HI>Pteria,</HI> to the end it might not be di&s;covered we were at <HI>Sinope.</HI> But pre&s;ently after, they had intelligence that your army came up &s;o fa&s;t, that it was im|po&s;&s;ible for them to get any &s;uch con&s;iderable force together as could give a &s;econd battle, which did drive the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> into extream de&s;pair: and &s;poke with much more violence then heretofore he u&s;ed: yet whether he was &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive, or whether he was furious, all was one, for he could no way move <HI>Mandana,</HI> to give him one favourable word. Yet one day, he called <HI>Mazares</HI> unto him, and layed before him all his misfor|tunes: truly (&s;aid he unto him) I am brought to &s;uch a pa&s;s, that I have no other con&s;ola|tion to hope for in my life, but to make <HI>Artamenes</HI> as unfortunat as my &s;elf, although it be in a different manner: The oracle indeed does make me hope well, but <HI>Mandana</HI> drives me into utter de&s;pair, and fortune has &s;o defeated all my de&s;ignes, that I am reduced unto &s;uch extremities, as are above both my patience and my rea&s;on: that which I intend (pur&s;ued this de&s;perat Prince) is to make &s;ure of the gallies and &s;hips within this port, &s;o that as &s;oon as I &s;ee the army of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> appear, and find that I am not able to oppo&s;e it, I can then embark with <HI>Aribeus</HI> and the Prince&s;s, and be &s;ure to carry her out of the reach of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> But Sir, (an&s;wered <HI>Mazares</HI> much grieved) what cour&s;e will you then take? I know not well, (replied the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> but if all the Princes my allies do deny me &s;anctuary within their dominions, I will rather turne pirat, then yield up the Prince&s;s unto <HI>Artamenes:</HI> yes <HI>Mazares,</HI> I will rather peri&s;h a thou&s;and times: And if I &s;ee that I am pur&s;ued at &s;ea by <HI>Artamenes</HI> (which as yet he cannot do, having no &s;hips for it) I will rather &s;plit my &s;hip again&s;t a rock, then be taken and lo&s;e the Prince&s;s: moreover I mu&s;t not be far off <HI>Mandana,</HI> but keep clo&s;e with her and wait upon the event of the Oracle: As for you, &s;aid he, my dear <HI>Mazares,</HI> it is not ju&s;t that I &s;hould engage you any deeper in my misfortunes; though you would, I would not &s;uffer it. Therefore I wi&s;h you to go back unto the King your father, and endeavour to be more happy then I am. <HI>Mazares</HI> was now put to a &s;hrewd dilemma, for he could not con&s;ent to leave the Prince&s;s alone with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> and yet he perceived by the Kings manner of &s;peaking unto him, that he would not &s;uffer him to accompany him any longer; yet he pre&s;&s;ed him to &s;tay, but the more urgent he was in it, the more ob&s;tinate was the King: furthermore, he perceived, that if he departed, the Prince&s;s would be the mo&s;t unfortunat woman in the world; &s;o that both in re&s;pect of his pitty, and in re&s;pect of his pa&s;&s;ion, he was infi|nitly to be lamented: at la&s;t being tran&s;ported with &s;uch pa&s;&s;ions as was unknown unto him&s;elf, he came unto the Prince&s;s, and ingeniou&s;ly di&s;covered the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> de|&s;igne: you may well imagin what &s;orrow and de&s;pair this newes brought unto her, e&s;pe|cially when he told that he would by no means permit him to &s;tay any longer with him: Ah <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, I &s;hall ab&s;olutly die if you for&s;ake me, and there is no re&s;olution &s;o violent, which I &s;hall not take, if I be left alone under the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI>
protection: In the name of the gods, &s;aid &s;he unto him, per&s;wade him, and tell him, that he &s;hall never obtaine the lea&s;t part of my affection; and by con&s;equence, you will do him no ill office, if you can move him to harken unto my prayers and tears, and if you can procure my liberty: In the name of the gods once more con&s;ider what a mo&s;t lamenta|ble de&s;tiny will it be for <HI>Mandana</HI> to wander upon the &s;eas, with a Prince whom &s;he hates, and &s;hall more and more hate him; and who &s;hall re&s;olve to throw her &s;elf into the bot|tom of the &s;ea, the fir&s;t time that he &s;hall &s;peak of his unju&s;t pa&s;&s;ion unto her: con&s;ider well <HI>Mazares</HI> what you have to do, and know that the gods will require at your hands, an account of my life, if you be the cau&s;e of my death: would you not have me live &amp; acknow|ledg my great obligations unto you? would you have me die the mo&s;t mi&s;erable woman upon earth: Oh Madam, (an&s;wered <HI>Mazares,</HI> with extream melancholy) I wi&s;h the thoughts of my heart, and how much I would do for you were well known unto you: I do know (an&s;wered &s;he) that you are the mo&s;t obliging Prince upon the earth, and that nothing hinders you from &s;atisfying my de&s;ires, but an ill grounded &s;cruple of genero&s;ity: for indeed <HI>Mazares</HI> I am fully per&s;waded, that you do compa&s;&s;ionate my misfortunes, and that you intend friend&s;hip unto me: But yet &s;ince you cannot &s;ave me, you will &s;uffer me to peri&s;h, and all becau&s;e you are affraid to do an unj<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;t act. But know generous Prince,
<PB N="119" REF="152">
that it is no inju&s;tice to prevent another from committing a mo&s;t horrible piece of inju&s;tice: In &s;hort <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> the Prince&s;&s;e &s;poke &s;o prevalently unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> that he de&s;ired two dayes time to re&s;olve with him&s;elf what to do; But oh heavens! <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> told me, that he verily believed that the turbulency of his thoughts during this time would have co&s;t him his life: Sometimes he re&s;olved to be faithful unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> in &s;pight of his pa&s;|&s;ion; &s;ometimes he would not quench his love, but in favour of <HI>Mandana;</HI> afterwards not being able to re&s;olve either upon the one or the other; he thought how he might benefit him&s;elf by the misfortunes of another: At the la&s;t (&s;aid he unto him&s;elf) I &s;ee <HI>Mandana</HI> does e&s;teem, and is very friendly unto me; yet it is but a bare e&s;teem, and a friend&s;hip only, though &s;he mu&s;t know that I love her: Moreover, there is a great difference be|tween the termes on which the King, of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;tands, and tho&s;e on which I am with her, for there is a natural antipathy between her and him; but &s;he is very friendly unto me, &amp; I am per&s;waded it is not far off a di&s;po&s;ition to receive &s;ome impre&s;&s;ions of love, as well as much tenderne&s;&s;e and e&s;teem; yet I know very well, that there is more likelihood that I &s;hall be unhappy, then he has hopes of <HI>Mandana</HI>'s love: But alas, from what other cour&s;e can I find any more &s;weetne&s;&s;e and &s;atisfaction from her? If I continue faithful unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> then he will put to Sea with the Prince&s;&s;e, and if I leave her, I am certain &s;he will hate me for being &s;o inhumane, as to expo&s;e her unto &s;o great a torment: I am certain I &s;hall never &s;ee her again, and I am &s;ure to endure an intollerable torment, in thinking &s;he is with the King of <HI>A&s;syria,</HI> who &s;till has great hopes of her. On the other|&s;ide, if I betray a Prince from whom I have the honour to be a kin&s;man, to whom I am<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> va&s;&s;al, who has made choice of me to be his confident, and if I &s;hould put the Prince&s;&s;e into the hands of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;hould I not then be the mo&s;t unhappy man alive? I &s;hould commit a crime, and &s;uch a one as would make me mo&s;t unfortunate, there being nothing more in&s;ufferable, then to &s;ee the party loved, in the power of a Rival who is loved: Oh no, no, <HI>Mazares</HI> cannot make choice of either, &s;ince he &s;ees a crime, and a misfortune on both &s;ides. If he hearken unto rea&s;on, it will tell him, that we ought not to betray tho&s;e who tru&s;t us: If he give ear unto his pa&s;&s;ion, it will tell him quite con|trary, that we mu&s;t never for&s;ake the party loved, and that all one can do to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e her, is ju&s;t. Which way &s;oever I carry the matter, I mu&s;t either betray the King of <HI>A&s;syria,</HI> or the Prince&s;&s;e, and betray my &s;elf al&s;o, &s;ince I wound my reputation in it; Therefore if I mu&s;t needs commit a crime, let me commit that which is mo&s;t advantagious to me, and which will keep me from dying de&s;perate. In conclu&s;ion, <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> this amo|rous Prince, in &s;pight of all his vertue, was &s;o tran&s;ported with the violence of his love, that he re&s;olved not only to betray the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> but to delude <HI>Mandana</HI> al&s;o: yet truly, I think, never any did more &s;everely puni&s;h him&s;elf then <HI>Mazares</HI> did, by his perpetual remor&s;e of &s;oul; for I never in all my melancholly did equal his; yet &s;ince he was fully re&s;olved what to do, he &s;ought out means to a&s;&s;ure him&s;elf of a Galley, and ea&s;ily found one; becau&s;e the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> intending to make u&s;e of all the Galleys and Ships in <HI>Sinope,</HI> he did put out tho&s;e who formerly commanded them, and put in others which did more ab&s;olutely depend upon him: There was one of the&s;e Captains, who know|ing certainly he &s;hould be put out as the re&s;t were, who grumbled exceedingly at it; and unto him <HI>Mazares</HI> addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf, in who&s;e &s;oul he di&s;covered &s;uch adi&s;po&s;ition, as was fit for his de&s;ign: <HI>Mazares</HI> then having made &s;ure of this Galley, was certain he could carry away the Prince&s;&s;e when he plea&s;ed; for his commands pa&s;&s;ed within the Ca&s;tle, as well as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s; and &s;ince the Ca&s;tle was &s;o near the Haven, he had not above twenty paces to go before he was at the Galley which this Captaine who was of the con&s;pi|racy commanded, for by fortune the Galley was on that &s;ide: But &s;ince he was an expert man, and u&s;ed to war, he told <HI>Mazares,</HI> that the better to &s;ecure his de&s;ign, and al&s;o to &s;atisfie his revenge upon his companions, he would &s;et fire in all the Galleys and Ships which remained in the Port, le&s;t they &s;hould follow after, and that all the&s;e new Captains might not long enjoy their new conferred offices, or at lea&s;t put them into &s;uch a condition as they &s;hould not be able to do any execution. Although <HI>Mazares</HI> did &s;ee it was well thought upon, and almo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary for his de&s;ign, yet it went again&s;t the hair of his di|&s;po&s;ition, not for fear of the Ships, in which few people would be lo&s;t, but le&s;t it &s;hould fire the Town: notwith&s;tanding the Captain &s;aid thus unto him; Sir, although <HI>Sinop<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> &s;hould be &s;et on fire, yet it is a Rebellious Town, and de&s;erves it: And as for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> who troubles you &s;o much, the fire will be quenched before it can reach the Ca&s;tle: Truth is, this Captain &s;poke &s;o rationally, that <HI>Mazares</HI> con&s;ented unto him,
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and the Captain took upon him the execution of the enterprize. This Prince intending to gain the heart of <HI>Mandana,</HI> de&s;igned to carry her into <HI>Bithynia,</HI> where he was in hopes to find &s;ome place of &s;ecurity, and indeed he could not make a better choice; for he was kin&s;man unto <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was enemy unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> by rea&s;on of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> with whom he was in good favour all the while &s;he was in <HI>Babylon:</HI> Moreover he made war again&s;t another lover of <HI>Mandana,</HI> who was the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and <HI>Artamenes</HI> having moved <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to lend &s;ome forces unto his enemy, therefore he thought that he could not make choice of a &s;afer &s;anctuary. At that time there came into <HI>Sinope</HI> a famous Pirate, who was reported to be a man of quality and great courage, who being much weather-beaten, put in there to repair his Ships; The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> recei|ved him very kindly, and told <HI>Mazares</HI> that he was even ravi&s;hed with the happy meeting with him, becau&s;e that by that time the Ships of this Pirate were ready to make &s;ail, he would put to Sea with him, and be under his conduct, for he was a man whom none ever knew conquered; and knew all the Seas, better then any other man. <HI>Mazares,</HI> under&s;tanding the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s de&s;ign &s;o well, did make more ha&s;te to execute his own; and went unto the Prince&s;&s;e, Madam (&s;aid he to her, in a mo&s;t melancholy manner) there is a pre|dominate power, which I cannot re&s;i&s;t, and which makes me re&s;olve to betray the King of <HI>A&s;syria,</HI> and carry you out of his reach: He has a de&s;ign to carry you away very &s;hortly; therefore he mu&s;t be pre&s;ently prevented; I asked you &s;ometime to re&s;olve with my &s;elf, and my re&s;olution is &s;etled; therefore, if you plea&s;e, there is a Galley ready to receive you the next night: Ah, <HI>Mazares,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) is it po&s;&s;ible it can be &s;o &s;oon? To tell you <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> all that <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;aid, by way of thanks for the compa&s;&s;ion which he had on her misfortunes, would be a very difficult task, &s;o much did &s;he aggravate her acknowledg|ments unto him. <HI>Mazares</HI> received her thanks with &s;o much confu&s;ion, &amp; turbulency of mind, that &s;he thought her &s;elf the more obliged, &s;uppo&s;ing that the betraying of the King of <HI>A&s;sy|ria</HI> was the only cau&s;e of it. But <HI>Mazares</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) which way &s;hall we go, to go &s;afely unto &s;ome place where the King my father is? Madam (an&s;wared he) when we are out of the power of your enemy, we &s;hall then think better upon that: Its true, (&s;aid &s;he) and &s;o pre&s;ently left him: But night being come, and well on, the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> who had not only gained the good will of tho&s;e who kept the Ca&s;tle gates which was towards the Port, but al&s;o all the Souldiers in the Ca&s;tle, went to fetch the Prince&s;&s;e, who was much troubled, what to do with <HI>Arianta,</HI> in whom &s;he did not confide; &s;he thought therefore to carry her with her, becau&s;e if &s;he were left behind, &s;he would make a great noi&s;e of the matter: We told her therefore that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> had &s;ent <HI>Mazares</HI> unto the Prin|ce&s;&s;e to tell her, that &s;he mu&s;t take Ship, and becau&s;e &s;he &s;hould not &s;u&s;pect any thing, we &s;eeming to be very &s;orry in yielding obedience to him; for we began to think that &s;he kept intelligence with the King. I forgot to tell you, that <HI>Mandana,</HI> who would as well as &s;he could make it known unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> that &s;he had a care of his protection, had writ a Letter unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> but while&s;t we were &s;taying in the outer chamber, at that hour when <HI>Mazares</HI> told us we were to depart; the Prince&s;&s;e bethought her &s;elf, how &s;he had forgotten to leave the Letter upon the Table, and entreated him that he would take &s;o much pains as to carry it thither, telling him, that if he would open it, he might there find what &s;he had written unto the King concerning him, &s;o that the Prince took it, and carried it unto the Prince&s;&s;e chamber, where, as I advi&s;ed him, he did read the letter; I will not relate the contents of it, for you will pre&s;ently after imagine it. So <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> we got out of the Ca&s;tle, and we took Ship, and were pre&s;ently out of <HI>Sinope;</HI> immediately after, we &s;aw the Port all on fire, and in a moment after that, all the Town al&s;o, which did extreamly &s;urpri&s;e and grieve the Prince&s;&s;e; for her &s;oul was &s;o tender and full of pitty, that &s;he would never have con&s;ented unto it, if &s;he had known of the project; but yet her joy to be out of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s power, did comfort her in tho&s;e &s;orrows which proceeded only from compa&s;&s;ion; and &s;he termed <HI>Mazares</HI> her deliverer a hundred times over: Mean while, the Sea began to be high, and the Marriners told us there was like to be a &s;torm, as pre&s;ently after it began, and the wind which was &s;o favourable for us, turned quite contrary, and whether we would or no, did blow us above twenty times towards the Port of <HI>Sinope:</HI> To tell you how the Prince&s;&s;e was troubled at this accident, would make you &s;ad, as we were; It will be &s;ufficient to tell you, how &s;he moved <HI>Mazares</HI> to promi&s;e her, that in ca&s;e the Tempe&s;t was above the Pilots art, or the force of Oars, he would rather &s;plit the Galley again&s;t the Ca&s;tle tower, then to land again in the Port of <HI>Sinope:</HI> at the la&s;t, day beginning to dawn, our fears were le&s;&s;e, as well be|cau&s;e
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the terrors of darkne&s;&s;e vani&s;hed, as becau&s;e at the Sun ri&s;ing, the winds were calm|er. The Prince&s;&s;e being then upon the deck, di&s;covered that there were Souldiers in <HI>Sinope,</HI> fighting in the mid&s;t of the flames, at the foot of the tower: She no &s;ooner &s;aw it, but looking upon <HI>Mazares</HI> with extream joy; Ah generous Prince (&s;aid &s;he unto him) per|haps the tempe&s;t has been our friend, &s;ince if it had not been, I &s;hould not have &s;een what I do. See (&s;aid &s;he unto him) look upon the Troops which are fighting in <HI>Sinope;</HI> without all doubt it is the King my father his Army, and perhaps <HI>Artamenes</HI> is there al&s;o; if &s;o, it is ea&s;ie for him to become ma&s;ter of a burning Town, and to take the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> al&s;o: Therefore my dear deliverer, give command unto the Rowers that they make no &s;uch ha&s;te away; Let them &s;end one in a little Boat to &s;ee whether it be as I &s;ay, or no: For if it be, there is no need of going any further, &s;ince we have relief &s;o near. <HI>Mazares</HI> hearing the Prince&s;&s;e &s;ay &s;o, began to change colour; and looked a long while upon the Troops which &s;he &s;hewed him, and he knew much better then &s;he, that they were the Troops of <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> therefore without giving any an&s;wer unto the Prince&s;&s;e, he gave command to Rowe away with all po&s;&s;ible ha&s;te. <HI>Mandana</HI> being extreamly &s;urpri&s;ed at this command, and believing that &s;he did not well under&s;tand him, or that the Prince had mi&s;took him&s;elf: My dear deliverer (&s;aid &s;he unto him) do you know what you &s;ay, and did your hear me? Oh Madam, (&s;aid he unto her, and kneeled) be&s;tow no more that name upon me, whereof I am unworthy; and &s;u&s;pend your judgement of me, I be&s;eech you, until you know what I have done again&s;t my &s;elf, before I will attempt any thing again&s;t you: Do not call me either your deliverer or your ravi&s;her, nor pronounce an un|ju&s;t &s;entence again&s;t him who is the mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionate of all your adorers: How, (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e, in a mighty maze) can <HI>Mazares</HI> not be generous, is it po&s;&s;ible he &s;hould deceive me? Is not then <HI>Mandana</HI> at liberty? <HI>Mazares,</HI> (replied the Prince, with unequalled &s;orrow) was born generous, and has lived &s;o, until love of <HI>Mandana</HI> did force his heart to degenerate: But Madam (pur&s;ued he) you &s;hall be free; and I do prote&s;t unto you in the pre&s;ence of the gods, whom I have incen&s;ed, that you &s;hall never have any cau&s;e to complain of my violence; I will only carry you unto a place, Madam, where I may perfect|ly make known unto you, the mo&s;t re&s;pective pa&s;&s;ion that ever was; you have te&s;tified &s;ome &s;igns of friend&s;hip towards me, and I be&s;eech you do not pre&s;ently pa&s;&s;e from friend|&s;hip unto hatred; give me a few dayes time to acquaint you with my thoughts of <HI>Mandana.</HI> No <HI>Mazares</HI> (&s;ad &s;he unto him) I cannot con&s;ent unto your de&s;ire: you are now either the ab&s;olute ma&s;ter of my hatred or of my friend&s;hip: and if you do not immediately repent of your crime, I &s;hall hate you a thou&s;and times more then ever I hated the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria,</HI> and &s;hall e&s;teem you incomparably more culpable, but al&s;o (interrupted the Prince) more amorous: No, no, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) deceive not your &s;elf in that; I &s;hall never terme an unju&s;t pa&s;&s;ion, love, but will phra&s;e it phren&s;ie, fury, or that which is wor&s;e. Why <HI>Mazares,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he all in tears) will you lo&s;e my e&s;teem and friend&s;hip? you whom I re|&s;pected as my protector in <HI>Babylon,</HI> as my deliverer in <HI>Sinope:</HI> I perceive you had rather be my ravi&s;her and my enemy, and &s;ee me die in &s;orrow, then live a happy life? Do you not &s;ee, (&s;aid &s;he, in ob&s;erving how the Seas began to be a little more boi&s;trous) how you do incen&s;e the gods, and that if you do not appea&s;e them by a &s;peedy repentance, they will with &s;hipwrack puni&s;h your crime? Ah Madam, (cried out this unfortunate Prince) &s;o they will be plea&s;ed to &s;ave you from the &s;hipwrack, how happy &s;hould I be, if I peri&s;h|ed in it? and how happy &s;hould I have been, if I had died in <HI>Babylon</HI> while&s;t I was inno|cent? But Madam, what would you have me do? how could I every day look upon <HI>Man|dana,</HI> and find her &s;o &s;weet, &s;o civil, &s;o plea&s;ing, and &s;o fair, and yet not love her? &s;ome who never &s;aw you but angry at them, yet could not chu&s;e but love you; and &s;ince I found you &s;o infinitely obliging, was it po&s;&s;ible but I &s;hould be po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with mo&s;t violent pa&s;|&s;ion? No, no, it was ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible: When the Prince&s;&s;e &s;aw that <HI>Mazares</HI> con|tinued in his re&s;olution, &s;he began to be &s;o de&s;perately incen&s;ed, as I never &s;aw her in my life: Alas (&s;aid &s;he) into what a pittiful condition am I brought? and what unhappy con|&s;equences does this little beauty which the gods have be&s;towed upon me produce, &s;ince it in|fu&s;eth into tho&s;e who have any affection unto me, only unju&s;t thoughts? But let me take cou|rage (&s;aid &s;he when &s;he &s;aw the Sea more boi&s;trous then ever) I &s;hall pre&s;ently find an end of all my misfortunes in ending my life; and &s;hall have &s;o much comfort as to peri&s;h with one of my enemies: When <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;aw the Prince&s;&s;e &s;o very angry, and in &s;o great a danger, and al&s;o that he had committed an unprofitable &s;in; he became &s;o extreamly de&s;perate, that he offered to throw him&s;elf into the &s;ea; and I think if his thoughts of the
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Prince&s;&s;e and her intere&s;t had not re&s;trained him, he had done it. Madam (&s;aid he unto her) I am infinitely &s;orry, that I have expo&s;ed your life unto &s;o much danger: No, no, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) It is onely repentance which I de&s;ire from you; and I wi&s;h you to &s;teer your cour&s;e another way, that if I do &s;uffer &s;hipwrack, the waves may waft me un|to the <HI>Cappadocian</HI> coa&s;t. But <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> I cannot repeat all that the Prince&s;&s;e &s;aid un|to <HI>Mazares,</HI> nor all his replies, but certainly although he was culpable, yet he expre&s;&s;ed &s;uch moving language, as made appear he was full of pity: The Prince&s;&s;e al&s;o expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf in &s;uch ju&s;t and lamentable termes, that &s;he was able to move cruelty it &s;elf: Mean while it was not po&s;&s;ible to chu&s;e our cour&s;e, we mu&s;t now obey the winde and &s;torme: It did often blow us towards the foot of the Tower, and then upon a &s;udden turning quite contrary, it drove us far off <HI>Sinope:</HI> We continued all that day, and the night following in continuall to&s;&s;ings upon the &s;urges of the Sea; &s;ometimes to the right hand, &s;ometimes to the left, and which way &s;oever we went, we found danger: Oars were of no u&s;e; Sails would not abide the winde, which whifled from all &s;ides; and all this while there was no hopes of any thing but pre&s;ent death. As &s;oon as day appeared and the Tempe&s;t &s;till con|tinuing as boi&s;terous as ever, the Prince&s;&s;e de&s;ired <HI>Mazares</HI> to repent of his Act; for as long as it was night, &s;he kept in her Cabin, where out of re&s;pect, <HI>Mazares</HI> would not enter, although he knew <HI>Mandana</HI> could not &s;leep: but it beginning to be light, the Prince&s;&s;e as as I told you, renewed her complaints and prayers, with &s;o many Tears, and in &s;uch a violent manner, that <HI>Mazares</HI> without giving the Prince&s;&s;e any an&s;wer went unto the Pi|lot; and whether it was by vertue of his order (as <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> beleevs) or el&s;e by the force of the windes, we &s;aw the Pilote turn the Galley towards <HI>Sinope.</HI> But, Oh Heavens, a huge bla&s;t of winde, meeting with a great Billow, made the Galley lean on one &s;ide; the Rud|der broke, and the Galley grated upon the point of a Rock, &s;o that it turned, and broke in turning; I catched hold of the Prince&s;&s;e, <HI>Arianta</HI> hold of me, and I heard a ter|rible outcry, among&s;t which I knew the voice of <HI>Mazares,</HI> who cried out; <HI>O ye Ju&s;t gods, pre&s;erve the Prince&s;&s;e;</HI> after this I knew not what became of us: onely this I re|member, that in lieu of &s;eeing water, me thought I &s;aw a great fire, which overwhelmed me, and made me lo&s;e all my under&s;tanding: Yet <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> the prayers of unfortunate <HI>Mazares</HI> were heard, and we e&s;caped this great danger: But let me tell you, it was mo&s;t &s;trangely, and will a&s;toni&s;h you, perhaps, almo&s;t as much as it did us. Be plea&s;ed to under|&s;tand then, that the fir&s;t thing I &s;aw after our &s;hipwrack, was as I did a little open my eyes, I &s;aw men who endeavoured as well as they could to make me let go my hold of the Prin|ce&s;s (for you know <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> it is the quality of tho&s;e who are in water to hold what&s;oever they catch at): this &s;ight, and the hurt the&s;e men did me, did more revive me then all the re|medies they gave me afterwards; &s;o that &s;triving with them, what would you have (&s;aid I to them) and who are you? We are &s;uch (an&s;wered they unto me) as would &s;ave the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and help you: at the&s;e words I let go my hold, and loo&s;ed the Prince&s;s, al&s;o told them, that the gods would recompence them for &s;o charitable an office. After this, coming a little better unto my &s;elf, I fir&s;t &s;aw <HI>Arianta,</HI> and then the Prince&s;s, who revived al&s;o as well as I, and who after &s;he opened her eyes did call upon me, almo&s;t not knowing what &s;he &s;aid: I was yet &s;o dizzy, that I had much ado to ri&s;e from the bed whereon they had laid me, but her voice did infu&s;e &s;uch fre&s;h &s;trength into me, that I came unto her as &s;he was very attentive|ly looking upon a man, who was kneeling by her bed &s;ide, and who holding her by the arm, did try by her Pul&s;e, whether &s;he had &s;trength to revive; when I was come unto her, and &s;he knew me; <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me, and pulling her arm out of the hands of that man who held it, with as much ha&s;t as her weakne&s;&s;e would permit her) where are we? Madam (replied the man) you are in a place where you have ab&s;olute power and authority; the voice &s;urprizing both her and me, &s;he rai&s;ed her &s;elf to look upon him who an&s;wered; and then we both together found that he who thus had &s;aved us, was the King of <HI>Pontus.</HI></P>
<P>The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> interrupting him) is he in love with the Prince&s;&s;e whom <HI>Artamenes</HI> took Pri&s;oner? Oh heavens, can &s;uch a mo&s;t prodi|gious accident prove true?</P>
<P>Yes Wi&s;e <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> and &s;ee how it fell out: You very well know, I beleeve, the ill &s;ucce&s;&s;e which he has had in his Wars again&s;t <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and how in both his Kingdoms he has but one Maritine Town left, in which he was be&s;ieged. But I beleeve you know not, how when he &s;aw this Town was ready to be lo&s;t, he re&s;olved to convey him&s;elf out of the victory of his enemies, and flee away in a &s;hip, as he did. That which is the greate&s;t wonder is, that this Prince not knowing where to finde any &s;afety
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for him&s;elf, and perhaps being pre&s;&s;ed unto it by the violence of his pa&s;&s;ion, which in the mid&s;t of his misfortunes did not for&s;ake him: did intend to come and offer him&s;elf unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to help him in regaining his daughter from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> for he had intelligence of her being taken away, before he was be&s;ieged: So that embarking him&s;elf with that re&s;olution, he came upon the coa&s;t of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> to informe him&s;elf in the &s;tate of things: and he came thither ju&s;t in the nick to &s;ave our lives: his &s;hip which the tem|pe&s;t had to&s;&s;ed as well as our Galley, was not far off us when we began to &s;uffer &s;hip|wrack, although his Pilot endeavoured the place where we were. This Prince being ever very Generous and Noble, and &s;eeing us ready to peri&s;h &s;o neer him, commanded that all tho&s;e who appeared above water, &s;hould be &s;aved if it were po&s;&s;ible: for as &s;hips do better endure a &s;torm then Galleys can, &s;o he might do it without any great danger unto him&s;elf: Pre&s;ently, as if the angry waves were appea&s;ed by our &s;hipwrack, there happe|ned a &s;udden calm at Sea, the windes were hu&s;ht immediatly; and all the mountainous waves levelled in a moment; &s;o that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> putting a &s;mall boat into the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ea his men &s;aved many others, among&s;t which <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> who came now with me was one: As they were all bu&s;ied in this charitable office, and this Prince being upon the Deck of the &s;hip, and perhaps, thinking him&s;elf more unfortunate in the lo&s;&s;e of his two Kingdoms, then tho&s;e men whom he &s;aw floting, were in the lo&s;&s;e of their lives, he di&s;covered a|mong&s;t the waves &s;ome women, who&s;e clothes kept them above the water: This object moving him unto much compa&s;&s;ion, he commanded in all ha&s;t that his men &s;hould &s;ave them; though no other intere&s;t in the world did move him unto it, but his own naturall pity: But imagine you <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> how this Prince was &s;urprized, when after they had took us out of the water, and brought us into his Cabin, he knew the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana.</HI> He pre&s;ently forgot all his lo&s;&s;es, and thought upon nothing but &s;aving that life, which had long &s;ince made him lo&s;e his liberty. The&s;e were this Princes cogitations; when, as I told you before, he a&s;&s;ured the Prince&s;&s;e, that &s;he was in a place where &s;he had ab&s;olute power, and authority. <HI>Mandana,</HI> knowing his voice as well as I, Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him) you &s;ee that you are not misfortunate alone: But to acknowledg the good office you have done me, I wi&s;h that you would make &s;uch u&s;e of this opportunity, which the gods have given you, to a&s;&s;i&s;t an unfortunate Prince&s;&s;e, as that you may oblige her to a&s;&s;i&s;t you a|gain: Madam (&s;aid he unto her) I will complain of my de&s;tinies no longer, but I think my &s;elf obliged to thank the Heavens for the lo&s;&s;e of my Kingdoms, &s;ince if I had not lo&s;t them, I &s;hould not have had the good fortune to &s;ave your life, and &s;hould not have hindered the Univer&s;e from lo&s;ing her faire&s;t Ornament: But Madam, you are not now in a condition to be &s;poken unto without troubling you; and &s;ince <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> is with you, al&s;o able to help you, the re&s;pects which I owe you, bids me withdraw: All my men has Orders to obey your Women, &s;aid he to <HI>Arianta,</HI> and my &s;elf: they need but ask what is wanting, and follow the advice of a Phy&s;itian, who is here with me, and who has already begun to a&s;&s;i&s;t you; And indeed by good fortune, there was a <HI>Graecian</HI> Phy&s;itian, who followed this Prince in his flight, who was very helpfull unto us; for certainly he was a man very knowing in his Art, being a Practi&s;er under that famous <HI>Hippocrates,</HI> who is &s;o cried up thorowout the whole World. This Prince being gone out, and his men &s;upplying us with all nece&s;&s;aries, we undre&s;&s;ed the Prince&s;&s;e, and got her into bed: and afterwards <HI>Arianta</HI> and I having dried our clothes, and taken an admirable water, which the Phy&s;i|tian gave us, who&s;e vertue was to comfort the heart, and temper the agitation of the blood, we pa&s;&s;ed away all that day and the next night in very good re&s;t; for to tell you truely, our fears of death, and the wearine&s;&s;e of our bodies, did whether we would or no, cau&s;e &s;leep to &s;u&s;pend our unquiet thoughts. The Prince&s;&s;e &s;he &s;ighed very often, and could not chu&s;e but admire at the prodigiou&s;ne&s;&s;e of our chance; &s;o that after &s;he waked, and &s;aw I was there, and that <HI>Arianta</HI> &s;lept on, &s;he called me; as our bed by her order was in her Cabin, I no &s;ooner heard her, but I ro&s;e, and dre&s;&s;ed my &s;elf ha&s;tily, then went unto her: I found her indeed not ill, con&s;idering the illne&s;&s;e of the accident, yet I found not her minde very Serene. Well <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) what do you think of our Fortune? where is our hopes? Madam, &s;aid I unto her, there are &s;uch miraculous accidents which do befall us, that I do think it much ra&s;hne&s;&s;e to judge what our future events will be; for truely Madam, &s;ince the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> has deceived me, I can tru&s;t no more in any one, but mu&s;t needs mi&s;tru&s;t all, yet I am mo&s;t certain we have e&s;caped a mo&s;t miraculous danger, which &s;eemed inevitable, and I hope that the &s;ame gods who &s;aved you, wil<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> protect you: For my part, I beleeve the tempe&s;t did onely ri&s;e to puni&s;h the unfortunate
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<HI>Mazares.</HI> Perhaps (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) he is e&s;caped as well as we; for when our Galley was &s;plit, and after we were in the water, I either &s;aw him, or imagined that he held me up by a &s;carf, which I then had about me; but when I re&s;i&s;ted him, and did &s;trive to be loo&s;e from him, the &s;carf did loo&s;e of it &s;elf, and after that I lo&s;t both my rea&s;on and my under&s;tanding faculties: Madam, &s;aid I unto her, that which you tell me is more then an imagination, for your &s;carf is not to be found, and therefore it is to be thought, that the unfortunate <HI>Mazares</HI> is peri&s;hed, and therefore the Tempe&s;t, as I &s;aid, did ri&s;e onely to puni&s;h him: And perhaps al&s;o (added the Prince&s;&s;e) that the gods have pre&s;erved me, to make me more mi&s;erable; for truly <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> it is very &s;trange, that the&s;e two, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> whom of all men living in the World I mo&s;t feared to fall into their power, that one of the&s;e Princes, whom I thought engaged in a trouble&s;ome War, and who perhaps, never was at Sea but this one time, that this Prince I &s;ay, &s;hould lo&s;e both his Kingdoms, and fleeing from a Town (which as his Phy&s;itian told me) he could not keep, he &s;hould take the direct way to meet me; and that his &s;hip, which in all rea&s;on, &s;hould have &s;hun'd the Land, &s;hould get no further from it; and that he &s;hould come ju&s;t at the minuit of our &s;hipwrack; that he &s;hould &s;ave me, and keep me in his power; I tell you <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> the&s;e prodigious ca&s;ualties make me all fear. But, Madam, (&s;aid I unto her) the misfortune of this Prince will be your &s;ecurity: for what can a King without a Kingdome do? and what Sanctuary could he finde if he &s;hould of|fer any violence unto you, or detain you again&s;t your minde? I know not my <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> (an&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e) but I am &s;ure my fears are above my hopes: not but that I have prevalent Rea&s;ons to induce the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> to do as I would de&s;ire; but <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> my Fate is to make all men I deal with to lo&s;e their Rea&s;on: I bani&s;h vertue out of the &s;ouls of them who love me; I alter all their good inclinations: And I think it a miracle, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> in loving me, &s;hould retain his Genero&s;ity. Then <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> while&s;t the Prin|ce&s;&s;e was thus di&s;cour&s;ing with me, the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who had changed his cour&s;e, and made towards the main Sea, was no le&s;&s;e unquiet in his minde then the Prince&s;&s;e was; and going into another chamber with one of his &s;ervants, called <HI>Pharnaba&s;es,</HI> in whom he had great confidence, he began to relate the pre&s;ent &s;tate of his &s;oul unto him. <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> who is here, and who endured the &s;hipwrack better then we, becau&s;e he could &s;wim, was in another little Room neer them, where he could hear all they &s;aid, and all which he related unto me the next morning: for although he had been the &s;ervant of <HI>Mazares,</HI> yet he was &s;o &s;erviceable unto us while&s;t we were in <HI>Babylon,</HI> that we did not u&s;e him ill: <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> then being in that place I told you of, heard the King &s;ay unto the man; It mu&s;t be ac|knowledged <HI>Pharnaba&s;es,</HI> that my de&s;tiny is odde, and that the gods do treat me in a rigorous manner: For be&s;ides the con&s;ideration of the ancient misfortunes of my Hou&s;e, If I call to minde all which hath happened unto me by rea&s;on of my pa&s;&s;ionate love of <HI>Mandana,</HI> may I not well beleeve that I am re&s;erved for cro&s;&s;e adventures. I was left as a Ho&s;tage with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and I became enamoured with <HI>Mandana</HI> his Daughter: I dur&s;t not then declare it openly, becau&s;e that then there was no hopes of my being King: Yet I was no &s;ooner out of that Pri&s;on, but I was pre&s;ently in the Throne, and then I deman|ded the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> her father, by way of Marriage, and he denied me: I began a War, and was unfortunate in it: I was taken Pri&s;oner, and did pa&s;&s;ionately love my vanqui&s;her: I came out of pri&s;on by the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of his Genero&s;ity: Then did I enter into a Civil War; not being able to break tho&s;e chains which tied me unto <HI>Mandana:</HI> What &s;hould I &s;ay <HI>Pharnaba&s;es?</HI> I have been beaten, pur&s;ued, be&s;ieged, and per&s;ecuted by them who my Father left &s;ubjects unto me, and who are now become my mortall ene|mies: I had once two Crowns upon my head, but now I am forced to flee in one &s;ingle &s;hip, as my onely &s;afety and retreat: I am reduced unto this extreamity; I finde <HI>Man|dana,</HI> whom I ever adored in my heart, at the very point of death; It was my hap to &s;ave her, and now I have her in my power; Ah <HI>Pharnaba&s;es,</HI> how much would this la&s;t ad|venture advantage me, if I could make good u&s;e of it? I &s;hould value the lo&s;&s;e of both my two Kingdoms at a low rate, if I could but conquer the heart of <HI>Mandana.</HI> But alas, that likelihood is there, that the gods will ever permit me to &s;o glorious a Conque&s;t? If <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ver they had intended me &s;uch a happine&s;&s;e, they would never have taken my two Crowns <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rom me: But al&s;o what likelihood was there to finde this Prince&s;&s;e in &s;uch a deplorable <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ondition? or that they &s;hould ever afford me &s;o much joy, as to have her in my power; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">urely they intended me &s;ome con&s;olation for the lo&s;&s;e of my two Crowns: No, no, I will <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ill hope that &s;ince they have given me po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of &s;uch an une&s;timable Trea&s;ure, which
<PB N="141" REF="155">
does not belong unto me, and which I am unworthy of, they will render me that which does belong unto me. But oh heavens, I am not rightly amorous to remember any crowns, at the feet of <HI>Mandana:</HI> no proud pa&s;&s;ion, which vaunts and domineers in the hearts of all men, thou &s;halt not do &s;o in mine, and love &s;hall &s;urmount thee: yes, in &s;pite of all my lo&s;&s;es, all my di&s;graces; and all my ambition, this very one thought that <HI>Mandana</HI> is in my power, &s;hall rejoyce me, and make me willingly for&s;ake them all: But yet, thou unfortunat Prince, what can&s;t thou do? Is it po&s;&s;ible that a King who is turned out of his dominions, who&s;e imaginations can think of nothing but, &s;ubjecting thrones, Bro|ken Scepters, and Cru&s;hed Crowns, can be &s;en&s;ible of any delights? but on the other &s;ide? is it po&s;&s;ible to &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> ri&s;en from the dead, and ri&s;en by thee, and not be &s;en&s;ible of &s;o much Joy as may comfort thee in all thy &s;orrowes? No, no, this is a priviledg of love, which ambition cannot di&s;pute for: The Joyes of ambition are not alwayes &s;erene; and the remembrance of my lo&s;&s;es do &s;omtimes trouble me: but the Image of <HI>Mandana</HI> no &s;ooner comes into my memory, but all tho&s;e melancho|ly thoughts for&s;ake me, tho&s;e mi&s;ts vani&s;h and, I &s;ee nothing but <HI>Mandana;</HI> yes <HI>Pharnaba&s;es,</HI> I no &s;ooner apply my &s;elf unto this plea&s;ing thought, but I know not whether I am &s;till upon a throne, or whether I be thrown out of it; whether I be upon the &s;ea, or whether I am upon earth: I know only that I never think upon regaining my kingdomes, nor of revenging my &s;elf upon my enemyes: All my thoughts are how to vanqui&s;h the ci|vility of my Prince&s;s. But <HI>Pharnaba&s;es</HI> the enterpri&s;e is extreamly difficult, and I &s;hall have much a do to find out &s;uch rea&s;ons, as can give me any hopes of &s;oftening the &s;everity of <HI>Mandana.</HI> The obligation Sir, which &s;he owes you, (replied <HI>Pharnaba&s;es)</HI> is argu|ment &s;ufficient to move her mind; and I think that &s;uch a one as&punc; owes unto you a life were extreamly unju&s;t, if &s;he did deny you her affection: alas <HI>Pharnaba&s;es</HI> (&s;aid the King unto him) it &s;eemes you are not acquainted with <HI>Mandana:</HI> yet know thus much, that although I &s;hould expo&s;e my own life a thou&s;and and a thou&s;and times to pre&s;erve hers, yet would &s;he owe me nothing; for it is no more then duty of all &s;uch as have the ho|nour to know her, to do as much, out of their love unto her, and I &s;hould do as much, although I were certain to be extreamly hated eternally. But <HI>Pharnaba&s;es,</HI> my Joy to have &s;uch a trea&s;ure in my po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, which I value at a far higher rate then the empire of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> is both a mo&s;t &s;weet, and a mo&s;t bitter, grief unto me, &s;ince I &s;hall not now be troubled by the misfortune of any Rivall; for I under&s;tand by one of them who e&s;caped the &s;hipwrack, that the Prince&s;s was ever very aver&s;e unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> and that though he had her in the prime town in the world, yet could he not move her at all: what can I then hope to do? who cannot pre&s;ent her with any crowns or &s;cepters and has no|thing left in my power to give her but that &s;ame heart which &s;he has &s;o often refu&s;ed: Ah <HI>Pharnaba&s;es!</HI> Ambition is a great incitement unto love, Crowns and Scepters moves hearts which are mo&s;t in&s;en&s;ible: I cannot think, a Prince who is driven out of his do|minions, and can pre&s;ent nothing but a &s;hare in his misfortunes, is in a condition to &s;trike deep into the mind of <HI>Mandana:</HI> For my part, (&s;aid <HI>Pharnaba&s;es)</HI> I think you complaine of this accident, which you rather ought to rejoyce at, becau&s;e if you re&s;tore the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> unto her father, I am certain that the &s;ame army wherewith he intended to take
<HI>Babylon,</HI> and &s;ince is ma&s;ter of it, and which as the&s;e men who have e&s;caped from the &s;hipwrack, do &s;ay, will be pre&s;ently returned into <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> &s;hall be imployed to re|conquer your e&s;tate againe: and I am certain, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> who you &s;o much &s;peak of will not deny you his a&s;&s;i&s;tance: I do confe&s;s <HI>Pharnaba&s;es,</HI> and am fully per&s;waded that it would be more prudent and Judicious to take the cour&s;e you &s;peak of, rather then to humour my extream pa&s;&s;ion: But yet in doing &s;o, I &s;hould be more ambitious then amo|rous, and love a crown better then I do <HI>Mandana,</HI> and not prefer her as I do above all the Crowns and Scepters upon earth: for although he do give me his army, yet will he not give me his daughter: &s;o that if I part with her I &s;hall be almo&s;t certain to regain my Crown, but then I &s;hall be certain al&s;o to lo&s;e <HI>Mandana:</HI> Ha <HI>Pharnaba&s;es</HI> there is no compari&s;on in the choi&s;e of the&s;e two; and I had much rather never get my Crown, then never &s;ee <HI>Mandana</HI> againe: But Sir, an&s;wered <HI>Pharnaba&s;es,</HI> all your thoughts of ambition and Crowns will be but thorns in your heart, and you would be &s;till unhappy un|le&s;s you were loved: and I do make it a grand que&s;tion whether you ever will be &s;o: as long as you are without a Crown, without a Scepter, without a habitation, but as thus a wanderer, a fugitive, and an unfortunat man: con&s;ider Sir, I be&s;eech you, that by re&s;to|ring this Prince&s;s you will gaine a potent protector, and find a &s;afe &s;anctuary: and that if
<PB N="142" REF="155">
you do not re&s;tore her, then you know not where to find a place of retreat in all the earth: and you will ruine your &s;elf under the arms of an enemy, who in the turning of an eye can command two hundred thou&s;and men: I do confe&s;s <HI>Pharnaba&s;es</HI> (an&s;wered the King) that all you &s;ay is true: But I know al&s;o that I have a more formidable enemy in my own heart which I know not how to overcome, and who I &s;hould be &s;orrie if he did &s;o: yes <HI>Pharnaba&s;es,</HI> the &s;ight of <HI>Mandana</HI> has &s;o much inflamed my pa&s;&s;ion, that I can harken unto nothing but what will &s;atisfie it. I know that in lieu of a gallant act, I &s;hall com|mit a crime; but what &s;hould I do? It is the violence of love enforceth me to it: and I conceive it a thing ab&s;olutly impo&s;&s;ible to have one who is beloved as I love <HI>Mandana</HI> in ones power, and voluntarily to part with her: moreover there are not the &s;ame rea&s;ons why &s;he &s;hould hate me, as there are why &s;he &s;hould hate the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> for I did not take her away as he did, but on the contrary I &s;aved her life, and re&s;cued her out of the arms of death: &s;he cannot therefore without great inju&s;tice call me her Ravi&s;her, &s;ince I did only pre&s;erve that trea&s;ure which the gods did &s;end me as a cordiall after all my lo&s;&s;es: But alas, how can I keep this unvaluable trea&s;ure in a poor &s;ingle &s;hip without any refuge or retract? and can I find in my heart to make her unto whom of all the earth I wi&s;h mo&s;t happine&s;s, &s;o infinitly unhappy? Truth is, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> this Prince after &s;uch an extream agitation of his mind, could not re&s;olve upon any thing; but when he under&s;tood by the phy&s;itian that the Prince&s;s was in &s;o good a condition that &s;he might be &s;een, he &s;ent, to de&s;ire permi&s;&s;ion that he might vi&s;it her. At his fir&s;t approach unto her, he expre&s;&s;ed much Joy, to &s;ee &s;o many &s;igns of health in her countenance, con&s;idering the accident; not but that there was much melancholy in the eyes of the Princes; but &s;ince &s;he was ever &s;o fair that &s;he could not ever look ill, he thought better of her then indeed &s;he was: moreover, rhe King, &s;eeing her the day before in a wor&s;e condition, did think, &s;he Looked well then: The Prince&s;&s;e, as owing her Life unto him, Received him with a Civilitie, and after &s;he had cau&s;ed him to &s;it down, &s;he &s;aid unto him with as much &s;pirit as &s;weetne&s;&s;e: you &s;ee here Sir a wonderfull effect of fortunes incon&s;tancie: for when you Left me la&s;t at <HI>Sinope,</HI> I was in a condition then to doe you a favour; but now, I am in a con|dition to Receive one from you: War, brought you into my fathers pri&s;on, and fortune has brought me into yours: and I rejoice in my captivitie, &s;ince I have an opinion that he who has &s;aved my life, will &s;uffer me to enjoy it; and perhaps will remember that he went out of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> without any ran&s;ome; but Sir, I do not &s;peak this with any in|tention to quit my own; but on the contrary, I am certain that the King my father will both pay it, and al&s;o if you plea&s;e, a&s;&s;i&s;t you in the reconque&s;t of the kingdomes of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Bythinia:</HI> I am at this pre&s;ent Madam, (replied the King) &s;o rich, &s;ince I have the honour to &s;ee you in a place where I have power, that I cannot think of any conque&s;ts: and if you had not remembred me of my misfortunes, in &s;peaking to me of my pri&s;on, I think I &s;hould have ab&s;olutly forgot all my lo&s;&s;es and di&s;graces: But they are &s;o con&s;ide|rable (replied &s;he) that they cannot chu&s;e but be remembred at all times, and in all places: yet generous Prince, there wants a remedy, again&s;t them: doubtle&s;s Madam, you may, (&s;aid the King &s;ighing) if you plea&s;e, yes, (an&s;wered the Prince&s;e) but it mu&s;t be by the valour of another: therefore Sir, I be&s;eech you make towards <HI>Sinope,</HI> that we may &s;end one of your men on &s;hore to get information where the King my father is: my de&s;igne was, (replied the King) to go and offer my &s;elf unto him, that he would be plea&s;ed to accept of my a&s;&s;i&s;tance, in recovering you out of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> power; but now the cour&s;e and end of my voyage is altered: you may better proceed in your voyage (&s;aid the Prince&s;s) &s;ince in re&s;cuing me from death, you have done that alone, which you could not have done with two hundred thou&s;and men, if you had been to deliver me out of the power of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> &s;o that Sir you &s;hall come into the camp of <HI>Ciax|ares</HI> as a Prince who has done more then a pui&s;&s;ant army could do: yes Madam (an&s;wered he kneeling notwith&s;tanding the oppo&s;ition of the Prince&s;s) but Madam do you know my thoughts? and if you do know them, can you think that the lo&s;s of my two kingdoms, can alter them: I think Sir (replied the Prince&s;s) that if you did e&s;teem me, you will do &s;o &s;till; and you may in all rea&s;on think, that &s;ince you have not changed your thoughts, no more have I mine, but that I continue &s;till the very &s;ame I was; oh Madam (replied he) will you continue &s;o in&s;en&s;ible, and &s;o inexorable for ever? did the gods &s;end me to rai&s;e you from the dead, that you &s;hould &s;o cruelly give me my death? I do confe&s;s Sir, (an&s;wered the Prince&s;s rai&s;ing up her &s;elf a little) that I owe my life unto you; but if you gave it me, with any intentions it &s;hould be a torment unto me, I do freely permit you
<PB N="142" REF="156">
to take it again when you plea&s;e: No Madam, replied he, you &s;hall never lo&s;e it that way, for it is a jewel which I will ever defend with the hazard of mine own. Sir, (an&s;wered &s;he) do you think that there is neither fire, nor &s;word, nor poi&s;on, can &s;end me to my grave: No, no, you deceive your &s;elf if you think it, and there are other kinds of death more cru|el then they, though they do not look &s;o horridly: yes Sir, &s;aid &s;he, I do prefer the mo&s;t violent death above a &s;ervitude; and I &s;hall think you more innocent in killing me, then keeping me by force, or in making me die by de&s;pair: but generous Prince, I cannot be|lieve you have any &s;uch de&s;ign, and when I remember how bravely you treated a man, who did every day endeavour to catch you into his power; when I remember, I &s;ay, how you adverti&s;ed <HI>Artamenes</HI> of the con&s;piracy again&s;t his life, and how you did command he &s;hould not be &s;hot at; I cannot think that &s;ince ambition left you your rea&s;on free, love &s;hould &s;o deprive you of it, as not to con&s;ider in what &s;tate your bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is in, and though you were not generous, but prudent only and intere&s;ted, yet would it be very ad|vantagious for you to re&s;tore me unto the King my father, and ab&s;olutely prejudicial unto you to retain me long: I &s;ee very well Madam (an&s;wered he) that all you &s;ay is mo&s;t rea&s;onable, yet I mu&s;t be ma&s;ter of more rea&s;on then I am, before I can execute it: That which mo&s;t comforts me in this adventure, Divine Prince&s;&s;e, is, that I &s;ee you never were in love, &s;o that I have no other impediment to remove, but that of in&s;en&s;ibility: For indeed Madam, if you did but know what it was to love, you would never &s;peak thus unto me, and you would know that all other pa&s;&s;ions in compari&s;on of it are nothing: But Sir (replied &s;he and blu&s;ht) I think that they who love, de&s;ire to be beloved again, and that it is a general rule, all lovers would not incur the hatred of them they love: if &s;o, then con&s;ider if you plea&s;e, that by re&s;toring me to my father you will at the lea&s;t obtain &s;ome of my e&s;teem, and perhaps my friend&s;hip; and that if you do not re&s;tore me, I &s;hall then hate you above all compari&s;ons, more then I think you love me. Your e&s;teem, Madam, and friend&s;hip (an&s;wered the King) are two things which are infinitely pretious, and ought fully to &s;atisfie &s;uch as do only e&s;teem and honour you: But love, Madam, is a pa&s;&s;ion, much more tyrannical, and will be &s;atisfied with nothing but the &s;ame; think it not &s;trange then, I be&s;eech you, if the hopes which you give me to enjoy your e&s;teem and friend&s;hip, do not move me to for&s;ake the intere&s;t of my love: But Sir, replied &s;he, then in lieu of obtaining my love, you will find my extream hate: who knows, Madam, (an&s;wered he) whether a little time may not move an alteration in your heart? and whether pitty may not procure that from you which nothing el&s;e can? Con&s;ider, I be&s;eech you Madam, that he whom you &s;ee here before you, has a &s;oul &s;o po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ed with violent pa&s;&s;ion, as never man had the like; and if you will know it, be plea&s;ed to con&s;ider but two things: Fir&s;t, that one only favourable look from you, does comfort, more then the regaining of my two Kingdoms would: Secondly, that though perhaps, I might obtain &s;ufficient forces from the King your father, to reconquer them, if I &s;hould re&s;tore you unto him; yet I had rather chu&s;e to lo&s;e them both then be deprived of you: Take heed Sir what you &s;ay, replied the Prince&s;&s;e; for in re&s;toring me my liberty, you will only want the &s;ight of me; but if you do not re&s;tore me, you will not only lo&s;e my e&s;teem, but al&s;o in a few dayes my life; whereas on the contrary, if you plea&s;e, you may &s;it in your Throne again in glory, and have this &s;atisfaction to boot, that I &s;hall be mo&s;t extreamly obliged unto you: A Throne, Madam (an&s;wered he) is not nece&s;&s;ary for that Prince who cannot live without you; and if during my late wars I had not retained &s;ome hopes, to find out wayes whereby I might move your heart by my per&s;everance, I &s;hould not have &s;o ob&s;tinately di&s;puted the victory with tho&s;e who have vanqui&s;hed me: not Madam, but that I know you have great rea&s;on to de&s;pi&s;e and &s;corn that Prince whom fortune has for&s;aken: But yet Madam, it is worth con&s;ideration, to think how incon&s;tant this fortune is: who one day, perhaps courts him, whom the next day &s;he cruelly per&s;ecutes; and this very accident in meeting with you, per&s;wades me that all my misfortunes are blown over, and that a &s;erene calm will follow my boi&s;trous &s;torm; yes Madam, the &s;ight of you &s;peaks &s;erenity unto me, and infu&s;eth lively hopes into the &s;ouls of them who before were &s;unk in &s;orrows; I hope therefore Madam, that good fortune will follow, as long as I am with you, and that there is no Country, I &s;hall not find a &s;anctuary in, as long as I carry you thither; yet notwith&s;tanding Madam, I do promi&s;e you, never to u&s;e any thing but my tears, and &s;ighs, and prayers, and per&s;everance, wherewith to overcome you: fear not therefore Ma|dam, to be engaged in my fortunes; and believe it, that when I &s;ee I cannot obtain your love by the&s;e innocent wayes, you &s;hall then receive your liberty by the end of my life:
<PB N="143" REF="156">
How Sir, (replied the Prince&s;&s;e, with her eyes full of tears) mu&s;t I not have my liberty till <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ou die? I be&s;eech you do not force me to de&s;ire it, it is a thing I never yet wi&s;hed unto <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y mo&s;t mortal enemies; and I &s;hould be very &s;orry to be compelled to wi&s;h it unto a Prince who has &s;o many excellent qualities, to one who has &s;aved my life, and one who doubtle&s;&s;e will never for&s;ake the wayes of vertue, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> per&s;ecute me; moreover, Sir, into what part of the world &s;oever you &s;hall carry me, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> King my father will follow yo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who&s;e valour is not unknown to you, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ill perhaps compel you to d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> now will be a favour, if you will be plea&s;ed to do it: If I could Madam, (r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> in a mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionate ge&s;ture) doubtle&s;&s;e I would do it, and prevent <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ers and menaces: But alas, Divine Prince&s;&s;e, I cannot; all that is in my <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">s to tell you, that if it be your plea&s;ure, I will ca&s;t my &s;elf into the Sea, or run my <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> through that heart which I have dedicated unto you; I &s;hall do it willingly at the very &s;ame minute you com|mand it, and &s;o by my death &s;et you at liberty; it is not the will of the gods (replied the Prince&s;&s;e) that we &s;hould expiate one &s;in by committing another, and therefore I &s;hall ne|ver bid you die in that manner: But Sir, I do intreat you with all the affection which I am capable of, that you would not make me unhappy by making your &s;elf culpable, or by ma|king me bear the burthen of your misfortunes; when the King <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> that all he &s;aid, did but more incen&s;e the Prince&s;&s;e, he ro&s;e up, and in all reverence co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">eeing, &s;aid unto her; We &s;hall &s;ee madam, whether the gods will change my heart, o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">pitty move yours: after this, without giving any time to an&s;wer, he went out of her Cabin, and pre&s;ently after <HI>Orfanes</HI> entred, who not knowing what the King had &s;aid unto the Prince&s;&s;e, came to tell as what he had heard. <HI>Mandana</HI> thanked him, and told him that his ma&s;ters crime &s;hould not be imputed unto the &s;ervant, but that if ever &s;he came into a condition to be able, &s;he would requite him: My ma&s;ter, Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) was &s;o infinitely re&s;pective of you, that if he were alive, certainly he would repair his fault; and I verily believe we had not &s;uffered &s;hipwrack if he had obeyed you, and changed our cour&s;e when you de&s;ired: However <HI>Or&s;anes,</HI> replied the Prince&s;&s;e, if I have any need of your help, I believe you will not deny it; you may command me Madam, the the mo&s;t difficult &s;ervices, (an&s;wered he) and &s;hall certainly be obeyed. And truly I think there was not a more officious man in the world then this, nor more under&s;tanding; it was by his reports I came unto much of what I have related unto you. <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> being gone out, the Prince&s;&s;e began to lament her mi&s;|fortunes, and <HI>Arianta</HI> al&s;o began to repent that &s;he had been a cau&s;e of them, and that, with &s;uch extream &s;orrow, as &s;he almo&s;t lo&s;t her rea&s;on; for this woman, though none did think of accu&s;ing her, did begin to accu&s;e her &s;elf, and beg the Prince&s;&s;e pardon, with a promi&s;e hereafter of inviolable fidelity: She told her further, how &s;he conceived it would have been a good piece of &s;ervice unto her, to contribute all &s;he could to make her Queen of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> and truly, &s;he &s;poke &s;o ingeniou&s;ly, and with &s;o repentant a &s;orrow for her fault, as the Prince&s;&s;e pardoned her. Mean while the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had his &s;hare in &s;or|row; he neither dur&s;t vi&s;it the Prince&s;&s;e, nor could for bear it: fain would he deliver her up to her father, and fainer would he keep her; and not knowing whither to go, or what to do, we wandered many dayes together upon the Seas, and the Pilot received no other orders, but to keep far from any land, and avoid meeting with any Ships. You may judge unto what patience we were put; I &s;poke often unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> but all in vain; and the three la&s;t days which we were upon the Sea, he came not into the Prince&s;s chamber: But at the la&s;t, when the King bethought him&s;elf, how the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> would pay no more Tribute un|to the King of the <HI>Medes,</HI> &s;ince the death of <HI>A&s;tyages,</HI> he believed that he might find a &s;afety there, for there was alliance between them: So that one morning as our Ship lay at anchor, clo&s;e by the mouth of the River <HI>Halis,</HI> the King &s;ent a little Cock-boat to procure a greater boat, to Rowe up by &s;tregth of Oar the &s;aid River; and one was pre&s;ently gotten, &s;o that then he came unto the Prince&s;&s;e Cabin: Madam (&s;aid he, with a di&s;ordered countenance) it is not ju&s;t to let you any longer endure the inconveniency of the Sea, you will find le&s;&s;e di&s;commodity in a River. I &s;hall &s;uffer equall inconveniency in both (an&s;wered &s;he) as long as you continue thus unrea&s;onable. Madam, &s;aid he unto her, my de&s;ign is to carry you unto the King of <HI>Armenia.</HI> The Prince&s;&s;e was glad when &s;he &s;aw that we were indeed to leave the Sea; and &s;he hoped for more help upon Land, or in a River, then in a Ship on the mid&s;t of to&s;&s;ing waves: And although &s;he knew that the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> had an ambitious and &s;tirring &s;pirit, al&s;o would be glad of any pretence for a war; yet the Prince <HI>Tigranis</HI> his &s;on, who was very vertuou&s;ly di&s;po&s;ed, and who &s;he had heretofore &s;een at <HI>Sinope,</HI> did comfort her a little: She went therefore whither they carried her without any
<PB N="144" REF="157">
contradiction: It was the Prince&s;&s;e de&s;ire that <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> and two others might go with which was all we could obtain, of fifteen or twenty which were &s;aved from &s;hipwrack, and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> took only thirty of his own men; but we knew not what he did with his Ship: Then began we to boat up the River by force of Oar, but becau&s;e the River did run there with a very &s;wift current, it was a long time before we could get into it, and we were almo&s;t alwayes upon the Land, becau&s;e the middle of the River did run more rapidly: As we looked about us, the Prince&s;&s;e e&s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Ortalques</HI> upon the River banks, and knew him at the fir&s;t; but I &s;uppo&s;e that I need not particularize any further concerning this pa&s;|&s;age, &s;ince <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">magine that you already know them by him, for <HI>Artucas</HI> told me, that he came hither: &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;ooner &s;aw him, but pulling out a little inkhorn, which &s;he ever carried about her, and hiding her &s;elf behinde <HI>Arianta</HI> and my &s;elf, &s;he writ what doubtle&s;&s;e you have &s;een, or at lea&s;t heard of it by <HI>Ortalques:</HI> but as ill luck would have it, the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who was bu&s;ie in &s;eeing them Rowe, turned his head towards us, as &s;he was writing, &s;o that &s;he had not time to end her Note, but gave it unto me; I lapped it up in my hood, and as the Boat almo&s;t touched the Land neer <HI>Ortalques,</HI> I threw it unto him, as if the winde had carried it from me, and &s;eemed as if I did not care whether or no I had it again; &s;o that they &s;tayed not the Boat for it, for if they had, the current of the water would have driven the Boat back again into the Sea: Without doubt <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> you know that this River has its originall among the Mountains in <HI>Armenia;</HI> that it runs along by the &s;ide of <HI>Lydia;</HI> and that it &s;preads it &s;elf upon the right hand towards <HI>Mantiana,</HI> and on the left hand towards <HI>Phrygia:</HI> that afterwards on the right hand it moi&s;tens a great part of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> and on the left hand <HI>Paphlagonia;</HI> &s;o that there were &s;ome places by which we were to go, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> feared very much, and which the Prince&s;s al&s;o feared, becau&s;e it was on that &s;ide of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> where the people by the per&s;wa&s;ions of <HI>Aribeus</HI> were revolted, and took part with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> But as &s;oon as we were pa&s;t <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> he &s;uffered us &s;ometime to &s;tay in the night time, that the Prince&s;s might more quietly take re&s;t and &s;leep: and to that end, they made her a Cabin in the Boat, which &s;eparated us from the re&s;t of the company, and where none but her own &s;ervants entered, excepting the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> At la&s;t <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> as nece&s;&s;ity is alwayes ingenious, the Prince&s;s did not apprehend it an ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibility for us to make an e&s;cape, &s;o that I con&s;ulted with <HI>Or&s;anes,</HI> and we re&s;olved to endeavour it: The Prince&s;s would have a candle burning alwayes in the night time, in our Cabin; but the better to execute our de&s;igne we put it out: And pro&s;ecuting our re&s;olution, one night when we were neer a great Wood, <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> who lay on the out&s;ide of our Cabin, came under the hangings on our &s;ide, and went quietly into the water, which was not very deep in that place, intending to take us, one after another, and carry us a&s;hore, and then to hide our &s;elves in the thick of the great Wood, which we ob&s;erved very neer us: And &s;ince the night was very dark, and we but two to be carried, the Prince&s;&s;e would not be carried fir&s;t, becau&s;e &s;he &s;hould then be alone upon the Banks, &s;o that &s;he would have <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> carry me fir&s;t; But Oh Heavens, what ill fortune was it that I obeyed her? and how much injury did the Prince&s;&s;e do her &s;elf in commanding it? For <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> and I were no &s;ooner at Land, but the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> waking, and &s;eeing no light in our Cabin, cried out to him that &s;tood Centinel (who had not perceived us becau&s;e it was very dark) and bade him look well to the Prince&s;&s;e; &s;o that at this Cry, the Watermen who alwayes kept a dark lanthorn, did bring it, and there they found the Prince&s;&s;e all alone in a great amazement. <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> and I, &s;ee|ing this, would have returned what danger &s;oever would hap unto us: but the Watermen Rowing away with all their &s;trength, by order from the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> Cry and call as long, and as loud as we could, they would not &s;tay to take us in: The King que&s;tionle&s;&s;e imagining, that we had got &s;ome con&s;iderable &s;trength upon Land to execute our de&s;igne; We heard the Prince&s;&s;e call &s;ometimes <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and &s;ometimes <HI>Or&s;anes:</HI> but pre&s;ently af|ter we neither heard nor &s;aw any thing, although the Moon pre&s;ently after began to break out, and the River in that place did &s;o turn and winde, that it was impo&s;&s;ible for us to &s;ee the Boat: You may well imagine <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> how great my &s;orrows, and my fears were: Fir&s;t, to &s;ee I was &s;eparated from the Prince&s;&s;e: Secondly, to finde my &s;elf alone with a man upon the banks of a great River, neer a great Wood, in the mid&s;t of the night; The re&s;t of the night we pa&s;&s;ed away and followed the River &s;ide, hoping alwayes, that the Moon would &s;hine &s;o cleer, that we might once more di&s;cover the Boat: At the la&s;t, we being very weary, and having found a little habitation of Fi&s;her-men by the water &s;ide, we &s;tayed there, and found there more helps then we could hope for from men of &s;uch
<PB N="145" REF="157">
Quality. We told them our adventure, di&s;gui&s;ing our names, and the qualities of the per&s;ons, becau&s;e we were in <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> and de&s;ired them to informe us, whether it were po&s;&s;ible to overtake the Boat we told them of: they told us that it was ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;i|ble to overtake them with another Boat, con&s;idering the number of their Oars, and the time we had lo&s;t to follow them: nor was it more ea&s;ie to follow with Hor&s;es, becau&s;e the River doth turn and winde very much: and their Boat taking alwayes the middle of the River, has by con&s;equence le&s;&s;e way to go then they who go by the &s;ides: Moreover, not far from thence the River divides into two, and who can tell which way they would take? In conclu&s;ion <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> we had no other cour&s;e, but to finde out &s;ome way how to come hither; where I did &s;uppo&s;e I &s;hould finde the King. I had by good fortune the Picture of the Prince&s;&s;e about me, in a very rich box, which upon this occa&s;ion did us very good &s;ervice: for when I had taken out the Picture, I &s;ent <HI>Or&s;anes</HI> unto the next Town to &s;ell it, and to buy a Coach and Hor&s;es, while&s;t he left me among&s;t the fi&s;her-men: At his re|turne we did recompence tho&s;e hone&s;t men for their courte&s;ies, and came in all ha&s;te hither, where we thought verily to finde <HI>Artamenes</HI> al&s;o, but little did we think to finde him a Pri&s;oner. Now wi&s;e <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> you know thus far of the Prince&s;&s;e her fortune: and I did very much de&s;ire to relate it unto you, before I &s;poke with the King, to the end that when you were informed of our adventures, and my &s;elf al&s;o better in&s;tructedin the &s;tate of things, I might more judicially know what to &s;ay, or not to &s;ay.</P>
<P><HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> having ended her &s;tory, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> thanked her for the pains &s;he had taken, and began to con&s;ider the wonderfull pa&s;&s;ages &s;he had told them. They could not &s;ufficiently admire the con&s;tancy of the Prince&s;&s;e, and her immoveable vertue wherewith &s;he acted throughout all her adventures. They con&s;idered her as carried away by the greate&s;t King of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> whom &s;he hated: they then looked upon her as in the power of a Prince, whom &s;he very much e&s;teemed; and yet they think upon her, as &s;he is in the power of a King, without a Kingdome: They ob&s;erved the greatne&s;&s;e of the fir&s;t, did not terrifie her from treating him le&s;&s;e rigorou&s;ly; That the e&s;teem which &s;he had of the &s;econd, did not alter her heart; and that the misfortunes of the third, did not move her to treat him le&s;&s;e civilly, then if he were upon his Throne: The truth is, they &s;aw <HI>Mandana</HI> was &s;o worthy of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and <HI>Artamenes</HI> of <HI>Mandana,</HI> that when they con&s;idered how they were &s;eparated, and how both of them unfortunate, their conver|&s;ation could not chu&s;e but end in &s;ighes and teares, and all other &s;ignes of compa&s;&s;ion: Fir&s;t, for &s;o many misfortunes as the Prince&s;&s;e had been expo&s;ed unto; Secondly, by rea&s;on of that &s;trange Oracle which threatned a greater misfortune unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> then his impri&s;on|ment. <HI>Feraulas</HI> was over-joyed to &s;ee <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> again; and <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> who did very highly e&s;teem her vertues, did bid her very welcome back: yet before they parted, they made a &s;hort relation according to their promi&s;e, of all the adventures of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> As well his voyage unto the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> as his returne to <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> and al&s;o all the <HI>A&s;|&s;yrian</HI> War: They related al&s;o the lamentable encounter that <HI>Artamenes</HI> had with <HI>Mazares,</HI> when he was dying, who had from him the &s;carfe whereof &s;he &s;poke in her relation, and which <HI>Artamenes</HI> knew to be the &s;ame which <HI>Mandana</HI> had refu&s;ed him, a little before he went to fight: But (added <HI>Feraulas)</HI> I am certain he was much more &s;ad, when he received it, then he was when it was denied him: Truly (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> the de&s;tiny of that &s;carfe is very &s;trange; for I be&s;eech you con&s;ider by what an odde way Fate has brought it into <HI>Artamenes</HI> hands: Fir&s;t you know that it was of mo&s;t rare Golden Ti&s;&s;ue, and admirably wrought by the Prince&s;&s;e her &s;elf, for her own diver&s;ion, and that was the rea&s;on why &s;he valued it &s;o much, though &s;he had other rea&s;ons to deny it <HI>Artamenes,</HI> when he de&s;ired it from her at <HI>Ani&s;a:</HI> But as if &s;he valued it at a higher e&s;teem, becau&s;e <HI>Artamenes</HI> had de&s;ired it, &s;he commanded me to have an extraordinary care of it, and would wear it no more. Afterwards when we returned to <HI>Sinope,</HI> I carried it thither, and when we departed from thence, and went unto <HI>Ama&s;ia,</HI> and from thence to <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> I left it there among&s;t a hundred other things which belonged unto the Prince&s;&s;e; &s;o al&s;o, when we returned thither again with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> there I found it; for <HI>Aribeus</HI> did not &s;uffer any di&s;order in the Ca&s;tle: and that &s;ame night we went away, this &s;carfe, I know not how, fell out of my hands; and immediately, being moved unto it, by I know not what conceit, Madam (&s;aid I unto the Prince&s;&s;e, who came in as I took it up) &s;hall this &s;carfe which you value &s;o much, and which you denied <HI>Artamenes,</HI> remain in the hands of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> No <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) it &s;hall not: for if <HI>Arta|menes</HI> &s;hould hereafter &s;ee him wear it in any combate, he would imagine perhaps, that I
<PB N="146" REF="158">
gave it him: In conclu&s;ion, <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;he took it, and wore it, and &s;ee by what Fate <HI>Mazares</HI> came by it; and how <HI>Artamenes</HI> received that from one of his Rivals, which the Prince&s;&s;e had refu&s;ed him. La&s;t of all, <HI>Feraulas</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> re&s;olved that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> &s;hould &s;tay a day or two before &s;he &s;hewed her &s;elf, to the end they might have lea&s;ure, fir&s;t to relate what &s;he had told them unto their dear Ma&s;ter, and while&s;t they had con|&s;ulted with his friends, when would be the fitte&s;t time the King &s;hould &s;ee her. <HI>Marte|&s;ia</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Feraulas</HI> to a&s;&s;ure <HI>Artamenes</HI> that &s;he would mo&s;t &s;eriou&s;ly intere&s;t her &s;elf in his fortunes; and that &s;he did mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionatly wi&s;h, that this little &s;hadow of liberty which was permitted him of late, might be &s;peedily &s;econded by an ab&s;olute freedome, &s;o as he might be in a condition to go and relieve the Prince&s;&s;e. After this, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> left her, and went to give <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;o much &s;atisfaction, as to hear of <HI>Mandana's</HI> Fidelity and Con&s;tancy.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The End of the Second Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="book">
<PB N="147" REF="158">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR Cyrus the Great. THE SECOND PART.  BOOK III.</HEAD>
<P>_THe&s;e two faithful &s;ervants of a famous Ma&s;ter, could not &s;atisfie their de&s;ires until the next morning; becau&s;e it was not po&s;&s;ible to find <HI>Artamenes</HI> alone by him&s;elf, &s;ince <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had given this liberty to vi&s;it him, unle&s;&s;e it were in a morning before he did ri&s;e out of his bed: for every one did earne&s;tly de&s;ire the benefit of that privi|ledge; and every one to make this priviledge to continue longer, told <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> that <HI>Artamenes</HI> did bend at la&s;t, and would di&s;cover what he de&s;ired: This generous pri|&s;oner was extreamly impatient to be at liberty, that he might free <HI>Mandana;</HI> but although love took up all his &s;oul, he did not forget that <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> was in pri&s;on as well as him&s;elf, and he &s;ent very often to &s;ee how he did; and did apparently te&s;tifie that his impri&s;onment did augment the rigor of his own: He was extreamly ravi&s;hed with admiration, when <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> came unto him as he was in bed, and told him <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was come to <HI>Sinope;</HI> the name of <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> cau&s;ed him to leap up for joy, imagining that <HI>Mandana</HI> was not far off; and the relation which afterwards they made unto him of <HI>Mandana</HI>'s adventures, and of her fidelity to him, made &s;o great a rapture in his &s;oul, as he was not able to receive &s;uch good news in its full delight; for indeed <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> told him al&s;o of that Oracle which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had received at <HI>Babylon:</HI> And al&s;o, to hear that the Prince&s;&s;e was in the power of the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who&s;e excellent merit he very well knew, was another means to moderate his exce&s;&s;ive joy. Do you admire <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) the humorous di&s;po&s;ition of Fate, which procures me the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed and mo&s;t rea&s;onable men in their loves, to be my Rivals? For truly if <HI>Mandana</HI> had been courted only by Princes of bruti&s;h pa&s;&s;ions, &s;uch as would &s;peak of nothing but violences, of &s;word, or fire, or bloud; who would make them&s;elves to be loved, by &s;uch cour&s;es as commonly procures hatred; &s;uch as pretend only unto vitious favours, and ask them with daggers in their hands, and fury in their eyes, then I would not fear that the Divine <HI>Mandana</HI> would prefer them before <HI>Artamenes.</HI> But <HI>Chri|&s;antes,</HI> I have much rea&s;on to fear what now you come to tell me; and as you relate the &s;tory unto me; the ravi&s;hers of <HI>Mandana</HI> are a hundred times more to be feared, then if
<PB N="148" REF="159">
they were le&s;s rea&s;onable, &amp; not &s;o &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive. But Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Feraulas)</HI> I be&s;eech you con&s;ider, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> is now not with <HI>Mandana:</HI> Al&s;o you are certain, that <HI>Mazares</HI> is not alive, and &s;he is only in the power of a King who has not a kingdom: It is true, repli|ed he, but this King without a Crown, de&s;erves a hundred, and that is it, which makes him terrible unto me, yet notwith&s;tanding, he was &s;omtimes very glad to know that the Prince&s;s was in <HI>Armenia,</HI> and &s;omtimes againe he would be &s;orry for it; for though the virtue of <HI>Tygranes</HI> was a comfort unto him, yet the violent and ambitious di&s;po&s;ition of the King his father, cau&s;ed &s;ome &s;orrow in him. <HI>Feraulas</HI> then pre&s;ented <HI>Marte&s;ia's</HI> complement unto him, which he received very kindly, and &s;ent back <HI>Feraulas</HI> pre&s;ently unto her, to te&s;tifie his thanks, and &s;orrow that he was not in &s;uch a condition, to come hin&s;elf and tell her what he thought; and al&s;o to let her know, how much he thought him&s;elf obliged unto her, for acquainting him with the Prince&s;s thoughts: he al&s;o &s;ent <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> unto the Prince&s;s which had intere&s;ted them&s;elves concerning his liberty, to con&s;ult with them upon the return of <HI>Marte&s;ia:</HI> and all of them conceived that the &s;oo|ner &s;he &s;hewed her &s;elf unto the King, it would be the better; for they thought that the certainty of the Prince&s;s fortune, and the infallible appearance of a new war, would much conduce unto his freedom. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> then, adverti&s;ing <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> of the re&s;olution, &s;he appeared the &s;ame night, and &s;aid &s;he came but then to town. The King received her with extream joy and &s;hed many tears of tenderne&s;s, for he knew how the Prince&s;s his daugh|ter loved her? &s;he acquainted him with all the removes and rapes of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and with every pa&s;&s;age excepting what related unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> which &s;he hand&s;omly concealed with much care, naming him but once in all her relation: nor did &s;he mention the Oracle received at <HI>Babylon,</HI> le&s;t it &s;hould trouble him, and di&s;plea&s;e <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and as &s;he was very witty, &s;o &s;he did deliver every thing or pa&s;s it over, as it might be either advantagi|ous or prejudiciall: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was glad that the Prince&s;s was in the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> power, &s;uppo&s;ing that a Prince who was deprived of his own kingdomes, would hardly find pro|tection in another. He beleeved that the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> would be glad to have a new pretence for a war, and upon that thought he &s;ighed, and could not chu&s;e but &s;ecretly wi&s;h that <HI>Artamenes</HI> would put him&s;elf into a condition to relieve her, by confe&s;&s;ing what he de&s;ired to know from him. After the King had welcomed <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> he would have had her lie in the Ca&s;tle, but &s;he be&s;eeched him to let her return back unto her kin&s;man; whither &s;he went accordingly, and was vi&s;ited by all the Ladies of the town, and al&s;o by all the Princes and men of quality in <HI>Sinope:</HI> mean while, all the friends of <HI>Artamenes</HI> were continually &s;oliciting the King in his behalf: and indeed the King did &s;eem much to de&s;ire it, yet was very ob&s;tinatly re&s;olved to know either his innocency, or his crime: yet he had &s;uch confu&s;ed thoughts, that he him&s;elf knew not well what to re&s;olve upon, untill the return of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> whom he had &s;ent into <HI>Armenia,</HI> for if by it, he found that his daughter would be re&s;tored, then would he be le&s;s indulgent towards <HI>Artamenes;</HI> But if on the contrary, &s;he were refu&s;ed, and that he mu&s;t be forced unto a fre&s;h war, then he knew how nece&s;&s;ary the liberty of <HI>Artamenes</HI> would be unto <HI>Mandana's;</HI> thus being in him&s;elf irre&s;olute, the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the Princes who were advocates for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> could not get one peremptory word from him: As they were upon a day altogether about him, intelligence came, that there ap|peared many &s;trangers and forrain troops upon the plaine coming towards <HI>Sinope:</HI> and pre|&s;ently after, <HI>Thimocrates</HI> and <HI>Philocles</HI> came in and told the King, that the Prince <HI>Philoxy|pes</HI> a favorite unto the King of <HI>Cyprus</HI> their ma&s;ter, and an ancient friend unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> having married the Prince&s;s <HI>Agari&s;ta</HI> his &s;i&s;ter unto the Prince of <HI>Sicily,</HI> had obliged him upon the marriage to &s;end ten thou&s;and men unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> to the end he might pre&s;ent them unto his maje&s;ty; and that he would be &s;o plea&s;ed as to permit them to have &s;ome part of that honour which the&s;e troops would get, under the command of &s;o great a King, and by the valour of &s;o gallant a man as <HI>Artamenes. Ciaxares</HI> blu&s;ht at the di&s;cour&s;e, and &s;omwhat wondred, that he who was to pre&s;ent the <HI>Sicilian</HI> troops, was him&s;elf in &s;uch a condition as to need the help of another, al&s;o he very civilly accepted all that <HI>Thimoerates</HI> and <HI>Philocles</HI> &s;aid unto him; and permitted him who commanded the&s;e &s;ouldiers, who was brother unto the King of <HI>Sicily,</HI> to enter. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> him&s;elf to do him the more honour, would go upon the wals of the town to &s;ee the&s;e troops, come in, which he found to be very gallant, compo&s;ed of hand&s;om men, well armed, and accoutred: and the Prince who commanded them, young and hand&s;om. After the King had viewed the&s;e <HI>Sicilian</HI> troops under the wals, and had ordered them to encamp clo&s;e by the troops of <HI>Cyprus,</HI>
<PB N="149" REF="159">
they two being in amity one with another, the young Prince who was their General, called <HI>Artibies,</HI> was brought by <HI>Thimocates</HI> and <HI>Philocles</HI> unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who told him that <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> was not in a condition to be pre&s;ent. <HI>Artibies</HI> enquiring the cau&s;e, was much &s;urpri&s;ed at it, and made &s;ome doubt whether he &s;hould continue his offer unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> con&s;idering <HI>Philoxypes</HI> would never have moved his brother to &s;end the&s;e troops, but only in favour of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> But <HI>Thimocrates</HI> and <HI>Philocles</HI> conceiving that in ca&s;e of nece&s;&s;ity they might be u&s;efull unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> told him, that he ought not to decline from his offer unto the King, but that he &s;hould when he &s;poke unto the king acquit him&s;elf of his commi&s;&s;ion, and tell him, that it was the intere&s;t of <HI>Artamenes</HI> which moved <HI>Philoxypes</HI> unto it. This young Prince was no &s;ooner come before <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> but after he had &s;aluted him, Sir (&s;aid he unto him) I was in hope to have been pre&s;ented unto you, by one who ought to be very dear unto you, and one who has made him&s;elf mo&s;t Illu&s;trious throughout all the world; but I &s;ee that <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> and <HI>Philocles</HI> have great need to comfort me in my &s;orrowes to be deprived of that advantage: For indeed, although the Prince of <HI>Sicily</HI> my brother and &s;overaigne, and the Prince <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> have &s;ent me for the &s;ervice of your Maje&s;ty, and accordingly I have obeyed them, yet for my own particular I mu&s;t confe&s;s unto you, I &s;hould have been extreamly Joyfull, if I could hope to learn under the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> that my&s;tery in which he is &s;o exactly know|ing. You may find &s;o many other expert commanders in this army (&s;aid the King and &s;hewed him all tho&s;e about him) that though my affaires will not permit me to &s;et <HI>Artame|nes</HI> at liberty, yet you will find no cau&s;e to repent you came among&s;t us; Sir, replied the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> we are all but Schollars unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and this Prince has great rea|&s;on to grieve, as he does, for the privation of &s;o great an advantage. Since this di&s;cour&s;e was not plea&s;ant unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> he turned it to &s;omthing el&s;e, and asked very inqui&s;itively concerning the health of the King of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> and of <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> and al&s;o of the Prince of <HI>Sicilie:</HI> but &s;ay what he would, yet <HI>Artibies</HI> would alwayes bring in <HI>Artamenes.</HI> If the King &s;poke concerning the King of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> he would then an&s;wer that this Prince had ever a good opinion of his prudence, &s;ince he under&s;tood how he had committed the conduct of his army unto <HI>Artamenes:</HI> If <HI>Ciaxares</HI> asked him any thing concerning <HI>Philox|ypes</HI> then he would an&s;wer him, that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> had a great de&s;ire to come him&s;elf, and command in the room of <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> only that he might learn of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> if <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;poke any thing concerning the Prince of <HI>Sicilie,</HI> then would <HI>Artibies</HI> tell him, that if he were not &s;o infinitly uxorious, &amp; loving unto the Prince&s;s his wife, whom he had newly married, he would have come hither him&s;elf purpo&s;ely to be acquainted with <HI>Artamenes,</HI> of whom fame &s;poke &s;o loud: at the la&s;t, when <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;aw that no di&s;cour&s;e though never &s;o far off the matter, but &s;till the name of <HI>Artamenes</HI> was in the mouth of <HI>Artibies,</HI> he told him, that it was not ju&s;t he &s;hould be kept any longer from his re&s;t, and comman|ded him to be lodged in the be&s;t lodgings, and treated with all po&s;&s;ible civilitie: But be|fore, <HI>Artibies</HI> left him, he de&s;ired permi&s;&s;ion to go and &s;ee <HI>Artamenes</HI> in pri&s;on, whom he hoped to have &s;een in the head of an army: unto which de&s;ire <HI>Ciaxares</HI> con&s;ented: then he went immediatly unto the pri&s;on of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> conducted by <HI>Aglatidas, Andramias, Thimocrates,</HI> and <HI>Philocles. Artamenes,</HI> at the name of <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Agari&s;ta</HI> his &s;i&s;ter, did expre&s;s much friend&s;hip unto <HI>Artibies.</HI> This Prince pre&s;ented unto him one of his Captaines named <HI>Leontidas,</HI> who <HI>Artamenes</HI> knew to be an e&s;peciall friend unto <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who at his coming from him did charge him to pre&s;ent unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> the continuance of his friend&s;hip, and to deliver a letter unto him. <HI>Artamenes</HI> receiving it with much Joy (for he did infinitly e&s;teem <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> although he had not been long in the I&s;le of <HI>Cyprus)</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Artibies</HI> that he might read it: The contents were the&s;e.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>PHILOXYPES UNTO ARTAMENES.</HEAD>
<P>I <HI>Am very glad that fortune was of my opinion, and has given you that which I ever thought you mo&s;t worthy of, &s;ince the fir&s;t time I had the honour to &s;ee you: I wi&s;h, that &s;ince &s;he was not blind in &s;erving you, &s;o &s;he may not be incon&s;tant in continuing it; but that you all your
<PB N="150" REF="160">
life enjoy that hapine&s;s, which none who knows you, can without inju&s;tice envie. Moreover, I had not married the Prince&s;s</HI> Aghari&s;ta <HI>my &s;i&s;ter, but upon condition that the Prince of Sicilie her husband, &s;hould &s;end &s;ome Troops unto you: and I hope, that for my &s;ake, the Prince</HI> Artibies <HI>will be welcome unto you; and that after he has purcha&s;ed your e&s;teem by tho&s;e rare qualities whereof he is owner, you will admit him &s;ome part in your friend&s;hip; But to tell you &s;omething which is more delightful, that I may thereby the more oblige you, be plea&s;ed to know, that the &s;ame famous man, whom you came into our I&s;le to &s;eek, out of your de&s;ire to be acquainted with his vertues, is in love with yours: And if the good of his Country had not called him back unto</HI> Athens, <HI>he had done that for</HI> Artamenenes, <HI>which</HI> Artamenes <HI>did for</HI> Solon. <HI>If you de&s;ire to be further acquainted with my fortunes, I have entreated</HI> Leontidas <HI>to inform you; and to a&s;&s;ure you that I am not more in love with the beauty of</HI> Policrite, <HI>then I am with the glory of</HI> Artamenes.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>PHILOXYPES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After <HI>Artamenes</HI> had done reading the Letter, he redoubled his civilities towards <HI>Artibies,</HI> &s;hewing unto him the Letter of <HI>Philoxypes;</HI> you &s;ee, (&s;aid he unto him) how the wi&s;hes of that Prince, are not effectual, and how fortune whereof he &s;peaks has for&s;aken me: But (&s;aid he in turning towards <HI>Leontidas)</HI> it is from you Sir, that I mu&s;t receive much con&s;olation in my mi&s;ery, in relating unto me, what concerns the Prince <HI>Philoxypes:</HI> for truly, if I be not mi&s;taken, there mu&s;t needs be a great alteration in him, if it be &s;o as he &s;ayes in his Letter, that he hath been in love, &s;ince when I was acquainted with him, he was in love with nothing but books, pictures, mu&s;ick, and &s;uch excellent arts, and if he had any mi&s;tre&s;&s;e then, certainly it was the vertue of <HI>Solon,</HI> whom I heard him often &s;peak of: Oh Sir, (replied <HI>Leontidas)</HI> there is indeed great alterations in the life of the Prince <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> &s;uch as doubtle&s;&s;e will much &s;urprize you, as they did not only the Court, but all the Kingdom of <HI>Cyprus;</HI> &s;ince I believe there was not one in all the Towns of <HI>Pathos, Amathu&s;es, Salmes,</HI> and <HI>Citherea,</HI> who has not without admiration heard of his adventure: <HI>Artamenes</HI> then &s;eeming to be de&s;irous of knowing the fortune of &s;o famous a Prince: <HI>Le|ontidas</HI> promi&s;ed him to come unto him the next morning, and &s;atisfie his de&s;ire. The re&s;t of this day was &s;pent in civilities to <HI>Artibies;</HI> and the next morning <HI>Thimocrates</HI> and <HI>Phi|locles</HI> being de&s;irous to know what accidents had happened in the Court of <HI>Cyprus</HI> &s;ince they left it, waited upon <HI>Leontidas</HI> unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who as &s;oon as they came in, be|cau&s;e they would lo&s;e no time, did &s;it down, <HI>Leontidas</HI> being in the mi&s;t of them, began his di&s;cour&s;e thus.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<PB N="151" REF="160">
<HEAD>THE HISTORY OF PHILOXYPES AND POLICRITE.</HEAD>
<P>SIR, &s;ince your abode in this our I&s;land hath not been long; that you may the better under&s;tand this Story, it is requi&s;ite that you know part of the Cu&s;tomes of this I&s;land, the which I will in a few words acquaint you with, that my en&s;uing Di&s;cour&s;e may appear le&s;&s;e tedious to you. You mu&s;t then know, Sir, that this good I&s;land, which for its precinct &s;ituation, fertility, for the beau|ty and greatne&s;&s;e of its Towns, and its Magnificent Temples, pa&s;&s;eth for the mo&s;t famous and mo&s;t con&s;iderable of as many lie on the <HI>Aegean</HI> Sea, hath alwayes been con&s;ecrated to <HI>Venus;</HI> and that love, which every where el&s;e is a pa&s;&s;ion, which hath no particular pri|viledges, is in this place accounted a religious act. All that are borne here, &s;eem as if they were bound to love from their very birth; all the Temples are dedicated to <HI>Venus,</HI> under &s;everal names; all the pictures and &s;tatues here, repre&s;ent only this Godde&s;&s;e, and depend only upon her. You &s;hall find here <HI>Cupid</HI> &s;et out every where, and tho&s;e who in&s;truct us el&s;ewhere vertuou&s;ly in our youth, by teaching us how to overcome our ambition, anger, hatred, envy, and all other pa&s;&s;ions; deal otherwi&s;e with us here, per&s;wading us only how to love innocently. But as there is nothing &s;o pure or refined, which meets not with alte|ration and corruption at the la&s;t; a &s;trange di&s;order crept in long &s;ince among&s;t us: for you mu&s;t know the fir&s;t Temple which was con&s;ecrated unto <HI>Venus,</HI> was that of <HI>Venus Urania,</HI> who we &s;ay, is the daughter of Heaven. This <HI>Venus,</HI> as we believe, in&s;pires only rational re&s;entments, and vertuous pa&s;&s;ions: whereas on the contrary, there are &s;ome Temples on the utmo&s;t borders of the I&s;le towards the South, built long &s;ince the former, which are dedicated unto <HI>Venus Anodema,</HI> as much as to &s;ay, to <HI>Venus</HI> coming forth from the foam of the Sea. Now Sir, the&s;e Temples do differ very much, as do their re&s;ent|ments, who offer &s;acrifices at them; yet as tho&s;e Religions wherein Libertini&s;m pa&s;&s;eth for a vertue, are grounded with mo&s;t ea&s;e, the Religion of <HI>Venus Anadiomena,</HI> hath for a long time prevailed over that of <HI>Venus Urania;</HI> and our I&s;land hath &s;een things which makes tho&s;e even blu&s;h with confu&s;ion, who remember they have heard them &s;poken of by their forefathers: but thanks to Heaven, a vertuous Queen, who lived &s;ome &s;ixty years &s;ince, did re-e&s;tabli&s;h all the Temples of <HI>Venus Urania;</HI> made almo&s;t all tho&s;e of <HI>Venus Anadiomena,</HI> be beaten down; aboli&s;ht all the &s;hameful cu&s;tomes which were introduced in <HI>Cyprus,</HI> and left only pure re&s;entments among&s;t us of that pa&s;&s;ion, which is the &s;oul of the Univer&s;e, and which is the &s;ole entertainer of civil &s;ociety. We are now taught <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> love our Godde&s;&s;e, our Princes, our Laws, our Countrey, our fellow-Citizens, our Parents, Brethren, wives and Children; and la&s;tly, to our &s;elves, to the end that we may do no &s;hameful act. We are taught al&s;o to love Glory, Sciences and Arts; to love innocent pa&s;times, and to love beauty and vertue above all that hath been &s;poken of: in fine, we are taught that he who loves not, is not rational; and that not to have a &s;en&s;e of all the&s;e aforementioned things, is to be very much to blame. You may ea&s;ily imagine then, that
<PB N="152" REF="161">
this being a belief generally held among&s;t us, the Court of <HI>Cyprus</HI> mu&s;t needs be a plea&s;ing abode, &s;ince every one there loves hand&s;ome actions, and hand&s;ome per&s;onages. True it is, that according to the rules of <HI>Venus &V;rania,</HI> the love by her permitted, is &s;o pure, &s;o innocent, &s;o free from having any thing to do with the &s;en&s;es, and &s;o free from fault, as &s;he &s;eems to &s;uffer us to love others only, that we may make our &s;elves become the more lovely, through our care of meriting true glory, of becoming accompli&s;ht, and of getting that Courtly Air, and plea&s;ing conver&s;ation, which is only in&s;pired by love. This Sir, is the pre&s;ent condition of our <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;land; all delights are here, but all innocent. Love is the predominant, and univer&s;al pa&s;&s;ion in it, but &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ion, as is not incompatible with vertue and mode&s;ty, and which hinders not many lovers from complaining of their Mi|&s;tre&s;&s;es rigour. Publique fea&s;tivals are here frequent, conver&s;ation free enough, but whol|ly &s;piritual, games for prizes very u&s;ual, plea&s;ing Bals, excellent Mu&s;ick, and Women in general infinitely hand&s;ome, full of gallantry, and perfectly vertuous. But of all the re&s;t, the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salmis,</HI> &s;i&s;ter to <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> was the Court-Star, till &s;uch time as &s;he withdrew her &s;elf from thence. The Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Aghari&s;ta,</HI> now Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Sicily,</HI> is al&s;o very taking, and the famous <HI>Artaphil</HI> doubtle&s;&s;e bears a great renown. To boot with the&s;e, there is one called <HI>Timoclea,</HI> and an hundred others, of &s;omewhat a meaner conditi|on, which are wonderfully hand&s;ome. But Sir, le&s;t I may prove too tedious, I will briefly tell you that the King who now reigns in <HI>Cyprus,</HI> is but two years elder then Prince <HI>Philoxy|pes,</HI> who is de&s;cended from the Race of <HI>Demophon,</HI> &s;on to <HI>The&s;eus,</HI> who is held in great e&s;teem among&s;t us. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> in his younger years, you may ea&s;ily judge was one of the lovelie&s;t per&s;onages which could be &s;een; for though he be now twenty eight years old, he continues to be &s;o extraordinarily hand&s;ome, and &s;o well behaved, as it may ea&s;ily be gue&s;t what he was when a childe; and though he were wi&s;e even from his cradle, and knowing, even from the time he began to &s;peak, yet cea&s;ed he not to be of a plea&s;ing humour, and comportment, &s;uch as is only infu&s;ed by youth, and the air of the Court, and which is the charm of conver&s;ation among&s;t Ladies. In fine, &s;et one article a&s;ide, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> may be truly &s;aid, to have fully &s;atisfied and made good all the precepts of <HI>Venus &V;rania.</HI></P>
<P>He reverenced the Godde&s;&s;e, he loved his Prince, kept the Laws, he loved his Country, his fellow-Citizens, was ambitious of glory, which he went in que&s;t of at fifteen years of age in the <HI>Mile&s;ian</HI> War, wherein he gave &s;ingular te&s;timony of his carriage. He loved the Sciences, and all the liberal Arts; delighted in innocent pa&s;times, and loved vertue above all things; but as for beauty, he had only a general admiration for it, and never felt in him&s;elf any particular addition or adheration to any what&s;oever hand&s;ome Lady. You may imagine Sir, how &s;trange this &s;en&s;ibility appeared in a Court where it met not with any example, and in a man &s;o fit to occa&s;ion love. Yet was he &s;o lovely, as he was not for this the le&s;&s;e beloved; he was &s;o liberal, &s;o magnifical, &s;o full of complacency, acd &s;o civil|ly behaved, as he was the wonder of the world.</P>
<P>When <HI>Solon</HI> after having e&s;tabli&s;ht tho&s;e famous Laws at <HI>Athens,</HI> went from thence, re&s;olving to forgoe his country for ten years, to the end that he might make no alteration there, he came to our Court; <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who was then but eighteen years old, had a great affection for him, as he had likwi&s;e for <HI>Philoxetes;</HI> in&s;omuch, that as long as <HI>Solon</HI> abode in our I&s;le, <HI>Philoxetes</HI> gave over all his other delights, and the frequenting of the Ladies companies to fa&s;ten him&s;elfe totally to him: whom that he might enjoy with the more freedome, he caried him to a Town of his which is called <HI>Apia;</HI> built by <HI>Demaphon</HI> in a very &s;trong, but rocky &s;ituation, and of hard acce&s;&s;e, all the Countrey about it being craggy, dry, and exceeding barren. <HI>Solon</HI> being come thither, &s;hewed him how that they that laid the foundations of that Town, might have made it much more plea&s;anter, if they had built it upon the banks of the River <HI>Claria,</HI> in a &s;patious and fertile plain, which lies at the foot of the Mountaine, where the other Town was &s;ituated; hardly had <HI>Solon</HI> &s;poke his thought, when <HI>Philoxypes</HI> re&s;olved to put it in execution and began already to give all nece&s;&s;ary orders for it. And indeed <HI>Solon</HI> was the Architect who guided this great enterpri&s;e, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> giving him the glory thereof, for he called this new Town <HI>Soly,</HI> to perpetuate the memory of the name of <HI>Solon.</HI> This place being not far from <HI>Paphos,</HI> one of our Kings mo&s;t u&s;ual abodes, they went oft to the Court; where our Ladies complained &s;ometimes of <HI>Solon,</HI> who by bereaving them of <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> bereft them of their faire&s;t or|nament; and to &s;hew you how great this Princes inflexibility was, <HI>Solon</HI> who&s;e vertue is not au&s;tere, to ju&s;tifie him&s;elf to tho&s;e that blamed <HI>Philoxypes</HI> for this, telling him that love
<PB N="153" REF="161">
was a pa&s;&s;ion which &s;weetned all other pa&s;&s;ions, and which did &s;ometimes exceed them all. That for his part, he confe&s;t he would never &s;et his whole heart again&s;t it, &amp; that he thought it no &s;hame to be once in his life overcome thereby. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;aid in his defence, that he lo|ved all that was lovely, that he had a pa&s;&s;ion for all beautiful objects, and that no man ever lov'd &s;o much as he. But notwith&s;tanding all his univer&s;al affections, there was no one &s;o fair in all the Court, who could boa&s;t in her particular to have inthralledhis heart; &amp; who perad|venture had not more then once con&s;ulted with her gla&s;s, to know by what innocent art this &s;o famous heart might be taken: but at la&s;t, after having &s;taid a good while, <HI>Solon</HI> went his way much taken with <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his vertue, and made &s;ome ver&s;es in his prai&s;e before he im|barked for <HI>Egypt.</HI> He who was commended by all <HI>Greece,</HI> did highly commend this young Prince, &s;aying, that Nature had taught <HI>Philoxypes</HI> in eighteen years, what Art could not teach in an Age, and that a man might &s;ee in him by way of prodigie, all the ages of man put together; that is to &s;ay, the innocence of infancy, the charms of youth, the forti|tude of a more advanced age, and the wi&s;dom of old age. After his departure, <HI>Philoxy|pes</HI> was &s;omewhat melancholly, but this humour being over, he &s;pent &s;ome time in travel, and did not only &s;ee whole <HI>Greece,</HI> but likewi&s;e the famous City of <HI>Carthage,</HI> which did then wage war with the <HI>Ma&s;&s;ilians,</HI> who inhabit a place which they have of late made famous, by a cry'd up Academy, wherein eloquence, and all the <HI>Grecian</HI> Sciences are rare|ly well taught.</P>
<P>I will not relate unto you all the gallant actions he did in <HI>Africa,</HI> nor what befel him during that Journey, which continued till &s;ome moneths before you came to <HI>Cyprus;</HI> where <HI>Solon</HI> &s;tayed awhile again, not &s;uffering him&s;elf to be &s;een almo&s;t by any one. But I will tell you that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> at his return to Court, charm'd all the world; and that the King him&s;elf grew &s;o far in love with him, as never was known &s;o great a favour as his, nor yet &s;o little envyed; neither did he make u&s;e thereof, but for his Ma&s;ters glory, and to do good to as many as he could; he received no rewards, but to enrich &s;uch as &s;tood in need thereof; all the advices he gave, were good; he did none but good offices: and thus he &s;tood fair in the opinion of the great ones, and of the people, as well as in that of the King; and there were none but our Ladies who continued to accu&s;e him of inflexibility. Thus did he live amid&s;t delights, in the &s;tatelie&s;t and mo&s;t gallant Court of all the world, without envy, without love, and without melancholy. But the King was not this mean while &s;o happy as he; for after having had &s;ome flitting pa&s;&s;ions, which had notwith&s;tand|ing much di&s;quieted him, he fell mightily in love with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> who cer|tainly is very beautiful, and hath an hundred good qualities; but who with all this was extreamly ambitious. The King was no &s;ooner aware of the violence of this his pa&s;&s;ion but that he di&s;covered it to <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> and entreated him to intercede for him with <HI>Are|tephile,</HI> who at that time did often vi&s;it the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aghari&s;ta,</HI> &s;i&s;ter to <HI>Philoxypes.</HI> You may imagin this Prince did not refu&s;e to a&s;&s;i&s;t him, &s;ince his affection was innocent; yet did he &s;ometimes crave pardon of the King, if he did not much bewail him in his di&s;quiets: For Sir, &s;aid he, love being a malady which I am not acquainted with, and which I have much to imagine is &s;o great, as man would have it thought, I confe&s;&s;e I do not &s;o much compa&s;&s;ionate your Maje&s;tie, as peradventure I ought; and con&s;equently, I may perchance not &s;o fully exaggerate your &s;ufferings as I &s;hould do, when I &s;peak with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile.</HI> Fear not <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> &s;aid the King, that I complain of your inflexi|bility; on the contrary, if you had a more tender heart, I would not have cho&s;en you for the confident of my pa&s;&s;ion: and did I think that you could become my rival, I would not give you Commi&s;&s;ion to &s;peak &s;o often with my beloved Prince&s;&s;e. But my intention not being to &s;peak of the Kings love, otherwi&s;e then as it relates nece&s;&s;arily to <HI>Philoxypes</HI> ad|ventures; I will only tell you, that though <HI>Aretephile</HI> were ravi&s;ht to &s;ee her &s;elf beloved by the King, yet aiming at the Crown of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> &s;he thought &s;he was a little to di&s;gui&s;e her &s;en&s;e thereof, and to make it a harder matter for the King to win her, then &s;he had found it to win the King: So as this Prince&s;&s;e behaved her &s;elf with much di&s;cretion and re&s;erved|ne&s;&s;e, and mingling continually &s;everity with mildne&s;&s;e, the King &s;tood long in need of <HI>Philoxypes</HI> a&s;&s;i&s;tance, whom <HI>Aretephile,</HI> who knew what power he had with the King, u&s;ed with all po&s;&s;ible civility. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> was notwith&s;tanding &s;ometimes much troubled at the continuance of this pa&s;&s;ion, which made him for his recreation, go to a very &s;tately hou&s;e, which the famous <HI>Solon</HI> had cau&s;ed to be built for him near <HI>Soly,</HI> and wherein he had made a collection of what&s;oever <HI>Greece</HI> had of mo&s;t rare and curious, were it either for pictures, or &s;tatues. In this place it was, which is called <HI>Claria,</HI> where wondering &s;ometimes at the
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Kings pa&s;&s;ion, he did me the honour to bemoan him&s;elf to me of his employment, and he him&s;elf gave me a thou&s;and plea&s;ant marks of his inflexiblene&s;&s;e, by tho&s;e things which he uttered again&s;t love. This mean while, though the King were much in love with <HI>Aretephile,</HI> yet he had &s;omewhat to do to per&s;wade him&s;elf to marry her, becau&s;e indeed, in rea&s;on he &s;hould much rather have married the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Thimoclea,</HI> by rea&s;on of &s;ome claim &s;he pretended to have to the Principality of <HI>Amathu&s;a;</HI> In&s;omuch as the King being yet unre&s;olved what to do, had not as yet acquainted <HI>Aretephile,</HI> nor let her be acquainted that his love tended meerly to &s;et her upon the Throne; but onely fol|lowing the cu&s;tome of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> he had &s;ufficiently witne&s;&s;ed his &s;ervice, and to purcha&s;e her e&s;teem, had done what&s;oever a hand&s;ome and ingenious Prince &s;econded by <HI>Philo|xypes,</HI> could do, who though he were him&s;elf in&s;en&s;ible of love, was notwith&s;tanding a very great gallant; &s;o as <HI>Aretephile</HI> who was ab&s;olutely re&s;olved never to part with her heart for le&s;&s;e then a Crown, treated the King &s;ometimes &s;everely enough, in&s;omuch as the whole Court was troubled thereat, and <HI>Philoxypes</HI> delight lay onely in Hunting, and in his &s;tately Countrey-Hou&s;e. Some other times <HI>Aretephile</HI> fearing le&s;t &s;he her &s;elf might ex|tingui&s;h the fire which &s;he had kindled in the Kings heart, was &s;omewhat more kinde unto him, and by the Prince his Joy, rejoyced the whole Court. 'Twas then in one of the&s;e plea&s;ant conjunctures of times, that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> to oblige the King, made the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> his &s;i&s;ter, and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aghari&s;ta,</HI> do him the honour to enter|tain the King, upon a day that he invited the King and all the Court, to go from <HI>Paphos</HI> to <HI>Claria,</HI> and to pa&s;&s;e one whole day in his retiredne&s;s, which indeed de&s;erved to re|ceive &s;o Princely a company. Never was there &s;o gallant an A&s;&s;embly as this; It was wholly compo&s;ed of young and hand&s;ome per&s;onages, of great birth, and under&s;tanding: and one would have &s;aid, that fortune had favoured <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> in ordering it &s;o as that all per&s;ons of Quality who were peevi&s;h or of ill humour in the Court, were either &s;ick that day, or bu&s;ied about &s;ome important affairs, &s;o as this well compacted company was not troubled with the importunity of any of their companies: On what &s;ide &s;oever they did ca&s;t their eye, they met with nothing but goodly objects, there was no fear of be|ing wearied or annoyed, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> had taken &s;uch excellent order for all things; were it either for the &s;tately furniture of the Hou&s;e, for the magnificency of the Fea&s;t, or the excellency of the Mu&s;ick, as the King to give him the highe&s;t prai&s;e he could, &s;aid aloud, that if <HI>Philoxypes</HI> had been in love, and that his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e had been in that company, he could have done no more then he did. On the contrary, Sir, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> I think that if I had been in love, all things would have been much more in di&s;order, then they are; it &s;eeming impo&s;&s;ible to me that a man &s;hould lo&s;e his rea&s;on, and yet have lei&s;ure enough to think of &s;uch trivial affairs. The King began then to oppo&s;e <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> and to tell him, that he did little know the effects of this pa&s;&s;ion; and this he did more then once, as well for that he could hardly finde a more plea&s;ing entertainment by di&s;|cour&s;e, as al&s;o that by reproaching <HI>Philoxypes</HI> with his ignorance of love, he thereby found an opportune means to make the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> who li&s;ten'd unto him, know that the pa&s;&s;ion he had for her, had made him very expert therein. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> did defend him&s;elf the be&s;t he could; Sometimes he &s;aid the fear of not being beloved kept him from loving; &s;ometimes that he had &s;o nice a &s;oul as did avoid &s;uch plea&s;ures as could not be purcha&s;ed without pain; and con&s;equently that love not being a voluntary thing he was not to blame for that he did not love: and for his la&s;t rea&s;on, he &s;aid that the difficulty of the choice made him that he neither did, nor could re&s;olve on any; for Sir, &s;aid he to the King, how is it po&s;&s;ible to have the affrontedne&s;&s;e to prefer any one of &s;o many hand&s;ome per&s;onages as I &s;ee before all the re&s;t? Ah, <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> &s;aid the King, the more you &s;peak of love, the more pity do you move in me; and (&s;peaking low in his ear) the more &s;aid he, do you make me &s;ee that my Confident will never be my Rival. After this, all the La|dies, and all the men of Quality, began to argue the matter with him; he did &s;ometime almo&s;t hate them all for their reproaching him with his inflexibility. When they had di|ned, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> led all this fair A&s;&s;embly into a &s;tately Gallery, painted all over by the hand of an excellent Ma&s;ter, named <HI>Mandrocles,</HI> who is of the I&s;le of <HI>Samos,</HI> and who having fini&s;ht this rare work, &s;ome few dayes before this great Fea&s;t, was returned to his own Countrey.</P>
<P>The &s;tory of <HI>Venus &V;rania,</HI> was the &s;ubject of all tho&s;e pictures, in whom nothing but mode&s;ty was to be di&s;cerned. The Painter had not drawn the Graces all naked, as they u&s;ually are drawn, but had clothed them in tran&s;parent Tiffeny, which rendred all tho&s;e
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figures very delightfull: In one of the draughts, you might &s;ee <HI>Venus</HI> de&s;cend from Hea|ven in a Chariot, all of burni&s;ht Gold, drawn by Swans; a thou&s;and little <HI>Cupids</HI> &s;eemed to hover about her, and to be the fir&s;t that lighted in the I&s;le of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> which is repre|&s;ented in the &s;ame piece, to prepare all things to receive her: In another piece, all tho&s;e little <HI>Cupidons,</HI> erected unto her an Altar of Turfs, and made dre&s;&s;ings of flowers to a|dorn her: In another piece, this godde&s;&s;e teacheth <HI>Cupid</HI> how to chu&s;e his golden &s;hafts, which he meant to u&s;e; and in another, &s;he put a Torch into his hand, and &s;hewing him the Sun, which is painted at the top of that piece, &s;eems as if &s;he would tell him, that &s;he would have the flames wherewith he &s;ets hearts on fire, to be more pure then the beams of this glorious Con&s;tellation. In fine, Sir, this godde&s;&s;e is repre&s;ented in above twenty parts of this Gallery; but though in different po&s;tures, you may &s;till di&s;cern the &s;ame countenance. Though all in this Gallery be beautifull, this Figure is incomparably be|yond all the re&s;t: all the re&s;t are pictures, but this &s;eems to be effectually a divine Per|&s;onage; for certainly there was never any thing &s;een of &s;o much hand&s;omene&s;&s;e; all the fair Ladies who <HI>Philoxypes</HI> had brought thither, were amazed to &s;ee it, and maugre them|&s;elves confe&s;&s;e that their Gla&s;&s;e &s;hewed them nothing like it. All their eyes were fixt upon a face &s;o full of beauty, and they all agreed in one, that the Painters imagination had far out-done what ever Nature had done of mo&s;t accompli&s;ht. After they had well eyed this <HI>Venus,</HI> for my part, &s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> I would fain know whether <HI>Philoxypes</HI> heart could re&s;i&s;t a per&s;onage who &s;hould perfectly re&s;emble this picture? Since I have been able (replied he) to behold all the&s;e Ladies that are here, without daring to pro|fe&s;&s;e my &s;ervice, it is to be believed, I &s;hould be as in&s;en&s;ible for her, or rather as full of re&s;pect for her, as I have been for all the re&s;t that I &s;ee, who are no le&s;&s;e fair then this <HI>Venus.</HI> 'Tis not notwith&s;tanding (&s;aid he &s;milingly, and without any other de&s;igne, then to &s;ay &s;omewhat of gallantry to entertain conver&s;ation) that I am not glad that this picture is onely the effect of the famous <HI>Mandrocles</HI> imagination. For I confe&s;&s;e unto you, there is a certain charming, mode&s;t, and pa&s;&s;ionate air in the eyes of this godde&s;&s;e, which would peradventure plea&s;e me too much, were it a living beauty. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid this, but all the company began to &s;mile at this fir&s;t mark of his tenderne&s;s, which they had never before ob&s;erved in him. There was not any one of them who would not willingly, if it had been po&s;&s;ible, have in&s;pired life into this picture, that they might &s;ee whether <HI>Philoxypes</HI> might be bent by her or no; and whether his rebel heart to love, would prove proof again&s;t her extraordinary charms. If this could be, &s;aid Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Thi|moclea,</HI> I wi&s;h at lea&s;t that this fair per&s;onage, &s;hould have as much &s;weetne&s;&s;e in her foul as in her eyes, to the end that nothing might be wanting to <HI>Philoxypes</HI> happine&s;&s;e. On the contrary, &s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> me thinks it were to be wi&s;ht, that (to puni&s;h my Brother for his inflexibility) &s;he were as cruel, as fair; and I doubt me, added <HI>Aretephile,</HI> whether for his greater puni&s;hment, &s;he were not to be wi&s;ht to be proud and &s;tupid: or rather, &s;aid Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aghari&s;ta,</HI> incon&s;tant, fickle, altering her humour every day; and for his yet further puni&s;hment, added the King &s;milingly, that &s;he were all that you all have &s;aid. At the&s;e words <HI>Philoxypes</HI> de&s;ired &s;o much favour of them, as that they would &s;uffer him to enjoy that quiet which liberty be&s;tows on them who po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e her: But the Sun being already low, he mentioned a walk to this fair company, who without re&s;i&s;t|ance gladly accepted thereof. He led them into a large plot of ground, which makes an I&s;land; for he had drawn a branch of the River of <HI>Claria</HI> round about it. Pa&s;&s;ing from thence over a little bridge, with balla&s;ters of bra&s;s, he led them into an Allie of Orange Trees, twelve hundred paces long, which the Sun could never get into, &s;o large are tho&s;e Trees, and &s;o thick covered with leaves and flowers. Amid&s;t this Allie there cro&s;&s;es a Channel of running water; at la&s;t you come to a place where eleven Allies cro&s;&s;e one ano|ther; at the end of which, the River is every where &s;een, as if it were &s;o delighted with that place, as it were loth to leave it. All the&s;e Allies are either of Orange Trees, or Ci|tron Trees, or Myrrhe, or Lawrel, or Pomegranats, or Palm Trees: but after being come to the end of one of the&s;e Allies, into which <HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;ent them, they found them&s;elves in a large Meadow, which is cut thorow in the middle by the River, which gathered to|gether in that place, &s;eems to be a great Channel, which hath on its Banks neither Canes, nor Ru&s;hes, nor Reeds, nor little Shrubs, but is onely bordered by thick Turff, and all be|&s;princkled over with Flags of differing colours, with Narci&s;&s;us's, with Lillies, and all other flowers, which love moi&s;ture and fre&s;hne&s;&s;e. There are likewi&s;e on this River, great &s;tore of Swans, which &s;wim &s;o demurely, as you would think they were afraid to trouble
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the water which bears them up: and that there might nothing be wanting to this entertain|ment, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> had &s;o ordered it, as this River was all covered over with Boats, made like Gallies, painted with lively colours, and guided by young Boyes in Maratin apparel, but very hand&s;om; who rowing gently with Oars painted red and green, came to the banck to receive this gallant company, who were played unto on ru&s;tick Mu&s;ick by young Shepherds very quaintly clothed, who drove herds along that Meadow on the other &s;ide of the River. Their Shepheards crooks were all trimmed with bra&s;s guilt over, and &s;trewed over with cypers; their Flutes and little Bagpipes were as well deckt as were their &s;heep, all who&s;e hornes were loaded with flowers. In divers parts of this Mea|dow, were a hundred lovely Shepherds, clothed in white, with hats of ro&s;es, who to make the place the more plea&s;ing, mixt the melody of their voices to the ru&s;tick Mu&s;ick afore&s;aid. So &s;weet a place being doubtle&s;ly proper to infu&s;e joy, and plea&s;ure, being no di&s;po&s;ition to cruelty; the King found <HI>Aretephile</HI> a little more gentle; and all the wor&s;t treated lovers of this company, found at lea&s;t &s;ome truce to their &s;ufferings, and were maugre them&s;elves delighted with &s;o lovely a place, which was bounded about by a very high Palle&s;ade, wherein Niches placed at equall di&s;tances, were &s;tatues of white Marble, the rare&s;t that were ever &s;een in <HI>Greece.</HI></P>
<P>But I may &s;eem to be my &s;elf inchanted in a place &s;o full of charms, &s;ince I &s;tay &s;o long thereon: I mu&s;t then ha&s;te to make this fair company depart, whom <HI>Philoxypes</HI> waited on back to <HI>Paphos,</HI> after having offered them a famous banquet. Some few days after, being returned home, with intention to entertain him&s;elf alone there for two dayes, he &s;pent all that time very contentedly: But <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his humour lying rather to like gene|ral beauties, wherein art hath nothing to do, then tho&s;e where art undertakes to perfect nature, went out of his Park, and unaccompanied by any &s;ave one &s;ervant, he went to the River &s;ide, intending to walk along it till he &s;hould come to the head thereof, which is not far from thence, and which certainly is one of the goodlie&s;t things in the world: For this miraculous Spring-head, which of it &s;elf makes a River, is inclo&s;ed by Rocks of an unacce&s;&s;ible height; at the foot of the greate&s;t, and highe&s;t whereof, is a large cave which extends it &s;elf even to the lo&s;s of &s;ight, both on the right hand and on the left, under unacce&s;&s;ible Rocks. At the bottome of this Cave, is a &s;ilent &s;pring, which &s;ometimes ri&s;eth up to the top of the den, and &s;ometimes falls &s;o low, as it is not above five or &s;ix foot high. This inequality is the cau&s;e why the River of <HI>Claria,</HI> as well as all the others of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> pa&s;s rather for a fair Torrent, then for a River; though this be not po&s;itively &s;o, for it is never altogether dried up, as are all the re&s;t. As he went towards this Cave, he got off hor&s;e-back, leaving his hor&s;e with his &s;ervant, commanding him to wait his return, and not to follow him.</P>
<P>Thus did he walk all alone, along the&s;e Torrents, with the &s;ight and noi&s;e whereof, he he was much delighted, when rai&s;ing up his eyes, he might &s;ee &s;ome twenty paces off, a very hand&s;ome woman, though in mean habit, who was &s;ate upon a Rock, all covered over with mo&s;s; and who &s;eemed to take plea&s;ure in eying attentively the fall of waters which came ru&s;hing at her feet, as if to do her homage. At fir&s;t <HI>Philoxypes</HI> thought not to trouble the contentment of one who&s;e humour was &s;o conformable to his, to &s;it mu|&s;ing upon the River &s;ide, and to turn a little a&s;ide, that he might not interrupt her. But being come a little neerer, and &s;eeing that her apparrel though clean, and hand&s;ome, gave her not out to be a per&s;onage of quality, he went directly towards her, becau&s;e that was the ea&s;ie&s;t way. But being come very neer her, and the noi&s;e his walking made, having made this woman look about, he was &s;trangely taken; not only to &s;ee the hand&s;ome&s;t creature in the world, but to di&s;cern perfectly that, that miraculous <HI>Venus</HI> which he had in his Gallery, and which he had alwayes taken onely for the effect of a hand&s;ome imagination, was really the picture of this per&s;onage; <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> ravi&s;ht at this &s;o &s;trange appara|tion, changed his colour; and &s;aluting this maid with more civility then her condition &s;eemed to require, he advanced yet neerer her; but &s;he ri&s;ing up in ha&s;te, and having not without a blu&s;h paid him his &s;alute, as if &s;he had been troubled to be &s;een alone in that place, &s;he ha&s;ted to go unto an old man and a woman well advanced in years, who were not above twenty paces off her; yet fearing by like to be followed, &s;he turned her head twice towards <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who was &s;till the more dazled with her beauty, and more confirmed in his opinion. This Prince &s;urpri&s;ed at this encounter, had a great de&s;ire to know who this young and &s;o wonderfull hand&s;ome maid might be; and to know al&s;o how <HI>Mandrocles</HI> could come to draw her picture; and why <HI>Mandrocles</HI> had always told
<PB N="157" REF="163">
him, that the picture which he had drawn, was only an effect of his fancy: He followed her with his eyes as far as he could; but having &s;tood &s;till a pretty while, not knowing why he did &s;o, he lo&s;t &s;ight of her among&s;t tho&s;e Rocks after &s;he was come up to tho&s;e &s;he went unto, &s;o as he could no more di&s;cover her.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> did not overmuch endevour it, though his minde led him very much there|unto, but coming neer the River &s;ide, in&s;tead of continuing to walk towards the Spring head, he went down the &s;tream; and were it by hazard, or out of de&s;ign, he happened to re&s;t him&s;elf upon the &s;ame Rock covered with mo&s;s, on which he had &s;een the fair maid fit. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> being there, could think on nothing, but on this fair unknown one, and upon the plea&s;ing adventure which had befaln him. He then remembred the di&s;cour&s;e which had pa&s;t in the Gallery, and what he had &s;aid of that picture which every one &s;o much commended; and delighted to entertain him&s;elf upon this &s;ubject, how glad &s;aid he unto him&s;elf, would Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile</HI> be, if &s;he knew what had befaln me, and how would the King mock me if he heard it? They would certainly &s;ay, that the God|de&s;s had wrought a miracle to puni&s;h me, by making me meet with a Country wench, of whom to make the object of my choice. But &s;aid he, pre&s;ently after, this Country maid is fairer then what&s;oever there is of beauty in the Court; and I &s;hall &s;ufficiently re|venge my &s;elf of all our Ladies, if I can once more meet with her, and let them &s;ee her. He then re&s;olved to return the next day to the &s;ame place, and in the mean time not to &s;peak of her till he had found her again. He then returned home, but full of amazement; at his fir&s;t arival, he went &s;trait to his Gallery, and grew &s;o confident in his belief, that his <HI>Venus &V;rania</HI> was the very picture of this fair unknown one, as he doubted no more thereof. He compared all the features of this picture, with the image which he bare a|bout in his mind, not finding any difference between them &s;ave that the original was farre above what ever <HI>Mandrocles</HI> with all his art, could repre&s;ent. He &s;eemed to have ob|&s;erved in her face, a much more plea&s;ing youthly aire, a much more maje&s;tical mode&s;ty, and a &s;weetne&s;s infinitely more alluring. In fine, the Prince <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who had wont to be more in his Clo&s;et, then in his Gallery, perceiving that the &s;ight of this picture de|tained him there, whether he would or no, went forth much perplext to &s;ee that once in his life time, he could not ma&s;ter his affections. He pa&s;t the re&s;t of that day, and all the next night, not being able to eface this plea&s;ing phanta&s;m out of his minde. The next day he returned to the &s;ame place where he had &s;een that fair one, &s;till thinking how he &s;hould be plea&s;ed to cau&s;e her to be &s;een by the King, and the whole Court. But though he went up the River, even up to the head thereof, he could not finde her; he &s;ought her long in vain; and being angred thereat, he &s;ought whether he could not finde &s;ome little track about that place where he had &s;een the fair unknown one; but it being all Rocky, no impre&s;&s;ion of foot&s;teps could be &s;een there, nor could there be any track found among&s;t the Rocks. De&s;perat then, as he was, not to finde any knowledg of what he &s;o much de|&s;ired, he returned back, ab&s;olutly re&s;olving not to return any more to that place: yet was he no &s;ooner at home, but that he wi&s;ht to be at the River &s;ide; he enquired of all his &s;ervants, if they had never met any body thereabouts, which re&s;embled that <HI>Venus;</HI> and askt them very particularly, in what places, and into what hou&s;es <HI>Mandrocles</HI> went when he painted with his Gallery? They an&s;wered, that they had never &s;een her whom he &s;poke off, and that <HI>Mandrocles</HI> was a &s;olitary man, who &s;aw no body, who &s;pent all his time in de&s;igning among&s;t tho&s;e Rocks; and that he took almo&s;t alwayes the way to|wards the head of <HI>Claria. Philoxypes</HI> not able to learn any more, did what he could to think no more thereon; but though he had re&s;olved to return next day to <HI>Paphos,</HI> he &s;tayed at <HI>Claria,</HI> (for his hou&s;e bears the name of the River which pa&s;&s;eth by it) and whatever de&s;igne he had, never to return to &s;eek out the fair unknown one, his feet mau|gre him&s;elf, bare him always towards the place where he had met her. He returned often from thence, not knowing why he would not willingly go thither, nor why he went thither, not having any thought of &s;o doing. But at la&s;t yeelding to his curio&s;ity, he returned towards tho&s;e Rocks, re&s;olving to &s;uffer him&s;elf to be guided by fortune; lea|ving always his &s;ervant and his hor&s;e where he left them the fir&s;t time.</P>
<P>He wandred then long among&s;t tho&s;e Mountains, when being weary, he &s;ate him&s;elf down, which he had hardly done, upon a neighbouring Rock, when he might di&s;cover afar off a little Cottage, in a place which appeared very &s;avage unto him: &s;o as ri&s;ing up, it may be, &s;aid he unto him&s;elf, 'tis here where the Gods have hidden the Trea&s;ure, which I &s;eek for. And indeed he had not walked far, when he &s;aw the fair unknown one,
<PB N="158" REF="164">
accompanied by the &s;ame old man, and the &s;ame woman which he had formerly &s;een, and by three or four others all meanly clothed, which &s;eemed to take a by-way which led to a little Temple, which lies towards the Sea &s;ide, and which was built for the accommo|dation of &s;trangers, who traffique in that I&s;land, and land on that &s;ide. The Temple not being above &s;ix furlongs from this little rurall habitation, 'twas but a walk to go thither on foot.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> ravi&s;ht at this encounter, went towards them; and addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech to the old man, after having &s;aluted, and looked on the fair unknown, with more admi|ration then at fir&s;t; Father, &s;aid he, know you who they be that live in that little hou&s;e which I &s;ee yonder among&s;t the Rocks? Sir, &s;aid he they are people who merit not the honour you do them in &s;peaking to them; nor do I know how my Cabbin &s;hould cau&s;e curio&s;ity in a man of your condition.</P>
<P>While&s;t the old man &s;poke, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> had his eyes fixt upon the fair unknown one &s;o attentively, as he made her blu&s;h, and forced her to turn her head a&s;ide; he willingly would have &s;poken to her, but that (as he told me afterward) hee was affraid to ruine him&s;elf in &s;o plea&s;ing an inchantment; and that he would finde as much rudene&s;&s;e in her conver&s;ation, as &s;he had &s;weetne&s;&s;e in her eyes; to boot, that he &s;aw her to be &s;o mode&s;t, as he ea&s;ily imagined &s;he would not &s;peak long unto him in her parents pre&s;ence, (for he perceived &s;he behaved her &s;elf as if &s;he were the old mans daughter) he enquired al&s;o of the good old man, if he went oft to that Temple? whether his abode there had been long? whether he were of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> or no? whether that were his whole family? and a hundred other things to continue the conver&s;ation. To all which, though the other an&s;wered exactly, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> did hardly hear any thing he &s;aid; and thus they parted, af|ter he had tane his leave of them all, hardly knowing what he &s;aid.</P>
<P>Not having learnt any thing, but that he had once more &s;een the fair unknown one, that &s;he was much more lovely then he had thought her to be, that he knew her abode, and the Temple whither &s;he &s;omtimes went. He pur&s;ued her with his eyes as far as he could; but at la&s;t being a&s;hamed of what he did, and &s;eeking a rea&s;on for it, he returned back the &s;ame way, and went into his Gallery, it being the only place in all his hou&s;e, wherein he plea&s;ed him&s;elf. When he was come thereinto, he began to walk with more di&s;quiet then he had wont to be acquainted withall. And far from his former de&s;ign of bringing the fair unknown one to the Court, he did as far as in him lay, put on a re&s;o|lution of never &s;eeing her more him&s;elf: &s;o much was he affected with this &s;econd &s;ight.</P>
<P>To this purpo&s;e, he went forthwith out of his Gallery, got on hor&s;e-back, and retur|ned to <HI>Paphos;</HI> the King who loved him dearly, and who had as much of friend&s;hip for him, as of love for the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> complained of his &s;o long abode in the Countrey, and made as much of him as could be. He immediatly entreated him to vi&s;it the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> becau&s;e there had been &s;ome little quarrel between them, which he acquainted him withall, making the mo&s;t he could of it.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> obeys him, vi&s;its the Prince&s;&s;e, and makes them friends: but let him do what he plea&s;eth, or go whither he will, his thoughts are &s;till bu&s;ied about the fair un|known one; he compares her with all the beauties that he &s;ees, and whether he behold <HI>Aretephile, Thimoclea, Aghari&s;ta,</HI> or who&s;oever el&s;e, he can &s;ee none but his &s;i&s;ter, the fair Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> who comes any way neer her for beauty; but he preferred the other a thou&s;and times before her, as being a thou&s;and times more beautiful then what|&s;oever the world hath of beauty. Two dayes after he returned to <HI>Claria,</HI> and the next day he went to the afore&s;aid little Temple, whither tho&s;e that were of the I&s;land went &s;el|dome or never, it being only built for &s;trangers.</P>
<P>And this was the rea&s;on wherefore the beauty of the fair unknown one, had not been noi|&s;ed abroad, neither in <HI>Apia,</HI> which is not far from thence, nor in <HI>Soly,</HI> which is very neer it, nor in <HI>Claria</HI> which joynes upon it. <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> then maugre him&s;elf, went thither, whether he was no &s;ooner come, but he &s;aw the fair maid &s;till accompanie with the &s;ame compa|ny, who devoutly prayed to the Godde&s;&s;e that is there adored. In fine, Sir, to keep that no longer from you, which <HI>Philoxypes</HI> had much adoe to acknowledg to him&s;elf, this la&s;t &s;ight fully conquered him; for the &s;acrifice being &s;omwhat long, love had time enough to fa&s;ten him with his chains not to be untyed. You may believe it had been ea&s;ie for <HI>Philoxypes</HI> to have &s;poken to this maid, as &s;he came out of the Temple, and to have followed her home, if he had plea&s;ed; but though love had already gotten the upper hand in his heart, yet had it not
<PB N="159" REF="164">
driven out &s;hame from thence. And <HI>Philoxypes</HI> did me the honour to tell me afterwards, that he was &s;o a&s;hamed of his own weakne&s;&s;e, and of the meanne&s;s of this maids conditi|on as he &s;ometimes wi&s;ht to be dead.</P>
<P>This little a&s;&s;embly being gone, and he being returned home &s;trangely perplext, what &s;aid he to him&s;elf, is it po&s;&s;ible that <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> that unflexible <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who could never be wrought upon by all the fair Ladies of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> &s;hould be in love with one born in a Cottage, bred up among&s;t Rocks, and &s;avage people? Ah, no, no: it cannot be. I would rather rip out my heart, then &s;uffer it any longer to retain &s;o mean, and &s;o unworthy an affection. But (&s;aid he pre&s;ently afterwards) there is &s;omewhat of Divinity in &s;upream beauty, which is not to be re&s;i&s;ted. And if this unknown one be more fair then all the Prin|ces of the world, &s;he better de&s;erves the love of the inflexible <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> then all they do. Yet I am &s;ure, &s;aid he, when the wi&s;e <HI>Solon</HI> told me, That a man might without &s;hame be once in his life time overcome by love; he under&s;tood it not to be by the love of a &s;hepher|de&s;&s;e, as doubtle&s;ly &s;he is&mdash;at the&s;e words not having power to end his &s;peech and &s;ay, Whom I love; &s;hame &s;topt his mouth, and for awhile he &s;aid nothing.</P>
<P>Then &s;uddenly re-a&s;&s;uming his &s;peech, No, no, &s;aid he, <HI>Solon</HI> would not approve the folly which po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth me: For in fine, to love a per&s;on &s;o beneath ones &s;elf, a per&s;on, who&s;e name one is affraid to ask; one to whom one hath never &s;poken, and to whom I dare not &s;peak, for fear of finding her mind unworthy of her beauty, one who peradventure will not under&s;tand my language, who peradventure hath neither vertue nor goodne&s;&s;e, and whom the Gods have endowed with extraordinary beauty, only for my confu&s;ion, and to make me de&s;pair; once more it cannot, it mu&s;t not be; &s;o dreadful an evil mu&s;t be early with&s;tood; and as there are &s;ome venemous who&s;e mi&s;chief is only cured by them&s;elves, the fair unknown one mu&s;t cure me of the malady &s;he hath cau&s;ed in me.</P>
<P>I mu&s;t once more &s;ee her, and &s;peak to her, to the end that the blemi&s;hes of her mind, and her rude conver&s;ation, may drive that beauty from my heart, which her charming beau|ty and plea&s;ing eyes hath placed there. But good Gods, replied he unto him&s;elf, is it po&s;|&s;ible &s;o fair a per&s;onage &s;hould have any defaults? Think <HI>Philoxypes</HI> what thou wilt do; and fear le&s;t while&s;t you think to finde a cure for your evil, you render it incu|rable.</P>
<P>Thus <HI>Philoxypes</HI> rea&s;oned with him&s;elf, who in effect re&s;olved to go the next day to the Cottage, where the fair unknown one dwelt, with intention to &s;peak unto her, and &s;o to cure him&s;elf, imagining that his &s;hame to &s;ee him&s;elf in that Cottage, and the maids gro&s;s conver&s;ation, would infallibly &s;alve his pa&s;&s;ion. But he knew not that 'tis an u&s;ual effect of love to make tho&s;e who are in love, make u&s;e of all pretences, whereby they may come near tho&s;e whome they love, not knowing them&s;elves why they go thither.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> failed not then to go the next day towards the rocks, at foot whereof accord|ing to his cu&s;tome he left his &s;ervants: But as he went, he was much di&s;quieted; &s;ome|times he wi&s;ht this young maid might neither have wit nor attraction; and by and by, de|&s;ired again he might meet with nothing in her which might detract from her beauty. In fine, not knowing whether he de&s;ired to be &s;ick or cured, whether he would be free or a captive; and not knowing al&s;o under what pretence to make this odd vi&s;it, he marcht on till he came to a little Valley, &s;eated between Rocks, &s;toln as it were from the world, and very fit, to &s;ay the truth, to hide &s;o infinite a precious trea&s;ure. At the foot of this little Valley, there lies a plea&s;ant Meadow; and upon the &s;ide of the&s;e Rocks, a little Wood of Myrtle, and wild Pomegranats, intermingled with &s;ome Orenge Trees. At the bottome of this Wood, there &s;tands a little Hou&s;e very low built, but in indifferent good repair: As <HI>Philoxypes</HI> drew near it, his troubles re-doubled, and he was almo&s;t tempted to turn back, &s;o a&s;hamed was he of his weakne&s;&s;e. But at la&s;t being forced on by love, he entred into the fore-Court of this hou&s;e, clo&s;ed in with Lawrels no higher then ones elbow, which are ve|ry common in this I&s;land. At la&s;t &s;eeing a door open, he came into a little Chamber, de|cently, though but meanly furni&s;hed; in which he found a fair unknown one, and two other women who made Garlands of flowers, intending to carry them the next day to the Temple, and give them to the Prie&s;t who lived there, to adorn the Victime, which was to be offered, there in &s;acrifice. You may imagin, how much a&s;toni&s;hed this young maid might be, to &s;ee &s;uch a one as <HI>Philoxypes</HI> enter her Cabin, who is alwayes richly clothed, and who as you know, is of a very &s;tately behaviour; &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but ri&s;ing up in ha&s;te &s;he let all her flowers fall, thereby affording <HI>Philoxypes</HI> occa&s;ion of commencing conver&s;ation, who &s;tooped down to gather up the faln flowers: Sir, &s;aid &s;he, endeavour|ing
<PB N="160" REF="165">
to hinder him, pray trouble not you &s;elf, for our Woods and Meadows abound in the like, &s;o as I may ea&s;ily repair this lo&s;&s;e, if the&s;e were &s;poiled. Tho&s;e which your Woods and Fields produce, &s;aid he, are not of &s;uch worth as the&s;e, which I re&s;tore you, becau&s;e they have not been gathered by &s;o fair a maid as you. Sir, &s;aid &s;he, blu&s;hing, the God|de&s;&s;e to whom I intend to offer them, will look more upon the intention of my heart, then upon my face, which certainly hath nothing in it, which may occa&s;ion you to &s;peak as you do. But Sir, &s;aid &s;he, (not giving him leave to interrupt her, to the end &s;he might change the di&s;cour&s;e) you have perhaps &s;omewhat to command my Father, who will be very much troubled tha the is not here, that he might have the glory to obey you: but he is gone forth with my Mother, and will not return till night.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> hearing her &s;peak with &s;o much judgement, and &s;uch civility, he having at mo&s;t expected nothing but innocency, and &s;implicity in her conver&s;ation, had hardly the power to an&s;wer her. He beheld her with admiration, and li&s;tened to her with a&s;toni&s;h|ment; he ob&s;erved a decent negligence in her apparel, and her tone of &s;peech &s;o exce&s;|&s;ively charming, as he was ravi&s;ht; &s;he &s;poke not only Greek, but with all the Attique purity, and Courtly &s;moothne&s;&s;e; her action was moreover infinitely becoming, having nothing in it, neither of affected, nor yet of Clowni&s;h. He found &s;uch mode&s;ty in her looks, and &s;o lovely a fre&s;hne&s;&s;e in her complexion, as he had hardly liberty to reply; yet after &s;ome &s;trivings within him&s;elf, 'tis true, fair maid, &s;aid he, I had &s;omewhat to &s;ay unto your Father, but till &s;uch time as I &s;hall &s;ee him, give me leave to ask you why he makes choice of &s;o &s;olitary an abode. Sir, &s;aid &s;he, &s;uch is my re&s;pect unto him, as I never in|formed my &s;elf of what you de&s;ire to know; but I have &s;ometimes thought that this place is not of his choice, and that he lives here, only to fit his mind unto his fortune, which not having de&s;tin'd him a Palace, hinders him not from thinking him&s;elf happy in his Cottage.</P>
<P>But is it po&s;&s;ible, &s;aid he, that this au&s;tere &s;olitarine&s;&s;e &s;hould not &s;eem tedious to you? Sir! (replied &s;he with a mode&s;t &s;mile) you will doubtle&s;ly think me very ru&s;tick and &s;avage, when &s;hall dare to &s;ay, that the only trouble I have met withal amid&s;t the&s;e Rocks, &s;ince I have lived here, is that wherewith I am now po&s;&s;e&s;t, to &s;ee you in a place, where I u&s;e not to &s;ee any one; and where certainly I would not &s;ee you, were I in a con|dition to do otherwi&s;e; it not appearing &s;eemly to me, that one of your condition, &s;hould bu&s;ie him&s;elf in talking &s;o long with &s;uch a one as I am. I &s;hould be very unhappy, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> if &s;hould have offended you, or have appeared too importunate: but lovely per&s;onage, tell mee I be&s;eech you, your name, and your Parents name, and tell me what God or Godde&s;&s;e 'tis that comes to in&s;truct you in the&s;e Woods? Sir! &s;aid &s;he, my name is <HI>Policrite,</HI> my Father is called <HI>Cleanthes,</HI> and my Mother <HI>Megi&s;to;</HI> but as for tho&s;e Gods which you &s;ay do teach me, they have as yet taught me &s;o little, as I am ignorant even of civility: to witne&s;&s;e which, I &s;hall take the boldne&s;&s;e to &s;ay, that &s;ince tho&s;e on whom I depend are not here, I &s;hall de&s;ire you not to take it ill, if I intreat you not to tarry any lon|ger in a place, wherein you will find more of incommodity, then content. I &s;hall not alter my mind, replied <HI>Philoxypes</HI> for what you &s;ay, but mu&s;t once more affirm, that doubtle&s;|ly the Gods have in a moment in&s;pired you, with what others have much ado to learn in their whole lives. For that you &s;hould be the faire&s;t maid in all the world, and fairer in a Cottage, then Queens are in their Palaces; though this be very much, yet it is not im|po&s;&s;ible, but that living among&s;t Woods and Rocks, you &s;hould behave your &s;elf, and &s;peak as you do, 'tis this fair <HI>Philocrite,</HI> that I cannot comprehend; nor can I imagin that you were born here among&s;t the&s;e &s;avage Rocks; 'tis true, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, I am not of this I&s;land by birth; but was &s;o young when I parted from <HI>Creta,</HI> as I hardly remember any thing thereof. 'Tis true, the conver&s;ation which I have here, cannot have given me the accent of the Countrey, for I &s;peak with none but tho&s;e of this family, who are no more of <HI>Cyprus</HI> then I.</P>
<P>What, <HI>Policrite,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> do you &s;pend your whole time without &s;peaking, and yet &s;peak as you do? Once more, this Cottage is unworthy of you; and &s;ome means mu&s;t be found out to draw you hence. I am &s;o well contented here, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, as I &s;hould thereby receive an injury; and I imagin you have no &s;uch de&s;ign; therefore I conjure you to leave me in that &s;olitarine&s;&s;e that you found me; for neither will I &s;ay much more unto you, not being able to &s;peak any thing of mine own experience.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who ob&s;erved that this young maid was indeed troubled to &s;ee him tarry &s;o long with her, though it were in no di&s;-obliging manner, was loth to anger her; &s;o as
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with much violence u&s;ed upon him&s;elfe, after having &s;aluted her with &s;uch reverence, as if &s;he had been upon a Throne, he offered to be gone. But, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, with much can|dour, you know my name is <HI>Policrite,</HI> and I cannot tell my Father what his name is, that hath done him the honour to inquire after him; replied this Prince, tran&s;ported with love, my name is <HI>Philoxypes.</HI> Alas, Sir! an&s;wered <HI>Philocrite,</HI> I beg your pardon, if I have not u&s;ed you with &s;uch re&s;pect as I ought. Is not then, &s;aid he, my name unknown unto you? No, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, and I have heard my Father, though he knows you not him&s;elf, &s;ay &s;uch things of you by the report of others, as I am &s;ure will make him rejoyce exceed|ingly when he &s;hall know that you will do him the favour to command him any &s;ervice. <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> inchanted to hear <HI>Policrite</HI> &s;peaking in &s;uch &s;ort, &s;aid unto her a thou&s;and pa&s;|&s;ionate and obliging things, if &s;he would have under&s;tood them; to which &s;he &s;till replied with &s;uch readine&s;&s;e and mode&s;ty, as he &s;till became in love with her more and more.</P>
<P>He then took his leave of her, and departed from this Cottage, with an unconceivable &s;or|row; being come to the &s;ame place where he fir&s;t &s;aw her, he &s;tayed; and beholding on the one &s;ide his goodly and magnificent Palace of <HI>Claria,</HI> and on the other &s;ide this little Countrey Cottage: Ah, <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> cried he, who would believe, that in the condition thy &s;oul is in, thou can&s;t prefer this unluckie Cottage before that &s;tately Palace? and that thy heart &s;o in&s;en&s;ible of love, and &s;o ambitious of true glory, can aba&s;e it &s;elf before <HI>Policri|te</HI>'s feet? But then, &s;aid he again, is it po&s;&s;ible that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;hould love any thing which is not the hand&s;ome&s;t thing in the world? And if it be &s;o, <HI>Policrite</HI> ought to be the object of his de&s;ires and love. I &s;ay, <HI>Policrite,</HI> in who&s;e looks is no Art, who&s;e words are &s;incere, all who&s;e thoughts are innocent, who knows not what a &s;in is, who&s;e heart is not prepo&s;&s;e&s;t with any pa&s;&s;ion, who as yet loves nothing but the Woods, Fields, Flowers, and Fountains; who is hardly con&s;cious of her own beauty, and who&s;e inclinations are doubt|le&s;ly all vertuous. But when all is done, &s;aid he, after a little pau&s;e, love is a weakne&s;&s;e, from whence I have till now defended my &s;elf, only becau&s;e I did verily believe, that it was hand&s;ome not to be capable thereof; but to love a per&s;onage of &s;o unequal birth, is a folly, which I ought by all means to with&s;tand. For in fine, with what face &s;hall I dare to ap|pear at Court? How fair &s;oever <HI>Policrite</HI> be, I dare not &s;hew the irons &s;he makes me wear; they mu&s;t either be broken by force, or &s;o cunningly conceal'd, as no man may ever di&s;|cern them.</P>
<P>With this re&s;olution did <HI>Philoxypes</HI> return home, and from thence to <HI>Paphos;</HI> but he was &s;o po&s;&s;e&s;t with melancholy, as he was forced to fain him&s;elf &s;ick. The King, who &s;aw him that very night, both with him&s;elf, and with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> perceived his perplexity, and pre&s;&s;ed him to know the cau&s;e: But <HI>Philoxypes</HI> an&s;wered him as he had done the re&s;t. The Court was very great that day, and all that was gallant, was there; which occa&s;ioned <HI>Philoxypes</HI> in his ravings, to enquire of him&s;elf an hundred and an hun|dred times, why, &s;ince he was to love, it was not &s;ome of tho&s;e illu&s;trious per&s;onages? Yet though he would u&s;e violence upon him&s;elf, and endeavour to love by rea&s;on, he could ne|ver compa&s;&s;e it. And <HI>Policrite</HI>'s image was &s;o deeply imprinted in his heart, as nothing could deface it. He pa&s;&s;ed over three dayes thus with very much di&s;quiet, and on the fourth maugre him&s;elf, he returned to <HI>Claria,</HI> and from thence to <HI>Cleanthes,</HI> whom at his fir&s;t approach, he found leaning upon a little Palli&s;ado of Lawrels, which incompa&s;&s;ed his Court. As &s;oon as this wi&s;e Old man &s;aw him, he &s;tept unto him, and received him with &s;uch Civility as had nothing of Ru&s;tick in it. Sir, &s;aid he, I thought my Daughter had been deceived when &s;he told me your Name, which kept me from coming to <HI>Claria</HI> to receive your Commands; to boot, that 'tis hard to imagine, that a Man of my Fortune and Age may be any wayes &s;erviceable to &s;uch a Prince as you. Vertue and Worth, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> makes friends unto it &s;elf of all Ages, and of all conditions. But <HI>Cleanthes,</HI> the only thing I de&s;ire to know of you, is whether it be out of nece&s;&s;ity, or out of choice, that you inhabit this little Hou&s;e? for, if it be the former, you &s;hall not tarry long here; and if the latter, I will come and live with you &s;ometimes; at which <HI>Cleanthes</HI> &s;miled, and &s;aid, Poor Cot|tages, Sir, are no proper abodes for great Princes. 'Tis very true, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> nei|ther ought great Worth to be confin'd to little Cottages, but doth much better become great Palaces: I therefore proffer you my Hou&s;e <HI>Claria,</HI> where you and your Family may live more commodiou&s;ly then here. Sir, replied <HI>Cleanthes,</HI> 'tis hand&s;ome for a per&s;onage of your condition and worth to be willing to relieve the di&s;tre&s;&s;ed, but it were not ju&s;t to abu&s;e that goodne&s;&s;e, which may be better employed on &s;ome better occa&s;ion. For, in fine, Sir, I &s;uffer no want in this Cottage, my mind being no greater then it; I here live
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in quiet; and finding in this little corner of the earth &s;ufficient to keep me from being trouble&s;ome to any body, I live here much more happily then tho&s;e who live in Palaces, and who&s;e de&s;ires are not therein bounded. But wi&s;e <HI>Cleanthes,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> will you not tell me what Fortune 'tis that hath brought you hither, and acquaint me preci&s;ely with your condition? Sir, &s;aid the good Old man, I am de&s;cended of hone&s;t Parents, of an in|different Fortune; for mine, you &s;ee it is mean enough, and I a&s;&s;ure you my worth is not extraordinary. I was forc'd to forgo my Countrey, for many rea&s;ons, too long now to tell, and to &s;eek out a place of Retirement in this I&s;land, where I have lived a good while; but &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> are you not afraid le&s;t <HI>Policrite,</HI> who may ju&s;tly be termed a Trea&s;ure, may not be &s;afe in &s;uch a place as this? if I &s;hould grant, an&s;wered <HI>Cleanthes,</HI> that <HI>Po|licrite</HI> &s;hould be what you &s;ay, &s;ince this Trea&s;ure is only known by Prince <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> I &s;hould think it &s;afe enough; you have rea&s;on, Father, &s;aid he, for what you &s;ay, for I en|gage my &s;elf to protect you, again&s;t what, or who&s;oever &s;hall go about to injure you. After this <HI>Cleanthes</HI> led him into his Hou&s;e, where he found <HI>Megi&s;to, Cleanthes</HI> wife, who received him &s;o Civilly, as he ea&s;ily di&s;cern'd that there was nothing of Ru&s;tick nor &s;avage in this family. She had by her young <HI>Policrite,</HI> and another maid hand&s;ome enough, whom <HI>Policrite</HI> called Si&s;ter, and who&s;e name is <HI>Dorida:</HI> But, good Gods, how fair did <HI>Policrite</HI> appear to <HI>Philoxypes</HI> that day? Her hair which hung carele&s;s over her neck, and which were the one half covered by a thin Tiffany, were tied back behind her head, with a Garland of Orange and Pomgranate flowers, over which hung a thin Veil, with which &s;he covered her Face when &s;he went in the Sun, and which very well became her Dre&s;&s;ing: The re&s;t of her Apparel was white, of a hand&s;ome &s;hape; her Sleeves, which were very large, were tru&s;t back with Ribbonds of &s;everal colours; and though there was nothing of &s;tately in this habit; and that in&s;tead of Pearls and Diamonds, &s;he was only deck'd with flowers, yet was there &s;omewhat of &s;o hand&s;ome and &s;o comely in her dre&s;&s;ing, as &s;he never appear'd &s;o fair to <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> the more he &s;aw her, the more he was in love with her; and were it that he entertained <HI>Cleanthes,</HI> that he &s;poke to <HI>Megi&s;to,</HI> that he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf to <HI>Policrite,</HI> or that he &s;aid &s;omewhat of civility to <HI>Dorida,</HI> he was &s;till more and more taken. What did he not do to make them tell him &s;omewhat more then <HI>Cleanthes</HI> had told him, and to per&s;wade them that he might fit them with a better Lodging? He offer'd <HI>Cleanthes</HI> Jewels to di&s;po&s;e of at his plea&s;ure; but let him do what he could, he could learn nothing, nor obtain nothing, &s;ave only leave to come and vi&s;it them &s;ometimes, which they granted him, meerly becau&s;e they knew not how to deny it him. I will not &s;tay to tell you how frequently <HI>Philoxypes</HI> returned thither during twelve Dayes &s;pace which he &s;taid at <HI>Claria,</HI> without returning to <HI>Paphos;</HI> but I will tell you, that <HI>Cleanthes,</HI> who had under&s;tanding enough, &amp; <HI>Megi&s;to</HI> who wanted not any, ea&s;ily perceived that it was <HI>Policrite</HI>'s beauty which occa&s;ioned this Prince his &s;o frequent Vi&s;its, he read her a long Le&s;&s;on, and wi&s;ht her to have a care of her &s;elf, and that &s;he &s;hould con&s;ider that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his affection could not but redound to her prejudice: and that therefore &s;he &s;hould live with him, as with one whom &s;he &s;hould never look upon but meerly with re&s;pect, not &s;uffering him to engage her in any particular affection. This mean while <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who perceived he &s;hould never have the Freedome to &s;peak to <HI>Policrite</HI> in particular, unle&s;&s;e it were by chance, came &s;o often thither, as he met her once unaccompanied by any &s;ave the young <HI>Dorida.</HI> This being too fair an occa&s;ion to let &s;lip, he drew near unto her, and expre&s;&s;ing much Love in his looks, Think not, <HI>Policrite,</HI> &s;aid he, that I have any thing of mi&s;s-becoming to &s;ay unto you, though I have diligently watched to entertain you alone; 'Tis only that not knowing how you will receive my affection, I was not de&s;irous to have any witne&s;&s;es of my misfortune or happine&s;&s;e. Sir, &s;aid &s;he, with a Maidenly-blu&s;h, be|fore you &s;peak, con&s;ider I be&s;eech you where you are; mark well the Cottage wherein I live, and &s;ee what cloathes I wear. No, <HI>Policrite,</HI> reply'd he, I &s;ee nothing but your Eyes, and had you a Crown of Diamonds on your head, I &s;hould no more minde it then what you &s;peak of; &s;o firmly are my looks fixt upon your Beauty. Permit me then, Sir, &s;aid the di&s;creet and fair Maid, to teach you another thing, which it may be you are ignorant of, and which ought to keep you from &s;aying any thing of unfitting to me. 'Tis, Sir, that this very <HI>Policrite,</HI> whom you &s;ee in this Country Cottage, who is thus &s;imply attir'd, who is only known to the&s;e Woods and Rocks hath notwith&s;tanding her meanne&s;&s;e and &s;implici|ty, &s;o tender a &s;en&s;e of Honour, that &s;hould you offend her never &s;o little therein, &s;he were able to die for &s;orrow and di&s;like. Be careful then, Sir, to &s;ay nothing which may make <HI>Policrite</HI> believe, that you know her not; for, in fine, &s;he hath &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ion for Vertue,
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as &s;he &s;hould have much ado not to hate tho&s;e who &s;hould &s;ay any thing unto her in op|po&s;ition thereunto. Fear not, &s;aid he, faire&s;t <HI>Policrite,</HI> that I &s;hall &s;ay any thing to you, which &s;hall offend you, at lea&s;t, which &s;hould offend; for I prote&s;t unto you in the pre|&s;ence of the gods, who hear me, that the pa&s;&s;ion which you have for flowers, fountains, and for the&s;e inamel'd fields, is not more pure, nor more innocent, then that which I have for <HI>Policrite;</HI> and if there be any difference between them, 'tis that the affection which I bear to her, is &s;o violent and &s;trong, as there is nothing which I &s;hall not willingly under|take to witne&s;&s;e it unto her: You cannot better do it, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, then in doing me the favour to &s;ay no more &s;uch things unto me, which will onely &s;erve to trouble the quiet of my life, &s;ince if I &s;hould not believe you, I &s;hould certainly be &s;omewhat troubled to think you would laugh at my &s;implicity; and if I &s;hould beleeve you, I &s;hould almo&s;t de&s;pair, for being the cau&s;e why a great Prince &s;hould contract a pa&s;&s;ion &s;o unworthy of him, and from whence he can never reap any advantage.</P>
<P>For in fine, <HI>Policrite</HI> knowing her &s;elf, and knowing you al&s;o, would not her &s;elf com|mit a fault, nor yet cau&s;e you commit one for love of her; do not therefore ingage your &s;elf Sir, in &s;o anger&s;ome an adventure: Let me alone (&s;aid &s;he, looking upon him with an eie, which did rather detain him then drive him away, though it were done without art) let me alone I &s;ay, among&s;t our Woods and Rocks, and get you to your Palaces, where you will be much better then here. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> was a&s;toni&s;hed to hear <HI>Policrite</HI> &s;peak thus, when throwing him&s;elf at her feet, No, no, divine <HI>Policrite,</HI> &s;aid he, you are not what you appear to be; and though you were &s;o, yet would your vertue place you in a de|gree above all the Queens in the World. Sir &s;aid &s;he, rai&s;ing him up, think not that I am to be won by flatteries; for though I know not the World by mine own experience, I know it by my Parents relation. I therefore know that love is a dangerous pa&s;&s;ion, and not knowing preci&s;ely what it is, I know it ought to be avoyded; and that I ought rather to apprehend that love which you &s;ay you bear me, then any other. And wherefore, <HI>Poli|crite,</HI> &s;aid he, do you thus treat that innocent pa&s;&s;ion, which you rai&s;ed in my heart? Be|cau&s;e &s;aid &s;he, it cannot be but injurious to <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> or to <HI>Policrite.</HI> But &s;ay for God's &s;ake &s;aid he, &s;uppo&s;e that <HI>Policrite</HI> were a Prince&s;&s;e, or that <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> were of the &s;ame condition that <HI>Policrite</HI> is; what would you then think of him? I cannot tell &s;aid &s;he, but this I know Sir, that though I &s;hould e&s;teem him never &s;o much; nay, though I &s;hould love him very much, <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and <HI>Megi&s;to</HI> &s;hould alwayes ab&s;olutely di&s;po&s;e of me. Say then &s;aid he, if they &s;hould be favourable, would you without any repugnancy obey them? Sir &s;aid &s;he, &s;miling a little, I have been &s;o told that I mu&s;t not lightly tru&s;t any one, as I think it not convenient to reveal &s;o great a &s;ecret to you. Hereupon <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and <HI>Megi&s;to</HI> returned, and broke off their di&s;cour&s;e; <HI>Philoxypes</HI> pre&s;ently ob&s;erved that the&s;e two per|&s;ons were troubled at his vi&s;its; he therefore re&s;olved not to be &s;o frequent in them, le&s;t he might for ever lo&s;e a happine&s;s, which now he might &s;ometimes enjoy. Thus, Sir, <HI>Philox|ypes</HI> after &s;ome &s;hort di&s;cour&s;e departed, and returned not onely to <HI>Claria,</HI> but to <HI>Paphos,</HI> whither the King had al&s;o &s;ent for him; not being able to let him be &s;o long alone and &s;o|litary, all the Ladies, and the whole Court complained of him, and could not comprehend the rea&s;on of his &s;o long retiremement; The King continued to give him new te&s;timonies of his affection, by be&s;towing on him the government of <HI>Cithera,</HI> which was falne void by the death of the former Governour. He acquainted him with what had befalne him du|ring his ab&s;ence, with Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> and conjur'd him to &s;peak alwayes to her in his behalf. For &s;aid he, <HI>Aretephile</HI> hath taken a phancy to be &s;ure of the Crown of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> before &s;he give me her heart, and I will have her give me her heart, before I give her the Crown. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> promi&s;ed the King to &s;peak to <HI>Aretephile,</HI> but it was with &s;uch &s;adne&s;s as all the Court took notice of it. He did almo&s;t alwayes little better then rave, he would mi&s;take, and &s;ay one thing for another, he &s;hunn'd company, and as &s;oon as he could, he returned to <HI>Claria.</HI> He found more re&s;i&s;tancy in <HI>Policrite,</HI> then he thought to have met withall; for &s;he, fearing all things, dur&s;t hardly look upon this Prince; the difference of his condition, though it made her more obliged unto him in her &s;oul, yet was it the rea|&s;on why &s;he treated him &s;o coolly. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> would have pre&s;ented the whole Family, but they all refu&s;ed to receive any. This mean while he was &s;till more unhappy; for though he loved <HI>Policrite</HI> pa&s;&s;ionately, and that he valued her more then all the world be&s;ides, yet could he never put on a re&s;olution of making any one acquainted with this his &s;o mean|ly placed pa&s;&s;ion: He would certainly have been able to live with <HI>Policrite</HI> in any de&s;ert I&s;land; but he knew not how he could avow the marrying a Maid of her condition, to the
<PB N="164" REF="167">
world; yet did he &s;till love her with a re&s;pectfull affection, not giving way to any &s;infull de&s;ire: That pure and unartificiall vertue which he &s;aw in <HI>Policrite,</HI> infu&s;ed into him a greater re&s;pect for her, then if &s;he had been &s;eated on a Throne; he then perceived he loved, without hope of ever finding a remedy for his evil, upon le&s;&s;er termes, then re&s;ol|ving to abandon the Court, and Kingdom, and to ask <HI>Policrite</HI> of <HI>Cleanthes</HI> upon &s;o vexa|atious termes; but that which mo&s;t of all afflicted him was, that he knew not how he &s;tood in <HI>Policrite's</HI> affection; he found her milde and civil, he ob&s;erves no marks of hatred in her countenance; but there was therein al&s;o &s;o great a re&s;ervedne&s;&s;e, and &s;o exact a mo|de&s;ty, as he could not penetrate her thoughts: He thought al&s;o, that <HI>Policrite</HI> was grown &s;omewhat more melancholy then &s;he had formerly been, and indeed he was not mi&s;taken, for <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his hand&s;omene&s;&s;e, his good behaviour, his wit, and civility, being things not to be &s;een without liking; young <HI>Policrite</HI> could not &s;ee her &s;elf belov'd of &s;uch a Prince as he, without having her heart a little toucht with acknowledgement; yet &s;eeing her &s;elf in a condition &s;o far beneath his, and out of a &s;en&s;e of vertue &s;he mu&s;t re&s;i&s;t this budding affection, &s;he could not but be afflicted at this conque&s;t which &s;he had made; and to be|moan her &s;elf thereof to her dear <HI>Dorida</HI> who had wit enough. Si&s;ter, &s;aid &s;he unto her, how happy are you in compari&s;on of me, who can take plea&s;ure in walking abroad, in gathering of flowers, in hearing birds &s;ing, and the fall of waters, and in not being re|duced to a condition of complaining of too much good fortune: For in fine <HI>Dorida, Phi|loxypes</HI> heart is a conque&s;t which I am &s;ure the greate&s;t Queens would be proud to have made; yet whil&s;t they might innocently rejoyce thereat, I mu&s;t be therewithall afflicted: I could wi&s;h I had never &s;een him; or at lea&s;t I think I could: For when all is done, though me thinks I could heartily de&s;ire that he would love me no more, yet am I glad to &s;ee him. But if love, replied <HI>Dorida,</HI> be &s;o powerfull a thing as it is &s;aid to be, how know you but that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> may love you well enough to Marry you? Ah &s;i&s;ter, an&s;wered &s;he, as I would do nothing misbe&s;eeming me, &s;o neither would I that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;hould do any thing that might misbe&s;eeme him to do: But, &s;aid <HI>Dorida,</HI> belike then you love <HI>Philo|xypes,</HI> &s;ince you intere&s;t your &s;elf in his honour, again&s;t your &s;elf. <HI>Policrite</HI> blu&s;ht at this di&s;cour&s;e, and looking confu&s;edly upon <HI>Dorida,</HI> if you were better acquainted with this pa&s;&s;ion then I, &s;aid &s;he, I would tell you what&s;oever my &s;oul is &s;en&s;ible of, to the end I might know what to think of it; But I cannot yet believe that this dangerous di&s;ea&s;e be yet got into my heart; for if you remember well, we have heard <HI>Cleanthes</HI> &s;ay, and we have read it more then once, that love makes one lo&s;e their rea&s;on; that it cau&s;eth a thou&s;and pains, and vexations, that it &s;ometimes makes people do ami&s;&s;e; and I thank Heaven, I do not yet feel any of all this; Me thinks my rea&s;on is free enough, and I am well enough plea&s;ed with the melancholy which po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth me: For tis true, I oft times talk I know not what, but I delight in doing &s;o; and though I would not love <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> yet there are certain moments wherein I am well enough plea&s;ed that he &s;hould love me: But as for any thing of fault, &s;o far am I from being willing to commit any, as I prote&s;t unto you, that were it for no other rea&s;on, then not to lo&s;e <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his e&s;teem and good opini|on, I would die a thou&s;and deaths rather then do any thing that &s;hould be unju&s;t. You may then believe, that while&s;t I love vertue, and would become worthy the affection of &s;o great a Prince, I will never do any thing contrary to reputation. I believe you, an&s;we|red <HI>Dorida;</HI> but for all this Si&s;ter mine, you deceive your &s;elf, if you believe you love not not <HI>Philoxypes:</HI> For in a word, you do not love what you lov'd before you knew him, you are &s;omewhat more comely, you con&s;ult oftner with the Chri&s;tall fountains, and you are quite another thing then you were. Ah Si&s;ter, replied <HI>Policrite,</HI> if that were true which you &s;ay, I would quickly take order for it, I would never &s;ee <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> but to u&s;e him har&s;hly: to the end, that he hating me, I might no longer love him. The&s;e two young people having entertained them&s;elves thus upon the bank of a little rivolet, <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and <HI>Megi&s;to,</HI> who had altered their mindes, came thither; and bidding <HI>Dorida</HI> withdraw a little; <HI>Megi&s;to</HI> began to &s;ay; <HI>Policrite!</HI> it is not many dayes &s;ince I told you, that in re&s;pect of your condition, you &s;hould never look upon <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> but with a great deal of re&s;pect; but fearing le&s;t through that inequality which you may believe to be between you and him, you may not appear to be &s;o much obliged to him for his affection, as indeed to put &s;omewhat too great an e&s;timation thereupon: <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and my&s;elf have re&s;olved to tell you, that your true condition con&s;idered, you are not bound to behold <HI>Philoxypes</HI> at any time, but with a great deal of indifferency: For in a word, &s;aid <HI>Cleanthes,</HI> not to di&s;gui&s;e the truth from you any longer, you are what you think not your &s;elf to be,
<PB N="165" REF="167">
and we are likewi&s;e that which you know not, and what you &s;hall not as yet know; be|cau&s;e the Gods have not permitted us as yet to let you know it: But to &s;hew you how much you are more obliged then you think for, to be vertuous, know <HI>Policrite,</HI> that you are of as Noble blood as any is in all <HI>Greece:</HI> And how an&s;wered <HI>Policrite,</HI> interrupting him am I not what I alwaies thought to be? No daughter &s;aid he; to number Kings a|mong&s;t your Ance&s;tors, is not the greate&s;t mark of honour that you make boa&s;t of. There is &s;omwhat of more Augu&s;t in your race, then what I &s;peak of: Therefore that I might rai&s;e up your heart, I thought it good to tru&s;t you with this important &s;ecret, (which I charge you not to reveal to any one) as al&s;o to let you know the better how much bound you are not to doe any thing unworthy of your Fathers hou&s;e, nor of the condition you are borne in. <HI>Policrite</HI> was exceedingly joy'd to hear <HI>Cleanthes</HI> &s;peak after this manner, though her joy was not over quiet; for &s;he was in trouble to know more preci&s;ely what was told her. Father &s;aid &s;he, leave me not in &s;uch perplexity; tell me a little more plain|ly, I be&s;eech you, &s;o plea&s;ing a truth, and let me know who I am.</P>
<P>The Gods have forbidden us it, my daughter, an&s;wered he, by the mouth of an Ora|cle: you mu&s;t be content with what you have heard: but make u&s;e thereof to defend your &s;elf again&s;t <HI>Philoxypes</HI> love; and far from looking on him, as on a Prince who hath done you too much honour: look rather on him, as on one whom you &s;hall favour by your permittance.</P>
<P>This is not, &s;aid <HI>Cleanthes,</HI> to deny, but that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> is endow'd with all the vir|tues and qualities requi&s;ite for a great Prince; but tis, my childe, to let you know, that there is a certain pride which doth not mi&s;-become a young maide to defend her &s;elf there|by again&s;t love, when we have an e&s;teem; for tho&s;e that are above us, tis hard to gain|&s;ay, if they intreat. And on the contrary, when we beleeve them to be beneath us, or at lea&s;t but our equals, we &s;tand not much upon denying them unju&s;t things. <HI>Policrite</HI> a&s;&s;ured then <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and <HI>Megi&s;to,</HI> That though &s;he had known nothing of what they now had told her, &s;he &s;hould never have done any thing contrary to that decency which &s;he had learnt of them. But how much were they mi&s;taken, if their de&s;ign were to hin|der <HI>Policrite</HI> from loving <HI>Philoxypes.</HI></P>
<P>Sometimes &s;he was filled with joy, to know that &s;he was of Noble de&s;cent; and after|wards, being willing to make u&s;e thereof; to drive there by the beginning of affection which <HI>Philoxypes</HI> worth had already rai&s;ed in her, out of her heart, &s;he found it the more fortified by this knowledg. For &s;aid &s;he, the knowledg of what I am, doth not take from the obligation which I ow him; &s;ince he knows not that I am any thing more then what I &s;eem to be.</P>
<P>But for me, who now know what I am, why &s;hould I not hope that the Gods permit|ting <HI>Philoxypes</HI> to know my true condition, may not &s;o order it, as that I may love him and be blamele&s;s, and be beloved by him innocently? No, no, <HI>Policrite</HI> added &s;he, let us no longer defend our heart any longer with &s;uch opiniatrecie; let us content our &s;elves with concealing our re&s;entments, and do nothing that &s;hall be faulty: and let us not re|ject, as a mi&s;chief the love of a Prince, to whom the wi&s;e&s;t King of the world would not refu&s;e to give his daughter. But it may be, &s;aid &s;he, that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> doth but coun|terfeit, that he hath &s;infull thoughts towards thee, and that thy &s;implicity abu&s;eth thee.</P>
<P>Stay then, &s;aid &s;he, to be re&s;olved herein, and make triall of his con&s;tancy and fidelity, by an appearing indifferency, which may leave him without hope.</P>
<P>Thus was <HI>Policrite</HI> minded, when <HI>Philoxypes</HI> came to her as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw him &s;he began to go towards her Cottage; but he, advancing ha&s;tily, &s;tayed her; yet not being above twenty paces from it, and there being two of her women&s;ervants at work in a Clo&s;e hard by them, &s;he &s;tayed. What, <HI>Policrite,</HI> &s;aid he, you &s;hun a Prince, who &s;huns all the world for love of you? Sir, &s;aid &s;he, (after &s;omwhat more an imperious manner then before, though &s;he intended not &s;o to do) I do what peradventure you ought to doe: For in fine, what advantage can you hope for by your vi&s;its and &s;olicitations? The con|tentment &s;aid he, to hear from your fair mouth, that you do not hate me: If that be all you de&s;ire to be &s;atisfied in, replied &s;he, you may ea&s;ily compas your de&s;ires; but ask no more, upon pain of refu&s;all. What, lovely <HI>Policrite,</HI> &s;aid he, will you never love me, and &s;hall all I can do to win your affection, prove u&s;ele&s;s? no, 'tis impo&s;&s;ible, were you as in&s;en&s;ible, as tho&s;e pictures which I have of you. My pictures, replied <HI>Policrite?</HI> Yes, added <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> I am not &s;o unfortunate as you think for; in de&s;pite of you, and
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without your con&s;ent, I have the contentment of &s;eeing you dayly.</P>
<P>Ah! &s;aid <HI>Policrite,</HI> I perceive <HI>Mandrocles</HI> hath <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">etrayed me, and hath fal&s;ified his word. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> askt her then, how &s;he came to know <HI>Mandrocles?</HI> She told him how that famous Painter walking dayly when his lei&s;ure would permit him, among&s;t tho&s;e rocks to draw &s;ome landskips, had one day by chance light upon their hou&s;e: where, having &s;een her, he had begg'd leave of <HI>Cleanthes</HI> to draw her picture, which <HI>Cleanthes</HI> would have refu&s;ed him, but that &s;eeing his importunity, he was afraid le&s;t he might &s;peak of her to him at <HI>Claria,</HI> and that therefore he gave way unto his de&s;ire, upon condition that he &s;hould not make u&s;e of this picture, in any of his pieces, but as of a head made by fancy and imagination, and making him take a &s;olemn oath, never to &s;peak with any body who&s;oever, of any acquaintance he had with them. That &s;ince that time, as long as <HI>Mandrocles</HI> tarryed at <HI>Claria,</HI> he came to teach her to de&s;igne, and had drawn her picture in twenty &s;everal po&s;tures. She then enquired of <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> whether <HI>Mandrocles</HI> had &s;poken to him of her, or no? And he told her the whole truth: but you may perceive, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> that the Godde&s;s whom you repre&s;ent, intends not that you &s;hould al|wayes be inhumane, &s;ince &s;he would her &s;elf appear in your vizage.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid &s;he, not being of your I&s;le, my devotion leads me rather to be a Votre&s;s to <HI>Diana,</HI> then to wor&s;hip <HI>Venus &V;rania,</HI> therefore it is not this your rea&s;on that will prevail with me: to boot, that his Godde&s;s approving only of &s;uch pa&s;&s;ions as are inno|cent, will certainly never coun&s;el me to admit of yours. Verues &s;elf, replied <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> would advi&s;e you to it; and did you know my heart, you would need no other Coun|cellor then your &s;elf. It would take up &s;o much time, replied &s;he, to make me know it, as I &s;hall advi&s;e you not to undertake the work. But &s;aid he, if I do undertake it, and if I make it evident to you, that never man loved any thing as I love you, what will you then think? I would think, &s;aid &s;he, that you were very unfortunate, in having &s;o pa&s;&s;i|onatly loved one, who is unworthy of &s;o much honour. But &s;aid he, would you think your &s;elf any waies obliged unto me? I &s;hould be &s;orrie for you, &s;aid &s;he, and would wi&s;h your cure either by ab&s;ence, or by forgetfulne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Ah! cruel maid, &s;aid he, wi&s;h it rather by your compa&s;&s;ion and charity; and promi&s;e me only that you will afford me lei&s;ure to per&s;wade you, that I am the mo&s;t in love of all men. To do as you &s;ay, &s;aid &s;he, would be to be &s;omwhat per&s;waded thereunto already; therefore (and with this, &s;he walked towards her Cottage) I will li&s;ten no longer to you. After this manner did <HI>Philoxypes</HI> pa&s;s away his time; having but very few moments of delight, among&s;t many houres of angui&s;h.</P>
<P>This mean while, he could not endure to tarry at <HI>Paphos,</HI> and when he went thither, all he could do, was only to vi&s;it the Prince&s;s <HI>Aretephile,</HI> which the King compelled him to do; but he appeared &s;o melancholly, and &s;o changed, as he was hardly to be known. The King, who loved him dearly, was much afflicted to &s;ee it; he together with the whole court, &s;ought what might be the occa&s;ion of this alteration; but they could not find it. The King, askt it of <HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;elf, but could learn nothing. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> an&s;wering alwaies, that it was &s;ome melancholy, which proceeded certainly from his temper, and from &s;ome little indi&s;po&s;ition of health.</P>
<P>But &s;aid the King, &s;olitarine&s;s is no u&s;ual cure for &s;uch incommodities; wherefore you ought not to go any more to <HI>Claria:</HI> Yet affairs went &s;till on thus, yea even when Win|ter was come, which did the more a&s;toni&s;h the whole Court; they knew he built no more at <HI>Claria,</HI> that the Painters and Engravers, who had been &s;o long there, were all gone; that the &s;ea&s;on was foul; that when he went thither, 'twas but with a &s;mall traine; and that he walked alwaies alone: they &s;aw a &s;trange &s;adne&s;s in his face, and a wonderfull alteration; and all this without any appearing cau&s;e. The King heaped favours and ho|nours upon him; he askt him an hundred times, what he would de&s;ire of him: he had not any one enemy; the whole Court loved him; he was exceeding rich; he appeared not to have any &s;ickne&s;s, as the Phy&s;itians could perceive: In fine, his melancholy and retiredne&s;s, were things which could not be gue&s;t at. The whole Court talkt of nothing el&s;e; and the King was &s;trangely troubled at it; who, not knowing how to inform him|&s;elf of what <HI>Philoxypes</HI> ailed, he be thought him&s;elf of me, whom he knew this Prince did love particularly, and in whom he did more confide, then in any other.</P>
<P>Thus upon a day, when <HI>Philoxypes</HI> was gone to <HI>Claria,</HI> the King &s;ent for me; and after having a&s;&s;ured his Maje&s;tie, (as it was true) that I knew nothing of particular concerning this Prince his melancholy, he did me the honour to command me to go to him, and to
<PB N="167" REF="168">
u&s;e all my cunning to di&s;cover what it was that was in his minde: For, &s;aid he, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> I do &s;o love <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> as I cannot live content unle&s;s I &s;ee he do &s;o likewi&s;e, and were it to give him half my Kingdom, I would doubtle&s;ly do it, rather then not to give him &s;atisfaction.</P>
<P>I then departed, reallie intending to endeavour to &s;atisfie the Kings curio&s;ity, who certainly &s;tood in need of <HI>Philoxypes</HI> pre&s;ence, to coun&s;el and comfort him concerning <HI>Aretephiles</HI> behaviour; for I think there was never known a &s;tiffer combat between am|bition and love.</P>
<P>I went then to <HI>Claria</HI> where I found <HI>Philoxypes</HI> in his u&s;uall melancholy; the which I made the greater, becau&s;e I hindred him from going that daie to <HI>Cleanthes.</HI> At fir&s;t &s;ight of me, he endevoured notwith&s;tanding, to inforce him&s;elf to honour me &s;o much, as to &s;eem glad to &s;ee me; but it was after a fa&s;hion, which made me ea&s;ily &s;ee that his heart gain&s;aid his words; and that notwith&s;tanding any friend&s;hip he had for me, he wi&s;ht I had tarried &s;till at <HI>Paphos.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he, I am much beholding to you for coming to vi&s;it me in a &s;ea&s;on, when the Countrie hath lo&s;t all its ornaments; and when the Court is fulle&s;t of di|ver&s;ions.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid I, you commend me with le&s;s rea&s;on, then the Court complains of you; for to forgo <HI>Paphos</HI> for <HI>Claria,</HI> when you are there, 'tis to forgo the Court, for the Court; nay, for the mo&s;t plea&s;ing part of the Court: but to forgo <HI>Paphos,</HI> only to &s;eek out &s;oli|tarines at <HI>Claria,</HI> as you do, Oh, Sir, &s;aid I, (not &s;u&s;pecting him notwith&s;tanding of any pa&s;&s;ion) 'tis all that a Prince in love, who is upon bad tearms with his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, can do. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> blu&s;ht at the&s;e words, and looking upon me with a kind of &s;mile, which did not, notwith&s;tanding drive the melancholy from his countenance; I perceive, <HI>Leonti|das,</HI> &s;aid he, I am not &s;o much beholding to you, as I had thought, &s;ince doubtle&s;ly you are come hither rather to chide me, then to vi&s;it me.</P>
<P>I am come, Sir, &s;aid I, to trie whether I may not be able to &s;erve you in a time when all the world believes that &s;omwhat of great importance, which they cannot gue&s;s at, doth afflict you. <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he, I am much bound to you, but I &s;hould be &s;o more, if you could hinder the Court from looking &s;o far into my heart. For I confe&s;s &s;aid he, I finde it &s;omwhat hard that a man may not look inwards &s;omtimes, though whil&s;t he does &s;o, he is hardly ma&s;ter of his own minde.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid I, were you le&s;s beloved, you would not &s;uffer under this per&s;ecution which you complain of: This kinde of Love, replied he, cau&s;eth in me no &s;mall &s;uffering: For what can I more rationally do, then to conceal my Melancholy in a retiredne&s;s, to the end that I may not trouble the joy of others. But Sir, &s;aid I, tis the cau&s;e of this Melan|choly which every body &s;eeks after, and none can finde: as for my particular, I mu&s;t crave your pardon if I do. For Sir, tis not ambition that torments you. No, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he, if I were &s;ick of that di&s;ea&s;e, the King would quickly cure me. Neither is it revenge, &s;aid I, for not being hated by any, it is not to be believed that you are po&s;&s;e&s;t with hatred. You have rea&s;on for what you &s;ay, &s;aid he; and &s;ighing added, I think I am mine own greate&s;t enemy. It is not &s;aid I again the pa&s;&s;ion which you have for books, for that pa&s;&s;i|on may cau&s;e &s;olitarine&s;s, but not &s;uch melancholy as you are po&s;&s;e&s;t withall. And more|over, you have had that pa&s;&s;ion a long time, without the product of &s;o bad an effect. It is not books, certainly &s;aid he, which cau&s;e my trouble, which were I capable of rea&s;on, would rather be my comfort. It is not Love &s;aid I, that torments you, for you &s;ee none that can cau&s;e it in you. Conclude then, &s;aid he, taking me in his armes, that there is no more to be &s;aid, but that I hate my &s;elf, that I have lo&s;t my rea&s;on, and if my friends be wi&s;e, they will let me alone, and will leave the knowledg, or cure of my malady, to the proce&s;s of time.</P>
<P>Sir &s;aid I, &s;hall <HI>Leontidas,</HI> who hath &s;o particular an affection for you, be dealt withall as others are? &s;hall he have known nothing more of your concernments, then do your enemies, if any &s;uch you have? Ah, Sir, &s;aid I, you mu&s;t if you plea&s;e do otherwi&s;e, &amp; to prove to you that <HI>Leontidas</HI> doth in &s;ome &s;ort de&s;erve you &s;hould do &s;o, know Sir, that hitherto I have &s;poken unto you as a &s;pie, &s;ent by the King, who will know at what&s;oever prcie, what tis that afflicts your minde. But after having bootle&s;ly acquitted my &s;elf of my commi&s;&s;ion, I &s;peak no longer Sir, as one &s;ent by the King, but as one who is re&s;olved to &s;erve you with his life, if it &s;hall be needfull; and never ab&s;olutly to give you over till he know the cau&s;e of your Melancholy: for Sir, if there be no cau&s;e of this Melancholy, and that it be but a
<PB N="168" REF="169">
di&s;temper of humours, I mu&s;t &s;tay here, that I may endeavour, maugre your &s;elf, to di|vert you; and if there be any cau&s;e for it, <HI>Leontidas</HI> mu&s;t likewi&s;e &s;erve you therein, if there &s;hould redound no other benefit to you thereby, then to help you to keep it con|cealed from the King, and from the whole Court, if you de&s;ire it &s;hould be concealed from them.</P>
<P>I do not know any way, &s;aid he, to keep it undi&s;covered better, then to tell it to no body.</P>
<P>But Sir, &s;aid I, if you treat me with this indifferency, when I &s;hall returne to <HI>Paphos,</HI> and the King &s;hall ask me what I think of your Melancholy, I mu&s;t needs &s;ay &s;omething to him.</P>
<P>And what will you &s;ay to him, replied <HI>Philoxypes?</HI> I think Sir, &s;aid I, that to revenge my &s;elf for the little confidence you have in me, I will &s;ay what I do no wayes believe, to wit, that you are in love; and that the &s;hame of you former inflexiblene&s;&s;e, or of your new weakne&s;&s;e, hinders you from avowing it: nay, I will peradventure tell him, &s;aid I, in mockery, that that <HI>Venus &V;rania,</HI> which people have &s;o much quarrel'd with you a|bout &s;ince the great Fea&s;t which you made here, and which did precede but a few dayes your melancholy humour hath &s;truck you effectually in love. In fine Sir, there is nothing &s;o odd, which I &s;hall not &s;ay to revenge my &s;elf for the wrong you do the pa&s;&s;ion which I have to your &s;ervice.</P>
<P>During this di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> changed colour twenty times; and were it out of friend&s;hip, or out of my importunity, or that indeed tho&s;e that are in love, love naturally to &s;peak thereof, he took me by the hand, led me into his Cabinet, and after having made me take &s;undry &s;olemn Oaths, never to di&s;cover what he &s;hould &s;ay unto me; and all this with as much ceremony, and pre&s;&s;ure, as if he had &s;ome con&s;piracy to di&s;cover unto me again&s;t the &s;tate, or &s;ome attempt upon the Kings per&s;on; he told me that he was in love.</P>
<P>What Sir, &s;aid I, the&s;e retirements, the&s;e Melancholies, and this impenetrable &s;ecret, which all the world in vain &s;eeks to finde out: Is it onely that you are in Love? Ah, <HI>Le|ontidas,</HI> &s;aid he, mock not at my mi&s;ery; for it is greater then you can imagine. But Sir, &s;aid I, I have much ado to imagine that you can be &s;o unfortunate as you &s;ay, &s;ince I can|not conceive that there is e're a Prince&s;&s;e in the Kingdom (except Ambitious <HI>Aretephile,</HI> who will be Queen) who will not favourably entertain your affection, when you &s;hall make it known unto her. Alas! &s;aid he, with a &s;igh, Love hath dealt much more cruelly with me then you are aware of; and &s;ince I mu&s;t di&s;cover unto you the &s;ecret of my heart, know that I have met with an invincible re&s;i&s;tance in one who lives among&s;t the&s;e Rocks, and dwels but in a Cottage.</P>
<P>Yes <HI>Leontidas,</HI> I have found a maid, or to &s;ay better, I have found Vertue it &s;elf, wholly pure, and under the vi&s;age of <HI>Venus &V;rania,</HI> which hath, and doth yet re&s;i&s;t me. A maid who is not touch'd with Ambition; in whom beauty cau&s;eth no affectation, nor pride; who hath &s;implicity and wit, gallantry and &s;incerity; and who in a &s;andy and de|&s;art place, which the gods alone have pointed out unto me, &s;peaks better then all the wit|tie&s;t Ladies in the Court.</P>
<P>But when all this is done, &s;he lives in a Cottage, her condition appears to be very mean, if I con&s;ider all that is about her; and when I con&s;ider onely her &s;elf, or do but hear her &s;peak, &s;he appears to be upon a Throne: Her Governours are vertuous, and di&s;creet; but &s;till <HI>Leontidas</HI> they live in a Cottage, and will not abandon it. At la&s;t, &s;aid he with tears almo&s;t &s;tanding in his eyes, I am the mo&s;t unfortunate of all men: I have a pa&s;&s;ion which I cannot overcome, and which I will not have known: I too much re&s;pect <HI>Policrite's</HI> worth (for &s;o is &s;he called of whom I &s;peak) to have any &s;infull de&s;ire towards her, which though I &s;hould have, it would be to no purpo&s;e: I likewi&s;e am too great a lover of Glory, to re&s;olve to marry a maid of this condition without much repugnancy; Yet can I not live without her: my &s;ufferings are &s;uch that I cannot expre&s;&s;e them; and &s;eeing no remedy for my Malady, I bear it patiently without complaining of it, and void of all hope but death.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> told me this in &s;o feeling a manner, as I much pitied him: He then told me all that had befallen him: How t'was he met <HI>Policrite,</HI> how he was &s;urprized, that it was &s;he by whom <HI>Mandrocles</HI> had drawn the picture of <HI>Venus &V;rania,</HI> and all the re&s;t which I have told you. I was &s;omewhat &s;urprized at this fanta&s;tick pa&s;&s;ion, chiefly when I call'd to minde <HI>Philoxypes</HI> former inflexiblene&s;&s;e; Yet did I endeavour to comfort him. Sir, &s;aid I, &s;uch a beauty as that is which you repre&s;ent unto me, and &s;uch a one as I have
<PB N="169" REF="169">
&s;een in the <HI>Venus</HI> in your Gallery, bears &s;ome excu&s;e with it, of what condition &s;oever the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ors are, e&s;pecially when it occa&s;ions onely &s;ome pa&s;&s;ing pa&s;&s;ions, and which are of no long durance, as I will hope yours will prove. No, no, &s;aid he <HI>Leontidas,</HI> do not deceive your &s;elves; I will love <HI>Policrite</HI> till death. But Sir, not to abu&s;e your patience, perceiving <HI>Philoxypes</HI> grievance too great to be cured, I &s;mothered it, and &s;weetned it as much as po&s;&s;ible I could. He then led me into his Gallery to &s;hew me his excu&s;e, though I had &s;een his pictures many times before: we afterwards walked abroad, but he being able onely to walk one way, we were &s;oon among&s;t the Rocks, in a place from whence we might uncover <HI>Policrite's</HI> habitation, which we no &s;ooner &s;aw, but blu&s;hing with confu&s;ion, he &s;aid, 'tis there my dear <HI>Leontidas</HI> where &s;he that I adore doth live; 'tis underneath that roof, which I prefer before the proude&s;t Palaces, that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> findes &s;ome moments of content: and 'tis there in fine that all my joy and happine&s;&s;e is circum&s;cribed. Sir, &s;aid I, there needs no greater proofs of <HI>Policrites</HI> beauty, then the &s;malne&s;&s;e of her Cottage; and who&s;oever &s;hall imagine that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> affection is placed therein, cannot doubt but that he hath ar|gued the matter with him&s;elf as much as he was able.</P>
<P>In fine, Sir, after that he had enlarged him&s;elf in expre&s;&s;ing <HI>Policrites</HI> charming beau|ty, not &s;uffering me to &s;ee her for fear of offending her: I mu&s;t think of returning to <HI>Pa|phos,</HI> for I had promi&s;ed the King to return that very night. I asked <HI>Philoxypes</HI> what I &s;hould &s;ay unto him; any thing &s;aid he my dear <HI>Leontidas,</HI> rather then the truth of my ad|venture: For in the minde that I am of, I think that I &s;hould run mad if the King &s;hould know it.</P>
<P>I then left him after he had made me &s;wear a hundred times, not to di&s;cover the lea&s;t part of his misfortune. I went to finde out the king, who expected me with much impati|ency, and who had purpo&s;ely withdrawn him&s;elf early, to the end that I might &s;peak with more freedom to him when I &s;hould return.</P>
<P>And how, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he? what doth our &s;olitary companion do?</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid I, terming him as you do, your Maje&s;ty may ea&s;ily gue&s;&s;e at what he does. He mu&s;es, he walks, he reads; looks upon his pictures, and &s;tatues; goes from one place to another, and &s;eeking ea&s;e every where, he findes it no where.</P>
<P>But <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he, you &s;peak to me as <HI>Philoxypes</HI> doth, and 'tis not that which I ex|pect from you.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid I, I have done all I am able to &s;atisfie your maje&s;ty; but I confe&s;&s;e my journey hath not been &s;o &s;ucce&s;sfull as I hoped for: For all that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;ayes, is onely that he findes him&s;elf &s;omewhat ill di&s;po&s;ed, and that he is po&s;&s;e&s;t with a Melancholy which he cannot ma&s;ter.</P>
<P>Did you ask him &s;aid the King, whether it were not that he did wi&s;h for &s;omwhat which I have not bethought my &s;elf to give him, becau&s;e I knew not that he did de|&s;ire it?</P>
<P>Oh, Sir, &s;aid I, (thinking I had done well) it is not Ambition that torments <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who is &s;o &s;atisfied with your Maje&s;ties goodne&s;&s;e, as he de&s;ires nothing more then what he hath.</P>
<P>Have you then di&s;covered, &s;aid he, that he hath any thing of private di&s;content again&s;t any one of this Court? For if it be &s;o, I will make his intere&s;t mine, and will as &s;everely revenge any injury done unto him, as if it had been done unto my &s;elf.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid I, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> appears to be &s;o well beloved of all the world, as 'tis hard to think any one &s;hould injure him. I know not then what to imagine, &s;aid the King; but if <HI>Phi|loxypes's</HI> Ambition be &s;atisfied, and that it is not hatred nor revenge that doth trouble him, he mu&s;t needs be in Love.</P>
<P>Your Maje&s;ty, Sir, &s;aid I, doth too well know <HI>Philoxypes's</HI> inflexiblene&s;&s;e, to &s;u&s;pect any &s;uch thing in him. No <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he, <HI>Philoxypes's</HI> pa&s;t obdurity, is not a Rea&s;on &s;trong enough to per&s;wade me that he is obdurate &s;till. I am almo&s;t confident that 'tis this pa&s;&s;ion which robs me of <HI>Philoxypes's</HI> company; For in fine, he hath all the marks of one in Love. His countenance is altered, he not having been &s;ick; he is melancholy without any appearing cau&s;e; he doth little el&s;e but rave; he cannot &s;tay long in a place; he con|ceals his melancholy from us; he cannot endure that one &s;hould take notice of it; he gives over thinking of his affairs; he vi&s;its none but by con&s;traint, and unle&s;&s;e it be the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> whom he hath &s;een by my command, he hath not vi&s;ited any one Lady &s;ince we were at <HI>Claria.</HI></P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid I, part of what you alledge to prove that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> is in Love, me thinks
<PB N="170" REF="170">
makes for the contrary: For if he were in Love, he would certainly &s;eek out the party be|loved; we &s;hould never &s;ee him from her: in&s;tead of being melancholly, he would &s;tudy to play the Gallant more, and would be the more &s;ociable: and in&s;tead of &s;eeking out &s;olitari|ne&s;&s;e, as he doth, me thinks he &s;hould rather adde to the Court diver&s;ions: and that his chiefe&s;t imployments &s;hould be mu&s;ick, Baals, conver&s;ation, and going abroad.</P>
<P>You &s;ay well, an&s;wered the King, for what concerns ordinary pa&s;&s;ions, or &s;uch Lovers as have been fortunate in their affections; but there are certain giddie-headed pa&s;&s;ions out of the common road, which ari&s;ing from a melancholly angui&s;h, feed them&s;elves there|withal, and &s;hun what&s;oever affords delight. But that which doth a little trouble me, is that I cannot imagin who 'tis that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> can love, and be hardly dealt withal by, for certainly there is never a Lady in all my Court, who would not glory in having won his heart: and moreover I have not ob&s;erved that he hath applied him&s;elf to conver&s;e with any one in particular, yet doubtle&s;&s;e <HI>Philoxypes</HI> is in Love.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid I, be not &s;o re&s;olute in your a&s;&s;ertion, till you have &s;tronger proofs thereof, and tell you may at lea&s;t conjecture who it is he is in love withall. The King began then to number over all the Ladies of the Court, one by one, and found not any one of them that he was likely to be in love withall.</P>
<P>He then began to walk not &s;aying one word: &s;oon after I &s;aw &s;ome colour come in his face, and pre&s;ently, me thought, he was much di&s;quieted.</P>
<P><HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he, you know more then you will tell me.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid I, I have &s;aid nothing but truth unto your Maje&s;ty. For in fine, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his ambition is &s;atisfied; he hath no enemies that I know of; and if I be not deceived, the faire&s;t Ladies of the Court have no great power over him.</P>
<P>Ah! <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he, you conceal the truth from me; but I know it without your telling. Yes, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> doth Love, and &s;o love, as doubtle&s;&s;e he is much afflicted thereat, and which he will with&s;tand and overcome: were not my thought true, he would not make his pa&s;&s;ion &s;o great a &s;ecret. But good Gods, &s;aid he, how unfortu|nate am I? and to what &s;trange extreamity am I reduced; for in fine, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he, confe&s;&s;e the truth, <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> mauger him&s;elf, is become my rival, and his grief for it is the cau&s;e of his melanchollie.</P>
<P>Ah! Sir, &s;aid I, (not having lea&s;ure to think of what I &s;aid) I know not the cau&s;e of <HI>Phi|loxypes</HI> his melancholly; but I very well know he is not in Love with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> and that he too much re&s;pects your Maje&s;tie to &s;uffer &s;uch a thought enter his bre&s;t.</P>
<P>Think well <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he, on what you &s;ay: you a&s;&s;ure me you know not the cau&s;e of <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his melancholly, and yet you know he is my rival: once more <HI>Leontidas,</HI> if you know the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, let me know it: or if you know it not; confe&s;&s;e my &s;u&s;picions are well grounded, and fear not for all this, that I wi&s;h any harm to <HI>Philoxypes:</HI> on the con|trary I &s;hall be beholden to him for it.</P>
<P>I was extreamly troubled to hear the King talk thus; for without violating what we hold mo&s;t &s;acred, I could not reveal <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his &s;ecret, which he had made me &s;wear above a hundred times not to do.</P>
<P>To con&s;ent likewi&s;e that the King &s;hould &s;u&s;pect him to be his Rival, me thought it was a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of too great importance to leave him in that opinion; but the more I per&s;waded him to the contrary, the more firmly did he believe it. No, &s;aid he, I am cau&s;e of mine own misfortune, and of <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his misfortune too: 'tis I who made him vi&s;it <HI>Aretephi|le</HI> more then any other; 'tis mine own hand that has enthral'd him, and 'tis I who am the cau&s;e of all his &s;ufferings: For, &s;aid he, I ea&s;ily comprehend he &s;eeks out all this &s;olitarine&s;&s;e only to rid him out of this pa&s;&s;ion: nay, I have ob&s;erved that of late he hath been troubled as oft as I have &s;poken to him to &s;peak to <HI>Aretephile,</HI> that he hath &s;hun'd &s;uch Commi&s;&s;ions as much as he could; and I am too much per&s;waded that he hath argued the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e &s;tifly with him&s;elf, and I am the only cau&s;e of what he &s;uffers.</P>
<P>Good gods, &s;aid he, how great is my misfortune? there is not any one man in all my Kingdom, whom I &s;hould not hate if he were my Rival, unle&s;&s;e it be he; and there is not any Lady in the Court, in who&s;e Love he would not have been happy, except <HI>Aretephile.</HI></P>
<P>But Sir, &s;aid I again, I prote&s;t unto you he is not in love with her; and I prote&s;t to you, replied he, expre&s;&s;ing an extream grief, that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> is my Rival; for were it not &s;o, he would not conceal his pa&s;&s;ion from me.</P>
<P>The re&s;pect he bears to you, &s;aid I, ought to hinder him from &s;o doing, if he were in Love.</P>
<P><PB N="171" REF="170">
No, no, replied he, you &s;hall no longer abu&s;e me; and I am equally per&s;waded of <HI>Phi|loxypes</HI> his love, of his innocency, and of my misfortune. For in fine, that the man in the world that I love be&s;t, &s;hould fall in Love with the onlie&s;t Lady that I can Love: and that I &s;hould &s;ee my &s;elf cruelly nece&s;&s;itated, either to for&s;ake <HI>Aretephile,</HI> or to &s;ee <HI>Philoxypes</HI> die, it is an un&s;ufferable adventure.</P>
<P>Sir, I be&s;ech you, &s;aid I, expect till &s;he hath once more &s;een <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> and have ab|&s;olutely commanded him to di&s;cover his heart unto her, before you re&s;olve on any thing; and if you plea&s;e I will bring him hither to morrow morning.</P>
<P>No, no, replied the King, you &s;hall not &s;tir out of the Palace this day; nor &s;hall you &s;ee <HI>Philoxypes</HI> before me. In effect this Prince gave one of his &s;ervants charge over me; and commanded me to withdraw into a Chamber, which was appointed for me in the Pa|lace.</P>
<P>'T would be too difficult a thing to repre&s;ent unto you my vexation, and the Kings di&s;|quiet: &s;ince to tell you true, he had as much friend&s;hip for <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> as Love for <HI>Aretephile.</HI></P>
<P>Who ever &s;aw, &s;aid he, (for he him&s;elf told it afterwards) an adventure like to mine? I have a Rival whom I mu&s;t love in de&s;pight of me, and who gives me more occa&s;ion to love him, for the affection he bears to my Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, then for all the &s;ervice he ever did me; and then for all the good offices he hath done me to her, it being certain that I need only look upon him, to &s;ee what he &s;uffers in my con&s;ideration; and that I need only con&s;ider what life he leads, to &s;ee how much I am beholden to him. I ob&s;erve in his eyes a melan|cholly, which makes me apprehend his death: and I &s;ee in all his actions, vi&s;ible &s;igns of his love to <HI>Aretephile,</HI> and of his re&s;pect to me. What &s;hall I do, &s;aid he? &s;hall I &s;eem not to know this pa&s;&s;ion, and let <HI>Philoxypes</HI> die? But 'tis no longer time to conceal what I think, &s;ince <HI>Leontidas</HI> knows it. <HI>Leontidas</HI> who is &s;o much his confident, and &s;hares &s;o deeply in his friend&s;hip: &s;hall I al&s;o tell <HI>Philoxypes</HI> that I know his love, and not complain of him? and if I &s;hould complain, how weak a &s;uccour would this be? I &s;hould perad|venture ha&s;ten his hour of death, by making him de&s;pair. But &s;hall I quit <HI>Aretephile,</HI> and and let my friend&s;hip exceed my Love? <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his pa&s;&s;ion is unju&s;t; but pa&s;&s;ions are not voluntary, and he hath done what ever he could, or ought to have done, &s;ince not being able to keep from loving; he hath yet kept from making his love known; and hath rather cho&s;en to hazard his life by his re&s;pectful &s;ilence, then to pre&s;erve it by making his pa&s;&s;ion known, which he knows will di&s;plea&s;e me.</P>
<P>The King pa&s;t the night in this manner very unquietly: &s;ometimes he was agitated with anger, and hatred, not knowing whom he hated, or on whom he de&s;ired to be revenged: &s;ometimes he did a little blame <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> for not having at the very fir&s;t acquainted him with his pa&s;&s;ion: &s;ometime he betook him&s;elf to <HI>Aretephiles</HI> beauty; but at la&s;t he blamed him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Then &s;uddenly con&s;idering the pittiful condition into which <HI>Philoxypes</HI> was brought, and what an unhappy life he led, his heart was &s;o touched with compa&s;&s;ion, as he did almo&s;t love his pretended Rival, better then his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e. He then called to mind, how that all the favours he had received from her, had been husbanded, and obtained by <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his means. He pa&s;t the next morning in like perplexity, and &s;trange irre&s;olutions; at la&s;t having dined &s;omewhat early, he went well accompanied to lie that night at <HI>Claria,</HI> not affording me any opportunity to give any notice thereof to <HI>Philoxypes;</HI> for he into who&s;e cu&s;todie I was given, thinking it had been for &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of another nature, treated me as a pri&s;oner of the State, and would not give me the lea&s;t liberty.</P>
<P>The King commanded me to follow him, &s;o as I came with him to <HI>Claria,</HI> he not ha|ving &s;poken one word all the way long, but mu&s;ing &s;till on his adventure: But when we were come thither, <HI>Philoxypes's</HI> people told the King, that their Ma&s;ter was not at home; and that according to his cu&s;tom, he was walked out all alone. The King informed him&s;elf carefully of one of his &s;ervants, who had a long time waited on him, whether he knew not the cau&s;e of his Ma&s;ters melancholly: this &s;ervant who loved his Ma&s;ter dearly, that he might make u&s;e of the honour the King did him in &s;peaking to him, &s;aid;</P>
<P><HI>Sir, I know not what my Ma&s;ter ailes, but this I know, that if your Maje&s;tie out of your goodne&s;&s;e find not &s;ome means to cure him of the melanchollie which po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth him, he will cer|tainlie not live long; For he eats little, hardly &s;leeps at all, does nothing but &s;igh, cannot en|dure that one &s;hould &s;peak to him about bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, wanders whole dayes in the fields; and I once heard him cry out, when he little thought I did &s;o, Good gods, what would the King &s;ay,
<PB N="172" REF="171">
if he &s;aw how great my &s;adne&s;&s;e is! and how hardly would he gue&s;&s;e at the cau&s;e of my death?</HI></P>
<P>In fine Sir, &s;aid this man, with tears almo&s;t in his eyes, <HI>I know not what to &s;ay, but I am very certain your Maje&s;tie will lo&s;e the faithfulle&s;t of all your &s;ervants, if you lo&s;e the Prince my Ma&s;ter.</HI></P>
<P>While&s;t this man &s;pake thus, I was &s;trangely in pain; for I &s;aw all that he &s;aid tended to confirm the King in his opinion: I was much the better for beckning unto him, he ne|ver looked on me, &s;o intent was he to what he &s;aid.</P>
<P>The King on his part &s;ighed, and having left the other, well, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> you will not have it that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> is in Love, nor that it is <HI>Aretephile</HI> whom he loves? Sir, &s;aid I, I confe&s;&s;e I am &s;till of that belief, and I would your Maje&s;ty could re&s;olve to be &s;o too.</P>
<P>O Unfortunate <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> cried the King! (not an&s;wering me) how &s;ad is this di|&s;temper? and how unfortunate am I my &s;elf, that I cannot ab&s;olutely cure thee of the malady that po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth thee. I would then have gone to find out <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> that I might acquaint him with the Kings &s;en&s;e before he &s;aw him, but the King would not &s;uffer me: but making the way be &s;hewn unto him, which <HI>Philoxypes</HI> mo&s;t u&s;ually went, we went di|rectly towards the head of <HI>Claria.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> was this mean while gone to <HI>Cleanthes</HI> his hou&s;e, where the face of affairs was a little altered; for <HI>Policrite</HI> knowing that her condition was not what &s;he believed it to be, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his de&s;art had made a further advancement in her heart then formerly: nei|ther could &s;he &s;o well hide her affection, but that <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and <HI>Megi&s;to</HI> were much to their grief aware thereof.</P>
<P>Yet was <HI>Philoxypes</HI> ne're awhit the more happy: for <HI>Policrite</HI> having tane a Fancy to make trial of his affection by an appearing indifferency, did very carefully conceal from him, the affection &s;he had for him.</P>
<P>And in truth that very day that the King came to <HI>Claria,</HI> where we mi&s;t of <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> &s;he had cau&s;ed as much trouble in him, as admiration. For being gone to her, and having found her at the root of a tree, where &s;he was de&s;igning out a corner of the Countrey which plea&s;ed her, he began to entertain her with his pa&s;&s;ion, and to tell her how it grew &s;till more violent upon her.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid &s;he, if I may be permitted to do &s;o, I &s;hould tell you, That if you de&s;ire to win my good e&s;teem, you &s;hould do better to tell me, that your pa&s;&s;ion grows every day more moderate: for to tell you the truth, I do &s;omewhat apprehend the&s;e extravagant pa&s;&s;ions which I have heard &s;poken of, and which they &s;ay, does di&s;order rea&s;on, makes men lo&s;e the re&s;pect they ow to vertue, though it inhabit in a Cottage, and which occa&s;ion a hundred &s;trange things, the very hearing whereof cau&s;eth horrour; Therefore, Sir, if you would oblige me, you will &s;atisfie your &s;elf with telling me, you have affection enough for me, to wi&s;h if it were po&s;&s;ible that Fortune had been more propitious to me, that I had been born of a higher condition then I am, or at lea&s;t this not being &s;o, I might re&s;t con|tent with my own condition, without envying others.</P>
<P>To love you with indifferency, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> (who acquainted me afterwards with this their conver&s;ation) your beauty &s;hould be indifferent, your vertue and di&s;cretion &s;hould be &s;o al&s;o: in fine that inexpre&s;&s;ible Charm, which I find in every of your words, looks, and actions, ought not to inchant me as it doth: But divine <HI>Policrite,</HI> apprehend no|thing from the violence of my pa&s;&s;ion; for the &s;tronger it is, the fuller of re&s;pect &s;hall I be, and the more obedient to your will.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid &s;he, if what you &s;ay be true, &s;peak no more thereof I be&s;eech you; for not comprehending that I may lawfully give you any part of my affection, me thinks I ought intreat you to entertain me no longer with yours.</P>
<P>But Divine <HI>Policrite,</HI> &s;aid he, for whom do you re&s;erve that glorious affection, which you cruelly affirm I &s;hall never enjoy?</P>
<P>At the&s;e words &s;he blu&s;ht, and mode&s;tly bowing down her eyes, I re&s;erve it &s;aid &s;he, for our woods, fields, rocks, and fountains, whereof Sir, &s;aid &s;he, &s;miling, I think you will not be jealous.</P>
<P>I &s;hall not be jealous of them &s;aid he, but I &s;hall envy them, and I &s;hall not ea&s;ily en|dure that you &s;hould love things to my prejudice, which cannot love you again. But cruel maid, will you &s;ay nothing to me of more obliging? and forgoing the Court as I do for love of you, and renouncing what ever is in the world, except it be <HI>Policrite;</HI> is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould not deal with me a little le&s;&s;e &s;everely? I do not de&s;ire you to love me, &s;ay only that
<PB N="173" REF="171">
you are not &s;orry that I love you; and add if you plea&s;e, that if I be not beloved, tis becau&s;e you neither do nor will love any thing.</P>
<P>For what's to come, &s;aid <HI>Policrite,</HI> tis a thing to which I ought not to an&s;wer with &s;uch a&s;&s;urance; and as you knew not the day before I had the honour to be known unto you, that you &s;hould &s;o oft forgo your Pallaces to come to this Cottage wherein I live: how do I know whether the re&s;olution which I now take of &s;uffering no affection to enter my heart, will &s;till continue? No, Sir, we mu&s;t not tru&s;t &s;o ab&s;olutly in our &s;elves; nor can I an&s;wer otherwi&s;e then for my pre&s;ent opinions.</P>
<P>Shew me then, replied he, what they really are; to the end I may know what to do.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid <HI>Policrite,</HI> having much e&s;teem, and much of re&s;pect for you, I mu&s;t confe&s;s I &s;hould be &s;orry that you &s;hould love one long, who&s;e condition were not an&s;werable to yours, and that I could not receive a much greater di&s;plea&s;ure.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who knew not the hidden &s;en&s;e of the&s;e words, an&s;wered, That &s;upream beauty had in it, &s;omewhat of Coele&s;tiall, which did ennoble all tho&s;e that were there|withall indued.</P>
<P>In my opinion &s;aid &s;he, a certain proportion is requi&s;ite in all things to occa&s;ion love, therefore do not deceive your &s;elf; and if I were at any time to love any body, it &s;hould certainly be one of my own condition: nor &s;hould I ever re&s;olve to marrie any one that were not &s;o.</P>
<P>What <HI>Policrite!</HI> &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> much afflicted, do you &s;peak the truth?</P>
<P>Yes, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, and time will make you finde it &s;o.</P>
<P>But <HI>Policrite,</HI> replied he, you remember not that you are a miracle, and that there are no men of your condition amid'&s;t the&s;e Rocks, who de&s;erve &s;o much as to look upon you.</P>
<P>I will then love nothing, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, and &s;o &s;he ro&s;e up, for &s;he &s;aw <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and <HI>Megi&s;to</HI> coming, who much troubled at this Prince his &s;o frequent vi&s;its, e&s;pecially, ha|ving ob&s;erved what they thought they had done in <HI>Policrites</HI> behaviour, de&s;ired him not to give him&s;elf the trouble to come &s;o often thither.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who was &s;omewhat moved at tho&s;e cruel words (as he under&s;tood them) which <HI>Policrite</HI> had uttered which made notwith&s;tanding &s;o much for him, could not with his accu&s;tomed moderation receive the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and <HI>Megi&s;to,</HI> but an|ger might ea&s;ily be &s;een in his face, and grief in his eyes.</P>
<P><HI>Cleanthes,</HI> &s;aid he, &s;ince I come not hitner to rob you of the trea&s;ure which the Gods have given you, with&s;tand not the &s;atisfaction which I finde in admiring that virtue in <HI>Policrite</HI> which you have infu&s;ed into her.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid <HI>Cleanthes,</HI> though I very well know your worth, I cannot but fear le&s;t <HI>Poli|crite,</HI> who hath not yet lived long enough to know preci&s;ely what bounds to put to the re|&s;pects &s;he ows you, may be failing in &s;omething either to you, or to her &s;elf.</P>
<P>No, no, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> &s;omewhat roundly, you need not fear what you &s;ay, you may rather fear le&s;t her &s;everity and yours make me lo&s;e my rea&s;on. In fine, this conver&s;ati|on, though full of re&s;pect to <HI>Policrite,</HI> was &s;o pa&s;&s;ionate, as <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and <HI>Megi&s;to</HI> were much troubled at it, and <HI>Policrites</HI> &s;elf was &s;ufficiently di&s;quieted thereat, and was &s;orry that &s;he had &s;poken &s;o de&s;pitefully to <HI>Philoxypes.</HI> But at la&s;t this Prince departed much di&s;|contented, and much in love: and as he returned back with intention to get on hor&s;e back where he had wont to leave his followers, he met the King who was lighted on foot, and on whom I had the honour to wait.</P>
<P>You may imagine how much he was &s;urpri&s;ed at this &s;ight. As &s;oon as he &s;aw the King, &s;triving as much as he could to hide his Melancholy, he mended his pace. And having done his obey&s;ance, Sir &s;aid he, your Maje&s;ty quits <HI>Paphos</HI> in a &s;ea&s;on wherein you are not much accu&s;tomed to &s;eek out &s;olitary walks.</P>
<P>You have a rea&s;on for what you &s;ay, &s;aid the King, but it &s;eems le&s;s &s;trange to me that I &s;hould come to &s;eek for <HI>Philoxypes</HI> at <HI>Claria,</HI> then that I &s;hould finde him among&s;t the Rocks. The day being fair enough, though in Winter, the King who could no longer &s;tay from acquainting <HI>Philoxypes</HI> with what he had in his heart, made a &s;igne to the few that waited not on him to &s;tand off, and commanded me to &s;tay.</P>
<P>There remained none then with him but <HI>Philoxypes</HI> and my &s;elf; we all &s;tood &s;ilent for a good while, and certainly had all of us much differing thoughts. The King &s;eeing <HI>Phi|loxypes</HI> &s;o altered, &s;o melancholy, and &s;o perplext, endevoured to make his friend&s;hip
<PB N="174" REF="172">
out-go his Love: <HI>Philoxypes</HI> would have found by the King's eyes and mind, what the King had to &s;ay to him, and why he had taken this journey, fearing by the &s;ignes which I made, le&s;t he had di&s;covered his pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>For my particular, I was ready to go wilde, to think I could not adverti&s;e <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> nor dur&s;t not tell the King what I knew of his love, whom he took to be his Rivall; but at la&s;t this long &s;ilence wherein every one of us &s;aid &s;everal things unto our &s;elves, was fir&s;t broke by the King, who looking in much obliging manner upon this Prince, im|braced him, and &s;aid, be not offended that I know the &s;ecret of your &s;oul, and that I am not ignorant of the pa&s;&s;ion which torments you.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;urpri&s;ed to hear the King &s;peak thus, looked with a blu&s;h upon me; &amp; the King imagining (as it was true) that he thought I had betrayed him, looked upon me too: &amp; to puni&s;h me (as he told me afterwards) for not having told him the truth, not giving me leave to &s;peak, &amp; not di&s;abu&s;ing <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> In what he had conceived of me: once more &s;aid he, my dear <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> be not afflicted that I have di&s;covered your love, and believe I e&s;teem you never a whit the le&s;s.</P>
<P>Sir, replied <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> me thinks if your Maje&s;tie did know the true cau&s;e of my afflicti|on, you &s;hould be &s;o good as to bewaile me, and not to &s;peak of it.</P>
<P>No, <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> replied the King, my goodne&s;s &s;hall extend it &s;elf much further then &s;o, for you: I am come hither expre&s;ly to accompany you in your &s;olitarine&s;s: for &s;ince I cannot make you happy, I mu&s;t at lea&s;t make my &s;elf unhappy with you.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> you altogether confound me; take no &s;uch re&s;olution I be&s;eech you, leave me to bear the puni&s;hment of my weakne&s;s alone, believe me I &s;hall infinitely prai&s;e your goodne&s;s, if you will &s;uffer me to die in peace a mid&s;t the&s;e woods and Rocks.</P>
<P>The King touched with extream compa&s;&s;ion, once more &s;traightly imbraced <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> and looking upon him with a very &s;ad look, I crave your pardon &s;aid he <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> if I cannot as yet ab&s;olutely yield <HI>Aretephile</HI> to you: but I am come hither to endeavour to gain&s;ay for your &s;ake the pa&s;&s;ion I have for her, as you have &s;troven a long time for my &s;ake to &s;uppre&s;s the pa&s;&s;ion which &s;he hath occa&s;ioned in you.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;urpri&s;ed at the Kings di&s;cour&s;e, felt two contrary agitations at the &s;ame time: he was grieved to finde his odd opinion, and joyed that he knew not the true cau&s;e of his love, as he thought he had done. And believing that he might ea&s;ily di&s;abu&s;e him in a thing &s;o fal&s;e as the former was, he re&s;olved to continue the concealment of his true pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>The King then had no &s;ooner &s;aid what I have told you, but <HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;tepping back a little, &s;aid, what Sir <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> does your Maje&s;ty &s;u&s;pect me of &s;o much boldne&s;s as to be your Rivall? Confe&s;s, &s;aid the King, for I know your misfortune hath been &s;uch, as not to be able to re&s;i&s;t <HI>Aretephiles</HI> charmes. But <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> I blame you not for it; twas I that fir&s;t made tryall thereof; I know how inevitable they are; you have done more then I my &s;elf &s;hould have done: it may be had I your Part to play, I &s;hould have betrayed my ma&s;ter, in&s;tead of re&s;olving to die of grief and &s;orrow, as you have done for my &s;ake. Thus <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> I am not di&s;plea&s;ed with you for loving <HI>Aretephile.</HI></P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> to witne&s;s unto you that I am not in love with her, I promi&s;e you never to &s;ee her more, nor yet ever to come within <HI>Paphos,</HI> or at lea&s;t never to &s;peak to that Prince&s;s.</P>
<P>I very well know &s;aid the King, your Genero&s;ity rather leads you to re&s;olve on death, rather then to be failing in your duty. But <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> to the end you may not object unto me, That I have done nothing to vanqui&s;h my &s;elf, I am come to &s;tay at <HI>Claria,</HI> as well as you, that I may endeavour to cure my &s;elf of this pa&s;&s;ion, and to yeild up <HI>Arete|phile</HI> to you. You on your &s;ide &s;hall do the like, and he that is fir&s;t cured, &s;hall &s;urrender his part in her to the other.</P>
<P>But my dear <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> &s;aid he, you are yet more unhappy then you think for, for when I &s;hould cea&s;e to love <HI>Aretephile,</HI> you would not have won her heart: you know how ambitions &s;he is, that her &s;oul is onely &s;en&s;ible of greatne&s;s: and when I &s;hould have yielded up my mi&s;tre&s;s to you, unle&s;s I &s;hould al&s;o yield my Crown unto you, you would not winne much upon her inclination.</P>
<P>But in fine &s;aid he (not affording <HI>Philoxypes</HI> lea&s;ure to an&s;wer him) if I yield up <HI>Arete|phile,</HI> to you, it will not be hard for me to yield you up my Crown. And in a word, I will not be upbraided with your death.</P>
<P>I will do what I can to cure my &s;elf, to the end that you may cure your &s;elf; and if we
<PB N="175" REF="172">
can neither of us cure our &s;elves, we will at lea&s;t die together.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> I vow by what&s;oever I hold mo&s;t &s;acred, and mo&s;t holy, that I have not the lea&s;t pretence to the Prince&s;s <HI>Aretephile.</HI></P>
<P>What then &s;aid the King, who did not believe him, is the cau&s;e of your retreat and Melancholly? I confe&s;s Sir, I was a hundred, and a hundred times ready to break my word which I had pa&s;t to <HI>Philoxypes;</HI> but &s;eeing the trouble he was in, and that in fine he could not re&s;olve to tell the King the truth, I withheld whil&s;t <HI>Philoxypes</HI> an&s;wered, That what his Maje&s;ty did command, did not de&s;erve his curio&s;ity, and that he could not tell it him.</P>
<P>Being by this time late, we returned to <HI>Claria,</HI> where the King &s;poke &s;till after the &s;ame manner to <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> as <HI>Philoxypes</HI> did al&s;o to him. Having found a moment of time to entertaine <HI>Philoxypes</HI> alone, I would have per&s;waded him to have acquainted the King with the truth; but he could never re&s;olve to do &s;o, &s;aying it would be &s;ufficient to let him &s;ee he was not in love with <HI>Aretephile,</HI> if he &s;hould never &s;ee her more.</P>
<P>This mean while, the more ob&s;tinacie and grief the King found in <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> the more did he compa&s;&s;ionate him, and the more he laboured to overcome his own pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>And to this purpo&s;e he &s;tayed eight daies at <HI>Claria,</HI> all which time <HI>Philoxypes</HI> was ready to go mad, as well in con&s;ideration of the Kings opinion, and more for that he could not get to &s;ee <HI>Policrite.</HI></P>
<P>I do not think the King would &s;o &s;oon have left this retiredne&s;s, had he not been adverti|&s;ed that an Amba&s;&s;ador from <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> King of <HI>Egypt,</HI> was come to <HI>Paphos,</HI> which forct him to return. But <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> do he what he could, mu&s;t needs go along with him: Not &s;aid the King, I will not &s;ee <HI>Aretephile,</HI> without &s;eeing you at the &s;ame time. The Me|lancholy which I &s;hall &s;ee in your eyes, mu&s;t be to me an Antidote again&s;t the Charmes which I &s;hall &s;ee in hers.</P>
<P>We went then to <HI>Paphos,</HI> but good gods how little delightfull was the Court then, and how much troubled did the Amba&s;&s;ador finde the King, who was three daies without &s;ee|ing <HI>Aretephile,</HI> and <HI>Philoxypes</HI> being in unimaginable paine for the above &s;aid rea&s;ons, &s;eemed to grow &s;till more Melancholy, whereat the King was &s;till more and more afflicted.</P>
<P>Ambitious <HI>Aretephile</HI> was this mean while not without her perplexity, as well by rea|&s;on of the Kings journey to <HI>Claria,</HI> as that he came not to vi&s;it her; and for that &s;he heard he was returned wonderfully &s;ad.</P>
<P>But at la&s;t the King de&s;irous &s;till to confirm him&s;elf in his belief, brought <HI>Philoxypes</HI> with him to Prince&s;s <HI>Aretephile,</HI> hoping to di&s;cover his pa&s;&s;ion better there, then in any other place.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who thought there was no better means to undeceive the King, then in letting him &s;ee that he took no plea&s;ure in looking upon this prince&s;s, was &s;til carefull to look another way; but that which he did to dis-deceive the King, did the more deceive him: for &s;aid he to him&s;elf, unfortunate <HI>Philoxypes</HI> cannot indure the &s;ight of her whom he loves, and whom he will not love.</P>
<P>He accu&s;ed him&s;elf then of too much inhumanity, in expo&s;ing him to &s;o great a puni&s;h|ment, and &s;eeing how &s;trangely perplext he was, his vi&s;it was not long.</P>
<P>This mean while, he having during this vi&s;it eyed his pretended Rivall, as much as his mi&s;tre&s;s, and having been much di&s;quiet, the Prince&s;e was not much &s;atisfied with his conver&s;ation, and knew not whereunto to attribute the cau&s;e of the change which &s;he &s;aw in him.</P>
<P>At his coming forth he &s;aid a thou&s;and obliging things to <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> and <HI>Philoxypes</HI> made as many prote&s;tations to him of his being unconcerned in <HI>Aretephile.</HI> But at la&s;t, that I may &s;horten my di&s;cour&s;e as much as I may; <HI>Philoxypes</HI> being per&s;ecuted by the Kings conceit, anger'd at <HI>Cleanthes</HI> di&s;cour&s;e, much afflicted at what <HI>Policrite</HI> had &s;aid, and much more that he could &s;ee her no more, and that he dur&s;t not return to <HI>Claria,</HI> fell dangerou&s;ly &s;ick, all the Phy&s;itians gave up their opinions, that unle&s;s &s;ome cure were found for his Melancholy, he would infalliblie die. The feaver continued &s;even daies upon him very violently, during which time the King was greatly di&s;con&s;olate; and during which time I had tane a little journey to <HI>Amathu&s;e,</HI> about &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s that I had there, for I think if I had been at <HI>Paphos,</HI> I &s;hould have had much adoe to have kept <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his &s;ecret from the King.</P>
<P><PB N="176" REF="173">
As oft as the King came into his chamber, and &s;aw him in that pitifull condition, he re&s;olved to think no longer on <HI>Aretephile,</HI> but as &s;oon as he came from him, or that <HI>Philo|xypes</HI> grew any thing better, this re&s;olution &s;lackned a little.</P>
<P>Nor was he yet re&s;olved what to do, but the feve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> having at la&s;t left <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> and the Phy&s;itians continuing &s;till to affirm that he would infallibly die, if the cau&s;e of his Melan|choly whence his malady proceeded, were not taken away: The King &s;eemed to have put on a very &s;trong re&s;olution to pluck from out his &s;oul the pa&s;&s;ion which po&s;&s;e&s;t him.</P>
<P>He then re&s;olved to vi&s;ite <HI>Aretephile</HI> no more, who not knowing what to think of this change in the King, thought it might be he was offended that &s;he had not all this while been to &s;ee <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> whom he &s;o dearly loved, e&s;pecially &s;ince almo&s;t all the Ladies of the Court had been to vi&s;ite him. For during his &s;ickne&s;&s;e, the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> and Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aghari&s;ta</HI> had never left him, &s;o as the Ladies might with decency enough go thither.</P>
<P>Yet &s;o it happened, that the day that <HI>Aretephile</HI> came thither, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> being much better then he was, they were gone forth, &s;o as <HI>Aretephile</HI> going accompanied with four or five of her women, found him all alone. Tis true, &s;he was not there long without com|pany, for the King came thither pre&s;ently after. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> blu&s;ht when he &s;aw him come in, and &s;eemed &s;o amazed at this encounter, as if he had been really in love with <HI>Arete|phile;</HI> the King who ob&s;erved this his change of countenance, being much concerned to &s;ee that he &s;hould be the cau&s;e of <HI>Philoxypes</HI> danger: after a great &s;trife within him&s;elf; drew near to Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> who out of her re&s;pect would have given him her place, which he would not accept of: and after having looked upon her a while without &s;peaking, he &s;ighed, and &s;aid, Madam, will you not cure <HI>Philoxypes?</HI></P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid &s;he, if his health depend on me, your Maje&s;ty &s;hould &s;oon be ea&s;ed of the grief his &s;ickne&s;&s;e cau&s;eth in you.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who found a great alteration in the Kings countenance, was afraid le&s;t he might &s;ay &s;omewhat which might have made <HI>Aretephile</HI> know his opinion of him; where|fore not affording the King lea&s;ure to reply;</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid he, though I believe Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile</HI> be able to do great things, and to charm great pains, yet I think I may &s;ay without offending her, that tho&s;e evils which I lie un|der, depend not on her will; and that none but the gods them&s;elves can withdraw me from the grave. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> pronounced the&s;e words in &s;o &s;ad a manner, as endeavouring to overcome what&s;oever oppo&s;ed his de&s;igne of &s;aving <HI>Philoxypes:</HI> drawing yet a little nearer to the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> for fear le&s;t they that were in the chamber might over hear him.</P>
<P>Madam, &s;aid he, (making a &s;igne to <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> that he would not be interrupted) I &s;hall tell you a thing which will much &s;urprize you. I conjure you notwith&s;tanding to give it a favourable interpretation; and to oblige me &s;o far as to believe that upon better termes then the &s;aying of <HI>Philoxypes</HI> life, I would not tell it you, no not though mine own life were concerned therein.</P>
<P>Oh, Sir, cried out this &s;ick Prince, if your Maje&s;ty end what you have begun to &s;ay, you will ha&s;ten my death in&s;tead of retarding it.</P>
<P>Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> amazed to hear what &s;he heard, and not able to gue&s;&s;e what the matter &s;hould be, looked &s;ometimes upon the King, &s;ometimes upon <HI>Philoxypes;</HI> but at la&s;t the King compleating his determination, 'tis you, Madam, &s;aid he to the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Are|tephile,</HI> who &s;end <HI>Philoxypes</HI> to his grave; your charms have been more powerfull then his rea&s;on, though his noblene&s;&s;e hath been yet greater then his love. He loves you divine <HI>Aretephile,</HI> not daring to tell you &s;o; he will not &s;o much as acknowledge it, yet I know for certain, that unle&s;&s;e you take compa&s;&s;ion on him, he will infallibly die.</P>
<P>I therefore &s;peak no more to you in my own behalf, &s;aid; he, in a &s;trange melancholy manner, but deal le&s;&s;e rigorou&s;ly with him, then you have done with me, &s;ince he de&s;erves it better: and if your Ambition be not to be &s;atisfied without a Sovereign power, I pro|mi&s;e you divine Prince&s;&s;e, that if I cannot place <HI>Philoxypes</HI> upon the Throne, he &s;hall al|wayes be &s;o neer, as his place &s;hall hardly be di&s;cernable from mine.</P>
<P>In fine, &s;aid he, if <HI>Philoxypes</HI> die, I &s;hall die, and &s;o I &s;hall for ever lo&s;e you: but if you &s;ave <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> I may at lea&s;t hope to langui&s;h on a while; and to &s;hare part of your e&s;teem, not being able to pretend any longer to any part of your affection. Nor think not &s;aid he, that this which I do, is any mark of weakne&s;&s;e in my affection, &s;ince on the con|trary it denotes the violence thereof.</P>
<P><PB N="177" REF="173">
For in fine, if I could re&s;olve to abandon you, and to follow <HI>Philoxypes</HI> to the grave, I would not yeeld up to him the part I pretend to have in your affection, though he be more worthy thereof then I; but not being able to &s;ee him die for my &s;ake, without expi|ring with grief; I mu&s;t live, that he may live, and con&s;equently mu&s;t endeavour for a while to prolong the &s;atisfaction I take in &s;eeing you.</P>
<P><HI>Aretephile</HI> was &s;o a&s;toni&s;ht to hear the King &s;peak after this manner, and <HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;o afflicted, as a&s;toni&s;hment and &s;orrow producing the &s;ame effect in the&s;e two per&s;onages, they &s;tayed a good while without &s;peaking.</P>
<P><HI>Aretephile</HI> had opinion good enough of her beauty, to &s;uffer her &s;elf ea&s;ily to be per|&s;waded that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> was in love with her, and &s;he had likewi&s;e opinion good enough of his Genero&s;ity, to believe he dur&s;t not di&s;cover his pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>But as nothing that was not King could touch her heart, &s;he was &s;trangely perplext to hear what &s;he heard, and &s;ometimes &s;he thought 'twas peradventure but a pretext &s;ought by the King to break with her.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> on his &s;ide thinking that at the la&s;t he mu&s;t be fain to tell the King the truth, that he might di&s;abu&s;e him, was &s;o &s;trangely confu&s;ed, as he could not open his mouth: &s;o as the King &s;eeing them both &s;o &s;urprized, and finding that peradventure his love might quickly make him un&s;ay all that his friend&s;hip had made him affirm, ro&s;e up, and without expecting what <HI>Aretephile</HI> would an&s;wer; Madam, &s;aid he, the pitifull condition which you &s;ee <HI>Philoxypes</HI> is in, per&s;wades you better then I can do, and he doubtle&s;ly will pardon me, if I &s;peak not &s;o long to you for him as I have formerly done to you for my &s;elf: which &s;aid, he went his way, though <HI>Philoxypes</HI> de&s;ired him to tarry; a&s;&s;uring him that he would wholly di&s;abu&s;e him.</P>
<P>This mean while, though <HI>Aretephile</HI> had a great minde to be gone too, yet being imbit|ter'd in minde, and de&s;irous to know a little more preci&s;ely, what the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of this &s;o &s;trange adventure would prove, &s;he &s;taied a little after the King, and looking upon <HI>Philo|xypes,</HI> who appeared to her to be &s;o &s;truck mute, as if he had been in love with her: Is it you <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, that have lo&s;t your rea&s;on, or is it the king? for I confe&s;&s;e unto you, I know not whether of the two it is, and that I cannot comprehend either of you.</P>
<P>I confe&s;&s;e Madam, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> that I am not ma&s;ter of my rea&s;on; but Madam 'tis a malady which you are no wayes cau&s;e of, and whereof I accu&s;e you not: had you any de&s;igne then &s;aid &s;he, to make me lo&s;e the Kings good opinion? or is it that the King &s;eeks &s;ome bad pretext to bereave me of it? But if it be &s;o <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> there needs not &s;o far a fetch about the bu&s;h. You need but give me rea&s;on of the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition, and I a&s;&s;ure you I &s;hall not long lament the lo&s;&s;e of &s;o divided a heart as his is. For till now, the King did alwayes love his Crown better then Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> and by his this dayes di&s;cour&s;e, he will make me believe that he loves you better then me.</P>
<P>Madam, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> I beg it as a favour from you, not to blame the King upon &s;o &s;mall rea&s;on; and not to blame in him the compa&s;&s;ion he is plea&s;ed to have of an evil, which he believes you to be the cau&s;e of.</P>
<P>I engage my &s;elf Madam, to free him from the error of his opinion; for though your charms be without compare, the re&s;pect which I have alwayes born to you, and that which I &s;hall alwayes bear to the King, have a&s;&s;uredly warranted me from almo&s;t an inevitable danger, for tho&s;e who have not had &s;o powerfull rea&s;ons to with&s;tand your beauty; there|fore Madam, do not di&s;quiet your &s;elf, and do me the honour as to promi&s;e me to pardon the Kings inju&s;tice, in de&s;iring that I &s;hould &s;hare with you in a heart where you ought <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ly to reigne.</P>
<P>But Madam, the King had given me the place which I now enjoy, before he loved you; you ought not therefore be troubled thereat.</P>
<P>No, no, replied ambitious <HI>Aretephile,</HI> you will not ea&s;ily be able to ju&s;tifie the King: he is Generous, I confe&s;&s;e, but he is but a bad lover, and who&s;oever can yeeld up his intere&s;t in the party beloved, his love is certainly very indifferent.</P>
<P>This being &s;aid, &s;he bid him farewell, and left <HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;o much grieved, as his malady encrea&s;ed. Fearing then le&s;t he might die, and leave the king in the opinion he was in, he &s;ent to de&s;ire him that he might &s;peak with him; and this was ju&s;t as I returned from <HI>Amethu&s;a.</HI> I happened to be by the King when he received this me&s;&s;age, who in&s;tantly went to <HI>Philo|xypes,</HI> but with &s;o much di&s;content, as I pitied him: he had repented him&s;elf more then once of what he had &s;aid to <HI>Aretephile,</HI> and not knowing whether &s;he might not have &s;aid &s;ome|what obliging to <HI>Philoxypes</HI> after he had left them together, he returned unto him much di&s;|quieted.</P>
<P><PB N="178" REF="174">
When we came thither, he enquired whether the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile</HI> had tarried there long after him or not, and being told not, he entered into <HI>Philoxypes</HI> chamber, who was glad to &s;ee me with the King.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid he, I &s;ee it is time that I confe&s;&s;e my weakne&s;&s;e to you, and that I di&s;abu&s;e you.</P>
<P>The King, who could not reconcile the&s;e two things, an&s;wered him only with a &s;igh, and being &s;et down by his bed &s;ide, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> ask'd him pardon for the trouble he had put his Maje&s;ty to, and de&s;ired me to acquaint the King with what I knew of his adven|ture; de&s;iring him not to be offended that I had not told his Maje&s;ty the truth, &s;ince un|le&s;&s;e I &s;hould have drawn down the anger of Heaven upon me for perjury, I could not have revealed his &s;ecret, after the Oaths that he had made me to take to the contrary. I then began to acquaint the King with all that I knew touching <HI>Philoxypes</HI> love: but all I could &s;ay to him, appear'd to be &s;o incredible, as it was a long time before he could believe it. At la&s;t he told <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> that unle&s;&s;e he &s;hould let him &s;ee <HI>Policrite,</HI> he would not believe what he had heard.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> perceiving the Kings ob&s;tinacy, told him, that though he was very ill, he would be carried to <HI>Claria,</HI> in ca&s;e he were any thing better the next morning, imagin|ing he &s;hould &s;ooner recover his health being near <HI>Policrite,</HI> then if he &s;hould &s;tay at <HI>Paphos.</HI></P>
<P>All this while the King did not believe what I had told him; &s;ometime a man might &s;ee &s;ome &s;ign of rejoycing in him: Ha! my dear <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> would he &s;ay, is it po&s;&s;ible that you were not my Rival, and that I was deceived: if it be &s;o, I think I &s;hall adore that <HI>Policrite</HI> you &s;peak of, in&s;tead of blaming the love you bear her; &s;ince thereby I &s;hall not be inforced to yield up what I hold dearer then my life, and that my confident will not prove my Rival.</P>
<P>But ob&s;erve Sir, the extraordinary effects of love. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> was very &s;ick when he &s;ent to de&s;ire the King to come unto him: but when once he had any thought of return|ing to <HI>Claria,</HI> he grew better: he &s;lept all the next night quietly enough, and the next day was carried in a Litter to <HI>Claria,</HI> whither the King went to lie that night.</P>
<P>The next day <HI>Philoxypes</HI> left his bed, and the following day, notwith&s;tanding all his weakne&s;&s;e, he got on hor&s;eback together with the King, waited on but by very few: and came to the foot of the mountains where they were to light. Being there, the King fol|lowed by none but <HI>Philoxypes</HI> and my &s;elf, went towards <HI>Cleanthe</HI>'s Cottage, which as &s;oon as we di&s;covered, <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who had need enough how&s;oever to re&s;t, &s;taid a while, and &s;hewing it to the King, Sir, &s;aid he, &s;trangely confu&s;ed, &s;ee the place which made me forgo <HI>Paphos:</HI> &s;ee the inch of all the earth, that likes me be&s;t, and where you go to &s;ee one, who peradventure will rather make you <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his Rival, then <HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;hall prove yours.</P>
<P>He &s;poke this with a &s;mile, by which it vi&s;ibly appear'd, that the hope of re&s;eeing <HI>Poli|crite</HI> had brought joy into his heart: yet did he fear di&s;pea&s;ing her, and to anger <HI>Cleanthes,</HI> by bringing the King thither: but there being no remedy, he re&s;olved to do it, neither did this fear ju&s;tle out his joy.</P>
<P>When the King had &s;ufficiently con&s;idered the greatne&s;&s;e of <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his affection, in re&s;pect of the meane&s;&s;e of <HI>Policrites</HI> Cottage; and that he had notwith&s;tanding acknow|ledged that there was &s;omewhat of wilde in that de&s;ert, which was not di&s;plea&s;ing: we went on, and came at la&s;t to that little Pali&s;adoe of Lawrels, wherewith <HI>Cleanthes</HI> his Court was inclo&s;ed. We entred thereinto, and <HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;tepping before the King, went to the hou&s;e, where he found the dore &s;hut: he knock'd, but no body an&s;wered, which made him at fir&s;t believe, that <HI>Cleanthes</HI> his whole family was gone to the Temple, where he once &s;aw <HI>Policrite.</HI></P>
<P>Yet &s;ince there might be &s;ome body there who might not hear, he knock'd again, and knock'd &s;o hard, that a young &s;lave who &s;erved <HI>Cleanthes,</HI> came and opened the door, who very well knowing <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> told him, after that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> had ask'd him where his Ma|&s;ter was, that he could not tell him what he de&s;ired to know; and that all that he knew was, that <HI>Cleanthes, Megi&s;to, Policrite,</HI> and <HI>Dorida,</HI> were gone from thence, and were not to return thither any more: that they had carried along with them the women, which they had brought from their own Countrey; and that his Ma&s;ter had commanded him to wait his further directions there, not knowing wherefore he was gone, nor why he left him there.</P>
<P><PB N="179" REF="174">
<HI>Philoxypes,</HI> &s;urpriz'd and afflicted at this Di&s;cour&s;e, was a good while without &s;peaking; The King thought at fir&s;t that there was &s;ome trick in it, and that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> had made me &s;ay what I had &s;aid, only to abu&s;e him; but at la&s;t this young Slave being &s;tept into the Hou&s;e, and returning pre&s;ently; Sir, &s;aid he to <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> when <HI>Policrite</HI> was ready to depart from hence, &s;he drew me a&s;ide, un&s;een by any one, and gave me this which I give to you, ordaining me &s;o to do if you &s;hould come hither. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> taking immediately what the Slave pre&s;ented him with, opened the Letter, while&s;t the King did me the honour to &s;peak with me, and read the&s;e en&s;uing words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>POLICRITE TO PHILOXYPES.</HEAD>
<P><HI>I</HI> Know not Sir, whither it is that <HI>Policrite</HI> is convey'd, but I very well know that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> is the cau&s;e of her exile: not being per|adventure, likely ever to have the Honour to &s;ee him. I thought I might without blame, let him know my minde by this Letter, which I refu&s;ed to acquaint him withall, the la&s;t time which I &s;poke with him. He may then be plea&s;ed to know, that at fir&s;t not e&s;teeming my &s;elf wor|thy of his affection, by rea&s;on of my birth, I with-held mine from him as much as I was able; but that having learnt &s;ince, that I am not of the condition I appeared to be, and that there have been Kings of my Race: I confe&s;s I was gladded that I could not reproach <HI>Philoxypes</HI> for having an inclination too di&s;proportionable for his degree: and that I thought it became me to let him know what I am, to the end he may not think he doth any thing unworthy of him&s;elf, if he &s;ometimes think upon <HI>Policrite,</HI> who will alwayes with much contentment think upon his worth, whether his fortune be to lead his life in a Cottage or in a Palace.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>POLICRITE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><HI>PHILOXYPES,</HI> as &s;oon as he had read this Letter, came to the King, and pre|&s;enting it unto him; Sir, &s;aid he, your Maje&s;ty may read in this Letter my innocency, and my misfortune. The King began then to read aloud what <HI>Policrite</HI> had written; but good God in what pain was the unfortunate <HI>Philoxypes</HI> that he could not interrupt him; but as &s;oon as he had read it out, looking upon him with a fixt and grieved eye; how &s;ay you now? Sir, &s;aid he, am I yet in love with Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> or am I not the mo&s;t unfor|tunate man in the world? the King, imbracing him, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ked him pardon for his &s;u&s;pitions, and of the trouble he had given him; but my dear <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> &s;aid he, I &s;hall be &s;uffici|ently puni&s;hed for it, as well in re&s;pect of your &s;orrow, which &s;hall alwayes be raine; as for <HI>Aretephile,</HI> who will not ea&s;ily forgive me, yet &s;aid he, you have wherein to rejoyce, &s;ince you learn two things at once of great importance, and of great con&s;olation. For now you know that <HI>Policrite</HI> loves you, and that &s;he is of Princely de&s;cent: Could you have asked more of the gods, if you had been to have had your wi&s;hes granted you?</P>
<P><PB N="180" REF="175">
Ah! Sir, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> that which you alledge to comfort me, is the greate&s;t part of my misfortune: For 'tis true, I find that <HI>Policrite</HI> does not hate me, and that &s;he is of birth equal with my &s;elf, but at the &s;ame time this lovely and cruel per&s;onage tels me, &s;he &s;hall never &s;ee me more, and that &s;he knows not whither &s;he is carried.</P>
<P>Oh! Sir, I &s;hould be more to blame were I in love with Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> but I &s;hould be le&s;&s;e mi&s;erable: I &s;hould have rea&s;ons to gain&s;ay my pa&s;&s;ion; but here I &s;ee nothing which doth not fortifie and augment it.</P>
<P>In fine, after <HI>Philoxypes</HI> had &s;ufficiently bemoaned him&s;elf, he left the King, and went to ask a hundred things of the young &s;lave, without being able to learn any thing, either of <HI>Policrites</HI> birth, nor whither <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and <HI>Megi&s;to</HI> were gone; all he could learn was only that 'twas above a fortnight &s;ince they were gone: nothing el&s;e could be gotten out of this young Slave, neither by prayers, promi&s;es, nor threats, who&s;e fidelity <HI>Philoxy|pes,</HI> for all his rage, could not chu&s;e but approve of: but not being able to learn any more, he waited back upon the King to <HI>Claria.</HI></P>
<P>For my part I was never more at my wits end; for the King was &s;o &s;ad, as well for his own occa&s;ion, as for tho&s;e of <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> as he could not re&s;olve to &s;ay any thing, neither by way of bemoaning him&s;elf, nor yet of comforting <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> whom he &s;o dearly loved.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> on his part was more perplex'd: he was &s;orry to forgo that Cottage though his beloved was no longer there; he &s;ometimes looked back upon it, &s;ometimes he looked upon <HI>Policrites</HI> Letter, which the King had given him back.</P>
<P>He would &s;ometimes lift up his eyes to heaven, then again fix them on the earth, and walking &s;ometimes without &s;peaking, &s;ometimes fetching deep &s;ighs, he &s;eemed not to know whether the King were there or no, or whether he were alone, &s;o deep was his me|lancholly. At la&s;t we came to <HI>Claria,</HI> but good gods, how &s;ad was the conver&s;ation the re&s;t of that day!</P>
<P>At la&s;t &s;aid the King to <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> you have this advantage, to know that <HI>Policrite</HI> is much obliged to you, that &s;he hath nothing to reproach you withal, that you have not offended her, and that where&s;oever &s;he is, if &s;he think of you, 'tis only to bewail your ab&s;ence: where on the contrary, I have incen&s;ed <HI>Aretephile,</HI> who&s;e a&s;piring &s;oul does doubtle&s;ly accu&s;e me of want of affection, and who will take it very ill, that I prefer'd your life before my love to her.</P>
<P>But Sir, &s;aid the afflicted <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> you know where the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile</HI> is, you may make your rea&s;ons known to her, you may ask her pardon for that fault, which an ex|ce&s;&s;e of Genero&s;ity made you commit: you may &s;it and &s;igh by her, and may appea&s;e her anger. But for my part Sir, &s;hould I complain, &s;hould I &s;igh, &s;hould I pour forth tor|rents of tears amid&s;t the&s;e Rocks, would all this re&s;tore to me my <HI>Policrite?</HI> &s;hould I there|by learn where &s;he lives? It may be <HI>Cleanthes</HI> is put to Sea, and it may be I &s;hall never know, neither who <HI>Policrite</HI> is, nor where &s;he is.</P>
<P>Ah! Sir, &s;aid this di&s;con&s;olate Prince, if you knew the cruelty of my adventure, you would ea&s;ily know that I am the mo&s;t unfortunate man in the world: for if I loved one that did hate me, de&s;pight might cure me: if I loved one that were incon&s;tant, the &s;corn I &s;hould have of her weakne&s;&s;e, might con&s;olate me: if I were jealous, a part of my me|lancholy would pa&s;&s;e away in &s;eeking how I might prejudice my Rivals: were <HI>Policrites</HI> ab&s;ence bounded, the hope of her return, how long &s;o e're it were, would allay my di&s;con|tents. Nay, were any per&s;on whom I &s;hould love, dead, I think my &s;ufferings would not be &s;o great as they are. For in fine, my malady is &s;uch, as doth &s;tupifie rea&s;on, and makes the &s;oul almo&s;t in&s;en&s;ible.</P>
<P>In this manner did the King and <HI>Philoxypes</HI> entertain them&s;elves. I endeavoured to comfort them both, but to tell you truth, my rea&s;ons were not li&s;tned unto; as for <HI>Phi|loxypes,</HI> he knew not what remedie to &s;eek for; for having learned by the Slave who gave him <HI>Policrite</HI>'s Letter, that 'twas a good while &s;ince &s;he went away, he could not dream of following her, nor knew he where to &s;eek after her.</P>
<P>All he could do, was to give order to his people to watch night and day about the Cot|tage, with directions to &s;tay any who &s;hould come thither, that they might learn by them what this too faithful Slave would not di&s;cover; and to follow him where&s;oever he &s;hould go, believing probably that <HI>Cleanthes</HI> had not left him alone in that hou&s;e, without &s;ome &s;ecret rea&s;on, and without having a de&s;ign to return; or at lea&s;t to &s;end &s;ome body thither on his behalf, or that the Slave him&s;elf &s;hould return to him.</P>
<P><PB N="181" REF="175">
As for the King it fared not thus with him: he knew that it was at <HI>Aretephiles</HI> feet that he was to &s;eek for pardon: he would not, notwith&s;tanding make his dear <HI>Philoxypes</HI> returne &s;o &s;oon to <HI>Paphos,</HI> but &s;taid the next day at <HI>Claria.</HI></P>
<P>But though there was no hope of finding <HI>Policrite, Philoxypes</HI> de&s;ired the King that he would be plea&s;ed to &s;end to all the ports of the I&s;land, to know whether <HI>Cleanthes</HI> had tane &s;hipping in any of them or no, it being ea&s;ie to be known, by rea&s;on of the many women that were in his company, which would make him remarkable. The King pro|mi&s;ed him to do what he de&s;ired, but conjured him al&s;o not to refu&s;e to go with him to <HI>Paphos,</HI> to a&s;&s;i&s;t him in getting <HI>Aretephiles</HI> pardon. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> appeared vi&s;ibly di&s;plea&s;ed to be forced to returne to the Court, but being &s;o much obliged to the King, and the King being upon ill tearms with his Mi&s;tre&s;s, onely out of his Love to him, he thought it be|came him to go, as he did. When we were come to <HI>Paphos,</HI> the King went that very night to Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephiles</HI> lodgings, and found her onely accompanied with her wo|men. She received him with all the civility that was due to his condition, but al&s;o with as much coolne&s;s as could be expected from an incen&s;ed party.</P>
<P>Seeing <HI>Philoxypes</HI> with the King, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, with a malicious &s;mile, did not I tell you <HI>Philoxypes</HI> would recover without my medling with him. Madam, &s;aid he, <HI>Philoxy|pes</HI> is much wor&s;e then I believed him to be; but thanks to Heaven, I will not lay his death to your charge, &s;ince you are not the cau&s;e of his di&s;quiet. May it plea&s;e the Gods that you put not <HI>Philoxypes</HI> in a condition of reproaching you with my death!</P>
<P>No, no, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, your life is in no danger, as long as <HI>Philoxypes</HI> lives, your Ma|je&s;ty needs fear nothing. Alas Madam, cry'd the King, deal not &s;o hardly with me! Alas, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, go not about I be&s;eech you to per&s;wade me to things &s;o directly oppo|&s;ite one to another, in &s;o &s;hort a time; it is not above four or five days &s;ince you did me the honour to tell me at <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his lodging, that you would no more &s;ue to me for your &s;elf; that my affection was a thing wherein you did no longer de&s;ire a part; and if I re|member well, you did al&s;o intreat me not to deal &s;o rigorou&s;ly with <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> as I had done with you. And it may be, &s;aid &s;he, (expre&s;&s;ing an extremity of Malice) that yeel|ding much to your intreaties upon that occa&s;ion, I &s;hould have granted what you have demanded for <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> had my friend&s;hip been nece&s;&s;ary to &s;ave his life; but &s;ince God be thanked, he needs it not, he may be plea&s;ed to content him&s;elf with my e&s;teem; and your Maje&s;ty may likewi&s;e be &s;atisfied with my re&s;pect, which is all I can or ought to give you. For in fine to make me believe that you love me, after being able to permit that another &s;hould love me, and you your &s;elfe wi&s;h me to love him, is a thing not ea&s;ie to be under&s;tood, nor yet ea&s;ily disge&s;ted: believe me, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, to love ones Rivall, better then ones Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, is a thing whereof there are not many examples, and which may allow me to let tho&s;e know, who &s;hall be acquainted with the bu&s;ine&s;s, that tis an excellent way to make a faithful &s;ervant, and a very bad invention to make a Prince&s;s love him, who treats her after that manner. Shall the compa&s;&s;ion I had of <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> Madam, replied the King, de&s;troy me for ever in your good opinion? me, I &s;ay, who underwent an unexpre&s;&s;ible torment, before I could re&s;olve to pitty him? me, who did not yield you up, &s;ave onely becau&s;e I could not abandon you, and who found that <HI>Philoxype</HI>'s death did ha&s;ten mine? If you could have loved <HI>Aretephile,</HI> an&s;wered the Prince&s;&s;e, more then <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> you would have lamented his misfortune and yours; you would have endeavoured to have cured him by ab&s;ence, or by a thou&s;and other waies; you would have bewailed his death when it &s;hould have happened, and would yet have been comforted, by the &s;ole &s;ight of <HI>Aretephile:</HI> but becau&s;e you love <HI>Philoxypes</HI> better then you love <HI>Aretephile,</HI> you re&s;olve without much difficulty to lo&s;e her. Yet Sir, you could yield up to <HI>Philoxypes</HI> no more then that part which you held in her, which was not per|adventure &s;o great as you believe.</P>
<P>Ah! inhumane Prince&s;&s;e &s;aid the King, make me not de&s;pair, and know that when I made a &s;urrender of you to <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> I was re&s;olved to die. It may be Sir, &s;aid &s;he, if I had &s;o much weakne&s;&s;e as to lend a favourable ear to what you now &s;ay, that upon the fir&s;t occa&s;ion that &s;hould pre&s;ent it &s;elf; and upon the fir&s;t &s;u&s;picion you &s;hould have that any one &s;hould bear me never &s;o little good will, you would again conjure me to be his cure. No, no, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, with a yet more &s;erious face, you never loved me, nor do you know what it is to love: Love is &s;omewhat above rea&s;on, or genero&s;itie, which hath rea&s;ons of its own: a man may give his own life for his friend, but as for the Mi&s;tre&s;s whom he loveth, it would be more ju&s;t, and more u&s;uall, to quit all his friends for her
<PB N="182" REF="176">
intere&s;t, then to yield her up to any one friend. In fine &s;aid &s;he, you may perchance have thought you could have lived without me; for had you dream't you mu&s;t have dyed, me thinks you might as well have dyed without yielding up <HI>Aretephile</HI> to <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> as after having &s;urrendred her to him. But Sir, &s;ince you have rather cho&s;en to &s;pecifie an extra|ordinary mark of Genero&s;ity, then to give the commone&s;t proofe of love, I have no more to &s;ay; neither have I more to do, but to pre&s;erve my heart as free as it hath al|waies been. The King &s;eeing he could not appea&s;e this haughty &s;pirit, call'd <HI>Philoxypes</HI> in into his aid; come, &s;aid he, come make amends for the fault which you have innocently committed; and if you will pre&s;erve my life, as I would have done yours, be a mean of replacing me in the condition wherein I was before I had compa&s;&s;ion of you. Madam, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech to the Prince&s;&s;e, if you judge of the Kings love to you, by his Friend&s;hip to me, what may you not expect from thence; &s;ince to &s;ave my life, he could for &s;ome few moments onely renounce the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of &s;o ine&s;timable a jewel. And will you not then believe, That upon the lea&s;t occa&s;ion which &s;hould pre&s;ent it&s;elf, he would for your &s;ervice &s;acrifice, not onely <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> but even all his &s;ubjects, nay, even his own life? No Sir, &s;aid &s;he, you are not &s;o much bound to the King, as you imagine, and in&s;tead of your de&s;iring me to judg of his love to me, by the friend&s;hip he beares to you, I &s;hall advi&s;e you to judge of his friend&s;hip to you, onely by his love to me; and to believe, that &s;ince he was able to yield me up, he never had &s;o re&s;olute a pa&s;&s;ion for <HI>Aretephile,</HI> as to de&s;erve that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;hould be much beholden to him, for what he hath done for him, &s;ince he would have done the like for any other. But cruell prince&s;&s;e, &s;aid the King, what will you have me to do? me thinks &s;aid &s;he, I &s;houd de|mand no unju&s;t thing of you, if I &s;hould humbly intreat you to think no longer on <HI>Arete|phile,</HI> and quietly to enioy the life of <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> which hath co&s;t you &s;o little.</P>
<P>Ah, &s;aid he, if I &s;hould have purcha&s;ed the life of <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> at the lo&s;&s;e of your affection, I &s;hould have bought it more deare, then if I &s;hould have given my Crown for it. Confe&s;s the truth, &s;aid this malicious Prince&s;&s;e, if <HI>Philoxypes</HI> had been as &s;ick of Ambition, as you did think him love &s;ick, he would not for certain be yet cured, and you would not &s;o &s;oon have forgon your Scepter, as you did <HI>Aretephile. Philoxypes,</HI> who ea&s;ily conceived the hidden &s;en&s;e of the&s;e words, whereunto the King replied not, &s;o was he overborn with grief, &s;aid, Madam, if the King &s;hall confe&s;s unto you that he hath done ami&s;s, and &s;hall ask your pardon for it, will you be more inexorable, then are the gods, and will you &s;hew no mercy? when the King, &s;aid &s;he, &s;hall have done to cure me of any malady of minde, if any &s;uch &s;hall befall me, &s;o extraordinary a thing, as that which he hath done for you, I &s;hall then &s;ee of what minde I &s;hall be. In fine, Sir, All that the King and <HI>Philoxypes</HI> could do or &s;ay, did no waies avail with this im|perious Prince&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>When they were come from her, and were returned to the Palace; <HI>Philoxypes</HI> who was well acquainted with <HI>Aretaphiles</HI> humour, told the King, he knew a way how to work his reconcilement with her: Alas, &s;aid the King, there are few things I would not do to purcha&s;e that content: &s;peak therefore, my dear <HI>Philoxypes:</HI> mu&s;t I be long in paine? mu&s;t I &s;igh abundantly, and pour forth abundance of tears? and mu&s;t I be ever|la&s;tingly pro&s;trate at her feet? No Sir, &s;aid he, you &s;hall onely put the Crown upon her head. but replied the King, I would gladly not have owned <HI>Aretephiles</HI> love to her Ambi|tion; on the contrary, I would have had the Crown of <HI>Cyprus</HI> to have been a reward of her affection to me.</P>
<P>Five or &s;ix daies being thus pa&s;t over, and <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> not being able to tarry any lon|ger at the Court, he de&s;ired leave of the King to return to <HI>Claria.</HI> Tho&s;e who the King had &s;ent to the Port towns which were neere&s;t to <HI>Paphos,</HI> returned at the &s;ame time, but brought no news of <HI>Policrite;</HI> &s;o as the unfortunate <HI>Philoxypes</HI> returned to his &s;olitarine&s;s in great de&s;pair.</P>
<P>He had yet engaged the King not to di&s;cover the cau&s;e of his melancholy; nor were there any that knew it, but he, the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> and my &s;elf; nor did the Prince&s;&s;e know any more, then that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> was faln in love with one that he knew not.</P>
<P>It would be very hard to relate unto you what life he led; when it was fair weather, he went to vi&s;it <HI>Policrite</HI>'s Cottage, and all the places where he had &s;een her, or &s;poken with her; he went to ask more que&s;tions of the &s;lave who was there, and whom they had ever had an eye unto, not finding any one that &s;poke with him, nor that he &s;poke
<PB N="183" REF="176">
with any one. But all the addre&s;&s;es this Prince could make, could not prevail again&s;t the fidelity of this &s;lave, who de&s;erved a better condition.</P>
<P>When <HI>Philoxypes</HI> could not walk abroad, he walked in his Gallery, gazing on the pi|cture of his dear <HI>Policrite.</HI> When he called to minde how contented a life he led before he fell in love, he almo&s;t wi&s;hed he had never &s;een <HI>Policrite;</HI> but when he remembred her charming beauty, her bewitching minde, and the happy hours which he had enjoyed in her company, though &s;he had alwayes concealed the e&s;teem &s;he had for him; he preferred all the &s;orrows he had &s;uffered &s;ince he was in love, before all his former plea&s;ures.</P>
<P>Oh! would he &s;ometimes &s;ay to him&s;elf, when he &s;hould read <HI>Policrite's</HI> letter; how &s;weet, how plea&s;ing, and how cruel things have I learnt in one day? <HI>Policrite</HI> is of illu&s;tri|ous birth, <HI>Policrite</HI> will alwayes remember me, and <HI>Policrite</HI> will never more &s;ee me. Alas, if it be &s;o &s;aid he, why have I not recour&s;e to death, and what &s;hall I do with &s;o unfortu|nate a life? Then &s;uddenly remembring that <HI>Policrite</HI> was alive, and that &s;he did not hate him, he conceived a beam of hope, that peradventure &s;he might make enquiry after him, and knowing how mi&s;erable a life he led, &s;he might at la&s;t re&s;olve to let him know in what part &s;he lived.</P>
<P>This thought afforded him onely &s;o much hope as to keep him from dying; not &s;o much as to comfort him in his misfortunes. Living then in this manner all the re&s;t of the Winter, he went &s;ometimes to &s;ee the King, when the King could not come to him; and de&s;pairing of all remedy, he onely expected death, or news of <HI>Policrite:</HI> the one or the other, whereof were the object of all his thoughts, and the bounds of all his de&s;ires. The Spring it &s;elf, which &s;eems to in&s;pire joy into whole Nature, wrought no alteration in him. He beheld the ro&s;es in his Gardens blu&s;h, with the &s;ame melancholy as he had &s;een his Knots white with Snow in Winter. Tho&s;e who watched over <HI>Cleanthes</HI> his &s;lave, brought him word one morning, that he was &s;uddenly dead. This anger&s;ome news did redouble his grief, in as much as for that he &s;eemed&punc; concerned in any thing which belonged to <HI>Policrite;</HI> and that this &s;lave appeared to him worthy of &s;uch good fortune, as that in lo&s;ing him, he lo&s;t al|mo&s;t all hopes of ever di&s;covering where <HI>Policrite</HI> was. He forbare not notwith&s;tanding, to have watch kept for a while, to &s;ee whether any body &s;hould come to that rural Cottage, or no: but at la&s;t, weary of wearying out his people, he di&s;penced with their further trou|ble therein; and abandoned his fortune ab&s;olutely to the guidance of the gods.</P>
<P>As he was one day in this &s;ad mood, <HI>Solon</HI> came to <HI>Claria:</HI> he was at fir&s;t much joyed to hear a name he &s;o dearly loved; but con&s;idering what an alteration there was in him, &s;ince he had &s;een him, and how confounded he &s;hould be to acknowledge his weakne&s;&s;e to him, though he knew that lawfull love was not a pa&s;&s;ion to which <HI>Solon</HI> had declared him|&s;elf an enemy, this joy &s;uffered a little allay. He went notwith&s;tanding with much eager|ne&s;&s;e to meet him; but &s;adne&s;&s;e having &s;o deeply &s;eized upon his heart and eyes, the &s;ati&s;|faction which he received to &s;ee the famous <HI>Solon,</HI> was &s;o inward, as there hardly appeared any &s;igne thereof in his countenance. <HI>Solon</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but he ob&s;erved his me|lancholy; and <HI>Philoxypes</HI> on his part, looking on <HI>Solon,</HI> in&s;tead of the peacefull phy&s;iogno|my, and that chearfull and plea&s;ing a&s;pect which he had wont to have in his eyes, he &s;eemed to &s;ee a great deal of &s;orrow.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t complements being over, and <HI>Philoxypes</HI> having brought <HI>Solon</HI> to his Chamber; Sir, &s;aid he, the &s;ight of you would &s;urely much rejoyce me, did I not &s;ee &s;ome &s;ignes of &s;orrow in you, of which I mu&s;t needs reque&s;t to know the cau&s;e&punc; Noble Prince, replied <HI>Solon,</HI> I &s;hould have prevented you, and have de&s;ired to know the cau&s;e of your melan|choly, before having afforded you lea&s;ure to informe your &s;elf of mine. But I confe&s;&s;e un|to you, the Law-giver of <HI>Athens,</HI> is not at pre&s;ent in a condition of pre&s;cribing Laws unto him&s;elf; and that the &s;orrow I feel, is &s;tronger then my rea&s;on. <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> embracing him then &s;traitly, conjured him to tell him the rea&s;on thereof, and de&s;ired him to believe he would do all that lay in his power to comfort him.</P>
<P>But Sir, &s;aid he, I thought that Philo&s;ophy had been a &s;alve to you again&s;t all the misfor|tunes of life; and that &s;orrow was a thing unknown to <HI>Solon,</HI> to whom whole <HI>Greece</HI> gives the name of Wi&s;e.</P>
<P>Philo&s;ophy &s;aid this famous <HI>Athenian,</HI> is a vain-glorious Art; which boa&s;ts of governing in places, wherein &s;he hath no great power; &s;he may doubtle&s;ly &s;aid he, teach men to be vertuous, make them know whole Nature, reach them how to di&s;cour&s;e, and give them Laws and Precepts for the government of Kingdome and Common-wealths; Nay, &s;he may oft-times make us overcome our pa&s;&s;ions; but when an equitable feeling, which nature gives
<PB N="184" REF="177">
us, is to be overcome, believe me <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> the &s;ame Philo&s;ophy which hath &s;ometimes made us lo&s;e Crowns without change of countenance, or which hath made us not &s;tick to refu&s;e them, is weak in le&s;&s;e eminent occa&s;ions. And in my particular; I may &s;ay, I have been thrice in my life time abandoned by her; though peradventure I have been a&s;&s;i&s;ted by her upon an hundred difficult occa&s;ions. But yet &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> &s;hall I not know what 'tis that afflicts you? It very well behoves that I tell it you, &s;aid <HI>Salon,</HI> &s;ince 'tis from you alone that I can expect any help. I will not repeat unto you, &s;aid he, the &s;o many par|ticulars of my fortune which formerly I have acquainted you withall, for I believe you have not forgot them; but that you may perfectly know the cau&s;e of my grief, I mu&s;t how&s;oever take the ri&s;e of my di&s;cour&s;e afar off; and tell you &s;ome circum&s;tances of my life, which you have not yet known. You know I never believed that marriage was in|compatible with Philo&s;ophy and true Wi&s;dom, as <HI>Thales</HI> that famous, <HI>Mile&s;ian</HI> did ima|gine; you know likewi&s;e that I married a per&s;onage of great worth and under&s;tanding, by whom I had children, who died &s;oon after they were born; one onely &s;on excepted, whom I have bred up carefully, intending to make him worthy of that noble blood whence he is de&s;cended. He was about 14 or 15 years old, when I was at <HI>Milet,</HI> about &s;ome af|fairs of mine; where I vi&s;ited wi&s;e <HI>Thales,</HI> who was one of my very good friends. He civilly reproacht me with my weakne&s;&s;e, and &s;aid, I did &s;ufficiently witne&s;&s;e my indulgency to love, by a little image of <HI>Cupid,</HI> which I one day con&s;ecrated to that Deity, and pla|ced in the Park belonging to the Academy, there where they who run with the &s;acred Torch, are wont to a&s;&s;emble them&s;elves. Pa&s;&s;ing from one thing to another, we &s;pake of the happine&s;&s;e, and of the misfortunes of marriage, and thus our di&s;cour&s;e varying, as it oft fals out from our fir&s;t &s;ubject, we &s;poke of news and other &s;uch like matters.</P>
<P>Pre&s;ently after, <HI>Thales</HI> feigning to have &s;ome order to give to one of his folk about his own affairs, ro&s;e to &s;peak to him in his ear, and came and took his place again. Not long after, I might &s;ee a &s;tranger come, whom I knew not, who told him he was come from <HI>Athens,</HI> not above ten dayes ago. Pre&s;t by the naturall de&s;ire of curio&s;ity, to know whe|ther there was nothing of new befaln in my Countrey, &s;ince my departure thence, I askt him whether he knew any thing con&s;iderable there or no? No, &s;aid he, &s;ave onely that the day I came away on, I &s;aw the Funerall ob&s;erved of a young youth of the be&s;t rank, whereat all the people of note in the Town, were pre&s;ent, and were very &s;en&s;ible of the &s;orrow this childes death would cau&s;e in his Father, who was not then at <HI>Athens.</HI> I confe&s;s, when I heard him &s;peak thus, my colour changed, fearing my &s;on might be concerned; which made me ask him whether he knew not the name of that unfortunate Father? I have forgot it, &s;aid he, but I know he is a man of great integrity, and who is much e&s;teemed of in that place.</P>
<P>I confe&s;&s;e Sir, that &s;ince Philo&s;ophy teacheth &s;incerity, as well as mode&s;ty, I thought I might be the man &s;poken of; was willing to know the truth, without offence to good man|ners; his name doubtle&s;ly, &s;aid I, was not <HI>Solon:</HI> pardon me, &s;aid he, his name came ju&s;t to my memory as you pronounced it. To what end &s;erves it to deny it? I could not hear &s;o &s;ad news without &s;orrow, and that &s;o great as <HI>Thales</HI> pitied me, and je&s;ting at my weakne&s;&s;e, asked me whether it were advantageous for a wi&s;e man to marry, or no? Put|ting him&s;elf thereby in a condition to have &s;tudied Philo&s;ophie for others, not being able to make u&s;e thereof him&s;elf. After this, he told me there was not one word true of all that this man had &s;aid; that he had not &s;o much as been at <HI>Athens</HI> of a long time; and that he had &s;aid all this by his directions, which he had cau&s;ed to be given him, when he ro&s;e from me to &s;peak in the ear with one of his &s;ervants.</P>
<P>At my returne to <HI>Athens,</HI> I found my &s;on alive indeed, but I found the whole Town in confu&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">on, by rea&s;on of &s;ome di&s;order that had happened between tho&s;e that were de&s;|cended from <HI>Megacles,</HI> and tho&s;e that were come of them that had been of the <HI>Ci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">onean</HI> con&s;piracie. The <HI>Megarians</HI> &s;urprized the port of <HI>Ni&s;a,</HI> and re-took the I&s;le of <HI>Salamina,</HI> which had cau&s;ed me &s;o much trouble. And to adde to the misfortune, all the people were &s;ei<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed on with a &s;uper&s;titious &s;nare, which per&s;waded them that &s;pirits returned; that fan|ta&s;mes and apparitions appeared; and this imagination prevailed &s;o much with mo&s;t of them, as there was an univer&s;al humiliation.</P>
<P>Tho&s;e who had the charge of the &s;acred things, &s;aid, that they found infallible &s;ignes by the Victims, that the Town needed purification, and that the gods were incen&s;ed by rea&s;on of &s;ome &s;ecret offence committed.</P>
<P>To this effect, by the advice of the wi&s;e&s;t &s;ort, they &s;ent an Expre&s;&s;e to <HI>Creta,</HI> to <HI>Epime|nides</HI>
<PB N="185" REF="177">
the Phae&s;tien, who was and doubtle&s;ly is &s;til, an incomparable man, a man who&s;e life is altogether pure, innocent, and holy: who eats no more then what is &s;ufficient to maintain life, and who&s;e &s;oul leans as little to the &s;en&s;es, as in this life it can: who is very learned in the knowledge of heavenly things; and who pa&s;&s;es in his Countrey, not only for one who hath &s;ometimes Divine Revelations, but is by the people of <HI>Crete</HI> believed to be the &s;on of a Nymph, called, <HI>Balta,</HI> However if it be Sir, he is a man of extraordinary know|ledge and vertue.</P>
<P><HI>Epimenides,</HI> not refu&s;ing the entreaties that were made unto him, came to <HI>Athens,</HI> and of &s;o many famous men as were in that noted City, did me the favour to chu&s;e me for his mo&s;t intimate friend, having through his wi&s;dom, and through the peoples belief in him, di&s;&s;ipated all their fal&s;e imaginations, and that by Prayers, Sacrifices, and Ceremonies, he had rid them of all their fears, he would yet &s;tay awhile at <HI>Athens</HI> for my &s;ake; where certainly he told prodigious predictions to a hundred &s;everal people. As we were &s;peaking one day of humane weakne&s;&s;es, and how little a man ought to rely upon his own &s;trength, nor yet upon Philo&s;ophie; I acquainted him with what had befallen me with <HI>Thales</HI> the <HI>Mile&s;ian,</HI> and how much a&s;hamed I was, not to be Ma&s;ter of my fir&s;t opinions. <HI>Solon</HI> (&s;aid he to me) is ea&s;ie to be overcome on that &s;ide, and as often as fortune will make u&s;e of the affections of nature again&s;t him, &s;he will certainly overcome him: For he hath a &s;oul as tender upon &s;uch encounters, as &s;trong again&s;t ambition: But <HI>Solon,</HI> &s;aid he, you are to be bewailed if you do not re&s;olve to believe me; and believe that what you underwent while&s;t you were with your friend <HI>Thales,</HI> is little in compari&s;on of what you &s;hall one day &s;uffer in the per&s;on of a Daughter, of whom your wife is at this pre&s;ent with Child.</P>
<P>I have, &s;aid, he, ob&s;erved your birth, and your life, and I find that this child, which will be &s;oon born, will be a prodigie for beauty and vertue; and will al&s;o be one of the happie&s;t women in the world, if you will believe my coun&s;el: but al&s;o if you will not be|lieve, and follow it, &s;he will be the mo&s;t unfortunate. In fine, &s;aid he, if you do not what I &s;hall &s;ay unto you, you &s;hall have the di&s;content to &s;ee that your Daughters beauty will make your Country de&s;olate; and that after having refu&s;ed the &s;overaign power (as you will one day refu&s;e it) &s;he will make one of your Citizens fall in Love with her, who will become the Tyrant of the Common-wealth, which will make her re&s;olve to die, rather then to marry him.</P>
<P>I confe&s;&s;e I was much troubled to hear <HI>Epimenides</HI> &s;peak after this manner; for I had heard him foretel divers things, which I had &s;een punctually fall out according to his pre|dictions. I then de&s;ired him to tell me what he would have me to do, to pre&s;erve a man who did &s;acrifice his whole life to the glory of <HI>Athens,</HI> from having a daughter who &s;hould cau&s;e love in him that would be the Tyrant thereof. He told me then, That &s;ince it was not yet known in <HI>Athens</HI> that my wife was with Childe, I &s;hould conceal her great belly; &s;end her into the Countrey, and when &s;he &s;hould be brought to bed, that I &s;hould cau&s;e this daughter to be &s;ecretly brought up, not &s;uffering her to know who&s;e childe &s;he was, nor yet any other body who&s;oever, except tho&s;e who were to have the care of her education, that if it &s;hould &s;o fall out, as I &s;hould be forced to for&s;ake my Countrey, I mu&s;t during my exile, leave her in &s;ome I&s;land upon the <HI>Egean</HI> Sea; and that things be|ing thus carried, &s;he &s;hould be infallibly happy, and I &s;hould not need to fear that &s;he &s;hould be beloved by the Tyrant of <HI>Athens.</HI> In fine, Sir, to &s;horten my di&s;cour&s;e, I obey|ed <HI>Epimenides</HI> his advi&s;e; I &s;ent my wife into the Countrey, where when her time was come, &s;he was brought to bed of a Daughter: wondering at the accompli&s;hment of the beginning of this prediction, I continued to follow <HI>Epimenides</HI> his directions, who at his departure (after having refu&s;ed all the pre&s;ents that were made him, and taking for his re|ward, only a branch of the Sacred Olive) told me that my Daughter would one day cau&s;e as much joy in me by her vertue, and good fortune, as &s;he would cau&s;e &s;orrow in me by rea&s;on of her lo&s;&s;e. The&s;e ob&s;cure words continued fix'd in my memory, &s;o as I put my Daughter into the hands of a Si&s;ter of mine whom I loved very well, who was married in <HI>Corinth,</HI> and was come to &s;ee me: tru&s;ting only her and her husband, with the &s;ecret which <HI>Epimenides</HI> had acquainted me withal.</P>
<P>I will not &s;tay to tell you, that &s;oon after I lo&s;t my wife, for which I was very much grieved; neither will I entertain you with the di&s;orders of <HI>Athens,</HI> which are too well known to all men; nor yet with the relation how I was &s;olicited to accept of the Soveriagn power, being put in mind that there had been Kings of my Race, and that one that was de&s;cended from the illu&s;trious <HI>Chodrus,</HI> need make no &s;cruple to accept the Scepter: nor
<PB N="186" REF="178">
with what &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;&s;e I rejected tho&s;e who made &s;o unju&s;t a propo&s;ition to me, following <HI>Epimenides</HI> his predictions. Neither will I tell you what Laws &punc; there e&s;tabli&s;hed, you know them, and know how they were ob&s;erved; nor yet the re&s;olution which I took to quit my Countrey, for the &s;pace of ten years; to the end that I might make no fur|ther alterations, and leave the people lea&s;ure to accu&s;tom them&s;elves to their new Laws.</P>
<P>But I will tell you, that being ready to take my voluntary bani&s;hment from <HI>Greece,</HI> and not forgetting what <HI>Epimenides</HI> had told me, I came to <HI>Corinth,</HI> unknown: and having told my &s;i&s;ter that I was obliged to leave my Daughter in an I&s;land during the time of my exile: This vertuous per&s;onage, who loved her no le&s;&s;e then a Daughter, which &s;he had of her own, had married a Gentleman of extraordinary worth, and who had long lived a retired life, &s;o as &s;he ea&s;ily prevailed with him, not to abandon my Daughter, who really appeared to me, to be the &s;weete&s;t childe I ever &s;aw. I con&s;ulted the Gods touching my de&s;ign, who confirmed me therein. Thus I took this little Family along with me in my &s;hip; and being de&s;irous that the place of exile for the&s;e whom I &s;o dearly loved, might be a plea&s;ant place, I cho&s;e this I&s;le to leave them in.</P>
<P>While&s;t <HI>Solon</HI> di&s;covered thus at large, <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who longed to interrupt him, could no longer forbear: did you, Sir, &s;aid he, leave a Daughter in this I&s;land? Yes, &s;aid <HI>Solon,</HI> with a &s;igh, and I &s;aw her here about four years ago, when I would be &s;een by none but by you: and Sir, if I may be allowed to &s;ay &s;o, I &s;aw her &s;uch a one as <HI>Epimenides</HI> had de|ciphered her, to wit, hand&s;om, full of wit and vertue.</P>
<P>When <HI>I</HI> fir&s;t left tho&s;e, to who&s;e guidance <HI>I</HI> committed her, <HI>I</HI> willed them to &s;ay they were of the I&s;land of <HI>Crete:</HI> At this word, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> changed colour, remembring that it was of thence that <HI>Cleanthes</HI> &s;aid him&s;elf to be. But Sir, &s;aid he, how was this daughter called, that the gods gave you? <HI>Policrite</HI> replied <HI>Solon. Policrite,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> is <HI>Po|licrite,</HI> Sir, then your daughter? <HI>Solon</HI> &s;urpri&s;ed at <HI>Philoxypes</HI> que&s;tion, changed colour al&s;o, and feared le&s;t this Prince might have known &s;omewhat of <HI>Policrite,</HI> which might di&s;plea&s;e him more then the uncertainty he was in of her life or place of abode.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ow Sir, &s;aid he, come you to know my daughter, whom to &s;ay truth, I left near enough to you, but whom I had al&s;o left in a place, where I thought not you &s;hould have met with her; and that when you &s;hould have met with her, you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ould not have known her to be what &s;he is? It was the gods, replied <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who brought me to the knowledge of her; and 'tis the gods likewi&s;e, &s;aid he, who have taken her from her Cottage, doubtle&s;ly to puni&s;h me for not preci&s;ely knowing the daughter of that famous <HI>Solon.</HI> At la&s;t, he de|fired this Law-giver to go into his Gallery, which was painted &s;ince his la&s;t being at <HI>Cla|ria;</HI> and &s;hewing him the &s;everal pictures of <HI>Policrite,</HI> under the figure of <HI>Venus &V;rania;</HI> behold, Sir, &s;aid he, the Godde&s;&s;e which made me know <HI>Policrite. Solon</HI> &s;urpri&s;ed with the &s;ight, looked on <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> and not comprehending how he could come by tho&s;e pictures without <HI>Policrites</HI> con&s;ent; Sir, &s;aid he, <HI>Epimenides</HI> a&s;&s;ured me that <HI>Policrite</HI> &s;hould be ver|tuous; but the&s;e pictures make me believe, that being bred up among&s;t the Rocks, &s;he may have become too indulgent. Ah, Sir, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes!</HI> how far is <HI>Policrite</HI> from what you &s;peak of? but &s;hall I dare to acquaint you with my boldne&s;&s;e? and &s;hall I dare to en|quire of you, before I acquaint you with my misfortune, and yours, wherefore you left her in that place? <HI>Solon,</HI> who knew <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and <HI>Megi&s;to</HI>'s integrity, who knew likewi&s;e how vertuous <HI>Policrite</HI> was, condemned his fir&s;t &s;u&s;pitions, and ha&s;ted to tell him how when he fir&s;t arrived in our I&s;land, he made <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and his Family come on &s;hore as pa&s;&s;engers which he knew not, that afterwards he placed them near the Sea &s;ide, but that being afterwards at <HI>Claria,</HI> and while&s;t he a&s;&s;i&s;ted him in the building of that Town to which he would give his name, being walk'd abroad all alone, he had ob&s;erved that little de&s;er place where he placed <HI>Policrite,</HI> having given <HI>Cleanthes</HI> wherewithal to build that little Cottage, and wherewithall to &s;ub&s;i&s;t commodiou&s;ly during the time of his exile. That pa&s;|&s;ing from <HI>Africa</HI> into <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> to go to <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> his Court, he would fir&s;t come once again to <HI>Cyprus,</HI> that he might &s;ee his dear <HI>Policrite.</HI> That he had been a whole moneth in that Cottage, <HI>Policrite</HI> not having all that while either known his name, nor that he was her Father; and that afterwards he came to vi&s;it him at <HI>Claria;</HI> that he confe&s;t he had in that journey di&s;covered &s;tranges light in the young maids under&s;tanding, which obliged him to be very &s;en&s;ible of her lo&s;&s;e: For, &s;aid he, I can find no body now in that Cottage, and cannot learn, neither why tho&s;e that did inhabit there have left it, nor how long it is &s;ince they went from thence, nor what way they are gone.</P>
<P><PB N="187" REF="178">
But you Sir, &s;aid he, be plea&s;ed I be&s;eech you to let me hear all what&s;oever you know of my daughter, and conceal nothing from me; for I confe&s;s I &s;tand upon thorns. <HI>Phi|loxypes</HI> having ob&s;erved that <HI>Solon</HI> was really very impatient to know how he came to know <HI>Policrite,</HI> and how he had got &s;omany Pictures of hers, told him the whole truth; he made him call to mind his former inflexibility, and how he had told him long &s;ince that a man might once in his life be overcome by love without any <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ame. Then he told him what glorious and gallant company he had had at his hou&s;e; how miraculou&s;ly this <HI>Venus</HI> was e&s;teemed by them all: the conte&s;tation which he had with them thereupon; how afterwards he met with <HI>Policrite,</HI> at the head of the River <HI>Claria;</HI> how &s;urprized he was to &s;ee that the Pourtrait of his <HI>Venus,</HI> &s;hould be the picture of this unknown maid; how much he was troubled that he could not finde her again; how happily he met <HI>Cle|anthes</HI> as he was going with his Family to the Temple: how he &s;aw her the third time when he found her in the Temple; how at la&s;t he di&s;covered her Cottage, and his &s;un|dry thoughts thereupon: he acquainted him with the fir&s;t vi&s;it he made to <HI>Policrite,</HI> when he found her making Garlands of Flowers; what &s;peech he had with <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and <HI>Megi&s;to;</HI> and in fine, how violently he was taken with her. He told him al&s;o, how he had endeavoured to &s;uppre&s;s his pa&s;&s;ion, by rea&s;on of the &s;uppo&s;ed meanne&s;s of her birth: what an alteration this pa&s;&s;ion had wrought in his minde: how the Court was &s;tartled at his Melancholy; the Kings odd conceipt thereupon, his di&s;cour&s;e with the King, and with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Ar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tephile:</HI> how angry this Prince&s;&s;e was, and how much he him&s;elf was perplext: how it came to pa&s;s that <HI>Mandrocles</HI> had drawn <HI>Poli|crite</HI>'s Pictures; and in fine, he told him all that had befallen him: and when he had ended his recitall, not affording <HI>Solon</HI> lei&s;ure to &s;peak, thus you &s;ee, Sir, &s;aid he, I am no longer that Inflexible <HI>Philoxypes</HI> which you formerly knew me to be, but I may &s;afely prote&s;t unto you, that I loved <HI>Policrite</HI> in a Cottage, with the &s;ame re&s;pect as if &s;he had been &s;eated on a Throne: and I may al&s;o a&s;&s;ure you, that my pa&s;&s;ion for her was as pure, as if I had known &s;he had been your daughter.</P>
<P>Do not blame me then, I conjure you, &s;ince I have onely adored <HI>Solons</HI> virtue and worth in <HI>Policrite</HI>'s per&s;on; for tis her virtuous minde which I am more enamor'd of, then of her per&s;onall beauty; yet do I de&s;erve to be puni&s;h'd, for doubtle&s;ly my frequent vi&s;its have cau&s;ed <HI>Cleanthes</HI> to change his abode. He knew not <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> and Imagi|ned he might have abu&s;ed him in <HI>Policrite:</HI> But to prove, &s;aid he, that I lived re&s;pect|fully with her, and that I never received a favourable word from her, &s;ee (&s;aid he, Sir, &s;hewing him the letter which he had received) the innocent and cruell &s;igne of acknow|ledgment, that this Divine Per&s;onage hath given me, &s;ince that at the &s;ame time when &s;he &s;aies &s;he will remember me, &s;he &s;aies al&s;o &s;he &s;hall never &s;ee me more: yet Sir, &s;aid he, if my pa&s;&s;ion do di&s;plea&s;e you, you &s;hall &s;ee how ready I will be to die, as &s;oon as you &s;hall have given me the lea&s;t occa&s;ion &s;o to do; &s;ince that is the only way whereby I can pluck her from out my heart: but on the contrary, if you do truly love me, you will ra|ther bewail me, then accu&s;e me; you will promi&s;e me not to oppo&s;e me, if the Gods re|&s;tore <HI>Policrite</HI> to you: and you will &s;uffer her to be Mi&s;tre&s;s of that &s;tately town which was built by your directions.</P>
<P>I wi&s;h, Sir, I were able to offer her &s;undry Scepters; but I think not that he who re|fu&s;eth them, will &s;tick much to be&s;tow his daughter on a Prince, who thinks him&s;elf happie in being but near a Throne, and to a&s;&s;i&s;t his King to &s;u&s;tain the weight of his Scepter.</P>
<P>When <HI>Philoxypes</HI> had made an end of &s;peaking, and <HI>Solon</HI> had read <HI>Policrite</HI>'s letter; my Daughter &s;aid he, is yet wi&s;er then I thought her to have been: and &s;ince &s;he hath been able to re&s;i&s;t the charms of <HI>Philoxype</HI>'s greatne&s;s and worth, I finde <HI>Epimenides</HI> had rea&s;on to &s;peak of her, as of a miracle.</P>
<P>Be you then a&s;&s;ured, &s;aid he, Sir, That if the Gods re&s;tore my Daughter to me, I &s;hall bring no other ob&s;tacle to your de&s;ignes, then my humble de&s;ire that you will &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider, whether &s;he be worthy or no of the honour you would do her: for if you continue in your re&s;olution, and that I &s;hall know that &s;he doth indeed de&s;erve a part of the favours which you vouch&s;afe her, I &s;hall be ready to command her to look on you, as on him whom the gods have cho&s;en to make her happy and glorious.</P>
<P>I do not tell you <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> that the famous <HI>Exce&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ides,</HI> my Father, who left me poor onely out of his own Magnificency, was de&s;cended from the illu&s;trious blood of King <HI>Chodrus;</HI> for the&s;e are not things which I think then ought much to boa&s;t of: But I will
<PB N="188" REF="179">
a&s;&s;ure you, that all tho&s;e of my Hou&s;e, &s;ince they have left the Crown, have been as good Citizens, as their Forefathers were good Kings; and that for my particular, I had alwaies rather oppo&s;e my &s;elf to Tyranny, then be a Tyrant.</P>
<P>In fine, &s;aid he, as it is not to your greatne&s;s that I give <HI>Policrite,</HI> I pretend al&s;o, that <HI>Policrite's</HI> virtue, &s;hall &s;upply the place of a Crown.</P>
<P>But alas, &s;aid <HI>Philoxypes!</HI> how will you give me this Divine <HI>Policrite,</HI> if we know not where &s;he is? She mu&s;t be begg'd of the Gods, replied <HI>Solon,</HI> &s;ince tis from them alone that we are to expect all the good that can befall us.</P>
<P>In fine; &s;ir, <HI>Philoxypes</HI> conceived an unexpre&s;&s;ible joy, to finde <HI>Solon</HI> &s;o favourably di&s;po&s;ed towards him. But al&s;o his grief was no le&s;s extream, to think that <HI>Solons</HI> good intentions would prove of no u&s;e, if <HI>Policrite</HI> were not found. Yet was he &s;omewhat comforted with the &s;ight of &s;o famous a man, and the conver&s;ation of one &s;o perfectly wi&s;e, made his &s;orrow appear at lea&s;t more moderate, though really it was alwaies very great. Nay, I remember he told me that notwith&s;tanding all his &s;adne&s;s, he forgot not you, &s;ir, but entertained <HI>Solon</HI> with the di&s;cour&s;e of you, as of a very extraordinary Per&s;onage.</P>
<P>This mean while the King, having heard of <HI>Solons</HI> arrivall, and how that <HI>Policrite</HI> was his daughter, was exceeding glad, and would have him and <HI>Philoxypes</HI> to come to Court; &s;o as this Prince his love was no longer &s;o great a &s;ecret.</P>
<P>Imagining that <HI>Cleanthes</HI> was not gone out of the I&s;land, command was &s;ent again to all the Towns and Villages, to give an account of what &s;trangers lived in them, but do what they could, they could learn no acceptable news.</P>
<P>This mean while the Court grew very melancholy; for Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aretephile,</HI> not able to put on a re&s;olution of pardoning the King, the King by an odd phan&s;ie of Love, re&s;olved al&s;o to winn this Prince&s;&s;e her heart, before he would a&s;&s;ure her to make her his Queen.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> on his part was mad to think he could not finde out <HI>Policrite,</HI> and that he had been the cau&s;e why <HI>Solon</HI> had lo&s;t her: and <HI>Solon</HI> was al&s;o very &s;ad that he could hear no newes of his daughter; e&s;pecially at a time when he was of nece&s;&s;itie to return to <HI>Athens,</HI> where he had learned that there were great di&s;orders, and that all things tended towards Sedition.</P>
<P>He knew that there were three &s;everall Factions there: that one <HI>Licurgus</HI> was chief of tho&s;e that inhabited the plains; that <HI>Megacles,</HI> &s;on to <HI>Alcmeon,</HI> commanded over tho&s;e of the &s;ea coa&s;t, and that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> whom certainly you knew when you went to <HI>Athens,</HI> was chief of the mountaineers. So as though all that numerous people had punctually ob&s;erved his Lawes, &s;ince his departure, yet the face of affairs was likely &s;oon to alter.</P>
<P><HI>Solon</HI> being then nece&s;&s;itated to be gone within a few daies, told <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> That the intere&s;t of a mans country, was to be preferd before all things el&s;e: and that he who cho&s;e rather to conceal his daughter, then to expo&s;e her to the love of a Tyrant, would not abandon his Country, to expect in vain to hear of one whom certainly the Gods would pre&s;erve if &s;he were worthy of their care; &s;o as he had no more to do, then give. him full leave to marry her if he &s;hould finde her; <HI>Philoxypes</HI> being at that &s;ame time both much afflicted, and much joyed; thankt <HI>Solon</HI> for the honour he did him; but the winde not &s;erving for his departure, and his &s;hip not being ready, he mu&s;t have patience for a while, During this interval of time, <HI>Solon</HI> under&s;tood that there was a famous Temple about &s;ome forty miles from <HI>Paphos,</HI> dedicated as were almo&s;t all the re&s;t in the I&s;land, to <HI>Venus &V;rania,</HI> where 'twas &s;aid this Godde&s;s delighted more to be honour'd, then in any other Temple: becau&s;e the cu&s;tome there was, that all the Ceremonies were performed by maids of good de&s;cent, who dedicated them&s;elves to the &s;ervice of that Godde&s;s, and who were to &s;erve her three years in her Temple before they were to marry.</P>
<P><HI>Solon</HI> who believed he could not imploy the time better, which much again&s;t his will, he was to &s;tay in <HI>Cyprus,</HI> then in praying to the Gods, moved <HI>Philoxypes</HI> to go thi|ther, who ea&s;ily gave way thereunto: &s;o as getting on hor&s;eback the next morning, and attended but by a few &s;ervants, they came to this Temple, which is very delightfully &s;eated.</P>
<P>I know Sir, I &s;hould not &s;tay to acquaint you with all the Ceremonies of the &s;acrifice, which upon this occa&s;ion was offered for <HI>Solon</HI> and <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> yet it being famous a|mong&s;t us for what en&s;ued thereupon, I will crave leave to do it; as al&s;o becau&s;e perad|venture,
<PB N="189" REF="179">
you have not &s;een the like: For tis a &s;acrifice which doth not co&s;t the victims lives, but on the contrary, makes them recover their liberty.</P>
<P>This Temple is fairly enough built: the Altar is &s;tately, at the foot whereof, and ju&s;t in the mid'&s;t, is placed a great candle&s;tick of Gold with twelve branches, whereon Chri|&s;tal lamps hung which were all lighted in&s;tantly after. Fifty maids, clothed in &s;ilver Tiffa|ny, mingled with blew, to denote the originall of that heavenly <HI>Venus</HI> whom they &s;er|ved, having each of them a Coronet of flowers on their head, and &s;prigs of Mirrh in their hands, ranck'd them&s;elves on the two &s;ides of the Temple, &s;he onely excepted who was to perform the Ceremony, who &s;taid in the middle.</P>
<P>At the foot of this golden candle&s;tick, there was a great Che&s;t or Coffer of the &s;ame mettal, wherein there was fire which they termed &s;acred, becau&s;e it is only lighted by the agitation of certain &s;tones con&s;ecrated to the Godde&s;s: &s;he who offered the &s;acrifice in the name of <HI>Solon,</HI> and <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> put Amber, Frankincen&s;e, Benjamin, and divers other perfumes, into this Pile of wood: This being done, and having made a little Pile of the dry boughs of Myrh upon the Altar, &s;he took a Torch made of perfumed wax, wherewith &s;he &s;et it on fire, and with the &s;ame Torch &s;he lighted fifty others which were placed in &s;undry parts of the Temple: after this, one of the&s;e maids brought two Tur|tles tied together with threads of gold and blew &s;ilk; and before her who carried the Birds, went four other maids &s;inging a Hymn after the <HI>Lydian</HI> manner: after the&s;e came four others, bringing with them two Swans tyed together with a &s;tring of blew and gold, and followed by four more who &s;ung as did the former.</P>
<P>The&s;e maids who carryed the Victims, kneeled down before the Altar, which being done, &s;he who did the Ceremony, (to the end that &s;he might not irritate <HI>Venus Anadi|omena,</HI> who had been formerly wor&s;hipped in that Temple, by the honour that was done to <HI>Venus &V;rania)</HI> took Ro&s;es and Cockles, which &s;he &s;trewd upon the Altar, and taking a great &s;hel of the Mother of pearl full of &s;ea water, taken up towards the ea&s;t, &s;he &s;prink|led the Victims therewith.</P>
<P>The holy knife, adornd with Orientall Aggat, was likewi&s;e prepared, as it were to &s;acrifice them; but the maids who &s;ung continually forbad them in the behalf of <HI>Venus &V;rania,</HI> &s;o as &s;he who carried the Turtles, and the other who carried the Swans, draw|ing near her who performed the Ceremony, &s;he untied them, and opening one of the windows of the Temple, at the &s;ame time when they threw new perfumes into the pile of wood, they were lo&s;t in that cloud of perfume which aro&s;e, and flying towards heaven, &s;eemed as if they went to carry up the vows of <HI>Solon</HI> and <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> to the Godde&s;s to whom they were offered up.</P>
<P>After this, all the maids which were in the Temple, began a Canticle of joy, and one of them taking a little Fagot of Myrrh, which was bound about with threads of Gold, &s;wept together the a&s;hes of the little pile, to &s;ee whether all were quite con&s;umed or no; for this is one of the tokens that the Sacrifice hath been well received.</P>
<P>In pur&s;uit after this, they went to vi&s;it the &s;acred garden, wherein the Turtles and Swans, de&s;tined to the &s;ervice of the Godde&s;s, are bred up, to &s;ee whether tho&s;e that were offerrd up unto her, were returned thither or no: for when this falls not out, tis an infallible ob&s;ervation that the &s;acrifice hath not been well accepted of, and that the God|de&s;s thinks not tho&s;e birds pure enough to be pre&s;ented unto her another time. But as for <HI>Solon</HI> his Sacrifice, it had all the marks of a happy Sacrifice; the Pile was totally con|&s;umed, the perfumes mounted &s;treight upright toward the Temples Roof, the birds flew Ea&s;t-ward, and were found in the &s;acred Garden. In fine, the&s;e maids a&s;&s;ured <HI>Philo|xypes</HI> and <HI>Solon,</HI> that their vowes were well accepted of by the Godde&s;s; and that they had not of a long time offered any Sacrifice, which had been &s;o well accepted of.</P>
<P>Having then returned acknowledgments to the Divine <HI>&V;rania,</HI> the&s;e two returned to <HI>Paphos: Solon</HI> did &s;o plea&s;antly entertain <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> and &s;aid &s;uch fine things to him, as not taking heed, he mi&s;t the way by which they came. Tho&s;e who followed them, thought that <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who very well knew that way, intended to go &s;ome whither that they knew not of, &s;o as they let him go on. Continuing to ride on thus by this by-way, they &s;trayed not onely from the way they were to go, but came at la&s;t to a place where there was no beaten track at all: finding them&s;elves at the Sea &s;ide, among&s;t wilde, and almo&s;t inacce&s;&s;ible Rocks, the &s;ight hereof recall'd into <HI>Philoxypes</HI> memory the de&s;art wherein he had found <HI>Policrites</HI> abode.</P>
<P><PB N="190" REF="180">
But at the &s;ame time he found that he had lo&s;t his way; and that he knew not where he was: yet it appearing delightfull enough unto him, though &s;andy enough, he &s;aid to <HI>Solon,</HI> that continuing to go along the Sea-&s;ide, they &s;hould meet with &s;ome path which would lead them back into the right way; wherefore they did not return back, but con|tinued on their way; and <HI>Philoxypes</HI> rode formo&s;t, that he might be a guide to tho&s;e that he had led out of the way.</P>
<P>Being advanced a good way, he might &s;ee five or &s;ix fi&s;hers Cottages, built upon the Sea-&s;ide, and heard the voyce of certain women, who &s;eemed to bewail &s;ome misfor|tune.</P>
<P>He then mended his pace, not knowing why the voice of tho&s;e women had had &s;uch an operation in him; and being come neer them, he knew <HI>Megi&s;to,</HI> and <HI>Dorida,</HI> and found them &s;orely weeping, and accompanied with many other women, who wept as well as they, and who not minding him, looked all towards the Sea.</P>
<P>He then looked the &s;ame way they did, where, alas! he might &s;ee <HI>Policrite,</HI> all alone in a little boat floating, without either oars or rudder; who not knowing what to do, was upon her knees praying to Heaven; for though the Sea went not very high, yet was it &s;omewhat moved; and moreover, the Rocks bearing back the Waves on that &s;ide, and a breath of air blowing from land, the Boat went &s;till further off.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Policrite</HI> in &s;o great a danger, and not &s;eeing any Boat that he might make u&s;e of, lighted &s;uddenly off Horeback, and threw him&s;elf into the Water, &s;wimming &s;traight towards <HI>Policrite.</HI></P>
<P>So as when <HI>Solon,</HI> who was a little behinde, was come to the Sea-&s;hoar, you may ea&s;ily imagine how much he was &s;urprized to &s;ee <HI>Megi&s;to</HI> covered with tears, <HI>Policrite</HI> all alone in a Boat, which the Waves bore towards the full Sea, and <HI>Philoxypes</HI> &s;wimming towards <HI>Policrite;</HI> but he was &s;o far from her, as it was to be believed that (the Boat floating &s;till forward) his &s;trength might fail him before he could get up to her; and that <HI>Solon</HI> might &s;ee his dear Daughter peri&s;h in his &s;ight, as al&s;o a Prine whom he loved no le&s;&s;e then her.</P>
<P>To tell you al&s;o how &s;trangely a&s;toni&s;h'd <HI>Megi&s;to</HI> was, to &s;ee <HI>Philoxypes</HI> throw him&s;elf into the Sea, and pre&s;ently after to &s;ee <HI>Solon</HI> come, is not a thing ea&s;ily done. Nor yet to &s;et forth <HI>Policrites</HI> thoughts, when &s;he knew <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> and &s;aw him in &s;o great dan|ger for her &s;ake.</P>
<P>This gallant per&s;onage told us notwith&s;tanding afterwards, that &s;he no &s;ooner knew him, but the object of her vows altered; and that cea&s;ing to think on her own danger, all her prayers were poured forth for <HI>Philoxypes.</HI> This mean while <HI>Solon</HI> was upon the &s;hore with <HI>Megi&s;to,</HI> who&s;e minde was not then at liberty enough to tell him how this misfor|tune hapned; telling him onely that <HI>Policrite</HI> was lo&s;t.</P>
<P>And to &s;ay truth, I think that upon this encounter, <HI>Solons</HI> wi&s;dom was put to a greater triall then ever it had been: and that it was much more ea&s;ie for him to refu&s;e a Crown, then to &s;ee <HI>Policrite</HI> and <HI>Philoxypes</HI> in the danger they were in, without giving apparent tokens of de&s;pair.</P>
<P>Yet this famous man kept him&s;elf within the lawfull bounds of &s;orrow; and not doing any thing unworthy of him&s;elf, did notwith&s;tanding, feel what ever pains a tender and generous &s;oul could &s;uffer under.</P>
<P>This mean while though <HI>Philoxypes</HI> was but lightly clad, for the &s;pring was already ve|ry hot in our I&s;land, he could not &s;wim with that facility as he might have done, had he been naked; &s;o as <HI>Policrites</HI> Boat driving &s;till away, he could not get up unto it.</P>
<P>One might &s;ee this young maid u&s;e &s;ome bootle&s;&s;e endeavours to &s;tay this little Boat, but 'twas impo&s;&s;ible for her to do it: nay, &s;he did things which &s;he her &s;elf knew were of no avail, yet could not keep from doing them.</P>
<P>One might likewi&s;e ob&s;erve <HI>Philoxypes</HI> to &s;trive to his utmo&s;t, and then he &s;eemed to be ready to peri&s;h through wearine&s;&s;e. But at la&s;t being got near the Boat, &s;ometimes one might &s;ee the Boat driven near unto him by one Wave, and &s;ometimes born from him by another; for it went to and fro with the wind.</P>
<P>It was &s;o near him as he might hear <HI>Policrites</HI> voice, not being able to an&s;wer her, &s;o much was he out of breath with &s;wimming.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid &s;he, Let me peri&s;h; do you return to the &s;hoar; and &s;trive not bootle&s;ly to &s;ave me.</P>
<P><PB N="191" REF="180">
You may imagine whether &s;o obliging a command did not oblige <HI>Philoxypes</HI> to redouble his forces. At la&s;t, Sir, after that <HI>Solon</HI> had &s;een the Waves ri&s;e up more then once, ready to over-turn the Boat, and &s;wallow up <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> who was now able to do no more, a great Wave having driven the Boat towards him, he luckily laid hold of the rope whereby it was fa&s;tened formerly to the Sea-bank.</P>
<P>You may imagine, Sir, what <HI>Philoxypes</HI> joy was then, as likewi&s;e what that of <HI>Po|licrite, Solon, Megi&s;to, Dorida,</HI> and the other women that were upon the &s;hore; they all &s;houted for joy.</P>
<P>Yet, was it not yet time to rejoyce; For though it be not hard to guide a floating Boat, yet <HI>Philoxypes</HI> was &s;o weary, as there was rea&s;on to de&s;pair of his ever accompli&s;h|ing what he had &s;o happily begun; he was &s;een to &s;ink twice under water, yet never quit the rope which he had in his hand. Think Sir, how great <HI>Policrites</HI> grief was then, and with how many tears &s;he repaied the pains he took to &s;ave her. One might ob&s;erve this Amorous Prince do two contrary things; for he would look back upon the &s;hore, that he might the &s;ooner bring back his Dear <HI>Policrite</HI> thither; and &s;ometimes believing he &s;hould peri&s;h without &s;aving her, he would at lea&s;t have the contentment of &s;eeing her at his la&s;t ga&s;p.</P>
<P>He looked thus, &s;ometimes towards the &s;hore, &s;ometimes on <HI>Policrite:</HI> and things were in this condition, when <HI>Philoxypes</HI> and <HI>Solons</HI> &s;ervants, who carried a good way be|hinde by rea&s;on of &s;ome accident which had befallen one of their hor&s;es, were come up, among&s;t which was one of <HI>Philoxypes</HI> his gentlemen, who being skilfull in &s;wimming, threw him&s;elf in&s;tantly into the water, and helped his dear Ma&s;ter to guide <HI>Poliorite</HI> back unto the &s;hore, where this Prince was no &s;ooner arrived, but that his force failing him he &s;wounded.</P>
<P>'Tis needle&s;&s;e to tell you what <HI>Solon, Megi&s;to,</HI> and all the re&s;t that were on the &s;hore, did to aid him. As for <HI>Policrite,</HI> &s;he was &s;o &s;urprized, and &s;o afflicted, to &s;ee what condi|tion <HI>Philoxypes</HI> was in, as &s;he was not &s;en&s;ible of the joy of having e&s;caped &s;o great a dan|ger: but at la&s;t, after having carried <HI>Philoxypes</HI> into one of tho&s;e little Huts, and having by the means they u&s;ed, brought him to life again, and dried his apparell, he asked where <HI>Policrite</HI> was? whom <HI>Solon</HI> brought to him out of a little chamber whither &s;he had re|tired her &s;elf, though &s;he had not yet perfectly &s;hook off the fear &s;he had been in of her &s;elf, and of <HI>Philoxypes.</HI></P>
<P>But at la&s;t all being retired that were in that little Hut, &s;ave <HI>Megi&s;to, Policrite, Dorida, Philoxypes,</HI> and <HI>Solon. Solon</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Megi&s;to</HI> to tell him, why &s;he had quitted the little abode which he had cau&s;ed to be built for her? wherefore &s;he was come to this place, and where <HI>Cleanthes</HI> was? wherefore they had left no order to acquaint him with their re|movall? and how this la&s;t misfortune had befallen <HI>Policrite?</HI> But, &s;aid he, Si&s;ter, &s;peak freely without any wi&s;e di&s;gui&s;ing the truth. For Prince <HI>Philoxypes</HI> knowes I am your Brother, that <HI>Policrite</HI> is my Daughter: and I know al&s;o that he does her the honour to love her; therefore conceal nothing for his re&s;pect, for he hath now a deeper &s;hare in <HI>Policrite,</HI> then I have, &s;ince I have given her to him; and that he may now lay a new claim unto her, by having &s;aved her life.</P>
<P>I leave you to imagine, Sir, how <HI>Policrite</HI> was &s;urprized to know that &s;he was <HI>Solons</HI> Daughter, whom &s;he knew to be a great and excellent man, but whom &s;he know not to be her Father; and to know at the &s;ame time that &s;he was be&s;towed on <HI>Philoxypes;</HI> &s;he blu&s;h'd, but with a great deal of mode&s;ty; and looking upon <HI>Megi&s;to,</HI> as if &s;he would ask her whether it were true or no, that &s;he was <HI>Solons</HI> daughter? &s;he confirmed her in that belief; and afforded her lei&s;ure &s;o to confound the joy &s;he had to &s;ee <HI>Philoxypes</HI> again, with that of her knowing her &s;elf to be daughter to &s;o famous a man, as nothing appeared in her countenance but what &s;o great an honour might cau&s;e in her.</P>
<P><HI>Philoxypes</HI> beginning then to &s;peak, &s;aid as obliging things to <HI>Solon</HI> in <HI>Policrites</HI> behalf, as in his own; and <HI>Megi&s;to</HI> was &s;ome-while before &s;he could &s;atisfie her Brothers curio&s;ity. But at la&s;t &s;he told him; That knowing the love Prince <HI>Philoxypes</HI> bore to <HI>Policrite,</HI> &s;he had thought it fitting to acquaint <HI>Policrite</HI> onely, that &s;he was more then what &s;he took her &s;elf to be, to the end &s;he might know how to treat <HI>Philoxypes</HI> with more indifferency; and that &s;he might think her &s;elf the le&s;&s;e obliged to him for his affection: That <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and &s;he, having ob&s;erved that this had produced a contrary effect in <HI>Policrite,</HI> and Prince <HI>Philoxypes</HI> having &s;hewed much pa&s;&s;ion in the la&s;t vi&s;it which he made them, &s;he confe&s;t the ones worth, and the others youth, had cau&s;ed &s;ome apprehen&s;ion in her: that
<PB N="192" REF="181">
in pur&s;uit hereof, knowing that the King was at <HI>Claria,</HI> and fearing le&s;t <HI>Philoxypes</HI> might &s;peak to him of <HI>Policrites</HI> beauty, &s;he had advi&s;ed <HI>Cleanthes</HI> to quit his abode, which in effect they had done, and were come to this little Maritine Hamlet, where <HI>Cleanthes</HI> was acquainted with an old Fi&s;herman, who had left them his Hut, being him&s;elf gone to live with a &s;on of his: that they had left a young Slave at their former place of abode, with direction, that if <HI>Solon</HI> &s;hould come thither, he &s;hould wi&s;h him to come the fir&s;t day of the next en&s;uing Moon, to a Temple which they named unto him, where <HI>Cleanthes</HI> would not fail to be on the &s;ame day to meet him when he &s;hould come thither.</P>
<P>That &s;ince that time, <HI>Cleanthes</HI> had learnt by the Prie&s;t of the little Temple which was near their former abode, that this Slave was dead; &s;o as knowing that the time of <HI>Solons</HI> return drew near, <HI>Cleanthes</HI> re&s;olved to go live him&s;elf alone at <HI>Paphos,</HI> knowing that when he &s;hould return to <HI>Cyprus,</HI> he would not fail to wait upon the King, and &s;o he could not mi&s;&s;e of him; to which purpo&s;e he was gone thither that very morning: that <HI>Policrite,</HI> who had no better pa&s;time, e&s;pecially &s;ince they had left their former abode, then to draw every day &s;omething or other upon her Table-books: &s;eeing all the Fi&s;her-men were gone from their little Hamlet, leaving no Boat behinde them, &s;ave that wherein they had &s;een her, and wherein there was neither Rudder nor Oar, &s;at down in it, and not minding whether it were well fa&s;tened to the &s;hore or no, was de&s;igning forth that little rurall float of Boats, which went &s;till further from her: that &s;he was &s;o attentive to her work in hand, that as &s;he her &s;elf had told them, &s;he did not perceive the Boat wherein &s;he was, was loo&s;ened from the Land, and went floating as the windes blew it: &s;o as &s;aid <HI>Megi&s;to,</HI> co|ming forth to look after <HI>Policrite,</HI> I &s;aw her in the po&s;ture I have told you, and skreek'd out &s;o loud, as I made her perceive the danger &s;he was in, not being able to help her, there not being one man left in the whole Hamlet; and all the fi&s;her-boats, having already dou|bled a Cape of Land, whereby we lo&s;t &s;ight of them.</P>
<P><HI>Megi&s;to</HI> having ended her relation, <HI>Solon</HI> 'gan admire the providence of the gods in the guidance of worldly things; and con&s;idering that unle&s;&s;e <HI>Philoxypes</HI> and he had lo&s;t their way, <HI>Policrite</HI> in all appearance had been lo&s;t, he could not &s;ufficiently prai&s;e the godde&s;&s;e, who had &s;o well received his &s;acrifice; in effect, this Temple of <HI>Venus &V;rania,</HI> hath got much renown by this adventure. But Sir, to abu&s;e your patience no longer, I will onely tell you, that in &s;tead of going to <HI>Paphos, Philoxypes</HI> and <HI>Solon</HI> went the next day to <HI>Claria,</HI> whither they brought <HI>Megi&s;to, Policrite, Dorida,</HI> and all the women that attended them, after that <HI>Philoxypes</HI> had largely rewarded all the Fi&s;her-mens wives for their Ho&s;pi|tality and courte&s;ie &s;hewed to <HI>Policrite.</HI> To tell you how great <HI>Philoxypes</HI> and <HI>Policrites</HI> joy was, would be no ea&s;ie matter, and to relate unto you in what termes this happy Lover expre&s;t his &s;ati&s;faction to <HI>Policrite,</HI> and with what an obliging mode&s;ty &s;he received the te&s;timony of his affection, and gave him &s;ome marks of hers, would be to undertake too difficult a task. For to learn in one and the &s;ame day, that &s;he was Daughter to the &s;o Illu|&s;trious <HI>Solon,</HI> and that &s;he was to be wife to <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> were two things wherewith her &s;oul was divided. <HI>Philoxypes</HI> failed not to &s;hew <HI>Policrite</HI> her Pictures in his Gallery, which, though rarely hand&s;ome, came much &s;hort of her. The next day <HI>Solon</HI> &s;ent to enquire out <HI>Cleanthes</HI> at <HI>Paphos,</HI> where he was found and brought to <HI>Claria.</HI> Nece&s;&s;ary order be|ing taken for it, <HI>Cleanthes, Megi&s;to, Policrite,</HI> and <HI>Dorida,</HI> had clothes made an&s;werable to their condition.</P>
<P>The next morning the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aghari&s;ta,</HI> being adver|ti&s;ed by their brother <HI>Philoxypes</HI> of the truth of his Adventure: the&s;e two fair Prince&s;&s;es, I &s;ay, who loved him dearly, who had learned <HI>Policrites</HI> Illu&s;trious birth by this adverti&s;e|ment, and who did reverence <HI>Solon</HI> as a god, went to <HI>Claria,</HI> to conduct this beautifull creature to <HI>Paphos.</HI></P>
<P>But good gods! how they were &s;urprized with her extreme beauty, comparing which with her Pictures, they found her to exceed them far; but if &s;he appeared fair unto them, &s;he &s;eemed yet more &s;pirituall.</P>
<P>She had &s;omewhat in her of admirable mode&s;ty, which having nothing in it of Ru&s;tick, rendred her yet more plea&s;ing: &s;he had a &s;oul doubtle&s;ly fraught with all that innocency which &s;he had pre&s;erved amid&s;t tho&s;e Rocks: but withall a minde and humour, wherein were all the Charmes which the Court could afford.</P>
<P>For <HI>Megi&s;to</HI> being rightly <HI>Solons</HI> Si&s;ter, knew as well as any one what was re|qui&s;it in, and did nece&s;&s;arily become tho&s;e of her Sex, and had perfectly in&s;tructed <HI>Po|licrite</HI> therein.</P>
<P><PB N="193" REF="181">
Young <HI>Dorida</HI> appeared al&s;o to be very fair, and lovely at the Court; where the King received <HI>Solon, Cleanthes, Megi&s;to, Philoxypes,</HI> and <HI>Policrite,</HI> with unexpre&s;&s;ible joy and honour. And this &s;o much the more, as that being at la&s;t, re&s;olved to content Prince&s;s <HI>Aretephiles</HI> ambition, that &s;o he might &s;atisfie his own love, had made her be told the day before, that it &s;hould be her fault if &s;he were not Queen.</P>
<P>But if <HI>Aretephile</HI> were Queen of <HI>Cyprus, Policrite</HI> was the Queen of Beauty; none but the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> could any way di&s;pute that glorious Empire with her. In fine, Sir, there was nothing heard of now, but fea&s;ts and rejoycing. <HI>Solon</HI> being of nece&s;&s;ity to be gone, they ha&s;ted the con&s;ummation of tho&s;e famous marriages: The king would have one Ceremony &s;erve for them both; nor did <HI>Cyprus</HI> ever &s;ee any thing of more glorious, though it were done with precipitation. <HI>Solon</HI> called then to mind <HI>Epimenides</HI> his predicti|ons, and confe&s;t that there was &s;omewhat of Divine in that holy man. But his Countreys intere&s;t prevailing more with him, then what&s;oever other intere&s;ts, he departed for <HI>Athens,</HI> &s;o as &s;ome tears of &s;orrow did for a while a little allay <HI>Policrite</HI>'s joy; but to comfort her, young <HI>Dorida</HI> was left with her, when <HI>Cleanthes</HI> and <HI>Megi&s;to</HI> imbarked them&s;elves with <HI>So|lon.</HI> This was the condition Sir, wherein this great man left the Court of <HI>Cyprus:</HI> to wit, the King highly content: Queen <HI>Aretephile</HI> as highly &s;atisfied; and <HI>Philoxypes</HI> and <HI>Poli|crite</HI> &s;o happy, as wi&s;hes could not adde thereunto.</P>
<P>Within a few dayes after, the Prince of <HI>Sicily</HI> &s;ent to ask the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aghari&s;ta,</HI> &s;i&s;ter unto <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> in marriage; and it was con&s;ented unto. Al&s;o it was included in the conditions of the marriage that he &s;hould &s;end &s;ome certain Troops unto you, as the King of <HI>Cyprus</HI> already had. And &s;ince it was I who had the honour to conduct the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aghari&s;ta</HI> into <HI>Sicilie,</HI> I accepted of the employment which was offered me, to come hither: And returning unto <HI>Cyprus</HI> to accommodate my &s;elf with nece&s;&s;ary equipage, the Prince <HI>Philoxypes</HI> charged me to relate his adventure unto you; and to entreat you from him, that you would not le&s;&s;en his good fortune by depriving him of your friend&s;hip, which is infi|nitely dear and pretious unto him.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>Leontidas</HI> had made an end, <HI>Artamenes</HI> a&s;&s;ured him, that if the felicity of <HI>Philox|ypes</HI> were never le&s;&s;ened but by the want of his affection, he might be certain to be happy for ever. <HI>Thimocrates</HI> and <HI>Philocles</HI> &s;eemed to be exceeding joyed at the &s;atisfaction of a Prince whom they infinitely loved; <HI>Artamenes</HI> al&s;o was doubtle&s;&s;e as plea&s;ant as any one in his pre&s;ent condition could be: But his &s;tate &s;tood upon &s;uch terms as he could not hear of either any good or bad adventures without &s;ome &s;orrow; for when the felicity of any one was di&s;cour&s;ed upon, and comparing it with his own misfortunes, he alwayes &s;ighed: and al&s;o when he heard of any di&s;a&s;terous acoident, he &s;ighed &s;till: So that it was very true, that experience in misfortunes makes a &s;oul &s;en&s;ible of compa&s;&s;ion. He rejoyced then at the good fortunes of <HI>Philoxypes,</HI> but it was with a &s;igh; and he te&s;tified unto <HI>Leontidas,</HI> how &s;orry he was not to be in a condition, wherein he might make the Prince <HI>Artibies</HI> and him&s;elf &s;ee, how infinitely dear the recommendations of <HI>Philoxypes</HI> was unto him. But <HI>Le|ontidas</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) you are come to &s;erve a great and mo&s;t ju&s;t King, who will ne|ver &s;uffer your vertues to be unrecompen&s;ed, as well as if I were at liberty. Sir (an&s;wered <HI>Leontidas)</HI> it would be a difficult matter to per&s;wade all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> that the King of <HI>Medes</HI> is ju&s;t in all things, as long as you are a pri&s;oner. Kings (replied <HI>Artamenes</HI> with much wi&s;dom) do &s;ometimes commit inju&s;tice, innocently; becau&s;e they are per&s;waded they have rea&s;on for what they do; and &s;uch as &s;uffer &s;uch inju&s;tice as I &s;peak of, are them&s;elves unju&s;t, if they do not endure them without murmur or complaint. <HI>Thimocrates, Philocles,</HI> &amp; <HI>Leontidas</HI> were ravi&s;hed with the prudence of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> and to &s;ee he knew how to make u&s;e of bad fortune as well as good; and &s;o they left him, making a thou&s;and new prote&s;tations of inviolable fidelity. But all the while he endured his &s;trict impri&s;onment with invinci|ble patience; all his illu&s;trious friends had no other thoughts but how to get him out. <HI>Ariobantes,</HI> whom <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had left Regent in the Kingdome came from <HI>Themi&s;cira</HI> unto <HI>Sinope,</HI> as well to render an account of his office, as to adverti&s;e the King, how all the in|habitants of <HI>Themi&s;cira, Ama&s;ia,</HI> and that part of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> which was not revolted, be|gan to &s;peak high, that they would &s;end deputies unto the King, to de&s;ire him that <HI>Arta|menes</HI> might be &s;et at liberty. Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Ariobantes</HI> unto <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> all <HI>Galatia</HI> &s;ayes the &s;ame: and all your three Kingdoms cannot brook, that a man whom they reverence as a god, &s;hould be in pri&s;on: Al&s;o that which I tell you of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> and <HI>Galatia,</HI> I under|&s;tand that all <HI>Medea</HI> intend the &s;ame: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> harkened unto <HI>Ariobantes,</HI> but returned no an&s;wer, becau&s;e he &s;taied for the re&s;ult of the King of <HI>Armenias</HI> an&s;wer, before he would
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re&s;olve upon any thing: Mean while, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> were continually negotia|ting, both by their own endeavours, and the &s;olicitations of all the Kings, Princes and friends which <HI>Artamenes</HI> had: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was never without &s;ome about him who was &s;peaking for this illu&s;trious pri&s;oner: The King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> was no &s;ooner gone out, but the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> came in, and after him &s;ucceeded <HI>Per&s;odes</HI> or <HI>Hida&s;pes:</HI> In &s;hort, either by <HI>Ag|latidas,</HI> or <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> or <HI>Philocles,</HI> or <HI>Gobrias,</HI> or <HI>Gadates,</HI> or <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> or <HI>Madates,</HI> or <HI>Artucas,</HI> the name of <HI>Artamenes</HI> was perpetually pronounced. If <HI>Ciaxares</HI> went to the Temple, the &s;acrificers &s;poke of him: If he went into the &s;treets of <HI>Sinope,</HI> the inhabitants kneeled and begged his liberty: If he went out to walk in the fields or Camp, all the &s;oul|diers petitioned for their General: and except that old friend to <HI>Aribeus,</HI> who alwayes held intelligence with <HI>Artaxes,</HI> there was not one but was ready to &s;erve <HI>Artamenes:</HI> &s;o that this man who&s;e name was <HI>Metrobates,</HI> was doubtle&s;&s;e the only man, that had a de&s;ign to de&s;troy him: <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> for her part, who was informed by <HI>Feraulas</HI> of all that pa&s;&s;ed, was extreamly glad to &s;ee the merit of <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;o applauded; and to &s;ee that it was not with him, as with other favourites, who when fortune for&s;akes them, then all the world does the like; but that on the contrary, the love of every one augmented with his misfor|tunes: She al&s;o received every day by <HI>Feraulas,</HI> a complement from <HI>Artamenes:</HI> who told her that his pri&s;on had wrought no alteration in him, but that he &s;till retained his pa&s;&s;ion, as well as his civilitie: As all things &s;tood in this condition, <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> returned, and came unto the King, when very many were with him, and more &s;till pre&s;&s;ed after him when he entered, to hear news: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw him, without making any &s;ecret of his an&s;wer, well, <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) let us know how they have received my Daughter into <HI>Armenia;</HI> will that King re&s;tore her unto me, as he is obliged to do? Sir, an&s;wered <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> my journey has not had happy &s;ucce&s;&s;e; I cannot know who the King is which the Prince&s;&s;e &s;poke of in her paper: the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> will not acknowledge that &s;he is in his dominions, although there is great appearance &s;he is: nor did I find the Prince <HI>Ti|granes</HI> in his fathers Court. But yet (&s;aid <HI>Ciaxares</HI> unto him) how did that King receive you? Sir (an&s;wered <HI>Megabi&s;es)</HI> when I came at <HI>Artaxates,</HI> and had &s;ent unto the King to demand audience, he made me wait three dayes; and during that time I was always carefully ob&s;erved by &s;everal people: Afterwards, according to tho&s;e commands which I had re|ceived from your Maje&s;ty, I told him, that &s;ince you under&s;tood the Prince&s;s your Daughter was within his dominions, you had &s;ent me unto him to demand her: I thought (&s;aid he unto me very fiercely) you were come to &s;olicite me about the payment of that Tribute, which I paid unto <HI>A&s;tyages,</HI> but will not pay unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> &s;ince I never promi&s;ed it: But as for the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he is not in my power, and though &s;he were, que&s;tion|le&s;&s;e I would not re&s;tore her, but would keep her for a ho&s;tage, until by an authentique Treaty, your Ma&s;ter would acknowledge, that the Kings of <HI>Armenia,</HI> are not Tributary Kings. Sir, (&s;aid I unto him) con&s;ider well what you &s;ay, before you di&s;mi&s;&s;e me: for the King my Ma&s;ter knows mo&s;t certainly that the Prince&s;&s;e is in your dominions: I will cau&s;e her to be &s;earched for, &s;aid he unto me, and &s;he &s;hall be treated according to her quality; but if &s;he be here, I tell you once again, that I will not &s;end her unto the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> until he has quitted his preten&s;ions unto any Tribute out of <HI>Armenia:</HI> Let him be contented, (&s;aid he unto me) that fortune has given him &s;uch a man as has made him &s;o full of conque&s;ts; and let that comfort him for the lo&s;&s;e of a poor Tribute. Sir, (&s;aid I unto him) if you give me no other an&s;wer but that, I have orders to tell you, that the King my Ma&s;ter, will come him&s;elf with an Army of an hundred thou&s;and men and fetch the Prin|ce&s;&s;e his daughter: Go then &s;peedily (&s;aid he unto me) and bid him prepare him&s;elf; and tell him, there are no &s;uch valiant&s;ouldiers in the world as tho&s;e who fight for their liber|ties: and that &s;ince <HI>Artamenes</HI> is in pri&s;on (as I under&s;tand he is) the Prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> my &s;on will not make any great difficulty of it to fight him; and perhaps victories will not come &s;o cheap unto him as they have done. <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> did know very well that there was no great prudence in &s;peaking thus unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> before &s;o many people; nor to tell &s;o preci&s;ely what the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> &s;aid concerning <HI>Artamenes:</HI> But thinking that perhaps it would be advantagious unto him, he re&s;olved to do &s;o: Then he ended his relation, by telling, that after he went out from the King of <HI>Armenia,</HI> they brought him commands to be gone out of <HI>Artaxates</HI> the next morning, and that they guarded him unto the utmo&s;t frontiers of <HI>Armenia. Ciaxares</HI> hearing the an&s;wer of this Prince, was in a high and cho|lerick pa&s;&s;ion; and pre&s;ently re&s;olved upon war: No, no, &s;aid he, I make no que&s;tion but <HI>Mandana</HI> is in <HI>Armenia;</HI> &s;he her &s;elf has writ it, and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> confirms it; al&s;o the an|&s;wer
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of this audacious Prince do tell it plainly: But yet (&s;aid the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> unto <HI>Megabi&s;es)</HI> were you not enformed by any whether there were any forraign Prince&s;&s;e arrived at that Court? Yes Sir, &s;aid he, for I heard, that there came once &s;ome women, who&s;e quality every one was ignorant of; and that they were &s;ent unto a Ca&s;tle, towards the Countrey of the <HI>Chaldeans,</HI> but &s;tayed not at <HI>Artaxates.</HI> No, no, (&s;aid <HI>Ciaxares</HI> once again) there needs no more information; <HI>Mandana</HI> is in <HI>Armenia,</HI> and I mu&s;t carry the war thither. And by con&s;equence (&s;aid the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> with as much genero&s;ity as boldne&s;&s;e) we mu&s;t have <HI>Artamenes</HI> out of pri&s;on; for Sir, if your &s;ouldiers do not &s;ee him in the head of them, but that he &s;hould be left at <HI>Sinope,</HI> they will march but very &s;low|ly into <HI>Armenia,</HI> and perhaps not fight as they u&s;ed to do, when they come there: al&s;o (added the King of <HI>Hircania)</HI> I cannot believe there is any better way to move the gods to become propitious, then to protect that man whom they have &s;o much favoured. The&s;e two Princes were not the only per&s;ons who &s;poke thus, for every one in the chamber &s;aid the &s;ame. It &s;eemed that the pre&s;ent nece&s;&s;ity did work upon his former re&s;olutions; and he did not &s;o ob&s;tinately de&s;ign to pre&s;&s;e out what the intelligence was which <HI>Artamenes</HI> held with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> in&s;omuch as there &s;eemed to be great hopes of his &s;peedy freedome. The King of <HI>Medes</HI> did &s;uffer them to commend him in his pre&s;ence without any anger, he did not reject their prayers in his behalf, and without any direct con&s;enting, he made as if there were &s;ome re&s;olutions in him of altering his opinion, but carried it as if him&s;elf would have the advantage of doing it, and not as forced unto it by any other. The&s;e re&s;entments being perceived by all the illu&s;trious company, they &s;poke no more unto him concerning <HI>Artamenes,</HI> fearing to prejudice him, whom all the world would advantage. Yet they went from the King in great hopes of his liberty, &s;o that pre&s;ently a general voice went about all the Town and Camp, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was to be &s;et at liberty; <HI>Artamenes</HI> him&s;elf was told as much for certain: His guards all wept for joy, <HI>Andramias</HI> could not hold from hoping to &s;ee him pre&s;ently in the &s;ame condition he was formerly; <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was &s;o tran&s;ported, that &s;he could not expre&s;&s;e her raptures of joy: <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Ferau|las</HI> were &s;o glad of it, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> him&s;elf could be no more; for in con&s;ideration of the Prince&s;&s;e, and the &s;tate &s;he was in, he pri&s;ed his liberty as the greate&s;t good which could befal him. Well, (&s;aid he in him&s;elf) I may once again hope to do Divine <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;ome &s;ervice; Oh heavens! could I ever believe to be in &s;uch a &s;tate as either to deliver my Prince&s;&s;e or to die in her &s;ervice? Can I flatter my &s;elf with &s;uch a plea&s;ing thought, as both to &s;ee and be &s;een by her? Is it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould ever have the liberty to di&s;cour&s;e with her of my mo&s;t adoring pa&s;&s;ion? If this be &s;o, why &s;hould I complain of tho&s;e hard|&s;hips I have endured? &s;ince I &s;hall receive &s;o ample a recompence: Thus did <HI>Artamenes</HI> entertain him&s;elf, while&s;t all the Town and Camp was rejoycing by rea&s;on of their hopes of his liberty; and to give him an addition of joy, <HI>Feraulas</HI> came into his chamber, and confirmed the news, telling him that it was not without ground; and falling into di&s;cour&s;e concerning <HI>Mandana,</HI> he repeated almo&s;t all that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> told unto <HI>Chri|&s;antes</HI> and him&s;elf: at the la&s;t, remembring him&s;elf how they had told him that when
<HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was on the banks of the River <HI>Halis,</HI> among&s;t the fi&s;hermen &s;he made u&s;e of a box which had a picture in it, to bring her unto <HI>Sinope,</HI> and that the picture was <HI>Mandana</HI>'s: Ha <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;aid he unto him, is there no means, by vertue of that credit which I know you have with <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> to move her unto &s;o much favour as to &s;end me that picture, with a promi&s;e to re&s;tore it unto her, if &s;he plea&s;e, the &s;ame day I come out pri&s;on? Sir, &s;aid he unto him, I do not think <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> will deny it upon that condition: but as for giving it ab&s;olutely unto you, I think that her fears to di&s;pea&s;e the Prince&s;&s;e (who as you know is of &s;uch a nice vertue, as that &s;he will &s;cruple at the &s;malle&s;t things) will not permit it: al&s;o &s;he her &s;elf is &s;o much enamoured with it, that it would be a piece of great difficulty to ob|tain it from her for ever; but yet for a certain time doubtle&s;&s;e &s;he would not refu&s;e it: <HI>Artamenes</HI> then engaged <HI>Feraulas</HI> to u&s;e his be&s;t endeavours; and <HI>Feraulas</HI> charged with this commi&s;&s;ion, left him, and left him with more joy then he had a long time found in his heart. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> for his part, was &s;ecretly plea&s;ed in him&s;elf to be overcome, and as it were con&s;trained to free <HI>Artamenes;</HI> yet &s;ometimes he would be very angry that he could not exactly know what that intelligence was which he could not di&s;cover: But after all, the high merits of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> the great acts he had done: the many obligations unto him; the pre&s;ent nece&s;&s;ity of his valour; all the&s;e were to prevalent in his mind, that he re&s;ol|ved to &s;et <HI>Artamenes</HI> at liberty, the &s;ame day he was to march with his Army towards <HI>Armenia.</HI> But while&s;t he was in &s;o advantagious a re&s;olution for him&s;elf, and &s;o beneficial
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for his daughter; &s;o plea&s;ing unto the famous pri&s;oner, and &s;o generall a joy unto all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> e&s;pecially &s;uch as had intere&s;t them&s;elves in his fortune, <HI>Metrobates</HI> only, that clo&s;e enemy of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and that old friend unto <HI>Aribeus,</HI> was in extream &s;orrows. This man had a &s;oul &s;o ambitious, that he valued not by what &s;tairs he a&s;cended unto greatne&s;s, &s;o he could but get up. There hapened many pa&s;&s;ages in his tran&s;actions, which moved <HI>Artame|nes</HI> whil&s;t he was in the height of his fortune, not to e&s;teem him; &amp; by con&s;equence not to doe &s;uch good offices as he did unto all others: For <HI>Artamenes,</HI> thought it a piece of great inju&s;tice unto unfortunate men of honour, to load with benefits tho&s;e who de&s;erved them not, whil&s;t others more meritorious were in mi&s;ery. Moreover, <HI>Metrobates</HI> be|ing linked unto the fortunes of <HI>Aribeus,</HI> had ever followed his principles: and <HI>Artamenes</HI> de&s;troying him ju&s;t at that time when <HI>Metrobates</HI> was in highe&s;t hopes to receive recom|pence for all the &s;ervices he had done him, this man therefore was &s;o much incen&s;ed a|gain&s;t <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that he would enterpri&s;e any thing which might conduce unto his ruine. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> were informed of his bad intentions, but &s;ince he did not openly tran&s;act again&s;t their ma&s;ter, and &s;ince they could not devi&s;e what ill office he was able to do him, they had not recour&s;e unto any violent wayes to defeat him; as well becau&s;e they were both wi&s;e and virtuous, as becau&s;e it might be prejudiciall unto <HI>Artamenes:</HI> neither could they hand&s;omly di&s;cover his de&s;ignes; for the party who informed them of the ill will of <HI>Metrobates,</HI> dyed a little after with &s;orrow that he had been the cau&s;e of <HI>Artame|nes</HI> his impri&s;onment: moreover, as the &s;tate of things then &s;tood, they had no ground to believe any thing could ob&s;truct his liberty, &s;ince it was demanded by a great Army, and by three whole kingdomes. But on the contrary, it was almo&s;t an infallible certain|ty, that a man who was equally beloved both of vanqui&s;hed and Vanqui&s;hers would be &s;et at liberty, and that none dur&s;t &s;hew their hatred, no not <HI>Metrobates</HI> him&s;elf. As he was burning in his &s;ecret envie at the univer&s;all joy which all the world expre&s;&s;ed for the free|dome of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> He received intelligence from <HI>Artaxes</HI> who was commander in chief at <HI>Pteria,</HI> and who under&s;tood that <HI>Ortalques</HI> had been to tell the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;omething, though he could not exactly tell what; but it was in all probability <HI>Artamenes</HI> who &s;ent him, for he knew him to be his &s;ervant, and that he had brought orders from the King, when he was in <HI>Bythinia:</HI> he whom <HI>Artaxes</HI> &s;ent unto <HI>Metrobates,</HI> was comman|ded not to go into <HI>Sinope,</HI> le&s;t he &s;hould be &s;topped, but to &s;end &s;ome un&s;u&s;pected me&s;|&s;enger to bid meet at the Temple of <HI>Mars: Metrobates,</HI> having received this notice, failed not to go thither: and he no &s;ooner under&s;tood from the confident of <HI>Artaxes</HI> of <HI>Ortalques</HI> his voyage unto <HI>Pteria,</HI> but he began to conceive &s;ome hopes of di&s;turbing the publique joy: But &s;ince he had many things to talk of with this man, and fearing to be &s;een in his company, at a place &s;o much frequented as a Temple, they went to walk by the Sea-&s;ide, and ju&s;t in the &s;ame place where <HI>Artamenes</HI> had heretofore been, when he found the &s;ignes of the Prince&s;&s;e her &s;hipwrack: and being come clo&s;e unto the Cabin where the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> had been carried, and where they told <HI>Artamenes</HI> he died. When he was there, he de&s;ired to find out &s;ome pretence to re&s;t him&s;elf, to the end he might write unto <HI>Artaxes:</HI> having Ink and Paper in his Pocket, for that purpo&s;e. But as chance &s;ometimes works wonders, the fi&s;hers who dwelt in that Cabin, and who were very affectionate unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> though he had been but a little while among&s;t them, &s;eeing &s;uch a man as <HI>Metrobates</HI> among&s;t them, took the liberty to ask, whether <HI>Artamenes</HI> was going to be &s;et at liberty, as the reports of the town went and as they wi&s;hed it? <HI>Metrobates</HI> was &s;urpri&s;ed to heare <HI>Artamenes</HI> named in a place where he thought there was none who had any intere&s;t in his fortune; he asked them, whether they knew him whom they &s;eemed to love &s;o well? and they an&s;wered, that they had the honour to &s;ee him in this Cabin; and told him, how he found <HI>Mazares</HI> there when he was dying; and the better to circum&s;tance their tale, they told him in their manner, how that Prince &s;poke unto him concerning the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> and gave him a Scarf, al&s;o &s;aid thus unto him. <HI>Is it you, whom the affection of a great Prince&s;&s;e, has made you the mo&s;t happy man, and whom I have made the mo&s;t unfortunate, by depriving you of one who loved you &s;o well?</HI> Though they did not directly relate the &s;ame words which <HI>Maza|res</HI> u&s;ed, yet they u&s;ed others, which made the matter wor&s;e, thinking it more advanta|gious for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> by relating how the Prince&s;&s;e loved him well, &s;ince the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> as he was dying, &s;aid it: But &s;aid they further, certainly <HI>Artamenes</HI> does love her al&s;o, for he put a hundred que&s;tions unto the dying Prince, and when he was told that in all likelihood &s;he was dead, he went out of this Cabin &s;o furiou&s;ly and de&s;perate, as
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never was man; and taking a &s;carfe with him which the other had given him, he went unto the Se-a&s;ide, as if he would have thrown him&s;elf into it: <HI>Metrobates</HI> who had his comment upon every word the&s;e poor hone&s;t men related, began to &s;u&s;pect that <HI>Artame|nes</HI> was in love with <HI>Mandana,</HI> and that this &s;ecret which was between the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria</HI> and him, was a &s;ecret of Love and Jealou&s;ie together. So &s;eeming to like of the peo|ples affection unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and telling the&s;e fi&s;hers, that he would ere long be at liber|ty, he went out of the Cabin, and taking his leave of <HI>Artaxes</HI> his friend, returned to <HI>Sinope,</HI> well &s;atisfied with his voyage: As he pa&s;&s;ed by the hou&s;e of <HI>Artucas,</HI> he acci|dentally &s;aw <HI>Feraulas</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> come out, who had been to vi&s;it <HI>Marte&s;ia;</HI> and to afford him more matter, to prejudice <HI>Artamenes,</HI> one of <HI>Metrobates</HI> his dome&s;ticks was brother unto a boy which &s;erved <HI>Artucas:</HI> &s;o that when he &s;aw <HI>Feraulas</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> come out of this hou&s;e, he de&s;ired to know whether they frequented it very often; and to that end he imployed the ingenuity of his &s;ervant, to di&s;cover by the meanes of his brother, to find out whether it was to <HI>Artucas</HI> or to <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> that they went. This boy was very young, and his brother u&s;ed both cunning, and gifts, and threatnings unto him to make him di&s;cover the truth: and though his ma&s;ter had forbidden him to tell that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was two or three dayes in <HI>Sinope</HI> before it was publiquely known, yet he told unto his brother, and promi&s;ed to tell him all he knew concerning the vi&s;its of <HI>Feraulas</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes:</HI> &s;o that he under&s;tood by this boy his brother, that whil&s;t <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was concealed in the hou&s;e of <HI>Artucas,</HI> they did both of them vi&s;it her: and that ever &s;ince &s;he came thither <HI>Feraulas</HI> did vi&s;it her every day, al&s;o <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> very often. There did need no more to &s;atisfie &s;uch a mi&s;tru&s;ting minde as that of <HI>Metrobates:</HI> and when he called to memory a hundred pa&s;&s;ages which he regarded not before, he did no longer doubt but that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was in love with the Prince&s;&s;e, and that the Prince&s;&s;e knew it, or at lea&s;t &s;u&s;pected it; He being thus furni&s;hed with &s;uch &s;trong arguments to ruine <HI>Artamenes,</HI> he went unto the Kings bed-&s;ide, who treated him very kindly; for this Prince knowing how <HI>Aribeus</HI> loved him, thought that &s;ince <HI>Metrobates</HI> was not engaged on his &s;ide, it was an infallible &s;igne of his fidelity, not imagining how this man remained here as a &s;pie for <HI>Aribeus. Metrobates</HI> then being in the night with the King, when none could di&s;turbe the freedome of &s;peaking, he thought to effect his de&s;igne. Yet notwith&s;tanding, he would not begin to &s;peak concerning <HI>Artamenes:</HI> but &s;tayed a while in hopes the King, who&s;e minde was taken up with nothing but the <HI>Armenian</HI> war, with the Prince&s;&s;e her captivity, and with the liberty of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> would &s;peak &s;omthing which might give him an oc|ca&s;ion to execute his de&s;igne, without making any affectation appear in his di&s;cour&s;e: at la&s;t <HI>Ciaxares</HI> gave him &s;uch an opportunity, as he de&s;ired; <HI>Metrobates,</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) are you of the opinion with the re&s;t, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> will &s;erve me with as much zeale and fidelity, as he hath heretofore? Is it not to be feared that his great &s;oul will not &s;uffer him to forget his pri&s;on? I believe Sir (replied, <HI>Metrobates)</HI> that <HI>Artamenes</HI> will forget all, and remember all to deliver the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana:</HI> but yet (&s;aid the King unto him) Is it not po&s;&s;ible to ghe&s;&s;e what this &s;ecret is, which I mu&s;t ask no more, &s;ince I am re|&s;olved to &s;et him at liberty who will not reveale it unto me? Sir, (replied <HI>Metrobates)</HI> If I dur&s;t tell your Maje&s;ty my thoughts, perhaps I &s;hould ab&s;olutly undeceive you in your opinion, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> will not &s;erve you for the future as well as heretofore: for &s;ince it was my &s;elf who was the cau&s;e of his impri&s;onment, becau&s;e from my hand you received that letter which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> writ; &s;o I think my &s;elf in &s;ome &s;ort obliged to tell you &s;omthing which I know will conduce unto his advantage, as well as I told you that which conduced unto his prejudice: when the King heard him &s;peak in that manner, he pre&s;&s;ed him extreamly to explaine him&s;elf: and <HI>Metrobates</HI> making him|&s;elf very ingenious and &s;incere, told how an accident drove him into the fi&s;hers Cabin, to write a letter in behalf of one of his friends which by chance he met withall, and related unto him how tho&s;e fi&s;hers told him that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was pa&s;&s;ionatly in love with the Prince&s;&s;e: he did &s;o aggravate the de&s;pair which <HI>Artamenes</HI> was in when he heard the Prince&s;&s;e was dead, that he did fully po&s;&s;e&s;s the Kings minde with the knowledge of what he de&s;ired to know: It &s;eems <HI>Metrobates</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) by your di&s;cour&s;e that <HI>Arta|menes</HI> is in love with my daughter: Sir (&s;aid he) I do confe&s;s it is in that, which I would do <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;ervice; and I dare a&s;&s;ure your Maje&s;ty, that &s;ince he has &s;uch a noble pa&s;&s;i|on in his &s;oul, he will forget his pri&s;on, and be more valiant and faithfull then ever he was; for Sir, (&s;aid he in &s;uch a manner as if he had no ill intentions towards him) the love of <HI>Artamenes</HI> will do the virtue of <HI>Mandana</HI> no wrong: Beauty upon a Throne is like
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the &s;un in heaven, every one has liberty to behold it; and as glorious light does not im|paire it rayes, although it &s;hine not alwaies upon flowers: &s;o the beauty of the Prince&s;&s;e, al|though it captivate others be&s;ides Kings, is not to be blamed. In the mean time, this &s;ubtle poy&s;on which <HI>Metrobates</HI> had infu&s;ed into the Kings minde, did afterwards operate in his heart; and cau&s;ed him to remember &s;ome light &s;u&s;pitions which he had of <HI>Artame|nes</HI> his love, when he fir&s;t put him in pri&s;on; he would have <HI>Metrobates</HI> repeat over what the fi&s;hers had told him; but <HI>Metrobates</HI> faigning as if he had not well enough remembred; nor &s;ufficiently harkened unto them, to a&s;&s;ure him&s;elf that all he had &s;aid was po&s;itively true, therefore he offered to go againe the next morning and more exactly informe him&s;elf. The King who&s;e minde was much troubled, commanded him not to faile, but endeavour to di&s;cover all that ever he could concerning &s;uch an important bu&s;ine&s;s as that. <HI>Metrobates</HI> &s;eemed to be very &s;orry, for tho&s;e vexations he had put into the Kings minde, and told him, he would u&s;e his be&s;t endeavours to learn out any thing, that might make his &s;oul to enjoy its re&s;t. In the mean while <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was extreamly trou|bled; for when he remembred him&s;elf, that <HI>Artamenes,</HI> never asked for his liberty &s;ince he was impri&s;oned, untill &s;uch time as he knew the Prince&s;&s;e was living, therefore he made that a ground of his &s;u&s;pition, and thought he was in love with her. Moreover he remem|bred his extream violent &s;orrowes when he returned unto <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> and related how he had relieved the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and facilitated the carrying away of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana:</HI> he called to minde that exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow he &s;aw in his eyes, when he was re|turned unto <HI>Sinope,</HI> and acquainted him with the &s;hipwrack of the Prince&s;&s;e: He pa&s;&s;ed over that night with &s;uch re&s;tle&s;s imaginations, and expected <HI>Metrobates</HI> mo&s;t impati|ently, who &s;eeming as if he had been to enforme him&s;elf better in &s;uch things as the King de&s;ired to know, returned and went unto the Kings Clo&s;&s;et, where the King as &s;oon as he was dre&s;t, did u&s;e to be. As &s;oon as the King &s;aw him, he turned towards him and &s;aid: well <HI>Metrobates,</HI> what more can you informe me of? mu&s;t <HI>Artamenes</HI> be &s;et at liberty, or mu&s;t I keep him clo&s;er? <HI>Metrobates</HI> then &s;eemed very &s;ad, and &s;eemed as if he knew much more then he dur&s;t &s;peak; Sir &s;aid he unto him: I beg your pardon, &s;ince it is my de&s;tiny to bring none but ill news alwaies unto your Maje&s;tie. Such crimes as the&s;e (replied <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> rather de&s;erve recompence, then either pardon or puni&s;hment: for commonly, Kings never hear of &s;uch things as are unplea&s;ant unto them but from tho&s;e who are his mo&s;t faithful &s;ervants. <HI>Metrobates</HI> grew more bold upon the Kings an|&s;wer, and told him, how it appeared by that di&s;cour&s;e which <HI>Mazares</HI> made of <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> that he not only loved her, but al&s;o the Prince&s;&s;e loved him againe: Then he repea|ted word for word all that the fi&s;hers told him: How, (cryed out <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> could my daughter know of the fond pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and endure it? If &s;he can <HI>Metrobates,</HI> my be&s;t cour&s;e were to let her remain &s;till in the hands of the King of <HI>Armenia:</HI> for if &s;he be of &s;o &s;lavi&s;h a &s;oul, &s;he cannot be better then in the pri&s;on of my enemy. Sir, (&s;aid he unto him) I be&s;eech your Maje&s;tie be not &s;o much tran&s;ported: the affection of the Prin|ce&s;&s;e is not perhaps &s;o much to be blamed, for <HI>Artamenes</HI> is furni&s;hed with &s;uch high qua|lities, that although his condition &s;eemes to be but mean, &s;ince he will not tell us what it is, yet the Prince&s;&s;e is excu&s;able, though &s;he &s;hould be &s;omthing indulgent towards him: No, no, <HI>Metrobates</HI> (&s;aid the King) you do not &s;peak as you think; Such as my daugh|ter ought to receive only te&s;timonies of re&s;pects from &s;uch as <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and ought to reject the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition of any love, and bani&s;h it from them for ever. That which does mo&s;t puzzle me (&s;aid the King) is that I have impri&s;oned both <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Ara&s;pes;</HI> becau&s;e finding a corre&s;pondencie between the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and <HI>Artamenes</HI> I &s;uppo&s;ed that <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> helped the King to e&s;cape: But if <HI>Artamenes</HI> be in love, is it credible he &s;hould &s;et his Rivall at liberty? and &s;ince it is &s;o that he did not &s;et him at liberty: what can this &s;ecret intelligence be which moved him to write, as he hath unto him: indeed <HI>Metrobates,</HI> I know not how to expound this Riddle: if I look upon the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s letter, I finde that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is ambitious, and has treated with my enemy: if I harken unto the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Mazares,</HI> I find <HI>Artamenes</HI> is a ra&s;h man, and my daughter has lo&s;t her wits, what &s;hould I think of the&s;e things? and how &s;hall I tran&s;act? <HI>Mandana</HI> is a captive in <HI>Armenia,</HI> and <HI>Artamenes</HI> is a pri&s;oner in <HI>Sinope;</HI> I am talking of giving him that is here his liberty; and intending to &s;end an Army to deliver the other in <HI>Arme|nia:</HI> Yet if it be &s;o, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is in love, and that <HI>Mandana</HI> knows it, and &s;uffers it; I mu&s;t then ruine <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and for&s;ake <HI>Mandana.</HI> But in doing &s;o, I mu&s;t di&s;ho|nour my Daughter in the eyes of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and al&s;o di&s;honour my &s;elf. Sir (replied then
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the wicked <HI>Metrobates)</HI> I hope your Maje&s;ty will never come to that, for if it &s;hould appear, (as I think it will not) that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is &s;o much in fault, as &s;hall move you to ruine him, you will not want other &s;pecious pretences to cloak it, and never bring the Prince&s;&s;e upon the Stage. But Sir (added he) I think it not expedient, your Maje&s;ty &s;hould &s;o &s;oon relea&s;e <HI>Artamenes;</HI> but endeavour fir&s;t to make matters more clear then yet they are; for me thinks the&s;e <HI>Sicilian</HI> Troops which are come hither, and which <HI>Philo|xypes</HI> &s;ent unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> to be pre&s;ented unto you, are to be a little &s;u&s;pected; there be|ing already &s;ome of <HI>Cyprus</HI> Troops in your Army, which had never been in it but by his means: And truly, if you remember it, the Prince <HI>Artibies</HI> &s;poke unto your Maje&s;ty af|ter an odde manner: And <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> al&s;o at his returne from <HI>Armenia,</HI> told &s;uch things unto you, as makes me conjecture, that there is &s;ome clo&s;e de&s;igne, which mu&s;t not be ripe untill <HI>Artamenes</HI> be at liberty. Who can tell Sir, whether all that is reported in <HI>Armenia,</HI> concerning the Prince&s;&s;e be true? The friends of <HI>Artamenes</HI> do perhaps retain her by force in &s;ome place; and there is &s;omething in it which de&s;erves to be made more cleer before <HI>Artamenes</HI> be &s;et free: And if your Maje&s;ty will appoint me, I &s;hall u&s;e my be&s;t endeavours to make a more exact di&s;covery. The King, who&s;e &s;oul was highly incen&s;ed, did command to do it accordingly: and becau&s;e he would not &s;eem to be moved with the coun&s;els of <HI>Metrobates,</HI> who feared le&s;t his de&s;igne &s;hould be prevented, he would &s;ee no body that day, but cau&s;ed it to be given out, he was not well: Mean while, <HI>Metro|bates</HI> re&s;olved to return at night, and tell the King all he knew concerning the journey of <HI>Ortalques</HI> unto <HI>Pteria;</HI> and how <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was three dayes concealed in the hou&s;e of <HI>Ar|tucas,</HI> before &s;he would appear at Court: Al&s;o how <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> did frequent|ly vi&s;it her all the while. But <HI>Metrobates</HI> was more happy in his project then he thought to be: for the young Boy who was with <HI>Artucas,</HI> told his brother, who &s;erved <HI>Metroba|tes,</HI> that it was not above two hours &s;ince <HI>Feraulas</HI> was with <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who was in pri|vate with him in her Clo&s;et: Their di&s;cour&s;e together was long, and the name of <HI>Arta|menes</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> was much u&s;ed between them; that &s;he opened a Box, and gave him &s;omething, which he beleeved to be a Letter: That <HI>Feraulas</HI> after this went out, and as he departed from her &s;aid, he would immediately carry that which &s;he had given him, unto that party who expected him with much impatience. This Boy &s;aid further, that he went out after <HI>Feraulas,</HI> and followed him to the Ca&s;tle, and afterwards unto the Chamber where <HI>Artamenes</HI> was kept pri&s;oner. <HI>Metrobates</HI> having met with this intelligence, went unto the King with as much Melancholy in his face, as he had joy in his heart: As &s;oon as he was entred into his Chamber, and &s;aw none with him, Sir, &s;aid he unto him, I am for|ced to acquaint you, that without all que&s;tion there is &s;ome con&s;iderable matter in it which mu&s;t be di&s;covered: for indeed (&s;aid he) I am certainly informed by a friend which I have in <HI>Pteria,</HI> that &s;ince <HI>Artamenes</HI> was a pri&s;oner, <HI>Ortalques</HI> who brought the news of the Prince&s;&s;e being living, hath been from <HI>Artamenes</HI> with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who &s;ince is gone from thence, and none knows where he is: Al&s;o I under&s;tand further, by one of <HI>Ar|tucas</HI> his Dome&s;ticks, that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was three dayes in his hou&s;e before &s;he &s;aw your Ma|je&s;ty: &s;he, I &s;ay, who had no more to tell you, but that the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> was not dead: I know &s;he &s;ent a Letter unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and that there pa&s;&s;eth not a day, but <HI>Fe|raulas</HI> doth vi&s;it her: Moreover I ob&s;erve, that <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and he are continually going from one place to another: &s;ometimes to the King of <HI>Phrygia;</HI> &s;ometimes unto the King of <HI>Hircania;</HI> &s;ometimes to <HI>Hida&s;pes, Thimocrates, Gadates, Gobrias,</HI> and others. Then Sir, all the&s;e Princes, are great admirers of <HI>Artamenes</HI> and his valour, and are apt to un|dertake any thing in his behalf. But (&s;aid <HI>Ciaxares</HI> then unto him) what cour&s;e &s;hould I undertake to be more fully &s;atisfied of the&s;e things, which I hardly need to make any doubt of? Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Metrobates</HI> unto him) I beleeve your Maje&s;ty would di&s;cover all, if <HI>Ortalques</HI> were arre&s;ted and brought to render an account of his voyage unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> and if the Cabinet of <HI>Artamenes</HI> were &s;earched, who &s;ince he is in hopes of li|berty, will doubtle&s;&s;e keep the Letter which <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> &s;ent unto him: It would not be ami&s;&s;e if <HI>Artucas, Marte&s;ia, Feraulas,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> were &s;ecured: Moreover (added he) &s;ince certainly the quality and birth of <HI>Artamenes</HI> is very mean, I would have the&s;e men compel|led to declare it: for the knowledge of it would produce three con&s;equences: It would ag|gravate his crime again&s;t the Prince&s;&s;e: his ingratitude to you more odious: and would perhaps bani&s;h him out of the minde of <HI>Mandana,</HI> if it be true, as in all likelihood it is, that her heart is full of affection unto <HI>Artamenes.</HI> The minde of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was &s;o &s;harp upon this advice, as he never con&s;idered how dangerous the de&s;igne was: but on the con|trary,
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he beleeved that if he &s;hould let all all the&s;e Kings and Princes under&s;tand that <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> was a Traytor; a man of a mean and de&s;picable birth, and had ab&s;olutely failed in tho&s;e re&s;pects which he ought unto the Prince&s;&s;e his Daughter, they would all deny him any protection, and would with the fir&s;t give coun&s;ell to de&s;tory him: not but that he was much put to it, whom he &s;hould chu&s;e for executioners of his Orders: But as <HI>Metrobates</HI> was as bold as wicked, he offered him&s;elf, &s;o his maje&s;ty would give him power, to act what he had advi&s;ed unto. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was a long while before he could re&s;olve with him&s;elf; but at la&s;t, he thought the fir&s;t bu&s;ine&s;&s;e would be to &s;earch the Cabinet of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and to that effect, he &s;ent Orders unto <HI>Andramias,</HI> by <HI>Metrobates,</HI> to be a&s;&s;i&s;tant. <HI>Metrobates</HI> went then to <HI>Andramias,</HI> whom he did not finde with <HI>Artamenes:</HI> But &s;ince great liberty was now allowed to vi&s;it this famous pri&s;oner, <HI>Arbaces</HI> Lieutenant of the Guards under <HI>Andramias</HI> &s;uffered him to enter with twelve of the Kings Guard which followed him, for the King commanded him to make u&s;e of force, if a bare command would not do it. As he entered into the Chamber, he &s;aw <HI>Artamenes</HI> locking his Cabinet very ha&s;tily becau&s;e of the noi&s;e he heard. Sir, &s;aid he, going unto him, The King has Commanded me to bring this Cabinet unto him, and I be&s;eech you be plea&s;ed to permit me to yeeld obedience unto him. <HI>Metrobates</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Artamenes</HI> unto him, and &s;tanding between the Table and him) cannot ea&s;ily per&s;wade me that the King has given him any &s;uch Commi&s;&s;ion, and there|fore &s;ince I think he acts without his Orders, I will endeavour to hinder him from &s;atisfying his particular curio&s;ity. Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Metrobates</HI> unto him, and calling in the Guards, who were in the outer Chamber) I am able to yeeld obedience unto the King, therefore do not force me to u&s;e any violence upon you. <HI>Artamenes</HI> was &s;o de&s;perate at this accident, that he knew not what was be&s;t for him to do. It was in vain to re&s;i&s;t; and to let him carry away the Cabinet, in which was a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of that import, he could not re&s;olve, therefore tur|ning towards the Table to open it. Then, &s;uffer me (&s;aid he) to take that out, which is none of my own, before I give it you. But <HI>Metrobates</HI> having &s;eized upon the Cabinet, com|manding the Guards to keep off <HI>Artamenes;</HI> they were in a minde not to obey him: Yet when <HI>Metrobates</HI> threatning them, that the King would puni&s;h them, they hindred <HI>Arta|menes</HI> from taking the Cabinet out of his hands: and <HI>Metrobates</HI> carried it away, the Guards following him. He came then with all &s;peed unto the Kings Chamber, comman|ding <HI>Arbaces</HI> to let none enter unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> untill new Orders: but as he went he was not without his conceits; for indeed he did not directly know what it was which <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> had &s;ent unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and he was fearfull it would not prove a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e &s;o criminall as he wi&s;hed it: Yet &s;ince he could not imagine what innocent intelligence there could be be|tween them, he went to <HI>Ciaxares</HI> with much boldne&s;&s;e, and al&s;o much hopes; the re&s;i&s;t|ance of <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;eeming unto him to be an infallible mark, that there was &s;omething in that Cabinet which would make again&s;t him: He did therefore very much aggravate the de&s;pair of this Illu&s;trious Pri&s;oner; and breaking open the Cabinet which was not full, be|cau&s;e, <HI>Mandana's</HI> &s;carf remained upon the Table, when <HI>Artamenes</HI> did &s;hut it, upon the entrance of <HI>Metrobates;</HI> then they began to look what was within it; and there was found &s;ome jewels and perfumes, one of <HI>Homers</HI> Illiads rich bound up; likewi&s;e the Lawes of
<HI>Lycurgus</HI> and <HI>Solon;</HI> the Comedy of <HI>The&s;pis,</HI> &s;ome Ver&s;es of <HI>Sappho,</HI> and <HI>Erina</HI>'s com|po&s;ing; certain Enigmaes of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Cleobuline;</HI> &s;ome &s;mall Geographicall papers; the modell of <HI>Babylon;</HI> the de&s;cription and encampment of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his Army before that Town; &s;ome Songs of the famous <HI>Arion,</HI> and many other &s;uch things: All this while <HI>Metrobates</HI> de&s;paired of finding any thing again&s;t <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was very glad of it: but at the la&s;t, finding a little golden enamel'd Box, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;aw that the Picture of <HI>Mandana</HI> was within it, about which this Devi&s;e was written in the <HI>Cappa|docian</HI> Language.<LB>
<HI>I am better in your Heart.</HI><LB></P>
<P>This picture was made for a Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> whom <HI>Mandana</HI> loved very well and who loved her mo&s;t tenderly again: So that this Prince&s;&s;e dying before &s;he had this picture, <HI>Mandana</HI> gave it to <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who de&s;ired it of her. But alas, how extreamly was <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;urpri&s;ed to find it there! and how jocund <HI>Metrobates,</HI> to &s;ee him&s;elf happier then ever he hoped for: The Kings mind was &s;o much troubled, that he neither knew what he did, nor what he &s;aw, He read this harmle&s;&s;e Motto which he thought to be &s;o cri|minal; and afterwards cried out, who could have thought that ever <HI>Mandana</HI> would have &s;poke &s;uch a would unto <HI>Artamenes?</HI> How could that &s;evere vertue which &s;he &s;eemed to
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own, &s;uffer her to imagine &s;uch a piece of gallantry as this, in favour of a &s;imple Cavalier, who wanders about the world, and none knows what he is? Ha, &s;ince it is &s;o, as it is but too too true, <HI>Mandana</HI> has &s;ome further de&s;ignes: Perhaps &s;he is hid in the hou&s;e of <HI>Artu|cas,</HI> where &s;he &s;taies only untill <HI>Artamenes</HI> be at liberty; and then when he has got him|&s;elf in the head of all tho&s;e forces which are of his intelligence, he will take my Crown from me, and &s;ubvert my Throne. No, no, (&s;aid he unto <HI>Metrobates,</HI> and throwing the picture into the Cabinet again) we mu&s;t lo&s;e no time; the guards of <HI>Artamenes</HI> mu&s;t be changed: <HI>Chri&s;antes, Feraulas, Artucas, Orcalques, Marte&s;ia,</HI> and <HI>Andramias</HI> al&s;o mu&s;t be &s;ecured, for I &s;u&s;pect him al&s;o. Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Metrobates)</HI> I know very well that this de|&s;ign is &s;omething dangerous to execute, yet I humbly offer my &s;elf and will adventure it, &s;o I may have your Maje&s;ties Guard to a&s;&s;i&s;t me: then I believe the re&s;pect which all peo|ple ows unto you, will keep them from oppo&s;ing your will: So that except <HI>Andramias</HI> and <HI>Artucas</HI> who are men of rank, and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> who is a woman of quality, all the re&s;t are incon&s;iderable; as for <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> they are &s;trangers, and doubtle&s;&s;e are no more to be feared then their Ma&s;ter: and I am &s;ure there is no danger in &s;ecuring <HI>Ortalques.</HI> The King then recalling into his mind the di&s;cour&s;es of <HI>Mazares</HI> unto <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and the journey of <HI>Ortalques</HI> unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> the &s;ecret carriage of <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> with <HI>Artu|cas:</HI> the frequent vi&s;its of <HI>Feraulas</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes:</HI> the picture of <HI>Mandana</HI> in the hands of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ionate Motto, too gallant for a Lady which made profe&s;&s;ion of &s;o much vertue, he thought que&s;tionle&s;&s;e to di&s;cover &s;ome great crime; and que&s;tioned no further but <HI>Artamenes</HI> was in love, and that <HI>Mandana</HI> allowed of it: In conclu&s;ion, being tran&s;ported with anger, he cau&s;ed <HI>Metrobates</HI> to take fifty of his Guard, to execute his plea&s;ure before the pa&s;&s;ages in <HI>Artamenes</HI> Chamber was noi&s;ed abroad. <HI>Andramias</HI> coming into the Ca&s;tle as <HI>Metrobates</HI> was going out, he was ea&s;ily arre&s;ted, as well as <HI>Or|talques</HI> who was with him: From thence going to take <HI>Artucas,</HI> he found <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> there, and took them three; conducting <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and a woman to wait up|on her in a Coach unto the Ca&s;tle, but carrying <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Artucas</HI> on foot; after|wards, he went to look for <HI>Feraulas,</HI> but could not find him; for hearing by good fortune, that <HI>Metrobates</HI> had been in his Ma&s;ters Chamber with a Guard, he was gone unto <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> to acquaint him, where he found the King of <HI>Phrygia:</HI> Pre&s;ently after he was come thi|ther, they heard of <HI>Andramias</HI> his arre&s;t; and al&s;o how <HI>Ortalques, Marte&s;ia, Chri&s;antes,</HI> and <HI>Artucas,</HI> were impri&s;oned in the Ca&s;tle: and that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was kept more clo&s;e then ever. So that hearing of all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages at one time, and knowing that <HI>Metrobates</HI> had been to &s;eek for <HI>Feraulas;</HI> the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> would not have him &s;tir out of the hou&s;e of <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> becau&s;e he might be much more &s;erviceable unto his Ma&s;ter then if he were in pri&s;on. This Prince having &s;ent in all ha&s;te to acquaint all the famous friends of <HI>Artamenes</HI> with it: they all went unto the King as fa&s;t as ever they could to know the cau&s;e of this &s;udden change. The King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> the King of <HI>Hircania, Per&s;odes, Thra|&s;ibulus,</HI> the Prince of <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> the Prince of <HI>Licaonia, Ariobantes, Gadates, Artibies, Hida&s;pes, Adu&s;ius, Aglatidas, Gobrias, Madates, Artaba&s;es, Leontidas, Megabi&s;es, Thimo|crates, Philocles,</HI> and many others, came thither; but it was told them, they could not &s;ee the King: Yet notwith&s;tanding &s;ince they feared le&s;t he &s;hould fall upon &s;ome violent re&s;olution, they pre&s;&s;ed &s;o much, that at the la&s;t he commanded the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> only &s;hould enter, where they found him extreamly &s;ad. Sir, (&s;aid the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> unto him) we are come hither to know whether your Maje&s;ty has any need of us: Yes, (an&s;wered the King in great rage) I do not think you will any longer protect and de|fend &s;uch an ungrateful, ra&s;h, and ambitious man as <HI>Artamenes;</HI> Who came into my Court, with no intent but to di&s;honour me: and a&s;&s;umes &s;o much boldne&s;&s;e, as to fix his eyes upon my Daughter: All her Ravi&s;hers are le&s;&s;e worthy of my hate then he, &s;ince in taking her away, they have done nothing which is unworthy of her: But this in&s;olent fel|low, in ravi&s;hing away her heart, has done her an irrepairable wrong, and mortally offend|ed me. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> although he was a &s;tranger unto her, and an enemy to the <HI>Medes,</HI> is yet a great King: The King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> although he hath lo&s;t both his Kingdoms, yet he retains the Quality of a King: The Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> was Royally born, and lived in expectation of a Crown: But as for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> do doubtle&s;&s;e he was born in a pri&s;on; his Parents were &s;ome &s;laves, el&s;e he would not hide his condition from us as he doth. Sir, re|plied the King of <HI>Phrygia, Artamenes</HI> has performed &s;uch Martiall Actions in War, as me thinks &s;ufficiently denotes the contrary to what you &s;ay. <HI>Artamenes</HI> (replied <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> has committed &s;uch a Crime in &s;tealing away my Daughters heart, that I will never pardon
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him; for he &s;aw I denied her unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who had then two Crowns: He &s;aw, that I Armed above a hundred thou&s;and men, to fetch her out of the power of one of the greate&s;t Kings in al <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> and yet he pre&s;umes to bear &s;uch an a&s;&s;ection unto her, as cannot be innocent; For if he do not de&s;ign to marry her, then his aims are to defame her: and if his pre&s;umptuous thoughts do aim at marrying her, then his de&s;ign is to &s;et a &s;lave upon the Throne of <HI>Medea,</HI> and doubtle&s;&s;e to depo&s;e me hereafter, &s;ince it is not po&s;&s;ible he can ever hope that I &s;hould con&s;ent unto his de&s;ign: The truth is he has &s;uch unju&s;t, &s;o &s;trange, and guilty thoughts, that death is too &s;mall a puni&s;hment for them, and him that owns them: yet Sir, (replied the King of <HI>Hircania)</HI> what new matter have you again&s;t him, &s;ince you were once in a mind to acquit him? A hundred things (an&s;wered <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> which makes me think of nothing but his ruine. Sir, (replied the King of <HI>Phrygia)</HI> &s;uch a re&s;olution as that ought not to be tumultuou&s;ly undertaken; and though <HI>Artamenes</HI> were culpable (as I believe him innocent) yet he hath &s;o gained the hearts of the &s;ouldiers, that it is much to be feared, that if you &s;hould ruine him, it would make a great di&s;order in your Camp: Not at all (replied the King) for when I &s;hall fully know the ba&s;ene&s;&s;e of his birth, as doubtle&s;&s;e I will know it, &s;ince know it, &s;ince I have <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> in my power; and when I have publi&s;hed unto the world by a Declaration, that a common &s;ouldier of fortune, and perhaps &s;omething wor&s;e, is &s;o audacious as to think upon the daughter of a King, and to take away his Crown; I believe there will be none &s;o unju&s;t as to oppo&s;e me in puni&s;hing &s;uch a one: For truly, it is mo&s;t &s;trange that &s;uch a man as <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;hould be &s;o in&s;olent as to dare &s;o much as to look upon my daughter: My daughter, I &s;ay, who hitherto has appeared as wi&s;e and prudent, as any in the world: But <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> &s;hall tell me, by what charms &s;he lo&s;t her rea&s;on, and by what enchantments <HI>Artamenes</HI> made her forget her duty both unto her &s;elf and me. But Sir, (replied the King of <HI>Phrygia)</HI> you did accu&s;e <HI>Artamenes</HI> for holding intellignece with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> as a lover of your daughter, and now you accu&s;e him for loving her him&s;elf; how can you reconcile the&s;e two things which &s;eem &s;o directly contrary? I know not (replied <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> but the rigour of puni&s;hment, and fear of death, will doubtle&s;&s;e make <HI>Chri&s;antes, Ortalques,</HI> and <HI>Arta|menes</HI> him&s;elf, confe&s;&s;e that I yet know not: But Sir, (&s;aid the King of <HI>Hircania)</HI> what convincing rea&s;ons have you for it? I have a hundred, I tell you (replied <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> all which do plainly let me &s;ee that <HI>Artamenes</HI> does hold intelligence with my enemy and with my daughter, and that my daughter hates not him; there needs no more to move me to pronounce &s;entence of death again&s;t a man whom I &s;o much loved, although he was of &s;o ha&s;e an extract. But Sir, replied the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> what if he &s;hould prove the &s;on of a great King? he would have told it long &s;ince, replied <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> if he had been &s;uch a one: but certainly he is only a forward ambitious man whom fortune favours, and whom the &s;implicity of my daughter has made both happy and culpable; and when I am fully informed in all the circum&s;tances of his crime, out of his own mouth, and by the confe&s;&s;ion of <HI>Marte&s;ia, Chri&s;antes,</HI> and <HI>Andramias,</HI> whom I &s;u&s;pect to be too much his friend: when I &s;hall know, I &s;ay, by <HI>Artucas, Ortalques, Ara&s;pes,</HI> and by <HI>Feraulas,</HI> if I can catch him, all that love and ambition did prompt this &s;ecret enemy unto, then I will call you all to be witne&s;&s;es of his condemnation. Sir, (&s;aid the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> unto him) I do mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech your Maje&s;tie, not to condemn him upon &s;urmi&s;es, &amp; appearences he is perhaps one whom you do not know how great he is; and that affection which he has unto the Prince&s;&s;e, al&s;o the intelligence he hath held with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> are not &s;o criminal as you &s;up|po&s;e them: aftewards, the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> added; I dare tell your Maje&s;tie thus much, that tho&s;e &s;ervices which <HI>Artamenes</HI> has done you, de&s;erves a pardon for greater crimes then the&s;e: It is true, (replied <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> and truly I was re&s;olved to pardon him for holding intelligence with my enemy: but that &s;uch a man as he &s;hould have any attempts upon my daughter, I &s;hall never pardon that. The&s;e Princes &s;eeing <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;o incen&s;ed, would not urge him any further at that time; they only intreated him to examin the bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e very well, and not to condemn him but upon convincing proofs; as, that he was ab|&s;olutely of a guilty corre&s;pondency with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> that he had plotted &s;ome unju&s;t de&s;ign with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana;</HI> and that he &s;hould prove no more then a vile &s;lave (as he &s;uppo&s;ed him) or a common Cavalier: after this they left him, intending to advi&s;e altogether what was mo&s;t expedient to be done: As they went out of the Kings Clo&s;et, all they who were in the chamber gathered about them, to know how &s;quares went; &s;eeming by their di&s;cour&s;e and actions, that they were ready to undertake any thing in be|half of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> but tho&s;e Kings, being unwilling to enform them of any thing in that
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place, went unto <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> whither they were waited upon by all this multitude of brave men which this great alteration brought unto the King. They were no &s;ooner there, but <HI>Feraulas</HI> who there expected them, de&s;iring to &s;peak a word in private unto the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> told him, that &s;ince he went out, he under&s;tood that <HI>Metrobates</HI> had taken the Cabinet of <HI>Artamenes</HI> from him, and carried it unto the King; he told him further, how certainly he would find <HI>Mandana</HI>'s picture in it, which was never made for him; and that <HI>Mandana</HI> did not give it unto him, as it would be ea&s;ily proved; and that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> did lend it unto him that &s;ame day: But though it was an ea&s;ie matter to ju&s;tifie the Prince&s;&s;e concerning this picture, yet there was no pretence to colour the love which <HI>Artamenes</HI> bore unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> which &s;eemed to be the cau&s;e why he de&s;ired to have this picture in his pri&s;on. In conclu&s;ion, &s;ince all tho&s;e who were with <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> were all of them friends unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> this Prince &s;aid unto tho&s;e who were not acquainted with his &s;tory, that he would engage his word unto them, <HI>Artamenes</HI> was the mo&s;t faithful &s;ervant <HI>Ciaxares</HI> ever had; and that it would be a piece of good &s;ervice unto the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> to hinder him for acting &s;uch a piece of great inju&s;tice: That moreover it was ea&s;ie to be &s;een how <HI>Metrobates</HI> the old friend of <HI>Aribeus,</HI> was imployed in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; and that it was to be feared, this revengeful man, did much incen&s;e the King: That in the mean time it is ex|pedient to keep the &s;ouldiers &s;till in their good opinion of <HI>Artamenes</HI> and his innocency; and to that end it were requi&s;ite for every one to go immediately and give out all nece&s;&s;ary orders in the Camp accordingly: and mo&s;t of that illu&s;trious company went in all ha&s;te to divulge the report of a new piece of inju&s;tice which had been due unto the famous and in|nocent pri&s;oner; and none remained there but &s;uch as knew the &s;tory and life of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> To wit, the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> the King of <HI>Hircania, Per&s;odes, Thra&s;ibulus, Hida&s;pes, A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">u&s;ius,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> and then they con&s;ulted what was mo&s;t expedient to be done in &s;uch a di&s;a&s;terous bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: They all imagined that <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> would never &s;peak a word, neither concerning his Ma&s;ters love, nor his birth, what torments &s;over they put upon him: but they imagined al&s;o, that the more he denied to tell who <HI>Artamenes</HI> was, they more apt would the King be to believe, that his condition was ba&s;e, and al&s;o thought him more cri|minal: They had &s;ome fears of <HI>Ortalques,</HI> le&s;t he &s;hould confe&s;&s;e &s;omething which might prejudice; for <HI>Feraulas</HI> under&s;tood from <HI>Artamenes,</HI> what his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was at <HI>Pteria:</HI> They apprehended al&s;o that <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> out of her fears of death, would di&s;cover nothing but the innocent affection of <HI>Artamenes</HI> unto the Prince&s;&s;e: and being de&s;irous to ju&s;tifie <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he would never tell who <HI>Artamenes</HI> really was: In conclu&s;ion of all, the ap|prehended nothing but apparent cau&s;es of fear; and &s;o no greater hopes in any thing then force; and they conceived that it was no certain way to &s;ave his life neither, &s;ince <HI>Ciax|ares</HI> kept him in the Ca&s;tle, and might chop off his head before they could be in any condi|tion to relieve him; they re&s;olved then to &s;ee how things would go in the morning, and in the mean time to keep them&s;elves in a readine&s;&s;e to re&s;i&s;t all manner of violence, if there &s;hould be any need. <HI>Feraulas</HI> &s;pent that night in continual &s;tirring; he went out of the Town unto the Camp, and there from Tent to Tent, from Hut to Hut, to infu&s;e fre&s;h de&s;ires into all the Captains and Souldiers to &s;ave the life of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> and return|ing unto the Town at break of day, he pa&s;&s;ed through four or five &s;everal places, before he could come at the hou&s;e of <HI>Hida&s;pes.</HI> Never was &s;uch a di&s;order &s;een; all the inhabitants of <HI>Sinope</HI> &s;aid that they never could nor would &s;uffer &s;uch a man as he to peri&s;h: The Soul|diers both of the Town and Camp, &s;poke high, and &s;aid they would not endure it: The Kings private Guards did but unwillingly obey and if <HI>Metrobates</HI> had not been very cauti|ous, he would have found him&s;elf in a very &s;ad condition: but he had no &s;ooner arre&s;ted all the&s;e whom by the Kings orders he was to impri&s;on, but he &s;ent in all ha&s;te unto <HI>Artaxes,</HI> to &s;end him a thou&s;and men, ready at the Gates of <HI>Sinope,</HI> in the beginning of the night, and at the &s;ame time he told the King, that he brought them from a Town whereof he was Governour: And <HI>Metrobates</HI> carried it &s;o, that he cau&s;ed the&s;e rebel Troops to enter into the Town and Ca&s;tle that night; &s;o that the next morning the friends of <HI>Artamenes</HI> were amazed, to &s;ee all &s;trange faces, and Souldiers they knew not. Mean while, <HI>Chri&s;antes, Or|talques, Artucas, Andramias, Ara&s;pes,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> were to an&s;wer <HI>Metrobates</HI> unto the&s;e three equ&s;tions; The one, who <HI>Artamenes</HI> was? The other, what was the intelligence which he held with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria?</HI> And the la&s;t, when he began to be in love with <HI>Mandana? Chri&s;antes</HI> fearing to prejudice his Ma&s;ter in &s;aying he was <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and conceiving that he &s;hould as much prejudice him, if he left him in the conceipt of his mean original, took therefore the medium betwixt tho&s;e two extreams, and &s;aid, that he was
<PB N="204" REF="187">
de&s;cended from the mo&s;t noble family, but that it was not permitted him to tell any further: &amp; as for the matter of intelligence with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> he &s;aid that it was advantagious rather then any thing prejudiciall unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> but he would &s;peak no further concerning that particular. As for his demeanure towards <HI>Mandana,</HI> her to him, he &s;aid that &s;ince &s;he was &s;omuch obliged unto him, &amp; was a debtor for the life of her father, &amp; for &s;o many victo|ries which he had obteined for him, it was not at all &s;trange if &s;he did much e&s;tem of him, but forany further, he knewnot any thing. <HI>Ortalques</HI> for his part, he &s;aid that he knew no|thing of any particulars between the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and him, which could be any way obnoxious unto the Kings &s;ervice; for he knew they were enemies one to another: <HI>Andrami|as</HI> could make no an&s;wer, but all in the negative, unto all the que&s;tions; for indeed, he knew nothing at all concerning them. As for <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;he told <HI>Metrobates</HI> with as much prudence as boldne&s;s, that though her mi&s;tre&s;s had tru&s;ted her with any &s;ecret, yet would &s;he never di&s;cover it, and that &s;ince &s;he was placed with the Prince&s;&s;e by the King him&s;elf, &s;o &s;he would render an account unto none but him. All this while, <HI>Artamenes</HI> was uncon|ceivably perplexed. What, &s;aid he in him&s;elf, &s;hall ever I be the cau&s;e that the King does accu&s;e my Prince&s;&s;e? cannot her virtue, her &s;everity, and rigor keep her from their &s;u&s;pitions? but that they will blame her, and perhaps unju&s;tly condemn her? oh mo&s;t imprudent man that I am, to tru&s;t in tho&s;e hopes they gave me? ought I not rather to have feared the capritious humour of my fortune: which did not promote me but only to throw me down with more precipitation? Alas <HI>Mandana,</HI> will the King think that you gave me that picture which he &s;aw? and from thence will conceive a hundred fal&s;e ima|ginations and all as fal&s;e as it. Somtimes <HI>Artamenes</HI> fearing the fury of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> towards the Prince&s;&s;e, did rather wi&s;h her in the power of a re&s;pective Rivall as the King of <HI>Pon|tus</HI> was, then in the power of a violent and incen&s;ed father, as <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was: The&s;e apprehen&s;ions la&s;ted not long, but he repented him&s;elf of his former wi&s;h; and when he con&s;idered that all hopes of his liberty was lo&s;t; and that he had cau&s;ed the misfortunes of &s;o many innocent per&s;ons; and how little appearance there was to avoyd them otherwi&s;e then by death, he fell into extream de&s;pair: his great &s;oul notwith&s;tanding did alwaies endeavour to re&s;i&s;t his &s;orrowes: And if it had been only in con&s;ideration of him&s;elf, he would not have &s;tood in need of all his con&s;tancie. All his guards were changed, and tho&s;e Souldiers which <HI>Artaxes</HI> had &s;ent were placed about him: &s;o that he received no con|&s;olation at all. Since the King was well acquainted with his re&s;olutne&s;s, although he once intended to examine him him&s;elf, concerning his birth, concerning the corre&s;pondency with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and concerning his love, yet he did alter his opinion, and re&s;olved to u&s;e others in the bu&s;ine&s;s whom he had in his power: and to that end, he promi&s;ed them recompen&s;es, he terrified them with mo&s;t cruell puni&s;hments, and began to u&s;e them cour&s;ly: But do what <HI>Metrobates</HI> could, he could not make them alter their an&s;wers, neither <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> nor <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> nor <HI>Ortalques:</HI> for as for the three others, they had nothing at all to &s;ay, <HI>Artucas</HI> did confe&s;s his co&s;en was three dayes in his hou&s;e, before &s;he &s;he went abroad, but he &s;aid, the rea&s;on was, becau&s;e &s;he was not in a condition to be &s;een, or at the lea&s;t, &s;he gave him no other rea&s;on for it, and though indeed <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> did de&s;ire to &s;ee <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> he could not tell what the bu&s;ine&s;s was. <HI>Metrobates</HI> did not relate their an&s;wers unto the King rightly, but on the contrary, did a&s;&s;ure him they trembled when they &s;poke, and often contradicted them&s;elves, and that ere long they would tell all: Mean while, the King would needs &s;ee <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> although <HI>Metrobates</HI> oppo&s;ed it as much as he could: &s;o that this couragious woman was guarded unto him: after &s;he had done all due reverence unto the King, and behaving her &s;elf boldly like one that was innocent in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> (&s;aid he unto her) you are the confident both of <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Artamenes:</HI> and I mu&s;t have the truth from your mouth though I have met with it other wayes. Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him) &s;ince I know not any thing which can prejudice tho&s;e two Illu&s;trious per&s;ons you name, I &s;hall ea&s;ily an&s;wer you: How <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (replied the King very angry) do you not think it prejudiciall unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> to love <HI>Artamenes,</HI> as mo&s;t certainly &s;he does? I think Sir (replied &s;he) that the Prince&s;s were one of the mo&s;t unrea&s;onable women in the world if &s;he did not highly e&s;teem him, and one of the mo&s;t ungratfull al&s;o, if beleeving him &s;o innocent as he is, &s;he did not ac|knowledg tho&s;e &s;ervices which he has done your Maje&s;ty: But Sir, all the thoughts of the Prince&s;&s;e are confined unto the&s;e two; &s;he e&s;teems him, and thought her &s;elf obliged unto it. But <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> replied the King, vertuous Prince&s;&s;es, who only e&s;teem a bare Cavalier &s;uch as <HI>Artamenes,</HI> do not u&s;e to be&s;tow their pictures upon him; Oh Sir, cryed
<PB N="241" REF="187">
out <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> the Prince&s;&s;e never gave that picture unto <HI>Artamenes;</HI> if it be found in his hands, it mu&s;t needs be <HI>Feraulas</HI> who is a good friend of mine, and unto whom <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ent it, that &s;hewed it unto him, as a fine peece, for that picture Sir, was never made for me, much le&s;s for <HI>Artamenes:</HI> and if we were at <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> I could ea&s;ily prove <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t was made for the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Pteria</HI> who died before &s;he received it. Indeed <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> replied the King, this picture is found in the Cabinet of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and doubtle&s;s, <HI>Mandana</HI> did &s;end it by you to comfort him in her ab&s;ence: No Sir, &s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I cannot endure that the Ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">umnie of wicked men &s;hould make you beleeve &s;o; I do invoke all tho&s;e gods whom I adore to witne&s;s, that the Prince&s;&s;e does not know that <HI>Artamenes</HI> hath it, and you would be the mo&s;t unju&s;t Prince upon earth, if you &s;hould accu&s;e the mo&s;t innocent and the mo&s;t vertuous Prince&s;&s;e in the world of any &s;uch thing. But what were you do|ing, (replied he) tho&s;e three dayes which you were with <HI>Artucas,</HI> before you &s;aw me? <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> being not well able to an&s;wer this la&s;t que&s;tion, changed colour: yet pre&s;ently a&s;&s;uming her confidence, Sir, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) &s;ince I was not then in &s;o hand&s;ome a con|dition to appear at Court, I had no di&s;po&s;ition that another &s;hould acquaint you with what I had to &s;ay, therefore I thought that tho&s;e three days might well be &s;pared, &s;ince I knew you were not ignorant how the Prince&s;&s;e was living: But all that while (replied the King) you &s;aw <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas:</HI> It is very true (&s;aid &s;he) I did &s;o, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> endea|voured to comfort them in their &s;orrowes, and to give them &s;ome hopes, that ere long your Maje&s;ty would know how innocent their Ma&s;ter was: you might have contented your &s;elf (&s;aid this violent Prince) with concealing the weakne&s;s of your mi&s;tre&s;s, with|out ju&s;tifying &s;uch a bold and unthankfull per&s;on, as never remembring the ba&s;ene&s;s of his birth, dur&s;t ca&s;t his eyes upon my daughter. Sir, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> when the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was in your Court under the name of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> you then thought his condition no greater then that of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> It is very true, replied the King, but that is no argu|ment to per&s;wade me <HI>Artamenes</HI> is any other then what I think him to be: yes Sir, repli|ed <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I &s;hould rather think <HI>Artamenes</HI> to be the &s;on of a great King, then the &s;on of a &s;lave, what King, (&s;aid <HI>Ciaxares</HI> very angerly) can he be &s;on unto? the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> hath none? was the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> ever married? hath the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> more then two whom all the world knowes? Had the King of <HI>Arabia</HI> ever any? is not the &s;on of the King of <HI>Saces</HI> drown'd? or can he be &s;on unto the King of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> who as they &s;ay was never heard of and who&s;e father yer mourns for? Sir, &s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (whom the name of <HI>Cyrus</HI> cau<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">&s;h) I c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> who&s;e &s;on <HI>Artamenes</HI> is; but let me tell you; that I am <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> per&s;waded th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> does not know what he is; the King then being tran&s;ported with Chol<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">&s;e but take part with <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">amous <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">oner, and to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Prince&s;&s;e, of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> and her &s;elf <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> I know <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> a diff<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">etween <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> I can make <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> yo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> day repent of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;ay <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> being able to &s;crue no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> her back, and w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ly troubled&punc; He might know by her an&s;wers, although <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> denied all, that there was a &s;ecret in the bu&s;ine&s;s which &s;he would not reveale: The <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">s of <HI>Mazares,</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> dying were con&s;iderable, <HI>Mandana</HI>'s picture was a con|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ing argument: the concealment of <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> with <HI>Artucas;</HI> the frequent vi&s;its of
<HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">aulas,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes: Ortalques</HI> his voyage unto <HI>Pteria,</HI> and a hundred circum&s;tan|ces which came into his memory, did mo&s;t &s;trongly per&s;wade him, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was mo&s;t culpable; and the impo&s;&s;ibility to find out his true condition, did the more con|firm him in his belief that he was of a ba&s;e de&s;cent, not but that when he con&s;idered &s;ometims whether he would or no&punc; how this extraordinary man had &s;aved his life, had got him &s;o many battles, had &s;ubmitted &s;o many Kings, he could not chu&s;e but wonder at the ob&s;curity of his birth: yet &s;ince he could not under&s;tand what it was, he concluded, that it was &s;uch as he was a&s;hamed to confe&s;s: &s;o that pa&s;&s;ing from this thought unto ano|ther: Is <HI>Mandana</HI> (&s;aid he) de&s;cended from &s;o many Illu&s;trious Kings, and who her &s;elf mu&s;t one day raign over &s;o many people, and &s;uch great kingdomes, &s;o weak, as to en|dure the unju&s;t pa&s;&s;ion of an unknown man: Ah No, no, I mu&s;t puni&s;h <HI>Artamenes</HI> for his boldne&s;s, and <HI>Mandana</HI> for her weakne&s;s; furthermore, when he &s;aw that <HI>Feraulas</HI> would not &s;uffer him&s;elf to be apprehended, he did imagin that to be an infallible &s;igne of his knowledg of many things: for he knew that <HI>Feraulas</HI> was of &s;uch a couragious &s;pirit,
<PB N="206" REF="188">
as the fear of his life would never make him flee away. In conclu&s;ion, the king did &s;uck &s;o much venome out of every imagination, that his minde became &s;o much incen&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Artamenes,</HI> as he would not &s;uffer the king of <HI>Phrygia</HI> to &s;peak any more in the be|half of him. The king of <HI>Hircania,</HI> was no le&s;&s;e rudely rejected then he: And &s;ee|ing &s;o many Princes and men of high Quality about him: How is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid he unto them all) that you &s;hould thus importunately pre&s;&s;e me, in the behalf of &s;uch a man, as you know not who he is? If he would him&s;elf &s;ay, he were a Subject unto any one of you, I &s;hould then with more patience hear you intere&s;t your &s;elves in his fortunes. But que&s;tionle&s;&s;e, he is of &s;ome &s;uch incon&s;iderable Countrey, that he is a&s;hamed to own his very Nation; and yet all of you &s;peak for him as if he were the Son of &s;ome great king, or as if I &s;hould incen&s;e all the Kings upon earth by puni&s;hing him: But (&s;aid he un|to them in a mighty fury) either &s;peak no more in his behalf, or let me know your rea|&s;ons why you &s;hould &s;o eagerly intere&s;t your &s;elves: For let me tell you this, once for all, and it &s;hall be my ultimate Re&s;olution, that if within two dayes &s;pace, <HI>Artamenes</HI> do not confe&s;&s;e his faults, his life &s;hall pay for it, and &s;atisfie revenge; and afterwards at more lei&s;ure all his complices &s;hall follow him. After <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had thus expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf, he went into his Clo&s;et, and left all the Kings and Princes extreamly dejected. They all went then unto the hou&s;e of <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> becau&s;e he was mo&s;t interre&s;&s;ed in him, and becau&s;e they were more free and at liberty there then any where el&s;e: When they were all there, the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> having con&s;ulted with the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> with <HI>Hida&s;pes, Aducius, Artaba&s;es, Thra&s;ibulus, Madates,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> they concluded, that &s;ince <HI>Ciaxares</HI> did object again&s;t <HI>Artamenes,</HI> the ba&s;ene&s;&s;e of his Quality, and thought that his greate&s;t crime, therefore it was requi&s;ite to tell him who he was, and try if that way would prevent him from his violent re&s;olutions. They conceived, that &s;ince <HI>A&s;tyages</HI> was dead, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> perhaps would not &s;o much &s;tartle at the Stars, and predictions, of the Magi, as the King his father did: but that when he &s;hould know <HI>Artamenes</HI> was the &s;onne of a King, his Co&s;in, and had thirty thou&s;and <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> in his Army, he would perhaps look better about him, before he de&s;troyed him; and that if it &s;hould once come to open force, the Souldiers would fight with more fury for the &s;on of a king, then they would have done for an unknown &s;tranger. This re&s;olution was not fixed upon without great Conte&s;ts, but after the grounds of it were well examined, it was &s;o determined, and they re&s;olved, that after they had given all requi&s;ite Orders unto their Regiments, they woul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">act the next morning ac|cordingly, and that in the mean time <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> as they could to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> a|bout <HI>Ciaxares</HI> that morning, to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e&s;&s;e might <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;pread, and be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">onferenc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> King o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> were on<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> fore <HI>Ci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> &s;afety <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> and in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> be &s;aid, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> day. T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">a,</HI> the King of <HI>H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">nia,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Prince of <HI>Paphlagonia, Gobria<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Philocles, Leontidas, Megabi&s;es&punc; Ariobantes, Hida&s;pes, Adu&s;ius, Madates, Art<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Aglatidas,</HI> and a hundred others were there. But their ha&s;t was notwith&s;tanding &s;o <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> full, for do what they could it ws impo&s;&s;ible for them to &s;ee the King t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> morning <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> would by all means dine that day in private, becau&s;e he would avoid the &s;oncitations <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> many as were oppo&s;ite unto his de&s;igne. But at la&s;t, know that they were all of them ex|treamly importunate to &s;peak with him, and were come into his Chamber, he came out of his Clo&s;et in a high fury, ab&s;olutely re&s;olved upon the death of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> Pre&s;ently after according unto the la&s;t dayes re&s;olutions, <HI>Feraulas</HI> came al&s;o into the Chamber, and thru&s;t|ing thorow the pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, to get neer the King, he pre&s;ented him&s;elf before him with as much boldne&s;&s;e as reverence: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> being infinitely &s;urprized to &s;ee him. What <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) do you fear death &s;o little, that you dare put your &s;elf into the power of a Prince, who has cau&s;ed you to be &s;ought for as a Delinquent? It is not death Sir (an|&s;wered he) that I &s;tand in fear of; but my greate&s;t fear is, le&s;t your Maje&s;ty &s;hould precipi|tately act a piece of high inju&s;tice upon the per&s;on of my Ma&s;ter: Therefore I come to tell you that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is &s;o far from being of any ob&s;cure extract, as he is the Son of a great and good King: of what unknown Countrey I pray you, is the Father of <HI>Artamenes</HI> King? (replied <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> Ah my friend, this excu&s;e is too gro&s;&s;e, and I cannot believe it, unle&s;&s;e
<PB N="207" REF="188">
all the&s;e Princes confirm what you &s;ay; If that be Sir, replied <HI>Feraulas,</HI> you may very well believe, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is the Son of a great King, &s;ince there are thirty thou&s;and of his Fathers Subjects in your Army; and all the&s;e Kings and Princes who hear me, are able to atte&s;t the truth of it: Truth is Sir, <HI>Artamenes</HI> is <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;onne to the King of <HI>Per&s;ia;</HI> and <HI>Hida&s;pes, Adu&s;ius,</HI> and &s;o many famous <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> as you &s;ee about you, are all to be one day his Subjects Is <HI>Artamenes Cyrus</HI> (replied the King of <HI>Mades)</HI> away, away, it is im|po&s;&s;ible? Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Hida&s;pes)</HI> the thing is &s;o true, that nothing upon earth can be more. Yes Sir (pur&s;ued <HI>Adu&s;ius)</HI> and we are able to make it mo&s;t apparent unto you; the report of his &s;hipwrack was mo&s;t fal&s;e: and <HI>Cyrus</HI> was never in any danger of death, but in your Maje&s;ties &s;ervice. You know (&s;aid the King of <HI>Phrygia)</HI> that this is not likely to be an invented bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; for if it were not true, <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> would not &s;ay it. I know (replied <HI>Ci|axares,</HI> infinitely unquiet, and troubled in his minde) that the thing which you di&s;cover unto me, is the way, to ha&s;t his ruine; for <HI>Artamenes,</HI> as he is onely a ra&s;h, ingratefull, and a deluding man, and a particular enemy unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who according to his Clemen|cie, or Ju&s;tice, may pardon or puni&s;h him: But if it be true, that he is <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then it is as true that he is the generall enemy of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and ought to be de&s;troyed: You are all of you as well as I, concerned in this publike intere&s;t (&s;aid he unto all about him, except <HI>Per&s;ians)</HI> It is your Tyrant who is in pri&s;on: one, whom all the <HI>Magi</HI> &s;ay, will &s;ubvert all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and become our Ma&s;ter: And if any thing can per&s;wade me, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is <HI>Cyrus,</HI> it is his mo&s;t prodigious exploits. But Sir, &s;aid the king of <HI>Hircania,</HI> all his prodigious ex|ploits conduce unto your Maje&s;ties advantage: All his Combats, Victories, and Conque&s;ts, are yours; and he findeth no other &s;hare in them but his Fetters. No, (replied <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> becau&s;e by the favour of the gods I have prevented him: But, (&s;aid he in looking upon <HI>Feraulas)</HI> does <HI>Mandana</HI> know he is <HI>Cyrus?</HI> Sir, replied he, I know nothing concerning the Prince&s;&s;e, further then that I am certain, there is no criminous intelligence between her and my Ma&s;ter, and that his affection towards her, did never cau&s;e him to neglect his re|&s;pects neither to her nor you. The affection which your Ma&s;ter has (replied <HI>Ciaxares</HI> ve|ry &s;harply) is onely an unlimited Ambition, and a thought of horrible revenge; he in|tends to puni&s;h <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> for that which <HI>A&s;tyages</HI> in the behalf of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> did intend to do in his Cradle; but I &s;hall without any &s;cruple at all, do that which he attempted not without much fear; fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> have more convincing Arguments inducing me unto it; and al&s;o mor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> convincing Rea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ied the king of <HI>Phryg<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a)</HI> to avert you from it. <HI>Cy|rus</HI> replied <HI>Ciaxa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> but <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">le to hurt: But <HI>Cyr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"></HI> is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">lpable fort<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> thing, and to execute what he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> It <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l&s;o a man who attempts <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> execute all <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Cyrus</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> very true <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> you &s;er|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Ra<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> King in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> He comes <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Court, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> in a di&s;gui&s;e, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> was to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">educe the minde of my Daughter; Doubtle<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> di&s;covered him&s;elf unto her; he has infu&s;ed Ambition into her &s;oul: She looks up|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> as the Conqueror of all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> And without con&s;idering, that he cannot make him|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Ma&s;ter o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> unle&s;&s;e he throw her Father out of his Throne; &s;he hearkens unto him, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">uffers him, &s;he loves him. But thanks be unto the Heavens, I am able to puni&s;h them <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">h at once, &s;ince if &s;he love <HI>Artamenes,</HI> as I make no que&s;tion but &s;he does, then &s;he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ill &s;uffer a death in the per&s;on of this ra&s;h man, untill I can get her unto &s;uch a place, as <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">&s;hall make her &s;uffer in her own. Oh Sir, (cried out all the men which were in the Cham|ber) we be&s;eech you, either grant us the life of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> or el&s;e we be&s;eech you give us our deaths. How (replied <HI>Ciaxares</HI> extreamly a&s;toni&s;hed) my Subjects, my Va&s;&s;als, and my Allies, all ask life for their Tyrant? or at lea&s;t will be &s;o one day? We beg the life (&s;aid they all with one voice) of a man, whom the gods did &s;end to be the Legitimate Ma&s;ter of all men, and have adorned him with Vertues accordingly; and one who, although he was able to have got out of pri&s;on (added <HI>Hida&s;pes)</HI> yet would not attempt it. A man (pur|&s;ued <HI>Gobrias)</HI> who would not live but to do you &s;ervice. You may &s;ay (added <HI>Gadates)</HI> a man, who would never have vanqui&s;hed but for your Glory: A Prince (pur&s;ued <HI>Thra&s;i|bulus)</HI> who has made all the Wi&s;e men of <HI>Greece</HI> adore him: And one (added the king of <HI>Hircania)</HI> who has converted all them whom he has vanqui&s;hed, to be his friends. Say
<PB N="208" REF="189">
rather (pur&s;ued <HI>Feraulas)</HI> one who has made his mo&s;t mortall enemies admire <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Adde unto the&s;e (&s;aid <HI>Aglatidas)</HI> that the de&s;tiny of <HI>Artamenes</HI> is &s;o extraordinary and glorious, that his mo&s;t mortall enemies do owe their lives unto him. You may further &s;ay (added <HI>Artibies)</HI> that tho&s;e who hardly know him, are &s;o much charmed by his Vertues, that they are ready to die for him. For my part added <HI>Thimocr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">es)</HI> I &s;hould think my life could never be better employed, then in &s;aving &s;uch an Illu&s;trious Prince as he: Indeed (replied <HI>Philocles)</HI> your lot would de&s;erve envy if you could obtain that favour; for what applau&s;e did not that man de&s;erve who &s;hould have the honour to reprieve &s;o vertuous a Prince? A Prince, replied <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> who is valiant in the highe&s;t degree. Who is as li|berall as valiant (pur&s;ued <HI>Artaba&s;es)</HI> who is as prudent as couragious (added the Prince of <HI>Licaonia).</HI> Who is as milde and &s;weet after a Victory, as he is furious in fighting (re|plied <HI>Madates)</HI> Who&s;e reputation is fam'd thorowout the World (&s;aid <HI>Leontidas)</HI> Who is owner of all the Vertues (added the Prince of <HI>Paphlagonia)</HI> And to &s;umme up all in few words (pur&s;ued <HI>Ariobantes)</HI> he is a man who never did any ill, but alwayes good. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ow, (&s;aid <HI>Ciaxares</HI> in a great fury) did <HI>Cyrus</HI> never do any ill? has he not rendred him|&s;elf &s;o prevalent and powerfull in the mindes of my Friends, my Enemies, my Allies, my Neighbours, and my Subjects, that it &s;eems as if I dur&s;t not puni&s;h him? Is not this crime great enough to ruine him: to the end that I may teach others to be more re&s;pective unto me? But as it po&s;&s;ible (added he) that there &s;hould not be one among&s;t you all who loves his liberty, and is a hater of that man, whom &s;o many Predictions might move you to look upon as a Traytor: In the meane while, &s;ince you neither re&s;pect my Intere&s;t, not your own, nor the Intere&s;t of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> I will look onely to my &s;elf, and will puni&s;h this pretended <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as a man who is come into my Court to betray me; as one that has con&s;pired with my daughter again&s;t my life; as one that has voluntarily let the king of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> e&s;cape; as one that holds a criminous corre&s;pondency with him, and as a man who indeed would ruine me. Take heed Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Hida&s;pes)</HI> what you do; for after all this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> is not your Subject, and the King my Ma&s;ter knowes well enough how to be revenged upon you for &s;uch a piece of high inju&s;tice. In the name of the gods Sir, (&s;aid the king of <HI>Phrygia)</HI> do not re&s;olve upon any thing in the heat of your choler. In the name of the gods (re|plied <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> &s;peak not a word more unto me either concerning <HI>Artamenes</HI> or <HI>Cyrus:</HI> But be ye all a&s;&s;ured, that I take him for my &s;ecret Enemy, for a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">uce<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">f my Daughter, and for the Tyrant of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and nothing &s;hall &s;ave him: and therefore <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">&s;ince his de&s;tru|ction is inevitable; prepare your &s;elves to hear pre&s;ently of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">th: In &s;aying &s;o, he cau&s;ed <HI>Feraulas</HI> to be guarded a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d left them. Immediately <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">r, the king of <HI>Phry|gia</HI> was advertized, that <HI>Metroba<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> given Orders, that the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">s &s;hould &s;uffer none to come into the Town from the Camp, none to go out of the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> So that when he made it known unto the king of <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">;</HI> and all the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">s about him, they <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">oubt whether they &s;ho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> have liberty <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">go out <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">le, and whether <HI>Artamenes</HI> were not already dead: For <HI>Metrobates</HI> &s;poke unto <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> alow voice &s;ince he came into his Chamber, and told him that he had under&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>The End of the Second Part.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="189">
<P>THE CONTINUATION OF ARTAMENES OR The Grand CYRUS, THAT EXCELLENT <HI>NEW</HI> ROMANCE:</P>
<P>Written by that Famous Wit of FRANCE, MONSIEUR de SCUDERY Governor of NOSTRE-DAME.</P>
<P><HI>And now</HI> ENGLISHED <HI>by</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">. <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">.  <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 span"> at the Prince's Arms in S^<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Paul's</HI> Church-yard; and <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 span"> at the <HI>George</HI> in <HI>Fleet&s;treet,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 span"></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="190">
<PB REF="190">
<HEAD>TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE AND MOST PERFECTLY NOBLE, THE LADY ANNE LUCAS.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THe Great <HI>CYRUS</HI> now makes his &s;econd Addre&s;s to Your <HI>Honour:</HI> his Former &s;o pro&s;per'd under Your <HI>Ladi&s;hips</HI> name, that He vows to think of no other <HI>Dedication.</HI> For at his fir&s;t entrance into our Language, He re&s;olv'd to ca&s;t him&s;elf at the feet of &s;ome Excellent Per&s;onage, who&s;e Extra|ction &s;hould be Illu&s;trious as your own name of <HI>NEVILL</HI> (which con|fe&s;&s;edly is as great as our Chronicles can boa&s;t of) and a Per&s;on accom|pli&s;h'd with all the Titles of <HI>Honour, Knowledg,</HI> and <HI>Vertue,</HI> as well as tho&s;e powerfull Ornaments of <HI>Nature.</HI> And at all the&s;e Capa|cities He found him&s;elf bound to make choice of Your <HI>Ladi&s;hip:</HI> For He knew (if His Story met any Exception) You were be&s;t able to give him all the Protection your whole Sex could afford: And if there could be any po&s;&s;ible Addition, He might &s;afely ex|pect it from your own Noble <HI>Lord,</HI> who&s;e Learned Soul is &s;o <HI>He|roically</HI> ballanc'd, as at once might challenge both <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> and <HI>Her|cules;</HI> and yet (which is &s;tronger) conceals the&s;e <HI>Tran&s;cendencies</HI> from the Eye of the World, becau&s;e He knows the World is now at wor&s;t, and incapable of <HI>Correption.</HI> Therefore <HI>(MADAM)</HI> I were &s;trangely bold to pre&s;ent Your <HI>Ladi&s;hip</HI> with a common <HI>Romance:</HI> but all the judicious Witts I have met with, do a&s;&s;ure me the <HI>GRAND CYRUS</HI> is a noble u&s;efull Work; the Plots are deeper, the Turns and Changes much more frequent, the Di&s;putes and Arguments farr &s;tronger, than in other Compo&s;itions: For, the famous Author is not only a <HI>Scholar,</HI> a <HI>Traveler,</HI> and a <HI>Souldier,</HI> but one of the mo&s;t eminent <HI>Wits of France,</HI> and in every page hath left &s;ome marks and impre&s;&s;ions of his Spirit. The former Volume left <HI>CYRUS</HI> at the Block; This &s;hews what means were u&s;'d to pre&s;erve him, a Felicity which all good Princes have not enjoy'd. And amid&s;t all, the Scenes of <HI>Honour</HI> amd <HI>Love</HI> are &s;o twi&s;ted, that every Noble Lover may here meet his own Flame, and learn both how to manage and advance it till he reach his de&s;ires. But I tre&s;pa&s;s too much on your <HI>Ladi&s;hips</HI> precious minutes, which are &s;till taken up by the noble&s;t Con&s;iderations. My only hope is, that you that can &s;o exactly <HI>judg,</HI> can al&s;o <HI>pardon</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Honors mo&s;t humble and mo&s;t obedient Servant
H&V;MPHREY MOSELEY</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="stationer to the reader">
<PB REF="191">
<HEAD><HI>THE</HI> STATIONER TO THE READER.</HEAD>
<P>_I Have now publi&s;h'd the Two fir&s;t Volumes of the <HI>GRAND CYR&V;S;</HI> there are Three more to Print, which &s;hall be di&s;patcht with all po&s;&s;ible Expedition, for I purpo&s;e to be ready with One every <HI>Tearme.</HI> When lately I began to publi&s;h the <HI>First</HI> in <HI>En|gli&s;h,</HI> the <HI>Author</HI> had not fini&s;h'd his own Originall <HI>French;</HI> but if He then had, I &s;hould &s;carce have given you the Whole at once, becau&s;e I would follow my <HI>Author</HI>'s Example; who dividing his Work (into Ten <HI>Parts,</HI> and Thirty <HI>Books)</HI> pub|li&s;h'd them &s;ucce&s;&s;ively in equall Volumes, as I do in Engli&s;h; though I make but Five Volumes of his Ten; for in <HI>France</HI> they pay above Four times the value of what you have them here. I &s;hall not commend it, for all that have read the former Volume will &s;ave me that labour. If you wave this Oppor|tunity of buying the Books as now they are wrought off (in hopes at la&s;t to have them all together) you will be deceived; for I am perfectly re&s;olv'd (and do now give it under my Hand) that I will not Re-print it; though I have good cau&s;e to wi&s;h I had Printed a greater Number. The <HI>Printer</HI> again hath mi&s;|taken a few Figures on the head of &s;ome Pages: as, <HI>page</HI> 25, for 27. and <HI>page</HI> 104, for 110. And after <HI>page</HI> 290. the Fi|gures are repeated from 282. And <HI>page</HI> 241, 243, 245. 'tis BOOK I. for BOOK II. I could have conceal'd this, but I cho&s;e to deal openly, e&s;pecially in a Work that de&s;erves &s;o well as this of the <HI>GRAND CYR&V;S.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>H. M.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 N="3" TYPE="part">
<PB N="1" REF="191">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR CYRUS the GREAT. The Third Part.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="book">
<HEAD>BOOK. I.</HEAD>
<P>_EXtream Fears turning the Souls of all the Kings, Princes, and Heroique Per&s;ons into Fury, they once determined to ca&s;t off all the re&s;pects which they owed unto <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> But afterwards, con&s;idering, that the Guards of the Ca&s;tle did depend ab&s;olutely upon <HI>Metrobates,</HI> they altered their determinations, and took a more rational cour&s;e. They went with all ha&s;t unto the Hou&s;e of <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> there to advi&s;e upon the be&s;t remedy again&s;t a di&s;a&s;ter of &s;o great importance: great indeed, &s;ince it &s;o nearly concerned the Life of the mo&s;t Illu&s;trious Prince upon Earth. Their fears of not geting out of the Ca&s;tle proved groundle&s;s: for <HI>Metrobates</HI> contented him&s;elfe with the execution of the Kings Orders unto the Gates of the Town, which was, That none &s;hould be permitted to go out of <HI>Sinope</HI> to the Camp, nor none from the Camp to enter the Town: The&s;e Heroes were no &s;ooner with <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> but he, that famous <HI>Per&s;ian,</HI> &s;poke ha&s;tly thus unto them: Sirs, Whether you look upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> as <HI>Artamenes,</HI> or upon <HI>Artame|nes</HI> as <HI>Cyrus,</HI> you are all of you obliged to &s;ave him, if it be po&s;&s;ible; There is not one among&s;t you all, whom he hath not obliged, and by con&s;equence not one among&s;t you, who ows not your be&s;t a&s;&s;i&s;tance unto him. As for us <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> (&s;aid he, &s;peaking to <HI>Adu&s;ius, Artaba&s;es, Madates,</HI> and concerning him&s;elf) we were the ba&s;e&s;t Varlets upon earth, if we would not die to &s;ave his life, or revenge his death. And you Sirs, (if it be permitted me to &s;ay &s;o in the heat of my zeal) would be very unju&s;t, if not ungrateful, in not doing the &s;ame with us. As for you (&s;aid he unto <HI>Ariobantes, Megabi&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas,)</HI> who are natural Subjects unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> although the Intere&s;t of <HI>Cyrus</HI> does not concern you, yet the Ho|nour of the King, your Ma&s;ter, ought to move you, and make you to undertake any expedi|ents which may prevent the &s;pilling of that blood, which as pure as it is, will &s;tain his life with an infamous brand, never to be wa&s;hed out: whether therefore ye be <HI>Phrigians, Her|canians, Grecians, A&s;&s;yrians, Medes, Cadu&s;ians, Paphlagonians,</HI> or <HI>Per&s;ians.</HI> Let us all &s;peedily re&s;olve upon &s;ome expedient; or to expre&s;s my &s;elfe better, Let us &s;pee|dily put it into act, and lo&s;e not a minute of time, le&s;t <HI>Metrobates</HI> prevent us.</P>
<P><PB N="2" REF="192">
No &s;ooner had <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> ended his Speech, but all the Kings, Princes, and Heroes, te&s;ti|fied their re&s;olutions to imploy the mo&s;t de&s;perate remedies, again&s;t &s;o de&s;perate a di&s;ea&s;e; and to hazard their lives a thou&s;and times to pre&s;erve the life of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> They contrived all imaginable wayes to effect their De&s;igne, and the heat of their zeal did &s;o tran&s;port them, that they propounded an hundred different Propo&s;itions; and &s;ome of them &s;uch, as the exe|cution of them was impo&s;&s;ible: for the accident did &s;o di&s;turb their Rea&s;on, and animate their Courage, that all of them did &s;trive how to &s;ignal them&s;elves, by the dangers they would undertake in the enterpri&s;e. Some would have them go by open force unto the Ca&s;tle, and demand <HI>Artamenes;</HI> others advi&s;ed to joyn the &s;ubtlety of the Fox to the fury of the Lion: and others would have them go kill <HI>Metrobates</HI> immediately: Some advi&s;ed to go and rai&s;e the people; &s;ome others would have them cau&s;e the Army to advance; and all of them con|cluded to tran&s;act, and be&s;tir them&s;elves, to &s;ave the life of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> Since they looked upon <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> as a prejudicated Prince, yet &s;ince they were all of them really generous, they had not one thought of attempting any thing upon his Per&s;on; but only &s;o far as might get that Hero out of his hands, unto whom he owed the Glory of his Raign, and the Conque&s;t of many Kingdoms.</P>
<P>In conclu&s;ion, it was re&s;olved upon, to let &s;ome one down the walls of the Town by cords, that he might go unto the Camp, and make it known unto the <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> that the only Son of their Soveraign was in danger of death, if they did not &s;peedily relieve him; hoping that afterwards, all the whole Army would come unto the Gates of <HI>Sinope,</HI> and move <HI>Ciaxares</HI> not to execute his De&s;ign with &s;o much precipitation: In the mean time it was re&s;olved that <HI>Ariobantes,</HI> and <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> &s;hould return into the Ca&s;tle, and adverti&s;e them concerning all pa&s;&s;ages, and al&s;o to try if they could any ways qualifie the King: For their parts, they a&s;&s;em|bled all their friends which they had within the Town, to wait until the Army came up, and to be in readine&s;s for any attempt, if there were a nece&s;&s;ity of it, and to &s;tir up the people, if there were no other remedy; but there was no need of taking any thought for that, be|cau&s;e they perceived the people to come out of the Ca&s;tle in tumults, and as they walked the &s;treets, nothing could he heard but the name of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> pronouncing it with troubled &s;pirits: Immediately after, the people of <HI>Sinope</HI> &s;eeing all their hopes turned into fears, and their joys into &s;orrows, grew into &s;o great a commotion, that there was not any who fol|lowed his accu&s;tomed cour&s;e; &s;hops were &s;hut, the women &s;poke loud in the &s;treets, Merchants con&s;ulted together upon what was be&s;t to be done, the Gentry flocked about the King and Princes, to hear what was done in the Ca&s;tle; and the confu&s;ion was &s;o tumultu|ou&s;ly apparent, that it was ea&s;ie to perceive, they wanted but little of a declared Revolt. That which did mo&s;t of all augment the Tumult, was the Orders which <HI>Metrobates</HI> had given to &s;uffer none to enter, or go out of the Town: for they who were come dut of the Camp into the Town, being de&s;irous to return thither again; and they who were gone out of the Town into the Camp, being al&s;o de&s;irous to come back, and both re&s;trained; The one endeavouring to come in, the other to go out, made &s;uch an hideous Garboil at the Gates, that the noi&s;e of them &s;ounded throughout all the Town, and one benefit accrued by it; for &s;ince all the Souldiers which <HI>Metrobates</HI> had brought from <HI>Pteria,</HI> were all bu&s;ied either at the Gates of the Town, or at the Ca&s;tle; it was le&s;s difficult for <HI>Madates</HI> during the ob&s;curity of the night to get over the wall and ditch. He went then in all ha&s;t unto the Camp, and acquaint|ed all the <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and that their Prince would pre&s;ently be put to death, if they did not interpo&s;e their lives to &s;ave his; when he came there he found the Camp already in di&s;order, by the return of &s;everal Captains, and Souldiers, who were denyed entrance into the Town, who reported that certainly they would put <HI>Artamenes</HI> to death, and perhaps all their Commanders, and Princes al&s;o. <HI>Madates</HI> then found the Army in a fit po&s;ture for his de&s;igne; if he met any Captains, It mu&s;t be you (would he &s;ay unto them) which mu&s;t &s;ave the invincible <HI>Artamenes,</HI> you who have been &s;harers with him in the ho|nour, and you who he has &s;o favourably looked upon: If he &s;poke unto the Common &s;oul|diers, It mu&s;t be you (would he &s;ay to them) who mu&s;t pre&s;erve your valiant General, who would ever be in the deepe&s;t dangers, but would never have any &s;hare in the Magnificent Plunder wherewith you are enriched. If he &s;aw any <HI>Phrygians,</HI> he told them that it was their Kings Command to come unto <HI>Sinope,</HI> and demand <HI>Artamenes:</HI> If he &s;aw any <HI>Hircanians,</HI> he would tell them the &s;ame from their King, and &s;o the like unto all the &s;everal Nations which were in the Army: &s;o that the Di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Madates,</HI> meeting with that violent pa&s;&s;ion which had taken root in the hearts of all the Captains and Souldiers towards <HI>Cyrus,</HI> (for we will not hereafter call him <HI>Artamenes,)</HI> it is not at all &s;trange if <HI>Madates</HI> did &s;o &s;ud|denly
<PB N="3" REF="192">
kindle &s;o great a fire, out of matter which was &s;o combu&s;tible. The Name of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was quickly divulged throughout all the Army: for the thirty thou&s;and <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> who had it from their Commander in chief, unto whom <HI>Madates</HI> had imparted it, did pre&s;ently di&s;|per&s;e it abroad. And as this great Body was moved by one Soul, every one ranged him&s;elf under his Colours, and de&s;ired to be conducted unto <HI>Sinope.</HI></P>
<P>The Name of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> ecchoed from Company to Company, from Regiment to Regiment, and above an hundred thou&s;and men did in an in&s;tant talk, and be|&s;tir them&s;elves, to relieve him whom they regarded as a God, both in times of Peace, and War. Mean while, the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and the King of <HI>Hircanias</HI> Troops, grew great in the Town, compo&s;ed of all the Men of Quality in <HI>Sinope,</HI> and of tho&s;e who were not per|mitted to return unto the Camp. The people al&s;o, who at the fir&s;t did only grumble, do now take Arms, and randezvouz into Companies in divers Quarters of the Town. <HI>Ario|bantes,</HI> and <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> were within the Ca&s;tle, where the di&s;order was greater then either in the Camp, or Town. <HI>Metrobates</HI> moved <HI>Ciaxares</HI> with all his Arguments to pronounce the la&s;t Sentence of death again&s;t <HI>Cyrus:</HI> and <HI>Ciaxares</HI> him&s;elf was at the ultimate re&s;olu|tion; both of them did fore&s;ee the dangerous con&s;equences of &s;o di&s;mal a de&s;igne; but chol|ler did &s;o prepo&s;&s;e&s;s the Spirit of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> that he di&s;gui&s;ed his thoughts: And the wicked <HI>Metrobates,</HI> that he might expel out of the Soul of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> all ju&s;t fears of an univer&s;al &s;ub|ver&s;ion of his Empire by the death of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> did blow the coals of his fury, and quen ched all &s;uch apprehen&s;ions in him. Sir, (&s;aid he unto him) the rea&s;on why all the&s;e Kings, and Princes, are &s;o hot and zealous in the behalf of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> is only, becau&s;e they hope that if they can get him out of pri&s;on, they &s;hall receive a recompence for it: but if he were once in his Grave, you &s;hould &s;ee them in another mind: The fidelity of Courtiers never follows Favourites further then their Funerals; If therefore you would allay the tumult of the people, di&s;&s;ipate the factions of Grandees, and hu&s;h the force of the Army, you mu&s;t &s;peedily put both <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Artamenes</HI> to death; and cau&s;e that neither of tho&s;e Names be any longer pronounced: It is but a requi&s;ite <HI>Victim</HI> to appea&s;e that &s;trom which he hath rai&s;ed; &s;ince certainly <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hall no &s;ooner be in a condition, to move no further hopes nor fears, but the di&s;order will cea&s;e, and you &s;hall be King again of many Kingdoms, and enjoy your Crowns in quietne&s;s. This &s;o violent and unju&s;t di&s;cour&s;e wanted not a favourable ear from <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> not but that whether he would or no, he did remember all tho&s;e great Services which <HI>Cyrus</HI> had done him under the Name of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and that tender affe|ction which once he bore that Prince; but he was oppo&s;ite unto all that either Ju&s;tice or Piety could in&s;pire into him, and hearkened not unto any thing but fury and revenge. All the re&s;t of the pri&s;oners which were in &s;everal places of the Ca&s;tle were a&s;toni&s;hed, when they &s;aw their Guards changed, and them&s;elves treated wor&s;e then ordinary: They al&s;o heard a very great noi&s;e, which begot both fears and hopes in them: <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> never heard the door of her Chamber open, but &s;he had thoughts both of death and liberty. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> who&s;e &s;oul &s;tood immovable, looked upon every thing with an indifferent eye. <HI>Fearaules</HI> never thought upon any thing but his dear Ma&s;ter: <HI>Andramias</HI> being accu&s;tomed to command others, did impatiently endure to be commanded: <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> took his fetters patiently: <HI>Ar|tucas</HI> without ever rep<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nting of the Services he had done unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> endured his pri&s;on without murmur: <HI>Ortalgues</HI> that mo&s;t faithful &s;ervant, found this con&s;olation in his mi&s;ery, that it was for his Illu&s;trious Ma&s;ter which he &s;uffered: Mean while <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing all his hopes of liberty like to be &s;econded by a violent death, be&s;towed all his thoughts upon his Prince&s;s: and without accu&s;ing <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> or murmuring at his inju&s;tice, his only wi&s;h was, That <HI>Mandana</HI> might be happy when he was dead: This wi&s;h was no &s;ooner made, but he did almo&s;t recall it; for &s;aid he in him&s;elf, tho&s;e Services which I have done her, and all the Princes which I have taken, and my mo&s;t re&s;pected pa&s;&s;ion towards her, does merit &s;ome light remembrance, and &s;ome &s;ighs from my Prince&s;s for me: Yes, Divine <HI>Mandana,</HI> I may without offence pretend unto &s;o much honour as to be lamented by you, &s;ince hereto ore your goodne&s;s afforded me &s;ome tears at the news of my death: But I &s;hould be infinitely unju&s;t, if I &s;hould de&s;ire that my ruine &s;hould di&s;turb the tranquility of your life; Live then, Divine Prince&s;s, though I die; but do not quite blot out the memory of too happy <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and mo&s;t unhappy <HI>Cyrus;</HI> live in all abundant happine&s;s, and let no &s;ad|ne&s;s &s;it upon your Soul.</P>
<P>This pa&s;&s;ionate apprehen&s;ion dwelt not long in his heart, without the interruption of ano|ther: &s;ometimes the Image of <HI>Mandana</HI> all in tears, did pre&s;ent it &s;elf unto his fancie, and made him find a &s;ad con&s;olation, and &s;ome &s;weetne&s;s in the horrours of his Tomb: While&s;t
<PB N="4" REF="193">
this Illu&s;trious Pri&s;oner be&s;towed all his thought upon <HI>Mandanae,</HI> all things were in a fearefull confu&s;ion: <HI>Metrobates</HI> received news after news all the night long, That all the Town was up in Arms; that the Army was upon its march towards <HI>Sinope;</HI> that the Kings of <HI>Phrigia</HI> and <HI>Hircania</HI> had mu&s;tered a con&s;iderable body of Men together; and that there was &s;mall Likelyhood the King &s;hould find any obedience, either from People, or Souldiers, or Officers. In this de&s;perate extremity he made his La&s;t endeavour to move <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to put <HI>Cyrus</HI> to death; and indeed, the King did fully intend it. <HI>Metrobates</HI> had &s;ent orders unto <HI>Ar|taxes</HI> to &s;end him two Thou&s;and men more, the next night following, and to come a back way by the Sea &s;ide, where the Troops of the Armie could not &s;top them; and this was the Rea&s;on, why the matter was not more ha&s;tily executed: Notwith&s;tanding, when he heard the great hurly burly more and more increa&s;e, and receiving continual intelligence, of fre&s;h di&s;|orders; and &s;eeing at the break of day the &s;tate of things, he wrought &s;o upon <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> that he was upon the Point to bid them put <HI>Cyrius</HI> to death, when the Grave <HI>Thiamis,</HI> one of the &s;acrificers belonging to the Temple of <HI>Mars,</HI> who was accidentally &s;hut up in the Town, came with all the <HI>Magi</HI> of <HI>Sinope,</HI> and de&s;ired to &s;peak with <HI>Ciaxares. Metrobates</HI> would needs avert the King from hearing him: but a &s;ecret app ehen&s;ion moved <HI>Ciaxares</HI> not to follow the coun&s;el of this wicked Man, but would needs hearken unto <HI>Thiamis.</HI> Permi&s;|&s;ion then being given for him to enter, this Venerable old man, followed by abundance of the <HI>Magi,</HI> all dre&s;&s;ed in &s;uch mourning ve&s;tments as they were wont to weare at Publique Mourn|ings, appeared before the King both with much reverence and boldne&s;s, and looking upon him with eyes full of melancholy, but yet full of &s;uch &s;evere Maje&s;tie as begot both fear and Reverence, he &s;poke thus unto him.</P>
<Q><TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="discourse">
<HEAD>The Di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>THIAMIS</HI> unto <HI>CIAXARES.</HI></HEAD>
<P>SIR, as it is our duties to be mo&s;t faithful Subjects unto Kings as our Ma&s;ters, &s;o it is our du|ty al&s;o, to be bold in declaring tho&s;e important truths unto them, which concerns the good of their &s;tate and Per&s;ons, when occa&s;ions pre&s;ent them&s;elves. Therefore being in&s;pired by the Gods, and without any fears of di&s;plea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ng you, I come to be&s;eech your Maje&s;ty to hear me, but to hear me without prejudication: It concerns, Sir, not only your own glory, but the glory of your Empire, the &s;afety of many Kingdoms, and indeed of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and per|ticularly your own &s;elf; therefore I conjure you, once more to hear me favorably without interruption. I know Sir, by the publique voice, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is <HI>Cyrus;</HI> that he is the &s;ame Prince who was u&s;her'd into the world by &s;o many Prodigies; for whom both Heaven and Earth have interrupted the order of all the univer&s;e: The &s;tronge&s;t and mo&s;t &s;tately Temples have tottered: The lights of many Candles did of them&s;elves extingui&s;h, and miraculou&s;ly encor|porate them&s;elves into one flame: The Sun it &s;elf was eclio&s;ed, and its &s;plendor and heat was afterwards redcubled. All the Victims have pronounced his Grandure, and all the Stars have written it in Characters of Gold: Indeed Sir, we have ob&s;erved &s;o much of him, that w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> are mo&s;t certain, the per&s;on of <HI>Cyrus</HI> is extraordinary; and one who&s;e Life is not to be under the Juri&s;diction of any Kings upon Earth: I know very well, you will think it &s;trange that tho&s;e men, who according to your orders have offered &s;acrifices of thanks unto the Gods for his death, &s;hould now intercede for his life. But Sir give me leave to tell you, that all humane Pru|dence is erroneous, and oftentimes in lieu of directing do delude us: nor ought man to be &s;o Pre&s;umptious as to penetrate the &s;ecrets of Heaven: It is true Sir, that the <HI>Magi</HI> of <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> perceiving that the Gods intended a great alteration in all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> did think that &s;ome great evil was menaced; &s;o that when intelligence was brought of the &s;uppo&s;ed death of him, who &s;hould be the cau&s;e of it, they rendred thanks unto the Gods, for the death of that Prince, who they thought would make u&s;e of unju&s;t cour&s;es, to &s;ubvert the Throne, and would become the grand Tyrant of the world. But now at this day, &s;ince we know that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is <HI>Cyrus,</HI> we doe clearly perceive that we have been deceived; and that all the &s;ignes and Pro|digies, did rather &s;peak infinit good, then menace any bad misfortunes. Give me leave to ask you Sir, what has the mo&s;t Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> done, ever &s;ince the fir&s;t day of his arival at <HI>Si|nope,</HI> when I had the happine&s;s to &s;ee him in our Temple? For my part, I am certain, that this valour has brought us more cau&s;es of &s;acrifices of thanks unto the Gods for the Victories which he hath brought you, then any four ages ever produced either in <HI>Cappadocia, Galatia,</HI> or <HI>Medea.</HI> The Gods, Sir, did not permit him to per&s;erve your Life, that &s;hould become Ma|&s;ter of his; nor is he born your &s;ubject, but you ought to treat him as your equal. If the fa|mous <HI>Artamenes</HI> were not the Son of a King, but born in your own Dominions, then might
<PB N="5" REF="193">
you ab&s;olutely di&s;po&s;e of his Life and fortune, without rendering an account unto any but the Gods for it: But he is born a Subject unto another Prince, unto whom he is Son, as well as Subject, and you ought not to u&s;urp that Authority which does not belong unto you. More|over sir, tho&s;e &s;uch eminent Per&s;ons, as he, whom the Gods have &s;ent to advance your glo|ry, ought to be &s;acred in your e&s;teem. When we rejoyced at the fal&s;e newes of the death of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> we did then &s;uppo&s;e he would prove a wicked man, and imagined that he &s;uffered &s;hip|wrack by the permi&s;&s;ion of the Gods: But now, &s;ince we doe know him to be the mo&s;t vir|tuous of men, and the greate&s;t Prince upon earth, we ought rather to wor&s;hip him then put him to death. Indeed Sir, when I con&s;ider what he has done for you; how he hath pre&s;erved all <HI>Cappadocia</HI> by pre&s;erving your Life; how many Battels he hath won for you; how many Kings he hath &s;ubjected; what Towns he hath taken; and that the proud City of <HI>Babylon</HI> which a&s;pired unto univer&s;al Monarchie, hath been &s;ubdued by his valour; I doe confe&s;s, I can|not under&s;tand by what Principles you tran&s;act; You, I &s;ay Sir, who&s;e Prudence and good|ne&s;s we have all admired. Why was the Sun Eclip&s;ed, and afterwards appeared in far greater Splendor then before, but only to manife&s;t, that when he &s;hould have extingui&s;hed all other powers, his own &s;hould be infinitly more great, then ever the others were? Doe not tell me, that all the&s;e &s;ignes did mark him out for a terrible Prince, who&s;e death was to be de&s;ired: No Sir, deceive not your &s;elfe: The Gods do u&s;e to give us hopes as well as fears, and Promi&s;es as well as menaces: And if it be their intentions that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould reign, they intend that it &s;hall be by ju&s;t wayes. They have foretold him to be one of the greate&s;t Conquerors in the world, who&s;e victorious hand has planted Lawrels upon all the Rivers of <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> A Prince he is, who is the love of all Nations, who &s;urmounts all, either by force or favour; yet in the mid&s;t of all his victories and Conque&s;ts he is ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of his Ambition, and pro&s;trates all his Triumphs, and all his Glory at your feet: So that Sir, to accompli&s;h the will of the Gods, <HI>Cyrus</HI> mu&s;t Reign by your means: Nor know I any other interpretations of all tho&s;e prode|gies, but this, That you your &s;elf cau&s;e <HI>Cyrus</HI> to Reign hereafter by giving unto him the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> who is your &s;ole Heir. I do &s;ee that this my di&s;cour&s;e does incen&s;e you, in lieu of appea&s;&s;ing you; yet for all that, I am obliged to tell you from tho&s;e Gods whom I &s;erve, and with whom I have con&s;ulted by extraordinary Sacrifices, &s;ince the impri&s;onment of this Prince, That if you put him to death you will de&s;troy your Empire; you will make all your Subjects, &s;laves unto your enemies, and perhaps al&s;o&mdash;</P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>As <HI>Thiamis</HI> was going on with his di&s;cour&s;e, and as <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was incen&s;ed with the bold|ne&s;s of his language, they heard a great noi&s;e from the Court before the Ca&s;tle. <HI>Ariobantes,</HI> and <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> were in a Balcone over again&s;t it, and &s;aw, that it was a great multitude of people, and Souldiers together; who without any Di&s;cipline or Commanders, did demand <HI>Artamenes.</HI> This bold attempt did move <HI>Thiamis</HI> to proceed in his di&s;cour&s;e to the King, but he in his great choller rejected him, and &s;eemed to be more incen&s;ed. <HI>Ariobantes</HI> &s;ent <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> to adverti&s;e the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> that nothing could molifie <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> Though <HI>Thia|mis</HI> had been denied, yet would he not go out of the Ca&s;tle, but &s;taid in another chamber, hop|ing to meet with &s;ome more favorable opportunity to be better harkened unto: during this while <HI>Metrobates</HI> was adverti&s;ed that the whole Army was at the gates of the Town, and would have entrance: fain would he conceal this bad news from the King; but yet it mu&s;t be known, and therefore he told him; who was troubled at it beyond all imagination. He was in a Ca&s;tle with a very few people with him; and in a revolted Town, who&s;e gates, although they were guarded by men which were for him, yet the Town was a&s;&s;aulted by an Army of a hundred Thou&s;and men without, and by a great part of the Inhabitants within: All this while he accu&s;ed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as the cau&s;e of all the&s;e di&s;a&s;ters, not con&s;idering that he was only the inno|cent cau&s;e. But never was the like &s;een, both without, and within the Town: The Army made the Air Eccho, with the glorious name of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and <HI>Cyrus:</HI> the Souldiers of <HI>Metrobates</HI> had work enough: A hundred ladders in a place might be &s;een reared again&s;t the walls, and Sol|diers covered with their Bucklers running up them: others u&s;ing that warlike Engine which the Ancients called Battering Rams, all &s;triving to mount the top of the wall; &s;ome fell down; others more &s;trong and happy got up and beat off their enemies, maintaining fight upon the walls whil&s;t the re&s;t of their Companions entred the Town in that place: As the valour of them who &s;caled the walls was great, &s;o the valour of them who ordered the Battering Rams was no le&s;s; The&s;e huge Engins which were moved by Arms that were infinitly zealous for the &s;afety of <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> did thump &s;uch great blows again&s;t the gates and walls, that they made them &s;tagger: The &s;ound of the&s;e Rams, who&s;e heads were of fine Copper, which is called the Gold of <HI>Corinth,</HI> was &s;o terrible that, Thunder was never louder.</P>
<P><PB N="6" REF="194">
There were an hundred other Engines, which by antiquity were termed <HI>Bali&s;tae,</HI> and <HI>Ca|tapultae,</HI> and <HI>Onegri,</HI> which &s;hot whole clouds of arrows and &s;tones again&s;t the walls, and into the Town: They were no calmer within the Town, then without; for all the people were &s;o animated, that nothing could be more terrible. The Kings of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and <HI>Hircan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a,</HI> did wi&s;h that things would have looked with another face; and they were extreamly vexed to be con&s;trained to make u&s;e of &s;uch a dangerous remedy, &s;ince there is nothing in the world more to be avoided, then the Rebellion of the people: But that which cannot be helped mu&s;t be endured; and they endeavoured to qualifie this Popularity as much as they could; think|ing that this &s;triking &s;ome apprehen&s;ions of fear into <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> would be enough to &s;ave <HI>Cyrus:</HI> Mean while the Gates of the Town were broken open, and tho&s;e who defended the walls for&s;ook them, who not knowing whether to retreat were all killed, both by them without, and within the Town. This great Army being entered in &s;everal places of the Town, did not &s;tay to plunder, but pre&s;ently inviron'd the Ca&s;tle. <HI>Metrobates</HI> would fain have fled if he knew how; but Guards were &s;et on all &s;ides both by Sea and Land; That <HI>Ciaxares</HI> him&s;elf had no other thoughts but to die in defending him&s;elf, after he had fir&s;t put <HI>Cyrus</HI> to death; what&s;oever <HI>Thiamis</HI> and <HI>Ariobantes</HI> could &s;ay was vain, for the King was all fury and de&s;pair: Mean while, <HI>Metrobates</HI> the vile&s;t wretch upon earth, not knowing what to do, went to the Chamber of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and counterfeiting both pity and genero&s;ity, told him, that if he would promi&s;e him two things, he would &s;et him at liberty; this Prince ha|ving no mind to promi&s;e him any thing, he was forc'd to expre&s;s him&s;elf, that if he would be&s;tow the Government of <HI>Pteria</HI> upon him for his &s;ecurity, he would then kill <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and &s;hewed him ways how he could bring it to pa&s;s. For Sir, (&s;aid this villanous man) this is the only way to prevent your death, and to make you Lord of all <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> This vicious Pro|po&s;ition was &s;o horrid in the apprehen&s;ion of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he thru&s;t <HI>Metrobates</HI> out of his Chamber, and as good luck was, a Souldier which guarded this gallant Pri&s;oner, heard all their di&s;cour&s;e. This Traitor then, &s;eeing no way but ruine, thought how to make all in the Ca&s;tle peri&s;h with him; yet &s;ince he imagined that &s;ome accident might fall out, wherein the Per&s;on of <HI>Cyrus</HI> might &s;tand him in &s;ome &s;tead, therefore he was not &s;o ha&s;ty to kill him: Mean while, the noi&s;e and tumult increa&s;ed; and all that the Kings and Princes could do, to re&s;train the Souldiers was in vain: for &s;ince the greate&s;t part of them were not Subjects unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> they were extreamly animated by the thirty thou&s;and <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> who would de|liver their Prince: They ca&s;t off that Reverend re&s;pect unto Kings, which ought to be imprinted in the &s;ouls of Subjects, in&s;omuch as they were ready to act any violence. They had alrea|dy brought the Ladders unto the Ca&s;tle; and I am verily per&s;waded, they would have &s;et it on fire, if they had not feared the burning of <HI>Cyrus</HI> among the re&s;t. The Battering Rams were brought unto the Gates, and two thou&s;and men ready to make an A&s;&s;ault when the breach was made; and al&s;o an hundred thou&s;and men more to &s;econd them, when pre&s;ently a great noi&s;e upon the left hand was heard, which ought to be under&s;tood, notwith&s;tanding the tu|multuous confu&s;ion of voices, to be a noi&s;e of joy. Pre&s;ently after, the Kings of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and <HI>Hircania,</HI> accompanied with <HI>Per&s;odes, Artibies, Adu&s;ias, Artaba&s;es,</HI> the Prince of <HI>Pophlagonia, Thimocrates, Philocles,</HI> and many others, did &s;o &s;ee <HI>Hida&s;pes, Thra&s;ibulas, Aglatidas,</HI> and the faithful <HI>Or&s;anes,</HI> conducting <HI>Cyrus,</HI> whom they had happily delivered out of a window, by breaking the bars, as &s;oon as ever <HI>Metrobates</HI> had left him: This &s;ight did produce a prodigious effect: and every one that had a tongue, pronounced the Name of <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> or <HI>Artamenes,</HI> for as yet they gave him both names indifferently. In the mean while this generous Prince, as &s;oon as he perceived the Ladders, and Rams, and all ready to a&s;&s;ault the Ca&s;tle, &s;peaking not a word of his intentions unto his illu&s;trious friends, did upon a &s;udden with his &s;word in his hand (for he had one given as &s;oon as he was delivered) &s;eperate him|&s;elf from them who were about him, and went &s;traight unto the Gate of the Ca&s;tle: &s;o that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> who was then in a Balcone to &s;ee what the Cry of Joy &s;hould be, did &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eparated from his deliverers, and at the Gate of the Ca&s;tle in a po&s;ture to defend it again&s;t them who for his liberty did a&s;&s;ault it: This Act being &s;een unto an hundred thou&s;and &s;everal per&s;ons, did cau&s;e as many admirations in their &s;ouls: and moved them to &s;u&s;pend their Acti|on. <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who a minute before thought <HI>Cyrus</HI> to be a pri&s;oner, did not well know, whether what he &s;aw, was true: In the mean while this generous Prince, being before the Gate, holding his &s;word in one hand, and making &s;ignes unto the people with the other, that he de&s;ired to &s;peak, he did in an in&s;tant cau&s;e as hu&s;ht a &s;ilence, as before there was tumul|tuous noi&s;e.</P>
<P>Do not think, my Deliverers, (&s;aid he unto <HI>Thra&s;ibulus, Hida&s;pes, Aglatidas,</HI> and <HI>Or&s;anes,)</HI>
<PB N="7" REF="194">
that I will accept of any liberty which &s;hall be imployed again&s;t the King; No, no, I do not value Glory at &s;o poor a rate, as to prefer my life before it: If I did come out of pri&s;on, it was only my-Companions (&s;aid he, looking upon the Souldiers) to come and teach you that reverend re&s;pect which you ow unto your Ma&s;ter: Force me not to turn this &s;word again&s;t you which heretofore has rendered you victorious: Obey, obey the Kings Commands, with|out the lea&s;t contradiction: and if he demand my head of you, you ought to give it him with|out re&s;i&s;tance: Did I ever teach you (&s;aid he, and doubled the fervency of his &s;peech) to re|bel again&s;t your King? Did you ever perceive by any of my actions, that I would allow of what you have done? No, no, deceive not your &s;elves, I can never be woon unto an act &s;o criminal, which makes me culpable as well as you. For after all this which you have done, I am not a whit more innocent then I was before, but I rather find, that the King without any inju&s;tice, and may <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hop off that mans head, who hath rai&s;ed all his Subjects again&s;t him: Lay down your Arms then; and if you de&s;ire to &s;erve me, cau&s;e all the &s;ouldiers to return unto the Camp, and all the inhabitants to their hou&s;es, while&s;t I, after I have begged your par|don from the King, will return unto my fetters. <HI>Cyrus</HI> having ended his &s;peech, a great hum|ing noi&s;e was heard all over; tho&s;e who under&s;tood not what he &s;aid, asked of others; and tho&s;e who did under&s;tand him, did with admiration, Cry out, and every one did ab&s;olutely &s;ay, that they would die a thou&s;and deaths rather then he &s;hould peri&s;h: When he perceived that they would not obey him, he then turned towards the Ca&s;tle, looking up to the Balcone, where <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;tood, and &s;peaking as loud as ever he could: Command Sir, (&s;aid he unto him) that they &s;uffer me to come unto you, to the end I may die in defending you again&s;t your re|bellious Subjects. <HI>Thra&s;ibulus, Hida&s;pes,</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who indeed feared that they would not let him enter, did range them&s;elves on his &s;ide; but he looking upon them with great turbulency of &s;pirit, &s;aid unto them; No, my too generous friends, come no nearer, un|le&s;s, &s;ince I cannot turn the point of my &s;word again&s;t you, you will provoke me to turn it a|gain&s;t my &s;elf.</P>
<P>While&s;t the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages happened in that place, the King was in extream agitation of &s;oul; for at the &s;ame in&s;tant in which he &s;aw <HI>Cyrus</HI> in that generous po&s;ture, a Souldier pre|&s;enting him&s;elf at his feet; Sir, (&s;aid he unto the King) that Illu&s;trious Pri&s;oner, whom my companions, and my &s;elf did guard, is e&s;caped; But if it be permitted me to &s;ay it, your Maje&s;ty need not to be troubled at it: for he is too generous to do any harm, but it is the wick|ed <HI>Metrobates</HI> who you had more need to be troubled at: The King was &s;o-much &s;urprized and troubled both at what he &s;aw, and what he heard, that his &s;pirits were not at &s;o much li|berty as to inform him&s;elf further, by what the Souldier de&s;ired to &s;peak; if <HI>Thiamis,</HI> and <HI>Ariobantes,</HI> had not moved him unto a further curio&s;ity: But at la&s;t the Souldier being com|manded to &s;peak on, he told the King in few words, how he overheard the Propo&s;ition which <HI>Metrobates</HI> had made unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> how he offered to kill <HI>Ciaxares</HI> upon condition <HI>Cyrus</HI> would give him the Government of <HI>Pteria: Thiamis,</HI> and <HI>Ariobantes,</HI> took hold upon this favourable opportunity, and aggravate the hainou&s;ne&s;s of this wicked act: The King did yet make &s;ome doubt of the truth, but the Souldier continuing his tale; Sir, (&s;aid he) to ju|&s;tifie the truth of what I tell you, give me leave to acquaint you further, that <HI>Metrobates</HI> no &s;ooner knew of the e&s;cape of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but in lieu of adverti&s;ing you, he provided for his own &s;afety, and as the Ladders by which <HI>Cyrus</HI> was delivered, did remain &s;till at the window, he made u&s;e of them, that way to go out of the Ca&s;tle, having carried along with him a party of my fellow-&s;ouldiers; for my part, I &s;hould have come to adverti&s;e you of this horrid mo|tion, as &s;oon as I heard it, if I had then the power to have done it; But being ingaged upon my duty, in the outer Chamber of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> when <HI>Metrobates</HI> came thither, I could not get out, until after his e&s;cape. The King was extreamly troubled at this relation, yet not altoge|ther believing it, he &s;ent into all places of the Ca&s;tle to &s;eek for <HI>Metrobates,</HI> and to &s;ee whether they who delivered <HI>Cyrus</HI> had not killed him: But he knew that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had been delivered without any re&s;i&s;tance; he knew al&s;o that <HI>Metrobates</HI> went the &s;econd time to the Chamber of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and perhaps with an intention to kill him, though he had no orders for it, and when he found him e&s;caped, it &s;eems he e&s;caped him&s;elf, in the &s;ame way as the &s;ouldier rela|ted. Now Sir, (replied <HI>Thiamis)</HI> I hope you will no longer re&s;i&s;t both Heaven and Earth: Do you not now &s;ufficiently &s;ee the innocency of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> through the crime of <HI>Metrobates?</HI> I know very well (an&s;wered <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> that <HI>Cyrus</HI> is generous, but I cannot yet &s;o clearly di&s;cover his innocency: As &s;oon as he had &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Marte&s;ia, Chri&s;antes, Feralus, Ara&s;|pes, Artucas,</HI> and <HI>Ortalgues,</HI> did all of them enter: for &s;uch a fear had &s;eized upon the &s;oul|diers, &s;ince <HI>Metrobates</HI> who placed them there was e&s;caped, that they looked after their pri|&s;oners
<PB N="8" REF="195">
no longer. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> being much &s;urprized at the &s;ight, and not knowing whe|ther his Per&s;on was &s;afe among&s;t &s;o many people whom he had hardly u&s;ed, did yet ma|nife&s;t his confidence, and asked all about him very angerly, Whether or no he was King, &s;ince they were &s;o bold as to fail in their due re&s;pects unto him? Sir, (replyed <HI>Chri|&s;antes)</HI> when we &s;aw that our Guards did leave us, we &s;uppo&s;ed your Maje&s;ty had no further u&s;e of us: and I thought (added <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> that it would conduce much unto your glory, and pre&s;ervation, to tell you once again Sir, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> is innocent. See Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Thiamis,</HI> forcing him to take notice of this la&s;t Act of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> in hindering his friends from coming nearer him) whether you have any rea&s;on to reprehend the Servants of &s;uch a Ma&s;ter, who&s;e generous Soul does oppo&s;e again&s;t his own deliverance, and becomes an enemy unto his Re&s;cuers: Oh Heavens, Cried out <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> what &s;hall I do? what can I, or what ought I to do? Command me (an&s;wered <HI>Thiamis)</HI> to go and fetch <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto you, and treat him kindly, as he de&s;erves. But he holds intelligence with my Enemy, (replied the King.) You may &s;ee, Sir, (replied <HI>Ariobantes)</HI> by the manner of his acting, that he holds no culpa|ble corre&s;pondence with him: but he is culpable at the lea&s;t in relation to my Daughter, and therefore cannot be innocent. You may &s;ee that Sir, (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> by a Letter which I will pre&s;ent unto you, and which by good fortune I found in that Chamber where I was pri&s;oner, which formerly was mine: This Letter was never &s;een by any but <HI>Cyrus,</HI> nor did he ever impart the Contents of it unto <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> or <HI>Feraulas;</HI> and the Prince&s;s although &s;he was mo&s;t innocent, yet would &s;he not &s;uffer it to remain in his hands, and therefore it re|mained in mine: I did think, I had lo&s;t it, but by good fortune I found it in a little Trunk which was &s;ent from <HI>Themi&s;&s;ira</HI> unto <HI>Sinope,</HI> and I have brought it unto your Maje&s;ty, to let you &s;ee how criminal <HI>Mandana</HI> is. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> then taking the Letter, which he knew perfectly to be his Daughters hand, he read it with much circum&s;pection, and trouble.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The Prince&s;s <HI>MANDANA,</HI> unto <HI>CYRUS.</HI></HEAD>
<P>SInce it is your de&s;ire I &s;hould write my ultimate re&s;olution unto you: I &s;hall repeat that which I have already &s;poken unto you; which in Sum is this, That all the obligations where|by I am bound unto you, and all the Services which you have rendred unto the King my Father, &s;hall never move me to recede from the exact and rigorous rules of virtue: I do know very well, that you did never de&s;ire any thing from me to the contrary: Therefore you ought not to be &s;urprized, if I again tell you, That if you do not find out &s;ome expedi|ents, and wayes to make the King my Father acquainted, who you are, and procure his con&s;ent within the time prefixed: you mu&s;t return into <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> and never &s;ee me more: This is the totall Sum of all I can, or ought to do.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>MANDANA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>The King having read the Letter, and &s;eeing <HI>Cyrus</HI> oppo&s;e his own friends, and command the Souldiers to lay down their Arms: Let him live (&s;aid he) let the happy <HI>Cyrus</HI> live, who&s;e own virtues has more induced my Soul to &s;ave him, then an hundred thou&s;and men could do. It is your Office, Grave <HI>Thiamis,</HI> (&s;aid he) to pronounce the &s;ame unto the Souldiers: and it is yours <HI>Ariobantes,</HI> to give out all nece&s;&s;ary orders for the &s;afety of the Ca&s;tle. Oh Sir (cri|ed out <HI>Chri&s;antes, Feraulas,</HI> and all the re&s;t who were in the Chamber,) as long as <HI>Cyrus</HI> lives, your Maje&s;ty need not to fear any thing: Mean while, <HI>Thiamis</HI> de&s;iring to execute the Kings Order with all &s;peed, and not to give him any time to repent of &s;o gracious a Sentence, went down unto the Gate of the Ca&s;tle, followed by all the <HI>Magi</HI> which waited upon him. As &s;oon as the Gates were opened, <HI>Cyrus</HI> came up, and endeavoured to enter, and forbid en|trance unto any el&s;e; All his Deliverers and Partakers did advance, all the Captains and Soul|diers cried out, that he &s;hould not enter, and made a terrible noi&s;e: But when the Gates of the Ca&s;tle were wide open, and none but the <HI>Magi</HI> and Sacrificers appeared, the tumult cea&s;ed; every one kept his &s;tation, and &s;ilence to hear what <HI>Thiamis</HI> would &s;ay unto them: <HI>Cyrus</HI> then &s;aluted the <HI>Magi</HI> with much reverence, holding down his &s;word, and looking upon him with as little di&s;mayedne&s;s as if his life were not at all in danger; Is it from you, Grave <HI>Thiamis,</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) that I ought to re-a&s;&s;ume my fetters? No Sir (an&s;wered he) the Mini&s;ters of the Gods do not u&s;e to aba&s;e them&s;elves &s;o low, as to execute the inju|&s;tice of men. But generous Prince, I come to proclaim that liberty which the King hath granted unto you: The flight of <HI>Metrobates</HI> hath cleared his &s;oul from all doubts, and the Gods, unto whom you are mo&s;t precious, have by your own victories freed you from that
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danger which &s;eemed to be inevitable. Come then, Sir, and triumph, come and receive that tenderne&s;s of foul which the King keeps for you: <HI>Cyrus</HI> then making mo&s;t low reverence unto <HI>Thiamis,</HI> Doubtle&s;s it is your pious prayers (&s;aid he unto him) rather then any virtue in me, which hath wrought this happy change in the King. But grave <HI>Thiamis,</HI> Does the King e&s;teem me as a ju&s;tified man, or as a criminal, whom he pardons? you &s;hall know that from his own mouth, replied <HI>Thiamis.</HI> This grave <HI>Magi,</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> turning him&s;elf towards his illu&s;trious friends, did intreat them to let him enter alone; but he could not hear their An&s;wer; for this good news having in a moment pa&s;&s;ed from mouth to mouth, nothing could be heard but thoughts of joy; yet certain mi&s;tru&s;ts did remain in ma|ny minds, and they could not be &s;atisfied with any thing: Some would have Ho&s;tages before he entred, others asked whether <HI>Thiamis,</HI> who&s;e wi&s;dom and integrity was known unto all the world, would an&s;wer for him: In&s;omuch, as hearing him&s;elf named by &s;o many voices, and different men; No, no, (&s;aid this &s;age Sacraficer unto them, as loud as he could &s;peak) fear nothing, but tru&s;t me with the Per&s;on of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> It is my office to conduct <HI>Victims</HI> unto the feet of Altars, not into the hands of Executioners. I u&s;e to appea&s;e the Gods by &s;acrifices, not but I do not u&s;e to execute vengeance upon men: Let your obedience (&s;aid he unto them) re&s;tifie that your zeal is grounded upon good principles; and in lieu of &s;erving, do not pre|judice your mo&s;t Illu&s;trious General. Mean while, the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> the King of <HI>Hir|cania, Per&s;odes, Thra&s;ibulus, Artibies,</HI> the Prince of <HI>Paphlagonia, Hida&s;pes, Artaba&s;es, Thimocrates, Philocles, Leontidas, Megabi&s;es, Aglatidas, Or&s;anes,</HI> and many others came near, and de&s;ired that they might follow <HI>Cyrus</HI> into the Ca&s;tle; but <HI>Thiamis</HI> told them, it would better accommodate the bu&s;ine&s;s, if &s;ome part of them only, did enter in with him, and the other part remain without, to keep the &s;ouldiers and people within the limits of their duties: le&s;t &s;ome Banique fears, &s;hould fre&s;hly incen&s;e them, and le&s;t they &s;hould ima|gine <HI>Cyrus</HI> is ill u&s;ed, and moreover it would be much more requi&s;ite they &s;hould endeavour to take <HI>Metrobates,</HI> who was yet out of the Ca&s;tle. After this conte&s;t, <HI>Cyrus</HI> entred; the King of <HI>Phrygia, Hida&s;pes, Artaba&s;es, Adu&s;ius, Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> only fol|lowing him, the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> and all the re&s;t remain without, to take all requi&s;ite cour|&s;es to prevent any new commotion. In the mean while, <HI>Thiamis</HI> was no &s;ooner gone to|wards the King, but this Prince was entred into his Clo&s;et, whither he &s;ent for <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> only.</P>
<P>The&s;e two Per&s;ons had both of them &s;o much &s;pirit and di&s;cretion, and had told <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;o much, that they made his &s;oul de&s;irous to hear the ju&s;tification of <HI>Cyrus</HI> with delght: for &s;ince neither his truth nor his pa&s;&s;ion was not any longer to be concealed as a &s;ecret, it was much more ea&s;ie for them then before, to make his innocence appear: <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> did then with all ingenuity confe&s;s, of what nature that intelligence was which <HI>Cyrus</HI> held with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> and cau&s;ed him &s;o well to under&s;tand, that it was no criminous corre&s;pondence, as that the King would &s;igh for &s;orrow, con&s;idering into what a bad condition this &s;uppo|&s;ed crime had brought him: <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> for her part, did ju&s;tifie his Mi&s;tre&s;s &s;o hand&s;omly, and did &s;o &s;incerely and briefly relate all the pa&s;&s;ages, that he him&s;elf found no cau&s;e of complaint: There was nothing but that Picture which was found in the Cabinet of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> which moved him to conceive it to be too much for a Prince&s;s of &s;o great a vertue, as <HI>Mandana</HI> profe&s;&s;ed: for although <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> had told him it was made for the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pteria,</HI> yet there was no proof of it; but as good fortune was, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> did bethink her &s;elf of a pa&s;&s;age which would clear the bu&s;ine&s;s. Sir, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) <HI>Ariobantes,</HI> who as you know was Brother unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pteria,</HI> for whom that Picture was made, is able to witne&s;s that I tell you no lye; he may perhaps know it, if your Maje&s;ty &s;hew it unto him; for I do remember he was with the Prince&s;s the &s;ame day it was fini&s;hed, and that the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter falling &s;ick the next day after, &s;ent <HI>Ariobantes</HI> unto the Prince&s;s for it: But the Picture-drawer being de|&s;irous to take it with him, that he might do &s;omething unto the Dre&s;s, &s;he could not receive that &s;atisfaction &s;he de&s;ired: So that the &s;ame Prince&s;s died, and as I told your Maje&s;ty, never received it: As &s;oon as <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> had told this, <HI>Ariobantes</HI> entred, who gave the King an ac|count of tho&s;e Orders he had given for the Guard of the Ca&s;tle. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> then fetching out the Cabinet of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> which he always kept in his Clo&s;et, ever &s;ince the wicked <HI>Metrobantes</HI> brought it unto him, he took out the Picture of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and &s;hewing it unto <HI>Ariobantes,</HI> asked him, whether ever he had &s;een it before? Yes, Sir, (an&s;wered he, after he had a while looked upon it) doubtle&s;s I have &s;een it, and that more then once, for I &s;aw it when the Prin|ce&s;s out of her goodne&s;s was plea&s;ed to let it be taken for my Si&s;ter, and I &s;aw it afterwards, when it was carried unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> a few days before the Prince&s;s was carried away by the
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King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> I remember al&s;o, how I per&s;waded her to keep that which was intended for my Si&s;ter: O Sir, (cried out <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> this is &s;ufficient to ju&s;tifie the Prince&s;s, &s;ince your Maje&s;ty knows &s;he never &s;aw <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ince that time; and therefore could not give him this Picture. Thus was the &s;tate of things when <HI>Thiamis</HI> came and told the King, he had brought <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto him; who to appear with more &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion before <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> had left his Sword with <HI>Feraulas</HI> in the outer Chamber, where he did imbrace him, and <HI>Andrameas, Artucas,</HI> and <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> de&s;iring their pardons for tho&s;e inconveniences which they had &s;uffered for the love of him: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> then, at that time calling to mind how much he was indebted unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> under the notion of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and what <HI>Artamenes</HI> had done in his pre&s;ence under the Name of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he calmed his mind, and commanded him to enter: <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> would have gone out of the Kings Clo&s;et, but <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;taying her: No <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;aid he unto her, you mu&s;t have your &s;hare in the Pacification, as you have had in the War. Pre&s;ently after, the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> entred, who would have &s;poke &s;omething by way of excu&s;e unto the King. But <HI>Ciaxares</HI> taking him by the hand, Speak not of any excu&s;es, &s;aid he unto him, &s;ince it is my part rather to make excu&s;es for not believing you, then yours for not obeying me.</P>
<P>The Grave <HI>Thiamis</HI> followed the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and pre&s;ented <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> This Prince did &s;o much reverence the Father of <HI>Mandana,</HI> that he would have thrown him|&s;elf at his feet, as if he had been criminal, yet the King would not &s;uffer him, but lifted him up, and imbraced him mo&s;t tenderly; asking him, whether <HI>Cyrus</HI> could forget all the injuries which had been done unto <HI>Artamenes? Artamenes,</HI> replied he, &s;hall never your forget bene|fits, nor ever he will &s;uffer <HI>Cyrus</HI> to be ungratefull. But Sir, I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech your Maje&s;ty, give me leave to an&s;wer directly with di&s;gui&s;ing the lea&s;t part of truth unto every que&s;tion that &s;hall be asked me: and that you will be plea&s;ed to honour me &s;o far as to tell me, Whether there do yet remain any grounds of &s;u&s;picion, or fears of my fidelity in you? and if it appear that I ever failed in that duty which I owe you, if I cannot give &s;atisfaction by my rea&s;ons, I &s;hall be more ready to &s;ubmit unto &s;uch puni&s;hments as you &s;hall ordain. For Sir, what thoughts &s;oever they have infu&s;ed unto you concerning <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I can mo&s;t cer|tainly a&s;&s;ure you, that he &s;hall ever be mo&s;t &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive unto your will, in&s;omuch as there is not the meane&s;t of your Subjects whom you may of right command, but my own natural inclination, gives you the &s;ame Supremacy over me: Now Sir, you &s;ee what are all the mo&s;t real thoughts of him whom they &s;ay is the Ruiner of all <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> of that grand U&s;urper, who mu&s;t &s;ubvert Kingdoms, u&s;urp Crowns, and raign by unju&s;t cour&s;es. You may very well ima|gine Sir, that the &s;ame Prince who conceals him&s;elf from thirty thou&s;and of his Fathers Sub|jects which were in your Army, had no very ambitious de&s;igns; e&s;pecially, &s;ince for fear to offend you, he re&s;olved to lo&s;e his life, before ever he would di&s;clo&s;e his quality. Enough, enough, (an&s;wered <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> with tears in his eyes, and imbracing him again) ju&s;tifie your &s;elf no further, for the more you endeavour it, the more you prejudice me, and the greater culpable &s;hall I appear: It were more for my glory if you appeared le&s;s innocent. I am in fault enough, replied <HI>Cyrus</HI> mo&s;t mode&s;tly, &s;ince I was &s;o unfortunate as to di&s;plea&s;e you, and to be the innocent cau&s;e of rebellion in your Subjects; I be&s;eech you, Sir, (added <HI>Cyrus</HI> in a mo&s;t re&s;pectful manner) to charge me only with their crime, and puni&s;h my Per&s;on for it. No, no, replied the King very &s;weetly, the very &s;ight of <HI>Cyrus</HI> has renewed &s;o much tender|affection in my &s;oul, that I cannot think of any puni&s;hing, but rather I will recompence them all in your Per&s;on, for preventing me from committing &s;uch an horrid piece of inju&s;tice, whereby I &s;hould have deprived all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> of her greate&s;t Glory, and principal Ornament: Therefore to reduce the &s;ouldiers and people unto the duty, rea&s;&s;ume your Charge, Command them to re|turn unto the Camp, and prepare them and your &s;elf al&s;o to go very &s;hortly into <HI>Armenia,</HI> to deliver <HI>Mandana</HI> from her Captivity. Oh Sir, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I de&s;ire not &s;o much it is enough that you give me leave to obey, and not command: Permit me only &s;o much liberty as to fight in the fir&s;t rank in the fir&s;t Battel, and I ask no more. I do not know any (an&s;wered the King of <HI>Phrygia)</HI> that dare pre&s;ume to be your General, and there is none who thinks it not an honour, that you &s;hould be his. The Gods (&s;aid <HI>Thiamis,</HI> interrupting them) being &s;ole Authours of all the happine&s;s which befals us, it is requi&s;ite to render thanks unto them to morrow by a &s;olemn Sacrifice: Mo&s;t true, Grave Father, &s;aid the King unto him, therefore it is expedient that <HI>Cyrus</HI> do cau&s;e the Troops to go out of <HI>Sinope,</HI> to the end we may offer the Sacrifice with more tranquility.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> then obeying <HI>Ciaxares</HI> after he had made an hundred Prote&s;tations of inviolable fide|lity, went out to give all requi&s;ite Orders concerning the bu&s;ine&s;s: The King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI>
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and <HI>Ariobantes</HI> &s;tayed &s;till with <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to keep his mind in the &s;ame re&s;entments. <HI>Mar|te&s;ia</HI> asked leave from the King to go back unto the hou&s;e of <HI>Artucas,</HI> as &s;oon as the Troops were retired, which he con&s;ented unto, thinking that place fitter for her, then the Court where now there was no women: Mean while <HI>Thiamis</HI> waited upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> to the Ca&s;tle gate, where after many imbracings he left him, and went to take order for the Sacrificers. The &s;ouldiers no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but they began their acclamations and &s;houts of joy, not doubting now but that his peace was perfectly made; yet notwith&s;tanding, he behaved him&s;elf with &s;o much moderation, as was admirable; telling all tho&s;e who came about him, that the King was &s;o gracious as to pardon them; therefore &s;aid he unto them, it is your duties to extol his goodne&s;s: and re&s;olve with your &s;elves to become worthy of it, by your gallant Deportments in the <HI>Ar|menian</HI> War, whither very &s;hortly he will &s;end you. Mean while, the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> and all the Princes which &s;tayed without the Town, &s;aluted him, and great joy was expre&s;&s;ed on all &s;ides afterwards, having a&s;&s;embled all the chief Commanders, he gave command to carry the Army out of the Town immediately, and to leave none in the Town but only &s;o many as u&s;u|ally were in it. Pre&s;ently after, the King &s;ent orders to change the Guards of the Ca&s;tle: as for tho&s;e at the Port of <HI>Sinope,</HI> they all peri&s;hed when the Town was entered; &s;o that re&s;toring <HI>An|dramias</HI> unto his charge, they drew off the &s;ouldiers which <HI>Metrobates</HI> had placed in the Ca|&s;tle, the number whereof was not great, becau&s;e many had e&s;caped with him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> com|manded him to be &s;earched for very narrowly, but all in vain. This Prince went in Per&s;on to the principal Port of the Town, to &s;ee the Army pa&s;s; &s;o that &s;eeing all the Regiments one after another, he might more conveniently command them unto their duties: And becau&s;e he was beloved, and feared, and reverenced by all the &s;ouldiers, they obeyed him without the lea&s;t murmur, and returned as joyful as if they had won a battel, and as well content as if they had been loaded with plunder: within three hours, the Town was quiet, and the whole Army without the walls, excepting tho&s;e Companies nece&s;&s;ary for the Guard of the Ports and Ca|&s;tle, whither he returned to render an account unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> of what was done: The King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> and all they who had not &s;een the King &s;ince all the&s;e adventures, were pre&s;ented unto him by <HI>Ariobantes;</HI> and the night cau&s;ing every one to take leave; <HI>Cyrus,</HI> by orders from <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was lodged in his old Chamber, where he was no &s;ooner entred, but every one came to te&s;tifie their joy for his liberty: But after all complements had pa&s;&s;ed, and none but <HI>Chri|&s;antes,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> with him, he imbraced them with extream affection. Well, my dear friends, &s;aid he unto them, Do you think we have now made our peace with Fate? or is this &s;erene calm which we now begin to enjoy, only a breathing to give us more lei&s;ure in pre|paring your &s;elves for new misfortunes? The Gods (replied <HI>Chri&s;antes)</HI> have made trial of your vertue by &s;o many &s;everal ways, that it is a piece of great difficulty to fore&s;ee what ought to en&s;ue hereafter.</P>
<P>But now Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Feraulas)</HI> you are at liberty, you are al&s;o known to be <HI>Cyrus; Ciax|ares</HI> knows it; nor is he ignorant of your love to the Prince&s;s, and the Prince&s;s her &s;elf e&s;teems you. It is true, (replied <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ighing) but yet the Prince&s;s is in <HI>Armenia,</HI> and in the power of the Rival. Yes Sir, replied <HI>Feraulas,</HI> but it is &s;uch a Rival, who&s;e ambition Fortune has &s;o cro&s;t, that it cannot po&s;&s;ibly be thought &s;he will favour him with any part of her affection: With &s;uch di&s;cour&s;e as this, <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> entertained their dear Ma&s;ter, until he was in bed: yet he was no &s;ooner laid, but all the prodigious revolutions of his Fate came into his memory. The Image of <HI>Mandana</HI> appeared in his fancy, and entertained him until after midnight; Sleep was no &s;ooner clo&s;ing up his eyes, but his imaginations being filled with his Prince&s;s awaked him. The next day, in the morning, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent him his Cabinet, within which, he had put the Magnificent Scarf of <HI>Mandana</HI> very carefully, but he found not the Picture of the Prince&s;s in it; becau&s;e the King had &s;ent it back unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who was re|turned to <HI>Artucas,</HI> as before I told you: his murmur at it was only in &s;ecret; and he went unto the King, who prepared him&s;elf for the Temple of <HI>Mars,</HI> where the grave <HI>Thiamis</HI> at|tended him: But that he might make it evident unto the people, that he was really reconciled unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he walked through the Town talking unto him: The whole Town did ring joyful acclamations, to &s;ee the mo&s;t Illu&s;trious of men at liberty: All the Kings and Princes which were at that Court, did wait upon this Ceremony; and the pre&s;s was &s;o great between the Town, and the Temple of <HI>Mars,</HI> that there remained none in <HI>Sinope,</HI> but only tho&s;e who guarded the Ports. As the King lighted from hor&s;e, (for they did ride thither) within ten or twelve paces of the Temple Gate, <HI>Cyrus</HI> who was next him, ob&s;erved four or five men, who&s;e faces &s;eemed odd, and were unknown unto him, who endeavored to come nearer. Although he had not any rea&s;on at all to &s;u&s;pect, or fear any thing; yet notwith&s;tanding, as if he were
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in&s;pired by Heaven unto it, he fixed his looks upon on of the&s;e men, who had a very bad promi&s;ing Phi&s;iognomy, pre&s;ently after he perceived two of the&s;e men, pull out daggers; the one de&s;igning to &s;tab <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and the other advanced towards him, with the &s;ame intentions. The mo&s;t generous <HI>Cyrus</HI> did immediately interpo&s;e between the King and the a&s;&s;a&s;&s;inate and received that blow upon his left hand which was aimed at <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> whil&s;t with his right hand, he forced the dagger out of that hand which &s;trook with it, and laid him dead at his feet: there were eight or ten others who abetted the&s;e two who undertook to kill the King and <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and who &s;eeing the de&s;ign faile, did make e&s;cape, during the amazement which every on was in, at the adventure: but <HI>Cyrus</HI> drawing his &s;word did &s;o pur&s;ue the&s;e con&s;pirators through the mid&s;t of this great croud of men, and a&s;&s;aulted them &s;o furiou&s;ly, that mo&s;t of them peri&s;hed by his own hand: for after he had in a minute put the King into the Temple, and commited him into the cu&s;tody of the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> and many others; he pur&s;ued the a&s;&s;a&s;&s;inates clo&s;e unto the Sea &s;ide, whether they fled, and where a fi&s;hers boat did wait upon them, that thereby they might e&s;cape away. Although there was a world of people about <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> yet the thing was &s;o &s;udden, and &s;o few &s;aw the fir&s;t pa&s;&s;age, that it was a long while before it was known what the matter was: and certainly had not <HI>Cyrus</HI> interpo&s;ed, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had bin killed and perhaps the a&s;&s;a&s;&s;inates e&s;caped.</P>
<P>But <HI>Cyrus,</HI> being aided Principally by <HI>Feraulas</HI> and <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> pur&s;ued them and killed them, and took one of them after they had well wounded him, who, rather then he would be taken would have thrown him&s;elf into the Sea, when <HI>Cyrus</HI> catched him by the hair; No, no, Tray|tor, &s;aid he unto him, I mu&s;t fir&s;t know who you are, and upon what &s;core you have made this attempt: he had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o but for all the di&s;gui&s;e of his habit, and face, and though he was all over &s;meered with blood yet he knew him to be <HI>Metrobates,</HI> who endeavoured all he po&s;&s;ibly could, either to e&s;cape, or kill him&s;elf, or el&s;e throw him&s;elf into the Sea: But &s;everal of the Kings guard being come in, <HI>Cyrus</HI> did put him into their cu&s;tody, and commanding them to follow with him, he went unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who was at the hou&s;e of <HI>Thiamis</HI> which joyns unto the Temple: as &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> appeared, the King did clo&s;ly embrace him, and this being the &s;econd time that he did owe his Life unto him, he did acknowledg it a hundred times over, and expre&s;&s;ed as many te&s;timonies of repentance for what he had done again&s;t him. Sir, (&s;aid he unto him, and cau&s;ing that Traytor whom he had taken to be brought neerer) I give the Gods mo&s;t hearty thanks, that they have &s;hewed you the difference betwixt <HI>Metrobates,</HI> and my &s;elf: As &s;oon as the King heard that Name, and looked upon him, but he knew him: Oh thou Vilain (&s;aid he unto him,) is it thou that makes &s;uch attempts upon my life, as well as up|on the life of <HI>Cyrus?</HI> for the King did perceive the intentions of tho&s;e two men who would have killed them: Yes, it was I (an&s;wered the Traytor mo&s;t furiou&s;ly) who not enduring to commit unprofitable crimes, intended to commit two, which would &s;omething advantage me: From whom, wicked wretch, (replyed the King) did&s;t thou expect a recompence for &s;uch an act? From &s;o many Kings and Princes (replyed he) as <HI>Artamenes</HI> by his good fortune has &s;ubjected unto you, who by this my Act would have been no longer Tributaries: The King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> and the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> did then begin to &s;peak, and &s;ay that he ought to &s;peak more perticularly concerning this wicked action: but he, without further pre&s;&s;ing, and conceiving no hopes of life although he &s;hould e&s;cape of his wounds, told them that they need look for no other Author of the con&s;piracy then him&s;elf; and as for his complices, they were all of them dead. He confe&s;&s;ed further, that &s;eeing him&s;elf ruined, when <HI>Cyrus</HI> went out of Pri&s;on, he him&s;elf went out al&s;o; That &s;ince his Principles was only Ambition, he conceived all his fortunes utterly undon &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> was at liberty: and that he thought he &s;hould re|ceive a large recompence from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> if he had at once took away the life of him who po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed his Dominions, and the life of him who had conquered him, and contended with him for the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana. Metrobates</HI> confe&s;&s;ed this, with &s;o much in&s;olent ingenuity that the truth of it was not at all &s;u&s;pected. As for tho&s;e who a&s;&s;i&s;ted him, they were all of them known to be the &s;ame Souldiers which went out of the Ca&s;tle with him, and which he had brought from <HI>Pteria.</HI> The King, being not able to endure the &s;ight of &s;uch a villain any lon|ger, who had attempted both again&s;t his own life as well as again&s;t the life of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> command|ed him to Pri&s;on, until &s;ome &s;evere puni&s;hment for &s;uch crimes were better re&s;olved upon; but that needed not, for he dyed in the hands of the Chyrurgions, and &s;aved him&s;elf thereby, from a more tormenting death. Mean while the &s;acrifice became a &s;acrifice of real thanks unto the Gods; and <HI>Ciaxares</HI> renewed the tenderne&s;s of his affection towards <HI>Cyrus</HI> and to augment it, if it were po&s;&s;ible, &s;o that his mind enjoyed abundance of tranquility. The Grave <HI>Thia|mis,</HI> who from the fir&s;t day that he &s;aw <HI>Cyrus</HI> under the notion, of <HI>Artamines,</HI> and had ever
<PB N="13" REF="197">
mo&s;t dearly loved him, did make an excellent oration, full of &s;trong arguments to confirm <HI>Ci|axares</HI> in his good opinion of him: I &s;hould ab&s;olutely have lo&s;t my rea&s;on (&s;aid the King un|to him) if I &s;hould be ungrateful unto that man who hath hazarded his own life to &s;ave mine, after my intentions of putting him to death: for grave <HI>Thiamis,</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) this mo&s;t generous Prince, was contented to receive that blow upon his left hand which was intended at my heart, and to interpo&s;e his own body, between the A&s;&s;a&s;&s;inate, and mine. No no, added he, never fear, but that I &s;hall as long as I live, look upon <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as my Protector and Pre&s;erver, and as a Prince whom indeed the Gods has &s;ent unto me, for my Glory and Felicity: The&s;e were the apprehen&s;ions of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> when he retired him&s;elf ever de&s;iring to have <HI>Cyrus</HI> neer him: This action, being divulged not only unto all the people of <HI>Sinope,</HI> but the Camp al&s;o; Applauds and acclamations of joy were redoubled, and <HI>Artamenes</HI> was never &s;o preci|ous to the &s;oul of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> as now <HI>Cyrus</HI> is, &s;o that which in the compa&s;s of three days, the the Kings Soul, and all the hearts both in Court, Camp, and Town were full of joy. <HI>Ciaxa|res</HI> would needs &s;end unto <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> to the King his Brother and Queen his Si&s;ter, to let them know that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was alive: he then remembred, how at the birth of <HI>Mandana,</HI> the Queen did &s;end to rejoyce with him for it, and he out of a peece of Galantry &s;ent back this com|plement, That <HI>he wi&s;hed his Daughter might hereafter becom Worthy to be the Mi&s;tris of Cyrus:</HI> and he gave <HI>Madates,</HI> whom he &s;ent thither to pre&s;ent the &s;ame complement this &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">cond time, unto his Si&s;ter: <HI>Cyrus</HI> al&s;o de&s;ired the King to give him leave to &s;end on of his own &s;ervants, and he pitched upon <HI>Arabaces</HI> for it, whom <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> did &s;end a letter by, o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> rather a Hi&s;tory of the wonderful life of his dear Ma&s;ter; al&s;o excu&s;ing his long &s;ilence: and telling that there was an unre&s;i&s;table fatality in it, which prevented him from doing any other|wi&s;e. After this, there was nothing that di&s;turbed the mind of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> but the ab&s;ence of the Prince&s;s; yet &s;ince he replyed &s;o much upon the valour of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> his care of her was mo|derated by his hopes, and his &s;oul did re&s;t in great &s;ecurity: In the mean time, &s;ince it would be a long time before the Army could march into <HI>Armenia,</HI> and &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;o great a de|&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> know preci&s;ely where the Prince&s;s was, he moved <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to &s;end <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> di&s;gui&s;e|ed into <HI>Armenia</HI> to di&s;cover where tho&s;e women, of whom <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;poke when he re|turned out of that Country, were placed: for &s;ince <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> was very well ver&s;ed in the <HI>Ar|menian</HI> language, he was the fite&s;t for that imployment: <HI>Ciaxares</HI> then approving of the mo|tion, di&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">atched <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> thither with orders to find out the King, who doubtle&s;s world ere long be upon the Frontiers: <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the better to move him and all his inginuity to di&s;cover where <HI>Mandana</HI> was, did not only give him all nece&s;&s;ary In&s;tructions but a hundred good Admoni|tions be&s;ides; in&s;omuch as though <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> had been of the dulle&s;t capacity, as indeed he was nimble, yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> did pre&s;cribe &s;uch exact order unto him, that he doubted not of a happy ex|pedition: and as <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> u&s;ed to be very familiar with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;o he could not chu&s;e but tell him, that if <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> had been as well in&s;tructed by <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> as he was by him, doubtle&s;s he would have rendered a better account of his Emba&s;&s;ie, and brought back more certainty of the place where the Prince&s;s was, then he did: I do under&s;tood you very well (replyed <HI>Cyrus</HI> both embracing him, and &s;ighing) I do confe&s;s <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> I have &s;poken too much, when I con&s;ider your ingenuity; but me thinks I have &s;poke to little unto you, when I apprehend how much this voyage concerns me. If you ever were in love (pur&s;ued he) you will doubtle&s;s excu&s;e me for being &s;o importunate with you to u&s;e your be&s;t endeavors; but I &s;ee you are an incen|&s;ible man, who may perhaps be one day Captivated by &s;ome beauty or other, who will puni&s;h you for the raillery you are plea&s;ed to u&s;e to your friends. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> embraced him again and could not forbear repetitions of what he had already told him. And as &s;oon as this faithful &s;py was gone, <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing that the King was bu&s;ie with the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> went unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> with whom he de&s;ired to di&s;cour&s;e privatly, concerning his deare&s;t Prince&s;s: As &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw him come into her chamber, &s;he would have thanked him for the honour he did her, but he would not permit her, No no (&s;aid he unto her,) my &s;weet <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> you have now, no rea&s;on to complement with me, the vi&s;it concerns my own intere&s;t, and there|fore regains no thanks; and I do take &s;o much delight in your company, that you are not at all obliged unto me for it. Sir, (&s;aid &s;he unto him in a low voyce, although there was none but the daughter of <HI>Artucas</HI> in the chamber who adre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf to <HI>Feraulas</HI> as &s;oon as <HI>Cy|rus</HI> entred) I do very well under&s;tand your mo&s;t obliging di&s;cour&s;e, and to te&s;tifie that I do rightly under&s;tand it, I will no longer deprive you of that delight which you take in talking of the Prince&s;s; and I will ask you, whether you beleeve &s;he would grieve for your Impri&s;on|ment, and rejoyce at your liberty if &s;he were here? I dare not beleeve it <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (replyed this Prince with an amorous &s;igh and blu&s;hing) indeed I dare not, lea&s;t I &s;hould deceive my
<PB N="14" REF="198">
&s;elf; and unle&s;s your goodne&s;s can di&s;&s;ipate my fears, and te&s;tifie the weakne&s;s of my hopes, I do not know, either what to think, or believe.</P>
<P><HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> then pre&s;enting a chair unto him, and taking another for her &s;elf; and the daugh|ter of <HI>Artucas</HI> called <HI>Erenice,</HI> being gone unto the window, di&s;cour&s;ing with <HI>Feraulas.</HI> Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I cannot think, but knowing as you do, the greatne&s;s of the Prince&s;s Spirit, and al&s;o your own merit, and many obligations whereby you have obliged her unto you, that you can po&s;&s;ibly doubt, but &s;he will be very &s;orry for your impri&s;onment, and very glad for your enlargement: Why may I not doubt it, (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> &s;ince you are plea&s;ed to be &s;o inhumane, as that you will not &s;o much as lend me the Picture of <HI>Mandana?</HI> Have I not rea&s;on to think, cruel woman as you are, that you do but deal with me according to the re|&s;entments of our mo&s;t incomparable Mi&s;tre&s;s? for if you had not known that &s;he conceives only a poor common bare e&s;teem of me, could you have endured to &s;ee me a Pri&s;oner, a mo&s;t unfortunate man; ab&s;ent from her I mo&s;t adored, and deprived of all con&s;olations, and denied me that Picture which would have been a Cordial in all my &s;orrows, and an Antidote again&s;t any mi&s;eries? Confe&s;s the truth, <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> was not your cruelty in that bu&s;ine&s;s, only an ef|fect of tho&s;e &s;ecret thoughts, which you knew to be in the heart of our D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">vine Prince&s;s? You are &s;o very ingenious to per&s;ecute your &s;elf, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> that I do not well know whe|ther I ought or can undeceive you. Yet notwith&s;tanding Sir, &s;ince I mu&s;t needs be &s;incere with you, I &s;hall ingeniou&s;ly tell you, that all the cruelty wherewith you charge me, proceeds from my &s;elf, and the Prince&s;s has no part in it: Not but that (and que&s;tionle&s;s you would con|ceive it &s;o) &s;he would not take it well, that I &s;hould give you that Picture which &s;he gave un|to me: yet for all that her thoughts are not di&s;advantagious unto you, although &s;he be a little &s;evere; &s;he was a lover of vertue and glory before &s;he was acquainted with you; and you mu&s;t not think it &s;trange if &s;he continue &s;o &s;till. Yet <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> would &s;he have been le&s;s vertuous if you had given me that picture? No Sir, replied &s;he, but I had been le&s;s rea&s;onable: Well <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> (&s;aid he) be more inhumane unto me, then Fortune is unto a King from whom &s;he hath taken away his Crowns? for &s;he notwith&s;tanding, does allow him the &s;ight of that Prince&s;s whom he loves, and has her in his power: Cruel woman, mu&s;t the King of <HI>Pont</HI> every minute look upon the real &s;ub&s;tance of Divine <HI>Mandana,</HI> and do you deny <HI>Cyrus</HI> the &s;ight of her picture? You have again <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> di&s;covered tho&s;e &s;ecret re&s;ent|ments which are in the heart of our Prince&s;s, and are di&s;advantagious unto me. Sir, (an&s;wer|ed &s;he &s;miling) you had &s;ome rea&s;on to tell me, that I ought you no thanks for this honour you have done me in coming to &s;ee me, &s;ince I &s;ee you came with a de&s;igne to quarrel with me: You may make Conditions of peace when you plea&s;e, &s;aid he unto her, and indeed, it is but doing what formerly you have done: Lend me that picture of <HI>Mandana</HI> unto that day I &s;hall deliver her, for I know the King hath re&s;tored it unto you. Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him) you are very urgent, but do you not con&s;ider what misfortune this picture was like to have cau|&s;ed? Do you not con&s;ider (&s;aid he unto her) how much joy it will be unto my &s;oul? I know it very well (&s;aid &s;he unto him) by that joy which this picture does u&s;ually afford my &s;elf: Ah <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;aid he, you comprehend it but imperfectly, if you judg of my thoughts by yours: Why Sir, replied &s;he, Do you think&punc; I do not love the Prince&s;s, as much as my capa|city of loving is able? Yes <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> replied he, I do believe you love her with all imaginable affection; and I do think <HI>Feraulas</HI> loves me with the like affection; but certainly he knows how to love one who you know, more perfectly, then he ought to love <HI>Cyrus:</HI> You are very good (&s;aid &s;he unto him blu&s;hing) in permitting <HI>Feraulas</HI> to love any one more then your &s;elf. But indeed I am not &s;o indulgent; and what re&s;pect &s;oever I bear unto you, I cannot yeild that you &s;hould love the Prince&s;s better then I do: But for all that, I do conceive i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> fit to make my peace with you; and therefore to compo&s;e all differences, I will lend you her picture unto the day you depart for <HI>Armenia,</HI> and putting her hand into her pocket, &s;he produced it, and gave it unto him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> was ravi&s;hed with joy, and received it with as much reverence, as if <HI>Mandana</HI> were pre&s;ent; he ki&s;&s;ed it, and plea&s;ed <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> &s;o well, that &s;he repented not of her complacency in lending it.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> having had no conference with her ever &s;ince his departure from <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> asked her an hundred &s;everal que&s;tions; he de&s;ired her to relate every thing concerning the taking away of the Prince&s;s by <HI>Philida&s;pes;</HI> after what manner &s;he was carried unto the City of <HI>Opis:</HI> how &s;he was entertained at <HI>Babylon,</HI> in what &s;ort &s;he lived there; how the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> treated her, how &s;he behaved her &s;elf towards <HI>Mazares;</HI> how they came out of <HI>Babylon</HI> to come unto <HI>Sinope:</HI> which way <HI>Mazares</HI> got her away, under colour of &s;etting her at liberty; and la&s;tly, how &s;he fell into the hands of the King of <HI>Pont</HI> after he had lo&s;t
<PB N="15" REF="198">
his Kingdoms: <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> did fully &s;atisfie his curio&s;ity, but yet &s;he would not mention that favourable Oracle which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> received at <HI>Babylon,</HI> le&s;t &s;uch an aver&s;e &s;tory &s;hould too much vex him: &s;o that he thought him&s;elf &s;ometimes mo&s;t perfectly happy: For when <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> did mention with what con&s;tant re&s;olution <HI>Mandana</HI> had repul&s;ed the pa&s;&s;ions of three great Princes, and all of them mo&s;t compleat men, he was wrapt in unexpre&s;&s;ible joy; and endeavouring to make her &s;peak of more pa&s;&s;ages which were in his advantage. But yet, (&s;aid he unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and looking as earne&s;tly upon her as if he would penetrate into the bottom of her heart, and know every truth in it,) this noble fury with which the Divine <HI>Man|dana</HI> re&s;i&s;ted all my Rivals, was doubtle&s;s only an effect of her vertue; and the mi&s;erable <HI>Ar|tamenes,</HI> and unfortunate <HI>Cyrus,</HI> was not any cau&s;e of it at all. Would you have me be &s;o complacential (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> angerly) as not to contradict you? I de&s;ire to know, (&s;aid he) the pure and perfect truth, upon condition it drive me not into de&s;pair. No Sir, replied &s;he, I &s;hall not drive you into di&s;pair, when I &s;hall tell you (though I had it not from the mouth of the Prince&s;s) that I &s;ee no rea&s;on &s;he had &s;o ob&s;tinately to reject the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> affection, unle&s;s the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> had his entrance into her heart. But &s;aid he unto her, being full of joy, Certainly the Prince&s;s did not &s;peak as much; the&s;e are but your own conjectures, upon which you ground the&s;e thoughts; and intend to flatter me? But however <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">murmur again&s;t <HI>Mandana,</HI> I have received more honours from her, then I can de&s;erve: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">hough &s;he &s;hould treat me coar&s;ly, and puni&s;h me for my ra&s;h boldne&s;s, doubtle&s;s I &s;hould not complain. After this manner did <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> di&s;cour&s;e, as oft as he could; having now only three things to do. The one was to go into the Camp, and give out all requi&s;ite Orders for the <HI>Armenia</HI> War. The other to pre&s;ent all imaginable humility unto <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> And the la&s;t, to go and vi&s;it <HI>Marte&s;ia:</HI> &s;uppo&s;ing it to be a kind of &s;eeing his Prince&s;s, to &s;ee her whom &s;he loved, and e&s;teemed &s;o much: Indeed, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was a Lady who was excellent in all things; &s;he was owner of all good qualities; her beauty was none of tho&s;e which do planet &s;trike, at the fir&s;t &s;ight; but it was &s;uch as the more one con&s;idered it, the more fre&s;h charms they found in it; for &s;he had an excellent &s;pirit, and a &s;olid mind; exceedingly complacential and di&s;creet, and the more one knew her, the better one liked her: <HI>Feraulas</HI> was not the only man who courted her; for during the time &s;he was con&s;trained to remain at <HI>Sinope,</HI> all the Court did vi&s;it her; all the Ladies of the Town were ob&s;ervant of her; and all the Princes, ob&s;erving with what civility <HI>Cyrus</HI> did treat her, came daily unto her, and were much delighted in her company, for indeed, it was ever very plea&s;ant: her in|genuity was not only natural, but much adorn'd with Art, under&s;tanding mo&s;t of the langua|ges in all <HI>Europe,</HI> and <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> Among&s;t the re&s;t of her Vi&s;itants, <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> and all tho&s;e il|lu&s;trious <HI>Grecians</HI> of the Army, to wit, <HI>Thimocrates, Philocles,</HI> and <HI>Leontidas,</HI> were often with her: The Prince <HI>Artibies</HI> was he who was mo&s;t frequent with her, in&s;omuch as the Company was full of &s;weet diver&s;ions, being compo&s;ed of per&s;ons exceedingly plea&s;ant. One day among the re&s;t, as <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Erenice</HI> her Co&s;en were alone together, the Prince <HI>Artibies,</HI> accompanied with <HI>Thimocrates, Philocles,</HI> and <HI>Leontidas,</HI> coming to &s;ee her, the Company que&s;tionle&s;s was very delightful, &s;ince certainly the <HI>Grecians</HI> of that time were of a much more delicate and refined Spirit, then other Nations. <HI>Artibies,</HI> though he was a <HI>Ci|cilian,</HI> yet he was a mo&s;t compleat Prince, and although he &s;eemed to be very melancholick, yet was very &s;ociable. <HI>Thimocrates</HI> had Nature for his friend, who adorned him with all the advantages of body, that &s;he could contrive in one of his Sex; he had al&s;o a quick and nimble wit, which rendred him mo&s;t plea&s;ant unto company. <HI>Philocles</HI> was not le&s;s exact and compleat in all things, and the complacency of his humour was extreamly charming. <HI>Leontidas</HI> was exceeding tall and hand&s;om: The compo&s;ure of his face was noble, his Phi&s;iog|nomy had I know not what kind of furious, &s;weet and meloncholy compo&s;ition, &s;uch as did not at all di&s;plea&s;e: and although there was &s;ome kind of di&s;cord in his humours, and a phan|ta&s;ticalne&s;s in his mind, yet was he exceedingly plea&s;ant.</P>
<P>The&s;e four being altogether with <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and the love of <HI>Cyrus</HI> being now no &s;ecret, that was the &s;ubject of their di&s;cour&s;e; and after they had di&s;canted upon the mo&s;t con&s;iderable pa&s;&s;ages thereof, or at lea&s;t, which were in their knowledg, every one began to complain of his misfortunes, according unto his own apprehen&s;ions: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> that which I think to be mo&s;t lamented in him, is, that he has been almo&s;t always ab&s;ent from her he loves; for as long as &s;he was in <HI>Capadocia,</HI> the <HI>Bithinian</HI> War did ab&s;ent him; and after his return unto <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> he never &s;aw the Prince&s;s whom he loved. This que&s;tionle&s;s is a great misfortune (replied <HI>Philocles)</HI> but yet &s;ince he lives in &s;ome hopes to be beloved, his ab|&s;ence is not without &s;ome con&s;olation; and he has yet had no experience of that which in
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love is more rigorous. Although he has had no experience of it, neither by ab&s;ence, nor the hate of the Prince&s;s whom he loves, yet doubtle&s;s he was apprehen&s;ive of it, when he believed her to be dead, as once he did: when I do imagine in what horrid frights he was, when he feared to find his Prince&s;s reduced into a&s;hes by the Conflagr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tion of <HI>Sinope:</HI> and when I fancy him, hearing from the mouth of <HI>Mazares</HI> in the fi&s;hers Cabin, how his Divine Prince&s;s peri&s;hed;</P>
<P>I do confe&s;s my compa&s;&s;ion of him is extream; and I do conceive, that all the delights which he can hereafter enjoy, cannot equal tho&s;e torments which he then endured. It is mo&s;t certain (&s;aid <HI>Leontidas</HI> who had not yet &s;poken) that ab&s;ence is a very grand affliction: not to be beloved is an angry fate; and the death of the party beloved is doubtle&s;s, a very &s;ad piece of mourning: But yet for all this, if the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> was never jealous, (as I could never hear he was) then does he owe &s;acrifices of thanks unto the Gods of love, for preventing him from that torment, which exceeds all others a thou&s;and degrees. But <HI>Leontidas,</HI> replied <HI>Mar|te&s;ia,</HI> do you conceive jealou&s;ie to be a greater ill, then the death of the party loved? Ah <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, think well what you &s;ay. I have &s;ufficiently thought upon it, replied he, and I do feelingly &s;peak concerning a pa&s;&s;ion which I have been too well acquainted with. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Erenice)</HI> I do conceive jealou&s;ie to be a very great evil; and do not think it &s;trange that <HI>Leontidas</HI> &s;hould rank it among the greate&s;t puni&s;hments of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">: but that <HI>Thi|mocrates</HI> &s;hould &s;peak ab&s;ence to be the mo&s;t rigid thing in the world, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ceive that his &s;oul is a little too nice and delicate. That man mu&s;t be mo&s;t in&s;en&s;ible (replied he) which does not find ab&s;ence to comprehend in it &s;elf all other horrours: That only is his &s;hare, who was never loved, replied <HI>Philocles,</HI> for if I may &s;o phra&s;e it, he heaps up all the evils of love in|to one; and he who has had no experience of this, is ignorant of the &s;upream misfortune, That is a misfortune, added <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> wherewith a generous man will not be long tor|mented, &s;ince there is nothing in the world more ju&s;t, natural, and rea&s;onable, then to cea&s;e them that love not us. He who laments for the death of his Mi&s;tre&s;s (replied <HI>Philocles)</HI> if he be wi&s;e, has mo&s;t rea&s;on to comfort up him&s;elf, &s;ince there is no po&s;&s;ibility to find a remedy for his misfortune: he who is ab&s;ent may find out &s;ome comfort from his hopes of return; and he who is jealous may cure him&s;elf, either by his knowledge of the vertue of her he loves, or el&s;e by his own merit, or el&s;e by de&s;pi&s;ing her. You are not well acquainted with jealou&s;ie, an&s;wered <HI>Leontidas</HI> very fiercely, &s;ince you imagine it can be cured by &s;apient rea&s;ons; for it perverts all the rea&s;ons under the Sun; and puts the whole order of nature out of tune: Other misfortunes whereof we di&s;cour&s;e have this advantage, that they &s;eem no greater then they are, but jealou&s;ie is of &s;uch a Capricious, Phanta&s;tical, Malignant a nature, that it magnifies all objects, like unto tho&s;e fal&s;e magnifying gla&s;&s;es invented by &s;ome Mathematicians. It does not only make one &s;en&s;ible of real evils, but only of tho&s;e which are meerly imaginary; it cau&s;es one to &s;uffer in that for which there is no ground at all. I do confe&s;s, &s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> then, that <HI>Leontidas</HI> has de&s;cribed jealou&s;ie unto us, in &s;uch an inge|nious manner, that I doubt not but if ever he was inlove, this pa&s;&s;ion has not much torment|ed him. To &s;peak the truth unto you, replied he, I tell my tale out of my own &s;ad experience; and therefore I may the better be believed, when I do maintain the jealou&s;ie is the mo&s;t hor|rid torment that can be endured: If that authority (replied <HI>Thimocrates)</HI> be &s;ufficient to ju&s;ti|fie, that ab&s;ence comprehends all the evils which love can afflict, I ought to be believed as well as you; &s;ince the better part of my life has been droopingly con&s;umed in ab&s;ence from her I love. Upon the &s;ame rea&s;on (replied <HI>Artibies)</HI> I mu&s;t not yield unto either, &s;ince I do but too &s;adly know, that the death of her one loves is the end of all joys, and an Epitome of all &s;orrows. Although it be but a piece of folly (&s;aid <HI>Philocles)</HI> to publi&s;h unto the world that one could never be loved; yet I am con&s;trained to acknowledge that out of my own ex|perience I have found this <HI>The&s;is</HI> true; As it is the greate&s;t felicity in love, to be beloved, &s;o by the rules of contraries, it is the greate&s;t mi&s;ery, not to be beloved by her one loves. For my part, (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> I wonder at nothing more, then that each of you &s;hould &s;o opini|onatively maintain his thought; for indeed it is a difficult thing not to think wor&s;e of ones own misfortune, then of anothers: and every one is apt to be partial in his own cau&s;e, and therefore I do not think any of you to be competent Judges upon &s;o nice a que&s;tion; al|though I know you all to be men of much wi&s;dom and ingenuity. Then mu&s;t you be Judge, replied <HI>Thimocrates,;</HI> for I am certain you are accompli&s;hed with all nece&s;&s;ary qualities for the offices, &s;ince you are of a clear apprehen&s;ion, and not intere&s;ted at all in any of the&s;e things. It is true, replied &s;he, but yet I never had any experience: yet notwith&s;tanding, I do confe&s;s, (&s;aid &s;he, and looked upon them all) that you have rai&s;ed &s;o great a curio&s;ity in me, to know
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all your adventures, that if I dur&s;t I would accept of that offer, which <HI>Thimocrates</HI> hath made unto me: and therefore I be&s;eech you all to relate them unto me: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Artibies,</HI> I have nothing to do but to lament, &amp; be lamented, &amp; therefore I &s;hall be ready to give you &s;atisfa|ction in few words, and afterwards my rea&s;ons to &s;trengthen my cau&s;e: An ab&s;ent Lover (repli|ed <HI>Thimocrates</HI> &s;ighing) who u&s;es to engrave his misfortunes upon the barks of trees, and to &s;peakunto the rocks, rather then not &s;peak at all, refu&s;eth not to tell you his di&s;contents. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Philocles,</HI> I was never &s;o happy as to procure a favourable ear from any that I lo|ved, but I &s;hall hope to find &s;ome &s;weetne&s;s from another whom I do infinitely e&s;teem. There is none then but the jealous <HI>Leontidas</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> turning towards him) who will not &s;atisfie my curio&s;ity. No Madam, &s;aid he, I will not be any ob&s;tacle unto your &s;atisfaction; for I am not &s;o &s;pating of my words and &s;ecrets, as I am jealous of my Mi&s;tre&s;s. But &s;weet <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> after you have heard the recital of our adventures, and our rea&s;ons upon them, you mu&s;t pronounce a &s;overaign &s;entence, which is the mo&s;t unfortunate: he who is almo&s;t always ab&s;ent from her he loves; or he who is not loved at all; or he who&s;e Mi&s;tre&s;s is dead, or he who is plunged deeply in jealon&s;ie: To the end, that he who is the mo&s;t mi&s;erable, may have &s;o much con&s;olation as to be lamented more then there&s;t, and that your pity and compa&s;&s;ion be his prize for the pains he hath taken in relating his misfortunes, and rea&s;ons. At the ha|zard at doing inju&s;tice through ignorance (an&s;wered <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> I do accept of the honour to be your Judg, upon condition that <HI>Erenice,</HI> my dear Co&s;en, will a&s;&s;i&s;t me in giving &s;entence: No, an&s;wered that plea&s;ant Lady, I will not &s;hare with you in your Title, but will re&s;erve unto my &s;elf the liberty to lament him the mo&s;t, who perhaps you will pity the lea&s;t. As they were thus in di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> accompanied only with <HI>Aglatidas</HI> entred: and &s;ince he heard them in the outer Chamber &s;peak with much heat; If there be any conte&s;t among&s;t you (&s;aid he, addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf unto <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> you know that your &s;ide &s;hall ever be mine. You honour me too much (an&s;wered &s;he) but Sir you mu&s;t know that I am &s;o far from quarrelling with the&s;e gallant men, that they have con&s;tituted me their Judg: and &s;ince I &s;hall out di&s;ho|nour my Office, I be&s;eech you to undertake it, and to decide a famous difference, which is ri|&s;en between the Prince <HI>Artibies, Thimocrates, Philocles,</HI> and <HI>Leontidas.</HI> Heavens, pre&s;erve me, repled <HI>Cyrus,</HI> from entertaining any thoughts &s;o unju&s;t, as to di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;s you from an im|polyment &s;o honourable: and I &s;hould rather take you for my own Judg, if I had any difference, then take the Office from you. After this complement, as he was the mo&s;t civil Prince upon earth, and &s;tood in need of the valour of all the&s;e Commanders, to deliver <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;o at this time, to gain their hearts the more, he doubled his complacency to wards them: conceiving that the more he commended them, the more couragiou&s;ly they would fight for his Prince&s;. He de|manded them in mo&s;t &s;weet and plea&s;ant terms, what might be the cau&s;e of their conte&s;t, and having in few words told it unto him: Be judg Sir, &s;aid &s;he, whether I was in the right in thinking you a better Judg in &s;uch a ca&s;e then my &s;elf: I &s;hould be over partial, (replied he, and &s;ighed,) and que&s;tionle&s;s, your unintere&s;ted rea&s;on would judge with more equity, then I &s;hould with all my experience: Afterwards, &s;ince this bu&s;ine&s;s did indeed &s;ympathize with his own inclination, he was plea&s;ed to be&s;tow an afternoon in &s;uch a divertion as was very &s;utable unto his own fortune, having no other bu&s;ine&s;s of con&s;equence to do that day: for he had been at the Camp in the morning; and he had already been with the King, and di&s;patched all bu&s;ine&s;s to <HI>Echatan.</HI> After then he had placed <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> conveniently to hear every one that &s;poke, and &s;itting him&s;elf by her, al&s;o all the re&s;t &s;eating them&s;elves in order: It was his plea&s;ure, that <HI>Thimocrates</HI> &s;hould begin, and addre&s;s his Speech unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> as his Judg, al|though &s;he did oppo&s;e it, after a while of &s;ilence, during which time <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> in a low voice, whether &s;he did not pity that man, who &s;uffered all the mi&s;eries which the&s;e four Lovers did complain again&s;t. <HI>Thimocrates</HI> began his &s;tory thus.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="stories">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tories of unfortunate Lovers.</HEAD>
<P>BEfore I begin to relate my particular misfortunes, I do conceive it requi&s;ite to conjure you, that you become not partially bia&s;&s;ed, by the elegant di&s;cour&s;es of tho&s;e who deny the condition which I a&s;&s;ume, in being the mo&s;t unfortunate lover in the world: for I very well perceive, that they being le&s;s unfortunate then my &s;elf, have more freedom of Spirit then I have, and therefore can better relate their &s;tories. He who is not loved, will doubtle&s;s dre&s;s him&s;elf in the mo&s;t amiable language, and will not omit any thing which may per&s;wade you to compa&s;&s;ion: he who laments for the death of his Mi&s;tre&s;s, de&s;iring to move pity, u&s;eth all his eloquence to per&s;wade unto it: The jealous <HI>Leontidas</HI> will be &s;ure to magnifie all his ima|ginary
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&s;ufferings with his Reetorick, &s;ince he is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with a pa&s;&s;ion that is ac|cu&s;tomed to make the lea&s;t things that can be imagined, &s;eem great ones.</P>
<P><HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Thimocrates</HI> expect her an&s;wer, did a&s;&s;ure him, that &s;he would not be &s;o much convinced by words, as &s;he would be by realities, and rea&s;ons; therefore, &s;aid &s;he unto him, Do not you rely too much upon your own eloquence, in &s;eeming to fear it in others? and &s;o &s;he commanding him to begin his Story, he obeyed, and began thus.</P>
<DIV4 N="1" TYPE="story">
<HEAD>The ab&s;ent Lover. The Fir&s;t Hi&s;tory.</HEAD>
<P>THat Ab&s;ence whereof I complain, and which I do maintain, does comprehend all the mi|&s;eries which love can cau&s;e, is &s;o great a puni&s;hment unto one who exactly knows the newne&s;s of the pa&s;&s;ion, as I am not afraid to &s;ay, that he who can be ab&s;ent from her he loves without extream &s;orrow, did never receive any great joy in the per&s;on he loved, and does not de&s;erve to wear the noble Title of a Lover, I &s;ay again, the noble Title of a Lover, &s;ince it is mo&s;t certain, that he is not capable of that Heroick imbecility, which hath moved many il|lu&s;trious per&s;ons, who are &s;ometimes &s;urprized with it, to act &s;uch great attempts, as it hath done: Among&s;t all tho&s;e who did ever re&s;ent this kind of mi&s;ery whereof I now &s;peak, cer|tainly, I am the man, who hath had mo&s;t rigid experience of it, &s;ince love did only &s;hew me that amiable per&s;on whom I adore, to make me more &s;en&s;ibly apprehend her ab&s;ence, with all the cruel con&s;equences that are imaginable: Therefore I do not doubt; but at the end of my &s;tory, I &s;hall obtain the prize of compa&s;&s;ion, and my impartial Judg will &s;entence me to be the mo&s;t unhappy of all the&s;e who contend for this mournful Title.</P>
<P>Since I came into <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> commanding the Regiments of the King of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> and &s;ent hither by the Prince <HI>Philoxipes;</HI> perhaps you are yet ignorant, how I was not born within that Kingdom. Give me leave therefore to acquaint you that <HI>Delphos,</HI> &s;o famous throughout the world for the magnificent Temple of <HI>Apollo,</HI> and for the &s;anctity of the <HI>Oracles,</HI> is the place of my birth: and I mu&s;t needs tell you, that I am de&s;cended from an illu&s;trious Race, &s;ince I am branched from him whom the Gods thought worthy, &s;o many ages &s;ince, to conduct unto the &s;oot of Mount <HI>Parna&s;&s;us,</HI> near the <HI>Ca&s;talian</HI> Fountain, there to receive the fir&s;t Oracle which was di&s;pen&s;ed; who&s;e daughter afterwards was cho&s;en to be the Prime <HI>Pithian,</HI> who pronounced &s;o many important verities unto &s;o many private per&s;ons, Towns, Provinces, Republiques, and Kings. Since that time, tho&s;e of my family have ever held the prime Rank in their Countrey; and mo&s;t commonly the famous Councel of <HI>Greece,</HI> which we termed the A&s;&s;embly of <HI>Amphictions,</HI> was never held, but &s;ome of my Race were elected in it: I being therefore of a con&s;iderable extraction, and the Son of one who&s;e vertue was above his qua|lity; I was educated with all indulgent care. And though it may be &s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> that the Town of <HI>Delphos</HI> is an Epitome of the World, by rea&s;on of that huge multitude of all Nations, which re&s;ort thither, and therefore it was not nece&s;&s;ary for the Inhabitants to travel, for their further in&s;truction in forraign Cu&s;tomes, yet my indulgent father would needs &s;end me as a Student unto <HI>Athens,</HI> and afterwards to remain at <HI>Corinth</HI> until I was twenty years of age; And I did practi&s;e in both tho&s;e famous places, all the Arts which one of my quality could require, as well in all the excerci&s;es of the body, as in the ornaments of the mind, and knowledge of the liberal Arts; &s;o that when I received orders to return unto <HI>Delphos,</HI> it might be &s;aid, that I was a &s;tranger in my own Countrey, &s;ince certainly I knew no body, yet did I know the names of all the prime hou&s;es of quality in the Town, and I remembred al&s;o &s;ome old men and women: but as for the young men of my own rank, or any of the &s;pringing beauties, I had no acquaitance at all among&s;t them. Thus came I then unto <HI>Delphos,</HI> e&s;teeming <HI>Athens,</HI> and <HI>Corinth,</HI> as my Countrey, where notwith&s;tanding I lived without any private engagement, although I had &s;een many rare beauties in both places. As I came into <HI>Delphos,</HI> I under&s;tood, that my father having &s;ome important bu&s;ine&s;s, was gone unto <HI>Anticires,</HI> and at his departure had left order that I &s;hould follow him as &s;oon as I arrived. The fir&s;t night, I was vi&s;ited by very many, but among&s;t others, one of my Co&s;ens named <HI>Mele&s;andres,</HI> &s;uted be&s;t with my di&s;po&s;ition: and truly he was a youth full of &s;pirit, and goodne&s;s, who&s;e agreeable humour, was great delight unto me in my melancholy; as he did infinitely plea&s;e me, &s;o I had the good fortune not to di&s;plea&s;e him; and we did pre&s;ently contract &s;uch an amity, as death only could di&s;&s;olve. After our fir&s;t civilities, I acquainted him with the orders which I received not to &s;tay any longer at <HI>Delphos,</HI> but to go unto <HI>Articires:</HI> but he told me that I mu&s;t needs defermy departure for one day longer, for there was a very &s;tately Ceremony to be perform|ed the next day, and I mu&s;t needs &s;ee it, I enquired what it was; he told me that there were Emba&s;&s;adors in <HI>Delphos</HI> from <HI>Crae&s;us,</HI> King of <HI>Lidia,</HI> who came to con&s;ult with the Oracle,
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and who had brought with them &s;uch magnificent offerings, as were the riche&s;t in all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> Since the&s;e offerings mu&s;t remain in the Temple, (&s;aid I un<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o him) I &s;hall &s;ee them army re|turn. It is true, replied he, but you cannot &s;ee in one day all the beauties in the Town a&s;&s;em|bled, as they will be to morrow at the Temple, nor can you ever &s;ee a Ceremony &s;o great as this; For they do not u&s;e to receive private offerings in &s;uch &s;tate as they will do the offerings of Kings: As for the Ceremonies, &s;aid I unto him &s;miling, I can ea&s;ily di&s;pen&s;e with them. But &s;ince you a&s;&s;ure me, I &s;hall &s;ee all the beauty of <HI>Delphos</HI> at once, I will take your coun&s;el, and not depart until the next day. <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> and I, parted upon the&s;e terms, the next morn|ing he came betimes, and &s;ince I was a &s;tranger, undertook to &s;hew me all the Ceremony, and get &s;uch a place where we might &s;ee all. How indifferent &s;oever I &s;eemed to be concerning the&s;e fea&s;ts, yet I ob&s;erved them with much delight: I went as others did, to &s;ee the trea&s;ures of the Temple, which were &s;hewed unto the Amba&s;&s;adours of <HI>Crae&s;us,</HI> before they brought their offerings: I admired, as well as they, at a mo&s;t magnificent Chain of pearl, which once they &s;ay, the famous <HI>Helen</HI> was owner of: and at another al&s;o which called <HI>Eriphile</HI> Mi|&s;tre&s;s: I &s;aw there that flately Throne of gold, which the Grandfather of the King of <HI>Phry|gia</HI> did be&s;tow, and the fix great di&s;hes which <HI>Giges</HI> &s;ent thither, which weighed thirty Ta|lents; al&s;o &s;everal Statues given by &s;everal Princes: The &s;heaves of gold which they of <HI>Smir|ua</HI> and <HI>Apollonia</HI> offered; two Tuns of Ma&s;&s;ie gold which were of curious workman&s;hip, and would contain an hundred Gallons of water, being made u&s;e of it at a Fea&s;t, which we call <HI>Theophanies:</HI> I &s;aw afterwards (among&s;t &s;uch amighty Ma&s;s of wealth, which I cannot exactly de&s;cribe, and wh ch were given by all the Republiques of <HI>Greece.) Obeli&s;que</HI> of a miraculous Manufacture, given by <HI>Rhodophes</HI> that famous Lady, with whom, the Brother of prudent <HI>Sapho</HI> was in love; who to make it appear, &s;he was in <HI>Egypt,</HI> where &s;he lived a great part of her life, &s;he gave tho&s;e wonderfull Piramids, which are talked of throughout the world: after I had well ob&s;erved all the&s;e Rarities, and a thou&s;and others, which I &s;hall forbear to &s;peak of; every one went to take his place, and the Ceremony of the &s;acrifice did begin: Tho&s;e who were to con&s;ule with the Oracle, did come unto the foot of <HI>Parna&s;&s;us,</HI> which is ju&s;t over again&s;t the Temple, where they did purifie them&s;elves at that famous <HI>Ca&s;talian</HI> Fountain; from thence they went into the Temple of the <HI>Mu&s;es,</HI> which is built upon that river, which run<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> into that of <HI>Apollo,</HI> and where the <HI>Pithian,</HI> being under a glorious Canopie, and upon a &s;tately Throne; &s;he receives the demands of them who came to con&s;ult with the Gods: after which, &s;he retires behind the &s;acred Curtain, where being in&s;pired by the Gods, &s;he delivers the Oracles unto them who enquire of her: Give me leave, al&s;o to tell you, be&s;ides the rich offerings of <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> I &s;aw the Statue of a woman of a great &s;tature, all of mo&s;t pure gold, and mo&s;t admirable workman&s;hip: a Lamp al&s;o of engraved gold, as rich as is imaginable. But notwith&s;tanding all the&s;e wonders, after the Companie began to &s;ettle them&s;elves, I left off regarding them, but turned my head towards the Gate of the Temple, to ob&s;erve all the Ladies which entred, and ask <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> their names: yet becau&s;e the croud was very great, I could not di&s;cern them all, and many pa&s;&s;ed by which I could not di&s;cover; but I &s;aw ma|ny beauties enter, which I looked upon with a very indifferent eye, and &s;erene mind, without any penetration of heart: yet when the Ceremony was ended, the better to view all the La|dies, <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> and I went clo&s;e to the Gate, to &s;peak with two or three of his friends; and I &s;aw one come from behind the Pillars of Marble, which &s;u&s;tains the Arch of the Tem|ple, whom doubtle&s;s tho&s;e Pillars had ob&s;cured from my fight as long as the Ceremony la&s;t|ed; &s;he was a beauty &s;o admirable fair, that I was dazled at the &s;parkle of her eyes, and ma|gick of her complection: I no &s;ooner &s;pied her, but without further harkning unto what they talked, I pulled <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> by the arm, and without taking my eyes off that wonderful ob|ject which had enchanted them, <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, &s;hewing her, Tell me the name of yonder miracle: Her name is <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> replied he, who&s;e name is as famous for the charms of her wit, and plea&s;antne&s;s of her humour, as it is for the excellency of her beauty. At the Name of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> tho&s;e who were with us interrupted our di&s;cour&s;e, and looking upon her as &s;he pa&s;&s;ed by us, we congyed unto her, and followed her, that we might the longer &s;ee her: &s;ince &s;he was well acquainted with <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> and much e&s;teemed him, &s;he gave him a Salute with &s;uch a plea&s;ing &s;mile, and &s;o obliging an Air, that as her beauty did &s;eem greater in my fancie, &s;o al&s;o did my admiration; and I perceived &s;uch an unquiet joy in my heart, and &s;uch an interior tumult in my &s;oul, that I knew not what I did; and to excul&s;e my imbecility at that time, I was forced to tell them, that very few hearts were ever a&s;&s;ault|ed with &s;uch beautiful and poweful Arms as the&s;e which wounded mine: <HI>Tele&s;il<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> was about &s;eventeen years of age; her &s;tature was tale and &s;tately; her garb was delightful; her
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action was free, and natural: her hair was the pure&s;t black that ever eye beheld: her com|plexion was &s;o lively fair, that it was not to be looked upon with imagination of Snow and Vermilion, Lillies and Ro&s;es mixed together: for Nature had adorned her face with her pure&s;t collors, adding unto the&s;e her &s;prightly and &s;parkling eyes, mixt with ingenious &s;weetne&s;s, an admirable mouth, fair teeth, and white neck, &s;uch as did infinitly Captivate my heart.</P>
<P>But alas, I had no &s;ooner vewed the faire&s;t <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> but I could not view her any more; for &s;he went pre&s;ently out of the Temple; and the next day, I went out of <HI>Delphos;</HI> &s;o that I was no &s;ooner in love but I was ab&s;ent. As we went out of the Temple and had lo&s;t the &s;ight of her, becau&s;e her hou&s;e was very near it, <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> and I going to dine together, and his friends having left us alone: <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> (&s;aid I unto him) if you be not in love with <HI>Tele|&s;ile,</HI> I mu&s;t needs conclude you are either in love with &s;ome other, or el&s;e you are not capable of loving any thing, for I think it impo&s;&s;ible, that any heart which is not either prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed or incen&s;ible, can re&s;i&s;t &s;uch an admirable beauty as hers. If <HI>Thimocrites,</HI> an&s;wered he and &s;miled, did not fall in love at <HI>Athens</HI> or <HI>Corinth,</HI> I beleeve he pre&s;ently will at <HI>Delphos,</HI> and I do heartily thank the Gods, that I &s;hall not be his Rival, if he chance to fix upon <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> as I do find &s;ome likelyhood that he will: I do not yet know, &s;aid I unto him, whether or no I &s;hall love her: but I am &s;ure I do already infinitly admire her: That is a good degree unto love, replyed he unto me, But yet <HI>Thimocrites</HI> (added this officious friend, a&s;&s;uming a more &s;erious countenance) do not render your &s;elf a Captive without &s;ome re&s;i&s;tance, &s;ince there are many difficulties in the Conque&s;t of <HI>Tele&s;ile.</HI> I will re&s;i&s;t, &s;aid I unto him, by flying away: for you know I intend to be gon to morrow; but yet I be&s;eech you what may tho&s;e diffi|culties be in the Conque&s;t of her? Is it po&s;&s;ible that a Lady who&s;e eyes &s;parkle &s;o much &s;weet|ne&s;s, &s;hould be more &s;ecure then other Ladies? <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) has hitherto been very indifferent unto all the Court&s;hips which any have rendered her, but that is not the rea&s;on why I &s;peake of &s;uch difficulties in her conque&s;t, for the merit of <HI>Thimocrates</HI> might win more upon that &s;core then any other could; but there is &s;omething more capritious on her fortune then &s;o: be plea&s;ed to know then, (&s;aid he, &s;eeing me to expect his farther relation) that <HI>Te|le&s;ile</HI> is of a very good hou&s;e, &s;ince &s;he is daughter unto <HI>Diophantes,</HI> which name you know, and who perhaps is very poor, and perhaps al&s;o very rich. Unle&s;s you interpret this Riddle, &s;aid I unto him, I cannot under&s;tand it. You will ea&s;ily under&s;tand it, replied he, when I &s;hall tell you that <HI>Diophantes</HI> the father of <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> is very poor, becau&s;e he ruined him&s;elf in the <HI>Boetian</HI> Wars, and therefore <HI>Thimocrates, Tele&s;ile</HI> will be al&s;o very poor, although &s;he be the only daughter of her Father, it being mo&s;t certain that although that hou&s;e do yet &s;ubject, yet it is ab&s;olutely ruined: I perceive, &s;aid I unto him, that <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> is very poor, but I do not &s;ee how &s;he can be rich: You will under&s;tand both, replyed he, when I &s;hall inform you, how &s;he hath an uncle called <HI>Crantor,</HI> who is very old and never married: he is the riche&s;t man, not only in <HI>Delphos,</HI> but throughout all <HI>Pho&s;ides,</HI> unto whom &s;he &s;hall be Heir if he do not dote and mar|ry again, or di&s;po&s;e of his e&s;tate unto &s;ome other, as by the Law he may: &s;o that &s;ince <HI>Crantor</HI> is an old humorous and covetous man, and will &s;ettle his e&s;tate upon his Niece or any el&s;e, but doth profe&s;s much affection unto her by his di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> remains between both hopes and fears to be either the riche&s;t or the poore&s;t Lady of her quality. This incertainty is the rea&s;on why her Father does not think upon her marriage, not yet knowing what the de&s;tiny of his daughter will be. That which be&s;t plea&s;eth tho&s;e who are in love (&s;aid I unto him) is, that <HI>Crantor</HI> cannot di&s;|inherit her of her beauty. Tis true, (&s;aid he unto me) for &s;he has many Lovers who do look upon the trea&s;ure of the Uncle, as well as the &s;tarlike eys of the Neece, &s;o that never any had a larger Catalogue of &s;ervants then &s;he: for &s;he is courted, not only by &s;uch as her beauty has Capti|vated, but al&s;o by all the rich and covetous, and all the ambitious poor ones that are in <HI>Delphos:</HI> &s;ome of them not over engaging them&s;elves, but &s;taying to &s;ee what <HI>Crantor</HI> will do; and others do &s;trive to marry her, poor as &s;he is, and will put all their hopes of the future to hazard: yet either by rea&s;on of <HI>Tele&s;iles</HI> indifferencie, or <HI>Diophantes</HI> his prudence, all her lovers are kept at a di&s;tance, and hope well. See <HI>Thimocrites</HI> the fate of this fair one, with whom I do ad|vi&s;e you, not to engage your &s;elf incon&s;iderately. I gave <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> thanks for his coun&s;el, and entring into other di&s;cour&s;e we dined and plea&s;antly pa&s;&s;ed away the re&s;t of the day together: yet do what I could, it was impo&s;&s;ible to drive the beauty which I had &s;een out of my Imagi|nation; nor could I forbear di&s;cour&s;e concerning her, although I did re&s;olve it: When we did meet any one of quality in the &s;treets; there goes a greedy lover of <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> (&s;aid I unto <HI>Me|le&s;ander,)</HI> and when I looked upon any Lady, I could not chu&s;e but &s;ay, &s;he was not half &s;o faire as <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> and named&punc; her above a Thou&s;and times in a day, before I ever thought upon it. Mean while the Morning came, and I mu&s;t go unto <HI>Anticira,</HI> and although this place had
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a reputation to recover rea&s;on in them that had lo&s;t it; yet it deprived me of mine, I was then &s;ome ten or twelve days with my Father, for love had not yet imprinted the beauty of <HI>Te|le&s;ile</HI> &s;o deeply in my heart, but that I could endure this ab&s;ence; yet would it not &s;uffer me to belong from her: Notwith&s;tanding, although I can &s;ay that &s;orrow did not much &s;eize upon me during this journey, yet I am certain that I found little joy in returning to <HI>Delphos,</HI> where I had yet no acquaintance but with <HI>Mele&s;ander:</HI> but to tell you truly, my heart held greater inteligence with <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> then I was awar of. And certainly there was &s;ome &s;impathitical Power in it, which in a minuit did force me to love her, whom I loved all my life. <HI>I</HI> perceived it at my entrance into <HI>Delphos;</HI> for meeting a Coach full of Ladies as they were going into the Country, as &s;eemed by their equipage, I looked preci&s;ely into it. But oh Heavens, what plea&s;ing trouble did I find in my &s;oul when I &s;aw <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> in it, a Thou&s;and times more fairer then &s;he &s;eemed before, when I &s;aw her in the Temple: the Coach went &s;oftly by rea&s;on of &s;ome &s;top in the way, which of it &s;elf was very narrow, &s;o that I had lea&s;ure to ob&s;erve her with more attention then I did at the fir&s;t time, for &s;he had not pulled down her hood, but alas, I my &s;elf did draw a curtain between me and her beauty, after I did &s;alute her with a ve|ry low conguy, I looked upon her &s;o earne&s;tly, and perhaps too impudently, that &s;he blu&s;hed, and pulled down her hood, as if the &s;un had trubled her. As &s;oon as I was in the Town I went unto <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> and told him that fortune had as great a care of my pre&s;ervation as he had; for to guard me from the inchanting charms of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> &s;he was gone out of <HI>Del|phos</HI> as I came in: You have better inteligence of her actions, (&s;aid he unto me &s;miling) then &s;ome of her lovers, that are of more ancient acquaintance then you are: for &s;he did undertake a little journey unto one of my Co&s;ens, and I thought that none could yet have known it: But &s;o it is, (&s;aid I unto him) that I do know of it, for I did &s;ee her depart: though I do not think that I am yet in love with her, (&s;aid I laughing, though I &s;poke it &s;eriou&s;ly) yet am I very glad to under&s;tand her journey is but &s;hort, and will not be long before &s;he return. It will not be above four days, &s;aid he, during which time I mu&s;t &s;hew you all the rarities in <HI>Delphos,</HI> in hopes if it be po&s;&s;ible to find an antidote in the eyes of &s;ome other beauty, again&s;t the chrams of <HI>Tele&s;ile.</HI> I did laugh at the plea&s;ant invention of <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> and con&s;ented to do as he would have me: and during tho&s;e four days, he carried me unto all the beauties: But the truth is, his de&s;ign took no effect; nor &s;erved to no other purpo&s;e but to let me &s;ee that there was none in <HI>Delphos</HI> who came within a Thou&s;and degrees of <HI>Tele&s;ile:</HI> Mean while, this fair one, returned from the country: and her return did give fre&s;h invitations of vi&s;it unto all her friends; <HI>Mele&s;andor</HI> went to her, and whether he would or no I went with him; though he told me a hundred times that he was unwilling to contribute unto the lo&s;s of my liberty: but in conclu|&s;ion, my prayers prevailed with him, and he pre&s;ented me unto the mother of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> who treated me very civilly; and afterwards, I was pre&s;ented unto <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> her &s;elf, in whom I found ten Thou&s;and alluring charms more then I could have imagined, although I fancied her <HI>Idea</HI> in my mind, as fair as fancy could imagine: I &s;aw her, I &s;aw &s;he was mo&s;t &s;weet and civil, mo&s;t mode&s;t and gallant, and of a mo&s;t plea&s;ing &s;pirit, indeed among&s;t a Thou&s;and perfections I found not one fault: but that which plea&s;ed above all was, That among&s;t &s;o many &s;ervants as Courted her, I could not ob&s;erve &s;he &s;avored any, and by con&s;equence engaged mee the more, and notwith&s;tanding her &s;weet di&s;po&s;ition, &s;he had &s;uch a kind of noble pride in her &s;oul, as made her to Triumph over all hearts without vanity: and &s;he made ab&s;olute Conque&s;ts of all that &s;aw her, without contributing any of her endeavors to do it. As love was re&s;olved upon my di&s;truction, &s;o it moved her, that day to give me &s;ome hopes to thrive in my new begun pa&s;&s;ion: for as I told her that my intentions were to wait upon her the fir&s;t day I came to <HI>Delphos:</HI> You have been a long while (&s;aid &s;he) in executing tho&s;e intentions which were a great honour unto me &s;ince; If I mi&s;take not, you were here that day the King of <HI>Lidea</HI> offered his pre&s;ents in the Temple, and if my memory betray me not, I &s;aw you there with <HI>Mele&s;an|der;</HI> and I did then look upon you as a &s;tranger, who&s;e name I much de&s;ired to know; and indeed (&s;aid &s;he mo&s;t obligingly) I did enquire it of one of my friends, but could not be &s;ati&s;|fied. This di&s;cour&s;e, which was only civil, and might have pa&s;&s;ed for di&s;cour&s;e &s;ake between two &s;trangers, had &s;uch an influence upon me, that I conceived it to be a happy <HI>Omen:</HI> after|wards <HI>I</HI> told her for my Ju&s;tification, that I had &s;ince been at <HI>Anticira,</HI> and returned not un|til that day &s;he went out of <HI>Dolphos;</HI> and that then I did my &s;elf the honour to &s;alute her neer the Gates of the Town: &s;he then &s;eemed as if &s;he did not mind it, becau&s;e &s;he could not acknowledg it, without taking notice how earne&s;tly I looked upon her; but afterwards, &s;he was &s;o good as to confe&s;s that it was &s;o. This innocent pa&s;&s;age cau&s;ed her to blu&s;h, and from thence <HI>I</HI> grounded fre&s;h hopes unto my &s;elf. I parted from her as &s;trongly fettered in the
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chains of love as ever man was, and fully re&s;olved to dedicate my &s;elf unto her &s;ervice. I ne|ver endeavored, as others u&s;e, to re&s;i&s;t my pa&s;&s;ion; but on the contrary, I cheared up my &s;oul in the humour as much as I could. <HI>I</HI> did imagin, that happily I might chance to be the fortu|nate man, for whom her &s;oul was mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible: for, &s;aid I, &s;ince all the men in <HI>Delphos</HI> do find their Court&s;hips fruitle&s;s, I may more certainly conclude that &s;he has not yet met with &s;uch a man, as &s;he can fancy: If I do con&s;ider her as rich, it will the &s;ooner advance my de&s;igne, becau&s;e my Father will not then oppo&s;e it; if I do con&s;ider her as poor, I &s;hall be the more ea&s;ily happy, for then her Father will not refu&s;e the motion: indeed I did fancy a facility out of every thing, and &s;o much feared le&s;t my rea&s;on &s;hould contradict my pa&s;&s;ion, as that I did never con&s;ult with it at all: <HI>I</HI> de&s;ired to keep it as a &s;ecret, from <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> but it could not be; the flame which the fair eyes of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> had kindled in my heart, was too great, and ar|dent not to appear in mine, and <HI>I</HI> expre&s;&s;ed too many &s;igns of my affection, to conceal it or keep it from being di&s;covered: he could not motion any diver&s;ti&s;ement wherein <HI>I</HI> could take any plea&s;ure, walks were but mu&s;ing unto me; Mu&s;ique made me only &s;igh my &s;elf into a dampi&s;h &s;tudy; the &s;ight of all the Ladies in the Town, moved me no more then a &s;tone. The &s;ight of <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> only was my dilectable object, and did with intere&s;t recompence me for the lo&s;s of all other delights: <HI>I</HI> was &s;o tran&s;ported with joy, when <HI>I</HI> &s;aw her but one &s;ingle minute, that <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> &s;aw plainly <HI>I</HI> was in love, as well as by my mu&s;ings and melancholy: It was very requi&s;it therefore to acknowledg it unto him; and to de&s;ire him that he would not oppo&s;e me in &s;uch a thing as could not be remedied, but that he would a&s;&s;i&s;t me in my de&s;ign: <HI>I</HI> told him this, after &s;uch a manner, as he might well know, his councels took no effect, and therefore, he did mo&s;t willingly promi&s;e me his help. Then <HI>I</HI> went &s;everal times unto <HI>Tele|&s;ile,</HI> and the ofter <HI>I</HI> went, more charms and greater civilities <HI>I</HI> found: This new Conque&s;t which &s;he had made upon my heart, was quickly divulged throughout the Town, e&s;peci|ally unto both our Fathers, who were neither of them di&s;plea&s;ed at it: For the beleef which my Father had, that &s;he would be very rich, was glad in hopes of &s;uch a fortune, as might re|pair the Profu&s;ions of his youth; for truly, his Magnificence, and Liberality had much engaged it. And <HI>Diophantes</HI> for his part, fearing left his daughter &s;hould become poor, was not &s;orry that &s;uch a man as <HI>I,</HI> was in love with her: But he carryed the matter &s;o cunningly, that he &s;eemed not to take any notice of it: and he was &s;o well acquainted with the vertue of his daughter, that he did not fear &s;he would too far engage her &s;elf, though &s;he was courted by a multitude of men. But among&s;t the number of her &s;ervants, there was one, who was exceed|ing rich, and indeed much above me, though he was not of any con&s;iderable family, yet was he very a&s;&s;iduous and violent in his pa&s;&s;ion. This man was called <HI>Androclides,</HI> and had a &s;i&s;ter who did often vi&s;it <HI>Tele&s;ile:</HI> and lodging neer <HI>Crantor,</HI> was &s;ometimes vi&s;ited again, &s;o that <HI>Androclides</HI> had a very great advantage of me; for his &s;i&s;ter did not only &s;olicite <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> but her uncle al&s;o: This was a very con&s;iderable circum&s;tance for him who had as amorous an eye, upon the riches of <HI>Crantor,</HI> as upon the beauty of <HI>Tele&s;ile:</HI> For my part, it was the riches of her own &s;elf which <HI>I</HI> &s;ought after; and preferred one &s;ight of her before all the Trea&s;ures up|on Earth: My endeavours to move her heart, were only by letting her fee how much mine &s;uffered: for indeed a few days after, <HI>I</HI> endured as much torment as a man in love could po&s;|&s;ibly do; &s;o that <HI>I</HI> &s;aw her no more; and was &s;o far from any hopes, as I ab&s;olutly di&s;paired: if I con&s;idered her as rich, then I thought <HI>Andnoclides</HI> would obtain the approbation of <HI>Di|ophantes,</HI> and <HI>Crantor</HI> to my ab&s;olute prejudice. If I thought upon her as poor, then my Fa|ther would thwart my de&s;ign: but the thing which mo&s;t grieved me, was that which at the begining did mo&s;t plea&s;e me, <HI>I</HI> mean, that clo&s;e indifference which &s;he u&s;ed unto all: for find|ing her the &s;ame unto me as unto others, the &s;ame equality &s;eemed &s;evere unto my &s;elf, which &s;eemed a delight when it was u&s;ed unto others: Yet notwith&s;tanding, <HI>I</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw her, but my &s;orows vani&s;hed: and indeed the very &s;ight of the Per&s;on beloved, is an infallible re|medy again&s;t all mi&s;eries: there is &s;uch a &s;ecret kind of charmin it, as &s;u&s;pends the mo&s;t &s;en|&s;ible &s;orrows. <HI>I</HI> were not able to &s;upport my mi&s;ery, unle&s;s <HI>I</HI> did &s;ometimes enjoy her pre|&s;ence: my pa&s;&s;ion is grown to that extremity, that <HI>I</HI> am not only unhappy when <HI>I</HI> am from her; but <HI>I</HI> am far from happine&s;s when <HI>I</HI> am not alone with her: neither is that &s;ufficient to di&s;&s;ipate my di&s;contents, and compleat my joy, unle&s;s <HI>I</HI> be re&s;pected, nor yet that, unle&s;s &s;ome|times my eyes do incorporate with hers, which moves a joy &s;o pure in my &s;oul, as u&s;ually the exce&s;s thereof produces a mo&s;t plea&s;ing di&s;order in the hearts of all them which knows truly how to love.</P>
<P>Thus for a long time did I live with her, finding no fit opportunities to di&s;cover my love, otherwi&s;e then by my re&s;pects and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ions: for be&s;ides that abundance of &s;ervants which
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were continually courting her, I ob&s;erved, that though &s;he was ever very civil, yet &s;he pre|vented all occa&s;ions of my talking in private with her, and the Si&s;ter of <HI>Androclides</HI> was al&s;o &s;o circum&s;pect about her, that I could never di&s;cour&s;e of any things but &s;uch as were indifferent: I intreated <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> to di&s;&s;emble a love unto this Si&s;ter, who&s;e name was <HI>Atalia;</HI> to the end, he di&s;cour&s;ing often with her, he might take her off, and afford me opportunity to talk with <HI>Tele&s;ia;</HI> but in lieu of doing that office for me, he returned me an angry an&s;wer without any a&s;&s;i&s;tance. But to make &s;ome proofs of the mi&s;eries of ab&s;ence, as it was the mo&s;t plea|&s;ant time of the year, and <HI>Diophantes</HI> having a hou&s;e under the Mountain of <HI>Himelta,</HI> which was the mo&s;t plea&s;ant Seat of all <HI>Phocides,</HI> he often went thither, and five or &s;ix of tho&s;e journeys, with his whole family, made me as re&s;tle&s;s as any heart could be capable of: every minute &s;eemed a day, every hour a whole year, and every day an age, but &s;uch an age, wherein melancholy was the &s;ole commander of my &s;oul; When I under&s;tood that <HI>Diophan|tes</HI> carried company with him, I was &s;orry for it, becau&s;e I feared le&s;t &s;ome &s;hould plead for my Rival, when none went with him, then I pitied the &s;olitude of <HI>Tele&s;ile;</HI> and her di&s;con|tents which I did imagine &s;he found, did move the like in me: when <HI>Atalia</HI> went with her, I was de&s;perate; when &s;he was in <HI>Delphos,</HI> the frequent conver&s;ation which &s;he had with <HI>Crantor,</HI> did extreamly trouble me; and I enjoyed not one minute of re&s;t, as long as <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> was ab&s;ent. <HI>Delphos</HI> was as a de&s;art unto me, the whole Town did put on another face when &s;he departed, and put on a fre&s;h lu&s;tre when &s;he returned: if I walked at any time to &s;hun com|pany, my walk was always towards her lodging; and I walked &s;o far one day in a mu&s;ing &s;tu|dy, that it might rather be termed a journey, then a walk. The Sun by its ab&s;ence did not work a greater change upon the Univer&s;e, then the glorious eyes of <HI>Tele&s;ia</HI> did upon my heart, when they were ab&s;ent: Sometimes would I &s;ay unto my &s;elf, Did &s;he but know I loved her, I &s;hould have &s;o much &s;atisfaction at the lea&s;t, as to think, that perhaps &s;he &s;ometimes thinks upon me, and that though I am ab&s;ent from her eyes, yet I am not &s;o from her &s;oul. But alas, pur&s;ued I, I am certainly further ab&s;ent from her thoughts, then from her per&s;on, and the un|happy <HI>Thimocrates</HI> has not place either in her heart or memory: But ah me, would I &s;om|times &s;ay in my &s;elf, Do I not &s;ee <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> in every place? is &s;he not continually in my mind, in my &s;oul, in my imagination, and in my memory? Yes, yes, <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> is in&s;eperable from <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> but for a con&s;olation in &s;o cruel an ab&s;ence, <HI>Thimocrates</HI> ought to be as in&s;eparable from <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> and for a comfort in my &s;orrows, &s;he ought to endure a part of that which I endure, &s;o that &s;he might the better judge of my &s;ufferings, by what &s;he &s;uffers her &s;elf: yet were there any equity in wi&s;hing the mo&s;t amiable and excellent Lady in the world to &s;uf|fer that for me, which I &s;uffer for her? No, no, I am inju&s;t in my de&s;ires, and do wi&s;h things mo&s;t unrea&s;onable; All that I de&s;ire therefore &s;hall be, that where &s;he is, &s;he will not think upon any of my Rivals; that <HI>Androclides</HI> e&s;pecially have no place in her memory, and that the unhappy <HI>Thimocrates</HI> have a little room there. Perhaps it may be &s;aid unto me, that in my complaint again&s;t the mi&s;eries of ab&s;ence, I do confound things, and mingle &s;ome pa&s;&s;ages of jealou&s;ie among&s;t my &s;tories; yet it is mo&s;t certain, that none of tho&s;e jealous thoughts had ever come unto my heart, but during ab&s;ence; and the truth is, I cannot think it po&s;&s;ible for any to be ab&s;ent from the party loved, but he mu&s;t be a little jealous; yes, and after a more cruel manner then they are, who are jealous through fanta&s;ticalne&s;s, or weakne&s;s, in the &s;ight of the party whom they love; but I never had the lea&s;t thought of any &s;uch thing in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Tele&s;ile;</HI> my jealou&s;ie did alwayes vani&s;h at her appearance, as a mi&s;ty vapour does when the Sun breaks out; and her ab&s;ence made my &s;oul &s;en&s;ible of all the mi&s;eries which love can cau&s;e. Mean while, the report of all the Town was, that <HI>Crantor</HI> did often vi&s;it <HI>Atalia,</HI> and that &s;he did &s;olicite extreamly for her brother; and it was believed that within few days <HI>Andro|clides</HI> would marry <HI>Tele&s;ile.</HI> This report had not yet reached my ear, <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> during this time was gone into the Country; and ab&s;ence was ever &s;o fatal unto me, that the ab&s;ence of my friend, as well as my Mi&s;tre&s;s, was very vexatious unto me. My father, who knew of the bu&s;ine&s;s, and would not have me &s;o much di&s;honoured as to have <HI>Androclides</HI> preferred be|fore me; and who al&s;o knew that as long as I continued at <HI>Delphos,</HI> it would be a difficult matter for me to cea&s;e my love unto <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> but that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould never endure that <HI>Androclides</HI> &s;hould marry her, and would oppo&s;e it by all ways, that an amorous heart could imagine; he therefore determined upon a cour&s;e, which cau&s;ed me mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible &s;orrow, although in all appearance it &s;hould have rejoyced me, becau&s;e it was honourable.</P>
<P>At that time, when the famous Councel of <HI>Greece,</HI> whereof before I &s;poke, was a&s;&s;embled: my father to the end he might &s;end me away from that place, where he apprehended &s;ome misfortune might befall me, procured me to be cho&s;en by the <HI>Amphictions,</HI> to be &s;ent unto <HI>Mi|lete,</HI>
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(from whence the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> was come for &s;ome rea&s;ons, which would be too long to relate,) to the end I might bring back a true relation of all the pa&s;&s;ages in that famous Town, which then was divided into two oppo&s;ite factions: for although the <HI>Mile&s;ians</HI> had &s;ent a Deputy unto the A&s;&s;embly, which did &s;it in the Temple of <HI>Apollo,</HI> as Judges of their differences, although the <HI>A&s;iatique Greeks</HI> did not u&s;e to acknowledg them to be &s;o, yet not|with&s;tanding, &s;ince it was the party oppo&s;ite unto the &s;age <HI>Thales</HI> the <HI>Mile&s;ian,</HI> the <HI>Am|phictions,</HI> would be informed by &s;ome other way, and I was named for the bu&s;ine&s;s: Que&s;ti|onle&s;s there was never any of my age had &s;uch an honour conferred upon him, and at any other time I &s;hould have infinitely rejoyced at it: for indeed, to be cho&s;en by the Grandees of <HI>Greece,</HI> for an Agent unto the <HI>Mile&s;ians</HI> in a bu&s;ine&s;s of that concernment, was an honour, which any man who was not in love might be highly ambitious of. This ab&s;ence procured me mi&s;ery in&s;upportable; It was true, that the bu&s;ine&s;s was honourable, and very likely not to la&s;t long; my Rivals were all vexed at it, and it might well procure more e&s;teem in the mind of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> yet did I receive this honour with extream &s;orrow, and &s;ince it would ab&s;ent me from her I loved, all ambitious thoughts were far from my heart; and my mi&s;ery &s;eemed &s;o great, that I could think upon nothing but it; yet there was no remedy, I could not without di&s;honour refu&s;e it, nor deny it unle&s;s I &s;hould lo&s;e my &s;elf in the opinion of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> and the world. Both my honour and my love therefore requiring it, I did obey, and within three days after departed, I endeavoured as I could, to defer it for a while, but it could not be obtained: I had therefore no more to do, but to imploy that &s;hort time I was to &s;tay in <HI>Delphos,</HI> as well as I could; I committed the preparations for my journey altogether unto my &s;ervants, and bu&s;i|ed my &s;elf in nothing but watching opportunity to &s;peak with <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> in private; being fully re&s;olved after a long conte&s;t with my &s;elf, to acquaint her with my love, if I could: but I was &s;o unfortunate the two fir&s;t dayes, that&punc; I could neither &s;peak with her, nor &s;ee her, be|cau&s;e &s;he was not well: The la&s;t day of my being at <HI>Delphos</HI> being come, I was extreamly &s;ad: Alas, &s;aid I unto my &s;elf, mu&s;t I depart, and not &s;o much as &s;ee <HI>Tele&s;ile?</HI> or acquainting her how that I love her the be&s;t of any man in the world? No, no, <HI>I</HI> cannot do it; death would then be more &s;weet unto me then my departure. <HI>I</HI> did ri&s;e that day extream early, although <HI>I</HI> knew it would be noon before <HI>I</HI> could &s;ee <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> if <HI>I</HI> &s;aw her at all, but indeed the rea&s;on was, becau&s;e <HI>I</HI> was not Ma&s;ter of my rea&s;on, or my own thoughts. <HI>I</HI> went to bid adieu unto &s;everal of my acquaintance, but in what Quarter of the Town &s;oever they dwelt, <HI>I</HI> was &s;ure to pa&s;s by the hou&s;e of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> either in going, or coming, or both, thinking it &s;ome kind of con&s;olation to be near her, though <HI>I</HI> could not &s;ee her: <HI>I</HI> received all complements con|cerning my voyage &s;o coldly, as &s;urprized every one that ob&s;erved it: and I carried my &s;elf &s;o indifferently, as I wonder none told the <HI>Amphictions,</HI> they had made a bad choice of &s;uch an Agent, for &s;uch an important bu&s;ine&s;s.</P>
<P>In the afternoon I went to <HI>Diophantes</HI> to bid him adieu, he imbraced me very civilly, but &s;ince I found him within two paces of his own gates, our di&s;cour&s;e was not long, and I asked his permi&s;&s;ion to bid adieu unto the re&s;t of his family: he told me that <HI>Taxile</HI> his wife was not within, but yet although <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> was alone, and not well, yet he de&s;ired &s;he &s;hould &s;ee me, and commanded one of her women to conduct me unto her Chamber: <HI>Diophantes</HI> would have been &s;o ceremonious as to conduct me him&s;elf, but I would by no means &s;uffer him: at la&s;t he left me, and I went by his permi&s;&s;ion to bid adieu unto <HI>Tele&s;ile:</HI> I was &s;o happy as to find her alone without any company, but two women which waited upon her: As her &s;ick|ne&s;s was not great, &s;o &s;he kept her chamber, and not her bed: a little heavine&s;s in her eyes, me thought, made her more amiable, and I thought her &s;o fair that day, as my &s;orrows to leave her increa&s;ed: Though &s;he had been told I was coming into her Chamber, yet was &s;he much &s;urprized at it. <HI>Thimocrates</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) what's the rea&s;on you vi&s;it me at &s;uch a time, when none &s;ees me? It is <HI>Madam</HI> (&s;aid I, &s;aluting her, and coming to her with all reverence) becau&s;e <HI>Diophantes</HI> thought it ju&s;t to permit me, &s;o much honour as to &s;ee you, and bid you adieu, before I went unto <HI>Milete.</HI> As I had not &s;een her &s;ince I was cho&s;en for that negotiati|on, &s;he &s;eemed to be very much joyed at the honour which was done me, and commanded a chair to be given me, &s;he expre&s;&s;ed much civility unto me concerning that bu&s;ine&s;s. If my adored <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> had expre&s;&s;ed &s;o much joy in her eyes, for any good fortune which had arrived unto me, without &s;uch a di&s;mal &s;eparation from her, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould have received it with extream delight, and e&s;teemed my &s;elf mo&s;t happy, but &s;ince my pa&s;&s;ion thought her &s;omething cruel in rejoycing at that which deprived me of her pre&s;ence, <HI>I</HI> an&s;wered her complements only with &s;ighs. Madam, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, you are extreamly good to rejoyce at any thing which is ad|vantagious unto me; but <HI>I</HI> do not know whether you would be as &s;en&s;ible of my bad fortune,
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as you &s;eem to be of my good. You &s;u&s;pect my Genero&s;ity (replied &s;he, &s;miling) &s;ince you think that <HI>I</HI> will intere&s;t my &s;elfe only in the good fortune of my friends. Truly <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> (added &s;he, and &s;weetly chiding me) you take my rejoycing at your good fortune in &s;o bad a &s;ence, that if any aver&s;e accident happen unto you, <HI>I</HI> think <HI>I</HI> may without inju&s;tice not be &s;orry for it, and <HI>I</HI> am a little angry that it will be a long time before <HI>I</HI> can be revenged upon you, after that manner; for you are going unto a place where you will have much applau&s;e; you will return back hither, after you have acquitted your &s;elf as worthy of that imployment which is conferred upon you, with abundance of honour. But &s;ince <HI>I</HI> cannot revenge my &s;elf by not taking any part in your misfortunes, perhaps <HI>I</HI> &s;hall do it in not taking any part of your joy. Since revenge is &s;ecret (replied <HI>I</HI> unto her) and &s;ince <HI>I</HI> &s;ee you would puni&s;h me, <HI>I</HI> will afford you a mo&s;t fit &s;ubject; and tell you, that <HI>I</HI> am at this pre&s;ent the mo&s;t mi&s;erable of all men living. The mo&s;t mi&s;erable? (replied &s;he craftily,) for &s;he perceived that <HI>I</HI> intended to &s;peak concerning my pa&s;&s;ion, which &s;he had formerly ob&s;erved.) If you be &s;o, then do not acquaint me with your misfortune: for <HI>I</HI> do not hate you enough to rejoyce at it, nor can <HI>I</HI> at this time grieve at it without the hazard of my health; which, &s;ince you are very generous, <HI>I</HI> hope you will con&s;ider it: <HI>I</HI> then &s;aid, Truly Madam, (replied <HI>I)</HI> when <HI>I</HI> told you that you would &s;hare only in my good fortunes, but not in my bad: But &s;ince <HI>I</HI> have not &s;o much vani|ty as to think that my mo&s;t violent &s;orrows, will move any other then &s;light ones in you, <HI>I</HI> will di&s;cover &s;ome part of my misfortunes unto you: Then you are fuller of revenge then <HI>I</HI> am, (re|plied &s;he) for <HI>I</HI> do pre&s;ently repent of my intentions to be revenged, and you do per&s;i&s;t to pu|ni&s;h me for a thing which <HI>I</HI> did but one minute think upon: <HI>I</HI> do intend no revenge or puni&s;h|ment Madam, (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her) but on the contrary, <HI>I</HI> endeavour to give you an occa&s;ion of it. No <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, <HI>I</HI> would not have you acquaint me with any thing, which may be di&s;advantagious unto you. Doubtle&s;s (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her) you do already know, that which cau&s;eth my misfortune, and <HI>I</HI> have told it unto you &s;ince <HI>I</HI> came hither. If you did tell it unto me (&s;aid &s;he in great amazement) then <HI>I</HI> did not under&s;tand you. Pardon me Madam (replied <HI>I)</HI> for you gave me an an&s;wer unto it. Then &s;urely <HI>I</HI> do not remember it (&s;aid &s;he) and cer|tainly it is no great misfortune &s;ince it made no deeper impre&s;&s;ion in my memory. Hence it is, Madam, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, that my departure is &s;o indifferent unto you: You know, &s;aid &s;he, that <HI>I</HI> u&s;ed &s;ome expre&s;&s;ions of joy at it. You would have done me a greater favour (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> un|to her, and blu&s;hed) if you had been troubled at it: and it were more equitable to lament the ill you have cau&s;ed, then to rejoyce at the good which you did not cau&s;e. Oh <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) <HI>I</HI> will not &s;hare either in your joys, or &s;orrows, for <HI>I</HI> perceive you &s;peak not &s;eriou&s;ly. <HI>Madam</HI> (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her) you cannot, without doing me manife&s;t wrong, think, but that I &s;peak with all po&s;&s;ible &s;incerity, when I do a&s;&s;ure you, that I &s;hall depart from you with &s;uch exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow, as cannot be compared unto any thing, but the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion which cau&s;ed it.</P>
<P><HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> &s;tood amazed at my di&s;cour&s;e, but de&s;iring to turn it into a piece of Raillery; <HI>Thi|mocrates,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me laughing,) I &s;ee you are in the fa&s;hion, and as other young Gal|lants of your age and quallity in <HI>Delphos,</HI> do u&s;e, you mu&s;t make a &s;hew as if you did not hate me. But know, I be&s;eech you, that I did never contribute any thing unto your humour: and that I do know my &s;elf too well to believe any &s;uch things; and for your particular, I do e&s;teem you &s;o much, that I will not believe you: for <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> if I &s;hould once believe you were in earne&s;t, I &s;hould then accord your company, which yet is very delightfull unto me: there|fore if the &s;ight of me do give you any &s;atisfaction, de&s;i&s;t from that which will be prejudicial unto you, and counterfeit affection no longer. I do not counterfeit (&s;aid I unto her) but tell you a mo&s;t certain truth, when I tell you, that my &s;oul loves you more then all the re&s;t of your lovers, put them all together. Since my father (replied <HI>Tele&s;ile)</HI> did not give you any permi&s;|&s;ion to talk of any &s;uch things, I think I may without any incivility de&s;ire you, either to change your di&s;cour&s;e, or el&s;e to make ha&s;te, and take your leave. That is a mo&s;t cruel word (&s;aid I un|to her) and I will defer it as long as I can; if it be po&s;&s;ible I can do it at all, and not die. As &s;he was about to an&s;wer me, and a&s;&s;umed a more &s;erious countenance, which made me tremble, <HI>Atalia,</HI> the Si&s;ter of <HI>Androclides,</HI> came in: Si&s;ter (&s;aid <HI>Atalia</HI> unto her, for &s;o they called one another) I did think that <HI>I</HI> only &s;hould have enjoyed that priviledge which you were plea|&s;ed to grant me, of &s;eeing you while&s;t you continued ill: and yet though <HI>I</HI> perceive that <HI>Thi|mocrates</HI> enjoys that happine&s;s as well as <HI>I, I</HI> will not be jealous: There is this difference be|twixt you two, (an&s;wered <HI>Tele&s;ile)</HI> that you are here by my own con&s;ent, and <HI>Thimocra|tes</HI> is here by the con&s;ent of my father. Since it is &s;o (replied <HI>Atalia) I</HI> am very well &s;atisfied: So am not <HI>I,</HI> (replied <HI>I)</HI> but on the contrary, &s;hall lament my departure from <HI>Delphos:</HI> You
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have no rea&s;on to do &s;o, replied <HI>Atalia,</HI> &s;ince this voyage will prefer you unto honour. <HI>I</HI> do not, value that at all, replied <HI>I.</HI> You have no rea&s;on to do &s;o (an&s;wered <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> who dur&s;t hardly look upon me) &s;ince there is nothing which ought to be &s;o dear unto you: After this, two of her Cofens entred, and I was obliged to go away. But when <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> who would not be uncivil before tho&s;e Ladies, brought me to her Chamber door, Madam, &s;aid I unto her, in a low voice, if I do not die with &s;orrow during my journey, my heart &s;hall return full of the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion which at this departure it is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with: I wi&s;h your voyage may be pro&s;|perous, (&s;aid &s;he unto me blu&s;hing) and I wi&s;h (&s;aid &s;he in a low voice) you may return wi&s;er then you &s;eem to be at parting, to the end <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> may for ever e&s;teem you, as according to your merit &s;he ever did. She &s;poke with &s;uch a mode&s;t Air, &s;eeming to be neither &s;erious nor in je&s;t, that I knew not well how to re&s;ent it: So that from the time of parting, I found my heart &s;o extreamly troubled, as that for many hours after I could not think upon any thing: But the next morning I departed in &s;uch de&s;pair, as is not expre&s;&s;ible; for every &s;tep being further from <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> I was &s;en&s;ible of &s;o much &s;orrow as none can imagine, who never had trial of the like mi&s;ery: Que&s;tionle&s;s it was much advantagious unto me, that my in&s;tructions were in writing, &s;ince certainly I &s;hould have very ill acquitted my &s;elf of my Commi&s;&s;ion, if they had tru&s;ted unto my memory: <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> was all my thoughts. I con&s;idered how I left the &s;i&s;ter of <HI>Andraclides</HI> in her Chamber; how I had left an infinite number of her Lovers at <HI>Del|phos:</HI> my imagination did pre&s;ent every one of them unto me, both the rich and the poor ones; the hand&s;om and ill favoured; not one of them, but &s;ometimes I did fear them: in &s;uch a cruel manner does ab&s;ence make every thing appear. When I was in <HI>Delphos,</HI> my &s;oul found &s;ometimes &s;ome tranquility, for when I was wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h my amiable <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> I was not unhappy; and when I was not with her, yet I knew where &s;he was, what &s;he &s;aid, how &s;he did: So that, if <HI>An|droclides</HI> &s;hould not &s;ee her more then I did, I &s;hould not have cared for any others; for he was the riche&s;t, and more welcome then all the re&s;t. But when I began to con&s;ider, that it was ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible for me to know how &s;he did, I was then mo&s;t extreamly melancholy: I conc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ited her in the mornings t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> be in the Temple, waited upon by Troops of Rivals: in the afternoons I did imagine h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r to be di&s;cour&s;ing with them, and they with her; at night, me thought I &s;aw her talk of a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l the pa&s;&s;ages in the day: but of all the four and twenty hours, I could not find one minute, wherein I could rea&s;onably hope, &s;he ever thought upon me. Thus did I live without any con&s;olation, until I began to think that <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> was returned unto <HI>Delphos;</HI> for this I confe&s;s, I began &s;ometimes to chear up my &s;elf in the thought, that this officious friend would &s;ometimes &s;peak unto her concerning me, &s;ince at my departure I left a Letter for him which de&s;ired as much. But although this thought produced &s;ome &s;weet mi|nutes, yet it was &s;econded by others of a more bitter temper; for I had &s;uch an extream de&s;ire to know, how &s;he would &s;peak concerning me unto <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> after I had di&s;covered my pa&s;&s;ion unto her, that it did make me mo&s;t melancholy and re&s;tle&s;s: I could meet with no|thing that was plea&s;ing or &s;utable unto me, my inclination was &s;o di&s;po&s;ed unto choler, that the lea&s;t fault of my Servant did at this time anger me more then the greate&s;t would at another: and if love had not &s;omething tempered me, and told me that I mu&s;t acquit my &s;elf of my im|ployment with &s;ome honour, certainly I &s;hould have rendred but a &s;trange account of my ne|gotiation: but when I con&s;idered, that the honour which might accrue unto me by it, might render the more in favour with <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> I began to rouze up my &s;pirits, and no &s;ooner arrived at <HI>Milete,</HI> but began to tran&s;act with as much alacrity and diligence as was po&s;&s;ible: I will not in&s;i&s;t upon the pa&s;&s;ages of this great bu&s;ine&s;s, &s;ince it would be too long to relate, and is not at all pertinent unto the &s;tory of my Love, which is the only thing I aim at: Give me leave to tel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> you only thus much, that notwith&s;tanding all my cares, I was two whole months in <HI>Mi|lete,</HI> and heard not any news from <HI>Delphos,</HI> becau&s;e the winds were continually contrary for any Navigation; I thought at fir&s;t, that my &s;orrows would dimini&s;h, but yet my &s;oul would not &s;uffer them; for I found that time did more augment my melancholy; and certainly tho&s;e pa&s;&s;ions which le&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n by long ab&s;ence, are of a mean quality, and never knew extreams. When|&s;oever the wi&s;e <HI>Thales,</HI> with whom I tran&s;acted again&s;t the oppo&s;ite faction, told me of any ob&s;tacle in our affairs, I appeared to be &s;o extreamly troubled at it, that this wi&s;e man, who could not d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ve into my heart, did think me the mo&s;t ambitious man of honour in the world, and the be&s;t Agent that ever could be cho&s;en: when it plea&s;ed the Fates that I had happily fini&s;hed all my bu&s;ine&s;s, I departed from <HI>Milete,</HI> and returned to <HI>Delphos:</HI> And if it become me to &s;ay it, I got honour enough by the tran&s;action of that important Affair; the wi&s;e <HI>Thales</HI> did me the favour to write unto the <HI>Amphictions</HI> in my behalf, and in &s;uch a manner as was ve|ry advantagious for me, &s;o that I had very good cau&s;e of rejoycing, but my &s;oul was accu|&s;tomed
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unto melancholy, that it could not reli&s;h any manner of joy; for amid&s;t my hopes of &s;eeing <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> again, my fears to find &s;ome alteration in her fortune, which might prove di&s;|advantageous unto me, did infinitely trouble me; yet notwith&s;tanding, when I did imagine I &s;hould &s;ee her, and that mine eyes &s;hould again incorporate with hers, I was infinitely plea&s;ed: In &s;hort, to abreviate my di&s;cour&s;e, I arrived at <HI>Delphos,</HI> but it was &s;o late that my father was in bed; &s;o that I went to lie with <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> in hopes to hear &s;ome news of <HI>Tele&s;ile:</HI> and &s;ince he kept no very good hours, I went into his Chamber; this plea&s;ing &s;urpri&s;e cau&s;ed him to imbrace me with extream joy, and I him with no le&s;s: But yet not knowing what I &s;hould hear concerning <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> I dur&s;t not much rejoyce: I looked in his eyes for that which was in mine own, and after I de&s;ired hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> to bid his &s;ervants retire. Well <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him) is <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> the &s;ame &s;he was? Is &s;he as fair as ever? Has not my ab&s;ence been favourable unto &s;ome of my Rivals? I have &s;o many things to tell you (an&s;wered he) that I know not where to begin: and there has been &s;uch alterations in your affairs, that you will much won|der at them.</P>
<P>Ah <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him) Tell me quickly in gro&s;s what they are? But if <HI>Tele|&s;ile</HI> be either dead, or married, tell me only that I mu&s;t die, to the end my de&s;pair may la&s;t no longer. <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> replied he, is living, and as fair as ever, neither is &s;he yet married unto any of your Rivals. This an&s;wer having calmed my &s;oul; and being now only inqui&s;itive to know what this alteration might be, I under&s;tood, that as &s;oon as I departed, all my Rivals re|joyced at my ab&s;ence, though the cau&s;e of it did trouble them, becau&s;e indeed I was the Ri|val they mo&s;t feared: among&s;t the re&s;t <HI>Androclides</HI> was well plea&s;ed at it; yet, &s;aid <HI>Mele|&s;ander</HI> unto me, &s;ince his mind is divided between the hoped for riches of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> and her beauty, he de&s;ired his Si&s;ter to &s;olicite as much as &s;he could again&s;t all his Rivals, and to prepare the mind of <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> for him as well as &s;he could; and without telling her the true ground of his affection, he did de&s;ire her to protract the bu&s;ine&s;s as long as &s;he could. But the truth is, al|though he was in love with <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> yet he de&s;ired not to marry her until <HI>Crantor</HI> had &s;etled his E&s;tate upon her, as he hoped he would by the &s;olicitations of his Si&s;ter, which was very fre|quently with him. But to make you better under&s;tand (O my equitable Judg) all that <HI>Mele|&s;ander</HI> told me; be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Atalia,</HI> who loved the riches of <HI>Crantor,</HI> as well as her brother, did make as if &s;he believed that <HI>Androclides</HI> de&s;ired her to &s;olicite for him, only out of his affection unto <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> and that being &s;o pa&s;&s;ionate as he was, he would marry her ei|ther poor, or rich: &s;o that &s;he having ob&s;erved that <HI>Crantor</HI> was mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly moved at her beauty, (for indeed &s;he was very fair) &s;he omited nothing that might win upon the heart of a co|vetous man; &s;he di&s;cour&s;ed with him concerning nothing but hou&s;hold matters: &s;he would chide him for his &s;uperfluous expences, and &s;eemed to affect all the delectations which men of his age &amp; di&s;po&s;ition u&s;e; in&s;omuch as <HI>Crantor</HI> e&s;teemed her as &s;he de&s;ired, and propound marriage unto her. <HI>Atalia,</HI> who was not very rich, being Si&s;ter unto <HI>Androclides</HI> by the mothers &s;ide, did harken unto the Propo&s;ition, and asked coun&s;el of none, but a&s;&s;uring <HI>Crantor</HI> of her con&s;ent; &s;he &s;ent unto <HI>Androclides</HI> in the morning to come and &s;peak with her: Brother, &s;aid &s;he unto him, as &s;oon as he came into her Chamber, If it be really true that you love <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> I have great news to tell you, for the truth is, I know of an infallible way how you may marry her, if you plea&s;e: Dear Si&s;ter (&s;aid he unto her) how infinitely &s;hould I be obliged unto you, if by your frequent conver&s;ation with <HI>Crantor,</HI> you could move him to do that which in all rea&s;on he &s;hould? I ask your pardon (&s;aid he unto her) for cau&s;ing you to keep company &s;o much with a man of his years, who&s;e humours cannot be any thing agreeable, or plea&s;ant unto you. Brother (&s;aid &s;he) I perceive you do not under&s;tand the way how you may marry <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> nor do you know what I would do to compa&s;s it: and therefore I will tell you, that it cannot be brought about, unle&s;s I &s;acrifice my &s;elf for you, and deprive my &s;elf of all manner of plea&s;ures in this world. I &s;hould be mo&s;t unhappy, replied <HI>Androclides,</HI> if my felicity &s;hould make you unfortunate: but yet what odd way is this, which I cannot imagine? It is (&s;aid &s;he, blu&s;hing, and half laughing) that <HI>Crantor</HI> being per&s;waded I am <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ch, would marry me. <HI>Androclides</HI> was &s;o amazed at this, that he thought he had mi&s;taken her. Would <HI>Crantor</HI> (&s;aid he) marry you? what does he intend by that? He intends, &s;aid &s;he unto him, to marry <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> unto you, as &s;oon as he hath married me: &s;o that Brother, your good fortune does at pre&s;ent ab&s;olutely depend upon my will: for if I do &s;atisfie his pa&s;&s;ion, he a&s;&s;ures me he will &s;atisfie yours; and he will move <HI>Diophantes</HI> to give <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> unto you: Brother (pur&s;ued &s;he) to marry a man of his age and humour, is a thing which I can never do with great repugnancie; yet my love to you is &s;o pre|valent, that I will ma&s;ter my aver&s;ion towards him, and I do a&s;&s;ure you, that the delight which you will receive by enjoying <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> will comfort me, much more then all the trea&s;ures
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of <HI>Crantor.</HI> While&s;t <HI>Atalia</HI> &s;poke thus unto him, he was &s;o a&s;toni&s;hed, that he knew not what to an&s;wer: and &s;ince he was much troubled to make his &s;i&s;ter under&s;tand, that avarice had as great po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of his &s;oul as love, he went very &s;ubtil to work. Dear &s;i&s;ter, &s;aid he unto her, I &s;hall never give my con&s;ent that you &s;hould make your&s;elf unhappy, all the days of your life, for the love of me; and although I do pa&s;&s;ionately love <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> yet I will never marry her upon &s;uch conditions as that you &s;hall marry <HI>Crantor.</HI> Brother, &s;aid &s;he unto him, if there were any other remedy for your di&s;ea&s;e, I &s;hould never have recour&s;e unto this; but &s;ince there is none, I am re&s;olved to be generous, and oblige you whether you will or no: I know very well, &s;aid &s;he further, that you wi&s;h in your heart, that I were already the wife of <HI>Crantor,</HI> &s;o you might marry <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> and that it is out of a complement you are oppo|&s;ite to that which you think will not plea&s;e me; for I cannot think you beleeve me &s;o ba&s;e, as to imagine more &s;atisfaction in the riches of <HI>Crantor,</HI> then I expect melancholy in his di&s;po&s;i|tion: &s;o that being per&s;waded you cannot be happy but by my means, therefore I am re&s;olv|ed to contribute unto your happine&s;s without your con&s;ent. Oh dear Si&s;ter, an&s;wered he, I will never &s;uffer it: do you not con&s;ider the extream old age of <HI>Crantor,</HI> his humours, and his coveteous di&s;po&s;itions?</P>
<P>Brother, &s;aid &s;he, I will not think upon any thing but the admirable beauty of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> the enjoyment of whom, will make you eternally happy. <HI>Androclides</HI> even de&s;perate to heare <HI>Atalia</HI> talk &s;o, told her, that &s;ince it was her own intere&s;t which moved her unto this, he de|&s;ired her to con&s;ider, how in marrying <HI>Crantor</HI> &s;he would infinitly di&s;plea&s;e <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> &s;ince &s;he prevented her from being the riche&s;t match in all <HI>Phocides.</HI> For my part &s;i&s;ter, &s;aid he un|to her, I &s;hould find happine&s;s enough in the beauty of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> but I knew not whether &s;he would find it without the Trea&s;ures of <HI>Crantor,</HI> and whether &s;he will not be revenged upon me for the prejudice you &s;hould do her: No, no (replied <HI>Atalia)</HI> for &s;ince <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> has not a coveteous &s;oul, &s;he will not care &s;o much as you think for that lo&s;s; but rather be glad to find &s;uch a fortune as yours. So that all the evil in it will only reflict upon me: all the hope is, it will not continue long, <HI>Androclides</HI> u&s;ed many arguments to di&s;&s;wade, and <HI>Atalia</HI> to per&s;wade, whil&s;t neither of them expre&s;&s;ed their real thoughts, but both endeavoring to deceive each other: And thus they parted, <HI>Androclides</HI> conjuring his &s;i&s;ter not to con&s;ent unto the marri|age, and &s;he &s;aying that &s;he was re&s;olved upon it. Afterwards, &s;ince &s;he was ab&s;olute Mi|&s;tris of <HI>Crantors</HI> mind, &s;he &s;ent to de&s;ire him that he would come unto her, and &s;he carried the matter &s;o cunningly, that &s;he per&s;waded him to marry her without any Ceremony, by rea&s;on of <HI>Diophantes;</HI> and &s;ince <HI>Androclides</HI> her brother intended to marry his Neece, &s;he did not need to ask his con&s;ent. So that without any longer delay, he marryed her the next morning, in the pre&s;ence of five or &s;ix per&s;ons who had dependance upon him&s;elf, and the next day following carried her into the country, to avoyd &s;uch talk, as u&s;es to be of &s;uch marriages. Mean while <HI>Androclides</HI> was extreamly troubled at it, and the &s;tar-like eyes of <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> could not comfort him; but when he under&s;tood the bu&s;ine&s;s was pa&s;t, he fell into an inconceivable di&s;paire. Yet &s;ince he did not ab&s;olutely beleeve it, he went unto a friend of his, who often vi&s;ited <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> to enquire the certainty of is; and found there more then he expected, for <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> was there al&s;o, being come to enquire of <HI>Crantors</HI> marriage: That which was mo&s;t ob&s;ervable, was that <HI>Androclides</HI> &s;eemed more troubled at it then <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> who&s;e generous Soul &s;tood un&s;hoken at the accident; and who&s;e mind was &s;o free as to ob&s;erve, that the &s;or|rows of <HI>Androclides</HI> were grounded upon an intere&s;t: he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto her amazed|ly, end de&s;ired her not to think that he was acce&s;&s;ory unto his &s;i&s;ters de&s;ign, but would have prevented it if he could: I beleeve it, (an&s;wered <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> coldly) and I know you well enough to make any doubt of it. But <HI>Androclides,</HI> &s;aid he, &s;ince the fair <HI>Atalia</HI> your &s;i&s;ter, is per|haps more joyed to have gotten the wealth of <HI>Crantor,</HI> then I am &s;orry for the lo&s;s of it, I do conceive it more ju&s;t for you to go and rejoyce with her, then to &s;tay here, and trouble your &s;elf with me, who I a&s;&s;ure has patience and rea&s;on enough about me, to endure as great a misfortune as this is. It &s;eems, &s;aid <HI>Androclides,</HI> that <HI>I</HI> am more &s;en&s;ible of your misfortunes then you your &s;elf is: <HI>It</HI> &s;eems al&s;o, replied &s;he, that your di&s;po&s;ition and mine is different, and therefore do not look upon things after the &s;ame manner: <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> did not intend any long vi&s;it, and therefore &s;he returned home, where &s;he found <HI>Diophantes,</HI> and <HI>Taxale,</HI> extreamly troubled, at the news which they had heard of: This wi&s;e young Lady did comfort them as well as &s;he could; and though &s;he was &s;en&s;ible enough of the lo&s;s, yet &s;he de&s;ired them, not to re&s;ent it &s;o deeply, a&s;&s;uring them for her part, that &s;he had no &s;uch kind of ambition, &s;he would not be troubled at all for it, &s;o they would cheare up them&s;elves. <HI>In</HI> the mean time, all the lovers of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> were much &s;urpri&s;ed: tho&s;e who were not rich dur&s;t not think any
<PB N="29" REF="205">
more of marrying one who was not, left they &s;hould make both her and them&s;elves mi&s;erable: they imagined al&s;o that &s;he would not con&s;ent unto it, there being greater rea&s;on why a wo|man which is rich, &s;hould marry a compleat man who hath little, then that two per&s;ons of quality who are both poor, &s;hould marry together. But as for <HI>Androclides,</HI> though he was very rich, yet &s;ince he found a great alteration in the fortunes of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> he found an altera|tion in her al&s;o; yet he was a&s;hamed to make his appear unto the world at fir&s;t, and truly he did affect her with as much love as he was capable of, and therefore he did vi&s;it her according to his u&s;ual cu&s;tom, and found all his Rivals there al&s;o: for never was any &s;o much pityed as &s;he was upon this occa&s;ion, and they could not have &s;hared deeper in her &s;orrows, if &s;he had lo&s;t all that was dear unto her: But yet within a few days after, vi&s;its were not &s;o frequent, and among&s;t the re&s;t, <HI>Androclides</HI> did often balk the hou&s;e, and when he did &s;tep in to &s;ee her he &s;poke only concerning things indifferent; and one day, pumping for a hand&s;om pretence to e&s;trange him&s;elf the more, he told her, that he ob&s;erved <HI>Diophantes</HI> her father did of late &s;a|lute him very coldly, and as he heard, he u&s;ed to &s;peak very ill concerning <HI>Atalia,</HI> who was his &s;i&s;ter, and it therefore reflected upon him.</P>
<P><HI>Androclides,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> unto him, who knew the real rea&s;on of this exceptation) you need not trouble your &s;elf &s;o much as to &s;eek for any pretence to cloak your de&s;ires of &s;eeing me no more, it is free for every one to follow his own inclination: and &s;ince I know you can|not love the faire&s;t woman upon Earth, unle&s;s &s;he be rich: &s;o my humour is &s;omething con|trary toy ours, for I cannot love the riche&s;t man in all <HI>Greece,</HI> if he be not owner of a &s;oul which &s;oars higher then his riches: So that I think it will be advantageous unto us both, if you de|&s;i&s;t from offering out of a fal&s;e kind of genero&s;ity, your complements unto one who has lo&s;t all that can make her amiable in your eye. <HI>Androclides</HI> was &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed at the freedom of <HI>Te|le&s;iles</HI> di&s;cour&s;e, that he began to prote&s;t, his thoughts were all contrary to what &s;he &s;aid, but it was with &s;uch a forced airc, and in &s;o many ambiguous words, as if he feared to &s;peak to much, or engage him&s;elf further then he had a mind: <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> then looking upon him with a &s;cornfull kind of &s;mile; No, no, <HI>Androclides,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) di&s;&s;emble it no longer, and leave meat liberty to enjoy a Trea&s;ure which I prefer before &s;uch things as mo&s;t moves your di&s;po&s;ition, I mean a Liberty to enjoy my thoughts alone: <HI>Androclides</HI> taking oppor|tunity by the toppin, made u&s;e of this occa&s;ion, and quite left off his vi&s;its, as many others be&s;ides did; &s;o that within a &s;hort time the hou&s;e of <HI>Diophantes</HI> was as &s;olitary, as before it was tumul|tuous, and full of people. <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> wondered at the weakene&s;s of men; and when &s;he beheld her &s;elf in a gla&s;s, &s;he asked her &s;elf whether or no her beauty changed: but finding the &s;ame eyes, the &s;ame complexion, and the &s;ame in every thing &s;he was before, &s;he began to receive &s;o great an aver&s;ion again&s;t all men, that &s;he was very glad to be rid of their company: But &s;ince the noy&s;e of this alteration was high in every quarter of the Town, <HI>Diophantes</HI> to le&s;&s;en it went into the country: &s;o that when I was returned unto <HI>Delphos</HI> I found her not in it: and I was informed by <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> of all this I have related unto you. This ab&s;ence &s;at &s;adly upon my &s;oul, for I fancied &s;uch hopes of my &s;eeing <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> againe, that the privation of &s;uch a happine&s;s made me not &s;en&s;ible of that joy I might well apprehend, in under&s;tanding I was rid of all my Rivals, and in hopes that hereafter <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> would look upon me more then before: for certainly I did as much rejoyce at her poverty, as <HI>Androclides</HI> did grieve at it, be|cau&s;e I thought it a fit occa&s;ion to let her know the greatne&s;s of my love: But when I con&s;i|dered that &s;he was not in <HI>Delphos,</HI> hopes extingui&s;hed, and fears revived in my &s;oul: I ap|prehended, that the bu&s;ine&s;s of &s;ome men might make her hate all, and I could not find any &s;atisfaction in any thing: The next morning, I rendred an account of my imployment, and received all the applauds from the <HI>Amphictions</HI> which could po&s;&s;ibly be hoped for: My Father was &s;o well plea&s;ed with me, that he expre&s;&s;ed many marks of affection: All my friends did upon this occa&s;ion vi&s;it me. And had I not been in love, doubtle&s;s I had found &s;ubjects of joy enough; but ab&s;ence from <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> did bitter all my joys; and the de&s;ire I had to te&s;ti|fie unto her, that I was not of the humour of tho&s;e men who had for&s;aken her, did trouble me much, as if &s;ome grand misfortune had happened unto me. During all this time, I could not endure the company of any but <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> becau&s;e I could not freely di&s;cour&s;e of my love with any el&s;e, and becau&s;e he was &s;o complacential as to hear me favorably, which que&s;ti|onle&s;s is one of the mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible con&s;olations, which one who is ab&s;ent from her he loves, can enjoy: But after I had &s;ighed away many a, day <HI>Diophantes</HI> returned and brought <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> with him, who was fully re&s;olved to avoyd the conver&s;ation of men, as much as hand&s;omne&s;s would permit her: I no &s;ooner heard &s;he was returned to <HI>Delphos</HI> but I went unto <HI>Diophan|tes,</HI> who entertained me with much civility; <HI>Taxile</HI> did the like, and &s;o did her adored daugh|ter,
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yet with this alteration, her civility was more &s;erious and cold then formerly. Yet not|with&s;tanding, <HI>I</HI> was &s;o over-joyed to &s;ee her, and to find her without any of my old Rivals, that I made no reflection upon it until after I was gone: This fir&s;t vi&s;it la&s;ted no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> long, for &s;ince they came in late, it was neither di&s;cretion nor manners to &s;tay any longer with them. So that I told <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> only with my eyes that I loved her; who would neither under&s;tand nor an|&s;wer me in that language, which &s;he her &s;elf fir&s;t taught me. But when I was returned unto my Chamber, the faint coldne&s;s of <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> troubled me; and I imagined that perhaps &s;he was of|fended at my di&s;cour&s;e with her at my departure; yet I hoped that my con&s;tant per&s;everance, might win upon her: The next morning I did as I was accu&s;tomed, before I went unto <HI>Mi|lete,</HI> which was, to go unto the Temple, where <HI>I</HI> know &s;he would be. There <HI>I</HI> found <HI>Andro|clides,</HI> and the greate&s;t part of tho&s;e who loved her before my departure: but they had all of them changed their places, for whereas they were wont to &s;it clo&s;e unto certain Pillars of mar|ble, clo&s;e unto <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> where <HI>I</HI> fir&s;t &s;aw her, they now di&s;per&s;ed them&s;elves into &s;everal other Sears: yet <HI>I,</HI> who not like them, was no changling, did &s;eat my &s;elf as <HI>I</HI> u&s;ed in a place where <HI>I</HI> might &s;ee her, and &s;he me; at the fir&s;t &s;he took no notice of me, becau&s;e &s;he was intent upon her devotions unto the Gods, but afterwards &s;he turned her eyes towards me, and <HI>I</HI> &s;aluted her with &s;uch reverence, as might make it appear <HI>I</HI> was in love with her; <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> returned my complement with a blu&s;h, and me thought &s;he looked <HI>Androclides</HI> in the eyes, as if &s;he would thereby tell, that all the world had not rejected her; and indeed her looks had &s;uch an influ|ence, that though her action was without any de&s;igne, yet <HI>Androclides</HI> changed both colour, and place; and immediately went out of the Temple, as one that was a&s;hamed of his ba&s;ene&s;s, and would have been very glad, if <HI>I</HI> had been as unworthy as him&s;elf. <HI>I</HI> under&s;tood afterwards that the con&s;tancy of my affection, had almo&s;t made him renew his, and conquered his cove|tous inclination.</P>
<P>But yet in conclu&s;ion, he was contented to &s;hun <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> and me both. For my part I let &s;lip no opportunity of &s;eeing her I loved: and it had been very difficult for her not to do me &s;o much favour, as to make a difference betwixt me, and tho&s;e who had ca&s;t her off; yet not|with&s;tanding, &s;he was &s;o ab&s;olutely re&s;olved to love none at all, that &s;he did treat me with much indifferencie: Thus did I live a long while, and could not find a fit opportunity to talk in private with her; becau&s;e &s;he her &s;elf took away all occa&s;ions of it: But at the la&s;t I met her upon the banks of the River <HI>Cephi&s;es,</HI> which runs by <HI>Delphos,</HI> where all the Ladies of the Town u&s;ed to walk, and left their Coaches at the end of a large Meadow, &s;et round with mir|tles, mo&s;t delectable: there &s;he was with two others of her friends, who after they had taken a turn or two, did meet with &s;ome men of their acquaintance, who led them by the hand, while&s;t I did the like unto <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> and could di&s;cour&s;e with her without being under&s;tood by any but her &s;elf; for the freedom is greater at <HI>Delphos,</HI> then at <HI>Athens,</HI> or <HI>Corintis,</HI> by rea&s;on of the multitude of &s;trangers which re&s;ort thither, and do in&s;en&s;ible introduce the Cu|&s;tomes of their Country. But Oh Heavens, how was I gravelled, when I offered to begin di&s;|cour&s;e! I no &s;ooner re&s;olved to &s;peak one thing, then I did contradict it, &s;o that we walked a long while without a word between us both: but in conclu&s;ion, my pa&s;&s;ion &s;purring me up, I began with a &s;igh, and &s;aid; I wi&s;h the Gods were plea&s;ed, adored <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> you under&s;tood the thoughts of my heart without my tongue, and that you gue&s;s how much I adore you. I can ea&s;ily &s;atisfie your wi&s;h, &s;aid &s;he unto me, for I am &s;o very well acquainted with the hearts of all men, that I mu&s;t needs know yours.</P>
<P>Oh Madam, &s;aid I, make no cruel compari&s;ons, nor, I be&s;eech you, confound <HI>Androclides</HI> and <HI>Thimocrates</HI> together: <HI>Androclides,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, is thought to be very prudent; and <HI>Thimocrates</HI> &s;aid I, i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> very amorous. <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> replied &s;he, can perhaps di&s;&s;emble better then others, but for all that his &s;oul is &s;ubject to the &s;ame imperfections that other men are, who begin to love, and never think upon it: continue it through cu&s;tome, and end it out of an humour, doing every thing without any rea&s;on. Oh Madam, (&s;aid I unto her) how ill do you interpret <HI>Thimocra|tes,</HI> if you &s;hould think &s;o of him? For indeed, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t confe&s;s, that <HI>I</HI> began to love you, whe|ther <HI>I</HI> would or no, but <HI>I</HI> continue it both out of mine own free di&s;po&s;ition and rea&s;on: <HI>I</HI> de|parted from you as full of pa&s;&s;ion as ever man, <HI>I</HI> endured that cruel ab&s;ence with unimaginable &s;orrow, and <HI>I</HI> return with affection infinitely augmented: although, <HI>I</HI> thought it a thing mo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible, that my love of you could admit of any increa&s;e, &s;ince the fir&s;t minute <HI>I</HI> began to fix it upon you. <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, <HI>Androclides</HI> within this three months would have &s;aid the &s;ame unto all the men of <HI>Delphos,</HI> when he &s;poke unto them concerning me: Moreover the &s;uppo&s;ed beauty of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> has now lo&s;t all its charms, &s;ince <HI>Crantor</HI> has put her out of any hopes of his riches. The rea&s;on why <HI>Androclides</HI> loved <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto
<PB N="31" REF="206">
her) was the riches of another, but I adore her for her own riches: No, no, Divine Lady: (&s;aid I) it is tho&s;e eyes, it is that mind which I regard, and indeed it is only your own merit which I love, which I &s;erve, and which I will adore as long as I live. Beauty, <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) though I were owner of it, yet it is a thing which is as &s;oon lo&s;t as any thing el&s;e; &s;o that though your &s;oul is not &s;en&s;ible of any&s;uch &s;ordid pa&s;&s;ion, as to prefer riches before honour and virtue; yet I have no good a&s;&s;urance of your affection, and I am per&s;waded that you will do that hereafter out of weakne&s;s and incon&s;tancy, which <HI>Androclides</HI> has done out of covetou&s;ne&s;s. No, Divine <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> an&s;wered I, you do not know me: yet to be &s;incere unto you, I do confe&s;s that the lo&s;s of your beauty would be an inconceivable grief unto me, but it would be in relation to your &s;elf, not that it is ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ary to keep in that fire of affection which is throughly kindled in my heart: but I look further, and I find &s;o rich a beauty in your mind, mo&s;t charming Lady, that although tho&s;e glorious flames in your eyes were extingui&s;hed, yet your &s;oul has beauty enough to ravi&s;h mine, although you were not fair at all: But <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> has yet &s;een &s;o little of the Spring time of her beauty, that it is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> long time till the Autumn. It is for want of experience then (&s;aid &s;he &s;miling) that I ought to di&s;tru&s;t my &s;elf: And therefore <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> not to deceive you, I pray you know this, that how coar&s;ly &s;oever fortune has treated me, yet will I carry it as highly as ever, and will be much more hard to be per&s;waded then before: I &s;u&s;pect all men, and my &s;elf al&s;o; there|fore give over your de&s;igne, if you will be ruled by me: and I conceive you may do it with|out any di&s;honour; for when one runs away with a croud, (&s;aid &s;he laughing) he hides his flight among&s;t the re&s;t: but if you &s;hall per&s;i&s;t in your Court&s;hip of me, and afterwards make <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> retreat, you will then be taxed with ab&s;olute incon&s;tancy: Give over then, <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> go, and leave <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> at re&s;t: for &s;he will neither love, nor beloved, &s;he thinks her &s;elf &s;o rich in her own vertue, that &s;he de&s;ires no more. You &s;hall po&s;&s;e&s;s my heart (&s;aid I unto her) whe|ther you will or no: I &s;hall know that (&s;aid &s;he &s;miling) whether you will or no; and &s;o mixing with the re&s;t of the company, we walked on, and I had not any opportunity to &s;peak any more in private with her; and my mind wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;o bu&s;ie with thinking whether I had cau&s;e of hopes or fears, that I knew not what any &s;aid. But to &s;horten my di&s;cour&s;e, I &s;hall in few words tell you, that the hundred thou&s;and &s;ervices and &s;olicitations which I rendred unto <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> move &s;ome acceptance of them, &s;he knew that her father would not di&s;like of my affection; and &s;he her &s;elf did &s;o like of my proceedings and addre&s;&s;es to her, that &s;he entertained them with as much acknowledgment, as &s;he &s;corned them th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> had for&s;aken her. In a word, I arri|ved unto &s;uch a happy condition with her, that &s;he believed I loved her, and gave me leave to tell her as much.</P>
<P>In the mean while, <HI>Androclides,</HI> &s;ince he could not endure the &s;ight, either of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> or me, went into the Countrey, and &s;o in time many others of her former Lovers, &s;o that I thought my &s;elf in a very happy condition; for I &s;aw <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> everyday, and &s;he was &s;o &s;weet as to &s;eem as if I were welcome: &s;he had not directly told me that &s;he loved me; but as I one day took an occa&s;ion to &s;peak with her, &s;he told me that there was news abroad which would make <HI>Androclides</HI> hate her more then he did; which was, that <HI>Atalia</HI> was like to bring forth a Succe&s;&s;or unto <HI>Crantor,</HI> and it was true, but &s;he looked &s;o attentively upon me when &s;he told it, as if &s;he would find the bottom of my heart by the colour in my face. No, no, &s;aid I unto her, &s;ubtle <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> you cannot find anything in my face which does not &s;peak that real thoughts of my heart, and you &s;hall never find anything in my heart, which &s;hall make me un|worthy of yours. I wi&s;h <HI>I</HI> may not, &s;aid &s;he ha&s;tily: She had no &s;ooner pronounced this la&s;t word, but &s;he blu&s;hed as if &s;he had committed a crime, and endeavouring to mitigate that ob|liging interpretation which I might have made upon it, but it was with &s;uch a plea&s;ing confu|&s;ion, that <HI>I</HI> placed that minute in the number of the mo&s;t happy ones that ever <HI>I</HI> had in my life; but Heaven knows it was &s;econded with as great a misfortune, as I thought that a hap|pine&s;s: for I was no &s;ooner at my lodging, but my father &s;ent for me, and told me that he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ood in great need of my company in a journey which he intended in the morning, &amp; that <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t prepare my &s;elf for it; <HI>I</HI> endeavoured to excu&s;e it, but could not: but pre&s;ently after, <HI>I</HI> under|&s;tood by <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> that my father did complain unto a friend of his, of my love unto <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> telling him that he &s;uffered it, as long as there was any hopes of her being rich; but that he would not &s;uffer it now that hope was taken away: &s;o that when I had vanqui&s;hed the rigor of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> and was almo&s;t &s;ure of <HI>Diophaxtes</HI> his con&s;ent, unto whom <HI>I</HI> had made addre&s;&s;es by <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> a new ob&s;tacle &s;tarted up, and <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t be &s;en&s;ible of all the horrid rigors of a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ong ab&s;ence; for, to depart from her one loves, is doubtle&s;s a great mi&s;ery; but to depart from her one loves, who loves him again, is incomparably the mo&s;t di&s;mal di&s;a&s;ter that can po&s;&s;ibly
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come unto a man: yet notwith&s;tanding I mu&s;t prepare my &s;elf for it, and go with my father unto the furthe&s;t part of all <HI>Phocides,</HI> towards <HI>Megares:</HI> I knew not whether it were expe|dient to tell him that I took my leave of <HI>Tele&s;ile:</HI> but depart we did, and during this voyage, this misfortune happened, that the Commonwealth had given my father &s;uch an imployment, as was exceedingly beneficial, and augmented his e&s;tate: &s;o that I met with nothing but ob|&s;tacle upon ob&s;tacle; and I was as much grieved at my good fortune, as I could not be more, if the wor&s;t had happened. During this time, my father u&s;ed all his arguments to avert my love; and &s;ometimes al&s;o, I endeavoured as much as I could to per&s;wade him to prefer the vertue of <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> before any thing el&s;e; but when I found that the more I te&s;tified my con|&s;tancy, the more I retarded my return to <HI>Delphos;</HI> I di&s;&s;embled my thoughts, and made him believe that ab&s;ence had wrought the cure upon my love-&s;ick mind: But alas, how extream|ly was he deceived in his belief, for I was never in my life &s;o deeply plunged in the gulf of love, as then I knew that <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> loved me, and I under&s;tood by <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> that my ab&s;ence much troubled her, and I fancied &s;uch a Heaven of delight in &s;eeing her again, that I thought upon nothing el&s;e. Yet I knew that my father would not return to <HI>Delphos</HI> of a long time, if I did not very much think that I was ab&s;oluted averted from <HI>Tele&s;ile;</HI> Therefore I did v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">zard my affection, and began to make frequent vi&s;its, (for we were in a great and populous Town,) and I fixed upon one above the re&s;t who was indifferently fair: but yet I entertained not one thought of her which did le&s;&s;en my love of <HI>Tele&s;ile:</HI> This Lady was of a mo&s;t &s;weet, but me|lancholy compo&s;ition, and by con&s;equence<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> could better think upon <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> when I was with her, then if &s;he had been &s;prightly, and airy. The&s;e vi&s;its produced tho&s;e effects in the mind of my father, which I expected; for now he thought I had quite forgotten <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> &s;ince I was in love with <HI>Pheretime,</HI> for &s;o was her name. But &s;ince he did not approve of this &s;econd choice, no better then of the fir&s;t becau&s;e though <HI>Pheretime</HI> was of a noble family, yet not &s;o illu&s;trious as he expected, therefore he re&s;olved to return unto <HI>Delphos:</HI> But although this harm|le&s;s di&s;&s;imulation wrought good effects upon my father, yet they produced bad ones upon <HI>Te|le&s;ile,</HI> who, as I came afterwards to know, was informed by the means of <HI>Androclides,</HI> &s;he not knowing it came from him, that I was deeply engaged with <HI>Pheretime:</HI> &s;o that when I returned unto <HI>Delphos,</HI> I found an alteration in her mind; and <HI>I</HI> under&s;tood by <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> that for this fifteen dayes &s;he could not endure to hear him talk of me as &s;he was accu&s;tomed: <HI>Diophantes</HI> al&s;o &s;eemed to be changed as well as &s;he; for knowing that my father was aver&s;e to any aliance with him, his mind was much angered, &s;o that for &s;ome certain dayes, <HI>I</HI> was as mi&s;erable as any lover could be in the pre&s;ence of the party loved: but at the la&s;t finding an hand&s;ome opportunity to &s;peak unto her; What have <HI>I</HI> done Madam, (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her) has ab&s;ence removed me out of your heart? are you culpable of the weakne&s;s which <HI>I</HI> have heard you condemn? <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, charge not me with your own crimes, be contented that <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> does not complain of you, not but that &s;he hath &s;ufficient cau&s;e for it, but &s;he will not becau&s;e &s;he is generous: Therefore, (&s;aid &s;he with a forced &s;igh) fear not, that my upbraidings of you &s;hall mole&s;t that delight which you take in thinking upon <HI>Phere|time. Pheretime?</HI> (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> in much amazement, and under&s;tanding then the cau&s;e of her alte|ration,) Ah Madam, you do not know me, you do not know her, nor do you know your &s;elf, if you can believe that <HI>I</HI> can think upon her when <HI>I</HI> &s;ee you: <HI>I</HI> ever thought upon you Madam, when <HI>I</HI> &s;aw <HI>Pheretime,</HI> nor did <HI>I</HI> ever think upon her &s;ince <HI>I</HI> came to <HI>Delphos:</HI> Oh Heavens, and mo&s;t unju&s;t Lady, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, If he has wronged me, who mu&s;t <HI>I</HI> require &s;atisfaction from? for <HI>I</HI> never &s;aw <HI>Pheretime,</HI> but only to that end <HI>I</HI> might the &s;ooner return unto <HI>Del|phos,</HI> and &s;ee <HI>Tele&s;ile:</HI> Then did <HI>I</HI> mo&s;t &s;incerely relate all the pa&s;&s;age unto her; afterwards <HI>I</HI> be&s;eeched her to tell me who was her informer of this fal&s;e news: And after much praying pre&s;&s;ing, conjuring, and importuning <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> &s;he named the per&s;on who informed her, and is appeared to be an e&s;pecial friend unto <HI>Androclides.</HI> In the mean time, as my heart was in|nocent and faithful, and all my &s;peeches unto her mo&s;t true, <HI>I</HI> made my peace with <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> in&s;omuch as &s;he did not at all &s;u&s;pect my con&s;tancy: but yet &s;he was very angry with her &s;elf for &s;eeming &s;o jealous of me, which was the rea&s;on that I did not find her &s;oul &s;o free and quiet as it was wont to be; however I thought my &s;elf extreamly happy, and I told <HI>Diophan|tes</HI> that I did not de&s;erve to be puni&s;hed for that ob&s;tacle which my father did intend unto my de&s;igne. Now was there nothing which vexed me, but that again&s;t my heart I mu&s;t not vi&s;it <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> &s;o often, le&s;t my father &s;hould again &s;end me away, as formerly he did; but al|though I did not go any more unto her hou&s;e, yet I did meet her in other places, and &s;aw her almo&s;t every day; I did &s;everal times move her unto marriage without the con&s;ent of my fa|ther; but &s;he was &s;o noble and di&s;creet, that &s;he would not permit it, and told that <HI>Diophan|tes</HI>
<PB N="33" REF="207">
her father would be again&s;t it as well as &s;he, therefore &s;he thought it the be&s;t cour&s;e to wait patiently and quictly until the heart of my father altered: but I enjoyed not this calm very long, for by &s;ome fanta&s;tical humour of Fate or other, we were almo&s;t continually &s;eparated: one while a friend of mine had a quarrel; and I in point of honour mu&s;t be his &s;econd, which cau&s;ed me to fl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e from <HI>Delphos:</HI> another while <HI>Diophantes</HI> was &s;ick in the Countrey, and <HI>Te|le&s;ile</HI> was with him: &s;ometimes ab&s;ences did ari&s;e without any rea&s;on or ground in the world, as if Fortune had no other de&s;igne but to per&s;ecute &s;ome long ab&s;ences, &s;ome &s;hort ones, &s;ome premeditated, &s;ome upon a &s;udden: I no &s;ooner came unto <HI>Delphos,</HI> but went out of it; and &s;he no &s;ooner returned but I went out: And it may be truly &s;aid, that I never parted from her, but &s;ome misfortune or other fell out: There was continually &s;ome little quarrel or other between us, which ab&s;ence was the cau&s;e of: and I remember one day, I was &s;o fanta&s;tical as to complain that I found her always too fair at my returns: for &s;aid I unto her, my adored <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> if my ab&s;ence &s;hould trouble you, as yours does me, I &s;hould find the fre&s;hne&s;s of your fair complection look more pale upon it, and &s;hould &s;ee &s;ome &s;ignes of melancholy in your &s;prightly eyes, which would make me extreamly glad; whereas on the contrary I &s;ee a joy which di&s;quiets me, fearing that my return is not the only cau&s;e of it. In a word, I had as much trial of ab&s;ence in all its kinds, as ever man had, and &s;uffered as deeply as any Lover could do. But whether I was ab&s;ent out of any advantageous rea&s;on, or by rea&s;on of any angry accident, my &s;oul was never &s;en|&s;ible either of joy or &s;orrow, which tho&s;e &s;everal cau&s;es might have moved: nor did I ap|prehend any other motions in my &s;oul then &s;uch as love only was cau&s;e of: After then a months ab&s;ence, and a hundred thou&s;and &s;orrows, I returned to <HI>Delphos,</HI> where I under|&s;tood that <HI>Atalia</HI> the Si&s;ter of <HI>Androclides,</HI> and wife of <HI>Crantor,</HI> was dead, in child-bed of a Son, and that the Son al&s;o died a few dayes after the mother: &s;o that <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> was in greater hopes then ever, to be the riche&s;t fortune in all <HI>Greece:</HI> for it &s;eems that <HI>Cran|tor</HI> repented of his marriage, and was not at all plea&s;ed with <HI>Atalia:</HI> &s;o that now my father could not upbraid me with the &s;mall portion of <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> any longer, but thought me mo&s;t happy in my choice: For my part I could never &s;u&s;pect that &s;he would &s;uffer the change of her fortune to change her mind, but I feared that <HI>Diophantes</HI> would to my prejudice take exceptions again&s;t my father; &s;o that to make the more ha&s;te, I went with po&s;t-&s;peed unto a hou&s;e which my father had, about two dayes journey from <HI>Delphos,</HI> where then I was, with intentions to acquaint him with my affection unto <HI>Te|le&s;ile,</HI> but as ill luck was, I could not find him there, but mu&s;t wait eight dayes before his return: for the men he left at home, knew only when he would return, but not whither he was gone: At his return, I did acquaint him with my bu&s;ine&s;s, and received an an&s;wer according unto my hopes, &s;o that <HI>I</HI> returned unto <HI>Delphos</HI> the mo&s;t &s;atisfied man in the world. <HI>I</HI> under&s;tood al&s;o when <HI>I</HI> came there, that <HI>Crantor</HI> was &s;ud|denly dead; &s;o that after <HI>I</HI> had fir&s;t been at mine own lodging, to put my &s;elf in a con|dition fir&s;t to appear before <HI>Tele&s;ile, I</HI> went unto her, but <HI>I</HI> was infinitely amazed to find almo&s;t all the Town there, and mo&s;t e&s;pecially all my old Rivals, in the fir&s;t rank of whom was <HI>Androclides:</HI> yet notwith&s;tanding &s;ince the condition of <HI>Diophantes</HI> de|&s;erved &s;o much civility, upon &s;uch an occa&s;ion of mourning, <HI>I</HI> per&s;waded my &s;elf that it was the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r bu&s;ine&s;s unto him, and not to her, who <HI>I</HI> thought they dur&s;t never be &s;o impudent as to &s;peak unto after &s;o much bu&s;ine&s;s, but <HI>I</HI> was much deceived in my conjectures, for as &s;oon as the fir&s;t dayes of ceremonious mourning were pa&s;t; <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> was importu|ned by all tho&s;e who had before unworthily rejected her, and by &s;ome al&s;o who never thought upon her before.</P>
<P>Then did I engage <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> to &s;peak unto <HI>Diophantes,</HI> and tell him that he might very well make a difference, between me and the re&s;t of <HI>Tele&s;iles</HI> pretenders: but whether be|cau&s;e now the choice being in him, he would not be too ha&s;ty, or becau&s;e he intended a re|venge upon my Father, he returned him a very cold an&s;wer, and would not give any con&s;ent, but rather put into di&s;paire: yet had I &s;o much con&s;olation as to find no alteration at all in <HI>Te|le&s;ile,</HI> but &s;aw her &s;corn all tho&s;e whom her Fortunes rather then her beauty, had invited thi|ther: Yet, as if Fortune would have it, there came at that time to <HI>Delphes</HI> a man of great quality, called <HI>Menecrates,</HI> who had been long in Travel, and at his returne fell in love with <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> who having &s;hare in the crimes of the re&s;t, troubled me very much: for he was han|&s;ome; of an Illu&s;trious Family, and his fortunes very Noble; yet notwith&s;tanding, <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> did behave her &s;elf &s;o wi&s;ely, that the very &s;ight of her did di&s;&s;ipate all my <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ears, and gave me &s;o much freedom of &s;pirit, as to laugh at the di&s;&s;embled actions of all the&s;e unworthy lovers,
<PB N="34" REF="208">
who were &s;o much a&s;hamed, and who&s;e &s;pirits were &s;o dejected, that they dur&s;t hardly &s;peak: but yet they waited upon her, and vi&s;ited her whether &s;he would or no: as for <HI>Andro|clides,</HI> he went more prudently to work, for he laboured more to gain <HI>Diophantes</HI> the Father, then to appea&s;e the di&s;plea&s;ure of the daughter. I know not what means he u&s;ed, but I was told that he had &s;o in&s;inuated him&s;elf into the favour of the Father, that there was great likely-hoods he &s;hould &s;hortly be the husband of the daughter. I went immediately unto her, in hopes to quallifie my fears, and to receive &s;ome fre&s;h te&s;timony of affection from her which might confirm me: but I found <HI>Androclides</HI> there, who being more confident by rea&s;on of his hopes in <HI>Diophantes,</HI> did &s;peak unto her concerning his pa&s;&s;ion more openly then he did before the death of <HI>Crantor.</HI> When I under&s;tood below, that he was alone with her, I went up in all ha&s;te, and as &s;oon as I came unto the Chamber door, &s;tayed there, not well knowing whether I &s;hould enter, or harken; but the door being open, and the hangings hiding me, I &s;tayed to hear their di&s;cour&s;e, and heard <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> &s;ay in a &s;harp tone; No <HI>Androclides,</HI> de|ceive not your &s;elf, It is not I who ought to recompence you for all your cares and &s;ervices: for it is not <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> whom you loved, nor who loves you, and therefore &s;he is not at all obliged unto you. When I heard this well-plea&s;ing di&s;cour&s;e, I confe&s;s I re&s;olved not to enter &s;o &s;oon; and indeed I could never prefer any thing, above the &s;ight of her I loved before this time. Then I heard <HI>Androclides</HI> tell her, that he valued not the Trea&s;ures of <HI>Crantor,</HI> but only for the love of her: Rather &s;ay for the love of your &s;elf, replyed <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> and know, that though you &s;hould imploy all your life in per&s;wading me, that you love me, I &s;hould not beleeve it; No, no, <HI>Androclides,</HI> I value not my &s;elf &s;o low, as to accept of half a heart; a heart which has doted upon that which is unworthy to be put in the balance with <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> and is the ob|ject only of ba&s;e &s;ouls: Indeed I &s;hould &s;ooner pardon one that is uncon&s;tant, who &s;hould re|ject me for one that is fairer then my &s;elf, then I would a covetous wretch, who rejects me, becau&s;e I am not rich enough for his pallat: for confe&s;s the truth (&s;aid &s;he unto him,) if I &s;hould be &s;o fooli&s;h as to marry you, and &s;hould afterwards by any cro&s;s accidents lo&s;e all tho&s;e things which are the ba&s;&s;is of your affection; that I &s;hould have neither any Lands, nor Jew|els, nor any hou&s;es or hou&s;hold-&s;tuff, but that <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> &s;hould be without any of the&s;e charms which you value mo&s;t; confe&s;s the truth, I &s;ay <HI>Androcldes,</HI> would you love her &s;till? Doubt|le&s;s I &s;hould, an&s;wered he in much amazement: I cannot beleeve it, (an&s;wered &s;he) but <HI>An|droclides,</HI> I will let you &s;ee that I am not guilty of that crime with which you tax me, and that it is not the pre&s;ent condition of my Fortune, which moves me to &s;peak &s;o violently, know therefore&mdash;</P>
<P>When <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> &s;aid &s;o, I confe&s;s my heart began to beat, and I made &s;uch a noi&s;e behind the hangings, as I might well have been heard, if <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> had not been in pa&s;&s;ionate choller, and <HI>Androclides</HI> amazed. But after I was quietly &s;etled <HI>I</HI> heard her pur&s;ue her di&s;cour&s;e; Know therefore (&s;aid &s;he) that it is not the alteration in my fortunes which moves me to treat you as <HI>I</HI> doe; and though <HI>I</HI> were in the &s;ame condition <HI>I</HI> was within this Month, yet &s;hould <HI>I</HI> not pardon you for what you have done, for truly <HI>I</HI> can never marry any man but &s;uch an one as <HI>I</HI> e&s;teem, and <HI>I</HI> cannot e&s;teem that man, wheloves me only for what <HI>I</HI> have, and for &s;uch things as are below my &s;elf. <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid this, but <HI>I</HI> fearing le&s;t <HI>Andro|clides</HI> &s;hould by his &s;ubmi&s;&s;ions molifie her, did ha&s;tily enter into her chamber; and &s;o amaz|ed my Rival, that he could not han&s;omly recollect him&s;elf: Since what <HI>I</HI> had heard did fill my heart with joy, my company, if I dare &s;ay it, was more plea&s;ant unto her, then <HI>Androclides,</HI> for &s;ince he never loved her, but for ends; his re&s;entments of her &s;corn, was more gro&s;s, and his &s;orrows more apparent: his ba&s;e behaviour before, al&s;o &s;truck him dumb, and did Cap|tivate his &s;pirits: for my part, I did imagin that I lead him all that day in Triumph: pre&s;ently after, there came in many Ladies, and in the general di&s;cour&s;e, I &s;poke many &s;tinging words concerning <HI>Androclides,</HI> and he an&s;wered me in &s;uch a language, in which he de&s;igned the like unto me, but knew not how, for he could not upbraid me with any thing, although I rubbed up a hundred &s;everal truths which were very unplea&s;ant unto him. <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> took great de|light to &s;ee me quip him in that manner; yet as &s;he was very prudent, &s;o &s;he did divers times divert the di&s;cour&s;e, fearing it might come to a &s;harper bu&s;ine&s;s: Not that &s;he thought I would be &s;o uncivil as to quarrel with <HI>Androclides</HI> in that place; but becau&s;e &s;he imagined he would be ea&s;ily nettled, &s;ince he was &s;o culpable, and that the wittie&s;t and &s;ine&s;t kind of Raillery, would incen&s;e him to become furious: and truly it was a difficult matter for me, in &s;pite of all genero&s;ity, not to in&s;ult upon any unfortunate Rival that day. In going from <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> he went to <HI>Diophantes,</HI> who was walking towards the <HI>Ca&s;talian</HI> Fountain: &s;o that when I returned home, I under&s;tood by <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> that my Rival was with the Father of my Mi&s;tris, and
<PB N="35" REF="208">
I under&s;tood the next morning, that <HI>Diophantes,</HI> more valuing the great e&s;tate of <HI>Androcli|des,</HI> then his rejecting of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> and perhaps excu&s;ing his inclination by his own, did ab|&s;olutely command his daughter to look better upon <HI>Androclides;</HI> for indeed he was fully re|&s;olved, &s;he &s;hould either marry him or <HI>Menecrates,</HI> I came to know thus much by one of her women, which <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> helped me unto, who heard all the di&s;cour&s;e between <HI>Diophantes,</HI> and <HI>Tele&s;ile:</HI> So that all the hopes and con&s;olation which I had was only in <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> who I knew very well did &s;corn <HI>Androclides,</HI> and did not love <HI>Menecrates,</HI> nor did &s;he hate me: All I feared was her great virtue, which perchance would not contradict the commands of her Father: for that woman which told me what <HI>Diophantes</HI> had &s;aid unto his daughter, did not tell me what an&s;wer <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> returned, &s;aying that they &s;poke &s;o low, &s;he could not under|&s;tand it: I being then in this condition went one evening unto <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> to con&s;ult with him, what was the be&s;t remedy again&s;t &s;uch a di&s;a&s;ter: his &s;ervants told me that he was gone out to walk in a great Meadow behind the Temple of the Mu&s;es, there I went al&s;o, but in &s;ieu of finding my friend. I found <HI>Androclides</HI> walking all alone: The &s;ervants of <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> told me &s;o confidently that their Ma&s;ter would be there, and it being &s;omething dark, I al&s;o being prejudicated, mi&s;took him, and thought him to be <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> &s;o that coming clo&s;e to him, Mu&s;t <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, be continually troubled with the covetous <HI>Andro|clides? Androclides</HI> (an&s;wered he, and knowing me by my voyce) will continually per&s;ecute <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> though it were to no other end but to per&s;ecute <HI>Thimocrates;</HI> and <HI>Thimocrates</HI> (an&s;wered I, being extreamly &s;urprized at my mi&s;take) will quickly rid her both of her per&s;e|entors and mine, when I &s;hall plea&s;e; In &s;aying &s;o, I layd my hand upon my &s;word: and <HI>Androclides</HI> without lo&s;s of time, drawing his, and I mine after him, he fell feircely upon me, pronouncing &s;ome words undi&s;tinctly which I could not under&s;tand: I &s;hall not &s;tand to particularize a Combate which was without witne&s;&s;es, but leave you to judg by the event, at what I did: <HI>Androclides,</HI> was doubtle&s;s both gallant and well skilled, &s;o that if <HI>I</HI> had not been more fortunate then he, at this bout doubtle&s;s <HI>I</HI> had been vanqui&s;hed: yet the fight was not long, for being run through the body he fell, reeling as far as a little gate of the Temple, which was never u&s;ed, but upon certain days of Sacrifice: <HI>I</HI> went unto him, thinking he was only wounded, and moving him to acknowledg the advantage, <HI>I</HI> found he was without more motion, or any appearance of life: yet in point of genero&s;ity <HI>I</HI> would try whether there was any way of help unto him, whil&s;t <HI>Menecrates</HI> pa&s;&s;ed by, being waited upon by &s;ome &s;ervants, and &s;ince the Moon &s;hined very cleer, he perceived the glittering of my Sword at the gate of the Temple; and knowing it was no place for any &s;uch bu&s;ine&s;s, he came &s;traight unto me, but when <HI>I</HI> perceived &s;everal men, <HI>I</HI> retired in all ha&s;t, not being known by them, though <HI>Menecrates</HI> cau&s;ed &s;ome of his &s;ervants to follow me: but he remained with <HI>An|droclides,</HI> whom he knew, and though he was his Rival, yet took care of him. Some &s;acri|ficers hearing a noy&s;e ran thither, and were much amazed at the prophanation, for the place where we fought was &s;acred ground, and the gate of the Temple was all blood. They carried this Corps unto the next hou&s;e, where he &s;hewed &s;ome &s;igns of life, in &s;o much as by virtue of &s;ome &s;pirits, he recovered &s;peech, and told all the truth unto <HI>Menecrates,</HI> and &s;o by con&s;e|quence my act was made known unto all my Rivals by two malevolent witne&s;&s;es. <HI>Androclides</HI> knowing that now <HI>Thimocrates</HI> had &s;poiled his hopes of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> would not be&s;mear him with a lye: <HI>Menecrates</HI> thinking him&s;elf obliged unto me for ridding him of a terrible Rival whom <HI>Diophantes</HI> prefered before all the re&s;t, would make me a recompence by his &s;incerity: yet however, the Combate cau&s;ed a great ney&s;e about the Town: the place where he was wounded did aggravate the crime: The <HI>Bithian</HI> made lond complaints, the people of <HI>Delphos</HI> &s;aid it was an ill pa&s;&s;age: and &s;ince <HI>Androclides</HI> was dead, which was the next day, <HI>I</HI> knew there was no &s;afety for me in the Town. Pre&s;ently after the Combate, <HI>I</HI> retired unto <HI>Mele|&s;ander,</HI> who the &s;ame night convayed me unto the hou&s;e of a friend, where in all likelyhood they would not &s;earch for me: It is not an ea&s;ie matter to relate unto you my &s;orrows upon this occa&s;ion: for when I con&s;idered how I mu&s;t leave <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> in a time when <HI>Diophantes</HI> would infalibly marry her, and in a time when &s;he had a Thou&s;and &s;ervants, I wi&s;hed with all my heart, that <HI>Androclides</HI> were alive againe: And if I had killed the deare&s;t friend upon Earth, I could not have greaved more, then I did for the killing of my Rival: <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> was extreamly &s;ad at it: and both by her natural goodne&s;s, and many other &s;igns, &s;he te&s;tified as much: In the mean while, I am pro&s;ecuted and fought after: and all the endeavours of my Father to qualifie the matter were in vain: All he could do, was to protract the matter, and keep them from pronouncing &s;peedy Condemnation: &s;ince the Councel of the <HI>Amphictions</HI> did not &s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="36" REF="209">
I had le&s;s protection, then if they had: At the la&s;t, the &s;entence was, that I &s;hould be bani&s;hed for three years, and not to return into any part of <HI>Phocides</HI> upon pain of death: This &s;entence of Grace, was indeed to me a &s;entence of death: for when I con&s;idered what joy my Rivall would apprehend; how much my bani&s;hment made for them, and how I had ruined my &s;elf, my rea&s;on was &s;o confounded, that I was not ma&s;ter of my own thoughts: I told <HI>Mele&s;an|der</HI> that I would not go out of <HI>Delphos,</HI> but remain &s;till concealed, and indeed I &s;tayed then above a month after my condemnation; during which time <HI>I</HI> under&s;tood that my Rivals were every day with <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> nor could <HI>I</HI> blame her, &s;ince &s;he could not avoid them: and though <HI>I</HI> under&s;tood by <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> that &s;he was exceeding &s;en&s;ible of my misfor|tune, which &s;he out of her goodne&s;s was plea&s;ed to call hers, yet <HI>I</HI> could not endure to be deprived of her &s;ight: In the mean time, I was in danger to be taken three or four times, and I was forced to change the place of my retreat above &s;ix times, becau&s;e <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> and I were informed that it was di&s;covered where I was: nor was it either &s;trange or difficult, for all my Rivals were &s;pies unto them which pro&s;ecuted again&s;t me: So that <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> not liking that I &s;hould expo&s;e my &s;elf unto &s;o much danger for her, did write a Letter unto me, by which &s;he ab&s;olutely commanded me to depart not only out of <HI>Delphos</HI> and <HI>Phocides,</HI> but al&s;o out of <HI>Greece.</HI> Since I did lie concealed I had written very often unto her, but did receive no an&s;wer: after I had read her Letter, <HI>I</HI> an&s;wered her, that &s;ince it was her plea&s;ure <HI>I</HI> &s;hould depart, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eeched to permit me the &s;ight of her, and to bid her adieu: <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> did all he could to hinder me from asking &s;uch a favour as might &s;o much endanger me, and which perhaps <HI>Te|le&s;ile</HI> would not con&s;ent unto; but <HI>I</HI> did peremptorily tell him, that <HI>I</HI> would never out of <HI>Del|phos</HI> until <HI>I</HI> had &s;poken with her. This faithfull friend then went unto her, and told her my full re&s;olution: &s;he was extreamly angry: &s;he told <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> that my affection unto her was incon&s;iderate: that her honour was not deare unto me: that <HI>I</HI> was not rea&s;onable, and that <HI>I</HI> asked &s;uch a thing which &s;he ought not to con&s;ent unto; and therefore &s;he prote&s;ted that &s;he was re&s;olute, and would not upon any terms allow it; but, &s;aid <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> unto her, were it not better to &s;uffer it, then to &s;uffer them to find out <HI>Thimocaates,</HI> and put him to death? Ah <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) you are no le&s;s unrea&s;onable then your friend, to pre&s;s me unto that which <HI>I</HI> will not do, and to urge me unto it again&s;t my mind: At the la&s;t, after a long conte&s;t, &s;he told him, that &s;o he would contrive a way, which would not any way expo&s;e me unto danger, and which would be hand&s;ome for her, &s;he would &s;ee me, though (&s;aid &s;he) it be to ground me in my ob&s;tinacy: <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> then bethinking him&s;elf, propo&s;ed unto her, to make a vi&s;it unto one of his cou&s;ins, as formerly &s;he u&s;ed to do, who was one of great merit and virtue, unto whom he would bring me the night before &s;he came thither. But (&s;aid &s;he unto him) what wil your cou&s;in think? what wil your &s;elf think? &amp; what wil <HI>Thimocrates</HI> think? No, no, <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> I cannot, I cannot con&s;ent unto &s;uch a meeting; and indeed he could not that day per&s;wade her. But the next day, I was in &s;uch danger to be taken, that I was glad to take a new Sanctuary, and &s;he fearing to be the cau&s;e of my death, it moved her to con&s;ent to &s;ee me at <HI>Mele&s;anders</HI> cou&s;ins, provided that &s;he and he would be pre&s;ent at our di&s;cour&s;e. I can|not expre&s;s the joy I then apprehended when I heard I was to &s;ee <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> though it was only to bid her adieu. But in &s;hort, I was that night carried unto <HI>Mele&s;anders</HI> cou&s;in, where my adored <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> &s;hould meet me the next morning, waited upon only by that woman, who was my confident: It is not ea&s;ie for me to di&s;cribe how this vi&s;it did go again&s;t the hair of her di&s;po&s;ition, and again&s;t that preci&s;e virtue whereof &s;he made profe&s;&s;ion: &s;he came unto the chamber, where I was alone with <HI>Mele&s;ander,</HI> and her cou&s;in, as if &s;he had committed a great crime in coming, and addre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf unto her, What will you think of me, (&s;aid &s;he unto her,) for coming to you with re&s;olutions to quarrel with your friends? <HI>I</HI> &s;hould think (an&s;wered &s;he, for we had told her all the bu&s;ine&s;s) that you would have been mo&s;t inhumane, if you had expo&s;ed &s;o precious a life as that of <HI>Thimocrates</HI> unto danger. Madam, (&s;aid I then, not giving her time to an&s;wer) I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you pardon the trouble I have put you unto, and beleeve that if I could po&s;&s;ibly have done otherwi&s;e, I &s;hould not have forced your inclination &s;o far. After this we all &s;at down, and di&s;cour&s;ed a long time of the misfortune which had faln upon me, and of the re&s;olute ob&s;tinacy of my enemies in pro&s;e|cuting again&s;t me, &s;ince <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> would not permit me any privacy with her: But &s;ome or other de&s;iring to &s;peak with <HI>Mele&s;anders</HI> Cou&s;in about &s;ome important bu&s;ine&s;s, &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> to excu&s;e her a little while, and when &s;he had &s;poken with this party in another chamber &s;he would return unto her again: &s;o that without neglecting this oppor|tunity, while&s;t <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> went unto the window with a woman which accompanied his cou&s;in; Madam, &s;aid I, are you then re&s;olved upon my departure, and that I mu&s;t ab&s;ent my &s;elf from you without any knowledg whether you will honour <HI>Thimocrates</HI> with any remem|brance
<PB N="37" REF="209">
of him? But Madam, he is not able to depart upon &s;uch conditions: The affection he bears unto you is too violent to endure it: and if you be not plea&s;ed of your goodne&s;s to give him &s;ome obliging hopes, to comfort him in his ab&s;ence, he will not depart at all. I &s;hall tell you, for your &s;atisfaction, replied <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> that I do much lament your misfortune, and am &s;o &s;orry that I &s;hould be the cau&s;e of it, as that your ab&s;ence will much grieve me, and I &s;hall heartily wi&s;h and long for your return.</P>
<P>This is much Madam, (&s;aid I unto her in a mo&s;t re&s;pectful manner) but it is not enough to pre&s;erve the life of a man who mu&s;t be an age from you. I know not (&s;aid &s;he) whether this which I &s;ay unto you be enough for you, but I am per&s;waded <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> that it is a little too much for me, yet I do not repent of what I &s;aid, (&s;aid &s;he &s;miling) but if you plea&s;e I will repeat it again. Not to trouble you with any repetitions of what you &s;aid al|ready Madam, (&s;aid I unto her) <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you &s;peak &s;omething more then yet you have. What would you have me &s;ay? (&s;aid &s;he.) I de&s;ire (replied I) that my adored <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> will a&s;&s;ure me, that my ab&s;ence &s;hall not root me out of her heart, and that neither <HI>Menecrates,</HI> or any other of my Rivals, &s;hall &s;upplant me, and take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of it. I promi&s;e you, replied &s;he, to &s;atisfie you in your fir&s;t &s;cruple, and permit you to hope that none of the re&s;t &s;hall preju|dice you, without any fears of being deceived: For indeed <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> I have &s;o bad an opinion of all men, that I wonder how you come to be &s;o much in my opinion: You lo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">den me with honours and delight (&s;aid I unto her) but Madam, notwith&s;tanding all the&s;e &s;weet and gracious favours you are plea&s;ed to con&s;ent unto, I am afraid of your virtue, I fear that when <HI>Diophantes</HI> moves you to marry <HI>Menecrates,</HI> I fear, I &s;ay, that ab&s;ent&punc; <HI>Thimocrates</HI> has no &s;uch prevalency in your heart, as to hinder your obedience. <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he then unto me, me thinks you may be very well contented with what I have already &s;aid, without forcing me as you do to give a more rigid an&s;wer. Ah Madam, (&s;aid I unto her being extream|ly tran&s;ported with &s;orrow) I under&s;tand you too well, I &s;ee you will not chu&s;e <HI>Menecrates,</HI> but you will accept of him if it be the plea&s;ure of <HI>Diophantes.</HI> If he will ab&s;olutely have it &s;o, replied &s;he, doubtle&s;s I &s;hall obey him. Since it is &s;o, &s;aid I unto her, I need not think any more of my departure from <HI>Delphos:</HI> But I will &s;tay, Madam, I am re&s;olved upon it, and &s;ay what you will unto me, I will never leave you in &s;uch a cruel incertainty: But <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, you have lo&s;t your rea&s;on in &s;peaking as you do. But inhumane <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> replied I, you have lo&s;t your goodne&s;s in an&s;wering me as you do. For what would you have that man who infinitely adores you, do? who when he is gone, leaves you in a mind to marry him, whom of all the re&s;t of my Rivals, <HI>Diophantes</HI> intends to propo&s;e unto you? from whence can I have any con&s;olation, cruel Lady, during &s;o long and rigid an ab&s;ence? Can I ever contemplate your beauty? without thinking, that perhaps it is the felicity of <HI>Menecrates,</HI> not mine, to enjoy it? Can I with any delight remember that &s;weetne&s;s which has &s;everal times proceeded from you, &s;ince I am in fears that you will be eternally &s;evere unto me? Can I with any &s;atisfaction think upon the&s;e favourable words which I hear, when I do imagine, that perhaps I &s;hall never hear any more? Indeed Madam, is it po&s;&s;ible <HI>I</HI> &s;hould live at a di&s;tance from you, in &s;uch uncer|tainties? No, no, indeed <HI>I</HI> cannot; and <HI>I</HI> had much rather die before your eyes, and by the hands of mine enemies, then to go upon any &s;uch terms. But <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, what is it which you de&s;ire? <HI>I</HI> do not de&s;ire Madam, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, that you &s;hould promi&s;e the unfortunate <HI>Thimocrates</HI> to marry him: <HI>I</HI> only de&s;ire, that you would a&s;&s;ure him not to marry either <HI>Menecrates,</HI> nor any el&s;e during my ab&s;ence. You in&s;i&s;t upon good &s;ecurity (&s;aid &s;he unto him &s;miling, notwith&s;tanding the melancholy of her eyes;) But yet <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> all that <HI>I</HI> can &s;ay unto you is, that <HI>I</HI> will endeavour as far as any hand&s;omne&s;s will permit me, to break off my fathers de&s;ignes in marrying me unto you; but to promi&s;e you that <HI>I</HI> will &s;o far di&s;ho|nour my &s;elfe as openly to di&s;obey my father, is a thing which <HI>I</HI> cannot do: and per|haps (&s;aid &s;he almo&s;t again&s;t her intentions) if you &s;hall render your &s;elf worthy of it by your obedience, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall do more then <HI>I</HI> will promi&s;e you; but indeed <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> (&s;aid this ver|tuous Lady) we mu&s;t not merit our misfortunes through our own imbecilites, nor tru&s;t too much unto humane prudence, but leave &s;omething unto the conduct of the Gods, who in &s;pire of all our endeavours will bring us unto that pa&s;s they would have us: <HI>I</HI> do confe&s;s that con&s;idering the manner wherein <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf, <HI>I</HI> had good rea&s;on to be contented, although I was not; but <HI>I</HI> did &s;o violently pre&s;s her father, that &s;he was ready to leave me in an anger, &s;eeing <HI>I</HI> would not depart, unle&s;s &s;he promi&s;ed me all that <HI>I</HI> de&s;ired: She then called <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> to her relief, and his Cou&s;in al&s;o, who ju&s;t then returned unto us; and do what <HI>I</HI> could, it was not po&s;&s;ible for me to obtain any further from her: Then &s;he did command me &s;o peremptorily to depart as &s;oon as <HI>I</HI> could, that at la&s;t <HI>I</HI> re&s;olved upon it:
<PB N="38" REF="210">
<HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> put me into &s;ome hopes, that as &s;oon as <HI>I</HI> was gone they would endeavour to pro|cure a revocation of the Sentence: but for all that, <HI>I</HI> was &s;o di&s;mally de&s;perate at my depar|ture, that <HI>I</HI> was not capable of any con&s;olation. Mean time <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> left me, before <HI>I</HI> could &s;peak one word more unto her, for when <HI>I</HI> perceived by her actions that &s;he intended to be gone, my rea&s;on left me, and <HI>I</HI> neither knew what &s;he &s;aid unto me, nor what <HI>I</HI> my &s;elf did; <HI>I</HI> knew only that &s;he held out her hand unto me, which <HI>I</HI> in all humility and re&s;pect did ki&s;s, and then &s;he immediately vani&s;hed out of &s;ight; &s;o that being in no hopes to &s;ee <HI>Te|le&s;ile</HI> any more, <HI>I</HI> thought upon nothing but my departure, <HI>I</HI> had a good mind fir&s;t to fight with <HI>Menecrates,</HI> but <HI>Mele&s;ander</HI> di&s;&s;waded me, &s;aying, that &s;ince <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> had &s;o many lovers, it would be an everla&s;ting fatal piece of work to kill them all. In conclu&s;ion, within two days af|ter this interview, I departed with <HI>Leontides,</HI> who is here at this pre&s;ent, whom the King of <HI>Cy|prus</HI> had then &s;ent unto <HI>Delphos;</HI> &amp; who returned at that time: Since all Countrys where <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> was not, were indifferent unto me, I followed <HI>Leontides,</HI> and re&s;olved to wander through all the I&s;lands of the <HI>Aegian</HI> Sea, as I did, until the King of <HI>Cyprus</HI> &amp; the Prince <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> did me the honour to give me the Command of their Troops with <HI>Philocles:</HI> you may very well imagine then, that this la&s;t ab&s;ence was infinitely horrid unto me, becau&s;e it was to be a long one, <HI>Menecrates,</HI> as I under&s;tood, and an hundred other fre&s;h &s;ervants &s;ince I came from <HI>Delphos,</HI> are continually courting <HI>Tele&s;ile; Diophantes</HI> perpetually moves her to make choi&s;e of an hu&s;|band: <HI>Menecrates</HI> is a mo&s;t compleat man: my enemies are continually more and more hot again&s;t me: and all my Rivals &s;olicit &s;ecretly, to prevent any revocation of my &s;entence; for reports went that I only was the cau&s;e which moved <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> to deny them in their &s;uits: &s;o that I have no foundation to ground any certainties upon; although <HI>Tele&s;ile</HI> be not yet mar|ried, yet I know not what &s;he may do, &s;ince &s;he only afforded me &s;ome hopes: and therefore I have great rea&s;on to fear, that either her weakne&s;s or her vertue will render me mo&s;t mi&s;era|ble, either by her obedience unto her father, or by &s;uffering her &s;elf to be woon by <HI>Menecra|tes:</HI> See hear, O my mo&s;t equitable Judg, what experience I have had of all tho&s;e horrid ri|gours in being ab&s;ent from the party loved: and it will be no difficulty to make it appear unto you, by rea&s;on as well as by example, that ab&s;ence is &s;uch an evil as incomprehends all the re&s;t&punc; Indeed, as love has its beginning by &s;ight, and is continually kept alive by the &s;ame, &s;o it mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily follow, that ab&s;ence is that which is mo&s;t oppo&s;ite unto it. And as nothing is more delightful then the &s;ight of her one loves, &s;o nothing is more cruel then not to &s;ee her; &s;hort ab&s;ences augment love, but long ones turn it into furie and de&s;pair: when a determinate time is limited, then impatiency until that time is expired will admit of no re&s;t: and when there is no certainty how long the ab&s;ence &s;hall continue; melancholy does damp all the &s;weets of any hope: and indeed, whether it be long, or &s;hort, terminate, or without limits, I am mo&s;t con|fident that who&s;oever knows how to love, they are mo&s;t in&s;upportable unto him, and will maintain, that ab&s;ence comprehends all other evils, and is mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible of all manner of &s;or|rows. He who does maintain that not to be loved, is the greate&s;t torment of love, is much in the wron<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, and cannot compare his &s;ufferings unto mine: &s;ince to &s;peak of things in gene|ral, he who finds a &s;corn upon all his &s;ervices, ought to u&s;e the like &s;corn as a remedy for it, and by a generous re&s;entment may cure him&s;elf of his unaccepted pa&s;&s;ion: But a lover who is loved, and ab&s;ent from her he loves, he can do nothing el&s;e but &s;uffer; for to think that re|membrance of pa&s;t favours is &s;weet, is an errour: in love when one is ab&s;ent, &s;ince &s;orrow is all the felicity he can enjoy as long as he is ab&s;ent. He who mourns for the death of his Mi|&s;tre&s;s is doubtle&s;s worthy of compa&s;&s;ion: but yet there is a notable difference betwixt him, and a lover that is ab&s;ent: The greate&s;t evil in death is only the ab&s;ence of the beloved object, and I dare boldly &s;ay, that after the fir&s;t great blow has wrought its fir&s;t effect, the &s;oul finding it &s;elf in a condition of neither any hopes or fears, does by little and little return unto it &s;elfe again, and will be in &s;uch a calm as &s;hall in&s;en&s;ibly appea&s;e all the tumults of his pa&s;&s;ion, and &s;weaten tho&s;e bitter &s;orrows which at fir&s;t he endured: But ab&s;ence, when hopes, and fears, and all other pa&s;&s;ions, are tumultuou&s;ly active, is a puni&s;hment which every day augments it &s;elf, and can find no remedy, but its own end, or the end of him that endures it: yet per|haps it will be objected, That jealou&s;ie has an horrour above ab&s;ence: But I an&s;wer by way of Que&s;tion unto tho&s;e that &s;ay &s;o, Who is he that ever was long ab&s;ent but he was jealous al&s;o? and what effects can jealou&s;ie produce, which ab&s;ence does not the like? yet notwith|&s;tanding this difference may be put between them, that a jealous man who &s;ees his Mi&s;tre&s;s, enjoys &s;ome happy minutes which he who &s;ees her not cannot obtain: and al&s;o there is a great di&s;tinction to be made, between a &s;orrow which bottomed only upon a phantacie, and a &s;or|row which rea&s;on does uphold and authorize. A jealous man who is with his Mi&s;tre&s;s, al|though
<PB N="39" REF="210">
he be unfortunate, yet doubtle&s;s has &s;ome plea&s;ing minutes, either in cro&s;&s;ing the de&s;igns of his Rival, or contemplating upon revenge, or in di&s;covery of &s;ome intricate bu&s;ine&s;s which he de&s;ires to know; and although the&s;e delights are not full of tranquility, yet they are delights: but an ab&s;ent Lover is &s;o extreamly mi&s;erable, that he cannot find a delectation in any thing; and therefore O my equitable Judg, &s;ince I have had &s;uch experimental trials of all the mi&s;eries in ab&s;ence, and am the mo&s;t unfortunate of all Lovers, I de&s;erve the greate&s;t &s;hare in your compa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>Thimocrates</HI> had no &s;ooner ended, but <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> turned towards <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and asked him what he thought of his Story and Rea&s;ons: and <HI>Cyrus</HI> an&s;wering as he thought. In truth, (&s;aid he &s;ighing) you were unju&s;t if you &s;hould deny <HI>Thimocrates</HI> that compa&s;&s;ion which he de|mands; for his di&s;cour&s;e has &s;o &s;en&s;ibly moved me, that I know not how to expre&s;s my &s;elf. Sir (an&s;wered &s;he unto him) <HI>Thimocrates</HI> obtains from me what he de&s;ires, for I could ne|ver know a gallant man mi&s;erable, but I did &s;en&s;ibly intere&s;t my &s;elf in his &s;orrows. Be&s;tow not all your compa&s;&s;ion upon him, I be&s;eech you, (&s;aid <HI>Philocles)</HI> but re&s;erve a &s;hare for me. For my part (&s;aid the Prince <HI>Artibies)</HI> I mu&s;t only de&s;ire to be lamented, &s;ince my misfortune is &s;o great, that who&s;oever knows it mu&s;t needs do &s;o much for me. I know not, (&s;aid <HI>Leon|tidas)</HI> whether I &s;hall lament or no: but I am &s;ure there is no compari&s;ons betwixt the mi&s;e|ries which I endure, and tho&s;e which <HI>Thimocrates</HI> complains of. You mu&s;t give me leave to make a doubt of that, replied the ab&s;ent Lover. Before any judgment can be given (&s;aid <HI>Ere|nice)</HI> we mu&s;t under&s;tand all your misfortunes. And to under&s;tand them (&s;aid <HI>Aglatidas)</HI> we mu&s;t give over di&s;cour&s;e, and hearken unto them. 'Tis true, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> but &s;ince <HI>Thi|mocrates</HI> &s;poke the fir&s;t concerning <HI>Philocles,</HI> who maintains that not to be loved, is the great|e&s;t mi&s;ery in love, and afterwards he an&s;wered unto what the Prince <HI>Artibies</HI> &s;aid, who thinks the mo&s;t &s;evere puni&s;hment of his pa&s;&s;ion to be the death of her he loves; and &s;ince he named <HI>Leontidas</HI> the la&s;t, who thinks jealou&s;ie the greate&s;t torture of all; I think Sir, &s;aid &s;he, and looked upon <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that it is not ami&s;s to follow that order, and that <HI>Philocles</HI> &s;peak the fir&s;t, of the&s;e three which remain: <HI>Cyrus</HI> approving of her opinion, and <HI>Philocles</HI> &s;itting over a|gain&s;t <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who was to be Judg, he began thus.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 N="2" TYPE="story">
<HEAD>The &s;econd Hi&s;tory of the Lover not loved.</HEAD>
<P>SInce you do know the Conclu&s;ion of my Adventure, before I acquaint you with the be|ginning, or the Sequel; and &s;ince by con&s;equence, that plea&s;ing &s;u&s;pention which makes a di&s;|a&s;terous Story harkened unto with delight, is not to be found in my Story. I therefore conceive it fit not to abu&s;e your patience with any long Relation: I will only acquaint you, that although I was born a Subject unto the King of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> yet my family was originally from <HI>Corinth,</HI> and that I had honour to be allied unto the wi&s;e <HI>Periander,</HI> who at this day is their So|veraign. I had no &s;ooner attained my &s;ixteenth year, but my father &s;ent me unto that Court, unto an Uncle I had there, and under the tuition of a Governour, with intentions I &s;hould re|main there; for &s;ince he had then many children, he was very de&s;irous to keep up his name in his ancient Country, which was then ready to extingui&s;h, there being none of that name left but only my Uncle, who was very old; I will not go about to de&s;cribe famous <HI>Corinth</HI> unto you; for <HI>I</HI> &s;peak before &s;o many under&s;tanding Auditors, who are &s;o well informed of every thing which is worthy of knowledg, that it would be in vain for me to di&s;cour&s;e of the beauty, magnificence, and &s;plendor of it: There are none here <HI>I</HI> am &s;ure which hath not heard of that famous <HI>I&s;thmos,</HI> which is &s;o well known unto all the world: and of that &s;tately Ca&s;tle which commands that goodly Town, and defends it: al&s;o of that great and convenient Port, which do infinitlely adorn it, and of the huge Commerce which continually does fill it, making it &s;uperfluou&s;ly rich in all abundance of delights, and what&s;oever can be imagined to render a place delectible, is to be found there: The Prince who governs it is a man of a mo&s;t high &s;oul, the Queen his wife, called <HI>Meli&s;&s;a,</HI> is al&s;o admirable fair, and has a daughter, who without all contradiction is the faire&s;t, and mo&s;t accompli&s;hed Lady in the world. This was the State of the Hou&s;e Royal when I came to <HI>Corinth; Periander</HI> al&s;o had a Son, but he was at <HI>Epi|daurus</HI> with his Grandfather by the mothers &s;ide, who was Prince there: &s;o that all Court diverti&s;ements did flow from <HI>Meli&s;&s;a,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleobuline</HI> her daughter: and <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t needs &s;ay, that if there were any di&s;po&s;ition in me to goodne&s;s, <HI>I</HI> was in &s;uch a place as <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t needs advantage my &s;elf: For the Court of <HI>Periander</HI> was always full of the greate&s;t men in all <HI>Greece,</HI> and it was his Genero&s;ity to honour &s;trangers &s;o much, that his Palace was conti|nually full of men of &s;everal Countreys: But &s;ince <HI>I</HI> was not yet arrived unto &s;uch an age, as
<PB N="40" REF="211">
required the conver&s;ation of the wi&s;e&s;t, and mo&s;t knowing men; I betook my &s;elf rather unto &s;uch things as might divert me, then unto &s;uch as might in&s;truct me. The famous <HI>Arion,</HI> who&s;e melodicus voice, tuned to the ravi&s;hing Aires of his warbling Harp, which made him &s;o fa|mous throughout the world, was both my Ma&s;ter, and my friend: my inclination was &s;o in|tent upon mu&s;ick; that in lieu of making it my diver&s;ion, it was almo&s;t my profe&s;&s;ion: and in|deed my Governour would &s;ometimes chide me for being too &s;erious upon it only, though in it &s;elf it was a commendable quality. I then began to participate of other diverti&s;ements, and the famous <HI>The&s;pis</HI> being come unto <HI>Corinth,</HI> I was charmed with his Po&s;ies, and witty Com|medies. So that as I had learned to &s;ing a little with <HI>Arion,</HI> I became a Poet with <HI>The&s;pis,</HI> there being a <HI>Genius</HI> in me which prompt me unto it: Pictures al&s;o moved my di&s;po&s;ition that I practi&s;ed to limbe, and without being excellent in any thing, I did almo&s;t know every thing. Thus did I recreate my &s;elf until it plea&s;ed love did di&s;turb my delights, by the very &s;ame thing in which I &s;o long time delighted: and &s;ee how the misfortune came to pa&s;s. <HI>Cleobulus</HI> one of the wi&s;e men of <HI>Greece,</HI> and Prince of <HI>Lindus,</HI> &s;ent unto <HI>Periander</HI> concerning &s;ome im|portant Affair: but his Agent dying at <HI>Corinth,</HI> I was made choice of to go unto <HI>Cleobulus,</HI> (for I had now attained unto twenty years of age,) and &s;ince this Prince had one daughter called <HI>Eumetes,</HI> whom the people called <HI>Clobuline,</HI> after her father, though her name was not &s;o, and &s;ince it was the &s;ame with the Illu&s;trious Daughter of <HI>Periander,</HI> I confe&s;s that I was much plea&s;ed with the voyage, and becau&s;e I had a great de&s;ire to be known unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindus,</HI> of whom I had heard &s;poken &s;o much, both of vertue, and &s;pirit, and &s;ince I had no bu&s;ine&s;s at <HI>Corinth,</HI> I was very glad to depart: and &s;ince the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleobuline</HI> did e&s;teem me much above my de&s;erts, and held a great corre&s;pondency with that excellent Lady unto whom I went, by rea&s;on of their &s;utablene&s;s in their &s;pirits and humour, &s;he did me the honour to &s;end a Letter unto her by me, to the end I might be the more acceptable unto her; and &s;ince this flattering and obliging Letter was the cau&s;e of my love; And I have &s;o perfect|ly remembred it, that I believe I &s;hall not alter a word in relating it unto you: though I mu&s;t needs blu&s;h in telling it, to make you the better under&s;tand the beginning of my pa&s;&s;ion: And thus it was.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The Prince&s;s <HI>CLEOBULINE,</HI> unto the Prince&s;s <HI>EUMETIS.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>WHat &s;hare &s;oever I &s;hall participate in that joy, which</HI> Philocles <HI>goes to receive in&s;et|ing you, and in that happine&s;s which his acquaintance will bring unto you; I know very well that I am neither friend nor Cou&s;in to prefer the intere&s;t of another before my own, &s;ince I cannot (me thinks) &s;ufficiently rejoyce at the delight you will take (in the per&s;on of</HI> Philocles) <HI>to know all that is admirable in</HI> Corinth, <HI>and that he will find in you all that is il|lu&s;trious in</HI> Greece: <HI>This petty Jealou&s;ie moves me to tell you that which his mode&s;ty will que&s;tionle&s;s conceal: how that be&s;ides tho&s;e e&s;&s;ential qualities, which of them&s;elves are enough to make a mo&s;t compleat man, he is one of</HI> A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">poles <HI>be&s;t Di&s;ciples, and greate&s;t FAvourite of the Mu&s;es, e&s;pecially of tho&s;e Mu&s;es which are your friends: Move him therefore to im|part tho&s;e qualities, which he u&s;es to bide from all but &s;uch as are like you: Make him &s;hew you his Ver&s;es, his Pictures, and his Aires, all of his own compo&s;ing: I have charged him to bring me back a Character both of your mind, and face; and if you plea&s;e, let him not &s;teal it again&s;t your will, but afford him &s;uch convenient time, as he may worthily acquit him&s;elf of his Commi&s;&s;ion which he has received from me: make an exchange with him, &s;ome of his Ver&s;es, for &s;ome of your ingenious Riddles, which you have compo&s;ed, and which troubles all them that would unfold them. But after all this, remember that I do but lend, not give, this Trea&s;ure unto you: Send him therefore generou&s;ly back, and do not ruine</HI> Corinth <HI>by re|taining</HI> Philocles <HI>with you, Since I have di&s;cour&s;ed that which perhaps he would have con|cealed: Tell me at his return what progre&s;s he hath made in your opinion of him: what in|genious Pieces he has written of you, and how many Conque&s;ts he has made among&s;t your La|dies; for I know him too mode&s;t to tell any thing advantagiou&s;ly concerning him&s;elf, and too judicious to talk of any thing but you at his return: I could tell you much more concerning him, I will leave it unto you to di&s;cover &s;ome vertues of his &s;oul, which are more excellent then his wit: After all this, be plea&s;ed to con&s;ider him as my kin&s;man, and that you have pro|mi&s;ed to e&s;teem every thing that is dear unto me: And la&s;tly know that I am your</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>CLEOBULINE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><PB N="41" REF="211">
This Letter &s;o full of flattery being written, the Prince&s;s as I came to take my leave of her, told me with as much Gallantry, as Civility, that &s;he had engaged me deeply in many things by her Letter unto the Illu&s;trious <HI>Eumetis,</HI> but that &s;he was not &s;orry for it, &s;ince &s;he knew I would not pa&s;s for one of a prejudicated opinion. Madam, &s;aid I unto her, what you tell me makes me afraid, le&s;t intending to favour me, you ruine me. See, &s;aid &s;he unto me, &s;hewing me her Letter wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ch was yet un&s;ealed, whether you will not gallantly perform what <HI>I</HI> have promi&s;ed in your behalf. I would then have excu&s;ed my &s;elf, and not have &s;een it; yet &s;ince &s;he ab&s;olutely commanded me, I obeyed her: But as &s;oon as I had read &s;even or eight lines I blu&s;h|ed for very &s;hame; and not daring to read any further, Oh Madam, &s;aid I unto her, what have you done? and what have I done, that you &s;hould in &s;uch an ingenious manner do me &s;o bad an office? No no, Madam, (&s;aid I, and would have given it back unto her,) I mu&s;t not carry that which would di&s;honour me. Yet you may &s;ee it at the lea&s;t, (&s;aid &s;he laughing) though it be only to teach you what you ought to do, if you do not agree that can do as I &s;ay; and &s;ince I refu&s;ed, &s;he took the Letter, and read it aloud: I confe&s;s I was &s;o confounded at it, that I could not chu&s;e but interrupt her; and although pray&s;es be &s;weet e&s;pecially unto young men, yet I was extreamly fearful, I could not be able by my pre&s;ence to make good what the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleobuline</HI> had &s;aid of me: But &s;ince I did ab&s;olutely refu&s;e it, &s;he made u&s;e of her ab&s;olute Authority to make me take it, and after her Commands to &s;eal it; I mu&s;t take it, and promi&s;e her to deliver it, although I knew it might much prejudice me, &s;ince certainly all ex|ce&s;&s;ive commendations in new acquaintances is very dangerous, e&s;pecially unto per&s;ons the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed, although it be not an ea&s;ie matter to re&s;i&s;t flattery: So, not well knowing what I &s;hould do with this Letter, I took it, and departed with a man of good quality, called <HI>Antigenes;</HI> of the &s;ame age with my &s;elf, who intended the &s;ame voyage, and certainly he was as plea&s;ant company as any in <HI>Corinth:</HI> we were at that time two intimate friends; we were of the &s;ame height, of the &s;ame garb, and loved the very &s;ame things, and he had a <HI>Genius</HI> as well as I unto Poetry, Limming, and Mu&s;ick: If the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleobuline</HI> had known of his journey, doubtle&s;s &s;he would have mentioned him in her Letter, for &s;he highly e&s;teemed him; but he concealed his intentions from all the world, not de&s;iring that his father &s;hould know whither he went, fearing &s;ome con&s;iderations of his family &s;hould ob&s;truct his curio&s;ity: But <HI>Antigenes</HI> and I embarqued together, and arrived at <HI>Jali&s;&s;a,</HI> a Town where the Prince <HI>Cleobulas</HI> did commonly re&s;ide. I pre&s;ented the Packet which I brought from <HI>Peri|ander;</HI> I rendred him an account of the bu&s;ine&s;s between them, and I pre&s;ented <HI>Antigenes</HI> unto him, who received him very nobly, and who&s;e name he knew; but &s;o it happened that the Prince&s;s his daughter was in the Countrey, two dayes journey from thence, recreating her &s;elf in the company of &s;everal Ladies, and intending to continue her diverti&s;ements for &s;ome certain days yet longer. I de&s;ired then to take hold of that opportunity, and making it there|fore known unto <HI>Cleobulas,</HI> that <HI>I</HI> had a Letter unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Eumetis,</HI> and that <HI>I</HI> was very glad, <HI>I</HI> dur&s;t not offer to depart from him, and carry it unto her: he returned me an an|&s;wer according to my de&s;ires, that it were not ju&s;t he &s;hould deprive his daughter of &s;o much happine&s;s as to receive news from a Prince&s;s whom &s;he honoured &s;o much, and that he would not deprive him&s;elf (as he &s;aid mo&s;t civilly) of the delight he took in my company by permit|ing m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> to go unto her: and therefore he ordered one to take the Letter from my hand, and to give it unto her; and al&s;o by the &s;ame Me&s;&s;enger he appointed the Prince&s;s his daughter to re|turn, being de&s;irous that I &s;hould &s;ee his Court in all its glory, for he had been a Widower many years. Thus was the bu&s;ine&s;s ordered; one came and took the Letter which I had for the Prince&s;s, and &s;o &s;he received it by another hand, and not mine: commanding him who carried it, to let her know that I pre&s;ented it in that manner unto her, by the Command of the Prince her Father. Mean while be plea&s;ed to know, that there was a <HI>Corinthian</HI> Family of men in high repute which dwelt there, the prime man of which hou&s;e was called <HI>Ala&s;is,</HI> who had one daughter, who&s;e name was <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> who the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindus</HI> had carried with her. This Lady was indeed a mo&s;t admirable beauty, not that the figure of her face was &s;o re|gularly compo&s;ed, but &s;he was young, flaxen haired, fair, of an hand&s;ome height, and good garb; &s;he was, as I &s;aid before, a mo&s;t admirable and &s;urprizing beauty: &s;he had a tran&s;cen|den&punc; mind, and her wit was very agreeable unto all company: &s;he then being with <HI>Eu|metis,</HI> when this Letter was pre&s;ented, after &s;he had read it, &s;he turned towards <HI>Phile&s;ta,</HI> and &s;hewing it unto her, See, &s;aid &s;he unto her, what the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleobuline</HI> &s;ayes con|cerning one of her Cou&s;ins.</P>
<P><HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> having read the letter, In truth Madam, &s;aid &s;he unto her, if <HI>Philocles</HI> be as the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleobuline</HI> has de&s;cribed him, &s;he has good rea&s;on to call him a Trea&s;ure, and to
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de&s;ire his returne quickly. True, &s;aid &s;he, but the &s;ooner to re&s;tore him unto her, the fair <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> mu&s;t cloud &s;ome part of her charmes, as it is likely &s;he will, if it be true that re|&s;emblance is a cau&s;e of love: your di&s;cour&s;e Madam (an&s;wered <HI>Phili&s;ta)</HI> is very obliging and full of flattery: but it is not altogether ill grounded: for if <HI>Philocles</HI> have as great a de&s;ire to &s;ee me, as I have to know, it would be a great &s;tep unto love, and I do a&s;&s;ure you, that if you do not return &s;peedily unto <HI>Ali&s;&s;a,</HI> my curio&s;ity to &s;ee him will much di&s;quiet me, and indeed (&s;aid &s;he laughing, for &s;he was of a gay and jocund humour) if he re&s;emble his picture, according to the di&s;cription of him, he is &s;uch a man as I could wi&s;h either in the way of a &s;u|table friend, or an accompli&s;hed gallant; or an agreable husband: and que&s;tionle&s;s, replied the Prince&s;s, <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> has all the accompli&s;hments requi&s;it to conquer the heart of as gallant a man as <HI>Philocles</HI> &s;eems to be, by the relation of the <HI>Corinthian</HI> Prince&s;s: Yet, replied &s;he un|to her, it would not be an act of Ju&s;tice, &s;ince he came hither free, to make him return a Cap|tive: and therefore I have a kind of de&s;ire not to obey the Prince my Father, who has com|manded me to return to morrow: Oh Madam (&s;aid <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> then) I be&s;eech you, not drive me into di&s;pair; for I am certain that I &s;hall not &s;tay with you, if you do not return, &s;o high is my impatience to be acquainted with &s;uch a man as this. Thus did the&s;e two Ladies divert them&s;elves, in di&s;cour&s;ing of me, as the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindus</HI> did tell me afterwards. But to keep my &s;elf within the limits which I pre&s;cribed at the begining of my di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall only tell you, how that &s;ame day, and the next following, <HI>I</HI> was the &s;ubject of <HI>Phili&s;ta's</HI> mirth, who talked of nothing but me, and my name was up continually among&s;t them, as long as their journey la&s;ted. The woman which waited upon the Prince&s;s waged war with <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> about me, and all of them had &s;o great a longing to &s;ee me, that <HI>I</HI> verily beleeve, if I had known of the pa&s;&s;ages, I &s;hould have returned unto <HI>Corinth</HI> before I &s;aw the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindus;</HI> at the la&s;t &s;he came to <HI>Ali&s;&s;a,</HI> but it was &s;o very late, by rea&s;on of &s;ome accident which befell the Coach, that coming fir&s;t unto <HI>Phili&s;ta's</HI> lodging, &s;he would not be &s;et down at it, do what the Prince&s;s could, but continued the conte&s;t concerning me; <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto her at parting, remember that I have entreated you, to hide half your attracting charms tomorrow when you come unto the Palace; then, without giving <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> any time to reply, the Coach went on, and <HI>Eumetis</HI> went unto the Prince her Father in his clo&s;&s;et, whether he was retired, &s;o that I was not then with him, but it was the next day before <HI>Antigenes</HI> and I had the ho|nour to &s;alute her: But the greate&s;t wonder was, that when the Prince <HI>Cleobulus,</HI> did us the grace to pre&s;ent us unto her the next morning as &s;he was going unto the Temple, and as &s;he pa&s;&s;ed through a Garden where we were with the Prince her Father, &s;he found &s;uch a &s;imili|tude, and &s;o much conformity between <HI>Antigenes</HI> and me, that not yet knowing our names very perfectly, &s;he doubted which of us two was he, of whom the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleobuline</HI> &s;poke in her Letter: So that addre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf unto us with a complement which obliged us both, &s;he asked me, whether I was he of whom the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleobuline</HI> had &s;poke unto her in her Letter; Yes Madam (&s;aid I unto her) I beleeve it is, for &s;he knew not that <HI>Antigenes</HI> was to come thither; then did &s;he redouble her civilities; and <HI>Antigenes</HI> making it known by his garb, that he was not one of a mean quality, we both waited upon her unto the Temple: and in the afternoon we went unto her, and &s;he talked a long time of the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> with all te&s;timonies of e&s;teem and amity po&s;&s;ible: &s;he asked me whether &s;he was not the mo&s;t perfect beauty in the world? &s;he enquired of her recreations, and of her imployments, and &s;he was plea&s;ed to be &s;o civil, as to tell me, while&s;t <HI>Antigenes</HI> was in di&s;cour&s;e with other Ladies, that now &s;he began to know mee, and that &s;he was much puzzled before, to di&s;tin|gui&s;h which of us two <HI>Antigenes</HI> or I, was <HI>Philocles.</HI> But &s;aid &s;he unto me, to puni&s;h my &s;elf for this fault I would have him go and vi&s;it a fair <HI>Corinthian</HI> we have here among&s;t us, and try whether &s;he can di&s;tingui&s;h you, before &s;he be informed: if &s;he can, I &s;hall then con|fe&s;s I de&s;erve puni&s;hment for my error; if not, I &s;hall at lea&s;t be comforted. I an&s;wered unto this, according unto my duty, but &s;he not hearing me, &s;ent to know how <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> did, and why &s;he came not thither that day: he who had this order, having done his me&s;&s;age returned, and told her in a low voyce, yet not &s;o low but any might well under&s;tand him, that <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> did mo&s;t humbly thank her for that favour, and that if &s;he had not found her &s;elf &s;omething ill, &s;he would have honoured her &s;elf and waited upon her, but &s;ince her gla&s;s had that morning per|&s;waded her &s;he was not in a condition to make any conque&s;t, &s;he would therefore try if &s;he could &s;trengthen her &s;elf by &s;leep: The Prince&s;s laughing at the an&s;wer: certainly (&s;aid &s;he, &s;peaking unto a Lady named <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> who was next her) <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> is of a ma&s;t admirable wit: and in a low voyce &s;he told me what her an&s;wer was, and what was the cau&s;e of it. It is requi|&s;ite Madam, &s;aid <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> unto her, that you honour her &s;o far as to go and vi&s;it her, and to &s;urprize
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her the more, to carry with you the&s;e two &s;trangers. The Prince&s;s who thought upon no|thing but how to divert her, and knew not that there was any envy between <HI>Stele&s;ia,</HI> and <HI>Phi|li&s;ta,</HI> (which made her de&s;ire &s;he might be &s;een in her carele&s;s dre&s;s) con&s;ented unto the mo|tion, and they carried <HI>Antigenes</HI> and my &s;elf unto this fair <HI>Corinthian.</HI> But fir&s;t &s;he &s;poke much good unto us of her, and we were no le&s;s de&s;irous to &s;ee her, then &s;he was to &s;ee us. As for <HI>Antigenes</HI> &s;he had never &s;o much as heard him named &s;ince he came unto <HI>Ili&s;&s;a,</HI> nor had ever &s;een him, for as I &s;aid before, &s;he was not born at <HI>Carinth,</HI> though her Father was, but &s;he was born at <HI>Ili&s;&s;a:</HI> We followed then, the Coach in which the Prince&s;s was, in another; and when we came to the gate, &s;he gave her hand unto <HI>Antigenes,</HI> the more to deceive her, and obliging me to lead <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> and follow her, we found <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> in a dre&s;s as if &s;he had been ill indeed, though her complexion and eyes &s;poke her to be in perfect health: This fair Lady was alone in her chamber, in &s;etting forth her Jewels, as if &s;he intend that night or the next day to go unto &s;ome Ball: What <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid the Prince&s;s unto her) I thought to have found you in bed, and I find you ready to goe unto &s;ome publique Fea&s;t? Pardon me Madam, (&s;aid &s;he unto her &s;miling) you rather find me preparing my &s;elf for a war, for you know very well, (&s;aid &s;he unto her in a low voyce,) and &s;hewing her all her Diamonds, and Pearls which were upon the Table) that the&s;e are the arms which tho&s;e who have no beauty, mu&s;t tru&s;t unto, upon any important occa&s;ion: And behold a good on, (&s;aid the Prince&s;s, an&s;wering her alone) for I have brought you two in Lieu of one <HI>Philocles;</HI> in &s;aying &s;o, &s;he cau&s;ed <HI>An|tigenes</HI> and me to advance together. But <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> wondering, Madam, &s;aid &s;he, that is not po&s;&s;ible, &s;ince I have much a do to beleeve one &s;uch can be found in all the world: No no, (&s;aid the Prince&s;s, who had forbiden us to let <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> know which was the true <HI>Philocles)</HI> I mu&s;t not be &s;o &s;atisfied; I will &s;ee whether you who was &s;o much taken with the di&s;crip|tion; can know which is the &s;ub&s;tance: and therefore I will give you two houres time to find out which of the&s;e two illu&s;trious &s;trangers, do mo&s;t re&s;emble the Character which the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Cleobuline</HI> gave in her Letter to me: you are as well acquainted with the de&s;cription as I am, and therefore you cannot fail in your Judgment. But Madam, an&s;wered <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> you which would have me find him out, did you do it your &s;elf? you &s;hall know that afterwards, replied &s;he, and then &s;itting between <HI>Phili&s;ta's</HI> bed and the fire, &s;he would needs have this beauty placed between <HI>Antigenes</HI> and my &s;elf: I do confe&s;s, that this Lady did at the fir&s;t in|chant me both with the &s;plendor of her beauty, and by her di&s;cour&s;e: I already knew, that &s;he de&s;ired to &s;ee me, and the me&s;&s;age which &s;he had &s;ent did flatter me, and di&s;po&s;e my heart to de&s;ire very earne&s;tly that &s;he would not take <HI>Antigenes</HI> for me: and it &s;eems al&s;o that <HI>An|tigenes</HI> de&s;ired to be mi&s;taken, for whom he was not, and we were both of us &s;o mute upon the matter, that to &s;peak truly we did neither of us re&s;emble that <HI>Philocles</HI> in <HI>Cleobulines</HI> Let|ter: But yet (&s;aid the Prince&s;s then) what think you <HI>Phili&s;ta?</HI> which of the&s;e two take you to be the man, &s;o accompli&s;hed, and univer&s;ally knowing in all dilectable things, and for who&s;e acquaintance your curio&s;ity did &s;o trouble you? Do you think Madam, replied &s;he, that I dare name him after you? and why would you have me procure an enemy of him, I name not? You do not well con&s;ider what you &s;ay (replyed the Prince&s;s) for if you name neither you will offend them both, and the other way you will offend but one. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Antegines</HI> with a troubled &s;pirit) I am certain, that though you &s;hould not name me, yet I &s;hould not be your enemy: for though I be <HI>Philocles,</HI> yet I am &s;ure I am not &s;uch a one as is Carracterized in the Prince&s;s of <HI>Corinths</HI> Letter, and if I be not <HI>Philocles,</HI> I &s;hould be very injurious to complain, not to be taken for another: No no, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, I will not &s;uffer you to &s;peak any more, you &s;hall not help <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> to know you, for &s;he has &s;uch a di&s;cerning wit as vaunts to di&s;cover the mo&s;t clo&s;e thoughts of a heart: &s;he has &s;een you, and &s;he has heard you &s;peak, there needs no more: An&s;wer me (&s;aid &s;he unto her, by pointing with her hand, which is <HI>Philocles;</HI> I do not know Madam (&s;aid <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> unto her with a mo&s;t plea&s;ing melancholy) which is the true <HI>Philocles,</HI> but I know well (&s;aid &s;he and turned from me towards <HI>Antigenes)</HI> whom I wi&s;h were he. You do well to wi&s;h (replied the Prince&s;s ravi&s;hed that &s;he could not gue&s;s right) &s;ince you cannot really make him &s;o; and all that he can be for your &s;atisfaction is, that indeed he is worthy to be &s;o: I wi&s;h the Gods Madam, replied <HI>Antigenes</HI> with ex|tream joy, that what you &s;ay were true: and I wi&s;h the Gods, replied <HI>Philocles</HI> very &s;adly, that I were not <HI>Philocles,</HI> but in the room of <HI>Antigenes:</HI> never was &s;een &s;uch a medly of opi|nions as was in every one in the company: The Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindus</HI> was glad that <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> had not gue&s;&s;ed right, and by coh&s;equence was &s;orry to perceive &s;ome malancholy in my eyes: <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> &s;he was vexed that the name of <HI>Antigenes</HI> was not <HI>Philocles,</HI> and that &s;he might be twited for being mi&s;taken. <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> was very well &s;atisfied that <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> was in the wrong.
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<HI>Antigenes</HI> was ravi&s;hed with joy, though in re&s;pect of me, he would not expre&s;s it: but for my part I was all confu&s;ion and anger: in the mean while the&s;e two la&s;t named pa&s;&s;ions, which do not u&s;e to contribute any thing to the cau&s;es of love, did yet quicken that pa&s;&s;ion in me: I did not at the fir&s;t intend to let <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> know, that I was not altogether unworthy to be <HI>Phi|locles,</HI> but only in point of honour: yet the truth is, that was too tender a rea&s;on to re&s;train me. Fair <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid I unto her with a &s;erious look) you are only mi&s;taken in the name, &s;ince mo&s;t certainly, <HI>Antigenes</HI> is owner of all tho&s;e qualities mentioned to be in that <HI>Philocles,</HI> in the Prince&s;s of <HI>Corinths</HI> Letter.</P>
<P><HI>Antigenes,</HI> replied my friend, who was now become my Rival, is not &s;o much obliged unto this fair Lady, as you imagine: Why &s;o, replied the Prince&s;s? The rea&s;on is Madam, replied he, becau&s;e &s;he does not po&s;itively &s;ay, that &s;he thinks me to be <HI>Philocles,</HI> &s;he is only plea&s;ed to wi&s;h I were &s;o. That &s;eems unto me the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">more obliging (&s;aid <HI>Ste&s;ilea)</HI> for if &s;he had only &s;aid, &s;he thought you to be him, it had been barely a mark of her e&s;teem; but &s;ince &s;he be&s;tows an advanta|gious wi&s;h upon you, it is an evident &s;igne of her inclination towards him. You need not take &s;o much pains (&s;aid <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> &s;miling) as to interpret my thoughts in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">my pre&s;ence; for if any do make any doubt of them, I &s;hall my &s;elf expound them. No Madam, &s;aid I unto her, I be|&s;eech you interpret them no further, le&s;t <HI>Antigenes</HI> die for joy, and I for &s;orrow; if you &s;hould expre&s;s more marks of your inclination to him, and if I &s;hould perceive any further aver&s;ion in you towards the true <HI>Philocles. Phili&s;ta,</HI> hearing me &s;ay &s;o, would have expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf unto me in &s;ome civil language, thereby to make her peace with me: but the more &s;he de&s;i|red to &s;peak, the more &s;he was gravelled. For &s;eeing how much &s;he had already obliged <HI>Anti|genes,</HI> &s;he had no mind to di&s;ingage him, &s;o that &s;ince &s;he could not hand&s;omly deliver her &s;elf, nor keep within that ju&s;t mediocrity &s;he endeavoured, the Prince&s;s and <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> laughed, and were exceedingly delighted in ob&s;erving her di&s;order: and &s;he perceiving it. I &s;ee Madam, &s;aid &s;he unto her, that you jeer me, becau&s;e I would engage two in lieu of one. But yet be plea&s;ed to know (&s;aid &s;he very angerly) that though <HI>Antigenes</HI> is not <HI>Philocles</HI> unto all the re&s;t of the world, yet he &s;hall be &s;o unto <HI>Phili&s;ta.</HI> And I am very much deceived, if (though he &s;hould not have al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tho&s;e qualities which the Prince&s;s of <HI>Corinths</HI> Letter does attribute unto the right <HI>Philocles)</HI> my conver&s;ation with him, do not in a little time infu&s;e them all into him. I &s;tand in great need of it then Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Antigenes</HI> unto her,) and that it is the greate&s;t honour I can pretend unto; You are already &s;o clo&s;e, &s;aid I unto him, that I &s;hall hardly know you any longer. But not to abu&s;e your patience any longer, thus did that day pa&s;s away, and after we had waited upon the Prince&s;s unto her Chamber, <HI>Antigenes</HI> and I went into ours, for they joyn|ed clo&s;e together, but both of us retired, and not a word pa&s;&s;ed betwixt us at parting: and afterwards he coming into my Chamber, and &s;ilently &s;itting down: Doubtle&s;s, <HI>Antigenes,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, you are mu&s;ing upon your own honour. I am thinking, &s;aid he, what I &s;hall do to &s;upport that great Name which the fair <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> has be&s;towed upon me. And do not you, (&s;aid he unto me laughing) pity me, to &s;ee me thus charged, and will not you infu&s;e &s;ome of your excellent qualities into me, that I may thereby &s;ave the honour of <HI>Phili&s;ta? Phili&s;ta,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, does know your merits &s;o well, and perhaps has made a Conque&s;t upon your heart, that I know not why I &s;hould pity you: and <HI>Philocles</HI> &s;tands more in need of the help of <HI>Antigenes,</HI> then <HI>Antigenes</HI> of his: I would by this di&s;cour&s;e have moved my friend to have di&s;covered his thoughts unto me, but he would not: &s;o that I making him my example, I &s;poke no more unto him concerning <HI>Phili&s;ta.</HI> In the mean time, I be&s;eech you take notice, and admire at the phanta&s;tical honour of my fate.</P>
<P>As <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> was a Lady of honour, and a little humouri&s;h, &s;he was &s;o vexed to be &s;o mi&s;ta|ken, that &s;he did really entertain an aver&s;ion to me, and re&s;olved to &s;et &s;uch a value upon the qualities of <HI>Antigenes,</HI> that if he had been one of her anciente&s;t friends, &s;he could not more deeply intere&s;t her &s;elf in his honour then &s;he did: and I believe al&s;o that her own natural in|clination did bia&s;s that way. That which was the greate&s;t cau&s;e of her &s;pight, was, that when &s;he turned towards <HI>Antigenes,</HI> and named him, &s;he was verily per&s;waded out of her &s;ubtlety that it was <HI>Philocles,</HI> and therefore &s;he did confidently fix upon him: for &s;ince &s;he under&s;tood I did &s;ing well; &s;he &s;et her &s;elf to ob&s;erve both our voices as we &s;pake, and finding that the tone of <HI>Antigenes</HI> was more &s;weet then mine, &s;he thought he had been <HI>Philocles,</HI> though what both of us &s;poke were the very &s;ame words: yet for all this, I did oftentimes applaud this beau|ty; and &s;ince all the Court was acquainted with this accident, every one did contend again&s;t her, which did &s;o much exa&s;perate her phanta&s;tical Re&s;olution, that &s;he could not endure to hear any &s;peak well of me; not but that &s;he made a &s;hew, as if what &s;he did was only out of her Gallantry; but the truth is, I am fully per&s;waded that from the very fir&s;t time of &s;eeing
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us, her <HI>Genius</HI> was aver&s;e towards me, and inclinable towards <HI>Antigenes.</HI> Ob&s;erve now, how we imployed our &s;elves, he endeavouring to an&s;wer the Prince&s;&s;es of <HI>Corinths</HI> Character of <HI>Phi|locles,</HI> better then my &s;elf, and I al&s;o to &s;hew that I was not ab&s;olutely unworthy of her applauds. Then, it is mo&s;t certain, that the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindus,</HI> either in re&s;pect of the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> or my good fortune, did me the honour to take my part: and all the Court after her example, did put &s;ome difference between <HI>Philocles</HI> and <HI>Antigenes,</HI> and the fair <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> did put as great a difference between <HI>Antigenes</HI> and <HI>Philocles;</HI> for in any company, or in walking, or at Bills, I found that Lady who of all the world did be&s;t plea&s;e me, and my fancie, every day doing a thou&s;and things with intention to di&s;plea&s;e me, and yet whether I would or no, I was plea|&s;ed: Whether I would or no, I &s;ay; for certainly, I did all I could not to love her, but all in vain, and impo&s;&s;ible; for there was &s;uch of I know not what kind of gallant and plea&s;ant Aire in her, which I could not re&s;i&s;t: &s;o that from the fir&s;t minute of my pa&s;&s;ion I was mo&s;t unfor|tunate, and much more then they who are made &s;o by an hundred thou&s;and accidents which may chance in love: &s;ince certainly, a natural antipathy and aver&s;ion cannot po&s;&s;ibly be over|come by any wi&s;dom, what&s;oever cruelty is qualified by teers; furie is allayed by &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, an imperious mind is mitigated by obedience; an incon&s;tant per&s;on recollects him&s;elf &s;ome|times by <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">the example of an unparalled con&s;tancy; in all the&s;e cares there are &s;ome remedeis to be found: but all the humane wi&s;dome upon earth knows not how to vanqui&s;h a natural antipathy, &s;ince it is the thing will changes all objects, as well as jealou&s;ie. In the mean while I could not find &s;o much con&s;olation as to complain again&s;t <HI>Phili&s;ta:</HI> for, argued I with my &s;elf, what would I have her do? for her opinion is rooted in her heart with her con&s;ent unto it, nor did her rea&s;on contribute any thing unto her aver&s;ion: and &s;ince there are &s;ome men who do hate Ro&s;es, which almo&s;t all men love; Why &s;hould I blame <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> for her &s;ecret hatred of me? by this argument would I have di&s;&s;waded my &s;elf from loving <HI>Phili&s;ta:</HI> but the bu&s;ine&s;s came unto that height, that though <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> would not be uncivil, yet &s;he could not di&s;&s;emble, but her inclination to <HI>Antigenes,</HI> and aver&s;ion unto me was apparent: when he &s;pake any thing, &s;he applauded it to the skies; if I &s;poke never &s;o well, I was puft at: if at any meeting, &s;he danced with <HI>Antigenes,</HI> it was with &s;uch an aire, as made it apparent that &s;he was taken out by a hand that plea&s;ed her: &s;he carried her &s;elf with a finer grace, her eyes were more &s;pright|ly and gay, &s;he danced more lightly, and with a more &s;wimming behaviour: &s;he would then attract the looks of all the company, and delight all the company as much as &s;he dulled me: but on the contrary, when I did take her out &s;ometimes again&s;t her mind, &s;he &s;eemed as if &s;he were not the &s;ame per&s;on: and I believe were it not that <HI>Antigenes</HI> would have &s;een her dance ill, &s;he would not have &s;o much as minded the Tune, &s;o negligent and carele&s;s was her action; and that &s;o apparent, that the Prince&s;s did tell her of it. <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto her) I once intreated you to hide half of your charms from <HI>Philocles,</HI> but I intended not that you &s;hould &s;hew him all your incivilities; and me thinks you would not do ill, if you did a little more equally impart your favours. But Madam, (an&s;wered &s;he, and laughed) did not you tell me, that it would be unju&s;t that <HI>Philocles</HI> &s;hould return a Captain unto <HI>Corinth?</HI> Yes replied the Prince&s;s, but I would not have him go from <HI>Alli&s;&s;a</HI> di&s;contented, therefore if you love <HI>Phi|li&s;ta,</HI> be not &s;o partial in your civilities. <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> blu&s;hed at this di&s;cour&s;e, for &s;he under&s;tood her well enough that the Prince&s;s did accu&s;e her of too much complacency with <HI>Antigenes,</HI> yet &s;eeming to take no notice of it, &s;he told her that &s;he would correct her &s;elf for it; and in|deed I found her for a while much more civil; and &s;ince I was ignorant of the Prince&s;s her di&s;|cour&s;e unto her, I was infinitely joyed at the alteration; and <HI>Antigenes</HI> who was no le&s;s in love with <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> then I was &s;eemed to be &s;en&s;ibly di&s;plea&s;ed at it. As he had &s;everal op|portunities of &s;peaking with her, &s;o had he &s;everal private di&s;cour&s;es al&s;o, wherein, as I be|lieve, he acquainted her with part of his thoughts. But as for me, it was a thing impo&s;&s;ible to do &s;o.</P>
<P>While&s;t this happy interval, wherein &s;he was grown more complacential continued: I met with a fit opportunity to &s;peak with her, as &s;he was walking, and I re&s;olved to clo&s;e with that ble&s;&s;ed time; &s;o that upon the fir&s;t occa&s;ion which &s;he gave me, to alter our general di&s;|cour&s;e into more particular. Is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid I unto her) fair <HI>Phili&s;ta)</HI> that you &s;hould not oppo&s;e this good fortune which I now enjoy? Can you at the la&s;t re&s;olve to know <HI>Phi|locles</HI> to be the &s;ame he is, that he is, (&s;aid I, without giving her time to an&s;wer) the mo&s;t faithful and pa&s;&s;ionate of all your Servants. Ha <HI>Philocles,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, I know you better by the Prince&s;s of <HI>Corinths</HI> Letter, then I do by your di&s;cour&s;e. That Character of me whereof you &s;peak, Madam, (&s;aid I unto her) was full of flattery, and I do not think it &s;trange, you &s;hould not believe it was made for me, but my di&s;cour&s;e, Madam, is mo&s;t &s;incere, and true.
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I &s;hould be very angry it &s;hould, (&s;aid &s;he interrupting me) both in re&s;pect of your intere&s;t, and my own. Why then you mu&s;t, (&s;aid I unto her) for it is not more true, that you are the faire&s;t Lady upon earth, then it is certain, that I am the mo&s;t. Stop there, <HI>Philocles</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) lo&s;t you force me to an&s;wer you more &s;harply; and know, I could not know you when I would, I will not know you when I could. You might have known me Madam, (&s;aid I unto her) in knowing your &s;elf, &s;ince it is not po&s;&s;ible you can be ignorant of the force which is in tho&s;e in|evitable charms of your beauty, your mind, your wit, and how they have charmed me every way unto your &s;ervice. No <HI>Philocles,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, deceive not your &s;elf, I never knew any thing, but what I had a de&s;ire to know: my eyes do never &s;hew me any thing but what plea&s;eth me, and my rea&s;on does &s;ometimes comply with my de&s;ires, becau&s;e they are not un|ju&s;t, and al&s;o yield &s;omething unto my will. It would be more advantagious for me, (&s;aid I unto her coldly,) if your will did yield &s;omething unto your rea&s;on. What would you have me do? (&s;aid &s;he, and laughed) and why do you not take the &s;ame coun&s;el which you give me, &s;ince you have need of it? If my rea&s;on (&s;aid I unto her) &s;hould tell me that it were a crime to love you, I believe I &s;hould endeavour not to commit it. And though mine would per&s;wade me, replied &s;he, that <HI>Philocles</HI> were the mo&s;t amiable man alive, yet <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> would not love him. By what way then is it po&s;&s;ible to come unto your heart, &s;aid I unto her. I know not that my &s;elf, an&s;wered &s;he, and if there be any blind parts, which may conduct any one unto it hereafter, it mu&s;t be chance that makes him find it out. Since it is &s;o, an&s;wered I, I am re&s;ol|ved to &s;eek it all my life. But not find it for all that, (&s;aid &s;he) therefore <HI>Philocles</HI> trouble your &s;elf no further in it.</P>
<P>I did intend to &s;peak further unto her, but divers others came and joyned with us, &s;o that our di&s;cour&s;e altered, and ever &s;ince &s;he carefully avoided all manner of private conference with me. In the mean while <HI>Antigenes</HI> and I did live together, as it were by con&s;traint, for we ne|ver di&s;cour&s;ed but of things indifferent. The Name of <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> which was &s;o dear unto us both, was never &s;o much as pronounced among&s;t us when we were alone together. <HI>Antigenes</HI> ob&s;erving that the civilities of <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> unto me, did not continue, his di&s;plea&s;ure at it did vani&s;h: &s;o that &s;eeing there was nothing to be feared from me, in lieu of hating me as his Ri|val, he pitied me as his friend, and re&s;olved &s;ome time or other to &s;peak &s;incerely unto me concerning it: and coming one morning unto my Chamber, he &s;aid unto me, that he thought him&s;elf the mo&s;t unfortunate man in the world, becau&s;e he imagined that I was in love with <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> as well as he; and prote&s;ted unto me, that if he had ob&s;erved any inclination in her to love me, he would rather die then be any ob&s;tacle to my felicity: but &s;ince he &s;aw her mind was &s;o far from any advantagious thoughts of me, he thought he was not injurious unto me, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> falling in love with one whom I could not love before him, &s;ince we &s;aw her both together the fir&s;t time, and &s;ince the fir&s;t minute of her &s;ight was the fir&s;t beginning of his pa&s;&s;ion: In|deed he &s;poke unto me with as much genero&s;ity as I Lover, who would not quit his Mi&s;tre&s;s, could do: and I an&s;wered him with as much di&s;cretion, as a de&s;perate man, and one who had &s;ome vertue was capable of, &s;peaking unto a Rival that was more happy then him&s;elf, and one who he e&s;teemed as his friend: I confe&s;&s;ed &s;o ingeniou&s;ly unto him, that I had no lawful cau&s;e to complain again&s;t him; but I told him further, that for all that it was impo&s;&s;ible for me but to be infinitely angry at his good fortune; That it was but a piece of raillery to think that two Rivals could ever be true friends, and that all which genero&s;ity and prudence could do in &s;uch ca&s;es, was, to prevent them from being mortall enemies. Moreover, &s;ince I was too ju&s;t to de|&s;ire him to give over his de&s;igne, &s;o I de&s;ired him not to take it ill I continued mine, and told him, he might well enough agree unto &s;o much liberty, &s;ince there was very &s;mall appearance it would any thing advantage me.</P>
<P>In conclu&s;ion, after a long conference, we agreed to di&s;cour&s;e no more together concerning <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> but both of us to endeavour all we could to obtain her love: and that he who of us two could arrive at that honour, &s;hould move that fair Lady to pronounce a &s;entence of death again&s;t him &s;he loved not. After this, <HI>Antigenes</HI> and I lived better together, and was as civil one to another as any men could be, who endeavoured all they could to ruine one another, &s;ince the Prince <HI>Cleobulus</HI> would retain me a long time with him, and &s;ince I had received new Orders from <HI>Periander,</HI> which would imploy me longer there: I had the lei&s;ure to put in practice &s;uch expedients, as are u&s;ually advantagious in matters of love. I followed <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> whither&s;oever &s;he went: I was perpetually in conference with her, I &s;poke of her eternally unto all my acquaintance, and I applauded no other beauty but hers, but was continually when|&s;oever I had any occa&s;ion extolling her to the Heavens: I compo&s;ed ver&s;es in her honour, which were better reli&s;hed by all the Court then tho&s;e of <HI>Antigenes,</HI> though perhaps his were more
<PB N="47" REF="214">
ingenious: I added mu&s;ick unto my poetry; I compo&s;ed Aires as well as words, and &s;ung them my &s;elf with all the art I had, &s;o joyning the charms of harmony unto my expre&s;&s;ions, I &s;ighed as I &s;ang, and endeavoured to enchant her heart by her ears: I was at va&s;t expences in clothes, in Balls, in Collations, and Banquets, and in all manner of Liberalities; I got the friend|&s;hip both of all her friends, and all her Lovers: <HI>Ala&s;is</HI> her father loved me very well, a bro|ther &s;he had did not hate me; her women, and all her Dome&s;ticks, were all woon by my gifts; I &s;poke unto her with as much reverence as he who approaches unto the Gods, I expre&s;&s;ed my pa&s;&s;ion both in Ver&s;e and Proes, my tears al&s;o did often plead in my behalf: The violence of my love did &s;ometimes, whether I would or no, blow furie into my eyes, and di&s;pair into my di&s;cour&s;e: I &s;aw <HI>I</HI> was vexed, jealous, my face changed, and to &s;ay all in few words, the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man in the world, yet <HI>I</HI> could not alter her heart from that &s;tubborn <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ver|&s;ion which &s;he had towards me. <HI>I</HI> remember that one of her intimate friends, who after|wards became mine al&s;o, asked her one day, Whether it was po&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould not e&s;teem me, &s;ince <HI>I</HI> had the good fortune to get &s;ome &s;hare in the e&s;teem of all the world be&s;ides, &s;he did then acknowledge unto him, that &s;he knew very well <HI>I</HI> did not de&s;erve tho&s;e rigid trea|ments <HI>I</HI> received from her: yet for all that, &s;he could not help it: and that &s;ince &s;ome men do fall in love, when they know no rea&s;on for it; &s;o it was no wonder if there were &s;ome which hated, when they had no cau&s;e. But (&s;aid that friend unto her) tho&s;e who love, as you &s;ay, do or|dinarily re&s;i&s;t again&s;t their pa&s;&s;ion. It is true, replied &s;he, but it is only becau&s;e that pa&s;&s;ion might move them unto &s;ome di&s;honourable actions. And do not you (replyed her friend) act &s;ome unju&s;t ones? No, an&s;wered <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> for I am not bound to love all the gallant men which are in the world; but e&s;teem my &s;elf very happy, that I have &s;o good a remedy again&s;t &s;o ter|rible an enemy. But (&s;aid this charitable Confident further unto her) why do you not defend your &s;elf with the &s;ame Arms again&s;t <HI>Antigenes,</HI> which you u&s;e again&s;t <HI>Philocles,</HI> &s;ince you do only fight for your own liberty? Cruel friend (&s;aid &s;he unto him) urge me not &s;o far, I con|jure you, and force me not to tell you that which I dare not think upon without a blu&s;h: Con|tent your &s;elf with this con&s;ideration only, that love and hatred are two tyranical pa&s;&s;ions, which oftentimes do mock both at Rea&s;on and Prudence: all that I can &s;ay unto you, is, that I have not re&s;i&s;ted that &s;trong aver&s;ion which I have unto <HI>Philocles,</HI> becau&s;e it can never do me any harm, and that I have much re&s;i&s;ted again&s;t that &s;ympathy and inclination I have towards <HI>Antigenes,</HI> becau&s;e it may be prejudicial unto me.</P>
<P>Thus did this conference pa&s;s, while&s;t we were every day with the Prince&s;s, unto whom all the Ladies re&s;orted, but among&s;t the re&s;t, <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> who indeed was a very pa&s;&s;able beauty, was mo&s;t frequent: This Lady had a good wit, but &s;uch a jealous and envious mind, that &s;he wi&s;hed her &s;elf the only fair one in all the world: yet was my heart &s;o altogether taken up with <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> that I perceived not things mo&s;t vi&s;ible. So that I, not knowing &s;he abhorred her Rival in beauty, did &s;ometimes di&s;cour&s;e with her: &s;he was &s;o crafty, and full of &s;pirit, or at lea&s;t, made many believe &s;o, that indeed &s;he &s;uited her &s;elf with my humour: &s;he began to di&s;&s;wade me from my pa&s;&s;ion; afterwards to pity me, and complain of the incivilities of <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> towards me, and of her indulgence towards <HI>Antigenes,</HI> and carried the matter with &s;o much art, that her company was more agreeable unto me, and requi&s;ite to com|fort me: Then did I di&s;cover the bottom of my heart unto her, I laid open all my im|becility before her, and conjured her to become my friend, I asked her advice, I moved her to &s;uffer me that I might relate all my misfortunes unto her, be&s;eeching her to have &s;ome thoughts of pity towards me, &s;ince <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> had none: She harked to all this, as if &s;he had been all goodne&s;s; &s;he was much moved at my mi&s;ery, and made me value her at &s;o high a rate, that I e&s;teemed her as a mo&s;t &s;incere friend: I had not one jealous thought, but I imparted it unto her: as &s;oon as <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> had looked upon me with any di&s;re&s;pect, or any roughne&s;s, I made my complaint unto <HI>Ste&s;ilea.</HI> So that &s;ince <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> did avoid all occa&s;ions of &s;peaking with me, and &s;ince <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> on the contrary, gave me all po&s;&s;ible freedom, all the Court in a &s;hort time did ob&s;erve my &s;ecret conference with this Lady: and &s;ince they knew, there was a &s;ecret hatred between tho&s;e two Ladies, they could not imagine I would chu&s;e the enemy of <HI>Phi|li&s;ta</HI> for my Confident, but believed that I had altered my mind, and that the continuation of my addre&s;&s;es unto <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> were only to hide my new pa&s;&s;ion unto <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> the better, <HI>Anti|genes</HI> was extreamly joyed at it, and all the Court was glad I had cured one pa&s;&s;ion by ano|ther, <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> when I was not with her, was joyed to &s;ee her de&s;igne had &s;o pro&s;perous event: <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> only in point of honour which reflected not upon me, but, <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> was moved with much &s;pite: this fiery and inflexible &s;pirit was not at all molified towards me, but her de&s;igne only was to make me hate <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> it &s;he could, by any kind of crabbed cour&s;e &s;he could invent.</P>
<P><PB N="48" REF="215">
But to compleat up the Sum of my misfortunes, &s;ince I could not be in any favour with her of whom I would be loved, I was loved by another unto whom I could grant no further then friend&s;hip: I mu&s;t therefore tell you, that <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> did find &s;omething &s;o noble, &s;o pure, &s;o great, and &s;o vertuous in my pa&s;&s;ion unto <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> that &s;he de&s;ired that from me which I could give un|to any but the other: &s;o that tran&s;acting for her own intere&s;t, &s;he gave me an hundred crafty coun&s;els which I followed, becau&s;e they &s;eemed to be good, although they did much di&s;advan|tage me concerning <HI>Phili&s;ta.</HI> This being the &s;tate of things, <HI>Antigenes</HI> came one morning unto my Chamber; and coming unto me with open Arms; My dear <HI>Philocles,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, what plea&s;ure do you take in concealing your good fortune, and my own from me? <HI>An|tigenes,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, not an&s;wering coldly unto &s;uch &s;ignes of tenderne&s;s as he expre&s;&s;ed; If it be true that I am happy, I am afraid you would not be &s;o glad. I prote&s;t unto you (&s;aid he unto me) that your contentment is as dear unto me, as my own: and I could not be more joyed if the fair <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> &s;hould love me, then I am, that you do not love her any longer. I love the fair <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> no longer, &s;aid I unto him all amazed. Ah <HI>Antigenes,</HI> do not deceive your &s;elf, for that is &s;o rooted a pa&s;&s;ion in me, that it and I mu&s;t die together. But (replied he, more amazed then I) all the Court, and <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> her &s;elf, thinks you are in love with <HI>Ste|&s;ilea.</HI> Does <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid I all &s;urprized) think I am in love with <HI>Ste&s;ilea?</HI> Yes, an&s;wered he, and I, like all the world, believed it al&s;o: This di&s;cour&s;e did &s;o much a&s;toni&s;h me, that I was never more troubled in all my life then at that time, fearing this might make wor&s;e for me in the opinion of <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> and grieved that I mu&s;t now be deprived of the con&s;olation which I found in the &s;ociety of <HI>Ste&s;ilea:</HI> &s;o that without any longer conference with <HI>Anti|genes,</HI> I parted from him, prote&s;ting, that I was never more in love with <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> then at that time, and that I would take &s;uch order as &s;hould undeceive the world in their opinion, that I was in love with <HI>Ste&s;ilea:</HI> yet &s;ince I was upon terms of friend&s;hip with that Lady, and thought my &s;elf obliged unto her, and had received con&s;olation from her, therefore I conceived it not fit to change my cour&s;e of familiarity with her, before I acquainted her with the rea&s;on. Going then unto her by a blind way, taking all heed that I &s;hould not be perceived, I found her alone in her Chamber only with two of her women: As &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw me, &s;he ea&s;ily perceived, that there was &s;ome new cro&s;s accident in the wind. What's the matter <HI>Philocles?</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) Has <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> given you &s;ome fre&s;h affront? <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid I unto her) has not much con|tributed unto the di&s;a&s;ter whereof I now complaine; but <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> again&s;t her will is a greater cau&s;e then &s;he. She blu&s;hed at this di&s;cour&s;e, I cannot ea&s;ily gue&s;s (&s;aid &s;he) what harm I can po&s;&s;ible have done unto you, nor know I any but one remedy which I could wi&s;h, which is, to remove that pa&s;&s;ion out of your heart which torments you, though I know you will not think that which would cure you, to be a remedy. But <HI>Philocles,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, leave me no longer in &s;u&s;|pen&s;e, but tell me I be&s;eech you, how I have contributed unto that &s;orrow which I &s;ee in your eyes. Your beauty, &s;aid I unto her, is the true cau&s;e of it. <HI>Philocles,</HI> &s;aid &s;he &s;miling think well what you &s;ay unto <HI>Ste&s;ilea.</HI> I do &s;o, &s;aid I unto her, for if &s;he were not &s;o fair as &s;he is, all the Court would not report it that I am in love with her: <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> would not have thought it, and <HI>Antigenes</HI> would not have believed it: but becau&s;e the truth is, her beauty is extream, and becau&s;e &s;he cannot imagine why I &s;hould &s;o frequently vi&s;it her, unle&s;s I give her my whole heart, therefore they do believe it: all the Court does e&s;teem me happy in changing my chains: <HI>Antigenes</HI> rejoyceth, and <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> is angry, and this I have gotten by coming &s;o often unto <HI>Ste&s;ilea.</HI> The truth is, things are brought into &s;uch a condition, that I am forced to deprive my &s;elf of the greate&s;t comfort I have, which was, to be often with you. Why <HI>Philocles,</HI> (replied &s;he in a great amaze) becau&s;e fond rumours run you love me, will you therefore hate me? Heavens guard me, &s;aid I unto her, from a thought &s;o unju&s;t; for I &s;hall e&s;teem you as long as I live, and my friend&s;hip unto you &s;hall be as con&s;tant as my love is unto <HI>Phili&s;ta.</HI> But &s;weet <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> &s;ince you are plea&s;ed to admit of my confidence only in relation to my own intere&s;t, I hope you will permit me to withdraw my &s;elf from &s;eeing you upon the &s;ame rea&s;on, to the end I may undeceive <HI>Phili&s;ta.</HI> The Gods do know, &s;aid I further, how difficult it is, to re&s;olve upon &s;uch a de&s;igne; and the Gods do know, (an&s;wered &s;he with a &s;igh) you have no rea&s;on to take &s;uch a re&s;olution. What then would you have me do? (&s;aid I unto her) for if <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> continue in a belief that I love you, &s;he will never love me; and your beauty is &s;o admirable, that as long as I continue my vi&s;its unto you, &s;he cannot be con|vinced of the contrary, and therefore I be&s;eech you, permit me amiable <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> to deprive my &s;elf of the happine&s;s in &s;eeing you, e&s;pecially &s;ince your intere&s;t is not concerned in it: for &s;ince it is not the plea&s;ure of the De&s;tinies that my heart can be yours, <HI>I</HI> would not contribute any thing unto the belief which the world a&s;&s;umes, while&s;t in the mean <HI>I</HI> am the mo&s;t mi&s;era|ble
<PB N="49" REF="215">
man upon earth, who out of fear to di&s;plea&s;e her who loves me <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> forced to q<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">t ano|ther, which hath given me &s;o many Te&s;timonies of her goodne&s;s, and who doubtle&s;s <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> me for this la&s;t misfortune: Indeed I do (replied &s;he blu&s;hing) and perhaps more then <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ought. But I am to be lamented as well as you: for if it be &s;o that the court beleeves you be in love with me, what &s;trange tales will be told unto my di&s;advantage if you leave off your &s;eeing me upon a &s;udden? will they not &s;uppo&s;e that you have either fooled <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> or that it is carried &s;o out of &s;ubtilty? No no, <HI>Philocles,</HI> the alteration mu&s;t not be &s;o &s;uddainly: or if you will needs have have it &s;o, you mu&s;t in regard of my honour, make it &s;eem as if I treated you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">: but if &s;o, &s;aid I, I &s;hall not ju&s;tifie my &s;elf in the opinion of <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> &s;ince &s;he will have &s;ome can be to think, that I quitted you, only becau&s;e you cha&s;ed me away. And indeed, it was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> of <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> to make <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> think &s;o. But <HI>Philocles,</HI> replyed &s;he, do you think that Jealou&s;ie is a bad procurer of love: for my part, I think it an excellent good one; and am fully per&s;wad|ed that if you were really in love with any other Lady, then <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> &s;he would love you the better for it; Yes, &s;aid I unto her, but you mu&s;t imagine that her affection would be then very indifferent unto me, if I &s;hould love her no longer: Its true, replyed &s;he, but if this way werele&s;s unju&s;t then <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> her &s;elf is, you would be for ever happy.</P>
<P><HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> pronounced the&s;e words in &s;uch a manner, that the tenderne&s;s of her friend&s;hip was of another nature then mine: and it troubled me &s;o much, that the re&s;t of our conference was in very ambiguous phra&s;es from both parties, which I beleeve per&s;waded us, that both of us under&s;tood one another: But &s;ince I could not alter my heart, and would not deceive a Lady unto whom I had profe&s;&s;ed &s;o much amity, I parted from her, complaining again&s;t my &s;elf, and as I beleeve, giving her &s;ome rea&s;on to complain again&s;t her &s;elf, for the cruel re&s;o|lution I had taken to di&s;cour&s;e no more in private, nor to &s;peak with her but very &s;eldom. Mean time, &s;ince this vi&s;it la&s;ted very long, and was known unto <HI>Antigines,</HI> this change in my cour&s;e of living with <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> did not work tho&s;e effects I hoped, and the rumour went that this &s;eperation, was a compact only twixt her and me: in&s;omuch as <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> was not at all undeceived: and <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> made high complaints when&s;oever &s;he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ound opportunity for it: Saying, it was &s;trange I &s;hould have &s;o little care of her reputation, as to &s;acrifice it, for one who loved me not: During all this while, <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> though &s;he would love me her &s;elf, did what &s;he could to make me hate <HI>Ste&s;ilea;</HI> yet do what &s;he could I &s;till retained a friendly opi|nion of her: It is very true, that it did conduce to my greater per&s;ecution: for I was even de&s;perate, to &s;ee that I was the cau&s;e of her di&s;quie<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s. Thus &s;tood the &s;tate of things, when I received an expre&s;s order to returne unto <HI>Corinth:</HI> you may imagine into what a damp this drove my &s;oul. I was to leave a Lady whom I loved, but who loved not me: I for&s;ook ano|ther Lady, who did a little love me, and whom I doubted not but &s;hould ruin me, as much as &s;he could in the opinion of <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> during my ab&s;ence: But for one piece of good fortune to me, that father of <HI>Antigenes</HI> hearing where he was, did peremptorily command him to re|turn, &s;o that this was no &s;mal con&s;olation unto me, nor was the news <HI>I</HI> heard of <HI>Ala&s;is</HI> his returning unto his own Country very &s;hortly, le&s;s joyful to me; but I kept it very clo&s;e from <HI>Antigenes;</HI> becau&s;e <HI>I</HI> had the intelligence by an indirect way: The Prince <HI>Cleobulus</HI> did em|brace meat parting, and the Prince&s;s his daughter, who indeed was a mo&s;t admirable Lady, gave me a Letter to the Prince&s;s of <HI>Corinth,</HI> which was writ no le&s;s in my advantage then that <HI>I</HI> brought. But when <HI>I</HI> was to bid adieu unto the Princes, and afterwards unto <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> that was a doleful &s;tory to me: <HI>Antigenes</HI> and <HI>I</HI> met both there together, and <HI>I</HI> had &s;o much &s;ati&s;|faction by it, that <HI>I</HI> hindered him from &s;peaking in private unto <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> but yet <HI>I</HI> found &s;o much di&s;&s;atisfaction al&s;o, as to &s;ee a notable difference in the adieus of this beauty: every time &s;he looked upon <HI>Antigenes</HI> in this la&s;t conference, <HI>I</HI> &s;aw in her eyes a melancholy cloud, which without any dim unto her beauty, did augment her &s;weetne&s;s, and when by chance &s;he looked upon me, I could find nothing but indifferency, or di&s;dain; &s;he bid me adieu, and hardly looked upon me; but her eyes followed the happy <HI>Antigenes,</HI> as far as they could po&s;&s;i|bly &s;ee: To tell you how <HI>Antigenes</HI> and I lived together, during our Navigation, would be &s;u|pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">fluous, it being ea&s;ie to be imagined we mu&s;ed continually upon the matter; and hardly &s;poke a word, but thought the more. I was &s;omething comforted, in that I brought my Rival away with me. As for <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> I took no leave of her, though I endeavored it: Di&s;pight, and &s;orrow, and honour, would not let her di&s;cover her weakne&s;s. At the la&s;t we arived at <HI>Corinth,</HI> where <HI>Periander,</HI> and the Princes <HI>Cleobuline</HI> received me with joy: but yet there was no de|lights to be &s;o u&s;ed in it for me: I &s;huned all &s;uch company, as formerly I was wont to court: <HI>Arion</HI> only was he who did a little comfort me, for he was of a great &s;pirit, and pa&s;&s;ionate Soul: I found in his di&s;cour&s;e and &s;ongs, I knew not what kind of charming power, which
<PB N="50" REF="216">
did allay my &s;orrows, and keep me alive. Mean time, I was even de&s;perate to &s;ee <HI>Antigenes,</HI> would not engage him&s;elf unto any fre&s;h beauty: and thus did I live for almo&s;t a whole year: but in the end, it was known that <HI>Ala&s;is</HI> father of <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> would come with his daughter (for he had not a wife) to inhabit in his ancient country: Oh Heavens! how this news re|joyced me! but this joy was qualified when I under&s;tood, that the elder Brother of <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> had married <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> a little before their departure from <HI>Jali&s;&s;a,</HI> and that &s;he came al&s;o with them: Indeed this marriage did much augment my &s;orrows, yet did I hope, that &s;ince <HI>Ste|&s;ilea</HI> was virtuous, the change in her condition would work upon her Soul, and that it would be more advantagious unto me to have a friend, &s;o neer alied unto <HI>Phili&s;ta. Antigenes</HI> was &s;o glad of this news, that his joy appeared in all his actions, which did not a little trouble me; but in conclu&s;ion, this long'd for company arrived: you may very well imagine, that I pre|pared the mind of <HI>Periander,</HI> of <HI>Meli&s;&s;a,</HI> and of the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> to receive that Lady who was &s;o infinitly dear unto me, very favourably: and I wa&s; &s;o happy as to under&s;tand that <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> knew how I had done her that good office: but though &s;he did acknowledg her &s;elf obliged unto m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> for it, yet did &s;he love me not a whit the better, but came unto <HI>Corinth</HI> the very &s;ame I left her at <HI>Jali&s;&s;a,</HI> which was, very bitter again&s;t me, and very &s;weet unto <HI>Anti|genes:</HI> as for <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> I found a no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ble alteration in her: for her beauty was a little impaired and &s;he had a mask of &s;o &s;ad a melancholy on her pace, that I dur&s;t never ask her the cau&s;e: and &s;ince I did not &s;eek for any occa&s;ions to &s;peak in private with her, &s;he al&s;o did avoyd them as well as <HI>I:</HI> In the mean while, there was no hing which <HI>I</HI> did not, that might divert <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> for &s;he dur&s;t not openly refu&s;e my civilities, becau&s;e her father, having &s;ome obligations upon him towards me, would have took it ill from her: <HI>I</HI> &s;hewed her then all that was delightful in <HI>Corinth:</HI> Poo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Arion</HI> did &s;ing &s;o often to her for love of me, as I was a&s;toni&s;hed, that a voice and a harp, which charmed the <HI>Dolphins,</HI> could not &s;weeten the feircene&s;s of her obdu|rate Soul. But &s;he was all this while immoveable, <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> for her part, was not only re&s;olute never to expre&s;s any Te&s;timonies of her affection to me, but intended to cheri&s;h that aver&s;ion which <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> had unto me: and indeed, this unju&s;t Lady, &s;ince their new alliance had per|&s;waded <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> that I was in love with her. So that <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> did treat me wor&s;e at <HI>Corinth,</HI> then at <HI>Jali&s;&s;a.</HI> I could never go unto <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> but I found <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> in her chamber or el&s;e <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> was in hers, which angred me to the heart: for I think there is nothing more irk&s;ome, then every day to &s;ee together one whom I love, which loves not me, and another who loves me, and I love not her; though her whom I do love, thinks that I do love her whom I do not love. Yet did I endure this Torment a long time, without finding any con&s;olation in any thing, and not obtaining one favourable word from <HI>Phili&s;ta.</HI> I remember one day, when I came unto this hard hearted Lady, one de&s;ired to &s;peak with <HI>Ste&s;ilea: I</HI> took hold of that op|portunity, and be&s;eeched her to tell me, if &s;he could po&s;&s;ibly remember all the &s;orrows which <HI>I</HI> &s;uffered at <HI>Jali&s;&s;a,</HI> and not have &s;ome thoughts of repentance: then did <HI>I</HI> repeat the origi|nal of my love, and a hundred Thou&s;and petty things, which had taken &s;o deep a root in my heart, that <HI>I</HI> re&s;ented them as if they were yet to come: But <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> hardly hearing me, did an&s;wer me far from the purpo&s;e, and in &s;uch a &s;lighting manner, as would have cau&s;ed any other then my &s;elf, to have out run his pacience. Since <HI>I</HI> did complain in mo&s;t re&s;pective manner; Truly <HI>Philocles</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me &s;miling,) you mu&s;t pardon me, for <HI>I</HI> do not remember what you &s;aid unto me; <HI>I</HI> know very well, that <HI>I</HI> had the honour to &s;ee you at <HI>Jali&s;&s;a;</HI> but to imagine, that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould here remember either what you &s;aid or what you did there, would be to abu&s;e your &s;elf; for <HI>I</HI> u&s;e to charge my memory with very few things; Time pa&s;t, and time to come, are two things <HI>I</HI> never think on: What mo&s;t unju&s;t Lady&punc; &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her) do you not remember how oft <HI>I</HI> have told you how pa&s;&s;ionately <HI>I</HI> loved you. Although <HI>I</HI> &s;hould re|member &s;uch a thing (replied &s;he) yet &s;hould you be never the better for it. Then repeating the places where <HI>I</HI> expre&s;&s;ed my pa&s;&s;ion, &s;ometimes in the Garden, other times at the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindus</HI> lodgings, and &s;everall times at her own, <HI>I</HI> perceived that &s;he did not remember one quarter of tho&s;e things <HI>I</HI> told her: which vexed me more then if &s;he had given me the wor&s;t language, there being nothing &s;o offen&s;ive, nor a greater &s;ign of &s;corn or indifference, then oblivion. Is it po&s;sible (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her being much moved a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d grieved at it) that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould remember all the actions of <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> all her words, and even all her looks, and that &s;he would not remember one of the hundred thou&s;and torments which <HI>I</HI> endured, and which &s;he cau&s;ed? Oh mo&s;t obdurate and cruel woman, mu&s;t <HI>I</HI> be more unhappy then ever? what do you think, (&s;aid &s;he laughing at my anger and complaints) <HI>I</HI> thought to be only hated (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her) but by this cruel oblivion, I &s;ee I am in a more deplorable condition then I thought: &s;ince I am mo&s;t certainly &s;corned: I &s;ee now you have a Soule which is not only incen&s;ible of me, but
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(if it may be permited me to &s;ay it) it is a mo&s;t dead Soul; you look upon me, and will not &s;ee me; you hear me, and will not under&s;tand me: nor am I cettain whether or no you heare me now. Yes, an&s;wered &s;he, and I under&s;tand very well that you tell me of one of the mo&s;t fanta&s;tical things in the world, but I will not promi&s;e you to remember it when you are out of my &s;ight. In the name of the Gods (&s;aid I unto her) treat me not thus: hate me, if you cannot love me; but do not forget all that I doe and &s;ay. Why <HI>Philocles,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) had you rather be hated, then forgoten? Without all que&s;tion I had (an&s;wered I:) But in the mean time (replyed &s;he) there is nothing more contrary to love then hatred: Pardon me (&s;aid I unto her) for there is at the lea&s;t &s;ome thought in a Soul which hates, nor is it ab&s;olutely im|po&s;&s;ible, but love may kindle among&s;t the &s;parkes of anger: but a cold and in&s;en&s;ible Soul which retains no memory of all one does to move it, what hopes is there of any tenderne&s;s or acknowledgment? how can it ever love tho&s;e it never thinks on? But yet (replyed &s;he) I can|not conceive it better to be hated then forgotten. Alas fair <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> &s;aid I unto her, you were never either hated or forgotten: But I, whom you have cau&s;ed to know bo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h too experiment|ally, do really profe&s;s I had rather you would remember me, and hate me, then not remem|ber me at all: Yet hatred in my opinion, is a very great ob&s;tacle unto love (&s;aid &s;he.) Yes, &s;aid I, but oblivion is a greater, &s;ince it is an ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibility any love &s;hould ari&s;e out of it, as it po&s;&s;ible may out of anger and hatred. In one word Madam, I think it &s;o inhumane an act to bani&s;h an unfortunate lover out of remembrance, that I think it le&s;s cruelty to put him unto death: Bani&s;h me out of your heart therefore Madam, if you cannot endure me, but leave me I be&s;eech you a little room in your memory: forget if you plea&s;e to &s;peak ill of me, &amp; to complain of me for loving you &s;o ob&s;tinately again&s;t your will, but I be&s;eech you forget not how my love has importuned you: Is this <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid I unto her) which I now beg too much? Yes, re|plyed &s;he, for hatred is a turbulent pa&s;sion, which di&s;turbs the re&s;t of all tho&s;e who have it; whereas oblivion on the contrary, is a dull &s;leepy &s;pirit, which has nothing of choller in it, and which makes one pa&s;s away their time with plea&s;ure. Then (&s;aid I unto her, not being ma&s;ter of my own re&s;entments, &s;o much was I incen&s;ed) I be&s;eech you forget the delights, which the conver&s;ation of <HI>Antigenes</HI> affords you, as well as the perplexity which the company of <HI>Philo|cles</HI> does cau&s;e: No, (replyed &s;he in a &s;coffing raillarie) I have a better way then &s;o, for I always remember what plea&s;es me, and forget what perplexeth me. As I was begining to an|&s;wer, the prince&s;s <HI>Cleobuline</HI> entred, and I immediately went out, it being impo&s;sibls for me to &s;tay any longer with her who denied me every thing but her hatred. It &s;eemed after this, that fortune began to &s;mile a little upon me, but it was only to make me more &s;en&s;ible of her frowns, as after wards you &s;hall know. It fell out &s;o, that <HI>Antigenes</HI> was forced to go un|to <HI>Thebes</HI> upon &s;ome urgent occa&s;ions; &s;o that I enjoyed &s;o much happine&s;s as to be quitof my beloved Rival, and in his ab&s;ence to &s;peak with more liberty unto <HI>Phili&s;ta:</HI> but the more I entertained her, the more did it augment her aver&s;ion, and to that extremity, as &s;he could not endure me: Yet did I &s;olicite, as if I were not out of all hopes: I courted the friend&s;hip of her Brother and of <HI>Ala&s;is</HI> very diligently, and I &s;o obtained it, that both of them did open|ly te&s;tifie they &s;hould be very glad to have <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> marry me: My Uncle, who liked of this aliance, and knew I was in love with this Lady, did &s;peak unto them concerning me, after he had fir&s;t written unto my father about it, but &s;poke not a word to me, until after they had given him favorable an&s;wers. So that I &s;aw no ob&s;tacles at all, but only <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> her &s;elf, but that was &s;o great a one, as it was invincible: Her father had no &s;ooner commanded her to look upon me as one who was to be her husband, and expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf &s;o peremptorily that he expected an ab&s;olute obedience without any re&s;i&s;tance, but &s;he fell into extream di&s;paire: &s;he imployed <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> to his brother, but in vain, and indeed &s;he found all her tears her com|plaints, and her prayers to no purpo&s;e. In the mean time, the rumour of this marriage ran all about, and all the Court rejoyced for the love of me: and every one came unto her to tender their complimental &s;ervices; but to avoid &s;uch per&s;ecutions &s;he feigned to be ill, and by this cuning device &s;he deprived me as well as the re&s;t of her &s;ight: <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> was with her all this while, doing me as ill offices as &s;he could: and a&s;si&s;ting <HI>Antigenes</HI> to my prejudice. The me|lancholy of <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> was &s;o extream, that &s;he became &s;ick in earne&s;t in feigning to be &s;o, and &s;o &s;ick too, that Phy&s;itians thought &s;he would dye; but afterwards, &s;he recovered, and was able to endure company, but yet &s;he continued in a langui&s;hing manner and &s;o very melancholy, that her humour could not be known. I among the re&s;t came to &s;ee her, and &s;he dur&s;t not deny me: yet did I &s;ee her almo&s;t without any &s;atisfaction out of any opinion I was the cau&s;e of all her ill.</P>
<P>During this time, many did &s;peak unto her in my behalf; and the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleobuline</HI> would
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needs know of her why &s;he carried the matter &s;o violently again&s;t me, but &s;he could not po&s;&s;i|bly get any other an&s;wer from her, but that &s;he did not know the cau&s;e her &s;elf; &s;he agreed with the Prince&s;s, that I was of &s;uch a family as that alliance with me would be an honour unto hers: that I had a better e&s;tate then ever &s;he could hope for, that I had a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">air e&s;teem in the world; and doubtle&s;s I loved infinitely, &s;ince I continued it notwith&s;tanding her extream di&s;dain: but yet for all this, &s;he would always &s;ay that &s;he could never love me: and that there was &s;omething in her heart which &s;he could not ma&s;ter, and which was oppo&s;ite unto any thing that would be advantagious unto me. But, &s;aid the Prince&s;s unto her, is it not your &s;ecret choice of <HI>Antigenes,</HI> which denies <HI>Philocles</HI> any entrance into your heart? No, (&s;aid &s;he unto her) for though I had no liking at all unto <HI>Antigenes,</HI> and though my heart were ab&s;olutely free, yet &s;hould I ever have an aver&s;ion to <HI>Philocles:</HI> for indeed, &s;ince I do not hate him out of any rea&s;on, but out of a &s;ecret cau&s;e, which I under&s;tand not, I need &s;eek no further. The Prince&s;s who did me the honour to favour me, &s;eeing the fancie of <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> endeavoured to withdraw my affection, but &s;ince there was &s;o great a &s;ympathy in me to love her, as there was antipathy in her to hate me; &s;he could not prevail. I did acknowledge again&s;t my mind, that there was in <HI>Corinth</HI> as excellent beauties as <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> every whit, as &s;prightly and noble; but yet for all that I could not chu&s;e but love her above them all: &s;o that finding as great an impo&s;&s;ibility to make me forget her, as there was to move her to love me, &s;o we continued both mo&s;t mi&s;erable. <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> only found in her heart &s;ome malignant &s;atisfaction at our mi&s;|fortunes, taking much plea&s;ure, doubtle&s;s to &s;ee that man whom &s;he had loved, to be ha|ted by her he loved: and al&s;o to &s;ee her whom &s;he imagined to be the cau&s;e why &s;he was not loved again, to be mi&s;erable both by my pa&s;&s;ion, and her own. In the mean while <HI>Ala&s;&s;is</HI> was much incen&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> &s;o much as he &s;ent her word he was re&s;olved to &s;ee her no more until &s;he re&s;olved to marry me, and live complacentially towards me: her brother was in the &s;ame humour, &s;o that &s;he having no hopes in her, but all de&s;pair, &s;he lived &s;o melancholy a life, that all the Court di&s;cour&s;ed of it: yet &s;he &s;uffered not alone, for I did participate of her mi&s;eries in a mo&s;t cruel manner: &s;ometime I would needs re&s;olve to love her no longer, and almo&s;t imagined my &s;elf able to do it: But alas, I had no &s;ooner took up that re&s;olution, but my walk carried me unto her, whether I would, or no. <HI>Antigenes</HI> was all this while ab|&s;ent, and there was none to cau&s;e all my mi&s;eries, but <HI>Phili&s;ta.</HI> One day when I was with her, when it fortuned, <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> contrary to her cu&s;tome, was ab&s;ent; after &s;ome Ladies which were with her were gone away; we both of us did &s;it mute, and &s;poke not a word to one another. <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> deeply mu&s;ing, and never looking at me, and I continually gazing upon her, and dur&s;t not begin di&s;cour&s;e: I found &s;o great an alteration in her face, that I wondred at it. But when &s;he looked up, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">perceived her eyes &s;o full of tears, which &s;he could not re&s;train, that &s;he did endeavour it as much as po&s;&s;ible: I was &s;o &s;en&s;ibly moved at it, that it was impo&s;&s;ible any &s;hould be more.</P>
<P>Madam, &s;aid I unto her, May I take &s;o much liberty, as to ask, whether tho&s;e tears which I &s;ee, proceed from any cau&s;e which is known unto me? Yes, &s;aid &s;he in a langui&s;hing manner; and more then that, you may cau&s;e them to cea&s;e. I, Madam, (&s;aid I unto her?) Yes, replied &s;he, for if you were as generous as you &s;hould be, I &s;hould be at more quiet, and you al&s;o: and in|deed, why cannot you hate me? The &s;ame que&s;tion, may be asked Madam, (replied I) why, cannot you love me? The rea&s;on is, &s;aid &s;he, becau&s;e I cannot. The &s;ame rea&s;on is for me, Madam, &s;aid I unto her, for I can no more cea&s;e from loving you, then you cea&s;e from hating me. Know then however, &s;aid &s;he, that by rea&s;on of this impo&s;&s;ibility I am not in any fault. Be plea&s;ed to know al&s;o by the &s;ame rea&s;on (an&s;wered I) that I am mo&s;t unfortunate, &s;ince I cannot live without you, nor you live with me: but I better under&s;tand upon what rea&s;on I love you, then I do what rea&s;on you have not to endure my love. Look for neither any rea|&s;ons, nor excu&s;es, for what I do, &s;aid &s;he, for I not look for any my &s;elf. Perhaps, &s;aid I unto her, that time and my &s;ervices may at length alter your mind. No, <HI>Philocles,</HI> replied &s;he, deceive not your &s;elf: I have hitherto carried the matter as well as I could, I have invented pretences and excu&s;es to defer the marriage, which my father will needs make up with you: I have coun|terfeited &s;ick, and that &s;o long until I was really &s;o; but for all this, if he, or you, or both, do not alter your re&s;olutions, I am fully re&s;olved to di&s;obey him openly, and by con&s;equence be blamed by all the world: yet I cannot do otherwi&s;e. Alas Madam, &s;aid I unto her, are you ab&s;olutely determined to oppo&s;e my good fortune? Call not that marriage, good fortune, &s;aid &s;he, which would be &s;o di&s;advantagious both for you, and me; for what plea&s;ure can you find in &s;eeing me perpetually melancholy, and receiving an hundred &s;ignes of indifferency from me? No, <HI>Philocles,</HI> you would not find any happine&s;s in it, and therefore if you be wi&s;e think
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upon &s;ome other cour&s;e: and I am &s;o generous, &s;aid &s;he, as that I would not puni&s;h a man who loves me (as you do) &s;o cruelly; no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> is your own intere&s;t in this bu&s;ine&s;s, le&s;s concerned then mine: And I am mo&s;t certain, &s;aid &s;he, that I &s;hould never marry you, although the whole earth would be given to purcha&s;e my con&s;ent; I do con&s;ider al&s;o, that affecting honour, as I do, I &s;hould think my &s;elf infinitely obliged unto you, if you would not force me to an urgent nece&s;&s;ity to re&s;i&s;t my father; but of your &s;elf re&s;olve to for&s;ake me. To for&s;ake you Madam? (&s;aid I unto her with extream &s;orrow) Oh H avens&punc; how can I obey you? Had you rather (&s;aid &s;he) that I &s;hould look upon you as my per&s;ecutor, and that I &s;hould turn my indifference into fury again&s;t you, and de&s;pair again&s;t my &s;elf? And have you a mind to make me as mi&s;e|rable, as you are unfortunate? you may very well think, that if I could love you, I would obey my father, but &s;ince I am not able to do it, what grand inju&s;tice is it to wi&s;h me unto things above my power? No Dominion was ever &s;o tyranical, as that which one pretends unto over the &s;oul: Think well with your &s;elf, <HI>Philocles;</HI> con&s;ider it; and if there be any rea&s;on remain|ing in you, make u&s;e of it in qualifying your own misfortunes, and making mine to cea&s;e. Ma|dam, &s;aid I unto her, do you intend that I &s;hould leave you the liberty to marry <HI>Antigenes</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Oh no, no, I love you too well over to con&s;ent unto it. If I were per&s;waded that your di&s;|dain of me, proceeded from a natural antipathy which you could not overcome, I &s;hould then be &s;o re&s;pective of you, as that I would re&s;olve to die in re&s;olving never to expre&s;s any more &s;ymptoms of my love, or per&s;ecuting you any longer: But unju&s;t Lady that you are, &s;ince your aver&s;ion to me is cau&s;ed only by your inclination unto <HI>Antigenes,</HI> and that you would not ca&s;t off <HI>Philocles,</HI> but only to give him room in your affection: be plea&s;ed to know that I can|not brook it, nor will ever &s;uffer it: <HI>Antigenes</HI> has been my friend, it is true, but &s;ince he is become my Rival, he mu&s;t prepare him&s;elf to unloo&s;e the bands of friend&s;hip: I have hitherto re&s;trained my re&s;entments, I have &s;een him favoured and loved, but I will never &s;ee him the Husband of <HI>Phili&s;ta;</HI> and therefore, to make all parties happy, alter your de&s;igne, <HI>Phili&s;ta.</HI> It mu&s;t be the Gods mu&s;t alter it, an&s;wered &s;he, and &s;ince <HI>I</HI> cannot think they ever will, all that <HI>I</HI> can &s;ay unto you, is, that although <HI>Antigenes</HI> were not in the world, though <HI>I</HI> had ne|ver known him, yet &s;hould <HI>I</HI> be the &s;ame unto you <HI>I</HI> am. But however Madam, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, confe&s;s the truth, <HI>Antigenes</HI> &s;hould have the honour to be the fair <HI>Phili&s;ta's</HI> choice, if <HI>Ala&s;is</HI> would con&s;ent unto it. <HI>I</HI> am too &s;incere, replied &s;he, to deny what you &s;ay. O mo&s;t cruel Lady, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, will you make me ab&s;olutely de&s;pair? But <HI>Philocles,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, would you have me lo&s;e my rea&s;on? what right have you unto any part of my will? Did <HI>I</HI> ever give you any hopes, &s;ince the fir&s;t time <HI>I</HI> know you? No, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, but you have procured in me abundance of love. Am <HI>I</HI> to blame, replied &s;he? Have <HI>I</HI> not an hundred times de&s;ired you to cea&s;e from loving me? 'Tis true, all that ever you &s;aid unto me was in vain, for <HI>Philocles</HI> &s;hall never enjoy me. And <HI>I</HI> &s;wear by the Heavens, &s;aid <HI>I, Antigenes</HI> &s;hall ne|ver enjoy <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> as long as <HI>Philocles</HI> lives. I had rather chu&s;e that misfortune then the other, (replied &s;he.) Would you &s;o? (&s;aid <HI>I,</HI> with a mind full of anger, jealou&s;ie, and love.) <HI>I</HI> have already told you &s;o, an&s;wered &s;he. Since it is &s;o (pur&s;ued <HI>I)</HI> be plea&s;ed to know, that if you will you may be rid of the unfortunate <HI>Philocles;</HI> he &s;hall not per&s;ecute you any more; nor unle&s;s you plea&s;e, &s;hall ever &s;ee you again. Which way (&s;aid &s;he) can <HI>I</HI> obtain &s;o great a happine&s;s? By breaking off with <HI>Antigenes,</HI> &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, and &s;olemnly promi&s;ing never to &s;ee him no ofter them me: for to imagine, that you &s;hould ca&s;t off me, and <HI>I</HI> &s;uffer you to enjoy a thou&s;and happy days with my Rival, is a thing impo&s;&s;ible. <HI>I</HI> know very well Madam, that <HI>I</HI> do in &s;ome &s;ort tran&s;gre&s;s again&s;t the re&s;pect which <HI>I</HI> owe you; but who&s;oever has no more rea&s;on then <HI>I</HI> have, is not &s;ubject unto any Law of Complacencie: Speak then, Madam, <HI>I</HI> be|&s;eech you, Is it your plea&s;ure, <HI>Philocles</HI> &s;hall &s;ee you no more? it is in your power, and you may do it pre&s;ently. If <HI>I</HI> were your wife, replied &s;he, what would, you then do? If <HI>I</HI> &s;hould enjoy that honour, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould then tru&s;t my &s;elf with your vertue, but &s;ince <HI>I</HI> am only the object of your aver&s;ion and di&s;dain, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t tru&s;t unto my &s;elf: therefore Madam, if you would not have me move <HI>Ala&s;is</HI> to compel you unto what he has promi&s;ed me, write a Letter unto <HI>Antigenes,</HI> which &s;hall ab&s;olutely forbid him to &s;ee you, at his return, and I &s;hall imme|diately leave you in peace, upon condition that the promi&s;e which you &s;hall make be &s;incere, which is, that you will never marry <HI>Antigenes.</HI> You tell me of &s;uch horrid things (an&s;wered &s;he) that <HI>I</HI> cannot po&s;&s;ibly endure them: you al&s;o have given me &s;uch di&s;mal an&s;wers, replied <HI>I,</HI> that <HI>I</HI> wonder <HI>I</HI> can hear them and live; but how ever <HI>Antigenes</HI> &s;hall never thrive by my di&s;grace: yet &s;ince <HI>I</HI> can never be yours, replied &s;he, why &s;hould you care who&s;e <HI>I</HI> be: Why Madam? (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her) alas, you do not know the fury of that pa&s;&s;ion which rules in me, to think there is no difference between a Rival that is loved, and another which is not: <HI>I</HI> know
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that to lo&s;e the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of her one loves, is a cruel fate, but to &s;ee her enjoy the Rival which &s;he loves is infinitely more terrible, therefore never imagine that I can ever change my thoughts; Allow me then &s;ome time to con&s;ider upon &s;uch a fatal Propo&s;ition. I am contented Madam (&s;aid I unto her &s;ighing) and afterwards a&s;&s;uming more calmne&s;s of mind, I would to the Gods, Ma|dam, &s;aid I, that during this time of con&s;ideration, you would change your thoughts of me: and thus did I leave <HI>Phili&s;ta;</HI> and left in a mo&s;t unquiet mind: for &s;he &s;aw I had given her an occa&s;ion to be delivered of all my importunacies, yet it was upon condition to quit her &s;elf from <HI>Antigenes</HI> whom &s;he loved: On the other &s;ide, &s;he fear'd that if &s;he per&s;i&s;ted any longer in her ob&s;tinacy, her father would either force her to marry me, as there was great likelyhood he would, or el&s;e I would kill <HI>Antigenes:</HI> for my part I was in no le&s;s perplexity then &s;he, for I had &s;een <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> &s;o &s;ick, or altered, and &s;o melancholy, that I feared the being a cau&s;e of her death: Moreover, I thought &s;uch an angry piece of bu&s;ine&s;s, to force her inclination in mar|rying me again&s;t her will, by the authority of her father, that I could hardly re&s;olve upon it: Sometimes a generous di&s;dain made me a&s;hamed of my unworthy per&s;everance, but pe&s;ently after love became predominate, and took up its fir&s;t place, cha&s;ing all other thoughts from my heart; &s;ometimes anger would &s;o tran&s;port me, that I would not marry her, but only to take her from <HI>Antigenes,</HI> and treat her ill afterwards; this &s;eeming the &s;weet way of all: &s;ometimes again, when my mind was more &s;erene, I would win her no way but by my &s;ubmi&s;&s;ions: But the Re&s;ult of all my thoughts was, that <HI>Antigenes</HI> &s;hould never marry her: Mean while <HI>Ala&s;is</HI> was angry at the proceeding of his daughter, and began to ha&s;ten on the marriage, &s;ending her word by her brother; that it was his peremptory plea&s;ure &s;he &s;hould con&s;ent unto it: See|ing her &s;elf then in &s;uch a narrow and de&s;perate condition, &s;he &s;ent for me: and with tears in her eyes, <HI>Philocles</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to me) you have overcome me. Ah Madam, &s;aid I unto her, is it po&s;&s;ible? Yes, &s;aid &s;he, and upon condition you will break off with my father, I promi&s;e you to break off with <HI>Antigenes.</HI> O Heavens, Madam, &s;aid I unto her, how di&s;mal is this vi|ctory, and how dear do I buy tho&s;e tears? But Madam, &s;aid I, Can you ca&s;t off <HI>Antigenes,</HI> purpo&s;ely to ca&s;t off <HI>Philocles?</HI> Keep, &s;aid &s;he, within the limits of your Propo&s;ition, unle&s;s you intend to drive me into &s;ome de&s;perate re&s;olution: <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> pronounced the&s;e words in &s;uch a manner, that notwith&s;tanding my choller, I did pity her. Madam, &s;aid I unto her, what a&s;&s;urance can <HI>I</HI> have that you will ca&s;t off <HI>Antigenes?</HI> This Letter, &s;aid &s;he, which you &s;hall give, or &s;end unto him: I be&s;eech you, added &s;he, &s;ince I do for you, all that I can, do for me what you ought, and &s;ee me no more I conjure you. In &s;aying &s;o, &s;he left me, and went into her Clo&s;et: but &s;o pale, &s;o changed, and &s;o much &s;orrow in her eyes, that I &s;aw <HI>Antigenes</HI> was more in her favour then I had thought. It is not ea&s;ie for me to tell you the &s;tate of my &s;oul at that time: I quitted her, and her Chamber, and went unto my own, where opening <HI>Phili&s;ta's</HI> Letter, I read the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>PHILISTA <HI>unto</HI> ANTIGENES.</HEAD>
<P>SInce <HI>Philocles</HI> hath promi&s;ed me to &s;ee me no more, I do conjure you by that power, which you have given me over you, to do the &s;ame. This is the only way, which can keep me from becoming his, and it is by his will only, that mine is not tyrannized over by my father. To prevent my marrying of him, whom I love not, I mu&s;t deprive my &s;elfe of him, whom doubtle&s;s I would have loved, if it had been permitted me. But what &s;hould I do? Fates will have it &s;o, and there's an end: Mean time, remember that I expect obedience from you, and that I never &s;ee you; al&s;o that you neither quarrel with <HI>Philocles,</HI> nor he with you, concern|ing me: for &s;ince he deprives him&s;elf of all he loves, (which is my &s;elf) for the love of me: It is but ju&s;t that you do as much for him, &s;ince it conduceth to the tranquility of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>PHILISTA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>"Oh Heavens, what variety of thoughts did this Letter beget in me! one while I was plea&s;ed in thinking <HI>Antigenes</HI> &s;hould &s;ee <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> no more: immediately after I was all &s;orrow to &s;ee how ill I &s;tood in her fancie. I thought a hundred times, and a hundred times to alter my re&s;o|lution: and as oft again to follow tho&s;e re&s;olutions I had taken, I de&s;ired a friend of mine to go unto <HI>Ala&s;is,</HI> and to be&s;eech him mo&s;t humbly, that he would not u&s;e any forcings upon the inclination of <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> but at the lea&s;t to give her &s;ome time to con&s;ider upon it, It &s;o fell o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t, that I was to take a journey upon &s;ome important bu&s;ine&s;s, and was within a few days to leave <HI>Corinth; Ala&s;is</HI> began pre&s;ently to &s;u&s;pect the truth, and would needs have it &s;o, that not|with&s;tanding
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the aver&s;ion of his daughter I mu&s;t marry her: but I departed, without bid|ing adieu unto any, and went unto <HI>Antigenes:</HI> you may ea&s;ily imagine that I undertook this journey with extream &s;orrow: as &s;oon as I came to <HI>Thebes,</HI> I enquired where <HI>Antigenes</HI> lodged; and found the place, but they told me, that he was gone into the Gardens, which are beyond the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Cadmus:</HI> being &s;hewed the way, I went thither, and found him there, with many beauties walking in the walks which were very large: As I e&s;pied him at the end of one walk, I pa&s;&s;ed into another, not de&s;iring to &s;peak unto him before &s;o many: and coming unto the end of a walk ju&s;t oppo&s;ite to that where he was, I &s;aw the conver&s;ation of tho&s;e Ladies, and him, was very high, gallant, and plea&s;ant; and me thought, for a man that was in love at <HI>Corinth,</HI> he was a little too blith, and merry at <HI>Thebes:</HI> but &s;ince I was not in the &s;am<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> humour wherein I &s;aw him, I would not mingle into the company of &s;uch who were all unknown unto me but my Rival, but returned, and waited for him at his lodging: &s;ince it was late before he returned that night, my patience would hardly hold out, yet I had &s;o great a de&s;ire to give him this cooling news, that I &s;tayed &s;till: he was no &s;ooner come in, but going into the Chamber, where his men had placed me, I went towards him in a cold kind of manner; but I was much &s;urpri&s;ed to &s;ee him come unto me with a freer countenance then ever he did &s;ince we were Rivals: Is <HI>Philocles,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, at <HI>Thebes?</HI> Oh Heavens, is it po&s;&s;ible! Yes, an&s;wered I unto him, and he came hither purpo&s;ely to <HI>Antigenes,</HI> by order from <HI>Phili&s;ta:</HI> Are you upon &s;uch good terms with her (&s;aid he unto me) that &s;he &s;hould give you any &s;uch Commi&s;&s;ion? You &s;hall &s;ee by her Letter, &s;aid I unto him, and gave it him. <HI>An|tigenes</HI> blu&s;hed in taking of it, and going unto the Table whereon there was a Candle: I con|fe&s;s, &s;aid he, I cannot gue&s;s at the bu&s;ine&s;s, but after he had read the Letter, without any &s;uch great re&s;entment as I expected: No, no, <HI>Philocles</HI> (&s;aid he unto me, repeating &s;ome words of <HI>Phili&s;ta's</HI> Letter,) <HI>Antigenes</HI> &s;hall not quarrel with you; and though you would quarrel with him, yet he will not &s;uffer it to be &s;o. I do confe&s;s this di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Antigenes</HI> did much &s;urpri&s;e me; but after he had imbraced me, he told me how the Gods had cured him of his pa&s;&s;ion: And though I cannot confe&s;s it (&s;aid he) without &s;hame, yet for your tranquility, I w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ll acknowledge my mutability, and tell you that I am now in love at <HI>Thebes,</HI> as I was at <HI>Corinth.</HI> How, &s;aid I unto him, is <HI>Antigenes</HI> whom <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> loves incon&s;tant? and is <HI>Philocles</HI> whom &s;he hates and &s;corns faithful? So it is, replied he, and I can give you no o|ther rea&s;on for it, unle&s;s this, that the Gods would not have me any longer continue a Rival unto one of my deare&s;t friends. I did not at the fir&s;t, give any credit unto the words of <HI>Antigenes</HI> but the next morning he &s;hewed me the Lady whom he then loved, who indeed was a mira|cle of beauty: I enquired further in the Town, I found that ever &s;ince he came to <HI>Thebes,</HI> he &s;eemed to be in love with her. Then did we renew our ancient friend&s;hip; and <HI>I</HI> re|turned unto <HI>Corinth,</HI> with permi&s;&s;ion from him to make <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> acquainted with his in|con&s;tancie; hoping that perhaps it would conduce unto my advantage: But alas, this hope was ill bottomed, for &s;he not being able to revenge her &s;elf upon <HI>Antigenes</HI> for his in|fidelity, would needs ca&s;t all her revenge upon me, and treated me more cruelly then ever.</P>
<P>At that time her father died, &s;o that now fearing none, but having the &s;taff in her own hand, &s;he did beat me with it, and not &s;ee me any more: and to compleat my misfortune, this cruel Lady, being well recovered in her health, and fairer then ever, returned unto <HI>Ja|li&s;&s;a,</HI> unto an Aunt of hers there, and a little while after was al&s;o married there; never &s;hewing any thing but &s;ignes of extream aver&s;ion unto me, or at the be&s;t, indifferencie: &s;o that by con&s;equence <HI>I</HI> may well &s;ay, that <HI>I</HI> have not only been deprived of all the &s;weets of love, but have al&s;o had &s;ad experience of all its bitters; never being any without doubt, which could equal this: <HI>I</HI> could not endure the place where <HI>I</HI> had been &s;o long torment|ed; and notwith&s;tanding any thing that any could &s;ay unto me, <HI>I</HI> left <HI>Corinth,</HI> and re|turned unto <HI>Cyprus,</HI> where <HI>I</HI> continued adoring that obdurate Lady; &s;o that without hopes of ever being loved, <HI>I</HI> per&s;i&s;ted &s;till, and ever &s;hall do in love; and by con&s;equence mu&s;t be the mo&s;t unfortunate man that ever loved, or lived: Ab&s;ence is doubtle&s;s a mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible evil, but to be ab&s;olutely ca&s;heered out of the heart of her one loves, is much more cruel then to be only out of her eyes: this evil has a thou&s;and remedies, which may cure, at the lea&s;t, comfort it. The remembrance of plea&s;ing pa&s;&s;ages joyned unto the hopes of return, does &s;weeten many an hour, what&s;oever <HI>Thimocrates</HI> is plea&s;ed to &s;ay; nor do <HI>I</HI> know whether the joy and plea&s;ure which one takes to &s;ee his Mi&s;tre&s;s again after a long ab&s;ence from her, be not greater then all the mi&s;eries that ab&s;ence can cau&s;e: But to imagin that one is not loved no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> ever &s;hall be, this is an incomprehen&s;ible mi&s;ery, at
<PB N="56" REF="219">
the lea&s;t to one that hath had experience of it: for this grand ab&s;ence comprehends all other &s;orts of ab&s;ences, &s;ince in the very pre&s;ence of her one loves, he is ab&s;ent from her heart and mind, un|to which no other ab&s;ence can be comparable: I do confe&s;s that doubtle&s;s the death of a mi&s;tris is more rigorous then ab&s;ence; but I cannot endure any &s;hould &s;ay, that he who is not loved &s;hould be le&s;s mi&s;erable then he who lo&s;eth that which he loves: This la&s;t evil is certainly, a mo&s;t violent one; yet notwith&s;tanding, according to the intention of nature, it lo&s;eth &s;ome|thing of its force as &s;oon as it is come unto its limit: but this which I endure, contrary to the order of all the univer&s;e, is more violent and durable: the longer it la&s;ts, the more it augments, whereas the other on the contrary does at length demini&s;h. That impo&s;&s;ibility which there is, to rai&s;e one from the dead, make a Soul re&s;t it &s;elf, whether it will or no, in its own &s;or|row: it &s;huts it &s;elf, as one may &s;ay, within the Tombe of her he loves, and lulling it &s;elf a &s;leep in the Coffin with her, its &s;orrows by degrees does there langui&s;h, and he has &s;ome con|&s;olation there, that he can be dew with tears, the a&s;hes of his Mi&s;tre&s;s. But a &s;corned love, who &s;ees him&s;elf dead in the heart of is Mi&s;tre&s;s, injoys no re&s;t: for being per&s;waded, that it is not ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible, but &s;ome altertaion or other may happen in his bu&s;ine&s;s he plots a hundred &s;everal devices, which none of them bitting the make he aimed at, does continually drive him into d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;pair: all his hope is to b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">n quiet, and not to be comforted: and doing eve|ry thing which others u&s;e to do which may make them&s;elves loved, he does them all in vain, the more he loves, the more he is &s;corned or without any power to cure him&s;elf or ever de|&s;iring it, he endures an incredible forment. Jealou&s;ie, indeed is a very dangerous poy&s;on: but it &s;pits not all its malignits on the heart of that lover, who thinks him&s;elf &s;ometimes loved, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> jealou&s;ie can ever be ranked among&s;t the greate&s;t mi&s;eries, doubtle&s;s it mu&s;t be, when he who is jealous is per&s;waded that the Lady whom he loves had never one good thought of him. Yet it com<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s not neer that torment which I endure; for I am per&s;waded, that if I had only one &s;ingle thought. I &s;hould hereafter be loved by <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> but one poor day; the very thoughts of that one day would &s;weeten all my mi&s;eries, and fortifie my hopes as long as I lived. A jealous man may him&s;elf imagin that perhaps, what he thinks is not &s;o; for that pa&s;sion does commonly in&s;pire only <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ncertain thoughts, and ill grounded phan&s;ies: But when one finds by a long, and a &s;ad experience, that there is an ab&s;olute unalterable aver&s;ion in the heart of her he loves: what more plea&s;ant thought can he have, then the de&s;ire of death? For truly, all the cares, the &s;ervices, the &s;ighs, the tears, and every thing el&s;e which the mo&s;t faithfull lovers do, are all done, that by them they may obtain the happine&s;s to be loved: that is all the recompence of love, the prize which is only aimed at, and without it all other things are nothing: and to obtain it, they will willingly &s;uffer whole years of mi&s;ery: he then that is deprived of that which is the end, the aim, and wi&s;h of all lovers, who ever did love, do love, or ever &s;hall love; mu&s;t needs be the mo&s;t lamentable; and I dare affirm, that I &s;uffer more then any one in the World can, and by con&s;equence, it would be extream Inju&s;tice, not to lament me more, then any unfortunate men, who &s;uffers le&s;s.</P>
<P>Thus did <HI>Philocles,</HI> relate, and end his Story, with his rea&s;ons, which &s;eemed &s;o &s;trong unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> that &s;he could not forbear her bitter invections again&s;t <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> in &s;o much as <HI>Philocles</HI> was forced to take her part and excu&s;e her: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as I mu&s;t needs blame her, &s;o I mu&s;t needs pity <HI>Philocles:</HI> for the Gods it &s;eems are much incen&s;ed again&s;t her, for making her to look upon that as a misfortune, which would have made her in|finitly happy: But &s;ince &s;he her &s;elf, replied <HI>Erenice,</HI> is the cau&s;e of her misfortune, me thinks, Sir, that &s;he de&s;erves it. <HI>Philocles</HI> &s;aid <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> is que&s;tionle&s;s, much to be lamented: for if fortune had only cro&s;&s;ed his de&s;igns, he would more ea&s;ily have endured it, then to &s;ee <HI>Phi|li&s;ta,</HI> do it. This mi&s;ery is great indeed, replied <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> but when I think upon what I &s;uffer, I think it little: but I conceive it more in&s;upportable then yours, replied the Prince <HI>Artibies,</HI> though a Thou&s;and degrees &s;hort of mine: Oh I wi&s;h to the Gods, that the adored Lady who&s;e lo&s;s I mourn for, were in &s;uch a condition, that I might &s;uffer the &s;ame for her: This is a very &s;trange wi&s;h added <HI>Leontidas,</HI> yet I do not know whether tho&s;e which I have often made in my jealous fits, would not &s;eem more &s;trange unto you: It is not your time to &s;peak yet, &s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> but if you be plea&s;ed to think well of it, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, and looked up|on <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the Prince <HI>Artibies,</HI> according unto the order which you approved of, &s;hall tell his &s;tory before <HI>Leontidas:</HI> You are their Judg, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and it is only you, unto whom they all mu&s;t be obedient, and I beleeve the Prince <HI>Artibeis</HI> is well plea&s;ed with it. Then after he had called to mind, all <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he di&s;mal <HI>Ideas,</HI> of his dead Mi&s;tri&s;s, his countenance altered, his eyes were more melancholy then before, and after he had &s;ighed two or three times, he began his Story thus.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 N="3" TYPE="story">
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<HEAD>The Lover in Mourning. The third Hi&s;tory.</HEAD>
<P>THe remembrance of misfortunes is doubtle&s;s very plea&s;ing unto tho&s;e who do not endure them any longer, and who like men e&s;caped from &s;hip-wracke, and out of all fears do tell the dangers they have avoyded: But the mi&s;ery which I endure being eternall, or at the &s;oone&s;t, mu&s;t not end but with life, it is hard for me to have a Soul &s;o free, as to exactly tell you, the original and progre&s;s of my pa&s;&s;ion: And though it were po&s;&s;ible to find &s;ome &s;weet|ne&s;s in complaining again&s;t &s;uch evils, yet would there be none in the remembrance of &s;uch pa&s;t plea&s;ures, which can never be injoyed. Pardon me therefore I conjure you, if I de&s;cant up|on nothing but what is fatally di&s;mal: and think not ill of me, if my &s;oul which is u&s;ed unto no thoughts but death, does entertain you with dull and melancholy relations, and fill your imaginations with nothing but Urns, Coffins, and Tombs. I &s;hall not in&s;i&s;t to tell you the rea|&s;ons, why the Prince of <HI>Cicilie</HI> my brother, &s;ent me unto <HI>Thebes,</HI> &s;ince it is not pertinent unto your knowledg, that it was my pa&s;&s;ion, brought me thither: it will be &s;ufficient to inform you that I was two whole years there: But perhaps it is not altogether impertinent to let you know that the Prince&s;s my Mother, was de&s;cended from the race of <HI>Cadmus</HI> &s;on of <HI>Agenor,</HI> who was &s;o illu&s;terous among&s;t tho <HI>Thebans.</HI> I went then to <HI>Thebes</HI> in an equipage befitting my birth: I was received there with much honour: and within a few days I was acquainted with all that were great and noble there. He who then was <HI>Poetarch,</HI> that is, Captain General of <HI>Poetia</HI> had a &s;on called <HI>Palimnis,</HI> neer of my age, with whom I contracted a mo&s;t inti|mate friend&s;hip, and who &s;hewed me all the Ladies of quality in <HI>Thebes,</HI> among&s;t which I found abundance of rare beauties. But in all the companies wherein I was, I heard no di&s;cou&s;e but of the &s;ickne&s;s of one in the Town, whom all reports made to be the faire&s;t in the world: and I asked <HI>Polimnis</HI> whether it was true, that this per&s;on whom they &s;aid was in danger to dye, was fairer then any I had &s;een in <HI>Thebes?</HI> He a&s;&s;ured, that &s;he had more beauty then all the re&s;t, put them all together: afterwards I under&s;tood &s;he was his Con&s;in, and de&s;cended from <HI>Etocles</HI> nephew of <HI>Creon,</HI> and &s;on of <HI>Joca&s;tus</HI> who wore the Crown with &s;o many mi&s;fortunes, and that this Lady had all the rare qualities which could render one mo&s;t perfectly accompli&s;hed. I began then upon the&s;e reports, to intere&s;t my &s;elf in her condition; and eve|ry day asked <HI>Polimnis</HI> how this fair &s;ick Lady did? not yet being more &s;en&s;ible of any &s;orrow, as you may well &s;uppo&s;e, then the love of any beautiful things in general might cau&s;e, and &s;uch as natural compa&s;&s;ion might infu&s;e into a man, who had a tender &s;oul and quick imagination. However, it was an ea&s;ie matter to di&s;cover her lovers, for they were all of them &s;o melancho|ly, that the mo&s;t di&s;creet among&s;t them did &s;hew their pa&s;&s;ions by there tears, or at lea&s;t by their &s;ighs, Upon a day when <HI>Polimnis</HI> and I pa&s;&s;ed by the door of <HI>Leontina</HI> (&s;o was this fair Lady called) and the &s;ame who had cured <HI>Antigenes</HI> of his love to <HI>Phili&s;ta)</HI> we &s;aw many men go ha&s;tily in, and &s;aw others come out, with eyes and faces all tears. <HI>Polimnis</HI> &s;tayed one of <HI>Leontinas</HI> woemen who he &s;aw grieving very much, and &s;he told him, that her Mi&s;tris was dying, and that &s;he was going to fetch one of her friends whom &s;he de&s;ired to &s;peak with, be|fore &s;he lo&s;t her &s;peech. <HI>Polimnis,</HI> who was of kin to this &s;ick Lady, and loved her very well de&s;ired of me permi&s;&s;ion to go unto her; I was &s;o far from denying him, that I &s;aid I would go with him. We entred into the hou&s;e, where the condition of <HI>Leontina</HI> had cau&s;ed &s;uch di&s;|order, that much ceremony was not to be ob&s;erved: all the doors were open; all the dome&s;|tiques in tears: &s;everal chambers through which we pa&s;&s;ed were full of people, and when we came neere her chamber, <HI>Polimnis</HI> having not yet met with any who could exactly tell him the &s;tate of his Cou&s;en, left me at the door, and entred him&s;elf into her chamber, which he found full of men, who had no more rea&s;on to enter then he had: and coming neer the Canopy of cloth of Gold, I &s;aw upon a bed which was under it, the incomparable <HI>Leontina</HI> in a &s;ound: but Oh Heavens, how this &s;ight did &s;urprize and trouble me! The fight of &s;o great a beauty, in &s;o pi|tiful a ca&s;e, did deeply penetrate my &s;oul? &s;he lay neglegently, on one &s;ide, with her head a little turned: her hair half loo&s;e, her right arm out of bed; her neck alittle open, her eyes &s;hut, h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r mouth half open, without any &s;igne of life; only a weak kind of breathing, which was hardly di&s;cernable, yet although the palene&s;s of death was upon her face, I who entred af|ter <HI>Polimnis,</HI> could &s;ay, that I never in all my life &s;aw any &s;o fair: you may well imagin how &s;ad I was to &s;ee her in that condition; and to ob&s;erve, that all remedies and phi&s;ique would do her no good, which in an houre after, I thought, I &s;aw her ready to expire. <HI>Polimnis,</HI> who &s;aw me neer him, would diver&s;e times move me to go out, and avert our eyes from &s;o &s;ad an object: but &s;eeing none tooke any notice of us, but that without any offence we might
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remain there, I held him, and would not let him go out; for I was &s;o much moved to &s;ee <HI>Le|ontina</HI> in that condition, though I had never &s;een it in any other, that indeed I was turned a very &s;tock, and could not &s;tir. But at la&s;t, when I was almo&s;t pa&s;t all hopes, I pre&s;ently per|ceived, I &s;aw a fre&s;h colour appear upon the palene&s;s of her cheek, and as it were drive away that mortal palene&s;s which had &s;pread it &s;elf over all her face: Pre&s;ently after, &s;he opened her eyes, but though &s;he did immediately &s;hut them again, I &s;aw &s;omething &s;o &s;plendid in them, that I was dazled; a little after that, &s;he &s;ighed, and turned her &s;elf with &s;o much &s;trength, that &s;he gave evident &s;ignes and hopes of her amendment: &s;o that the Phy&s;icians being put in &s;ome hopes, they cau&s;ed all to go out of the Chamber, but &s;uch as might be u&s;eful, that &s;he might have no more air, and they better help her: It is impo&s;&s;ible for me to tell you, how half dead <HI>Leontina</HI> did rai&s;e an immortal pa&s;&s;ion in my heart: Let it &s;uffice, O my equitable Judg! that you know I loved her, though dying as &s;he was, and compa&s;&s;ion did &s;o molifie my heart, that love wounded it without re&s;i&s;tance.</P>
<P>After this, I was more careful then <HI>Polimnis</HI> was to enquire every day how &s;he did &amp; al&s;o more diligent then all the re&s;t of her ancient Lovers. Mean while it was the plea&s;ure of the Gods to re&s;tore her unto the earth: &s;he recovered, and &s;he lived in perfect health, and that &s;o fair, &s;o charming, and &s;o admirable in all things, that I e&s;teemed my &s;elf infinitely happy in being her Slave. <HI>Polimnis,</HI> carried me unto her, as &s;oon as I was in a condition to be &s;een, and I was re|ceived with much civility; I found al&s;o &s;o many graces in her mind, that there was no need of any beauty to captivate mine, if it had not been &s;o already. I &s;hall tell you, (but follow that rule which I propo&s;ed) how I did all &s;uch things, as a &s;pringing love does u&s;ually produce; how I endeavoured to plea&s;e her, to divert her, and to get my &s;elf into her e&s;teem: But I &s;hall on|ly tell you, that though I was not very impro&s;perous in the&s;e three things, yet was it very long before I could receive any &s;ignes of complacencie in her towards my pa&s;&s;ion. <HI>Leontina</HI> was very civil, it is true, but &s;o &s;he was unto all the world, yet my love was not at all &s;ati&s;|fied; but though I thought &s;he did not love me at all, yet did I continue to love her infinitely, as after her recovery it appeared: for &s;he being gone into the Countrey with &s;ome of her friends, there ran a rumour about all <HI>Thebes,</HI> that &s;he was drowned in going over the Ri|ver <HI>I&s;menes,</HI> the Coach being overturned in the mid&s;t of the water: This &s;ad accident was related with all manner of circum&s;tances; how <HI>Leontina</HI> was found dead, &s;ome five or &s;ix pa|ces from the place where the Coach was broke, and there was no que&s;tion made of the truth in this tragick news: It is hard for me to tell you how I received it, I lo&s;t my &s;peech, and al|mo&s;t my life, I cannot tell you what I then &s;aid or did, my rea&s;on was &s;o confounded, and my &s;orrows told all the world, that I had much ado to hide my pa&s;&s;ion, becau&s;e the humour of <HI>Leontina</HI> was not to affect tho&s;e publick Adorers, who make a vanity of their pa&s;&s;ion: &s;ince it was two days journey from <HI>Thebes</HI> unto the place where they &s;aid this di&s;mal misfortune happened, it was long before we could be informed of the certainty. But Oh Heavens! every hour was an age, and I pa&s;&s;ed them all without any hopes; and if <HI>Polimnis</HI> who was ac|quainted with my love, had not prevented me, I had gone my &s;elfe unto the place, where they &s;aid <HI>Leontina</HI> was drowned: But my impatience was &s;o high, that I took hor&s;e, and went out of Town, though it were but to go into the way through which the Corp&s;s of <HI>Leontina</HI> was to come: <HI>Polimnis</HI> knowing of it, followed me, and de&s;iring to comfort me, he told me that I was happy his Cou&s;in had been no more favou|rable unto me, &s;ince if &s;he had loved me, I &s;hould have been much more unfortunate then I was: Ah unju&s;t friend, &s;aid I unto him, you know not how to love, do you think it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould be more grieved then I am? No, no, &s;aid I unto him once again, you do not know what are the effects of love. Alas, (&s;aid I never thinking <HI>Polimnis</HI> &s;tood by) <HI>Leontina</HI> is dead: <HI>Le|ontina</HI> the beauty of the world is mo&s;t mi&s;erably lo&s;t; &s;he did not love me, it is true, but perhaps &s;he might have loved me hereafter, and becau&s;e &s;he did not at the pre&s;ent love me, mu&s;t I therefore leave lamenting her; and was not my love of her &s;ufficient to make me eternally be|wail her lo&s;s? Yes, yes, (&s;aid I, and turning towards <HI>Polimnis)</HI> there needs no more to prove unto you, that I mu&s;t be for ever joyle&s;s, I loved <HI>Leontina,</HI> and I have lo&s;t her, what needs more to make me de&s;perate? We do never u&s;e to mourn for them who loves us when we do not love them; and we do always mourn for them we love, though they love not us. Lament, lament eternally, and weep for the incomparable <HI>Leontina.</HI> As I was thus condoling, <HI>Polim|nis</HI> not hearkening unto me, but looking towards a great plain, (for <HI>Boetia</HI> is a very flat and open Countrey) I &s;topped and looked as he did, and ca&s;ting my eyes the &s;ame way, I &s;aw a Coach appear, guarded and conveyed by &s;ome hor&s;e: After <HI>Polimnis</HI> and I had looked a while, while&s;t the Coach drew near us, we knew it to belong unto that &s;ame fair one, who&s;e lo&s;s I &s;o la|mented:
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Ah <HI>Polimnis,</HI> (&s;aid I di&s;tractedly) look where they bring the Corp&s;e of <HI>Leontina:</HI> in &s;aying &s;o, this &s;ad object did &s;o work upon my &s;pirits, that my &s;oul was too weak to &s;up|port &s;o great a grief: I would have put my hor&s;e on towards the Coach, which was coming towards us, but not knowing what I did, but having ab&s;olutely lo&s;t my rea&s;on, I went back|ward in lieu of forward; <HI>Polimnis</HI> coming towards me, &s;eeing my countenance change, my eyes twinkle, and I holding him by the hand, &s;aid in an undi&s;tingui&s;hable tone, (I &s;hall &s;ee her dead <HI>Polimnis)</HI> and after this, he &s;aw I let the bridle of my hor&s;e fall, and if he had not held me up, I had fallen my &s;elf; he then took me by the Arme, and one of my men helping him, they took me off my hor&s;e very gently, and &s;et me upon the ground &s;ome two paces from the way, where I lay in a &s;ound: <HI>Polimnis</HI> was then in a pitiful ca&s;e, to &s;ee his friend dying, and his Cou&s;in dead: but as he was very bu&s;ie about me, and the Coach came nearer, he was extreamly &s;urpri&s;ed to hear Ladies in it laughing and &s;inging; then did he ri&s;e up to look who they were, and he &s;aw <HI>Leontina</HI> in the Boot of the Coach, who knowing him cau&s;ed it to &s;tay, that &s;he might ask him what he was doing there, but ca&s;ting her eyes at the &s;ame time upon me; Oh Heavens! &s;aid &s;he, is not that the Prince <HI>Artibies</HI> which I &s;ee? Yes, replied he, it is the &s;ame, and he is in great need of your help; but &s;aid he unto her, how did you ri&s;e from the dead, for all in <HI>Thebes</HI> thinks you &s;o? It is not now a time to tell you, replied &s;he, but rather to help your friend: In &s;aying &s;o, &s;he came out of the Coach, as all the re&s;t of h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r friends did, and commanding one of her men to go in all ha&s;te unto the next hou&s;e for &s;ome water to fetch me out of my &s;ound, <HI>Leontina</HI> did mo&s;t charitably come to me, and laid her hand upon my Arme, to try how my pul&s;e did beat: Mean while he who w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nt for water, returning, they threw &s;ome in my face, and by little and little I revived. But Oh Heavens! how was I &s;urprized to find my &s;elf in that condition, and to &s;ee my admired <HI>Leontina</HI> li|ving, though my imagination during this long &s;ound was filled with her death. When <HI>Po|limnis</HI> &s;aw what I would revive, he came towards <HI>Leontina,</HI> who turned towards him, asked what was the cau&s;e of this accident: Your &s;elf, inhumane Cou&s;in, &s;aid he unto her, and then in few words he told her, the news of her fal&s;e death, was the cau&s;e of his true and real &s;or|row: but though &s;he &s;eemed not to believe it, yet &s;he afterwards told me, that &s;he was fully per&s;waded of it, e&s;pecially by my manner of looking upon her, when I returned unto my &s;elf, by the confu&s;ion I was in, to find my &s;elf in that condition, and by an hundred other things which I did and &s;aid upon that occa&s;ion.</P>
<P>But in conclu&s;ion, after I was fully a&s;&s;ured that <HI>Leontina</HI> was living, and had thanked her for her charitable help, &s;he would not &s;uffer me to take hor&s;e, but de&s;iring her friends to make room for me, &s;he took me into her Coach, which I was con&s;trained to accept of, for I had not yet recovered out of my weakne&s;s and &s;orrows. In our return to <HI>Thebes,</HI> I under|&s;tood, how that which rai&s;ed the reports of her death, was that indeed &s;he found the River of <HI>I&s;menes</HI> very high, and being likely to be put to &s;wim, &s;he thought of no way but peri&s;hing, yet by good fortune they turned the Coach back again to the &s;ide, and it did not overturn until they were near the Banks, &s;o that &s;he and all her friends were ea&s;ily relieved, and rid out of their fears to be drowned; but they &s;tayed a day to refre&s;h them&s;elves after this fright, and re|&s;olved not to continue on their journey, until the River was lower: &s;o it is to be imagined, that &s;ome or other &s;eeing only the Coach overturned, had rai&s;ed this report. However, this acci|dent was very favourable unto me; and the mute eloquence of my &s;ounding had more Rhe|tori<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">k in it to per&s;wade <HI>Leontina,</HI> then all my words: I found her, me thought, nothing &s;o rigid unto me as &s;he u&s;ed; and if it were pertinent at this time to remember delightful pa&s;&s;a|ges, I &s;hould tell you that for two months together, I fully ta&s;ted of all the &s;weets, which hopes of being loved could fea&s;t me with all; but &s;ince it is not at all pertinent, I &s;hall only tell you, that after &s;o many happy days <HI>Antigenes</HI> (as you heard from <HI>Philocles)</HI> arrived at <HI>Thebes,</HI> and there, as many others did, fell in love with <HI>Leontina.</HI> As he was a man of a very plea&s;ant conver&s;ation, of an agreeable di&s;po&s;ition, quick-witted, and gallant, he moved &s;o much jea|lou&s;ie in me, as maugre all my endeavours, I could not hide it, and I think that once I made it too apparent unto <HI>Leontina,</HI> in &s;o much as &s;he was more offended with me for my jealou&s;ie, then &s;he was for my love, when I had made it known unto her; &s;o that both to correct and puni&s;h me, &s;he treated <HI>Antigenes</HI> more civilly, then ordinary. In conclu&s;ion, the matter was &s;o carried, that though <HI>Leontina</HI> knew well enough, &s;he did not love <HI>Antigenes,</HI> yet to be revenged on me, &s;he re&s;olved to treat him more favourably then any. And &s;ince her heart was not placed in her forehead, every one believed that &s;he preferred <HI>Antigenes</HI> before all the te&s;t of her Servants: and all my friends at <HI>Thebes,</HI> came to comfort me; in &s;o much as my &s;orrows and my &s;pite, made me re&s;olve to overcome my pa&s;&s;ion: I contended with it, and
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I vanqui&s;hed, at lea&s;t thought &s;o, for I could never look upon <HI>Leontina</HI> without anger; I &s;hunned her with care, and <HI>I</HI> thought that <HI>I</HI> pa&s;&s;ed from one extremity unto another, and ha|ted her. Then did <HI>I</HI> de&s;ire <HI>Polimnis,</HI> that we might go and hunt for a certain time at a &s;tately hou&s;e his father had, about an hundred Leagues from <HI>Thebes,</HI> beyond Mount <HI>Helicon,</HI> thi|ther then we went, and my &s;oul, as <HI>I</HI> thought, was in much tranquility, and &s;ufficiently di&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n|gaged from <HI>Leontina.</HI></P>
<P>Upon a day, a friend of <HI>Polimnis</HI> invited us to a fea&s;t, where we were all in our altitudes of meriment and joy, with divers other per&s;ons of quality in that Neighbourhood. That &s;ame day, unju&s;t man that <HI>I</HI> was, in my height of raillery I mocked two or three times, at the com|placency of <HI>Leontina</HI> towards <HI>Antigenes,</HI> my heart being, as <HI>I</HI> thought, never better plea&s;ed, then when <HI>I</HI> had hand&s;omly twitted the per&s;on whom <HI>I</HI> hated, or thought <HI>I</HI> had hated: Then it happened that a man came in, and addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto me, who had heard all the pa&s;&s;ages of our di&s;cour&s;e concerning her; Sir, &s;aid he, <HI>Artibies</HI> will be &s;ufficiently revenged, for <HI>Anti|genes</HI> &s;hall never enjoy <HI>Leontina:</HI> How, (&s;aid I unto the man) has &s;he quitted him for ano|ther, as &s;he did me for him? No, &s;aid he, but death has done it for you both. Is <HI>Leontina</HI> dead? (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him) Yes, replied he, &s;he died at <HI>Chalcos,</HI> whither her father had carried her: Indeed <HI>I</HI> under&s;tood that &s;he had been in the I&s;le of <HI>Eubeus,</HI> for &s;ince it is &s;eparated from <HI>Boetia</HI> only by a little Arm of the Sea, the families of quality do make alliances one with ano|ther, and <HI>Leontina</HI> had an Aunt at <HI>Chalcos.</HI> This man then told me that there came certain news unto <HI>Thebes,</HI> that <HI>Leontina</HI> was dead, and that one of his friends a&s;&s;ured him in the <HI>I&s;me|nian</HI> Temple of <HI>Apollo,</HI> that he &s;aw her Funeral at <HI>Chalcos, I</HI> looked upon him then, and &s;poke not a word, and afterwards <HI>I</HI> left the Company very abruptly with an extreamly troubled mind, and knew not what to think on it. <HI>I</HI> lo&s;t my &s;elf in a Wood, not far from the hou&s;e, purpo&s;ely becau&s;e <HI>Polimnis</HI> &s;hould not find me; my &s;oul was &s;adly troubled, my heart was &s;obbing out my &s;orrows, and my rea&s;on was not again&s;t the troubles of my &s;pirit: <HI>I</HI> would have per&s;waded my &s;elf, that to lo&s;e her who had treated me ill, and one whom I hated, was rather a good then a bad misfortune. But alas, my imagination no &s;ooner fancied this adored Lady in her Tomb, but my hatred vani&s;hed, and my love revived: <HI>I</HI> did not any longer con|&s;ider her as incon&s;tant, or unju&s;t, but did look upon her as the faire&s;t in the world, and as her whom above all upon Earth, <HI>I</HI> loved, <HI>I</HI> made &s;ome &s;light attempts to quell my &s;orrow, but it was impo&s;&s;ible for me to do it: and love, &s;ince <HI>I</HI> became pa&s;t all hopes, returned into my &s;oul with all its vigour: as &s;oon as <HI>I</HI> apprehended <HI>Leontina</HI> gone, all other cogitations vani&s;hed out of my mind; and de&s;pair was &s;o predominant, that I was not a Ma&s;ter of my own acti|ons: I walked &s;ometimes fa&s;t, &s;ometimes &s;low, &s;ometimes I &s;topt, and &s;poke aloud, though I was alone, and &s;ometimes &s;hed tears in abundance of bitterne&s;s, and &s;ometimes again my heart was &s;o full, that I could neither cry, nor &s;igh, nor &s;peak: but <HI>Polimnis</HI> afterwards know|ing this news of <HI>Leontina's</HI> death from the &s;ame man, he &s;ought me out, and having found me in a mo&s;t deplorable condition, and as he told me afterwards, more altered in my face then ever he &s;aw man in his life; What, &s;aid he unto me, can the Prince <HI>Artibies</HI> lament the death of her he hated? and is he more troubled at it then I am, who have more rea&s;on to grieve then he? My hatred (&s;aid I unto him &s;ighing) is dead with <HI>Leontina,</HI> and my love is revived to puni&s;h me for hating her. Indeed, my grief did cau&s;e &s;uch a prodigious re&s;entment in my &s;oul, that I never was more deeply plunged in the gulf of love then now, and by con&s;equences never more unfortunate: Two days together, was I in this condition, at the end of which a violent feavor &s;eized upon me, but for my cure and comfort, I afterwards under&s;tood that this news of <HI>Leontina's</HI> death was fal&s;e: and that it was true there was an admirable beauty who&s;e name was al&s;o <HI>Leontina,</HI> was dead at <HI>Chalcos,</HI> but that &s;he was only a Kin&s;woman to that <HI>Leontina</HI> at <HI>Thebes;</HI> I under&s;tood al&s;o, that their conformity in name and beauty, had deceived tho&s;e who had &s;pread abroad the rumour of my dear <HI>Leontina's</HI> death.
<HI>Polimnis</HI> no &s;ooner knew this, but coming unto me with open Arms; Courage <HI>Artibies,</HI> (&s;aid he unto me, imbracing me, and &s;miling) you mu&s;t now begin to hate <HI>Leontina</HI> again, &s;ince &s;he is not dead; and then he told me the original of the errour, which cau&s;ed &s;o great a confu&s;ion in me, that pa&s;&s;ing from extream &s;orrow, into the contrary extreamity of joy, my feaver in|crea&s;ed, and it was thought I would have died that night following, but the Gods re&s;erved me for a further mi&s;ery, and re&s;tored my health; bringing me al&s;o unto <HI>Thebes,</HI> where I found <HI>Leontina</HI> alive: I had a de&s;ire to hate her &s;till, but it was impo&s;&s;ible. Why (&s;aid I &s;ometimes unto my &s;elf) has this fal&s;e report, which has wrought no alteration in the heart of <HI>Leontina,</HI> &s;o much changed mine? yet mu&s;t I &s;ubmit, whether I will or no, unto this new revived pa&s;&s;ion, which has got the dominion of my mind, &s;ometimes I was a&s;hamed, and &s;ometimes
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again I rejoyced at it: &s;uppo&s;ing, that to be in the world, and not to love <HI>Leontina,</HI> was the mo&s;t high inju&s;tice upon Earth. Yet when &s;he was informed by <HI>Polimnis,</HI> that my love of her was the cau&s;e of my Feaver (as indeed &s;he did not hate me) &s;he changed her way of living both with <HI>Antigenes</HI> and my &s;elf: and conferred tho&s;e favours upon me, which &s;he withdrew from him, and if he had not gone out of <HI>Thebes</HI> pre&s;ently after, he had found by experience how &s;ad a thing it was to &s;ee another better loved then him&s;elf.</P>
<P>I did then mollifie the heart of <HI>Leontina:</HI> &s;he permited me to expre&s;s my love unto her, and indeed acknowledged unto me, that if her parents would con&s;ent unto it, &s;he would like better to live in <HI>Cicilie,</HI> then in <HI>Greece,</HI> though there was a great difference, in the goodne&s;s of the Countries: yet was I not without great cro&s;&s;es, for the father of <HI>Leontina,</HI> would not con&s;ent to marry his daughter out of his own country: This ob&s;tacle was extreamly tormen|tive, and &s;eemed invincible, for &s;ince the father of <HI>Leontina</HI> would not marry his daughter un|to a &s;tranger, the Prince of <HI>Cicilie</HI> my brother, would not permit me to dwell there as a bare Cittizen of <HI>Thebes.</HI> I was then grieved to &s;ee <HI>Leontina,</HI> per&s;ecuted by her parents for the love of me, for I under&s;tood that the re&s;i&s;tance which they made unto my de&s;igne, did mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible greive her; But yet after ten thou&s;and cro&s;&s;es and thwartings <HI>Polimnis</HI> did &s;o earne&s;tly &s;olicite the matter, as he removed this Remora, and won the parents of <HI>Leontina</HI> to give her unto me, provided the Prince of <HI>Cicilie</HI> con&s;ented unto my marriage: I immediatly &s;ent unto him, and by the mediation of the Prince&s;s my mother, who was a <HI>Theban,</HI> I obtained his con|&s;ent. Now, you may imagine me the happie&s;t man alive. <HI>Leontina</HI> was never &s;o fair as then; and &s;ince &s;he now lived with me more freely then u&s;ual, and expre&s;&s;ed &s;uch thoughts of her Soul as were advantagious unto me, I thought that never was felicity comparable unto mine. No|thing was thought upon but Fea&s;ts and plea&s;ures: All preparations for our marriage were in readine&s;s: as a magnificent Fea&s;t, as all rich marriage clothes; a mask al&s;o was prepared, and a general Bill was to be kept three days together: In conclu&s;ion, that day, which I thought the happie&s;t that ever dawned, did come, and in the morning I &s;aw <HI>Leontina</HI> in a mo&s;t glori|ous dre&s;s, who notwith&s;tanding her mode&s;ty was plea&s;ed to make it appear in her eyes, that &s;he did participate in my joy: She was conducted unto the Temple by her father, and waited upon by all the Ladies in the Town: I al&s;o waited upon her, according unto the cu&s;tom, and was accompanied by all my friends: But as &s;oon as &s;he came to the Alter, &s;he was &s;uddenly taken, as &s;he &s;aid, with an extream pain, and terrible beating at her heart, &s;he was forced to &s;it down, not being able to kneel any longer: and finding her &s;elf very ill, &s;he was forced to complain unto &s;ome of her Cou&s;ins which were next her: As my eye was always upon her, I &s;aw &s;he grew high coloured, and was very &s;ick. But alas, why &s;hould I in&s;i&s;t &s;o long upon vain circum&s;tances? <HI>Leontina</HI> could not accompli&s;h the Ceremony: &s;he was &s;o good as to excu&s;e it unto me, and they carried her home in a chair, where a feaver feized &s;uddenly upon her: and notwith&s;tanding her youth, and all the art of Phy&s;icians, and notwith&s;tanding all my prayers, the &s;eventh day her di&s;ea&s;e was at the height: you may &s;uppo&s;e that as the terms &s;tood then betwixt us, I had the liberty to &s;ee her, during her &s;ickne&s;s, at all houres, which hand&s;omene&s;s would permit: I &s;aw her then endure it with admirable patience, and &s;he &s;eem|ed to be &s;orry for nothing, but that &s;he was to leave me: &s;he did hide a great part of her pain from me, lea&s;t it &s;hould too much grieve me: and though &s;he thought to dye, ever &s;ince the fir&s;t minute of her falling &s;ick, yet would &s;he not &s;peak a word of her death unto me, until the la&s;t day of her life: Oh mo&s;t di&s;mal and unhappy day! I &s;aw her then endure and hardly complain, and I received from her own dear mouth, a thou&s;and a&s;&s;urances of a mo&s;t innocent, and pure affection: &s;he de&s;ired me to continue mine unto her memory, after her death: and after &s;he had invoked the Gods, &s;he commanded me to &s;ubmit, as &s;he her &s;elf did, unto their will; her &s;peech failed, yet &s;he &s;till looked upon me; and after her &s;ight was al&s;o gone, yet &s;he held her hand out, and weak as &s;he was &s;he gave it unto me; then breathing out a deep &s;igh, &s;he expired, not loo&s;ing one jot of her beauty, nor &s;trugling into any un&s;eemly po&s;ture. Ask me not, Oh my ju&s;t Judg, what I did or what I thought, &s;ince you may well imagine, that a man who grieved for her whom he was not loved, and wept for her whom he thought he hated her, would be ab&s;olutely de&s;perate, when he &s;aw her dying, before his eyes, at &s;uch a time when he was beleved, and &s;teady to enjoy her; I apprehended it &s;o &s;adly, that if <HI>Polimnis</HI> had not been, I had killed my &s;elf at the fir&s;t minute of my &s;orrow; but his care of me was &s;o great, that I may almo&s;t call him the cau&s;e of all my &s;orrows I have &s;uffered &s;ince that time, and of all tho&s;e I &s;hall &s;uffer hereafter: I thought the face of the whole Univer&s;e was altered: I look|ed not upon any thing as I was wont, or to &s;ay better, I &s;aw nothing but <HI>Leontina</HI> either dead or dying: when they took me away by force from that fair Corps, her image did follow me
<PB N="62" REF="222">
in all places: and drooping as I was it appeared to my phancy in a hundred different manners: her Tomb was more &s;acred unto me, then the Temple: her Name as holy as Angels; and my &s;orrows were &s;o &s;weet unto me, that I hated all them that would comfort me: Although the places where I had been with her, did augment my grief, yet did I frequently vi&s;it them: Tho&s;e whom &s;he did tenderly love were they only whom I could endure, and although I had been alone in the world, I could not have been more &s;adly &s;olitary, and who&s;oever has not tried what it is to &s;ee her whom he loves, die, doubtle&s;s do not know the mo&s;t &s;upream misfortune. I do confe&s;s ab&s;ence to be a great mi&s;ery, but what kind of ab&s;ence can be comparable unto that eternal and terrible ab&s;ence, which is never to return, which carries the party beloved into &s;uch ob&s;cure and dark Cells as humane &s;pirits cannot enter: and into &s;uch &s;ad and doleful pla|ces, from whence no news of her is ever to be hoped for: Truly my apprehen&s;ions are &s;o &s;trange, as oft as I imagine, that the mo&s;t fair and perfect <HI>Leontina</HI> &s;hould be no more then an heap of a&s;hes; that I am a&s;toni&s;hed, any &s;hould offer to contend with me for the fir&s;t place among&s;t unfortunate men. I know very well, that not to be loved is a grand misfortune, but to lo&s;e her whom one loves, and to lo&s;e her for ever, is a far greater: for he who is not loved, does wi&s;h and de&s;ire a happine&s;s which he never had any trial of, nor does he know the &s;weets be|longing unto love; whereas to &s;ee her (who honoured a man with her affection) to die, is to lo&s;e a Trea&s;ure which he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, and who&s;e riches he knew how to value: Moreover, the wor&s;t treated Lover in the world may yet comfort up his heart with &s;ome hopes, which he, who&s;e Mi&s;tre&s;s is in her Tombe, can never have: his &s;oul is abandoned of all comforts, and re|mains in &s;uch a horrid de&s;pair, as certainly is inconceiveably by any but &s;uch as had had experi|ence of it: nor am I ignorant that jealou&s;ie is a terrible torment; yet who&s;oever &s;hall well con|&s;ider the cau&s;e of jealou&s;ie, &s;hall find, that fear to lo&s;e her he loves, is it which cau&s;eth his di&s;|quiet: for if he were a&s;&s;ured, he &s;hould never lo&s;e his Mi&s;tre&s;s, his &s;oul would be terene, not would he care a pin for having an hundred Rivals: Moreover, a jealous lover may find out an hundred ways to bu&s;ie him&s;elf in, out of which he may find out &s;ome comfort: But to &s;ee her one loves in her coffin, is &s;uch a mi&s;erable object as leaves the &s;oul in &s;o &s;ad an unquietne&s;s, as is a thou&s;and times wor&s;e then all the pains in the world he knows not whither to go, nor what to do; all the Univer&s;e is indifferent unto him: The more plea&s;ant the time pa&s;t was un|to him, the more in&s;upportable it makes the pre&s;ent, and all the time of his life which is to come, has nothing &s;weet, but his hopes of death. Moreover, jealou&s;ie being a pa&s;&s;ion, which of its own nature is mu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">able, various, changing, and uncertain; it produces fear and hope an hundred times in a day, and by con&s;equence admits of &s;ome relaxation of mind: But the death of the party loved is a torment continually rigorous, which no time can ever remove: for indeed, though I &s;hould live out an hundred Ages, yet would <HI>Leontina</HI> be the &s;ame unto me, as now &s;he is, dead: Slight, petty &s;orrows may be le&s;&s;ened by habit, cu&s;tome, and time; but grand, and violent afflictions, the longer they la&s;t, the more in&s;upport|able they are, and more augment: Let me further tell you, that the impo&s;&s;ibility to find a remedy for &s;uch a &s;orrow, is only a cau&s;e of con&s;olation in the mouths of Philo|&s;ophers; but in the &s;oul of a Lover, it is the greate&s;t torment of all others: Yes, yes, that horrid thought, that all the Kings upon Earth, that all the valour of Heroes, that all humane Prudence, cannot revive a dead beloved Mi&s;tre&s;s, is that which properly can be called an abridgment of all the &s;orrows which love can cau&s;e: Pronounce the &s;en|tence then, Oh my mo&s;t ju&s;t Judge, that I am the mo&s;t worthy of your pity, by rea&s;on of great mi&s;fortune; and I &s;hall confe&s;s that the mi&s;eries of <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> of <HI>Philocles,</HI> and of <HI>Leontidas,</HI> do more de&s;erve your pity, then mine does, in re&s;pect of their own per&s;onal merits, &s;o that rendring ju&s;tice both unto the misfortue, and the misfortunate, I &s;hall have le&s;s cau&s;e to complaine of your Equity, then I have to complaine of my De|&s;tiny.</P>
<P>The Prince <HI>Artibies</HI> ended his di&s;cour&s;e with &s;o much &s;adne&s;s of heart, that he had much ado to pronounce the la&s;t words di&s;tinctly, &s;o extreamly did the remembrance of <HI>Leon|tina's</HI> death perplex his mind: his melancholy did participate it &s;elf unto all the &s;ouls of that Illu&s;trious Company: and he forced compa&s;&s;ion, even from them that contended with him, for the fir&s;t Rank among&s;t the unfortunate: Notice was taken of his ingenious and pa&s;&s;ionate &s;ilence, by which he concealed the re&s;t of his adventures, &s;ince the death of the fair one whom he loved; as if he would tacitely intimate unto them, that &s;ince her death he did not value his own life. After that melancholy humour, which this fatall Story had cau&s;ed in their minds, was a little di&s;&s;ipated, every one maintained his own opinion, and that with ob&s;ti|nate heat. But <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;eeing it was late, told <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> that it was time <HI>Leontidas</HI> re|lated
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his adventure and rea&s;ons, if &s;he intended to pronounce judgment that day, &s;o that as a Judg impo&s;ing &s;ilence, &s;he appointed <HI>Leontidas</HI> to begin: which accordingly he did in this manner.</P>
</DIV4>
<DIV4 N="4" TYPE="story">
<HEAD>The jealous Lover: The fourth Story.</HEAD>
<P>SInce Sorrow has its different operations, according to the &s;everal tempers of tho&s;e who are po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with it; &s;ince it is &s;ometimes mute, and &s;ometimes eloquent, you mu&s;t not won|der, if it work not in me, as it does in the Prince <HI>Artibies,</HI> who by rea&s;on of his exce&s;s of &s;orrow, has &s;hortned his relation: But I, who am none of tho&s;e whom &s;orrow makes dumb, and who on the contrary never &s;peaks but when I have great cau&s;e of complaint, cannot do &s;o; nor can I, as I conceive, in few words expre&s;s the greatne&s;s of my &s;ufferings. I &s;hall be as little impertinent as I can, and therefore in &s;hort, give me leave to tell you, that the I&s;le of <HI>Cyprus</HI> is my Countrey, and that I have the honour to be of a Family &s;ufficiently illu&s;trious; I &s;hall here|after tell you, that I went out of this famous I&s;le which is con&s;ecrated unto the Mother of love, &s;o young, that I had not time to fall in love with any: for the war which was then between the people of <HI>Samos,</HI> of <HI>Priennes,</HI> and of <HI>Miletes,</HI> moving me to learn there, that my&s;tery, which the drow&s;ie peace of my Countrey could not teach me, I left it; and in my choice of the&s;e three Countreys, the fame of the valiant <HI>Policrates,</HI> who was made Soveraign in the I&s;le of <HI>Samos,</HI> did invite me into his, though perhaps his cau&s;e was not the mo&s;t ju&s;t, unle&s;s you will allow the Right of Conquerours, to be the mo&s;t ancient of all others. So then, it was in this famous I&s;le, and in the Court of this illu&s;trious Prince, where my Love took fir&s;t begin|ing, and where my jealou&s;ie has treated me cruelly. The reputation of the happy <HI>Policrates</HI> is &s;o great, that I need not characterize him unto you; yet notwith&s;tanding &s;hall in few words tell you, that ju&s;tice would have much ado to find a man in all <HI>Greece</HI> more accompli&s;hed then he, nor more fit to di&s;tribute his favours with more equity, rendring him&s;elf mo&s;t per|fectly happy, without giving cau&s;e of murmur unto any. He is as never man before was; for he is born only a Citizen of <HI>Samos,</HI> and he is become Soveraign of the &s;ame without hate: he has all the Authority of a mo&s;t ab&s;olute Tyrant, yet he enjoys the love of his people as much as if he were their Father: All de&s;ignes of war are pro&s;perous under his hands; he is become terrible, not only in the <HI>Jonian,</HI> but through all the <HI>Aegean</HI> Sea; The greate&s;t Kings think it an honour to be his Allies, and all his Neighbours both love and fear him: he is very hand|&s;om, of a good pre&s;ence, and great Spirit, of a di&s;po&s;ition, as &s;weet in time of peace, as it is furious in time of war: you may well &s;uppo&s;e then, that the Court of <HI>Policrates</HI> mu&s;t be ve|ry delightful and gallant; &s;ince it is commonly like as the Prince, &s;o is his Court: when I ar|rived at <HI>Samos,</HI> he was ready to imbarque, and to go and fight with the Prince of the <HI>Mile&s;ians;</HI> &s;o that after I was pre&s;ented unto him, by a man of quality, named <HI>Theanor,</HI> whom I knew at <HI>Paphos,</HI> I imbarked the next day with him, before I had &s;een any in <HI>Samos,</HI> but only Offi|cers of Gallies, with one of which called <HI>Time&s;ias,</HI> I had a quarrel at my imbarking, and two other &s;mall &s;quabbles during the voyage: This expedition was not long, but very pro&s;|perous; and we returned Conquerours over tho&s;e we fought again&s;t. <HI>Policrates</HI> at his return unto <HI>Samos,</HI> was entertained with high magnificence: and &s;ince <HI>I</HI> had &s;o much happy honour to get &s;ome part of his love during our Navigation, &s;o had <HI>I</HI> al&s;o &s;ome &s;hare in tho&s;e delights which he was plea&s;ed to to take at his return. The &s;ame night <HI>I</HI> came to <HI>Samos,</HI> after all the magnificence which was prepared for the entry of <HI>Policrates</HI> was pa&s;t, <HI>Theanor</HI> whom <HI>I</HI> affected as much as <HI>I</HI> was aver&s;e unto <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> would needs &s;hew me, as a &s;tranger, all the ratities of the Town. He carried me into the Temple of <HI>June,</HI> unto whom that I&s;land was con&s;ecrated, which doubtle&s;s is one of the greate&s;t and faire&s;t in the world, and which they more e&s;teemed at <HI>Samos,</HI> becau&s;e the Architect who built it was a <HI>Samion:</HI> from thence we walk|ed towards a famous Water-cour&s;e, which &s;urpa&s;&s;eth the greate&s;t wonder that ever I &s;aw in the world; for it runs through a Mountain which is an hundred fathom high, upon the top of which is a way made, which is above &s;even furlongs in length, and eight foot wide: at the end of this way is digged a pond about twenty Cubits deep, and from this mo&s;t clear and abundant fountain they conduct water into the Town: after I had well admired at this pro|digious work of <HI>Eupalina,</HI> (for the undertaker of this Water-cour&s;e who was of <HI>Magares,</HI> was &s;o called) we came into the Town, and went to walk upon a Hill, &s;ome twenty fathom high, and two furlongs in length, and above, which extends towards the Sea, and railed on both &s;ides with Bala&s;ters of <HI>Corinthian</HI> Copper, which makes the goodlie&s;t object in the world when one comes to <HI>Samos:</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> much to know the beginning of Autumn, and the &s;ea|&s;on
<PB N="64" REF="223">
of the year mo&s;t plea&s;ant, a great number of Ladies re&s;orted thither to walk towards the Evening, as it was the cu&s;tom of thhe Countrey: at this time they came in greater numbers then ordinary, for &s;ince we had taken four Galleys from the enemy, it was a kind of honour unto <HI>Policrates</HI> to be de&s;irous of &s;eeing tho&s;e marks of his victory: All the Ladies therefore of <HI>Samos</HI> came thither where we were; all the men of quality, as well tho&s;e that had been the Voyage, as tho&s;e which &s;tayed behind, came thither al&s;o: The Prince <HI>Policrates</HI> him&s;elf did take a turn or two, and indeed I never &s;aw &s;o glorious a &s;ight, as this walk, and tho&s;e in it: The Sea was all &s;erenity, and though the Sun was &s;et, yet was there day and light enough to di&s;cern the beauty of all the Ladies: &s;ince I knew none of them as yet, I looked upon them all with indifferencie; I was much plea&s;ed to &s;ee &s;ome leaning over the&s;e &s;tately Balli&s;ters, and be|holding the Galleys gained from the enemy; and others le&s;s curious, but more &s;olitary, look|ing only upon the open Sea: &s;ome complement which &s;uch Captains as they had not &s;een &s;ince their return; others in more &s;erious and private conference; others again without any de|&s;igne but to &s;ee, and be &s;een, walked by Troops, and the general de&s;igne of all was to walk, and talk, and take the plea&s;ure of the Evening. <HI>Theanor</HI> was not a little troubled in telling me the names of all the beauties; for as for all the re&s;t, I &s;pared him the labour of information: &s;ince this diverti&s;ement was new unto me, and that it was long &s;ince I &s;aw any Ladies, I made it late before I could re&s;olve upon departure, yet the night drawing on by little and little, we could hardly di&s;tingui&s;h one another: but yet many men came &s;till in, becau&s;e the Moon be|gan to ri&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Theanor</HI> having left me to &s;peak unto &s;ome Lady; I walked a while alone, and after &s;everal turns, walking behind two men, whom I did not think I had known, I &s;aw &s;omething white fall from the pocket of one of them: my fir&s;t thought was to tell him, but not knowing any rea&s;on why, my &s;econd was to take up that which I &s;aw fall, and afterwards to give it him, after I had &s;een what it was: &s;tooping then pre&s;ently, and finding what I &s;ought for, I look|ed, and &s;aw as well as the ob&s;curity of the night would permit, that it was a Ca&s;e of a Picture: The time while I took it up, and looking what it was, al&s;o con&s;idering whether I &s;hould look in it, or re&s;tore it before I looked, was &s;o long, that he who had lo&s;t it, did mingle among o|ther company: &s;o that in lieu of &s;eeing two men before me, I &s;aw a Troop of Ladies, and found it impo&s;&s;ible to re&s;tore that which I had found unto the right owner: after this I looked for <HI>Theanor,</HI> to tell him my adventure, but the darkne&s;s of the night had &s;o &s;eparated us, that we could not meet, but &s;taying no longer, I went unto the hou&s;e where I lodged at my fir&s;t com|ing to <HI>Samos,</HI> my Servants according to my orders &s;taying there for me, I went in all ha&s;te with a longing curio&s;ity to &s;ee what I had found: I was no &s;ooner come into my Chamber, but going unto the Table, and the Candle, I began to look upon this Picture which I had pul|led out of my pocket, as I came up the &s;tairs, that I might &s;ooner &s;ee it; and I found that it was Gold with a circle of Rubies and Diamonds round about it: and I did not &s;tand any longer looking upon it, though it was very curious and rich, but opening the lid ha&s;tily, I was more dazled at the &s;plendent beauty of what I found within it, then I was at the lu&s;tre of tho&s;e jewels which adorned this Ca&s;e: I found there the picture of a young and a fair woman, but &s;o fre&s;h and lively, that I did not conceive it a flattering piece: and one might ea&s;ily &s;ee by the excellency of the Art, that the Limner took delight in drawing after &s;o fair a Model: It mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed, that nothing upon earth could be more beautiful then this picture: I looked upon it therefore with admiration; and calling to mind the <HI>Ideas</HI> of all which I had &s;een fair in the walk, I could not remember I had &s;een that Lady whom this Picture re&s;em|bled, and indeed &s;he was not there: I opened, and &s;hut this Ca&s;e &s;everal times, being not able to forbear looking, and admiring at &s;o fair a thing, afterwards I began to pitty him who lo&s;t it, and &s;ometimes al&s;o; I envied him; for I imagined that it was given unto him, and I e&s;teemed him &s;o infinitely happy in being loved by &s;o fair a Lady, that I was troubled at it: yet at the la&s;t I went to bed and &s;lept, but it was not without a dream of this picture which I found; I ro&s;e the next morning very early, but with &s;o hot a curio&s;ity to know the Lady who&s;e &s;hadow this was, and him who had this &s;o con&s;iderable lo&s;s, that my curio&s;ity might almo&s;t be termed jealou&s;ie: I dre&s;&s;ed my &s;elf in all ha&s;te, and I went unto <HI>Theanor,</HI> who was ready to go out of his lodging: he excu&s;ed him&s;elf for lo&s;ing me la&s;t night in the croud, but giving him no time to continue his complement, and not taking any notice of his melancholy I told him that our &s;eparation was &s;o happy unto me, as I had rather cau&s;e to thank, the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> complain again&s;t him; for (&s;aid I, &s;hewing him the Ca&s;e and Picture) &s;ee what I found la&s;t night, and help me, I conjure you, to di&s;cover who that happy Lover is, who has been &s;o un|happy, as to lo&s;e &s;o precious a jewel, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ards the Name of this beauty, if you
<PB N="65" REF="223">
know it. <HI>Theanor</HI> blu&s;ht at the &s;ight of the picture, and after he had taken it in his hand, he was a long time looking upon it, as if he had not known the party it re&s;embled, but urging him to &s;peak, As for the name of this fair Lady, &s;aid he unto me, if you were not a &s;tranger in <HI>Sa|mos,</HI> you would not be ignorant of it: for the fair <HI>Aloidamia</HI> has rendered it too famous, to be unknown unto all that have any rea&s;onable Souls in our I&s;land: but as for that happy lover, as you call him, who lo&s;t it, I know him not, but perhaps, &s;aid he, this picture was be&s;tow|ed upon &s;ome of her friends: But &s;aid I unto him, it was a man who let it fall, and not a la|dy; That may be al&s;o, replied he, for &s;he has &s;everal Cou&s;ins, whom &s;he might be&s;tow a picture upon, without any &s;candal unto her honour: but if you will follow my advice, &s;aid he, you &s;hall not &s;hew this picture unto any, le&s;t you &s;hould make &s;o fair a Lady your enemy: It is not my intention (&s;aid I unto him) to provoke her, but I have a very great de&s;ire to know this Lady whom this picture repre&s;ents: I &s;hall better inform my &s;elf, &s;aid he unto me, and then I &s;hall render you an account, but in the mean while, &s;peak not a word of this picture, but if you plea&s;e leave it in my hands, for I beleeve it will be as &s;afe, in mine, as yours: for, &s;aid he, I have a kind of fear you cannot for bear &s;hewing it unto &s;ome or other. I promi&s;e you, &s;aid I unto him, neither to &s;peak of it or &s;hew it unto any; but pardon me if I do not render it unto any but him who lo&s;t it; and that too but unwillingly, for it does infinitly plea&s;e me. <HI>Theanor</HI> u&s;ed all his arguments, that he might keep it, but I did &s;o ob&s;ti|nately deny it, that he was forced to be contented: after which we went unto <HI>Policrates</HI> at Court, and with him unto the Temple. After dinner, this Prince did me the honour to pre|&s;ent me unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Her&s;ilea</HI> his &s;i&s;ter, who was a Lady mo&s;t admirably accompli&s;hed, with whom there was then many Ladies, and among&s;t the re&s;t, one named <HI>Meneclida,</HI> with whom it was &s;aid <HI>Policrates</HI> was in love. There al&s;o did I &s;ee the wonder of the world <HI>Alci|damia,</HI> &s;o admirably fair, that I never &s;aw any &s;o amiable. The Prince&s;s <HI>Her&s;ilea</HI> willing to grace a new Favorite of the Kings, did place me next this glorious beauty, who&s;e Soul did &s;o powerfully &s;econd the charms of her face, that I could no longer pre&s;erve my freedom. <HI>The|anor</HI> coming into the company, and &s;eeing me next <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> &s;eemed unto me, as if he were troubled at it, yet did not then take any notice of it: and my mind was al&s;o &s;o much di&s;ordered, that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> had not any rea&s;on to think my conver&s;ation very agreeable. Which of all the&s;e (&s;aid I in my &s;elf, in looking upon all the men which followed <HI>Poli|crates</HI> to his &s;i&s;ter) is that both happy and unfortunate lover who has lo&s;t this picture which I have found?</P>
<P>Afterwards I began to think how much this Lady would be a&s;toni&s;hed, if I &s;hould &s;hew her this picture which I had about me: afterwards I bethought my &s;elf, how infortunate that man would be, who &s;hould fall in love with &s;o fair a Lady as this, who&s;e heart might perhaps be already ingaged: and indeed I had a thou&s;and &s;everal thoughts in a &s;hort time, and it may be almo&s;t &s;aid, that jealou&s;ie, which u&s;es to follow love in others, did precede it in me, &s;ince it is certain that I found all the &s;ymptomes of jealou&s;ie in me, before ever I gave her any te&s;timo|ny of my love any manner of way: I enquired very diligently of all the lovers of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> hoping to find out him unto whom this picture belonged: but tho&s;e of whom I enquired told me, That there was not a man of quality in all <HI>Samos</HI> which loved her not, &s;o that all my con|jectures finding no foundation, but (&s;aid I unto them) has &s;he not made choice of any? That is a thing (&s;aid they) not ea&s;ily to be di&s;covered, for <HI>Alcidamia</HI> is wi&s;e, and able to di&s;gui&s;e her thoughts if &s;he plea&s;e; all we can &s;ay is, that if &s;he have any Favorite, her di&s;cretion conceals him, &s;ince it is certain there goes no rumour of any about the Court. Thus did two or three days pa&s;s away, during which time I often &s;aw <HI>Alcidamia</HI> either with the Prince&s;s, or in the Temple, or walking, or at her own hou&s;e, for I urged <HI>Theanor</HI> to carry me thither: I &s;ay I urged him, for he excu&s;ed it as much as he could: Mean while, I was continually conjuring him to tell me if he could, to whom the picture of <HI>Alcidamia</HI> belonged, and he always an|&s;wered me, that this unprofitable curio&s;ity ought at the lea&s;t to be well intended; and that though he did know who&s;e it was, yet would he never tell me, unle&s;s I would promi&s;e him before hand to make good u&s;e of that knowledg, and not incen&s;e <HI>Alcidamia</HI> by it. Since I did not yet think I &s;hould be fettered in the chains of love, I promi&s;ed him what he de&s;ired: &s;o that a few days after, he came one morning unto my chamber, and &s;eeming to be very joy|full, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, I have at la&s;t di&s;covered him, unto whom the picture which you found belongs, and he is a per&s;on of &s;o high a quality as you have rea&s;on to rejoyce that it is in your power to do him &s;o great a favor as to re&s;tcre it. I blu&s;hed at this di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>The|anor,</HI> who &s;eeing me change my colour, changed him&s;elf al&s;o, and asked me why I did not thank him, and &s;atisfie his curio&s;ity and de&s;ire? It is <HI>Theanor,</HI> an&s;wered I, becau&s;e I have al|tered my mind, and now do fear as much to know who is the owner, as I de&s;ired it before;
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and my rea&s;on is, becau&s;e I cannot yet re&s;olve to re&s;tore it: But I am engaged that you &s;hall, (an&s;wered <HI>Theanor</HI> much &s;urprized) for I did not think you de&s;ired to know the owner, with any intention to do him &s;o much inju&s;tice. But yet <HI>Theanor,</HI> (&s;aid I unto him) I be&s;eech you who is the owner? I mu&s;t not tell you, replied he, &s;ince you will not re&s;tore it: The party who permitted me to tru&s;t you with this &s;ecret, did not allow me to acquaint you, but upon condition you will re&s;tore it, for otherwi&s;e it is not ju&s;t to acquaint you with &s;uch a &s;ecret as this. But &s;aid I unto him, is he who owes this picture in love with <HI>Alcidamia?</HI> De&s;perately, replyed he: And was this picture given him by that fair Lady? When you have re|&s;tored it me, replied he, you &s;hall know that, but until then, I have no commi&s;&s;ion to tell you any thing. Cruel friend, replied I unto him, I had rather have this picture then your &s;ecret, and if I re&s;tore it unto any, it &s;hall be rather to the party who gave it, then to him who lo&s;t it: Oh <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Theanor,</HI> I be&s;eech you do not as you &s;ay, unle&s;s you intend mo&s;t ab&s;olutely to di&s;oblige me. As we were thus talking, one came and told me, that <HI>Policrates</HI> asked for me, &s;o that I was con&s;trained to leave <HI>Theanor:</HI> but, oh Heavens, how melancholy was I all that day! for indeed after this which <HI>Theanor</HI> told me, I doubted not but my conjectures were well grounded, and that this picture was not given by <HI>Alcidamia</HI> unto him that lo&s;t it. I began to perceive al&s;o that I was not right ma&s;ter of my rea&s;on; and I re&s;olved to love <HI>Alcidamia</HI> not|with&s;tanding all will or rea&s;on, or any thing el&s;e. Am I not very incon&s;iderate (&s;aid I unto my &s;elf) to &s;uffer &s;uch a growing pa&s;&s;ion without any oppo&s;ite, which mo&s;t apparently will co&s;t me abundance of &s;orrow? I know that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> has fixed her love, and what would I obtain of her? Shall <HI>Leontidas</HI> &s;uffer a Rival to re&s;t in the heart of this beauty? or &s;hall he drive him out? But who is the Rival, &s;aid I? alas, alas, I know him not at all; perhaps it is &s;ome man, who is unworthy of &s;uch an honour; perhaps it is <HI>Theanor</HI> him&s;elf, and who&s;oever it be, &s;aid I, he is not over pa&s;&s;ionate a lover, &s;ince he does not make him&s;elf known by his death, after &s;uch a lo&s;s: All this while <HI>Theanor</HI> was no more at re&s;t then I, for, to di&s;cover the truth unto you, he was in love with <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> and it was him&s;elf who lo&s;t this picture, though he dur&s;t not con|fe&s;s it unto me: for &s;ince I was very young, he dur&s;t not tru&s;t too much unto my di&s;cretion, but thought to &s;crue this picture out of my hands by craft, and under the name of another: and ob&s;erving indeed that I was become his Rival, he knew not what cour&s;e to take, &s;o that both of us were much perplexed, for <HI>Theanor</HI> knew that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> would extreamly hate him, if &s;he &s;hould know he had lo&s;t this picture, and I al&s;o feared as extreamly that it was his. Then did I enquire of &s;everal per&s;ons, whether <HI>Theanor</HI> was in love with <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> and to my &s;or|row I found he was: you may then imagine how much I was troubled at it, for I was obliged to love him, both by my own inclination, by rea&s;on, and indeed by duty, &s;ince indeed he had done me many great favours towards <HI>Policrates,</HI> and had taken my part with much zeal again&s;t <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> of whom I &s;poke before, &s;o that I found it again&s;t the Law of genero&s;ity, not to re&s;i&s;t my pa&s;&s;ion; and I &s;trived with all my power to give a check unto my &s;elf, but all in vain, for love did &s;o much, and &s;o ab&s;olutely command my Soul, and &s;o much withdrew my affection from <HI>Theanor,</HI> that I was often in a wonderful confu&s;ion. <HI>Alcidamia</HI> was then ever predo|minate in my heart, and it was more ea&s;ie for me to quit my friend, then her whom without any compari&s;on <HI>I</HI> loved more then he: All my bu&s;ine&s;s was then to colour this infidelity, and to that end <HI>I</HI> thought it be&s;t to acquaint him fir&s;t with my pa&s;&s;ion, faigning to be ignorant of his. <HI>I</HI> went unto him, and found him in his chamber more unquiet then my &s;elf, for he be|gan to &s;u&s;pect me for his Rival. <HI>Theanor,</HI> for ought <HI>I</HI> &s;ee (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him) is as melancholy as <HI>Leontidas,</HI> though doubtle&s;s he be not &s;o amorous. Since we have been almo&s;t always in the wars together, ever &s;ince we were acquainted (an&s;wered he very coldly) we never di&s;cour&s;ed but of gallant matters, and <HI>I</HI> do not know, why you &s;hould now &s;uppo&s;e that you are more amorous then <HI>I,</HI> or that <HI>I</HI> cannot be &s;o much as you. My meaning is (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him, a lit|tle dampt, for <HI>I</HI> knew that what <HI>I</HI> did was not very generous) that if it be as true you love any Lady violently, as it is certain I do mo&s;t de&s;perately love the incomparable <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> I &s;hall ex|treamly pity you, as I de&s;ire you to pity me. <HI>I</HI> thought (replyed <HI>Theanor</HI> with &s;uch a coldne&s;s as much &s;urprized me) that your heart could not avoyd the charms of that beauty: But <HI>Leon|tidas</HI> (&s;aid he after a little &s;tudy) you are not he alone who loves that inchanting Lady, and that picture which you found, ought (me thinks) to have nipt your growing pa&s;&s;ion in the bud. But quite contrary, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him, it is that which makes it grow the fa&s;ter, for when <HI>I</HI> do not &s;ee <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> then <HI>I</HI> do look upon it, and it pre&s;erves the memory of her beauty &s;o fre&s;h in my Soul, that <HI>I</HI> can never forget it. After this, <HI>Theanor</HI> was a while &s;ilent; afterwards a&s;&s;uming a more &s;erious countenance, he told me, that loving me as he did, he was very &s;orry to &s;ee me engaged in a love which would co&s;t me much &s;orrow, and that if it were permitted him to name the Rival unto whom that picture belonged, he &s;hould make me acknowledg,
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that I ought not any longer to continue loving <HI>Alcidamia:</HI> Though you &s;hould make me ac|knowledg it, &s;aid I unto him, yet all would be in vain, becau&s;e my pa&s;&s;ion does not depend upon my will: though it &s;hould be your &s;elf which is that happy Rival you &s;peak of, or though it &s;hould be <HI>Policrates</HI> him&s;elf, yet mu&s;t I continue loving <HI>Alcidamia:</HI> Love then <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> &s;aid he unto me blu&s;hing, but never hope to be &s;o &s;oon loved again, and do not per&s;wade your &s;elf that &s;he will ever give you her Picture; for I can a&s;&s;ure you, that he who is owner of that which you have, did not obtain it without abundance of &s;orrow and trouble, although &s;he do not hate him unto whom &s;he gave it.</P>
<P>Cruel friend, &s;aid I unto him, why do you infu&s;e as much jealou&s;ie as love in me? Becau&s;e, replied he, I would cure your love by your jealou&s;ie. No no, &s;aid I unto him, that's not the way to de&s;troy it, and the more you make me know that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> does favour that happy Rival, the greater envy and de&s;ire &s;hall <HI>I</HI> have to di&s;trub his felicity, and the more re&s;olutely &s;hall I continue loving <HI>Alcidamia.</HI> Let me tell you once again, &s;aid he unto me, you may con|tinue loving <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> but let me al&s;o tell you once again, that you &s;hall not be &s;o &s;oon lo|ved: I confe&s;s that this coldne&s;s of <HI>Theanor</HI> made me almo&s;t de&s;pair: for after I had con&s;ult|ed with my rea&s;on, I concluded that this coldne&s;s of his proceeded from his confident a&s;&s;u|rance of the affection of <HI>Aleidamia,</HI> &s;o that not looking upon <HI>Theanor</HI> any longer as an offi|cious friend, with whom I &s;hould keep any good corre&s;pondence, but I looked upon him as a Rival in favour, and by con&s;equence as a mortal enemy: &s;o that changing my de&s;igne, my countenance, and my voice, In the Name of the Gods, <HI>Theanor,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, tell me the name of him who is owner of this Picture, that I may exactly know whom to hate: I cannot, replied he, until you have re&s;tored the Picture of <HI>Alcidamia.</HI> The Picture of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> (&s;aid I, not knowing almo&s;t what I &s;aid, &s;ince jealou&s;ie had &s;o troubled all my &s;en&s;es,) No no, I cannot do it at the price of that Secret, which I de&s;ire to know; for not de&s;iring to know the name of my Rival, but with intentions to remove him out of the heart of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> I &s;hall not re&s;tore him this Picture. However (&s;aid <HI>Theanor)</HI> I be&s;eech you promi&s;e one ju&s;t de&s;ire, which is, not to &s;hew this Picture unto any; &s;ince thereby you do more wrong unto <HI>Alcida|mia,</HI> then to your Rival, who I believe will not become your enemy, until he &s;ee, that you find more favour then him&s;elf. I confe&s;s then, that I thought to have laid a&s;ide all patience, but &s;everal people coming in, we parted at that time, and I went from <HI>Theanor,</HI> the mo&s;t &s;ad and melancholy man alive. Certainly, &s;aid I, this cruel friend thinks him&s;elf &s;o &s;ure of <HI>Alcidamia's</HI> heart, that he is in no fear to lo&s;e it: or el&s;e he &s;corns <HI>Leontidas</HI> &s;o much, that he cares not for his being a Rival. But it may be, &s;aid I, that my conjectures may deceive me, and tho&s;e who told me that <HI>Theanor</HI> loved <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> may be deceived them&s;elves. At the la&s;t, I con|cluded, that either <HI>Theanor</HI> did not love <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> or el&s;e that he was loved: I wi&s;hed the Gods, that it might prove the fir&s;t of the&s;e. I being in the&s;e uncertainties, I re&s;olved to &s;atisfie my &s;elf a little better, and to talk unto this fair Lady, and to di&s;cour&s;e of &s;everal things concern|ing <HI>Theanor,</HI> thereby, if po&s;&s;ible, to di&s;cover the truth, &s;o that not thinking to make my own pa&s;&s;ion known unto her, I endeavoured only to di&s;cour&s;e concerning my Rival: I went then unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Hir&s;ilea,</HI> where I knew &s;he would be; and after that &s;everal people were come in, and gone out again, at the la&s;t I addre&s;&s;ed my &s;elf unto <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> who according to her u&s;ual cu&s;tom, entertained me with much civility; pre&s;ently after, <HI>Policrates</HI> came in, and almo&s;t all the men of quality in <HI>Samos</HI> followed him, except <HI>Theanor,</HI> who melancholy retained him at home: after a little while of general di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Policrates</HI> having &s;ome private bu&s;ine&s;s with the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter, took her to the window which opened unto the Main Sea, and left me an opportunity to execute my de&s;igne; me thought al&s;o that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> did con|tribute her willingne&s;s unto it, though truly, it was in &s;uch a manner as did add unto my unqui|etne&s;s: As it was but a little while that I had yet been at <HI>Samos,</HI> &s;he had no rea&s;on to &s;peak unto me concerning any thing, but general things; and as &s;he had ob&s;erved that <HI>Theanor</HI> was more friendly unto me then any other, &s;o &s;he was readier to entertain di&s;cour&s;e with me, then tho&s;e with whom I had yet no particular acquaintance. After then we two had been a while together, and &s;aid nothing one to another, What have you done with your friend, &s;aid &s;he un|to me, and how comes it to pa&s;s <HI>Theanor</HI> is not here, now all the Court is pre&s;ent? This un|expected que&s;tion &s;urpri&s;ed me; and I could not hear the name of my Rival from the mouth of <HI>Alcidamia</HI> without a blu&s;h: for truly, though <HI>I</HI> intended to &s;peak concerning <HI>Theanor,</HI> yet did <HI>I</HI> not think &s;he would begin the fir&s;t. Madam, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, I have left him in his Chamber &s;o melancholy, that at the pre&s;ent <HI>I</HI> did not think his humour fit for company. You <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">re then a very ill friend, &s;aid &s;he unto me &s;miling, to leave your friend in &s;uch a ca&s;e. It was becau&s;e his humour was &s;o &s;ullen (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her) that my pre&s;ence was trouble &s;ome unto
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him, and perhaps al&s;o more then anothers would be: In truth, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> replied &s;he, you vex me, for <HI>Theanor</HI> is a very compleat gallant man, and if any great misfortune &s;hould be|fal him, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould be extreamly &s;orry. Madam (&s;aid <HI>I,</HI> more unquiet, more curious, and none jealous then ever,) Since <HI>I</HI> have been but a while at <HI>Sames, I</HI> cannot be well acquainted with the news of the place; but you, who knows all, <HI>I</HI> &s;uppo&s;e you are not ignorant, that <HI>The|anor's</HI> di&s;ea&s;e, as <HI>I</HI> think, proceeds from a violent pa&s;&s;ion. <HI>Aloidamia</HI> thinking then, that <HI>I</HI> would &s;peak in behalf of <HI>Theanor,</HI> changed her colour, and looking upon me more &s;eriou&s;ly then before; <HI>I</HI> knew not, &s;aid &s;he, that your friend was in love, neither do <HI>I</HI> think he is but indeed <HI>Leontidas,</HI> if there be no other cau&s;e of his melancholy, but that, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould not pity him &s;o much as I do: It is becau&s;e perhaps, (&s;aid I, and looked more attentively upon her) you know he is not to be pitied, but that he is loved by the party whom he loves. I know not, an&s;wered &s;he, whether he be loved or hated, for I am neither his Mi&s;tre&s;s, nor his Confident. I wi&s;h the Gods that half you &s;ay were true, (&s;aid I, interrupting her very &s;harply) for <HI>Leon|tidas</HI> would then be much more happy then he is. <HI>Leontidas</HI> (&s;aid &s;he &s;miling) was born in that I&s;le which was con&s;ecrated unto the Mother of Love, where Gallantry is Law, where they never &s;peak of any thing but love; and where the Ladies are never entertained with any di&s;cour&s;e but &s;uch as obliging, &s;weet, and flattering: but we who reverence another Deity, are le&s;s gallant then they, and al&s;o, if you plea&s;e to have it &s;o, &s;omething more &s;evere, I mu&s;t tell you as a &s;tranger, that you mu&s;t not mention any &s;uch things unto our Ladies, who would perhaps be more offended at you then I am, becau&s;e they do not know how to excu&s;e the e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|&s;tom of your Countrey as I do: All your Ladies? (replied I ha&s;tily) Ah Divine <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> you do not know <HI>Leontidas,</HI> if you think he will ever &s;ay unto any other but you, that he is de&s;perately in love. Seriou&s;ly <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, either correct this ill habit which you have brought over with you, or I &s;hall complain unto your friend, and de&s;ire him to break you off it, if it be po&s;&s;ible. He cannot, an&s;wered I, though he &s;hould attempt it. Then mu&s;t I fly your company, replied &s;he, until &s;uch time as you have better learned our cu&s;tomes. It is the cu&s;tom Madam, for all that, replied I, to adore &s;uch beauties as you: And it is al&s;o the general cu&s;tom of all places, replied &s;he, except <HI>Cyprus,</HI> that tho&s;e beauties of whom you &s;peak are glorious, noble, and &s;evere, and will not &s;uffer any di&s;cour&s;e of &s;uch things. But is it po&s;|&s;ible, replied <HI>I,</HI> that all the beauties in <HI>Samos</HI> &s;hould be inexorable? Was there never any that would &s;uffer them&s;elves to be loved, and have permitted hopes that they them&s;elves would hereafter love? and have be&s;towed their pictures upon their &s;ervants, and have been com|placential many other ways unto &s;uch as they have accepted on? <HI>I</HI> know not, (&s;aid &s;he, won|dering why <HI>I</HI> &s;hould u&s;e this odd di&s;cour&s;e;) or if <HI>I</HI> did, their example &s;hall never be followed by <HI>Alcidamia.</HI> But however <HI>Leontidas,</HI> let me once more intreat you to leave off this ill cu|&s;tom, if you have a mind to enjoy any of my company. <HI>Alcidamia</HI> &s;poke this in &s;uch a man|ner, as <HI>I</HI> was afraid &s;he would bani&s;h me her conver&s;ation: and &s;ince my jealou&s;ie per&s;wa|ded me that &s;he was &s;o &s;evere unto me only becau&s;e &s;he would be more faithful unto my Ri|val, even very &s;pite made me entertain love &s;till in my heart, &s;o that beginning to &s;peak again, If it be only an ill habit, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, you would be unju&s;t to think it po&s;&s;ible <HI>I</HI> can lay it off upon a &s;udden; therefore Madam, <HI>I</HI> conjure you to allow me &s;ome certain days to unaccu&s;tom my &s;elf: <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> who was very glad to turn the di&s;cour&s;e into raillery, &s;aid, that &s;he would allow me the re&s;t of the day: but <HI>I</HI> u&s;ed &s;o many arguments, and urged her &s;o much, that <HI>I</HI> obtained eight days, after which <HI>I</HI> was not to &s;peak a word of my pa&s;&s;ion, or love, &s;he telling and laughing, that &s;he would complain unto <HI>Theanor,</HI> if <HI>I</HI> broke my word. Thus <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> lieu of &s;peaking of my Rival, <HI>Alcidamia</HI> &s;poke fir&s;t unto me; and in lieu of di&s;covering <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> thoughts of him, <HI>I</HI> declared my love unto her: In my going out from the Prince&s;s, <HI>I</HI> thoug<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> my &s;elf for a while to be very happy in that <HI>I</HI> had let her know <HI>I</HI> loved her: but when called to mind all that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> &s;aid unto me, <HI>I</HI> ob&s;erved that &s;he changed colour as <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;he heard <HI>Theanor</HI> named, and that <HI>I</HI> had no cau&s;e to doubt but that &s;he loved him: then <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>I</HI> become extreamly re&s;tle&s;s in my mind, and if <HI>I</HI> had not had &s;ome obligations upon me <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">|wards <HI>Theanor, I</HI> believe <HI>I</HI> &s;hould have found out more violent ways to &s;atisfie my &s;elf, th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> tho&s;e <HI>I</HI> took: yet not well knowing what cour&s;e to take, <HI>I</HI> was mo&s;t re&s;tle&s;ly mi&s;erable What will it advantage me, &s;aid <HI>I,</HI> to have the Picture of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> if <HI>Theanor</HI> have <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> heart? Give over then, that de&s;igne which may bring into an hundred inconveniences. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> perhaps, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> afterwards, this Picture was &s;toln from her, yet if it was &s;o, yet certainly <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> was &s;toln by &s;ome that was in love with her; and though it were happy for me if it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;o, yet it is a great misfortune to be Rival unto a man who hath obliged me: All this wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> the &s;oul of <HI>Theanor</HI> was no more quiet then mine: for as <HI>I</HI> told you before, he was Pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|&s;ionately
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in love with <HI>Alcidamia:</HI> from whom, as I under&s;tood afterwards, he had not ob|tained any thing: not but that the Picture which I found was his, but it was not given him by <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> who knew not that he had it; for be plea&s;ed to know that &s;he cau&s;ed it to be made, and gave it unto a friend of hers named <HI>Aca&s;ta,</HI> and indeed, it was &s;he who was the owner of it. But within a little while after, <HI>Policrater</HI> being ready to imbarque for a fre&s;h war, every one went to take leave of their acquaintance, and a great number of quality went unto <HI>Aca|&s;ta,</HI> to bid her adieu; and among&s;t others, <HI>Theanor</HI> came, as &s;he was newly gone out to make a vi&s;it; and when he found none below, he went into her Chamber, and found upon the Ta|ble the Picture of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> which &s;he had forgot to take with her; &s;o that loving her, as he did, and being ready to depart out of <HI>Samos,</HI> he did, as I think my &s;elf &s;hould have done, if I had been in his room; that is, he took this picture, and not the Ca&s;e, which indeed was too much to be taken, and went out &s;o happily, that he was not &s;een by any. Pre&s;ently after, <HI>Ti|ma&s;cas</HI> who was a Cou&s;in to <HI>Aca&s;ta,</HI> came unto the hou&s;e, and found none in it al&s;o; he went into his Cou&s;ins, and found it as <HI>Theanor</HI> left it, that was, all open, and the Ca&s;e of the Picture upon the Table, which he had forgot to &s;hut: &s;o that <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> who was al&s;o in love with <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> and had &s;een it often in the hands of his Cou&s;in, wondred why the Picture was not in it: &s;o that knocking to cau&s;e &s;ome to come unto him, he asked how it came to pa&s;s that the Ca&s;e &s;hould lie upon the Table without the Picture? The women, much &s;urprized at it, told them that they knew not, but &s;aid, they &s;aw it there &s;ince their Mi&s;tre&s;s went out; afterwards they accu&s;ed <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> being a Lover of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> for taking it, and began to de&s;ire him that he would put it in again: he denied very hotly, and in the mean while <HI>Aca|&s;ta</HI> returned, and heard of the bu&s;ine&s;s: at the fir&s;t, &s;he believed as her women did, and ima|gined that her Cou&s;in, whom &s;he knew to be much in love with <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> had taken it, and &s;ay what he could, &s;he would believe no other, in&s;omuch as &s;he was extreamly angry with him: yet &s;ince he &s;wore &s;o deeply, that he took it not, that &s;he enquired who el&s;e came into the hou&s;e. But her women, to excu&s;e them&s;elves of their negligence, did &s;wear, and prote&s;t, as al&s;o all the re&s;t of the Dome&s;ticks, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">that there came none thither, but <HI>Tima&s;ias.</HI> Yet <HI>Theanor,</HI> to take away all &s;u&s;picion of him, returned unto <HI>Aca&s;ta</HI> to bid her adieu, and not mentioning his being there before, &s;he complained unto him of her lo&s;s, but he gave a crafty in lieu of a comforting an&s;wer, that if he had lo&s;t it, he &s;hould die for &s;orrow: In conclu&s;ion, he de|parted with his concealed trea&s;ure, and making another Ca&s;e which he had to &s;erve for that Picture, for all tho&s;e Pictures are made almo&s;t of one &s;ize, he imbarked as well plea&s;ed as <HI>Ti|ma&s;ias</HI> was angry; for he imagined that it was &s;ome of his Rivals who had &s;tolne this Pi|cture.</P>
<P>In the mean while <HI>Alcidamia</HI> hearing of it, did at the fir&s;t &s;u&s;pect that <HI>Aca&s;ta</HI> had given it unto her Cou&s;in: But <HI>Aca&s;ta</HI> made it appear that it was otherwi&s;e, for &s;he being per&s;wa|ded that it was he who took it, &s;he quite fell out with him at his return. <HI>Alcidamia</HI> for her part, took it extreamly ill he &s;hould be &s;o bold as to commit &s;uch a theft, and treated him very ill every time he &s;poke unto her after his return. As &s;he was upon very civil terms with <HI>Theanor,</HI> though &s;he did not much favour him, &s;o &s;he complained unto him, as &s;he did unto others, and &s;eemed to be &s;o extreamly offended at the Pre&s;umption of <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> that he dur&s;t never tell her it was him&s;elf who was the thief, fearing to ineur that hatred, which &s;he bore unto his Rival, who was the &s;ame man that became my enemy the fir&s;t day I ar|rived at <HI>Samos.</HI> You &s;ee then, how <HI>Theanor</HI> not being any extraordinary Favourite, came unto the Picture of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> for I came to know of all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages mo&s;t exactly after|wards: and you &s;ee al&s;o the rea&s;on why he would not tell me the Picture was his, which was, becau&s;e he certainly knew <HI>Alcidamia</HI> would hate him as &s;oon as &s;he knew it. At the fir&s;t my young years only did re&s;train him, but afterwards when he found that I was in love with <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> then he thought good to po&s;&s;e&s;s me with an imagination that &s;he was in love, and that &s;he had given this Picture unto &s;ome one, hoping thereby to avert me from my pa&s;&s;ion: he perceived, that though he had confe&s;&s;ed unto me he loved her, yet that I would not give over loving her &s;ince I told him of it; &s;o that, having no mind to fight with me, nor to ru|ine him&s;elf in the opinion of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> by confe&s;&s;ing it was he who &s;tole the Picture, or by telling me a lye that &s;he did give it unto him, he was as far from knowing what re&s;olution to pitch upon as I was: and for &s;ome days we &s;hunned one another with as much care as we &s;ought for one another before. During which time, I &s;aw <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> as oft as I could po&s;&s;i|ble: and pre&s;uming upon that priviledge which &s;he had given me, I di&s;cour&s;ed of my pa&s;&s;io|tate love unto her, and &s;he &s;eemed always to think, that it was only a habit of &s;peaking which moved me to expre&s;s my &s;elf &s;o unto her, bidding me to remember that I reckoned the dayes
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aright, which &s;he had alloted me. Yet being a whole day, and not &s;eeing her, I went to walk by my &s;elf in the publick Gardens of the Town, which are as full of beauty as tho&s;e of <HI>Poli|crates:</HI> and to contemplate with more freedom, I took a clo&s;e walk, where having a de&s;ire to look upon the Picture of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> I took it out of my pocket, and finding a convenient Seat, I began to con&s;ider it with much delight, but pre&s;ently after I looked upon it with much melancholy, con&s;idering the cruel doom &s;he had pronounced again&s;t him who lo&s;t it; and I think my jealou&s;ie moved me to pronounce &s;ome words, which moved <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> who un|known to me was walking in another Alley clo&s;e by mine, to look who it was which &s;poke; for &s;ince I &s;poke but with a half voice, and had uttered but three or four words, he did not know me by my voice: he came then clo&s;e up to the walk where I was, and looking through the thick leaves, he &s;aw the Picture, and knew it to be of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> and the &s;ame which &s;he had heretofore given unto <HI>Aca&s;ta,</HI> and the very &s;ame that he took away; for he knew that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> had never &s;uffered her picture to be taken but that once. Since it was but a little time that I had been in <HI>Samos,</HI> and &s;ince I had never any familiarity with <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> &s;ince out la&s;t difference, he never perceived that I was in love with <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> &s;o that he was extream|ly &s;urprized to &s;ee the Picture of her he loved in the hands of his enemy, and a Picture al&s;o which had cau&s;ed <HI>Alcidamia</HI> to hate him, and the &s;ame which every one thought he &s;tole: That which did mo&s;t amaze him, was, becau&s;e he thought I was not acquainted with either <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> or <HI>Aca&s;ta,</HI> and &s;ince it was lo&s;t before I came unto <HI>Samos,</HI> &s;o that he could not tell what to think of this adventure: yet being re&s;olved to be further &s;atisfied, he went ha&s;ti|ly unto the end of that walk where I was, and found me &s;o attentive in looking upon that Picture which I held in my hand, as all I could do was to &s;hut the Ca&s;e before he was clo&s;e at me: &s;ince we were upon terms of civility, though there was no great love betwixt us, I ro&s;e up when he came near me, and after a cold &s;alute, I offered to continue on my walk without &s;taying with him, when he acco&s;ting me with a troubled a&s;pect, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, although you are none of my intimate friends, yet &s;ince you are a man of honour, I hope you will tell me one truth, which much imports me, and which I much de&s;ire to know from you. I know not replied I, whether I &s;hall tell you that truth which you de&s;ire to know, but I am certain, I &s;hall not tell you a lye. Tell me then, &s;aid he, who gave you the Picture of <HI>Alcida|mia,</HI> which by chance I &s;aw in your hands as I was walking in the Alley joyning unto this. Though &s;o much curio&s;ity, &s;aid I unto him, as you have to ob&s;erve my actions, does not per|haps de&s;erve &s;o much &s;incerity, yet I &s;hall tell you, that fortune only gave it unto me, and that I am not beholding unto any for it. <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> hearing this an&s;wer, did think I would not tell him what I knew; &s;o that being angry, I knew very well (an&s;wered he) that you have more cau&s;e to thank fortune for it, then the incomparable <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> who que&s;tionle&s;s would not give it you; but I ask, by what accident did blind fortune put it into your hands? Since I am not obliged (an&s;wered I with a much incen&s;ed &s;pirit, becau&s;e I had &s;ome &s;u&s;picion <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> was my Rival) to tell you all the truths I know, and that in the quality of a man of honour, I am only engaged to tell you no lye, I will not tell you any more, think what you plea&s;e. But you &s;hall tell me (replied he roughly) of whom you had that Picture. <HI>Leontidas</HI> (an&s;wered I, and looked fiercely upon him) was never u&s;ed to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 words"> which he has not any mind to have known, e&s;pecially unto men who are not in the Catalogue of my friends. Then as your enemy (replied he, and laid his hand upon his Sword) I will make you acknowledg who gave you that Picture, and al&s;o compelyou to re&s;tore it. No &s;ooner had he &s;aid &s;o, but without any return, I drew my Sword, and we began to fight: As he was very nimble, and I very lucky, we fought a good while without any hurt, but I coming clo&s;e unto him, after I had given him a &s;light touch in the left Arme, we di&s;puted the victory very &s;tiffly; when we were in the heat of fight, and I had got &s;o much advantage, as to pre&s;ent my Sword unto his brea&s;t, to make him acknow|ledg my victory, <HI>Policrates</HI> coming to walk there, entred; and followed by abundance of others, among&s;t the re&s;t <HI>Theanor,</HI> who was the fir&s;t who came in to part us. The fury wherein then <HI>I</HI> was to &s;ee that my old Enemy, and new Rival, &s;hould be pulled out of my hands, made me begin to quarrel with <HI>Theanor:</HI> But <HI>Policrates</HI> coming in, <HI>I</HI> was forced to change my cour&s;e, and to ask him pardon, for, contrary to his Orders, quarrelling with <HI>Ti|ma&s;ias.</HI> Since then he loved me more then my enemy, and &s;ince <HI>I</HI> was a &s;tranger, and the other his Subject, all the blame did light upon <HI>Tima&s;ias;</HI> but he, de&s;iring to ju&s;tifie him&s;elf, Sir, &s;aid he, if you did know the cau&s;e of our quarrel, doubtle&s;s you would excu&s;e me, and &s;ay that <HI>I</HI> have done no more then <HI>I</HI> ought. <HI>I</HI> cannot believe, replied <HI>Policrates,</HI> that you had any rea|&s;on to quarrel with <HI>Leontidas,</HI> and therefore, <HI>I</HI> would under&s;tand all the particulars of the bu|&s;ine&s;&s;. Sir, (&s;aid <HI>I,</HI> even de&s;perate that it mu&s;t be known <HI>I</HI> had this Picture in my hands, and
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fearing that <HI>Policrates</HI> &s;hould move me to re&s;tore it) you will &s;pend a great deal of time, which would be better imployed in many other things then this, and it will &s;uffice, if you be only per&s;waded, that both of us have done nothing but what men of courage and honour ought to do: but &s;ay what I could <HI>Policrates</HI> was &s;o &s;olicited by <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> who de&s;ired to be ju&s;ti|fied concerning the theft of this picture, and to be &s;atisfied concerning it, began to relate the bu&s;ine&s;s. Then <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> puting them in mind of the lo&s;s of <HI>Alcidamia's</HI> picture (for all the Court knew it was taken away) and al&s;o puting them in mind how he as a lover of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> was accu&s;ed for it, and how ill &s;he had treated him concerning it, he afterwards told them that he &s;aw the &s;ame picture in my hands, and that he only de&s;ired to know of whom I had it, that he might thereby ju&s;tifie him&s;elf: knowing well that it was not I who took it, &s;ince I was not then at <HI>Samos</HI> when it was &s;toln from <HI>Aca&s;ta.</HI></P>
<P>During this di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> I had variety of apprehen&s;ions in my mind, for I was ex|treamly joyed to know certainly, by what he &s;aid, that this picture was not given unto him who lo&s;t it, and &s;ometimes my jealou&s;ie dimini&s;hed as much as my love encrea&s;ed, but &s;eeing afterwards with what fervency my enemy &s;poke, and that I did contribute unto his ju&s;ti|fication, and perhaps unto his admi&s;&s;ion into <HI>Alcidamia's</HI> favour, I was then even ab&s;olutely de&s;perate. Yet as &s;oon as <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> had done &s;peaking, <HI>Policrates,</HI> who had a piercing wit, not yet imagining the truth of the bu&s;ine&s;s, and thinking only that I had a de&s;ire to conceal the name of him who gave me this picture, told me, that he would not move me to tell before all the world who it was, but de&s;ired me to tell him in private, which if I would do, it &s;hould &s;uffice for the ju&s;tification of <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> that I did publiquely acknowledg, &s;ome one who like|ly did take it from <HI>Aca&s;ta,</HI> had given it unto me. I leave you to imagine how much I was joyed that I was not able to ju&s;tifie my enemy and my Rival: &s;o that I began to relate with all ingennity which truth could have, how I found it as I was walking: concealing to my &s;elf the &s;u&s;pitions which I had that it was <HI>Theanor</HI> who lo&s;t it, for &s;ince they were only bare &s;u&s;pitions, I could not re&s;olve in my mind, which of the&s;e two Rivals I had better ruine: at the fir&s;t, my di&s;cour&s;e did a little &s;urprize <HI>Policrates,</HI> &s;o that to confirm him better, I told him that <HI>Thea|nor,</HI> who was there by him, knew well I did not lye, &s;ince I went unto him, and told him the adventure which I had the fir&s;t night I came unto <HI>Samos,</HI> and &s;hewed him this picture, and out of my curio&s;ity de&s;ired him to inform me who he might be who had lo&s;t it, and to tell me the name of her whom it repre&s;ented. So <HI>Theanor</HI> was con&s;trained to be my witne&s;s, and <HI>Policrates</HI> doubted not of the truth of what I &s;aid. So that it appearing <HI>I</HI> told no lye unto <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> and that he had no rea&s;on to think <HI>I</HI> &s;poke not &s;incerely unto him, he commanded us to embrace one another: but fir&s;t <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> be&s;eeched <HI>Policrates</HI> that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould re&s;tore unto <HI>Alcidamia</HI> the picture which <HI>I</HI> found: You make me beleeve, (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> then unto <HI>Tima&s;ias)</HI> that perhaps it was your &s;elf which lo&s;t this picture, and that repenting your &s;elf of that theft which wounded your reputation, you would have it re&s;tored. <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> grew red in the face with anger at this di&s;cour&s;e, and returned no an&s;wer, and that which did mo&s;t vex him, was that every one beleeved it &s;o, and publiquely talked of it, and I beleeve <HI>Theanor</HI> did contribute all he could to make it pa&s;s &s;o: for my part, <HI>I</HI> was even ravi&s;hed to &s;ee <HI>Policrates</HI> laugh at what <HI>I</HI> &s;aid, and addre&s;sing my &s;peech unto him, &s;aid, that it would be an odd thing, that &s;ince <HI>I</HI> took nothing from any one, they &s;hould oblige me to re&s;tore that which fortune gave me: or that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould be puni&s;hed, before <HI>I</HI> commited a crime, or looked upon, like him who was the real robber, if he were known. <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> would have an&s;wered, but <HI>Policrates</HI> begining to &s;peak, and de&s;iring to take up this quarrel, told me that as my puni&s;hment, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould &s;hew him this pic|ture: Sir, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him, it conduceth &s;o much unto the honour of <HI>Alcidamia</HI> to be &s;een, that <HI>I</HI> do it without any difficulty at all, upon condition you will promi&s;e me to do me &s;o much ho|nour as to re&s;tore it: Then after that promi&s;e <HI>I</HI> did &s;hew it unto him: he no &s;ooner &s;aw it but looking upon the ca&s;e, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, you need not wonder at the anger of <HI>Tima|&s;ias,</HI> for by the richne&s;s of the&s;e precious &s;tones wherewith it is &s;et, it was to be imagined that perhaps you were his Rival, &s;ince it is not u&s;ual to be at much charges for an indifferent per&s;on: Sir (replied I) it was my fortune to find that picture in that ca&s;e: yet to &s;hew I am not covet|ous, I am ready to re&s;tore it without the picture, unto <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> if it was he who lo&s;t it. <HI>Po|licrates,</HI> fearing that this di&s;cour&s;e might breed wor&s;e blood, commanded us peremptorily, to embrace one another, which without any incivility we did, though very coldly: after which, re&s;toring me the picture, when he had contemplated it with &s;uch a &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s as if he had ne|ver &s;een the per&s;on is repre&s;ented, he told me &s;miling, that a lover of <HI>Alcidamia</HI> would be ve|ry happy in having that honour which I had in it, and in obtaining that by fortune which would not have been &s;o ea&s;ily obtained from her &s;elf. After this, he went unto the prince&s;s his &s;i&s;ter, and
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would have me wait upon him: But as for <HI>Ti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;ias</HI> he retired him&s;elf, being much grieved that his combate had no better &s;ucce&s;s, but yet very glad in his imagination that what he had done might perhaps undeceive <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> but for all that, he him&s;elf was deceived, for &s;he &s;till did think that it was he who took it, and afterwards lo&s;t it in walking, and to recover it again he fought with me. You may imagine what a noi&s;e this accident did make in the Court: and had publi&s;hed it, before we came unto the Prince&s;s, whither <HI>Theanor</HI> came not. <HI>Alcida|mia,</HI> who by chance was there, no &s;ooner &s;aw me but &s;he blu&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, and was a&s;hamed to know I &s;hould have her picture. As &s;oon as <HI>Policrates</HI> entred, he cau&s;ed me to come neer the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r&s;ilea,</HI> by whom <HI>Aloidamia</HI> &s;tood: and relating unto them what they knew already, There needs no more, &s;aid he, to compleat this advanture, if <HI>Leontidas</HI> were really in love with <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> as well as <HI>Theanor</HI> and <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> are, the one of which is his friend, and the other his enemy; then might we &s;ee how one that is born in the I&s;le of <HI>Cyprus</HI> would carry him&s;elf amid&s;t all tho&s;e circum&s;tances. Sir, &s;aid I unto him blu&s;hing, and &s;miling, if there need no more then that to make to adventure hand&s;ome, you need wi&s;h no more. Harken not Sir unto <HI>Le|ontidas</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Alcidamia)</HI> as if he &s;poke &s;eriou&s;ly: for Sir, you know it is the cu&s;tom of his Coun|try to treat all Ladies thus: There are &s;ix days yet, &s;aid &s;he, which I have to correct you in, and he hath promi&s;ed me that afterwards he will &s;peak no more in that manner unto me: How, &s;aid <HI>Policrates</HI> &s;peaking unto <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> have you given him leave to &s;peak in that manner un|to you, for &s;ix days? Yes Sir, replied &s;he and blu&s;ht, but it is upon condition to &s;peak no more &s;o unto me afterwards; And we will beleeve him (&s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Her&s;ilea</HI> &s;miling:) Indeed I cannot (replied <HI>Policrates</HI> looking upon <HI>Alcidamia)</HI> for I am per&s;waded that &s;ince <HI>Leontidas</HI> has once told you that he loves, he will always tell you &s;o; But it &s;hall be in vain (replied <HI>Alcida|mia,</HI> &s;ince I &s;hall not harken unto him: Yet Sir, &s;aid &s;he, if it were fit, I could complain of a piece of inju&s;tice which you have done me, in not appointing <HI>Leontidas</HI> to re&s;tore my picture unto me. <HI>Policrates,</HI> having a plea&s;ing phancy, as I under&s;tood afterwards, to &s;ee me vexed, an&s;wered, that his rea&s;on was, becau&s;e he would not con&s;ent unto a thing of that nature at the reque&s;t of <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> but at hers. If that be all, &s;aid &s;he, I humbly be&s;eech you, com|mand him to re&s;tore it unto me pre&s;ently. I can only intreat him (&s;aid <HI>Policrates)</HI> for I am not his Ma&s;ter. You may command me Sir, in all things, &s;aid I unto him, but as for this, I conceive it would be &s;o unju&s;t to do it, that I cannot beleeve you will: And what inju&s;tice is there in it, replied <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> &s;ince it is but to render me my own? In truth, &s;aid the Prin|ce&s;s, you have le&s;s right unto it then <HI>Leontidas;</HI> for did you not give it unto <HI>Aca&s;ta?</HI> Yes, reply|ed &s;he, but though I did, yet <HI>Leontidas</HI> has no right unto it. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Policrates,</HI> I find that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> is not to blame: And I find, &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Her&s;ilea,</HI> that &s;he has no rea|&s;on to have it from him: for &s;ince <HI>Aca&s;ta</HI> was &s;o carele&s;s in loo&s;ing it, and <HI>Leontidas</HI> &s;o careful in keeping it, it is better in his hands then hers: Oh Madam, &s;aid I unto her, how infinitly am I obliged unto you, and what &s;ufficient thanks can I po&s;&s;ibly render you? Whil&s;t I was thanking her, and &s;hewing &s;uch rea&s;ons as might more convince them in my favour, I &s;aw <HI>Po|licrates</HI> &s;peak low unto <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> and her laugh as well as he: and methought afterwards, I &s;aw them &s;m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">le once or twice pri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ately at one another, and indeed <HI>Policrates</HI> was di&s;plea&s;|ed at <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> &s;ince &s;he confe&s;&s;ed &s;he &s;ufferd me to &s;peak unto her concerning my love, and the more to oblige me, told her that he beleeved I was really in love with her: but for further &s;a|tisfaction, he &s;aid unto her, Will you continue ob&s;tinate all this day in de&s;iring him to re&s;tore your picture? How Sir, &s;aid &s;he, all this day? &s;peaking in a low voyce to him: Yes, and all my life long, or at the lea&s;t until he do re&s;tore it. Yet &s;ince I did not hear what he &s;aid, and &s;ince I &s;aw <HI>Policrates</HI> &s;mile very often whil&s;t <HI>Alcidamia</HI> pre&s;&s;ed me to re&s;tore the picture, I was much unquiet in my mind. But as the Prince&s;s took my part, and was glad that the affection of <HI>Po|licrates</HI> heretofore towards <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> whom &s;he loved not, did le&s;&s;en towards him, and increa&s;e towards me; &s;he &s;aid, that ab&s;olutely &s;he would never &s;uffer me to re&s;tore this picture; for (&s;aid &s;he to <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> in my behalf) you have no more right unto it &s;ince you gave it unto <HI>Aca&s;ta,</HI> and &s;he has no more right unto it then you, &s;ince &s;he lo&s;t it &s;o negligently: but <HI>Leontidas</HI> has more right then either of you, &s;ince he found it &s;o fortunately; &s;ince he has won it by his valor, &s;ince he has prevented him who &s;tole it from injoying it, and &s;ince indeed he de&s;erves it. Then <HI>Policrates,</HI> to divert him&s;elf a little longer, &s;aid unto <HI>Her&s;ilea,</HI> that it were more ju&s;t that the picture remained in his hands. But without giving him &s;o much time as to tell his rea&s;ons, the &s;entence of the Prince&s;s was followed; <HI>Alcidamia</HI> always declaring that &s;he would never con&s;ent unto it: in conclu&s;ion the Prince retired, and I al&s;o: then after I had examined my me|mory concerning all the accidents of that day, I found more bad then good fortune in them: in|deed I was extreamly joyed that this Picture which I had was not given, and that I might al|mo&s;t
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&s;ay it was my own; and might look upon it without any circum&s;tance of &s;ecre&s;ie: But I was extreamly troubled when I found my friend and my enemy were both my Rivals: for I might very well imagine, that <HI>Theanor</HI> would never have per&s;waded me that this Picture was given unto him who lo&s;t it, but in hopes thereby to make me alter my de&s;igne: nor could I be ignorant con&s;idering the manner of <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> his action, that he was deeply in love with <HI>Alcidamia:</HI> and afterwards calling to memory the &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s of <HI>Policrates</HI> in looking upon the Picture, how he whi&s;pered with her, and divers times &s;miled at her: remembring, I &s;ay, all the&s;e trivial circum&s;tances, I imagined that this Prince was in love with her al&s;o: &s;o that, to &s;peak &s;incerely unto you, I was no le&s;s jealous of him, then I was of my friend, and my enemy. I might have had &s;o much con&s;olation (if I had known how to have taken it rightly) as to have thought that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> did neither love him, nor <HI>Theanor,</HI> nor <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> but I ap|prehended it with &s;o many tormenting fears, as if I had known that certainly &s;he was in love with them all; for if I had apprehended it &s;o, then all my jealou&s;ie would have had but one ob|ject, whereas now I &s;uffered as many torments as if <HI>Alcidamia</HI> had loved them all one after another. On which &s;ide &s;oever her &s;en&s;ible &s;oul inclines, (&s;aid I) I have great cau&s;e to fear that every one of the&s;e three terrible Rivals may move her heart. <HI>Theanor</HI> is a very compleat man, wi&s;e, complacential, di&s;creet, and witty, able to act all that a pa&s;&s;ionate love can in&s;pire, and ruine me before I know where I am: &s;o that if <HI>Alcidamia</HI> do affect the Court&s;hip of &s;uch a man, I have great rea&s;on to fear him.</P>
<P>Again, If &s;he be affected unto Fame, Valour, and Liberality, <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> is a brave and gallant man, who may ea&s;ily attract her inclination: But Oh Heavens, &s;aid I, If &s;he be ambitious, what &s;atisfaction may &s;he not find in <HI>Policrates?</HI> if &s;he affect glory, there it is to be had; if &s;he love riches, &s;ince he is Ma&s;ter of the Seas, he can fetch her more, if his own will not con|tent her: and thus repenting in my mind, all the good qualities of <HI>Policrates,</HI> I endured un|imaginable torments, e&s;pecially when I con&s;idered the good fortune of this Prince, which al|ways was waited upon with &s;ucce&s;s in all his enterpri&s;es. No, no, &s;aid I, all I have to do, is to in|form my &s;elf whether <HI>Policrates</HI> loves <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> for if he do, certainly &s;he will love him: afterwards, when I con&s;idered that of all my three Rivals, there was only <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> again&s;t whom I could vent all my re&s;entments, for the other two, one of them was my friend, and the other my Ma&s;ter: then did I almo&s;t lo&s;e all my rea&s;on, &s;o that I pa&s;&s;ed away that night mo&s;t unquietly: yet was I not fully re&s;olved in my mind, that <HI>Policrates</HI> was in love with <HI>Alcida|mia,</HI> I did but only &s;u&s;pect it, not believe it; for commonly, I began with fear; afterwards, I &s;u&s;pected; and after that to believe what I feared, and &s;u&s;pected to be really true: After then a tedious and vexatious night, <HI>Theanor</HI> came unto my Chamber in the morning, who be|ing &s;till re&s;olved to conceal the truth, and to take my love off from <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> if he could, came now to tell me how glad he was of the advantage which I got the day before over my enemy; but yet he was very &s;orry to ob&s;erve me every day more and more inclined to love <HI>Al|cidamia:</HI> yet if I would permit him to deliver his di&s;&s;wading rea&s;ons, he believed that I would think no more of it. The mo&s;t prevalent rea&s;on, that can be, &s;aid I unto him, I heard ye&s;ter|day from <HI>Policrates,</HI> which was, that you and <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> both are in love as well as I with her: But <HI>Theanor,</HI> I cannot help it, I mu&s;t whether I will or no be your Rival, and &s;ince it is per|mitted <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> to love <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> me thinks, you may allow <HI>Leontidas</HI> the &s;ame liberty. When I began fir&s;t to love her, I knew not that you did &s;o al&s;o, but now at this day, &s;ince love has got the ma&s;tery, and ab&s;olute dominion of my heart, it is in vain for me to &s;trive again&s;t it. <HI>Theanor</HI> perceiving that I knew he was in love, did not ab&s;olutely deny it: but he told me then, that it was true, he loved <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> as all the re&s;t of the Court did; yet it was as true, that for &s;ome rea&s;ons which he wi&s;hed I knew, he endeavoured with all his power to over|come his pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>In conclu&s;ion, he u&s;ed &s;uch ob&s;cure and ambiguous expre&s;&s;ions, as made me plainly per|ceive that the only rea&s;on why he would withdraw his affection from <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> was be|cau&s;e <HI>Policrates</HI> had a &s;ecret mind unto her. Ah, my dear <HI>Theanor,</HI> (&s;aid I unto him, though he was my Rival, though <HI>Policrates</HI> be more to be feared then he,) I do already know as much as you tell me. <HI>Theanor,</HI> who only had invented what he told me, purpo&s;ely to di&s;&s;wade from the &s;ervice of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> was much &s;urpri&s;ed to hear me &s;ay &s;o; and fearing that he had &s;po|ken a truth, when he thought he had told me a lye, he pre&s;&s;ed me to tell him what I knew con|cerning the love of <HI>Policrates,</HI> which (as he &s;aid) was &s;uch a &s;ecret as he thought none had known it but him&s;elfe: But I, who was no le&s;s inqui&s;itive then he, did &s;wear unto him he &s;hould never know what I knew, unle&s;s he did fir&s;t expound unto me all that he had formerly told me concerning <HI>Alcidamia's</HI> Picture, which he a&s;&s;ured me was given unto him that lo&s;t it.
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<HI>Theanor</HI> &s;eeing him&s;elf &s;o pre&s;&s;ed, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nd being extreamly de&s;irous to be &s;atisfied of what I had &s;aid unto him concerning <HI>Policrates</HI> his love unto <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> and being a&s;hamed of telling me a lye, re&s;olved to tell me another which &s;hould make good the fir&s;t, and perhaps his own de&s;igne: he told me then, after he had paw&s;ed a while, as if he were half doubtful whether he &s;hould im|part the &s;ecret unto me, and after he had made me &s;olemnly &s;wear that I would never &s;peak of it, how <HI>Policrates</HI> was in love with <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> and had been long: for that the bu&s;ine&s;s was managed by a Lady in the Court, called <HI>Mene<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lida,</HI> whom every one thought <HI>Policrates</HI> loved, though &s;he was only a Confident unto <HI>Alcidamia:</HI> How <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> though &s;he was very ver|tuous, yet an&s;wered his affection with reciprocal complacency; and how this Picture about which &s;o much &s;tir hath been, was given, though it &s;eemed to be &s;toln: Is it po&s;&s;ible, &s;aid I unto him, that this can be? Yes, &s;aid he unto me, for <HI>Policrates</HI> a little before his voyage, de&s;i|red <HI>Alcidamia</HI> to give him her Picture, and &s;he con&s;ented; yet &s;ince &s;he would not &s;uffer it to be taken in &s;ecret, for fear of di&s;covery; &s;he &s;eemed as if &s;he would give her Picture unto <HI>Aca&s;ta,</HI> intending to have two drawn at a time, but the Painter falling &s;ick, as &s;oon as he had fini&s;hed one for <HI>Aca&s;ta, Alcidamia</HI> dur&s;t do no other but give it unto her, becau&s;e &s;he had pro|mi&s;ed: But the Prince, going unto <HI>Aca&s;ta</HI> to bid her adieu, and &s;eeing &s;he had left this Picture upon her Table, while&s;t &s;he went upon a vi&s;it unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Her&s;ilea,</HI> he commanded me to go and &s;teal it for him, which I did accordingly; for at that time <HI>Alcidamia</HI> and I were not kind at all, and I cared not though <HI>Policrates</HI> loved her. How <HI>Theanor,</HI> &s;aid I unto him did you &s;teal <HI>Alcidamia's</HI> Picture, and do you a&s;&s;ure me, that &s;he promi&s;ed it unto the Prince? Yes, replied he: But, &s;aid I unto him, it was not <HI>Policrates</HI> who lo&s;t it that night I found it: for when that accident happened, the Prince was gone into his Chamber long before: <HI>Theanor</HI> was non plu&s;t at this an&s;wer: but upon &s;econd thoughts, No no, &s;aid he, deceive not your &s;elf; for the Prince <HI>Policrates</HI> does u&s;e to walk in the night, and come privately without any company with him into that walk, &s;o that doubtle&s;s it was he, though you did not know him, who let that Picture fall that night you &s;ound it. But I remember, that I found you very melan|choly the next morning, what was then in your mind? Nothing but &s;orrow, replied he, to find that ab&s;ence had not altered the heart of <HI>Policrates,</HI> for as &s;oon as ever he landed, he &s;ent to &s;ee how <HI>Alcidamia</HI> did. What did that concern you, &s;aid I, &s;ince you were not then in love with her? and why did you trouble your &s;elf with any &s;orrow, &s;ince &s;he was &s;o indiffe|rent unto you? I told you, an&s;wered he, that indeed &s;he was &s;o when I fir&s;t imbarqued, but I did not tell you, &s;he was &s;o at my &s;econd return. It was no wonder then, &s;aid I unto him, that <HI>Policrates</HI> was &s;o de&s;irous to have me re&s;tore it unto <HI>Alcidamia.</HI> Then, to &s;atisfie his curio&s;ity, I told him how this Prince continued &s;till his earne&s;t de&s;ires unto me, to re&s;tore it unto her, how he was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ly whi&s;pering with her, and wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">king at her, while&s;t &s;he was import<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|ning me for it, and indeed I told him &s;o exactly all my ob&s;ervations of every petty circum&s;tance, which then did &s;eem &s;uch &s;trong arguments unto me, of <HI>Policrates</HI> his love, that I made no doubt at all of the truth. As for <HI>Theanor,</HI> he was even ravi&s;hed with joy to under&s;tand that I knew nothing which could di&s;quiet him, for he was not of &s;o jealous an apprehen&s;ion as I was. But <HI>Theanor,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, What do you your &s;elf re&s;olve upon? To overcome my pa&s;&s;i|on, (&s;aid he unto me; hoping that I would follow his example,) for, to be a Rival unto a Sove|vereign, is an odd pre&s;umption. I am very glad you are &s;o wi&s;e, &s;aid I unto him, and that my friend <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> from being my Rival. Being a &s;tranger as you are, replied he, you do expo&s;e your &s;elf unto an angry adventure in loving her that <HI>Policrates</HI> loves, unto whom you are obli|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Being his Rival (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him, half angry) as you are, me thinks, you take a great deal of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> him: but yet if you will admit of any Lover of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> it &s;hould be my &s;elf b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> other, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ion have a greater influence upon your &s;oul then friend&s;hip. <HI>Thea|nor</HI> &s;uffered this di&s;cour&s;e without any &s;harp reply, as well becau&s;e he had no mind to fall out with <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, as becau&s;e he was guilty of doing me wrong in deceiving me: but we parted in this manner, he left <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> jealous of him, but much more of <HI>Policrates,</HI> who being &s;o amiable and hand&s;ome as he was, became intolerable unto me. As &s;oon as <HI>Theanor</HI> was gone out, <HI>I</HI> went unto <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> where <HI>I</HI> found <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> whom <HI>Aca&s;ta</HI> had brought thither, to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 words"> how &s;he had wronged him in accu&s;ing him for &s;tealing her Picture: and though <HI>Alcidamia</HI> could not be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> from that belief, yet at the importunity of <HI>Aca&s;ta,</HI> &s;he permitted him to &s;ee her, and that he might hereafter take the honour to vi&s;ite her: &s;o that when <HI>I</HI> came in, <HI>Ti|ma&s;ias</HI> was ready to go out, and thanked her for this great honour which &s;he had done him. When <HI>I</HI> had heard the&s;e la&s;t words of his complement, <HI>I</HI> imagined the matter, &amp; was &s;o very an|gry at <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> that all the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ny perceived it. As &s;oon as he was gone, <HI>Alcidamia</HI> turning towards <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> to you, &s;aid &s;he, that <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> is beholding, for the permi&s;&s;ion to &s;ee me &s;ometimes,
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which now <HI>I</HI> con&s;ented unto, &s;ince if you had not quarrelled, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould have &s;till believed, that it was he who took my Picture. If it be the intention (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him) which &s;ets a price upon all good offices, <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> has no rea&s;on to thank me for it, &s;ince <HI>I</HI> did never intend him any &s;ervice in it. Pre&s;ently after, <HI>Policrates</HI> came in, <HI>Theanor,</HI> and &s;everal others followed him; <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> al&s;o proud of his new obtained favour, came in with <HI>Policrates</HI> almo&s;t as &s;oon as he was gone out. Imagine me now in the mid&s;t of three Rivals, the lea&s;t of which I was in great jealou&s;ie of; which &s;ide &s;oever I turned mine eye did meet with angry objects: for &s;ince it was very hard for <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> but &s;he mu&s;t often lookt upon either <HI>Policrates,</HI> or <HI>Theanor,</HI> or <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> though &s;he had no de&s;igne at all in her looks, I &s;uffered more then I am able to expre&s;s: I would gladly have fixed her eyes upon mine, and none el&s;e, but alas, I was not &s;o happy as to have my wi&s;h: for you mu&s;t know, that <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> who&s;e equal and impartial humour would drive all her Servants into de&s;pair, &s;he u&s;ed &s;uch a certain kind of indifferent civility, without any choice at all, as if &s;he knew di&s;tinction of the men which vi&s;ited her, though one were of the mo&s;t delicate &s;pirit in the world: and &s;he had a phanta&s;ie to gain and win upon every one by this innocent way, &s;o that by con&s;equence &s;he was very civil and &s;weet, and complacential unto all that came near her, and u&s;ed an univer&s;al kindne&s;s unto all; &s;he never &s;eemed to be troubled at them who did mo&s;t importune her: &s;he was &s;o ab&s;olute Mi&s;tre&s;s of her &s;elf, that &s;he could change and vary when &s;he plea&s;ed, and was &s;o witty, that &s;he knew how to turn di&s;cour&s;e as &s;eemed good unto her: you may imagine therefore how I was tormented that day; when <HI>Policrates</HI> talked with her, I could not endure it, and I thought that her joy, which &s;he apprehended at it, made her &s;eem fairer. If &s;he looked upon <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> I imagined it was only to engage him deeper then before: and if &s;he turned towards <HI>Theanor,</HI> I feared that her looks would not cure him of his pa&s;&s;ion, as he told me he de&s;igned. When <HI>Policrates</HI> &s;poke unto <HI>Meneclida,</HI> who was then with <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> I &s;uppo&s;ed it to be out of &s;ubtlety, and as unto his Confident of his pa&s;&s;ion: and if <HI>Alcidamia</HI> did me any civility, or held me in any general di&s;cour&s;e, I looked upon her as one who would deceive me, and return|ed her a peevi&s;h an&s;wer: I confe&s;s unto you, that I could have wi&s;hed <HI>Alcidamia</HI> fair only in my eye, or el&s;e that &s;he were unto all the world invi&s;ible: I wi&s;hed they would e&s;teem her, and her honour was not indifferent unto me; but for all that, I would not have them love her, and I think, I &s;hould have rather wi&s;hed them to hate her. The di&s;cour&s;e of all this day was very agreeable unto all the company, except me. The Prince <HI>Policrates,</HI> chiding me for my melancholy, told me, that I was &s;urely a very di&s;creet Lover, and that he could not gue&s;s at any cau&s;e of melancholy I &s;hould have, &s;ince I had the Picture of the faire&s;t per&s;on upon Earth: Sir, &s;aid I unto him ha&s;tily, It is not &s;o great a happine&s;s to have the Picture of the fair <HI>Alcida|mia</HI> only from the hands of fortune: but if I &s;hould have &s;o much happy honour as to receive it from her fair hand, I &s;hould then e&s;teem it much more precious then I do, although I do e&s;teem it a high <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ate already. Before you receive it from her hands, &s;aid <HI>Policrates</HI> &s;miling, &s;he mu&s;t get it out of yours: and therefore your be&s;t way will be to re&s;tore it unto her, as I de&s;i|red you ye&s;terday: And as I de&s;ire to day, &s;aid <HI>Alcidamia.</HI> If I were &s;ure you would give it me again to morrow, replied I, I &s;hould doubtle&s;s re&s;tore it to day; but I &s;hould be very un|happy to deprive my &s;elf of that honour which I do already enjoy, in hopes of a greater good, which perhaps you will never honour me with: Afterwards <HI>Meneclida</HI> &s;eemed as if &s;he were very jealous that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould have <HI>Alcidamia's</HI> Picture, and not &s;he, and becau&s;e the excellent and only Picture-drawer which drew it at <HI>Samos</HI> was gone unto <HI>Ephe&s;us.</HI> This plea&s;ing conte&s;t between the&s;e two beauties was &s;o hot, that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> to appea&s;e <HI>Meneclida,</HI> gave her a Seal of a very rare Emerauld, her name engraven upon it, which &s;he wore about her Arme in a flame coloured Ribon: the gift was &s;o magnificent, both for the Lu&s;tre of the Stone, and for the Art of the Ingraver, who was the famous <HI>Theodorus,</HI> that <HI>Meneclida</HI> would not accept it, but upon condition that &s;he would take another Bracelet which &s;he wore, the cla&s;p where|of was Rubies, and in the mid&s;t thereof a very fair Diamond. This exchange pa&s;&s;ing in my pre&s;ence, I was &s;o bold as to &s;ay, that <HI>I</HI> preferred <HI>Alcidamia's</HI> Picture before them both, as magnificent as they were: T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">en did <HI>Theanor</HI> make &s;ignes at me, as who would &s;ay <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t not declare my &s;elf &s;o openly before <HI>Policrates.</HI> But <HI>I,</HI> who was not Ma&s;ter of my pa&s;&s;ion, would needs chear up my jealou&s;ie, by tho&s;e &s;ignes of my love which <HI>I</HI> expre&s;&s;ed, before my two Rivals. In the mean while <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t tell you that the eight day being come, after which <HI>Alcidamia</HI> would not hear me &s;peak any more concerning my love, <HI>I</HI> di&s;cour&s;ed &s;o long, and &s;o &s;eriou&s;ly unto her, that &s;he perceived &s;he mu&s;t prepare her &s;elf for a long per&s;ecution: all that <HI>I</HI> had &s;aid unto her until then might have been interpreted, as gallantry only, but &s;o it could not be at this time: for it was impo&s;&s;ible for me to hide my jealou&s;ie from her, when <HI>I</HI>
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was expre&s;&s;ing my &s;elf in love: and I think verily, that I thought more of conjuting her not to love my Rivals, then I did of intreating her to permit me leave to love her: after this, I lived in perpetual vexation and angui&s;h of mind, though I did, if I dur&s;t &s;ay it, &s;ometimes find &s;ome glimps of goodne&s;s towards me, in the heart of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> but yet I dur&s;t not put any tru&s;t in her: and I think that unle&s;s I lived alone with her in an unhabited I&s;land, where never any Ship came, I could not have fancied &s;ufficient &s;ecurity from my Rivals. Therefore was I ex|treamly mi&s;erable, for I mu&s;t whether I would or no, find <HI>Policrates</HI> every day with her, and endure the frequent vi&s;its of <HI>Theanor,</HI> who could not hide his thoughts &s;o clo&s;e but I could ea&s;ily di&s;cover he was in love with <HI>Alcidamia:</HI> and I was forced al&s;o, unle&s;s I would quit <HI>Samas,</HI> to &s;uffer <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> who was my Mortal enemy.</P>
<P>And to &s;peak truth, who&s;oever hath not had tryal of all the&s;e three kinds of jealou&s;ies, does not know what it is to be rightly jealous: but mine re&s;ted not here: for be plea&s;ed to know that there was a man in the Court, of a very ba&s;e condition, who had been a &s;lave unto <HI>Xan|thus,</HI> the Philo&s;opher, the &s;ame time that famous <HI>E&s;ope</HI> was with him, and who was infran|chized by their Ma&s;ter, the &s;ame day as that excellent authour of tho&s;e witty fables which are &s;o famous every where, was &s;et at liberty; the plea&s;ant and merry making humour of this man brought him into the Court, and procured him the liberty to fea&s;t without any exception, up|on all the world. Since <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> as I told you before, was &s;o complacential as to &s;uffer tho&s;e who were even trouble&s;ome unto her, you may ea&s;ily imagine that &s;he would not bani&s;h tho&s;e from her, who diverted her: &s;o that this old friend of <HI>E&s;ope</HI> was continually with her; then &s;ince he knew all the news of the Court, and could tell it hand&s;omely, he had always &s;ome|thing or other to tell her in &s;ecret, and &s;he had always &s;omething to ask him in private, &s;o that there pa&s;&s;ed not a day but I &s;aw them whi&s;per long together, and &s;omtimes laugh, although I knew not at what: And I &s;aw this, I tell you, &s;o frequent, that maugre my jealou&s;ie of <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> of <HI>Theanor,</HI> and of <HI>Policrates,</HI> I was al&s;o jealous of <HI>Hiparchus,</HI> for that was his name, who was as much below me, as <HI>Policrates</HI> was above me. This poor piece of jealou&s;ie troubled me more then all the others, becau&s;e it brought me &s;omtimes even to &s;corn <HI>Alcidamia.</HI> After this <HI>Hi|parchus</HI> could never move me unto any laughter, how plea&s;ant and witty &s;oever his Raillery was, for it is not po&s;&s;ible for one to be both a good Buffon and a Rival unto any. This was the man|ner of my life, when <HI>Policrates</HI> (who indeed was in love with <HI>Meneclida,</HI> though for &s;ome &s;tate rea&s;ons, he did not then make it appear openly) intended a recreation upon the Sea, or rather a great fi&s;hing, at which all the Court Ladies were to be; the Prince&s;s <HI>Her&s;ilea</HI> invited them all unto this Sea Fea&s;t: and though doubtle&s;s it was intended only for <HI>Meneclida,</HI> yet I &s;uppo&s;ed it to be for <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> with whom &s;he held a great privacy and familiarity at that time: for &s;ince the accident of the picture, <HI>Aca&s;ta,</HI> who before that was her prime confident, was now no longer &s;o, but <HI>Meneclida</HI> had the highe&s;t place in her heart. All things being prepared for this grand fi&s;hing, and the day being &s;et down; they were con&s;trained to defer it, becau&s;e there arrived an Emba&s;&s;ador from <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> King of <HI>Egypt,</HI> who loved <HI>Policrates</HI> very well, and who &s;ent to tell him, that his good fortune would procure him &s;ome unquietne&s;s of mind, for it was the &s;aying of a very wi&s;e man, it was ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible to be always hap|py: he did therefore advi&s;e him to prepare him&s;elf for &s;ome misfortune, by &s;ome voluntary lo&s;s, to the end, that if any angry and cro&s;s accident fell out, his Soul &s;hould not be &s;urprized with it: <HI>Policrates</HI> received this coun&s;ell by many te&s;timonies of gratitude for the care which &s;o great a King did take of him, and he went into a Galley with this <HI>Egyptian</HI> Emba&s;&s;ador, and as it was reported, he threw into the Sea, upon a premeditated de&s;ign, a Jewel of an ine&s;tima|ble value, to the end it might cau&s;e him &s;ufficient grief: Yet it was not &s;o; but &s;ee what was the ground of this report, which was rumoured not only throughout all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> but all the world. The morning that this Emba&s;&s;ador came, and had been treated with all po&s;&s;ible magnificency, <HI>Policrates</HI> de&s;ired to recreate him&s;elf at this great fi&s;hing. This being in the end of Autumn, which commonly is the mo&s;t plea&s;ant time of the year at <HI>Samos,</HI> the Sea was &s;o calm, that it was mo&s;t delectable being upon it, yet not &s;o good for fi&s;hing, for the great calm is not the mo&s;t proper for it.</P>
<P>Twelve gilded Galleys were provided for this glorious company; all of them had mo&s;t mag|nificent Tents upon the deck: and a Thou&s;and waving Flags of divers colours, in &s;everal places of the Galleys: but above the re&s;t, that which was appointed to carry the Prince <HI>Policra|tes,</HI> the Prince&s;s <HI>Her&s;ilea,</HI> the <HI>Egyptian</HI> Emba&s;&s;ador, the fair <HI>Meneclida,</HI> the incomparable <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> and other Principal Ladies of the Court, was the mo&s;t glorious and gallant Galley in the world. Yet I who thought all this magnificency was only an effect of <HI>Policrates</HI> his love of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> did ob&s;erve it more then any other, though without any delight: I got into this
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Galley where &s;he was, and that day was &s;he fairer then ever <HI>Galathia, Thetis,</HI> or <HI>Venus,</HI> could by the Art of any hand be drawn: All the Nets which were u&s;ed were of &s;ilk; all the fi&s;hers were dre&s;&s;ed in <HI>Tritons</HI> habit, and all the Ladies like the <HI>Nereides.</HI> As we were in &s;uch a place of the Sea, as was full of fi&s;h, <HI>Policrates</HI> pre&s;ented unto all the Ladies, Lines, and Angle-rods of Ebonie, and blue &s;ilk lines with hooks of Gold. This Prince who naturally was civil unto all, did as much as he could hide his affection unto <HI>Meneclida,</HI> and taking one of tho&s;e Angle-rods, gave it unto <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> before he gave one unto <HI>Meneclida,</HI> which pa&s;&s;age you may well imagine did extreamly trouble me; &s;o that while&s;t every one was taken up with delights, I was to&s;&s;ed in a turbulent Sea of jealou&s;ie.</P>
<P><HI>Theanor,</HI> and <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> who were in another Galley, did &s;o fix their looks upon that, where|in <HI>Alcidamia</HI> was, that <HI>I</HI> believe they did not think their fi&s;hing good &s;port, in theirs; for my part, all my imployment was to ob&s;erve what <HI>Policrates</HI> did, and to my great mi&s;ery, <HI>I</HI> was no le&s;s unquiet, when he &s;poke unto <HI>Meneclida,</HI> then when he di&s;cour&s;ed with <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>I</HI> conceived her to be only a Confident of his love. <HI>I</HI> ob&s;erved that while&s;t the <HI>Egyp|tian</HI> Emba&s;&s;adour was entertaining the Prince&s;s <HI>Hir&s;ilea,</HI> and while&s;t many Ladies were bu&s;ie in their &s;ports, &s;ome fi&s;hing, and others looking on, <HI>Policrates,</HI> as <HI>I</HI> told you before, pre&s;ent|ing a Rod and a Line unto <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> before <HI>Meneclida,</HI> &s;aid unto her out of his Gallantry, that if &s;he were as happy in taking of fi&s;h, as &s;he was of hearts, &s;he would catch fi&s;h enough. Then <HI>I</HI> know not how <HI>Meneclida,</HI> taking her Angle-rod in her hand, did &s;o entangle it in that Ribon which &s;he wore about her Arme, and which <HI>Alcidamia</HI> had given her; but <HI>I</HI> am &s;ure &s;he let it fall, and gave a great cry upon it, and that if <HI>Policrates</HI> had not &s;tooped ha&s;tily, and catched it, it had certainly fallen into the Sea: Then holding it in his hands, he expre&s;&s;ed many &s;ignes of joy, as well as <HI>Meneclida,</HI> who infinitely e&s;teemed it, as well for its own value, as for the hand which gave it: But as for <HI>Policrates,</HI> who only valued it as coming from the Arme of <HI>Meneclida,</HI> he told her, that in lieu of re&s;toring it unto her, he would keep it unto the end of the fi&s;hing, for fear &s;he &s;hould lo&s;e it again: Then calling me unto him, Have not <HI>I</HI> more right unto this Seal, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he, then you have unto the Picture of <HI>Alcidamia?</HI> And may I not keep it if I will from the fair <HI>Meneclida,</HI> as well as you the Picture from <HI>Alci|damia?</HI> &s;ince you found yours in a place where it would not have been for ever lo&s;t, as this which I happily pre&s;erved would have been. Sir, &s;aid I unto him very angryly, becau&s;e I &s;up|po&s;ed he only loved the Seal becau&s;e it was <HI>Alcidamia's,</HI> you were &s;o oppo&s;ite unto me con|cerning this Picture whereof you &s;peak, that for all the re&s;pect I owe you, I have much ado to judge favourably in your behalf. Then mu&s;t the fair <HI>Alcidamia</HI> a&s;&s;i&s;t me, &s;aid he, in per&s;wa|ding the fair <HI>Meneclida</HI> that I may enjoy that which &s;he lo&s;t. Sir, replied &s;he, mo&s;t cruelly as I thought, I &s;hall never be oppo&s;ite unto any thing which may be advantagious unto you, and I find that <HI>Meneclida</HI> has made this Seal which I gave her &s;o precious by her wearing it, that you have great rea&s;on to de&s;ire the pre&s;ervation of it: If the Prince, replied <HI>Me|neclida,</HI> be of my mind, he will value it upon the &s;ame &s;core as I did; that is, becau&s;e it was yours.</P>
<P>In conclu&s;ion, After this conte&s;t <HI>Meneclida</HI> did con&s;ent that <HI>Policrates</HI> &s;hould wear her Seal the re&s;t of the day, &s;o that he putting it on his Arme, &s;eemed to be as plea&s;ant and glorious as if he had got &s;ome great Conque&s;t: Indeed, he was as glad as I was &s;ad, for as the pa&s;&s;age &s;eemed unto my apprehen&s;ion, it was never given unto <HI>Meneclida,</HI> but under a private de&s;igne to be given unto <HI>Policrates.</HI> I imagined that <HI>Meneclida</HI> did purpo&s;ely put it off, and let it fall, and indeed I imagined all that could torment my mind: After they had taken all the delight that fi&s;hing could afford, and had divers times &s;een them draw their Nets, &s;o loaded with fi&s;h that they broke, and gave liberty unto all tho&s;e pretty pri&s;oners, which they only took for the plea&s;ure of taking them, and to look upon their &s;ilver Armour: and after the Ladies had tired them&s;elves with taking many Dares, and other fi&s;hes, there was in every Galley a magnificent Collation prepared, and mo&s;t harmonious Mu&s;ick: afterwards, the Sun not being towards Evening any thing offen&s;ive unto the Ladies, the Tents were all taken away, and this illu|&s;trious Company enjoyed as plea&s;ant a &s;ea&s;on as ever was. All the Ladies took off their hoods. The beauty appeared in full lu&s;tre, every one was entertaining them&s;elves with tho&s;e that were m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t agreeable unto their fancie, and I was the only man who was &s;olitary, and held cover&s;a|tion with none but my &s;elf: I &s;aw <HI>Policrates</HI> &s;it between <HI>Alcidamia</HI> and <HI>Meneclida,</HI> &s;peak|ing &s;omtimes to one, and &s;ometimes to another. <HI>Meneclida,</HI> becau&s;e the day grew old, and night came on, asked for her Seal: and as he &s;eemed unwilling to re&s;tore, &s;he pre&s;&s;ed the more to have it, but &s;till this Prince denied it, as &s;eeming extream unwilling to part with it. Sir, (&s;aid &s;he &s;miling, as afterwards I knew, for then I &s;aw only by their action, and did not
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under&s;tand their words) If any but the Prince <HI>Policrates</HI> &s;hould ask this Seal as a favour, he would be &s;u&s;pected a pa&s;&s;ion, little le&s;s gallant then love. To &s;hew you, &s;aid he, that <HI>I</HI> am not very covetous, <HI>I</HI> will re&s;tore the Seal upon condition you will only give me the Ribon which is tied unto it; in &s;aying &s;o he began to unty it notwith&s;tanding her re&s;i&s;tance; and as &s;he &s;till denied it, &s;aying, to excu&s;e her &s;elf, that &s;he &s;hould lo&s;e it if &s;he had not the Ribon al|&s;o, the Seal fell out of the hands of <HI>Policrates</HI> into the Sea, and he not able to catch it, for they leaned over a gilded Rail, which was by the &s;ides of the Galley. <HI>Policrates</HI> was even de&s;pe|rate at the accident: <HI>Meneclida</HI> very angry, and when the lo&s;s was divulged, every one &s;ha|red in the Princes &s;orrows, for being the cau&s;e of &s;uch a lo&s;s unto <HI>Meneclida: I</HI> only rejoy|ced, and was ravi&s;hed that he could not enjoy &s;uch a favour as came from <HI>Alcidamia;</HI> for <HI>I</HI> did not under&s;tand that he intended to re&s;tore it when he let it fall: See, &s;aid he, the great misfortune of <HI>Policrates,</HI> &s;ince the fir&s;t that befals him is without a remedy: But the more he appeared troubled, the more did <HI>I</HI> al&s;o, becau&s;e my jealou&s;ie was augmented by it. The <HI>Egyptian</HI> Emba&s;&s;adour to comfort him, wi&s;hed that never greater misfortune might befal him: an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> as long as the day la&s;ted, either at Sea, or in the Palace, after our return to Court, no|thing but this accident was talked on.</P>
<P>The next morning, <HI>Theanor,</HI> the more to afflict me, did craftily tell me, that <HI>Policrates,</HI> to repair the lo&s;s of <HI>Meneclida,</HI> had in the Evening &s;ent two other Seals unto her, and <HI>Alci|damia,</HI> the faire&s;t and riche&s;t in the world, be&s;eeching her to keep the one, and give the other unto <HI>Meneclida.</HI> This piece of Gallantry drove me into ab&s;olute de&s;pair; and though <HI>I</HI> un|der&s;tood at the &s;ame time by another be&s;ides <HI>Theanor,</HI> that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> did make very nice in accepting what the Prince had &s;ent her, and that <HI>Policrates</HI> was glad to u&s;e the authority of the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter to beg acceptance, yet was <HI>I</HI> not le&s;s jealous, for <HI>I</HI> con&s;idered that <HI>Al|cidamia</HI> had a Seal which came from <HI>Policrates,</HI> and <HI>I</HI> imagined that the other which was given unto <HI>Meneclida,</HI> was but a colour for giving the other, and as a kind of recompence for the good offices &s;he had done him: Moreover this Ribon which remained in the hands of <HI>Po|licrates,</HI> and which he kept &s;o carefully, did infinitely augment my pangs of jealou&s;ie, &s;o that I enjoyed not a minutes re&s;t: There happened the next morning another accident, which did extraordinarily trouble me, and which every one looked upon as one of the mo&s;t miraculous chances, and as the greate&s;t &s;igne of good fortune that ever happened unto any one: for <HI>Po|licrates,</HI> &s;ome two dayes after this grand entertainment, having ri&s;en betimes in the morning, with intentions to go and hunt, and being in a marble walk in the mid&s;t of the Ca&s;tle, ready to take hor&s;e, he &s;aw two old fi&s;hermen approaching him with humble re&s;pect, and pre&s;ented a fi&s;h unto him which they had taken, of a mon&s;trous bigne&s;s, which two other fi&s;hers carri|ed upon a bundle of Sea-reeds. This fi&s;h being an extraordinary fine one, and wonderfully large, <HI>Policrates</HI> looked upon it with much delight; and cau&s;ing him who brought it to be well re|warded, he took hor&s;e, and went to hunt as he intended: but at his return, one of his officers coming unto him as he was entring into the Ca&s;tle, pre&s;ented unto him the &s;ame Seal, which <HI>Meneclida</HI> and he let fall into the Sea, the la&s;t great fi&s;hing day, which they found in this mira|culous fi&s;h which was pre&s;ented unto him, who doubtle&s;s had &s;wallowed it at the very &s;ame in&s;tant that it fell into the water. I was then clo&s;e by <HI>Policrates,</HI> &s;o that I could ea&s;ily ob&s;erve how plea&s;ingly he was &s;urprized at this prodigious accident, and to get that again which he thought to be for ever ab&s;olutely lo&s;t: And indeed, this piece of good fortune was &s;o extraor|dinary, that though <HI>Policrates</HI> had not been at all in love, yet mu&s;t it needs rejoyce him: and &s;ince <HI>Meneclida</HI> was &s;o much ravi&s;hed to regaine that into her po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion which was &s;o very dear unto her, <HI>Policrates</HI> al&s;o did te&s;tifie his in &s;uch exce&s;s, that it made me more jealous then ever, imagining that what&s;oever I &s;aw him do, was always for <HI>Alcidamia:</HI> he gave unto that Officer which pre&s;ented it unto him as much as enriched him for his life: he redoubled his li|berality to the fi&s;her-men who pre&s;ented the fi&s;h: and making choice of me unluckily among&s;t the re&s;t, he appointed me to carry this welcome news unto <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> and <HI>Meneclida,</HI> until he could come him&s;elf to &s;ee them: Mean while, all the Court admired at this &s;trange accident, and could not chu&s;e but talk of it. After this, &s;aid the <HI>Egyptian</HI> Emba&s;&s;adour unto <HI>Policrates,</HI> you may tru&s;t Fortune, or defie her: &s;ince the faire&s;t of fi&s;hes did &s;wallow it, and afterwards &s;uffered him&s;elf to be taken by &s;uch a Fi&s;her as was &s;o hone&s;t as to pre&s;ent you with it, and af|ter all this to find an Officer &s;o tru&s;ty and faithful, as to re&s;tore a jewel of that value, is a piece of as great good fortune as is imaginable, and ought to per&s;wade you, that you &s;hall be ever happy. If &s;o (an&s;wered <HI>Policrates</HI> very civilly) you your &s;elf mu&s;t rejoyce al&s;o, as at a thing which &s;peaks the pro&s;perity of the King your Ma&s;ter, &s;ince I my &s;elf can never be happy, un|le&s;s he be &s;o al&s;o. Mean while I went again&s;t my mind, to di&s;charge my &s;elf of my Commi&s;&s;ion,
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but it was after &s;uch a faint manner, as let <HI>Alcidamia</HI> and <HI>Meneclida</HI> &s;ee very well that my mind was much perplexed: I found unto my greater grief, that <HI>Hiparchus,</HI> who had not been hunting, was with them, and that <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> and <HI>Theanor</HI> both, whom we left at the Gates of the Town, was there al&s;o: I related my bu&s;ine&s;s then in &s;uch a manner, as was a fit &s;ubject for the raillery of <HI>Hiparchus:</HI> for &s;eeing in what a melancholy tone I told this newes of joy and delight, he vented a hundred of his fla&s;hes, which were bitter unto me, and plea&s;ant unto them, in &s;o much as if <HI>Meneclida</HI> had not hand&s;omely turned the di&s;cour&s;e, my melancholy would perhaps have appeared more then <HI>I</HI> would have it: after this, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t go and render an account unto <HI>Policrates</HI> of what the Ladies &s;aid unto me: but though they did both of them load me with a hundred civilities towards him, yet <HI>I</HI> pa&s;&s;ed them over in a &s;light manner, and told a &s;hort &s;tory, that <HI>Meneclida</HI> was very glad there was any hopes to have her Seal &s;oon again.</P>
<P><HI>Policrates</HI> was then in his clo&s;et, and no body with him, but my &s;elf, and he asked with ex|tream curio&s;ity, what <HI>Meneclida</HI> and <HI>Alcidamia</HI> had &s;aid unto me? and &s;ince I returned him no manner of pertinent an&s;wer, he came upon me with que&s;tion upon que&s;tion, and put &s;ay Soul into &s;uch a horrid torment, that I was diver&s;e times ready to ca&s;t off all re&s;pect unto him: but the Prince ob&s;erving the di&s;compo&s;ure of my mind, did ask what it was which troubled me, &s;ince I an&s;wered only with a bow, he begun to muze, and afterwards looking earne&s;tly upon me, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, you are either in love, or el&s;e I am the mo&s;t mi&s;taken man in the world: But if it be &s;o, &s;aid he, I wi&s;h for your own quiet &s;ake it be not with <HI>Al|cidamia,</HI> for &s;he is one of &s;uch an indifferent humour as will much trouble the tranquility of your mind in obtaining your de&s;ired end: When I heard <HI>Policrates</HI> &s;peak in this manner, and perceived his de&s;ire to know my thoughts, but I was at &s;uch a non-plus, that I could not an|an&s;wer him: The Prince ob&s;erving my di&s;order, &s;miled, and imbracing me with abundance of &s;weetne&s;s, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, fear not to di&s;cover your imperfections unto me, for I am re&s;olved to di&s;cover mine unto you, and the more to oblige you, I pray you know, that the &s;ame <HI>Policrates</HI> who every one conceives &s;o happy, is oftentimes tormented with a &s;ecret which troubles the goodne&s;s of his fortunes. Sir, (&s;aid I then unto him, being extreamly tran&s;ported) it &s;eems to me, that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> is not very aver&s;e unto you: <HI>Alcidamia</HI> indeed, &s;aid he unto me, does &s;ometimes qualifie the &s;everity of <HI>Meneclida,</HI> but yet for all that, all that &s;he does in my behalf is to prevent her friend from treating me ill, but truly &s;he is very favor|able unto me. I confe&s;s, when I heard <HI>Policrates</HI> expre&s;s him&s;elf thus, I thought at the fir&s;t it was only to deceive me. Yet this Prince perceiving my mi&s;tru&s;t of him, and gue&s;&s;ing at a great part of my thoughts, he was too good as to de&s;ire me, that I would utter them unto him, and I was &s;o bold as to obey him. And after I had in &s;ome &s;ort acknowledged, that I had been deceived, <HI>Policrates</HI> then under&s;tanding my error, did di&s;&s;ipate it in &s;uch a manner, that there remained not any more &s;u&s;pition in my Soul, and I perfectly knew, how all that <HI>Thea|nor</HI> had &s;aid unto me was fal&s;e, which put me into &s;uch a collorique fume again&s;t him, that I was not ma&s;ter of my own re&s;entment. I told not then <HI>Policrates</HI> all I knew, and I con|ceived it more noble to be revenged upon him my &s;elf, then to make u&s;e of the Authority of the Prince for it. Now did <HI>Policrates</HI> really love me, and to cure me of my jealou&s;ie, he made me that confident of his pa&s;&s;ion unto <HI>Meneclida,</HI> and to oblige me the more, he offered me all his a&s;&s;i&s;tance to <HI>Alcidamia:</HI> and indeed he &s;poke &s;o much in my advantage, when he went the next morning to carry <HI>Meneclida</HI> her Seal, that the fair <HI>Alcidamia</HI> did look much more favor|ably upon me. In the mean time, going to look out <HI>Theanor,</HI> that I might acquaint him with my re&s;entments, I under&s;tood how he was gone into the Country for &s;ome days: I heard al&s;o that <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> was faln &s;ick, and &s;tirred not out of his chamber; So that I found my jea|lou&s;ie of <HI>Policrates</HI> vani&s;hed, and rid of two Rivals for a while, and finding al&s;o the favor of this Prince, I entred into a very great league of friend&s;hip with <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> and was for almo&s;t a week a mo&s;t happy man. But alas, the beginning of my good fortune was the beginning of my greater Torment. For as long as I thought my &s;elf not at all loved by <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> my jea|lou&s;ie, though great then, yet was not comparable to what afterwards, &s;ince &s;he favoured me &s;o far as to tolerate my affection, and permit me &s;ome hopes of hers hereafter; for regarding her then as one in whom I had &s;ome right, I was therefore much more tormented in thoughts of the lo&s;s: I mu&s;t now augment my train, thereby to have more &s;pies to ob&s;erve what &s;he and all my Rivals did: when <HI>Theanor</HI> returns we mu&s;t fight: I had al&s;o many ruffles with <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> and many &s;u&s;pitions of <HI>Hiparchus,</HI> and indeed I was at that pa&s;s as I wi&s;hed <HI>Alci|damia</HI> might &s;ee no body. I followed her every where, or cau&s;ed her to be followed: I was always melancholy, and mu&s;ing, for though <HI>Alcidamia</HI> did out of her goodne&s;s unto me create much
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hope in me, yet &s;he did not leave off her complacential humour unto all people, but was &s;o ge|nerally civil unto all, as made me ab&s;olutely de&s;pair, and per&s;ecuted me beyond imagination: and truly it was ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible for me, not to be perpetually giving her &s;ome marks of my &s;u&s;pition, though I did never intend as much: if &s;he had hereupon been &s;o indulgent as to cure me, perhaps &s;he might have done it: but on the contrary, my jealou&s;ie incen&s;ed her, and made her u&s;e all the means &s;he could to add fire unto my jealou&s;ie, for &s;he took every opportunity of conver&s;ing with one of my Rivals: &s;he let &s;lip no occa&s;ion of walking abroad, and recreating her &s;elf, and lived as be&s;t plea&s;ed her &s;elf, and as if I were not jealous of her: not that I could ever find &s;he did any thing which was not fit, or what other Ladies of her quality did: but me thought &s;he was bound to pitty my weakne&s;s, to yield a little unto my capritious phanta&s;m; and to re&s;train her &s;elf &s;omething more then &s;he did: yet for all that, this inhumane Lady looked upon me as her per&s;ecutor, and treated me &s;o cruelly, that I under&s;tood &s;he railed again&s;t my &s;u&s;pitions and fears unto <HI>Policrates,</HI> and unto <HI>Hiparchus</HI> al&s;o; in&s;omuch as all my jealou&s;ies revived even of the very Prince: So that with an angry mind, I went one day to vi&s;it her, when &s;he was all alone, yet when I was with her, the one half of my fury vani&s;hed, and I &s;poke unto her with much re&s;pect. This di&s;cour&s;e began at the fir&s;t with things indifferent, though it was not my cu&s;tom to do &s;o when I was alone with her: But not knowing how to begin hand&s;omely, for fear I &s;hould too much incen&s;e her, I &s;tammered, and was wandered &s;o imper|tinently from the purpo&s;e, that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> could not chu&s;e but laugh: when I &s;aw that, I grew red with choller, and no longer able to hide my thoughts, You are obliged unto me, &s;aid I unto her, for giving you &s;o often a &s;ubject to divert the Prince <HI>Policrates,</HI> and to laugh with <HI>Hiparchus.</HI> They two are of &s;uch different di&s;po&s;itions (&s;aid &s;he) that I cannot think one thing is able to divert them equally. It is much harder for me to comprehend (&s;aid I un|to her) how they can both be po&s;&s;ibly in one heart: They ea&s;ily may (an&s;wered &s;he very &s;harp|ly) and many others be&s;ides, for certainly <HI>Leontidas,</HI> there is often in one heart, both love and harred, &s;corn and friend&s;hip, indifferency and aver&s;ion. I know it well (&s;aid I unto her,) and I know very well al&s;o which of all the&s;e, I ought mo&s;t to pretend unto: Since doubtle&s;&s; you are not ignorant (replied &s;he in a more malicious tone) of the price of tho&s;e &s;ervices which you render, it is ea&s;ie for you to gue&s;s it: I gue&s;s it better, replied I, by the capritious hu|mour of another, then by my &s;elf: But you may gue&s;s at it more exactly, replied &s;he, by your own capritious humour, then by any thing el&s;e, if it were po&s;&s;ible for you to know it: Call you that capritious, Madam (&s;aid I unto her) to adore you only of all the people in the World, to look upon you only, and to wi&s;h nothing upon Eirth but to be loved? I know very well, &s;aid &s;he, that you look upon none but me, and perhaps if you looked upon me le&s;s, you would be looked upon more favorable: Why Madam, replied I, do you think it po&s;&s;ible to love perfectly, and not endeavor, as much as may be, to &s;ee the per&s;on loved? I think, &s;aid &s;he, that the way to make ones &s;elf to be loved, is to plea&s;e, and not to be always bu&s;ie in depriving the party who is loved of all things &s;he delights in. But if the per&s;on who one loves, an&s;wered I, do love again, &s;he will take no delight in per&s;ecuting him whom &s;he thinks worthy of her affection; but would find much more plea&s;ure in pittying his weakne&s;s, and de&s;iring to cure them. For my part (&s;aid &s;he) indeed I am not &s;o full of goodne&s;s: for I know not how to pitty tho&s;e evi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> in any one, which they voluntarily cau&s;e in them&s;elves; An Madam, &s;aid I unto her, how little do you know him of whom you &s;peak, if you think that he does voluntarily cau&s;e his evils? No, no, deceive not your &s;elf I be&s;eech you, jealou&s;ie is a tyrannical pa&s;&s;ion, as well as love, which begins in our hearts whether we will or no: which angments al&s;o in &s;pite of all re&s;i&s;t|ance, and in the end, do what we can, will ruine us. Since it is &s;uch an incurable di&s;ea&s;e, &s;aid <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he, it is in vain to go about the cure: and the be&s;t di&s;cretion is to hide it &s;o that others &s;all not perceive it. I would I could, &s;aid I unto her, but how is it po&s;&s;ible Madam to &s;ee you continually Invironed with per&s;ons who are agreeable unto you, and not to expre&s;s &s;ome glimp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> of perplexity? What, &s;aid &s;he, would you never have me look upon any but ugly per&s;ons? that I &s;hould be always in &s;olitary and melancholy places? that I &s;hould hate mu&s;ick and mirth? that I &s;hould never walk abroad? that conver&s;ation &s;hould di&s;plea&s;e me? and that I &s;hould dron<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> away all my life in &s;olitude? I wi&s;h not &s;o much Madam, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, but <HI>I</HI> confe&s;s <HI>I</HI> de&s;ire with all my heart, if it were po&s;&s;ible, that the Prince <HI>Policrates, Theaner, Tima&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">as,</HI> and <HI>Hipar|chus,</HI> were none of them &s;o much in your favor as <HI>Leontidas. Alcidamia</HI> blu&s;hed at this di&s;cour&s;e, and after a while of paw<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing, &s;he began to tell me, what rank all the&s;e per&s;ons held in her heart, and fir&s;t for <HI>Policrates,</HI> &s;he told me that &s;he e&s;teemed him as a great Prince, who was pa&s;sionately in love with <HI>Meneclida</HI> her friend. That as for <HI>Theanor,</HI> &s;he neither had any hatred not friend&s;hip towards him: as for <HI>Tima&s;ias,</HI> &s;he had a greater di&s;po&s;ition to hate him, then to
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love him; and as for <HI>Hiparchus,</HI> &s;he ever loved his company, but never his per&s;on. When <HI>I</HI> heard <HI>Alcidamia</HI> &s;ay &s;o, <HI>I</HI> was even ravi&s;hed with joy; and would have returned her thanks, but &s;he prevented me; and &s;aid, No no, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> make no &s;uch ha&s;te, I tell you not all this for your &s;atisfaction, but my own: It is for my own particular honour, that <HI>I</HI> a&s;&s;ure you all the&s;e per&s;ons whom <HI>I</HI> have named have no &s;ecret place in my heart; But it is for your tranquility, that I tell you ingeniou&s;ly, becau&s;e you &s;hall not be deceived, that you have no more place in my heart then they have. Why Madam, &s;aid I unto her, will you never love <HI>Leontidas?</HI> No, not the lea&s;t thought, replied &s;he, as long as he continues jealous, and &s;ince I cannot think, but he will be always &s;o, I cannot think, that I &s;hall ever entertain any affection to him. But con&s;ider, cruel Lady, &s;aid I unto her, that this jealou&s;ie is only an ef|fect of love. If you loved me then a little le&s;s, replied &s;he, I &s;hould love you a little more; for indeed, <HI>Leontidas,</HI> I had rather marry a man that hates me, then one that loves me with any engredient of jealou&s;ie in his love: therefore de&s;i&s;t from courting me any more, &s;ince all will be in vain. But, &s;aid I unto her, were I once a&s;&s;ured, that I were the happy man you mean to make choice of, my jealou&s;ie would cea&s;e. No, &s;aid &s;he, I will not expo&s;e my &s;elf unto &s;uch a danger: for there are many Lovers who are not jealous at all while&s;t they are &s;ervants, yet are &s;o when they come to be Husbands. But I can never think that he who is jealous, when he has yet no right unto the per&s;on whom he loves, will never cea&s;e to be &s;o when he has married her. Therefore <HI>Leontidas,</HI> you have put an unremoveable ob&s;tacle between your preten&s;ions unto me, and your &s;elf. And how much &s;oever I may e&s;teem you, I &s;hall tell you once again, that I &s;hall never marry you. When I heard <HI>Alcidamia</HI> thus expre&s;s her &s;elf, I would have prote&s;ted unto her, that I would never be jealous any more; but in very &s;peaking unto her, I do confe&s;s, that I found &s;uch certains &s;ymptoms in my &s;elf, as told me, that I was not yet in a condition to be ab&s;olutely cured of that Malady which tormented me: In the mean time, I could not move <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> to alter her re&s;olution, nor yet any other an&s;wer from her: I made &s;everal attempts upon my &s;elf &s;everal days, not to appear jealous, but &s;eemed to be plea&s;ant, and agreeable to all Societies: I &s;poke unto <HI>Theanor,</HI> I &s;aluted <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> with more civility then formerly: I would &s;ometimes je&s;t and quibble with <HI>Hiparchus:</HI> but to tell you truly, I did all the&s;e &s;o ill favour|edly, and in &s;uch a forced manner, that I made <HI>Alcidamia</HI> laugh more heartily, then if I had &s;poke the mo&s;t plea&s;ant things in the world. This put me into &s;uch an inward chafe, that I did &s;ilently blame her. What would you have me do, &s;aid &s;he, you counterfeit it &s;o &s;curvily, that I cannot for my life but laugh. This her carriage towards me, did extreamly offend me, but yet &s;he continued her con&s;tant cour&s;e of &s;weetne&s;s, civility, and complacency unto every one, while&s;t I continued my accu&s;tomed vexation of mind, and was always re&s;tle&s;s and mi&s;erable: Not knowing then what cour&s;e to take, but knowing well that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> was fully re&s;olved upon what &s;he told me, I went to con&s;ult with the Philo&s;opher <HI>Lanthas,</HI> whom I was well acquainted with, and conjured him to pre&s;cribe me his be&s;t phy&s;ick, to cure my jealou&s;ie; for knowing him to be a man of profound knowledg in every thing, and one that all his life had &s;tu|died the nature of pa&s;&s;ions, I had great hopes in his documents, and &s;apient advi&s;es to find a remedy: The evil whereof you complain (an&s;wered he) is not &s;o ea&s;ily cured as you imagine, not know I any but one remedy, yet it is mo&s;t infallible to tho&s;e that will ob&s;erve it: Let me hear it quickly, I be&s;eech you, &s;aid I unto him, for let it be as difficult as it will, I am fully re|&s;olved to apply it. There is no way, replied he, but to leave off loving, and without this, tho&s;e who&s;e &s;ouls are tainted with that dangerous pa&s;&s;ion, can never be ab&s;olutely delivered from it. But, replied I, all in anger, you mu&s;t teach me at the &s;ame time how to leave loving: By leaving the &s;ight of her you love, an&s;wered he. Your remedies are very har&s;h, &s;aid I unto him. Your di&s;ea&s;e is great, replied he; and the maladies of the mind, as well as tho&s;e of the body, when they are grown to extremities, they mu&s;t have extream remedies. Is there no po&s;&s;ibility, &s;aid I unto him, to cure jealou&s;ie &s;ome other way? No, not when it is violent, replied he, and &s;tronger then the love which fir&s;t gave life unto it; for truly this pa&s;&s;ion is &s;o bere<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> of rea&s;on, that it can never judg of any thing rightly: A man that is jealous in the exce&s;s, is like a remedy, unto which nature lends no help, and unto whom all remedies are u&s;ele&s;s. In other pa&s;&s;ions, rea&s;on cau&s;es the owner &s;ometimes to receive the remedies pre&s;cribed; but a jealous man will find no help from any advice: for being accu&s;tomed to be often deceived, he can never di&s;cern the truth: &s;o that after a long di&s;cour&s;e, the re&s;ult of all my philo&s;ophical advice was, That if I would cea&s;e being jealous, I mu&s;t cea&s;e loving; and if I would cea&s;e loving, I mu&s;t cea&s;e &s;eeing the Party whom I love: Then did I quit her, and went to walk alone, and very bu&s;ie I was with my &s;elf, to re&s;olve what cour&s;e to undertake: but I could not that day fix upon any thing, and I believe, if the mercile&s;s <HI>Alcidamia</HI> had not &s;o infinitely augmented my
<PB N="82" REF="232">
jealou&s;ie by her manner of proceeding with me, it would have been long before I had deter|mined with my &s;elf. But the great fea&s;t of <HI>Juna</HI> being now come, and all the I&s;le of <HI>Samos</HI> in publick jolity; &s;he gave me &s;uch fre&s;h cau&s;es of complaint, in all the A&s;&s;emblies where ever I &s;aw her; and &s;he had &s;o fully per&s;waded me, that &s;o long as I was jealous, &s;o long &s;hould I be hated; that in conclu&s;ion, I re&s;olved, &s;ince I could not cea&s;e from being &s;o, I would cea&s;e from loving if I could, and to depart from <HI>Samos:</HI> I was inventing an hand&s;om pre&s;ence for my departure, yet not telling the truth unto any but <HI>Policrates,</HI> of whom I was then le&s;s jealous, I quit his I&s;le, notwith&s;tanding all his per&s;wa&s;ions to the contrary, and I did quit it with|out bidding adieu unto any: But that <HI>I</HI> might go out compleatly unhappy, as <HI>I</HI> pa&s;&s;ed by <HI>Al|cidamia's</HI> Lodging, <HI>I</HI> &s;aw <HI>Tima&s;ias</HI> and <HI>Hiparchus</HI> enter, and <HI>I</HI> knew by <HI>Theanor's</HI> Servants who were at the door, that he was there before then: <HI>I</HI> had &s;o &s;trong a phancie of that joy, which my Rivals would re&s;ent in my ab&s;ence, that <HI>I</HI> was in a mind not to depart, yet wra&s;t|ling with my mind with all my power, I at the la&s;t imbarqued, and returned to <HI>Cyprus,</HI> a little before the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> fell in love with the fair <HI>Policrita;</HI> &s;ince that, I have lived a mo&s;t unquiet and unhappy life: for indeed, ab&s;ence has done no good at all upon me, but <HI>I</HI> &s;till continue more amorous and more jealous, and by con&s;eq<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ence more unfortunate then ever Lover. Since my &s;eparation from <HI>Alcidamia, I</HI> am not only jealous of my Prince, my friend, my enemy, and another of an inferiour quality unto me, but <HI>I</HI> am jealous al&s;o of every one whom <HI>I</HI> do imagine &s;ees her; and when you &s;ee me &s;ometimes &s;tand in dull dumpi&s;h &s;tu|dy, and melancholy mu&s;ing po&s;ture, then am <HI>I</HI> calling them all into my memory one after ano|ther, and imagining that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> is treating them better then &s;he did me. Let not <HI>Thimo|crates</HI> then pretend, that ab&s;ence comes near the rigour of jealou&s;ie, &s;ince there is no compari|&s;on between them.</P>
<P>The Remembrance of what is pa&s;t, the hopes of what is to come, (as the Prince <HI>Artibies</HI> hath very well ob&s;erved) does bring a thou&s;and con&s;olations unto an ab&s;ent Lo|ver, that is beloved: But a jealous Lover cannot find any thing either in his remembrance of the time pa&s;t, or in his hopes of the time to come, which can afford him any qui|etne&s;s of mind: An ab&s;ent Lover, never looks for any things but &s;uch as are agreeable, and delightful, the hopes of which are &s;weet unto him, as the &s;ight of his Mi&s;tre&s;s, her compa|ny, and many &s;uch advantages; whereas jealou&s;ie is &s;o irregular from all rules of rea&s;on, that he does often wi&s;h not to &s;ee his Mi&s;tre&s;s. I know very well, that not to be loved, is a grand mi&s;ery: yet not &s;o great by far as his who imagins him&s;elf not only not loved, but imagins that the per&s;on whom he loves, does love an hundred thou&s;and others better then him&s;elf: Nei|ther is the death of the party loved with all its terrours, &s;o tormentive as jealou&s;ie. A Lover who laments the death of his Mi&s;tre&s;s, has this con&s;olation at the lea&s;t, that he is pitied by eve|ry one, it moves compa&s;&s;ion in his mo&s;t mortal enemies: whereas on the contrary, a jealous Lover moves not the lea&s;t jot of pitty from his deare&s;t friends: tho&s;e that are the mo&s;t di&s;|creet among&s;t them, can do no more, then not to &s;peak again&s;t him: but the ordinary &s;ort do mo&s;t commonly openly jeer, and mock at him for it: and yet though he &s;ee it in them all, he knows no remedy. Moreover, that kind of &s;orrow which is cau&s;ed by death, hath &s;ome li|mits; there can come nothing new nor wor&s;e unto him who re&s;ents it: But a jealous Lover does every day endure an hundred thou&s;and fre&s;h and wor&s;e puni&s;hments then ever he could fore&s;ee: and does &s;o invent them him&s;elf, that he is his own puni&s;her. When death hath ra|vi&s;hed that which is deare&s;t unto one away, there is yet this advantage remaining, that all the pa&s;&s;ions of his &s;oul, except that of love, do re&s;t in peace, and &s;uffers one to weep in a kind of tranquility: But there is perpetual trouble &amp; confu&s;ion in that heart which is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with jealou|&s;ie: Hatred di&s;putes with love for the Empire; fear drives out all hopes; fear takes place of tender|ne&s;s; di&s;pair often follows; one repents an hundred times in a day of his own wi&s;hes: one de&s;ires death not only upon him&s;elf, but his Mi&s;tre&s;s al&s;o: one cannot &s;ee things as they are; for whereas according to the order of nature, the &s;en&s;es do commonly delude the imagination; Here on the contrary, the imagination deludes the &s;en&s;es, and afterwards does force the ears, and the eyes, to think, (if it may be properly &s;aid &s;o) that they hear and &s;ee that which they do not: and yet for all this, the knowledg of the&s;e errours cannot cure the mind of tho&s;e who know them; and jealou&s;ie indeed may more firly be phray&s;ed Whichcraft, Inchantment, or Magick, rather then a bare pa&s;&s;ion. Pronounce Judgement then in my favour, Oh my mo&s;t ingenious, and ju&s;t Judg; and deny not your pitty unto the mo&s;t unfortunate Lover in the world.</P>
<P><HI>Leontidas</HI> having fini&s;hed his Di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Cyrus</HI> to pronounce Sentence upon the&s;e four famous Lovers: But he denying it with mo&s;t &s;weet and obliging civility, and
<PB N="83" REF="232">
al&s;o refu&s;ing to give her any coun&s;el: &s;he was forced to u&s;e her own ingenious apprehen&s;iuns. After that &s;he had then paw&s;ed, and &s;tudied a while to recal into her memory, what &s;he in|tended to utter, &s;he pronounced her Sentence with a very hand&s;ome Grace, though not without a blu&s;h, in the&s;e terms.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="judgment">
<HEAD>The Judgment of <HI>MARTESIA.</HI></HEAD>
<P>I Know very well, it was my own curio&s;ity to know the Adventures of the&s;e four illu&s;trious Per&s;ons, which moved me unto &s;o much inju&s;tice, as to accept of the quality of being their Judg: But I know al&s;o that all of you have &s;o excellently expre&s;&s;ed your &s;elves, and your rea&s;ons, and &s;o perfectly de&s;cribed your &s;ufferings, that it is almo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible I &s;hould be erronious in my opinion; I declare then with audacity, that <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> though ab&s;ent, yet &s;ince he is loved, is the lea&s;t unfortunate of the four: That <HI>Philocles,</HI> though not loved, yet is he not the mo&s;t unfortunate of all, &s;ince that which cau&s;eth his mi&s;ery, may perhaps, hereafter, cau&s;e his cure: And as for <HI>Leontidas,</HI> I affirm that he is the lea&s;t to be pitied, though I am per&s;waded he has endured more mi&s;ery then all the re&s;t. And to conclude, I declare, that the Prince <HI>Artibies</HI> in lamenting his dead Mi&s;tre&s;s, is mo&s;t worthy of compa&s;&s;ion, and him whom I mo&s;t pitty, though I am &s;en&s;ible of the mi&s;eries of all the re&s;t, except the jealous <HI>Leontidas,</HI> for whom, I re&s;erve much e&s;teem, but little pitty.</P>
<P><HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> had no &s;ooner pronounced Sentence, but <HI>Leontidas</HI> began to &s;peak: Did I not tell you, replied he, that it is one of my misfortunes not to be pittied by any? However, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I conceive that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> is mo&s;t ju&s;t in her Judgment. The re&s;pects which I owe her, &s;aid <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> prevents my complaints: I am not &s;o rea&s;onable as you are, &s;aid <HI>Philocles,</HI> for I confe&s;s that I do complain a little. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Artibies,</HI> I do much commend her, &s;ince truly the pity of this illu&s;trious Lady, is the greate&s;t con&s;olation that I have received &s;ince my lo&s;s.</P>
<P>Since now it was very late, <HI>Cyrus</HI> did ri&s;e up after many applauds of <HI>Marte&s;ia. Aglati|das</HI> and <HI>Erenice</HI> did the &s;ame: and after <HI>Cyrus</HI> had di&s;cour&s;ed a while in private with <HI>Mar|te&s;ia,</HI> concerning his Dear Prince&s;s, he went out, accompanied with all tho&s;e illu&s;trious, but unfortunate Lovers, and went unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> with a mind wholly po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with his own pa&s;&s;ion, and with the <HI>Idea</HI> of <HI>Mandana</HI> in it, which no terene thought could remove out of his heart.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The End of the fir&s;t Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="book">
<PB N="84" REF="233">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR CYRUS the GREAT. The Second Part.  Book. II.</HEAD>
<P>_THe thoughts of <HI>Cyrus</HI> were wholly imployed concerning the Delivery of his Prince&s;s, and therefore he di&s;our&s;ed with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> whom he found in his Clo&s;et, thinking upon nothing but preparations for the <HI>Armenia</HI> War. That which did mo&s;t impede the Expedition in both their fancies, was the Town of <HI>Pteria,</HI> which yet being in the hands of <HI>Artaxes,</HI> there was no likelihood of the <HI>Armenian</HI> Progre&s;s be|fore it was taken. Yet to engage them&s;elves in a Siege, amid&s;t their great impatience to deliver <HI>Mandana,</HI> was &s;o har&s;h a thought, that they could hardly re&s;olve upon it. But yet not with&s;tanding, &s;ince they had good intelligence, that very &s;mall Forces were within it, being mo&s;t of them di&s;per&s;ed &s;ince the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> departure: and under&s;tanding al&s;o, that the two thou&s;and men which <HI>Metrobates</HI> &s;ent for the la&s;t time, were al&s;o di&s;per&s;ed by the way, and never returned back: When they heard that the Army of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had entred <HI>Sinope,</HI> by <HI>Scalado,</HI> it was re&s;olved upon, that <HI>Cyrus,</HI> with &s;ome Regiments &s;hould attempt to take it: But the next morning, intelligence was brought, that the Inhabitants of <HI>Pteria,</HI> hearing that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was delivered, and that he was <HI>Cyrus,</HI> con&s;ulted &s;ecretly among&s;t them&s;elves, and re&s;olved to return as &s;oon as they could under the obedience of their lawful Prince; and to prevent the puni&s;hment which they de&s;er|ved by a generous repentance: &s;o that having plotted the de&s;igne, they killed <HI>Artaxes,</HI> and all the Souldiers in the Gari&s;on; that they had taken the Ca&s;tle, and were ab&s;olute Ma&s;ters of the Town, and &s;ent the Keys thereof unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> by &s;ix of the Chief Inhabitants of the Town, be&s;eeching him to pre&s;ent them unto the King. This news did extreamly rejoyce the&s;e two Princes, who did very graciou&s;ly receive the&s;e repentant Rebels; as generou&s;ly pardoning them, as they did generou&s;ly execute their de&s;igne. Nothing was now thought upon, but an ha&s;ty March with the Army into <HI>Armenia:</HI> and indeed, after a general Mu&s;ter of all their Regi|ments, it was re&s;olved that the Vantguard &s;hould be drawn forth within &s;ix days, and &s;hould advance as far as the Frontiers, whether all the re&s;t &s;hould pre&s;ently follow. The mind of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was then high with hope; for &s;eeing &s;o great and gallant an Army, and &s;o many Kings, Princes, and illu&s;trious men engaged in his Quarrel, he had a good foundation for &s;o much confidence, as to think the Victory almo&s;t certain: It was al&s;o to be thought that if the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> would not re&s;tore the Prince&s;s, nor acknowledg that &s;he was within his Dominions, it was be|cau&s;e he de&s;ired that they &s;hould offer to di&s;charge him of that Tribute which he owed unto the Kings of <HI>Media:</HI> Yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> for all this was much troubled to imagine what was become of the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> of whom <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> did not &s;peak, and of whom he heard no &s;peech at
<PB N="85" REF="233">
<HI>Artaxates.</HI> But hoping to be are long cleared of all his doubts and fears, by delivering <HI>Man|dana,</HI> he was as gay, and plea&s;ant as any ab&s;ent lover could be, who was in hopes ere long to &s;ee his Mi&s;tre&s;s, and vanqni&s;h his enemies. Never was he more &s;weet and civil to all the Officers and &s;oldiers then now: he was perpetually imployed in obtaining &s;omething from <HI>Ciaxares</HI> for them, who having renewed in his heart all the old affection which he had heretofore towards him when he thought him to be only <HI>Artamenes,</HI> was plea&s;ed to con&s;ent unto what &s;oever he required from him, now he was known to be <HI>Cyrus. Aglatidas,</HI> who was none of tho&s;e whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> lea&s;t e&s;teemed, came unto him one morning, and importuned him to obtain for <HI>Otamus</HI> the Government of the <HI>Ari&s;antines</HI> Province, which was now vacant by the death of him who formerly enjoyed it. For <HI>Otamus?</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto him with much wonder:) Yes, Sir, (&s;aid he) it is for <HI>Otamus</HI> that I beg this favor, or indeed to &s;ay better, it is for the fair <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> for be plea&s;ed to know, that I am informed by a Letter from <HI>Artaban,</HI> that there is a man, who is a mortal enemy unto <HI>Artambares,</HI> her father, labours to obtain it from <HI>Ci|axares,</HI> therefore Sir, I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you be plea&s;ed to prevent him, &s;o that the incom|parable <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> whom they &s;ay is extreamly melancholy and &s;olitary, may not receive this addition unto her &s;orrows: for &s;ince all her e&s;tate is in that province, it would be a great di&s;|comfort unto her, to &s;ee the grand enemy of her family a Governour over her.</P>
<P>It is very right, an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but were it not more ju&s;t if <HI>I</HI> &s;hould obtain it for your &s;elf, rather then for <HI>Otamus?</HI> &s;ince thereby the King would be better &s;erved, and the e&s;tate of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> no le&s;s protected. Your goodne&s;s is abundant Sir, replied <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> to offer &s;uch an honour unto me, Yet Sir if you will be plea&s;ed to oblige me, do not think of doing any thing for a man who&s;e love &s;urmounts his ambition, and who courts nothing but death to fin|i&s;h all the &s;orrows he endures, therefore &s;ince I cannot accept of this Government, I conjure you Sir, once more, to obtain it for <HI>Otamus:</HI> I &s;hall do it, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto him, but it &s;hall be upon condition that you let <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> know, it is your &s;elf who has done her this good office. <HI>Aglatidas</HI> would not con&s;ent unto that; and <HI>Cyrus</HI> was forced to con&s;ent unto his de&s;ire without any conditions: Since <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was not able to deny any thing unto him to whom he was a debtor for all, <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner asked but obtained this Government, and the very &s;ame hour, &s;ent unto <HI>Ecbatan</HI> with orders accordingly for it: Yet did <HI>Ciaxares</HI> wonder what rea|&s;on <HI>Cyrus</HI> had for this reque&s;t, knowing that <HI>Otamus</HI> was a &s;tranger unto him, and though he did know, yet could he never love him. This made &s;uch a noi&s;e in the Court, that every one was inqui&s;itive, by what motives <HI>Cyrus</HI> did it: and <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> who knew how the in|tere&s;t of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was concerned in it, was he who fir&s;t hit upon the bu&s;ine&s;s, and who ima|gined that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was moved unto it at the reque&s;t of <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> &s;o that every one did pre&s;ent|ly after know it, and admired his genero&s;ity: The &s;ame day, there arrived an Envoy or Me&s;&s;en|ger from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who hearing by the publique voyce at the place where he was retired &s;ince his departure from <HI>Pteria,</HI> that the principal rea&s;on why they retained <HI>Cyrus</HI> a Pri&s;oner, was becau&s;e he was accu&s;ed for &s;uffering him to e&s;cape, and for holding intelligence with him, he re&s;olved to pay that debt which was due to genero&s;ity, and to acquit and ju&s;tifie him, from that unju&s;t accu&s;ation. <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner knew that this Me&s;&s;enger was arrived at <HI>Sinope,</HI> but he went immediately unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> &s;aying he would not &s;ee him, but in his pre|&s;ence. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> told him very obligingly, that to remember his pa&s;t errors was &s;omething in|jurious unto him: but yet for all that, <HI>Cyrus</HI> prevailed, and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;ena's</HI> Me&s;&s;enger was brought before <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> After he had pre&s;ented his Letters of Credence, at that <HI>Ciaxa|res</HI> was wiling to hear him; Sir, (&s;aid he unto him) I have orders from the King my ma&s;ter to tell you, for the ju&s;tification of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who in my coming hither I under&s;tand to be <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that it was not he who helped the King my Ma&s;ter to e&s;cape out of Pri&s;on, and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> never held any intelligence with him which was repugnant unto that &s;ervice which he owes you; But &s;ince I find him at liberty, I conceive it impertinent to in&s;i&s;t any longer, as my orders injoyned me, to clear his innocency therein. I had it in charge al&s;o to tell you, that if you would &s;et him at liberty, as my commi&s;&s;ion was mo&s;t humbly to de&s;ire you, then to de|clare unto you afterwards, that he intended to make no war any longer again&s;t you, nor again&s;t any el&s;e but tho&s;e only that were protectors unto the ravi&s;her of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> That therefore he offers unto you all tho&s;e forces which he is now leavying within that little part of his Dominion<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, which your powerfull Army has yet left him: He offers al&s;o his own per&s;on, if you will be plea&s;ed to promi&s;e him &s;ecurity from danger: and in conclu&s;ion a&s;&s;ures you, that he will never attempt any thing again&s;t you. He commanded me al&s;o to make it known, if it were po&s;&s;ible, unto the illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes,</HI> that he thought it to be <HI>Artaxes,</HI> who &s;ent the Letter unto <HI>Metrobates,</HI> becau&s;e it was from the hand of <HI>Artaxes</HI> he had received a copy,
<PB N="86" REF="234">
which he would have made pa&s;s for an original: and to find it out, he had brought with him the writing which the King his Ma&s;ter had given him, as if it were the hand of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> which indeed was found to be the hand of <HI>Artaxes,</HI> who dur&s;t not reveale unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> that plot which he had laid to ruine <HI>Cyrus. Ciaxares,</HI> comparing the relation of pa&s;|&s;ages which <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> had made unto him, the &s;ame day he was &s;et at liberty, unto the re|lation of this Envoy, was much joyed at it: So that treating him very civilly, he told him, he &s;hould receive his an&s;wer in the morning; for he had no mind to give him his di&s;patch then, becau&s;e he would honour <HI>Cyrus</HI> by taking his advice in the bu&s;ine&s;s. After then this Me&s;&s;en|ger was retired, and that they might talk with freedom, <HI>Cyrus</HI> did exactly relate unto <HI>Ciaxa|res</HI> what he had promi&s;ed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> in the top of the Tower in <HI>Sinope,</HI> when the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> was carrying away <HI>Mandana.</HI> And being now in no &s;uch conditions as need|ed any di&s;guizement, he ingeniou&s;ly told him, that he had pa&s;&s;ed his word unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> as that when&s;oever fortune &s;hould be &s;o favorable unto him, as that he had delivered the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and removed all tho&s;e ob&s;tacles which did oppo&s;e his good fortune, he would never marry her, until he had fought with him. But why (&s;aid <HI>Ciaxares)</HI> did you make him that unju&s;t promi&s;e? Becau&s;e Sir (replied he) when the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did unju&s;tly de&s;ire me to &s;et him at liberty, and I being faithful unto you, would not con&s;ent unto it, I then thought that this Prince might &s;u&s;pect, that I retained him for my own particular intere&s;t, as if I were glad to be ea&s;ed of &s;uch a terrible enemy: So to let him &s;ee I had no thought in me &s;o unworthy, I made that promi&s;e: And to &s;peak &s;incerely unto you Sir, if I had not promi&s;ed the &s;ame unto him then, I &s;hould do it now; nor can I ever live happy, unle&s;s I make the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> confe&s;s, that if Fortune favour me in any thing, &s;he &s;hall not do as one that is blind, who di&s;penceth all her favours without choice; and therefore I conjure you Sir by all the pre|valency of my earne&s;t prayers, to let me keep within the limits of our conditions, &s;ince for my part I &s;hall never break them. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> at the fir&s;t would not con&s;ent, but after he had con&s;i|dered the bu&s;ine&s;s every manner of way, he re&s;olved to follow him&s;elf the conditions of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> conceiving it would confirm tho&s;e conque&s;ts which he had already made, to have the conquer|ed King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> in his Army; for he knew very well, that tho&s;e forces which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> could bring with him, would not be con&s;iderable, not able to make any attempt again&s;t him. Then in the morning he told the me&s;&s;enger of that Prince, how &s;ince at the pre&s;ent the in|tere&s;ts of <HI>Cyrus</HI> were his own, he &s;hould ob&s;erve and perform all his promi&s;es; and that he might a&s;&s;ure the King his Ma&s;ter, his per&s;on and his forces &s;hould be &s;afe in his Army when&s;oe|ver he would come into it, though the fir&s;t taking away of <HI>Mandana</HI> might move him to treat him ill, and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould punctually keep his word with him: That which principally in|duced <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to do thus was, becau&s;e he thought he &s;hould be better able to prevent the combat of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> when that Prince was in his Army, then when he was in his own, and his declared enemy. Al&s;o by this way he was put out of all fears, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould fall the &s;econd time into the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> power, no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;hould he need to divide his forces, one part to make head again&s;t him, and the other to go into <HI>Armenia.</HI> He con&s;idered further al&s;o, that though ill fortune &s;hould needs contrive it &s;o, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> mu&s;t fight with this Prince, and be overcome, yet he &s;hould not be thereby engaged to give the Prince&s;s his daughter unto him, &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> was engaged no further then his own intere&s;t, and not to cau&s;e her to marry him.</P>
<P>In the mean while, all things being in readine&s;s for a march, <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;ired permi&s;&s;ion to command the Van-guard, and de&s;ired that half of the <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> Regiments might follow him: As <HI>Ciaxares</HI> could not deny him any thing, he obtained his de&s;ire, and re&s;olved to depart only with twenty thou&s;and men, that all the Voluntiers &s;hould follow; that the King &s;hould al&s;o march pre&s;ently after with the body of the Army, and that the Rear-guard &s;hould be com|manded by the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> to be with <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> Never was &s;een &s;o much jollity as was among&s;t tho&s;e Regiments which were cho&s;en for this Van-guard, nor was ever more &s;en&s;ible &s;orrow, then was among&s;t tho&s;e Officers and &s;ouldiers which were not fir&s;t commanded out, as who &s;hould &s;ay they apprehended that <HI>Cyrus</HI> would conquer all without them, and that they &s;hould have nothing to do, nor any &s;hare in the victory when they came up. While&s;t every one was preparing for departure of this illu&s;trious Heroe, remembring his promi&s;e to the Inhabitants of <HI>Sinope,</HI> he be&s;eeched <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to make good his word, and to imploy &s;ome of his good deeds in the repairing of that Town. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was plea&s;ed it &s;hould be rebuilt out of the publike &s;tock, and appointed <HI>Ariobantes,</HI> who &s;tayed in <HI>Cappado|cia</HI> to keep all in order there, to get Architectors out of <HI>Greece,</HI> to repair the ruines of fire|con&s;umed <HI>Sinope;</HI> commanding further, that as there was the Statue of that famous <HI>Mile&s;ia,</HI>
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called <HI>Autolicus,</HI> who was the fir&s;t founder of the Town; &s;o there &s;hould be another made for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as the &s;econd founder, which was done accordingly. Mean while this renowned Prince went to bid adieu unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who grieved for his departure; he de&s;ired him to re&s;tore the picture which &s;he lent him, upon condition to re&s;tore it, when he fir&s;t went unto the <HI>Ar|menian</HI> war; but he looking earne&s;tly upon her, Cruel woman, &s;aid he unto her, how would you have me conquer, if you take that from me, which mu&s;t render me invincible: You have brought home &s;o many victories without this help, replied &s;he, that I believe you have no need of it. <HI>Cyrus</HI> hearing her &s;ay &s;o, thought that &s;he would needs have him re&s;tore it, and there|fore he grew extremely &s;ad, his countenance changed, his eys became melancholy, and all &s;o di&s;|ordered, that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> having pity upon him, &s;aid, Sir, I am contented to prolong the time, &s;o you will promi&s;e to re&s;tore this picture of my Prince&s;s unto me, when you have delivered her: <HI>Cyrus</HI> returned thanks with all po&s;&s;ible joy, and asking her whether he could &s;erve her in any thing, &s;he told him, how &s;he had a de&s;ign to be a little neerer <HI>Mandana,</HI> that &s;he might the &s;ooner &s;ee her, when he had &s;et her at liberty, and that &s;he de&s;igned to go with one of her cozens, who within this three daies would return unto the Frontiers of <HI>Armenia,</HI> where &s;he dwelt, and therefore &s;he de&s;ired him to give her a convoy thither. <HI>Feraulus,</HI> who was quick to hear this, did what he could to obtain that Commi&s;&s;ion, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> obligingly excu&s;ed it, be|cau&s;e he could not be &s;o long without his only confident, unto whom he could freely di&s;cour&s;e of his love, and told him, that it was unju&s;t in him to de&s;ire his being &s;o neer <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> while&s;t he him&s;elf was &s;o far from <HI>Mandana;</HI> and therefore he gave <HI>Ortalgues</HI> orders to wait upon her, as a convoy in her voyage, with two hundred hor&s;e. <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> be&s;eeched him further, to give <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> leave to return unto the King and Queen of <HI>Saces,</HI> conceiving it ju&s;t, that &s;ince they did him the honor to tru&s;t their &s;on the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> with him, that he &s;hould go and give them a particular account of his lo&s;s. <HI>Cyrus</HI> remembring how much his dear Prince&s;s was obliged unto him, and how carefull he had been of <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and becau&s;e he had been one of tho&s;e who had helped to deliver her, would let him &s;ee, and told him him&s;elf, that he &s;hould find him very thankful: After that, rewarding him whether he would or no with a very rich recompence, he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed him, and then he bid adieu unto <HI>Marte&s;ia.</HI> He asked al&s;o the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> whether he de&s;ired the re&s;toration of &s;ome &s;hips in lieu of tho&s;e he had lo&s;t; but that generous Prince an&s;wered him, he &s;hould be a&s;hamed to accept of them at this time, but he would fir&s;t go unto the <HI>Armenian</HI> war, and there render him&s;elf worthy of that glorious protection, which he had promi&s;ed him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> having now nothing to do at <HI>Sinope,</HI> went to take his leave of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who did imbrace him with unparallel'd kindne&s;s: Tho&s;e Comman|ders which went not with him, came to bid him adieu, and te&s;tified fre&s;h &s;orrows, that it was not their good hap to follow him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> had in his eys that day &s;uch a kind of noble and &s;prightly fury, as pre&s;aged a happy victory; and to &s;peak truth, his Phi&s;iognomy did &s;peak him &s;o great and happy, that who&s;oever &s;aw him, could not imagin it po&s;&s;ible he &s;hould be over|come. This Prince was of a very a&s;piring and advantageous talne&s;s, and al&s;o mo&s;t exactly made; his head was mo&s;t admirable hand&s;om; all the art which <HI>Medeans</HI> u&s;ed to their hair, was not comparable unto that becomingne&s;s which nature only u&s;ed unto his; the colour, which was as lovely brown as every eye beheld, it was wreathed with a hundred thou&s;and plea&s;ing and de|lightful curls, negligently hanging down, and lying upon his &s;houlders; his complexion was mo&s;t pure and clear, his &s;prightly eys were black, full of &s;weetne&s;s and Maje&s;ty, his mouth was delicious and &s;miling, his no&s;e &s;omething like an Eagles, the cimetry of his whole face was of a mo&s;t admirable compo&s;ure, his countenance mo&s;t noble, and all his features &s;o high and gallant, that certainly it may be truly &s;aid, never man upon earth was in every particular by them&s;elves, and all parts together, better compo&s;ed then <HI>Cyrus;</HI> &s;o that who&s;oever &s;aw him upon the day of his departure from <HI>Sinope,</HI> mounted upon as fine a hor&s;e as ever eye beheld, in his mo&s;t mag|nificent and rich &s;uit of Arms, and that day wearing the glorious Scarfe of <HI>Mandana</HI> over it, it was no wonder if all the people in <HI>Sinope</HI> did follow him out of the Town, with a million of benedictions and wi&s;hes of victory, and al&s;o with tears at his departure; he was followed by all the Officers and Voluntiers, &s;o that this great number of men of quality, all in rich ha|bits, and admirably mounted, did make a mo&s;t glorious &s;hew; the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> the Prince <HI>Artibies, Hida&s;pes, Gobrias, Gadates, Chri&s;antes, Aglatidas, Megabi&s;es, Adu&s;iut, Themocrates, Leontidas, Philocles, Feraulas,</HI> and a thou&s;and others were in this illu&s;trious number; yet in the mid&s;t of all this glorious tumult, and in &s;pire of all the cares which <HI>Cyrus</HI> had upon him&s;elf, <HI>Mandana</HI> was continually in his heart and mind; and during all the long march, without neglecting any thing that did become the General of an Army, he failed not in the lea&s;t circum&s;tance, to do what did become a mo&s;t faithful lover; but every hour that he could
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&s;teal from his nece&s;&s;ary cares, he dedicated to the memory of <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet did it not at all prejudice his admirable and providential foreca&s;t, but he gave out &s;uch orders for the marches and quarters of his Army, that the places of his pa&s;&s;ages had no cau&s;e to complain again&s;t his &s;ouldiers. After they had marched &s;everal days, and at la&s;t came within a hundred furlongs of the river <HI>Licus,</HI> which parts the le&s;&s;er <HI>Armenia</HI> from <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> &s;ome Scouts of the Army brought unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> (who was refre&s;hing his men and hor&s;es in a Forre&s;t) a man, whom they imagined to be a Spy, yet one who asked to &s;peak with their General; but <HI>Cyrus</HI> was plea&s;ing|ly &s;urprized, to &s;ee it was <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> di&s;gui&s;ed in the habit of an Armenian Merchant, who was unknown unto the <HI>Cicilians,</HI> who took him; he imbraced him then with joy, and drawing him a&s;ide; Well my dear <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) have you been more happy in your expe|dition then <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was? and can you tell us more news of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> then he did? I know Sir, an&s;wered he, as much almo&s;t as could be known, un|le&s;s I had &s;een the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> or heard her named. But to relate what I have learned, I mu&s;t tell you, how in the habit wherein you &s;ee me, and knowing the Armenian language very well, I have been taken for an Armenian, even in <HI>Artaxates</HI> it &s;elf, where the Court does now re&s;ide; there did I conver&s;e with divers per&s;ons, and under&s;tand that the King of <HI>Arme|nia</HI> does &s;till give out, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is not in his Dominions; and that he hath publi&s;hed, the King of <HI>Medes</HI> does demand her, only as a pretence to make a new war upon him, becau&s;e of the tribute which he would not pay him: The people al&s;o, as I under&s;tand, did a long time believe it &s;o, but of late the people have altered their opinions, and every one does think, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is at this pre&s;ent in a Ca&s;tle, not above fifty furlongs from <HI>Artaxates</HI> towards the <HI>Caldeans,</HI> and which is built upon the bank of a little river, which empties it &s;elf into <HI>Araxes</HI> at that place; that which begets this conceit is, becau&s;e they hear there was two Ladies brought thither, about the &s;ame time that it was reported the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> came thither; the&s;e two Ladies are kept in the Ca&s;tle, guarded very carefully, and u&s;ed with great re&s;pect: One who &s;aw them, reports, that one of tho&s;e Ladies is admira|bly fair, and very melancholy; I enquired as exactly as I could, without danger of di&s;covery, of every particular concerning that Lady, and I find by all circum&s;tances it mu&s;t be the Prince&s;s, for they a&s;&s;ured me &s;he was very fair, yellow haired, of a good &s;tature, and of a mode&s;t a&s;pect: Be&s;ides all this, I my &s;elf ob&s;erved, that the young Prince <HI>Phraartes,</HI> brother unto the Prince <HI>Tigranes,</HI> who now is &s;ick in the high <HI>Armenia,</HI> and he comes thither often very privately, &s;o that it is ea&s;ily to be imagined, there is &s;ome per&s;on of great importance in that place. Moreo|ver I mu&s;t tell you, that going one day into this Ca&s;tle with a Merchant of <HI>Artaxates,</HI> who&s;e friend&s;hip I had purcha&s;ed by &s;ome trivial pre&s;ents, in hopes by his means to get entrance, un|der a colour of curio&s;ity. I did at la&s;t get in as far as the fir&s;t Court, and had certainly &s;een all the Ca&s;tle, and all the Gardens, and by con&s;equence the Prince&s;s; if by ill luck the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> had not at that time come in. They no &s;ooner knew of his coming, but they endeavoured to conceal us, becau&s;e they had received an expre&s;s command to let none enter: As he came in, they cau&s;ed us to go out in all ha&s;t, yet as I went through a pa&s;&s;age in the Ba&s;e Court, I &s;aw that Prince in a Balcone courting a Lady, which &s;eemed unto me to be the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI>
as I could gue&s;s &s;o far off, and in a moments pa&s;&s;ing, and &s;eeing only but one &s;ide of her head, nor being able to &s;ee nothing perfectly, but her &s;tature, and the colour of her hair. This, Sir, is all I can tell you concerning the Prince&s;s, and all I could po&s;&s;ible gather; for &s;ince that time they would not upon any term, permit me to come again into the Ca&s;tle, nor can I hear any thing concerning the King of <HI>Pont:</HI> It is not to be doubted (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> but that it was the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> which you &s;aw, the vi&s;its of the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> are in&s;allible te&s;timonies of it; but <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> added <HI>Cyrus,</HI> is this Prince as hand&s;om as his brother <HI>Tigranes?</HI> I know not Sir (replied he &s;miling, for he was u&s;ed always to be very free with <HI>Cyrus)</HI> for I never had the ho|nor to &s;ee the Prince <HI>Tigranes,</HI> yet I know that <HI>Phraartes</HI> is not &s;o hand&s;om as the illu&s;trious <HI>Artanones. Cyrus</HI> laughed at the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> and imbracing him again, I have done ill, I confe&s;s (&s;aid he unto him) to ask you &s;uch a que&s;tion, and I de&s;erve your raillary for not asking fir&s;t, whether the Ca&s;tle be well fortified, whether the pa&s;&s;age over that river be guarded, and whether you think, according to all appearance, the reducing it unto our power will co&s;t us dear? But <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> love is &s;uch an imperious pa&s;&s;ion, that its intere&s;t will be fir&s;t con&s;idered, and therefore you mu&s;t excu&s;e me. After this, <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> told him, that the Ca&s;tle &s;tood in a Town &s;o great, that it was but weak, that it was very irregular, in re&s;pect of its ex|ce&s;&s;ive length, that unle&s;s it had &s;ix thou&s;and re&s;olute men to guard it, it is not impo&s;&s;ible to be taken: The difficulty of the bu&s;ine&s;s was, becau&s;e it was within fifty furlongs of the Town of <HI>Artaxates,</HI> which is the greate&s;t Town of both <HI>Armenia's,</HI> and all the forces which the King
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of <HI>Armenia</HI> had, were quartered in the Suburbs of it. Moreover, &s;ince there are not many great towns in this Kingdom, becau&s;e of the abundance of pa&s;turage, which make all the country infinitely populous, and that &s;o prodigiou&s;ly full, as when the Inhabitants only do mu|&s;ter into <HI>Battalia,</HI> they make a terrible &s;hew; therefore he be&s;eeched him not to take it ill, if he &s;hould advi&s;e according to his opinion, not to attempt any thing, until all his Army was come up, and to content him&s;elf till then, with &s;eizing upon a pa&s;&s;age over the river, which was &s;lenderly guarded, becau&s;e that what intelligence &s;oever the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> received, con|cerning the march of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his Army, he could not believe that he would make war upon him in good earne&s;t, but imagined always, that it was only to fright him unto the payment of that tribute which was demanded: <HI>Cyrus</HI> then gave <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> thanks for the pains he had ta|ken, and the danger he adventured in his behalf; and cau&s;ing him to put <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ff his Merchants ha|bit, and to take a hor&s;e of his; he pur&s;ued his march, after he had held a Councel of War con|cerning the a&s;&s;aulting of the pa&s;&s;age over the river, only to honor the Officers which were with him, for in all Councels, his own opinion was the re&s;olution of them all: He di&s;patched a me&s;&s;enger immediately to <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to acquaint him with the intelligence of <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> and de&s;ire of vanqui&s;hing reviving in his heart, he ha&s;ted forward the march, and prepared to force the pa&s;&s;age over the river pre&s;ently, omitting nothing that a mo&s;t prudent and couragious Cap|tain could do, upon &s;uch an occa&s;ion; his de&s;ign was pre&s;ently executed, and ea&s;ily affected: Tho&s;e trenches which the <HI>Armenians</HI> kept, being inforced within one quarter of an hour, he became ma&s;ter of the river, and in his enemies country, and with the lo&s;s of not above fifteen or twenty men; he cut in pieces all that made re&s;i&s;tance, and entirely defeated them. When he came from <HI>Sinope,</HI> his intention was to &s;tay at that place with the Army; but &s;ince his power was ab&s;olute, he altered his fir&s;t re&s;olution, and re&s;olved to deliver <HI>Mandana,</HI> if it were po&s;&s;i|ble, before the King came up, conceiving that the fewer men he had to participate in the dan|ger, the more would the Prince&s;s be obliged unto him, and al&s;o the more glorious would the action be: That which did mo&s;t prompt him unto this de&s;ign, was news late come, that <HI>Ciax|ares</HI> finding him&s;elf not very well, would defer his advance three daies longer; and in re&s;pect of that accident, his march would be the &s;lower: but that which did mo&s;t of all incite him un|to this quick expedition, and dangerous attempt, was his con&s;ideration of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> coming, and it was odious unto him to think that his Rival &s;hould &s;hare with him in the glo|ry of delivering his Prince&s;s; re&s;olving then to &s;tay no longer, he left two thou&s;and men to keep that pa&s;s over the river, and went &s;traight unto the great town of <HI>Artaxates,</HI> which was &s;ci|tuated in a mo&s;t fertile Plain upon the river <HI>Araxes,</HI> and neer that place, where by the Coun|cels of <HI>Hanibal,</HI> another King of <HI>Armenia</HI> did a long time after cau&s;e the new <HI>Artaxates</HI> to be built. This town had but few Advenues, yet were the walls &s;o weak, and in many places &s;o ruined, that all its &s;trength did con&s;i&s;t in the multitude of the Inhabitants, and truly it was &s;o prodigiou&s;ly va&s;t, that no other heart, but that of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> dur&s;t ever have attempted it: Since he was come &s;o neer this huge town, (where the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> was &s;taying until his Ar|my, which already con&s;i&s;ted of ten thou&s;and men, was &s;trong enough to come into the field) he would him&s;elf needs go, and di&s;cover the &s;cituation of the Town and Ca&s;tle, which he de&s;t|red to take; and after he had circum&s;pectly viewed and ob&s;erved all places round, the enemy never daring to appear but a far off, &s;ay what <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and his mo&s;t faithful &s;ervants could unto him, he would hazard all to deliver his Prince&s;s. Then he cau&s;ed twelve thou&s;and men to march in the night unto that place, and he left &s;ix thou&s;and at &s;everal places to &s;ecure his retreat, if need &s;hould be, and to guard the pa&s;&s;age over <HI>Araxes;</HI> be&s;ides two thou&s;and which he left to make good the pa&s;&s;e over the river, which runs between <HI>Armenia</HI> and <HI>Cappa|docia.</HI> After then he had drawn up his forces neer a little wood, and drawn out tho&s;e who were to make an a&s;&s;ault upon the Town and Ca&s;tle, although he had intelligence that all <HI>Ar|taxates</HI> was up in Arms, and all the Town&s;men ready to come out again&s;t him, yet did not this great heart &s;aint, but on the contrary, the greatne&s;s of the danger infu&s;ing new &s;pirit into him, he made choice of a little ri&s;ing ground, which was between the Town and the Ca&s;tle; and after he had drawn &s;ix thou&s;and men into <HI>Battalia,</HI> upon this hill, and had placed &s;ix terri|ble Engines, which &s;hot great huge &s;tones, to oppo&s;e any relief which the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> expected; he went with four thou&s;and others to a&s;&s;ault the town, in which they had pla|ced three thou&s;and &s;ouldiers, entrenched &s;ome few days before <HI>Cyrus</HI> came within &s;ight of <HI>Artaxates.</HI></P>
<P>This A&s;&s;ault was given in four &s;everal places at once, after that four Rams had battered the Barricadoes, and Walls: and that with &s;o much fury, that the enemies were at the fir&s;t af|frighted: Any who had &s;een <HI>Cyrus</HI> be&s;tir him&s;elf, would have &s;aid he was invulnerable, con|&s;idering
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how he expo&s;ed him&s;elf unto the clouds of his enemies arrows. The fir&s;t A&s;&s;ault was commanded by the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus:</HI> The &s;econd by <HI>Hida&s;pes:</HI> The third by <HI>Aglutydas:</HI> as for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he would re&s;erve him&s;elf to fight within the Town, again&s;t any that dur&s;t re|lieve the Ca&s;tle: The fir&s;t Breach was on that &s;ide where <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;tood, and tho&s;e which de|fended it, flying with all ha&s;te unto another Barricado, were there killed, and helped to enfor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> others by their own defeat: Mean while, both <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> were happy in their attempts, and he Souldiers al&s;o, animated by the example of their valiant Commanders, plant|ed Ladders again&s;t the walls, &s;o that when the Inhabitants &s;aw them&s;elves a&s;&s;aulted on all &s;ides, they fled to &s;ave their lives; &s;ome threw down their Arms, and &s;ubmitted, others in a tu|multuous di&s;order ran away; &s;ome to avoid the Sword of their enemy, finding the Bridg too narrow for &s;uch a throng, fell into the River, and were mi&s;erably drowned: &s;ome would have defended the Bridg, but the valour of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who never &s;its down after a victory, did enforce them away, and pur&s;ued them: he killed all that re&s;i&s;ted, and pardoned all that &s;ubmitted; he who commanded the men at that pa&s;s, was a man of great heart, and was there killed be|cau&s;e he would never ask Quarter: and of tho&s;e three thou&s;and which were placed in that quarter, there was very few which were not either wounded, or taken pri&s;oners. The Prince <HI>Artibies,</HI> who would needs fight that day as a Voluntier, received two mortal wounds, which did mo&s;t extreamly trouble <HI>Cyrus.</HI> Mean while, tho&s;e within the Ca&s;tle &s;eeing them&s;elves not able to hold out again&s;t &s;uch valiant Enemies, and the Prince&s;s which was in it, promi&s;ing them great recompences, if they would render them&s;elves unto this invincible Conquerour, they began to beat a pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ley, which did &s;o infinitely rejoyce <HI>Cyrus</HI> in hopes to &s;ee his dear <HI>Manda|na</HI> pre&s;ently, that he was never in his life more &s;en&s;ible of any pa&s;&s;ion then at that time: yet did he much wonder, that the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> whom he knew to be &s;o gallant and brave, did not appear: How comes it to pa&s;s, &s;aid he to him&s;elf, that I doe not &s;ee him upon &s;uch an occ<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ion as this, with Arms in his hands? If he do well remember him&s;elf of &s;ome good ef|fices which I have done him, why does he not re&s;tore unto me my Prince&s;s? If he will not re|&s;tore her, why does he not come out and fight with me? Certainly, &s;aid he, he mu&s;t be either dead, or el&s;e &s;ome odd policy which I cannot under&s;tand cau&s;es the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> to keep him pri&s;oner in this Ca&s;tle; but all the&s;e reflections did quickly vani&s;h out of his mind: his al|mo&s;t certain hopes that he &s;hould immediately deliver <HI>Mandana,</HI> turned all into joy: He par|lied then with the Captain of the Ca&s;tle, he promi&s;ed him all his de&s;ires, provided he would pre&s;ently render him the Prince&s;s whom he there guarded: and the Captain obeying him, and tru&s;ting unto his word, which <HI>Cyrus</HI> did always keep even with his mo&s;t mortall enemies, he &s;et open the Gates, let all enter that would, and cau&s;ed tho&s;e few Arms which were in it to be laid down: As &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in the fir&s;t Court, Where is the Prince&s;s? (&s;aid he unto the Captain.) She is yonder Sir, (replied he, &s;hewing him a walk) where indeed he &s;aw two La|dies coming towards him: his imagination being wholly upon <HI>Mandana,</HI> he went in all ha&s;te unto the&s;e Ladies; but coming near, the fir&s;t Lady lifting up her <HI>Cyprus,</HI> and pre&s;ently &s;top|ping, as if &s;he were &s;urprized at the &s;ight of <HI>Cyrns,</HI> he &s;aw one of the faire&s;t objects, doubtle&s;s in the world, yet at this time mo&s;t un&s;utable unto his phancy; &s;ince he &s;aw, &s;he was not his Prince&s;s, he then turned towards the Captain, to accu&s;e him, for &s;o deceiving him: but the Lady addre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf with a &s;omething di&s;ordered countenance, Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, the King of <HI>Pont</HI> my Brother, was &s;o gallantly treated by you, when he was your pri&s;oner, that I mu&s;t needs hope for the like favour from you, &s;ince you are too generous to deny protection unto one of the mo&s;t unfortunate Prince&s;s upon earth: <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;o troubled, that he had not delivered <HI>Mandana,</HI> and &s;o &s;urprized to hear that this Lady was Si&s;ter unto the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> that for a while he was not able to an&s;wer, yet clearing up his mind, You are not deceived Madam, (&s;aid he mo&s;t cruelly unto her) when you believe I &s;hall treat you with all the re&s;pect due unto me of your quality: for though the King your Brother, be him I aim at, and came to &s;eek in <HI>Armenia,</HI> yet &s;hall I render unto you all the &s;ervices that are in my power: As this fair Prince&s;s was about to an&s;wer, Intelligence came unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that there was &s;uch a prodigious multitude of people coming out of <HI>Artaxates,</HI> that his Pre&s;ence was requi&s;ite in the Army: Pormit me then Madam (&s;aid he unto her, and taking her by the hand) that I wait upon you unto your Chamber, and there leave you Mi&s;tre&s;s of the Ca&s;tle, till I have fini&s;hed the victory. In &s;ay|ing &s;o, he conducted her unto her lodging, where after a &s;hort complement, and leaving <HI>Chri|&s;antes</HI> within, to &s;ee he wanted nothing, he went down into the Court, where he met &s;ome Souldiers and Captains bringing in the Prince <HI>Artibies</HI> wounded, that he might be there dre&s;|&s;ed with more conveniency: when <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw him in that condition, and ob&s;erving how tho&s;e which bore him were very weary and weak, and troubled in the carriage of him; yet
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notwith&s;tanding all the croud, and all the &s;orrows of his &s;oul; this Prince did with his own hands help to carry him unto his Chamber and laid him upon a bed, commanding all po&s;&s;ible care to be taken of him: After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> took hor&s;e, and &s;eeing he could not &s;atisfie his love by the delivery of his Prince&s;s, he would however &s;atisfie his glory, by doing the bolde&s;t act in the world, every &s;tep he made, he received intelligence upon intelligence concerning the Troops that were coming out of <HI>Artaxates,</HI> but how great &s;oever they made the danger appear, yet he went to draw up his own forces, and re&s;olved to fight them though they were an hundred thou&s;and men, if they did begin the A&s;&s;ault: and indeed they were no le&s;s, for from the little valley under the Hill, where <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;tood, unto <HI>Artaxates,</HI> all the Countrey was covered with multitudes of enemies, who &s;eemed as if they intended to fight: for the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> held a Councel of War about it without the walls of the Town, and advanced unto a little Village, which was clo&s;e by the valley that &s;eparated the two Armies &amp; there he made a halt; yet the Great <HI>Cyrus</HI> kept his &s;tation &s;till, continually facing this innumerable multitude of enemies, who &s;tood and dur&s;t not fall on: This great bu&s;ine&s;s was carried with &s;o much good fortune, and prudence together, that it was &s;ix hours after the Ca&s;tle was taken, before it was known to them of <HI>Artaxates.</HI></P>
<P>In conclu&s;ion, after much con&s;ultation, the King of <HI>Armenian</HI> concluded that it was not ex|pedient to fall upon &s;uch a Prince, as u&s;ed to fight like a Lion, and overcome all that came near him. The Prince <HI>Phraartis</HI> who was pretty gallant, would have put it to the hazard, what ere came on it: but his advice being not followed, becau&s;e an old experienced Captain main|tained, That it was not wi&s;dom with fre&s;h new Troops of Town&s;men, untrained in war, to a&s;&s;ault Souldiers dyed in blood, and a General the Greate&s;t in the world, e&s;pecially he having the advantage of ground. <HI>Cyrus</HI> was well &s;atisfied with the fight of his enemies, he faced them from morning until night, and would have pre&s;ented them Battel if they dur&s;t have excepted it, though they were above twenty to one. The night came on apace, and covered the &s;hame of the Inhabitants of <HI>Artaxates,</HI> in re-entring their Town, after they had only &s;een that Ca|&s;tle taken, which was &s;o very con&s;iderable unto them, in re&s;pect of the River <HI>Araxes,</HI> which runs by it: yet was the &s;oul of <HI>Cyrus</HI> far from &s;atisfaction, and this great and bold act produ|ced nothing but &s;orrow unto him; for his hopes were &s;o high to deliver the Prince&s;s <HI>Manda|na,</HI> that nothing el&s;e could an&s;wer them: as &s;oon as he &s;aw all the <HI>Armenian</HI> Troops were entred into their Town, and after he had placed good guards, he went to take his re&s;t that night in the Ca&s;tle which he took: After he had enquired concerning the &s;tate of the Prince <HI>Artibies,</HI> whom they &s;aid was very ill, and after he under&s;tood the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pont</HI> was retired; he went into his Chamber only with <HI>Feraulas:</HI> Well <HI>Feraulas,</HI> (&s;aid he unto him extreamly melancholy) what do you now think of my fortune? Do you not confe&s;s me to be the mo&s;t unhappy Prince upon Earth? I think Sir, replied <HI>Feraulas,</HI> that it is the part of the conquered to complain, and of the Conquerours to rejoyce; No, no, <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;aid he: It is not glory and honour, which is the predominant aim of my heart: and though I had defeated this huge multitude of enemies, which I only looked upon, I &s;hould have been &s;till as melancholy as I am: neither Conque&s;ts, nor reputation, nor honour, is the mark I now aim at: It is only <HI>Mandana,</HI> I look after, and &s;ince I find her not, I think my &s;elf as un|fortunate as if I had been vanqui&s;hed. <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> lyed not, (&s;aid he) when he told me he had &s;een a Lady of quality in the Ca&s;tle; that &s;he was fair, yellow-haired, and of a good &s;ta|ture; but alas, this Prince&s;s as fair as &s;he is, yeilds me no &s;atisfaction by her &s;ight. I conceive Sir, &s;aid <HI>Feraulas,</HI> that it is con&s;iderable, to have got the Si&s;ter of the King of <HI>Pont</HI> into your hands, a Lady of whom I have heard a good report, when I was in the <HI>Bythinian</HI> war: &s;o that in all probability, it will keep that Prince in &s;ome fears. Ah <HI>Feraulas,</HI> an&s;wered he, and &s;ighed, how dear &s;oever the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pont</HI> is to him, <HI>Mandana</HI> is much more: he will ea&s;ily di&s;pen&s;e with a Si&s;ter for a Mi&s;tre&s;s: If he &s;hould have my brother; if I had one, or my father in his power, it would make me to do any thing to relea&s;e them, but never upon &s;uch con|ditions as to quit <HI>Mandana:</HI> Al&s;o knowing me &s;o well as he does, he will not fear mine ill entertainment of his Si&s;ter, although he do not re&s;tore <HI>Mandana,</HI> he knows too well that it is not my <HI>Genius</HI> to do a ba&s;e, unju&s;t, and cruel Act; and &s;o &s;ince he conceives no danger, he will keep <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;till.</P>
<P>But Sir, &s;aid <HI>Feraulas,</HI> are you fully a&s;&s;ured that this Lady is the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pont?</HI> Yes, re|plied he, for now <HI>I</HI> call to memory a Picture which the wife of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> cau&s;ed the Prince&s;s her daughter to &s;hew me, to the end &s;he might di&s;cover whether or no I was <HI>Spitridates,</HI> I do very well &s;ee that it is &s;he, for that picture re&s;embles her extreamly: But, replied <HI>Feraulus,</HI> if it be &s;he, I wonder &s;he does not take you for <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as the <HI>Bythinean</HI> Prince&s;s did?
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becau&s;e doubtle&s;s, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the King her brother has formerly acquainted her with out extream re&s;emblance. But however <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;uch things as the&s;e, we mu&s;t not di&s;cour&s;e of: Let <HI>Mandana,</HI> only <HI>Mandana</HI> be the only object of my thoughts, and the &s;ubject of our di&s;|cour&s;e: did I but know where &s;he was, my Soul would be at &s;ome re&s;t: for though &s;he were in <HI>Artaxates,</HI> I would without &s;taying for <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> attempt her delivery. Doubtle&s;s you might, replied <HI>Feraulas,</HI> for after this which we have &s;een; if you do not enforce it, it may well be &s;aid, the rea&s;on is becau&s;e you would not; and the inhabitants owe you thanks, for all tho&s;e mi&s;eries which you will not do them, when it is in your power: After they had thus di&s;|cour&s;ed a good while, <HI>Cyrus</HI> did lye down upon the bed, more to re&s;t him&s;elf then to &s;leep; but he had not lea&s;ure to do that, for one came to tell him; that the Prince <HI>Artibies</HI> was at the la&s;t ga&s;p, and de&s;ired to &s;ee him: He did ri&s;e immediately, and went unto him Wal&s;o he found him at the very point of death, but in &s;o free a mind, and quiet &s;o us, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;urpri&s;ed at him: I am de&s;perately forty, (&s;aid he unto him, coming heer him) that I &s;hould be partly a a cau&s;e of your deplorable condition: No, (mo&s;t generou&s;ly did this dying Prince an&s;wer) ra|ther rejoyce with me, who &s;ince the death of <HI>Leontina,</HI> looked for nothing from the wars but ruine: I could never in any place have died with more honor, then neer you; nor &s;hall I de&s;ire life, but &s;hall die with more joy then I can expre&s;s, if you will promi&s;e me to cau&s;e my a&s;hes to be inclo&s;ed within the Tomb of <HI>Leontina:</HI> In pronouncing this name, which was &s;o dear unto him, he expired without the lea&s;t motion, by rea&s;on of his great lo&s;s of blood: yet had he this &s;atisfaction before he died, to hear <HI>Cyrus</HI> promi&s;e what he de&s;ired, for he weakly held out his hands, and ca&s;t his eyes towards him, by way of thanks: That which was mo&s;t admirable in this &s;ad accident was, that death did not afright out of his countenance tho&s;e plea&s;ing &s;igns of de&s;ire to dye, which he ever more &s;ince the death of his Mi&s;tre&s;s. The heart of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was ex|ceedingly tendered at the lo&s;s of this young Prince, who doubtle&s;s did own all the accompli&s;hed qualities that might merit his e&s;teem and friend&s;hip: he te&s;tified his &s;orrow by mo&s;t apparent &s;ignes: and though his Tomb was covered with the &s;poils of vanqui&s;hed enemies, and hung about with Trophes of broken Arms, yet was it further honoured, in that his a&s;hes were wa|tred with the tears of the greate&s;t Prince in the world: In the mean while, day did begin to break, and inteligence was brought that there was &s;o great a Tumult within <HI>Artaxates,</HI> and &s;uch an univer&s;al amazement, that the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> was gone out of it with his whole Court, and a great part of his Forces, retreating unto certain inacce&s;&s;ible Mountains, where he had &s;ome Ca&s;tles very well fortified, he under&s;tood al&s;o that the King had carryed the Queen his wife, and the Prince&s;&s;es his daughters with him: and he imagined that perhaps <HI>Mandana</HI> might be there al&s;o: his de&s;ire was to go after them immediately: but he was confidently told that before he could be in readine&s;s to &s;ee forward, the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> would be got within his Sanctuary, where he had nothing to fear but fami<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. Yet &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> would not tru&s;t unto what was told him, he took hor&s;e, after he had commanded an <HI>Egyptian</HI> Chyrurgion which was in the <HI>Cyprian Brigado,</HI> to imbalm the Corps of the Prince <HI>Artibies,</HI> after &s;uch as excel|lent manner as was u&s;ed in his Country, and which would keep the Corps a long while is cor|ruptable: he gave orders al&s;o to pre&s;ent a complimentive excu&s;e unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pont,</HI> that he could not &s;ee her untill his return, and the&s;e orders being given, he went with two hundred hor&s;e only; to be &s;hewed the&s;e Mountains, and indeed he perceived it impo&s;&s;ible to arrive thither in any time: he then re&s;olved to go and po&s;&s;e&s;s him&s;elf of &s;ome advantagious placed betwixt tho&s;e Mountains and the: Town to prevent any communication between them: But no &s;ooner did tho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> which were appointed for that de&s;ign under <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> begin to march, but the Inhabitants of <HI>Artaxates</HI> multiplying their fears, had held a tumuluous councell, and conceived it more &s;afe for them&s;elves, to &s;ubmit unto &s;uch a Conqueror as; <HI>Cyrus;</HI> then any longer to rea&s;t &s;uch an <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Prince: They &s;ent then Deputies unto him, to beg <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 words">, and that in &s;uch &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion terms as if his whole Army had been at their Gates: As he was the &s;weete&s;t prince upon Earth unto all &s;uch as re&s;i&s;ted him not, &s;o he de&s;ired no more from them, but a bare oath of Fidelity: he did not conceive it expedient, with &s;o few Forces as he had, to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ngage him&s;elf within that Town, but contented him&s;elf, to po&s;&s;es him&s;elf of both the ends of <HI>Artaxes,</HI> and &s;ome Ca&s;tles which were indifferent &s;trong, in divers Entran|ces into <HI>Artaxates,</HI> to the end he might thereby take all relief away from the King of <HI>Arme|nia,</HI> and all ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 words"> communication between the town, and the mountains&punc; where he was: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> continued his de&s;ign of &s;ending <HI>Hida&s;pas</HI> with twelve hundred men only to the foot of the mountains, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">by to prevent the country from carrying in of provi&s;ions; after all which he re&s;olved to wait un<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">il <HI>Ciaxares</HI> came up, before he would make any other; attempts; and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> he had given our all expedient and nece&s;&s;ary orders, he returned unto the Ca&s;tle <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">
<PB N="93" REF="237">
whence he came, with much impatience to di&s;cour&s;e with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pont,</HI> imagining, that perhaps &s;he could tell where the King her brother was, and by con&s;equence where the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was.</P>
<P>Having then re&s;ted him&s;elf a while, and put him&s;elf into a fit and hand&s;om garb to appear be|fore her, he &s;ent to ask whether he might be permitted the honor to &s;ee her: As &s;he did no le&s;s de&s;ire it then he, though for different rea&s;ons, &s;o &s;he &s;ent word back, that &s;he &s;hould be very glad to entertain his vi&s;it; &s;o that going immediately unto her, he was received with all po&s;&s;ible civility, and he rendred her all the &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion and reverence, as if &s;he were in <HI>Heraclea.</HI> After the fir&s;t complemental ceremonies were performed; Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, if fortune had been as favourable unto the King my brother, as you were unto him in procuring his relea&s;e, I would not have lo&s;t tho&s;e Kingdoms which he once po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed: I know not Madam (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> whether the King of <HI>Pont</HI> has not been a greater gamer by the lo&s;s of his Kingdoms, then he would have been in keeping them: But I am mo&s;t certain, that I prefer that favour which for|tune has be&s;towed upon him &s;ince he lo&s;t them, before all he had before &s;he deprived him of them; and I wi&s;h unto the Gods with all my heart, that he were reinve&s;ted, and &s;et upon tho&s;e Thrones again which he has right unto, upon condition he would re&s;tore that unto which he has no right at all. This di&s;cour&s;e is &s;o ob&s;cure unto me, (&s;aid the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pont)</HI> that I am not able to return a pertinent an&s;wer; for indeed I know very well, that the King my brother has lo&s;t the Kingdom of <HI>Pont,</HI> and <HI>Bythinia</HI> al&s;o; that he was forced to depart from the la&s;t town that was left him, and to fly away in a Ship to &s;eek &s;ecurity for his per&s;on from you; but I do not know how Fortune which deprived him of this Throne, has made him a gainer &s;ince: But I under&s;tood &s;ince, that he was not with you, and I was told, the la&s;t (without any cer|tainty) that he was here in <HI>Armenia,</HI> whether I came to &s;eek him, yet cannot find him. How Madam, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> is not the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> in <HI>Armenia?</HI> I do not believe, an&s;wered &s;he, that the King my brother is here; and though he were, indeed I can|not imagine how the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould come hither. <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing with what free in|genuity this Prince&s;s &s;poke unto him, told her all, how the King of <HI>Pont</HI> had &s;aved the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> from &s;hipwrack; how he left his &s;hip, and took boat up the river <HI>Halis</HI> to come into <HI>Armenia;</HI> &s;o that Madam, &s;aid he, I do not &s;ee it po&s;&s;ible but he mu&s;t be here, and I wonder you &s;hould not know it: I have had &s;o little liberty, &s;aid &s;he, &s;ince I came into <HI>Ar|menia,</HI> that it is not impo&s;&s;ible but he may be here, and yet I not know it: But Sir, how can it be, that he, of whom you &s;peak, who has divers times &s;poken unto me concerning you, as the man, whom of all the world he mo&s;t e&s;teems, though he knows not your quality, &s;hould a|ny way di&s;oblige you? He, I &s;ay, whom you have &s;o much obliged, he unto whom you gave both life and liberty, and he who had an intention to pre&s;erve you, at a time when you were in danger: He never had any intention to de&s;troy me, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but he has mo&s;t cruelly wronged me: Ah Sir, &s;aid &s;he, he did not de&s;cribe <HI>Artamenes</HI> unto me, to be &s;o unju&s;t, as that he &s;hould think it to be a wrong, which was done without de&s;ign; nor can I think him changed, &s;ince he was <HI>Cyrus;</HI> he is not changed at all, replied he, for he loves the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> now, as he loved her then, although the King of <HI>Pont</HI> did not know it then, &s;o that Madam, you may ea&s;ily judge, he does not at all oblige me in carrying away the Prince&s;s, and retaining her again&s;t her will. I &s;hould not &s;peak thus unto you Madam, &s;aid he, if the affection I bear unto her were not now known over all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and if I were not forced to ju&s;tifie my &s;elf <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o the opinion of &s;o excellent a Lady as you; Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I can &s;ay nothing to it, yet for your con&s;olation let me tell you, that the King my brother owes &s;uch a profound reverence unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> that you need not fear any ill treatment of her; and if I knew where he were, I would beg of you permi&s;&s;ion to go and try whether I could move him to re&s;tore her unto her father. <HI>Cyrus</HI> returned thanks unto this Prince&s;s with much affection, and &s;he di&s;cour&s;e on both &s;ides was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o very obliging, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> did wonder to find a di&s;po&s;ition &s;o ready to do him any good office in the Si&s;ter of his Rival. It is very true, &s;he was &s;o hand|&s;ome, and &s;o amiable, that it was impo&s;&s;ible but one mu&s;t needs e&s;teem her infinitely, and be in terms of friend&s;hip, though not in love with her. Moreover, &s;ince &s;he found in <HI>Cyrus</HI> the re|&s;emblance of a per&s;on, who was mo&s;t dear unto her, &s;he expre&s;&s;ed more obliging civility to|wards him, then &s;he perceived in her &s;elf, &s;o that for three or four dayes <HI>Cyrus</HI> did vi&s;it her e|very &s;pare hour, wherein he did not vi&s;it &s;ome guard or other, and a great friend&s;hip grew be|twixt them; for after <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;atisfied the curio&s;ity of this Prince&s;s, by making a &s;hort re|lation of his fortunes unto her; and &s;ince he a&s;&s;ured her, that if the King her brother would re|&s;tore the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> he would help him to recover his lo&s;t Kingdoms; &s;he thought the condition good, and &s;he her &s;elf al&s;o believed, that as &s;oon as the King of <HI>Pont</HI> &s;hould know,
<PB N="94" REF="238">
that <HI>Artamenes</HI> is <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> did love, and was loved by <HI>Mandana,</HI> he would change his de&s;ign: So that conceiving &s;he ought not to look upon this Prince, as the King her brothers enemy, &s;he regarded him, as both her, and his protector, and as a Prince, who per|haps would become a Mediator between the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> and the new King of <HI>Bythinia;</HI> &s;o that &s;he enjoyed plea&s;ure and &s;atisfaction in the &s;ight and conver&s;ation of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> This Prince was for &s;ome certain days a little troubled to ob&s;erve, that this Prince&s;s never &s;aw him, but &s;he changed colour, and &s;ighed often when &s;he looked upon him: But remembring the picture which was &s;hewed him in <HI>Bythinia,</HI> he concluded, that <HI>Spitridates,</HI> whom he re&s;em|bled, was not only in love, but it mu&s;t needs be, that he was loved al&s;o: and &s;ince he had great hopes in the negotiation of this Prince&s;s, with the King her brother, when it was known where he was, and &s;ince he knew that there was nothing &s;o engaging, as to be a confident unto one who is in love, and he knew how to carry the matter &s;o hand&s;omly without too much pre&s;|&s;ing, &s;o that I moved her ingeniou&s;ly to acquaint him with the misfortunes of her life, to the end &s;ome expedient remedies again&s;t them might be applied, and that he might find out means to prevent her misfortunes, as &s;he would his, if it were po&s;&s;ible. One morning when <HI>Cyrus</HI> heard that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would come up within three days, and that the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> had not any victuals to hold out long, his mind being in more tranquility, by rea&s;on of his hopes to be &s;atis|fied from the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> him&s;elf, where her he &s;ought for was, he went unto the Prin|ce&s;s of <HI>Pont,</HI> to put her in mind of her promi&s;e; but though &s;he was very willing to give him &s;atisfaction, yet had &s;he no mind that her adventures &s;hould come out of her own mouth, but that one which was with her, who was well acquainted with every circum&s;tance, even to the lea&s;t of her thoughts, might make a relation of them. <HI>Cyrus</HI> con&s;ented unto the motion, and for the pre&s;ent retired, but pre&s;ently after dinner he returned unto her chamber, where he found her who was to relate the misfortunes of the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pont,</HI> who was her &s;elf gone into her Clo&s;et with &s;ome <HI>Armenian</HI> women which waited upon her: This Lady who was to make the relation, was called <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> one of very good quality, originally from <HI>Bythinia,</HI> who&s;e mother was Governe&s;s unto the Prince&s;s, and who indeed was a kind of Governe&s;s her &s;elf un|to her; for &s;ince &s;he was &s;ix or &s;even years elder then <HI>Araminta,</HI> her mother, who was very old and &s;ickly, committed the charge unto her, &s;o that &s;he was exactly knowing in all the pa&s;|&s;ages of that Court; and &s;ince &s;he had a mo&s;t charming wit, and was very &s;weet and compla|cential in all ju&s;t things, &s;he made the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pont,</HI> even adore her. <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who knew the quality of <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> by the information of one of the Prince&s;s men, did treat her very civilly, and full as re&s;pective complements returned as given: Then did they &s;it down, and thus did <HI>He&s;ionida</HI> begin.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of the Prince&s;s <HI>ARIMINTA,</HI> and <HI>SPITRIDATES.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe order which I have received from the Prince&s;s, to make an exact relation unto you of her misfortunes, requires, Sir, that you arm your &s;elf with abundance of patience, for they are &s;o numerous, that they cannot be comprehended in a &s;hort &s;tory: and nece&s;&s;ity compels me to let you under&s;tand, not only tho&s;e which relate only to the Prince&s;s her &s;elf, but tho&s;e al&s;o which concern her father; the u&s;urpation of the Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia</HI> is the real cau&s;e of all tho&s;e mi&s;eries &s;he endures: You Sir, who has won &s;o many battels thereabouts, do know, that a river only divides the Kingdom of <HI>Pont,</HI> and the Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> &s;o that it is not at all &s;trange, that an ambitious King of <HI>Pont</HI> &s;hould &s;tretch his limits over it: But I believe, that the cour&s;e he took will appear &s;o unju&s;t unto you, that you will hardly endure &s;o much as the rela|tion of it. Be plea&s;ed to know, Sir, that the Grand-father of the Prince&s;s <HI>Ariminta,</HI> was a ve|ry violent Prince, one that was mo&s;t jealous of his authority, and as adventurous as any man in the world, all his life was wholly taken up in wars with his Neighbours, &s;ometimes again&s;t the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> other whiles again&s;t the King of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> and <HI>Galatia,</HI> and &s;ometimes again&s;t the King of <HI>Paphlagonia;</HI> but in all the&s;e wars he was continually a&s;&s;i&s;ted by the King of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> which then reigned, who was father unto <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> who now is upon the re|conque&s;t, yet notwith&s;tanding he bore a &s;pleen in his heart again&s;t him, becau&s;e he once oppo&s;ed a new war, which he would needs undertake again&s;t <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> without any ground or rea|&s;on for it; for &s;ince <HI>Bythinia</HI> was between the Kingdom of <HI>Pont</HI> and <HI>Galatia,</HI> he could not make any attempts upon it, unle&s;s that Prince gave him a pa&s;&s;age through his Dominions, which he refu&s;ed to do. After this, he always looked upon <HI>Bythinia,</HI> as a great Ob&s;tacle unto his am|bitious de&s;igns: But Sir, it befits me, to pa&s;s this over very &s;lightly; for &s;ince I am originally a <HI>Bythinian,</HI> the love of my Country may perhaps make me &s;peak more then is fit, con&s;idering the
<PB N="95" REF="238">
re&s;pect which I am obliged to render unto tho&s;e Kings, from whom the Prince&s;s whom I &s;erve is de&s;cended; yet mu&s;t I not make that crime a &s;ecret, which is publikely known unto &s;o many Kingdoms, &s;ince it is the very foundation of all I &s;hall tell you. Be plea&s;ed to under&s;tand then in few words, that the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> de&s;iring to confer with the King of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> about &s;ome important affairs, which he &s;aid concerned them both, both the&s;e Kings drew towards their Frontiers, and &s;ince the river <HI>Sangar</HI> is the limits unto both of tho&s;e Kingdoms, they made choice of a mo&s;t plea&s;ant I&s;land, wherein there was a very fair hou&s;e, fit for this enter|view, which was made ready with all po&s;&s;ible magnificence: But yet &s;ince this I&s;le belonged unto the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> he therefore was at all the expences of the&s;e fea&s;ts, which la&s;ted three days in all imaginable prodigality and &s;plendor: The la&s;t of the&s;e three days the King of <HI>Bythi|nia</HI> was &s;eized upon with &s;o &s;uddain and violent a &s;ickne&s;s, that the Phy&s;icians did give him o|ver, and it was impo&s;&s;ible that he &s;hould be tran&s;ported out of this I&s;le, where the King of <HI>Pont</HI> &s;tayed with him, expre&s;&s;ing &s;o many te&s;timonies of real &s;orrow, that all the world were deceived in him, and e&s;pecially the King of <HI>Bythinia</HI> more then any el&s;e. This Prince then, ha|ving only one &s;on, about &s;ix years of age, and having buried the Queen his wife, &s;eeing him&s;elf in this extremity, and thinking to prevent the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> whom he knew to be of an ambi|tious humour, from u&s;urping <HI>Bythinia,</HI> he would declare him Governour over the Prince his &s;on; &s;o that being in this deplorable condition, unto which all the Kingdom believed he was brought, by a poy&s;on which the King of <HI>Pont</HI> had given him, he a&s;&s;embled all the Grandees of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> which waited upon him, to this enterview, and declared unto them, how he intend|ed the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> during the minority of his &s;on, &s;hould have the Government of his Do|minions, and di&s;po&s;ure of all things, with this provi&s;o yet, to confer the offices of Government only unto the <HI>Bythinians.</HI> The King of <HI>Pont</HI> made a &s;hew, as if he were unwilling to accept of this offer; but at the la&s;t, this unfortunate Prince pre&s;&s;ing him more urgently unto it, he promi&s;ed him to pre&s;erve the Crown of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> as his own; and he &s;poke with &s;o much &s;eeming genero&s;ity, that he cau&s;ed him to die a &s;atisfied, though a violent death. Though all the Grandees of <HI>Bythinia</HI> did &s;eem to approve of this re&s;olution, not daring to de&s;ire their dying King, yet after he was dead, reports of poy&s;on making great noi&s;e, they oppo&s;ed a|gain&s;t it, and made u&s;e of the guards unto the late King to &s;ecure the per&s;on of their young Prince, who was within fifty furlongs of that place, in a Ca&s;tle where the Kings of <HI>Bythinia</HI> u&s;ed to bring up their children, until &s;uch times as they were fit to be taken out of the hands of women: But the King of <HI>Pont</HI> fore&s;eeing &s;uch a de&s;ign, cau&s;ed all the Garri&s;ons of all the towns along the river, &s;ecretly to redouble their guards, &s;o that in drawing them out, he quickly made up a little Army, with which he &s;eized upon the per&s;on of the young Prince, and made him&s;elf ma&s;ter of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> procuring the favour of &s;ome Grandees in the Kingdom by golden argu|ments. After this, he returned into <HI>Heraclea,</HI> where he educated the young Prince <HI>Ar&s;amones;</HI>
at the fir&s;t, he cau&s;ed all honors due unto a King of <HI>Bythinia</HI> to be rendred unto him, to the end he might the hand&s;omer deceive the <HI>Bythinians,</HI> and allure them to receive his orders: But af|terwards, when he had well e&s;tabli&s;hed him&s;elf, he publi&s;hed a Declaration, by which he would make it appear, that the late King of <HI>Bythinia</HI> did acknowledge his Kingdom had been formerly u&s;urped from the Kings of <HI>Pont;</HI> and by which he &s;aid, that the late King de&s;ired his &s;on &s;hould be only a &s;ubject unto him, who now raigned: In &s;hort Sir, Force, not <HI>Ju&s;tice</HI> was his Law, and <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was now created only as a Prince, not a King, and was indeed no more then a Slave which is loaded with heavy chains of gold, he wore them with an unexampled patience and di&s;&s;imulation: Tho&s;e who u&s;e to dive deep into the rea&s;on of things, could not compre|hend why the King of <HI>Pont</HI> &s;hould put the father to death, yet &s;pare the &s;on: but whether it was out of fear, to force the <HI>Bythinians</HI> unto a war again&s;t him, or that he was re&s;trained from it by a predominate power of the Gods, which would not &s;uffer him, yet he did it not: <HI>Ar&s;a|mones</HI> then lived as a &s;ubject, and married a <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prince&s;s, which was permitted, becau&s;e &s;he was not rich; but in recompence thereof, &s;he was at that time admirable fair, and at this time as vertuous as fair; then you know Sir her vertues and condition as well as I do, &s;ince you were with her, when you were taken for the Prince <HI>Spitridates;</HI> he permitted al&s;o a &s;i&s;ter un|to the King, whom he had impri&s;oned, to marry the Prince <HI>Gadutes,</HI> yet it was becau&s;e <HI>Nite|cris</HI> Queen of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> did procure it. Mean while the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> who had only one &s;on died, and <HI>Ar&s;emones</HI> changed Ma&s;ters, though not condition; for indeed Sir, this new King of <HI>Pont</HI> and <HI>Bythinia,</HI> father of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> although he was not &s;o criminal as the King his father; yet finding him&s;elf in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of two Crowns, he kept them, and never would hearken unto any re&s;titution, &s;o that <HI>Ar&s;emones</HI> was forced to di&s;&s;emble &s;till, and &s;eem to be contented with his fortune, becau&s;e he had no power to make it better: for the King
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of <HI>Pont</HI> was then in amity with all his Neighbours, and <HI>Ar&s;emones</HI> had neither any troops, nor money to rai&s;e them. Mean while Sir, the King of <HI>Pont</HI> had two &s;ons, and one daughter, and the Prince <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had one daughter, and two &s;ons, the elder of which is <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who &s;o much re&s;embles you: As the Queen of <HI>Pont</HI> died very young, &s;o the Prince&s;s <HI>Ara|minta</HI> was but five years old when &s;he lo&s;t her mother: and as my mother had the honor of that great Queens love, &s;he moved the King her husband, to confer the Government of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> upon her: But to &s;hew you the piety and vertue of this Prince&s;s, I need only tell you, that &s;he appointed my mother to cheri&s;h as much as &s;he could, a love and friend|&s;hip between her children, and the children of the Prince <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> wi&s;hing heartily, that he might hereafter become &s;o generous, as to re&s;tore the Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia</HI> unto the right heir. You may be plea&s;ed to conceive Sir, that &s;he did mo&s;t willingly obey &s;o ju&s;t a command; and truly there was no great difficulty to beget a love among&s;t them, &s;ince they were all &s;o ami|able; and it mu&s;t needs be acknowledged, that never was a more jolly &s;ight, then this little Court of young Princes and Prince&s;&s;es: But among&s;t the re&s;t, the amity between <HI>Spitridates</HI> elde&s;t &s;on of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> was extraordinary; for the fir&s;t of the&s;e two Sir, you need only to remember your own infancy, to imagin him, &s;ince truly there is a mo&s;t wonderful re&s;emblance betwixt you and him; and as for the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pont,</HI> you need only to look upon her, and judge, that &s;he was fair from her cradle: The &s;i&s;ter of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> named <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> is al&s;o, as you know, very fair; and the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> elder brother unto <HI>Ari|andus,</HI> who is now King of <HI>Pont,</HI> was of a good &s;tature, and hand&s;om, as well as his brother, whom you do know; and the younge&s;t &s;on of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> called <HI>Euriclides,</HI> as al&s;o a very hand&s;om Prince, of the&s;e Sir, did the Court of <HI>Pont</HI> con&s;i&s;t; &s;o that &s;ince peace on all &s;ides &s;eemed now to be &s;olidly e&s;tabli&s;hed, there was no thoughts but upon the education of the&s;e young Prince&s;&s;es and Princes, and to contrive all the plea&s;ant recreations their ages were capa|ble of: The King of <HI>Pont</HI> him&s;elf, out of policy, did command my mother to do the &s;ame, which the Queen his wife had appointed her to do out of vertue; for he conceived, that if his elde&s;t &s;on &s;hould marry a daughter of Prince <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> that would more confirm the po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion of the Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia</HI> in his hou&s;e. The &s;tate of things &s;tanding thus, all the re|creations of the&s;e young children were together; their walks, their huntings, their balls, their mu&s;iques, cau&s;ed them continually to be together; and I dare affirm, that their education was &s;uch, as made them cea&s;e, being children, much &s;ooner then their age permitted them; and though they lived together with all equal civility, yet their inclinations began to make &s;ome difference, and I perceived that <HI>Spitridates</HI> did much more re&s;pect the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> then the prince <HI>Euriclides</HI> his brother: I ob&s;erved al&s;o at the &s;ame time, that the prince <HI>Sin|ne&s;is</HI> was more indulgent towards the prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> then he who is now the King of <HI>Pont:</HI> And &s;ince my mother had acquainted me with the Kings intentions, and al&s;o with the Queens, to the end I might be &s;erviceable that way, I was even ravi&s;hed to &s;ee &s;o happy a beginning in the de&s;ign, and I believe al&s;o, that the prince <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and the prince&s;s <HI>Arbiana</HI> his wife did like it well. I perceived then that love did kindle in the&s;e two young hearts, and I &s;aw them love one another, and knew it not them&s;elves; for <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> and <HI>Spitridates</HI> did render a thou|&s;and petty &s;ervices unto tho&s;e prince&s;&s;es which they adored, not knowing they were in love, more then the prince&s;&s;es whom they loved. But the prince&s;s <HI>Ariminta</HI> being in her fourteenth year, and the prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> his &s;ixteenth, they began to be &s;en&s;ible of their pa&s;&s;ions: The joy which he was wont to have when he &s;aw the prince&s;s became more moderate, and though &s;he u&s;ed her accu&s;tomed civility towards him, yet was he not &s;o well &s;atisfied, as before; his heart moulded &s;uch de&s;ires, as that he did not know what he him&s;elf de&s;ired, but not knowing very well what he wanted to compleat his good fortune, he became very melancholy: As the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> did very much e&s;teem him, and as he plea&s;ed her eye better then any &s;he &s;aw in the Court, &s;o &s;he was the fir&s;t which perceived it, and asked me whether or no I knew from whence this alteration in the humour of the prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> did ari&s;e; and when I an&s;wer|ed her, that I knew not, &s;he told me, that it much troubled her, and that &s;he would ask him the rea&s;on her &s;elf. Madam, &s;aid I unto her, and &s;miled, it is not always fit to be &s;o inqui&s;itive; how do you know, whether the prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> would have the cau&s;e of his melancholy known? And why &s;hould be hide it (an&s;wered &s;he unto me) from one that would pity him, if I could not help him? He would hide it perhaps (&s;aid I unto her, and laughed) becau&s;e he does not know the cau&s;e him&s;elf. Ah <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, <HI>Spitridates</HI> is too full of rea&s;on to be troubled without a cau&s;e, and if I thought that were all, I would quickly cure him. As I was ready as an&s;wer, the prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> came in, and a little after her the valiant <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> who had the honor to be the la&s;t man that fought with you in the combat of two hundred; and al&s;o at the
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&s;ame time, the coward <HI>Artanus</HI> came in, who accompanied <HI>Spitridates</HI> thither. After their conver&s;ation had continued a prety while, the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> made a motion unto his &s;i&s;ter the prince&s;s to go and walk, &s;he was &s;o complacential as to con&s;ent. This prince was then &s;ixteen years old, and the prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> fifteen; and I believe he had already expre&s;&s;ed &s;ome &s;light marks of his pa&s;&s;ion unto her, which &s;he knew of, but neither much accepted, nor rejected them. When they were in the garden, the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> after &s;he had talked a while with the prince&s;s his &s;i&s;ter, pre&s;ented his hand unto the prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> and <HI>Spitridates</HI> took the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> by the hand, and &s;o they walked; &s;o that <HI>Pharnaces</HI> and <HI>Artanus</HI> &s;eeing that their aims were prevented already by <HI>Spitridates,</HI> went away in a jealous fit. Mean while, the &s;mall experience of this young Lady cau&s;ing me to fear that &s;he would too urgently ask <HI>Spitridates</HI> the thoughts of his heart, I followed pre&s;ently after, and hand&s;omly turned the di&s;cour&s;e ano|ther way: for &s;ince my mother, as I told you before, was both &s;ickly and aged, and &s;ince I was &s;ix or &s;even years elder then the prince&s;s, I was a kind of an under-governe&s;s, the King appoint|ing it &s;o, and the prince&s;s was glad of it, becau&s;e &s;he did me the honor to love me. But Sir, to return unto my di&s;cour&s;e, the prince&s;s <HI>Arbiana</HI> being come into the garden, intending to &s;peak with me concerning &s;ome important bu&s;ine&s;s, I was con&s;trained to leave the prince and prin|ce&s;s, and by con&s;equence to leave them at liberty to di&s;cour&s;e together, for the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> did not at all mole&s;t them, being bu&s;ied enough in his Court&s;hip with the prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea:</HI> Since we walked ten or twelve paces behind them, I could not hear their words, but only gue&s;s by their manner of actions. But in the end, I &s;aw the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> come &s;uddain|ly towards us, &s;aying &s;he was weary with walking, and would re&s;t her &s;elf; &s;o that leaving <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;he fat down upon &s;eats of gra&s;s. I ob&s;erved all the pa&s;&s;age very exactly, and &s;aw <HI>Spitridates</HI> blu&s;h in quitting the prince&s;s, and &s;he al&s;o blu&s;hed, though &s;he did hide it with her Hood: All the re&s;t of the day &s;he &s;eemed much di&s;quieted, though &s;he did &s;trive to hide it with all her care: Upon her return unto her chamber, &s;he went into her Clo&s;et, and called none of her women with her, as &s;he was accu&s;tomed; I went in unto her, and found her lean|ing again&s;t the window in a &s;erious deep &s;tudy. Madam, &s;aid I unto her, and laughed, &s;ince you did not think it unhand&s;om to ask the prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> what was the cau&s;e of his melancho|ly, I hope you will not think it impertinent in me, if I ask you, what's the cau&s;e of your mu&s;ing at this time. At the fir&s;t &s;he would have per&s;waded me, that &s;he mu&s;ed no more then ordina|ry, yet &s;eeing &s;he could not; But <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, did you not tell me it was not good to be too inqui&s;itive? Yes Madam, replied I unto her, but I am not the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> nor are you the prince <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;o that without any fear of offending, I have rea&s;on to ask what it is which troubles you, &s;ince my only end is to help it, if it be in my power. Truly <HI>He|&s;ionida,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) there is nothing in my mind which vexes me. Truly Madam, re|plied I, there is &s;omething which does trouble you, and if you will not do me the honor to tell it unto me, I &s;hall think that the prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> has di&s;covered unto you the cau&s;e of his melancholy, and that it has infected you: The Gods pre&s;erve me, &s;aid &s;he unto me ha&s;tily: You know then Madam what it is, &s;aid I unto her.</P>
<P>The Prince&s;s blu&s;ht &s;eeing &s;he could not deny it, and coming nearer me with the greate&s;t ingenuity and &s;weetne&s;s in the world; It is true, &s;aid &s;he unto me, I do know it; and if you did but know how angry and a&s;hamed I was, doubtle&s;s you would extreamly pity me. But <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, why did you not de&s;ire me more earne&s;tly then you did, not to ask <HI>Spitridates,</HI> the cau&s;e of his melancholy? for I do imagine that you knew it, or at lea&s;t &s;u&s;|pected &s;omething. I confe&s;s unto you, that the <HI>Non-plus</HI> of this young Prince&s;s, and the anger which I &s;aw in her eyes moved me almo&s;t to laugh at her, yet I did re&s;train it, le&s;t I &s;hould have too much incen&s;ed her: And after I had intreated her to tell me, what their conference was, and &s;he many times excu&s;ing, but at the la&s;t con&s;enting unto my de&s;ire, told me: You were no &s;ooner entred into di&s;cour&s;e with the Prince&s;s <HI>Arbiana,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, but being extreamly impatient to know what it was which troubled <HI>Spitridates,</HI> I entred into di&s;cour&s;e with him. You are &s;o changed, &s;aid &s;he, of late, that all your friends do wonder it, nor can they imagine the cau&s;e of your melancholy: I do not think they do, an&s;wered he unto her, nor is there any in the world unto whom I will impart it. How, replied &s;he unto him, Is it &s;uch a di&s;plea&s;ure as you would not have any know it? then it &s;eems you would not have any pitty you, or comfort you: I wi&s;h the fir&s;t, replied he unto her, but I dare not wi&s;h the &s;econd. How can they do either, replied &s;he, when they are ignorant of your &s;ufferings? Did you not tell me, an&s;wered he, that all my friends do wonder, and are &s;orry for my melancholy? and if &s;o, can they not pity me, unle&s;s they know the cau&s;e of my &s;orrows? No, not I, an&s;wered &s;he, for perhaps you e&s;teem your &s;elf unfortunate in &s;ome things, for which I would not pity you at
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all. What may tho&s;e things be, replied he, and &s;ighed, for which the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> has no compa&s;&s;ion? If you &s;hould envy at the honour of another, &s;aid &s;he, and that trouble you, I would not all pity you for it. But &s;uppo&s;e I were in love, an&s;wered he, would you pity me then? No, an&s;wered &s;he, but on the contrary, I would e&s;teem you much more for it, &s;ince eve|ry one ought to be in love with honour and glory; But indeed <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, &s;ince it is not your mind I &s;hould know what it is which torments you, I &s;hall not pity you, but &s;hall believe you think me not di&s;creet enough to keep a &s;ecret. Ah Madam, replied he, I do not fear that you would publi&s;h that which I &s;hould tell you. What do you fear then, (an&s;wered &s;he, with &s;uch a pretty &s;implicity, as made him almo&s;t de&s;perate.) I fear, an&s;wered he, that you would hate me. And why &s;hould I hate you, an&s;wered &s;he, for tru&s;ting me with a Se|cret? Perhaps you would hate me, an&s;wered he, if you &s;hould know that <HI>Spitridates</HI> is not unfortunate in any thing, but in that he loves the fair Prince&s;s of <HI>Ponts</HI> more then he ought: He had no &s;ooner pronounced the&s;e words, but immediately I &s;aw (&s;aid &s;he) my dead <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> a thou&s;and things which I did not &s;ee before, and I was &s;o confounded at my &s;implicity and inno|cency, that I dur&s;t not look upon him, yet after I had rea&s;&s;umed my confidence, You have rea&s;on, (&s;aid &s;he, being both angry, and a&s;hamed) to think that the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pont</HI> will hate <HI>Spitridates,</HI> if he &s;hould love her too much, and as your friend I advice you to keep your Se|cret &s;o clo&s;e, that none may ever know it. I will obey you, Madam, &s;aid he, you your &s;elf &s;hall be the only one in the world, who &s;hall ever know it, or to whom I &s;hall ever reveal it. I no &s;ooner heard him &s;ay &s;o, But I was &s;o much a&s;hamed that I came unto you, &s;aid &s;he, and re|turned no an&s;wer: After that the Prince&s;s had ended her relation with many &s;ignes of &s;hame, and anger in her eyes, &s;he asked me, what &s;he &s;hould do? And I advi&s;ed her, to avoid any private conference with <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as hand&s;omly as &s;he could, without any incivility to him: and to behave her &s;elf towards him as to a Prince whom perhaps &s;he might one day marry, and perhaps not: and to carry the matter &s;o with him, that he may e&s;teem you much; and to obtain this e&s;teem, you mu&s;t be neither too indulgent, nor too &s;cornful unto him: and that &s;ince &s;he was very young, I de&s;ired her, not to keep any thing which <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;hould &s;ay un|to her, or &s;he an&s;wer him, as a Secret from me, becau&s;e it was very dangerous to tru&s;t ones &s;elf with a bu&s;ine&s;s &s;o nice as this was, e&s;pecially in an age &s;o young as hers. This young and wi&s;e Prince&s;s did promi&s;e what I de&s;ired, and indeed, did mo&s;t exactly keep her word, and do what&s;oever I de&s;ired her.</P>
<P>As <HI>Spitridates</HI> was one of the mo&s;t wi&s;e and di&s;creet young Princes in the world, he did for a while content him&s;elf, that he had di&s;covered his pa&s;&s;ion unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> without any further per&s;ecution, fearing &s;he &s;hould treat him ill. In&s;omuch as &s;eeing him live in &s;uch a moderate and di&s;creet re&s;ervedne&s;s, I did imagine that this young Prince&s;s perhaps knew not yet the difference between a bare piece of Gallantry, and Court&s;hip, and a real declara|tion of love, &s;ince there is u&s;ed, for ought I can hear, the &s;ame language, both for the one and the other, and that there is nothing which makes the difference between them, but the tone of the voice, and the manner of pronouncing words: &s;o that I did believe this was all his meaning in it, and <HI>I</HI> would have made the Prince&s;s believe as much, who out of mode&s;ty did give credit unto what <HI>I</HI> told her, though that belief had no ground in the bottom of her heart. Mean while the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> who was of a more froward &s;pirit then <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and who, as things then &s;tood, had not &s;o great a re&s;pect unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> as <HI>Spitridates</HI> had unto <HI>Araminta,</HI> did openly di&s;cour&s;e of his pa&s;&s;ion; yet do what he could, he could never obtain one favourable look from that Lady: &s;he carried her &s;elf indeed very civilly unto him, yet it was, as being the Son of the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> and as Brother unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> with whom &s;he held a great intimacy, not at all as being her Lover. All the Court were puzzled to find out the cau&s;e of this her cold aver&s;ion to him, for they all knew, that if <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> did not marry the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> &s;he &s;hould never be Queen: for my part I ever thought, that her rea&s;on why &s;he treated him in that manner, was becau&s;e of the incertainty in his de&s;igne, and that as &s;oon as the King &s;hould &s;peak unto <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> concerning it, &s;he would then alter her cour&s;e with him: Mean while, Sir, the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> did darken all the beauties in the Court, and in all <HI>Heraclea,</HI> with the &s;plendor of her beauty: and &s;ince there was none but only <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> which did not &s;eem ugly in her pre&s;ence, &s;he conquered a thou&s;and hearts, and without any de&s;ign o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> hers, did captivate a thou&s;and Slaves. Among&s;t the re&s;t, the valiant <HI>Phar|naces,</HI> and the Coward <HI>Artanus</HI> were &s;o captivated, that they could not conceal their pa&s;&s;ions from all the Court, though fain they would have kept them &s;ecret; Not but that they were both of them of the prime quality in all the Kingdom: yet dur&s;t they not look &s;o high: but love is of its own nature a my&s;terious &s;ecrecy: and moreover the gallant Air of this young Prince&s;s made them a|fraid
<PB N="99" REF="240">
to di&s;cover them&s;elves: They were mo&s;t a&s;&s;iduous in waiting upon her, yet &s;o full of re&s;pect, that &s;he could find no fault with their proceedings, &s;ince at this time, <HI>Artanus</HI> was very young, his cowardize was not yet di&s;covered, and &s;ince he had a good wit, and not un|hand&s;om, he was well enough e&s;teemed on, and received into company as a man of his quality &s;hould be. As for <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> Sir, I need not &s;peak of his Gallantry, &s;ince the la&s;t act of his life &s;peaks better for him then I can. But let me tell you, that he was one of tho&s;e real Heroes, which u&s;e to look with fury in the face of their enemies, and with plea&s;ing favour in his ordi|nary conver&s;ation: he was both wi&s;e and mode&s;t; and though he &s;poke but little, yet had he a plea&s;ant wit, becau&s;e what&s;oever he &s;aid was &s;o ju&s;t, and premeditated, that it was agree|able to all hearers: he was al&s;o much e&s;teemed Princes, and Prince&s;&s;es; and among&s;t the re&s;t, he who now is King of <HI>Pont,</HI> (but then only Prince <HI>Ariandes)</HI> loved him extreamly. Thus Sir, (you &s;ee the &s;tate of things, the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> was courted by <HI>Spitridates, Pharna|ces,</HI> and <HI>Artanus:</HI> the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> loved the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> and al&s;o loved <HI>Spitridates</HI> very well: and the Prince <HI>Argandes,</HI> not being in love with any, no more then the Prince <HI>Euriclides,</HI> contracted a mo&s;t intimate friend&s;hip with <HI>Pharnaces.</HI> In all publick fea&s;ts, at Hor&s;e-races, B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lls, Walkings, all the&s;e Lovers appeared according to their particular de&s;ignes; and the Court of <HI>Pont</HI> for a while, was one of the mo&s;t gallant and plea&s;ant Court in all <HI>A|&s;ia:</HI> Since <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and <HI>Lidia</HI> were near, Mu&s;icians out of both tho&s;e Kingdoms were pro|cured, which much augmented their delights, and &s;ince <HI>Heraclia</HI> is certainly one of the good|lie&s;t Towns, that ever the <HI>Grecians</HI> built, and the Countrey about it mo&s;t plea&s;ant, not only becau&s;e of the Sea, which lies on one &s;ide, but al&s;o becau&s;e of a great and delightful River, which runs under the walls: and it may well be &s;aid, that all innocent diver&s;ions and plea&s;ures in the world, did reign in the <HI>Pontean</HI> Court: For the King, as I already told you, did out of policy de&s;ire that <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> &s;hould marry the daughter of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and that <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;hould marry the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and was much plea&s;ed with the Gallantry, and Court&s;hip of the&s;e young Lovers, who all this while let no opportunity &s;lip, to plea&s;e their Prince&s;&s;es. But above all the re&s;t, <HI>Spitridates</HI> was mo&s;t officious: all his actions were plau&s;ible, every word he &s;poke had a charming &s;pel in it: and his very &s;ilence was &s;ometimes &s;o eloquent and agree|able, that I confe&s;s, I looked upon this young Prince, as one mo&s;t worthy to marry the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> &s;o that without any thing oppo&s;ing his pa&s;&s;ion, all my care, was that the Prin|ce&s;s did not receive him too favourably: But that did little trouble me, for although &s;he did very much e&s;teem him, and had al&s;o a good inclination towards him, yet was &s;he &s;o naturally mode&s;t, and preferred her honour before all things el&s;e, that &s;he perplexed him as much as if &s;he had a &s;trong aver&s;ion to him: &s;o that when he would di&s;cour&s;e of his love unto her, &s;he would mo&s;t &s;harply forbid him, and plunge him into a deeper melancholy: when I perceived the alteration in <HI>Spitridates;</HI> Madam, (&s;aid I unto her one morning when &s;he was alone) do you remember the day when you asked me whether I knew the cau&s;e of the Prince <HI>Spitri|dates</HI> his melancholy? and will you not now take it ill, that if in my turn I ask you what it is which thus di&s;quiets you at this time? <HI>He&s;ionida</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) If you will ab&s;olutely know it, you &s;hall; but you would do me a greater plea&s;ure, if you would &s;ave me the labour of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">lating the follies of that Prince. Truly Madam, &s;aid I unto her, I do &s;o much e&s;teem <HI>Spitridates,</HI> that I am much troubled at his &s;orrows, and this is the rea&s;on that I de&s;ire to know the cau&s;e of them. Then did I urge &s;o much that I moved her to acknowledg how <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> had &s;poken unto her concerning his pa&s;&s;ion, and how &s;he had &s;harply forbid him to do any more, and that &s;he believed he would not be &s;o bold as to di&s;obey her. But (&s;aid I unto her, to pump her mind, after I had commended her for what &s;he had done, &s;o &s;he had done it without any &s;corn of that Prince.) If <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;hould be exactly obedient, and ne|ver any te&s;timonies of e&s;teem come from him, would you then thank him for it? Do you think, &s;aid &s;he, and blu&s;ht, that I command things which I would have done? But Madam, &s;aid I unto her before you make any fre&s;h que&s;tions, I be&s;eech you an&s;wer a little more di|rectly unto mine, and tell me truly, whether if the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;hould &s;peak unto you no more, wait upon you no more, neither unto the Temple, nor into the Walks: if he &s;hould ne|ver care for plea&s;ing you, or rendring you a thou&s;and &s;ervices every day: if he &s;hould look upon you with cold indifferent eye, or perhaps &s;light you, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">what would you then think? would not all the&s;e di&s;plea&s;e you? But replied &s;he, and laughed. I did not forbid him &s;peaking, nor com|mand him from tho&s;e things which civility requires: Then I under&s;tand you, Madam, &s;aid <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> unto her, and &s;miled, you would have <HI>Spitridates</HI> love you, and not tell you of it. No, repli|ed &s;he, you do not rightly interpret my words. I do expound them as I ought to do, &s;aid I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">to her, nor is it forbidden you to &s;uffer a Prince, who in all appearances mu&s;t be your Hu&s;|band to love you. But Madam, I be&s;eech you remember, that you carry your &s;elf &s;o unto him,
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that if ever that happine&s;s befall him, you may never repent your &s;elf of any word, either too bitter, or too &s;weet unto him; and it is after this rule which I conjute you to direct your &s;elfe in your carriage towards <HI>Spitridates:</HI> for I am certain, that if you punctually ob&s;erve what I &s;ay, you &s;hall never &s;peak any thing unto him, which may cau&s;e repentance: Thus much &s;he did promi&s;e me, and &s;o our conference ended. All this while, <HI>Spitridates</HI> was not the only &s;in|gular Lover of the Prince&s;s: for &s;ince <HI>Artanus</HI> was as bold with his tongue, as he was timerous in combate, after he had carried him&s;elf a while in a re&s;pective manner, he did at la&s;t un<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">end him&s;elf unto his natural inclination, which was always in&s;olent, if his hare-like courage had not a little re&s;trained him: but &s;ince in this war, there was no great danger of life, he was as bold as a Lion: for upon a day when <HI>Spitridates</HI> was with the Prince&s;s, and when <HI>Artanus</HI> came in, and the Prince received a me&s;&s;age from <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> to come unto him, that they might go and hunt together: &s;o that <HI>Artanus</HI> remaining alone with the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> after &s;ome common di&s;cour&s;e, &s;he asked him why he went not unto the Cha&s;e with the Prince hes Brother? and he an&s;wered her, that this recreation was not predominate over his pa&s;&s;ion: Though you do not go out with any love to the &s;port, replied &s;he, yet you may go out of love to the Company. So I &s;hould, replied he, if you would go al&s;o: I am much obliged unto you, an&s;wered the Prince&s;s, but there is no rea&s;on you &s;hould have no more complacency towards my Brother the Prince; not that I can much blame you, for not affecting a plea&s;ure which ought to be u&s;ed only as a diver&s;ion, and not as a profe&s;&s;ion of life; for I think it mo&s;t proper to pre&s;erve the health of the body by the exerci&s;e, and not to poli&s;h the minds of them that follow it in exce&s;s, and do nothing el&s;e: It is very true, replied <HI>Artanus,</HI> and I am of your mind: and I conceive it fitter for great Kings to hunt after their enemies, and to take Kingdoms: and for fair Prince&s;&s;es (&s;aid he with extream boldne&s;s) to take hearts: but I would not have them do, as they u&s;e in hunting, where they take all they meet with: I wi&s;h they would take by choice, and not by chance. If &s;o, replied the Prince&s;s, there would per|haps be many taken which are free. You may Madam, if you plea&s;e, (replied he mo&s;t in&s;olent|ly) &s;ausfie me in many things at once concerning this &s;ubject: for you may tell me what would the De&s;tiny be, of the Prince <HI>Spitridates,</HI> of <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> and of <HI>Artanus,</HI> if this kind of hunting were in u&s;e; he pronounced the la&s;t of the&s;e names &s;o low that the Prince&s;s did not well under&s;tand it; yet half hearing, and &s;eeing by the di&s;orders in his face, that &s;he was not mi&s;taken, &s;he an&s;wered him very &s;harply after this manner: If the de&s;tiny of tho&s;e three per|&s;ons whom you name depended upon me, two of them &s;hould mo&s;t a&s;&s;uredly be happy. And what of the third? (&s;aid he.) As for the third, &s;aid &s;he, he &s;hould doubtle&s;s have what he de&s;erves; &amp; that is, a good &s;hare of the aver&s;ion, and di&s;e&s;teem of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta.</HI> I am very glad then, an&s;wered he, that this kind of hunting is not in fa&s;hion: And I am very &s;orry, &s;aid &s;he, that you have &s;o ill invented it. But however Madam &s;aid he, and roughly interrupted her) you know not how to make your &s;elf eternally adored by him, who the be&s;t of any man in the world knows your worth: He whom you &s;peak of, repied the Prince&s;s, would do better to acknowledg the re|&s;pect he ows me: and to teach him I forbid you to &s;peak any more unto me: then did I enter into the Chamber, and <HI>Artanus</HI> went out; and I &s;aw &s;o many &s;ignes of anger in the Prince&s;s, that I wondred, but &s;he did pre&s;ently &s;atisfie me, and related the impudence of <HI>Artanus</HI> unto me, with as much anger as a per&s;on of honour could have, again&s;t one that had affronted her: I cheared her up as much as I could po&s;&s;ible, and confirmed her doubtle&s;s in her de&s;igne to let <HI>Artanus</HI>
know, that he knew not his du<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y. But that &s;he might not be ignorant in any of her Conque&s;ts, the unfortunate <HI>Pharnaces</HI> brought in the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> unto her, where the conver&s;ation was as it u&s;ed to be, very indifferent and plea&s;ant; and ere they were awate, they fell into di&s;|cour&s;e concerning Lovers, Pa&s;&s;ion, Gallantry, and Declaration of love: and as the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> was yet angry in her mind, at the pa&s;&s;age of <HI>Artanus:</HI> For my part, &s;aid &s;he, I cannot conceive any thing more incon&s;iderate, then for any man to tell her that loves him not, how he is deeply in love with her: and if any one &s;hould this way fail in their re&s;pects unto to me, it &s;hould not be an ea&s;ie matter for him that committed it, to repair his fault. Then Madam, (replied <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> and &s;ighed whether he would or no) it &s;eems it would plea&s;e you be&s;t that he &s;hould love you long before he tell you: He mu&s;t not tell me at all, replied the Prin|ce&s;s, at the lea&s;t, if he will be certain, I &s;hall not hate him. How &s;hould any know your hu|mour, replied he? An hundred ways, &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea:</HI> But <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> added &s;he is their any of your friends that de&s;ires to know it? Yes Madam, &s;aid he, and if the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> (then he bla&s;ht, and looked upon her) had not told me what &s;he has done, the faire&s;t prince&s;s upon earth had been importuned: And the mo&s;t faithful Lover in the world had been <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ntertained. <HI>Perhaps,</HI> &s;aid the Prince&s;s, that fairone whom you &s;peak of, is not of my humour.
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Pardon me, Madam, replied he, for it I &s;hould name her, you would &s;ay &s;he were. The Prince&s;s perceiving by &s;everal pa&s;&s;ages what <HI>Pharnaces</HI> de&s;ired &s;he &s;hould know, &s;ince he carried the bu&s;ine&s;s more di&s;creetly then <HI>Artanus,</HI> &s;he was not angry at him; but yet continued all that day in a very fertting humour.</P>
<P>In the Evening, at the return from hunting, the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> who by the rigour of the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> was almo&s;t de&s;perate, came to &s;ee <HI>Araminta,</HI> and conferring in private with her; Si&s;ter, &s;aid he, Will you have no pity upon me? Are you not &s;o compa&s;&s;ionate as to do me a good office unto the inexorable <HI>Ari&s;tea?</HI> Did I entertain any thought of her which was not innocent, I &s;hould never de&s;ire your a&s;&s;i&s;tance? But loving her with &s;uch pure affection as I do, and knowing that the King will con&s;ent I &s;hould marry her, I think I may without any offence unto you, conjure you to imploy all your ingenuity, to make me acceptable unto her. I conceive your choice, and de&s;ires &s;o ju&s;t and rea&s;onable, (replied the Prince&s;s) that I cannot condemn them, and if to &s;peak in your favour unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> will give you &s;ati&s;|faction, I &s;hall with all joy and willingne&s;s plea&s;e you, though in my opinion, that which you call rigour in her, is only an effect of her mode&s;ty: and becau&s;e perhaps &s;he does not think, that you do really intend to marry her; but looks only upon your pa&s;&s;ion as a piece of Court|&s;hip and Gallantry. Pardon me, dear Si&s;ter, &s;aid he unto her, for this Prince&s;s does rightly un|der&s;tand my intentions, and her coldne&s;s does proceed from &s;ome other hidden cau&s;e which I cannot under&s;tand. I &s;hall u&s;e all my be&s;t endeavours, replied the prince&s;s, to di&s;cover it: and will to morrow go unto her, before &s;he be ready, that I may with more freedom talk with her. There is another way, an&s;wered he, to pro&s;per my de&s;igne, more ea&s;ie, and more pre|valent, then that. Then let me hear it, replied the prince&s;s: Since you cannot gue&s;s it, replied he, or at lea&s;t will not, I fear you will not undertake it: Do you think, Sir, an&s;wered &s;he, and laughed, that one can gue&s;s at thoughts? and can you &s;u&s;pect my willingne&s;s to &s;erve you? Since you do a&s;&s;ure me that my fears were cau&s;le&s;s, &s;aid he, then dear Si&s;ter, let not your cold|ne&s;s unto the prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> cau&s;e the prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> to be revenged upon me; but be pliant unto him, if you would have her be &s;o unto me: The prince&s;s blu&s;ht at the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> &amp; not knowing whether he &s;poke &s;incerely, or only to di&s;cover her thoughts: In truth, &s;aid &s;he, you have &s;o &s;urprized me, that I almo&s;t know not how to an&s;wer you: for I am &s;o little per&s;waded of <HI>Spitridates</HI> his &s;ufferings, that if your mi&s;erie be not greater then his, I cannot conceive there needs any &s;uch extraordinary remedy as that you propo&s;e. No, no, Si&s;ter, &s;aid he unto her, you do not think as you &s;ay, nor ought you to think &s;o: for <HI>Spitridates</HI> loves you even to the very height of adoration: and I made him confe&s;s it unto me whether he would or no, when we were hunting together. <HI>Spitridates</HI> (replied &s;he and was much a&s;hamed) would not have cho&s;en a better confident: I do acknowledg it (replied the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> and could not be interrupted) for if you will really oblige me, you mu&s;t treat him better then hitherto you have done. But Sir, &s;aid &s;he, &s;ince there is &s;o great an intimacy between you and <HI>Spitridates,</HI> there is no need that I &s;hould meddle in the bu&s;ine&s;s, you may do it well enough without me. Cru|el woman, &s;aid he unto her, why do you &s;ay &s;o? Do you not know that there is more powerful eloquence in one of your looks to per&s;wade <HI>Spitridates,</HI> then in all my be&s;t Rhetorick? In &s;hort, unle&s;s you have a mind ab&s;olutely to lo&s;e me, you mu&s;t entertain the love of that prince, who de&s;erves you better then any other, and who doubtle&s;s is adorned with all tho&s;e admirable qualities, which may invite your, and the King my fathers choice of him: But, &s;aid he, and &s;miled, If I be not much mi&s;taken in the Rules of phy&s;iognomy, I &s;ee that <HI>Spitridates,</HI> maugre all your &s;everity and wi&s;dom, is not much hated. And then not giving her any time to an&s;wer, he called that Prince&s;s unto him who was talking with me at the other end of the Chamber. The Prince&s;s was &s;o much a&s;toni&s;hed that &s;he knew not what to do, or &s;ay: Certainly Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, you have lo&s;t your rea&s;on in hunting, and I do believe you will not approve to morrow of what you do to day: Mean while the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> obeying his call, came unto him. I have been as good as my word &s;aid <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> unto him; and I have done that &s;er|vice for you which I de&s;ire you will do for me: Sir, replied <HI>Spitridates,</HI> what you de&s;ired from me was &s;o &s;mall in compari&s;on of the glorious office which you offered me, that I blu&s;h for &s;hame. It is my part to blu&s;h for &s;hame, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, to &s;ee unto what a &s;trange ad|venture the Prince my Brother hath expo&s;ed me. What&s;oever it be, &s;aid <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> unto her, and taking her by the hand, It concerns the life both of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and <HI>Sinne&s;is:</HI> and I do here declare unto you, in the pre&s;ence of the Gods who hear me, that if you u&s;e <HI>Spitridates</HI> ill, I &s;hall become your utter enemy. After this without giving her any time to reply, &s;peaking aloud that all they which waited upon him might hear; I will leave you <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;aid he unto him, to &s;peak the re&s;t your &s;elf, and went out immediately: Leaving the Prince&s;s &s;o non-plu&s;t, that
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&s;he knew not what to re&s;olve upon, for &s;he knew well enough the violent pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> unto <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> and his imperious humour. But though &s;he did very much e&s;teem of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> yet was &s;he angry to &s;ee that &s;he could not avoid his di&s;cour&s;ing of his pa&s;&s;ion to her: So in this perplexity of mind, &s;he was along while &s;ilent, and before <HI>Spitridates</HI> dur&s;t open his mouth: Yet &s;ince he feared &s;he would accu&s;e him of &s;ome indi&s;cretion, in acquainting the prince her brother with his love to her, I did at la&s;t begin the di&s;cour&s;e.</P>
<P>I do not know Madam, &s;aid he unto her, whether I &s;hall be &s;o unhappy, as to be &s;u&s;pected of ra&s;hne&s;s and imprudence; but when you &s;hall under&s;tand how the Prince, after he was plea&s;ed to acquaint me with the honor he intended unto my &s;i&s;ter, was al&s;o plea&s;ed to tell me, that he knew of my pa&s;&s;ion unto you, and that he would be ready to do me any good office: When you under&s;tand I &s;ay, that at the fir&s;t I de&s;ired him not to meddle, and did not confe&s;s unto him my affection unto you, till he had urged me above a hundred times, then I hope you will conceive it very difficult for a man, who adores you as I do, to refu&s;e &s;uch a prevalent a&s;&s;i|&s;tance, having &s;uch need of it as I had: For heavens know Madam, I could never find by any of your actions, any rea&s;onable ground to build the lea&s;t hope upon. After that <HI>Spitridates</HI> had done &s;peaking in his own ju&s;tification, the Prince&s;s lif<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing up her eys, which &s;he continually held down as long as he &s;poke: I am glad &s;aid &s;he unto him, that the bu&s;ine&s;s is as you tell me; and that I &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e this accident is grounded only upon the imagination of the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> who to induce you to do him a good office, would per&s;wade you to love, to love me better then you do. But <HI>Spitridates,</HI> let not thi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> at all ingage you, and I do prote&s;t unto you, that I think nothing but what I thought before my brother &s;poke unto me; therefore I pray, let you and I re&s;t upon the &s;ame terms we did, and endeavour only to per&s;wade the fair <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> whom I &s;hould be infinitely joyed to &s;ee, matched according to her merit. An Madam (cried out the Prince <HI>Spitridates)</HI> do not &s;o cruelly torrure me, nor render all the promi&s;es which the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> hath made me, &s;o in effectual. What hath he promi&s;ed, replied &s;he? He hath pur me in hopes, an&s;wered he, that you will give a favourable ear unto me: If he con|tinue until to morrow in the &s;ame mind, replied &s;he, then I &s;hall con&s;ider what I have to do; in the mean while, I advi&s;e you to retire your &s;elf, with a re&s;olution to do my brother all the good <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ffic<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s you can unto the fair <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> without any other intere&s;t or de&s;ign concerning me: In &s;aying &s;o, &s;he ri&s;e up, and went away, &s;o that <HI>pitridates</HI> was con&s;trained to leave her, without any returning any an&s;wer. As &s;oon as this Prince was gone, &s;he called me; but though &s;he &s;eemed to mu&s;e upon the matter, yet &s;eemed &s;he not very melancholy; and to tell you truly, I believe, that &s;ince &s;he did e&s;teem <HI>Spitridates</HI> very much, &s;he was not at all angry with her &s;elf, after &s;he had well con&s;idered it upon, that &s;he had expre&s;&s;ed &s;ome marks of affecti|on unto him, as without any wrong unto her mode&s;ty &s;he might well do, &s;ince her brother had &s;poken &s;o unto her I confe&s;s al&s;o, that when the Prince&s;s had acquainted me with the pa&s;&s;age, I was ravi&s;hed with joy, to &s;ee &s;o happy a beginning of that de&s;ign, which my mother was to tran&s;act by the la&s;t will of the Queen of <HI>Pont;</HI> for as &s;he was even dying, &s;he command|ed her to low as many &s;eeds of friend&s;hip and love between the&s;e young Prince&s;&s;es, as po&s;&s;i|bly &s;he could. Mean while, the Prince <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as &s;oon as he was gone from her, went unto <HI>Ari&s;teas</HI> chamber, with intent to do the like good office unto the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> which he had received from him, and thinking he had brought the be&s;t news in the world unto <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> young and fair Prince&s;s. Si&s;ter, &s;aid he unto her, and &s;peaking low, le&s;t any of her women &s;hould hear, you ought to entertain me with more then ordinary ceremony, for I bring you &s;uch a Crown, as is not unworthy of you. If &s;uch a thing as that were in your di&s;po&s;ition; (an&s;wered &s;he, and laughed as well as he) I believe you would be &s;o ambitious as &s;o keep it for your &s;elf, and not offer it unto me. Do you not know, &s;aid he unto her, and &s;ighed, that one violent pa&s;&s;ion drives out another; and that &s;ince I am &s;o deeply in love with the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> I have no other ambition but to plea&s;e her. In &s;hort, Si&s;ter, &s;aid he, the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> would marry you; and I have Commi&s;&s;ion to tell you as much, and to move you to entertain him, as he de&s;erves: I am very &s;orry brother, replied &s;he, that you have undertaken any &s;uch Commi&s;&s;ion; for indeed the Prince <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> hath ab&s;olutely forbidden me to give any hopes of it unto the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> and therefore I dare not entertain the lea&s;t thoughired it: Bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> certainly, &s;aid <HI>Spitridates,</HI> he does not believe his de&s;ign is real, asicisq Pardon me an&s;wered &s;he, for I did ingeniou&s;ly tell him that it was: And did he not acquaint your with his rea&s;ons, replied <HI>Spitridates?</HI> No, replied <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> though the Prince&s;s my mother did pre&s;s him unto it very importunatly, as I under&s;tand by one of her women who<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> heard her Then came one <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> and &s;aid that the Prince <HI>At&s;amones</HI> was coming into the chamber, and in|deed &s;o he did pre&s;ently after. As &s;oon as he entred, he cau&s;ed all to withdraw, except
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the Prince his &s;on, and the Prince&s;s his daughter, who were both of them a little &s;urprized. Af|ter he had a while &s;ilently looked upon them; I know <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;aid he unto him, that you are yet &s;o young, that your green experience has need of &s;ome advice; and though you were born with high and noble inclinations, yet may you be capable of &s;ome imbecilities which may be di&s;honorable, and perhaps de&s;tructive unto &s;uch as do not arm them&s;elves again&s;t them: I would have you know, both you and your Si&s;ter, unto whom I have already &s;poken, that it is not my mind ever to have any alliance with the u&s;urpers of my fathers Kingdom; I was born unto that Throne which they unju&s;tly enjoy; and doubtle&s;s I am able to re&s;ent many things, which your young innocent years are not capable of, e&s;pecially being born infortunate: But &s;ince I believe you both to be generous, and worthy to be de&s;cended from the ancient Kings of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> your Predece&s;&s;ors and mine, I conjure you <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;toutly to guard your heart again&s;t the charms of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> which have already a little ingaged you; and I command you <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> to keep you from the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is;</HI> for it would be as di&s;honora|hle in you to &s;it upon the Throne by &s;uch an unworthy way, as it would be in <HI>Spitridates</HI> to renounce it, as he would, if he &s;hould too deeply ingage him&s;elf in the affection of the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> Tho&s;e who have lo&s;t Crowns, ought to be po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with no pa&s;&s;ions, but only de&s;ire to get them again, and to ruine tho&s;e that u&s;urp them; therefore &s;ince I cannot un|worthily degenerate, I would contract no alliance with tho&s;e, whom I ought, and will ruine upon the fir&s;t occa&s;ion which &s;hall pre&s;ent it &s;elf: Di&s;&s;imulation is excu&s;eable in weak oppre&s;|&s;ed people, but yet not &s;o far as any &s;uch alliance; and if hereafter I &s;hall arrive to &s;uch a con|dition, as to pull my enemies out of that Throne which they u&s;urp, I would not de&s;troy my own children with them; live then with them in all appearing civility, but ingage no further, unle&s;s you will be unworthy of your &s;elves, and my affection. I know very well, that to &s;peak thus unto per&s;ons of your age, &s;eems to be imprudent: but I know al&s;o, that &s;ince you are de&s;cended from &s;o many Kings, you mu&s;t needs be generous, and have &s;ouls &s;en&s;ible of ambiti|on; and therefore I do not doubt, but you will honor what I &s;ay unto you, and willingly o|bey me. As &s;oon as <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had ended his &s;peech unto them, he went away, not receiving any other an&s;wer from either <HI>Spitridates</HI> or <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> but their humble reverence: For this Prince had cau&s;ed all his children to re&s;pect him &s;o much, that they dur&s;t hardly look upon him when he was gone: <HI>Spitridates</HI> did &s;o deeply grive at it, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> who was no le&s;s &s;ad then he, was moved to cheer him up: Brother, &s;aid &s;he unto him, &s;ince you have both more wit, and more genero&s;ity then I have, I hope you will not &s;o de&s;perately re&s;ent this accident: and the exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow which I &s;ee in your eyes makes me take &s;o much liberty, as to be&s;eech you not to be too much overcome by it. He, my dear Si&s;ter, &s;aid he unto her, what an advantageous thing is your in&s;en&s;ibility to the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> unto you? It is much more ea&s;ie for you to endure that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;hall hinder you of a Crown, then it is for me to be hin|dred of the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> not but that I have ambition enough in me, but it is becau&s;e love is predominate in my &s;oul; and becau&s;e it is much more ea&s;ie for me tolet the u&s;urpers of the Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia</HI> live in peace, then for me to live without the Prince&s;s whom I love. There are other Crowns in the Univer&s;e, which Fortune and my Sword may give me, yet there is but one, only one Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> in all the world: Yes, my dear &s;i&s;ter, &s;he is the only one in all the world I can adore; without her, all things el&s;e are nothing to me; with|out her, I make no difference between &s;lavery and a Kingdom; yet for ought I can judge by the orders of the Prince <HI>Ar&s;amanes,</HI> he intends I &s;hould nouri&s;h in my heart a de&s;ign to poy|nard the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> the father of <HI>Araminta,</HI> to kill the Princes her brothers, and when&s;o|ever occa&s;ion pre&s;ents it&s;elf, to bury her in the ruines of her hou&s;e: He, no, no, I will never &s;it upon a Throne by &s;uch bloudy conditions; I do know very well that the Grand-father of <HI>Ara|minta</HI> was an u&s;urper; I know al&s;o, that the King her father po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth the Kingdom which belongs to me; but withall I know, that &s;ince <HI>Araminta</HI> has u&s;urped the Empire of my heart, &s;he hath rendred the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia</HI> legitimate unto the&s;e of her hou&s;e. I pretend nothing unto it, dear &s;i&s;ter, &s;ince I cannot come unto it but by the lo&s;s of my Prince&s;s, who doubtle&s;s would never look upon me but with horror, if I &s;hould wa&s;h my hands in the blood of her father and brothers: The Gods do know it is not out of any feeble fear, that my ambition &s;ubmit unto my love; and I am &s;o well &s;atisfied with an inward te&s;timony of my courage, that I do not care what men think of me. But you, my dear &s;i&s;ter, who&s;e &s;oul is &s;o &s;en&s;ible of this tender pa&s;&s;ion, certainly you are more ambitious then I am; Can you be con|tented to lo&s;e two Crowns? Do not I conjure you? Harken unto the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> and not unto the prince <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> for which way is it po&s;&s;ible he can bring his de&s;ign about? he has been five and twenty years about it, and yet can find no hope<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">; he has educated me as a
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&s;ubject, and he would now hinder you from being a Queen, though he have no power to make me a King; For where are his Allies? where are his Armies? or where is any retreat for his &s;ecurity? he can have no de&s;ign in it, but by way of con&s;piracy again&s;t the per&s;ons of the Princes; but by his favour, he &s;hall execute it without me; or to &s;ay better, he &s;hall peri&s;h without me, &s;ince what he would attempt is an impo&s;&s;ibility. Re&s;olve then, my dear &s;i&s;ter, to entertain the affection of the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> for indeed, if once you be Queen of <HI>Pont</HI> and <HI>By|thinia,</HI> the prince <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would not, what ere he &s;ay, &s;ubvert that Throne upon which you &s;it; he has permitted you to di&s;&s;emble, and me al&s;o; Let us di&s;&s;emble then, &s;aid he, but let it be with him: The Gods do know, I would never do any thing contrary to that duty which I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">we unto him, wherein my love is not intere&s;ted; but when it concerns <HI>Araminta,</HI> I cannot obey him. Yet brother (&s;aid <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> unto him) you run a great hazard in di&s;obeying him: I &s;hall run a greater in not di&s;obeying, replied he: And what &s;i&s;ter, do you intend to yeeld a blind obedience? I am of that Sex, an&s;wered &s;he, which permits me not to do otherwi&s;e: Can you treat the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> unkindly, (&s;aid he unto her) who offers you two Crowns? he who hath &s;poken in my behalf unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta?</HI> he who may perhaps give her unto me? he who has given you all his affections, and does infinitely adore you? I will not treat him unkindly, &s;aid &s;he, but I will not marry him, unle&s;s my father con&s;ent unto it: Would you then have me die? an&s;wered he: Would you then have me di&s;honor my &s;elf? (re|plied &s;he.) I would have you &s;it upon a Throne, and &s;ave my life, and make me happy, an&s;wered this grieved prince. The Gods do know, &s;aid the prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> that I would undertake the greate&s;t difficulties for you; but to marry without the con&s;ent of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> is a thing which I neither ought, nor can do; for I believe, that neither the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> nor the prince <HI>Sin|ne&s;is</HI> would offer it, if they knew that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would not con&s;ent: So that, &s;aid &s;he, &s;ince prudence tells us we mu&s;t not bring things to that pa&s;s, as that the princes &s;hould know my fa|ther is again&s;t our alliance with them, &s;ince they would then ea&s;ily &s;u&s;pect his rea&s;on; there|fore all the whole bu&s;ine&s;s had better reflect upon me, and that I pa&s;s for a phanta&s;tical Girl, that has a &s;imple &s;ecret acce&s;&s;ion to the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is.</HI> You are very prudent, Si&s;ter, replied <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and it &s;eems your rea&s;on is at liberty: But &s;ince it is &s;o, con&s;ider well I be&s;eech you, into what a de&s;perate condition you bring me, if you deny me this favour, at the lea&s;t to te&s;tifie unto the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> that I have &s;olicited you with all my power, and al&s;o that I have not &s;poken all in vain: permit me to hope awhile, and in the mean time the prince <HI>Ar&s;a|mones</HI> may chance to change his de&s;ign. In conclu&s;ion, Sir, <HI>Spitridates</HI> was &s;o importunate with the prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> that &s;he con&s;ented unto this la&s;t favour, and then he retired incon|ceiveably di&s;quieted: As he had a great &s;oul him&s;elf, &s;o he imagined &s;ome great de&s;ign that his fa|ther &s;hould have in denying a Crown unto the prince&s;s his daughter, in hopes hereafter to re|conquer one for him. But for all that, love rooted all &s;uch thoughts out of his &s;oul, and he re|&s;olved rather to be alwayes a &s;ubject, then to lo&s;e his hope of raigning hereafter in the heart of the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta.</HI> In the mean time, the prince <HI>Aryandes,</HI> who was no lover of <HI>Spitri|dates;</HI> though he &s;hewed fair, ever &s;ince a Hor&s;e-race, where <HI>Spitridates</HI> won the match, and where he conceived <HI>Spitridates</HI> did not carry him&s;elf as he ought unto him; Perceiving that the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> did patronize him in his love to <HI>Araminta,</HI> he took upon him to patronize <HI>Phar|naces,</HI> and indeed &s;poke very advantageou&s;ly for him; but he went another way to work then <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> did, and told her, that he had no other intere&s;t in his con&s;ideration, but her own; that for his part, he could not find it fit &s;he &s;hould ever marry <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who was of a family, which in all &s;ound policy the Kings of <HI>Pont</HI> &s;hould keep under the hatches as much as they could; and &s;ince &s;o, he concerved that <HI>Pharnaces</HI> was the fitte&s;t man &s;he could ca&s;t her eyes upon. The prince&s;s thanked him mo&s;t civilly for his advice, and an&s;wered him, that &s;he was re&s;olved to poyze her &s;elf with all quality unto all, and with medling in the bu&s;ine&s;s of her marriage, with one or other, &s;he would &s;ubmit that bu&s;ine&s;s of her life unto the conduct of the King her father. In the mean time the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> to make good her word unto <HI>Sin|ne&s;is,</HI> went unto the prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> who carried the matter according as &s;he promi&s;ed <HI>Spitri|dates;</HI> &s;o that <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> finding a little more &s;weetne&s;s from her then ordinary, gave mo&s;t hearty thanks unto the prince, and was &s;o officious in his behalf unto the prince&s;s his Si&s;ter, that in|deed he moved her to u&s;e <HI>Spitridates</HI> with much more freedom and &s;weetne&s;s. The prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> al&s;o did me the honor to &s;peak unto me, and de&s;ired me to prompt the prince&s;s his Si&s;ter unto more kindne&s;s unto that prince. Now was <HI>Spitridates</HI> in all appearance the happie&s;t man in the world; for he was highly a&s;&s;i&s;ted by the brother of his prince&s;s, he had the free|dom to expre&s;s <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> pa&s;&s;ion without offence unto her, and had &s;o much delight, as to ob&s;erve by divers circum&s;tances, that he &s;tood upon no ill terms in her heart: Yet I oftentimes won|dred
<PB N="105" REF="243">
to find &s;ome &s;igns of melancholy in his eyes, and to hear him &s;igh often: But &s;ince I heard &s;ay, that love was an odd kind of phanta&s;tical pa&s;&s;ion, I regarded it, as one of tho&s;e ordinary effects which proceeds from &s;uch folly, as is in the &s;ouls of the wi&s;e&s;t per&s;ons, and made no other account of it: But the prince&s;s was not a little bu&s;ied, for <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> had alwayes &s;omething or other to &s;ay unto her, either concerning <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> or <HI>Spitridates: Aryandes</HI> al&s;o conferred with her very often again&s;t <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and for <HI>Pharnaces: Spitridates</HI> was alwayes &s;peaking as much as he could for him&s;elf; and <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> though he dur&s;t not &s;peak for him|&s;elf unto her, yet was entertaining her with di&s;cour&s;e upon indifferent things, as much as po&s;|&s;ible he could, to the end he might prevent others from &s;peaking; only <HI>Artanus</HI> ab&s;ented him|&s;elf for certain dayes, becau&s;e he dur&s;t not look upon her; but afterwards, coming in the com|pany of the prince&s;s two or three times, and being infinitely re&s;pective unto her, &s;he thought he had repented of his boldne&s;s, and re&s;olved to forget his crime, which for all that was not the mo&s;t pardonable which might be committed among&s;t fair and young per&s;ons; &s;he &s;uffered him then to vi&s;it her, but yet treated him very coldly. Thus being the &s;tate of things, there fell out to be &s;ome &s;tirrings upon the borders of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> &s;o that an Army mu&s;t be rai&s;ed, which the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> mu&s;t command, and <HI>Spitridates</HI> mu&s;t be his Lievtenant General, which did extremely anger the prince <HI>Aryandes,</HI> who was to &s;tay with the King, becau&s;e he would have had <HI>Pharnaces</HI> to be Lievtenant General. I will not in&s;i&s;t upon relations of all the adieus which all tho&s;e illu&s;trious per&s;ons did take; I &s;hall only tell you, that this &s;eparation contracted a &s;trong leave of amity between <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta;</HI> and that <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> al&s;o departed with much &s;atisfaction, becau&s;e <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> out of her complacency unto her brother, did not treat him ill when he took his leave. I &s;hall not in&s;i&s;t neither upon any relation of this war, which la&s;ted but &s;ix moneths, and they concluded by a happy peace. But give me leave to tell you, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> did &s;o gallantly behave him&s;elf, as the fame of his valour did deaf all others, though both <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> and <HI>Pharnaces</HI> did al&s;o very many miracles in that war; but indeed they cried up none but him, both in Court and Army: You may ea&s;ily ima|gine then, that when he returned thus loaden with honor, he was well entertained by the prin|ce&s;s. I forgot to tell you, that <HI>Artanus</HI> was not in this war, not but that he &s;poke of it as high as the brave&s;t; and provided the mo&s;t &s;umptuous equipage that could be procured: I re|member nothing was &s;o much talked on, as the magnificence of his Tents, and the richne&s;s of his Arms, and the bravery of every thing; yet when he was to depart, ju&s;t at that very hour he fell &s;ick, and went not, though all his equipage was gone before; yet none did at that time &s;u&s;pect any thing of the cowardly cau&s;e, for he was &s;o di&s;contented at it, in &s;peaking un|to tho&s;e who came to bid him adieu, that he moved them to pity, not accu&s;e him: Yet he recovered within a few daies after &amp; carried it &s;o hand&s;omly, that never &s;peaking of his pa&s;&s;ion to the prince&s;s, nor doing any thing which might give her ju&s;t cau&s;e of complaint, he gave &s;ome cau&s;e to think, that it was his love only unto her which kept him from the Army; and indeed his de&s;ign did &s;o well take, that every one did believe it &s;o: Yet when the&s;e princes re|turned, he &s;eemed for certain dayes &s;o much a&s;hamed, that he had much ado to &s;hew him&s;elf: All the Court made it their raillary, and talked of his magnificent equipage, which was never u&s;ed; but brought back unto <HI>Heraclea,</HI> which would have drawn any other but him&s;elf into more quarrels then one or two; but he carried it &s;o for a while, that his humour was not ab&s;o|lutely di&s;covered, until he had five or &s;ix quarrels came upon him, but he fought none of them. Since this peace was very advantageous unto this State, the Court continued a long time very joyful. Never was the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> &s;o fair, nor the prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> &s;o amiable; and by con&s;equence, never was the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is, Spitridates, Pharnaces,</HI> and <HI>Artanus,</HI> more amo|rous. The King of <HI>Pont,</HI> who did not alter his de&s;ign, took a re&s;olution to execute it, and to make up the marriage between the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> and the prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea;</HI> and between the prince <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> Notwith&s;tanding, he did believe, that con&s;i|dering the &s;tate of things, <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> might accept of the&s;e intentions with joy; yet &s;ince he was prudent, and knew the humour of that prince to be &s;omething imperious, he would ther|fore try his re&s;entments of it before any further proceedings: And he was plea&s;ed to ca&s;t his eyes upon me for that imployment, knowing that the prince&s;s <HI>Arbiana</HI> did me the honor to love me: He commanded me then, while&s;t he tooks a journey for &s;even or eight dayes, to im|part the de&s;ign unto her, to the end &s;he might prepare the mind of her husband to accept of this honor, as he ought to do: You may imagine Sir, that I accepted of this Commi&s;&s;ion with much joy; and indeed the plea&s;ure of it was &s;o great, that my heart could not contain it: But I made it known unto the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> unto the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and to <HI>Spi|tri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ates</HI> al&s;o: Yet was I much &s;urprized, not to find &s;o much joy in that prince as I expected; and without any interpretation of his re&s;entment, he &s;eemed as if he would have hindred me
<PB N="106" REF="244">
from &s;peaking unto his Mother: yet &s;ince the order which I had received was urgent, I left him in <HI>Araminta's</HI> Chamber, and having a Coach ready, I went unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Arbiana,</HI> whom I had the good fortune to find alone in her Chamber. But though I was &s;urprized at the melancholy of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> I confe&s;s I was amazed to ob&s;erve it in the mind of <HI>Arbiana:</HI> &s;ince I loved her very well, and &s;he me al&s;o: I be&s;eeched her to explain her &s;elf a little more clearly then &s;he had done: Though &s;he knew that being originally a <HI>Bythinian</HI> as I was, the intere&s;ts of her hou&s;e were dear unto me: yet for all that &s;he would not open her &s;elf unto me further then coldly telling me, that &s;he would &s;peak unto the Prince her Husband, and that &s;he would give me an account of his an&s;wer before the Kings return, who was gone unto a Town in <HI>Pont,</HI> called <HI>Cabira,</HI> leaving the Princes, and the Prince&s;s his daughter behind him. I afterwards came to know, that I was no &s;ooner gone from <HI>Arbiana,</HI> but &s;he went unto <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> to tell him, that &s;he de&s;ired this double alliance with him, and that he mu&s;t prepare him&s;elf to re|turn an an&s;wer before the Kings return. So I &s;hall, (&s;aid he, without any further explaining him|&s;elf;) in the mean time &s;peak to me no more about it, for I know very well what I have to do, <HI>Arbiana</HI> would have conjured him to tell her a little more plainly what &s;he was to expect; but he intreated her to pre&s;s him no urcher, and to believe that he had very advantagious thoughts in his heart for his children. As <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was of a very violent humour, &s;he was forced to &s;ubmit, and to retire into her Chamber without any deeper penetration into his thoughts: as &s;he went out of the Chamber, &s;he met <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who after &s;he had carried him into her own, did conjure her with &s;o much tenderne&s;s to be favourable unto him, that this wi&s;e Prince&s;s was much moved unto compa&s;&s;ion, and promi&s;ed to u&s;e her be&s;t endeavours for his &s;atisfaction; and al&s;o &s;ince &s;he &s;aw no appearance of any po&s;&s;ibility for <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> to get into the Throne of his fat ers, &s;he wi&s;hed with all her heart that the&s;e two marriages were con&s;ummated. In the mean time, I was four or five days without any vexation, but at the in|certainty of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> his an&s;wer: not that I feared it would be ab&s;olutely ill, but the me|lancholy of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and the pen&s;ivene&s;s of <HI>Arbiana,</HI> joyned unto &s;ome &s;adne&s;s which I &s;aw in the eyes of <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> made me fear there was &s;omething in the wind which I could not under&s;tand. As for <HI>Spitridates,</HI> he was unconceivably troubled, and notwith&s;tanding all his end avours to hide it, the Prince&s;s did perceive it, yet he was &s;o ingenious as to make her think, that the hopes of any great good carries with it always &s;ome kind of unquiet melancholy. The Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> on the contrary, was in high content: for although he &s;aw very well that the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> was not very plea&s;ant, yet he took a real &s;adne&s;s for a piece of mode&s;ty, and &s;uted his di&s;cour&s;e accordingly. As for the Prince <HI>Argandes, Pharnaces,</HI> and <HI>Artanus,</HI> &s;ince they knew not the &s;ecrets of things, each of them &s;tudied how to promote their parti|cular de&s;ignes, and never thought upon any ones el&s;e. The fifth day after the Kings departure, being come, three or four only remaining before his return: I remember that the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari|&s;tea</HI> had a long conference with the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and not knowing well any rea&s;on why they redoubled their amity and affection one to another; the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> gave a little picture which &s;he had unto <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> the &s;ame which &s;he &s;hewed you in <HI>Bythinia,</HI> to di&s;co|ver whether you were <HI>Spitridates</HI> or no, as afterwards &s;he &s;ent word unto the Prince&s;s: And in exchange <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> gave a jewel unto <HI>Araminta,</HI> which &s;he wears at this day, and is the prettie&s;t thing in the world.</P>
<P>After that <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> had left the Prince&s;s, <HI>Spitridates</HI> came to &s;ee her: &amp; &s;ince he found her full of tho&s;e plea&s;ing conceits, which tho&s;e two fair ones had infu&s;ed one into another; &s;he treated him better then ever &s;he did in all her life before: for &s;he was then &s;o full of obliging &s;incerity, as that he plainly di&s;covered in her heart, that real e&s;teem which &s;he had of his vertue; and &s;ince this Prince had certainly as much &s;prightly wit, as ever any had; and never any knew better how to love then he; &s;o he expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto her &s;o feelingly, &s;o re&s;pectively, and pa&s;&s;io|nately, that he did &s;ufficiently win upon the &s;oul of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta.</HI> This conference was long, though it &s;eemed &s;hort, by rea&s;on it was plea&s;ing, and it was very late when <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> went from the Prince&s;s: He went afterwards to &s;up with the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> and he came not unto his own Chamber until almo&s;t midnight. He was no &s;ooner in his Chamber, but one came to tell him that the Prince <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;ent for him. In obedience unto his Com|mands, he went unto his Chamber, and in the way he ob&s;erved the officers of the Hou&s;e ex|traordinary bu&s;ie: yet his imagination was &s;o taken up with the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> that he le&s;s regarded it. When he was entred into the Chamber of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> he found there the prince&s;s <HI>Arbiana,</HI> the young prince <HI>Euriclides</HI> his Brother, and the prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea:</HI> but the &s;ight did much augment his fears, when he found melancholy in the faces of tho&s;e two prince&s;|&s;es. When he was come unto his father, <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> unto him, we &s;hould be
<PB N="107" REF="244">
weary of our fetters, and the time is now come, when we will &s;hake them off; therefore take the prince&s;s your Mother by the hand, and follow me without any contradiction or murmur: for it concerns the Grandure of my hou&s;e, my own glory, and yours, and more then that, my life: Since I do owe mine unto you, replied <HI>Spitridates</HI> mo&s;t &s;adly, I have no will to di&s;obey you: But, Sir, dare I ask what your de&s;igne is? You &s;hall know it pre&s;ently, replied <HI>Ar&s;amo|nes</HI> roughly: mean while do as I bid you without re&s;i&s;tance, &s;ince I am in power to make my &s;elf obeyed: <HI>Spitridates</HI> hearing his father &s;peak in this manner, and &s;eeing that indeed he might be compelled unto it, he gave his hand unto the wi&s;e <HI>Arbiana,</HI> who in a low voice con|jured him to make no &s;tir, and prote&s;ted unto him that &s;he was ignorant of the de&s;igne. Then after orders was given for all things, this prince, followed by his children, and &s;uch as he had made choice of to follow him, went down a pair of back &s;tairs into the Garden, and out of the Garden, to one of the gates of the Town, which looked towards the Sea, and who&s;e por|ter was bribed: there he found a Shallop, into which he cau&s;ed all of them to enter, and him|&s;elf the la&s;t; after he had thru&s;t in <HI>Spitridates</HI> with his own hands, who at that in&s;tant &s;taid at the &s;ide, as if he would con&s;ider whether he &s;hould enter or no; although he held the prin|ce&s;s his Mother by the hand: all was no &s;ooner in, but <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> commanded to row away in all ha&s;te, until they came unto the Cape of an I&s;land called <HI>Acheru&s;iades:</HI> Since he had paid the water-men very liberally, they made away &s;o fa&s;t, that in le&s;s then an hour he arrived at the Creek, where they &s;ay <HI>Hercules</HI> landed, when he fought with that terrible Mon&s;ter; the defeat of which got him &s;o great a reputation in that Countrey: You may very well judg Sir, in what a pitiful condition <HI>Spitridates</HI> was then in, who though he did not know his fa|thers de&s;ign, yet was he &s;ure it was contrary to his love: After arrival at the place before na|med, out of the Shallop they went, and entred into a <HI>Bythinian</HI> &s;hip, which waited there, and was guarded by three others, which the <HI>Calcedonians</HI> had &s;ent unto <HI>Ar&s;amones.</HI> None of the watermen of the Shallop daring to return unto <HI>Heraclia,</HI> left it upon the River unto the wind and waves, and followed this prince who promi&s;ed to take care of their fortunes: No &s;ooner was the ambitious <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> in the &s;hip, after he had given order to make towards <HI>Bythinia,</HI> he and <HI>Euriclides</HI> entred into the Cabin, where the prince&s;s <HI>Arbiana</HI> was with <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> and <HI>Spitridates.</HI> When he was entred, Well, (&s;aid he unto them, with an a&s;pect which &s;poke both fury and joy) though I am not yet a King, yet am I no longer a Slave: and he that would conquer a Crown, mu&s;t fir&s;t break off tho&s;e chains which hinders him. Come <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) let us go unto a Throne; and to make the way more plea&s;ant and ea&s;ie unto you, I will tell you, that I will not oppo&s;e your marriage with the prince&s;s <HI>Ara|minta:</HI> but on the contrary, I intend to put you pre&s;ently in the head of an Army, to the end you may go and conquer her, and not take her from the hands of my mo&s;t deadly enemies: when you are the Son of a King, and in expectance to be King your &s;elf, you will be more worthy of her vertue and beauty then you are, and doubtle&s;s you would extreamly injure her to have her marry the &s;on of a Slave, and a Slave him&s;elf. I have been twenty years in contri|ving this de&s;igne, which I now begin to execute: the City of <HI>Calcedonia</HI> is for me, as well as that of <HI>Chri&s;opolis,</HI> and I hope within a few dayes the King of <HI>Pont</HI> will be brought unto &s;uch terms, as to &s;end his Amba&s;&s;adours unto my Court to demand <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> for the prince his Son: But what&s;oever falls, I render thanks unto the Gods, that I &s;hall diefree, though I cannot live a King. <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as much taken up as he was with his pa&s;&s;ion, could not chu&s;e but &s;ee &s;ome|thing that was great and Heroick in his fathers de&s;ign: But how ambitious &s;oever his &s;oul was, love was ever the Ma&s;ter of it, and he could not conceive that any hopes of being a King could comfort him for the lo&s;s of his Prince&s;s: al&s;o he an&s;wered <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> after &s;uch a manner as was not plea&s;ing unto him; &s;o that he was con&s;trained, to be &s;ilent, and as much as he could &s;hut up all his melancholy in his &s;oul: You may well imagine Sir, what his thoughts were, during this voyage, they were &s;uch and &s;o &s;ad, that when he related them afterwards unto me, he almo&s;t wept. The thought not only to quit his Prince&s;s, but to ruine her, to declare war again&s;t her, and to appear her enemy after he was upon the point of marrying her, was a thing &s;o horrid, as that he thought divers times to throw him&s;elf into the Sea: and if the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> had not been, he had de&s;perately done it: Ambition was too feeble to over|come the love that was rooted in his &s;oul. No, no, (&s;aid he in him&s;elf) thou glittering and imperious pa&s;&s;ion, thou &s;halt never cha&s;e my Prince&s;s out of my heart; &s;he &s;hall be Sove|raign, and raign there, in &s;pite of thee, and thy plotting power: my de&s;ires of a Throne come infinitely &s;hort of my de&s;ires to enjoy her.</P>
<P>But alas, what will this divine prince&s;s think of me? can &s;he ever believe that I knew of the de&s;ign of <HI>Ar&s;amones?</HI> No, no, flatter not my &s;elf, for notwith&s;tanding all the te&s;timonies
<PB N="108" REF="245">
of my love that ever I gave her, &s;he will believe that I prefer the Crown of <HI>Bythinia</HI> before her: The prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> in lieu of being my a&s;&s;i&s;tant towards her, will become my mortal enemy; he will accu&s;e me for carrying away <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> and will &s;peak as much again&s;t me now, as he &s;poke for me before: I fear <HI>Araminta,</HI> the generous <HI>Araminta,</HI> will hate me now, as much as &s;he loved me before; and indeed &s;he has rea&s;on: For why, will &s;he &s;ay to her &s;elf, did he di&s;cover his love unto me, when he was tran&s;acting as my declared enemy? But yet for all this, my deare&s;t prince&s;s, I am only infortunate, not criminal: Ambition was &s;tirring in my heart, I mu&s;t confe&s;s, but love only did ab&s;olutely enjoy it: So not knowing what he either ought, would, or could do, the mi&s;erable <HI>Spitridates</HI> abandoned him&s;elf wholly unto &s;orrow, and every minute of his &s;ad life &s;ighed out a remembrance of his dear prince&s;s. In the mean time Sir, give me leave to tell you, how great was our wonder in the morning, when the de|parture of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was known; indeed it was &s;o great, that I cannot remember, but tremble. The prince&s;s was yet a&s;leep, when the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> came to her chamber, where contrary to his cu&s;tom, he waked her; which no &s;ooner done, Si&s;ter, (&s;aid he unto her) <HI>Ar|&s;amones</HI> has carried away <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> from me, and <HI>Spitridates</HI> from you; he is gone in the night with all his hou&s;hold, and imbarqued &s;ecretly, not being di&s;covered by any, but by this in&s;crip|tion, which is po&s;ted up at every corner in the Town, as this which I have here brought you; in &s;aying &s;o, he gave her the note, which contained the&s;e words:
<Q><P>The Prince <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> tells the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> that to marry the Prince his &s;on, and the Prince&s;s his daughter, unto the children of a Slave, would be to make an alliance un|worthy of him&s;elf; therefore to tran&s;act both ju&s;tly and generou&s;ly, he mu&s;t re&s;tore the Kingdom of <HI>By thinia</HI> unto him, before he treat of any alliance, otherwi&s;e he declares war again&s;t him, as an u&s;urper of his Dominion, and as his mortal enemy.</P></Q></P>
<P>You may well imagine Sir, how this &s;urprized the prince&s;s; yet being wi&s;e, &s;he vented her re&s;entments of it before the Prince her brother, but inquired of him, with much re&s;ervedne&s;s, all that he knew concerning the bu&s;ine&s;s; yet he, who was of a violent temper, uttered all that either love, choler, &s;ury, and de&s;pair could prompt him unto; &s;ometimes his rage roved at <HI>Ar&s;amones;</HI> then pre&s;ently after, he &s;u&s;pected <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as acce&s;&s;ory to the de&s;ign, and confounding the innocent and culpable together; or to &s;ay better, not being able to di&s;cern them, he railed again&s;t <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> again&s;t <HI>Spitridates,</HI> again&s;t <HI>Arbiana,</HI> again&s;t <HI>Euricli|des,</HI> and again&s;t <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> al&s;o. During all this turbulent pa&s;&s;age, the Prince&s;s &s;poke not a word; &s;he had a de&s;ire to ask him, whether he had &s;ent unto the King, to adverti&s;e him of the accident, whether he had cau&s;ed <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> to be pur&s;ued, and what order he had taken in the bu&s;ine&s;s; but not knowing what &s;he her &s;elf &s;hould advi&s;e them unto, &s;he &s;uffered her &s;orrows &s;ilently, without complaint; yet was her curio&s;ity &s;atisfied pre&s;ently after, without any further enquiry; for the prince him&s;elf told her, that he had &s;ent unto the King, and command|ed two &s;hips to follow <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> in which <HI>Pharnaces</HI> was imbarqued. This news made the prince&s;s blu&s;h, becau&s;e &s;he knew, that if they were overtaken, there would be a combate, &s;ince <HI>Pharnaces</HI> was there; yet di&s;&s;embling the matter as well as &s;he could, &s;he told the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> that according to her apprehen&s;ion, it was <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> only who had any hand in the de&s;ign. Afterwards this prince being &s;o pa&s;&s;ionately di&s;ordered, that he neither knew, why he &s;hould leave the prince&s;s, nor whether he &s;hould go, but he went out of her Chamber, and left her at liberty to lament. Well <HI>He&s;ionida</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me, when I came to her bed-&s;ide) what do you think of <HI>Spitridates?</HI> or what ought I to think of him? Madam, &s;aid I unto her, I have &s;o &s;trong an inclination to interpret all things unto the advantage of that prince, that I am apt to believe he did all he could to prevent this de&s;ign: If &s;o, &s;aid the Prince&s;s &s;igh|ing, he is very unfortunate; but if not, I am &s;ure he is very culpable; for if he had any &s;ecret de&s;ign to tran&s;act with his father in his ju&s;t preten&s;ions unto <HI>Bythinia,</HI> why did he te&s;tifie any particular affection unto me? or why &s;hould he engage my heart to e&s;teem him above all the world? If he had any &s;uch privy de&s;ign, &s;aid I unto her, he pretended unto you, the more to delude the Court, and hide his de&s;ign the better. But Madam, I cannot believe it; and al|though the melancholy which of late I ob&s;erved in his mind, did much amaze me, yet I am fully per&s;waded, that he really loves you: If &s;o, replied &s;he, then why does he go away? How can he ever hope I &s;hould continue my affection to him, if he intend to make war again&s;t my father? Believe me <HI>He&s;ionida</HI> (added &s;he, tears falling from her fair eyes whether &s;he would or no) though I would gladly find out &s;ome good ground to ju&s;tifie <HI>Spitridates,</HI> yet I can|not: Perhaps he thought it no unworthy act, to delude the daughter of that Prince, who
<PB N="109" REF="245">
kept a Kingdom from him, and to get into a Throne again, it was excu&s;eable, if he u&s;ed a hundred thou&s;and fal&s;e oaths, and as many lying prote&s;tations. But no, <HI>Spiridates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, you deceive your &s;elf, Heroique vertue is more difficult to practi&s;e then you imagine; not is it permitted to commit crimes, though it be to gain Crowns by it. Be not &s;o ha&s;ty Madam (&s;aid I unto her) to condemn too ra&s;hly, who ever &s;eemed to be vertuous. Ah <HI>He&s;ionida</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) did you but know all he &s;aid unto me the la&s;t night, you would tremble, that he thus abandons me to day, and that he &s;hould declare war again&s;t my father; for he mu&s;t needs know, that the Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia</HI> will never be re&s;tored him without a war; and he mu&s;t needs imagine, that if he fight again&s;t the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> unto whom I owe my life, I &s;hall my &s;elf fight, and drive him out of my heart. But yet &s;ince &s;he had not &s;ufficient ground either to condemn him, or ju&s;tifie him, &s;he knew not how to regulate her own de&s;ires; &s;he could well have wi&s;hed that <HI>Pharnaces</HI> might meet with him, and bring him back unto <HI>Hera|clea;</HI> yet not knowing how he &s;hould then be treated, &s;he did &s;ometimes make prayers for his flight, and de&s;ired that he might either not be taken, or el&s;e that he might vanqui&s;h <HI>Pharna|ces:</HI> for truly, would &s;he &s;ay unto me, whether <HI>Spitridates</HI> be innocent or culpable, I wi&s;h with all my heart, he may not fall again into the hands of the King my father. Then did &s;he en|treat me to enquire whether <HI>Spitridates</HI> had carried all his Train with him, and I found, that every one of his &s;ervants &s;tayed behind, and not one of them went with him, and that the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Aryandes,</HI> had cau&s;ed them all to be arre&s;ted, who all of them did &s;ay, that they were altogether ignorant in the de&s;ign of <HI>Ar&s;amones;</HI> and al&s;o did affirm, that my Ma&s;ter was ignorant of it as well as they, becau&s;e he &s;ent for &s;ome of them to get him to bed, when <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;ent for him: Though this was a &s;trong conjecture to ju&s;tifie him in the opinion of the prince&s;s, yet the two Princes <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> and <HI>Aryandes</HI> were &s;o prejudi|cated in their imaginations, that they ab&s;olutely a&s;&s;ured her, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> did know of the de&s;ign; &s;o that though &s;he did not believe them, yet her &s;oul &s;tood upon incertain|ties, betwixt what they told her, and what &s;he wi&s;hed to be true. In the mean while, the King returned unto <HI>Heraclea,</HI> but &s;o incen&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> as never man was more: And when he con&s;idered, that this Prince tran&s;acted thus, at &s;uch a time when he would have &s;et his daughters upon the Throne, and have given his own daughter unto his &s;on; he could not then find out any excu&s;e for him, and never con&s;idered that he detained his Kingdom from him, but was as much incen&s;ed again&s;t him, as if he were a rebellious &s;ubject. Then did <HI>Pharnaces</HI> return without meeting with him, bringing this intelligence with him, from &s;ome Merchants &s;hips which he met withall: That he was gone unto <HI>Bythinia,</HI> where he was in danger of a &s;hipwrack, as he was entring into the Port; but having e&s;caped this danger, he was received as King by the Inhabitants of <HI>Chalcidonia,</HI> and al&s;o by them of <HI>Chri&s;opolis,</HI> who had &s;eized upon all the Garri&s;ons the King of <HI>Pont</HI> had there. I confe&s;s Sir, that upon this ac|cident, the love of my Country did much work upon my heart, and my hopes once again to &s;ee a King of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> did much joy me; for &s;ince this was towards the end of Autumn, I thought that during winter, things might perhaps be well compo&s;ed, and that the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> might marry <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and be one day Queen of that Country from whence I had my original: So that joyning the intere&s;t of my Native Country, unto the intere&s;t of my Mi&s;tre&s;s, I did endeavour all I could, to per&s;wade her unto &s;ome hopes of it; but &s;he al|wayes told me, that certainly the King her father would never con&s;ent to part with a King|dom, unle&s;s force did compell him unto it: And indeed, though the &s;ea&s;on of year was not fit to begin a war, yet Commi&s;&s;ions were granted to rai&s;e new Regiments, to be added un|to tho&s;e which remained of the <HI>Phrygian</HI> war. During this time, <HI>Pharnaces</HI> and <HI>Artanus</HI> were &s;o joyed at the ab&s;ence of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and were &s;o a&s;&s;iduous about the Prince&s;s, that &s;he was extremely importuned, principally by <HI>Artanus,</HI> who divers times began again to be in&s;olent: As for <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> he was &s;o di&s;creet and wi&s;e, that he gave her no cau&s;e of of|fence, or if he did, it was at &s;uch a time, when the Prince&s;s thought &s;olitude the greate&s;t con&s;olation: When&s;oever &s;he walked, it was as privately as po&s;&s;ible; and the better to hide the malady of her mind, &s;he oftentimes faigned to be &s;ick, and would &s;ee no body. Upon a day, when none did &s;ee her, there came &s;uch news from <HI>Bythinia,</HI> as did much &s;urprize all the Court, which was, that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had impri&s;oned <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and kept him very clo&s;e in a <HI>Chalcedonian</HI> Ca&s;tle: Such news as this, upon any other adventure, would have extreamly grieved the Prince&s;s, but now it did mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly joy her, be|cau&s;e &s;he looked upon the pri&s;on of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as a convincing te&s;timony of his innocen|cy, which did compleatly ju&s;tifie him in her opinion. Moreover, &s;ince &s;he did not fear, that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would ever attempt any thing again&s;t his life, becau&s;e he was his &s;on, &s;he
<PB N="104" REF="246">
fancied great con&s;olation in thinking, that as long as the war la&s;ted, he could not fight, either again&s;t the King her father, or again&s;t her brothers; &s;o that if peace &s;hould hereafter be concluded, &s;he could not blame him for any thing: Sometimes &s;he would grieve for the &s;orrows which he endured: But for all that, as things &s;tood, &s;he did not de&s;ire he &s;hould be at liberty. Did I not ever &s;ay, Madam (&s;aid I unto her) that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was never culpable? Yes <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> replied &s;he, and I am very &s;orry I &s;hould &s;u&s;pect him of any &s;uch inju&s;tice. Mean while, the Prince&s;s would go in the morning unto the Temple that was &s;o famous in <HI>Heraclea,</HI> (and which was dedicated unto the Godde&s;s <HI>Adra&s;tea,</HI> or otherwi&s;e called, Fa|tal De&s;tiny) with intentions to invoke the Godde&s;s to be propitious unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and to compo&s;e all differences between the King her father, and <HI>Ar&s;amones.</HI> But here Sir you may admire at the power of Fortune, for we met (in this Temple of fatality) with a &s;tranger newly arrived at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> and who &s;eeing the Prince&s;s go into the Temple, went in al&s;o: I heard him ask, which of all the&s;e Ladies that waited upon the Prince&s;s, was called <HI>He&s;ioni|da,</HI> and I told him, I was &s;he; If &s;o, replied he, do me the honor that I may &s;peak a word in private with you. I conjure you (&s;aid he, and &s;poke low) by the name of <HI>Spitridates.</HI> When I heard a name &s;o dear unto me, though very dangerous to be named, as things &s;tood in <HI>Heraclea,</HI> I bad him retire, and go out of the Temple, and &s;tay at the gate, until I &s;ent for him by a Slave, which I &s;hewed unto him, that he might know him: Then going out of the Temple, I called this &s;lave unto me, whom I knew to be witty and faithful, and &s;hewed him that &s;tranger, appointing him to bring him through the Pallace garden, by a back-door, and to conduct him into my chamber by a back &s;tair, which was over again&s;t it. I would not acquaint the Prince&s;s with any thing, until I knew exactly what the man had to &s;ay unto me; &s;o that after I had waited upon her unto her chamber, I went in all ha&s;te unto my own, where I pre&s;ently &s;aw him, whom I expected, coming in. I commanded the &s;lave to &s;tay in the outer chamber, that he might carry him back, whom he brought, after I had conferred with him; and carrying him into my Clo&s;et, I be&s;eech you, &s;aid I unto him, what have you to &s;ay unto me concerning <HI>Spitridates?</HI> Madam, &s;aid he unto me, I have or|ders to conjure you to help me unto the &s;peech of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta;</HI> and to a&s;&s;ure you for your particular, that you are the Lady whom of all the world he mo&s;t honors, and whom he &s;tands in mo&s;t need of. After I had received this complement from <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and ob&s;er|ved by the fa&s;hion of this &s;tranger, that he was one of a good wit, and &s;ome quality, I de|&s;ired him to have a little patience, while&s;t I acquainted the Prince&s;s, and obtained audience for him: She was &s;o &s;urprized, that it was long before &s;he could re&s;olve what to do: But &s;ince none was with her, I importuned her much, that notwith&s;tanding her repugnancy to &s;ee him, &s;he con&s;ented. She &s;ent me fir&s;t to know, whether he had any Letters; and when he an|&s;wered, that he had, &s;he de&s;ired they might be given unto me, but he would not by any means, &s;o that &s;he was forced to go unto him, &s;aying, as &s;he pa&s;&s;ed through the Chamber where her women were, that &s;he mu&s;t go to &s;peak with a man, who de&s;ired her favour to the King, about &s;ome important bu&s;ine&s;s: But afterwards &s;he commanded to bring the man into her Clo&s;et, where I remained with her: Madam (&s;aid he unto her, after a low reverence) I be&s;eech your pardon, that I did not deliver the Letter unto <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> when &s;he did from you de&s;ire it: For &s;ince the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> did not know, whether you would do him &s;o much honor, as to return an an&s;wer, he expre&s;ly commanded me to be pre&s;ent when you read it, if it were po&s;&s;ible, hoping thereby Madam, to under&s;tand, at the lea&s;t, &s;ome part of your thoughts. The Prince&s;s was &s;o &s;urprized, that &s;he knew not well how to an&s;wer him; but taking the Letter, Since my thoughts are alwayes &s;uch as they ought to be, replied &s;he, I care not much if my countenance di&s;cover them, and therefore without any difficulty I &s;hall &s;atisfie <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;o far, as to read his Letter before you: In &s;aying &s;o, &s;he broke open the Seal, and read the&s;e words:</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>SPITRIDATES</HI> unto the Prince&s;s <HI>ARAMINTA.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>I</HI> Am &s;o infortunate, that how innocent &s;oever I am, I cannot chu&s;e but fear you &s;u&s;pect me to be fuller of ambition then love: and farther, that you have condemned me, before you under&s;tand me. He who &s;hall pre&s;ent my Letter unto you, hath orders to relate the pure truth; to the end, that knowing it, you may do me no inju&s;tice: The pri&s;on wherein I am &s;hall be mo&s;t &s;weet, if it will but ju&s;tifie me in your opinion, but mo&s;t intolerable, if you accu&s;e me, &s;ince it will not let me tell you my &s;elf, that I would quit all the Crowns in the &V;ni|ver&s;e for the glory of one favourable look from you. Do not &s;u&s;pect, I be&s;eech you, that I
<PB N="111" REF="246">
have any de&s;ire&punc; to conquer them, upon conditions of lo&s;ing you; but on the contrary, believe, that I &s;hall ever prefer the glorious quality of your &s;lave, before the being King of all A&s;ia.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>SPITRIDATES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After the Prince&s;s had read this Letter, and &s;ighed whether &s;he would or no, &s;he de&s;ired him who brought it to acquit him&s;elf of his Commi&s;&s;ion: &s;o that he related all that I have told you; that is to &s;ay, in what manner <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had &s;ent for <HI>Spitridates;</HI> how he &s;poke unto him in his Chamber; how he imbarked, and what he &s;aid, when he was in the Ship which waited for him: then he told her, that their Sea voyage was very pro&s;perous until they came to <HI>Chalcedonia:</HI> but in arriving there, the Pilot mi&s;taking his aim, the Ship was da&s;hed by the violence of the waves again&s;t the point of a Rock, clo&s;e by the mouth of the Port: that the Ship &s;plit, and <HI>Spitridates</HI> being at the Poop, fell into the Sea, ju&s;t at the &s;ame time when another of the Ships of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was &s;plit a little lower: Moreover he told her, how all the water-&s;ide being full of people, there was &s;ome Merchants of <HI>Per&s;ipolis,</HI> who were extream compa&s;&s;ionate at this accident, and de&s;ired to &s;ave <HI>Spitridates:</HI> That there was two, who threw them&s;elves into the Sea in hopes to a&s;&s;i&s;t him, but both of them were drowned: and that the violence of the waves had wafted him far off: &s;o that none could di&s;cover where he was: He further related, that when <HI>Spitridates</HI> fir&s;t fell, he recollected his &s;pirits, and becau&s;e he could &s;wim very well, he made many attempts to land, but the waves da&s;hed &s;o much again&s;t the Rocks in that place, as it was impo&s;&s;ible for him to land, &s;o that he was carried by tho&s;e billows a long way off, which were &s;o high, that tho&s;e Merchants which did intere&s;t them&s;elves in his lo&s;s, did lo&s;e the &s;ight of him, and thought him &s;hipwrackt. Yet the waves be|ing not &s;o rough where <HI>Spitridates</HI> was, with much ado he landed in a place where an old Fi&s;her-man was drying his Nets upon the banks, about four or five furlongs from <HI>Chalcedonia:</HI> That &s;ince he was exceeding weary, he did lie him&s;elf down upon the banks to re&s;t him&s;elf: That this old fi&s;her-man, pitying to &s;ee a man &s;o lovely and hand&s;ome, and well habited, in &s;o lamentable a condition, offered to carry him unto a little hou&s;e clo&s;e by: That <HI>Spitridates</HI> ac|cepted of his offer, and that not knowing any rea&s;on why, he intreated that charitable fi&s;her-man to tell it unto none that he was with him: But Sir, when this me&s;&s;enger from <HI>Spitrida|tes</HI> related unto the Prince&s;s the unquiet and re&s;tle&s;s mind of <HI>Spitridates</HI> in that place, I do confe&s;s that he made me extreamly pity him: and indeed, it may be ea&s;ily imagined, that &s;eeing him&s;elf now ma&s;ter of him&s;elf, and that he could either return unto <HI>Heraclea,</HI> or el&s;e go unto <HI>Chalcedonia,</HI> that his &s;oul was in a pitiful and wavering condition. If I return unto <HI>Heraclea</HI> (&s;aid he) then doubtle&s;s I &s;hall &s;atisfie my love, and my Prince&s;s, but then I &s;hall di&s;honour my &s;elf in the eyes of all <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> for then I &s;hall fight again&s;t my own father, and for him who retains that Kingdom from him which I mu&s;t enjoy; yet if I go unto <HI>Chalcedo|nia,</HI> can I ever have a heart to take up Arms again&s;t the father, and brothers of my Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Araminta?</HI> and &s;hall I leave that mo&s;t illu&s;trious Lady in an opinion that I have deceived her? that I have betrayed her? and that I expre&s;&s;ed affection unto her only as a Cloak to cover my de&s;igne of getting into the Throne of <HI>Bythinia?</HI> Ha, no no, I can never con&s;ent unto it. But then, &s;aid he, what &s;hall I do? I know not, an&s;wered be to him&s;elf: But I think, Death is the only cour&s;e I can take, to put me into &s;uch a condition as that I &s;hall do nothing, either again&s;t my honour, or again&s;t my love, or again&s;t mine own inclination: yet I mu&s;t re&s;olve upon one way, I mu&s;t either go unto <HI>Heraclea,</HI> or <HI>Chalcedonia:</HI> If to the fir&s;t, then I lo&s;e my honour, but &s;atisfie my love: if to the la&s;t, then I &s;hall &s;atisfie my ambition, but ru|ine my &s;elf in the opinion of my Prince&s;s, which I prefer before all things, even my very life.</P>
<P>In conclu&s;ion, this Me&s;&s;enger told us, that after a mo&s;t violent agitation of mind, love was the mo&s;t predominate in his heart; yet de&s;iring to take a middle way between the&s;e two extreams, and con&s;idering that as the &s;ea&s;on of the year was the War could not begin this three months; he therefore de&s;igned to di&s;guize him&s;elf, and return &s;ecretly unto <HI>Heraclea,</HI> without &s;eeing either the King, or Princes, but to endeavour by my means to &s;ee the Prince&s;s, and to ju&s;tifie him&s;elf unto her: to promi&s;e her never to fight in per&s;on again&s;t the King, her Father, and to beg leave from her to go and defend his own: That not doubting but the Prin|ce&s;s would con&s;ent unto his de&s;ires, and knowing her to be ju&s;t and generous, he re&s;olved to return afterwards unto <HI>Chalcedonia,</HI> to the end he might endeavour a pacification, and &s;o to &s;atisfie, if it were po&s;&s;ible, both his honour, and his love. That to execute this his de&s;igne, he got this old fi&s;her to go unto the Town, and with &s;ome money which he had about him to
<PB N="112" REF="247">
buy &s;uch nece&s;&s;aries as might make an hand&s;om di&s;guize for his intended voyage; and to enquire whether any accident happened unto the King: That this man having bought &s;uch things as he had need of, he told him, that the King and Queen of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> the Prince <HI>Eariclides,</HI> and the Prince&s;s, there had e&s;caped from &s;hipwrack, but were extreamly grieved out of fears that their elde&s;t Son was peri&s;hed: and that all the Sea-&s;ide was full of men, whom the King had &s;ent to &s;eek the Prince living or dead: that they were enquiring news of him within an hundred paces of that place, and that he an&s;wered, he knew o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> none: afterwards <HI>Spitridates</HI> fearing to be found out, pre&s;ently di&s;gui&s;ed him&s;elf, giving unto, the fi&s;her-man a very rich jewel which he had about him: and as &s;oon as it was night, he got upon a Hor&s;e, which the fi&s;her furni&s;hed him withall: &s;o after he had commanded that his clothes &s;hould beSpan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">id, and &s;hewed unto none, at the lea&s;t not until a long while after his departure, he took his journey: I had forgot <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o tell you, that he left a little Note with the fi&s;her, with orders to go within eight days after unto &s;ome Officer of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> hou&s;e, and give him that Note; &s;aying, that he found it by chance: the words of the Note were the&s;e:
<Q><P>A&s;&s;ure the King my Father, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> is not dead, and &s;ince he is not capable of do|ing any thing again&s;t his honour, he will return unto him, before he &s;hall have any need of his courage.</P></Q></P>
<P>After <HI>Spitridates</HI> was gone, the poor fi&s;her-man, con&s;ulting with his wi&s;e concerning their happy encounter, and &s;earching out for a fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> place to hide tho&s;e rich clothes which <HI>Spitridates</HI> left, by ill fortune, twelve or fifteen of tho&s;e men which <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had &s;ent out to &s;earch a|bout the Sea-&s;ide, being hungry and cold, came into this hou&s;e, and entred &s;o &s;uddenly, that tho&s;e good people was forced to throw the Princes clothes ha&s;tily under their Nets: one of the&s;e men &s;aw &s;omething &s;hine, and moved him to &s;o much curio&s;ity as to look what it was: but he no &s;ooner &s;aw tho&s;e clothes by the help of a candle, but he knew them, for he was a &s;ervant unto <HI>Ar&s;amones:</HI> then &s;uppo&s;ing that this fi&s;her-man had perhaps found him half dead upon the Sea &s;hore, and had killed him our-right for his clo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hes, they began to threaten him, to confe&s;s the truth, and to tell them what he had done with the corps of <HI>Spitridates:</HI> This poor hone&s;t fi&s;her-man &s;eeing him&s;elf unju&s;tly accu&s;ed, and fear forcing it out, told them the whole pa&s;&s;age, &s;hewing them the Note which <HI>Spitridates</HI> had left with him. So that now making no que&s;tion but that he was alive, and ea&s;ily imagining that he was gone towards <HI>Heraclea;</HI> they &s;ent one in all ha&s;te to inform <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> of their adventure, and to carry the Note which <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> had left: &s;ince they conceived that they &s;hould do a great piece of &s;ervice in bringing his S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n back unto him; they made all the ha&s;te they could unto a bridg, where of nece&s;&s;ity he mu&s;t pa&s;s: and that which did the more facilitate their de&s;ign in finding, was, that they forced this fi&s;her to d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ibe the clothes and hor&s;e which <HI>Spitridates</HI> had. When they overtook him, they fir&s;t addre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves very re&s;pectively, but yet &s;o, as they re&s;olved not to let him e&s;cape; for they compa&s;&s;ed him round about. This Prince who was but ill mounted, &s;aw it was im|po&s;&s;ible for him to avoid being taken, u&s;ed no re&s;i&s;tance, but prayers and promi&s;es: After|wards, &s;eeing that way would not work with them, becau&s;e they expected high rewards from <HI>Ar&s;amones;</HI> he began to threaten them, and began indeed to force them: yet finding all his attempts in vain again&s;t &s;o many, he yeilded, and was carried unto <HI>Chalcedonia,</HI> where <HI>Ar&s;a|mones</HI> looked upon him with as many &s;ignes of an incen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">d father, as a violent Prince could po&s;|&s;ibly expre&s;s: he told him, that there was no rea&s;on he &s;hould pretend unto the Crown of <HI>By|thinia,</HI> becau&s;e he was unworthy of it. But to &s;hew him, that he would keep it without him, he would put him into &s;uch a place, as &s;hould cool him, &s;ince he could not extingui&s;h that di&s;ho|nourable pa&s;&s;ion which was &s;o hot in his &s;oul, and &s;o oppo&s;ite unto his honour. <HI>Spitridates</HI> would have excu&s;ed the matter, but &s;ince he could not force his tongue to tell &s;o loud a lye unto the King, as that he would not love <HI>Araminta</HI> any longer, he impri&s;oned him in one of the Towers in the Ca&s;tle, not permitting any to vi&s;it him, but the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> and that was not obtained without much difficulty, and only twice in a week; Afterwards this Me&s;&s;enger from <HI>Spitridates</HI> told the Prince&s;s, that he having the honour to wait upon the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari|&s;tea,</HI> in three or four of her vi&s;its, and they having a good confidence in him, made choice of him, to come hither, and render an account unto her of that Princes life, &s;ince his departure from <HI>Heraclea:</HI> a&s;&s;uring her, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> continued &s;o firm in her affection to|wards her, that nothing can change it. The Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> did very attentively hearken unto this relation; and &s;ince &s;he was fully &s;atisfied and reconciled unto the Prince <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;he &s;eemed to be mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly moved at tho&s;e mi&s;eries which he endured in con&s;ideration of
<PB N="113" REF="247">
her. I believe &s;he would not have writ back unto him, unle&s;s I had extreamly pre&s;&s;ed her unto it: and in conclu&s;ion, con&s;ented unto my de&s;ires: writing this Letter in the pre&s;ence of him who was to carry it.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The Prince&s;s <HI>ARAMINTA,</HI> unto <HI>SPITRIDATES.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>I Wi&s;h you could be innocent, and happy both: yet &s;ince the malignity of my Fate will have it &s;o, that you mu&s;t not be ju&s;tified in my opinion without your &s;ufferings; I do confe&s;s with a blu&s;h, that I had rather you were unfortunate, and not culpable, then culpable, and not un|fortunate: But yet I re&s;ent your Pri&s;on as I ought to do, and I do not know whether my &s;or|rows can keep within tho&s;e ju&s;t limits which rea&s;on &s;hould pre&s;cribe them. Since I require nothing from you which &s;hall be again&s;t your honour: do not expect any thing from me con|trary to mine. If the De&s;tinies have ordained that we mu&s;t be always unfortunate, yet let us make all the world confe&s;s that we de&s;erve to be more happy.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ARAMINTA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After the Prince&s;s had &s;hewed me that Letter, &s;he &s;ealed it, and gave it unto him that was to carry it: &s;he writ another al&s;o unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> and after much civility unto this faith|ful Agent of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed him: and the &s;lave which brought him, conducted him out of the Town where he &s;hould lodg: you may imagine what conference the Prince&s;s and I had upon this adventure, and how often we read this Letter of <HI>Spitridates:</HI> His pri&s;on did not &s;trike only on the heart of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> but in the heart of the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> al&s;o: who now did not any longer think him acce&s;&s;ary to the de&s;igne of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> neither did he &s;u&s;pect that the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> had deceived him: &s;o that love re-a&s;&s;uming the &s;ame &s;eat in his &s;oul as formerly, he changed his manner of negotiating. He often came to his Si&s;ter the prince&s;s; and &s;ince it was important unto her, that the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> &s;hould always love <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;he therefore confirmed him in that opinion: So that his pa&s;&s;ion more &s;trongly re|viving, he left off exa&s;perating the mind of the King his Father, as before he did, but would divers times appea&s;e it, yet the King of <HI>Pont</HI> ea&s;ily &s;u&s;pecting the cau&s;e, was extraordinarily more angry at him: Some certain days after, the King of <HI>Pont</HI> had intelligence, that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> (who as you know, was then only King of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> and <HI>Galatia)</HI> would a&s;&s;i&s;t <HI>Ar&s;amo|nes</HI> under hand; &s;o that &s;eeing the bu&s;ine&s;s more dangerous then he at fir&s;t fore-&s;aw; he de|&s;ired to compo&s;e the bu&s;ine&s;s betimes. He then &s;ent unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to demand aid, &s;eeming as if he were ignorant of his &s;iding with <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;ecretly; He who was &s;ent unto him, negoti|ated the matter &s;o hand&s;omly, that he took <HI>Ciaxares</HI> off from declaring openly for <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> but yet not being willing neither to declare for the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> he propo&s;ed to be a Media|tor between the two princes, which did extreamly grieve <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> who was hereby di&s;|abled from &s;u&s;taining a War: for &s;ince the prince of <HI>Paphlagonia</HI> and the prince of the <HI>Ca|du&s;ians,</HI> had not treated with him but upon &s;uch conditions as the King of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> &s;hould declare, they al&s;o drew back from the Enterpri&s;e. Moreover the Inhabitants of <HI>Chalcedonia,</HI> and them of <HI>Chri&s;opolis,</HI> had been &s;o much impoveri&s;hed under the Dominion of the Kings of <HI>Pont,</HI> that they were not able to &s;u&s;tain the Charges of the War: &s;o that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;ee|ing upon what a weak foundation his de&s;igne did &s;tand, re&s;olved to entertain &s;ome propo&s;iti|ons of peace: But &s;ince he would not tru&s;t unto the word of an enemy, becau&s;e the King his Father before him, had been thereby deceived: he declared unto him whom <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent, unle&s;s the King of <HI>Pont</HI> would give Ho&s;tages as he him&s;elfe offered to give. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> knowing that the King of <HI>Pont</HI> had no greater a mind to tru&s;t <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> then <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had to tru&s;t the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> propo&s;ed that both parties &s;hould give Ho&s;tages, which &s;hould remain with him, and it was accepted on by both parties: &s;o that the King of <HI>Pont</HI> &s;ent the prince <HI>Ariandes</HI> unto the Court of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;ent the prince <HI>Euriclides.</HI> This Treaty continued &s;ix entire months: at the end of which a peace was concluded: and the Sentence was, That <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;hould not a&s;&s;ume the Title of King; that he &s;hould render up <HI>Chalcedonia</HI> unto the King of <HI>Pont:</HI> That he &s;hould enjoy the Town of <HI>Chri&s;opolis,</HI> and all the Countrey about it, holding it as a Va&s;&s;al unto that prince: and that he &s;hould not be obliged either to dwell, or go unto <HI>Heraclea,</HI> nor &s;end the princes his children thither. Be|fore this Treaty, the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> endeavoured all po&s;&s;ible ways to move his Father to con|clude the marriage which he de&s;igned, but he would never hearken unto it, which did &s;o ex|treamly trouble the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> and grieved him &s;o much that he was hardly knowable.</P>
<P><PB N="114" REF="248">
All this while was <HI>Spitridates</HI> in pri&s;on, and that much more clo&s;e then before; for &s;ince the return of him, who brought the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta's</HI> Letter, whom <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;u&s;pect|ed, the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> was not allowed to &s;ee him. <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> who&s;e patron was not now at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> did not &s;o often &s;peak unto the Prince&s;s; nor could <HI>Artanus</HI> with all his in&s;olence and wit, find many occa&s;ions of conference with her. <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> though &s;eeing that <HI>Artanus</HI> had more addre&s;s unto her then he had, was very angry at his misfortune, though <HI>Artanus</HI> was no very terrible Rival unto him, yet he did divers times put affronts upon him: At the fir&s;t this coward carried it &s;o cunningly, as if he wanted no courage; yet the&s;e la&s;t in|juries of <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> did much again&s;t his mind (the Gods do know) con&s;train him to draw his &s;word; but he did as much di&s;honor him&s;elf in fighting, as if he had not fought at all, and the aver&s;ion which the Prince&s;s had towards him, was &s;o ju&s;tly grounded, that none wondered &s;he &s;hould treat him with &s;o much coldne&s;s. Mean while, the news of the conclu&s;ion of peace be|ing come unto <HI>Heraclea,</HI> and the Prine <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> knowing that he mu&s;t not marry the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> was &s;o extreamly grieved at it, that he fell into a Fever, which upon the fourth day was at the height. The King his father hearing how very ill he was, and not being ignorant of the cau&s;e, &s;uch an exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow, mixed with anger &s;eized upon him, that he died &s;uddainly: Seven dayes after, the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> quitted his Crown and his life, de&s;iring the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter, alwayes to love <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and protect <HI>Ari&s;tea.</HI> You may ea&s;ily imagine in what a deplorable condition <HI>Araminta</HI> was, who without all doubt did infinitely honor her father, and loved her brother, the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> who though he was by nature &s;omewhat violent, yet was he very amiable: Be&s;ides, he loved her very well, and had a great affection unto <HI>Spi|tridates;</HI> &s;o that in lo&s;ing him, &s;he lo&s;t a brother, a friend, and a protector of her lover: She &s;trangely re&s;ented this lo&s;s, and was &s;o full of &s;orrow, that for three daies together &s;he could not eat: <HI>Pharnaces</HI> did not grieve &s;o much, for the Prince <HI>Aryandes</HI> ever loving him &s;o well, and being now King, he hoped that he would more ea&s;ily move <HI>Araminta</HI> to be favourable unto him: As for <HI>Artanus,</HI> &s;ince he lo&s;t nothing but what <HI>Pharnaces</HI> found, this &s;ad acci|dent made no great alteration in his mind. I was not in &s;uch a condition as to comfort the Prin|ce&s;s, for my mother died at the &s;ame time, who out of her love to her own Country, and her earne&s;t de&s;ire, that the intentions of the Queen her Mi&s;tre&s;s &s;hould be accompli&s;hed, command|ed me to be ab&s;olutely &s;erviceable as much as I could unto all the hou&s;e of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and e&s;|pecially unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as that I was more engaged unto it, then before, and I could the more ea&s;ily obey her in it, becau&s;e they appointed no other Governour unto the Prince&s;s. Mean while, the new King of <HI>Pont,</HI> who now raigns, or to &s;ay better, who mu&s;t never raign, was upon his way in returning unto <HI>Heraclea,</HI> (where they had rendred all due honors unto the two dead Princes) and it was in his journey, that he heard of the death of the King his father, and of the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> his brother: Then did we under&s;tand, that the treaty of peace was performed, that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was gone out of <HI>Chalcedonia,</HI> and going to <HI>Chri&s;opolis,</HI> and by con&s;equence <HI>Spitridates</HI> changed his pri&s;on. Fifteen or twenty dayes did thus pa&s;s over, whil&s;t the Inhabitants of <HI>Heraclea</HI> prepared all po&s;&s;ible magnificence to receive their new King: But orders came from him, which did forbid all ceremony, having no de&s;ire to mix &s;o much &s;orrow with the joy. The Prince&s;s being extreamly melancholy, and doing nothing but pray unto the Gods, did lament and mourn in &s;ecret as oft as &s;he could. I moved her one evening again&s;t her mind, to walk in the garden of the Pallace, and &s;o take the Ayr, for I perceived &s;o great an al|teration in her complexion, as I feared &s;he would fall &s;ick: When we were in the garden, &s;he made choice of a dark and narrow walk, which being railed in on both &s;ides, among&s;t many great trees which covered it, and made it the mo&s;t melancholy, and therefore the mo&s;t agree|able walk in the world; for there was two fountains at the two ends, &amp; one in the mid&s;t, which murmured &s;o much, as did incite a &s;oul unto mu&s;ing: The Prince&s;s making choice of this gloomy place to walk in, would have no company with her but me, of whom &s;he had no &s;uch fears as young per&s;ons commonly u&s;e to have of tho&s;e which over&s;ee their actions, for my years were not &s;o many above hers, as to cau&s;e any aver&s;ion in her towards me, and I gave ad|vice alwayes, rather with re&s;pect and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, then with any domineering pride, &s;o that we lived together in much &s;incerity, and much obliging confidence. After we had repeated many misfortunes, and be&s;towed many a tear upon the memory of <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> &s;he a&s;&s;umed &s;ome thoughts upon the unfortunate <HI>Spitridates.</HI> Is not that Prince unfortunate, &s;aid &s;he unto me, to lo&s;e a Kingdom, in lo&s;ing that per&s;on, for who&s;e &s;ake he was re&s;olved to have lo&s;t it? Cer|tainly the King my brother, though that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;hould permit him, yet would never con|&s;ent unto his good fortune, as well becau&s;e he loves him not, as becau&s;e he loves <HI>Pharnaces;</HI> &s;o that I &s;ee my &s;elf expo&s;ed unto very great per&s;ecution: Yet, &s;aid &s;he, did but <HI>Spitridates</HI> know
<PB N="115" REF="248">
the ju&s;tice that I render unto his merit, and how exactly I do obey the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> my brother, I &s;hould have &s;ome con&s;olation, in that it would be a con&s;olation unto him: But alas, it is not the plea&s;ure of my fate I &s;hould have &s;o much happine&s;s, and I have nothing to do, but to prepare my &s;elf for all imaginable mi&s;ery. Madam, &s;aid I unto her, never exce&s;&s;ively grieve at misfortunes which are to come, becau&s;e perhaps they may never come; and can you be obliged to follow the will of the King your brother, rather then the will of the late King your father? If I were only his Si&s;ter, replied &s;he, I believe I &s;hould not; but &s;ince I am his Subject, as well as Si&s;ter, I think I am obliged to obey him, as I was the late King my father. After much &s;uch like di&s;cour&s;e as this, ob&s;erving that night drew on, (for it being the Spring time, the dayes were not very long) I per&s;waded her to retire: yet &s;ince the Moon &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ned, &s;he followed not my coun&s;el, but would &s;it down at one end of the walk, neer the Foun|tain, within a quarter of an hour after, I &s;aw a man coming towards us, whom I &s;uppo&s;ed to be &s;ome of the Prince&s;&s;es &s;ervants coming to tell her &s;omething, but I was much &s;urprized, when this man, whom I could not know in that dark place, came neerer us. Madam (&s;aid he unto the Prince&s;s, bowing unto her, with much reverence) will you be plea&s;ed to &s;uffer the unfortunate <HI>Spitridates</HI> to come and mingle his tears with yours, and help to lament your misfortunes, by grieving for his own? You may imagine Sir, how much the Prince&s;s and I were &s;urprized, when we heard a voice which we could not but know, it was &s;o great, that the Prince&s;s cried out &s;o loud, that &s;ome of her women came into the walk, thinking &s;he had called; but I &s;tepping readily towards them, &s;aid, that &s;he did not call them, and that this was a man who had a &s;uit unto the new King, and came to beg the favour of the Prince&s;s unto him. After this, coming neer the Prince&s;s, I heard <HI>Spitridates</HI> (&s;ince &s;he an&s;wered him with nothing but tears) continue &s;peaking unto her. I am even de&s;perate Madam, &s;aid he unto her, that I &s;hould renue your &s;orrows, and to find that my pre&s;ence in lieu of plea&s;ing you, &s;hould grieve you: I de&s;ire your pardon, &s;aid the unto him, for receiving you &s;o very ill: But <HI>Spitridates,</HI> my weakne&s;s has &s;o ju&s;t a cau&s;e for it, that you may excu&s;e me: The Prince <HI>Sin|ne&s;is</HI> my brother did &s;o tenderly love you, that I cannot look upon you without a revival of my &s;orrows, and &s;o many &s;everal things comes into my mind at once, that it is not &s;trange if my rea&s;on be a little di&s;ordered; for truly, the remembrance of what is pa&s;t, the fear of what's to come, and &s;urpriz'd to &s;ee one &s;o neer me, whom I thought in pri&s;on, are lawful cau&s;es of this di&s;order in my &s;oul: I was in hope Madam (&s;aid <HI>Spitridates)</HI> that this la&s;t mentioned cau&s;e would rather have rejoyced then grieved you; So it does, an&s;wered &s;he, but not &s;o much as it would, if the Prince my brother were yet living: Yet tell me, I conjure you, how the choler of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> is appea&s;ed: It is not appea&s;ed at all Madam, replied he, and doubtle&s;s I have more incen&s;ed it by this my flight from him, which now I have made: Was it not by his con|&s;ent, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that you are come out of pri&s;on? No, replied he, the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari|&s;tea</HI> is &s;he unto whom I am obliged for my liberty; for after I was brought from <HI>Chalcedonia</HI>
into <HI>Chri&s;opolis,</HI> &s;he ob&s;erved that the place they put me in was not inacce&s;&s;able, as that was wherein I was before; &s;o that as &s;oon as I was brought thither, and before my father di&s;cove|red the weakne&s;s of the place, &s;he corrupted three of my guards, who out of a window, which was not barred with iron, they helped me to e&s;cape, and carried me di&s;gui&s;ed into a hou&s;e of the Town, where I remained three dayes: Afterwards, when we heard the news of the King your fathers death, which as you know preceded the death of the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> my Si&s;ter advi&s;ed me to come unto that Prince, whom &s;he then &s;uppo&s;ed to be King, and out of her goodne&s;s to me, &s;he gave me a great part of her Jewels for the accommodation of my journey: In my way hither, I heard of yours and my &s;econd lo&s;s; but though I did conceive it was not &s;afe for me to come hither, &s;ince the Prince <HI>Aryandes</HI> was to be King; yet I could not deprive my &s;elf of &s;o much happine&s;s, as to come and throw my &s;elf at your feet Madam, and to ask you what &s;hould be the fate of my life. Would to the Gods (replied the Prince&s;s, and &s;ighed) that it were in my power to make you happy; but yet <HI>Spitridates,</HI> fortune is more powerful then I am, and I am afraid &s;he will not con&s;ent unto it: So that you will con|&s;ent, replied he, I cannot think &s;he is able to hinder my happine&s;s: I wi&s;h that all you &s;ay were true, replied &s;he, but my rea&s;on does not &s;hew me how it can be. However <HI>Spitridates,</HI> though I cannot deny but that I receive my con&s;olation to lament it with you, yet I cannot chu&s;e but tremble to &s;ee you at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> for the King my brother is to arrive here within the&s;e few dayes, and if he come to know that you are here di&s;gui&s;ed, what will he think of it? Alas Madam, &s;aid he, do you think to drive me from you, by telling me the King will come &s;o &s;oon, and that perhaps he may know I am here? Ah Madam, torment me not &s;o cru|elly, I have a very &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">cure lodging; and &s;ince I have nothing to do at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> but to &s;ee you, I
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&s;hall not ea&s;ily be di&s;covered: Yet however, an&s;wered &s;he, I may hazard both my reputati|on, and your life, by permitting enterviews, which how innocent &s;oever they be, may be interpreted criminal. It is not late, replied &s;he, and therefore it will not be thought &s;trange, that a &s;ad melancholy Mourner &s;hould walk &s;o long; therefore <HI>Spitridates</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, in ri&s;ing up) we mu&s;t leave you: However Madam, an&s;wered this Prince, I be&s;eech you do me the honor to promi&s;e me another oportunity of &s;peaking with you; I cannot con&s;ent unto your de|&s;ire, replied &s;he, but <HI>He&s;inoida</HI> &s;hall &s;ee you in any place: That indeed Madam, is a great fa|vour, an&s;wered he; yet truly it cannot &s;atisfie the pa&s;&s;ion which my &s;oul has to you; and to di&s;cour&s;e with you in freedom, does &s;o much import the welfare of my life, that I do declare Madam, I will never go out of <HI>Heraclea,</HI> if you do not grant my re&s;pective pa&s;&s;ion that fa|vour which I ask: I do not beg it Madam for any merits of my own, but in the name of the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> who has &s;o often pleaded in my <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">avour. This conjuration is very prevalent, re|plied &s;he, yet all that I can promi&s;e you is, to u&s;e my be&s;t endeavour that I may &s;ee you once again: I &s;hall be every day about this hour in this walk, replied he, where I may &s;afely re|ceive your orders, for the Gardner is mo&s;t ab&s;olutely my faithful friend, having a long time &s;erved the Prince my father, &amp; it was he who came to adverti&s;e me of your being here. I cannot con&s;ent that you expo&s;e your &s;elf every day to the view, an&s;wered &s;he, but tell <HI>He&s;ionida</HI> where you lodge, and &s;he &s;hall adverti&s;e you of my will. After this, the Prince&s;s left him, and <HI>Spitridates</HI> having told me where he lodged, it happened to be with one of my acquaintance, and whom I dur&s;t tru&s;t with any thing: Since the time that the Prince&s;s returned to her lodg|ing, &s;he appeared more &s;tudious and melancholy, then before &s;he had &s;een <HI>Spitridates;</HI> and indeed &s;he grieved extreamly, when &s;he con&s;idered that this Prince would extreamly incen&s;e the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> as he had already <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> by his e&s;cape; &s;o that to avoid this misfor|tune, &s;he &s;aw a nece&s;&s;ity of moving <HI>Spitridates</HI> to depart pre&s;ently, though &s;he knew not in what quarter of the world he could find a Sanctuary, yet the mi&s;ery had no other remedy; for &s;he knew well enough the King of <HI>Pont</HI> did not love <HI>Spitridates,</HI> but affecting <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> as he did, he would &s;olicite her to marry him: She knew al&s;o, that this Prince did never ap|prove of the late King his fathers policy, in de&s;iring this double alliance with <HI>Ar&s;amones;</HI> but on the contrary, he would often &s;ay, that the be&s;t way to e&s;tabli&s;h the Kingdom of <HI>Bythi|nia,</HI> was to ruine all the pretenders unto it, and not to exalt and magnifie them, &s;o that on every &s;ide, &s;he could find nothing but misfortune unto <HI>Spitridates.</HI> It was in vain to tell her, that the Gods when they plea&s;ed could change the hearts of Kings; for what confidence &s;oe|ver &s;he had in them, &s;he could not hope for that in which &s;he &s;aw &s;o little appearance. The next morning news came, that the King would not have the day on which he intended to come to the Town preci&s;ely known, but that at the longe&s;t, it would not be above four or five days: The Prince&s;s &s;eeing then &s;o &s;hort a time to re&s;olve, and that to defer the &s;eeing of <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> until he was come to Town would be extreamly dangerous, &s;he appointed me to &s;peak unto him, and if I could, to per&s;wade him unto a departure without her &s;eeing him, but that was not po&s;&s;ible to be done: But to tell you the truth, I did not very ob&s;tinately op|po&s;e his de&s;ign, becau&s;e I did beleeve it would be in vain, and becau&s;e I conceived this Prince had rea&s;on for his de&s;ire; perhaps al&s;o the love I bore my Country did induce me; but what&s;oever it was, I told the Prince&s;s what <HI>Spitridates</HI> told me, which was, that ab&s;olutely he would either &s;ee her again, or die. The Prince&s;s perceiving his ob&s;tinacy, and &s;eeing that the longer &s;he &s;tayed, the more danger there was, both unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and her &s;elf, re&s;ol|ved to permit a conference: We were long in con&s;ulting, whether it &s;hould be in the Garden, or in her Chamber; at la&s;t, the re&s;ult was, it &s;hould be in the Garden, becau&s;e &s;ince the Kings death, &s;o much re&s;pect was rendred unto the Prince&s;s, as that none took &s;o much li|berty in that place, as before they u&s;ed: Al&s;o becau&s;e, if by any misfortune the bu&s;ine&s;s &s;hould come to be di&s;covered, it might there be taken for a &s;urprize upon the prince&s;s, then for an enterview which &s;he premeditately con&s;ented unto, as it might, if he &s;hould come into her chamber. I adverti&s;ed this unfortunate Prince then, to be in the Garden that evening, and in the &s;ame walk, in which before he met the prince&s;s, who was in twenty minds to go back with her word; one who &s;aw her, would have &s;aid, &s;he was going to commit &s;ome crime which &s;he abhorred; and if I had not even violently forced her, I think &s;he had not gone: But thither &s;he went, without any with her but her women, who according to their cu|&s;tom, followed her no further then that &s;olitary walk, unle&s;s &s;he called them, &s;o that I was there alone with her: Since we went thither betimes, becau&s;e the walk &s;hould not &s;eem ex|traordinary, <HI>Spitridates</HI> was not yet come, for he was to &s;tay until it was night, not but that he was well enough di&s;gui&s;ed, and his lodging &s;o neer the Garden door, that he might
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come thither without danger: yet I did &s;o &s;trickly charge him to make it late before he came, that he did obey me, and make it dark: and &s;ince the Moon d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d &s;hine, it was not &s;trange that the Prince&s;s &s;hould walk &s;o late, e&s;pecially &s;ince &s;he u&s;ed to do &s;o before. I cannot relate the thankful acknowledgments which <HI>Spitridates</HI> rendred unto her for this favour; all his words were &s;o full of pa&s;&s;ion and re&s;pect, that all my expre&s;&s;ions are too weak to manife&s;t unto you the joy this Prince re&s;ented. The Prince&s;s for a quarter of an hour together did lend him a willing ear without returning any an&s;wer; but afterwards &s;he fetched a profound &s;igh, and &s;aid unto him, <HI>Spitridates</HI> indeed has &s;ome rea&s;on to invite me to this conference, but he has much more rea&s;on to lament and complain again&s;t Fortune for engaging his affection unto one, who can make him nothing but unfortunate. Fortune Madam, replied he, has no &s;hare in that af|fection which I bear unto you: It is only your own beauty, your vertue, my own inclinati|on and rea&s;on which promps me unto it: and I am fully per&s;waded, that if it be but your plea&s;ure to doom it &s;o, all the malignity of fooli&s;h fortune, who often per&s;ecutes the innocent, and protects the vicious, cannot render me unhappy. Yes, yes, Divine Prince&s;s, If the unhap|py <HI>Spitridates</HI> can but find any place in your heart, and that your goodne&s;s will always re&s;erve it for him, he defies any misfortune that can come: all the di&s;graces of his family &s;hall vani&s;h out of his memory; his own particular di&s;honours &s;hall not trouble him; the plea&s;ing thoughts only of being in the fair <HI>Araminta's</HI> heart, &s;hall charm all his &s;orrows, and root them out of his mind. I under&s;tand Madam, &s;ince I came hither, that the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> upon his death|bed, and before many people, did mediate in my behalf, and de&s;ire you to look favourably upon me. This is it Madam, which makes me thus bold, and moves me to de&s;ire you, not to deny this favour unto that prince, who never denied you any thing: Therefore, I be&s;eech you Madam, let not the King who now is, and who loves not me, hinder me from loving you, or you me. But yet I am his Si&s;ter, and Subject, replied the Prince&s;s, interrupting him. You are al&s;o both Si&s;ter and Subject unto the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> though he be dead, replied he, and the King who now raigns, having his Crown immediately from him, ought not in ju&s;tice to ob&s;truct the performance of his la&s;t Will: &s;ince indeed he was his King, as he is now yours. Ah <HI>Spi|tridates,</HI> cried &s;he, the Will and Commands of a dead King, are never &s;o well obeyed as the Commandements of a living King: a Raign of &s;even days, and in all that time death raigning over him, will by the Succe&s;&s;our be e&s;teemed as nothing: Yet if it be e&s;teemed by you, an&s;wered <HI>Spitridates,</HI> it is enough. Yes, replied &s;he, and &s;ighed, you may be confident, that the la&s;t words of the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> confirming in my heart tho&s;e thoughts which your vertue had in&s;pired me withall, I &s;hall as long as I live be the &s;ame I am at pre&s;ent: But alas, <HI>Spitridates,</HI> it will not make you any thing more happy, but my &s;elf much more infortunate; for indeed, I do fore&s;ee, that perhaps this will be the la&s;t time, that ever I &s;hall &s;peak unto you: The la&s;t time, Madam? &s;aid he, and interrupted her; then mu&s;t this be the la&s;t of my life: and I be|&s;eech you Madam, unle&s;s you de&s;ire I &s;hould immediately die, do not deprive me of &s;ome bet|ter hopes. I pray you, hope then if you can, &s;aid &s;he unto him, and enjoy that comfort which I cannot find for my &s;elf. Doubtle&s;s the rea&s;on is, &s;aid this &s;ad Prince, becau&s;e you will not try all ways to make me happy. Perhaps, replied &s;he, I &s;hall not try all ways; but I will promi&s;e you to do all I ought, though perhaps not all I can, to procure your &s;atisfaction; but as the ca&s;e &s;tands, which way &s;hould I contribute unto it? I dare not tell you Madam, an&s;wered <HI>Spitridates,</HI> that &s;ince you do not apprehend it your &s;elf, it is a great &s;igne, you have not any mind to do any thing for me. I would do any thing, replied &s;he, which is not again&s;t the rules of vertue, and prudence. Can you not then a&s;&s;ure me, &s;aid he, that all the power of the King &s;hall not move you to marry <HI>Pharnaces?</HI> And if it be not too much to ask, cannot you per|mit me &s;ome hopes that if any advantagious alteration in my fortune chance to fall out, it &s;hall in&s;eparably reflect upon you? I am very &s;en&s;ible Madam, that &s;ince I am without either Crown, or Kingdom, it is too much ra&s;hne&s;s to &s;peak thus. Yet, &s;ince the rea&s;on of my unhappy con|dition, is only becau&s;e I am not upon the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Throne, which the King your Brother un|ju&s;tly detains from me, I conceive, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> ought not to de&s;pi&s;e me. It is very true, &s;aid &s;he unto him, and I &s;hall much more e&s;teem you becau&s;e you merit Crowns, then I &s;hall do them that wear them without de&s;ert. But for all that <HI>Spitridates,</HI> although I &s;hould promi&s;e you not to marry <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> as perhaps without any crime I may, yet I fear that you would not be nearer any happine&s;s: for you may very well imagine that I &s;hall ne|ver marry you, again&s;t the Kings mind: &s;ince it is a decency which all of my quality ought to ob&s;erve. But &s;uppo&s;e I &s;hould marry you, what &s;hould we do afterwards? you are out of all favour with the prince <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> for the love of me: Here is no &s;afety for you by &s;taying in this Court: Neighbour Princes will not entertain you who are &s;on to an unfortunate and
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weak prince, le&s;t it &s;hould incen&s;e a young King to declare War again&s;t them; therefore <HI>Spi|tridates,</HI> though you &s;hould not hearken to all rules of rea&s;on and prudence, yet, me thinks, your affection unto me, &s;hould di&s;&s;wade you from any &s;uch de&s;ign, &s;ince que&s;tionle&s;s you will never carry a Prince&s;s di&s;gui&s;ed and wandering throughout all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> No <HI>Spitridates,</HI> no, I know you would not, I am &s;ure you love <HI>Araminta</HI> in a more noble and uninterre&s;ted way; yet do not think, that my unwillingne&s;s to follow your fortunes, how har&s;h &s;oever, is any ob&s;tacle at all: I do prote&s;t, that it does not at all affright me, but it is my &s;hame, that I &s;hould have any &s;uch re&s;olution, which mo&s;t deters me; Love, <HI>Spitridates,</HI> is a mo&s;t innocent pa&s;&s;ion. I confe&s;s, provided that all the effects be innocent al&s;o, and never deviate from the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s of rea&s;on; and therefore to ju&s;tifie my indulgence towards you, I mu&s;t not do any thing which is unrea&s;onable: Tell me then Madam, I be&s;eech you, what you would have me do, profe&s;&s;ing, that &s;ince you do not forbid me to love you, nor to de&s;pair of love from you, I &s;hall mo&s;t exactly obey you. Alas I am not able to advi&s;e you, replied &s;he, yet the be&s;t cour&s;e which I can think upon, is to travel as a &s;tranger in &s;ome unknown Country, untill &s;uch time as the Prince&s;s <HI>Arbiana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> have made your peace with <HI>Ar&s;amo|nes.</HI> This advice you give me Madam, an&s;wered <HI>Spitridates,</HI> is a good expedient to bring me into the &s;ubjection of the King your brother, as the Prince my father is already; but I can|not conceive it a good cour&s;e to procure me the enjoyment of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> &s;ince <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing only an unfortunate &s;hare of the whole Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> which is his due, the King of <HI>Pont</HI> will never con&s;ent unto any alliance with poor <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> more then <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would with him: And therefore Madam, &s;ince the affection which you are plea&s;ed to honor me withall, will not go a little higher then the limits of ordinary prudence, I mu&s;t re&s;olve upon my death. I &s;ee the prayers of the dying King your brother are not preva|lent, &s;ince they cannot obtain that favour from that Prince&s;s, who is the &s;weete&s;t in the world to them that do not adore her, but the mo&s;t rigorous unto him, who of all men upon earth does mo&s;t reverence her. But <HI>Spitridates</HI> (&s;aid he) whom do you complain of? Of you Ma|dam, replied he, who would per&s;wade me that you love me, and yet deny me any remedy for a love-&s;ick &s;oul; but if you did indeed love me, you would make me an ab&s;olute promi&s;e never to marry <HI>Pharnaces;</HI> and that if the Gods would permit&mdash;As <HI>Spitridates</HI> was go|ing on with his di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Artanus</HI> came to tell the Prince&s;s, that the King was coming to her chamber: By good luck I heard his voice beyond the rail of the walk, &s;o that we cau&s;ed <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> to retreat in all ha&s;t; yet for all that <HI>Artanus</HI> did &s;ee one with us when he came fir&s;t into the walk; but as &s;oon as he had told the Prince&s;s, &s;he gave her hand unto him, to the end &s;he might draw him out of the garden. We were no &s;ooner come unto her chamber, but the King came al&s;o, and <HI>Artanus</HI> having a hand&s;om pretence to leave her, went in all ha&s;t unto the garden again, to &s;ee what that man who he &s;aw before was: As ill luck was, <HI>Spitridates</HI> was not yet gone out, for he found the door next his lodging &s;hut: <HI>Artanus</HI> &s;pying him, did then follow him, and finding him one that &s;hunned him, did conclude him to be the &s;ame who was with the Prince&s;s, he then imagined that perhaps it might be <HI>Pharnaces;</HI> but <HI>Spitrida|tes</HI> being forced to leave the clo&s;e walk, though he was di&s;gui&s;ed, yet by the light of the Moon he knew him by his ge&s;ture and walk, or at the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pected him to be <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and &s;o much the rather, becau&s;e he heard that day by &s;ome <HI>Bythinians</HI> which were come unto <HI>Heraclea,</HI> that this Prince was e&s;caped out of that pri&s;on where <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> kept him; &s;o that his &s;u&s;pition filled his heart fuller of curio&s;ity: He followed him out of the garden into the &s;treets, and to the hou&s;e where he lodged: This confirmed him in his opinion, for he knew tho&s;e who dwelt there were friends unto <HI>Spitridates.</HI> I leave you to imagine how this pa&s;&s;age grieved <HI>Artanus,</HI> yet upon &s;econd thoughts he re&s;ented it not &s;o &s;adly, but re&s;olved by it to oblige the King, and ruine his Rival, by affirming, That a&s;&s;uredly <HI>Spitridates</HI> had &s;ome con&s;piracy again&s;t the State in agitation, but he would not reflect upon the prince&s;s, becau&s;e he imagined it would too much incen&s;e her, nor would the State reli&s;h it. He was much vex|ed that <HI>Pharnaces</HI> did not &s;hare in his &s;orrows, to &s;ee <HI>Spitridates</HI> in &s;uch favour with the prince&s;s, as that for the love of her &s;he permitted him to be di&s;gui&s;ed in <HI>Heraclea;</HI> but he re&s;olved to reflect the bu&s;ine&s;s wholly upon him, and went into the King immediately, be|&s;eeching the honor of &s;ome privacy with him, concerning &s;ome very important bu&s;ine&s;s. The King then went out of the prince&s;s chamber into his own, where <HI>Artanus</HI> told all the &s;tory: The King no &s;ooner heard that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was in <HI>Heraclea</HI> di&s;gui&s;ed, but he apprehended &s;ome con&s;piracy plotting again&s;t him; &s;o that without lo&s;s of any longer time, he &s;ecretly com|manded the Captain of his Guard, to go unto the hou&s;e which <HI>Artanus</HI> &s;aw <HI>Spitridates</HI> en|ter, and to &s;ecure his per&s;on: the King was obeyed; <HI>Spitridates</HI> not able to defend him&s;elf,
<PB N="119" REF="250">
is taken by the Guards, and impri&s;oned in a Tower, where Delinquents of high quality u&s;ed to be &s;ecured: You may imagine how extreamly was the prince&s;s &s;urprized, to hear within an hour after that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was arre&s;ted; at the fir&s;t &s;he apprehended, that the King would think he was di&s;gui&s;ed for her; yet hearing nothing but con&s;piracies again&s;t the State talked on, though &s;he thought her &s;elf &s;afe enough in relation to her reputation, yet &s;he feared the life of <HI>Spitridates</HI> was not &s;o &s;afe; you may imagine then how &s;adly &s;he &s;ighed away that night. But to di&s;gui&s;e the matter, I told all her women that the prince&s;s was not well, and therefore would go to bed, and I would &s;tay with her to comfort her; but yet it was more then I could do, for &s;he did look upon the matter &s;o full of danger unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> that it troubled her extreamly, and him no le&s;s then her: Since they &s;aid nothing when they took him, he knew not whether this enterview was di&s;covered, or whether he was taken only, as being found di&s;gui&s;ed in <HI>Heraclea;</HI> but yet the next morning his doubts were all cleared, for the King &s;ent to examine him, what he came thither for? what his bu&s;ine&s;s was? and who were his Confederates in his con&s;piracy? <HI>Spitridates</HI> not hearing them &s;peak one word con|cerning the prince&s;s, was exceedingly joyed, and an&s;wered, That after he e&s;caped out of the prince his fathers pri&s;on, and hearing in <HI>Chri&s;opolis,</HI> that the prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> was King, he came unto <HI>Heraclea,</HI> in hopes to find a Sanctuary under the &s;helter of his favour; that when he came hither, and heard his raign la&s;ted but &s;even dayes, he was much &s;urprized, and &s;o grieved at it, that he had not &s;o much freedom of &s;pirit, as at the fir&s;t to re&s;olve what cour&s;e he &s;hould take; that in conclu&s;ion, he re&s;olved to addre&s;s him&s;elf unto the King which now raigned, and to de&s;ire of him the &s;ame protection which he hoped for from the late King his brother, but that he had not time to execute his de&s;ign, becau&s;e he was taken within an hour after his fir&s;t arrival. Tho&s;e who examined him, &s;aid, That there was no nece&s;&s;ity of di&s;|gui&s;ing him&s;elf, in coming to demand protection from the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> who loved him; unto which he an&s;wered, That he di&s;gui&s;ed him&s;elf only to get into <HI>Heraclea,</HI> out of <HI>Bythi|nia,</HI> and to make his voyage more &s;ecure, then if he had travelled with a train equipage and habit &s;uitable to his quality. Although the&s;e his an&s;wers were very rea&s;onable, yet did they not &s;atisfie the King, but he &s;till believed, that there was &s;ome hid de&s;ign in it: And though he was not ignorant of <HI>Spitridates</HI> his affection unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> yet he knew her vertue &s;o well, that &s;he would never have any con&s;ent in this di&s;gui&s;ement, but he believed, that ambition was the only end of this adventure; <HI>Pharnaces</HI> and <HI>Artanus</HI> did much confirm him in that belief: The fir&s;t of the&s;e believing ambition to be his de&s;ign, becau&s;e he wi&s;hed it; and the other &s;eeming to believe it, that he might the &s;ooner ruine <HI>Spitridates:</HI> Yet &s;ince he de&s;ired that jealou&s;ie might torment <HI>Pharnaces</HI> as well as him&s;elf, he acquainted him, that Love was the greate&s;t cau&s;e of this Princes di&s;gui&s;ement: He imagined al&s;o, that he might perhaps by this way ruine <HI>Pharnaces</HI> in the opinion of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> conceiving that <HI>Pharnaces</HI> to ruine his Rival, would infu&s;e this new &s;u&s;pition into the King, which when the Prince&s;s &s;hould know, &s;he would be extreamly incen&s;ed again&s;t him; and indeed at the fir&s;t, the de&s;ign d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d take as <HI>Artanus</HI> did de&s;ire it: for <HI>Pharnaces</HI> was much more troubled, to hear that <HI>Spitridates</HI> had &s;een the Prince&s;s, then he was to think he had de&s;igns again&s;t the State: Jealou&s;ie, as generous as he was, did rouze up his heart to in&s;ult over an unfortunate man, and moved him to tell it unto the King in all aggravating circum&s;tances: When the Prin|ce&s;s heard of it, &s;he was infinitely angry with him; &s;o that <HI>Artanus</HI> found out a way there|by to ruine both his Rivals at once, and make them as unfottunate as him&s;elf; for his own &s;hare, he de&s;erved it, &s;o did not the re&s;t, e&s;pecially <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who was far from de&s;er|ving &s;uch di&s;a&s;terous de&s;tines: But yet there is all &s;pying inqui&s;itions u&s;ed, to find out, whe|ther this Prince had held intelligence with any; tho&s;e with whom he lodged, are all arre&s;ted, and examined, but do what they could, nothing was to be gotten out of them, or any el&s;e, which did either ju&s;tifie or condemn him; that which much contributed unto his misfortune was, That the King of <HI>Pont</HI> was &s;o melancholy and &s;ad, as none could hardly know him, &s;o much had it altered him; at fir&s;t, every one did think the death of his father and brother was the cau&s;e, but pre&s;ently after it was known, that his love unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was the real cau&s;e of his di&s;temper; for whil&s;t he was as a ho&s;tage with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> (as you already know) he became more de&s;perately in love with her, then ever any, &s;o that his &s;oul being deeply perplexed with the ab&s;ence of her he loved, it was more apt to be incen&s;ed again&s;t, and le&s;s able to know the innocency of <HI>Spitridates;</HI> yet being without all doubt a very gal|lant man, he behaved him&s;elf very well towards the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter; and though <HI>Pharna|ces</HI> had told him of the meeting betwixt <HI>Spitridates</HI> and her, yet did he not &s;peak any thing &s;harply unto her, but on the contrary, coming one day to vi&s;it her, after he had fir&s;t, with|out
<PB N="120" REF="251">
any choller, &s;aid as much unto her as any wi&s;e and di&s;creet Prince could do upon the like oc|ca&s;ion, to di&s;cover her thoughts; he afterwards told her, that he had perhaps incurred her di&s;|plea&s;ure in cau&s;ing <HI>Spitridates</HI> to be arre&s;ted, &s;ince he under&s;tood &s;he had a great e&s;teem of him, both by the Command of the late King his Father, and al&s;o the late King, his Brother: yet he was nec<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;arily forced unto it by rea&s;ons of State for the good of his people. Moreover he told her that he did not at all &s;u&s;pect her as any confederate with <HI>Spitridates</HI> in his con&s;piracy, who que&s;tionle&s;s would deceive her, and make her believe that his love to her was only the cau&s;e of his di&s;gui&s;e, though indeed it was his ambition. Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, If the affe|ction which <HI>Spitridates</HI> expre&s;&s;eth unto me, had not the authority of the late King my Father, and of the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> my Brother, I &s;hould not &s;peak unto you as I do intend. But &s;ince it has them both for his patronage; I be&s;eech you Sir, to believe that this Prince had never any de&s;igne to get a Crown by depriving you of it: for had he been that way di&s;po&s;ed, he had not been &s;o long a pri&s;oner unto his father. And without any &s;cruple, I do ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s that I have &s;een him, and that it was by my invitation he came to <HI>Heraclea:</HI> Moreover I am mo&s;t certain, that he came hither without any intentions of con&s;piring either again&s;t your Per&s;on, or State. If I &s;hould have the lea&s;t &s;u&s;picion of any &s;uch thing, in lieu of defending, I &s;hould accu&s;e him, and move you to puni&s;h him. Si&s;ter, &s;aid the King, I do not &s;o much endeavour the ju&s;tification of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as I do the pre&s;ervation of your honour. And &s;ince I know you generous and full of rea&s;on, I cannot believe you will love <HI>Spitridates</HI> more then the ho|nour of that family from which you are de&s;cended; therefore you mu&s;t not think it &s;trange, if this Prince being criminal, be not treated with &s;o much indulgence as perhaps another Prince might be; for indeed, he is of that family which mu&s;t be kept under; therefore Si&s;ter, the lea&s;t I can do is to keep <HI>Spitridates</HI> in pri&s;on perpetually: Did I conceive him innocent, all the policy in the world &s;hould <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ever induce me to this rigour: but &s;ince he &s;eems to be cul|pable, I mu&s;t &s;ecure him: yet to make you &s;atisfaction for the lo&s;s of this Prince, who doubtle&s;s was owner of excellent parts, I conjure you to marry <HI>Pharnaces:</HI> O Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I be&s;eech you &s;peak not unto me of any marriage, &s;o &s;oon after the Funerals of the King my Father; nor force me to di&s;obey tho&s;e Commands which the late King my Brother, when he was dying, did impo&s;e upon me. What Commands did he impo&s;e? (replied he.) He commanded me, (&s;aid &s;he, and blu&s;ht) to be con&s;tant unto that opinion, which he by his Will when he dyed appointed me to have of <HI>Spitridates:</HI> When he &s;aid &s;o, replied the King, he did not fore&s;ee that <HI>Spitridates</HI> would be a Delinquent to the State. Oh Sir, &s;aid &s;he, <HI>Spitridates</HI> is mo&s;t innocent, and by your &s;lighting of the la&s;t Will of the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> do not con&s;train me to di&s;obey you al&s;o in your commands of marrying <HI>Pharnaces?</HI> though he be a man of much worth, yet one whom I never loved, but e&s;teemed very much; and therefore &s;hall never behave my &s;elf but with indifferency towards him: The Prince&s;s thought that the King would have returned a &s;harp reply, unto &s;uch an ingenious declaration: But the pa&s;&s;ion which was in his own &s;oul, doubtle&s;s teaching him how to excu&s;e in another that weakne&s;s which he found in him&s;elf, he left her without one angry word: yet de&s;iring her &s;till to marry <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> and telling her, that &s;he &s;hould change her opinion with the Times. The Love of <HI>Mandana</HI> taking up the whole &s;oul of this Prince, made him never think upon <HI>Spitrida|tes:</HI> his thoughts for &s;ome certain days were wholly imployed in &s;ending unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to de|mand the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> in marriage, and giving all nece&s;&s;ary orders for the magnificen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">: of the Emba&s;&s;adour. In the mean while, the Prince&s;s fore&s;eeing that <HI>Spitridates</HI> would never get out of pri&s;on, unle&s;s either by force or policy &s;he re&s;olved to &s;et him free: and &s;he was the &s;ooner induced to it, becau&s;e he who commanded that Tower where <HI>Spitridates</HI> was im|pri&s;oned, was one who was much obliged unto me; for during the late Kings raign, I &s;aved the life of one of his children, who was &s;entenced to die for &s;ome grand crime, and I obtained his pardon: Then was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> imployed to negotiate in this important bu&s;ine&s;s, which in fifteen days I tran&s;acted &s;o happily that I moved this man, by the memory of my pa&s;t benefit, pre&s;ent gri|tuity, and future hopes, to contrive a way how <HI>Spitridates</HI> might e&s;cipe, and he not &s;u&s;pe|cted: This Tower did &s;tand in the very Sea, in the top of which there was a walk: this man in the name of the pri&s;oner asked leave for him to walk there one hour or two every day: &s;o that briding two of the Guards which accompanied him, he tyed unto the top of this Tarra&s;s, a Ladder of ropes, as if <HI>Spitridates</HI> had e&s;caped that way; and none perceiving him, this Cap|tain of the Tower did &s;hut this Prince and the two &s;uborned Guards in a very private place of the Ca&s;tle: counterfeiting after this, to be much troubled: he asked where <HI>Spitridates</HI> was, and was an&s;wered, that he was in the Tarra&s;s: Thither he went with many &s;ouldiers, and not finding him, he found the Ladder which he him&s;elf had placed there: he &s;hewed it unto them
<PB N="121" REF="251">
which followed him, he chafed, and &s;aid, that certainly their companions had betrayed him, and that doubtle&s;s he was gone in a little boat, &s;ince a great Ship could not approach; he be|gan to fume and fret, and threaten all them that were pre&s;ent, and to accu&s;e them as well as tho&s;e who were e&s;caped: and being in all appearance tran&s;ported with fury, he went to acquaint the King, he told them, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> might certainly be overtaken, if he were immediately &s;ent after, and that he conceived he could not yet get into <HI>Heraclea,</HI> and therefore if they &s;ent out many Shallops they would infallibly meet with this pri&s;oner, and all his complices; to be &s;hort, he carried it &s;o hand&s;omly, that the King him&s;elf was deluded; and appointed not only many Barks to be &s;ent out at Sea, but al&s;o that there &s;hould be &s;trict Guards kept at the Gates of the Town, left <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;hould get in di&s;guized, not conceiving that he dur&s;t put to op<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n Sea in a &s;mall Boat; and upon &s;earch there was not any con&s;iderable Ship wanting in the Port. Moreover, <HI>Phar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aces</HI> and <HI>Artanus</HI> knowing that his pa&s;&s;ion to the Prince&s;s was the cau&s;e of all this, per&s;waded the King, that certainly he would get into <HI>Heraclea</HI> in the habit of a fi&s;her, or &s;ome &s;uch di&s;guize, and therefore what pains did not they take to apprehend him? they founlrf the Guards at the gates; they &s;et Centuries in the &s;treets: they &s;earched all &s;u&s;pected hou&s;es; and omitted nothing that might make their wi&s;ht for di&s;covery. The King had &s;ome light &s;u&s;picions, that the Prince&s;s had &s;ome hand in this e&s;cape, and told her as much. But &s;ince he had no proofs, and was ignorant of any obligations between me, and the Captain of that Tower, for it was by the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> that I had obtained pardon for his &s;on, all the&s;e &s;urmi&s;es and &s;u&s;pitions did quickly vani&s;h. All this while, <HI>Spitridates</HI> was in the pri&s;on where they never &s;earched, and where he mu&s;t remain a while before he dur&s;t attempt a coming out. When <HI>Spitridates</HI> was informed by this Captain, that it was by my negotiation he was in pri|&s;on, but not a pri&s;oner; he &s;uppo&s;ed that the Prince&s;s did al&s;o know of it; &s;o that he de&s;ired &s;o much favour as to &s;ee me before he departed, which, without acquainting the Prince&s;s, I con&s;ent|ed unto it, conceiving my &s;elf obliged to do &s;o much for the &s;on of the right King of <HI>Bythinia:</HI> but after I had given him &s;ome hopes of his de&s;ire, the difficulty was how to execu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e it; yet &s;ince the Captain of the Towers wife was of the intelligence, I re&s;olved to go thither with one woman only, and to enter by a little back dore, which was towards the walls of the Town. It is impo&s;&s;ible, Sir, for me to relate all the te&s;timonies of grateful acknowledgments, which <HI>Spitridates</HI> did give unto <HI>Araminta,</HI> and me. But <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, have you not &s;et me at liberty, with intentions to exile me for ever? Is it not only an exchange of this pu|ni&s;hment for one more cruel? Sir, replied I unto him, it is fortune, not the Prince&s;s, which ba|ni&s;heth you; but &s;ince fortune is a very uncon&s;tant Lady, there is &s;ome hopes that &s;ince &s;he has changed &s;o often unto your di&s;advantage, &s;he will at length change in your favour. I wi&s;h &s;he may, replied he, although I cannot hope it: However <HI>Ho&s;ionida,</HI> it would be the height of cruelty, for me to depart, and not bid adieu unto my Prince&s;s, or know her la&s;t will, and plea|&s;ure. I can ea&s;ily acquaint you with her intentions, &s;aid I unto him, &s;ince &s;he has done me the honour to tru&s;t me with her mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts: but as for &s;eeing her, it is not permitted &s;o much as to think upon it: Leave it unto the Gods, Sir, who perhaps will be more propitious unto you during your exile, then you imagine: But <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, and &s;ighed, may a mi&s;erable and ab&s;ent Prince ever hope that the Divine <HI>Araminta</HI> will ever pre&s;erve her affection entirely to him? Yes Sir, replied I, you may, and without any fear of being deceived: for &s;ince your unhappine&s;s is but an effect of your love to her, &s;he would be very unju&s;t, if &s;he &s;hould not always re&s;ent your misfortunes: Go therefore Sir, and &s;eek out &s;ome Sanctuary, until &s;ome change be found in the hearts of the two Kings of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and of <HI>Bythinia.</HI> The prince&s;s does very well know, that if you had any thoughts of remounting the Throne, you might have done it: and &s;he conceives her &s;elf mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly obliged unto you for preferring her before a Crown: &s;o that it is impo&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould ever forget it.</P>
<P>In conclu&s;ion, Sir, I made him re&s;olve upon his departure: and &s;ince he had many jewels which the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> gave him at his departure from <HI>Chri&s;opolis,</HI> he would not receive any of tho&s;e which I offered him from the Prince&s;s; for I knew her in|tentions was to furni&s;h him: he therefore de&s;ired me to deliver a Letter unto her; which he writ in my pre&s;ence, and which, if my memory faile not, was in the&s;e Terms.</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="122" REF="252">
<HEAD>SPITRIDATES <HI>unto the Prince&s;s</HI> ARAMINTA.</HEAD>
<P>I Go Madam, &s;ince it is your plea&s;ure, be I go the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man alive; I neither know whither I &s;hall go, nor when I &s;hall return, no, nor whether you wi&s;h I &s;hould ever return, and yet I am bid to live and hope; but I can neither do the one nor the other, unle&s;s you command it by two lines under your hand: Therefore my divine Prin|ce&s;s, I do beg it in the name of that illu&s;trious Prince, who now is dead, but who yet &s;hall live eternally in the memory of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>SPITRIDATES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After this Prince had given me his Letter, and a hundred things in charge to tell the Prince&s;s, I went unto her, and related all the pa&s;&s;ages of our meeting; at the fir&s;t &s;he lamented the fate, but upon &s;econd thoughts was not &s;orry for it; and I was &s;o importunate with her, that I moved her to return this an&s;wer unto that di&s;tre&s;&s;ed Prince.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>ARAMINTA <HI>unto</HI> SPITRIDATES.</HEAD>
<P>MAy you live as long as it &s;hall be the plea&s;ure of the Gods to permit; and hope, that as long as <HI>Araminta</HI> lives, &s;he will pray for you; and &s;ince you de&s;ire it, &s;he bids you live, and hope.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ARAMINTA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>The Captain of that Tower coming to take this Letter, he a&s;&s;ured me that <HI>Spitridates</HI> would depart that night following, with tho&s;e two of the guard, who helped him to e&s;cape, and whom he took to &s;erve him. Moreover he told me, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> de&s;ired he might &s;ometimes write u to him, to the end he might acquaint me with his fortune, and return my an&s;wers back unto him: So when night came, we were certain this Prince would depart, and the Prince&s;s was &s;o troubled at it, that I wonder &s;omething extraordinary was not di&s;co|vered in her mind; but the next morning we were informed, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was very &s;afe|ly gone out of <HI>Heraclea,</HI> by the &s;ame way, which it was conceived, he e&s;caped before, the Captain providing a &s;hip for him in the night: Though the Prince&s;s had rea&s;on rather to be glad that he was gone, then that he &s;hould continue mued up in a pri&s;on, yet her &s;oul was extreamly &s;ad, when &s;he imagined that perhaps &s;he &s;hould never &s;ee him again: But this long and tedious ab&s;ence mu&s;t be endu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed and in the interim there fell out many remarkable acci|dents; for as it is well known unto you Sir, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> refu&s;ed to give <HI>Mandana</HI> unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> which made him the &s;ooner forget <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and his anger was &s;o high, that a war again&s;t <HI>Ciaxares</HI> mu&s;t be declared, under a &s;pecious pretence of right unto the Towns of <HI>Ani&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Cera&s;ea:</HI> You Sir are better acquainted with all the pa&s;&s;ages of that bu&s;i|ne&s;s then I can relate, and obtained more honor then my memory can conain; I &s;hall only re|late what is requi&s;ite to in&s;truct you in the &s;tory of this Prince&s;s: As &s;oon then as the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> heard, that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had rejected him, he prepared for war, thinking that perhaps it might move him to give the prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> unto him; he &s;ent for aid from the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> who promi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed to imbrace his intere&s;t, according to the la&s;t treaty between the late King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and him, and that he would come him&s;elf in per&s;on to command his forces. Since the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;tood in need of all aid, he invited the prince <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and <HI>Eu|riclides</HI> his &s;econd &s;on to &s;erve in his Army, and <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> dur&s;t not deny him: We under|&s;tood al&s;o at the &s;ame time, that this prince hearing how <HI>Spitridates</HI> came di&s;gui&s;ed unto <HI>He|raclea,</HI> was &s;o incen&s;ed at it, that he did prote&s;t if ever he got him within his power, he would not treat him as a &s;on, but as a rebellious &s;ubject, and a Delinquent unto the State; who had broke out of pri&s;on; &s;o that <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who was gone into <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> and writ unto me as well as the prince&s;s, to know whether he might c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">me &s;afely unto the King her brother when he was in the head of his Army, &s;he did forbid him, becau&s;e <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was to be there, and becau&s;e the prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> had acquainted her with the real re&s;entments of <HI>Ar&s;amones.</HI> But while&s;t all preparations of war were in hand, <HI>Pharnaces</HI> and <HI>Artanus</HI> neglected no addre&s;&s;es unto the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and &s;pru&s;ed up them&s;elves eve|ry way to invite her love, but all their cares and court&s;hip was in vain; for as there is nothing which fa&s;tens the knot of amity more then misfortunes does, among&s;t per&s;ons truly generous, &s;o <HI>Spitridates</HI> being unfortunate, by rea&s;on of his love unto the prince&s;s, was deeper rooted
<PB N="123" REF="252">
in her heart then before; and &s;he knowing that <HI>Artanus</HI> was the occa&s;ion of his la&s;t impri&s;on|ment, and that <HI>Pharnaces</HI> did acquaint the King with their meeting, &s;he was therefore &s;o in|cen&s;ed again&s;t them, that &s;he could not endure the &s;ight of them; yet after that the <HI>Phrygian</HI> Regiments were drawn up to the general Rendez-vouz, and joyned with the <HI>Pontean</HI> forces, the King made ready to depart, and though <HI>Artanus</HI> had no great fancy unto any matters of war, yet he dur&s;t not do as he did before, but made him&s;elf ready as others did to go; and &s;ince the King did not all favour his de&s;ign upon the prince&s;s, he took his leave of her only in pub|like, but <HI>Pharnaces</HI> did not &s;o; for the King of <HI>Pont</HI> going to bid her adieu, he carried <HI>Pharnaces</HI> with him, and left him there in private with her; I chanced to be then in the prin|ce&s;s chamber, and I do confe&s;s, I &s;aw &s;o deep a melancholy in the face of <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> that con&s;idering his merit, I did much pity him, and wi&s;hed for his &s;ake, that he were able to de|&s;i&s;t his love from the prince&s;s, &s;ince it was not in her power to render him happy; &s;ince the King was gone, and this like to be his la&s;t vi&s;it, &s;he was not &s;o &s;evere towards him as &s;ormerly, but &s;uffered him to &s;peak unto her: Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I come to receive my do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">m from you, before I go unto the wars, and ask you whether I mu&s;t fight, as one that would vanqui&s;h, or as one that mu&s;t die, whether I mu&s;t pre&s;erve my life, or ab&s;olutely lo&s;e it, for upon your will only, ab&s;olutely depends my de&s;tiny: Yes Madam, if you permit me any hopes, perhaps I &s;hall live, vanqui&s;h, and return; but if you intend to tell me, that I mu&s;t not have any &s;hare in any hope, then I be&s;eech you bid me this la&s;t adieu without any bitterne&s;s, &s;ince the Gods certainly will not pre&s;erve what you de&s;ire to de&s;troy, nor draw me out of tho&s;e dan|gers unto which I will expo&s;e my &s;elf, pronounce my &s;entence then Madam, and let it be with &s;incerity, though you will not with &s;atisfaction: Remember I be&s;eech you, that he whom you de&s;ire to make haypy cannot be &s;o, and therefore you have le&s;s rea&s;on to treat me ill: If the prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> could ever enjoy your affection, I do prote&s;t before the Gods which hear me, I would rather die without complaint, then interrupt your felicity; but &s;ince that For|tune has put an unremoveable ob&s;tacle unto his happine&s;s, why may not you make me happy? and why divine Prince&s;s will you oppo&s;e again&s;t my glory? I do not ask &s;o much, as that you &s;hould love me, I only beg you would not hate me, and to be more pliant unto the Kings de|&s;ires. I wi&s;h to the Gods <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> replied the prince&s;s, that your happine&s;s did depend upon me, as you believe it does: But to manife&s;t unto you that the cau&s;e of complaint again&s;t you, has not extingui&s;hed out of my &s;oul that high e&s;teem which all the world ought to have of your merit; I will contribute as much as is in my power unto your freedom, and move you by my own &s;incerity to vanqui&s;h your own &s;oul, and to re&s;t &s;atisfied. Know then <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> that &s;ince I am obliged to entertain the affection of <HI>Spitridates</HI> by the commands of the late King my fa|ther, and the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> my brother, I mu&s;t eternally pay obedience unto them; and the mo&s;t peremptory commands of one living King, &s;hall never make me di&s;obedient unto the will of two dead Kings: 'Tis true, I do re&s;olve never to marry <HI>Spitridates</HI> without the con|&s;ent of the King my brother, neither am I as fully re&s;olved ever to marry any el&s;e but him; therefore <HI>Pharnaces</HI> regulate your de&s;igns accordingly, and make u&s;e of that great courage which the gods have in&s;pired you withall, to vanqui&s;h and &s;uppre&s;s a misfortune, which as I think requires not all the vigor of your mind to &s;urmount it; live then <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> live I &s;ay, but let it be in liberty, that you may live happily; and &s;ince the want which the King would have of you, would be irreparable, I earne&s;tly de&s;ire you to pre&s;erve your life, which would con|duce infinitely unto my &s;atisfaction, if you could &s;o far prevail with your &s;elf, as only to e|&s;teem me. But &s;uppo&s;e Madam, replied he, that I cannot &s;o prevail with my &s;elf, would you not conceive it more rea&s;onable that death &s;hould rather deliver you and me from that &s;ervi|tude which di&s;plea&s;eth you, then to &s;ee me perpetually langui&s;hing at your feet, and vexing you? Death, &s;aid &s;he unto him, is a thing &s;o horrid, that I do not wi&s;h it unto my very e|nemies; and therefore I mu&s;t needs advi&s;e you, not to take &s;o violent a remedy as that: But Madam (&s;aid he unto her with extream &s;orrow) is it &s;o, that you can never love the mi&s;erable <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> nor for &s;ake the too happy <HI>Spitridates?</HI> I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s it with much enge|nuity, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) becau&s;e I may do it with much innocency. It is enough Madam (&s;aid he unto her with a drooping &s;adne&s;s) and I be&s;eech you do me the favour to believe, that this &s;hall be the la&s;t time of all my life I ever &s;hall importune you; and I pray unto the Gods, that the news of my death may make you know I am able to di&s;pute with <HI>Spitridates</HI> for the glory of perfectly loving you. After this, he left the Prince&s;s with &s;uch a melancholy motion, and his countenance did &s;o alter as he did bid her adieu, that it might well be &s;aid, all the horrors of death were in his eyes, and the Prince&s;s could not chu&s;e but pity him. Af|ter this Sir, we remained at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> &s;oliciting the Gods again&s;t you Sir, for we knew
<PB N="124" REF="253">
you would be in that war; but it &s;eemed Heaven was not pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">piti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">us <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nto us; for you &s;aved the life of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> you conquered, and triumphed, and did &s;uch wonders, that though they were unto our di&s;advantage, yet could we not cau&s;e but admire when we heard them related: I &s;hall &s;lightly pa&s;s over the beginning of this war, and in a few words tell you, that when the combate of two hundred again&s;t two hundred was re&s;olved upon, and when all the que&s;tion was concerning the choice, there was a great conte&s;t among&s;t the Gallantry of our Army, who &s;hould be the Combatants: and though <HI>Artanus</HI> was none of them, yet &s;eemed he to de&s;ire the li&s;ting him&s;elf in the Catalogue of tho&s;e who were to be cho&s;en: The election was to be by lot, and the names of tho&s;e who a&s;pired unto this honour, &s;hould be put in writing, and drawn by the Captain of the Kings Guard. <HI>Pharnaces</HI> who was in the fir&s;t degree of va|lour, and who looked for nothing but death &s;ince he could not be loved, had no fancie to tru&s;t the bu&s;ine&s;s unto lot: &s;o that knowing who was to draw the&s;e lots, he went unto him: and after a thou&s;and prote&s;tations of friend&s;hip, and as many prayers to grant his de&s;ire, he gave unto him the Roll wherein his name was writ, and be&s;eeched him to keep it between his fin|gers, and give it unto him as if he had drawn it: The Captain &s;miling at his propo&s;ition, could not chu&s;e but tell him, that every one who brought their names were not &s;o urgent as he was to be in this Combate: <HI>Pharnaces</HI> had a &s;u&s;pition that the Captain did mean <HI>Artanus,</HI> told him, that he could not believe there was any which did not extreamly de&s;ire to honour them&s;elves by &s;uch an extraordinary occa&s;ion as this; No not <HI>Artanus</HI> him&s;elf, &s;aid he unto him, hoping thereby to move him into a farther explanation: when the Captain heard the name of <HI>Artanus</HI> mentioned, he laughed; &s;o that <HI>Pharnaces</HI> thinking his thoughts true, did pre&s;s &s;o urgently, that he told him how <HI>Artanus</HI> had been with him, and told him that this Combate being to be performed on foot, he &s;hould not be able to be an actor in it; becau&s;e his Hor&s;e not long &s;ince falling upon him, had cau&s;ed a great weakne&s;s in his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">high: yet he was not willing to make u&s;e of this excu&s;e in publick, le&s;t his enemies &s;hould make an ill con&s;tru|ction upon it, and therefore he de&s;ired and conjured him by all po&s;&s;ible entreaties to take out the Roll wherein his name was written, from among&s;t the re&s;t: and to gratifie the favour, he of|fered him any courte&s;ie if he would be faithful and &s;ecret unto him. <HI>Pharnaces</HI> finding the ba&s;ene&s;s of his Rival de&s;ired to puni&s;h him for it, and be&s;eeched the Captain to draw him&s;elf and <HI>Artanus</HI> together in the number of the Combatants, which the Captain, as well to puni&s;h the cowardize of the one, as to &s;atisfie the generous valour of the other, promi&s;ed him to do: The hour of this Ceremony being come, all the Rolls were brought unto this Captain, and he put them all into a Bag, while&s;t all the pretenders unto this honour &s;tood about him: Since <HI>Artanus</HI> thought his Roll not among&s;t the re&s;t, who was more forward and de&s;irous to be one of that number then him&s;elf? but how lamentably was he damped when he heard his own name to be the third Scrole which was drawn? he &s;eemed &s;o qualmed at the heart as every one per|ceived it: <HI>Pharnaces</HI> who was next him, did taunt him with &s;ome ambiguous language by way of Raillery, which <HI>Artanus</HI> did well enough under&s;tand: but afterwards the name of <HI>Pharnaces</HI> was drawn, and all the re&s;t in their cour&s;e, &s;o that nothing more was to be done but to prepare for combate: As for <HI>Artanus,</HI> he had never been cho&s;en, had he not been in love wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h <HI>Araminta:</HI> but he dur&s;t never publi&s;h as much, nor complain of the Captain who had deceived him: yet however he re&s;olved to go as far as the place of combate, though he did nothing el&s;e. As for <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> he went thither with other kind of thoughts; for he went in hopes to peri&s;h there, and al&s;o to &s;ee his Rival dye, but before he departed, he writ the&s;e words unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta.</HI></P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>PHARNACES unto the Prince&s;s ARAMINTA.</HEAD>
<P><HI>IF Fortune &s;econd my de&s;igne, I am going thither where by dying I &s;hall vanqui&s;h; and where I &s;hall make it known by my generous di&s;pair, that though I could not merit your affections by my &s;ervices, and by my life: yet I &s;hall not render my &s;elf unworthy of your compa&s;&s;ion by my death.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>PHARNACES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>The truth is Sir, you know, he fought like a Fury, and died a <HI>Hero:</HI> As for <HI>Artanus,</HI> I believe you are not ignorant, Sir, of the rea&s;on why he kept him&s;elf <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">id while&s;t <HI>Pharnaces</HI> only was re&s;i&s;ted by you, which was, his hopes that you would di&s;patch his only Rival, for he made no account of <HI>Spitridates:</HI> and &s;o love having its &s;everal operations, it moved <HI>Pharna|ces</HI>
<PB N="125" REF="253">
to be more valiant then ever, and <HI>Artanus</HI> to be more cowardly then he could imagine him&s;elf: When we had intelligence of <HI>Pharnaces</HI> his death, and pre&s;ently after heard of <HI>Ar|tanus</HI> his ba&s;ene&s;s, we lamented the lo&s;s of the fir&s;t, and abhorred the villany of the other: &s;o that &s;ince the Combate you had with him to make him confe&s;s his lye, he dur&s;t never &s;hew him&s;elf, neither to the Army, nor to the Prince&s;s, nor in <HI>Heraclea,</HI> but hid him&s;elf for a time in the Countrey, where he harboured an invetered hatred again&s;t you, not only becau&s;e you had loaded him with an intolerable burden of di&s;honour and &s;hame, but al&s;o, becau&s;e he &s;aw you re&s;embled <HI>Spitridates.</HI> That Letter from the unfortunate <HI>Pharnaces,</HI> did de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ply imprint it &s;elf in the heart of the Prince&s;s when &s;he read it, which as her &s;oul was ever extreamly tender and compa&s;&s;ionate, &s;o &s;he could not look upon it without tears in her eyes; and was for a quarter of an hour together &s;o drowned in a floud of &s;orrows, as I believe if that illu&s;trious Lover could have revived, and <HI>Spitridates</HI> had been a Spectatour, he would have dyed of a cau&s;le&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> jealou|&s;ie: In the mean while we had no intelligence from this exiled Prince; and all the con&s;olation which the Prince&s;s had, was a &s;ecret corre&s;pondency with the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> and in doing her all the good offices &s;he was able. The King was &s;o deeply perplexed at the death of <HI>Phar|naces,</HI> as po&s;&s;ible could be: but &s;ince the love of <HI>Mandana</HI> was more predominate in his heart then any thing el&s;e, he cheared up him&s;elf with the thoughts of her; and that &s;eeming peace after your victory, being again broken; Wars, as you know, began to break out more violently then before: then I mu&s;t needs tell you, Sir, that none could ever entertain a greater admiration of any then we of you; and when we heard the wonders of all your actions related, we had a good ground for our belief, that the Gods were infinitely favourable unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> in &s;end|ing him &s;uch a Defendor: To be &s;hort, it was impo&s;&s;ible for any to e&s;teem an enemy more then we did the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes:</HI> Al&s;o when the Prince&s;s heard how <HI>Artanus</HI> had con|&s;pired again&s;t your life, and &s;uborned forty Con&s;pirators to de&s;troy you, &s;he had &s;uch a fre&s;h and &s;trong aver&s;ion to him, that his very name was horrid unto her ear: for &s;ince &s;he under|&s;tood you had &s;aved the King her Brothers life, &s;he became extreamly tender of yours: and when you pardoned <HI>Artanus,</HI> and &s;ent him back, &s;he murmured a little (though &s;he did ad|mire you) again&s;t that exce&s;&s;ive genero&s;ity which moved you to de&s;ire the King of <HI>Pont</HI> not to puni&s;h him: yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;he negotiated &s;o with the King her Brother, that &s;he procured his bani&s;hment out of the Kingdom, with a &s;trict command never to be &s;een in it again. Since this Sir, until that famous adventure when you took the King of <HI>Pont</HI> pri&s;oner, and when we thought you dead, I have nothing to relate, unle&s;s I &s;hould entertain you with tho&s;e &s;orrows which the Prince&s;s apprehended, for the di&s;grace of the King her Brother, and with her Lamentations for the long ab&s;ence of <HI>Spitridates.</HI> But &s;ince I &s;hould thereby only a|bu&s;e your patience, becau&s;e you may ea&s;ily imagine it without my relation, I &s;hall only tell you, that the very next morning after you came wounded unto that Ca&s;tle, where the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Arbiana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> were, there came a me&s;&s;enger from the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> who was going unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> his Si&s;ter with this me&s;&s;age, that he was as much grieved for the death of his vanqui&s;her, as he was for the lo&s;s of his own liberty: &s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ce this Envoy did but only pa&s;s by, and was not to &s;tay in this Ca&s;tle, where <HI>Arbiana</HI> and <HI>Ari|&s;tea</HI> were, the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> taking you for <HI>Spitridates,</HI> did write the&s;e few words only in a Letter.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The Prince&s;s <HI>ARISTEA,</HI> unto the Prince&s;s <HI>ARAMINTA.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>I Hardly dare tell you that</HI> Spitridates <HI>is here, becau&s;e he is here wounded: yet &s;ince I cannot make a Secret of any thing which will add unto your joy, I cannot conceal it.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ARISTEA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>You may imagine with what variety of apprehen&s;ions the Prince&s;s mind was po&s;&s;e&s;t upon the receipt of this Letter; and under&s;tanding by this Me&s;&s;enger that the King her Brother had lo&s;t two Battels in one day; That he was taken pri&s;oner; that you were dead: You Sir, I &s;ay, in whom the King her Brother had &s;o great a hope, her &s;orrows were &s;o great, that &s;he could not perfectly reli&s;h any joy at the pretended return of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> e&s;pecially hearing by the &s;ame relation that he returned wounded: yet &s;ince love, as they &s;ay, is a mo&s;t imperious pa&s;&s;ion, and will be Soveraign in that heart which is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with it; therefore &s;he would &s;ometimes rejoyce and chear up her &s;elf in hopes of &s;eeing <HI>Spitridates</HI> again: but within two days after this, &s;he was deprived of that hope: for the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> did write again
<PB N="126" REF="254">
unto her how &s;he had been deceived by a mo&s;t prodigious re&s;emblance, &s;he intimated by her Letter, that the picture of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> did undeceive her, when &s;he &s;hewed it un|to him whom &s;he took for her brother; and the conclu&s;ion of the Letter was, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was not returned; &s;o that &s;he re&s;ented the misfortunes of her brother the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> with|out any ingredient of con&s;olation, but yet notwith&s;tanding pre&s;ently after, when &s;he heard of your being revived, as I may &s;ay, it was a great mitigation of her &s;orrows, e&s;pecially when &s;he heard that it was you who was taken for <HI>Spitridates,</HI> at the hou&s;e of <HI>Arbiana;</HI> her hopes was, that you Sir being the mo&s;t generous of men, would treat her brother the King of <HI>Pont</HI> very well; and her hopes al&s;o was the more plea&s;ant unto her, that <HI>Spitridates,</HI> ac|cording to the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;teas</HI> Letter, would exactly re&s;emble him. In the mean time, &s;ince this Prince&s;s had a &s;oul which was capable of all things, &s;he began to ca&s;t her cares upon the bu&s;ine&s;s of State, but &s;he found them to be in extream di&s;order. The King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> was retreated after the lo&s;s of two battels in a day unto the furthe&s;t part of all <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and who when he was over the river <HI>Sangar,</HI> received intelligence, that <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> King of <HI>Lydia</HI> was entred into his Dominions with a pui&s;&s;ant Army, &s;o that he was con&s;trained to look after his own defence, and taken off from the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of others: All his Regiments al&s;o were ex|ceedingly &s;hattered and weakned; but yet when the Prince&s;s did conceive that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> ha|ving the King of <HI>Pont</HI> pri&s;oner, he would not make any new attempts, &s;ince he was able to make his own conditions, without any <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">urther hazard of his forces, &s;he was then a little more at re&s;t.</P>
<P>But within a few daies after, &s;he was extreamly a&s;toni&s;hed to hear, that all the &s;ouldiers af|ter the King was taken did declare them&s;elves for <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and that all <HI>Bythinia</HI> was up in Arms in his behalf, and were re&s;olved to return under the obedience of their antient Lord. Moreover that <HI>Artanus,</HI> who was one of high quality, was returned into the Kingdom, and had al&s;o rai&s;ed a great part of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and was him&s;elf retired unto a very con&s;iderable Town called <HI>Cabira,</HI> having before hand &s;uborned the Governour thereof with a good &s;um of mo|ney. Imagine Sir, I be&s;eech you, in what an intangled condition this young Prince&s;s was in, to &s;ee the King of <HI>Pont</HI> her brother a pri&s;oner, and that <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> the father of <HI>Spitrida|tes,</HI> was not only Ma&s;ter of all <HI>Bythinia,</HI> but was al&s;o in the head of an Army, ready to fall upon the Kingdom of <HI>Pontus,</HI> &s;o that &s;he was con&s;trained with all the power &s;he had to oppo&s;e and make war again&s;t the Father of a Prince, who infinitely adored her, and whom &s;he her &s;elf did not hate. She furthermore &s;aw, that he who of all men living &s;he mo&s;t &s;corned, and had the greate&s;t aver&s;ion unto, had bandied a con&s;iderable party again&s;t her, notwith|&s;tanding his great affection unto her: She, poor Prince&s;s, had neither any forces, nor money to rai&s;e them; and that State was &s;o imbroyled, that &s;he knew not whom to tru&s;t; and in this pittiful di&s;tracted condition, &s;he knew not whether &s;he &s;hould be &s;ad or glad at the ab&s;ence of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> for &s;he conceived it not fit for him to fight for her again&s;t his own father, neither did &s;he de&s;ire he &s;hould fight for his father again&s;t her; &s;o that not knowing either what to wi&s;h; or what to do, &s;he prayed unto the Gods to deliver her out of this gulph of misfor|tunes. But in conclu&s;ion Sir, your genero&s;ity not deceiving her hopes, but &s;etting the King of <HI>Pont</HI> at liberty, unto whom you gave con&s;iderable Auxiliaries under the conduct of <HI>Ar|taxes,</HI> we received this intelligence with all acclamations of joy; and indeed the people of <HI>He|raclea</HI> took fre&s;h heart, when they heard their Prince &s;et at liberty after &s;o generous a manner, publike rejoycings were appointed, and the glorious name of <HI>Artamenes</HI> was as highly cele|brated in <HI>Heraclea,</HI> as it was in <HI>Sinope</HI> or <HI>Themi&s;cira.</HI> The Prince&s;s then hearing the King was upon his return, would go to meet him, and &s;ince we knew there was none of <HI>Ar&s;amo|nes</HI> his troops that way which he was to come, we went two dayes journies before to meet him; but to our great misfortune we fell into an Ambu&s;cado which waited for us in a Forre&s;t, and carried us a blind way which was unknown unto us; we knew not whether they would carry us unto <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> or <HI>Artanus,</HI> and in the choice of the&s;e two, the Prince&s;s knew not which to wi&s;h; for if it &s;hould be unto <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> though &s;he was in hopes of much mild|ne&s;s from him, by the mediation of the Prince&s;s <HI>Arbiana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> yet &s;he imagined that the King her brother might perhaps &s;u&s;pect &s;he did voluntarily fall into his hands, &s;ince he was not ignorant of her affection unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> though he could not be ignorant that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> did hate his &s;on for loving her, yet notwith&s;tanding the very name of <HI>Arta|nus</HI> was &s;o aver&s;e unto her fancy, that at the hazard of being ill u&s;ed by <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> or &s;u|&s;pected by the King her brother, &s;he wi&s;hed rather to be carried into <HI>Bythinia,</HI> then unto <HI>Cabira,</HI> under the power of &s;uch a man: But yet the choice was not in her, for towards night we were brought unto <HI>Artanus,</HI> who as amorous as he was, dur&s;t not venture him|&s;elf
<PB N="127" REF="254">
in this enterprize, but committed the carriage of the bu&s;ine&s;s unto a re&s;olute &s;ouldier, who heretofore was one of tho&s;e who con&s;pired again&s;t your life: When the Prince&s;s &s;aw <HI>Artanus</HI> in the head of two hundred hor&s;e ready to receive her, &s;he was &s;urprized; for though he was known to be a very Coward, yet &s;ince to be a Mutineer and a Rebel is &s;uffici|ent to rai&s;e a party, his was not &s;mall, and we were much grieved to &s;ee &s;o many gallant men obeying &s;uch a Captain; but we were forced to &s;ubmit unto fortune, and be carried into <HI>Ca|bira,</HI> where he was Ma&s;ter, and in which there was a Ca&s;tle of a great &s;trength, wherein he lodg|ed us: I will not &s;tay to relate unto you Sir all the in&s;olencies of <HI>Artanus,</HI> for it is enough that you know him a Coward, to imagine how he would lay a&s;ide all due re&s;pects when he is once the &s;tronger; and &s;ince it is mo&s;t ordinary to &s;ee them who want courage never to be &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive, but when they are weak, yet he met with a &s;oul &s;o great in the Prince&s;s, and &s;o re&s;olute a &s;pirit, that maugre all his in&s;olence, &s;he &s;o charmed him, that he dur&s;t hardly come into her chamber, or to &s;ee her. Mean while the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> as afterwards we heard, came to <HI>Heraclea,</HI> and was extreamly angry at the carrying away of the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter, but as the &s;tate of things &s;tood, he dur&s;t not by any means divide his Army, and he knew that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was &s;o &s;trong, that it would not permit him to continue a &s;iege; and therefore &s;ince his bu&s;ine&s;s was either to relieve a Si&s;ter, or to &s;ave two Crowns, I believe common poli|cy might ea&s;ily incline him unto the latter, rather then the fir&s;t. The condition of things &s;tand|ing thus, <HI>Artanus</HI> was &s;o impudent as to &s;end unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and offer unto him his forces, upon condition of his con&s;ent unto the marriage betwixt him&s;elf and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta;</HI> but the King would not hearken unto any &s;uch propo&s;itions, an&s;wering him. That if he had a de&s;ire to vanqui&s;h his enemies without any trouble, he would wi&s;h them &s;uch aid as he offered; and al&s;o bidding him have a care how he u&s;ed the prince&s;s his Si&s;ter, becau&s;e as &s;oon as he had fini&s;hed the <HI>Bythinian</HI> war, he would then call him to a &s;trict account for all his demeanour: You may imagine then Sir in what a condition the prince&s;s was in, who knew of all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages by one of her guards, who was &s;uborned unto it: For when &s;he imagi|ned that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would kill the King her brother, or that the King her brother would kill the father of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;he did ab&s;olutely lo&s;e her rea&s;on. In the mean while the King of
<HI>Pantus,</HI> after he had rallied all the forces he was able, went into the field to oppo&s;e <HI>Ar&s;amo|nes,</HI> who was already ma&s;ter of a great part in the Kingdom of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and in the fir&s;t en|counter the Prince <HI>Euriclides</HI> was &s;lain, which much grieved <HI>Ar&s;amones.</HI> But Sir, why &s;hould I bu&s;ie my &s;elf in relating the particulars of a war which is known all over <HI>A&s;ia?</HI> It is enough that I acquaint you how this Prince, as gallant as he was, yet was he almo&s;t quite bea|ten; that which contributed much unto his ruine, was <HI>Aribeus,</HI> who calling away his bro|ther with all his forces, did much weaken him; and though the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would not con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ent unto it, becau&s;e it was done without any order, either from <HI>Ciaxares</HI> or you, yet <HI>Artaxes</HI> obeyed the ab&s;olute authority of <HI>Aribeus,</HI> who was then Governour of <HI>Sinope;</HI> &s;o that this Prince being much weakned thereby, was forced to make a retreat into <HI>Heraclea,</HI> and to &s;tay there until he had rai&s;ed fre&s;h forces, and be able to come again into the field: But Sir, he had not time for it, for <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> after that the Prince <HI>In<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aphernes</HI> the &s;on of <HI>Ga|dates</HI> was come unto him, not omitting &s;uch a favourable opportunity, advanced with his Army, and be&s;ieged him within the capital Ci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y of all his Kingdom, which indeed was the only place that remained under his obedience; for that part which was not &s;ubjected unto <HI>Ar|&s;amones,</HI> yet took part with <HI>Artanus.</HI> We under&s;tood by &s;everal relations whil&s;t we were in <HI>Cabira,</HI> how the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> during this fiege, did do &s;uch miracles, as that it may well be &s;aid he de&s;erved a hundred Crowns in lo&s;ing his own: But however, &s;eeing his ene|mies were not only Ma&s;ters of all without the Town, but al&s;o of one of the Gates, and that they had now nothing to do but to enforce the la&s;t entrenchment; &s;ince he had no mind to fall alive into the hands of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> he re&s;olved to fly away in a &s;hip, and to go and offer his &s;word unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> towards the delivery of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> of who&s;e carrying a|way he had heard with unconceiveable &s;orrow, and hoping that a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ter this you would aid him to recover his Dominions: And indeed he did execute the fir&s;t part of his de&s;ign, for he went out of <HI>Heraclea,</HI> not any thing of two flouri&s;hing Kingdoms remaining unto him, but the ti|tle of King, which fortune could not deprive him of. When the Prince&s;s received this &s;ad news, &s;he re&s;ented it with in&s;upportable &s;orrow; for Sir, be plea&s;ed to know, that the in|&s;olent <HI>Artanus</HI> a&s;&s;uming new boldne&s;s upon this new misfortune, came unto her with more incivility then ever before we &s;aw him. Madam, &s;aid he unto her, &s;ince I ever thought that the &s;tronge&s;t rea&s;on which moved you to treat me &s;o imperiou&s;ly as you have done, was, becau&s;e I was a &s;ubject unto the King your brother, I think it therefore expedient to let you know,
<PB N="128" REF="255">
that now he mu&s;t never be my Ma&s;ter again, &s;ince fortune has taken from him his Crown, and two Kingdoms which he enjoyed, and has nothing left him but one &s;ingle &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">p, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n which he has convayed him&s;elf away from his enemies; therefore Madam, &s;ince you are not now the &s;i|&s;ter of a King, you may well look upon my condition as not inferiour unto yours, and for the future carry your &s;elf otherwi&s;e then heretofore you have done: Since you have only the heart of a Slave, replied the Prince&s;s, I &s;hould do you too much honor to regard you as a &s;imple Subject of the King my brothers; and though fortune &s;hould take away his Crown, yet &s;ince &s;he cannot take away his birth, which is infinitely above yours, &s;he therefore cannot change my opinion of you; and though you had more Crowns then the King my brother has lo&s;t, yet &s;hould I de&s;pi&s;e and &s;corn you upon your Throne, as much as I do now; and though there &s;hould be an alteration in your &s;oul (as I think it impo&s;&s;ible) yet &s;hould you never &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e me change; therefore <HI>Artanus</HI> con&s;ider a little better what you &s;ay, and remember that my fathers were ever Ma&s;ters over yours; that I have the honor to be daughter and &s;i&s;ter unto three Princes, un|to whom I have &s;een you &s;ubject, and indeed there is an undi&s;pen&s;able obligation lies upon you, to re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">pect and honor me all the daies of your life. The Prince&s;s pronounced the&s;e words with &s;o much maje&s;tique choler, that &s;he made him blu&s;h, and forced him to make a &s;curvy excu&s;e for his in&s;olency, and a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> la&s;t to leave her at liberty to lament the di&s;grace of the King her brother, which we had a more particular relation of from that guard which was very faithful un<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o us. Alas <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, how deplorable is my de&s;tiny? and unto what a cruel fate am I expo&s;ed? I was bo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n upon a Throne, and am now a Slave, and a Slave unto him that is the mo&s;t unworthy among&s;t men: I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> I con&s;ider the misfortunes of my brother, I have not tears enough to lament his misfortunes; If I contemplate my own, I &s;hall find them &s;o di&s;mal, that I &s;ee no way bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> death to terminate them; hitherto I have loved <HI>Spitridates</HI> mo&s;t inno|cen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ly, the late King my father de&s;ired it, the Prince and King <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> my brother appointed it. But now <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> &s;ince he is &s;on to an u&s;urper of my brothers Kingdom, and a ruiner of my Family, how is it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould love him without a &s;in? But Madam, &s;aid I unto her, <HI>Spitridates</HI> was not in this war: 'Tis true, &s;aid &s;he, but yet he is &s;on unto the u&s;urper of the Kingdom of <HI>Pont;</HI> &s;o that though my rea&s;on does not induce me to accu&s;e him, yet it is not hand&s;om or fit I &s;hould love him any longer; therefore <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> whether he be innocent or culpable I ought not to &s;ee him any more, though he were in a place where I might do it. Moreover, in what part of the earth could he po&s;&s;ibly be, where he could not hear the <HI>Pontean</HI> and <HI>Bythinian</HI> war di&s;cour&s;ed on? and is it credible, that &s;ince he mu&s;t needs know the &s;tate of things, I &s;hould never hear any news from him? if he was fuller of ambition then love, why did he not appear in the head of his fathers Army? and if he was fuller of love then ambition, why does he not endeavour to deliver me out of the hands of <HI>Artanus?</HI> and why did he not let me know that his heart did not approve of what <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> his father had done? I confe&s;s Madam, &s;aid I unto her, that I cannot under&s;tand why <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;hould be &s;o long &s;ilent: No more can I, replied the prince&s;s, and therefore in all rea&s;on I mu&s;t imagine him dead, but I wi&s;h the Gods he may not ju&s;tifie him&s;elf in my opinion by &s;o &s;ad a way. If I &s;hould Sir, repeat unto you all the lamentations and reflexions which the Prince&s;s had upon the King her brot<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ers misfortunes, upon the mu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ability of terrene things, and upon the innocent pa&s;&s;ions of her &s;oul, I &s;hould abu&s;e your patience; therefore I &s;hall &s;lightly pa&s;s by them, and tell you, that <HI>Artanus</HI> con&s;idering him&s;elf under the verge of a victorious A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">my, commanded by a Prince who had conquered two Kingdoms, he was not without &s;ome unquiet thoughts; f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r alth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ugh he had very gallant m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n in his party, yet was he not at all grown more valiant him<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">elf, and notwith&s;tanding all his love unto the Prince&s;s, I believe he repented more then once of his undertakings: He al&s;o &s;ent unto <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> to cap<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tulate and propound &s;ome con|ditions betwixt them. But &s;ince he de&s;ired that <HI>Cabira</HI> &s;hould remain in his hands for his &s;ecu|rity, and that he might alwayes keep the Prince&s;s <HI>Aram<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nta</HI> under his power, <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> ab|&s;olutely de&s;iring it him&s;elf, would not hearken unto him, nor hand&s;omely entertain tho&s;e which came from him; &s;o that after this refu&s;al, <HI>Artanus</HI> was more perplexed then before: 'Tis true, he enjoyed &s;ome dayes of re&s;t, becau&s;e <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> falling &s;ick, it retarded the march of his A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">my which was coming again&s;t him. As things &s;tood in this condition, there came a Ca|valier into <HI>Heraclea,</HI> where then the Queen <HI>Arbiana</HI> was (for it is but ju&s;t to give her that title which is her du<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">) there came I &s;ay a Cavalier, who on his Buckler bore the Emblem of a Slave, which &s;eemed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o have his cho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ce either of F<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tters or Crowns, and he broke the la&s;t, and a&s;&s;umed the fir&s;t, with th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tro, <HI>More heavy, but more glorious:</HI> As it was late when he came, &s;o he was unknown at his entrance into the Town, and his devi&s;e was not ob&s;erved that night; but as &s;oon as he alighted from his hor&s;e, at the hou&s;e of an old acquaintance, he went
<PB N="129" REF="255">
unto the Palace where the Queen &amp; Prince&s;s were; as for <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> he was yet &s;ick in the Coun|try, whither the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es (with the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> &s;i&s;ter unto <HI>Intaphernis,</HI> who was then in that Court) were the next morning to go. This Cavalier went &s;traight unto the chamber of the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> and de&s;ired a &s;ervant to tell her there was a &s;tranger which de&s;ired to &s;peak with her in private, concerning &s;ome important bu&s;ine&s;s; the &s;ervant told him, that &s;he was with the Queen in her clo&s;et, into which he dur&s;t not enter, but he was &s;o urgent with him to tell it unto them both, that thinking the bu&s;ine&s;s was of &s;ome great con&s;equence, that he went in, and returned pre&s;ently back to bring him in: But Sir, he was no &s;ooner &s;tepped into the Clo&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, but the Queen ri&s;ing up was extreamly &s;urprized: I am very glad (&s;aid &s;he unto him) to &s;ee you in a better condition then you were the la&s;t time I &s;aw you in <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and when I mi&s;took the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> for the unfortunate <HI>Spitridates.</HI> Madam, you give me a very glorious name (replyed the right <HI>Spitridates,</HI> for indeed it was he whom the Queen <HI>Arbiana</HI> took for you,) but yet I wonder that you &s;hould not know me. The Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> taking a candle, and looking him in the face, Madam, &s;aid &s;he unto the Queen, without all doubt he whom now you &s;ee is my brother, and not <HI>Artamenes. Spitridates</HI> who had &s;everal times been taken for another in his travels, was not le&s;s &s;urprized, then if he had not been formerly mi&s;taken; therefore telling them many pa&s;&s;ages which none but they could know, they then knew him, and expre&s;&s;ed all the &s;igns of joy and tenderne&s;s that po&s;&s;ible could be at the meet|ing of one &s;o dear unto them, whom they never thought to &s;ee again. Since the Queen his mo|ther did alwayes love him, &s;he had u&s;ed all po&s;&s;ible endeavours to moll<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">fie the incen&s;ed &s;piritof <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> but &s;he could never move him unto it; yet becau&s;e &s;he would not perplex this Prince at the fir&s;t meeting, &s;he &s;poke not any thing concerning it unto him, but only told him after &s;ome two houres conference, that he mu&s;t not let it be known he was in <HI>Heraclea,</HI> un|til &s;he had &s;poken with him. After this he went a back way unto his chamber, where &s;ome tears were be&s;towed upon the memory of <HI>Euriclides,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> &s;taid with him, who had not &s;een him &s;ince the death of <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> in the memory of whom both &s;ighed; but before he entred into di&s;cour&s;e of any thing el&s;e, he asked concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta.</HI> I cannot Sir expre&s;s the &s;orrows which <HI>Spitridates</HI> re&s;ented to &s;ee him&s;elf in that place where fir&s;t he began to love the Prince&s;s, and &s;he him; nor can I de&s;cribe his grief of heart when he con&s;idered that it was his own father who was the cau&s;e &s;he was not here now. Moreover when he fancied her to be in the clutches of <HI>Artanus,</HI> he was almo&s;t out of his &s;en&s;es, and it was long before he could give &s;atisfaction unto the Prince&s;s his &s;i&s;ter, who de&s;ired to know what adventures he met with &s;ince &s;he &s;aw him: But after many &s;ad condolements, he told her (as we knew afterwards from him&s;elf, that when he was di&s;gui&s;ed in <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> he writ a Letter unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> to ask her whether it were her plea&s;ure he &s;hould come and offer him&s;elf unto the King her brother, who was then beginning the <HI>Cappadocian</HI> war, and that in lieu of receiving &s;uch an an&s;wer as he expected he had received from the Prince&s;s, the mo&s;t cruel Letter in the world, and &s;uch a one as made him amazed to &s;ee it: And as the prin|ce&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> told him, that without all manner of que&s;tion there had been &s;ome cheat put upon him, he pulled out tho&s;e two Letters which he alwayes kept about him ever &s;ince he received them, and &s;hewing them unto her, &s;he found them to this effect.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>ARAMINTA <HI>unto</HI> SPITRIDATES.</HEAD>
<P><HI>Come not hither to offer your &s;elf unto the King my brother, but rather &s;eek out for your &s;elf a Sanctuary, in &s;ome place of the world &s;o far from me, that you may forget, e|ven the very name of</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ARAMINTA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>Oh brother (cried out the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea)</HI> my eyes tell me, that the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> writ this Letter, but my rea&s;on a&s;&s;ures me, that &s;he never thought it: Af|terwards, without &s;taying for <HI>Spitridates</HI> his an&s;wer, &s;he opened the other, and found the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="130" REF="256">
<HEAD><HI>HESIONIDA</HI> unto the Prince <HI>SPITRIDATES.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>IT grieves me to tell you, that Glory is above all things predominate in the heart of the Prince&s;s: and &s;he it &s;o peremptorily re&s;olved to obey the King, to quench her affection unto you, and to forget it, that no arguments under Heaven can alter her. Conform there|fore your mind unto your fortune if you can; and &s;ince you are generous, &s;trive to forget her who is ab&s;olutely re&s;olved never to remember you.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>HESIONIDA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>I leave it unto your imagination (&s;aid the Prince <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as &s;oon as the Prince&s;s his Si|&s;ter had done reading the&s;e two Letters) what I apprehended, after I received what now you have read: I do ea&s;ily imagine, &s;aid &s;he, but &s;ince I am certain that &s;ome or other has put a trick upon you, I am not &s;urprized at it: for truly, &s;aid &s;he, as long as the <HI>Cappadocian</HI> war la&s;ted, I continually received intelligence from the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> as I was wont to do: &s;he always enquired concerning you with extream care, &s;he has &s;ecretly done us an hundred good offices: and until the time &s;he was taken away by <HI>Artanus,</HI> we ever held a good corre&s;ponden|cy together; e&s;pecially &s;ince the war began between my Father, and the King of <HI>Pontus.</HI> More|over, when the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> came into <HI>Bythinia;</HI> and when we thought it had been you, who returned thither, &s;he expre&s;&s;ed abundance of joy, when I did intimate it unto her by a Letter, and I am certain that &s;he was as &s;ad when we acquainted her with our mi&s;take: But, &s;aid &s;he, I mu&s;t compare this pretended Letter from the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> with &s;ome which I have; and &s;aying &s;o, &s;he opened a Cabinet which was upon the Table in her Clo&s;et, and taking &s;everal Letters out, &s;he &s;et her &s;elf to ob&s;erve them very exactly: and &s;he found much difference in many Charactars: At the fir&s;t &s;ight all the world might have been decei|ved; but none could be &s;o deluded that &s;aw the fal&s;e Letter compared with the true one. <HI>Spitridates</HI> was &s;o overjoyed at his hopes of being deceived, that for a quarter of an hour he could hardly per&s;wade him&s;elf that it was a cheat, but &s;eemed to doubt of it, to the end he might move <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> to give him mine a&s;&s;urance of it, and to have a pretence to look longer upon the great difference between th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> hands. But how may it be imagined, &s;aid <HI>Spitridates,</HI> this cheat &s;hould come about? <HI>Pharnaces</HI> was out a man likely to do it: No, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, but <HI>Artanus</HI> may probably be &s;uch a knave: and indeed Sir, (as we afterwards came to know) it was he, who having di&s;covered that <HI>Spitridates</HI> had &s;ent unto <HI>Heraclea</HI> by that Captain of the Tower, wherein he was a pri&s;oner, cau&s;ed this man who had the true an&s;wer from the Prince&s;s, and me, to be followed, his Letters were taken from him, and carried unto a man, who was excellent at imitating of hands, to be counterfeited; It happened, for the favour of his cheat, that this man who had the Letters, was brought up in the hou&s;e of <HI>Artanus</HI> his father, unknown unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;o that knowing him to be the Son of his old Ma&s;ter, he was ea|&s;ily &s;uborned to carry the counterfeited Letters of <HI>Artanus,</HI> which cau&s;ed le&s;s knavery to be &s;u&s;pected. That which moved <HI>Artanus</HI> unto this, was becau&s;e he hoped the great courage of <HI>Pharnaces</HI> would cau&s;e him to be killed in this war, and then if he could but &s;end <HI>Spitri|dates</HI> far enough, he him&s;elf &s;hould then be the only man of quality in all the Kingdom, which could pretend unto the Prince&s;s. After that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was well confi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">med in his belief of being deceivd, he related with a far more calm mind then before, the di&s;pair which he was in, and how he re&s;olved to &s;eek out a death &s;omewhere &s;o far off the Prince&s;s, that &s;he &s;hould ne|ver hear any more news of him: How in this &s;ad de&s;igne, he went unto that Port which was neare&s;t, and to imbarck in the fir&s;t Ship which put to Saile without &s;o much as asking whither it went: How by chance it was a Merchants Ship of <HI>Tenedos</HI> which took him in: How from thence he went to <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> becau&s;e reports went that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would a&s;&s;ault it: How he was in all that war, and yet could not meet with death, although he did &s;ufficiently expo&s;e him&s;elf unto all dangers: How remembering him&s;elf, that if he would follow the am|bition of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> rather then the love of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> he might be a King: and that he preferred the Fetters of <HI>Araminta,</HI> before the Crown of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> he cau&s;ed to be painted upon his Buckler, a Slave, who refu&s;ed Crowns, and made choice of Chains, as I already told you: How after the conclu&s;ion of that war, he imbarqued again for <HI>Cyprus,</HI> hoping that I&s;land which was con&s;ecrated unto the Mother of Love, would be more propiti|ous unto him, then any other; but conceiving that journey too plea&s;ant for an unfortunate man, he pa&s;&s;ed into <HI>Cicilie:</HI> afterwards, not being able to &s;tay in any place, he would needs
<PB N="131" REF="256">
put to Sea gain, had he not met with a <HI>Per&s;ian Magi,</HI> who being new come a&s;hore, did ren|der him all imaginable honour; &s;peaking an hundred things in a language which he under&s;tood not: An Interpretor which he carried with him for the conveniency of his travel, told <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> how this man was a <HI>Per&s;ian,</HI> who took him to be the Son of his King, whom Mer|chants had reported to be drowned at <HI>Chalcedonia: Spitridates</HI> hearing this, an&s;wered him by the Interpretor, that he was not a <HI>Per&s;ian:</HI> that it was very true it was &s;uppo&s;ed he was drowned at <HI>Chalcedonia,</HI> but he was not: But what&s;oever this Interpretor &s;aid, this <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> would not be per&s;waded but all that <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;aid was but excu&s;es. In conclu&s;ion, Sir, he was &s;o importunate with <HI>Spitridates,</HI> to confe&s;s that which he was ignorant of, as he was forced to leave him: But this man going un<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o the Magi&s;trate of the Town, told him that the King his Ma&s;ter, had lo&s;t his only Son, and Succe&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">our unto his Dominions, who for &s;ome con|cealed rea&s;ons, would not return into his Countrey: and how that by chance he had met with him, that he was in this Town, and ready to imbarque away. He conjured the Magi&s;trate to arre&s;t him, and to &s;end him back unto the King his Father: &s;o that this Magi&s;trate finding the <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> of a grave Phi&s;aognomi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, and had acquaintance with the greate&s;t and wi&s;e&s;t men in the Town, &s;ent Orders to &s;top <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as being Son to the King of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> and to treat him with all re&s;pect as befiting his quality: you may ea&s;ily imagine that this Prince was ex|treamly amazed at it; he u&s;ed all his arguments to undeceive the&s;e men, but the more he de|nied, the more this <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> maintained that he was <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<P>In conclu&s;ion, the Magi&s;trate &s;ent both <HI>Spitridates</HI> and this <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> unto the Prince of the place, who after he had heard them both, and fearing to commit an errour, did &s;end them both unto the King of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> and made choice of a man of a good inge<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">uity and quality for this imployment, and &s;ay what <HI>Spitridates</HI> could, he was &s;ent away with a great number of &s;oul|diers: I &s;hall omit the relation of his melancholy during &s;o long a voyage, during all which time he was guarded very vigilantly: I &s;hall only acquaint you, that the <HI>Per&s;ian Magi</HI> dyed during this voyage: and being come into <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> where the Emba&s;&s;adour which went with them, heard that all the people believed <HI>Cyrus</HI> to be dead; and that the Merchants &s;aw him drowned, he began to believe <HI>Spitridates,</HI> conceiving he had no rea&s;on to conceal his being the Son of a King; as really he was &s;o: But &s;o it happened that this Emba&s;&s;adour fell &s;ick as well as the <HI>Magi,</HI> and dyed for company: &s;o that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was now at more liberty, and &s;tole away from this Emba&s;&s;adours men, when they were in the height of their mourn|ing: but yet notwith&s;tanding, he was often in danger to be &s;topped by &s;everal others who took him to be you Sir: And &s;ince he was re&s;olved to draw nearer the place where we were, that he might hear in what part of the world his Prince&s;s was, he pa&s;&s;ed out of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> into <HI>Medea,</HI> where he was al&s;o followed divers times, not knowing the rea&s;on why: Afterwards being come as far as the Frontiers of <HI>Galatia,</HI> there he heard of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Rebellion, and of the War which the King his Father had declared again&s;t the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> al&s;o he did afterwards tell the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> that this news did &s;o cruelly perplex him, as he fell &s;o extreamly &s;ick upon it, that never man was more violently tormented: for hearing every day a relation of his Fathers victories, and al&s;o of Prince <HI>Euriclides</HI> his death, he conceived this to be the wor&s;t way to regain the opinion of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> not that he wi&s;hed the King his Father were vanqui&s;hed, but that he him&s;elf knew not what to wi&s;h. In con|clu&s;ion (&s;aid he unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,)</HI> You &s;ee me here, dear Si&s;ter, well recovered of my &s;ickne&s;s, again&s;t my will, and de&s;iring your advice, what cour&s;e I &s;hall take: for though my Prince&s;s &s;hould be perfideous unto me, yet would I deliver her out of the hands of <HI>Arta|nus,</HI> where I under&s;tand &s;he is. That is not an ea&s;ie matter for you to do, &s;aid &s;he unto him, unle&s;s it be with the Kings forces: and the &s;ooner to induce him to &s;ee you, it is requi&s;ite you &s;eem as if you did not love that Prince&s;s: Ha, my deer Si&s;ter, &s;aid he, I cannot counterfeit, not know I how to owe my good fortune unto a lye. But alas, &s;aid he, what might my Prin|ce&s;s think of my &s;ilence during all the&s;e great alterations? Perhaps &s;he imagines that I lurk quietly till the wars be ended, that I afterwards would peaceably enjoy the fruits of the victory: but my Divine Prince&s;s, how unju&s;t would you be in &s;uch a thought? Well Sir, after many &s;uch like complaints and lamentations as the&s;e. <HI>Spitridates</HI> retired him&s;elf unto the place where he was to lodg: And <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> told him before he left her, that the Prince <HI>In|taphernes,</HI> the Son of <HI>Gadates,</HI> who is now in the Army of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> had done great &s;er|vices unto the King his Father: and that the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> his Si&s;ter, came unto the Queen <HI>Arbiana,</HI> pre&s;ently after the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> dyed, who de&s;ired it &s;hould be &s;o: After this, <HI>Spitridates</HI> went away, and the next morning the Queen and prince&s;s &s;ent unto him, with advice to keep him&s;elf clo&s;e, until he heard from them, and that they were going unto
<PB N="132" REF="257">
the Camp where <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was &s;ick: and &s;ince the Army was not above one days journy from <HI>Heraclea,</HI> they &s;hould be there that &s;ame night: But &s;ince they found <HI>Ar&s;omones</HI> very ill, it was the next day in the morning, before they could acquaint him how they had received &s;ome news of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> but they did not tell him he was come, becau&s;e they would not expo&s;e him unto any danger: <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was much &s;urprized at the news and di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Arbiana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> ob&s;erved both a&s;toni&s;hment and anger in his face: yet notwith&s;tand|ing his angry and tumultuous thoughts, &s;he perceived &s;ome &s;ignes of joy mixed with them: And indeed &s;ince <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had no other Son, though he had &s;ome re&s;entments of di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t him, in re&s;pect of the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> yet was he very glad and de&s;irous to &s;ee him that was to be his Succe&s;&s;our: Therefore after he had paw&s;ed a while, If <HI>Spitridates</HI> (&s;aid he unto the Queen his wife) return with the mind of a &s;l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ve, as he had when he broke out of pri&s;on, it is but fit he &s;hould be fettered again; but if he return with &s;uch a mind as becomes a King, it is fit he &s;hould be treated like &s;uch a Prince as hereafter he may be. Therefore Madam, &s;aid he unto the Queen, let him know, if you plea&s;e, that he him&s;elf is the Arbitratour of his own de&s;tiny: and if he have a mind to fini&s;h this war, which I have &s;o pro&s;perou&s;ly begun, and bring the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> into my hands as my Pri&s;oner, I &s;hall entertain him, and give him the Command of my Army: But if he think to return, and continue his affection unto her, whom he ought to look upon as the Daughter and Si&s;ter of our <HI>Tirantes,</HI> I &s;hall let him &s;ee that I am Ma&s;ter of two Crowns which I have conquered, and can be&s;tow them upon whom I plea&s;e: He has been long enough ab&s;ent, &s;aid he, to forget his pa&s;&s;ion; therefore, (&s;aid he, and looked upon the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea)</HI> I give you a Commi&s;&s;ion to dive into the &s;ecrets of his heart and di&s;cover his real thoughts: for I p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rceive you know more then yet you tell me, and perhaps he is already in <HI>Heracl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a: Arbiana</HI> would have denied it; but it was after &s;uch a manner, that &s;he more encrea&s;ed the Kings belief, &s;o that he &s;aid unto them, No, no, i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> be wi&s;e, let him not fear anything: therefore if he be returned, as I believe he is, re|turn you into <HI>Heraclea,</HI> &s;aid he unto the Prince&s;s his daughter, and if you find him &s;uch a one as I &s;ay, then bring him hither; but if he be not, I permit him to return unto his exile again: yet I &s;ay, if he become with intentions of good fortune unto me, and him&s;elf, let him come hither in all ha&s;te, becau&s;e I would then imploy him, &s;ince I am not well my &s;elf, again&s;t <HI>Cabira,</HI> and give <HI>Artanus</HI> no longer time to fortifie it, and him&s;elf in it: The Queen hearing him &s;ay &s;o, confe&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d the truth: and the next morning the Prince&s;s returned unto <HI>Heraclea,</HI> with private in&s;tructions from the queen, to de&s;ire <HI>Spitridates</HI> that he would di&s;&s;emble his love; and to tell him, that when <HI>Araminta</HI> is under <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he power of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> &s;he would intercede, and keep him from any rigorous treating of her: and that perhaps the rare merits of that Prince&s;s would in conclu&s;ion win <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> to favour her: and that to conclude all in one word, he mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily force him&s;elf, and di&s;guiz<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> his thoughts for a time. The Prince&s;s did negoti|ate with him very hand&s;omly: for as &s;oon as &s;he came to <HI>Heraclea,</HI> &s;he &s;ent to <HI>Spitridates,</HI>
and u&s;ed all po&s;&s;ible arguments expedient for the bu&s;ine&s;s: But when &s;he found that he could not re&s;olve upon a di&s;&s;imulation, What do you intend to do then, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> is under the hands of <HI>Artanus,</HI> where I believe &s;he is in a wor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e condition then &s;he would be under the di&s;po&s;e of my Father, and in <HI>Heraclea,</HI> where I might be &s;erviceable un|to her. Ah, dear Si&s;ter, &s;aid he, my &s;oul is ballanced betwixt two great extreams: I do know very well that it is my duty to get <HI>Araminta</HI> ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of the power of <HI>Artanus,</HI> but I know al&s;o, that it does not become me to relea&s;e her, that &s;he may be again a pri&s;oner: Of two evils the lea&s;t is to be cho&s;en, replied the Prince&s;s, and as I conceive there is no compari&s;on betwixt the&s;e two. <HI>Spitridates</HI> was then a long while &s;ilent, contemplating whether there was not a middle way between the&s;e two to be taken: but the more he thought upon it, the further was he from finding it: gladly would he have pre&s;erved his re&s;pects unto the King his Father; he wi&s;hed he were out of this vexing nece&s;&s;ity of di&s;gui&s;ing his real thoughts: he did mo&s;t earne&s;tly de&s;ire that the Kingdom of <HI>Pontus</HI> were re&s;tored unto him who lo&s;t it, and keeping only the King|dom of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> he might marry the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and &s;o place her upon the Throne hereafter: But yet he knew well enough that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would never con&s;ent unto &s;uch pro|po&s;itions; &s;o that not knowing what cour&s;e to take he was extreamly perplexed. Yet when he b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> thought him&s;elf that <HI>Artanus</HI> had the power to pe&s;ecute the prince&s;s, Well, my dear Si&s;ter, &s;aid he unto her, I am too long in deliberating: and &s;ince I know that <HI>Araminta</HI> is in the power of m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Rival, it is too much to con&s;ider upon one minute longer: Come then, let us go unto the King, and tell him, &s;ince he will needs have it &s;o, that I am not at all in love; let us tran&s;act like an enemy, that I may hereafter appear a mo&s;t real Lover: and let us not think it a di&s;honour to tell an innocent lye, and to a&s;&s;ume that di&s;guize which I would never undertake, but to &s;et
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the mo&s;t glorious Prince&s;s in the world at liberty. After much &s;uch di&s;cour&s;e as this, <HI>Spitrida|tes</HI> promi&s;ed the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> to carry the matter towards the King, as &s;he de&s;ired: &s;o that without any lo&s;s of time both of them went to Court the next morning, and would not admit of any vi&s;its in <HI>Heraclea</HI> until he had &s;een the King: when they were come unto the Camp, they under&s;tood that this news had &s;o much troubled <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> as he was wor&s;e then he was before; and &s;ince the departure of the Prince&s;s he expre&s;&s;ed much impatiencie of &s;eeing <HI>Spitridates.</HI> He was no &s;ooner arrived, but it was told the King, who commanded him to enter pre&s;ently, and notwith&s;tanding his &s;ickne&s;s, he received him with many te&s;timonies of tender|ne&s;s: But after the fir&s;t pa&s;&s;ion, whereof he was not Ma&s;ter, he a&s;&s;umed a more &s;erious and &s;e|vere countenance: <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;aid he unto him, I mu&s;t tell you, that if it be the plea&s;ure of the Gods to di&s;po&s;e of me, I would not have you to hold any Treaty, or contract any alliance with tho&s;e unto whom we have been Slaves: And if you do, I do di&s;pen&s;e with all my Sub|jects, from acknowledging you as their Prince: Sir (&s;aid <HI>Spitridates</HI> unto him, and bow<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d) Doubtle&s;s the Gods will permit you to enjoy your Conque&s;ts long, and I &s;hall have lei&s;ure e|nough hereafter to under&s;tand your intentions more preci&s;ely: Therefore it will <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">uffice, if you will be plea&s;ed, to grace me &s;o far as to tell me what &s;ervice I &s;hall do you for the pre&s;ent, as I am your Subject: without any further di&s;cour&s;e of what I ought to do when I am King, as yet I am not: It is my intentions, an&s;wered the King, that if my &s;ickne&s;s continue, you &s;hall command my Army: That you march again&s;t <HI>Artanus,</HI> and reduce <HI>Araminta</HI> into my power. <HI>Spitridates</HI> did then bethink him&s;elf of &s;ome words which would admit of an ambiguous &s;ence, which might both &s;atisfie the Nicety of his Love, and might make the King believe that he would punctually obey him: and indeed, he did hit of it &s;o hand&s;omly, that the King was &s;ati&s;|fied with his an&s;wer, and imbraced him: after which being retired unto a very magnificent Tent which was prepared for him, he was vi&s;ited by <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and all the Officers of the Army; for we were informed of all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages afterwards from <HI>Spitridates</HI> him&s;elf: within three days after, the Phy&s;icians told <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> that there was no danger in his di&s;ea&s;e, but yet i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> would continue long: &s;o that not to lo&s;e time, he gave Orders unto <HI>Spitridates</HI> to go, and be&s;iege <HI>Artanus:</HI> yet appointing one of his Lieutenant Generals to have an ob&s;ervant eye upon <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> the actions of this Prince: Then went <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> with the Queen, and the Prince&s;s his daughter unto <HI>Heraclea;</HI> as for the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> &s;he was there before: So <HI>Spitridates</HI> departed for <HI>Cabira,</HI> the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> being his principal Lieutenant General, with whom he contracted a great League of friend&s;hip: You may imagine Sir, how much we were &s;urprized, when we were informed by our faithful Guard, that there arrived a Cavalier at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> having a Buckler, as I told you before, and afterwards that this Cavalier was <HI>Spi|tridates,</HI> and that this Prince was &s;o gracious with the King his Father, that he made him General of his Army: Our wonder for a long time was &s;o great, that our words could not expre&s;s it: Joy to hear that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was alive, and the incertainty of his de&s;igne in coming again&s;t <HI>Artanus,</HI> did &s;o divide the mind of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> that &s;he knew not whether &s;he &s;hould grieve or rejoice: However Madam (&s;aid I unto her, when &s;he began to grieve) I cannot chu&s;e but be extreamly glad to know that <HI>Spitridates</HI> is living: I have the &s;ame re&s;entments, re|plied &s;he, but however, my &s;oul mu&s;t needs be in &s;uch unquietne&s;s, for <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> has not al|tered opinion: and it &s;eems to be almo&s;t without all que&s;tion, that &s;ince <HI>Spitridates</HI> is in &s;uch favour with him, they are both of one mind: Oh Madam (&s;aid I unto her) cen&s;ure not before you hear: But yet it is very likely, an&s;wered &s;he, that I am not mi&s;taken: a long ab&s;ence may ea&s;ily bury all his affection unto me in the grave of oblivion: and he may as ea&s;ily prefer the enjoyment of two Kingdoms, above a Prince&s;s whom he has not a long time &s;een, and who has nothing but misfortunes to her portion. The truth is, <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> if <HI>Spitridates</HI> do conti|nue faithful, it is a miracle; and if he do not, then doubtle&s;s it is the greate&s;t misfortune that ever could happen unto me: &s;o that not knowing whether I &s;hould pray for or again&s;t him, whether he will &s;ee me at liberty, or take me pri&s;oner, my &s;oul is in a mo&s;t re&s;tle&s;s condition. I did all I could to le&s;&s;en her fears, and fortifie her hopes: But to tell you truly, I do believe they both raigned &s;ucce&s;&s;ively in her heart for many days, and &s;he was not well re&s;olved in her &s;elf: In the mean while <HI>Artanus</HI> was &s;omething &s;ick upon the bu&s;ine&s;s; the very name of <HI>Spitri|dates,</HI> and of his return, did ca&s;t him into a qualm, nor could all the power of his love cure him: &s;ince he had many brave and gallant men with him, they moved him, much again&s;t his mind, God knows, to go and meet their enemy, and to hazard a Battel: at the fir&s;t, he did oppo&s;e the motion, but afterwards fearing, that if he &s;hould di&s;cover his Cowardice, then doubtle&s;s they would all for&s;ake him, therefore he con&s;ented unto them, and re&s;olved to be there him&s;elf: &s;o that all the Regiments being drawn up under the walls of the Town, where
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we were, he viewed them, and without bidding any adieu unto the Prince&s;s, he departed, leaving her under the Guard&s;hip of a Captain, who was ab&s;olutely his creature: I &s;hall not relate unto you, Sir, all the particulars of this war; only thus much in &s;hort, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was victor, and the Coward <HI>Artanus</HI> being much again&s;t his will engaged in fight, was mortally wounded by the hand of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who took him pri&s;oner, this perfidious wretch living only &s;o long as to confe&s;s the counterfeiting of the Prince&s;s letter and mine: The &s;hat|tered part of this defeated Army fell into the Town, and all the Commanders con&s;ulted what to do, and re&s;olved to receive their orders from the Prince&s;s, hoping thereby to obtain more ad|vantageous conditions by a treaty with <HI>Spitridates.</HI></P>
<P>All the Captains then came unto her chamber, whil&s;t we were altogether ignorant of any pa&s;&s;ages, becau&s;e <HI>Artanus</HI> had taken that guard who was our intelligencer with him, and he was killed in the battel. At the fir&s;t &s;ight of them &s;he knew not how to interpret their vi&s;it; but one of them being Speaker for the re&s;t, &s;aid thus unto her; Madam, we are come to beg pardon for our pa&s;t rebellion, we come to tell you that <HI>Artanus</HI> has lo&s;t the battel and his life, and we come to receive orders from you as the daughter and Si&s;ter of our Kings; therefore Madam we be&s;eech you let us know, what is your plea&s;ure we &s;hall do, whether you will ren|der your &s;elf, or whether it is your plea&s;ure we &s;hould defend you again&s;t the Prince <HI>Spitrida|tes;</HI> which of the&s;e two wayes &s;oever you are plea&s;ed to command we are ready to obey you. You tell me of &s;o many wonders at once, &s;aid &s;he, that I cannot upon a &s;uddain preci&s;ely re|&s;olve you; but it is mo&s;t certain that I mu&s;t take no other part but the King my brothers, and that his enemies are and mu&s;t be mine, and if they will not do us ju&s;tice, it will be much more noble to die in defending our &s;elves, then cowardly to &s;ubmit: Yet &s;ince you are from rebelli|ous &s;ubjects become my protectors, I do conjure you to take &s;uch orders as are nece&s;&s;ary for the pre&s;ervation of the Town, and not to attempt any thing without my knowledg, and for the pre&s;ent I conceive you have nothing el&s;e to do, but to defend your &s;elf if they a&s;&s;ault you. Here Sir was a great alteration in our fortune, our guards became almo&s;t our &s;laves, and the pri&s;oners command their keepers: But all this while <HI>Spitridates</HI> was not without his vexations, amid&s;t all the joyes of his victory, &s;ince he was not &s;o ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of his Army, that he could do what he would; &s;o that in appearance he mu&s;t carry him&s;elf as a mortal enemy again&s;t the Prince&s;s, but really as a man who preferred his love unto her above all things el&s;e. He &s;ent then to &s;ummon the Town, <HI>To render it &s;elf unto his di&s;cretion,</HI> after he had &s;urrounded it on all &s;ides, for he could do no otherwi&s;e, becau&s;e that Lievtenant General, who <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> did &s;et as an Adjutant with him, was very &s;evere and ob&s;tinate. When the Prince&s;s heard that <HI>Spitri|dates</HI> had &s;ent a me&s;&s;enger, &s;he commanded him to be brought into her pre&s;ence, and with an incen&s;ed &s;pirit &s;aid unto him; <HI>Tell your Ma&s;ter that the Prince&s;&s;es of</HI> Pontus <HI>are not u&s;ed to pay obedience unto the Prince&s;s of</HI> Bythinia, <HI>but rather have been for a long time obeyed, and that I could never have believed that the Si&s;ter unto the Prince</HI> Sinne&s;is <HI>&s;hould have been thus treated withal by</HI> Spitridates: <HI>and la&s;tly, &s;ince he goes &s;o unju&s;tly to work, he may a&s;&s;ure him&s;elf he &s;hall find it a greater difficulty to overcome the Prince&s;s</HI> Araminta, <HI>then he did in defeating Artanus.</HI> After this an&s;wer, the Herald departed, and the prince&s;s being at liberty to condole with me; Well <HI>He&s;ionida</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) what do you now think of <HI>Spitri|dates?</HI> I think that he is come to relea&s;e you Madam (&s;aid I unto her) and I cannot &s;u&s;pect that he de&s;ires to have you in his own power, but in the power of <HI>Ar&s;amones:</HI> Servitude is not the way to liberty, replied &s;he, and very few Lovers u&s;e to relea&s;e tho&s;e they love by &s;uch extraordinary wayes: But Madam, replied I, as the ca&s;e is, what would you have <HI>Spitri|dates</HI> do? I know not, an&s;wered &s;he and &s;ighed, but I am &s;ure I would not be brought under the power of him who is the ruiner of my family; yet <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> I have no rea&s;on to com|plain again&s;t fortune, but rather give her thanks, &s;ince &s;he has done all &s;he can to give me cau&s;e of excluding that tenderne&s;s which I kept in my heart for <HI>Spitridates,</HI> becau&s;e he is &s;on unto the declared enemy of the King my Brother. I &s;hould never <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nd Sir, if I &s;hould relate all what the Prince&s;s &s;aid, and all that <HI>Spitridates</HI> thought upon the return of the Herald; for &s;ince he dur&s;t not &s;end any obliging me&s;&s;age, le&s;t he &s;hould render him&s;elf &s;u&s;pected, he perceived by her an&s;wer that &s;he did not think he di&s;&s;embled when he tran&s;acted with her as an enemy; yet had he &s;ome con&s;olation, that the Commanders of <HI>Artanus</HI> his Army did obey her, and that it was her &s;elf only with whom he was to treat; &s;o that changing his opinion, he call'd a Councel of War the next day; where he declared that there was no great honor to be got by forcing a Town which was kept and defended only by a prince&s;s, but that it were expedient, fir&s;t to u&s;e all endeavours to reduce it otherwi&s;e, before it came to open <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">orce; &s;o that to &s;ave blood, and the King his fathers forces, and al&s;o to carry the matter hand&s;omely with a wo|man,
<PB N="135" REF="258">
he did re&s;olve to &s;end and de&s;ire to &s;peak with her: The Major part of Officers, who began to love <HI>Spitridates,</HI> principally <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> did approve of his de&s;ign, and there was none who did oppo&s;e it but that Lievtenant General, of whom I &s;pake, and he did mo&s;t violently oppo&s;e it, as afterwards we came to know; but do what he could, &s;ince the plurality of voices carried it, he was forced to &s;ubmit, and <HI>Spitridates</HI> had his de&s;ire.</P>
<P>He &s;ent then the &s;econd time unto the Prince&s;s by one who was very faithful and tru&s;ty, with orders mo&s;t humbly to be&s;eech her that he might have the honor to &s;peak with her, before he was forced to make any attempts again&s;t her; he commanded him to tell her, that he conju|red her by the glorious name and memory of the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> not to deny this favour, and that &s;he would be plea&s;ed to believe that he is and ever will be the &s;ame <HI>Spitridates</HI> which once &s;he knew him. This me&s;&s;enger received this order in private, but he &s;poke in publike be|fore all the Captains with le&s;s tenderne&s;s, and more &s;harply: Might he have followed the hu|mour of his pa&s;&s;ion, he would never have thought upon the &s;ecurity of his per&s;on, but would have entred into the Town, and not &s;o much as de&s;ired her to engage her word; but &s;ince he was not ab&s;olutely his own Ma&s;ter, and not to render him&s;elf &s;u&s;pected by his own party, he be&s;eeched her &s;he would be plea&s;ed to come unto one &s;ide of the wall, which was not very high, where he might with conveniency &s;peak unto her. The&s;e, Sir, were the orders which the En|voy of <HI>Spitridates</HI> received, who&s;e coming was a great joy unto me, as well as to the Prince&s;s, who then began to hope &s;he had been deceived in her opinion of that Prince; yet &s;he was &s;o &s;urprized at his me&s;&s;age, that &s;he took two hours time before &s;he would return an an&s;wer; and to colour the matter, &s;he a&s;&s;embled all the Officers into a Councel, though it was with me re&s;olved upon what cour&s;e to follow; I &s;aw &s;ome joy in her eyes, which &s;poke her hopes that this Prince was not &s;o culpable as &s;he believed him; and I perceived al&s;o that &s;he was re&s;tle&s;s, and knew not whether &s;he &s;hould &s;ee him, or not &s;ee him: Seeing her in this anxiety, I told her &s;he was too blame in making any doubt of the matter: Ah, <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> replied &s;he, It is not &s;o ea&s;ie a matter to determine, for if <HI>Spitridates</HI> come as an ambitious Prince, who prefers the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of two Crowns before me, I ought not to &s;ee him, &s;ince it would be to no purpo&s;e: But if on the contrary he be the &s;ame he was, yet ought I not to &s;ee him, &s;ince it is impo&s;&s;ible I &s;hould be the &s;ame to him I have been heretofore; and the &s;tate of things being changed, I ought to change my thoughts al&s;o? therefore <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> I mu&s;t in rea&s;on conclude, that it is not expedient for me to &s;ee him; yet notwith&s;tanding if they coun&s;ell me to &s;ee him, then I will, and if I find him innocent I &s;hall not hate him: If he be innocent, Madam, (&s;aid I unto her) you would be very unju&s;t to withdraw your affection from him, and which way &s;oever I look upon the bu&s;ine&s;s, I find it expedient for you to &s;ee him, for though he be your enemy, yet as the ca&s;e is with you now, you mu&s;t have recour&s;e unto his clemency; and if he be your lo|ver and adorer, then ought you to accept his &s;ervices, and rely upon his genero&s;ity and love: The truth is, Sir, I found it no great difficulty to per&s;wade the Prince&s;s unto a parley with him; but &s;ince my expectations from this enterview were very great, &s;o it might be in &s;uch a place where they might &s;peak together with freedom, I told the Prince&s;s, that it would be much better if &s;he met <HI>Spitridates</HI> upon the middle of the Bridg, which &s;tands over that river that runs under the walls of the Town. After the Prince&s;s had well con&s;ulted, and &s;ince all the Officers could not fore&s;ee any happy i&s;&s;ue of this &s;iege, but by &s;ome advantageous capitulation, and al&s;o &s;ince they &s;aw no hopes of any relief, they advi&s;ed her to &s;ee <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and &s;he cau&s;ed him whom the Prince had &s;ent to come unto her, to tell him that &s;he con&s;ented unto the de&s;ire of his Ma|&s;ter, commanding one of her Captains to &s;hew him the place where &s;he de&s;ired this meeting might be the next morning, and al&s;o to in&s;truct him in &s;uch orders as &s;hould be ob&s;erved, and during which time there &s;hould be a ce&s;&s;ation of all ho&s;tility. After this me&s;&s;enger had view|ed the Bridg, and returned to his Ma&s;ter, who approved of the alteration of place, the re&s;t of the day and night following was imployed in preparations for this enterview, and making the place fit, which indeed was a mo&s;t glorious &s;ight: As the river was great, the Bridg over it was al&s;o very large and &s;tately, &s;o that it contributed much unto the magnificence of this bu&s;ine&s;s; for ju&s;t over the middle Arch were Li&s;ts made ready, and covered with rich <HI>Sidonian</HI> Tapi&s;try; o|ver the head was a rich and &s;tately <HI>Pavilion,</HI> tru&s;&s;ed up on two &s;ides with golden &s;trings, or to let down if the Sun did offend; &s;o that the next morning <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who was all joy, in hopes to &s;ee the prince&s;s, did not &s;ail of his time, after he had drawn up all his forces into <HI>Ba|talia,</HI> in &s;ight of the Town, and cau&s;ed five hundred foot, and two hundred hor&s;e only to ad|vance with him to the end of the Bridg. The prince&s;s on the other &s;ide commanded, that all the walls &s;hould be well lined with &s;ouldiers, and with the like number of hor&s;e and foot came
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to the other end of the Bridg: She no &s;ooner knew that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was come, but &s;he pre|pared to meet him, and that &s;o fair, as I was a&s;toni&s;hed at the mixture of &s;o much melancho|ly, and &s;o much beauty together: Since the Sun was not likely to annoy, I moved her wo|men to dre&s;s her as &s;he was u&s;ed when &s;he went to hunt at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> which was with a wa|ving Plume over her head, to ca&s;t a &s;hadow upon her face. The Prince&s;s being thus dre&s;&s;ed, went unto the end of the Bridg, and waited upon by all her women, and Commanders in her Army: as &s;oon as &s;he appeared, <HI>Spitridates</HI> advanced, being waited upon by the like number; The prince&s;s came to the Bars, and went under the pavilion, under which we were al&s;o, but at a di&s;tance behind her: <HI>Spitridates</HI> did wear the lovelie&s;t Sute of Arms upon earth, and in &s;pite of his melancholy, his garb was &s;o high, and his Air &s;o &s;prightly and delighting, that I never &s;aw him more glorious then that day; as &s;oon as he e&s;pied the Prince&s;s afar off he &s;alu|ted her with much reverence, and both of them meeting at the Bars at the &s;ame time, all the men of both &s;ides remaining under their Colours and Arms, <HI>Spitridates</HI> did bow down to the very ground, and &s;he returned him her complement very civilly: Afterwards, beginning di&s;|cour&s;e, When I &s;ent unto you Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) to beg the honour of treating with you, I never had any intentions of coming to capitulate with you, but in all humility I come to receive your commands, and to render you an account of a tedious Exile, of my return, and of what I do at this pre&s;ent: Indeed, Divine Prince&s;s, if the actions of the King my Father, have not rendred me unworthy of your ear, I am come to give you an account of my life pa&s;t, and to hear from your own mouth what it mu&s;t be for the future: Since I hear you &s;ay &s;o, (an&s;wered the Prince&s;s) I begin to think you are the very &s;ame <HI>Spitridates</HI> whom the late King my Father made choice of, for his alliance; who was &s;o well beloved by the Prince <HI>Si<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e&s;is,</HI> and &s;o really e&s;teemed by the unfortunate <HI>Araminta;</HI> I begin to think, I &s;ay, that you are the &s;ame <HI>Spitri|dates,</HI> who for the love of me endured two impri&s;onments, with high genero&s;ity, and who expre&s;&s;ed an hundred &s;ignes of a mo&s;t con&s;tant affection: But yet when I look upon this Bar, and all the&s;e Souldiers about you, then I do confe&s;s, me thinks, you do not look like the &s;ame <HI>Spitridates</HI> I &s;peak of: but I look upon you as the Son of <HI>Ar&s;amones:</HI> that is, a mortal enemy to the King my Brother.</P>
<P>Oh Madam, cryed he out, if it be your plea&s;ure to know what I am, I be&s;eech you hear; and look not upon that which may &s;educe your rea&s;on, and may make me pa&s;s in your opinion for what I am not: I do confe&s;s, Madam, that if I did not infinitely and beyond all expre&s;&s;ions love you, I &s;hould think my father had &s;ome rea&s;on to take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that Crown which was &s;urreptitiou&s;ly taken from off his head: yet &s;ince he cannot do it but by the ruine of your hou&s;e, I &s;hall look upon him (in &s;pite of all con&s;iderations of ambition or nature) as an U&s;ur|per of his own Kingdom; and all this becau&s;e my love to you has taken the whole po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of my heart. You know, &s;aid the Prince&s;s unto him, that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> is not content with his own, but the Kingdom of <HI>Pont</HI> is now in his hands as well as the Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia:</HI> &s;o that though his war were ju&s;t in the getting of the one, yet it was mo&s;t unju&s;t in the getting of the other: I do confe&s;s it, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, but if it may be permitted a Lover, to &s;peak &s;omething in excu&s;e of his father, I &s;hould then &s;ay, that &s;ince ambition and revenge nevern&s;e to keep within tho&s;e limits which rea&s;ou and ju&s;tice pre&s;cribe unto them; it is no wonder if an injured and an ambitious Prince do not act altogether according to the rules of natural equity: But Madam, loving you as I do, I will never approve of the act: I confe&s;s al&s;o that the King my Father is injurious; that he de&s;erves the name of a cruel enemy, and that I am the &s;on of an U&s;urper: But Madam, you may remember, if you plea&s;e, that when I began fir&s;t to adore you, you were then, if I dare &s;ay it, in the &s;ame condition which I am now, and I then as you are now; for as the King my Father has taken the Kingdom of <HI>Pontus</HI> from your hou&s;e, &s;o likewi&s;e your Father held the Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia</HI> from mine: yet for all that, Madam, I &s;hall love and adore you, and though you be the daughter of an U&s;urper, (be it &s;poken without any irreverence unto that honour I owe you) yet I do for ever devote my &s;elf unto your &s;ervice. I do wi&s;h unto the Gods with all the de&s;ires of my &s;oul, that the &s;tate of things did &s;tand upon the &s;ame terms they did: that I were &s;till a Subject unto your Bro|ther; and that it were then permitted me to hope for the &s;ame which now I do. Your very long ab&s;ence, replied the Prince&s;s, did doubtle&s;s work &s;ome change in your mind, otherwi&s;e your ba|ni&s;hment, notwith&s;tanding my enjoyning it, would not have been &s;o long; when <HI>Spitridates</HI> heard her make that objection, he then told in &s;hort, the cau&s;e of his departure from <HI>Paph|lagonia:</HI> the cheat of <HI>Artanus:</HI> his di&s;pair when he believed her perfidious; his voyages, his return, and his extream &s;orrows to bear of all the victories which his Father had obtained, and that &s;he was in the power of his Rival: And now Madam, (&s;aid he unto her, at the con|clu&s;ion
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of his relation) you know not what the life of unfortunate <HI>Spitridates</HI> hath been: he loved ever, even when the King your Father detained that Kingdom unto which he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> pretend for a &s;hare, and he adored you even then when he believed you to be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> lamented all his fathers victories; he grieved at the Cor que&s;t of two Kingdoms <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> preferred the condition of your Slave, before the glorious Title of a King; and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> and ever will adore you, be you unju&s;t, or as incen&s;ed as you will again&s;t him: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> devoted unto you, that there is nothing which he will not attempt for you: Yes <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> you &s;hould command me any thing but to turn my Arms again&s;t the King my Father, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> do it: and truly if you &s;hould be &s;o unju&s;t as to command that, I know not whether <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e were able to &s;tand out long or no: Now, after all this Madam, can you believe <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e? I took up Arms, 'tis true, but it was only to kill <HI>Arta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">us,</HI> and force you out of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> I carry them &s;till I confe&s;s: but how could I have come to have known your plea&s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> I had &s;eemed your enemy? Therefore Madam, &s;ince I am only unfortunate, and not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> pable, you would be mo&s;t unju&s;t if you &s;hould change your opinion of me. Though you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> ly per&s;waded me of your innocency, replied the Prince&s;s, yet are you not nearer <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> ne&s;s: for truly, <HI>Spitridates,</HI> true genero&s;ity will never allow me, to pre&s;erve &s;o pu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> ction as that which I retain for you, &s;ince you are &s;on unto a declared enemy of the King <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Brother: for con&s;ider, I pray you, in what a deplorable condition is that Prince, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> flouri&s;hing Kingdoms which once he had, has not but one poor Ship in his power, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> more in the power of uncon&s;tant winds and waves, then in his own; and would <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> me <HI>Spitridates</HI> to &s;urrender my &s;elf without any conditions? and can you think <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would con&s;ent) &s;it upon that Throne which belongs not to me, whil<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> my Brother who his mo&s;t right unto it, is to&s;&s;ed upon the waves, and langui&s;hing <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> ble exile? Oh, no no, I never will, and if you think it, you e&s;teem me but a little <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> me not at all: I have e&s;teemed you, I do confe&s;s, and do &s;till very much: and if <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> too weak to expre&s;s, think upon one more obliging for your &s;atisfaction, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> unto it: but yet for all that, though my heart be the &s;ame unto you, that it was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> yet I cannot comply with you, but as with the Son of mine enemy; therefore <HI>Spitri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> the&s;e two things mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily be done; either move the King your Father to con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;elf with the Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and re&s;tore the Kingdom of <HI>Pontus,</HI> or el&s;e you re&s;olve never to have this place but by violence and force, or at the lea&s;t, upon &s;uch Capi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ulations, as &s;hall permit me to go whither I &s;hall hear the King my Brother is: for I do peremptorily de|clare my &s;elf, that you &s;hall never put me into the hands of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and there is nothing which I will leave unattempted, rather then I will &s;ubmit unto that: I know very well that the Queen <HI>Arbiana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> would protect me: but I know withall, that all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> would &s;u&s;pect me for either treachery, or weakne&s;s, which I am not capable of: there|fore <HI>Spitridates</HI> never endeavour to make me change my thoughts, for it will be ab&s;olutely in vain: and if there be any memory of the Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> yet remaining in you, promi&s;e me that you will never bring me under the power of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> if fortune &s;hould reduce me into yours. I will promi&s;e you any thing, Madam, replied he, upon condition you will promi&s;e me not to hate <HI>Spitridates,</HI> if he be not able to compa&s;s all your de&s;ires. The Gods do know, that if I were ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of two Kingdoms, you, and only you, &s;hould be the &s;ole di&s;|po&s;er of them: and I &s;hould without the lea&s;t murmur con&s;ent unto the lo&s;s of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Crown once again, rather then I would in the lea&s;t di&s;plea&s;e you. But alas, Madam, they are not in my power, the King my Father is in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, and all I can do is to imploy the Queen my mother, and the Prince&s;s my Si&s;ter to per&s;wade him: for my part, if I &s;hould quit the Ar|my, I &s;hould then fear he would not permit me to return, and &s;o I &s;hould di&s;able my &s;elf from being in&s;eperably devoted unto your fortunes, as my intentions are: But Madam, dare I be &s;o bold as to tell you, that if <HI>Spitridates</HI> were as deeply rooted in your heart as he might be, you would not tran&s;act thus with him? You would then leave the conduct of things unto the Gods, and wait their happy time for the re-e&s;tabli&s;hment of the King your Brother: nor would you then reject a Prince who for you has &s;uffered pri&s;ons, bani&s;hments, and all imagi|nable mi&s;eries; and who may hereafter make you change a pri&s;on for a Throne, and bring you into a condition to give a Crown unto the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> Not Madam, but that I am re&s;olved to obey you mo&s;t exactly, but becau&s;e I fore&s;ee into what a mi&s;erable extreamity I &s;hall be reduced. I do not intend to impo&s;e any po&s;&s;ibilities upon you, replied the Prince&s;s, &s;omething more mildly, and therefore, if you cannot obtain the&s;e my de&s;ires, I &s;hall &s;urrender up the Town, upon condition that I may be conducted unto what place I &s;hall chu&s;e to go unto: and if that cannot be obtained, then a&s;&s;ure your &s;elf I will bury my &s;elf under the ruines
<PB N="138" REF="260">
of the Ramparts, while&s;t you enjoy the plea&s;ant fruits of your fathers Conque&s;ts, and ma|king love &s;ubmit unto ambition, by forgetting the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> you become as happy as I am mi&s;erable. Ah cruel Lady, &s;aid he unto her, I &s;hall make it appear that I am not ca|pable of any &s;uch thoughts: No, no, Madam, you &s;hall never &s;ee <HI>Spuridates</HI> happy as long as you are mi&s;erable; nor will he ever be a King, until you be in a con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">tion to be a Queen, and this I &s;olemnly prote&s;t before the Gods who hear me: But I be&s;eech you, Madam, promi&s;e me this at the lea&s;t, that when I have abandoned all the world for you, you w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ll be plea&s;ed to let me follow and participate of your de&s;tinies, and that I may never leave you. The Prince&s;s was &s;o moved at the expre&s;&s;ions of <HI>Spi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">es,</HI> that &s;he repented her &s;elf that &s;he had in per|plexed him; I will believe, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that all your thoughts are generous, and I will promi&s;e you, not to &s;u&s;pect your fidelity: and be per&s;waded of this, that though I act as your enemy in many things, yet you &s;hall be &s;till the &s;ame in my heart that ever you were: yet for all this, I mu&s;t tel you, that in all likelihood we &s;hall not agree. Oh Madam, &s;aid he, that lan|guage is &s;o cruel, as it moves me to part with my life, and &s;o neither take your part, nor turn Arms again&s;t them I command: I am not of &s;o violent a temper as you, replied &s;he; and as I do not intend to do any thing unworthy of my &s;elf, &s;o I do not expect or de&s;ire any thing from you, which &s;hall be di&s;honourable for you: Therefore without any more unprofitable complaints, &s;aid &s;he, and &s;ighed, I advice you to go back, <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and endeavour to in|duce <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> unto &s;ome rea&s;on: let tho&s;e whom you imploy, tell him, that the be&s;t expe|dient to pre&s;erveth Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> (which is his right) in peace; is to re&s;tore the Kingdom of <HI>Pontus,</HI> which is not his right: Go <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and tran&s;act with all your inge|nuity, both for your &s;atisfaction, and mine: And if you cannot induce <HI>Arfammes</HI> unto it, yet yet however remember that you pre&s;erve my liber<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">, if you de&s;ire to pre&s;erve your life.</P>
<P><HI>Spitridates</HI> was &s;o troubled at the&s;e words, as he hardly knew now <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">wer: Why Ma|dam, &s;aid he; would you have me leave you? Becau&s;e it is not convenient, an&s;wered &s;he: And let me tell you once more <HI>Spitridates,</HI> becau&s;e I de&s;ire to die in liberty: And let me tell you once again Madam, &s;aid he, and interrupted her, That I de&s;ire to die your &s;lave. I is not for tho&s;e who are happy, replied &s;he, to de&s;ire death: Nor is it for tho&s;e who are unfortunate, &s;aid he, to de&s;ire life; and therefore Madam, if I cannot alter either the mind of the King my fa|thers, or yours, though I &s;hould &s;et you at liberty, yet &s;hould I expect nothing but my grave: Since your life is and ever &s;hall be, mo&s;t dear unto me, an&s;wered &s;he, I de&s;ire you &s;hould pre|&s;erve it: But <HI>Spitridates</HI> once wore I advi&s;e you to retire, and tell your Captains that which I &s;hall tell mine, which is, that you cannot give an an&s;wer unto my Propo&s;itions, before you have &s;ent unto the King your father: Your wits are at &s;o much liberty Madam, replied he, that I perceive your heart is not over-deeply engaged: Since you have &s;o great a &s;oul, replied &s;he, this an&s;wer is not becoming you, but <HI>Spitridates,</HI> I will pardon you, and wi&s;h you would not think as you &s;eem to do of me: In &s;aying &s;o, &s;he bowed unto him, and went away, agree|ing fir&s;t, that there &s;hould be a ce&s;&s;ation of Arms, until the an&s;wer of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was recei|ved; for my part I never &s;aw a more lamentable parting, <HI>Spitridates</HI> was as pale as if death were in his face; the Prince&s;s for all her high &s;oul, &s;eemed &s;o dejected at that in&s;tant, as it might well have been a cordial unto the Prince, had he been able to have di&s;cerned the &s;adne&s;s of her eyes. He looked after her as long as he could, but &s;o P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">anet-&s;truck, that he knew not what he &s;aw: When the Prince&s;s was gone ten or twelve paces from the Bar, I &s;tepped to him: Sir, &s;aid I, Fortune offers you a good occa&s;ion to u&s;e your genero&s;ity: Fortune, an&s;wered he, may be more propitious unto me in the favour of <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> who may do me many good offi|ces to the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> I &s;hall do all I can Sir, &s;aid &s;he, and retired, but in the mean time do you all you can. This was &s;poke &s;o low and quickly, that none could hear or take a|ny notice of it: And pre&s;ently after we went back to the Town, in which we no &s;ooner were, but <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;ince he could not &s;ee the Prince&s;s any longer, took hor&s;e, and retired to his company: He told what &s;he appointed him unto his Officers, and not to lo&s;e any time, he made choice of one <HI>Democlides</HI> to &s;end unto <HI>Ar&s;amones.</HI> This man was one of an excellent wit, and who loved the prince extreamly, &s;o that he could not make a b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tter choice; and that he might the better under&s;tand all his thoughts, he related all the pa&s;&s;ages of his life unto him: He gave him a Letter unto the Prince&s;s his Mother, and another unto the Prince&s;s his Si|&s;ter: He writ al&s;o unto the King his father withall imaginable &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, he forget nothing, which might probable induce him to be contented with the Reconque&s;t of his own Kingdom, with the u&s;urpation upon the Kingdom of another: He in&s;tructed <HI>Democlides</HI> with all the &s;ubtil and politique Maximes expedient for his negotiation, and to per&s;wade <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> that it were better to po&s;&s;e&s;s one Kingdom in peace, then to have two upon terms of war. Whil&s;t
<PB N="139" REF="260">
<HI>Spitridates</HI> was di&s;patching this Captain, the Prince&s;s was exceedingly grieved, and almo&s;t wi&s;hed that &s;he had not &s;poken unto him in &s;o obliging a manner: Sometimes again, &s;he was very glad &s;he was not deceived in her choice, and that &s;he had no cau&s;e to repent her &s;elf for loving <HI>Spitridates;</HI> but yet the&s;e moments of con&s;olation were very rare<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> for when &s;he con|&s;idered the pre&s;ent condition of her fortune, and looked upon the future, &s;he found &s;o many &s;ad objects of &s;orrow, that all hopes were as far from her &s;oul, as from the princes, who &s;ince the departure of <HI>Democlides</HI> was full of unquiet thoughts and fears, not to obtain any thing from <HI>Ar&s;amones;</HI> and indeed his apprehen&s;ions were not without cau&s;e, for all the per&s;wa&s;ive arguments which the Queen and Prince&s;s could u&s;e, would not move the new King of <HI>Bythi|nia:</HI> This excellent Prince&s;s imployed all tho&s;e who had mo&s;t prevalency with him, but all in vain. <HI>Democlides</HI> u&s;ed all his politique arguments wherewith he was in&s;tructed, but could not per&s;wade more then the re&s;t; the tears of the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> would not move him; but he an&s;wered them that moved him, generou&s;ly to re&s;tore the Kingdom of <HI>Pontus</HI> unto them it be|longed, that when he and his had enjoyed the Crown of <HI>Pontus</HI> as long as the Father and the Grandfather of this King had enjoyed the Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> then perhaps there would be &s;ome ju&s;tice in the re&s;titution demanded: I have (&s;aid he) gotten it by more legitimate and ho|norable wayes, then they u&s;urped ours; and it is but ju&s;t, that they who have thus long fetter|ed others, &s;hould take their turn, and bear tho&s;e fetters them&s;elves, that they may experimen|tally know the mi&s;eries of &s;ervitude; and therefore it is my po&s;itive plea&s;ure, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> a&s;&s;i&s;t me in taking this Town wherein the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> is, otherwi&s;e I &s;hall let him know, that he who has not the heart and courage of a King, &s;hall never be my Succe&s;&s;or; but treating him as a Slave, I will ca&s;t him into pri&s;on with the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> whom he loves above his own honor: <HI>Democlides,</HI> according to the in&s;tructions of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> did put him in memory of what he &s;aid unto the Prince his &s;on, in the &s;hip as they departed from <HI>Heraclea,</HI> how he then &s;aid he would not oppo&s;e his marriage with this Prince&s;s: I remember it very well, &s;aid he, but when I &s;aid &s;o, it was with this condition, that he &s;hould go in the head of an Ar|my to conquer two Kingdoms, and &s;ave me that labour; but &s;ince he has not performed the condition, tell him, that as it was then di&s;honorable for the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> to marry the &s;on of a Slave, &s;o now at this time it is a &s;hame for him to marry a Si&s;ter of a conquered u|&s;urper, and the &s;lave of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> as e're long &s;he &s;hall be; therefore tell him from me, that within the&s;e few dayes I will come unto the Camp my &s;elf; and becau&s;e it will grieve him too much to captivate her whom he values above two Crowns, let him attempt nothing again&s;t <HI>Cabira</HI> until I come my &s;elf, bid him endeavour to overcome him&s;elf, or otherwi&s;e he &s;hall know the difference between a Scepter and a pri&s;on. You may imagine Sir, how &s;adly <HI>Democli|des</HI> carried this an&s;wer. The Queen did write unto the prince her &s;on to comfort him, the prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> did the like; But oh heavens, how in vain were all con&s;olations? <HI>Democlides</HI> under|&s;tood at his coming away from <HI>Heraclea,</HI> that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;ent orders unto the Liev<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">enant Ge|neral his Confident, that he &s;hould keep a vigilant eye upon <HI>Spitridates;</HI> and I under&s;tood af|terwards by this <HI>Democlides,</HI> that the de&s;pair of <HI>Spitridates</HI> was &s;o great when he received this rigid an&s;wer from the King his father, as it was likely to have co&s;t him his life; yet was he very de&s;irous of the whole truth; and though <HI>Democlides</HI> had a de&s;ire to have &s;weetned the an&s;wer in the relation, yet he dur&s;t not, becau&s;e the King did &s;peak it &s;o publikely before all the world, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> would certainly have known it by others, and then he had ju&s;t cau&s;e of complaint again&s;t <HI>Democlides</HI> for concealing the truth, &s;ince it was that an&s;wer upon which he intended to ground all his re&s;olutions. What (&s;aid he, after he had under&s;tood it) does the King my father intend that the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> &s;hall be his &s;lave? and that &s;he who de&s;erves a hundred Crowns, &s;hall wear fetters? No, no, <HI>Spitridates</HI> cannot &s;uffer it, or at the lea&s;t will attempt all wayes po&s;&s;ible to relea&s;e this incomparable and unfortunate prince&s;s. Do you not admire <HI>Democlides,</HI> &s;aid he, at the &s;trange blindne&s;s of men? The King my Fa|ther has all his life complained again&s;t U&s;urpers, and now he is become one him&s;elf purpo&s;e|ly to make me unhappy; he, who if he plea&s;e, may get unto him&s;elf immortal glory, and make me the happie&s;t man alive, whereas now he makes me the mo&s;t mi&s;erable. For <HI>Democlides</HI> to have got two Kingdoms, and to keep that only which he hath a right unto; and generou&s;ly to re&s;tore the other, and then to be&s;tow the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> upon me, the&s;e would be things which all after ages would &s;peak on with admiration; yet &s;ince he will not, indeed he will force me to for&s;ake his intere&s;ts, though he be my Father, and my King: I mu&s;t ab&s;olute|ly di&s;obey him, and be all the re&s;t of my life the mo&s;t mi&s;erable Prince upon earth: But the greate&s;t wonder is, Sir, that though ambition could never prevail again&s;t his love, yet his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ve did never exce&s;&s;ively tran&s;port him again&s;t the King his Father: But maugre the violence
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of all his &s;orrows, he began to contrive ways of relea&s;ing the Prince&s;s, e&s;pecially &s;ince he newly received intelligence from the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea</HI> his Si&s;ter, that the King would be in the Army within the&s;e few days. He al&s;o perceived, that the Orders unto the Lieutenant General were very vigilantly ob&s;erved: but do what he could, <HI>Spitridates</HI> was &s;o adored by the Com|manders, and Souldiers, that he could not bring about his de&s;igne. To be &s;hort, <HI>Spitridates</HI> did publickly &s;end unto the Prince&s;s, to tell her, that the King his Father had not yet returned an an&s;wer unto her propo&s;itions, and that within a few days he would come him&s;elf, and bring the an&s;wer. Mean while, after he had con&s;ulted with <HI>Democlides</HI> how to relea&s;e the Prince&s;s, he commanded him to get into the Town digui&s;ed like a Pea&s;ant, which during the ce&s;&s;ation was no great difficulty: and that he &s;hould go unto the Ca&s;tle, and enquire for me, which ac|cordingly he did: He delivered a Note unto me from <HI>Spitridates;</HI> the contents whereof was, That I &s;hould give credit unto what <HI>Democlides</HI> &s;hould tell me: &s;o then, after he had delivered it unto me in private, he acquainted me with the ill &s;ucce&s;s of his voyage, with the de&s;pair of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and his re&s;olution to relea&s;e the Prince&s;s, with the orders that he had taken about it: he told me further, that the Troops which were under his particular Command, were quartered all along the River &s;ide; That our be&s;t cour&s;e would be to come out of the Town in the night by boat, and unto that place where his Troops would wait for us, and be our convoy unto Sea, which was not above fifty furlongs further, and that he had taken order for a Ship at the next Port: he t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ld me further, that to move the Prince&s;s the more to tru&s;t her &s;elf with him, <HI>Spitridates</HI> would fir&s;t let her &s;ee, he tru&s;ted her; therefore, &s;aid he, if the Prince&s;s plea&s;e to give orders for one of the Gates which &s;he &s;hall name unto me, to let him enter, he will be there at midnight with one page only, and no more. You may be &s;ure, Sir, that I went in all po&s;&s;ible ha&s;te unto the Prince&s;s, and carried <HI>Democlides</HI> with me. Though the news was but a &s;ubject of a&s;toni&s;hment and &s;orrow, yet to what purpo&s;e is complaints where there is no remedy? and therefore it was re&s;olved upon to depart the very next night. Since all her women, were placed about her by <HI>Artanus,</HI> we cared not for carrying them with us: and &s;ince all her Captains had once been her enemies, &s;he hardly knew whether &s;he &s;hould tru&s;t any of them, but &s;ince they had te&s;tified much affection unto her, &s;ince the death of <HI>Ar|tanus,</HI> &s;he was unwilling to abandon them, and leave them in the lurch unto the victory of her enemies; yet upon more con&s;ideration &s;he conceived it be&s;t not to carry any of them with her, and that the Officers being Ma&s;ters of the Town, they might make honourable conditions for them&s;elves when they plea&s;ed: Therefore the re&s;olution was to confide in none of them, but &s;uch as were nece&s;&s;ary for the bu&s;ine&s;s; to wit, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> might enter, and we go out; But, Sir, I have already &s;o tre&s;pa&s;&s;ed upon your patience by the length of my relation, as I mu&s;t tell you in &s;hort, that I took &s;uch order with two Captains, as they were wholly de|voted to &s;erve the Prince&s;s in any thing what&s;oever. About midnight, <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;tole un|di&s;cerned out of the Army, after he had left one Letter for <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and another for the Prince&s;s <HI>Ari&s;tea,</HI> and entered into the Town; <HI>Democlides</HI> conducted him unto the Prince&s;s Chamber: and kneeling down, Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) are you &s;o generous as to &s;uffer the &s;on of your enemy to throw him&s;elf at your feet? and will you be plea&s;ed to receive your liberty from that Prince who&s;e Father would make you a Slave? Liberty (&s;aid &s;he unto him, and fir&s;t de&s;ired him to ri&s;e) is &s;o &s;ecret, that one would take it from their mo&s;t mortal enemy; but <HI>Spitridates,</HI> it is not ju&s;t I &s;hould purcha&s;e mine with the lo&s;s of yours: It is enough for me to e&s;cape out of the tyranny of your Father, without engaging you to &s;hare in my misfortunes: Therefore, do not charge your &s;elf with my e&s;cape; &s;eem to be &s;orry for it; return unto the Camp, and live happily while&s;t I &s;eek out &s;ome blind corner of the world to hide my tears, and my misfortunes in. Can you Madam, give &s;uch coun&s;el unto a man whom you have pro|mi&s;ed to honour with your e&s;teem? And indeed, how e&s;teem him if he &s;hould be &s;o un|worthy as to take it? No, no, Divine Prince&s;s, either you care not what you &s;ay, or el&s;e you &s;ay this only to make trial of my con&s;tancy: But &s;ince we have no time to &s;pend, I be&s;eech you, Madam, let us depart, and when we have once taken Ship, then may you command what cour&s;e we &s;hall &s;teer: as for my part, I am re&s;olved to wait upon you over all the world: The Prince&s;s did a while refu&s;e it, though it was but in appearance: at la&s;t, I interceded, and &s;aid unto her, I be&s;eech you determine &s;ome way or other, the time is almo&s;t pa&s;t, and <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> perhaps would be more in danger with his Father, then with you; and <HI>Democlides</HI> tells me, that all things are ready for our departure.</P>
<P>In conclu&s;ion Sir, <HI>Spitridates</HI> pre&s;ented his hand unto the Prince&s;s: we got happily out of the Ca&s;tle, and Town, accompanied only with the Prince, the page he brought, <HI>Democlides,</HI> and the two Captains, which were of the plot, and &s;o took boat: Never was flight more
<PB N="141" REF="261">
pro&s;perous then this, for we met with no ob&s;tacle: The Troops which <HI>Democlides</HI> command|ed, guarded us to the Sea: and <HI>Spitridates</HI> having cau&s;ed a Bridg to be broke in the night, by which other Quarters had communication with <HI>Democlides,</HI> &s;o that we were very &s;afe all the way: <HI>Democlides</HI> did not expo&s;e his &s;ouldiers unto any danger, for they acted according to his orders, and it is not for &s;ouldiers to examine the Commands of their &s;uperiour Officers, but were bound to obey without any di&s;pute, and therefore they ran no hazard. In conclu|&s;ion, we came to the Ship, which waited for us, and we imbarqued, not yet knowing whi|ther to go; not thinking upon any thing but how to avoid the danger of falling into the power of <HI>Ar&s;amones.</HI> When we were once in the open Sea, <HI>Spitridates</HI> came unto the Prince&s;s Ca|bin; Madam, &s;aid he unto her, you are now at liberty, and there is none here who are not mo&s;t willing to obey you: Whither is it your plea&s;ure we &s;hould &s;teer our cour&s;e? This que|&s;tion brought tears from the eyes of the Prince&s;s, for when &s;he could not find any place in the world wherein &s;he had any power, &s;he could not chu&s;e but fall into apprehen&s;ions of &s;orrow; yet recollecting her memory, &s;he told him, how &s;he heard that the King her Brother when he went from <HI>Heraclea,</HI> did de&s;igne for <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> and to offer him&s;elf unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to deli|ver his daughter, with intentions to demand &s;ome aid from you: and &s;he &s;aid, that &s;he could not think upon any other place of &s;afety but that: then <HI>Spitridates</HI> told her, how he heard the day before from a &s;ouldier which came from that Army, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> had &s;uf|fered &s;hipwrack, and was drowned, and that certainly the King of <HI>Pont</HI> was not with <HI>Ciax|ares;</HI> the Prince&s;s then not knowing either what to &s;ay or do, in conclu&s;ion re&s;olved, to get far enough off from <HI>Pontus,</HI> and <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and to make towards <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> to try whe|ther what the &s;ouldier &s;aid was true. All that night, and the next day, we &s;teered that way, and towards evening a violent &s;torm did ari&s;e, which la&s;ted all the night following: at la&s;t we were almo&s;t gravelled in a Bank of &s;and, but by good fortune we e&s;caped the danger without any hurt to the Ship: There we &s;aw the Sea even almo&s;t covered with abundance of &s;hipwrack, and neer a Rock clo&s;e by us, &s;ome men that were dead, and &s;ome in whom there was &s;ome life: It was a large while before we could put out a little boat to help any of the&s;e mi|&s;erable men, becau&s;e the Tempe&s;t was yet very high, but after a little calm we took two of them up, who did yet breath, and one of them I knew to be a Servant unto the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> I no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but I cried out, and calling him by his name, he turned his eyes towards me, and would have an&s;wered, but could not; It was apparent enough that he knew me, for he lifted up his hands towards Heaven, as if he did deplore the misfortune of the King his Ma&s;ter, and &s;eemed a&s;toni&s;hed to &s;ee me: while&s;t I was bu&s;ie in applying &s;uch things unto him as common humanity required, &s;ome or other did very incon&s;ideratly adverti&s;e the Prince&s;s of this accident, who would needs come to &s;ee this unfortunate man: &s;ince it was &s;he who preferred him unto the King her Brother, he knew her voice as &s;oon as he heard it, and when &s;he &s;poke unto him, he began to &s;trive with him&s;elf, and pronounced the&s;e words di&s;tinctly; Ah Madam, is it you? Yes, replied &s;he, but where is the King? In <HI>Armenia,</HI> &s;aid he unto her, and &s;ent me to bring you&mdash;In &s;peaking the&s;e words he fell into a &s;wound, and expired before he could end what he begun to &s;peak: The other man al&s;o who we brought into the Ship dyed &s;peechle&s;s al&s;o, and we could know no more: Then did we &s;earch his clothes for Letters, and indeed did find one, but as ill luck was, the water had defaced all<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the characters, except two or three by which the Prince&s;s knew it to be the hand of the King her Brother. This Encounter renewed all our &s;orrows, and while&s;t they were endeavouring to get this Ship from off this Bank of Sand, the Prince&s;s grieved exceedingly, not becau&s;e this man had been her &s;lave, but becau&s;e he had &s;omething to &s;ay unto her, and died before it could be known: In the mean while we got unto the open Sea, and the Prince&s;s de&s;ired <HI>Spitridates</HI> to go into an Arm of the Sea not far off, where the Lower <HI>Armenia</HI> towards <HI>Pontus</HI> does border upon a little Province, which formerly was the Kings. It is a hard task Sir, to relate unto you, all the di&s;cour&s;e between <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> during our Navigation: But in &s;hort, they expre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves unto each other in all the terms that love and vertue could invent: After we were come into this Arm of the Sea, we quitted our Ship: and <HI>Democlides,</HI> whom <HI>Spitridates</HI> had ordered to take money enough for a long voyage, when he came fir&s;t from his Quarters, went unto the next Town to buy hor&s;es, to carry us unto the River <HI>Eu|phrates;</HI> for as you know, this River divides the two <HI>Armenia's.</HI> Then was it put to the que&s;tion, what cour&s;e <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;hould take when they came in <HI>Armenia:</HI> and it was a mo&s;t pitiful &s;tory unto him, when the Prince&s;s &s;aid, that he mu&s;t leave her; for I mu&s;t con|fe&s;s unto you, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that I dare not tru&s;t too much unto the genero&s;ity of the King my Brother, and though I do know him to be very generous, yet I will not adventure
<PB N="142" REF="262">
you in the power of a Prince who never loved you, e&s;pecially now, &s;ince you are &s;on unto his enemy, and an enemy who hath taken two Kingdoms from him: Therefore <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;ince your vertue has pre&s;erved me from falling into the hands of the King your Father, It be|fits me to pre&s;erve you from the fury of the King my Brother: Alas, Madam, &s;aid he, let not any con&s;iderations of my intere&s;t trouble you, nor hinder me from waiting upon you: for though the King your Brother &s;hould treat me hardly, yet would I mo&s;t willingly endure it for the love of you. I doubt it not at all, &s;aid &s;he unto him, but however I de&s;ire you &s;hould only endure the mi&s;eries of ab&s;ence for the love of me; for I cannot look upon you but with an eye of great e&s;teem, and I know that the King my Brother will not reli&s;h it, becau&s;e perhaps he will imagine that my complacency towards you proceeds from my hopes of two Kingdoms from <HI>Spitridates.</HI> But Madam, &s;aid he unto her, whither would you have me go? Any whi|ther, &s;aid &s;he, where you may with &s;afety to your per&s;on wait for a turn of fortune: and un|til the heart of the King your Father be molified. But Madam, replied he, &s;ince I mo&s;t wil|lingly for&s;ake all for you, may you not di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">pen&s;e a little with that rigid <HI>Decorum</HI> which you ob&s;erve in every th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ng? If you really love me, and think upon my pa&s;&s;ion and re&s;pects unto you, what &s;orrows I have &s;uffered; what impri&s;onments I have endured, and what exile I now undertake for you, I conceive you will permit me to live di&s;gui&s;ed with you, or el&s;e to let us go and live together in &s;ome unknown place far from any acquaintance, where we may wait upon the plea&s;ure of the Gods, until &s;uch times as I am in a capacity to re&s;tore one Crown unto the King your Brother, and pre&s;ent another unto you. What you now tell me, replied the Prince&s;s, is neither ju&s;t nor honourable: for I &s;hould thereby incen&s;e the mind of the King my Brother, and you the King your Father, and we &s;hould expo&s;e our &s;elves to a thou&s;and unprofitable mi&s;eries. Then, &s;uffer me, &s;aid he, to go with you unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> with|out any di&s;gui&s;ement or bani&s;hment. Though he &s;hould be in a di&s;po&s;ition to receive you fa|vourably, an&s;wered &s;he, yet certainly it would be upon a condition that you &s;hould bear Arms again&s;t the King your Father, which que&s;tionle&s;s you never will. nor will I advi&s;e you unto it; and therefore, <HI>Spitridates,</HI> of nece&s;&s;ity you mu&s;t leave me. Mu&s;t I needs leave you, Ma|dam, replied he in a &s;ad <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">one? Yes, &s;aid &s;he, and if rea&s;on will not prevail with you, I will joyn my prayers and commands unto it. And however, you may be &s;ure of this advantage, that as my fortunes are, you need fear no Rivals. Ah Madam, cried <HI>Spitridates,</HI> in taking away of Crowns, they have not taken away your unparalled beauty, nor your incomparable mind, which has not a &s;econd in vertue: Therefore, Madam, I mu&s;t always doubt it, e&s;pecial|ly knowing that the King your Brother will be continually exa&s;perating you again&s;t me. Look not upon <HI>Spitridates,</HI> I be&s;eech you, Madam, as the &s;on of an U&s;urper, but as a Prince who will never be King, till he can re&s;tore one Crown unto the King your Brother, and another pre&s;ent unto you: I have already &s;aid it, and I repeat it again: you Madam, &s;hall either raign, and your Brother too, or el&s;e I will not: and therefore, you may if you plea&s;e, be &s;o ju&s;t at the lea&s;t, as to give him &s;ome a&s;&s;urance of your affection, who has con&s;ecrated every minute of his life unto you: Do not, I be&s;eech you, bani&s;h me from you, before you a&s;&s;ure me that I &s;hall be entertained always in your heart, and that nothing can ever bani&s;h me from thence, for without this Madam, I cannot obey you. I will promi&s;e you, &s;aid &s;he unto him to po&s;&s;e&s;s the King my Brother with your genero&s;ity as much as I can; and will eternally remember the Commands of the dying Prince <HI>Sinne&s;is,</HI> and by con&s;equence keep my affection entirely for you, as long as I live. May I build upon this? &s;aid this &s;orrowful Prince, You may, replied &s;he, and I &s;hould think my &s;elf mo&s;t unju&s;t and ungrateful if I failed, &s;ince you are &s;o generous, and &s;ince my affection is &s;o pure and innocent, that it were a greater crime to re&s;i&s;t it, then pre&s;erve it for you. I know not, Madam, whether I &s;hould dare to tell you, that this is not enough. I know not, <HI>Spitridates,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, and interrupted him) whether I &s;hould tell you, that I think it a little too much, and that you do me wrong to &s;u&s;pect me, and complain. But Madam, replied he, what is it I be&s;eech you that you do for me? and what can I do more for you? You do every thing, an&s;wered &s;he, that I can de&s;ire, I cannot deny it; but though I do nothing for you, yet I do all I can, or may be, more then I ought, and let that &s;atisfie you. Oh Hea|vens! replied he, what do you do, my Divine Prince&s;s, which I can interpret unto my advan|tage? I &s;hew you, an&s;wered &s;he, tho&s;e &s;orrows which I cannot hide: you may &s;ee the thoughts of my &s;oul in my eyes; and I permit you to think that my heart prefers you before all the world; and after this, <HI>Spitridates,</HI> what can you de&s;ire more? and whether is it not more then the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> ought to do for the Son of <HI>Ar&s;amones?</HI> However, <HI>Spitri|dates,</HI> take heed le&s;t ambition be too prevalent with you during your ab&s;ence, &s;ince it is u&s;ual to alter the &s;ouls of all men. To be &s;ure of that, replied he, do not bani&s;h me from you. I
<PB N="143" REF="262">
would I could not, an&s;wered &s;he, but it mu&s;t be, and you mu&s;t be gone: I &s;hould be too te|dious, Sir, if I &s;hould repeat all this &s;ad conference, which truly on both &s;ides was &s;o tender, &s;o generous, and &s;o full of &s;orrow, that I who heard it wept; for the Prince&s;s de&s;iring, I was all the while pre&s;ent: It was in vain for <HI>Spitridates</HI> to u&s;e any arguments of d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;wa&s;ion, for &s;ince we were got a good way into <HI>Armenia,</HI> and out of any fears of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> &s;he would needs have him leave her; and &s;he re&s;olved to go either into <HI>Cicilie,</HI> or <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> and wait there for &s;ome alterations in fortune. He had a great de&s;ire not to part until they cer|tainly knew where the King her Brother was, but &s;he would not hearken to him, being much afraid le&s;t <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;hould fall into the hands of her Brother: So he obeyed her, but never was &s;o &s;ad a &s;eparation: he would needs have <HI>Democlides,</HI> and the two Captains, remain with her, and he keep none with him but his Page. I &s;hall not relate every circum&s;tance of this &s;ad adieu, &s;ince the truth is, I cannot without tears, and &s;o many te&s;timonies of my weakne&s;s, as perhaps you will condemn me for it: But &s;o it was Sir, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> departed the &s;ad|de&s;t man alive, and the Prince&s;s as melancholy as ever any in the world. Then we left the Ri|ver <HI>Euphrates,</HI> and went towards <HI>Artaxates.</HI> Since the Prince&s;s did not know the intentions of the King her Brother, &s;he de&s;ired not to be divulged for what &s;he was until &s;he had &s;poken with him, &s;o that all the time of our travel we did not &s;o ceremoniou&s;ly render tho&s;e ho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> which were her due. When we came to <HI>Artaxates,</HI> where we might ea&s;ily conceal our &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> by rea&s;on of its greatne&s;s, we were informed, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> but every one told us he was not there at that time: The Prince&s;s could not believe it&punc; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> gined that the thing was known only among&s;t the Grandees, and that for &s;om<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;he under&s;tood not, the King her Brother de&s;ired to be received privately, and w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> ceremony.</P>
<P>In conclu&s;ion, &s;he commanded <HI>Democlides,</HI> and the other two Captains, to be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> tive to get true intelligence, that tho&s;e unto whom they addre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> for &s;ome d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e de&s;igne: Moreover, the Prince <HI>Phaartes,</HI> Brother unto <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>nes,</HI> and &s;econd Son unto the King of <HI>Armenia,</HI> chancing accidentally to &s;ee <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>minta</HI> enter into a little dark Church whither we went early in a morning, he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> his curio&s;ity to know who that &s;tranger was: for though our habits were after the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> fa&s;hion, he &s;uppo&s;ed &s;he was not an <HI>Artaxetian,</HI> becau&s;e he never heard her be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> of: &s;o that being extremly de&s;irous to know what &s;he was, and where &s;he dwelt, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> one of his &s;ervants to follow her: He who was imyloyed in the bu&s;ine&s;s, having e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> concerning us, told him, that we were people of &s;ome hidden de&s;igne, and that certain<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Prince&s;s was one of great quality, though we had never &s;poke as much; and by his rep<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> this Prince was much more earne&s;t to know who &s;he was. At the &s;ame time time one of the King of <HI>Armenia's</HI> Grand-officers, who lodged near us, being informed by this Prince, that there was &s;ome di&s;gui&s;ed people in <HI>Artaxates,</HI> who had &s;ome bad de&s;igne in agitation, and &s;ince all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> almo&s;t was in Arms, and knowing how he had incen&s;ed the King of <HI>Med<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> by refu&s;ing Tribute, he &s;ent unto us to know who we were: At the fir&s;t, we di&s;&s;embled the truth, but &s;ince no credit was given unto us, and the Prince&s;s was in fear to expo&s;e her&s;elf unto &s;ome dangerous adventure, &s;he confe&s;&s;ed all, and told them who &s;he was, and de&s;ired to &s;peak with the King. But the King not being very well, he appointed the Prince <HI>Phaartes</HI> to go unto her, and to &s;ee what the matter was: Then went this Prince unto the Prince&s;s <HI>A|raminta,</HI> who&s;e beauty made a deep impre&s;&s;ion upon his &s;oul: She told him her quality, her condition, and her bu&s;ine&s;s; he without any difficulty believed her, and did a&s;&s;ure her that the King her Brother came not unto that Court: He was exceedingly civil unto the Prince&s;s, and went in all ha&s;te unto the King his Father, with intentions of moving him to treat her ac|cording to her quality: But the King who ever was of a &s;u&s;picious and covetous di&s;po&s;ition, had thoughts far different from the Prince his Sons; for he would not take any notice of her, le&s;t &s;he &s;hould put him to &s;ome expences, and le&s;t he &s;hould thereby incen&s;e a pro&s;perous Prince, as <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was, by protecting the Si&s;ter of his enemy: &s;o that notwith&s;tanding all the alliances between the Kings of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Kings of <HI>Armenia,</HI> he &s;eemed as if he &s;u&s;pe|cted her, and commanded that &s;he, and all about her &s;hould be &s;ecured: as afterwards I un|der&s;tood by one who was a Confident unto <HI>Phaartes:</HI> This young Prince did with all his power oppo&s;e the King his Fathers de&s;igne, but the King being de&s;irous not to have it pub|li&s;hed, charged the Prince his Son not to &s;peak of any thing which the Prince&s;s had &s;aid unto him; intending doubtle&s;s to &s;erve his own ends by it upon any occa&s;ion, either by re&s;toring her unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> or unto <HI>Ar&s;amones.</HI> The Prince <HI>Phaartes</HI> even de&s;perate at this injurious re&s;olution, did yet procure that we &s;hould be brought into this Ca&s;tle, with
<PB N="144" REF="263">
the two Captains who are here al&s;o: As for <HI>Democlides,</HI> the Prince&s;s had imployed him to go and enquire after news of the King her Brother, &s;o that he was not taken as we were: You may ea&s;ily imagine, Sir, the &s;orrows of the Prince&s;s, when &s;he &s;aw her Sanctuary was turned into a pri&s;on, and when &s;he &s;aw no po&s;&s;ible means to get out without &s;ome extraordinary a&s;|&s;i&s;tance from the Gods: Since then, Sir, we have been kept here, without any con&s;olation, but from the Prince <HI>Phaartes,</HI> who often did vi&s;it the Prince&s;s; and indeed when you did take this Ca&s;tle, his frequent vi&s;its began to di&s;plea&s;e; for contrary to the King his Fathers orders we were treated with &s;o great a re&s;pect, that it was apparent he di&s;obeyed his Father and that love had took too deep an impre&s;&s;ion in his &s;oul. In the mean while we heard no news either of the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> or <HI>Spitridates,</HI> or <HI>Democlides,</HI> nor heard we the King of <HI>By|thinia</HI> &s;o much as talked on. This Sir, is the fortune of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> unto whom, if you plea&s;e, we will go, &s;ince I have no more to &s;ay, but to conjure you to protect her.</P>
<P>You need not move me unto that (wi&s;e and di&s;creet <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> which &s;o many rea&s;ons does invite me unto. The beauty, vertue, quality, and misfortune of this Prin|ce&s;s, are arguments able to move the mo&s;t in&s;en&s;ible man alive to &s;erve her, and therefore &s;ince you think it fit, let us go and tell her as much: for I can a&s;&s;ure her, that her misfortunes are not greater then my de&s;ires to be &s;erviceable unto her: for though &s;he be a Si&s;ter unto a Prince who is my Rival, and who detains from me that which is incomparably mo&s;t dear unto me, yet &s;hall I be as ju&s;t unto her, as &s;he is unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who does not accu&s;e <HI>Spitridates</HI> for the ambition of his Father, but knows how to put a ju&s;t difference, without any prejudicated opinion. After this <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave <HI>He&s;ionida</HI> thanks for her great pains, in relating unto him the &s;tory of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and going unto the Chamber where &s;he was, he &s;aluted her with extraordinary civility. Madam, &s;aid he unto her, when I did vi&s;it you before, I knew only your quality, your beauty, and &s;ome part of your mind; but now, &s;ince I under&s;tand the whole Story, and am acquainted with the height of your &s;oul, your vertue, and your great misfortunes; I regard you with much more reverence and admiration, then before. The la&s;t of the&s;e whereof you &s;peak Sir, an&s;wered &s;he, and which is the only thing that I have any pretence unto you, does not u&s;ually beget re&s;pect in the minds of men, but &s;ince you Sir, are none of the ordinary &s;ort, I mu&s;t and ought to expect miracles from you. You may expect &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion and &s;ervice, an&s;wered he, from all that are capable of rea&s;on. Then to let her know, that he hearkened unto her Story with an attentive ear; he repeated the mo&s;t con&s;iderable pa&s;|&s;ages of her misfortunes, and condoled them: Then did he exceedingly commend <HI>Spitridates,</HI> knowing that nothing is more obliging and plea&s;ing, then to hear the party loved well &s;poken of, and indeed he omitted nothing which was requi&s;ite to comfort this great Prince&s;s, from whom al&s;o he hoped for &s;ome good office, when&s;oever &s;he &s;hould &s;peak with the King her Brother. After a thou&s;and expe&s;&s;ions of reciprocal love from both &s;ides, he left her, and went to give nece&s;&s;ary orders for matters of war. He was informed that <HI>Artaxates</HI> was very quiet, that all the Guards were very circum&s;pect, and that <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> who was gone out towards the foot of the Mountains, unto which the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> was retreated, had intercepted many Carriages of Victual and Ammunition, which the Countrey would have carried unto the King: and afterwards retiring to his Chamber, he &s;pent the re&s;t of the day in memory of his dear Prin|ce&s;s: he wondred that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> came not up; he was vexed that he could not hear any thing of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King; he was grieved that he could not know where <HI>Mandana</HI> was: and comparing the misfortune of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> with his own, though hers were great, yet he thought his more in&s;upportable. Then did he remember how <HI>He&s;ionida</HI> &s;poke of cer|tain <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> Merchants, which had &s;een <HI>Spitridates</HI> near &s;hipwrack at <HI>Chalcedonia:</HI> Then did he conclude, that from thence did the reports of his death ari&s;e, &s;ince every one &s;aid, there was &s;uch a great re&s;emblance between the Prince and him&s;elf: and that &s;ince <HI>Spitridates</HI> had been in <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> and afterwards in <HI>Medea,</HI> from thence did ari&s;e all the reports of his re&s;ur|rection; and &s;o his fancie pa&s;&s;ing from one thing to another, yet never forgetting to retain a plea&s;ing apprehen&s;ion of his dear Prince&s;s, he pa&s;&s;ed away almo&s;t all the night without any &s;leep at all, and he did think it not permittable, that he &s;hould be&s;tow one minute of his life up|on any thing what&s;oever, that might exclude the pa&s;&s;ion which raigned in his heart.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>The End of the Second Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="3" TYPE="part">
<PB N="145" REF="263">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR CYRUS the GREAT. The Third Part.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="book">
<HEAD>Book. III.</HEAD>
<P>_THe Sun no &s;ooner &s;ent out his fir&s;t Rayes, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> had intelligence of &s;ome Troops which appeared upon the further &s;ide of the Plain, in the way towards <HI>Artaxates:</HI> Since it was not that way which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was to come, nor had he received any intelligence of his Advance, he imagined that perhaps, it might be &s;ome relief going un|to the King of <HI>Armenia:</HI> &s;o that he took hor&s;e, and went him&s;elf out to &s;ee who they were: he pre&s;ently di&s;patched Orders unto all the Quarters of his Army to take heed of a &s;urprize, and commanded them all to randezvous: then drawing out that Troop which was next him, he went out to ob&s;erve the March of the&s;e unknown forces which appeared: he had no &s;ooner got upon a little hill, from whence one might di&s;cover all the Plain of <HI>Artax|ates,</HI> from the bottom of the <HI>Chaldean</HI> Mountains as far as tho&s;e where the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> was, but he e&s;pied a far off &s;ome Troops, which &s;eemed to make a halt, while&s;t a party of a|bout fifty hor&s;es only were drawn out, and came directly towards the place where <HI>Cyrus</HI> was; he no &s;ooner ob&s;erved that, but drawing out the like number of his own men under the Com|mand of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> he &s;ent them to know who they were: him&s;elf &s;taying in much impati|ence to ob&s;erve what pa&s;&s;ed: &s;ince <HI>Aglatidas</HI> de&s;ired nothing more then any occa&s;ions to die honourably, he obeyed <HI>Cyrus</HI> with much joy: and after he had given &s;ome animating exhor|tations unto his men to fight gallantly, if there &s;hould be any occa&s;ion, he advanced towards them, who made towards him: when they were both of them within a flight &s;hot one of another, and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> believing them for enemies, and prepared for fight, he &s;aw that he who commanded this fifty hor&s;e, did let fall the Point of his Javelin, in &s;igne of peace, and cau&s;ed all tho&s;e who followed him to do the like. <HI>Aglatidas</HI> being much amazed at this, kept his Javelin with his Re&s;t, and advanced to &s;ee who it was: Then the Commander in chief, of this &s;uppo&s;ed enemy, advanced him&s;elf alone in the po&s;ture of one that would parley, and not fight: <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;eeing this, &s;ent back tho&s;e which followed him, and letting the Point of his Javelin fall, he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> went unto him, and &s;aw him to be a man of a mo&s;t admirable Garb, wearing the mo&s;t glorious Arms that ever eye beheld, and mounted upon a mo&s;t goodly hor&s;e; they &s;aluted one another very civilly, and afterwards this unknown Gallant, &s;aid unto <HI>Agla|tidas,</HI> Since I do not now come to fight with you, I pray do me the favour to conduct me unto your General; and if you think the&s;e fifty hor&s;es be too many for my Guard, I will go &s;ingle with you upon your word: Your genero&s;ity to tru&s;t a man you know not, replied
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<HI>Aglatidas,</HI> doth let me &s;ee that I need not fear any thing, and takes away all di&s;tru&s;t of you, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nd therefore if you plea&s;e, you may command your men to follow mine: In the mean while <HI>Cyrus</HI> was much a&s;toni&s;hed to ob&s;erve the pa&s;&s;age, and could not po&s;&s;ibly imagine the meaning of it: he was &s;o unquiet at it, that he could not re&s;t any longer in that place, but ad|vanced &s;ome forty or fifty paces, with a party of Officers and Voluntiers with extream cu|rio&s;ity. He &s;aw afar off, that this &s;tranger was very hand&s;om: but being come nearer him, he was much more &s;urprized to &s;ee it was the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> This unexpected &s;ight did make him change colour, and brought a fre&s;h lu&s;tre into his face: and as for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria,</HI> he no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but he was al&s;o much moved: yet &s;ince they were both of them infinitely generous, after <HI>Aglatidas</HI> advanced to tell <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that this &s;tranger whom he knew not, (for he had but only one glimp&s;e of him before upon the Tower of <HI>Sinope)</HI> de&s;ired to be conducted to him; they &s;aluted one another with much civility: and both of them lighting from their hor&s;es, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ince he was yet only the Son of a King, and the mo&s;t civil of all men living, did render unto this King all the honours which could po&s;&s;ibly be expected, as if he were yet the Ma&s;ter of <HI>Babylon,</HI> and a quiet Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or of all <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> The King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria</HI> did al&s;o pay all due civility unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as one that merited the Empire of all the world, and as one that was both his Deliverer, and Vanqui&s;her: And indeed, the complements from both were &s;o high, that it was evident they &s;trived which &s;hould excel in civility, and it was evident, e&s;pecially to &s;uch as were acquainted with their intere&s;ts, that their minds had not much tra<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> quility in them: There appeared &s;uch a kind of fiercene&s;s in their eyes, as did di&s;co|ver the agitation of their &s;ouls, and &s;uch a con&s;trainedne&s;s in all their civilities, as plainly &s;poke them to be Rivals, and Enemies: After they were both alighted from their hor&s;es, every one out of civility withdrew, and kept at a di&s;tance. Then (&s;aid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> As I have not changed my mind, in changing my name of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> &s;o I cannot think that you have changed your re&s;olution in cea&s;ing to be <HI>Artamenes:</HI> but that I &s;hall find <HI>Cyrus</HI> to be the &s;ame Prince with whom I made Conditions on the top of the Tower in <HI>Sinope:</HI> I hope, I &s;ay, that we &s;hall both of us go together in Que&s;t of our Prince&s;s; that we &s;hall fight for her; that we &s;hall relea&s;e her; and until then, we &s;hall live together as if no difference were between; and then, in conclu&s;ion of all, I do expect that &s;atisfaction from you which you promi&s;ed, and that though your illu&s;trious Arm has already vanqui&s;hed me, yet you will not refu&s;e to di&s;pute this la&s;t victory with me. You have rea&s;on to believe, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that I &s;hall punctually perform all my promi&s;es, and therefore you may think your &s;elf as &s;afe in the King of <HI>Medes</HI> Army, as if you were in the head of your own; for I am mo&s;t certain, that Prince will never fail no more then I, in what&s;oever he has promi&s;ed. I am very &s;en&s;ible, replied the King of <HI>A&s;|&s;yria,</HI> that the Conquerour of <HI>Babylon</HI> may well think it &s;trange, that the &s;ame-Prince whom he hath vanqui&s;hed both in private and publick fight, who ows his life unto him, and who has no &s;hare in the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana's</HI> heart, &s;hould, yet after all this contend for that prize which his Conquerour does de&s;erve, which he hath already conquered, and which &s;he hath be&s;towed upon him: But yet Sir, love is all my argument: I love her, and you love her, there needs no more. And &s;ince love, not ambition, was the ground of our wars, to conquer Provinces, and Kingdoms only, is not an ab&s;olute conque&s;t; but it mu&s;t be my death only which will com|pleat your victory, and permit you to enjoy the fruits of it without any mole&s;tation. Que|&s;tionle&s;s, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> It was not ambition which &s;purred me up unto this war; and I wi&s;h with all my heart that you were Ma&s;ter of <HI>Babylon</HI> again, &s;o the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> had not been carried away: I wi&s;h that giddy fortune had never put me to the nece&s;&s;ity of making my &s;elf happy, by the ruins of &s;o great a Prince as you: but &s;ince the ca&s;e is upon the&s;e terms, let us think no more upon it: not of any thing el&s;e, but relea&s;ing our Prince&s;s, and putting her in|to a condition to take the Vanqui&s;her, and lament the Vanqui&s;hed: Let us, I &s;ay, perform &s;uch glorious acts for her deliverance, that we may both of us render our &s;elves worthy of her e&s;teem, and compa&s;&s;ion: for knowing your valour, as I do, (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> with much mode&s;ty) I ought rather to expect her compa&s;&s;ion, then her affection, after your defeat; but &s;aid he, I would it were come to that, &s;ince we cannot know where the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria</HI> did condole with <HI>Cyrus</HI> at the bad news, and rendring an account of all his actions, he told him, that in his departure from <HI>Pteria,</HI> he went unto a Province in his Dominions, which lies along the River <HI>Euphrates,</HI> and confines upon <HI>Armenia,</HI> that there he had rai&s;ed &s;ome forces, which with &s;ome fre&s;h Lev<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es in other places, amounted to the number of twelve thou&s;and men: <HI>Cyrus</HI> al&s;o out of his high genero&s;ity, rendred an account unto him in a conci&s;e manner, of the &s;tate of all things: and after that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> told him that all his forces were to be ordered according to his Commands, <HI>Cyrus</HI> for a while refu&s;ed it, yet in the end,
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he took all nece&s;&s;ary care for their encampment, and appointed them their Quarters. After this, the&s;e two Illu&s;trious Rivals took hor&s;e, and went towards the Ca&s;tle where the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> lodged, as if they were the be&s;t friends upon Earth, without any difference at all be|twixt them: In the way, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hewed his Army as they &s;tood in Battalis unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> &s;hewed him al&s;o their &s;everal Quarters, and the Mountains unto which the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> was retreated. Both of them did &s;igh very oft; for love and jealou&s;ie, hatred and grief, did &s;o di&s;compo&s;e their minds, that they &s;tood in need of all their magnanimity to keep them&s;elves within tho&s;e limits of civility which they had pre&s;cribed. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> told <HI>Cyrus,</HI> how he heard the King of <HI>Lidia</HI> was arming him&s;elf without any cau&s;e, knowing that it was neither in behalf of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> nor him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Thus, di&s;cour&s;ing upon &s;everal &s;ubjects, e&s;pecial upon their hopes to hear more of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> upon the King of <HI>Armenia's</HI> taking, they came at the la&s;t to the Ca&s;tle, where <HI>Cyrius</HI> having given orders to make the be&s;t Chamber in it ready for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> he left him in it, and went out to take care of all things expedient unto their De&s;ign. The &s;ight of this Rival did &s;o fre&s;hly revive all the differences which had pa&s;&s;ed between them when he was only <HI>Philidaspes,</HI> that he longed to be alone in his Chamber, and therefore with none but <HI>Feraulas</HI> he went thither: Is it not enough (&s;aid he unto this dear Confident of his pa&s;&s;ion) that I &s;hould be &s;eparated from her I love above my life, but that I mu&s;t be tormented with his pre|&s;ence, whom I hate even unto death? and yet genero&s;ity commands me to &s;u&s;pend all my re|&s;entments, and civilly to comply with my mo&s;t mortal enemy: Yet were I a&s;&s;ured the divine <HI>Mandana</HI> would one day recompence me for this violence I do unto my &s;elf, I &s;hould have &s;ome con&s;olation. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Feraulas,</HI> I conceive you may rather expect a chiding then any thanks from the Prince&s;s, for promi&s;ing the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> to fight with him, after you have rel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;ed her. Oh I wi&s;h to the Heavens, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> it came to that; No, no, Fortune, I de&s;ire no other favor at thy hands, but to a&s;&s;i&s;t me in relea&s;ing my Prince&s;s, and &s;o let me meet my invete<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ate enemy with a &s;word in my hand: commit all the re&s;t unto my valour and my love; for as gallant as he is I hope for victory: But alas, in the mean time I am all fury; the fight of my old enemy <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> revives all my jealou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e and hate: The King of <HI>Pont</HI> al&s;o, who loved me before he knew I was his Rival, triumphs over all my hopes; Perhaps, I &s;ay, he has not only the happine&s;s of &s;eeing her, but hath gained her heart, and obtained his pardon: &s;o that &s;ince he did not, like <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> ravi&s;h her away, but &s;ave her from &s;hipwrack, &s;he cannot look upon him as an injurious Ravi&s;her: however he is no le&s;s culpable in my eyes; &s;o that which way &s;oever I look, I &s;ee none but the Ravi&s;hers of <HI>Mandana</HI> to puni&s;h: yet alas, I &s;ee them but a&s;ar off, &s;ince I mu&s;t not fall upon the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and &s;ince I know not where the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> is. Amid&s;t the&s;e thoughts <HI>Aglatidas</HI> entered, and brought <HI>Artaban</HI> unto him, who came from <HI>Sinope,</HI> and a&s;&s;ured <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that within the&s;e two days the whole Army would be come up before <HI>Artaxates: Cyrus</HI> did gladly receive him, both becau&s;e his news did plea&s;e him, and becau&s;e he was a friend unto <HI>Aglatidas.</HI> He enquired very affectionately concerning the health of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> the Kings of <HI>Phrygia</HI> and <HI>Heriania,</HI> and of all the re&s;t in the Army. After this, conceiving it fit to acquaint the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> with this news, he prepared to go unto them, bidding <HI>Aglatidas</HI> very &s;weetly to make his friend welcome, But (&s;aid he, addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf unto <HI>Artaban)</HI> grieve him not with any &s;to|ries of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> for his own pa&s;&s;ion, without the addition of new misfortunes, torments him enough. I &s;hould be very &s;orry Sir (replyed <HI>Artaban)</HI> not to obey you in all things; but I told him as we were coming hither, how that fair Lady was not in a very happy condition: and I told him al&s;o how <HI>Ottanus</HI> would not accept of the Government in the Province of the <HI>Ari|&s;antines,</HI> which you would have conferred upon him. Would not <HI>Ottanus</HI> (replyed <HI>Cyrus</HI> in great amazement) accept of a thing &s;o advantagious for him? what may be his rea&s;on for it? I know not that, Sir, an&s;wered he; I, but I am certain he hath left <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and when I came from thence reports were, that he came into <HI>Artaxates,</HI> &s;o that if this be true, he is certainly upon the Mountains where the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> is. If it be &s;o, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> perhaps we &s;hall relea&s;e <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> before <HI>Mandana:</HI> for it is to be &s;uppo&s;ed, that <HI>Ottanus</HI> having committed &s;o ba&s;e an act, as to &s;ide with the enemies of his Prince, and a Prince too who had honored him with a Government &s;o much above his de&s;ert, he will peri&s;h and dye there: which if he do (added he, and &s;miled) <HI>Aglatidas</HI> mu&s;t go and comfort <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> I do not know (replyed that &s;ad Lover) whether or no I &s;hall be able to comfort others, but I am mo&s;t certain that I have had a long time need of con&s;olation my &s;elf. After this, he thanked <HI>Cyrus</HI> for his tenderne&s;s over him, and waiting upon him as far as the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta's</HI> Chamber, he went to entertain his dear friend <HI>Artaban</HI> with more freedom then before, and
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to enquire more particularly of him concerning <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> Mean while, after <HI>Cyrus</HI> had ac|quainted the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s arrival, and with the news of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his advance, he went unto the Chamber of his Rival, who&s;e mind was altogether as turbulent as the mind of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who in all likelyhood could never hope for the happine&s;s of b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing beloved, although he &s;hould deliver <HI>Mandana,</HI> and vanqui&s;h <HI>Cyrus:</HI> nor though he did flatter up him&s;elf with hopes in the Oracles, yet could he never pretend to have any other &s;atisfaction then revenge upon him: However, &s;ince love and hope are in&s;eparab<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e Compani|ons, he &s;ometimes fancied that this his illu&s;trious Rival &s;hould be no &s;ooner out of the world, but he &s;hould po&s;&s;e&s;s his place: yet the&s;e fancies did quickly vani&s;h, and he did more often ima|gine, maugre all his oraculous a&s;&s;urance from Heaven, that as &s;oon as he had killed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he &s;hould then be more hated then before: The&s;e were the imaginations of that Prince when <HI>Cyrus</HI> came into his Chamber, to acquaint him with the news which <HI>Artaban</HI> brought. After he had &s;tayed a quarter of an hour with him, con&s;ulting what Quarters tho&s;e Troops which he brought &s;hould have in the morning, he left him and went to give orders for it, and many other things.</P>
<P>Mean while the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> after he had &s;ent to ask the permi&s;&s;ion of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> went to vi&s;it the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> In the mean while al&s;o <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent unto &s;everal Guards which he had placed, that they &s;hould not be &s;urprized or amazed when they &s;aw the Troops of <HI>Ci|axares</HI> advance. He &s;ent al&s;o into <HI>Artaxates,</HI> appointing them to prepare the King of <HI>Ar|menia</HI>'s Palace for <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> for &s;ince the whole Army was to be joyned, he thought it expedient to make &s;ure as well within the Town as without. He was al&s;o informed by <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> that <HI>Hidaspes</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> had defeated &s;ome Troops which the Prince <HI>Phaartes</HI> had &s;ent out into the Plain to forrage for victuals. After all this he retired un|to his Chamber, and, as u&s;ually he did, pa&s;&s;ed over the night without a wink of &s;leep. In the morning he went to vi&s;it the quarters of <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> and others; and the day following that, he would go meet <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and carry the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> with him: The&s;e two Princes then took hor&s;e; <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> &s;ome Voluntiers, and two hundred Hor&s;es only waited upon them: and after he had cau&s;ed the A&s;&s;yrian Troops to advance, and ranked them in Battalia with the re&s;t, to receive <HI>Ciaxares</HI> with the more ceremony, he &s;ent <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> before, that he might pre|pare the King to meet with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> not but that he knew <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would keep promi&s;e &s;ince he had pa&s;&s;ed it, but becau&s;e he always u&s;ed to ob&s;erve order and <HI>decorum</HI> in all things. After &s;ome three hours march they di&s;covered clouds of du&s;t to ari&s;e from the ground, cau&s;ed by the march of the Army: Pre&s;ently after, they met: and he came up to that Regiment where <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was, with the King of <HI>Phrigia.</HI> As &s;oon as the Souldiers &s;aw <HI>Cyrus,</HI> they began to &s;hout with &s;uch great acclamations of Joy, that it may well be &s;aid they forgot <HI>Ciax|ares</HI> was there. <HI>Cyrus</HI> beckened unto them with his hand, and with great mode&s;ty made &s;igns unto them to be &s;ilent, to march, and keep their ranks; he refu&s;ed the&s;e honors with &s;uch a kind of obliging &s;mile, as &s;poke him neither plea&s;ed or angry at it. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> heard all the&s;e acclamations with much perplexity, though he would not &s;hew it: and at la&s;t they met <HI>Ciaxares</HI> in a place where he was lighted from his hor&s;e to refre&s;h him&s;elf, and to &s;ee tho&s;e Troops drawn out, which he intended &s;hould march fir&s;t unto <HI>Artaxates.</HI> As &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> di&s;covered him under the Trees, he adverti&s;ed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> &s;o that lighting from their hor&s;es &s;ome twenty paces off, they went up unto him. Our invincible Hero went &s;ome three paces before the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> with intentions to pre&s;ent him unto <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> but do what he could the King embraced him fir&s;t, and afterwards &s;aluted the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> very civilly, telling him, that though he had been the cau&s;e of all his troubles, yet it was ju&s;t he &s;hould in &s;ome &s;ort repair tho&s;e incivilities done unto <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> with the re&s;pects which they would render unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> Sir, replyed this Prince, if I have tre&s;pa&s;&s;ed again&s;t you, Fortune hath &s;ufficiently puni&s;hed me for it; not that I think the lo&s;s of my Crown comparable to the lo&s;s of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> my intentions are to bring the la&s;t unto you, without asking you the other; and I come into your Army with re&s;olution to hazard my life for your &s;ervice: If the propitious Fate of your Arms had left me a greater number of Subjects, I &s;hould have brought you a greater ayd; But &s;ince all are become yours, I hope you will accept of the&s;e twelve thou|&s;and men which now I bring, as well as if they were a hundred thou&s;and, &s;ince they are all I have. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> returned a very civil an&s;wer unto him. After this, <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> and others of quality who came from the Camp, &s;aluted <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and gave <HI>Cyrus</HI> time to be&s;tow a Complement upon the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> upon whom the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did ca&s;t a malicious eye, remembering him as one that changed &s;ides, and for&s;ook him. After this, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> taking <HI>Cyrus</HI> a&s;ide, while&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was in di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> he commended
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him for all he had done, and grieved with him, that they could not yet hear of <HI>Mandana: Cyrus</HI> rendred a &s;hort and pithy account of all the <HI>Armenian</HI> Affairs &s;ince he came into it, and of the pre&s;ent &s;tate of every thing: After which taking hor&s;e, and giving the right hand unto the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King as unto the greate&s;t Prince of the world, they went unto the great Town of <HI>Artaxates;</HI> near which <HI>Cyrus</HI> by orders from <HI>Ciaxares</HI> did draw up all his huge Army into Battalia, that the people &s;eeing it, might &s;till continue in better obedience, and that the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> di&s;covering it from the Mountains, might &s;ooner think upon rendring him&s;elf: Mean while <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent all tho&s;e Troops which he brought fir&s;t to guard the Palace where the King was to quarter: he &s;ent others al&s;o to keep Courts of Guard in other publique places, and Ports of the Town. And when all was thus ordered, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> entred into <HI>Artaxates</HI> with tho&s;e who were ordered to quarter in it; leaving the main Body of his Army to quarter all along the River <HI>Araxes,</HI> which runs through the mid&s;t of that great Plain: The next morn|ing <HI>Cyrus</HI> moved <HI>Ciaxares</HI> that he would be plea&s;ed to permit the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> to come from the Ca&s;tle where &s;he was unto <HI>Artaxates,</HI> that &s;he might be well u&s;ed, although &s;he was &s;i&s;ter unto the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana: Ciaxares</HI> con&s;ented; &s;o that he went, and conducted her into the Town, where <HI>Ciaxares</HI> did vi&s;it her, and at the reque&s;t of <HI>Cyrus</HI> ren|dered her all the honour that was due unto her quality: She was lodged in a Palace by her &s;elf, which formerly belonged unto the Prince <HI>Tigranes,</HI> for <HI>Cyrus</HI> did alter his former intentions, and ordered it &s;o; becau&s;e he thought that to be more convenient for her, by rea&s;on &s;he would be there at more freedom. This Prince likewi&s;e treated tho&s;e two Captains which came with her very civilly; and omitted nothing that either Rea&s;on, civility or genero&s;ity required: The King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> al&s;o did vi&s;it this Prince&s;s, remembering &s;till the friend&s;hip that was between him and the King her brother, though now they were on oppo&s;ite &s;ides, and confirming her in that high e&s;teem which &s;he had already entertained of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> The day after, the Reer-guard came up, under the Conduct of the <HI>Hircanian</HI> King, which was quartered al&s;o in the &s;ame Plain of <HI>Artaxates:</HI> This Prince not de&s;iring to lodg in the Town, more then <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who &s;ince the Army came up lay always in the field; and &s;o did the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who, according to his old cu&s;tom, could not endure his Rival &s;hould out-do him in any thing. Mean while a Councel of War was called to con&s;ult whether they &s;hould content them&s;elves with &s;topping all victuals from the Enemy, or whether they &s;hould enforce the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> out of tho&s;e Mountains which &s;eemed ab&s;olutely inacce&s;&s;able: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> though he had been vanqui&s;hed and an enemy, yet had his voyce in Councel: But though <HI>Cyrus</HI> and he had both of them jealous thoughts one of another, and ever had a &s;ecret hatred and &s;pirit of contradiction in every thing, yet in this they were both of one opinion, and were the only two which voted to force the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> out of tho&s;e inacce&s;&s;able Mountains: Not that they &s;aw any great rea&s;on for their opinions; but &s;ince it concerned <HI>Mandana,</HI> and &s;ince they gave their votes in pre&s;ence of one another, they both of them aimed at the highe&s;t difficulties, and the mo&s;t hazardous for them&s;elves. All that <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> reported from the <HI>Armenian</HI> Souldiers whom they took pri&s;oners, and related their Prince had not victuals to &s;ub&s;i&s;t many days, was in vain; and they an&s;wered unto that, how it was not wi&s;dom to give credit unto reports, &s;ince it is common for pri&s;oners to flatter their Conquerors with &s;ome advantagious tales in hopes to be better u&s;ed. When it was objected, that the&s;e Mountains were inacce&s;&s;able, and that by roul|ing down great &s;tones only, &s;ix thou&s;and men might ea&s;ily defend them&s;elves again&s;t &s;ix hundred thou&s;and; when they could not contradict this objection, nor belye their own eyes, then they &s;aid, that it mu&s;t indeed be confe&s;&s;ed &s;ome men would be lo&s;t, yet the di&s;honor and &s;hame to have &s;o great an Army at the foot of the&s;e Mountains, and attempt nothing, would be ballanced with it: That there was a great nece&s;&s;ity of knowing where the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was, and to be &s;atisfied, there was as great a nece&s;&s;ity of taking the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> pre&s;ently, and not to linger out the time till famine force him out of his &s;anctuary. That, while&s;t they were bu&s;ie in guarding only the pa&s;&s;ages and advenues unto the&s;e Mountains, perhaps the people of both <HI>Armenia's</HI> were uniting them&s;elves, and gathering into a va&s;t Body, which might find them more difficulties to overcome then this, and therefore for the&s;e Rea&s;ons their opinions were to enforce the&s;e Mountains. But although the opinion of <HI>Cyrus</HI> did always u&s;e to lead the re&s;t at other times, yet it did not &s;o now: for all with one con&s;ent knowing certainly the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> had but &s;cant of victuals, and &s;eeing that at fewe&s;t thirty thou&s;and men mu&s;t needs peri&s;h in the attempt, did re&s;olve only to &s;top all pa&s;&s;ages; to repul&s;e all tho&s;e that made any &s;allies out of the Mountains, and to invite them unto it, to &s;eem &s;ometimes as if they would make a&s;&s;aults in &s;everal quarters: They conceived it not ju&s;t to let &s;uch a va&s;t number of people to peri&s;h for want of a little patience, e&s;pecially &s;ince they had no certainty that the Prince&s;s
<PB N="150" REF="266">
<HI>Mandana</HI> was in the place. This advice being generally to be pur&s;ued, no more was to be done, but to keep mo&s;t &s;trict Guards round about the mountains, and to find out all the blind paths and by-ways.</P>
<P>The next morning, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would take a view of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Troops, in <HI>Battalia</HI> by them&s;elves, which now they had mingled with the re&s;t, as being all of one &s;ide: Mean while, this Siege without a Town, was not &s;o idle a bu&s;ine&s;s as <HI>Cyrus</HI> did imagine it, for &s;ince the Prince <HI>Phaartes</HI> was very gallant, and &s;ince love was a &s;pur unto his valour, he began to be&s;tir him&s;elf, though during the fir&s;t days, he was &s;ick with grief at his Fathers lo&s;&s;es, and that the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> was in the hands of his enemies. As he was well ver&s;ed in all the by-ways of the&s;e mountains, he would &s;ometimes come and &s;end us a &s;hower of Arrows, and &s;o vani&s;h in a moment, that none could know what was become of him: Sometimes he would come in the night unto the foot of the mountains, by &s;uch blind ways through the Rocks where none but <HI>Armenians</HI> could come, and give an Alarum unto all the Camp; and &s;ince he had very good Spies in the Army of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> he always made his Sallies on that &s;ide where <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not, for the valour of this Prince was mo&s;t terrible unto all the <HI>Armenians.</HI> But &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not u&s;ed to be &s;urprized, not &s;urprize others, he re&s;olved every night to go into &s;eve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Quarters, in hopes to meet with this almo&s;t invi&s;ible enemy, who would never fall upon his &s;ide, and who he knew to be the Prince <HI>Phaartes</HI> by &s;ome pri&s;oners which he had taken. Up|on &s;uch a de&s;ign as this which <HI>Cyrus</HI> had, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> would be &s;ure to make one, as well as other particular friends of <HI>Cyrus. Thra&s;ibus, Aglatidas, Ara&s;pes, Per&s;odes, Gadates, Gobrias, Megabi&s;es, Hida&s;pes, Thimocrates, Leontidas, Philocles, Adu&s;ias, Chri&s;antes, Feraulas,</HI> and many others were then with him: After they had waited &s;everal nights in vain, at the la&s;t it happened one night that <HI>Phaartes</HI> having no intelligence in what Quarter <HI>Cyrus</HI> was, and having a de&s;igne to &s;end out a Captain di&s;guized in the habit of a Pea&s;ant, unto <HI>Tigranes</HI> his Brother, he happened to de&s;cend from the mountains on that &s;ide, where <HI>Cyrus</HI> lay in ambu&s;h with &s;ix hundred men, which he had culled out for that purpo&s;e: yet he had placed him&s;elf &s;o, that <HI>Phaartes</HI> taking a little path upon his left hand, could not come unto the foot of the moun|tains, but that which at the fir&s;t &s;eeing did anger him, was afterwards his advantage; for when <HI>Phaartes</HI> with half his men was pa&s;t the foot of the mountains, <HI>Cyrus</HI> did immediatly &s;tep between him, and his retreat, and perceiving that there was abundance of men among&s;t the Rocks as well as in the plain, he could not tell in which of tho&s;e two the Prince <HI>Phaartes</HI> was; &s;o that to be &s;ure of meeting with him, he divided his men, the one half to a&s;&s;ault tho&s;e who were in the Rocks, and the other half to pur&s;ue tho&s;e in the plain, who &s;eeing their Re|treat cut off, endeavoured to find out another; but <HI>Cyrus</HI> pur&s;ued them very clo&s;e, while&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did &s;cuffle with them among the Rocks: The Heavens was very &s;erene and clear, and the Stars did give a &s;plendent lu&s;ter, &s;o that this nights combate proved very &s;harp, and bloody: <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> did do wonders in &s;econding the valour of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who &s;ound no &s;mall re&s;i&s;tance from tho&s;e he fought with: for the Prince <HI>Phaartes</HI> being there, did de&s;perately defend him&s;elf, and did things worthy of eternal memory, yet being wounded in the right arm, and left hand, &s;o that he could not hold his &s;word, he endeavoured to &s;ave him|&s;elf: Then he fell off, being followed by fifteen or twenty of his men, while&s;t the re&s;t kept their ground, and unperceived by <HI>Cyrus,</HI> or any of his men, he got into a little valley, wherein did fall a very rapid Torrent from the height of the mountains; there <HI>Phaartes</HI> h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d him&s;elf, hoping that when the Combate was ended, and the Troops of <HI>Cyrus</HI> drawn off, he might then perhaps get into his rocky way again. In the mean time, all the re&s;t of his men were cut all in pieces, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> finding no re&s;i&s;tance, went to &s;ee what the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had done: be found him very bu&s;ie with his enemies, who did not flye according to their old cu&s;tom, be|cau&s;e they knew that the Prince <HI>Phaartes</HI> was engaged: yet at the la&s;t, hoping he might gain &s;ome other Pa&s;s whereby to retreat, they retired unto a Pa&s;s, beyond which it was not po&s;&s;i|ble to follow them; for as it was &s;o narrow that two men might make head again&s;t an hun|dred thou&s;and. After that they had done all that was po&s;&s;ible, and were thinking upon a re|treat, <HI>Cyrus</HI> enquired concerning all his friends, whom in the ob&s;curity of night he could not di&s;|cern: <HI>Aglatidas</HI> being next, told him that he heard the name of <HI>Ottanus</HI> u&s;ed in the Combate. I heard more then you, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> for I heard one cry, <HI>Ottanus</HI> is dead; as <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was about to an&s;wer, intelligence came to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that &s;ome of the enemy had rallied together in a little valley, &s;o that he went immediately thither; But <HI>Phaartes,</HI> (for it was he they meant) being adverti&s;ed of their coming, by a &s;ouldier whom he had &s;et &s;entinal at the advenue of the valley, and finding him&s;elf di&s;abled from fighting with any, and al&s;o con&s;idering the little num|ber of his men, and they all wounded as well as him&s;elf, commanded them, to throw down
<PB N="151" REF="266">
their Arms, and follow him, chu&s;ing rather to tru&s;t unto the genero&s;ity of his enemy, then to a feeble re&s;i&s;tance, which could do him no good: and &s;ince he was di&s;abled from fighting, he thought it le&s;s &s;hame to render him&s;elf unto a gallant enemy, then to flie, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> let him&s;elf be killed without re&s;i&s;tance: All his men obeying him, he went unto a pa&s;&s;age where he expected his enemy to come; and &s;ince the Moon &s;hined very bright, and objects might well be di&s;|cerned; <HI>Cyrus</HI> was no &s;ooner in &s;ight, but one of his men knowing him, becau&s;e he had been with <HI>Tigranes</HI> at <HI>Sinope,</HI> did &s;hew <HI>Phaartes</HI> which was he: This Prince then cried out, with a mo&s;t generous boldne&s;s, &s;o loud as he thought he might be under&s;tood: Whither art thou going <HI>Cyrus?</HI> doe&s;t thou not know, that it is not glorious to overcome at all times? Suffer thy &s;elf &s;ometimes to be vanqui&s;hed, and be a&s;&s;ured that being overcome after that manner, thy victory will be more noble then if thou wert a Conquerour, and at this time there will be more honour in the triumph of thy clemency, then of thy courage and valour. <HI>Cyrus</HI> upon this &s;tood &s;till, and turning towards <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> who &s;tood next him, &s;aid &s;milingly unto him, I &s;ee there is nothing more ingenious then ill fortune, nor any thing more witty then nece&s;&s;i|ty: and how much more wi&s;ely and eloquent we &s;peak when we are conquered, then who we are Conquerours: after this, holding out his hand unto this di&s;armed enemy, whom yet he knew not; A&s;&s;ure thy &s;elf (&s;aid he unto him) thou &s;halt receive no harm from me, and who &s;oever thou art, I will render thee any &s;ervice in my power, even &s;o far as to give thee thy li|berty; for it is my cu&s;tom to take them only for enemies, who are in a condition to defend them&s;elves. <HI>Phaartes</HI> being charmed with the high genero&s;ity of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;aid unto him, I do not wonder at all that the Gods &s;hould &s;o continually give victory unto a Prince who knows &s;o wel how to u&s;e it, and I wonder le&s;s at the extream affection which the Prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> my Bro|ther had unto the mo&s;t Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes. Cyrus</HI> knowing by the&s;e words, that it was the Prince <HI>Phaartes,</HI> he imbraced him mo&s;t civilly, and perceiving him wounded, he command|ed hor&s;es to be fetched in all ha&s;te to carry this wounded Prince &s;peedily unto &s;ome place where he might be dre&s;&s;ed; For generous Prince, &s;aid he unto him, the mountains may perhaps be dangerous for you, con&s;idering the &s;tate you are in: The hor&s;es being brought, <HI>Cyrus</HI> com|manded them to aid the Prince <HI>Phaartes,</HI> and two &s;ouldiers to lead his hor&s;e, becau&s;e he was not able to hold the bridle by rea&s;on of his wounds. When he was gone, <HI>Cyrus</HI> mi&s;&s;ing <HI>Thra|&s;ibulus,</HI> enquired concerning him, and they told him, that he &s;tayed with a wounded enemy, who rendred him&s;elf unto him: <HI>Feraulus</HI> &s;aid further, that after the fight was ended, he cau|&s;ed this pri&s;oner to be carried by &s;ouldiers to the Camp, and he him&s;elf followed. Since the place where now they were was not far off from the place where the Prince did quarter, they went unto his Tents, and placed the Prince <HI>Phaartes</HI> in one of the mo&s;t magnificent Pavilions; cau&s;ing the Chyrurgions which were in the Tent of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> to be called, for <HI>Cyrus</HI> him|&s;elf would &s;ee him dre&s;&s;ed: Mean while he &s;ent <HI>Feraulus</HI> unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to inform him of all pa&s;&s;ages. The wounds of the Prince <HI>Phaartes</HI> being found to be more painful then dangerous, the Chyrurgions &s;aid, that there was no danger, if he e&s;caped a feaver; to prevent which, it was requi&s;ite for him to re&s;t all that night, and a good part of the next morning. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then retired as well as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> though it went much again&s;t his mind to depart before he had asked him concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> which con&s;idering the condition <HI>Phaar|tes</HI> was in, he dur&s;t not mention, but rea&s;on at this time ruled above his love, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> re|&s;olved to wait &s;ome certain hours for a &s;atisfaction of his de&s;ires: Mean time, &s;ince <HI>Thra&s;i|bulus</HI> yet appeared not, and &s;ince he under&s;tood the Chyrurgions had been in his Tent, he ask|ed them, whom they dre&s;&s;ed there? They an&s;wered him, that they had dre&s;&s;ed a very hand&s;om man, who was in great danger of death, and who told <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> an hundred obliging Sto|ries: That <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> was very much perplexed for him, and that without all doubt he was a man of quality. <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent to ask who it was, but <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> leaving his wounded pri&s;o|ner at re&s;t, according to the orders of the Chyrurgions, came him&s;elf to relate the adventure. <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but he &s;aw melancholy in his face, and asked him very obligingly, how he did: What, generous Prince, &s;aid he unto him, are you &s;o unfortunate as to wound a friend in lieu of an enemy? Sir, &s;aid he unto him again, to make you under&s;tand the whole ad|venture: It is requi&s;ite I relate the whole Story of my life, it being impo&s;&s;ible otherwi&s;e, to com|prehend the aver&s;ne&s;s of my De&s;tiny: for, Sir, when I &s;hall tell you that he who is now your pri|&s;oner, and wounded in my Tent, is Son unto the wi&s;e <HI>Pittacus,</HI> Prince of <HI>Mytelenes,</HI> who&s;e name is <HI>Ti&s;&s;ander,</HI> then you will doubtle&s;s know that he is Son unto one of the prime men of all <HI>Greece.</HI> I have long de&s;ired, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to know the life of that Prince, who hath taught me to overcome my &s;elf, and I am much indebted unto your valour; but illu&s;trious <HI>Thra&s;ibu|lus,</HI> I have been &s;o bu&s;ied with my own misfortunes, &s;ince you came to <HI>Sinope,</HI> that now I have
<PB N="152" REF="267">
no mind to de&s;ire the relation of yours; yet prepare your &s;elf ere long for the relation of it, and in the mean time go and re&s;t your &s;elf, and take care of your wounded pri&s;oner, who cut of my affection to you I know not whether I &s;hould love or hate; and if &s;ome Conference which I am to have with the Prince <HI>Phaartes</HI> concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> do not drive me into ab&s;olute de&s;pair, and deprive me of my rea&s;on by depriving me of all hopes, I &s;hall then hold an hour or two in di&s;cour&s;e with you in private. <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> then thanked him for his good|ne&s;s, and retired; leaving this Prince at liberty to lie down upon his bed for two or three hours, to recover his wearine&s;s; his &s;leep was not over quiet, for his impatience to &s;peak with <HI>Phaartes</HI> did &s;o torment him, that he could take no re&s;t: He &s;ent above twenty times, to know whether he was awake, and how he did of his wounds, but &s;till the an&s;wer was, he was a&s;leep. But de&s;iring to &s;ee him before the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> came unto him, he went him|&s;elf to vi&s;it him, and came ju&s;t as he waked, &s;o that he and the Phy&s;icians and Chyrurgeons en|tered together, they found him very well, &s;o that after he was dre&s;&s;ed, they permitted him to perform his Complement unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> for his great care of him, not forbidding him to talk, as they did the night before. Sir, &s;aid <HI>Phaartes</HI> unto him, if you treat your Enemies thus, how would you treat your Friends? You may know that by your &s;elf, an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus,</HI> if you will; for if you will &s;incerely tell me where the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is, you will oblige me to be your Friend. I &s;hould be extreamly glad to &s;atisfie your curio&s;ity, if I could, replyed <HI>Pha|artes,</HI> but I do profe&s;s before all the Gods whom we adore, that I know not where &s;he is; and to make it evident that I am &s;incere, I will not &s;ay with the &s;ame confidence, that the King my father knows not, becau&s;e &s;ince he is a Prince who doth not u&s;e to impart matters of State unto any, he may know more of it then I do: But Sir, if you dare take the word of an Enemy, permit me to go as &s;oon as I am able unto the King my father, and after I have em|ployed all my ingenuity to di&s;cover the truth, I will return and give you a &s;incere relation of it. Generous Prince, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> you need not pa&s;s your word, for you are ab&s;olutely free, and may do what you plea&s;e, for I &s;erve a King who u&s;es to make good all the promi&s;es which I make: &s;o that when it is your plea&s;ure to return unto the King your father, you may; but if the prayers of an Enemy have any prevalency with you, I do conjure you to move the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> to impart all he knows concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and not to force <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to ruine him: Perchance you have &s;een how potent his Army is from the tops of your Moun|tains, &s;o that I hope both rea&s;on, &s;en&s;e, and genero&s;ity will induce you to &s;atisfie my demands. <HI>Phaartes</HI> then obliged him&s;elf by a hundred prote&s;tations of &s;incerity and freedom, and told him, that if the Chyrurgeons thought expedient he would be carried the next morning, though he would not accept of that favour which <HI>Cyrus</HI> offered, to relea&s;e him ab&s;olutely. But, &s;aid he further unto him, that you may give more credit unto my words, I will tru&s;t you with a &s;ecret which much concerns my life, which is, Sir, that you have in your keeping a Prince&s;s who hath the &s;ame influence upon the heart of <HI>Phaartes,</HI> that <HI>Mandana</HI> has upon the generous <HI>Cyrus:</HI> &s;o that having a pawn &s;o dear and precious unto me, you may well expect that fide|lity from me, which very few enemies would pay unto tho&s;e they fight with.</P>
<P>As they were thus in conference, intelligence was brought unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> who al&s;o lodged in the Town, were coming to the Camp; &s;o that he went from <HI>Phaartes</HI> to meet them: Ju&s;t as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was entering, having &s;ome curio&s;ity to enquire of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana, Cyrus</HI> blu&s;hed, and in &s;hort related the an&s;wer of <HI>Phaartes</HI> unto him, &s;o that they went both together to meet <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who gave them both very high commendations, but &s;o, that it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee he put a great difference be|tween them. <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave him an account of all his Conference with <HI>Phaartes,</HI> and be&s;eeched him that he might be treated as he had promi&s;ed, which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> ea&s;ily conde&s;cended unto, conceiving indeed that it was ea&s;ier to come unto the knowledg of the truth by the mediation of that Prince, then any other way: So that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> gave <HI>Cyrus</HI> full power to tran&s;act that bu&s;ine&s;s, and every thing el&s;e, as he him&s;elf thought be&s;t expedient, without making any ad|dre&s;&s;es unto him for advi&s;e; and after he had be&s;towed a vi&s;it upon <HI>Phaartes</HI> and <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> he returned unto <HI>Artaxates.</HI> In the mean while <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who thought he heard the name of <HI>Ottanus</HI> mentioned in the fight, and who under&s;tood from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that <HI>Ottanus</HI> was &s;aid to be dead, went to &s;ee the Prince <HI>Phaartes,</HI> and be&s;eeched him to re&s;olve him, whether it was true that <HI>Ottanus</HI> was engaged in his quarrel, and out in the la&s;t Combat: <HI>Phaartes</HI> told him both were true, and that he beleeved he peri&s;hed the la&s;t night, becau&s;e he heard one cry in the heat of Combat, that <HI>Ottanus</HI> was dead: <HI>Aglatidas</HI> under&s;tanding this, de&s;ired <HI>Arbatan</HI> who knew him, to enquire more certainty of it, during the two hours of truce which was agreed upon, for the fetching off their dead, and which indeed the Enemy did
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de&s;ire, principally to &s;ee whether <HI>Phaartes</HI> could be found among&s;t them.</P>
<P><HI>Artaban</HI> then went along with tho&s;e whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent to bring off the bodies of &s;ome ten or twelve of his Souldiers which fell in the fight, &s;eeming to look for an Officer and Friend of his who was mi&s;&s;ing: He &s;earched very narrowly among&s;t all the dead; but though he did not find the body of <HI>Ottanus</HI> among&s;t them, yet was he able to carry back mo&s;t certain news of his death: for among&s;t tho&s;e who carried off their dead, there came al&s;o a &s;ervant of <HI>Ottanus</HI> who <HI>Artaban</HI> knew, and who &s;earching for his Ma&s;ter clo&s;e by that Torrent which falls from the Mountains into the little valley where <HI>Phaartes</HI> was retreated, he began &s;uddenly to cry out: <HI>Artaban</HI> came to him, and there &s;aw among&s;t &s;ome Rocks which &s;tood in the water, a dead man, yet could not di&s;cover his face; yet by the re&s;t of his body, clothes, and very remark|able Arms, the &s;ervant knew it to be his Ma&s;ter <HI>Ottanus:</HI> he &s;aw al&s;o, that his &s;houlder which lay out of the water was all bloody, and therefore concluded him to be wounded: yet &s;ince this Torrent was &s;o rapid and deep, it was very difficult to come unto the place where the corps was, which &s;tuck upon the point of a Rock: They &s;ent for long poles where with to draw him out, but none could be found long enough to reach him; and no other invention could be de|vi&s;ed; for it was too deep to wade, and too rapid to &s;wim: yet while&s;t they were inventing &s;ome new way to draw off this corps, a great gu&s;h of water fell from the Rocks upon that point which &s;topped him, and then the impetuous Torrent did gulf him into the bottom of the water, and there was he buried. After this, <HI>Artaban</HI> returned to the Camp with cer|tain news of <HI>Ottanus</HI> his death, &s;ince his eyes were witne&s;&s;es of it, it being imaginable, that as he fled with the re&s;t into this little valley, he fell into this Torrent, and there peri&s;hed; at the lea&s;t it was the imagination of <HI>Artaban,</HI> for all the other men were of a hundred opinions contrary to one another. All tho&s;e who knew the Intere&s;t that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> had in the death of this man, did rejoyce at it; but as for him&s;elf, he was too wi&s;e, and too well accu&s;tomed unto &s;orrows, to pa&s;s &s;o &s;uddenly from melancholy to joy: all he &s;aid was, that he was not very &s;or|ry for the death of him who was a Tyrant unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and by con&s;equence that &s;he was rid of him: Yet <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> who upon the &s;ame rea&s;on &s;hould have been glad al&s;o, was very &s;ad at it, becau&s;e he thought it would become the happine&s;s of <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> &s;o that though he thought never to have loved <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> again, yet he found that he loved her &s;till, by the renew|ing of his &s;ecret hate unto <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> yet he dur&s;t not manife&s;t it, for <HI>Cyrus</HI> did &s;o tenderly affect him, that it was a capital crime to be his declared Enemy. All this while <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> was with <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> whom the Chyrurgeons found to be in a better &s;tate. The Prince <HI>Pha|artes</HI> al&s;o did much mend upon it, &s;o that he de&s;ired <HI>Cyrus</HI> he might go the next morning unto the King his father, and acquit him&s;elf of his Commi&s;&s;ion: Yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> would needs have him carried in a Litter, and &s;o, that very morning on which the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> &s;ent to &s;ee the Prince his &s;on, he was conducted by a Guard of two hundred Souldiers unto the fir&s;t Guards of the <HI>Armenian</HI> King, with whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> renewed the Truce, until the Prince <HI>Phaartes</HI> re|turned with his An&s;wer. During this &s;hort interval, in which <HI>Cyrus</HI> hoped for a clear &s;ati&s;|faction of his de&s;ires, he payed all due civilicies unto every one: He went unto <HI>Artaxates</HI> to wait upon <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and there he vi&s;ited the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and related unto her all that <HI>Phaartes</HI> had &s;aid concerning her, and what had pa&s;&s;ed between them, which &s;he harkened unto not without &s;ome blu&s;hes: She gave <HI>Cyrus</HI> thanks for the liberty he had given <HI>Phaartes,</HI> but it was after &s;uch a manner, that he might know &s;he rather thanked him for delivering her from all new expre&s;&s;ions of his affection which he would have rendered her while&s;t he had con|tinued a pri&s;oner, then for any love &s;he bore him, though &s;he did e&s;teem him very much. Af|ter this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> returned unto the Camp again, contemplating always upon his dear Prince&s;s, or di&s;cour&s;ing either with <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> or <HI>Feraulas,</HI> or <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> in whom he put much confidence: He loved <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> very well, yet &s;ince he never had been in love, he never &s;poke unto him concerning his pa&s;&s;ion: When he was come into the Camp, he went immediately unto the Tent of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> where &s;ince he was at lea&s;ure, he intended to pa&s;s that day and part of the night in hearing a relation of what he de&s;ired &s;o much to know. As &s;oon as he went thither, he expre&s;&s;ed his de&s;ires of being alone with <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> &s;o that every one did leave him the liberty of Conference; and as &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw this opportunity, he &s;aid very ob|ligingly unto him; Well, my old Conqueror, &s;aid he, will you &s;uffer your &s;elf to be over|come, and acquaint me with all the circum&s;tances of that life which as far as I know of it is mo&s;t glorious? You will not &s;ay as much of the re&s;t when you know it, replyed <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> and &s;ighed; for Sir, you will only find two things in it; that is, much weakne&s;s, and much misfortune: Yet &s;ince it is your plea&s;ure to have it &s;o, and &s;ince indeed it concerns the pre&s;ent condition of my affairs that you know it, therefore I &s;hall very exactly obey you: But can you
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endure Sir, the relation of &s;o many trivial pa&s;&s;ages, which mu&s;t needs be very impertinent unto you, and indeed very incon&s;iderable unto any who knows not what belongs to love? Prai&s;e them not, trivial and incon&s;iderable, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> when they concern my friends, and when my dear <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> (&s;aid he, and &s;ighed al&s;o) I am not ignorant of that mi&s;ery where|of I think you complain; tell it therefore, I conjure you, and know that I have lei&s;ure enough to hear it, though it take up all the day, and night al&s;o: for &s;ince there is a truce with the King of <HI>Armenia,</HI> I have little other imployment, and &s;ince nights are but tedious, and re&s;tle&s;s unto me. <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> then &s;eeing his opportunity, and knowing that it was requi&s;ite <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould be acquainted with his pa&s;t adventures, con&s;idering the pre&s;ent condition of his fortune, was mo&s;t willing to obey him; and taking their &s;eats, he began thus.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of <HI>THRASIBULUS,</HI> and <HI>ALCIONIDA.</HI></HEAD>
<P>HAd I a Soul as &s;en&s;ible of ambition as love; I do not think it had been po&s;&s;ible to endure all tho&s;e misfortunes which have fallen upon me: But &s;ince I ever thought it a greater glory to merit Crowns, then po&s;&s;e&s;s them; I &s;tood in need of all my con&s;tancy, &s;ince I was not tormented with that proud pa&s;&s;ion, which has razed and ruined all the Monarchies, and Re|publiques in the world. And though I am &s;en&s;ible of the lo&s;s of that Soveraignty which be|longed unto me, yet did I not give my &s;elf over unto de&s;pair and &s;orrow for it, but only as this lo&s;s was an ob&s;tacle unto my love: &s;o that it may almo&s;t be &s;aid, I never was &s;en&s;ible of ambition until I began to be in love. But to acquaint you Sir, with tho&s;e mi&s;eries I have &s;uf|fered both in my fortune, and in my love, Give me leave to tell you, that I am the Son of <HI>Thra|&s;ibulus,</HI> Prince of <HI>Miletes,</HI> who&s;e name I bear, who as long as he lived was an intimate friend of <HI>Periander,</HI> King of <HI>Corinth,</HI> and who&s;e name was very notable as long as he lived, for the wars which waged for eleven years together again&s;t <HI>Sadiattes,</HI> the little &s;on of <HI>Giges,</HI> and again&s;t <HI>Alliates,</HI> father of <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> which he fini&s;hed with too much good fortune, wi&s;dom, and ho|nour, to be related in a few words, and &s;ince that which followed after was the foundation of all my mi&s;eries. This war, Sir, was the more con&s;iderable, &s;ince it was begun during the Raign of <HI>Giges,</HI> when he u&s;urped the Crown from <HI>Heraclidus:</HI> for &s;ince that <HI>Ardis</HI> who &s;ucceeded him, did keep it from him, as likewi&s;e <HI>Sadiattes</HI> his Son after him, and as now <HI>Alliates</HI> does the &s;ame. The Prince my father, then being very bu&s;ie in the beginning of his Raign to e&s;tabli&s;h in his hou&s;e that Soveraign Authority which belonged unto him: he could not during the fir&s;t years of his War again&s;t <HI>Sadiattes,</HI> with all the forces he had re&s;i&s;t him, becau&s;e he had many enemies within the Town; and not daring to go out of it, left in his ab&s;ence a &s;editious party &s;hould gather to a head in it, <HI>Sadiattes</HI> was ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of the field, and continued his wars for &s;ix years together, in a very &s;trange manner: for without making any attempts again&s;t the Town, he brought every year in the Harve&s;t time a very va&s;t Army of Foot into the <HI>Mi|le&s;ians</HI> Countrey, and without any burning of hou&s;es, or de&s;troying Towns, he only carried away all their corn, and fruits, and &s;tayed no longer in the Countrey. Since my father was &s;tronger at Sea, he &s;aw it was in vain to attempt any thing again&s;t <HI>Miletes,</HI> &s;ince it could not be fami&s;hed: but his hopes were, that the <HI>Mile&s;ians</HI> being forced to buy their corn of &s;tran|gers, and money growing &s;cant among&s;t them, then they would revolt from their Prince: But for all this, my father would not draw out of the Town, until &s;uch time as he &s;aw him&s;elf ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of his people, &s;aying, That the Sea would bring him corn, when as nothing would bring him <HI>Miletes</HI> if it were once lo&s;t. Afterwards when by fears he had made the people ab&s;o|lutely to &s;ubmit unto him, he drew into the field pre&s;ently after the death of <HI>Sadiattes,</HI> and the new King of <HI>Lidia</HI> made war after another manner. The Prince my Father, without the a&s;|&s;i&s;tance of any, unle&s;s them of the I&s;le of <HI>Chios,</HI> (who remembred the aids which he lent them when the <HI>Erithreans</HI> made war upon them) was in a condition to fight that famous Battel of <HI>Limenia,</HI> and afterwards that upon the Banks of the River <HI>Meander,</HI> where with his own hand he killed the Prince of <HI>Phocians</HI> Son. And &s;ince the&s;e two battels were bloody unto both &s;ides, and the victory dubious, they gave a &s;top unto the progre&s;s of <HI>Alliattes,</HI> who de&s;pair|ing of ab&s;olute victory, according to his hopes, did upon his return &s;et fire unto a great field of corn, who&s;e flames did not only con&s;ume the corn, but by the greatne&s;s of the wind did &s;et the Temple of <HI>Minerva</HI> on fire, and entirely con&s;umed it. This &s;ad accident did trouble the people of <HI>Miletes,</HI> more then it did the King of <HI>Lidia.</HI> But within a while after, that Prince falling &s;ick, and &s;ending to con&s;ult with the Oracle of <HI>Delphos,</HI> the <HI>Pithian</HI> told the <HI>Lidians,</HI> that &s;he would return them no an&s;wer, until they had rebuilt the Temple of <HI>Minerva</HI> which they had burned. <HI>Periander,</HI> who knew of this an&s;wer, &s;ent to adverti&s;e the King my Father,
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that he might make the be&s;t u&s;e he could of it, &s;o that a while after when the <HI>Lidian</HI> Emba&s;&s;a|dours came to ask leave, that they might rebuild the Temple, my father commanded all the In|habitants of <HI>Miletus</HI> to bring all the provi&s;ions of corn that were in the Town, and to &s;et them down in the publick place of &s;ale, where the Emba&s;&s;adours of <HI>Lidia</HI> were to pa&s;s: which be|ing done according to his command, and the Emba&s;&s;adours making a report of what they had &s;een unto their Ma&s;ter, they cau&s;ed him ab&s;olutely to de&s;pair of ever overcoming my father; and &s;ince they &s;aw the <HI>Mile&s;ians</HI> them&s;elves were able to make war with four Kings at once, they offered them very advantageous and glorious conditions of peace: <HI>Alliattes</HI> then cau&s;ed two Temples in lieu of one to be rebuilt, and afterwards recovering his health, he became a very intimate friend of my fathers, who &s;ince that pacification was a very quiet Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or of his Dominions, notwith&s;tanding the &s;everal &s;ecret factions which he knew was among&s;t his Subjects: for he was very con&s;tant, bold, and politick, one that made every one to fear him, and one who defeated all manner of con&s;piracies again&s;t him: This being the &s;tate of things, he lived a long time in great tranquility, and <HI>Miletus</HI> was que&s;tionle&s;s one of the mo&s;t magnifi|cent Towns of all <HI>Cairo.</HI> I was then about the age of thirteen, or fourteen; and a natural Son unto the Prince my father, called <HI>Alexide&s;mus,</HI> was &s;ome &s;eventeen, or eighteen years of age: &s;ince he was the &s;on of a Concubine, whom my father did highly affect, he loved him exceed|ing well, and educated him with the &s;ame care he did me. Since the Prince&s;s my mother died, when I was very young, and the Prince my father did enfranchi&s;e and marry that mother of <HI>Alexide&s;mus,</HI> that illegitimate Prince had a powerful upholder which I was deprived of; for that woman was of a witty and &s;ubtle &s;pirit, and one that was capable of any thing: about the &s;ame time it was, that the wi&s;e <HI>Thales,</HI> &s;o famous every where, returned from his long voy|age cut of <HI>Egypt,</HI> where <HI>Solon</HI> was then Re&s;ident; and he took &s;o great affection unto me, as I can well boa&s;t without any vanity, that I am beholding unto his &s;apient precepts for that little vertue which I have: had I made as good u&s;e of them as I ought, doubtle&s;s I &s;hould not have been &s;o unfortunate as I am: for he always read &s;o many le&s;&s;ons again&s;t love, and again&s;t marriage unto me, that had I followed his advice, I &s;hould at lea&s;t have prevented one part of my mi&s;ery. The principal rule which he taught for the order of life, was, never to do that thing which we would condemn in another: But though he taught me the le&s;&s;on over and over an hundred times, yet did I not keep clo&s;e unto his document: for though I have often con|demned others for &s;uffering them&s;elves to be &s;o far captivated by beauty, as to lo&s;e their tran|quility, I my &s;elf am &s;o deeply plunged in the &s;nares of love, that I even lo&s;t my rea&s;on. But &s;ince the mi&s;eries of my fortune did precede tho&s;e of my love, it is therefore fit, I fir&s;t tell you, Sir, that <HI>Mela&s;ia</HI> (&s;o was the mother of <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> called, whom my father had married &s;ince the death of my mother) did project a marriage for her Son with a <HI>Mile&s;ian</HI> Lady, who was extream rich, and of high quality: This at the fir&s;t &s;eemed very &s;trange unto the world, for every one thought that I ought to be fir&s;t thought upon: But yet &s;ince the Prince my father did favour the de&s;igne, none dur&s;t make the lea&s;t murmur, and <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> continued his ad|dre&s;s without any ob&s;tacle: for though this Lady, who&s;e name was <HI>Leonia,</HI> who&s;e father was dead, and &s;he at the di&s;po&s;ition of her mother, had no fancie unto <HI>Alexide&s;mus,</HI> yet &s;he con|cealed it by the command of her mother: and indeed (if it be lawful to &s;peak &s;incerely of a man who was the cau&s;er of all my mi&s;ery) <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> was far from amiable, for he had the vio|lent humours of my father, but he wanted his wit, his re&s;olution, and an hundred other good qualities which he was owner of: on the contrary, he was extreamly cholerick, cruel, ambitious, weak and bold both together: as for his per&s;on, it was rea&s;onable hand&s;om, and there was a great difference between his body, and his mind: yet &s;ince <HI>Mela&s;ia</HI> had the heart of the Prince her Husband at command, he would not &s;ee the faults of her Son, or at lea&s;t &s;eemed as if he knew them not: for he was continually cheri&s;hing and flattering him up, and made no di&s;tin|ction between me and him, though I dare boldly affirm, I was free from many vices which they winked at in him. The mother of <HI>Leonia</HI> was Si&s;ter unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> who&s;e Son, as I told you before, my father killed, at the la&s;t battel again&s;t the King of <HI>Lidia,</HI> &s;o that in her heart &s;he hated our hou&s;e: yet notwith&s;tanding the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> being all ambiti|on, he &s;ent he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> word, that if &s;he could &s;o contrive it, that <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> &s;hould raign, and I di&s;inherited, that then &s;he &s;hould con&s;ent unto this match, but otherwi&s;e not &s;o much as to think upon it. This Lady being ambitious as well as her Brother, and holding a great corre&s;|pondencie with <HI>Mela&s;ia,</HI> did &s;o cunningly break the bu&s;ine&s;s unto her, that there was no que&s;tion but to find a &s;utable compliance between two women of one and the &s;ame di&s;po&s;i|tion, both of then did quickly under&s;tand the de&s;ires of each other, &s;ince the &s;ame ambition did enflame them: &s;o that no longer hiding the matter, they plotted together how they might
<PB N="156" REF="269">
make <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> Raign, and concluded to bring it about, though at the rate of many crimes committed.</P>
<P>While&s;t things were thus tran&s;acting, the Prince my Father fini&s;hed that good &s;trong Cit|tadel in <HI>Miletus;</HI> and I was continually bu&s;ied either in my exerci&s;es, or in the conver&s;ation of <HI>Thales,</HI> or el&s;e diverting my &s;elf in &s;uch delights as were fit for a Prince of my age: I carried my &s;elf with all civility to wards <HI>Mela&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Alexide&s;mus,</HI> but I do ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s that my aver&s;ion to them both was &s;o great, that I had much ado to di&s;&s;emble it: All this while the marriage of <HI>Leonea</HI> went &s;lowly on: for &s;ince the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> would &s;ee &s;ome appear|ance of his hopes before he would con&s;ent unto it, his Si&s;ter who&s;e name was <HI>Philodicea</HI> did cunningly protract it; neither could he bring it about &s;oone, becau&s;e they of <HI>Prienna</HI> being forced to declare War again&s;t <HI>Policrates</HI> Prince of <HI>Samos,</HI> who would needs be King of the Sea, and fight with all he met, my father thought, that is common policy he was bound to oppo&s;e this new Soveraignty, &s;ince he had a good pretence unto it, and &s;et forth a great Nevy of Ships, of which he was con&s;trained to make me Admiral, becau&s;e he could not hand&s;omely do otherwi&s;e, &s;ince he would not go him&s;elf in per&s;on unto this War. Not but that I was very young for &s;uch an employment, being then but fifteen years of age; but &s;ince my Lievtenant General was a man of great experience, he was to manage the bu&s;ine&s;s, and I only to have the honour of the Title, neither do I know whether I &s;hould have had that if <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> had not faln &s;ick, &s;o that he could not go this Voyage. The Prince <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> who was then about my age, and the Prince <HI>Ti&s;under,</HI> being both of them moved with a de&s;ire of glory, came and took our parts, and carried them&s;elves mo&s;t heroiquely in this War, which proved not very pro&s;perous unto us; for the Fortune of <HI>Policrates</HI> was &s;o great, that nothing could refin him: yet may I truly &s;ay without a boa&s;t, that though we were &s;ometimes wor&s;ted, yet was it not without glory; and though we were not &s;o fortune as to conquer, yet we &s;hewed our Ene|mies that we de&s;erved it. At the la&s;t a Peace was concluded by the mediation of &s;age <HI>Bits;</HI> who to that end went from <HI>Prienna</HI> unto <HI>Samos,</HI> though it la&s;ted not long, &s;ince it was impo&s;&s;ible to tye up <HI>Policrates</HI> from roving at Sea, and a&s;&s;aulting almo&s;t all he met. At my return to <HI>Milete,</HI> I found the marriage of <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> and <HI>Leonea</HI> almo&s;t concluded: for during my ab&s;ence, <HI>Mela&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Philodicea</HI> had cajolled with the chief of that faction in the Town who were oppo&s;ite unto the wi&s;e <HI>Thales,</HI> who though he was a great Lover of his Countries Liber|ty, yet would he not buy it at the rate of any violent cour&s;es, oftentimes &s;aying, that a Tyrant who governed his Subjects in Peace was better then that Liberty which was bought at the price of a War. But there were &s;ome of another faction, who tran&s;acted upon other principles, and after another manner: for conceiving that the Prince my Father had u&s;urped an Authority which did not belong unto him, and de&s;iring to reduce the Government into a Popularity, and to prevent his Succe&s;&s;ors from raigning after him, &s;ee how they argued the matter among&s;t them&s;elves, without acquainting <HI>Mela&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Philodicea</HI> with it, though they were all of the Con&s;piracy. They thought, that as long as the Prince my father lived, there was no thoughts of recovering their Liberty, but all their de&s;ign was how to carry things after he was dead: The&s;e men took notice how the people of <HI>Milete</HI> did extreamly affect me, and &s;eeing by my inclinations that my Raign would be milde and &s;weet, they conceived it would be very diffi|cult to make the people &s;hake off their obedience; but on the contrary, fore&s;eeing plainly that it <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> &s;hould Raign, he would prove the mo&s;t cruel, violent and tyrannique Prince in they world, they thought it would be a mo&s;t ea&s;ie bu&s;ine&s;s to induce the people to revolt, and to &s;hake off a weak and wicked Ma&s;ter: &s;o that in hopes this way to ruine &s;overaign Power, the promi&s;ed <HI>Mela&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Philodicea,</HI> that when it was fit time, they would &s;et <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI>
in the Throne: &s;o that the&s;e two women were ignorant of their principles; but however they were even ravi&s;hed with joy, to &s;ee their de&s;ign like to pro&s;per according to their wi&s;h; and therefore the Marriage between <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> and <HI>Leonea</HI> mu&s;t be &s;olemnized without any longer delay, and a Fea&s;t is prepared in <HI>Milete</HI> for it; at which the Prince of <HI>Phocius,</HI> &s;eeming to forget the death of his Son, was pre&s;ent: and for a Months time, nothing but publique Re|joycings and Sports were to be found among&s;t all tho&s;e who were not of this clo&s;e de&s;ign: Every one did think it &s;trange the Prince my father &s;hould marry <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> before me, &s;ince by u&s;ual cour&s;e he who was to be his Succe&s;&s;or, &s;hould fir&s;t be thought upon: But &s;ince it was not the cu&s;tom to murmur at what&s;oever he did, all the Town &s;eemed to be very jocund. I &s;eeing which way things were like to be carried, con&s;ulted with wi&s;e <HI>Thales,</HI> who always told me, that what the Gods had ordained, mu&s;t needs come to pa&s;s, and therefore the be&s;t cour&s;e would be to &s;ubmit unto their Providence. The &s;tate of things &s;tanding upon the&s;e terms, and the Prince my father thinking him&s;elf the happie&s;t man upon Earth, <HI>Periander,</HI>
<PB N="157" REF="269">
King of <HI>Corinth,</HI> who at that time found no very exact obedience from his Subjects, did &s;end unto him to ask, what would make a King that was but ill obeyed, to live quietly in his Do|minions? The Prince my father, who naturally was of a jealous di&s;po&s;uion, and one of who&s;e principal Maxims was, to tru&s;t a&s;ecret unto as few as po&s;&s;ible, and to put nothing to hazard, in lieu of writing unto <HI>Periander,</HI> or giving any an&s;wer unto the Me&s;&s;enger, he carried him to walk in a great Meadow, and through a great field of Corn ready to reap (for it was that time of the year) and &s;aid unto him, Tell the King your Ma&s;ter what you &s;ee me do in this Corn field, and tell him that's my an&s;wer. The Me&s;&s;enger, who knew not the Contents of their Let|ter which he brought, began to ob&s;erve very exactly what the Prince did, who as he walked along the field of Corn as if he were in a deep &s;tudy, did break of tho&s;e ears of Corn which grew higher then the re&s;t, and medled not with tho&s;e who&s;e weight did bend them down to the ground: What&s;oever this Me&s;&s;enger might think upon this action, yet he could not com|prehend the meaning, but re&s;olved to tell his Ma&s;ter what he had &s;een: yet &s;ince it &s;eemed &s;omething odd, and of &s;mall con&s;equence, after the Prince my father was entered into the Town, and this Envoy gone to his lodging, he could not chu&s;e but tell the matter unto a man of <HI>Milate,</HI> whom he thought to be his very good friend, and one who promi&s;ed him not to &s;peak of it: But as &s;oon as he was gone, this man told another, and that other told his friend, and that friend told another friend, and he unto the chief of the Con&s;pirators again&s;t me: As this man was of a &s;ubtle wit, and knew very well the &s;tate of the <HI>Corinthian</HI> Affairs, and who moreover under&s;tood from <HI>Mela&s;ia</HI> that <HI>Periander</HI> had &s;ent to ask coun&s;el of my father con|cerning &s;ome important bu&s;ine&s;s, did well enough interpret the riddle, and ea&s;ily under&s;tood, that the breaking tho&s;e highe&s;t ears of Corn, was as much as to &s;ay, that he mu&s;t pull down the Grandees of his Dominioes, who he thought did a&s;pire above their quality. So that fearing le&s;t this le&s;&s;on which was taught unto <HI>Periander,</HI> &s;hould be executed upon him&s;elf if ever the Prince of <HI>Milete</HI> &s;hould come to di&s;cover his Plot, he told tho&s;e of the Combination, that it was requi&s;ite they put their plot in execution &s;ooner then once they intended: But it was a long while before they could act their intentions, &s;o that I had lea&s;ure to go into that War, wherein <HI>Leontidas</HI> &s;erved <HI>Policrates,</HI> of which he told you in his Relation at <HI>Sinope.</HI> But during my ab&s;ence <HI>Anthemius</HI> (&s;o was the chief of the Con&s;pirators called) did &s;o cunningly manage his bu&s;ine&s;s, that he induced <HI>Mela&s;ia</HI> to think that the Prince my father lived too long, for &s;ince the vices of <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> did every day grow higher, the Prince began to make &s;ome dif|ference between him and me: And <HI>Philadicea,</HI> who &s;aw that her daughter would be mo&s;t un|happy in the per&s;on of her husband, yet her ambition was her comfort, and &s;he continually pre&s;&s;ed <HI>Mela&s;ia</HI> to move the Prince unto a Declaration in behalf of <HI>Alexide&s;mus,</HI> telling her that it was ea&s;ily done, and that there did need no more but to publi&s;h unto the world, that &s;he was his fir&s;t legitimate wife, and that the Prince&s;s my Mother was never &s;o, and &s;o by con&s;equence <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> being the elder, it was his Right to Raign, and al&s;o to tell the Prince my Father, that it was expedient to &s;ee it &s;etled &s;o while&s;t he lived. <HI>Mela&s;ia</HI> promi&s;ed &s;he would, and indeed did move my Father unto it; but he would never give her a direct an&s;wer; &s;o that her &s;pirit being exa&s;perated, &s;he con&s;ulted with <HI>Anthemius.</HI> The Prince of <HI>Phocius</HI> al&s;o came again to <HI>Milete,</HI> to con&s;ult afre&s;h with the &s;aid <HI>Anthemius</HI> and <HI>Mela&s;ia;</HI> and the re&s;ult of the Councels was, to poy&s;on my Father during my ab&s;ence, and cau&s;e <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> to be pro|claimed Soveraign: The Prince of <HI>Phocius</HI> &s;aid further, that he made no que&s;tion but I had many friends, yet &s;ince I was not in the Town, they would not be over violent in my behalf; and to prevent the wor&s;t, he &s;aid, he would cau&s;e a good &s;trong party to enter into <HI>Milete</HI> &s;e|cretly: <HI>Anthemius</HI> wi&s;hed it otherwi&s;e, becau&s;e he de&s;ired to introduce Liberty upon the death of the Prince, yet he dur&s;t not openly oppo&s;e it, le&s;t he &s;hould render him&s;elf &s;u&s;pected, and di&s;cover the plot which he hatched in his heart.</P>
<P>The wi&s;e <HI>Thales,</HI> though very bu&s;ie at his &s;tudy, yet had intelligence that &s;ome plot or other was in agitation, &s;o that hearing of a Ship which the Prince my Father &s;ent with Ammu|nition, he writ a &s;hort Letter unto me, wherein he intimated that my pre&s;ence was very ne|ce&s;&s;ary at <HI>Milete,</HI> but &s;ince he could not imagine at what end the pernitious plots of <HI>Mela&s;ia, Philodicea,</HI> the prince of <HI>Phocius,</HI> and <HI>Anthemius,</HI> did aym, he writ no more unto me, hoping that I would come time enough to di&s;per&s;e all factions. In the mean while, the four per&s;ons did almo&s;t all of them tran&s;act by &s;everal principles; for the prince of <HI>Phocius</HI> did prin|cipally aym at revange; <HI>Mela&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Philodicea</HI> &s;ought to &s;atisfie their ambition; and <HI>Anthe|mius</HI> aimed at the Liberty of his Country. But, Sir, why &s;hould I trouble you thus long with the mi&s;eries of my hou&s;e? To be &s;hort therefore, let me tell you, that <HI>Mela&s;ia</HI> poy&s;oned my Father, and publi&s;hed a Declaration, by which <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> was acknowledged for his
<PB N="158" REF="270">
Succe&s;&s;or: The prince of <HI>Phocius</HI> was in <HI>Milete</HI> with a commanding power; <HI>Anthemius</HI> ac|knowledged <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> for his Prince, and after his example others al&s;o: Tho&s;e friends I had in Town would have taken up Arms; the people in general murmured; but the party of <HI>Anthemius</HI> and <HI>Phocius</HI> had the &s;word in their hands, and were the &s;tronger: When I arrived at <HI>Milete,</HI> they would not permit me entrance; and &s;ince my Navy had been much weather-beaten, I was in the mo&s;t pitiful condition that ever was Prince: But &s;ending about two hour after to know the rea&s;on, <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> &s;ent me a counterfeit Declaration, which he had forged in my Fathers name, and as &s;oon as it was dark, the wi&s;e <HI>Thales</HI> did let me under&s;tand the truth of all things by a fi&s;her-man, who came by water: So that in one day I heard of my Fa|thers death, the lo&s;s of my Dominion, the Trea&s;on of my Brother, and Revolt of my Subjects, and all this without any power to help it. My Ships were much torn; I was not in a condition to attempt any thing, having not men enough to attempt any thing again&s;t <HI>Milete</HI> either by Sea or Land; nor knew I well how to get away from the Town, con&s;idering the di&s;order which this affront had infu&s;ed into my Fleet. The wi&s;e <HI>Thales</HI> did further &s;end me his advice, and conjored me not to ruine my Country for my own private Intere&s;t; but to &s;tay until time, my friends, the debanchedne&s;s of <HI>Alexide&s;mus,</HI> and the Gods, did revenge my quarrel, and re-e&s;tabli&s;h me in my Dominions: for without all doubt the Gods were &s;o ju&s;t, as they would in fit time puni&s;h my enemies, and recompence my vertue, if I were &s;o patient as to make good u&s;e of my misfortune. When I fir&s;t received this advice, I did much wonder at it, and I con|fe&s;s it was &s;omething difficult to follow it; &s;o follow it; &s;o that it was nece&s;&s;ity rather then choyce which made me follow his coun&s;el. However, the Sea being very &s;erene, although my Ships were in a very bad condition, yet I endeavored to put in at one of the next I&s;lands, and there to accom|modate my &s;elf: yet did &s;ecretly &s;end a Declaration into <HI>Milete,</HI> by which I let all my Sub|jects know, that the pretended Declaration of the Prince my Father was forged, and that <HI>A|lexide&s;mus</HI> was not only a Rebel and an U&s;urper, but that <HI>Mela&s;ia</HI> his Mother poy&s;oned her husband purpo&s;ely to make her &s;on to raign. Since this Crime was horrid in the highe&s;t degree, every one would not believe it, but imagined that it was only my politique &s;candal to render them the more odious. But &s;ince misfortunes &s;eldom come alone, I was no &s;ooner in the open Sea, but a tempe&s;tuous &s;torm began to si&s;e, and within two hours all my Fleet was di&s;per&s;ed: The angry Billows wafted &s;ome of my Ships into the very Port of <HI>Milete;</HI> da&s;hed others again&s;t the Rocks, and &s;plit them; &s;ome &s;unk into the bottomle&s;s Aby&s;s; and I only with three Ships remained &s;trugling with the wind and waves: I thought a hundred times that it was impo&s;&s;ible but I mu&s;t needs peri&s;h, and I did as often render thanks unto the Gods that I was not to &s;urvive my misfortunes: But again&s;t my wi&s;h, it was my fate to live, and after a whole day and nights mo&s;t di&s;mal Tempe&s;t I was ca&s;t upon the I&s;le of <HI>Chios,</HI> where I landed, and was permitted only to reaccommodate my Ships: for &s;ince tho&s;e I&s;landers did know of the Alteration in <HI>Milete,</HI> they were afraid that if they &s;hould harbor me long in their Ports, then the <HI>Mileteans</HI> might have a pretence of War again&s;t them. And thus Sir I found the proverb true, That tho&s;e find the fewe&s;t places of retreat who &s;tand mo&s;t in need of them, and unfortu|nate men &s;eldom find &s;anctuaries from tho&s;e who are not &s;o them&s;elves. It was in vain to &s;tay in hopes that any of my Ships would return; for whether they all peri&s;hed, or were driven by the Tempe&s;t far off, or for&s;ook me, and returned to <HI>Milete,</HI> I know not; but I am &s;ure I never heard any news of them: Two only of tho&s;e three which remain|ed were fit to &s;ail, and the third was no &s;ooner ready, but I re&s;olved for <HI>Le|&s;tos,</HI> to try whether that friend&s;hip which I had contracted with <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> &s;on unto &s;age
<HI>Pittacus</HI> Prince of <HI>Mitibines,</HI> would entertain me in &s;pite of my misfortunes. This generous Friend recive me with abundance of kindne&s;s, and induced the Prince his Father al&s;o to re|&s;pect me with as high honors as if I were in full po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of my Dominions. In this Court I flayed a long time, and &s;ent unto <HI>Periander</HI> King of <HI>Corinth</HI> for &s;ome ayd: but his hands were &s;o full at home, by rea&s;on of &s;ome oppo&s;ite Factions among&s;t his Grandees, that he was in no condition to a&s;&s;i&s;t me. The Prince <HI>Policrates</HI> was at peace with <HI>Alexide&s;mus;</HI> &s;o likewi&s;e were they of <HI>Prienne:</HI> The Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> al&s;o was for him, and engaged all tho&s;e of his alliance to the like: So that I &s;aw no po&s;&s;ibility of effecting any thing with tho&s;e &s;uccors which the Prince of <HI>Mytilenes</HI> only could afford me. I under&s;tood likewi&s;e by that intelligence which I ever held with <HI>Thales,</HI> how he had di&s;covered that <HI>Anthemins,</HI> who &s;eemed &s;o jealous in be|half of <HI>Alexide&s;mus,</HI> did privately animate the people again&s;t this U&s;urper: &s;o that there was much rea&s;on to believe, there would ere long be &s;ome fre&s;h alteration in <HI>Milete.</HI> My be&s;t cour&s;e then was, not to incen&s;e the people by bringing a War upon them, but to prepare my &s;elf in a readine&s;s to enter the Town when&s;over any favorable occa&s;ion &s;hould be offered.
<PB N="159" REF="270">
Thus was I forced to &s;it &s;till, and wait for the future &s;ucce&s;s of my fortunes; but I mu&s;t confe&s;s it was with &s;o melancholy a mind, that nothing was able to divert me: And there was one thing which did double my mi&s;ery, which was, that the Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> was as unfortunate as my &s;elf: for be plea&s;ed to know Sir, that he had above two years loved, in a mo&s;t violent and de&s;perate manner, that famous Lady which you &s;aw at <HI>Le&s;bos,</HI> when we met there toge|ther, but he could never obtain &s;o much as a favorable look from her, though he courted her with all po&s;&s;ible inviting allurements which u&s;ually move affection. Since the admired <HI>Sapho,</HI> of whom I &s;peak, was a miracle of wit, beauty, and affability, I could not blame him for e&s;teeming her above all the world; yet &s;ince I never had been in love my &s;elf, I did extreamly condemn him for being as melancholy as my &s;elf. But Sir, it is not the Hi&s;tory of this Prince which I intend to relate: I &s;hall only thus far tell you, that he being pa&s;t all hopes of ever moving the heart of this <HI>Le&s;bian</HI> Beauty, he de&s;ired me to be the Companion of his Exile, and to travel with him over all tho&s;e Seas which were not far remote from <HI>Milete,</HI> in hope that ab&s;ence would be his cure. Since, in this di&s;grace wherein I lived, all places were indifferent unto me, I ea&s;ily con&s;ented unto his de&s;ire: So that colouring our departure as well as we could, we left <HI>Le&s;bos,</HI> and committed our &s;elves unto Fortune. All our di&s;cour&s;e was commonly di&s;putes of ambition and love, and each of us maintained his opinion according to the &s;ugge&s;tions of his heart: We had two Ships be&s;ides that in which we were; but pre&s;ently after we had only that, for meet|ing the Prince <HI>Polisrates,</HI> who was much &s;tronger then we, he took the other two from us, and all we were able to do was to e&s;cape out of his hands. This accident did extreamly incen&s;e me, and (if I may u&s;e the phra&s;e) fir&s;t moved me to turn a Pirate: for it begot in me &s;o hot a de&s;ire to regain what I had lo&s;t, that we re&s;olved to fall upon all we met, that would not ren|der them&s;elves, conceiving it as lawful for us as for <HI>Polisrates</HI> to make prizes of what we could. In le&s;s then a Months time we made above twenty Combates, and I pre&s;ently got the name of a Pirate: as for the Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> he would not be known in any place were e're we came. It may, I confe&s;s, be &s;aid I was a Pirate, but now am none: for &s;ince my de&s;ign was only to get a &s;mall Fleet by my courage, I only retained the Ships and &s;uch of the men as would will|ingly &s;erve me, and only as much as would &s;u&s;tain us. We took three Ships from the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> my Enemy, which did beyond all expre&s;&s;ions joy me; and at the fir&s;t I&s;le we came at, I &s;et the men on Land, and took others in their room: This did revive my hopes, &s;ince I began to conquer my Enemies. I under&s;tood from the&s;e <HI>Phocean</HI> Mariners, that their Prince would ere long imbatque, and go by the <HI>Euxine</HI> Bridg unto the Town of <HI>Appolonia,</HI> &s;o that re&s;olving to intercept his pa&s;&s;age, I returned from whence I came, and it was then, Sir, when I met with you as you were &s;ailing from <HI>Corinth</HI> to <HI>Epho&s;us:</HI> Since my de&s;ign was to fight the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> whom they &s;aid would come with &s;ix Sail, I re&s;olved to &s;et upon yours, and gain it if I could. Yet to &s;peak the truth, you di&s;puted that Victory with &s;o much cou|rage, as it may truly be &s;aid that number did overcome you, and that your valor notwith&s;tand|ing was victorious. But Sir, will you give me leave to tell you, how that valiant man who fought with you in the Sea after you were both faln in, and whom I took up with you in a little Boat, was this &s;ame <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> who is now in my Tent, and who would not permit me to di&s;|cover him unto you all the while you was in my Ship?</P>
<P>How, generous <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and interrupted his &s;tory,) is he whom I fought withall, and who certainly had overcome me if you had not been, is he here? Then let me en|treat you at my reque&s;t to redouble your cares of him, for I do not think there is a more valiant man in the whole world then he: But I be&s;eech you go on with the Relation of his Life, which is as tender to me as my own. When <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> had admired the high genero&s;ity of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> in intere&s;ting him&s;elf as he did in the pre&s;ervation of that man who had &s;o furiou&s;ly di&s;puted with him for the Victory, he continued his Di&s;cour&s;e in this manner.</P>
<P>I will not bring into your memory, Sir, any more pa&s;&s;ages of that Adventure, becau&s;e I know your mode&s;ty will not permit it: but give me leave to tell you, that when I landed at <HI>Le&s;bos,</HI> it was to &s;et <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> on &s;hoar, who had received two wounds from you, le&s;s in appearance then tho&s;e two you received from him, but much longer, and more difficult to be healed. Then Sir, according to my intended de&s;ign, I carried you to the <HI>Euxine</HI> Bridge, where I had the good fortune to encounter him I was in que&s;t of, to wit, the Prince of <HI>Pheceus;</HI> for indeed, it was he, Sir, again&s;t whom you fought, and whom you vanqui&s;hed, for certainly without you I had been vanqui&s;hed: But as fortune was, he was not in any of tho&s;e three Ships which we took, but by a miracle of Fate e&s;caped: Then Sir, after you refu&s;ed tho&s;e two Ships which I did pre&s;ent unto you, becau&s;e indeed they belonged unto you more then unto me, and after that you were plea&s;ed to accept but of one of them; that &s;ame Tempe&s;t which did ri&s;e within &s;ix
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hours after we parted, and which as I under&s;tood afterwards, did drive you &s;ome two days after upon the Port of <HI>Sinope,</HI> that &s;ame wind, I &s;ay, which drove you that way, did al&s;o by a prodigious bla&s;t, drive me the contrary, and carried me into the <HI>Helli&s;pont,</HI> and afterwards cau&s;ed me to pa&s;s between <HI>Lemnos,</HI> and <HI>Le&s;bos,</HI> then forced me more upon the left hand, until I touched upon the I&s;le of <HI>Chio,</HI> and after upon the Coa&s;ts of <HI>Guides,</HI> &s;o well known by that <HI>I&s;thmus</HI> which &s;hoots it &s;elf &s;o far into the Sea, as if that neck of land did joyn it unto the Continent.</P>
<P>Hitherto, Sir, you may be plea&s;ed to look upon the mo&s;t happy time of my life, for among&s;t my misfortunes, I always enjoyed &s;ome happine&s;s, either in the friend&s;hip of the wi&s;e <HI>Thales,</HI> or in the &s;weet &s;ociety of <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> or yours: But &s;ince the day that I arived at <HI>Gnides,</HI> no|thing but mi&s;erable misfortunes were my lot; for be plea&s;ed to know that ju&s;t upon the point of this <HI>I&s;thmus,</HI> whither the Tempe&s;t had driven me alone, (all my other Ships being di&s;per&s;ed by the &s;torm) there &s;tands a very &s;trong Ca&s;tle, which is the greate&s;t defence of this I&s;le; A man of good quality, who&s;e name was <HI>Euphranor,</HI> and who was one of the Councel of Six|ty which governs that Republique, did command in that Ca&s;tle when I came thither. This man, to my good fortune as then I thought, was upon the top of a Tarra&s;s, and from that height did &s;ee how the impetuous winds did da&s;h me again&s;t the bottoms of the walls; &s;o that out of his civil humanity, he &s;ent pre&s;ently unto all the Mariners in the Port to a&s;&s;i&s;t me, and he took e&s;pecial care to know in what condition my Ship was, which indeed was the very &s;ame in which he had formerly commanded: for he &s;aw it to be a man of War, and one of the good|lie&s;t and bigge&s;t that ever was &s;een in tho&s;e Seas, and indeed it was the &s;ame I fought in a|gain&s;t <HI>Policrates,</HI> and in which I had the happine&s;s of your company. Some Mariners which knew my &s;hip, told him I was that famous Pirate, who had a long time kept tho&s;e Seas, and who never u&s;ed to take any money or merchandize, but only men and &s;hips; a&s;&s;uring him al&s;o that they knew me very well, and once &s;aw me a&s;&s;ault a &s;hip while&s;t they e&s;caped. But being informed by others at the &s;ame time, who came to &s;ee me, that I had not the Garb of a Pi|rate: that my &s;hip which was much weather-beaten, and that it would be a long time before I could be in a condition to depart from <HI>Gnides;</HI> he &s;ent order, either out of curio&s;ity to know who I was, or el&s;e for the &s;ecurity of his Fort, to bring me unto him. Since I knew it was the cu&s;tom of all Garri&s;ons to do the like, and &s;ince I re&s;olved not to make my &s;elf known, I willingly obeyed, and only one man of quality in <HI>Milete,</HI> called <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> who would never for&s;ake me, and three more of my own men followed me: I was brought unto <HI>Euphranor</HI> in a great Gallery, where &s;everal people were walking with him: he &s;poke unto me very ingeniou&s;ly and civilly; he asked me from whence I came, and whither my intention was to go; he did al&s;o put many que&s;tions unto me to di&s;cover the truth of my an&s;wers: Unto which I replied &s;o readily, as I did not fully give him &s;atisfaction: for I an&s;wered, that though I &s;hould tell him my name, yet would it be unknown unto him: that I came from the <HI>Euxine</HI> Bridg upon &s;ome important occa&s;ions, but knew not whither I went when the Tempe&s;t did drive me upon that Coa&s;t, however I acknowledged my &s;elf bound unto his genero&s;ity in &s;ending his men to re|lieve me, and my &s;hip, which if he had not done, I had certainly peri&s;hed. While&s;t I was thus &s;peaking unto <HI>Euphranor,</HI> I ob&s;erved how all the men in the Gallery with him flocked about me with a prejudicated opinion that I was a Pirat: Since there are only four languages &s;poken among&s;t all the <HI>Ionians,</HI> and they much re&s;embling one another, &s;o that who&s;oever under&s;tood one might under&s;tand all the re&s;t, we under&s;tood one another very well; there being but lit|tle difference between the language of <HI>Milete,</HI> and that of <HI>Guides,</HI> only in the accent, for both were <HI>Greeks.</HI> But, Sir, among&s;t tho&s;e which came about me, I &s;aw four or five Ladies of hand|&s;om Garb; among&s;t the re&s;t, the daughter of <HI>Euphranor</HI> was the faire&s;t that ever eye beheld; and &s;ince &s;he was more curious then the re&s;t, to &s;ee a Pirat, which I heard her &s;ay, &s;he had ne|ver &s;een before; &s;he came nearer to me then the re&s;t, and I did &s;alute her with more &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive reverence then I did the re&s;t, unto whom I only bowed my &s;elf in general without any parti|cular application: But unto <HI>Alcionida,</HI> (for that was the name of that beauty) I addre&s;&s;ed my &s;elf with as much humble reverence as if a Divinity had been pre&s;ent. While&s;t I was in confe|rence with <HI>Euphranor,</HI> me thought I heard her &s;ay unto her companions, that I had not the Garb and Air of a Pirat, as they had formerly de&s;cribed Pirats unto her; &s;o that to confirm her in that good opinion of me, I endeavoured to an&s;wer <HI>Euphranor</HI> with all the ingenuity that po&s;&s;ible I could, and indeed he was &s;o well plea&s;ed with me, that in lieu of the quality of a Pirat, which is never admitted into their Ports, he very favourably offered me his a&s;&s;i&s;tance, and told me, that I might &s;tay in <HI>Gnides</HI> as long as I plea&s;ed to trim up my &s;hip: after this, I retired, holding di&s;cour&s;e as long as hand&s;omly I could; to the end I might the longer look
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upon the wonder of Beauty, <HI>Alcionida.</HI> But at the la&s;t I went out of the Gallery, and return|ed unto my &s;hip: But &s;ince it leaked in very many places, I was forced to lodg in the Town; at the end of which, this Ca&s;tle was built, &s;till retaining in my fancy the perfect <HI>Idea</HI> of this di|vine beauty which I had &s;een. The next morning, I went unto that famous Temple of <HI>Gnideni|an Venus,</HI> where I found the divine <HI>Alcionida,</HI> and &s;o charming and amiable, that I changed colour when I &s;aw her. Since I wore that day a very rich Sute of clothes, &s;he hardly knew me, yet recalling my face into her memory pre&s;ently after, &s;he an&s;wered my &s;alute very civilly; &s;ince &s;he was then with her mother, and &s;ince I pa&s;&s;ed but under the notion of a Pirat, I dur&s;t not acco&s;t her, but conceived it fit to ask leave before I addre&s;&s;ed my &s;elf unto her: I conceived it fit to go and thank <HI>Euphranor,</HI> and give him a ceremonious vi&s;it: I went unto him the very next morning, and my di&s;cour&s;e was &s;o &s;utable unto his di&s;po&s;ition, that he acknowledged him|&s;elf to be very glad of mine acquaintance: After I parted from him, I bethought my &s;elf, that commonly, Pre&s;ents with men, have the &s;ame operation that Sacrifices have with the Gods, and therefore I pre&s;ented him with an admirable Sword, the hilt of which was gold, and &s;et with precious &s;tones, full of mo&s;t rare workman&s;hip; for it was done by the hand of that fa|mous Philo&s;opher, and Arts-ma&s;ter, who&s;e skill in Gold-works none could imitate. <HI>Euphranor</HI> was much taken with this magnificent Pre&s;ent, and received it with much delight: In the mean while, I was &s;o charmed with the &s;ight of <HI>Alcionida,</HI> that I forgot all nece&s;&s;ary orders for the triming up of my &s;hip, and left the care of it wholly unto <HI>Leo&s;thenes:</HI> I &s;hould &s;tay alone in my Chamber, and contemplate upon nothing but the divinity of her beauty: I &s;hould &s;tand a whole hour in a plea&s;ing &s;tudy, and think upon the &s;weetne&s;s of her looks, the purene&s;s of her complect<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">on, the excellent compo&s;ure in every part of her face, and of the mode&s;ty which ap|p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ared in all her actions, and the &s;weetne&s;s of her mind which appeared in her Phi&s;iognomie: But after I had long &s;tood in &s;uch contemplative mu&s;ings, I &s;hould upon a &s;udden wonder to find my &s;elf &s;o imployed; I (I &s;ay) who ever &s;ince the death of my father had a mind continu|ally full of revenging thoughts, and hatred, thinking upon nothing but how to regain what I had lo&s;t: I confe&s;s, this alteration a&s;toni&s;hed me, and was much a&s;hamed of &s;o much weakne&s;s in my &s;elf; I re&s;olved to take another cour&s;e, aond to &s;end for permi&s;&s;ion to vi&s;it the wife of <HI>Euphranor,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Phedima:</HI> for, &s;aid I unto my &s;elf, I mu&s;t not expo&s;e my &s;elf unto &s;o great a danger as to look upon &s;o charming a beauty as <HI>Alcionida;</HI> for I &s;carce &s;aw her a|bove one minute, but I forgot all my enemies, what then would become of me if I &s;hould di&s;|cour&s;e with her, and give her time to captivate my heart? yet in a moment after I laughed at my own fears, and believed, that to quench my kindling flames, there did need no more, but to de&s;ire I &s;hould not love <HI>Alcionida,</HI> and that would &s;mother it up: others, &s;aid I, who are entangled with this kind of pa&s;&s;ion, are them&s;elves in the fault, becau&s;e they do not check and &s;tifle it at the fir&s;t, but <HI>I</HI> for my part &s;hall take another cour&s;e, and <HI>I</HI> will go and &s;ee <HI>Alcionida,</HI> with a firm &s;etled re&s;olution only to admire, but never to love her. Thus Sir, thinking my &s;elf &s;ufficiently armed again&s;t the charms of this admirable beauty, <HI>I</HI> &s;ent after dinner to ask leave that <HI>I</HI> might vi&s;it her, and it was granted unto me. <HI>I</HI> went then, and took <HI>Leo&s;the|nes</HI> only with me, but &s;poke not a word unto him all the way. Sir, &s;aid he unto me, and laught, you are too much re&s;erved for the vi&s;it of Ladies. <HI>I</HI> laughed at the ob&s;ervation of <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> and knowing no rea&s;on why <HI>I</HI> &s;hould acquaint him with the cau&s;e, <HI>I</HI> gave him no an&s;wer, but &s;eemed as if <HI>I</HI> under&s;tood him not. <HI>I</HI> went then into the Ca&s;tle which was very near, and
<HI>Phedima</HI> received me very civilly. The admirable <HI>Alcionida</HI> al&s;o was &s;o charmingly &s;weet unto me, that <HI>I</HI> had all the motives po&s;&s;ible to commend her: Since there was many Ladies there when <HI>I</HI> came in; after the fir&s;t complements were pa&s;t, <HI>Phedima</HI> addre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf unto tho&s;e &s;he was in di&s;cour&s;e with before <HI>I</HI> entered: and &s;ince <HI>I</HI> had the honour to be next <HI>Alcionida, I</HI> had occa&s;ions given me to ob&s;erve that her &s;oul was as full of beauty, as her face: and <HI>I</HI> be|lieve never any had a more charming di&s;cour&s;e then &s;he, for &s;he did &s;peak as much as po&s;&s;ible could be to divert her hearers: &s;he equally &s;poke well of every thing, and kept her &s;elf within the limits of Ladies knowledge; and would not di&s;cour&s;e of things too high, and above the &s;phear of her under&s;tanding: her eloquence was excellent, but natural, and came freely, and unpumpt for, from her: and though &s;he was of the talkative Sex, yet &s;he could be di&s;creetly &s;ilent, and lend a willing ear unto any that &s;poke, though never &s;o far from the purpo&s;e; &s;o complacential &s;he was, and wi&s;e, and judicious; &s;o that according to this de&s;cription of her, you may ea&s;ily imagine, that &s;he would permit me to &s;peak unto her; and was &s;o good as to return her an&s;wers. After much common and indifferent di&s;cour&s;e, in which all the company did intermix, &s;he very obligingly told me, that <HI>I</HI> was &s;omthing beholding unto her for the opinion which &s;he had of me before &s;he knew me: For (&s;aid &s;he unto me) it was oft-times my diver&s;ion, when the Sea was highly incen&s;ed, to look out, and &s;ee the mountainous waves da&s;h again&s;t
<PB N="162" REF="272">
our Rocks: and it happened, that as I was looking out of my Clo&s;et, I &s;aw how the wind did beat your Ship again&s;t the foot of the Ca&s;tle; and when I &s;aw that all within were ready to peri&s;h, I confe&s;s my heart did beat, and I prayed unto the Gods for your pre&s;ervation: Since therefore my fir&s;t thoughts of you were well wi&s;hes and pity, therefore I &s;ay you are a little beholding unto me. Is it then, Madam, unto your prayers that I owe my &s;afety? &s;aid I unto her; then it is to you that I mu&s;t addre&s;s my thanks. It is unto the Gods, and not to me, re|plyed &s;he, that you are to render thanks; and I can claim no more but a &s;light commendation for pitying you before I knew who you were: and I know that when I met you this morning in the Temple, doubtle&s;s you thanked the Godde&s;s of that place for your pre&s;ervation. It is mo&s;t true, &s;aid I unto her, that I went thither to that purpo&s;e, for then I did not know that it was unto your prayers that the Godde&s;s was propitious; and at this time I do not at all wonder that the Godde&s;s of Beauty &s;hould grant the de&s;ires of the faire&s;t Lady in the world: But Madam, perhaps now you know me, you repent of that favor you did me when you did not know me. I know not why, replyed &s;he, unle&s;s appearances be very fallacious, I &s;hould repent of my pity, &s;ince mi&s;eries are apt to move all unto it, e&s;pecially my &s;ex, and &s;ince you &s;eem to be of another quality then I thought you to be. Oh Madam (&s;aid I unto her) I do conjure you not to change your opinion of me. It &s;eems then by your di&s;cour&s;e, replyed &s;he, that you rank your &s;elf in the number of mi&s;erable and unfortunate men. Yes Madam, replyed I, the mo&s;t of any man living, not only in relation to tho&s;e misfortunes which have already fal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> upon me, but al&s;o in re&s;pect of tho&s;e which in probability will hereafter happen. You are too ingenious to per&s;ecute your &s;elf, &s;aid &s;he, in grieving for that which perhaps may hap|pen; and for my part I do confe&s;s unto you, that I do equally condemn tho&s;e that build their hap|pine&s;s upon hopes only of being &s;o, and tho&s;e who are mi&s;erable only out of future fears. There are a &s;ort of men in the world (&s;aid I unto her, and &s;miled) who&s;e joys and &s;orrows do con&s;i&s;t only in hopes and fears. I have heard as much, replyed &s;he, and &s;miled as well as I, but for for your part, you cannot be acquainted with any misfortunes of the&s;e kinds, &s;ince living con|tinually at Sea, you have nothing to hope for but a gentle gale, nor any thing to fear but a fur|ging Tempe&s;t. Pirates (replyed I in &s;uch a tone and after &s;uch a manner as might make her think I was not one) are not originally out of the Sea as your Godde&s;s is, but they are born upon Land as others are; and indeed Madam, &s;aid I and blu&s;hed, my Shipwrack may tell you, that Pirates are not always among&s;t the waves. You give your &s;elf a name, &s;aid &s;he, which &s;uits &s;o ill with your di&s;cour&s;e, that I do not think it belongs unto you. I do confe&s;s, &s;aid I unto her, that I have not always had that title, nor did I take it up my &s;elf, but &s;ince people be&s;tow it upon me, I &s;hall keep it until it plea&s;e Fortune to take it away again.</P>
<P>Thus did I hold the fair <HI>Alcionida</HI> in di&s;cour&s;e until all tho&s;e Ladies which were with her were making ready to depart, and I thought it long enough for my fir&s;t vi&s;it: So that giving <HI>Phedima</HI> a Complement of gratitude, and de&s;iring the honour to vi&s;it her as long as I &s;tayd at <HI>Gnides,</HI> I returned to my Lodging: <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> who all that while had only the company of a &s;tupid blockhead, complained again&s;t the longne&s;s of my vi&s;it; but my mind was &s;o taken up with my new pa&s;&s;ion, that I knew not well what he &s;aid, nor an&s;wered him much to the pur|po&s;e; he judging therefore by my actions that I de&s;ired to be alone, left me and went unto the Port, to &s;ee whether the trimming up of our Ship went forward. I then was no &s;ooner at li|berty, but remembering my firm re&s;olution which I had taken in going unto <HI>Alcionida,</HI> not to love her, I began to que&s;tion my &s;elf whether I was free, or whether I was a captive? I exa|mined my rea&s;on and my heart upon it; but oh Heavens! I found the fir&s;t of the&s;e &s;o engaged, and the other &s;o prejudicated, that I was not a little amazed at it: I called for the ayd of am|bition, &s;ince I heard &s;ay, that Pa&s;&s;ion of all others was able to re&s;i&s;t the power of Love; but all was in vain, and Ambition did &s;ubmit unto Love: yet for all that &s;he did not quite de&s;ert my heart; but on the contrary, notwith&s;tanding the predominancy of Love, &s;he redoubled all her &s;trength; and I e&s;teemed my &s;elf a hundred times more unfortunate in lo&s;ing my Dominions &s;ince I knew <HI>Alcionida</HI> then before, becau&s;e now I looked upon my misfortunes as an invincible ob&s;tacle unto the happy &s;ucce&s;s of my new pa&s;&s;ion. If I were ab&s;olute Soveraign in <HI>Milete,</HI> &s;aid I, I might almo&s;t be certain to obtain the favor of this fair one: but &s;ince I am an Exile, and pa&s;&s;ing for a Pirate, I can never have any hopes in pretending to any &s;hare in her affection; and I mu&s;t prepare my &s;elf to &s;uffer all the torments that both Love and Ambition can inflict up|on me. Moreover, what will the wi&s;e <HI>Thales</HI> &s;ay unto me? what will the King of <HI>Corinth</HI> think? what imaginations will the Prince of <HI>Mytilenes</HI> have? and what cen&s;ures &s;hall I incur from all the Princes and people of <HI>Jonia</HI> in particular, and from all <HI>Greece</HI> in general? when they &s;hall under&s;tand that a Prince unju&s;tly driven out of his Dominions, abu&s;ed by his Ene|mies,
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betrayed by his own Subjects, and depo&s;ed by a Ba&s;tard; a Prince, I &s;ay, who &s;hould think upon nothing but revenge and honour, and not &s;uffer him&s;elf to be weakly overcome by the fair eyes of <HI>Alcionida</HI> without any re&s;i&s;tance. Re&s;i&s;t then, for &s;hame, &s;aid I unto my &s;elf, and do not yield my &s;elf a Captive without a Combate. But, oh Heavens! (&s;aid I pre&s;ently af|ter,) what Arms &s;hould I u&s;e again&s;t her? what can I think or do, not to love her? Can I di&s;|cover any blemi&s;h in her beauty? or can I find any fault in her mind? and can I &s;u&s;pect that her Soul is not &s;o generous as her face is fair, and her wit is charming? Let me try if any thing can cure me: Let me vi&s;it her dayly, and keep a clo&s;e ob&s;ervant eye upon her, and enquire whether this fair one, who doubtle&s;s is beloved of all that know her, do not al&s;o love &s;ome one or other; and let me neglect nothing which may free me from that mi&s;ery which torments me. Thus did I rea&s;on with my &s;elf, and could not contrive any other way to deliver my &s;elf, but by di&s;covering &s;ome defects in this incomparable beauty, or el&s;e to find out that her heart was already engaged. The next day then I enquired with all po&s;&s;ible diligence of what I de|&s;ired to know, which I could with more ea&s;e do, becau&s;e at the &s;ame Lodging where I did lie, there quartered al&s;o a man of good fa&s;hion, a &s;tranger as well as my &s;elf, who had been at <HI>Gni|des</HI> a long time to harken after news, with him I did comply, to effect my de&s;ires the &s;ooner: I under&s;tood then from him, that <HI>Alcionida</HI> was loved by all rea&s;onable men which ever &s;aw her, but none could ever move her heart; and he told me &s;o many things in her Commen|dations, that I made no que&s;tion but her Soul was as excellently fair as her face, and as great as her wit: Sometimes I de&s;paired of finding any of tho&s;e defects which I &s;ought for; and &s;ome|times again, my heart, whether I would or no, would extreamly rejoyce at the knowledg of her excellent perfections. I could not chu&s;e then but &s;ubmit Sir, and love the fair <HI>Alcionida:</HI> but for all that, my hatred of the Prince of <HI>Phoceus, Alexide&s;mus, Mela&s;ia, Philodicea,</HI> and <HI>Anthemius,</HI> was not extingui&s;hed: on the contrary, I wi&s;hed them wor&s;e then I did before, becau&s;e the mi&s;erable condition into which they had brought me, was the ob&s;tacle in my love: So then, not neglecting my <HI>Mile&s;ian</HI> Affairs, I re&s;olved to plea&s;e <HI>Alcionida,</HI> if I could; &s;o that I was not a little bu&s;ily employed about it. Since <HI>Euphranor</HI> had &s;ome &s;u&s;pition that I was not of that quality which I &s;poke my &s;elf, he always treated me very civilly, and took it kindly when I came to vi&s;it him; and the ofter I &s;aw <HI>Alcionida,</HI> the more charming I found her, and me thought &s;he did not look upon me as a Pirate; yet was I not at all the happier, for I knew &s;he would not look upon me as a Lover: I oftentimes had a de&s;ire to hint &s;omething unto her which might make her gue&s;s my thoughts, but pre&s;ently after I checked my de&s;ign; and my fears to be ill u&s;ed moved me to be content with her civilities to me, rather then to expo&s;e my &s;elf unto her anger: for &s;aid I unto my &s;elf, If I &s;hould acquaint her with my Pa&s;&s;ion, and not my Quality, &s;he will treat me as a Pirate: Al&s;o if I &s;hould tell her the condition I am in, what hopes is there, that &s;he &s;hould give any entertainment unto an Exile, and unfortunate Prince. In conclu&s;ion, I re&s;olved to make her know I was in love with her, and that &s;he &s;hould &s;till think that I was not of that Quality I appeared in; but not to let her know directly that I was a Prince, which was thru&s;t out of his Dominions, but it was &s;o difficult a task to keep an even way as not to &s;peak either too much, or too little, to infu&s;e this knowledg into her, that I looked upon it as a bu&s;ine&s;s almo&s;t impo&s;sible, and lived a mo&s;t vexatious life. Mean while <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> who had a bold and an attempting wit, fell into league with a Cou&s;in of <HI>Alcioni|da</HI>'s, who dwelt with her; and that &s;o deep, as I wondered at it; for this woman was full of friendly expre&s;sions to him. 'Tis true, he had prepared her with many little pre&s;ents which he bought privately in <HI>Gnides,</HI> and &s;aid he brought them out of a far Country, &s;uch as E&s;&s;ences, Powders, Perfumes, and &s;uch knacks; and &s;ince this woman was of free di&s;po&s;ition, &s;he im|parted all that ever &s;he knew unto <HI>Leo&s;thenes.</HI></P>
<P>Upon a day then, as &s;he was in di&s;cour&s;e with him, &s;he pre&s;&s;ed and conjured him to tell her truly who I was; and &s;ince he imagined, that happily this curio&s;ity did not proceed from her &s;elf, he pre&s;&s;ed her as earne&s;tly to tell him why &s;he de&s;ired &s;o much to know it: &s;o that ac|cording to her u&s;ual freene&s;s and ingenuity &s;he told him, after &s;he had made a mighty &s;ecret on it, that her rea&s;on was, becau&s;e <HI>Alcionida</HI> had a great de&s;ire to know my quality; for &s;he could not believe that I was really a Pirate. As good fortune was, <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> an&s;wered her, as I would have appointed him if I had known of it; for he fretted and fumed, and an&s;wered &s;o am|biguou&s;ly, that he made her believe <HI>Alcionida</HI> was not mi&s;taken. As <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> had plainly per|ceived that I was deeply in love with <HI>Alcionida,</HI> &s;o he thought it would plea&s;e me in telling how inqui&s;itively &s;he had enquired who I was; and indeed the relation of it did &s;o much joy me, that having no power to hide my pa&s;&s;ion, I di&s;covered all my thoughts unto him, and made him my Confident: not that I thought him very fit for it, for his &s;pirit was a little too
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in&s;olent; but becau&s;e, the truth was, I had no other to chu&s;e, and becau&s;e I could not inclo&s;e the violence of my pa&s;&s;ion in &s;o clo&s;e a place as my own heart. Oh Heavens! how many plea|&s;ing minutes did this curio&s;ity of <HI>Alcionida</HI> afford me? and how many fears did I apprehend, when I did imagine the knowledg of my misfortunes would bar me admittance into her heart? However, I did vi&s;it her every day, and every day I loved her more and more violently: The mo&s;t powerful of her charms was, that all tho&s;e vanities which u&s;ually young people are mo&s;t taken up in were much below her: this alluring Lady did never do any thing as a diver&s;ion on|ly: her dre&s;s was mo&s;t ornamental, but &s;o, as it did not require half a life to the putting it on, as mo&s;t women u&s;e; her di&s;cour&s;e was never upon any trivial vanities; moreover, all the Gold and Diamonds of the Ea&s;t, could never adulterate her mind; but &s;he could at the fir&s;t vi&s;it di&s;cern a compleat man though in meane&s;t habit, from a &s;tupid A&s;s in the mo&s;t magnifi|cent clothes upon Earth; and notwith&s;tanding his outward lu&s;tre, &s;he would be &s;o ju&s;t unto real merit, that &s;he would be more re&s;pective unto a very Pirate who was owner of good qua|lities, then unto a Prince who could boa&s;t of nothing but his vices. I finding then &s;o much wi&s;dom and vertue in this admirable Lady, how could I chu&s;e but love her. I remember, be|ing one day with her, and leaning again&s;t the window in the end of a Gallery towards the Sea, while&s;t other Ladies were walking behind us; See (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;hewed me the place where my Ship was bulged) yonder is the very place where you were like to &s;uffer &s;hipwrack. Par|don me, Madam (&s;aid I ha&s;tily unto her,) that is not the place where I was mo&s;t like to pe|ri&s;h; for indeed it is not &s;o far off you. Truly (&s;aid &s;he, and did not under&s;tand the my&s;teri|ous meaning of my an&s;wer) you do not know &s;o well as I do the place where your Ship was in mo&s;t danger, for the&s;e eyes did &s;ee it at that time, but I believe you were &s;o bu&s;ie in giving order what to do in that extremity, that you did not ob&s;erve the place. I know very well, Madam, &s;aid I unto her, that my &s;hipwrack was like to have been in your pre&s;ence, but yet for all that, tho&s;e who are ready to peri&s;h, know the place better then any lookers on. For my part, &s;aid &s;he and laughed, did I not conceive your Soul to be very re&s;olute, I &s;hould think that fear might at that in&s;tant have a little di&s;turbed your rea&s;on, for I can a&s;&s;ure you, it was at the foot of that great Rock where you were in greate&s;t danger. And I am mo&s;t certain, re|plyed I, and notwith&s;tanding the re&s;pects which I owe you, I mu&s;t maintain, that it was again&s;t this Rock again&s;t which I am mo&s;t in danger, and not that which you &s;peak of. <HI>Alci|onida,</HI> being not accu&s;tomed to find me &s;o full of contradiction, did then &s;u&s;pect there was &s;ome hidden &s;ence in my words, and blu&s;hing at it, I am to blame, &s;aid &s;he, to argue with you concerning a bu&s;ine&s;s of no importance; for &s;ince you e&s;caped the danger, it is &s;ufficient, and I may well be &s;atisfied, without more di&s;cour&s;e upon it: But truly, &s;aid &s;he, and laughed &s;till, tho&s;e who &s;ay, a wi&s;e Pilot will never &s;plit twice upon one and the &s;ame Rock, do not know how difficult it is to prevent it, &s;ince you who &s;eem &s;o wi&s;e do not know the place where you were mo&s;t in danger; however, let us &s;peak no more upon this Subject, but fall upon &s;omething el&s;e which will better plea&s;e you, and tell me I be&s;eech you when your Ship will be ready to put to &s;ail, for I do imagine you wi&s;h for your departure as much as all they who know you do wi&s;h your &s;tay. I was much non-plu&s;t at this que&s;tion; for though it gave me a hand&s;om opportunity to di&s;cover my thoughts unto her, yet there appeared in her eyes &s;o much &s;everity mixed with her &s;weetne&s;s, that I dur&s;t not reveal it: I only told her, that I thought it not po&s;&s;ible to be very earne&s;t in ha&s;ting away from that place where &s;he was; and &s;ince common civility might well exact as much as I did &s;ay, &s;he returned me as civil an an&s;wer; and all the re&s;t of our Conference was &s;uch as this: I had been divers other times with her, and never dur&s;t expo&s;e my &s;elf unto her anger in declaring my love unto her; and I under&s;tood from <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> that &s;ince the fir&s;t day, <HI>Alcionida</HI> never &s;poke a word to her Cou&s;in con|cerning me. In the mean time, I deferred the mending of my Ship as long as hand&s;omly I could; and I could have found in my heart a di&s;po&s;ition to break &s;ome things which were whole, purpo&s;ely to gain time: &s;o that in lieu of three weeks, I made it &s;ix, that I &s;tayed in the Port of <HI>Gnides.</HI> But at the la&s;t, the wi&s;e <HI>Thales,</HI> whom I had &s;ecretly adverti&s;ed of the place where I was, did &s;end me word, that there was a very &s;editious face upon things in <HI>Mi|lete,</HI> and advi&s;ed me to come thither; and then was I forced to depart, notwith&s;tanding the intere&s;t of my Love: Moreover, &s;ince the repairing of my Ship was &s;o long in hand, there was a report in <HI>Gnides,</HI> that I had &s;ome &s;ecret de&s;ign in it, and <HI>Euphranor</HI> him&s;elf &s;u&s;pected &s;omething, as I under&s;tood by <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> and he from his Confident; giving it out, that as &s;oon as he returned from his voyage of eight days, he would force me to explain my &s;elf. All the&s;e con&s;iderations therefore requiring my departure, and my Ship being ready, when <HI>Eu|phranor</HI> was to go his Journey, I took my leave of him, telling him that I &s;hould depart before
<PB N="165" REF="273">
his return, and be&s;eeching him to believe, that if I did not die in a bu&s;ine&s;s about which I went, I would return, and make my &s;elf a little better known unto him. After his departure, I &s;tayed four days &s;till at <HI>Gnides:</HI> during which time, <HI>Alcionida</HI> who never had been in a Ship of War, no more then three or four of her friends, &s;eemed very de&s;irous to &s;ee mine; and I be&s;eeched her to &s;atisfie her curio&s;ity in honouring me &s;o far as to come into my Ship, the la&s;t afternoon I was to &s;tay in that Port: and having obtained the promi&s;e of it with the permi&s;&s;ion of <HI>Phe|dima,</HI> I prepared to receive her with all po&s;&s;ible magnificence, but yet with all the melancholy that a heart could be capable of. And when I &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idered, I &s;hould within tho&s;e four days &s;ee <HI>Alcionida</HI> no more; I was &s;o grieved at the thought of it, that I was not able to or|der this intended Fea&s;t as I de&s;ired: but relied wholly upon the contrivance of <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> who did order it admirable well: for though the time of preparation was very &s;hort, yet was my Ship adorned with an hundred waving Flags of &s;everal colours, on which the name of <HI>Alci|onida</HI> was written in gold, and &s;ilver, with variety of Mottoes. There was placed upon the Deck all manner of Sea mu&s;ick, &s;uch as might re&s;emble the <HI>Tritons,</HI> and the <HI>Nereides;</HI> and be&s;ides the&s;e, there was very admirable voices in imitations of the <HI>Syrens.</HI> All the Souldi|ers were tricked up in the be&s;t Arms in the Ship.</P>
<P>The day and hour being come, in which I was to be honoured with &s;eeing <HI>Alcionida</HI> in a place where I had any power, I went to meet her, and her Aunt which accompanied her, with ten or twelve more of her friends; as for <HI>Phedima</HI> &s;he was not very well, and therefore could not come: I was in the mo&s;t magnificent Arms that ever I wore, with a Plume of &s;everal colours, and waited upon by <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> and all the principal Officers of my Ship: conducting her then into this Ship, thus ordered, as I told you, the mu&s;ick begun to play as &s;oon as we came near, and going into a Cabin, &s;he was amazed at the greatne&s;s of it; at the rarene&s;s of the Pictures, and the magnificence of every thing, and &s;he could not be per&s;waded &s;he was in a Ship: Af|ter &s;he had well viewed the&s;e things, the Mariners to divert her, did in her pre&s;ence, do all they u&s;e to do, either in a Calm, or in a Tempe&s;t, which was to pull up, and let down the Sails, to turn upon a &s;udden, or by degrees, to remove all that abundance of Cordage in an in&s;tant; and in &s;hort we &s;hewed her all manner of Maritine works, which u&s;ually are wonders unto tho&s;e who never &s;aw them. While&s;t <HI>Alcionida</HI> was viewing the&s;e &s;ights, the Banquet was brought into the Cabin wherein we were at the fir&s;t: &s;o that when &s;he entered again into it, &s;he was afr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;h &s;urprized with plea&s;ing delights: for the truth was, <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> had ordered things very well; &s;he began then to commend and thank me, but &s;till chiding me for my mag|nificence, and telling me with a mo&s;t obliging &s;mile, that if all Pirats were like me, they would &s;hame all that <HI>Greece</HI> had mo&s;t excellent and magnificent. I returned her a complement with with much joy, and I was extreamly plea&s;ed to ob&s;erve <HI>Alcionida</HI> &s;o delighted: But when I began to think, that I mu&s;t depart that very night, (for the wind was very good) I was not able to look upon <HI>Alcionida</HI> without extream &s;orrows: Alas, (&s;aid I unto my &s;elf, while&s;t &s;he was at the Banquet with her friends, and looking mo&s;t attentively upon her) perhaps I &s;hall never &s;ee <HI>Alcionida</HI> again; every minute drives me further from her: And can&s;t thou live <HI>Thra|&s;ibulus,</HI> and endure this? ha&s;t thou an heart to bid her adieu? Ah, no no, rather die a thou&s;and deaths, then admit of &s;o rigorous, &s;o incertain, and &s;o long an ab&s;ence; &s;o certain for its cru|elty, and &s;o in&s;ufferable in its torments. The&s;e cogitations did make &s;o deep an impre&s;&s;ion into my &s;oul, that I changed colour twenty times in an hour; &s;o that <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> drawing me a&s;ide, when he perceived my extream melancholy, and while&s;t the Ladies were eating, and according to his free and bold humour, How do you, Sir, &s;aid he unto me? are you the only man in all the world, whom the &s;ight of the party loved does &s;atisfie? Alas, <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, what &s;atisfaction can it be to &s;ee this admirable beauty whom I adore, &s;ince I mu&s;t &s;ee her no more? If that be the cau&s;e of your &s;adne&s;s, &s;aid he to me, why will you not &s;ee her all the days of your life? Alas, how can I do that, &s;aid I to him? You may do it (replied he very ha&s;tily) by permitting me to cut the Cable which fa&s;tens the Ship unto the Anchor, and &s;o let me hoi&s;e up Sails, and put to open Sea, as if it were with intentions to divert them, and &s;o you may car|ry them whither you plea&s;e: retaining only the fair <HI>Alcionida,</HI> and her lovely Cou&s;in, and &s;et at the re&s;t on &s;hore, at &s;ome convenient di&s;tance from this place. <HI>Euphranor,</HI> &s;aid he, is not now <HI>Gnides,</HI> and we &s;hall be far enough off before our flight will be di&s;covered: and however, &s;aid he, whether you do it as a Pirat, or as a Lover, it will be a prize worthy of you: At the fir&s;t, I thought that <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> had &s;poken this out of rallery: but pre&s;ently after, &s;eeing he &s;poke &s;eriou&s;ly, and as one that was intere&s;ted in it, my fir&s;t apprehen&s;ions was to refu&s;e the motion: but love in an in&s;tant, &s;educing both my genero&s;ity, and my rea&s;on, forced me to &s;ay unto <HI>Le|o&s;thenes,</HI> almo&s;t not knowing what <HI>I</HI> &s;aid, Can&s;t thou tell me of no way, cruel friend, to make
<PB N="166" REF="274">
me happy, but by making me culpable? and doe&s;t thou make &s;uch a plea&s;ing propo&s;ition, as honour forbids me to accept? The fault is ea&s;ily repaired, &s;aid he unto me; and tho&s;e who are happy, do never pa&s;s for culpable: and therefore without lo&s;s of time in needle&s;s di&s;cour&s;e, go, and entertain the Ladies, and amu&s;e them, while&s;t I take all nece&s;&s;ary cour&s;es to execute &s;o hap|py a de&s;igne: Ah, <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him, <HI>I</HI> dare not con&s;ent unto &s;uch an unju&s;t propo|&s;ition, how plea&s;ing &s;oever it be. Con&s;ider (&s;aid he again) that if you will needs be &s;o exactly ju&s;t, you may perhaps never &s;ee the fair <HI>Alcionida</HI> again: but may for ever enjoy her, if you follow my coun&s;el: But then &s;he will hate me, replied <HI>I</HI> unto him: But on the other &s;ide, you will for ever lo&s;e her, (an&s;wered he.) Look upon the trea&s;ure, (&s;aid this unju&s;t friend, and pointing unto her with his finger) which you intend to lo&s;e: Indeed Sir, what &s;hall I &s;ay in my excu&s;e? Love di&s;turbed my rea&s;on: <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> &s;educed my will: and hardly knowing what <HI>I</HI> &s;aid, <HI>I</HI> half con&s;ented unto his de&s;ires, which doubtle&s;s were more for his own intere&s;t, then mine, in relation to the Cou&s;in of <HI>Alcionida,</HI> whom he loved; and <HI>I</HI> went as he advi&s;ed me to enter|tain, and amu&s;e the Ladies, while&s;t he cut the Cable, hoi&s;ted Sails, and took the open Sea. Since the Banquet was ended when I entered, <HI>Alcionida</HI> came towards me with &s;uch obliging ci|vility, and &s;o many &s;ignes of &s;atisfaction in her countenance, I was &s;o a&s;hamed for con&s;enting unto what <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> had propounded; as I did not only grow pale, and blu&s;h, both in an in|&s;tant, but checking my thoughts, No Madam, (cried I upon a &s;udden) I can never con&s;ent unto it, I had rather die an hundred times: Come Madam, (&s;aid I unto her, and pre&s;ented her my hand) and go out of this place which is unworthy of you, and never tru&s;t your &s;elf again in the hands of Pirats: But Madam, make ha&s;te, I conjure you, le&s;t that repentance which now is in me, be not &s;econded by a wor&s;e; <HI>Alcionida</HI> was &s;o amazed at this, that &s;he knew not what to think; but &s;he &s;aw &s;o much di&s;order in my face, that &s;he was in a great di&s;order her &s;elf, and knew not what &s;he &s;hould an&s;wer: Then &s;eeing that every one began to obey <HI>Leo&s;thenes;</HI> and that he had his Sword in his hand, and his Arme up to cut the Cable, I did ab|&s;olutely forbid him: Then turning towards <HI>Alcionida,</HI> do as I de&s;ire you, Madam, &s;aid I un|to her, though what I de&s;ire do co&s;t me my life. But (&s;aid &s;he, in giving me her hand, and ma|king ready to go out) will you not tell me, what the matter is? When you are upon the Land, replied I, and I rid of my fears, then perhaps you will gue&s;s what the matter is: I cannot po&s;|&s;ibly expre&s;s, Sir, the di&s;order of my &s;oul at that time, the a&s;toni&s;hment of <HI>Alcionida,</HI> and likewi&s;e of her Aunt, and her friends; nor can I expre&s;s the vexation of <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> or my de&s;pair: for being prompted unto it, by my love, my re&s;pects, and my repentance, I &s;et <HI>Al|cionida</HI> on land, and in her Coach, not remembring what I &s;aid, or whether I &s;aid any thing, or no: I know only that I left her, that <HI>I</HI> embarked, and though our intentions was not to depart until the next night, yet <HI>I</HI> cau&s;ed the Anchors to be taken up, the Stils to be hoi&s;ted, and left <HI>Gnides</HI> immediately, where al&s;o <HI>I</HI> left the Soul of my affection. <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> would have &s;aid &s;omething to me, but <HI>I</HI> could not endure his &s;ight, nor would admit of his excu&s;es; for <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t needs grieve fir&s;t for my lo&s;s, before <HI>I</HI> could pardon his evil coun&s;el. Within an hour after our departure, <HI>I</HI> commanded the Sails to be let down, and the Anchor ca&s;t: And though this Command &s;eemed to be very odd, yet was it obeyed: And in the mean time not knowing what <HI>I</HI> would have, <HI>I</HI> grieved mo&s;t exce&s;&s;ively, &s;ometimes for the ab&s;ence of <HI>Alci|onida,</HI> and &s;ometimes for con&s;enting unto &s;o unju&s;t a de&s;igne, and &s;ometimes, <HI>I</HI> repented of my repentance, thinking that <HI>I</HI> was in no fault, and that it was rather an effect of my violent pa&s;|&s;ion, then any di&s;order of my &s;oul: and in the mean while, not being able to re&s;olve whether <HI>I</HI> &s;hould come nearer the &s;hore, or put further off; although <HI>I</HI> know both honour, and nece&s;|&s;ity doth require the latter, yet <HI>I</HI> could not do it, until <HI>I</HI> was a&s;&s;ured <HI>Alcidonia</HI> did know <HI>I</HI> loved her: &s;o that <HI>I</HI> de&s;igned to write unto her, and &s;end my Letter by one of my men in a little Cock-boat: <HI>I</HI> writ then, though Heaven knows with much ado, and if <HI>I</HI> be not very much mi&s;taken, the words were the&s;e:</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>THRASIBULUS, <HI>to the fair</HI> ALCIONIDA.</HEAD>
<P>I <HI>Have &s;o many things to &s;ay, that I am much puzzled where to begin. But, Divine</HI> Al|cionida, <HI>I wi&s;h you knew, that my affection unto you is in the highe&s;t extream: that my quality is not as it &s;eemed: that my &s;orrows to leave you are unexpre&s;&s;ible: that my con|&s;enting for a minute to di&s;plea&s;e you, will beget a mi&s;erable repentance in me, as long as I live: and though I dur&s;t not tell you as much, yet did I love you more then any tongue, indeed, can tell. You might perceive as much, me thinks, by the di&s;orders of my &s;oul: you, I &s;ay, who&s;e judgment is &s;o ingenious, and piercing, I be&s;eech you, remember a Prince, who dur&s;t not
<PB N="167" REF="274">
tell you his quality, unle&s;s he had acqainted you with his misfortunes al&s;o: Remember, that he departed from you with intentions to return, and to return the mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionate and faith|ful Lover in the world: but remember not, I be&s;eech you, that I was a while your Ravi&s;her, unle&s;s you remember at the &s;ame time I was your Deliverer: However, Madam, though perhaps you will not retain any thoughts of tenderne&s;s towards me, yet I be&s;eech you do not think upon me with &s;corn, &s;ince it would be too much inju&s;tice to u&s;e him &s;o, who adored you without telling it, departed from you without hope, and who &s;hall love you as long as he lives, although you hate him.</HI></P>
</LETTER>
<P>After I had read this Letter over and over, unto which I did not &s;ub&s;cribe my name, I was con&s;trained to make u&s;e of <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> to carry it; as well becau&s;e he did extreamly pre&s;s me to pardon him for his evil coun&s;el, as becau&s;e he was very fit for &s;uch an expedition; and &s;o as &s;oon as night was come, he went to <HI>Gnides.</HI> Since there was a very good corre&s;pondence be|tween him, and her whom he loved, &s;he let him &s;ee <HI>Alcionida</HI> whether &s;he would or no, and unknown unto <HI>Phedima;</HI> and al&s;o carried him into her Chamber without any asking. When <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> gave her my Letter, &s;he made a que&s;tion whether &s;he &s;hould read it: but after &s;he had read it, &s;he made a greater difficulty to an&s;wer it, being very angry again&s;t her Cou&s;in for bringing him into her Chamber: Yet <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> being very bold, told her, he would never go out of her Chamber as long as he lived without an An&s;wer; &s;o that to be rid of his importuni|ty, &s;he writ me the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>ALCIONIDA <HI>unto the Illu&s;trious Pirate.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>THough I did beleeve all that you writ in your Letter to me, yet ought I not to an&s;wer it; or if I did an&s;wer, yet not &s;o as would plea&s;e you: Therefore I do declare unto you, that of all which you writ, I beleeve only one thing, which is, that you are not of that quality which people think you, and therefore I ask your pardon for all the incivilities which I offered unto you while&s;t you were here: I &s;uppo&s;e you to be &s;o ju&s;t, as not to deny it: And I hope you will not take it ill, that one who is a profe&s;&s;ed Lover of Truth, do not make any an&s;wer unto &s;o many incredibilities as your Letter is filled with: In the mean while be per&s;waded, that it is advantageous for you, that I do not beleeve it; and had it not been for the wilfulne&s;s of</HI> Le|o&s;thenes, <HI>you &s;hould not have &s;een under my hand the name of</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ALCIONIDA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>To be &s;hort Sir, <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> returned, and brought me this Letter, which though it contain|ed nothing but matter of indifferency; yet did it &s;o much joy me, that I &s;hould hardly have gone from the Coa&s;t of <HI>Gnides</HI> before I had writ another Letter unto her, if a Tempe&s;t had not ri&s;en, and forced me to take up anchor, and put to open Sea. I went then to <HI>Milete,</HI> accord|ing to the advice of the wi&s;e <HI>Thales,</HI> and in my voyage I had the good fortune to meet two of the Ships which I had lo&s;t: but in exchange thereof, I had the bad fortune to hear the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was returned to <HI>Milete,</HI> as &s;oon as <HI>Thimocrates</HI> was gone to render an account unto the <HI>Amphictions</HI> of all pa&s;&s;ages; and that this Prince had cro&s;&s;ed all that <HI>Thimocrates</HI> had done in my favor; that he had e&s;tabli&s;hed the Authority of <HI>Alexide&s;mus,</HI> and puni&s;hed all tho&s;e who de&s;ired to rebel, or expre&s;&s;ed any zeal to my Party: So that my cro&s;s de&s;tinies dri|ving me into de&s;pair, I was con&s;trained to retire, and wander over all our Seas, not knowing well what cour&s;e to take. I &s;ent once again unto <HI>Gnides</HI> privately, to enquire what <HI>Euphra|nor</HI> would &s;ay at his return concerning my odd departure: for &s;ince there were many Ladies with <HI>Alcionida</HI> at that time when I left her in &s;uch ha&s;te, that I imagined the pa&s;&s;age would be made known unto all the Town: In the conclu&s;ion, <HI>I</HI> under&s;tood that <HI>Euphranor</HI> was much amazed at the matter, and could not gue&s;s at my rea&s;on; and that things were in &s;uch a &s;tate, as that I could not return unto <HI>Gnides.</HI> So that being out of all hopes ever to &s;ee the face of my mi&s;erable fates to &s;mile upon me, I conceived it impo&s;&s;ible to gain the good opinion either of <HI>Alcionida,</HI> or her father. I gave my &s;elf over &s;o de&s;perately unto &s;orrow, that pa&s;&s;ing by <HI>Le&s;bos,</HI> I wou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d not land there, but &s;ent only to enquire of <HI>Ti&s;anders</HI> health, and writ a Let|ter to him, which was left with the fir&s;t Mariners I met in the Port; wherein I told him in general without naming <HI>Alcionida,</HI> that I was to ask his pardon, for condeming that pa&s;&s;ion in him, which at that pre&s;ent was mo&s;t predominate in my &s;elf. After this I fell into the <HI>Hel|lispont,</HI> and then into <HI>Delphos,</HI> intending to con&s;ult with the Oracle; but when I came there, <HI>I</HI> was &s;o full of fears to find what I &s;ought for, that <HI>I</HI> could not re&s;olve whether I &s;hould en|quire
<PB N="168" REF="275">
of it or no: In the mean while <HI>I</HI> fell &s;ick, and that &s;o violently, that I was not able to &s;tir from thence in four Months: But at the la&s;t, when it was the plea&s;ure of the Gods that <HI>I</HI> did recover, without ever praying unto them for it, but found &s;o little plea&s;ure in life, that <HI>I</HI> did not look upon death as an evil; then, <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, <HI>I</HI> imbarqued, and coming by <HI>Gnides,</HI> but landed not, <HI>I</HI> took this way: yet the winds were &s;o contrary, that <HI>I</HI> was forced to leave <HI>Chios</HI> upon the right hand, whereas my intention was to pa&s;s between that I&s;le and the <HI>I&s;thmus</HI> of <HI>Gnides:</HI> and being carried by the winds, <HI>I</HI> met with four Ships in that Rode: Now &s;ince all the world were become my enemies, and &s;ince <HI>I</HI> was accu&s;tomed to make all tho&s;e <HI>I</HI> met to vail their Bonnets, <HI>I</HI> would needs do &s;o by the&s;e, but they would not: <HI>I</HI> looked upon their Flags, but knew them not, and <HI>I</HI> imagined that perhaps it might be the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> di&s;guized: After they refu&s;ed to vail Bonnet, I a&s;&s;aulted them, and turning towards the greate&s;t of the four, I gave her cha&s;e above an hour: &s;ince he had no di&s;po&s;ition to fight, he betook him&s;elf wholly to his &s;ails. but &s;ince my Ships were lighter then his, though greater, I came up to him, and fought him &s;o &s;harply, that in le&s;s then half an hour I became Ma&s;ter of him: I was mo&s;t encouraged to fight, by &s;eeing my other Ships had burned one of their enemies, &s;unk another, and taken the la&s;t: So that notwith&s;tanding all the re&s;i&s;tance of tho&s;e I fought with, I &s;aw my victory was certain. All that were in the Ship having &s;ubmitted them&s;elves, <HI>I</HI> entered into her with my &s;word in my hand, having no other arms left, for <HI>I</HI> had not only darted many Javelins, but that only which had the name of <HI>Alcionida</HI> upon it, which <HI>I</HI> had kept &s;ince the day &s;he was in my Ship. <HI>I</HI> entered then, and charged my Souldiers to commit no di&s;order: But going into a Cabin where <HI>I</HI> heard the voyce of women, <HI>I</HI> &s;aw the fair <HI>Alcionida</HI> lying up|on a bed, having a mortal palene&s;s in her face, and her left arm naked and bloody, becau&s;e a Javelin had run quite through it, and <HI>I</HI> &s;aw al&s;o ten or twelve women crying about her, and dur&s;t not venture to draw this fatal Javelin out of her wound. You may imagine, Sir, what operation this object had upon my Soul: <HI>I</HI> came nearer her, and cryed as loud as ever <HI>I</HI> could, that he who threw this Javelin &s;hould dye for it, if <HI>I</HI> could know who it was: <HI>I</HI> kneeled down at the &s;ide of her bed; <HI>I</HI> called for my Chyrurgions to come unto her; <HI>I</HI> took her fair and bloody arm in my hand, while&s;t all the women about her, not knowing me, were amazed. But oh Hea|vens, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> no &s;ooner took her by the arm, but <HI>I</HI> knew that fatal Javelin to be the very &s;ame which had her mo&s;t illu&s;trious Name upon it; and that it was my own &s;elf which darted it, at the fir&s;t a&s;&s;aulting the Ship. Imagine, Sir, in what a de&s;perate condition my Soul was in, when <HI>I</HI> &s;aw it was my hand which wounded <HI>Alcionida;</HI> my amazement was &s;o great, that not know|ing what <HI>I</HI> did, <HI>I</HI> let her arm fall &s;o rudely, that its own weight did almo&s;t bring the Javelin out: The pain of it did cau&s;e her to come out of her &s;woond, and to open her eyes ju&s;t as the Chyrurgions entered. <HI>I,</HI> not being able to &s;peak, made &s;igns unto them, to help her; and looking for my &s;word with intention to run it through my own heart, <HI>I</HI> remembered <HI>Leo&s;the|nes</HI> had taken it up when <HI>I</HI> let it fall upon my fir&s;t &s;eeing <HI>Alcionida</HI> in that condition: <HI>I</HI> would have pulled it from him, but he would not part with it, telling me, that it were a thou&s;and times better for me to help <HI>Alcionida,</HI> then de&s;perately to ruine my &s;elf. <HI>I</HI> approached then nearer unto her bed; and &s;eeing that &s;ince the Chyrurgions had pulled out the dart, &s;he was very well come unto her &s;elf, <HI>I</HI> kneeled down before her, my &s;orrows being &s;o great that I could not cry, (for tho&s;e are but &s;light &s;orrows which can be expre&s;&s;ed by tears:) Oh Madam, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, inflict what puni&s;hment you plea&s;e upon that &s;acrilegious hand which wounded you; and do not think, that though <HI>I</HI> defer the execution for a little while, it is not with in|tentions of living long: No, Madam, <HI>I</HI> would only &s;ee you in a way of recovery, to the end you may &s;ee me dye, and that way expiate this horrid crime which <HI>I</HI> have committed. <HI>Alcionida</HI> was &s;o &s;urprized to &s;ee me, and hear me thus expre&s;s my &s;elf, that though &s;he had not been in &s;o weak a condition as &s;he was, &s;he would not have been able to hold any long di&s;cour&s;e; therefore not an&s;wering at all unto what <HI>I</HI> &s;aid, If <HI>I</HI> dye, &s;aid &s;he unto me, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall pardon you with all my heart; and al&s;o <HI>I</HI> entreat the Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> if he be living, to pardon you, as wel&punc; as <HI>I.</HI> The Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> Madam? (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> with much wonder,) is he here? As &s;he was about to an&s;wer, the Chyrurgions prevented her, and told me it would kill her if &s;he &s;poke any more: &s;o that ha&s;tily retiring, and leaving her with her women, <HI>I</HI> took her Cou&s;in by the hand, and carring her to the Chamber door, asked her what it was which <HI>Alcionida</HI> &s;aid unto me: But at the &s;ame time, &s;ome Souldiers which had taken <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> in another Ship, brought him into mine, and he knowing that it was I which he had fought again&s;t, de&s;ired to &s;peak with me; and when in entrance into the Ship he under&s;tood that <HI>Alcionida</HI> was wounded, he was in as de&s;perate a ca&s;e as I: Cruel Friend (&s;aid he in coming fir&s;t to me) what a fatal adventure is befaln us? Give me leave rather to &s;ay (an&s;wered <HI>I)</HI> what a fatal adventure is mine? Ah,
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&s;aid he, you are not to be pitied &s;o much as I, for the thoughts of friend&s;hip are nothing &s;o tender as tho&s;e of love: Doubtle&s;s you love me, and will be &s;orry for fighting with me, and for being perhaps the cau&s;e of her death whom I mo&s;t adore, and intend to marry. But (&s;aid I, and interrupted him) do you intend to marry this fair and mo&s;t incomparable Lady? Yes, cruel Friend, an&s;wered he, and therefore imagine the &s;orrows of my Soul: But I be&s;eech you, let me &s;ee this fair and unfortunate Lady. In &s;aying &s;o, he went into the Chamber where &s;he was, and <HI>I</HI> with him, and he no &s;ooner &s;aw her, but taking her hand, ki&s;&s;ing it, and al&s;o wa&s;h|ing it with his tears, he expre&s;&s;ed a hundred &s;igns of &s;orrow and affection, which I dur&s;t not render unto her. She ca&s;t her eyes upon me, and doubtle&s;s did &s;o plainly perceive the &s;orrows I endured, that &s;he turned away her eyes and blu&s;hed. <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> ob&s;erving this, and fearing to be trouble&s;om to her, went from her, imagining the alteration of her face to proceed from no other cau&s;e but the extremity of her pain. We asked the Chyrurgions what they thought of her: but they could not tell what juddgment to give, until the &s;econd dre&s;&s;ing, not yet know|ing whether any of the Nerves were mole&s;ted, or Veins cut. In the mean time I under&s;tood that <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> being cured of his pa&s;&s;ionate affection unto the fair and wi&s;e <HI>Sapho,</HI> did con&s;ent unto the marriage which the Prince his father had made up between him, and the fair <HI>Alcionida,</HI> before he knew her; and that as &s;oon as ever he &s;aw her, he was more in love with her, then ever he was with his fir&s;t Mi&s;tre&s;s. I under&s;tood afterwards, that he did not know my Ship, becau&s;e it had been newly trimmed up at <HI>Gnides;</HI> and &s;ince all the Banners and Flags which <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> had &s;et up for the entertainment of <HI>Alcionida</HI> did &s;tand &s;till, it was not po&s;&s;ible <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> could know it: Neither could I know his Ship, for &s;ince his intended marriage his Flags al&s;o were full of gallant devices, and other Motto's then he was accu&s;tomed to have. Since this Prince was really generous, and &s;eeing me &s;ilent he did ask me pardon, if in the extremity of his &s;orrows, he had &s;poke any thing which was offen&s;ive to me. But I my &s;elf was &s;o much di&s;turbed in my mind, that I knew not what I &s;hould an&s;wer him: But I gave orders, that all his men &s;hould be &s;et at liberty, and treated as my own: however, the &s;ight of this Prince was in&s;ufferable to me, &s;ince I under&s;tood he was to be the husband of <HI>Alcionida,</HI> and I could not re&s;olve to go out of his Ship, becau&s;e I could not depart from her: yet not being in free|dom to grieve in her pre&s;ence, I went into my own, under a pretence of giving out &s;ome or|ders, and went into my own Cabin, with a mind &s;o full of &s;orrows, that I was a hundred times ready to throw my &s;elf into the Sea, and there bury my &s;elf and all my misfortunes to|gether; but there was a kind of &s;ecret chain which linked me to <HI>Alcionida,</HI> that re&s;trained me, and kept me alive: And being alone with <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> I began to de&s;cant upon the &s;trangene&s;s of my misfortunes; and my mind being a little more quiet then before, Confe&s;s with me, <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, that I was born under a mo&s;t malignant Con&s;tellation; for if you look upon the pre&s;ent condition of my fortune, you may therein find mi&s;eries enough to make a hundred men unfortunate: Were it only the incon&s;ideration of my &s;orrows for fight|ing with my friend, and hurting her whom I infinitely loved, I de&s;erved compa&s;&s;ion; though for nothing but to find my Friend my Rival, I had cau&s;e enough to grieve for it extreamly; were it for nothing el&s;e but to find my Mi&s;tre&s;s enjoyed by another, I were mo&s;t worthy of pity; and were it for nothing but wounding with my own hand that Lady for whom only I de&s;ire to live, all my tears are too few to lament the &s;adne&s;s of the accident: But having in one day fought with my Friend, wounded her I loved, found him to be my Rival, heard my Mi|&s;tre&s;s is to be married, and my own hand putting her in danger of death; Ah <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> the&s;e are too many mi&s;eries to be endured, and it would be as ba&s;e as impo&s;&s;ible for me to live under the weight of them: For indeed, what can I do? I mu&s;t not hate my Rival, &s;ince he is both my Friend and my Benefactor: I never dare &s;peak any more of my pa&s;&s;ion unto her who fir&s;t did cau&s;e it: my Soul is out of all hopes; my Love cannot now be innocent; I dare not here|after find any fault with her: I have no rea&s;on to accu&s;e <HI>Ti&s;ander;</HI> I have not power to ac|knowledg my pa&s;&s;ion unto him, and it were in vain if I &s;hould, &s;ince he is the husband of <HI>Al|cionida:</HI> In one word, I am in as deplorable a condition at ever any Lover po&s;&s;ible can be: But alas, what do I &s;ay? and what would I do? I &s;peak as if <HI>Alcionida</HI> were not wounded, and wounded by my own hand, and that perhaps mortally. Oh mo&s;t cruel thought (&s;aid I,) can&s;t thou ever &s;uffer that prophane hand which did it, to be employed in any thing but reaching a Dagger to my heart? But Sir (&s;aid <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> unto me,) you are not in any fault; it was a meet chance which gave <HI>Alcionida</HI> that fatal wound. After this I &s;tood a long while &s;ilent, and my mind was &s;o filled with variety of different thoughts, that I was not Ma&s;ter of my &s;elf. If &s;he dye (&s;aid I) I mu&s;t follow her into the grave; if &s;he recover, &s;till I mu&s;t dye, for &s;he recovers only for <HI>Ti&s;ander;</HI> who is already her husband, and ever mu&s;t be; he who perhaps
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though <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> had not been in love with her as he was, yet might he well perceive I was, by the di&s;order of my &s;oul which appeared in my eyes: &s;o that he could not po&s;&s;ible be ignorant of it; and he &s;tood between us in &s;uch a &s;ilent <HI>Dilimma,</HI> that none dur&s;t interrupt him. <HI>Al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|nida</HI> averted her looks from me, and I did court hers, while&s;t <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> ob&s;erving us both, did di&s;cover that Secret which I would have locked up in my heart. After we had been an hour with <HI>Alcionida, Ti&s;ander</HI> impatiently de&s;iring to clear his &s;u&s;pitions, told me in mo&s;t civil language, that it was convenient to leave her at re&s;t that day; and moved me to go out with him into his Chamber. I was no &s;ooner there, but &s;eeing none in pre&s;ence; I be&s;eech you, my dear <HI>Thra|&s;ibulus,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, Tell me one thing truly, which I much de&s;ire to know? Since it was long before I an&s;wered, and he &s;u&s;pected that I would di&s;gui&s;e the truth; Nay, do not go about to colour the matter, &s;aid he, for perhaps, I do not &s;tand in need of your help in the knowledg of it. If &s;o, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him, why do you de&s;ire to know that from me, which you know already? Becau&s;e, replied he, I de&s;ire to be infallibly certain, whether or no, I am &s;o un|fortunate as to be the cau&s;e of this deep melancholy, which I perceive in your mind; Tell me, my dear <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> Has not the &s;ympathy of your humour with mine cau&s;ed us both to love one Lady? and am not I &s;o unfortunate as to deprive you of <HI>Alcionida?</HI> I do confe&s;s, that what re&s;olutions &s;oever I had taken, not to reveal unto <HI>Ti&s;cander</HI> the rea&s;on of my pa&s;&s;ion, yet now it was impo&s;&s;ible for me to di&s;gui&s;e it: I was &s;o <HI>non-plu&s;t</HI> at the&s;e que&s;tions, and my eyes were &s;o troubled, that my face did &s;o betray the thoughts of my heart, as this Prince not doubting any longer, did cry out with extream genero&s;ity, and mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible &s;orrow; A|las, my dear <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> how &s;ad is my &s;oul, that my felicity &s;hould be your misfortune: for &s;ince we both of us do love one and the &s;ame Lady, we &s;hall both of us be mi&s;erable all the days of our lives. That would not be ju&s;t, (&s;aid I unto him, and &s;ighed, my heart melting at his obliging di&s;cour&s;e) and therefore, ask me no more: Believe, if you can, that it is ambition only which is the burden of my &s;oul; Imagine your &s;elf happy, and that I am &s;till the &s;ame in|&s;en&s;ible <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> who condemned you for loving the fair <HI>Sapho:</HI> and quietly enjoy your felicity in the Divine <HI>Alcionida.</HI> I confe&s;s, that being tran&s;ported with the exce&s;s of &s;orrows, that notwith&s;tanding the friend&s;hip between us, I did not rejoyce at your &s;atisfaction: all that rea&s;on and remembrance of that friend&s;hip could do, was, to oblige me not to di&s;turb it. I ask your pardon, generous <HI>Thra&s;ibulus;</HI> but withall, I be&s;eech you remember in my excu&s;e, that I loved <HI>Alcionida</HI> before you did, and mu&s;t love her as long as I live, perhaps more then you: for &s;ince &s;he was the fir&s;t, &s;o doubtle&s;s &s;he &s;hall be the la&s;t that &s;hall ever move my pa&s;&s;ion. But lea&s;t this confe&s;&s;ion &s;hould too much incen&s;e you, let me tell you, that as my love of her, is &s;o purely innocent, that it cannot be offen&s;ive either unto her vertue, or our friend&s;hip, or the Gods them&s;elves, &s;o al&s;o is it &s;o extreamly violent, that I cannot endure her &s;ight, or yours: for &s;o mi&s;erable do I e&s;teem my &s;elf, that now I am pa&s;t all hopes of <HI>Alcionida's</HI> love. Since your pa&s;&s;ion is &s;o purely innocent, as you tell me, and &s;ince al&s;o I do believe it (an&s;wered he) I will promi&s;e you &s;o great a &s;hare in the friend&s;hip of <HI>Alcionida,</HI> that though it cannot make you ab&s;olutely happy, yet at the lea&s;t it may afford you &s;ome con&s;olation: for &s;ince &s;he knew you, it is impo&s;&s;ible, but &s;he mu&s;t needs e&s;teem you, and therefore I &s;hall hope &s;he will love you for my &s;ake. Therefore, my dear <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> though you cannot be compleatly happy, yet do not you render your &s;elf ab&s;olutely mi&s;erable; nor by your misfortunes interrupt my happine&s;s. <HI>I</HI> do once more declare, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him, that the glorious lu&s;ter of <HI>Alcionida's</HI> fair eyes, which has enflamed my &s;oul, is as pure and &s;plendent as the rayes of the Sun: But yet, mo&s;t generous <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> you mu&s;t needs know, if you know how to love, that though a Lo|ver do not always enjoy the beauty of a beloved and adored Mi&s;tre&s;s, yet would he have the &s;ole and ab&s;olute po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of her whole heart and mind to him&s;elf: &s;o that &s;ince <HI>I</HI> cannot de|&s;ire &s;o great a happine&s;s without a wrong to you, nor indeed, never hope for it: <HI>I</HI> have no way but to die, and let you live happily. But that <HI>I</HI> can never do, replied he, if you do not live happily as well as <HI>I:</HI> Then are we both mo&s;t unfortunate, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him. Time, &s;aid <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> may perhaps produce &s;ome remedy which you cannot think of. Since tho&s;e remedies, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him, are commonly long in curing, <HI>I</HI> do not think, <HI>I</HI> can &s;tay the i&s;&s;ue, &amp; <HI>I</HI> believe death would &s;oo|ner work the cure then time. However, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you think, that if you had not forced me to di&s;|cover my misfortune unto you, you &s;hould never have known it: But &s;ince you &s;crewed out that &s;e|cret which <HI>I</HI> de&s;ired to hide, it is but ju&s;t in you to rid your &s;elf of a vexatious Rival, who &s;hall be always a di&s;turber of your happine&s;s. When <HI>I</HI> doted upon <HI>Sapho,</HI> replied he, <HI>I</HI> did not think it po&s;&s;ible ever to be cured of that tormenting pa&s;&s;ion which po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed me, yet her rigour to me, her compliance with another, and the all commanding charms of <HI>Alcionida,</HI> has made her mo&s;t indifferent unto me. It is not &s;o with me, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him, for though <HI>I</HI> believe
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<HI>Alcionida</HI> loves you, and mo&s;t certainly know &s;he will never love me, yet can I not bani&s;h her from my heart. But for your part (&s;aid I with a mo&s;t incen&s;ed mind) perhaps you can quit <HI>Alcionida</HI> for another, as you quit <HI>Sapho</HI> for her; and I &s;hall perhaps hereafter hear, that the &s;ame which would be my heaven of felicity, is not &s;o to you. But mo&s;t incon&s;tant and unju&s;t Friend, &s;aid I, if ever you leave adoring this divine Lady, you will be the mo&s;t unde&s;erving man that lives. I had no &s;ooner &s;poken this, but I repented; and found by his milde an&s;wer, that he would love <HI>Alcionida</HI> as long as he had life; however, he gave me &s;uch &s;weet and ge|nerous language, that he allayed my anger again&s;t him, and I began to long until night did &s;e|parate us, that I might enjoy my own private thoughts, and at la&s;t we parted. <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> was informed by &s;ome or other of the time when I was at <HI>Gnides:</HI> He under&s;tood from one of <HI>Alcionida</HI>'s women, how I cau&s;ed her to get ha&s;tily out of my Ship: However, we were both of us the next day much perplexed: I dur&s;t not ask him how <HI>Alcionida</HI> did; and yet I could not forbear; nor dur&s;t I go to &s;ee her: And <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> I think, as generous as he was, had variety of re&s;entments of it, in one and the &s;ame day: yet &s;ince he enjoyed the happine&s;s, and was well &s;atisfied concerning the vertue of <HI>Alcionida,</HI> it was an ea&s;ier matter for him, then for me, to tran&s;act with Rea&s;on: He was &s;o generous as not to take any notice of a hundred follies which I expre&s;&s;ed unto him, and to &s;peak unto me always with much affection. But that there might want nothing to make up the full mea&s;ure of my misfortunes, it chanced that I be|ing in a Chamber of his Ship which joyned unto <HI>Alcionida</HI>'s, I &s;aw her there, &s;he not know|ing I was in that place, or thinking that all the partitions of a Ship being made of planks only, one might ea&s;ily hear all that was &s;poken out of the one into the other.</P>
<P>Since <HI>Alcionida</HI> was now much better then &s;he was before, <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> thought it convenient to acquaint her with my de&s;perate condition, to the end &s;he might not hereafter be &s;urprized at it, or el&s;e perhaps to di&s;cover her real thoughts of me: I heard him ask her, how I carried my &s;elf at <HI>Gnides?</HI> what &s;he thought of me? whether &s;he really thought I was a Pirate? and, as I verily think, fearing le&s;t &s;he &s;hould take a di&s;plea&s;ure at all the&s;e que&s;tions, he told all he knew concerning my pa&s;&s;ion, which did &s;o much &s;urprize her, that &s;he could not make any an|&s;wer: Yet &s;ince &s;he perceived <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> knew more then her &s;elf, &s;he told him &s;incerely what &s;he beleeved concerning my Quality, and partly what &s;he knew concerning my Love. Then he de&s;ired her to tell him whether &s;he had any good e&s;teem of me or no; and &s;he an&s;wered &s;o obligingly in my behalf, that I thought my &s;elf then much more mi&s;erable then I was before. In conclu&s;ion, he conjured her to comply with me, as a man whom of all the world he loved mo&s;t. Your de&s;ire, &s;aid &s;he unto him, is too dangerous for me to con&s;ent unto; not but that I dare tru&s;t my &s;elf well enough with him, but becau&s;e I dare not tru&s;t you. <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> did then prote&s;t a thou&s;and times unto her, that he would never be jealous. Yet notwith&s;tanding all his earne&s;t importunities, &s;he could not con&s;ent unto it: For indeed, &s;aid &s;he, if the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> do not love me, he may ea&s;ily forbear my &s;ight; and if he do love me, he were mo&s;t inhumane to continue his pa&s;&s;ion; Therefore, Sir, I conjure you to &s;olicit me no more. When he was gone out, I heard <HI>Alcionida</HI> call one of her women which &s;he loved very dearly, and commanded her to reach a Cabinet, which &s;he opened, and took out many Letters, for I found out a little hole in the partitions of this Chamber, through which I could &s;ee all &s;he did: among&s;t many other Letters &s;he found that which I had writ unto her, which I knew very well; and &s;he commanded this woman to take this Letter, and to teer it all in pieces, and when it was dark to throw it into the Sea. Why Madam (&s;aid this woman unto her, who u&s;ed to be very free with her) is it a greater fault to keep it to morrow, then it was ye&s;terday? The rea&s;on is, replyed &s;he, becau&s;e I mu&s;t bani&s;h out of my heart the remembrance of that Princes affection, which without a crime I might have pre&s;erved, when I thought I &s;hould never &s;ee him again: but now, &s;ince he is here, I mu&s;t not do &s;o: I mu&s;t not look upon him as a Lover of <HI>Alcionida,</HI> but only as a Friend of <HI>Ti&s;anders.</HI> What odd adventures do the Fates produce (&s;aid &s;he,) why did they &s;end <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> unto <HI>Gnides,</HI> only to be mi&s;erable, and to make me re&s;tle&s;s? Not becau&s;e I do not e&s;teem my &s;elf happy in the marriage of <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> but becau&s;e I wi&s;h with all my heart that the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> were not &s;o unfortunate: Yet did they both of them &s;ee the &s;ecrets of my heart, <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> would be le&s;s plea&s;ed, and <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> would be more mi&s;erable: For the truth is, the rea&s;on why I did oppo&s;e my marriage with <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> was becau&s;e I had &s;ome hopes that <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> would return unto <HI>Gnides</HI> in &s;uch a quality as he told me; and that I might innocently follow my inclination not to hate him: Yet as the ca&s;e is now, I mu&s;t &s;uppre&s;s tho&s;e thoughts (&s;aid &s;he and &s;ighed,) and therefore do as I bid you; to the end I may if I can pre&s;erve my heart &s;olely for <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> and remember <HI>Thra&s;i|bulus</HI> no more. I leave it unto you, Sir, to judg what joy and what &s;orrow this expre&s;&s;ion of
<PB N="174" REF="278">
<HI>Alcionida</HI> did infu&s;e into me: The &s;orrow did &s;o much triumph over the joy, and that cruel re&s;olution to forget me did &s;o pierce my heart, that again&s;t my will I made a great noi&s;e; and &s;ince I was &s;o near, that I almo&s;t touched the &s;ide of her bed, certainly &s;he heard me, for &s;he was &s;ilent pre&s;ently upon it, and que&s;tionle&s;s was &s;orry &s;he had been &s;o loud in her di&s;cour&s;e; and I beleeve, I &s;hould have &s;poke to her through the partition, had I not heard &s;ome enter in|to her Chamber: So that the knowledg that I was not hated, and that I mu&s;t for ever be mi&s;era|ble, did drive me into &s;uch horrid de&s;pair, that I &s;uffered inexpre&s;&s;able torments of mind. In the mean time <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> who did really love me, came to &s;eek me, and carried me into the Chamber of <HI>Alcionida,</HI> entreating me, and earne&s;tly conjuring me, to content my &s;elf with her friend&s;hip and e&s;teem. I went with him, and at my entrance I heard her charge the wo|man whom &s;he &s;poke unto, to do as &s;he appointed her: This made me change colour, and look &s;o &s;eriou&s;ly upon her, that &s;he dejected her eyes. I &s;hall tell you, Sir, what our Conference was, for I think there was never three per&s;ons did love one another &s;o well, and were all three &s;o di&s;contented as we were. <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> did mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionately love <HI>Alcionida,</HI> and he loved me al&s;o very well: but yet becau&s;e I loved her he did, I perceived that either out of his compa&s;&s;ion unto me, or out of &s;ome other con&s;iderations mingled with it, he did not delight in my com|pany. <HI>Alcionida</HI> did que&s;tionle&s;s love <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> and did not hate me; but becau&s;e my pa&s;&s;ion could not any longer appear innocent, and &s;ince <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> was not ignorant of it, her mind was extreamly unquiet. For my part, I had as high an e&s;teem of friend&s;hip for <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> as po&s;&s;ible I was capable of, and I loved <HI>Alcionida</HI> more then my tongue can tell; but &s;ince my Friend was owner of this ine&s;timable Trea&s;ure, and &s;ince he knew I loved her, and &s;ince I knew that <HI>Alcionida</HI> was fully re&s;olved ab&s;olutely to forget me, that I was not able either to begin di&s;cour&s;e, or an&s;wer unto any: But indeed I went out of the Chamber with &s;ome kind of con&s;olation, though it be not ordinary to leave her one loves without much &s;orrow. But Sir, not to abu&s;e your patience too much, give me leave to tell you, that we arrived at <HI>Le&s;bos</HI> and <HI>Mitilenes,</HI> where the joy was a little clouded by the news of that &s;ad accident which happen|ed unto the fair <HI>Alcionida.</HI> Yet &s;ince &s;he was quite out of all danger, the magnificent Solem|nities of her entrance were deferred but for a few days. The wi&s;e Prince of <HI>Mitilenes</HI> re|ceived his fair daughter with much joy; but for my part, when I &s;aw her go out of the Ship, it is mo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible to expre&s;s my thoughts. I forgot one thing which chanced, that was a great addition of &s;orrow unto me, which was, That <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> the better to take order that <HI>Alcionida</HI> might be received into the Port with Ceremony, went out of his own Ship into one of mine, which was an admirable good Sailer, that he might be at <HI>Le&s;bos</HI> an hour or two before us, telling and embracing me, that he would commit the Guardian-&s;hip of his only Trea&s;ure unto me: As &s;oon as he was gone, I had &s;o great a de&s;ire to entertain <HI>Alcionida</HI> once more in private, that without &s;ending to ask any leave, I entered into her Chamber; thinking &s;ince I under&s;tood from her own mouth that &s;he did not hate me, though &s;he re&s;olved to forget me, that I might pre&s;ume upon &s;o much boldne&s;s. I found her &s;itting upon her bed, mo&s;t mag|nificently dre&s;&s;ed, though &s;he had her arm in a Scarf: I be&s;eech you, Madam, pardon me, &s;aid I unto her, for a&s;&s;uming &s;o much boldne&s;s; but indeed, Madam, I am &s;o unfortunate in every thing el&s;e, that I hope you will not deny me &s;o much con&s;olation in my mi&s;ery, as to &s;peak once more in my life unto you. The Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> loves you &s;o dearly well, replyed &s;he and blu&s;hed, that I &s;hould incur his di&s;plea&s;ure, if I &s;hould refu&s;e you that which civility only bids me con&s;ent unto. I conjure you, Madam, in the name of the Gods (&s;aid I unto her, &s;eeing none with her but that woman which I knew to be her Confident) to grant me this honour for my own &s;ake, and let me not be beholding unto that Prince for this favor, unto whom I am already &s;o much engaged and loaded with his genero&s;ity: Never fear, Madam, that I &s;hall &s;peak any thing that &s;hall either offend you or the Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander;</HI> No, no, Madam, as violent as my affection is to you, I am not guilty of any criminal thoughts: but &s;ince I mu&s;t &s;hortly for ever lo&s;e you, it is not ju&s;t you &s;hould refu&s;e me that innocent favor, &s;ince it is the la&s;t I &s;hall ever ask you. As a Friend unto the Prince my Husband, replyed &s;he, you may hope for any thing from me; but as a Lover of <HI>Alcionida,</HI> never expect any thing. It is in this la&s;t named qualification, Madam, &s;aid I unto her, that I hope to obtain my de&s;ire of you. Why ask me nothing then, &s;aid &s;he, for certainly you &s;hall be denyed, and that with abundance of anger: Though the Prince were not your Friend, as he is, yet the re&s;pect which you ought to have un|to me, &s;hould re&s;train you from any &s;uch expre&s;&s;ions as the&s;e. Why, Madam, &s;aid I unto her, do you chide me, before you know what I will ask? What you have already &s;aid, replyed &s;he, is &s;ufficient cau&s;e of complaint again&s;t you. I know not whether I am ill interpreted (&s;aid I unto her,) but I am mo&s;t certain that my thoughts are purely innocent: For indeed, divine
<PB N="175" REF="278">
<HI>Alcionida,</HI> I de&s;ired nothing now, but that you would in my pre&s;ence be plea&s;ed to revoke that unju&s;t and cruel &s;entence which you pronounced again&s;t me in the very &s;ame place you now are in, when in giving unto this woman here that Letter which I took the boldne&s;s to write unto you, with orders to teer it and throw it into the Sea; moreover, you then mo&s;t cruelly &s;aid, you were re&s;olved to forget me ab&s;olutely for ever: Madam, I heard this unju&s;t and dire doom, and now I hope for a Revocation. <HI>Alcionida</HI> was &s;o amazed to hear this, and to remember that &s;he heard a noi&s;e, which made her know I heard her, that &s;he dur&s;t hardly &s;o much as look upon me. Did you then hear what I &s;aid? (&s;aid &s;he.) Yes, Madam, replyed I, I did hear; and being more ju&s;t then you, it &s;hall never out of my memory. I ask you not (&s;aid &s;he, and was much a&s;hamed) how you dur&s;t be &s;o bold; but methinks, if you well con&s;i|der the &s;ence of my words, you may conclude that your procedure ought to di&s;oblige me. My Rea&s;on, &s;aid I unto her, is not &s;o free as to act with &s;o much prudence: but I am &s;ure my love promps me to de&s;ire a little room in your remembrance: This Madam, methinks, is no &s;uch unrea&s;onable reque&s;t, and you may well grant &s;o much unto him who has con&s;ecrated un|to you every minute of his life. After <HI>Alcionida</HI> was a little more recollected, Sir (&s;aid &s;he un|to me with abundance of &s;orrow in her eyes) this your curio&s;ity to di&s;cover my thoughts will co&s;t you very dear, if you love me; for I do profe&s;s I cannot endure the &s;ight of you, &s;ince you know &s;o much of me: Perhaps, if you had &s;till continued ignorant of tho&s;e thoughts which my heart had of you, I &s;hould have let the Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> enjoy your company, as he de&s;ired me: But &s;ince you under&s;tand my heart &s;o well, and have told me of it, it is ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible for me to con&s;ent unto it: I cannot look upon you without a blu&s;h; and perhaps I &s;hall hate you, out of fear only of loving you too well, and becau&s;e <HI>I</HI> cannot be indifferent enough to|wards you. Alas, Madam (cryed <HI>I</HI> out unto her) what inju&s;tice is this which you do me? Inju&s;t Prince, replyed &s;he, what rea&s;on have you to tell me of any &s;uch things, as <HI>I</HI> cannot hear without a crime, and which <HI>I</HI> will never hear after this day? That is long enough, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, for <HI>I</HI> beleeve <HI>I</HI> &s;hall not live much longer: Be therefore &s;o good as to tell me, that you &s;hould not have hated me, if Fortune had done as much for me, as &s;he has done for <HI>Ti&s;ander. Alcionida,</HI> Sir, was &s;o full of mode&s;ty, that &s;he could not con&s;ent unto this de&s;ire: But in con|clu&s;ion, being moved thereunto by my &s;ighs and tears, <HI>I</HI> confe&s;s, &s;aid &s;he, that of all the per&s;ons <HI>I</HI> know, you are he whom <HI>I</HI> had the greate&s;t inclination to e&s;teem; and if it had been the plea|&s;ure of the Gods, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould have thought my &s;elf very happy in contributing to your felicity; yet &s;ince it is not, but that <HI>I</HI> am wife unto a Prince who doubtle&s;s de&s;erves all my affections, <HI>I</HI> will u&s;e all the means <HI>I</HI> can to root out of my heart that tenderne&s;s and opinion which <HI>I</HI> had of you, and which yet, whether <HI>I</HI> will or no, remains in it. Oh Madam, <HI>I</HI> conjure you by all that's &s;acred, &s;aid <HI>I,</HI> not to do &s;o; and I will promi&s;e you never to importunate you any more as long as I live, &s;o you will promi&s;e me &s;ome little room in your memory: Let <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> &s;olely enjoy you; let your beauty and your heart be only his; and re&s;erve only for me one of tho&s;e &s;ecret and &s;olitary thoughts which u&s;eth to beget a plea&s;ing melancholy in tho&s;e who ad|mit of it: Think &s;ometimes, mo&s;t divine Lady, that all the while <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> enjoys his happi|ne&s;s, the mi&s;erable <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> endures as many torments, as that fortunate husband ta&s;tes fe|licities: Alas, Madam, it is no unrea&s;onable demand, to ask three or four minutes in a day in re|membrance of a man who as I told you before has devoted every minute of his life to think on you. Tho&s;e three or four minutes which you de&s;ire, is too much for my honour to grant; and you may a&s;&s;ure your &s;elf, that if I could, I would bani&s;h you out of my memory as well as my heart, but one cannot command ones memory as one will; and perhaps, &s;aid &s;he, and blu&s;hed, you will forget me, and <HI>I</HI> &s;hall remember you whether I would or no. <HI>Alcionida</HI> pronounced the&s;e la&s;t words with &s;o much charming confu&s;ion in her face, that I kneeled to render thanks; but &s;he repenting of what &s;he had &s;aid, and did &s;o &s;eriou&s;ly forbid me ever to &s;peak any more of my pa&s;&s;ion unto her, and never de&s;ire to have any private conference with her, that <HI>I</HI> &s;aw very plainly it was her real and re&s;olute mind to have it &s;o: and <HI>I</HI> obtained yet one quarter of an hours audience longer, during which time <HI>I</HI> could hardly move her to return any an&s;wer unto me, and during which <HI>I</HI> did nothing but &s;igh, and look upon her, and conjure her not to forget me; I had the comfort to &s;ee &s;ome &s;igns of &s;orrow and tenderne&s;s in her eyes, and had &s;ome hopes of remaining in her memory whether &s;he would or no: In the mean while we were come &s;o near the Port, that all <HI>I</HI> could do was to reclaim my mind, and fit it for &s;uch company as would di&s;cour&s;e of nothing but joy. I &s;hall not relate, Sir, all the pa&s;|&s;ages of this Ceremony; for <HI>I</HI> had no &s;hare in this publique Joy, but was rather a very trouble unto <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> who was mo&s;t really &s;en&s;ible of my &s;orrows, and was a Partaker of my mi&s;e|ry, e&s;pecially when he &s;aw I was re&s;olved to depart from <HI>Le&s;bos,</HI> and &s;tay there no longer. He
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&s;et the Prince his Father upon me, to u&s;e all his per&s;wa&s;ions and motives to cau&s;e my &s;tay in <HI>Mi|tilenes,</HI> until &s;uch time as it plea&s;ed the Gods to afford me &s;ome ways to reconquer my Domi|nions: but all was in vain; and I departed not well knowing whither to go, as &s;oon as my &s;hips were furni&s;hed with all manner of nece&s;&s;aries, and as &s;oon as two &s;hips of his which he would needs give me were fit to put to Sea. Since my own mi&s;eries did teach me how to compa&s;&s;ionate them in others, I would not &s;uffer <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> to follow my fortunes; but I left him with <HI>Alcionida's</HI> Cou&s;in with whom he was in love, and recommended him unto the Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> as a man of good quality, and much merit.</P>
<P><HI>I</HI> &s;hall not trouble you, Sir, with any relation, of how <HI>I</HI> parted from this generous Rival, who &s;hed tears that his good fortune &s;hould be my mi&s;ery: for it would be impo&s;sible, but <HI>I</HI> &s;hould blu&s;h for &s;hame in relating unto you the obduracy of my heart towards him, though he had ob|liged me by a thou&s;and &s;weet expre&s;sions of love unto me; nor &s;hall <HI>I</HI> relate what adieu <HI>I</HI> bad unto the fair <HI>Alcionida,</HI> &s;ince I had not &s;o much as the con&s;olation to &s;ee her charming eyes in taking my leave of her, becau&s;e &s;he kept her bed that day, and &s;ince there was many in her Chamber, I did &s;ee her but one minute, and in much di&s;order: &s;o I departed without this &s;ad &s;atisfaction, and imbarqued with unequalled de&s;pair. My mo&s;t tormenting thought was, that <HI>Alcionida</HI> was enjoyed by one whom I was obliged to love; for had he been my mortal enemy, I &s;hould not have been &s;o extreamly mi&s;erable, &s;ince then I might have had &s;ome comfort in revenge. But the merit of the Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> did mo&s;t extreamly grieve me al&s;o; for I thought it impo&s;&s;ible, but <HI>Alcionida</HI> mu&s;t love him, and I wi&s;hed with all my heart, that &s;he had married a man whom &s;he hated. Indeed, there was not one phanta&s;tical, melancholy, violent, or extraordinary thought, which love did not infu&s;e into my heart. After this, ambi|tion became no torment unto me; for &s;ince I cared not for my life, I never valued a Scepter: &s;o that without any thoughts, but of my misfortunes, and of the fair <HI>Alcionida,</HI> I wandred up and down the Seas, until driven by a tempe&s;t, I came to <HI>Sinope,</HI> when the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was there with the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> and there remained until you came and found me on your enemies &s;ide without any de&s;igne of mine to be &s;o. After this, Sir, you know my life, and that nothing ob&s;ervable has befallen it but your own goodne&s;s in a thou&s;and te&s;timonies of affection to me, whereof I am mo&s;t unworthy.</P>
<P>But Sir, in the fight the other night, at the bottom of the Mountains, I came unto a place where I &s;aw a man couragiou&s;ly defending him&s;elf again&s;t ten or twelve Souldiers, who pre&s;&s;ed upon him; I made all the ha&s;te I could up to them, to prevent his being killed; who knowing me, cried out, That <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> wil<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> yield him&s;elf unto none, but the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus:</HI> you may well imagine, Sir, that this name did much &s;urprize me, and that I no &s;ooner heard it, but forbidding the &s;ouldiers to fight any longer, I went unto him, but found him &s;o wound|ed, that pre&s;ently after he fell, and I was forced to hold him up. I knew another pri&s;oner al&s;o whom the &s;ouldiers had taken to be <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> whom I left at <HI>Le&s;bos,</HI> and who was not wounded: &s;o that promi&s;ing to pay tho&s;e &s;ouldiers their ran&s;om, for tho&s;e two pri&s;oners whom they had taken, I cau&s;ed the Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> to be brought hither, who expre&s;&s;ed &s;o much affection unto me, that I were not worthy to live, if I were not moved with it. Mean while, I under&s;tood by <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> how reports going, that <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> King of <HI>Lidia,</HI> would fall upon the I&s;lands, the Prince of <HI>Mitilene,</HI> went unto him, intending to di&s;&s;wade him from that de|&s;igne, as indeed he did: &s;o that <HI>Pittacus</HI> taking his &s;ide, left the Prince his Son, and <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> at <HI>Sardis,</HI> where they made as great preparations of war, as if <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> would conquer all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> though none knew what his de&s;igne was. I under&s;tood al&s;o that this Prince had a de&s;ire to engage the <HI>Mile&s;ians</HI> to his party, but the wi&s;e <HI>Thales</HI> did oppo&s;e it: I under&s;tood al&s;o from <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> that the Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> knowing that <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> would &s;end unto the King of <HI>Armenia,</HI> de&s;ired that imployment, and obtained it, chu&s;ing rather to travel, &s;ince he mu&s;t needs be from <HI>Alcionida,</HI> then to &s;tay in a Court &s;o gallant as it was. So that coming to <HI>Artax|ates</HI> ju&s;t as you came thither, he was &s;hut up in it; and was forced to follow the King of <HI>Ar|menia</HI> into the Mountains, conceiving he might more ea&s;ily e&s;cape from thence, then out of <HI>Artaxates,</HI> if he &s;tayed in it. And indeed, his de&s;igne was to e&s;cape at this time, when he was &s;o dangerou&s;ly wounded, and to go and render an account of his negotiation unto the King of <HI>Lidia. Leo&s;thenes</HI> told me further, that the Affairs at <HI>Milete</HI> had much changed faces: for <HI>Anthemius,</HI> who never &s;et up <HI>Alexide&s;mus,</HI> but only to ruine him, had brought his de&s;igne <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> pa&s;s, having &s;tirred all the people again&s;t him: &s;o that he was forced to retire to <HI>Phoc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> with his mother, his wife, and <HI>Philodicea:</HI> So that now <HI>Milete,</HI> was as a free Town, whe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> popular Government was begun to be e&s;tabli&s;hed: Notwith&s;tanding <HI>Thales,</HI> and all my friend<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> did re&s;i&s;t this new alteration, yet <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> told me, the fear was, that if the people were
<PB N="177" REF="279">
once accu&s;tomed unto liberty, they would never receive any Ma&s;ter again; and he told me al|&s;o, that in the mean time, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was combining with all his Neighbour Prin|ces to promote the intere&s;t of <HI>Alexide&s;mus.</HI> But, Sir, Dare I after all this tell you, that <HI>Le|o&s;thenes,</HI> who had married her he loved, told me, that <HI>Alcionida</HI> was never &s;o fair as now? and will you excu&s;e my weakne&s;s, if I neglect all my State affairs, to di&s;cour&s;e of &s;uch things as only concerns my love?</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> had no more to tell him, did expre&s;s much grief for his misfor|tunes: and re&s;olved to apply all expedient remedies for the &s;atisfaction of his ambition: for as concerning matters of love, my dear <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) it mu&s;t be the &s;ame hand which wounded, mu&s;t cure you: And though <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> be your Rival, yet I find him &s;o worthy of a&s;&s;i&s;tance, that I extreamly commend you for your cares of him. As <HI>Cyrus</HI> was ad|vi&s;ing <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> of &s;uch expedients, as he thought be&s;t for the recovery of his Dominions, <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> entered into the Tent very ha&s;tily. Sir, &s;aid he to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who under&s;tood all lan|guages, I ask your pardon for my bold interruption: but the Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> being at the la&s;t ga&s;p, I thought it fit to adverti&s;e the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> of it: At the la&s;t ga&s;p, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> Yes, Sir, replied <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> for having a great de&s;ire to write, notwith&s;tanding all my endea|vours to di&s;&s;wade him: as he ended his Letter, all his wounds opened, and he lo&s;t &s;o much blood, that he fell into abundance of weakne&s;s, and &s;wounding, is not yet come unto him&s;elf. <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> did then ask leave of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to go and a&s;&s;i&s;t his mo&s;t faithful friend, and Rival, whom he could not love in one re&s;pect, nor could not hate in another. But <HI>Cyrus</HI> calling to mind the high valour of this Prince, would al&s;o go him&s;elf: As they entered into the Tent, the Chyrurgeons had revived him out of his &s;wound, yet with &s;uch &s;mall hopes of life, that they told <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who asked what they thought, he could not out-live that day: yet &s;ince he had a free mind, and a great &s;oul, he was not at all terrified at the looks of death: and he carried it as one that was worthy to be Son unto &s;uch a Prince, who was reputed the wi&s;e&s;t in all <HI>Greece:</HI> He patiently &s;ubmitted unto the wills of the Gods, and neither asking death, nor life, he prepa|red him&s;elf for the fir&s;t of the&s;e with mo&s;t admirable tranquility of mind, and was contented to leave the other with unparalleld contentedne&s;s: he knew <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as &s;oon as he came in; &s;o that addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf unto him, Sir, &s;aid he, you &s;ee the Gods have puni&s;hed me for lifting up my hand again&s;t &s;o illu&s;trious a life as yours, &s;ince it had been much more glorious for me to have died by the invincible hand of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> then by the Souldiers of great <HI>Cyrus.</HI> It is al&s;o more advantagious to the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> &s;aid he, that I die, &s;ince then he would not be &s;o mi&s;erable as he is. <HI>Cyrus</HI> an&s;wered him with all po&s;&s;ible civility, and would have infu&s;ed &s;ome hopes of recovery, notwith&s;tanding all the Chyrurgions &s;aid: But <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> inter|rupting him, No no, Sir, &s;aid he, I cannot live, and therefore, I be&s;eech you, let me imploy the la&s;t minuts of my life in remembrance of one, who in cau&s;ing my highe&s;t happine&s;s, has made my deare&s;t friend mo&s;t mi&s;erable: In &s;aying &s;o, he turned his head towards <HI>Thra&s;ibu|lus,</HI> and giving him the Letter which he had let fall after he had writ it, and which was giv|en unto him again upon his coming to him&s;elf. Here, my dear <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> &s;aid he unto him, take this, and I make you my Executour of my la&s;t Will; give it if you plea&s;e unto our dear|e&s;t <HI>Alcionida:</HI> and &s;ince I did not murmur, when I heard her be&s;tow &s;ome &s;ighs for your mi&s;|fortunes, &s;o I be&s;eech you do not murmur when &s;he be&s;tows &s;ome tears in memory of my death: &s;ince I &s;hall no longer be an ob&s;tacle unto your happine&s;s, let me have the integrity of your friend&s;hip: and look not upon me any more as your Rival: I do acknowledge you merit <HI>Alcionida</HI> more then I, and I will do that which fortune would not, I give up all my intere&s;t in her unto you: In pronouncing the&s;e la&s;t words <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> blu&s;ht, and tears trickled from his eyes; &s;o that <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> being extreamly moved with the genero&s;ity of his friend, and not being able to contain his &s;orrows, he came nearer him, and taking him by the hand, Live mo&s;t generous Prince, &s;aid he, and be a&s;&s;ured that I will never more envy your enjoyment of the incomparable <HI>Alcionida:</HI> Indeed, I &s;hall ever love her, but it &s;hall be as &s;he is yours with|out any other pretence unto her: No, no, replied the weak <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> that mu&s;t never be: Live you, and let me die; all the favour I ask, is, that you will &s;ometimes &s;peak of me unto my dear <HI>Alcionida:</HI> Let me have this la&s;t &s;atisfaction, my dear <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> and I will leave you an unvaluable Trea&s;ure in the Per&s;on of <HI>Alcionida:</HI> for her &s;oul has an hundred thou&s;and more &s;hining beauties, then her face: But in recompence of &s;o rich a Pre&s;ent, promi&s;e me here in the pre&s;ence of Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that you will tell her, I value not the lo&s;s of life, or Gran|dure, or kindred, or any thing in the world, but only her: and that I find no bitterne&s;s in death, but only my &s;orrows to leave her: and when you have done this, enjoy her quietly all the re&s;t of your life: and live happy longer then I have done. <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> was &s;o grieved to
<PB N="178" REF="280">
&s;ee his Friend in this condition, that his love, which was wont to triumph over any other thought, was now forced to &s;ubmit unto his &s;orrow; and to lie hid in the bottom of his heart without any di&s;covery upon this &s;ad occa&s;ion. He promi&s;ed <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> then to perform all his Commands in mo&s;t grieving expre&s;&s;ions, and te&s;tified &s;uch real marks of tenderne&s;s, that none would ever thought <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> had been Rival to <HI>Thra&s;ibulas.</HI> In the mean while, this weak Prince, growing more feeble upon a &s;udden, dyed, and de&s;iring to &s;ay &s;omething more con|cerning <HI>Alcionida,</HI> he pronounced her name, and left all tho&s;e who &s;aw him dye in &s;uch admi|ration of his Con&s;tancy, and &s;o molified with his di&s;cour&s;e, that had he been a prime Friend unto every one in particular, he could not have moved more &s;orrows. As &s;oon as the Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> had fetched his la&s;t breath, and no &s;igns of life appeared, <HI>Cyrus</HI> carried <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> out of the Tent whether he would or no, and left <HI>Theo&s;thenes</HI> to take all requi&s;ite orders for <HI>Ti&s;anders</HI> Funeral, which <HI>Cyrus</HI> would have mo&s;t magnificently performed: Having then carried <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> into his own Pavilion, he took the Letter which was directed unto <HI>Al|cionida,</HI> and which was open; then with the con&s;ent of <HI>Tra&s;ibulus</HI> he found written the&s;e words:</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>Dying <HI>TISANDER</HI> to his deare&s;t <HI>ALCIONIDA.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>I</HI> Am &s;o near my Death, that I cannot po&s;&s;ibly &s;ay much unto you: Let me in a few words conjure you to beleeve, that I did love you beyond all expre&s;&s;ions, and that I dye full of the &s;ame affection, and fuller then ever any, except the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus:</HI> You know he is my &s;econd &s;elf, and &s;o receive him; I give him all my &s;hare in your heart, for he de&s;erves it; Love him then for the love of me, and force him to love my memory, for the love of you; and as far as it is po&s;&s;ible, let both of you love that Prince in his grave, who while&s;t he lived loved none but you; and when he dyed, you were the only thoughts of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>TISANDER.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>As <HI>Cyrus</HI> was of a mo&s;t apprehen&s;ive and compa&s;&s;ionate Soul, &s;o his heart was extreamly tendered at the reading of this Letter: And <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> him&s;elf, notwith&s;tanding all the hopes he might conceive by the death of his Friend, was mo&s;t really grieved. All po&s;&s;ible care was taken, to render the la&s;t honours of Burial with all Ceremony befitting a man of his quality: <HI>Cyrus</HI> him&s;elf, the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> and every Prince in the Army, were Mourners, and expre&s;&s;ed all te&s;timonies of e&s;teem unto the honour of Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander.</HI> After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> told <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> that both the affairs of his Dominions, and tho&s;e concern|ing his Love, did require his &s;udden return unto <HI>Milete,</HI> and unto <HI>Le&s;bos.</HI> Then he went to give out Orders concerning the pre&s;ent Affair. In the mean time, the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> return|ing to the King his Father, found all things in a lamentable condition, becau&s;e their Victuals would not la&s;t above two days, though the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> to keep up the hearts of his Souldiers did make a &s;hew as if they had enough for a Month, hoping always that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would be weary, and draw off from <HI>Artaxates. Phraartes</HI> then, &s;eeing things in that condi|tion, told the King his Father, that there was a nece&s;&s;ity of having recour&s;e unto the clemency of the Conqueror, &s;ince force was in vain; and the more to merit his favour, he thought it m&s;t expedient to tell <HI>Ciaxares</HI> with all ingenuity whether the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> and the King of <HI>Pont</HI> were in his Dominions or no: That as for the Tribute demanded, though it were ju&s;t to pay what's promi&s;ed, yet he knew that the principal cau&s;e of the War was the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> &s;o that if he had her in his hands, he might ea&s;ily free him&s;elf from the Tribute by re&s;toring her unto the King her father; and that if he had her not, then he ought to make it &s;o apparent, as neither <HI>Ciaxares</HI> or <HI>Cyrus</HI> might doubt of it. The King then prote&s;ted unto <HI>Phraartes,</HI> that he never knew the King of <HI>Pont</HI> or the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> were ever in <HI>Ar|menia;</HI> And that the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> being in his Dominions, had certainly rai&s;ed that opi|nion of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI>'s being here. <HI>Phraartes</HI> told the King his father, that as he had promi&s;ed, &s;o he mu&s;t needs acquaint <HI>Cyrus</HI> with the truth of all this: But the Souldiers being in a great Mutiny, would needs &s;ee all the Magazines of Victual before the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> departed; there was &s;uch a great di&s;order among&s;t them, that they all for&s;ook their Guards: So that if the mo&s;t generous <HI>Cyrus</HI> would have violated his faith, and taken that advantage, he might ea&s;ily entered the Mountains, and killed all tho&s;e that fled thither for &s;anctuary; for it was ea&s;ie to be di&s;cerned from the Plains, how they di&s;per&s;ed them&s;elves in the Mountains without any order, or any Arms: But he did mo&s;t inviolably ob&s;erve what&s;oever he promi&s;ed; but looked upon this di&s;order without taking that advantage, or knowing the true cau&s;e of it.
<PB N="179" REF="280">
But in conclu&s;ion, the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> re&s;olved to tru&s;t unto the genero&s;ity of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and put him&s;elf into his hands. He &s;ent therefore the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> before, appea&s;ing the Soul|diers, by a&s;&s;uring them that he went to make Peace. This Prince returning then unto the Camp, and being conducted unto the Tent of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> where was the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> the Prince of the <HI>Cadu&s;ians,</HI> the Prince of <HI>Paphlagonia, Thra&s;ibulus, Hida&s;pes, Aglatidas,</HI> and many others; he told him, how extreamly &s;orry he was that he was not able to tell him any news concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> of whom the King his father had no knowledg: For Sir, &s;aid he to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to &s;hew you that he is mo&s;t &s;incere, I need tell you no more, but that tru&s;ting ab&s;olutely in the goodne&s;s of the <HI>Medean</HI> King and your genero&s;ity, I have per&s;waded him to de&s;cend from the&s;e Mountains, with the Queen my Mother, the Prin|ce&s;&s;es my Si&s;ters, the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;ila,</HI> wife of <HI>Tigranes</HI> my Brother, whom heretofore you have honoured with your friend&s;hip: You may very well judg by this, Sir, &s;aid he unto him, that if he had the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> in his power, he would not have done thus. When <HI>Cy|rus</HI> had well con&s;idered upon it, he was mo&s;t extreamly grieved, that there was no hopes of finding <HI>Mandana:</HI> The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was as deeply wounded as he; yet imagining that perhaps &s;he might &s;till be in <HI>Armenia,</HI> though this Prince was ignorant of it, a mo&s;t &s;trict &s;earch was re&s;olved upon in lieu of a bloody War.</P>
<P>In the mean while <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent in all ha&s;te unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to acquaint him with the reports of <HI>Phraartes,</HI> and to ask him whether he &s;hould bring the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> unto him: But <HI>Ciaxares</HI> being not well that day, &s;ent him word that he ab&s;olutely referred all unto him, and that he &s;hould do as he him&s;elf thought mo&s;t expedient. <HI>Cyrus</HI> having this an&s;wer, received the King of <HI>Armenia,</HI> and all his Royal Family, into his Tent; and ob&s;erving a di&s;creet me|diocrity in his civilities, there appeared in his di&s;cour&s;e and actions all the &s;weetne&s;s of a cle|ment Prince, and all the Maje&s;ty of a Conqueror: The King of <HI>Armenia</HI> &s;eemed a greater Prince in his mi&s;ery, then he did in his better fortunes; for indeed he &s;poke with much boldne&s;s and genero&s;ity upon this occa&s;ion: for &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> was much perplexed at the bad news which he received, he could not forbear &s;ome expre&s;&s;ions of anger, for being engaged in this War, and lo&s;ing &s;o much time as might have been more advantagiou&s;ly employed in the &s;earch of <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;ome other way. This being the condition of things, the Prince <HI>Tigranes,</HI> who was reco|vered of his &s;ickne&s;s, and under&s;tanding the bad condition of the King his fathers affairs, re|&s;olved ab&s;olutely to tru&s;t unto the genero&s;ity of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and came unto his Tent; where with &s;orrow he &s;aw the King his father, the Queen his mother, the Prince his brother, the Prince&s;&s;es his &s;i&s;ters, and the admired <HI>One&s;ila</HI> his wife, who&s;e beauty did dazle all tho&s;e eyes that looked upon her: As &s;oon as he appeared, <HI>Cyrus</HI> received him with many expre&s;&s;ions of civility to|wards him; yet &s;ince he was upon a bu&s;ine&s;s of great importance, he held no long di&s;cour&s;es, but following his intention, Why Sir (&s;aid he to the King of <HI>Armenia)</HI> did you not return a more clear an&s;wer unto the King whom I &s;erve, when he &s;ent unto you to demand the Prin|ce&s;s his daughter? and why did you make him think &s;he was in your power? My Rea&s;on was, replyed he, becau&s;e I thought he did not beleeve &s;he was in my power; and that he did but &s;eek for a pretence to colour his War, and thereby move me to pay that Tribute which I for|merly payed unto <HI>A&s;tiages.</HI> But, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> do you not think that Tribute due, and that you ought not to pay it? Yes, an&s;wered he; but de&s;ire of Liberty, and al&s;o to leave my children ab&s;olute and free, moved me unto that inju&s;tice which would have been glorious if it had &s;ucceeded well. If you were in the King of <HI>Medes</HI> ca&s;e, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and a Prince your Va&s;&s;al &s;hould have done as you did, what would you have done? If I &s;hould act according to the Rules of Policy (replyed this Prince without any amazement) I &s;hould &s;o di&s;able him from having any power to hurt me, that I would leave him no more but a de&s;ire to do it: But if I would merit that Reputation which at this day <HI>Cyrus</HI> enjoys, and keep it when I had gotten it, I would pardon that Prince; and of a rebellious Va&s;&s;al, I would make him my grateful Friend. Be then &s;o unto the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but be &s;ure you be mo&s;t really &s;o, le&s;t you &s;hould find the fury of a pui&s;&s;ant and ju&s;tly incen&s;ed Prince. The King of <HI>Armenia</HI> was &s;o much &s;urprized to hear him &s;peak in that manner, as he was afraid he had mi&s;under&s;tood him: Therefore <HI>Cyrus</HI> had the lea&s;ure to turn towards the Prince <HI>Tigranes,</HI> and &s;miling asked him mo&s;t obligingly in &s;pite of his melancholy, what Ran&s;om he would give to free the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>One&s;ila</HI> his wife? My life, Sir, an&s;wered <HI>Tigranes</HI> ha&s;tily; for &s;ince there is nothing in the world &s;o dear unto me as &s;he, I ought to offer no le&s;s. Mean while, the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> perceiving by the acclamations of the people, that he was rightly under&s;tood, began to expre&s;s his gratitude and acknowledgments unto <HI>Cyrus;</HI> who to let him &s;ee that he was at liberty, be|gan to treat all the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es with wonderful civility, and appointed Coaches to come and
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carry them unto <HI>Artaxates.</HI> Sir, &s;aid the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> unto him, &s;ince you de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> thus ge|nerou&s;ly with us, I will not only become a Va&s;&s;al, and a Subject; but I will be &s;o fidele and free unto you, that you &s;hall not only di&s;po&s;e of all my Trea&s;ures which are upon yonder Mountains, but al&s;o of my life and liberty. <HI>Cyrus</HI> returned a mo&s;t generous an&s;wer unto this di&s;cour&s;e of this Prince, and a&s;&s;ured him, that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> de&s;ired no more but that he &s;hould ob&s;erve the &s;ame Conditions which his Fathers heretofore had done, and that he &s;hould joyn his Forces unto his: We will bring them up Sir, replyed the prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> and the prince <HI>Phraartes,</HI> and we &s;hall with joy be ready to dye in your &s;ervice, when&s;oever any occa&s;ions require it. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then did part from tho&s;e two Princes mo&s;t civilly: And the Coaches being come, the Queen of <HI>Armenia</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;es her daughters were carried unto <HI>Artaxates,</HI> and into the &s;ame palace where the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> was, becau&s;e it was more convenient then that where <HI>Ciaxares</HI> lodged. Thus &s;he who was a pri&s;oner in <HI>Armenia</HI> received the Queen of <HI>Armenia,</HI> as if &s;he had been in the Dominions of the King her brother. The prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> and <HI>Phraartes</HI> by the permi&s;&s;ion of <HI>Cyrus</HI> waited upon the Queen their mother un|to the Palace. All the way as they went, they &s;poke of nothing but the vertues of <HI>Cyrus: Phraartes</HI> extolled his valor; the Queen of <HI>Armenia,</HI> his genero&s;ity; the Prince&s;&s;es her daugh|ters, his &s;weetne&s;s and clemency; and <HI>Tigranes,</HI> who was better acquainted with his Heroique qualities then they, told them a hundred pieces of gallantry which he had performed: But ob|&s;erving that the prince&s;s <HI>One&s;ila</HI> his wife did not &s;peak at all, and conceiving that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had not yet been &s;ufficiently commended; Is there any man in the world, &s;aid he unto her, who&s;e be|haviour and per&s;on is more noble, high and hand&s;om, then that of <HI>Cyrus?</HI> Truly, replyed &s;he, I cannot &s;peak of his magnanimity, nor at all of his hand&s;omne&s;s, for I did not ob&s;erve it. Who then, &s;aid he unto her, did attract the ob&s;ervations of my <HI>One&s;ila,</HI> while&s;t this generous Con|ver&s;ation la&s;ted? He, an&s;wered &s;he, who offered his life for my Ran&s;om, and whom &s;he prefers before all the Univer&s;e: So &s;weet and mo&s;t obliging an&s;wer moved <HI>Tigranes</HI> to give her thanks; and then he went on with his Elogy of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> whom &s;ince &s;he did not ob&s;erve, he de&s;cribed him unto her.</P>
<P>About an hour after, <HI>Cyrus</HI> carried the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who &s;ince morn|ing found him&s;elf a little better: As they entered into <HI>Artaxates,</HI> never was &s;uch loud accla|mations in commendations of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as upon this occa&s;ion: All the Conquerors that ever were, who led their conquered Kings in Triumph, never had &s;o much glory in the Captivity of their Slaves, as <HI>Cyrus</HI> had, and de&s;ervedly, in &s;etting the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> again upon his Throne; and after he had vanqui&s;hed him, let him enter into <HI>Artaxates,</HI> as if this tributary King had never been a Rebel, or him&s;elf a Conqueror of him. <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> at the reque&s;t of <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> received him very well: So that in le&s;s then a days &s;pace, there was no more Wars in <HI>Ar|menia;</HI> the vanqui&s;hed and vanqui&s;hers were all of one &s;ide; and if the prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> were but found, there was then no more to be wi&s;hed: but &s;ince &s;he could not be heard of, the joy was only on the <HI>Armenian</HI> &s;ide. <HI>Ciaxares, Cyrus,</HI> the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and all tho&s;e who had any intere&s;t in this admired Prince&s;s, were never the nearer any &s;atisfaction. A general &s;earch through both <HI>Armenia</HI>'s was then re&s;olved upon: for &s;ince the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his Slave told the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> when he was dying, that the King his Ma&s;ter was gone into <HI>Ar|menia;</HI> and be&s;ides that, &s;ince <HI>Mandana</HI> had written as much with her own hand, it could not be beleeved but &s;he was in &s;ome unknown place or other. In the mean while <HI>Harpagus</HI> came from <HI>Ecbatan</HI> to adverti&s;e <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> that there was a great di&s;po&s;ition among&s;t the peo|ple to Revolt, by rea&s;on of his long ab&s;ence; and that it was nece&s;&s;ary to &s;end &s;ome per&s;on qualified with high Authority, to remain there until he came him&s;elf. <HI>Cyrus</HI> received <HI>Harpa|gus</HI> with much goodne&s;s; remembering that he was in &s;ome &s;ort a cau&s;e both of his love, and all the glory he had obtained: &s;ince if he had not come unto <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> and had given him that coun&s;el which he did, perhaps he &s;hould never have left the <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> Court. But the bu&s;ine&s;s, which he came about, being put into Con&s;ultation, <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;iring to oblige <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> did propo&s;e to &s;end him unto <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and to confer upon him the Government of the Province of the <HI>Ara&s;antines,</HI> which <HI>Ottanus</HI> would not accept of; imagining that &s;ince he might well hope to enjoy <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> after the death of her husband, he would not refu&s;e it. It was then re&s;olved upon, that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;hould depart the next morning, and go for <HI>Ecbatan;</HI> that he &s;hould carry <HI>Artaban</HI> with him; and that he &s;hould a&s;&s;ure the <HI>Medean</HI> people, that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would make a &s;peedy return. Upon the breaking up of the Councel, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent for <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> to|acquaint him with this good news, which doubtle&s;s he received with as much joy, as <HI>Mega|bi&s;es</HI> did with &s;orrow: He thanked <HI>Cyrus</HI> in &s;uch fit language to expre&s;s his gratitude, that it was apparent his pa&s;&s;ion was high. He made &s;hew of &s;ome &s;orrows to leave him, and with|out
<PB N="181" REF="281">
doubt, he was as loath to part from him, as any Lover who was going to &s;ee his Mi&s;tre&s;s could be: He a&s;&s;ured him, he &s;hould have his di&s;patches that night, and imbracing him, Wi&s;h (&s;aid he, my dear <HI>Aglatidas)</HI> that I were as near my happine&s;s and &s;atisfaction, as you are when you go to &s;ee your dear <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> I wi&s;h with all my heart, you may find her as faith|ful, as you have de&s;cribed her amiable and admirable. <HI>Artaban</HI> al&s;o took his leave of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and the next morning the&s;e two friends went together to <HI>Ecbatan:</HI> To chear up <HI>Megabi&s;es, Cyrus</HI> gave him one of the prime offices in the Kings Hou&s;e which then was vacant: yet this con&s;olation was but weak to divert his mind, &s;ince <HI>Aglatidas</HI> would ere long &s;ee <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> but &s;ince there was no other, patience mu&s;t be his remedy.</P>
<P>There came news that day to Court, that <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> was rai&s;ing a very pui&s;&s;ant Army, and did &s;olicit all the people of <HI>Ionia</HI> to take his part: &s;o that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing &s;o fit an opportunity to help the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> would not let it &s;lip: and the next day following, he moved <HI>Ci|axares,</HI> that in ca&s;e <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> had any de&s;ignes upon his Dominions, as in all likelihood he had, then it were the be&s;t expedient to make a diver&s;ion, and to draw the <HI>Lidian</HI> forces unto more places then one: So that it was re&s;olved, the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> accompanied by <HI>Harpagus,</HI> who had much experience, having followed the late King of <HI>Medes</HI> in all his wars, &s;hould go with ten thou&s;and men into <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> where <HI>Ariobantes</HI> would make new Levies to joyn unto tho&s;e Troops which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> left at his departure from <HI>Sinope,</HI> to keep that Kingdom in peace: That <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> &s;hould be General of this Army on foot; <HI>Harpagus</HI> commanding under him; and without needing any new orders, he might in the name of the King, and <HI>Cyrus,</HI> puni&s;h, or pardon, as he thought fit. In the mean while, <HI>Cyrus</HI> had a conce<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t in his mind, which did much vex him, that <HI>Mandana</HI> might be any where, &s;ince they could hear no news of her: Love, hereupon, which is always very ingenious, made him invent P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ts, which he &s;et up throughout all parts where he had made any Conque&s;ts; to the end he might in le&s;s time, and with more expedition, hear news of <HI>Mandana.</HI> After <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> had taken his leave of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> the &s;eparation between that Prince and <HI>Cyrus</HI> was very f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> of tender expre&s;&s;i|ons: for &s;ince the fir&s;t day they fought with one another, they had a mo&s;t high e&s;teem of each others vertue, and it was impo&s;&s;ible but this e&s;teem &s;hould tie a firm knot of friend&s;hip be|tween them: The Names of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and <HI>Alcionida,</HI> were often pronounced at parting, which was in private: <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Cyrus</HI> to pardon him, for leaving him before he heard any news of the Prince&s;s; and he a&s;&s;ured him, that if he &s;aw any more enemies to fight with, he &s;hould never be able to do it: <HI>Cyrus</HI> did thank him with all expre&s;&s;ions of civility, and de&s;ired he would excu&s;e him for not going him&s;elf in per&s;on, to put him in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of his Dominions, and to per&s;wade <HI>Alcionida</HI> to obey the Commands of the Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander:</HI> However, &s;ince he thought the <HI>Grecians</HI> would be very willing to a&s;&s;i&s;t a <HI>Grecian, Thimocra|tes, Philocles,</HI> and <HI>Leontidas,</HI> were cho&s;en for it, and intreated by <HI>Cyrus</HI> to &s;erve him in the Per&s;on of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus:</HI> They were too gallant to refu&s;e any occa&s;ion of war, yet could they not find hearts to part from <HI>Cyrus</HI> without abundance of &s;orrow: <HI>Thimocrates</HI> told <HI>Cyrus</HI> at parting, that he &s;aw his De&s;tinies did not change, but that ab&s;ence &s;till mu&s;t be the greate&s;t torment of his life, &s;ince certainly he could not part from him but with extream re|gret. <HI>Philocles</HI> did mo&s;t obligingly complain, that he was no more beloved of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then his Mi&s;tre&s;s, &s;ince if he had, he would have kept him with him: And <HI>Leontidas</HI> &s;uting his complement to his humour, as his friends did to their fortunes, told him, that he did not look upon all tho&s;e who were to enjoy the happine&s;s of the Prince&s;s, with le&s;s jealou&s;ie, then he did upon the Lovers of <HI>Alcidamia.</HI> After the&s;e fir&s;t Complements of Gallantry, they expre&s;&s;ed effectual te&s;timonies of their zeal to &s;erve <HI>Cyrus</HI> in the per&s;on of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> who had got|ten &s;o much love among&s;t all the Kings and Princes in the Army, that there was not one, who did not with much &s;orrow bid him adieu: He went al&s;o to take his leave of the King and Queen of <HI>Armenia,</HI> of the Prince&s;&s;es his daughters, of the Prince&s;s <HI>On<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ila,</HI> of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta;</HI> of the Princes <HI>Tigranes,</HI> and <HI>Phraartes.</HI> After all which he departed with his Forces which <HI>Harpagus</HI> commanded under him: which were joyned unto the <HI>Cicilian</HI> Troops, which <HI>Leontidas</HI> commanded after the death of the Prince <HI>Artibies;</HI> with an addition of the
<HI>Cyprian</HI> forces al&s;o, who&s;e Body was &s;ent unto the Prince his Brother, with all honours fit to be rendred unto one of his quality, with a de&s;ire that <HI>Cyrus</HI> might be as good as his word, and that his body might be carried to <HI>Thebes,</HI> and laid in the Tomb wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h his dear <HI>Leon<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ina, Cyrus</HI> &s;ent a Letter by his men who were to conduct the Corps, unto the Prince of <HI>Cicily,</HI> and another unto the Prince <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> with Orders to pa&s;s into <HI>Cyprus,</HI> and to a&s;&s;ure him of the continuance of his friend&s;hip, in conducting to <HI>Thebes</HI> the Corps of the Prince <HI>Artibies.</HI> Mean while, all &s;earches for the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> were in vain: Information was given from
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&s;ome fi&s;hers in the River <HI>Halis,</HI> that once upon a time, they ob&s;erved a Boat full of Souldiers, and &s;ome Ladies among&s;t them, but that was all they could &s;ay: &s;o that both <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> did endure all the torments that de&s;perate Lovers could &s;uffer; all the victo|ries of <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not countervail this horrid ab&s;ence from <HI>Mandana:</HI> all the defeats and lo&s;&s;es which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had, did not di&s;turb his mind, which was &s;en&s;ible of nothing but the lo&s;s of <HI>Mandana:</HI> All their thoughts were imployed about this fruitle&s;s &s;earch; du|ring which time the <HI>Chaldeans,</HI> which were Neighbours unto the <HI>Armenians,</HI> which de&s;cend|ed from their Mountains, were much mole&s;ted by <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who in four days did quell them, and indeed made them very happy in reconciling them unto the <HI>Armenians,</HI> of who&s;e friend&s;hip they &s;tood as much in need, as the <HI>Armenians</HI> did of theirs; &s;o that in all places fortune &s;mi|led upon <HI>Cyrus:</HI> every people did yield obedience unto him without any contradiction; and either by his valour, or by his clemency, he was Conquerour of all the world: yet for all that he could not conquer his own &s;orrows, which never gave him any re&s;t: &s;ometimes he went to lament, and he lamented by the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta;</HI> and for her part, &s;he did not only com|plain again&s;t her old mi&s;eries, but again&s;t the new pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Phraartes,</HI> which did every day grow more violent; be&s;eeching <HI>Cyrus</HI> not to leave her in <HI>Armenia</HI> when he went away: <HI>Ci|axares</HI> al&s;o did extreamly grieve for the lo&s;s of his daughter; &s;o that it may very well be &s;aid, Never Conquerours had le&s;s joy in their victorious Conque&s;ts then tho&s;e. <HI>Cyrus</HI> did often won|der that <HI>Ortalques</HI> who went with <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and her Cou&s;in, was not heard of: and he fear|ed &s;ome misfortune had happened that amiable Lady: yet though <HI>Mandana</HI> did take up all his thoughts, yet he was always plea&s;ingly civil and obliging; but always grave, re&s;erved, and me|lancholy: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who was of a more violent temper, he was not only &s;ad, and melancholy, but al&s;o he fretted, and was full of angui&s;h: and if the&s;e two Princes had not yet had &s;ome hopes to find <HI>Mandana,</HI> doubtle&s;s they had ended all differences between them, and &s;tayed no longer: for &s;omtimes when <HI>Cyrus</HI> con&s;idered that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was the cau&s;e of all his mi&s;ery, he had much ado to contain him&s;elf: al&s;o when the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> con&s;idered that per|haps <HI>Mandana</HI> would not hate him, if <HI>Cyrus</HI> were not loved: his heart renewed all imaginable hatread, as he u&s;ed to have unto him, when he thought him only <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and him&s;elf &s;eemed only <HI>Philida&s;pes:</HI> However, all intelligence which both of them received from divers parts, did not afford them any knowledg of what they de&s;ired: and the &s;mall hopes which they had, was almo&s;t quite extinct, when the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was adverti&s;ed by a &s;ecret Agent, which he had in <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> that <HI>Abradates</HI> King of the <HI>Su&s;anians</HI> was gone with &s;ome Troops, and none knew whither: That he carried the Queen his wife with him, and al&s;o a &s;trange Prince&s;s, and a Prince which no body knew: and that they went towards <HI>Matenes,</HI> which joyns upon <HI>Ar|menia,</HI> and <HI>Cicilia.</HI> As &s;oon as this Prince had this news, he rejoyced; but &s;ince every one is apt to believe what they de&s;ire, he made no doubt but this Prince&s;s which was unknown, was the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the unknown Prince, the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> &s;o that going in all ha&s;te to acquaint <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> he met <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who perceiving &s;o many &s;ignes of joy in his eyes, could not chu&s;e but ask him the cau&s;e: though it went again&s;t the hair to acquaint his Rival with &s;uch good news, yet he told him what he knew concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> which at the fir&s;t apprehen&s;ion did &s;o joy the heart of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he thought to imbrace his mortal enemy, and give him thanks; but pre&s;ently after, &s;ome ingredients of grief did allay his jollity, when he con&s;idered that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;hould hear any thing of <HI>Mandana</HI> from his Rival, and not from him&s;elf; for he made no que&s;tion but it was &s;he, as well becau&s;e the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> might think to find protection from <HI>Abradates,</HI> who always hated the <HI>Medeans,</HI> as becau&s;e the River <HI>Halis,</HI> on which it was known <HI>Mandana</HI> was, did run that way: More|over it was known that the <HI>Matenes</HI> were the Allies of <HI>Adrabates:</HI> So that his thoughts concurring with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's,</HI> he told him, that it was fit to acquaint <HI>Ciaxares</HI> with it in all ha&s;te: and to take hor&s;e the very &s;ame hour, to the end they might go towards the Frontiers of <HI>Armenia,</HI> to inform them&s;elves of <HI>Abradates</HI> his March, to follow him, and al&s;o to fight with him. Together then they went unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who being as impatient as them|&s;elves, after he under&s;tood the news, told them, that they &s;hould go &s;peedily to deliver the Prin|ce&s;s his daughter: &s;o that without lo&s;s of any time, they drew out two thou&s;and hor&s;e out of the <HI>Medean</HI> Chavalry which was the be&s;t: A thou&s;and of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Kings, and a thou&s;and <HI>Homotimes,</HI> which were the be&s;t of all the <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> Troops. Since they received other intelli|gence, that <HI>Abradates</HI> had with him but two thou&s;and hor&s;e in all, they took but four thou|&s;and, that they might the &s;ooner overtake him, and knowing that the March of great Bodies is always &s;low: nor would they have taken &s;o many, but that they feared they &s;hould be con|&s;trained to divide them&s;elves, the &s;ooner to meet with whom they &s;ought for: All the Princes
<PB N="183" REF="282">
and Voluntiers in the Army were in this party, except the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> and the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> who &s;tayed with <HI>Ciaxares. Tigranes</HI> and <HI>Phraartes</HI> failed not; and never were men &s;een more eager to vanqui&s;h then they.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had eyes which &s;parkled with extraordinary fury; and they thought them&s;elves &s;o &s;ure to deliver <HI>Mandana,</HI> that they began already to look upon each other as enemies: Yet did both &s;ides carry it mo&s;t civilly, and with all &s;incerity, but their very looks did di&s;cover whether they would or no the re&s;entments of their Souls. In conclu&s;ion they took their leaves of <HI>Ciaxarrs,</HI> and having the acclamations and prayers of all the people for a happy &s;ucce&s;s of their enterprize, they marched with incredible ha&s;te to the Frontiers of <HI>Armenia,</HI> and as far as the <HI>Matenes</HI> Country, who were in League with all their Neighbors, and not|with&s;tanding all the <HI>A&s;ian</HI> Wars, lived in a &s;ecure Peace: When they were arrived there, they under&s;tood that <HI>Abradates</HI> was already pa&s;t, and was gone towards a corner of <HI>Cicilie;</HI> they under&s;tood al&s;o that there was many Coaches full of Ladies which tho&s;e Troops conducted: So that this news renewing their zeal, they con&s;ulted upon the be&s;t expedient: for all the way <HI>Abradates</HI> went there was a River, along which he mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily go; but &s;ince they could not exactly tell on which &s;ide he went, and on which &s;ide <HI>Mandana</HI> was, becau&s;e they were informed that <HI>Abradates</HI> had divided his Troops, one party going over a Bridg, and the other &s;tayed on that &s;ide on the left hand; therefore they re&s;olved to divide them&s;elves al&s;o. So that <HI>Cyrus,</HI> generou&s;ly giving half of his men unto his Rival, drawing lots which party he &s;hould have, and which &s;ide of the River he &s;hould take, <HI>Cyrus</HI> had that &s;ide which was furthe&s;t from <HI>Armenia,</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> the other: But before they parted, they both of them re|newed their promi&s;es to each other, not to take any advantage by delivering the Prince&s;s until they had fought: So after this new promi&s;e of mutual fidelity they parted, each of them wi&s;h|ing in his heart to be happier then his Rival. <HI>Cyrus</HI> in all impatience to find his dear <HI>Mandana</HI> went in the head of his men, and would very often be a long way before them, to enquire of all he met whether any Chavalry and Coaches pa&s;&s;ed that way: &s;ome told him, Yes, &s;ome again, No; and according to their &s;everal an&s;wers, the Soul of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was either glad or &s;ad: he &s;ent upon the left hand of the River, for he him&s;elf was upon the right, &s;ometimes <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> and &s;ometimes <HI>Feraulas</HI> with &s;ome hor&s;e, to enquire in the Villages what they could hear; and by all reports, he was a&s;certained that &s;ome Chavalry pa&s;&s;ed that way. As for the Coaches full of Ladies, &s;ome &s;aid there was &s;uch, and &s;ome &s;aid there was none at all. He was told at a place where he pa&s;&s;ed, that the Chavalry which he followed had left the River, and took upon the left hand: &s;o that he went in all ha&s;te the &s;ame way, and he came unto a place where the ways were &s;andy, and where he could trace the hor&s;es feet fre&s;hly printed: Then did he march on with much joy for ten hours, until he came to a Bridg where he &s;tayed, not knowing which &s;ides tho&s;e he followed had taken, for now the ways were not &s;andy, and no prints were to be &s;een: He being now at a terrible <HI>dilemma,</HI> he pa&s;&s;ed over the Bridg to the other &s;ide; he &s;ent out divers men to &s;everal places, but all in vain, for they found many hou&s;es, but none in them, &s;o that he knew not what to re&s;olve upon: yet at la&s;t he thought it be&s;t not to be on the &s;ame &s;ide of the River which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was; &s;o that going back again to the Bridg, he marched along the other &s;ide: After &s;ome thirty furlongs march, <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who was a long way before, did meet a man, who told him, he &s;aw a great fight on the other &s;ide of the water within this hour, and within twenty furlongs from the place he was. <HI>Cyrus</HI> know|ing this, with a mind extreamly inflamed that his Rival &s;hould be more happy then he, return|ed &s;peedily to the Bridg, and pa&s;&s;ed over, going &s;traight towards the place where the Pai&s;ant &s;aid he &s;aw the fight. He had not gone above fifteen furlongs, but he found &s;ome hor&s;es and men dead; and going a little further he &s;aw a field covered with dead and dying men, and a Coach which was overturned and broken. This object did infinitely move him: he &s;earched and looked all about; and in the end found a <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> among&s;t tho&s;e that were wounded whom he knew; and being able to &s;peak, he no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but he called him, Sir, &s;aid he unto him, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> has delivered the Prince&s;s, and put all tho&s;e enemies to flight which are not killed. Has the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> delivered the Prince&s;s? (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> in a great amazement:) Ah my friend, do&s;t thou know what thou &s;ay&s;t? Yes Sir, replyed he, and has carried her away in her Coach; for this which you &s;ee here broken is another, and tho&s;e wo|men which were in it are all in the &s;ame Coach with the Prince&s;s: Since I was wounded after the fight by one of my Companions, who would needs have a hor&s;e from me which I had gotten, I &s;aw very well how the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did addre&s;s him&s;elf unto her in her Coach with all hu|mility, and honored her; that was the rea&s;on why the Commander in Chief of the Enemies was not taken, for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw that Coach in his power, but he neglect|ed
<PB N="184" REF="283">
all el&s;e, and took care of her. <HI>Cyrus</HI> hearing this news, was both joyful as po&s;&s;ible could be, and al&s;o as &s;ad as any true Lover could think him&s;elf: He rejoyced that his dear <HI>Mandana</HI> was delivered, but &s;ince it was by his Rival, he grieved exce&s;&s;ively. Moreover, he under&s;tood the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was e&s;caped, and therefore had a good mind to follow and fight him, yet he could not think that <HI>Mandana</HI> was in the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s power, but he mu&s;t needs ha&s;te after him: &s;o that leaving his de&s;ign of following an unfortunate Rival, he went after him that was the fortunate one. He went immediately unto the Randezvouz which was appointed of at parting, but went with a mind &s;o infinitely enraged, that he was not ma&s;ter of his own thoughts: The night coming fa&s;t on, did augment his melancholy, becau&s;e he could not make ha&s;te enough; but was forced to &s;tay, for having left the River &s;ide, intending to go a nearer way, his Guides lo&s;t their aim in the mid&s;t of a great Forre&s;t full of Cypre&s;s Trees, and in the ob&s;curity of the night: &s;o that in lieu of coming nearer <HI>Mandana</HI> fearing to wander further off her, he re&s;olved to &s;tay there till break of day: moreover, his hor&s;es were almo&s;t tyred, ha|ving had no re&s;t a long time: he therefore made a halt, and lighted from his hor&s;e, &s;itting down at the foot of a Tree, as if he would re&s;t him&s;elf, but indeed it was to per&s;ecute him&s;elf with the violent agitations of his mind: Sometimes his re&s;entments of joy would get the pre|dominacy; for &s;aid he in his heart, <HI>Mandana</HI> is delivered, &s;he is in a place where I &s;hall &s;hortly &s;ee her, and her Deliverer &s;hall not long enjoy that glorious Title, unle&s;s my courage betray me in this la&s;t and principal occa&s;ion. But oh ye Gods, &s;aid he, why mu&s;t my Rival de|liver my Prince&s;s? and why do you put me to the nece&s;&s;ity of hating her Deliverer, and grieve for the liberty of <HI>Mandana,</HI> which I did &s;o ardently de&s;ire? I cannot purely reli&s;h her deliver|ance, for doubtle&s;s my Rival has already &s;poke of his love unto her, and &s;he has thanked him for what he hath done; and perhaps this la&s;t piece of &s;ervice which he hath done her (which did not co&s;t him one drop of blood) will work more upon her heart, then all the Combates I have fought for her; then all the battels I have won, and then all the wounds I have received. Oh my divine Prince&s;s (cryed he out) be a little more ju&s;t, and look upon the &s;ervice which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> hath done you, rather as an effect of his good Fortune, then any extraordi|nary te&s;timony of his affection: But after all this, he hath delivered her, &s;aid he; and methinks I &s;ee the Prince&s;s be&s;tow upon him a thou&s;and expre&s;&s;ions of acknowledgment: Yet were I a&s;&s;ured that this divine Prince&s;s did wi&s;h in her heart that it were I who had done her this good office, I &s;hould be &s;atisfied; but liberty is &s;o &s;weet, that it is mo&s;t difficult not to love the hand that gives it. Oh ye rigorous De&s;tinies, &s;aid he, why would you not let me have the honour of breaking her Chains a&s;under? Had ye been &s;o propitious unto me, I &s;hould have thought my &s;elf the mo&s;t happy Prince upon Earth: But now, though I have won &s;o many Battels; conquered &s;o many Kingdoms; nothing re&s;i&s;ted me, all obeyed me; the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> him&s;elf thrown out of his Throne, and compelled to yield unto the fury of my Fate; yet this unfortu|nate Prince is now a thou&s;and thou&s;and times more happy then <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who has been reputed the greate&s;t Favorite of the Gods of all men living. How dare I appear before my Prince&s;s? and how can I contain my impatience to &s;ee her in his hands? When he was in <HI>Babylon,</HI> he was le&s;s dreadful to me then now; for then <HI>Mandana</HI> looked upon him as her Ravi&s;her; but now the ca&s;e is altered, and he is her Deliverer, and all that ever I did for her was not &s;o advan|tagious to her, as this act of his at this time: Yet I am much to blame to grieve, now my Prin|ce&s;s rejoyceth, and yet were I mad to rejoyce at the glory of my Rival. Perhaps I am deceived, and my adored <HI>Mandana</HI> is mo&s;t ju&s;t, and will remember, that though I did not deliver her when I returned from the <HI>Me&s;&s;agettes,</HI> when I &s;aved the life of her Ravi&s;her, yet it was be|cau&s;e I knew him not; and that though I did not deliver her in the taking of <HI>Babylon,</HI> it was becau&s;e the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did take her away the &s;econd time; and though I did her no &s;er|vice at <HI>Sinope,</HI> it was becau&s;e the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> to his own mi&s;ery and mine did carry her away: Therefore when &s;he con&s;iders that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> has been her Ravi&s;her and De|tainer whole years together, it may be this la&s;t adventure of his will have no great operation upon her heart. But no, no, &s;aid he pre&s;ently after, let me not flatter my &s;elf; pa&s;t &s;ervices are &s;mall in compari&s;on of tho&s;e which are at pre&s;ent; and a thou&s;and good intentions are nothing equal to one real good office effectually done, though it co&s;t him who did it but little; and therefore unhappy man that I am, I may in all rea&s;on fear, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> hath this very day gained more upon the heart of <HI>Mandana,</HI> then I have done in all my life. After|wards when he began to con&s;ider, that in drawing lots which &s;ide of the River either &s;hould take, all his wi&s;dom and p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ety could not keep him from murmuring again&s;t Heaven: What have I done, O ye ju&s;t Gods, &s;aid he, to merit this misfortune? Have I not, during all the Wars that ever I made, pre&s;erved your Temples and your Altars? Have I not offered Sacrifices
<PB N="185" REF="283">
and Oblations unto you? Was I ever unju&s;t, cruel or bloody? I loved <HI>Mandana</HI> it is true, but I loved her with unparallel'd purity: I loved her mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionately I confe&s;s; but &s;ince you made her &s;o h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ghly accompli&s;hed, and made me know it, it had been a &s;in to do otherwi&s;e, and I could not po&s;&s;ibly love her le&s;s, and yet you inflict upon me as &s;evere <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">orments, as tho&s;e who are mo&s;t culpable could be puni&s;hed with: I would gladly cea&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y murmur, but I cannot: Fury doth command my mind; Jealou&s;ie di&s;turbs my Rea|&s;on, and I cannot endure that my dreadful Rival and my mortal Enemy &s;hould be <HI>Man|dana</HI>'s Deliverer. After this, being out of all patience that it was not yet day, he ri&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">p; and taking hor&s;e, maugre all per&s;wa&s;ions to the contrary, he would have them march; and becau&s;e he would be exemplary to the re&s;t, he was the fir&s;t that groped through the thick of darkne&s;s, having in his mind a more gloomy melancholy then the ob&s;curity of the night, which was &s;o dark, that no objects could be di&s;cerned in that great Forre&s;t.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>The End of the third Part.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="4" TYPE="part">
<PB REF="284">
<PB N="187" REF="284">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR CYRUS the GREAT. The Fourth Part.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="book">
<HEAD>BOOK. I.</HEAD>
<P>_AFter a long and blind March, day did by little and little appear. And <HI>Cyrus</HI> came to the River &s;ide, where the Guides being within their aim again, conducted the Prince to the place where he de&s;ired to be; at the la&s;t he came to a place where he di&s;covered Coaches, and Soul|diers, going before him: This &s;ight &s;eemed &s;omething &s;trange, and made &s;uch a mixture of joys and &s;orrows, love and jealou&s;ie, hopes and fears in his heart, that he knew not what to think on it: He looked upon <HI>Feraulus,</HI> and pronouncing the name of <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;hewing him the Coaches, and doubling his pace; Come, <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;aid he unto him, let us go and enjoy the happine&s;s to &s;ee our Mi&s;tre&s;s, or at the lea&s;t di&s;turb the joys of my Rival: putting on then very fa&s;t, he overtook &s;ome hor&s;men, which were two hun|dred paces behind the Coaches and Troops, and knowing them at the fir&s;t to be <HI>Meades;</HI> Is the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> &s;aid he unto them, with the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana?</HI> We know not that, Sir, replied they; for pre&s;ently after the Combate ye&s;terday again&s;t <HI>Abradates,</HI> when he perceived that in lieu of delivering the Prince&s;s, he had only taken the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> he turned all fury, and took another way with part of his men. How, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> is not <HI>Mandana</HI> in this Coach which I &s;ee before me? No, Sir, replied they, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had intelligence that &s;he was on your &s;ide of the River: &s;o that de&s;iring to come unto you, and &s;hare in the delive|rance of her, he took a nearer way which his Guides did &s;hew unto him, and thereby &s;top the King of <HI>Pont's</HI> way, after he had pa&s;&s;ed the River at a place, the name whereof we have for|gotten; hoping al&s;o to overtake <HI>Abradates,</HI> and meet with you. But &s;ince we &s;ee you here, we know neither where he, nor the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is, e&s;pecially &s;ince it appears you hear nothing of him, but return without meeting with him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;o a&s;toni&s;hed, and &s;ad, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was not delivered, and to know that if he had followed the way he fir&s;t took, he might have done it: and that his Rival might perhaps be fighting for her at
<PB N="188" REF="285">
that very time while&s;t he was &s;peaking on it, that not &s;taying any longer there, nor going to the Coach where <HI>Panthea</HI> was, he faced about in all ha&s;te, &s;ending <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> to have a care of that Queen; he returned then unto the fir&s;t place where he might have pa&s;s over the River: and marching almo&s;t as fa&s;t as if he had been alone, he was &s;o much tran&s;ported with anger a|gain&s;t him&s;elf, that he had much ado to contain him&s;elf within the limits of rea&s;on: he wi&s;hed that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had met with <HI>Mandana,</HI> and he de&s;ired al&s;o quite contrary: and &s;ince he could not compo&s;e his di&s;cordant de&s;ires, he &s;uffered intollerable torment of mind; e&s;pe|cially when it came into his thoughts that in all probability the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had already de|livered <HI>Mandana,</HI> or which was wor&s;e, that neither of them could deliver her: After a long March without any intelligence, he met with &s;ome hor&s;men, which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> hear|ing that he had pa&s;&s;ed over the River, did &s;end unto him, to tell him, that he would &s;till pur&s;ue the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and al&s;o to adverti&s;e him how he under&s;tood, that he had left the River upon his left hand, and went as fa&s;t as he could unto another, which he mu&s;t needs cro&s;s over, before he could be in <HI>Cicilie. Cyrus</HI> upon this advice, doubling his diligence, though his hor&s;es were very weary, at la&s;t he overtook the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and out of a phanta&s;tical humour of love, and jealou&s;ie mixed together, he was both &s;ad, and glad, that he had not de|livered <HI>Mandana:</HI> The&s;e two Illu&s;trious Rivals rendred an account unto each other of their actions: and being forced unto it by nece&s;&s;ity, they gave half an hours time unto their men to take a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">light repa&s;t, and bait their hor&s;es at the next Village they came unto; after which, they went together with more ha&s;te then before, in pur&s;uance of the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who could not make any great &s;peed becau&s;e of the Coach which carried the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> At la&s;t after a March until the Sun was &s;et, they di&s;covered this other River, which I &s;poke of before: But that which did mo&s;t extreamly perplex them, was to &s;ee a wooden Bridg, over which they were to pa&s;s, quite broken down: and ca&s;ting their eyes upon the other &s;ide of the water, they di&s;covered in a great Meadow, about four or five hundred paces off, about fifty hor&s;es only, and a Coach, which they did conclude to be that of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> whom they were in Que&s;t of; for this broken Bridg was a &s;trong argument of it: Then were they at a <HI>Dilem|ma,</HI> to comprehend why they had only fifty hor&s;es, and what was become of all the re&s;t; however they made no doubt but that it was the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> Since this River was very deep and impetuous, and al&s;o very broad, there was no po&s;&s;ibility of pa&s;&s;ing over: <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> yet would make a trial, but all was in vain, and both of them were in danger to be drowned: And it was a long days march unto any Bridg; then to return as far back again; for there was no other between that place they were on, and the Sea, in|to which this River did empty it &s;elf: nor could they pa&s;s over in Boats, becau&s;e indeed there was none upon the River which was not navigable by rea&s;on of the &s;wiftne&s;s of its current; neither was it full of fi&s;h which cau&s;ed few fi&s;hers Barcks to be upon it. Thus not knowing what cour&s;e to take, the &s;ight of this Coach which &s;till went further and further from them, did drive the &s;ouls of the&s;e two Princes into a great horrid purgatory: The breach in the Bridg was &s;o broad, that any planks would not be &s;erviceable if they had them: Thus being at their wits end, and not knowing what to do, they looked upon the Coach, which &s;till was more remote, until the Sun being &s;et, and it entred into a Wood of Cedars, upon a hill be|yond the meadow, they lo&s;t the &s;ight of it, and almo&s;t thir lives; &s;ince all hopes of relieving
<HI>Mandana</HI> was lo&s;t. For when they con&s;idered how near they were their Prince&s;s, and wear not able to get any nearer, but were &s;till at a more dire di&s;tance, their &s;orrows were in&s;uppor|table, though they te&s;tified not any vi&s;ible &s;igns of it: But though both of them were in one and the &s;ame mi&s;erable condition, yet had they not the con&s;olation to condole together, but contrarily, the &s;ympathy of their &s;orrows did more &s;eparate them, and make their mi&s;eries more violent: and had they not both been as highly generous, as they were highly perplexed, it had been ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible for them, to tran&s;act together as they did: yet notwith&s;tanding, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was much more &s;ad then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who having &s;ome confidence in the Ora|cle which he received at <HI>Babylon,</HI> did never de&s;pair of his happine&s;s: But <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who had no &s;uch Cordial in his mi&s;eries, was all fears, and no hopes. The Prince <HI>Tigranes,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Phraartes,</HI> with all the re&s;t of quality in the Army, did u&s;e their be&s;t endeavours to chear them up, e&s;pecially <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who had the affectionate hearts of all the world, but yet alas, all was to no purpo&s;e. Since the&s;e Princes conceived, that tho&s;e Troops which had left the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> on that &s;ide of the River, might chance not be far off, therefore they &s;till &s;tood upon their Guard, and marched in good order, unto this Bridg over which only they could pa&s;s the River. In the mean time, love which prompts all Lovers unto Heroique Actions, moved <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> (who could not endure &s;o flow a March as the Body
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of their Troops was to keep) to take an hundred hor&s;e only, and went before: commanding the re&s;t to keep the Bridg, le&s;t <HI>Abradates,</HI> hearing they were following after <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;hould &s;ieze upon it. All the re&s;t of the Princes did follow in this adventure, and made as much ha&s;te, as po&s;&s;ibly they could unto the Pa&s;s over the River: They were forced to re&s;t their hor&s;es for an hour or two; and then continued their March until the morning at the break of day they pa&s;&s;ed over this River: and then hoped nothing could &s;top them from overtaking <HI>Man|dana. Cyrus</HI> thought it convenient to &s;end <HI>Feraulas</HI> unto <HI>Tar&s;is,</HI> to the Prince of <HI>Cicilie,</HI> and to acquaint him with the bu&s;ine&s;s, be&s;eeching him to &s;end unto all the Ports in his Countrey, that no &s;trangers might be &s;uffered to imbarque: after which he continued his pur&s;uit, and took that Rode which he imagined the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> to have taken. But &s;ince night approach|ed, they took up their Quarters at the fir&s;t Village, and there re&s;ted them&s;elves till break of day: Then they &s;ounded to hor&s;e, and marched not only till night, but until the next day at noon, without any intelligence of what they were in Que&s;t after. Since <HI>Cicily</HI> in that part was not large, they were near the Sea, when they &s;aw two hor&s;men coming towards them, who being far off were unknown; but drawing nearer, <HI>Cyrus</HI> knew the hor&s;e of <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;o that not &s;peaking a word unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who followed immediately after, and prompted by his pa&s;&s;ion, he &s;purred on towards him, and upon a &s;udden &s;tood amazed to &s;ee that the other who came with him, was <HI>Ortalques,</HI> the &s;ame man who had Orders to convoy <HI>Marte|&s;ia,</HI> and had been &s;o long before he returned: &s;ince he imagined that <HI>Ortalques</HI> could tell him no news but only of <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> but thought <HI>Feraulas</HI> might happily hear &s;omthing con|cerning <HI>Mandana,</HI> though he had an high e&s;teem of wi&s;e <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> yet at the fir&s;t he did not enquire of her, but looking upon <HI>Feraulas,</HI> as if he could divine his news; Well <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;aid he, do you know yet where the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is? and will the Prince of <HI>Cicily</HI> do as I de&s;ire him? Sir, replied he, I am even de&s;perate in being forced to tell you, that for all my ha&s;te I could po&s;&s;ibly make, I came four hours too late with orders from the Prince of <HI>Cicily,</HI> to the Port where the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> are imbarqued: How <HI>Fe|raulas,</HI> replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> is not <HI>Mandana</HI> in <HI>Cicily?</HI> No, Sir, an&s;wered he, &s;he took &s;hip ye|&s;terday about noon: the rea&s;on of this misfortune was, &s;aid he, becau&s;e the Prince of <HI>Cicily</HI> was in hunting when I came to <HI>Tar&s;is,</HI> &s;o that I was forced to go after him, which took me up much time; for he was far off: As &s;oon as I met with him, and told him the place where you &s;aw the Coach, in which the Prince&s;s was, he did infallibly conclude that the King of <HI>Pon|tus</HI> would imbarque at a Port unto which he immediately &s;ent me, with his Captain of his Guard, and with orders to the Magi&s;trates of the Town, to &s;top all &s;trangers which would put to Sea, di&s;patching al&s;o many others into divers other places with the &s;ame Commands: What &s;hould I &s;ay more, Sir, I came unfortunately four hours too late, but by good fortune I met with <HI>Ortalques,</HI> who had orders to come unto you from the Prince&s;s <HI>Madana.</HI> From the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> how is it po&s;&s;ible he &s;hould know any thing? Sir, re|plied <HI>Ortalques,</HI> doubtle&s;s you will wonder when I &s;hall tell you, that having had the honour of your Commands, to convoy tho&s;e Ladies which went with <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> from <HI>Sinope,</HI> I &s;afely conducted them to the &s;ide of the River <HI>Halis,</HI> where having a de&s;ire to re&s;t them&s;elves, and to take the plea&s;ure of the water, they took boat, &s;ending their Coach another way unto a place where it &s;hould meet them; and commanding me to come al&s;o into the Boat, my two hundred hor&s;e was conducted by my Lieutenant along the River &s;ide: After we had been up|on the water half a day, the Lady who was Cou&s;in unto <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> fell &s;ick; and &s;o extreamly, that we were con&s;trained to &s;tay at a Ca&s;tle which was built upon the Banks of that River, be|ing come unto that place, where there was no Town within twenty furlongs, I de&s;ired to &s;peak with the Commander in chief, but &s;ince he &s;aw Souldiers, he was very unwilling to con&s;ent unto what I de&s;ired of him: He asked from whence I came, whither I went, what I was, and who tho&s;e Ladies were: But &s;ince we were in <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> where I knew there was divi&s;ions among the people, I di&s;&s;embled the names of the Ladies, and my own al&s;o, telling him only, that I was a Cou&s;in unto them, and had no other de&s;igne but to conduct them: he was yet very hard to be per&s;waded unto my de&s;ires; but at la&s;t telling me that he never u&s;ed to entertain any in his Ca&s;tle, but Ladies, and becau&s;e it was too much inhumanity, not to a&s;&s;i&s;t a &s;ick Lady, if without any danger he could do it, he con&s;ented to receive her in, and at the reque&s;t of his wife, who &s;eemed to be a woman of good parts to a&s;&s;i&s;t her: Then I went back to <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and cau&s;ing her Cou&s;in to be brought in a Chair which the Captain &s;ent us, I con|ducted the&s;e Ladies to the Gates, and afterwards I went to give orders for the quartering of my men at the next Town: yet the next day the Captain of the Ca&s;tle invited me to lodg with him, but I refu&s;ed; contenting my &s;elf with admi&s;&s;ion into the Ca&s;tle, to vi&s;it <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI>
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and her Cou&s;in, who found very good helps from a Chyrurgion, and Phy&s;ician, which were there, and who would not go away from thence a long time, as I was told at my lodging. Since <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was mo&s;t admirable amiable, &s;he had already got the love of the Captains wife; &s;o that di&s;cour&s;ing one day together; &s;he told her, that they were very happy when&s;oever they found any occa&s;ion to a&s;&s;i&s;t &s;ick Ladies: and &s;ince <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> knew that her dear Mi&s;tre&s;s pa&s;&s;ed up this River; &s;he asked her if &s;he had never any occa&s;ions to a&s;&s;i&s;t Ladies, till now? She an|&s;wered her, that about three months &s;ince, there was one of the faire&s;t Ladies that ever breath|ed upon earth, fell &s;ick, and was in that Ca&s;tle: but pre&s;ently recovering, &s;he &s;tayed not in it. <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> being now more inqui&s;itive then before, asked her name, her quality, and where &s;he was: but &s;he an&s;wered, that &s;he neither knew her name, nor quality: but yet to tell her truly, &s;he was yet in the Ca&s;tle; yet if her Husband knew that &s;he had di&s;covered it unto her, he would be extreamly angry: &s;he told her farther that the rea&s;on why they were &s;o nice to let them enter, was becau&s;e this Lady was here: yet &s;he was lodged in a Chamber of the Ca&s;tle far off this &s;he was in, and where none entered but the men which waited upon her, and a woman which &s;he brought with her, who never left her: That there was al&s;o a very hand&s;om man, who was even at deaths door with grief, while&s;t this fair one was &s;ick: Then did <HI>Mar|te&s;ia</HI> de&s;ire her to de&s;cribe the beauty of this Lady, and the &s;tature of the man &s;he &s;pake of, and by the an&s;wer of this woman, &s;he certainly concluded, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Man|dana</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> were in the Ca&s;tle: as &s;he was leaning again&s;t a window which looked towards the River, &s;he &s;pied a great Boat, &s;o like that in which &s;he had been with the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> as &s;he asked the Captains wife, whether that was not the Boat in which the &s;ick Lady came; and &s;he an&s;wered, yes: Then was <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> fully &s;atisfied con|ceaning the truth of <HI>Mandana's</HI> being here; &s;he di&s;&s;embled her joy until &s;he &s;poke with me, which the &s;ame day &s;he did: It was re&s;olved then betwixt us; &s;o to gain the favour of this Captains wife by pre&s;ents and good language, that &s;he might let us &s;ee this &s;ick Lady: and &s;ince &s;he was but very young, &s;he was ea&s;ily per&s;waded by &s;uch allurements. To be &s;hort, Sir, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> tampered with her &s;o hand&s;omly, that the next morning this woman unknown to her Husband, carried her by a back &s;tair into a Chamber ju&s;t oppo&s;ite to the Chamber of this unknown beauty, and the windows being open, &s;he &s;aw the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and <HI>Arianita,</HI> leaning again&s;t the window, and talking together very melancholy: Ah <HI>Ortalques</HI> cryed <HI>Cyrus</HI> out, and interrupted him; why did you not relea&s;e the Prince&s;s? Have but a little patience, Sir, replied he and you &s;hall know the rea&s;on. <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> then knowing the Prince&s;s, and being extreamly &s;urprized without any further rea&s;oning upon the matter, &s;he thru&s;t her &s;elf half out of the window, and made &s;o great a noi&s;e, that the Prince&s;s turning her head, and looking that way, did pre&s;ently know her, and was no le&s;s &s;urprized at the &s;ight, then <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was at hers. This Encounter was &s;o full of a&s;toni&s;hment, that it was impo&s;|&s;ible but it &s;hould attract ob&s;ervance; but as good luck was the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was not then in the Chamber with the Prince&s;s, and the Captain of the Ca&s;tles wife was the only witne&s;s of this plea&s;ant &s;urprize in both the&s;e Ladies: But yet &s;he was &s;o a&s;toni&s;hed at it, that &s;he would not &s;uffer <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to enjoy the plea&s;ure any longer: then <HI>Arianita</HI> hearing the door of the Prince&s;s Chamber to open, made a &s;igne unto <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to retire her &s;elf: At la&s;t, Sir, when we &s;aw <HI>Mandana</HI> was in the Ca&s;tle, I de&s;ired permittance from <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to deliver her by force: yet &s;he would try fir&s;t whether or no &s;he could &s;peak with the Prince&s;s, but all was in vain: for the Captains wife had no credit at all with them who were <HI>Mandana's</HI> Guard. Then we being re&s;olved to hazard all for the Prince&s;s delivery, I found means to get Ladders, I cau&s;ed our Boat to be ready: and by a place of the wall which was po&s;&s;ible to be &s;called, I de&s;igned to attempt it the night following. But as ill luck was, the King of <HI>Pon|tus,</HI> while the Prince&s;s &s;tayed in that place &s;ick, had &s;ent unto <HI>Abradates</HI> to de&s;ire a retreat in his Court, and al&s;o a convoy unto <HI>Matenes,</HI> which the River <HI>Halis</HI> &s;eparates from him; As ill luck was, I &s;ay, there came four hundred hor&s;e from <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> to guard the Prince&s;s: &s;o that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw them, but he re&s;olved to depart the very next day, which being known unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;he acquainted me with it: And notwith&s;tanding the in|equality of the number, I re&s;olved to fall upon the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> in his March, there being no po&s;&s;ibility of forcing the Ca&s;tle, &s;ince &s;o many were in it. However, <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who was re&s;olved to follow her dear Mi&s;tre&s;s, though &s;he could not deliver her, went confidently by the &s;ame back &s;tairs unto the Chamber of the Prince&s;s, and called <HI>Arianita</HI> as loud as &s;he could, and told her that if her Mi&s;tre&s;s would not obtain permi&s;&s;ion that &s;he might &s;peak with her, &s;he &s;hall be ab&s;olutely de&s;perate: <HI>Arianita</HI> made &s;ignes unto her to be patient, and afterwards we came to know, that ju&s;t at the &s;ame time when <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was &s;peaking unto
<PB N="191" REF="286">
her, the Prince&s;s was telling the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> that &s;he was here, and that ab&s;olutely &s;he would have her with her, which the King con&s;ented unto, not knowing that I came from you, but &s;uppo&s;ing rather that &s;ome odd di&s;a&s;ter or other had &s;tayed her about this River, as &s;ickne&s;s did the Prince&s;s: At length, Sir, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and her Cou&s;in, who was much minded, and all the re&s;t of the women went unto the Prince&s;s, who received them with abundance of joy: In the mean time, it was re&s;olved, Sir, we mu&s;t depart from thence, and to take boat until they came to <HI>Mantiana,</HI> where Coaches would meet them: But to be &s;hort, Sir, upon the next morn|ing I fell upon the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his Convoy, and &s;ince the number was &s;o much unequal, all my company almo&s;t peri&s;hed, and I my &s;elf wounded in four places, not being able to hinder the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> from carrying away the Prince&s;s, who however had this con&s;olation added, that &s;he had <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> with her: But as for <HI>Marte&s;ia's</HI> Cou&s;in, &s;ince &s;he was married, &s;he ob|tained &s;o much favor from the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> as to &s;end her back unto the place where her Coach waited for her, and he de&s;ired the Captain of the Ca&s;tle to be her Convoy; for my part, though I was much wounded, yet I followed after &s;ome hor&s;men with my Sword drawn, but there came two with orders from the Prince&s;s, that they &s;hould not kill me, but to carry me unto the Ca&s;tle, with de&s;ires unto the Captain to u&s;e me well, and have a care of me, which indeed mo&s;t civilly he did: While&s;t I was with him, I under&s;tood that he was born a Subject of the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and as fortune would have it, was married in that Country, and at la&s;t was made Governour of that Ca&s;tle, which was &s;cituated in <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> where the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was forced to &s;tay that very morning, when <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> were left upon the River|banks, for the Prince&s;s was &s;o exceedingly grieved at it, that thereupon &s;he fell extreamly &s;ick: However, Sir, as &s;oon as I was well recovered, I went unto <HI>Su&s;a;</HI> where the Captain, who&s;e intimate friend&s;hip I had obtained, while&s;t I &s;tayed with him, told me I &s;hould certainly find the Prince&s;s; therefore I went, and indeed found her there accordingly: And &s;ince the Prince&s;s had &s;o ab&s;olute a command over the King of <HI>Pont,</HI> as, excepting her liberty, he could deny her nothing, I was &s;uffered to be with her, becau&s;e he thought I was her &s;ervant before, and knew not that I belonged to you. In a few days after, I under&s;tood that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> King of <HI>Li|dia,</HI> had &s;ent unto <HI>Abradates,</HI> and that &s;ome great de&s;igne was in hand. Mean while, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> fearing, that if you whom he heard was in <HI>Armenia,</HI> &s;hould under&s;tand that he was at <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> you would draw that way; and &s;ince <HI>Abradates</HI> was not able to re&s;i&s;t you, therefore he de&s;igned to depart: and <HI>Abradates</HI> would not let him go alone. The Queen <HI>Panthea</HI> al&s;o, was &s;o great a Lover of <HI>Mandana;</HI> and having a de&s;ign to vi&s;it the famous Temple of <HI>Diana,</HI> which is in the <HI>Matenes</HI> Countrey, would conduct her as far as the Frontiers of <HI>Cicily,</HI> intend|ing to perform her devotions at her return. But when they came unto the River, near which &s;he was taken, as well for the conveniency of their March, as for the more &s;ecurity of the King of <HI>Pont:</HI> They &s;eperated them&s;elves, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> conducting <HI>Mandana,</HI> on that &s;ide the River furthe&s;t from <HI>Armenia,</HI> and <HI>Abradates</HI> on the other, with the Queen of <HI>Su&s;ania,</HI> who continued their March until &s;he was taken by your Troops, for it was the &s;traight way unto that place where &s;he intended to go. As for us, we marched in &s;uch great ha&s;te, that you hardly would have had a &s;ight of us, as it &s;eems you had, from the other &s;ide of the water, if
<HI>Abradates</HI> after his fight and defeat, had not overtaken us, only with fifteen, or twenty of his men: This &s;ight did exceedingly perplex the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> for he knew that <HI>Abradates</HI> had been &s;et upon, and was beaten, but when he under&s;tood <HI>Panthea</HI> was taken pri&s;oner, his &s;or|rows then were in the highe&s;t extream. I then was behind tho&s;e Princes, &s;o that &s;ince both of them were in the depth of &s;orrows, they took no notice of me; I heard the King of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> &s;ay unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> that if he would let him have his Troops, he would go after the Ra|vi&s;hers of <HI>Panthea.</HI> Since the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had only a thou&s;and hor&s;es, and <HI>Abradates,</HI> of his thou&s;and, only fifteen, or twenty left; he told <HI>Abradates,</HI> that if he &s;hould do &s;o, he &s;hould expo&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> and him&s;elf in vain, to a&s;&s;ault all your Cavalry with &s;o few men: Moreover, &s;aid he unto him, never fear the Queen you wife, for <HI>Cyrus</HI> is the mo&s;t generous Prince in the world, and &s;ince we have the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> he will never treat <HI>Panthea</HI> ill. Therefore, &s;aid he unto him, let me go unto the Bridg, which as &s;oon as I am over, I will break down, and return unto you to perform your promi&s;e unto <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> and wait for the liberty of <HI>Pan|thea,</HI> by the &s;ame way which &s;hall give it unto all <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> At the la&s;t, Sir, after much other di&s;cour&s;e whereby one might perceive much incertainty in their &s;pirits, we came unto the Bridg, where <HI>Abradates</HI> left this Prince, and bad adieu unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> who when &s;he knew of <HI>Panthea's</HI> being taken, did a&s;&s;ure him, that if &s;he were in your hands, &s;he were &s;afe, conju|ring him to move the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> to re&s;tore her unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> upon condition that he &s;hould re&s;tore <HI>Panthea</HI> unto him. <HI>Abradates</HI> was &s;o full of &s;orrow, that he did not well under|&s;tand
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this Propo&s;ition: &s;o that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> fearing &s;he &s;hould repeat it again, and that <HI>Abradates</HI> would make &s;ome reflection upon it, commande~d the Coach to drive on, he taking his fifty hor&s;es only. When we were over the Bridg, the men of <HI>Abradates</HI> on his &s;ide, and we on ours, broke down the Bridg, and went our ways, that is to &s;ay, <HI>Abradates</HI> towards <HI>Su&s;a</HI> over the Mountains, and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> towards the <HI>Cicilian</HI> Sea. But when the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> near who&s;e Coach I was, di&s;covered all your Cavalry, on the other &s;ide of the River, while&s;t we were in the great Meadow, I never &s;aw any in my life &s;eem more &s;ad then &s;he: &s;he looked after you, Sir, as long as ever &s;he could &s;ee you; for &s;he imagined that you were there in per&s;on, and when we were far entered into the Wood, yet &s;he looked &s;till, in hopes of a glimp&s;e; at length, Sir, we came to the Port, where the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would needs imbarque in all ha&s;te: he found a Ship ready to put out for <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> wherein he was re|ceived, he imbarqued the next day about noon, which was ye&s;terday. About two hours be|fore their departure, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> called me a&s;ide, and did bid me make an e&s;cape away, and give you this Letter, which I was coming to bring you when I met with <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who was com|ing out of the Town when I came: In &s;aying &s;o, he pre&s;ented a Letter from the Prince&s;s <HI>Man|dana,</HI> unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who received it with as much joy, as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;aw it with &s;or|row: But not being able to defer any longer the reading of it, and it plea&s;ing him to open it before his Rival, he broke open the Seal, and read the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The Prince&s;s <HI>MANDANA,</HI> unto <HI>CYRUS.</HI></HEAD>
<P>SInce I cannot tell whether or no, the King my Father be in your Army, and do not doubt but you are; therefore I addre&s;s my Letter unto you, de&s;iring you to let the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> be well u&s;ed; for it was by her, I knew that it was permitted the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> to be <HI>Cyrus:</HI> and her cares have been &s;o great, to &s;weeten my Captivity, that I am obli|ged to render hers le&s;s rigorous, as po&s;&s;ibly I can. I need not tell you, that I am the mo&s;t unfortunate per&s;on in the world; for you cannot be ignorant of it. But to acknowledge, in my be&s;t expre&s;&s;ions, the high Genero&s;ity, in expo&s;ing all the days of your life for my liberty, Let me &s;incerely tell you, that I am as zealous a wi&s;her of the continuance if your glory, and good fortune: as I am of a period unto the misfortunes of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>MANDANA.</SIGNED>
<POSTSCRIPT>
<HEAD>The Prince&s;s added this Po&s;t&s;cript.</HEAD>
<P>Since I &s;ent you fal&s;e intelligence that we were going into <HI>Armenia,</HI> therefore I dare hardly tell you now, that I think they will carry me to <HI>Ephe&s;us.</HI></P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>When <HI>Cyrus</HI> had read this Letter, he could not chu&s;e but look upon the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who&s;e eyes al&s;o were fixed upon him, but with &s;uch melancholy, and &s;o many &s;igns of &s;orrow, that the joys of <HI>Cyrus</HI> were much augmented by it: yet to keep within the limits of their con|ditions, nor to make a Secret of any thing which related unto the intere&s;t of <HI>Mandana. Cy|rus</HI> did read a loud this Letter from the Prince&s;s, which was no &s;mall additament of &s;orrow unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> for though this Letter was no more then a Letter of Civility, yet it contained in it &s;uch civil expre&s;&s;ions, e&s;pecially towards the latter end, that he had much ado to forbear extravagant and violent te&s;timonies of jealou&s;ie and de&s;pair, he changed colour twenty times; the actions of his head and hands did &s;peak his di&s;tempered mind: then lifting up his eyes to Heaven, and afterwards fixing them on the eyes of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> Come, too happy Rival, (&s;aid he, and &s;ighed) let us go unto <HI>Artaxates,</HI> that we may the &s;ooner go for <HI>Lidia,</HI> and there &s;ee what the Gods have ordained our de&s;tinies to be: After this, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria</HI> went fir&s;t, and not &s;taying till <HI>Cyrus</HI> an&s;wered, he fell into &s;uch a profound pen&s;ive &s;tudy, that it was ea&s;ie to perceive, his mind was in extream torment. In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who would not lo&s;e a minute of time, nor go unto <HI>Tar&s;us</HI> him&s;elf, &s;ent one of his &s;ervants to thank the Prince of <HI>Cicily,</HI> who was then preparing to receive him; and going the &s;ame way he came, they joyned with tho&s;e men whom he left to guard the Bridg, and went to overtake <HI>Panthea,</HI> at a Ca&s;tle which was upon the Frontiers of <HI>Armenia,</HI> where <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> was Go|vernour. Since &s;he was recommended unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> by very good hands, he no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> but he appointed him to wait upon her with all due re&s;pects, fitting her quality: And though he re&s;olved not to &s;ee her &s;ince <HI>Mandana</HI> was not delivered, and &s;ince it was &s;he only,
<PB N="193" REF="287">
and not <HI>Panthea</HI> was a pri&s;oner, yet he changed his re&s;olution, and would give her a vi&s;it: 'Tis very true, he carried it &s;omthing clo&s;ely, becau&s;e he de&s;ired the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> might not be there, and that he might with more freedom &s;peak concerning his dear Prince&s;s: &s;o that as &s;oon as he was within the Ca&s;tle, he went unto the Chamber of <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> and pretending &s;om e bu&s;ine&s;s with him, they two were alone together: &s;ince it was near the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana's</HI> Chamber, he went thither un&s;een, <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> only following him. This was it which made all the people &s;ay, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;o faithful unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> that he would not look upon this Queen, becau&s;e &s;he was the mo&s;t charming beauty upon earth. Yet it is mo&s;t certain, he &s;aw her, but he &s;aw her only for the love of <HI>Mandana:</HI> he &s;ent for permi&s;&s;ion to wait upon her, and this fair and wi&s;e Prince&s;s received him with all civility, and without any &s;ymptoms of any Pu&s;ilanimity. Sir (&s;aid he unto him) the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> had good rea&s;on to tell me, that you of all the Princes in the world knew how to u&s;e a victory, &s;ince though I am a Captive, yet you are plea&s;ed to honour me with a vi&s;it, and to a&s;&s;ure me of the life and health of the King my Lord, and Husband. I would not have you think your &s;elf, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, at all obliged for &s;o poor and incon&s;iderable a &s;ervice: but I be&s;eech you, take the pains to read this Letter, (&s;hewing her <HI>Mandana's</HI> Letter to him) and by it you may &s;ee, there are no &s;er|vices which I do not intend to do you: for &s;ince the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> hath written unto me, I am not Ma&s;ter of my own will, but &s;ubject wholly unto hers. I wi&s;h Sir, replied <HI>Panthea,</HI> that I could hand&s;omly divide my gratitude between you both; for you both have highly ob|liged me.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> enquired concerning the health and welfare of his dear Prince&s;s: and after he had de&s;ired her pardon, for taking &s;o much liberty to him&s;elf, he conjured her to tell him, how the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> u&s;ed her. Sir, replied <HI>Panthea,</HI> for the &s;atisfaction of your mind, let me tell you, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> is &s;o ab&s;olute a Slave unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> that it is a very wonder he can retain her as he doth: for excepting her liberty, there is nothing which &s;he may not ab&s;olutely command: &s;o that I can a&s;&s;ure you, he gives her no cau&s;e of any complaint, but only that he will not part with her: for my part, I have u&s;ed my be&s;t arguments to move him unto it: But his an&s;wers always were, that he could not: and though he never received other &s;atisfaction, then to prevent all Rivals from enjoying her: he would wander a|bout the world, until he found a &s;afe place of Retreat, and &s;ome potent Protector who was able to defend him. Oh Madam, (cryed <HI>Cyrus</HI> out) Certainly the Gods will never protect the Ravi&s;her of &s;o divine and innocent a Prince&s;s. The truth is, replied <HI>Panthea,</HI> we are but de&s;ervedly puni&s;hed for affording him any protection. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then &s;eemed more civil unto her, then before, and told her, that if he did not depend upon the power of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> he would immediately let her have her liberty: But &s;ince the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is concerned, and &s;ince the King her Husband had entered into league with her Ravi&s;her; he mu&s;t needs acquaint <HI>Ci|axeres</HI> with it before he relea&s;ed her: yet in the mean time he a&s;&s;ured her, &s;he &s;hould find all due ob&s;ervances rendred unto her. <HI>Panthea</HI> returned mo&s;t civil thanks, and both parted well &s;atisfied one with another: And indeed, it is no wonder, that two &s;o highly accompli&s;hed, &s;hould much e&s;teem of one another: for as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in all things tran&s;cendent, &s;o <HI>Panthea</HI> was a mo&s;t admirable Prince&s;s; her beauty was infinitely taking: It did much &s;urprize the eyes, and in&s;pire love; &s;he was of &s;o &s;weet a Maje&s;ty, and &s;o charming a mode&s;ty, that who&s;oever &s;aw her mu&s;t needs intere&s;t them&s;elves in her misfortunes; In the mean while <HI>Cyrus</HI> com|manded <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> to conduct her unto <HI>Artaxates,</HI> leaving him five hundred hor&s;es for that purpo&s;e: After which, taking hor&s;e with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> they made &s;uch ha&s;te, that in three days they came to <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> unto whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> did render an account of his voyage: from thence he went to wait upon the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> where <HI>Phraartes</HI> already was. <HI>Cy|rus</HI> did ask the Prince&s;s pardon for departing from her without bidding her adieu; a&s;&s;uring her, that for her &s;ake, he de&s;igned nothing but to deliver the Prince&s;s, and not to ruine the King her Brother: and &s;he told him her fears of receiving &s;ome &s;ad con&s;equents of his enter|prize. As <HI>Cyrus</HI> was with this Prince&s;s, news was brought him, that a Po&s;t came from <HI>Ecba|tan,</HI> which moved <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to go thither: There came al&s;o another the &s;ame day from <HI>Ario|bantes,</HI> who &s;ent him word, how he received intelligence, that <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> &s;ent to con&s;ult with &s;everal Oracles: and imployed in one and the &s;ame day men of much ingenuity and hone&s;ty, to go unto <HI>Delphos,</HI> to <HI>Dodona,</HI> to the Temple of <HI>Amphiaurus,</HI> to <HI>Antredes Triphon<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">us;</HI> to <HI>Brachides,</HI> which is upon the Frontiers of the <HI>Mile&s;ians:</HI> And into <HI>Africa,</HI> to the Tem|ple of <HI>Jupiter Ammon;</HI> to the end he might either be confirmed, or di&s;&s;waded from his in|tended de&s;igne: Mean while he rai&s;ed a pui&s;&s;ant Army, and &s;olicited his Allies to arm with him. This being the &s;tate of things, it was re&s;olved, that in con&s;ideration <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="194" REF="288">
his health very well, he &s;hould return unto <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and pacifie all troubles there: and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> with all his Army &s;hould march towards <HI>Lidia:</HI> as well to procure the liberty of <HI>Man|dana,</HI> who was carried unto <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> which <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> had conquered: as al&s;o to oppo&s;e the de&s;ignes of that Prince: Thus both ambition and love, being the legs of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he went with as much zeal as tho&s;e two violent pa&s;&s;ions could in&s;pire into a mo&s;t Heroick and amorous &s;oul. It was al&s;o re&s;olved upon, that to keep <HI>Abradates</HI> within the compa&s;s of rea&s;on, <HI>Panthea</HI> mu&s;t be retained, and conducted into <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> towards the Frontiers of <HI>Lidia:</HI> for certain intelligence was received, that this Prince had entered into league with <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> which did very &s;trongly confirm what <HI>Ortalques</HI> had related. Since the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> had no de&s;ires to remain in <HI>Armenia,</HI> becau&s;e of the Prince <HI>Phraartes:</HI> and &s;ince moreover, <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;ome hopes in her &s;olicitations with the King her Brother; he was very glad &s;he re&s;olved to go with the Queen of <HI>Panthea;</HI> who arrived at <HI>Artaxates</HI> as the&s;e re&s;olutions were fixed upon, and who was according to the de&s;ire of <HI>Mandana,</HI> treated with all po&s;&s;ible honours. And to that end <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> received new orders from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to have an extraordinary care of it: This Prince telling him with a &s;mile, which in &s;pight of his melancholy did appear in his eyes, that he could not more &s;afely tru&s;t the faire&s;t Queen in the world with any, better then with the mo&s;t in&s;en&s;ible man upon earth. The great &s;eparation was within two or three days after; for from that day <HI>Ciaxares</HI> prepared to return unto <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> with two thou&s;and men, among&s;t which was <HI>Megabi&s;es: Cyrus</HI> al&s;o, accompanied with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> the King of <HI>Phri|gia,</HI> the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the Princes which were in the Army, began to di&s;|encamp, and march towards <HI>Lidia,</HI> after he had &s;ubjected a Kingdom unto <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> The Prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> out of his affection to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and ingratitude for his &s;o generous leaving the Crown unto the King his Father, would needs follow him in this war: <HI>Phraarees</HI> al&s;o prompt|ed both by his genero&s;ity, and al&s;o his love to <HI>Araminta,</HI> would by no means &s;tay behind: &s;o that the providence of that Prince&s;s was ineffectual. However, to convey the Queen of <HI>Su&s;i|ana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pontus,</HI> more conveniently; <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> with five hundred hor&s;es did begin his journy the day before the Army: which was the rea&s;on why the me&s;&s;enger whom <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;ent, found not the Queen his wife at <HI>Artaxates,</HI> who was come thither to demand her: but he was an&s;wered, that a Prince who was allied unto the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> and who protected the Ravi&s;her of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> could not obtain any thing from thence. Before depar|ture, <HI>Cyrus</HI> went to bid adieu unto the Queen of <HI>Armenia,</HI> and to condole with the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;ila,</HI> in parting from her dear <HI>Tigranes.</HI> After this, having a thou&s;and benedictions from the King of <HI>Armenia,</HI> and ten thou&s;and applauds from the people <HI>Artaxates,</HI> he went to wait upon <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ome thirty furlongs on his way: This &s;eparation, was on every &s;ide mo&s;t tender. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;poke unto him concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> in &s;uch terms, as might let him know, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had as great a &s;hare in her as him&s;elf: and he conferred &s;uch an ab&s;olute power upon him, throughout all his Empire, that it could not be greater after his death. The King of <HI>Armenia</HI> did willingly pay the Tribute which was due, and offered four times more to detray the charges of this War, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> refu&s;ed it, contenting him&s;elf with that only which was due. Mean while, the remembrance of <HI>Madana</HI> was his, and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> only thoughts, during the March, and when they were forced to be together, they were always melancholy, wi&s;hing they were in private, and had the liberty to think of their divine Prince&s;s without interruption: They under&s;tood at their arrival in <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> that the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> and <HI>Harpagus,</HI> &s;tayed not there: but <HI>Ariobantes</HI> adding only tho&s;e forces which he then had unto tho&s;e which formerly were given him, he departed in all ha&s;te towards the Lower <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> love and ambition not permitting him to &s;tay for any new Levies.</P>
<P>Since <HI>Cyrus</HI> had nothing but <HI>Mandana</HI> in his mind, and &s;ince &s;he had written unto him, &s;he was going to <HI>Ephe&s;us;</HI> to clear him&s;elf of all doubts, he re&s;olved to &s;end <HI>Feraulas</HI> thither di&s;gui&s;ed, knowing he could not make choice of a man more ingenious, more di&s;creet, or fuller of affection to that imployment then he, and e&s;pecially &s;ince his dear <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was with <HI>Mar|dana,</HI> it was a double obligation upon him to endeavour the liberty of that Prince&s;s. He ac|cepted of that Commi&s;&s;ion with much joy; and while&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;tayed in <HI>Cappadocia</HI> a while, to refre&s;h his Troops, and to be better informed of the de&s;ignes of <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> he went towards <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> with one &s;ervant only. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> al&s;o &s;ent thither a very faithful and knowing man for the &s;ame purpo&s;e: Mean while <HI>Cyrus</HI> received intelligence from all parts, of great warlick preparations which was made at <HI>Sardis:</HI> But notwith&s;tanding all their in|telligence, and all their &s;ending, not a word was &s;poken concerning <HI>Mandana,</HI> neither any certainty what <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> intended: While&s;t he was in this dubious &s;u&s;pence, &s;ome told him, that
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the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> was earne&s;tly enquiring for him, becau&s;e there arrived that morning three &s;trangers unto his Tent, who brought him &s;ome news of great con&s;equence, at lea&s;t as they imagined, by his ge&s;ture, and manner of &s;peech: Pre&s;ently after that Prince came in, and as one who&s;e mind was full of great Concernments, Sir, &s;aid he unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> It is fit and ju&s;t I &s;peak concerning your intere&s;ts, before my own. And that I tell you, I have brought hither a man who &s;aw the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> land at <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> and who can a&s;&s;ure you, &s;he &s;afely pa&s;|&s;ed over all dangers at Sea. <HI>Cyrus</HI> tran&s;ported with joy to hear the name of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and to hear certainly where &s;he was, asked the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> where he was who brought the news? And that Prince cau&s;ing him to come near, (for he brought him with him) he pre&s;ented him un|to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who received him with &s;uch a &s;weetne&s;s, as did not only &s;ignifie his love to <HI>Man|dana,</HI> but his own natural civility to the man: This man who was a <HI>Grecian,</HI> and named <HI>So|&s;icles,</HI> being a man of good quality, and wit, an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus</HI> very re&s;pectively, and made an exact relation of all he knew: he told him that as he was at <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> he &s;aw a <HI>Cicilian</HI> Ship come in: That the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was in it; that he &s;aw him land, and lead the Prince&s;s <HI>Man|dana</HI> a&s;hore al&s;o; whom the Governour of <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> did lodg very magnificently: he told him further, that this Prince&s;s going unto the Temple of <HI>Diana,</HI> to perform her devotions there, had placed her &s;elf among&s;t the profe&s;&s;ed Nuns which dwelt there: that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> knowing of it u&s;ed all his endeavours to get her out from thence, but the people were &s;o much incen&s;ed at it, that they would not &s;uffer him: &s;o that he was forced to be contented with the favour of the Governour in placing very &s;trong and &s;trict Guards at all the Ports of the Town, and round about the Temple, until &s;uch time as orders was received from <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> unto whom he had already &s;ent: and that this was the condition of things when he came from <HI>Ephe&s;us. Cyrus</HI> asked <HI>So&s;icles</HI> a hundred more que&s;tions, after which, thanking him for the pains he took, he fell into private di&s;cour&s;e with the King of <HI>Phrigia;</HI> rejoycing that <HI>Feraulas</HI> would perhaps &s;end him &s;ome happy news, &s;ince he was certain to find the Prince&s;s there. Since &s;he was in a Maritine place, <HI>Cyrus</HI> dur&s;t not look with his Army that way, remembring the acci|dent at <HI>Sinope,</HI> but thought it much better to &s;tay until &s;he was at <HI>Sardis,</HI> there being great probability they would carry her thither; yet notwith&s;tanding his extream impatience to be nearer her, did almo&s;t make him alter re&s;olution, and to march that very hour. But the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> told him &s;omething which induced him to have three or four days patience: and in|deed they two &s;peaking low together, it appeared by the countenance of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that this Prince told him &s;omething which did extreamly &s;urprize him, and did infu&s;e both joy and hope. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> coming in, <HI>Cyrus</HI> out of his natural genero&s;ity to keep all his promi&s;es, told him all he knew concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and mo&s;t faithfully acquainted him with the &s;tate of things: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was wrapt into as high an etxta&s;ie of joy as he; But to do the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> right, and to wait upon that intelligence which he was to receive from him; before any thing was attempted, <HI>Cyrus</HI> told that Prince, he de&s;ired to know more of that accident which be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">el him, and which he would not tell of before; and that it was not ju&s;t he &s;hould hearken only unto things which related unto him&s;elf in particular, but al&s;o tho&s;e with reference unto him. The King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> told him, that <HI>So&s;icles</HI> &s;hould &s;atisfie him there|in when he plea&s;ed, and make him under&s;tand the cau&s;e of that Enterprize, the effects where|of he mu&s;t wait upon. After this <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> came to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to acquaint him, that the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> were the la&s;t night arrived at a little Village not above forty fu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">longs from the Camp. <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner knew this, but he &s;ent his complements unto them; and the next day he went him&s;elf, only with <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> and &s;ome few others, not car|rying the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> with him, becau&s;e his pa&s;&s;ion did but trouble <HI>Araminta.</HI> But &s;ince <HI>Panthea</HI> did not receive good re&s;t that la&s;t night, he only vi&s;ited the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> unto whom he rendred an account of the &s;tate of all things; knowing it would be mo&s;t joyful news unto her, if po&s;&s;ible a happy conclu&s;ion could be put unto the War without fighting with the King her Brother. But &s;ince &s;he did not well under&s;tand the intere&s;ts of all tho&s;e who &s;hould contrive the bu&s;ine&s;s; and de&s;ired to know the lives of two illu&s;trious Per&s;ons, who would be the foundation of it: therefore <HI>Cyrus</HI> to &s;atisfie tho&s;e de&s;ires, told her, that he would not be acquainted with it him&s;elf, but in her pre&s;ence; and therefore de&s;ired the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> to &s;end <HI>So&s;icles</HI> unto him, which immediately he did: he was no &s;ooner come, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> pre&s;enting him unto <HI>Araminta,</HI> Here Madam, &s;aid he unto her, is he who mu&s;t &s;atisfie both your curio&s;ity, and mine; and acquaint you with things which doubtle&s;s are not common: <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> &s;aid he, will tell you, and omit no circum&s;tance in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> life of a Prince&s;s, who&s;e name is as famous for her beauty and vertue, as her Lover is for his courage and &s;oul. After the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> had added her reque&s;ts unto tho&s;e of <HI>Cyrus, So&s;icles</HI> knowing very well
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that it much imported tho&s;e per&s;ons of whom he was to di&s;cour&s;e, that this Prince &s;hould affect and protect them, did joyfully obey, and began his di&s;cour&s;e thus, addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of the Prince&s;s <HI>PALMIS,</HI> and <HI>CLEANDER.</HI></HEAD>
<P>PErhaps you will wonder, Madam, that a <HI>Grecian</HI> &s;hould preci&s;ely know all the intere&s;ts of the <HI>Lidian</HI> Court: But when I &s;hall have told you, that I was brought thither at ten years of age, and had the honour to be educated in the hou&s;e of <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> among&s;t the Princes, his children, your wonder will vani&s;h, and I become more credible. But for the better un|der&s;tanding of what I &s;hall relate, I mu&s;t acquaint you, that my Father by Nation, was of the I&s;le of <HI>Delphos,</HI> &s;o famous for the renowned Temple of <HI>Apollo,</HI> though his Predece&s;&s;ours were originally of <HI>Sardis,</HI> and one of the chiefe&s;t Families in the Town: But the mutability of Fate be&s;towing upon them a con&s;iderable &s;ub&s;i&s;tence at <HI>Delphos,</HI> they have re&s;ided there ever &s;ince; and my father lived there in a flouri&s;hing quality, when a de&s;ire to &s;ee the Countrey of his Ance&s;tours, moved him to go unto <HI>Sardis.</HI> Doubtle&s;s you will think it &s;trange, I &s;hould u&s;her in my relation of the Adventures of a great Prince&s;s, which things yet &s;eem imperti|nent: But yet I mu&s;t tell you, that if my father had not gone to <HI>Sardis,</HI> nothing of what I &s;hall tell, had ever come to pa&s;s: therefore there was an ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity of knowing what I related: one morning then when he was at <HI>Delphos,</HI> walking by the Sea &s;ide, upon a Tarra&s;s in his Garden behind his hou&s;e; and delighting to look upon all tho&s;e I&s;lands which inviron that of <HI>Delphos,</HI> and which by rea&s;on of their &s;cituation, are called the I&s;les of <HI>Cyclades:</HI> he di&s;covered a Barck, which floated gentle upon the waves, wherein appeared none but a wo|man, who endeavoured to guide it, but could not; for my father perceived that this Barck went one way, and &s;he did &s;trive with all her power to make it go the other: Both curio&s;ity and compa&s;&s;ion moving him to &s;ee a woman &s;o extreamly puzzled, he got &s;ome Mariners who were near that place in a Boat, to go and &s;ee who it was; which they did, and indeed found none in it but that woman which my father &s;aw; and at her feet, in a Cloth of Gold Mantle, a mo&s;t admirable fair child about three years of age, who without any cares for its lamenta|ble condition of fortune, &s;miled upon the Mariners, as &s;oon as they came near it. The extraor|dinary beauty of this child, and its mo&s;t plea&s;ing features, moved tho&s;e dull &s;ots to conduct that Barck whither &s;he who was in it did de&s;ire; and looking upon the woman who held the Rudder, they asked her from whence &s;he came, and whither &s;he would go? but they were much amazed to find that &s;he was dumb, and could do nothing but &s;hew them <HI>Delphos</HI> with her hand, as who &s;hould &s;ay, there it is, I de&s;ire to be carried. Since it was my father who &s;ent them out, in lieu of going to the Port, they came to the foot of the Tarra&s;s, where he was walking, and where there was &s;tairs, by which one might go into the Sea: This woman who was very old, was at the fir&s;t much troubled to &s;ee they did not carry her unto the place where &s;he de&s;ired, but coming nearer, and &s;eeming by my fathers Garb, how he was not like one that would wrong the child, &s;he was well &s;atisfied, and made an hundred &s;ignes of God knows what, &s;eeming as if &s;he had much to &s;ay: &s;ometimes &s;he &s;hewed the child: &s;ometimes did lift up her hands and eyes to Heaven, and neither being under&s;tood, nor under|&s;tanding what was &s;aid unto her, &s;he moved extream compa&s;&s;ion: &s;he &s;hewed unto my fa|ther a paper, in which was written in Greek, in a very bad Character, and no better Orthogra|phy,<LB>
<HI>This Child is recommended unto that God, which is adored at <HI>Delphos.</HI></HI><LB></P>
<P>My Father &s;eeing this child &s;o fair, &s;o amiable, and young; and &s;eeing al&s;o the woman &s;o &s;ad, and &s;eeming without any other de&s;igne, but to leave it unto the providence of the Gods, and &s;eeing &s;he had no &s;ub&s;i&s;tence for this child, and her &s;elf, he re&s;olved to pity and take care of both: This Mute al&s;o &s;hewed him a Picture of one mo&s;t admirable fair; dre&s;&s;ed, as <HI>Venus</HI> is u&s;ed to be, &s;ometimes lying upon a bed of Ro&s;es, with this difference yet, that &s;he was co|vered with a glorious Mantle, and &s;hewed no lower then her bre&s;ts naked: clo&s;e by her was <HI>Cupid</HI> pre&s;ented with his Quiver and Arrows: under all were the&s;e two ver&s;es written,</P>
<LG>
<L>The Mothers eyes does deeper wound all hearts,</L>
<L>Then <HI>Cupid</HI> can, with all his bows, and darts.</L>
</LG>
<P>This dumb woman, &s;hewing this Picture to my father, made &s;ignes for him to keep it carefully: yet he no &s;ooner viewed it, but he ob&s;erved that the <HI>Cupid</HI> there repre&s;ented, was
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the Picture of the Child which was in the Boat; &s;o that when he had read the in&s;cription, he concluded the <HI>Venus</HI> there pictured was the Mother of it; and that the picture was not a meer phan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;m: &s;o that conceiving &s;omething extraordinary in the adventure, and compa&s;&s;ion al&s;o tender in his heart, he made &s;ignes unto the woman, that if &s;he would dwell in the hou&s;e with this child, he would take care for it, and her; and &s;ince &s;he knew no better cour&s;e, &s;he con|&s;ented unto it. Since my father was a Widdower, and had no children but my &s;elf, he took this child as a companion for me, for at that time I was but five years of age. He then took this woman, and this child into his hou&s;e, and di&s;mi&s;&s;ed the Mariners, who had the Bark for their pains. Mean while, my father endeavoured to di&s;cover the truth of this adventure, but could be no better &s;atisfied: for the more &s;ignes this woman made, the le&s;s he under&s;tood her: he carefully locked up the Picture and Letter which this woman gave him, and put the Cloth of gold Mantle in a place where it might be &s;afely kept, giving her others in lieu of them, and ho|ping that hereafter the&s;e things might come to knowledg: he carefully ob&s;erved the prattle of this child, who already began to pronounce &s;ome words, yet he could not collect any thing which might lead him to the knowledg of his Countrey. A while after this mute woman died, recommending this child unto my father by &s;o many &s;ad &s;ignes, and tears, that he re&s;olved to have as much care of him, as of me: &s;ince he imagined that the Barck in which the child was found, con&s;idering the &s;hape of it, did belong unto &s;ome of the <HI>Cycladean</HI> I&s;les, he &s;ent it oft thither in hopes to di&s;cover unto whom it belonged: but &s;ince there was &s;o many of them, it was no ea&s;ie matter to make an exact &s;earch: he divulged it among the Merchants which tra|ded at <HI>Delphos,</HI> and enquired all of every one, but all in vain. Mean while, not knowing the name of this child, he called it by a name which he loved very well, which was <HI>Cleander,</HI> having a Son died a little before, who was of the &s;ame. I will not trouble you with relation of my fathers tender care over this <HI>Cleander,</HI> whom indeed he loved as well as me: but give me leave to tell you, that &s;ince this uncoth child was recommended unto the God which was adored at <HI>Delphos,</HI> who is the God of all Sciences, my father cau&s;ed him to be educated in all Arts that <HI>Apollo</HI> him&s;elf could teach. So that certainly this child became an ab&s;olute Prodigie; and &s;ince his fifth year, there was not a &s;tranger which came to <HI>Delphos,</HI> who was not mo&s;t inqui&s;itive after this young <HI>Cleander.</HI> For be&s;ides his admirable beauty, he was owner of &s;uch <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> va&s;t memory, and &s;harp wit, that he pa&s;&s;ed for a miracle. All this while we lived together like brothers; my father, as I told you, making no difference between him and me, telling eve|ry one he di&s;cour&s;ed with him, that both of us were given unto him by the Gods, and there|fore he ought not to make a di&s;tinction between us: <HI>Cleander</HI> might then be about eight years <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ld, and I ten, when there was found in the earth an old plate of Copper, on which was en|graved an ancient prophecy, which &s;peaking to <HI>Jupiter,</HI> &s;aid,<LB>
<HI>I &s;hall make <HI>Delphos</HI> &s;hake, as immoveable as it is.</HI><LB></P>
<P>Then Madam, que&s;tionle&s;s you know, that every one conceived this I&s;land was a long time overflown with waters; and that they believed it never to be firm land, but &s;ince <HI>Latona</HI> did <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e in there of <HI>Apollo,</HI> and <HI>Diana:</HI> &s;o that this Prophecy made all the people believe, this I&s;le <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ould be overflowed again as at fir&s;t; and many Inhabitants thought to di&s;&s;ert the Countrey: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y father u&s;ed his be&s;t endeavours to per&s;wade the minds of men to the contrary, but could <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">t! and it was above a whole year, before this terrour could be di&s;&s;ipated.</P>
<P>Since at that time, there arrived at <HI>Delphos,</HI> an Emba&s;&s;adour from <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> who came to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ing offerings unto the Temple of <HI>Apollo:</HI> and &s;ince my father who&s;e name was <HI>Timocreon,</HI> received Letters by &s;ome of his Train, from &s;ome of his Cou&s;ins, who dwelt at <HI>Sardis,</HI> as invi|ting him thither, he re&s;olved to go thither with this Emba&s;&s;adour, as well to &s;atisfie his earne&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ires of &s;eeing the ancient Countrey of his Predece&s;&s;ours, as to di&s;&s;ipate tho&s;e fears cut of the habitants of <HI>Delphos,</HI> which had &s;pread almo&s;t throughout all the I&s;les of <HI>Cyclades:</HI> and de|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ing the favour of pa&s;&s;age from this Emba&s;&s;adours of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Menaceus,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e embarqued in his Ship. During this Navigation, a great League of friend&s;hip grew between <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">y father, and this Emba&s;&s;adour: for certainly, (if it be lawful for me to &s;ay as much of him who gave me life) <HI>Timocreon,</HI> was no common man. But the wonder was, that <HI>Menaceus</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nd &s;uch charms in the beauty of young <HI>Cleander,</HI> that he would never &s;uffer him to be out &s;ight: and he only was all the diver&s;ion of the voyage: At the fir&s;t, <HI>Menaceus</HI> took us both <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> brothers, but my father undeceiving him, and relating how he came to him, his admiration is the higher, and he could not &s;ufficiently wonder at the divine Providence in many acc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">us: And &s;ince naturally the minds of men do mo&s;t affect &s;trange and new things, <HI>Menaceus</HI>
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loved <HI>Cleander</HI> more then he did before he knew the manner of his coming to <HI>Delphos.</HI> When we landed at a Town in <HI>Ionia,</HI> where this Emba&s;&s;adour had occa&s;ions we went afterwards by land to <HI>Sardis,</HI> where my father was received by his Allies with all po&s;&s;ible civility, and te&s;timonies of joy: The next morning, after our fir&s;t arrival, <HI>Menaceus</HI> &s;ent my father word, that the King would have him come to Court, and to bring <HI>Cleander,</HI> and me with him. But Madam, before I further wade into my recital, it is expedient I acquaint you in what conditi|on the Court of <HI>Lidia</HI> was at that time: Be plea&s;ed therefore to know, that <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> had two brothers, the one called <HI>Antaleon,</HI> and the other <HI>Mexaris,</HI> who both were yet but young: Moreover, this Prince had two &s;ons, and one daughter, the elde&s;t called <HI>Atis,</HI> &s;ome eleven or twelve years of age; the &s;econd was dumb, and called <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> about nine or ten years old: and the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> his daughter about five or &s;ix years of age; but yet already a very miracle of beauty. Since the Court had but newly left off their mourning for the Queen of <HI>Lidia,</HI> it was long &s;ince any publick Diver&s;ions were u&s;ed, only a Hor&s;e-race that &s;ame day <HI>Menaceus</HI> pre&s;ented my father unto the King, and brought me al&s;o with <HI>Cleander</HI> unto him. Since que&s;tionle&s;s, you Madam, are not ignorant of the immen&s;e riches of <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> not of all his va&s;t magnificence; I &s;hall not relate unto you the &s;umptuo&s;ity of his Pallace: let me only tell you, that <HI>Cleander</HI> and I being of that age, when all that gli&s;ters in the eye plea&s;eth the mind, we were extreamly charmed with the &s;ight of &s;o much Gold, and &s;o va&s;t a Riches, as we &s;aw in all the Chambers through which we pa&s;&s;ed. <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> at the very fir&s;t was ravi&s;hed with the beauty of <HI>Cleander,</HI> his Grace, and his boldne&s;s, but much more of tho&s;e plea&s;ing an&s;wers he returned unto all que&s;tions: for when <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> asked him, what he thought of his Palace? This bold and ingenious child an&s;wered, that he thought it beautiful enough for a Temple, but much too beautiful for a hou&s;e, &s;ince he conceived it not ju&s;t that <HI>Apollo</HI> whom they wor&s;hipped at <HI>Delphos</HI> as a God, &s;hould not have &s;o much gold as he had who was but a man, unle&s;s it were &s;o, that you had more vertues and more power then <HI>Apollo</HI> had. This an&s;wer &s;o amazed <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> that he had him come nearer him, and he carried him into a Gallery, out of which he might &s;ee the Hor&s;e-race in a great Plain under it, in which was all the glory of the Court, the young Prince&s;s, and al&s;o the little Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> whom <HI>Cleander</HI> eyed very attentively. Mean while, <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> being much delighted with the an&s;wers of <HI>Cleander,</HI> asked him an hundred que&s;tions, and among&s;t the re&s;t, whether he took delight in &s;eeing this hor&s;e-race? To which he an&s;wered, that he &s;hould take more plea&s;ure in riding him&s;elf, then looking on. But, &s;aid <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> unto him, what would you do with the prize, if you won it? and what on the contrary would you do, if you did not win it? If I lo&s;t it (&s;aid he without pau&s;ing) I would even die for anger, and if I won it, I would pre&s;ent it unto the Prince&s;s, your fair daughter, who &s;tands by you. To be &s;hort, Madam, what &s;hould I &s;ay? <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;o plea&s;ed the King. that it was his plea&s;ure both he and I &s;hould continue with the Princes his children, and al&s;o knowing the abilities of my father, he would needs engage him in his &s;ervice. So that he was induced to give order for tran&s;portation of all his portable e&s;tate from <HI>Delphos,</HI> to <HI>Sardis,</HI> and to &s;et up his re&s;t in <HI>Lidia.</HI></P>
<P>To relate unto you Madam, the childi&s;h years of <HI>Cleanders</HI> life, would but abu&s;e your pati|ence, and would lo&s;e time which would be better imployed in relating his hero<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">que acts: yet let me &s;ay thus much for his infancy; that never any did imploy it better then he, nor more im|proved him&s;elf in all exerci&s;e of body, or Arts of mind, wit, and judgment. The Prince <HI>Atis,</HI> unto who&s;e &s;ervice he was particularly devoted, and who certainly was one of the &s;weete&s;t Princes in the world, did love him with mo&s;t extraordinary tenderne&s;s: And the Prince <HI>Myr|&s;iles,</HI> though dumb, yet expre&s;&s;ed all &s;ignes of po&s;&s;ible affection that could be wi&s;hed: for Ma|dam, this imperfection did not proceed from any defect in the ear, but tongue, and he did un|der&s;tand every thing which was &s;poken, it was not impo&s;&s;ible he &s;hould expre&s;s an affection unto <HI>Cleander.</HI> But though <HI>Atys</HI> and <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> were both mo&s;t admirably hand&s;om, yet it mu&s;t needs be confe&s;&s;ed that <HI>Cleander</HI> had a kind of air in his countenance above them: and though he &s;eemed to be below them both in his quality, yet his phy&s;iognomie &s;poke him much above them both. In a very &s;hort time he got the love of the people: the admiration of all com|pleat men, the inclinations of all the Ladies; the favour of the Princes, of the Prince&s;s, and of the King: But that which was ob&s;erved mo&s;t admirable in <HI>Cleander,</HI> was, that he &s;eemed to be infinitely above all his greate&s;t favours, not in &s;corning, but in u&s;ing them well, and not &s;eek|ing for them by any ba&s;e and unworthy wayes, he enjoyed them without all pride or vanity and al&s;o did impart them unto &s;uch as were meritorious, with as much generous liberality, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> if he had been a King. In the infancy of his illu&s;trious &s;ervitude, as oft as <HI>Cleander</HI> went from the Princes upon any complement unto the young Prince&s;s their Si&s;ter: This little fa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">
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asked him an hundred que&s;tions: &s;ometimes whether he was not weary of <HI>Sardis;</HI> &s;ometimes whether the Temple of <HI>Delphos</HI> was more magnificent then tho&s;e he &s;aw in <HI>Lidia;</HI> and by many other pretty que&s;tions, &s;o as it was ea&s;ily ob&s;erved that <HI>Cleander</HI> plea&s;ed this young Prince&s;s: for when the&s;e Princes &s;ent any others which were educated with them, &s;he on|ly returned an&s;wer unto the me&s;&s;age brought her, without holding any long conver&s;e; though it is true, that &s;eldome any but he was imployed upon &s;uch bu&s;ine&s;s, for when he &s;aw any &s;uch de&s;igned, he would de&s;ire the honour of the &s;ervice, in&s;omuch as he &s;aw her almo&s;t every day: The great di&s;proportion of years between <HI>Cleander</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> was the rea&s;on that her Governe&s;s permitted her to &s;peak longer with him, then any other: &s;o that as long as Infancy la&s;ted, he was the mo&s;t happy in the world, &s;ince nothing did oppo&s;e his de|lights. Thus did we live until his &s;ixteenth year, when &s;ome Subjects of <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> began to rebel, &s;o that now we went to War, wherein <HI>Cleander</HI> did things beyond belief of all but the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who knows it not impo&s;&s;ible to be both young and gallant: So that <HI>Cleander</HI> appeared &s;o high in the eyes of all the Army, that every one no le&s;s extolled his cou|rage, then before they did his beauty, wit and hand&s;omne&s;s: He received a &s;light wound upon the left arm, in a&s;&s;aulting an enemy as he was &s;triking at the King, which accident did double the favour of <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> towards him: &s;o that when we had &s;ubdued the Rebels, and returned un|to <HI>Sardis, Cleander</HI> was no longer looked upon as a pretty child, but as a compleat and gal|lant man: for though he was very young, yet &s;ince as much wi&s;dom, judgment and di&s;cretion appeared in him, as in all rea&s;on could po&s;&s;ibly be expected from his age, he was not dealt with as others who fir&s;t go into the world, but on the contrary at our return from the field, the young <HI>Cleander</HI> was treated as a man of high and exact Rea&s;on: the Prince&s;s her &s;elf, who then was thirteen years of age, began to hold di&s;cour&s;e with him in a more re&s;erved way, and le&s;s familiarity, though always with the &s;ame &s;weetne&s;s. At the &s;ame time the Prince <HI>Atys,</HI> who then was about nineteen years old, fell in love with a Lady in Court called <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> and &s;ince <HI>Cleander</HI> was his deare&s;t Favorite, he made him the only Confident of his pa&s;&s;ion, di&s;co|vering the very bottom of his heart unto him. This Lady was without di&s;pute mo&s;t fair, but her condition was &s;o much inferior to the quality of a <HI>Lidian</HI> Prince, that he imagined <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> would not approve of his open profe&s;&s;ion to love her. Therefore he endeavored to di&s;gui&s;e his thoughts, and to appear both more civil and more courtly to all Ladies in general, that thereby he might conceal his true affection from his father: <HI>Cleander</HI> then was for a while much troubled about it, but yet that bu&s;ine&s;s was not his greate&s;t torment: for Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that at the Kings return unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lidia</HI> appeared &s;o ad|mirably fair in the eyes of <HI>Cleander,</HI> that &s;he charmed him anew, for certainly had he never &s;een her before, he could not have been more &s;urprized: and indeed there was rea&s;on for it, &s;ince during the ten Months which the War la&s;ted, her beauty was &s;o prodigiou&s;ly improved, that all the people were forced to acknowledg, never eyes did &s;ee &s;o perfect a beauty: &s;ince therefore &s;he had no le&s;s &s;pirit then beauty, it is no wonder if the Soul of <HI>Cleander</HI> was not able to re&s;i&s;t a pa&s;&s;ion which had &s;o moving a cau&s;e; and indeed it was &s;o high, that he began to love without hope, and love did &s;o ab&s;olutely command his heart, that it was impo&s;sible for him to re&s;i&s;t. At the &s;ame time there was a Prince at <HI>Sardis,</HI> named <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> who was in love al&s;o with the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> but his pa&s;sion was &s;tuffed with ambitious thoughts. Thus it may be &s;aid that Love did take his original from the Wars: for at our return from it, the Court did put on another face, and nothing but Fea&s;ts and Gallantry were &s;een in it, which for a certain time did render it mo&s;t delightful: but towards the end of Winter, a fre&s;h War was talked on again&s;t the <HI>Mi&s;&s;cans;</HI> and the Spring no &s;ooner budded forth but <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> took the field: An entire Summer was &s;pent in two Sieges, and two Battels; wherein <HI>Cleander</HI> did &s;o eminently carry him&s;elf, that as he went from <HI>Sardis</HI> only a Voluntier, &s;o he returned Lievte|nant General under the Prince <HI>Atys,</HI> who commanded the Army, towards the end of the year, in the ab&s;ence of <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> whom &s;ome indi&s;po&s;ition of body moved to leave the field: I un|der&s;tood &s;ince by one who belonged unto the Prince&s;s, and who was my Cou&s;in, that &s;he was much joyed at the good fortune of <HI>Cleander;</HI> telling every one that &s;he always fore&s;aw he was no ordinary man: After then the <HI>Mi&s;&s;eans,</HI> the <HI>Chalibes,</HI> and the <HI>Mariandines</HI> were van|qui&s;hed, we returned again to <HI>Sardis,</HI> where <HI>Cleander</HI> began again to be looked upon with other eyes: For though he was the very &s;ame he was before, yet according to the common weakne&s;s of almo&s;t all men who put a difference between virtue unfortunate, and vertue in pro&s;perity, not only the heard of people, but al&s;o men of parts lived with him after another manner: and he him&s;elf al&s;o did lead another cour&s;e of life, for &s;ince he was every day fa&s;ter in the fetters of Love, becau&s;e the Prince&s;s every day became more fair and amiable, therefore he
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was much more melancholy. Since I did plainly perceive this melancholy alteration, and &s;aw no rea&s;onable cau&s;e for it, I de&s;ired him to acquaint me with it: I took this freedom upon me, becau&s;e the alteration in his fortune having no influence upon his heart, he loved me as well as he did before; yet notwith&s;tanding he would not open him&s;elf unto me as I de&s;ired him: &s;orrow mu&s;t extreamly &s;ad his Soul, before he can confe&s;s he loved, and loved the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis;</HI> and then all came out: I did extreamly chide him for entertaining a pa&s;sion, which in all rea&s;on would never permit him any hopes, con&s;idering he was ignorant of his original: I u&s;ed all my endeavors to cure him of that di&s;ea&s;e, which plea&s;ed him, though it did extreamly torment him: I told him a hundred times, that &s;ince if he plea&s;ed he might be happy, it were meer madne&s;s, voluntarily to render him&s;elf mi&s;erable: But though he acknowledged I had good rea&s;on for what I &s;aid, yet he could do no otherwi&s;e, and in lieu of re&s;i&s;ting his love with violence, he cheri&s;hed it with care: For he &s;aw the Prince&s;s as oft as he could po&s;&s;ible; and di&s;cour&s;ed with her upon all occa&s;ions; he rendered her all the &s;ervices he could devi&s;e; and fettering him&s;elf, he groaned under the weight of his chains, not daring openly to complain; and though he was very happy in appearance, yet he was in reality mo&s;t mi&s;erable: for when he con&s;idered, that he knew not what him&s;elf was, and for ought he &s;aw never &s;hould, his melancholy became &s;o in&s;upportable, that he was not Ma&s;ter of his own rea&s;on, and related &s;uch a mi&s;erable &s;tory of him&s;elf, that I was no le&s;s grieved then him&s;elf. In the mean while the Prince <HI>Atys,</HI> who&s;e quality was not le&s;s con&s;iderable with the fair <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> then his merit and affection, was &s;o kindly treated, that a mo&s;t great League of Amity grew betwixt them; and his greate&s;t care was to hide this &s;ecret Corre&s;pondency, not only from the eyes of <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> but al&s;o from all the Court. This Prince conceiving he had an ab&s;olute power over the mind of <HI>Cleander,</HI> did think the be&s;t way to deceive all the world was to move him to counterfeit being in love with <HI>Anaxilea:</HI> So that &s;ending one morning for him, and entertaining him in private, My dear <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;aid he unto him, I can never be happy without you; and unle&s;s you help to hide my real pa&s;sion, by your &s;eeming to love <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> I &s;hall never be able to hide my hap|pine&s;s, which you know will be ruined as &s;oon as di&s;covered: Therefore I conjure you, to court her as if you were de&s;perately in love; and &s;o that all the Court may beleeve it: which if you do (&s;aid he and embraced him) I &s;hall be the mo&s;t happy man alive: for not only all the Court will ea&s;ily beleeve, that my thoughts are not upon her; but the King, and the Prince&s;s my &s;i&s;ter, will beleeve you to be in love with her: So that in de&s;iring this office from you which will be honorable, I hope you will not deny it: If you were in love with any, then I &s;hould not de&s;ire you to undertake it; but &s;ince I could never ob&s;erve you engaged unto any in the Court, I &s;hall not doubt of this favor. Sir (replyed <HI>Cleander</HI> in a wonder at the Prince's words) I am &s;o bad a di&s;&s;embler of my own thoughts, that I am afraid I &s;hall di&s;cover in lieu of concealing yours: and how do you think (&s;aid he hoping to turn it into a Rallary) that a man whom your&s;elf &s;ays never was in love, &s;hould ea&s;ily per&s;wade others that he is &s;o: be|leeve me Sir, to beget &s;uch an opinion, it were requi&s;ite to te&s;tifie the being &s;o upon other oc|ca&s;ions, and I do not think there is a man in the world &s;o very unfit for this employment as my &s;elf. You have &s;o much ingenuity and eloquence, replyed the Prince of <HI>Lidia,</HI> that you would act it mo&s;t admirably well: for the truth is, there is nothing requi&s;ite, but to di&s;cour&s;e often with <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> principally when much company, and when the Prince&s;s my &s;i&s;ter is pre&s;ent: &s;ince her &s;ociety is very plea&s;ant, and &s;ince you will di&s;cour&s;e of my Love who loves you, I hope you will not be weary of her conver&s;ation. But my dear <HI>Cleander,</HI> to the end it may the &s;ooner be divulged, and come quickly unto the Kings ear, I be&s;eech you let my Si&s;ter perceive as &s;oon as po&s;&s;ible you can your addre&s;&s;es unto <HI>Anaxilea. Cleander</HI> blu&s;hed at the Prince's words, and &s;peaking more &s;eriou&s;ly then he did before, I know Sir, you are not ignorant (&s;aid he unto him) that I would with joy dye to do you any &s;ervice, when&s;oever any occa&s;ion pre|&s;ents it &s;elf; but i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> I may without any crime or offence &s;ay it, I do not think I am able to per|form what you de&s;ire of me. Why <HI>Cleander,</HI> replyed the Prince in a little amazement, can you not for my &s;ake di&s;cour&s;e often with the faire&s;t Lady in the world? Is it becau&s;e you are afraid to be fettered with the chains of Love? No Sir, an&s;wered he, my re&s;pects which I owe you, would prevent that danger: But I have &s;o &s;trong an aver&s;ion again&s;t any di&s;&s;imulation, that if I &s;hould undertake it, I am per&s;waded I &s;hould do it very ill. However, try, replyed the Prince, unle&s;s you will lo&s;e me, or at lea&s;t tell me ingenuiou&s;ly your true rea&s;on why you will not; for &s;ince I am fully per&s;waded you love me, and knowing you to be of no phanta&s;tical humor, there mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily be &s;ome &s;ecret cau&s;e which moves you to deny me this favour. Truly Sir, replyed <HI>Cleander,</HI> I have no other excu&s;e then what I have already told you. Was I not much mi&s;taken, &s;aid the Prince, when I thought you loved no body? and is there not
<PB N="201" REF="291">
&s;ome Beauty or other whom you love, and fear to make jealous? If it be &s;o, &s;aid he, tell me &s;in|cerely: for if you be upon &s;uch terms with her as to tru&s;t her with a &s;ecret, I will con&s;ent you &s;hall acquaint her with mine, and &s;o by that cour&s;e you may colour your own pa&s;sion as well as mine: for I make no que&s;tion, but if you love any it is &s;uch a one as hath a rea&s;onable Soul, and will be per&s;waded unto that toleration: But if you be not upon &s;uch terms with her unto whom you are devoted, then tell me as much &s;incerely, and I have done. <HI>Cleander</HI> then was extreamly non-plu&s;t; and if &s;ome had not come in which broke off this crabbed conver&s;ation, I know not how he would have an&s;wered &s;uch pre&s;&s;ing que&s;tions, without vexation to the Soul of the <HI>Lidian</HI> Prince. But <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> coming in upon a vi&s;it, <HI>Cleander</HI> had &s;ome time to think upon an an&s;wer, e&s;pecially &s;ince the prince <HI>Atys</HI> had not any lea&s;ure all that day to revive the di&s;cour&s;e: &s;o that <HI>Cleander</HI> looking me out, and carrying me to walk in the Palace Gar|dens, he acquainted me with all the pa&s;&s;age; and de&s;cribed his vexation of Soul, while&s;t he was di&s;cour&s;ing with the Prince of <HI>Lidia,</HI> in &s;uch &s;ad expre&s;&s;ions, that my Soul al&s;o was much &s;added in his behalf: For con&s;ider, &s;aid he, the cro&s;&s;ne&s;s of this adventure, that I &s;hould pa&s;|&s;ionately be in love with one to whom I dare not &s;hew the lea&s;t &s;ign of my affection, and al&s;o that I &s;hould be required to expre&s;s a thou&s;and te&s;timonies of affection unto one whom I love not: And that which is the mo&s;t odd of all is, that I mu&s;t do this, to the end that &s;he whom I adore, &s;hould think I am in love with her with whom I love not; and one whom he who puts me upon it would oever have me love: Ah Fortune, cryed he out, is it not mi&s;ery enough to love a Prince&s;s, whom I dare not acquaint with my affection, but that I my &s;elf mu&s;t per&s;wade her that I love another. Since it is &s;o, replyed I, that you dare not acquaint her with your pa&s;&s;ion, and in all likelyhood never will, I conceive it need not much trouble you what ever &s;he thinks of you. Ah <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> &s;aid he, certainly you know not what love is: for you mu&s;t know, that though a captivated and amorous Slave do love a Queen, he loves her yet with this incontinent wi&s;h, that &s;he &s;hould gue&s;s at his pa&s;&s;ion: and &s;ince I mu&s;t di&s;cover the very bottom of my heart unto you, this, my dear <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> is the very period of all my de&s;ires. I know very well (continued <HI>Cleander)</HI> that unle&s;s I ab&s;olutely lo&s;e my Rea&s;on, I never ought to acquaint <HI>Palmis</HI> with my Love, yet I know al&s;o that unle&s;s &s;he lo&s;e the &s;ight of me, &s;he mu&s;t needs in time gue&s;s at my thoughts: which if once &s;he did, my dear <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> I &s;hould think my &s;elf mo&s;t happy; and yet it is de&s;ired by this, that I my &s;elf &s;hould be the only ob&s;tacle unto my chief felicity: for how &s;hould ever the Prince&s;s gue&s;s at my love of her, if &s;he think me in love with <HI>Anaxilea?</HI> Ha, no, no; I cannot obey the Prince; and though I &s;hould pro|mi&s;e him, yet I am not able to keep my word. But, &s;aid I unto him, do you not con&s;ider that if you &s;hould incen&s;e him, he is brother unto the prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and not acquainting her with the true cau&s;e of his complaint again&s;t you, perhaps he will &s;peak unto her in your di&s;ad|vantage? What would you have me do? an&s;wered he. I would confe&s;s unto the Prince (&s;aid I unto him) that I am in love, and never name with whom. But, replyed he, do you not ap|prehend &s;ome fears that <HI>Atys</HI> would di&s;cover that pa&s;&s;ion, which I de&s;ire the prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> &s;hould gue&s;s at? As long as you conceal the name of her you love, &s;aid I, you hazard nothing. I &s;hall hazard all, replyed he, for con&s;idering the manner how I adore this Beauty, I &s;hall no &s;ooner confe&s;s that I am in love, but &s;hame will blu&s;h the &s;ecret in my face; and will, in &s;pite of my re&s;olution, let him &s;ee the image of my adored <HI>Palmis</HI> imprinted on my heart: For the Prince knows by his own experience, that one may love one below him&s;elf, and may as ea&s;ily think it po&s;&s;ible for one to love above ones quality as below it. Moreover, would it not high|ly offend him, that I &s;hould conceal my love from him, who &s;o very confidently di&s;covered his to me? In a word, what&s;oever I know, me thinks, he ought to know it al&s;o, and to tru&s;t him but by halves, &s;eems dangerous unto me. Then, &s;aid I unto him, I would play a little fal&s;e with him, and name &s;ome other Lady in the Court. Then <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> an&s;wered he, how can the Prince think I love that Lady, when he &s;ees I never talk with her? and if I &s;hould often talk with her, how &s;hould the Prince&s;s ever imagine that I love her? After much debating upon this odd adventure, we parted without re&s;olving upon any thing: and the next morning <HI>Cleander</HI> was as far to &s;eek for an an&s;wer unto the Prince, as if he had not any time of preparation for it. So that &s;ince <HI>Atys</HI> could not penetrate into the depth of <HI>Cleanders</HI> heart, he grew angry that he could not move him to act as he de&s;ired; not but that <HI>Cleander</HI> u&s;ed the mo&s;t tender expre&s;&s;ions to excu&s;e him&s;elf: yet &s;ince he &s;aw he was in love, and would not impart it to him, he took this refu&s;al very unkindly, and valued not his verbal excu&s;es. <HI>Atys</HI> then would pre&s;s him no further, but kept at a di&s;tance, and treated him much more coldly then ordinary, &s;o that it became the Court di&s;cour&s;e. Since the prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> did very much e&s;teem <HI>Cle|ander,</HI> &s;he asked the prince her brother the rea&s;on of this change; but he gave her &s;uch am|biguous
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an&s;wers, that &s;he could not comprehend the cau&s;e: So that <HI>Cleander</HI> coming to her about an hour after, &s;he did &s;o pre&s;s him to tell her what was the bu&s;ine&s;s between the prince and him, and that &s;o urgently, as he was no le&s;s puzzled for an an&s;wer to <HI>Palmis,</HI> then he was to the prince of <HI>Lidia;</HI> he told her that he knew not the cau&s;e of his di&s;grace, but contented him&s;elf with being certain he never failed in any due re&s;pects unto that Prince: yet was &s;he far un&s;atisfied with this an&s;wer: The bu&s;ine&s;s went &s;o far that <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> heard of it, and asked the prince his &s;on, why there was a greater di&s;tance between him and <HI>Cleander</HI> then formerly?</P>
<P>The Prince making no an&s;wer unto this que&s;tion, becau&s;e he dur&s;t not acquaint him with the cau&s;e, <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> did read him a long Lecture again&s;t the incon&s;tancy of them, who alter their opinions upon cau&s;le&s;s grounds, commanding him not to continue any longer at a di&s;tance with him. However it chanced &s;o, that the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> and <HI>Anaxilea</HI> fell at odds; and this Prince being of a violent di&s;po&s;ition, did abruptly ca&s;t her off, and re&s;olved to leave her for ever: and the Prince had no &s;ooner broke off with her, but he had a great de&s;ire to relate this adventure unto his Si&s;ter the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and the rather becau&s;e indeed he knew not whom el&s;e to open his heart unto, as he never had done unto any but <HI>Cleander,</HI> unto whom he did not yet &s;o freely &s;peak, as u&s;ually before. So that he being one day alone with the Prince&s;s <HI>Pal|mis,</HI> and falling in&s;en&s;ibly into talk of his change, he related unto her his fondne&s;s of <HI>Anaxi|lea,</HI> and the cau&s;e of his coldne&s;s towards <HI>Cleander:</HI> and wondring in him&s;elf at &s;o great a change in &s;o little a time, I did not think, Si&s;ter, &s;aid he unto her, that I &s;hould ever have di&s;|clo&s;ed my follies &s;o freely unto you, when <HI>Cleander</HI> denied to faign a love of <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> and returned &s;uch &s;lender excu&s;es for it unto me: but &s;ince it is &s;o now, that I dare open all unto you, I confe&s;s my anger of mind again&s;t <HI>Cleander</HI> begins to die, and in lieu thereof, I love him dearly: yet &s;ince I do well under&s;tand what rea&s;on he had to re&s;i&s;t me &s;o ob&s;tinately, I confe&s;s, that I can hardly &s;peak unto him concerning that bu&s;ine&s;s which puts us at &s;uch a di|&s;tance. I do conceive (an&s;wered the Prince&s;s, not &s;u&s;pecting <HI>Cleander</HI> was in love with her) that you ought not to think the wor&s;e of <HI>Cleander,</HI> becau&s;e he refu&s;ed that office: nor do I think him &s;o culpable as you imagine him; and he would never have denied it, but becau&s;e he is in love him&s;elf; for I am certain he is as much devoted unto your &s;ervice as po&s;&s;ible can be: &s;o that I mu&s;t con&s;equently conclude, he never would have oppo&s;ed the will of his Ma&s;ter, but out of fear he &s;hould be put to nominate his Mi&s;tre&s;s. But &s;ince I named mine unto him, repli|ed the Prince, why &s;hould he hide his affection from me? Becau&s;e, replied &s;he, and &s;miled, per|haps he is a more di&s;creet Lover then you are: and to &s;peak truth, becau&s;e it is more ordinary and &s;afe for a Prince to tru&s;t his &s;ecret unto his Favourite, then it is for the Favourite to tru&s;t his Prince. But Si&s;ter, an&s;wered he, If <HI>Cleander</HI> be in love, how is it po&s;&s;ible that none &s;hould perceive it? Since, I am certain, added the Prince&s;s, he is infinitely impatient to be re-inve&s;ted into your favour, it is expedient I propound unto him, to become his Peace-maker, upon con|dition he will &s;incerely tell us, who it is he loves; or at the lea&s;t, acknowledg unto us, he is in love with &s;ome or other. After the Prince&s;s had &s;aid &s;o, and being indeed very de&s;irous to know whether <HI>Cleander</HI> was in love, and with whom, &s;he went into her Chamber: So that there being willing to divert her &s;elfe, to &s;atisfie her curio&s;ity, and re&s;tore <HI>Cleander</HI> unto the Princes favour, &s;he called for him; <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, I found the Prince my bro|ther &s;o di&s;po&s;ed to remit you into his former favour, that I de&s;ired &s;peedily to acquaint you with &s;uch news as I &s;uppo&s;ed would be very welcome unto you: But in this reconcilement, there is a condition to be added, which I conceive you may without any difficulty ob&s;erve: I &s;hall never revoke, Madam, replied he, that Doome which you have pronounced: and I do e&s;teem my &s;elf &s;o unhappy in di&s;plea&s;ing that Prince, for whom I would willingly have died, that to expiate my crime, there is no puni&s;hment which I would not &s;uffer. That which at this time I de&s;ire of you, (&s;aid &s;he, and blu&s;ht again&s;t her will) is, That you confe&s;s before my bro|ther, and me, whether the cau&s;e which moved you to deny him that favour of counterfeiting love unto <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> was not, becau&s;e you feared to make &s;ome beauty or other jealous? How Madam, (an&s;wered <HI>Cleander</HI> with wonder) are you acquainted now with that &s;ecret which the Prince would have concealed from you with &s;o much care, at that time when I was unfor|tunately con&s;trained to refu&s;e his de&s;ired imployment? Yes, &s;aid <HI>Atis,</HI> and interrupted her, &s;he does know it: and by this you may be a&s;&s;ured, that I &s;hall never reveal your &s;ecret unto any; for &s;ince I have imparted it unto her, it is a &s;igne I do no longer love <HI>Anaxilea;</HI> and &s;ince it is &s;o, you may be a&s;&s;ured that there is none upon earth but the Prince&s;s my Si&s;ter, unto whom I would impart a bu&s;ine&s;s of this nature. Sir, replied <HI>Cleander,</HI> after he had well recollected him&s;elf, I am mo&s;t glad that this di&s;cour&s;e which I hear from the mouth of the Prince&s;s, does enable me to an&s;wer &s;incerely, and a&s;&s;ure you, that I never feared making any one jealous by
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faigning love unto <HI>Anaxilea.</HI> Your an&s;wer, replied the Prince&s;s, I do believe is more mode&s;t, then &s;incere: and therefore tell us more preci&s;ely, whether you are in love with any or no; if you will not tell us who it is whom you adore.</P>
<P>Madam, replied <HI>Cleander,</HI> Is it not &s;ufficient to ju&s;tifie my &s;elf in the opinion of the Prince, that I prote&s;t before you, I &s;hould never have di&s;obeyed him, but becau&s;e it was an ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibility to do otherwi&s;e? No, an&s;wered &s;he, it is not &s;ufficient, for if it were, he mu&s;t then do you the favour to pardon you, and to treat you as one that is culpable: whereas on the contrary, if you do as I de&s;ire you, you will ju&s;tifie your &s;elf as innocent, and needs no pardon. But Madam, replied he, Suppo&s;e I &s;hould be in love with none; yet how dur&s;t I confe&s;s my &s;elf to be &s;o in&s;en&s;ible here at <HI>Sardis,</HI> where all that can be called beauty in the world is to be found? And &s;uppo&s;e it true, that I were in love with any one, how do you think I could tell that unto two at one time, which perhaps I never told unto her who is the cau&s;e of my pa&s;&s;ion; and which perhaps I never &s;hall tell her? If it be only the number of confidents, which hinders you from declaring it, replied the Prince, and &s;miled, I am contented you tell your &s;ecret only unto my Si&s;ter. No, no, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, I am not &s;o indulgent as you and I expect that <HI>Cle|ander</HI> &s;hould acknowledge as well unto you as my &s;elf, that he is in love, otherwi&s;e I pronounce him guilty and culpable both to you and me. I would it were the plea&s;ure of the Gods, Ma|dam, (an&s;wered <HI>Cleander,</HI> with much confu&s;ion in his face, and looking upon her in a mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionate, but re&s;pective manner) that you could look into my heart, and there &s;ee my mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts, &s;ince if you could do &s;o, you would there find, that I &s;peak but what I ought to do: Truly Si&s;ter, &s;aid the Prince of <HI>Lidia, Cleander</HI> moves my pity, and I be&s;eech you pre&s;s him no further; for when I call to mind my own vexation, when any did but &s;u&s;pect what I de&s;ired to conceal, I cannot chu&s;e but be &s;en&s;ible of his: You are all goodne&s;s, replied <HI>Clean|der,</HI> and more indulgent then the Prince&s;s. I do confe&s;s it, &s;aid &s;he, and &s;miled; and that which does mo&s;t exa&s;perate my &s;everity, is, to &s;ee you do not think me di&s;creet enough to tru&s;t me with a common &s;ecret, for to tell me that you are in love, is not to tell me all your adventure and &s;tory: Well Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Cleander,</HI> even tran&s;ported out of him&s;elf) if there need nothing but that to &s;atisfie you, I do confe&s;s it, but I mo&s;t humbly and heartily be&s;eech you, ask me no further: for I had rather die a thou&s;and deaths then tell any more. When you are fallen out with your Mi&s;tre&s;s, replied the Prince&s;s, and &s;miled, as the Prince my brother is with <HI>Anaxi|lea,</HI> we then &s;hall know all your Gallantry, as now we do his. I do not think Madam, an&s;wered <HI>Cleander</HI> coldly, that I &s;hall ever be &s;o far in favour with my Mi&s;tre&s;s, as to fall out of it. Time will tell us all, &s;aid &s;he; in the interim, I pronounce you innocent, and be&s;eech my brother to receive you &s;o. I know not Si&s;ter, replied <HI>Atis</HI> very plea&s;antly, whether after you have recon|ciled <HI>Cleander</HI> and me, it mu&s;t not be his office to reconcile us; for you have railed &s;o bitterly again&s;t my weakne&s;s, that I know not how I &s;hould take it. Your rea&s;on is now at too much liberty, an&s;wered the Prince&s;s, to take exceptions without a cau&s;e: but as for <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;ince he is in love, we had need be circum&s;pect how we &s;peak unto him, for I have heard &s;ay, that melancholy Lovers are &s;oone&s;t angered. By that mark, &s;aid <HI>Atis,</HI> you came to know the Prince <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> is in love with you. You are very apt to revenge, replied the Prince&s;s, to retort &s;uch an angry piece of raillery unto &s;o mild an an&s;wer: <HI>Atis</HI> could not reply unto this, becau&s;e <HI>Ar|te&s;ilas</HI> would have heard it, if he had: but &s;ince the <HI>Genius</HI> and conver&s;ation of that Prince did not plea&s;e him, and &s;ince his vi&s;it had already been very long, he went away, and carried <HI>Cle|ander</HI> with him, who was &s;ufficiently vexed to leave his Rival in that manner with his Mi&s;tre&s;s: he was all the re&s;t of that day with the Prince of <HI>Lidia,</HI> who treated him according to his won|ted affability and freedom; but at night, when he was at liberty to confer and open him&s;elfe unto me, I perceived by his di&s;cour&s;e, that he was &s;ick of &s;uch a di&s;ea&s;e which nothing could cure but death. Am I not mo&s;t mi&s;erable, &s;aid he? for I did not deny to &s;aign affection unto <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> but only out of fear, that the Prince&s;s whom I adored &s;hould not think that I was really in love with her: and by con&s;equence could never imagine that I loved her &s;elf: yet now I &s;ee that my denial of the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> to do &s;o, hath per&s;waded the incomparable <HI>Palmis</HI> that I am really in love with her, or el&s;e &s;ome other in the Court, as I was forced to confe&s;s; were &s;he not thus per&s;waded, &s;he would not have been &s;o plea&s;ant as &s;he was, but certainly if &s;he had any &s;u&s;pition of the truth, I &s;hould have &s;een more &s;igns of anger in her eyes. It &s;eems, &s;aid I unto him, by your di&s;cour&s;e you would have thought your &s;elf happy in her anger: <HI>Cleander</HI> made a pau&s;e at this, and after a while con&s;ulting with him&s;elf&punc; I think, &s;aid he unto me, that rather then I &s;hould die, and leave her ignorant of my love, I &s;hould be contented to &s;ee her angry: That is a favour, (replied I, and &s;miled) which you may ea&s;ily obtain. Ah cruel friend, &s;aid he unto me, I &s;till find you more ignorant in matters of love. But &s;ince I mu&s;t open all my &s;ecrets unto you,
<PB N="204" REF="293">
know, that at one and the &s;ame time, I wi&s;h things which are quite contrary to one another; and that I no &s;ooner &s;ay I &s;hould be contented to &s;ee her angry, upon condition &s;he were ac|quainted with my love, but I repent of it, and had rather die then di&s;plea&s;e her. But how were you able, replied I, to tell her that you were in love? I know not that, replied he, but I know that I had no &s;ooner acknowledged it, but I wi&s;hed that I had not: for had &s;he apprehended my real thoughts, I &s;hould have &s;een her eyes full of indignation: yet to my &s;orrow I &s;aw &s;he thought me in love, but never &s;u&s;pected it was with her &s;elf: &s;o that I endured mo&s;t mi&s;era|ble torment. Ask me not, <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> what I would have her think, when I confe&s;s I am in love with her; for I know not my &s;elf: but I am &s;ure of this, that to be le&s;s then a King, and love the incomparable <HI>Palmis,</HI> is the greate&s;t folly in the world: However, that I do not know &s;o much as whether I am the &s;on of a Free-man, or no, yet I love her, and &s;hall do eternally: and I cannot brook the affection of the Prince <HI>Arte&s;ilas.</HI> This being the &s;tate of things, abun|dance glorious and plea&s;ant Company came to <HI>Sardis;</HI> for the Prince <HI>Abradates,</HI> &s;econd &s;on unto the King of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> who then raigned, and &s;on unto a &s;i&s;ter of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> whom that King had married, came thither; And at the &s;ame time al&s;o, the fair <HI>Panthea,</HI> daughter unto the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omenes,</HI> a tributary unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> came to dwell in the Court of <HI>Lidia,</HI> with the Prince her father: &s;o that their arrival revived all manner of diver&s;ions. There came unto <HI>Sardis</HI> al&s;o at that time a Brother of the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> named <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> who, as it was &s;aid, had kil|led another of his brothers again&s;t his will, and de&s;ired to be purged from that crime by that Laws of that Countrey, which between the <HI>Lidians</HI> and <HI>Grecians</HI> is &s;mall difference. Since this Prince was admirably hand&s;om, and of much &s;pirit; and &s;ince his bani&s;hment was rather for a misfortune then a crime, <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> received him very well, and according to the cu&s;tom of <HI>Li|dia,</HI> he was purified in the Temple of <HI>Jupiter,</HI> and then appeared in the Court as a &s;trange Prince, whom every one did honour. <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> allowing him a &s;ub&s;i&s;tance, befitting his quality, and promi&s;ing to endeavour a reconciliation between him and his brother, the King of <HI>Phri|gia.</HI> It may be &s;aid of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> that he heaped up a greater Ma&s;s of trea&s;ures together, then ever any did, and was more magnificent then any Prince upon earth; being therein much dif|ferent from the young Prince <HI>Mexaris</HI> his Brother, who was not le&s;s rich then he, but was more covetous then another of his brothers, named <HI>Antaleon,</HI> was ambitious, or <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> liberal. The Court being then &s;o glorious, as I have de&s;cribed, <HI>E&s;ope</HI> &s;o famous for his ingeni|ous fables, which contained &s;olid Morals in plea&s;ant fictions, came thither al&s;o, and notwith|&s;tanding the ugline&s;s of his face, and deformity of his compo&s;ure, yet the beauty of his wit, and greatne&s;s of his Soul, &s;hined &s;o at <HI>Sardis,</HI> that he was wonderous welcome: And that this renowned Town might have men of all qualities, <HI>Solon,</HI> &s;o famous for his Laws, came thither al&s;o, who was entertained by <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> with all imaginable honours: So that it may be &s;aid, and rightly, that <HI>Sardis</HI> was never &s;o full of illu&s;trious per&s;ons as then; for every one that had any excellence in Arts throughout all <HI>Greece,</HI> either came them&s;elves, or &s;ent their works thither: &s;o that which way &s;oever one turned his eye, he might &s;ee &s;omething for his in&s;truction, and diver&s;ion. But though this Court was the mo&s;t glorious in the world, yet <HI>Cleander</HI> was there the mo&s;t unhappy Lover upon earth: for though he was adored by all the Court, yet &s;ince the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> was ignorant of his love, and he dur&s;t never acquaint her with it, he lived a life extreamly melancholy: and while&s;t the Prince <HI>Atis, Antaleon, Mexaris, Abradates, Arte&s;ilas;</HI> and all the re&s;t of that Illu&s;trious Crew, were high in all delights, &s;olitary <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;ighed in &s;ecret, and wore only melancholy in his eyes: The Prince <HI>Mer&s;iles,</HI> by rea&s;on of his imperfection, was al&s;o very re&s;erved and &s;olitary: However, this conver&s;ation did much de|light the Prince&s;s, who not &s;u&s;pecting <HI>Cleanders</HI> love to her, was only curious to learn with whom he was in love: but with &s;uch an odd kind of curio&s;ity (as I under&s;tood by my Cou&s;in, who &s;ince did tell me) that not knowing any rea&s;on for it, &s;he was really as fearful to know whom <HI>Cleander</HI> loved, as in appearance &s;he de&s;ired it: for this Cou&s;in told me, that the Prin|ce&s;s di&s;cour&s;ing one day with her concerning his pa&s;&s;ion, and bidding her to enquire concern|ing it, &s;he began to reckon up all &s;he could think upon, who might in likelihood be the cau&s;e, and though &s;he named all the beauties in the Court, yet &s;he could not find one who her mind did think fit for it; &s;o that this Cou&s;in of mine, who&s;e name was <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> and who was much in favour with the Prince&s;s, began to laugh; Madam, &s;aid &s;he, you would either have <HI>Clean|der</HI> not in love at all, or el&s;e you would have him fix his affection much above or much below him&s;elf, for I named all the Ladies who in rea&s;on are fit for him, con&s;idering the pre&s;ent con|dition of his fortune to fix any thoughts upon: 'Tis very true, &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and blu&s;ht, but I do not look out a Mi&s;tre&s;s for <HI>Cleander,</HI> proportionable to his quality, &s;ince he knows not what it is him&s;elf; nor &s;utable to his fortune, which is no more then very mean,
<PB N="205" REF="293">
but according to his vertue and merit, which is mo&s;t extraordinary; and this is the rea&s;on why I cannot gue&s;s who it is he loves, becau&s;e I cannot find any one among&s;t all tho&s;e which you have named that is worthy of his affection, and therefore I mu&s;t needs conclude that he loves one that is below him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Thus Madam you &s;ee what thoughts the prince&s;s of <HI>Lidia</HI> had of <HI>Cleander,</HI> who yet was oftentimes much puzzled to find an&s;wers unto her que&s;tions: for when &s;he remembered that &s;he told him, he would di&s;cover who it was he loved, when his Mi&s;tre&s;s and he fell out with one another, &s;he would always, when any opportunities were offered, ask him, whether he did not yet begin to be out of favor with his Mi&s;tre&s;s; and whether ere long he would be in an humor to reveal his &s;ecret. If I &s;hould reveal it unto you Madam, replyed he one day, doubt|le&s;s I &s;hould be out of favor with her; but as long as I conceal it, I need not fear her anger. How <HI>Cleander,</HI> replyed the Prince&s;s, cannot I know your pa&s;sion, but you mu&s;t be out of favor with her? and cannot you tell it unto me but &s;he mu&s;t know it? No Madam, an&s;wer|ed he, I &s;hould no &s;ooner confe&s;s what you de&s;ire to know, but &s;he whom I love would know my crime, by the &s;hame which &s;he would di&s;cover in my eyes, and would mo&s;t cruelly puni&s;h me for it. If it be &s;o, &s;aid &s;he and &s;miled, then &s;tay till you jar, and till you be out of any fears to incen&s;e her. Thus did the Prince&s;s before &s;he was aware give a hand&s;om opportunity unto <HI>Cleander</HI> to di&s;cover his pa&s;sion, had he been &s;o bold as to have clo&s;ed with it; yet he was extreamly afraid of the disfavor of <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> upon an odd rea&s;on. I think I have already told you, that <HI>Solon</HI> at his fir&s;t coming unto <HI>Sardis</HI> was bid very welcome by that Prince: But &s;ince it is the Cu&s;tom of all Great Princes to love that one &s;hould commend their Magnificence, <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> having &s;hewed <HI>Solon</HI> all his va&s;t Trea&s;ures, and the mo&s;t prodigious Riches which his Hou&s;e was adorned with, he asked him, whether he had &s;een any in all his Voyages more happy then he was? Since <HI>Solon</HI> did not think true felicity did con&s;i&s;t in &s;uch things, like a man of high wi&s;dom, but a bad flatterer, he an&s;wered, that he knew many more happy then he; and among&s;t the re&s;t he named one <HI>Tellus,</HI> who winning a Battel, and dying for his Country, &s;aid, <HI>That none were happy before their death. Crae&s;&s;us</HI> thought by this &s;aying of <HI>Solons,</HI> that he preferred the virtue of <HI>Cleander</HI> (who was become his great Favorite) before all the King of <HI>Lidia</HI>'s Riches; and that this Prince did enjoy in him a Trea&s;ure which he was ignorant of, and which was to be valued much above all the Riches which he &s;hewed him with &s;o much delight. Since nothing does more incen&s;e the &s;pirits of men, principally Kings, then to &s;corn what they e&s;teem, <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> could not endure this plain-dealing &s;incerity of <HI>Solon,</HI> but the plea|&s;ant and frolique humor of <HI>Ea&s;op<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> did much better plea&s;e him: &s;o that this wi&s;e <HI>Solon</HI> went di&s;contentedly from him. As <HI>Cleander</HI> had a mo&s;t generous Soul, &s;o he did endeavor to hide this injury as much as he could, and by the orders of the Prince&s;s her &s;elf had an e&s;pecial care of this <HI>Athenian</HI> Law-maker: He conducted him &s;ome thirty furlongs out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> which act of civility did &s;o much incen&s;e <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> that he could not endure <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;hould be &s;o bold as render any good office unto the man he frowned upon; and this trivial bu&s;ine&s;s was like to have brought a great change upon the fortunes of <HI>Cleander:</HI> but yet the Prince <HI>Atys,</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lidia,</HI> did &s;o intercede, that they did procure his reconciliation. In the mean while <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> became &s;o de&s;perately in love with the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> that <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> and <HI>Cleander</HI> them&s;elves could be no deeper wounded then he. <HI>Atis</HI> al&s;o renewed his old love unto <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> in &s;pite of his re&s;olutions to the contrary: but it was after &s;uch a manner, as that he made no &s;ecret of it; and although <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> did not approve of his choyce, yet he ex|pre&s;&s;ed a hundred publique te&s;timonies of his pa&s;&s;ion to her. I think it was about this time that <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Mexaris</HI> fell in love with <HI>Panthea,</HI> yet &s;ince that bu&s;ine&s;s is not pertinent to the &s;tory of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> I &s;hall omit the relation of it, and only tell you, that at the &s;ame time <HI>Cleander</HI> was mo&s;t unhappy: Yet had he &s;o much con&s;olation in his mi&s;ery, as to ob&s;erve that the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lidia</HI> was very aver&s;e again&s;t this new Rival: but yet he knew that the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> did encourage <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> in his thoughts of the Prince&s;s his &s;i&s;ter: For &s;ince the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> had no children, and re&s;olved never to marry again, <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> was in all appearance to be King: So that conceiving this marriage would be advantagious unto the Prin|ce&s;s, he became his Advocate to per&s;wade her and <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> unto it: He pre&s;&s;ed the bu&s;ine&s;s &s;o very violently in favor of the prince <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> that &s;ince &s;he &s;aw that all her rea&s;ons in excu&s;e of her coldne&s;s to him, would not rid her of his importunities, &s;he re&s;olved to employ that power which <HI>Cleander</HI> had over the mind of the Prince her brother, being &s;till ignorant of the intere&s;t which he had him&s;elf, and not knowing that he had already u&s;ed his be&s;t endeavors that way: She &s;ent then for <HI>Cleander,</HI> and cau&s;ing him to come into her Clo&s;et, after &s;he had u&s;ed a Complement or two unto him, to prepare his con&s;ent unto what &s;he &s;hould de&s;ire of him.
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and after he a&s;&s;ured her &s;he might ab&s;olutely di&s;po&s;e of his very life; What I &s;hall de&s;ire of you, &s;aid &s;he unto him, is not perhaps &s;o ea&s;ie a bu&s;ine&s;s as you imagine, &s;ince to &s;atisfie my de&s;ires it is to re&s;i&s;t with all your power the will of a Prince who you love very well, and who al&s;o loves you infinitely: Indeed you mu&s;t per&s;wade the Prince my brother from &s;oliciting me &s;o earne&s;tly in behalf of the prince <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> and that it is enough he protects him in this Court, without any further importunities upon her: though I know well enough I have no rea&s;on for my aver&s;ion to him, &s;ince I know he is of an illu&s;trious extract; and &s;hall in all likelyhoods be a King: that he is hand&s;om, and of a Soul; that he te&s;tifies much affection to me; that the King does not di&s;like his de&s;ign; that the prince <HI>Atis</HI> does a&s;&s;i&s;t him, and that my Soul is not engaged any other way: But yet for all this, I have &s;o &s;trong an aver&s;ion towards him, that being out of hopes to overcome it, nor ever intending to try, I conjure you by all that's dear unto you, to employ that per&s;wa&s;ive power which I know you have over my brother, to pre|vent him from per&s;ecuting me any further: &s;ince I never oppo&s;ed his affection unto <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> which was not very ju&s;tly grounded; &s;o, do you keep him from oppo&s;ing my &s;trong aver&s;ion to <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> which I do confe&s;s al&s;o, it is not well grounded neither. I leave you, Madam, to judg what joy <HI>Cleander</HI> had, to under&s;tand from the mouth of <HI>Palmis</HI> her &s;elf, that &s;he hated one of his Rivals: But &s;ince he was de&s;irous to hear her expre&s;s as much again&s;t another, Ma|dam, &s;aid he unto her with much reverence, I find the prince <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> &s;o unhappy in your hate, that it were a kind of cruelty not to pity him; yet I do intere&s;t my &s;elf &s;o much in any thing which concerns you, that I mu&s;t needs tell you, there is nothing (without all exceptions) which I will not do, to deliver you from his importunities. But Madam, if after your goodne&s;s to command me any thing in your &s;ervice, it be permitted me to &s;peak &s;incerely, I &s;hall tell you, that one thing which mo&s;t moves the Prince to protect <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> is his hatred of <HI>Arte|&s;ilas;</HI> and he thinks he cannot do him a more &s;en&s;ible di&s;plea&s;ure, then to be a cau&s;e that you &s;hould prefer a <HI>Phrigian</HI> Prince before him. Therefore Madam (if I be not too pre&s;umptuous in &s;peaking thus) it is your part, while&s;t I tran&s;act with the Prince, to tran&s;act &s;o with <HI>Ar|te&s;ilas,</HI> that he be no ob&s;tacle to my obtaining what you de&s;ire. I have already told you, re|plyed the Prince&s;s, that my affection is not engaged unto any: So that though there be not &s;uch an antipathy between me and <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> as there is between me and <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> yet &s;ince I am very indifferent towards him, it will be an ea&s;ie matter for me to &s;atisfie the Prince my bro|ther in that; provided he let me have the freedom to be rigid towards <HI>Adra&s;tus, Arte&s;ilas</HI> &s;hall have no great cau&s;e to commend me for compliance with him. When <HI>Cleander</HI> heard the Prince&s;s expre&s;s her &s;elf thus, he was &s;o exceedingly tran&s;ported with joy, that I wonder he did not make her perceive his love to her by the delight which &s;parkled in his eyes. It is very true, this joy did not continue long: for when he began to con&s;ider that the Prince&s;s did not &s;u&s;pect any thing of his pa&s;&s;ion to her; and that by all appearances he &s;hould never be able to obtain from the Prince of <HI>Lidia</HI> what he de&s;ired, his melancholy did &s;ucceed his joy: But yet his certainty to know his Rivals not loved, was &s;uch an e&s;&s;ential cau&s;e of &s;atisfaction, that his joys did overcome his &s;orrows again; and he appeared before the Prince&s;s very well contented that he had dived &s;o deep into her Soul: Yet &s;ometimes when he con&s;idered that the foundation of his joy was only becau&s;e the Prince&s;s was not in love with any, Oh Heaven, &s;aid he, am I not out of my wits to rejoyce at that I ought to lament? for is it po&s;&s;ible ever to be happy, and not be loved? and is there any hopes of being loved, when &s;he that is loved does not &s;o much as know it? It is true, I am a&s;&s;ured that the heart which I would be po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed of, is not enjoyed by any; yet I may be certain that it mu&s;t never be enjoyed by me: &s;o that which way &s;oever I look, there is no hopes of any contentation to be found: The greate&s;t felicity that I can expect, is only to &s;ee my Rivals as mi&s;erable as my &s;elf. However, he began to be obedi|ent unto the Prince&s;s; and &s;ince the prince <HI>Atis</HI> was a Debtor unto him for his life ever &s;ince the <HI>Mi&s;&s;ean</HI> Wars, and moreover &s;ince he knew that the Prince was much plea&s;ed with his di&s;cour&s;e, he u&s;ed all his ingenuity and favour to di&s;&s;wade him from protecting <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> but yet all his per&s;wa&s;ive arguments could not bring it about: For be&s;ides the aver&s;ion which this Prince had unto <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> he had another predominate motive to affect <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> which <HI>Cle|ander</HI> in the end di&s;covered, which was, becau&s;e <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> was he who had reconciled <HI>Anax|ilea</HI> and him together. So that this Lady being de&s;irous to gratifie &s;o good an office, kept him &s;till in favour with the Prince, &s;o that all the wit, cunning and credit which <HI>Cleander</HI> had with him, could not alter his &s;etled re&s;olution: he attempted to win <HI>Anaxilea</HI> unto his de&s;ign, but it was impo&s;&s;ible, for &s;he had a &s;ecret grudg to him in her heart, becau&s;e he refu&s;ed to counter|feit a love unto her, and &s;o expo&s;ed her fortunes unto danger; be&s;ides, &s;he did conceive it to be a kind of &s;corn of her, when he refu&s;ed that office. <HI>Cleander</HI> then being out of all hopes to
<PB N="207" REF="294">
obtain any thing for either of them, was in a hundred minds to quarrel with <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> and &s;o rid the Prince&s;s of him by a way more violent then &s;he de&s;ired him: but knowing &s;he would not approve of that action, and that then he &s;hould lo&s;e her for ever, he re&s;trained his jealou&s;ie and his choller, and &s;uffered an incredible angui&s;h of mind. While&s;t he was negotiating this bu&s;ine&s;s, the Prince&s;s, according as it was re&s;olved betwixt them, did treat <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> &s;o roughly, that <HI>Cleander</HI> would have been infinitely will plea&s;ed at it if the bad &s;ucce&s;s of his bu&s;ine&s;s had not cooled his joys. However, it was fit he &s;hould give her an account of what he had done; and he went one morning with &s;o many &s;igns of &s;orrow in his eyes, that &s;he knew what his an&s;wers would be as &s;oon as he came into her Chamber: I &s;ee <HI>Cleander</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, and came near him, le&s;t hor women &s;hould under&s;tand what was &s;poken) that the Prince my brother prefers <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> before my quiet or your prayers, and will not alter his opinion. I am even de&s;perate Madam, replyed he, that I am forced to tell you, I have negotiated all in vain; and then he made an exact relation of what he had both done and &s;aid to bring his de&s;ign about: But Madam, &s;aid he, <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> perhaps has &s;ome &s;ecret enemy in Court, who would quickly di&s;patch him, if he were a&s;&s;ured it would not di&s;plea&s;e you. Oh no <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;aid the Prince&s;s, I would not have anothers revenge include mine; and they will extreamly di&s;oblige me, if they attempt any violent act again&s;t that Prince: Perhaps I &s;hall find out a way to puni&s;h him for his ob&s;tinate importunities without the need of any others help; and if what you tell me be true, that the rea&s;on why the Prince protects <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> is becau&s;e he hates <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> I &s;hall treat the Rival of the one, and the Enemy of the other, &s;o well and kindly, that perhaps I &s;hall divide the troubles which they procure me among&s;t them&s;elves. Oh Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cleander,</HI> and was amazed at this an&s;wer) is it po&s;&s;ible that the wi&s;e&s;t Prince&s;s in the world &s;hould be revenged upon her &s;elf, by wi&s;hing it upon another? For Madam (&s;aid he with a double addition of extream melancholy) did you not once do me the honour to tell me, that <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> was very indifferent unto you? Yes, &s;aid &s;he unto him, but it is better to choo&s;e where one is indifferent, then where one hates. In the name of the Gods, Madam, &s;aid <HI>Clean|der</HI> unto her, take up no &s;uch re&s;olution, which if I dare &s;ay it, will cau&s;e you to be cen&s;ured for one that is not phanta&s;tical: for &s;ince all the Court has been a witne&s;s of your &s;everity to <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> what will they cen&s;ure when they &s;ee you change &s;o &s;uddenly? Certainly there is &s;ome rea&s;on for what you &s;ay, replyed &s;he, but I had rather be thought light and phanta&s;tical, then be continually per&s;ecuted both by the Prince my brother, and by <HI>Adra&s;tus:</HI> I do confe&s;s, <HI>Cleander,</HI> that this kind of revenge is phanta&s;tical, and that I do cro&s;s my &s;elf as much as others by it; but yet I know not what cour&s;e el&s;e to take. Madam (&s;aid he, and interrupted her &s;peech, not being able to con&s;ent unto her re&s;olution, u&s;ing <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> kindly) allow me fir&s;t &s;ome few days to con&s;ult whether I can contrive &s;ome better expedients to do you &s;ervice. No, no, &s;aid &s;he unto him, deceive not your &s;elf and me: I have long &s;ince di&s;covered, &s;aid &s;he and &s;miled, that you love <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> no more then you do <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> therefore perhaps for your own particular revenge you would not have me revenge my &s;elf this way: But <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;ince you are very generous, you mu&s;t not do thus, but on the contrary you ought to prefer my intere&s;t at this time before your own. Your intere&s;ts Madam, replyed he, &s;hall ever be ten thou&s;and times dearer unto me then my own; but upon this occa&s;ion I dare tell you, that if you knew all the evil which you do in favoring <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> perhaps I &s;ay you would not do it.
<HI>Cleander</HI> pronounced the&s;e words with &s;o much confu&s;ion in his face, that the Prince&s;s was extreamly &s;urprized; and &s;ince &s;he under&s;tood not the &s;ence of them, I cannot unriddle your words, &s;aid &s;he unto him, nor will I trouble my &s;elf about it, therefore &s;peak more plainly, if you would have me under&s;tand you, or el&s;e &s;peak not at all, if you think it fit I &s;hould not under&s;tand you. I think that it is the latter of the&s;e two which be&s;t becomes me, replyed he, and without any expo&s;ition of tho&s;e words which &s;lipped from me unawares, I ought to thank the Gods that you did not under&s;tand them. The Prince&s;s blu&s;hed at this di&s;cour&s;e, and by the di&s;order which appeared in her eyes, &s;he let him know, that &s;he began to under&s;tand his meaning: But &s;ince he feared &s;he would treat him ill, if he gave her any time to de&s;cant upon his words; Madam, &s;aid he unto her, what is your plea&s;ure I &s;hould do to give you &s;atisfacti|on? That you tell me no more of any &s;uch things as I neither do nor ought to under&s;tand, re|plyed &s;he; and that you keep within the limits which I have pre&s;cribed, in doing <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> that office unto my brother when&s;oever occa&s;ion &s;hall pre&s;ent it &s;elf. I &s;hall be mo&s;t obedient Madam (an&s;wered he with a profound reverence,) and then &s;o many infallible &s;igns of his pa&s;&s;ion ap|peared in his face, that unle&s;s &s;he had no eyes, it was impo&s;&s;ible but &s;he mu&s;t needs perceive it: and indeed &s;he did &s;o clearly perceive it at that time, as &s;he could not &s;ufficiently wonder &s;he perceived it no &s;ooner: for when &s;he called to mind all <HI>Cleanders</HI> actions, &s;he accu&s;ed her &s;elf
<PB N="208" REF="295">
of &s;tupidity, that &s;he could not &s;ee the only rea&s;on why he denied the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> to counter|feit love unto <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> was becau&s;e he loved her. Afterwards when &s;he called to mind, with what joy he undertook to prejudice <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> and with what &s;orrow he heard her &s;ay, &s;he would u&s;e <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> kindly, &s;he was &s;o fully per&s;waded of the truth, that <HI>Cleander</HI> could not wi&s;h &s;he &s;hould know it better. Afterwards when &s;he remembred, how urgently &s;he pre&s;&s;ed him to tell her whether he was in love, and with whom, &s;he accu&s;ed her &s;elf of &s;implicity that &s;he did not under&s;tand the &s;ecret cau&s;e of his pa&s;&s;ion: yet the great inequality betwixt her &s;elf, and him, made her &s;omtimes to doubt of it: For (&s;aid &s;he to her &s;elf, as &s;he told my Cou&s;in <HI>Cy|leni&s;a,</HI> who after wards told me) if I believe him in love with me, then I mu&s;t be offended at him; then mu&s;t I deprive my &s;elf of his conver&s;ation and &s;ight, which I confe&s;s does infinitely plea&s;e me: Therefore I will not believe it, &s;aid &s;he, but in an in&s;tant after a thou&s;and pa&s;&s;ages coming into her fancy, &s;he could not chu&s;e but believe it, and &s;he re&s;olved to receive tho&s;e re|&s;pects which the duty of <HI>Cleander</HI> obliged him to perform in &s;uch a manner, that he &s;hould never forget it: yet con&s;idering after all this, that <HI>Cleander</HI> had &s;poken nothing which might ju&s;tly incen&s;e her, &s;he thought that in re&s;pect of her honour, it were better, not to let him know &s;he &s;u&s;pected any thing of his pa&s;&s;ion; &s;o that &s;he re&s;olved to carry her &s;elf towards him as for|merly &s;he u&s;ed.</P>
<P>Thus did the bu&s;ine&s;s depend for &s;ome certain days, during which time &s;he was affable enough unto <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> according to her re&s;olution. But that &s;he might no longer doubt of <HI>Cleanders</HI> love, <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> came to her in her Clo&s;et, where &s;he was retired the better to hide that melan|choly which hung upon her &s;oul; and &s;ince &s;he &s;aw as much blithne&s;s in the eyes of this wo|man, as &s;he her &s;elf had di&s;po&s;ition unto melancholy; What is it <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto her, which makes you &s;o plea&s;ant? Madam, &s;aid &s;he unto her, &s;uch an odd accident has happened unto me this day, that if I did not fear it would anger you, I would relate it: Is it po&s;&s;ible, &s;aid the Prince&s;s unto her, that this odd accident which would anger me, can divert you? You &s;hall judg Madam, &s;aid &s;he unto her, when you know it. The Prince&s;s, who u&s;ed &s;ometimes to &s;uffer <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> to relate what news &s;he heard, was plea&s;ed to hearken unto her, rather out of cu&s;tom and indulgence, then any curio&s;ity: Speak then, &s;aid &s;he unto her, for I &s;ee you have &s;o great a de&s;ire unto it, that it were pity to hinder you. Since you are plea&s;ed to give me leave Madam, replied &s;he, be plea&s;ed to know, that one of my companions be|ing &s;ick, and kept her Chamber, I went one afternoon unto her, where I found divers with her, and among&s;t the re&s;t <HI>E&s;ope:</HI> as &s;oon as I came in, you became the &s;ubject of our di&s;cour&s;e, for you are not ignorant, Madam, that the love of <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> and <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> makes a great noi&s;e in the Court: and &s;ince the&s;e two Princes have both of them many partakers, a hundred thou|&s;and arguments and conte&s;ts do ari&s;e thereupon, e&s;pecially &s;ince they perceive you treat <HI>Arte|&s;ilas</HI> with more affability then before you u&s;ed: &s;o that this di&s;cour&s;e went on, &s;ome &s;aid the protection of the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> would have a cro&s;&s;ing influence upon <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> others were of a contrary opinion, and &s;aid, your own choi&s;e would be the de&s;tiny of tho&s;e two Lovers: &s;ome added that the quality of a &s;tranger would be an ob&s;tacle to <HI>Adra&s;tus;</HI> others, that the being a Subject unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> would choak the de&s;igne of <HI>Arte&s;ilas:</HI> Indeed every one had his vie, and vented his opinion, divining the &s;ucce&s;s of the&s;e two Princes, and their de&s;ignes. During all this long di&s;pute, <HI>E&s;ope</HI> leaned upon the table clo&s;e by me, and &s;aid nothing, but had an ear unto what every one &s;poke, and a certain kind of &s;ubtle &s;mile in his face, which moved a belief that he &s;poke not &s;o much as he thought; &s;o that I turning towards him, How comes it to pa&s;s, &s;aid I unto him &s;miling, that <HI>E&s;ope</HI> who can make the mo&s;t &s;alvage Bea&s;ts &s;peak &s;o well, will not him&s;elf &s;peak upon this occa&s;ion? He, I &s;ay, who is the mo&s;t &s;ociable and plea&s;ant compa|nion of all men living? This flattery <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> &s;aid he unto me in a low voice, de&s;erves that I tell you after my manner a truth concerning the Subject now in di&s;cour&s;e: for if I be not very much mi&s;taken, all your opinions are be&s;ides the mark. In &s;aying &s;o, he took a piece of paper, and after a little &s;tudy where he leaned upon the table, he writ &s;omething, and gave it unto me, which I have brought you to read. The Prince&s;s then taking the paper which <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> pre&s;ent|ed unto her, read the&s;e words:</P>
<Q><TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="fable">
<HEAD>The Fable of <HI>ESOPE.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>TWo Hunters were told, there was a white Hind in a Wood: they both went out to catch her with all their Nets, Dogs, Swords, and Darts, but making over great a noi&s;e they frighted her away, and forced her to flie: and in her flight &s;he &s;tumbled upon a young Shep|heard who was a&s;leep, whom &s;he wounded before &s;he was aware: The Shepheard awaked,
<PB N="209" REF="295">
and pur&s;ued her with his &s;taff, but much better then the re&s;t, for he followed her by paths more clo&s;e and covert: we &s;hall one day know whether he has taken her. But for my part</HI> Cy|leni&s;a <HI>I wi&s;h he may, and hope he will.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>As &s;oon as the Prince&s;s had read the Letter, &s;he blu&s;hed, and looked upon <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> Well <HI>Cy|leni&s;a,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto her, what do you under&s;tand by this fable? and what did he mean by it who compo&s;ed it? Madam, replied &s;he, I had no &s;ooner read it, but all the Company was de|&s;irous to know what it was, with &s;uch earne&s;tne&s;s as every one u&s;ed to have for any thing that came from <HI>E&s;ope:</HI> but he told them it was for me alone he writ it; &s;o that &s;eeing it was ab&s;o|lutely re&s;olved not to &s;hew it, they were at quiet: and I began to read what now I &s;hew you: After I had read it, I confe&s;s, &s;aid I unto him, that the beginning of this fable is very plea&s;ant, and ea&s;ie to be under&s;tood; for I conceive the white Hind does repre&s;ent the Prince&s;s, and the two Hunters, <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> and <HI>Arte&s;ilas;</HI> that the Nets, and Dogs, and the Swords, and Darts, and al&s;o the great noi&s;e, does &s;ignifie the actions of tho&s;e two Princes, who with all their inge|nuity, policy, force, and magnificence, endeavour to obtain their de&s;ires, yet doubtle&s;s they are very &s;tupid: I under&s;tand al&s;o, by the Hind which flies away, you mean the Prince&s;s will not be taken by tho&s;e two Hunters who court her: But as for this young Shepheard who was a|&s;leep, whom the Hind wounded before &s;he was aware, and who followed her with the re&s;t, but, as you &s;ay, much better then they, I do confe&s;s, I know not whom you mean: But you do know him very well, &s;aid he, and &s;miled; upon this the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> came in, <HI>E&s;ope</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but he would needs take the paper from me: but I was &s;o re&s;olved to &s;hew it unto you, that I would by no mean part with it. The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> who ob&s;erved the action of <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> and who imagined it to be &s;ome fre&s;h production of his wit, came towards me, and making me to under&s;tand by his ordinary &s;ignes, he &s;eemed very de&s;irous to &s;ee it; and notwith&s;tanding all the di&s;&s;wa&s;ions of <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> I gave it unto this Prince, who &s;milingly did read it to the end, and te&s;tified by the action of his head, that he thought it very plea&s;ant, Well Sir, &s;aid I unto him, it &s;eems you do under&s;tand all this fable, whereas I under&s;tand only the be|ginning of it, I be&s;eech you help out my dulne&s;s to interpret it. I had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> who you know u&s;ed always to carry an Inkhorn about him, the better to expre&s;s him&s;elf unto tho&s;e who were not accu&s;tomed unto the language of his eyes and hands, did take the paper; and ju&s;t in the place where he found the&s;e words, <HI>But in flighing &s;he &s;tum|bled upon a grand Shepheard:</HI> he writ under the&s;e words, <HI>named Cleander:</HI> and as &s;oon as he had &s;hewed it unto me, he blotted it out again, as you may yet ob&s;erve, if you will be plea|&s;ed to look upon it. I do confe&s;s Madam, that I was amazed, to &s;ee that <HI>E&s;ope</HI> who was a meer &s;tranger, and a Prince who could not &s;peak, &s;hould tell me Court news. For indeed Ma|dam, &s;aid <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> and &s;miled, if I be not much mi&s;taken, this fable does comprehend that truth. I &s;ee you are ea&s;ie to be per&s;waded, &s;aid the Prince&s;s unto her, &s;ince a man who&s;e pro|fe&s;&s;ion is to tell lies; and another who cannot be very well in&s;tructed with news, can in &s;o &s;hort a time per&s;wade you of a thing which is never like to be: the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> &s;poke this &s;o faintly, that <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> knew &s;ome angry thoughts did trouble her; and &s;ince the Prince&s;s did always love her: Madam, &s;aid &s;he, I am afraid I have committed a fault in troubling you with trifles and follies, at a time when perhaps you had more &s;erious matters of importance in your mind: but the honours which you have often done me, in tru&s;ting me with your mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts, made me believe you were not very &s;erious, &s;ince I knew it not: The Prince&s;s who was &s;o full of di&s;quiet thoughts, that her heart could not contain them, re&s;olved to make <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> her Cabinet confident: &s;o that &s;he acquainted her with all her thoughts concerning <HI>Cleander's</HI> pa&s;&s;ion. However, &s;aid &s;he, &s;ince I do e&s;teem him very much, and &s;ince I believe in re&s;pect of my honour, he would not have me know his folly, I am re&s;olved to live with him as I u&s;ed to do, and as I have already begun: But yet for all this which I have told you <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> there is &s;omething more to be con&s;idered; for &s;ince &s;trangers and dumb men can perceive it, many o|thers will &s;hortly do the like, therefore it is good to begin in time to carry my &s;elf &s;o, as there &s;hall be no &s;u&s;picion that I contribute any thing unto the extravagancies of <HI>Cleander,</HI> if it come to be known. Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> after a little time of con&s;ideration) I do le&s;s won|der then I did before, that the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> and <HI>E&s;ope</HI> &s;hould &s;ooner di&s;cover things then other men; for be&s;ides that both of them are more ingenious then others are, they have al&s;o more lei&s;ure to ob&s;erve the actions of others; one as a &s;tranger who has nothing el&s;e to do in the place where he is, and the other nothing el&s;e but to hearken and ob&s;erve. However <HI>Cy|leni&s;a,</HI> &s;aid the Prince&s;s, they do know it, and they can make others know it al&s;o; be&s;ides how can I know but that <HI>E&s;ope</HI> compo&s;ed this fable by the appointment of <HI>Cleander,</HI> who I know
<PB N="210" REF="296">
has &s;ent him many Pre&s;ents. This cannot be, replied <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> for he could not gue&s;s when he came into the Company, what things would be di&s;cour&s;ed upon, which would give him &s;uch a &s;ubject to work upon as this. Moreover, Madam, you &s;ee this fable is not hi&s;torical, &s;ince he &s;peaks towards the end of it, as if he knew perfectly that <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;hould one day win your heart from <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> and <HI>Arte&s;ilas.</HI> That's it which affrights me, <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> and offends me both, re|plied &s;he, for truly I find <HI>E&s;ope</HI> very bold in daring to think this of a man who&s;e quality he knows not; And I al&s;o find him very incomprehen&s;ible, &s;aid &s;he, and blu&s;hed, to &s;ee he &s;hould penetrate &s;o into the bottom of my heart, as to know that if <HI>Cleander's</HI> condition were the &s;ame that <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> and <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> is, he &s;hould perhaps make his fable as true at the end of it, as the beginning is: but &s;ince it is not, I mu&s;t deceive <HI>E&s;ope;</HI> make the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> change his opinion, and cure <HI>Cleander,</HI> if it be po&s;&s;ible. The la&s;t of the&s;e will be the mo&s;t difficult, replied <HI>Cyleni&s;a.</HI> I do not think it, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, &s;ince <HI>Cleander</HI> has a rea&s;onable &s;oul: He &s;hould not be in love if he had &s;o, replied <HI>Cyleni&s;a.</HI> But from whence comes it, &s;aid the Prince&s;s to her, that you are &s;o much per&s;waded of the greatne&s;s of <HI>Cleanders</HI> pa&s;&s;ion: you, I &s;ay, who within this day did not &s;o much as &s;u&s;pect it. The rea&s;on is, Madam, an&s;wered &s;he, becau&s;e I could never apply my ob&s;ervations until now: but now, when I call to mind a hundred things which he hath &s;poke unto me, and as many other things which I have &s;een him do, I think that I was then blind in not &s;eeing the cau&s;e: I remember one night, when my companions and I moved <HI>E&s;ope</HI> to relate unto us his love of that Beauty which was called <HI>Rhodopha,</HI> who was with the Philo&s;opher <HI>Zanthus,</HI> at the time when he dwelt there al&s;o, <HI>Cleander</HI> who was pre|&s;ent at that Relation after it was ended, and every one commended him: For my part, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I think you &s;o happy to have worn the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">etters of the fair <HI>Rhodopha,</HI> that I could envy you: for certainly it is a great mi&s;ery unto tho&s;e in love, when they mu&s;t lift up their eyes too high, when they look upon her they adore; and doubtle&s;s it is an infinite happine&s;s to meet the party loved upon equal terms, and where his &s;ervices may be valued when they are rendred unto the party adored: I do confe&s;s, that then I hearkened unto this di&s;cour&s;e, and took no no|tice of it: but now I know the hidden my&s;tery of it, and can apply it: I remember again, one day when the Prince&s;s <HI>Cla&s;omina</HI> came to <HI>Sardis,</HI> one day I &s;ay when you were &s;o admirably dre&s;&s;ed, and when all the eyes in the Court were dazled at your lu&s;ter, <HI>Cleander</HI> was very plea|&s;ant with my companions and my &s;elf, who were &s;peaking of your beauty, and we told him that it was a great happine&s;s for all men of his rank, and for all beauties who&s;e aims were to con|quer hearts, that your quality was &s;o much above them, as you would not hinder them in cap|tivating Lovers, and cau&s;ing them to break their chains to a&s;&s;ume yours: And why <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, do you think there is none but Kings and Princes have eyes to admire what is fair, and that have hearts to love them? I &s;ay not &s;o, replied I unto him, but I &s;ay, that &s;ince the daughters of Kings, mu&s;t not look upon other hearts then tho&s;e of Kings; none will pre|&s;ume to offer theirs that are not &s;o. Beauty, &s;aid he, makes &s;ubjects of all conditions; and as the fair <HI>Anaxilea</HI> has made the Son of her Soveraign a Slave; &s;o Queens may make their Sub|jects their Adorers: I do confe&s;s, that I heard <HI>Cleander</HI> then &s;peak, as one that only helped on with di&s;cour&s;e, but now I call to mind the Air in which he expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf, and now I &s;ee his pa&s;&s;ion, not only in his eyes, but in his heart. I am very angry, &s;aid the Prince&s;s; and &s;he &s;poke this after &s;uch a manner, as let <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> know, that if there were none but &s;he who could perceive it, and that <HI>Cleander</HI> would not &s;u&s;pect &s;he had any knowledg of it, perhaps &s;he would not have been incen&s;ed again&s;t him: But &s;ince the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles, E&s;ope,</HI> and <HI>Cy|leni&s;a</HI> knew it, &s;he could not endure it, but re&s;olved to treat <HI>Cleander</HI> very &s;everely, though &s;he e&s;teemed him very much, and though doubtle&s;s &s;he did already love him more then &s;he thought &s;he did. In the mean while, <HI>Cleander,</HI> who yet knew not what the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> had determined again&s;t him, though it grieved him to &s;ee <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> more kindly treated then ordinary, yet he had &s;ome minuts of con&s;olation, to &s;ee that after he was &s;o bold as to tell her what he did, yet &s;he did not treat him wor&s;e then u&s;ual: for though &s;he faigned not to under|&s;tand the ambiguity of his words, yet &s;he was not deceived; and he thought many times he di&s;covered in the eyes of the Prince&s;s, that &s;he did perfectly under&s;tand him: but he enjoyed this con&s;olation not long, becau&s;e &s;ince &s;he knew the thoughts of the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> and <HI>E|&s;ope,</HI> &s;he changed her way of behaviour towards him, and lived with him, in much more cold|ne&s;s and re&s;erved then before; but yet &s;he could never bring her &s;elf to that rigid &s;everity which &s;he re&s;olved upon; however as mild as &s;he was, <HI>Cleander</HI> did &s;o re&s;ent it, that he thought he &s;hould have dyed with &s;orrow: Mean while, <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> having &s;till the Prince of <HI>Lidia's</HI> pro|tection, and al&s;o gained the con&s;ent of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us;</HI> the marriage between the Prince&s;s and him, was talked on, as a thing almo&s;t ab&s;olutely done; it was not openly reported, but every one
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whi&s;pered it in the ear. Indeed it might be &s;aid, that it was one of tho&s;e publick &s;ecrets which are often in Court, whereof every one makes a mi&s;tery, yet none are ignorant of it: &s;o that <HI>Cle|ander</HI> and <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> were not a little puzzled as well as the Prince&s;s, who could not by any means re&s;olve upon this marriage. During which time <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> did often ask <HI>E&s;ope</HI> in a raillery, whether he thought &s;till the Shepheard would take the Hind: I know not well yet whether he will catch her or no, an&s;wered he, but I know very well the Hunters never will. Things &s;tanding upon the&s;e terms, and <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> loving the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> &s;o very well, that he did not &s;o much oppo&s;e his marriage with <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> many prodigious &s;ignes did appear, which &s;ignified that this young Prince &s;hould die by a Dart. <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> al&s;o had a dream, which pa&s;&s;ed for an Apparition among&s;t tho&s;e who profe&s;&s;ed knowledg in &s;uch things, which &s;hewed him the bo|dy of his &s;on dead, and run through with the point of a Javelin, with &s;o many other &s;uch &s;ad and frighting objects, that this great and wi&s;e Prince was a&s;toni&s;hed at them: &s;o that all the Court looked &s;ad upon the matter, yet the &s;oul of the Prince was not at all di&s;mayed, neither did it interrupt his Gallantry: every one was bu&s;ie in divining which way this di&s;a&s;ter &s;hould happen; for peace flouri&s;hed throughout all the Kingdom, and the Prince was hated by none. Tho&s;e who knew the ambitious humour of <HI>Antaleon,</HI> Brother of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> did apprehend &s;ome clo&s;e con&s;piracy, and for many days nothing el&s;e was &s;poken of but the&s;e di&s;a&s;terous predicti|ons: <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> cau&s;ed all the Arms, Darts, Spears, Javelins, to be taken out of his Palace; and he was as vigilant as many men are, who by their own prudence think to prevent the prede&s;ti|nate will of the Gods, he forgot nothing which he thought fit to pre&s;erve the Prince his &s;on, whom he looked upon as his only Succe&s;&s;our, making no account of the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> be|cau&s;e of his imperfection: a long time pa&s;&s;ed on, and no misfortune befell the Prince <HI>Atis,</HI> &s;o that all cogitations of danger were hu&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, except the mind of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> who was &s;o extreamly po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with apprehen&s;ions of fear, that he began to think of marrying his &s;on immediately. But the grand difficulty was to chu&s;e a wife, for none but <HI>Anaxilea</HI> would plea&s;e him, and <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> would have cho&s;e another. Yet notwith&s;tanding the Prince <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> began to &s;tagger a little in his mind: my father did him very great &s;ervice at the reque&s;t of <HI>Cleander,</HI> who thought it would be advantageous unto him, to give an example of unequal alliance; to le&s;&s;en the value that was &s;et upon <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> and to &s;atisfie the Prince <HI>Atis.</HI></P>
<P>In conclu&s;ion, Sir, this marriage was &s;olemnized with much magnificence, but not with much joy unto any, except the two Lovers, and <HI>Adra&s;tus: Cre&s;&s;us</HI> did but give half a con&s;ent; The Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> was much un&s;atisfied to &s;ee the daughter of an inferiour to &s;it above her: <HI>Antaleon</HI> and <HI>Mexaris</HI> who &s;hould not have been very glad that this Prince had married a Queen, could not be glad to &s;ee him marry his Subject: <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> and <HI>Cleander,</HI> who concei|ved this marriage would authorize <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> were angry at it, for <HI>Cleander</HI> did but &s;erve him out of cunning, and becau&s;e he could not help it: The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> was ever melancholy for his own misfortune, &s;o that a far more illu&s;trious alliance then this could not rejoyce him. <HI>Abradates</HI> only and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omenes</HI> were ab&s;olutely unconcerned, and took no part, only as Lovers of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis.</HI> But <HI>Cleander</HI> was he who had greate&s;t cau&s;e of &s;orrow, for it was talked aloud, that the marriage of <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> would pre&s;ently be &s;olemni|zed. About four or five days after the marriage of <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> the <HI>Mi&s;&s;ians</HI> &s;ent to averti&s;e <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> that they had in their Countrey about the Mountain <HI>Olimpus,</HI> a Boar of an extraordi|nary and prodigious greatne&s;s, which wa&s;ted all their corn, and made their fields even de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">olate, be&s;eeching the King to &s;end &s;ome couragious men, with all fit accoutraments for the Cha&s;e, to deliver them from this terrible Animal, which might pa&s;s rather for a fearful Mon&s;ter, then a Boar: <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> con&s;ented to their de&s;ires, but as he was &s;peaking unto his officers about it, the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> who heard of the bu&s;ine&s;s, came in; <HI>Adra&s;tus, Arte&s;ilas, Abradates, Cleander,</HI> and many others followed him; <HI>Atis</HI> told the King his father, that he intended to be at the Cha&s;e: <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> who &s;till was po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with his old fears did oppo&s;e again&s;t his de&s;igne with much ob&s;tinacy; but &s;ince the Prince could not endure to pa&s;s in the opinion of his people, for one that never would hazard him&s;elf in any dangers, was re&s;olute, and would needs go. Yet he had hardly prevailed with <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> had he not bethought of one way which convinced him. You &s;ay Sir, &s;aid he, my death is threatned with an arrow, but I go not unto a place where any will be thrown at me: Had the prediction been, I &s;hould have been pulled in p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ece b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a wild Bea&s;t, then you had rea&s;on to prevent my going unto the Cha&s;e: but &s;ince it is not, what cau&s;e of fears have you? The Prince <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> &s;aid he, and &s;miled, will not kill me, no more <HI>Arte&s;i|las, Abradates,</HI> or <HI>Cleander;</HI> &s;o that &s;ince there is none to fight again&s;t but a wild bea&s;t which throws no Darts, nor has any Arms, but what nature gave him; Me thinks, Sir, you &s;hould not command me that thing, which would be obeyed, but again&s;t my will. What will your Sub|ject
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&s;ay, Sir, when they &s;ee, I dare not go unto a poor hunting? Can they ever think I dare fight and win battels, when I dare not &s;o much as fight with a poor <HI>Animal?</HI> At the la&s;t, Madam, <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> did con&s;ent; and every one prepared for this Cha&s;e: But when the Prince was ready to depart, the King took <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> a&s;ide, and told him, that &s;ince the Prince his Son was his Protectour, &s;o he de&s;ired him to be his upon this occa&s;ion. Sir (&s;aid <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> to him, extreamly rejoycing at this confidence which <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> put in him) if I do not &s;afely bring back the Prince, and victorious, deny me all the favours that ever I &s;hall ask, or can hope for from you. After this Madam, they went unto this hunting, in the mo&s;t magnificent manner that ever was &s;een in <HI>Lidia: Cleander</HI> went to take his leave of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> but there was &s;o much company pre&s;ent, that the adieu was not private, nor any thing pa&s;&s;ed which was ob|&s;ervable: The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> and <HI>Meaxis</HI> al&s;o, went unto this Hunting: and as <HI>E&s;ope</HI> &s;aw them depart, <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> asked him again, whether the Shepheard was among&s;t the Hunters? Yes, &s;aid he unto her, but they go not to hunt the Hind, though it were much better for them they did: When this gallant Troop of Princes and Grandees, which di&s;&s;erted the Court, came to the Mountain <HI>Olimpus,</HI> they began to be in Que&s;t of this Boar, and when they had di&s;co|vered his Den, they compa&s;&s;ed him about on all &s;ides, and every one &s;trove to get the fir&s;t blow at this terrible Bea&s;t, which by his mo&s;trous greatne&s;s did affright all Beholders: they came near him, and threw all their Darts: That which the Prince did throw did mi&s;s the Bea&s;t, &s;o like|wi&s;e did the Darts of <HI>Adra&s;tus, Meaxaris, Abradates,</HI> and others, but <HI>Cleanders</HI> Dart did hit him, and mortally wounded him; while&s;t he was drawing his Sword again&s;t this wild bea&s;t, <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> being envious of <HI>Cleanders</HI> honour, and mi&s;&s;ing his aim at that time did throw a &s;e|cond Dart, which as all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> knows, pierced through the heart of the Prince <HI>Atis,</HI> who had changed his place, &s;ince <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> looked upon him: The fall of this Prince cau&s;ed all tho&s;e who &s;aw him to cry out: &s;o that <HI>Cleander</HI> (who was bu&s;ie with the Boar, and by giving him a great blow in the body, which made him fall, turned his head, thinking the cry had been for joy of his victory, but di&s;cerning better the doleful tone of tho&s;e &s;orrowful voices, he left his fierce enemy rowling in his own blood, to go where the re&s;t of the company were: But he was extreamly di&s;mayed to &s;ee the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> dead, and <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> &s;o furious and de&s;perate, that never &s;orrow was &s;een comparable unto his; <HI>Cleander</HI> hearing it was <HI>Ara&s;tus;</HI> which kil|led him, and being tran&s;ported with grief, went towards him with his Sword drawn, but &s;ee|ing that all the re&s;t of the Princes who were more intere&s;ted in the lo&s;s then he was, did pity him, he did pity him al&s;o, and indeed to &s;peak the truth, <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> was in a condition fitter to move compa&s;&s;ion then choller; for I never in my life &s;aw one in a more &s;ad and lamentable condition: he had &s;uch a furious &s;orrow in his countenance, and &s;o many &s;ignes of de|&s;pair in all his words; that his pitifull e&s;tate is neither expre&s;&s;ible, nor imagina|ble: The truth is, Madam, he offered &s;everal times to kill him&s;elf, and they were com|pelled to take away his Sword, and watch him. They &s;ent to adverti&s;e <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> of the accident, and we all followed the Coach which carried the Prince of <HI>Lidia's</HI> Corps: never return from hunting was more &s;ad then this: nor never accident more mournful and amazing. <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was &s;o grieved, no man could be more; he called upon <HI>Jupiter</HI> the Expiator for help; He invo|ked the Gods of friend&s;hip and ho&s;pitality, whom <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> had violated: he complained that ever he &s;hould receive into his Court the Murtherer of his Son, thinking he had entertained a grateful Gue&s;s: he invoked the God of friend&s;hip, becau&s;e he met with his mo&s;t mortal enemy in him, to whom he tru&s;ted his Son, and to whom he would have married his daughter: The Prince&s;s <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> were exceeding grieved: in the mean time we brought the Corps of the <HI>Lidian</HI> Prince to <HI>Sardis:</HI> Then did <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> &s;ee it come into the Court of his Palace, the man who killed him following, for he would never be out of &s;ight of it: At this &s;ight <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> re&s;ented more &s;orrow then can be told or thought: The conditions of <HI>Cle|ander</HI> and <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> were quite different, <HI>Cleander</HI> had killed the Boar which was the cau&s;e of the hunting, and would have de&s;troyed the Province: <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> killed the Succe&s;&s;our of a great King, the Son of his protector, and his protector him&s;elf: and which was mo&s;t di&s;mal of all, the Brother of that Prince&s;s whom he loved, and hoped ere long to have married: he had &s;o much &s;orrow, &s;o much rage, and &s;o many &s;everal confu&s;ions in his eyes, as I never &s;aw the like; They would gladly have kept him from the &s;ight of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> but he e&s;caped from them that would have re&s;trained him, and ran to pre&s;ent him&s;elf unto that prince, but in &s;uch moving language, that he melced the hearts of his very Rivals: he asked what puni&s;hment he would appoint him? he de&s;ired him to pronounce that which was mo&s;t rigorous, and conju|red him to make ha&s;te, and he &s;poke indeed as if he did really de&s;ire death; he called upon the name of the Prince&s;s amid&s;t his complaints again&s;t him&s;elf, and without any de&s;igne at all
<PB N="213" REF="297">
to live, he &s;aid as much as po&s;&s;ible could be to move <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> for a pardon of his crime, which indeed was not a crime, but a mo&s;t &s;ad misfortune, and worthy of pity: <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> him&s;elf was moved unto compa&s;&s;ion, and like a great and generous Prince did pardon him, de&s;iring him on|ly to leave him at liberty to lament his misfortune.</P>
<P><HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> then did leave him, and was conducted unto his lodging, where they guarded him: but the next morning, he under&s;tanding that they would carry the Corps of the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> unto a &s;tately Tomb, which <HI>Alliaete</HI> had cau&s;ed to be built upon the banks of a Lake, call|ed the Lake of <HI>Giges,</HI> he &s;tole from his guards the night following, and run like a mad-man to this magnificent Tomb, where he was no &s;ooner come, then he got up unto the top of a pinacle which was among&s;t the Statues, and fell from thence with open arms upon the point of his &s;word which he had taken with him, in the &s;ight of tho&s;e which followed him, who there overtook him ju&s;t at break of day. Thus puni&s;hing him&s;elf, he de&s;erved the laments of all them who had greate&s;t cau&s;e to accu&s;e him for their misfortunes: <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> con&s;idering his Royal birth, his repentance te&s;tified by his blood, and his extraordinary misfortune, cau&s;ed his Corps to be layd in the &s;tately Tomb with Prince <HI>Atis,</HI> with an in&s;cription &s;utable to &s;o &s;trange an adven|ture. After this fatal accident, <HI>Cleander</HI> began to grow in favor with <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> who looked upon him as the only man who was fit to e&s;tabli&s;h the Scepter after his death, in the hands of the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles. Antaleon</HI> oppo&s;ed the&s;e thoughts; for this ambitious Prince, in preju|dice of his Nephew, pretended to the Crown. However, &s;ince there are no &s;orrows &s;o &s;ad but time does cure them, or at the lea&s;t mitigate them, every one began to chear up him&s;elf for the death of <HI>Atis;</HI> and <HI>Cleander</HI> having now no more Rivals, was &s;omething le&s;s unhappy then before. Moreover, the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> having no thoughts of revenge for her brother the Prince <HI>Atis,</HI> or &s;corn for <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> began to treat <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> as at fir&s;t, that is to &s;ay, with much more rigor: but &s;ince &s;he had u&s;ed much coldne&s;s towards <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;he knew not what to think, or could &s;he contrive it hand&s;omly how to bring her &s;elf unto the &s;ame terms with him: &s;he &s;aw him &s;o infinitely re&s;pective unto her, that &s;he could not in ju&s;tice accu&s;e him; nor had any de&s;ires of u&s;ing him rigorou&s;ly. In the mean while, the &s;everal Intere&s;ts of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> did beget him &s;everal cau&s;es of War again&s;t the <HI>Ephe&s;ians,</HI> and he rai&s;ed a pui&s;&s;ant Ar|my, whereof <HI>Cleander</HI> was Lievtenant General: For &s;ince <HI>Abradates</HI> could not engage him|&s;elf, not knowing when the King his father would call him back, and &s;ince the prince <HI>Myr&s;i|les,</HI> by rea&s;on of his imperfection, was not fit for that employment, the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander</HI> had the honour; the King for divers &s;ecret rea&s;ons of State, having no mind to employ either <HI>Antaleon,</HI> or <HI>Mexaris,</HI> or <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> who did extreamly murmur at it. But how great &s;o|ever this honour was, <HI>Cleander</HI> did but imperfectly enjoy it, when he con&s;idered that the Prin|ce&s;s did not yet certainly know that he was in love with her; or if &s;he did &s;u&s;pect &s;ome &s;uch thing, &s;he neither would nor could approve of it; he knew not well whether he &s;hould dare to take &s;o much boldne&s;s upon him, as to di&s;cover his mind a little more plainly unto her; and he was very much unre&s;olved upon it, when <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> who loved him extreamly well, came to &s;ee him, and to &s;hew him in private before he departed all the &s;tory of the Court, which he had compo&s;ed in Fables with Morals upon them; for though this work was his Ma&s;ter-piece, yet he had &s;hew|ed it unto very few, becau&s;e &s;ince it contained all the Privacies and Gallantries of the Court, he did not think it fit to expo&s;e it unto publique view: <HI>E&s;ope</HI> then being come to &s;hew <HI>Cleander</HI>
this plea&s;ant work, as e&s;teeming his approbation above all the Court be&s;ides; after he had read over many ingenious Fables, relating unto &s;everal pa&s;&s;ages, <HI>Cleander</HI> found that which <HI>E&s;ope</HI> had made for him: and given in a paper to <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> and &s;ince he under&s;tood it not, he asked the meaning of it; Sir, &s;aid <HI>E&s;ope</HI> unto him, I do not think it &s;o difficult; for &s;ome who come &s;hort of your wit, and who have not &s;o much knowledg of the things it repre&s;ents, have per|fectly found out the my&s;tery of it. <HI>Cleander</HI> became much more inqui&s;itive then before, and did &s;o urge him to the interpretation of it, that at the la&s;t he moved him to tell the true meaning of it, and all the pa&s;&s;ages: yet he no &s;ooner knew it, but having no power to di&s;&s;emble his thoughts, Oh <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cleander,</HI> what have you done? I have done that, replyed he, which perhaps you never dur&s;t do. I do confe&s;s it (replyed <HI>Cleander,</HI> who after he had recollected him&s;elf, would have di&s;guized his thoughts) for I do not know &s;o well as you, how to di&s;&s;em|ble a truth, and I have no mind to tell a lye: However <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> &s;aid he, if <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> did beleeve you, and acquainted the Prince&s;s with your Error, into what a condition have you brought me? But Sir, replyed <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> if perhaps it be &s;o, that you really are in love with the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and did never acquaint her with it, nor ever would, what condition were you then in? was it not a happy turn for you, that <HI>E&s;ope</HI> was &s;o bold as to di&s;cover that which you your &s;elf never dur&s;t? No, replyed <HI>Cleander,</HI> for &s;uch a man as I, who knows not what him&s;elf is and who
<PB N="214" REF="298">
has nothing but what is in the hands of Fortune, may very well &s;uppo&s;e, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> will think <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> cannot love her without a mo&s;t manife&s;t wrong unto her. Beleeve it Sir, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>E|&s;ope</HI> unto him, that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> never wrongs a fair Lady in loving her, of what quality &s;oever &s;he be, and of what quality &s;oever he be that adores her, provided he go no further then love her. But, an&s;wered <HI>Cleander, E&s;ope</HI> by his own confe&s;&s;ion did love one that was only a S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ve. But, re|plyed he, <HI>Cleander</HI> in loving a Prince&s;s, loves a fair Prince&s;s, and who&s;oever is fair, Sir, is cer|tainly one who&s;e greate&s;t delight is to be thought and re&s;pected &s;o: Yes Sir, I will maintain, that a fair Queen does always prefer a &s;lave of her beauty, before all her &s;ubjects which birth only gave her; and a Conque&s;t gotten by her eyes, will be a thou&s;and thou&s;and times more dear unto her then all the victories &s;he can get with a hundred thou&s;and men: therefore Sir, though I have made <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> beleeve you were in love with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lidia,</HI> and though &s;he hath per&s;waded her of as much, yet I warrant you, you will never be wor&s;e in her e&s;teem. Yet I perceived, &s;aid <HI>Cleander,</HI> that about the &s;ame time you &s;ay you compo&s;ed this Fable, the Prince&s;s did treat me with more coldne&s;s then ever &s;he did before. That is a &s;ign, an&s;wered <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> you are more in her heart, then ever you thought of: for if &s;he did not fear you, and if &s;he did not indeed fear her &s;elf, &s;he would never fly from a man whom &s;he e&s;teems very much. I pray think Sir, &s;aid he and &s;miled, that &s;ince I have taken &s;o much pains to find out the natures of Foxes, Tygers, Bears, and Lions, I am not altogether ignorant in the phy&s;iognomies of fair wo|men, which are a million of millions of times more delightful objects then any wilde Animals; and therefore be a&s;&s;ured from me, that &s;he hates you not, and that my Fable will one day prove as true in the end as in the beginning of it. Though <HI>Cleander</HI> knew very well that <HI>E&s;ope</HI> was both wi&s;e and &s;ubtle, yet he never had power to confe&s;s unto him that he loved the Prince&s;s: he only de&s;ired him not to &s;hew this Fable unto any, not to &s;peak any more of his errors, le&s;t he &s;hould per&s;wade others to beleeve them. As they were thus in di&s;cour&s;e, I came in; and as &s;oon as <HI>E&s;ope</HI> was gone, <HI>Cleander</HI> acquainted me with all their Conference; and told me, that certainly he was the cau&s;e of the Prince&s;s being &s;o re&s;erved and cold towards him: he was ex|treamly de&s;irous to know the truth: for though her coldne&s;s to him was an intolerable torment, yet if he were once certain &s;he knew his pa&s;&s;ion, it would be &s;ome ea&s;e unto him; for yet he ob&s;erved &s;he u&s;ed neither any incivility nor any &s;corn of him: So after he had well con&s;ulted with him&s;elf; he re&s;olved to go and take his leave of the Prince&s;s, at &s;uch a time as when few were with her, and to be cleared of his doubts: he was &s;o circum&s;pect to enquire the fitte&s;t op|portunity, that indeed he found her alone: After the fir&s;t Complements, which related only to his Voyage; and after the Prince&s;s had recommended the per&s;on of the King, and the per&s;on of <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> unto his care; Madam, &s;aid he unto her, doubtle&s;s you will think me mo&s;t pre&s;ump|tuou&s;ly bold, in be&s;eeching you to honour me &s;o far as to tell me, whether ever I committed any fault again&s;t tho&s;e due re&s;pects which I owe you, and which moved you to le&s;&s;en your obliging goodne&s;s, wherewith heretofore you were plea&s;ed to honour me withall. It plainly appears, replyed &s;he, that I put abundance of confidence in you, &s;ince I have recommended unto your care two per&s;ons whom I e&s;teem mo&s;t dear of all the world. Without all doubt, Madam, I am infinitly obliged unto you for it, replyed he; but Madam, &s;ince I am per&s;waded, that he who lo&s;eth an ine&s;timable Jewel, and never mi&s;&s;eth or complaineth of his lo&s;s, &s;eems that he did very little e&s;teem it; and I think you cannot in rea&s;on be offended, if I lament the change which I ob&s;erved in my happine&s;s: yet in all my complaints and lamentations, I do not accu&s;e you of any inju&s;tice, but do mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you to tell me, what crime I have committed, which might merit that misfortune? <HI>Cleander</HI> has &s;o much wit (replyed &s;he, and both &s;miled and blu&s;ht) that if he have committed a crime, doubtle&s;s it was with his own con&s;ent, and by con|&s;equence not ea&s;ie for him to repent of it, or nece&s;&s;ary to accu&s;e him&s;elf: But, &s;aid &s;he, with a more &s;erious countenanc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, I do not know that ever you did me any ill offices; and if you did ob&s;erve any alteration in my humor, it was only &s;ince the death of my brother, when I could not have the &s;ame di&s;po&s;itions to any joys, as before I might have. Madam an&s;wered <HI>Cleander,</HI> my misfortune did precede that of that unhappy Prince: Then perhaps, replyed &s;he, I had one fault more then I knew of; and this may be added unto the number of my others, that I am of an ill humor. The Gods pre&s;erve me &s;aid he, from accu&s;ing the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed Prince&s;s up|on Earth, of the lea&s;t imperfection; No, no, Mdam, you do not, or will not under&s;tand me: for I do not accu&s;e you of any thing; but if you find me culpable, I conjure you to accu&s;e me, that I may repent and correct my &s;elf, and that I may ask you pardon for it. Truly <HI>Cleander,</HI> reply|ed &s;he, I do not think there was ever any &s;o earne&s;t and de&s;irous to be thought criminal, as you: but for your &s;atisfaction and mine both, take notice of one thing I pray you, which is, that if I do not tell a thing the fir&s;t time that any one asks me, they ask me ever after in vain, for I will
<PB N="215" REF="298">
never tell it. Then Madam, an&s;wered he, &s;hall I never know my fault? Search in your own heart for your &s;atisfaction, &s;aid &s;he, and not in my words: If you be innocent, re&s;t quiet, for I never do any inju&s;tice; if you be not, repent and correct your &s;elf, but how&s;oever let us talk no more of it; and be a&s;&s;ured, that whether you be innocent or culpable, I heartily wi&s;h you may bring back the King my father victorious over his Enemies, and that your honour may every day grow greater. Since there never &s;hall be any thing more dear unto me then to obey you, replyed he, command me &s;omething, I be&s;eech you, wherein I may do you &s;ervice. It is enough, an&s;wered &s;he, that I de&s;ire you to have a care of the King my father, and the Prince my brother: if it be not, I conjure you further to have a care of your own per&s;on, and not to expo&s;e it unto too many dangers, &s;ince it is &s;o dear unto them. The Prince&s;s upon the&s;e words ri&s;e up, and <HI>Cleander</HI> was forced to leave her, not having any power to &s;peak more plainly of his Love unto her: yet had he &s;o much con&s;olation from this vi&s;it, to know &s;he under&s;tood his pa&s;&s;ion, and to find her much more affable then ordinary. He departed then with as violent de&s;ires to merit the e&s;teem of this Prince&s;s by his high actions, and to render his life as glorious, as his birth was ob&s;cure, that it is no wonder he performed &s;uch gallant things in the <HI>Ephe&s;ian</HI> War. I &s;hall not make a Re|lation unto you, Madam, of all the pa&s;&s;ages there: for all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> knows, that many Battels were fought, wherein <HI>Cleander</HI> had all the glory: That afterwards he went to be&s;iege <HI>Ephe&s;us;</HI> and though the Inhabitants thought them&s;elves mo&s;t &s;afe by a &s;uper&s;titious Ceremony of drawing a Line from the old Town to the Temple of <HI>Diana,</HI> as putting them&s;elves under her protection, yet they were compelled to render them&s;elves, maugre the &s;tout re&s;i&s;tance of a couragious &s;tran|ger who was in the Town. But certainly, to relate things as really they were, the taking of <HI>E|phe&s;us</HI> was &s;o particularly the act of <HI>Cleander,</HI> that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> had no &s;hare in the honour of that Conque&s;t; for he being faln &s;ick, it was <HI>Cleander</HI> who did all at this &s;iege, which was one of the mo&s;t memorable acts that has been heard of: <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> neither had the good fortune to be there, becau&s;e he was much wounded at the fir&s;t Battel which was given unto the Enemies: <HI>Cle|ander</HI> only had the glory of it all, whereof <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> him&s;elf &s;ent to adverti&s;e his daughter in a very advantagious manner for him: But as the time of keeping the field was almo&s;t at an end, and as he was in hopes to return unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> to reap the &s;weet fruits of his victories in the favorable looks of the Prince&s;s, the <HI>Mi&s;&s;eans,</HI> the <HI>Dorians,</HI> and the <HI>Pamphilians</HI> did all confederate toge|ther again&s;t <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> who re&s;olved to prevent them: He &s;ent then to the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> for ayd; but &s;ince he was engaged at that time with the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> he denyed him, &s;o that he was forced to go upon his own legs. But Madam, the valor of <HI>Cleander</HI> was become &s;o terrible unto all the&s;e people, that he ended this War as happily as the other, though it was in the Win|ter time. Since <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> &s;aw that Fortune &s;miled upon him, he would not &s;tay there: but whil&s;t the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> was bu&s;ie with the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> he entered at the beginning of the Spring into the Dominions of that Prince, pre&s;ently after tho&s;e two Kings had lo&s;t two Battels in one day. So that the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> with his broken Troops was con&s;trained to return for defence of his own Kingdom, and leave that of his Alies. As this Prince was very gallant, <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> found greater re&s;i&s;tance from him then he did before, and the valor of <HI>Cleander</HI> did find a glo|rious &s;ubject to work upon. Since <HI>Phrigia</HI> is not very full of Towns, almo&s;t all this War was performed in Schirmi&s;hes and Battels; but they were &s;o frequent and &s;o glorious for <HI>Cleander,</HI> that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> could not chu&s;e but admire how extreamly he was obliged unto <HI>Mineceus</HI> and my father, for giving him a man of &s;o heroique a courage: The King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> did fight in per&s;on with <HI>Cleander,</HI> who thought once to have killed him, but as he lifted up his arm a thought came into his mind, which made him change his blow, and turned it upon another next the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> whom he killed at that blow, &s;aying in him&s;elf, Perhaps I am born a Subject unto that King. In &s;hort Madam, after the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> was forced to retreat into <HI>Apamea,</HI> and the &s;ea&s;on of the year growing very bad, <HI>Cleander,</HI> after he had put his Troops into their Winter quarters, returned unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> after a compleat year &s;ince he had been there: 'Tis true, Renown did &s;peak &s;o high in his behalf to the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> that &s;he could not forget him; yet &s;he would not admit of his pa&s;&s;ion, and I know not whether or no &s;he had &s;ome kind of fears that ab&s;ence had changed his heart. <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was received with high magnificence, and <HI>Cleander</HI> was looked upon as the Conqueror of many Nations, and in that po&s;ture wherein he came to <HI>Sardis,</HI> there was none could come in competition with him, but every one e&s;teemed him&s;elf happy in his favorable looks. But Madam, in the mid&s;t of all the&s;e Triumphs, Love did triumph over the heart of <HI>Cleander:</HI> And he was more terrified that day he was to &s;ee the Prince&s;s, then he was in all the days of Battel: for he went to fight in hopes to overcome, but he expo&s;ed him|&s;elf unto the looks of his Prince&s;s in certainty to be overcome, and in uncertainty of being kindly treated. The fir&s;t addre&s;s unto her was in the pre&s;ence of the King, who in favor of <HI>Cleander</HI>
<PB N="216" REF="299">
told the Prince&s;s his daughter, that &s;he &s;hould regard him as the only Conqueror, and as the great|e&s;t &s;tay of his Empire: <HI>Cleander</HI> an&s;wered unto this with much mode&s;ty, and the Princ<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;s did &s;econd the King her father with many obliging civilities. But the next morning <HI>Cleander</HI> were him&s;elf alone to wait upon her, and &s;he entertained him, neither with her former freedom, nor her latter coldne&s;s: As &s;he was grown more fair, &s;o he more amorous; and as victories does elevate Souls, and infu&s;e a kind of hand&s;om boldne&s;s, which is very much becoming if it be mixed with mode&s;ty, &s;o <HI>Cleander</HI> was grown incomparable more amiable then ever he was; and on the contrary, <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> much le&s;s, for his envy at <HI>Cleanders</HI> glory, did make him of &s;o bad an humor, that every one &s;hunned him: &s;o that he coming unto the Prince&s;s as <HI>Cleander</HI> was with her, &s;he did &s;o palpably perceive the difference between them, that &s;he could not chu&s;e at night, in &s;peaking unto <HI>Cyl<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">ni&s;a,</HI> but wi&s;h, that <HI>Cleander</HI> had the birth of <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> or that <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> had all the good qualities of <HI>Cleander.</HI> However, though &s;he &s;aw he was infinitely honored by all, and <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> e&s;teemed him exceedingly, the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> loved him mo&s;t tenderly, and thought he was adored by all the world, yet for all this he e&s;teemed him&s;elf very unhappy: for when he began to con&s;ider, that he knew not who him&s;elf was, and that in all likelyhood this incertainty of his birth would be an invincible ob&s;tacle unto an happy &s;ucce&s;s in his pa&s;&s;ion, he grew pa&s;t all con&s;olation, and all additaments of honour did rather increa&s;e then dimini&s;h his &s;orrows. But Madam, the&s;e great favors upon <HI>Cleander</HI> eclip&s;ing <HI>Antaleon,</HI> that ambitious Prince, who thir&s;ted after the Crown did &s;ecretly treat with <HI>Arta&s;ilas,</HI> unto whom he promi&s;ed the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> his Neece in marriage, if he would help him to kill <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">nd the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles.</HI> This Con&s;piracy was &s;o horrid, that I will not trouble you with a particular relation of it: for when I con&s;ider that a brother would murther a brother and a Nephew, and that a Lover &s;hould embrew his hands in the blood of a Father unto his Mi&s;tre&s;s, I apprehend &s;uch hor|rors, that I mu&s;t needs pa&s;s them over very &s;lightly, and tell you, that <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> who was yet at <HI>Sardis,</HI> having &s;melt out this Con&s;piracy, did acquaint <HI>Cleander</HI> with it, who went &s;o prudently to work, that he did not only di&s;cover the whole Plot, but al&s;o qua&s;ht it: <HI>Antaleon</HI> was forc'd to fly for refuge to the <HI>Phrigian</HI> King, but he never reached &s;o far, for in his going thither he fell down a <HI>Precipice,</HI> and &s;o hurt him&s;elf, that within a few days after death became his &s;anctuary; for it &s;eems the Gods would defer no longer the puni&s;hment of &s;o black a Crime. As for <HI>Arte|&s;ilas,</HI> nothing could be proved directly again&s;t him; and though afterwards it came to light that he was of the Con&s;piracy, yet he &s;tayd in the Court as if he had been innocent: 'Tis true, he dur&s;t not any longer &s;hew him&s;elf openly as a Lover of the Prince&s;s, for if &s;he would have hark|ened unto any profe&s;&s;ions of love, <HI>Cleander</HI> would have been near his happine&s;s: For <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> thought him&s;elf &s;o infinitly obliged unto him for this la&s;t piece of &s;ervice, that he e&s;teemed all his Trea&s;ures too mean a recompence for it: The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> for his part, being a debtor unto him for his life, thought him worthy of all things; &s;o that though he knew <HI>Cleander</HI> was in love with the Prince&s;s his &s;i&s;ter, yet he would never take any notice of it. In the mean while <HI>Cleander,</HI> not being able to live and not have liberty to publi&s;h his love to her who cau&s;ed it, did lead a mo&s;t melancholy life; and the Prince&s;s al&s;o, not being able to forbear an expre&s;&s;ion of too high an e&s;teem of <HI>Cleander,</HI> was extreamly troubled: For &s;aid &s;he one day to <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI>
|Though this e&s;teem do me no other hurt, but to hinder me from loving him whom my Father would have me marry, is not that too much? and ought I not to wi&s;h that I had never &s;een him? As I think, &s;aid <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> that would be an unju&s;t wi&s;h, and <HI>Cleander</HI> perhaps has more rea&s;on then you, to wi&s;h he had never &s;een your beauty. You know Madam, that the King is his Debtor for many victories, and you your &s;elf do owe him for the lives of two Princes who are mo&s;t dear unto you; but as for him, I do not &s;ee, that he is obliged unto you at all, for truly you u&s;e him very coldly, becau&s;e you are obliged to him, and you wi&s;h you had never &s;een him, becau&s;e he is very hand&s;om and amiable; there is not much rea&s;on or ju&s;tice in the&s;e wi&s;hes. I beleeve, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, and &s;miled, that <HI>E&s;ope</HI> has &s;uborned you to help to make his Fable true; As <HI>Cyle|ni&s;a</HI> was about to an&s;wer, the Captain of the Guard unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> who always loved <HI>Antaleon</HI> very well, though none perceived it, and who by that con&s;equence had not over-much love for <HI>Cleander,</HI> came to the Prince&s;s to tell her a piece of news which he thought de&s;erved a recom|pence, though perhaps it would not be plea&s;ing. Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I beg your pardon for coming to tell you a thing which doubtle&s;s will much trouble you, but &s;ince by knowing it in time you may perhaps find a remedy, I therefore no &s;ooner knew it but I came to acquaint you. The Prince&s;s thinking it to be &s;ome new Con&s;piracy, thanked him for his zeal unto her &s;ervice, and de&s;ired him to &s;peak the bu&s;ine&s;s. Madam, replyed he, the bu&s;ine&s;s is &s;o &s;trange, that I dare hardly tell you, for truly I was told by an Officer of the Kings hou&s;e as a very great &s;ecret, that the King has a de&s;ign to marry you unto <HI>Cleander,</HI> to the end he may a&s;&s;i&s;t the prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI>
<PB N="217" REF="299">
to &s;upport the Sc<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">pter after his death: he &s;eemed to be fearful you would not con&s;ent unto it, becau&s;e the original of <HI>Cleander</HI> was not known; this refu&s;al of yours he &s;aid would anger him very much, but he would never force you unto it. Therefore Madam, conceiving you might prevent &s;o great a mi&s;ery by a couragious re&s;i&s;tance, I came in all ha&s;te to tell you what I knew concerning this &s;trange de&s;ign, for knowing your great Soul as I do, I beleeved you would never con&s;ent unto &s;uch a thing as would be &s;o di&s;honorable unto you, as this. The prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> being extreamly &s;urprized at this mans di&s;cour&s;e, and not knowing what to think of it, thanked him for his zeal, and told him &s;he would &s;ee him recompenced: but &s;he conjured him to ob&s;erve two things; the one, not to &s;peak unto any one who&s;oever of this bu&s;ine&s;s which he told her; the other, not to accu&s;tom tho&s;e who are under his charge, to dive into the &s;ecrets of Kings, or at lea&s;t not to di&s;cover them; that in the mean time he might beleeve, &s;he would carry her &s;elf in the bu&s;ine&s;s, as rea&s;on and vertue required. Here Madam, may be admired the capricious humor of Love, e&s;pecially in the &s;pirits of the wi&s;e&s;t per&s;ons. The prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> did infinitly e&s;teem <HI>Cleander,</HI> and perhaps did love him with tenderne&s;s enough: Yet as &s;oon as &s;he under&s;tood that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> would have her marry him, the ob&s;curity of his original did &s;o much trouble her mind, that &s;he knew not what re&s;olution to take: She would not have <HI>Cleander</HI> leave loving her, and yet &s;he would not have him tell her that he did love her; and &s;he could by no means con&s;ent to marry one that was not known what he was: Yet his vertue is &s;o tran&s;cendent and apparent (would this Prince&s;s &s;ay) but his birth is &s;o ob&s;cure, that he him&s;elf knows not what it is: For all that Madam (would <HI>Cileni&s;a</HI> &s;ay) you know he is worthy of all things; he is owner of as many virtues as the greate&s;t Prince upon Earth can wi&s;h to have; his valor has &s;et him above all the King your fathers Subjects; if all his Conque&s;ts were really his own, as all the glory of them is, he would be one of the mo&s;t pui&s;&s;ant Princes in all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> The fir&s;t Kings Ma|dam, &s;aid <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> perhaps were not extracted from &s;o good a hou&s;e as <HI>Cleander;</HI> for truly, I have heard &s;ay, he was found in a mo&s;t rich Mantle, made of the pure&s;t Cloth of Gold; the Pic|ture of his Mother and him&s;elf was &s;et in a mo&s;t manificent Border, which are &s;trong arguments his original cannot be ba&s;e. He may perhaps be born of parents rich enough, replyed the Prin|ce&s;s, yet that is not enough to &s;atisfie me: I know <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> that birth and death is alike to all, both Kings and Subjects; and that the vanity to boa&s;t of Predece&s;&s;ors, has but a bad foundation; but yet for all that, this illu&s;trious <HI>Chimera,</HI> which flatters up the hearts of all men, is &s;o univer|&s;ally e&s;tabli&s;hed throughout all the Earth, that it is not contemptible. But yet Madam, &s;aid <HI>Cy|leni&s;a,</HI> it mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed that birth only is not very con&s;iderable: for if the &s;on of the greate&s;t King in the world were in love with you, and &s;uppo&s;e he had all imaginable faults, and not one good quality, certainly you would never love him: all the Grandure of his illu&s;trious Grand-fathers and all their vertues, would not invite you to e&s;teem him. 'Tis very true, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, I &s;hould &s;corn him and hate him more then another who had not the &s;ame vices, yet upon &s;ome rea&s;on of &s;tate I could marry him; yet <HI>Cleander</HI> being &s;o accompli&s;hed as he is, does doubtle&s;s merit my e&s;teem, but yet being no Prince, nor knowing &s;o much as whether he be of a noble Race, I could not chu&s;e, according to the common Maxims of the world, but allow &s;ome place in my friend&s;hip, yet never &s;hould have any thoughts of marrying him. I know Madam, &s;aid <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> that all the world thinks as you &s;ay; but you Madam, who has a Soul above the vul|gar reach, and who can &s;ee things as really they are in them&s;elves, not as the multitude looks upon them, what do you think? may you not well imagine that <HI>Cleanders</HI> vertue and the Kings com|mand will prevent all blame, when you obey him without re&s;i&s;tance? Ha <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto her, what que&s;tions do you ask me? and how do you think I &s;hall an&s;wer you? My heart and my rea&s;on are at &s;uch odds, that I need &s;ome time to con&s;ider which of the&s;e two I &s;hould &s;a|tisfie; therefore for the pre&s;ent I cannot tell you which I &s;hall chu&s;e, or what I &s;hall do: for truly <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> I do not know my &s;elf. This was the Conference between them: for though <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> did not make me her Confident concerning the intere&s;ts of her Mi&s;tre&s;s, yet being my Cou&s;in we were very friendly one to another, and &s;he bore a particular affection un<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">o <HI>Cleander</HI> for my &s;ake, becau&s;e &s;he knew that my Fortune and <HI>Timocreons</HI> did in&s;eparably depend upon his, and therefore he rendred in common between us both his liberality, and his good offices. <HI>Cleander</HI> al&s;o though he knew it not, had a good Soliciter of her to the prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and her advi&s;e was always in advantage of <HI>Cleander,</HI> in &s;o much as her coldne&s;s towards him, which was his greate&s;t torment, did in&s;en&s;ibly le&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">n, &s;o that flattering up him&s;elf, by this happy change, the cau&s;e whereof he was ignorant his hopes began to revive and comfort him; and pre&s;ently after, growing more bold in the bu&s;ine&s;s, he rendred his Complements unto the Prince&s;s with le&s;s circum&s;pection, though ever with equal re&s;pect: he vi&s;ited her very o<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">ten, and talked to her with le&s;s fear: yet I do not think that he would ever have been &s;o bold as openly to declare
<PB N="218" REF="300">
him&s;elf unto her, if the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who at that time was only <HI>Artamenes,</HI> had not given him an occa&s;ion, and thus it was. <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> knowing all the pa&s;&s;ages of the <HI>Ponteon</HI> and <HI>Bithi|nian</HI> War, and all the glorious Acts which the famous <HI>Artamenes</HI> did there, he had al&s;o a greater de&s;ire to enquire of what Nation a man of &s;uch extraordinary valor was. Tho&s;e who had this Commi&s;&s;ion, told him, that it was not known; and further told him, how he cau&s;ed the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> to be relea&s;ed; and how the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was carried away by a &s;tranger call|ed <HI>Philidaspes,</HI> who was unknown as well as <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and who al&s;o was very gallant; add|ing further, that it was &s;aid this <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was &s;on unto the Queen of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and di&s;cover|ed by a Letter which he had written unto one of his Intelligence, which Letter was intercepted. <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> told all this unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> as news which was &s;omething plea&s;ant, &s;peaking unto her with much admiration of all the great things done by the illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes.</HI> As &s;oon as he was gone from the Prince&s;s, <HI>Cleander</HI> came in; and &s;ince her mind was full with what the King had told her, &s;he began di&s;cour&s;e with him, and asked him many particulars, which &s;he had not asked the King: Conceiving that he was pre&s;ent when all this news was told unto the King; For my part, &s;aid &s;he, I wi&s;h this <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> though he be &s;aid to be the &s;on of a King, were puni&s;hed for the violence he hath done; and I would have <HI>Artamenes,</HI> though it be not known what he is, recompenced for his vertue. Methinks, Madam, &s;aid <HI>Cle|ander,</HI> I ought to thank you for him, being unknown as he is, and I conceive this conformity ought to intere&s;t me in what concerns him. His condition (&s;aid the Prince&s;s) is not equal with yours, for as I under&s;tand by the relation made unto the King, he known where he was born, and you neither know where you were born, nor what you are. <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;ighed at this di&s;|cour&s;e of the Prince&s;s, who fearing &s;he had incen&s;ed him, made ha&s;te to &s;peak again. No, no, <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, grieve not &s;o much at your misfortune; for though you do not know your quality, yet all the world knows you de&s;erve the highe&s;t: And I wi&s;h to the Gods, for the ho|nour of our hou&s;e, that you were my Brother; and I am &s;ure the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> will not be offended at my wi&s;h. It would be mo&s;t glorious and obliging for me, Madam, replyed he; but for all that, Heavens forbid it &s;hould be &s;o, for I had rather be as I am, then be Brother unto the adorable <HI>Palmis.</HI> Do you know what you &s;ay? replyed &s;he; and do you not fear to offend me? Yes, Madam, I do fear, and fear it much more then you have rea&s;on to do: But truly, &s;ince I am re&s;olved to be ingenious, I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s unto you, that I had incomparably rather be all my life a Slave unto the divine <HI>Palmis,</HI> then to be her Brother, or to be the greate&s;t King up|on Earth; Yes Madam, I think tho&s;e fetters which enchain me &s;o &s;weet and glorious, though heavy, that I would not change them for all the gli&s;tering D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">adems of the Univer&s;e. <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;aid the Prince&s;s to him, it &s;eems you know me no better then you do your &s;elf, for if you knew who I am, you would not u&s;e &s;uch language. Pardon me, Madam, I be&s;eech you, re|plyed he, I know you are the daughter of a great King; that you are the faire&s;t Prince&s;s in the world, and the mo&s;t virtuous; but I know al&s;o that I am the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man upon Earth, becau&s;e I am the mo&s;t amorous. If I did not think you were be&s;ides your &s;en&s;es, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I &s;hould treat you after another manner. No Madam, &s;aid he, do not deceive your &s;elf, the love which I have to you permits me the u&s;e of my rea&s;on, and my &s;en&s;es clearly, and I know mo&s;t certainly that I ought to hope for nothing, nor do I ask any thing but a little com|pa&s;&s;ion; for I dare not be &s;o bold as to ask that which would be a remedy unto my mi&s;ery, but that only I ask which would comfort, not cure me. The King my Father, &s;aid the Prince&s;s unto him, is &s;o much your Debtor, and I al&s;o, that I am re&s;olved not to argue again&s;t you, though in rea&s;on I ought to do it: but let me tell you in le&s;s anger then I could, that if what you &s;ay be not true, though your boldne&s;s de&s;erves I &s;hould forbid my &s;elf ever &s;peaking with you again, yet I will forget your crime, and pardon you; but if to your misfortune there be any truth in your words, I &s;hall not treat you &s;o favorably. How Madam, replyed he, will you puni&s;h me more &s;everely for telling you an in&s;olent lye, then for telling you a mo&s;t re&s;pective truth? I &s;hall do more then that, an&s;wered &s;he, for I &s;hall puni&s;h my &s;elf for your crime, though I am not acce&s;&s;ory to it. Alas Madam replyed he, if I am culpable, you have made me &s;o, but in the name of the Gods Madam, do not condemn me upon &s;o &s;light a ground; You have heretofore had &s;o earne&s;t a de&s;ire to know whether I was in love, and whom I loved, when the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> told you that I would not feign affection unto <HI>Anaxilea;</HI> that I did not think it &s;o great a wrong to tell you the truth once in my life: Con&s;ider Madam, I cannot in ju&s;tice be accu&s;ed of what I now di&s;cover unto you; for can it be a Crime to be overcome by one who is able to overcome the whole Earth? You ought at the lea&s;t to hide your defeat, replyed the Prince&s;s. I hide it from all the world, replyed he, knowing well that my misfortune is &s;o great, that it is a &s;hame unto my illu&s;trious Conqueror: but for you Madam, I do confe&s;s I had a great de&s;ire to di&s;|cover
<PB N="219" REF="300">
it unto you: But Madam, if I can obtain &s;o much from your goodne&s;s, as to pardon me this fir&s;t crime, I will promi&s;e you to regulate my life &s;o for the future, as it &s;hall plea&s;e you, and to &s;hut up the violence of my love in my own heart. Do &s;o then, &s;aid &s;he unto him, and be &s;ure, that not one of your actions, words, or looks, may ever call into my memory the fault which you have committed this day: and I am re&s;olved to forget and forgive it, if you will do as I would have you, and as I &s;hall appoint you. I &s;hall do the utmo&s;t of my endeavours to obey you, Madam, replied he; but in the name of Heavens do not treat me as one that is in|nocent, but as one that was criminal, and you have pardoned him.</P>
<P>The Prince&s;s not being able to tolerate this conference any longer, took her leave of <HI>Cleander,</HI> being not le&s;s incen&s;ed again&s;t her &s;elf then again&s;t him, becau&s;e &s;he thought &s;he had not &s;po|ken &s;harp enough unto him: Since he does not know, &s;aid &s;he, that the King has a de&s;ign in his advantage, what will he think of me? for hearkening unto him with &s;o few &s;ignes of anger? And have I not &s;ome rea&s;on to fear that my over indulgence has blotted out that e&s;teem which he had of me? Yet, &s;aid &s;he, and reprehended her &s;elf, I being his debtor for the King my fa|thers life, and for my brothers, it were not ju&s;t to be &s;o &s;evere unto him as his boldne&s;s de&s;er|ved: but indeed, &s;aid &s;he further, who&s;oever is <HI>Cleanders</HI> father, perhaps he may be of &s;uch a quality, as would make me blu&s;h for &s;hame, if I knew him, that he &s;hould be &s;o bold as to tell me he loved me, and I not bani&s;h him for ever: Ah my heart, cried &s;he, thou ha&s;t betrayed me. For the truth is, I do love <HI>Cleander</HI> more then I thought, or ought to have done: But &s;ince it is &s;o, I ought to learn by my own experience, that <HI>Cleander</HI> is not &s;o much to blame; for &s;ince I cannot hate him when I would, he is excu&s;able, if he cannot leave loving me, when I de&s;ire him. Let him love me then, &s;aid &s;he, &s;o he love me in &s;ecret; and tell me no more of it: but yet though &s;he was not well reconciled with her &s;elf upon this point, yet &s;he was &s;o ingenious as to confe&s;s as much unto <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> unto whom &s;he related all her thoughts, when they were together. The truth is Madam, the illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander</HI> did carry it &s;o judiciou&s;ly, and with &s;o much re&s;pect and di&s;cretion to the Prince&s;s all that Winter, as indeed &s;he was con|&s;trained to let her heart yield unto that innocent pa&s;&s;ion, which would needs command it; yet &s;he did not let it appear unto <HI>Cleander,</HI> but under the notion of &s;olid and &s;incere friend&s;hip: alway telling him, that it mu&s;t be always carried &s;o; becau&s;e there was an invincible ob&s;tacle unto his happine&s;s: for (&s;aid &s;he to him one day, after he had obtained a revocation of that cru|el Sentence, to &s;peak no more of his love) if you did meet with no other hinderances of your good fortune, but becau&s;e I do not e&s;teem you, or but becau&s;e I e&s;teem another more then you, or but becau&s;e I am in&s;en&s;ible, time might very well alter all the&s;e: for I do ingeniou&s;ly con|fe&s;s, that I find in your per&s;on, and in your mind, all that is requi&s;ite to obtain my e&s;teem: you have rendred me an hundred thou&s;and &s;ervices in the per&s;on of the King, and in my own; I am per&s;waded that you love me: my own inclination is not to hate you; and every thing ex|cept one only, contributes to fa&s;ten our friend&s;hip: But <HI>Cleander</HI> after all the&s;e, all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> knows, that you know not who you are, and it were a miracle if you ever did; therefore we mu&s;t engage no further, but keep within the limits of friend&s;hip; not that I e&s;teem you le&s;s, or thinks that your original de&s;erves not to be high, but I do acknowledg unto you my weak|ne&s;s: Since all the world is not of my mind, I can bani&s;h out of my &s;pirit &s;ome fears of be|ing blamed, if it &s;hould come to be known, that I re&s;erve a private room in my heart, for one that is not known who he is? Therefore <HI>Cleander</HI> in regard unto my honour content your &s;elf with my friend&s;hip and e&s;teem: Love me in the &s;ecret of your heart as much as you will (&s;aid &s;he and blu&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">) but never expect any more from <HI>Palmis</HI> then offices of friend&s;hip. I find &s;o much rea&s;on in your expre&s;&s;ions Madam, replied he, and &s;o little &s;atisfaction to my &s;elf, that I know not how to an&s;wer: for as concerning my original, Madam, I have no <HI>Index</HI> to find it out, but only a mo&s;t &s;trong per&s;wa&s;ion that it is not ba&s;e, becau&s;e I am &s;o bold as to love you, and to love you without any manner of &s;cruple. Yes, divine Prince&s;s, I find in my &s;oul &s;uch a kind of noble pride, as per&s;wades me, that I may adore you, and do you no wrong, yet &s;ince this proof is only convincing unto my &s;elf, I ask no more, then what you are plea&s;ed to con&s;ent un|to; and as long as you do not forbid me loving you, I &s;hall never complain: for Madam, the e&s;teem which I have of your merit is &s;o great, that though I were the Son of a great King, I &s;hould not think my &s;elf worthy to ask your affection but upon my knee. Things &s;tanding upon the&s;e terms, although the Prince&s;s did carry her &s;elf towards <HI>Cleander</HI> with extream re|&s;ervedne&s;s; yet talking with him oftner then u&s;ual in private, and love being of &s;uch a nature as cannot be long hid, e&s;pecially where there is inequality between th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> parties, <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> be|gan to perceive, that there was &s;ome alteration between them, and within a few days after, he did not que&s;tion, but <HI>Cleander</HI> at the lea&s;t&punc; was in love with the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> &s;inc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">
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him&s;elf was but cour&s;ly treated: Jealou&s;ie did row&s;e up his heart in a very violent manner, he kept the bu&s;ine&s;s clo&s;e, becau&s;e he would fir&s;t clear his &s;u&s;pitions: But after an ob&s;erving eye upon <HI>Cleanders</HI> actions, and a&s;&s;uring him&s;elf that he was his Rival, conceiving al&s;o that he was the only cau&s;e of the Prince&s;s her &s;corn upon him: he began to have a mo&s;t &s;trong a ver&s;ion to <HI>Cleander,</HI> and intended to put affronts upon him, and to quarrel with him upon the fir&s;t oc|ca&s;ion; That which was a quicker &s;pur unto his de&s;ign, was, becau&s;e he knew <HI>Cleander</HI> would ere long go to command the Army, and fini&s;h the <HI>Phrigian</HI> war: but how hot &s;eever he was to quarrel, yet for &s;ome days he could not bring it about, becau&s;e <HI>Cleander</HI> was feldom with any but the King, or the Prince&s;s, unle&s;s &s;omtimes with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena.</HI> As he was one day coming from her, <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> met him, &amp; &s;peaking very coldly unto him, I have &s;ought you &s;everal days, &s;aid he, but I could never meet you, unle&s;s with the King, or Prince&s;s, in who&s;e pre&s;ence you are continually. Had I known your intentions replied <HI>Cleander</HI> with the &s;ame coldne&s;s, though very civilly) I &s;hould have come to you to know your plea&s;ure. Perhaps if you had known it, an&s;wered <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> you would have been &s;o far from coming to me, that you would not have come to the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena.</HI> Since I do not u&s;e to &s;hun either my friends or my enemies, an&s;wered <HI>Cleander,</HI> I know no rea&s;on you &s;hould &s;peak in that manner unto me. I know le&s;s rea&s;on you have, replied <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> to carry your &s;elf as you have done of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. Since I have ever followed the rules of rea&s;on, an&s;wered <HI>Cleander,</HI> I do not know how I have misbehaved my &s;elf. When you came fir&s;t unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> replied <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> it was not ea&s;ie to fore&s;ee that your frequent vi&s;its of the Prince&s;s would afterwards prejudice me, or that a man of your quality &s;hould be &s;o bold as to oppo&s;e &s;uch a one as my &s;elf. My quality (replied <HI>Cleander,</HI> much incen&s;ed) is indeed unknown to me; but I had rather be received by the Prin|ce&s;s for my own vertue, then for my quality only, though it were higher then yours. You may do well to think of your own, replied <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> and let mine alone: if you do not, I &s;hall find out ways to remember you; therefore let me find you no more with the Prince&s;s, if I do&mdash;How Sir, &s;aid <HI>Cleander,</HI> and interrupted him, force me not to lay a&s;ide tho&s;e re&s;pects which perhaps I &s;hould have paid unto your quality, and remember that men of carriage cannot brook to be threatned by any but the Gods only. But you &s;hall &s;uffer the threatnings of a man, repli|ed <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> and perhaps find &s;uch effects of it, as &s;hall not plea&s;e you, unle&s;s you correct your &s;elf. Provided that our Swords be equal, replied <HI>Cleander</HI> fiercely, the inequality of our con|ditions &s;hall not hinder me from preventing you; But Sir, do not prophane the name of the Prince&s;s in &s;uch an occa&s;ion, as &s;he ought not to be introduced: if you have any &s;ecret hatred to me, revenge your &s;elf generou&s;ly: and do me the honour to tell me with your Sword in your hand, whether it be nature or fortune which puts a difference between us. You &s;hall know that pre&s;ently (replied <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> and drawing his &s;word, as well as one &s;ervant which was with him) &s;o that <HI>Cleander</HI> having but his &s;ervant with him al&s;o, the fight was upon equal numbers, though with unequal &s;ucce&s;s: for <HI>Cleander</HI> being animated by his love, by his jea|lou&s;ie, and by the angry language of <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> did fight with &s;uch fury, that this Prince, as gallant as he was, had a hard task to re&s;i&s;t him: &s;ince <HI>Cleander</HI> feared, left &s;ome &s;hould come in to part them, he dallied not; but driving blow after blow upon his enemy, without any defending him&s;elf, he pre&s;&s;ed &s;o hard upon him, that he lo&s;t his judgment, and could neither defend him&s;elf, nor a&s;&s;ault his foe: Not that <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> wanted any courage, but becau&s;e the miraculous valour of <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;urprized him, and put him into di&s;order: he was wounded at the fir&s;t in two places, without any touch upon <HI>Cleander;</HI> who after he had given him two other wounds, he clo&s;ed with him, threw him upon the ground, and took away his &s;word; Then after he had di&s;armed him, Do you acknowledg, &s;aid he, that you have &s;ome cau&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> think my birth is not inferiour unto yours? or do you not at the lea&s;t confe&s;s, that if there <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> any difference between us, it is fortune only which made it? <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> was &s;o wounded, an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> a&s;hamed at his defeat, that he had not power to an&s;wer. At the &s;ame time &s;ome women which belonged to the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> &s;pied them out of a window, at the beginning of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Combat, and &s;ent &s;ome men to part them. But they came not in till all was done; <HI>Cleand<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters"></HI> &s;ervant wounded the &s;ervant of <HI>Artefilas,</HI> who&s;e &s;word was broken. <HI>Abradates</HI> came in al|&s;o, who cau&s;ed the Prince <HI>Artefilas</HI> to be carried unto his hou&s;e, and who went with <HI>Clean|der</HI> unto his lodging: not letting him go unto his own until he knew the cau&s;e of the Combat, and how the King would receive the news: Since <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> loved <HI>Cleander</HI> very well, and ne|ver loved <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> at all, it was no hard matter to per&s;wade him, that <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> was the Chal|lenger, &s;o that he &s;eemed to be much incen&s;ed again&s;t him for affronting one who was &s;o <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> and high in his e&s;teem: The friends of <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> did &s;weeten the matter, and told the King th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> the an&s;wers of <HI>Cleander</HI> did exa&s;perate him, and &s;ince neither of the&s;e two Rivals did na<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">
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the Prince&s;s; &s;ome &s;cornful words which <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> &s;poke concerning the birth of <HI>Cleander,</HI> pa&s;&s;ed for the ground of the quarrel.</P>
<P>In the mean while all the Court came to vi&s;it him, excepting the kindred of his Enemy, and &s;ome of them al&s;o for&s;ook him, and offered them&s;elves unto <HI>Cleander,</HI> whom the Prince&s;s &s;ent privately to vi&s;it and rejoyce that he was not wounded, not knowing yet what was the cau&s;e of the Combat, every one thinking that it was becau&s;e <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> did treat him as an unknown man from whence he had his original: Nothing el&s;e was talked of; Tho&s;e who had heard a hun|dred times how he was found, &s;till enqu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">red and related it: The Prince&s;s her &s;elf de&s;ired my Fa|ther to make an exact relation of it; How he &s;aw him floating in a Boat with one woman could not weild it; how he &s;ent Sailors to &s;uccor him; how he &s;aw the Child in a Mantle made of Cloth of God; how &s;he who was with him was dumb; how &s;he held in her hands a Picture, where this Child was repre&s;ented, as <HI>Cupid</HI> is u&s;ed to be drawn, and with him a fair Lady, which &s;eemed to be his Mother by tho&s;e Ver&s;es which were written underneath; and how this dumb woman dyed: The Prince&s;s, who never dur&s;t ask to &s;ee this Picture, did prevail with the oppo&s;ites to her curio&s;ity, and de&s;ired <HI>Timocreon</HI> to &s;end it unto her, which he did, and it was I who carried it, unknown to <HI>Cleander,</HI> for he &s;tayed with <HI>Abradates,</HI> until &s;uch time as it was known whether <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> would recover of his wounds, one of them being very dangerous. The Prince&s;s blu&s;ht when &s;he took the Picture, not being able doubtle&s;s to receive the Picture of him &s;he loved without confu&s;ion, though it was only the picture of a Child, yet a Child pictured like a God: As &s;he was always u&s;ed to admire all beautiful things, &s;o &s;he admired at this Pic|ture, which indeed was very admirable, and ob&s;erved how <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;till retained a great re&s;em|blance of what he was then; but &s;he was charmed with the beauty of the Mother, whom &s;he commended with le&s;s &s;cruple then &s;he could the &s;on, though &s;he could not commend the one without the other, becau&s;e there was a mo&s;t perfect re&s;emblance: &s;he thought the invention of the Picture and the Ver&s;es very plea&s;ant; and I ob&s;erved, that &s;he looked upon the magnificent Border of that Picture with much delight, becau&s;e it was an in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">allible te&s;timony that the birth of <HI>Cleander</HI> was not mean; and always extreamly commending the Limner who drew this Pic|ture, &s;he asked me whether <HI>Timocreon</HI> would tru&s;t her with it for a few days, that &s;he might &s;hew it unto &s;ome of her friends? You may imagine, Madam, that I denyed her not, and that it was not long before I acquainted <HI>Cleander,</HI> that the Prince&s;s de&s;ired to keep his Picture; But he an&s;wered me, that he &s;hould think him&s;elf much more happy if &s;he would give him hers, &s;ince the one was only a bare effect of her curio&s;ity&punc; and the other would be an argument of her affection. While&s;t things &s;tood upon the&s;e terms, News was brought that the King of <HI>Phri|gia</HI> was drawing into the field: So that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> commanded <HI>Cleander</HI> to prepare him&s;elf for a March; which he did the very &s;ame hour, &s;ending his Train before him; The King by vertue of his &s;upream Authority did reconcile <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> and him the next morning. At the &s;ame time, a <HI>Phrigian</HI> man of good quality who was an Exile came unto <HI>Sardis</HI> to treat concerning the Ran|&s;om of a Pri&s;oner of War, and &s;ince his name was known, and that he was a man of &s;pirit, <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> received him very well, and a&s;&s;ured him that if ever there was a Peace made between him, and the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> he would make his in particular with that Prince.</P>
<P><HI>Thimettes</HI> (for that was the <HI>Phrigians</HI> name) had not been long at <HI>Sardis,</HI> but he went to pre&s;ent his &s;ervice unto the Prince&s;s; and coming to her one day when &s;he was in her Clo&s;e,, while&s;t they went to acquaint her he de&s;ired to &s;ee her, he &s;aw upon the Table in her Chamber this picture of <HI>Venus</HI> and <HI>Cupid</HI> which I told you of before: yet he no &s;ooner &s;aw it, but taking it up he &s;eemed to be extreamly &s;urprized; he read the Ver&s;es; he ob&s;erved the Border, and looked upon it mo&s;t preci&s;ely; and having no power to leave it, he asked <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> who gave this Picture to the Prince&s;s? She, knowing it was not a thing to be made a &s;ecret on, told him the whole truth in few words, whereat he &s;eemed much moved: But <HI>Cylani&s;a</HI> imagining that his &s;urprize was only at the novelty of the adventure, &s;he made no reflection upon it: <HI>Thi|mettes</HI> contenting him&s;elf al&s;o with telling her that this Picture de&s;erved to be carefully kept: When he was told <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he Prince&s;s was at lea&s;ure, he went to &s;ee the Prince&s;s, but his vi&s;it was not long: As &s;oon as he came out from her, he went unto <HI>Cleander,</HI> who was returned to his own Lodging &s;ince <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> grew better, and &s;ince they were reconciled: yet he could not go &s;o &s;oon as he intended, becau&s;e he met with a man in the way, who acquainted him with great news, as afterwards we came to know: but after his bu&s;ine&s;s was done with this man, he went to <HI>Cleander,</HI> who imagined that <HI>Thimettes</HI> came to vi&s;it him only as the Kings Favori<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">; and when he de&s;ired <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 words"> with him in private, he &s;uppo&s;ed it was to &s;peak with him con|cerning his intere&s;ts with the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> knowing that he was the next day to go unto the Army: As &s;oon as they were together in private, Sir, &s;aid <HI>Thimettes</HI> unto him, I have &s;uch
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&s;trange news to tell you, that I know not whether I &s;hall be beleeved at the fir&s;t, though I do a&s;&s;ure you that the illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander,</HI> as unknown as he is unto all the world and to him&s;elf, is yet the &s;on of a great King. <HI>Thimettes</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cleander,</HI> much amazed, and not daring to beleeve him) If I &s;hould credit my own heart. I ought to give credit unto your words; but if I look upon all appearances, I mu&s;t needs doubt of what you &s;ay. It is mo&s;t certain though, re|plyed <HI>Thimettes,</HI> that you are Son to the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> and as certain as I am his Subject. How, &s;aid <HI>Cleander,</HI> am I Son to the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> whom I fought with, and whom I am going to fight with again? Yes Sir, an&s;wered he, you are &s;o; and &s;o certainly, that you &s;hall not doubt of it, if you will but take the pains to hear me. Speak then <HI>Thimettes</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Clean|der</HI> ha&s;tily) for you tell me &s;uch welcome and &s;uch &s;trange news all at once, that I cannot too &s;oon know the truth, and that I may know whether joy or &s;orrow be my Fate. Sir, replyed
<HI>Thimettes,</HI> I cannot utter &s;uch great things as I have to tell in few words, and the Crown which I bring you may well allow me a quarter of an hours patience: Be plea&s;ed to know then Sir, that the King your father who raigns at this day, who while&s;t the late King lived was called the Prince <HI>Artamus,</HI> being de&s;perately in love with a Lady who&s;e name was <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> who was of a Noble blood, but not a Prince&s;s; and he u&s;ed all his endeavors to make his affection acceptable: But &s;ince this Lady was as vertuous as fair, and yet as fair and fairer then any in ei|ther High or Low <HI>Phrigia,</HI> &s;he refu&s;ed the pa&s;&s;ionate addre&s;&s;es of this Prince with much con|&s;tancy, ever telling him, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hat as his love was vicious, &s;o he &s;hould find her rigorous. I &s;hall not relate unto you Sir all the particulars of this love; only tell you, that the Prince <HI>Tydeus,</HI> brother unto the King your father, and unto the Prince <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> who dyed in this Court, though then at that time a child, was his Rival, and were obnoxious one unto another, and this Lady be|behaved her &s;elf with &s;o much prudence between them both, that her wi&s;dom was admired by all he world: I had then the honour to be in favor wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h the Prince <HI>Artamus,</HI> and to be the Confident of his pa&s;&s;ion. I happened one day to be with <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> who was then at <HI>Apamea,</HI> when the&s;e two Rivals were both there, and when without any di&s;&s;imulation of her thoughts &s;he told them, that he whom &s;he would prefer &s;hould doubtle&s;s be him who gave her the be&s;t te&s;timonies of a vertuous pa&s;&s;ion; which they might have time enough to do, &s;ince both of them told her, that they could not marry her during the life of the King their father: However, &s;ince &s;he loved the Prince <HI>Artamus,</HI> better then &s;he did the Prince <HI>Tydeus,</HI> &s;he made a vow to &s;end offerings unto <HI>Delphos,</HI> if it would plea&s;e the Gods whom they adore to in&s;pire him with a de&s;ign to marry her: &s;o that whether it was the vertue of this vow, or that the prince <HI>Arta|mus</HI> grew more in love, he re&s;olved to marry her &s;ecretly: and I was a Witne&s;s of the Marri|age, with four others of quality who lived there: It was &s;olemnized in the &s;ame Temple where the Gordeon Kno<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> is kept, this amorous Prince re&s;olving that this union &s;hould be more indi&s;|&s;olvable then it. The bu&s;ine&s;s was very &s;ecretly done, and the Sacrafizer was ab&s;olutely gained, that no rumors of it &s;hould be divu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ged: and <HI>El&s;imena</HI> treated the Prince her husband before the world, as if he were not &s;o much as her Lover. But to free her &s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">f from the per&s;ecution of the prince <HI>Tydeus,</HI> and to enjoy in more freedom the conver&s;ation of the prince <HI>Artamus,</HI> who was much more amorous after marriage then before, &s;he went to dwell with her mother at a Ca&s;tle on the Sea &s;ide, whether the Prince came often unto her, unknown unto any, faigning divers &s;mall Journeys, or Huntings, to colour his ab&s;ence; and I often went with him. Never was pa&s;&s;ion more violent then his, nor better grounded, for certainly <HI>El&s;imena</HI> was a miracle of beauty, wit, and vertue. But Sir, ere long this Prince&s;s was with child, and pre&s;ently after gave you life: The prince <HI>Artamas</HI> was over joyed to have a Son: Some reports went about the world of his marriage: The prince <HI>Tydeus</HI> had two or three fallings out with his brother about it: The King had heard of it; and ab&s;olutely forbid <HI>Artamus</HI> from &s;eeing <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> &s;o that he could not vi&s;it her without much difficulty; for he had &s;o many watching eyes upon him&punc; that he was not Ma&s;ter of his own actions. However Sir, you live, and have &s;uch a perfect re|&s;emblance of the Prince&s;s your Mother, that I never in my life &s;aw two faces more like, that were of a different Sex and age. Since the prince <HI>Artamas</HI> could &s;ee <HI>El&s;imena</HI> but very &s;el|dom, he appointed me to procure her picture, &s;o that carrying an excellent Painter unto the place where &s;he was, &s;he would &s;end him the picture of her Son as well as of her &s;elf; The de|vice of the Drawer was to paint a <HI>Venus</HI> and a <HI>Cupid,</HI> the one to re&s;emble her, the other you: The conceit did &s;o plea&s;e the Prince&s;s, that &s;he cau&s;ed two to be made, intending to &s;end <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> unto the Prince&punc; and to keep another her &s;elf: but &s;ince the Prince was &s;till a Lover as well as a Husband, he cau&s;ed tho&s;e Ver&s;es which you have &s;een to be written at the bottom of both pictures: The Ver&s;es were writ in Greek, becau&s;e the Prince&s;s then learned that language, which was much in u&s;e among the Ladies of quality in <HI>Apamea,</HI> who had any reputation of wit.
<PB N="223" REF="302">
Mean while the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> dyed, and the prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> being elder then either the prince <HI>Tydens,</HI> or the prince <HI>Adra&s;tus,</HI> &s;ucceeded in the Throne, and was in a condition to crown <HI>El&s;imena</HI> his Queen: As &s;oon as the Funerals of the King his father were &s;olemnized, he pub|li&s;hed his Marriage, and magnificent preparations were made to receive the Prince&s;s at <HI>Apamea;</HI> to acknowledg her Queen before all the people, and by con&s;equence to declare you his legiti|mate Heir and only Succe&s;&s;or. This great Fea&s;t was &s;o near, that the &s;tately Coach which was prepared for the Prince&s;s at her entry was gone unto her; and I &s;ent every thing requi&s;ite, and neglected not &s;o much as a Mantle made of Cloth of God, in which you were to be wrapped that day of his Ceremonies; but alas Sir, the day was pitifully di&s;turbed: for two days before her departure, &s;ince all things were in readine&s;s for her &s;tately entry, and the King your father joyed beyond all expre&s;&s;ions, being gone towards the Prince&s;s, to te&s;tifie his &s;atisfaction unto her, I met upon the way men who came to adverti&s;e, the King, that &s;ome had &s;urprized the Ca&s;tle the might before; had carryed away the Queen your mother and you, and al&s;o all which was of value in that place, where there was things of great con&s;ideration, for all the Jewels of the Crown were there, <HI>Artamas</HI> having &s;ent them unto his dear <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> &s;ince he was King: I leave you to judg Sir, how I was amazed: Since I was not far from the Ca&s;tle, I went unto it; and I under&s;tood by the Mother of <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> who dyed for grief within a few days after, that men in Arms who were unknown had &s;urprized it, and had carried the Prince&s;s and you, with all the rich Booty, into a Ship, but none knew which way the&s;e Ravi&s;hers went, becau&s;e it was night, having plundered the Ca&s;tle &s;o clean, that they left almo&s;t nothing in it: However, this &s;ad news mu&s;t be carried unto the King, who received it &s;o &s;adly, that I thought he would have lo&s;t both his Life and Rea&s;on: he cau&s;ed a mo&s;t &s;trict &s;earch to be made every where, to &s;ee if it could be di&s;covered who were the Actors, but all in vain: He &s;ent &s;everal Ships at random to &s;eek about. He much &s;u&s;pected the Prince <HI>Tydeus,</HI> both as his Rival and as an ambiti|ous man, who had in one day taken from him his Succe&s;&s;or, and the per&s;on whom he loved as well as he did: but having no proofs again&s;t this Prince, who never had &s;tirred from Court, nor &s;o much as any pregnant conjectures, he could not accu&s;e him: <HI>Tydeus</HI> &s;eemed to be much trou|bled at the lo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, and the King your father was forced to endure a mi&s;ery, without having &s;o much con&s;olation as to know whom he &s;hould be revenged upon, nor of whom to complain. After this he &s;till made a diligent enquiry, and continually grieved for his dear <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> never giving ear unto any that motioned him to a &s;econd Wife, and having no other comfort but in the picture of his deare&s;t <HI>El&s;imena.</HI> However, he could never have any confidence in the prince <HI>Tydeus</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nce that time; who often left the Court; made many journeys, and at the la&s;t went to dwell in the Lower <HI>Phrigia.</HI> I &s;hall not tell you Sir, how the prince <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> going to vi&s;it him had the misfortune, as he was &s;hooting in his Park, to kill him with an arrow, without any de&s;ign of it, for I know you are not ignorant of it; and thus the Ju&s;tice of Heaven, which &s;ees that crime no man could &s;ee, did puni&s;h him in &s;uch an extraordinary way. But give me leave to tell you, that &s;ome of my enemies, with much inju&s;tice falling upon me in the Kings pre&s;ence, and procuring his di&s;plea&s;ure, I was forced to ab&s;ent my &s;elf for &s;ome time, and I had not come into this Court, but only to endeavor the liberty of a Nephew whom you took pri&s;oner in the la&s;t Battel, and not with intentions to bear arms again&s;t the King my Ma&s;ter. Mean while Sir, I no &s;ooner &s;aw you with the King of <HI>Lidia,</HI> but I found &s;ome features in your face which did &s;o fre&s;hly revive the image of your Mother in my mind, that me thought I knew you: yet the longne&s;s of the time &s;ince, and the little appearance of any truth in my thoughts, cau&s;ed me not make no further reflection upon it: for I had heard you were one whom Fortune had rai&s;ed, but I never did particularly know you, nor who you were. But Sir, as I was with the Prince&s;s, I chanced to &s;ee that Picture which I cau&s;ed to be made, and which that dumb wo|man gave unto <HI>Timocreaon;</HI> this did &s;o extreamly amaze me, that I knew not well what the Prince&s;s thought of my odd conver&s;ation, my mind being at &s;uch di&s;traction at it: At my com|ing out from her, as if this day were a day of Prodigies, I met an old man who knew me, and who at the fir&s;t I knew not; he de&s;ired to &s;peak with me in private concerning &s;ome matters of con&s;equence: after a &s;erious look upon him, I remembered that I had &s;een him about the prince <HI>Tydeus,</HI> &s;o that wondering to &s;ee him at <HI>Sardis,</HI> I gave him hearing. Then Sir, he told me, that &s;ince he had already one foot in his grave, and ready to render an account unto the Gods of all his crimes, he would endeavor to merit a pardon by an ingenious confe&s;&s;ion, which he would make unto me. After this he di&s;covered, that the late prince <HI>Tydeus</HI> his Ma&s;ter, was the man who cau&s;ed the Prince&s;s <HI>El<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">mena</HI> and you to be carried away, out of &s;ome humors of jealou&s;ie, rage, ambition, and revenge, finding &s;ome &s;weetne&s;s in depriving his Rival of the only per&s;on he loved, and much more in taking away from him a Succe&s;&s;or, by that means to a&s;&s;ure
<PB N="224" REF="303">
him&s;elf of a Crown, or at lea&s;t render him&s;elf more con&s;iderable in the Kingdom, &s;ince he &s;hould be looked upon as one who hereafter &s;hould be King: for he believed the King his Bro|ther could never forget <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> nor would ever marry again. This man told me then that he was the chief in the Enterprize: That the Prince <HI>Tydeus</HI> appointed him to go and dwell in one of the I&s;les of <HI>Cyclades</HI> which was lea&s;t peopled, and to keep <HI>El&s;imena</HI> from &s;peaking unto any who&s;oever, intending to put neither her, nor you to death, becau&s;e he thought that if his crime &s;hould be di&s;covered, he had a mo&s;t certain way to &s;ave his life, being Ma&s;ter of yours, and of the Queen your Mothers.</P>
<P>This man who&s;e name is <HI>Acrates,</HI> told me then, that obeying his Ma&s;ter, he carried away the Prince&s;s <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> and you, and that he took with him all the riches in the Ca&s;tle, But le&s;t he &s;hould be di&s;covered, he took but one woman of the Queens to wait upon her, and placed none about her but a dumb Slave which he had, who was not able to reveal his &s;ecrets. He confe&s;&s;ed that when he was come unto one of the&s;e <HI>Cycladean</HI> I&s;lands with this deplorable Prince&s;s, he &s;old the Ship in which he brought her: and he remained po&s;&s;e&s;&s;our of all the riches which &s;he had, with three of his Complices. He did prote&s;t unto me, that he did not treat her rigorou&s;ly, but that &s;orrow did &s;o change her countenance that &s;he was hardly knowable; he further told me, that the Prince <HI>Tydeus,</HI> &s;eeing he was not accu&s;ed of his crime, and that in all likelihood, the King his Brother &s;hould never know it, he changed his mind, and re&s;olved to put the Prince&s;s <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> and you to death, fearing le&s;t in tract of time, that which once he thought would &s;ave him, &s;hould now ruine him: &s;o that he &s;ent orders unto <HI>Acrates</HI> to put you both to death: giving all the trea&s;ures to him in recompence, and to his three Complices. As for the Souldiers and Mariners which helped to carry her and you away, they were all &s;trangers, and knew not about what they were imployed. The Souldiers being of kind of Mo&s;|troopers, and the Mariners Pirats; men ea&s;ily invited to any bad imployments without &s;o much as asking what it is. So the&s;e wicked Villains, after they had &s;eized upon all which re&s;i&s;ted them in the Ca&s;tle, and brought you to this I&s;le, they di&s;per&s;ed them&s;elves, having received their wages before they committed the crime, and left none with <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> but a dumb Slave, and the&s;e four men. <HI>Acrates</HI> then having received the&s;e orders, did a&s;&s;ure me that he re&s;i&s;ted his companions as much as he could, yet being but one again&s;t three, he could not prevail with them, and could do no more but acquaint <HI>El&s;imena</HI> &s;ecretly, that they had received commands to put her, and her Son to death; and that the&s;e men maugre his re&s;i&s;tance, would ere long exe|cute it: he added further, that this unfortunate Queen being &s;ick, did not take any care for her &s;elf, but all her thoughts was to pre&s;erve your life: That &s;he took you in her Arms, and after &s;he had ki&s;&s;ed you with eyes &s;wimming in tears, &s;he put you into the hands of the dumb Slave, making &s;ignes unto her, that &s;he &s;hould go and carry you to <HI>Delphos,</HI> for <HI>El&s;imena</HI> being lodg|ed by the Sea-&s;ide, they could &s;ee that I&s;le out of their window: Moreover that &s;he took the picture, which they had left her, and writing &s;ome lines upon it in ha&s;te, &s;he gave it unto this Slave: he &s;aid, that this mute woman, finding a Mantle of Cloth of gold (in which you &s;hould have been carried that day on which your Mother &s;hould have been crowned) and wrapt you in it: that going ha&s;tily out in the beginning of the night, <HI>Acrates</HI> following her at a di&s;tance, &s;he came unto an old fi&s;herman, conjuring him with all her &s;ignes to carry her unto <HI>Delphos,</HI> gi|ving him for this wages a jewel which &s;he had. In the mean time, the unfortunate <HI>El&s;imena</HI> did &s;o grieve at her misfortune, that her Jaylors did not need either &s;word or poy&s;on to make her die; and &s;he fell into &s;uch a mortal pa&s;&s;ion, that &s;he never revived: The Funeral of this deplorable Prince&s;s was the next day performed without any Ceremony, <HI>Acrates</HI> further &s;aid, that the ab&s;ence of this child did much perplex them: and upon enquiry they could hear no more, but that the mute woman had taken boat, wherein was only an old fi&s;herman to guide it: who being put off a good way from the &s;hore (where the wife of this fi&s;herman &s;tood) he reached to the Rudder &s;o far that he fell into the Sea, and was drowned, becau&s;e he was too old, and too weak to &s;wim: &s;o that the boat was left to the wind and the waves. <HI>Acrates</HI> related further, that when his companions returned to the hou&s;e, and could not find neither the child, nor the &s;lave, they &s;u&s;pected him as acce&s;&s;ory to her flight; but he &s;aid, he di&s;&s;em|bled it &s;o well that they altered their minds; al&s;o flattering them&s;elves in their crimes, they believed this Infant would peri&s;h in the boat which had no Pilot to guid it: &s;o that after they had divided the trea&s;ures, and &s;ent unto the Prince <HI>Tydeus,</HI> that the mother and the child were dead, they parted one from another, and every one took his &s;everal cour&s;e. As for <HI>Acrates,</HI> he came to <HI>Sardis,</HI> where he has lived a mo&s;t di&s;contented and melancholy life, notwith&s;tanding his riches: he added further, that &s;ince the Combate between <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> and you, hearing of the ob&s;curity of your birth, and likewi&s;e under&s;tanding in what manner <HI>Ti|mocreon</HI>
<PB N="225" REF="303">
found you, he made no doubt but that you were &s;on to the King of <HI>Phrigia;</HI> but he &s;aid, he could not re&s;olve to confe&s;s his crime unto you; yet &s;eeing me, he could not hold, but mu&s;t needs di&s;cover it, to the end he might find the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> a Succe&s;&s;our, &s;ince there was no more of his Family left. So Sir, &s;aid <HI>Thimettes,</HI> I have no more to &s;ay, but to de&s;ire you that I may have the favour to &s;ee the paper which this Prince&s;s writ, for I under|&s;tand that <HI>Timocreon</HI> hath it. <HI>Cleander</HI> was &s;o amazed at this Relation, that he could hardly an&s;wer him: yet at la&s;t &s;ending for my father, and that he &s;hould bring the paper which the mute Slave gave him, he in&s;tantly came, and gave it unto <HI>Cleander,</HI> who gave it unto <HI>Thimet|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es.</HI> But he no &s;ooner &s;aw it, then crying out, and holding up his hands; Ah Sir, &s;aid he, I need not open it, to know whether it be the hand of the Prince&s;s <HI>El&s;imena;</HI> for I know this Seal which I &s;ee upon it. In &s;aying &s;o he opened it, and reading the&s;e words, <HI>This Infant is re|commended unto the God which is adored at Delphos:</HI> he read it over again; Doubt it not Sir, &s;aid he, make no que&s;tion but you are Son to the King of <HI>Phrygia:</HI> The&s;e Characters are &s;o exactly the hand of the Prince&s;s <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> that nothing in the world can be more certain, &s;ince I know her hand, and her Orthography: for I think I have carried an hundred Letters from this Prince&s;s to your father, who was often times plea&s;ed to &s;hew them unto me, delighting to &s;ee me admire at the wit of <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> who writ admirable well in any &s;trange language. More|over Sir, I may perhaps &s;hew you one thing which is very &s;trange; be plea&s;ed to know Sir, that a while before he married her, &s;ince he was plea&s;ed to give her &s;ome a&s;&s;urances of his affe|ction in writing, he writ upon a kind of paper, the invention whereof was mine, which is not common: for Sir, after that one hath written what one plea&s;eth, one may cover the Characters with a certain Compo&s;ition put upon the paper, which will make it &s;eem as if nothing were writ upon it, yet when one plea&s;eth, one may ea&s;ily take that off which covers them, and cover it again at ones plea&s;ure: &s;o that if my memory fail me not, it was this paper which I carried unto the unfortunate <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> which contained the fir&s;t a&s;&s;urance which the Prince <HI>Artam<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"></HI> gave her, that he would marry her: &s;ince it was her cu&s;tom to cover again all the Letters which the Prince did write unto her, after &s;he had read them, that &s;he might thereby keep them more &s;afely: It is requi&s;ite that I &s;hew it unto you, then going to the fire, he took away, that which hid the Chaacters of the King of <HI>Phrygia's</HI> Letter unto this amiable Lady, and he read aloud the&s;e words:</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The Prince <HI>ARTAMAS,</HI> unto the incomparable <HI>ELSIMENA.</HI></HEAD>
<P>AT the la&s;t, Love hath overcome all cruel Rea&s;ons of State, which did oppo&s;e my happi|ne&s;s: And though I were a&s;&s;ured, that by marrying you, I &s;hould lo&s;e that Crown which I am to wear, yet would I re&s;olve upon it, and bid the other adieu; for I make no compari&s;on <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> you, and all the Crowns in the world: yet I hope the Gods will pre&s;erve it for me, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> may make you a Queen: In the mean time <HI>Thimettes</HI> hath Orders to ask that Lady <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> gave you life, and is to di&s;po&s;e of you, when it is her plea&s;ure I &s;hall be happy: The Sa|crificer of <HI>Apollo's</HI> Temple has promi&s;ed me to be &s;ecret and faithful: and I do a&s;&s;ure you, my dear <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> that the never to be untied knot which is kept there, will &s;ooner be loo&s;ed, then that which ties my heart unto your &s;ervice.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ARTAMAS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After that <HI>Thimettes</HI> had read this Letter, See Sir, &s;aid he to <HI>Cleander,</HI> whether you can wi&s;h any more to inform your knowledg: look upon the writing of the King your father, and of the Queen your mother, which will remove all &s;eruples of doubt. Moreover (&s;aid he in looking upon the paper a little nearer) I perceive &s;ome dim line of the Queens own hand, which is di&s;covered in coming near the fire, which doubtle&s;s was covered by the &s;ame &s;ubtle compo|&s;ition, without any intention, which by &s;ome chance was poured upon it, and warmed by the heat of the Sun, when the Slave had it in the Boat: And indeed, looking upon that place, where it was written; <HI>This Infant is recommended unto the God which is adored at Delphos:</HI> there was to be &s;een following; <HI>Who without doubt will re&s;tore him to the King of Phrygia his Father. Cleander</HI> was &s;o a&s;toni&s;hed, <HI>Timocreon</HI> was &s;o glad, and <HI>Thimettes</HI> e&s;teemed him&s;elf &s;o happy, at the di&s;covery of &s;uch an important bu&s;ine&s;s, that all three knew not how to ex|pre&s;s them&s;elves. My father cau&s;ed the Cloth of Gold Mantle to be brought in which the child was found in the boat, and which he carefully pre&s;erved; but <HI>Thimettes</HI> before he &s;aw it, de|&s;cribed it &s;o preci&s;ely, and all things found &s;o exactly as he &s;aid them, that there was no &s;cruple,
<PB N="226" REF="304">
nor objection to be made; and as oft as <HI>Thimettes</HI> minded the re&s;emblance between <HI>Cleander</HI> and <HI>El&s;im<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">na,</HI> he wondered that he did not at the fir&s;t know him to be &s;on unto the King of <HI>Phrigia.</HI> But Sir, &s;aid he unto him, after I have told you your Quality, it is requi&s;ite I let you know your fir&s;t Name; and that I tell you it was your fathers plea&s;ure, to give you the &s;ame with him&s;elf: &s;o that you mu&s;t change the famous name of <HI>Cleander,</HI> for that of <HI>Artamas,</HI> which is your own.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cleander</HI> would needs &s;ee <HI>Acrates,</HI> and hear from his own mouth the relation of his Crime; a&s;&s;uring <HI>Thimettes,</HI> and him al&s;o, that he would pardon him: However, &s;ince there was War between the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> and <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> it was not thought expedient to divulge the bu&s;ine&s;s: And <HI>Cleander,</HI> who had &s;ecret de&s;igns, which <HI>Timocreon</HI> was ignorant of, after he had embraced him, and told him, that he was no le&s;s a Debtor unto him for his life then he was unto the King his Father; after, I &s;ay, a thou&s;and thankful expre&s;&s;ions unto <HI>Thi|mettes</HI> and him, he de&s;ired them to leave him at liberty unto his private thoughts, not intend|ing yet to treat <HI>Thimettes</HI> as a Subject unto the King his Father, nor look upon <HI>Timocreon</HI> but with his accu&s;tomed re&s;pects. Since I knew not what had pa&s;&s;ed, I came into the Chamber, when the&s;e per&s;ons went out, and &s;ince he had tru&s;ted me with all his &s;ecrets, &amp; di&s;covered unto me all his ill fortunes, it was his plea&s;ure I &s;hould participate both of his good and bad fortune: So that &s;taying me with him, and after he had in &s;hort related all unto me, as I began to re|joyce that he was the &s;on of a great King; Ha <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, how heavy do I th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters"> this Crown, though yet it be not upon my head? for truly I &s;ee many cro&s;s and many agree|able Con&s;equences of it. I conceive, replyed I, that &s;ince the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmia</HI> can de&s;ire no more in you then an illu&s;trious birth, you have rea&s;on to be &s;atisfied, and hope to be happy. You do not con&s;ider <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, that as &s;oon as I tell I am the &s;on of a King, &s;o &s;oon do I tell her that I am the &s;on of her fathers Enemy: Moreover, do you not conceive that <HI>Cro&s;|&s;us</HI> thinks I ought to depart within the&s;e two days at mo&s;t to go and fight the King of <HI>Phrigia?</HI> and <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> how do you think I can go and tell him, that I neither can nor ought to go? May I not expect after this, that he will look upon me as Nephew to the Murtherer of the Prince his &s;on? and indeed <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> is there not more cau&s;e to fear that this &s;eeming good fortune will cau&s;e me real mi&s;ery, then there is to hope for any end of my mi&s;eries? If I go unto the King my father whom I have fought again&s;t, whom I have overcome, and whom I thought to kill with my own hands, is there not &s;ome rea&s;on to think, that he will expect the &s;ame valor which has been &s;o fatal unto him, &s;hould re&s;tore him that which it hath gotten from him? and yet can I &s;o much as think of fighting again&s;t my Benefactor, and which is more then that, the Father of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis?</HI> Al&s;o, knowing as I do, that I am the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI>'s &s;on, &s;hall I &s;tay any longer in the Country of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us?</HI> May not the King my father di&s;claim me, and not acknowledg me his &s;on, if I &s;hould continue fighting, not only for my Enemies, but al&s;o again&s;t him? Yet <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> I am put to this cro&s;s nece&s;&s;ity: Oh, I wi&s;h to the Gods that my Prince&s;s, who does not hate me as unknown, would not hate me when I am known unto her: But <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> if my Prince&s;s cannot find a way to reconcile all the&s;e contraries, but &s;hall think that to be her Lover, and the &s;on of her enemy, are two qualities incomparable, I am re|&s;olved to renounce the Throne, and without ever a&s;&s;uming the name of <HI>Artamas,</HI> contin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> <HI>Cleander</HI> eternally. But Sir, &s;aid I unto him, as long as you are <HI>Cleander,</HI> you mu&s;t fight again&s;t the King your father. Ah <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> &s;aid he, the Combats already with him, have cau&s;ed &s;uch horror in me, that though I would fight again again&s;t him, yet I think my hand would not obey me: Did I not tell you, that I was not &s;o happy as you thought me? Oh mo&s;t cruel Fortune, can&s;t thou not pre&s;ent me with my benefit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, but thou mu&s;t poy&s;on them? Do but admi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> my fortune, <HI>So&s;icles:</HI> The King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> and the King of <HI>Lidia</HI> never had any Wars between them until within this year: &s;o that it my birth had been di&s;covered at any time then this, I had been ab&s;olutely happy. Moreover, do you not con&s;ider, my De&s;tinies would needs have me to be the &s;on of that King only, again&s;t whom <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> had declared War? Therefore mu&s;t it not needs be confe&s;&s;ed, that my fortune is very odd and ill, and that it is not ea&s;ie to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> it any better? But what&s;oever fall, I &s;hall for ever love my Prince&s;s, and &s;hall think, that good fortune con&s;i&s;ts only in the enjoyment of her heart.</P>
<P>As <HI>Cleander</HI> was thus thinking, a Me&s;&s;enger came to tell him that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> asked for Man, and had received news, that the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> was entered into his Dominions. I leave you to judg Madam, how this went again&s;t his mind, yet mu&s;t he go unto this Prince, and did &s;o; but he was &s;o puzzled to an&s;wer him, that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> perceived &s;omething did trouble <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> mind, and asked what it was, but <HI>Cleander</HI> did not tell him; for &s;ince yet he had not &s;een his Prince&s;s, he knew not whether it would be her plea&s;ure he &s;hould: he an&s;wered h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">m then in
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ob&s;cure words; yet &s;ince the <HI>Phrigian</HI> War did wholly take up the mind of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> he took no notice of them; he told him, that he mu&s;t needs depart within this day or two to vanqui&s;h his Enemy, who &s;eemed to have a de&s;ign to conquer his Conqueror: But <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;aid he unto him, I would have you remember, it is the la&s;t Victory which gives the Prize to all the re&s;t; and for your part, I know you have &s;o much glory and honour to pre&s;erve, that you are no le&s;s intere&s;ted then my &s;elf in the good or bad &s;ucce&s;s of this War. After this he took his leave of him, and told him, that he would go and bid adieu unto all his friends. <HI>Cleander</HI> being glad to be rid of a conver&s;ation, which was &s;o trouble&s;om, went unto the Prince&s;s, who beleeving that he came to bid her adieu, no &s;ooner &s;aw him enter into her Clo&s;et, where &s;he was alone with <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> but addre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf unto him, Though I do not doubt, &s;aid &s;he, but you go to overcome your Enemies, &s;ince you go to fight them; yet &s;ince you cannot do that without hazard of your life, and without leaving me, I cannot &s;ee you depart with|out much &s;orrow. Madam, an&s;wered he and &s;ighed, Victory is &s;uch a thing as I ought not to think upon, and when you &s;hall know what I have heard, &s;ince I had the honour to &s;ee you, I am &s;ure you will be of my opinion. How <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, have you offered any Sacrifices unto the Gods which have not been accepted? or has the Gods forewarned you by any &s;ini&s;ter pre&s;ages of &s;ome &s;ad accident? The Gods Madam, replyed he, have let me know the be&s;t and mo&s;t agreeable news in the world in appearance, &s;ince they have let me un|der&s;tand by a marvellous accident of what quality I am: But in the name of the Gods Madam, I do he&s;eech you, do not hate me when you &s;hall know it. The Prince&s;s was much amazed at this di&s;cour&s;e, and knew not how to an&s;wer him: yet imagining that his only rea&s;on was be|cau&s;e he had found him&s;elf of &s;ome mean quality, &s;he an&s;wered him in the&s;e terms, though in much impatience: Since your virtues are the &s;ame &s;till, of what quality &s;oever you are, I do a&s;&s;ure you I &s;hall always e&s;teem you the &s;ame; and though the knowledg of what you are may make me change my manner of living with you, yet it &s;hall never change my heart. Since it is &s;o Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I &s;hall not fear to tell you, that I am &s;on to the King of&mdash;How <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, and interrupted him, what plea&s;ure can you have in making me &s;ad? Why would you have me buy &s;uch welcome news with &s;o much &s;orrow? You &s;hall &s;ee Ma|dam, replyed he, that the bu&s;ine&s;s is not &s;o well as you imagine, when you &s;hall under&s;tand that the Prince who gave me life, is the &s;ame King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> whom you commanded me to vanqui&s;h, and that it is not lawful for me to fight again&s;t him. And then he told her in as &s;hort a method as he could, how <HI>Thimettes</HI> had &s;een the Picture of <HI>Venus</HI> upon her Table; how <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> had told him in what manner it was found; and made relation of all he knew from <HI>Thimettes</HI> and <HI>Acrates,</HI> and neglected not any circum&s;tance which might ju&s;tifie his quality unto the Prince&s;s, who did harken unto him with much attention and joy, though mingled with &s;ome unquiet thoughts. After he had ended his relation, As terrible an Enemy as you are, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I e&s;teem you &s;o much, as that I would not have you unknown <HI>Clean|der</HI> again, but much rather you were the Prince <HI>Artamas:</HI> Not but that I do fore&s;ee the an|gry Con&s;equences which this glorious Quality may bring upon you; but yet the King of <HI>Phri|gia</HI> and the King my father may happily conclude a Peace, and then you could not po&s;&s;ibly be the &s;on of a King unle&s;s you had been born &s;o: But, &s;aid &s;he, what do you de&s;ign? for I con|ceive that the thoughts of the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> will not concur with the thoughts of the un|known <HI>Cleander.</HI> The thoughts of <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;aid he unto her, are not changed, &s;ince he knew he was the Prince <HI>Artamas:</HI> But I do not know whether the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lidia</HI>'s mind be changed or no. Doubtle&s;s it is, replyed &s;he, for I &s;hall be more civil towards the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> then I was to <HI>Cleander.</HI> That is not the que&s;tion I ask (&s;aid he unto her) I only de&s;ire that you would be plea&s;ed to continue the &s;ame goodne&s;s unto me, as you did before, and that you advi&s;e me what to do, for truly I &s;tand in great need of it. They ought to be more prudent, and le&s;s intere&s;ted then I am, an&s;wered &s;he, who can give you any good coun&s;el. Then ab&s;olutely command me what is your plea&s;ure I &s;hould do, &s;aid he unto her, for I make no que&s;tion but that you will have a care of my honour in your Commands; and therefore my divine Prince&s;s, I will pre&s;cribe no limits unto you, but ab&s;olutely refer my &s;elf unto your Com|mands: Speak then Madam, I conjure you, and tell me, what is your plea&s;ure &s;hall become of me? How can I di&s;obey <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> who would have me go and fight, and vanqui&s;h the King of <HI>Phrigia?</HI> how can I do all this, &s;ince I have the honour to be Son unto that Prince? The Gods pre&s;erve me, &s;aid &s;he, from giving you any &s;uch coun&s;el. I expected no le&s;s from your virtue, &s;aid he unto her, and give you thanks for not putting me unto &s;o dangerous a Te&s;t, nor force me to di&s;obey you, nor becoming the mo&s;t criminal among&s;t men: And &s;ince Madam, you are plea&s;ed to con&s;ent that I &s;hould not fight again&s;t the King my father, I am <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ully re&s;olved never
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to fight again&s;t yours. I do conjure you to do &s;o, &s;aid &s;he unto him, by the affection which you have promi&s;ed me. There needs not &s;o &s;trong a conjuration, an&s;wered he, for certainly I &s;hould never have done it, though I had never promi&s;ed you: But Madam, I &s;ee very well what I ought not to do, but I do not yet &s;ee what I ought to do, and yet I mu&s;t do &s;omething, and re&s;olve upon it pre&s;ently, for the King will needs have me depart within this day or two; all my men are already upon their March: the Troops which I mu&s;t command are perhaps al|ready in the King of <HI>Phrigia's</HI> hands; and the lea&s;t delay may prove fatal unto me. Tell me then Madam, would you have me di&s;cover my &s;elf unto the King your father? or would you have me go and make my &s;elf known unto the King of <HI>Phrigia?</HI> and that I endeavor to move him unto a Peace, while&s;t you tran&s;act the &s;ame with <HI>Cre&s;&s;us?</HI> Pronounce my doom, I be|&s;eech you, but what&s;oever it be, do not bani&s;h me from your heart, nor exile me a long time from you. Then &s;aid &s;he, and &s;ighed, I mu&s;t know how to do miracles, &s;ince under them there is no po&s;&s;ibility of contenting you: for &s;ince the condition you are in permits me with more fitne&s;s to open my heart unto you, I &s;hall tell you one thing which will make you wonder, and which will grieve you both, which is, that if you had &s;till continued in uncertainty of your birth, at your return from this Battel, it was the King my fathers plea&s;ure, that he who &s;hould marry me, &s;hould help the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> to govern after his death, and &s;upport the Scepter after his death, and was re&s;olved, if I can tell it you without a blu&s;h, to make choyce of you, and engage you unto it by his alliance. Oh Madam, &s;aid <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;ince it is &s;o, let me not be a &s;on unto the King, &s;ince I do not wi&s;h to be &s;o, but only to obtain that honour. No, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, and though ways could be devi&s;ed to prevent your fighting again&s;t the King your father, none could be devi&s;ed to hide your illu&s;trious Birth, <HI>Thimocreon, Thimettes, So&s;icles,</HI> and <HI>Acrates</HI> would never keep that &s;ecret which would deprive you of a Crown, neither do I my &s;elf de&s;ire it: But that which moves me to tell you this, is to let you &s;ee it would be in vain to di&s;cover your &s;elf unto the King my father; for I under&s;tand this morning from the &s;ame per&s;on who gave me the fir&s;t intelligence of it, that &s;everal &s;tranger Princes have made offers of Marriage unto him, and his an&s;wers to them all was, that he was re&s;olved, as I told you be|fore, to marry me unto one, who &s;hould hereafter a&s;&s;i&s;t my brother to govern. How Madam, cryed out <HI>Cleander,</HI> is the quality of a Kings &s;on, which I &s;o much wi&s;hed, becau&s;e I thought it ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary to obtain that happine&s;s which without it I could never hope for, is it then an invincible ob&s;tacle unto my felicity? Ah Madam, if it be, then I reject a Crown, and had much rather be <HI>Cleander</HI> then Prince <HI>Artamas.</HI> I do not directly tell you, replyed &s;he, that this ob&s;tacle is invincible; but I &s;ay it is a great one: Moreover, &s;ince it is permitted me to di&s;cover my weakne&s;s unto you, I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I could hardly re&s;olve to marry a man whom all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> thought to be of a mean original: Therefore let us tran&s;act as we ought, and leave the re&s;t unto the providence of the Gods. This ab&s;olute re&s;ignation, replyed <HI>Cleander</HI> and &s;ighed, denotes thus much unto me Madam, that all my affection, all my cares, and all my &s;ervices, have obtained nothing from you but this, that you permit me to love you, without your hating me: But Madam, if you will with a little more tenderne&s;s towards me, con&s;ider it, you would find, that it is not &s;o ea&s;ie a matter to do what one ought, or to know what ones duty is. Yet I think, replyed &s;he, that as long as you neither: fight again&s;t the King your Father, nor mine, you cannot be much blamed. But Madam, an&s;wered he, I do not &s;ee how I can do that, unle&s;s I di&s;cover my &s;elf unto the King, and by his con&s;ent &s;end unto the King of <HI>Phrigia.</HI> It would be difficult, replyed &s;he, for the King your father to know you are his &s;on unle&s;s he &s;ee you, e&s;pecially not knowing you to be in his Enemies Country: Moreover, do you think that the King my father will be contented to lo&s;e both the Conqueror and the Conque&s;t in one day? do you not apprehend more probability that he will incline more unto Policy then Genero&s;ity in this bu&s;ine&s;s? No, no, &s;aid &s;he, I will not coun&s;el you to that. What will you then advi&s;e me unto, Madam? replyed he. Since <HI>Timocreon,</HI> replyed &s;he, knows the &s;tate of your fortune, di&s;cover unto him the &s;tate of your affection unto me al&s;o: I know him to be wi&s;e and gene|rous; and he will not advi&s;e you unto any thing which &s;hall be di&s;&s;erviceable either to the King his Ma&s;ter, or your &s;elf.</P>
<P>At the la&s;t, after much &s;uch di&s;cour&s;e as this, <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;ent to &s;eek my father; and al&s;o let the Prince&s;s &s;ee <HI>Thimettes</HI> and <HI>Acrates</HI> &s;ecretly; and he &s;hewed unto her the Letters of the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> and the Queen his wife. After much con&s;ultation upon the be&s;t cour&s;e, it was re&s;olved that <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;hould depart without di&s;covering any thing unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us;</HI> that my father and I &s;hould accompany him; that <HI>Thimettes</HI> and <HI>Acrates</HI> &s;hould go this voyage al&s;o; That after one days journey from <HI>Sardis, Cleander</HI> &s;hould &s;end one of his &s;ervants unto <HI>Meneceus,</HI> with a Letter for him, and another for the King, which he &s;hould pre&s;ent unto him,
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by which he &s;hould di&s;cover his birth, and a&s;&s;ure him that he will never act any thing again&s;t his &s;ervice, nor forget his benefits: That he &s;hould write al&s;o unto the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> unto <HI>Mexaris</HI> and <HI>Abradates,</HI> that they &s;hould addre&s;s them&s;elves to the King in his behalf: That in the mean time they &s;hould &s;tay upon the Frontiers of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> and &s;end <HI>Timocreon</HI> towards the King his father, to acquaint him with the &s;tory, and to be&s;eech his favor unto <HI>Thimettes</HI> and <HI>Acrates,</HI> who was as generous in his Repentance, as he was weak in committing his Crime, by the Commands of his Ma&s;ter: That <HI>Cleander</HI> when he was made known &s;hould endeavor to move the King his father unto Peace; and that the Prince&s;s as well as <HI>Meneceus</HI> &s;hould on their &s;ide endeavor the &s;ame with the King of <HI>Lidia.</HI> After the&s;e Re&s;olves, &s;he re|&s;tored the Letters back unto <HI>Timocreon,</HI> who loving <HI>Cleander</HI> no le&s;s then if he had been his &s;on, was ready to engage his utmo&s;t in his &s;ervice. Since all the&s;e Con&s;ults and Meetings could not be, but &s;ome Spies which the Prince <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> always kept about the Prince&s;s would per|ceive it, he was pre&s;ently acquainted with it. Moreover, &s;ince <HI>Cleander</HI> had not bid his la&s;t adieu unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> he endeavored to obtain leave to &s;peak in private with her: and in order to that, the next morning at her return from the Temple, <HI>Cleander</HI> went unto her, and talked near two hours with her, where &s;uch pa&s;&s;ionate di&s;cour&s;e pa&s;&s;ed, and &s;he returned &s;uch generous and obliging an&s;wers, not derogating from that exact virtue whereof &s;he made profe&s;&s;ion, that <HI>Cleander,</HI> as amorous as he was, could not complain, though all he could ob|tain from her was, that &s;he engaged her &s;elf to e&s;teem him as long as &s;he lived. This &s;eparation was &s;o tender on both &s;ides, that it was impo&s;&s;ible for <HI>Cleander</HI> to purge his eyes from that profound melancholy which had &s;eized upon him: &s;o that tho&s;e who ob&s;erved it by orders from <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> acquainted him with what they had &s;een. Then he knowing of all the&s;e &s;ecret meet|ings of <HI>Timocreon, Thimettes, Acrates, Cleander,</HI> the Prince&s;s, and my &s;elf, he conjectured that there was &s;ome clo&s;e de&s;ign in hand: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e employed all inventions that he could po&s;&s;ibly devi&s;e, to di&s;cover what it might be: He &s;uborned one of my Fathers dome&s;tique &s;ervants with money, and by him he under&s;tood that my father was preparing for a Voyage, and car|ried with him all his be&s;t things: Al&s;o he found out that <HI>Cleander</HI> had &s;ent in all ha&s;te to com|mand his men back which were gone into the Army: he learned further, that he had layed Po&s;t|hor&s;es in five or &s;ix places which was not the way unto the Army: Indeed, he had gathered &s;o much, as he per&s;waded the King by one of his friends, that <HI>Cleander</HI> had &s;ome de&s;igns to be|tray him; that my father and I did the &s;ame; and that this Con&s;piracy was plotted by <HI>Thi|mettes,</HI> who &s;eemed (as this friend of <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> &s;aid) to be out of favor with the <HI>Phrigian</HI> King, that he might be le&s;s &s;u&s;pected in this Court, and that he gave out he came only about the Ran&s;om of his Nephew: That it was apparent <HI>Acrates,</HI> that <HI>Phrigian,</HI> had &s;ome great de|&s;ign in hand, &s;ince <HI>Thimettes</HI> and he were gone from <HI>Sardis</HI> before he had relea&s;ed his Nephew, which he &s;aid was all his bu&s;ine&s;s: That <HI>Timocreon</HI> did not think his goods &s;afe here during his ab&s;ence: yet <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> &s;poke not a word again&s;t the Prince&s;s, but acquainted the King with all he could again&s;t my father. But Madam, the bu&s;ine&s;s was managed with &s;o much &s;ubtlety, that building a mo&s;t apparent Con&s;piracy upon the&s;e grounds. The next morning <HI>Cleander</HI>
being ready to take his leave of the King, having already bid adieu unto the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles, Mexaris, Abradates,</HI> and al&s;o <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> and as he was embracing <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> who came to re|ceive his Commands, <HI>Timocreon, Acrates,</HI> and my &s;elf being in his Chamber, that &s;ame Cap|tain of the Guard, who had heretofore adverti&s;ed the Prince&s;s of the King of <HI>Lidia</HI>'s de&s;ign, came and arre&s;ted <HI>Cleander, Thimettes, Timocreon, Acrates,</HI> and my &s;elf. I leave you to judg Madam, how we were all amazed: <HI>Cleander</HI> de&s;ired to be carried unto the King, but it was not permitted; but they carried him with us into the Cittadel of <HI>Sardis,</HI> lodging us in &s;everal Chambers. In this great di&s;order, my father was &s;o prudent and happy, that he appointed one of his &s;ervants, unperceived by any, who carried tho&s;e things which might be u&s;eful for the manife&s;tation of <HI>Cleander,</HI> and &s;ecretly put them into the hands of the Prince&s;s: However, the Impri&s;onment of <HI>Cleander</HI> was an excellent &s;alve to cure <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> who began to &s;tir a|broad within few days after. I will not in&s;i&s;t upon relation of the great amazement of the Prince&s;s, o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of <HI>Cleander:</HI> Nor will I tell you the wonder of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> that he &s;hould beleeve a man &s;o generous as <HI>Cleander</HI> was, and one unto whom he was &s;o much obliged, &s;hould be|tray him. But I &s;hall tell you, that <HI>Cleander,</HI> enquiring of tho&s;e about him, what crime would be layd unto his charge, under&s;tood how the reports in <HI>Sardis</HI> were, that he intended to betray the King; to for&s;ake his Country, and revolt unto the King of <HI>Phrigia.</HI> Know|ing then what the Crime which would be charged again&s;t him was; and knowing al&s;o that his innocency could not be known, but by acknowledging the truth; and &s;ince he could not de|ny a great part of tho&s;e things which would be charged again&s;t him, he re&s;olved upon it, and
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&s;ent word unto the King by him who commanded the <HI>Cittadel,</HI> that he be&s;eeched him to &s;end &s;ome per&s;on unto him whom he might tru&s;t with a bu&s;ine&s;s of importance: <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> concei|ving it advantagious for him that <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;hould repent and confe&s;s his crime, &s;ent <HI>Menece|us</HI> unto him, &s;uppo&s;ing he would di&s;cover all the particulars of his de&s;ign unto him more freely then unto any other.</P>
<P>Since <HI>Meneceus</HI> did ever love <HI>Cleander,</HI> and in &s;pite of all the Glo&s;&s;es which <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> and his friend did put upon their accu&s;ation did never think him culpable, but was fully per&s;waded of his innocency; <HI>Cleander</HI> did ju&s;tifie him&s;elf, and related all the truth; he di&s;covered unto him his birth, and acquainted him with all circum&s;tances, not mentioning any thing of the Prin|ce&s;s. And when <HI>Meneceus</HI> asked him where the Picture and Letters were, and all other things which might ju&s;tifie what he &s;aid; he acquainted him that <HI>Timocreon</HI> had them, and he de&s;ired him to ask him for them. After this <HI>Meneceus</HI> returned to <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> and related unto him all that <HI>Cleander</HI> had &s;aid: but &s;ince this Prince had a prejudicated opinion, he gave no great credit unto <HI>Cleander's</HI> words; yet at the &s;olicitation of <HI>Meneceus,</HI> he appointed him to go unto <HI>Timocreon,</HI> for the Letters e&s;pecially which he &s;poke of, becau&s;e <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> had here|tofore &s;een two Letters under the King of <HI>Phrygia's</HI> own hand, and by comparing them toge|ther he might judg better of the truth. <HI>Meneceus</HI> went out to find out <HI>Timocreon,</HI> who was then forced to tru&s;t him, and confe&s;s that the Prince&s;s knew &s;omething of <HI>Cleanders</HI> de&s;ign: for thinking that he unto whom he had given all tho&s;e things to carry unto the Prince&s;s, had doubtle&s;s not failed, he was forced for the ju&s;tification of <HI>Cleanders</HI> birth unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> to in|treat <HI>Meneceus</HI> that he would go unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> for them, and to tell <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> that it was a Dome&s;tick Servant belonging to <HI>Timocreon,</HI> had givem them unto her. <HI>Meneceus</HI> who loved my father very well, promi&s;ed him he would, and kept his word: but he was ex|treamly &s;urprized when he came to the Prince&s;s, that &s;he never &s;aw nor heard of this dome&s;tick Servant, and con&s;equently never received any of tho&s;e things, which &s;hould have been deliver|ed unto her. <HI>Meneceus</HI> &s;ought out for this man with all care, but all in vain, for none could tell what was become of him: &s;o that not being able to produce any thing of what he had pro|mi&s;ed to &s;hew unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> he would not permit him to &s;peak concerning <HI>Cleander,</HI> as Son to the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> but looked upon it as an impo&s;ture, and a lie, expre&s;ly charging <HI>Me|neceus</HI> not to &s;peak of it unto any, &s;o that no reports of it went about the Court. You may imagine in what a &s;ad condition my father was when he had lo&s;t that which would not only have ju&s;tified <HI>Cleander</HI> unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> but which &s;hould have made him known unto the King of <HI>Phrygia.</HI> When <HI>Cleander</HI> heard of it, he was extreamly grieved at it: and the Prince&s;s was &s;o full of &s;adne&s;s, that &s;he could not po&s;&s;ibly hide her melancholy. However, <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> being recovered of his wounds, triumphed over the mi&s;eries of his Rival. The Prince <HI>Myr&s;i|les,</HI> and <HI>Abradates,</HI> did verily believe that <HI>Cleander</HI> was not culpable, but there was &s;o much ob&s;curity in his ju&s;tification, that they could not per&s;wade <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> he was innocent. As for the Prince <HI>Mexaris,</HI> though he did not think him criminal more then others did, yet it was thought he was not &s;orry for his di&s;grace, by rea&s;on of &s;ome ambitions thoughts; for he ima|gined that if <HI>Cleander</HI> were in disfavour when <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> died, he might more ea&s;ily exclude <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> from the Throne, and get the Crown him&s;elf. There was none then which openly tran&s;acted in the behalf of <HI>Cleander,</HI> and us, but <HI>Meneceus:</HI> the Prince&s;s not daring to be &s;een in it, only doing her be&s;t in &s;ecret, and by clande&s;tine ways. <HI>E&s;ope</HI> yet mu&s;t be except|ed, who always &s;poke with boldne&s;s worthy of much commendations. Thus you &s;ee, the unfortunate <HI>Cleander</HI> (guilty in appearance, but really innocent) the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man alive. But what &s;orrows &s;oever he had to &s;ee he had lo&s;t all hopes of making him&s;elf known unto his father, or of ever coming out of pri&s;on, the ab&s;ence of his dear Prince&s;s tormented him a|bove all: and when he thought &s;omtimes how near he was unto her, and yet to have no po&s;&s;i|bility of &s;eeing her, he was not able to &s;upport his mi&s;ery with patience: However, <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> who de&s;ired that puni&s;hment might follow impri&s;onment, and who was of their mind that &s;tood in fear of chained Lions; did every day invent impo&s;ture upon impo&s;ture to ruine <HI>Cle|ander,</HI> and &s;uch &s;candalous and unworthy reports were &s;pread up and down the Town, that the Prince&s;s were &s;trangely alarum'd at them. She conceived that if &s;he had &s;o good a heart as to tell the King &s;he had &s;een the&s;e things, which would ju&s;tifie the birth of <HI>Cleander,</HI> it might do &s;ome good in the bu&s;ine&s;s, but &s;ince &s;he could not do &s;o unle&s;s &s;he di&s;covered that innocent League which was between them, &s;he could not re&s;olve upon it: but for all that, &s;eeing his enemies were not &s;atisfied with his impri&s;onment, but aimed at his life; &s;he overcame her &s;elf, and re&s;olved to do it. But then the difficulty was how to adverti&s;e <HI>Cleander</HI> of her intentions to &s;peak unto the King, in ca&s;e he &s;hould put it to the la&s;t extremity; for &s;he feared, that if
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he were not acquainted with it, he might contradict what &s;he &s;hould &s;ay, and &s;o be him&s;elf an ob&s;tacle to his ju&s;tification: &s;o that con&s;ulting with <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> upon this Subject, that Lady &s;eeing her Mi&s;tre&s;s in &s;uch a well grounded unquietne&s;s; after &s;he had a while thought upon it, told her ingeniou&s;ly, that the Son of him who commanded the <HI>Cittadel</HI> in <HI>Sardis,</HI> had a long time &s;hewed him&s;elf one that was far from hating her; and therefore &s;he verily believed that if &s;he de&s;ired him to do her any good office, &s;he &s;hould find him very well di&s;po&s;ed unto it, what danger &s;oever there might be in the attempt. The Prince&s;s at the fir&s;t did make &s;ome diffi|culty on it, to tru&s;t a young man, and a lover; but at la&s;t &s;ince &s;he knew no better expedient, &s;he con&s;ented to imploy him. Since <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> was my Cou&s;in, I mu&s;t be the pretence of that &s;er|vice which &s;he required from her Lover; and &s;ince I could not be ju&s;tified unle&s;s <HI>Cleander</HI> was, and every one knew that his intere&s;ts were mine, &s;he imagined that <HI>Tegeus</HI> (for that was the name of <HI>Cyleni&s;a's</HI> Lover) would not think it &s;trange &s;he &s;hould de&s;ire to &s;peak with him. The truth is Madam, <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> knew &s;o well how to order the mind of <HI>Tegeus,</HI> that what difficulties &s;oever there were to &s;peak with <HI>Cleander,</HI> he would endeavour it, and indeed kept his word: And he came to tell her the next morning, that if &s;he plea&s;ed, &s;he might &s;peak with him the night after. At the fir&s;t <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> could not re&s;olve upon it, but afterwards <HI>Tegeus</HI> told her the bu&s;ine&s;s was not &s;o difficult as &s;he imagined, becau&s;e the Gardens of the Palace joyn clo&s;e almo&s;t to the Counter&s;carpe of the <HI>Cittadel,</HI> there being a back door on that &s;ide, and ju&s;t there &s;he might go and &s;peak with <HI>Cleander</HI> out of a barred window, and very low, which looked that way, only letting down a Draw-bridg which was over the Mote, and un|der the window, where &s;he might <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> with him very conveniently, without being perceived by any, becau&s;e he him&s;elf had the guard of that &s;ide. <HI>Tegeus</HI> having made the matter both po&s;&s;ible and ea&s;ie, <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> agreed with him, that &s;he would walk very late in the Garden with one of her companions; and when it was the ju&s;t hour which they &s;hould agree upon, they would come unto the end of this little bridg<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">: and to give a &s;igne that it was they, &s;he would bring a dark Lanthorn, which will hide the light when they plea&s;ed: The way being thus re|&s;olved upon, <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> returned unto the Prince&s;s, to tell her what &s;he had done, but &s;eeing the de&s;igne &s;o near, &s;he repented; yet con&s;idering the danger wherein <HI>Cleander</HI> was, and that if &s;he &s;hould neglect this opportunity, &s;he might perchance not have another, becau&s;e <HI>Tegeus</HI> might change his Guard, &s;he re&s;olved to &s;end <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> to acquaint <HI>Cleander</HI> with her intenti|ons to &s;peak for him, and that they might not contradict one another in their tales: But when &s;he began to con&s;ider that <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> might not go alone unto that place, &s;he almo&s;t changed her mind, becau&s;e &s;he dur&s;t not confide in any other of her women: Madam, &s;aid <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> fear and recompence will make any faithful, therefore I be&s;eech you, let me tamper with one of my Companions; and &s;uborn the Porter of the Garden towards the <HI>Cittadel,</HI> that after &s;he and I have walked together late there, we may go with a dark Lanthorn through the great Cypre&s;s walk clo&s;e by the gate which is oppo&s;ite to that bridg, over which I mu&s;t pa&s;s to &s;peak with <HI>Cleander.</HI></P>
<P>Ah <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> &s;aid the Prince&s;s, your expedient is dangerous: There is no other Madam, replied &s;he, unle&s;s you will write, and tru&s;t your Letter with <HI>Tegeus:</HI> yet &s;ince I am a Cou&s;in unto <HI>Soficles,</HI> there is le&s;s danger in my &s;peaking with <HI>Cleander,</HI> then there is in writing unto him. The Prince&s;s did grieve extreamly, and not being able to con&s;ent unto what <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> did pro|pound, &s;he re&s;olved upon nothing. But Madam, &s;aid &s;he unto her, it concerns the life of <HI>Cle|ander.</HI> But <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> &s;aid &s;he Prince&s;s, it concerns my own honour. I do not conceive it con|cerns your honour, or your vertue either, an&s;wered <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> and I know not why genero&s;ity &s;hould hinder you from doing a good act out of fear to be &s;u&s;pcted for doing a bad one; And the act Madam, though it &s;hould come to be known, would rather pa&s;s for an act of charity, then a piece of amorous <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">: and after all this Madam, &s;ince you are re&s;olved to &s;peak unto the King, and you know that he would marry you unto <HI>Cleander,</HI> and that you may well make it known you would &s;ave him, I cannot &s;ee there any &s;uch hazard in the bu&s;ine&s;s. The Prince&s;s then thought to write her mind, and tru&s;t the Letter with <HI>Tegeus</HI> to give it unto <HI>Cleander;</HI> but when &s;he con&s;idered of the many matters &s;he had to &s;ay, and that if by any misfortune this Letter &s;hould be lo&s;t, &s;he might prejudice both her &s;elf, and <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;he gave ever that de&s;igne, and would neither write, nor let <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> go, but remained extreamly per|plexed: But <HI>E&s;ope</HI> coming to &s;ee her, and telling her, that &s;o much ill was &s;poken of <HI>Cleander,</HI> as he took upon him &s;o much boldne&s;s as to be&s;eech her, &s;he would protect &s;uch an illu&s;trious man as he was; and after this he went away but ill &s;atisfied with her an&s;wer, &s;he began to re|&s;olve with her &s;elf, and told <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> &s;he was contented &s;he &s;hould go unto <HI>Cleander,</HI> and that &s;he left it unto her <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> to chu&s;e which of her women &s;he would have with her a
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But to abridg my di&s;cour&s;e, &s;ince it hath been already too long; <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> made choyce of her companion, and <HI>Tegeus</HI> &s;ent a dark Lanthorn; and after &s;he had received full in&s;tructions what to &s;ay, they went into the Garden with the dark Lanthorn, which gave no light but when they plea&s;ed, and went unto the Cypre&s;s Walk, clo&s;e by the back door, towards the Bridg which <HI>Tegeus</HI> mentioned unto <HI>Cyleni&s;a:</HI> but as &s;he told me afterwards, they trembled at every &s;tep, and thought twenty times to return back: yet they went on, and being come unto the end of the Bridg, after the Gardener whom they had &s;uborned had opened the door, <HI>Cylen&s;ia</HI> opened and &s;hut the dark Lanthorn two or three times as was appointed between <HI>Tegeus</HI> and her (for they pa&s;&s;ed through the Garden only by the light of the Stars;) immediately after the Bridg was let down, the window opened, and <HI>Cleander</HI> appeared, or (to &s;ay better) was heard.</P>
<P>Since this window was very low, <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;peaking in a low voyce, Is it po&s;&s;ible, &s;aid he unto her, that I &s;hould have the happine&s;s to &s;peak with you, or is it a dream? Speak <HI>Cyle|ni&s;a,</HI> that I may know you, and tell me who is that which is with you. Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, you may well imagine, &s;ince &s;he is here that &s;he is faithful, therefore not to lo&s;e a minute of precious time, let me ha&s;te to tell you, that the Prince&s;s is re&s;olved to &s;ave your life, and to tell the King your father, that &s;he knows of your birth; &s;he de&s;ired to adverti&s;e you of it Sir, le&s;t you &s;hould differ, and contradict one another in your relations of it; then <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> acquaint|ed him with all that the Prince&s;s gave her in charge, both what &s;he would &s;ay unto the King her father, and what <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;hould an&s;wer. How <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> (&s;aid he, after very &s;erious at|tention) does that adored and admired Lady take any care for my life, and trouble her &s;elf with &s;uch difficulties as the&s;e? Ah <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> I could never imagine it: But if &s;he cannot pre&s;erve it, by any ways but by prejudice to her &s;elf, tell her I conjure you, that I had much rather dye then be any cau&s;e of harm unto her. But Sir, &s;aid &s;he, do you think that your death would be plea&s;ing to her? No, replyed he, I think her too good to have any &s;uch thoughts; but my life is &s;o u&s;ele&s;s, and will cau&s;e her &s;o many &s;orrows, that I think it in &s;ome &s;ort ju&s;t not to pre|&s;erve it by any way which may expo&s;e her unto the anger of the King her father: a&s;&s;ure her therefore that I can dye without murmur; tell her <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> that I &s;hould not be &s;en&s;ible of my mi&s;ery but for the love of her; and that I do not think my pri&s;on tedious but becau&s;e I cannot &s;ee her, and provided I do not lo&s;e her Love, I can contentedly lo&s;e my Crown and my Life al&s;o. As they were thus talking, a Soldier chanced to hear the voyce of a woman, and went to acquaint the Governor, who pre&s;ently took out a Party, &s;ome went to <HI>Cleanders</HI> Cham|ber, others to the window. <HI>Tegeus</HI> would have oppo&s;ed them, but was not able, and his fa|ther cau&s;ed him to be taken: Mean while <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> and her companion hearing a noi&s;e, would have fled, and got into the Garden, but they could not po&s;&s;ible: Then <HI>Cleander,</HI> &s;eeing the Prince&s;s women taken, and could not help, he both &s;poke and did &s;uch things, as might have di&s;covered that which he had &s;o long concealed. When <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> &s;aw the Souldiers come unto her, and that there was no po&s;sibility to e&s;cape, &s;he turned the light of her Lanthorn, and made her &s;elf known unto them: they then were much &s;urprized, and turned their violence into ci|vility; not one of the Souldiers but had &s;een her a hundred times with the Prince&s;s, when &s;he came to walk in the Cittadel. <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> who certainly had an excellent &s;pirit and wit, told them, That the danger wherein I was for the love of <HI>Cleander,</HI> was the cau&s;e of her coming thither; that they need not think it &s;trange &s;he &s;hould endeavor to &s;ave her Cou&s;in, by advi&s;ing with him who was the cau&s;e of his mi&s;ery, which way they might make his innocency appear. The Souldiers did harken unto her patiently, and did not contradict what &s;he &s;aid: yet they carried her and her companion before the Governor, whom &s;he would have per&s;waded to let her go unto the Prince&s;s, and not to acquaint the King with her being there, but &s;he could not prevail: but on the contrary, &s;ince he was very exact, after he had placed the&s;e two women with much civility in one Chamber, and given orders to guard the pri&s;oners very carefully, and his &s;on al&s;o, he &s;ent to acquaint the King with the pa&s;&s;age; and &s;ent al&s;o to the Prince&s;s, to ask her pardon for detaining her women, &s;uppo&s;ing that &s;he would not acknowledg them after &s;uch an act as this. Since it may ea&s;ily be imagined what apprehen&s;ions all the&s;e Parties had upon this accident, I will not &s;tay to relate them: but you may be &s;ure the Prince&s;s was ex|treamly &s;urprized and &s;ad; <HI>Cleander</HI> was de&s;perate; poor <HI>Tegeus</HI> who loved <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> fear|ed &s;he would think he betrayed her; <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> was at her wits end as well as her companion; <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was a&s;toni&s;hed to hear of it; and &s;ent Orders unto the Governor, who&s;e name was <HI>Partias,</HI> to &s;end her and her companion pre&s;ently to him; and he did &s;o: When <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> came before him, Is it po&s;sible, &s;aid he unto her, that my daughter &s;hould keep one about her, that would do &s;uch are act &s;o far unbefitting the mode&s;ty of her Sex? Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, appear|ances are often fallacious; and this boldne&s;s of mine which &s;eems &s;o criminal, will perhaps ap|pear
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commendable, when you &s;hall hear tho&s;e truths which I &s;hall tell you: for Sir, I am a Cou&s;in unto <HI>So&s;icles.</HI> 'Tis true (&s;aid the King and interrupted her,) but it was unto <HI>Cleander</HI> with whom you &s;poke. I do confe&s;s it, replyed &s;he, for &s;ince it is by him that <HI>So&s;icles</HI> may be ju&s;tified. I might well &s;peak unto him who might make his innocency known. However it be, &s;aid he, do you think my daughter would allow you to go from her at midnight? and do you think I can be per&s;waded that you &s;poke unto <HI>Cleander</HI> only concerning the intere&s;t of <HI>So&s;i|cles?</HI> Speak <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> &s;peak, I &s;ay, and tell me ingeniou&s;ly who &s;et you a work? Then <HI>Paetias</HI> whi&s;pered the King in his ear, and told him, that the Souldiers who heard them &s;peak, and di&s;covered it unto him, did often hear the name of the Prince&s;s both in the mouth of <HI>Cleander</HI> and hers. The King &s;eemed to be much moved at what <HI>Paetias</HI> told him; for pre&s;ently re|membering the &s;orrows which the Prince&s;s te&s;tified at the impri&s;onment of <HI>Cleander,</HI> and her endeavors to ju&s;tifie him, he made no doubt but that there was &s;ome &s;ecret bu&s;ine&s;s which <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> would not confe&s;s: &s;o that he &s;poke more &s;harply to her then before; yet &s;ay and do what he could, he could not make her &s;peak a word again&s;t the Prince&s;s: But her companion who was with her, bring neither &s;o witty, nor &s;o bold, nor &s;o affectionate as &s;he (the King being advi&s;ed to &s;eperate them) he got her by promi&s;es and by threatenings to tell all &s;he knew: &s;he confe&s;&s;ed then ingeniou&s;ly, that the Prince&s;s did know of their coming; but thinking to ju&s;tifie her, &s;he prote&s;ted that it was only out of compa&s;&s;ion to the pri&s;oners, that &s;he &s;ent <HI>Cy|leni&s;a</HI> to &s;peak with them. The King would have made her confe&s;s what &s;he heard of <HI>Cyleni|&s;a</HI>'s and <HI>Cleander</HI>'s di&s;cour&s;e, but &s;he would not an&s;wer a word to that, for &s;he &s;aid &s;he was &s;o affrighted to be at that time in that place, that &s;he heard their di&s;cour&s;e but very confu&s;edly, yet confe&s;&s;ing that the name of the Prince&s;s was often u&s;ed. There needed no more to di&s;turb the Soul of the King, who now made no que&s;tion but that there was a &s;ecret Corre&s;pondency between <HI>Cleander</HI> and the Prince&s;s his daughter: He went unto <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> again, but with &s;uch fury in his words, and &s;o much anger in his eyes, that &s;he &s;tood in need of all her con&s;tancy to be undaunted. However, &s;he was carried back to the Cittadel, and the King &s;ent unto the Prince&s;s (for by this time it was day) to come unto him, which immediately &s;he did: He no &s;ooner &s;aw her, but he commanded all to withdraw; then looking fiercely upon her, I never thought, &s;aid he unto her, that you had a heart &s;o ba&s;e, as to be&s;tow any private affection up|on a man that is unknown; upon a man, I &s;ay, who certainly is of a ba&s;e original, &s;ince he hath no &s;hift but an Impo&s;ture to fly unto to &s;ave his life, as if he could make the world beleeve he was a Kings &s;on; a man who after abundance of benefits which I conferred upon him, would in recompence betray me, and ruine me and my Dominions. When the Prince&s;s heard her Father &s;peak in &s;uch manner, &s;he thought that <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> had confe&s;&s;ed all: &s;o that having no di&s;po&s;ition to deny a mo&s;t innocent truth, and injure it by telling lyes, re&s;olved to di&s;guize the matter no longer; Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, it &s;eems you think me to be very much in fault, but thanks be unto the Gods I have this &s;atisfaction of Con&s;cience, that I am certain I am not &s;o. How, &s;aid he, are you not infinitely in fault to hold a &s;ecret compliance with a grant Delin|quent to the State? Should any of my Subjects do as much, he &s;hould infallibly dye for it, and judg whether your Crime be not greater then any Subjects can be; you who are my Daughter, and is intere&s;ted in the glory of my Kingdom, and good of my People, and ought to have no other Intere&s;t but what is mine. Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, if I had any other then &s;uch, indeed I &s;hould think my &s;elf mo&s;t culpable; but &s;ince I have not, I mo&s;t humbly be|&s;eech you, to give me one quarter of an hours audience to ju&s;tifie my &s;elf. The King with much ado kept &s;ilence, and &s;uffered her to &s;peak. This wi&s;e Prince&s;s began her di&s;cour&s;e with the affection the King had to <HI>Cleander</HI> in his Infancy; likewi&s;e with the affection of her Bro|thers; and the e&s;teem which &s;he her &s;elf had of him, repeating in few words, and much art, all the &s;ervices which he had done for the King; his Victories, his Conque&s;ts, and all his he|reique Acts: Yet relating all this after &s;uch a manner as no &s;u&s;pition might be &s;he affected him, but only as it &s;he aymed at his ju&s;tification and truth; Yet Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him, after &s;he had called into his memory whether he would or no all his obligations unto <HI>Cleander)</HI> this man, &s;o illu&s;trious in every thing, to whom the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> owed his life, unto whom I am a D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">btor for vours; he, I &s;ay, &s;hould never have moved my heart &s;o much at this time, but by two mo&s;t powerful Con&s;iderations: the one is, becau&s;e I know you had a de&s;ign to marry me unto him at your return from this War; the other is, becau&s;e I under&s;tand his ori|ginal is equal unto mine: be&s;ides all this, I am mo&s;t certain, that he never had any intentions to be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ay you; nor ever had a more violent de&s;ire to acknowledg all your benefits.</P>
<P>The King wondering and raging that his daughter &s;hould know of his de&s;ign concerning her Marriage, &s;aid unto her, and interrupted her, You ought however to have &s;tayed until I had
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commanded you to marry <HI>Cleander,</HI> before you gave him any te&s;timonies of your affection: But &s;ince you are &s;o obedient unto my will, that you would have married him if it had been my plea&s;ure, pray al&s;o hate him when I would have you; and know, that I will puni&s;h him for his Crime, and adhere unto no other Intere&s;t but mine own. Were he guilty Sir, I &s;hould with all my heart do &s;o, replyed &s;he, but &s;ince he is innocent, and the &s;on of a great King, I think Sir, that I &s;hould do you good &s;ervice in re&s;training you from incen&s;ing the anger of the Gods again&s;t you by de&s;troying a Prince who did never ju&s;tly offend you: For truly <HI>Timocreon, Thi|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ettes</HI> and <HI>Acrates</HI> told no lyes, when they a&s;&s;ured that <HI>Cleander</HI> was &s;on unto the King of <HI>Phrigia;</HI> I my &s;elf have &s;een all tho&s;e things, which &s;hould have ju&s;tified his Birth: and moreover, I do mo&s;t certainly know, that he would never have took part with your Enemies to fight again&s;t you. It &s;eems you know very much indeed, &s;aid <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> and interrupted her, but though you had committed no other Crime then this, to know &s;o exactly the &s;ecret thoughts of &s;uch a man as <HI>Cleander</HI> is, a &s;tranger, and a Delinquent, it were enough to de|&s;erve no pardon. But Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, &s;ince I cannot ju&s;tifie my &s;elf in your opinion, unle&s;s I ju&s;tifie <HI>Cleander</HI> al&s;o, and letting you &s;ee his real right and true quality, why will you not be plea&s;ed to allow me &s;o much patience as to hear me out? Why, &s;aid he unto her, would you have me beleeve your words, becau&s;e you have lightly given credit unto the deceiving words of <HI>Cleander?</HI> Do I not plainly &s;ee you are his Confederate in this gro&s;s Impo&s;ture, by which he would make him&s;elf the &s;on of a King, ju&s;t now when he is accu&s;ed of a Crime which brings his life in danger? Where are all the convincing proofs of it? You tell me you have &s;een them, but you &s;hew not one: As for this Picture which all the Court hath &s;een, and I my &s;elf al&s;o have &s;een, that argues as much as nothing, nor any thing el&s;e except the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI>'s Letter: as for that, I confe&s;s, I have &s;een, and know his Character, and it may be of &s;ome con&s;ideration: but they will &s;hew it &s;eems only unto you who does not know it; and will not produce it to &s;hew unto me, becau&s;e I &s;hould di&s;cover its forgery. In a word, <HI>Cle|ander</HI> is unknown, and you ought to look upon him no otherwi&s;e; neither ought you to be|leeve that I would have married you unto him, unle&s;s I had told you &s;o my &s;elf; and if by rea|&s;on of &s;ome rea&s;on in State, I &s;hould have married you to him, I know not whether or no you would have willingly obeyed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">: Moreover, admit <HI>Cleander</HI> were the &s;on of a King, yet you ought not to hold any &s;ecret intelligence with him: but &s;ince he &s;aid him&s;elf to be the &s;on of my Enemy, was it ju&s;t in you to conceal it from me one minute? Might you not well &s;uppo&s;e, that this very circum&s;tance of Enemy was enough to prevent all alliance with him? Which way &s;oever then I con&s;ider your actions, I find you &s;o culpable, and in &s;o deep a manner, that I cannot endure the &s;ight of you: Therefore retire unto your Chamber, and obey my orders without medling any more in the Ju&s;tification. Since my own ju&s;tification is in&s;eparably link|ed unto his, replyed &s;he, methinks Sir your command is not ju&s;t. Go (&s;aid he unto her) be|gone, and an&s;wer no more: but without in&s;i&s;ting upon your pretended innocency, go and pray unto the Gods, that they will pardon you; for my part I cannot. The Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> would have replyed &s;omething, but he would not &s;uffer her; and commanded the Lievtenant of his Guard to carry her unto her Chamber, and be re&s;pon&s;ible for her per&s;on. The Prince&s;s then &s;eeing &s;he could not prevail with the King her father, obeyed with tears in her eyes, and returned to her Lodging, without having the comfort of her dear <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> with whom &s;he might condole her misfortunes. Her Chamber becoming now a Pri&s;on, none were admitted, nor permitted to &s;ee her, no not &s;o much as the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> becau&s;e he &s;eemed always ve|ry affectionate unto <HI>Cleander:</HI> The Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;&s;omena</HI> de&s;ired it, but was denyed: <HI>A|bradates</HI> endeavored very much to do her &s;ervice, yet all in vain: The Prince <HI>Mexaris,</HI> though glad perhaps of the&s;e di&s;orders, yet &s;eemed very angry at it: The Prince&s;s <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> widow of the Prince <HI>Atis,</HI> remembering what an ob&s;tacle the Prince&s;s had heretofore been unto her marriage, &s;hewed not much genero&s;ity: But as for <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> he was con&s;tant, and &s;poke boldly unto the King, in behalf both of the Prince&s;s and <HI>Cleander: Meneceus</HI> al&s;o was very gene|rous, and &s;poke high, &s;o that the King grew angry with him, and employed him no more in his Councels, expre&s;ly forbidding him to publi&s;h that <HI>Cleander</HI> was the &s;on of a King. As for <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> though he was a Lover of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> yet her pri&s;on was no great grief un|to him, becau&s;e he hoped that this di&s;a&s;terous cour&s;e would make her repent of her affection unto <HI>Cleander,</HI> and was in hopes to tran&s;act in her behalf &s;o cunningly, as that &s;he might think her &s;elf in &s;ome &s;ort a Debtor unto him for her Liberty.</P>
<P>In the mean while <HI>Cleander</HI> hearing the next day by &s;ome of the Guards, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> was a pri&s;oner: all the &s;orrows that ever he &s;uffered in all his life, were not compa|rable to his &s;ufferings then: he &s;aw his fortune was in a pitiful condition: for he knew cer|tainly
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that he was the &s;on of a King, and had no power to ju&s;tifie him&s;elf: he appeared ungrate|ful and guilty towards <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> and was not able to produce any convincing proofs to the con|trary: he was in love with the Prince&s;s, and knew &s;he loved him again, but according to all appearances, he &s;hould never be in a condition to enjoy her, or him&s;elf: he heard &s;he was a pri&s;oner for the love of him; and this la&s;t con&s;ideration made &s;o deep an impre&s;&s;ion upon his &s;pirits, that he valued not all the re&s;t: until then, he &s;uffered his fetters without any de&s;ires of breaking them: but when he heard &s;he was a pri&s;oner, he thought upon nothing but his liber|ty, to the end he might relea&s;e her: He de&s;ired the Guards to go unto the King, and be&s;eech him that he might immediately dye, upon condition &s;he might be &s;et free, and expre&s;s &s;o many &s;igns of real love, and in &s;o moving a manner, that one of the Guards did offer him all his endea|vours for his comfort at the lea&s;t, if he could do nothing for his liberty: <HI>Cleander</HI> did accept his offer, and conjured him to go unto the Palace, there enquire very exactly, what Orders and Guards were upon the Prince&s;s, that afterwards he might judg whether there was any po&s;|&s;ibility of &s;ending her a Letter. This officions Souldier did as <HI>Cleander</HI> de&s;ired him, and went unto the Palace; but being not &s;o wi&s;e as well affected, &s;ome men that are ready to do any ill offices, e&s;pied him, and knowing him to be one of <HI>Cleanders</HI> Guard, did acquaint the King he was there, who did command him to be &s;eized upon: and &s;ince he gave no good rea&s;ons for his coming to the Palace: and &s;ince information was given that he enquired what guards was kept over the Prince&s;s, they clapt him up in pri&s;on, and the King imagined there was &s;ome de&s;ign to relea&s;e her: &s;o that to put her in a place which he conceived inviolable, and to &s;end her further from <HI>Cleander,</HI> whom he would not yet put to death, as much incen&s;ed as he was again&s;t him, therefore he &s;ent the Prince&s;s the next morning unto <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> unto the Temple of <HI>Diana;</HI> appointing her who commanded the vowed Ve&s;tals there, not to let her &s;peak un|to any who&s;oever; cau&s;ing the Companion of <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> to be relea&s;ed; and likewi&s;e the Son of <HI>Pactias,</HI> becau&s;e of his fathers fidelity, to have his liberty. This wi&s;e Prince&s;s de&s;ired to take her leave of the King, but the favour was denied her: then &s;he de&s;ired to have <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> with her; that al&s;o was not granted: &s;o that the day following, none having the liberty to &s;ee her, &s;he departed from <HI>Sardis,</HI> guarded by five hundred hor&s;e unto <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> which was three days journeys from thence. But Madam, the way thither was of nece&s;&s;ity behind the Garden of the Palace, and by the Cittadel, under the window where <HI>Cleander</HI> did &s;peak with <HI>Cyleni&s;a.</HI> It happened that this unfortunate Prince, walking in his Chamber, and contempla|ting his misfortunes, chanced to &s;py the Prince&s;s as &s;he pa&s;&s;ed, and knew her; &s;he al&s;o, looking up, &s;aw him: To tell you Madam, the thoughts of the&s;e two illu&s;trious per&s;ons at that in&s;tant, and how &s;ad this &s;ight was unto both, is not an ea&s;ie matter. <HI>Cleander</HI> would have broke the grates: the Prince&s;s wi&s;hed the Coach might go more &s;afely, yet &s;he made &s;ignes with her head and her hand, to let him under&s;tand &s;he lamented his misfortunes: and he did let her &s;ee, by his violent and di&s;ordered actions, though full of re&s;pect, how great the trouble of his &s;oul was. Mean while the Coach went on, and they lo&s;t the &s;ight of one another: But the Prince&s;s, as I was told afterwards, looked a long while after upon the place where <HI>Cleander</HI> was a pri&s;oner. After this Madam, the Court of <HI>Lidia</HI> was as dull, as it was delightful before. In the mean time <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI>
did not bring his de&s;ignes to pa&s;s, for he could not move <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> either to put <HI>Cleander</HI> to death, or call back the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis: Cre&s;&s;us</HI> al&s;o knowing that the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> was entered into his Dominions, was forced to go him&s;elf in per&s;on unto the Army: and that was one of his rea&s;ons why he &s;ent the Prince&s;s his daughter unto <HI>Ephe&s;us:</HI> having no mind to leave her in that place where <HI>Cleander</HI> was a pri&s;oner: The general &s;tate of things did change faces: for you know, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> who had carried away the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;ent to &s;olicit the&s;e two Kings who were his Allies, to enter into his Countrey: and in order unto that, they made a truce between them&s;elves, and did &s;o: going both of them to aid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and to oppo&s;e the King of the <HI>Medes</HI> whom they feared, or rather indeed the valour of the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> under the notion of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who was &s;o terrible to all <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> The King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> notwith&s;tanding the truce, de&s;ired that his Troops might not mingle with the Troops of <HI>Lidia.</HI> The truth is Madam, you know &s;o well what pa&s;&s;ed in all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> &s;ince that time, as I need not &s;peak of them, nor of <HI>Cleander,</HI> who being &s;till a pri&s;oner had nothing to do among&s;t them: for after the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> fir&s;t defeat, <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> out of &s;ome di&s;con|tent retired and returned unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> &s;till keeping us and the Prince&s;s pri&s;oners. However <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> was not a whit more happy; &s;ince neither being able to ruine his Rival, nor &s;ee his Mi&s;tre&s;s, it may be &s;aid, that he him&s;elf was puni&s;hed for their own crimes. As for <HI>Cleander</HI> he being of a very obliging di&s;po&s;ition, he got the love of all the Guards; and &s;o far that they
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let him have the liberty to write and receive Letters, in &s;pite of <HI>Pactias</HI> for bidding them to do &s;o: &s;o that he writ unto <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> to the end he might acquaint him with all news concerning the Prince&s;s, which <HI>E&s;ope</HI> accordingly did, though I know not which way he went to work: However <HI>Cleander, Thimettes, Timocreon, Acrates,</HI> and my &s;elf, did live mo&s;t melancholy lives: and &s;o we lived until <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> who was re&s;tle&s;s to hear of all the prodigious victories of the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;ent unto all the famous Oracles in the world, though I know not what he intended to enquire of, becau&s;e there was no return of them, when I came from <HI>Sardis.</HI> But during the voyages of all the&s;e Emba&s;&s;adours who were &s;ent to con&s;ult with the Gods, he cea&s;ed not from making great Levies; he imployed divers Envoyes to &s;everal Princes; and was &s;o bu&s;ied in &s;ome great de&s;ign which he had in his mind, that he thought much le&s;s of <HI>Cle|ander.</HI> Then Madam, to &s;horten my relation, I will make ha&s;t to tell you, that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> being gone to mu&s;ter his Troops, <HI>Tegeus</HI> the &s;on of <HI>Pactias,</HI> and Lover of <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> plotted with <HI>Meneceus:</HI> and found out ways to relea&s;e us, love being predominate over all other con&s;ide|rations; perhaps his aims and de&s;ires were only to relea&s;e <HI>Cyleni&s;a:</HI> But <HI>Meneceus,</HI> of whom he &s;tood in need, denying him any a&s;&s;i&s;tance, unle&s;s <HI>Cleander, Thimettes, Timocreon, Acrates,</HI> and my &s;elf, were relea&s;ed al&s;o, he con&s;ented unto it. So that one night, when I little dream<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of liberty, <HI>Tegeus,</HI> who had &s;uborned the greate&s;t part of <HI>Cleanders</HI> Guard, and Garri&s;on of <HI>Pactias,</HI> entered into the Ci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tad I, and going unto <HI>Cleanders</HI> Chamber, he told him that he was at liberty: and afterwards coming where we were, he told us the &s;ame. That which did make the bu&s;ine&s;s more ea&s;ie, was becau&s;e <HI>Pactias</HI> was gone two days journey from <HI>Sardis:</HI> and <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> was with the King. Moreover <HI>Meneceus</HI> who had the Conduct of the bu&s;i|ne&s;s, had provided fifty hor&s;e ready to guard us: &s;o that without fight or tumult we went out of the Ci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tadel, at the &s;ame door by which the poor <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> entered. I forgot to tell you that <HI>Tegeus</HI> went not unto the Chamber of <HI>Cleander</HI> to relea&s;e him, till after he had been with <HI>Cy|leni&s;a:</HI> for whom he had provided a Coach ready at the coming out of the Cittadel. How|ever &s;ince <HI>Meneceus</HI> had many friends in <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> and &s;ince be&s;ides, that it was a place where they might more ea&s;ily hide them&s;elves then any other, by rea&s;on of many &s;trangers which re&s;orted unto the famous Temple of <HI>Diana:</HI> and more then that, it was ea&s;ie to flie away when one plea&s;ed, by rea&s;on of the Seas nearne&s;s. It was re&s;olved to retire thither; and indeed <HI>Cleander</HI> would not go any where el&s;e, becau&s;e of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and there was none that would leave him. The Governour of <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> was al&s;o an intimate friend of <HI>Meneceus,</HI> who though he &s;hould know him to be there, yet he did not fear that he would do either him or his friends any hurt: Then Madam, when he had gone a days journey from <HI>Sardis,</HI> we di&s;gui&s;ed our &s;elves as well as we could, <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> al&s;o with a woman which waited upon her, and would not leave her, did the &s;ame: &s;o that we came unto <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> as &s;trangers which come to vi&s;it the Temple of <HI>Diana: Meneceus</HI> al&s;o, cau&s;ed tho&s;e hor&s;es which guarded us to enter at &s;everal Gates, and re&s;olved to have them always with him in ca&s;e of any need of them. The fir&s;t thing <HI>Cleander</HI> did, was to go about the Temple of <HI>Diana,</HI> de&s;iring to &s;ee the place at lea&s;t where the Prince&s;s was, though he could not &s;ee her. In the mean while, Madam, one chance mo&s;t extraordinarily happened to the great comfort of the&s;e illu&s;trious Lovers, which was, That &s;he who commanded the Ve&s;tals, who&s;e name was <HI>Age&s;i&s;trata,</HI> proved to be Si&s;ter unto a Lady in <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> with whom <HI>Meneceus</HI> in his younger days had been in love, and whom he &s;hould have married, if her friends had not oppo&s;ed it: &s;o that there being this obligation then between them, there continued &s;till a great friend&s;hip between them, though they had not &s;een one another of a long time; <HI>Meneceus</HI> having done many con&s;iderable &s;ervices towards <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> in behalf of her Husband, whom afterwards &s;he married, and &s;ince was dead: <HI>Mene|cius</HI> then confiding in her, and &s;etting forth the inju&s;tice of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> in that he would not &s;uf|fer <HI>Cleander</HI> to clear him&s;elf, and that the Prince&s;s his daughter was &s;en&s;ible of his innocency, he negotiated &s;o well with her, as &s;he obtained of her Si&s;ter, that <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> &s;hould be entertain|ed in the Temple, and placed with the Prince&s;s, not daring to ask leave for <HI>Cleander</HI> to &s;peak with her, for fear of being refu&s;ed, and le&s;t it &s;hould prejudice her, in lieu of &s;erving her: you may ea&s;ily imagine what joy this was unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> to &s;ee her dear <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> again, and to hear <HI>Cleander</HI> was out of pri&s;on, and come unto <HI>Ephe&s;us:</HI> though &s;he was &s;till very fearful he &s;hould be di&s;covered, and taken again: But when <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> told her he &s;eldom &s;tir|red out, except mornings and evenings unto the Temple, and that he was well di&s;gui&s;ed, &s;he was more at quiet. 'Tis true, the liberty of <HI>Cleander</HI> did make the pri&s;on of the Prince&s;s more clo&s;e, (if: may call that &s;acred place a pri&s;on.) For as &s;oon as <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> heard that <HI>Cleandir</HI> was relea&s;ed, he &s;ent new Orders unto <HI>Age&s;i&s;trata,</HI> to take more care of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI>
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and that &s;he be better guarded: But &s;ince the friend of <HI>Meneceus</HI> was for us, the doubling of Guards was to no purpo&s;e: One &s;trange and happy accident more happened, which was, that <HI>Cleander</HI> found in the hou&s;e where he lodged all tho&s;e things which &s;hould te&s;tifie what he was; and thus it came about: Be plea&s;ed to know that the dome&s;tique &s;ervant whom my fa|ther had tru&s;ted with all tho&s;e things, and many others, &s;eeing that his Ma&s;ter was a Pri&s;oner, re&s;olved to &s;teal all that he had of his, and embarqued for <HI>Ephe&s;us:</HI> That he being acquainted with a &s;ervant in this hou&s;e, he left with him many of tho&s;e things to keep, and among&s;t the re&s;t all tho&s;e things which would &s;erve to clear <HI>Cleander;</HI> declaring unto him, that if he dyed, he gave him all tho&s;e things which he left in his hands, and telling him, that he dur&s;t not return until his Ma&s;ter were out of pri&s;on: But the truth is, he thought that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> would put my father to death, and then he might return to <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> and enjoy the fruits of his Theft: yet &s;ince he was gone no further then the I&s;le of <HI>Chio,</HI> his friend heard often from him; but indeed at la&s;t he under&s;tood that he was dead, when <HI>Cleander</HI> came to lodg with his Ma&s;ter, who was a very good friend unto <HI>Meneceus:</HI> So that de&s;iring to &s;ee what was given him, he look|ed upon all tho&s;e things which my fathers &s;ervant had left unto him, and there found all tho&s;e things which I told you of; and not being able to conceal his wealth out of joy that he had to po&s;&s;e&s;s it, he &s;hewed the Picture unto his Ma&s;ters wife, who finding &s;ome re&s;emblance between it and <HI>Cleander,</HI> let him &s;ee it, as &s;ome extraordinary piece; &s;o that to recover all that he had lo&s;t, he recompenced him who had them, and received them again.</P>
<P>I leave you to judg Madam, what joy this was to <HI>Cleander,</HI> in finding a Crown, when he had no hopes to enjoy it; he made the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> acquainted with this prodigious acci|dent: But do what could be, <HI>Meneceus</HI> could not obtain permi&s;&s;ion for <HI>Cleander</HI> to &s;ee the Prince&s;s: All that could be done was by the contrivance of <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> to convey Letters unto her, which &s;he out of her goodne&s;s was plea&s;ed to an&s;wer. In the mean time we knew not what cour&s;e to take, becau&s;e <HI>Cleander</HI> would not go and make him&s;elf known unto the King his father, and leave the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> at <HI>Ephe&s;us;</HI> he dur&s;t not think of taking her away, though &s;he &s;hould con&s;ent unto it, not knowing where to find any place of &s;ecurity for her, or whether he &s;hould be known for what he was; neither dur&s;t he make it known unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> that he had found tho&s;e things which would manife&s;t what he was, under&s;tanding by a Letter from the Prince&s;s, that the quality of the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI>'s &s;on would not at all advantage him in the opinion of the King her father. <HI>Cleander</HI> being thus unre&s;olved what cour&s;e to take, he was adverti&s;ed of two things in one day, which moved him unto that re&s;olution, which I &s;hall tell you of; the fir&s;t was, that I informed him of a <HI>Cicilian</HI> Ship come into the Port, in which was the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> the other was, that ab&s;olute Orders came from <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> that the Prince&s;s his daughter &s;hould enter into Orders, and take upon her the habit of a Ve&s;tal. You may imagine how much this &s;everity of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> concerned <HI>Cleander,</HI> and how much it grieved the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> for &s;he had no inclination unto that cour&s;e. <HI>Age&s;i&s;trata</HI> prote&s;ted unto the Prince&s;s, that &s;he would not receive her into Orders, though &s;he would have her, becau&s;e her will was forced, which was po&s;itively again&s;t their Cu&s;toms. This being the &s;tate of things, the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;tole away from tho&s;e who watched her, and put her &s;elf into the Temple of <HI>Diana</HI> as a Sanctuary; and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> could not get her out again, becau&s;e the people would have ri&s;en again&s;t him, if he had attempted it. But Madam, &s;he was no &s;ooner there, but <HI>Cleander</HI> thought he had found an undoubted means to obtain an inviolable Sanctuary for his Prince&s;s, if in getting away the Prince&s;s <HI>Pal|mis,</HI> he could get away the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> al&s;o, and carry her unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> from the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> or el&s;e in the ab&s;ence of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> unto the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus:</HI> For &s;aid he, If this de&s;ign pro&s;per, although the King my father who is with him, &s;hould not acknowledg me, yet the &s;ervice of re&s;toring the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> would be acceptable to the King, that I &s;hall obtain from <HI>Cyrus</HI> a protection for the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis;</HI> and it may well be hoped, that the Heavens will favor &s;o ju&s;t a de&s;ign, &s;ince I do only re&s;cue an innocent Prince&s;s out of the hands of her Ravi&s;her, to re&s;tore her unto the King her father. This Project &s;eemed &s;o full of Rea&s;on, were it but once executed, that neither <HI>Thimettes, Meneceus, Tegeus,</HI> my father, nor I, did at all conte&s;t concerning it. We &s;peedily then &s;ought out ways to execute what <HI>Cleander</HI> had imagined: We had already &s;ome men with us, but not &s;ufficient to do it by open force; therefore policy mu&s;t be the way: <HI>Meneceus</HI> did &s;o well employ the power which he had with his ancient Mi&s;tre&s;s, that he moved her to &s;peak unto her Si&s;ter, who is one of a great virtue, much &s;pirit, and greater Soul: he &s;et forth the inju&s;tice of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and al&s;o the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> in &s;uch a moving manner, as he forced her to acknowledg that who|&s;oever
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could &s;et the prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> and the prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> in any places of &s;ecurity, would do an act which would be acceptable unto the Gods. She had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but u&s;ing her own words he told her; that it was &s;he who was be&s;t able to do an act &s;o generous: Yet for all this he could not move her to tru&s;t tho&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es into his hands; But &s;he told him, that they had a Cu&s;tom among&s;t them, that tho&s;e who were to be received into Orders, it was permitted them to go once out, to the end it might appear they came in without con|&s;traint: &s;o that if the prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> plea&s;e, &s;he may ask that favor, and carry the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> with her at the &s;ame time; and that &s;he would give Orders, it &s;hould be upon &s;uch a day, when the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> did not know of it; and that it &s;hould be at a back door, where no &s;trict Guard was kept, becau&s;e it was never almo&s;t open; and then if they would con&s;ent unto it, they might tru&s;t them&s;elves with <HI>Cleander.</HI> After this, having obtained leave to &s;peak unto <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> and <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> having prepared the mind of the prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and &s;he the prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> which two had contracted a great league of friend&s;hip in a few days, it was re&s;olved, that the prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> &s;hould faign obedience unto the will of the King her father; and that according to the cu&s;tom &s;he &s;hould ask to go out, accompanied with <HI>Mandana,</HI> and her women; that within three paces of the Temple there &s;hould be a Coach ready for the Prince&s;&s;es; That <HI>Cleander, Meneceus, Timocreon, Tegeus,</HI> and their men, &s;hould guard them to the next Port; where a Barque &s;hould be ready to waft them unto <HI>Phrigia,</HI> and from thence they &s;hould come by Land hither: So that when I came away, the Barque was ready, and all things fitted for execution of the de&s;ign, which in all likely hood took effect: That which would more facilitate the enterprize was, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was hurt with the fall of a hor&s;e in his thigh, in going from the old Town unto the new, where the Temple of <HI>Diana</HI> &s;tands: So that though their flight be noi&s;ed about, yet he was not able to follow, for he was in great pain, and kept his bed. The prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Cle|ander</HI> to promi&s;e her by Letter, that he would let her continue always with the prince&s;s <HI>Man|dana,</HI> until he had made his peace with <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> and until he had made him&s;elf known unto the King of <HI>Phrigia.</HI> However, to go more &s;urely to work, <HI>Meneceus</HI> moved <HI>Cleander</HI> to &s;end <HI>Thimettes, Acrates,</HI> and my &s;elf, to the King his father, with all things requi&s;ite, to manife&s;t he was his &s;on, and to prepare him for his better reception; al&s;o to acquaint the il|lu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> with that &s;ervice which the generous <HI>Cleander</HI> would render him, thereby to merit his protection. I had forgot to tell you, that while&s;t we were at <HI>Ephe&s;us, Thimettes</HI> heard accidently that his friends had made his peace with the King his Ma&s;ter, &s;o that pre&s;ent|ing him&s;elf unto him without fear, that Prince no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but he received him with many expre&s;&s;ions of tenderne&s;s. But when after this he had told him all the &s;tory which I have told you, and &s;hewed him the Picture, the Letters, and all other things concerning that bu&s;i|ne&s;s; and when that Prince had read his own Letter, and the Note from his dear <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> who&s;e hand he knew at fir&s;t &s;ight, he apprehended &s;o much joy and &s;o much &s;orrow both to|gether, that his Soul could not determine which of tho&s;e two pa&s;&s;ions to choo&s;e. Since it was I who had the honour to relate the &s;tory, which he harkened unto with extream attention, I was the Witne&s;s of this plea&s;ing irre&s;olution: but after that his joy of having a &s;on, and a &s;on &s;o illu&s;trious, had a little mitigated his &s;orrows for the lo&s;s of his dear <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> he de&s;ired to &s;ee <HI>Acrates,</HI> who by his generous repentance did ea&s;ily obtain his pardon. The King had a mind to compare this Picture with that which he always kept, and which was made at the &s;ame time; and looking upon that Note which <HI>El&s;imena</HI> writ, he knew the hand &s;o perfect|ly, that he doubted not at all who was the Writer; but expre&s;&s;ed a hundred &s;igns of gratitude and acknowledgment unto <HI>Thimettes</HI> and me; and being full of impatience to acquaint the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> with this welcome news, he went immediately unto him, and commanded me to follow, leaving <HI>Thimettes</HI> and <HI>Acrates</HI> at liberty to re&s;t them&s;elves. So Madam, I hope that within this two or three days they will receive certain news, that this great Enter|terprize has a happy proceeding.</P>
<P><HI>So&s;icles</HI> having ended his Relation, the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> thanked him for the pains he took in &s;peaking &s;o long together, and compo&s;ing the Method of this extraordinary Hi&s;tory in &s;o neat and elegant a manner. <HI>Cyrus</HI> for his part gave him mo&s;t obliging language: after which <HI>So&s;i|cles</HI> withdrew; and then, Sir, &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> can it be expected you &s;hould be &s;o highly generous, as to promi&s;e me, that when the Gods have re&s;tored the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> unto you, you will not look upon the King my Brother as your Rival? Yes, reply|ed he, and I will promi&s;e you more then that, &s;ince I will promi&s;e you to &s;erve him, whether
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he will or no, as his Friend, which I am re&s;olved to be, and to re&s;tore him the Crown of <HI>Pontus:</HI> As for the Crown of <HI>Bithinia,</HI> &s;aid he, and &s;miled, I mu&s;t let it alone in the hands of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> to the end that the prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> may hereafter give it unto you. As they were thus in di&s;cour&s;e, the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> entered, unto whom the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> ex|pre&s;&s;ed her joys, that he had found a &s;on &s;o illu&s;trious; and then calling to mind the mo&s;t con|&s;iderable pa&s;&s;ages of his life, they could not enough admire at the wonderful providence of the Gods in all things. For my part, &s;aid the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> as oft as I remember my aver<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> in|clination to this War again&s;t <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> cannot doubt but that the Gods did &s;ecretly adverti&s;e me, that I ought not to do it: however, if I can but be &s;o happy as to &s;ee my Son re&s;tore the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> unto the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I ask no more at the hands of Heaven. That happine&s;s is too great for me, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> and &s;ighed, and I never can hope for it. But yet you may very well hope it (replyed the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta)</HI> for according to the Relation of <HI>So&s;icles</HI> the thing &s;eems to be out of doubt. When I was at <HI>Sinope,</HI> replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he who &s;hould then have told me, that I &s;hould not have relea&s;ed the Prince&s;s <HI>Man<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ana,</HI> I &s;hould not have beleeved him: and when I took <HI>Babylon,</HI> I could not imagine &s;he &s;hould po&s;&s;ibly get out. Then after a while of &s;uch di&s;cour&s;e as this, &s;ince it was late, <HI>Cyrus</HI> took his leave of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and returned to the Camp with the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> and with a mind di|vided between hopes and fears, and ab&s;olutely taken up with thoughts of his dear Prince&s;s; having al&s;o appointed <HI>A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;pes</HI> before to let the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> know, that he was &s;orry &s;he found her &s;elf not well, and commanding him again to have all imaginable care of her.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The End of the Fir&s;t Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="book">
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<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR CYRUS the GREAT. The Fourth Part.  BOOK. II.</HEAD>
<P>_NEver did hopes flatter mi&s;erable men with more plea&s;ing minutes; nor ever did fears infu&s;e more cruel torments, then the&s;e two contrary pa&s;&s;ions did procure unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria: Mandana</HI> Relea&s;ed, or <HI>Mandana</HI> a Captive, was the whole bu&s;ine&s;s of their minds; and according as the&s;e did pre&s;ent them&s;elves unto their imaginations, &s;o were they either &s;ad or glad; though both of them had always a mixture of di&s;plea&s;ure among&s;t their highe&s;t &s;atisfaction, to think that though &s;he be at liberty, yet it was not by their a&s;&s;i&s;tance: yet &s;ince &s;he was to receive this good office from a Prince who was not yet their Rival, the thought of it did not le&s;&s;en their joys; and &s;omtimes, not doubting but ere long they &s;hould ble&s;s their eyes with a &s;ight of their Prince&s;s, they both of them began to think of vanqui&s;hing one ano|ther by combate, according to agreement. Three days, thus pa&s;&s;ed on; during which time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> di&s;cour&s;ed often with <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> becau&s;e he had &s;een his Prince&s;s at <HI>Ephe&s;us;</HI> and during which time al&s;o, the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> entertained <HI>Thimettes</HI> and <HI>Acrates</HI> with much &s;atisfa|ction by rea&s;on of the hope which they had given him to &s;ee in the face of <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;o perfect a re&s;emblance of his dear <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> that he could not po&s;&s;ibly doubt, but that he was his Son. The Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> al&s;o was full of joys and hopes, believing that &s;ince the King her Bro|ther had <HI>Mandana</HI> no longer in his power, he would become a friend unto that Prince who offered to &s;et upon his Throne: and &s;o &s;he might one day be in a happier condition then ever. The Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> though a Captive, and not very well in health, had yet the comfort to be &s;erved with the &s;ame re&s;pect, as if &s;he were at <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> for <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> was punctual in the ob|&s;ervation of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his commands, and was very a&s;&s;iduous and ob&s;ervant of that fair and wi&s;e Queen, whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> much honoured, and grieved he could not after &s;ee her: When tho&s;e three days were thus pa&s;&s;ed, <HI>Timocreon</HI> arrived, and &s;ought for his &s;on <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> to under&s;tand from him; how the King of <HI>Phragia</HI> had received tho&s;e things which <HI>Thimettes,</HI> and he had <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> unto him: after he under&s;tood the truth of all, he went unto the King of <HI>Phrygia's</HI> Tent, into which <HI>Cyrus</HI> entered; pre&s;ently after, <HI>Thimettes</HI> who met him, had pre&s;ented him unto the King of <HI>Phrygia:</HI> &s;o that this Prince no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf, Sir, &s;aid he unto him, this is that <HI>Timocreon</HI> who pre&s;erved my Son; and who brings us news of what we &s;o much de&s;ire to know; but I know not whether it be good or bad, becau&s;e he is but newly come. Que&s;tionle&s;s, the news is but bad for me, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> for I do not look to be &s;o happy as to hear the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is at liberty. 'Tis true, Sir, &s;he is not at
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liberty, replied <HI>Timocreon:</HI> but it is not long of the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander</HI> that &s;he is not: &s;ince he has done things mo&s;t difficult to bring it to pa&s;s: and had it not been for one misfortune which we could not fore&s;ee, doubtle&s;s the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> both had been at liberty.</P>
<P>Tell us, however, replied perplexed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> how fortune did hinder our happine&s;s. Sir, an|&s;wered <HI>Timocreon,</HI> &s;ince I under&s;tand by <HI>Thimettes,</HI> you know all pa&s;&s;ages, &s;ince his depar|ture from <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> I &s;hall relate nothing what has already been told, but I do a&s;&s;ure you, ne|ver was bu&s;ine&s;s better managed then it: for when <HI>Age&s;i&s;trata</HI> had adverti&s;ed <HI>Meneceus</HI> of the day on which the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> was to come out; and the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was to follow her, with two women who waited upon her, and one upon the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lidia: Meneceus</HI> made the Barque ready, whereof he was a&s;&s;ured: the fifty men which we had in the Town, lying in Ambu&s;cado, at all the advenues by which one could come unto that Gate, out of which the Prince&s;&s;es were to come; be&s;ides the&s;e, above thirty friends of <HI>Meneceus</HI> joyned with <HI>Cleander,</HI> who kept him&s;elf in the head of twelve or fifteen only: for all were di|vided into little Troops, lea&s;t tho&s;e which pa&s;&s;ed &s;hould &s;u&s;pect any thing: he placed him&s;elf as near as he could unto the door of the Temple, having a Coach there to carry the Prince&s;&s;es unto the Sea, which was not far off, and where the Barque waited. Since there was none but Cen|tinels &s;tood in that place, becau&s;e it was a door out of which &s;eldom any did come, that could be no hinderance in the Enterpri&s;e; and without killing them, it was an ea&s;ie matter to &s;ecure them without being perceived by the neare&s;t Court of Guard: Thus Sir, all things being right|ly ordered to execute our de&s;ign; the Barque ready, the Coach come, all our men placed, at all the advenues unto the Temple: <HI>Cleander</HI> waited for the opening of the door: and the bu|&s;ine&s;s came &s;o far that the door did open; and I &s;aw the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> who cau&s;ed another Lady of an admirable beauty to pa&s;s before her, whom I &s;uppo&s;ed to be the Prince&s;s <HI>Manda|na:</HI> and I did but &s;ee her; for as the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es were coming out, and we advancing to re|ceive her, there came out of a hou&s;e clo&s;e by two hundred men in Arms, in the head of whom was the Prince <HI>Arte&s;ilas:</HI> you may imagine how <HI>Cleander</HI> was &s;urprized (who looked for no other re&s;i&s;tance but from the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> when he &s;aw <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> in the head of them, whom he thought had been with <HI>Cre&s;&s;us.</HI> But though the wonder of <HI>Cleander</HI> was great, yet that of <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> was no le&s;s to &s;ee <HI>Cleander</HI> with a Sword in his hand, &s;tanding between him, and the door of the Temple: However, as &s;oon as the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> &s;pied <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> &s;he went back, and carried the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> with her: The door of the Temple was &s;hut in an in&s;tant: &s;o that <HI>Cleander</HI> not being able to relea&s;e his Prince&s;s, nor <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> carry her away, as he de&s;igned; the&s;e two Rivals went one to the other with as much fury as their pa&s;|&s;ions were violent; they &s;poke one to another, but I think were not under&s;tood. In the mean time, all our men, who were di&s;per&s;ed into &s;everal parties, gathering together about <HI>Cleander,</HI> who thought our &s;elves in a condition not only to re&s;i&s;t <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> but al&s;o to overcome him; and <HI>Cleander</HI> fought with &s;o much courage, that he killed his Rival with his own hand, and many more: &s;o that after the death of this Prince, the re&s;t of his men di&s;per&s;ed them&s;elves, and vani&s;hed in a moment: &s;o that if they had opened the Gate of the Temple again the very &s;ame hour, we had relea&s;ed the Prince&s;&s;es: we knocked at the door, but I think the noi&s;e was &s;o great, that the women dur&s;t not open it: pre&s;ently, all the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his men, and all tho&s;e belonging to the Governour of <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> came up to us; and we were &s;o &s;urrounded with a multitude, that it is an ab&s;olute miracle to &s;ee we are e&s;caped; for <HI>Cleander</HI> could not re&s;olve to &s;ave him&s;elf by the Barque which waited for us, but would &s;till be near the Gate of the Temple; yet in the end, &s;eeing an ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibility to re&s;i&s;t &s;uch a multitude, and think|ing he had received a wound in the right hand, re&s;olved to retreat fighting until we came to the Barque, unto which we entered in &s;pite of all tho&s;e who pur&s;ued us, and made all ha&s;te a|way: for they threw many Darts at us, and we kept them off us with our Lances: But when we were out of their reach, we looked whether the wound of <HI>Cleander</HI> was con&s;iderable, and found it to be more trouble&s;om, then dangerous: Afterwards we mu&s;tered to &s;ee whether we had all our men, and except ten or twelve Souldiers whom we had out of <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> and tho&s;e would not imbarque with us, we lo&s;t not a man: but making a &s;trict &s;earch, I found among&s;t us a &s;ervant belonging unto <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> who in this tumult cho&s;e rather to enter into our Barck, then to fall into the hands of the <HI>Ephe&s;ian</HI> Governour: I no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but I knew him, and when I &s;hewed him unto <HI>Cleander,</HI> Sir, &s;aid he unto him, I beg your pardon for &s;eeking Sanctuary under you. Friend, &s;aid <HI>Cleander</HI> to him, my hatred to thy Ma&s;ter is dead with him, and &s;hall not revive to hurt thee; but however tell us, by what &s;trange accident we met
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to day, Sir, replyed this man, none can tell you better then my &s;elf what the de&s;ign of that Prince whom I &s;erved, was; &s;o I have had but too much knowledg of his &s;ecrets, &s;ince the flight of the Prince <HI>Antaleon.</HI></P>
<P>And then, &s;ince he thought to merit much from <HI>Cleander,</HI> by defaming his Ma&s;ter, in lieu of an&s;wering to what was asked, he told us that which we asked not; and related unto us, how the Prince <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> was of that odious Con&s;piracy with the Prince <HI>Antaleon:</HI> not but that we knew it already, in going between <HI>Sardis</HI> and <HI>Ephe&s;us;</HI> but he related it unto us more exactly: Afterwards, he told us, that this Prince knowing of the Orders which <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> had &s;ent unto <HI>Age&s;i&s;trata,</HI> by which he appointed the Prince&s;s his daughter to take upon her the habit of a Ve&s;tal, he became &s;o de&s;perate, that &s;ince he had committed &s;o many Crimes in vain, he was re&s;olved to venture upon one more, which would be profitable unto him: &s;o that his plot was to carry away the Prince&s;s; and in order to that, he left the King upon &s;ome pretence or other, and di&s;guized him&s;elf and his men in habit of Pai&s;ants, and kept them in that hou&s;e out of which you &s;aw us &s;ally, the Ma&s;ter of which had heretofore been his &s;ervant: He told us further, that <HI>Arta&s;ilas</HI> re&s;olved to wait there until that door of the Temple was open, and then to &s;eize upon the prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and carry her unto a Ship which he had provided rea|dy, with intention that if the door of the Temple did not open within &s;ixe days, then to force it in the night, and execute his de&s;ign, as he would now have done, if he had not been pre|vented. So that we collected thus much from the di&s;cour&s;e of this man, that <HI>Cleander,</HI> at lea&s;t, pre&s;erved the Prince&s;s from being carried away by <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> whom the Gods by his own hands did puni&s;h for being in &s;uch a horrid Con&s;piracy, as that of the prince <HI>Antaleon</HI> was. In the mean time, night drawing on, we went to lodg in a little Village, where we cau&s;ed <HI>Cleanders</HI> wound to be dre&s;&s;ed, and al&s;o three or four Souldiers more, who had been wounded al&s;o, and whom we left there with men to have a care of them. Afterwards, quitting the Sea, and taking hor&s;es, which we expected to wait for us in that Town, and which we &s;ent thither, in ca&s;e our enterprize &s;hould fail, we are come hither; we &s;tayed two days by the way, by rea&s;on we &s;ent to know &s;ome news of the Prince&s;s; and we under&s;tood by a man whom <HI>Me|neceus</HI> &s;ent unto his friend, that the Guards were now extreamly much more &s;trict about the Temple, and that there was no po&s;&s;ibility of attempting any thing in the like manner again. And <HI>Age&s;i&s;trata</HI> her &s;elf was re&s;olved to favor the going out of the Prince&s;&s;es no more; &s;he conceiving that this &s;ad accident did manife&s;t the Gods were not plea&s;ed at her connivance at it before; yet we under&s;tood at the &s;ame time, that the prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> was fully re&s;olved not to do what the King her father appointed; and <HI>Age&s;i&s;trata</HI> &s;ent word unto the King, that &s;he could not receive her: We al&s;o under&s;tand, that the prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> and &s;he are re&s;olved; and have promi&s;ed not to part from each other, until better fortunes did &s;mile upon them: In conclu&s;ion Sir, <HI>Meneceus</HI> and I, after we knew thus, waited upon <HI>Cleander</HI> hither. After <HI>Ti|mocreon</HI> had done &s;peaking, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as &s;ad as he was, did te&s;tifie unto the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> that he was much obliged unto his &s;on, for what he had done concerning the prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> de&s;iring a pardon, for not being &s;o &s;en&s;ible of joy at the receiving of his &s;on, as he &s;hould have expre&s;&s;ed any other time: Not but that I conceive my &s;elf intere&s;ted (&s;aid he) in what relates to you; but the truth is, as long as <HI>Mandana</HI> is Captive, I am not capable of any joy what&s;o|ever. As he would have gone out, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> came in; who came to enquire what news <HI>Timocreon</HI> had brought, for he had heard he was come: But as &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw him, and being impatient to have him grieved as well as him&s;elf; Your hopes are broken, &s;aid he, as well as mine, and our Prince&s;s is more captive then ever, as you may under&s;tand by <HI>Timo|creon.</HI> The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> drawing nearer him, cau&s;ed him to repeat all that he had told unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who was gone unto his Tent to lament his misfortunes with more liberty. He &s;ent one notwith&s;tanding to <HI>Cleander,</HI> to a&s;&s;ure him from him, that he &s;hould find a mo&s;t inviolable Sanctuary with him, and de&s;ired that he him&s;elf might have the honour to pre&s;ent him unto the King his father: And after he had &s;pent two hours in con&s;idering the ob&s;tinacy of his fate, and had &s;ent to acquaint the prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> with this ill &s;ucce&s;s, one came to tell him, that <HI>Cleander, Meneceus</HI> and <HI>Tegeus</HI> were arrived: Making then a truce with his &s;orrows for a while, or to &s;ay better, &s;hutting them up in his heart, to welcome a Prince, who&s;e reputation was &s;o high, he commanded they &s;hould enter, and he him&s;elf went to meet him. This fir&s;t Congratulation pa&s;&s;ed very well on both &s;ides: And as doubtle&s;s <HI>Cleander</HI> was as hand&s;om a man as was in the world, and of as good a carriage, <HI>Dyrus</HI> was charmed with him at the fir&s;t &s;ight, and one might &s;ee them look upon one another with &s;o many &s;igns of admiration in their eyes, that it was ea&s;ie to fore&s;ee they would love one another mo&s;t tenderly. I am very unfor|tunate
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Sir (&s;aid <HI>Cleander</HI> unto him, holding his arm in a Scarf by rea&s;on of the wound he re|ceived at <HI>Ephe&s;us)</HI> that I am forced to appear before you, having failed in that &s;ervice which I de&s;igned to do you. It is rather my part to complain, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;ince I fear my mi&s;|fortune is contagious, and is a cau&s;e of yours. I have more cau&s;e of fears and &s;orrows then you, an&s;wered <HI>Cleander,</HI> when I apprehend my misfortunes may chance follow me in your Army. I know not, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> whether your bad fortunes will follow, but I am &s;ure high Fame goes before you; and the name of Illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander</HI> has been long known unto me, &s;o that I am in love with his glory and honour; in love, I &s;ay, mo&s;t pure, without any envy or jes|lou&s;ie. Happy Lovers, replyed <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;miling, are never jealous; and they who po&s;&s;e&s;s honour, and de&s;erve it, as the mo&s;t illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> does, will ea&s;ily permit others to love it al&s;o; yet Sir, at this time, I &s;hall de&s;ire nothing but the honour to &s;erve you. You are &s;o loaded with honours and glory, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that you have no rea&s;on to wi&s;h more then you have; yet give me leave to oppo&s;e your de&s;ire of it at this time, &s;ince I am already &s;o much obliged unto you, that I mu&s;t needs endeavour to pay unto the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> that debt which I owe unto the illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander.</HI> I have &s;o little merited the fir&s;t of tho&s;e names, replyed he, that I dare hardly take it upon me, though the King my father &s;hould appoint it. Then I mu&s;t go and move him to command you by his ab&s;olute Authority, replyed <HI>Cyrus:</HI> and &s;o he carried <HI>Cleander</HI> unto the Tent of the King his father; and pre&s;enting him, Receive here with joy Sir, &s;aid he unto him, a Prince who is worthy to be your &s;on, and de&s;erves more Crowns, then Fortune, as prodigal as &s;ometimes &s;he is, knows how to give. The King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> would have ob&s;erved the &s;ame ceremonious re&s;pects which he was u&s;ed to render unto <HI>Cyrus;</HI> but that Prince being de&s;irous he &s;hould embrace <HI>Cleander,</HI> and natural affection be|ing &s;tronger then all rules of Civility, he embraced him with unimaginable delight: for as &s;oon as he perceived <HI>Cleander,</HI> he &s;aw &s;o perfect a re&s;emblance of his dearer <HI>El&s;imena,</HI> that he changed colour, &s;o that his heart as well as eyes and rea&s;on telling him that he was really his &s;on, he received him with all the te&s;timonies of a dear affection which a generous father could expre&s;s unto an illu&s;trious &s;on. Sir, &s;aid <HI>Cleander</HI> unto him, can you acknowledg me for your &s;on, after that which I have had the misfortune to do again&s;t you? Yes, replyed the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> and &s;miled; and it is mo&s;t advantagious for me to do &s;o, otherwi&s;e I mu&s;t ac|knowledg you to be my Conqueror. If your goodne&s;s can pardon me this Crime, an&s;wered he, I be&s;eech you let it be no more remembered. It is a Crime &s;o glorious, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that I make a que&s;tion whether or no the King your father does wi&s;h it had never been committed: for as you are a Debtor unto him for your life, &s;o, as he hath told me, you pre&s;erved his in this la&s;t War: However <HI>Cleander,</HI> if you will di&s;claim from what you have already done again&s;t the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> I &s;hall oblige him to remember nothing but what the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> &s;hall do in the future. I conjure you Sir, replyed he. I command you, &s;aid the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> (if I may command in the pre&s;ence of one whom I will ever obey) that you prefer the intere&s;ts of the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> before your own. This is a Command &s;o unju&s;t (reply|ed the invincible Prince of <HI>Per<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a)</HI> that I will not give Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> time to an&s;wer it: And I declare unto him before you, that I de&s;ire no more from him, but what I will render unto him fir&s;t, that is, a firm friend&s;hip: &s;o that amid&s;t my misfortunes I may have the happine&s;s of finding an illu&s;trious Friend the &s;ame day the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> finds an illu&s;tri|ous Son.</P>
<P>The King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> (whom we will no longer call <HI>Cleander)</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus</HI> with all po&s;&s;ible civility; and &s;ince this Conference had continued &s;omething long, the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> grew impatient to talk with his Son in private; and therefore they retired: Yet in their pa&s;sing, the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> carried him unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and unto the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> who received him very civilly; the fir&s;t of the&s;e not daring to te&s;tifie that &s;ecret di&s;content which he always had again&s;t the King of <HI>Phrigia.</HI> In the mean while all the Prince&s;s and men of Quality in the Army came to vi&s;it the prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> who doubtle&s;s would have thought him&s;elf extreamly happy, if his love of the prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> had not tormented him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then &s;eeing no hopes of relea&s;ing <HI>Mandana</HI> but by force, called a Councel of War the day following; where the prince <HI>Artamas</HI> took his place with much ho|nour, &s;peaking unto every thing which was propo&s;ed with as much &s;pirit and judgment, as if a long experience had fortified his Rea&s;on; and it plainly appeared, that he who I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> to conquer betimes, is exact in the knowledg of things, when others who have not that experience are ignorant in them; and that it is not impo&s;&s;ible, but that a young Conqueror may be more able then an old Captain, who hath not &s;een &s;o much as he, though lived longer. The Re&s;ult
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of this Councel was, that &s;ince the &s;ea&s;on of the year was far &s;pent, and <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> had attempt|ed nothing, to &s;end unto him, and demand the prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> before any open War was declared. The prince <HI>Artamas</HI> in&s;i&s;ted mo&s;t upon this re&s;olution, becau&s;e he could not forget his obligations unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> notwith&s;tanding the ill u&s;age he had from him: and he u&s;ed all his Rhetorique to per&s;wade <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto a tryal of all fair means before cour&s;e was had unto the la&s;t Remedy of War. <HI>Cyrus</HI> had much repugnancy to that Re&s;olution, alledging for rea&s;on his ill &s;ucce&s;s of &s;ending into <HI>Armenia,</HI> and his repentance in &s;ending. But he was an&s;wered, that the ca&s;es were not alike, &s;ince the King of <HI>Lidia</HI> could not deny, that the prince&s;s <HI>Man|dana</HI> was in his Dominions, and therefore he mu&s;t needs an&s;wer directly. Moreover, it was further objected, that it was impo&s;&s;ible to be&s;iege <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> con&s;idering the &s;ea&s;on of the year, and al&s;o con&s;idering he had no &s;trength at Sea, therefore the attempt &s;eemed to be unrea&s;onable: e&s;pecially &s;ince if <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> would protect the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana,</HI> he mu&s;t have a more plau|&s;ible pretence for the War in the eyes of the people. However <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;ired that <HI>Feraulas</HI> might return before he &s;ent unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> yet fearing he might &s;tay too long, he re&s;olved that <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> &s;hould go thither within two or three days; and in the mean time that the Army &s;hould advance, and march through part of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> and enter into <HI>Lidia</HI> that way, if the An&s;wer of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was not &s;atisfactory.</P>
<P>In the <HI>interem,</HI> he had intelligence that <HI>Abradates</HI> was gone unto <HI>Sardis;</HI> and he ac|quainted the Queen his wife with this news, who &s;eemed to be very angry at it; yet he went to vi&s;it her, and told her very obligingly, that he was very &s;orry the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> would not rather relea&s;e her by becoming his Friend, then vainly endeavoring to do it by declaring him&s;elf his Enemy, though he a&s;&s;ured her &s;he &s;hould &s;till be treated with the &s;ame re&s;pect. This great Queen thanked him with Civility an&s;werable to his Genero&s;ity: And &s;he com|mended <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> &s;o exceedingly, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> at the going out of her Chamber told him, that he could not plea&s;e him better, then in plea&s;ing <HI>Panthea.</HI> From thence he went unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> who de&s;ired him to contrive it &s;o, that &s;he might go and &s;peak with her Brother: So that it was re&s;olved &s;he &s;hould advance towards the Frontiers of <HI>Lidia;</HI> and that the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> &s;hould go this voyage with her, the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es having con|tracted a great amity one with the other: So that it was to be hoped this Queen might perhaps be &s;erviceable unto her, &s;ince the King her husband was in the Enemies Country. This Re&s;o|lution being pitched upon, and approved of by the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Cyrus</HI> returned to the Camp; and as &s;oon as he came there, <HI>Feraulas</HI> was returned, and al&s;o the man whom the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had &s;ent: but both of them related, that it was a thing impo&s;&s;ible for them to convey a Letter unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> They would have made a full relation of the whole &s;tate of things, but under&s;tanding that all had been related before they came, they for|bore: yet they did relate how the Town and Temple were at this pre&s;ent &s;trictly guarded; how not only all the Souldiery were in Arms, but a great part of the Town&s;men al&s;o; how they had &s;ent again unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> for new Orders; how the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> recovered; how a Prophecy of the <HI>Helle&s;pontique Sibbil,</HI> which none could interpret, made a great noi&s;e about the Town, &s;ince it would admit of a double interpretation; how this woman was admirable in Prophecies, and &s;eldom was mi&s;taken in the event; how all the Town of <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> knew not whether to rejoyce or mourn, becau&s;e this Prophecy promi&s;ed either great good fortune, or menaced very great mi&s;ery unto it. <HI>Feraulas</HI> and the other man &s;aid, they endeavored both of them to procure this Prophecy, but could not po&s;&s;ibly obtain it; for being &s;trangers and importunate, it could not be gotten: So that their voyages thriving no better, nor effecting any thing but vexation to their Ma&s;ters, they dur&s;t hardly look upon them: <HI>Cyrus</HI> did treat <HI>Feraulas</HI> never the wor&s;e; but the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> being of a more violent compo&s;ition, could not beleeve but that the fault was in him he &s;ent: <HI>Cyrus</HI> then &s;eeing the return of <HI>Feraulas</HI> was ineffectual, he was ready to di&s;patch <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> when he received intelligence that <HI>Cre&s;|&s;us</HI> at the return of his Emba&s;&s;adors from the Oracles had declared him&s;elf, and done the fir&s;t act of Ho&s;tility again&s;t <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> This news &s;aved <HI>Hidaspes</HI> a Journey, and ha&s;ted the march of the Army, which the next morning began to move.</P>
<P>The Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> fearing le&s;t tho&s;e fir&s;t occa&s;ions of war &s;hould prove fatal to her Brother, moved the Queen of <HI>Su&s;tana</HI> to begin their journey, and ha&s;te unto the Frontiers, that &s;he might &s;peak with the King her Brother, before he fell into the hands of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> So that <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> by orders for that Prince, guarded them unto a Town of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> towards <HI>Lidia,</HI> where the Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was to quarter, and where by con&s;equence they might be in &s;afety.</P>
<P><PB N="245" REF="313">
<HI>Cyrus</HI> di&s;patched a me&s;&s;enger unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to acquaint him with all things; and received news from <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> which a&s;&s;ured him in general, that he was in great hopes to be happy, both in his war and love. Afterwards marching as fa&s;t as it was po&s;&s;ible, an Army of above an hundred thou&s;and men &s;hould march towards the enemy, the weather and ways were &s;o very bad, and marches &s;o long, that it was not expedient either to be&s;ieg places, nor give battels: &s;o that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> who de&s;ired no more then to have the glory of the fir&s;t on&s;et, did block up him&s;elf &s;o advantagiou&s;ly, that it was not po&s;&s;ible for <HI>Cyrus</HI> to give the fir&s;t A&s;&s;ault, nor hinder him from putting his Troops in their Winter quarters. So that all which was to be done, was only to make &s;ome incur&s;ions into the enemies Countrey, and skirmi&s;h, which did &s;o exceedingly vex <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he &s;tood in need of all his con&s;tancy to &s;upport his exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow, he could not wonder enough at the proceedings of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us;</HI> who had begun a war at &s;uch a time: and could not chu&s;e but think, that he was prompted to follow &s;uch military Policies, &s;o contrary to all rea&s;on, by &s;uch evil de&s;tinies as would ruine him. Somtimes he re&s;olved to di&s;gui&s;e him|&s;elf, and go into <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> to &s;ee if all attempts to relea&s;e the Prince&s;s were as difficult, as they were reported: Somtimes again he would go and force the <HI>Lidians</HI> in their en<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">renched quar|ters, notwith&s;tanding the ill weather, but when he con&s;idered, that though he &s;hould do &s;o; yet he had not relea&s;ed <HI>Mandana,</HI> but &s;till the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> might carry her away from <HI>E|phe&s;us;</HI> then he hearkened unto rea&s;on, and re&s;olved to wait, until there was &s;ome more pro|bability of good &s;ucce&s;s in the war. However being much di&s;contented with the incertainty of his fortune, though he never had any de&s;ire to enquire what &s;ucce&s;s the future would pro|duce, yet hearing the <HI>Helle&s;pontique</HI> Sibbel cried up with &s;o many Elogies, he re&s;olved to &s;end unto her; and indeed, &s;ent <HI>Ortalgues</HI> with orders to enquire when he might hope for any re&s;t; and to bring back her an&s;wer in waiting under her hand. At this time <HI>Araminta</HI> put him in mind of his word, and his de&s;ires concurring with hers, he di&s;patched <HI>Adu&s;ius</HI> to the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> to de&s;ire him he would obtain liberty from <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> to &s;peak with the Prince&s;s <HI>Ara|minta,</HI> who much de&s;ired to confer with him upon &s;ome important bu&s;ine&s;s. That Prince recei|ved <HI>Adu&s;ius</HI> very civilly; and &s;ent unto <HI>Sardis</HI> to obtain that favour from <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> which was granted unto him. The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> then, and <HI>Adu&s;ius</HI> agreed, that their meeting &s;hould be in the Temple, which was a days journey from <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> having only five hundred hor&s;e a|piece for their Guards. <HI>Adu&s;ius</HI> had orders to enquire of <HI>Mandana's</HI> health: and by the in|formation of <HI>Meneceus</HI> he under&s;tood &s;he was very well but he could not po&s;&s;ibly &s;peak un|to her: He being returned to the Camp&punc; and the day when this meeting &s;hould be being &s;et down, <HI>Adu&s;ius</HI> who had negotiated before, did guard her; <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> was excu&s;ed, and <HI>Ara|minta</HI> de&s;ired that the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> might not accompany her, as he de&s;ired. Before her departure, <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did vi&s;it her, and furni&s;hed with &s;uch in&s;tructions, as &s;uch an important bu&s;ine&s;s could in&s;pire them withall. As <HI>Cyrus</HI> was there the fir&s;t, he had the opportunity to tell her, that &s;he might a&s;&s;ure the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> that he would engage his honour to remember all his obligations, and that he would promi&s;e to re&s;tore him his Crown, if he would re&s;tore the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> Moreover <HI>Cyrus,</HI> let this Prince&s;s under&s;tand that he would mo&s;t firmly engage him&s;elf to be a Protectour unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> if &s;he &s;hould ne|gotiate well for him in this bu&s;ine&s;s: but &s;he interrupting <HI>Cyrus,</HI> Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I be|&s;eech you, do not mingle my intere&s;ts with yours, and let me have the honour to negotiate that which concerns the Illu&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> my Brother. <HI>Cyrus</HI> was about to an&s;wer her, when the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> came into the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta's</HI> Chamber: and adding his prayers with the prayers of his Rival, they conjured her to tran&s;act her be&s;t in that negotiation: Both the&s;e Princes conducted her &s;ome two hundred paces from the Army, after &s;he had bid adien unto the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> who was exceedingly grieved to part from her, though it was but for a &s;hort time. The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> al&s;o prepared him&s;elf for this parley, and came unto the Temple according to the appointment between him and <HI>Adu&s;ius;</HI> he arrived there &s;ome two hours before the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter. Since they had not &s;een one a|nother, &s;ince the lo&s;s of their Dominions, this meeting did revive the memory of their misfor|tunes in both their minds. As &s;oon as the Prince&s;s came, &s;he was carried into a great Arched H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ll, where commonly they u&s;ed to keep their Fea&s;ts at extraordinary Sacrifices, which for the magnificence of the &s;tructure, and beauty of the furniture, did well become the meeting of two &s;uch illu&s;trious per&s;ons: After the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had &s;aluted her with many expre&s;&s;i|ons of tender affection, they did &s;it down, and all the Company withdrew.</P>
<P>Is it po&s;&s;ible Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that after all the&s;e unfortunate di&s;a&s;ters I &s;hould have the happine&s;s to &s;ee you again? The condition wherein you &s;ee me, an&s;wered he, is &s;o mi&s;e|rable,
<PB N="246" REF="314">
that I make a que&s;tion whether this meeting will grieve or comfort you; and whether that which you take for a happine&s;s be only &s;ome device of Fortune to make us more mi&s;erable. Indeed, dear Si&s;ter, to what purpo&s;e is this enterview, unle&s;s to make you grieve at my mi&s;e|ries, as I do at yours? You may ea&s;ily conceive by what I &s;ay, that I am not now the &s;ame Prince who condemned in you that innocent affection which you had, and I beleeve &s;til have un|to the Prince <HI>Sp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tridates:</HI> His virtue and my own pa&s;&s;ion have taught me not to cen&s;ure Love &s;o &s;everely: The truth is, I was much to blame to condemn that in another which is &s;o predo|minate in my &s;elf: for &s;ince I &s;aw you, I have lo&s;t Battels, I have lo&s;t my Liberty, I have lo&s;t Crowns and Kingdoms; yet for all the&s;e, before I complain again&s;t Fortune, I mu&s;t complain again&s;t Love. Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, you are in this much to be blamed and pitied, &s;ince if you can but overcome this pa&s;&s;ion, you may yet be happy. Ah Si&s;ter, &s;aid he, I &s;hould not know how to love, if I &s;hould imagine there can be any other happine&s;s in the world but in being loved by the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> But however, I be&s;eech you tell me what Con&s;idera|tions did move &s;uch earne&s;t de&s;ires in you to &s;ee me? was it only out of your tenderne&s;s, and natural affection? or was it to pity me, and your &s;elf? or el&s;e does it relate unto &s;ome Intere&s;t of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> or <HI>Cyrus,</HI> or your own, or mine? I be&s;eech you acquaint me with your real de&s;ign, that I may the better know in what manner to &s;peak unto you. Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, though all the&s;e Con&s;iderations which you have named may claim &s;ome &s;hare in my de&s;ign to &s;ee you; yet, to &s;peak &s;incerely, it is your own Intere&s;t which mo&s;t induced me unto it: for Sir, I mu&s;t tell you, it is only your own fault if you be not happy, and if you do not one of the mo&s;t hero<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">que Acts that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ver was done: Certainly, &s;aid he, I am a very great Lover of honour; and provided that I mu&s;t not quit the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> in acquiring it, I &s;hall do any thing in the world you wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l propo&s;e unto me. Sir, &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta, Man|dana</HI> does not love you, nor ever will. 'Tis true, &s;aid he, but as long as &s;he is in my power, her affection &s;hall never make any of my Rivals happy. Do you not con&s;ider Sir, an&s;wered &s;he, that by making your Rivals mi&s;erable, you make her you love &s;o al&s;o, and that you augment your own misfortunes &s;o much the more? For I have authority to tell you, that if you could re&s;olve upon &s;o muc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">q<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">y&punc; as to render up a Prince&s;s who loves you not unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> who only hath her heart, and unto whom you are a Debtor for your life, he would in exchange re|&s;tore you a Crown, which in all probabality you never will get without him; &s;ince it is not ordinary to find Protectors who will conquer Kingdoms, and render them unto tho&s;e they protect. Si&s;ter, &s;aid that Prince and &s;ighed, I do verily beleeve that <HI>Cyrus</HI> would do as much as he &s;ays, for I know his genero&s;ity better then you, and before you knew him: But though I do e&s;teem this illu&s;trious Rival as much and more then ever I did; and though notwith&s;tanding my love, I am very &s;en&s;ible of my obligations to him for u&s;ing you &s;o will &s;ince he had you in his power; and al&s;o though I do confess, I owe my life unto him; yet for all this <HI>Cyrus</HI> is not the &s;ame to the King of <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">on<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">us</HI> that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was. But Sir, this <HI>Artamenes,</HI> &s;aid the Prin|ce&s;s, whom you loved <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o tenderly, was then not only on your Enemies &s;ide, but al&s;o got Vic|tories from you, and al&s;o oppo&s;ed your Love, and yet though he did di&s;pute with you for the glory, and won &s;o many Bitt<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ls from you, &s;till you loved him, and acquainted him with tho&s;e Con&s;pirac<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es which were plotted again&s;t his life; and commanded that none &s;hould fight again&s;t him: Since that Sir, he re&s;tored you your Liberty, he rendered back what he had conquered in your Dominions, and gave you Forces to &s;uppre&s;s tho&s;e who rebelled again&s;t you; and now he offers you a Kingdom, upon condition you will re&s;tore <HI>Mandana,</HI> who&s;e love is impo&s;&s;ible to be obtained by you. All this you &s;ay Si&s;ter, replyed he, I confe&s;s is full of Rea&s;on, and if I had more Ambition then Love, or to expre&s;s my &s;elf better, if my Love were not &s;tronger then my Rea&s;on, certainly I ought, in point of Genero&s;ity, of Policy, and Ambition, harken unto this Propo&s;ition you make: But in that condition which my Soul is, it is impo&s;&s;ible for me &s;o much as to think of it; and I wonder how the P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> can imagine, that any one can &s;o ea&s;ily part with what one loves, &s;he, I &s;ay, who is &s;o ju&s;t as to love a Prince who&s;e father was a declared Enemy of my hou&s;e. Sir, replyed &s;he and blu&s;hed, <HI>Spitridates</HI> loved <HI>Araminta,</HI> but <HI>Mandana</HI> never loved nor never will love the King of <HI>Pontus.</HI> If I &s;hould love that Prince&s;s, replyed he, becau&s;e &s;he loves me, then my love would cea&s;e when &s;he cea&s;ed loving: but &s;ince the foundation of my love is becau&s;e &s;he is the mo&s;t amiable in the world, I &s;hall eternally love her, though &s;he never love me: Had I then known, when I had the good fortune to &s;ave her life at Sea, that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was my Rival, perhaps, as the temper of my mind was then, I &s;hould have re&s;tored her unto him: I was then &s;o newly ca&s;t out of a Throne, that I thought no Prince could live without it: But now &s;ince
<PB N="247" REF="314">
the charms of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> have enchanted my heart, and am unaccu&s;tomed unto Soveraignty, Love has quite aboli&s;hed Ambition out of my Soul; and if I could pa&s;s away all the days of my life with this incomparable Prince&s;s, though it were in &s;ome de&s;ert I&s;le, where neither Soveraign nor Subject did inhabit, I &s;hould e&s;teem my &s;elf mo&s;t happy. Come not then to increa&s;e my mi&s;eries by awakening a pa&s;&s;ion, which one more &s;trong then it hath ca&s;t into a &s;leep, and which, if di&s;turbed by &s;uch Propo&s;itions as the&s;e, would but augment my mi&s;ery. But Sir, replyed the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pontus,</HI> what can you ever hope for by detaining her? Could I but hope for any thing, an&s;wered he, I &s;hould not be &s;o mi&s;erable as I am; but I do profe&s;s unto you, that I can hope for nothing by it, and do expect every day one misfortune after another: Yet you may a&s;&s;ure <HI>Cyrus,</HI> in an&s;wer unto his genero&s;ity, as far as I am able, that when I fir&s;t did under&s;tand I was his Rival, I grieved as much at it, as I did at the lo&s;s of two Crowns: But &s;ince it is Inju&s;ti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e to de&s;ire things impo&s;sible, oblige him, I entreat you, not to accu&s;e me of ingratitude, in not rendering up the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> unto him, for I loved her before he knew her, and &s;hall love her till death. Had I any thing in my power, &s;aid he and &s;ighed, which I could offer him by way of Ran&s;om, I &s;hould with joy pre&s;ent that any thing unto him: But dear Si&s;te,, &s;ince Fortune hath deprived me of all, and left me nothing but <HI>Mandana</HI> in my power, I be&s;eech you pardon me if I do not redeem your Liberty by my own Ruine: You are in the hands of a generous Conqueror, and I do not fear he will revenge the Inju&s;tice I do unto him, upon you: and to excu&s;e me in what I do, con&s;ider I be&s;eech you what Love hath moved <HI>Spitridates</HI> unto: he, for your particular intere&s;t, hath left his Father, refu&s;ed Crowns, and wanders unknown throughout the world; he hath done more for you, then I have done for <HI>Mandana:</HI> Therefore, my dear Si&s;ter, pity me, and do not per&s;wade me unto any impo&s;sibilities, which I cannot do.</P>
<P>But Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I did not hate <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as <HI>Mandana</HI> hates you: More|over, if there were any apparent probability, that you keep this Prince&s;s for any advantage, I &s;hould not &s;o much oppo&s;e your de&s;ign, but pity you for the misfortunes which &s;he is the cau&s;e of; yet con&s;idering the &s;tate of things, I am full per&s;waded, that all the power of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> will &s;ink, and that you with her will &s;ink under it: for do but call to mind all the prodigious Acts which <HI>Artamenes</HI> and which <HI>Cyrus</HI> hath done, and you will find the number of his Victories &s;o many, and his Conque&s;ts &s;o great, that they cannot be remembered with|out wonder; and can you think the Gods did rai&s;e him unto that height, only to ca&s;t him down? Has Fortune, contrary to her Cu&s;tom, followed him &s;o con&s;tantly, purpo&s;ely to for&s;ake him afterwards? to for&s;ake him who&s;e Power doth every day increa&s;e, and &s;eems to hold the de&s;tiny of all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> in his hand: So that plainly fore&s;eeing you will love <HI>Mandana,</HI> were it not much better then to re&s;tore her, and gain a Kingdom by it, then to ruine your &s;elf by keeping her, and at length lo&s;e her too?</P>
<P>Doubtle&s;s it had, replyed he, if I were able to do it; but &s;ince it is not in my power, I mu&s;t not &s;o much as think of it any more; therefore Si&s;ter, I be&s;eech you, di&s;cour&s;e no more upon this Subject: for if any upon Earth could per&s;wade me to re&s;tore <HI>Mandana,</HI> it &s;hould be <HI>Mandana</HI> her &s;elf: and &s;ince I have denyed her Tears and her Prayers, pardon me Si&s;ter, if I deny your Propo&s;ition with abundance of ea&s;e, and it is not &s;o difficult to deny a Crown, as it is to deny Liberty unto one who is adored: This divine Prince&s;s hath offered me a thing more precious then a Crown, &s;ince &s;he hath offered me her friend&s;hip, if I would give her Liberty: Judg therefore, if after this I can harken unto your Propo&s;itions from <HI>Cyrus.</HI> But Si&s;ter, I be&s;eech you, do me the favour as not to let my Rival know how con&s;tant the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is unto him: but doubtle&s;s he is already &s;ufficiently per&s;waded of it, and there is no need that I my &s;elf &s;hould confirm him in a truth &s;o advan|tagious unto him: U&s;e not my own words to make that Prince whom I ought to hate more then I do, to hate me; for really I do e&s;teem him &s;o much, that &s;ometimes I cur&s;e my For|tune for forcing me to be his Enemy, &s;ince I owe him my life: you may a&s;&s;ure him from me, that if the di&s;pute were about nothing but a Crown, I would lay it at his feet, yes and my honour al&s;o, which is a thing more dear unto me: but as for <HI>Mandana,</HI> ab&s;olutely I cannot do it: Moreover Si&s;ter, the power of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> is not &s;o incon&s;iderable as you imagine it. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> &s;aid &s;he and interrupted him, was much more pui&s;&s;ant then he, and he &s;ubdued him. <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> &s;aid he, is &s;tronger then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was, becau&s;e more uni|ted; and &s;ince his endeavors are to prevent <HI>Cyrus</HI> from lording it over all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> our Souldiers fighting for their Country and Liberty, are no le&s;s exa&s;perated then my &s;elf, who fights for <HI>Mandana.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="248" REF="315">
The Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> &s;eeing &s;he could not prevail with the King her Brother, could not re&s;train her tears, and began to adde her prayers unto her rea&s;ons, but both to no purpo&s;e, for &s;he was compelled to part from him without obtaining her de&s;ired end: &s;he perceived that he was &s;omething a&s;hamed to be &s;o unju&s;t and ungrateful towards <HI>Cyrus</HI> whom he e&s;teemed &s;o much, and unto whom he was &s;o great a debtor: yet love was more predominant then his rea|&s;on, and rul'd his &s;oul which was &s;en&s;ible of nothing but that pa&s;&s;ion. The Sacrificers of that Temple prepared a very magnificent Collation for the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> But &s;he only looked upon it, and thanked them, for her &s;oul was &s;o &s;ad that &s;he could not eat: &s;he departed from thence, and went to lie in a Ca&s;tle, &s;ome fifty furlongs from thence: The parting was very &s;ad, for this Prince&s;s imagining, that perhaps &s;he &s;hould never &s;ee the King her Brother again, or if &s;he did, it would be as a pri&s;oner, and vanqui&s;hed, &s;he could re&s;train her tears. <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> who &s;aw into her thoughts, wept as well as &s;he: and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> him&s;elf &s;eemed much de|jected as &s;oon as he had put her into the Coach; and turning him&s;elf towards <HI>Adu&s;ius,</HI> Tell your Illu&s;trious Ma&s;ter, &s;aid he unto him, it is not the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta's</HI> fault that I do not &s;atisfie him; nor is it long of my own rea&s;on, which tells me, I ought to do it: But tell him, generous <HI>Adu&s;ius,</HI> it is only the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> whom he mu&s;t accu&s;e for my crime: yet a&s;&s;ure him, that I &s;hall di&s;pute with him for her, with &s;o much carriage, that though I be over|come, it will be without &s;hame, &s;ince my death and my defeat will not be unworthy of my Prince&s;s, and my Conquerour. <HI>Adu&s;ius</HI> promi&s;ing to obey him, the Coach went on; and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> taking hor&s;e, the Prince&s;s returned towards the Camp, and the King her Bro|ther towards <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> with both their minds filled with various thoughts, but all melan|choly.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus,</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> during the ab&s;ence of <HI>Araminta,</HI> had many a re&s;tle&s;s thought, for their hopes were not &s;trong enough to make them think that this meeting would procure the liberty of <HI>Mandana:</HI> &s;ince though the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would have con&s;ented, yet <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> perhaps would not: But &s;ince fears and hopes are the life of Lovers, they feared and they ho|ped, &s;ucce&s;&s;ively one after another. The day in which the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> was expected back, being come, they went to meet her; many per&s;ons of quality, among&s;t the re&s;t, the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> did follow then. The&s;e two Illu&s;trious Rivals, riding alone &s;ome di&s;tance before the re&s;t, after a while of &s;ilence, and tran&s;ported with their pa&s;&s;ions, began to di&s;cour&s;e. Can you believe, &s;aid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that our Rival will &s;o much as hearken unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta?</HI> Since I know him to be affable and civil, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I am con|fident he will lend her a hearing. But &s;ince I knew him to be in love, &s;aid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> I am confident he will refu&s;e the propo&s;ition which you make him: at the lea&s;t, I am certain, that though you &s;hould offer to re&s;tore unto me <HI>Babylon,</HI> and all my Dominions, which are more con&s;iderable then the Kingdom of <HI>Pontus;</HI> and though I were certain to be vanqui&s;hed in the Combate which we are to fight, I had rather die in keeping <HI>Mandana,</HI> then mount the Throne, by parting with her unto you. This thought, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> is worthy of your &s;elf, and of the Prince&s;s whom we adore, and &s;peaks &s;o much violent affection, as it mu&s;t needs be concluded after this, that they who maintain love is the cau&s;e of love again, are much de|ceived; &s;ince if it were &s;o, the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould have divided hearts, being &s;o infinitely loved and adored as &s;he is, both by the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the un|happy <HI>Cyrus:</HI> for Sir, &s;aid he, and looked upon his Rival, &s;ince you are able to refu&s;e one Crown, rather then part with <HI>Mandana,</HI> I would lo&s;e an hundred, if I had them, and a&s;|&s;ume as many &s;etters as I quitted Scepters, rather then alter my thoughts of her. As they were thus in di&s;cour&s;e, they e&s;pied the hor&s;es, and immediately after, the Coach of the Prince&s;s <HI>A|raminta:</HI> and riding before the re&s;t, they went to meet her: The Coach &s;taying they lighted from their hor&s;es, and came towards her with beating hearts; yet they no &s;ooner &s;aw her put up her hood, but they perceived by her eyes that her negotiation had not taken effect; and knew by the fir&s;t word &s;he &s;poke, that they had more rea&s;on to fear then hope: yet both of them did mo&s;t civilly thank her, e&s;pecially <HI>Cyrus</HI> who having no mind to &s;tay her any longer in that place, told her, that they &s;hould have better conveniency to acknowledge their obliga|tions unto her at her own lodging: &s;he had a great mind to have them with her in the Coach, but there were &s;o many women, that it could not be, therefore the&s;e Princes took hor&s;e, and went with her unto her lodging, whither the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> came, being conducted by <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> who almo&s;t never left her. When they were come thither, this wi&s;e Prince&s;s told them what &s;he could not conceal, that the King her Brother would not re&s;tore the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> but &s;he expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf with &s;o much prudence, and &s;uch good language, that
<PB N="249" REF="315">
&s;he did rather le&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n, then augment their re&s;entments again&s;t the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> her Brother, <HI>Adu&s;ius</HI> acquainted <HI>Cyrus</HI> as he lighted from his hor&s;e, with what that Prince did charge him withall: who out of his re&s;pects unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> &s;eemed not tran&s;ported with it, but &s;aid, I am extreamly &s;orry, that I am thus con&s;trained to be an enemy unto &s;o great a Prince, yet notwith&s;tanding Madam, I promi&s;e you, that though the fortune of Arms does favour me, yet I will not imploy the power of a Conquerour again&s;t him any further, then &s;hall only con|cern the intere&s;t of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> and do here declare unto you, that he &s;hall never be further captive, then as the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> makes him: that hand which hath offered him a Crown, &s;hall never fetter him. But the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who was naturally of a more violent temper, had much ado to contain him&s;elf; and could not chu&s;e, for all his re&s;pects unto <HI>Ara|minta,</HI> but ca&s;t our &s;uch &s;harp language as contained many menaces, and much anger. After this, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> withdrew, and <HI>Phraartes</HI> only, when all the Company was gone, continued his vi&s;it.</P>
<P>Since the return of this Prince&s;s <HI>Cyrus</HI> did &s;o be&s;tir him&s;elf, that though Winter was not yet pa&s;t, he began to annoy his enemies: Not a day did pa&s;s wherein he did not &s;end out &s;ome skirmi&s;hing parties, and &s;omtimes went out him&s;elf. He received intelligence upon intelligence from all parts; and imployed his time in informing him&s;elf how <HI>Mandana</HI> did: what forces <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> had, which way his de&s;ignes aimed; how he might cro&s;s them, and by what means he might relea&s;e his Prince&s;s: he gave orders for all nece&s;&s;aries fitting for a great Siege, not knowing whether he &s;hould be put unto it: he di&s;patched away towards <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> for pro|vi&s;ion of a Fleet, in ca&s;e he was to be&s;iege <HI>Ephe&s;us.</HI> But as the Spring time of the year was near, he received &s;uch news as much joyed him, which was, That <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> hearing fame &s;peak loud in behalf of <HI>Artamas,</HI> whom he knew by the name of <HI>Cleander,</HI> That he was really the King of <HI>Phrygia's</HI> Son, and &s;o acknowledge, he re&s;olved to recal the Prince&s;s his daughter unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> and to bring the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> with her, as thinking that a place of greater &s;ecurity then <HI>Ephe&s;us.</HI> This news was wondrous welcome unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as well becau&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> would be far from Sea, as becau&s;e he had hopes to relea&s;e her in the way as &s;he came: As <HI>Artamas</HI> was very well acquainted with that Country, &s;o he told him, that he knew an infallible way to place an ambu&s;h in a Wood, clo&s;e by the way, where they mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity pa&s;s in going from <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> to <HI>Sardis,</HI> which their enemies could not po&s;&s;ibly avoid, and where in all like|lihood he might intercept and relea&s;e the Prince&s;&s;es. So that their only bu&s;ine&s;s was to be in|formed of the certain time when they would &s;et out of <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> and what number their Convoy con&s;i&s;ted of: <HI>Feraulas</HI> was di&s;patched thither with Letters from <HI>Meneceus</HI> unto his friends there. <HI>Timocreon</HI> &s;ent al&s;o to <HI>Sardis,</HI> &s;o did <HI>Tegeus,</HI> to the end they might every way receive intelligence, and not be mi&s;taken. This fre&s;h hope put &s;uch an impre&s;&s;ion of joy into the heart and eyes of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he &s;eemed more fre&s;h and lovely then ever; his conver|&s;ation being now not &s;o melancholy as before, it did exceedingly delight the Queen of <HI>Su&s;i|ana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> as for the la&s;t of which, the condition of the King of <HI>Pon|tus,</HI> the ab&s;ence of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and the Court&s;hip of the Prince <HI>Phraartes,</HI> all the&s;e con&s;i|derations did procure her many angry hours. <HI>Panthea</HI> al&s;o was not without her &s;hare of &s;or|rows, yet the civilities of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> his plea&s;ant addre&s;&s;es, and his &s;pirit, did often times &s;u&s;pend them; for he endeavoured as much as po&s;&s;ible he could to make their captivities le&s;s tedions unto them.</P>
<P>While&s;t this was the State of Affairs, and while&s;t all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> was in Arms, waiting for nothing, but until the Sun had dried up the field of battel, and produced fre&s;h palmes to crown the Conquerour: <HI>Cyrus,</HI> being full of plea&s;ant impatience &s;ince he hoped ere long to relea&s;e <HI>Man|dana,</HI> and acquire new glory, &s;aw <HI>Artaban</HI> arrive, whom <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had &s;ent unto him; and who informed him, that all <HI>Medea</HI> was in peace, that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was in health, and that he would &s;end <HI>Aglatidas</HI> back unto him with fre&s;h &s;upplyes. At the name of <HI>Aglatidas, Cyrus</HI> imbraced <HI>Artaban,</HI> and enquired very earne&s;tly how he did; Sir, &s;aid <HI>Artaban</HI> unto him, I have orders from him to relate unto you the &s;equel of his hi&s;tory, which is no le&s;s full of ad|miration, then that part you know already was extraordinary: It is <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> then, re|plyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who di&s;turbs his happine&s;s. It is in vain Sir, replied he, for you to gue&s;s at his adventures, for they are &s;o &s;trange that it is impo&s;&s;ible they &s;hould be imagined. However, &s;ince <HI>Artaban</HI> &s;eemed very weary, <HI>Cyrus</HI> would then keep him no longer from his re&s;t, but deferred the relation of it until the next day. And in the mean time he managed his time &s;o well, and took &s;uch orders for all things that were nece&s;&s;ary, as the next day he came
<PB N="250" REF="316">
unto <HI>Artaban,</HI> with intention to hear this Story. Since <HI>Cyrus</HI> and he were alone, <HI>Artaban</HI> put that Prince in memory of <HI>Arbates</HI> and his Cheat; of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and his Jealou&s;ie in &s;eeing <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> together in the Garden; of his De&s;pair and Exile; of his &s;aigned Pa&s;&s;ion unto <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> at his return; of the &s;orrows which this faigned Pa&s;&s;ion cau&s;ed in <HI>A|me&s;tris,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he thought it real: how &s;he knew <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was jealous, but knew not of whom; of the odd Re&s;olution &s;he took to ju&s;tifie her &s;elf in his opinion, by marrying <HI>Otta|nus,</HI> of whom &s;he was certain he was not jealous, nor could be; of her Marriage; of her, and his own De&s;pair, when they knew their reciprocal innocency; and al&s;o their la&s;t parting. After a &s;hort Revival of all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, <HI>Cyrus</HI> turning him&s;elf towards <HI>Artaban,</HI> I do very well remember them all, &s;aid he unto him, the misfortunes of my friends do not &s;o ea&s;ily &s;l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">p out of my memory; and therefore I pray you &s;atisfie my Curio&s;ity, and relate all that concerns <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> Then <HI>Artaban</HI> obeying his Commands, began thus.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Sequel of the Hi&s;tory of <HI>AGLATIDAS</HI> and <HI>AMESTRIS.</HI></HEAD>
<P>FOr your better under&s;tanding the Story of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and the accidents happened unto him &s;ince his return into <HI>Medea,</HI> I mu&s;t acquaint you Sir with the Adventures of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;ince her Marriage with <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and &s;ince that &s;ad &s;eparation of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and her, wherein both Love and Virtue did eminently appear, and re&s;ide both at a time in the heart of <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> But that you may judg of her &s;ufferings, it is requi&s;ite I &s;hould make a particular de&s;cription of the per&s;on, humor and &s;pirit of <HI>Ottanus:</HI> for &s;ince it was <HI>Aglatidas</HI> who &s;poke of him unto you at <HI>Sinope,</HI> and &s;ince I know him to be as wi&s;e and re&s;erved a man as lives, doubtle&s;s he would not aggravate his faults. Imagine then <HI>Ottanus</HI> to be very tall, but far from hand&s;om; of a &s;ullen, fierce and &s;ubtle a&s;pect, and an unplea&s;ing and forced action, of a rude and boari&s;h conver&s;ation; with the&s;e qualities imagine him to be of as much &s;pirit and courage as ever any had: So that if an art could have been found out to have &s;eparated the good qualities of <HI>Ottanus</HI> from his bad, there was enough to be found in him to have &s;ufficiently furni&s;hed a compleat man, and al&s;o a very Mon&s;ter: However, &s;ince that &s;pirit which he had was of a turbulent and re&s;tle&s;s temper, it had been better both for him&s;elf and for <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> if he had been a dull Blockhead, as I &s;hall hereafter let you know; for if he had been &s;o, he had not &s;o much tormented him&s;elf, nor per&s;ecuted her. You may remember Sir, how &s;uddenly he be|came happy, by rea&s;on of the odd humor in that fair Lady: his happine&s;s was &s;o great, that at the fir&s;t he thought upon nothing el&s;e, but of enjoying her he loved: and &s;o &s;olely devoted his heart unto joy, as I beleeve he did not ob&s;erve the melancholy of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> on the marriage day; and I think it was a long time after, before he began to take any notice whether &s;he was plea|&s;ant or di&s;contented. The truth is, his good fortune &s;eemed to be as great as po&s;&s;ible, for he had married with her own con&s;ent, the faire&s;t, the mo&s;t vertuous, and the riche&s;t Lady in all <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> who in her own choyce preferred him before all the compleat Gallants of the Court: Moreover, the two Rivals who were mo&s;t to be feared, were out of Town, to wit, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Megabi&s;es;</HI> &s;o that con&s;ider his felicity in that re&s;pect, it could not but be imagined very great: Al&s;o, he was &s;o exce&s;&s;ively &s;en&s;ible of it for a while, that he &s;poke of nothing el&s;e: and while&s;t <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was weeping in &s;ecret with her dear <HI>Mena&s;ta, Ottanus</HI> was publi&s;hing his joy unto all the world. This prudent Lady was &s;o wi&s;e as to hide her di&s;|contents from her husband: But &s;ince it was an intolerable torment, to be always in a con|&s;tra ned mode, &s;he &s;hunned the company of all others as much as &s;he could, and forced her &s;elf only in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Ottanus.</HI> She always delighted in &s;olitude more then company; and <HI>Ottanus</HI> did &s;eem far from any jealou&s;ie: But after the fir&s;t edg of his joy was taken off, and he returned unto his accu&s;tomed dull humor, he began to con&s;ider, among the re&s;t of his &s;ullen mu&s;ings, what rea&s;on <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had, after &s;he had &s;o long a time treated him rigor|ou&s;ly, to change upon a &s;udden, and make him happy: he re&s;olved to ask her the rea&s;on of her &s;udden alteration; he pre&s;&s;ed her very earne&s;tly to tell him her rea&s;ons, why &s;he hated him, and why &s;he loved him: for &s;aid he unto her, I am certain the change was not in me, but your &s;elf.</P>
<P>This unexpected Que&s;tion did &s;o &s;urprize <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that &s;he blu&s;hed, and gave him <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;a|tisfactory
<PB N="251" REF="316">
an&s;wer: yet &s;he told him, that as long as her Father lived, the di&s;po&s;ition of her &s;elf was in him; and after his death &s;he was re&s;olved to marry according to her own affection; but &s;he &s;poke this with &s;o much di&s;order in her countenance, that <HI>Ottanus</HI> changed colour as well as &s;he: Then urging her no further, he went to walk by him&s;elf, as one of my intimate friends, who was al&s;o a friend of his, did tell me, and revealed all his &s;ecrets unto me: But oh Heavens, what odd phanta&s;tical thoughts did come into his mind during this walk? and how &s;everely did he puni&s;h him&s;elf with his own capricious phancy? Then he called to mind all the &s;everity which <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> expre&s;&s;ed towards him: he&punc; remembered all her &s;cornings of him, and the great difference which &s;he made between him and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> or <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> and did not forget any act which this fair and virtuous Lady did either in contempt of him, or in advantage unto any of his Rivals. However (&s;aid he, after a memory of all the&s;e things) I am the Enjoyer of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and all my Rivals, which in appearance were then more hap|py, were yet really more unfortunate: What then would I have? &s;aid he; and what do I want to compleat my happine&s;s? Then would he walk a while in a more calm temper: and thinking he had &s;etled him&s;elf in more tranquility of mind, he gave over the thought of the&s;e things, and began to delight him&s;elf in the variety of flowers which grew in the Garden where he walked: he quitted that &s;hady melancholy walk which he made choyce of at fir&s;t, and took one of a more open ayr; but notwith&s;tanding the enamelled beauty and variety of flowers, as &s;oon as he had changed places, he began to make compari&s;ons betwixt him&s;elf and his Rivals, and he could find no rea&s;on in the world why <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;hould make choyce of him before them: and though it be the cu&s;tom of all the world to flatter them&s;elves, and &s;eldom to do Ju&s;tice when they are their own Judges; yet <HI>Ottanus</HI> in this bu&s;ine&s;s did cen|&s;ure him&s;elf with all &s;everity po&s;&s;ible; he concluded then, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> ought not to have made choyce of him, &s;ince &s;he had no prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed opinion of him, or affection to him, as he knew &s;he had not: For (&s;aid he) the very day before my happine&s;s &s;he was intolerably in|cen&s;ed again&s;t me, I never found her more cruel or uncivil towards me in her life then that day, and the next morning the fit took her to marry me, and did &s;o, though I could never conceive any Rea&s;on why &s;he &s;hould think of &s;o much happine&s;s for me: But what matter is it which way our good fortune comes, &s;o we enjoy it? <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> is mine, and all my Rivals go without her; nor is there any likelyhood they ever had any &s;hares in her heart, &s;ince &s;he made not choyce of any among&s;t them, as if &s;he had plea&s;ed &s;he might have done, but pre|ferred one whom they loved not before them all: Yet for all this, &s;aid he, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did not love me two days before &s;he married me; and I am mo&s;t certain I u&s;ed neither any charms nor enchantments to change her heart; nor did I &s;o much as ask that favour from the hands of Heaven, becau&s;e I &s;aw &s;o little probability of obtaining it, yet upon a &s;udden I became happy and&mdash;Then he &s;tayed a while, and went no further: Afterwards repenting him|&s;elf of what he had &s;aid, and what he thought to have &s;aid; But am I very well a&s;&s;ured that I am happy? and is it not &s;o that I have only changed misfortunes? And indeed <HI>Ottanus</HI> (as my friend, who&s;e name was <HI>Artemon,</HI> of whom I already &s;poke, &s;ince told me) after he had well examined the matter, and &s;ufficiently tormented him&s;elf, could never re&s;olve with him|&s;elf whether he was happy or unhappy; but he went home very re&s;erved and melancholy: He re&s;olved to get the ma&s;tery of his mind, and wra&s;tle with tho&s;e thoughts which di&s;turbed his good fortune; and indeed for &s;ome certain days did endeavor to be contented. As for
<HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> her thoughts were as far from any calm &s;erenity, as the &s;pirit of <HI>Ottanus</HI> was; and &s;he thought her &s;elf the mo&s;t mi&s;erable woman upon Earth, e&s;pecially &s;ince &s;he knew the in|nocency of <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> for before that, though &s;he had an extream aver&s;ion towards <HI>Otta|nus,</HI> yet &s;he had &s;ome con&s;olation in her hopes to undeceive <HI>Aglatidas</HI> in the opinion he had of her, and if he were once undeceived, then had &s;he cruelly revenged her &s;elf upon him: But as the &s;tate of things were, knowing that if &s;he had not married <HI>Ottanus,</HI> &s;he might have been happy, and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> contented, &s;he &s;uffered unconceiveable torment of mind: &s;he could find no con&s;olation in condemning him who was the cau&s;e of her &s;ufferings, nor in any thing el&s;e but condemning her &s;elf. However, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> at parting having &s;ent a Letter unto <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> to give unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;he quitted her &s;elf very faithfully, and gave it unto her though with much ado to move her unto a reception of it: For &s;ince <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was as virtuous as fair, &s;he conceived it &s;omething again&s;t the Rules of Virtue to receive any expre&s;&s;ions of love from <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> yet after <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> promi&s;ed her it &s;hould be the la&s;t &s;he &s;hould be trou|bled with, &s;he read it; and this was the Contents:</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="252" REF="317">
<HEAD>The mi&s;erable <HI>AGLATIDAS</HI> unto the unfortunate <HI>AMESTRIS.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>I Can never con&s;ent to go far from you before I have asked Pardon for being a cau&s;e of your &s;orrows: I would I were able, for your tranquilities &s;ake, to wi&s;h you would ab&s;olutely forget me; but I do confe&s;s my weakne&s;s, and acknow|ledg that I cannot be &s;o generous; but on the contrary, I de&s;ire that the remem|brance of my con&s;tant Pa&s;sion may be the greate&s;t torment of your life. As for mine, I do promi&s;e you it &s;hall be &s;o mi&s;erable, that unle&s;s you be the mo&s;t unhumane woman in the world, you will have &s;o much goodne&s;s as to let me know you pity me, lest I &s;hould dye with de&s;pair.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>AGLATIDAS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had read this Letter with tears in her eyes, though &s;he refu&s;ed to receive it at the fir&s;t, yet &s;he kept it at the la&s;t, and would not give it again unto <HI>Mena&s;ta:</HI> and talking together concerning the cro&s;&s;ne&s;s of the&s;e accidents, <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> told her, that &s;ince things pa&s;t and done cannot be recalled and undone, the be&s;t way was to make the be&s;t of things one could, and to comfort ones &s;elf. Ah <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> how difficult is this coun&s;el to be practi&s;ed? and how hard a matter is it to find any comfort, when one is forced to &s;ee him continually whom one hates, and never to &s;ee him one loves? and I a&s;&s;ure you, that &s;ince the time <HI>Aglatidas</HI> did ju&s;tifie him&s;elf in my opinion, the aver&s;ion which I ever had towards <HI>Ottanus</HI> is &s;o much augmented, as I cannot tell which is the greater torment, never to &s;ee <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> or continually to &s;ee <HI>Ottanus:</HI> for when I do not &s;ee <HI>Ottanus,</HI> I have but the moyety of my mi&s;ery, becau&s;e then I think very often upon <HI>Aglatidas</HI> without any remem|brance of <HI>Ottanus:</HI> But as for <HI>Ottanus,</HI> I do confe&s;s my dear <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> with &s;hame, that I never look upon him but I think upon <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and at the &s;ame time look upon <HI>Ottanus</HI> as the only ob&s;tacle of my felicity, and likewi&s;e the felicity of <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> I u&s;e my be&s;t endeavors to choak &s;uch thoughts, but cannot hinder them: <HI>Ottanus</HI> never does any act, or &s;peaks one word, that plea&s;eth me, and which does not make me remember, how <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was wont to tell me of a hundred thou&s;and plea&s;ant things: However, though I cannot be Mi&s;tre&s;s over the &s;ecret motions of my heart, yet I &s;trive to &s;et the be&s;t face I can upon them in his pre&s;ence; and knowing that &s;ince he is my Husband, both the Gods, and Vertue, and Decency, do all require my obedience unto him, and that I be complacential towards him, this duty and complacency I do pay; but it is with &s;uch a horrible repugnancy, and by doing &s;uch ex|traordinary violence to my &s;elf, that I wonder it doth not co&s;t me both my Rea&s;on and my Life.</P>
<P>But, &s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> unto her, the only way to find re&s;t and remedy, is to divert your &s;elf &s;ometimes, and &s;ee the world as heretofore you have done: for when you are in company, and walking abroad in the conver&s;ation of wits, and plea&s;ant men, you would le&s;s think up|on either <HI>Aglatidas</HI> or <HI>Ottanus,</HI> &s;ince the noi&s;e and tumult of the world does at the lea&s;t take up the mind, if not divert it, the variety of men which one &s;hall &s;ee; news, walks, wit, mu&s;ique and di&s;cour&s;e will in&s;en&s;ibly expel melancholy, and make one delight in company. Tho&s;e who u&s;e the&s;e Remedies, replyed <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> do certainly complain but of common &s;orrows: but they who u&s;e &s;uch as I do, do know <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that all the&s;e things which you propound unto me as Remedies, are &s;o far from that, as they are multiplications of mi&s;eries: and indeed, how do you think I can care for dre&s;&s;ing my &s;elf as I was accu&s;tomed, when I de&s;ire to plea&s;e none, and when all the world di&s;plea&s;eth me? How can I endure to be per|petually in the conver&s;ation of men, who would but importune me, and grieve me more in lieu of comforting me? You know that all I can &s;ee, are either Friends or Enemies unto <HI>A|glatidas:</HI> So that the &s;ame which you think would make me forget him, will revive the re|membrance of him: Should I go unto any Balls, con&s;idering the humor I am in, they would be &s;o far from diverting me, that I do not think I &s;hould know &s;o much as the difference of
<PB N="253" REF="317">
Tunes: Mu&s;ique would but make my heart more heavy in lieu of ea&s;ing it: As for News, which you pre&s;cribe as a remedy, &s;ince it plea&s;eth none but a certain &s;ort of men, who love to bu&s;ie them&s;elves in things which concerns them not, it cannot by con&s;equence delight me, &s;ince I never think upon any thing but what concerns my &s;elf, and never cares for the re&s;t: Let it therefore be concluded <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that &s;olitary walks is the only recreation I can take; and not upon the banks of <HI>Orontes,</HI> where none walk but &s;uch as would only &s;ee and be &s;een: Certainly I &s;hould &s;ee nothing there that would plea&s;e me; and if I &s;hould do &s;o, perhaps <HI>Ot|tanus</HI> (to augment my mi&s;ery if it were po&s;&s;ible) would become jealous of me. But then, &s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> how do you intend to live? I intend to live, replyed &s;he, as one that would quickly dye. This Re&s;olution, replyed <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> is mo&s;t lamentable, however I be&s;eech you do not bani&s;h me from your Company. Ah my dear <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I cannot have &s;uch a thought: but &s;ince you cannot be much in my company, unle&s;s you bani&s;h your &s;elf from the re&s;t of the world, I ought to deprive my &s;elf of my only con&s;olation, which is your company.</P>
<P><HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> then made new Prote&s;tations of friend&s;hip unto her, and &s;o they parted; but yet <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was as good as her word, and lived a mo&s;t retired life: And though it be the cu&s;tom of new married people to be mo&s;t gay, and more expen&s;ive at that time, then any other of their lives, yet &s;he on the contrary was more negligent of her &s;elf then ever, &s;he faign|ed her &s;elf not well, to the end &s;he might avoyd all places of plea&s;ure; &s;he never made any vi&s;its, but &s;uch as were of ab&s;olute and obliging nece&s;&s;ity; nor would permit any to vi&s;it her; &s;o that &s;he who of all the Court was mo&s;t vi&s;ited and courted, became the mo&s;t &s;olitary, and lea&s;t frequented: &s;he was &s;o early every morning at the Temple, that not only all the Ladies, but all the Gallants of <HI>Ecbatan</HI> were a&s;leep when &s;he was there: So that never Husband had more rea&s;on to be at re&s;t then <HI>Ottanus;</HI> and the way of living which <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> u&s;ed, was certainly enough to have &s;atisfied the mo&s;t jealous Lover in the world: Yet Sir, all the&s;e An|tidotes again&s;t that Poy&s;on, was &s;o far from &s;atisfying him, that they augmented his malady, as the like was never heard: Yet notwith&s;tanding at the fir&s;t, he was glad of that which did &s;o much torment him afterwards; and thought, that to have a fair wife whom none &s;aw but him&s;elf, was no mean happine&s;s: But yet this re&s;ervedne&s;s of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did make &s;o great a noi&s;e in the world, that nothing el&s;e was talked on; and &s;ince it was ob&s;erved, that neither &s;he nor <HI>Aglatidas</HI> were to be &s;een, none could under&s;tand the real cau&s;e of it; but they thought that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> lived in that manner, becau&s;e <HI>Ottanus</HI> was jealous, and had com|manded her &s;o to do: &s;o that he had a hundred cur&s;es every day, for cau&s;ing &s;o fair a Lady to live &s;o mi&s;erable a life: and &s;ince no Subject is &s;o fit an Anvile to forge a hundred thou&s;and extravagant Tales upon, as a jealous Husband; <HI>Ottanus</HI> was the mark that every wit and tongue did &s;hoot at; and in le&s;s then eight days, long Hi&s;tories were made of his Jealou&s;ie: In &s;o much as <HI>Artemon,</HI> of whom I &s;poke before, who was his Friend and Cou&s;in, re&s;olved to acquaint him with the voyce of the people, thinking to do a good office both unto him and <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> and though he knew the &s;pirit of <HI>Ottanus</HI> to be very odd, and that the bu&s;i|ne&s;s it &s;elf was &s;omething difficult to tell, yet he re&s;olved upon it, and one day went unto him: After a while of talk upon things indifferent, he asked how <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did; and as he an&s;wered &s;he was very well, <HI>Artemon</HI> told him all her Friends complain that they can never &s;ee her, or to &s;peak more &s;incerely, &s;aid he unto him, They complain again&s;t you, for they &s;uppo&s;e &s;he would not for&s;ake them but by orders from you: Then did he acquaint him with &s;ome reports of him, yet concealing the bitter part of them: <HI>Ottanus</HI> was amazed at the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Artemon,</HI> and &s;eriou&s;ly prote&s;ted unto him, that he never de&s;ired <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;hould &s;o re|tire from company, but that her re&s;ervedne&s;s was voluntary, and proceeded from her &s;elf only. No, no, &s;aid <HI>Artemon,</HI> you cannot per&s;wade me to beleeve it; but &s;ince you know I am your Friend, you may very well make an ingenious Confe&s;&s;ion of your weakne&s;s unto me: after you have done &s;o, I &s;hall &s;ay you have a mind to &s;atisfie the world: But to make me beleeve, that <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> who all her life lived in the company of compleat men, and de|lighted her &s;elf with variety of Recreations, &s;hould change her cour&s;e the very next day after her Marriage, unle&s;s you had commanded her, or at the lea&s;t unle&s;s &s;he knew that living &s;o would plea&s;e you; this, I &s;ay, is a thing which I cannot beleeve. I do prote&s;t unto you, &s;aid <HI>Ottanus</HI> to him, that I am no cau&s;e at all of her alteration: And I do prote&s;t unto you, &s;aid <HI>Artemon,</HI> that I do not beleeve you; yet to &s;peak &s;incerely and plainly unto you, think
<PB N="254" REF="318">
<HI>Ottanus,</HI> that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> is yet too young to begin &s;o &s;evere a cour&s;e of living; and I have heard many &s;ay, that a Husband who is jealous without cau&s;e, may afterwards have cau&s;e to be &s;o, and thank him&s;elf for it: I know the vertue of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> is &s;o great, that you are not in any danger of &s;uch a mi&s;ery: but for all that, there is no great plea&s;ure to be taken in being the common talk of the world; and the more vertuous a wife is, the more fooli&s;h the Husband is, and more tales are told, if he be jealous: Therefore, if you will take my advice, be not &s;o; or if you needs mu&s;t be, at the lea&s;t hide it hand&s;omly: A Lover, I do confe&s;s, may be jealous without di&s;honour; and &s;eldom is love long without &s;ome &s;parks of it: yet a Husband cannot &s;eem to be &s;o, but he expo&s;eth him&s;elf to be the mock of all the world: I know it is &s;ome inju&s;tice to excu&s;e the one, and condemn the other; but &s;ince it is grown to be the univer&s;al opinion of the world, you cannot alter it; therefore alter your &s;elf, if you can.</P>
<P><HI>Ottanus</HI> &s;eeing he could not per&s;wade <HI>Artemon</HI> to believe him, and being vexed to the &s;oul that &s;uch tales &s;hould be commonly told of him, he carried <HI>Artemon</HI> whether he would or no unto the Chamber of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> to ask her before him, whether ever he did &s;o much as &s;eem to de&s;ire, &s;he &s;hould retire her &s;elf from the world: <HI>Artemon</HI> thinking <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> would perhaps be plea&s;ed, if he could contribute any thing that might cau&s;e an alteration in her life, went with him. As &s;oon as they entered, &s;eeing &s;he was alone in her Clo&s;et: I pray, Madam, &s;peak, &s;aid <HI>Ottanus</HI> to her, whether ever I de&s;ired you to forbear any vi&s;its, or to go any more unto Walks, or Balls: Did I ever forbid you any hand&s;om dre&s;s, or refu&s;e any com|pany that ever came unto you? or did I ever bid you go unto the Temple by break of day? as it is reported over all <HI>Ecbatan?</HI> Sir, an&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and blu&s;hed, I cannot think these are any who have &s;uch an ill opinion either of you or me, as to &s;ay any &s;uch thing: Ask <HI>Ar|temon,</HI> replied he, who will tell you, that becau&s;e you are more &s;olitary then heretofore you u&s;ed to be, it is &s;aid that I am jealous. I had rather, an&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> they &s;hould &s;ay, you are jealous, and that I obey you, then &s;ay I go to Balls and Walks again&s;t your Commands. But &s;ince it befits me to ju&s;tifie you, Know <HI>Artemon,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, and turned towards him) that this change which is ob&s;erved in me, is not properly a change, &s;ince it was always my na|tural inclination, which I was forced to hide as long as <HI>Artambares</HI> and <HI>Hermani&s;ta</HI> lived, becau&s;e they were not &s;o indulgent towards me as <HI>Ottanus</HI> is, who &s;uffering me to be Mi|&s;tre&s;s of my own will, I can now live without any forcing my &s;elf, as before I did: It mu&s;t needs be confe&s;&s;ed, replied <HI>Artemon,</HI> and &s;miled, that if you did force your inclination, you did di&s;&s;emble it admirably well: but however, (&s;aid he further, thinking to plea&s;e <HI>Ame|&s;tris</HI> whom he much e&s;teemed) &s;ince you did hereto<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ore force your di&s;po&s;ition to obey a fa|ther in expo&s;ing your &s;elf unto the view of the world: doubtle&s;s you can<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">do no le&s;s now to pre&s;erve the honour of a husband, who is accu&s;ed of much inju&s;tice. I do not think (&s;aid <HI>A|me&s;tris</HI> much puzzled) that ever <HI>Ottanus</HI> will be per&s;waded by &s;uch ill grounded reports: for I have &s;een none &s;ince he was married of whom he can be jealous, and therefore I hope, that in &s;pite of all malicious Rumours, he will permit me the freedom to prefer the tranquility of my Clo&s;et, before the tumult of the Court, of which I am weary. Then I be&s;eech you, tell me (&s;aid <HI>Artemon,</HI> who imagined that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;poke &s;o only to plea&s;e <HI>Ottanus)</HI> what you would have me an&s;wer unto tho&s;e who ask me how you live, and what you do? You may tell them, replied &s;he, that &s;omtimes I read, &s;omtimes I imploy my &s;elf in works of gold and &s;ilver, &s;omtimes I limb, and draw pictures; and &s;omtimes I enjoy my &s;olitude in remem|bring all the follies of many men, who think them&s;elves very wi&s;e, and are not &s;o. While&s;t <HI>A|me&s;tris</HI> was thus talking, <HI>Ottanus</HI> walked up and down, and &s;aid nothing; and ob&s;erving that &s;he was angry at what <HI>Artemon</HI> had &s;aid unto her, Madam, &s;aid he, I hope you will no re|fu&s;e to ju&s;tifie me, and my honour in the opinion of the world; therefore I do conjure you to look upon it, and vindicate me: for I cannot endure to be any longer accu&s;ed for keeping you up as a pri&s;oner.</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, if you let your felicity depend upon the opinion of others, I think my&s;elf in an ill condition; and if I &s;hould expo&s;e my &s;elf unto the world again, I know not whether the &s;ame men that unju&s;tly report you to be jealous, will not report me to be too gallant and free, therefore it is much better not to run the hazard of that danger. Then &s;ome came into the Clo&s;et, who had bu&s;ine&s;s with <HI>Ottanus,</HI> &s;o that he could not make a reply un|to <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> but he went out, and <HI>Artemon</HI> with him, leaving her alone in much wonder
<PB N="255" REF="318">
at the pa&s;&s;age. <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> came to her pre&s;ently after; and ob&s;erving &s;ome di&s;orders in her looks, What's the matter, &s;aid &s;he unto her, &s;ince ye&s;terday when I left you? I am &s;o angry, replied <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that I can hardly tell you the cau&s;e of it; for truly <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> excepting your &s;elf, I had but one comfort in the world, which was my &s;olitude, and which I thought I &s;hould have enjoyed quietly until my death, yet they will deprive me of that: then &s;he rela|ted unto her the whole pa&s;&s;age: But <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, it is true, that all the world reports <HI>Ottanus</HI> to be jealous? It is certain, an&s;wered &s;he, that &s;uch a rumour runs about the Town, and more certain, that I never went about to undeceive them who reports it, becau&s;e as long as they believe that to be the cau&s;e of your retiredne&s;s, they would never look after the true cau&s;e; and con&s;equently, never find it out. And why, &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> did you not acquaint me with the&s;e things? Becau&s;e I &s;aw you &s;o &s;ad, an&s;wered <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that I &s;crupled whether I &s;hould tell &s;uch unplea&s;ant news: yet &s;ince you do know it, I wi&s;h it may be a means to re|&s;tore you again unto your friends. No, no, an&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> deceive not your &s;elf, for I &s;hall never do &s;o; and were it for no other rea&s;on, but the having &s;uch a Husband as <HI>Ottanus</HI> is, I will never &s;ee them again; but <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> I &s;hall have further cau&s;e not to love him; for he will by all means expo&s;e me to the view of the world. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> I do not think that <HI>Ottanus</HI> did pre&s;s you unto it &s;o much as you think; and he would never have &s;poke as he did, but becau&s;e <HI>Artemon</HI> was pre&s;ent: however, for your diver&s;ion a little, let me tell you, that <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> hearing of your marriage with <HI>Ottanus</HI> in the Countrey where &s;he is, is rapt into a little Heaven of joy: and makes no que&s;tion but her own marriage would be next with <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> as &s;oon as &s;he came to <HI>Ecbatan:</HI> but afterwards hearing that he was vani&s;hed, and had &s;etled all his Affairs, as one that would not return again, her &s;orrows were as great as her joyes were before: and &s;ince Tatlers do &s;eldom get love either from &s;uch as them&s;elves, or others, every one had a vie in di&s;advantage of <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> who did &s;o crack of her affection unto <HI>Aglatidas</HI> before, and of her anger again&s;t him now, that I be|lieve &s;he will never be able to make any great Conque&s;ts, though perhaps &s;he will endeavour to repair her lo&s;s by hopes of &s;ome other victory. <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did hearken unto <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> with &s;ome delight, becau&s;e the anger of <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> did evidently prove the fidelity of <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> for though &s;he fully re&s;olved never to &s;ee him again, yet &s;he had a &s;ecret de&s;ign in the root of her heart, to love him as long as &s;he lived.</P>
<P>Mean while, after <HI>Artemon</HI> was parted from <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and <HI>Ottanus</HI> had di&s;patched his bu&s;ine&s;s with tho&s;e who came to &s;peak with him, he was alone with his own thoughts, and calling all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages into his memory, which before tormented him, he found his &s;oul in a wor&s;e condition then before: and that which at the fir&s;t, afforded him &s;ome minuts of tranquility, was now a perpetual turbulency unto him. For (&s;aid he to him&s;elf, as he related afterwards) from whence &s;hould this &s;udden alteration in the humour of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> proceed? What may be her rea&s;on to leave hating me? why &s;hould &s;he begin to hate all the world? which way &s;hould I find out the true cau&s;e of all this? After he had re&s;tle&s;ly rea&s;oned upon it, and that which <HI>Artemon</HI> told him, &s;ticking in his &s;tomack, he &s;poke unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> at night, and conjured her, not to neglect her &s;elf &s;o much, but to make &s;ome vi&s;its: yet as &s;he refu&s;ed it, though with much re&s;pect, &s;o his mind became much exa&s;perated; and he very roughly mo|ved her to dre&s;s her &s;elf, and to walk abroad, and frequent Balls, and all other places, whither a jealous and angry Husband would have forbid his wife: In&s;omuch as &s;he told him, that &s;he would do all &s;he could to obey him; and in order to that, &s;he dre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf the next morn|ing more hand&s;omly then ordinary, and went unto the Temple at the &s;ame time which other Ladies u&s;ed, but yet it was with &s;o much melancholy in her eyes, that &s;he infu&s;ed no joy in|to any of tho&s;e friends which &s;aw her: and as ill luck was, two or three per&s;ons having &s;een her &s;o &s;ad, and afterward meeting with <HI>Ottanus,</HI> told him, that they would ask no more why <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was &s;o long un&s;een, &s;ince it appeared by her face &s;he had been &s;ick. But <HI>Ottanus,</HI> knowing that &s;he had not been &s;o, did conclude, that there was &s;ome &s;ecret matter in her mind which was the cau&s;e of it, and which he could not di&s;cover. <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> yet was le&s;s &s;olitary for three or four days, but with &s;o much forcing of her &s;elf that &s;he was not able to endure it any longer: for if &s;he &s;aw any friends of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> her &s;oul was in a very hell: if they were indifferent men &s;he met with, they gave her &s;ome &s;uch touch concerning the pretended jealou|&s;ie of <HI>Ottanus,</HI> as did not plea&s;e her; or if they were any of the di&s;creeter &s;ort of people, they entertained her with di&s;cour&s;es &s;o oppo&s;ite to her pre&s;ent humour, that they were extreamly trouble&s;om to her: if any compleat man was commended, then the image of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> ap|peared in her fancie: if any was blamed, then the thoughts of <HI>Ottanus</HI> would direct her eyes:
<PB N="256" REF="319">
She thought all tho&s;e that looked upon her, did blame her for marrying <HI>Ottanus:</HI> So having lived three or four days thus, and not being able to endure it longer, &s;he faigned to be &s;ick, that &s;o &s;he might not go abroad, nor receive any more vi&s;its. But &s;ince &s;he could not deceive <HI>Ot|tanus</HI> &s;o ea&s;ily, as &s;he could the world, who &s;aw her not, his torments did double upon him; and not knowing what he would have, he endured all the pangs of a jealous man, and much more then common jealou&s;ie could infu&s;e: for they who are jealous have at the lea&s;t &s;ome ground for it, though he could not &s;o much as imagine what the cau&s;e of his torments was: And not being able to contain all his turbulent cogitations within the compa&s;s of his own heart, he di&s;covered all his &s;ecrets unto <HI>Artemon;</HI> who after he had ob&s;erved the Raptures, the Rea&s;ons and Complaints of his Cou&s;in, could not determine what his malady was: for &s;aid he unto him, It cannot be &s;aid you are jealous, &s;ince there is no imaginable rea&s;on for it; for <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> neither &s;ees nor will be &s;een by any: <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> when &s;he was free, made choyce of you, and married you, what would you have more? I would gladly know, &s;aid he, why upon a &s;udden &s;he re&s;olved to marry me; and why upon a &s;udden &s;he will not look upon the world.</P>
<P>I do confe&s;s, &s;aid <HI>Artemon,</HI> that the la&s;t of the&s;e is very &s;trange unto me, &s;ince you a&s;&s;ure me it is not long of you: yet however, it concerns us who have lo&s;t her, to complain of that, and not you, &s;ince you &s;ee her oftner, and di&s;cour&s;e more freely with her. Not at all, replyed <HI>Ottanus,</HI> for &s;he per&s;wades me to live as I was accu&s;tomed to do; and that I &s;hould allow of her alteration: I know very well that heretofore &s;he did not hate <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> but there has been &s;uch jars between them &s;ince that, as I cannot conclude any thiug upon it. But why &s;hould you torment your &s;elf, &s;aid <HI>Artemon,</HI> &s;ince your wife de&s;ires not to &s;ee <HI>Aglati|das</HI> more then any other, and indeed cannot &s;ee him, &s;ince he is ab&s;ent. The rea&s;on why &s;he lives thus (replyed he, after a little &s;tudy upon it) is perhaps becau&s;e he is ab&s;ent. And why did &s;he marry you, replyed <HI>Artemon,</HI> if &s;he loved <HI>Aglatidas?</HI> That is it which I know not, &s;aid he, but gladly would know her rea&s;on for it. <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> replyed <HI>Artemon,</HI> is indeed a very gallant man, but he is &s;o incon&s;tant, that I cannot think he ever had any &s;hare in the heart of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> The pitiful Complaints which <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> makes again&s;t him, does &s;uffici|ently argue his incon&s;tancy. How, &s;aid <HI>Ottanus,</HI> do <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> jar? Yes, an|&s;wered <HI>Artemon,</HI> and that extreamly. Ah <HI>Artemon,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Ottanus,</HI> this which you have told me, does much more perplex me. I do not &s;ee any cau&s;e you have, replyed <HI>Artemon; Agla|tidas</HI> when you married <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> did love <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> as every one thought; &s;ince then he has ca&s;t her off, and gone away, and what does all this concern you? I cannot untangle my thoughts, an&s;wered he, but I wi&s;h <HI>Aglatidas</HI> had continued yet in love with <HI>Anati&s;a.</HI> So would &s;he too, an&s;wered <HI>Artemon</HI> and laughed, but &s;ince he is glad with a pretence to break with her, why &s;hould it offend <HI>Ottanus?</HI> Then having a mind to chide him after &s;uch a man|ner as &s;hould not make him angry; Well <HI>Ottanus,</HI> &s;aid he unto him, I pray re&s;olve me, are you Jealous, or are you only Phanta&s;tical? I know not well what I am, replyed he; but I am mo&s;t certain my mind is mo&s;t unquiet; and I find all &s;ymptomes of Jealou&s;ie in my &s;elf. Then this is the fir&s;t time, an&s;wered <HI>Artemon,</HI> that ever a Wife made her Husband jealous, by neglecting her &s;elf, by never going abroad, nor &s;eeing any body, and by hiding her beau|ty with as much care as others take to &s;hew it. Therefore I am the more to be pityed, re|plyed <HI>Ottanus,</HI> for I &s;ee no remedy for my mi&s;ery: If <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had a gadding mind of go|ing unto Balls, and I di&s;l ked it, then I could hinder her from going any more; but as the di&s;|ea&s;e is, I know not where to find a Remedy.</P>
<P>If you will follow my advice, &s;aid <HI>Artemon</HI> unto him, you &s;hall never &s;eek for any, &s;ince certainly &s;mall di&s;ea&s;es do commonly grow greater by remedies. My di&s;ea&s;e, replyed he, is none of tho&s;e which can be called &s;mall. Truly, &s;aid <HI>Artemon,</HI> I know not how you &s;hould term it a great one. Can a greater be imagined, replyed <HI>Ottanus,</HI> then to &s;ee the &s;ame which &s;hould have been my chief felicity, become my greate&s;t mi&s;ery? But why are you not happy? replyed <HI>Artemon,</HI> is not <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> mo&s;t fair? is &s;he not richer then any of her quality? has &s;he not as much wit as riches and beauty? and has &s;he not much more Virtue then either wit, beauty, or riches, altogether? is &s;he not affable and complacential unto you? what then would you have more? I would &s;ee, replyed he, into the very bottom of her heart; and &s;ee if there be no &s;ecret there, which &s;he has not already told. What, replyed <HI>Artemon,</HI> what would you have her tell? I would have her tell me (replyed <HI>Ottanus,</HI> half angry) a likely lye, rather then tell me nothing.</P>
<P><PB N="257" REF="319">
<HI>Artemon</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Oltanus</HI> begin to be angry, would incen&s;e him no further, le&s;t he &s;hould deprive him&s;elfe of means to be &s;erviceable unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> for the future: for though he was his Cou&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">&punc; yet it was his genero&s;ity which made him his friend, and which &s;ide to take, either hers or his was no Que&s;tion, &s;ince Rea&s;on would not allow him to take the part of <HI>Oltanus.</HI> However, conceiving it requi&s;ite to hold &s;ome hand of complacencie with him, he ask'd him whether he would have him &s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ak unto <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> but the commendations which <HI>Oltanus</HI> gave of her, would not permit <HI>Oltanus</HI> to give that Commi&s;&s;ion: for he was of &s;uch a humour, as he could not, without anger, heare his wife extolled, nor I think could he endure to heare any &s;peak in her di&s;prai&s;e. <HI>Artemon,</HI> not being able to regulate his minde, went away, and left him to champ upon his owne &s;ullein, and melancholly humour; yet he was no &s;ooner gone, but the minde of <HI>Oltanus</HI> altered; and as it is u&s;u|all with unquiet and jealous &s;pirits, he writ an intreating Letter unto him, de&s;iring him to &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> the next day, and endeavour to di&s;cover the bottom of her &s;oule: the Letter did contradict it &s;elfe in two or three &s;everall places, and it was ea&s;ily perceived, that the minde of him who writ it was not at re&s;t. <HI>Artemon</HI> failed not to doe as <HI>Oltanus</HI> de&s;ired him, who in the mean time had given orders, that they &s;hould let him enter, though <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;aid &s;he was not well, and would &s;ee no body. When he came to her, he asked her pardon for interrupting her &s;olitude; and really de&s;iring to doe her &s;ervice, he did not keep the conference which he had with <HI>Oltanus,</HI> as a &s;ecret: but on the contrary, he truly told her the &s;tate of her husbands minde, to the end &s;he might contrive &s;ome wayes how to cure him, le&s;t his re&s;tle&s;&s;e di&s;po&s;ition &s;hould reflect upon her&s;elfe: Since <HI>Oltanus</HI> had rather you &s;hould tell a hand&s;om lye, than tell nothing at all, I be&s;eech you invent one, and &s;uch a one as may cau&s;e quietne&s;&s;e, both to him, and your &s;elfe, if it be &s;o that there be any &s;ecret truth in your heart, which you would not have him know. I am much obli|ged unto you, reply'd <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> for your expre&s;&s;ions of &s;incerity towards me: yet gene|rous <HI>Artemon</HI> I have nothing to tell him, which I have not already told him: my humor, it is true, is changed, but I cannot tell the rea&s;on of it; yet &s;ince in changing it is for the advantage of <HI>Oltanus,</HI> what does he complaine of? Look for no rea&s;on of his complaints, reply'd <HI>Artemon,</HI> for he has none; though Madam, I am forced to confe&s;&s;e your retired|ne&s;&s;e is very &s;trange: and it is not &s;trange that <HI>Oltanus</HI> &s;hould wonder at that which does a&s;toni&s;h all the Court and Towne: Yet &s;ince I am not &s;o full of Curio&s;ities as he, but being very full of reall re&s;pects unto you, I will beleeve that all you doe is well; nor doe I de|&s;ire to penetrate into the &s;ecrets of your heart. But in the name of the Gods, Madam, if you can tell <HI>Oltanus</HI> &s;omething which may &s;atisfie him; and if it be po&s;&s;ible, be not &s;o de|voted unto &s;olitude. I am able but to doe the one halfe of what you de&s;ire me, &s;aid &s;he un|to him, which is, to &s;hew my &s;elfe unto the world a little more then I doe: But as for in|venting any lyes, and telling them unto <HI>Oltanus,</HI> is a thing I cannot doe: for I &s;hould tell them &s;o &s;curvily that he would never believe me: yet <HI>Artemon,</HI> let me tell you, that in following your Coun&s;ell, I &s;hall expo&s;e my &s;elfe unto much mi&s;ery, it being more the likely, that &s;ince <HI>Oltanus</HI> is jealous, and knowes not of whome, and at a time when my Clo&s;et is my Pri&s;on, and when I &s;ee no body, he will be much more when I haunt company. Yet however, &s;ince it is the plea&s;ure of the Gods, hee &s;hould become my Husband, it is my duty to follow his will, and to force my owne: you may a&s;&s;ure him that I will be ob&s;ervant unto him in all things, and &s;hall plea&s;e him in this, &s;o he will promi&s;e, that as &s;oon as ever he repents of his de&s;ire I &s;hould frequent the world, he will do me the favour to tell me of it; for I make no que&s;tion but it will be very &s;hortly: after|wards <HI>Artemon</HI> a&s;&s;ured <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> that he would be ready to &s;erve her in all things, and he went to carry this newes unto <HI>Oltanus;</HI> who was &s;omething better &s;atisfied than before: but yet he was not fully contented, becau&s;e &s;he would not tell him her rea&s;on why &s;hee married him &s;o &s;uddenly, nor why &s;he began to affect &s;olitude as &s;oon as married: yet finding &s;o much obedience in the heart of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> all his fanta&s;ticall humours could not finde out a rea&s;onable pretence of complaint again&s;t her.</P>
<P>Thus did <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> though with extream repugnance, &s;uffer her &s;elf to be &s;een again, and within four dayes, the noi&s;e being divulged about the Towne, that &s;he was vi&s;ible, all the Court and Town came to vi&s;it her; and though &s;he was much more melancholy then here|tofore, yet &s;ince &s;he could not chu&s;e but be very faire and &s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ightly, and &s;weet and civill, there was an univer&s;all joy throughout all <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> for finding an ine&s;timable Jewel which was thought to be lo&s;t: There was not a Wit about the whole Court and Town, which had
<PB N="258" REF="320">
not invented &s;ome diver&s;ion for her &amp; who were not very forward to te&s;tify &s;ome marks of that e&s;teem they held of her: It might well be &s;aid, that &s;ome magnetique beauty was newly come to towne, who by her &s;ecret charmes attracted all about her: all other hou&s;es were de&s;arts and &s;olitary places in compari&s;on of hers. Tho&s;e who had any de&s;igns to plea&s;e her, did not arrive at their de&s;ired ends; for &s;hee thought her &s;elfe &s;o mi&s;erable, in living continually a forced life, that &s;hee could not chu&s;e but complaine of it unto her deare <HI>Mena&s;ta. Anati&s;a,</HI> among&s;t the re&s;t, came to vi&s;ite her with other Ladyes, and as there is alwayes in the world, a &s;ort of indi&s;creet men, who take as much delight in talking of angry &s;ubjects, as others doe in plea&s;ing; there was a man among&s;t them, who having a mind to perplex the&s;e two Ladyes, began to talk before them concerning <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and his ab&s;ence, asking aloud, whether any knew the cau&s;e? <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> both began to blu&s;h; one out of anger, the other out of mode&s;ty: and &s;ince the que&s;tion was addre&s;&s;ed rather unto <HI>Amestris,</HI> than any el&s;e, &s;he an&s;wered, that it was &s;o long &s;ince <HI>Aglatidas</HI> went from <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> that &s;hee knew nothing of his de&s;ignes, but perhaps (&s;aid &s;hee, and turned towards <HI>Anati&s;a)</HI> this faire one can better inform you; I cannot tell whether it was her crueltie to him which wee mu&s;t accu&s;e for the lo&s;&s;e of &s;o gallant a man, &s;ince it is to be thought her rigour bani&s;ht him, and drive him unto de&s;pair. <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> was &s;o nettled at this crafty rallary of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that &s;hee an&s;wered in &s;uch a faint tone, as did apparently manife&s;t, &s;hee knew her cruelty was not the cau&s;e of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> his ab&s;ence. And &s;ince &s;hee was not ignorant, that all the world knew it was <HI>Aglatidas</HI> who quitted her; &s;hee made no &s;ecret of it; but looking upon <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> however, &s;aid &s;he, you are obliged unto mee for taking the heart of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> from you, &s;ince he was &s;o uncon&s;tant as to breake off your chaines, and enter into mine. But, re|plyed <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;ince it is alwayes the good intention, which &s;ets the value upon any good office, I be&s;eech you<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> pardon mee, if I doe not thank you for it, &s;ince I know you had not any &s;uch complacentiall humor towards me in doing it. I do confe&s;&s;e, &s;aid <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> I did not intend to oblige you by it: confe&s;&s;e al&s;o, replyed <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that you have no cau&s;e to vaunt of a conque&s;t which you kept &s;o &s;hort a time: however, &s;ince <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> per|haps cares neither for you nor me, I think we have done him a great deale of favour to &s;peak &s;o long concerning him: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;poke this after &s;uch a manner as did much &s;ur|pri&s;e <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> who thought that &s;he was a little too tart again&s;t <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> con&s;idering how &s;he had lived with him heretofore: and &s;he could not think that <HI>Oltanus,</HI> could recompence &s;uch a lo&s;s, and &s;o &s;he went home with an unquiet minde. This was the cour&s;e of life which <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> led for a while: but &s;hortly after <HI>Oltanus</HI> &s;eeing &s;uch a great concour&s;e of vi&s;itants, and ob&s;erving there was many which addre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves unto him much more compla|centially then u&s;uall; he conceived their extraordinary care, and complements to plea&s;e and divert him, was done unto him rather as the husband of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> then out of any affection to him&s;elf, &s;o that his perplexities of mind were higher then ever: he did not intend to &s;ig|nify as much openly, yet do what he would, it was pre&s;ently perceived: he received the ci|vilities done unto him after a con&s;train'd manner; &amp; made but hollow returnes, &amp; contrary to his cu&s;tome, he kept home &s;o-con&s;tantly; that in a few dayes his jealou&s;ie was knowne unto all the world, and more notice taken of it, then when <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> would not bee &s;eene: for then they did but &s;u&s;pect him to be jealous, but now they made no que|&s;tion of it: his lookes, his words, his actions, and all his re&s;tle&s;&s;e agitations were apparent and convincing proofes of the &s;ecret turbulencyes of his heart: and &s;ince commonly dome&s;tique &s;ervants are the &s;pies which reveale the &s;ecrets of their Ma&s;ters unto all the world; it was knowne by the &s;ervants of <HI>Oltanus,</HI> that never any came unto his hou&s;e, but he asked his Porter, who came to enquire for his wife? whether they were there then? whether he came alone? how long he &s;tayed? and a hundred &s;uch que&s;tions, which cau&s;ed more rumours of his jealou&s;ie then ever: he began to &s;hew &s;ome &s;ignes of his angui&s;h to <HI>Amestris,</HI> who made her complaints of it unto <HI>Artemon,</HI> who alwayes did very much e&s;teeme her, de&s;iring him to know of <HI>Oltanus</HI> what it was which troubled his minde, a&s;&s;uring him, that if his minde did alter, an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> that he did not think it good, &s;he &s;hould frequent the world any longer, &s;he would obey him, and retire againe with abundance of joy: <HI>Artemon</HI> did promi&s;e her to know what the matter was: but &s;ince he could not give his con&s;ent or advice, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;hould be mued up againe, hee would take another way: and remembering that <HI>Oltanus</HI> to prevent all reports of his jealou&s;ie, re&s;olved to permit his wife to entertaine all the
<PB N="259" REF="320">
Gallants of <HI>Ecbatan;</HI> hee thought that by telling him againe how his way of behaviour had expo&s;ed him to the &s;ame misfortune, hee would correct him&s;elfe the &s;econd time. But yet it did not; for as &s;oon as <HI>Artemon</HI> told him that his daily keeping home with his wife; his extraordinary curio&s;ity to know what every one &s;aid of him; and who came to &s;ee her when he was abroad; &s;uch things as the&s;e had got him the &s;ame reputation he had before, when <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did not expo&s;e her &s;elfe unto the world: &s;ince it is &s;o (&s;aid he unto him, in a very angry tone) that whether <HI>Amestris</HI> frequent company or not, I mu&s;t bee looked upon as a jealous man, my be&s;t cour&s;e is to rid my hou&s;e of all company, &s;ince it is continually &s;tuff'd with a number of idle and flattering fellows, who &s;pend their time in telling tales, and talking nothing but vanity. <HI>Artemon,</HI> was &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed to heare <HI>Oltanus</HI> &s;ay &s;o, that two contrary thoughts came into phan&s;is almo&s;t at one time: for he could hardly forbeare laughing at the phanta&s;ticall humour of <HI>Oltanus,</HI> and yet he could not chu&s;e but bee extreamely &s;orry, to &s;ee what per&s;cution was towards <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> hee u&s;ed all his Rhetorick to bring the heart of <HI>Oltanus</HI> unto rea&s;on, but could not. For deferring it no longer then the very &s;ame night, Madam, &s;aid <HI>Oltanus</HI> unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I am well plea&s;ed with your complacency in quieting your &s;olitude at my reque&s;t: but &s;ince I finde you have pa&s;&s;ed from one extreame unto another, and &s;ince you did but force your &s;elfe to frequent Company, I &s;hall take it kindely if you follow your owne inclinati|on, and retire your &s;elfe from all Company again: Sir (&s;aid &s;hee unto him with much joy in her face) you doe a very notable favour in relea&s;ing me from that trouble which I put my &s;elfe unto, by obeying you before: But Sir, that it may be carryed more hand&s;omly, I conceive it would doe very well, to make a journey into the Countrey, to the end that at my returne, I may a&s;&s;ume my &s;olitude under a pretence of not being accu&s;tomed unto the Countrey. <HI>Oltanus</HI> wondered that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;hould &s;o willingly deprive her &s;elfe of all the good company, and gallantry which &s;he &s;aw; and in lieu of being well &s;atisfyed, with it, hee grew more re&s;erved, and unquiet, in &s;o much as hee thought of changing his minde againe; yet notwith&s;tanding he tooke her at her word, and within two dayes af|ter they went into the Countrey, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> carrying her deare <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> with her, to comfort her in all her &s;orrowes: <HI>Artemon</HI> hearing of <HI>Oltanus</HI> his de&s;igne, came to him with intentions to divert him, but he could not po&s;&s;ibly; and about two dayes after <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> not bidding adieu unto any, went into the Country, with intention if &s;he could not returne of a long time, as well, that &s;he might more conveniently enjoy her &s;olitude, as al&s;o the better to hide, if &s;he could, the phanta&s;ticall humours of her husband. Shee went with &s;ome kinde of joy; but as for <HI>Oltanus,</HI> change of aire did not change his humour: for although he &s;aw <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was not only as complacentiall as any vertuous wife ought to be unto her husband, but al&s;o was as obedient unto him as any &s;lave could be, (though &s;hee could not be &s;o tender of him as if &s;he had e&s;teemed and loved him) yet he was not &s;atisfi|ed with her, and all her re&s;pects of him did rather incen&s;e than plea&s;e him. It was therefore but a melancholly voyage which they made; yet when they were come unto the end of their journey, and &s;etled, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was at a little more re&s;t, for <HI>Oltanus</HI> did pa&s;s away many of his melancholly houres by walking in a great wood behinde the hou&s;e, &s;o that &s;hee had more freedome to talk with her dear <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> and di&s;cour&s;e often concerning <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> &s;hee did at the fir&s;t make &s;ome &s;cruple of it, and re&s;olved never to &s;peak more of him as long as &s;he lived; but con&s;idering that her affection to him was innocent, and ever &s;hould be, &s;ince &s;he re&s;olved never to &s;ee him again, &s;he thought to pre&s;erve the te&s;timonies of his affection in her memory, which indeed &s;he could not po&s;&s;ibly forget; but notwith&s;tanding all her tenderne&s;s towards <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> &s;he determined to burn all tho&s;e Letters of his which &s;he had in keeping. <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> and &s;he di&s;cour&s;ing one day upon this &s;ubject, and being wil|ling to give them their la&s;t &s;urvay before &s;he committed them unto the flame, &s;he opened her clo&s;et to take them out, but could not find a little Cabinet in which they were: &s;he was &s;o much &s;urpri&s;ed at it, that &s;he was not able to &s;peak unto <HI>Mena&s;ta:</HI> in the mean while &s;he &s;earch'd all about her Clo&s;et, &amp; all in vain: then &s;he asked one of her &s;ervants, who was ever very faithful, whether <HI>Oltanus</HI> did at any time come there? &amp; was an&s;wered no; afterwards &s;he ask'd her if &s;he knew what became of the Cabinet, which &s;he thought &s;he had put up when &s;he came from <HI>Ecbatan?</HI> &amp; &s;he an&s;wer'd, that &s;he &s;aw it upon the table of her clo&s;et at <HI>Ecbat&punc;</HI> but knew no further what &s;he had done with it. <HI>Ame&s;t.</HI> then recalling into her me|mory all that &s;he did before her coming away remembred how &s;he intended to put it up, &amp; <HI>Oltanus</HI> coming in, &s;he cover'd it with her hood upon the table, re&s;olving to pack it up
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when he was gone, and &s;o &s;hee concluded, that &s;hee left it there upon the table. But after <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had con&s;idered that <HI>Oltanus</HI> was with her, and her women had the keyes of her Clo&s;et, &s;hee was in le&s;&s;e feare: yet at night <HI>Oltanus</HI> told her that hee mu&s;t returne unto <HI>Ecbata</HI> upon &s;ome important bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; at which &s;he blu&s;h'd and looked upon <HI>Mena&s;ta.</HI> I &s;ee (&s;aid this jealous husband in mocking kinde of rallari<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">) that you envy my well-being. Pardon me Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, but indeed I had much rather you remained here then go unto <HI>Ecbatan:</HI> however it be, an&s;wered he, I perceive that my journey is not indifferent unto you: but your blu&s;hes imply either &s;orrow or joy at it. Certainly the rea&s;on of it is (&s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> and laughed, to the end &s;he might break off this di&s;cour&s;e) becau&s;e &s;he imagines that you will have her returne with you. and becau&s;e &s;he is &s;orry to leave a place &s;o &s;oone which plea&s;eth her. <HI>Oltanus</HI> did not reply unto this, farther than &s;ome muttering words which were not under&s;tood, but did go away to <HI>Ecbatan</HI> very &s;ad: for though he left his wife in a very &s;olitary place, yet was he very unquiet in his minde, and could not for his heart interpret the blu&s;h of <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> nor why &s;he &s;hould look &s;o upon <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> who, from that time, he &s;u&s;pected, though he knew not for what. In the mean time, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was not a little troubled that <HI>Oltanus</HI> &s;hould goe unto that place where tho&s;e things were, which hee feared hee would come unto the &s;ight of: &s;hee knew not what to re&s;olve upon; for &s;ince all the dome&s;tique &s;ervants were &s;o many &s;pies upon her actions, &s;he dur&s;t not attempt to &s;uborne one of them, and tru&s;t him with the keyes of her Clo&s;et, to take out that little Cabinet which &s;o much troubled her: nor could &s;he imagine whether <HI>Oltanus</HI> would break it open, therefore &s;he re&s;olved to put it to the hazard. <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> was per&s;wading her to move her husband, that he would de&s;ire him to carry her with him; but <HI>Oltanus</HI> prevented her, and &s;aid that his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was &s;o urgent and ha&s;ty, that hee could not goe in Coach; &s;o that hee went him&s;elfe, and left <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> exceedingly troubled; and certainly not without cau&s;e; for as &s;oone as <HI>Oltanus</HI> came home, hee had a phan&s;ie to make a &s;trict &s;earch in the Chamber of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> The hou&s;e|keeper opened all the doores but onely of that Clo&s;et, of which hee &s;aid hee had not the key. Then <HI>Oltanus,</HI> pretending to take &s;omething out which he would keep for <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> he broke open the doore, and went in onely with a &s;ervant of his, called <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> whom he tru&s;ted with all his &s;ecrets: hee &s;earched in all the drawers and boxes in the Clo&s;et, hee lifted up all the hangings, and looked in every corner: hee was ready to goe out againe very well &s;atisfied that hee found not what he &s;ought for; but <HI>Dinocrates</HI> lifting up the hood upon the table, hee found this little Cabinet, in which were the Letters of <HI>Aglatidas. Dinocrates</HI> cryed out as if hee had found &s;ome great Trea&s;ure, and <HI>Oltanus</HI> coming towards him with a panting heart, tooke it, and opened it with all ha&s;t and violence: But oh Heavens! when he &s;aw the Letters and the names of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> upon them, hee was in &s;uch a fury at it, that it was a whole houre before hee read them: yet at la&s;t hee began, but was &s;o much tran&s;ported, that hee knew not what hee read: hee &s;ent immediately unto <HI>Artemon,</HI> who coming pre&s;ently unto him, &s;ee, &s;aid hee, whether I have not rea&s;on to be troubled! then hee told him how he broke open the Clo&s;et, and how he found the Letters, and gave him one of the Letters which hee had found: <HI>Artemon</HI> perceiving it was writ while&s;t <HI>Artambares</HI> the Father of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> lived, and when it was thought <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;hould have marryed her, told him, that hee could not finde any fault at all in <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> for this: How (re|plyed <HI>Oltanus)</HI> do you think her innocent in keeping Letters of gallantry and court&s;hip, after &s;hee was marryed? No no, <HI>Artemon,</HI> &s;aid hee, &s;hee cannot excu&s;e it, for &s;hee that would keep the Letters of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> would doubtle&s;&s;e keep the affection of her heart for him al&s;o. Then he &s;hewed him that Letter which <HI>Aglatidas</HI> writ at his departure: here, &s;aid he, is it which &s;peaks me the mo&s;t unhappy in the world: I doe but too well &s;ee the cau&s;e of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> her being &s;o re&s;erved. <HI>Artemon</HI> perceiving that the Letter was writ &s;ince the marriage of <HI>Oltanus,</HI> and that con&s;equently there mu&s;t needes be a corre&s;pondency betweene them, was &s;ilent a long while, and could not &s;peak a word; meane while, <HI>Oltanus</HI> talked fa&s;ter then a man that was not jealous could thinke in a whole day. But at la&s;t, <HI>Artemon</HI> &s;topping the fury of his frivilous lan|guage; Is this all the Crime of <HI>Amestris</HI> (&s;aid hee unto him?) if it bee, you are not &s;o unhappy as you talk of; for I cannot finde by any circum&s;tance in the Letter, but that &s;ince <HI>Aglatidas</HI> prepares him&s;elfe to bee mi&s;erable, it is
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<HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> which hath bani&s;hed him: Moreover doe you not &s;ee that none knowes the cau&s;e of his departure? therefore I mu&s;t needs thinke the vertue of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to merit much commendation: I can conceive no &s;uch thing, Replyed hee, for it was the duty of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to refu&s;e all manner of Love-Letters, &s;ince &s;he was my wife, much le&s;&s;e ought &s;he to keepe them. <HI>Artemon</HI> u&s;ed all his arguments to excu&s;e <HI>Amestris,</HI> but all would not appea&s;e <HI>Oltanus,</HI> who without any thoughts of his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, which brought him to the Town, returned into the Countrey the very next morning; however, <HI>Artemon</HI> would not leave him but whether he would or no went with him. In the meane while <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> was full of Feares, and when &s;hee &s;aw him, returned &s;o unexpectedly before it was po&s;&s;ible he could di&s;patch the bu|&s;ine&s;s he went about, her heart drooped, &amp; wanted but a little of falling into a &s;ound. As &s;oone as <HI>Oltanus</HI> lighted from his Hor&s;e, though <HI>Artemon</HI> would have hindred him, yet he went &s;trait unto the Chamber of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and comming to him in a mo&s;t uncivill fury, Madam &s;aid he unto her, you are beholding to mee for bringing you &s;o quickly, that which doubtle&s;&s;e you forget, and left at <HI>Ecbatan;</HI> and in &s;aying &s;o, he threw upon the Table all the Letters of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> I leave you to imagine what operation the &s;ight of the&s;e had upon the heart of <HI>Ame|&s;tris:</HI> yet &s;ince &s;he knew her &s;elfe not &s;o culpable as <HI>Oltanus</HI> thought her, &s;hee recollected her Con&s;tancie, and without any great dauntedne&s;&s;e, Sir, &s;aid &s;hee unto him &s;ince you know it was my Fathers Command upon me, to look upon <HI>Agla|tidas,</HI> as one who &s;hould afterwards be my husband, me thinkes you &s;hould not thinke it &s;trange that I &s;hould receive Letters from him: but the la&s;t of the&s;e Letters, replyed hee, admits not of that excu&s;e: &s;o that though you were not faulty in receiving the fir&s;t, yet it was an unan&s;werable Crime to keepe them any longer, or to receive the la&s;t. I doe confe&s;&s;e, &s;aid &s;hee, that I was not &s;oe prudent as I might have beene, in not burning them, when I re&s;olved to marry you; but truly the Crime is not &s;o great as you apprehend it; and as for this la&s;t Letter received, &s;ince, indeed it was impo&s;&s;ible for me not to receive it, yet I can a&s;&s;ure you that I did never returne any an&s;wer unto it, and that it was not in my power to &s;end it back unto <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> However, replyed hee, it &s;eemes hee is much in your favour. Sir, &s;aid &s;hee unto him, give me leave to tell you onely two things for the &s;atisfaction of your minde: The one is, that I &s;hall never &s;ee <HI>Aglatidas</HI> againe: And the other, that I will never receive any more Letters from him, nor &s;hall hee from mee. It &s;eemes to mee (&s;aid <HI>Artemon,</HI> who was pre&s;ent at this angry conference) that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> does offer more than is rea&s;on; for knowing her ver|tue as you may do, although &s;he &s;hould &s;ee a man who was in love with her; yet there is no nece&s;&s;ity you &s;hould be troubled at it. But how can I be a&s;&s;ured (&s;aid <HI>Oltanus</HI> to <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> not harkning unto <HI>Artemon)</HI> of this which you tell me? Sir, an&s;wered &s;he, you may leave me here, and not let me goe to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> where <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> perhaps, may hereafter be. Solitude (reply'd he, and &s;hoke his head) is very fit for &s;ecret meetings. Then carry me to the town (an&s;wered &s;he) that all the world may eie my actions, &amp; all the world may know (reply'd he all in fury) your crime and my misfortune. But, who was it which brought you this la&s;t Letter? one who was (unknown to me an&s;wered &s;he, having no mind to bring the name of <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> in que&s;tion) where is <HI>Aglatidas</HI> at this pre&s;ent, asked <HI>Oltanus?</HI> I know not, replyed &s;he, for I hold no intelligence with him, nor enquire of his being. And why, &s;aid he unto her, did you marry me, &s;ince you loved <HI>Aglatidas?</HI> I thought (an&s;wered <HI>Amestris)</HI> that my preferring you before all others, would have obliged you not to u&s;e me as you doe: I thought, &s;aid he, that though you did not love me, yet you would have loved your own honour, and done nothing unworthy of your &s;elfe. Truly, &s;aid <HI>Artemon,</HI> me thinkes all the&s;e pro|mi&s;es, which <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> hath made &s;hould &s;atisfie you: &s;he &s;aith &s;he wil never &s;ee <HI>Agla|tidas</HI> againe; &s;he will never receive any Letters from him, nor &s;hall he from her, and what would you more? I would have had her not to have received this la&s;t Letter, reply'd he, nor have kept any of the re&s;t, for they are certaine te&s;timonies, &s;he is no hater of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> nor ever will be a lover of mee, and by con&s;equence I mu&s;t be alwayes in feare. Sir, reply'd <HI>Amestris,</HI> I be&s;eech you know this, that though I were an inveterate hater of you, and did love <HI>Aglatidas</HI> as well as I doe my &s;elfe,
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yet would I never &s;peake to him againe, and the more tender I were of him, the more circum&s;pect would I be to avoid meeting with him, therefore if it be po&s;&s;ible, let your minde be at re&s;t concerning that matter, and leave me here. It is not an ea&s;ie matter, replyed he, for that man whom you have made for ever mi&s;erable, to leave you here, what then would you have her doe? &s;aid <HI>Artemon;</HI> I know not, replyed he &s;harply, but untill I be better re&s;olved, I doe intend that <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> who is Cou&s;in to <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and doubtle&s;&s;e his Confident, &s;hall pre&s;ently returne to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;ee her no more. Sir, &s;aid &s;he, I be&s;eech you doe not wrong a Lady of her Quality and Nature &s;o much; augment, if it be po&s;&s;ible your force again&s;t me, but be not uncivill towards her, yet if it be your plea&s;ure that I mu&s;t &s;ee her no more, let her returne to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> &s;ome few dayes hence upon another pretence: I doe under&s;tand you very well, &s;aid he unto her, you have a minde before you part with her, to con&s;ult and agree which way you may receive &s;ome intelligence from <HI>Aglatidas.</HI> Sir, replyed &s;hee, if <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and I were upon any termes of intelligence twixt each other, why &s;hould hee bee at &s;uch a re|mote di&s;tance from hence? I can &s;ay nothing to you, replyed hee angerly, but that you will drive me out of my Rea&s;on, and my Life. <HI>Artemon</HI> &s;eeing that all <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> could &s;ay, did rather exa&s;perate than appea&s;e him, did get him out of her Chamber almo&s;t by force, yet being prompt unto it by his Jealous thoughts, hee would not leave the Letters of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> with her; neither would hee burne them, thinking that while&s;t he kept them in his hands, he &s;hould keep her better within compa&s;&s;e of her duty; hee tooke them up then, and kept them as carefully as the deare&s;t thing in the world, and looking upon <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> with in&s;ufferable in&s;olency; I hope you will permit me Madam, &s;aid he unto her, to keep them now as well as you have done: I permit it with all patience, &s;aid &s;he, for there is no mi&s;ery which my minde is not prepared for. After he was gone out from <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> he would by all meanes goe unto <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> who was not well that day, and kept her Chamber, but <HI>Artemon</HI> di&s;&s;waded him, and u&s;ed &s;uch Arguments, as moved him that <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> &s;hould not return &s;o &s;odainly, but could not per&s;wade to let her &s;tay long with <HI>Ame|&s;tris:</HI> yet doe what <HI>Artemon</HI> could, he would needs change all her women, and every Servant which waited on her. It was as much as <HI>Artemon</HI> could doe, to keep <HI>Olta|nus</HI> from u&s;ing <HI>Amestris</HI> ill, or from taking up &s;ome odde de&s;perate re&s;olution. Yet was he much puzzled in making the choyce of a place to dwell in: for though he thought the Countrey a more convenient place then any other to ob&s;erve the acti|ons of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> yet &s;ince his occa&s;ions would often call him from thence, hee thought that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> might &s;ee him in his ab&s;ence more ea&s;ily, and perhaps carry her away, for his fore&s;ight was alwayes very ingenuous to torment him&s;elfe. More|over he was per&s;waded, and that with good rea&s;on, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;eemed faire in the eyes of all that looked upon her, &s;o that he was not onely in feare of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> but his neere&s;t kindred; and his very be&s;t friends were not priviledged from his Jea|lou&s;ie; <HI>Artemon</HI> him&s;elfe &s;caped not: and if he put any difference between him and others, it was in his expre&s;&s;ions of le&s;&s;e Bitterne&s;&s;e, and <HI>Artemons</HI> &s;uffering with more Patience, and le&s;&s;e Malice than others who delighted in per&s;ecuting him. But the time came, that <HI>Menasta</HI> mu&s;t returne to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and that <HI>Artemon</HI> accompa|nyed her; the parting of the&s;e two friends, was the &s;adder, becau&s;e they could not confer in private together about one &s;hort quarter of an houre, though <HI>Artemon</HI> did all he could to procure them that Con&s;olation: This generous friend at his de|parture from <HI>Oltanus,</HI> made him promi&s;e not to &s;peake any more unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> concerning <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and that he would live better with her, otherwi&s;e him&s;elfe in particular would complaine of him. Moreover, &s;ince he conceived that <HI>Amestris</HI> would fare better at <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> though &s;hee &s;aw no body then in the Countrey, where &s;hee &s;hould &s;ee her angry husband continually, he addre&s;&s;ed his di&s;cour&s;e &s;o han&s;omly unto him, that by his ju&s;tifying <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;o much, he gave him &s;ome &s;ubject of feare that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> would not &s;o &s;oone make any attempts of &s;eeing her in the Towne, as in the Countrey; Not that I &s;u&s;pect, &s;aid he unto him, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> would ever contribute any thing unto it, but yet you know that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> did mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionately love her, and does not yet hate her: &s;o that &s;eeing you more happie than him|&s;elfe,
<PB N="263" REF="322">
que&s;tionle&s;&s;e he will &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eke out wayes to make his &s;ufferings knowne unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> therefore if you will hearken unto me, carry her back to <HI>Ecbatan. Oltanus</HI> at the fir&s;t, did thinke this propo&s;ition rea&s;onable, but immediately after he di&s;ap|proved of it, and <HI>Artemon</HI> departed with <HI>Menasta,</HI> not knowing whether <HI>Oltanus</HI> would live in the Countrey alwayes, or returne to the Towne, and indeed <HI>Oltanus</HI> him&s;elfe was unre&s;olved what to doe. Meane time, the unexpected &s;udden returne of <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> made a great noi&s;e, and the Hou&s;hold &s;ervants divulging the cau&s;e of it, the Jealou&s;ie of <HI>Oltanus</HI> made a fre&s;h rumour in the world: Moreover, <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> having a &s;ervant who was Si&s;ter unto <HI>Denocrates,</HI> the Page and confident of <HI>Oltanus,</HI> &s;he came to know by her meanes, that the Letters of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> were found in the Clo&s;et of <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> &s;o that <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> entring into a new fury again&s;t her, vented a hundred malitious tales, which in conclu&s;ion turned again&s;t her &s;elfe, for &s;he &s;poke with &s;uch Animo&s;ity, that though &s;he &s;poke &s;ome truths, yet when&s;oever &s;he &s;poke again&s;t <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;he was no more believed than if they had beeneall Lyes. Meane while <HI>Oltanus</HI> was very bu&s;ie in guarding all the Advenues of his hou&s;e: If hee chanced to &s;pie a Pea&s;ant in the woods, he pre&s;ently imagined him to be <HI>Aglatidas</HI> di&s;gui&s;ed: If he &s;aw any of the Servants of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> talke with any that he knew not, he would know their bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and what they &s;aid, and &s;u&s;pected they brought &s;ome Letters from <HI>Aglatidas</HI> to their Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e: to the end &s;he &s;hould not currupt any of her women by any gifts, he tooke an exact Catalogue of all her Jewells, and kept it him&s;elfe, often viewing them to &s;ee whether they were all there. He &s;earched every cranny, where he could imagine &s;he could hide any Letters; and it might very well be &s;aid, that notwith&s;tanding all her Per&s;ecutions, yet hee made him&s;elfe more mi&s;erable then her; he looked upon her with eyes &s;o full of tormenting Jealou&s;ie, that &s;he might cleerly &s;ee the re&s;tle&s;&s;ene&s;&s;e of his Soule: In the meane time, he was forced to returne to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> upon &s;ome urgent occa&s;ions, and carryed her with him, not daring to leave her alone in that place. For though he did not know where <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was, yet he &s;u&s;pected him to be lurking in &s;ome place neere hand, watching for an opportunity to vi&s;it her, when he did at any time goe from her. At her returne to the Towne, he limitted her unto &s;uch per&s;ons, as he allowed her to &s;ee there: and principally charged her not to admit of any &s;uch as made Gallantry, their Profe&s;&s;ion, who Coached away their time from Street to Street, from Company to Company, onely to talke the &s;ame things over and over againe: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> with unequalled patience did, without murmure, as he de|&s;ired, and did not &s;ee &s;o much as <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> but in private, by the meanes of <HI>Ar|temon.</HI> But &s;ince it was the delight and de&s;ire of all rea&s;onable men to &s;ee her, doe what &s;he could, they &s;ought her out in the Temples; they followed her in the Streets, and found her &s;ometimes in the hou&s;es of three or foure whom &s;he was per|mitted to vi&s;it. Now as there was ever a &s;ort of men who loved to delight them|&s;elves, without any regard of prejudicing others; &s;o there was one man among the re&s;t called <HI>Tharpis,</HI> who to puni&s;h <HI>Oltanus</HI> for his jealou&s;ie, did augment it as much as he could: So that <HI>Amestris</HI> never went out, but he had Spies to watch whither &s;hee went, that hee might follow. As often as <HI>Oltanus</HI> went out or came in, he alwayes ob&s;erved &s;ome of <HI>Tharpis</HI> his officers, keeping watch at the corner of a Street next his hou&s;e, &s;o that he became as Jealous of <HI>Tharpis</HI> as of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and to &s;ay truly, he was Jealous of all the world as well as of him. When <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was not well, it was alwayes &s;aid at the dore of her Lodging, &s;he was &s;o extreamely ill, that none could be admitted to &s;ee her, and when <HI>Oltanus</HI> was ill, he al&s;o was &s;aid to be &s;o ill, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> could not leave him; &s;o that when either of them was the lea&s;t out of temper, it was carryed &s;o, as if they were at the la&s;t ga&s;p: if any one &s;poke unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> in a low voice, he would afterwards ask them both &s;everally what they &s;aid, and that in &s;uch an odde manner, as it was impo&s;&s;ible to forbeare laughing. This was the life of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> untill the death of <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> who as you know, died part|ly of &s;orrow for the taking away of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana.</HI> Which in a few dayes after <HI>Ciaxanes</HI> was come to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> to take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the <HI>Medean</HI> Crowne, and the Court would be very full: <HI>Oltanus</HI> imagining that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> might per|haps returne to &s;ee the new King, he carryed <HI>Amestris</HI> into the Countrey, though
<PB N="264" REF="323">
it had been more fit for him to returne to the Towne if he had been there: But as his re&s;olutions were commonly contrary to all rea&s;on or hand&s;omene&s;&s;e, &s;o he went out of <HI>Ecbatan</HI> when all the world came in: therefore when you Sir came thither with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> &s;he was not there, but as &s;oone as you were gone to the <HI>Armenian</HI> Warre, he then returned with her, though with no intentions to u&s;e her any better, but lived after the &s;ame manner I have told you, untill &s;uch time as it was knowne that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was in the Army, and gracious both with you and <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> This newes begot two contrary apprehen&s;ions in him: for he was glad to heare <HI>Aglati|das</HI> was &s;o farre from <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> but very ill plea&s;ed with the honours which the King and you were plea&s;ed to conferre upon him; in &s;o much as though every Letter, which came from the Army, &s;poke in high commendations of his valour, yet <HI>Ame|&s;tris</HI> dur&s;t not &s;o much enquire of any newes in generall, nor of the warre, becau&s;e he would be apt to imagine her end was to heare <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;poke of. But after the Governour of the Province of <HI>Are&s;antines</HI> was dead, he was very de&s;irous to im|ploy all his friends, to obtaine of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> the Government thereof for him&s;elfe, be|cau&s;e all the e&s;tate of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> which was very great, did lye in that Province: yet &s;ince he knew nothing could be obtained from <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> but by your mediation, hee would not make any addre&s;&s;e unto any who were Loved, or Lo|vers of <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> Al&s;o, &s;ince he had neglected that duty which a man of his Quality ought unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> at his entrance to the Crowne, and &s;ince his Jealou&s;ie kept him from following the Warre, as his birth obliged him, &s;o hee had not confidence enough to aske this favour, and much le&s;&s;e hopes to obtaine it, though hee &s;hould aske it: But a while after he received a Pacquet, which was no &s;mall amazement to him, for he found in it that you had &s;ent him the government of that Province from <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> At the fir&s;t he was extreamly joyed, and though he knew not from whence this good &s;hould proceed, nor could gue&s;&s;e at the truth, yet he imagined it to come from the Kings di&s;po&s;ition onely: &s;o that he pub|li&s;hed it with joy, declaring that this honour was conferred upon him, though he em|ployed none, nor made any interce&s;&s;ion for it: All the Towne, upon this, did make their complementall addre&s;&s;es to him: and he permitted <HI>Amestris</HI> to entertaine all tho&s;e who would vi&s;it her. But within three dayes after this fir&s;t newes of joy, he received others which were as vexatious as the other was plea&s;ing: for an old Of|ficer in the hou&s;hold of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> who was of his acquaintance, &s;ent unto him and told him he conceived it expedient he &s;hould return &s;ome thanks unto <HI>Aglatidas</HI> for the honour which he had received from him, &s;ince it was only by his meditation he obtai|ned it, intimating afterwards, your zeale Sir, in his behalf, at the reque&s;t of <HI>Aglatidas.</HI> When <HI>Oltanus</HI> received this Letter, he was in the chamber of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> in which was much company; and becau&s;e it was known that it came from the Army, every one did draw neer at the reading of it, to heare &s;ome newes, and he was contented to &s;atisfy them: But in his reading what I have told you, he changed colour about twenty times, and every one thought that either <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was dead, or el&s;e the government newly conferred upon was taken away againe. Every one asked him what ill news? for they imagined by his lookes it could not be any good: but his an&s;wer was, that he had received an account of &s;ome private bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which did not plea&s;e him well, and indeed it was ea&s;ily perceived, for &s;o much di&s;content appeared in his eyes, that <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> who knew him very well, did imagine &s;omething be&s;ides his jealou&s;ie, was a cau&s;e of his di&s;order, yet &s;he could not gue&s;s what it was, but thought that per|haps &s;ome had &s;ent him intelligence <HI>Aglatidas</HI> would ere long returne to <HI>Ecbatan:</HI> however, he made &s;uch a vi&s;ible te&s;timony of his di&s;content to all the company, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> withdrew: &s;ome came unto him, who had not yet made their com|plementall addre&s;&s;es unto him, as Governour; but he received them &s;o &s;cu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">vily, that they conceived them&s;elves injured; and had he not been known to be a jealous man, and by con&s;equence phanta&s;ticall, tho&s;e men con&s;idering his extravagant behaviour towards them, had quarrelled with him: but they made a &s;hort vi&s;it, and left him to the liberty of his halfe-mad humours: As good luck was, <HI>Artemon</HI> came in before he &s;poke with <HI>Amestris,</HI> after the company was gone out: if hee had not, perhaps hee would have u&s;ed extreame violence towards her.</P>
<P><PB N="265" REF="323">
As &s;oon as <HI>Ottanus</HI> &s;aw <HI>Artemon,</HI> here (&s;aid hee unto him and gave him the letter which hee had received) &s;ee whether I had not rea&s;on to beleeve that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> have been alwaies very kind one to another: <HI>Artemon</HI> tooke the Letter and read it, but fin|ding not a word in it conduced to what <HI>Ottanus</HI> talked of, nor any thing el&s;e but that <HI>A|glatidas</HI> had obtained for him the Government of <HI>Ari&s;ontine</HI> Province, which hee &s;o much de&s;ired&punc; how is it po&s;&s;ible, &s;aid hee unto him, that your rea&s;on and mine &s;hould bee &s;o oppo&s;ite? Why, an&s;wered <HI>Ottanus,</HI> is it not as cleere as day that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> hath written &s;ecretly unto <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> that I de&s;ired this Government, and that it would bee an excel|lent expedient to reconcile mee unto him, and would bee a meanes to let mee permit him the &s;ight of her if hee obtained it? No &s;uch thing, an&s;wered <HI>Artemon,</HI> but I am confident of the contrarie, that a Crowne were not able to induce <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to permit <HI>Aglatidas</HI> the &s;ight of her, or a vi&s;ite unto you, and con&s;equently I mu&s;t conclude that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had no hand in it, and that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> did it out of pure genero&s;itie, becau&s;e hee hates you not, as you doe him. You are &s;o much devoted to excu&s;e <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;aid bee very angrylie, that I beleeve there are few crimes which you would not ab&s;olve her of if &s;hee &s;hould commit them: It is very true replyed <HI>Artemon,</HI> that I am &s;trongly per&s;waded of her virtue, and mo&s;t true al&s;o, that to puni&s;h one for thoughts which hee had in the bottom of a heart, were to entrench too much upon the priviledge of the gods, for they only can truly know them. However it bee, &s;aid <HI>Ottanus,</HI> I will never accept of any thing as a gift from a man whom I would pi&s;toll. How, &s;aid <HI>Artemon,</HI> being much amazed, will you refu&s;e the Government which you accepted of, and after you have received the complements and congratulations of all the Towne who came to rejoyce with you? Yes, &s;aid hee, I will refu&s;e it, and render thanks unto the gods, that I neede not write any letters of thanks un|to <HI>Clarans</HI> for his fine honor conferred upon mee: But what can you &s;ay unto tho&s;e who came to &s;ee you, replyed <HI>Artemon,</HI> if any doe meete mee, &s;aid hee, and urge mee for any rea&s;ons of my actions, I will tell them I cannot endure <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;hould love <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and that I am more generous then to receive a benefit from my enemy, or that hee &s;hould tryumph over the heart of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> which &s;hould bee only mine; yet are you not afraid to offend <HI>Cyaxares</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> by it (&s;aid <HI>Artemon.)</HI> No an&s;wered hee, I feare nothing &s;o much as to bee oblieged by <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> but why doe I terme it oblieged? I may rather &s;ay wronged, for what greater injury could hee doe mee then this? Had hee written unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and &s;ent her any Jewels, or had &s;hee an&s;wered him and returned her Picture, few then would have knowne it: But by this it is divulged throughout a whole kingdome, that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> in lieu of asking a Government for him&s;elfe, did aske it for a man who hates him, and hath married her hee loved and &s;till loves: hee might as well tell all the world, that by this hee doth recompence the husband for the favours which hee hath recei|ved from the wife; but I &s;hall take &s;uch orders as they &s;hall not accu&s;e mee of preferring any ambitious thoughts before my honour. Beleeve mee, &s;aid <HI>Artemon,</HI> you runne a greater hazard of your honour by refu&s;ing then by accepting of this Government: How|ever it bee, &s;aid hee in extreme fury, I had rather lo&s;e my honor, then receive any benefit from <HI>Aglatidas.</HI> When the benefits of an enemy, an&s;wered <HI>Artemon,</HI> may prejudice us, it is prudence to refu&s;e them, and it is more generous to obliege an enemy, then to bee ob|lieged; but &s;ince this benefit which <HI>Aglatidas</HI> confers upon you is not of that nature, and &s;ince you cannot refu&s;e it from the hand of a King, without ruine to your &s;elfe, and mo|ving all the world to mock you, I conceive you ought not to yeeld unto your pa&s;&s;ion but to overcome it. Pardon mee <HI>Otanus</HI> for u&s;ing &s;uch freedome of &s;peech, the extravagancy of your rea&s;on moves mee thinke I am oblieged unto it: were it not that I &s;ee you are not Jealous of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (replyed <HI>Ottanus</HI> with a forced &s;mile) I &s;hould thinke you in love with <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> Though you &s;hould think &s;o, replyd <HI>Artemon,</HI> I &s;hould not &s;o much wonder at it, as I do at your actions; And I doe confe&s;&s;e, that I cannot under&s;tand your de&s;igne in it. I would let all <HI>Medea</HI> know, &s;aid <HI>Ottanus,</HI> that I will not contribute any thing unto the follie of <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> Ah <HI>Ottanus,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Artemon,</HI> Let it be lea&s;t of your <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> that any &s;hould &s;u&s;pect any &s;uch thing; you have taken &s;uch &s;trickt order for that, as it can never be imputed to you. I will take a &s;tricter order then yet I have done, reply'd he: Which you can hardly doe, an&s;wered <HI>Artemon.</HI> You &s;hall &s;ee that e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">re long, replyed <HI>Otta|nus;</HI> and &s;hall confe&s;&s;e, that my honor is more deer unto me then any thing el&s;e. <HI>Arte|mon,</HI> fearing he had &s;ome &s;ecret ill de&s;igne again&s;t <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> urged him no further, but felt him, becau&s;e it was very late.</P>
<P>Hee was no &s;ooner gone, but <HI>Otanus</HI> went unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and vented as many expre&s;|&s;ions
<PB N="266" REF="324">
as furie, jealou&s;ie, and anger could invent, &s;he returning not one &s;harp reply, or know|ing the cau&s;e of his choller: for &s;ince he was fully per&s;waded &s;he knew <HI>Aglatidas</HI> had ob|tained the government for him, he expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf in &s;uch ob&s;cure enigma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s that &s;he could not under&s;tand either his injuries or his reproaches. After he had fretted and fumed away almo&s;t all the night in per&s;ecuting <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> he went out of her chamber unto his own, and would permit none to follow him but <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> who&s;e unworthy flatterie did be&s;t &s;uit with his inclination. He was no &s;ooner in his chamber, but he &s;ent orders to have his hor&s;es ready by break of day; and after he had pa&s;&s;ed over the remainder of the night in mo&s;t unconceiveable turbulencie of minde, as &s;oon as it was day he took hor&s;e, with|out any taking leave of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and went into the Country, to avoid the concour&s;e of company, not knowing what to &s;ay: But he was fully re&s;olved, rather to choo&s;e any death, then to accept of any thing <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;hould obtain for him.</P>
<P>However, the ab&s;ence of <HI>Ottanus</HI> gave a little more liberty unto <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> for her Spies were not &s;o &s;trict in their office, but &s;he had the comfort to &s;ee <HI>Mena&s;ta;</HI> and &s;he &s;aw <HI>Artemon</HI> al&s;o, who acquainted her with the cau&s;e of her husbands furie. But when &s;he was alone with her deer <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> &s;he did confe&s;&s;e unto her, That though the jealou&s;ie and chollerique humor of <HI>Otanus</HI> did trouble her very much; and though &s;he was vexed to the heart at the fanta&s;ticall re&s;olution of her husband, in refu&s;ing that Government, which all the world knows he &s;o much de&s;ired; Yet &s;he had &s;ome delight to think that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;hould &s;till love her &s;o well, as in con&s;ideration of her, to confer that good Office upon <HI>Otanus,</HI> whom he alwaies hated. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> I cannot choo&s;e but admire the various events which are cau&s;ed by one and the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion; for the love of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> to you, moves <HI>Ottanus</HI> not to love you; and the love of <HI>Ottanus</HI> to you, makes him not indure <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;hould doe any thing for him. Ah <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> Tho&s;e thoughts which <HI>Ottanus</HI> hath of me, cannot be phrazed Love: and I doe con|ceive, that they who &s;ay Love and Jealou&s;ie are in&s;eparable, are much deceived; I doe be|leeve them to follow one another, but I cannot think them to reign both together at one time in one heart. However <HI>Mona&s;ta,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, doe you not admire at my misfortune; for doubtle&s;&s;e <HI>Aglatidas</HI> thinks he hath much obliged me by it; and I beleeve imagines that <HI>Ottanus,</HI> being well &s;atisfied by it, will be le&s;&s;e rigorous to me: but, quite contrary, he doubles his per&s;ecution upon me. Can any be more innocent then I am? You know <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that &s;ince the Letter I received by you, and to which I returned no an&s;wer, I have refu&s;ed many others: And if at any time <HI>Aglatidas</HI> came into my memorie, it was again&s;t my will, in my di&s;cour&s;e with you, and yet they &s;ay the Gods will puni&s;h me for &s;ome great Crime. You are not &s;o innocent as you think your &s;elf replyed <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> for why did you ever marry <HI>Ottanus?</HI> was it ju&s;t in you, to imploy that great wit which the Gods had indued you withall, in devi&s;ing &s;uch an odd way to puni&s;h <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and ju&s;tifie your &s;elf in his opinion? Oh doe not &s;peake of what is pa&s;t, an&s;wered &s;he, and &s;ighed; let us think only upon the pre&s;ent and the future. I doe fore&s;ee &s;o many di&s;a&s;ters towards you, replyed <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that you mu&s;t pardon me, if I rather &s;peak of what is pa&s;t, then of what is pre&s;ent or what will be hereafter; for I doe profe&s;&s;e unto you, that I can|not at all conceive, eyther what <HI>Ottanus</HI> will doe or what you will doe. For my particu|lar, &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I know no other re&s;olution, but to referr my &s;elf wholly unto the guidance of the Gods, to &s;ubmit, without the lea&s;t murmur, unto their Will, and to pre|pare my &s;elf for a perpetuall per&s;ecution: For, to attempt the driving of jealou&s;ie out of <HI>Ottanus</HI> his heart, is meer follie &s;o to think of it, &s;ince what I have done will not doe it.</P>
<P>The&s;e were the words and thoughts of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> whil&s;t all the Town was troubled at the &s;uddain departure of <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and &s;ought out for the rea&s;on, but could not finde it: But a few dayes after the thing was but too much divulged; for as the news of his being Go|vernor of the <HI>Ara&s;antins</HI> Province did fly into the Country as &s;oon as it came to Town; many Deputies of great Towns came unto him; who, under&s;tanding that he was gone into the Country, went after him, but he would not receive them, telling them, he did not accept of that office which was put upon him. Severall per&s;ons of qualitie in the &s;ame Province writ al&s;o unto him, but he would return no an&s;wer: So that the&s;e Deputies, wondring at it, went back to <HI>Ecbatane</HI> and complained of their u&s;age, asking the cau&s;e, but none could tell them; yet notwith&s;tanding, pre&s;ently after it was divulged: For <HI>Dinocrates</HI> acquainting <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> with it, &s;he told it all over the Town, adding many things more then truth to make it thought <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was not &s;o innocent as reported; yet &s;ay
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or doe what &s;he could, &s;he was not beleeved. However, <HI>Ottanus,</HI> who hitherto pa&s;&s;ed on|ly for a fanta&s;ticall jealous man, began now to be looked upon as a man ab&s;olutely out of his wits and deprived of rea&s;on; and if they had been permitted to have &s;een <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> every one would have grieved for her, and advi&s;ed her to for&s;ake <HI>Ottanus;</HI> but tho&s;e unto whom he had committed the keeping of his hou&s;e, would not &s;uffer any who&s;oever to enter into it; not only becau&s;e he &s;o commanded them, but al&s;o becau&s;e <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> de&s;ired it, contenting her &s;elf with the liberty of enjoying <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> and &s;eeing &s;ometimes <HI>Arte|mon,</HI> the fir&s;t of which, entring in at a back Garden dore, was not di&s;covered by any. As for <HI>Ottanus,</HI> he was in a mo&s;t unemaginable perplexitie; for notwith&s;tanding his jea|lou&s;ie and furie, he did imagine, that what he did would &s;eem very &s;trange in the opinion of the world, and that he could no way ju&s;tifie him&s;elf, but by belching out lyes again&s;t <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> he was not able to indure his &s;olitude, nor was he able to re&s;olve upon a re|turne to <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> &s;ince he knew not what to &s;ay unto tho&s;e who came to rejoyce with him, and who&s;e complements he had received: He was perplexed on all &s;ides; but among&s;t his varietie of different thoughts, the image of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> went never out of his minde; and when he imagined that <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> thought her &s;elf obliged unto him for what he had done, he was ab&s;olutely mad, or at the lea&s;t &s;eemed &s;o unto <HI>Artemon</HI> who came to &s;ee him, in hopes to per&s;wade him unto rea&s;on.</P>
<P>In the mean while <HI>Tharpis,</HI> who thought it a peece of Ju&s;tice to torment that man, who did unju&s;tly torment the faire&s;t woman upon earth, did &s;eem as if he had received a Letter from the Armie, which did intimate that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and you were &s;o incen&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Ottanus,</HI> for refu&s;ing the Government which they had conferd upon him, that it would be a peece of great difficultie for him, ever to reconcile him&s;elf. Then, as it is the qualitie of ill news alwaies to &s;pread &s;ooner abroad, all the Town in twenty four hours was filled with it; and reports went, That it was confirmed by four or five other Letters, though none at all came: So that <HI>Ottanus</HI> was pre&s;ently advertized of it by his Spies which he had in the Town. The&s;e reports did &s;o much augment his mi&s;erie, that he was not ma|&s;ter of him&s;elf. For &s;ince then your condition Sir was known unto all <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> the fa|vour which <HI>Aglatidas</HI> had with you, was mo&s;t terrible unto him, and doubled all his &s;orrows. At the &s;ame time it was certainly known, that the Affairs in <HI>Armenia</HI> were di&s;|compo&s;ed, and that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would draw the war into that Country: So that <HI>Ottanus,</HI> being moved unto it by apprehen&s;ions of rage, di&s;pair, revenge and jealou&s;ie, altogether, he re&s;olved to ca&s;t him&s;elf into the King of <HI>Armenia</HI>'s Partie, though he apparenly &s;aw it would be the ruine of him&s;elfe and lo&s;&s;e of his e&s;tate, flattering him&s;elf with hopes of &s;ome occa&s;ion to meet with <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> knowing he would be in that war, and he would &s;eek him out, though in places fulle&s;t of danger.</P>
<P>This de&s;igne being re&s;olved upon, without communicating it unto any, he &s;ent for <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> who, contrary to the advice of <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> obeyed him. <HI>Artemon,</HI> who was returned to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> hearing of it, would not let her goe alone, but accompanied her whether &s;he would or no: When they drew neer the place unto which they were to goe, they e&s;pied <HI>Dinocrates</HI> on hor&s;eback under a Tree, who as &s;oon as he &s;aw them coming galloped with all &s;peed towards the Ca&s;tle where his ma&s;ter was. This pa&s;&s;age did much &s;urprize <HI>Ame|&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Artemon,</HI> who could not devi&s;e the meaning of it: But they were much more a&s;toni&s;hed, when being come into the Ca&s;tle, they under&s;tood, that as &s;oon as <HI>Dinocrates</HI> advertized <HI>Ottanus</HI> of their coming, hee took hor&s;e with three or four of his &s;ervants, and went out at a back dore, leaving a Letter with the Captain of the Ca&s;tle to give unto <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> He had no &s;ooner declared it, but &s;he opened it, and found the&s;e words:</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>OTANUS to the unworthy AMESTRIS.</HEAD>
<P><HI>I Goe from hence to hide that &s;hame which you have brought upon me, and in order to that I goe among&s;t men, who know neither you nor me: But the principall rea&s;on of my voy|age is to kill</HI> Aglatidas, <HI>if I can meet with him, as I hope I &s;hall: If I hear you receive the news of his death without any tears, I &s;hall return, and perhaps pardon you for loving that man whil&s;t hee lived, who&s;e death &s;hould be indifferent unto you; in the mean time keeep within this Ca&s;tle; obey him who commands it in my ab&s;ence, unle&s;&s;e you have a minde I &s;hould return to puni&s;h you for all tho&s;e evils you have brought upon me</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>OTANUS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
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Imagine Sir, how this letter grieved <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> who &s;hewing it unto <HI>Artemon,</HI> con|jured him to follow after him; and notwith&s;tanding all the di&s;twa&s;ion of the Captain, he did &s;o: But whether <HI>Ottanus</HI> made too much ha&s;te to be overtaken, or whether <HI>Arte|mon</HI> took a wrong road, &s;o it was he could not meet with him, but returned to <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> whom he found in a deluge of tears: She was not well per&s;waded whether or no <HI>Ottanus</HI> was gone, or if he were, whether he was gone to kill <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> as his Letter expre&s;&s;ed; or el&s;e whether he was only hid, to &s;ee how &s;he would behave her &s;elf during his pretended ab&s;ence: But however, &s;he collected by the beginning of his Letter, that he was not gone into the Armie of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> &s;ince there he would be known: After much debate upon the matter, they hit upon the truth, and <HI>Artemon</HI> beleeved he was gone into <HI>Armenia</HI> and was among&s;t the Kings enemies. However, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> told him, that obedience unto her husband was her dutie, and therefore &s;he de&s;ired him to return back: <HI>Artemon</HI> u&s;ed all his arguments to per&s;wade her, that he might carrie her back again to <HI>Ecbatan:</HI> But as &s;he had no mind unto it, &s;o indeed &s;he could not if &s;he would: for he whom <HI>Otanus</HI> had left commander in the Ca&s;tle was an ob&s;tinate and re&s;olved man, and would not have permitted her: Yet the &s;weet di&s;po&s;ition of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did obtain this &s;ingular favour from him, that <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> might come and &s;ee her. Thus was <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> after <HI>Artemons</HI> departure, in a mo&s;t terrible &s;olitude, e&s;pecially becau&s;e &s;he knew no limits of time when it would end. Her friends and Kinred did divers times offer to take her away in &s;pight of him that kept the Ca&s;tle if &s;he would con&s;ent unto it, but &s;he never would; not &s;o much, I think, out of her obedience unto <HI>Ottanus,</HI> which truly was without a paralel, as out of her own di&s;po&s;ition to avoid companie, which &s;he would not indure without con|&s;traint. A while after &s;he had the comfort to heare that <HI>Ottanus</HI> was certainly in <HI>Ar|menia,</HI> and con&s;equently &s;he was in le&s;&s;e fear of <HI>Aglattidas</HI> his life, conceiving it a hard matter to meet with him among&s;t an Armie of a hundred thou&s;and men.</P>
<P>Thus Sir, did <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> live during all the <HI>Armenean</HI> warre, untill the news was &s;pread throughout all <HI>Medea,</HI> that <HI>Ottanus</HI> was dead: It was told unto her with &s;o many cir|cum&s;tances, that none were afraid to rejoyce openly with her, and all the world did make a publique thanksgiving for it, in behalfe and out of affection to <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> But the won|der of all was, that &s;hee who of all living had mo&s;t rea&s;on to rejoyce at the death of <HI>Otta|nus,</HI> did receive the newes with the mo&s;t moderation; for there was not the lea&s;t vi&s;ible &s;igne of any inward joy in the face of <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> as it was a thing impo&s;&s;ible &s;hee &s;hould bee &s;ad, &s;o nothing of that pa&s;&s;ion appeared likewi&s;e; but without eyther any joy or &s;or|row, &s;hee made the wi&s;dome of her minde, and genero&s;itie of her &s;oule mo&s;t apparantly appeare in her di&s;creet moderation, and when <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> asked her why &s;hee was not more &s;en&s;ible of that freedom which &s;hee was to enjoy, &s;hee an&s;wered that there was &s;om &s;cruples of minde yet un&s;atisfied, and &s;hee feared that the ill treatments of <HI>Ottanus</HI> would bee a meanes by which the gods would &s;horten her life. Within a few dayes after, the &s;er|vants of <HI>Ottanus,</HI> returned all except <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> who they &s;aid was &s;ick and &s;tayed in <HI>Ar|menia,</HI> which confirmed the reports of his death. In the meane while the Captaine of the Ca&s;tle where <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was, in lieu of commanding her as before, hee began to obey her as &s;oone as hee heard of <HI>Ottanus</HI> his death, and &s;ince hee was never very &s;evere in his office, &s;hee treated him with much &s;weetne&s;&s;e: Within a few dayes after the kindred and friends unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> came to carry her back unto <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> where &s;hee lived in all po&s;&s;ible di&s;cre|tion, as if <HI>Ottanus</HI> had not at <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> beene jealous and fanta&s;ticall; yet &s;ince it is not the cu|&s;tome of mourning in <HI>Medea,</HI> to continue long, and &s;ince <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was never in her life more faire then at that time, the pa&s;&s;ionate affection of very many began to di&s;clo&s;e and di&s;cover them&s;elves by the tender of their &s;ervices: And among&s;t the re&s;t <HI>Tharpis</HI> (who whil&s;t <HI>Ottanus</HI> was jealous, had no other de&s;ign in &s;eeing <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and following her unto all places, but to add fewel to his fooli&s;h fires) was now really in love with her. <HI>Arte|mon</HI> for his part, he thought that meer compa&s;&s;ion upon the mi&s;eries of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was the only cau&s;e which prompted him to &s;ee and &s;erve hen, but now he perceived that he loved her with more tender affection then he thought on: So that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> in lo&s;ing a hu&s;|band found many Lovers: And that which was mo&s;t &s;trange, was, that <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> only mourned for the death of <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and &s;o &s;ad &s;he was that all the world perceived it<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> hearing as much, and di&s;covering on it with her deer <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> after &s;econd thoughts <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> imagined the true cau&s;e, which was her fears that the death of <HI>Ottanus</HI> would revive th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ve betwixt <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> if ever he returned to <HI>Ecbatan Ame&s;tris</HI> blu&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">n this di&s;cour&s;e: Ambition and ab&s;ence, &s;aid &s;he, will doubtle&s;&s;e cure
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<HI>Aglatidas</HI> of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 words"> affection to me, &s;o that the fears of <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> are ill grounded: And <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ld <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, yet I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">de Libertie &s;o &s;weet that I &s;hall hardly be induced to lo&s;e it again. If you had &s;poke this unto any friend of <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> replyed <HI>Mena&s;ta;</HI> and &s;miled, I &s;hould have thought it much Prudence in you; but in &s;peaking unto me, and to tell me that ambition and ab&s;ence can cure <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> is very &s;trange: <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who might have obtained <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Government for him&s;elf, but preferred him whom you married; No no <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> it is impo&s;&s;ible, and I cannot in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ure to hear of it: Speak <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> tell me truly, whether or no, you &s;peak as you think? tell me ingeniou&s;ly if it would not vexe you to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Aglatidas</HI> returne hither, and Court <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> before your face? As for <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> replyed <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, it would much vexe me, and I could not in|dure it. Who then could you allow him to Court, &s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> and &s;miled? Wicked woman, replyed <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> why doe you &s;o cruelly per&s;ecute me? and why doe you force me to tell you with a blu&s;h, that I cannot indure <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;hould love any thing but honour above me? Yet, &s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> you &s;peak as coldlie as if <HI>Aglatidas</HI> were <HI>Ottanus,</HI> I be&s;eech you, &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;peak not of <HI>Otanus,</HI> but let him enjoy that re&s;t in his death which he could not have in his life, and think (&s;aid &s;he with a half &s;mile) that the jealou&s;ie of <HI>Otanus</HI> has not been my only puni&s;hment, but the jealou&s;ie of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> hath al&s;o extreamly troubled me; and therefore I had need bee wi&s;e in expo&s;ing my &s;elf the &s;econd time to the &s;ame mi&s;ery. You may ea&s;ily prevent that (replyed <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> wittily) by holding no di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> if he return hither; and bani&s;h out of your heart all cau&s;es of complaint again&s;t him: and let me tell you that a &s;ecret &s;pleen in Love, how little &s;oever it be in the beginning, may end in a great quarrell: therefore hearken to my Councell, and without any more apprehen&s;ions of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> his jealou&s;ie, receive his affection with gratitude; for I am confident that his fidelitie de&s;erves it. This Sir was the State of things: <HI>Tharpis</HI> and <HI>Artemon</HI> were in love with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> was jealous; for &s;ince the death of <HI>Ottanus</HI> &s;he had many &s;pies about the actions of <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> to the end &s;he might di&s;cover what intelligence pa&s;&s;ed between <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and her: But there being at that time &s;ome Commotions in <HI>Medea,</HI> it was your goodne&s;&s;e Sir, to make choy&s;e of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> to be &s;ent thither, with Commi&s;&s;ion from the King for it. I can|not well de&s;cribe unto you Sir the impatience of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> during this voyage; yet give me leave to tell you, that though he was going to &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> at liberty, yet he did a hundred and a hundred times expre&s;&s;e his &s;orrows to be &s;o far from you Sir: The glorious name of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the plea&s;ing name of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> were perpetually pronounced, and nothing el&s;e, during all the voyage. As good fortune was, things were a little calmed at <HI>Ecbatane</HI> before we came there. Moreover, &s;ince he came with ab&s;olute Authoritie, his arrivall was no &s;ooner known, but all addre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves unto him with re&s;olutions of obedience; So that his entrance into <HI>Ecbatan</HI> was as if it were in Tryumph. In the mean time <HI>Artemon, Tharpis</HI> and <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> were quite down in their conceits: But as for <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;he was &s;o quicked at his return, that &s;he hardly knew the motion of her own heart.</P>
<P>As &s;oone as <HI>Aglatidas</HI> arrived, hee was &s;o thronged and taken up with publique bu&s;ine&s;&s;e that he could not di&s;ingage him&s;elfe from them, but de&s;ired mee to goe unto <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> and de&s;ire her to know the commands of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and to under&s;tand from her how &s;hee was plea&s;ed hee &s;hould behave him&s;elfe as &s;oone as this throng of affaires would permit him any lei&s;ure to di&s;po&s;e of: But <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> knowing the mode&s;t minde of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> told mee, that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;hould make his fir&s;t addre&s;&s;e by way of vi&s;it only, as was fitting unto one of her qualitie, and that if he would be plea&s;ed to acquaint her with the day he intend|ed to come unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;he would contrive it &s;o cunningly; that, provided he came in fitting times for it, there &s;hould be little company when hee came. Time did &s;eeme &s;o te|dious unto <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> that notwith&s;tanding his multitude of affaires, he could not choo&s;e but write two Letters unto <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> that &s;ame day, and goe unto her at night; for &s;ince &s;he was his Co&s;en, he was more free with her then another; and he tooke &s;uch delight in di&s;cour&s;e of his deer <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that he never thought of parting from her. But at la&s;t af|ter he had &s;pent two whol dayes in the Kings &s;ervice, being in extreme impatience to &s;ee his faire <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> hee went unto the Temple, where he under&s;tood, by <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> &s;hee u|&s;ed to bee; yet <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> not being there that day, not daring to tru&s;t her &s;elfe before &s;o much company, at the fir&s;t meeting with <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> his hopes were di&s;appointed, and in lieu of &s;eeing <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> he met with <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> who came thither purpo&s;ely to &s;ee whether <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> were there. This encounter put him out of countenance, being
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con&s;cious of his crime to that Lady, and con&s;idering what a &s;ad con&s;equence the la&s;t &s;ight of her produced, it being the cau&s;e why <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was jealous, and whereupon &s;he groun|ded her &s;trange re&s;olution; hee went out of the Temple as if hee knew her not; and the time of his going unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> being come, hee went thither with a trembling heart. As the mourning of widdowes doth not la&s;t above foure dayes at <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> &s;o <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was out of it when wee came thither; and though &s;hee had no de&s;ire to appeare in her negli|gent dre&s;&s;e, at the fir&s;t &s;ight of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> yet &s;hee did not dre&s;&s;e her &s;elfe in any glorious manner at that time, but was in meane betweene both, &s;o that not dimini&s;hing any of her beauty, there appeared as much mode&s;ty in her dre&s;&s;e, as in her minde: <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> who was with her when <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and I came thither, and &s;ince <HI>Ame&s;tas</HI> knew that I was not ignorant of all pa&s;&s;ages, my pre&s;ence did not interrupt the meeting; yet Sir it &s;eemed un|to mee &s;omthing &s;trange, for in lieu of tho&s;e te&s;timonies of joy, which u&s;ually appeares in the faces of tho&s;e who love, and who after great misfortunes and long ab&s;ence delight to &s;ee one another; <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was re&s;erved, and concealing her &s;atisfaction from <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> &s;hee &s;eemed &s;o &s;erious at the fir&s;t, that all joyes vani&s;hed out of his eyes, and his heart was &s;o damped that hee had much adoe to expre&s;&s;e him&s;elfe in termes of common civilitie: That which did mo&s;t of all <HI>non plus</HI> him was, that at his coming in hee found a Lady with her upon a vi&s;it, as wee were: &s;o that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> knew not in all the world how to ad|dre&s;&s;e him&s;elfe, nor did <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> know how to an&s;wer him, For to tell her hee was &s;ory for her lo&s;&s;e had beene ridiculous and ab&s;urd; to &s;ay hee rejoyced at it would offend her; and to &s;ay nothing had not beene han&s;ome; &s;o that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was not a little puzled, and I know not how hee came off with his complement, for while&s;t he was performing it I addre&s;&s;ed my &s;elfe to <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> to tell her &s;he was not &s;o good as her promi&s;e, &s;ince that Ladie was there to interrupt us; and indeede as &s;hee was pre&s;ent, di&s;cour&s;e was but con|&s;trayned, yet <HI>Aglatidas</HI> hoped that when &s;hee was gone, then <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> would not ap|peare &s;o cold, but after her vi&s;ite was ended, and wee were in freedome together, &s;eeing &s;hee kept &s;till in the &s;ame po&s;ture and would not a&s;&s;ume that obliging aire and free beha|viour as hee hoped for.</P>
<P>Madam (&s;aid he unto her) Is it po&s;&s;ible that you &s;hould expre&s;&s;e &s;uch &s;en&s;ible &s;or|row at my departure, and that now you &s;hould deny me &s;o much happine&s;&s;e as to &s;ee &s;ome &s;ymptomes of joy at my return? That &s;orrow which I &s;hewed again&s;t my will (replied <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and &s;miled) did &s;eem &s;o criminall unto me, when I could think upon it with tran|quility, that I de&s;ire to repent of that fault now. Say rather (Madam) replyed hee, that you have a premeditated de&s;igne to commit another again&s;t the lawes of amitie, which you owe mee: For &s;ince you honored me with your commands, to love none but you, when I parted from you, I thinke it is lawfull for mee to &s;ay as much, &s;ince I have mo&s;t exactly obeyed you: Yes, Madam, I have loved you, and loved none but you, and al&s;o in &s;o high a mea&s;ure that my honour is not deerer then it, nor my life; yet after I have &s;uffe|red a multitude of mi&s;eries; after a &s;en&s;ibility of all your &s;orrowes and my owne; after I have pre&s;erved a mo&s;t violent love, without any hope; and endured a million of misfor|fortunes, and all only becau&s;e I loved you; then, after all the&s;e, to finde &s;uch an indif|ference in your lookes, as per&s;wades mee your heart is indifferent al&s;o, is a very hell unto my &s;oule. Doe not beleeve my lookes <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> &s;aid &s;hee unto him, if they tell you that my heart is indifferent to you, &s;ince certainly I have ever e&s;teemed you as much as I ought to doe. If you &s;aid loved me, in lieu of e&s;teeming me, replyed <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> you had com|pleated my happine&s;&s;e. But cruel Lady, I beleeve you make no account of all my &s;ervices and &s;ufferings, but expect I &s;hould make a new purcha&s;e of your heart: If it bee &s;o I be|&s;eech you tell mee; for I mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e I am not prepared at this time to tell you that I love you, nor did I thinke you expected it, but Madam, if I was deceived I be&s;eech you acquaint mee with your will, and you &s;hall bee mo&s;t exactly obeyed. While&s;t <HI>Aglati|das</HI> was thus expre&s;&s;ing him&s;elfe, and <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> mo&s;t attentively hearing, that &s;eeming cold|ne&s;&s;e which &s;hee out of her mode&s;ty, at the fir&s;t, affected; did vani&s;h before &s;hee was a|ware, &s;o that the reall thoughts of heart, &s;tealing through her eyes, did &s;peak her joyes &s;o apparently, that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> had his de&s;ired &s;atisfaction, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> al&s;o plainly perceiving that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was no changeling, was full of oblieging &s;weetne&s;&s;e towards him. Then did they begin to relate all their &s;orrowes and all their misfortunes which interveined &s;ince they &s;aw one another, and this conference which began with a little kinde of a quarell, did end in a renuing of a mo&s;t &s;incere amitie. Since company began to come in, the conference was interrupted, but the mo&s;t ob&s;ervable pa&s;&s;age was, that <HI>Tharpis</HI> coming to <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI>
<PB N="271" REF="327">
while&s;t wee were there, within a quarter of an houre, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> perceived hee was in love with her, and telling <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> as much, &s;hee told him againe in rallarie that hee had be&s;t take heede of being jealous, as hee was of <HI>Megabi&s;es.</HI> Wicked Cozen an&s;wered hee, why doe you make a jea&s;t of that which hath beene the greate&s;t torment of my life? I doe it, an&s;wered &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e, to prevent your relap&s;e into the like. By this time our vi&s;ite had la&s;ted but too long, and therefore I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eckned unto <HI>Aglatidas</HI> to break off which accordingly we did: But &s;ince he owed another vi&s;it unto one of his Aunts, he left me, and went to pay it: As ill luck was he found <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> there, which vexed him &s;o much, that he was in a minde to goe out of the Chamber: yet &s;ince he was di&s;covered, and owed much re&s;pect unto the Ladie he went to vi&s;it, and who was already ri&s;en up to &s;alute him, he went for|ward and performed his complements, which &s;melt a little of the di&s;order in his &s;oul: He &s;aluted <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> yet very civily, but with &s;o much confu&s;ion in his face, as he dur&s;t hardly look upon her; for be&s;ides his own <HI>non plus</HI> he &s;aw a Lady who had good rea&s;on to blame him, he was afraid that <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> if &s;he &s;hould hap to know it, &s;hould think he &s;ought the occa&s;ion to &s;ee <HI>Anati&s;a:</HI> So that re&s;olving to cut his vi&s;it very &s;hort, he told the Lady whom he came unto, that this &s;hould not be counted for one, but that ere long he would tender his devoirs in a more ample manner. Ju&s;t as he had ended his complement, one came and de&s;ired to &s;peak with his Aunt upon &s;ome very important bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. Nephew (&s;aid &s;hee unto him) I know you are in no &s;uch ha&s;te, but you may doe me the favor to keep this fair Lady companie, whil&s;t I goe into my Clo&s;et and di&s;patch a peece of bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which cannot be done another time. <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> was &s;o ravi&s;hed with this fit oportunitie, that &s;he never offered to goe away, but quite contrary, de&s;ired the Lady not to make &s;o much ha&s;te, but to di&s;patch her bu&s;ine&s;&s;e at lei&s;ure. <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was &s;o vexed with this angry adventure, that though he would not openly offer any incivility, yet he would have given &s;ome ilfa|vord rea&s;ons to move <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> to goe away, or el&s;e that he mu&s;t him&s;elf be gone: But the Lady of the hou&s;e left them together without any an&s;wer, or any other companie except a woman which waited upon <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> who &s;tood at the other end of the Chamber: You may imagine Sir how <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was put to it, who was a long while dumbe as well as <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> who &s;tayed to &s;ee what he would &s;ay before &s;he began: Yet <HI>Aglatidas</HI> concei|ving it be&s;t not to incen&s;e the Spirit of that Lady too much, by too great an incivility, re|&s;olved to make &s;ome excu&s;es unto her, and to prepare her that &s;he &s;hould not take it ill, he had ca&s;t her off as he had done: but &s;ince he was &s;omething long in con&s;ulting with him&s;elf about it, <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> broke &s;ilence fir&s;t. Tell me truly <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, Did you know that I was here when you came in? Certainly, an&s;wered he, if I had known you had been here, I &s;hould out of my re&s;pect unto you, not have forced you to &s;ee a man whom you have rea&s;on to hate; though, to &s;ay truly, he never had any intentions to wrong you. That I may the better judge of your Crime, replyed &s;he, you mu&s;t &s;incerely, without any di&s;&s;imulation, tell me what it is, for truly my minde is not yet re&s;olved, what thoughts to entertain of you; Speak then I conjure you, &s;aid &s;he, and tell me &s;incerely, whe|ther when you applyed your &s;elf unto me more then unto any other, and by your a&s;&s;idu|ous Court&s;hip per&s;waded me that you loved me; whether I &s;ay, did you really love me, or only did di&s;temble it, that you might better hide your love of <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> for it may be you quitted her at that time for me, or it may be you now quit me for her; or el&s;e per|haps you were ever devoted unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> though I cannot under&s;tand what rea&s;on you had to let her marry <HI>Ottanus:</HI> However, tell me the real truth, that I may accordingly regulate my thoughts of you. <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> being much gravelled for an an&s;wer, &s;tood &s;ilent a while. No no, &s;aid &s;he unto him, pump not for any excu&s;e, nor any di&s;gui&s;ement of the matter; let me only know whether you be only an uncon&s;tant man or an impo&s;tur, le&s;t I &s;hould be unju&s;t in hating you either too much or too little; for I put a great deal of difference between the&s;e two Crimes, which one of them you have committed. <HI>Aglatidas</HI> being deeper gravelled then ever, thought it be&s;t to confe&s;&s;e the very truth of the matter: Madam (&s;aid he then unto her) &s;ince you command me to &s;peak the truth in all &s;inceritie; I doe confe&s;&s;e that I was never incon&s;tant, but that I ever loved <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> better then my &s;elf: I be&s;eech you (&s;aid he, &s;eeing her blu&s;h for anger) let not this truth incen&s;e you more again&s;t me; for I am certain there is no cau&s;e of offence; and am certain al&s;o, that you will confe&s;&s;e as much, if you will be plea&s;ed to under&s;tand me. I doe not think you can per&s;wade me to it, replyed &s;he, &s;ince I have more rea&s;on to complain again&s;t you, then if you were incon&s;tant. You &s;hall &s;ee Madam the greate&s;t e&s;teem which I had of you; for &s;ince I loved <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> with a mo&s;t violent and unruely pa&s;&s;ion, and e&s;teeming her above
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all the world, but finding great cau&s;e of complaint again&s;t her &s;everity towards me, and de&s;iring to cure my &s;elf, if it were po&s;&s;ible, of &s;uch an unaccepted pa&s;&s;ion, I conceived you able to deface the image of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> out of my heart, and would per&s;wade my &s;elf and all the world that I was in love with you: Judge, Madam, whether any man that was in love, and who thought the Lady he loved the mo&s;t incomparably accompli&s;hed of any upon earth, could render a greater te&s;timonie of e&s;teem then I unto you upon this occa&s;i|on: I make a que&s;tion whether I had been able to have rendred it in &s;o high a degree, if I had been really in love with you, as in &s;eeming to be &s;o, and as I endeavored to become &s;o really. Now if by the help of all my endeavors, I cannot pa&s;&s;e above the degree of e&s;teem, nor reach &s;o high as love, the fault is not in your beauty or wit, or any virtue wanting in you; but the only fault is, that I cannot root out of my heart tho&s;e fir&s;t thoughts which took &s;uch deep hold of it. Therefore, Madam, to &s;peak rea&s;onably, it was a wrong rather unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> then you, when I applyed my &s;elf unto your &s;ervice, &s;ince I endeavored to di&s;po&s;e of a heart which was not in my power, but only and ab&s;olutely in hers. Confe&s;&s;e the truth, replyed <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> Was not your only aim to make <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> jealous, and never to intend any Love towards mee? Ah <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> you are deceived if you ever thought I beleeved you: Incon&s;tancie is &s;ometimes pardonable; but an impo&s;tur, a Cheat, a man which cozens us, there is no imaginable revenge which is not &s;weet, to puni&s;h him withall. Had I prote&s;ted a thou|&s;and times (&s;aid <HI>Aglatidas)</HI> that I was infinitely in love with you, or if you had done me any con&s;iderable favours, you had then &s;ome rea&s;on for what you &s;ay; but alas, Madam, I was no more then a frequent vi&s;itor, and di&s;cour&s;ed with you more then with any o|ther; and I doe not doubt, but if I had been &s;o boldes to profe&s;&s;e any matters of Love unto you, then you would have treated me more hardly then you did: but &s;ince it is no &s;hame for all beauties to be loved, I cannot conceive I have done you any great in|jurie in moving you to beleeve, by &s;ome deep &s;ighs, that I loved you. No, replyed <HI>Ana|ti&s;a,</HI> you have rather done me a good turne, by giving me cau&s;e to think that you never loved me: However <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> I &s;hall be revenged of you, and I will revenge my &s;elf upon <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that I may be the better revenged upon your&s;elf: And &s;ince you &s;ay you have tryed and indeavored to love me, I thank you for it, and in requitall, I &s;hall try and indevour to hate you; and if I be not much mi&s;taken, I &s;hall bring to pa&s;&s;e my de|&s;igne better then you have yours; for I perceive I have a &s;tronger inclination unto it: Ex|pect therefore a puni&s;hment for you Crime, even by <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> her &s;elf, who perhaps &s;hall not make you le&s;&s;e jealous then <HI>O<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tanus</HI> was; for indeed <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;ome have eyes as well as you; others think her fair as well as your &s;elf; and after the choi&s;e which &s;he made of <HI>Otanus,</HI> I beleeve few lovers are &s;ure of their own hearts, be they as compleat men as can be. Yet &s;ince you are ingenious and &s;peak &s;incerely unto me, I &s;hall be the like and tell you with the &s;ame &s;incerity, that I doe already hate you more then you can love <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and &s;hall never be &s;atisfied untill you be both mi&s;erable: I &s;hall not make any great blun|der in the world, but &s;hall revenge my &s;elf in a more fine and &s;ubtle way. You may u&s;e your plea&s;ure (an&s;wered <HI>Aglatidas</HI> coldly) for &s;ince I re&s;pect all Ladies in generall and much e&s;teem you in particular, I &s;hall be &s;o effectually re&s;pective, that I &s;hall not inter|pret your hatred and choller to my di&s;advantage; and if I return any an&s;wer unto the in|juries you &s;peak of, it &s;hall be in complements.</P>
<P>As <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> was ready to reply, the Aunt of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> came in, and hee took his leave of her, and left <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> as much incen&s;ed again&s;t him as po&s;&s;ibly could be. But the angry part of this vi&s;it was, that <HI>Tharpis</HI> came into the Chamber as the Aunt of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> came out of her Clo&s;et, &s;o that he &s;aw the private Conference which had been between him and <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> and ob&s;erved the di&s;order which appeared in the face of that Ladie: So that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> fearing this encounter &s;hould prejudice him in the opinion of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> he &s;ent <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> unto her, to acquaint her with the accident; and indeed his policie was advan|tagious to him; for <HI>Tharpis</HI> found out &s;ome means or other to acquaint <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> the next morning, that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> had a long private conference together at the hou&s;e of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> his Aunt, which made it &s;eem as if it were a thing appointed: but &s;ince <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> knew it before, this devi&s;e took no effect, nor made any jars between <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time <HI>Artemon</HI> and <HI>Tharpis</HI> were not a little vexed to ob&s;erve that they did concur &s;o well: But &s;ince <HI>Artemon</HI> was not declared a Lover, though it was apparent enough he thought he had found out an excellent devi&s;e to ruine <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> So that
<PB N="273" REF="328">
re&s;olving not to &s;peake yet as a Lover, hee de&s;igned the de&s;truction of his mo&s;t feared Rivall, by acting in appearance as the friend of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and the truth is, if &s;hee had not perceived by a hundred circum&s;tances that hee was in love with her, his plot had tooke effect: for hee did mannage it mo&s;t cunningly, as I &s;hall tell you. Pre&s;ently after <HI>Aglatidas</HI> arrived, and had made many vi&s;its unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> where it was ea&s;ilie perceived hee alwaies loved her, and was never hated: <HI>Artemon,</HI> one morning de|&s;ired to &s;peake with her, and it was granted him; for &s;hee was much oblieged unto him for taking her part again&s;t <HI>Ottanus</HI> when hee was with her, and had liberty to talke in private.</P>
<P>Madam (&s;aid hee unto her) I know not whether my zeale will bee well taken, but I am certaine that if you could &s;ee my heart, you would confe&s;&s;e I am oblieged to what I did: <HI>Artemon</HI> (an&s;wered &s;hee) I have received &s;o many te&s;timonies of frend&s;hipp from you, and you have done mee &s;o many good offices, that I cannot imagine what you can tell mee, which will not bee well taken; therefore &s;peake on, I conjure you. Madam replyed hee and blu&s;ht (for hee related the conference unto mee very fully, as I &s;hall tell you at the end of my di&s;cour&s;e) I know very well that the jealou&s;ie of <HI>Ottanus</HI> had ever a cau&s;le&s;&s;e foundation, and that your virtue is &s;o great that no calumny can blemi&s;h it: But having alwaies ob&s;erved your pa&s;&s;ionate love of Honour, and that you would not only bee vertuous but al&s;o would ap|peare &s;o in the eyes of your very enemies, I thought it requi&s;ite for you to take in|to your your &s;erious con&s;ideration all tho&s;e things which <HI>Ottanus</HI> hath publi&s;hed to the World, concerning the corre&s;pondency betwixt <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and your &s;elfe. Not Madam, but that I know his inju&s;tice was well perceived, yet for all that, I conceive that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> conferring the Government upon <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and hee making that the pretence of his fury again&s;t you, you would perhaps take away a great cau&s;e of cen&s;ure from all tho&s;e who envie your beautie and merrit, if you &s;hould a little le&s;&s;e admitte of vi&s;ites from <HI>Aglatidas.</HI> Not that I have any exceptions again&s;t him, for you your &s;elfe have often heard mee &s;peake much good of him, upon &s;everall occa&s;ions: Therefore I doe mo&s;t humbly entreat you to beleeve that what I &s;peake is meerely out of zeale to your &s;ervice. I am much oblieged unto you (an&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> knowing well enough what motive induced him to his advice) and I doe a&s;&s;ure you, <HI>Artemon,</HI> that I will take your advice, as I ought to doe: yet let mee tell you, with the like fredome that you take, I am unwilling to revive the jealou&s;ies of <HI>Ottanus</HI> after his death: for hee would have barred mee from the conver&s;ation of all the world; you your &s;elf was not excepted. It is very true, replied <HI>Artemon,</HI> but all the towne talkes more of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> then any other, not that I advi&s;e you to ba|ni&s;h him from your &s;ight ab&s;olutlie: but only for a little time; and thereby &s;top the tongues of calumnies which <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> perhaps will rai&s;e again&s;t you. This &s;eemes to bee but ill policie, &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> therefore I had rather not conceale my thoughts, and it will be advantagious to mee, that all the world did know them, &s;ince thankes bee to the gods, they are not criminall. However madam, &s;aid hee unto her, I be|&s;eech you take it not ill, that I &s;hould bee &s;o free with you. I doe promi&s;e you, I will not, an&s;wered &s;hee; but <HI>Artemon,</HI> (&s;aid &s;hee further, and &s;miled) you give mee this councell &s;o &s;eriou&s;ly that I am fearfull you will take it ill from mee, if I doe not follow it: truely Madam, replied hee, I &s;hould bee very glad you did follow it for &s;everall rea&s;on, but I &s;ee you have no inclination to it. I doe ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e it &s;aid &s;hee, for I have lived &s;o long in a con&s;trained condition, that I de&s;ire to enjoy freedome as farr as han&s;omne&s;&s;e and decency will permit mee. But madam, &s;aid <HI>Artemon,</HI> to her, you may remember the time when you told mee that expo&s;ing your &s;elfe to the conver&s;ation of the World was con&s;trained and contrarie to your incli|nation: Did you then &s;peake as you thought, Madam, or is your minde changed &s;ince. But <HI>Artemon,</HI> &s;aid &s;hee unto him, you may remember the time when you told <HI>Ottanus</HI> that it was fit one of my age and qualitie &s;hould expo&s;e them&s;elves unto the conver&s;ation of the World; Did you then &s;peake as you thought <HI>Ottanus?</HI> Or doe you not &s;peake as you thinke now? You, I &s;ay, who would have mee bani&s;h from my conver&s;e the prime per&s;on that I have in <HI>Ecbatan.</HI> Madam (&s;aid hee being tran&s;ported by his pa&s;&s;ion) to &s;peake &s;incerely and really unto you, I would never
<PB N="274" REF="329">
have moved you to forbear the company of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> but only to di&s;cover your thoughts of him, and likewi&s;e to di&s;cover what are mine of you. I doe not &s;ee (&s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and a&s;&s;umed a more &s;erious look) what &s;hould be the riddle of the&s;e things. You may ea&s;ily perceive it, an&s;wered hee, if you will be but plea&s;ed to con&s;ider that none can conver&s;e with you except they infinitely love you, and de&s;ire unto them&s;elves a happine&s;&s;e which they fear you will be&s;tow upon another. I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to him, that your di&s;cour&s;e amazeth me, and I could never have believed you would have given me any cau&s;e to complain again&s;t you, or begun your expre&s;&s;ions of affection with any thoughts of jealou&s;ie: But <HI>Artemon,</HI> that you may &s;ee I forget not my obligations to you, I will take the &s;ame freedome as you have done, and give you &s;ome councell, and &s;incerely tell you, that you will be the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man up|on earth, if you ever think of loving me: Content your &s;elf I pray you, that I doe be|leeve you are my friend, and be confident that as long as you keep within the limits of that, I &s;hall very much e&s;teem you; but on the other &s;ide I doe ingeniou&s;ly profe&s;&s;e, that if you love mee any otherwi&s;e then &s;o, you will lo&s;e your labour, you will excee|dingly vexe me, and I &s;hall endeavour my utmo&s;t to per&s;ecute you as much as ever I can. But Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I be&s;eech you then acknowledge that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> is the cau&s;e of the ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibilitie to move your heart. When you are no more then only my friend (&s;aid &s;hee unto him and &s;miled) I &s;hall di&s;cover the &s;ecrets of my heart unto you.</P>
<P>Alas Madam, &s;aid he, that's an honour I &s;hall never arive at; for it is ab&s;olutelie impo&s;&s;ible for me to love you more or le&s;&s;e then I doe. But when <HI>Otanus</HI> lived, &s;aid &s;he unto him, you were neither unquiet nor jealous, and yet I was the &s;ame I am now, and you &s;aw me al&s;o as you doe now, therefore did you love me at that time? Doubt|le&s;&s;e I did Madam, &s;aid he unto her, yet I did not know it by that name; but I called that e&s;teem, friend&s;hip and compa&s;&s;ion, which really was mo&s;t violent Love. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I cannot &s;ee any rea&s;on why your friend&s;hip &s;hould not con|tinue friend&s;hip &s;till, or why your e&s;teem &s;hould be converted into Love. The re|turn of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> replied he, is the cau&s;e of it. I doe under&s;tand you very well <HI>Ar|temon,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, you had &s;ome &s;parks of jealou&s;ie in your minde before you knew you were in love; and beleeve me, nothing could render you more terrible to <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> then that humor. I know Madam, replyed he, that the rea&s;on why you &s;ay &s;o is becau&s;e I was allied to <HI>Otanus,</HI> but I did intend by it to let you know my &s;incerity and my mi&s;ery. You would doe much better, &s;aid &s;he, to let me &s;ee your wi&s;edome and di&s;cretion, in continuing my friend as heretofore you have been; for by that way you will be &s;ure to have my e&s;teem and friend&s;hip; and the other way you will force me to hate you and &s;hun your companie.</P>
<P>Thus Sir you &s;ee poor <HI>Artemon,</HI> who came to &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> in hopes to get <HI>Agla|das</HI> bani&s;hed, was almo&s;t bani&s;hed him&s;elf: therefore he began to expre&s;&s;e him&s;elf in the mo&s;t obliging language he could po&s;&s;ible, and &s;olemnly prote&s;ted he would never &s;peak any thing again that &s;hould incen&s;e her; but de&s;ired he might come &s;ee her, though never in private again.</P>
<P>All this while <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> was plotting her revenge upon <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and in order to that, &s;he made a firm league of friend&s;hip with <HI>Tharpis;</HI> the confidence they had in each other was &s;o high, that I think they imparted their mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts: They held many councels upon it, to advi&s;e upon the be&s;t cour&s;e; and this cunning Ladie made him promi&s;e her never to &s;peake openly of his love to <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> for fear &s;hee &s;hould treat him ill, and bani&s;h him her companie: for &s;ince there was a report that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would, ere long, return to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> would return with him, &s;he thought that all three rivals would puzle <HI>Aglatidas</HI> to &s;ome purpo&s;e; and if they had all three the freedom of Courting <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> at once, it was ten to one but &s;ome jars or other would ari&s;e among&s;t them, which would reflect upon <HI>Aglati|das.</HI> She advi&s;ed <HI>Tharpis</HI> therefore only to get &s;ome faithfull Spie which &s;hould be continually about <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and never to &s;peake any thing which might incen&s;e her, or move her to bani&s;h him her companie: And the better to delude <HI>Tharpis,</HI> &s;hee told him that there was a Letter which came from the Armie, intimating that as &s;oon as <HI>Ciaxares</HI> came to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> then you Sir would &s;end for <HI>Aglatidas</HI> back; and there|fore
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it was better to &s;tay untill he was ab&s;ent, before he declared him&s;elf: Telling him further, that his principall bu&s;ine&s;&s;e &s;hould bee, to hinder as much as ever he could, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> held no long private conferences together, while&s;t hee &s;tayed at <HI>Ecbatan.</HI> So that <HI>Tharpis</HI> was &s;o perpetually with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> as it was im|po&s;&s;ible to be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">here and not finde him one. <HI>Aglatidas</HI> did divers times offer to quar|rel with him, but <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did &s;trictly forbid him: for though hee did earne&s;tly im|portune her, and was a perpetual trouble, yet &s;he would not permit a quarrel, upon no other rea&s;on but frequencie of vi&s;its: She would not neither have it denyed that &s;hee was within, but let every one enter be&s;ides; &s;o that &s;hee could never enjoy the &s;ight of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> but &s;he mu&s;t admit of the &s;ight of <HI>Tharpis</HI> al&s;o: for though his companie was plea&s;ant enough, yet <HI>Ame&s;tris, Mena&s;ta, Aglatidas</HI> and my &s;elfe were &s;o confined in our freedome of di&s;cour&s;e, that when hee was pre&s;ent wee knew not what to di&s;cour&s;e upon: Every one was &s;ilent, purpo&s;ely to vex him, but all was one, for &s;peake or &s;peake not, hee was alwaies there, and was the la&s;t man commonly that went away: So that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> could never have any opportunity of private di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> but &s;ometimes at the lodging of <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> and that too was very rare to finde none but our &s;elves there. <HI>Aglatidas</HI> yet was &s;o fully a&s;&s;u|red that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> loved him, though &s;hee gave him but common te&s;timonies of it, as that hee thought him&s;elfe unhappie in nothing but that &s;hee would not name him, conceiving it too &s;hort a time &s;ince <HI>Ottanus</HI> died to doe it with any han|&s;omne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>This Sir was the &s;tate of things when <HI>Ciaxares</HI> came to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and when <HI>Mega|bi&s;es</HI> followed him, whom one would have thought that time, and ab&s;ence, and rea|&s;on would have made him forget his affection to <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> but as &s;oone as hee heard of the death of <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> might perhaps become happy, it revived, and hee was deepely in love with <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> when hee came to <HI>Ecbatane</HI> hee was not deceived in his conjectures, for hee found that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was in favour with <HI>A|me&s;tris,</HI> and his &s;oule was &s;o extremely perplexed that hee could not tell whether the hatred hee bore unto his Rivall did revive his affection unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> or his affection to <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> revive his hatred unto his Rivall: However, the&s;e two contrary pa&s;&s;i|ons tooke up the whole dominion of his heart, &s;o that in one and the &s;ame day, hee did both love and hate in the highe&s;t exce&s;&s;e, and was equally tormented by them both, for as hee dur&s;t not yet tell <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> that hee loved her, becau&s;e hee had promi&s;ed never to &s;peake any more of his love unto her; &s;o &s;hee dur&s;t not make his hatred of <HI>A|glatidas</HI> appeare more then ordinary, becau&s;e of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and of you Sir: &s;o that hee was extremely tormented; but in the end, love being the predominate pa&s;&s;ion in his heart, hee conceived, upon &s;erious thoughts, that though hee &s;hould tell her hee lo|ved her &s;till, yet it was no unpardonable &s;inne: So that hee went unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> with a re&s;olution to commit it. This vi&s;ite did both &s;urprize and perplex her, for &s;hee ima|gined that &s;ince <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> had broke his promi&s;e of &s;eeing her no more, hee would breake the other al&s;o before hee had done, and though to &s;peake rea&s;onably, it may very well bee &s;aid, that hee was only the innocent cau&s;e of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> his jealou&s;ie; yet for all that, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had never married <HI>Ottanus,</HI> if <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> had not &s;poke with her in the Garden when <HI>Aglatidas</HI> became jealous, and therefore &s;hee could not chu&s;e but have a &s;pleene again&s;t him: For this rea&s;on therefore and many others, &s;hee gave him but cold entertainment, yet would &s;hee not openly chide him for his breach of promi&s;e, becau&s;e <HI>Tharpis</HI> was pre&s;ent, who was an eternall ob&s;tacle unto <HI>Mega|bi&s;es</HI> as well as unto <HI>Aglatidas.</HI></P>
<P>The mo&s;t ob&s;ervable pa&s;&s;age was, that <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> being extreamly joyed that &s;hee had continually one with her, who hindred <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> from any private di&s;cour&s;e, did one day de&s;ire <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> &s;miling, not to bee jealous, if &s;hee treated the poore <HI>Tharpis</HI> a little kindly; to the end hee &s;hould continue his a&s;&s;iduitie about her, as long as <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;hould bee at Court. <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> who was very &s;ubtle and craftie, did de&s;ire that <HI>Tharpis</HI> &s;hould bee with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> only when <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was with her, and bee no hindrance unto eyther <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> or <HI>Artemon,</HI> for &s;hee cared not who got the heart of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;o <HI>Aglatidas</HI> lo&s;t it. But Sir, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was &s;o exceedingly ob&s;equious and full of re&s;pects unto her, that though the vi&s;ites of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> were &s;o
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many bitter Pills to his &s;tomack, and perplexed him to the heart, yet he re&s;olved never to tell her as much, or &s;peak unto her: But doe what he could, his eyes betrayed the &s;ecrets of his &s;oul, and di&s;covered his re&s;tle&s;&s;e thoughts; yet &s;ince &s;he was re&s;olved to be very &s;incere and free with him, &s;hee expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf &s;o obligingly unto him at <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI>'s lodging, that &s;he &s;weetned tho&s;e bitter Pills at the la&s;t, if &s;he did not ab&s;o|lutely cure him of his Maladie.</P>
<P>In the mean time <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> watched all opportunities to &s;peak in private with her, and at the la&s;t found out an odd device, which was, to &s;uborn the Porter by a con&s;i|derable &s;um of monie: Then when he intended to execute his de&s;ign, hee made choi&s;e of &s;uch a day as hee knew <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> would not be with <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> and acquainting the Porter with it, he obliged him to tell every one, except him&s;elf, that came to ask for his Ladie, that &s;hee was not at home. So that the Porter obeying him, and <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;ending away his men when hee came neere the hou&s;e, fearing if any who came thither &s;hould &s;ee them there, they would know by them he was there al&s;o, he went up into her Chamber, and found no companie with her but her women: His fir&s;t entrance did a little &s;tartle her; yet imagining that company would pre&s;ently come in, and at lea&s;t <HI>Tharpis</HI> would not fail to deliver her from the per&s;ecution of <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> &s;hee re&s;olved to be &s;peaking continually unto him, and prevent him from any expre&s;&s;ions of Love: So that when they were &s;et and conceiving there was no &s;ubject fitter for a long di&s;cour&s;e then to &s;peak of you Sir; Since wee have a fit oportunitie, &s;aid &s;hee unto him, tell me, I be&s;eech you, whether <HI>Cyrus</HI> be really &s;uch a one as fame &s;peaks him to bee: I doe not expect you &s;hould make a large relation of all his conque&s;ts, but I would have you tell mee truly, whether it bee true, that he is ab&s;olute owner of all the virtues, and hath not &s;o much as one fault: for &s;ince I was not at <HI>Ecbatan</HI> when he was there, I mi&s;&s;ed the &s;ight of him, and would gladly know, whether all tho&s;e that &s;peak of him doe not flatter.</P>
<P>That Prince, an&s;wered <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> is &s;o exactly accompli&s;hed in all re&s;pects, that none can flater him more then they can your beauty Madam, though they commend him in the highe&s;t &s;train. But Madam, &s;aid he, if <HI>Aglatidas</HI> hath not fully de&s;cribed him unto you, he is not gratefull enough for tho&s;e favours which <HI>Cyrus</HI> hath done him; and you have &s;om rea&s;on to feare hee will bee negligent al&s;o in his acknowledgements of tho&s;e favours he hath received from you. <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> replyed &s;he, has extolled him in &s;uch a high &s;trayn, as that is the rea&s;on why I enquire of you concerning him, conceiving it not po&s;&s;i|ble that one Prince &s;hould have as many virtues as all the men in the world together can have; therefore if I were of a condition and humor to &s;hew any favours unto <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> I need not fear by this rea&s;on that he will be ungratefull. But <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> added &s;he, there is &s;uch a va&s;t difference between the fortunes of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and mine, that it is not fit they &s;hould be brought into any compari&s;on; &s;o that without any more &s;peeches of me, I be&s;eech you let us &s;peak only of him. I &s;hall ever &s;peak of him with de|light (&s;aid he unto her) but only this day Madam, I be&s;eech you di&s;pen&s;e with it and me both, and give me leave to &s;pend this oportunitie I have to bee alone with you, in beging pardon for not keeping within the limits you pre&s;cribed me. I al&s;o beleeved Madam, that &s;ince you are plea&s;ed to permit me the &s;ight of you, &s;o al&s;o you will per|mit me to &s;peak unto unto you; and what coldne&s;&s;e &s;oever I ob&s;erve in your eyes, I cannot choo&s;e but a&s;&s;ure you, that the flame which once they kindled in my heart, is now hotter then ever it was.</P>
<P><HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;eeing &s;he could not avoid this di&s;cour&s;e which &s;he &s;o much feared; and &s;eeing al&s;o that it was in vain, &s;he turned her &s;elf towards the dore, to &s;ee if any came in to relieve her, &s;he re&s;olved to an&s;wer him directly and &s;peedily, le&s;t any &s;hould enter before &s;he had ended; &s;o that taking up <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> very &s;hort, I &s;ee, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that prudence is mo&s;t requi&s;ite of all the virtues, and it is fit &s;ometimes not to let all ones goodne&s;&s;e appear; for indeed <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> my indulgence towards you in &s;eeming to forget that I ever de&s;ired you to &s;ee mee any more, and that you promi&s;ed mee obe|dience, is the cau&s;e that you &s;peak as you doe: yet know that the rea&s;on why I did not forbid you to &s;ee me, or di&s;cour&s;e of a pa&s;&s;ion which I cannot an&s;wer, was becau&s;e I thought that this pa&s;&s;ion had been quite extingui&s;hed, and con&s;equently you might perhaps become one of my friends: But &s;ince you indeavour to per&s;wade mee that it
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remains &s;till in your &s;oul; Let me once more conjure you to keep within the limits of your promi&s;e. I doe confe&s;&s;e Madam (replyed hee and &s;miled) that I made this promi&s;e unto the faire <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> as daughter unto <HI>Artambares.</HI> who had di&s;po&s;ed of her heart unto <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> but I never made any promi&s;e to the wife or the widow of <HI>Otanus,</HI> who being ab&s;olute mi&s;tri&s;&s;e of her owne will, ought now to make more e|quitable Lawes then this, if &s;hee de&s;ire to bee obeyed.</P>
<P>That <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> of whom you &s;peake, &s;aid &s;hee unto him, in changing condition has not changed her thoughts of you. I wi&s;h to the gods, replyed hee, that &s;hee had changed her thoughts of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and that he &s;hould not bee the only happy one a|mong&s;t &s;o many mi&s;erable men: How&s;oever, replyed &s;hee, I doe expect obedience, and &s;ince you cannot &s;ee mee but di&s;plea&s;e me, you &s;hall &s;ee mee no more; or at the lea&s;t, if I cannot avoid it ab&s;olutely, you &s;hall never &s;ee mee but in Melancholy and Anger. Yet Madam &s;aid hee unto her, is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould marry <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and ca&s;t off <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> for whom you bani&s;hed mee, and will you not now &s;o much as heare the complaints of a mi&s;erable man, on whom, out of your goodne&s;&s;e, it was your plea&s;ure to be&s;towe &s;ome &s;weete language when you bani&s;hed him? for then you told him hee might pretend unto your e&s;teeme and friend&s;hip, and that if you had not beene engaged by the command of a father, and your owne inclination to prefer <HI>Aglatidas</HI> before all the World, you would not have &s;corned him: Now Madame, &s;ince <HI>Aglatidas</HI> hath broken your chaines, and a&s;&s;umed tho&s;e of <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> before all the world, in &s;o much as you married <HI>Ottanus,</HI> tell mee, I be&s;eech you, if after all this I have not &s;ome pretence unto your heart, which <HI>Ottanus</HI> unworthily po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, and which <HI>Aglatidas</HI> hath rendred him&s;elfe unworthy of by his incon&s;tancy? Moreover Madam, grant that hee never was really in love with <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> and that by orders from you, hee did di&s;&s;emble with her, yet I will maintaine hee never did love you rightly, that could doe &s;o much: At the lea&s;t, I am mo&s;t certaine, that if you had impo&s;ed any &s;uch command upon m&egrave;e, I &s;hould never have beene able to obey it. Obey me only in this (replyed &s;hee) Never vi&s;ite mee any more, nor &s;peake of your pretended pa&s;&s;i|on; and I &s;hall impo&s;e no other difficulties upon you. Had I not &s;eene you change your minde, replyed hee, doubtle&s;&s;e I &s;hould obey you, &s;ince heretofore I have done &s;o; but &s;ince I have &s;eene you make choice of <HI>Ottanus</HI> before all the mo&s;t compleat men in <HI>Medea,</HI> It is not po&s;&s;ible Madam, I &s;hould ca&s;t off all hope, how rigorous &s;o|ever you are; for I thinke I may &s;peake it without any vanity, that there is not &s;o great a difference betweene mee and <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> as there was betweene him and <HI>Otta|nus.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> hearing <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;peak thus, and his di&s;cour&s;e bringing into her me|morie, all tho&s;e misfortunes which hee had been the cau&s;e of; &s;hee was extreamly troubled: &s;hee wondred that none came in all that time; and turned her &s;elf to|wards the dore upon every lea&s;t noi&s;e that her women made: however <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> doe or &s;ay what &s;hee could, did pa&s;&s;e away the greate&s;t part of the afternoon with her: and in an&s;were to the la&s;t thinge which hee had &s;poke unto her, &s;hee told him in generall termes, that her marriage with <HI>Ottanus,</HI> was cau&s;ed by a &s;ecret which none could dive into, and that &s;hee was re&s;olved never to declare it; di&s;covering noe futher unto him, but that hee him&s;elf did much contribute towards it. I Madam (&s;aid hee in a great amazement!) Yes, you, replyed &s;he; and therefore looking now upon you as the cau&s;e of all my mi&s;ery; Judge your &s;elfe whether I can ever hearken unto what you tell me. I am &s;o ignorant of the crime whereof you accu&s;e mee, &s;aid hee unto her, that I cannot tell how to ju&s;tifie my &s;elf. However it bee, an&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> you &s;hall never alter my heart; therefore, if it be po&s;&s;ible, alter yours, and a&s;&s;ure your &s;elfe that this is the la&s;t time that you &s;hall &s;peak with mee in private as long as you live. <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> would have replyed, but that &s;he ri&s;e up in a great chafe that none &s;hould come in to relieve her, and commanded that her Coach &s;hould bee pre&s;ently made readie, &s;aying &s;hee would goe and vi&s;it <HI>Mena&s;ta.</HI> You &s;ee (&s;aid &s;hee unto him, after &s;he had given that command) how dangerous it is to give an ill exam|ple; for if you had not failed in tho&s;e re&s;pects which you owed unto me, certainly I &s;hould not have failed in that civility which I owed unto you.</P>
<P>After this, without hearkning unto his an&s;wer, &s;he took up her hood, and going
<PB N="278" REF="331">
unto her gla&s;&s;e to put it on, &s;he con&s;trained <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> to goe out; yet hee did wait upon her unto her Coach: but when the Porter heard them coming down, he went and hid him&s;elf, that he might have &s;ome excu&s;e when &s;he returned, in ca&s;e &s;he &s;hould come to know that half of the Town came that day to &s;ee her; hee intended to tell her&punc; at her return, if &s;he &s;poke unto him, that hee thought &s;hee was gone out on foot at the garden back dore, and that mo&s;t of tho&s;e who came to ask for her, came &s;ince &s;hee went out to vi&s;it <HI>Mena&s;ta.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time <HI>Aglatidas</HI> pa&s;&s;ed away many a re&s;tle&s;&s;e minute; for be plea&s;ed to know Sir, that we went that afternoon very timely to <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and the Porter told us &s;he was not within; and becau&s;e we &s;aw her Coach in the Court, we asked him whe|ther any of her friends had borrowed it, or whether &s;he was gone out on foot; and he an&s;wered us, that &s;he was gone out at the back garden dore: Then did wee &s;eek out all the neighbourhood for her, but could not hear a word where &s;he was: After wee had made many a &s;hort vi&s;it, wee came to the hou&s;e again, and asked whether &s;hee was come home, and the Porter an&s;wered No: Then, &s;ince <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was to give her an account of a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, which &s;he de&s;ired him to doe for one of her friends, unto <HI>Ci|axares,</HI> hee had an extream de&s;ire to meet with her, to let her &s;ee how ready hee was to obey her: So that wee went out again, to &s;eek for her in all likely places; wee &s;ent al&s;o unto divers hou&s;es, to enquire in the name of <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> for hand&s;omene&s;&s;e &s;ake&punc; whether &s;he was there. While&s;t we were going thus from quarter to quarter, from &s;treet to &s;teet, and from dore to dore, through all <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> we met with <HI>Tharpis</HI> and <HI>Artemon</HI> &s;everal times, who were &s;earching as well as wee; and I think we met mo&s;t of any qualitie in all the Court; but among&s;t them all wee met with no <HI>Megabi&s;es;</HI> &s;o that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ea&s;ting with <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> I told him that fortune in depriving us of the &s;ight of his Mi&s;tris; was yet favorable in delivering us from his rivall. <HI>Aglatidas</HI> blu&s;hed at this, and laughing as well as I, told me, that it was no laughing if <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;hould bee all this while with <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI></P>
<P>But Sir, after we had the &s;econd time vi&s;ited all the quarters of <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> we re&s;olved to come unto her hou&s;e again, and if &s;hee were not there, then goe and lament with <HI>Mena&s;ta:</HI> but pre&s;ently after wee were an&s;wered, that &s;he was not yet returned, &s;tay|ing &s;ome twenty or fortie paces from the hou&s;e, wee &s;aw <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> come out of her hou&s;e in her Coach, and <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> on foot, without any &s;ervant following, who cro&s;&s;ing the &s;treet went into a hou&s;e oppo&s;ite the hou&s;e of <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> Judge Sir, what operation this fight had upon the heart of <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> At the fir&s;t hee looked upon me, and afterwards turning ha&s;tily to &s;ee which way <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> went, and which way <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> hee lo&s;t the &s;ight of both; for the Coach turned into another &s;treet clo&s;e by, and <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> went into the hou&s;e I named before. And indeed it was happie that hee was out of &s;ight, for I am per&s;waded hee had quarrelled with him without any more delay. Now <HI>Artaban</HI> &s;aid hee unto mee, What doe you think of this? It is ve|ry odd Sir, &s;aid I unto him; yet &s;ince the like hath happened unto you before, I would advi&s;e you, not to judge upon appearances. Why, &s;aid he unto me, Can I make any doubt of my misfortune, when I &s;ee they have denyed <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to be within, both to me and every one el&s;e, while&s;t all that while <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> hath been alone with her? How <HI>Artaban,</HI> can you interpret this any waies advantagiou&s;ly for me? When you &s;aw <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> replyed I, with <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> in the Garden by the Fountain, and with your own eyes &s;aw him ki&s;&s;e the hand of that fair and virtuous Lady, did you not then think that you had as much rea&s;on to be jealous as now? yet the event did apparently manife&s;t that you wronged her, and that &s;he was mo&s;t innocent and faithfull.</P>
<P>I doe confe&s;&s;e it, &s;aid he, yet what I now &s;ee is very con&s;iderable, and more &s;trange; and I pray you <HI>Artaban,</HI> what doe you thinke of it? I cannot tell an&s;wered I, yet I advi&s;e you to &s;peake with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and &s;ee what &s;atisfaction &s;he will give, before you precipitately re&s;olve upon any thing; at the fir&s;t <HI>Aglatidas</HI> could not re|&s;olve upon that cour&s;e, but all his thoughts were of revenge upon <HI>Megabi&s;es;</HI> but I conceiving by the way they went, that &s;he was gone unto <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> did urge him very importunately to goe thither, and &s;o we did; but I never in all my life &s;aw &s;uch an al|teration as was in the face of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and coming into <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI>'s chamber, where we found much company, he never looked who he was fir&s;t to &s;alute, but ob&s;erving
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the eyes of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> he &s;aw her &s;o troubled and re&s;erved, that he took it for an argu|ment of her crime. Madam, &s;aid he aloud, It is not my fault that I did not wait up|on you before this time of the day; for I have beene at your hou&s;e three times &s;ince dinner, nor was there any negligence in me, &s;aid <HI>Tharpis,</HI> for I have beene there as oft as <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> nor was I much &s;hort in my duty &s;aid <HI>Artemon,</HI> for I was there twice. Truely, &s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> I doe not know how <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> hath this day di&s;po&s;ed of her &s;elfe; for all that came this day unto me, told me they were at her hou&s;e, and &s;ought her all over the towne, and could find her no where: Many that were pre&s;ent al&s;o &s;aid the &s;ame. <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> all the while was &s;o amazed &s;he knew not what to an&s;wer &s;ince &s;he was all that while at home when they &s;ought for her: <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> wondring at her &s;ilence, and never &s;u&s;pecting any hidden mi&s;tery in the matter, pre&s;&s;ed her to an&s;wer. Tell us, I be&s;eech you, &s;aid &s;he unto her, what you have beene imployed in? Or if you will not, I &s;hall thinke the Gho&s;t of <HI>Otanus</HI> hath appeared unto you and commanded you to be retired. Truly (an&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> aloud) I am &s;o much amazed at what I heare, that I know not what to &s;ay, for indeede I was never out of my owne Chamber untill I came hither, and <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> (&s;aid &s;he and blu&s;hed) hath beene with me all the afternoone. <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> thinking &s;he &s;aid this only becau&s;e per|haps wee might &s;ee them come out together, could not withhold the expre&s;&s;ions of &s;ome unquietne&s;&s;e in his lookes: But <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> de&s;iring to ju&s;tifie her &s;elfe before all the company. asked all tho&s;e who &s;aid they had beene at her hou&s;e, whom they &s;poke withall; and as &s;he particularly asked <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who told her he enquired of the Por|ter; I confe&s;&s;e, &s;aid &s;he aloud, &s;ince it is &s;o as you tell me, I may bee &s;u&s;pected of great familiarity with <HI>Megabi&s;es;</HI> But I can a&s;&s;ure you, without any Lie, that whither it was I was in an ill humor, or he was &s;o, I know not, but we found no plea&s;ant agreeablene&s;&s;e together. Yet Madam, &s;aid <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> his vi&s;ite continued very long: I thought it &s;o, replyed &s;he; yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;aid <HI>Artemon,</HI> the conver&s;ation of tho&s;e who newly come from travell, u&s;eth to bee very plea&s;ant: Yes doubtle&s;&s;e, replyed <HI>Tharpis,</HI> but perhaps <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> did not thinke it fit to entertain her with di&s;cour&s;e of the &s;tately walls of <HI>Babylon,</HI> or the River of <HI>Euphrates,</HI> with the Grandure of <HI>Artaxates,</HI> or &s;uch like: However &s;aid &s;he (and interrupted him) I mu&s;t know at my returne how this de&s;igne comes to pa&s;&s;e: After this <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;poke not a word, and as <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> could not chu&s;e but aske the eyes of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> what hee thought of this pa&s;&s;age, &s;o &s;he looked upon him very oft, and the more &s;hee did him that favour, the more did he &s;u&s;pect her of infidelity: Since it was now very late, the company was forced to break off, and <HI>Tharpis</HI> al&s;o retyred, becau&s;e <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> made it knowne &s;he would &s;up with <HI>Mena&s;ta.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Aglatidas</HI> would have gone away before he had rendred an account of his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, but &s;he making that her pretence to &s;tay him longer then the re&s;t, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;aid &s;hee unto him; I beleeve you have &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e with me which concernes my felfe, and therefore I would &s;peake with you. Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I did not thinke you had beene very earne&s;t to know it, &s;ince you cau&s;ed &s;ome to tell me you were not with|in the &s;ame day I was to render you an account of it. Doe you think (&s;aid &s;he unto him, &s;eeing none but <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> and my &s;elf in the chamber) that it was by any order from me you did not enter? Madam, &s;aid hee, I had good cau&s;e to think you ought to bee obeyed in your own hou&s;e. And doubtle&s;&s;e you believe, &s;aid &s;he, that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was permitted to enter when every one el&s;e was denied? &s;peak <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid &s;he &s;eeing him &s;ilent) what doe you think of it? I re&s;pect you &s;o much (&s;aid he and &s;ighed) that I dare not tell you what I think. You tell mee enough &s;aid &s;hee, in telling mee no more: but &s;ince I confe&s;&s;e that there are circum&s;tances and appearances again&s;t me, I will be &s;o favorable as not to condemne you of any lightne&s;&s;e, but will ju&s;tifie my &s;elf in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> and <HI>Artaban;</HI> but after this <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> I doe expect to bee obeyed in all things, without any exception. And as &s;oon as hee promi&s;ed an ab&s;olute obedience, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> related all the di&s;cour&s;e which had pa&s;&s;ed between her and <HI>Me|gabi&s;es,</HI> her vexations and anger, to &s;ee that none came in to relieve her, and her &s;u|&s;pition that there was &s;ome trick or other put upon her; &s;o that to cleer the matter, &s;hee &s;ent for the Porter; when hee was come, &s;he asked him, why he told every one that day &s;hee was not within, &s;ince hee knew very well &s;he was? Pardon me Madam, I
<PB N="280" REF="332">
be&s;eech you, &s;aid hee unto her, for the fault which I committed again&s;t my will, think|ing you to be gone out at the garden back dore. But if you had thought &s;o, replyed &s;hee, you would not have let <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> enter. <HI>Megabi&s;es!</HI> Madam (replyed hee, and &s;eemed to wonder) I did not let him enter; if he did come in, it mu&s;t needs be very timely, while&s;t I &s;tept into the Town about a little bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, immediatly after dinner, not thinking any would come &s;o &s;oon; at my return I asked a boy whether you went out &s;ince I went, and he told me you were gone out at the back dore; and certainly he took one of your women for you; and I doe a&s;&s;ure you I &s;aw none of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> his men at the gate, for if I had, I &s;hould have known he had been there; but &s;ince I &s;aw none, I could not imagine he was entred, &s;ince hee never comes alone. And how came it to pa&s;&s;e (&s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to him) that you were from the gates when I went out. Be|cau&s;e I went to the garden dore, replyed hee, thinking &s;ome had knocked: and to tell you the truth Madam, when I under&s;tood that you were not gone forth, but had gi|ven orders to make ready your Coach, I was &s;o much a&s;hamed of my fault, that I dur&s;t not look you in the face; but I can tell you the names of all tho&s;e who came to wait upon you: Then did he begin to number up all that came to ask for her that day, beginning with <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and my &s;elf, and went on with <HI>Tharpis</HI> and <HI>Artemon:</HI> But <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;topping him, was angry that the an&s;wers of this man did not hand&s;omly ju&s;tifie her &s;elf, and did let him know by her threatning language, that he was to pro|vide him&s;elf of another Mi&s;tris. When hee was gone out <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> looking upon <HI>A|glatidas,</HI> did know by his eyes he was not &s;atisfied: I perceive, &s;aid &s;hee unto him, that the an&s;wers of my Porter have not ju&s;tified me in your opinion. Truly Madam, re|plyed he, it was not from him I expected the &s;atisfaction I have need of. Yet it was hee who denyed you the Gate, replyed &s;hee, and let <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> enter. I confe&s;&s;e it, replyed <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> yet if <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> was not preferred unto that honour by your own orders, it troubles me much le&s;&s;e; and to know that Madam, I mu&s;t appeal unto your own mouth.</P>
<P>If you will take my word, &s;aid &s;hee unto him, you &s;hall bee quickly &s;atisfied: for I doe prote&s;t unto you <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> I gave no order at all that day eyther to open the gates or &s;hut them, or deny my &s;elfe unto any who&s;oever, and if I had excepted a|gain&s;t any, certainly it &s;hould not have beene <HI>Megabi&s;es.</HI> Madam, &s;aid hee unto her&punc; you give me mo&s;t oblieging &s;atisfaction; but when I thinke of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> being a whole afternoone with you in private, and &s;aw him come out alone pre&s;ently after you had taken coach, I did conclude Madam, whether I would or no, that you were eyther not &s;incere (if I can &s;peake it without offence) or el&s;e that your Porter had be|trayed you. Men of his condition are &s;uch block-heads, &s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that there is nothing to be concluded by their impertinent words or deedes: This fellow replyed I, &s;eemes not to have done this, without &s;ome de&s;igne in it: What <HI>Artaban,</HI> &s;aid <HI>A|me&s;tris</HI> to me, are you again&s;t me al&s;o? Pardon me Madam (&s;aid I unto her) for I thinke the more I &s;u&s;pect the Porter, the more I ju&s;tifie you; yet <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, I be&s;eech you tell me what I &s;hould doe, not only to per&s;wade you that I never con|&s;ented unto the private conference with <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> but al&s;o to make the Towne be|lieve it. I know one infallible way replyed <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and &s;ighed; but Madam, I am afraid you will not take it. It &s;hall bee a very difficult one then replyed &s;he; for I a&s;&s;ure you I am &s;o extreamly vexed, that any &s;hould think I con&s;ented <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;hould be four hours together with me in private, as I would doe any thing to unde|ceive them; therefore tell me <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> how I &s;hould ju&s;tifie my &s;elf, both in your opinion, and in the opinion of all the world. If you will appeare perfectly innocent Madam, &s;aid hee unto her, you mu&s;t make me happy, and marrie mee; for I know no greater te&s;timony of your innocency; therefore Madam, if you plea&s;e, I be&s;eech you re&s;olve upon this way of ju&s;tification. But <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> &s;aid &s;hee, I very well &s;ee, that this way would ju&s;tifie me to your &s;elf, but not to the world. I can a&s;&s;ure you Ma|dam, replyed hee, that your virtue is &s;o generally known, as when they know you are fully re&s;olved to prefer me before all the re&s;t of your Lovers, they will never &s;u&s;pect you of any familiarity with <HI>Megabi&s;es:</HI> I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e unto you Madam, that the violent pa&s;&s;ion of my &s;oul cannot endure the torment, to &s;ee you and not &s;ee you (if it be permitted me to &s;ay &s;o) for I doe not call that a &s;eeing you, when I pa&s;&s;e away
<PB N="281" REF="332">
a whol afternoon with you among&s;t my enemies; for &s;o Madam all &s;incere Lovers u&s;e to call their Rivals: Doe not think, I be&s;eech you, I &s;ay this out of any fanta&s;ticall jealou&s;ie; No Madam, it proceeds from pure affection: and though the pre&s;ence of my Rivals doe trouble mee much more then any others; yet a Lover in his height of &s;inceritie cannot enjoy the conver&s;ation of the partie Loved, when any &s;hares with him: Love Madam, loves &s;ecrecy; and thoughts that pa&s;&s;e from one heart into ano|ther, loves no witne&s;&s;es; permit me therefore Madam, I be&s;eech you, the happine&s;&s;e to tell you, that I love you above all expre&s;&s;ions, and loves not to tell you &s;o, even <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> her &s;elf &s;hall bee pre&s;ent.</P>
<P>Since <HI>Ottanus</HI> did u&s;e me very ill, &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> It becomes mee to doe more then others: yet &s;ince there are more eyes upon me then upon others, I cannot be too cir|cum&s;pect: therefore <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> in con&s;ideration of your good fortune and happine&s;&s;e as well as of my own, it is good to bee well a&s;&s;ured wee &s;hall bee happie together, be|fore wee engage our &s;elves too far. Ah Madam, cryed hee out, you need not doubt of my good fortune or your own. However, &s;aid &s;he, I cannot give you a direct an|&s;wer now. Will you then not ju&s;tifie your &s;elf, replyed hee? Yes, &s;aid &s;hee, but I would have you take my word.</P>
<P>All this while <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> and I were talking together, but &s;till overheard what they &s;aid: and fearing that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> would quarrel, &s;he left me and went to them: Truly <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, I wonder at you; for doe you not re&s;olve in your heart to marrie <HI>Aglatidas?</HI> If you doe, why doe you defer it? would you have him fight with two or three for you? Would you have him kill one, and fly for it, and re|turn in a di&s;gui&s;e? Would you have him finde you in the Garden again talking with &s;ome of your Lovers whom you would bani&s;h? Would you have him jealous again, and counterfeit a fre&s;h love to <HI>Anati&s;a?</HI> would you marrie another <HI>Ottanus</HI> to ju&s;ti|fie your &s;elf and puni&s;h him? Beleeve me <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> if you would avoid all the&s;e, you mu&s;t marry <HI>Aglatidas</HI> pre&s;ently, and lead a happie life. <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> &s;poke all this with &s;uch a plea&s;ant importunitie, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> could not choo&s;e but laugh: and as for <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> hee thanked her in &s;uch a manner as made it appear hee thought him&s;elf much obliged. For my part, I added my prayers unto <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI>'s rea&s;ons, and pre&s;&s;ed <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;o far, that &s;he could hardly choo&s;e but an&s;wer our de&s;ires: And when &s;hee went about to oppo&s;e again&s;t us, and demand time to con&s;ider, <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> councelled <HI>Aglatidas</HI> to think that &s;he con&s;ented to the private di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Megabi&s;es.</HI> But doe what we could, &s;he would have two dayes time to con&s;ider, and then to give her po&s;itive an&s;wer. After this <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> telling her in a low voyce, &s;he feared a quarrel with <HI>Megabi&s;es; Ame&s;tris</HI> did ab&s;olutely command <HI>Aglatidas</HI> the contrary; and hee was forced to promi&s;e her he would not, provided &s;hee gave him a favourable an|&s;wer.</P>
<P>Thus Sir, this private conference which <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> had &s;o &s;ubtlely contrived for his own advantage, was a cau&s;e moving <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> unto re&s;olutions in favour of <HI>Aglatidas.</HI> After this we retired: But notwith&s;tanding all that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had &s;aid, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was very unquiet in his &s;oul, and what he had &s;een had &s;uch an influence upon his minde, that all the night I could not move him to &s;peak of any thing el&s;e. In the mean while <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> made <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to declare openly unto all the world in favour of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> knowing then that none dur&s;t bee &s;o bold as to interrupt his happine&s;&s;e, con&s;idering what favour hee was in with <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> But &s;ince &s;hee had a great de&s;ire to di&s;cover whether her Porter had told her true or cozened her, when &s;hee was returned home and in her chamber, &s;he imployed one of her women, who was very wittie and &s;ubtle, to enquire very narrowly, whether the Porter held any familiarity with any of <HI>Mega|bi&s;es</HI> &s;ervants. Madam, an&s;wered &s;he, I know not whether he hold any intelligence with any of his &s;ervants, but I am &s;ure, that as I returned from the Temple the&s;e two mornings, I &s;aw <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> talking with him at the corner of a blind &s;treet; yet &s;ince I thought that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> only asked him whether you were at the Temple, or whe|ther you would pre&s;ently goe abroad, or &s;ome &s;uch que&s;tions, I went on and took no further notice of them.</P>
<P>No &s;ooner had the woman told this to <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> but &s;hee imediatly &s;ent for the Porter again, to ask him what <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;aid unto him &s;uch a day, &s;uch an hour, and
<PB N="282" REF="333">
in &s;uch a place. The man was &s;o &s;tartled at this que&s;tion, that he trembled, and gave but a very bad an&s;wer: So that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> not giving him &s;o much time as to invent a lye, began to threaten him, and tell him that if hee would confe&s;&s;e the truth, &s;he would pardon him: Then after many ill an&s;wers, which would be too tedious to relate, hee confe&s;&s;ed that <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;ent one of his men for him, that hee gave him monie; and indeed told the whol truth. After this, <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> fearing &s;ome future misfortune might be occa&s;ioned by <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> re&s;olved to marry <HI>Aglatidas.</HI></P>
<P>In the meane time <HI>Tharpis</HI> and <HI>Artemon.</HI> had their &s;hares in vexations as well as o|thers: The fir&s;t of tho&s;e two had not the happine&s;&s;e of complayning to <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> for &s;he was gone into the Country, yet &s;ince &s;he was not above fiftie furlongs from <HI>Ec|batan,</HI> he writ unto her; as for <HI>Artemon,</HI> as deepe in love with <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> as hee was, yet being more wi&s;e, and &s;eeing how &s;he lived with <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> he de&s;i&s;ted, and du<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t attempt no further manife&s;tations of his Love; but yet, &s;ince hope never leaves Lo|vers till the la&s;t ga&s;pe, before he quite excluded the Image of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> out of his heart he would know a little more certainly upon what terms <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;tood with her: So that &s;ince we two were a kind of friends together, and knew that I was very much one unto <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> he came unto me and de&s;ired me to tell him, in generall, whe|ther the heart of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was &s;o deeply engaged that there was no hopes at all left for tho&s;e that loved her: I know very well, &s;aid he unto me, you ought not to reveale a|ny &s;ecret wherewith you are tru&s;ted; but however, being your friend, as I am, I know you will not refu&s;e to advi&s;e me, in a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e upon which depends the mi&s;ery or happine&s;&s;e of all my life; give me leave therefore to tell you, that I am extremely in love with <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> but for all that, if I were &s;ure her heart were engaged unto a|nother, I would endeavor to recall my owne; therefore I be&s;eech you, tell me what is my be&s;t to doe: <HI>Artemon</HI> &s;poke this with &s;o much ingenuity, that I thought my &s;elfe oblieged to councell him &s;incerely, and to doe good &s;ervice unto three at once: To <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> in delivering her from <HI>Artemons</HI> importunity: To <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> in taking a Rivall off his hand: And to <HI>Artemon,</HI> in curing him of a pa&s;&s;ion which would never be accepted; yet &s;ince there is no tru&s;ting the &s;inceritie of a Lover, I acquainted him with nothing of what I knew concerning <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> but I advi&s;ed him to try whether he could po&s;&s;ibly quit his affection; for I knew <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> would never accept of it; I coloured my Councell with other rea&s;ons; I told him, that &s;ince <HI>Me|gabi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who were in great favour with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> did pretend unto her, there was no hopes for him again&s;t &s;uch Rivalls, for they had beene both in love with her before &s;he married <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and that in all likelyhood, if ever &s;he married againe, &s;he would chu&s;e one of them two: However, his be&s;t way would be to &s;tay and &s;ee what time would produce: <HI>Artemon</HI> gave me thanks for my advice, though it went again&s;t the heart of a Lover. In the meane while <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> who had &s;ent for <HI>Mena|&s;ta,</HI> to di&s;cover unto her what &s;he knew concerning the trick which <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> put up|on her, re&s;olved now to deferre it no longer, but to declare openly for <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and to tell him as much; But <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> conceived, that &s;ince <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> had ever ex|pre&s;&s;ed much pa&s;&s;ionate affection to her, it would not be ami&s;&s;e if <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> &s;poke unto him, and endeavored to prevent any quarrell; yet there was no &s;uch neede: for as &s;oon as <HI>Aglatidas</HI> did ask the Kings permi&s;&s;ion to marry <HI>Ame&s;tris, Ciaxares</HI> knowing the pretentions of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> to her, did ab&s;olutely command him, not to hinder the good fortune of <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> So that hee dur&s;t not oppo&s;e it. Then &s;ince the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e made a great noi&s;e, <HI>Artemon</HI> was glad hee took my councel, and <HI>Tharpis</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Mega|bi&s;es</HI> dur&s;t not complain again&s;t the happine&s;&s;e of his Rivall, out of obedience to the King, hee was forced to follow his example, and hide his &s;orrows.</P>
<P>Thus Sir you &s;ee <HI>Aglatidas</HI> as happie as he could de&s;ire; for <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had made the plot of <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;o apparent unto him, that not the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition remained in his mind. All the Kindred and Friends of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> approved of her choi&s;e, and all tho&s;e that loved <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was glad of it; not a Rivall dur&s;t appear: <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> &s;hunned his Rivall and his Mi&s;tris both: <HI>Artemon</HI> complained unto none but me, and &s;weetned his &s;orrows by relating unto me the virtues of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> while&s;t <HI>Ottanus</HI> lived: And <HI>Tharpis</HI> went into the Countrey to <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> who was vexed in &s;o high a mea&s;ure, that it may be tearmed rage rather then &s;orrow or revenge. In the meane while nothing
<PB N="283" REF="333">
hindred <HI>Aglatidas</HI> from his happine&s;&s;e, and he had no other torment but impatience, which never leaves Lovers untill all be compleated: All the Court and Towne re|joyced at this intended marriage; for the &s;olemnitie of which, a thou&s;and publique diver&s;ions were preparing: The day was &s;et down by the King him&s;elf, who would honour this fea&s;t with his pre&s;ence: The invention of all the Ladies in Court and Town were upon the rack for new dre&s;&s;es again&s;t that day. <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> di&s;|cour&s;ing together with more freedom then before, did &s;o infu&s;e their &s;ouls into each other, that their loves increa&s;ed, and by con&s;equence their happine&s;&s;e, it being certain that the felicitie of Lovers does not le&s;&s;e con&s;i&s;t in the reciprocall opinion of each o|thers merits, then that of their pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>This being the &s;tate of things, and there being but three dayes untill the marriage, a chance happened which did extreamly trouble the joyes of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> I think I already told you that <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> was fiftie furlongs from <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and that <HI>Tharpis</HI> went unto her. As they were one day walking together neer the way which goes to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and con&s;ulting which way they might trouble the felicitie of <HI>Agla|tidas</HI> and <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> they &s;pied a man on hor&s;-back, who left the high-way and came towards them. <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> who was not in any humor to receive vi&s;its, would have avoided him; yet imagining that perhaps it was one who came to &s;ee her Aunt, with whom &s;hee dwelt, &s;he continued her walk as if &s;hee took no notice of him who was coming towards them: But a woman which waited upon her, knowing him to bee her brother that waited upon <HI>Ottanus,</HI> &s;he cryed our, and went with open armes to em|brace him, for hee was lighted from his hor&s;e, and gave him unto a man which waited on him. <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> at the cry of her woman, who thought her brother dead, looked upon him and knew him to be <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> who had done her much &s;ervice in augment|ing the jealou&s;ie of <HI>Otanus,</HI> and per&s;ecuted <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> So that in con&s;ideration of the&s;e offices &s;he talked with him, and asked how he lo&s;t his Ma&s;ter, and why it was &s;o long be|fore he returned. Then hee made a relation, how <HI>Otanus</HI> peri&s;hed under the Moun|tains of <HI>Artaxates,</HI> unto which the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> retreated; how hee &s;aw his body in the Torrent, and how hee &s;unk to the bottom of the water; and how hee him&s;elf fell &s;ick in a little Town; how afterwards hee had got him another Ma&s;ter, but not liking his &s;ervice hee quitted it and returned: and &s;ince hee was to pa&s;&s;e &s;o neer a place where hee thought &s;he might bee, hee came thither. But <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> &s;aid &s;hee unto him, tell mee, I pray you, whether <HI>Ottanus</HI> when hee died did hate <HI>Aglatidas.</HI> Hee hated him &s;o much, an&s;wered hee, that I beleeve it was the cau&s;e of his death: for hee would not have engaged him&s;elf &s;o far among&s;t the enemies, but in hopes to meet with him, and to kill him: for my part, &s;aid hee, &s;ince the fight-was in the night, I cannot tell how the misfortune happened, but I &s;aw him dead with the&s;e eyes, and &s;o did ma|ny others.</P>
<P>While&s;t hee was &s;peaking thus unto her, &s;hee looked upon the hilt of his &s;word, which was much too rich and magnificent for a man of his qualitie to weare, and con|&s;idering upon it, &s;hee knew it to bee the &s;word of <HI>Aglatidas.</HI> Tho&s;e who doe not know the power of love, would wonder <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> &s;hould take any notice of this &s;word: but for my part I think it not &s;trange at all; for I am per&s;waded that every thing which belongs unto the party loved will never out of memorie. Moreover this hilt was &s;o very rich and extraordinarie, that it was the more remarkable, and &s;hee had &s;een it a thou&s;and times before. <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> no &s;ooner knew it, but &s;hee asked who gave it unto him: And he told her, that a few dayes after the death of his Ma&s;ter, as he was in <HI>Artaxates,</HI> he bought it of a Per&s;ian Soldier, who told him hee pulled it out of the bodie of a dead Armenian at the bottom of the Mountains where they fought. <HI>Ana|ti&s;a,</HI> after this knew that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> had left his &s;word (as &s;ometimes it may happen) in the body of him hee killed. And &s;aying no more, &s;hee left <HI>Dinocrates</HI> with his &s;i|&s;ter, and continued her walk with <HI>Tharpis;</HI> but &s;o taken up with her own thoughts, that he could not choo&s;e but ask her, why her minde was more mu&s;ing then ordinary. I am &s;tudying, &s;aid &s;hee unto him, how to make you happie if I can, or at the lea&s;t to di&s;turb the felicitie of your Rivall. Hee &s;tands upon too &s;ure terms, replyed <HI>Tharpis,</HI> for mee ever to hope for it. Not &s;o &s;ure, &s;aid <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> but if <HI>Dinocrates</HI> will bee as faithfull unto mee as heretofore he hath been, I &s;hall bring it ea&s;ily to pa&s;&s;e. <HI>Tharpis</HI>
<PB N="284" REF="334">
was &s;o impatient to know her de&s;igne, that he a&s;&s;ured her he would &s;uborn him though with half his e&s;tate rather then faile; &s;o that &s;he told him her plot, and he did &s;o well approve of it, that he was ready to thank her upon his knees, for finding out &s;o rare an invention: After this, without any delay, <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> called <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> and told him &s;he would make him a fortune if he would doe as &s;he de&s;ired; <HI>Tharpis</HI> al&s;o a&s;&s;ured him of a very rich pre&s;ent.</P>
<P><HI>Dinocrates</HI> was naturally apt enough for &s;uch de&s;ignes, and therefore promi&s;ed to obey them, what&s;oever it was they would command; Then did they tell him their de&s;ires, after they had well agreed upon the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and given <HI>Dinocrates</HI> full in|&s;tructions what to doe and &s;ay; they found it not expedient it &s;hould be knowne hee had &s;een them; &s;o that after they had expre&s;ly charged his &s;i&s;ter to conceal his return from every one, they &s;ent him to lodge in the Towne clo&s;e by, and the next morning meeting in the &s;ame place, <HI>Tharpis</HI> was as good as his word, and charmed him with a very con&s;iderable gift, after which &s;he gave him his la&s;t in&s;tructions and &s;ent him away charging him to be &s;ure that he did not goe unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> untill there was much com|pany with her.</P>
<P>One afternoon then, ju&s;t three dayes before the intended marriage, he went unto her while&s;t <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was with the King, but he found <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> and four other Ladies with her, who were of kin to <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and becau&s;e they loved her they came upon a vi&s;ite; <HI>Dinocrates</HI> watching his oportunity, went into the Chamber of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> As &s;oone as &s;he &s;aw him enter, &s;he blu&s;hed, and the very fight of him brought fre&s;h into her memory the per&s;ecutions of <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and all the ill offices which he had done her; yet thinking it more generous and han&s;ome to di&s;&s;emble her re&s;entments again&s;t <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> and to looke upon him as one whom her husband loved, &s;hee recollected her &s;elfe, and &s;peaking very mildly unto him; how comes it to pa&s;&s;e <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, that it is &s;o long after your Ma&s;ters death, before you returne. Madam, replyed he and &s;ighed, I was &s;o troubled at the accident, that I fell &s;ick for &s;orrow, but as &s;oone as I recovered I returned, Madam, to give you an account of my Ma&s;ters mi&s;|fortune: I &s;aw you, &s;aid I unto him, when you &s;ought for his corps and found it in the mid&s;t of the Torrent: It is very true Sir, replyed he, and you were a witne&s;&s;e of part of my &s;orrowes that I could not get it out of the water: Were you in the fight when he was killed? &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> Yes Madam replyed he, and I touched <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> whom I knew by his voice when he ran his &s;word through the body of my Ma&s;ter and could not draw it out againe: Your Ma&s;ter (replyed I, extremely a&s;toni&s;hed, but le&s;&s;e then <HI>Ame&s;tris)</HI> was he killed by <HI>Aglatidas?</HI> thinke well what you &s;ay <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> for how could you know him in the tumult of Combat, and when there was no light but &s;tarres? I told you Sir before, an&s;wered <HI>Dinocrates</HI> undauntedly, that I knew him by his voice; for when he fell upon my Ma&s;ter, who was then in the head of a Partie, he &s;poke &s;omthing unto the men which followed him by way of encouragement: So that my Ma&s;ter, knowing the voice of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> better then I did, turned towards me and &s;aid; Ha <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> yonder is <HI>Aglatidas</HI> whom I looke for, doe not for&s;ake me: I cannot directly &s;ay that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> knew my Ma&s;ters voice; but I am &s;ure they char|ged one another very fiercely, and <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> more happy then <HI>Ottanus,</HI> ran his &s;word to the hilts through his body, who immediatly falling <HI>Aglatidas</HI> could not draw out his &s;word againe: then I &s;eeing my Ma&s;ter fall, knew not whether I &s;hould fall up|on his murtherer, or endeavor to recover him from the feete of tho&s;e who were fight|ing; but the tumult of the combat, removing a little from that place, I tooke up the body of my Ma&s;ter, to &s;ee if he had any life; I pulled the &s;word out of his body by lit|tle and little, and finding no breath nor life, I began to defend my &s;elfe; Then <HI>Agla|tidas</HI> having got another &s;word, and I knowing him better then I did before, re&s;olved to revenge the death of my Ma&s;ter; but our Partie was growne &s;o weake, that we<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> were forced to fly, and I could not returne to looke for the Corps of my Ma&s;ter unti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;uch time as a truce was made, and then when I had the liberty to looke for him, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> could not find him in the place where I left him, but immediatly after I &s;aw him in th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> mid&s;t of a violent torrent, as <HI>Artaban</HI> &s;aith, not knowing who it was that ca&s;t hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> in. All the while of this di&s;cour&s;e <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was infinitely perplexed and dur&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> looke up: The Ladies which were pre&s;ent, and under&s;tood the &s;tate of things, w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">
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very &s;orry to hear this Relation: for my part, my choller was &s;o high, that I could hardly refraine interrupting <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> who &s;eeming to be altogether ignorant of any intended Marriage betweene <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> did peremptorily ju&s;tifie that it was hee who killed <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and that the &s;word which bee drew out of his body, was the &s;word of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> for it was a &s;word which was very remarkable, and hee had &s;eene him weare it &s;everall times: Then <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> &s;eeming as if he were very inge|nious, I will not &s;ay (&s;aid hee) that for this <HI>Aglatidas</HI> is in any fault at all; for in war none who&s;oever of the enemies partie are to bee &s;pared. But where is this Sword? replyed I. Sir (an&s;wered hee with tears almo&s;t in his eyes) I dare not &s;hew it in the pre&s;ence of my Lady, for I cannot indure to look upon it my &s;elf, nor know I upon what con&s;iderations I have kept it.</P>
<P>As hee was &s;aying &s;o, <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who yet knew not that <HI>Dinocrates</HI> was returned, came into the Chamber of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> with eyes as full of joy, as if nothing could hinder his happine&s;&s;e; but perceiving an extream &s;adne&s;&s;e &s;it upon the &s;oul of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;ee|ing <HI>Dinocrates</HI> there, and ob&s;erving much a&s;toni&s;hment in me and all the Ladies pre&s;ent, hee &s;tood &s;till, and bethought him&s;elf what misfortune could po&s;&s;ibly happen. <HI>Agla|tidas</HI> (&s;aid I unto him) come and ju&s;tifie your &s;elf; for <HI>Dinocrates</HI> here, &s;ayes you kil|led <HI>Ottanus</HI> that &s;ame night when wee fought at the bottome of the <HI>Artaxaten</HI> Moun|tains. Who I? (replyed <HI>Aglatidas</HI> in a &s;trange amazement) how can that be &s;ince the illu|&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> told mee hee heard a crye that <HI>Otanus</HI> was dead, in a place where I was not? And I my &s;elf heard <HI>Ottanus</HI> named far off the place where we fought. Sir (re|plyed <HI>Dinocrates</HI> mo&s;t impudently) I am very &s;orry that I have uttered a truth which I &s;ee doth much trouble you; yet, as I &s;aid before, when any one is killed in warrs, the per&s;on who killed him is never looked after. But Sir (&s;aid one that was Cozen to <HI>Ota|nus</HI> and thought to ju&s;tifie <HI>Aglatidas</HI> by the que&s;tion which &s;hee asked) Did you lo&s;e your Sword in that fight? Yes Madam, an&s;wered hee; for I could not pull it out of the body of an Armenian, but was con&s;trained to leave it in him, and &s;natched another by good fortune, out of the hands of another <HI>Armenian.</HI> Ah <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> what doe you tell me? Since he could not imagine why <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;hould &s;peak &s;o, or why the other Ladie &s;hould &s;peak of his Sword, nor how they &s;hould come to know hee had lo&s;t it; hee turned towards mee, and I told him that <HI>Dinocrates</HI> affir|med he had the Sword, and that he drew it out of his Ma&s;ters body. The Sword, &s;aid <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> is &s;o knowable, that none can mi&s;take it for another, and I believe that every one of my friends and acquaintance knows it; but where is it, added hee? Sir, replyed <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> if it be your plea&s;ure I &s;hould &s;end for it, I will let you &s;ee it in the outer Chamber. Then <HI>Aglatidas</HI> pre&s;&s;ing him unto it, <HI>Dinocrates</HI> went out: during which time hee looked upon <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> who had no di&s;po&s;ition to look upon him: Madam, &s;aid hee unto her, I &s;ee very well, that if <HI>Dinocrates</HI> &s;hew me my Sword, and affirm hee pulled the &s;ame out of his Ma&s;ters body, I cannot make it clear that I did not kill <HI>Ottanus,</HI> &s;ince I mu&s;t ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e, that I left it in the bodie of a man who was in the &s;ame Partie <HI>Ottanus</HI> was; yet for all that Madam, I mu&s;t needs believe the relation of <HI>Dinocrates</HI> to be fal&s;e, &s;ince he hath ever been your enemie in all things; he is brother unto a woman who waits upon <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> and therfore what ever proceeds from the te&s;timonie of his tongue ought to be &s;u&s;pected. But <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I finde by your own confe&s;&s;ion, that you left your Sword in a dead man; <HI>Dinocrates</HI> &s;ayes that man was <HI>Ottanus;</HI> and if once he &s;hew you your own Sword, you can then no way contradict him, but by &s;aying, that you did not know it was <HI>Ottanus</HI> whom you killed: and that's too little, abundance too little again&s;t &s;o &s;trong and circum&s;tantiall a depo&s;ition as this; therefore I conjure you to &s;ee me no more, untill you can better clear your &s;elf. Oh Madam, cryed hee out, what fatall reque&s;t is this?</P>
<P>As <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was ready to reply, one came in and told us, that <HI>Dinocrates</HI> was in the outer Room, and had brought the Sword: <HI>Aglatidas</HI> therefore went out, and &s;o did all the Ladies except <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> who &s;tayed with <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> As &s;oon as this Sword was &s;hewed, which wee knew well enough, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> looked &s;ternly upon <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> and not knowing what to &s;ay in his own ju&s;tification, hee &s;earched in his eyes to &s;ee if he could know by them whether hee was innocent or culpable: But <HI>Dinocrates</HI> did &s;o &s;ubtlely di&s;&s;emble the matter, that it was not po&s;&s;ible to di&s;cern his malice. <HI>Aglatidas</HI>
<PB N="286" REF="335">
was &s;o full of furie in his looks, that &s;omtimes I thought hee would have killed <HI>Dino|crates;</HI> and had he not imagined that he &s;hould have appeared more criminall by the Act, I doe believe hee would have fallen upon him: But at the la&s;t, not knowing what to &s;ay, nor being able to a&s;certain him&s;elf that hee had not killed <HI>Ottanus,</HI> hee went to|wards the Chamber of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> with intentions to ca&s;t him&s;elf at her feet though hee knew not well what to &s;ay: But <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> met him with ab&s;olute commands from <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> that he &s;hould not enter, and that he &s;hould be &s;o re&s;pective of her as never to &s;ee her untill he could make his innocence better appeare. <HI>Aglatidas</HI> could hardly yeeld obedience, but <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> u&s;ed &s;uch arguments as per&s;waded him. Then we went out both he and I, after we had examined <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> by a hundred cro&s;&s;e que&s;tions, in hopes he would contradict him&s;elfe; but he was &s;o &s;ubtle in all his an&s;weres, and in the lea&s;t circum&s;tances, that the mo&s;t exact Judges would have beene fully &s;atisfied with them, and condemned <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> After we were gone out, the Ladies &s;tayed a while with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and afterwards went out, all except <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> who &s;tayed with her, as I did with <HI>Aglatidas. Dinocrates</HI> went downe al&s;o, and told all the &s;tory unto the &s;ervants of the hou&s;e, to the end the noi&s;e of it might be the lowder; but he might have &s;aved that labor, for within foure houres after he had &s;poken with <HI>A|me&s;tris,</HI> nothing el&s;e but the oddne&s;&s;e of this accident was di&s;cour&s;ed of in all <HI>Ecbatan.</HI></P>
<P>In the meane time, I knew from <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> that &s;he had no &s;ooner beene in private with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> but that faire and wi&s;e Lady, looking upon her with eyes &s;o full of melancholy, as plainly &s;poke the trouble of her &s;oule; Truly &s;aid &s;hee unto <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> it mu&s;t needs be acknowledged that my fate is lamentable, and that I was too blame in ever hoping for any quietne&s;&s;e, after &s;o long and &s;o cruell a torment; but I am at this day arived unto &s;uch a height, that hope can never againe elevate my heart, and therefore can never augment my torment &s;ince I &s;hall endure no more mi&s;eries then I looked for. I mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e (&s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> to her) that the accident is very &s;trange; but yet &s;ince <HI>Aglatidas</HI> doth verily beleeve that he did not kill <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and &s;ince there is only the relation of <HI>Dinocrates</HI> again&s;t him; why &s;hould you make your &s;elfe mi&s;erable all the dayes of your life by any &s;uch tormenting thoughts? Becau&s;e re|plyed &s;he, I can never have any contentment of minde without honour, and will never be accu&s;ed for doing any thing again&s;t decency and virtue. As &s;oone as &s;he had thus expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elfe, <HI>Dinocrates</HI> came into her Chamber, who apprehending as hee &s;ee|med that he &s;hould incurre the hatred of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas.</HI> Madam, &s;aid hee unto her, I mo&s;t humbly beg your Pardon for the fault which I have ignorantly com|mitted, for &s;ince I came directly to your Chamber, before I had &s;poken with any, I did not know of the de&s;ignes betwixt you and <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> for if I had, que&s;tionle&s;&s;e I &s;hould have concealed &s;ome part of that truth which I have uttered: But perhaps <HI>A|glatidas</HI> killed my Ma&s;ter and knew it not, or if it be your plea&s;ure Madam I &s;hall contradict what I have already &s;aid, and never &s;hew the &s;word unto any, to the end it may not be knowne: <HI>Dinocrates</HI> &s;poke this with &s;o much counterfeit ingenuitie, that though <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had herefore &s;eene a hundred demon&s;trations of his malice, yet &s;hee was deceived, and thought that now certainly he &s;poke &s;incerely; yet &s;he would not accept of his offer, but told him that though none upon earth knew of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e but her &s;elf, yet &s;he would doe what became her. After this &s;hee di&s;mi&s;&s;ed him, and a&s;&s;ured him &s;he would de&s;ire <HI>Aglatidas</HI> not to be revenged on him, for being the cau&s;e of his misfortune. Doe you then intend never to &s;ee him again (&s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> after <HI>Dinocrates</HI> was gone.) There is no que&s;tion to be made of it (an&s;wered &s;he) for how can any rea&s;on permit me to &s;ee the man that hath killed my Husband? But Madam, &s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> hee never intended it, nor can I beleeve he killed him. That is not &s;uf|ficient, an&s;wered <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> for though I were mo&s;t certain, hee did never intend it, yet all's one, I would doe the &s;ame only becau&s;e the world believes it, and will &s;u&s;pect I knew of it: Not that I can accu&s;e <HI>Aglatidas</HI> for killing him; but yet for all that, &s;ince it is known hee dyed by his hand, there needs no more to obliege me never to &s;ee him again, nor to render my &s;elf the mo&s;t mi&s;erable per&s;on in the world. Whil&s;t <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> was talking thus to <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I was no le&s;&s;e bu&s;ie in comforting <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who could not chu&s;e but admire how the Fates did interrupt his happine&s;&s;e: for, &s;aid hee, how can I po&s;&s;ibly ju&s;tifie my &s;elf, &s;ince I am not certain whether <HI>Dinocrates</HI>
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&s;peak true or fal&s;e? I am mo&s;t certain that I knew him not to bee <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and that I heard him named farr off me: but yet for all that, I know the Sword which they &s;hew mee is mine, and that I could not draw it out of the body of an enemy which fell dead at my feat, and it might bee <HI>Ottanus,</HI> &s;ince he was in the fight. But, &s;aid I unto him, why did you not di&s;claim your Sword? for I am per&s;waded that Love does admit of &s;ome hand&s;ome innocent lies, which does no hurt unto any. I &s;hould rather prejudice then ju&s;tifie my &s;elf, &s;aid <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> if I &s;hould have di&s;owned the Sword, &s;ince all men of any qualitie in the Court doe know it: And <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> among&s;t the re&s;t could have known it to bee a lye, for hee hath &s;een it a hundred times; &s;o that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> might well have &s;u&s;pected that I knew him to bee <HI>Otanus</HI> when I killed him: neither doe I think it generous to become happie by lying. But I doe &s;o plainly &s;ee the gods intend my ruine, that I verily believe I cannot better ob&s;erve their wills then by de|&s;troying my &s;elf: yet fir&s;t I am re&s;olved to &s;ee <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and therefore I conjure you to goe unto <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> and procure her to obtain this favour for me; for truly I can|not conceive it ju&s;t to condemn me before &s;hee hear my rea&s;ons. Then did I goe ac|cordingly to doe him this &s;ervice; but <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> told mee &s;hee thought it would bee no ea&s;y matter to obtain, yet &s;hee would doe what &s;hee could. In the mean time <HI>Ana|ti&s;a,</HI> to take the fuller joy in her plot, returned to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and divulged that <HI>Agla|tidas</HI> knew well enough when hee killed <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and that <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> as innocent as &s;he made her &s;elf, knew it al&s;o. This la&s;t report found credit but with very few; Yet &s;ince <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was very inqui&s;itive of what the Town talked, and hearing of all the impo|&s;tures, &s;he did &s;o confirm her &s;elf in her re&s;olutions, never to marry <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> or &s;ee him again, that <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> could not obtain leave for him to come and plead his rea&s;ons; So that there was a nece&s;&s;itie in deceiving her, and to &s;ee her, whether &s;hee did con&s;ent unto it or no: not that &s;hee did not all this while love him with abundance of tender|ne&s;&s;e, but it was the con&s;ideration of her honour that was predominate in her &s;oul, Whil&s;t <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> were thus mi&s;erable, <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> and <HI>Tharpis</HI> rejoyced, <HI>Artemon</HI> and <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> were glad; and to drive the nail unto the bottom of the plot, <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> did cau&s;e reports to bee blown in the ears of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that the world did in|finitely commend her re&s;olution of never marrying <HI>Aglatidas</HI> or &s;eeing him again, &s;o that &s;hee gave &s;uch re&s;olute an&s;wers unto <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that there was no hopes of obtain|ing any thing for poor <HI>Aglatidas.</HI></P>
<P>Three or foure daies pa&s;&s;ed on in this manner; but at the la&s;t <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> feigning her &s;elfe to be &s;ick, purpo&s;ely that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> might come to vi&s;it her; her plot took effect, and <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> with my &s;elfe knowing it, went thither: <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> gave orders that none &s;hould enter except us: as for <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> though her Coach &s;tood at the doore, yet every one, knowing the great familiarity betweene them, were not at all offended that &s;he &s;hould enter and none el&s;e. When we came into the Chamber, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was &s;itting upon <HI>Mena&s;taes</HI> bed, &s;o that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was upon his knees before her, ere ever &s;he knew he was entred. Madam, &s;aid he unto her, and would not let her ri&s;e, I be|&s;eech you give me leave to pre&s;ent you with my rea&s;ons, before you &s;hall proceede to jugement, le&s;t you &s;hould be guilty of &s;ome inju&s;tice. <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> without an&s;wering <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> looked upon <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> as if &s;he accu&s;ed her for deceiving her, and indeed had gone out, if <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> had not held her by the gowne. Alas <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, what will the world think of me, if it be knowne I permit <HI>Aglatidas</HI> to &s;ee mee? Alas Ma|dam, replyed I, what &s;hall we &s;ay of you, if you will not &s;o much as heare the com|plaints of a man you have made mo&s;t mi&s;erable? If he could &s;ay any thing which could ju&s;tifie him&s;elfe, replied &s;he, I &s;hould heare him with abundance of delight, but &s;ince he cannot, why &s;hould you de&s;ire mee to lay &s;uch a &s;taine upon my reputation, as no|thing can po&s;&s;ibly efface? I know not Madam what Ju&s;tice there is in crediting the relation of a man who heretofore has told a thou&s;and lies again&s;t you. I doe confe&s;&s;e his tale is told han&s;omly and confirmed with &s;trong conjectures; but for all that Ma|dam, I doe a&s;&s;ure you with all po&s;&s;ible &s;inceritie, and doe conjure you by all the gods whom we adore to beleeve it, that I did never intend to kill <HI>Ottanus,</HI> nor did &s;o much as know whether he was in the fight or no: And I doe al&s;o mo&s;t &s;eriou&s;ly prote&s;t, that though I did alwaies hate him, yet if I had knowne him among&s;t mine enemies, I &s;hould for the love of you have &s;hunned meeting with him; therefore Madam, though
<PB N="288" REF="336">
it be true that I did kill <HI>Ottanus,</HI> as I cannot beleeve I did, yet was not the act to be im|puted unto me as a crime, &s;ince I knew him not, yet upon the bare depo&s;ition of one of your grand per&s;ecutors, who hath accu&s;ed me for killing a mo&s;t extream Tyrant in the warrs; you Madam, will make me the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man upon Earth, and you will be &s;o highly &s;evere again&s;t me as not to heare my complaints. I conjure you Ma|dam in the name of the Gods not to condemne me &s;o &s;leightly, or at the lea&s;t not to condemne me &s;o &s;oone. I wi&s;h to the gods whom you invoke, &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that I could never condemne you, but that your innocence might appeare as cleere as the day; but <HI>Aglatidas</HI> it cannot, for truly to &s;peake &s;incerely unto you, although I were mo&s;t certain that all <HI>Dinocrates</HI> &s;ayes were fal&s;e; yet were I not able to undeceive the world, and therfore I mu&s;t never marry you: your amitie, replyed <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> were built upon a weak ba&s;is if it were not able to with&s;tand &s;uch a con&s;ideration as this; for bee plea&s;ed to know Madam, that true virtue is not built upon the opinion of others; but when one hath that &s;ecret Te&s;timonie of a cleere Con&s;cience on their &s;ide it is &s;atisfaction &s;ufficient, and one never neede to make ones &s;elfe mi&s;erable for the &s;atisfaction of others. But Madam, &s;aid he and &s;ighed, I am afraid you are not &s;en&s;ible of my ruin.</P>
<P>Yes <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> replied <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> do not deceive your &s;elf, for I have &s;o high an e&s;teem of you, and if I dur&s;t &s;ay, it, &s;o great an affection, that I cannot think you guilty of any crime. I doe believe all you &s;ay, and con&s;equently doe think, that if you killed <HI>Ottanus,</HI> it was ignorantly; yet for all that, if I &s;hould marry you, the cen&s;orious world would perhaps be apt to &s;ay, that you did it by my appointment; So that this thought doth &s;o deeply wound my imagination and my houour, that I mu&s;t u&s;e all expedients to make my very enemies think me innocent: and in order to that <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> I mu&s;t not only refu&s;e to marry you, but al&s;o never to &s;ee you again; and if you have any power over your own &s;oul, you will finde out &s;ome hand&s;ome pretence to depart from <HI>Ec|batan:</HI> yet for your comfort I doe a&s;&s;ure you, becau&s;e I think I may doe it without a crime, that I think it an ea&s;ier matter for me to dye then part with you. I doe mo&s;t heartily be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid <HI>Aglatidas</HI> with mo&s;t &s;orrowfull eyes) eyther bee all &s;everitie or all &s;weetne&s;&s;e; either content your &s;elf with the innocency of my heart and let m enjoy yours, or el&s;e expre&s;&s;e &s;o many &s;ignes of &s;corn and inhumanitie, that I may die with &s;orrow at your feet; for what delight can you take Madam, in prolong|ing my life by giving me &s;uch obliging language, and to augment my mi&s;ery? How doe you think it po&s;&s;ible I can &s;hake hands with death, as long as I think the divine <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> loves mee? And how doe you think I can endure my life when I certainly &s;ee &s;hee &s;hall never be mine? and when as I am in &s;ome fears (if I du<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t &s;ay it) &s;ome other hereafter &s;hall enjoy her? Never fear this la&s;t, replyed <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> but on the con|trary, be certainly per&s;waded, that the heart which I had given you &s;hall never bee in the power of any other.</P>
<P>Your expre&s;&s;ions are mo&s;t obliging, replyed <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> but Madam, the mi&s;eries which I &s;uffer are &s;o great, that I cannot hand&s;omly re&s;ent that joy which tho&s;e advan|tagious words might give mee; for I &s;ee it is your plea&s;ure I &s;hould never hope for any thing either from tedious time or your divine affection, or my mo&s;t loyall fidelitie: who&s;oever &s;hould have told me, when <HI>Ottanus</HI> lived, that I &s;hould have been more mi&s;erable after his death, I could not have believed him; and yet there is no compa|ri&s;on between then and now; <HI>Ottanus</HI> in his grave doth more cruelly torment mee then hee did alive: Yes Madam, I doe mo&s;t ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e, that without ever any contrivance of his death when I went from you, I had &s;ome hopes that it was not impo&s;&s;ible I might overlive him: But the rea&s;on by which you now ruine mee and all my hopes, is a perpetuall rea&s;on, and will la&s;t for ever, unle&s;&s;e the gods will work mira|cles, and make my innocencie vi&s;ible to the world; &s;o that I &s;ee no other end of my mi|&s;eries but death: doe not then hinder me of my only remedy by giving me any &s;mooth and unprofitable language, which perhaps are but bare effects of your pittie, and pro|ceed not from any &s;uch affection as you promi&s;ed me. Whil&s;t <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was thus in di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> I perceived in both their faces &s;uch an extraordinary &s;adne&s;&s;e, that I never in my life &s;aw the like: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> could hard|ly &s;peak, becau&s;e &s;hee thought all her obliging language a crime; yet was her &s;ilence
<PB N="289" REF="336">
&s;o eloquent and &s;ignificative, that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> could not make any doubt but his dear <HI>A|me&s;tris</HI> did mo&s;t tenderly love him: yet making &s;ome &s;cruple at the length of this &s;ad Conference, &s;he would needs go away: But <HI>Aglatidas</HI> holding her, I mo&s;t earne&s;tly be&s;eech you Madam, &s;aid he unto her, to tell me preci&s;ely what I mu&s;t do. I would have you live, replyed &s;he, but that you live far off from me. O Madam, &s;aid he, I be|&s;eech you do not command me things impo&s;&s;ible; or at the lea&s;t &s;o difficult, that death is much more &s;weet and ea&s;ie then obedience to them. But I require more from you, re|plyed &s;he, for I would never have you &s;end me any Letters, nor expect any from me. This is much Madam, replyed <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and much too much; nor know I how to yield obedience, unle&s;s I were able to forget you, and leave loving you. In the contrary, &s;aid &s;he, I am &s;o perfectly per&s;waded of your innocency, that I make no &s;cruple to de&s;ire that you will love me as long as you live. In the mean time <HI>Aglatidas</HI> let me be gone; for when I think how all the Town beleeves you killed <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and &s;hould know I per|mit you to be thus at my feet, I blu&s;h for &s;hame, that I &s;hould thus long &s;uffer it. But Madam, &s;aid <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> do you not con&s;ider, that by bani&s;hing me from you, I leave <HI>Megabi&s;es, Artemon</HI> and <HI>Tharpis</HI> with you? It is very true, replyed &s;he, you do &s;o, but &s;ince I am not able to bani&s;h you out of my heart, you need not envy them at all. But Madam, &s;aid <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> will you ever endeavor to bani&s;h me out of your heart? I ought to do &s;o at the lea&s;t, replyed &s;he, and if I do not attempt it, it is becau&s;e I know I &s;hould lo&s;e my labor. After the&s;e obliging words <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> ri&s;e up, as being a&s;hamed for pronouncing them; and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;eeing &s;he was fully re&s;olved to go away if he did not, he ri&s;e up al&s;o, and looking upon her eyes &s;o full of exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow; Madam, &s;aid he, and breathed a profound &s;igh, I had rather I &s;hould leave you then you &s;hould leave me, for perhaps <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> will plead for me when I am gone. I do promi&s;e you, I will, (&s;aid that faithful Kin&s; woman.) And I do ab&s;olutely forbid you, &s;aid <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> unle&s;s you have a mind to double my &s;orrows. But Madam (&s;aid <HI>Aglatidas)</HI> is it po&s;&s;ible my Ruine &s;hould &s;o much trouble you? mu&s;t I peri&s;h for ever? and mu&s;t this be the la&s;t time that ever I mu&s;t &s;ee you? No, no, Madam, I cannot imagine it; que&s;tionle&s;s you will permit me to return again, and to &s;ee you: for though I would yield obedience unto &s;uch Commands, yet I &s;en&s;ibly &s;ee I am not able: Indeed Madam, I mu&s;t needs return, whether I will or no, or whether you will or no: and though I &s;ee nothing but the top of that Palace where you dwell, I &s;hall come and wander over the tops of tho&s;e Moun|tains beyond <HI>Orontes</HI> to receive that delight. <HI>Aglatidas</HI> expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf &s;o cordially, and with &s;o many raptures of real love, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was extreamly moved: &s;o that not being able to retain her tears, &s;he pulled down her Hood, and making a &s;ilent &s;ign with her hand that he &s;hould go away, he took her hand, and intended to ki&s;s it, but &s;he ha&s;tily pulled it back, as if the hand of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who was (though wrongfully) accu&s;ed of murther, ought not to touch hers: My heart is &s;o purely innocent Madam, &s;aid he, that I did not think my hand could prophane yours; yet &s;ince you think it &s;o, permit me at the lea&s;t I be&s;eech you to ki&s;s your garment; and then he &s;tooped with in|tentions to do &s;o, but <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> putting forth her hand to forbid him, and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;eeing her hand &s;o near his mouth could not chu&s;e but ki&s;s it, &s;he not being able to pre|vent him, though by her face &s;he &s;eemed very angry at it. After they were ri&s;en up, Is it then your po&s;itive plea&s;ure Madam, &s;aid he unto her, that I mu&s;t depart? I wi&s;h you might never depart from <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> an&s;wered &s;he; but &s;ince the Fate will not hand&s;omly permit it, I would&mdash;<HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;topt at the&s;e words; and not being able to &s;peak any more, &s;he made a &s;econd &s;ign with her hand, that he &s;hould go a way; and &s;o he did, but with &s;o much &s;orrow in his pace, as a &s;adder &s;ight could not be &s;een. <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was no le&s;s grieved then he; and, as I after under&s;tood from <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> he was no &s;ooner gone but &s;he threw her &s;elf upon her bed, and watered it with a flood of tears, which &s;he re&s;trained as long as we were pre&s;ent.</P>
<P>After much di&s;cour&s;e in Commendations of <HI>Aglatidas, Ame&s;tris</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> to go with her into the Country, &s;ince &s;he was not able to hide her &s;orrows for the lo&s;s of <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> and without any more delay, it was re&s;olved upon to go the next morning: <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> went to <HI>Aglatidas</HI> from <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and charged him not to fol|low; and <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was no &s;ooner gone, but <HI>Menasta</HI> writ a Letter, which did &s;o fully charge him to obey <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that if <HI>Aglatidas</HI> had le&s;s Love or Rea&s;on then he
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had, he would have punctually obeyed her. In the mean time &s;eeing he was not able to alter the Re&s;olutions of her, who only was able to make him happy, and &s;ince he was not able to endure the world, he re&s;olved upon a departure; and pre&s;ently addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and importuned him to &s;end him unto you Sir, and obtained his de&s;ire. Before his departure he was full of many &s;trange de&s;igns: for &s;ometimes he thought of killing him&s;elf; other times again of fighting with <HI>Megabi&s;es, Arte|mon, Tharpis,</HI> or any Pretender to <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> but I was &s;o oppo&s;ite unto all the&s;e fa|tal Re&s;olutions, that I per&s;waded him to depart, and let all the&s;e violent re&s;olutions alone: &s;ometimes I employed your name Sir, telling him it was more honorable to dye in your &s;ervice, then any other way. But Sir, though <HI>Aglatidas</HI> went out of <HI>Ecbatan</HI> at a quite contrary Gate to that which goes unto the place where <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was, and in|tending fully to obey her; yet for his heart he could not; and he was no &s;ooner got &s;ome fifty furlongs from <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> but &s;ending all his men &s;ome two days Journey from <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> he went with one &s;ervant only to the place where <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was: In the mean while his departure was very welcome news to <HI>Megabi&s;es,</HI> to <HI>Tharpis,</HI> and to <HI>Artemon:</HI> It was very plea&s;ant al&s;o unto <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> but not &s;o much as to the re&s;t: for her de&s;ign was only to break off the Marriage, but not to exile <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> yet her re|venge upon a Rival was very &s;weet, and &s;he was very well plea&s;ed with the fruits of her Project: <HI>Dinocrates</HI> al&s;o enjoyed the fruit of tho&s;e Pre&s;ents which <HI>Tharpis</HI> conferred upon him, and was wondrous well contented.</P>
<P>But Sir, to return to <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> he went &s;traight unto <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> to bid his la&s;t adieu: She was &s;o ama<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed and infinitly angry at him, that <HI>Menasta</HI> a&s;&s;ured me, he was ready to take hor&s;e again, before he had &s;poke four words; yet by the Rhetorick of &s;ome pithy per&s;wa&s;ions, he obtained the liberty of an hours Conference, during all which time he could not alter one <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ot of her re&s;olutions: This la&s;t parting went nearer the heart then the other, and both of them were in a mo&s;t lamentable condition: When <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was gone, <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> could talk of nothing but his misfortune; and &s;he repeated all the pa&s;&s;ages of his life, watering his memory with abundance of tears, which trickled down not only her cheeks, but her very neck and bre&s;ts. While&s;t &s;he was thus &s;itting and la|menting with <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> in her Couch, and while&s;t <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> was per&s;wading her to mo|derate her exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow, they heard a great noi&s;e below in the Court, and pre&s;ently after, hearing the &s;ame upon the &s;tairs, and then the Chamber door open &s;uddenly, <HI>A|me&s;tris</HI> &s;aw <HI>Ottanus</HI> enter, with the &s;ame fury he u&s;ed heretofore, when he brought per&s;ecuting re&s;olutions with him.</P>
<P><HI>Ottanus!</HI> &s;ayd <HI>Cyrus</HI> in a great amazement, how could <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;ee <HI>Ottanus</HI> enter, when you &s;ay you &s;aw him in the mid&s;t of a Torrent, and &s;ink afterwards unto the bot|tom? Give me but a little patience Sir, &s;aid <HI>Artaban,</HI> and you &s;hall know: But yet I be&s;eech you give me leave to go on with my di&s;cour&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Ottanus</HI> being entered then, as I told you, &s;aid <HI>Artaban,</HI> the &s;ight of him made <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> cry out, &s;uppo&s;ing it had been an Apparition; and &s;truck <HI>Amestris</HI> into &s;uch a wonder, that &s;he was not able either to &s;peak or ri&s;e up; and it was a long time be|fore they could certainly know whether it was really <HI>Ottanus,</HI> or his &s;hadow: at la&s;t, he looking upon <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> who&s;e eyes were &s;well'd with tears, and yet &s;parkled with rage and fury, and a&s;&s;uming a tone that was able to &s;trike terror into the mind of the bolde&s;t and mo&s;t innocent woman in the world; You have rea&s;on, &s;aid he unto her, to be troubled at the &s;ight of me, for I &s;hould never have returned but to puni&s;h you for all your faults at once. <HI>Amestris</HI> then knowing him to be really <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and having a little recollected her&s;elf, &s;he ri&s;e up, and bowed unto him with much reverence, Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, you have heretofore &s;o well accu&s;tomed me to endure inju&s;t re|proaches, that I have not yet lo&s;t the habit of it. Infamous woman, &s;aid he unto her, do&s;t thou call the charge of all thy pre&s;ent actions, unju&s;t reproaches? Can&s;t thou be|leeve me dead upon any light report, and not &s;o much as cry? and mu&s;t I find thy face all &s;well'd with tears now for the ab&s;ence of thy Lover? Know, that I have been hid &s;ix days in <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> in a place where I have heard of thy intended Marriage, and all thy un|worthy and wicked actions; and I came hither to kill <HI>Aglatidas</HI> before thy face, hear|ing he was come hither to thee, but &s;ince I under&s;tand I came a little too late, I find none but thy &s;elf to be revenged on. Sir, replyed <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;ince you &s;ay yet
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know all my actions, then you know al&s;o, that as &s;oon as <HI>Dinocrates</HI> told me that <HI>A|glatidas</HI> killed you in the Wars, I broke off with him, and re&s;olved never to marry him. Yes, replyed furious <HI>Ottanus,</HI> you &s;eem &s;o before the world, but not in private, for if thou had&s;t, thou would&s;t never have come hither. I can a&s;&s;ure you Sir, &s;aid <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did &s;trictly charge <HI>Aglatidas</HI> never to &s;ee her again. And I can a&s;&s;ure you, an&s;wered <HI>Ottanus,</HI> that I came hither with intentions, that &s;he never &s;hall &s;ee him or you again.</P>
<P>To relate Sir, all the crabbed pa&s;&s;ages which <HI>Ottanus</HI> u&s;ed, would be to abu&s;e your patience: Let me only tell you, that he &s;poke as much as jealou&s;ie, rage and de&s;pair could invent, both again&s;t <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> again&s;t <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and again&s;t <HI>Mena&s;ta:</HI> Then cau&s;ing a Coach to be made ready, he forced <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> to return to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> and &s;hut <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> up in a Chamber with one woman only to wait upon her; threatening her with all imaginable &s;everity: That which did mo&s;t wonder <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was, that &s;he &s;aw out of her window <HI>Ottanus</HI> treat <HI>Dinocrates</HI> as formerly. But Sir, &s;ince I know you de&s;ire to hear of the Re&s;urrection of <HI>Ottanus,</HI> you, I &s;ay, who in the fight did hear it cryed, <HI>Ottanus is dead,</HI> I &s;hall relate what I have heard from &s;everal reports: Be plea&s;ed to know then, that <HI>Ottanus</HI> was in the fight that night, and fighting next unto an <HI>Ar|menian</HI> who was his intimate Crony, he let fall a Bag of Jewels which he had, and &s;toop|ing to take them up again, this <HI>Armenian</HI> thought that his rea&s;on of &s;tooping was &s;ome wound with a Sword, or Javelin, and therefore cryed out, <HI>Ottanus is dead,</HI> though he was not: It is very true, that he had much ado&punc; to ri&s;e again, becau&s;e the fight was very hot in that place, and he was &s;everal times tumbled over and over: after this, as you know very well Sir, the <HI>Armenians</HI> were all vanqui&s;hed, and could not po&s;&s;ible recover their Mountains: Moreover, you know Sir, that <HI>Phraartes</HI> retreated into a little valley, whether you followed him, &s;o that <HI>Ottanus</HI> &s;aved him&s;elf as the re&s;t did: But &s;ince he feared nothing more then to fall into the hands of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> becau&s;e he was a Traytor to his Country, and principally becau&s;e <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was in his Army, therefore in lieu of go|ing with <HI>Phraartes,</HI> he &s;tole away, and by the favour of night did hide him&s;elf among&s;t &s;ome high Rocks which are clo&s;e by the &s;ide of a River: but becau&s;e the Arms he wore were very remarkable, he thought it would not be ea&s;ie for him either to hide him&s;elf, or to cro&s;s the field in the day time without being &s;topped: When he &s;aw that none re|mained in the Valley, whither <HI>Phraartes</HI> retreated, he found one dead, and changed his rich Arms for tho&s;e of a common Souldier, and changed all his Clothes al&s;o, &s;o that he pa&s;&s;ed through all our Army without a &s;top, taken to be one of our Party by rea&s;on of his habit; and going on foot to the fir&s;t Town, there he fell &s;ick.</P>
<P>But Sir, to &s;atisfie you concerning the mi&s;take of <HI>Dinocrates</HI> and my &s;elf when we &s;aw the Arms of <HI>Ottanus</HI> on the back of a dead man in the mid&s;t of a River: Be plea&s;ed to know, that after <HI>Ottanus</HI> had changed Arms, a <HI>Cicilian</HI> Souldier going to plunder Clothes among&s;t the dead, happily light upon the&s;e by the help of the Moon, and being ravi&s;hed at his happy encounter, he put off his own, and put on the&s;e: Pre&s;ently after two other <HI>Ecbatan</HI> Souldiers met him, who &s;eeing the&s;e rich Arms upon his back, would needs be &s;harers with him; but he denyed them, &s;aying, as it may be conjectured, they belonged to him becau&s;e he found them: yet becau&s;e they under&s;tood not the language of one another, they fell to fight for them; and &s;o near the River, that being wounded he fell into it, and &s;tuck upon the Point of a Rock in the River, where <HI>Dinocrates</HI> and I &s;aw him the next morning: one of the&s;e two Souldiers who fought with him that wore the Arms of <HI>Ottanus,</HI> being the next morning by the River &s;ide, and heard <HI>Dinocrates</HI> &s;ay it was the body of his dead Ma&s;ter, dur&s;t not confe&s;s what he knew; but being wea|ry of War, and returning to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> I entertained him into my &s;ervice: &s;o that when the return of <HI>Ottanus</HI> was divulged, and this man hearing me wonder that his Arms &s;hould be &s;een upon a man in the mid&s;t of a River, he confe&s;&s;ed unto me the whole truth as I have related it unto you.</P>
<P>But Sir, to return unto <HI>Ottanus,</HI> whom I told you lay &s;ick in a little Town; be plea|&s;ed to know, that he was &s;o extreamly &s;ick, and continued &s;o &s;o long, that he thought twenty times of death: yet the Gods intending to make a further trial of the con&s;tancy of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> they &s;pared him: and when he was well recovered, he bought a hor&s;e, (for he had Jewels of &s;ufficient value to &s;upply him&s;elf with all accommodations) and de|parted,
<PB N="284" REF="338">
not knowing all this while, that the news of his death was carried unto <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> with &s;o many probable circum&s;tances: And thinking to find <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> in the &s;ame Ca|&s;tle where he left her, he went thither, not daring to return to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> unle&s;s in a di&s;gui&s;e, becau&s;e he had been in Arms again&s;t <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> But he was much amazed to hear that every one &s;hould think him dead, and that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was not only in <HI>Ecba|tan,</HI> but ready to marry <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> To make you the better apprehend what were the thoughts of <HI>Ottanus</HI> upon the&s;e reports, I need only tell you, that though he was an high Delinquent again&s;t the King, and State, yet he re&s;olved to go di&s;gui&s;ed unto <HI>Ecba|tan,</HI> and hide him&s;elf in &s;ome &s;ecret place where he might know all the actions of <HI>A|me&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> to the end he might di&s;turb their felicity when he &s;aw occa&s;ion, he di&s;gui&s;ed him&s;elf in the habit of a Merchant, and coming in the night, lodged with one who heretofore had been his Tutor; expre&s;ly forbidding him to di&s;cover that he was alive: he enquired how the &s;tate of all things &s;tood, and under&s;tood that the hap|pine&s;s of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was prevented by the return of <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> who arrived two days before him: This news was very agreeable to his fancy, and &s;urprized him, not but being able to imagine why <HI>Dinocrates</HI> &s;hould devi&s;e &s;o many lies. However, in this Juncture of things, he re&s;olved to keep clo&s;e, and hear how <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> di&s;po&s;ed of her &s;elf; and &s;ince he ever loved <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> he &s;ent for him to the hou&s;e where he lay concealed: <HI>Dinocrates</HI> came accordingly, and <HI>Ottanus</HI> received him with a thou&s;and welcoms: And though he did not know only why he had vented the&s;e lies, yet &s;ince they di&s;turb the hopes of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> in preventing their marriage, he thought him&s;elf much obliged unto him. In the mean time, <HI>Dinocrates</HI> &s;eeing his Ma|&s;ter alive, and being of a quick and &s;ubtle wit; Sir, &s;aid he unto him, I thank the Gods for &s;o happily in&s;piring me, otherwi&s;e you had found <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> in the Arms of <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> Then <HI>Ottanus</HI> asked him, why he had di&s;&s;embled the truth as he had done. Sir, replied he confidently; hearing at my fir&s;t coming unto <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was within three days to marry a man whom I know you hated; I did &s;o much abhor to &s;ee &s;he &s;hould be &s;o little &s;en&s;ible of her own honour, as to marry <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> of whom you had &s;o many cau&s;es of jealou&s;ie, that having in my po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion a &s;word which I knew to be his, I told <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> had killed you with it, thinking that if &s;he had any &s;park of honour in her, &s;he would never marry him after this: or if &s;he did, I &s;hould at lea&s;t have &s;o much &s;atisfaction, as to &s;ee that all your jealou&s;ies were not without good ground: you may well conceive Sir, how <HI>Ottanus</HI> was plea&s;ed with <HI>Di|noorates,</HI> and what rewards he promi&s;ed him, for that which he had been &s;o well recom|penced before by <HI>Tharpis.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time he under&s;tood by him that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> after this had been with <HI>A|me&s;tris,</HI> at <HI>Mena&s;ta's</HI> hou&s;e; and before he would &s;hew him&s;elf unto any others, he would ob&s;erve a while, whether <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was really broken off with <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> or whether it was only &s;o in &s;hew, expre&s;ly forbidding <HI>Dinocrates</HI> to tell any he was alive. And he obeyed him, not &s;peaking of it &s;o much as to <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> or <HI>Tharpis:</HI> But after|wards, <HI>Dinocrates</HI> telling his Ma&s;ter, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> were to go into the Countrey, and that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was to depart al&s;o, <HI>Ottanus</HI> thought this to be a bu&s;ine&s;s concluded upon between them, and that perhaps they would marry in &s;ecret: &s;o that preparing for his departure as well as <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> he went unto a Wood, by which he imagined he would pa&s;s, with intentions not to fall upon him by the way, but to follow him at a di&s;tance, &amp; not to &s;hew him&s;elf until he was come unto the pre&s;ence of <HI>Ame&s;tris:</HI> But &s;ince <HI>Aglatidas</HI> went out of another Gate, and took another way, <HI>Ottanus</HI> mi&s;&s;ed of him; and waited &s;o long as his patience could la&s;t, &s;o that he came an hour after <HI>A|glatidas</HI> was departed: Then coming unto the Court, he asked who was with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and they an&s;wered, no body, but that about an hour before <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was with her, and now gone: &s;o that coming furiou&s;ly into her Chamber, as I told you before, he &s;hut up <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> he &s;ent away <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> and ordered <HI>Dinocrates</HI> to procure &s;ome &s;ouldiers to defend him in ca&s;e the King would arre&s;t him. I &s;hall not lengthen my &s;to|ry, by rea&s;on of the exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrows which <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> expre&s;&s;ed at part|ing; but give me leave to tell you, as &s;ince &s;he hath told us, that notwith&s;tanding all the hatred which <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had of <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and all tho&s;e cruel per&s;ecutions which &s;he was to expect, &s;he had a &s;ecret joy and comfort to &s;ee that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was ju&s;t;
<PB N="285" REF="338">
and that &s;he might without any &s;cruple pre&s;erve him in her e&s;teem, and friend|&s;hip.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> was no &s;ooner come to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> but &s;he &s;ent for me, to tell me <HI>Ottanus</HI> was living, and returned, and <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was pri&s;oner, and perhaps in &s;ome danger of her life: I could not believe all this at the fir&s;t, but &s;eeing &s;o much real &s;adne&s;s in her face, I &s;u&s;pected not the truth of her words: I grieved as well as &s;he; and for <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> &s;ake I wi&s;hed that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> had not been &s;o well ju&s;tified in her opinion, Then did we con&s;ult which way po&s;&s;ibly <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> might be delivered from this tormen|ting per&s;ecution, and con&s;idering that <HI>Ottanus</HI> was an high Delinquent again&s;t the King and State, I re&s;olved to adverti&s;e <HI>Ciaxares</HI> that <HI>Ottanus</HI> was living, and of the place where he was: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> approved of my de&s;ign, and ha&s;ted me to put it into execu|tion, becau&s;e &s;he feared <HI>Ottanus</HI> would either kill or poy&s;on <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;o that I went unto the King the very &s;ame hour, and knowing his goodne&s;s towards <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and acquainting him with the place where this Delinquent was, I told him he would per|haps &s;ave the life of a Lady whom <HI>Aglatidas</HI> loved above all the world, if he would pu|ni&s;h this Traitor to the State, and him&s;elf. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> no &s;ooner heard my advice and reque&s;t, but he pre&s;ently commanded the Lievtenat of his Guard to take &s;ome forces with him, and &s;ecure the per&s;on of <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and to relea&s;e <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> bringing them all to the Town.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> publi&s;hed about the Town that <HI>Ottanus</HI> was alive, and returned; and how he began to per&s;ecute <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> every one wondered, and could hardly believe it: <HI>Tharpis</HI> was de&s;perate, <HI>Megabi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Artemon</HI> were quite down in their fancies: As for <HI>Artemon,</HI> he no &s;ooner heard how cour&s;ly <HI>Ottanus</HI> u&s;ed <HI>Ame|&s;tris,</HI> but he re&s;olved to go and &s;ee her per&s;ecutor, in hopes to qualifie his &s;everity, but he found he was mi&s;taken: for &s;ince <HI>Ottanus</HI> knew that not only <HI>Aglatidas</HI> intended to marry her, but that <HI>Megabi&s;es, Tharpis,</HI> and <HI>Artemon</HI> al&s;o, were in love with her: he received him very ill, and was ready to quarrel with him; though he had hardly any lei&s;ure for it, becau&s;e <HI>Artemon</HI> was no &s;ooner entred, but the Lieutenant of the Guard followed him with above an hundred man; &s;o that <HI>Ottanus</HI> found him&s;elf in a &s;ad con|dition, knowing him&s;elf to be a Traitor to the State, and &s;eeing he was not able to re&s;i&s;t them: <HI>Dinocrates,</HI> who went to procure &s;ome &s;ouldiers, was not yet returned: &s;o that having but a few men with him, and they not very affectionate unto him, he knew not what to re&s;olve upon: he had a de&s;ire to fly for it, and fir&s;t perhaps to have killed <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> but when he perceived that the Lievtenant of the Guard had &s;eized upon all the pa&s;&s;ages, he was in &s;uch an extream fury and rage, that <HI>Artemon</HI> thought (as afterwards he told me) he would immediately have killed him&s;elf. In the mean time, the Captain of the Guard demanded entrance, and receiving no &s;atisfactory an|&s;wer, cau&s;ed the doors to be broke open, and entred with all his men: <HI>Ottanus</HI> hear|ing this noi&s;e, went towards the Captain of the Guard with his &s;word drawn, and <HI>Artemon</HI> &s;eeing he was not able to defend him&s;elf, enterpo&s;ed between them, but <HI>Ot|tanus</HI> &s;truck at <HI>Artemon,</HI> while&s;t three of the Guard &s;eized upon him, and his &s;word: <HI>Ottanus</HI> finding him&s;elf di&s;armed, and &s;eized upon, vented a thou&s;and mo&s;t horrible im|precations; However they cau&s;ed him to go into his Chamber again, until orders was taken for the departure of <HI>Ame&s;tris, Artemon</HI> being a friend unto the Captain of the Guard, went with him unto her Chamber where &s;he was locked up: Madam, &s;aid he unto her, &s;ince you were plea&s;ed to permit me the continuance of friend&s;hip, I be&s;eech you permit me that I help to relea&s;e you: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was &s;o amazed at the great noi&s;e, and at the language of <HI>Artemon,</HI> that &s;he knew not what to an&s;wer: But the Lieute|nant of the Guard coming to her, and telling her he had orders from the King to carry her unto <HI>Ecbatan:</HI> She asked him from whence proceeded her liberty, and when &s;he under&s;tood that it was by the impri&s;onment of her Husband, &s;he expre&s;&s;ed no joy at the news: However &s;he was put into a Coach with her women, and was waited up|on by <HI>Artemon,</HI> and a dozen Gallants which accompanied him: As for <HI>Ottanus</HI> he was carried on horsback, and conveyed into a Chamber at <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> where Traytors to the State u&s;ed to be put: Never did any thing make a greater noi&s;e then this return of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and the impri&s;onment of her Husband; I di&s;patched one of my men imme|diately towards the Army unto <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and went in all ha&s;te unto <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> to ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">er unto <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="286" REF="339">
In the mean while, <HI>Anati&s;a,</HI> who &s;uck'd poy&s;on for <HI>Amestris</HI> out of every thing, did report about the Town a very ba&s;e report, that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had cau&s;ed her Husband to be impri&s;oned, and that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> did lie lurking in &s;ome concealedcorner of the Town, while&s;t he imployed all his friends to the King again&s;t <HI>Ottanus,</HI> and an hundred &s;uch fal&s;ities as the&s;e: But this impo&s;ture took no deep root, though <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> never heard of it; for our of a magnanimious genero&s;ity &s;he told <HI>Mena&s;ta</HI> and my &s;elf, as &s;oon as we came into her Chamber, that &s;he would &s;olicit for the liberty of her Hu&s;|band; when &s;he told us this, we wondred and endeavoured to hinder her from it, but all in vain; for &s;ince &s;he &s;aw there was glory and noblene&s;s in the act, no arguments could di&s;&s;wade her from it: Then did &s;he a&s;&s;emble together &s;ome of her Husbands kindred, who rather in re&s;pect of their family, then of any amity to him, did wi&s;h him out of pri&s;on: Then &s;he and they together did ca&s;t down them&s;elves at the feet of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and begged pardon for <HI>Ottanus.</HI> This Genero&s;ity &s;eemed &s;o high, that the King was charmed with it: at the fir&s;t, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">to try her virtue, he refu&s;ed, and &s;aid, <HI>Ottanus</HI> was un|worthy to be her Husband: yet &s;he &s;econded her petition with &s;o much &s;pirit, and &s;uch pre&s;&s;ing importunity, that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> promi&s;ed her the life of <HI>Ottanus,</HI> but as for his li|berty he would never con&s;ent unto it, until <HI>Ottanus</HI> did &s;olemnly promi&s;e never to car|ry <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> out of <HI>Ecbatan</HI> again, or to u&s;e her any wayes unkindly: <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> thank|ed the King for the cares he had of her, but &s;till humbly de&s;ired him to relea&s;e <HI>Ottanus</HI> without any conditions at all, yet he would not by any means: &s;ince <HI>Ottanus</HI> was ex|treamly hated, though the goodne&s;s of <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> did &s;olicit for him, yet there was many which did &s;olicit again&s;t him, and among&s;t the re&s;t, one ancient enemy unto his family, did negotiate again&s;t him &s;o openly before all the world, that <HI>Ottanus</HI> him&s;elf was ac|quainted with it.</P>
<P>The King within a few days after &s;ent for <HI>Ottanus</HI> into his pre&s;ence; and after he had told him of his perfidiou&s;ne&s;s towards him, and his inju&s;tice towards <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> yet that virtuous Lady notwith&s;tanding all his cruelty to her did with much importunity beg his Life and Liberty: He told him al&s;o, that at her reque&s;t he had con&s;ented unto the fir&s;t of the&s;e; but denyed her the &s;econd, unle&s;s he would &s;olemnly promi&s;e never to carry <HI>A|me&s;tris</HI> any more into the Country, or any manner of ways u&s;e her unkindly: <HI>Ottanus</HI> hearing the King &s;ay &s;o, in lieu of thanking him, or accepting of his offer, was &s;o in&s;olent as to ask whether the&s;e Conditions were mentioned by the con&s;ent of <HI>Ame&s;tris?</HI> The King wondering at this &s;trange effect of Jealou&s;ie, an&s;wered him very &s;weetly, that <HI>A|me&s;tris</HI> on the contrary de&s;ired it without any conditions at all: Yet &s;ay what the King could, <HI>Ottanus</HI> could not directly promi&s;e it, but asked three days time to con&s;ider; during which time doubtle&s;s he endured intolerable torment: for he apprehended, that unle&s;s he would ruine him&s;elf, he mu&s;t punctually keep promi&s;e with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and he perceived by him&s;elf that he was &s;o ab&s;olutely unable to do it, that he knew not what re&s;olution to pitch upon: yet &s;ince pre&s;ent mi&s;eries are apt to lay hold upon pre&s;ent re|medies, he &s;ent word to the King, that he would promi&s;e what he de&s;ired, &s;o he might be &s;et at Liberty: he was cau&s;ed to &s;olemnize this promi&s;e with all po&s;&s;ible Ceremonies that might make it inviolable, and afterwards he was relea&s;ed, maugre all the &s;ecret &s;o|licitations of all the Lovers and Friends of <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> and maugre all the malice of that declared Enemy unto <HI>Ottanus,</HI> who oppo&s;ed it as much as po&s;&s;ibly he could. But here Sir, may be admired the contrivances of the Gods: for as &s;oon as <HI>Ottanus</HI> was out of pri&s;on, and had rendered thanks unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> he met with this declared Enemy whom he knew had &s;olicited again&s;t him; he began to &s;peak fiercely unto him, and to affront him &s;o far, that he drew his Sword, which moved <HI>Ottanus</HI> to draw his al&s;o, and fighting, <HI>Ottanus</HI> was left dead upon the place, before any could come in to part them: his old Enemy was in little better &s;tate then he, for within three days after he dyed of his wounds; though <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> out of her con&s;tant genero&s;ity cau&s;ed him to be apprehended, and re&s;olved a revenge upon him for the death of her Husband. Since <HI>Ottanus</HI> was once thought to be dead when, he was not, every one to &s;atisfie their curio&s;ity would &s;ee him whether he were really &s;o or no; and to &s;peak the very truth, every one rejoyced at it, except <HI>Anati&s;a, Tharpis, Megabi&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Artemon;</HI> for though it be the natural di&s;po&s;ition of all Lovers not to grieve for the death of him that enjoyed their Mi&s;tre&s;s; yet &s;ince the&s;e three Rivals were &s;ure that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> would now enjoy her before any of
<PB N="287" REF="339">
them, they had rather &s;he &s;hould have &s;till continued the wife of <HI>Ottanus,</HI> then become the wife of <HI>Aglatidas.</HI> All this while <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> carried her &s;elf according to her accu|&s;tomed mode&s;ty and wi&s;dom: But that <HI>Dinocrates</HI> might be puni&s;hed for all his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">navery at once, it chanced that coming one night to <HI>Ecbatan</HI> to fetch away all that he had there, intending to change his habitation (for he had heard of his Ma&s;ters impri&s;onment, when he was bringing Souldiers &s;ecretly unto his hou&s;e) he met, the night after <HI>Ottanus</HI> was killed, a &s;ervant belonging to <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who knowing him by the help of a Candle which ac|cidentally pa&s;&s;ed by, did a&s;&s;ault him &s;o vigorou&s;ly, that <HI>Dinocrates</HI> flying away, and not knowing what he did, came to &s;ave him&s;elf in my Lodging, where he fell, being wound|ed in three places, ju&s;t as I entered: But though I knew him, yet &s;ince he fled into my hou&s;e for &s;anctuary, I my &s;elf &s;topped the &s;ervant of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> which followed him, who out of re&s;pect to me retreated: yet his life could not be &s;aved, for he dyed within &s;ix days after: yet before he dyed, he confe&s;&s;ed many things, which I was very de&s;irous to know, among&s;t the re&s;t, the plot of <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> and <HI>Tharpis.</HI> In the mean while I was vexed to the heart that I could hear no news of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> of whom I dur&s;t never &s;peak unto <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> but continually unto <HI>Mena&s;ta:</HI> But at the la&s;t, he whom I &s;ent unto him returned, and told me it was long before he could find him, and at la&s;t found him &s;ick of extream &s;orrow three days journey from <HI>Ecbatan.</HI> Then Sir, to tre&s;pa&s;s no long|er upon patience, let me in &s;hort tell you, that the news of <HI>Ottanus</HI> his death was &s;uch a pre&s;ent cure of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> that within eight days he was able to take hor&s;e: Before he would come into <HI>Ecbatan</HI> he &s;ent me unto the King to obtain permi&s;&s;ion to return, with as much earne&s;tne&s;s as he asked to depart; commanding me to acquaint <HI>Ciaxares</HI> with the true cau&s;e of his departure, and de&s;ire of return: Then went I pre&s;ently unto the King, who was mo&s;t willing to do any thing in advantage of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and a&s;&s;ured me that he would per&s;wade <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> not to be over ceremonious in her mourning for <HI>Otta|nus;</HI> but it was not po&s;&s;ible to obtain it of her: for notwith&s;tanding all the reque&s;ts and de&s;ires of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> of <HI>Mena&s;ta,</HI> of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and my &s;elf, &s;he would by all means con|tinue out the time of mourning according to the Cu&s;tom of <HI>Ecbatan.</HI> In the mean time, to prevent all new misfortunes, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> gave expre&s;s command unto all the Rivals of <HI>A|glatidas,</HI> never to think any more of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> and that &s;o ab&s;olutely, that they were forced to yield obedience. After this, I &s;hall not need to tell you Sir, how great was the joys of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> not how blank all the Rivals were, nor how furious <HI>Anati&s;a</HI> was, for if I &s;hould, the day would be too &s;hort to relate them all: But give me leave to tell you, that as &s;oon as <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> had left off her mourning, the day of Mar|riage was appointed; all the Gallants of the Town came to the Fea&s;t; all her rejected Lovers ab&s;ented them&s;elves as well as <HI>Anati&s;a;</HI> our two happy Lovers &s;wimmed in a Sea of Joys, and were married in the pre&s;ence of the King and all the Court. After this Sir, I have no more to tell you, but that though <HI>Aglatidas</HI> does love <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> much more then ever he did, yet the love of Glory, and the honour to &s;erve you Sir, is &s;o prevalent with his Soul, that he mo&s;t willingly accepted of the employment which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> con|ferred upon him, to bring ten thou&s;and men unto you: though let me al&s;o tell you Sir, that he did not leave <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> without abundance of &s;orrow; and I can a&s;&s;ure you, that as we conducted this fair and admirable Lady a days Journey from <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> (for &s;he re&s;olved to &s;pend all her time of ab&s;ence from her husband in the Province of the <HI>Ari|&s;antines)</HI> I &s;aw them both as &s;ad, as before they were full of joy. And &s;o Sir, you &s;hall &s;ee <HI>Aglatidas</HI> again both a Husband and a Lover as unquiet and re&s;erved as he u&s;ed to be.</P>
<P>I thank the Gods (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> when <HI>Artaban</HI> had ended) that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> has no other torments then &s;uch as ab&s;ence cau&s;es; and I wi&s;h with all my heart (&s;aid he and &s;ighed) that all tho&s;e who love him, may one day be in the &s;ame condition that he is. After this <HI>Cyrus</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> illu&s;trious Friend, the novelty and &s;trangene&s;s of which he could not cau&s;e but admi&s;e: Then was he forced to break off further Conver&s;ation, becau&s;e he was told that the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> and the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> had &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s of importance to communicate unto him: So that he embraced <HI>Artaban,</HI> and went out of that Room into another, where tho&s;e two Princes, accompanied with <HI>Tigranes, Phraartes, Artamas, Per&s;o|des,</HI>
<PB N="288" REF="340">
and many others, expected him; and that with &s;o much Maje&s;ty, as it can hardly be imagined that a Prince of &s;o high a Soul &s;hould be &s;o &s;weet as to harken unto a long amorous Di&s;cour&s;e, in which he had no other intere&s;t, then as relating unto a man whom he loved, unle&s;s it were by comparing the torments which other Lovers &s;uffer, with tho&s;e which he endured for <HI>Mandana.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The End of the Second Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="book">
<PB N="289" REF="340">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR CYRUS the GREAT. The Fourth Part.  BOOK III.</HEAD>
<P>_WHen <HI>Cyrus</HI> came unto tho&s;e Princes which expected him, the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> told him, that the <HI>Lacedemonians</HI> had contracted al|liance with <HI>Crae&s;&s;us,</HI> and that he thought fit to acquaint him with it. The King of <HI>Hircania</HI> al&s;o informed him, that the <HI>Thracians</HI> and <HI>Egyptians</HI> did arm them&s;elves in the King of <HI>Lydia's</HI> quarrel. As for the <HI>Lacedemonians,</HI> replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I do not wonder they &s;hould do &s;o, &s;ince it had been mo&s;t unju&s;t in them to deny aid to a Prince who did &s;o liberally furni&s;h them with as much gold as they &s;tood in need of, to make that prodigious Statue of <HI>A|pollo,</HI> which in my Travels I &s;aw neer the Mount <HI>Thornax</HI> in <HI>Laconia:</HI> But as for the King of <HI>Egypt,</HI> I do not &s;ee any rea&s;on he hath to contract alliance with <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> or why he &s;hould decline <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> But however, &s;aid he, the more enemies we have to fight again&s;t, the more glory we &s;hall have in overcoming them: This huge body of &s;trange Troops will do them no other &s;ervice but &s;ow divi&s;ions among&s;t them, and put their Army in di&s;|order; for it is impo&s;&s;ible that men who fight after different orders, &s;hould in &s;o &s;hort a time be conformable unto one and the &s;ame di&s;cipline. After this <HI>Cyrus</HI> acquainted them with the fre&s;h &s;upplies which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had &s;ent him by <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> So that rou&s;ing up their hearts by the &s;prightfulne&s;s of his own courage, the &s;ame &s;pirit which he infu&s;ed into the&s;e Kings, they al&s;o infu&s;ed unto the Captains, and the Captains unto the Souldiers; &s;o that the great noi&s;e which all the preparations of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> did make, and was &s;pread among&s;t them, did not at all a&s;toni&s;h them, and they never di&s;paired of victory, as long as the il|lu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> commanded them. Their impatience to fight, though the Spring was neer, yet it made them think it long in coming: The <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> prayed unto the Sun, which they adore, to be &s;wifter in its cour&s;e for their &s;akes; the <HI>Medeans</HI> were no le&s;s importunate with their gods; and &s;uch was the zeal of every Nation in particular, to &s;ee their illu&s;tri|ous Generall at an end of all his travels by the defeat of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and liberty of <HI>Mandana,</HI> that they pre&s;ented their prayers unto their gods to bring them unto a &s;peedy fight. As for <HI>Artamas,</HI> he was extremely impatient to &s;ee the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> out of captivity. As
<PB N="290" REF="341">
gallant as he was, he did not de&s;ire it &s;hould be obtained by battel; for though <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> had treated him very hardly, yet could he not wi&s;h his overthrow. In the mean time the Prince of <HI>Phraartes</HI> went very often to vi&s;it the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> who was much di&s;|plea&s;ed that he &s;hould continue loving her, &s;ince &s;he had &s;aid as much as any &s;prightly and vertuous Lady could do to make him de&s;i&s;t. A few dayes after <HI>Aglatidas</HI> arrived with his fre&s;h Auxiliaries: <HI>Cyrus</HI> received him with &s;o many expre&s;&s;ions of love, that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> did mo&s;t obligingly de&s;ire him not to lay any greater load upon him, le&s;t his heart &s;hould not be able to contain his exce&s;&s;ive joyes. But <HI>Cyrus,</HI> thinking a man that was &s;o far from her he loved, as he was, could never die with overmuch joy, did &s;till pre&s;s upon him with a hundred mo&s;t obliging expre&s;&s;ions, and a&s;&s;ured him that <HI>Ame&s;tris</HI> was not more &s;ad in parting with him, then he was glad to embrace him. Afterwards being de&s;irous to view tho&s;e Forces which he had brought up, and which <HI>Aglatidas</HI> had left in Battalia &s;ome twelve furlongs from the Camp, <HI>Cyrus</HI> with many of great quality went unto the place where they were, and &s;tanding upon a little hill he viewed them, and found them to be hand&s;om and well armed men: So that being very well plea&s;ed with them, he appointed them their Quarters, and returned unto his Tent to talk with <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> not only of <HI>Ci|axares</HI> from whom he brought Letters, but al&s;o of all their misfortunes both pa&s;t and pre&s;ent. Within two dayes after <HI>Aglatidas</HI> arrived, <HI>Artaba&s;es,</HI> whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent into <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> to the King his father and the Queen his mother, returned back, <HI>Madates</HI> &s;till &s;taying with <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> He received him with as much joy as his &s;oul was capable of, con|&s;idering the &s;tate in which <HI>Mandana</HI> was, &s;ince he brought Letters from two &s;uch as he did mo&s;t highly reverence: He read the&s;e Letters with much delight; when he found they contain'd that Pardon which he de&s;ired, expre&s;&s;ed in &s;uch tender and obliging terms, as did let him plainly &s;ee that Fame had &s;poke unto them in his behalf. <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> told him &s;o many things from them, as did let him &s;ee they had great and heroique &s;ouls: He was al&s;o loaded with mo&s;t magnificent Pre&s;ents for <HI>Cyrus</HI> from them; and moreover a&s;&s;ured him, that <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> would pre&s;ently make new Levies to &s;end unto him. So that when <HI>Cyrus</HI> did divulge this report unto his Army, the Souldiers rou&s;ed up fre&s;h hearts. <HI>Arta|ba&s;es</HI> al&s;o brought another Letter from the Queen of <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> unto <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> which inti|mated, that in lieu of quarrelling with him for &s;o long concealing her &s;on, &s;he gave him many thanks for bringing him &s;o well up. A few dayes after, <HI>Timocreon</HI> and <HI>Tegeus</HI> un|der&s;tood by tho&s;e whom they &s;ent unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> and the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> would certainly be brought thither: That a chamber was making ready in the Citadel for the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and another in the Kings Palace for the Prince&s;s <HI>Man|dana;</HI> and that as neer as they could gue&s;s, they would be conducted thither within 15 or 20 dayes; and that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> intended they &s;hould come by a way which &s;hould almo&s;t al|ways have the River <HI>Hermes</HI> between them and the Army of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> This intelligence was confirmed the &s;ame day by the return of <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who reported how the friends of <HI>Mene|ceus</HI> a&s;&s;ured him, that within fifteen or twenty dayes the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would carry the two Prince&s;&s;es unto <HI>Sardis;</HI> though he cau&s;ed it to be publi&s;hed in <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> that they would not carry them, untill all the Army of <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> was come together, the Rendezvous whereof was to be upon the banks of <HI>Pactolus. Feraulas,</HI> having been happier in his ne|gotiations then heretofore, found out a way by the addre&s;&s;es of a friend unto <HI>Meneceus,</HI> &s;i&s;ter unto <HI>Agi&s;i&s;trata,</HI> to &s;end a Letter unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and to receive her An&s;wer, which he &s;hewed unto his deare&s;t Ma&s;ter: for &s;ince he had not writ unto her, but for him, he therefore had as much &s;hare in it as him&s;elf. So that after he had rendred him a full ac|count of every thing, he &s;hewed him this Letter which contained the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>MARTESIA unto FERAULAS.</HEAD>
<P><HI>THE per&s;on of whom you &s;poke unto me being &s;till the &s;ame &s;he u&s;ed to be, that is, the wi&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> and ju&s;te&s;t in the world, you may a&s;&s;ure your illu&s;trious Ma&s;ter that he need not to fear any thing, but &s;till may hope for all that concerns her: O I wi&s;h unto the Gods, that for|tune would put no other ob&s;tacle unto his happine&s;s! For as much as concerns you, &s;ince I am per&s;waded that it depends upon him, it is &s;ufficient that I tell you I have contributed as much as is in my power to make him happy, &s;ince I do every day pray unto the Gods that he may &s;peedily triumph over all his Enemies.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>MARTESIA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><PB N="291" REF="341">
This Letter cau&s;ed more joy in <HI>Cyrus</HI> then he was able to expre&s;s, though he did &s;e|cretly murmure a little, that the Prince&s;s did not &s;o much as write one word with her own hand in this Letter; yet &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idering all circum&s;tances, he was not angry at all, and thought him&s;elf as happy to know her thoughts by <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> as a common Lover would have been in the enjoyment of his Mi&s;tre&s;s: It is an infallible te&s;timony of a real and high pa&s;&s;ion, to be mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible of the lea&s;t favors; and &s;o, &s;ince that of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was the mo&s;t violent and tender that ever any was, he apprehended the mo&s;t incon&s;ider|able circum&s;tance which proceeded from <HI>Mandana,</HI> with an exta&s;ie of joy; for he imagined that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> had not writ any thing in this Letter, without the Prince&s;s knowledge and approbation, and he was as tender and dear of it, as if &s;he had writ it her &s;elf: How|ever, to lo&s;e no longer time in unprofitable imaginations, but the &s;ooner to Procure the liberty of his Prince&s;s, he a&s;&s;embled the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> the Prince <HI>Artamas, Tigranes, Phraartes,</HI> and &s;everal other of quality to|gether, intending to con&s;ult with them upon the be&s;t expedients for it.</P>
<P><HI>Artamas,</HI> who till then had ever a great re&s;pect of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> con&s;idering now that he intended to continue the impri&s;onment of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> &s;ince &s;he was to be lodged in a Cittadel, and not in the Palace of the King her father, he was &s;o violently de&s;irous to prevent her coming into that Pri&s;on, out of which he him&s;elf came, that he de&s;ired par|don of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> if he delivered his opinion the fir&s;t; for being fully per&s;waded that none could propo&s;e a way &s;o expedient as him&s;elf, he thought him&s;elf excu&s;able for a&s;&s;uming that liberty. <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> hearing him &s;peak &s;o zealou&s;ly, did both of them a&s;&s;ure him, that they would mo&s;t willingly hearken unto him: So that <HI>Artamas</HI> told them, how &s;ince the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was to conduct the Prince&s;&s;es on the other &s;ide of the River <HI>Hermes,</HI> he hoped that they &s;hould be able to pa&s;s over that River without any oppo&s;ition, becau&s;e the Governor of that Ca&s;tle which &s;tands at the end of that bridge over that River, and is of the &s;ame name, is &s;o ab&s;olutely for him, that he does not think he will deny him any thing: Moreover, he knew there was &s;ome di&s;content between that Governor and the King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> who intended to put him out of his Government: So that, &s;aid he to them, if that bridge can be obtained, and &s;ince the wood which I alrea|dy told you off is not above thirty furlongs from thence, it will be a &s;hort cut for us to be there in convenient time, when we &s;hall have intelligence that the Prince&s;&s;es are to pa&s;s. <HI>Cyrus</HI> finding much rea&s;on in the advice of <HI>Artamas;</HI> it was re&s;olved, That without any further delay, to &s;end and make &s;ure of this Governor, and after that, when they &s;hould receive further intelligence from the friends of <HI>Meneceus</HI> of the prefix'd day when the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es and their convoy &s;hould &s;et out, that then they would the &s;ame hour &s;et out with equal, or rather &s;tronger number then tho&s;e of the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> to ex|ecute this glorious enterpri&s;e: for they might the more ea&s;ily effect it, becau&s;e they were nearer that place when they were to pa&s;s over the River <HI>Hermes,</HI> by a days journey then <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> was. The thing then being thus re&s;olved upon, it was thought the be&s;t ex|pedient, that <HI>Artamas</HI> &s;hould &s;end one of his own &s;ervants to negotiate with this before|named Governor: But Love was &s;o violent in the &s;oul of that Pirnce, that he would not tru&s;t the tran&s;action of a bu&s;ine&s;s upon which the liberty of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> de|pended, unto any other then him&s;elf. So that not imparting his de&s;ign unto any but <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> he di&s;gui&s;ed him&s;elf the night following, and went to act what him&s;elf had pro|pos'd, leaving a Letter for the King his father, by which he de&s;ired pardon for under|taking this bu&s;ine&s;s, without fir&s;t asking his leave; for fearing le&s;t he &s;hould deny him, he would rather run the hazard of his di&s;plea&s;ure, then ruine a de&s;ign upon which the happine&s;s both of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and him&s;elf did &s;o ab&s;olutely depend. The King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> was at the fir&s;t a little angry with the Prince his Son; but <HI>Cyrus</HI> did &s;o highly commend the act, that he dur&s;t not openly &s;hew his anger. In the mean time, they which com|manded in the Frontier quarters towards <HI>Lydia,</HI> were making continual incur&s;ions upon the enemy; and not a day pa&s;&s;ed, but they had &s;ome skirmi&s;hes, in which they got good plunder, which did animate the hearts of the Souldier to fight: <HI>Cyrus</HI> never re&s;erved any thing of what they got, but the glory, and the Pri&s;oners, to the end he might re|lea&s;e them; yet did he &s;o largely recompence tho&s;e which took them, that what ran&s;om &s;oever the Pri&s;oners were to give, they had it all with advantage. <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> who commanded in the utmo&s;t quarter, under&s;tanding by his Scouts, that two hundred of the enemies hor&s;es were guarding a Coach full of Ladies, going towards the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Her|mes,</HI> intending to pa&s;s the River there; he commanded out four hundred hor&s;e to inter|cept
<PB N="292" REF="342">
them, conceiving that the inequality of number would effect it, and indeed &s;o it &s;uc|ceeded: Though he who commanded tho&s;e two hundred hor&s;e did mo&s;t gallantly behave him&s;elf, but his timorous followers for&s;aking him, he was forced to render him&s;elf, de&s;iring <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> that he would let the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> know that he was a Pri&s;oner unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and that he might obtain &s;o much favor from him, as that the&s;e Ladies which he con|ducted might be carried unto the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana: Chri&s;antes</HI> was too gallant a man to treat &s;o brave an enemy (as he found him) ill; and told him, that according to the Laws of war, he mu&s;t carry him to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but promi&s;ed to obtain of him what he de&s;ired: In the mean time <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> did provide the mo&s;t convenient lodgings that he could for tho&s;e La|dies, among&s;t which one of them was a mo&s;t ravi&s;hing beauty; and the next morning him&s;elf did Conduct the&s;e Pri&s;oners unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> But in going thither, they were to pa&s;s through a little town where the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> was, and they went by the Temple there, ju&s;t as tho&s;e Prince&s;&s;es were coming out of it: <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> out of his re&s;pects unto them, made a halt, and the coach in which the Captive Ladies were, &s;taid, and one of them knowing <HI>Panthea,</HI> cryed out &s;o loud, as that Prince&s;s turning to|wards her, looked &s;eriou&s;ly upon, and knew her; And being well acquainted with <HI>Chri|&s;antes,</HI> &s;he &s;ent unto him, de&s;iring the favour that &s;he might &s;peak with tho&s;e Ladies which he conducted: And &s;ince he was not ignorant what Re&s;pects <HI>Cyrus</HI> would have rendered unto that Queen, he went him&s;elf unto her, and &s;aid he would bring them unto her hou&s;e, as &s;oon as &s;he &s;hould be there; and he was giving orders accordingly for it, when news was brought him that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was coming to &s;ee <HI>Panthea,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Ara|minta:</HI> So that <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> &s;eeing the di&s;po&s;ition was no more in him, &s;ince his Ma&s;ter was pre&s;ent, he left the Queen, who was going into her Coach, and went to acquaint <HI>Cyrus</HI> with her de&s;ire: This Prince then, pa&s;&s;ing by the Captive Ladies, &s;aluted them with as much civility as if they had not been Pri&s;oners at all; and going &s;traight to the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> with whom the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> was, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, and bowed down to the very ground, you will finde more conveniency at your own hou&s;e then here, to entertain the&s;e Ladies which are of your acquaintance; <HI>Panthea</HI> then com|manding they &s;hould obey <HI>Cyrus,</HI> went to her own Lodging, and the Coach in which the Captive Ladies were, followed hers: In the mean while <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> pre&s;enting his Pri&s;oner unto his Prince; Sir, &s;aid he unto him, this enemy which you &s;ee here, is que&s;ti|onle&s;s worthy of your protection, &s;ince he a&s;&s;ures me that the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> is his friend: if &s;o, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and embraced him, I am &s;ure to be his al&s;o, &s;ince I think my &s;elf obliged to love all that he loves. That honor, &s;ir, replyed the Pri&s;oner, would be too great for me; and it would be enough if you will be plea&s;ed in con&s;ideration of him, to treat tho&s;e Ladies whom I conducted with all civility: The con&s;ideration of the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> without any addition of the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> is &s;ufficient to ob|lige me unto it; and your own merit, without that Prince, is al&s;o enough to make me your honorer; for finding by your face, that you are a man of quality and &s;pirit, and un|der&s;tanding by <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> that you have as much &s;oul and heart as a man can have, there needs no more to induce me to it; and to let you &s;ee I am &s;erious before I certainly know what you are, pray go with me to your Ladies, who are with the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana:</HI> In &s;aying &s;o, they alighted from their hor&s;es, and went unto <HI>Panthea</HI>'s chamber, whom he found full of expre&s;&s;ions of friend&s;hip and affection unto one of tho&s;e Pri&s;oners: My dear <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto her, am I &s;o happy, as once to &s;ee you again? And can I grieve for your impri&s;onment, &s;ince it makes my own more &s;weet? Madam, replyed <HI>Cleonice,</HI> the lo&s;s of my liberty &s;hall delight me, if it can any way adde unto your hap|pine&s;s: however, it is not long of your illu&s;trious Conqueror (&s;aid &s;he, and looked upon <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that my Captivity is not &s;weet unto me: <HI>Cyrus</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Panthea,</HI> according to his ordinary genero&s;ity. After this, that Prince&s;s told him, how the father of this fair pri&s;oner was born her &s;ubject, &s;ince he was the &s;ubject of <HI>Cla&s;omenes,</HI> although he dwelt at <HI>Ephe&s;us;</HI> and told him further, that &s;he had known <HI>Cleonice</HI> a long time, and loved her exceedingly, and that &s;he was of a mo&s;t &s;weet condition; conjuring him to let her be with her, and all the Ladies in her company al&s;o, though &s;he knew none of them. <HI>Cyrus</HI> con&s;ented unto all her de&s;ires; telling her, they &s;hould have their liberty, if he did not think, their pre&s;ence would be more plea&s;ing to her, and would divert her: Afterwards <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked that Lady who&s;e name was <HI>Cleonice,</HI> whether &s;he was any friend unto the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> thinking it impo&s;&s;ible but &s;he mu&s;t needs know him by the famous name of <HI>Cleander.</HI> Sir, an&s;wered &s;he, and blu&s;hed, I am a debtor unto that honor which I
<PB N="293" REF="342">
have, to be known unto the generous <HI>Ligdamis</HI> (and pointed with her hand unto that pri&s;oner which <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> took) and I make no que&s;tion, but when by his mediation, <HI>Artamas</HI> &s;hall know we are in your fetters, he will obtain &s;o much favour from you, as that our chains may be as light, as the Laws of War will permit. The illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> (&s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and interrupted her) does not u&s;e to impo&s;e heavy ones up|on his pri&s;oners; for he is much more ob&s;ervant unto the Laws of Genero&s;ity, then the Laws of which you &s;peak: Whil&s;t <HI>Araminta</HI> was &s;peaking thus, <HI>Panthea</HI> looked upon <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and thought &s;he &s;hould remember the name; then addre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf to him, I pray Sir tell me, &s;aid &s;he, and &s;miled, whether your father be not Governor of the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes?</HI> and whether you are not that &s;ame <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> whom reports &s;ay, does make a publique profe&s;&s;ion to be a declared enemy of Love, and to all them that are in love? Madam, replyed he, doubtle&s;s I am the man you mean, though I am not the &s;ame I was&punc; <HI>Leonice</HI> blu&s;hed at the an&s;wer of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> but to turn it as hand&s;omly as &s;he could, &s;he &s;aid, when none asked her, that one of her Cou&s;ins being &s;ick in the Country, &s;he dur&s;t not venture to go from <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> unto her, if <HI>Ligdamis</HI> had not offered to guard her and one of his &s;i&s;ters, which &s;he &s;hewed unto <HI>Panthea,</HI> who indeed was very fair: <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing by this di&s;cour&s;e the name and quality of his pri&s;oner, did u&s;e him more civilly then before, conceiving it might advantage the de&s;ign of <HI>Artamas:</HI> So that after a long vi&s;it unto the&s;e fair Pri&s;oners, he left them with <HI>Panthea;</HI> and charged <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> to treat them with all po&s;&s;ible &s;weetne&s;s and curte&s;ie: As for <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> he carried him with him, a&s;&s;uring the Ladies that he would be as careful of him, as <HI>Panthea</HI> could be of them; and indeed in their return unto the Camp they talked together, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> to te&s;tifie how dear the friends of <HI>Artamas</HI> were unto him, he let him have his liberty upon his parole, and told him he &s;hould have no other guards upon him but his own genero&s;ity: <HI>Ligdamis</HI> returned thanks with all imaginable &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion and reverence, and made the greatne&s;s of his &s;oul &s;o fully appear by his judicious an&s;wers, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> to his honor &s;aid, That he ne|ver e&s;teemed any in all his life &s;o much in &s;o little a time: When he was come into his Tent, he bad <HI>Feralus</HI> make much of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> as of one who&s;e friend&s;hip he de&s;ired to gain: In the mean time, as he had ob&s;erved &s;ome words which <HI>Ligdamis</HI> uttered, and that <HI>Cleonice</HI> blu&s;hed twice when he was &s;poken of; &s;o he imagined, or indeed knew that they were in love with one another: yet to clear the matter, he appointed <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to bid <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> as he returned to his quarter, to enquire as well as he could, whether <HI>Lig|damis</HI> was not in love with <HI>Cleonice,</HI> and inform him, for it would be of concernment to know it: and to tell him further, that if he could not finde it out any other way, then to go unto the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> from him, and entreat her to let him under&s;tand what &s;he knew concerning it; al&s;o to a&s;&s;ure her, that it might chance &s;o to fall out, that by the knowledge of it, the war of <HI>Lydia</HI> might be compo&s;ed without fighting, &s;o that by the &s;ame con&s;equence her dear <HI>Abradates</HI> would not be in any danger. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> was pun|ctual in his obedience, and acquainted <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> with their Princes de&s;ire: <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> though he was full of obedient de&s;ires, yet he thought his task very hard, &s;ince he had none but pri&s;oners to enquire of: and it was to be imagined, that though he did put the que&s;tion unto any of them, yet they would never tell him; &s;o that he thought the be&s;t way would be to make addre&s;s unto the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> fir&s;t: and accordingly he went unto her chamber, where he found <HI>Leonice</HI> with her; but which way &s;oever he turned his di&s;cour&s;e, he could not di&s;cover any thing of his de&s;ires; &s;o that he was forced to acquaint <HI>Panthea</HI> in a low voyce with the orders he received from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> telling her that it did exceeding concern him to know the relations between <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and <HI>Cleonice.</HI> The Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> hearing this, told him, that &s;he knew nothing concerning <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> more then this, that when &s;he came from <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> he was &s;uch a profe&s;&s;ed enemy unto Love, that it was to be &s;uppo&s;ed he never would become a Lover; yet, &s;aid &s;he, &s;ince I know that this curio&s;ity in <HI>Cyrus</HI> is not without good ground, although I cannot under&s;tand it, yet I will promi&s;e him to enquire further; which that I may the better do, it is requi&s;ite that <HI>Cleonice</HI> and I be in private together: and in order to that, do you retire your &s;elf, and take &s;uch a cour&s;e, as none come in to interrupt us: In obedience thereunto, <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> went out, as if <HI>Panthea</HI> had &s;ent him unto &s;ome place: Then after much other common di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Panthea</HI> asked <HI>Cleonice,</HI> whether <HI>Ligdamis</HI> did &s;till continue in his heretical opi|nion concerning Love? Truly, replyed <HI>Cleonice,</HI> he is very good company; that is not an an&s;wer unto my que&s;tion, an&s;wered <HI>Panthea;</HI> for I would know whether he be &s;till an enemy to Love and all Lovers. <HI>Cleonice</HI> blu&s;hed extreamly at this que&s;tion, and half
<PB N="294" REF="343">
laughing, replyed, &s;ince I was not the Confident of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> when I had the honor to &s;ee you la&s;t, I know no rea&s;on you have, Madam, to ask me any &s;uch que&s;tion: I ask it, an&s;wered the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> becau&s;e if <HI>Ligdamis</HI> do ever love any, it mu&s;t needs be you. You have an ill opinion of his judgement then, replyed <HI>Cleonice:</HI> No, replyed <HI>Panthea,</HI> but on the contrary, a very good one, and that's the rea&s;on why I ask the que&s;ti|on. But the truth is, <HI>Cleonice,</HI> I have a great de&s;ire to know the hi&s;tory of your life, &s;ince it is along time &s;ince I had the happine&s;s to &s;ee you: Truly, Madam, replyed &s;he, you have mo&s;t ab&s;olute power over me, though I mu&s;t tell you it will trouble me to obey you in this: If you have any of your friends with you, replyed <HI>Panthea,</HI> who is acquaint|ed with it, let her take that pains, and I am contented to &s;ave you the labour; you would much oblige me, Madam, an&s;wered &s;he, if you would be plea&s;ed to &s;ave us all that trou|ble: But the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> &s;eeing &s;he was unwilling, was more importunate then before: So that <HI>Cleonice</HI> conceiving that the credit which this wi&s;e Queen had with <HI>Cyrus</HI> might be advantagious unto <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> if &s;he were acquainted with the intere&s;t &s;he had in him, re&s;olved to obey her. But &s;ince her mode&s;ty would not give her leave to tell the &s;tory of her &s;elf: Madam, &s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Panthea,</HI> I could well enough relate my own thoughts unto you, but I cannot &s;o well tell you the thoughts of <HI>Ligdamis;</HI> therefore I be&s;eech you permit one that is both a friend unto him and unto me, relate what you &s;o much de&s;ire to know. <HI>Panthea</HI> con&s;ented unto the motion, and <HI>Cleonice</HI> calling for this friend of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and hers, who was called <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> &s;he conjur'd her to &s;atisfie the curio&s;ity of <HI>Panthea;</HI> after which, &s;he went unto the re&s;t of her company, which came with her, whil&s;t <HI>I&s;menea</HI> began her &s;tory thus:</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and <HI>Cleonice.</HI></HEAD>
<P>SInce I know that <HI>Cleonice</HI> has the honor to be known unto your Maje&s;ty, I need not &s;peak any thing of her quality: But, Madam, &s;ince I know that &s;he departed from <HI>Cla&s;emone</HI> very yong, to come and dwell at <HI>Ephe&s;us;</HI> and &s;ince that time, &s;he never had the honor to &s;ee you, unle&s;s at &s;ome &s;hort voyages which &s;he made unto <HI>Sar|dis</HI> whil&s;t you were there, I think it not impertinent to tell you, what humour &s;he ap|peared to be of unto us, when &s;he came to dwell in our Town. Doubtle&s;s you remem|ber, Madam, that at that time <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> was one of the mo&s;t plea&s;ant Towns of all <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> for when you came thither to vi&s;it the Temple of <HI>Diana,</HI> I remember you gave that Character of it, though you did not &s;tay there above four or five days. And truly, he who is the Governor of it, is &s;o gallant a man, and <HI>Polixenida</HI> his wife, is a Lady of &s;uch an excellent &s;pirit, that they do much contribute unto the delights of all the people: and this Court, though le&s;s tumultuous then that of <HI>Sardis,</HI> yet is it more delight&s;ome. You know, Madam, that when the father of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> left <HI>Cla&s;amone</HI> to come and inhabit at <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> &s;he was not above fifteen years old; and que&s;tionle&s;s you have not forgotten that <HI>Stenobea</HI> her mother was a gallant and vertuous Lady, and one who hath been very fair, and yet was rea&s;onably &s;till: So that when &s;he came to <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> &s;he courted the world, as much as the world courted <HI>Cleonice,</HI> who indeed did appear like a new and glorious &s;tar, which eclip&s;ed all the re&s;t. You may well imagine then, that &s;he being &s;o admirably fair, and be&s;ides that, having the advantage of novelty, &s;he did infinitely plea&s;e: So that &s;ince <HI>Stenobea</HI> did forbid no company coming to her, re&s;ort thither was greater then unto any hou&s;e in all <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> what&s;oever: The lu&s;tre of the daughters beauty, did draw all the compleat gallants of the Town thither. Every one was ambitious of the honor to be her fir&s;t &s;ervant, and pay her his fir&s;t &s;ervices: That quality which did mo&s;t take tho&s;e that &s;aw her, was their ob&s;ervance that &s;he knew her beauty, and was not proudly affected with it: and though &s;he was one of the mo&s;t &s;weet and civil Ladies upon the earth, yet &s;he was &s;o out of a natural inclination, and not out of any de&s;ign to plea&s;e or take others who came unto her: She took her plea&s;ures as other did, but &s;he did not greedily &s;eek after them; and though &s;he had one of the mo&s;t charming wits of the world, yet did &s;he rather endeavor to hide &s;ome part, then to &s;hew all the rules of it; nor did I ever in my life meet with any, who knew better how to &s;peak well, or how to be &s;ilent with le&s;s pain, then &s;he did. Thus, Madam, you &s;ee a perfect de&s;cription of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> at her fir&s;t coming unto <HI>Ephe&s;us:</HI> The Mother &s;ought after all plea&s;ures, and all plea&s;ures &s;ought after the incomparable daughter. Be plea&s;ed to know, Madam, that
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there was then at <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> a Beauty, who bore the name of <HI>Artelinda,</HI> and one who was of a good quality; and to &s;peak the very truth as it is, there was &s;o many charms in eve|ry part of her, and &s;uch a &s;weetne&s;s in all her actions, as who&s;oever looked upon her, could not choo&s;e but love her: for their was &s;uch an obliging and captivating quality in her taking eyes, as made all hearts her own, before they knew where they were, or could con&s;ult with their rea&s;on, at the lea&s;t, that great number of her lovers &s;aid &s;o, to ju&s;tifie their pa&s;&s;ions: And, Madam, to de&s;cribe <HI>Artelinda</HI> the better unto you, for &s;he has &s;o great a &s;hare in this hi&s;tory, as I mu&s;t needs let you perfectly know her. Be plea&s;ed to know further of her, that never was &s;uch a proud in&s;ulting Minx as &s;he was: for &s;he would not only gain the hearts of her Lovers by her beauty and her wit; but al&s;o by all her endeavors, by her complacency and civility; and then when any of her private par|ticular friends did contend with her, &s;he would mock them; and jeeringly &s;ay, That as ambitious people think they can never get a Crown at too dear a rate; &s;o one can never take too much pains to get a heart: and as Conquerors do always talk of their victories, but never &s;peak of the pains they took, &s;o would &s;he brag of the hearts &s;he had got, but never remember the cares and troubles which they co&s;t her; and truly, I believe <HI>Arte|linda</HI> was never melancholly, but when a day pa&s;&s;ed over her head, in which &s;he had not made &s;ome new conque&s;t: yet be plea&s;ed to know, Madam, that this Lady had a mother called <HI>Anaxippa,</HI> as wi&s;e and di&s;creet a mother as ever was, one who&s;e vertue was a little too &s;evere, and condemned all innocent Recreations, and who had educated her daughter in &s;o great a con&s;traint, that no &s;uch things as diver&s;ions were ever named or heard of: And indeed, if <HI>Stenobea</HI> had been the mother of <HI>Artelinda,</HI> and <HI>Anaxippa</HI> the mother of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> there had been far greater &s;uitablene&s;s among&s;t tho&s;e four per&s;ons: For the frollique and gallant humour of <HI>Stenobea</HI> made <HI>Cleonice</HI> often think time to be very tedious: and <HI>Stenobea</HI> would often complain again&s;t the too &s;erious di&s;po&s;ition of her daughter, and chide her for it &s;ecretly: <HI>Anaxippa</HI> could not endure the gadding humor of <HI>Artelinda;</HI> and <HI>Artelinda</HI> could not abide the &s;trict &s;everity of <HI>Anaxippa:</HI> The one would be continually in the Temple, at her prayers; the other would be always abroad to &s;ee and be &s;een: however, <HI>Cleonice</HI> and <HI>Artelinda</HI> were near neighbours, and vi&s;ited one another very often; and the contrariety of di&s;po&s;ition which was between them, and which in probability would have prevented frequency of vi&s;its, was a cau&s;e of their ofter being together then any others: For &s;ince <HI>Artelinda</HI> found always more company at <HI>Ste|nobea</HI>'s hou&s;e, then at her mothers, &s;he went thither very often; and &s;ince <HI>Cleonice</HI> found le&s;s company at <HI>Anaxippa</HI>'s hou&s;e, then her mothers, &s;he was there as oft as &s;he could; &s;o that the&s;e two beauties of contrary humors were almo&s;t continually together: <HI>Steno|bea</HI> was glad that <HI>Cleonice</HI> was often with <HI>Artelinda,</HI> hoping &s;he would drive her out of her &s;erious and melancholly mood; and <HI>Anaxippa</HI> al&s;o was well plea&s;ed that her daughter &s;hould be ever in the company of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> hoping her mode&s;t and fevere example would correct the giddy inclination of the other. Thus did <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;eek her &s;olitude at <HI>Anax|ippa</HI>'s hou&s;es, and <HI>Artalinda</HI> &s;eek her &s;ervants at <HI>Stenobea</HI>'s. <HI>Cleonice</HI> endeavored to re|claim <HI>Artelinda</HI> from her gadding humors, and from letting her chief felicity con&s;i&s;t in conquering of hearts without number or choice; or having no other de&s;ign in it but the vain-glory to make all that look on her in love with her. Yet <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was to be excepted, for &s;he could never &s;ubject him with all her arts, do what &s;he could: for the truth was, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> never loved any, and in all likelyhood never would; and though he was a mo&s;t accompli&s;hed gallant, yet was he &s;o re&s;olutely oppo&s;ite unto that pa&s;&s;ion, that he not only would never be in love, but al&s;o would never love tho&s;e that were; and upon that &s;core he broke off with an old friend called <HI>Phocylides,</HI> becau&s;e he was of the &s;ame di&s;po&s;ition as <HI>Artelinda;</HI> and he had profe&s;&s;ed &s;ervice to as many &s;everal Ladies, as &s;he had captivated &s;ervants. Thus, Madam, you &s;ee the humors of the&s;e four per&s;ons, which were mo&s;t &s;poke of in <HI>Ephe&s;us. Ligdamis</HI> a mo&s;t accompli&s;hed gallant, was e&s;teemed by all, though he would be a friend but unto very few, nor would he love any at all: <HI>Phocylides</HI> he fell in love with all the Ladies in the Town, at lea&s;t &s;eemed &s;o: <HI>Artelinda</HI> had many Lovers, and would have had all: And <HI>Cleonice</HI> without any intentions to captivate any at all, did captivate many; and the truth is, if &s;he would have given entertainment unto all that addre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves unto her, the Empire of <HI>Artelinda</HI> had been ruined; but &s;he car|ried her &s;elf with &s;o much wi&s;dom and di&s;cretion, and was neither &s;evere nor lavi&s;h of her favours; &s;o that &s;he rid her &s;elf of that multitude of Lovers which were of <HI>Artelinda</HI>'s humour, and &s;he did &s;o publi&s;h it, that her heart &s;hould be hard to conquer, as there
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was very few in all the Town, who dur&s;t have &s;o good an opinion of them&s;elves, as to attempt it: Many a Lover &s;ighed at it, but &s;ighed in &s;ecret; yet one, who&s;e name was <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> was to be excepted, for he did ab&s;olutely quit the &s;ervice of <HI>Artelinda,</HI> and devoted him&s;elf and all his &s;ervices wholly unto <HI>Cleonice:</HI> but &s;he had no fancy at all un|to him: and the jocund humor of her mother was &s;o aver&s;e unto her di&s;po&s;ition, that &s;he did not at all an&s;wer his addre&s;&s;es, but lived in <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> with &s;o great an indifferency, that &s;he could be compared unto none but <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who did &s;ometimes &s;ee her. In the mean time, &s;ince it were &s;trange that friend&s;hip between two of &s;uch contrary humors as hers and <HI>Artelinda</HI>'s, &s;hould la&s;t long, <HI>Cleonice,</HI> as I told you before, would attempt to alter <HI>Artelinda,</HI> and would per&s;wade her, that &s;he did injure her own beauty, by &s;uffering &s;o many to hope for the enjoyment of her heart: For truly (&s;aid <HI>Cleonice</HI> unto her, one day when they were alone together) you can never make me believe, that this multitude of Lovers which wait upon you in the Temples, in the Streets, in the Walks, and in eve|ry hou&s;e unto which you go, would ever wait, and &s;o ob&s;equiou&s;ly follow you, without &s;ome hopes: and I can never believe they can have any hopes, unle&s;s you your &s;elf did give them life: For to &s;peak &s;incerely unto you, I &s;ee &s;ome of your adorers &s;uch ill-fa|vored men, that they can never flatter them&s;elves &s;o much as to hope for any thing from you, unle&s;s you did flatter them, and beget tho&s;e hopes in their hearts. I do ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s, an&s;wered <HI>Artelinda,</HI> that I do &s;o; for it is one of my be&s;t recreations to deceive men by fooling &s;o with them, that they &s;hould believe I love them. But, replyed <HI>Cleonice,</HI> do you call that fooling, when you are in &s;uch earne&s;t, as you make them believe they are in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of your heart, and mu&s;t hereafter, perhaps, be of your per&s;on al&s;o? Oh <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Artelinda,</HI> you go a little too far! the mo&s;t favorable action that I afforded my mo&s;t e&s;teemed Lover, can never move &s;uch a wicked thought in him. I believe I am not deceived &s;o much as you are, replyed <HI>Cleonice;</HI> for &s;ince it is commonly &s;een, that Lovers will hope even in the mid&s;t of the mo&s;t &s;evere behaviour towards them, how can you imagine that men who are loaded with favors, will not hope for any thing? No, no, replyed <HI>Artelinda,</HI> mi&s;take me not, I am not &s;o lavi&s;h of my favors, as to loaden any with them; and if I were not afraid you would di&s;clo&s;e my &s;ecrets, I would di&s;cover the bottom of my heart unto you, to the end I may ju&s;tifie my &s;elf in your opinion: But my dear <HI>Cleonice,</HI> I am very much afraid, that if I &s;hould di&s;cover my thoughts unto you, I &s;hould my &s;elf lo&s;e my Empiredome over &s;o many hearts: for if you &s;hould but joyn a little cunning unto tho&s;e charming features in your face, I were ab&s;olutely undone, &s;ince I am certain all my &s;ervants would then be wholly yours. You are &s;o u&s;ed to flatter, re|plyed <HI>Cleonice,</HI> that you flatter even your very friends; but <HI>Artelinda,</HI> that is not my de|&s;ire: however, to put you out of all fears, I do faithfully promi&s;e you never to make any u&s;e of your &s;ecret, and therefore be not afraid to di&s;clo&s;e your rea&s;ons unto me, if you have any that can per&s;wade there is any delight to be taken in being courted by a hundred &s;ervants whom you neither love nor e&s;teem; for it is not credible you can at one and the &s;ame time love fair men, black men, great men, little men, men that are &s;erious, others that are frolique, &s;ome that are plea&s;ant and &s;prightly, others that are Clowns, Blockheads and Fools: I &s;ay it is altogether impo&s;&s;ible, that all the&s;e can ever have any place in your heart. It is mo&s;t true, replied <HI>Artelinda,</HI> and I a&s;&s;ure you I do not de&s;ire they &s;hould. But why then, replyed <HI>Cleonice,</HI> do you oblige them &s;o much, &s;ince you do not love them? Becau&s;e I would have the plea&s;ure of being beloved, an&s;wered &s;he; for truly, <HI>Cleonice,</HI> what is beauty good for, unle&s;s to captivate hearts, and to erect an Empire, without a Scepter, or Throne, or Crown, and yet one gets abundance both of &s;ubjects and &s;laves? But they are &s;laves, replyed <HI>Cleonice,</HI> which are not &s;erviceable, but in hopes to reign, and who puts you to a great deal of trouble to gild over their fetters: for my part, &s;aid &s;he, if ever I take any delight in captivating any, my fetters &s;hould be &s;o har&s;h and heavy, that I &s;hould never doubt of their fidelity who &s;ubmitted to them. If I had any de&s;ign to recompence them after their patience, &s;aid <HI>Artelinda,</HI> I &s;hould do &s;o al&s;o: but &s;ince my ends are only to divert my &s;elf, it would not be ju&s;t to loaden them with &s;uch &s;everities. However, <HI>Artelinda,</HI> replyed <HI>Cleonice,</HI> you do expo&s;e your &s;elf to a world of cen&s;ures and dangerous con&s;equences. But wherein am I in any fault? reply|ed &s;he. You are to blame in receiving Letters, an&s;wered <HI>Cleonice,</HI> and in an&s;wering &s;ome of them; you are continually abroad to &s;ee and be &s;een, you appoint &s;ecret meetings, and fail not to ob&s;erve them; and though I know all this be but to talk two or three words in private, and to make a great &s;ecret of a bu&s;ine&s;s of nothing; yet for all that,
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it is an appointment, it is a &s;ecret; it is made a my&s;tery, and by con&s;equence a crime; becau&s;e to &s;peak the truth, Innocency &s;eeks no &s;uch Corners, but is open and free in all her actions. Moreover, you u&s;e to receive and &s;end many tokens; you &s;uffer them to &s;teal your Picture, and &s;ometimes gives it: and as for Ribands and &s;uch fanta&s;tical foole|ries, there is not &s;o many colours as you have given favors: I am not &s;o much in fault as you conceive me, replyed &s;he; for there is not a man among&s;t them all, which can brag of any favor that ever I gave them, which in any rea&s;on de&s;erved the name of a &s;ault; for truly, I cannot call any of tho&s;e which you have reckoned up by that name: nor can I &s;ee there is more &s;in in them, then there is in dre&s;&s;ing my &s;elf, or curling my hair: for thereby we u&s;e to procure love; and by all tho&s;e ways for which you chide me thus, I do no more but catch &s;ome few heart, which would not be captivated by bare beauty only: Is not that enough? replyed <HI>Cleonice:</HI> what would you do more? I would interrupt the court&s;hip of all others, an&s;wered &s;he; make Wives and Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es full of jealou&s;ie, be loved of every one that looks upon me, move hopes and fears when I li&s;t, have a hundred diverti&s;ments to chu&s;e of, make men compo&s;e Elogies and Ver&s;es in my commendation, that they talk of nothing but me, and follow me into all places; and after all this, I will not engage my heart any further then I plea&s;e my &s;elf in hearing o|thers &s;igh; and the truth is, I do love the gallantry, but not the gallant: There is too much danger in that, replyed <HI>Cleonice;</HI> for in the end your heart will be captivated before you are aware: Your cold re&s;ervedne&s;s (replyed <HI>Artelinda,</HI> and laughed) does much more expo&s;e you unto that danger, then I am: I, I &s;ay, who am &s;o accu&s;tomed unto tears and &s;ighs, that my heart is not moved at them: but you who are &s;o &s;evere, you will never admit of any &s;uch things; if once a confident bold Lover chance to court you clo&s;e, and force you to hearken unto him, alas, two or three tears will molifie your heart; or to &s;peak more properly, will kindle &s;uch fire in it, as will make you love him, as well as you are beloved, and perhaps better: but pray <HI>Cleonice,</HI> tell me, What will you do with tho&s;e fair eyes which the Gods have given you? I will ob&s;erve, and wonder with them, replyed &s;he, how artificially you u&s;e yours, and take all that comes near you: yet for all that <HI>Artelinda,</HI> there is not one among&s;t all &s;uch kinde of Lovers as the&s;e, a|mong&s;t ten thou&s;and, that will make a good husband. Sooner then among&s;t tho&s;e of your &s;erious di&s;po&s;ition, replyed &s;he; for to tell you truly, I am &s;o afraid to meet with one of my mothers humour, that I am almo&s;t re&s;olved never to have any at all: Do not think <HI>Artelinda</HI> (replyed <HI>Cleonice)</HI> that youth will la&s;t ever. The antipathy between old age and yong gallantry is &s;o great, that nothing can be more oppo&s;ite: and what will you do when all your gallants for&s;ake you? Never look &s;o far before (an&s;wered &s;he) for as for my part, I promi&s;e you I never will; nor will I be too prudent, le&s;t I be too mi&s;erable: I will look in my gla&s;s, and when the Ro&s;es and Violets of my time begin to fade, I will &s;it down, and &s;et my heart at re&s;t: If &s;ouldiers &s;hould continually contemplate upon all the dangers that the fate of war may bring upon them, there would be but few Conquerours, or conquered. But the conque&s;ts of your eyes, replyed <HI>Cleonice,</HI> have &s;o bad a title, that I can hardly call them conque&s;ts: However, they are conque&s;ts (an|&s;wered &s;he) and admit I do lo&s;e part of tho&s;e hearts which I have &s;ubjected, yet the ho|nor is no le&s;s. Seriou&s;ly, replied <HI>Cleonice,</HI> I am afraid you will never alter your minde. No, no, &s;incerely, an&s;wered <HI>Artelinda,</HI> I never &s;hall: Why, do not you think my life is more plea&s;ant then yours? and do you not repent of your too &s;erious gravity? No, no, replied &s;he, I do not, nor de&s;ire I to be of your temper; nor I of yours, replied <HI>Arte|linda;</HI> therefore I pray you, let us both enjoy our own opinions, and I believe we &s;hall love each other the better for it: for truly if you were of mine, perhaps I &s;hould ex|treamly hate you; and if I were of yours, doubtle&s;s we &s;hould but jar and di&s;agree, &s;ay what we could. <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;eeing &s;he was not able to alter the minde of <HI>Artelinda,</HI> did change di&s;cour&s;e, and pre&s;ently after left her: but as &s;he was readie to go out, &s;he called her back, and prayed her in a laughing manner, to &s;end back unto her that fugitive &s;lave which &s;he had rob'd her of, meaning <HI>Hermodorus.</HI> It &s;hall not be long of me, replied <HI>Cleonice,</HI> if he do not come and a&s;&s;ume his fir&s;t fetters: But that's not enough, added &s;he, for I would not have you captivate the heart of the in&s;en&s;ible <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> whom I confe&s;s, I could never endure: There is &s;o little wi&s;dom in your language, &s;aid <HI>Cleonice,</HI> that I will not an&s;wer it; and you are &s;o over-wi&s;e, replied <HI>Artelinda,</HI> that I think my folly to be much better then your wi&s;dom: Thus did the&s;e two beauties part; <HI>Cleonice</HI> went unto her Clo&s;et to &s;tudy, and <HI>Artelinda</HI> unto hers, to write unto &s;ome of her
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gallants; for indeed, &s;he had nothing el&s;e to do: Moreover, Madam, this Lady had yet a mo&s;t Charming Mode&s;ty, in her looks, notwith&s;tanding all her frolique hu|mours; and &s;he u&s;ed &s;uch art in all her actions, that who&s;oever &s;aw her, and did not know her, would believe, that &s;he thought her &s;elf much troubled with that multitude of &s;ervants, which her &s;elf had &s;ubjected, and did carefully pre&s;erve them.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Cleonice,</HI> her bu&s;ine&s;s was quite contrary; for &s;he did love her &s;tudy and her books, better then all her Mothers Gallants, or <HI>Artelinda</HI>'s Servants, or the Com|plaints of <HI>Hermodorus:</HI> And yet &s;he was a lover of Company, but it was the company of choice and rational men; and &s;ince &s;he was not Mi&s;tre&s;s of her &s;elf, becau&s;e &s;he depended upon her Mother, who&s;e humours was &s;o oppo&s;ite unto hers, &s;he did exceed|ingly force her &s;elf, and in&s;en&s;ibly grew not only a horrible hater of all Gallantry and Gallants; but al&s;o a Condemner of Love in general, as a Pa&s;&s;ion the mo&s;t dangerous of all others: yet did &s;he &s;ee <HI>Artelinda</HI> every day, and continually &s;aw her Mothers Chamber full of tho&s;e kinde of men, who make open profe&s;&s;ion of never going unto any place often without &s;ome hid de&s;ign; who are alwayes very earne&s;t, and yet have not any other bu&s;ine&s;s but to make it thought they are loved, and are in love, and are ever more careful to per&s;wade the fir&s;t of the&s;e, then the &s;econd. <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;aw all this, but God knows, much again&s;t her minde, and therefore with no delight at all. About this time, I my &s;elf had the happine&s;s to be in the Catalogue of her friends, my humour being not &s;o contrary unto hers, as <HI>Artelinda</HI>'s; and as <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was my Kin&s;man, &s;o I was very well acquainted with him; and would often &s;ay, that &s;ince there was &s;uch a &s;impathy of inclinations between him and <HI>Cleonice,</HI> I wondered they did not &s;ee one another &s;ometimes: when <HI>I</HI> met <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> I would &s;ay as much to him; &s;o that acquainting both of them with each others humors, they knew one an|other better by my relation, then they did before; for their conver&s;ation was wont to be &s;o general and confu&s;ed, by rea&s;on of much company which vi&s;ited <HI>Stenobea,</HI> that they very &s;eldom &s;poke one unto another: yet after my di&s;criptions of <HI>Cleonice</HI> unto <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> he u&s;ed to &s;ee her ofter then u&s;ual; and &s;ince <HI>I</HI> was there almo&s;t every day, we met very often, and diverted our &s;elves more conveniently then we were u&s;ually accu&s;tomed: for whil&s;t <HI>Stenobea</HI> was entertaining one part of the company; and <HI>Artelinda</HI> bu&s;ie in captivating new Lovers, or keeping the old ones; and whil&s;t <HI>Phocylides</HI> was langui&s;h|ing for many Ladies at once and in the &s;ame place, <HI>Ligdamis, Cleonice</HI> and my &s;elf, did in the mean time make our &s;elves very merry at them. And indeed there is no bet|ter &s;port then to &s;tand by and ob&s;erve this kinde of univer&s;al Court&s;hip and Folly; for commonly all their actions and words are &s;o contrary to all Rea&s;on and Wi&s;dom, that que&s;tionle&s;s, better &s;port cannot be to an unintere&s;ted looker on, then to ob|&s;erve them. At the fir&s;t, <HI>Cleonice</HI> was very &s;hie, and had not any &s;uch confidence in <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> as before him to mock at the pa&s;&s;ages we &s;aw: And being one day a|lone with her in her Chamber, I told her, &s;he did wrong her &s;elf, in pa&s;&s;ing away her life without any particular Conver&s;ation with any. I do confe&s;s it <HI>I&s;menea</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) for certainly in the humour I am in, if I had the di&s;po&s;e of my own &s;elf, I &s;hould let the &s;weetne&s;s of my life con&s;i&s;t in the friend&s;hip and conver&s;ation of a &s;elect number of choice and rational men, who know what true honour is, and love it; &s;uch as are not capable of being deluded by gilded follies, but look upon things as really they are in them&s;elves, and does not make their felicity to con&s;i&s;t in ridi|culous fooleries, But alas <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> where are &s;uch per&s;ons to be found? For fir&s;t, all women which I know, are of three or four &s;everal kinds; &s;ome are Weather-Cocks, others are wi&s;e, but dull; &s;ome have Wit and Vertue, but &s;o crabbed and har&s;h, that they are not plea&s;ant; others again are Crafty and Wicked: The fair ones, commonly are envious and jealous; the witty and &s;prightly ones, proud; the fools, are in&s;ufferable; and too much gallantry is horrid unto me: Who then would you have me keep company with? It is very true, replyed I, for mo&s;t of the Ephe&s;ian Women at this day, are &s;uch as you have de&s;cribed: Yet believe me, there is &s;ome compleat Men which are worthy of Friend&s;hip. Ha, <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, it is as hard a matter to finde them among&s;t men, as women: But I do confe&s;s, that if it were po&s;&s;ible to finde out &s;uch a rare man as can be con&s;tant in all his actions, not love a hundred at once as <HI>Phocylides,</HI> but can, as I doe, ab|&s;olutely condemn this fooli&s;h affected Pa&s;&s;ion of Love, his Company were worth keeping: For I mu&s;t needs acknowledge, that a well accompli&s;hed and rational
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man, knows more then the wi&s;e&s;t woman; his wit is of a higher &s;train, his di&s;cour&s;e is more agreeable; he can be more complacential unto a Lady, then Ladies can be to one another; and to tell you truly, there is &s;uch a kinde of di&s;po&s;ition in me, which proceeds from &s;ome cau&s;e which I am ignorant of, that makes me think &s;uch friend&s;hip more tender and &s;olid then any other: But yet my dear <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> this man I &s;peak of, mu&s;t be &s;uch a one as I &s;peak of, and not at all amorou&s;ly di&s;po&s;ed; for I do profe&s;s if he be, I &s;hall never tru&s;t my &s;elf with him.</P>
<P>As we were in this di&s;cou&s;e, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> comes into the Chamber, who &s;eeing <HI>Stenobea</HI> was not within, de&s;ired to &s;ee <HI>Cleonice.</HI> I no &s;ooner &s;aw him enter, but I ri&s;e up, and &s;aid unto him. Come <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> for if you be not &s;uch a man as <HI>Cleonice</HI> looks for, I &s;hall never finde him as long as I live. Really <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, I &s;hall take it very ill, if you tell <HI>Ligdamis</HI> what I &s;aid unto you. You may take it ill if you plea&s;e, &s;aid I unto her, and laughed, yet I mu&s;t needs tell him of that wonderfully &s;ympathie which is between you: And then I told him &s;ome part of what we had &s;poken. Mu&s;t it not needs be confe&s;&s;ed, there is a &s;trange conformity between you and <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;ince you have ca&s;t off <HI>Phocylides,</HI> becau&s;e he was too full of Court&s;hip; and &s;he hath almo&s;t ca&s;t off <HI>Artelinda,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he hath too many &s;ervants? How, &s;aid <HI>Cleonice,</HI> hath <HI>Ligdamis</HI> ca&s;t off <HI>Phocylides,</HI> becau&s;e he was amorou&s;ly di&s;po&s;ed? Yes, Madam, re|plyed he, for I will never tru&s;t any man of that pa&s;&s;ionate Profe&s;&s;ion; and more then that, I do not intend to tru&s;t any, for tho&s;e which are not in love, may hereafter be, and therefore I will keep my &s;ecrets lookt up in my own heart. But Madam, <HI>I&s;menea</HI> has forced me to &s;peak that which perhaps will ruine me in your good opinion; &s;ince being fair as you are, and making many love you, as you have done, it is no di&s;cre|tion to tell you, I am a hater of that Pa&s;&s;ion which you have &s;o often cau&s;ed. Oh! <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cleonice,</HI> I am infinitely joyed to &s;ee &s;o compleat a man as you are, of my opinion: for truly <HI>I</HI> did think that nothing in the world could be more preju|dicial unto us then an amorous friend: For my part, <HI>I</HI> am an enemy to the Pa&s;&s;ion, and <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you do me the favour to acquaint me with all the ill con&s;equences that Love hath cau&s;ed in you, to the end <HI>I</HI> may be more confirmed in my hatred again&s;t that Pa&s;&s;ion. Thanks be to the Gods, Madam, it has not done me much hurt, re|plyed he, although it have my friends: But, Madam, not to tyer you with any long relations, let me only tell you, that as I was going into <HI>Greece,</HI> I met with <HI>Phocylides,</HI> and contracted a great league of friend&s;hip with him: So that travelling three Moneths together, I opened my very heart unto him: Yet we were no &s;ooner returned to <HI>Ephe|&s;us,</HI> but he had communicated all my &s;ecrets among&s;t his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es; and &s;ome of them being none of the mo&s;t di&s;cret, had &s;quandered tho&s;e things up and down all the Town, which I had &s;o &s;ecretly kept in the Clo&s;et of my Heart: And therefore I have experimentally found the danger of tru&s;ting an amorous Friend. But <HI>Ligda|mis,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, all men are not &s;o fooli&s;h and indi&s;creet as <HI>Phocylides.</HI> I do a&s;&s;ure you, replyed <HI>Cleonice,</HI> all Lovers are alike, and no difference is to be made between them: For, &s;aid &s;he, Love works &s;uch an ab&s;olute change in all tho&s;e in whom it is Predominate, that there is no tru&s;t to be repo&s;ed in them. I remem|ber, a little before I came from <HI>Cla&s;omenes,</HI> there was a man who&s;e name was <HI>Cleanor,</HI> who profe&s;&s;ed abundance of friend&s;hip unto me; he was perpetually at my lodging, he could not live out of my &s;ight, he told me the whole Cabinet of his heart; I never &s;aw him either re&s;erved or unquiet, he was infinitely in|dulgent to plea&s;e me, and all this without any profe&s;&s;ions of Love. But I won|dered to &s;ee him altered upon a &s;udden: He fell into a con&s;tant mode of mu|&s;ing; and <HI>I</HI> do confe&s;s <HI>I</HI> feared that he loved me a little too well; I found pre&s;ently after that, that <HI>I</HI> was deceived, for <HI>I</HI> knew his minde: His longe&s;t vi&s;its la&s;ted not above half an hour; he would never tell me any news, or any more of his &s;ecrets; all &s;uch things as were wont to divert him before, did now di&s;plea&s;e him; and he was &s;o ab&s;olutely altered from the humor he was in, before he was in love, that one would not have thought him the &s;ame man. One day as <HI>I</HI> taxed him with it, he to excu&s;e him&s;elf, confe&s;&s;ed the whole truth, that he was in love with a Lady; and after this, he would never talk of any other thing, but of her he loved; in&s;omuch as he became &s;o in&s;ufferable, as <HI>I</HI> could not endure him.</P>
<P>Then, Madam, &s;ince <HI>I</HI> was extreamly glad, that <HI>Cleonice</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> were &s;o well
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acquainted, I put in my vie among&s;t them, to give them further &s;ubject of di&s;cour&s;e, and to that end I made a third among&s;t them: Truly <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;aid I unto her, you go a lit|tle too far; for there is a va&s;t difference between giddine&s;s and love: you may condemn the one, but mu&s;t make &s;ome exceptions of the other. Not at all, &s;aid <HI>Cleonice;</HI> for I a&s;&s;ure you, a re&s;olute Lover is as unfit to make a friend of, as any of tho&s;e common Lovers, who love in &s;o many places, that they love no where: And truly, I believe, the&s;e la&s;t &s;ort are more plea&s;ant company then the other. Truly, &s;aid <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> the fair <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;peaks abundance of rea&s;on: for they who&s;e mindes are not too much taken up with thoughts, are always be&s;t &s;ociety; they talk of Mu&s;ick, and Balls, and Walks and Fea&s;ts, and all delights, wherein others have a &s;hare; but a &s;erious and real lover, the more amorous and faithful he is, the more re&s;erved and more clo&s;e he is to him&s;elf, and rather troubles, then communicates any joys unto others. But <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cleonice,</HI> do you &s;peak really as you think, without any di&s;&s;imulation? But Madam, &s;aid he, I be&s;eech you tell me truly, is it po&s;&s;ible a woman that is admirably fair, and infinitely loved, can have a &s;oul &s;o great, as to contemn tho&s;e triffles in which the felicity of fair ones do mo&s;t commonly con&s;i&s;t? Ha, Madam, if you be &s;uch a one, certainly men ought not to love you, but infinitely to adore you: for there is nothing upon earth more Rare, then to &s;ee a fair woman not de&s;ire that her eyes &s;hould burn all tho&s;e they &s;hine upon; for, Madam, all fair eyes are mo&s;t commonly malevolent &s;tars, the influence of which, brings mi&s;ery upon men: For fair ones, to &s;peak in general, are not contented that men &s;hould only render homage, and offer Incen&s;e; but they require more &s;ad &s;acri|fices: a thou&s;and hearts reduc'd to a&s;hes, can hardly appea&s;e them, a quick and &s;peedy death cannot &s;atisfie their cruelty, but they mu&s;t inflict long and violent torments: Their highe&s;t felicity is to make men mi&s;erable. And &s;ince &s;o, Madam, how can I believe that you, who&s;e beauty tran&s;cends all others that ever I &s;aw, can &s;o ab&s;olutely renounce all the &s;weets of this imaginary Empire, which beauties does pretend to have over all hearts? you e&s;pecially who can more &s;ollidly e&s;tabli&s;h that Empiredom then any other. I cannot con&s;ent, &s;aid <HI>Cleonice,</HI> that I have beauty enough, either to conquer or raign: But had I as much as were requi&s;ite for it, yet the examples of others &s;hould pre&s;erve me from any &s;uch imbecility; for really, I thing nothing &s;o cruel, as to make all that comes near us out of their wits, and to hazard the being out of them our &s;elves; for let them talk what they will, love is a mo&s;t pe&s;tilent contagious di&s;ea&s;e. You your &s;elf, replied I, were never yet infected by any, though I have often &s;een &s;ome in your company, who had that di&s;ea&s;e upon them: When by chance &s;uch a mi&s;ery is upon me, replyed &s;he, I have &s;uch admirable Antidotes again&s;t it, that I do not fear my lo&s;s of that health which I en|joy. Madam, replyed <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> though you cannot love any, nor will permit any to love you, yet I hope you will admit upon terms of friend&s;hip without offence; and will not forbid me to hope for the happine&s;s of obtaining that honor from you? otherwi&s;e I &s;hould blame you. The choi&s;e of friends, replied &s;he, is a bu&s;ine&s;s of &s;o great a difficulty, that there is a nece&s;&s;ity of more prudence, then civility or genero&s;ity, but I do think that friends and confidents to be a high happine&s;s; yet (as I &s;aid unto <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> before you came in) I will never have any amorous friends, nor one that is wholly engaged, nor any that is courted with a thou&s;and gallants, neither will I admit of proud ones, or fools, or dotards, nor of one that wholly is taken up with the aeconomy of his hou&s;e. In a word, were I to choo&s;e a friend, he &s;hould have a pure minde, a good wit, and a high &s;oul; one that I might love, as I might love a brother, without the lea&s;t thoughts of gallantry and idle court&s;hip; one to whom I might impart all my thoughts, and con&s;equently one that is rational; but above all, one that is not in love, and gives me good a&s;&s;urance that he never will be. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and I began to laugh at <HI>Cleonice</HI>'s di&s;cour&s;e: Madam, &s;aid I unto her, why do you not make choi&s;e of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> to be this intimate friend you look for? I have not all tho&s;e good qualities which &s;he de&s;ires, replied he; and <HI>Cleonice</HI> is too fair to a&s;&s;ure me of her friend&s;hip, &s;ince it is not credible, but &s;ome one of that thou|&s;and of her Lovers, and the di&s;ea&s;e which &s;he hath cau&s;ed in them, will be too &s;trong for that Antidote which &s;he &s;aith &s;he hath. I perceive <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Cleonice,</HI> that you are afraid to be too far engaged; but let it not trouble you, &s;ince in the humor I am in, I &s;hall not be over ha&s;ty to di&s;po&s;e of my friend&s;hip. You have good rea&s;on, &s;aid he un|to her, for friend&s;hip is a thing too precious to be contracted in &s;o &s;hort a time: however Madam, I be&s;eech you give me leave to e&s;teem you with all the faculties of my &s;oul, and &s;tay until you &s;hall think me worthy of your friend&s;hip. As they were thus in di&s;cour&s;e,
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<HI>Artelinda</HI> came in, with two or three of her &s;ervants at her heels, and made her change the &s;ubject of her di&s;cour&s;e. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;taid &s;till, and changed not his place, but did &s;it all that afternoon between <HI>Cleonice</HI> and me. Pre&s;ently after her, five or &s;ix other beau|ties entred, and after them <HI>Phocylides</HI> and <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> who &s;ince they could not get near <HI>Cleonice,</HI> were &s;o melancholly and di&s;ordered, as I could not chu&s;e but laugh, After general di&s;cour&s;e had la&s;ted a long time, wherein the talk was of news, of hor&s;e-races, and fa&s;hions, and &s;uch like, <HI>Artelinda</HI> whi&s;pered one of her &s;ervants in the ear, and whil&s;t &s;he was holding him talk a long while, it was good &s;port unto us, that had nothing el&s;e to do but ob&s;erve, to &s;ee how nettled the re&s;t were at it; and I never pa&s;&s;ed an after|noon away with more plea&s;ure: &s;ometimes <HI>Cleonice</HI> would purpo&s;ely ask a que&s;tion of one of them, and then he would an&s;wer two words, and turn pre&s;ently away to ob&s;erve <HI>Artelinda,</HI> in hopes to gue&s;s by her countenance at what &s;he &s;aid unto their Rival. When &s;he laughed, we might &s;ee three or four of them at a time, knit the brows and frown, &s;o that it was impo&s;&s;ible but we mu&s;t laugh for company: Then <HI>Artelinda,</HI> to appea&s;e one of them which &s;he had netled, would quit the other &s;he had whi&s;pered with, and talk un|to him; then would &s;he look whether any of the re&s;t were jealous, and to comfort them al&s;o, &s;he would talk with every one of them in their turn: on the other &s;ide, <HI>Phocylides</HI> was no le&s;s bu&s;ie then <HI>Artelinda;</HI> for being de&s;irous to make <HI>Cleonice</HI> and three or four others believe he loved them, his looks, his heart, his minde, his wit and tongue were all &s;o divided among&s;t them, that he &s;eemed to be a little di&s;tracted; for he had no &s;oon|er done &s;peaking with one, but he immediately acco&s;ted another; he looked upon one, and talked with another: he &s;ometimes talked, and &s;ometimes &s;ighed &s;o much, and was &s;o extreamly puzled, that we pitted him. All this while the poor <HI>Hermodorus</HI> &s;poke not a word, and was &s;o vexed, that he could not &s;peak in private with <HI>Cleonice,</HI> that it was good &s;port al&s;o to ob&s;erve him: when he was forced to &s;peak, he would contradict every thing in the world, unle&s;s when one commended the beauty of <HI>Cleonice.</HI> But to augment the aver&s;ion which <HI>Cleonice</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> had unto love; by chance there was a very compleat gallant of the Town, who had been long in love, came to &s;ee <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;ince his affection was very well known, there was many eyes upon him. When this Lover entered, it was good &s;port to &s;ee with what care he endeavored to &s;eat him&s;elf next her he loved: and at his fir&s;t entrance, he was not &s;o ob&s;ervant to &s;alute <HI>Cleonice,</HI> as he was to &s;ee where his Mi&s;tre&s;s was, that he might &s;eat him&s;elf clo&s;e by her; yet he was di&s;ap|pointed, for <HI>Cleonice</HI> craftily cau&s;ed a &s;tool to be given him in another place: but how|ever, he made a &s;hift, for &s;eeming to have private bu&s;ine&s;s with <HI>Phocylides,</HI> he ri&s;e up and whi&s;pered him in the ear, and afterwards went unto his Mi&s;tre&s;s, and &s;ate by her. At the fir&s;t, they &s;poke aloud, and the Lady made &s;ome &s;igns he &s;hould not begin to talk privately &s;o &s;oon: but they began in&s;en&s;ibly to &s;peak in a low voyce, and by little and little did &s;o forget that they were in company, that they &s;poke as high as if none had been in the Room with them, and did &s;o publikely di&s;cover them&s;elves, that really I was a&s;hamed of them. Well <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cleonice</HI> in a low voyce unto me, is not all maner of love a mo&s;t ridiculous thing? and mu&s;t not it and all kinde of gallantry be utterly condemned? <HI>Ligdamis</HI> being de&s;irous to intrude, and hear what they &s;aid, <HI>Cleonice</HI> did civilly thru&s;t him back: No, no, &s;aid &s;he unto him, we are not upon tho&s;e terms yet. Why Madam, &s;aid he unto her, you u&s;e me as if I were a devoted &s;ervant, though I have di&s;|claimed that quality for ever: you are &s;o fit to be one when you will, replied &s;he, that I cannot yet tru&s;t your words.</P>
<P>By this time the night came on, and the company broke up; when all was gone, <HI>Cleonice</HI> was &s;o plea&s;ant, and &s;o full of Satyrical expre&s;&s;ions again&s;t all kinde of gallants and gal|lantry, that in my life I never &s;aw her in a more jocund humor. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> came unto me the next morning to talk of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> who had &s;o charmed him, that he could not enough admire her, de&s;iring me to imploy my be&s;t endeavors that he might become her friend; and I without any re&s;i&s;tance did make him a promi&s;e that I would, yet not a&s;|&s;uring him I could obtain it: There did he &s;eek for all hand&s;ome opportunities to &s;ee her, ofter then u&s;ual; but &s;ince there was always much company at the hou&s;e of <HI>Steonbea,</HI> he went &s;ometimes unto <HI>Anaxippa</HI>'s, where &s;he often u&s;ed to be, e&s;pecially when <HI>Artelinda</HI> was not there, preferring the company of the mother before the daughters, though her vertue was of over &s;evere a &s;train; yet where&s;oever he met her, he &s;till expre&s;&s;ed how great an enemy he was unto love, and being a man of an excellent wit, he expre&s;&s;ed him|&s;elf in &s;uch &s;ignificant terms, as he highly advanced him&s;elf in <HI>Cleonices</HI> e&s;teem. <HI>Ligdamis</HI>
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being with her one day at her own hou&s;e, when <HI>Stenobea</HI> was gone into the walks with half the Town following her, he began a fre&s;h to court her for her friend&s;hip, and the &s;ooner to obtain it, he prote&s;ted unto her that he was not in love. I do believe it <HI>Lig|damis</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) but what a&s;&s;urance can you give me, that you will not here|after be &s;o. I can give you that a&s;&s;urance my &s;elf, Madam, an&s;wered he; for mo&s;t in|fallibly, &s;ince <HI>I</HI> am not in love with you, I &s;hall never be with any: you are ab&s;olutely the faire&s;t teat ever I &s;aw, your wit tran&s;cends the highe&s;t mea&s;ure of any I know, either man or woman; your vertue ravi&s;hes me, your conver&s;ation charms me; and notwith|&s;tanding all the&s;e, my heart apprehends only re&s;pective and reverent thoughts of you: I mu&s;t needs ingeniou&s;ly acknowledge, that I extreamly love you in the degree and quality of friend&s;hip, but it is without any exorbitant or unquiet de&s;ires: Therefore, Madam, &s;ince &s;o much beauty, wit, vertue; &s;o much e&s;teem, and &s;o great a di&s;po&s;ition to love you, has not had that influence upon my heart, you are &s;afe, and need not refu&s;e my friend&s;hip, nor deny me yours. Love me, Madam, as you love <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> and if you plea&s;e a little more; for &s;ince I re&s;olve to love none upon earth but you, methinks in rea|&s;on you &s;hould not refu&s;e to love me a little more then any other. You expre&s;s your friend&s;hip in &s;uch obliging terms, replied <HI>Cleonice,</HI> and blu&s;hed, that methinks I ought to &s;u&s;pect you: But <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> do not deceive your &s;elf, I de&s;ire &s;incerity; and though I am confident you are not in love with me, yet perhaps you think I am one of tho&s;e who only change the name of the thing, but can well enough endure a Lover under the no|tion of a friend: Take heed therefore what you de&s;ire of me, and know, that the friend|&s;hip which I ever can either give or take, is and &s;hall be a mo&s;t con&s;tant real friend&s;hip, without any folly or fond thoughts: I would only have you love me, as one brave man may love another; and I &s;hall love you, as I &s;hould love a vertuous woman, if I knew any worthy of my entire affection: I ask no more, an&s;wered <HI>Ligdamis:</HI> But fir&s;t, &s;aid &s;he, I would have you binde your &s;elf by an oath, that if ever you &s;hould be &s;o unfor|tunate as to fall, in love with any beauty, to tell it unto me the &s;ame hour; to the end I may a&s;&s;i&s;t you with my coun&s;els, and fortifie your rea&s;on; and in ca&s;e you cannot become free, I may be ab&s;olved from your friend&s;hip; for I &s;eriou&s;ly declare, that if ever you be in love, I &s;hall be no longer your friend: But, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, and &s;miled, &s;uppo&s;e I &s;hould fall in love with your &s;elf, what mu&s;t I do then? mu&s;t I acquaint you with it as &s;oon as ever I perceive it? No, &s;aid &s;he, I like not that: What then mu&s;t I do? replied he: you mu&s;t wra&s;tle with your pa&s;&s;ion, an&s;wered &s;he, and overcome it, without ever telling me; and though you cannot overcome it, yet be &s;ure to hide it &s;o from me, that I &s;hall never know it. But, an&s;wered he, all the world &s;aies love cannot be hid: Then you mu&s;t hide your &s;elf, replyed &s;he, and never &s;ee me again; yet added &s;he and &s;miled, I hope that will never come to pa&s;s; for the &s;pring can never bring forth more Ro&s;es in my cheeks then it hath: I have as much beauty as ever I &s;hall have; and &s;ince it has had no operation to move you hitherto, you may be confident it never will, and by con&s;equence our friend&s;hip will be eternal. I chanced to come into them as they were upon the&s;e terms, and they acquainted me with the conditions of their friend&s;hip: But, &s;aid, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;ince I promi&s;e you faithfully never to love any, and if to my mi&s;|fortune I &s;hould, to acquaint you with it; may not I ask &s;ome a&s;&s;urance again&s;t <HI>Hermo|dorus,</HI> and all the re&s;t of your lovers and adorers? For my part, &s;aid I, and interrupt|ed them, I conceive it rea&s;onable, <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;hould make a reciprocal promi&s;e: I refu&s;e it not, replied &s;he, for I am &s;o certain never to love any, that I do engage my &s;elf un|to it.</P>
<P>Thus, Madam, after much &s;uch di&s;cour&s;e as this, the friend&s;hip between <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and <HI>Cleonice</HI> was contracted; and for the more ab&s;olute confirmation of it, they both of them vented a thou&s;and invectives again&s;t all love and lovers. Since that day, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> e&s;teemed him&s;elf &s;o happy, that he &s;aid, he never began to live, till &s;ince he was acquaint|ed with <HI>Cleonice;</HI> and &s;he al&s;o was &s;o well plea&s;ed with him, that &s;he hath given me a million of thanks for contributing unto their friend&s;hip: Then did there ari&s;e a great confidence between them: <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was never upon any de&s;ign, but he did communicate it unto <HI>Cleonice:</HI> When&s;oever he went unto the Court, it was with her approbation and order, and &s;he had &s;uch an ab&s;olute power over his life, that &s;he did regulate him in matters of his acqcaintance: &s;he made him ca&s;t ca&s;t off &s;ome friends, and take in others, yet all this without any imperious Tyrannie. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> al&s;o was acquainted with &s;ome of her &s;ecret thoughts, &s;he imparted unto him a thou&s;and dome&s;tick grievances, which
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the humour of <HI>Stenobea</HI> cau&s;ed: &s;he &s;incerely told him her thoughts of all, and di&s;covered the very bottom of her &s;oul unto him: And &s;ince &s;he had not only a great and piercing wit of her own, but al&s;o did with abundance of pains daily add knowledge unto it, to &s;hew the va&s;t trea&s;ure of her knowledge, &s;he would often in&s;truct <HI>Ligdamis</HI> in many things which her mode&s;ty made &s;ecrets of unto any el&s;e. When he was at the Army with the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> he would write unto her, and &s;he to him again; and that in &s;uch a &s;train, as her Letters made him almo&s;t as happy as her Pre&s;ence did. Afterwards <HI>Stenobea</HI> went unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> and carried her daughter with her: And &s;ince <HI>Ligdamis</HI> thought he might be &s;erviceable unto her, he went thither al&s;o. And indeed he rendred her a mo&s;t con&s;iderable good office during that voyage: For being very eminent in the war, the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> who as you know was then called <HI>Cleander,</HI> loved him very dearly, &s;o that he made u&s;e of him in her bu&s;ine&s;s: Moreover, if <HI>Ligdamis</HI> met with any plea&s;ing news, he never was at re&s;t untill he had communicated it unto <HI>Cleonice,</HI> who was as complacential unto him a|gain; &s;o that a very great confidence was between them. One pa&s;&s;age fell out which was like to have begun a little kind of quarrel between them: for <HI>Hermodorus</HI> was &s;o impor|tunate with <HI>Cleonice</HI> whether &s;he would or no, that &s;he was forced to an&s;wer him in &s;uch both plain and &s;incere language, as he was compelled to re&s;t quiet; and indeed &s;he was &s;o bitter again&s;t him, that I wonder he did not retort: For as he was pre&s;&s;ing her to give him &s;ome rea&s;ons why he &s;hould forever give over all hopes; Since you will needs know, &s;aid &s;he unto him, it is for two rea&s;ons; the one, becau&s;e I am fully re&s;olved never to love any, nor &s;uffer any &s;hould love me; the other, becau&s;e though I did re&s;olve to love one, yet of all men living it &s;hould not be <HI>Hermodorus:</HI> Therefore if you be wi&s;e, regulate your&s;elf according to this an&s;wer, which without any di&s;&s;imulation proceeds from the full re&s;olves of my heart. After <HI>Cleonice</HI> had pronounced this di&s;mal &s;entence upon this un|fortunate Lover, &s;he told it unto <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and my &s;elf; and both of us returned her many thanks, becau&s;e <HI>Hermodorus</HI> did often interrupt our conver&s;ation. But afterwards we under|&s;tood that <HI>Artelinda,</HI> who&s;e humour was to &s;ubject all hearts that were Rebels to Love, had u&s;ed a thou&s;and &s;tratagems unto him, which he never acquainted us withal; which did &s;o much incen&s;e <HI>Cleonice</HI> again&s;t him, that I had much ado to appea&s;e her: yet acquainting him with her re&s;entments, he went immediately unto her, and told her that the rea&s;on why he never acquainted her with it, was out of his mode&s;ty to hide the gro&s;s follies of <HI>Artelinda.</HI> So that this reconciliation did tye the knot of friend&s;hip fa&s;ter then ever; and I think it might be &s;aid, that their affections had all the tenderne&s;s of Love, without any irregulation or di&s;temper; for they had as much delight in &s;eeing and talking with one another, as if they had been the deepe&s;t Lovers, without all the impatient con&s;equences of it; and they came to that height, that they were jealous without Love: for <HI>Cleonice</HI> was in continual fears that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hould fall in love; and he again was infinitely afraid that &s;ome Lover or other would &s;teal the heart of <HI>Cleonice</HI> from him: For both of them were per&s;waded (and perhaps not without rea&s;on) that a great Love and a great Friend|&s;hip were impo&s;&s;ible to be together in one and the &s;ame heart. This kind of Jealou&s;ie yet had no bitterne&s;s in it, nor produced any &s;ad con&s;equences, but on the contrary made their conver&s;ation more obliging and delightfull. The&s;e two e&s;teemed them&s;elves exceedingly happy; and <HI>Cleonice</HI> for her part was &s;o well plea&s;ed, that &s;he trimmed up her&s;elf; yet did &s;he &s;hun <HI>Artelinda</HI> as much as ever &s;he could, who&s;e fal&s;e vain-glorious humour was every day more and more horrid unto her. And truly, &s;ince we know all her actions by means of <HI>Phocylides,</HI> who the more to oblige <HI>Cleonice,</HI> told her all, we were very &s;orry that one who was brought up under &s;o vertuous a Mother, &s;hould be guilty of &s;o much folly: for her heart was &s;till thir&s;ting after conque&s;t upon conque&s;t, without any di&s;tinction or choice at all. Then, as the Temple of <HI>Diana</HI> did draw abundance of &s;trangers unto <HI>Ephe&s;us;</HI> there came not a man of any quality to that place, whom &s;he did not endeavour to capti|vate; and certainly &s;he did effect her endeavours, for every one became her &s;ervants. As <HI>Cleonice, Ligdamis,</HI> and I were one day &s;eeking out for a rea&s;on why one and the &s;ame Beauty &s;hould plea&s;e and take &s;o many different humours, and &s;trangers &s;o far di&s;tant: we concluded that Hope was the cau&s;e of it. For (to &s;peak in generall) it is hard for a man to &s;ee a fair and young Lady (who&s;e affability makes men think the conque&s;t of her is no impo&s;&s;ibility) and not to tie him&s;elf a while unto her &s;ervice, though it be only out of curio&s;ity. Al&s;o it might almo&s;t be &s;aid, a man had been di&s;honoured, if he had not &s;ome favour or other from <HI>Artelinda,</HI> and much more if he continued long in the &s;ervice. But though we were much a&s;toni&s;hed that <HI>Artelinda</HI> &s;hould captivate &s;o many, yet we did
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much more wonder how <HI>Phocylides</HI> could delude &s;o many: for we know of &s;ix or &s;even Ladies in <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> who thought them&s;elves pa&s;&s;ionately loved; and we concluded that we were much obliged unto heaven for in&s;piring us with more rea&s;onable thoughts. In the mean while, the frequent vi&s;its that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> made unto <HI>Cleonice,</HI> began to make a great noi&s;e, and wound the mind of <HI>Atelinda,</HI> who could not believe there could be any &s;ociety between a man and a woman without Court&s;hip: and &s;ince &s;he was vexed to the &s;oul, that all her &s;tratagems could never have any effect upon the heart of <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> &s;he began to hate them extremely. <HI>Phocylides</HI> al&s;o even de&s;perate that he could never move the mind of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> and &s;u&s;pecting the favour of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was the cau&s;e, did al&s;o hate them: and both of them plotting how to be revenged of them, took different wayes to bring it to pa&s;s; for <HI>Artelinda</HI> attempted to make <HI>Cleonice</HI> jealous, and <HI>Phocylides Ligdamis. Artelinda,</HI> though &s;he did vi&s;it <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;eldomer then ordinary, yet &s;ometimes &s;he did &s;ee her: And one day being both together, <HI>Artelinda</HI> took occa&s;ion to &s;peak of all the reprehen&s;ions which <HI>Cleonice</HI> twitted her withall concerning the freene&s;s of her behaviour; and being one of the cunninge&s;t women upon earth, and the mo&s;t flattering, after a hun|dred obliging complements, Was not the rea&s;on (&s;aid &s;he unto her) why you did &s;o in|&s;en&s;ibly decline my friend&s;hip, becau&s;e you believed all I &s;aid unto you one day when we were alone together, was my real thoughts? It is very true, I did &s;o, and I found your action and your words to agree &s;o well, that I cannot think I did you any wrong in that belief. If that belief, an&s;wered &s;he, did not lo&s;e me your affection, I &s;hould not much care: As for the world in generall, I have long &s;ince &s;et up my re&s;t &s;o much above all it can either &s;ay or think, that I value it not: But I &s;et a much higher rate upon you, my dear <HI>Cleonice!</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, with extremely di&s;&s;imulation) for it would grieve me to the &s;oul to be excluded your heart; therefore I be&s;eech you be &s;o &s;incere as to tell me, whe|ther you can afford me your affection, as long as I continue this cour&s;e. <HI>Cleonice</HI> think|ing <HI>Artelinda</HI> had &s;poke &s;incerely, con&s;idering her expre&s;&s;ions, did ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s that &s;he could not &s;eparate her friend&s;hip and her e&s;teem from one another, and that &s;he could not po&s;&s;ibly e&s;teem one who was &s;o weak as to &s;acrifice her real honour for an ima|ginary Chimera of vain-glory, as &s;he did by having continually at lea&s;t a thou&s;and adorers about her: But deceive not your &s;elf, for all the&s;e flatterers do not love you &s;o well as you believe; and for proof of it, do but take their hopes from them one moneth, and you &s;hall &s;ee how they will fall off: Not that there is any imperfection in your beauty, or that you want any excellent qualities which would render you mo&s;t accompli&s;hed, if you did not &s;poil them by your behaviour; but the truth is, I do know tho&s;e whom you deceive, and who deceive you, better then you do, and &s;ee with more unintere&s;ted eyes and freer judgment the precipice from which you are like to fall. Moreover, how do you imagine I &s;hould tru&s;t one who deceives all that come neer her by di&s;&s;embling her thoughts, and divides her heart among&s;t a thou&s;and men whom I do not e&s;teem? And therefore blame me not, if I do not love you. Were you only po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with a violent pa&s;&s;ion, though I &s;hould not confide in your friend&s;hip, yet I &s;hould pitty you, and hope &s;o to cure you, that hereafter I might love you: but the di&s;ea&s;e wherewith you are infected I &s;ee is in|curable, and I thought fit to decline you as much as hand&s;omne&s;s will permit. Ah my dear <HI>Cleonice!</HI> &s;aid &s;he, how much do you mi&s;take me? But the &s;ooner to obtain your pitty, if not your friend&s;hip, (&s;aid this crafty woman) I will confe&s;s, and confe&s;s with a blu&s;h, what I have a long time concealed; and I will no longer conceal that Per&s;on whom of all the earth I love the be&s;t next after&mdash;<HI>Artelinda</HI> &s;topt at the&s;e words; and co|vering her face with her hand to hide her &s;hame, &s;he &s;tood a while &s;ilent: Then &s;eeming to be a little better recollected, Pardon me, dear <HI>Cleonice!</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto her, that my di&s;cour&s;e and mind &s;hould be in &s;uch di&s;order: For being ready to confe&s;s that which I never did unto any, I found &s;ome contradiction in my &s;elf; and though my will prompted me to di&s;cover the bottom of my heart unto you, yet my mouth would not permit me to pronounce his name who is the cau&s;e why I live as I do. <HI>Cleonice</HI> not knowing what <HI>Ar|telinda</HI> meant, but being very de&s;irous of it; I do &s;o little under&s;tand you, &s;aid &s;he unto her, that I cannot return any an&s;wer. But you &s;hall under&s;tand me pre&s;ently, replied <HI>Arte|linda,</HI> and &s;ighed: Know therefore, my dear <HI>Cleonice,</HI> that I am &s;o far from affecting an univer&s;al Court&s;hip, that I think my &s;elf the mo&s;t unhappy woman upon earth, for I am engaged in the mo&s;t firm and con&s;tant affection that ever was. How? replied <HI>Cleonice,</HI> Can <HI>Artelinda</HI> love firmly and con&s;tantly? If I could believe that, though I condemn Love in all others, yet I think I &s;hould pardon it in her. Pardon me then, &s;aid &s;he: for
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the truth is, what you do condemn me for, proceeds from one whom I love a thou&s;and times above my &s;elf; and one who orders the whole cour&s;e of my life. And will this happy Lover, &s;aid <HI>Cleonice,</HI> permit you to favour a thou&s;and others? Certainly he does, replied &s;he, and purpo&s;ely to hide that real pa&s;&s;ion which is in both our &s;ouls: for &s;o it is, that if once our affection &s;hould come to be known, our happine&s;s would be forever ruined; and the carriage of it hitherto hath been &s;o clo&s;e, that none in all <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> can &s;u&s;pect any thing of that innocent intelligence that is between us. Yet I think it &s;omthing &s;trange, &s;aid <HI>Cle|onice,</HI> that he &s;hould let you pa&s;s in the opinion of the world for what you are not. When there is no other way to be happy, replied &s;he, that cour&s;e mu&s;t be taken. Will he not be jealous of tho&s;e he permits you to favour? &s;aid <HI>Cleonice.</HI> Very oft, replied &s;he; and that's the rea&s;on why &s;ometimes I ca&s;t off tho&s;e whom he thinks I love be&s;t. Thus, dear <HI>Cleonice,</HI> when you thought me &s;o plea&s;ant and gay, having a thou&s;and Adorers a|bout me, then, even then was I mo&s;t to be pittied; for I always &s;aw tho&s;e <HI>I</HI> loved not, but &s;eldom him whom <HI>I</HI> did love: Judge therefore, dear <HI>Cleonice,</HI> whether you did not u&s;e me cruelly in denying me your friend&s;hip, and in taxing me with &s;o many follies: <HI>I</HI> de&s;ire to be pardoned for not naming him who hath my heart; but <HI>I</HI> had rather you &s;hould ghe&s;s who it is, if it be po&s;&s;ible. <HI>I</HI> am not to be too pre&s;&s;ing into the &s;ecrets of another, replied <HI>Cleonice,</HI> and therefore <HI>I</HI> will try if <HI>I</HI> can hit upon, him: But however, <HI>Artelinda,</HI> though <HI>I</HI> pitty you more then <HI>I</HI> did, yet <HI>I</HI> blame you no le&s;s: for who&s;oever your Lover is, <HI>I</HI> cannot allow of &s;acrificing your honour to his capricious fancie. If <HI>I</HI> &s;hould name him, replied &s;he, perhaps you would forbear your cen&s;ure, for there is not in the world a wi&s;er man then he.</P>
<P>Thus, Madam, did this conference pa&s;s, which did exceedingly puzzle <HI>Cleonice,</HI> for &s;he &s;u&s;pected &s;ome trick in it: but yet not knowing very well what to think of it, &s;he kept it to her&s;elf, and did not impart it either unto <HI>Ligdamis</HI> or me. Some few dayes pa&s;&s;ed on in the&s;e thoughts, and then &s;he went to vi&s;it <HI>Artelinda,</HI> who expected her with much im|patience, and prepared to receive her in private, when&s;oever &s;he came. She no &s;ooner heard &s;he was coming, but &s;he &s;et a little Box open upon the table, in which were divers things, and among others there was a Letter laid upon the top of them, which had this &s;uper&s;cription:<LB>
<HI>LIGDAMIS to the Fair ARTELINDA.</HI><LB></P>
<P>Pre&s;ently this cunning woman retired into her Clo&s;et, imagining in all likelihood that <HI>Cleonice</HI> would find this Letter, and know the hand, and perhaps take it with her. And indeed &s;he was not deceived; for <HI>Cleonice</HI> was no &s;ooner come into the room, but &s;eeing this Box upon the table, &s;he went towards it, thinking to find &s;ome pretty knacks which might plea&s;e her: But &s;he no &s;ooner ca&s;t her eyes upon it, then &s;he knew it to be the hand of <HI>Ligdamis;</HI> and no &s;ooner knew it, then &s;he took it up; and no &s;ooner took it, then, hearing <HI>Artelinda</HI> coming, hid it, and &s;eemed to rumble up and down all that was in the Box, and &s;he &s;aid &s;he looked not for any Letters, but for &s;ome Ver&s;es only. <HI>Artelinda</HI> even ravi&s;hed at the di&s;&s;imulation of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> took the Box out of her hands very ha&s;tily: Truly, in&s;en&s;ible <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto her, you received my confidence &s;o ill the other day, that <HI>I</HI> am re&s;olved to tell you no more then <HI>I</HI> did, and will not di&s;cover the Party whom <HI>I</HI> love unto you. <HI>Cleonice</HI> being infinitely de&s;irous to know whether <HI>Ligdamis</HI> loved <HI>Artelinda,</HI> did much importune her to tell her who he was, but &s;till &s;he would not: So that &s;eeing all her entreaties would not prevail, and being very impatient to read this Letter which &s;he had taken, &s;he made her vi&s;it very &s;hort, and went home; and was no &s;ooner in her Chamber, but &s;he opened the Letter, and read the&s;e words:</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>LIGDAMIS to the Fair ARTELINDA.</HEAD>
<P><HI>I</HI> Know you are the mo&s;t amiable upon earth: continue, I be&s;eech you, tho&s;e amorous falla|cies, which make &s;o many happy, and &s;o many mi&s;erable; and never fear it &s;hall ever prejudice you in my opinion, for you are there &s;o thought upon, that nothing can alter it: The more hearts you captivate, the more you plea&s;e me, and the more &s;hall I admire you: I &s;hall not need to tell you how much of my &s;oul is yours; let it &s;uffice that you call to memory my ex|pre&s;&s;ions,
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<HI>the la&s;t time I had the happy honour to talk in private with you; for I dare not com|mit them to a thin piece of paper: It was happy I was &s;o bold as to tell them once; and it is enough that I now prote&s;t my thoughts &s;hall never change, but that I &s;hall be forever the &s;ame I was within the&s;e three dayes.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>LIGDAMIS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After <HI>Cleonice</HI> had read this Letter, &s;he &s;tood in a maze, and knew not what to think: For as &s;he knew of &s;ome other pa&s;&s;ages between <HI>Artelinda</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;o now &s;he made no que&s;tion but there was a great corre&s;pondencie between them; and &s;he was &s;o exceedingly incen&s;ed that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hould be &s;o weak, that &s;he thought &s;he could not look upon him but with angry eyes: For, &s;aid &s;he, if he be in love with <HI>Artelinda,</HI> I am extremely mi&s;taken in him; and if he be not, yet however I mu&s;t break off with him, &s;ince I can no more endure he &s;hould be a Cheat, then I can he &s;hould be a Lover. In the mean time he knows all the &s;ecrets of my heart: I have &s;poken a hundred times again&s;t <HI>Arte|linda,</HI> I have told him what I thought of her, and in all likelihood he courts this very Lady. Yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;aid &s;he, had he acquainted her with that friend&s;hip which we have contracted, &s;he would never have &s;poke to me as &s;he did. But what can I ju&s;tly infer from all this? &s;ince tho&s;e who are &s;incere, cannot ea&s;ily ghe&s;s what tho&s;e who are not &s;o do think. However I mu&s;t break off with <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and expo&s;e my &s;elf no more to be deceived: I will tru&s;t none, nor love any who&s;oever; but live with as much caution among&s;t tho&s;e who profe&s;s friend&s;hip, as with tho&s;e that declare them&s;elves my enemies. Yet &s;he re&s;olved not to acquaint <HI>Ligdamis</HI> with what &s;he knew of him, nor knew &s;he well whether &s;he &s;hould accu&s;e him of his crime and chide him. As &s;he was amid&s;t the&s;e con|templations, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> came into her chamber, and came from <HI>Stenobea,</HI> to bring her un|to hers: As &s;oon as &s;he &s;pied him, &s;he ha&s;tily took up the Letter, and hid it with much diligence, &s;eeming to be as much troubled at it, as if <HI>Ligdamis</HI> were her husband, and that Letter had been to one of his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es. Yet could not <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;o &s;oon put up this Letter but it was &s;een; nor could &s;he &s;o well di&s;&s;emble, but he knew there was &s;omething in her mind which angred her, and that his pre&s;ence was but trouble&s;om. So that coming a little neerer her, Madam, &s;aid he, I undertook this commi&s;&s;ion from <HI>Stenobia,</HI> to come for you, with much joy, becau&s;e I thought you would have willingly obeyed her: but I &s;ee that I am di&s;appointed, for I &s;ee you conceal a Letter which que&s;tionle&s;s you do not de&s;ire I &s;hould &s;ee; and your very eyes do tell me that I am trouble&s;om unto you. You know, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, that the &s;ecrets of others are not our own; and &s;ince I have no inter|e&s;t in the Contents of this Letter, I will not &s;hew it unto you: In the mean time, I will obey tho&s;e commands which you have brought. And in &s;aying &s;o, &s;he prepared her&s;elf to go out of her chamber into her Mothers. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> would have &s;tayed her, and conjured her fir&s;t to tell him what it was which troubled her mind: Yet &s;he would not an&s;wer him a word, but went away into company, where both of them were very re&s;erved, and looked upon one another &s;o &s;ternly, that they ob&s;erved and made others al&s;o take notice of their di&s;tempers. As for <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> his heart dur&s;t not re&s;olve upon any thing again&s;t <HI>Cleonice:</HI> but &s;he had other thoughts of him; for the more di&s;content &s;he found in the eyes of him, the more &s;he accu&s;ed him, imagining that his guilt made him a&s;hamed, and was the true cau&s;e of all the di&s;order which appeared in his mind. In the interim, <HI>Phocylides,</HI> who much de&s;ired to know certainly whether <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was in Love, &s;eemed according to his cu&s;tom, to be &s;o with one that was &s;i&s;ter unto <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who then was with us: And &s;ince he had wit at will, he thought it would not be a piece of any great difficulty to &s;crue it out of her. But he was at a great <HI>non-plus,</HI> when he under&s;tood from her, that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was never unquiet or troubled; that he made no &s;ecrets of <HI>Cleonice's</HI> Letters, but on the con|trary did frequently &s;hew them; and that there appeared no arguments of his being in Love, only his frequent vi&s;its, and continual commendations of <HI>Cleonice</HI> when any occa|&s;ions were offered. And he found that the&s;e were not ab&s;olute arguments whereby to conclude he was in Love; &s;o that he knew not either what to &s;ay or think: &s;ince he was not one of an humour to love violently, he him&s;elf was never much unquiet; and the Jea|lou&s;ie of &s;uch men may rather be termed Curio&s;ity then Jealou&s;ie. As for <HI>Artelinda,</HI> &s;he did &s;ecretly triumph in being a cau&s;e of <HI>Cleonice's</HI> trouble: yet was her Joy not over-full of tranquillity, becau&s;e &s;he was &s;till in &s;ome doubt there was &s;ome &s;ecret affection between <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and <HI>Cleonice:</HI> for if that were not, &s;aid &s;he, &s;he would never have taken that Letter and concealed it; and if &s;he had not conceived her&s;elf intere&s;ted in <HI>Ligdamis</HI> when
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&s;he &s;aw his hand, &s;he would not have come off with &s;o &s;hort a vi&s;it, nor been &s;o impatient to be gone. Thus did <HI>Artelinda</HI> argue; all who&s;e thoughts, &s;ince then, we came to know, for &s;he was not of any humour of keeping &s;ecrets very well. In the mean while <HI>Ligdamis</HI> could not imagine what this Letter &s;hould be, which <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;o carefully concealed; nor could he conceive what it was which &s;o troubled her mind: He could not think upon any thing el&s;e but it; and when he returned home, he would not admit of any company who|&s;oever. Yet did he wonder to find him&s;elf &s;o unquiet, and was angry that he &s;hould be no more a ma&s;ter of his own mind: conceiving, that friend&s;hip only ought not to cau&s;e &s;o many angry hours; nor knowing any rea&s;on why the &s;ight of this Letter which &s;he &s;o clo&s;ely concealed, &s;hould cau&s;e any &s;uch &s;en&s;ible &s;orrow in him&s;elf, &s;ince he was not in love with her. Yet &s;ince friend&s;hip may be as tender as love, it may be al&s;o a cau&s;e of as much unquietne&s;s; and one may fear the lo&s;s of a Friend, as well as the lo&s;s of a Mi&s;tre&s;s. Find|ing therefore that he had &s;ome rea&s;on to be troubled, he waited with much impatiencie till the next morning, before he could cleer him&s;elf of his doubts: yet he could not &s;o &s;oon; for though he went betimes to the hou&s;e of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> yet &s;he was gone forth before he came. But, Madam, that which cau&s;ed her ha&s;te, was her fancie to tell <HI>Artelinda</HI> all that had pa&s;&s;ed between <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and her, to the end &s;he might better be convinced of his being in love, though &s;he was ab&s;olutely per&s;waded that he was: for be&s;ides this Letter, &s;he knew that the Father of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> would not &s;uffer his &s;on to marry any but one woman whom he had propo&s;ed unto him. So that &s;he expounded all that <HI>Artelinda</HI> had told her, even as that cunning woman wi&s;hed. But to cleer all, <HI>Cleonice</HI> went to <HI>Artelinda's</HI> cham|ber, and conjured her to di&s;cover the name of this fanta&s;tical Lover who permitted her a hundred &s;ervants. <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Artelinda</HI> to her, I confe&s;s I ought to be fuller of pitty then you your&s;elf have been: but you &s;hall never know it, not only becau&s;e you are too cruel, but al&s;o becau&s;e he whom you would have me name, hearing of our private confe|rences, is &s;o afraid I &s;hould di&s;cover our corre&s;pondencie unto you, that &s;ince ye&s;terday he hath written no le&s;s then thrice unto me, that he will ab&s;olutely break off with me, if ever he hear I acquaint you with the league that is between us: Therefore, <HI>Cleonice,</HI> I be&s;eech you pardon me, and importune me no further to tell his name: I confe&s;s his pro|ceeding does much a&s;toni&s;h me, becau&s;e I cannot comprehend his rea&s;on why he &s;hould &s;o much fear I &s;hould di&s;clo&s;e our &s;ecret unto you, e&s;pecially knowing that he e&s;teems you very highly. And truly, I mu&s;t al&s;o confe&s;s (&s;aid this &s;ubtile woman) that if you were le&s;s &s;evere then you are, I &s;hould think this Man hath told you as well as me, that he loves you, and &s;o deceives us both. Therefore, <HI>Cleonice,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he &s;till mo&s;t craftily) if there be any man, who notwith&s;tanding your &s;everity, does tell you any delighting lyes, which do not di&s;plea&s;e tho&s;e who do not believe them; I conjure you to confe&s;s it unto me, and name the man who told them; promi&s;ing you that if you name him whom I mean, I will imme|diately acknowledge him, for I have as great a de&s;ire to tell his name, as you have to know it: Speak therefore, <HI>Cleonice,</HI> and tell me the man, to the end that joyning our intere&s;ts and re&s;entments together, we may both of us hate the man that thus divides his heart be|tween us. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Cleonice,</HI> (who found enough to confirm her in the opinion &s;he had of <HI>Ligdamis)</HI> &s;ince none ever talks to me concerning matters of Love, <HI>I</HI> can nei|ther &s;atisfie your curio&s;ity nor my own. Ha <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Artelinda,</HI> you &s;peak in too generall terms to be credited; for how is it po&s;&s;ible men &s;hould &s;ee you, and not tell you at the lea&s;t that they think you fair, &s;ince <HI>I</HI> my &s;elf, who am not in a capacity to love you, cannot chu&s;e but &s;ay as much? However, &s;aid &s;he, you may very well &s;peak more &s;in|cerely unto me, &s;ince <HI>I</HI> would tru&s;t you with things of my greate&s;t importance. <HI>I</HI> do not de&s;ire, <HI>Cleonice,</HI> you &s;hould tell me who it is that you love, but who it is that loves you: <HI>I</HI> perceive very plainly you will not &s;atisfie me, becau&s;e you will not &s;o much as name <HI>Hermodorus. I</HI> &s;hall not name him indeed, replied <HI>Cleonice,</HI> as well becau&s;e he hath cea&s;ed his Court&s;hip, as becau&s;e <HI>I</HI> know it is not he with whom you hold this &s;ecret corre&s;pon|dence. As they were thus in di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> hearing <HI>Cleonice</HI> was there, came into the chamber. As &s;oon as he appeared, <HI>Cleonice</HI> blu&s;ht; and <HI>Artelinda</HI> counterfeiting &s;adne&s;s, &s;he drew her &s;tool further from <HI>Cleonice,</HI> as if &s;he were afraid <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hould ob&s;erve &s;he whi&s;pered with her.</P>
<P>This conver&s;ation was not plea&s;ing unto any but <HI>Artelinda,</HI> who had a &s;ecret malig|nant joy, to ob&s;erve the re&s;tle&s;s minde of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> who not being able any longer to en|dure the company either of <HI>Artelinda,</HI> or of &s;uch a perfidious friend as &s;he conceived <HI>Ligdamis</HI> to be, did ri&s;e up, and would have gone away. He pre&s;ented his hand unto
<PB N="308" REF="350">
her, to lead her out; though this vi&s;it was &s;o &s;hort, that it was a kinde of incivility of|fered unto <HI>Artelinda</HI> to go &s;o &s;oon; but <HI>Cleonice</HI> imagining that his going with her was on|ly to di&s;&s;emble the better, would not &s;uffer him to go with her; and to hinder him, &s;he &s;aid &s;he was not going to her own hou&s;e: adding further, with a forced &s;mile, that &s;he would not incur the hatred of two &s;uch friends at once, by &s;eparating them &s;o &s;oon. <HI>Ar|telinda</HI> replyed unto this, according to her u&s;ual &s;ubtilty, and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> could not ima|gine why &s;he &s;hould &s;ay &s;o; for her looks were &s;o &s;erious, as he could not believe it to be a bare complement, without any de&s;ign, &s;o that he would however conduct her to her coach; and as &s;hort as his vi&s;it had been, yet would he not go in again, but would &s;ee whether <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;aid true, in &s;aying &s;he went not unto her own hou&s;e: So that he fol|lowed after her; and <HI>Cleonice</HI> looking back to &s;ee whether he &s;taid with <HI>Artelinda,</HI> &s;aw him follow, and thought that it was only the better to cozen her: and though &s;he told him &s;he was not going home, yet &s;he did, &s;ince the angui&s;h of her minde would not permit her to make any more vi&s;its. <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> as &s;oon as he &s;aw her go into her own hou&s;e, knew certainly &s;he was not friends with him; and thought the rea&s;on of it to be, becau&s;e there was &s;ome other whom &s;he loved, of which the Letter he had &s;een, and language <HI>Cleonice</HI> gave him, were convincing proofs: She dares not, &s;aid he, acknowledge her weakne&s;s unto me; however, &s;he might have broke off with me a little more civilly. Thus Madam, did <HI>Ligdamis</HI> argue with him&s;elf, who being very de&s;irous to &s;atisfie all doubts, went the &s;ame hour unto <HI>Cleonice:</HI> And coming into her chamber, he did exceedingly &s;ur|prize her. Madam, &s;aid he unto her, <HI>I</HI> did not think that any little lyes (if <HI>I</HI> may &s;o phra&s;e them) were allowable among&s;t &s;uch as profe&s;s &s;incere friend&s;hip; however, if <HI>I</HI> dur&s;t, <HI>I</HI> would chide you for telling me you would not go pre&s;ently to your own hou&s;e. <HI>I</HI> did not intend it, replyed &s;he, when <HI>I</HI> told you &s;o, but <HI>I</HI> altered my minde afterwards. Oh Ma|dam, replyed <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> do not adde crime to crime: if you do not think me worthy of your friend&s;hip, or that you cannot keep any longer within our conditions, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you let us break off. <HI>I</HI> do not ask who that happy man is, from whom that Letter came, which you pre&s;erve &s;o &s;ecretly. That happy one, replyed &s;he, &s;harply, is more of your acquain|tance then mine. <HI>I</HI> do not know a man, replyed he, that merits tho&s;e favours which you do him. <HI>I</HI> do agree with you, replyed &s;he, he does not de&s;erve them. Why then, re|plyed he, do you make him your friend or lover, for I know not which of tho&s;e two attri|butes he mu&s;t have. As for the la&s;t of the&s;e two, replyed &s;he, let us refer it unto <HI>Arte|linda;</HI> and as for the other, I hope he &s;hall not long wear that title. <HI>Artelinda</HI> has &s;o many Lovers, replyed <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> much perplexed, that I cannot imagine which you mean. It is very true, &s;aid <HI>Cleonice</HI> very fiercely: but <HI>Cleonice</HI> has &s;o few friends, that you may quickly gue&s;s if you plea&s;e; but <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;hame &s;huts up your mouth. Mine, Ma|dam! replyed he, much amazed; rather &s;ay, a real re&s;pect impo&s;eth &s;ilence, and keeps me from accu&s;ing you. You carry it very confidently, replyed &s;he, to be &s;o culpable, and yet complain. I mu&s;t do &s;o, replyed he, but with much re&s;pect: therefore without further aggravations, I be&s;eech you, Madam, be &s;o generous as to tell me &s;incerely, whe|ther it be fit I &s;hould be any longer your friend: for &s;ince friend&s;hip as well as love &s;hould proceed from a free and voluntary con&s;ent, I &s;hall trouble you no further, but free you from the trouble which my pre&s;ence cau&s;es; nor will I any longer di&s;turb the joys of that happy &s;tranger, who&s;e Letters are &s;o dear unto you. I do a&s;&s;ure you, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that he who writ the Letter which &s;ticks &s;o in your &s;tomach, is one whom I will ne|ver &s;ee again, as &s;oon as I have lo&s;t the &s;ight of you. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> amazed at this an&s;wer, importun'd her to &s;peak more plainly: Then, &s;ince &s;he was fully re&s;olved to break off with him that very day, &s;he pull'd out of her pocket that Letter which &s;he took from <HI>Artelinda;</HI> and &s;hewing it unto him, Look, perfidious and di&s;&s;embling man, whether he that writ this Letter, be my Lover or my Friend; or whether he be not rather an Impo|&s;tor? Oh Madam (cryed he out) how fallacious are all appearances, if you think this Letter any argument of Love to <HI>Artelinda?</HI> Oh <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, how can you be &s;o impudent as to deny your crime, and ju&s;tifie your &s;elf? No, no, I am not &s;o ea&s;ily gul|led, nor ever will; for I will tru&s;t no more, and then the mo&s;t &s;ubtil &s;hall never deceive me. However <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was le&s;s grieved that &s;he &s;hould complain again&s;t him, then to have cau&s;e to complain again&s;t her, becau&s;e he knew he was not culpable. But when he proffered to deliver his rea&s;ons; &s;he prevented him, &s;aying, &s;he would tell hers fir&s;t. But Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I believe you have no good ones. Why, &s;aid &s;he, do you not think I have ju&s;t cau&s;e to think you the verye&s;t impo&s;tor among&s;t men, to counterfeit
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as you have done; to condemn Love, to vent continual Satyrs again&s;t it, and in the &s;hew of all the world to abhor it, whil&s;t in the mean time you loved <HI>Artelinda,</HI> and to hide your Court&s;hip, wi&s;hed her to entertain a hundred gallants about her? Believe me <HI>Lig|damis,</HI> &s;he carries it very well; but let me tell you, that heart which you think is &s;o total|ly yours, is not &s;o: However, let me tell you, I will have no more of your friend&s;hip: and &s;ince the conditions between us was not to be in love, I have kept my promi&s;e. How Madam, replyed <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould think I am in love with <HI>Artelinda?</HI> Why <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, I need not doubt it, &s;ince I read this Letter, and know what <HI>Artelinda</HI> told me. <HI>Artelinda,</HI> replyed he, is a crafty woman, who&s;e words ought al|ways to be held in &s;u&s;pition: and as for the Letter, Madam, if you do but under&s;tand the true &s;en&s;e of it, you will finde it to be far from any &s;igns of love. I do ingeniou&s;ly con|fe&s;s my &s;elf to blame in not acquainting you with the extravagancies of <HI>Artelinda;</HI> yet I hope it is not a fault impardonable: on the contrary, I conceive you are obliged unto me for it; for the rea&s;on why I conceal'd her follies from you, was out of re&s;pect and love to you, and therefore you would be mo&s;t unju&s;t and cruel if you &s;hould puni&s;h me for it. I do mo&s;t &s;eriou&s;ly prote&s;t (&s;aid he unto her) that I am not in love with <HI>Arte|linda,</HI> that I never was, nor ever will be. If this be not fully &s;atisfaction, but that you will needs have me tell you the adventure between this Lady and me, I mu&s;t fir&s;t for my &s;atisfaction, entreat you to &s;eem as if you were ignorant of what I &s;hall di&s;cover unto you; for truly <HI>Artelinda</HI> is &s;o indi&s;creet, that &s;he moves my pitty, not that &s;he is guilty of any &s;uch crimes as will put one to the blu&s;h; for certainly never any of her mo&s;t favor|ed &s;ervants ever obtained any thing of her, which did directly; would her vertue; and becau&s;e &s;he knows that tho&s;e which &s;erve her, cannot accu&s;e her of any crime, &s;he is there|fore the more bold to &s;peak, to write, and do a hundred things which are not very hand|&s;ome. A very hand&s;om preamble (&s;aid <HI>Cleonice,</HI> and interrupted him) to excu&s;e one whom one does not love. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> then &s;eeing by the manner of her &s;peech, that there was an ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity of a hand&s;om interpretation of &s;uch contradictions, was forced to confe&s;s, that being one day with <HI>Artelinda,</HI> &s;he did with &s;o much art and boldne&s;s to|gether, engage him in a conver&s;ation of Gallantry, that he never in his life was more perplexed. What could &s;he &s;ay unto you? (&s;aid <HI>Cleonice</HI> to him, being extreamly de&s;i|rous to know the pa&s;&s;age) for I cannot imagine it po&s;&s;ible, that &s;uch a one as <HI>Artelinda</HI> could begin fir&s;t any &s;uch di&s;cour&s;e. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;eeing there was no way to ju&s;tifie him&s;elf, but by his obedience unto <HI>Cleonice,</HI> began to relate what &s;he &s;o much de&s;ired to know. As I was &s;itting very &s;eriou&s;ly by <HI>Artelinda,</HI> &s;aid he unto her, &s;he asked me the rea&s;on of my re&s;ervedne&s;s: unto which I did not an&s;wer, becau&s;e the only cau&s;e of my re&s;ervedne&s;s was nothing el&s;e, but that I was engaged in company of one who&s;e di&s;po&s;ition was &s;o con|trary unto mine: but I an&s;wered in an ambiguous &s;en&s;e, &s;o that &s;he much rejoyced at it, and told me with a &s;mile, that &s;he had &s;een in her life-time more Lovers then one, who carried it as I did, when they loved and dur&s;t not tell: I do prote&s;t unto you, &s;aid I unto her, and laughed al&s;o, that this is not the cau&s;e of my re&s;ervedne&s;s; for truly if I were &s;o un|fortunate or fond as to be in love with you, I &s;hould not make a &s;ecret of it. You would &s;ay (an&s;wered &s;he) that I &s;hould be more glad to hear of &s;uch a thing, then you are fear|ful to di&s;cover it unto me, &s;ince all the world twits me with it. But for all that, if you chance to love me hereafter, you would not finde it &s;o ea&s;ie matter as you think to di&s;|cover it unto me: for you are &s;uch a declared enemy unto that pa&s;&s;ion, as you will be a&s;hamed to contradict your &s;elf: however, &s;aid &s;he, and laughed, perhaps you love me already a little; and that which makes me believe it, is becau&s;e I ob&s;erve you &s;hun me, and becau&s;e I am terrible unto you: This is a very exttaordinary &s;ign of love (&s;aid I unto her) As extraordinary as it is (&s;aid &s;he &s;till in Rallery) it is a &s;ign; for my gla&s;s tells me, that my face cannot fright you: my company is not &s;o dul as to make you &s;hun it; and there|fore I mu&s;t needs conclude, that you flie me becau&s;e you fear I &s;hould overcome you, and captivate you. Captivity indeed is &s;o great a mi&s;ery, &s;aid I unto her, that though I avoid it for that rea&s;on, yet am I excu&s;eable: But, Madam, &s;ince I am &s;incerely plain, I mu&s;t tell you, that is not the rea&s;on why I decline your conver&s;ation: but the real rea&s;on is, becau&s;e I know not how to talk with you; to admire your beauty, I cannot, becau&s;e I am not &s;en&s;ible of it; to di&s;cour&s;e of wars, is not a fit &s;ubject for Ladies; to talk of gallar|try, that would &s;eem as if I did di&s;pute with you; to &s;peak of liberty unto one who every day captivates &s;o many &s;laves, were indi&s;creet; to profe&s;s again&s;t love, will be thought <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">u&s;tick and barbari&s;m: &s;o that not knowing what to &s;ay, I flie your company as much as <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> can hand&s;omely.</P>
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Since you are in an humour to &s;peak &s;o freely unto me, &s;aid &s;he to him, I pray tell me really what are your thoughts of me? Are you indifferent? or have you any aver&s;ion a|gain&s;t me? Do you hate me? or &s;corn me? or e&s;teem me? or love me? I do prote&s;t unto you (&s;aid I unto her, and laughed) except it be the la&s;t of the&s;e, I have a little of all the re&s;t: For I am very indifferent of you, by rea&s;on of the conque&s;ts you u&s;e to make; I am very aver&s;e to your humour of favouring &s;o many men as you do; I hate you and &s;corn you for &s;ome of your &s;ervants &s;akes; and I e&s;teem you for the greatne&s;s and viva|city of your &s;pirit. But to &s;peak in generall, &s;aid &s;he unto me, what is the re&s;ult of all the&s;e thoughts together, and what do you think of me? I think you are one of the fair|e&s;t women in the world, &s;aid I unto her; but the le&s;s amiable, becau&s;e too much loved. It is well, &s;aid &s;he unto me, that I can draw &s;o much commendations from one that is a profe&s;&s;ed enemy unto all Gallantry; and, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> you mu&s;t know, that Commendati|ons is the fir&s;t &s;tep to Love. However (&s;aid &s;he &s;till in railery) if it chance ever to be my hap to wound you, I promi&s;e you to relea&s;e at lea&s;t &s;ix of my Captives for the love of you. They think them&s;elves &s;o happy in it, &s;aid I unto her, that it is much better to let them a|lone in their chains, then to loaden me with them. I &s;hall never &s;ee you in private, &s;aid &s;he unto me, but I &s;hall ask you what progre&s;s I have made in your heart. This, Madam, &s;aid <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> was the di&s;cour&s;e between <HI>Artelinda</HI> and my &s;elf. About three days after meeting me in a place where &s;he &s;hewed me &s;ome Ver&s;es compo&s;ed by the famous <HI>Sapho,</HI> which were &s;ent her from <HI>Mitilene,</HI> I de&s;ired her to lend them unto me; but &s;he refu&s;ed, &s;aying &s;he would &s;end them to me; and &s;o &s;he did indeed that very &s;ame night with a Letter, the an&s;wer unto which you have already. That I may the better believe what you &s;ay, &s;aid <HI>Cleonice</HI> unto him, I wi&s;h I could &s;ee this Letter. That will be no difficult matter, replied he: for as I remember, I writ &s;omthing upon the back&s;ide of it concern|ing the fortification of <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> which the illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander</HI> entru&s;ted me with. You will not tell me then, replied <HI>Cleonice,</HI> that you have kept it out of affection to the Sender. I will not indeed, an&s;wered he; for I &s;hould think my &s;elf a very fool, if I had the lea&s;t tenderne&s;s of <HI>Artelinda</HI> in me, and therefore far from love. However <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> to lo&s;e no time, &s;ent one of his &s;ervants to look in his Clo&s;et for this Letter, and accordingly he brought it: but though it was torn in &s;ome places, yet <HI>Cleonice</HI> read the&s;e words, after &s;he had very circum&s;pectly looked upon the back-&s;ide, to &s;ee whether <HI>Ligdamis</HI> had &s;poken truth or no.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>ARTELINDA unto LIGDAMIS.</HEAD>
<P>TO te&s;tifie how much I profited by your la&s;t conver&s;ation, know, that my de&s;ires were &s;o much to plea&s;e you, as I have not captivated any the&s;e three dayes. Send me word, I pray you, what con&s;equences this will effect upon your heart, to the end that if I cannot make any further happy progre&s;s therein, I may &s;top, and engage my &s;elf no further: but I pray you con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly before you an&s;wer</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ARTELINDA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After <HI>Cleonice</HI> had read this Letter and &s;eriou&s;ly looked upon it, &s;he told <HI>Ligdamis</HI> that it was not written by <HI>Artelinda.</HI> You mu&s;t know, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, that &s;he writes &s;everall hands: &s;he does not write unto her friends in the &s;ame character that &s;he u&s;eth to write unto her Lovers; and if you will be plea&s;ed to ask <HI>Phocylides,</HI> he will &s;hew you that I &s;peak the truth.</P>
<P>But, Madam, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;poke &s;o well in his own cau&s;e, that he moved <HI>Cleonice</HI> to be|lieve him; and cau&s;ing her to compare his An&s;wer with her Letter, &s;he found not the lea&s;t cau&s;e of &s;u&s;pition. Moreover <HI>Cleonice</HI> remembring that <HI>Artelinda</HI> told her, it was her pretended Lovers de&s;ire &s;he &s;hould carry her&s;elf as &s;he did; and that did either plainly appear to be a lye, or el&s;e that it was not <HI>Ligdamis;</HI> becau&s;e &s;he writ, that to plea&s;e him &s;he had not captivated any in three dayes. As <HI>Cleonice</HI> was thus very bu&s;ie in examina|tion of the matter, I came into her chamber; and the quarrel between them being related unto me, I ju&s;tified <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and compo&s;ed all difference between them: for I had not come to &s;ee <HI>Cleonice</HI> that day, but only to &s;hew a Letter which <HI>Artelinda</HI> had writ unto one of her Adorers who was kin&s;man unto me; and &s;ince &s;he found it to be the very &s;ame
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character with that which <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hewed her, &s;he de&s;ired pardon for accu&s;ing him. After this, they begun new prote&s;tations of Friedd&s;hip, and lived as they did before, in much &s;weetne&s;s and confidence in each other, all the &s;tratagems and plots of <HI>Artelinda</HI> and <HI>Phocylides</HI> not being able to mole&s;t them. As for <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> as he loved none but <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;o it was his only bu&s;ine&s;s to ob&s;erve her: And though the frequent vi|&s;its of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> cau&s;ed him many an angry hour, yet he &s;mothered his &s;orrows as well as he could: For as <HI>Cleonice</HI> had forbid him all expre&s;&s;ions of Love, &s;o he dur&s;t not &s;hew his Jealou&s;ie, but &s;ilently &s;uffered all his &s;orrows in &s;ecret. For our parts, it may be &s;aid we lived in a Paradi&s;e of Plea&s;ures; <HI>Cleonice</HI> was &s;en&s;ible of no di&s;ta&s;tes, but what the humour of <HI>Stenobea</HI> procured her, which &s;he imparting unto <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> he le&s;&s;ened the burthen, and doubled all her joys. For my part, the e&s;teem of the&s;e two firm friends was fulne&s;s of happine&s;s to me: I was the <HI>Mercury</HI> who brought the news of the Town always unto them, and principally concerning <HI>Artelinda.</HI> I remember one day, hear|ing one of her: Lovers being gone a journey into the Country, and leaving a Brother with her as his Agent in his ab&s;ence, he him&s;elf fell in love with her, and &s;he would not by any means &s;uffer him to talk of his love unto her, I related the whole &s;tory unto them, which had a hundred odd pa&s;&s;ages in it: and after I had fini&s;hed my tale; For my part; &s;aid <HI>Cleonice,</HI> I cannot comprehend how one &s;hould fall in love with another after they have lived a long time together, without the lea&s;t &s;en&s;ibility of that Pa&s;&s;ion: For truly, as I imagine the manner of it, it is its quality to &s;urprize one upon a &s;udden, and take up the minde all at once, and not &s;teal on by little and little, as Friend&s;hip does. Truly, &s;aid I on the contrary, I think it much le&s;s &s;trange that one &s;hould begin to love another after they perfectly are acquainted, and know the qualities of each other, then to &s;ee men in the highe&s;t extreams, and love exce&s;&s;ively the fir&s;t minute they &s;ee the party. Since it is certain, &s;aid <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> that love is an effect of a predominate &s;impathy, ra|ther then of any perfect knowledge, there is le&s;s cau&s;e of wonder to &s;ee one love at the fir&s;t minute, then after long acquaintance. However, I am fully per&s;waded, &s;aid <HI>Cleonice,</HI> that one never pa&s;&s;es from terms of Friend&s;hip, unto terms of Love; and that one is more apt to fall in love with another, of whom he had but an indifferent opinion, then with one with one with whom he was upon terms of mo&s;t tender Friend&s;hip. For my part, &s;aid I unto her, I am not of your opinion; for certainly it is a greater invitement unto Love, to be e&s;teemed, to be loved, to be courted and plea&s;ed with the conver&s;ation of one, then not to be at all acquainted; or if acquainted, to have but thoughts of in|differency: Nor do I believe I am much mi&s;taken when I affirm, that there is much more heat in the hearts of tho&s;e who are upon terms of violent Friend&s;hip, then in tho&s;e that are upon terms only of common and indifferent Love. Oh <HI>I&s;menea!</HI> cryed out <HI>Cleonice;</HI> you put me into an extream fright by &s;aying &s;o: For if you can per&s;wade me of that, you will make me hate <HI>Ligdamis.</HI> You would be very inju&s;t then, &s;aid he, though <HI>I&s;menea</HI> had rea&s;on for one thing which &s;he affirmed; for I do verily believe with her, that a vio|lent Friend&s;hip hath more heat then a mean and indifferent Love: But Madam, there is as va&s;t a difference between the&s;e two, as there is between the heat of the Sun, and that of the Fire: The fir&s;t of the&s;e warms and comforts without burning; and the other burns as &s;oon as touched: This is the rea&s;on that Love is never without &s;orrows and di|&s;tempers; whereas on the contrary, violent friend&s;hip may be without any impatiency or trouble. This &s;imile, &s;aid <HI>Cleonice,</HI> does &s;omething per&s;wade me again&s;t the opinion of <HI>I&s;menea.</HI> He &s;peaks only what will plea&s;e you Madam (&s;aid I unto her purpo&s;ely to cau&s;e di&s;pute) but for all that, he cannot make me believe that a little &s;tar can yellow corn, or parch the ground &s;o much as the rays of the Sun. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Cleonice</HI> unto me, and laughed, you make me &s;u&s;pect there is &s;ome naughty affection (unto which you do not give the name) which belongs unto it. And you will per&s;wade me, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, that you only e&s;teem <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and have not thoughts of Friend&s;hip at all. <HI>I</HI> had rather he &s;hould think &s;o, &s;aid &s;he, then that he &s;hould think <HI>I</HI> had any thoughts of him, which might become Love. I never had &s;o good an opinion of my &s;elf, replyed he, nor &s;o bad of you, as to imagine any &s;uch thing; though, added he and laughed, if ever the fair <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;hould be capable of a kinde of affection, I wi&s;h it may be unto my advan|tage. Ha <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> cryed &s;he out, this wi&s;h does extreamly offend me. If <HI>I</HI> had wi&s;hed that you &s;hould love me after another manner then you do, replyed he, then doubt|le&s;s <HI>I</HI> had been to blame, in violating the Promi&s;es which <HI>I</HI> made unto you: But <HI>I</HI> can|not think it will offend you to &s;ay, that if of nece&s;&s;ity you mu&s;t love any, I wi&s;h rather it
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were me then another. But if you do not love me, replied &s;he, (as I do not de&s;ire you &s;hould) why do you wi&s;h &s;o as you do? for is there any thing in the world more ridi|culous and extravagant, then to &s;ee one of my &s;exe to love, and not to be loved again? Indeed, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> I do not like you &s;hould fancie &s;uch fond &s;uppo&s;itions as the&s;e.</P>
<P>But Madam (&s;aid I unto her, and was much delighted with her anger) I pray tell us, &s;uppo&s;e the ca&s;e your own, and that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hould fall in love, had you not rather it &s;hould be with you then any other? Really, <HI>I&s;m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, I think you have both lo&s;t your wits: <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> in wi&s;hing me in &s;uch an injurious ca&s;e; and you, in ask|ing me &s;uch odd que&s;tions. However an&s;wer me, &s;aid I unto her. Can you think, replied &s;he, and blu&s;ht, that there is none in the world he can be in love withall but me? There is none in all the world, Madam, replied he, who can render my weakne&s;s more excu&s;able then you: but I pray you tell me, <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, why do you ask that que&s;tion? I ask it, an&s;wered &s;he, both in relation to his intere&s;t and my own; for certainly, with whom&s;oever <HI>I</HI> can be in love, there is more po&s;&s;ibility that he &s;hall be loved again by any &s;ooner then by me, who am fully determined never to love any: Moreover, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> in loving another, does only give me a te&s;timony of his weakne&s;s; but in loving me, he does me an injury, &s;ince we have concluded none can love without hope, and he can never hope unle&s;s he wrong me. But you, &s;aid &s;he to <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who take upon you &s;o much freedom as to &s;ay you had rather be the object of my weakne&s;s then of anothers, what good rea|&s;ons can you give me for your <HI>rather?</HI> Though I had none more &s;trong, an&s;wered he, then that I &s;hould never publi&s;h it, but could better conceal your affection to me then any other, yet that were &s;ufficient. However it be (&s;aid &s;he half angry) pray let us &s;peak no more of it: for <HI>I</HI> perceive we are more apt to di&s;cour&s;e of this Pa&s;&s;ion, then if we were not declared enemies unto it.</P>
<P>The chafe in which <HI>Leonice</HI> was, made me laugh as well as <HI>Ligdamis:</HI> For to per&s;ecute her a little, we asked her a hundred odd que&s;tions, unto which &s;he would an&s;wer &s;ome|times in railiery, and &s;ometimes in anger: but at the end of our conver&s;ation we were all in one opinion, and parted good friends. In the interim <HI>Artelinda</HI> was almo&s;t out of her wits, to &s;ee her plots, did thrive no better: but being of an humour not to grieve long for any thing, &s;he cheered up her&s;elf in the multitude of her Lovers. <HI>Phocy|lides</HI> al&s;o not knowing which way to trouble the tranquillity of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and <HI>Cleonice,</HI> did de&s;i&s;t from ever thinking of it, and lived according to his accu&s;tomed rate, as well as <HI>Her|modorus.</HI> A little while after, the illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander</HI> conferred the Government of the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes</HI> upon the Father of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;o that there was a nece&s;&s;ity of his going unto the Court to render thanks: And therefore he took his leave of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> who re|joyced much at the honour which was conferred upon his family. But in parting from her, though it was but for a few dayes, yet he &s;eemed more &s;ad then he u&s;ed to be when he parted from her upon le&s;s plea&s;ing occa&s;ions then this: For when he went to the wars, his journies were long, and the cau&s;e dangerous. However, he made no great reflexion upon it then, but came to <HI>Sardis,</HI> &s;uppo&s;ing him&s;elf only a friend unto <HI>Cleonice,</HI> and not &s;o much as &s;u&s;pecting he &s;hould ever become a Lover. Since he had the honour to be deep in <HI>Cleanders</HI> love, he retained him longer then he thought: But though the Court at that time was the mo&s;t glorious Court in the world, as you know (Madam) much better then I do, yet was he extremely di&s;contented, and &s;o impatient was he to return to <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> that he left the Court much &s;ooner then <HI>Cleander</HI> de&s;ired; but he returned with &s;o many &s;ymptoms of joy in his face, that <HI>Cleonice,</HI> when he came to vi&s;it her, imagined that &s;ome great good fortune had happened to him which &s;he was ignorant of, though the only cau&s;e of all his joy was only to &s;ee her. However, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was much amazed to per|ceive, that by little and little the tranquillity of his mind was troubled without any appa|rent cau&s;e: For his fortunes were in better &s;tate then ever; his health was not impaired; he could not po&s;&s;ibly be upon better terms with <HI>Cleonice</HI> then he was: There wanted no|thing which could conduce unto his happine&s;s, but to be &s;en&s;ible of it, as formerly he had been: His rea&s;on &s;ometimes told him he could not be better. When he was out of <HI>Cle|onice's</HI> &s;ight, he could not endure the ab&s;ence; and when he was with her, yet was he not contented: He looked upon her more, and &s;poke le&s;s: He was &s;o extreamly unquiet, that he began to &s;u&s;pect his mind was changed, and that he was in Love. The very fir&s;t thought of it did rai&s;e &s;uch a turbulent &s;torm in his &s;oul, that all his Rea&s;on could not lay it: But in the end, examining the bottom of his heart, and comparing his former e&s;tate unto that wherein he was at pre&s;ent, he found he was not ma&s;ter of him&s;elf, but that Love
<PB N="313" REF="353">
was a triumphant Conqueror. To be better &s;atisfied, he asked him&s;elf what it was he would have? what he de&s;ired? As for matter of Fortune, &s;aid he, I am fully contented, for my ambition goes no higher: As relating to <HI>Cleonice,</HI> I have good rea&s;on al&s;o to be &s;atisfied with her. But he had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, then he perceived pre&s;ently that he was not; but was &s;o full of &s;uch unquiet de&s;ires as have no limited objects, that he &s;en&s;ibly found he was in love, and loved violently. Then did he remember, that for fifteen dayes together he had u&s;ed no invective expre&s;&s;ions again&s;t Love; but always when he had &s;ome de&s;ire unto it, they were mixed with &s;ome repugnance contrary to his cu&s;tom. So that after a &s;trict &s;urvey of him&s;elf, he knew mo&s;t certainly that he was ab&s;olutely in Love. Yet could he not think that his di&s;ea&s;e was incurable; but on the contrary thought, that to de&s;ire again&s;t it, had been antidote &s;ufficient: yet when he con&s;ulted with his will, he found that he had no de&s;ire at all to be cured. However, he re&s;olved to wre&s;tle with his Pa&s;&s;ion; and in order to a conque&s;t, he brought as many Rea&s;ons as po&s;&s;ibly he could in|vent, but all too weak, and fruitle&s;s.</P>
<P>Seeing then he could not vanqui&s;h him&s;elf, he re&s;olved at the lea&s;t to hide his pa&s;&s;ion, as well becau&s;e he was a&s;hamed of his weakne&s;s, as becau&s;e he knew that if <HI>Cleonice</HI> per|ceived it, &s;he would withdraw her friend&s;hip, and treat him ill. Sometimes he would ask him&s;elf, whether it was true that he was in love? What, (would he &s;ay to him&s;elf) is this the in&s;en&s;ible <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who with &s;o much zeal condemned Love, and yet &s;uffers him&s;elf to be vanqui&s;hed? Fie, fie, I cannot think it: However, I find my heart is not my own, my &s;oul is in di&s;order; the friend&s;hip of <HI>Cleonice</HI> doth not &s;atisfie me; that which was wont to plea&s;e me, troubles me; I &s;tudy and mu&s;e without a cau&s;e: I can find no re&s;t either in the ab&s;ence or the pre&s;ence of <HI>Cleonice:</HI> when I am out of her &s;ight, I am infi|nitely impatient to &s;ee her, and think that then my happine&s;s would be full; yet when I am come into her pre&s;ence, my joyes to &s;ee her are not pure, but mixt with de&s;ire of &s;ome|thing el&s;e, though I know not what: Fain would I tell her my mind; but how can I tell her that I love her, &s;ince I have been &s;o invective again&s;t Love? and contracted friend|&s;hip with her, becau&s;e both &s;he and I were enemies to that pa&s;&s;ion? No, no, I can never be able to do it. But alas! &s;aid he, and reprehended him&s;elf, is it po&s;&s;ible I can live &s;o re&s;tle&s;s without any complaint? Yet <HI>Cleonice</HI> engaged me, that if ever I &s;hould be &s;o un|fortunate and fond as to be in love with her, I &s;hould endeavour to vanqui&s;h my pa&s;&s;ion, at the lea&s;t to hide it; and if I could not, to bani&s;h my &s;elf, and forbear her company. <HI>I</HI> have already found that the fir&s;t of the&s;e injunctions is ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible, and <HI>I</HI> do very much doubt the &s;econd. My ca&s;e is very hard, &s;aid he: for all other Lovers, when they begin to love, may hope that their complaints will be heard; they are not forbid to &s;peak of their pa&s;&s;ions, till after they have expre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves, &s;o that they are &s;ure their Loves are known: But my de&s;tiny is very malignant, for they forbid me to &s;peak of Love, before ever <HI>I</HI> was in Love. Others, <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, in di&s;covering their affection, are not in any danger to lo&s;e any thing, but may hope as well as fear: Yet <HI>I</HI> am almo&s;t certain, that <HI>Cleonice</HI> will withdraw her friend&s;hip from me, as &s;oon as <HI>I</HI> di&s;cover mine. However, &s;aid he, &s;ince my heart hath changed, why may not hers al&s;o? Hope then, &s;aid he, hope <HI>Lig|damis!</HI> Then pre&s;ently his &s;oul was &s;o full of fears, that he lo&s;t all hope, and almo&s;t his rea&s;on: yet &s;ince he could do nothing el&s;e, he re&s;olved to di&s;gui&s;e his thoughts, having not a heart to tell her that he loved her, or to deprive him&s;elf of her &s;ight. He vi&s;ited her therefore as he was wont, but almo&s;t without any delight, by rea&s;on of his con&s;trained way: He de&s;ired to look upon her without di&s;traction, as formerly he did, but alas it was impo&s;&s;ible; his eyes, whether he would or no, betrayed the &s;ecrets of his heart; he wi&s;hed &s;he could ghe&s;s at the motions of his &s;oul: but with much care did he hide that, which rather then his life he would have her know, and which yet he dur&s;t not tell her. Since <HI>Cleonice</HI> did not &s;u&s;pect any thing of all this, &s;he took no notice of this alteration in <HI>Ligdamis:</HI> yet within a while after he was &s;o di&s;tempered, and &s;o re&s;erved, that &s;he per|ceived it, and asked him the cau&s;e with &s;o much &s;incerity, as let him know &s;he was igno|rant of it: And he, being fearfull to acquaint her with &s;uch an unwelcom truth, an&s;wered, that his re&s;ervedne&s;s proceeded from a fooli&s;h indi&s;po&s;ition of melancholy, without any cau&s;e; and <HI>Cleonice</HI> believing him, did &s;trive as much as &s;he could to divert him by a hun|dred obliging endeavours.</P>
<P>I well remember, how at that time <HI>Artelinda</HI> afforded us an ample &s;ubject to &s;peak a|gain&s;t Love: For, Madam, one of her Lovers being gone a journey, and leaving a Bro|ther with her as his Agent, to pre&s;ent his Letters unto <HI>Artelinda,</HI> and to receive her an|&s;wers,
<PB N="314" REF="354">
&s;he made a Captive of him, who was only a Solicitor for another, and &s;hewed more favours unto him, then to the Party for whom he did negotiate. <HI>Phocylides</HI> al&s;o gave us another &s;ubject of talk, in per&s;wading two mortal enemies which &s;he loved, and making them both believe &s;everally, that he did but mock the other whom he hated. Having met with the&s;e two fre&s;h adventures in one day; <HI>Cleonice, Ligdamis</HI> and I being together, <HI>Cleonice,</HI> according to her wonted manner, began to &s;peak again&s;t the fanta&s;ti|cal effects of Love. <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> after he had been along while and &s;poke not a word, told her that &s;he did mi&s;take things, &s;ince the&s;e kinde of extravagancies are rather cau&s;ed by the folly of them that do them, then by Love, which really had never any room in their hearts: For indeed <HI>Artelinda</HI> and <HI>Phocylides</HI> are not in love. Yet if there were no &s;uch things as Love in the world, replyed <HI>Cleonice</HI> they would not do any &s;uch things: But <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;aid &s;he; and laughed, how comes it to pa&s;s that you make a difference be|tween Love, and the follies of <HI>Artelinda</HI> and <HI>Phocylides?</HI> Becau&s;e (an&s;wered he coldly) I have &s;o many things be&s;ides to accu&s;e them of, that I will not charge them unju&s;tly. For my part, &s;aid &s;he, I am not &s;o indulgent unto them as you are; for I do accu&s;e Love of all the evils in the world. Suppo&s;e it &s;hould deprive me of my rea&s;on, &s;aid he, would you be glad of it? No, believe me, &s;aid &s;he; for <HI>I</HI> love you more then I hate Love; and therefore I a&s;&s;ure you I &s;hould be extreamly &s;orry: But I am &s;o well per&s;waded of your wi&s;dom, that I never need fear any &s;uch thing. Yet they &s;ay, replyed he, men mu&s;t be in love once in their lives. I do not think that &s;o general a Rule, but it will admit of &s;ome exceptions, replyed &s;he, and laughed; for <HI>Ligdamis</HI> has &s;een all the &s;pringing Beau|ties in <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> and <HI>Sardis,</HI> and none of them could ever draw him into any danger; there|fore I hope he will never be in love, and by con&s;equence will for ever enjoy my Friend|&s;hip. I promi&s;e you all the Beauties of <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> (&s;aid he unto her) cannot keep me from loving you. But you &s;ay nothing of our <HI>Sardinian</HI> Stars (&s;aid &s;he, and laughed &s;till) Since you fear them not, replyed he, and blu&s;h'd, I need not &s;peak of them. <HI>Cleonice</HI> ob&s;erving an alteration in the face of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> began to repeat all the conditions of their Friend&s;hip. Do you not remember, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that I promi&s;ed you my Affection, as long as you were not in love, and no longer; and how you for your part promi&s;ed, if ever you were in love, you would acquaint me with it that very &s;ame hour. I do not know Madam, (replyed he with a far fetched &s;igh) what your commands were, in ca&s;e I &s;hould be in love with you. Though there be not nece&s;&s;ity of a repetition, re|plyed &s;he, yet I will remember you, how I &s;aid I would not have you acquaint me with it, that you &s;hould endeavor to vanqui&s;h the pa&s;&s;ion; that if you could not, yet to con|ceal it; and if you could not do that, then to hide your &s;elf, and never &s;ee me again. But Madam, replyed he, did you never alter your minde &s;ince that time? No, replyed &s;he, not at all: But <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> I hope you will finde no great-difficulty in obeying me; and &s;ince no other can captivate you, you will be &s;till free, and I ever your friend: Though truly your re&s;ervedne&s;s and melancholy of Love hath put me into many fears; for I al|wayes imagined when you came unto me, that you came with intentions to di&s;cover your weakne&s;s, and to tell me you were either in love with <HI>Artelinda</HI> or &s;ome other. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> did blu&s;h at this di&s;cour&s;e. I asked him the cau&s;e; and he told me it was u&s;ual for them to blu&s;h who were &s;u&s;pected of any inju&s;tice.</P>
<P>Thus, Madam, was their di&s;cour&s;e, which did double all the mi&s;eries of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and grew &s;o in&s;upportable, that he was not able to endure them: He offered a hundred and a hundred times to tell her that he loved her, and his reverent re&s;pects of her &s;topped his mouth. Then did he determine to di&s;cover his love unto her by his obedience; that was, in cea&s;ing to &s;ee her; conceiving no way better to let her know it, and not incen&s;e her: This way of declaring love, was a hard chapter; but &s;ince he could not &s;peak, &s;ilence it &s;eems mu&s;t &s;peak for him; and he e&s;teemed it one degree of happine&s;s in his mi&s;ery, that he hoped &s;he would thereby under&s;tand his meaning: Then, after a long vi&s;it without a minute of private di&s;cour&s;e, becau&s;e much company was there that day, as he was going out with the re&s;t of the company, which went out almo&s;t altogether; Shall I &s;ee you to morrow? &s;aid &s;he unto him: No, Madam, replyed he. And why will you deprive me of that honor? replyed &s;he. Becau&s;e I am re&s;olved to obey you; an&s;wered he, and went ont, not daring to look at her. <HI>Cleonice</HI> calling to memory all that &s;he had &s;aid unto him that day, could not remember &s;he had enjoyned any thing upon him to be done to morrow; and therefore &s;he thought his memory had deceived him, but did not at all re&s;pect the truth.</P>
<P><PB N="315" REF="354">
The day following, &s;he asked me whether I &s;aw <HI>Ligdamis?</HI> and al&s;o asked &s;everal o|thers; who all an&s;wered, No; and indeed he never came out of his own Chamber, but waited with as much fear and as impatience, till <HI>Cleonice</HI> expre&s;&s;ed &s;ome &s;igns &s;he un|der&s;tood him. He told me &s;ince, that never man &s;uffered more melancholly mi&s;ery then he did upon that occa&s;ion; for, &s;aid he, &s;he under&s;tands me not, and I deprive my &s;elf of the happine&s;s of &s;eeing her to no purpo&s;e; and if &s;he do under&s;tand me, perhaps it is with anger in her heart: I &s;hall my &s;elf de&s;troy that e&s;teem which &s;he has of me, and perhaps &s;he will not do me &s;o much favour. as to &s;hew her indignation unto me, but let me alone in my lamentable exile: but <HI>Cleonice</HI> did not at all &s;u&s;pect his Pa&s;&s;ion. The fir&s;t day was thus &s;pent, the &s;econd a&s;toni&s;hed her a little more, and the third day I coming unto her: What have you done with <HI>Ligdamis?</HI> &s;aid &s;he to me; and what's become of him, that neither we nor any el&s;e can &s;ee him? I &s;hould have &s;aid he had been &s;ick, &s;aid I unto her, if I had not met with his &s;i&s;ter in the Temple, who told me he was not &s;ick, but ve|ry melancholly. I cannot imagine the cau&s;e of it, replyed <HI>Cleonice,</HI> but mu&s;t &s;tay till he be in the humour to come and tell me. The next day being a day con&s;ecrated unto <HI>Diana, Cleonice</HI> and I went unto the Temple, and as we came in, I &s;aw <HI>Ligdamis;</HI> and &s;hewed him unto <HI>Cleonice;</HI> yet he no &s;ooner &s;aw us look upon him, but after he had bowed unto us, he went out of the Temple, which did exceedingly &s;urpri&s;e us; for his cu&s;tom was, when he met with <HI>Cleonice,</HI> to regulate his devotion according to hers, and wait upon her out. The next day following, we did accidently meet with him, but &s;ince <HI>Artelinda</HI> and three or four more were in the company, <HI>Cleonice</HI> could hardly &s;peak unto him, yet as he pa&s;&s;ed on her &s;ide, &s;he leaned towards him; and mo&s;t obligingly &s;aid, I pray <HI>Lig|damis,</HI> tell me what you are doing? I am obeying you Madam (replyed he in a low voyce, and blu&s;h'd) and without any longer &s;tay, he went away: and left <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;o a&s;toni&s;hed, that &s;he knew not what to think: As &s;oon as &s;he was returned home, &s;he re&s;olved to clear her doubts; and writ unto <HI>Ligdamis</HI> in the&s;e terms:</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>CLEONICE unto LIGDAMIS.</HEAD>
<P><HI>SInce I cannot remember I ever de&s;ired any thing of you, which might deprive me of the happine&s;s in &s;eeing you, do me the favour to write your minde; to the end I may chide my &s;elf, and my bad memory, and that I may know your willingne&s;s to obey me,</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>CLEONICE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After &s;he had writ this Letter, &s;he &s;ent it unto <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> by a Page which &s;he loved very well, who did deliver it the very &s;ame hour: You may imagine how <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was perplexed; he began twenty times to an&s;wer this Letter, and as many times blotted out what he had writ: Sometimes he thought he &s;aid too much, and pre&s;ently after he thought it too little. But in conclu&s;ion, there being a nece&s;&s;ity of writing &s;omething, he return|ed this an&s;wer, if my memory fail me not.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>LIGDAMIS unto CLEONICE.</HEAD>
<P>I <HI>Would it were the will of the Gods, Madam, that my puting you in memory of that Com|mand which you impo&s;ed upon me, to &s;ee yon no more, could make me hope my obedience would procure a pardon of that Crime which did precede it: I have not &s;o much confident boldne&s;s as to tell you what it is, unle&s;s your goodne&s;s will permit, or rather appoint me</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>LIGDAMIS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After he had writ this Letter, and read it over and over, he gave it unto the Page which brought the other, commanding him to deliver it with his own hands unto his Mi&s;tre&s;s, and let none &s;ee it but &s;he. As chance was, I came unto <HI>Cleonice,</HI> pre&s;ently after &s;he had &s;ent unto <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and was with her when &s;he received his an&s;wer: As &s;oon as the Page appeared, &s;he went towards him to take that Letter which he writ; and turning towards me, We &s;hall &s;ee whether I have lo&s;t my memory, &s;aid &s;he; or whether I ever
<PB N="316" REF="355">
commanded <HI>Ligdamis</HI> not to &s;ee me, and have forgotten it. After this, &s;he began to read the Letter aloud: but I &s;aw her blu&s;h at reading of the two fir&s;t lines; her voice chan|ged; and &s;he read the la&s;t &s;o indi&s;tinctly, that I under&s;tood her not: Then I took the Letter and read it. Is your curio&s;ity &s;atisfied? (&s;aid I, after I had read it.) Not at all, replied &s;he, for I do not well under&s;tand whether <HI>Ligdamis</HI> jeers, or whether he hath lo&s;t his wits or rea&s;on; nor do I yet under&s;tand whether that command which he &s;ays I im|po&s;ed upon him, be grounded upon that que&s;tion which he asked me the other day in your pre&s;ence, which was, What he &s;hould do in ca&s;e he fell in love with me? I perceive in|deed, he would make me believe he is &s;o. You mu&s;t needs confe&s;s, &s;aid I unto her, that this declaration of his love is the mo&s;t re&s;pective that po&s;&s;ibly can be, and al&s;o the mo&s;t pri|vate. Heavens pre&s;erve me from thinking that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> is in love with me! &s;aid &s;he: No, no, <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> I do not at all believe it, and I do repent of that &s;u&s;pition which I had of him: Certainly he is in an humour to make him&s;elf &s;ome &s;port, and would be revenged of me for the perplexity I put him into by accu&s;ing him of being in love with <HI>Artelinda.</HI> However, &s;aid I unto her, it mu&s;t needs be acknowledged, that if he be in love, he could not carry it with more re&s;pect or with more gallantry. If he were in love, replied &s;he, doubtle&s;e he could not carry it &s;o: for Lovers lo&s;e their Rea&s;on, as &s;oon as they begin to enter into that predicament. Yet I have heard &s;ay, replied I, that there are &s;ome men which Love makes more witty. I do think indeed, &s;aid &s;he, that perhaps it may infu&s;e &s;ome wit into tho&s;e who had none before; but I believe on the other &s;ide, it takes away the wits of them that had any: And therefore I am confirmed in my opinion, that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> makes him&s;elf merry by this de&s;ign; it not being imaginable he &s;hould pre&s;erve his Judgment, and be in Love. Yet for all that, &s;aid I unto her, he has found out an invention to make you read the declaration of his love without any anger. I do confe&s;s it, &s;aid &s;he, but it is becau&s;e I do not think as he de&s;ires I &s;hould: I am &s;o afraid (&s;aid &s;he and laughed) he &s;hould imagine I take this &s;eriou&s;ly, and that I &s;hould give him a &s;ubject of laughing at me all his life-long, that <HI>I</HI> will &s;end for him hither immediately, that <HI>I</HI> may let him &s;ee by my entertainment of him, that <HI>I</HI> am not ea&s;ily deceived. But (&s;aid I unto her) &s;ay you &s;hould be deceived, what would you &s;ay then? <HI>I</HI> would &s;ay (replied &s;he) that <HI>I</HI> am the unhap|pie&s;t woman upon earth: But why do <HI>I</HI> &s;ay &s;o? Tell me, <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> have <HI>I</HI> not the very &s;ame eyes <HI>I</HI> had when <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was only my friend? Am <HI>I</HI> more charming then <HI>I</HI> was? have <HI>I</HI> any more wit? What's the matter that makes me more terrible to him then be|fore? No, no; the mind of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> is &s;till the &s;ame, and &s;o free, that <HI>I</HI> &s;ee he hath invented a more witty declaration of his love, then all the Lovers of <HI>Artelinda</HI> ever could.</P>
<P>But how came it to pa&s;s, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, that you blu&s;hed &s;o at the reading of his Letter; and that your voice was &s;o feeble and weak, that <HI>I</HI> had much ado to under&s;tand you? The rea&s;on was, replied &s;he, becau&s;e all that &s;mells of Gallantry and Court&s;hip doth affright me at the fir&s;t; but pre&s;ently after <HI>I</HI> recollected my &s;elf. However you make me lo&s;e time, which is &s;o precious to me: for methinks <HI>I</HI> &s;ee <HI>Ligdamis</HI> delighting him&s;elf with his own imaginations that he has made me angry. Then without more ado &s;he called one of her women, whom &s;he commanded to bring the Page unto her who carried her Letter to <HI>Ligdamis:</HI> when he was come, &s;he commanded him to go again unto him from her, and to tell him &s;he de&s;ired he would immediately come unto her: If by chance he ask who is with me, (&s;aid &s;he) tell him <HI>I&s;menea;</HI> and if he enquire whe|ther <HI>I</HI> be merry or melancholy, tell him the truth, that <HI>I</HI> am no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ad. <HI>Cleonice</HI> gave him the&s;e in&s;tructions, becau&s;e &s;he knew <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was wont to ask this Page a hundred &s;uch que&s;tions; and her rea&s;on why &s;he bad him &s;ay &s;o was, becau&s;e &s;he would not have <HI>Lig|damis</HI> think &s;he received his Letter (as he did write it) &s;eriou&s;ly: &s;o afraid was &s;he, that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hould believe one minute that &s;he thought him to be in love with her. The Page being gone to <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> he no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but he thought he brought the &s;en|tence of his death, &s;igned with the hand of <HI>Cleonice:</HI> And he was preparing him&s;elf to read it with a &s;ad heart, when the Page came neer him with a plea&s;ant air, and pre&s;ented a very civil Complement from <HI>Cleonice,</HI> telling him &s;he de&s;ired he would come unto her. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> amazed at this, asked the Page whether &s;he had read his Letter? and he an|&s;wered, that he believed &s;he had more then once, for (&s;aid he) &s;he had lei&s;ure enough&punc; &s;ince there was none with her but <HI>I&s;menea.</HI> Afterwards <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;eeming to enquire of his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es health, asked him whether &s;he was plea&s;ant or melancholy? And the Page an&s;wering according to his in&s;tructions, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed, that he knew not what
<PB N="317" REF="355">
to think: He told the Page, he would wait upon her pre&s;ently; but he was not &s;o quick as his word, for it was above an hour that he was de&s;canting upon the me&s;&s;age which he had received, and another hour upon the plea&s;antne&s;s of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> before he could get out of his chamber. What &s;hould <HI>I</HI> think of this? &s;aid he: does <HI>Cleonice</HI> under&s;tand me, or does &s;he not? is it po&s;&s;ible that Love in wounding my heart, has troubled hers? or does &s;he not under&s;tand my meaning? Certainly <HI>Cleonice</HI> has wit enough, and therefore mu&s;t needs know my de&s;ires; and certainly al&s;o &s;he knows them without choller, &s;ince &s;he &s;ends for me. Go then I will, and go in hopes; yet <HI>I</HI> believe <HI>I</HI> have more rea&s;on to go in fear, for how can it be imagined that &s;trong aver&s;ion &s;he had to Love &s;hould &s;o &s;uddenly alter? yet on the other &s;ide, &s;ince <HI>I</HI> am changed, why may not &s;he al&s;o as well as <HI>I?</HI> The &s;ame rea&s;on is equal unto us both: and &s;ince the beauty, wit, and merit of <HI>Cleonice</HI> hath changed my re&s;olution, why may it not as well change her tenderne&s;s of friend&s;hip into a pa&s;&s;i|onate affection? Moreover, &s;ince Love is a grand cau&s;e of Love, why may not mine move hers? for certainly <HI>I</HI> love her above all expre&s;&s;ions. Hope then, hope <HI>Ligdamis!</HI> Go and receive a &s;entence of favour from her, who is only able to grant it.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> went unto <HI>Cleonice;</HI> who no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but &s;he broke out into an extreme laughter, purpo&s;ely to let him &s;ee he had not deceived her, and that his projects did not hit. But, Madam, <HI>Cleonice's</HI> joy did not infect <HI>Ligdamis:</HI> for on the contrary, &s;eeing by her jocund air and plea&s;ant looks, that &s;he under&s;tood not what he intended and de&s;ired, he was &s;o &s;erious and extremely troubled, as never man was more: Yet notwith&s;tanding <HI>Cleonice</HI> pro&s;ecuted her intended de&s;ign, to let him &s;ee he had not deceived her. But as <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was ready to an&s;wer, and I to take <HI>Cleonice's</HI> part, I was &s;ent for home upon a bu&s;ine&s;s of great con&s;equence, &s;o that I left them both together, and left them both extremely non-plu&s;t. Yet did I afterwards know all the pa&s;&s;ages, for they both of them &s;everally related them unto me that &s;ame night. I was no &s;ooner gone, but <HI>Cleonice</HI> continuing her jeers, Very well, <HI>Ligdamis!</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him; are you not a&s;hamed of your trim declaration of Love, which you invented to make your&s;elf &s;port withall? Truly, I take it very ill, you &s;hould ever think I could believe it &s;erious: but I believe you have &s;ome curious di&s;po&s;ition to anger me. Yet, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> I am a little more &s;ubtile then you are, &s;ince I know very well it is only a piece of your Railiery. I wi&s;h unto the Gods, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, that what you &s;ay were true. Seriou&s;ly, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> I cannot endure to hear you &s;peak thus. Seriou&s;ly, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I can &s;peak no otherwi&s;e, unle&s;s I &s;hould lie. <HI>Cleonice</HI> then looking upon <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and &s;eeing &s;uch a real trouble in his face as per&s;waded her he was in earne&s;t, was &s;o amazed and incen&s;ed, that &s;he &s;tood a while and could not &s;peak: &s;o that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> began the di&s;cour&s;e. Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I be&s;eech you do not condemn before you under&s;tand me. You know very well, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that this is not according to our Conditions, and that I ought not to hearken to any thing which you &s;hall &s;ay, &s;ince you have rendred your&s;elf unworthy of my friend&s;hip by your poor imbecillity: which though I will not yet accu&s;e you of, however &s;ince I think you have lo&s;t your rea&s;on by &s;ome other accident, go, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and &s;tay at home untill you recover it, and &s;ee me no more till then. In the name of our friend|&s;hip, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, do not thus cruelly bani&s;h me. That conjuration, replied <HI>Cleonice,</HI> had power to obtain any thing of me as long as our friend&s;hip la&s;ted; but &s;ince it is at an end, I mu&s;t deny you all things. I do prote&s;t unto you, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, that I have not one thought in my heart which can offend you; and if there be any alte|ration in my &s;oul, it is di&s;advantagious only unto my &s;elf: I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s I am more unquiet and troubled then I was, I do acknowledge it; but as in relation unto you Madam, the only difference is, that I re&s;pect you much more then <HI>I</HI> did before: <HI>I</HI> fear you more, and love you with a greater zeal, this is all: indeed, divine <HI>Cleonice,</HI> all the alteration is, <HI>I</HI> loved you then, and <HI>I</HI> adore you now.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was thus expre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf, <HI>Cleonice</HI> looked upon him with coldne&s;s able to drive a man into ab&s;olute de&s;pair: And upon a &s;udden &s;he beginning to &s;peak, Fie, fie, <HI>Ligdamis!</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, give over, and do not add crime to crime; content your&s;elf with my friend&s;hip, and do not force me to hate you. Would it be ju&s;t, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, to hate me for loving you too much? Moreover, do you not con&s;ider that <HI>I</HI> did never re&s;i&s;t you, but always mo&s;t punctually obey you? <HI>I</HI> have &s;triven with my pa&s;&s;ion as much as <HI>I</HI> was able, and afterwards found <HI>I</HI> could not overcome it: <HI>I</HI> endea|voured to hide it; then &s;eeing <HI>I</HI> was not able to do that neither, <HI>I</HI> would have bani&s;hed my &s;elf. Why did you not &s;eek a hand&s;om pretence for it then, &s;aid &s;he unto him, and
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never acquaint me with your follies? Why, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, would you wi&s;h me to lo&s;e my Rea&s;on and my Liberty both? To drown my &s;oul in an ocean of turbulent thoughts, altered all my inclinations, quitted the quiet of all my life; and would you, <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, have been ignorant of the cau&s;e of all the&s;e mi&s;eries, and denied me &s;o much con&s;o|lation as to let you know how willing <HI>I</HI> was to obey you? Obey me then, &s;aid &s;he unto him, in never &s;eeing you again. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> would have &s;aid &s;omthing to her, but &s;he would by no means hear him; and &s;eeing he had no will to go out of her chamber, &s;he went out the fir&s;t, and con&s;trained him to go out al&s;o.</P>
<P>I leave you to imagine Madam, how great his &s;orrow was; and truly hers was no le&s;s, though it was indifferent thoughts; for <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was grieved, becau&s;e he feared his per|&s;everance would never alter the heart of <HI>Cleonice;</HI> and &s;he was &s;ad to break off friend&s;hip with <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and deprive her &s;elf of his &s;ociety who was &s;o dear unto her. She not being able then to contain her &s;orrows in her own &s;oul, &s;he &s;ent for me, and I went unto her the &s;ame night, as &s;oon as I came to her; My dear <HI>I&s;menea</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) am I not very unfortunate? and mu&s;t it not needs be confe&s;&s;ed, that I have rea&s;on to be &s;orry you ever made me acquainted with <HI>Ligdamis?</HI> Why, &s;aid I unto her, did you quarrel when I left you together? Yes, an&s;wered <HI>Cleonice;</HI> and &s;o much, that you can never agree us again. Then &s;he told me the whole pa&s;&s;age, but with &s;uch di&s;turbed thoughts, that it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee, &s;he was extreamly perplexed: for I clearly &s;aw &s;he had a mo&s;t high e&s;teem of the friend&s;hip of <HI>Ligdamis;</HI> and I perceived al&s;o, that &s;he re&s;olved never to &s;ee him again. Methinks (&s;aid I unto her, when I heard her &s;ay &s;o) that you are a little too ha&s;tly in your cour&s;es; do you not con&s;ider, that if you break off &s;o abruptly with him, all the world will be inqui&s;itive of the cau&s;e? And do not you your &s;elf con&s;ider (&s;aid &s;he to me) if I do not break off with <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> he may well imagine his pretended Pa&s;&s;ion does not di&s;plea&s;e me? This la&s;t inconveniency, &s;aid I unto her, has not &s;o many dangerous con&s;equences as the other. Truly, &s;aid &s;he, I think them much more dange|rous.</P>
<P>Indeed, Madam, I could not with any arguments alter him, but left her in a perempto|ry re&s;olution never to &s;ee <HI>Ligdamis</HI> again. As I returned to my chamber, there I found this unfortunate Lover waiting for me, who came to ask my advice and a&s;&s;i&s;tance: I told him ingeniou&s;ly that <HI>Cleonice</HI> was much incen&s;ed again&s;t him, but would not tell him all I thought, becau&s;e I would not too much deject him. But <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, do you intend to be &s;till in love with <HI>Cleonice</HI> yet? With whom el&s;e, replyed he, &s;harply, do you think I can love any but her, who is the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed of her &s;ex? knowing her humour, as I do, replied I, and as you do al&s;o, methinks you &s;hould never think more of her. Ha <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, I am grown very knowing in love of late, and you remain ignorant: within this few days, doubtle&s;s I &s;hould have &s;aid the &s;ame; but now I know by experience, that love is infinitely more &s;trong then all rea&s;ons, and nothing can overcome it: Therefore &s;ince it is not a voluntary bu&s;ine&s;s, or a taken up humour, it is great inju&s;tice to condemn tho&s;e that are captivated by it. You your &s;elf then, replyed I, and laughed, have been often very unju&s;t. I do confe&s;s it, replyed he, and am &s;e|verely puni&s;hed for it: However, it is but equity to pitty at the lea&s;t all unfortunate Lovers, who can hope for no other con&s;olation: And this <HI>I&s;menea</HI> is all the favour that I ask of <HI>Cleonice:</HI> She has heretofore done me the honor to &s;ay, that if ever I fell in love, pro|vided it was not with her &s;elf, &s;he would take it well if I di&s;covered it unto her; &s;he told me that &s;he would a&s;&s;i&s;t me with her councel, and do her be&s;t to cure that di&s;ea&s;e which &s;o tormented me: I be&s;eech you obtain only this favour from her goodne&s;s, that &s;he would be plea&s;ed to make no exceptions; but that I once more tell her into what a condition &s;he has brought my &s;oul, as if it were not her &s;elf with whom I am in love; and I do mo&s;t faithfully promi&s;e her, to follow her advice whatever it be, and to try all remedies which &s;he &s;hall pre&s;cribe in order to my cure: If I were in love with any other, &s;he were not &s;o much obliged to help me&punc; Negotiate therefore for me, dear <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> and per&s;wade this mo&s;t admirable Lady to be the Confident of that Pa&s;&s;ion which &s;he her &s;elf has cau&s;ed.</P>
<P>I &s;hould never end, Madam, if I &s;hould relate all that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;aid unto me; for I think Love did never in&s;pire any man with more delicate and pure raptures then it did him: He moved me infinitely to pitty him; in&s;omuch as <HI>I</HI> promi&s;ed to u&s;e my be&s;t en|deavours that <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;hould not hate him. I found it a knotty piece of difficulty to obtain of her that he might &s;ee her; for &s;he was many days together peremptorily re|&s;olved never to &s;ee him again; but maugre all her choller, I perceived &s;he could not for|get
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the friend&s;hip which was between <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and her&s;elf; and therefore I thought it expedient to pre&s;s her no further then unto terms of Friend&s;hip, to &s;ee how her &s;oul would reli&s;h that only. In the interim, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> looked at no body, and feigning him&s;elf to be &s;ick for a pretence of his not going out, he lived the mo&s;t mi&s;erable life upon earth; for when he remembred how happy once he was, when he was only the friend of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> and con&s;idered how unfortunate he was now, only becau&s;e he loved her, he thought him&s;elf a mo&s;t de&s;picable man. Four or five days pa&s;&s;ed on in this manner, during all which time, <HI>I</HI> &s;aw <HI>Cleonice</HI> was very melancholly, and <HI>I</HI> did not &s;o much as name <HI>Ligdamis</HI> unto her. Sometimes <HI>I</HI> &s;aw by her eyes, &s;he expected <HI>I</HI> &s;hould talk of him, and &s;ometimes again <HI>I</HI> &s;aw &s;he did not de&s;ire it; yet <HI>I</HI> kept con&s;tant unto my re|&s;olution, and &s;poke not one &s;illable of him. Divers in my pre&s;ence asked her, whether &s;he knew the cau&s;e of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> his retirement: <HI>Artelinda,</HI> &s;he asked her the &s;ame que|&s;tion, <HI>Phocylides</HI> he another, and every one, even &s;o much as <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> endeavoured to know of her, how it came to pa&s;s he did not vi&s;it her. Some &s;aid he was &s;ick, others &s;aid he was grieved, all concluded he would dye pre&s;ently, if the malady of his body or minde did not dimini&s;h.</P>
<P>After all the company was gone who had &s;poken to her concerning <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;he turn|ed towards me: The de&s;tiny of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, is very &s;trange; for all that love him not do &s;peak unto me of him, and you who do love him, &s;aies not a word. It is true, &s;aid I unto her; but the rea&s;on is, becau&s;e I love you more then I do him, and my fears to anger you impo&s;es &s;ilence. I give you thanks for that thought of me, replied &s;he, but I &s;hould have thought my &s;elf very much obliged to you, if you had infu&s;ed any rea&s;on into the &s;oul of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> whom I e&s;teem &s;o much, as I wi&s;h I could &s;ee him rea&s;onable again. It is you, Madam, &s;aid I unto her, that mu&s;t work that miracle: and then I ac|quainted her how <HI>Ligdamis</HI> did mo&s;t humbly &s;upplicate, that &s;he would be plea&s;ed to be unto him as &s;he had promi&s;ed to be, if he had been in love with another. At the fir&s;t, &s;he rejected his de&s;ire, and would by no means hearken unto it; but afterwards, after a long re&s;i&s;tance, thinking that perhaps &s;he might di&s;&s;wade him by rea&s;on from being in love with her, &s;he promi&s;ed to &s;ee him once again, and to advice with him upon &s;ome cour&s;e to cure him of his di&s;ea&s;e. As &s;oon as I was parted from <HI>Cleonice,</HI> I &s;ent for <HI>Lig|damis,</HI> who received this news with incredible joy: But, &s;aid I unto him, all this is not to advice you to be &s;till in love with her. It is no matter, &s;aid he unto me, I care not upon what conditions it be, &s;o I may but &s;ee her; the very &s;ight of her will be an un|expre&s;&s;able comfort unto me: And indeed he &s;taid not long for that comfort, for the next morning <HI>Stenobea</HI> went abroad to make many vi&s;its, leaving <HI>Cleonice</HI> behinde her, and I adverti&s;ed <HI>Ligdamis</HI> of it; yet I could not po&s;&s;ibly be at this meeting, but he gave me an account of it the next day.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as he came to her, &s;he looked upon him with &s;uch an au&s;tere a&s;pect, as was enough to qua&s;h all hopes in a Lovers heart: <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, do not think to draw any matter of advantage unto your &s;elf out of this my indulgence towards you, nor flatter your &s;elf &s;o much as to think I am not &s;o much incen&s;ed again&s;t you as I &s;eem to be. <HI>I</HI> re&s;olved of this pre&s;ent cour&s;e, becau&s;e <HI>I</HI> thought our pa&s;t friend&s;hip obliged me to u&s;e all my endeavours for your cure; and to try once more, whether <HI>I</HI> could in|fu&s;e any rea&s;on into your &s;oul. Which way &s;oever <HI>I</HI> have the honour of &s;eeing you Madam, an&s;wered he, <HI>I</HI> am infinitely obliged unto you, and more obliged, then for all the favour you conferred upon me, during the time of our Friend&s;hip; &s;ince really <HI>I</HI> ne|ver wi&s;hed for this honor with &s;o much ardency and zeal, as &s;ince <HI>I</HI> have been deprived of your &s;ight. Yet <HI>I</HI> am the very &s;ame <HI>I</HI> was, replyed <HI>Cleonice</HI> coldly. <HI>It</HI> is true, Madam, replied he, but &s;o am not <HI>I</HI> the &s;ame <HI>I</HI> was. <HI>I</HI> am very &s;orrow for it, replyed &s;he, and <HI>I</HI> would do any thing to reduce you unto that plea&s;ing and faithful Friend&s;hip which was once in you, that you were &s;uch a &s;olid Friend, <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, as could clearly &s;ee things as really they are; and who&s;e Conver&s;ation and Friend&s;hip, was the very delight of my life: but alas, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> you are not now &s;uch a one as <HI>I</HI> &s;peak of: Yet why are you not? why will you force me to hate you? or at the lea&s;t to &s;ee you no more. Madam, &s;aid he, <HI>I</HI> am far from being &s;o unrea&s;onable: and if <HI>I</HI> dur&s;t <HI>I</HI> would tell you, that <HI>I</HI> limit all my de&s;ires only unto the &s;eeing of you, and to the being your friend. Did you pretend only unto the&s;e two things; replied &s;he, you never would have changed thoughts, for there could not be a more tender Friend&s;hip then there was betwixt you and me, nor could you &s;ee me ofter then you did. <HI>It</HI> is true, Madam, &s;aid he to her, but that affection which you
<PB N="320" REF="357">
had to me, and tho&s;e frequent vi&s;its which <HI>I</HI> made, wanted &s;omething which indeed <HI>I</HI> can|not expre&s;s, which yet is ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary to &s;atisfie an amorous man. Fie, fie, <HI>Ligda|mis,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, did <HI>I</HI> ever think to hear &s;uch a terrible word from your mouth? You, <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, who has made me a hundred plea&s;ing Satyres again&s;t ridiculous Love; who has de&s;cribed it as the mo&s;t dangerous Pa&s;&s;ion; who has told me it never laid hold on any but fools and idle people; who has promi&s;ed me a thou&s;and times, it &s;hould never captivate you; who has related unto me a thou&s;and &s;ad con&s;equences it has cau&s;ed, and ten times as many ex|travagances; who has told me, that it makes all tho&s;e who are po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with it to lo&s;e their rea&s;on, to forget vertue, and at the lea&s;t makes them all mi&s;erable. You added unto all this, that this dangerous Pa&s;&s;ion makes the mo&s;t faithfull Friends become Impo&s;tors and Cheats; that a Lover ought always to be looked upon as one that is not fit to an&s;wer for him&s;elf, and as one that is ready to commit all &s;ins for the advancement of his fooli&s;h love. After all this, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> would you have me look upon you as a man in love; and as one who according to your own maxims <HI>I</HI> ought to &s;corn and hate? Speak, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;peak, <HI>I</HI> conjure you; but &s;peak though, as <HI>I</HI> would have you, What would you have me &s;ay, Madam? replied he. <HI>I</HI> would have you &s;ay, replied &s;he, and a&s;&s;ure me that you will be always my Friend, and that you will never be a Lover. Indeed I cannot, Madam, an&s;wered he: for though I &s;hould force my tongue to tell a lye, yet my eyes would con|tradict my words, and my face would di&s;cover the &s;ecrets of my heart. Fie <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, are you re&s;olved to lo&s;e my friend&s;hip? Why Madam, an&s;wered he, I could ea&s;ier con&s;ent to love you le&s;s, then to &s;ay it.</P>
<P>But <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, you do not an&s;wer unto what I &s;ay: I pray tell me whether all you have &s;poken again&s;t Love, be out of your memory? No, replied he, but it is out of my heart, &s;ince certainly I &s;ee things after another manner then I did before. For my part, &s;aid &s;he, I know not why you &s;hould. Yes Madam, replied he, I do not &s;ee you as I did when I was only your friend: I find you a hundred times more fair then I did; methinks you have incomparably a finer &s;pirit then you had before; you are infi|nitely more charming; your humours are more agreeable and plea&s;ing unto me; the lea&s;t of your words now, has more eloquence then your fine&s;t rhetorique had before; your very look makes my heart to beat; and you &s;eem to be &s;o infinitely above what you were before in every thing, that I am a&s;hamed I &s;hould not di&s;cover tho&s;e admirable per|fections in you untill I was in love: Yes, Madam, the fire does not only warm, but en|lighten me, and lets me &s;ee a hundred things which I could not &s;ee before. And can you &s;ee, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that Love is not the &s;ame you &s;aid it was before? I do mo&s;t plainly &s;ee it, replied he, and in &s;uch a mo&s;t evident manner, that <HI>I</HI> wonder how <HI>I</HI> could po&s;&s;ibly rea&s;on &s;o again&s;t it. <HI>I</HI> do confe&s;s, Madam, there is a terre&s;trial, gro&s;s, and brutal kind of Pa&s;&s;ion that u&s;urps the name of Love, yet is not, which merits the aver&s;ion of all rea&s;on|able people: Al&s;o <HI>I</HI> do confe&s;s there is a kind of univer&s;al Gallantry, unworthy of a lofty &s;oul: But a con&s;tant and pure Love, &s;uch a Love as my &s;oul is &s;en&s;ible of, is the mo&s;t glo|rious and commendable thing in the world. It is by this Pa&s;sion that &s;ouls are elevated above them&s;elves, and prompted unto all heroique actions. Be plea&s;ed, Madam, to com|mand me any thing that is full of the greate&s;t difficulties, and the mo&s;t dangerous to be executed, and <HI>I</HI> &s;hall immediately attempt it. If you had impo&s;ed any thing of this nature upon that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> who was only your friend, perhaps he would have con&s;idered the greatne&s;s of the danger, and the difficulty of his obedience, and in all likelihood would not undertake it: but this <HI>Ligdamis</HI> who loves you now, will never deliberate a minute upon any of your Commands, but is ready with his obedience at a minutes warning.</P>
<P>Then <HI>I</HI> command you not to love me as you do, replied &s;he, if it be &s;o that your obe|dience has no limits. Impo&s;&s;iblities, Madam, replied he, are ever to be excepted; and therefore in this <HI>I</HI> cannot obey you, becau&s;e it is not in my power to love more or le&s;s then <HI>I</HI> do. Then <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t never &s;ee you again, replied &s;he, unle&s;s you will endeavour to find out ways of curing your folly. Though my di&s;ea&s;e is &s;uch, replied he, that <HI>I</HI> had rather die then wi&s;h the cure; yet <HI>I</HI> will ask you, Madam, what you conceive mo&s;t proper and ex|pedient for it? <HI>I</HI> would have you think upon all you have formerly &s;aid unto me again&s;t it, replied &s;he. <HI>I</HI> remember them very well, replied he; but <HI>I</HI> find them &s;o unju&s;t and remedile&s;s, that they will not do it. Con&s;ult then with your own Rea&s;on, replied &s;he, and <HI>I</HI> am confident it will change your opinion. Alas Madam, replied he, my Rea&s;on is &s;o troubled, and &s;o far from affording me any councel, that it ab&s;olutely &s;ubmits unto my
<PB N="321" REF="357">
Pa&s;sion. Then &s;ee me no more, &s;aid &s;he, and try whether ab&s;ence will help you. Since the&s;e five or &s;ix dayes in which <HI>I</HI> have not &s;een you, replied he, my love is increa&s;ed much more. Con&s;ider then, replied &s;he, that if you love me, I &s;hall hate you; and by not loving me, you will &s;till have my e&s;teem and friend&s;hip. Oh Madam, cry'd he, how mo&s;t unju&s;t is this, to love me if <HI>I</HI> do not love you, and to hate me if <HI>I</HI> do! Whatever it be, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> replied &s;he, &s;ince my thoughts are not changed as yours are, but &s;till look upon Love with the &s;ame eyes <HI>I</HI> did before, and find you &s;o unrea&s;onable that <HI>I</HI> cannot endure you, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t tell you what <HI>I</HI> conceive: Your face is changed, and your actions al&s;o: <HI>I</HI> find a con|tinual re&s;tle&s;ne&s;s in your eyes; you &s;peak more ha&s;tily then you did before; all you &s;ay is unju&s;t; you are &s;ilent when you &s;hould &s;peak, and an&s;wer always impertinently, and indeed do every thing without rea&s;on: For you thought your&s;elf happy heretofore in my conver&s;ation, my e&s;teem, my friend&s;hip, and my confidence; <HI>I</HI> do yet offer the &s;ame unto you and you are not contented. For my part, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> you may &s;ay or think what you plea&s;e; but <HI>I</HI> never found Love &s;o fanta&s;tical in any as in you. The rea&s;on is, replied he, becau&s;e the Pa&s;sion was never &s;o violent in any as in me: but alas, Madam, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t needs think my &s;elf mo&s;t unhappy, that my love is unknown to you. Deceive not your&s;elf, re|plied &s;he; For the more di&s;order <HI>I</HI> &s;ee in your &s;oul, the le&s;s di&s;po&s;ition <HI>I</HI> &s;hall have to love you. That mu&s;t needs be impo&s;sible, Madam, replied he: for as the fire burns tho&s;e that touch it, and the &s;un enlightens tho&s;e that &s;ee it, &s;o a pure and con&s;tant Pa&s;sion mu&s;t needs move the heart of her one loves.</P>
<P>You hope then that <HI>I</HI> &s;hall love you! (replied <HI>Cleonice</HI> with &s;uch a coldne&s;s as made <HI>Ligdamis</HI> almo&s;t de&s;pair) <HI>I</HI> do wi&s;h it, Madam, at the lea&s;t, replied he, but <HI>I</HI> dare not &s;ay <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 word"> hope it. 'Tis very well, &s;aid &s;he; indeed you could not do me a more manife&s;t injury, then per&s;wade me to love you, and to do that which <HI>I</HI> have &s;o often condemned in others. Can you imagine, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould laugh at all tho&s;e follies in you, which we both together have condemned in others? Do you think <HI>I</HI> can take any plea&s;ure to &s;ee you mi&s;erable for the love of me? to hear you &s;igh, and make all the crabbed faces which Love u&s;es to force them unto that are &s;ubject unto it? Fie, fie, <HI>Ligdamis! I</HI> cannot endure it: And though <HI>I</HI> cannot regulate your affection, yet let me limit your hopes; for a&s;&s;ure your&s;elf, that a hundred years langui&s;hment, &s;ighs, tears, raptures, expre&s;sions, and &s;er|vices &s;hall never obtain any thing from me. Though, Madam, replied he, you cannot be &s;en&s;ible, yet <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you be not unju&s;t; but con&s;ider that it is your&s;elf who is the cau&s;e of my mi&s;ery, and therefore you are obliged to have &s;ome compa&s;sion upon me. Then be only unto me, &s;aid &s;he unto him, as I am unto <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> my Confident in point of friend|&s;hip: Love me as you were wont to do, and let me love you only as I do, and be not &s;o un|ju&s;t as to make me ab&s;olutely mi&s;erable without a cau&s;e.</P>
<P>I know very well, Madam, &s;aid he, that by our Conditions you are not to be a friend to one that is in Love: but tho&s;e that make laws, can alter them. I do remember that you &s;aid one day, the rea&s;on why you would never have a Lover for your friend, was, be|cau&s;e you once had a friend who fell in love, and was weary of you, and made but &s;hort vi&s;its; that he talked unto you of nothing but the Party whom he loved; and that you dur&s;t not tru&s;t him with any &s;ecret, becau&s;e he was &s;ure to reveal it unto his Mi&s;tre&s;s. But, Madam, you need not fear any of the&s;e inconveniences in me: For fir&s;t, Madam, I do prote&s;t I have no joy but in your company; my vi&s;its &s;hall la&s;t longer then ever; and if you plea&s;e, I will never &s;peak unto any but your&s;elf. Moreover, Madam, you need not fear my revealing of &s;ecrets unto her I mo&s;t adore, &s;ince if <HI>I</HI> do reveal them, it is only to your&s;elf who tru&s;ted me with them; therefore why will you deny me the honour and happine&s;s of &s;eeing you? And give me leave to love you, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you: perhaps your in&s;en&s;ibility will cure me &s;ooner then that ab&s;ence which you condemn me unto: for, Ma|dam, when <HI>I</HI> am from you, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall &s;till imagine that if <HI>I</HI> were with you, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould move your heart; &s;o that hoping &s;till to &s;ee you again, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall hope al&s;o to be loved, and by con&s;equence to be continually in love: but if you permit me to continue with you, per|haps your cruelty and inhumanity will de&s;troy my hopes, and afterwards my love. This Remedy, replied <HI>Cleonice,</HI> is as odd and fanta&s;tical as your Pa&s;&s;ion. It is the onely one, replied he, which in rea&s;on you can appoint me. Yet let us try ab&s;ence, &s;aid &s;he, for <HI>I</HI> think le&s;s danger to be in it. <HI>I</HI> remember, Madam, replied he, <HI>I</HI> have heard you &s;ay that the malady which torments me was contagious: but <HI>I</HI> remember al&s;o that <HI>I&s;monea</HI> an&s;wered you, that it could never infect you: And certainly, Madam, it cannot, for as long as <HI>I</HI> have been with you, <HI>I</HI> could never perceive you the lea&s;t moved by it&punc; Heavens
<PB N="322" REF="358">
pre&s;erve me from &s;uch a misfortune! replied &s;he: However, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;ince I perceive it a thing impo&s;&s;ible at pre&s;ent to bring your &s;oul unto Rea&s;on, all <HI>I</HI> can do for you is, to a&s;&s;ure you that I am extreamly &s;orry for the lo&s;s of your friend&s;hip; that you &s;hall ever find it ready for you, as &s;oon as you are out of Love; and in order to that I enjoyn you to travel, and &s;ee whether that be more prevalent then my rea&s;ons.</P>
<P>If there were any crime in my Pa&s;&s;ion, an&s;wered <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> or if my preten&s;ions were unju&s;t, then <HI>I</HI> could not blame you for bani&s;hing me; but alas, <HI>I</HI> ask no more but that you would &s;uffer me to love you: What harm does that which is in my heart do you? has it put you unto any trouble this la&s;t moneth <HI>I</HI> have been with you? No, replyed <HI>Cleonice,</HI> nothing troubled me, but that <HI>I</HI> did not know the meaning of your &s;oul. You &s;ee then, replyed he, that you have no &s;olid foundation for what you &s;ay; and that my Pa&s;&s;ion is not trouble&s;om to you in it &s;elf, but only by &s;uch imaginations as you appre|hend of it: For truly, Madam, the Pa&s;&s;ion which did not trouble you a moneth &s;ince, was the very &s;ame it is now at this time: <HI>I</HI> profe&s;s that <HI>I</HI> am much more &s;en&s;ible of your mi&s;e|ries then <HI>I</HI> was, and if it were po&s;&s;ible, <HI>I</HI> am more &s;ecret and faithful then ever. Though all this were true, replyed <HI>Cleonice,</HI> yet <HI>I</HI> have one exception again&s;t you, which you cannot an&s;wer; which is, that &s;ince your heart is capable of this Pa&s;&s;ion, you may love another as well as me; and if you &s;hould, in what a ca&s;e were my confidence and tru&s;t. When <HI>I</HI> was in love with none, Madam, &s;aid he, you had more cau&s;e to fear this incon|veniency then now, for then it had not been impo&s;&s;ible but <HI>I</HI> might have loved another, and not you: But now <HI>I</HI> do love you, it is ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible <HI>I</HI> &s;hould ever love any other; for out of all doubt, you are both my fir&s;t and my la&s;t love: One may perhaps, for&s;ake a mean beauty, and fall upon another of more accompli&s;hed parts: but to for&s;ake the faire&s;t and mo&s;t ab&s;olute perfection upon earth for another, was never heard of &s;ince Love had dominion in the hearts of men. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Cleonice, I</HI> am &s;o affrighted to hear you talk thus, that <HI>I</HI> hardly know what <HI>I</HI> &s;hould an&s;wer, unle&s;s that it is my be&s;t cour&s;e to tru&s;t none, but mi&s;tru&s;t my own Rea&s;on: Therefore <HI>Ligdamis, I</HI> mu&s;t needs deny your reque&s;t, and entreat you to &s;ee me no more, at lea&s;t of a long time. Would you have me dye then? replyed he. No, &s;aid &s;he, but <HI>I</HI> would have you become wi&s;e. Then <HI>I</HI> conjure you Madam, &s;aid he, by that Friend&s;hip which you have promi&s;ed, that <HI>I</HI> may have eight days allowed to &s;ee you <HI>I</HI> grant it, &s;aid &s;he, though you do not de&s;erve the favour: yet it &s;hall be with this condition, that you &s;peak not a word to me of your pretended love.</P>
<P><HI>Ligdamis</HI> then was as thankful unto <HI>Cleonice</HI> for it, as if &s;he had granted him her heart; and at his parting from her, he came to me with &s;o much joy in his countenance, that <HI>I</HI> knew very well his heart was really in love: He reque&s;ted me to mediate for him, in &s;uch obliging language as indeed he per&s;waded me to do him that office: yet <HI>I</HI> a&s;&s;ure you, it was no ea&s;ie task, for <HI>I</HI> found <HI>Cleonice</HI> in &s;uch a melancholly mood, and &s;o much per|plexed, that &s;he would not hearken unto any but extreamly again&s;t her will: The Friend|&s;hip of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was none of the lea&s;t cau&s;es of her grief, and her aver&s;ion to love, was a great addition to her torment. However, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> did &s;ee her during the eight days &s;he had granted him: but maugre all his violent re&s;traints, he could not hold from uttering &s;ome &s;ymptomes of his Pa&s;&s;ion, either by his looks or &s;ighs, or his &s;tudies, or el&s;e by &s;ome words which &s;tole from him unawares. Moreover, as <HI>Cleonice</HI> was di&s;po&s;ed to in|terpret all his actions that way, &s;o &s;he avoided the encounter of his eyes as much as &s;he could: She bu&s;h'd as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw him come near her; She took all care not to &s;it next him; &s;he did not addre&s;s any &s;peech unto him, and kept &s;uch a &s;trange di&s;tance, that I wondered to &s;ee &s;uch an alteration between them. When I asked <HI>Cleonice</HI> why &s;he would not behave her &s;elf as if &s;he were ignorant of his Pa&s;&s;ion. She an&s;wered me, that &s;he could not for her life do it, and that he mu&s;t needs be gone from her: For (&s;aid &s;he un|to me the la&s;t day of his allowance) if he continue his love &s;till, and do not go away, I &s;hall hate him extreamly. But &s;uppo&s;e he do obey you, and go away, &s;aid I unto her, and that ab&s;ence cannot cure him, what would you have him do then? do you think it ju&s;t he &s;hould be eternally bani&s;hed from his Country, only becau&s;e he loves you too well? Were he a man you did not e&s;teem, or that he did not de&s;erve it, or that you had an aver&s;ion to his per&s;on, what could you do more? I &s;hould then do much le&s;s, &s;aid &s;he unto me. I cannot under&s;tand your rea&s;on for that, replied I, yet I mu&s;t needs be|lieve you, becau&s;e I &s;ee you let <HI>Hermodorus</HI> live quietly at <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> though he has loved you long. <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> replyed &s;he, is not a man whom I would honor &s;o much, as to
<PB N="323" REF="358">
command him any thing. This honour which you do <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> replyed I, may well be called inju&s;tice Yet it is a favour, replyed &s;he, &s;ince I do all I can to pre&s;erve his Friend|&s;hip.</P>
<P>As &s;he was &s;aying this, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> came in, with an intention to get his term prolonged. I no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but taking the word from <HI>Cleonice,</HI> Come <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;aid I unto hime, come and hear the favourable cau&s;e of your bani&s;hment. Mu&s;t I then be bani&s;h|ed? replyed he. Yes an&s;wered <HI>Cleonice,</HI> if I have any power with you. You have it Ma|dam, mo&s;t ab&s;olutely, an&s;wered he and &s;ighed; but it is the office of tho&s;e that have the mo&s;t &s;overaign power, not to do all they can, but all they ought to do. And I ought to do all I can, replyed &s;he, to infu&s;e rea&s;on into your &s;oul, to the end I may keep you my friend. Then you do not hate me, Madam? &s;aid <HI>Ligdamis.</HI> I do acknowledge it, &s;aid &s;he, but <HI>I</HI> &s;hall mo&s;t infallibly hate you, if you do not obey me: When you have made tryal of ab&s;ence, which <HI>I</HI> have heard is the only remedy again&s;t love; and that <HI>I</HI> &s;ee you u&s;e your be&s;t endeavours to become wi&s;e, then perhaps <HI>I</HI> &s;hall be &s;o favourable as not to deny you my friend&s;hip, but permit you to keep that Pa&s;&s;ion in your &s;oul, which you cannot exclude. <HI>I</HI> prote&s;t, <HI>Cleonice</HI> (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her and laughed) this is an admi|rable good one, to make that which you endure, becau&s;e you cannot help it, to pa&s;s for a great favour, and to oblige men unto impo&s;&s;ibilities. Though <HI>I</HI> &s;ee you would per|&s;wade me <HI>I</HI> am to blame, replied &s;he, yet <HI>I</HI> do not repent it; for if it be impo&s;&s;ible for <HI>Ligdamis</HI> to leave loving me, then let him give me &s;ome te&s;timony of his Love: There|fore <HI>I</HI> conjure you, &s;aid &s;he unto him, to make tryal of two remedies: The one is ab|&s;ence, the other is ambition: You know <HI>Cleander</HI> loves you dearly, go then into the Court for &s;ix moneths, and endeavour to drive out one Pa&s;sion, with another: but <HI>I</HI> be|&s;eech you do not re&s;i&s;t me any longer, unle&s;s you will have me hate you. <HI>I</HI> know very well, Madam, replied he, that though <HI>I</HI> do obey you, yet all will do no good, &s;ince where&s;oever <HI>I</HI> am, <HI>I</HI> am mo&s;t certain you will be there pre&s;ent in my minde, and <HI>I</HI> am ab&s;o|lutely incapable of any other ambition but of being in your favour. After this, <HI>Cleonice</HI> began to &s;peak &s;o earne&s;tly unto <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> that <HI>I</HI> knew &s;he would be obeyed; &s;o that <HI>I</HI> advi&s;ed him to be contented: For &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him, if ab&s;ence do cure you, then you have good cau&s;e to think your &s;elf happy: if it do not, yet you give <HI>Cleonce</HI> the greate&s;t te&s;timony of your obedience and love that po&s;sibly can be. However, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you promi&s;e me, if <HI>I</HI> punctually obey you, that you will never any more command me to pull that Pa&s;sion out of my heart, which doubtle&s;s will ever be there as long as <HI>I</HI> live. <HI>I</HI> promi&s;e you <HI>I</HI> will not, &s;aid &s;he unto him: But becau&s;e this is not enough to keep a langui&s;hing exiled Lover alive, replied he; therefore Madam, I beg this favour of your goodne&s;s, that in ca&s;e I do not dye of &s;orrow, but live to return unto you, then that you would be plea&s;ed to be the Confident of my pa&s;sion; no <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, I do not promi&s;e you that: but I a&s;&s;ure you, that I will not hate you, if you obey me. In conclu&s;ion, Madam, not to trouble you with any impertinent relations, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> obeyed her. It was ea&s;ie to finde a hand&s;ome pretence for his voyage, &s;ince it was wondered why he went no ofter to <HI>Sardis.</HI> I did my endeavours that he might take his leave before he went, but it could not po&s;sible be obtained. <HI>I</HI> &s;aw that the cau&s;e of this denial was advantagious for <HI>Ligdamis:</HI> for &s;he had not refu&s;ed that favour, but only becau&s;e &s;he knew it was impo&s;sible for her to bid him adieu, without expre&s;sing too many vi&s;ible &s;igns of Friend&s;hip to him.</P>
<P>He departed then with intentions to go unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> but in the way thither, he heard how <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> had impri&s;oned <HI>Cleander;</HI> &s;o that re&s;olving not to go thither, by rea&s;on of this accident which put all <HI>Lydia</HI> into an univer&s;al a&s;toni&s;hment, he went unto the Go|vernment of his Father, there to &s;pend the time of his exile, and in &s;olitude to lament the misfortunes of <HI>Cleander</HI> and his own, and almo&s;t as much <HI>Cleanders</HI> as his own; &s;ince after &s;o many victories, and &s;o many good &s;ervices done unto all <HI>Lydia,</HI> he was a Pri&s;oner without a crime.</P>
<P>This news being reported at <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> every one was extream &s;ad; for indeed it was one of the greate&s;t misfortunes that could come to the whole Kingdom: but be&s;ides the publique intere&s;t, which grieved <HI>Cleonice</HI> as it did the re&s;t, the particular relations of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was a great addition unto her &s;orrows. She went to vi&s;it the &s;i&s;ter of <HI>Ligda|mis</HI> upon this occa&s;ion: but &s;he would not write unto him, though I u&s;ed all my ar|guments to per&s;wade her; as for him, he writ often unto me unknown to <HI>Cleonice;</HI> for <HI>I</HI> had forget to tell you how this cruel Lady made him promi&s;e her to &s;end her no letters,
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and that if he did write unto me, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould conceal them from her: &s;o that <HI>I</HI> dur&s;t not ac|quaint her how ab&s;ence had wrought no effects upon the cure of <HI>Ligdamis.</HI> In the mean time, <HI>Cleonice</HI> was exceedingly &s;ad and &s;olitary, &s;o that <HI>Artelinda</HI> and <HI>Phocylides</HI> left off their vi&s;its. <HI>Stenobea,</HI> after a hundred chidings that &s;he was not jocund enough, was forced to let her alone in quiet: &s;o that <HI>Cleonice</HI> keeping her chamber very much, <HI>I</HI> was very often alone with her. At the fir&s;t, when <HI>I</HI> began to &s;peak of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;he would be angry; yet by degrees &s;he did not only &s;uffer me to talk of him, but al&s;o would her&s;elf begin the fir&s;t. One day then when we were alone, after di&s;cour&s;e of &s;everal other things, I am certain, &s;aid &s;he, in what place &s;oever <HI>Ligdamis</HI> is, he can find none unto whom he can &s;peak concerning me, and therefore I hope he will quickly forget his folly. But &s;aid I unto her, and looked earne&s;tly upon her, is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould wi&s;h as you &s;ay, that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hould be indifferent towards you? Not as I &s;ay! an&s;wered &s;he. What do you &s;ay? (replied I half angry.) I &s;ay (an&s;wered &s;he) I wi&s;h that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hould not love me; as for his friend&s;hip, I &s;hould be ever glad of it, I do confe&s;s. But how do you think that is po&s;&s;ible? &s;aid I unto her: Do you not con&s;ider, that if ab&s;ence do cure a violent pa&s;&s;ion, it mu&s;t be by forgetting you, and unaccu&s;toming him&s;elf from &s;eeing you? More|over you do not con&s;ider, that he is now no friend unto you; that affection has changed its nature; and in all rea&s;on, if the remedy which you have impo&s;ed upon him do work that effect which you expect, he will neither be your Lover nor your Friend.</P>
<P><HI>I&s;menea,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto her, You are a mo&s;t cruel woman to examine me &s;o &s;trictly up|on a thing which does not plea&s;e me: however, why is it not po&s;sible that the friend&s;hip of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> which became Love, &s;hould return to friend&s;hip again? I know not well the rea&s;on, &s;aid I unto her, but I am &s;ure the example of it is very rare. I &s;hould be very &s;orry, replied &s;he, to lo&s;e <HI>Ligdamis</HI> altogether. Yet you expo&s;e your&s;elf unto it, &s;aid I to her. But &s;ince I &s;aw her in a le&s;s &s;evere humour, I pray <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;aid I, whether had you rather that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hould be ab&s;olutely cured of his pa&s;sion, and be altogether in|different towards you; or that he &s;hould be in love with another? Since I was ever a friend unto <HI>Ligdamis</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me and blu&s;ht) <HI>I</HI> cannot de&s;ire he &s;hould be cured of one di&s;ea&s;e, by falling into another; and I had rather lo&s;e his affection and love none, then to &s;ee him over-loaded with fetters. But, &s;aid I, &s;uppo&s;e there were an ab&s;olute nece&s;sity that he mu&s;t either love you or another, which would you chu&s;e? I long &s;ince told you what I thought upon that, replied &s;he. It is true, &s;aid I unto her, but I ask you what you think now? I will not take &s;o much pains, &s;aid &s;he, as to think upon it: yet if ever <HI>Lig|damis</HI> do cure him&s;elf of his follies, I &s;hall take a great delight in letting him &s;ee the little &s;olidity there is in the hearts of tho&s;e that are in love; for I prote&s;t, <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> I do think upon <HI>Ligdamis</HI> as much as if he were here at <HI>Ephe&s;us.</HI> Why then would you have him forget you? &s;aid I to her, and laughed: Do you well know what you would have? Think upon it, <HI>Cleonice,</HI> and think upon it &s;eriou&s;ly: it would be very fine, if <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hould forget you, and you could not forget him. You &s;peak &s;o fondly, replied &s;he, that I will not an&s;wer. You may do better to confe&s;s you cannot an&s;wer, replied <HI>I,</HI> unle&s;s you contradict your&s;elf: for you no &s;ooner wi&s;h that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hould think no more of you, but there is a &s;ecret de&s;ire in your heart which you cannot re&s;i&s;t, that forces you to wi&s;h he &s;hould think upon you eternally.</P>
<P>You pre&s;s me &s;o far, &s;aid &s;he unto me, that <HI>I</HI> have no mind to &s;peak any more of it. You have no mind to be &s;incere, an&s;wered <HI>I,</HI> nor can you an&s;wer directly. <HI>I</HI> think, replied &s;he, and &s;miled, you have a mind to make me lo&s;e a &s;he-friend as well as a he, and &s;eek to quarrel with me. I know not, an&s;wered <HI>I,</HI> and laughed, whether you will quarrel with me or no; but <HI>I</HI> am &s;ure you either cannot, or will not an&s;wer me. Really, <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, <HI>I</HI> have told you all <HI>I</HI> thought; and more then that, <HI>I</HI> a&s;&s;ure you <HI>I</HI> will an&s;wer unto any thing you will ask, and an&s;wer truly. Confe&s;s then, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, that you would not have <HI>Ligdamis</HI> forget you. <HI>I</HI> do confe&s;s it, &s;aid &s;he and blu&s;ht. And would it not anger you, if he &s;hould love another? <HI>I</HI> do confe&s;s it al&s;o, replied &s;he, and looked down; though it be only in relation to him&s;elf, and not out of any jealou&s;ie. Whether had you rather he &s;hould always love you, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> vnto her, or that he &s;hould hate you? Ah <HI>I&s;menea!</HI> replied &s;he, you ask me &s;uch odd que&s;tions, that <HI>I</HI> know not how to an|&s;wer: Yet I think that I &s;hould be equally angry at the love and the hatred of <HI>Ligdamis.</HI> I do not think &s;o, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her: But &s;ince you will not cleerly explain your&s;elf, I will ask you no more que&s;tions; only wi&s;h in revenge, that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> may forget you, that at his return he may love another, and that you cannot forget him. You are very re|vengefull,
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<HI>I</HI> &s;ee, &s;aid &s;he unto me: but my comfort is, that what you wi&s;h will never come to pa&s;s: for if <HI>Ligdamis</HI> do forget me, I &s;hall forget him; &s;o that it &s;hall not di&s;|quiet me at all. You have impo&s;ed a command upon him, &s;aid I unto her, in which you do not de&s;ire he &s;hould obey you, &s;ince if he do, you will puni&s;h him. <HI>Cleonice</HI> after this would have told me, that &s;he appointed him only to bani&s;h love from his heart: but I would not &s;tay to hear her, and left her without an an&s;wer; conceiving the re&s;ult of all &s;he had &s;aid unto me was, that her friendly di&s;po&s;ition unto <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was grown a little more tender towards him &s;ince he departed: Yet I dur&s;t not tell her that I &s;ome|times received Letters from him.</P>
<P>But yet one day when &s;he and I were together, I let one of his Letters fall by chance; which &s;he pre&s;ently took up, not imagining it to be from <HI>Ligdamis:</HI> &s;he no &s;ooner had it in her hands, but &s;he knew the writing; and &s;he no &s;ooner knew it, but &s;he blu&s;ht ex|tremely. I perceived her fir&s;t thought was to read it; but her &s;econd con&s;ideration checkt her, and &s;he offered it unto me without looking into it. You are not very inqui&s;itive, I &s;ee, Madam, (&s;aid I unto her, and would not take it.) Indeed I am not, &s;aid &s;he, e&s;pecially when I am afraid to hear any thing which will not plea&s;e me. If you plea&s;e, you may read it, &s;aid I unto her. If I could make him &s;uch a one as would plea&s;e me, &s;aid &s;he, I wi&s;h he were here: but &s;ince all my de&s;ires cannot change him, I had rather return it unto you un&s;een. Then I taking it out of her hands, and de&s;iring to anger her a little, to the end I might the better di&s;cover her real thoughts; I told her that I would read it aloud unto her, if &s;he would not read it her&s;elf. Then, &s;aid &s;he, I will not hear you: And after &s;he had &s;aid &s;o, &s;he was &s;ilent. Then, the better to hide the di&s;order of her thoughts, &s;he fell to work in a piece of Ti&s;&s;ue of gold, which lay upon the Table. After this I ri&s;e up al&s;o, and &s;eated my &s;elf over again&s;t her, le&s;t &s;he &s;hould &s;ee what was really in the Letter, which I read, and feigned the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<P><HI>SOlitude,</HI> I&s;menea! <HI>has done that which Rea&s;on could not: for the fair</HI> Cleonice <HI>&s;hall be no more troubled with my Love. It was not Ab&s;ence only which cured my di&s;ea&s;e; I &s;tood in need of a more powerfull remedy: And I met with a Lady le&s;s fair, I confe&s;s, but much more &s;en&s;ible, who makes me very well able to obey tho&s;e Commands which</HI> Cleonice <HI>im|po&s;ed upon me.</HI></P>
</LETTER>
<P>Ha, <HI>I&s;menea!</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cleonice,</HI> in throwing her work upon the table, and de&s;iring to read it her&s;elf) &s;ure this is not the Letter of <HI>Ligdamis.</HI> Surely it is, &s;aid I unto her, and hid it from her, though what is in it does not plea&s;e you: But pray tell me what you de&s;ire I &s;hould read. I would not have you read any thing, &s;aid &s;he; but I would read it my &s;elf, what&s;oever is in it. Seeing then the inqui&s;itive di&s;po&s;ition of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> after I had a while re&s;i&s;ted her, at la&s;t I let her &s;ee it; and &s;poke &s;o, as if what before I feigned to read were really in it. So that immediately opening it, &s;he read the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>LIGDAMIS unto ISMENEA.</HEAD>
<P>IF my adored <HI>Cleonice</HI> did but know that the le&s;s I &s;ee her, the more I love her; doubt|le&s;s &s;he would recall me, though it were only to hinder the augmentation of my Pa&s;&s;ion. Therefore I be&s;eech you (if you think it fit) let her know, that I &s;hall be at the end of my bani&s;hment without all compari&s;on more in love with her, then the fir&s;t day I began it: The remembrance of her Beauty, her Wit, her Mind, and my de&s;ire of &s;eeing her, is the only bu&s;ine&s;s of my &s;olitude. This, <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> is my life: which would be happy in the mid&s;t of my mi&s;ery, if I could hope to be neither hated nor forgotten</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>LIGDAMIS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>Whil&s;t <HI>Cleonice</HI> was reading, I did attentively ob&s;erve her, and me thought I &s;aw more confu&s;ion then anger in her looks. I &s;aw al&s;o, that in reading the end of the Letter, where <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;aid he &s;hould be happy to be neither hated nor forgotten, &s;he &s;miled a little: Afterwards returning the Letter unto me, and hardly daring to look upon me; You have taken &s;uch good order, &s;aid &s;he to me, that this la&s;t misfortune &s;hall not be|fal <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> that he needs not fear it: But cruel woman that you are (&s;aid &s;he, and a&s;|&s;umed a more &s;erious countenance) what plea&s;ure can you take in tormenting me? I
<PB N="326" REF="360">
know <HI>Ligdamis</HI> is your Co&s;in, and therefore I had been to blame, if I had wi&s;hed him not to write unto you: But why mu&s;t I be the &s;ubject of his Letters and yours? For my part, &s;aid I unto her, &s;ince I did only an&s;wer <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> you mu&s;t accu&s;e him only for &s;peaking of you. As for my particular, when he &s;poke to me concerning <HI>Cleonice,</HI> I did not think it civil to an&s;wer him concerning <HI>Artelinda,</HI> or any other, or to an&s;wer his Let|ters any otherwi&s;e then to the que&s;tions he asked me. But what will you an&s;wer him? replied &s;he. I will an&s;wer what you plea&s;e, &s;aid I unto her; for I &s;hall not write until to morrow. What&s;oever you write (&s;aid &s;he) unto him, do not &s;end him word I have &s;een his Letter. I do not ask you what I &s;hall not write, &s;aid I unto her, but what I &s;hall. You may when I &s;hall tell you, an&s;wered &s;he; in the mean time, if you will indeed ob|lige me, per&s;wade him very earne&s;tly to &s;tifle that pa&s;&s;ion which procures him nothing but trouble.</P>
<P>Thus you &s;ee, Madam, what were the thoughts of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> during the exile of <HI>Lig|damis,</HI> who returned to <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> as &s;oon as the time of his bani&s;hment was expired, with|out asking <HI>Cleonice</HI> any leave. As &s;oon as ever he arrived, he came to &s;ee me, to a&s;&s;ure me he was no changling, and to take coun&s;el what he &s;hould do. Since I knew the minde of <HI>Cleonice</HI> very well, I was of opinion that his be&s;t cour&s;e was to &s;end no Me&s;&s;ages, be|fore he went him&s;elf, and that he &s;hould vi&s;it <HI>Stenobea</HI> as he was u&s;ed to do at the return from his travels. So that hearkning unto my advice, he went thither the &s;ame day, and I went al&s;o, having a great de&s;ire to &s;ee how this fir&s;t vi&s;it pa&s;&s;ed; but as ill luck would have it, there was that day &s;o much company with <HI>Stenobea,</HI> that he had not one minutes opportunity to &s;peak unto <HI>Cleonice</HI> in private. <HI>Artelinda</HI> and <HI>Phocylides</HI> came al&s;o thi|ther; and becau&s;e it was a long time &s;ince they had &s;een <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> he was the only &s;ub|ject of the conver&s;ation. Some acco&s;ted him with complements of &s;orrow for the impri|&s;onment of <HI>Cleander;</HI> others a&s;&s;ured him they thought his travels long; and <HI>Artelinda,</HI> ac|cording to her humour, told him, &s;he wondered how he could live in &s;uch a &s;olitude as he had done, applying her &s;elf after this, to make a very plea&s;ant Satyre of the Country; Maintaining, that to be in it eight day together, were enough to make one &s;tupid, me|lancholly, and in&s;en&s;ible for ever, and concluded, &s;ince <HI>Ligdamis</HI> had been there &s;ix moneths, though his &s;pirit was never &s;o great, yet he mu&s;t needs be very melancholly, or for ever in&s;en&s;ible. Whil&s;t <HI>Artelinda</HI> was thus talking, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was &s;o perplexed, that he knew not what to an&s;wer; and <HI>Cleonice</HI> was &s;o troubled, that &s;he had little delight in that days conver&s;ation, though the next day &s;he had more: For <HI>Ligdamis</HI> came to my hou&s;e, whither &s;he al&s;o came with intentions to de&s;ire me, that I would deliver her from this ob&s;tinate Lover, whom &s;he had no de&s;ire to lo&s;e. When &s;he &s;aw him, &s;he thought I had &s;ent for him, though <HI>I</HI> did not; but yet, after &s;he had chid me a little for it, &s;he &s;taid with me: So that we three only being alone, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf towards her, and looking upon her in &s;uch a manner as might let her &s;ee his &s;oul was the &s;ame: You &s;ee me here Madam, &s;aid he unto her, at the end of my bani&s;hment; but it is you only who can tell me whether I be at the end of my mi&s;ery, and whether you will permit that man, who cannot be your friend, or leave off loving you, to relate the &s;orrows which ab|&s;ence hath procured him. I had rather you would tell me what cour&s;es you have taken, &s;aid &s;he unto him, to overcome your unju&s;t Pa&s;&s;ion. Alas, Madam, replied he, how could I ever hope to overcome it, &s;ince <HI>I</HI> was never able to ma&s;ter my will &s;o far, as to fight a|gain&s;t it? <HI>I</HI> had not bani&s;hed you, replyed &s;he, but to the end you &s;hould. <HI>I</HI> know it, Madam, an&s;wered he, but as &s;oon as ever my will went about it, my heart, my minde, my rea&s;on, and all my faculties rebelled again&s;t me, and <HI>I</HI> could not chu&s;e but continually re|pent my oppo&s;ing &s;o well grounded a Pa&s;&s;ion; a Pa&s;&s;ion, <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, &s;o noble, &s;o pure and di|vine, that the mo&s;t &s;evere vertue could not condemn it: So that Madam <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t love you, and love you as long as <HI>I</HI> live; and &s;o that if my love be in&s;ufferable to you, there is no other way to free your &s;elf from it, but by commanding me to dye: If it be your plea|&s;ure, Madam, &s;o to doom it, <HI>I</HI> am re&s;olved upon obedience; for as &s;oon as <HI>I</HI> &s;ee the di|vine <HI>Cleonice</HI> can better endure my death then my love, de&s;pair will pre&s;ently do it: Speak then Madam, is it your plea&s;ure <HI>I</HI> &s;hould live or dye? you are ab&s;olute Mi&s;tre&s;s of my De&s;tinie, and may make me what you plea&s;e. If <HI>I</HI> could, an&s;wered <HI>Cleonice,</HI> I &s;hould make you my Friend, and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hould be no longer a Lover. Yet, Madam, &s;aid be unto her, is it not po&s;&s;ible to accu&s;tom your &s;elf to endure I &s;hould love you a little more then I did before, and to acquaint you with my &s;ufferings. You promi&s;ed as much, when I parted from you, and told me you would receive my &s;ervices, as te&s;timonies of my
<PB N="327" REF="360">
friend&s;hip. I have every day for &s;ix moneths together &s;uffered a thou&s;and torments; and in lieu of accepting my obedience according to your promi&s;e, will you prepare new pun|i&s;hments for me? That would not be ju&s;t (&s;aid I, and interrupted them) and if <HI>Cleonice</HI> will follow my advice, &s;he &s;hould not be &s;o rigorous. Why do you &s;ay &s;o <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me: Can you be &s;o much bya&s;&s;ed by your affection to <HI>Lygdamis,</HI> as to coun|&s;el me unto any gallantry with him? That word, &s;aid I unto her, is a little too much; but I do confe&s;s, I know no rea&s;on why you &s;hould treat <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> as if he were not &s;o much as your friend; for we are obliged to love our friends in mi&s;eries, as well as in happine&s;s. I do confe&s;s, &s;aid &s;he, that they who do not &s;o, are only the fal&s;e friends of pro&s;perity, and de&s;erve not that glorious title of friend. Then if <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;aid I unto her, hath lo&s;t his rea&s;on by any manner of misfortune, and &s;eeks all remedies to cure him&s;elf of all his mi&s;eries and follies, but can finde none, would you not endeavour to ea&s;e him, and much pitty his misfortune? Doubtle&s;&s;e I &s;hould, replied &s;he. Then why do you not? &s;aid I unto her and laughed? for do you not &s;ee that he is not ma&s;ter of his rea&s;on? though you do not grant him &s;o much affection as perhaps his folly de&s;ires, yet receive his affection with &s;ome kinde of &s;weetne&s;&s;e; for it is not the part of true Friend&s;hip, to for|&s;ake him in &s;o great a misfortune as his is, to love one that is in&s;en&s;ible: And for my part, if you u&s;e him &s;o, you mu&s;t give me leave to think you make no other u&s;e of your friends, but to &s;erve your own ends, and to divert you, &s;ince you cannot endure they &s;hould trouble you once in their lives. <HI>Cleonice</HI> hearing me &s;ay &s;o, began to &s;mile, and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> to thank me: And he afterwards joined his mo&s;t per&s;wa&s;ive Rethorique unto mine, and we &s;o overcame her, that after two hours conver&s;e, we obtained that <HI>Ligda|mis</HI> &s;hould &s;tay in <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> and that he &s;hould &s;ee her, but &s;till upon condition, never to &s;peak unto her of any Love matters.</P>
<P>Thus then were &s;ome days &s;pent, but &s;ince it was not po&s;&s;ible for <HI>Ligdamis</HI> to lock up his love &s;o clo&s;e in his heart, but that it would break out in &s;ome of his actions or words, there was not a day but <HI>Cleonice</HI> and he had two or three quarrels. But <HI>Cleonice</HI> did in|&s;en&s;ibly accu&s;tom her &s;elf to an&s;wer him; and though it was always with a &s;pirit of con|tradiction, yet it was a great comfort unto him to talk of that which took up his whole &s;oul: And indeed it came to that pa&s;s at la&s;t, that <HI>Cleonice</HI> became the Confident of his Pa&s;&s;ion, and could not endure he &s;hould &s;peak of any thing el&s;e. And though &s;he always advi&s;ed him never to hope for any thing, and often commanded him to quench his flames, yet in the end &s;he had no de&s;ire to be obeyed: She would often be &s;o melancholly, that every one would chide her: At the fir&s;t this &s;urpri&s;ed me, becau&s;e I never &s;aw her in &s;uch an humour before; but after I had di&s;covered the phanta&s;tical cau&s;e of her melancholly, which took her often, and left her often: and I found the fit would always take her when contrary to her intention &s;he had &s;poken a little more &s;weetly concerning <HI>Ligdamis</HI> then &s;he intended; and when her memorie did chide her&s;elf for being not &s;harp enough with him, &s;he would be &s;ure to be dogged all that day, both towards her &s;elf and all that came near her; and on the contrary, when &s;he had the power to treat him ill, &s;he appeared more plea&s;ant, and nothing but joy could be &s;een in her eyes: Al&s;o, one could never &s;ee them both in a good humour at one time; for when <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was ravi&s;hed with joy at &s;ome favourable word which <HI>Cleonice</HI> had &s;poke, then &s;he was always melancholly; and when he was &s;ad at any har&s;h pa&s;&s;age from her, then would, &s;he be exceedingly plea&s;ant, &s;o great was her care to hinder him from &s;eeing &s;he was not in&s;en&s;ible: Yet it is mo&s;t cer|tain, &s;he did not hate him; and though &s;he would not call her affection by the name of Love, yet her change was &s;o much, that it de&s;erved no other name: For a hundred tri|vial pa&s;&s;ages, which &s;lipt from her unawares, did &s;ufficiently manife&s;t as much. I remem|ber, that whil&s;t he pa&s;&s;ed under the notion of her friend only, &s;he cared not in what dre&s;&s;e he &s;aw her; and I have &s;een him in her chamber &s;ome daies, when her dre&s;s was &s;o carele&s;s, that any other beauty but hers would have lo&s;t its&punc; lu&s;tre; and I am confident &s;he did never once in all her life con&s;ult with her gla&s;s how to plea&s;e him: But &s;ince his return it is otherwi&s;e; for <HI>Ligdamis</HI> never could &s;ee her till &s;he was dre&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">: She made a &s;hew as if her de&s;ign in it, was only to wean him by degrees, from that familiarity he had with her; but the true de&s;ign was, that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> might think her more fair. I humblie ask your pardon, Madam, for making &s;uch an exact relation of every trivial pa&s;&s;age; for &s;ince you commanded it, I hope my obedience will plead for my excu&s;e.</P>
<P>Be plea&s;ed to know further, that as love cannot lie long hid, &s;o <HI>Hermodorus, Arte|linda</HI> and <HI>Phocylides</HI> pre&s;ently came to know that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was in love, and in love with
<PB N="328" REF="361">
<HI>Cleonice:</HI> So that the Pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Hermodorus</HI> augmented, the Love of <HI>Phocilides</HI> revived, and the Hatred of <HI>Artelinda</HI> renewed and became more violent; for &s;he was &s;o vexed to &s;ee the heart of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> re&s;i&s;t her charms, and be captivated by <HI>Cleonice's,</HI> that &s;he ut|tered a hundred &s;ymptoms of envy. Moreover, as it is the cu&s;tom of many Ladies that are a little too gallantly inclined, to ju&s;tifie them&s;elves by accu&s;ing others, &s;he divulged it in two or three dayes throughout the Town, that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was in love with <HI>Cleonice;</HI> adding further, that <HI>Cleonice</HI> was not &s;o hard-hearted as &s;he was wont to be, &s;aying in her railierie, that Love had wounded two hearts with one blow. The noi&s;e of it was &s;o great in &s;o little time, that it did not only come pre&s;ently unto my ears, but it reached <HI>Cleonice's</HI> al&s;o, who heard it with more &s;orrow then I can expre&s;s: for I &s;aw many &s;igns of anger break out at her eyes; but I could not tell whether it was again&s;t <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> or again&s;t <HI>Artelinda,</HI> or again&s;t her&s;elf; and &s;he would not explain her&s;elf, but &s;poke many things which much puzled me: Yet I certainly knew that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was upon better terms in her heart then he believed him&s;elf. For what&s;oever &s;he &s;aid again&s;t <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> or <HI>Artelinda,</HI> or her&s;elf, &s;he never &s;aid &s;he would quit <HI>Ligdamis:</HI> but on the contrary, what&s;oever &s;he &s;aid, &s;he added this unto it, That if &s;he &s;hould change her manner of living with <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> it would be an occa&s;ion to make the world believe all that <HI>Artelinda</HI> &s;aid was true: Afterwards &s;he would &s;ay, that &s;ince this was only her own thought, &s;he would u&s;e the matter &s;o as none &s;hould ever think <HI>Ligdamis</HI> in love with her. But in conclu&s;ion, when &s;he had uttered many contrarieties, and &s;aw that all her pa&s;t &s;everity could not hinder the world from &s;aying that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> loved her: Am I not very unhappy, &s;aid &s;he, that after I have pa&s;&s;ed all my life in quietne&s;s and honour, I &s;hould now be expo&s;ed to the Railierie of <HI>Artelinda?</HI></P>
<P>But Madam, &s;aid I unto her, this is not &s;o great a crime as if you had loved him; for except <HI>Artelinda,</HI> none &s;ays that you love <HI>Ligdamis.</HI> If I had lived after the manner of others, an&s;wered &s;he, you had &s;poken well: But to hear &s;uch reports upon my &s;elf after I have profe&s;&s;ed &s;uch a &s;trict &s;everity, believe me <HI>(I&s;menea)</HI> is a mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible grief unto me. <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;poke this with &s;o many &s;igns of real di&s;plea&s;ure in her face, that indeed I was &s;orry for her; and de&s;iring to be a little more complacential towards her, Madam (&s;aid I) &s;ince it does &s;o much trouble and torment you, though <HI>Ligdamis</HI> be my friend, yet I advi&s;e you to for&s;ake him, and bani&s;h him the &s;econd time. Ah <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me and blu&s;ht, if I could do &s;o, I had done it ere this; but to my misfortune, <HI>Lig|damis</HI> has more of my heart then I have my &s;elf: Not that I can call my apprehen&s;ions of him Love, (&s;aid &s;he in reprehending her&s;elf, and not de&s;iring to tell the truth) but that my friend&s;hip to him is &s;o tender and violent, that I cannot deprive my &s;elf of his &s;ight and conver&s;ation. We will call this affection what you plea&s;e, (&s;aid I unto her) yet &s;ince it is &s;o, the matter is ea&s;ily decided; for of two evils the le&s;&s;er being to be cho&s;en, it is better to make choice of that which will afford you &s;ome houres of con&s;olation, then of that which will afford you none at all. But (&s;aid I) my advice is not to &s;atisfie your&s;elf by do|ing any act which is contrary to hand&s;omne&s;s; nor do I coun&s;el you to regulate your actions by the different opinions of all the men in a great Town: it will be &s;ufficient if you do nothing contrary to the univer&s;al received cu&s;toms of all good per&s;ons, nor any thing which may wound vertue. This done, you may re&s;t your mind in quiet, and never let the capricious cen&s;ures of others di&s;turb the plea&s;ure of your life. But &s;aid <HI>Cleonice</HI> unto me, I know not well whether this manner of living with <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> though it be mo&s;t innocent, yet whether it be not contrary to that exact hand&s;omne&s;s which you &s;peak of; for the truth is, I know he is in Love, and I perceive I am &s;o much his friend that I cannot hate him. For my part, &s;aid I unto her, it does not &s;eem to me to be criminal; e&s;pecially if it be con&s;idered that your quality and the quality of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> is equal, and by con&s;e|quence you may marry; and &s;ince &s;o, I do not &s;ee that Vertue would have any that are to marry to hate one another. All pa&s;&s;ions (&s;aid I) certainly are not crimes, though heretofore you have thought &s;o; there are &s;ome Loves which are innocent and al|lowable: Therefore do not uncalm your Mind, upon every light bla&s;t of common Report.</P>
<P>You know, &s;aid &s;he unto me, that the Father of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> is re&s;olved to marry him unto none but one. It is true, replied I: but you may well conceive, that &s;ince <HI>Ligdamis</HI> would not obey him when he loved none, he will not obey him now when he is in love with you: Therefore without taking notice of any Reports, I advi&s;e you to live with <HI>Ligdamis</HI> as you was accu&s;tomed: The noi&s;e which is vogued abroad, will quickly die;
<PB N="329" REF="361">
for &s;ince you know <HI>Artelind<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> will find &s;o many &s;everal &s;ubjects of fre&s;h di&s;cour&s;e, within three dayes the Love of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> will be no more talked on. However I conjure you, &s;aid &s;he unto me, not to tell him that I confe&s;s I cannot bani&s;h him. But &s;aid I unto her, and laughed, &s;ince the affection you bear him is only friend&s;hip, why will you hide the great|ne&s;s of it? Believe me, <HI>Cleonice,</HI> it is not u&s;ual to make any &s;ecret of friend&s;hip; but on the contrary, it is &s;o violent in &s;ome, that they cannot hide it. Well, well, <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> re|plied &s;he, I under&s;tand you very well: but though what you think were true, yet mu&s;t I tell you every thought of my &s;oul? Yes, &s;aid I unto her, if you love &s;incerity: But &s;ince you do not, I will be &s;o complacential as to name every thing as you plea&s;e; and call that Love which <HI>Ligdamis</HI> bears you, Hatred.</P>
<P>After this, Madam, the mind of <HI>Cleonice</HI> was much more quiet, and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> more happy. All reports (as I &s;aid) died; for <HI>Artelinda</HI> gave &s;o many new cau&s;es of talk con|cerning her&s;elf, that nothing el&s;e was &s;poke of; and &s;he did not only continue the enter|tainment of that multitude of Servants about her, but another notable adventure fell out, which was this. As &s;he was one morning writing &s;everal Letters unto three or four of her Lovers, unto which &s;he gave &s;everal directions, and writing at the &s;ame time unto <HI>Cleo|nice</HI> to ju&s;tifie her&s;elf concerning what &s;he had &s;aid again&s;t her; after &s;he had writ all the Letters, &s;he would write no Super&s;criptions upon the top; and he to whom &s;he gave the Letters, though he was a witty Knave, and accu&s;tomed unto &s;uch offices, yet did he deceive her that day, in di&s;tributing them not according to her directions. So that one of the&s;e Lovers, whom &s;he appointed to meet at the Temple of <HI>Diana,</HI> by one of her Letters, re|ceived another Letter which was not intended to him, and which appointed him to that &s;ame day and vi&s;it a Lady which he never &s;aw, who was his mo&s;t mortal enemy. That Letter which appointed the meeting at the Temple of <HI>Diana,</HI> was carried unto a man of quality who was a &s;tranger, and had not been long in <HI>Ephe&s;us:</HI> He was one, who accord|ing to the religion of his own Country, would not adore the Gods in any Temples which were built with the hands of men; &s;o that this Letter did extremely &s;urpri&s;e him. <HI>Artelin|da</HI> had writ another unto one of her Lovers (who was to go out of town that day) that he would meet her in the way as &s;he went to the Temple, to the end &s;he might there bid him adieu. But in lieu of that Letter, he received another which was not intended to him, but unto another, by which &s;he de&s;ired him to meet her at evening in the Walks by the &s;ea-&s;ide: And that which was intended for the other, was brought unto <HI>Cleonice;</HI> and that which was intended for <HI>Cleonice,</HI> was carried unto another. So that this variety of mi&s;takes made the be&s;t &s;port in the world.</P>
<P>When the mi&s;taken Letter was brought unto <HI>Cleonice,</HI> we were all together; and &s;he wondred that <HI>Artelinda,</HI> with whom &s;he was not friends, &s;hould write to her. She opened then this Letter very ha&s;tily; but when &s;he looked upon the Character, &s;he pre&s;ently knew it to be the &s;ame in which &s;he u&s;ed to write unto her Gallants, and not that in which &s;he u&s;ed to write unto her friends. Then <HI>Cleonice</HI> and I began to read the&s;e words, which did not at all concern her.</P>
<LETTER>
<P><HI>IF you will be in the &s;treet which leads unto the Temple of</HI> Diana, <HI>about that houre I u&s;e to go thither; I &s;hall under&s;tand from your own mouth, what thoughts you have of me, at part|ing; and you may under&s;tand from mine, how much your ab&s;ence will trouble me.</HI></P>
</LETTER>
<P>After we had read this Letter, we knew that he who brought it was mi&s;taken; but I advi&s;ed <HI>Cleonice</HI> to &s;ay nothing unto the man, but that &s;he would do as his Mi&s;tre&s;s de&s;ired: And indeed we did not go with le&s;s de&s;ire to be at the appointed place, then perhaps that Lover would have done for whom it was intended. <HI>Cleonice</HI> gave orders, that they &s;hould acquaint her when <HI>Artelinda</HI> went out of her hou&s;e, that we might follow after her; which was ea&s;ily done, becau&s;e both were neighbours. Therefore we no &s;ooner knew of her going out, but we al&s;o went out at a back-door which was neere&s;t that &s;treet where the appointment was; knowing well we &s;hould find her on foot, becau&s;e it was not the cu|&s;tom of <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> to go unto the Temple of <HI>Diana</HI> in Coach. As &s;oon as we &s;pied her, we began to walk &s;oftly, that we might ob&s;erve what &s;he did; and we &s;aw her look towards the place where &s;he expected her Lover, very &s;eriou&s;ly and often; then &s;he walkt very &s;oftly, in hopes &s;till of his coming, having none with her but one woman who was ac|quainted with all her &s;ecrets. But at the la&s;t turning towards us, we came neerer her and met. She no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Cleonice,</HI> (who &s;he thought had received her Letter, in which
<PB N="330" REF="362">
&s;he de&s;ired her to &s;tay within at her own hou&s;e after dinner) but addre&s;&s;ing her&s;elf, Come <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, it is not in this place where I mu&s;t ju&s;tifie my &s;elf; therefore I be&s;eech you let me have the honour after dinner to talk with you. And then &s;he would have left her: But <HI>Cleonice</HI> craftily &s;taying her, (and counterfeiting very hand&s;omly) Then have you changed your mind, &s;aid &s;he unto her, for your Letter appointed this place, and I thought you were going &s;ome journey by the expre&s;&s;ions of your Letter. <HI>Artelinda</HI> blu&s;ht at this di&s;cour&s;e; and apprehending that he who carried the Letters was mi&s;taken, and had given one Letter for another, &s;he was in a great fume; yet being both crafty and bold, &s;he turned it to laughter, and asked to &s;ee the Letter, to the end &s;he might get it out of <HI>Cleonice's</HI> hands: She &s;aid by way of excu&s;e, that &s;he had writ it unto one of her Co&s;ins, who was not upon good terms with her mother, and was going into the Country; but <HI>Cleonice</HI> having no di&s;po&s;ition to re&s;tore it, &s;aid &s;he had left it at home. Yet &s;ince <HI>Arte|linda</HI> knew &s;he had writ many others, and that the &s;ame mi&s;take might chance have hapned to them al&s;o, her minde was very much di&s;ordered: She dur&s;t not return back, or would &s;he go unto the Temple, hoping &s;till that perhaps he who was appointed to meet, had received the right Letter, and would come: But yet not &s;eeing him, &s;he did more and more doubt the univer&s;al di&s;order of all her Letters; &s;o that being in a re&s;tle&s;&s;e impati|ence, &s;he left us and returned home, where &s;he found all the An&s;wers of her Lovers, which did &s;ufficiently confirm her in the mi&s;take: He who was to go out of Town in the morn|ing, and had received an appointment to meet in the evening at the &s;ea-&s;ide, complained again&s;t her for her cruel kinde of Rallerie, and went out of <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> with a minde much incen&s;ed again&s;t her. He who never came into Temples, and had received an pppoint|ment to meet in the Temple of <HI>Diania,</HI> &s;aid it was enough to make him change his Re|ligion, and adore only her eyes. He who had received that Letter which was intended for <HI>Cleonice,</HI> wherein &s;he de&s;ired him to &s;tay at home, that &s;he might come and ju&s;tifie her &s;elf, writ back to her, that he was not worthy of &s;o much honour, as that &s;he &s;hould come to his hou&s;e; nor knew he why &s;he &s;hould ju&s;tifie her&s;elf of any thing; yet adding not|with&s;tanding, that he would obey her. For be plea&s;ed to know, Madam, that the Letter was written &s;o, that it would &s;erve either to a man or a woman. Moreover, he who had received that Letter which appointed him to go unto a Lady whom he never &s;aw, and who was his mottal enemy, thinking that <HI>Artelinda</HI> mocked him, did an&s;wer her in anger: In|&s;omuch, as <HI>Artelinda</HI> de&s;igning to favour four Lovers in a morning, di&s;obliged them all, and gave a full &s;ubject of revenge unto <HI>Cleonice:</HI> Yet would &s;he not publi&s;h this adven|ture at the fir&s;t; but I, who was not &s;o indulgent as &s;he, told it unto one of my friends, who divulged it all over the Town: So that all the&s;e Lovers having heard what hap|pened unto <HI>Cleonice,</HI> every one of them believed her and them&s;elves both injured by <HI>Artelinda.</HI></P>
<P>Moreover, <HI>Artelinda</HI> was &s;o very angrie with him that had &s;o gro&s;ly mi&s;taken her Let|ters, and u&s;ed him &s;o ill, that he told it unto very many: and in a few daies the thing was &s;o univer&s;ally known, that all the&s;e Lovers, except him who was ab&s;ent, &s;hewed their Letters one unto another, and had &s;o many jeers for <HI>Artelinda,</HI> that <HI>Cleonice</HI> found her full revenge: She found from thence another benefit, which was, that they never after this &s;poke a word more concerning the love of <HI>Ligdamis;</HI> So that both <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and &s;he did for &s;ome daies enjoy all the happine&s;&s;e that an innocent Love could afford: Yet did <HI>Cleonice</HI> cau&s;e &s;ome angrie hours unto <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he could not be per&s;waded that love could la&s;t long: So that though &s;he agreed &s;o far with him as to believe his love was very great, yet &s;he told him time would wear it out: So that it may be &s;aid, &s;he di&s;|quieted her&s;elf when fortune did not. She did divers times hinder <HI>Ligdamis</HI> from per&s;wa|ding his father to alter his minde concerning his marriage, and to permit him to addre&s;&s;e him&s;elf unto <HI>Stenobea,</HI> to obtain her con&s;ent of <HI>Leonice,</HI> telling him he mu&s;t never be too ha&s;tie in bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; and that perhaps his love would le&s;&s;en, and that &s;he would have a long trial of his Pa&s;&s;ion. And though <HI>Ligdamis</HI> thought this trial &s;he alreadie had was enough, yet his re&s;pect of her was &s;o great, that he dur&s;t not importune her again&s;t any thing &s;he much de&s;ired, e&s;pecially &s;ince he had no other di&s;tempers of Love, but only im|patience. For though <HI>Hermodorus</HI> was &s;till in love with <HI>Cleonice,</HI> al&s;o <HI>Phocylides</HI> had a great minde that way, and likewi&s;e many others, yet was he not jealous, but was as happie as any Lover could be, who had not the full enjoyments of his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Then Madam, que&s;tionle&s;&s;e you know that the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Lydia</HI> was brought unto <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> pre&s;ently after the impri&s;onment of <HI>Cleander.</HI> At that time <HI>Ligdamis</HI> being
<PB N="331" REF="362">
there, he &s;ought all occa&s;ions to do him the be&s;t offices he could; and it was indeed by his means, that <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> who was then at <HI>Sardis,</HI> conveyed many Letters from this illu&s;tri|ous Pri&s;oner unto that Prince&s;&s;e, and by whom &s;he returned an&s;wers. Though the bu|&s;ine&s;s was then very &s;ecretly carried, and none knew it, except <HI>E&s;ope;</HI> yet &s;ince it was known, <HI>Cleander</HI> loved <HI>Ligdamis</HI> very well, <HI>Hermodorus</HI> having &s;ome confu&s;ed knowledge long &s;ince, that he received &s;ome Letters from the Prince&s;&s;e, yet not knowing to whom they were directed, did &s;ecretly acquaint <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> did plot &s;omething with the Prince&s;&s;e his daughter: Yet <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> not daring to arre&s;t him, becau&s;e he knew his father was at his Government; he would therefore endeavor to remove him fir&s;t, and in order to that, he &s;ent for the father under &s;ome pretence or other, to come unto him, and gave orders to arre&s;t the &s;on at <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> the &s;ame day the father came to <HI>Sardis:</HI> But &s;ince he had many friends at Court, he was acquainted with the de&s;ign of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us;</HI> So that &s;eeming to be &s;ick, he &s;ent his excu&s;e to the King, and &s;ent at the &s;ame time to <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> to acquaint him al&s;o, that he &s;hould come away in all ha&s;te.</P>
<P>I leave you to judge Madam, how &s;ad this &s;torie was unto two, who thought them|&s;elves unhappy if they did not &s;ee one another every day: However, there was a ne|ce&s;&s;ity that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> mu&s;t depart, and he did &s;o, the &s;adde&s;t man alive. He offered above twenty times to di&s;obey his father; but when <HI>Cleonice</HI> con&s;idered that perhaps &s;he might be a cau&s;e of his impri&s;onment, &s;he her &s;elf did ha&s;te his departure. Then did &s;he begin again to complain again&s;t Love, yet not being able to wi&s;h that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hould leave loving her; &s;he &s;aid this Pa&s;&s;ion made none any thing el&s;e but unfortunate. But as if it were not enough to be grieved for the ab&s;ence and misfortune of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;he mu&s;t al|&s;o &s;uffer the per&s;ecution of <HI>Hermodorus;</HI> who&s;e only end of pro&s;ecuting again&s;t his Ri|val, was to profit by his di&s;grace. He asked <HI>Cleonice</HI> of <HI>Stenobea</HI> in marriage, who made him a promi&s;e of it, if he could obtain the con&s;ent of her daughter. <HI>Phocylides</HI> al&s;o was more importunate then before; and &s;ince it was impo&s;&s;ible for him to hide all his melancholly, <HI>Artelinda</HI> did explain the cau&s;e of it for him, unto all tho&s;e that could not gue&s;s it without her: So that <HI>Cleonice</HI> was beleagured by all &s;orts of &s;orrows at once. The &s;i&s;ter of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> being married to a man of good quality, who&s;e e&s;tate was on this &s;ide the river <HI>Hermes,</HI> went thither with her husband; and there &s;taid not in <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> any with whom &s;he might talk of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> except me. In the mean time, <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> &s;ee|ing his de&s;ign took no effect, and not conceiving it expedient to begin a civil war in his own dominions, when he expected a forreign war upon him&s;elf, did di&s;&s;emble his Re&s;ent|ments, &s;eeming to be &s;atisfied with the excu&s;e which the father of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;ent him, and expre&s;&s;ing no di&s;content at all; yet for all that, his de&s;ign was, as &s;oon as <HI>Ligdamis</HI> or his father came out of that place, to &s;ecure their per&s;ons; and they having intelli|gence of the&s;e intentions, by friends which certainly knew it, it might be &s;aid they were Pri&s;oners, out of fear of being &s;o; for they never came out of the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes:</HI> yet <HI>Ligdamis</HI> obtained once of his father, to come di&s;gui&s;ed unto <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> (under colour of di&s;covering &s;ome important bu&s;ine&s;s) to &s;ee <HI>Cleonice.</HI></P>
<P>You may imagine, Madam, how I wondered to &s;ee him come one night into my cham|ber in a <HI>Phrygian</HI> habit, which made me at fir&s;t not know him; yet he no &s;ooner &s;poke unto me (and de&s;ired me to conceal that I knew him, unle&s;s I dur&s;t tru&s;t my women) but I knew him: So that I not con&s;idering his voyage was cau&s;ed by <HI>Cleonice,</HI> Ah me <HI>Ligda|mis,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, good Gods, what brought you hither? Alas <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> &s;aid he, <HI>I</HI> am much more mi&s;erable then I thought I was; for &s;ince you do not know me, it is an evi|dent &s;ign that <HI>Cleonice</HI> does not think my Pa&s;&s;ion as violent as hers. She thinks hers more violent then yours, replied I, but I believe &s;he does not think you di&s;creet enough, in hazarding that life which is &s;o dear unto her as yours is: For if you &s;hould be taken in <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> in a di&s;gui&s;ed habit, you gave your enemies a &s;ufficient ground to ruine you. It is no matter, &s;aid he to me, &s;o I may but have the happine&s;&s;e to &s;ee <HI>Cleonice:</HI> There|fore to lo&s;e no time, dear <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> procure me that favour. When I heard <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;peak with &s;o much zeal, and perceiving that he had rather &s;ee <HI>Cleonice,</HI> then return into &s;afety; I &s;ent to de&s;ire <HI>Stenobea,</HI> &s;he would be plea&s;ed to permit <HI>Cleonice</HI> to come unto me, to a&s;&s;i&s;t me in a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e wherein &s;he might do me a great favour: I would not name any manner of diverti&s;ment, lea&s;t <HI>Stenobea</HI> her &s;elf, loving all plea&s;ures, &s;hould be there al&s;o: But my device did not hit as I hoped; for &s;he thinking it to be &s;ome mu&s;ick matter, or &s;uch diver&s;ion, &s;ent me word that &s;he would her&s;elf bring her, as indeed within an hour after &s;he did.</P>
<P><PB N="332" REF="363">
You may well imagine how <HI>Ligdamis</HI> lamented this accident, &s;ince he mu&s;t not &s;ee his dear <HI>Cleonice</HI> all that night; yet &s;ince there was no remedy, I put him in my Clo&s;et, and &s;at down upon my bed, in expectation of <HI>Stenobea,</HI> who came pre&s;ently after, in hopes to finde &s;ome very con&s;iderable diverti&s;ement. The merrie&s;t part of all the adventure was, that &s;he acquainted all the company which was with her with my me&s;&s;age, who all al&s;o came unto my lodging with her; &s;o that in le&s;s then three quarters of an hour, half the Town was in my chamber, which did exceedingly amaze me; and the more, becau&s;e I &s;aw all that were there, expected &s;omething more then they found. However, though I knew none in the company would offer to go into my Clo&s;et, yet I was in a great per|plexity, that I could not get them out of my Chamber: For as for <HI>Stenobea,</HI> &s;ince &s;he was a Lover of much company, and found it there, &s;he never complained, nor would &s;he &s;uf|fer any others to complain that they were deceived in their expectation. But at the la&s;t, I was &s;o out of all patience at this pa&s;&s;age, and complained &s;o much, as I plainly told them all, I had no other de&s;ign to &s;ee any that night, but only <HI>Cleonice:</HI> who &s;eeing &s;o much Company did trouble me in earne&s;t, entreated her Mother to depart, and to begin the example unto others. So that <HI>Stenobea</HI> ri&s;ing up fir&s;t, did lead the way out, and all the re&s;t followed, leaving only <HI>Cleonice</HI> with me.</P>
<P>After all this multitude was gone, which &s;o troubled me, and grieved <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> I ri&s;e up and laughed at the accident. Then <HI>Cleonice</HI> looking upon me, and &s;eeing by my coun|tenance that I had no very &s;erious bu&s;ine&s;s with her; Is it true, <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, that you had &s;ome real bu&s;ine&s;s with me, or did you &s;end for me only to divert you? My principal de&s;ign, &s;aid I unto her, has not been to plea&s;e you; for you &s;hall pre&s;ently &s;ee, that I regarded the intere&s;t of another more then yours. Upon that, I opened my Clo&s;et|door; and putting her in fir&s;t, I followed after her and &s;hut the door. When &s;he &s;aw one there in a Phrygian habit, &s;he &s;tood in a maze; and much more, when he threw him&s;elf at her feet, and took her by the hand; Madam! (&s;aying unto her) it was impo&s;&s;ible for me to live, and not to &s;ee you. <HI>Cleonice</HI> knowing at fir&s;t the voice of him that was &s;o dear in her thoughts, could not choo&s;e but joy at it, and pardoned me for &s;o deceiving her, and an&s;wered his complaint in a mo&s;t civil and obliging manner. But pre&s;ently after, con|&s;idering that if it were known <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was in <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> di&s;gui&s;ed, they would arre&s;t him, and perhaps make that a crime again&s;t the State, which was only an effect of Love, her joy did le&s;&s;en; and her further fear was, that this meeting, if it were known, would reflect upon her reputation. So that repenting of her obliging language, and her expre&s;&s;ions of joy; Truly <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he after we were &s;et down) Tho&s;e who &s;ay the fir&s;t thoughts of women are always the be&s;t, do not always &s;ay true; &s;ince at the fir&s;t I had an extreme delight in &s;eeing you, yet my &s;econd thoughts tell me that my fir&s;t were unju&s;t, and that I ought to chide you: For to &s;peak rationally, why do you put your own liberty and life into hazard? and why do you expo&s;e me to be &s;u&s;pected as a Confederate with you? My rea&s;on is, Madam, replied he, becau&s;e there is a fatal <HI>mu&s;t</HI> upon me; that is, I mu&s;t either &s;ee you, or die: And as for your confederacie or honour, Madam, I cannot be|lieve it to be in any danger, for your vertue is above the reach of calumny. Therefore (Madam) I be&s;eech you permit me to enjoy the happine&s;s and &s;atisfaction of di&s;cour&s;e with you; and be &s;o good as to tell me whether my di&s;grace and bani&s;hment hath not cau&s;ed a change in your &s;oul? and whether <HI>Ligdamis</HI> mu&s;t be hated both by <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and by you, becau&s;e he has the honour to be in the illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander's</HI> favour? You wrong me ex|tremely, replied &s;he, to &s;u&s;pect me of any &s;uch unworthine&s;s; and I &s;hould re&s;ent it &s;o, if you would not perhaps think that I took an occa&s;ion to quarrel with you: To prevent which, I will forget the injury, and a&s;&s;ure you that your misfortunes make my friend&s;hip to you more tender then before. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was tran&s;ported with joy at this obliging an&s;wer; and replied in &s;uch acknowledging terms, as &s;poke his &s;oul to be full of violent Love.</P>
<P>Thus did we pa&s;s away this evening together, <HI>Cleonice</HI> forcing him to promi&s;e he would be gone the next morning before break of day; for &s;he extremely feared that his &s;tay any longer would hazard a di&s;covery. His de&s;ires were to &s;ee her once more, but he could not po&s;&s;ibly obtain it from her; &s;o that he contented him&s;elf with &s;taying as late with us as hand&s;omly he could. <HI>Cleonice</HI> endeavoured to hide the exce&s;s of her &s;orrow at this parting, with as much care as <HI>Ligdamis</HI> took to expre&s;s his: But do what &s;he could, it appeared in her eyes; and both of them were &s;o exce&s;&s;ively &s;ad, that I profe&s;s I was exceeding &s;orry for them. After <HI>Cleonice</HI> was gone, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;tayed &s;till a long while
<PB N="333" REF="363">
with me di&s;cour&s;ing of her, and entreating me to continue his friendly &s;ollicitor. But in conclu&s;ion, it being very late, he left me al&s;o, and went to the hou&s;e of a friend where he &s;taid till break of day. This friend, whom be thought to be the mo&s;t faithfull &s;ervant in the world unto him, he tru&s;ted him with all the bu&s;ine&s;s of his voyage: But, Madam, be plea&s;ed to know that this friend, how faithfull &s;oever in appearance, proved to be the Spie of <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> who underhand did u&s;e all po&s;&s;ible endeavours to ruine <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and marry <HI>Cleonice.</HI> So that being adverti&s;ed by this Agent, that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was in <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> di&s;gui&s;ed, that he was in his hou&s;e, and that he had been at my hou&s;e with <HI>Cleonice;</HI> after <HI>Hermodorus</HI> had well con&s;idered what cour&s;e to take, he &s;ent &s;ix men whom he hired with money, to &s;eize upon the per&s;on of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> to take away his &s;word, and to guard him in the the chamber where they found him, appointing them to tell <HI>Ligdamis</HI> that they arre&s;ted him by command from the Governour of <HI>Ephe&s;us.</HI> This cour&s;e being re&s;olved upon, it was pre&s;ently executed: for he in who&s;e hou&s;e <HI>Ligdamis</HI> lodged, did him&s;elf open the door unto tho&s;e who would arre&s;t a Delinquent unto the State. So that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> lying down to &s;leep, found him&s;elf a Pri&s;oner when he waked, and di&s;abled to re&s;i&s;t their violence.</P>
<P>In the mean while <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> being very glad he had his Rival in his power, did mo&s;t impatiently wait for an opportunity to &s;ee <HI>Cleonice.</HI> But &s;ince mornings were not fit hours to vi&s;it Ladies, he &s;taid till the afternoon; and then he came &s;o &s;oon after dinner, that he found her alone in her chamber. After he had rendred an officious Complement, which &s;he returned very coldly: Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I am very &s;orry that I mu&s;t augment that melancholy which is in your eyes; yet I thought it my duty to acquaint you that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> is a Pri&s;oner. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> a Pri&s;oner! (replied <HI>Cleonice</HI> infinitely a&s;toni&s;hed) then they have &s;urpri&s;ed the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes.</HI> No, Madam, replied he; it is in this Town that he is taken in a di&s;gui&s;e by a man of my acquaintance; who hoping to have a great recompence from <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> for &s;ei&s;ing upon a Delinquent again&s;t the State, he de&s;ired me to lend him a hou&s;e of mine in the way to <HI>Sardis,</HI> to keep him in more &s;afety. But Madam I knowing how dear the life of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> is unto you, I have contrived a way to relea&s;e him if you plea&s;e. I perceive, Madam, by the trouble of your countenance, that you &s;u&s;pect the truth of my words: but the better to per&s;wade you, I need only tell you that he came di&s;gui&s;ed unto <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> in a Phrygian habit, and that he has &s;een you at the lodging of <HI>I&s;menea. Cleonice</HI> after this not doubting the truth, changed countenance and di&s;|cour&s;e; and looking upon <HI>Hermodorus</HI> as a man who might relea&s;e <HI>Ligdamis; Hermo|dorus,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, I cannot deny but that the misfortune of him you name does exceedingly trouble me: for be&s;ides his being a kin&s;man unto <HI>I&s;menea</HI> whom I love very well, he is al&s;o my friend, and &s;uch a friend, that I would do any thing to relea&s;e him; therefore I conjure you for my &s;ake, if it be in your power, to do it. Doubtle&s;s I can, replied he: but Madam, I know not whether you will do one thing which is ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary for the obtaining of his liberty. It mu&s;t be either a crime, or an im|po&s;&s;ibility, replied &s;he, if I will not: As for things only difficult, I will attempt them all to &s;ave the life of any unfortunate man that is a very &s;tranger unto me, much &s;ooner for a friend whom I infinitely e&s;teem. Be plea&s;ed then to re&s;olve, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, not only to &s;ave the life of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> but of <HI>Hermodorus</HI> al&s;o: Yes, Madam, you may &s;ave them both with one word; and you &s;hall no &s;ooner con&s;ent that <HI>Hermodorus</HI> &s;hall be happy, but <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hall be relea&s;ed. <HI>Cleonice</HI> was &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed at this di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> that &s;he looked upon him and could not an&s;wer, and began to &s;u&s;pect the truth: <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, are not you the man that hath arre&s;ted <HI>Ligdamis?</HI> I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid he unto her) before I tell you the place where he is, or who arre&s;ted him, an&s;wer to what I &s;aid unto you: <HI>Ligdamis</HI> is a di&s;graced man, and will never be in a condition to expre&s;s his love again at <HI>Ephe&s;us. Ligdamis,</HI> replied &s;he in a great fury, is a man mo&s;t illu&s;trious; and di&s;graced as he is, I prefer before you or any other. But <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> you have told me enough: for &s;ince I &s;ee it is in your power to relea&s;e <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> you mu&s;t either do it, or el&s;e re&s;olve upon my hatred, and that unto &s;uch a degree as I &s;hall never be at re&s;t untill I take revenge; but on the contrary, if you can be &s;o generous as to relea&s;e him without any conditions, I &s;hould be &s;o much obliged to you, that certainly I &s;hould treat you much better then heretofore; but to think you &s;hould tyrannically engage me to marry you, that is a thing which you can never bring me to,&punc; though it were to &s;ave my own life as well as the life of <HI>Ligdamis.</HI> But Madam, I be&s;eech you would you have me relea&s;e my Rival, to the end he may &s;upplant me and
<PB N="334" REF="364">
take away my life, as I have pre&s;erved his? Con&s;ider this, Madam, I be&s;eech you, and do not &s;o ha&s;tily pronounce a &s;entence of death again&s;t <HI>Ligdamis.</HI> Oh thou mo&s;t cruel man! cryed &s;he out, being tran&s;ported by exce&s;s of &s;orrow; Can you commit &s;o horrid a &s;in? Madam, replied he, you know if he fall into the hands of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> he is in danger; yet doubtle&s;s I &s;hall not help him, unle&s;s you help me. Is there no &s;park of Genero&s;ity in you? &s;aid &s;he unto him. Genero&s;ity, replied he, bids me not make my &s;elf mi&s;erable by relea&s;ing my Rival; it is &s;ufficient in tho&s;e that are mo&s;t generous, not to hurt another though it be in their power. But, &s;aid &s;he, you no &s;ooner relea&s;e this Rival, but he flies away pre&s;ently, and will be gone far off from <HI>Ephe&s;us.</HI> It may be &s;o, replied he: but as far as he is off you, he will be &s;till in your Heart; and therefore, Madam, I mu&s;t ask it, before I relea&s;e him who keeps me from it. My Heart, replied &s;he, is not &s;o ea&s;ily obtained as you &s;uppo&s;e. You will then not relea&s;e <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> replied he. You will then not merit my e&s;teem, an&s;wered &s;he, &s;ince at my reque&s;t you will not do a thing, which your own in|tere&s;t &s;hould prompt you unto, if you loved your honour.</P>
<P>Honour (replied <HI>Hermodorus</HI> very &s;harply) is doubtle&s;&s;e a glorious attribute, but a Lover thinking it to con&s;i&s;t in the enjoyment of her he loves, it is not &s;trange I &s;hould &s;et another price upon the liberty of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> then <HI>Cleonice</HI> does. Yet, Madam, con&s;ider up|on it, and I will come to receive your ultimate an&s;wer to morrow morning. <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;ee|ing <HI>Hermodorus</HI> ready to leave her, &s;he &s;tayed him, and forcing her&s;elf with much ado, &s;he began to &s;peak him fair; and entreated him to tell her where <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was, but he would not tell her: So that changing from fair words to threatnings again, &s;he &s;poke as much as anger and &s;orrow could invent, in behalf of him &s;he loved: But fearing lea&s;t this cour&s;e &s;hould ha&s;ten the de&s;truction of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;he fell to her &s;upplications again: But &s;ince &s;he could not po&s;&s;ibly tell <HI>Hermodorus</HI> &s;he would marry him, he left her, &s;aying he would expect her an&s;wer in the morning; and that he gave her this time to con&s;ider, lea&s;t &s;he &s;hould repent of any ha&s;ty re&s;olutions: And &s;o he went out, leaving <HI>Cleonice</HI> in a mo&s;t mi&s;erable condition.</P>
<P>She &s;ent immediately unto me, and longed to impart the pittiful &s;tory; and I went the very &s;ame hour unto her hou&s;e, where I heard her relate all the pa&s;&s;ages in &s;uch terms as would have moved compa&s;ion out of the mo&s;t hard and in&s;en&s;ible &s;oul. After then I had participated of her &s;orrows, and a long time de&s;canted upon this &s;ad adventure, we &s;ent unto that friends hou&s;e, with whom <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;aid he would lodge, and where yet he was, to try if we could di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">cover how he was taken. But the wife of this perfideous man being in&s;tructed by her husband, &s;aid that he was gone out by break of day, as &s;oon as the gates of the Town were open, and that &s;he knew no more of him. You may then very well imagine, Madam, how <HI>Cleonice</HI> grieved at the misfortune of <HI>Ligdamis:</HI> In the mean time, we could not contrive how to prevent the &s;ad con&s;equences of this fatal ac|cident; for to acquaint the Governor of <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> how the&s;e men who arre&s;ted <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> had no authority to keep him, and that in all likelihood it was <HI>Hermodorus</HI> who had done this wrong, were only to deliver <HI>Ligdamis</HI> from <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> into the hands of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> for every one knew how the Governor had orders to arre&s;t him if ever he came to <HI>Ephe|&s;us:</HI> &s;o that there was no more &s;afty for him in &s;ending him to the King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> then there was in the tyranny of his Rival: Yet &s;ince <HI>Cleonice</HI> apprehended him to be in much danger under his Rival, &s;he determined, that if <HI>Hermodorus</HI> when he came to her, would not be per&s;waded to rea&s;on, then to acquaint the Governor with the bu&s;ine&s;s: For by this cour&s;e, &s;aid &s;he, though I do not relea&s;e <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> yet I &s;hall puni&s;h <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> and he &s;hall not dye by his hand. 'Tis very true, &s;aid I unto her, but will his death be wel|comer unto you one way then the other? and do you not con&s;ider that this way will let all the world know, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was with you at my hou&s;e, and perhaps make them believe you were the cau&s;e of his coming? But which way, replyed &s;he, can I colour it? Shall I marry <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> to relea&s;e <HI>Ligdamis?</HI> Ah <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> he would think his liberty then bought at too dear a rate, and yet I &s;ee no other way to get him out of the hands of his enemy, but by expo&s;ing my &s;elf. Then there is no more to be &s;aid, but that I mu&s;t re|&s;olve to dye; for though I had &s;o much power with my &s;elf as to overcome my &s;trong aver&s;ion to <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> and &s;hould give him &s;atisfaction, yet perhaps he would not re|lea&s;e <HI>Ligdamis.</HI></P>
<P>Afterwards con&s;idering what reports would be of her, when it &s;hould be known that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> had &s;een her in &s;ecret, &s;he knew not what to re&s;olve upon; and &s;ometimes fear|ing the life of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> &s;ometimes her own reputation, &s;he was mo&s;t extreamly trou|bled:
<PB N="335" REF="364">
But in conclu&s;ion, after a hundred &s;everal imaginations, I advi&s;ed her to acquaint a Kin&s;man unto <HI>Ligdamis</HI> who was at <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> with this pa&s;&s;age; to the end, that when <HI>Hermodorus</HI> came unto her in the morning, he might by &s;trong hand &s;eize upon his per|&s;on, and tell him that he knew <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was in his power; and &s;o he might relea&s;e the one with the other. At the fir&s;t, we found no ob&s;ticle in the bu&s;ine&s;s, like tho&s;e who think the execution of any thing which they earne&s;tly de&s;ire, to be ea&s;ie: But upon &s;e|cond con&s;ideration, we found <HI>Stenobea</HI> to be a con&s;iderable hindrance, becau&s;e &s;he was a favourer of <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> and con&s;equently would not &s;uffer any violence to him in her hou&s;e; yet pre&s;ently after, <HI>Cleonice</HI> remembred that the next day her mother was to go into the Country fifty furlongs off, and would not return till the next day: This ob&s;ta|cle therefore being removed, we thought our de&s;ign to be the be&s;t and only expedient we could take.</P>
<P>Then I left <HI>Cleonice,</HI> and went to my own hou&s;e, where I was no &s;ooner come, but I &s;ent for this Cou&s;in unto <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who was a very &s;tout couragious man, and fit for &s;uch an attempt: A&s;&s;oon as he came, I told him his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and he undertook it accord|ing to my wi&s;h; &s;o that to lo&s;e no time, he procured a convenient number of a&s;&s;i&s;tants, requi&s;ite for the execution. <HI>Cleonice</HI> and I expected the morning with much impatience. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> for his part, he knew not what to think upon the adventure; for though he was arre&s;ted in the name of the Governor, yet he knew that they who arre&s;ted him were not his Souldiers: Moreover, he &s;aw they let him be in the hou&s;e of one whom he took to be his friend, though the Traytor had not &s;o much boldne&s;s as to &s;hew him&s;elf &s;ince he was arre&s;ted. He could not gue&s;s at the truth of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; but he told us after|wards, that the &s;orrows which he thought <HI>Cleonice</HI> would apprehend in his misfortunes, did trouble him more then his own danger. As for <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> I believe his thoughts were more turbulent then either <HI>Ligdamis</HI> or <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;ince I cannot think it po&s;&s;ible to commit any vile act with a quiet con&s;cience.</P>
<P>Yet, Madam, this longed for morning being come, <HI>Stenobea</HI> being gone, and I with <HI>Cleonce,</HI> the Kin&s;man of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> al&s;o being in my hou&s;e, with his a&s;&s;i&s;tants, waiting till I &s;ent him word that <HI>Hermodorus</HI> was come. <HI>Cleonice</HI> and my &s;elf thought our &s;elves in a wor&s;t condition then before: and though we did mo&s;t earne&s;tly de&s;ire the liberty of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> yet when we came to the very point of executing our de&s;ign, we di&s;liked it; and we were &s;o little accu&s;tomed to tumults and noi&s;e, that out of our weakne&s;s we di&s;|approved of that, which our rea&s;on and affection wi&s;hed were done. In the mean time, minutes &s;eemed hours unto us, and hours days, and it was noon, and not a word of <HI>Her|modorus;</HI> who whether he had &s;een me with the Kin&s;man of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> or out of his &s;ub|tilty fore&s;aw the accident, I know not, but he re&s;olved not to come, and only &s;ent a Let|ter. When we had lo&s;t almo&s;t all our patience in a long expectation, we &s;aw a man, who was not his own; come unto us, and gave a Letter unto <HI>Cleonice,</HI> the &s;en&s;e whereof was this:</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>HERMODORUS unto CLEONICE.</HEAD>
<P>SInce my re&s;olution depends upon yours, Madam, I &s;ent to know what yours is; but I be|&s;eech you con&s;ider, that if it be not favournble unto him who loves you mo&s;t of all the world, it &s;hall be fatal unto him whom you love be&s;t: Con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly, and an&s;wer fa|vourably, le&s;t you repent when it is too late.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>HERMODORUS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After that <HI>Cleonice</HI> had read this Letter, &s;hee &s;eemed &s;o de&s;perate, that I thought &s;he would have dyed with grief. I asked him who brought it, where <HI>Hermodorus</HI> was? And he an&s;wered, that he thought he was at his own hou&s;e; and &s;aid that it was one of his men who brought this Letter to him, commanding him from his Ma&s;ter to deliver it, and bring an an&s;wer. In the mean time <HI>Cleonice</HI> knew not what to re&s;olve upon: but upon &s;econd and &s;erious thoughts &s;he writ back the&s;e words:</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="336" REF="365">
<HEAD>CLEONICE unto HERMODORUS.</HEAD>
<P>THe Re&s;olution which I have pitched upon, is not of &s;o &s;mall importance, as to be tru&s;ted unto that &s;tranger which brought me your Letter: Therefore if you would know it, come hither your &s;elf, for I will not write it,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>CLEONICE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>I forgot to tell you, that whil&s;t <HI>Cleonice</HI> was writing, I &s;ent unto the Co&s;in of <HI>Ligda|mis,</HI> advi&s;ing him to follow the man who carried <HI>Cleonice</HI>'s An&s;wer, hoping that way to know where <HI>Hermodorus</HI> was: The man whom he did imploy in the bu&s;ine&s;s, was not &s;o diligent as he might have been, but lo&s;t the &s;ight of him in a pre&s;s of people at the gate of <HI>Ephe&s;us;</HI> &s;o that then we thought our &s;elves more mi&s;erable then before, becau&s;e we were out of all hopes, &s;ince we believed <HI>Hermodorus</HI> would not come upon the Letter which <HI>Cleonice</HI> writ.</P>
<P>The Kin&s;man of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> enquired very diligently where <HI>Hermodorus</HI> was, but could hear no certainty: It was therefore re&s;olved, to &s;et Spyes about his hou&s;e the next night to watch his coming out; and if it were po&s;&s;ible to arre&s;t him. In the mean time <HI>Cle|onices</HI> Letter did much puzzle her ob&s;tinate Lover; who to compa&s;s his ends, did not care to commit all manner of violences. He could not interpret her Letter, as any way favora|ble unto him&s;elf, neither did he think &s;he would ever con&s;ent unto the ruine of <HI>Ligdamis;</HI> yet not daring to come at her in the ab&s;ence of <HI>Stenobea,</HI> becau&s;e perhaps, as I &s;aid before, he knew the Cou&s;in of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was at my hou&s;e, he re&s;olved to &s;tay until her return, and then to go and receive from <HI>Cleonice</HI> her ultimate re&s;olution; and re&s;olving, that if her an&s;wer was not according to his de&s;ire, then to put <HI>Ligdamis</HI> into the hands of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us:</HI> But in expectation of this, he kept home, and cau&s;ed him&s;elf to be denyed, if any enquired for him: Yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;ince the Gods are more ju&s;t then to permit innocents to peri&s;h, and the culpable to go free, it happened, that <HI>Hermodorus</HI> thinking him&s;elf not &s;ure enough of tho&s;e whom he had &s;et to guard <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> would go him&s;elf that night unto the hou&s;e where he was kept; &s;o that coming out of his hou&s;e with two men only, when all the world almo&s;t was in bed, the Cou&s;in of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and tho&s;e who watched, e&s;pied him. But not de&s;iring to a&s;&s;ault him &s;o near his own hou&s;e, le&s;t he &s;hould be re&s;cued by his own &s;ervants, they followed him at a di&s;tance, till he was a good way off, before they would attempt it, and yet kept not &s;o far from him, but they could fall on when they plea&s;ed. They were much amazed, when they &s;aw him &s;tay at the door of him where <HI>Ligdamis</HI> lay; &s;o that to lo&s;e no longer time, they couragiou&s;ly a&s;&s;aulted him, but &s;triving rather to take him then to kill him, they pulled him by the arm further from that door; yet he ruffled from among&s;t them, and drew his &s;word: The Cou&s;in of <HI>Lig|damis</HI> and his party being the &s;tronger, they could ea&s;ily have killed him, if their de&s;ires to &s;ave him alive had not re&s;trained them; and al&s;o had ea&s;ily taken him, if <HI>Hermodorus</HI> had not called out aloud to the perfideous friend of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> for help; who hearing his name, came out with four of the guard belonging to <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and the combate then proved more bloody and di&s;putable. In the mean while, two of the guard &s;tayed &s;till with <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who knowing their action to be unju&s;t, and thinking by this noi&s;e, that they were in danger to be que&s;tioned, they thought be&s;t to &s;ecure them&s;elves, by obliging <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and relea&s;ing him: After they had held a little councel between them&s;elves, they made the offer of it unto <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and confe&s;&s;ed that it was <HI>Hermodorus</HI> who had unju&s;tly obliged them to the action: And not to lo&s;e the merit of their kindene&s;s, they never told him that their Companions were gone to help <HI>Hermodorus;</HI> but on the contrary, they were gone out to part &s;ome &s;trangers which were quarrelling, and that they two for their parts would take hold of this opportunity, and relea&s;e him, and ac|cordingly they carried him out of a back door: But &s;ince they could not po&s;&s;ibly get out of <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> at that time of the night, they thought my hou&s;e the &s;afe&s;t retreat: So that knocking at my door, and de&s;iring &s;ome to tell me, that there was a <HI>Phrygian</HI> which de|&s;ired to &s;peak with me, my &s;ervants did accordingly. You may ea&s;ily imagine how I was amazed, when after the door was open, I &s;aw <HI>Ligdamis</HI> enter with two of his guard: Since it was late before I returned from <HI>Cleonice,</HI> and al&s;o had many Letters to write, &s;o
<PB N="337" REF="365">
it happened that I wa s not gone to bed: which as it proved, was very happy; for if I had, perhaps <HI>Ligdamis</HI> had not been &s;aved, becau&s;e then my &s;ervants would not have opened the doors. As &s;oon as ever I &s;aw him, I asked him a hundred que&s;tions at once; for I could not for my heart devi&s;e which way he &s;hould be relea&s;ed. Gladly would I have ea&s;ed <HI>Cleonice</HI> of an ill nights re&s;t: but fearing it might chance di&s;cover what I &s;o much de&s;ired to conceal, I thought it better to &s;tay untill the next morning before I acquainted her with this plea&s;ing news.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince it is never good tru&s;ting unto any &s;uch friends as had any hands in an ill act, I appointed a Chamber for the two Souldiers, and commanded my men not to go to bed, but to watch them: Yet fir&s;t we made them tell us all that they knew con|cerning <HI>Hermodorus.</HI> For my part, I would not tell <HI>Ligdamis</HI> that his Cou&s;in had followed <HI>Hermodorus</HI> all that night, or that I believed it was he who a&s;&s;aulted him; le&s;t knowing his courage, he &s;hould offer to go out unto his relief. I was the more induced to conceal it from him, becau&s;e I &s;uppo&s;ed the combat was ended: But when I acquainted him with the propo&s;ition which <HI>Hermodorus</HI> had made unto <HI>Cleonice,</HI> with the de&s;pair in which &s;he was, and the an&s;wers which &s;he returned; he expre&s;&s;ed as much hatred to his Rival, and as much love to his Mi&s;tre&s;s, as was po&s;&s;ible for two contrary violent Pa&s;&s;ions to invent. I had good mind he &s;hould have gone away that &s;ame night, but yet he would not: however let me tell you, it was ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible to per&s;wade him unto any &s;leep, or to &s;hut his eyes, though I forced him to go unto his Chamber which was made ready for him, whil&s;t I went into my own.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as day appeared, I went unto <HI>Cleonice,</HI> whom I found ready to hearken unto me: For be&s;ides as &s;he had not &s;lept all that night, &s;o the Cou&s;in of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> had been with her to give an account of all pa&s;&s;ages between <HI>Hermodorus</HI> and him&s;elf: yet &s;ince he was ignorant what was become of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> he &s;uppo&s;ed that his Guards had only changed his Pri&s;on, but never thought they had rele&s;aed him. So that her &s;orrows were &s;till the &s;ame, till I removed them, and told her that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was &s;afe. Her joyes were then &s;o exce&s;&s;ive, that her thoughts were wholly upon him, and &s;he never told me what was be|come of <HI>Hermodorus:</HI> But after I had asked her &s;everal times, &s;he told me that the per|fidious friend of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> with three of his Guards, were killed; that <HI>Hermodorus</HI> was much wounded; that the Kin&s;man of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> had lo&s;t two of his men; and that in con|clu&s;ion he being alone with his men in the &s;treets, he went into this hou&s;e to know what was become of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and that he found none in it but one woman, who told him that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was gone from thence with two of his Guards. <HI>Cleonice</HI> further told me, that the Kin&s;man of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was gone unto the hou&s;e of one who was an Enemy unto <HI>Hermo|dorus,</HI> there to hide him&s;elf untill &s;uch time as he knew what would become of his wounds. In the mean time we began to apprehend that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was not &s;afe in my hou&s;e; &s;o that we thought it expedient to adverti&s;e his Cou&s;in, that he &s;hould take orders to go out of <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> that very night; which accordingly he was re&s;olved upon, and executed. <HI>Cleonice</HI> would not afford her unhappy Lover &s;o much comfort as to &s;ee her once before he went, le&s;t it &s;hould be di&s;covered; and thought her vi&s;it would make it &s;u&s;pected that he was in my hou&s;e: For be plea&s;ed to know, Madam, that as rage and de&s;pair made <HI>Hermodorus</HI> almo&s;t mad, &s;o he &s;pread it about all the Town, that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was in <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> that he had &s;een <HI>Cleonice</HI> at my hou&s;e, and that <HI>Hermodorus</HI> and he had fought; and a hundred more &s;uch reports. All which at the fir&s;t did not much di&s;quiet <HI>Cleonice,</HI> becau&s;e all her cares were to hear that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was &s;afe: But when &s;he under&s;tood that he and his Cou&s;in were got out of the Town, with men to guard them, then the&s;e Reports began to trouble her; which indeed did make &s;o great a noi&s;e, that the Governour of <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> cau&s;ed a mo&s;t &s;trict &s;earch to be made. Since he was a very worthy man, and <HI>Prolixenide</HI> his wife did me the honour to e&s;teem me very much, &s;he did me the favour to &s;end for me, and asked me very inqui&s;itively what I knew. When I had received this &s;ummons, I went unto <HI>Cleonice,</HI> to con&s;ult together upon what I &s;hould &s;ay, before I went: For as on the one &s;ide, by not confe&s;&s;ing that Love was the load&s;tone which drew <HI>Ligdamis</HI> hither, it would give cau&s;e of &s;u&s;pition that he was a Delinquent to the State, and that he had &s;ome enter|pri&s;e upon <HI>Ephe&s;us;</HI> &s;o on the other &s;ide, if it &s;hould be confe&s;&s;ed that a violent love to <HI>Cleonice</HI> was the cau&s;e of his coming in a di&s;gui&s;e, yet it was to be feared that it would not at all be credited: So that whether &s;he &s;hould ju&s;tifie <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> or her&s;elf, was the diffi|cult knot of the que&s;tion, which &s;he could hardly untie. As for the fir&s;t of the&s;e two, &s;he mu&s;t needs &s;peak the truth; and for the other, &s;he was forced to the refuge of a lye,
<PB N="338" REF="366">
&s;ince certainly all appearances were again&s;t us, and that it was not probable <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hould come to <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> in a di&s;gui&s;e, without the con&s;ent of <HI>Cleonice.</HI></P>
<P>After a &s;erious examination of the bu&s;ine&s;s, Love was mo&s;t prevalent, and &s;he con|&s;ented rather to be &s;u&s;pected, then to give any grounds of accu&s;ation again&s;t <HI>Ligdamis.</HI> She then appointed me to &s;peak the truth; and indeed, I told my tale &s;o well, that <HI>Po|lixenida</HI> believed me, and undeceived her husband in the opinion which he had, that <HI>Lig|damis</HI> contrived &s;omething again&s;t the Kings &s;ervice; in&s;omuch, as he promi&s;ed <HI>Polixeni|da</HI> to write unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> in favour of <HI>Ligdamis.</HI> However, all this could not prevent <HI>Artelinda, Phocylides,</HI> and all the Town, from a hundred various cen&s;ures upon the ac|cident: But as for <HI>Hermodorus,</HI> he had not any long vie among&s;t them, for he dyed of his wounds the &s;eventh day: So that all his accu&s;ations died with him; and all his kin|dred being per&s;ons of honor, finding his actions &s;o unworthy, would not pro&s;ecute the Cou&s;in of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> as an A&s;&s;a&s;&s;inate, nor revenge his death, becau&s;e he de&s;erved it. How|ever, the reports of the&s;e things were &s;o loud, that <HI>Cleonice</HI> could not endure to hear them: So that her Aunt having a very plea&s;ant Seat near the River <HI>Hermes,</HI> and being ready to depart the Town, &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Stenobea,</HI> that &s;he might go with her; and made me promi&s;e to pa&s;s away the <HI>Autumn</HI> with her, &s;ince I could ab&s;olutely di&s;po&s;e of my own actions.</P>
<P><HI>Cleonice,</HI> who would not have left <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> but becau&s;e of various reports, would not give any cau&s;e to augment them; and therefore &s;he be&s;eeched her Aunt, not to pa&s;s over the River, at the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> where <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and his Cou&s;in were happily arrived; but to finde out a pa&s;&s;age further of, le&s;t reports &s;hould ri&s;e, that &s;he went to &s;ee <HI>Ligdamis:</HI> Yet &s;he was in a place where he &s;aw her &s;ometimes; for though he never went out of the Ca&s;tle, yet &s;ince <HI>Cleonice</HI> was in the Country, and &s;o near his &s;i&s;ter, he pretended &s;ometimes to &s;ee her, &s;ometimes in di&s;gui&s;e, and &s;ometimes with a more con|&s;iderable guard.</P>
<P>In the mean time, to keep my word with <HI>Cleonice,</HI> I went into the Country to her; but I did not as &s;he did, for I pa&s;&s;ed the River at the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> and called upon <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> whom I found &s;till extreamly amorous, but yet extreamly melancholly, and he would not tell me the cau&s;e; entreating me only to &s;olicite for him, and be his friend. When I came to <HI>Cleonice,</HI> I gave her an account of all the altterations in <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> &s;ince her departure; how that <HI>Phocylides</HI> finding none in the Town to deceive, was gone to dwell at <HI>Sardis;</HI> and how <HI>Anaxippa</HI> not being able to endure the cour&s;es of her daugh|ter, forced her to marry a man, who the next day after the wedding, carried her into the Country where &s;he &s;ees none, and is doing &s;evere penance for her pa&s;t gallantries. This news, which heretofore would have much recovered <HI>Cleonice,</HI> did now only move a &s;mile, and that in &s;uch a con&s;trained manner, that I knew her minde was not quiet. So that after I had addre&s;&s;ed my &s;elf in all fitting civilities to her Aunt, I began to talk in private upon the fir&s;t opportunity which offered it &s;elf; and carrying her into a walk near the hou&s;e, What's the matter <HI>Cleonice?</HI> &s;aid I unto her; from whence proceeds this ex|traordinary melancholly? At the fir&s;t, &s;he told me, it was only an effect of &s;olitude, and her being in the Country; but I knew her too well to be put off by &s;uch an excu&s;e, and did pre&s;s her a little further: What can it be, &s;aid I, that thus torments you? All tho&s;e fal&s;e reports which once troubled you, are quite dead; <HI>Ligdamis</HI> is a Lover, as he was, and loves you as much as ever he did. Ah <HI>I&s;menea,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, I am afraid that what you &s;ay la&s;t is not true. What rea&s;on have you, &s;aid I unto her, to think it is not? A hun|dred, replyed &s;he; &s;o that I am certain you were deceived, when you told me one day, that Love could never become friend&s;hig, &s;ince certainly the thoughts of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> to|wards me are no more. Really <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;aid I unto her, you are a mo&s;t &s;trange woman to &s;peak thus; for is it po&s;&s;ible, that you who heretofore apprehended the friend&s;hip of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> could never become Love, &s;hould now fear that his Love &s;hould become friend|&s;hip? I do not fear it, replyed &s;he, but I believe it. And what ground have you for your belief? &s;aid I unto her: A thou&s;and &s;light pa&s;&s;ages which I have ob&s;erved, &s;aid &s;he; and al&s;o upon a &s;trange melancholly coldne&s;s, which <HI>Ligdamis</HI> of late hath u&s;ed: But yet (&s;aid &s;he, and di&s;&s;embled) I do not murmure, or &s;ay any thing to him; but he mu&s;t know, that though his father would change his re&s;olution, and permit him to marry me, yet I &s;hould never con&s;ent: Not but that (&s;aid &s;he, and blu&s;h'd) I &s;hould be glad that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;hould love me; but to be engaged to live with a man all my life, who changes &s;o often, is a thing which I can never do: For I have cau&s;e to fear, that &s;ince he has
<PB N="339" REF="366">
pa&s;&s;ed from indifferency unto friend&s;hip, and from friend&s;hip unto love, and from love unto friend&s;hip again, he will repa&s;s at la&s;t from friend&s;hip unto indifferency, where fir&s;t I found him, and la&s;t of all, from indifferency to hatred and &s;corn&punc; <HI>Cleonice</HI> &s;poke all this &s;o ha&s;tily, as made me laugh; and &s;o much the more becau&s;e I knew &s;he wronged him. But, &s;aid I unto her (and looked earne&s;tly upon her) will you be plea&s;ed to acquaint me with &s;ome of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> his crimes? His Luke-warmne&s;s, replyed &s;he, is a crime, which though none but my &s;elf can be &s;en&s;ible of it, yet it is &s;uch a one, and &s;o great, that I cannot pardon it. I cannot think, &s;aid I, that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> can be &s;o to you. As we were thus in talk of him, news was brought us that he was coming, which &s;he no &s;ooner heard of, but &s;he began to entreat me, that I would not tell him what &s;he &s;aid, or chide him: Yet &s;ince I thought &s;he &s;poke again&s;t her minde, I told him all what &s;he had &s;aid; at which he much wondred. He perceived that &s;he was a little more &s;erious then ordinary; but &s;ince &s;he told him that it was cau&s;ed by &s;ome news which &s;he received from <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> that did not plea&s;e her, he took no great notice of it, knowing he never had given her any cau&s;e to complain again&s;t him. I do not know (&s;aid he unto me, after I had made a relation of what &s;he had &s;aid concerning his change) whether &s;he call my melancholly luke-warmne&s;s; but I am mo&s;t certain, I never in my life did love her with more zeal and violence then now.</P>
<P>As we were thus talking in that Alley where <HI>Cleonice</HI> and I u&s;ed to walk, we &s;aw her walking alone in another; and going towards her, when he came near, Unju&s;t Lady, &s;aid he unto her, can you accu&s;e me for loving you only in the degree of friend&s;hip? On the contrary, &s;aid &s;he, I do commend you for it, and therefore I &s;poke unto <HI>I&s;menea</HI> of it. But yet Madam, I be&s;eech you what have I &s;aid, what have I done or thought, which could po&s;&s;ibly move you to think &s;o? You are grown &s;o &s;trangely melancholly, replyed &s;he, that I cannot chu&s;e but imagine, that though once you loved me, yet now you do not. I perceive then, &s;aid he, that my melancholly is my crime: But, Madam, &s;ince I mu&s;t di&s;cover the cau&s;e of it, which hitherto I have concealed, becau&s;e I would not make you &s;harer in my &s;orrows; Be plea&s;ed to know, that perhaps we &s;hall be &s;eparated for a long time, for the &s;tate of things con&s;idered, there is great appearance that all <HI>Lydia</HI> will be turned into de&s;olation, and our Monarch ruined. I know very well, Madam, that your &s;oul is heroick, and &s;o intere&s;ted in the publike good, that the love of your Country imprints it &s;elf deep in your heart; therefore I am not afraid to tell you, that we are in expecta|tion to &s;ee all <HI>Lydia</HI> in arms, and conquered by a &s;trange Prince: For, Madam, my fa|ther and I both, have received certain intelligence from the Court, that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> will de|clare war again&s;t that invinceable Conqueror, unto whom half of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> is already &s;ubject, and again&s;t whom there is no re&s;i&s;tance: And all this in a time when the illu&s;trious <HI>Cle|ander,</HI> who only is able to manage &s;uch a war, is a Pri&s;oner: For my part, I know not what policy there is in it; but I know well, that the way to vanqui&s;h, is to have a Ge|neral that knows both how to fight and command; and yet <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> will not hear talk of the liberty of <HI>Cleander,</HI> but &s;till keeps under hatches the only man that can oppo&s;e &s;o Pui&s;&s;ant a Prince: And I pray unto the Gods, that the inju&s;tice of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> do not draw the wrath of heaven again&s;t all the Monarchy: I know he hath &s;ent to con&s;ult with &s;e|veral Oracles concerning it, and he waits only for their an&s;wer before they fight. There runs an odd rumour al&s;o, that he will give retreat unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who car|ried away the Prince&s;s of <HI>Medea:</HI> So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> being animated both by his intere&s;t of Love, and by his de&s;ires of new glory, he will in all likelihood pull down the Grandure of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> e&s;pecially if he do not relea&s;e the illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander.</HI></P>
<P>Now, Madam, you know the true cau&s;e of my melancholly, which you are plea&s;ed to call lukewarmne&s;s, and want of love: But to make tryal of my Pa&s;&s;ion, and not to tru&s;t unto my words, I be&s;eech you command me the mo&s;t difficult things, and if you do not finde a mo&s;t exact obedience, then tax me with want of Love to you, and hatred to my &s;elf. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf in the&s;e words in a manner &s;o far from that lukewarm|ne&s;s wherewith <HI>Cleonice</HI> charged him, that I forced her to ask him pardon, before &s;he had time to &s;peak; and indeed, after a while of re&s;i&s;tance, he made &s;o many excu&s;es, and &s;eemed &s;o a&s;hamed of her injurious charge, that &s;he would let him &s;peak no more by way of excu&s;ing him&s;elf.</P>
<P>After this, we &s;hared in the melancholly of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and found that he had great cau&s;e of fears: And &s;ince this, Madam, the&s;e two Lovers never quarrelled, though they were not without their &s;orrows; for <HI>Ligdamis</HI> fell &s;ick within a few days after, and &s;o
<PB N="340" REF="367">
dangerou&s;ly, that it was thought he could not e&s;cape death. Yet at the la&s;t he recovered a little, though the Phy&s;itians did all conclude it would be long before he was perfectly recovered: And indeed he found it true, for he continued very ill untill <HI>Cleander</HI> was relea&s;ed. <HI>Cleonice</HI> al&s;o had &s;uch a violent Feaver, that &s;he could not return to <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> when the Forces of <HI>Cyrus</HI> were entring into <HI>Lydia.</HI> For my part, I was re&s;olved not to leave her, untill we found out &s;ome conveniencie for us both to return to <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> to|gether: But &s;ince the hou&s;e of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> his &s;i&s;ter was the &s;tronge&s;t in all that part of the Country, we &s;tayed there till the war was begun. Then the Liberty of <HI>Cleander</HI> being known, and al&s;o that he was the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> &s;on unto the King of <HI>Phrygia;</HI> this news wrought &s;uch a perfect cure upon <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and his upon <HI>Cleonice,</HI> that it was re&s;olved among&s;t us to get into <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> before the war grew hotter: And <HI>Ligdamis</HI> being to guard us with two hundred Hor&s;e, we began our journey, intending to pa&s;s over the River at the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes.</HI> But it was the plea&s;ure of the Fates, that we &s;hould meet with the Troops of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and become his Pri&s;oners; yet happy in &s;uch a powerfull Protection as yours, Madam, and &s;uch a generous Conquerour as <HI>CYR&V;S.</HI></P>
<P><HI>I&s;menea,</HI> after &s;he had ended her relation, left <HI>Panthea</HI> in much &s;atisfaction of mind; and that Queen mo&s;t obligingly telling her, that &s;he was as worthy to be <HI>Cleonices</HI> Friend, as <HI>Ligdamis</HI> her Lover. After this, <HI>Panthea</HI> calling for <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> whil&s;t <HI>I&s;menea</HI> went to &s;eek <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;he gave him orders to tell <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was no le&s;s in love with <HI>Cleonice,</HI> then he was with <HI>Mandana:</HI> So that if it would conduce to end the war with|out fighting, <HI>Cyrus</HI> may make Peace through all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> In the mean while, intreat him from me to look upon <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and <HI>Cleonice</HI> as two who&s;e intere&s;ts are very dear unto me. <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> after his u&s;ual reverence, told her he would not fail in his obedience. Afterwards he took hor&s;e immediately, and went to give <HI>Cyrus</HI> an account of that bu&s;ine&s;s which <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> had impo&s;ed upon him: And coming to the Camp, he went &s;traight to the Tent of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> who no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but imagining he had executed his Commands, be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">alked with him in private: Come, in&s;en&s;ible <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> (&s;aid he to him and &s;miled) what news do you bring me concerning <HI>Ligdamis?</HI> Sir, (&s;aid he and blu&s;ht) he whom you &s;peak of is mo&s;t certainly in Love with <HI>Cleonice,</HI> as the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> a&s;&s;ures me. Cyrus was very glad to hear it, hoping thereby the better to advance the de&s;ign of the Prince <HI>Artamas:</HI> So that &s;ending <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> back with orders to thank <HI>Panthea</HI> mo&s;t civilly, he &s;ent for <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who was with <HI>Feraulas</HI> in <HI>Timocreon's</HI> Tent. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was no &s;ooner come, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> taking him a&s;ide, conjured him to let him know one thing from his own mouth, though he knew it perhaps another way. Sir, an&s;wered he, if it be within the compa&s;s of my knowledge, you &s;hall mo&s;t infallibly know it al&s;o. I do conjure you then (&s;aid the mo&s;t invincible Prince of <HI>Per&s;ia)</HI> to tell me whether you be not more a Captive to the fair <HI>Cleonice,</HI> then you are unto <HI>Cyrus?</HI> Sir, replied <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> (a little &s;urpri&s;ed at this que&s;tion) &s;ince my Captivity is mo&s;t glorious unto me, I will never deny it unto you, but that the fetters of the fair <HI>Cleonice</HI> do load me more then yours: But Sir, I be&s;eech you (if I may be permitted to ask) why do you de&s;ire to know it? Becau&s;e I would know, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> whether your Pa&s;&s;ion has not taught you to pitty others in the &s;ame ca&s;e. Sir, an&s;wered <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> (&s;till more puzled to ghe&s;s at the intention of <HI>Cyrus)</HI> Tho&s;e who are in my ca&s;e may perhaps pitty, but their compa&s;sion will be but very un&s;erviceable unto any in the like condition. Not &s;o, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> for you may do the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> the mo&s;t eminent &s;ervice that ever was done. How, Sir! replied he; I be&s;eech you tell me pre&s;ently what it is. You know, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto him, that he is in Love with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lydia:</HI> you are not ignorant of her impri&s;onment; and doubt|le&s;s you know al&s;o, that &s;he is to be brought from the Temple of <HI>Diana</HI> unto the Citadel in <HI>Sardis.</HI> I do know all the&s;e, replied <HI>Ligdamis;</HI> but I confe&s;s I do not know which way I can be &s;erviceable unto that Prince, who hath many wayes obliged me to do all I can. And you may do it, an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus,</HI> by helping him to relea&s;e that Prince&s;s whom he loves. If I can do it, &s;aid <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> without betraying the King my Ma&s;ter, or com|miting any unworthy acts, certainly I will do it with abundance of joy. Since I have told you that you can, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> you may a&s;&s;ure your&s;elf I will never move you to any unworthy acts. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> told him that the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> was gone to the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> to per&s;wade his Father that they may pa&s;s the River, to deliver the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lydia,</HI> as they conduct her unto <HI>Sardis.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="341" REF="367">
<HI>Ligdamis</HI> at fir&s;t &s;eemed much &s;urpri&s;ed at this di&s;cour&s;e: But <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;peaking again, Do not think (&s;aid he) generous <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> that we de&s;ire a Pa&s;s for all our Army, or with any intentions to &s;urpri&s;e <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> or to vanqui&s;h him, or to &s;ubvert his Empire: No, <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> we would only relea&s;e our Pri&s;oner-Prince&s;&s;es, and obtain permi&s;&s;ion to pa&s;s only with &s;o many men as will be able to deal with the Convoy which guards them: Thus you &s;hall not contribute any thing to the ruine of your Country, but rather prevent it; &s;ince I do engage my word, (if by your means we can recover the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lydia</HI> out of their power who per&s;ecute them) to move <HI>Ciaxares</HI> to offer &s;uch Conditions of Peace &s;o advantagious to <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> that he &s;hall not refu&s;e them: But on the contrary, if you do not permit us this de&s;ire, all <HI>Lydia</HI> &s;hall be de&s;troyed. Moreover, it is not to &s;pare our blood in forcing a pa&s;&s;age over the River, that we have recour&s;e to your a&s;&s;i&s;tance; but becau&s;e if we be put to force, it will be with our whole Army, and then <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> cannot bring them unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> but they will remain at <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> where the Sea is open to carry them away, and &s;o we &s;hall not perhaps recover them but by many battels and &s;ieges. Therefore generous <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> if it be true that the fair <HI>Cleo|nice</HI> hath &s;en&s;ibly moved your heart, and made you capable to con&s;ider the ca&s;es of other Lovers, be a friend unto Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> who &s;uffers all the mi&s;eries of a Lover. I will not &s;ay the fair <HI>Cleonice</HI> is in my power; for though you deny my reque&s;t, yet I here declare, for the Prince of <HI>Phrygia's</HI> &s;ake, that &s;he &s;hall not be any thing le&s;s favourably u&s;ed.</P>
<P>Oh Sir, replied <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> it is enough, and my &s;ilence is a crime. Yes Sir, I am to blame to let you &s;peak &s;o long; and que&s;tionle&s;s I ought to believe all your propo&s;itions ju&s;t, without any further examination. I re&s;olve, Sir, to contribute all my power unto the relea&s;ement of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis:</HI> And therefore give me leave to tell you, that I believe the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> will not do any good upon my Fa|ther: So that if you dare tru&s;t me upon my word, it were expedient I went pre&s;ently to acquaint him, that my Si&s;ter which is here with <HI>Cleonice</HI> is your pri&s;oner as well as my&s;elf; and I doubt not but this con&s;ideration will much further your de&s;ires. But Sir, I be&s;eech you, I be&s;eech you remember your promi&s;e to procure the peace of my Country, if I re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|der you the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana.</HI> I do &s;o &s;olemnly promi&s;e it, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that you ne<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> not apprehend the lea&s;t fear; &s;ince it is my cu&s;tom to keep my word unto my mo&s;t mor|tal enemies, though it would co&s;t me a hundred Crowns. I think, Sir, &s;aid <HI>Ligdamis</HI> unto him, that &s;ince I leave a Mi&s;tre&s;s and a Si&s;ter with you, you need not fear my return. If I dur&s;t not tru&s;t you, an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I &s;hould not &s;peak unto you as I have done. After this, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> de&s;ired that &s;ome men might go with him, le&s;t he &s;hould be &s;urpri&s;ed in his quarters as he pa&s;&s;ed, and al&s;o to the end there might be &s;ome witne&s;&s;es of his tran&s;action with his Father, in ca&s;e the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> had been denied, and &s;hould be gone from the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes</HI> before he came. <HI>Cyrus</HI> having already a very high e&s;teem of <HI>Lig|damis,</HI> would not have let any to have gone this journey with him, but only men to wait upon him, had it not been for this la&s;t rea&s;on: but the fir&s;t being more &s;trong, he ap|pointed <HI>Feraulas</HI> to go with him. So that without any more delay they prepared them|&s;elves for the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes: Ligdamis</HI> fir&s;t writing a Letter to his dear <HI>Cleonice,</HI> le&s;t &s;he &s;hould be troubled at his departure. <HI>Cyrus</HI> having a de&s;ire (according to his pro|mi&s;e) to let the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> know what <HI>Ligdamis</HI> went about; and &s;ince he could not but approve of any thing that might conduce to the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana's</HI> relea&s;e, <HI>Lig|damis</HI> received a hundred kind expre&s;&s;ions from him as well as from <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and engaged his word to free his Country, if <HI>Ligdamis</HI> freed <HI>Mandana.</HI></P>
<P>However, though there was &s;ome probability that this way might prevent a long war, yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> was as circum&s;pect and diligent as if it were to la&s;t a long time. He enquired of the Pri&s;oners concerning the Pa&s;&s;es over the River, the fit places to encamp in, the mo&s;t advantagious Forts, concerning the fortification of all their Works, and a hundred other things: And as knowing as he was in the art of war and conquering, yet he never thought he knew enough; &s;o that without any manner of pride he would di&s;cour&s;e with the old Captains of his Army, and would not de&s;pi&s;e the advice of the meane&s;t Souldier; though to &s;peak truth, he rather in&s;tructed them of whom he asked any advice, then was in&s;tructed by them. His Military cares robb'd him not of one thought of tho&s;e Civilities which he intended to the Captive Prince&s;&s;es, and to &s;o many Kings and Princes as were in his Army. Yet maugre all tho&s;e &s;everal cares and variety of bu&s;ine&s;s, <HI>Mandana</HI> was the ab&s;olute Mi&s;tre&s;s of his heart, and the object of all his de&s;ires: He did every hour flatter him&s;elf
<PB N="342" REF="368">
with hope of &s;eeing her ere long at liberty, and al&s;o as oft fear the contrary: So that pa&s;&s;ing continually from hopes to feares, and feares to hopes, his &s;oul was in continuall agitation. The Picture of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the Scarf which dy|ing <HI>Mazares</HI> left, was all his con&s;olation; he pre&s;erved them with &s;uch extraordina|ry care, as it might ea&s;ily be &s;een, how dear &s;he was to him unto whom they re|lated.</P>
<P>The &s;ight of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> procured him &s;ome vexatious hours, and he had much ado to hide his real re&s;entments, and to live in hand&s;om civility with him, until <HI>Mandana</HI>'s relea&s;ment, when then he &s;hould either vanqui&s;h, or be vanqui&s;hed by him. Yet had he the con&s;olation to think he had thrown him out of his Throne, and to know that <HI>Mandana</HI> loved him not, and that he him&s;elf was more happy in her affection then he: but on the contrary, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> could not in rea&s;on have one &s;ingle thought which could afford him any comfort, unle&s;s out of theOracle which he received at <HI>Babylon;</HI> for he &s;aw his Rival arrived to the highe&s;t top of glory, and that he was as high in the e&s;teem of his Prince&s;s, and no way unfortunate, but in being &s;eparated from her, and her being a Captive: But as for him&s;elf, he &s;aw he was without a Crown, or any hopes ei|ther to reign in <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> or in the heart of <HI>Mandana,</HI> at the lea&s;t in all probability. Yet he flattered him&s;elf &s;till in hopes of this Oracle; and &s;weetned all his &s;orrows, and di&s;&s;i|pated all his fears, by believing that he &s;hould one day by &s;ome way which he under&s;tood not, be as happy, as he was at pre&s;ent unfortunate. Al&s;o, he was never without this Oracle about him, and had it writ in a little Table-book of Cedar, though he had it al|&s;o perfectly in his memory.</P>
<P>Thus did the&s;e two great Princes and illu&s;trious Lovers, rea&s;on with them&s;elves during the voyage of <HI>Artamas,</HI> who found much more difficulty in per&s;wading the Governour o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Hermes</HI> then he imagined, for he did not think <HI>Ligdamis</HI> would not be there; yet was he received very civilly, as he by who&s;e favour the Governor had his Government: But &s;ince the negotiation was for a pa&s;&s;age of forraign Forces, the Governor could not hearken unto it; though the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> told him, it was only to relea&s;e the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> who was the principal cau&s;e of the war, and to deliver the daughter of his King, who was mo&s;t unju&s;tly per&s;ecuted. It is very true, his minde was much troubled to hear no news of his &s;on, who he &s;aid was gone to convoy his &s;i&s;ter and &s;ome other La|dies, and that he could not give him any direct an&s;wer, until he knew what was become of him; But when he heard by the return of &s;ome Souldiers an hour after, that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was a Pri&s;oner, and his &s;i&s;ter a captive, he exceedingly grieved at it. The Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> al&s;o knowing it, did give him &s;ome comfort; for he a&s;&s;ured him that <HI>Cyrus</HI> would treat him very well, which did &s;omething le&s;&s;en his &s;orrow: He offered to &s;end <HI>So&s;icles</HI> for better intelligence; and did &s;o, conceiving the Governour would conclude nothing with him, till he heard more certainly concerning his Son: But as good luck was, <HI>So&s;icles</HI> meeting with <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> in the way, that journey was &s;hortned, and they all returned to the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> where they were received with much joy; and it was hard to &s;ay, which had more fatisfaction to &s;ee <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> his father, or the Prince <HI>Arta|mas.</HI></P>
<P>After this, the tran&s;action met with no great difficulties; for a&s;&s;oon as <HI>Ligdamis</HI> re|lated unto his father how <HI>Cyrus</HI> treated him; and how his &s;i&s;ter and all the Ladies were u&s;ed, his heart did change, e&s;pecially when <HI>Ligdamis</HI> told him that <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;ired a pa&s;s for no more men then were requi&s;ite to relea&s;e the captive Prince&s;&s;es, and that he &s;o|lemnly promi&s;ed upon his word to procure the peace of <HI>Lydia,</HI> if by his means they were relea&s;ed. After this, the Governour having no power to oppo&s;e Prince <HI>Artamas, Lig|damis,</HI> and the welfare of his Country, he con&s;ented unto their de&s;ires; &s;o that the <HI>Phry|gian</HI> Prince returned back fully fatisfied: He moved <HI>Ligdamis</HI> to &s;tay with his father, purpo&s;ely to keep him in the &s;ame minde; but <HI>Ligdamis</HI> would not upon any terms, &s;ay|ing that he were unworthy of tho&s;e civilities which he had received, if he did not return. <HI>Artamas</HI> was &s;till urgent with him; but the genero&s;ity of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> being fortified with a prevalent con&s;ideration of Love, was fully re&s;olved to return: And therefore they all returned to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who welcomed them with abundance of joy, e&s;pecially after he un|der&s;tood the happy &s;ucce&s;s of their negotiation. <HI>Artamas</HI> gave <HI>Cyrus</HI> many thanks for his favours unto <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> beginning a fre&s;h to applaud him, he forced the mode&s;ty of <HI>Cyrus</HI> to impo&s;e &s;ilence; and to do it with a better grace, he hindred them from &s;peaking of him&s;elf, by profe&s;&s;ing his own obligations unto them, for contriving
<PB N="343" REF="368">
things &s;o as that he had hopes to relea&s;e <HI>Mandana. Artamas,</HI> who had no le&s;s intere&s;t in the bu&s;ine&s;s then he had, could not endure he &s;hould thank him for any thing he had done&punc; And <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who was exceedingly obliged unto both tho&s;e Princes, was much a&s;hamed of tho&s;e thanks they gave him.</P>
<P>During this conte&s;tation of Civility, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> hearing of their Return, came unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who was &s;ending for him, to acquaint him with the re&s;ult of their ne|gotiation: So that being a partaker of his Rivals joy, and hoping to &s;ee <HI>Mandana</HI> re|lea&s;ed, he rendred a thou&s;and expre&s;&s;ions of gratitude unto the tran&s;actors of the enter|prize; all of them being infinitely impatient to receive &s;ome intelligence from the friends of <HI>Meneceus,</HI> concerning the departure of the Prince&s;&s;es, and the Convoys which were to guard them. <HI>Artamas,</HI> who was not le&s;s Amorous then any, was not le&s;s joyed in his hopes to relea&s;e the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> without fighting again&s;t the King her father. <HI>Lig|damis</HI> for his part, hoping more in the enjoyment of his dear <HI>Cleonice,</HI> if the wars were compo&s;ed, then if they continued, was a mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible partaker in the joys of all the&s;e Princes.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> de&s;iring permi&s;&s;ion to go and acquaint the King his father with his tran&s;actions; and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> de&s;iring to contemplate upon his joys in private, both of them went away; and &s;ince <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and <HI>So&s;icles</HI> did follow the Prince of <HI>Phrygia, Feraulas</HI> only remained with <HI>Cyrus.</HI> Indeed he was the mo&s;t agree|ble companion he could have, &s;ince it was to him only that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had communicated the &s;ecret of his Pa&s;&s;ion: For though <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> in all other matters was highly in his fa|vour, yet it was to <HI>Feraulas</HI> he opened the Clo&s;et of his &s;oul, as one that was of a more &s;uitable age and humour to excu&s;e all his imperfections. <HI>Agladitus</HI> al&s;o coming in, did not di&s;turb or alter the conver&s;ation; for he had all the qualities which <HI>Cyrus</HI> could wi&s;h for in a confident of his Love: His minde was clear, his &s;oul was tender, and he was acquainted with this <HI>Pa&s;&s;ion,</HI> out of his own experience. So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> imployed two hours with him and <HI>Feraulas</HI> very plea&s;ingly in talking concerning the &s;tate of things: This Conver&s;ation had la&s;ted longer, if the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> had not interrupted it, by a vi&s;it which he paid unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> to te&s;tifie his joy that his &s;ons negotiation had took &s;o good effect. The re&s;t of this day was thus &s;pent; and the next morning <HI>Cyrus</HI> re&s;olved with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> upon tho&s;e Troops which they would make choice of for this &s;ecret expedition, when time required. After which <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who was the mo&s;t obliging Prince upon earth, calling for <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who had contented him&s;elf with writing unto <HI>Cleonice,</HI> and dur&s;t not &s;o &s;oon ask leave to &s;ee her, he told him in a low voyce and &s;miled, that he was his Pri&s;oner no longer;: So that, &s;aid he unto him, if you be the Captive of <HI>Cleonice,</HI> go and vi&s;it her. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> an&s;wered, that &s;ince both his Captivities were glorious, he de&s;ired to go out of his fetters, no more then out of the fair <HI>Cleonices;</HI> yet &s;ince he gave him leave, he would go and vi&s;it her, and did &s;o. The day following, <HI>Cyrus</HI> accompanied with the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> (who never failed upon &s;uch an occa&s;ion) went to vi&s;it the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> He found the fir&s;t of the&s;e two &s;omething le&s;s &s;ad, by rea&s;on of the hopes which <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> had in|fu&s;ed into her, but he found the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> full of melancholly, and could not gue&s;s the cau&s;e, unle&s;s the continuation of her misfortunes, which &s;he endurcd with abun|dance of con&s;tancy. <HI>Cyrus</HI> did all he could to comfort her; but &s;ince &s;he heard no news of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;he was not capable of any joy. The &s;ight of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as plea&s;ing as it might have been unto her, by rea&s;on of that prodigious re&s;emblance which was between him and <HI>Spitridates,</HI> did rather augment then le&s;&s;en her langui&s;hing humour: For when &s;he imagined that this Prince who was &s;o admirably hand&s;ome, &s;o compleat, and &s;o ge|nerous, was either dead or a Pri&s;oner, or perfideous, &s;he had much ado to exclude &s;uch angry thoughts, for fear &s;he &s;hould di&s;cover her weakne&s;s: However, &s;he had rather the pre&s;ence of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould revive tho&s;e &s;ad thoughts, then &s;ee the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> with her, who&s;e very &s;ight rai&s;ed a thou&s;and di&s;tempers on her fancy, to think that her eyes &s;hould allure him, and cha&s;e <HI>Spitridates</HI> from her; &s;o that the love of this Prince was in|tollerable to her.</P>
<P>After <HI>Cyrus</HI> had continued his vi&s;it a long while with <HI>Araminta,</HI> he took his leave of her; and to oblige <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> he went unto the chamber of his <HI>Ephe&s;ian</HI> Pri&s;oners, unto whom he &s;hewed a hundred civilities, e&s;pecially to the &s;i&s;ter and Mi&s;tre&s;s of <HI>Ligdamis.</HI> In his going from thence, he called for <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> whom he had ob&s;erved to be very &s;ad: And &s;ince he conceived the cau&s;e might proceed from a di&s;like unto that imployment; and
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&s;ince he loved him very well, he asked, whether he did not think him&s;elf a Pri&s;oner, in keeping of Pri&s;oners; if he were weary of it, he would put &s;ome other in his place. <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> was &s;o &s;ur&s;pri&s;ed at this Que&s;tion, that in lieu of returning thanks, he earne&s;tly asked him, whether the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> or the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> had made any complaints of him, or whether he had any way di&s;plea&s;ed them or him? And <HI>Cyrus</HI> an|&s;wering, no, but rather on the contrary they commened him; he be&s;eeched him to let him continue in his office, and thanked him for his goodne&s;s towards him. Yet it was after &s;uch a manner, as made <HI>Cyrus</HI> believe that <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> was troubled at &s;omthing which he had no di&s;po&s;ition to tell: So that without any further reflection upon it, he took hor&s;e and returned to the Camp.</P>
<P>In going thither, he e&s;pied two men on hor&s;e-back in the way coming towards him; and &s;ince the rode fa&s;ter then he did, they quickly met. But one of the&s;e &s;trangers no &s;ooner ca&s;t his eyes upon <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and ob&s;erving the honour which was done him, but he asked one of the followers who it was? And being an&s;wered, it was <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he &s;topt and alighted from his hor&s;e, and pre&s;ented him&s;elf unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> making no que&s;tion but to be known unto him. Then addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech unto him, Sir (&s;aid he) I be&s;eech you give me leave to ask pardon for not rendring you that honour which I ought, upon that oc|ca&s;ion wherein I did you all the &s;ervice I could. <HI>Cyrus</HI> looking upon this &s;tranger, whom he &s;aw to be a hand&s;om proper man, did &s;eriou&s;ly examine his memory whether ever he had &s;een his face: but the phy&s;iognomie of this young Cavalier was &s;o new in his eyes, that he concluded him to be certainly mi&s;taken: So that an&s;wering very civilly, he told him that he could not remember he ever &s;aw him, and by con&s;equence he thought him to be mi&s;taken, &s;ince he did not u&s;e to forget &s;uch men as have any characters of Noblene&s;s <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n their faces, as he had. Afterwards cau&s;ing him to take hor&s;e again, and de&s;iring him to tell him when and where he &s;aw him? This hand&s;om &s;tranger told him in the &s;ame lan|guage which he had newly learnt, and which was in a kind of corrupted Greek, that he had the honour to meet him in a Wood in <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> when he had but one Page with him, and when he was a&s;&s;aulted by &s;ix men, from the violence of whom he endeavoured to defend him.</P>
<P>I do not know, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto him, whether I &s;hould let you go on in your error, le&s;t I &s;hould be &s;u&s;pected not to acknowledge a benefit: Yet notwith&s;tanding to undeceive you, and to prevent my being accu&s;ed of ingratitude, know (Generous Stranger) that I engage my &s;elf to recompence the &s;ervice which you did unto that man for whom you take me: But know withall, that there is a Prince in the world who does &s;o much re&s;emble me, that at divers times and places we have been taken one for another: Therefore &s;ince I do not doubt but that it was he whom you relieved, and &s;ince I am much intere&s;ted in his life and fortune, I pray tell me what you know concerning him, and in what place and condition you left him.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;penking thus, the Stranger looking &s;eriou&s;ly upon him, did indeed find &s;ome little difference in the air of his Countenance between him and the other who&s;e life he had &s;aved. So that not que&s;tioning the truth of what <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aid, who&s;e ho|nour was too well known to be &s;u&s;pected of a lye; Sir, &s;aid he unto him, I beg your par|don for crediting my eyes before my rea&s;on, which &s;ecretly tels me, that he who hath conquered the greater part of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> can po&s;sibly fall into &s;uch a condition as to owe his life to &s;uch an unfortunate &s;tranger as I am. The Man who&s;e life you have pre&s;erved, replied he, is &s;o noble, that I conceive you more honoured by it, then if I owed you mine: For to &s;peak &s;incerely <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n you, what&s;oever I have above him, is rather the gift of fortune, then any effect of my valour. However I pray you &s;atisfie my curio&s;ity, and tell me very punctually what you know concerning him. But fir&s;t, to make your relation more plea&s;ing, <HI>I</HI> pray let me know the name and quality of his Pre&s;erver, to the end <HI>I</HI> may render him his due re&s;pect. Sir, &s;aid this Stranger, my Name is <HI>Anaxaris:</HI> but as for my Quality, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you move me not to tell it; it were ea&s;ie, if <HI>I</HI> would di&s;&s;emble, by telling an advantagious lye, to conceal it that way: But &s;ince <HI>I</HI> de&s;ire no e&s;teem from you but what my actions and &s;ervices &s;hall &s;peak me worthy of, <HI>I</HI> will not either under or overvalue my&s;elf, by &s;aying my Quality is either too low or too high. Therefore without any more di&s;cour&s;e concerning it, give me leave to tell you, that the Reports of your illu&s;trious Name drawing me out of my own Country to come and be my&s;elf a wit|ne&s;s of &s;o many Miracles which fame does trumpet of you: And pa&s;sing one evening through a Wood in <HI>Paphlagonia, I</HI> &s;aw a man &s;itting under a Tree, who was &s;peaking
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unto another that was not above two paces from him, and who &s;eemed to look unto two hor&s;es which were tyed unto the trunk of a Pine-tree, le&s;t they &s;hould break loo&s;e. As the air and garb of him who &s;eemed to be the Ma&s;ter of the other &s;eemed to have much grandure in them, &s;o I thought my&s;elf obliged to help him, as afterwards I did. I looked upon him very &s;eriou&s;ly, and methought he was very &s;ad; giving me &s;uch a civil &s;alute as I pa&s;&s;ed by, that I looked back at him three or four times: And at la&s;t I perceived &s;ix men come out of &s;everal quarters of the Wood, who falling upon him all at once, hardly gave him time to ri&s;e, or put his hand unto his &s;word; which yet he did &s;o readily and couragiou&s;ly, that you need not wonder (Sir) if when they told me that you was <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I thought that you were he whom I had the happine&s;s to &s;erve; for I never in all my life &s;aw &s;o much courage in any man, as in that illu&s;trious &s;tranger. I no &s;ooner &s;aw him a&s;&s;aulted upon &s;uch di&s;advantages, but I went to him, and cryed I would die in his defence; and did &s;uch things as I believe I &s;hould never have done, if his example had not &s;hewed me the way. So it was, Sir, that after a long combat we di&s;engaged our&s;elves from the&s;e A&s;&s;a&s;&s;inates; for four of them lay dead upon the place, and two ran away. This valiant &s;tranger whom I did a&s;si&s;t, was wounded in two places, whil&s;t he was getting upon his hor&s;e: So that &s;eeing him to &s;tand in need of help, I asked him into what place he would be conducted. He was as civil as valiant; and thanked me for my a&s;si&s;tance in &s;uch terms, as ea&s;ily made me under&s;tand the excellency of his &s;oul. He would have di|&s;pen&s;ed with me from the offer which I rendred, telling me that the Life which I had &s;o much care of, was not &s;o happy, as to take &s;o much pains in pre&s;erving it. Yet for all that I would not leave him, but conducted him to the next hou&s;e which was not above four or five furlongs off: As good luck was, there was a Town not far from thence, where a Chyrurgion dwelt; and he knowing of him, &s;ent his Page for him. I &s;taid with him till his wounds were dre&s;&s;ed, and would have &s;taid longer, if he would have &s;uffered me: So that &s;eeing the people of the hou&s;e very carefull of him, I &s;ooner re&s;olved to obey him. He de&s;ired to know my name; and I told him, as I have done you, that it was <HI>Anaxaris.</HI> But &s;ince it was then very late, I was forced to &s;tay there in that place all that night, and lodged in a chamber next his. The Chyrurgion told me his wounds were not mortal; but he found &s;o deep a Melancholy in his face, that he feared a Feaver; which added to his wounds, would make them more hard to heal. As I did lie in a Chamber which joyned unto his, and the partition was only of unjoyned Planks, <HI>I</HI> heard him pa&s;s away that night without any &s;leep: He &s;poke &s;ometimes very loud, and though <HI>I</HI> could not di&s;tinctly hear what he &s;aid, yet <HI>I</HI> could often hear him pronounce the name of <HI>Araminta: I</HI> under&s;tood that he made many pittifull complaints again&s;t &s;ome Beauty of that name; for he would often cry out, <HI>Araminta!</HI> perfidious <HI>Araminta!</HI> why cannot <HI>I</HI> forget thee? The&s;e complaints begetting in me a fre&s;h curio&s;ity to know whom <HI>I</HI> had &s;erved, <HI>I</HI> asked his Page, before <HI>I</HI> parted: But he told me that he had &s;uch &s;trict charge from his Ma&s;ter to conceal it, as <HI>I</HI> would pre&s;s him no further. And &s;o <HI>I</HI> left him, without any further knowledge what he was, then what <HI>I</HI> have told you: Yet <HI>I</HI> brought away with me &s;o great e&s;teem of this valiant man, that thinking <HI>I</HI> had found him when <HI>I</HI> met you, Sir, <HI>I</HI> was in an exta&s;ie of joy. But Sir, <HI>I</HI> am well &s;atisfied with my mi&s;take; for <HI>I</HI> had rather have the honour to be known unto you, then have enjoyed my &s;atisfaction in meeting with him <HI>I</HI> took you for.</P>
<P>The Prince <HI>Spitridates,</HI> replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> is one of &s;o high a merit, that <HI>I</HI> am not di&s;|plea&s;ed if you prefer him before me, &s;ince in &s;o doing you do but what is rea&s;on. In the mean time, Generous <HI>Anaxaris, I</HI> do profe&s;s my&s;elf obliged unto you for pre&s;erving the life of <HI>Spitridates</HI> as much, as if you had pre&s;erved mine: And therefore <HI>I</HI> do acknow|ledge in the pre&s;ence of all that hear me, you may ju&s;tly accu&s;e me of ingratitude, if <HI>I</HI> do not render you all the good offices which can be expected from a Prince who is obliged unto it. <HI>Anaxaris</HI> an&s;wered the&s;e civil expre&s;&s;ions in extreme humility, yet far from any ba&s;ene&s;s: But on the contrary, as humble as he was, yet it appeared by his an&s;wer<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> that he was more accu&s;tomed to confer favours then receive any. So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> con|ceiving a great opinion of him, re&s;olved to have an e&s;pecial care of him; and in order to that, gave orders to place him in one of his own Tents, and that he &s;hould be treated as a man of high quality, as he &s;eemed to be. But as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was well pleafed with <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> &s;o <HI>Phraartes</HI> was not: For &s;ince he was per&s;waded that if <HI>Spitridates</HI> had been dead, he &s;hould have been more in favour with <HI>Araminta,</HI> &s;o he had a &s;ecret malignancie again&s;t <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> as &s;oon as he knew he had &s;aved the life of his Rival.
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<HI>Cyrus</HI> as &s;oon as he came to the Camp, de&s;ired to acquaint the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> with &s;ome part of what he heard concerning <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and to di&s;&s;emble the other part, making him le&s;s wounded then he was; but &s;ince the relation was before &s;o many, he thought it hard to be done.</P>
<P>Yet thinking it would be more con&s;olation unto her to hear he was wounded, then to believe he was unfaithful or dead, as &s;ometimes &s;he did, he &s;ent <HI>Feraulas</HI> to acquaint her, that a &s;tranger came to the Camp, who about a moneth &s;ince met with <HI>Spitridates;</HI> for <HI>Anaxaris</HI> &s;aid it was about that time he relieved that Prince: <HI>Feraulas,</HI> according to his Ma&s;ters commands went pre&s;ently unto <HI>Araminta,</HI> who at the fir&s;t was extreamly joyed to hear <HI>Spitridates</HI> was alive: But not contenting her &s;elf with what <HI>Feraulas</HI> told her; and de&s;iring to &s;ee the man who had &s;een him, becau&s;e &s;he perceived he did not po&s;itive|ly con&s;ent &s;he &s;hould, therefore &s;he imagined much more concerning <HI>Spitridates</HI> then it was: So that <HI>Feraulas</HI> promi&s;ed to entreat <HI>Cyrus</HI> from her, to let her &s;ee him who brought the news. Then returning to the Camp, he performed his promi&s;e, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Anaxaris</HI> the next morning to vi&s;it the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> of whom the Prince <HI>Spitri|dates</HI> did &s;o unju&s;tly complain; withal conjuring him to &s;ay his wounds are not &s;o dange|rous as they were: But this warning was in vain; for <HI>Phraartes</HI> had let her know by an <HI>Armenian</HI> woman (whom he had got to wait upon her when &s;he was at <HI>Artaxates,</HI> and was all for him) that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was left for dead, and never like to recover, &s;o that <HI>Araminta</HI> would not believe <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> when he told her the real truth. <HI>Cyrus</HI> hearing of her de&s;pair, went him&s;elf to comfort her, and a&s;&s;ured her that <HI>Anaxaris</HI> told him no more concerning <HI>Spitridates,</HI> then he had told her: But to te&s;tifie how much he valued the &s;atisfaction of her minde; after good notice taken of the place where <HI>Aanaxaris</HI> left <HI>Spitridates,</HI> he &s;ent for the Prince of <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> and de&s;ired him that he would &s;end one of his men, to know exactly what was become of that illu&s;trious Prince. <HI>Araminta</HI> rendred thanks unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> with as much civility as her &s;orrows would give her leave. The Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> had al&s;o an extraordinary care of her. <HI>Cleonice</HI> and all her friends ne|ver left her; and except <HI>Phraartes,</HI> all the world did participate of her &s;orrows. Until this accident unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;he was as civil unto him, as afterwards &s;he was unto <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> when &s;he knew he was his pre&s;erver: But &s;he began to treat him much wor&s;e then u&s;ual, imagining that it was by rea&s;on of him that <HI>Spitridates</HI> had named her Perfi|deous.</P>
<P>Thus the malignant joy which <HI>Phraartes</HI> had at the misfortune of his Rival, la&s;ted not long; but he endured all the torments that Love and Jealou&s;ie could inflict upon him. In the mean while, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> and Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> began to be exceedingly impatient that they received no intelligence from the friends of <HI>Meneceus,</HI> nor from tho&s;e of <HI>Timocreon</HI> at <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> and <HI>Sardis;</HI> but afterwards their expectations were an&s;wered, and tho&s;e they expected being returned, they under&s;tood that the &s;etting forth of the Prince&s;&s;es was deferred for eight days, preci&s;ely nominating the day and hour they were to &s;et out; naming al&s;o the Troops which were to guard them, and de|&s;cribing every circum&s;tance with &s;uch particularities, that if the&s;e Princes did but ju&s;tly ob&s;erve their true mea&s;ures, their enterprize mu&s;t needs take effect; yet there was &s;ome di&s;pute did ari&s;e among&s;t them, concerning the execution of the bu&s;ine&s;s: For the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> who was very well acquainted with the Country, was of opinion to divide their Troops, and place of one part of them in a wood by which the Prince&s;&s;es were to pa&s;s, and to hide the re&s;t behinde a hill which was full of Trees, and which was upon the left hand of the plain, which the high-way between <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> and <HI>Sardis</HI> doth cro&s;s; to the end, that when the Coaches are ju&s;t between the wood and the hill; and almo&s;t over again&s;t the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> where al&s;o &s;ome men &s;hould be left, they might com|pa&s;s about the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> by cutting off his pa&s;&s;ages on all &s;ides, and might get the Prince&s;&s;es over the River, almo&s;t before theier enemies knew where they were. <HI>Cyrus</HI> un|der&s;tanding the &s;cituation of the place better then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> did concur with the opinion of <HI>Artamas;</HI> but the King of <HI>A&s;siria</HI> was of a contrary opinion, and thought that the dividing of their Troops was the way to be vanqui&s;hed one after the other; and therefore more expedient to keep in one body, and give a &s;udden and violent a&s;lault, then to have any recour&s;e unto &s;tratagems. The Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> held con&s;tant to his opinion, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> confirmed it with many rea&s;ons; but this violent Prince &s;till ob&s;ti|nately oppo&s;ing them, there was a very &s;trong conte&s;t among them. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was cal|led to the Coun&s;el, as one that knew the Countrey be&s;t, and as one that was well known
<PB N="347" REF="370" MS="y">
in military affairs; but as the happine&s;s or mi&s;ery of three great Princes did depend upon this bu&s;ine&s;s, he was &s;omewhat nice in giving his opinion; &s;o that not delivering him&s;elf ab&s;olutely, though he inclined to the opinion of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Artamas,</HI> the King of <HI>A&s;&s;i|ria</HI> grew more opinionative and hot then before; &s;o that it was re&s;olved to &s;end <HI>Chri|&s;antes</HI> beyond the River, to take notice of the advantages and di&s;advantages of the places which they were to po&s;&s;e&s;s, and when he had well ob&s;erved them to give his advice upon the matter.</P>
<P>But this cour&s;e was no &s;ooner re&s;olved upon, then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> &s;aid he would tru&s;t no eyes but his own, in a bu&s;ine&s;s whereupon the Liberty of <HI>Mandana</HI> depended; and therefore he would go him&s;elf with <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> to &s;ee whether they were in the right or wrong. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but the great &s;oul of <HI>Cyrus</HI> not being able to endure that his Rival &s;hould ever lay it in his di&s;h, that he expo&s;ed him&s;elf the mo&s;t for the liberty of <HI>Mandana,</HI> did conte&s;t no more, though he knew it was again&s;t the rules of Prudence, and to no purpo&s;e, yet he told the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> that he would go al&s;o; the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> al&s;o would needs be one of the party, and let them &s;ee how he thought of the bu&s;ine&s;s. Their departure was re&s;olved upon to be that very &s;ame night, in common arms; and that they &s;hould carry only two hundred hor&s;e with them, to leave them near the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> and pa&s;s over only with fifty to view the place which <HI>Artamas</HI> maintained to be the mo&s;t convenient for placing of men.</P>
<P>This cour&s;e being re&s;olved upon, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent for the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and commit|ed the care of all things unto him, telling all the re&s;t of his Captains, that he was gone only to vi&s;it &s;everal quarters of the Army: Yet the matter could not be &s;o clo&s;ely car|ried, but &s;ome &s;u&s;pected &s;ome other de&s;ign, which they would not publi&s;h; &s;o that <HI>Tygarnes</HI> and <HI>Phraartes</HI> keeping continually about <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and not leaving him, he was con&s;trained to impart the bu&s;ine&s;s unto them, telling them, that if his de&s;ign had been to fight, he would not have gone without them; but their bu&s;ine&s;s being only to view a place to fight on, he would &s;pare them the pains of a journey wherein no honour was to be got: Yet notwith&s;tanding, they were &s;o importunate with him, that he con&s;ented. <HI>Aglatidas, Chri&s;antes, Adu&s;ius, Feraulas, Ligdamis, Co&s;icles, Tegeus</HI> and <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> went al&s;o; the &s;tranger <HI>Anaxaris</HI> hearing of an expedition, asked leave to follow, and he could not refu&s;e him. A&s;&s;oon as night was come, they &s;et out; and made choice of that time, to the end the Spyes which <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> had in the Army, could not give any intelligence which way <HI>Cyrus</HI> went. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and <HI>So&s;icles</HI> only went fir&s;t to prepare his father to give a pa&s;&s;age over the River for fifty men; and all the Princes did &s;o order their march, that they arrived within four furlongs of the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes</HI> two hours be|fore day-break the next morning, where they made a halt according to the agreement with <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who came unto them within a quarter of an hour after, and told <HI>Cyrus</HI> that all was in readine&s;s to receive him: But &s;ince there was a nece&s;&s;ity of day light for that bu&s;ine&s;s, they thought be&s;t to re&s;t in the Ca&s;tle till night was gone. <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and all the Princes which accompanied him, went then into the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> where they were received without any ceremony, le&s;t the bu&s;ine&s;s &s;hould be known unto the &s;oul|diers, who were made believe that they were the men of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> di&s;gui&s;ed, who came to view one of the quarters of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and would pa&s;s over the River in that place; not but that the Souldiers were very affectionate unto that Governor, but becau&s;e they would not run any hazard: So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;taid a long while in the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> as one that was a Captain unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us.</HI></P>
<P>As &s;oon as the &s;un was up, <HI>Cyrus</HI> took hor&s;e, followed by the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> Prince <HI>Artamas, Tygranes, Phraartes, Aglatidas, Anaxaris, Feraulas, Artaba&s;es, Ligdamis, Chri&s;antes, Adu&s;ius, So&s;icles, Tegeus,</HI> and fifty Caviliers for that guard, who went to &s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the place where ere long they hoped to relea&s;e <HI>Mandana.</HI> The Prince <HI>Artamis,</HI> to let the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> &s;ee he was in the right, marched between <HI>Cyrus</HI> and him, and as &s;oon as they were over the bridge, &s;hewed them with his hand the hill that was full of trees, on the &s;ide of the high-way; the wood which was on the right hand, and the way from <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> which went on their right hand; &s;hewing them &s;o clearly, that what he had propo&s;ed was mo&s;t expedient, that if the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> did not approve of it, then it was more out of ob&s;tinacy then rea&s;on.</P>
<P><HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> who was a man expert in &s;uch things, &s;aid, to &s;econd the opinion of <HI>Arta|mas,</HI> That the enterpri&s;e could not be executed any other way; becau&s;e if the fir&s;t Troops
<PB N="348" REF="371">
which convoyed the Prince&s;&s;es &s;hould &s;pie &s;uch a con&s;iderable body of men together, as theirs &s;hould be if they were all joyned, then they would acquaint the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> with it in an in&s;tant, by pa&s;&s;ing the word from Rank to Rank, untill it reached him; and then, &s;ince his de&s;ign is not to gain a victory, but only to pre&s;erve the Prince&s;&s;es whom he loves, he will cau&s;e them to turn back, whil&s;t he him&s;elf is facing us with all his Troops. So that unle&s;s an Ambu&s;cado be placed in &s;uch a manner as the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> propo&s;ed, there was little hopes of any good &s;ucce&s;s in the enterpri&s;e. Yet notwith&s;tanding, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> would not agree, but &s;aid, that tho&s;e which came from <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> might ea&s;ily di&s;cover the Souldiers which were behind the hill: And though it was ob&s;erved unto him, that the way from that &s;ide was all low ground, and the hill before them making a demi|round, it was impo&s;&s;ible to di&s;cover any men behind it; yet needs would he go thither, and all the re&s;t followed him. After <HI>Artamas</HI> &s;hewed him his error, and had viewed the Hill, they went al&s;o into the Wood, and wandred far in it to know all the pa&s;&s;es and ad|venues; <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> telling them, that they mu&s;t con&s;ider as well what to do in ca&s;e they were vanqui&s;hed, as if they did vanqui&s;h; and they had not &s;tayed &s;o long in this Wood, had it not been for this rea&s;on. But the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> propounding it requi&s;ite, that the Father of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was to provide a Boat to &s;tand in that place where the Wood reached to the River, to the end that in ca&s;e the Enemies &s;hould become ma&s;ters of the Bridge, yet they might that way convey over the Prince&s;&s;es: This propo&s;ition &s;eeming good, they went to &s;eek out for a Boat which was a great di&s;tance from thence, becau&s;e the River in that place was &s;erpentine, and turned and winded very much. Then &s;aid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> There is a nece&s;sity of having Boats. To which <HI>Ligdamis</HI> replied, that &s;ince <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> re&s;olved upon a war, there was none left upon the River, except one which the Governour kept.</P>
<P>But whil&s;t they were thus rea&s;oning upon an enterpri&s;e, which would ere long be enter|pri&s;ed, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> was entertaining him&s;elf with the plea&s;ing thought of being ere long <HI>Mandana's</HI> Deliverer; the Governour of the Ca&s;tle at <HI>Hermes,</HI> who for the &s;afety of &s;o many illu&s;trious per&s;ons had &s;et a Sentinel upon the top of the Tower, was adverti&s;ed that there appeared a great body of Cavalry coming from towards <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> he no &s;ooner heard of this, but he di&s;patched one of his men immediately into the Wood to acquaint the Princes with it, giving orders unto the me&s;&s;enger to tell <HI>Ligdamis</HI> he might carry them into the Thick of the Wood towards the river, where they might be in &s;afety till the&s;e Forces were pa&s;&s;ed by, which as he thought were going unto the banks of <HI>Pactolus,</HI> where <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> had appointed his general rendezvouz. This me&s;&s;enger obeying his ma&s;ter, and making all ha&s;te, went into the wood to &s;eek for <HI>Cyrus:</HI> But whether it was out of &s;ome fears that he apprehended, or that he was unacquainted with the wayes where in proba|bility he might find him; he &s;o wildred him&s;elf in the wood, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had no intelli|gence from him. So that this Prince and all his Company took into the Plain, intending to march over it towards the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes</HI> again. But he was exceedingly &s;urpri&s;ed to &s;ee a great body of Hor&s;e marching: And following the motions of his couragious &s;oul, in lieu of &s;topping he advanced before the re&s;t; and was no &s;ooner entred into the Plain, but he e&s;pied a &s;quadron of Hor&s;e &s;ome fifty paces from him, and likewi&s;e he &s;aw Soul|diers between him and the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> and all the Champaign full of Cavalry and Infantry. This undaunted &s;oul &s;till did never tremble, nor was the lea&s;t moved at this in|evitable danger; but in lieu of any ha&s;ty retreat into the wood, his fir&s;t action was to &s;tay, his &s;econd was to turn his head about and &s;ee whether he was followed; and I know not whether his third action would not have been to have &s;ought out a de&s;perate death among&s;t them, if the Prince <HI>Artamas, Tigranes,</HI> and <HI>Phraartes</HI> had not forced him to take into the wood by a way which <HI>Ligdamis</HI> had &s;hewed them. Yet could he not get far into it; for &s;ince the <HI>Lydian</HI> Troops had &s;pied them, he who commanded in chief, after he had cau&s;ed the Body which he commanded to make a halt, he came him&s;elf with a hundred Hor&s;e to know what they were, not conceiving them to be Enemies, becau&s;e he could not imagine how <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould pa&s;s over the river. However, not to neglect any thing, he went forward; and was no &s;ooner twenty paces within the wood, which was thin in that place, but he perfectly perceived they were no <HI>Lydians,</HI> and moreover ob&s;erved they were no great number. So that going after them, and giving orders for tho&s;e in the Plain to follow, he was pre&s;ently &s;o neer as to fall on, whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> marching la&s;t, as he that had lea&s;t de&s;ire to flie, would never &s;o much as turn his head, or offer to take his &s;word in hand, hoping by this couragious action to make their retreat more ea&s;ie: But at la&s;t,
<PB N="349" REF="371">
<HI>Cyrus</HI> turning &s;uddenly towards the <HI>Lydian</HI> Captain who marched in the head of his men, did run his hor&s;e &s;o furiou&s;ly again&s;t him, and fell upon him in &s;o couragious a manner that he forced him to retreat a little: All his men made a &s;udden &s;top; and <HI>Cyrus</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> conding his fir&s;t blow with another which made a river of blood to follow it, then en|deavouring the retreat of his friends, he found him&s;elf compa&s;&s;ed about with enemies on all &s;ides, without any hopes of e&s;caping: He killed one immediately; but the multitude had certainly &s;mothered him, if <HI>Feraulas</HI> by good fortune turning his head, and &s;eeing <HI>Cyrus</HI> in that danger, had not called <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to his relief, who with the Prince <HI>Tigranes, Phraartes, Anaxaris, Aglatidas, Ligdamis,</HI> and many others, went unto him; as for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who marched a long way before with the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and the re&s;t, they were a&s;&s;aulted by another body of enemies, who were &s;ent to cut off their pa&s;|&s;ages. Never was &s;uch a thing heard of, as pa&s;&s;ed in this wood; for <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing that the liberty of <HI>Mandana</HI> did depend upon him and his life, be&s;tirred him&s;elf like a Lyon; none who a&s;&s;aulted him e&s;caped, and few who he fell upon could be &s;o quick as to flye, or &s;o ready as to guard them&s;elves, or &s;o valiant as to re&s;i&s;t: So that there was very few of all them that were about him, which did not feel the weight of his arm: The va|lour of <HI>Tygranes</HI> was very notable, as well as that of <HI>Phraartes;</HI> the &s;tranger <HI>Anaxaris</HI> behaved him&s;elf &s;o, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw he was the mo&s;t valiant man in the world; <HI>Aglatidas, Ligdamis, Chri&s;antes, Feraulas,</HI> all of them did &s;hew &s;uch te&s;timonies of prodigious courage to &s;ave the life of their illu&s;trious Ma&s;ter, that it is unexpre&s;&s;able. The more the number of their enemies encrea&s;ed, the more did the valour of <HI>Cyrus</HI> double; he turned and winded among&s;t the trees, with &s;uch admirable dexterity, and his hor&s;e being &s;o obe|dient unto his hand, did &s;o well &s;econd his intentions that he could divers times have &s;aved him&s;elf, if he would have left his friends engaged; but his great &s;oul could not con&s;ent unto &s;uch a thought, but he would &s;till fight it out, though there was no hopes of van|qui&s;hing.</P>
<P>In le&s;s then a quarter of an hour, he made great heaps of dead bodies, all the bulks of trees were bloody, the green gra&s;s was turned red, and the ground was all blood. All the Caviliers which followed him, had peri&s;hed at this bout, and certainly he had done &s;o him&s;elf, if the Gods had not by their &s;upreme Power pre&s;erved him. After he had &s;ought a long time, and &s;eeing none about him but <HI>Tigranes, Phraartes, Aglatidas, Chri&s;antes, Ligdamis, Anaxaris,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> his valour encrea&s;ed; but the number of his ene|mies &s;till encrea&s;ed, and one among&s;t them intending to kill his hor&s;e, did thru&s;t his &s;word through his flank; &s;o that this illu&s;trious Prince could not po&s;&s;ibly hold him, for this fu|rious animal finding him&s;elf wounded, he ran away with his Rider whether he would or no through the thick of trees and enemies, &s;ome twenty paces off, where falling down dead, <HI>Cyrus</HI> had much ado to recover him&s;elf from under him: but having at la&s;t di&s;en|gaged him&s;elf, he perceived that he had nothing in his hand but the &s;tump of a &s;word, for it was broken again&s;t the bulk of a tree, when his hor&s;e ran furiou&s;ly away with him; then being in an in&s;tant compa&s;&s;ed about with a multitude of enemies, the Conquerour of many Nations mu&s;t needs be once conquered; yet did he offer to defend him&s;elf, but all in vain, for they tumultuou&s;ly fell upon him, and took him Pri&s;oner, he having not received one wound. <HI>Tigranes, Phraartes, Chri&s;antes, Aglatidas, Anaxaris</HI> and <HI>Ferau|las,</HI> &s;eeing that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was taken, and that it was ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible to think of re|lea&s;ing, they began to think of &s;aving them&s;elves by flight if they could, all but <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who &s;uffered him&s;elf to be taken, that he might be a partaker in his Ma&s;ters misfortune: But the re&s;t onely defending them&s;elves, and retreating towards the thick of the wood, they fled away &s;o happily, that they who followed them hearing a great noi&s;e in the place where the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> were fighting, they made a &s;top, &s;ear|ing &s;ome ambu&s;cado; during which, they got into the thick of the wood, and hid them|&s;elves until night, all but <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> who by the &s;tumbling of his hor&s;e, was taken: How|ever, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> the Prince <HI>Artamas, Artaba&s;es, Adu&s;ius So&s;icles, Tegeus,</HI> and tho&s;e Caviliers which were with him, had made &s;uch a miraculous re&s;i&s;tance, and had killed &s;o very many <HI>Lydians,</HI> that their own valour was their ruine; for tho&s;e again&s;t whom they fought, &s;eeing what kinde of men they had to deal withal, &s;ent for fre&s;h &s;upplies: So that &s;eeing on all &s;ides enemies upon enemies; and that the more they killed, the more they had to fight withal, they thought of &s;elling their lives at as dear a rate as they could, e&s;pecially <HI>Artamas:</HI> for be&s;ides the general intere&s;t which they all had not to be taken, he had a particular rea&s;on not to fall into the hands of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us: So&s;icles</HI> and <HI>T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">geus</HI> might
<PB N="350" REF="372">
have the &s;ame apprehen&s;ions, but yet they were not &s;o deeply concerned as <HI>Artamas.</HI> However, that fatal De&s;tiny could not be avoided; for after he had received a wound in his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ght arm, and in three other places be&s;ides, he was forced to yield him&s;elf. The King of of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> al&s;o was &s;urrounded with &s;o many men, and was taken Pri&s;oner; &s;o likewi&s;e were <HI>So&s;icles</HI> and <HI>Tegeus; Artaba&s;es</HI> and <HI>Adu&s;ius</HI> only e&s;caped this dangerous adventure. The&s;e two Combates then being thus ended, and all the <HI>Lydians</HI> which had fought met, and having put the Pri&s;oners which they had taken together, <HI>Cyrus, Anaxaris</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> were much &s;urpri&s;ed, when they &s;aw the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, So&s;icles, Tegeus,</HI> and &s;ome o|ther of their Caviliers in the &s;ame condition: as for the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> he was &s;o wound|ed, that he could not be brought.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the&s;e two illu&s;trious Rivals &s;eeing the equality of their fortunes, were both of them both &s;ad and glad. Glad, becau&s;e a Rival was no happier then him&s;elf; &s;ad, becau&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> was without a Protector, e&s;pecially &s;ince the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> was both taken and wounded: They were al&s;o very much grieved to &s;ee that he was known by two <HI>Lydian</HI> Captains, who had a good de&s;ire to have &s;aved him, but dur&s;t not. Then they went to adverti&s;e him who commanded in chief, and to give him &s;ome te&s;timonies of their victory, they carried with them the Pri&s;oners which they had taken; that is to &s;ay, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Anaxaris, Tegeus, So&s;icles, Ferulas,</HI> and &s;ome Caviliers. At their coming out of the wood, <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> viewed all their forces which were drawn up in the plain: and as they went, the&s;e two Rivals ob&s;erving by their manner of u&s;ing them, that they did not know them, did agree together not to di&s;cover each other, in ca&s;e they could finde ways to e&s;cape; and finding an opportunity to hint the &s;ame unto <HI>Feraulas,</HI> as he was witty, &s;o he made it known unto the re&s;t of the Pri&s;oners, hoping that not being known, they would be more negligent in guarding them, and &s;o they might perhaps recover their liberty.</P>
<P>Yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> did extreamly fear to be carried unto the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> and when he remembred how oft he had conquered him, and how that Prince had been his Pri&s;oner, the pre&s;ent condition of his fortune was mo&s;t in&s;upportable unto him; yet he marched on, though he knew not whither they would conduct him. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> asked the que&s;tion of a <HI>Lydian</HI> Souldier, who an&s;wered, that they were to be carried unto <HI>An|dramites,</HI> who in ab&s;ence of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> commanded in chief; and as he was en|quiring more preci&s;ely into things, an Officer came and broke off their di&s;cour&s;e, ima|gining that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> was &s;uborning the Souldier to further his e&s;cape. After this, they marched, and were not permitted to &s;peak &s;o much as to one another, each of them contemplating upon his own misfortune.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;o generous, as not to upbraid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> for being the cau&s;e of their misfortune, &s;ince but for him they had not come unto that place where they were taken: Mean while, they marched on, and at la&s;t came unto the place where <HI>Andramites</HI> was, who knew <HI>Tegeus</HI> and <HI>So&s;icles</HI> as &s;oon as he &s;aw them; &s;o that not looking much upon any others; I think my &s;elf very unhappy (&s;aid he unto them, for he was one of their friends) that you &s;hould fall into my hands: but &s;ince you know what belongs un|to honor, I hope you will not think it &s;trange that I &s;hould &s;peak unto you as Pri&s;oners of War, and not as unto my friends; therefore I pray tell me what you were doing in the wood, what number of men you had, and what was Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> his bu&s;ine&s;s, whom I know is wounded, and a Pri&s;oner. We cannot tell you (an&s;wered <HI>So&s;icles</HI> very prudent|ly) what was the de&s;ign of Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> for we only followed him, and never en|quired further; but we can very well a&s;&s;ure you his de&s;ign cannot be very dangerous, &s;ince he had only fifty hor&s;es with him: And I do verily believe his de&s;igns were rather inten|tions to promote peace then war. But where pa&s;&s;ed you over the River? (asked <HI>An|dramites.)</HI> Since I will not prejudice that Prince whom now I &s;erve (an&s;wered <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> you mu&s;t excu&s;e me, if I do not tell you where we pa&s;sed over. But where is <HI>Cyrus?</HI> asked <HI>Andramites.</HI> I &s;aw him in the Camp ye&s;terday, when we came away (an&s;wered <HI>Tegeus,</HI> &s;eeing <HI>So&s;icles</HI> not an&s;wer quickly.) After this, <HI>Andramites</HI> having be&s;towed a civil com|plement upon them, commanded an <HI>Ephe&s;ian</HI> Captain to guard them: Afterwards, looking upon the other Pri&s;oners, he found &s;omething &s;o great in the a&s;pect of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> though their arms and habit was very mean, that he cal|led <HI>Tegeus</HI> again, to ask him of what quality the&s;e Pri&s;oners were? And as he an|&s;wered, that they were only common Caviliers: If all the re&s;t in your Army were &s;uch, &s;aid he unto him, <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> will mo&s;t infallibly lo&s;e the fir&s;t battel he &s;hall fight; for I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s, he hath none &s;uch.</P>
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After this, he commanded that the Chyrurgion belonging to the Army &s;hould go un|to Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and con&s;ider which was the be&s;t way to carry him: For &s;ince he knew that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> held the Governor of the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes</HI> in &s;u&s;pition, therefore he dur&s;t not go thither, le&s;t he &s;hould render him&s;elf &s;u&s;pected; &s;o that re&s;olving he &s;hould be carried unto &s;ome place nearer <HI>Sardis;</HI> and under&s;tanding that his danger was not great, he commanded the Troops to march. All the Troops then beginning to advance, and all the Pri&s;oners yet &s;taying for want of hor&s;es, becau&s;e their own were either killed or taken by &s;uch Souldiers as could not be found, they &s;aw appear many Coaches, in which were many women: This &s;ight made the hearts of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> to beat; and both of them advancing at once towards the way &s;ide, by which the&s;e Coaches were to pa&s;s: But when they e&s;pyed <HI>Mandana</HI> there, O heavens! what were their thoughts? their &s;ouls were di&s;ordered, their hearts trembled, and were &s;o tran&s;ported, that they thought to di&s;cover them&s;elves, and if &s;hame to appear before <HI>Mandana</HI> in &s;uch a condi|tion, had not re&s;trained them; certainly they had &s;taid the Coach, and done &s;ome act as bold, as their loves were violent. But the thing which mo&s;t of all di&s;ordered their rea&s;on, was, that whil&s;t the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> next to whom <HI>Mandana</HI> did &s;it, was &s;peaking unto <HI>Andramites</HI> on the one &s;ide of the Coach, <HI>Mandana</HI> did ca&s;t her eyes upon the&s;e Pri|&s;oners; &s;o that knowing <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> &s;he could not po&s;&s;ibly chu&s;e but cry out; which reaching the ears of the&s;e two Rivals, produced different effects, though &s;ad in both: However, the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> turning her&s;elf at the cry which <HI>Mandana</HI> made, and asking her what &s;he had &s;een which cau&s;ed her &s;o to do, that pru|dent Prince&s;s imagining notwith&s;tanding the di&s;order of her &s;oul, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not known, con&s;idering the condition wherein he was, did ask the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> pardon for it: But, &s;aid &s;he unto her, I could not chu&s;e but be very much moved, when I &s;aw a man among&s;t the Pri&s;oners, who had &s;erved the King my father in a time when I thought my &s;elf very happy: In the mean time, <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;eeing their Coach went, on &s;till, de|&s;ired the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> to obtain of <HI>Andramites</HI> the liberty of this Cavilier, not daring then to tell the truth unto the Prince&s;s, le&s;t &s;he &s;hould be overheard. <HI>Palmis</HI> de&s;iring nothing more then to oblige <HI>Mandana,</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Andramites</HI> to let the Coach &s;tay, and this Lieutenant General obeyed her: Then did &s;he entreat him to do her the favour to give unto her one Cavilier which <HI>Manda</HI> &s;aw among the Pri&s;oners, which he had taken. Madam, &s;aid he unto her, you know I ought not to do it. I know very well, &s;aid &s;he, that according to the exact and &s;trict rules of war, you are bound to deny me; but with|al, I know, that being as I am. you ought to grant me all that is not prejudicial to the King: And you know <HI>Andramites,</HI> that one &s;imple Cavilier can neither win nor lo&s;e a battel. But be it as it will be, &s;aid &s;he, I ask him of you; and I promi&s;e you the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> &s;hall recompence it, &s;ince I cannot (as the pre&s;ent condition with me is) do it my &s;elf. Whil&s;t this Prince&s;s was &s;peaking unto <HI>Andramites, Mandana</HI> looked out on the other &s;ide, towards the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who advancing &s;till forward, did both &s;ee, and was &s;een by her.</P>
<P>In the mean while, the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> was &s;o urgent with <HI>Andramites</HI> for the liberty of this Cavilier, that he began to con&s;ent, and asked which it was: Then <HI>Mandana,</HI> both by her words, and pointing her hand, &s;hewing him, and &s;peaking &s;o prudently, that in the end <HI>Andramites</HI> not being able to deny the daughter of his King &s;o &s;mall a favour, was ready to re&s;olve upon it; yet remembring what prodious valour his men re|ported to be in this Cavilier, he paw&s;ed a while, and told the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> to excu&s;e him&s;elf, that the courage of this man was &s;o great, that even <HI>Cyrus,</HI> of whom fame did trumpet &s;o many miracles, could not do more.</P>
<P>Bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> in conclu&s;ion, apprehending that this Prince&s;s (if <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> &s;hould dye, might be revenged on him) he re&s;olved to &s;atisfie her de&s;ire: So that cau&s;ing <HI>Cyrus</HI> to come near, without telling him why he brought h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">m to that &s;ide where <HI>Mandana</HI> was, Valiant man, &s;aid <HI>Andramites</HI> unto him, render thanks unto this <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rince&s;s for the liberty which &s;he hath obtained for you. <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;o &s;urprized at this language from <HI>Andramites,</HI> that he never thought of an an&s;wer; for being &s;o near <HI>Mandana,</HI> &amp; not daring to &s;peak his real thoughts, nor hardly to look upon her, his &s;pirits were not &s;o free as to behave him&s;elf as at other times: yet &s;triving with him&s;elf, he &s;aluted the Prince&s;s with a mo&s;t humble Conge, and according to the coun&s;el of <HI>Andramites</HI> by way of thanks, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I do not know what terms to u&s;e, which can &s;ufficiently &s;peak my thanks; and if you judge of my re&s;ertments by my words, you have cau&s;e to think me ungradeful. You have &s;o faithful
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ly &s;erved the King my father, replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> that I have more rea&s;on to acknowledge your benefits then you mine: However (added &s;he, extreamly de&s;iring he &s;hould be gone, le&s;t he &s;hould be known, and yet unwilling to lo&s;e the &s;ight of him &s;o &s;oon) fail not as &s;oon as you are returned to the Camp, to let the King my father know, by the fir&s;t po&s;t which goes to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> that I will be ever what <HI>I</HI> ough t to be; and that I will never do any thing which &s;hall be unworthy of the honour to be his daughter. I &s;hall not fail, Madam, replied he; But &s;ince I fear I &s;hall not be able to obey you any way, but by the Po&s;t which <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ends, therefore unle&s;s I have &s;ome me&s;&s;age unto him, he has &s;ome rea&s;on not to believe me. Tell him from me, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that I am very &s;orry he &s;hould &s;o often expo&s;e him&s;elf unto dangers, as he does for my &s;ake; and I think (&s;aid &s;he, and blu&s;hed) that <HI>Andramites</HI> will permit me to entreat that illu&s;trious Prince to do &s;o no more. I &s;hould be glad, &s;aid <HI>Andramites,</HI> and &s;miled, that this Cavilier could per|&s;wade him unto it; but I think he will have a hard task to do it. But, Madam, it is time to march, unle&s;s you will put your&s;elf unto the inconveniency of night. In the mean time, this Cavalier may pa&s;s the River when and where he plea&s;es, for I will give him a hor&s;e and a Pa&s;port. The Prince&s;s thanking <HI>Andramites</HI> for his civility, turned towards <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who&s;e mind was &s;o troubled, that he hardly knew whether or no what he &s;aw was true. But whil&s;t <HI>Andramites</HI> was talking unto one of his men: Will you be plea&s;ed to command me any other &s;ervice, Madam? (&s;aid he unto <HI>Mandana)</HI> I de&s;ire you, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that you make good u&s;e of that liberty which I have obtained for you. Afterwards, <HI>Andramites</HI> came to them, and de&s;ired the Prince&s;s they would be plea&s;ed to march; and &s;o they did, <HI>Mandana</HI> looking upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> as long as &s;he could, with eyes &s;wiming in tears; and <HI>Cyrus</HI> looking after the Coach, as long as ever he could &s;ee it. All this while, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was in intollerable torment to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> called unto the Coach, and not him&s;elf: he was above twenty times ready to have told his name, and if re&s;entment of honour and love had not re&s;trained him, he had infallibly done it: he would needs come up to the Coach al&s;o, but his guards &s;topt him, and <HI>Feraulas</HI> al&s;o did wittily di&s;&s;wade him. But when <HI>Cyrus</HI> came to him with the hor&s;e and pa&s;s port which <HI>Andramites</HI> gave him, and told him that he was at liberty, his &s;orrow was &s;o exce&s;&s;ive, that he was &s;peechle&s;s. Is it the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> (&s;aid he very low unto him, after he was returned out of his amazed &s;ilence) that hath obtained your liberty? It was the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> who at her reque&s;t, did move <HI>Andramites</HI> to give it unto me. O ye Gods (cryed out the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and lifted his eyes up to heaven) is it by the way of &s;lavery you intend to keep your promi&s;es with me, and make me happy? <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who did not under&s;tand the &s;en&s;e of the&s;e words, becau&s;e he was ignorant of the Ora|cle which this Prince received at <HI>Babylon,</HI> turned him&s;elf towards <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> and told him, he was very &s;orry that this fir&s;t adventure they were in together, &s;hould prove &s;o unfortunate; but he de&s;ired him to be confident, that he would endeavour all imagina|ble ways to procure his liberty.</P>
<P>Afterwards he addre&s;&s;ed &s;ome civilities to <HI>So&s;icles</HI> and <HI>Tegeus,</HI> then drawing <HI>Feraulas</HI> a&s;ide, he conjured him in his captivity, to make him&s;elf known unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> and to let her &s;ee him as oft as po&s;&s;ible, to the end &s;he might the ofter think upon him. <HI>Feraulas</HI> promi&s;ing not to fail, and they who guarded the Pri&s;oners &s;aying they mu&s;t depart, <HI>Cyrus</HI> came near the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and mo&s;t generou&s;ly told him, that he would endeavour his liberty with as much earne&s;tne&s;s, as if he were one of his deare&s;t friends, and that at the la&s;t he would mo&s;t punctually keep his word with him. But withal, &s;aid he, be &s;ure you keep yours: Alas, what can a man in chains do? replyed he. You are to be near <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto him; and I know not whether it be more advantagious to be a captive upon that condition, or to be at liberty, and be at a di&s;tance from her. After the&s;e words, the&s;e two illu&s;trious Rivals parted, <HI>Cyrus</HI> taking his way towards the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes</HI> with his Pa&s;s-port, as if he had &s;tood in need of it, and the Pri&s;oners going towards <HI>Sardis,</HI> upon &s;uch hor&s;es as were given them. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> at parting from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> did apprehend &s;uch joy, as for a while kept his minde in much &s;erenity: for when he looked before him, he &s;aw the Coach wherein <HI>Mandana</HI> was: and when he looked behinde him, he &s;aw his Rival going further from her, and to pa&s;s over that River which would &s;eparate them for a long while: So that though he was a Pri|&s;oner, he would rather chu&s;e that quality in following <HI>Mandana,</HI> then liberty with <HI>Cyrus</HI> at a great di&s;tance; yet the&s;e plea&s;ing thoughts did not la&s;t long, but on the contrary, pa&s;&s;ing from one extreamity unto another, he looked upon him&s;elf as the mo&s;t mi&s;erable
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man alive, and upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> as the mo&s;t happy. Who did ever meet with an adventure, &s;aid he to him&s;elf, &s;o cruel as mine is? for I have not only the mi&s;ery of being a Pri&s;oner, but al&s;o to &s;ee my Rival relea&s;ed, and relea&s;ed by one who makes his liberty in&s;upportable unto me.</P>
<P>Does it not &s;eem as if fortune did make him a Captive only to receive the greater te&s;ti|mony of <HI>Mandana</HI>'s affection? and to let me receive the mo&s;t horrible &s;ign of her aver|&s;ion, that po&s;&s;ibly could be expre&s;&s;ed? for mo&s;t certainly, &s;he &s;aw me as well as &s;he &s;aw <HI>Cyrus.</HI> Was ever &s;uch a piece of inhumanity as this &s;een? She &s;ees me a Pri&s;oner, and a Pri&s;oner for her cau&s;e; and yet in lieu of asking liberty for both, &s;he hath relea&s;ed my Rival only, and loadned me with chains: Though &s;he would not con&s;ider me out of any love to me, yet &s;he might well have done it out of love to him&s;elf, &s;ince my valour is not altogether u&s;ele&s;s unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> for her deliverance. But inhumane woman that &s;he is, &s;he has forced me to believe by this act, that nothing can overcome her. And yet the Gods have promi&s;ed me that I &s;hall make her &s;igh and mourn for all her cruelty, and that I &s;hall be at re&s;t: But which way is it po&s;&s;ible to come to pa&s;s?</P>
<P>Whil&s;t this tumultuous minded Prince was in the&s;e contemplations, <HI>Anaxaris</HI> endured his misfortune with much con&s;tancie; telling <HI>Tegeus,</HI> after he had &s;een <HI>Mandana,</HI> that he he did not now wonder that her beauty &s;hould cau&s;e &s;o great and long a war. <HI>Feraulas,</HI> though he was much vexed that he had not yet got a &s;ight of <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he did &s;it on the other &s;ide of the Coach, yet began already to project how there might be in|telligence between <HI>Cyrus</HI> and him&s;elf. <HI>Tegeus,</HI> who had got &s;ight of <HI>Cyleni&s;a,</HI> and was known unto her, did think more of that plea&s;ing object; then of any danger he was in: But as for <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> his thoughts ran all upon Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> who&s;e pittifull adventure he did not yet know of. In the mean time <HI>Mandana</HI> was no &s;ooner out of &s;ight of her unfortunate <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but turning towards the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> Dare I tell you, &s;aid &s;he in a low voice unto her, that you have given liberty unto that illu&s;trious Prince who only can make me either mi&s;erable or happy? How, &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> al&s;o in a low voice, was I &s;o happy as to relea&s;e the invincible <HI>Cyrus?</HI> I wi&s;h to the Gods that the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> have no wor&s;e de&s;tiny then his. As &s;oon as &s;he had &s;aid the&s;e words, <HI>An|dramites</HI> came unto the Prince&s;&s;es, who had been &s;peaking with a man who came to tell him that the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> could not be carried any wayes but in a coach; and he de|&s;ired the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es, that they would be plea&s;ed to let their women pre&s;s clo&s;e in one coach, and permit a Pri&s;oner of quality, who was much wounded, to go in the other.</P>
<P><HI>Andramites</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> began to change colour, and asked him the name of this Pri&s;oner: but as he did not give her a direct an&s;wer, as if he were unwilling to tell her, &s;he knew it was the Prince <HI>Artamas.</HI> So that looking out of the Coach as it was entring into the Wood, &s;he &s;aw the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> lying at the root of a Tree, his head upon a Buckler, and his Scarf which held up his right arm bloody in divers places; his Complexion by rea&s;on of the lo&s;s of blood was wondrous pale; and his eyes then being &s;hut, &s;he thought him dead. Ah <HI>Andramites,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he aloud, making a &s;ign with her hand to &s;tay the Coach) how dare you look upon me, &s;ince your men have killed one of the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Princes in the world? The Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> &s;poke the&s;e words &s;o high, that Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> heard her voice, and knew it at the fir&s;t: Then he did not only open his eyes, but lifted up his head al&s;o; and leaning upon his left arm, he offered to get up, looking mo&s;t earne&s;tly upon her who&s;e voice he heard. But the Coach &s;taying, and <HI>Palmis</HI> going ha&s;tily out, &s;he was with him almo&s;t as &s;oon as he heard her voice, or had opened his eyes: But alas, how &s;ad was this &s;ight? I ask you pardon, Madam, &s;aid this wounded Prince (as &s;oon as he &s;aw her neer him) that I am not able to render you tho&s;e re&s;pects I owe; and for having &s;o ill defended that Life, which might perhaps have been &s;erviceable in procuring your Liberty. It is I who ought to ask pardon, replied &s;he, for being the cau&s;e of your mi&s;eries and wounds, though I did mo&s;t devoutly pray unto the Gods for your pre&s;ervation; who though they would not make me mi&s;e|rable in my own per&s;on, yet do mo&s;t &s;everely torture me in yours.</P>
<P>Your Expre&s;&s;ions, Madam, replied he, make me mo&s;t happy; and &s;ince you are plea&s;ed to be a &s;harer in my mi&s;ery, let all be converted into joy, &s;ince mo&s;t certainly I &s;hall die without any &s;orrow. I had rather you would think of living, replied &s;he, though it were only for my &s;ake who cannot live without you. <HI>Palmis</HI> expre&s;&s;ed the&s;e words with &s;uch earne&s;tne&s;s of affection, that they made her&s;elf blu&s;h, and look about to &s;ee whether any
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heard her: So that &s;eeing the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> and all the re&s;t of the women behind her did ask her pardon for &s;o rudely leaving her; and <HI>Artamas</HI> knowing by it that &s;he was the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> expre&s;&s;ed &s;uch a Complement unto that Prince&s;s, as it appeared he knew the Pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Cyrus</HI> to be mo&s;t violent: but &s;ince he was ignorant of that Princes adventure, he began to &s;peak as if he were a Pri&s;oner; untill <HI>Palmis</HI> made a &s;ign he &s;hould be &s;ilent, and interrupted him by asking whether he could endure the jog|ing of a Coach?</P>
<P>In the meanwhile <HI>Andramites</HI> fretting, and fearing if his indulgence &s;hould come to the ear of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> he would be angry, be&s;eeched the Prince&s;&s;es not to trouble <HI>Artamas</HI> any longer, but to lend him one of their Coaches, &s;ince it was fit he &s;hould be in &s;ome place where he might re&s;t him&s;elf. Though the Prince&s;s knew he had &s;ome other rea&s;on for what he &s;aid, then what he expre&s;&s;ed, yet they were contented to &s;atisfie him, and depart from <HI>Artamas.</HI> I be&s;eech the Gods, Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) that either my life or my death may conduce unto your Liberty. And I be&s;eech them (&s;aid &s;he, and held her hand out unto him) that I may rather &s;pend all my life in tears for my own misfortunes, then have any cau&s;e to &s;hed them for your death: Live therefore, <HI>Artamas,</HI> if you would have me live; and neglect nothing that may conduce to your pre&s;ervation. <HI>Artamas</HI> then mo&s;t re&s;pectively taking that fair and dear hand which &s;he pre&s;ented unto him, and looking upon her in &s;uch a manner as if he would ask leave to ki&s;s it, he &s;aw &s;he blu&s;ht, and gently pulling it back, &s;he &s;ilently told him that he &s;hould content him&s;elf with that favour which &s;he had already done him. So that &s;aluting her with as much reverence as his wounds would permit him, he &s;aw her depart with her eyes full of tears, which &s;he could no way hide but by pulling down her hood. Yet would &s;he not have her Coach to move, untill &s;he &s;aw Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> in that which was to carry him unto the next Town, which was not above fifty furlongs from thence; <HI>Andramites</HI> having no mind to carry him unto the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> becau&s;e of the friend&s;hip that was between <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and that Prince.</P>
<P>After this, the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> began to deplore their mi&s;|fortunes, and to impart their mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts. In the mean while <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who had carried <HI>Tigranes, Phraartes,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> unto a corner of the Wood where they &s;tayed with much impatience for night, bethought him&s;elf of the be&s;t wayes to conduct them unto the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> and there to advi&s;e upon the be&s;t cour&s;e for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who&s;e impri&s;onment extreamly troubled them. Whil&s;t they were in this condition, they heard a noi&s;e, and thought them&s;elves di&s;covered: but as good fortune was, it proved to be <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> and <HI>Adu&s;ias,</HI> who &s;eeking to hide them&s;elves did meet with them. Yet their joy to &s;ee one another was qualified, when both &s;ides made a relation to each other of the accidents which had happened: For <HI>Ligdamis</HI> telling <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was taken, he was almo&s;t de&s;perate: And <HI>Adu&s;ius</HI> telling <HI>Tigranes</HI> that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was al&s;o taken; and <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> that the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> was both taken and wounded, they did nothing but make a mixture of &s;orrows among them&s;elves. But night at la&s;t being come, and <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who was well acquainted with all the turns of the wood, being gone to: &s;ee whether they might all come out in &s;afety, found that all the Troops were gone, and the coa&s;t very cleer; &s;o that he pre&s;ently returned to his friends, and brought them &s;afe to the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> where they had the comfort to find the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who re&s;olved to &s;tay there that night; but they found him &s;o &s;ad, as their joyes were much mitigated. The &s;ight of <HI>Mandana</HI> a Captive did &s;o di&s;order his heart, that he could take no delight in that liberty which was given him; but when he parted from his Rival, he envied him, becau&s;e he could not part from him but by going further from <HI>Mandana.</HI> And as &s;oon as he came to the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> con&s;idering his adventure more exactly, the more he envied his Enemy. Yet &s;ometimes he could not well reconcile his own re|&s;entments; he no &s;ooner apprehended one thing, but he &s;mothered another; yet he al|ways concluded him&s;elf the mo&s;t unfortunate man alive, and much more unfortunate then his Rival, although he was a pri&s;oner. What good has the gaining of &s;o many battels done me? &s;aid he; &s;o many Towns taken, &s;o many Provinces reduced, &s;o many Kings con|quered? They have indeed got me a little noi&s;e in the world, but they have not all re|lea&s;ed <HI>Mandana,</HI> for whom only I made the war. I do not find the glory that I de&s;ire; I do not meet with <HI>Mandana,</HI> but only for her to relea&s;e me, and not I her. Mo&s;t mi&s;erable <HI>Cyrus!</HI> (cryed he out) why do&s;t thou not dye of &s;hame to appear before thy Prince&s;s in &s;uch a de&s;picable condition as thou did&s;t? Ha&s;t thou not good cau&s;e to fear that &s;he re|lea&s;ed
<PB N="355" REF="375">
thee only, to remove out of her &s;ight an object that was worthy of nothing but her &s;corn? how can&s;t thou &s;uffer her to relea&s;e thee, who a&s;pires unto the glory of being her deliverer? There is a nece&s;&s;ity of death upon thee; the exce&s;s of love and &s;hame mu&s;t make thee rather receive thy freedom from death, then from <HI>Mandana.</HI> But how can I dye (&s;aid he and reprehended him&s;elf) when as I have &s;een her whom I &s;o much de&s;ired to &s;ee? and has &s;een her &s;o admirably fair, and &s;o infinitely generous? Hitherto I was a debtor unto the illu&s;trious <HI>Mandana,</HI> only for &s;ome good intentions, and &s;ome favour|able words; but now, by this adventure, &s;he has given me that which is the mo&s;t precious thing in the world, my Liberty: She has &s;o loaded me with obligations, that a million of &s;ervices cannot repay my debt; no, though I &s;hould dye ten millions of deaths: She has kept me from falling into the power of my Rival and my enemy: She has put me into &s;ome hopes of breaking her chains: what would I have more? ought I not to be fully &s;atisfied with my journey? It is true, many of my illu&s;trious friends are Pri&s;oners; but to my comfort, &s;o is my mo&s;t terrible Rival al&s;o; and I &s;hall be delivered from the &s;ight of a Prince, whom I &s;hall be glad to &s;ee no more, until <HI>Mandana</HI> be out of Captivity, and then &s;ee him with a &s;word in his hands.</P>
<P>But why do I rejoyce at that which ought to grieve me? &s;ince certainly it would be more advantagious to me to have the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> at liberty, and in my Army, then a Pri&s;oner with <HI>Mandana;</HI> and it would be more tolerable unto me to &s;ee him con|tinually, then to know that he is continually in the &s;ight of <HI>Mandana;</HI> for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> will be known, as &s;oon as he is at <HI>Sardis;</HI> and as &s;oon as he is known, <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> will treat him as a Prince of his quality ought to be, let the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his Rival do what he can.</P>
<P>Thus will this happy Captive &s;ee the fair and illu&s;trious <HI>Mandana;</HI> and whil&s;t I am tur|moiling for the liberty of them both, and loaded with chains as he is, he will perhaps win the heart of my Prince&s;s, and take from me the &s;weet fruits of all my Conque&s;ts: And if &s;o, what good will all my Conque&s;ts do me? And though I &s;hould overcome <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> and take <HI>Sardis,</HI> and deliver only uncon&s;tant <HI>Mandana,</HI> can I be at all happy? or if I &s;hould fight with a loved Rival, can I ever have force enough to overcome him? or &s;o much as de&s;ire a victory, &s;ince I am certain to have no &s;hare in <HI>Mandana</HI>'s affection? Yes, yes, I will yet de&s;ire to conquer, though that cruel chance do happen; and I will not think my &s;elf ab&s;olutely mi&s;erable, if I can but out live my enemy. But why (&s;aid this grieved Prince) do I torment my &s;elf with imaginary mi&s;eries, &s;ince I have &s;o many real ones to complain of? Is it not enough that I have lo&s;t my hopes of relea&s;ing <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;o &s;oon as I thought, but I mu&s;t further per&s;ecute my &s;elf? Yet would I gladly know whether <HI>Mandana,</HI> who could not chu&s;e but know the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> did forbear ask|ing his liberty for the love of me, or for the love of him; and gladly would I know, whe|ther the rea&s;on why &s;he asked mine, was only to &s;et me further from her. Yet methought her words and her looks were &s;o obliging, as I need not doubt that &s;he is the &s;ame &s;he was at <HI>Sinope</HI> and <HI>Themi&s;cira.</HI> But yet her beauty is the &s;ame, &s;o that I have cau&s;e to fear her heart is altered; for if it were true that &s;he did at all love me, &s;he could not po&s;|&s;ibly but be &s;en&s;ible of my mi&s;eries; and then it is impo&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould pre&s;erve her beauty &s;o well, amid&s;t &s;o many cau&s;es of &s;orrow, if they were not &s;weetned by &s;ome con|&s;olations which I under&s;tand not.</P>
<P>Then the jealou&s;ie of <HI>Cyrus</HI> changing object, the rare qualities of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> began to trouble him, and pre&s;ently after the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> came into his fancy: but however, his minde did change objects, his &s;orrow &s;till continued con&s;tant, and he could not any ways comfort up him&s;elf, becau&s;e in lieu of his relea&s;ing <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he had re|lea&s;ed him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> pa&s;t over all the re&s;t of the night in &s;uch turbulent agitations of minde as the&s;e; and he could not under&s;tand how it &s;hould come to pa&s;s that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> did not him&s;elf conduct the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es: or how the friends of <HI>Meneceus</HI> and <HI>Timocrean</HI> had given them &s;uch fal&s;e intelligence concerning the &s;etting out of the Prince&s;&s;es. But he under&s;tood from the Governour of the Ca&s;tle, who had it from a Captain belonging to <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> that their departure was publi&s;hed to be deferred on purpo&s;e to deceive any &s;pyes which the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> &s;hould have about them. And that which kept the King of <HI>Pon|tus</HI> from being of the Convoy was, becau&s;e he was gone with another parry of Souldiers to a Ferry and a Ford, and to guard that place where in Probability their enemies would pa&s;s, and intended to meet them nearer <HI>Sardis;</HI> and &s;ince the place where they were to meet was above fifty furlongs from the <HI>Ca&s;tle</HI> of <HI>Hermes,</HI> he could not be there where the fight was.</P>
<P><PB N="356" REF="376">
<HI>Cyrus</HI> apprehending all the&s;e circum&s;tances, was much more grieved then before: For he plainly perceived, that if he had received right intelligence, <HI>Mandana</HI> had mo&s;t cer|tainly been relea&s;ed: Then did he renew his complaints with more bitterne&s;s then before, which yet were interrupted by <HI>Artaba&s;es,</HI> who told him that one of the Cavaliers who had e&s;caped from the fight, had brought him a Table-book which as he &s;aid he &s;aw fall out of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> pocket whil&s;t he was fighting, and which after the fight was pa&s;t he took up. He told him further, that finding &s;omthing written in it in a language which he under&s;tood not, and con&s;idering how the intere&s;ts of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and his were linked together, he u&s;ed his be&s;t endeavours to get it out of the hands of this Cavalier, and bring it unto him, &s;ince he knew that he under&s;tood the language. <HI>Cyrus</HI> took the Table-book, and being full of curio&s;ity to &s;ee it (for it was Cedar, and very magnificently adorned) after he opened it, he read the&s;e lines in the A&s;&s;yrian lan|guage.</P>
<LG>
<HEAD>The Oracles rendred at the Temple of JUPITER BELUS.</HEAD>
<L>Well may&s;t thou hope to make her mourn</L>
<L>For all her cruelty and &s;corn:</L>
<L>Becau&s;e hereafter in her arms</L>
<L>Thou there &s;halt find &s;uch plea&s;ing charms,</L>
<L>As quite &s;hall terminate thy pain,</L>
<L>And turn thy &s;orrows into gain.</L>
</LG>
<P>Whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> was reading this Oracle, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> entred, and knew it pre&s;ently to be the &s;ame which <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> told him was rendred unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> at <HI>Babylon.</HI> So that looking upon <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> in &s;uch a manner as let him know he was very de&s;irous to know who gave this Table-book unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> telling him it was him&s;elf; <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> murmured in &s;uch a manner, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> under&s;tood what he &s;aid, and turning towards him, Did you know of this Oracle, &s;aid he unto him, and when it was delivered? <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> &s;omething &s;urpri&s;ed at this que&s;tion, &s;ought out for a hand&s;om excu&s;e, but could not meet with one: &s;o that he confe&s;&s;ed the truth, and told him, that <HI>Marte&s;ia, Feraulas,</HI> and he were re&s;olved to conceal it from him, le&s;t it &s;hould be an addition unto his &s;orrows. Whil&s;t <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> was excu&s;ing him&s;elf to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he was reading this Oracle over again: Afterwards when he had ended it, Is it po&s;&s;ible, oh ye ju&s;t Gods! (cryed he out) that a Prince whom you have &s;o long loaded with misfortunes, &s;hould be now &s;o much favoured by you as to make <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;igh and mourn for him; and that he &s;hall find &s;uch charms in the arms of my Prince&s;s, as &s;hall terminate all his &s;orrows? Why (if I may ask it without crime) did you let her hate him, and love me, if you thought him worthy of your protection? or why did you &s;uffer him to be thrown out of his throne? And if <HI>I</HI> was thought worthy of your favour, why was not he my Conqueror, or why did he not kill me at the fir&s;t battel?</P>
<P>Sir, &s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> (and interrupted him) As it is not fit for men to pre&s;cribe rules unto the Gods, &s;o it is not fit to dive too far into the expo&s;ition of their words. I know it very well, <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> replied he; but this Oracle is &s;o clear, that there needs no other interpretation, but an expectance of the event. For my part, replied <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> I do con|ceive it to be more ob&s;cure then you think it, &s;ince I never heard that the Gods did &s;peak in this manner of future events. Did you never hear of any Prince, replied he, &s;o unfor|tunate as <HI>Cyrus?</HI> Do you not plainly &s;ee that fortune is favourable unto me, only to be the more inhumane, &s;ince &s;he does advance me only to throw me down a greater preci|pice? And on the contrary, do you not perceive that &s;he has afflicted my Rival to no other end but to make him more &s;en&s;ible of his happine&s;s, and dejected him purpo&s;ely to advance him? Do you not indeed ob&s;erve that all his misfortunes prove advantages to
<PB N="357" REF="376">
him, and conduce unto his happine&s;s? and on the contrary, all my good fortunes are mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible cau&s;es of my mi&s;ery? For does not his impri&s;onment bring him neerer her he loves? and does not my liberty carry me further off her whom I adore? It is &s;o long &s;ince this Oracle was given, replied <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> and &s;o little good fortune hath happened unto this Prince &s;ince, that methinks he cannot build any great hopes upon &s;uch a foundation. Ah <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> you di&s;&s;emble your thoughts to comfort me a little.</P>
<P>As he was &s;aying &s;o, <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> was &s;aid to be come from the King of <HI>Phrygia.</HI> Alas &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;ighed, that Prince does not know that mi&s;ery is contagious, nor that his illu&s;trious &s;on is wounded and taken pri&s;oner. After this he commanded that <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> &s;hould enter; and asking him what bu&s;ine&s;s he had, he told him that the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> had &s;ent in all ha&s;te to adverti&s;e him, that the friends of <HI>Tegeus</HI> and <HI>Timocreon</HI> which were in <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> and <HI>Sardis,</HI> had &s;ent word how they were deceived, and that the departure of the Prince&s;&s;es would be &s;ooner then they had formerly writ; &s;o that the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> de&s;ires to know what cour&s;e you intend to take. Why, I have no cour&s;e to take but to die, replied <HI>Cyrus.</HI> He thought fit al&s;o, &s;aid <HI>Artaba&s;es,</HI> to adverti&s;e you that they &s;ent him word from <HI>Sardis,</HI> how <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> depended much upon an Oracle which he had re|ceived from <HI>Delphos,</HI> &s;o that he makes him&s;elf &s;ure of victory. Have they &s;ent this Oracle unto <HI>Timocreon?</HI> asked <HI>Cyrus.</HI> Yes Sir, an&s;wered <HI>Artaba&s;es,</HI> and the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> hath &s;ent it unto you. In &s;aying &s;o, he pre&s;ented it unto him, which he found to be in the&s;e words.</P>
<LG>
<HEAD>The Oracle.</HEAD>
<L><HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> if to this War he go,</L>
<L>An Empire great &s;hall overthrow.</L>
</LG>
<P>Oh that it would plea&s;e the Gods (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> after he heard the Oracle read) that I were only to lo&s;e Empires and Crowns! if that were all, I &s;hould be glad. But alas, &s;ince the Gods do promi&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and the Empire unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> what can remain for me? I do not know whether they will leave me a grave, or &s;hew me &s;o much favour as to let me die as gloriou&s;ly as I have lived: However, I am re&s;olved not to yield without re&s;i&s;tance; but if I mu&s;t lo&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> and be conquered by tho&s;e over whom I have been a Conqueror, it &s;hall be after &s;uch a manner as &s;hall let all the Earth know I have not merited my misfortune. But yet though it &s;hould be &s;o that the heavens do hate me, yet what hath <HI>Ciaxanes</HI> done, unto whom the Empire belongs? He, I &s;ay, who enjoyes the fruits of all my victories? Was there &s;uch poy&s;on in my Conque&s;ts, that he mu&s;t peri&s;h, becau&s;e the Gods are plea&s;ed to ruine me? Or at the lea&s;t, would it be ju&s;t to confound things &s;o together, as in promi&s;ing <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> that he &s;hall overthrow a great Empire, that of <HI>Ciaxanes</HI> mu&s;t be ruined? Why then I mu&s;t die, (cryed he out) but my death &s;hall co&s;t my Enemies and Rivals very dear. I have hitherto been &s;omthing wary of my life in hopes of &s;ome happine&s;s hereafter; but &s;ince there is nothing but mi&s;eries and misfortunes to be expected, I will carry it after another manner, and in ruining my &s;elf will ruine as many of my Enemies as I can for company, to the end there may be fewer rejoycers at my death. But oh my divine <HI>Mandana!</HI> what's become of all tho&s;e favourable words you have be&s;towed upon me, if the words of the Gods be true? Can I think you did not &s;peak the truth, or mu&s;t I think your heart is changed?</P>
<P>In &s;aying &s;o, he ca&s;t his eyes ca&s;ually upon <HI>Madates</HI> and <HI>Ortalgues,</HI> who came with <HI>Ar|talan,</HI> and yet he did not &s;ee them; and they &s;eeing the turbulencie of his &s;pirit, dur&s;t not pre&s;ent them&s;elves unto him. As &s;oon as he &s;aw them, I hope you bring me &s;ome con&s;olation, &s;aid he unto them, and can tell me that the King is well. He is in perfect health, replied <HI>Madates:</HI> But I left him &s;omthing troubled, becau&s;e he had received in|telligence that <HI>Thomiris</HI> hath rai&s;ed a pui&s;&s;ant Army, and gives out &s;he intends to make as deep a progre&s;s into <HI>Medea,</HI> as the <HI>Scythians</HI> did under the reign of the fir&s;t <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> and to communicate this intelligence unto you, the King was plea&s;ed to &s;end me hither. He had better have declared war again&s;t me (replied <HI>Cyrus</HI> mo&s;t violently) then &s;ent to
<PB N="358" REF="377">
ask my advice: For con&s;idering the &s;tate of things, I do think that his only way to be happy, is to be my per&s;ecutor. But you <HI>Ortalques</HI> (&s;aid he and turned towards him) who hath been con&s;ulting with that famous woman who (as all that have &s;een her &s;ay) &s;peaks all truth: Pray let me have her an&s;wer; and tell me if you remember what I ap|pointed you to ask her from me? Yes, Sir, replyed he, and according to your directi|ons; I asked her when you might hope for any re&s;t. I al&s;o told her, you de&s;ired her an|&s;wer under her hand; &s;o that &s;he giving me this paper &s;ealed up (&s;aid he and pre&s;ented it unto him) I cannot tell you whether I have brought good or bad fortune to you. How|ever, you may tell me whether this woman be as famous in her own Country (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> whil&s;t he was opening the paper) as &s;he is in others? Sir, &s;aid <HI>Ortalques,</HI> this <HI>Hele&s;pon|tique Sybil</HI> is beyond all compari&s;on more famous then all that ever preceded her; and they &s;ay &s;he never yet told lye unto any that ever came to con&s;ult with her. Let us &s;ee then, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> what truth &s;he affords me; and then he began to read the&s;e words;</P>
<LG>
<HEAD>The An&s;wer of the HELESPONTIQUE-SYBIL.</HEAD>
<L>It is a Loving enemie,</L>
<L>Will rou&s;e her &s;leeping hate, I &s;ee;</L>
<L>And plunge in blood a Horo's head,</L>
<L>No fate can keep from being dead:</L>
<L>This is his De&s;tiny at be&s;t,</L>
<L>In only this thou &s;halt have re&s;t.</L>
</LG>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> had done reading it, he was a while &s;ilent, and afterwards made a &s;ign with his hand that every one &s;hould withdraw, except <HI>Chri&s;antes.</HI> Then he read over again what he read before, and cau&s;ed <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to read it al&s;o, who no &s;ooner return|ed the Paper, which contained this di&s;mal an&s;wer, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> looking upon him: Come <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> &s;aid he unto him, how can you any ways interpret this which you have &s;een unto my advantage? Sir, replyed he, I &s;ee it is not ea&s;ie to give it a favourable &s;en&s;e, yet I do not &s;ee which way it is po&s;&s;ible this misfortune which threatens you, can come to pa&s;s; for this loving enemy cannot po&s;&s;ibly be <HI>Mandana,</HI> it mu&s;t certainly be <HI>Thomiris;</HI> &s;o that as the &s;tate of things &s;tand, I cannot &s;ee it is po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould dye by her hand; yet &s;he is rai&s;ing a pui&s;&s;ant Army, replyed <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and they &s;ay <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had not &s;ent <HI>Madates</HI> unto me, but to interpret the an&s;wer of that Sybil which <HI>Ortalques</HI> brought unto me.</P>
<P>I do not under&s;tand, replyed <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> that you &s;hould quit the War in <HI>Lydia,</HI> where <HI>Mandana</HI> is, to go and carry the war unto <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetes</HI> Country where <HI>Thomiris</HI> is; or if you &s;hould, that after you have conquered &s;o many valiant Kings, you can ever be van|qui&s;hed by a woman. Nor do I my &s;elf under&s;tand it, an&s;wered he, but I under&s;tand plainly that my ruine is inevitable: For indeed <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> both the Gods of <HI>Greece,</HI> and the Gods of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrians</HI> do all pre&s;age nothing but di&s;mal De&s;tinies. The Oracle of <HI>Babylon</HI> gives <HI>Mandana</HI> to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> the <HI>Delphique</HI> Oracle promi&s;es the Em|pire unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> if he pur&s;ue the war; and the <HI>Hele&s;pontique Sybil</HI> does promi&s;e my head unto the Queen of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetes:</HI> Yet this la&s;t menace is not the mo&s;t terrible to me, for my &s;oul is much more troubled for the lo&s;s of <HI>Mandana,</HI> then for the lo&s;s of my life: I have hitherto lived in &s;uch a manner as well may afford me &s;ome hopes I &s;hall dye with honor, and therefore I fear not the revenge of <HI>Thomiris.</HI> Let her hate me as long as &s;he plea&s;es, let her arm both the <HI>Scythians</HI> again&s;t me if &s;he can, my &s;oul will not tremble at it: But that <HI>Mandana,</HI> the mo&s;t fair, illu&s;trious, divine <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould leave loving me, after &s;he hath given me &s;ome hopes of an inviolable fidelity; this is mo&s;t intollera|ble: All my con&s;tancy, and all my rea&s;on, cannot keep me from expre&s;&s;ions of my weak|ne&s;s. Were I but a&s;&s;ured of <HI>Mandana</HI>'s heart, I would not care one pin for all other mis|fortunes that can be threatned again&s;t me: The lo&s;s of &s;o many crowns, as in all appear|ances are to fall upon my head, &s;hall not co&s;t me half a tear; though the implacable <HI>Thomiris</HI> were ready to take off my head, yet I &s;hould rejoyce in the hopes of one tear from the fair eyes of my adored Prince&s;s. But alas, how can I hope for one moment of re&s;t, con&s;idering all that hath hapned in one day unto me? For it is &s;o very apparent by
<PB N="359" REF="377">
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e multitude of di&s;a&s;terous adventures which have befallen me in this journey, that the Gods will overwhelm me with mi&s;eries, and it were extream folly to retain the lea&s;t beam of any hope. I come (out of the fanta&s;tical humour of my Rival) to view the place where I hope to relea&s;e my illu&s;trious <HI>Mandana,</HI> and in lieu of that I am taken Pri&s;oner my &s;elf; al&s;o the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> who was my only &s;upporter in the War, he is al&s;o taken and wounded: Al&s;o it is my fortune to &s;ee the Divine <HI>Mandana;</HI> but though &s;he relea&s;ed me, yet &s;he keeps my Rival. I had no &s;ooner got into a place of &s;afety, but the Oracle of <HI>Babylon</HI> is brought me, which tells me the Gods intend to make my Rival happy; im|mediately after that, I receive another from <HI>Delphos,</HI> which precipitates me from the highe&s;t top of glory, into an aby&s;s of mi&s;ery; after this, I had hardly breathed, but <HI>Ma|dates</HI> acco&s;ts me with a fre&s;h di&s;a&s;ter; and I had no &s;ooner heard his tale, but <HI>Ortalques</HI> brings me a &s;entence of death pronounced by the famous <HI>Hele&s;pontique Sybil:</HI> Judge, <HI>Chri|&s;antes,</HI> if after all the&s;e, it is po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould apprehend the lea&s;t glimp&s;e of hope: However <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> I mu&s;t not merit my misfortunes, I mu&s;t fight for the liberty of <HI>Mandana</HI> with as much courage and zeal, as if the gods had not promi&s;ed her unto my Rival. I mu&s;t fight a|gain&s;t <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> with as much magnanimity, as if the oracle had not promi&s;ed him the Empire; I mu&s;t al&s;o carry my &s;elf with as much &s;erenity of &s;oul, as if I were not to be the Victim of <HI>Thomiris.</HI> See <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (&s;aid this grieved Prince) what I ought to do, and what I will do: but I do not know whether I can or no. My &s;oul is que&s;tionle&s;s above all ambition, and al&s;o above any fear of death: but love is &s;o infinitely predominate over my &s;oul, that I know not whether I can endure the lo&s;s of <HI>Mandana,</HI> if it &s;hould happen unto me: But proud <HI>Thomiris,</HI> unto whom the gods have promi&s;ed my head; though <HI>Mandana</HI> do prove perfidious, yet you &s;hall never triumph over me: For I am &s;o a&s;&s;ured, that my &s;orrows for <HI>Mandana</HI>'s incon&s;tancy will be my death, that I never need fear the fury of your hand&punc; After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;ired to put in practi&s;e tho&s;e couragious re&s;olutions which he had &s;et unto him&s;elf: and therefore commanded <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> not to tell the an&s;wer which <HI>Ortalques</HI> brought unto any, le&s;t the Souldiers &s;hould be di&s;maid, and lo&s;e that confidence which does &s;uch wonders in war. After this, he went unto <HI>Tigranes, Phraartes,</HI> and the Governor of the Ca&s;tle, with whom he conferred about many things which related unto the war, and to the Prince <HI>Artamas:</HI> Then taking hor&s;e the &s;ame hour with tho&s;e two Princes, <HI>Chri&s;antes, So&s;icles, Artaba&s;es, Adu&s;ius, Madates, Ortalques</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who would not leave him, he took tho&s;e hundred and fifty hor&s;e which he had left near the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> and returned unto the Camp, with a &s;oul &s;o &s;unk with &s;orrows, that he could not po&s;&s;ibly all the way he went, rid him&s;elf one minute from the multitude of the&s;e di&s;a&s;terous events: So that <HI>Mandana a Captive, Mandana perfidious,</HI> and <HI>the King of A&s;&s;yria happy,</HI> were the only thoughts that took up the &s;oul of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> all the way be|tween the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes</HI> and his own Tent.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>The end of the fourth Part. FINIS.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="author to the reader">
<PB REF="378">
<PB REF="378">
<HEAD>The Author to the Reader.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Reader,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_I Am now in the mid&s;t of a long Laby|rinth of Ten Volumes, which this Book (according to the Model I have framed) is to contain.</P>
<P>This which I here pre&s;ent unto you, is the Fifth.</P>
<P>The favourable eye which hath been ca&s;t upon the other four parts of <HI>Grand Cyrus,</HI> makes me hope for the &s;ame a&s;pect upon the&s;e which are to follow. And &s;ince I have &s;pared no pains to &s;et them out in &s;uch a dre&s;s as may plea&s;e you, there|fore I have &s;ome rea&s;on to believe that they will an&s;wer all my labour.</P>
<P>If any one be not &s;o well ver&s;ed in Hi&s;tory, as to be acquainted with the Ring of <HI>Giges,</HI> which I make u&s;e of in my Book, let him know, That it is <HI>Zenophon, Diodorus Siculus,</HI> and others, who mention it in their writings; and that it is <HI>Ario&s;to</HI> who borrowed this precious Jewel from them.</P>
<P><PB REF="379">
Let them al&s;o know, that it is too much ob|&s;erved in their Books to be omitted in mine; and al&s;o &s;ince <HI>Cicero</HI> in his offices hath attributed &s;uch tran&s;cendent excellencies unto it.</P>
<P>This is all Reader that I have to &s;ay, only this, that the re&s;t of the Parts will &s;hortly fol|low.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>SCUDERY.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 N="5" TYPE="part">
<PB N="1" REF="379">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR The Grand CYRUS. The Fifth Part.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="book">
<HEAD>Book. I.</HEAD>
<P>_CYrus was no &s;ooner come to the Camp, but he bethought him&s;elf how to comfort up the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> with all imagineable con&s;olati|ons, after the impri&s;onment of the Prince <HI>Artamas;</HI> and to that end, without any &s;tay at his own Tent, he went immediately unto that of the &s;ad Father, to acquaint him with all the particulars of the bad &s;ucce&s;s in his enterprize, and to a&s;&s;ure him, that he would neglect no po&s;&s;ible opportunities which might regain the liberty of his Son. Sir (&s;aid that generous Prince, and interrupted him in his talk) had he lo&s;t his liberty in relea&s;ing the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> the misfortune had not &s;o much moved me: But I do confe&s;s, that &s;ince I &s;ee his endeavours conduce not to your &s;ervice, I &s;tand in need of &s;ome con&s;olation; it grieves me to &s;ee him in a condition &s;o far from being able to pay that debt of &s;ervices which he owes you, that he is like to peri&s;h, unle&s;s you become his Liberator: I cannot imagine (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that our Armies are &s;o in|con&s;iderable in the King of <HI>Lidia's</HI> e&s;teem, as that he dare offer any violence unto any Prince who is ingaged in our quarrel, to a Prince unto whom he is a debtor for many vi|ctories; he cannot be ignorant, that Kings are obliged by the Laws of gratitude, as well as other men; and that by how much their degree is elevated above the &s;phear of &s;ubjects, by &s;o much is the &s;in of ingratitude more horrid in them; therefore let not any fears of any violence from <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> unto the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> di&s;turb the &s;erenity of your &s;oul. Moreover, without all doubt, the King of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> will be his Mediators and Protectors; for they being men of genero&s;ity, will mo&s;t certainly oblige <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> to be no more rigorous unto the pri&s;oners which he hath taken, then I am unto the Queen <HI>Panthea,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta.</HI> However, &s;ince there is no di&s;cretion in tru&s;ting too much unto the genero&s;ity of enemies, I will to morrow di&s;patch an Envoy unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> to let him know what intere&s;t I have in the per&s;on of the Prince your Son: I will al&s;o move the two Prin|ce&s;&s;es,
<PB N="2" REF="380">
which I named before, to write &s;ome Letters in his favor; and my earne&s;t en|deavours &s;hall tell you how much I e&s;teem his per&s;on and how dear his intere&s;ts are unto me. The King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> expre&s;&s;ed abundance of thanks unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> for his indulgency towards him, and took the &s;ad di&s;a&s;ter with a magnanimious con&s;tancy. <HI>Cyrus</HI> thought it no di&s;cretion to tell him that the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> was much wounded: as well becau&s;e he would not oppre&s;s him with too great a load of &s;orrows at one time, as becau&s;e he was in hopes to hear &s;ome happy news of his recovery. After this, he retired unto his Tent, where common civility obliged him to &s;pend an hour or two with the Commanders of his Army who came to &s;ee him; and after that, he allowed another hour in di&s;pencing requi&s;ite or|ders in his Martial matters: after which, retiring him&s;elf in private, with none but <HI>Chri|&s;antes,</HI> he &s;pent the re&s;t of the night in contemplation of his great misfortunes, and the multitude of his mi&s;eries: And though the con&s;ideration of them did mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly grieve him, yet did they not at all blunt his courage; but on the contrary, the more mi&s;erable he perceived him&s;elf, the more did he rouze up his &s;oul to oppo&s;e the malignity of his Fate; and although he had a hurt which was mo&s;t tender and &s;en&s;ible, yet was it ever firm and un&s;haken. This advantage he had, that he was &s;en&s;ible of no mi&s;eries, but &s;uch only as Love brought upon him; as for any others, his &s;oul was &s;eated &s;o infinitely above them all, or any thing that could hap, that they never reached him, or if they did, it was but weakly. He had been a pri&s;oner, and fallen from the top of happine&s;s into an Aby&s;s of mi&s;ery; but &s;ince he was not guilty of any crime, he &s;tood not in need of all his vertues, to &s;upport him: Death it &s;elf, how terrible &s;oever, could never &s;tagger his &s;oul, though he had a hundred and hundred times been &s;o neer it, that he had rea&s;on to believe him&s;elf &s;wallowed up by it: But as his &s;oul was as con&s;tant as any Rock again&s;t the rigorous &s;urges of Fortune, &s;o was it al&s;o mo&s;t tender, and &s;o &s;en&s;ible, that it could not endure without unconceiveable &s;orrow, all tho&s;e torments which Love brought upon him. This Prince, who que&s;tionle&s;s could lo&s;e Crowns and Scepters without any alteration of countenance, could not think up|on the lo&s;s of <HI>Mandana</HI> without &s;uch trembling of heart, as all his Rea&s;on could not ma|&s;ter. He &s;pent a great part of the night in talk with <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> but at la&s;t, being more de|&s;irous to allow &s;ome re&s;t unto a man whom he loved, then to take any unto him&s;elf, he di&s;|mi&s;&s;ed him, and lamented his misfortunes unto him&s;elf, until very wearine&s;s did in&s;en&s;ibly again&s;t his will ca&s;t him a&s;leep, and gave &s;ome re&s;pite unto his re&s;tle&s;s thoughts. 'Tis true, this truce la&s;ted not long, for he awaked by break of day; he forgot not the lea&s;t circum|&s;tance of his promi&s;e unto the King of <HI>Phrygia;</HI> &s;o that ca&s;ting his thoughts upon <HI>Aglati|das</HI> for an Envoy to <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> he cau&s;ed him to be &s;ent for unto him; and appointing him a Herald to conduct him unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> he commanded him to follow after him unto the place where the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> lodged, to the end, that when he had obtained his de&s;ires from them, he might there give him his la&s;t in&s;tructions. He took hor&s;e then immediately, and a very &s;mall train followed him, becau&s;e he de&s;ired it &s;hould be &s;o: He arrived at the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana's</HI> lodging, whom <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> &s;aid was ready, and might be &s;een: Indeed that Prince&s;s was then newly returned from the Temple, which eve|ry morning &s;he frequented, becau&s;e her re&s;tle&s;s thoughts would not give her leave to &s;leep much. When &s;he knew what had happened unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;he was extremely &s;orry for him, and for her &s;elf al&s;o; For truly Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him) If the Gods would have permitted you to have relea&s;ed <HI>Mandana,</HI> mo&s;t certainly you would have kept your promi&s;e, and all Warres being at an end, I &s;hould have been in hopes to have &s;een my dear <HI>Abradates,</HI> and have &s;een him your friend, &s;ince being &s;o generous as he is, I am very certain, that when he knew how you have treated me, it would have mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly wrought upon him. However Madam (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> It is in your power to do me a very good office, until it &s;hall plea&s;e Fate to be weary of per&s;ecuting me. Alas Sir, (replied <HI>Panthea)</HI> Is it po&s;&s;ible, con|&s;idering my condition, that I &s;hould be able to do any thing which can te&s;tifie my re&s;ent|ments of all your favours to me? Doubtle&s;s you are, an&s;wered he, if you will be plea&s;ed to take &s;o much pains as to write a word unto the valiant <HI>Abradates,</HI> and de&s;ire him to move <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> not to treat the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> too hardly, and to u&s;e all the other pri&s;on|ers which he took in this &s;ad adventure very well, for I make no que&s;tion but he will con|&s;ent unto whatever you &s;hall de&s;ire: I do not tell you Madam, that according as he &s;hall do unto them, you &s;hall be better or wor&s;e treated; but on the contrary, to induce you unto a more obliging Letter, that though he &s;hall deny what I de&s;ire, yet I will never fail in tho&s;e duties which I owe unto your Quality and Vertue, and that by my con&s;ent you &s;hall never receive the lea&s;t di&s;ta&s;te. Your expre&s;&s;ions are &s;o full of genero&s;ity (replied &s;he)
<PB N="3" REF="380">
that I were mo&s;t unworthy of your protection, if I did not u&s;e the utmo&s;t of my power for your &s;atisfaction, e&s;pecially &s;ince your demands are only &s;uch as equity it &s;elf ought <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o inforce from me. After that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had returned &s;ome thankful language, he told her, that he would leave her at liberty to write, and go to addre&s;s the &s;ame de&s;ires unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> to the King her Brother. He found her no le&s;s di&s;po&s;ed to grant him a Letter unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> then <HI>Panthea</HI> unto the King of <HI>Su&s;iana:</HI> She thought her &s;elf &s;omething intere&s;ted in it, for the per&s;on of <HI>Anaxaris</HI> was now very precious in her thoughts, &s;ince &s;he under&s;tood he had &s;aved the life of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> in|&s;omuch as &s;he told <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he was not at all beholding unto her for writing in favour of tho&s;e pri&s;oners, &s;ince there was one among&s;t them unto whom &s;he was &s;o much ob|liged. When <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;tayed as long with her as he thought <HI>Panthea</HI> might be in wri|ting her Letters, he left <HI>Araminta,</HI> to give her the &s;ame liberty, and returned to the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana's</HI> Chamber; who would needs &s;hew him the Letter which &s;he had writ unto her Husband. He did a long time refu&s;e to &s;ee it, te&s;tifying a compleat confidence in her: But &s;ince &s;he would needs have him under&s;tand it, &s;he began to read aloud what &s;he had writ: The&s;e were the words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>PANTHEA</HI> unto her dear <HI>ABRADATES.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>WHen I &s;hall relate unto you all the mi&s;eries of my Captivity, I have nothing to &s;ay that troubles me, but the deprivation of your &s;elf: Que&s;tionle&s;s, it troubles you to be an Enemy unto &s;uch a Prince, as knows &s;o well how to u&s;e a Victory, and who renders me as much respect in his own Camp, as I was wont to receive at</HI> Su&s;a <HI>when I was there: Wonder not then, if I intreat you to become a Mediator and a Patron unto all the Pri&s;oners which</HI> Croe&s;&s;us <HI>hath, or &s;hall hereafter take, especially unto the Prince</HI> Artamas, <HI>who is infinitely dear un|to the illu&s;trious</HI> Cyrus. <HI>I do not intimate, that you may do him mo&s;t acceptable offices in the Per&s;on of the Prince&s;s</HI> Mandana; <HI>for you may judge by tho&s;e which he doth unto me, how he will re&s;ent tho&s;e which you do unto him: I &s;ay tho&s;e good offices which you do unto him, be|cau&s;e I que&s;tion not but you will repay that debt which I owe unto this generous Conquerour. However, let me a&s;&s;ure you, that notwith&s;tanding all his favours and goodne&s;s to me, I mu&s;t needs think my &s;elf the mo&s;t unfortunate woman in the world, as long as I am &s;eparated from my dear</HI> Abradates.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>PANTHEA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>This Prince&s;s had no &s;ooner done reading this Letter, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> rendred her a milion of thanks; and as he was ready to take his leave, the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> comes in, and brings hers, which was no le&s;s obliging then the other; needs would &s;he have him &s;ee it before &s;he &s;ealed it; &s;o that after he asked the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana's</HI> leave, he read the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The Prince&s;s <HI>ARAMINTA</HI> unto the King of <HI>Pontus.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>SInce I know what thoughts you entertain of the invincible</HI> Cyrus, <HI>I know you will be very glad to under&s;tand, that you may mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly oblige him in behalf of the Prince</HI> Artamas, <HI>whom I be&s;eech you to Patronize and protect; for I doubt not, but that in all things which re|lates not unto your love, you will be ready to do him all po&s;&s;ible good offices. I thought it my duty to give you this advice, and to conjure you for my own &s;ake, to take especial care of one Pri&s;oner, who&s;e name is</HI> Anaxaris, <HI>unto whom I am a debtor for the life of the Prince</HI> Spitri|dates. <HI>I thought it al&s;o convenient to tell you, that &s;ince our la&s;t meeting, when I could not obtain my de&s;ires of you, the Illu&s;trious</HI> Cyrus <HI>hath not altered his cour&s;e of treating me mo&s;t civilly, and that the bad &s;ucce&s;s of my negotiation has not made him more rigorous: Be there|fore, I be&s;eech you, a prevolent Defender of all the Pri&s;oners which the King of</HI> Lydia <HI>took, especially tho&s;e whom I named, if my prayers have any prevalency with you, or if you value the friend&s;hip of unfortunate</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ARAMINTA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><PB N="4" REF="381">
I wi&s;h unto the Gods (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> after the reading of the Letter) that it were permit|ted me to re&s;tore unto you your ab&s;olute liberty, thereby to te&s;tifie my acknowledgments unto you both, but I hope I &s;hall not die without that &s;atisfaction. In the mean time, &s;ince I mu&s;t lo&s;e no time, I be&s;eech you give me leave to go and di&s;patch <HI>Aglatidas;</HI> and then, after that, the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es had returned an&s;wers unto his civilities, he went out, but without taking any leave, becau&s;e he intended to dine there: Then did he give full in&s;tructions unto <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> as well what to do in behalf of the Pri&s;oners, as to enquire concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> He did al&s;o hint unto him to have a mo&s;t tender care of <HI>Feraulas;</HI> then going unto the Chamber of <HI>Araspes,</HI> who &s;eemed alwayes to be ex|tremely melancholly; he writ unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> in the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>CYRUS</HI> unto the King of <HI>Lydia.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>THough I doubt not of your genero&s;ity, in u&s;ing tho&s;e pri&s;oners well, whom the Fate of Warre has brought into your hands; yet I mu&s;t needs write unto you in behalf of tho&s;e pri|&s;oners which one of your Lievtenant Generals did take neer the River of</HI> Hermes, <HI>especially for the Prince</HI> Artamas. <HI>Con&s;ider, I pray you, that he ought not to be treated as a Pri&s;oner of State, but only as a Pri&s;oner of Warre, with whom you ought to deal according to the Lawes of Genero&s;ity and Ju&s;tice, both in treating him mo&s;t kindly and civilly; his quality, his ver|tue, and the &s;ervices which he hath done you, oblige you unto it. If this be not &s;ufficient to in|duce you thereunto, let me add further, That I have not hitherto been &s;o unfortunate, but that I have a good ground of hope before the Warre be ended, to retaliate civility for civility; tran&s;act then the matter more ju&s;tly for my friends, then you have equitably for the Prince&s;s</HI> Mandana; <HI>you may put an end unto the Warre, when&s;oever you &s;hall plea&s;e to re&s;tore her un|to the King her Father, and be a&s;&s;ured, that when you do &s;o, I &s;hall as zealou&s;ly fight then for your Intere&s;t, as now I do for hers.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>CYRUS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> had writ this Letter, he gave it unto <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> he enjoyned him al|&s;o to inquire whether the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had &s;een <HI>Mandana,</HI> and to negotiate in his behalf, as well as for the other pri&s;oners: Not but that it is a piece of difficulty, &s;aid he, to be &s;o officious for a Rival; yet &s;ince my word is ingaged, and genero&s;ity exacts it, I mu&s;t needs do it. He put him in mind al&s;o of the &s;tranger <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> of <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> and of <HI>Tegeus,</HI> and he was ju&s;t ready to di&s;mi&s;s him, when <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who followed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to the end he might have a &s;ight of his dear <HI>Cleonice,</HI> came unto him, and told him, that &s;ince he under&s;tood <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was preparing for <HI>Sardis,</HI> he thought it his duty to ac|quaint him with &s;ome things there, which happily might be advantageous to him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> both thanked and imbraced him, and told him, that it appertained unto &s;uch a man only as was deep in Love, to have compa&s;&s;ion of another Lover. Then conjuring him to be as good as his word, to the end <HI>Aglatidas</HI> might more ea&s;ily meet with exact intelli|gence, concerning <HI>Mandana, Ligdamis</HI> in order thereunto, gave him a Letter to be de|livered unto a friend of his in this <HI>Lydian</HI> Court, unto whom he might &s;afely intru&s;t him|&s;elf, e&s;pecially &s;ince the tran&s;action was a good office to the intere&s;ts of the <HI>Lydian</HI> King. Then after <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;een the Letter which <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was to carry, and had once again repeated the mo&s;t important matters which he was to negotiate, bidding him endeavour to &s;ee the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed him, and &s;tayed &s;till in the Chamber of <HI>Araspes,</HI> without any other company then <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who&s;e conver&s;ation did infinitely plea&s;e him, although there be a va&s;t difference between a happy Lover, and an unfortunate: Yet, <HI>Lig|damis</HI> had a &s;oul &s;o tender and complai&s;ant, and did &s;o &s;erve him&s;elf into the opinion of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that his company was a great comfort unto him. This Prince did principally in|tend to &s;pend part of that day in this Ca&s;tle, becau&s;e it was full of &s;uch per&s;ons as were po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ions, that took up his own heart. He knew <HI>Panthea</HI> loved <HI>Abradates,</HI> that <HI>Araminta</HI> loved <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and <HI>Cleonice</HI> loved mo&s;t extremely: So that finding &s;ome &s;weetne&s;s in condoling with tho&s;e that &s;ympathized with him in the &s;ame mi&s;eries, he re&s;olved not only to dine there, but to &s;pend the re&s;t of the day there al&s;o. Mean while, becau&s;e he would not lo&s;e any time, he &s;ent <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> with divers orders to the Army, to vi&s;it the works which he was there making in a Quarter, not above fifty furlongs from thence. As &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> heard that the Prince&s;&s;es were
<PB N="5" REF="381">
ready, he went to &s;ee them: for his part, he had dined in private at the Chamber of <HI>Ara|&s;pes</HI> without any other company but <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> whom he carryed along with him in this Vi&s;it: So that the Conver&s;ation con&s;i&s;ted of the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> the Prince&s;s <HI>Aramin|ta;</HI> of <HI>Cleonice, I&s;menia,</HI> of <HI>Cyrus, Ligdamis</HI> and <HI>Ara&s;pes.</HI> As &s;oon as each one had placed them&s;elves, <HI>Cyrus</HI> turning towards the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> be&s;eeched her to pardon him for coming thither, to &s;eek for &s;ome comforts in his mi&s;eries. Sir, an&s;wered that di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|creet Prince&s;s, if my mi&s;eries can afford you any ea&s;e in yours, I &s;hall endure them with much more patience then I have done. No Madam, &s;aid he, I came not to &s;ee you to that end, but becau&s;e I thought you all goodne&s;s, and full of pity: Mo&s;t men I meet with do think, that becau&s;e I am not unfortunate in matters of War, I cannot be unfortunate in any thing el&s;e: Indeed they think Love to be but an imaginary Pa&s;&s;ion, a <HI>Chimera,</HI> which raigns only in the fancy, and never di&s;turbs the rational parts: What&s;oever I &s;ay, they beleeve that the lo&s;s of one Battel does trouble me more then the lo&s;s of my divine <HI>Man|dana;</HI> though mo&s;t certainly, the lo&s;s of a hundred Battels, and as many Crowns to boot, does not comparably trouble me &s;o much as one hours &s;eparation from that Angellique Prince&s;s: Imagine then, I be&s;eech you Madam, what a vexatious life it is, to be perpetually among&s;t a company of men who are ignorant of my &s;en&s;ibilities; and) judg al&s;o how plea&s;ant it is to me to be among&s;t &s;uch as are compo&s;ed all of tenderne&s;s and compa&s;&s;ion: yet mu&s;t I needs except <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> from the number of &s;uch, becau&s;e his Soul &s;eem'd always mo&s;t in&s;en&s;ible, but &s;ince <HI>Ligdamis</HI> became a Convert, I will not de&s;pair of him, but on the contrary, knowing the tenderne&s;s of his affection towards my &s;elf, I am per&s;waded it is no impo&s;&s;ibility, but hereafter he may fall in love with &s;ome excellent Beauty or other. <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> blu&s;ht at this di&s;cour&s;e: but <HI>Cyrus</HI> taking no great notice of the alteration in his face, the di&s;cour&s;e went on; and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> addre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> For my part, &s;aid &s;he, I am of your opinion; but as for the Queen, if &s;he do not contradict you, certainly it is out of her complai&s;ance; for &s;he has &s;everal times told me, that &s;he never found any great comfort either in pitying or being pitied; and indeed, &s;he does &s;o clo&s;ely lock up her &s;orrows in her own heart, that &s;he never &s;peaks the fir&s;t: But, I who am nothing of her humour, have related all my misfortunes unto her; and not a day pa&s;&s;|eth but I am di&s;cour&s;ing of them. It is very true, replyed <HI>Panthea,</HI> I do not much care for talking of any thing which concerns my &s;elf; I never think of things pa&s;t; the future is it which engro&s;&s;eth all my Soul: methinks I have &s;o little enjoyed my &s;elf in any thing which hath happened unto me this three or four year, that it is much better for me to think only of what is to come. Things future are &s;o full of ob&s;curity (replyed the Prince&s;s <HI>A|raminta)</HI> that I am &s;o far from thinking of them, that I bani&s;h them my thoughts, le&s;t I &s;hould forge &s;uch mi&s;eries unto my &s;elf, as Fortune perhaps never thought on. Gladly would I do as you &s;ay, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but I find it impo&s;&s;ible. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Pan|thea,</HI> &s;ince fear and hope are two pa&s;&s;ions which divides all my Soul between them, and that I find nothing either to hope for or fear in things already pa&s;t, I cannot re&s;t my mind upon them. Yet is it much better, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to have a heart divided between hopes and fears; for I do know &s;ome who &s;tand in fear of every thing, and hope for nothing. Since the virtue is &s;o great, and the Gods &s;o ju&s;t, replyed <HI>Panthea,</HI> it would be an injury unto them to de&s;pair of your good fortune. Since you are not happy, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;ince the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> is unfortunate, it were pre&s;umption to be over confident of that little virtue which I own: We &s;ee Madam, there are &s;ome things which &s;eem ju&s;t in the eyes of men, which are not &s;o in the &s;ight of the Gods: for truly, it mu&s;t needs be acknowledged, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> who dyed neer <HI>Sinope,</HI> were three Princes who could be taxed with no Crime, but that of over-loving <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet we &s;ee how that Prince&s;s, who is virtue in the ab&s;tract, hath cau&s;ed all the mi&s;eries of their lives and mine: <HI>Mazares</HI> lo&s;t his Life; the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his Throne and Liberty; the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> his Crown and Liberty al&s;o: After all this, Madam, what &s;hould we think of the future? mu&s;t it not needs be concluded, that who|&s;oever never thinks of it, is certainly mo&s;t wi&s;e? But yet I mu&s;t confe&s;s to my &s;hame, that I cannot chu&s;e but fore&s;ee the mi&s;eries which ought to befall me. It is much better there|fore, replyed the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> to apply ones &s;elf to the memory of things pa&s;t. If they be delighting, replyed <HI>Panthea,</HI> to think that they are not &s;till enjoyed, is vexatious. If they be di&s;a&s;terous and irk&s;om, replyed <HI>Araminta,</HI> the thoughts of them now are plea&s;|ing, becau&s;e they are pa&s;t: for my part, when I remember the condition I was in when I was at <HI>Cabira,</HI> and when the Coward <HI>Artanus</HI> kept me there, methinks that &s;ince I am
<PB N="6" REF="382">
come out of his rude captivity, I may well hope to come out of one more plea&s;ant: And for my part, &s;aid <HI>Panthea,</HI> when I remember how happy I was at <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> after I had over|come all tho&s;e ob&s;tacles which oppo&s;ed my happine&s;s, I do not think it po&s;&s;ible ever to be in the &s;ame condition; and therefore I &s;trive as much as I can to forget tho&s;e things, the memory of which does but the more trouble me: However you have promi&s;ed me, replied <HI>Araminta,</HI> to acquaint me with all the joyes and mi&s;eries of your life, as I have acquainted you with mine. Indeed I did con&s;ent (an&s;wered &s;he) that <HI>Pherenice</HI> &s;hould ac|quaint you, and therefore your curio&s;ity &s;hall be &s;atisfied without reviving &s;uch things in my memory, as I wi&s;h I could quite eradicate: Why then (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and addre&s;&s;ed him|&s;elf to the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta)</HI> do you not urge the promi&s;e? Sir, replied &s;he, till now I have not had the opportunity, for it was but this morning at our return from the Tem|ple, that the Queen did make this promi&s;e: Then it is fit I &s;hould ab&s;ent my &s;elf, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> le&s;t I &s;hould hinder you from what you de&s;ire, for indeed I dare not pre&s;ume to ask the favour, not but that I have a great de&s;ire to hear the pa&s;&s;ion of the illu&s;trious <HI>A|bradates</HI> di&s;cour&s;ed of, that I might compare his with my own; but I know the duty which I owe unto a great Prince&s;s, and therefore will not be too pre&s;&s;ing to know her &s;e|crets. Truly Sir (replied <HI>Panthea</HI> with a mode&s;t &s;mile) I am not very free in imparting them, yet I am mo&s;t willing you &s;hould know the whole &s;tory of my life; and it does in &s;ome &s;ort concern me, that you be acquainted with that innocent pa&s;&s;ion which yet po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;eth the heart of <HI>Abradates</HI> and my own; therefore when you have any hours of lei&s;ure Sir, &s;he who was appointed to &s;atisfie the curio&s;ity of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> &s;hall &s;atis|fie yours al&s;o. Methinks Madam, replied that Prince&s;s, that without the expence of a|ny more time in talk of things indifferent, it could not be better imployed then in &s;a|tisfying the de&s;ires of the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and my &s;elf. Since it is my re&s;olution to do a|ny thing which &s;hall plea&s;e you (an&s;wered <HI>Panthea)</HI> you may imploy the time as you plea&s;e, provided I be not pre&s;ent. Then the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> ri&s;ing up, &s;aid, that &s;he would carry <HI>Cyrus</HI> into her Chamber, who without any further oppo&s;ition pre&s;ented his hand to conduct her thither. <HI>Panthea</HI> did blu&s;h as much at their &s;alutes, as if &s;ome crime which &s;he had committed were going to be related: But con&s;idering &s;eriou&s;ly it would be advanta|geous unto her, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> were better acquainted with the vertue of <HI>Abradates,</HI> &s;he &s;ent her woman, who was to relate the &s;tory of her life, with the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta;</HI> &s;he was one of good quality and wit, and who had alwayes been a confident of her &s;ecrets. In the mean while <HI>Cleonice</HI> and <HI>I&s;meni</HI> &s;tayed with <HI>Panthea,</HI> unto whom <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> and <HI>Lig|damis,</HI> after they had accompanied <HI>Cyrus</HI> to the Chamber of <HI>Araminta,</HI> returned. <HI>Ara|minta</HI> being conducted by this Prince, and followed by <HI>Pherenice</HI> and <HI>He&s;ionida,</HI> &s;he was no &s;ooner in her Chamber, but de&s;iring <HI>Cyrus</HI> to &s;it down, and placing <HI>Pherenice</HI> over again&s;t her, &s;he de&s;ired her to begin the &s;tory, and not to conceal from them the lea&s;t thought of <HI>Panthea</HI> and <HI>Abradates:</HI> After <HI>Pherenice</HI> had in a complement de&s;ired pardon unto her deficiency to make &s;uch a relation, &s;he began thus.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of <HI>ABRADATES,</HI> and of <HI>PANTHEA.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe honor which I have had to be educated with the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> and the hap|pine&s;s which I have had to be ever loved of her, enables me with any difficulty to let you know all the particulars of her life, the beginning of which was much freer from di&s;a&s;terous adventures then was the &s;equel. I &s;hall not need Madam to &s;peak of her high birth, for you know that the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> her father was of an extraction &s;o illu|&s;trious, that the bloud of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was not more: The Prince&s;s her mother was al&s;o de&s;|cended from a great hou&s;e, but &s;he lo&s;t her &s;o young, that &s;he cannot remember &s;he e|ver &s;aw her; 'tis true, that this Prince&s;s was educated by one that was Si&s;ter unto the Prince her father, and lived with him, under whom &s;he was as well educated, as &s;he could hope to be under the Prince&s;s her mother. <HI>Ba&s;elina</HI> (for &s;o was the &s;i&s;ter unto the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> called) was a Lady of a high &s;pirit, and great vertue, who &s;ince &s;he had lo&s;t her Husband when &s;he was very young, would never marry again: She had been fair and Courtly; and though &s;he was as compleat in all vertue as any Lady of her Quality was capable of, yet was &s;he not of the too too au&s;tere Sect: She would &s;ay, that one mu&s;t be young once in their life, and it was much better to be of a young di&s;po&s;ition at fifteen, then at fifty; &s;o that the Prince her brother wholly referring the education of his daughter unto her, &s;he allowed her an hone&s;t freedome, without any rigid hand of
<PB N="7" REF="382">
&s;everity over her, which cour&s;e did produce in her a more early and riper wit, then o|thers of her age were accu&s;tomed to have; &s;o that at twelve years of age the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> did behave her &s;elf with as much di&s;cretion and judgment, as if &s;he had been compleatly twenty: As for her beauty, I need not enter into any Elogies of it, &s;ince you may very well conclude what it was, by what it is; yet let me &s;ay thus much, that her beauty did at the very fir&s;t appear, and &s;he was mo&s;t admirably fair from her very Cradle; her di&s;po&s;ition, though &s;omething &s;erious, yet was ever complay&s;ant and &s;weet; &s;o that joyning a perfect goodne&s;s unto one of the pure&s;t wits upon earth, and unto one of the greate&s;t beauties of all <HI>Lidia,</HI> it may ea&s;ily be imagined that the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla|&s;omena</HI> did attract the admiration of all the world. Some glimps of her beauty and wit did &s;parkle throughout all the Town, for in her pa&s;&s;age from infancy to the age of rea|&s;on; indulgent cares to plea&s;e her made all the women amiable, and the men compleat: Being both hand&s;om and free, &s;he was adored by all that came neer her, and all tho&s;e al|&s;o who heard of tho&s;e rare qualities wherewith &s;he was adorned; &s;o that the fame of this Prince&s;s did in a very &s;hort time &s;pread over all tho&s;e Provinces which bordered upon that over which her Father was Soveraign. <HI>Cleonice</HI> whom you &s;ee here may ea&s;ily induce you to imagine, that &s;he was not amiable only in <HI>Cla&s;omena;</HI> for the truth is, all &s;trangers &s;tayed there with abundance of delight, and did confe&s;s there was not &s;o much wit and politne&s;s to be found in any Town of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> as in that. Re&s;idence in <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> became more delightful a little while after <HI>Cleonice</HI> went to dwell at <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> becau&s;e then many &s;trangers of great quality came thither, and &s;tayed a long while; among&s;t which &s;ome were mo&s;t compleat men, who made &s;ociety mo&s;t dilectable, and took away from <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> that defect which was found in all the Provinces and petty Courts there, which was, that every day none but the &s;ame faces were to be &s;een. One thing did &s;ometimes much per|plex the Prince&s;s <HI>Ba&s;elina,</HI> which was, that there was not one man in all the principality of her brother, who was a fit match for her Neice; &s;o that all tho&s;e who &s;aw her, were &s;uch as dur&s;t only admire her, or at the lea&s;t dur&s;t not expre&s;s any other thoughts. A|mong&s;t all the compleat Gallants in <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> there was one, who&s;e name was <HI>Perin|thus,</HI> being older then <HI>Panthea</HI> &s;ome five or &s;ix years, who devoted him&s;elf unto the Prince, and who did &s;o much obtain his liking, that he would never be without him; his Father &s;pent all his daies in the Princes hou&s;e, and al&s;o died in the &s;ervice of his Ma&s;ter. It mu&s;t needs be confe&s;&s;ed, that <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;tood not in need of any commendums, for his per&s;on was very hand&s;om, and his wit charming, &s;o that it was impo&s;&s;ible to deny him favour, to be a very compleat man as he was; he had one odd quality, which was, that he never contracted any intimate friend&s;hip with any one in particular; he held fair with every one, but he opened not his heart unto any; he would &s;ometimes &s;ay, when he was chid for &s;o doing, that he gloried in hiding his mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts, even from his be&s;t friends, However, he was very well beloved: Tho&s;e who were frequently with him, would tru&s;t him with their bu&s;ine&s;s of greate&s;t importance; as well becau&s;e he had great abilities to give good advice, as becau&s;e he was a man of exact hone&s;ty, and incorruptible fide|lity: Thus without di&s;covering his own heart unto any, he &s;aw into the hearts of many men: <HI>Perinthus</HI> was hand&s;ome, and of a good behaviour, of a plea&s;ant conver&s;ation, and without being either too &s;erious, or too free, did equally &s;ort with all manner of humours, and people of what quality &s;oever; and indeed as the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> loved him mo&s;t dearly, &s;o the Prince&s;s <HI>Ba&s;ilina</HI> loved him no le&s;s. <HI>Panthea</HI> al&s;o e&s;teemed him as much as his de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ines could wi&s;h, all my companions did mo&s;t tenderly affect him: All the Ladies of the Town did the &s;ame; and indeed <HI>Perinthus</HI> had been the mo&s;t hap|py man alive of his quality, had he not entertained a &s;ecret enemy in his heart, which troubled all his joyes, and rendred him as unfortunate, as he &s;eemed happy unto all tho&s;e that knew him. For Madam, to the better under&s;tanding the &s;equel of this Hi&s;tory, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Perinthus</HI> did fix his love upon the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> above the capacity of his heart; but yet his love was &s;o re&s;pective, &s;o prudent, and &s;o violent altogether, that he was never heard to utter one &s;yllable of any &s;uch pa&s;&s;ion: He has told me &s;ince (when by the con&s;equence of things which &s;ince fell out, he was forced to confe&s;s the truth) that as &s;oon as he perceived this predominate pa&s;&s;ion, which he could not ma&s;ter, to be in his &s;oul, and from which he could never hope for the lea&s;t &s;atisfacti|on, he re&s;olutely determined to contract no intimate friend&s;hip, neither with any man, nor any Lady, le&s;t it &s;hould &s;o fall out, that through weakne&s;s he &s;hould di&s;cover unto all the world that which he de&s;ired to keep a &s;ecret. He has al&s;o told me, that he was &s;o
<PB N="8" REF="383">
perfectly acquainted with the folly of loving, &s;o di&s;proportionable to his own quality, that he dur&s;t never &s;o much as think of letting her know he loved her: For &s;ince the ver|tue of <HI>Panthea</HI> began to appear in lu&s;tre, and to dazle his eyes, he has &s;worn a hundred times unto me, that after many years of &s;ervice and Love, he never enjoyed one minute of any hope; however he &s;trugled with his pa&s;&s;ion, yet not knowing why or to what end he &s;hould either oppo&s;e or cheri&s;h it: Still he loved the Prince&s;s, but in &s;uch a &s;e|cret manner, and with &s;o much reverence, that there was not one in all <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> as long as we were there, no not the Prince&s;s her &s;elf, which could have the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition of it; and truly, to &s;peak the very truth, although <HI>Perinthus</HI> was de&s;cended of a very No|ble Family, yet there was &s;uch a va&s;t difference between him and her, that it is no won|der that none &s;hould &s;u&s;pect any &s;uch thing; all humble re&s;pects was but his duty by birth, and it was an ea&s;ie matter to umbrage his real thoughts under that, when he every day did render her a thou&s;and agreeable &s;ervices: However, con&s;idering with him&s;elf, that he could never pretend unto any of her affection, no nor &s;o much as acquaint her with his, he limited his de&s;ires to obtain her e&s;teem: And being de&s;irous to purcha&s;e &s;ome glory in the Warres, he went thither where the illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander,</HI> now Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> was in <HI>My&s;ia;</HI> where he performed &s;uch admirable acts, that if there were not a &s;ecret Load-&s;tone which drew his heart unto <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> he might well have rai&s;ed him&s;elf unto a great fortune under this generous Favorite. In the end, he returned loadned with ho|nors unto the Prince his Ma&s;ter, who made him extreme welcome at his return. The Prince&s;s al&s;o received him very well, and que&s;tionle&s;s <HI>Perinthus</HI> had this con&s;olation a|mid&s;t his mi&s;eries, that he was arrived unto &s;uch a point as he de&s;ired to be. This Madam is the de&s;cription of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> to wit, the mo&s;t di&s;creet, but the mo&s;t unhappy Lover in the world; and this was the &s;tate of his pa&s;&s;ion, when the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> took his re&s;olution to go and dwell at <HI>Sardis,</HI> and to carry thither with him the Prince&s;s his daugh|ter, with intentions not to return until he had be&s;towed her in marriage. As he was a Tributary unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and had been at a Treaty, by which the Princes of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> were obliged to live the half year at <HI>Sardis;</HI> after a long ab&s;ence from thence, under &s;e|veral pretences and excu&s;es, he re&s;olved to go thither, and di&s;charge the duty; and the rather, becau&s;e he &s;aw unto what a height the valour of <HI>Cleander</HI> had rai&s;ed the Authori|ty Royal; therefore he yeelded obedience by fair means, rather then to draw a War upon his Country, and be compelled unto it by force. <HI>Sardis</HI> being at that time in her highe&s;t lu&s;tre, the whole Train of the Prince and Prince&s;s were very glad of the journey, except <HI>Perinthus,</HI> who fretted at it in &s;ecret, by rea&s;on of &s;ome re&s;entments proceeding from his love. Hitherto he had this advantage, that he &s;aw none make any attempts of &s;ervice upon <HI>Panthea,</HI> becau&s;e as I told you before, there was not one man in all the principality of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> who could pretend marriage: But when he con&s;idered, that now &s;he was going to <HI>Sardis,</HI> where many men &s;uitable to her own quality did inhabit, he made no que&s;tion but &s;he would be loved and adored by many; &s;o that his fear of ha|ving many Rivals, rendred him mo&s;t mi&s;erable. I remember when I ob&s;erved, notwith|&s;tanding all his di&s;gui&s;ement, that he never made any expre&s;&s;ions of &s;uch joys for going unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> as all the re&s;t did, who were to go this voyage: I asked him the cau&s;e, but he an&s;wered with as much civility as &s;ubtilty, that it was becau&s;e he &s;hould no longer en|joy neither the &s;ight nor &s;ociety of all tho&s;e that were mo&s;t dear unto him. For (&s;aid he further, the better to di&s;guize the matter) all the gallantry of the men which the Prince carries with him, will there fall all in Love: Then he &s;aid further, (becau&s;e his di&s;cour&s;e &s;hould reach at me) and I &s;ee that all the Gallants in that place unto which we are going will fall in Love with all the Beauties which the Prince&s;s carries with her. My Ma&s;ter him&s;elf will be &s;o bu&s;ie in making his addre&s;&s;es at Court, that I cannot make mine unto him: And as for the Prince&s;s, I believe &s;he and her thoughts will be much taken up with variety of Court&s;hips; &s;o that fore&s;eeing that I &s;hall be without Ma&s;ter, without Mi&s;tri&s;s, and without friends; it need not be wondered if I be not &s;o gay and plea&s;ant as you are. For my part, &s;aid I unto him, and &s;miled, I am &s;o far from under&s;tanding your la&s;t di&s;cour&s;e, that I know no rea&s;on why we &s;hould remain in the de&s;arts of <HI>Ly|bia,</HI> rather then go unto <HI>Sardis. Perinthus</HI> &s;miled to hear me &s;ay &s;o, and without any further continuance of this di&s;cour&s;e we parted, and every one prepared for the voy|age. The Prince&s;s <HI>Ba&s;ilina</HI> could not go this journey, for &s;he had &s;ome Controver&s;ies, and Suits of great importance with the kindred of her late Husband, &s;o that <HI>Panthea</HI> went to <HI>Sardis</HI> only with the Prince her Father. I &s;hall not relate unto you Madam,
<PB N="9" REF="383">
how &s;he was received by <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> by the Prince <HI>Atis,</HI> by the Prince <HI>Myr&s;illes,</HI> by the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> by <HI>Antaleon,</HI> by <HI>Mexaris,</HI> by <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> and by the illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander:</HI> but I &s;hall imploy the time better, in relating things more nece&s;&s;ary to the &s;tory. Let it &s;uffice that I tell you only in general, that they rendred unto the Prince and Prince&s;s all the honors that was due unto their quality and merit: The Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and the Prin|ce&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> did at the fir&s;t contract a great league of amity, and though they were both of them fair enough to beget envy in the hearts of each other, yet the lea&s;t &s;park of it did not appear: Their &s;ouls were certainly of a far higher and more noble temper, then to be capable of any thoughts &s;o ba&s;e: but love they did, and that with all &s;incerity, though to &s;peak the very truth of things, they did never enter into any &s;uch deep confi|dence of each other, as to impart the &s;ecrets of their lives, not but that they had &s;uffici|ent e&s;teem of each other for it; but &s;ince <HI>Celeni&s;a</HI> had ingro&s;&s;ed all the confidence of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> I al&s;o had the happine&s;s to enjoy that of the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea.</HI> The truth is, her &s;ecrets at that time were of &s;mall importance, however I was much obliged to her for her imparting her real thoughts of things unto me, which &s;he never did before the re&s;t of my companions. I make no que&s;tion Madam, but you are acquainted with that contrariety of humours that is between the King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> and his Brothers, and there|fore I need but hint unto your memory, that the Prince <HI>Antaleon</HI> was mo&s;t violently ambitious, one that would ruine all &s;o he could but raign; and that <HI>Mexaris</HI> was as co|vetous as <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was liberal, though <HI>Mexaris</HI> in riches was not inferiour to him: And certainly, this vice did never appear &s;o &s;trange in any as in this Prince, as you will &s;ee by the &s;equel of this di&s;cour&s;e: However, he was capable of one pa&s;&s;ion, one of who&s;e no|ble effects was to produce liberality. I am verily per&s;waded <HI>Mexaris</HI> thought that in mat|ter of Love it was enough to give his heart, and that's the rea&s;on he never offered to &s;ti|fle that pa&s;&s;ion which the beauty of <HI>Panthea</HI> did in&s;pire into his &s;oul: But his only thoughts were to obtain the affection of the Prince&s;s, without any conditions of charge unto him|&s;elf, and therefore he never offered to hinder his growing pa&s;&s;ion, but loved her as much as his &s;oul was capable of loving. This fire for a while was clo&s;ely &s;mothered up in &s;ecre|&s;ie, and in the <HI>interim,</HI> the Prince&s;s was vi&s;ited and courted by all the great and illu&s;tri|ous Gallants of <HI>Sardis.</HI> Among&s;t the number of tho&s;e who came to &s;ee her, there was one who&s;e name was <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> of good quality, who did infinitely plea&s;e her; and the truth was, &s;he was no ordinary per&s;on, for be&s;ides her charming beauty, &s;he had a plea&s;ing and merry wit, but &s;o full of rea&s;on, that &s;he brought all the world unto her own &s;en&s;e of things. She had a &s;ubtil and witty way of je&s;ting, again&s;t which there was no defending ones &s;elf, when &s;he was in the humour of it, and that which was mo&s;t rare to be found in one of that humour, &s;he was full of goodne&s;s and &s;weet|ne&s;s al&s;o; &s;he did in many occa&s;ions more delight tho&s;e which heard her, then hurt tho&s;e whom &s;he did play upon, but yet &s;he made many &s;tand in awe of her when we came to <HI>Sardis:</HI> But yet for my part, I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I ever loved her without any fear, and en|deavoured to confirm the Prince&s;s in that advantagious opinion which &s;he entertained of her; and truly I found no difficulty in doing &s;o, for her own natural inclination did bya&s;s that way &s;o &s;trongly, that &s;he loved her mo&s;t tenderly. <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> al&s;o made &s;uch re&s;pectful and obliging returns unto the goodne&s;s of the Prince&s;s, that within a few daies the Prin|ce&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> was as affable and familiar with <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">er, as if &s;he had been acquainted from the Cradle. She under&s;tood from &s;everal reports, and afterwards from her &s;elf, that though &s;he had living neither Father nor Mother, but lived with an Aunt, who had no compul&s;ive power over her: and though &s;he was yet very young, yet had &s;he already re|fu&s;ed above twenty offers of Marriage; for when we came to <HI>Sardis,</HI> &s;he was not above eighteen years of age, not that &s;he appeared of any rigid or &s;avage di&s;po&s;ition, for ra|ther on the contrary, &s;he was of a free and jocand Spirit; &s;he was a lover of company and diverti&s;ements, and there was not any Gallantry in all the Court wherein &s;he had not her &s;hare, in&s;omuch as there &s;eemed no inclination in her to become one of the vailed <HI>Nuns</HI> of <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> and therefore they would &s;ometimes de&s;ire her rea&s;ons why &s;he refu&s;ed &s;o many Gallants and compleat men which proffered them&s;elves in way of Marriage: But &s;he would alwayes an&s;wer with a &s;mile, that it was, becau&s;e &s;he had not yet met with &s;uch a man as &s;he &s;ought for, and whom &s;he phancied as a good fortune unto her &s;elf. Thus turning the matter alwayes into a kind of Rallary, and leaving every one to ghe&s;s at her meaning, they imagined that &s;he had an aver&s;ion towards Marriage, and that &s;he had no other rea&s;on for carrying the matter as &s;he did. The Prince&s;s then knowing thus much, upon a time when &s;he was not very well, and had &s;ent for <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to divert her, &s;he told
<PB N="10" REF="384">
her, that &s;he had a great de&s;ire to know who that man was, whom &s;he &s;aid &s;he &s;ought for, and could not find. Since it is your de&s;ire Madam, &s;aid &s;he and &s;miled, be plea&s;ed to know that I have a phancy never to marry any man, but &s;uch a one as I am &s;ure loves me, and &s;uch a one as I do love. The fir&s;t of the&s;e, replied the Prince&s;s, methinks is ea&s;ily found: It is not &s;o ea&s;ie, replied &s;he, but in truth the &s;econd is as difficult, or to expre&s;s my &s;elf a little better, impo&s;&s;ible. Methinks, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, you offer a great affront unto the Town and Court of <HI>Sardis,</HI> to think that there is not one man in it &s;uffi|ciently accompli&s;hed to win you by his &s;ervices to accept of his affection. Madam, &s;aid &s;he unto her, there is a thou&s;and accompli&s;hed Gallants in <HI>Sardis,</HI> but among&s;t them all, there is not one who has not already loved &s;ome or other, and that's my rea&s;on why I can affect none of them; For truly, if I could &s;uffer my &s;elf to be loved, and could re|&s;olve to love, I would chu&s;e one whom Nature only has dre&s;&s;ed up a compleat man, with|out the adulterate helps of Love, one who &s;hould offer me a fre&s;h new heart, which ne|ver had received any impre&s;&s;ion but my own, nor burned in any flames, but &s;uch only as kindled at my eyes. But Madam, where is it po&s;&s;ible to find &s;uch a modelled man as I &s;eek after? at the lea&s;t I am &s;ure, that among&s;t a hundred thou&s;and which I have &s;een, there is not &s;uch a one to be met withall. Nature alone (added &s;he) does &s;ometimes make them hand&s;om and fair, but they are never of a good behaviour if they have never been once in Love with any; and a man can never have a plea&s;ing &s;pirit, unle&s;s once in his life he have made it his bu&s;ine&s;s to plea&s;e &s;ome or other. The Prince&s;s began to laugh at the di&s;|cour&s;e of <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> but afterwards &s;aid unto her, Love does never infu&s;e &s;pirit into tho&s;e who have none of their own. I do a&s;&s;ure you Madam, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that though it do not infu&s;e &s;pirit into tho&s;e who have none, yet it does marvellou&s;ly augment and po|li&s;h it in tho&s;e who have any of their own. I do believe, &s;aid &s;he, that &s;uch a compleat man as is de&s;cribed by one of the wi&s;e men of <HI>Greece,</HI> who is &s;o much &s;poke of in the world, may be found without any &s;parks of Love in him; for tho&s;e men require no more, but that they know how to mannage the bu&s;ine&s;s well which they have in hand, and that a man know hone&s;ty, and courage, and vertue: But &s;uch a compleat man as I would have, ought to have (be&s;ides the&s;e things &s;o ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary) &s;ome things in him which are dilectable, and complacential, and the&s;e are ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible to be found in a man that neeer was in Love. In &s;um Madam, call into your memory all the young men whom you have &s;een enter into the world, and tell me the rea&s;on why there is &s;o many of them, who&s;e conver&s;ation are Pe&s;antique and gro&s;s; you will find the only rea&s;on to be, becau&s;e they want that re&s;pective and convenient boldne&s;s, and that &s;pright|ly and gallant civility which Love only can infu&s;e. Their di&s;cour&s;e and actions do not plea&s;e; and for my part, I like the conver&s;ation of tho&s;e old men, who were &s;prightly Gallants in their youth, much better then tho&s;e young Simpliciars, who think more up|on the Ribbands which they wear, then the Ladies whom they talk with. 'Tis very true, &s;aid the Prince&s;s and &s;miled, I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that I have ob&s;erved many &s;uch as you &s;peak of, but I do not attribute it unto the &s;ame cau&s;e; for I do think that their want of expe|rience in the world, is the true rea&s;on why their di&s;cour&s;e and demeanour is not more di|lectable. To demon&s;trate unto you, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that it is not &s;o, I be&s;eech you do but ob&s;erve tho&s;e who never were in Love, and yet have &s;ufficient experience in the world, you &s;hall find them &s;o rude, and of &s;uch a &s;avage &s;pirit, that there is no compla|cency to be found in them; you &s;hall find that &s;uch men are &s;teel-hearted, and men of Blood, who&s;e lives are &s;pent in Wars, or els &s;uch hunting di&s;po&s;itions as affect only Forre&s;ts, or &s;uch dumpi&s;h pieces of &s;olitarine&s;s, as are alwayes cloy&s;tered up in their Studies with a company of books, or &s;uch as entertain them&s;elves in Grots and Caves in the Country; So that I mu&s;t ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;s, that it is Love only which compleats a man to be &s;uch a one as I am in que&s;t of. However, &s;aid the Prince&s;s unto her, &s;ince Love is of &s;uch an efficacy as you &s;peak of, do but &s;uffer your &s;elf to be loved, and tho&s;e men who are not &s;uch as you de&s;ire, will in time become &s;o. Ah Madam, cryed &s;he out, if I do not e&s;teem him whom I am to marry the very fir&s;t minute that I &s;hall &s;ee him, I &s;hall never love him; and therefore I mu&s;t find him a mo&s;t accompli&s;hed man, and not make him one. Make choice then (&s;aid &s;he unto her) of one of tho&s;e who have com|pleated them&s;elves by loving &s;ome other, and has made a retreat, and now loves none. I have already told you Madam, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that I would have a fre&s;h new Maiden heart, newly kindled with pure and lively flames, and not one of tho&s;e hardened ones, as have burned whole years together. The truth is, as men u&s;e to offer unto a Divinity
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&s;uch offerings only as were never upon the Altar of another; &s;o would I have &s;uch an af|fection as was never dedicated to any but my &s;elf: So, &s;ince I cannot love any man who has loved one another; and &s;ince it is not po&s;&s;ible to find out a compleat man, uule&s;s he have been in Love, I am re&s;olved, and truly very willingly, to love none at all. This your rule is not &s;o general, replied the Prince&s;s, but it will admit of &s;ome exceptions; for <HI>Perinthus</HI> you know is a mo&s;t accompli&s;hed man, yet he never was in Love. Ah Madam, cryed &s;he out, it is impo&s;&s;ible, <HI>Perinthus</HI> either is infallibly in Love, or at the lea&s;t hath been; it is impo&s;&s;ible to be as he is, unle&s;s he were. The Prince&s;s then called me, Is it not truly <HI>Pherenice,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, that <HI>Perinthus</HI> was never in Love? It is mo&s;t true Madam, &s;aid I unto her, that I never knew he was, nor ever knew him to be &s;u&s;pected by any. Then certainly he is mo&s;t &s;ubtil and wi&s;e, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> for let me tell you once again, that <HI>Perinthus</HI> cannot be what he is, unle&s;s he had been in Love. As &s;he was &s;ay|ing &s;o, he entred; So that the Prince&s;s beginning the di&s;cour&s;e, and being ignorant of that pa&s;&s;ion which was in his &s;oul, &s;he told him, that &s;he was very glad to &s;ee him, be|cau&s;e he would help her to convince <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> of an error, wherein &s;he per&s;i&s;ted: But &s;aid the Prince&s;s, and addre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> I would have you ask him the que&s;ti|on, to the end you &s;hall not think he dare not tell me the truth. I do confe&s;s Madam, an&s;wered <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that I am &s;o full of curio&s;ity in the bu&s;ine&s;s, as though it be &s;ome|thing again&s;t the Rules of hand&s;omne&s;s, yet I will immediately obey you; therefore <HI>Perinthus,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, and turned towards him, I pray tell me whether you did not leave one in <HI>Cla&s;&s;omena</HI> whom you wi&s;h were at <HI>Sardis. Perinthus</HI> was &s;o &s;urprized with this que&s;tion, that he blu&s;ht, and knew not how to an&s;wer; So that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> turning to|wards the Prince&s;s, Very well Madam, &s;aid &s;he, I am much deceived if you be not mi&s;ta|ken, and if the blu&s;h of <HI>Perinthus</HI> do not &s;ufficiently argue that I am in the right. But you do not give <HI>Perinthus</HI> time to an&s;wer, &s;aid <HI>Panthea,</HI> and you will condemn me be|fore you under&s;tand him: I pray <HI>Perinthus</HI> convince <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that it is po&s;&s;ible to find &s;uch a compleat man as your &s;elf, who neither is, nor ever was in Love; and therefore tell her whether you left any beauty in <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> who think you upon at <HI>Sardis.</HI> Since I am obliged to an&s;wer directly (replyed <HI>Perinthus</HI> after he had a little recollected him|&s;elf) I do &s;eriou&s;ly prote&s;t unto you without any lye, that &s;ince I came to <HI>Sardis,</HI> I ne|ver &s;o much as thought of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> or any in it: Perhaps the rea&s;on is (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to the Prince&s;s) becau&s;e <HI>Perinthus</HI> is in Love with &s;ome of your Women, and by con&s;e|quence left none there to love. <HI>Perinthus</HI> blu&s;ht the &s;econd time at the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Do|rali&s;a,</HI> which the Prince&s;s ob&s;erving, and imagining that the alteration in his countenance proceeded from no other cau&s;e, but becau&s;e he was a&s;hamed to confe&s;s he loved not any. Truly <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) you are a &s;trange man, in being a&s;hamed to confe&s;s that thing whereof you ought to glory; for I do conceive it Honorable, never to be vanqui&s;hed. There are &s;ome Conquerours &s;o illu&s;trious (replyed he very coldly) that a defeat by them may be confe&s;&s;ed without any di&s;honor. But whether are you in Love, or not in Love, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> for that is it which we would know? If I be in Love, replyed he, you may think it concerns me not to di&s;cover it, &s;ince none knows it: And if I be not in Love, it concerns me not to acknowledg it al&s;o, &s;ince it is to be thought (as I collect by the di&s;cour&s;e of the Prince&s;s) that one cannot be any wayes a compleat man, unle&s;s amorous; and I mu&s;t not po&s;&s;e&s;s you with an opinion which will be to my own di&s;|advantage. However it be (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> though you will not explain your &s;elf, yet within a while, I &s;hall find out the truth; for if you be in <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> there your di&s;|quiet and melancholy will &s;ufficiently di&s;cover you; and if you be at <HI>Sardis,</HI> then I &s;hall more infallibly find it out. But what if he be not in Love at all, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, as I do verily believe he is not, then <HI>Perinthus</HI> wants none of tho&s;e qualities which you de&s;ire to be in a man: Yes, he wants one thing, replyed &s;he, and that's as nece&s;&s;ary as all the re&s;t, which is, that he love me as well as he can Love. But I conjure you Madam, never move him unto that, &s;ince I am mo&s;t certain he can never love me; and if I were as &s;ure that he is in Love with none el&s;e, I &s;hould look upon him as an ab&s;olute Miracle. As <HI>Perinthus</HI> was going to reply, a me&s;&s;enger from the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> interrupted the con|ver&s;ation, for he came upon a vi&s;it, to &s;ee how the Prince&s;s did, and to know whether &s;he was in &s;uch a condition of health as to meet her in the morning at a Hunting which they had appointed &s;ome few dayes &s;ince; or whether it was her plea&s;ure to defer that &s;port until another time. The Prince&s;s, who was not very ill, but hoped to be perfectly well the day following, returned this an&s;wer, That &s;he was &s;o far from any de&s;ires of
<PB N="12" REF="385">
deferring any delights which &s;he &s;hould receive, as that in the morning &s;he would a&s;&s;ume the honor to wait upon her at the Cha&s;e. Immediately after the Prince <HI>Mexaris</HI> entred, &s;o that the di&s;cour&s;e between <HI>Perinthus</HI> and <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> was put off till the next day. In the mean while, the poor <HI>Perinthus</HI> was in a pitiful condition, to under&s;tand from the Prin|ce&s;&s;es own mouth, that &s;he did not think him to be in Love, and his &s;orrows were ex|treme to hear tho&s;e cruel words pronounced by her whom he only loved, or ever could love, and unto whom he never dur&s;t di&s;cover his pa&s;&s;ion; and though he did, as he thought, limit his de&s;ires to be only e&s;teemed by the Prince&s;s; yet many a minute in a day had he further wi&s;hes, which immediately he would &s;tifle: However, &s;ince he was fit for any imployment, the Prince&s;s &s;ent him to &s;ee whether the &s;ervants of the Prince her Father had prepared all things nece&s;&s;ary for this Hunting, and whether the Hor&s;e which &s;he was to ride upon was ready, and well conditioned. <HI>Perinthus,</HI> who was ravi&s;hed in rendring any &s;ervice unto the Prince&s;s, were it never &s;o trivial, did &s;o punctually obey her, that the next morning the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> her &s;elf was not better accoutred then &s;he: And really I cannot think, that a more gallant and glorious &s;ight could be &s;een then this Hunting diver&s;ion. All the Ladies were dre&s;t, as they u&s;e to picture <HI>Diana,</HI> unle&s;s in that they had a little more care of their Beauties then that Godde&s;s, who de&s;pi&s;ed her own: She had about her head a Chapplet of &s;uch lively coloured Feathers, as vyed with the Sun for Beauty, and pre&s;erved her from its heat, under which &s;he wore a Vaile wa|ving at the plea&s;ure of the winde, wherewith &s;he could umbrage her fair face when &s;he plea&s;ed: Their hor&s;es were all trapped and trim'd with lovely coloured Ribbands in their Mains; each had a rich Scarf, in which hung a Bow and Quiver of Arrows, in one hand they held their Bridles, which were all &s;tudded with bo&s;&s;es of Gold, and in the o|ther hand they held light Javelines of Ivory and Ebony all enamelled with the riche&s;t work of the Gold&s;mith, their &s;addle-cloaths were imbroydered with Pearl and Jewels: So that a &s;ight more magnificent and fuller of delight could not be &s;een; for all their dre&s;&s;es being in &s;everal colours, and the trimmings of their hor&s;es &s;o al&s;o, it made the mo&s;t beautiful object in the world among&s;t the woods and Lands of the Park: Every Lady had a Hunt&s;man to conduct her, who alwayes rode before her, and two Footmen, on each &s;ide one: Each of the Prince&s;&s;es had two Women dre&s;t in the &s;ame garb follow|ing them; &s;o that the Prince&s;s de&s;ired <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to be one of hers, and did me the ho|nour to make choice of me among&s;t all the re&s;t for the other. It was &s;o ordered by the Prince&s;s, that <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;hould be <HI>Dorali&s;a's</HI> Hunt&s;man, and the Prince <HI>Mexaris</HI> was hers: The Prince <HI>Atis</HI> was Hunt&s;man unto a Lady, who&s;e name was <HI>Anaxi|la,</HI> with whom he was in Love; and the Prince <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> was Hunt&s;man unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis.</HI> But &s;ince to tell all the pa&s;&s;ages of this Hunting, is nothing pertinent unto my di&s;cour&s;e, I &s;hall only &s;ay thus much, that all the men were no le&s;s glorious and magnificent then the Ladies: A world of people came in Chariots to the banks of the Lake of <HI>Giges,</HI> where all the equipage of Hunting, and all the hor&s;es did rendezvouz and wait: <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and my &s;elf were in the Prince&s;s Chariot, becau&s;e we were appointed to wait upon her; and as it was the office of the Prince <HI>Mexaris,</HI> who was Hunt&s;man unto the Prince&s;s, to help her out of her Chariot; &s;o he was very ob&s;equious in it, but he no &s;ooner appeared, then <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> ob&s;erved, that in lieu of a habit made pur|po&s;ely for this jolly recreation, as the Prince <HI>Atis,</HI> the Prince <HI>Myr&s;il<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, Arte&s;ilas, Cle|ander,</HI> and all the re&s;t, even <HI>Parinthus</HI> had: It was a &s;uit, as I was told, which he wore at a Hor&s;e-race, &s;ome two years &s;ince; So that not being able to hold from laughing, re|ally (&s;aid &s;he to me, &s;o loud as the Prince&s;s might hear) I &s;ee that all which hath been told me concerning the Prince <HI>Mexaris</HI> is not true: What have they told you (&s;aid I unto her) They have confidently told me (replied &s;he) that he was in Love with the Prince&s;s, but &s;ince he is yet &s;o covetous, I cannot believe him to be in Love. <HI>Mexaris</HI> was then &s;o neer the Chariot, that neither the Prince&s;s nor I could &s;ay any thing to <HI>Do|rali&s;a,</HI> and truly it was very well we could forbear laughing, not but that <HI>Mexaris</HI> was of a good port, and well made: But &s;ince his gold did look but dim in compari&s;on of that fre&s;h lu&s;tre which is upon any thing that is new, it was impo&s;&s;ible to hold from laughing at the words of <HI>Dorali&s;a.</HI> Al&s;o &s;ome daies are &s;o devoted to jollity, that the lea&s;t thing will incline the mind into a plea&s;ent rallary and mirth. <HI>Cleander,</HI> who was the only he that day, and who becau&s;e he could not be Hunt&s;man unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Pal|mis,</HI> (though he was then her Lover, as afterwards we knew) he would not be one unto any. Colouring the matter with this pretence, that he would give orders unto all the
<PB N="13" REF="385">
re&s;t; &s;o that he would go &s;ometimes to one, and &s;ometimes to another. This Hunting was in a great Park, which well de&s;erved the name of a little Forre&s;t for its large extent: A great common rode doth cro&s;s through it, otherwi&s;e &s;uch as would go unto <HI>Sardis</HI> would be forced to go much about; &s;o that at either end of the Park there are two Gates to let pa&s;&s;engers in and out. I will not &s;tay you Madam with a long de&s;cription of this dayes Hunting, nor tell you how the Hounds hunted, or the Hart &s;tood, nor how the winding of Horns made a very merry noy&s;e; or whether all the Hunters followed clo&s;e the cha&s;e, and a thou&s;and &s;uch plea&s;ant pa&s;&s;ages: For be&s;ides my want of expre&s;&s;ion in fit terms, it is not the mark I aim at. And to tell you truly, the Ladies which were a&s;|&s;embled together in that place, I believe came thither as much to &s;hew their Beauties, as to run Harts to death: Hunting is too violent an exerci&s;e for them, and therefore they plea&s;ed them&s;elves in cro&s;&s;ing gently into &s;uch places as their Hunt&s;men imagined in pro|bability the Hart might pa&s;s, and that way was ea&s;ie enough for Ladies. At the begin|ning the Prince&s;&s;es and their Hunters kept clo&s;e together, but this glorious Troop did af|terwards in&s;en&s;ibly &s;eparate into &s;everal companies, &s;ome taking one way, &s;ome another; &s;o that without any intendment, the Prince&s;s was iu the mid&s;t of a thick Wood, without any company but the Prince <HI>Mexaris, Dorali&s;a, Perinthus</HI> his two &s;ervants, and my &s;elf. But &s;he no &s;ooner perceived it, then we under&s;tood by the &s;hrill noy&s;e of horns and voices, that the Cha&s;e drew neer us; and indeed the Hart did pa&s;s by &s;o neer us, as at that in&s;tant we enjoyed the mo&s;t plea&s;ure: However, as there is nothing more again&s;t the mind of him who affects Hunting, then not to follow when he &s;ees the Game running before him, the Prince <HI>Mexaris,</HI> as much in Love as he was with the Prince&s;s, asked leave to follow, and told her he would pre&s;ently return; &s;o he rid through the thick of the Wood, which tickled <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> into a laughing &s;pleen &s;o loud, that &s;he ea&s;ily impart|ed her mirth unto <HI>Perinthus</HI> and my &s;elf, &s;o &s;he rid to the Prince&s;s: I profe&s;s (&s;aid this joccand Lady) it mu&s;t needs be confe&s;&s;ed, that though this Prince be not very liberal, yet he is very prudent in taking &s;o hand&s;ome an opportunity, to hide his pa&s;&s;ion to the Prince&s;s, and his old Imbrodery al&s;o, by getting him&s;elf &s;o far off us as he doth. <HI>Perin|thus,</HI> who being prompted by &s;ome jealous thoughts; was even ravi&s;hed at the bitter|ne&s;s of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> again&s;t him, did hand&s;omly &s;econd her: The Prince&s;s &s;eemed as if &s;he would not under&s;tand us, for being very di&s;creet, &s;he would not be &s;een to jeer at the Prince <HI>Mexaris;</HI> but &s;ince we perceived &s;he could not chu&s;e but &s;mile a little, we could not chu&s;e but laugh it on. In the mean time; &s;ince the Prince&s;s was re&s;olved not to &s;tay for <HI>Mexaris</HI> in that place, &s;he asked <HI>Perinthus</HI> which way he thought &s;he might go to meet the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis:</HI> But &s;ince he could not directly tell that, he intended, as he told me afterwards, to carry her as far from <HI>Mexaris</HI> as he could; and therefore he took a quite contrary way to that which the Cha&s;e had taken. As we rid on, and le&s;s and le&s;s hearing the cry of the dogs, and the voices of the Hunt&s;men, the Prince&s;s turned to|wards <HI>Perinthus,</HI> and mo&s;t &s;weetly &s;aid unto him, That &s;he was very &s;orry to hinder him from the plea&s;ure of the Cha&s;e. <HI>Perinthus</HI> replyed unto this &s;urprizing language in &s;uch a manner, as let the Prince&s;s &s;ee, that he thought him&s;elf much more happy in being where he was, than at the death of the Hart. Then the Prince&s;s calling to <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> Crafty Wench (&s;aid &s;he unto her) who knows that the Prince <HI>Mexaris</HI> is not in Love with me, becau&s;e he had rather follow the Cha&s;e then &s;tay with us: May you not as well &s;ay upon the &s;ame rea&s;on, that &s;ince <HI>Perinthus</HI> does voluntarily &s;tay with us, there|fore he is in Love with you? Not at all Madam (an&s;wered &s;he) if he be, I will make him confe&s;s it pre&s;ently; and indeed &s;he had opened her mouth to &s;peak unto him: When being come into the great rode which cro&s;&s;eth the Park, we di&s;covered upon the left hand five or &s;ix Hor&s;emen riding towards us, we thought them at the fir&s;t to be &s;ome of our company which belonged to the Cha&s;e, but coming neerer them, we did not know them: He who rid fir&s;t was a young man extremely hand&s;om, and of an excellent garb, who&s;e &s;uit, though in the Country was very rich, and &s;eemed fre&s;h and new. As &s;oon as <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;aw him, &s;he began her Rallary: This &s;tranger (&s;aid &s;he to the Prince&s;s) who|&s;oever he is, is doubtle&s;s more liberal then <HI>Mexaris;</HI> for &s;ince he is &s;o rich and neat in his travel, what would he be at &s;uch a meeting as this? His deportment does ea&s;ily per|&s;wade (replied the Prince&s;s) that he is one of Heroique virtue, and much takes my opi|nion of him. However, &s;ince the lu&s;tre of the Prince&s;s Beauty did &s;hine no le&s;s in his eyes, then his behaviour was high in hers; and &s;ince the dre&s;s wherein &s;he was that day did contribute much unto her Beauty, &s;o he &s;eemed to be much &s;urprized, and imagined,
<PB N="14" REF="386">
that perhaps &s;he might be the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lydia:</HI> Yet &s;ince he was not certain, he &s;tood a while unre&s;olved what to do: but at la&s;t, fearing to run into an error, in making him|&s;elf known unto one; whom he knew not who &s;he was; and on the other &s;ide, being loath to fail in tho&s;e re&s;pects which were due unto a Prince&s;s, who&s;e beauty, ayre, and habit, &s;poke to be of a mo&s;t high Quality: He went out of the way, and &s;tayed to let her pa&s;s, and bowed with a mo&s;t low reverence: As long as &s;he was within reach of his eyes, he &s;tood &s;till and gazed after: The Prince&s;s al&s;o turned her &s;elf to look upon him, but meeting with each others eyes, &s;he looked no longer. As &s;oon as this &s;tranger had lo&s;t the &s;ight of her, he rid a few paces towards <HI>Sardis.</HI> Afterwards, his curio&s;ity to know who this Beauty was encrea&s;ing; and having ob&s;erved that we left the great rode, and took &s;treight forward, he took &s;uch a way as po&s;&s;ibly he might meet with us again, and to have the delight of &s;eeing the Prince&s;s once more; his project did hit, and better then he looked for. Be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that the Prince&s;s being come unto a place of the Wood where &s;tood a Fountain, &s;he &s;tayed there, becau&s;e &s;he found it much cooler then any where el&s;e, &s;he had a de&s;ire to re&s;t her &s;elf there for a while; So that both &s;he and we alighting from our hor&s;es, &s;he &s;at down upon the gra&s;s which grew by the &s;ide of the Fountain: But &s;he was no &s;ooner &s;et, then &s;he perceived &s;he had lo&s;t a Picture which the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> had given her, and which was in a Ca&s;e of Diamonds mo&s;t rich, yet that was not it which mo&s;t troubled her; but it grieved her very much that the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> might &s;o ju&s;tly chide her for lo&s;ing &s;o negligently that thing which &s;he had given her as an e&s;pecial te&s;timony of her affection; &s;o that exceedingly vexing her &s;elf for the lo&s;s, &s;he commanded the two &s;ervants that waited to tye their Hor&s;es unto Trees, and go the &s;ame way they came, to try if happily they could find this Picture, not that &s;he had any great hopes of finding it, after &s;o many turnings and windings in a great thick Wood: But &s;ince &s;he had a confu&s;ed kind of memory that &s;he had it when &s;he met this hand&s;om &s;tranger; and &s;ince it is the quality of every one that lo&s;e any thing to look for it as well in places where it cannot be, as where it is, therefore &s;he &s;ent the&s;e two &s;ervants unto the place where &s;he met this &s;tranger: <HI>Perinthus</HI> did envy their imployment, and would have gone thither him&s;elf, imagining that he could find any thing which the Prince&s;s lo&s;t better then another, but it was her plea&s;ure to have him &s;tay with her. Mean while, &s;ince the&s;e two &s;ervants had never been in the Park before, they mi&s;took the way, and took another, &s;o that all their labour was in vain; yet they were diligent in &s;earch, and that &s;o long, that the Prince&s;s di&s;paired of ever finding it, &s;ee|ing they returned no &s;ooner: But pre&s;ently this hand&s;om &s;tranger appeared, who being more fortunate then they, had found this Picture; So that &s;eeking for an occa&s;ion to &s;peak unto the Prince&s;s, and making no que&s;tion but this Picture was hers, &s;ince he found it in that place where &s;he pa&s;&s;ed; and addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf unto her in a hand&s;om garb, and with much reverence; Madam &s;aid he in the <HI>Lydian</HI> language, and pre&s;ent|ing the Picture which &s;he &s;o much lamented, It is my happy fortune to find that which you have lo&s;t, and my honor to re&s;tore unto your fair hands that thing, which que&s;tion|le&s;s mu&s;t needs be very valuable in your e&s;teem: The Prince&s;s ri&s;ing up as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw the &s;tranger addre&s;s him&s;elf towards her, &s;he knew the Ca&s;e as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw it, and taking it with much joy; Generous &s;tranger (&s;aid &s;he unto him) had not this which you re&s;tore been given me by the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lydia,</HI> I &s;hould at lea&s;t have offered you the Ca&s;e, and received only the Picture: But &s;ince I dare not be too liberal of &s;o great a Prince&s;&s;es favours, e&s;pecially unto a man of that ayre which your countenance promi|&s;eth. I be&s;eech you accept of my thankful acknowledgments, until I meet with an op|portunity to &s;erve you in &s;ome as important way as this which you re&s;tore unto me is ac|ceptable. Madam, an&s;wered he, I do think the &s;ervice in re&s;toring that which you do va|lue, to be a mo&s;t ample recompence. While&s;t the Prince&s;s and this &s;tranger were in di&s;|cour&s;e, <HI>Perinthus</HI> went unto one of his men, and inquired who he was. The man told him, that he was &s;econd Son to the King of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> named <HI>Abradates,</HI> and Son al&s;o unto a Si&s;ter of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> who was going into <HI>Sardis:</HI> So that <HI>Perinthus</HI> telling the &s;ame unto me, I acquainted the Prince&s;s in a low voice, during which time, the &s;ervant of <HI>A|bradates</HI> inquired who the Prince&s;s was, and acquainted his Ma&s;ter, whil'&s;t I was informing the Prince&s;s concerning him: So that both knowing who each other was, there appeared much joy in both their eyes: <HI>Abradates</HI> doubled his re&s;pects, and the Prince&s;s her civili|ties. I do e&s;teem my &s;elf mo&s;t happy, &s;aid he unto her, that one minute of my life hath been &s;pent in the &s;ervice of &s;o fair a Prince&s;s. And truly I think my &s;elf very happy, re|plied
<PB N="15" REF="386">
&s;he, in being thus obliged all the re&s;t of my life unto &s;o great a Prince&s;s, of whom Fame &s;peaks &s;o loud in his commendations. As they were thus in di&s;cour&s;e, a great noy&s;e of Hor&s;es was heard, and immediately after, the Prince&s;&s;es <HI>Palmis, Anaxilea,</HI> the Prince <HI>Atis, Arte&s;ilas, Mexaris, Myr&s;iles,</HI> and <HI>Cleander</HI> appeared, who without any minding of <HI>Abradates,</HI> alighted from their hor&s;es, and began to chide the Prince&s;s, for preferring &s;olitude before the Cha&s;e, and for not being at the death of the Hart. The Cha&s;e which I have had, replied &s;he, and &s;miled, hath been more happy then yours; and I am confi|dent you will confe&s;s it (&s;aid &s;he, and pre&s;ented <HI>Abradates</HI> unto the Prince <HI>Atis,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis)</HI> when you know that I have had the company of the Prince of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> of whom you have heard &s;uch Noble reports. At the &s;ame time, a &s;ervant unto the Prince <HI>Atis,</HI> who had been at <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> came to his Ma&s;ter, and confirmed the truth: Then did e|very one receive <HI>Abradates</HI> with extream joy, and afterwards with a thou&s;and welcomes and civilities. I do confe&s;s (&s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> to <HI>Panthea)</HI> that your Cha&s;e hath been more happy then ours, and that you merit all the honour. The greate&s;t advantage is mine, replyed <HI>Abradates,</HI> &s;ince I have been pre&s;ented unto you by &s;o fair and illu&s;tri|ous a hand. You do not &s;tand in need of any &s;uch advantageous helps (replyed the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Palmis)</HI> to render you con&s;iderable. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Panthea,</HI> I have &s;tood in need of his help, for without it, I &s;hould have &s;u&s;tained a lamentable lo&s;s; and then &s;he related the adventure of the Prince&s;s of <HI>Palmis</HI> her Picture. Since the place where they were was very plea&s;ant, they &s;tayed there almo&s;t an hour; but afterwards, <HI>Cleander</HI> told them it was time to go and refre&s;h them&s;elves at a Ca&s;tle on the furthe&s;t end of the Park, clo&s;e by the Lake of <HI>Gyges,</HI> over again&s;t the Tomb of <HI>Alliattes,</HI> and &s;o the Princes and Prince&s;&s;es all together went to this Ca&s;tle, where a magnificent Banquet and admirable Mu&s;ique waited for them: In going thither, <HI>Mexaris</HI> rid clo&s;e by <HI>Panthea,</HI> but he had not the freedom of di&s;cour&s;e with her, becau&s;e the Prince <HI>Abradates</HI> did al&s;o ride clo&s;e by her: In the mean time, the poor <HI>Perinthus</HI> followed after all, fretted to the heart, to &s;ee how the beauty of <HI>Panthea</HI> made every one Adorers that looked upon her: Yet as he &s;ince told me, he had this poor comfort in his thoughts; that per&s;ons of her Quality are &s;el|dome married unto &s;uch Princes as loves them, or as they love; and therefore his hope was, that if ever any enjoyed her, it would be &s;ome Prince, who married her perhaps more out of &s;ome rea&s;on of State, then any affection. But whil'&s;t he was thus enter|taining his own thoughts, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and I ob&s;erved how <HI>Abradates</HI> did continually eye <HI>Panthea,</HI> with extraordinary attention, not only in the way to the Ca&s;tle, but during all the time of the Banquet and Mu&s;ique; one would have thought that &s;he only of all the company was fair, not that he was at all uncivil, or neglected any re&s;pects due unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lydia:</HI> But for all that, it was an ea&s;ie matter to di&s;cover by his looks, that the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena's</HI> beauty did penetrate deeper into his heart, then any o|others. <HI>Mexaris</HI> perceived it as well as we, and <HI>Perinthus</HI> much more; and I am per|&s;waded that <HI>Panthea</HI> her &s;elf from this very fir&s;t day did begin to under&s;tand the prodigi|ous effects that her Beauty did produce in the heart of <HI>Abradates.</HI> For be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that (as he hath told me &s;ince) he was &s;o de&s;perately in Love this very fir&s;t &s;ight, that his pa&s;&s;ion would not admit of any augmentation ever &s;ince. In the mean time, after all the Ladies had mo&s;t plea&s;antly pa&s;&s;ed away this day, they returned to
<HI>Sardis</HI> in their Chariots; every Prince did ride next them who did mo&s;t attract their incli|nations&punc; to wit, <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> and <HI>Cleander</HI> clo&s;e by the Chariot of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> next that of <HI>Anaxila, Mexaris, Abradates,</HI> and <HI>Perinthus,</HI> next the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena.</HI> When we were come unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> all the Princes did lead their Ladies unto the Chamber of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis;</HI> after which, the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> carried <HI>Abrada|tes</HI> unto the Chamber of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and pre&s;ented him unto him, who received him with ma|ny te&s;timonies of affection and joy: For &s;ince he alwayes loved the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> his Si&s;ter very well, from whom he had received a Letter which did intimate the voyage of this Prince, he was much ravi&s;hed to &s;ee him in his Court, and to find him of &s;o fine behaviour and &s;pirit. The Prince&s;s his Mother was &s;o careful in in&s;tructing him in the <HI>Lydian</HI> language, that he &s;poke it &s;o exactly, and without any accent of a &s;tranger, that every one admired him. We under&s;tood within a few daies after, that <HI>Abradates</HI> was to &s;tay a long time in this Court, becau&s;e he &s;tood not upon good terms with the King his Father, for driving on the Intere&s;ts of the Queen his Mother with too much zeal, a|gain&s;t an Elder Brother of his, who though he had not &s;o much virtue as he, yet was to &s;ucceed in the Kingdom: So that the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> having with much inju&s;tice
<PB N="16" REF="387">
threatned to impri&s;on him, the Queen his Mother de&s;ired protection from the King of <HI>Lydia</HI> her Brother for this her Darling Son, who had not lo&s;t his Fathers favour, but on|ly for the love of her. The cau&s;e of <HI>Abradates</HI> his exile being well accepted of by <HI>Croe&s;|&s;us,</HI> he bad him exceedingly welcome, and after his example, &s;o did all the Court; and truly it was but a ju&s;t due unto his merit, for certainly a more accompli&s;hed. Prince was never &s;een then the Prince <HI>Abradates.</HI> Al&s;o, when <HI>Panthea</HI> was returned home from the Hunting to her own lodging, &s;he continually &s;poke of him all that night, which was not at all plea&s;ant unto <HI>Perinthus,</HI> who was pre&s;ent when &s;he related all the plea&s;ant ad|venture unto the Prince her Father. The next morning <HI>Abradates</HI> performed a ceremo|nious vi&s;it unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> where the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> and all the Court were pre&s;ent; and the &s;ame day towards night he went unto <HI>Panthea</HI> as &s;oon as he heard &s;he was returned from the Kings Palace. Some daies pa&s;&s;ed, before any di&s;covered the affection of <HI>Abradates,</HI> unle&s;s it were <HI>Mexaris, Perinthus, Dorali&s;a,</HI> and my &s;elf: But af|terwards it was as apparent as the Sun, for his di&s;cour&s;e was all upon her beauty and wit, and he never neglected the lea&s;t occa&s;ion of &s;eeing her. Since the Love of <HI>Mexaris</HI> was not yet divulged, <HI>Abradates</HI> gave no check unto his growing pa&s;&s;ion; and was ig|norant how that Prince had any intere&s;t in the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea;</HI> &s;o that clearly &s;ub|mitting him&s;elf unto the charms of this admirable beauty, he made no &s;ecret of his pa&s;&s;i|on. In the mean while <HI>Mexaris,</HI> who&s;e Love had took as deep root in his heart, as a|ny thing that was not gold could in the heart of a covetous man, began to publi&s;h it, but truly it was after a manner much different from his Rivals, &s;o that it might rightly be &s;aid, that never were two Princes more unlike in all things then the&s;e two: For Madam, as the &s;tate of <HI>Abradates</HI> his fortunes then &s;tood, it was very like that he would be compelled to live all his life an exile, without any other e&s;tate or fortune then his own virtue, nor any &s;ub&s;i&s;tence, but either what the Queen his Mother did &s;ecretly convey unto him, or what <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would plea&s;e to give him. As for <HI>Mexaris,</HI> the ca&s;e was otherwi&s;e with him, for he was not inferiour in riches unto the King his Brother: And as there was a great di&s;parity in their fortunes, &s;o there was a greater in their di&s;po&s;itions, for Avarice was the rule of all <HI>Mexaris</HI> his actions, and Liberality was the predominate virtue of <HI>A|brada<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es:</HI> Indeed, I think this Prince was as liberal as valiant, and as valiant as man could be: <HI>Mexaris</HI> on the contrary was hide-bound in all things; if he built any thing, he would alwayes have &s;ome &s;paring trick or other, which wa&s;ted and &s;poiled all the re&s;t of the expences which he had been at: If at any time he gave any thing, it would be alwayes too late and little, and commonly with a melancholy grudging complement: His atten|dance was big enough, but &s;habbed and ill accoutred: His Table was little, and naught for &s;o great a Prince as he was; and di&s;guizing his covetou&s;ne&s;s under &s;ome weak pretence he commonly wore very mean cloaths; &s;aying, It was much folly to purcha&s;e any e&s;teem unto ones &s;elf by &s;uch expences: If at any time he played at any game, he played for ava|rice, not recreation; and con&s;idering how he would chafe when he lo&s;t, it was palpable, that it was rather a Trade then a &s;port unto him: The truth is, it appeared by all his acti|ons, and &s;ometimes by his very words, that the limits of all the magnificence which was in his narrow heart, extended only to him&s;elf, and no further; this ba&s;e di&s;po&s;ition was the rea&s;on that none loved him: But on the contrary, <HI>Abradates</HI> though an exile, was &s;o free and liberal, that all the world adored him, and wi&s;hed him all the trea&s;ures of the other: The manner of his Pre&s;ents was &s;uch, as how &s;mall &s;oever they were in them&s;elves, yet they were e&s;teemed as great: He conferred his gifts not only &s;peedily, but with ala|crity and joy, and one could not any way more &s;en&s;ibly oblige him, then to accept his fa|vours; his Retinue was magnificent and hand&s;ome, his Table was open and good, he alwayes wore rich and good cloaths; if at any time he lo&s;t at play, it was without turbu|lency or anger; he &s;ought for acca&s;ions to give, as <HI>Mexaris</HI> &s;hunned them: He carried it &s;o, that he not only the glory of all the good deeds which he really did, but al&s;o of tho&s;e which he did not, but would have done if he had been rich: And certain there had not been any man of parts in a wanting condition in all the Court of <HI>Lydia,</HI> if <HI>Abra|dates</HI> had been as rich as <HI>Mexaris.</HI> After this Madam, you may ea&s;ily judg, that Love produced very contrary effects in the &s;ouls of the&s;e two Princes, their de&s;igns al&s;o had contrary &s;ucce&s;s, yet did they act alike in all things: For <HI>Mexaris</HI> was in all things which would put him to no expence, no le&s;s ob&s;equious and complay&s;ant then <HI>Abrada|tes:</HI> And knowing how <HI>Panthea</HI> affected <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and e&s;teemed <HI>Perinthus,</HI> he would comply, and &s;eem to love them al&s;o, in&s;omuch as this &s;ecret Lover of the Prince&s;s was extreamly vexed to receive a thou&s;and civilities from his Rivals, which he was obliged to
<PB N="17" REF="387">
return; yet was it &s;ome con&s;olation for him to &s;ee, that in all likelyhood <HI>Panthea</HI> would never love <HI>Mexaris,</HI> by rea&s;on of his ba&s;e di&s;po&s;ition, and that &s;he would never marry <HI>Abradates</HI> by rea&s;on of his low fortunes; &s;o that &s;training him&s;elf, he rendred unto both the&s;e Princes all due re&s;pects, but &s;poke as little as po&s;&s;ible he could: And &s;ince he was too wife to &s;peak openly all the ill he thought of <HI>Mexaris,</HI> and too amorous to commend <HI>Abradates,</HI> he accorded both as much as he could: So that carrying fair, both with the Prince&s;s and both his Rivals, his life was a mixture of &s;weet and bitter hours. In the mean time, the&s;e two Princes as amorous as they were, had neither of them &s;o much confidence as to di&s;cover their pa&s;&s;ions, when <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> Brother unto the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> came into this Court, to be purged of that crime which he had innocently com|mitted: The Ceremony of which being performed in the Temple of <HI>Jupiter</HI> the Expia|tor, it chanced that <HI>Abradates</HI> was not well that morning, and could not be there; and coming after Dinner unto the Prince&s;s, and finding her alone, &s;he asked him the rea|&s;on why he was not at the Ceremony? Madam, the rea&s;on is, replyed he, becau&s;e I do not much de&s;ire to know how it is done, &s;ince to tell you truly, if I have committed any crime it is not <HI>Jupiter</HI> that mu&s;t pardon me: Yet he is the greate&s;t of the Gods, replyed &s;he: Mo&s;t true, &s;aid he, but it is his plea&s;ure to leave it unto other Divinities, of whom he is Supreme, to remit tho&s;e crimes which are committed again&s;t them. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Panthea,</HI> I do not think you have offended any, or that you came unto this Court upon the &s;ame rea&s;on that <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> did: 'Tis very true Madam (replyed <HI>Abradates)</HI> his de&s;tiny and mine are different, for he came in a criminal, and I &s;hall go out one: If &s;o, &s;aid &s;he you may be ju&s;tified as he is: Then Madam (&s;aid he unto her) it is you who mu&s;t pardon my boldne&s;s, in pre&s;uming to love you above all the world. <HI>Panthea</HI> being ex|tremely &s;urprized at this di&s;cour&s;e, though &s;he was not ignorant of his pa&s;&s;ion, yet &s;he looked upon him and blu&s;h'd, and being to &s;peak with more &s;everity in her eyes: I know very well, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that it is the common cu&s;tome of the World to take &s;uch language as this only as bare civility, and to let it pa&s;s as a piece of Gallantry &s;poken without any further de&s;ign: But I am per&s;waded there are &s;ome, who perhaps could wi&s;h &s;uch words twice &s;poken, becau&s;e they give no credit to the fir&s;t: Yet &s;ince I have been obliged unto you from the very fir&s;t minute of our acquaintance, and does infi|nitely e&s;teem you; therefore I mu&s;t with all &s;incerity tell you, that whether you &s;poke tho&s;e words in earne&s;t, or in je&s;t, the boldne&s;s does much di&s;plea&s;e me. And let me fur|ther tell you, &s;ince I would be loath to rank you in the Catalogue of Indifferency, that it will be more advantagious to you, to u&s;e &s;uch language no more, and not to fail in that re&s;pect which is due unto one (I do not &s;ay of my Quality) but of that virtue which&punc; I profe&s;s. Can it be Madam, (replyed he) that the le&s;s I &s;peak of my pa&s;&s;ion, the more violent you will believe it? I do not &s;ay &s;o (an&s;wered &s;he, and &s;miled, whether &s;he would or no:) But I tell you (&s;aid &s;he, and a&s;&s;umed a more &s;erious countenance) that if you &s;peak any more of it, I &s;hall as long as I live think that you do not e&s;teem me, and by con&s;equence I &s;hall be le&s;s beholding to you. How Madam (cryed he out) is it a te&s;ti|mony of di&s;e&s;teem to tell you, that I adore you? If &s;o Madam I &s;hall &s;ay no more. But I be&s;eech you Madam interpret my &s;ilence alwayes as it ought to be, and remember as often as you &s;ee me alone with you, and &s;peak not a word, that then my heart &s;ayes you are the faire&s;t upon earth, and that I reverence you with an unparallel'd devotion, and &s;hall love you as long as I &s;hall live. As <HI>Panthea</HI> was ready to an&s;wer, <HI>Mexaris</HI> and <HI>Do|rali&s;a</HI> came into the Chamber, but her looks gave &s;uch a &s;harp an&s;wer unto the poor <HI>A|bradates,</HI> that if he could have &s;uffered his Rival to have been alone with <HI>Panthea,</HI> he would have immediately quitted the Chamber; But having not &s;o much power over him|&s;elf he &s;tayed, and was plea&s;ing enough in his conver&s;ation all the day, much company coming in within a quarter of an hour after. At fir&s;t the di&s;cour&s;e was only of the Cere|mony in the morning, unto which the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea</HI> added not a word, becau&s;e it had given a &s;ubject unto <HI>Abradates</HI> to di&s;cover his Love; but de&s;iring to turn it into &s;omething el&s;e, &s;he began to talk unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> upon &s;ome affair of matters. But pa&s;&s;ing in&s;en&s;ibly from one di&s;cour&s;e into another, every one began to chide <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> for wi&s;h|ing Nature to work a miracle in favour of her &s;elf, and make up an accompli&s;hed man without the helps of Love, every one asked if &s;he had changed her mind: Since <HI>Mex|aris</HI> had formerly loved another be&s;ides the Prince&s;s, he began to argue again&s;t <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and maintain his own ca&s;e; and &s;ince <HI>Abradates</HI> had never been in love, he &s;econded her rea&s;ons, for &s;aying, that &s;he would never accept of any heart that had been &s;corched
<PB N="18" REF="388">
n any other flames be&s;ides her own. <HI>Perinthus</HI> gave a li&s;tning ear unto what his Rivals &s;aid, and endeavoured to gue&s;s at the thoughts of the Prince&s;s: Tell me <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Mexaris</HI> to her) What rea&s;ons can you give for &s;corning all compleat men, only becau&s;e they have been in Love with &s;ome other before your &s;elf? The number of them is &s;o large (replyed &s;he) that I cannot tell which I &s;hall give you fir&s;t, and truly that is the greate&s;t difficulty of my an&s;wer. I cannot believe it &s;o ea&s;ie a matter (replyed <HI>Mexaris)</HI> to maintain your error with all the wit you have; for what does that which is pa&s;t concern you, as long as you know it not? By what is pa&s;t (replyed &s;he) I can judg at the future; for who&s;oever can quit another for me, give me &s;ome cau&s;e of fear that he can quit me for another whom yet he knows not, but may perhaps hereafter know her: But have you any better &s;ecurity for the fidelity of that man who never loved any but your &s;elf? (replyed <HI>Mex|aris)</HI> Such a one, replyed <HI>Abradates,</HI> did never give &s;o bad an example, and there is greater grounds of hope that his fir&s;t pa&s;&s;ion will be con&s;tant, then there is to believe that one who has loved many will ever become con&s;tant: It cannot be doubted, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> But the wor&s;t of it is, I could never meet with a man of my Quality who is &s;uch a one as I wi&s;h, one that will love me, and never was in Love before: As for &s;uch as wear &s;o many &s;everal fetters, as &s;uits of cloaths, and offer two or three Sacrifices with one and the &s;ame Victime, in offering the &s;elf-&s;ame heart unto two or three Ladies one immediately after another, I cannot endure them, but &s;hould u&s;e them &s;curvily as long as I lived: I may perhaps meet with &s;uch compleat men as will &s;erve to make friends of, but I'le have none &s;uch to be my Lovers, for I can never believe that any who can quit a black Beauty for a fair, or a fair for a brown, can ever have any con&s;tancy of heart: Ad|mit (&s;aid <HI>Mexaris</HI> unto her) that one &s;hould meet with a heart of flint, which nothing can molifie; were it not wi&s;dom to cure the mi&s;ery by a di&s;creet retreat; and if &s;uch a one do afterwards love another, why &s;hould he be taxed with incon&s;tancy, when as he would not have changed, if he had been more favourably entertained? Though I &s;hould not tax &s;uch a one with incon&s;tancy, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> yet is he &s;uch a one as I &s;hould never favour, &s;ince he is but the refu&s;e of another. Admit her rigour proceeded from a phanta&s;tical and extravagant di&s;po&s;ition (replyed <HI>Mexaris)</HI> Why would you treat &s;uch an unfortunate Lover with rigour? Becau&s;e &s;uch a man as would ever love &s;uch phanta&s;tical and extravagant Woman as you &s;peak of (replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> would never honor me by a&s;&s;uming my Chains. The truth is, whether he loved a mild or &s;evere di&s;po|&s;ition, whether he have been well or ill treated, whether he did reject, or was reject|ed: All's one to me, I &s;hould never love him that ever loved any be&s;ides my &s;elf: If he have been &s;everely u&s;ed, he knows by example how to be &s;evere; if he have been fa|vourably treated, I will think, that &s;ince the favours of another could not keep him, mine cannot neither; If he betrayed his Mi&s;tri&s;s, there is no tru&s;ting of him; If it was &s;he who for&s;ook him, it is to be conceived that he has made him&s;elf unworthy by &s;ome &s;ecret crime or other which we know not of, or at lea&s;t it is to be feared, he was either phanta&s;tical or jealous. Moreover, if &s;he whom he loved be fair, there is no &s;ecurity of his loving me, &s;ince he hath quitted her, if &s;he be not fair, it is to be thought that he re|li&s;hed her &s;o ill, that he will quit me for one that is fairer: Therefore if ever I permit a|ny to love me, it mu&s;t be an entire heart, and none of tho&s;e that has been pierced with a thou&s;and Arrows; it &s;hall be a heart, I &s;ay, which is &s;en&s;ible of the lea&s;t touch, and not one that is hardned with the rigour of another; fre&s;hne&s;s and newne&s;s in love, as in o|ther things, is a grace: And who&s;oever will ever hope to be acceptable, in my e&s;teem, he mu&s;t per&s;wade me that I am, and ever &s;hall be, his fir&s;t and la&s;t love. I do profe&s;s (&s;aid <HI>Abradates)</HI> that I think the opinion of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to be very ju&s;t; and &s;o much the more replyed <HI>Panthea,</HI> becau&s;e by taking up that re&s;olution, doubtle&s;s one re&s;olves never to love any, becau&s;e it is to de&s;ire an impo&s;&s;ibility: I mu&s;t needs concur with you in that opinion, replyed <HI>Abradates;</HI> So do not I (replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> For I do not hold it a thing impo&s;&s;ible, that one &s;hould love but one only in all their life. The great difficulty of all is to find out a compleat man, who never loved any but me. The Prince&s;s would per&s;wade me Sir (&s;aid &s;he, and addre&s;&s;ed her &s;peech unto <HI>Abradates)</HI> that <HI>Perinthus</HI> was never in Love; and truly though I have much ado to believe it, yet I &s;ee that I can|not win much upon his heart, therefore I will give over all thoughts of any Conque&s;ts. The Conque&s;t of me (replyed <HI>Perinthus,</HI> a little &s;urprized) would add &s;o little honour unto you Madam, that que&s;tionle&s;s you are not &s;orry for it: Really <HI>Perinthus,</HI> &s;aid the Prince&s;s, you are too much in good earne&s;t, and <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> will per&s;wade me that you are
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in Love indeed; for if you did not fear that &s;he whom perhaps you love, &s;hould know what an&s;wer you give unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> doubtle&s;s you would have returned her a more civil an&s;wer. You may think what you plea&s;e Madam (replyed he) but I do not think what I &s;aid to be any incivility, but that rather it de&s;erves the name of Re&s;pect. There is a kind of re&s;pect &s;o hollow and indifferent (replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> as does not at all oblige one: But however <HI>Perinthus,</HI> I am more indulgent then you think I am, for I do not complain again&s;t you? yet notwith&s;tanding to find out the cau&s;e of that incivility which the Prince&s;s doth tax you with, I &s;hall keep an ob&s;ervant eye over you, to the end I may more plainly di&s;cover, whether &s;uch an accompli&s;hed man as you are can be, and not be in Love. And &s;ince my own eye cannot be alwayes over you, I will entreat both all your friends and mine to ob&s;erve you, as well as I will, and to give me an account of your vi&s;its, of your addre&s;&s;es, of your words, of your Studies, of your melancholies, and if it be po&s;&s;ible of your very dreams. For my part (&s;aid the Prince&s;s) I will be the fir&s;t that promi&s;eth to tell you all I know concerning him. You &s;hall when you plea&s;e Madam, replyed he, know all that I my &s;elf know: No, no, &s;aid &s;he, It is not by any verbal relations, but by a hundred pa&s;&s;ages which you never think upon, that I will know how to a&s;&s;ure <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> you love none. <HI>Perinthus</HI> is very happy (&s;aid <HI>Mexaris)</HI> in that you will honour him &s;o far, as to ob&s;erve his actions, For my part, I &s;hould limit my ambi|tion to a&s;pire no higher then &s;uch a favour: What I do for <HI>Perinthus,</HI> replyed the Prin|ce&s;s, I would not do unto all the world; for truly I do de&s;ire to dive into his heart, be|cau&s;e I think there are no &s;ecrets in it, or at lea&s;t none &s;uch as I can have any intere&s;t in. Are you more inqui&s;itive Madam (replyed <HI>Abradates)</HI> after &s;uch things as does not con|cern you, then after &s;uch as do? Yes, in &s;ome things, replied &s;he: But however, in or|der to the &s;atisfaction of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> (added the Prince&s;s, de&s;iring to turn the di&s;cour&s;e) I do entreat every one here to aid her in the di&s;covery of that truth which &s;he de&s;ires to know, and to ob&s;erve <HI>Perinthus</HI> mo&s;t vigilantly upon all occa&s;ions: Truly Madam (re|plyed <HI>Perinthus)</HI> if there be no pa&s;&s;ion in my &s;oul, then you put all the&s;e illu&s;trious per&s;ons unto an unprofitable trouble; and if there be any in my &s;oul, then you expo&s;e him who has eternally devoted him&s;elf unto your &s;ervice, to a mo&s;t &s;evere puni&s;hment: However it be <HI>Perinthus</HI> (replyed &s;he) it mu&s;t be &s;o: Then did &s;he cau&s;e every one that was there to promi&s;e her in particular, to acquaint <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> with all they knew con|cerning <HI>Perinthus:</HI> So that <HI>Mexaris</HI> and <HI>Abradates,</HI> as well as all the re&s;t, did promi&s;e her they would, and &s;o that the poor <HI>Perinthus</HI> had the misfortune to &s;ee his Rivals made his Spies; yet could they not find what they &s;ought after, for their aims were never le|velled at that mark, which this unfortunate Lover looked at. Thus Madam was the fir&s;t day &s;pent, in which <HI>Abradates</HI> di&s;covered his pa&s;&s;ion unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea,</HI> who &s;ince that day did prevent all opportunities to talk with him in private, not but that &s;he did highly e&s;teem him, and perhaps al&s;o had a good inclination to him: But con&s;idering the &s;tate of his fortunes, &s;he thought him no convenient match, and therefore &s;he would add no fuel to tho&s;e flames which &s;he &s;aw began to kindle in him, but lived with him after a more re&s;erved manner then ordinary; yet &s;ince it was alwayes with much civility, this re&s;ervedne&s;s was rather a pair of Bellows to blow that fire in his heart, then a means to extingui&s;h it: So that the more re&s;erved <HI>Panthea</HI> was, the more earne&s;t was <HI>Abradates</HI>
to &s;ee her, and follow her in all places; his addre&s;&s;es and Court&s;hips were not only to her &s;elf; but unto her Father al&s;o, and al&s;o to get the love of <HI>Perinthus, Dorali&s;a,</HI> my &s;elf, and all the &s;ervants, even of the meane&s;t; and to &s;peak the truth, he obtained his de&s;ires; for except <HI>Perinthus</HI> (who could not love him, becau&s;e he loved the Prince&s;s) all the world was his: Some he gained by pre&s;ents, others by obliging language, all by a free, open, and lovely a&s;pect, which none could re&s;i&s;t. Moreover, &s;ince all his own &s;ervants did ever adore him, they were continually pre&s;enting Elogies, in commendation of their Ma&s;ter, unto the &s;ervants and women of the Prince&s;s. On the other &s;ide, all the &s;ervants of <HI>Mexaris</HI> were continually complaining of their Ma&s;ters nigerality, and of the little that was to be gotten in his &s;ervice, &s;o that nothing was to be heard in <HI>Panthea's</HI> hou&s;e but commendums of <HI>Abradates,</HI> and Satires again&s;t his Rival. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Mexaris</HI> thought the &s;ouls of others to be like his own, he conceived that as a means to move the heart of the Prince&s;s, and to induce her to receive the fir&s;t prote&s;tations of his Love more favourably, it were fir&s;t expedient to &s;hew her the magnificence of his Trea&s;ures; which as I have already told you, were almo&s;t equal to the riches of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us.</HI> Then did he invent how he might get her unto his hou&s;e under &s;ome hand&s;om colour,
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which might not put him unto over-much expences: And after he had well thought upon it, he re&s;olved to invite her to hear the Kings Mu&s;ick (which would co&s;t him nothing) in a great vaulted Room, which was very fit for the &s;ound of In&s;truments; So that the Propo&s;ition being made by the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> whom he de&s;ired to do him that office, it took effect within a few daies after. When <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and I heard that the Prince <HI>Mex|aris</HI> did invite the Prince&s;s unto this Mu&s;ick at his own hou&s;e, then did we believe his Love would break out in good earne&s;t; and that we &s;hould &s;ee he was not grown unto &s;uch an ill habit, but this pa&s;&s;ion might correct him. Then did we long for this day, with as much impatience, as was in <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Perinthus;</HI> for the fir&s;t of the&s;e began now to perceive that his Unkle was his Rival, and the other perceived it from the very fir&s;t. In the mean time, &s;ince the Love of <HI>Abradates</HI> could not be per&s;waded by any rea&s;on, he prepared him&s;elf to &s;uffer the wor&s;t that could come: <HI>Mexaris</HI> for his part, made no que&s;tion, but the very &s;ight of &s;uch a va&s;t Trea&s;ure would work as much for him, as again&s;t <HI>Abradates,</HI> when <HI>Panthea</HI> &s;hould &s;ee it; &s;o that he longed for the day and hour when this A&s;&s;embly &s;hould be at his hou&s;e; and he gave &s;uch orders, that there &s;hould not be one Room in all his hou&s;e wherein there &s;hould not be &s;ome &s;igns of the riches and magnificence belonging to the late King of <HI>Lydia</HI> his Father, who &s;ince <HI>Mex|aris</HI> was his Darling, gave him half of all his Trea&s;ures: Nothing could be imagined more magnificent and &s;umptuous, then all this that was &s;hewed unto the Prince&s;s in this hou&s;e; for not only all the ground Rooms, all the Chambers and Galleries, were mo&s;t richly furni&s;hed, but al&s;o there was one Gallery, and three Clo&s;ets, full of mo&s;t rare, rich, and precious things, not only Statues and Pictures, but abundance of prodigious Cabinets, Ve&s;&s;els of gold and &s;ilver &s;et with precious &s;tones of an ine&s;timable value. There was al|&s;o great figures of gold, and Di&s;hes of Agath, and Oriental Alabla&s;ter inriched with Diamonds: It may rightly be &s;aid, that all the chief works of the Sun and Nature were to be &s;een in that place; Pearls, Emeralds, Diamonds, Rubies, and all manner of preci|ous &s;tones. After a &s;ight of all the&s;e, <HI>Mexaris</HI> let the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea</HI> &s;ee one admirable thing then all the&s;e; and the principal rea&s;on why he &s;hewed it unto her, I believe was, becau&s;e it &s;hould give him an occa&s;ion to &s;peak of his Love. I make no que&s;tion Madam but you have heard tell of that famous Ring of <HI>Gyges,</HI> who, as you know very well, did u&s;urp the Crown from <HI>Heraclides,</HI> and who was the fir&s;t King of <HI>Lydia</HI> of the Race of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us:</HI> You are not ignorant, I &s;ay, how it was by means of this Ring that he got up|on the Throne, and afterwards, by the miraculous virtue thereof, he made him&s;elf in|vi&s;ible unto the King <HI>Candalus,</HI> who&s;e life he took away. <HI>Alliatte</HI> loving <HI>Mexaris</HI> better then he did <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> among&s;t the re&s;t of his Trea&s;uries did leave him this. After this Prince had &s;hewed all the&s;e unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea,</HI> he called her unto a Table of pure Gold &s;et with Stones, upon which &s;tood a little Cabinet of <HI>Agatte,</HI> he took out this rare Ring. Madam, &s;aid he unto her, after an offer of all the&s;e things which I have &s;hewed you, in offering you the heart of him that owns them, I dare not put this Ring into your hands, le&s;t as a puni&s;hment for my boldne&s;s, you &s;hould deprive of her &s;ight who is the faire&s;t upon earth; therefore it is requi&s;ite you &s;ee the experiment of it by the means of &s;ome other. Though the Prince&s;s had often heard of the wonderful Quality of this Jewel, yet &s;he was much taken with it; when <HI>Mexaris</HI> called one of his &s;ervants who knew how to hold it, and cau&s;ed him to &s;hew its virtue: She ob&s;erved, that when he turned the Stone towards him&s;elf, he ab&s;olutely vani&s;hed out of the &s;ight of all the company; &s;o that without any an&s;wer unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mexaris</HI> but this, that it was impo&s;&s;ible this could be without Inchantment. All the company were no le&s;s amazed at it then her &s;elf; and to &s;ay truly, the thing is &s;o full of wonder, that though one had &s;een it before an hundred times, yet one &s;hall be &s;till admiring at it; for as long as any one held this Stone, which is called the <HI>Heliotropus,</HI> and is found in <HI>Ethiopia,</HI> one &s;hall be ab&s;olutely invi&s;ible.</P>
<P>Is it po&s;&s;ible &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and interrupted her, that it &s;hould have &s;uch a Quality as you &s;peak of? It is mo&s;t certainly, true Madam, replyed <HI>Pherenice:</HI> For my part, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I have long &s;ince inquired of &s;everal per&s;ons, whether there was any truth in tho&s;e reports of the virtue in the <HI>Heliotropus;</HI> and if I may &s;peak it without any incivility unto <HI>Pherenice,</HI> though a hundred &s;everal per&s;ons have a&s;&s;ured me that it is ve|ry true, yet I mu&s;t confe&s;s I had much ado to believe it; though when one con&s;iders the marvellous quality of the Adamant which attracts &s;teel with &s;o much violence, that it
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&s;eems to a&s;&s;ume life, and follows it, it mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed nothing is more to be admired: So the &s;ight, being of all the &s;en&s;es mo&s;t ea&s;ie to be deluded, it is not impo&s;&s;ible, but that there may come out of this Stone a certain kind of brightne&s;s which may dazle the eyes of beholders, or which may beget a kind of Mi&s;t that may cloud the per&s;on which carries it from the eyes of tho&s;e that are &s;tanders by. Moreover, there is another Stone called the <HI>Amianthus,</HI> which every one knows, upon which the fire makes no impre&s;&s;ion, nor can con&s;ume; this if well con&s;idered, is no le&s;s admirable then the <HI>Heliotropus:</HI> The brightne&s;s of a Stone may as well take away the &s;ight, or at lea&s;t &s;u&s;pend the u&s;e of it, as the Ba&s;ilisk can kill with a look. <HI>Araminta</HI> being convinced by the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> concurred with him in opinion, and <HI>Pherenice</HI> proceeded in her &s;tory.</P>
<P>When every one had admired this miracle of Nature, the cau&s;e whereof was &s;o &s;e|cret a my&s;tery, the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea</HI> would needs take this Ring, though <HI>Mexaris</HI> was exceeding again&s;t it, telling her he could not endure &s;he &s;hould be invi&s;ible to him, who of all men in the world took greate&s;t delight in &s;eeing her, yet he could not prevent it, but mu&s;t be contented. After this Ring had wrought its effect in her hands, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> took it, and when &s;he had it, &s;he went and told the Prince&s;s, &s;he de&s;ired that <HI>Mexaris</HI> might alwayes wear it. For my part (an&s;wered <HI>Panthea</HI> in a low voice) I would not wi&s;h that for your &s;ake, for then he might often under&s;tand all the ill you u&s;e to &s;ay of him. In the mean time, <HI>Mexaris</HI> imagined it to be a &s;hort minute of plea&s;ure to take away the &s;ight of his Rival from <HI>Panthea,</HI> and therefore told <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that perhaps <HI>A|bradates</HI> would be glad to make the experiment upon him&s;elf as well as &s;he: Then this Prince taking the Ring, and going to the Prince&s;s, he told her in &s;o low a voice as none could hear; that if <HI>Mexaris</HI> did not make u&s;e of this very often in coming to tell her of his pa&s;&s;ion, he was as &s;imple as covetous. As the Prince&s;s could not chu&s;e but laugh at what <HI>Abradates</HI> told her, <HI>Mexaris</HI> knew thereby, that this invi&s;ible man made u&s;e of his Ring otherwi&s;e then he wi&s;hed: So that being vexed that his de&s;ign took no better ef|fect, he could not hold from venting &s;ome expre&s;&s;ing of di&s;plea&s;ure. But <HI>Abradates</HI> was &s;o plea&s;ed with vexing his Rival, and &s;ince <HI>Panthea</HI> began to laugh, he told her ma|ny other things very low, which made her laugh &s;o heartily at the chafing of <HI>Mexaris,</HI> that &s;he could return him no an&s;wers; yet notwith&s;tanding &s;he excu&s;ed the matter, and &s;aid it was impo&s;&s;ible not to laugh when &s;he heard one clo&s;e by her, and could not &s;ee him. But at length, fearing lea&s;t this Rallary &s;hould produce &s;ome &s;ad con&s;equence, &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Abradates</HI> to re&s;tore her the Ring, which he did; after which, &s;he gave it to <HI>Pe|rinthus,</HI> and <HI>Perinthus</HI> to another, &s;o that there was not one in all the company which had not the experiment: But at la&s;t they re&s;tored it unto <HI>Mexaris,</HI> who locked it up very carefully: After which the Mu&s;ick began, which was &s;econded with a &s;hort col|lation, &s;uitable to the avarice of him that gave it, and very unworthy of the company to whom it was pre&s;ented, yet was it &s;erved up in twenty four Ba&s;ons which were the godlie&s;t in the world, but his &s;lovenly &s;ervants were &s;o thrifty for their Ma&s;ter, that the lea&s;t Ba&s;on was worth a hundred of &s;uch collations. I leave you to imagine Madam, whe|ther this was not &s;port unto <HI>Abradates, Perinthus,</HI> and <HI>Dorali&s;a.</HI> Methinks (&s;aid <HI>Do|rali&s;a</HI> to me) <HI>Mexaris</HI> &s;hould not have left off his Ring till after this Banquet, but by it have concealed his &s;hame to &s;ee it &s;o poor. His be&s;t cour&s;e had been, &s;aid <HI>Perinthus,</HI> to have made it and him&s;elf both invi&s;ible: The Prince&s;s did ea&s;ily ghe&s;s what we talked on, when &s;he turned towards us, and much feared lea&s;t <HI>Mexaris</HI> &s;hould perceive it; &s;o that to prevent exceptions, &s;he did fall to a very bad repa&s;t out of her complay&s;ance, and told him confidently, that it was an admirable good one: One might ea&s;ily &s;ee, he hardly believed her, and yet he thought it good enough, becau&s;e it co&s;t him but a little; and thus the re&s;t of the day pa&s;&s;ed on. <HI>Mexaris</HI> making no que&s;tion, but that after a &s;ight of &s;o much wealth and fine things, he &s;hould find <HI>Panthea</HI> very gracious unto him, the fir&s;t time he &s;poke of his pa&s;&s;ion unto her. In the mean while, <HI>Abradates</HI> did emu|late his Rival, for having the &s;tart of him in entertaining <HI>Panthea,</HI> and began to think which way he might obtain the like happine&s;s. For the furtherance of his intention, he found out that there was a great number of <HI>Phrygian</HI> Mu&s;itians then in <HI>Sardis,</HI> and you know the <HI>Lydian</HI> and <HI>Phrygian</HI> Mu&s;ick is conceived to be the rare&s;t, not only of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> but all the world, yet tho&s;e who had heard them both were of various opinions, accord|ing unto the conformity of their &s;everal humours to tho&s;e various harmonies: Tho&s;e who were of melancholy inclinations, or had pa&s;&s;ionate &s;ouls, preferred the <HI>Lydians;</HI> and
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tho&s;e who&s;e temper were more &s;prightly, and plea&s;ant, gave the prize unto the <HI>Phrygi|an;</HI> But all &s;ides did agree, that both did merit much commendations. <HI>Abradates</HI> then making u&s;e of this controver&s;ie to bring about his de&s;ign, did &s;o foment the conte&s;t, that the next day after the entertainment of <HI>Mexaris</HI> nothing els was di&s;cour&s;ed upon at the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena's</HI> lodging, who without declaring her &s;elf either for the one or the other, only &s;aid, That before any exact judgment could be given, it were re|qui&s;ite to hear them both on the &s;ame day, with a premeditated intention to ob&s;erve them very well; and that tho&s;e who were competent Judges in &s;uch matters &s;hould have know|ledg in the art of Mu&s;ique, and be impartial per&s;ons. It were requi&s;ite al&s;o, &s;aid <HI>Abra|dates,</HI> that to put the Mu&s;itians equally into a good humour, a prize &s;hould be pro|pounded unto that &s;ide which &s;hould excel, to the end they might both of them &s;trive to do their be&s;t. After this, it was thought upon, in what place was the mo&s;t conveni|ent to hear them; and one of the Kings hou&s;es, which was about thirty furlongs from the Town, was nam'd mo&s;t convenient. Now &s;ince all the company did think this only a Propo&s;ition, which would never be put in execution, each one began to order the bu|&s;ine&s;s, only to drive on di&s;cour&s;e. In the mean while <HI>Abradates,</HI> who had not &s;o lamely contrived the bu&s;ine&s;s as to leave it imperfect, did &s;ay, that the greate&s;t defect would be the want of a fit per&s;on to be a Judg. I do conceive (&s;aid <HI>Mexaris,</HI> who was then with the Prince&s;s) that there is no great difficulty in that, but where will you find one that will give the prize unto tho&s;e who are judged be&s;t, and be at the charges of the Fea&s;t? When the per&s;on who is fit to be a Judg is named, (replyed <HI>Abradates,</HI> and &s;miled) it will be no great piece of difficulty to find the other; for I think it a much more ea&s;ie mat|ter to find Gold and Jewels, then to find one that is accompli&s;hed with all requi&s;ite qua|lities to pronounce Judgment equally in &s;uch a Nice, and rare bu&s;ine&s;s as this. Yet Ma|dam, (&s;aid he, and looked upon the Prince&s;s) if you will be plea&s;ed to take the pains I am mo&s;t certain it would then be done without inju&s;tice, for you both know Mu&s;ique, and love it, and mo&s;t undoubtedly would be equitable. <HI>Mexaris</HI> did approve of this Propo&s;ition, and &s;o likewi&s;e did every one, &s;aying, that <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;poke all rea&s;on. The Prince&s;s did deny to take it upon her very re&s;olutely, and would have per&s;i&s;ted in that denial, if the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> had not came in, who hearing of her refu&s;al, did extreamly condemn her mode&s;ty, and told her, that if &s;he her &s;elf did under&s;tand Mu|&s;ique as well as &s;he did, &s;he would not deny the de&s;ire. In conclu&s;ion Madam &s;he con|&s;ented, and it was a thing re&s;olved upon, that three daies hence they &s;hould go unto the Ca&s;tle which I told you of before, and that he who made the Propo&s;ition, &s;hould pro|vide the Mu&s;ique, not imagining there would be any other provi&s;ion. In the mean time Madam, this generous minded Lover, who was compo&s;ed of Liberality, did not carry it like unto <HI>Mexaris;</HI> for never was Fea&s;t more magnificent and gallant. To have a lit|tle more time for preparation, <HI>Abradates</HI> procured the Mu&s;itians to ask five daies more to be added to the other three, that they might better con&s;ort their Mu&s;ique: So that as if it was no motion proceeding from <HI>Abradates,</HI> it was deferred until then, at which time every one re&s;orted to the place appointed. I will not give you Madam a Catalogue of all that were there, only &s;ay that the whole Court was pre&s;ent; nor will I make any exact de&s;cription of the magnificence, for the truth is, it was &s;uch that I cannot. Let me tell you the entertainment was mo&s;t admirable, both for the neatne&s;s of the order, and the abundance of every thing rare and delicate that the place and &s;ea&s;on did afford: He al&s;o prepared a great number of Golden Meddals for the Prince&s;s, on which her Picture was engraved with a facetious devi&s;e, that &s;he might give them unto tho&s;e Mu&s;itians whom &s;he thought mo&s;t worthy. Moreover, as Pre&s;ents for the Ladies, he had provided abun|dance of &s;everal &s;orts of mo&s;t curious and delightful Toyes, as Perfumes, Sweet Waters, E&s;&s;ences, Powders, and &s;uch like, which &s;he was to pre&s;ent unto tho&s;e who kept &s;ilence during the Mu&s;ique, or unto tho&s;e who mo&s;t commended the Mu&s;itians, or unto whom &s;he plea&s;ed; and &s;o under &s;everal pretences of Gallantry and Wit, there was not a Lady, nor any of any Quality, which carried not away &s;ome ingenuous remembrance of the Fea&s;t. The Prince&s;s her &s;elf, as well as the re&s;t, did participate of <HI>Abradates</HI> his Liberali|ty: And the Mu&s;itians, in favour of whom <HI>Panthea</HI> did not declare her &s;elf, al&s;o received very bountiful Pre&s;ents. The Prince&s;s knowing it, did ask him what difference there was between the Conquerours and the conquered: But his an&s;wer was, that the Gold which carried her Image, and pa&s;&s;ed through her fair hands, was of a far higher rate then that which pa&s;&s;ed only through his, and which had not the repre&s;entation of her Beauty:
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And truly Madam, it is &s;o great a misfortune to want your judicious approbation, that tho&s;e who had not the honours to obtain it, did &s;tand in need of &s;ome Cordials to com|fort them. All this while <HI>Mexaris</HI> was de&s;perate to &s;ee him&s;elf out-done by the magni|ficence of <HI>Abradates,</HI> and to hear all the Ladies commend him. <HI>Perinthus</HI> al&s;o at the root of his heart was no le&s;s troubled; for having bounded his de&s;ires that <HI>Panthea</HI> would love no body, he was exceedingly grieved to &s;ee <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;o amiable, Courtly and in|dulgent to move affection: So that for all his forceings of him&s;elf, he was &s;o very me|lancholly all that day, as <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> took notice of him, and cau&s;ed the Prince&s;s to ob|&s;erve him al&s;o, who beginning to chide him, did put him to the nece&s;&s;ity of an an&s;wer for him&s;elf: And to colour the matter, he told her, that Mu&s;ique ever u&s;ed to have that operation in him, and he could give her no other rea&s;on. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> this &s;eems to me a certain &s;ign that you are not the &s;ame you &s;eem to be, for men of hard and flinty &s;ouls are never &s;en&s;ible of Mu&s;ique; but without all que&s;tion you either are in Love, or have been, &s;ince Harmony has &s;uch a power upon your Spirits, that it makes you melancholly. It may be the rea&s;on is, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, becau&s;e <HI>Perinthus</HI> is &s;o far from loving, that he hates the Mu&s;ique, and is weary of waiting upon it &s;o long. Oh Madam (cried he out) I had rather <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;hould think me &s;uch a man as &s;he looks for, and that they &s;hould &s;u&s;pect me to be in Love, then to think I am &s;o &s;tupid, as not to love Mu&s;ique: And &s;ince Madam you do love it, and think I hate it, I am afraid you enter|tain an ill opinion of me: Not at all, replyed &s;he, for do you not meet with many very rational men, who neither love it, or can endure to hear it: 'Tis true, replyed <HI>Perin|thus,</HI> But certainly &s;uch men in my apprehen&s;ion are men of dull &s;ordid &s;ouls, and it ought to be blamed as a great fault. Do you think it a greater fault (&s;aid the Prince <HI>A|tis,</HI> who was pre&s;ent at this entertainment) to have ears, and not love Mu&s;ique, then to have eyes, and not love Beauty, as you have? <HI>Perinthus</HI> blu&s;hed at this que&s;tion, and had been extreamly puzled for an an&s;wer, if <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> as good luck was, had not &s;aid, No, no, Sir, Do not deceive your &s;elf, I cannot believe <HI>Perinthus</HI> to be in&s;en&s;ible, I did ne|ver in my life &s;ee &s;uch a man as he that was &s;o; certainly he does love, let him &s;ay or do what he will. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Abradates,</HI> to &s;hew his obedience unto the Prince&s;s in ob&s;erving <HI>Perinthus)</HI> I begin to be of <HI>Dorali&s;a's</HI> opinion, for I have &s;een him all this day &s;o re&s;erved and retyred, that I do not think any pa&s;&s;ion except Love can &s;o much al|ter his humour. <HI>Mexaris</HI> added, that he had &s;een him pronounce &s;ome words in a low voice to him&s;elf alone: Another &s;aid, he would often fix his eyes, and mu&s;e without re|gard unto any pa&s;&s;age. And indeed there was not one in all the company which had not &s;omething or other true or fal&s;e to bring in again&s;t him, which moved every one to think him in Love, and his Rivals imployed all their wits to per&s;wade the Prince&s;s of it; yet was all this &s;o far from being any addition of happine&s;s, that on the contrary it procured him much mi&s;ery, in&s;omuch as he hath told me &s;ince, that he was amazed he did not di&s;|cover &s;ome evident &s;ymptoms of that pa&s;&s;ion which po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed his &s;oul: Yet notwith&s;tand|ing all this, he did cunningly di&s;gui&s;e it, and thus was the re&s;t of this day &s;pent. But at our return to <HI>Sardis,</HI> the&s;e three Adorers of <HI>Panthea</HI> had thoughts much differing one from another: For <HI>Abradates</HI> was much joyed that the Prince&s;s &s;eemed to be plea&s;ed with his entertainment: <HI>Mexaris</HI> was vexed to the heart at the liberality of <HI>Abradates,</HI> and it grieved his &s;oul that he had come off in his Court&s;hips better then him&s;elf: But as for the poor <HI>Perinthus</HI> his &s;orrows were unconceiveable, to &s;ee <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;o compleat a Gallant; yet he would &s;ometimes comfort him&s;elf, in hopes that the &s;tate of his Fortunes would keep the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> from be&s;towing his Daughter upon him. But alas, &s;aid he unto him&s;elf, the Prince&s;s may for all that be&s;tow her heart upon him; yet (would he &s;ay) &s;ince her heart mu&s;t never be mine, and &s;ince I &s;hall never dare to ask it, what does it concern me, if <HI>Abradates</HI> have it? Is it not my duty to wi&s;h <HI>Panthea</HI> happy in e|very thing? And ought I not to de&s;ire, that if ever &s;he marry, it may be unto &s;uch a Prince as loves her, and &s;he can love? Yes doubtle&s;s I ought, if I do con&s;ider my &s;elf as a &s;ervant unto the Prince her Father, who infinitely honors me: But if I con&s;ider my &s;elf as <HI>Perinthus,</HI> who hath loved her from my Cradle, and &s;hall do to my Coffin, I cannot chu&s;e but wi&s;h that &s;he would never love any; therefore what &s;hould I do but oppo&s;e <HI>Abradates</HI> in all his de&s;igns, and favour all the projects of <HI>Mexaris,</HI> whom I know &s;he can never Love: I will imploy all the credit that I have with the Prince her Fa|ther to that end, and I will omit nothing that may &s;upplant my Rival that is mo&s;t dange|rous out of the heart of <HI>Panthea.</HI> But do I know well what I &s;ay? (would he &s;ugge&s;t to
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him&s;elf) No, no, I do not; There is &s;uch variety of differing apprehen&s;ions in my &s;oul, that I cannot di&s;tingui&s;h between the &s;ugge&s;tions of my pa&s;&s;ion, and the coun&s;els of my rea&s;on: Alas (would he &s;ay, fot he hath &s;ince told me every tittle of his thoughts) can I think that I have any rea&s;on at all? I, who cannot bani&s;h from my heart the mo&s;t ra&s;h and &s;tub|born pa&s;&s;ion that ever was? but who hath been &s;o far from oppo&s;ing it, that I have che|ri&s;hed it as much as po&s;&s;ibly I could? and yet all this without the lea&s;t hope, or knowing at what mark I aimed. I ever knew, that I was not loved, and I confe&s;s my hopes were, that none el&s;e ever &s;hould be, but I &s;ee <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;o lovely, that I am afraid he will be loved again, and that I mu&s;t die with de&s;pair. The&s;e Madam were the thoughts of <HI>Pan|thea's</HI> three Lovers, who for her part did think much upon <HI>Abradates;</HI> for be&s;ides her own inclination, both <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and my &s;elf did nothing el&s;e for three daies together, but harp upon the liberality of <HI>Abradates,</HI> and the avarice of <HI>Mexaris:</HI> For my part (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> unto the Prince&s;s, one afternoon when none was with her) I am confident that if this Prince were not in Love, he would not be &s;o liberal: But for all that (&s;aid I unto her) as much as you attribute unto Love, it mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed, that this pa&s;&s;ion does not produce &s;uch good effects in the Prince <HI>Mexaris;</HI> and by con&s;equence it mu&s;t be concluded, that Love does not create all vertues in men: 'Tis true, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> yet I conceive that Love does in the hearts of men, as the Sun doth in all places where it &s;hines, for the Sun does not plant Ro&s;es, but it ripens and blows them; So Love, it does not give the fir&s;t root and inclinations of virtues, but it makes them grow and flouri&s;h; and que&s;tionle&s;s if <HI>Mexaris</HI> were not in Love, he would yet be more covetous then he is, he is grown to that height, replyed the Prince&s;s, that if I &s;hould judg of his Love by his liberality, I &s;hould not think it very great; yet if the trouble in doing things do &s;et a greater prize upon them, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and laughed, you are much more obliged unto <HI>Mexaris</HI> then <HI>Abradates;</HI> for certainly that little which he hath done for you, hath &s;tuck more upon his &s;tomack, then all that his Rival hath done, did upon his: There is no doubt of it; replyed the Prince&s;s, but his trouble proceeds from the ba&s;ene&s;s of his &s;oul: For all that, I conceive it ea&s;ie to maintain (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who infinitely e&s;teem|ed <HI>Abradates)</HI> that he who gives a little trifle again&s;t the hair of his di&s;po&s;ition, doth more oblige, then he who gives much, and in that gift doth follow his own incli|nation: You are very witty <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> (replyed the Prince&s;s) but yet it is no &s;uch ea&s;ie matter to defend the humours of a covetous man; and if there were any to judg the mat|ter betwixt us, I dare undertake to maintain again&s;t you, that avarice is &s;o far from &s;et|ting any value upon any act what&s;oever it be, that it entirely takes away all that &s;uch a one hath done, who is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with that ba&s;e pa&s;&s;ion. If you will be plea&s;ed to admit of <HI>Perinthus</HI> for a Judg (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> when &s;he &s;aw him come into the Chamber) I dare undertake the controver&s;ie, and once in my life di&s;pute again&s;t you: I am content|ed, replyed <HI>Panthea,</HI> upon condition <HI>Perinthus</HI> will without any impartial complacence &s;peak his thoughts. That will be &s;omething difficult, (replyed <HI>Perinthus,</HI> not yet know|ing what they de&s;ired, becau&s;e he under&s;tood only their la&s;t words) but after <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> had acquainted him with the &s;ubject of their conte&s;t, he apprehended that the liberality of <HI>Abradates,</HI> and the avarice of <HI>Mexaris,</HI> had cau&s;ed the di&s;pute, &s;o that he did refu&s;e to be Judg in a difference, wherein him&s;elf had a hidden intere&s;t, though he dur&s;t not re|veal it; yet notwith&s;tanding, the Prince&s;s did require and exact obedience from him, and he was forced to promi&s;e that he would judg the matter without any partiality or complacencie; and certainly he was as good as his word, as hereafter you &s;hall know. After the&s;e conditions, the Prince&s;s told <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that it was her part to declare her rea|&s;ons fir&s;t; That I &s;hall very ea&s;ily, replyed &s;he, I &s;hall only alledg &s;ome of the &s;tronge&s;t Arguments, unto which you may reply, and interrupt me when you plea&s;e, for I think it a good help unto one that cannot &s;peak very readily, to be often interrupted. Al|though there is no need of &s;uch helps, replyed <HI>Perinthus,</HI> yet you may chance to have interruption enough, for methinks I &s;ee the Prince <HI>Mexaris</HI> coming, and if I be not deceived, <HI>Abradates</HI> al&s;o, and indeed they entred one after another pre&s;ently after. Though the Prince&s;s made &s;igns unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to turn the di&s;cour&s;e another way, yet this crafty Lady &s;eeming to mi&s;under&s;tand her, continued on: So that <HI>Mexaris</HI> and <HI>Abrada|tes</HI> were no &s;ooner entred, but <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> in her u&s;ual jocandry began to complain, that they had hindred her of the glory in overcoming the Prince&s;s, and I wonder <HI>Perinthus</HI> does not murmure, becau&s;e you have deprived him of the greate&s;t honour he ever had in his life. I was &s;o unworthy of it; replyed he, and &s;hould have &s;o ill di&s;charged the of|fice,
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that I am not &s;orry it is taken from me. As great an inclination as I have to advance your glory (replyed <HI>Abradates,</HI> unto whom <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> addre&s;&s;ed her &s;peech) I mu&s;t con|fe&s;s I am not &s;orry that I have hindred you from overcoming the Prince&s;s, who in my o|pinion de&s;erves alwayes to conquer; yet I mu&s;t withall acknowledg my &s;elf very &s;orry that I have taken any advantage from <HI>Perinthus,</HI> therefore I be&s;eech you acquaint us with the bu&s;ine&s;s: For my particular, &s;aid <HI>Mexaris,</HI> my de&s;ires do &s;econd <HI>Abradates,</HI> to the end that knowing the injury I have done, I may endeavour a remedy. Since the Prin|ce&s;s imagined that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> would out with all, &s;he thought it better to make no &s;ecret of it; &s;o that telling them the matter in controver&s;ie, but not the cau&s;e upon which it did fir&s;t ari&s;e, both Princes did &s;ay, they &s;hould have been extreamly &s;orry, if they had in|terrupted &s;uch plea&s;ing di&s;cour&s;e; though <HI>Mexaris</HI> expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf in a much more forced manner then <HI>Abradates</HI> did; and though he did not think him&s;elf to be a covetous man, yet I believe he knew he was far from prodigal. In the mean while <HI>Perinthus,</HI> who had &s;o many &s;ecret re&s;entments in his mind, that he was &s;orry he was very pre&s;ent, did u&s;e the be&s;t endeavours to prevent the giving his opinion upon &s;o nice a matter: But <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;eeing the Prince&s;s permitted her to &s;peak, began thus to argue: Mu&s;t it not be confe&s;&s;ed Madam (&s;aid &s;he unto her) that when our friends do no more for us, then what they do every day out of common cour&s;e, we cannot count it the greate&s;t &s;ervice they can do us; and on the contrary, when we move them to do &s;uch things for us as go again&s;t the grain of their di&s;po&s;itions, we are more obliged unto them for doing things again&s;t their wills, then for doing things which is a plea&s;ure to them in doing. This being thus, it mu&s;t needs be confe&s;&s;ed, that a covetous man who gives little, does more oblige one, then a liberal man who gives much, &s;ince the one hath much grief, the other much plea|&s;ure in giving. Truly <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;aid the Prince&s;s, &s;ince you allowed me to interrupt you, I cannot forbear; for I cannot allow, that becau&s;e my friend is guilty of a mo&s;t abhomi|nable vice, therefore I &s;hould be at all obliged unto him for that little which he be&s;towes more then unto him who is owner of an Heroique virtue: No, no, <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> do not de|ceive your &s;elf, for there is no Ju&s;tice or equity in it. Yet Madam (replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> is there no recompence due unto this poor covetous man, for all the pain he puts him&s;elf unto in be&s;towing his little: I do not &s;ay, that he who gives again&s;t his mind de&s;erves more commendations then the other; I am not &s;o far out of my wits, but I do affirm, that he who loves that which he gives, and grieves for the parting from it, and cannot give it, unle&s;s it grate his heart, &s;uch a one, I &s;ay, does give greater te&s;timony of his affe|ction, then he who out of his genero&s;ity only can be&s;tow great pre&s;ents upon his very e|nemies: I do concur with you, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, that what you alledg, may upon &s;ome certain occa&s;ions hold true, and that it is not impo&s;&s;ible to find &s;ome covetous man, who in giving little, may love better then another that gives much; but though I grant this, yet I mu&s;t maintain, that he who gives with a grudg, does take away all the heart of his Pre&s;ent, and de&s;erves no thanks: I know very well Madam (&s;aid crafty <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> that in ca&s;es of Love, he who has not a heart to give all he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth, does Love but imper|fectly; but in ca&s;e of ordinary friends, it is but ju&s;t to thank a covetous per&s;on, for the trouble be puts him&s;elf unto in being at any expences for us: No, no, replyed the Prin|ce&s;s, never &s;eparate Love and friend&s;hip in this ca&s;e, for he who is a mi&s;erable Lover, will never make a liberal friend. Then <HI>Mexaris</HI> not being able to contain any longer, I pray tell me, &s;aid he, if it be a fault in a Lover not to be liberal, is it commendable in a Lady to love gifts: By no means, replied the Prince&s;s, I equally condemn them both, yet of the two, the Lady more then the Lover: I am of the Prince&s;s mind in that, repli|ed <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> However (&s;aid <HI>Abradates)</HI> He who is a Lover, mu&s;t have a &s;oul able to be&s;tow all: If &s;o (replied <HI>Mexaris)</HI> what difference between it and prodigality? The difference is in this (replied <HI>Abradates)</HI> that the Prodigal does give without either choice or judgment, which he who gives all unto her whom he thinks worthy of his affe|ction, doth not; for he who gives his heart, may ea&s;ily give all the re&s;t which is not &s;o precious. This is not our que&s;tion, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> my Argument in favour of this poor covetous man is this, that his &s;ufferings when he gives any things, &s;upplies the &s;malne&s;s of his gift: Though I &s;hould grant this, replied the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea,</HI> and acknowledg, that &s;ome acknowledgment were due unto &s;uch a one for all the pain which he endures, yet I could not chu&s;e but at the &s;ame time have an extream aver&s;ion towards him: How is it po&s;&s;ible Madam, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that gratitude and aver&s;ion &s;hould be in the &s;ame heart at the &s;ame time? It is not at all impo&s;&s;ible, an&s;wered <HI>Panthea,</HI> for one may ac|knowledg
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a benefit, and &s;corn the benefactor. The&s;e two are &s;o conjunct, replied &s;he, that I do not under&s;tand how they can be &s;eparated: However it is not ju&s;t, that he who loves his trea&s;ures above his life, &s;hould be&s;tow them upon an ungrateful per&s;on: It would be as unju&s;t in me, to be friendly unto him that &s;hall in his heart &s;uch things as are unworthy of pa&s;&s;ionate Love before me; and to &s;peak rationally, all tho&s;e &s;uffe|rings and troubles which you mention in a covetous man, are &s;trong inducements and rea|&s;ons not to value his gifts; but on the other &s;ide, to con&s;ider them as &s;ome bargain or exchange which he expects I &s;hould return in lieu thereof, and look upon him as a man that has &s;ecret ends, and would not give but to receive again: I be&s;eech you Madam, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> do not dive too deep into the heart of a covetous man, for there is no|thing to be found that is good: But grant me only this, that his regret in giving, is a &s;tronger argument of his Love and affection, then the freene&s;s and facility of a liberal man can be in him. I can by no means grant &s;o far, replied the Prince&s;s, for I am fully per&s;waded that a covetous man loves nothing but his coyn and riches, and therefore I can never be obliged unto him: Pronounce judgment then (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to <HI>Perinthus)</HI> for I am &s;o weary of maintaining a bad cau&s;e, that I had rather lo&s;e it, then precious time in giving bad rea&s;ons for it: Since by your own words it appears you are of the &s;ame opini|on with the Prince&s;s (an&s;wered <HI>Perinthus)</HI> there needs no judgment to be given: How|ever pronounce it, replied <HI>Panthea,</HI> for I had rather get the better of the cau&s;e by the equity of my Judg, then the weakne&s;s of my Adver&s;ary: Since you command it (&s;aid <HI>Perinthus</HI> in favour of <HI>Mexaris)</HI> I &s;hall condemn you both: <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> for defending a good cau&s;e &s;o ill, and you Madam, becau&s;e you would have a man who does all he can, lo&s;e the merit of that little which he gives, and which co&s;t him more then that which the liberal be&s;towes: I pronounce then, that &s;ometimes one may put a favourable con&s;tru|ction upon the great affection that may be in a little gift; and &s;ometimes it is not requi&s;ite to proportion gratitude according to the richne&s;s of the gift, &s;ince, if he from whom we receive it, did confer it only for his own glory, we are not &s;o much obliged unto him, as unto one who does not give but only for the Love of us, and who contends and &s;trives with him&s;elf to plea&s;ure us. Indeed <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid the Prince&s;s, after he had done &s;peaking) I did not think you would have given &s;entence again&s;t me: If I had recei|ved your commands (replied he) to lay a&s;ide all partiality and complacence, I had not then done &s;o, but &s;hould have pronounced as you plea&s;ed: Rather &s;ay (replied &s;he) that it argues more ability and wit to maintain a bad cau&s;e, and in taking an ill &s;ide then a good one. However, &s;ince I am per&s;waded you do not think as you &s;ay, I will pardon you. Pray Madam, &s;aid <HI>Mexaris,</HI> are you as great a hater of prodigality as avarice? I know very well, an&s;wered &s;he, that the one is a vice as well as the other; but I mu&s;t ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;s, that I am not &s;o aver&s;e to a prodigal man as to a covetous; and the &s;ame temper which prompts one to give, and to e&s;teem tho&s;e which give, does prompt one to hate to be a receiver. All this argues, &s;aid <HI>Drrali&s;a,</HI> that it is mo&s;t convenient for a covetous Lover to have a liberal Mi&s;tri&s;s. I am confident, replied <HI>Mexaris,</HI> that though it be better being the Mi&s;tri&s;s of a Prodigal then a mi&s;erable man, yet it is better being the wife of a mi&s;erable then a prodigal man: And I am confident (replied <HI>Abra|dates)</HI> that a profu&s;e prodigal in the very conclu&s;ion of his Riot, is not &s;o poor as a co|vetous rich wretch; for to what end does he hoard up all his Trea&s;ures, when as he dares not &s;o much as touch them? It is ample &s;atisfaction, replied <HI>Mexaris,</HI> to know that he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth them; or rather (replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that they po&s;&s;e&s;s him. I perceive (replied <HI>Mexaris,</HI> having a de&s;ire to divert this di&s;cour&s;e) that if this compleat Gallant which <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> looks for be not liberal, though he never was in Love, yet he &s;hall never move her heart: There is no que&s;tion of it (replied &s;he) for certainly that virtue is rarely found in one of tho&s;e that never were in Love; but Love infu&s;eth more liberality in one quarter of an hour, then all the &s;tudy of Philo&s;ophy can in ten years. I do not wonder (&s;aid <HI>A|bradates)</HI> that you who have an opinion that Love in&s;pires all virtues, &s;hould think the &s;ame which you &s;peak: But I would entreat you to tell me, why there are &s;o many rare accompli&s;hed Ladies who never were in Love, and why it is more requi&s;ite for men to be accompli&s;hed? The rea&s;on is Sir, replied &s;he, becau&s;e their cares to plea&s;e doth refine and poli&s;h the wits of men, and this care does not &s;uit with the Sex of Ladies, whom Nature hath made amiable without other helps. If there want nothing to make up a com|pleat man (replied this Prince) but to endeavour to plea&s;e, I know one that would be more exact then ever any was. <HI>Abradates,</HI> in &s;aying &s;o, look't upon <HI>Panthea,</HI> who
<PB N="27" REF="392">
meeting her eyes with his, could not chu&s;e but blu&s;h, and did thereby let him know, that &s;he applied his words unto the &s;ame end that he de&s;ired. The alteration in her counte|nance was not only ob&s;erved by <HI>Abradates,</HI> but by <HI>Mexaris,</HI> and <HI>Perinthus:</HI> The fir&s;t of the&s;e was red with anger, the other pale with &s;orrow; and this trivial pa&s;&s;age of almo&s;t no con&s;ideration, did &s;o take up the minds of the&s;e four per&s;ons, that the conver&s;ation was quite &s;poiled. <HI>Panthea</HI> was vexed to the &s;oul that &s;he &s;hould blu&s;h, becau&s;e &s;he &s;aw <HI>Abradates</HI> ob&s;erved it: This Prince made a con&s;truction of this blu&s;h in favour to him&s;elf. <HI>Mexaris</HI> on the other &s;ide did interpret it unto his advantage: <HI>Perinthus</HI> without any que&s;tion how to expound the meaning of it, did &s;o certainly conclude, that <HI>Panthea</HI> had an inclination towards <HI>Abradates,</HI> that he became more mi&s;erable then he was before: For though redne&s;s be &s;ometimes a &s;ign of anger as well as Love, yet the eyes of a Lo|ver are too &s;ubtil to be deceived: Al&s;o <HI>Perinthus</HI> did &s;o narrowly ob&s;erve how the redne&s;s of <HI>Panthea</HI> did only adorn her, and not ruffle her countenance as an effect of cholor; for there is a great difference between &s;uch a redne&s;s, and that which proceeds only from mode&s;ty, or el&s;e from &s;uch a kind of weakne&s;s as I dare not name, &s;ince tho&s;e who are capable of it, do not call it &s;o. In the mean time the company parted, every one carri|ed that evil which tormented him in his own heart, only <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> excepted, who&s;e plea|&s;ant humours would not &s;uffer her to forge Mountain mi&s;eries out of molehil matters; and therefore &s;he went as merry home, as <HI>Mexaris</HI> and <HI>Perinthus</HI> did melancholy; yet <HI>Mex|aris</HI> did verily believe, that if he would demand <HI>Panthea</HI> in Marriage from the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> he &s;hould ea&s;ily obtain her; but he believed that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> out of &s;ome poli|tique rea&s;ons of State did not de&s;ire the match, fearing le&s;t the principality of <HI>Cla&s;o|mena</HI> being in the hands of the riche&s;t Prince in all <HI>Lydia,</HI> &s;hould after his death rai&s;e Ci|vil War; &s;o that <HI>Mexaris</HI> apprehended this as &s;ome ob&s;tacle, and therefore would not publi&s;h his de&s;ign, until he had brought it &s;o forward, that he might execute it, whether <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would or no. And in order to this, there was a nece&s;&s;ity of gaining the heart of <HI>Panthea,</HI> and the con&s;ent of the Prince her Father, that he might have a place of retreat when need &s;hould be, and therefore he courted all occa&s;ions to obtain it. <HI>Abradates,</HI> who knew that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would never con&s;ent <HI>Mexaris</HI> &s;hould marry <HI>Panthea,</HI> drew from thence &s;ome hopes for him&s;elf, though he fear'd the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> would not be again&s;t it; but his fears were higher, le&s;t <HI>Panthea</HI> &s;hould be gracious to him: He knew by a hundred circum&s;tances, that &s;he e&s;teemed him more then &s;he did <HI>Mexaris;</HI> but yet he found &s;o much re&s;ervedne&s;s in her humour, and &s;uch &s;everity in her carriage towards him, &s;ince that day he di&s;covered his pa&s;&s;ion unto her, that he was a tormented Lover, though le&s;s then <HI>Perinthus,</HI> who which way &s;oever he looked, &s;aw nothing but misfor|tunes, and &s;ad thoughts had &s;o dulled his &s;oul, that he became extreamly melancholy, and &s;o deeply, that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> by a hundred circum&s;tances which would too long to relate, knew that he was in Love; and being ravi&s;hed with joy, that &s;he was now able to main|tain there never was a compleat man known, and not amorous, that &s;he did not only tell the Prince&s;s, but all the world, and indeed &s;o far, that it was grown to a general belief <HI>Perinthus</HI> was in Love, but the difficulty was to know with whom. The Prince&s;s thought it to be with &s;ome Beauty in <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> and that the melancholy which hung &s;o heavy upon his &s;oul, had no other cau&s;e but ab&s;ence. But <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who for her &s;port had ob&s;erved him mo&s;t narrowly, &s;he affirmed it was not at <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> and that &s;he was certain of it: For the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> de&s;ired to imploy him upon &s;ome bu|&s;ine&s;s of con&s;equence thither; and we know that he was very earne&s;t to beg excu&s;e, and was importunate until he obtained it; &s;o that this is an undeniable argument his Love leans towards <HI>Sardis.</HI> The greate&s;t matter of wonder to the Prince&s;s was, that he could never be di&s;covered to make any applications of Court&s;hip unto any one: 'Tis true, he &s;aw <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> very often; but though he did much re&s;pect her, yet &s;he never &s;aw any &s;igns of pa&s;&s;ion. However <HI>Perinthus</HI> lo&s;t the opinion of in&s;en&s;ibility, though there was not any who could &s;u&s;pect the true cau&s;e of his Love. About this time, the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> married <HI>Anaxilea,</HI> with whom I think I told you he was in Love; &s;o that the Court was full of Fea&s;ts, and all manner of delights and Gallantry; yet notwith&s;tanding, though <HI>Mexaris</HI> received the knowledge from the mouth of the Prince&s;s whom he loved, that &s;he had a &s;trong aver&s;ion towards all covetous men, yet was he not one jot the more magnificent; yet &s;omething he had which was a little more then ordinary, but it was &s;o very little, that it was hardly &s;een. The Prince <HI>Atis, Arte&s;ilas, Adra&s;tus, Clean|der,</HI> and <HI>Abradates,</HI> did all of them in gallant emulation vi&s;e who &s;hould excel in bravery:
<PB N="28" REF="393">
But <HI>Mexaris</HI> was very willing to be excelled in point of magnificence, and alwayes &s;ub|mitted to the lowe&s;t of his Rivals in matters of charge: For if he any time did keep the Ball, the company expected dirty rooms; cold collations, and mean Mu&s;ique; for &s;ince the liberality of him that was to pay them, did not incite them, their Harmony was &s;o negligent, that time in Dances could hardly be kept at his hou&s;e. On the other &s;ide, when <HI>Abradates</HI> gave any entertainment to the Court, or rather to the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea,</HI> the very &s;ame Mu&s;ique which marred Dancing at the hou&s;e of <HI>Mexaris,</HI> played with life, and admirable cadency at the hou&s;e of <HI>Abradates;</HI> a Spritly Harmony did in&s;pire the heart when he kept the Ball: The Ladies &s;eemed more fair, as well becau&s;e they were alwayes more curious and gay in their dre&s;&s;es, as becau&s;e the room was more light|&s;ome and neat, and indeed every thing was ordered incomparably better at his hou&s;e, then at the hou&s;e of <HI>Mexaris,</HI> or any where el&s;e; for <HI>Abradates</HI> had an Ayr and a Ge|nius &s;o fit for all the Ceremonies and honours of an A&s;&s;embly, that his very pre&s;ence only did in&s;pire with joy and delight. You may ea&s;ily conceive Madam, that the Prin|ce&s;s being of &s;uch an excellent Spirit and ingenuity, could not po&s;&s;ibly deny her e&s;teem unto <HI>Abradates;</HI> and in all places where he had the freedome of di&s;cour&s;e with her, though but a moment, though &s;he &s;hunned it, yet was he prudent enough to hit upon convenient opportunities in expre&s;&s;ing &s;ome marks of his affection, without any failing in tho&s;e re&s;pects which were due. Be&s;ides the Hunting whereof we &s;poke before, and be&s;ides the Mu&s;ique entertainment, and be&s;ides &s;everal Balls which he kept: He had one more, and it was Races with Chariots, which was one of the mo&s;t magnificent &s;ports in the world, and the mo&s;t delighting to behold. For be plea&s;ed to imagine, that you &s;aw in a Front before you, a hundred little Chariots of Triumph gli&s;tering like the Rayes of the Sun; imagine the&s;e Chariots drawn by the fine&s;t hor&s;es eye ere beheld, and in every one of them a man mo&s;t gloriou&s;ly habited, who in one hand holds the Reins of the hor&s;es, which were made of ti&s;&s;ue of gold, and in the other hand a long Javeline adorn|ed with many precious Stones, who exa&s;perating the Hor&s;es by the courage of his voice, they make the Ayr eccho as loud as a thou&s;and In&s;truments of War: At the end of the Race were Scaffolds erected unto &s;tately Tents for the Ladies, and where the Garland of Victory is given unto tho&s;e that tryumph by the hands of her who is cho&s;en to be&s;tow it, by him who makes the entertainment: This Madam is the manner of Chariot Races at <HI>Sardis.</HI> One day there chanced an accident which was very plea&s;ant unto all the compa|ny, for on that day <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Cleander</HI> did both of them equally win the Garland: And the Chariot of poor <HI>Mexaris,</HI> which doubtle&s;s was only an old one newly burni&s;h|ed up, chanced to break in the middle of the Race. This chance made mi&s;erable <HI>Perin|thus</HI> more melancholy, who &s;ince he was not one of them that did run, he did &s;tand in the Scaffold of the Prince&s;s, and ob&s;erved her joy at the di&s;grace of <HI>Mexaris,</HI> and at the victory of <HI>Abradates;</HI> &s;o that now he made no que&s;tion but this Prince had &s;ome &s;hare in her heart, and &s;o that in the mid&s;t of all this publique joy, <HI>Perinthus</HI> was mo&s;t &s;adly melancholy: Not long after all the&s;e univer&s;al joyes were turned into &s;orrows for the fa|tal death of the Prince <HI>Atis,</HI> which grieved all the Court, e&s;pecially <HI>Abradates;</HI> for he did not only lament the lo&s;s of a Prince who had mo&s;t excellent qualities, and from whom he expected his protection; but al&s;o by his death, he looked upon <HI>Mexaris</HI> as one &s;tep neerer the Throne, which by con&s;equence might reflect upon the heart of <HI>Panthea,</HI>
and become a great ob&s;tacle to his de&s;ign, not but that the Prince <HI>Antaleon</HI> was yet alive; yet for all that, he e&s;teemed it a great advantage unto his Rival to be a &s;tep neerer a Crown then he was before; and I believe this con&s;ideration was a Cordial unto <HI>Mexaris</HI> to com|fort him for the lo&s;s of his Nephew: A while after, a new misfortune chanced unto <HI>A|bradates,</HI> which was, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> re&s;olving to be&s;iege <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> would not nominate either <HI>Antaleon,</HI> or <HI>Mexaris,</HI> or <HI>Arte&s;ilas,</HI> his Lievtenants Generals, but made choice of <HI>Cleander</HI> for it, telling <HI>Abradates,</HI> he would have offered him this imployment, if the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> had not &s;ent him word, that &s;he was in hopes of making his peace very &s;hortly: So <HI>Abradates</HI> being without any pretence of di&s;content, as <HI>Mexaris</HI> had, he was forced to go unto the Wars, at a time when his Rival was to &s;tay behind with <HI>Pan|thea. Perinthus</HI> al&s;o grieved to be &s;o far off the only one he loved; but though <HI>Mexaris</HI> was left with her yet &s;ince <HI>Abradates</HI> was to be ab&s;ent as well as him&s;elf, his heart was more at ea&s;e. In the mean while <HI>Abradates,</HI> not being able to depart before he did more preci&s;ely know upon what tearms he &s;tood in the heart of <HI>Panthea,</HI> he &s;ought all opportunities to talk in private with her; yet &s;ince &s;he did carefully avoid it, and <HI>Perin|thus</HI>
<PB N="29" REF="393">
for his own intere&s;t did as much prevent it as he could, he found it very difficult: For Madam be plea&s;ed to know, that this &s;ecret adorer of the Prince&s;s had found out an admirable device, that &s;he &s;hould never be alone when <HI>Abradates</HI> came to &s;ee her; and thus he contrived it. Fir&s;t he told three or four Ladies of Quality whom the Prince&s;s did really e&s;teem, and told them in great &s;ecret, that &s;he loved them with abundance of ten|derne&s;s, and that they would infinitely plea&s;e the Prince&s;s in vi&s;iting her very often: Af|terwards he promi&s;ed them to be &s;o officious as to acquaint them, when &s;he was mo&s;t at lea&s;ure to entertain them, and had lea&s;t company with her; and indeed he &s;ent &s;o often to &s;ome one or other of them, that the Love-&s;ick <HI>Abradates</HI> could never meet with a fit opportunity to &s;peak with her in private, yet he did not &s;o much accu&s;e his mi&s;ery as his misfortune, but knew not that it was cau&s;ed by a Rival as mi&s;erable as him&s;elf: But at la&s;t finding <HI>Panthea</HI> walking in the Gardens of the Kings Palace, &s;he could not avoid his company: As good luck for him was, <HI>Mexaris</HI> was not there, and as ill luck for <HI>Pe|rinthus</HI> was, he met him there, and he led <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> by the hand, who was walking with the Prince&s;s; yet notwith&s;tanding he could not in civility mole&s;t the conver&s;ation of two per&s;ons of &s;uch a Quality: <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> told me &s;ince, that when <HI>Abradates</HI> pre&s;ented his hand unto the Prince&s;s, <HI>Perinthus</HI> did for a while let go his, yet pre&s;ently after recolle|cting him&s;elf, he took her hand again; but he was &s;o much tran&s;ported when they two talked together, that he knew not what he either &s;aid or did: Sometimes when his imagination told him, that <HI>Abradates</HI> was &s;peaking of his Love to the Prince&s;s; he would gripe the hand of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;o hard for very &s;pite and anger, that he would extreamly hurt her. Since <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> was one of an excellent wit, and had ever found <HI>Perinthus</HI> a mo&s;t wi&s;e and prudent man, and the mo&s;t orderly ci|vil in the world, &s;he was now much &s;urprized at this pa&s;&s;age: And he looking upon <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> did find that his pa&s;&s;ion was too &s;trong for him, and that he had di&s;co|vered &s;ome &s;ignes of it; &s;o that not knowing how to di&s;&s;emble the matter, he took the fir&s;t pretence that came into his mind. It is very unfortunate (&s;aid he unto her) that <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;hould at this time come to di&s;turb that plea&s;ure which I took in the&s;e walks, for I cannot look upon him, but I mu&s;t needs remember, that when we parted the la&s;t time, I then received &s;ome orders from the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> concerning a bu&s;ine&s;s of great con&s;equence, which now forceth me much again&s;t my will to leave you very un|civilly: I conceive, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that in lieu of complaining again&s;t <HI>Abradates,</HI> you &s;hould be glad of his coming to put you in memory of what you had otherwi&s;e forgotten: But I conceive (&s;aid he, and parted from her at the end of the walk) that I have cau&s;e to accu&s;e him, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ince he is the cau&s;e that I mu&s;t part from you, about that which does not half plea&s;e me: All that <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;aid unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> was not at all &s;atisfactory to her; yet notwith&s;tanding, there was &s;o little rea&s;on to think, that tho&s;e turbulencies which &s;he &s;aw in his mind &s;hould have their original from any pa&s;&s;ion which the Prince&s;s &s;hould cau&s;e, that &s;he would not yet believe it, but re&s;olved to enquire whether <HI>Perinthus</HI> after he parted from her, had really been about any &s;uch important bu&s;ine&s;s as he pretended. During this pa&s;&s;age, <HI>Abradates</HI> not to lo&s;e a minute of his precious time, was no &s;ooner with the Prince&s;s, but beginning to &s;peak; Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I have one favour to ask you, which I hope you will not deny. Since I make no que&s;tion but what you de|&s;ire of me is ju&s;t, replyed the Prince&s;s, I think you need not fear denials: Indeed I can|not chu&s;e but fear (&s;aid he to her) though upon examination of my thoughts I ap|prehend no le&s;s fears that you will grant my reque&s;t, then that you will deny me: If you fear to obtain that which you would ask (replyed <HI>Panthea)</HI> your be&s;t cour&s;e is not to ask it: That would not be ju&s;t, replyed he, For truly Madam, being upon the point of departure, my de&s;ires are &s;o violent to know upon what tearms I &s;tand in your opinion, that I cannot take my leave of you, unle&s;s you do me the favour to inform me: But with|all being con&s;cious of my own unworthine&s;s, I am afraid, and that with much rea&s;on, that if you do not grant my de&s;ires, you will force me into &s;uch de&s;pair, as I dare not &s;o much as look upon you, le&s;t I &s;hould find the thoughts of your heart in your fair eyes: However Madam (&s;aid he, not giving her lea&s;ure to interrupt him) give me leave to let you know before pou &s;peak, that what&s;oever you either will or can &s;peak unto me, I &s;hall for ever adore you with a mo&s;t unequalled pa&s;&s;ion; and that as I have loved you from the very fir&s;t in&s;tant I &s;aw you, &s;o I &s;hall love you to the la&s;t minute of my life: Therefore never think, I be&s;eech you, that by being rigorous, you can cha&s;e out of my heart that pa&s;&s;ion which the faire&s;t eyes upon earth have created in it: No, no, Madam,
<PB N="30" REF="394">
it is impo&s;&s;ible, all your power is not able to reach &s;o far; doubtle&s;s you may make me the mo&s;t happy or mi&s;erable man alive, but you cannot hinder me from being eternally yours, and more yours then my own: Tell me then, I be&s;eech you Madam, how I &s;tand in your thoughts, and whether it be permitted me to hope I am in a better condition then <HI>Mexaris? Mexaris,</HI> replyed &s;he, is a great Prince, whom I reverence with all re&s;pect due unto his Quality: But as for <HI>Abradates,</HI> he is not well advi&s;ed to eradicate that him|&s;elf which his own merit had planted in my heart, and which if he had not, I &s;hould have infinitely e&s;teemed him; but in the humour that now I am in, he hath put a great ob&s;tacle unto that friend&s;hip which I re&s;erved for him, by &s;peaking to me as he hath done. Is it po&s;&s;ible Madam (&s;aid <HI>Abradates)</HI> that I &s;hould have been higher in your e&s;teem, if I had not given you any te&s;timonies of my Love? If &s;o, certainly I am the mo&s;t happy man alive, and I have no more to ask: Deceive not your &s;elf <HI>Abradates,</HI> replyed the Prince&s;s, for I am fully per&s;waded, that &s;ince you have took &s;o much boldne&s;s as to &s;peak what you have done, you do not e&s;teem me enough: I know not whether I have told you before, but I &s;ee though I &s;hould tell it a hundred times, yet all would be over|little to per&s;wade you, that though I do infinitely e&s;teem tho&s;e excellent Qualities which are in you; yet &s;ince you do not e&s;teem me &s;o much as I de&s;ire to be, I cannot think my &s;elf at all obliged unto you for that affection which you tell is in you. Alas Madam, re|plyed <HI>Abradates,</HI> what higher te&s;timony of a great e&s;teem can be given unto any, then to give ones entire heart, to make you ab&s;olute Mi&s;tri&s;s of my De&s;tiny, and who would neither live nor die, but according to your Dictates and Decrees: In the&s;e re&s;olutions I appear pro&s;trate before you Madam; and can you &s;ay I do not enough e&s;teem you? You know very well Madam, that your eyes did never afford me one favourable look; what would you have me do now I am ready to depart, and leave &s;uch a Prince as <HI>Mexaris</HI> is at <HI>Sardis.</HI> However Madam, though you will not be plea&s;ed to let me know how I am in your thoughts, yet I be&s;eech you let me know at the lea&s;t what place my Rival holds there; for if he be but upon wor&s;e conditions then my &s;elf, I prote&s;t I &s;hall depart with|out any murmur, and without asking any further favour. If there want nothing but that ingenuous Declaration to &s;atisfie you, replyed the Prince&s;s, and &s;miled, I pray leave me at re&s;t, and keep your &s;elf &s;o al&s;o. In the mean time, know <HI>Abradates,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, and a&s;&s;umed a more &s;erious look) that per&s;ons of my Quality and Virtue, never u&s;e to di&s;po&s;e of them&s;elves, but to &s;uit them&s;elves and minds unto their Fortunes; therefore though I had a di&s;po&s;ition to let you love me, yet I would never permit it, until I were in a condition that I might do it innocently, and without impudence. After this, I have no more to &s;ay, unle&s;s this, that you wil much oblige me, if you wil not force me to fly your company. As <HI>Abradates</HI> was ready to reply, the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> came in, &amp; broke off the di&s;cour&s;e: And as we were then in a great walk of Cypre&s;s Trees, planted &s;o clo&s;e to one another, that they made a very thick hedg: It chanced as I ca&s;t my eyes upon a place where I &s;aw the Boughs to &s;hake, I perceived <HI>Perinthus</HI> lurking and looking through: I no &s;ooner &s;pied him, but I &s;hewed him <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> which did much amaze her, that he &s;hould be &s;o earne&s;t to leave her to that end: <HI>Perinthus</HI> al&s;o was at an extream <HI>nonplus,</HI> and told her, that as he was going out of the Garden, he met with him whom he had intended to go unto about his bu&s;ine&s;s, which being done, he returned into the Garden again, and taking into ano|ther walk before he was aware, he had a mind to &s;ee whether any had come in to &s;upply his place &s;ince he went out, before he entred again. I under&s;tood you very well <HI>Perin|thus</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) you think to make me conceal your incivility by this excu&s;e, but truly you mu&s;t invent a better before you prevail. <HI>Perinthus</HI> being in a terrible fear that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;hould go and acquaint the Prince&s;s and others with the di&s;order which &s;he di&s;|covered in his Spirit, be&s;eeched her that &s;he would honour him with her hand again; then putting the Boughs of the Cypre&s;s clo&s;e again, he began to conjure <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> in a low voice, not to &s;peak unto any of the di&s;order which &s;he di&s;covered in his &s;oul: I pro|mi&s;e you that I will not, replyed &s;he, upon condition that you will acquaint me with the true cau&s;e, or to &s;ay better, confe&s;s it unto me, for to tell you truly, I am confident you are in Love with the Prince&s;s. Ah <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> (cryed he out) I mu&s;t tru&s;t my &s;elf un|to your di&s;cretion, but I do conjure you <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> in the name of the Gods, that you do not di&s;cover it: I promi&s;e you I will not, &s;aid &s;he unto him, upon condition you will be ingenuous and &s;incere: Know then, pur&s;ued <HI>Perinthus,</HI> that the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> under&s;tanding that <HI>Mexars</HI> and <HI>Abradates</HI> were both in Love with <HI>Panthea,</HI> he appre|hended much joy for the fir&s;t of the&s;e, and much &s;orrow for the &s;econd; and therefore he ab&s;olutely commanded me to di&s;cover if I could, the true apprehen&s;ions of the Prin|ce&s;s
<PB N="31" REF="394">
his Daughter, and if it were po&s;&s;ible, to prevent <HI>Abradates</HI> from having any private di&s;cour&s;e with her; yet I can &s;afely &s;wear unto you, that yet I have not told the lea&s;t circum&s;tance of any thing unto the Prince her Father: For &s;ince I am one who ad|mires, and infinitely honour her, I could not become her Spy; yet I mu&s;t ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;s, that &s;ince he is here, I cannot chu&s;e but be angry, and &s;ince I could not remedy it, I thought it my be&s;t to retreat, le&s;t if the Prince &s;hould chance to come, he &s;hould think me &s;o far from being his informer, I was a concealer of things from him, and that was my rea&s;on why I would not be in the &s;ame walk where they were. But <HI>Perinthus,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;ince you have no de&s;ign to prejudice the Prince&s;s, what was your rea&s;on for hiding your &s;elf &s;o clo&s;ely among&s;t the Cypre&s;s Trees, and to ob&s;erve her actions &s;o preci&s;ely and clo&s;ely? I did endeavour to inform my &s;elf of the truth (replyed he) to the end I might better know how to behave my &s;elf between <HI>Mexaris</HI> and <HI>Abradates.</HI> Their merits are &s;o different (replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> that you might very wel gue&s;s her thoughts of them, without taking &s;uch pains as to ob&s;erve her actions: It is very true, replyed <HI>Perinthus,</HI> and &s;o I do, yet &s;ince the pre&s;ent condition of their two Fortunes is &s;o diffe|rent, I cannot chu&s;e but be bya&s;&s;ed in my wi&s;hes; and methinks the fair <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> for her own intere&s;t, &s;hould de&s;ire that the Prince&s;s &s;hould rather remain in the <HI>Lydian</HI> Court, then go &s;o far off as <HI>Su&s;a.</HI> In the mean time, I conjure you not to di&s;cover me, and to believe that I will never either &s;ay or do any thing, which &s;hall be again&s;t tho&s;e re|&s;pects which I owe unto the Prince&s;s. <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> lent an ear unto all this long di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> but knew not whether &s;he &s;hould believe him or no; for when &s;he remembred the perplexity which &s;he di&s;covered in his mind when <HI>Abradates</HI> fir&s;t came, &s;he could not doubt but that he was in Love with <HI>Panthea:</HI> But when &s;he con&s;idered the little probabi|lity that &s;uch a man as he &s;hould dare to nouri&s;h &s;uch thoughts as tho&s;e in his heart, &s;he gave credit unto his words, yet her faith in them was not &s;o &s;trong, but &s;he was often apt to alter her opinion: However, &s;he re&s;olved not to &s;peak of any of the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages; for &s;aid &s;he, if <HI>Perinthus</HI> do love <HI>Panthea,</HI> he is &s;o unfortunate in it, that I need not loaden him with more mi&s;ery, by incon&s;iderately telling the Prince&s;s of that which perhaps he will never tell her him&s;elf: And if it be as he tells me, I will not &s;peak of it neither, &s;ince thereby I &s;hall prejudice <HI>Abradates,</HI> whom I infinitely e&s;teem. <HI>Perinthus</HI> for his part was well plea&s;ed with the hand&s;ome lye which he had invented, which truly upon &s;uch a &s;uddain was very ingenuous; for if <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> was faithful, and did not &s;peak of it, he was fafe and at quiet, or if &s;he did tattle any thing to the Prince&s;s, his hope was, that &s;ince &s;he would believe the Prince her Father did di&s;approve of the Love of <HI>Abradates,</HI> &s;he would happily and cunningly reject it. And thus the walk continued without much di&s;content, for to &s;ay the truth, the Prince&s;s was not &s;orry at her heart that <HI>Abradates</HI> was in Love with her: This Prince, for his part, thought the favour he obtained to be very high, in that he heard <HI>Panthea</HI> her &s;elf pronounce him happier then his Rival <HI>Mexaris</HI> was: <HI>Perinthus</HI> al&s;o thought he had e&s;caped a great danger, &s;ince he had put a hand&s;om glo&s;s upon the imprudent di&s;covery of his pa&s;&s;ion, &s;o that there was none but <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> who was not rea&s;onably well &s;atisfied, and &s;he was a little perplexed, that &s;he could not tell well what to believe of <HI>Perinthus.</HI> After this, <HI>Abradates</HI> could not have any more private di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Panthea,</HI> and he mu&s;t content him&s;elf to bid her adieu before much company, &s;o that he dur&s;t not make half his &s;orrows appear in his eyes when he parted. As for <HI>Perinthus,</HI> &s;ince he was one of the hou&s;e, he enjoyed the &s;ight of his Prince&s;s with as much freedome as he could wi&s;h, but it was &s;uch a freedome as did him no good, &s;ince he dur&s;t not make u&s;e of it to expre&s;s the pa&s;&s;ion of his &s;oul unto her, but was for|ced to hide it with all po&s;&s;ible care; yet in &s;pite of all his cares, his melancholly would appear mo&s;t vi&s;ible, but &s;ince friend&s;hip might produce it as well as Love, the Prince&s;s would not interpret that to be the cau&s;e, which would have been extreamly offen&s;ive to her, if &s;he had known the cau&s;e. <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> was not pre&s;ent when he took his leave, and it was happy for him &s;he was not; for &s;ince &s;he had already &s;ome &s;u&s;pition of the truth, doubtle&s;s &s;he would have palpably perceived, that his &s;orrows proceeded from a more ten|der cau&s;e then matter of friend&s;hip: When he was gone out of the Prince&s;s Chamber, &s;he called him back, and injoyned him to write (as often as any opportunities would per|mit him) all the news from the Army; And in return, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I will oblige <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to an&s;wer you, though I &s;hall not, and to &s;end you the news of <HI>Sardis.</HI> At the fir&s;t <HI>Perinthus</HI> was much ravi&s;hed with the&s;e commands; but when he began to con&s;ider that this favour had never been confered upon him, but to take all &s;u&s;pitions away, that
<PB N="26" REF="395">
&s;he was &s;o dear unto him as &s;he was; his joyes were le&s;s; yet on the other &s;ide when he con&s;idered it to be a favour which all his Rivals as great Princes as they were, could never obtain, he cheered up him&s;elf, and was le&s;s grieved. Moreover, &s;ince that Rival which he mo&s;t feared &s;hould be ab&s;ent as well as him&s;elf, it troubled him the le&s;s: Al&s;o he went to bid adieu unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> with a mind that was free and jocand enough for a Lover that was to depart: 'Tis true, he was as careful as po&s;&s;ible he could to di&s;&s;emble his thoughts at this time, when indeed he &s;tood in need of all his art: For <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> upon premedita|ted thoughts told him a hundred pa&s;&s;ages, which would have extreamly troubled one to an&s;wer that was le&s;s &s;ubtil then him&s;elf: But he replyed unto every thing with &s;uch Spirit, that &s;he found nothing but what did increa&s;e her doubts. In the mean while, as the Prin|ce&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> was a little melancholly for the departure of <HI>Abradates,</HI> &s;o <HI>Mexaris</HI> was as joyful as po&s;&s;ible could be, yet he found no better entertainment from <HI>Panthea;</HI> But on the other &s;ide, &s;he did as far as civility would permit, expre&s;s more coldne&s;s to him in the ab&s;ence of <HI>Abradates</HI> then &s;he did before; and &s;he treated him with &s;uch hollow indifferecy, as almo&s;t &s;hewed him the way to di&s;pair, and which moved him unto many things that troubled <HI>Panthea;</HI> For when he found, that the more ob&s;equious he was, the le&s;s gracious he found her, he re&s;olved to tran&s;act &s;ecretly with the Prince her Father; but yet notwith&s;tanding, he vi&s;ited and waited upon her with all a&s;&s;iduity, though <HI>Do|rali&s;a</HI> by order from the Prince&s;s did bolt out a hundred crafty pa&s;&s;ages, which &s;urely were nothing plea&s;ing unto him, continually &s;aying, That <HI>Sardis</HI> now was no more then a De&s;art, &s;ince the Camp had exhau&s;ted it, and that it was better being in the Country by a hundred degrees, then there where there is none con&s;iderable in the Court: But let her &s;ay what &s;he could, he would not be bani&s;hed, but did continually torment us with his company, yet had he wit and Spirit enough; but yet this ba&s;e di&s;po&s;ition which raign|ed &s;o tyrannically in his heart, and which made him think all lo&s;t that he gave or &s;pent, made every one not e&s;teem him. Moreover, the affection which every one bore <HI>Abrada|tes</HI> did augment their aver&s;ion to <HI>Mexaris,</HI> &s;o that it is no wonder the Prince&s;s &s;hould not love that Prince whom no body loved: And on the other &s;ide, it had been a miracle if &s;he had either hated or forgotten <HI>Abradates,</HI> whom all the world did &s;peak of with a high e&s;teem, and whom &s;he knew did love her with a mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ion; and you may a&s;&s;ure your &s;elf he was neither hated nor forgotten during all the <HI>Ephe&s;ian</HI> War, no nor the <HI>My&s;&s;ian</HI> and <HI>Phrygian</HI> War: Fame did Trumpet his valour &s;o highly in his commen|dation during his ab&s;ence, that it may be &s;aid he was no le&s;s obliged unto his own cou|rage and valour, then unto the Prince&s;s for this favour toward him. As long as the War la&s;ted, <HI>Perinthus</HI> failed not to write unto the Prince&s;s: But &s;ince he was a man of a mo&s;t generous &s;oul, you may imagine him a little troubled to pay that obedience; for how could he relate all the pa&s;&s;ages of the Army, and not mention all the glorious acts of <HI>A|bradates,</HI> who as vvell as <HI>Cleander,</HI> did rai&s;e him&s;elf unto a high pitch of eminency? And hovv could he find a Genius to commend a Rival, and help him to conquer the heart of <HI>Panthea?</HI> His vvay vvas commonly to &s;peak of things in general, vvithout particula|rizing the actions of any one, contenting him&s;elf to &s;ay only, that the Enemy vvas beaten, and to declare only the advantages of the Army, as pre&s;uppo&s;ing that the Prince&s;s de&s;i|red nevvs to no other end, but as things related to the intere&s;t and good of the State: that in all the relations vvhich <HI>Perinthus</HI> made unto the Prince&s;s, the name of <HI>Abradates</HI> vvas never u&s;ed, but only once, and that too again&s;t his vvill, vvhich chanced thus: Tvvo or three daies after the taking of <HI>Ephe&s;us, Perinthus</HI> having almo&s;t fini&s;hed his Letters to the Prince&s;s, <HI>Abradates</HI> came into his Chamber, and pre&s;ently after him <HI>Cleander</HI> entred al&s;o, who knowing that it was he who &s;ent all the news of the Army unto the Prince&s;s, told him, that the me&s;&s;enger who was to carry the Packet unto <HI>Sardis</HI> would depart within this two hours: <HI>Perinthus</HI> an&s;wered, that he had not above two words to write; and &s;ince it was known to all the world that he had a mo&s;t admirable faculty in writing, <HI>Abradates</HI> who never had &s;een any of his Letters and did not &s;u&s;pect him to be his Rival, told him, that if there were nothing in his Letter but only a relation of the Siege, he &s;hould be extreamly glad to &s;ee it, not doubting but he was as good at wri|ting, as he was at acting his part in Military affairs. <HI>Cleander</HI> did &s;econd the de&s;ire: At fir&s;t <HI>Perinthus</HI> did mode&s;tly refu&s;e, but &s;eeing <HI>Cleander</HI> was importunate that he &s;hould &s;hevv vvhat he had vvrit, he vvas afraid that if he did not &s;hevv it, perhaps it might be conceived, that he had vvrit &s;omething di&s;advantagious of them, &s;o that &s;ubmitting un|to the de&s;ires of <HI>Cleander, Abradates</HI> took his Letter vvhich vvas not fini&s;hed, and read the&s;e vvords</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="33" REF="395">
<HEAD>PERINTHUS <HI>to the Prince&s;s of</HI> Cla&s;omena.</HEAD>
<P>THough Victory were in your power Madam, yet your de&s;ires of it could not be more hap|pily accompli&s;hed: It waits upon the Kings Armies in all places, and nothing can with|&s;tand them: The taking of the Town of <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> does well de&s;erve, that the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Prince&s;s of the world &s;hould render thanks unto the Gods for one of the mo&s;t glorious Conque&s;ts that ever was obtained: I believe there ought as much to be attributed unto the prevalency of your prayers Madam, as unto t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e valour of our Troops: The Enemy re&s;i&s;ted &s;o far, as conduced unto the glory of the Conquerours, but not &s;o much as could keep them&s;elves from being conquered: It is the will of Fate, that the Lawrel wherewith Victory crowns the heads of Conquerours is not &s;prinkled with much bloud, &s;ince there is not one of any eminent quality died in this la&s;t a&s;&s;ault. I do not tell you</P>
</LETTER>
<P>I intended to add (&s;aid <HI>Perinthus</HI> after <HI>Abradates</HI> had read the Letter) the particular actions of <HI>Cleander;</HI> and many others, when I broke off: You do very well (replied <HI>A|bradates)</HI> and they cannot be better commended then by your &s;elf, who knows &s;o well how to do it: But &s;ince your mode&s;ty doubtle&s;s will not permit you to relate your own actions unto the Prince&s;s (&s;aid he unto him in a &s;ubtil manner of obligation to &s;peak well of him) and &s;ince I dare not pre&s;ume to write a Letter from my &s;elf unto her, having no Commi&s;&s;ion for it as you have, I be&s;eech you let me add &s;omething to your Letter; and then not &s;taying for the an&s;wer of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> who oppo&s;ed him as much as in civility he could, he writ the&s;e words.</P>
<P>The excellent relation of <HI>Perinthus</HI> would be imperfect, if &s;ome part of tho&s;e prai&s;es which he de&s;erves were not included; therefore for your &s;atisfaction, for his glory and my own, I be&s;eech you give me leave to be his Hi&s;torian, and to tell you, that he hath made him&s;elf mo&s;t highly eminent in all occa&s;ions which pre&s;ented them&s;elves, and that except the illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander,</HI> he de&s;erves all that glory which he attributes unto others: This Madam I thought to be the duty of a man, who pretends unto no higher ambition then to be thought the mo&s;t humble Adorer of the faire&s;t Prince&s;s upon earth.</P>
<P>After <HI>Abradates</HI> had Po&s;t&s;cripted the&s;e words, and that <HI>Cleander</HI> had read it aloud, the heart of <HI>Perinthus</HI> was much divided; for he thought it a very advantagious piece of honour to be commended unto the Prince&s;s &s;o highly by &s;uch a Prince as he: But that he him&s;elf &s;hould &s;end the Letter of his mo&s;t feared Rival unto his loved and adored Prin|ce&s;s, was a thing not to be endured: So that to prevent it if po&s;&s;ible he could, he &s;aid, that he was a&s;hamed to be a &s;ender of his own prai&s;es, and that it would purcha&s;e him more &s;hame then glory Moreover, he feared, that the Prince&s;s &s;hould think very &s;trange he &s;hould take upon him the boldne&s;s to &s;end her any Letters from &s;uch a Prince as <HI>Abradates</HI> (For &s;aid he very &s;ubtilly) that &s;he be plea&s;ed to honour me with her commands to write unto her my &s;elf, yet that is no con&s;equence that another &s;hould do &s;o al&s;o: Nor is it my own intere&s;t only which I con&s;ider; But I am afraid (&s;aid he, and turned towards <HI>A|bradates)</HI> that you intend a good office in my behalf unto the Prince&s;s by it, yet it may make you wor&s;e in her opinion. Since I am certain &s;he e&s;teems you very much (replyed this Prince, who exceedingly de&s;ired that his Letter &s;hould come into the hands of his Prince&s;s) I do not fear &s;he will be offended at me for pre&s;enting a truth unto her in your advantage. No, no, &s;aid <HI>Cleander,</HI> I warrant you the Prince&s;s will never be offended at &s;uch a piece of Gallantry as this, for though &s;he be &s;omething &s;evere, yet &s;he is ra|tional, and knows how to take things as they ought to be: But it would be well (added he) that <HI>Perinthus</HI> make an end of his Letter, and pre&s;ent your Encomium al&s;o. <HI>A|bradates</HI> out of mode&s;ty did forbid him, and <HI>Perinthus</HI> had a de&s;ire to &s;ay, that he was not able to command too &s;uch illu&s;trious per&s;ons &s;ufficiently in &s;o &s;hort a time; But <HI>Cle|ander</HI> told him, he would di&s;pence with him for half that trouble, and conjured him not to mention him, but forced him to end his Letter in commendation of <HI>Abradates,</HI> of who&s;e pa&s;&s;ion he was not ignorant: So that <HI>Perinthus</HI> was forced to fini&s;h it in this man|ner, though it was not his fir&s;t intention.</P>
<LETTER>
<P>I will not tell you Madam, how the Prince <HI>Abradates</HI> hath got abundance of glory by a
<PB N="34" REF="396">
thou&s;and gallant actions; for after what he hath &s;aid in my behalf, that would be &s;u&s;pected of flattery. I can al&s;o a&s;&s;ure you, I am very &s;orry that his civilities has forced me to alter the end of my Letter, and to relate things after another manner then I intended: Nor will I tell you what Miracles the illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander</HI> hath wrought, for Fame will do that office for me: But give me leave to tell you without any affected mode&s;ty, that I was never in all my life &s;o loath unto any thing, as to this in &s;ending you my own commendation, although it was writ by the hand of a great Prince, and &s;eem to be an infinite honour unto me, that it &s;hould be read by the mo&s;t excellent Prince&s;s of all the world.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>PERINTHUS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>When <HI>Perinthus</HI> had fini&s;hed, he hoped that happily they would go away, and that afterwards he might procure the me&s;&s;enger who was to carry this Letter, to &s;ay he had lo&s;t it: Yet he had no &s;ooner ended and &s;ealed it, but <HI>Cleanders</HI> Envoy came in to re|ceive his la&s;t Orders, &s;o that poor <HI>Perinthus</HI> was forced to deliver it before them, and a|way went the me&s;&s;enger. <HI>Perinthus</HI> was almo&s;t mad at this accident: What a mo&s;t mi|&s;erable Fate is this (&s;aid he unto him&s;elf, as he has told me &s;ince) that I &s;hould be the means <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;hould write unto that Prince&s;s whom I adore? Perhaps &s;he will imagine I did voluntarily do him this office, and that I am the confident of his pa&s;&s;ion? In the names of all the Gods, Oh my adored <HI>Panthea</HI> (&s;aid he, as if &s;he had under&s;tood him) be not &s;o inju&s;t as to think I did this Prince any &s;ervice to you: It is too much you mu&s;t not know I love you, without thinking that I would have you love another. But <HI>Perin|thus,</HI> (&s;aid he pre&s;ently to him&s;elf) Art thou not re&s;olved to content thy &s;elf with the e&s;teem of thy Prince&s;s? Ha&s;t thou not determined with thy &s;elf never to di&s;cover thy Love unto her? And do&s;t thou not know, thou can&s;t never have any &s;hare in her affecti|on? Why then art thou not &s;atisfied with that commendations which <HI>Abradates</HI> hath &s;ent in thy behalf, &s;ince it may augment the e&s;teem which &s;he hath of thee? If the prai&s;es of an Enemy be glorious, why &s;hould not tho&s;e of a great Prince? But alas, alas, this great Prince is my Rival, and &s;uch a Rival as in all likelyhood will obtain the Love of my Prin|ce&s;s: It is no wonder then that thou &s;houlde&s;t be troubled, to be thus forced to commend him, and to receive any commends from him. Afterwards, when he con&s;idered with him&s;elf that the Prince&s;s would an&s;wer in her Letter unto what <HI>Abradates</HI> had writ, and that he &s;hould be con&s;trained to let his Rival &s;ee the Civilities of <HI>Panthea,</HI> he re&s;olved, that if the Letter was over-obliging unto <HI>Abradates,</HI> to &s;mother it: Therefore he expect|ed this an&s;wer with as much longing impatience, as if he had &s;ent a Declaration of his Love unto <HI>Panthea,</HI> though his curio&s;ity was only to &s;ee what the Prince&s;s would &s;ay con|cerning <HI>Abradates,</HI> who on his &s;ide expected this an&s;wer with the &s;ame impatience, though not with the &s;ame fears, &s;ince it was only three daies journey between <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> and <HI>Sardis,</HI> the Letter of <HI>Perinthus</HI> came thither in two daies, becau&s;e he who car|ried intelligence of the taking of <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> went Po&s;t, and made great ha&s;t. <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who never was ab&s;ent from <HI>Panthea,</HI> was pre&s;ent as well as my &s;elf, when the Prince&s;s received this Letter, which at the fir&s;t &s;he began to read aloud, for knowing that <HI>Perin|thus</HI> never u&s;ed to intimate any thing but matter of news, &s;he expected no other. But when &s;he came to the place which <HI>Abradates</HI> had writ, and &s;aw it in another hand diffe|rent from that of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> &s;he read it in a low voice and blu&s;hed, while&s;t <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and my &s;elf had &s;everal apprehen&s;ions of it: For <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> having &s;ome &s;u&s;pitions of his pa&s;&s;i|on, imagined that perhaps he had took heart, and writ unto the Prince&s;s concerning it: But I, who had no &s;uch conceits, only thought it &s;omething which &s;he would not have us know: Yet after the Prince&s;s had done reading, and that the di&s;order which the name of <HI>Abradates</HI> cau&s;ed in her &s;oul, was appea&s;ed, &s;he gave the Letter unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and my &s;elf to read; and being de&s;irous to colour the tenderne&s;s of heart which &s;he ex|pre&s;&s;ed, &s;he told us, That when &s;he &s;aw the alteration of hands, and the name of <HI>A|bradates,</HI> &s;he was afraid le&s;t he had intimated &s;omething, vvhich vvould have given her cau&s;e of complaint, both again&s;t <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Perinthus:</HI> Hovvever <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, after the Letter vvas read) you &s;ee that <HI>Perinthus,</HI> though not in Love, yet he can be valiant; and that to be brave and gallant, it is &s;ufficient that one be only in Love vvith glory; for though I &s;eemed to believe, as others did, that <HI>Perinthus</HI> vvas in Love, yet I a&s;&s;ure you, I never did really believe it at all: And I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, replyed <HI>Do|rali&s;a,</HI> I am not of your opinion; doubtle&s;s one may be valiant and not amorous, but
<PB N="35" REF="396">
I do confidently maintain, that if a Gallant man vvas never in Love, he &s;hall be brave and valiant, but bruiti&s;h withal: And &s;ince <HI>Perinthus,</HI> though valiant, is not bruiti&s;h, therefore I mu&s;t conclude him to be in Love. However (&s;aid the Prince&s;s) as friendly as I am to <HI>Perinthus,</HI> and as joyful as I am to &s;ee his prai&s;es wr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t by the hand of &s;o illu&s;tri|ous a Prince, yet believe me, I am almo&s;t angry with him, becau&s;e I am forced to an&s;wer &s;omething unto <HI>Abradates.</HI> Truly Madam (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to her) I &s;hould conceive the difficulty not great to an&s;wer any thing in that Letter: It is true (&s;aid &s;he, and blu&s;hed) the difficulty is not in an&s;wering any thing to that Letter, but to &s;omething which he &s;aid unto me at parting; and then the Prince&s;s was plea&s;ed to acquaint us with the conference &s;he had with him; yet notwith&s;tanding, after &s;he had well con&s;idered upon it, &s;he re|&s;olved to write, as I &s;hall pre&s;ently relate unto you. In the mean while, <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Perinthus,</HI> who waited impatiently for an an&s;wer from the Prince&s;s, were &s;o exact to in|quire the day when the me&s;&s;enger would return, that they knew to an hour when he would come to give an account unto <HI>Cleander:</HI> But as ill luck to <HI>Perinthus</HI> was, <HI>Clean|der,</HI> who loved <HI>Abradates,</HI> and was not ignorant of his pa&s;&s;ion to the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla|&s;omena;</HI> al&s;o longing to know what &s;he an&s;wered, went immediately unto <HI>Abradates,</HI> who was then in the Garden of the hou&s;e where he lodged, and <HI>Perinthus</HI> with him, who in his pre&s;ence received the an&s;wer from the Prince&s;s: You may imagine what the thoughts of <HI>Perinthus</HI> were, in opening this Letter from <HI>Panthea,</HI> &s;u&s;pecting it to be too gallant and obliging unto <HI>Abradates;</HI> and this Prince perceiving &s;ome di&s;order in the face of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> he imagined only that it proceeded from his fears of the Prince&s;s an|ger, for &s;ending his Letter; &s;o that he be&s;towed a complement or two upon <HI>Perinthus,</HI> unto which he replyed as well as he could <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> but thought it not advantagious for him&s;elf to open the Letter &s;o &s;oon, yet <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;o pre&s;&s;ed him unto it, that he was forced to open it, and read aloud the&s;e words,</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>PANTHEA <HI>unto</HI> PERINTHUS.</HEAD>
<P>IT appears &s;ufficiently, both by what you have related concerning the Prince <HI>Abradates,</HI> and the illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander,</HI> and by Fame al&s;o, that victory is much rather a con&s;equent of their courage, then my prayers; yet I will never cea&s;e them for the augmentation of their glory, which can never be &s;o high as I de&s;ire them. As for yours <HI>Perinthus,</HI> I find it arri|ved at &s;o high a pitch, that I think it impo&s;&s;ible to wi&s;h it greater: For to be commended by &s;uch a Prince as merits all prai&s;es him&s;elf, is an honor &s;o great, that the height of your am|bition ought to be compleatly &s;atisfied; yet &s;ince your mode&s;ty would have debarred you from telling it, I am obliged unto <HI>Abradates</HI> for it, though otherwi&s;e I am &s;orry for putting him|&s;elf to that trouble: A&s;&s;ure him, that as he hath much augmented the e&s;teem which I had of you, &s;o you have mo&s;t &s;trongly confirmed me in my thoughts of him. After this, expect not that I &s;hould return intelligence for intelligence, unle&s;s to acquaint you, that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> doth &s;till accu&s;e you, and is ab&s;olutely per&s;waded, that all tho&s;e glorious acts which you have done are rather effects of that &s;ecret pa&s;&s;ion which lies clo&s;e in your heart, then of your courage; For my part I am &s;till ju&s;t, and take your part as well as I can, adieu: A&s;&s;ure <HI>Abra|dates</HI> and <HI>Cleander,</HI> that Victory &s;hall alwayes follow them, if Fortune follow my de&s;ires:</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>PANTHEA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><HI>Perinthus</HI> read the Letter &s;o badly, e&s;pecially towards the latter end, that <HI>Abradates</HI> did civilly de&s;ire to read it him&s;elf again, that he might under&s;tand it, telling him with a &s;mile, He wondred that a man who could write &s;o well, &s;hould read &s;o ill: But oh Hea|vens, in what a pitiful ca&s;e was the poor <HI>Perinthus,</HI> when he perceived the joyes of <HI>A|bradates</HI> in reading this Letter, for all it contained nothing but common civility, yet he was extreamly plea&s;ed with it. The delight only to &s;ee his name vvritten by the hand of <HI>Panthea,</HI> tran&s;ported him into a rapture of joy: After he had read it alo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d, he read it over again from one end to the other in a lovv voice, and vvhen he had done, he vvould not upon any tearms render it back unto <HI>Perinthus,</HI> vvho&s;e perplexities vvere more exce&s;|&s;ive then the joyes of <HI>Abradates</HI> vvere great: he vvas not only vexed that the Prince&s;s &s;hould return &s;uch a civil an&s;vver unto <HI>Abradates,</HI> but he vvas afraid le&s;t <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;hould fall into her old jealou&s;ies, and in the end di&s;cover &s;omething; yet he vvas fully per|&s;vvaded &s;he had not yet opened any thing to <HI>Panthea,</HI> for if &s;he had, <HI>Panthea</HI> vvould:
<PB N="36" REF="397">
not have vvritten unto him. Thus having a &s;oul &s;vvelled vvith thou&s;and &s;everal conceits, and not one agreeable to his de&s;ires, he &s;eemed very re&s;tle&s;s; all tho&s;e obliging words which the Prince&s;s had writ relating to him&s;elf, did not at all &s;atisfie him, becau&s;e he thought the commendations &s;he gave <HI>Abradates,</HI> to be a bitter potion after all tho&s;e &s;weet civilities &s;he be&s;towed upon him. In the mean time, <HI>Cleander</HI> de&s;iring to oblige <HI>Abradates,</HI> and never &s;u&s;pecting that <HI>Perinthus</HI> was in Love with <HI>Panthea,</HI> he de&s;ired <HI>Perinthus</HI> to let <HI>Abradates</HI> keep the Prince&s;s Letter: And indeed <HI>Perinthus,</HI> &s;aid he unto him, the Letter does belong unto him as much as unto you. Dear <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid this amorous Prince, and imbraced him) I heartily be&s;eech you grant me this favour which <HI>Cleander</HI> in my behalf hath asked, and which indeed I dur&s;t not. Sir, replyed <HI>Perin|thus,</HI> much amazed and troubled, Since you &s;ay your &s;elf dur&s;t not ask what you de&s;ire, it may be imagined you know I ought not to con&s;ent unto it: And truly what would the Prince&s;s &s;ay, if I &s;hould part with it: For Sir, the more worthy you are to keep this Letter, the more do I fear to offend the Prince&s;s in &s;uffering it: If it had been her plea|&s;ure that you &s;hould have a Letter from her, &s;he would have writ it particularly to you; but this being not &s;o, I be&s;eech you take it not, if I deny it unto you, &s;ince I would not have her take it ill from me: But the Prince&s;s need never know it (&s;aid <HI>Cleander</HI> to him) and by con&s;equence it cannot prejudice you. However, &s;ince I know it my &s;elf, replyed he, it will be a perpetual trouble to my mind that I &s;hould do any thing again&s;t my duty: But <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Abradates</HI> unto him) you will do a thing again&s;t the Laws of friend&s;hip, if you refu&s;e me this Letter; and therefore I pray permit me to keep it for a few daies, upon promi&s;e to re&s;tore it back. In good earne&s;t, &s;aid <HI>Cleander,</HI> and looked upon <HI>Perinthus)</HI> you are too preci&s;e, if not too rigid; for be your re&s;pects of the Prince&s;s never &s;o great) I cannot &s;ee you would do her any great injury, in tru&s;ting a Letter into the hands of a Prince) who doubtle&s;s would pre&s;erve it with more care then you can have. However it be (&s;aid <HI>Perinthus</HI> with a troubled vi&s;age) I have a great de&s;ire to do what I ought: I am fully re&s;olved, &s;aid <HI>Abradates,</HI> not to re&s;tore it, unle&s;s I have a copy of it at the lea&s;t. Really <HI>Perinthus,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cleander,</HI> and would not give him time to an&s;wer) you mu&s;t do this, if you have any di&s;po&s;ition to oblige at once, both the Prince&s;s, and <HI>Abradates,</HI> and my &s;elf. I am mo&s;t unfortunate (re|plyed <HI>Perinthus)</HI> to meet with &s;uch a cro&s;s conjuncture. The truth is <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cleander)</HI> you mu&s;t obey your friends; and to &s;et your mind at re&s;t, I will undertake to tell the Prince&s;s, if &s;he chance to know it, that you denied it with as much zeal, as if you had been in Love with her, and as if one of your Rivals had asked a copy of a Let|ter from your Mi&s;tri&s;s. After this, <HI>Cleander</HI> not &s;taying for any an&s;wer from <HI>Perinthus,</HI> commanded one of his &s;ervants to fetch him ink and paper: <HI>Perinthus</HI> was a long while ob&s;tinate, but at la&s;t, fearing le&s;t his ob&s;tinacy &s;hould argue the true cau&s;e of it &s;elf, and both <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Cleander</HI> divine his pa&s;&s;ion by it, he con&s;ented <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;hould have a copy; &s;o that <HI>Abradates</HI> going into an Arbor, amid&s;t which was a Table of Ja|&s;per, he &s;et him&s;elf to write: Mean while <HI>Cleander</HI> addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto <HI>Perinthus,</HI> and per&s;waded him to do <HI>Abradates</HI> all the good offices he could unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla|&s;omena,</HI> and the Prince&s;s his Daughter; but <HI>Perinthus</HI> was &s;o ne<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ed and unquiet, that he had much ado to return any an&s;wer: He was tran&s;ported with &s;uch violent raptures at this di&s;cour&s;e, that he was a hundred and hundred times ready to &s;natch the Letter out of the hands of <HI>Abradates,</HI> and to draw his Sword; yet the pre&s;ence of <HI>Cleander,</HI> and &s;everal others which were in the Garden prevented him, and the fir&s;t apprehen&s;ions be|ing over, rea&s;on did rea&s;&s;ume his &s;eat in his &s;oul, and he di&s;&s;embled the matter as well as he could; and to calm the di&s;orders of his mind, he began to think that this Letter was only a Letter of civility, and therefore he ought not to vex &s;o exce&s;&s;ively at it: So that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> an&s;wer to the de&s;ires of <HI>Cleander,</HI> in behalf of <HI>Abradates;</HI> he told him, That it was very true, he had the honour to be much in the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena's</HI> favour, and a lit|tle with the Prince&s;s; but yet it was his maxime, which lie ever ob&s;erved, never to &s;peak unto his Ma&s;ters of any affairs which they do not fir&s;t on them&s;elves: And &s;ince <HI>Abrada|tes</HI> him&s;elf is a man of mo&s;t high merit, it is not requi&s;ite to imploy any either unto the one or the other. As &s;oon as <HI>Abradates</HI> had done writing, he came unto them, but be|fore he would re&s;tore <HI>Panthea's</HI> Letter, he wooed <HI>Perinthus</HI> to be contented with the Copy, and to let him keep the Original, but he could not po&s;&s;ibly obtain it, &s;o that nei|ther of them were contented; for <HI>Abradates</HI> was &s;orry he had not the real Letter of <HI>Pan|thea,</HI> and <HI>Perinthus</HI> was &s;orry he had parted with a Copy, yet within a few daies after
<PB N="37" REF="397">
his &s;orrows were much more bitter, for he under&s;tood that <HI>Abradates</HI> did grow more confident upon the Prince&s;s her civilities to him, and did write a hundred pa&s;&s;ages unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to tell unto the Prince&s;s; and afterwards, when he went from <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> unto the <HI>Phrygian</HI> War, which began immediately after this ended, he writ unto the Prince&s;s her &s;elf, he knew very well they could not be Letters of &s;ecre&s;ie, yet &s;ince he was not igno|rant, that he who writ them was in Love, his &s;orrows were extream, and wi&s;hed very often that <HI>Mexaris</HI> might thrive by the ab&s;ence of <HI>Abradates,</HI> and that the Prince of <HI>Cla|&s;omena</HI> would be&s;tow his Daughter upon him. But whil'&s;t both <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Perinthus</HI> were in the&s;e Wars, <HI>Mexaris</HI> was a perpetual per&s;ecutor of the Prince&s;s, for he was not only an eternal trouble&s;ome Vi&s;itant, but knowing that there was enterchange of Letters betwixt <HI>Abradates</HI> and her, he became &s;o furiou&s;ly cholerique, that one day he quite forgot tho&s;e re&s;pects which he was accu&s;tomed to ob&s;erve, and thus it chanced. <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who knew very well what aver&s;ion the Prince&s;s had unto this Prince, took a great delight in twitting him with a hundred pa&s;&s;ages before all the company, which were not at all plea&s;ing unto him, and upon every occa&s;ion &s;he would commend the virtue of liberality in general, and often of <HI>Abradates</HI> in particular. One day then, when he was with the Prince&s;s, and when &s;he &s;aw that his di&s;cour&s;e was not plea&s;ing to the Prince&s;s, &s;he did &s;o hand&s;omely turn the talk, that <HI>Mexaris</HI> fell in&s;en&s;ibly to &s;peak of prodigality, and by little and little &s;he &s;crued him up to that point, as he maintained prodigality to be the greate&s;t of vices. For my part (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I am not of your opinion, &s;ince I cannot po&s;&s;ibly believe, that Vice which re&s;embles one of the mo&s;t Heroique Virtues, &s;hould be wor&s;e then Avarice. How, &s;aid <HI>Mexaris,</HI> do you prefer Liberality in the Soul of a Prince before Valour and Prudence? And had you rather have him liberal, then wi&s;e and couragious? I know not, &s;aid &s;he, Whether I had rather have him liberal then valiant and prudent; but I am &s;ure I would not have a Prince to be covetous. There are &s;ome (&s;aid <HI>Mexaris</HI> then) who love liberality in another, only becau&s;e they have Mercenary Souls of their own: 'Tis true, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, &s;ome &s;uch there are, but not alwayes, for I am certain <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> is none of them, but of a generous di&s;po&s;ition: Liberality and Genero&s;ity, replyed he, are not the &s;ame: I grant it, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> for I am not ignorant how there are &s;ome men liberal, who are not generous in all other actions of their life: But yet I will maintain, that he who is not liberal, is not generous, and that Prince who does not po&s;&s;e&s;s that virtue, cannot po&s;&s;e&s;s any; For can it be goodne&s;s to &s;ee a hundred men of excellent merit, who are out of favour with Fortune, and not to a&s;&s;i&s;t them? Is there any prudence in getting hatred in lieu of a thou&s;and honorers by benefits? Is there any policy in procuring enemies in lieu of benefits? Is it glorious to dote unmea&s;ureably upon that which &s;o many wi&s;e men have &s;corned? Is there any friend&s;hip to be expected from him that denies every thing that is asked him? Can he e|ver be a good Ma&s;ter who never doth recompence tho&s;e who &s;erve him? Is there any gal|lantry in having &s;uch a hide-bound &s;oul as is never ready to give? Or can he be a rare Prince that is covetous? And hath not &s;uch virtues as rai&s;eth them above other men, for indeed I know no other virtue but liberality which &s;ets them above others: Valour is a virtue as Heroique in the &s;oul of a &s;imple &s;ouldier, as in the greate&s;t King: Goodne&s;s is common to all men, and commonly more to Subjects then Soveraigns: Prudence is not peculiarly theirs, others may be as wi&s;e, and put their wi&s;dome in practi&s;e as well as they; but as for liberality, the glory of it is peculiar only unto great ones: It is in vain for tho&s;e who have nothing to give, to have that virtue, &s;ince they cannot make it ap|pear and &s;hine in its glory: Al&s;o it is in vain, that great ones &s;hould have the power to give, if they have not the will to do it. Yet I can hardly believe, replyed <HI>Mexaris,</HI> That it is the intention of the Gods, that tho&s;e men whom they honored with riches a|bove others, &s;hould lavi&s;hly throw them away as they plea&s;e: And yet it appears as clear|ly, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> to be the plea&s;ure of the Gods, that tho&s;e things which they give, &s;hould be converted into publique good, and not hoarded up to &s;atisfie the avaritious hu|mour of a private man. We have a thou&s;and glorious examples of that, &s;aid the Prin|ce&s;s, The Sun affords his rayes and light to all the world, the Sea gives of his waters un|to the Rivers and Fountains: And Kings al&s;o, unto whom the Gods have given authori|ty, are obliged to contribute it, and all their cares for the good of their Dominions, and defence of their Subjects. Ha, as for matter of cares (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and &s;miled) I know &s;ome who are not very covetous of them, though otherwi&s;e I am &s;ure they are not over-liberal. I wonder, &s;aid <HI>Mexaris,</HI> &s;ince liberality is &s;o commondable, we ne|ver
<PB N="38" REF="398">
heard of the liberality of <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> I have already told you Sir, replyed &s;he, That the practi&s;e of that virtue belongs only to Princes, yet I have given more perhaps then you imagine: As for matter of cares and circum&s;pection (&s;aid he, intending to &s;peak of the good offices &s;he had done <HI>Abradates)</HI> I know you have not been very niggardly, for you are very diligent to &s;erve your ab&s;ent friends. Why Sir, (&s;aid the Prince&s;s to him, de&s;iring to turn the di&s;cour&s;e.) Do you chide <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> for that, as if it were a crime? I conceive it to be an excellent quality, not to forget ones friends. I perceive Madam (replyed he, tran&s;ported with anger and Love together) That <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> in|&s;pires you with all the&s;e inclinations, and that &s;he has made you &s;o liberal, that you will not only give your own heart, but al&s;o refu&s;e the heart of all others, except&mdash;<HI>Mex|aris</HI> &s;topt at the&s;e words, perhaps as being angry that he had &s;poken more then he wi&s;hed he had; but the ayr wherewith he pronounced tho&s;e words did &s;o offend the Prince&s;s, that &s;he could not forbear &s;ome expre&s;&s;ions of di&s;plea&s;ure. 'Tis true (replyed <HI>Panthea</HI> unto the in&s;olent language of <HI>Mexaris)</HI> that there are very few hearts which I will ac|cept of, though they &s;hould be offered me; and yet more true, that if ever I give mine, it &s;hall be unto a per&s;on &s;o illu&s;trious, that this my liberality &s;hall not make me pa&s;s for a Prodigal. How Madam (replyed <HI>Mexaris,</HI> de&s;iring to mend the matter.) Can I hope that your heart is not yet given? This word Hope, &s;aid &s;he unto him, is not in its due place, for whether my heart be given, or not given, tho&s;e who wrong me, ought ne|ver to pretend unto any part of it: I do not know any that wrongs you, replyed he, unle&s;s it be &s;uch as love you, who are unworthy: I grant it, &s;aid &s;he unto him, for &s;uch I mean: Yet we do not well under&s;tand one another, replyed he, for you mean <HI>Mexaris,</HI> and I mean <HI>Abradates,</HI> who though but an Exile, yet pre&s;umes to look &s;o high as your &s;elf. <HI>Abradates</HI> has the honor to be &s;o neer allied unto your &s;elf, replyed &s;he, that you cannot be offended at him, unle&s;s you are &s;o at your &s;elf, therefore I do not defend him. However Sir, I be&s;eech you do not take it ill if I tell you freely, that if I could di&s;po&s;e of my &s;elf as I would, I &s;hould receive no more vi&s;its from you: I am content|ed (&s;aid he in ri&s;ing up) but in exchange I will addre&s;s my &s;elf to the Prince your Fa|ther, which perhaps will be more advantageous to me: After this, <HI>Mexaris</HI> went out from the Prince&s;s, who was more moved with anger again&s;t him, then I am able to ex|pre&s;s; and I believe he did a very good office unto <HI>Abradates,</HI> for methought ever &s;ince that day, there appeared more e&s;teem of him in all the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Panthea.</HI> In the mean time, <HI>Mexaris</HI> went one day to the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> and after much com|mon di&s;cour&s;e, he told him, that he could give him &s;ome advice which might be advan|tageous to him: After which, he told him, that honoring him as he did, he thought it expedient to tell him, how he thought it a piece of prudence to take &s;uch order, that the Prince <HI>Abradates</HI> at his return to Court &s;hould be de&s;ired by the Prince&s;s his Daughter, not to carry him&s;elf any longer as her Lover, that he knew it was an Alliance which <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would not approve on: That moreover, it would not be advantageous unto <HI>Pan|thea</HI> to marry an exiled Prince, who had nothing to &s;ub&s;i&s;t upon but the benevolence of the King as long as his Mother lived. Afterwards he told him, that if he would tran&s;act the matter after this manner, &s;he would not lo&s;e the opinion of a Prince, who might place her in a more con&s;iderable rank then that of <HI>Abradates.</HI> The Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> gave <HI>Mexaris</HI> thanks for the advice which he gave him; and &s;ince he was not ignorant of the affection which he bore unto his Daughter, and &s;ince the death of the Prince <HI>A|tis,</HI> he wi&s;hed rather &s;he would marry him then <HI>Abradates,</HI> he promi&s;ed him to take his coun&s;el, in&s;omuch as <HI>Mexaris</HI> driving the nail more home, did di&s;cover his Love unto his Daughter, and moved him to make up the match before the King returned: But for all the good language which he gave unto the Father of his Prince&s;s, he could not move him unto his de&s;ires, nor to give <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> any &s;uch cau&s;e of complaint as perhaps might &s;tart a Civil War: So that contenting him&s;elf with a promi&s;e that he would prevent the de&s;ires of <HI>Abra|dates</HI> as much as he could, and that he would favour his, he refu&s;ed to marry his Daugh|ter unto him without the Kings con&s;ent, or at lea&s;t until he had refu&s;ed. However <HI>Mex|aris</HI> thought he had played his game very well, and had obtained very much, in that he was promi&s;ed his Rival &s;hould not thrive: And indeed that very &s;ame night, the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> &s;poke unto his Daughter, and told her, that &s;he would highly di&s;plea&s;e him, if at the return of <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;he did not reject all his offers of &s;ervice to her; and on the contrary, if &s;he did not with much civility receive the vi&s;its of <HI>Mexaris.</HI> The Prince&s;s was much &s;urprized, and vexed at this di&s;cour&s;e, yet an&s;wered with much wi&s;dom
<PB N="39" REF="398">
and genero&s;ity both; for after &s;he had a&s;&s;ured her Father that &s;he would be mo&s;t obedi|ent unto him as long as life was hers, &s;he be&s;eeched him not to injoyn her any thing un|worthy of her &s;elf and him: As for <HI>Abradates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, though I do very much honour him, yet I can mo&s;t ea&s;ily obey you; but as for <HI>Mexaris,</HI> who hath mo&s;t manife&s;tly wronged me, and again&s;t whom I have an unalterable aver&s;ion, I mo&s;t hum|bly be&s;eech you, do not command me to behave my &s;elf &s;o unto him, as if I e&s;teemed him, or as if I were any thing obliged to him; for be&s;ides the inju&s;tice in it, I am afraid I cannot obey you in my heart. Then the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> would know the cau&s;e of her exceptions again&s;t him; but though &s;he did aggravate the matter in relating of it, yet he did not take it as &s;he de&s;ired he &s;hould, but on the contrary told her, that all his mi&s;|demeanours were only effects of his extream pa&s;&s;ion towards her, and therefore he did exact peremptory obedience from her: Until now Madam, it is mo&s;t certain that <HI>Pan|thea</HI> never thought of <HI>Abradates,</HI> but only in the degree of e&s;teem, and &s;he thought it no difficulty at all unto her to treat him more coldly then u&s;ual at his return: But yet for all that, &s;he re&s;olved to look a little better upon <HI>Mexaris,</HI> by ca&s;ting &s;ome frowns upon <HI>Abradates:</HI> But her drift was, that if &s;he concurred with her Father in half of his de&s;ires, &s;he thought &s;he might the better refu&s;e him the other half; &s;o that to treat <HI>Mexaris</HI> the wor&s;e, &s;he re&s;olved to u&s;e <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;omething &s;everely: But Madam, the illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander</HI> returning in triumph unto <HI>Sardis</HI> after &s;o many glorious Victories; the Prince&s;s began to perceive, that there was more difficulty in acting her re&s;olutions, then ever &s;he imagined: For &s;ince every one &s;poke of nothing but the valour of <HI>Abradates,</HI> her heart was &s;o moved unto exce&s;&s;ive joy, that &s;he &s;aw &s;he was not an ab&s;olute Mi&s;tri&s;s of her own heart; yet &s;ince &s;he could not find a heart ab&s;olutely to re&s;i&s;t her Fathers commands, &s;he permited <HI>Mexaris</HI> after a complementive &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, and asking her pardon to vi&s;it her; and though &s;he held but a cold and hollow-hearted corre&s;pondency with him, yet he Courted and followed her to all places. The day of <HI>Cleanders</HI> Triumph being come, all the Windowes in tho&s;e &s;treets where he was to pa&s;s were filled with Ladies; &s;o that the Prince&s;s being there among&s;t the re&s;t, <HI>Mexaris,</HI> who had been a dayes journey from <HI>Sardis</HI> to meet the King, and who for &s;ome rea&s;ons be&s;t known to him&s;elf, would not enter the Town with him, came to the hou&s;e where the Prince&s;s was, and many other Ladies with her: As &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw him, &s;he was &s;o exceedingly vexed, that &s;he could not chu&s;e but impart her thoughts unto <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> Good Madam, an&s;wered &s;he, by any means do not let the Prince <HI>Abradates</HI> when he pa&s;&s;eth by crowned with his Laurels, have the &s;orrow to &s;ee you with his Rival; nor let him have any cau&s;e to fear that this Rival has the lea&s;t corner of your heart. Really <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> replyed the Prince&s;s, I wi&s;h <HI>Mex|aris</HI> further off me for my own &s;ake, without any con&s;ideration of <HI>Abradates,</HI> but I know not which way I &s;hould berid of him: I mu&s;t then begin &s;ome &s;tinging di&s;putation, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and that perhaps will keep him from looking out when <HI>Abradates</HI> pa&s;&s;eth by: The Prince&s;s liked the project, but it did not take, for <HI>Mexaris</HI> was premeditately re&s;olved to ob&s;erve how the Prince&s;s looked upon <HI>Abradates</HI> when he pa&s;&s;ed before her, and likewi&s;e to make his Rival &s;ad at the &s;ight of him &s;o neer the Prince&s;s, and therefore he would not leave her an inch, though &s;he had no kind of incon&s;tant action in her garb, as many have, yet &s;he changed her &s;eat above twenty times, and he likewi&s;e changed as often; &s;ometimes &s;he would &s;it at the Window, and cau&s;e <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to &s;it clo&s;e by her, but &s;he was no &s;ooner &s;eated, then he would uncivilly in|trude unto the &s;ame Window, to the end <HI>Abradates</HI> might &s;ee him neer <HI>Panthea,</HI> and do what &s;he could he would not be &s;haken off. I &s;hall not relate unto you Madam the magnificence and glory of this Triumph, becau&s;e time would be but frivolou&s;ly &s;pent. But give me leave to tell you the Pri&s;oners, the Colours, and all the plunder of the Field, taken from the enemies were pa&s;&s;ed by, we &s;aw at the la&s;t (after above ten thou&s;and Hor&s;emen) the King appear, and after him <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Cleander,</HI> as tho&s;e who had merited all the glory of the Triumph. For my part, I did mo&s;t circum&s;pectly ob&s;erve all pa&s;&s;ages: I ob&s;erved that as &s;oon as <HI>Abradates</HI> appeared, he knew the Prince&s;s, and &s;aw <HI>Mexaris</HI> next her, for his eyes payed their devotion only up to that Window where &s;he was. This Prince was that day of &s;o becoming a garb, and his accoutrements all &s;o mag|nificent, that I never &s;aw him &s;o glorious and amiable in my life. <HI>Mexaris</HI> no &s;ooner &s;pied him, but he looked whether the Prince&s;s &s;aw him, and indeed he was &s;o happy, or to &s;ay more truly, &s;o unhappy, that he was an eye-witne&s;s of the fir&s;t thought which the &s;ight of <HI>Abradates</HI> did rai&s;e in her; for although &s;he had before this fir&s;t &s;ight prepared
<PB N="40" REF="399">
her &s;elf again&s;t it, yet as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw him, &s;he blu&s;hed, and blu&s;hed &s;o as <HI>Mexaris</HI> ob&s;erved the joy in her eyes; what &s;orrow &s;oever his &s;oul &s;uffered, yet he &s;tayed &s;till in his place: But what&s;oever he &s;poke unto the Prince&s;s, with intention of moving her to &s;peak unto him when <HI>Abradates</HI> pa&s;&s;ed under the Window, could not make her an&s;wer him one &s;ingle &s;yllable. <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> ob&s;erving it, Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, you need not wonder why the Prince&s;s is &s;o &s;ilent, for it is impo&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould look, and hear, and &s;peak all at once: Nor would I have her, replyed he, For I wi&s;h &s;he would not look &s;o long upon <HI>Abradates,</HI> but that &s;he would hearken unto me, and afterwards an&s;wer me. In the mean while, the King, and by con&s;equence <HI>Abradates</HI> drawing neerer, <HI>Mexaris</HI> was more &s;ad to ob&s;erve how this Prince &s;aluted her with &s;uch Love and devotion, and in &s;uch a becoming manner, that all the Ladies about <HI>Panthea</HI> did extreamly commend him: But to compleat his mi&s;ery, the Prince&s;s who did intend only to &s;alute him with a common cold civility, could not keep within that compa&s;s, but mo&s;t obligingly leaned out of the Window, and &s;uch a free, &s;prightly, and plea&s;ing ayr appeared in her face, as &s;he made it plainly appear &s;he was ravi&s;h'd with joy, &s;o that her looks did cure <HI>Abradates</HI> of more then half his &s;orrows to &s;ee his Rival &s;o neer her: In exchange, <HI>Mexaris</HI> was &s;o extreamly vexed, that not being able to abide this any longer, he retired from the Window, and walked up and down the Chamber, whil'&s;t the Prince&s;s was looking upon <HI>Abradates,</HI> who looked &s;till that way, until turning into a &s;treet upon the left hand, he could look no longer. The poor <HI>Perinthus,</HI> who being prompted by the pa&s;&s;ion of his &s;oul, was very de&s;irous to &s;ee this fir&s;t enterview of <HI>Panthea</HI> and <HI>Abradates,</HI> followed this Prince very clo&s;e, and had ob&s;erved how the Prince&s;s &s;aluted him mo&s;t obligingly, he &s;tayed a little behind him, pretending to &s;peak with &s;ome body, in hopes the Prince&s;s would ca&s;t her eyes upon him; but the mind of <HI>Panthea</HI> being very bu&s;ie, he &s;aluted her three or four times, and &s;he perceived him not, though her eyes were turned that way, and I think he had made all his complements to no purpo&s;e, if <HI>Mexaris</HI> leaving his walk, had not come unto the Window, and perceived him, and cau&s;ed the Prince&s;s to per|ceive him al&s;o: Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I think it may be &s;aid, and not improperly, that you &s;ee, and you &s;ee not; you do not &s;ee that which you look upon, otherwi&s;e I believe <HI>Perinthus</HI> to be &s;o compleat a man, that he de&s;erves &s;ome return unto his long &s;a|lute. The Prince&s;s was much &s;urprized at the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Mexaris,</HI> unto which he would return no an&s;wer, but &s;pied <HI>Perinthus</HI> under her Window, unto whom &s;he made a hundred obliging &s;igns, by way of excu&s;e, for not &s;eeing him &s;ooner; &s;he called un|to <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and &s;hewed him unto her. Thus did <HI>Mexaris</HI> much again&s;t his mind, make his Rival receive a hundred obliging favours: It is true, <HI>Perinthus</HI> was not a jot more happy for all the&s;e, as well by rea&s;on of his cruel thought that the Prince&s;s was not friends with him, as becau&s;e &s;he was ignorant of the pa&s;&s;ion in his &s;oul. In the mean while, &s;ince there was a nece&s;&s;ity of <HI>Mexaris</HI> his going unto the Kings hou&s;e, and &s;ince the Prince&s;s told him &s;he would pa&s;s the re&s;t of the day in the hou&s;e wherein &s;he was, he was con&s;trained to leave her: Within a quarter of an hour after he was gone, <HI>Perinthus</HI> came in, unto whom the Prince&s;s expre&s;&s;ed a hundred te&s;timonies of friend&s;hip towards him. <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> according to her old cu&s;tome, fell upon the &s;ecret pa&s;&s;ion whereof &s;he was wont to accu&s;e him, and did &s;trive with as much diligence to clear all her &s;u&s;pitions, as if &s;he had &s;ome particular intere&s;t in him, and &s;he u&s;ed all po&s;&s;ible endeavours to di&s;|cover whether his heart were already captivated, as &s;he had after &s;u&s;pected; and there|fore &s;he never &s;aw him, but &s;he put a hundred odd que&s;tions unto him, which did ex|ceedingly puzzle him. After much di&s;cour&s;e upon the happy &s;ucce&s;s of this War, the Prince&s;s asked <HI>Perinthus</HI> whether he had not contracted a great knot of friend&s;hip with <HI>Abradates</HI> during this War? For I conceive it very fit, &s;aid &s;he, that you two were inti|mate friends: Friend&s;hip Madam, replyed he, is not like unto Love, which very com|monly growes between two unequal per&s;ons; but on the contrary, to compleat a friend|&s;hip, there is a nece&s;&s;ity that it be between two per&s;ons of a &s;uitable age, humour and quality: So that &s;ince I am very &s;hort of <HI>Abradates</HI> in almo&s;t all things, it were ra&s;h pre|&s;umption in me to pretend unto the humour of his friend&s;hip: For my part, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, If I did not think that what you &s;ay were out of mode&s;ty only, I &s;hould won|der your opinion &s;hould be &s;o contrary unto mine, for I am fully per&s;waded, that Love ought alwayes to be between per&s;ons of equal condition and quality, but in matters of friend&s;hip it is not ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary; and I &s;hould think the fate of Princes to be of all men mo&s;t mi&s;erable, if they &s;hould never have any friends but of their own conditi|on,
<PB N="41" REF="399">
who are not alwayes the be&s;t accompli&s;hed men, and who however are but a very &s;mall number. Since your rea&s;on Madam, replyed <HI>Perinthus,</HI> is much more clear then mine, perhaps I am mi&s;taken; but I have ever thought that Princes can have only crea|tures and &s;ervants, but few friends: Yet on the contrary, I have thought that the pow|er of Love was never confined into &s;uch narrow limits as you pre&s;cribe: Ah <HI>Perinthus,</HI> &s;aid the Prince&s;s, I conceive there is an ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity in it, yet I do not hold it im|po&s;&s;ible, that one of high quality &s;hould and may &s;toop &s;o low as to love an inferiour: But I &s;ay that di&s;proportion in Love, is one of the mo&s;t extravagant things in the world. But Madam (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and &s;miled, and having a de&s;ire to make <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;peak) You do not con&s;ider how this pa&s;&s;ion was in the hearts of men, before ever force put a difference between them, or had made &s;ome Soveraigns, and &s;ome Subjects: So that according to the fir&s;t intention of the Gods, the nece&s;&s;ary equality to make Love rea&s;on|able, is equality of merit, and equality of per&s;on, and not of condition and quality, which are &s;trange things, and which &s;erve oft times to render tho&s;e that po&s;&s;e&s;s them in the highe&s;t degree, the more contemptible and &s;corned, when they are not found to be per&s;ons of Merit. I conceive Madam, replyed <HI>Perinthus,</HI> that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;peaks much rea&s;on: I conceive rather (replyed the Prince&s;s) that &s;he &s;peaks much wit: But for all that I mu&s;t maintain, that there is a certain kind of univer&s;al di&s;cretion, which cu&s;tome hath e&s;tabli&s;hed, and ought to be taken as Rea&s;on and Law, that the quality of per&s;ons who are to Love, &s;hould not be di&s;proportionable: If Love, replyed <HI>Perinthus,</HI> were a thing voluntary, I &s;hould then think &s;ome equity in what you &s;ay, but &s;ince it is not, I conceive it to be mo&s;t unju&s;t. By this di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> one may conclude, that if he Love, he Loves above him&s;elf, or below him&s;elf: <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid the Prince&s;s) &s;peaks this only in general, and makes no particular application; And to tell you truly, I do love <HI>Perinthus</HI> better then to &s;u&s;pect him of any &s;uch thing, for I think him &s;o wi&s;e, as that he will aim at no impo&s;&s;ibilities, and &s;o full of honour, as that he will not Love below his Quality. <HI>Perinthus</HI> was now exceeding at an <HI>non-plus,</HI> for his Love would not permit him to confe&s;s the Prince&s;s was in the right; and to &s;ay &s;he was in the wrong, were either to di&s;cover his &s;ecret, or to be &s;u&s;pected of a pa&s;&s;ion un|worthy of him&s;elf: So that returning a witty enigmatical an&s;wer, neither the Prince&s;s nor <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> could thereby make any certain conclu&s;ions. In the mean time, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, we do the greate&s;t injury in the world unto &s;o many illu&s;trious Heroes, who have hazarded their lives for our &s;afeties, and have not been &s;paring of their blouds to the end they &s;hould be talked on; for in lieu of di&s;cour&s;ing upon tho&s;e glorious acts which they have done in the Wars, we are talking upon matters of Love, which is full of ex|travagancies and folly. After this, &s;ince now it grew late, &s;he ri&s;e up, and went home, where <HI>Abradates</HI> was already come to vi&s;it the Prince her Father, who received him very coldly. But as &s;oon as he &s;pied the Prince&s;s out of a Balcone, he pre&s;ently left the Fa|ther, and as his devotion called him, went unto his Prince&s;s the Daughter. <HI>Panthea</HI> re|ceived him with much civility, but with &s;omewhat le&s;s freedome then he &s;aw in her eyes when he pa&s;&s;ed by her, but his joyes to be neer her was &s;o great, that at the fir&s;t he made no great reflection upon it; and the le&s;s, becau&s;e he being alone with her, &s;he did it purpo&s;ely to prevent his boldne&s;s in talking of his Love; yet he would not lo&s;e &s;uch a favourable opportunity, for as &s;oon as the fir&s;t complements of common civility were performed, and when he had expre&s;&s;ed his &s;orrowes for being &s;o long ab&s;ent from her, al&s;o his joyes now to &s;ee her, and to &s;ee her fairer then ever. If it had plea&s;ed the &s;ame Gods who give you that lu&s;tre Madam (&s;aid he unto her) to have al&s;o rendred you a little more affable, I &s;hould be the mo&s;t happy man upon earth, I &s;hould forget all the &s;orrowes I have &s;uffered, and &s;hould think upon nothing but adoring you with delight and reverence. The Prince&s;s hearing <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;ay &s;o, and knowing very well by the ayr wherewith he &s;poke, that the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion was in his heart which he expre&s;&s;ed in his words, her mind was much divided. On the other &s;ide, &s;he was not &s;orry <HI>Abradates</HI> loved her; and on the other &s;ide, con&s;idering her Fathers charge, &s;he thought it not permittable to entertain his pa&s;&s;ion. In the mean time, not being able to fix her re&s;olu|tions, &s;he took the middle way, and without either too much affability, or incivility, &s;he ordered her conver&s;ation &s;o, as <HI>Abradates</HI> did neither pre&s;ume, nor di&s;pair; yet que|&s;tionle&s;s he ob&s;erved, how her Spirits were not &s;o free and genuine as they were accu|&s;tomed, but he could not penetrate into the cau&s;e. At his departure from her, he went u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">to <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> whom he highly e&s;teemed, and looked upon her, as one whom the
<PB N="42" REF="400">
Prince&s;s loved, to the end he might throughly inform him&s;elf by his di&s;cour&s;e with her, whether <HI>Mexaris</HI> had reaped any benefit by his ab&s;ence. <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> was ingenuou&s;ly free to di&s;cover what he had de&s;ired to know, and told him, that <HI>Mexaris</HI> was wor&s;e in the opinion of <HI>Panthea</HI> then ever. Moreover (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I believe that Prince is not more in Love then he was when you departed, for I am &s;ure he is not more liberal: Al&s;o I have u&s;ed my be&s;t arguments to per&s;wade the Prince&s;s, that he &s;tayed here behind you, rather to keep and pre&s;erve his Trea&s;ures, then either for any Love to her, or a|ny rea&s;on of State, as he would make her believe he did. Ah <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Abradates,</HI> you do &s;o fully &s;atisfie my wi&s;hes in telling me what I de&s;ire to know, that I am afraid you only invent it to plea&s;e me: You cannot chu&s;e but confe&s;s, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and laughed, that in probability the Prince <HI>Abradates</HI> is much more e&s;teemed then <HI>Mexaris:</HI> I know not whether it be probable or no, replyed he, but I wi&s;h with all my &s;oul it were true: If that be all which wants to make you happy, replyed &s;he, then be &s;o, &s;ince I do not think there is any one in all the Court who does not e&s;teem you above <HI>Mexaris,</HI> without any exception of him&s;elf, for indeed you are &s;o terrible unto him, that he fears you. Since it is your goodne&s;s to an&s;wer me &s;o favourably in all things, &s;aid he unto her. I am almo&s;t imboldned to ask you other que&s;tions, which rather then my life I de&s;ire to know. Since perhaps I do not know the &s;tate of tho&s;e things which you would inquire of; replyed &s;he, &s;o well as I did tho&s;e unto which I have already an&s;wered: My replies unto them will neither be &s;o plea&s;ing, nor &s;o certain. Ha <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;aid he, you do mo&s;t preci&s;ely know upon what terms I &s;tand in the opinion of that Prince&s;s whom I in|finitely adore: Have I not already told you, replyed &s;he, that &s;he e&s;teems you more then &s;he doth <HI>Mexaris?</HI> Yes, replyed he: But after a more &s;erious examination of that di&s;|cour&s;e, which at fir&s;t did much joy me, I find that to be e&s;teemed a little more then that Prince whom &s;he e&s;teems not at all, is no very great favour; Therefore <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;ince you have already ingaged me &s;o far, as to tell me thus much, and &s;ince the violence of my Love forces me to &s;peak of that which takes up all my thoughts, I mo&s;t earne&s;tly be|&s;eech you, be &s;o generous as to tell me, whether I mu&s;t die in di&s;pair, or live in any hope? Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, you ask me more then I know, and by con&s;equence more then I can tell you: If I &s;hould judg according to your merit, and by the mind of the Prince&s;s which is able to di&s;cern a compleat man, I &s;hould believe that her choice would be of you; but if I judg according to the capritiou&s;ne&s;s of Fortune, who makes them that mo&s;t merit to be happy, mo&s;t mi&s;erable, there is cau&s;e to fear that many things will cro&s;s your de&s;ires. Fortune, replyed he, may doubtle&s;s &s;o frown upon me, that I may never enjoy <HI>Panthea:</HI> But this Fortune ought not to make any alteration in her heart and thoughts, which is the thing I de&s;ire to know. Since I did never preci&s;ely ask her what what &s;he thought of you, (replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> I can tell you nothing of certainty: All I can &s;ay is, that knowing <HI>Panthea</HI> &s;o judicious as &s;he is, I think if you do not pro&s;per in your de&s;ires, it will be rather through the fanta&s;ticalne&s;s of another, then through any aver&s;ion &s;he hath towards you. <HI>Abradates</HI> perceived that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> would not any further explain her &s;elf, but he conceived that &s;he knew he &s;hould be cro&s;&s;ed in his Love. <HI>Do|rali&s;a</HI> the next morning went betimes unto the Prince&s;s, and told her all that the Prince had &s;aid, and de&s;ired to know from her what an&s;wers &s;he &s;hould hereafter return him, for &s;he imagined that further di&s;cour&s;e might be upon the &s;ame Subject. You &s;hall al|wayes tell him, replyed the Prince&s;s, that you are not acquainted with my thoughts, and that you will not undertake to bring any me&s;&s;age from him to me. But Madam, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> I hope you will permit me to tell him (what you de&s;ire I &s;hould) in &s;uch a manner of ayr, as I may a little better explain your meaning. As for the tone of your voice, replyed <HI>Panthea,</HI> and laughed, I will not regulate you, &s;ince I do not think there is any in the world who has a better art to tell things angrily without any har&s;h words then you, nor who can expre&s;s any thing more &s;weetly without any gro&s;s flattery. It is not your plea&s;ure Madam, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that in telling <HI>Abradates</HI> I do not know your thoughts, I &s;hould tell it in &s;uch a manner, as if I knew you had an aver&s;ion towards him; and it would be an inrepairable injury in him to Love you with a mo&s;t re&s;pective pa&s;&s;ion? No, replyed the Prince&s;s; nor on the other &s;ide would I have you to tell it in &s;uch a manner as may let him think, that if you do not tell him my thoughts, it is becau&s;e they are very advantageous for him: What then, would you preci&s;ely have me make him think? (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a.)</HI> I would have him think (an&s;wered <HI>Panthea)</HI> that without any &s;u&s;pition of &s;ubtilty in your words, you dare not &s;peak un|to
<PB N="43" REF="400">
me of him, and that you do not at all know the &s;ecrets of my heart concerning him, and without any per&s;wa&s;ions of him that I am any thing aver&s;e, to make him think there is much difficulty in the enterprize; and in &s;um, that without either making him hate me, or accu&s;e me of his misfortune, or &s;u&s;pecting me of any weakne&s;s, I may &s;till have his e&s;teem, and live in quiet. Ha Madam, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> if all the&s;e mu&s;t be interpret|ed by the &s;ound of a voice only, I had need to &s;end for all the <HI>Phrygian</HI> and <HI>Lydian</HI> Mu|&s;ique about <HI>Abradates</HI> to help me in the expre&s;&s;ion of all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ions without any words: For &s;eriou&s;ly Madam, I cannot do all this, but I mu&s;t either create hopes or fears in <HI>Abradates:</HI> Then infu&s;e fears, (&s;aid the Prince&s;s, and &s;ighed.) <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who thitherto did but je&s;t with the Prince&s;s, according to that u&s;ual freedome the Prince&s;s gave her, perceiving that the Prince&s;s &s;ighed, a&s;&s;umed a more &s;erious look; and <HI>Pan|thea</HI> acquainting her with all that the Prince her Father had &s;aid unto her, then &s;he con|&s;idered that great circum&s;pection was to be u&s;ed in &s;peaking unto <HI>Abradates,</HI> for &s;he con|ceived it not convenient to let him know that <HI>Mexaris</HI> was the man who thwarted his de|&s;ign, le&s;t &s;ome bad con&s;equences might thereupon ari&s;e, and &s;he knew al&s;o that the Prin|ce&s;s would not have him think &s;he &s;lighted him: So that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> undertaking the tran&s;|action of this negotiation, &s;he did mannage it with much di&s;cretion, and for &s;ome daies did &s;o &s;u&s;pend the Spirit of <HI>Abradates,</HI> that he knew not what to think. In the mean while <HI>Perinthus,</HI> who heard it from the mouth of the Prince&s;s, that nothing was more extravagant then Love between per&s;ons of unequal quality, was &s;o exce&s;&s;ively &s;ad, that many daies could not di&s;&s;ipate the melancholly which the&s;e words (&s;poken without any de&s;ign) had infu&s;ed into his &s;oul; his &s;orrowes were &s;o exce&s;&s;ive, that all the world took notice of the alteration in his humour: The Prince&s;s her &s;elf perceived it, and as he was one morning with her, and <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> there al&s;o, <HI>Panthea</HI> asked her, If in the opinion which he held, that Love only makes compleat men, &s;he thought, that when they cea&s;e to Love, they cea&s;e to have any amiable quality left in them: For if &s;o, &s;aid the Prin|ce&s;s, it mu&s;t be concluded that <HI>Perinthus</HI> of late hath cea&s;ed to Love, &s;ince his conver|&s;ation is not as it was wont to be. No, no, Madam, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> it is not &s;o; for he who was once made compleat by virtue of Love, remains &s;o all his life. True it is yet, that this pa&s;&s;ion which addes a hundred excellent qualities, may &s;ometimes become too too violent, and cau&s;e him in whom it raigns to be le&s;s plea&s;ant in his conver&s;ation, and even transform him from what he is. But Madam, I am &s;o far from thinking <HI>Perinthus</HI> le&s;s &s;ociable, becau&s;e he hath cea&s;ed to love, that on the contrary I am per&s;waded he is more in Love then ever, or perhaps he is le&s;s loved then ever; for commonly where one is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with this pa&s;&s;ion, it is rather from the thoughts of another then from his own, that he becomes unhappy. But yet <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;aid the Prince&s;s, you have not yet made that di&s;covery which you vaunted to do &s;o ea&s;ily: It is true Madam, replyed &s;he, that I am not yet &s;atisfied whether or no &s;ome &s;u&s;pitions I have be well grounded. I pray, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, acquaint me with tho&s;e &s;u&s;pitions. Ah <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> (cried <HI>Perinthus,</HI> who feared &s;he would tell <HI>Panthea</HI> the pa&s;&s;ages which were before the &s;iege of <HI>Ephe&s;us)</HI> there are &s;ome things which are not to be je&s;ted with, and I hope you are &s;o good as you will not &s;o cruelly di&s;oblige me, as to impart that for certainty which you take up on bare &s;urmize, without any appearances. This extraordinary care which you take to prevent my &s;peaking of it, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> may be an argument I am not deceived: But however, &s;aid &s;he, I will impo&s;e &s;ilence upon my &s;elf. The Prince&s;s then began to pre&s;s <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to tell her what &s;he &s;u&s;pected, but notwith&s;tanding all her importunity, &s;he could not pre|vail: However, &s;he rai&s;ed a thou&s;and apprehen&s;ions of fear in <HI>Perinthus,</HI> but yet with|out cau&s;e, for the principal rea&s;on which kept <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> from telling the Prince&s;s what &s;he thought, was, le&s;t the Prince&s;s &s;hould take it ill &s;he &s;hould ever imagine that &s;uch a man as <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;hould dare to look upon the Prince&s;s in that way of Love. Whil'&s;t this con|ver&s;ation pa&s;&s;ed on in this manner, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> ob&s;erved &s;o much agitation in the eyes of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> that whil'&s;t one came into the Room upon &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s to the Prince&s;s, &s;he addre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf unto him, and told him, that he had much confirmed her in her &s;u&s;pi|tions: Why <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;aid he, would you have me &s;uffer you to tell &s;uch a thing as this unto the mo&s;t &s;evere Prince&s;s upon earth? Really you made my heart tremble as much as if you were ready to put me out of the favour of her whom you &s;ay I Love: <HI>Perinthus</HI> very &s;ubtilly &s;poke this with as much freedome of Spirit in appearance, that he much a|mazed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and per&s;waded her &s;he was mi&s;taken. Thus Madam did things &s;tand at this pre&s;ent; <HI>Abradates</HI> was fuller of fears then hopes, <HI>Mexaris</HI> on the contrary hoped
<PB N="44" REF="401">
all, and feared nothing, <HI>Perinthus</HI> having neither hopes nor fears, concluded him&s;elf the mo&s;t unfortunate man alive. As for the Prince&s;s, &s;he had as &s;trong an aver&s;ion to <HI>Mexaris,</HI> as &s;he had an inclination to <HI>Abradates,</HI> and was as friendly to <HI>Perinthus,</HI> as &s;he was either to <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> or my &s;elf. But whil'&s;t <HI>Mexaris</HI> was taking thought which way he might obtain the Kings leave to marry <HI>Panthea,</HI> and whil'&s;t <HI>Abradates</HI> thought to &s;trengthen him&s;elf by the friend&s;hip of <HI>Cleander,</HI> the con&s;piracy of <HI>Antaleon</HI> was di&s;co|vered, which made &s;o great a noy&s;e, that I believe you are not ignorant of it, for it was the whole di&s;cour&s;e of all the Court for a long time: But Madam, to &s;ee the diffe|rence which was between the &s;ouls of <HI>Mexaris</HI> and <HI>Abradates.</HI> The fir&s;t of the&s;e did &s;ecretly endeavour to make <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> believe that this Prince had a hand in the con&s;piracy, but do what mi&s;chief he could, the King would never entertain the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition of it: But as for <HI>Abradates,</HI> his &s;oul was of a more Noble temper; for there chanced to be two men who had been &s;ervants to <HI>Mexaris,</HI> and had received no wages from him; the&s;e men &s;eeing the liberality of <HI>Abradates,</HI> and knowing him to be a Rival unto their Ma|&s;ter, addre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves unto him, and told him, that if he plea&s;ed they could accu&s;e their Ma&s;ter of &s;uch a crime as would &s;et him far enough from Court: The&s;e two men, who&s;e &s;ouls were as vile, as <HI>Mexaris</HI> was covetous, made this Propo&s;ition unto him: <HI>Abradates</HI> heard them with horror, and did contemptiou&s;ly reject them, and their offer: And afterwards, &s;ince I believe (&s;aid he unto them) that you were not induced to &s;o vile an act, but becau&s;e the avarice of your Ma&s;ter hath made you poor, I will put you into a condition wherein you may chance find out a better then he was, and not be for|ced to commit crimes for a &s;ub&s;i&s;tence; and then he cau&s;ed greater rewards to be given unto them, then they ever could have hoped for, if though he had imployed them in the bu&s;ine&s;s, which they propo&s;ed unto him: They were &s;o &s;urprized with this genero&s;ity, and &s;o a&s;hamed of their own perfidie, that they could hardly re&s;olve to accept of this offer, yet at la&s;t they did, but how magnanimious &s;oever this action was, it had never been known, had not the&s;e two fellows quarrelled about dividing this Large&s;s, and the one killed the other in the going from the hou&s;e of <HI>Abradates;</HI> &s;o that the murtherer being apprehended, and brought into the hands of Ju&s;tice, where pre&s;&s;ed by the remor&s;e of his own con&s;cience, he confe&s;&s;ed the true cau&s;e of his crime; &s;o that by this accident, the Heroique action of <HI>Abradates</HI> came to be divulged to all the world, and particu|larly to <HI>Mexaris,</HI> who gave him but a cold complement for it. As for the Prince&s;s, her joy at it was &s;o great, that &s;he could not chu&s;e but tell <HI>Abradates</HI> of it, and commend his genero&s;ity: Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I know no rea&s;on you have to commend me &s;o highly, for it is no &s;uch exce&s;&s;ive virtue to prevent the doing of a bad action; yet if the act be con&s;idered in another re&s;pect, which is matter of Rival&s;hip, in that I &s;hould not con&s;ent to have him &s;et out of my way, it may be thought a little virtue in me, if I had not a more noble way to rid my &s;elf of my enemies when they urge me unto it. Ah <HI>Abradates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, you will urge me to chide you in lieu of giving you any commendations: I be&s;eech you then Madam, replyed he, give me &s;ome a&s;&s;urance that the joyes which you expre&s;s is not becau&s;e I would not give way that the Prince <HI>Mexaris</HI>
&s;hould be &s;ent further from you: I will mo&s;t certainly a&s;&s;ure you, an&s;wered &s;he, upon condition you will promi&s;e me to avoid all manner of quarrels with that Prince as much as po&s;&s;ible you can: Before I make &s;uch a promi&s;e, replyed he, the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;o|mena</HI> mu&s;t give me &s;ome a&s;&s;urance, that &s;he will look with a favourable eye upon me, o|therwi&s;e I mu&s;t confe&s;s, my di&s;pair may provoke me to take revenge upon my Rival for all the rigours of my Mi&s;tri&s;s: That would a piece of high inju&s;tice, replied &s;he, to pun|i&s;h him who is not in the fault; and therefore it were better (&s;aid &s;he, and blu&s;ht) to ca&s;t off her that is &s;o &s;evere: Yes Madam (&s;aid <HI>Abradates)</HI> &s;o I would, if I could, and not ca&s;t off my life with her: But Madam, I love you not &s;o little, as that I can de&s;ire to love you le&s;s; but on the contrary, though I love you as much as for my &s;oul I can, yet methinks I love you not enough: Yet truly I &s;hould think my &s;elf much obliged unto you, replyed &s;he, if you would look upon me with more indifferency then you do: Believe me Madam, replyed he, you would never thank me for giving you that &s;atisfaction: But inhumane Lady, Is it po&s;&s;ible that the pure&s;t and mo&s;t adoring pa&s;&s;ion that ever was, can offend you? If it do not offend me, replyed &s;he, yet it mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed that at the lea&s;t it di&s;quiets me, and therefore I &s;hould be very glad you would only e&s;teem me: You may as well add, an&s;wered he, that you wi&s;h that I had neither eyes nor rea&s;on, for otherwi&s;e you de&s;ire impo&s;&s;ibilities; for as long as I have my &s;ight, I &s;hall find you
<PB N="45" REF="401">
the faire&s;t of your &s;ex, and as long as I have my rea&s;on free, I &s;hall admire you as the won|der of Nature and the world, and without either eyes or rea&s;on, certainly I &s;hould &s;till adore you: Yes Madam, my heart is totally yours, and my Love of you, and none but you, is grown to &s;uch an ingrafted cu&s;tome, that though my tears &s;hould blind me, and my &s;orrowes &s;ink me out of my wits, yet my very pace would conduct me to you: Judg then Madam, I be&s;eech you, whether it be po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould only e&s;teem you: No, no, Madam, there is no po&s;&s;ibility in it, I never had &s;trength enough to re&s;i&s;t the All-com|manding power of your Charms, &s;ince I fir&s;t had the honour to &s;ee you in the Wood, and by the Fountain: Take it not ill therefore I mo&s;t humbly conjure you, that I per&s;e|vere in loving you as long as I have life: If your goodne&s;s and pity could re&s;olve to af|ford any te&s;timonies of a particular affection, I will promi&s;e to lay open my heart and &s;oul unto you, and never to think upon any de&s;igns but &s;uch as you are plea&s;ed to infu&s;e, nor ever to meddle with the Prince <HI>Mexaris</HI> but according unto your Dictates; but if on the contrary, you per&s;evere in that &s;everity which of late you have u&s;ed towards me, it &s;hall go hard (notwith&s;tanding the re&s;pects I owe unto the Brother of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> or the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana)</HI> if I do not find out wayes of revenge upon him whom I think to be the cau&s;e of my misfortune. It &s;eems (&s;aid the Prince&s;s then) that my a&s;&s;urance of you, that the Prince <HI>Mexaris</HI> is not in any favour with me will take away from you all cau&s;e of quarrel with him: It &s;eems Madam (replied he) that &s;ince in con&s;ideration of him, the Prince your Father does treat me wor&s;e then heretofore, there needs no other rea&s;on to induce me to ruine him: Yet if I have any power with you, &s;aid <HI>Panthea,</HI> you &s;hall attempt nothing again&s;t him. Since it is your command Madam, that for the Love of you I mu&s;t re&s;pect my Rival, I be&s;eech you for the Love of me, give me &s;ome oblige|ing comfort. Provided you will punctually obey me (an&s;wered <HI>Panthea,</HI> and &s;miled) I will pardon all which you have &s;aid this day: I &s;hall obey you Madam (an&s;wered he) upon this condition, that you will plea&s;e to permit me often to take new commands from your own mouth, for otherwi&s;e I am afraid I &s;hall fail in my promi&s;e. As <HI>Panthea</HI> was ready to reply, <HI>Cleander</HI> entred, and cau&s;ed the Prince&s;s to change the di&s;cour&s;e, who &s;ince that day did by little and little accu&s;tome her &s;elf to hear <HI>Abradates</HI> complain unto her of tho&s;e mi&s;eries which &s;he her &s;elf had cau&s;ed: It was her will al&s;o, that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and my &s;elf &s;hould &s;weeten tho&s;e bitter thoughts which he had of the Prince <HI>Mexaris;</HI> for though the Prince&s;s had confe&s;&s;ed unto him, that &s;he e&s;teemed him more then any in the world, yet &s;he alwayes con&s;tantly told him, that &s;he could not re&s;olve to di&s;obey her Father; and thefore all that &s;he could do for him, was to promi&s;e, that &s;he would deny him as far as decency would permit. Some hopes he had al&s;o that <HI>Mexaris</HI> would not pro&s;per in his de&s;ign, becau&s;e <HI>Cleander</HI> a&s;&s;ured him, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would certainly oppo&s;e that Alliance out of &s;ome rea&s;ons of State, and promi&s;ed him that he would confirm him in that opinion &s;o effectually, as <HI>Mexaris</HI> &s;hould never bring his hopes to pa&s;s. The&s;e promi&s;es and a&s;&s;urances did much le&s;&s;en the fears of <HI>Abradates:</HI> Since he knew <HI>Pe|rinthus</HI> to be a Favourite of the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> he Courted him very much with a hundred complements: The Prince&s;s al&s;o was very glad that <HI>Perinthus</HI> had the Love of
<HI>Abradates,</HI> and often bad him &s;peak as much as he could in his favour: But the more te|&s;timonies of e&s;teem &s;he expre&s;&s;ed unto this Prince, the more violent de&s;igns did he forge in his heart to ruine him: But for all this, as he was a man of a generous Spirit, he was &s;ometimes a&s;hamed of his own weakne&s;s, and of the inju&s;tice of his thoughts; yet Love being too &s;trong a Ma&s;ter, he could not chu&s;e but grieve more at the pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Abrada|tes,</HI> then at that of <HI>Mexaris.</HI> In the mean time, &s;ince there was a good corre&s;ponden|cy between <HI>Panthea</HI> and <HI>Abradates,</HI> it was her de&s;ire he &s;hould be more re&s;erved in his vi&s;its, to the end &s;he might better per&s;wade the Prince her Father that &s;he was obedient as concerning <HI>Abradates;</HI> and that &s;he might have more rea&s;on to re&s;i&s;t him, in ca&s;e he would needs force her to marry <HI>Mexaris;</HI> yet did he &s;ee her every day, either at the Prince of <HI>Lydia's</HI> lodging, or at <HI>Dorali&s;a's.</HI> Thus did things re&s;t, until the Prince <HI>A|bradates</HI> lo&s;t a great friend, and maintainer of the illu&s;trious <HI>Cleander,</HI> who as you are not ignorant was arre&s;ted as a Pri&s;oner. This accident rai&s;ed a greater di&s;order in the Court then I know how to expre&s;s, for there was not one (except <HI>Mexaris,</HI> who look|ing upon him as the Protector of <HI>Abradates,</HI> was glad of his di&s;grace) who had not eyes full of tears, and who did not accu&s;e <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> of much precipitation and inju&s;tice, for &s;u&s;pecting him upon &s;uch &s;light &s;urmizes, a man who had made him a Debtor for &s;o ma|ny Victories: But the tears for <HI>Cleander</HI> were no &s;ooner dried, but all eyes were &s;welled
<PB N="46" REF="402">
again with new ones for the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> who was al&s;o arre&s;ted, and carried to <HI>E|phe&s;us</HI> among&s;t the profe&s;&s;ed Votaries. After all this, <HI>Mexaris</HI> began to huff, and look big, with more authority then u&s;uall; and <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> knew very well that <HI>Cleander,</HI> whom he would not acknowledg for the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> was very &s;erviceable unto him, to make all the Grandees of his Dominions re&s;pectively obedient unto him. But now <HI>Mex|aris</HI> began to &s;peak of his Marriage, as a match almo&s;t made up; and &s;ince it was not to be imagined he would &s;peak &s;o, unle&s;s he had &s;ome a&s;&s;urance of it from <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> tho&s;e who told <HI>Abradates</HI> of it &s;poke &s;o confidently, as if it were out of any que&s;tion; So that he in an ab&s;olute di&s;pair went unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who being then not well, the Prince&s;s came to &s;ee her. It is impo&s;&s;ible Madam I &s;hould tell you all that <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;poke that day unto the Prince&s;s, for he &s;poke &s;o much, that &s;he had much ado to an&s;wer. Some|times he would find fault with her lue-warmne&s;s towards him, &s;ometimes he would con|jure her to a&s;&s;i&s;t him; pre&s;ently after, he would be&s;eech her to ca&s;t off <HI>Mexaris.</HI> Thus pa&s;&s;ing from one di&s;cour&s;e to another, without varying from the &s;ame &s;ubject, they pa&s;&s;ed away all the Afternoon, and nothing was re&s;olved upon till <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> began to &s;peak. Madam (&s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Panthea)</HI> Why do you not imploy <HI>Perinthus</HI> unto the Prince your Father, you know he is very prevalent with him: 'Tis true, &s;aid <HI>Panthea,</HI> But I will not di&s;cover my heart unto &s;o many men, until the utmo&s;t extremity; Yet I promi&s;e you, &s;aid &s;he, If the bu&s;ine&s;s be arrived at &s;uch a height as <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;peaks of, I &s;hall &s;trive with my &s;elf to &s;peak unto <HI>Perinthus,</HI> that he would tran&s;act with the Prince my Father again&s;t <HI>Mexaris.</HI> Will you not be plea&s;ed to move him al&s;o in behalf of <HI>Abradates,</HI> &s;aid this Prince unto her? That's more then I can do, replied &s;he, and I &s;hould but deceive you if I &s;hould promi&s;e it. In the mean time, <HI>Perinthus</HI> hearing as others did, that <HI>Mexaris</HI> gave out, as if he were to marry <HI>Panthea</HI> out of hand; and knowing moreover from the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> that <HI>Mexaris</HI> a&s;&s;ured he was not now upon &s;uch tearms as to fear <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would be an ob&s;tacle, as he did whil'&s;t Prince <HI>A|tis</HI> was alive, or before the impri&s;onment of <HI>Cleander,</HI> therefore <HI>Perinthus</HI> thought him|&s;elf in &s;ome danger from thence, as long as his bu&s;ine&s;s was to defeat the de&s;igns of a beloved Lover, he thought it advantageous, that <HI>Mexaris</HI> &s;hould be preferred before <HI>Abradates:</HI> But as &s;oon as he heard <HI>Mexaris</HI> talk of marrying <HI>Panthea,</HI> his de&s;ires were to defeat the de&s;igns of him who&s;e intere&s;t he advanced before. Afterwards con&s;idering with him&s;elf what a mi&s;erable misfortune it would be unto the Prince&s;s, to marry a Prince, again&s;t whom he knew &s;he had a mo&s;t unalterable aver&s;ion, he repented of all he had done; and when he under&s;tood that the match was made, and the Marriage ready to be performed, he fell into a mo&s;t horrid di&s;pair, and offered above a hundred times to go and confe&s;s all his crimes unto the Prince&s;s, and then kill him&s;elf at her feet: For, would he &s;ay, What have I to do but die, &s;ince I can never be happy, and &s;ince I can|not live, unle&s;s I hinder the happine&s;s of the only per&s;on whom I love? But (&s;ome|times would he &s;ay) Why then cannot I give my con&s;ent &s;he &s;hould marry <HI>Mexaris?</HI>
For &s;ince I am mo&s;t certain that I my &s;elf can never pretend unto her, there can no bet|ter way be found to take her quite from <HI>Abradates,</HI> then to be&s;tow her for ever unto <HI>Mexaris:</HI> But then, (would he &s;ay pre&s;ently after) Is not <HI>Mexaris</HI> my Rival as much as the other? And is it &s;ufferable that any one &s;hould marry the per&s;on one Loves? Ha! no, no, my de&s;ign was never that <HI>Panthea</HI> &s;hould be the wife of <HI>Mexaris:</HI> I would have <HI>Abradates</HI> defeated in his de&s;ign of her, but I would never have her be&s;towed upon his Rival and mine: Then (would he &s;ay after) upon better thoughts, Is it ju&s;t, that to le&s;&s;en my own mi&s;eries a little, I &s;hould render that Prince&s;s whom I adore, the mo&s;t unfortunate per&s;on upon earth? She, I &s;ay, who has given me a thou&s;and te&s;ti|monies of her favour and e&s;teem, unto whom I never did, nor dur&s;t di&s;cover my pa&s;&s;ion: She, I &s;ay, again&s;t whom I cannot complain, though &s;he &s;hould for ever bani&s;h me, if I &s;hould pre&s;ume to tell her that I loved her; and &s;he who might without inju&s;tice hate me, if &s;he knew what I did again&s;t her. In the mean time, I cannot allow her to be the wife of <HI>Abradates;</HI> and &s;ince I cannot enjoy her whom I do love, there is &s;ome Ju&s;tice that &s;he who infu&s;ed that cruel pa&s;&s;ion into my heart, &s;hould ta&s;t of the &s;ame mi&s;ery, in never marrying <HI>Abradates.</HI> After he had thus di&s;cour&s;ed upon the matter, and con&s;idered the pre&s;ent &s;tate of things, he phancied a cour&s;e, by which he thought he might prevent both <HI>Mexaris</HI> and <HI>Abradates</HI> from mar|rying <HI>Panthea;</HI> and this was his project. Since the commitment of <HI>Cleander, Andra|mites,</HI> who conducted the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> from <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> to
<PB N="47" REF="402">
<HI>Sardis,</HI> was in great favour with <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and a particular friend unto <HI>Perinthus,</HI> who was with him every day, as well becau&s;e they often met together at Court, as becau&s;e <HI>Andramites</HI> being a Lover of <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> he Courted her, and followed her in all places, and by con&s;equence was very oft at the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena's</HI> lodging, where <HI>Perinthus</HI> was a daily gue&s;t. This &s;ecret Lover then did proceit to prejudice <HI>Abradates</HI> in the opi|nion of <HI>Panthea's</HI> Father, and to prejudice <HI>Mexaris</HI> al&s;o by the interce&s;&s;ion of <HI>Andra|mites,</HI> whom he de&s;igned to imploy unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us:</HI> And not to defer the execution of his re&s;olves, he went to find out his friend: He told him, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea</HI> having an invincible aver&s;ion to the Prince <HI>Mexaris,</HI> &s;he had imployed him to find out &s;ome cour&s;e to defeat all the de&s;igns which he had upon her, and that he knew of no better way then addre&s;&s;es unto him, that he would be plea&s;ed to negotiate &s;o with <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> that he &s;hould not approve or con&s;ent unto the match. <HI>Andramites,</HI> who loved <HI>Perinthus,</HI> and who hoped for &s;ome good offices from him towards <HI>Dorali&s;a;</HI> and who moreover knew that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> had rea&s;on to di&s;like the Marriage between <HI>Mexaris</HI> and <HI>Panthea,</HI> did promi&s;e him to negotiate &s;o effectually, that he would ab&s;olutely hinder <HI>Mexaris</HI> from ever Marrying the Prince&s;s by the con&s;ent of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> for he knew the di&s;like of that Prince unto this Alliance. <HI>Perinthus</HI> returned thanks with abundance of joy, and &s;tayed not long for accompli&s;hment of his hopes, for within two daies after, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> did for|bid <HI>Mexaris</HI> from thinking of any Marriage with <HI>Panthea,</HI> propo&s;ing unto him another match. Since <HI>Mexaris</HI> was re&s;olved to look more high then formerly he u&s;ed, he took this language very fiercely: But <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> being tran&s;ported with anger at an an&s;wer of &s;o little re&s;pect, did talk unto him with &s;uch Authority, that <HI>Mexaris</HI> was glad to &s;ubmit to be &s;ilent, and to retire, and I believe he would have left <HI>Sardis,</HI> if his Love to <HI>Pan|thea</HI> had not &s;tayed him. In the mean time, fearing the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> &s;hould cool upon the matter, he went unto him, a&s;&s;uring him that he &s;hould ere long prevail with the King, and conjuring him not to alter his intentions: The truth is, the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> &s;aw <HI>Mexaris</HI> &s;o neer unto the Crown, that he promi&s;ed him what he could de&s;ire. You may imagine Madam, how great was the joy of <HI>Panthea,</HI> when &s;he heard of all the pa&s;&s;ages between <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mexaris,</HI> and how <HI>Abradates</HI> was ravi&s;ht at the defeat of his Rival: Since they knew not from whence this good fortune &s;hould proceed, they did attribute it only unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> who out of rea&s;ons of State did di&s;like and op|po&s;e the Marriage; So that the fir&s;t private meeting which <HI>Abradates</HI> had with <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> about it, we con&s;umed two whole hours in di&s;cour&s;e of nothing el&s;e, and rejoycing at it. In the mean while, whil'&s;t <HI>Andramites</HI> was thus negotiating with <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> again&s;t <HI>Mexaris, Perinthus</HI> tran&s;acted &s;ecretly again&s;t <HI>Abradates</HI> with the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena;</HI> So that hoping to hinder both Princes from injoying that per&s;on whom both they and he loved, he became more jocand and &s;ociable then he u&s;ed to be. <HI>Mexaris</HI> for his part, con&s;ider|ing what cour&s;es were mo&s;t expedient to take, &s;eemed to comply unto the Kings com|mands, &s;eeming to &s;mother the pa&s;&s;ion which was in his &s;oul, though his intentions al|wayes were to marry <HI>Panthea,</HI> and &s;o he a&s;&s;ured the Prince her Father in &s;ecret. Whil'&s;t the&s;e things were thus carried on, <HI>Andramites,</HI> who was deeply in Love with <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> (and had been &s;o before he married that fair one, who died about a year &s;ince) de&s;ired <HI>Perinthus</HI> to do him all the good offices he could unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> which <HI>Perinthus</HI> pro|mi&s;ed to do; and further telling him, that if his own endeavours would not prevail, he would be&s;eech the Prince&s;s to favour his de&s;ires. Thus was <HI>Perinthus</HI> ingaged to return the favours of <HI>Andramites;</HI> &s;o that he &s;et him&s;elf not only to &s;peak in his advantage unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> but he de&s;ired me al&s;o to &s;peak, which accordingly I did upon the fir&s;t fit op|portunity, though I told her it was at the in&s;tance of <HI>Perinthus.</HI> I think Madam, that I told you already, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> did much e&s;teem <HI>Perinthus;</HI> and perhaps, if &s;he had been a|ble to infu&s;e &s;uch thoughts into his heart as &s;he de&s;ired, he &s;hould have been tender enough towards her; and &s;in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e it was &s;o, it may ea&s;ily be imagined, that though he was importunate in behalf of <HI>Andramites,</HI> yet he was &s;o far from &s;erving him, that he did rather did prejudice him, yet did &s;he return no uncivil an&s;wers, but in &s;uch a man|ner as he might ea&s;ily &s;ee he did not very great good office for his friend. Then Madam, to perplex <HI>Perinthus</HI> the more, It chanced, that the Prince&s;s, who breathed &s;ome hopes to marry the Prince <HI>Abradat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s,</HI> and did fore&s;ee that &s;he &s;hould then leave <HI>Sardis,</HI> &s;he re&s;olved by no means to lo&s;e <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and therefore did project to marrry her unto <HI>Pe|rinthus,</HI> &s;ince &s;he knew that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> did much e&s;teem him, &s;he made no que&s;tion, but if he could or would expre&s;s any affection to her, &s;he would receive him very favourably.
<PB N="48" REF="403">
So that at his going out of <HI>Dorali&s;a's</HI> hou&s;e, where he had been to &s;olicite in behalf of <HI>Andramit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s,</HI> he received command to come unto the Prince&s;s: He was no &s;ooner with her, but &s;he told him that &s;he would give him &s;ome te&s;timonies of her friend&s;hip. I have received &s;o many already Madam, &s;aid he unto her, that I need not wonder to find you &s;o full of goodne&s;s: But do what I can Madam, I am afraid I &s;hall dye in ingratitude. You may &s;oon acquit your &s;elf in point of gratitude (&s;aid &s;he) if you plea&s;e. I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid he in ha&s;te) tell me which way? By applying your &s;elf a little more unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him,) for <HI>Perinthus,</HI> you will much oblige me, if you look upon her as one whom I de&s;ire you to marry, to the end I may not lo&s;e her; and that engaging you both in my &s;ervice, we may be for ever in&s;eparable: I am &s;ure (&s;aid &s;he, and would not give him time to &s;peak) that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> for all her talk does not think you in love, no more then I do; therefore knowing how much you e&s;teem her, and what the merit and fortune of this per&s;on is, I do not think this an unju&s;t Propo&s;ition, nor that you ought to refu&s;e it.</P>
<P><HI>Panthea</HI> having ended her &s;peech, and <HI>Perinthus</HI> returned out of that maze which the motion of the Prince&s;s had put him into, he an&s;wered her with no le&s;s &s;ubtilty then civility, though with mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible &s;orrow. I think my &s;elf mo&s;t unhappy Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that you &s;hould de&s;ire of me &s;uch things as are both unju&s;t and impo&s;&s;ible; though you beleeve it to be &s;o ju&s;t and ea&s;ie, yet it is neither the one nor the other. Why <HI>Perin|thus</HI> (&s;aid the Prince&s;s) is it any Inju&s;tice that one that is a mo&s;t accompli&s;hed man, and one who&s;e Soul is not already engaged, &s;hould marry the mo&s;t amiable and &s;pritely woman upon Earth, and one who wi&s;hing for a heart that never was in love, finds &s;uch a one in you? Yet Madam, replyed he, though I were &s;uch a one as you &s;peak, I &s;hould never plea&s;e her; for <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> expects to be loved, and truly I cannot love her otherwi&s;e then I &s;hould do a Si&s;ter. Yet I pray you &s;eem as if you did more (replyed the Prince&s;s) and I &s;hall think my &s;elf much obliged; and though at the fir&s;t you can love her no otherwi&s;e then as a Si&s;ter, yet time may make you love her as your Wife. Truly Madam, replyed he, I cannot do more; for not knowing you had any &s;uch de&s;ign as this, I have &s;poke un|to her with extream zeal in behalf of <HI>Andramites,</HI> who is ready to dye for love of her; and who is not only every way a more accompli&s;hed man then my &s;elf, but is a man of much better fortunes then I: therefore Madam, though I &s;hould take upon me to di&s;&s;em|ble a love, it would be to little purpo&s;e after all this: moreover, What might <HI>Andramites</HI> think of my fal&s;e proceeding? and when you have well thought upon it, what would your &s;elf think of me? Ha <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid the Prince&s;s) though you will not obey me, yet how|ever let me entreat you not to &s;olicit for <HI>Andramites;</HI> for if it be po&s;&s;ible I would not have <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> married in <HI>Sardis.</HI> If the Prince <HI>Mexaris</HI> marry you (&s;aid <HI>Perinthus</HI> to her) you will not lo&s;e her though &s;he marry <HI>Andramites.</HI> 'Tis true, &s;aid &s;he, but thanks be to the Gods I &s;hall never marry him; but I have &s;ome Rea&s;ons to think I &s;hall ere long leave <HI>Sardis,</HI> and return into <HI>Cla&s;omena.</HI> If the Prince <HI>Abradates</HI> (&s;aid he to di&s;cover her mind) &s;hould be &s;o happy as to marry you, he would not carry you to <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> for his affairs are not &s;o vvell compo&s;ed for it; and I do not knovv vvhether or no <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> vvould &s;uffer him to dvvell in <HI>Cla&s;omena.</HI> Hovvever it be (&s;aid the Prince&s;s and blu&s;hed) I vvould not have <HI>Andramites</HI> marry <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> but vvi&s;h vvith all my heart <HI>Perinthus</HI> vvould marry her. I cannot betray my tru&s;t Madam, &s;aid he to her and &s;ighed. I cannot conceive (replyed the Prince&s;s) but &s;ince you e&s;teem <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;o much as you do, and al&s;o loves her, as you &s;ay, as much as if &s;he vvere your Si&s;ter, but you may very ea&s;ily obey me: For, as for <HI>Andrami<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es,</HI> added &s;he, I vvill undertake to give him &s;atisfaction. As &s;he vvas &s;ay|ing &s;o, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> entered, vvho finding <HI>Perinthus</HI> alone vvith her, and imagining that he vvas de&s;iring her to &s;peak in favour of <HI>Andramites:</HI> For Heavens &s;ake Madam, &s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Panthea,</HI> do me the favour to tell me vvhether I vvas not the &s;ubject of your di&s;|cour&s;e? Indeed you vvere, replyed the Prince&s;s, and that &s;o much, that vve &s;poke of no|thing el&s;e. I do imagine, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that <HI>Perinthus,</HI> to te&s;tifie unto you as vvell as unto me, that I have not very great &s;hare in his heart, hath de&s;ired you to &s;olicit me in behalf of <HI>Andramites:</HI> but Madam, if he have, I be&s;eech you deny him, for I do not knovv that man in the World vvhich I vvould not marry before him: Yet he is a mo&s;t compleat man, replyed <HI>Perinthus.</HI> 'Tis true, &s;aid &s;he; but &s;ince que&s;tionle&s;s he loved the Lady which he married, who indeed was very fair and amiable he is not fit for my purpo&s;e, &s;ince I am re&s;olved to have none but &s;uch a one as never loved any but my &s;elf. As &s;he pronounced this la&s;t word, <HI>Andramites</HI> entered, who ea&s;ily perceived that the endea|ors of <HI>Perinthus</HI> had not been very propitious; for <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who&s;e &s;pirits were in|cen&s;ed,
<PB N="49" REF="403">
not knowing very well at what, did jeer that day extreamly, and &s;o much the more, becau&s;e &s;he ob&s;erved it plea&s;ed the Prince&s;s. Within a while after, much company coming in, and <HI>Andramites</HI> talking to her in a low voyce, &s;he brought him unto &s;uch a pa&s;s, as he did prote&s;t unto her, that he never loved any but her, no not his wife which he married. Fie <HI>Andramites</HI> (cryed &s;he out) how is it po&s;&s;ible then you &s;hould ever love me, me I &s;ay, who am neither &s;o fair nor lovely as &s;he was: Then would he have told her that he could not love his Wife, becau&s;e he loved her at that &s;ame time, and that he never would have married her, but in obedience to his father: yet all the&s;e were but cold arguments to help him; for &s;he being tickled with the pa&s;&s;age that he &s;hould tell her he never loved his Wife, and &s;eeing all the company departed but <HI>Perinthus</HI> and <HI>Andra|mites,</HI> &s;he began to laugh and jeer, and tell him as much as ever the mo&s;t impro&s;perous Lover could po&s;&s;ibly de&s;erve: and &s;ince it was a mo&s;t odd kind of Complement, that one who would per&s;wade another to marry him, &s;hould tell her he never loved his Wife, the Prince&s;s could not chu&s;e but laugh al&s;o. But though <HI>Andramites</HI> would excu&s;e all by &s;aying, the Rea&s;on was becau&s;e he could love none but her, yet all his arguments would not &s;erve. <HI>Perinthus</HI> al&s;o, de&s;iring to te&s;tifie unto his friend that he was as zealous in his behalf as he could, did maintain that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> was much beholding to him for loving her better then his Wife, or for loving her &s;o much that he could not love his Wife at all. But all the arguments they both could devi&s;e, were not able to convince <HI>Dorali&s;a. Pe|rinthus</HI> was much perplexed, for he dur&s;t not &s;peak &s;o zealou&s;ly in behalf of his friend, as he &s;hould if the Prince&s;s had not &s;poke unto him; for he was afraid to &s;peak much to his advantage, le&s;t he &s;hould incen&s;e her &s;o, that he thought him&s;elf in a &s;trait confinement. After this, the Prince&s;s was often per&s;wading <HI>Perinthus</HI> to alter his de&s;ign, but &s;he found him &s;till in an unalterable ob&s;tinacy: &s;he did not yet acquaint <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> with her project: I only did know of it; for &s;he being &s;till in hopes to change his mind, &s;he would not tell <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> what re&s;i&s;tance &s;he found in him. In the mean while <HI>Perinthus</HI> dur&s;t hardly look either upon the Prince&s;s or <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> but fell into an extream melancholy: As for <HI>Abra|dates,</HI> &s;ince his liberality had won him all the &s;ervants belonging to the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;ome|na,</HI> he was informed by them who heard <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;peak unto his Ma&s;ter, that he did &s;o|licit for <HI>Mexaris</HI> with all his zeal: &s;o that going the very &s;ame hour unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to ask her advice whether he &s;hould acquaint the Prince&s;s with it, or &s;peak unto <HI>Perinthus,</HI> he there under&s;tood by <HI>Andramites</HI> that it was <HI>Perinthus</HI> al&s;o which moved him to induce <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> unto the hinderance of the marriage between <HI>Mexaris</HI> and <HI>Panthea:</HI> for though <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> did treat him very coar&s;ly, yet &s;ometimes &s;he would make him tell her any thing &s;he de&s;ired to know: &s;o that <HI>Abradates</HI> imparted unto her all that he knew, and &s;he after|wards all that <HI>Andramites</HI> told her unto him; and &s;ince the&s;e two things were contraries, yet &s;eemed mo&s;t certain they did extreamly perplex him. Then they determined not to beleeve any thing, nor to re&s;olve upon any cour&s;e, until they knew what the Prince&s;s con|ceived upon the matter. <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> went pre&s;ently to her, and told all that both <HI>Abra|dates</HI> and her &s;elf did know; and particularly how <HI>Andramites</HI> (thinking doubtle&s;s to do a good office to <HI>Perinthus</HI> and him&s;elf al&s;o) told her that it was by his negotiation that <HI>Mexaris</HI> was out of favour with <HI>Croe&s;&s;us.</HI> Truly, replyed the Prince&s;s, if what <HI>Andramites</HI> reports be true, I am much obliged unto <HI>Perinthus;</HI> and if that which is told unto <HI>Abra|dates</HI>
be true, I have great cau&s;e of complaint again&s;t him, &s;ince he knows I cannot endure <HI>Mexaris.</HI> That which admires me mo&s;t, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, is, that he who informed <HI>Abra|dates</HI> that <HI>Perinthus</HI> did &s;olicit for <HI>Mexaris,</HI> is not a man likely to tell a lye; therefore I rather think it to be <HI>Andramites</HI> who tells the untruth. No Madam, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> cer|tainly <HI>Andramites</HI> did not invent it. Then mu&s;t I be &s;atisfied of my doubts (replyed the Prince&s;s) from <HI>Perinthus</HI> him&s;elf; for I know him to be a man of honour and &s;incerity, who I am fully per&s;waded will confe&s;s the truth of any thing what&s;oever: So that defer|ing no longer, &s;he &s;ent for <HI>Perinthus;</HI> and <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> coming into my Chamber, &s;he left <HI>Panthea</HI> at liberty to examine <HI>Perinthus.</HI> As &s;oon as he was come, &s;he looked attentively upon him; I pray <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) tell me whether I mu&s;t chide you or thank you? I think Madam, replyed he, you have not rea&s;on to do either; &s;ince I do not remember I ever did you any con&s;iderable &s;ervice to de&s;erve the one, and &s;ince I am &s;ure I never intended to di&s;plea&s;e you &s;o far as to de&s;erve the other: Neverthele&s;s, &s;aid &s;he, I am informed by one that you have done me an extraordinary piece of &s;ervice; and by another, that you have been extreamly perfidious: Tell me therefore <HI>Perinthus,</HI> have you obliged or di&s;obliged me? However I promi&s;e you to pardon the crime if you confe&s;s it:
<PB N="50" REF="404">
Tell me then <HI>Perinthus,</HI> what I mu&s;t think of you? Madam, &s;aid he unto her, when I &s;hall know whereof I am accu&s;ed, I will &s;ee if I can ju&s;tifie my &s;elf. To &s;hew you (&s;aid &s;he unto him) That I had rather commend then accu&s;e you: Tell me fir&s;t whether it is to you that I am obliged for cau&s;ing <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> to be &s;o &s;harp with <HI>Mexaris?</HI> It is very true Madam (replyed he) that &s;ince I could not think <HI>Mexaris</HI> worthy of you, and having ob&s;er|ved a great aver&s;ion in you towards him, I induced <HI>Andramites</HI> to &s;peak unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> that he would break off that Marriage, which I knew would di&s;plea&s;e you. Thus far, re|plyed <HI>Panthea,</HI> I am much obliged to you: But why then, in &s;peaking unto the Prince my Father, did you not negotiate according to my mind? And why were you &s;uch a de|fender of <HI>Mexar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> to him?</P>
<P><HI>Perinthus</HI> hearing the Prince&s;s, did change colour, and &s;he perceiving the alteration which appeared in his eyes, knew by it that there was &s;ome truth in the reports; yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;ince Love is never without an excu&s;e for any crime, <HI>Perinthus</HI> found one: I mu&s;t confe&s;s Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that your intelligence is good, and that in certain occa&s;ions, wherein the Prince your Father was plea&s;ed to intimate unto me how fully he was re&s;olved to marry you unto the Prince <HI>Mexaris,</HI> I did not directly oppo&s;e his intentions, and my rea&s;on was, becau&s;e I knew that it was not in his power to execute them: Then did I per&s;wade him as well as I could, not to &s;uffer this Prince to marry you without the con&s;ent of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> which I knew he could not obtain: I did &s;ometimes agree with him that <HI>Mexaris</HI> was a great Prince, who in all likelyhood one day would be King of <HI>Lydia:</HI> So that Madam, without any prejudice unto your inte|re&s;ts, I pre&s;erved my &s;elf in his favour, but did not deprive my &s;elf of any means to do you any &s;erviceable office to him when occa&s;ion &s;hould &s;erve. Your an&s;wer (replied the Prince&s;s) is full of wit, and &s;eems al&s;o to be true, &s;ince there is no likely rea&s;ons why you &s;hould negotiate two contraries at one time: But yet &s;ince there is &s;omething in your proceeding which is not &s;uitable to your u&s;ual manner of tran&s;acting, you &s;hall repair the fault, by an&s;wering me ingenuou&s;ly to what I &s;hall ask you; therefore if you will per&s;wade me that your intentions were clear, give me an exact and faithful account of all that the Prince my Father &s;aid unto you, concerning me; for &s;ince I &s;hall never at|tempt any thing again&s;t his plea&s;ure, and &s;ince I never look but to be mi&s;erable, I do not think my demand of you is unju&s;t. I do promi&s;e you Madam (&s;aid he very craf|tily) to tell you every thing which he &s;aid concerning the Prince <HI>Mexaris.</HI> Do not al|ter my words, replied the Prince&s;s, but ingage your &s;elf to tell me all that he &s;aid con|cerning me. <HI>Perinthus,</HI> who knew well the Prince&s;s would not have &s;poke &s;o, but be|cau&s;e &s;he would know what the Prince her Father &s;aid unto him concerning <HI>Abradates,</HI> he was &s;o <HI>non-plu&s;ed,</HI> that he knew not what to an&s;wer; but at the la&s;t, &s;ince &s;he pre&s;&s;ed him very much; I am &s;o afraid (&s;aid he unto her) to tell you any thing which &s;hall not plea&s;e, that I am &s;orry to be ingaged unto what you de&s;ire me: The Prince&s;s wi&s;h|ed &s;he had the hardine&s;s to let him know that &s;he &s;hould be no le&s;s obliged unto him for &s;peaking in behalf of <HI>Abradates,</HI> as for &s;peaking again&s;t <HI>Mexaris,</HI> but he could not do it; and I believe if &s;he had made that prayer unto him, he would either have &s;unk down with &s;orrowes, or el&s;e have expre&s;&s;ed &s;uch marks of his pa&s;&s;ion as &s;he would have per|ceived it. After this di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Panthea</HI> did really believe that <HI>Perinthus</HI> had no other intentions but to imploy his fortunes in &s;erving her, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed <HI>Abradates</HI> with the &s;ame opinion: But as for <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;he was not &s;o ea&s;ily per&s;waded into that belief, but on the contrary, all her &s;u&s;pitions of the pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Perinthus</HI> began to revive in her mind; yet &s;ince &s;he did really e&s;teem him, &s;he &s;aid nothing to the Prince&s;s le&s;t &s;he &s;hould injure him, yet &s;he could not chu&s;e but impart her thoughts unto me, after &s;he had made me promi&s;e her &s;ecre&s;ie: At the fir&s;t, I could not believe her &s;erious, but af|terwards my &s;u&s;pitions were &s;tronger then hers; I ab&s;olutely concurred with the opinion of <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and re&s;olved as well as &s;he, not to prejudice &s;o excellent a qualified man as <HI>Perinthus</HI> was upon bare &s;u&s;pitions, which perhaps were ill-grounded, &s;ince they were built only upon conjectures, which often are fallacious, and therefore I re&s;olved peremp|torily not to &s;peak a word of any thing to the Prince&s;s; yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;ince this might grow unto &s;ome bad con&s;equences, we re&s;olved to ob&s;erve him very circum&s;pectly, and to inform each other of our di&s;coveries: I confe&s;s Madam, that I committed one piece of lightne&s;s in this bu&s;ine&s;s, in telling <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> of that Propo&s;ition which the Prin|ce&s;s made unto him concerning her Marriage; but methought it &s;o manife&s;t a te&s;timony of that pa&s;&s;ion which we &s;u&s;pected, as I could not keep it from her: I had no &s;ooner
<PB N="51" REF="404">
told it, but I wi&s;ht it in again, yet not long; not that I told it unto her in &s;uch a man|ner as might give her any cau&s;e of complaint; yet for all that, I perceived it touched her &s;o to the quick, that it made her blu&s;h. I leave you to con&s;ider (&s;aid I then un|to her to plea&s;e her) whether <HI>Perinthus,</HI> e&s;teeming you as he doth, and proffering &s;o much friend&s;hip, would not have received that motion which the Prince&s;s made with much joy, though he had no love at all towards you, if &s;he had not been in Love with &s;ome other, and therefore it mu&s;t be concluded that he is in Love with another, and that other is certainly the Prince&s;s. If he be in Love with <HI>Panthea</HI> (replied <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> I do pardon him with all my heart for the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion which he is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with, will &s;ufficiently puni&s;h him for the folly of it: But if it be with any other, I will be revenged upon him, both for his refu&s;al, and the injury which the Prince&s;s hath done me, in making &s;uch an offer without acquainting me. <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> maugre her anger, yet knew very well that the intentions of the Prince&s;s were very obliging; but however, &s;he would not complain &s;o much again&s;t <HI>Perinthus,</HI> as again&s;t her. Since this time, this clo&s;e Lo|ver could hardly hide him&s;elf from us, in all his actions and all his words, we thought we &s;aw evident &s;ymptomes of his Love: Al&s;o we ob&s;erved him &s;o clo&s;ely, that he per|ceived us, and asked the rea&s;on. Since he feared le&s;t the Prince&s;s &s;hould acquaint <HI>Dora|li&s;a</HI> with tho&s;e pa&s;&s;ages which were between them, and fearing al&s;o lea&s;t &s;he &s;hould take them ill, he doubled his civilities towards her, not daring to &s;peak unto her of <HI>Andra|mites,</HI> whom <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> at the de&s;ire of the Prince&s;s did treat le&s;s &s;everely, &s;ince it was by his means <HI>Mexaris</HI> was cro&s;&s;ed in his de&s;igns. In the mean while, <HI>Mexaris</HI> building his hopes upon the word of the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> did wait for &s;ome favourable oppor|tunity, either to alter the mind of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> or to marry <HI>Panthea</HI> whether he would or no, if there were no other remedy; &s;o that he lived a life full of anxiety, and hopes of a happy &s;ucce&s;s in his de&s;ign: <HI>Abradates</HI> was more happy then he, for being &s;ure of <HI>Pan|thea's</HI> heart, that very thought &s;weeten all his bitter hours, maugre all oppo&s;itions and ob&s;tacles which cro&s;&s;ed his compleat happine&s;s: But as for the mi&s;erable <HI>Perinthus,</HI> his life was a con&s;tant &s;eries of &s;orrows, yet he had his poor intervals of ea&s;e, to think that <HI>Panthea</HI> neither marrying <HI>Mexaris</HI> nor <HI>Abradates,</HI> perhaps would never Marry. He has told me &s;ince, that when he thought that &s;uch a thing might perhaps be, he was almo&s;t as much joyed at the very thought of it, as any Lover could be in the injoyment of his Mi&s;tri&s;s. Thus did things re&s;t for a certain time, whil'&s;t the Love of <HI>Andramites</HI> unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> made conver&s;ation very plea&s;ant, &s;ince certainly never was any fuller of witty, odd, and gallant expre&s;&s;ions then this Lady was unto him, for as he alwayes affirmed, that he had never loved any but her: So &s;he told him alwayes, that if he had loved the wife he had lo&s;t, he had not been for her humour; and if he had not loved her, then he was mo&s;t unju&s;t, &s;ince &s;he was very fair and lovely, and by con&s;equence &s;he would never marry one that had been an ill Husband. Upon a day then, when <HI>Mexaris</HI> and <HI>Abrada|tes</HI> were both with the Prince&s;s, though the la&s;t of the&s;e came but &s;eldome by the orders of <HI>Panthea: Dorali&s;a</HI> asked them, &s;ince they &s;poke unto her concerning <HI>Andramites,</HI> whether &s;he had not good rea&s;on to reject the de&s;ires of a man, who never dropt a tear for the death of his Wife? If he had &s;een her die, (&s;aid <HI>Abradates</HI> to her) and never grieved at it, only becau&s;e he looked upon her as an ob&s;tacle unto his de&s;ign to be loved by you, he is &s;o far from being guilty of in&s;en&s;ibility, that you ought to commend his con&s;tancy, and to recompence him for it. It is true, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> in that re&s;pect I am obliged to him; But why would he marry her, if he loved me? And if he did not love me, why did he not grieve for her? But if he &s;hould grieve for her, &s;aid the Prin|ce&s;s, he could not Love you? I confe&s;s it, replied &s;he, and he would be more happy in it, if he did not Love me: His happine&s;s would be very mean, replied <HI>Mexaris,</HI> who &s;hould eternally lament the death of one he did love: And I a&s;&s;ure you (an&s;wered <HI>Do|rali&s;a,</HI> and &s;miled) that a living Mi&s;tri&s;s, who is a little phanta&s;tical, is as trouble&s;ome as any dead wife, though &s;he were the wor&s;t in the world: Your arguments, replied <HI>Mexaris,</HI> are again&s;t your &s;elf: There are a &s;ort of &s;light phancies (&s;aid <HI>Abradates)</HI> which beauties were only as prety vanities, which are very trouble&s;ome to tho&s;e that love them: And there are &s;ome al&s;o (replied <HI>Mexaris</HI> very coldly) unto whom they are ad|vantages, and without rea&s;on makes them to be preferred before other, who do not va|lue them: It may chance &s;o, replied <HI>Abradates;</HI> but I for my part, who owe much re|&s;pect unto Ladies, and have no le&s;s opinion of their judgment then of their wit, I am per|&s;waded the commonly happy Lovers de&s;erve to be &s;o: You have rea&s;on doubtle&s;s (&s;aid <HI>Do|rali&s;a)</HI>
<PB N="52" REF="405">
and tho&s;e fault-finding Lovers who never &s;peak but are accu&s;ing them they love, either of fanta&s;ticalne&s;s, or want of Judgment, are certainly both fanta&s;tical and indi&s;creet them&s;elves: &s;uch men as the&s;e are they who are offended at any trivial matter, and think much better of them&s;elves then they de&s;erve, conceiving high inju&s;tice to be done them, if they be not accepted of, and e&s;teemed as much as they e&s;teem them&s;elves.</P>
<P>It's very true (&s;aid the Prince&s;s, not being able to forbear) and I know &s;ome who do as you &s;ay: And I do know &s;ome al&s;o (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> and perhaps the &s;ame you mean: but however, &s;ince Love is blind as well as Ju&s;tice, it mu&s;t operate in the hearts of Ladies as it ought to do in the hearts of Judges, to wit, without Partiality, or Con&s;ideration of Greatne&s;s, or Quality, or Menaces, or Complaints of Pretenders: It ought to judg equally with equity upon the merit and &s;ervices of tho&s;e who offer them. Why then do you not judg in favour of <HI>Andramites,</HI> replyed <HI>Abradates?</HI> Becau&s;e I do not find it within the compa&s;s of my power, replyed &s;he; all the favour that I can do him, is not to judg him at all. Yet &s;ince you do beleeve, &s;aid <HI>Mexaris,</HI> that Love makes all the compleat men in the World, why do you not think <HI>Andramites</HI> very accompli&s;hed, &s;ince certainly he loves you infinitely? I never &s;aid, replyed &s;he, that all tho&s;e who are in love are compleat men; but that none can be perfectly compleat unle&s;s he have been in love: &s;o that it is not for that rea&s;on I refu&s;e <HI>Andramites,</HI> who&s;e merit is very high; but only becau&s;e if he did love his Wife, I cannot admit of him, &s;ince I will have &s;uch a heart as never loved any; and if he did not love her, I &s;hall much di&s;like him, becau&s;e I conceive it was his duty to love her. The general Rule then, replyed <HI>Abradates,</HI> which &s;aith that Love is a cau&s;e of Love, and that he which loveth cau&s;eth him&s;elf to be loved, holds not true, &s;ince <HI>An|dramites</HI> cannot move your heart. The Rule you mention, replyed &s;he, is not general, and I &s;hould be very &s;orry it were. But that which hath cau&s;ed this &s;aying, which is known among&s;t all Nations, and &s;ometimes found fal&s;e, is certainly becau&s;e the true inten|tion and meaning of tho&s;e who fir&s;t made it a general Rule, was never under&s;tood: for in|deed they did never intend that to love one ought infallibly to be loved: but their mean|ing as well as mine certainly was, that to move another to love it is requi&s;ite to be loving: &s;o that in &s;aying unto a man, <HI>If thou de&s;ire&s;t I &s;hould love thee, then love me,</HI> I in&s;truct him in the means to obtain his end, and to make that which is good in his heart to appear; and &s;ometimes that which is evil, added the Prince&s;s. Love though ought not to be blamed Madam (replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> which certainly never infu&s;eth any evil inclinations: And as one cannot complain again&s;t the Sun (which I always compare with Love) becau&s;e it nouri&s;heth a thou&s;and venomous vermin at the very &s;ame time that it blancheth the Lil|lies, and Rubies the Ro&s;es: &s;o Love ought not to be accu&s;ed for the bu&s;ine&s;s of &s;ome leud Lovers that are in the World, &s;ince it in&s;pires only heroique actions, and cau&s;eth men to practi&s;e all the virtues, who without this pa&s;&s;ion were perhaps men of rude Souls: If men be bad, the fault is not in Love, but them: if the dunghill &s;tink when the Sun &s;hines upon it, the fault is not in the Sun, but in the dunghill. The Prince&s;s laughed heartily at the expre&s;&s;ions of <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and &s;o did <HI>Abradates:</HI> But as for <HI>Mexaris,</HI> he was much netled; and the more, becau&s;e <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> bolted out a hundred things which touched him to the quick: and once he ob&s;erved, that when <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> looked upon one ano|ther, they &s;miled and winked in deri&s;ion; and that <HI>Abradates</HI> by a nod of his head &s;eem|ed to thank <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> for all her bitter jeers which &s;he had vented. So that the&s;e things exa&s;perating his &s;pirit, he &s;poke not a word that day, unle&s;s &s;ome &s;hort and &s;harp words to <HI>Abradates,</HI> who an&s;wered him with as much re&s;olution, as the Re&s;pect which he owed unto the Prince&s;s, and the Quality of his Rival, would permit him. Since &s;he ob&s;erved the perplexities of <HI>Mexaris,</HI> &s;he endeavored to &s;weeten the Conver&s;ation; and indeed the colour of this Prince &s;eeming to cool a little, &s;he did not &s;u&s;pect any ill con&s;equence of it. They went both from the Prince&s;s at the &s;ame time, for when <HI>Mexaris</HI> &s;aw that <HI>Abradates</HI> was going, he took leave of the Prince&s;s al&s;o, and would needs be gone, though &s;he de&s;ired to &s;tay him: When they were at the bottom of the &s;tairs, <HI>Mexaris</HI> talked with one of his men in a low voyce; and afterwards asked <HI>Abradates,</HI> if he would walk <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> turn in the Gardens of the Palace which were clo&s;e by; and <HI>Abradates</HI> an&s;wered, he would wait upon him; &s;o they went out; <HI>Mexaris</HI> being waited upon by eight or ten of his men, and <HI>Abradates</HI> with the like number. As &s;oon as they were in the Garden, <HI>Mexaris</HI> carryed <HI>Abradates</HI> into a great Walk, where none were pre&s;ent; and after he had beckened unto his men that they &s;hould not follow, he &s;tood &s;till, and looked upon <HI>Abradates</HI> with an imperious a&s;pect: I have had intentions a long time (&s;aid he unto him)
<PB N="53" REF="405">
to &s;peak unto you; but my hopes, that of your &s;elf, you would do that which a thou&s;and Rea&s;ons require you &s;hould, hath moved me to defer it till now, to adverti&s;e you, that you do not carry your &s;elf, as the Son unto the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> my Si&s;ter, ought to do: For though my age do not much differ from yours, yet I mu&s;t exact from you &s;ome difference, both as you are my Nephew, and as you are an Exile, come unto this Court for Refuge, where I ought to be preferred before you. Sir (replyed <HI>Abradates</HI> with a bold civility) I do not know that I have failed in any re&s;pects which I owe you, either as being &s;on unto the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> or as I am come for Refuge unto a place where indeed you are very con&s;iderable, and therefore I think I may &s;afely &s;ay, that your complaints again&s;t me are unju&s;t, and your manner of complaint is a little too high. Your dayly actions, replyed <HI>Mexaris,</HI> are much more injurious to me, for you cannot be ignorant of my devoted affection unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> and yet you apply your &s;elf too ob&s;equiou&s;ly in your Court&s;hip of her. Though the manner of your language, replyed <HI>Abradates,</HI> might perhaps make me excu&s;able, if I &s;hould not render you an account of my actions and de|&s;igns, yet the re&s;pect which I owe you as Brother unto the Queen my Mother, and unto the King, who gives me protection in his Court, obligeth me to tell you, that I loved the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> from the very fir&s;t in&s;tant that ever I &s;aw her, and I did not know any thing of your pa&s;&s;ion to her, until &s;uch time as I was not able to be Commander of my own: Al&s;o under&s;tanding that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would never approve of your Marriage with her, I conceived it would be no great injury unto you, if I u&s;ed my be&s;t endeavors to obtain a happine&s;s which you could never enjoy. But can you think, &s;aid <HI>Mexaris,</HI> that the &s;ame Rea&s;on of State, which moves the King not to con&s;ent I &s;hould marry one who would ren|der me too potent in his Kingdom, will ever permit you who are a &s;tranger to marry her? No, no, <HI>Abradates,</HI> let not this imagination delude you, but be a&s;&s;ured that it is not the will of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> you &s;hould think of this Alliance: And con&s;ider further, if you be wi&s;e, that the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> will never be&s;tow his Daughter upon an exil'd Prince. Hi|therto, replyed <HI>Abradates,</HI> I have &s;poke unto you as I am Son unto the Queen of <HI>Su&s;ia|na,</HI> as a Prince protected in <HI>Lidia,</HI> and as Nephew unto the Prince <HI>Mexaris;</HI> but now I will &s;peak to you as a Lover of <HI>Panthea,</HI> as one who knows not how to yeild unto any, and as one who will love and &s;erve her as long as he lives: The truth is, &s;aid he, if the ca&s;e were &s;o as that the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> &s;hould make choyce of you, then I had nothing el&s;e to do but dye; and I have &s;o high a re&s;pect of her, though not of you, as to dye with|out complaint: but &s;ince &s;he makes no &s;uch choyce, be plea&s;ed to know, that I will not alter my cour&s;e. Though you were in <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> replyed <HI>Mexaris,</HI> and I an Exile protected there as you are in <HI>Lidia,</HI> you could not &s;peak more haughtily and boldly then you do. I &s;hould then &s;peak more mildly, replyed <HI>Abradates,</HI> becau&s;e I know it unworthy to in|&s;ult over tho&s;e that are mi&s;erable: And is it not as unworthy (an&s;wered <HI>Mexaris)</HI> to refu&s;e tho&s;e Re&s;pects which are due unto Protectors? I &s;hall never neglect them I owe unto the King of <HI>Lidia,</HI> replyed <HI>Abradates;</HI> and I am &s;orry that Love &s;hould force me unto that which I do again&s;t a Prince &s;o neer unto him. I mu&s;t have better &s;atisfaction (replyed <HI>Mexaris</HI> very fiercely,) for if you do not ab&s;olutely renounce <HI>Panthea,</HI> I mu&s;t call you to an account with a Sword in your hand. I will do all I can, replyed <HI>Abradates,</HI> to do neither the one nor the other. But you mu&s;t (an&s;wered <HI>Mexaris)</HI> and that quickly, therefore re&s;olve with your &s;elf which of them you will chu&s;e. Since you force me to tell you, replyed <HI>Abradates,</HI> I will pre&s;erve <HI>Panthea,</HI> I will defend my &s;elf, and not a&s;&s;ault you, unle&s;s I mu&s;t in my own defence: This is all Sir, that either Love or Re&s;pect can exact from me: I wi&s;h that I were able to yeild the Prince&s;s of my Soul unto you, but indeed I cannot: and though my re&s;olution is to do nothing again&s;t tho&s;e Re&s;pects I owe you, yet will I not do any thing again&s;t my Love. When <HI>Abradates</HI> had &s;aid this, he &s;aw <HI>Mexaris</HI> go towards a thick Bu&s;h which grew clo&s;e by a Chri&s;tal Fountain in the middle of a Walk; and that he pull'd out two Swords, giving him one, and &s;aying, that &s;ince he could not yeild <HI>Panthea,</HI> he &s;hould win her if he could, for he would di&s;pute it with him un|til death. <HI>Abradates</HI> at the fir&s;t would not take it, but only to defend him&s;elf from the blows of <HI>Mexaris,</HI> in who&s;e face he &s;aw &s;o much fury as might well exa&s;perate him: but when he &s;aw that the better language he gave him, and the more he recoyled, the more did his choller augment, and more furiou&s;ly did he a&s;&s;ault him, Love and Jealou&s;ie being at la&s;t &s;tronger then his re&s;pects unto <HI>Mexaris,</HI> he then kept his ground, and fought like one that would vanqui&s;h. In the mean time, &s;ince I beleeve you de&s;ire to know how <HI>Mex|aris</HI> could find the&s;e two Swords in the Bu&s;h; be plea&s;ed to remember, that I told you
<PB N="54" REF="406">
at their going from the Prince&s;s, that Prince whi&s;pered with one of his &s;ervants? and let me tell you, that he then commanded him to carry tho&s;e two Swords unto the place ap|pointed, which was very remarkable, becau&s;e of the Fountain neer it; and after this command executed, he charged him with another, purpo&s;ely to &s;end him away from that place, and appointed him to go and &s;eek for a man that dwelt in the furthe&s;t part of all <HI>Sardis,</HI> expre&s;&s;ely charging him not to &s;peak a word of the&s;e two Swords.</P>
<P>But as he went out of the Garden to &s;eek this man his Ma&s;ter &s;ent him unto, he met one of the Prince&s;s &s;ervants at the door, who was his intimate friend, unto whom he imparted his bu&s;ine&s;s, and asked his advice, for the &s;ervant of <HI>Mexaris</HI> thought that his Ma&s;ter intended to fight with him he &s;ent for: But the Prince&s;s &s;ervant having more wit then he, and knowing that <HI>Mexaris</HI> and <HI>Abradates</HI> went out together, he &s;u&s;pe|cted &s;ome mi&s;chief; and after he had advi&s;ed him rather to return into the Garden, then go upon his me&s;&s;age, and to tell his Ma&s;ter how he under&s;tood the man he &s;ent him unto was not at home, he him&s;elf went ha&s;tily unto the Prince&s;s, whom he found in di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Perinthus,</HI> and acquainted her with what he knew: He had no &s;ooner &s;poke it, but the Prince&s;s cried out, and changed colour &s;o much, that <HI>Perinthus</HI> could not chu&s;e but &s;ee what a particular intere&s;t &s;he took in the life of <HI>Abradates;</HI> for he knew her cares could not be for the other. I leave you to judg Madam, in what a pittiful perplexity he was, when looking upon the Prince&s;s, he &s;aw her eyes all tears, and fears for the death of <HI>Abradates;</HI> and &s;ince &s;he knew, that in &s;uch occa&s;ions as this, a very minute is precious, &s;he came to <HI>Perinthus,</HI> entreating him with extream earne&s;tne&s;s: My dear <HI>Pe|rinthus</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) you will infinitely oblige me, if you will go and prevent all mi&s;chief that may en&s;ue upon this quarrel; and to oblige you to make more ha&s;t, let me tell you, that it will be the mo&s;t con&s;iderable &s;ervice that I ever injoyned you: You moy ea&s;ily judg how <HI>Perinthus</HI> was &s;urprized and vexed at this imployment which the Prince&s;s did put him upon; he offered to &s;peak two or three times, but the Prince&s;s would not hear, but bad him make all ha&s;t; So that poor <HI>Perinthus</HI> much again&s;t his mind, went to part two men, whom he would rather have fought with if he dur&s;t: True it is, he was not the fir&s;t that came in, for the cla&s;hing of Swords being heard by tho&s;e who were in other walks, they ran in with all ha&s;t, yet came too late al&s;o, for the combate was fir&s;t ended. I &s;hall not relate unto you Madam all the pa&s;&s;es of it, it will &s;uffice to tell you, that <HI>Abradates</HI> was Conquerour, and <HI>Mexaris</HI> wounded and di&s;arm'd, and confe&s;&s;ing that <HI>Abradates</HI> was of an invincible valour. But I be&s;eech you Madam, imagine a little, what might be the cogitations of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> when in the incertainty of the event of this combate, he went unto the&s;e two Princes: He hath &s;ince confe&s;&s;ed unto me, that he could never compo&s;e or reconcile him&s;elf unto his own wi&s;hes; Sometimes he wi&s;hed them both killed, &s;ometimes that at lea&s;t <HI>Abradates</HI> were vanqui&s;hed, and &s;ometimes again, finding much inju&s;tice and ba&s;ene&s;s in his wi&s;hes, he wi&s;hed his own death, e&s;pecially when he reflected upon the &s;orrows and fears of <HI>Panthea,</HI> lea&s;t any misfortune &s;hould befal <HI>Abradates:</HI> Moreover, to his further mi&s;ery, he met this illu|&s;trious Conquerour of <HI>Mexaris,</HI> whom one of his friends with chance brought into the Garden, did follow him; and to compleat the mi&s;eries of <HI>Perinthus, Abradates</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf to him: If I can without any incivility (&s;aid he unto him) de&s;ire you to tell the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> that it is &s;he only who hath pre&s;erved me from being vanqui&s;hed by <HI>Mexaris,</HI> I will de&s;ire &s;o much favour from you; and to a&s;&s;ure her that I attribute the happy &s;ucce&s;s of my combate, unto the pa&s;&s;ion which I have towards her. <HI>Perinthus</HI> was &s;o confounded with this di&s;cour&s;e, that he &s;ilently hearkned unto it, without any other an&s;wer then profound reverence. But <HI>Abradates</HI> taking his &s;ilence for a con&s;ent unto his de&s;ires left him, and went to expect what <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would think of his action. In the mean while, many of the Court did tran&s;act in his behalf, and among&s;t the re&s;t <HI>Andramites,</HI> who to &s;erve <HI>Perinthus,</HI> had di&s;&s;waded <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> from con&s;enting unto the Marriage between <HI>Mexaris</HI> and <HI>Panthea,</HI> did now all he could to appea&s;e this Prince, thinking it as &s;erviceable to <HI>Perinthus</HI> as the other: So that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was &s;o qualified, that he reflected all the fault upon his Bro|ther, and excu&s;ed <HI>Abradates:</HI> It was al&s;o his plea&s;ure they &s;hould imbrace each other as &s;oon as <HI>Mexaris</HI> was recovered: But the mo&s;t cruel part for <HI>Abradates</HI> was, that <HI>Perin|thus</HI> moved <HI>Andramites</HI> to per&s;wade the King, that the only way to prevent all future quarrels between them, was to charge them both equally not to think of any Marriage
<PB N="55" REF="406">
with <HI>Panthea:</HI> And <HI>Andramites</HI> to colour the matter, told <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> that the Prince&s;s her &s;elf was in &s;uch fears le&s;t either of the&s;e two Princes &s;hould come to untimely death, by rea&s;on of her, that &s;he her &s;elf de&s;ired it; &s;o that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> charged them both to give over all thoughts of her: 'Tis true, he &s;poke unto the&s;e two Rivals in different manners; for he ab&s;olutely commanded <HI>Mexaris,</HI> and entreated <HI>Abradates,</HI> treating the one as a Subject, and the other as a Stranger, yet notwith&s;tanding they could not re&s;olve to promi&s;e him obedience, &s;aying alwayes, that Love was &s;uch a Soveraign pa&s;&s;ion, as they could not &s;o readily &s;urmount it; yet they &s;poke this with &s;o much reverence unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> out of fears to incen&s;e him, le&s;t he &s;hould &s;end them both out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> that their re&s;i&s;tance did not offend, and <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> believed they intended obedience, though they prote&s;ted that they thought it impo&s;&s;ible. Thus it happened, that the Conquerour was no happier then the Conquered, and <HI>Perinthus</HI> was only he who reaped the fruit of <HI>Abradates</HI> his Victory out of his joyes, to hope that the Prince&s;s &s;hould Marry neither him nor <HI>Mexaris:</HI> But Madam, the pa&s;&s;age was rare, when <HI>Perinthus</HI> returned to ren|der an account unto the Prince&s;s of the combat, for though &s;he heard of others, yet &s;ince every one is glad to have repetitions of any thing which plea&s;eth, or which they have a|ny intere&s;t in: <HI>Perinthus</HI> was no &s;ooner come unto her, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and my &s;elf being pre|&s;ent, but &s;he &s;poke unto him: Well <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him with much joy in her eyes) Thanks be to the Gods, the Prince <HI>Abradates</HI> and the Prince <HI>Mexaris</HI> are both alive: They are Madam, replied he, but the la&s;t of the&s;e is wounded: 'Tis true, &s;aid &s;he, but &s;ince I under&s;tand his wounds are not dangerous, I cannot chu&s;e but rejoyce that their combat proved not more fatal: I conceive Madam, replied he, that who&s;oe|ver under&s;tands the true &s;ence of your words, will think <HI>Abradates</HI> more glorious in your language, then in his di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">arming <HI>Mexaris.</HI> However it be (&s;aid &s;he, and blu&s;hed) give me an exact relation of the combat. <HI>Perinthus</HI> now was extreamly put to it, and not being able him&s;elf to &s;et forth the glory of his Rival, whom he &s;aw was too deep in the heart of his Prince&s;s already, he told her, that he could not truly do it, for the friends of <HI>Mexaris</HI> reported one way, and the friends of <HI>Abradates</HI> another, but the principal of all was what &s;he knew already, that <HI>Abradates</HI> received not a wound, and that <HI>Mex|aris</HI> was wounded. It is very &s;trange <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and laughed, and who knew as well as I did the true cau&s;e why he would not &s;atisfie the Prince&s;s) you &s;hould be &s;o ill informed of this combat: For my part (&s;aid &s;he further to di&s;cover his thoughts) had I been at any Ball, and the Prince&s;s &s;hould preci&s;ely ask me what pa&s;&s;ed there, cer|tainly I &s;hould have related every thing with the lea&s;t circum&s;tance &s;he &s;hould know, whe|ther the Hall were ill or well furni&s;hed, who danced mo&s;t, which Ladies were be&s;t dre&s;|&s;ed, and mo&s;t fair, which of the men was the greate&s;t Gallant, who talked long with &s;uch a one, and who with &s;uch a one; and &s;he &s;hould know every trivial pa&s;&s;age of the A&s;&s;embly &s;o perfectly, as if &s;he were there pre&s;ent. In the mean time, you who are a brave and gallant man in lieu of relating every circum&s;tance, as I could have done, does only tell the Prince&s;s that <HI>Mexaris</HI> is wounded, and that <HI>Abradates</HI> is Conquerour. 'Tis very true (&s;aid the Prince&s;s, and &s;miled) <HI>Perinthus</HI> is to blame: I &s;hould have thought it Madam, replied he, no great di&s;cretion to relate a combat unto Ladies, in the &s;ame manner as it &s;hould be related unto men: It had not been hand&s;om indeed, &s;aid <HI>Dorali|&s;a,</HI> to have related Wars and Battels, or your own peculiar Victories: But for a &s;ingle Duel, and a combat wherein you have no intere&s;t, and which is fought between two Princes of &s;uch eminency, it ought to be exactly related. I &s;hall better inform my &s;elf another time (replied he) and remember your in&s;tructions hereafter: Hereafter, &s;aid the Prince&s;s, Heavens forbid you e're be put unto it. <HI>Panthea</HI> &s;poke this with &s;uch an Emphe&s;is, that <HI>Perinthus</HI> knowing thereby her thoughts, was dumb for a quarter of an hour together; during vvhich time, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> talking on as &s;he begun, did almo&s;t make him di&s;pair. But to return from whence I tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed, give me leave to tell you Ma|dam, that <HI>Abradates</HI> vvas &s;o &s;ad to &s;ee that in conquering <HI>Mexaris</HI> he vvas not the bet|ter, as it vvas impo&s;&s;ible he &s;hould be more, though it vvas &s;ome comfort to &s;ee him&s;elf in better &s;tate then his Rival, yet he thought him&s;elf mo&s;t unfortunate: When the Prin|ce&s;s knevv it, &s;he vvas al&s;o much troubled, though her care vvas not to &s;hevv it: So as the fir&s;t time that <HI>Abradates</HI> met her at <HI>Dorali&s;a's</HI> hou&s;e, there pa&s;&s;ed &s;uch di&s;cour&s;e be|tvveen them, as did confirm their amity: The Prince&s;s kept &s;till in tho&s;e limits vvhich &s;he had pre&s;cribed unto her &s;elf, never to Marry <HI>Abradates</HI> vvithout the con&s;ent of the Prince her Father, but never to Marry <HI>Mexaris,</HI> vvhat violence &s;oever &s;he vvas put unto. Thus
<PB N="56" REF="407">
that which in appearance &s;hould quench their Pa&s;&s;ions, did render them more &s;trong; and <HI>Perinthus</HI> in &s;triving to prejudice <HI>Abradates</HI> did again&s;t his will do him better &s;ervice then if he had endeavored it. This clo&s;e Lover yet did think him&s;elf more happy then he was before the Combat of the&s;e two Rivals: for though he knew very well, that the heart of <HI>Panthea</HI> was deeply engaged, yet he had &s;ome hopes that &s;eeing &s;he could not marry <HI>A|bradates,</HI> &s;he would &s;trive to exclude him out of her mind; in &s;o much as we perceived him more plea&s;ant and free then he u&s;ed to be. As for <HI>Mexaris,</HI> he was &s;o melancholy, that none living could be more; not but that he had &s;till good words from the Prince of <HI>Cla|&s;omena,</HI> but &s;ince words are but wind, and <HI>Perinthus</HI> kept him from be&s;towing his daughter without the Kings con&s;ent, he was no le&s;s unquiet: In the mean while <HI>Abradates</HI> and he lived with a cold kind of civility to each other, &s;uch as &s;eemed to be an inclination to ano|ther Quarrel. Since the King did not forbid them &s;eeing of <HI>Panthea,</HI> but only from thoughts of marriage, they often met at her hou&s;e; but more often in other places, le&s;t they &s;hould too much incen&s;e <HI>Croe&s;&s;us.</HI> Thus did they live a kind of compul&s;ive and un|plea&s;ant lives; yet <HI>Abradates</HI> was much le&s;s mi&s;erable then his Rival; &s;ince he did not only know him&s;elf not hated, but &s;o much in favour with the World, that the Prince&s;s never went unto any place, but he had intelligence of it the very &s;ame hour: For &s;ince he was liberal unto all, his Intelligencers were mo&s;t exactly true and faithful to him: And I am confident there was not a man of a condition what&s;oever, neither about the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> nor about the Prince&s;s his daughter, which was not mo&s;t really for him, ex|cept <HI>Perinthus.</HI></P>
<P>On the contrary, the avarice of <HI>Mexaris</HI> was &s;uch, that he had not any intelligence &s;o much as from his own &s;ervants, &s;o that he knew no more but what every one knew. After then he had lived thus &s;ome certain days, he fell upon a mo&s;t unju&s;t and violent Re&s;olu|tion, which was, to carry away <HI>Panthea,</HI> if he could not by any means win the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> to let him marry the Prince&s;s his Daughter &s;ecretly. As he entertained the&s;e thoughts, News was brought, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Ba&s;ilina</HI> Aunt unto <HI>Panthea</HI> was &s;ick of a mortal di&s;ea&s;e: Upon this the Prince&s;s, who did mo&s;t tenderly love her, be&s;eeched her Fa|ther that &s;he might go and pay her la&s;t duties unto her who had been &s;o dear unto her. Since her de&s;ire was ju&s;t, &s;he ea&s;ily obtained it; and the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> him&s;elf had gone this Voyage, if he had not been adverti&s;ed that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would not be plea&s;ed with it: his Re&s;olutions then were, that <HI>Panthea</HI> &s;hould go alone, and that <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;hould be a Conductor; which employment you may imagine he mo&s;t joyfully undertook; yet was he vexed to leave <HI>Mexaris</HI> with the Prince her Father and his Ma&s;ter, unle&s;s he had been with him al&s;o: yet notwith&s;tanding, the &s;atisfaction he &s;hould have to be with the Prince&s;s out of &s;ight of all his Rivals, did carry him above all other con&s;iderations. In the mean while, <HI>Panthea</HI> con&s;idering that &s;he &s;hould &s;tand in need of &s;ome comfort in this &s;orrowful Voyage, de&s;ired the Aunt of <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> with whom &s;he lived, to let her Niece go with her, which &s;he granted as willingly as <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> wi&s;hed it: &s;o that the next morning we departed, and went to <HI>Cla&s;omena. Abradates</HI> re&s;ented this &s;eparation ex|tream &s;adly; and the greate&s;t aggravation of his &s;orrows was, that &s;ince this Journey was &s;o ha&s;tily undertaken, he could not bid adieu unto the Prince&s;s in private: &s;o that but for me he had not known that &s;he wi&s;hed him to remember her during this ab&s;ence. I &s;hall not tell you Madam, how melancholy the Prince&s;s was all the Voyage, nor how great her &s;orrows were, when arriving in <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> we found the Prince&s;s <HI>Ba&s;ilina</HI> &s;o very ill, that there was no hopes of her Recovery: This Madam would be too tedious unto you: But give me leave to tell you, that four days after our fir&s;t arrival this excellent Prince&s;s dyed; who&s;e death <HI>Panthea</HI> took &s;o heavily, that &s;he fell &s;ick her &s;elf; &s;o that &s;he could not return &s;o &s;oon to <HI>Sardis:</HI> for though her di&s;ea&s;e was not very violent, yet it was &s;o great as to hinder her from travel; &s;o that <HI>Perinthus</HI> enjoyed a longer happine&s;s then ere he looked for, in being free from the &s;ight of his Rivals, and continually &s;eeing his Prince&s;s; and in|deed he became &s;o blith and plea&s;ant while&s;t-we &s;tayed at <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> that the Prince&s;s would not admit of any company but his, <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and mine: &s;o that it may not unfitly be &s;aid, that as Ro&s;es grow among&s;t thorny prickles, &s;o the delights of <HI>Perinthus</HI> did grow among&s;t his &s;orrows: 'Tis true, his &s;weets did la&s;t no longer then the &s;weets of a fading Ro&s;e: For be&s;ides, that Love is an enemy to re&s;t and &s;erenity, he and his delights were bla&s;ted by a &s;tinging Letter from <HI>Andramites;</HI> for it brought him news, that <HI>Mexaris</HI> was perpetually as clo&s;e to the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> as if he were his &s;hadow: yet for all this, &s;ince the Prince&s;s was not among&s;t them, they could not put their Re&s;olutions into
<PB N="57" REF="407">
execution; he hoped therefore that as &s;oon as he &s;aw the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> he would make him alter his de&s;ign if he had any which were contrary to his intentions: So that his trouble at it was not &s;o great as his &s;atisfaction to be &s;o near his Prince&s;s, and &s;o far off his Rivals, but there vvas another pa&s;&s;age vvhich vvas a much more better Pill unto him; for be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that the Prince <HI>Abradates,</HI> not being able to live &s;o long without &s;ome news of <HI>Panthea,</HI> did write twice every Week con&s;tantly as long as we &s;tayed in <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> unto either <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> or my &s;elf; or to &s;ay better unto the Prince&s;s, &s;ince the Contents of them all related only unto her: at the fir&s;t he intimated his ardent de&s;ires of obtaining licen&s;e to write unto her &s;elf; but &s;he would not by any means permit it le&s;t by any accident his Letters &s;hould mi&s;carry: but as for tho&s;e which were written unto <HI>Do|rali&s;a</HI> and me, they were written in &s;uch an ambiguous manner, as they would admit of &s;everal interpretations: So that the Prince&s;s heard from <HI>Abradates</HI> almo&s;t without any danger, and <HI>Abradates</HI> under&s;tood from us as much as he de&s;ired to know. But the better to make our matters my&s;terious, we intimated unto <HI>Abradates,</HI> that when we vvould mention any thing unto him vvhich concerned the Prince&s;s, it &s;hould be under the name of <HI>Perinthus:</HI> &s;o that you may imagine that the Name of <HI>Perinthus</HI> vvas in all our Letters. It chanced once as ill luck vvas, vvhen <HI>Perinthus</HI> came to <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI>'s Chamber as &s;he vvas vvriting unto <HI>Abradates;</HI> and though it vvas alvvays her cu&s;tom vvhen &s;he vvrit, to ap|point her Woman that vvaited upon her, to let none enter before &s;he vvas fir&s;t acquainted, yet &s;he did not exactly obey her all that time, but on the contrary, &s;he vvanting &s;ome|thing vvhich vvas in another Room, &s;he vvent out, unperceived by her Mi&s;tre&s;s, and left the door open, hoping to return ere any came: but vvhile&s;t &s;he &s;tayed talking vvith &s;ome of the Prince&s;s Women, <HI>Perinthus</HI> came in, vvho hearing no noi&s;e in the Chamber, thought that either none vvas there, or el&s;e that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> vvas &s;ick: but to &s;atisfie him&s;elf he vvent in, and &s;avv that &s;he vvas behind a Screen, vvriting upon a table oppo&s;ite unto a great Gla&s;s, and her back tovvards him: Since <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI>'s mind vvas very intent upon her Wri|ting, &s;he never minded any noi&s;e, and therefore it is no vvonder if &s;he did not hear <HI>Perin|thus</HI> enter, vvho being full of curio&s;ity to &s;ee vvhat &s;he vvrit, that he might have &s;ome &s;ubject to tvvit her vvith, as &s;he had often him, did go tovvards her, and did tread as &s;oftly as if &s;he had been a&s;leep, and he afraid to vvake her: at la&s;t he came clo&s;e to her, and leaning his head almo&s;t over her &s;houlder, he read vvhat &s;he vvrit unto <HI>Abradates;</HI> yet, could he not knovv unto vvhom this Letter vvas addre&s;&s;ed: but he vvas much amazed vvhen the fir&s;t vvord he read vvas his ovvn Name; his curio&s;ity augmented, and he read all &s;he had vvrit, vvhich, as I remember, vvas in the&s;e vvords:
<Q><P><HI>Perinthus</HI> ye&s;terday &s;poke unto me concerning you in &s;uch an obliging way, that I wi&s;h you knew what we &s;aid in your Commendations: your la&s;t Letter &s;eemed unto him the mo&s;t plea&s;ant in the world, and &s;o admirably politick, that I read it no le&s;s then thrice unto him: You may well know, that &s;ince he did &s;o commend you for it, I dare not after him: I have many other things to &s;ay, which unto you are more&mdash;</P></Q></P>
<P>As <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> had writ this la&s;t word, and <HI>Perinthus</HI> read it with extream impatience to &s;ee the &s;equel, that thereby he might under&s;tand the beginning, which was like unto a Riddle to him, knowing that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> never &s;hewed him any Letter; &s;he lifted up her eyes, and looking in the Gla&s;s which was oppo&s;ite to her, &s;he &s;aw <HI>Perinthus</HI> reading her Letter over her &s;houlder. She no &s;ooner &s;pyed him but &s;he cryed out; Fie, fie, <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid &s;he and hid her Letter) have you forgot that re&s;pect which is due unto our Sex? Why, why, fair <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> (&s;aid he unto her and &s;miled) are you making me &s;peak things I never thought upon? I pray let me &s;ee this Letter which you &s;ay I thought &s;o plea&s;ant, and which was &s;o polite, that I read it no le&s;s then three times. <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> then perceiving that he had read all &s;he writ, thought it better to turn it into rallery, then make a &s;erious matter of it, thinking that the more angry &s;he was, the more would he apprehend it my|&s;terious: al&s;o &s;ince tho&s;e that u&s;e to play upon others, cannot well take &s;o much liberty unto them&s;elves, unle&s;s they allow it unto others: &s;o &s;he thought that &s;he had no rea&s;on to be angry with <HI>Perinthus,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he had played him a hundred &s;uch tricks in her life; &s;o that changing her countenance, and beginning to laugh and read the Letter, to gain more time for the explanation of it, <HI>Perinthus</HI> de&s;ired to read it al&s;o, and &s;he not denying, he read it word for word. I pray <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;aid he unto her, why did your Pen drop &s;uch a lye as this, and to whom do you tell it? for I am certain, that all the day ye&s;terday you
<PB N="58" REF="408">
did not &s;peak one word unto me; yet you tell the per&s;on unto whom you write, that I &s;poke a hundred times of her ye&s;terday in a mo&s;t obliging manner: And you add fur|ther, that her la&s;t Letter was very plea&s;ant; and you told all the&s;e with &s;uch a confi|dence, that you amazed me: However, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> I am confident, I did you no ill office, for in &s;aying all this, I &s;aid nothing in your di&s;advantage; but on the contra|ry, &s;aid that you acknowledg'd it for a Polite and plea&s;ant Letter, and that I dur&s;t not give her any commendations after you.</P>
<P>I be&s;eech you <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> (&s;aid he unto her) tell me, and &s;hew me this that I commend|ed &s;o, otherwi&s;e I &s;hall be much incen&s;ed: Truly, an&s;wered &s;he, if I were a bad friend I &s;hould &s;hew it; but to let you &s;ee that I am a good one, know that a Lady in <HI>Sardis,</HI> who for her honour I will not name, did write a Letter unto me, which to &s;hew her wit, &s;he hath &s;tuffed full of Fu&s;tian and big words, which &s;ignifie nothing: So that knowing by her &s;tile &s;he loves to be commended, doubtle&s;s I did her that office in the highe&s;t manner, &s;ince I told her &s;he had your commendations: I &s;hould believe you <HI>Do|rali&s;a,</HI> replied he, if you would &s;hew me this her Letter: Since perhaps you are ac|quainted with her hand (replied <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> I will not &s;hew it unto you. In the mean time, <HI>Perinthus,</HI> added &s;he, I pray leave me the liberty to fini&s;h out my Letter: Re|ally, &s;aid he, I do believe this is a bu&s;ine&s;s of &s;ome earne&s;t, for at the place where you left, it &s;eems you had more matters to expre&s;s then complements: 'Tis true (replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and laughed) therefore I de&s;ire you to leave me: I cannot, &s;aid he; for to be plain with you, I do not believe a word of all this you have told me: What do you believe then (&s;aid &s;he unto him?) I know not what to believe or think, yet I am the mo&s;t mi&s;taken man alive, if this Letter do not contain &s;ome clo&s;e &s;ecrets: If you think &s;o, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> then you are unrea&s;onable to pre&s;s unto a di&s;covery of it, &s;ince you know &s;ecrets are &s;uch things as our friends mu&s;t tell us them&s;elves, and we ought not to ask them: If I had not &s;een my name in your Letter, replied he, doubtle&s;s I &s;hould be more di&s;creet: But &s;ince you are &s;o bold as to tell three or four lies of me, I thought I might be as bold in asking you the truth of tho&s;e things which I de&s;ire to know: What would you know? (replied <HI>Dorali&s;a.)</HI> I would know, &s;aid he, unto whom you direct your Letter: I have already told you, replied &s;he, that I will not; all that I can do for your &s;atisfaction is to prote&s;t mo&s;t &s;olemnly, that all I have or &s;hall write unto her, does not at all relate unto your intere&s;t: For Heavens &s;ake (&s;aid <HI>Pe|rinthus)</HI> do not u&s;e me thus, for if you refu&s;e me this, I &s;hall relate the &s;tory of it, not only to every one here, but unto all the Court al&s;o when I return to <HI>Sardis: Perin|thus</HI> is &s;o di&s;creet (replied <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> that I do not fear he will &s;o far incen&s;e me: <HI>Dora|li&s;a</HI> has been often &s;o waggi&s;h with me, replied he, that <HI>Perinthus</HI> would not be much to blame, if he were once in his life revenged: When you have told all you can, re|plied &s;he, What then will the i&s;&s;ue be? The i&s;&s;ue doubtle&s;s will be (an&s;wered <HI>Perin|thus)</HI> that they will know you keep a &s;ecret corre&s;pondence with &s;ome or other: They know well enough already (replied &s;he, and &s;miled) that I have not yet found this compleat man I look for; therefore my reputation will not be wounded by any thing you can &s;ay again&s;t me. Perhaps (&s;aid <HI>Perinthus</HI> then, and looked &s;tedfa&s;tly upon her) you negotiate in behalf of &s;ome other, and perhaps al&s;o you have le&s;s intere&s;t then I have in the &s;ecret meaning of this Letter: I &s;hould have thought, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that a man who will not open his own &s;ecrets unto any, would not be &s;o pre&s;&s;ing to know the &s;ecrets of others: However it be, &s;aid he, I have &s;uch an extream de&s;ire to be &s;atisfied in what I ask of you, or that you will confe&s;s it unto me if I can gue&s;s at it, that there is nothing which I will not willingly do to oblige you unto it: Let me then know what you gue&s;s it to be, &s;aid &s;he, and afterwards I &s;hall know how far I can an&s;wer. As they were upon the&s;e tearms I chanced to enter., not knowing of any conte&s;t betwixt them: And &s;ince the Prince&s;s feared that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> had not writ unto <HI>Abradates</HI> obligingly e|nough, I came to tell her &s;he &s;hould not &s;eal up her Letter before &s;he &s;hewed it unto the Prince&s;s. To acquit my &s;elf of this imployment, I whi&s;pered my me&s;&s;age into her ear, but as low as I whi&s;pered it, <HI>Perinthus</HI> heard it as well as <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> So that comparing what I told <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> unto what he had read in her Letter, he believed that this Letter which the Prince&s;s de&s;ired to &s;ee, was the &s;ame which included his name, and he made no further &s;cruple of it, but that this my&s;terious Letter related unto the Prince&s;s and <HI>A|bradates. Dorali&s;a</HI> then offered to tell me the pa&s;&s;age vvhich vvas betvveen them, but <HI>Perinthus</HI> cared no more for this Rallary, and ri&s;ing up to go avvay: I need not ask you any more, (&s;aid he unto her) for I knovv it already, vvithout putting you to the trouble
<PB N="59" REF="408">
of telling it. <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;eeing a great alteration in his countenance, feared lea&s;t he &s;hould &s;peak &s;omething in prejudice of the Prince&s;s, and therefore &s;he &s;tayed him: Then tel|ling me in three vvords the &s;ubject of their quarrel, to let me under&s;tand vvhat I ought to &s;ay, and to per&s;vvade him al&s;o that there vvas no my&s;tery in the Letter, I did vvhat I could to make him believe all this vvas but a piece of <HI>Dorali&s;a's</HI> &s;porting Wit, vvhich vvas in a frolique humour; but I perceived he did not believe me, and &s;o certainly he left us. He vvas no &s;ooner gone out of the Chamber, but <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and I called him back a|gain. Upon a little con&s;ultation together, vve concluded it better that <HI>Perinthus</HI> alone &s;hould &s;u&s;pect &s;omething, then that he &s;hould tell this pa&s;&s;age unto &s;ome &s;uch men as vvould tell it unto a thou&s;and, vvhich might produce ill con&s;equences. <HI>Perinthus</HI> then being returned into <HI>Dorali&s;a's</HI> Chamber, we &s;eriou&s;ly entreated him not to reveal this pa&s;&s;age between him and her; telling him, (to the end he &s;hould not deny us, and al|&s;o to deceive him) that e're long we would acquaint him with the truth of the matter. No, no, (replied <HI>Perinthus</HI> with a hollow kind of expre&s;&s;ion) I will not reveal this &s;e|cret which is &s;o dear unto you, never fear it; I re&s;pect the per&s;on to whom it relates, more then to have any &s;uch thought. <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and I would have &s;aid more unto him, but he went away without giving us, or we giving him any other an&s;wer. In the mean time, we re&s;olved to hinder him from acquainting the Prince&s;s with this accident, le&s;t it &s;hould too much trouble her, and thought it better to comply with him, and tell exactly what he could gue&s;s it to be, yet we could not meet with a ready opportunity for it, for none that belonged to the Prince&s;s could &s;ee him that day, not that he had &s;hut up him&s;elf to con|ceal his melancholy, but that he was gone to &s;ee if he could di&s;cover whether any of <HI>Abradates</HI> his men were in <HI>Cla&s;omena;</HI> and indeed his que&s;t was not in vain, for he found out by a &s;trange chance, that there was a man lodged in the Captain of the Ca&s;tles hou&s;e, who would not be &s;een; &s;o that by inquiring who he was, he under&s;tood by a &s;ervant of the Captains, who was my Cozen, that this &s;tranger was to depart in the morn|ing after, that he came but the day before, that he came from <HI>Sardis,</HI> and that I had &s;poke with him in the Garden. I leave you to judg Madam after this, whether a man &s;o much in Love, and &s;o full of wit and &s;pirit as <HI>Perinthus</HI> was, would not conclude that there was a &s;ecret corre&s;pondency between <HI>Panthea</HI> and <HI>Abradates,</HI> he apprehended then the very truth, and &s;aw plainly that his name in <HI>Dorali&s;a's</HI> Letter was only an umbrage unto <HI>Panthea's</HI> name: It is a thing impo&s;&s;ible to expre&s;s the di&s;pair of <HI>Perinthus:</HI> Is it not mi|&s;ery enough, &s;aid he, that I dare not &s;o much as tell the per&s;on whom I adore, that I love her, but that I mu&s;t be al&s;o per&s;ecuted with a thou&s;and &s;ad circum&s;tances, which add bitter aggravations unto all my &s;orrows? Mu&s;t no name but mine colour the favours which the Prince&s;s whom I adore confers upon my Rival? Fie, fie, I cannot endure it: And the truth is Madam, this trivial incon&s;iderable pa&s;&s;age did &s;o perplex him, that he was beyond all patience: Love does infu&s;e &s;o much folly &amp; weakne&s;s into the &s;pirits of the mo&s;t compleat men, that he had not been half &s;o much &s;tung, if the Prince&s;s had expre&s;&s;ed her favors unto <HI>Abradates</HI> by any other name then his. This bitter thought did &s;o corrode upon his heart, that he intended to de&s;ire the Prince&s;s not to u&s;e his name any more in her Leters; and to that end, the next morning he came unto her lodging, but &s;o melancholy and alter|ed, that <HI>Panthea</HI> thinking he had been ill, did mo&s;t obligingly ask him how he did, tel|ling him &s;he &s;hould be extreamly &s;orry he &s;hould fall &s;ick: Whil'&s;t &s;he was recovering her health, and that &s;he intended as he brought her from <HI>Sardis</HI> to <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> &s;o he &s;hould carry her back again from <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> to <HI>Sardis. Perinthus</HI> received the&s;e marks of friend|&s;hip from the Prince&s;s very re&s;pectively, but with &s;o much &s;adne&s;s in his face, that it was evident there was as much in his &s;oul. In the mean while, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and I did &s;earch for him all that day, and it chanced when he came, that the Prince&s;s was gone into her Clo|&s;et with <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and &s;ome <HI>Cla&s;omenian</HI> Ladies, and <HI>Perinthus</HI> and my &s;elf were alone together, in a Tarra&s;s clo&s;e by the Chamber: There we &s;ilently &s;tood both of us, in expectation what either would &s;ay unto the other: At la&s;t, &s;eeing <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;o bu&s;ie with his own thoughts, that he minded nothing; I &s;poke fir&s;t unto him, and I asked him whether he was de&s;irous I &s;hould keep my word, and tell him what he had &s;o much de&s;ire to know? No <HI>Pherenice,</HI> &s;aid he, and &s;ighed I know too much already; but I have one favour to ask, which I be&s;eech you do not deny me: If it be both ju&s;t and po&s;|&s;ible, (&s;aid I unto him) you &s;hall certainly obtain it: Then I conjure you, (replied he) to let <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> u&s;e my name no more in writing unto that per&s;on &s;he writ la&s;t; and it is much better for he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> to make u&s;e of any other to hide that which &s;he would have kept
<PB N="60" REF="409">
a &s;ecret, for this may prejudice me more then &s;he is aware of: I would have de&s;ired the &s;ame of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> her &s;elf, but her humour is &s;uch, that &s;he never hears me but in way of je&s;t; and therefore I addre&s;s my &s;elf unto you, who being of a le&s;s frolique di&s;po&s;ition, has doubtle&s;s a more tender &s;oul to be moved at the de&s;ires of your friends. <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;poke after &s;uch a mournful manner, as I perceived by his tone the &s;adne&s;s of his heart, which moved mine to pity him: So that an&s;wering him as &s;weetly as I could, to the end I might thereby oblige him to a confidence in me: <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid I unto him) I &s;hall ea&s;ily obtain what you de&s;ire of <HI>Dorali&s;a;</HI> and &s;ince you do forbid her to &s;peak all the good of you &s;he plea&s;eth, when occa&s;ion &s;hall happen, I do a&s;&s;ure you, &s;he &s;hall u&s;e your name no more when &s;he writes unto her friend, for I know &s;he infinitely e&s;teems you, and would not upon any tearms give you any offence: But pray tell me, Why are you &s;o incen&s;ed again&s;t her for u&s;ing your name, at a time that &s;he could not take any o|ther that &s;he knew better? <HI>Pherenice,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, if you will make me a firm pro|mi&s;e of fidelity, I will impart part of my thoughts unto you: I will &s;eriou&s;ly make that promi&s;e, (&s;aid I unto him) provided you conceal nothing from me: Since you never imparted any thing at all to me (replied he) I dare not di&s;cover all I know unto you, unle&s;s you fir&s;t vow &s;ecre&s;ie. I think after this <HI>Perinthus</HI> intended to tell me he loved the Prince&s;s; and &s;ince I longed to hear him &s;peak of his pa&s;&s;ion, that I might endeavour to cure him of it, I promi&s;ed and vowed all he de&s;ired&mdash;After which, looking &s;tedfa&s;tly up|on me: Is it not true <HI>Pherenice</HI> (&s;aid he unto me with a &s;adne&s;s in his eyes, as would have moved the mo&s;t incen&s;ible &s;o ul to pity him) that the Letter which <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> writ, was unto <HI>Abradates?</HI> and that the name of mi&s;erable <HI>Perinthus</HI> was u&s;ed only to um|brage the name of the adoreable <HI>Panthea: Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid I unto him, and interrupt|ed him) you do not keep within the limits of our conditions, for I promi&s;ed not to re|veal any &s;ecret you &s;hall impart unto me; for I perceive by the very beginning of your di&s;cour&s;e, that you are &s;o far from imparting and tru&s;ting me, that you de&s;ire I &s;hould impart and tru&s;t you. Con&s;ider well <HI>Perinthus</HI> what you &s;ay, and do not begin your di&s;|cour&s;e with any que&s;tions, if you de&s;ire I &s;hould an&s;wer you: Neither, to tell you tru|ly, do I very well under&s;tand, though what you &s;uppo&s;e were true, what prejudice it would be to you, though your name were placed in lieu of <HI>Panthea's.</HI> If the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> (replied he very faintly) &s;hould by any accident meet with one of tho&s;e Letters, might he not &s;u&s;pect me of holding &s;ome intelligence, and that I did betray him? I, I &s;ay, unto whom he has &s;aid a hundred times, he would not have the Prince&s;s marry <HI>Abradates:</HI> Ha <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid I unto him) Have you not profe&s;&s;ed your &s;elf &s;o obliged unto the &s;ervice of the Prince&s;s, as that you ought to wi&s;h well unto <HI>Abradates,</HI> if you did believe &s;he looked favourably upon him? Yes, and &s;o you would, if you had not &s;ome other &s;ecret rea&s;on, which I perceive well enough, and for your tranquilities &s;ake wi&s;h were not true: Yes, yes, <HI>Perinthus,</HI> you do love <HI>Panthea,</HI> and &s;ome &s;parks of jealou&s;ie per&s;wades you that &s;he loves <HI>Abradates:</HI> This is it that makes you take it &s;o ill, your name &s;hould be u&s;ed in a Letter which you think is unto that Prince: I have long &s;ince perceived the pa&s;&s;ion in you to her, yet I knew no rea&s;on you had to tru&s;t none with it, but to &s;mother that fire which con&s;umes you, a little &s;park if covered, will grow to a great flame, but a great fire will not hurt, if not covered; therefore let me per&s;wade you ingenuou&s;ly to confe&s;s it unto me, otherwi&s;e you will induce me to tell the Prince&s;s all I know: If you will tru&s;t me, added I, I &s;hall promi&s;e you an inviolable fidelity; and if you will not, I do prote&s;t, that as &s;oon as I am parted from you, I will tell the Prince&s;s that I think you are in Love with her, and &s;hall give her &s;uch evidences of the truth in it, that perhaps &s;he will forbid you ever &s;eeing her again. <HI>Perinthus</HI> hearing me &s;ay &s;o, looked attentively upon me, and &s;poke not a word: He con&s;idered which was the more advantageous for him, to confe&s;s, or not confe&s;s, that he loved her: If I con|fe&s;s it, &s;aid he, perhaps &s;he will tell, and if &s;he tell I am undone: But if I do not con|fe&s;s &s;he will the &s;ooner tell, and my ruine is the more inevitable, both wayes ruin'd, what &s;hall I do? Then afterwards, imagining I would never be &s;o importunate to know a thing which I would condemn in him, he began to flatter him&s;elf with a bottomle&s;s hope of he knew not what, and an&s;wer me enigmatically. When I &s;aw his &s;oul begin to &s;tagger, I pre&s;&s;ed him further, and that &s;o home, that I &s;aid the Prince&s;s &s;hould pre|&s;ently know he was in Love with her, if he would not acknowledg it to me. At la&s;t, af|ter he had made me &s;olemnly &s;wear that I would never di&s;cover what he would tell me,
<PB N="61" REF="409">
neither unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> nor the Prince&s;s, nor any el&s;e what&s;oever, he promi&s;ed to lay open the whole truth unto me; yet fir&s;t I declared unto him that I would engage my &s;elf no further then to be faithful unto him, and to comfort him; but not to further him in his pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>Perhaps Madam you will ask me why I would urge <HI>Perinthus</HI> to confe&s;s his Love; to which I an&s;wer, Becau&s;e I thought it would be a con&s;iderable &s;ervice unto the Prince&s;s, if I could &s;crue my &s;elf into the credit of a man who had &s;uch a prevalency with the Prince her Father; and I could be an in&s;trument to prevent any hurt to <HI>Abradates,</HI> whom I knew he did not love: Al&s;o I hoped that my advice might perhaps happily cure him of that di&s;|ea&s;e which did &s;o much torment him, and would be his Ruine: So that my ends were ra|ther at the Prince&s;s &s;ervice, and the tranquility of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> then out of any curio&s;ity that I de&s;ired to know the &s;ecrets of his heart: however <HI>Perinthus</HI> confe&s;&s;ed his pa&s;&s;ion unto me; related all his raptures, and told me all his thoughts: So that after he had expre&s;&s;ed the grandure of his pa&s;&s;ion, his purity and con&s;tancy, Judg <HI>Pherenice,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, whether I had not good rea&s;on to de&s;ire that my Name &s;hould not be employed to make <HI>Abradates</HI> happy. <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid I unto him with much &s;weetne&s;s, to the end I might in&s;inuate my &s;elf into his opinion) I am very much obliged to you for letting me know that from your own mouth which I &s;o much de&s;ired, and I a&s;&s;ure you that I will conceal this &s;ecret wherewith you have entru&s;ted me, as clo&s;ely as you can your &s;elf. Ah <HI>Pherenice</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) perhaps you will keep it too clo&s;ely; and I do not know whether at the &s;ame time I de&s;ire you to conceal it, I &s;hould not al&s;o entreat you to tell it unto the&mdash;At this word <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;topt, not being able to pronounce the word <HI>Prince&s;s;</HI> then pre|&s;ently reprehending him&s;elf, No, no <HI>Pherenice,</HI> &s;aid he to me, do not mind my raving, but my rea&s;on, which bids me rather dye for my adored <HI>Panthea,</HI> and never to let her know I dye for her; therefore be as faithful as your promi&s;e, and let me only have the comfort to &s;peak unto her whom &s;he loves of the torments which my pa&s;&s;ion puts upon me: in the mean time, as I will not entreat you to render me any good office unto the Prince&s;s, &s;o do not you entreat me to be &s;erviceable unto <HI>Abradates.</HI> The ca&s;e is not the &s;ame, replyed I, for if I undertake to do you any good office to the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea,</HI> I &s;hould ab&s;olutely ruine you, &s;o you &s;hould ask me a thing impo&s;&s;ible: but if I entreat you to do a good office for <HI>Abradates</HI> unto the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> I do entreat you to do a thing which may ea&s;ily be done. Ea&s;ily (replyed <HI>Perinthus</HI> ha&s;tily,) ah <HI>Pherenice,</HI> you do not know how difficult it is to do a good office for a Rival, and e&s;pecially a favored Rival. But <HI>Pe|rinthus,</HI> replyed I, would you have the Prince&s;s marry a man &s;he hates? I would &s;he were contented, replyed he, but for a comfort unto my mi&s;eries I would &s;he would marry none. As we were thus in di&s;cour&s;e, the Prince&s;s came out of her Clo&s;et, and went into the Garden to take the ayr, whither I followed her, but not <HI>Perinthus,</HI> but he retired as full of &s;hame, as if the Prince&s;s did divine what he had told me. <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who had ob&s;erved the di&s;cour&s;e which we had together, did ask me what it was: but though &s;he and I had promi&s;ed each other to render an account of what we &s;hould di&s;cover concerning <HI>Perin|thus;</HI> yet I did not think my &s;elf obliged to tell her what I had vowed unto him to con|ceal; and indeed I told her nothing but what I knew before he had di&s;covered him&s;elf un|to me. After this, <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;poke ofter unto me then he u&s;ed, though he was ever one of my good friends: but what arguments and addre&s;&s;es &s;oever he u&s;ed to know of me up|on what terms <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;tood in <HI>Panthea</HI>'s minds, I did not tell him one word; and as he was one day importuning me, Peace <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid I unto him) and never ask me that which I would never tell you though I did know it: and be a&s;&s;ured of this, that as I will never betray your tru&s;t, &s;o I will never betray the Prince&s;s, unto whom I owe a greater fide|lity then unto you; and indeed from this time he dur&s;t never ask me any more que&s;tions. Some few days after, he received a Letter from <HI>Andramites,</HI> which let him know that
<HI>Mexaris</HI> had a little cla&s;hed with the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> and that he was gone unto one of his hou&s;es, &s;ome two days journey from <HI>Sardis:</HI> &s;o that <HI>Perinthus</HI> did not well know whether he &s;hould be &s;ad or glad at it: for when he con&s;idered <HI>Mexaris</HI> as one that was in hopes to enjoy <HI>Panthea,</HI> he was very glad he was faln foul with the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena;</HI> but when he con&s;idered him as an ob&s;tacle unto the hopes of <HI>Abradates,</HI> he was &s;orry that <HI>Mexaris</HI> was not in that Princes favour. Yet notwith&s;tanding all this, his hopes that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would never con&s;ent that <HI>Panthea</HI> &s;hould marry either <HI>Mexaris</HI> or <HI>Abradates,</HI> did procure him &s;ome con&s;olation; yet it may well be &s;aid that he never enjoyed any plea&s;ing hours: not only becau&s;e he had many real mi&s;eries upon him, but becau&s;e he &s;ucked bitter
<PB N="62" REF="410">
poy&s;on out of every thing; and when the Prince&s;s was recovered he grieved in lieu of re|joycing at it, fore&s;eeing that the return of her health would be her return to <HI>S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rd<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s. Phe|renice</HI> (&s;aid he one day unto me when the Prince&s;s had fre&s;her Ro&s;es in her cheeks then ere &s;he had &s;ince her &s;ickne&s;s paled them) am not I a mo&s;t mi&s;erable man to &s;ee that the Prince&s;s is a more poli&s;hed beauty by her &s;ickne&s;s? had it impaired her, <HI>Abradates</HI> perhaps would have le&s;&s;ened his Love to her, and that if &s;he had perceived it &s;he would have had le&s;s good will to him: but alas, I am too unfortunate to &s;ee that, for &s;he will return to <HI>Sardis</HI> more gloriou&s;ly fair then when &s;he came from it. You may ea&s;ily imagine by this Madam, how much that man was tormented, who grieved at the beauty and welfare of the per&s;on he loved. Within a few days after we departed, and <HI>Perinthus</HI> appeared &s;o me|lancholy, that if I had not known the &s;ecret of his heart, I &s;hould have thought he had left the object of all his affections behind him: <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> al&s;o began to chide him extream|ly the fir&s;t day of our Journey, and truly that helped us to pa&s;s on with much more plea|&s;ure: for as oft as <HI>Perinthus,</HI> who was on hor&s;eback, came near the Prince&s;s Coach, from which he was never far off, &s;he told him of a thou&s;and plea&s;ant pa&s;&s;ages, unto which he would an&s;wer with &s;uch a fretting chafe as made the be&s;t &s;port in the world. The fir&s;t days Journey being thus pa&s;t, we continued the next; but alas, it was not &s;o plea&s;ant: For be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that being come into a thick dark Forre&s;t, in a place wher<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> was a great Pond, which we left upon the right hand, and which being &s;hadowed with the thick Wood, was both a mo&s;t plea&s;ing and a mo&s;t terrible object: Be plea&s;ed to know, I &s;ay, that being come unto this place, we &s;aw upon our left hand come from divers places of the Forre&s;t forty or fifty men on hor&s;eback with &s;words in their hands; one of which I pre|&s;ently knew to be the Prince <HI>Mexaris;</HI> who commanded the Coachman of the Prince&s;s Coach to &s;tay; which accordingly he did, becau&s;e he thought he could do no other: for Madam, you mu&s;t know, the Prince&s;s in this voyage had but one Coach, full of women, be&s;ides her own; fifteen hor&s;emen, and &s;ome footmen, but very few: 'Tis true, <HI>Perinthus</HI> might well be counted for more then one man, con&s;idering the prodigious acts he did that day: he no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Mexaris</HI> come with a &s;word in his hand, and in the head of all his men (who in coming out of the Wood rallied about him) but he put him&s;elf in a po&s;ture of defence, and calling all the Prince&s;s men together, he &s;tood between the Coach and the Prince <HI>Mexaris,</HI> who had no &s;ooner commanded the Coach to &s;tay, but <HI>Perinthus</HI> advanced towards him with his Sword lifted up; <HI>Mexaris</HI> retreated a pace or two; and endeavor|ing to carry away the Prince&s;s without blood&s;hed, or perhaps without expo&s;ing him&s;elf: <HI>Perinthus</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) do not force me to ruine you, nor make any vain re&s;i&s;tance again&s;t a man who is in a condition to force you unto obedience. No, no, Sir, &s;aid <HI>Per<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n|thus,</HI> I have but a life to manage, and you &s;hall not take away the Prince&s;s as long as <HI>Pe|rinthus</HI> lives. While&s;t <HI>Mexaris</HI> was keeping <HI>Perinthus</HI> in talk, four of his men went to the Coach, which <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;eeing, without any more ado he fell upon <HI>Mexaris,</HI> crying out he &s;hould not find it an ea&s;ie matter to carry <HI>Panthea</HI> away as long as he lived: and indeed he a&s;&s;aulted him with &s;uch fury, as <HI>Mexaris</HI> &s;tood in need of all his men to relieve him, as afterward we under&s;tood by one of the Prince&s;s men. As for us, Madam, vve vvere in &s;uch a fright, that vve knevv not vvhat vve &s;avv: For my part, I only &s;avv a great confu&s;ion, and heard a hideous noi&s;e. The mo&s;t advantagious thing for us vvas, that tho&s;e men vvho <HI>Mexaris</HI> commanded to &s;eize upon the Prince&s;s vvhile&s;t the re&s;t fought, &s;eeing their Ma&s;ter engaged in a Fight, of vvhich they knevv not the event notvvith&s;tanding the inequality of number, they let us alone, and re&s;olved to &s;tay till they &s;avv the Victory more certain, contenting them&s;elves vvith keeping the Coaches from &s;tirring avvay: but the longer they &s;tayed, the vveaker and fevver their Party grevv: for <HI>Perinthus</HI> fought vvith &s;uch magnanimous courage, that I have heard certainly reported, he killed &s;ix of <HI>Mexaris</HI> his men with his own hands, being wounded him&s;elf in &s;everal places: Tho&s;e who &s;econded him did play their parts very well; &s;ince of fifteen men which he had, three were killed, and four more out of fight, he had no other hope left but to dye in defending the Prince&s;s: &s;o that fighting in de&s;peration, he did &s;uch things as I knovv not hovv to re|late unto you. As the poor <HI>Perinthus</HI> vvas thus engaged, he &s;avv &s;ome Caviliers gallop|ing to the place vvhere he fought, and &s;ince he que&s;tioned not but that they belonged unto <HI>Mexaris,</HI> he gave him&s;elf for lo&s;t: yet de&s;iring to &s;ell his life at as dear a rate as he could, and to kill <HI>Mexaris</HI> before he vvas killed him&s;elf, he advanced tovvards him vvith &s;uch a fury in &s;pite of all his men vvhich &s;urrounded him, and engaged him&s;elf &s;o among&s;t the&s;e Ravi&s;hers, that if <HI>Abradates,</HI> in the head of tho&s;e Caviliers vvhich <HI>Perinthus</HI> took to be|long
<PB N="63" REF="410">
unto <HI>Mexaris</HI> had not come in to his relief, the poor <HI>Perinthus</HI> had died there. But this Prince vvas no &s;ooner come up vvith tvventy hor&s;e, then the &s;tate of things did put on a nevv face; fore&s;eeing <HI>Perinthus</HI> in danger, he made &s;treight to him, and clearly di&s;in|gaged him.</P>
<P>To pre&s;ent unto you Madam the a&s;toni&s;hment of <HI>Mexaris,</HI> of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> of us, and every one, to &s;ee <HI>Abradates</HI> in that place, is more then language can reach unto, <HI>Mex|aris</HI> then thought the Gods re&s;olved his ruine, <HI>Panthea</HI> hoped they would pre&s;erve her, and <HI>Perinthus</HI> told me &s;ince, that when he &s;aw <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;ave his life, he was &s;o extream|ly full of &s;orrow, that he had a mind to fight again&s;t him as well as again&s;t <HI>Mexaris,</HI> who &s;ince the arrival of the Prince of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> thought it di&s;cretion to retreat, &s;ince he was wounded, and neither in a condition to carry away his Prince&s;s, nor fight with his Rival, yet he was hotly pur&s;ued: But &s;ince the principal de&s;ign of <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Perinthus</HI> was only to pre&s;erve the Prince&s;s, they dur&s;t not venture to &s;catter them&s;elves in the thick of the Forre&s;t; So that returning again towards her, &s;he called them her Deliverers, and rendred them a million of thanks for the &s;ervice which they had done her: Then, as &s;he ob&s;erved, that <HI>Abradates</HI> by his arrival had &s;aved the life of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> &s;he rendred him no le&s;s thanks for that, then for keeping her out of the power of <HI>Mexaris:</HI> And &s;ince &s;he did apprehend with abundance of tenderne&s;s all that <HI>Perinthus</HI> had done for her, &s;he did accept it with great acknowledgments. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Perinthus</HI> looking upon <HI>Abradates,</HI> as upon him that had reaped the fruit of all his pains, he almo&s;t repented of what he had done, and perhaps rather wi&s;hed <HI>Mexaris</HI> had carried away the Prince&s;s, then that <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;hould &s;hare with him in the glory of defending her, or that for his particular he &s;hould owe his life unto him. Since that place was not very plea&s;ant for us to &s;tay in, where nothing was to be &s;een but dead and dying men: After all the&s;e com|plements were tumultuou&s;ly addre&s;&s;ed, after the Prince&s;s had asked <HI>Abradates</HI> what acci|dent brought him &s;o happily thither, and after he had told her that it was, becau&s;e he was informed of <HI>Mexaris</HI> his de&s;ign, by one of his Dome&s;tiques, therefore he imme|diately mounted hor&s;e to oppo&s;e him, then the Coach went on. <HI>Abradates</HI> leaving &s;ome of his men to take care of tho&s;e that were not yet dead, as well enemies as friends; al&s;o to relieve the one, and &s;ecure the other: But as they were going on, the Prince&s;s per|ceived that <HI>Perinthus</HI> was wounded in his left hand, and that he lo&s;t blood enough to weaken him, and therefore &s;he cau&s;ed her Coach to &s;tay, and cau&s;ing him to come in, I gave him a Scarf to bind up his hand. Thus the fir&s;t Liberator of <HI>Panthea</HI> was in the Coach, and the Liberator of <HI>Perinthus</HI> and <HI>Panthea</HI> both rid by them, and could not chu&s;e but render thanks unto this &s;ecret Lover for &s;o well defending the Prince&s;s: But a|las, what hollow-hearted an&s;wers did the poor <HI>Perinthus</HI> return unto all the civilities of <HI>Abradates;</HI> The only con&s;olation he had was &s;ometimes to look upon me, and to let me &s;ee the &s;orrows of his heart in his eyes: At the fir&s;t habitable place we came at, the Prince&s;s &s;tayed to dre&s;s the hand of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> the blood being not yet quite &s;tanched; after which we went on. I had forgot to tell you Madam, how after the combat was ended, we found one of <HI>Mexaris</HI> his men di&s;mounted, of whom we &s;eized, and whom <HI>Abradates</HI> cau&s;ed to be brought unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> might be better inform'd of all pa&s;&s;ages. I will not tell you Madam, how extreamly that Prince was incen&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Mexaris,</HI> when he heard of his intentions to take away <HI>Panthea,</HI> nor how the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> was &s;urprized, grieved, and angry: But give me leave to tell you that which indeed is admirable, for <HI>Perinthus</HI> who did what he could to kill <HI>Mexaris,</HI> did now u&s;e all endeavours po&s;&s;ible by the means of <HI>Andramites,</HI> to appea&s;e <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> upon no o|ther motive, but only to make him an ob&s;tacle unto <HI>Abradates.</HI> Thus the mi&s;erable <HI>Pe|rinthus,</HI> (as generous as he was) was forced by the violence of his pa&s;&s;ion to further him who&s;e life he would have taken away, and to hinder him unto whom he was a debtor for his own, yet was he not able to effect the one nor the other; for be&s;ides that, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was highly incen&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Mexaris</HI> for offering not only to marry <HI>Panthea</HI> contrary to his commands, but to &s;teal her away: There happened another oppo&s;ition, for the Prin|ce&s;s fearing le&s;t <HI>Mexaris</HI> &s;hould return to <HI>Sardis,</HI> and make his peace, &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Dora|li&s;a</HI> to treat <HI>Andramites</HI> a little better, and to de&s;ire him that he would keep the King in his angry mind again&s;t <HI>Mexaris,</HI> which accordingly &s;he did; and <HI>Andramites</HI> the next morning went unto <HI>Perinthus,</HI> and told him that he could not &s;atisfie his de&s;ires, becau&s;e <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> de&s;ired of him the quite contrary; therefore he told him, that vvhere the ca&s;e of a Mi&s;tri&s;s and a friend comes in competition, he &s;hould not think him&s;elf unju&s;t, in
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giving the precedency unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> before him: You may imagine Madam, hovv &s;ad <HI>Perinthus</HI> vvas at this nevvs; for he knevv very vvell <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> vvould never have made this de&s;ire, but at the in&s;tance of the Prince&s;s: Seeing then he could not oblige his friend unto his de&s;ires, yet he &s;olicited him to keep <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> &s;till unto his de&s;ign of not con&s;ent|ing that <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;hould marry <HI>Panthea;</HI> and indeed <HI>Andramites</HI> did promi&s;e him to &s;a|tisfie that de&s;ire, provided <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> did not move him to oppo&s;e that al&s;o. This tran&s;a|ction of <HI>Perinthus</HI> did not proceed from any vvillingne&s;s to prejudice a Prince unto vvhom he vvas &s;o much obliged, but the con&s;ideration that he vvas his hindrance from po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing the Prince&s;s, was above all other con&s;iderations what&s;oever: He never acquainted me with this negotiation, but only with the mi&s;eries which he endured. In the mean while, that dangerous poy&s;on which was in his &s;oul, did &s;o invenom his wound that it would not heal, and his hand was as &s;ore as his heart; he grew weak, pale, and langui&s;hing, being in a gentle Fever, which never intermitted one moment: But whil'&s;t he endured all the&s;e &s;ecret maladies, <HI>Abradates</HI> was much happier then he u&s;ed to be; for the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> knowing what he had done for the Prince&s;s his Daughter, did treat him in|comparably better then ordinary, and could not in any civility forbid him the vi&s;iting <HI>Panthea,</HI> with whom his hours were much more &s;weet &s;ince <HI>Mexaris</HI> was not pre&s;ent. It &s;eemed that Prince, (who was retired unto a Town, the Governour whereof was his creature) was dangerou&s;ly wounded, &s;o that there being no fears of his return, <HI>Abra|dates</HI> enjoyed as many plea&s;ures as <HI>Perinthus</HI> did &s;orrows; yet had he this bitter ingredi|ent among&s;t his &s;weets, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was no better di&s;po&s;ed then u&s;ual to con&s;ent unto his Marriage with <HI>Panthea,</HI> &s;o that he had &s;ome Cloudy daies as well as many Sun-&s;hine. After he had lived thus &s;ome certain time, he under&s;tood that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> having conferred with the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> at la&s;t gave him leave to return, and to carry the Prince&s;s his Daughter with him, to the end that ab&s;ence might extingui&s;h the pa&s;&s;ion in <HI>Abrada|tes</HI> his &s;oul: <HI>Perinthus</HI> you may imagine did not oppo&s;e this de&s;ign, but on the contra|ry, did &s;o zealou&s;ly prompt the Prince his Ma&s;ter unto it, and al&s;o &s;et <HI>Andramites</HI> upon <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> to ha&s;ten it, that the voyage was talked on as a thing certainly re&s;olved upon: So that when <HI>Abradates</HI> thought him&s;elf neere&s;t his happine&s;s, he feared to be furthe&s;t off it. The Prince&s;s was extreamly troubled at this re&s;olution, in&s;omuch as &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Do|rali&s;a</HI> to be extreamly urgent with <HI>Andramites</HI> to prevent this journey: For my particu|lar, without either telling the Prince&s;s or <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> I &s;poke unto <HI>Perinthus,</HI> and told him, that I found no di&s;po&s;ition in him to &s;atisfie my de&s;ires: Then he told me at fir&s;t, how knowing that both <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> for &s;ome rea&s;ons of State, would never &s;uffer <HI>Panthea</HI> to marry <HI>Abradates;</HI> and therefore he thought it &s;erviceable to the Prince&s;s to negotiate that &s;he might be further off him, le&s;t any longer conver&s;ation with this Prince &s;hould too much ingage her heart. Moreover, the Prince his Ma&s;ter, de&s;ired not to let &s;lip this favourable opportunity to return into his own Dominions, and get out of that place where he had not liberty to retire him&s;elf without this rea&s;on: In &s;hort, he told me &s;o many things, and &s;o hand&s;omely, that any other be&s;ides my &s;elf would have believed that Love had no part in all his actions: But in the conclu&s;ion he ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;&s;ed, that to &s;eparate <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Panthea</HI> was his main de&s;ign, which prompted him unto all he did; but he told me all this in &s;uch violent raptures of Love, that as an|gry as I was again&s;t him, I could not quarrel with him, as I thought I &s;hould. In the mean time, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> having &s;olicited <HI>Andramites,</HI> and imployed all the power &s;he had over him, to cau&s;e this voyage to be broken off, telling him it was meerly in con&s;idera|tion of her own intere&s;t, becau&s;e &s;he was to lo&s;e the Prince&s;s: <HI>Andramites</HI> told her, he could not do her the &s;ervice he de&s;ired, for the voyage was &s;o ab&s;olutely re&s;olved upon, that it was impo&s;&s;ible to prevent it. Now you may imagine <HI>Abradates</HI> all &s;orrows, and <HI>Panthea</HI> was not without her &s;hare, for &s;he perceived that the de&s;igns of tho&s;e that tran&s;|acted her &s;eparation from <HI>Abradates</HI> was, that they &s;hould never Marry, and therefore not to &s;ee each other; yet &s;ince &s;he had a high and con&s;tant &s;oul, &s;he did &s;o hide her own &s;orrows, that thereby &s;he augmented the &s;orrows of <HI>Abradates;</HI> he conceived that his Love de&s;erved at lea&s;t a melancholy look from her, if perhaps not tears from her eyes: He &s;ighed and &s;orrowed &s;o exce&s;&s;ively at her in&s;en&s;ibility, that the Prince&s;s to pacifie him, was plea&s;ed to meet him at <HI>Dorali&s;a's</HI> hou&s;e, le&s;t he &s;hould run into &s;ome violent re&s;olu|tion; for &s;ince the Prince&s;s had but two daies to &s;tay in <HI>Sardis,</HI> time was very precious with them, he came then to <HI>Dornli&s;a's</HI> hou&s;e, and &s;aw her &s;o &s;ad all that day, as he had good rea&s;on to be &s;atisfied at the tenderne&s;s of her affection, and more then him&s;elf had
<PB N="65" REF="411">
at the cro&s;&s;ne&s;s of his fortune: This Meeting was extreamly &s;ad, and the parting was in|&s;upportable, not only becau&s;e they were to be ab&s;ent, but becau&s;e their ab&s;ence had no limits; and &s;ince the Prince&s;s would never be enduced to do any thing contrary to her duty, &s;he told <HI>Abradates,</HI> who did extreamly importune her, that &s;he would not &s;uffer him to come and &s;ee her in a di&s;gui&s;e.</P>
<P>At la&s;t Madam, after all was &s;aid that could be, between two per&s;ons who were re&s;olved to love for ever, and who feared never to meet again, they parted: For though <HI>Abradates</HI> was to make a ceremonious Vi&s;it unto the Prince&s;s to bid her adieu, he valued that but as an empty &s;uper&s;tition, &s;ince he knew he could not then talk in private with her; &s;o that when &s;he left him at <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI>'s hou&s;e, he looked upon her like a Statue, and as if he would have &s;unk with &s;orrow: As &s;oon as &s;he was gone, &s;ome of the &s;ervants of <HI>Abradates</HI> came to tell him, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> &s;ent all about to enquire for him: but &s;ince the mind of <HI>Abra|dates</HI> was much incen&s;ed again&s;t that Prince, he bade them tell tho&s;e that looked for him, that they could not find him; and &s;o he &s;tayed above two hours with <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> talking of the Prince&s;s, and the mi&s;erable condition he was in: after which, he went to <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> who carrying him into his Clo&s;et with extraordinary civility, told him, that his fortunes now looked with another face, and that he &s;hould receive a Letter from the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> which would tell him that the Prince his Brother, and the King his Father were both dead, and that he was to be King: This News did extreamly &s;urprize <HI>Abradates,</HI> and moved him unto much &s;orrow; for though the&s;e two dead Princes had in their lives been both extreamly unju&s;t and rigorous in exiling him, yet natural affection did produce &s;uch effects in him as u&s;eth to be in generous per&s;ons; &s;o that he received the news of his being King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> with a mixture of &s;ome &s;orrows; but yet &s;uch &s;orrows as were not above his Rea&s;on. <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> told him, that the man who brought this news had a Letter for him from the Queen his Mother; who &s;ent this me&s;&s;age in particular, that &s;he con|ceived it expedient for him to &s;tay yet in <HI>Sardis,</HI> until four Grandees of his Kingdom, who would &s;et forth within three days, were come to de&s;ire him in the Name of all his People, That he would plea&s;e to come and take upon him that Scepter which the King his Father had left him, who the la&s;t hour of his life did expre&s;s his Repentance for exiling him, and did declare him his legitimate Succe&s;&s;or; &s;ince he lived three days after his elde&s;t Son, who only cau&s;ed that bad under&s;tanding between them. After <HI>Abradates</HI> knew all the&s;e things, he retired to his Lodging with a mind full of various apprehen&s;ions, &s;o that at fir&s;t he could not him&s;elf well tell what he thought. Since it was now very late, very few did know this news that night: but the next morning there was not one which did not know that <HI>Abradates</HI> was King of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> and rejoyced at it: <HI>Perinthus</HI> him&s;elf was glad, becau&s;e he flattered him&s;elf with an imagination that <HI>Abradates</HI> would be forced to depart that very day, and that perhaps ambition and ab&s;ence might root out of his heart all thoughts of Love unto the Prince&s;s: &s;o that I do verily think &s;he apprehended fewer joys at the good fortune of <HI>Abradates,</HI> then <HI>Perinthus</HI> did; becau&s;e &s;he feared le&s;t the change of that Prince&s;s condition &s;hould work any mutable effects upon his heart. In the mean while, though all the World rejoyced that he was King; yet was he forced to a ceremonious Mourning, and to go and grieve at the very &s;ame thing which they in his pre&s;ence rejoyced at: The Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> went to him, and &s;o did <HI>Perinthus</HI> al&s;o, hoping always that as for <HI>Abradates,</HI> in mounting his Throne, every &s;tep unto it was a &s;tep further from <HI>Panthea:</HI> The Prince&s;s for her part &s;ent to vi&s;it him, and to te&s;tifie unto him the &s;hare of joys &s;he took in the happine&s;s which had befallen him, and that &s;he her &s;elf with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lidia</HI> would come and congratulate with him. But &s;ince this Com|plement was only &s;uch a one as Ceremony and Civility might exact from her, <HI>Abradates</HI> was not fully &s;atisfied with it; but had rather &s;he had &s;ent unto him by &s;ome more tru&s;ty Me&s;&s;enger, who &s;hould have told him &s;omething in private from her. In the mean time, &s;ince the Prince&s;s was to depart within two days, his Soul &s;eemed to be in a very Hell: for be&s;ides, that it vvas not hand&s;om for him to go &s;o &s;oon either to her Lodging or <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI>'s, he thought it le&s;s hand&s;ome to talk of any Marriage before the Deputies from <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> had addre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves, and &s;o &s;oon after the death of two Princes vvho vvere &s;o near him; this he conceived to be out of all rea&s;on. In the mean time, his Love to <HI>Panthea</HI> was &s;o predominate, that he con&s;ulted not a minute vvith him&s;elf vvhat to do, for he vvas fully re&s;olved, as &s;oon as he was King, to make her Queen; and not to accept of the Crown but to put in upon her head: On the other &s;ide, <HI>Perinthus</HI> did pre&s;s the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;o|mena</HI> vvith all his arguments to be gone from <HI>Sardis;</HI> but as good fortune for this Prince
<PB N="66" REF="412">
vvas, he fell &s;o &s;ick that the Journey was deferred: This vvas no &s;mall joy unto <HI>Abra|dates,</HI> vvho novv &s;avv there vvas no &s;uch great ha&s;te required in his Tran&s;actions. But Madam, as it is the cu&s;tom of the World to judg too ra&s;hly upon the thoughts of others, &s;o, for tvvo days after this nevvs vvas brought unto <HI>Abradates,</HI> one vvould have &s;aid that he never had any thoughts of <HI>Panthea;</HI> and the conceit of it did &s;o plea&s;ingly flatter up <HI>Perinthus,</HI> that he re&s;ented real joys. While&s;t the&s;e hopes vvere &s;moothing his fancy, the Deputies from <HI>Su&s;a</HI> arrived; who after they had pre&s;ented unto <HI>Abradates</HI> the fidelity of all his Subjects, rendered thanks unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> from their Queen for the protection which he had given him during his unju&s;t Exile, and a&s;&s;ured him that &s;he would always re&s;ent it as a great obligation upon her. After this <HI>Abradates,</HI> who had no mind to &s;end either unto <HI>Panthea,</HI> or <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> or me, until he had brought things to &s;uch a pa&s;s as he de&s;ired, went to <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> in the morning, to tell him, that thinking he would never have been &s;o aver&s;e to the Marriage of <HI>Panthea</HI> and him&s;elf, but becau&s;e he would have no &s;tranger Prince e&s;tabli&s;hed within his Dominions, therefore he came to declare unto him, that he was ready to renounce all the Rights and Intere&s;ts this Prince&s;s had or ever &s;hould have unto the Principality of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> (if &s;he would con&s;ent unto it as well as him&s;elf,) pro|vided he would con&s;ent unto his Marriage with her. <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> hearing a Propo&s;ition &s;o advantagious for him&s;elf, was much plea&s;ed with it, and promi&s;ed to motion it unto the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena:</HI> After which, <HI>Abradates</HI> returning mo&s;t hearty thanks, and con|jured him to keep his word, he went the &s;ame day unto the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> to motion the Marriage between the Prince&s;s his daughter and the King of <HI>Su&s;iana:</HI> and although he had not yet the con&s;ent of the Queen his Mother, yet he beleeved &s;he would approve of any motion which &s;hould have the Authority of <HI>Cr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;us</HI> to countenance it, who would never make the motion further then the Queen his Mother &s;hould give her con&s;ent, of which <HI>Abradates</HI> did make no que&s;tion: The Deputies of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> al&s;o, unto whom <HI>Abrabates</HI> had imparted his de&s;ign, did &s;o confidently a&s;&s;ure him he would find no oppo&s;ition from the Queen his Mother, that he did not fear he &s;hould incen&s;e her by it; and &s;o much the le&s;s, becau&s;e the&s;e Deputies told him, that all his Subjects (con&s;idering there was not a Prince&s;s in all his own Kingdom, nor in any of his neighbor Dominions, whom he could marry) would be wondrous well &s;atisfied, if he brought them a Queen every way &s;o illu|&s;trious as the Prince&s;s of <HI>Cla&s;omena. Croe&s;&s;us</HI> then propounded this Match unto the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> and it &s;eemed &s;o advantagious unto him, that without any further con&s;ulta|tion he accepted of it: &s;o that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> to lo&s;e no time, &s;ent for <HI>Abradates,</HI> to the end they might di&s;patch away in all Po&s;t ha&s;te unto the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana.</HI> Since this could not be &s;o clo&s;ely carried but &s;ome Reports of it would fly about, a &s;ervant unto the Prince&s;s came to tell me with great earne&s;tne&s;s, that all was concluded upon, the Match was made up, and the Prince&s;s was immediately to be Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana.</HI> Though I indeed hoped &s;uch a thing might be &s;o, yet I confe&s;s I was much &s;urprized at the &s;uddenne&s;s of it: &s;o that in the fir&s;t rapture of my Joy, after I had made the &s;ervant tell me how he came to know it, I writ pre&s;ently a Letter unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> (who was with <HI>Perinthus</HI> at her own Lodging) to ac|quaint her with it, and as I remember the&s;e were the words:</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>PHERENICE <HI>unto</HI> DORALISA.</HEAD>
<P><HI>IF it be true (as I have often heard you &s;ay) that he who gives much, loves much, it mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily be concluded, that the King of</HI> Su&s;iana <HI>loves the Prince&s;s more then ever any loved; &s;ince in giving her a Crown which is de&s;cended to him, he has given her more then ever any did: If you have a rea&s;onable Soul, come and help the Prince to put it upon her head, and participate in the Joys of</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>PHERENICE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> had no &s;ooner read this Letter, but never thinking of the conceit &s;he had, that <HI>Perinthus</HI> was in love with <HI>Panthea,</HI> &s;he gave it him to read: See <HI>Perinthus,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, what <HI>Pherenice</HI> has &s;ent me, and go along with me immediately, for I &s;hould be vexed to the Soul, if any &s;hould have the &s;tart of me in rejoycing with the Prince&s;s. <HI>Perinthus</HI> then read the Letter; but he read with &s;o great a perplexity of Soul, and turbulency in his looks, that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> remembering her former conceits, How do you <HI>Perinthus?</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him,) what troubles you &s;o much? Is it po&s;&s;ible that joy &s;hould work the &s;ame effects in you that &s;orrow and anger u&s;e to produce? For truly I &s;ee at one time in you
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both &s;adne&s;s, anger and de&s;pair, but I do not &s;ee the cau&s;e, unle&s;s my &s;u&s;pitions prove true, and that there be as much love in your heart, as there appears melancholy in your eyes. Ah <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> (cryed he out) why was I not &s;o happy as to dye in fighting with <HI>Mexaris,</HI> rather then live to &s;ee my &s;elf in &s;uch a mi&s;erable condition? I would I could conceal my follies as hitherto I have from you; but &s;ince I cannot chu&s;e but te&s;tifie my pa&s;&s;ion by my grieving at the good fortune of the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea,</HI> I had rather confe&s;s my crime, and have recour&s;e unto your di&s;cretion, then to deny a truth unto you which you know but too well. I do confe&s;s therefore <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that I do love the Prince&s;s, and have loved her with as much zeal, as I now do, ever &s;ince I was capable of loving; but with &s;uch a violent zeal, as I wonder I have not dyed a thou&s;and times: yet notwith&s;tanding there was ever &s;o much purity in my Love, that I never had the lea&s;t hope, no nor &s;o much as wi&s;hed for any thing, but that &s;he &s;hould never marry <HI>Abradates.</HI> Yet this <HI>Abradates</HI> who is going to marry her, is he who makes her a Queen, and &s;ends me to my grave, and happy were I if I were in it before that fatal day of &s;olemnization. <HI>Perinthus</HI> pronounced all the&s;e words with &s;o much vehemency, and in &s;uch a concerning manner, that the heart of <HI>Dora|li&s;a</HI> who did infinitely e&s;teem him was much moved unto pity, and &s;he began to comfort him: I ever imagined, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that you were in love with the Prince&s;s, but I do confe&s;s I never thought your pa&s;&s;ion &s;o violent. Oh Heavens, &s;aid he, could you ever think that one can love the Prince&s;s with any mediocrity? and how was it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould know (for know it you did) the Rea&s;on why I denyed obedience unto the Prince&s;s Commands, in applying my &s;elf unto your &s;ervice, and not beleeve my Love of her mo&s;t violent? Did you not know that it was <HI>Panthea</HI> only that could hinder <HI>Perinthus</HI> from loving <HI>Dorali&s;a?</HI> and there is no que&s;tion, but &s;ince I did &s;o highly e&s;teem you, I &s;hould al&s;o have loved you, if my heart had not been already engaged, and therefore without any accu&s;ing me of in&s;en&s;ibility towards you, I be&s;eech you pity me, and help me to con|ceal, for a few days which I have to live, that which I have with &s;o much care concealed all my life. But can you not po&s;&s;ibly &s;uit your mind unto your fortune? (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a:)</HI> Did you not ever know, that you could never hope for any thing from the Prince&s;s? no not &s;o much as to endure your pa&s;&s;ion? Yes (replyed the &s;ad <HI>Perinthus,</HI> and &s;ighed.) Why then are you de&s;perate? (replyed &s;he:) Becau&s;e the only man who I would not have had happy, an&s;wered he, is now upon the point of being &s;o. This &s;eems to be ra|ther a &s;ymptome of hatred to <HI>Abradates,</HI> replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> then any te&s;timony of love to <HI>Panthea.</HI> Ha <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> cryed he out, how ignorant you are in the effects of Love! for if I did not love <HI>Panthea,</HI> certainly I &s;hould love <HI>Abradates:</HI> yes <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> as predomi|nate as my pa&s;&s;ion is, I mu&s;t needs acknowledg him to be a mo&s;t excellent qualified man; but the more excellencies he hath, the more I envy his good fortune, and the more he ren|ders me mi&s;erable. Time, replyed &s;he, will happily cure you. Yes, if I live &s;o long as to wait for its Remedies, an&s;wered he; but I beleeve I &s;hall not, nor is it my de&s;ire. In the mean time, &s;ince I would not have my de&s;pair appear, and &s;ince it is impo&s;&s;ible to to hide my &s;orrows, and &s;ince I cannot go to the Prince&s;s but I &s;hall expre&s;s &s;ome &s;igns of my Love, it is my be&s;t cour&s;e to retire my &s;elf. Since I have been a long time without my health, it will be an ea&s;ie matter perhaps to make the world beleeve, that the indi&s;po|&s;ition of my body is the cau&s;e of the indi&s;po&s;ition in my mind: this will hide the cau&s;e of my melancholy from tho&s;e few which I &s;hall &s;ee.</P>
<P><HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> hearing <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;peak in this manner, did with all her arguments per&s;wade him to &s;trive with him&s;elf, and not to recla&s;e him&s;elf from the &s;ociety of the world; but &s;he found no po&s;&s;ibility to divert him from the de&s;ign he intended, and therefore &s;he left him: he de&s;ired her at parting not to &s;peak a word of his pa&s;&s;ion unto the Prince&s;s, and I do not well know, whether he did not in his heart de&s;ire &s;he would tell her &s;omething; yet &s;he told her not a &s;yllable, knowing very well that &s;he could not under&s;tand of the pa&s;&s;ion he had to her, and the condition unto which he was brought, without either anger or &s;orrow, or perhaps both: But though &s;he would not di&s;turb her Joys in telling her of it, yet &s;he told it unto me in particular, and when I &s;aw &s;he knew it as well as I, then I related unto her all that I did know; and truly both of us were &s;o full of pity to him, and &s;o &s;orry &s;uch a compleat man as he was &s;hould be in &s;uch a mi&s;erable condition, that we apprehended the good fortune of the Prince&s;s with le&s;s &s;atisfaction then otherwi&s;e we &s;hould: Yet &s;ince we hoped that time would be a Comforter unto him, it did not keep us from being very plea&s;ant; and indeed <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> had a hundred jolly conceits upon the avarice of <HI>Mexaris</HI> and genero&s;ity of <HI>Abradates,</HI> which &s;he told unto the Prince&s;s;
<PB N="68" REF="413">
&s;he told her al&s;o that &s;he was much happier then ever &s;he hoped to be, in finding &s;o &s;oon that which &s;he had &s;ought for &s;o long, and could never find, to wit, a compleat man which never loved any but her &s;elf; then &s;he de&s;ired the Prince&s;s that &s;he would not com|mand her any more to be kind unto <HI>Andramites,</HI> &s;ince now &s;he had no more need of his &s;olicitations unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us:</HI> Since <HI>Andramites</HI> (replied the Prince&s;s) is a friend unto <HI>Pe|rinthus,</HI> I &s;hould be very unwilling to ca&s;t him off. <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> was about to an&s;wer her, but the Prince&s;s prevented her, by asking where <HI>Perinthus</HI> was? wondering he did not pre&s;ent him&s;elf, and his complements of joy: <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> would not tell her &s;he came new|ly from him, but told her &s;he knew not where he was: Then pre&s;ently after, the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> &s;ent for <HI>Panthea,</HI> to tell her what his re&s;olutions were, &s;o that the re&s;t of the day pa&s;&s;ed on without any thoughts of <HI>Perinthus.</HI> But the next day, when <HI>Abrada|tes</HI> came to vi&s;it the Prince&s;s, as one whom he was to marry, and when &s;he remembred that no news was heard all that while of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> &s;he began to wonder, and to ask me whether I knew what was become of him? and when I &s;aid no, &s;he &s;ent one of her &s;er|vants to him, and to tell him that &s;he took it ill, he &s;hould not come to rejoyce with her, for the happy &s;ucce&s;s in her affairs; and that unle&s;s he were even at death door, &s;he &s;hould have much ado to pardon this neglect. After he whom the Prince&s;s &s;ent unto <HI>Pe|rinthus</HI> had delivered this me&s;&s;age; Tell the Prince&s;s, replied he, that &s;ince I &s;hall ob|tain a pardon at my death, I &s;hall hope e're long to die in her favour, &s;ince certainly I &s;hall not live long. <HI>Perinthus</HI> added unto this &s;ome complements of cour&s;e, but with &s;uch a weak trembling voice (as he who &s;poke unto him related unto the Prince&s;s) that &s;he did really believe him to be very &s;ick; and not doubting but the Phy&s;itian which be|longed to the Prince her Father had &s;een him, &s;he &s;ent unto him to know what <HI>Perinthus</HI> ailed, but &s;he wondered when the Phy&s;itian told her he had not &s;een him of late daies.</P>
<P><HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> who was then pre&s;ent, would have excu&s;ed the matter, and &s;aid, that <HI>Pe|rinthus</HI> happily had &s;ent for &s;ome other Phy&s;itian; but he who was there pre&s;ent a&s;&s;ured the Prince&s;s that could not be: So that to be better &s;atisfied in what condition <HI>Perinthus</HI> was, &s;he commanded that Phy&s;itian to go and &s;ee him from her, and to give her an ac|count how he was. In the mean time <HI>Abradates</HI> thought him&s;elf in a heaven of happi|ne&s;s, and hoped nothing could interrupt his joyes, yet did he not think his happine&s;s fully compleat, becau&s;e he had not yet met with <HI>Perinthus,</HI> and intended the next day to give him a vi&s;it, and di&s;cour&s;e of his joyes unto him: But alas, this mi&s;erable Lover ca|red as little for his vi&s;it, as he did for the Phy&s;itians whom the Prince&s;s &s;ent unto him, who in obedience unto her commands went the next morning to &s;ee him before the Sun was up, yet did he not find him a&s;leep, for his cares would not permit him to re&s;t one minute. As &s;oon as he came into his Chamber, he &s;aw his face &s;o altered, that he made no que&s;tion but he was more then ordinarily &s;ick; he told him then, that he wondred he would not &s;end for him, and afterwards told him what commands he had received from the Prince&s;s, to render unto her an account of his health. At the name of the Prince&s;s, <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;tarted up, for he yet knew not he came from her; afterwards compo&s;ing him|&s;elf, he told the Phy&s;itian, that he was infinitely obliged unto the Prince&s;s for her cares of him, and that he was much beholding unto any that would undertake his cure, but yet he de&s;ired him to &s;pare his labour, for he was per&s;waded all remedies were in vain; and therefore he was re&s;olved to try what nature alone would do, and let all arts alone. Whil'&s;t <HI>Perinthus</HI> was &s;aying &s;o, the Phy&s;itian laid his hand upon his arm, do what he could, and found that his Pul&s;e was &s;ometimes weak and &s;low, and &s;ometimes quick and high; &s;o that conceiving him to be in great need of helps, he did earne&s;tly per&s;wade him to u&s;e them &s;o long that <HI>Perinthus</HI> was angry, and the Phy&s;itian to &s;ubmit unto his will, intending notwith&s;tanding to acquaint the Prince&s;s with his condition, and of a great nece&s;&s;ity he &s;hould be looked unto: Then he left him after <HI>Perinthus</HI> had de&s;ired him to thank the Prince&s;s for the cares &s;he had of him, and conjured him to tell her, that he thought him&s;elf the mo&s;t unfortunate man in the world, that he could not be a partaker of her joyes, but was forced to lament, when all the world rejoyced at her Marriage. This Phy&s;itian coming to the Prince&s;s, as &s;oon as &s;he was ready, &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but &s;he asked how <HI>Perinthus</HI> did; For I mu&s;t confe&s;s, &s;aid he, &s;ince he hath been &s;ick ever &s;ince he received a wound in my quarrel, I much de&s;ire to know in what condition he is. Madam, replied he, <HI>Perinthus</HI> is very ill, and which is the wor&s;t, he will neither tell what aileth him, nor take any remedies: What does he &s;ay unto you,
<PB N="69" REF="413">
replied the Prince&s;s? He &s;ayes, that Nature only without all our art &s;hall be his Phy&s;iti|an (replied he) but for my part, I conceived that both Nature and Art, and all are too little to cure him.</P>
<P>The Prince&s;s was much &s;urprized when &s;he heard him &s;ay &s;o, and cau&s;ed him to make an exact relation of all he had ob&s;erved concerning the di&s;ea&s;e of <HI>Perinthus</HI> who indeed, as &s;oon as he went from <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI>'s hou&s;e, was con&s;trained to go into bed; &s;o much had the agitation of his mind augmented his gentle Feaver, which his wound fir&s;t cau&s;ed, and which altered all his con&s;titution. As the Prince&s;s was thus very bu&s;ily enquiring con|cerning <HI>Perinthus, Abradates</HI> &s;ent a Me&s;&s;enger to know how &s;he did; and in return of his Complement &s;he &s;ent him word that &s;he was very well, were it not for her &s;orrows to hear <HI>Perinthus</HI> was very &s;ick, and would not take any remedies. After which; &s;he dre&s;&s;|ed her &s;elf, and went unto the Temple according to her u&s;ual manner, where &s;he met <HI>A|bradates,</HI> who pre&s;ented his hand unto her as &s;he came out of her Coach. Since the Prince&s;s did love <HI>Perinthus</HI> very well, &s;he &s;poke of his &s;ickne&s;s unto <HI>Abradates,</HI> at her coming out of the Church; and as he an&s;wered that he intended to go and &s;ee him, &s;he &s;aid that &s;he &s;hould be much obliged unto him for it, and de&s;ired him to u&s;e his be&s;t per|&s;wa&s;ions unto <HI>Perinthus</HI> to take &s;ome remedy, and to ask his Rea&s;ons why he had refu&s;ed; telling <HI>Abradates,</HI> that her re&s;pects of <HI>Perinthus</HI> moved her unto that which &s;he would not do for every one, and that his re&s;pects of her might perhaps move him to do that which he would not for another. <HI>Abradates,</HI> who&s;e ayms were all to plea&s;e the Prince&s;s, and who be&s;ides did much re&s;pect <HI>Perinthus</HI> ever &s;ince he defended the Prince&s;s from being taken away by <HI>Mexaris,</HI> he no &s;ooner parted from us, but he went unto this langui&s;hing Lover, who pa&s;&s;ed only for a &s;ick man. You may ea&s;ily imagine how the &s;ight of this Prince did di&s;order his Soul, and what pains he took to di&s;gui&s;e his thoughts. As &s;oon as <HI>Abradates</HI> was &s;et by his bed-&s;ide, and that Complements of cour&s;e were pa&s;t; Is it po&s;|&s;ible (&s;aid he unto him mo&s;t obligingly) that even then when Fortune has cea&s;ed all her per&s;ecutions again&s;t me, and when I am arrived at the height of my happine&s;s, that <HI>Pe|rinthus</HI> &s;hould mingle with my joys, &s;o much &s;orrow in refu&s;ing to take &s;uch Remedies as may make him able to be a partaker with me in my happine&s;s? Sir (replyed <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;adly) I perceive that the goodne&s;s of the Prince&s;s, who is plea&s;ed to intere&s;t her &s;elf in the life of her mo&s;t faithful &s;ervant, hath moved you to &s;peak thus: but if I be con&s;idered as really I am, I am mo&s;t unworthy of this honour which I receive from you, &s;o ex|treamly unworthy, that if I dur&s;t I would entreat you to let me receive no more of it. You are much too mode&s;t <HI>Perinthus,</HI> replyed <HI>Abradates,</HI> for though you were not every way &s;o compleat a man as you are in the eyes of all that look upon you, and were only the Defender of <HI>Panthea,</HI> yet your life de&s;erves to be mo&s;t dear unto me; but then being both a man rarely accompli&s;hed, and the Defender of my Prince&s;s, and al&s;o much my friend, doubtle&s;s it is my duty to move you unto any thing that may make you live, to live happily. At the&s;e words <HI>Perinthus</HI> fetcht a profound &s;igh, and lifting up his eyes towards Heaven, he turn'd his head the other way to hide the changing of his complexion: <HI>Abradates</HI> ob&s;erving the action of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> began to &s;u&s;pect, that his mind was more &s;ick then his body; yet not imagining the true cau&s;e, he conjectured, that perhaps it was only becau&s;e the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> had yet done nothing for him, and that the Prince&s;s being to remove away, he &s;hould thereby lo&s;e his chief &s;upport: So that de&s;iring to know whe|ther the&s;e conjectures were rightly grounded, after &s;ome other di&s;cour&s;e unto which <HI>Pe|rinthus</HI> an&s;wered very little, he told him, how &s;trange a thing it was to him, that he &s;hould refu&s;e life now, when the Prince&s;s was more &s;weet and gracious towards him then ever &s;he was. Ah Sir, cryed he out, you judg of others by your &s;elf, but there is a great difference betwixt you and me, and &s;o very great, that I am &s;ure the &s;ame which often makes you joyful, makes me &s;ad; &s;o fatally oppo&s;ite is your lot and mine. What ever it be <HI>Perinthus,</HI> replyed <HI>Abradates,</HI> I am mo&s;t certain that if you live (as with all my Soul I wi&s;h you may) you &s;hall be more happy then ever you were: for whether your mind be to go with us unto <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> or to dwell in <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> or to &s;tay at <HI>Sardis,</HI> I do engage my promi&s;e to advance your fortunes unto &s;uch a degree, as that your ambition &s;hall de&s;ire no higher. Were I a man of Rea&s;on, replyed <HI>Perinthus,</HI> I &s;hould render you a thou&s;and thanks, for giving &s;uch generous language unto a man who owes his life unto you: but alas Sir, there is &s;uch a horrid black melancholy at this pre&s;ent upon me, which makes me &s;o unlike my &s;elf, that I cannot delight in any plea&s;ant things: every thing which is not fatally &s;ad incen&s;eth me, and makes me angry, therefore I be&s;eech you leave me to my
<PB N="70" REF="414">
&s;elf, either to mend or die quietly: But alas how can you mend, replied <HI>Abradates,</HI> un|le&s;s you will apply your mind unto it? If I do not mend (replied he &s;harply) then I &s;hall die, there's an end: But dear <HI>Perinthus,</HI> replied <HI>Abradates,</HI> the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea,</HI> and my &s;elf &s;hall grieve extreamly for you, therefore think it not &s;trange that I &s;hould earne&s;tly per&s;wade you to live: It is from the commands of the Prince&s;s that I de&s;ire you to have a care of your &s;elf, and not thus ob&s;tinately to refu&s;e all helps: The Prince&s;s (an|&s;wered <HI>Perinthus,</HI> and qualified a little the agitation of his Spirits) does me a very great favour to remember me at &s;uch a time, when &s;he hath better things to think upon: But alas Sir, one hath not power alwayes to live when one plea&s;eth, no nor &s;o much power as to wi&s;h it: I do confe&s;s, replied <HI>Abradates,</HI> there are &s;ome who groan under &s;uch heavy &s;orrows, as that &s;ometimes they are not Ma&s;ters of their own de&s;ires: But for you <HI>Perinthus,</HI> Why &s;hould you fall into &s;uch di&s;pair? All the world honors your vir|tues; the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> loves you, the Prince&s;s his Daughter e&s;teems you as much as is po&s;&s;ible, and I promi&s;e you a mo&s;t &s;afe and welcome protection: If after all the&s;e your &s;orrows do continue, I &s;hall believe that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> had rea&s;on to think you were in Love: But &s;uppo&s;e you were <HI>Perinthus,</HI> yet di&s;pair not, for truly could one be more unfortunate, or further from the injoyment of his de&s;ires, then I was of <HI>Panthea?</HI> and yet you &s;ee a happy turn has wheel'd about my Fate: I do &s;ee it (&s;aid <HI>Perinthus,</HI> and &s;ighed) but I do not &s;ee which way its po&s;&s;ible I can be le&s;s mi&s;erable then I am. How|ever Sir, may you injoy your felicity in peace, but I be&s;eech you leave me to &s;uffer tho&s;e mi&s;eries for which I &s;eek no remedy, and unto which if you offer any, your labour will be lo&s;t. <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;eeing, that the more he talked to him, the more he incen&s;ed him, did ri&s;e up to go away, telling him he was very &s;orry that he was compelled to carry the Prince&s;s &s;uch unwelcome news. <HI>Perinthns</HI> then conjecturing by the &s;peech of this Prince, that as &s;oon as he was gone from him, he would go unto <HI>Panthea,</HI> he pre&s;ently changed his mind; for whereas before he did all he could to get him gone, now he endeavours to &s;tay him longer, thinking it &s;ome &s;atisfaction to keep <HI>Abradates</HI> from the plea&s;ure of &s;ee|ing <HI>Panthea.</HI> It is mo&s;t true, that all his language unto this Prince was &s;o ill-compo&s;ed, and &s;o little &s;ometimes to the purpo&s;e, that he began to &s;u&s;pect the true cau&s;e of <HI>Perin|thus</HI> his di&s;pair; &s;o that after he had an&s;wered three or four times unto tho&s;e que&s;tions which this langui&s;hing Lover u&s;ed to keep him the longer with him, he left this Love-&s;ick Lover, and went unto the Prince&s;s, but found her not at fir&s;t, becau&s;e &s;he was bu&s;ie, yet he &s;tayed with me until &s;he came unto him. Since his &s;u&s;pitions of <HI>Perin|thus</HI> his Love did much di&s;quiet him, he &s;eemed unto me very re&s;erved, and taking up|on me the liberty to ask him, why he was &s;o melancholy at a time of &s;o much happine&s;s towards him, he told me that the &s;ickne&s;s of <HI>Perinthus</HI> did much trouble him: After|wards, repre&s;enting unto me the re&s;tle&s;&s;ne&s;s which he ob&s;erved in his mind, he percei|ved that I knew &s;omething of the cau&s;e, not that I &s;poke a word which might make him think &s;o; but becau&s;e it &s;eems it was my misfortune to let any eyes often di&s;cover the &s;e|cret of my heart: All this while <HI>Abradates</HI> would not &s;peak out his thoughts unto me, but we &s;tood and &s;poke to each other very &s;eldome, yet did perfectly under&s;tand the thoughts of one another. But after we had a while &s;tood in this &s;ilent po&s;ture, <HI>Abrada|tes</HI> de&s;ired me not to tell the Prince&s;s what he would tell me; and prote&s;ting unto me that he would never reveal what I &s;hould tell unto him; after which, he asked me whe|ther I did not think <HI>Perinthus</HI> in Love with <HI>Panthea,</HI> and whether I did not believe as he did, that his Marriage with her was the cau&s;e of his &s;ickne&s;s? I know not Sir, &s;aid I un|to him, whether it be &s;o or no, but I am &s;ure the Prince&s;s does not know of it: No, no, <HI>Pherenice,</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) there is not the lea&s;t &s;park of jealou&s;ie in me, but ma|ny of pity to him; the e&s;teem that I have grounded of <HI>Panthea</HI> is &s;o fully rooted in me, that though &s;he had a whole thou&s;and of Lovers at her feet imploring favours, I &s;hould never think her capable of the lea&s;t weakne&s;s; therefore I conjure you to tell me inge|nuou&s;ly, whether you think I have not rea&s;on for my conjecture? for if you &s;hall con|firm me in my belief, I &s;hall endeavour to find out &s;ome wayes to comfort poor <HI>Perin|thus,</HI> at the lea&s;t, though I cannot cure him. But Sir, (&s;aid I unto him) there needs no thoughts of <HI>Peri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">thus</HI> his being in Love with <HI>Panthea,</HI> to prompt you unto any endea|vours of his comfort or cure, &s;ince you e&s;teem him &s;ufficiently without that, to induce you unto that charitable office: I &s;ee <HI>Pherenice,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, that you have no di&s;|po&s;ition to be &s;incere, yet I mu&s;t tell you, <HI>Perinthus</HI> will die if he be not well looked un|to: And I do confe&s;s, that &s;ince I am his debtor for the &s;afety of <HI>Panthea,</HI> I &s;hould
<PB N="71" REF="414">
be exceedingly troubled if he &s;hould any way mi&s;carry. But Sir, &s;aid I unto him, &s;uppo&s;e all you imagine were true, yet what Remedy is there? Only this, replyed <HI>Abradates,</HI> to per&s;wade the Prince&s;s, that &s;he will plea&s;e to command him not to de&s;pair. As he &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Panthea</HI> came into the Chamber, and no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but &s;he asked how <HI>Perin|thus</HI> did? and what he thought of his &s;ickne&s;s? Madam, &s;aid he unto her, <HI>Perinthus</HI> hath told me many things, and to &s;o little purpo&s;e, that I conceive his mind is more &s;ick then his body; and for my part, I think he &s;tands more in need of &s;ome comforts then any phy&s;ick. Yet I do not know, &s;aid &s;he, that any misfortune hath happened unto him. It is mo&s;t true (&s;aid he unto her) there appears none unto us; but perhaps there is &s;ome happine&s;s which is befaln another which much grieves him. <HI>Perinthus,</HI> replyed &s;he, is not of any envious di&s;po&s;ition, no not of his very enemies, unle&s;s <HI>Mexaris,</HI> who&s;e hap|pine&s;s indeed I think he would envy. However it be, Madam, &s;aid he, I am afraid <HI>Pe|rinthus</HI> will dye, if you do not take a care of his life. <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;poke this in &s;uch a man|ner, as let the Prince&s;s &s;ee there was &s;ome &s;ecret meaning in his words: &s;o that not know|ing what to think, &s;he changed colour and di&s;cour&s;e. All the re&s;t of the day her thoughts ran upon what <HI>Abradates</HI> told her: yet notwith&s;tanding after he was gone, not daring to tell us what &s;he thought of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> nor being willing to give over her cares of him, unto whom &s;he was obliged, &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to go and vi&s;it him, and appointed me to accompany her, hoping to be better informed at our Return then &s;he had been by <HI>A|bradates. Dorali&s;a</HI> and I were glad of this employment, and went with joy, thinking we had &s;o much power over the &s;pirits of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> as might move him to cheer up his &s;pirits, and u&s;e all Remedies to live: but alas, Madam, we found our &s;elves extreamly deceived; for the vi&s;it of <HI>Abradates</HI> had &s;o incen&s;ed his &s;orrows, and augmented his di&s;ea&s;e, that we could not look upon him without extream compa&s;&s;ion: yet was he &s;omething &s;atisfied that he might talk with us, and commanded all to go out of the Chamber, that he might with more freedom expre&s;s him&s;elf: But as &s;oon as we began to chide him for refu&s;ing all helps; No, no, &s;aid he unto us, I ought not to think upon life; and provided I might but dye before the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> marryed the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea,</HI> I &s;hould not at all think my &s;elf mi&s;erable; but I fear I cannot avoyd this misfortune.</P>
<P>It is &s;o far between <HI>Sardis</HI> and <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> replyed I, that I hope it will be perfectly cured, both of your mi&s;eries of mind and body before they can get thither; or before they can be marryed. Sure you do not know, replyed he, that there arrived within this hour a Me&s;&s;enger from the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> who hearing of the affection which the Prince her Son did bear unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea,</HI> &s;ent unto him to continue his Love, and that &s;he con&s;ented unto his Marriage: So that <HI>Abradates</HI> having now no rub in his way, will infal|libly marry her, and make me ab&s;olutely de&s;pair, if death do not &s;peedily deliver me. <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and I did much wonder that <HI>Perinthus</HI> con&s;idering his condition &s;hould know the news before us, yet we imagined it not impo&s;&s;ible but <HI>Andramites</HI> might be his In|telligencer, and therefore were doubted not of the truth. And after this (&s;aid he unto us) I hope you are not &s;o inhumane as to wi&s;h me live any longer; but if the Prince&s;s did command you to per&s;wade me, I pray you do not obey her: yet if the Prince&s;s did know my pa&s;&s;ion, and after that had &s;o much goodne&s;s or cruelty (for I know not which of the&s;e two Epithites to u&s;e) as to bid me live, perhaps I &s;hould &s;trive to obey her, and u&s;e &s;ome vain remedies to prevent death: but alas, you know very well that &s;he is ignorant I love her, neither dare I de&s;ire &s;he &s;hould know: yet if you &s;hall think it expedient to let her know it when I am dead, and that &s;he will not hate my memory for it, I conjure you to tell her, and beg my pardon for not rejoycing at her happine&s;s: But &s;ince I limited all my hopes to endeavor &s;he &s;hould love none, and &s;ee all tho&s;e hopes ruined, do not think it &s;trange if I tell you, that I cannot endure to live: Nor is it le&s;s expedient for the tranquility of <HI>Panthea,</HI> then my own, that I dye: For how is it po&s;&s;ible I ever &s;hould be Ma&s;ter of my Raptures and of my Pa&s;&s;ion: 'Tis true, I have been hitherto, but it is becau&s;e I did not &s;ee <HI>Abradates</HI> in his happine&s;s, nor in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the Prince&s;s; Far better then had I dye, then di&s;turb her happine&s;s which I prefer before my own. Did ever any &s;ee more lamentable de&s;tinies then mine (did he &s;ay unto us,) for I de&s;ire no other favour of Fortune to compleat my contentment, but that one of my Rivals may not be in favour, and I cannot obtain &s;o much as it: I did re&s;olve to hide my pa&s;&s;ion as long as I lived; I ma&s;tered my &s;elf &s;o far as not to de&s;ire &s;he &s;hould love me, but &s;atisfied my &s;elf with the bare e&s;teem of <HI>Panthea:</HI> but though I confined my &s;elf unto more narrow limits then ever any Lover was able to do, yet I perceive <HI>Abradates</HI> becomes as happy as I am mi&s;e|rable.
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However (&s;aid I unto him) be &s;atisfied with this, that you have no cau&s;e to complain either again&s;t your Rival, or your Prince&s;s whom you loved. Ah <HI>Pherenice</HI> (cryed he out) that which you think &s;hould &s;atisfie me, is it which &s;ends me unto black de|&s;pair, &s;ince certainly I &s;hould have le&s;s cau&s;e to complain, if I could complain with Ju&s;tice of any but my &s;elf. But &s;ince you are &s;o full of Rea&s;on, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> why do you not follow it? Becau&s;e I have eyes, replyed he, yet am &s;uch a &s;lave as that I cannot &s;ee: I &s;ee the way which I ought to take for the recovery of my Liberty; but alas, I am chained too fa&s;t to follow it; and nothing but death is &s;trong enough to break tho&s;e chains: And therefore if you be as much my friends as I beleeve you are, you will not blame me, nor de&s;ire me to live; yet have I one favour to beg of you (&s;aid he unto us in &s;uch a manner as would have moved a heart of &s;tone) which I conjure you not to deny me, and that is, to find out &s;ome expedient if it be po&s;&s;ible, that my adored Prince&s;s may not marry <HI>Abra|dates</HI> until the day after my death: The term will be but &s;hort, &s;aid he, for if I be not much deceived, four days is my longe&s;t limits. I &s;hould de&s;ire, &s;aid he, a &s;ight of my di|vine Prince&s;s before I dye, but that were to de&s;ire to be more mi&s;erable, and is too much for a de&s;picable Lover.</P>
<P>I confe&s;s Madam, when <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and I heard <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;peak thus, we were &s;o exceed|ingly moved unto pity, that we could not refrain from tears; and &s;o we wept with him, &s;ince we could not work any more upon him, and &s;o left him with a promi&s;e to &s;ee him again: yet we u&s;ed all po&s;&s;ible arguments to cheer up his &s;pirits before we parted, yet all in vain. Then did we return unto the Prince&s;s extreamly melancholy, and in the way con|&s;idered what we &s;hould &s;ay unto her, but could not re&s;olve whether or no it were be&s;t to tell her that &s;he was the cau&s;e of <HI>Perinthus</HI> his death. But the truth is, we were ea&s;ed of that trouble, for &s;he her &s;elf apprehended as much by the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Abradates;</HI> &s;o that when we came unto her, and related the lamentable condition of <HI>Perinthus,</HI> I perceived &s;he under&s;tood the matter as well as we did: for when I told her, it would be very well if &s;he her &s;elf would be plea&s;ed to go and bid him live; I know very well (an&s;wered &s;he and blu&s;hed) that I am obliged to take care of his life; but I know al&s;o, that if <HI>Perinthus</HI> have a Soul &s;o full of &s;orrow, he will not obey me. He will obey none then, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a;</HI> but however Madam, if you go unto him, and u&s;e your be&s;t endeavors, then there is no fault in you if he dye. After this, <HI>Panthea</HI> excu&s;ed her &s;elf as much as po&s;&s;ibly &s;he could from &s;eeing <HI>Perinthus,</HI> not telling her true Rea&s;on, becau&s;e her mode&s;ty would not permit her to &s;peak her thoughts: But at la&s;t <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> u&s;ing her accu&s;tomed freedom with the Prince&s;s, told her all we knew, and with &s;o much art, and obligingly for <HI>Perin|thus,</HI> that the Prince&s;s was no le&s;s &s;orry then angry to hear of his pa&s;&s;ion to her. <HI>Panthea</HI> at fir&s;t &s;eemed to hide her re&s;entments from us; but afterwards &s;he confe&s;&s;ed that the death of <HI>Perinthus</HI> would trouble her, and would &s;eem &s;o bad an <HI>omen</HI> unto all the re&s;t of her life, that &s;he dur&s;t not hope to pa&s;s it happily. Then did &s;he chide us a hundred times becau&s;e we did not cure <HI>Perinthus</HI> of his pa&s;&s;ion, thinking that Rea&s;on were &s;ufficient phy|&s;ick to cure that di&s;ea&s;e. Afterwards, &s;ince we did importune her unto a vi&s;it of this lan|gui&s;hing Lover, &s;he was as far from con&s;enting unto it, as we were urgent: Madam, &s;aid I unto her, he knows not that we have revealed his &s;ecret; and que&s;tionle&s;s you would have done him this charitable favour, if you had not &s;u&s;pected his Love. It is &s;ufficient that I now know it, &s;aid &s;he, to keep me from &s;eeing him: not but that I &s;hould be extreamly &s;orry for the death of a man unto whom I am much obliged for defending me from the power of <HI>Mexaris;</HI> yet I cannot do as you de&s;ire me: Moreover, if he do love me, my &s;ight will rather ha&s;ten then prevent his death, &s;ince he cannot &s;ee me but with abundance of &s;orrow. Since he de&s;ires it (&s;aid I unto her) methinks it would be too inhumane to deny him that favour. You do not apprehend what <HI>Abradates</HI> might think (replyed &s;he) if he &s;hould know <HI>Perinthus</HI> loved me, and that I &s;hould vi&s;it him. You may ask him leave if you plea&s;e, replyed I, for I &s;ee him enter: And <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> in pur&s;uance of what I &s;aid, no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Abradates</HI> with the Prince&s;s, but &s;he addre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf unto him; Is it not true Sir, &s;aid &s;he, that the Prince&s;s is obliged to vi&s;it <HI>Perinthus?</HI> There is no que&s;tion of it, replyed he; and if to induce her unto it there want only an addition of my petition unto yours, I &s;hall mo&s;t willingly make it unto her; and I am verily per&s;waded, that if he will not mend upon the &s;ight of her, he will dye within a few days. Since the Prince&s;s would not tell <HI>Abradates</HI> the true Rea&s;on which re&s;trained her, &s;he &s;poke &s;o faintly, that he per|ceived &s;he might be per&s;vvaded, &s;o that he became very importune vvith her: But at the la&s;t his urgency and ours together prevailed, though it put the Prince&s;s to the blu&s;h, to
<PB N="73" REF="415">
think how <HI>Abradates</HI> would take it, and certainly none could carry it with more genero|&s;ity then he did upon this occa&s;ion: For &s;ince he had a high confidence of <HI>Panthea</HI>'s heart, and her virtues, he was extreamly urgent with her to vi&s;it <HI>Perinthus,</HI> and to u&s;e her be&s;t endeavours to &s;ave his life, yet he made this condition with her, which if <HI>Perin|thus</HI> had known, certainly would have furthered his death, which was, that if he reco|vered, &s;he &s;hould never &s;ee him again. After this, &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Abradates</HI> would be pre|&s;ent with her at this charitable vi&s;it, but he would not upon any tearms. To relate unto you Madam all the pa&s;&s;ages of this vi&s;it, is impo&s;&s;ible; let it &s;uffice to tell you, that <HI>Pe|rinthus</HI> did &s;trive to die twenty times whil'&s;t the Prince&s;s was pre&s;ent; &s;ometimes one might &s;ee him in the depth of &s;orrows; pre&s;ently after, &s;ome &s;parks of joy would glance in his eyes, as neer death as he was; then in an in&s;tant, di&s;pair would &s;o &s;tifle his Spirits, that one could not under&s;tand what he &s;aid; but for all this, he &s;till kept a mo&s;t profound re|verence unto the Prince&s;s, he thanked her for the honour &s;he did him, telling her, that &s;ince he had this honour once more to &s;ee her, he had nothing el&s;e to do in the world but die: And when &s;he commanded him to take &s;ome helps, he &s;tayed a while &s;ilent, then upon a &s;uddain lifting up his eyes unto her: Madam, &s;aid he, If you did but know what you wi&s;h me, when you de&s;ire I &s;hould live, you would unwi&s;h it again: For in|deed Madam (added he in a langui&s;hing tone) when <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> thought me to be in Love, &s;he was not mi&s;taken: I am in Love Madam, and I &s;hould not die at this time, but becau&s;e I am in Love: And &s;ince you were ignorant of my mi&s;eries, you are excu&s;eable in wi&s;hing me to live, becau&s;e you thought I might perhaps be happy. This is all Madam, that the re&s;pects I owe you will permit me to &s;peak of my mi&s;eries and misfortunes.</P>
<P><HI>Perinthus</HI> pronounced the&s;e la&s;t words &s;o weakly, that one would have feared he would immediately expire, for his &s;orrows did &s;o overwhelm all his faculties, that for a quarter of an hour together he was &s;peechle&s;s; but yet &s;ince he did not lo&s;e his &s;ight and under|&s;tanding, he had the con&s;olation to &s;ee &s;ome tears drop from the eyes of the Prince&s;s, yet did &s;he hide them as well as &s;he could, and not being able to &s;tay any longer in &s;ight of &s;o &s;ad an object, &s;he went forth: After &s;he had appointed all the Phy&s;itians, both of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and others to come unto him, they did unanimou&s;ly conclude he could not e|&s;cape, but indeed would die within a &s;hort time, and indeed it proved &s;o: It was con|ceived, that the &s;ight of the Prince&s;s, which we procured as a remedy, was his di&s;patch, and he died that night following, and was as univer&s;ally lamented, as ever was any in the world: The Prince&s;s was &s;o grieved, that &s;he could not hide &s;ome part of her &s;orrows, le&s;t <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;hould imagine that &s;he knew &s;omething of <HI>Perinthus</HI> his pa&s;&s;ion, before &s;he told him: But this Prince had a greater confidence in her, then to entertain the lea&s;t unju&s;t thought; and therefore he did not think it &s;trange, &s;he &s;hould grieve for a man unto whom &s;he was much obliged, and for whom he grieved him&s;elf. Thus the poor <HI>Perinthus,</HI> had the honour to be lamented by his Mi&s;tri&s;s with her tears, to be grieved for by his Rival, and his Ma&s;ter, who did vi&s;it him in his &s;ickne&s;s, and had all imagine|able care of him; his death did for a time defer the Marriage of <HI>Abradates,</HI> for it did &s;o exceeding perplex <HI>Panthea,</HI> that &s;he was not well eight daies after, during which time, news was brought, that the Prince <HI>Mexaris</HI> was dead of his wounds and &s;orrows, &s;o that the Court went into mourning, though his death did not much trouble us: How|ever, &s;o many &s;ad accidents in &s;o &s;hort a time did di&s;quiet the Prince&s;s, yet notwith&s;tand|ing her cau&s;es of joy were &s;ufficient to &s;weeten all the&s;e &s;orrows; and fifteen daies after her Marriage with <HI>Abradates</HI> was accompli&s;hed without any ceremony, becau&s;e of the death of <HI>Mexaris,</HI> and all magnificence was deferred until vve came to <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> vvhither vvithin a fevv daies after vve vvent, in an equipage &s;uitable to the quality and liberality of <HI>Abradates:</HI> The Prince&s;s had the comfort to carry <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> vvith her, notvvith&s;tand|ing all the endeavours of <HI>Andramites,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> though the rea&s;ons of this Prince vvas unknovvn unto us: So this plea&s;ant Lady did never for&s;ake her, but could not meet vvith this accompli&s;hed Gallant vvhich &s;he had been &s;o long in que&s;t of, in <HI>Su&s;a</HI> no more then in <HI>Sardis.</HI> I &s;hall not need to relate unto you Madam, how the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea</HI> was received by her fair Mother in Law, nor how <HI>Abradates</HI> lived with her &s;ince &s;he was married, until the day that Fortune parted them, and the fate of Arms brought her under the power of the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus:</HI> For if I &s;hould relate the whole &s;tory, perhaps I &s;hould not find belief, at lea&s;t in &s;etting forth the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI>'s pa&s;&s;ion, which certainly was more violent then any expre&s;&s;ions can &s;et forth, yet not more then hers to him; and therefore I will &s;ay no more, but mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech your pardon,
<PB N="74" REF="416">
for dre&s;&s;ing the &s;tory of two illu&s;trious per&s;ons of &s;uch extraordinary virtues, with &s;uch mean and common language.</P>
<P>The pardon you de&s;ire (replied <HI>Araminta</HI> unto <HI>Pherenice)</HI> is ea&s;ily obtained, and as ju&s;t to deny it (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> &s;ince &s;he needs it not. <HI>Pherenice</HI> replied unto the com|plement of <HI>Cyrus</HI> with much civility; after which, <HI>Araminta</HI> and he began to di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Panthea</HI>'s virtues, of <HI>Abradates</HI> his liberality, and of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI>'s plea&s;ant humour: But &s;ince by this time it was late, <HI>Cyrus</HI> took his leave of this Prince&s;s, and went to <HI>Pan|thea's</HI> Chamber, to take his leave of her al&s;o, and to thank her, for that &s;he was plea|&s;ed to let him know her adventures; he a&s;&s;ured her, that <HI>Pherenice</HI> had made an elegant relation of them, and asked her pardon, that the Laws of War, his fidelity to <HI>Ciaxa|res,</HI> and his intere&s;t in <HI>Mandana,</HI> would not yet permit him to re&s;tore her unto the King her Husband, be&s;eeching her to believe, that it was not without extream &s;orrow he &s;hould &s;o long &s;eparate two &s;uch illu&s;trious per&s;ons; after which, pa&s;&s;ing towards <HI>Dora|li&s;a,</HI> unto whom <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> was talking, he be&s;towed a complement upon her, telling her he wi&s;hed for the honour of <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> that &s;he might find him to be the compleat man &s;he &s;ought after: At lea&s;t, &s;aid he, he never yet was in Love with any: I a&s;&s;ure you Sir, (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;miled) If you do think as you &s;ay, you do not know him &s;o well as I do, for I never &s;aw &s;o many &s;igns of Love in <HI>Perinthus,</HI> &s;ince the fir&s;t time I knew him, as I have ob&s;erved in him, &s;ince this &s;hort acquaintance. <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> blu&s;ht at this reply of <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and made but a poor defence for him&s;elf: But &s;ince other things came into the mind of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he &s;tayed no longer, but departed with <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and all the re&s;t of his company. <HI>Cri&s;antes</HI> at that time came unto him, and rendred an account of all tho&s;e Warlike Engines, which by his orders were preparing; and &s;ince he a&s;&s;ured him, that all the works were clo&s;ely followed, he was exceedingly plea&s;ed in his conceipts, that ere long he &s;hould be in a condition, either to vanqui&s;h his enemies, or die for his Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The end of the fir&s;t Book in the fifth Part.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="book">
<PB N="75" REF="416">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR The Grand CYRUS. The Fifth Part. BOOK. II.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_CYrus</HI> was no &s;ooner come unto the Camp, but he &s;ent to tell the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> that the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pontus</HI> had writ &s;o effectually in behalf of the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> that he hoped for a happy &s;ucce&s;s of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> his voyage: The day follovving, he di&s;patched an Envoy unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to acquaint him with all pa&s;&s;ages, and to be&s;eech him to &s;end me more Forces, to the end, that if <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;hould attempt any thing again&s;t him, he might keep him&s;elf &s;till in a po&s;ture of defence, until he had fi|ni&s;hed the War wherein he was ingaged, and relea&s;ed the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> After which, he thought upon nothing but taking the Field, and by &s;ome memorable exploit to repair the misfortune which lately he received: And in order to that, his daily bu&s;ine&s;s was to &s;ee how the Warlike In&s;truments which he had given orders for went on, and in what forwardne&s;s they were; he went from Quarter to Quarter, taking private Mu&s;ters of every particular Troop, before he came to a General Rendezvouze, vvaiting impati|ently for that happy day on vvhich he &s;hould &s;et forvvard into the Enemies Country: Since he had made a promi&s;e unto <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> never to ingage him unto any thing which might be again&s;t his honour and genero&s;ity, he vvould never motion it unto him, to move his Father for a pa&s;&s;age over the River by the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes;</HI> nor vvould he in con&s;ideration of him, think of rendring him&s;elf Ma&s;ter of it by force of Arms, but re|&s;olved to force a pa&s;&s;age neerer <HI>Sardis,</HI> at a place vvhere there vvas a Bridg, and a little Tovvn very vvell fortified, vvhich he mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity take, before he could pa&s;s over the River. In the mean time, he had daily intelligence that the Army of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> did much increa&s;e: He under&s;tood al&s;o, that the <HI>Aegyptians</HI> vvhich <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> had promi&s;ed unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> vvere arrived by Sea; that the <HI>Thracians</HI> al&s;o joyned vvith him, and in|deed that his Army vvas grovvn very numerous, that the mo&s;t firtil Country of all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> vvould have much and to &s;upply it. He under&s;tood al&s;o by his Spies, that this va&s;t Army vvhich vvas novv upon the Banks of <HI>Pactolus</HI> a&s;&s;embled, vvould vvithin this fevv daies advance unto a place called <HI>Thybarras,</HI> whither all the Subjects of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> had orders to bring their victual for the accommodation of the Camp, every City and Tovvn being taxed and rated at a certain quantity, vvhich they vvere required to furni&s;h out. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then under&s;tanding that his Enemies vvould pre&s;ently come unto him, if he vvent not
<PB N="76" REF="417">
unto them, did foreca&s;t how to prevent them: And in order to that, he commanded a General Mu&s;ter of all his Army, which he found to con&s;i&s;t of about a hundred and forty thou&s;and Men: he held a Councel of War, to con&s;ult how he might a&s;&s;ault the Town of <HI>Ni&s;omolis,</HI> where he was to pa&s;s the River; The King of <HI>Phrigia:</HI> the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> the Prince <HI>Tigran<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> Phraartes, Per&s;odes, Gobrias, Gadates, Hida&s;pes, Adu&s;ius, Chri|&s;antes, Artaba&s;es,</HI> and many others, were of this Councel: Where it was Re&s;olved, That they &s;hould not make a formal regular Siege of it, but that it were better to lo&s;e &s;ome Souldiers in &s;torming of it, then to lie lingering before it until the Enemy came to relieve it with his whole Army. This was no &s;ooner re&s;olved upon, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> thought how to execute it: &s;o that the day following his Troops began to draw forth: yet the fir&s;t day he made a fal&s;e March, purpo&s;ely to deceive the Enemy; and indeed they were much deceived: for making no que&s;tion but <HI>Cyrus</HI> intended to pa&s;s the River at the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> and thither therefore they &s;ent away the greate&s;t part of their Forces, content|ing them&s;elves with as many only as would keep the Gari&s;on of <HI>Ni&s;omolis.</HI></P>
<P>As <HI>Cyrus</HI> never u&s;ed to neglect any thing that was his duty, he went to take his leave of the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta;</HI> Mo&s;t of the Princes in his Company did the &s;ame, and among&s;t the re&s;t <HI>Phraartes,</HI> who&s;e pa&s;&s;ion did dayly encrea&s;e, though the coldne&s;s of the Prince&s;s &s;hould rather have le&s;&s;ened it. The Conference of <HI>Cyrus</HI> with the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es was upon &s;ome things of concernment; he did yet comfort them as much as he could, always a&s;&s;uring them that he aymed at nothing but <HI>Manda|na</HI>'s relea&s;ement; and that if the Fate of Arms were &s;o favorable to him, he would for their &s;akes remember the per&s;ons who among&s;t his Enemies were &s;o dear unto them; Af|ter which he took hor&s;e, and went on his Journey. In the mean time, maugre the remem|brance of &s;o many angry Oracles and fatal Predictions which might well have made the heart of <HI>Cyrus</HI> to tremble, yet he did glo&s;s his &s;orrows &s;o well, that all the Souldiers who were ignorant of them did march with as much alacrity, as they were wont to do when they went unto a certain Victory: And when they &s;aw <HI>Cyrus</HI> put on his Arms and take hor&s;e, there appeared a mo&s;t noble Fury in his eyes; and indeed this Prince was &s;o unlike him&s;elf when he prepared to fight, or give out Military Orders, that there was not a grea|ter alteration in the countenance of the <HI>Pithian</HI> when &s;he gave her Oracles, then in the face of <HI>Cyrus</HI> when the &s;word was in his hand: One would have &s;aid that a new &s;pirit did animate him, and that he him&s;elf was become the God of War; his complexion grew high and lively, his eyes more &s;parkling, his action more free, his voyce more clear, and every way more maje&s;tical: &s;o that at his lea&s;t beck, he &s;truck terror into the Souls of all about him: Yet did there always appear a calm &s;erenity in his Soul, maugre this heroique agility, which made him perpetually change his place, and be in every place to give Orders throughout all; and certainly he did it with &s;o much prudence, as never any could ever tax him with commanding any thing to an ill purpo&s;e: Al&s;o, he was always obeyed with mo&s;t exact diligence, and blind obedience; as &s;oon as ever he &s;poke the word, all were ready to execute; and his pre&s;ence had &s;omething in it &s;o divine and terrible both, that when he was in the head of his Army, only with his all-commanding Trunchion in his hand, one might very well &s;ay, he made both his Friends and his Enemies to tremble, and wrought different effects in the hearts of both: for his Enemies out of very fear did often fly; and his Friends out of fear to di&s;plea&s;e him, became incomparably more valiant: and certainly that divine heat which warmed his heart, and &s;parkled in his eyes, did com|municate it &s;elf throughout the Army, and begot &s;uch an ardent de&s;ire of fighting, as was often a great Cau&s;e of Victories.</P>
<P>Thus did <HI>Cyrus</HI> appear when he had a &s;word in his hand, and in the head of his Army, when he went to &s;torm the Town of <HI>Ni&s;omolis.</HI> Since it was very concerning to carry it in a &s;hort time, do what the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> and <HI>Hircania</HI> could, he him&s;elf would needs be the fir&s;t that fell on; and many have a&s;&s;ured me, that he carryed the fir&s;t Ladder, and was fir&s;t upon the Enemies Rampart: This is without all di&s;pute, that had he not been there this little Town vvould have held out, maugre all our men, above eight days, yet by his incomparable valor it vvas reduced in le&s;s then tvventy four hours, vvith the lo&s;s of very fevv men; though half of the Gari&s;on vvas cut in pieces, and the re&s;t li&s;ted them&s;elves under <HI>Cyrus.</HI> Thus did the King of <HI>Lidia</HI> in a little time lo&s;e a mo&s;t con&s;iderable Pa&s;s over the River <HI>Hermes,</HI> and at lea&s;t three thou&s;and of his be&s;t Souldiers. This good be|ginning put joy into the vvhole Army of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;truck &s;uch a terror into all the Coun|try along the River <HI>Hermse,</HI> as if all <HI>Lidia</HI> vvere conquered.</P>
<P><PB N="77" REF="417">
In the mean time, after a Garri&s;on vvas put into the Tovvn, <HI>Cyrus</HI> cau&s;ed all his Forces to pa&s;s over the Bridg at <HI>Ni&s;omolis,</HI> &s;o that in a day and half this great Army did over-&s;pread all the Neighbouring fields, carrying vvith it &s;uch a horrid fear, that from the banks of the River <HI>Hermes,</HI> unto the River <HI>Pactolus,</HI> there vvas not a <HI>Lydian</HI> heart vvhich did not tremble, the Army of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> it &s;elf vvas a&s;toni&s;hed; yet &s;ince it vvas much more numerous then that of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> it pre&s;ently took heart again: But &s;ince &s;ome of their Forces vvere not yet come up. <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> vvas not over-forvvard to take the field, but thought it mo&s;t expedient, to let the fury of this &s;torm vvhich made &s;uch a noy&s;e to cool a little, conjecturing, that the Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> vvould le&s;&s;en, vvhil&s;t his increa&s;ed; yet he &s;ent 20000. men under the conduct of <HI>Andramites</HI> to check the over-forvvardne&s;s of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his Army, until &s;uch time as he vvas ready to march; and &s;till confiding in the Oracle vvhich he received from <HI>Delphos</HI> &s;o much, that though his Army had been vveak, as it vvas &s;trong, yet &s;hould he hope for Victory, and that he &s;hould ruine the Empire vvhich <HI>Cyrus</HI> vvas in expectation of. In the mean vvhile, <HI>Cyrus</HI> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed him&s;elf of all pa&s;&s;ages, became Ma&s;ter of the Field, and left not a Tovvn on his back vvhich could annoy him, but took all in his vvay, and terror vvas &s;pread &s;o far, that mo&s;t did render them&s;elves as &s;oon as his Forces approached: That vvhich did mo&s;t move them unto it, vvas becau&s;e <HI>Cyrus</HI> did treat all tho&s;e vvho did not re&s;i&s;t him vvith much &s;vveetne&s;s, not permitting a Souldier to offer the lea&s;t in&s;olency unto them; but on the contrary, tho&s;e vvho did re&s;i&s;t the progre&s;s he intended to relea&s;e his dear <HI>Mandana,</HI> they felt the vveight of his Arm, and found too late, that it vvas no vvi&s;dome to undertake more then they vvere able to make good, and by con&s;equence more then they ought to do: After then he had made &s;ure of all places which could any way annoy him, he intrenched him&s;elf, advantageou&s;ly, within a daies march and a half of <HI>Sardis,</HI> as well to re&s;t his Troops, and refre&s;h his Army, as to inquire concerning the Enemy, al&s;o to expect the return of <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> yet did not a day pa&s;s away without &s;ome skirmi&s;h or other; for &s;ince the 20000. men under the command of <HI>Andramites</HI> were intrenched upon the Banks of a little River that was within 300. paces of us, there was skirmi&s;hes continually, the &s;ucce&s;s whereof was not alwayes equal: Sometimes the Party of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would have the better, yet commonly they were alwayes beaten, &s;o that pri&s;oners were every day taken and brought unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who would alwayes examine them him&s;elf, not only for better in|formation of all advantages, but to ask them if they knew any thing concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> for &s;ince &s;ometimes there was &s;ome Officers among&s;t them, he pumped &s;ome things out of them which he de&s;ired to know; he inquired not only of <HI>Mandana,</HI> but al&s;o of his Rivals. He under&s;tood al&s;o by them, that there was a &s;tran|er, a gallant Cavalier, and an admirable hand&s;ome man, who of late came into the Party of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> who then was with <HI>Andramites,</HI> and had made him&s;elf very eminent in many &s;mall skirmi&s;hes which had pa&s;&s;ed, yet could not any of the&s;e pri&s;oners tell his quality, only he called him&s;elf <HI>Telephanes:</HI> And indeed every Party which went out, found that there was one man above all the re&s;t of the <HI>Lydians</HI> which was of an extraor|dinary valour, and made alwayes a mo&s;t gallant re&s;i&s;tance, &s;o that the name of <HI>Telepha|nes</HI> was cried up, both among&s;t his friends and enemies: Though <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not capable of any envious thoughts, yet the fame of this <HI>Telephanes</HI> made him often de&s;ire to meet with him, &s;o that he would often go out in the&s;e &s;mall Parties, in hopes to incounter him, but he could not meet with him: But afterwards, checking him&s;elf for any &s;uch thoughts, conceiving it a piece of weakne&s;s in him to de&s;ire combat with any but his Ri|vals, he gave over all his thoughts of <HI>Telephanes,</HI> and his mind was imployed only how to ha&s;ten on his Victory or his Defeat, though he could not chu&s;e but after &s;o many dire predictions put &s;ome doubts of a good &s;ucce&s;s. However, he under&s;tood the day fol|lowing, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was come into the Enemies Camp, and that it was he who was to command the Van-guard.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner heard that this Ravi&s;her of his Prince&s;s was &s;o neer him, but he had a much more hot de&s;ire of fighting, which prompted him to act &s;omething, before it came to main Battel: And though he knew that all the&s;e petty advantages which every day they got, were nothing to decide the matter, and that under a general defeat of this great Army, he &s;hould never relea&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet he thought, that if he could either kill or take the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> it would conduce much unto a Victory, and to the li|berty of the Prince&s;s: So that to do both, he attempted the day following to force his Enemy, and make him quit that quarter wherein he was intrenched: But the Enemy was
<PB N="78" REF="418">
&s;o advantageou&s;ly &s;eated, that it would be a mo&s;t difficult task to drive them out under 10000. men, yet nothing was impo&s;&s;ible to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who&s;e valour nothing could re&s;i&s;t, and if the night had not impeaded his Victory, he had carried it: His Enemy did lo&s;e &s;uch a number of men in this a&s;&s;ault, that he might well be &s;atisfied, though during the combat, he met neither with the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> nor <HI>Telephanes,</HI> who was reported to carry one dead painted upon his Buckler, with this Motto, <HI>I have de&s;erved it;</HI> yet was <HI>Cyrus</HI> much perplexed that he could not meet with his Rival, and he was con&s;idering which way he might the next morning inforce the Enemy out of his Trenches, when he &s;aw <HI>Aglatidas</HI> returned, and coming to him, he was no &s;ooner entred into his Tent, but with open arms he imbraced him: Well my dear <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) How does my Prince&s;s? and how do they treat her at <HI>Sardis?</HI> Sir, replied he, they guard her &s;o &s;trickly, that it was impo&s;&s;ible for me to give you an exact account how &s;he doth, yet I know &s;he is in health, and that they wait upon her with much re&s;pect: But &s;ince &s;he is in the Cittadel, as well as the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> whom they guard as &s;trickly as the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> it is not in the power of <HI>Feraulas,</HI> as witty as he is, to find out any means of &s;ending any me&s;&s;age unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> yet for all that I have &s;een the Prince&s;s: How, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> have you &s;een her, and not &s;poke unto her? I &s;aw her Sir, replied he, upon the top of a Tower in the Cittadel, where &s;he came every evening to walk with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lydia;</HI> but the ditches were &s;o very broad, and the Tower &s;o high, that I could only &s;ee her, and perhaps un&s;een my &s;elf, yet methought one of her Women which waited, made a &s;ign unto me with her hand, but I dur&s;t not an&s;wer it. Howe|ver <HI>Feraulas</HI> &s;ees her every day in the &s;ame place, for the place where the pri&s;oners of War is lodged, is over again&s;t that Tower: Then it &s;eems the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> (replied <HI>Cyrus</HI> very ha&s;tily) does &s;ee my Prince&s;s, as the re&s;t do? And more then any of the re&s;t, &s;aid <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> for he is perpetually in the Window of his Chamber, which opens that way. Ah <HI>Aglatidas</HI> (cried <HI>Cyrus</HI> out) What &s;ad news is this you tell me? Sir, re|plied he, Let it not at all trouble you, &s;ince certainly that Prince is not any thing the happier for it, becau&s;e by &s;pecial Orders from the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who is in high fa|vour with <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> he is &s;o &s;trickly guarded, that this Prince cannot po&s;&s;ibly have &s;o much liberty as to &s;end any Letters or me&s;&s;age unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana. Cyrus</HI> then, calming the agitation of his &s;pirits, by hearing a thing &s;o agreeable to his wi&s;h, com|manded <HI>Aglatidas</HI> to make an exact relation of all his journey, fir&s;t asking him of the health of the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and of all the re&s;t of the Pri&s;oners, e&s;pecially of <HI>Ferau|las</HI> in particular. After that, <HI>Aglatidas</HI> had told him, that the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> was out of all danger, and that the &s;tranger <HI>Anaxaris, Feraulas, So&s;icles,</HI> and <HI>Tegeus</HI> were all well, he told him, how he found <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> at <HI>Sardis,</HI> who treated him very civilly; that after he had read his Letter, he told him, that his recommendations were dear unto him, excepting what related unto the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> a&s;&s;uring him, that he &s;hould have his an&s;wer in the morning; that afterwards, he de&s;ired permi&s;&s;ion to pre&s;ent a Let|ter unto the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> from the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter, and another from the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> unto the King her Husband, unto which he accorded, cau&s;ing him to be condu|cted unto tho&s;e two Princes by &s;ome of his guard: But I pray tell me, (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,)</HI> Were not the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Abradates</HI> in the Camp? No Sir, replied <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> for they were at a Councel of War, which was held neer the Town, and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was ready to &s;et forward to command the Van-guard: But to tell you Sir, how <HI>Abradates</HI> received me is impo&s;&s;ible; but I am mo&s;t certain, he loves the Queen <HI>Panthea</HI> with a mo&s;t extraordinary affection, and he had no &s;ooner read her Letter, but he a&s;&s;ured me, that he would be a Protector, not only unto all &s;uch pri&s;oners as were taken during the War, as well as tho&s;e now at <HI>Sardis,</HI> but he would be ready to do any thing that gene|ro&s;ity would permit him, with a hundred obliging and &s;weet expre&s;&s;ions unto me: Af|ter which, being de&s;irous to execute the orders of <HI>Panthea</HI> that very hour, he went un|to <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> as I &s;hall tell you, after I have related unto you how the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> did treat me: I am confident (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that he hath not forgot to be generous: Cer|tainly Sir, replied <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> I was much &s;urprized at this manner of behaviour; for Sir, you never did any favour which he does not exactly remember, he calls you his Pro|tector and Liberator, he prote&s;ted that he hated ingratitude, and &s;wore unto me, that he would protect the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and all the Pri&s;oners, more for your &s;ake, then for the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter: Then he carried me unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and I was a witne&s;s of all that the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> and he did plead in behalf of <HI>Artamas</HI> and the re&s;t: <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> did
<PB N="79" REF="418">
ob&s;tinately affirm, that the Prince of <HI>Phrigia</HI> ought not to be treated as a Pri&s;oner of War, but to be proceeded again&s;t as a Delinquent to the State: And the&s;e two Princes did mo&s;t zealou&s;ly maintain the contrary, telling him, that he had no Right at all unto that Prince, but what the Fortune of War did entitle him unto.</P>
<P>However, the matter could not be that day re&s;olved, no nor the next day, though <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> promi&s;ed to di&s;patch me: During which time, by the Kings permi&s;&s;ion, I vi&s;ited all the Pri&s;oners: I under&s;tood from <HI>Feraulas,</HI> that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was known before he came into <HI>Sardis;</HI> and that &s;ince his Impri&s;onment he is extreamly melancholy, that he &s;hould not have the glory of ayding you in the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Relea&s;ment, and that he was forced to be obliged unto you for his Liberty; and he charged me to expre&s;s his &s;orrows unto you, that he was not to be Partaker with you in the dangers of this War, and de&s;iring me to put you in memory of your Promi&s;es. As for the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> Sir, he charged me with a hundred obliging Me&s;&s;ages unto you, as well as <HI>Anaxaris, So&s;icles,</HI> and <HI>Tegeus.</HI> While&s;t I was with the&s;e illu&s;trious Captives, <HI>Abradates</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> finding <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> very re&s;olute, told him, that there was two per&s;ons who were in|finitely dear unto them in your Power, and that they had great Rea&s;on to fear their u&s;age if <HI>Artamas</HI> was treated otherwi&s;e then as a Pri&s;oner of War: Unto which he an&s;wered, that as long as <HI>Mandana</HI> was in his Power, there was no fear of either the Queen of <HI>Su&s;i|ana</HI> or the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta.</HI> As <HI>Abradates</HI> was more earne&s;t in the bu&s;ine&s;s then the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> he &s;poke &s;omething home unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> telling him that he &s;aw he was much deceived; for he beleeved that if he had de&s;ired Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> to be exchanged for the Queen his Wife, he would not have denyed him that favour; but it &s;eems he was &s;o far from granting him that favour, as at his reque&s;t he would not let him be in the ordi|nary Conditions of War: Adding many other things, unto which <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> an&s;wered &s;o roughly, as I am very much mi&s;taken, if the heart of <HI>Abradates</HI> was not much exa&s;perated again&s;t him: For when I came to receive his An&s;wer, I heard him relate the bu&s;ine&s;s unto one of his friends in a low voyce, and in &s;uch a manner as I conceive as much. However, at la&s;t the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and he did bend <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> unto their de&s;ires; &s;o that I received as good an An&s;wer as I could wi&s;h. In taking my leave of <HI>Abradates,</HI> he charged me with a Letter unto the Queen his Wife: and appointed me to tell you Sir, that if he were ab|&s;olute Di&s;po&s;er of Affairs, he would not only protect the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> but relea&s;e him: Adding unto all this a Chain of Gold with a Medal, on which was the Picture of <HI>Panthea,</HI> which he de&s;ired me to take, to put me in remembrance (as he &s;aid) to tell you Sir, That there was one man among&s;t your Enemies, who infinitely de&s;ires the honour to be your Friend. Sir, &s;aid I then unto him, I be&s;eech you excu&s;e me from receiving &s;uch a mag|nificent gift, as may render me &s;u&s;pected unto the Prince I &s;erve. Since your Ma&s;ters merit, replyed he, is a &s;tronger and more precious Chain to tye you unto his &s;ervice then any I am able to give, he will never &s;u&s;pect &s;uch a man as you of any &s;ubornation. At la&s;t, there was no remedy but I mu&s;t &s;ubmit unto the liberality of <HI>Abradates,</HI> and accept it. Afterwards I went unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who gave me his An&s;wer unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> his Si&s;ter, and who charged me to tell you Sir, that you may ever expect any thing in the World from him which was not prejudicial unto his Love. After this, <HI>Agla|tidas</HI> pre&s;enting the King of <HI>Lidia</HI>'s Letter unto his hands, he there found the&s;e words:</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>CRESSUS <HI>unto</HI> CYRUS.</HEAD>
<P><HI>WHat cau&s;e &s;oever I have to treat the Prince</HI> Artamas <HI>as a Delinquent again&s;t my State, yet I a&s;&s;ure you, that at your in&s;tance, and the de&s;ires of tho&s;e two Princes who did &s;econd you, I &s;hall treat him only as a Pri&s;oner of War; and that with much civility and &s;weetne&s;s. I wi&s;h I may often be in a condition to do you the like offices; and that I may never be nece&s;&s;itated to receive the like from you.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>CRESSUS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>Fortune &s;hall then for&s;ake me (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> in an&s;wer to his own thoughts, and the King of <HI>Lidia</HI>'s Letter:) After which embracing <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> he asked him whether he had heard of a &s;tranger of high reputation in <HI>Sardis,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Telephanes?</HI> Oh Sir, &s;aid <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> I had forgot to tell you, that the talk in <HI>Sardis</HI> is of nothing el&s;e but his valor and gallant importment; yet none knows who he is: However, added he, if the <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">idians</HI> are to be beleeved, their Army is &s;o va&s;t and &s;trong, that Victory is made &s;ure of: How|ever,
<PB N="80" REF="419">
they will give us leave to di&s;pute for it with them, replyed <HI>Cyrus.</HI> After which &s;end|ing <HI>Aglatidas</HI> unto the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> to give him an account of the &s;ucce&s;s in his Voy|age, he &s;pent the re&s;t of the day which he had de&s;igned for his own re&s;t, upon contem|plation of the pre&s;ent &s;tate of his fortunes; and to contrive ways how to relea&s;e his Prin|ce&s;s. Doubtle&s;s it was a great con&s;olation unto him to hear that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was in the Army, and that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> could not &s;end unto <HI>Mandana.</HI> Nor am I al|together unfortunate, &s;aid he, &s;ince my Prince&s;s is in a place where &s;he may think upon me with freedom: But how do I know, &s;aid he, whether or no &s;he thinks well of me? Have I not more rea&s;on to fear that &s;he thinks upon me as the cau&s;e of all her misfor|tunes? and remembers me with horror in lieu of tenderne&s;s? Perhaps the &s;ame Gods which promi&s;ed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> that he &s;hould &s;ee an end of all his mi&s;ery, and that he &s;hould have the glory to hear <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;igh for him, did make him a Pri&s;oner pur|po&s;ely to ha&s;ten his happine&s;s; and it may be &s;he pities him while&s;t &s;he accu&s;eth me, and at this very hour as I am &s;peaking of her, he has a greater &s;hare in her thoughts and affec|tion then I have. But mo&s;t unju&s;t man that I am (&s;aid he, and reprehended him&s;elf) why do I accu&s;e the mo&s;t perfect per&s;on upon Earth of any incon&s;tancy? She, I &s;ay, who hath given me a hundred mo&s;t obliging te&s;timonies of her unalterable con&s;tancy? She hath &s;een the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who was Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or of a great Empire, and could command an Army of two hundred thou&s;and Men, lie pro&s;trate at her feet, and never be moved at his tears: Why then &s;hould I now ever think, that &s;ince he is deprived of his Kingdom, and in fetters, and never &s;peaks to her, he can alter his mind? yet notwith&s;tanding, pity hath much power in it; &s;he can mollifie the mo&s;t obdurate hearts, and &s;often the mo&s;t fierce Souls, e&s;pecially &s;uch as &s;uffer for her; al&s;o &s;he delivered me, and retained the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> Then afterwards when he began to con&s;ider how the Gods had promi&s;ed Vic|tory unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> and yet &s;ince he entered into <HI>Lidia</HI> he had nothing but good &s;ucce&s;s again&s;t this <HI>Lidian</HI> King, he knew not what to think: Sometimes he feared the Gods did rai&s;e him only to throw him down again; and in a moment after, he thought that perhaps they did never intend it: So that when one glimp&s;e of any hope did but &s;hine upon his heart, then all his thoughts were of fighting, and vanqui&s;hing his Rivals. After he had reli&s;hed the &s;weetne&s;s of this la&s;t thought, he fell a&s;leep, and &s;lept on with more tranquility then u&s;ually he was wont, but his &s;leep was not long &s;ince he awaked by break of day. He was no &s;ooner up, but the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> came to thank him, and expre&s;s his joy, that the Prince his Son was not expo&s;ed unto the fury of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us.</HI> Afterwards this Prince under|&s;tanding from <HI>Aglatidas</HI> how infinitely <HI>Abradates</HI> loved the Queen his Wife, did advi&s;e <HI>Cyrus</HI> to carry her unto the Army, telling him, that &s;uch an occa&s;ion might pre&s;ent it &s;elf, that her pre&s;ence and the pre&s;ence of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> might happily much advan|tage him: At the fir&s;t, <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not much harken unto the coun&s;el of the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> thinking that he was to employ nothing but his courage in the Relea&s;ment of <HI>Mandana;</HI> and remembering what &s;mall effects the la&s;t meeting of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> with the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> produced, he could not fancy any advantage by them. Yet &s;ince the King of <HI>Phrigia, Chri&s;antes, Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> were not of his opinion, he yeilded unto them. Then the very &s;ame hour he &s;ent <HI>Aglatidas</HI> unto the two Prince&s;&s;es, with the Let|ters which he brought for them, and to be&s;eech them they would be plea&s;ed to come unto one of tho&s;e Towns which he had taken, and which was clo&s;e by the place where he was encamped: But for more civilities &s;ake, he writ unto them both; and the more to oblige <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> he de&s;ired him to go with <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and conduct the Prince&s;&s;es, with whom was his dear <HI>Cleonice;</HI> giving orders unto <HI>Aglatidas</HI> for <HI>Ara&s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s,</HI> that he &s;hould take his Troops unto <HI>Ni&s;omolis.</HI> In the mean while <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who&s;e con&s;tant cu&s;tom was to conquer all oppo&s;ers, re&s;olved to enforce the Enemy, and to drive them from that quarter which they po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, before all their Army came up; &s;o that this being his full re&s;olution, he intended to a&s;&s;ault them in &s;o many places at once, that they being forced to divide their Forces, he might more ea&s;ily vanqui&s;h them: yet this could not be executed in the morn|ing, becau&s;e he thought it mo&s;t expedient to fall on in the night, thereby to &s;pare his Troops, and to avoyd the arrows which they who guarded the Trenches might with more judgment aym if it were not in the dark. On the other &s;ide, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> de&s;iring to put nothing to the hazard, would not fight until the whole Army of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was arri|ved; and de&s;ired that the Battel might be fought neerer <HI>Sardis,</HI> to the end that if <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was beaten, he might more readily retire into the Town to defend his Prince&s;s, &s;o that he re&s;olved to di&s;encamp the night following; and in order to that, the day was no &s;ooner
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done, but cau&s;ing many fires to be made as u&s;ually was wont, he marched away with all his Troops towards the plain of <HI>Sardis. Cyrus</HI> was much &s;urprized when going to a&s;&s;ault his Enemy, he found none there: he made ready a great body of Hor&s;e to follow them; and him&s;elf being in the head of them, he pur&s;ued a long while, yet the Enemy made &s;uch ha&s;te, that he could not overtake them: &s;o that conceiving it not &s;afe to engage him&s;elf too far, he returned back, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed him&s;elf of the &s;ame quarter which the <HI>Lidians</HI> quitted: Yet was he extreamly &s;orry to under&s;tand by the &s;ick and wounded Ene|mies which the Enemy left behind in their Camp, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was gone to quarter on the other &s;ide of the River <HI>Halis,</HI> which runs along the Plain of <HI>Sardis,</HI> over again&s;t <HI>Pactolus,</HI> which bounders the other &s;ide: And judging by this that the Enemy intended to protract the War, he fell into &s;uch &s;ad de&s;pair as is unconceiveable: &s;o that without imparting his de&s;ign unto any but him he &s;ent, he di&s;patched <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> to tell him, that &s;ince it was not ju&s;t the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould con|tinue &s;o long a Captive, he conjured him to obtain permi&s;&s;ion from <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> for a Duel between them two, and &s;o to end all differences betwixt them concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> offering that if he were Conqueror, to re&s;tore the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> upon condition he would re&s;tore the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> if the Fate of Arms went on his &s;ide; adding further, that if <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> would prolong the War, he might the better &s;atisfie his de&s;ire. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Abra|dates</HI> did advance, as the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> retired, both met at the River <HI>Halis:</HI> &s;o that when <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> came to the Enemies Camp, he was carried immediately unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> in who&s;e pre&s;ence he mu&s;t needs acquit him&s;elf of his Commi&s;&s;ion. At the fir&s;t, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was much amazed; not but that this Prince was as valiant as any ever breathed; but when he remembered how he owed his life and liberty unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and that he un|ju&s;tly retained the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> from him, he was extreamly a&s;hamed; and all his love and valor could not move him to accept this Combat without extream repugnance: But he was not put unto the trouble of it, for <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> had no &s;ooner ended his &s;peech, but <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> told him, that he would not &s;uffer the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> to fight with <HI>Cyrus</HI> for the Liberty of <HI>Mandana;</HI> and bid him tell his Ma&s;ter, that before this Prince&s;s was re|lea&s;ed, he &s;hould conquer him in ranged Battel, he &s;hould take <HI>Sardis,</HI> &s;ubvert his Throne, and ruine his Empire.</P>
<P>The King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> even ravi&s;hed that he was not put to an&s;wer, and &s;eeing with what re&s;olution <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> &s;poke unto this Propo&s;ition, be&s;eeched him that he would permit him leave to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus;</HI> for Sir, &s;aid he unto him, though he be my Rival, yet I would pre|&s;erve my &s;elf in his e&s;teem and I &s;hould be extreamly &s;orry if he &s;hould think it want of heart, that I will not fight with him; Al&s;o I &s;hould be very glad to ask him pardon for my ingratitude, and to tell him my &s;elf &s;ome part of my thoughts. At the fir&s;t <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was unwilling to con&s;ent: but after <HI>Abradates</HI> told him that it could be no ways preju|dicial, <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> was &s;ent back with one of the King of <HI>Lidia</HI>'s Heralds to know whether <HI>Cyrus</HI> would con&s;ent unto this meeting. Since this Prince did expect <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> with much impatience, becau&s;e he hoped to obtain his demands, it may be ea&s;ily conceived that his return did aggravate his &s;orrows, &s;ince the Liberty of <HI>Mandana</HI> was yet deferred: yet he did con&s;ent to &s;ee the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> hoping &s;till to per&s;wade him either to re&s;tore <HI>Mandana,</HI> or to fight with him. The day of this Enterview being appointed, it was re|&s;olved by both Parties that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould come in the head of a thou&s;and Hor&s;e unto a place where ran a little deep River about three paces broad; and that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;hould meet him there with the like number; That the&s;e two Princes &s;hould &s;olemnly en|gage them&s;elves by Oath, not to a&s;&s;ault each other, but to &s;peak unto each other only. The thing being then re&s;olved upon, the time and place appointed, and the hour come, each prepared to be at the place appointed: That which was mo&s;t &s;trange, was the great de&s;ire which every Commander of the Enemies Army had to know <HI>Cyrus;</HI> &s;o that they were all importunate with <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> for permi&s;&s;ion to wait upon the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> &s;o that in lieu of common Troopers, all his Company to prevent di&s;contents were Colonels and Captains.</P>
<P>You ea&s;ily imagine, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> when he &s;aw this, &s;u&s;pected a &s;urprize, and that faith would not be kept, for he had all his men (except &s;ome forty or fifty men of quality) out of common Troopers only: But with the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> it was otherwi&s;e, for <HI>A|bradate;</HI> him&s;elf was one, having asked leave of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> to give <HI>Cyrus</HI> thanks for his genero&s;ity in treating the Queen his Wife &s;o civilly: However, <HI>Cyrus</HI> wi&s;hed, though
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he knew no rea&s;on for his curio&s;ity, that <HI>Telephanes</HI> who was &s;o cried up, would be there al&s;o. The&s;e two bodies of Cavalry, appeared then at an equal di&s;tance from this River, and advanced foot-pace to the &s;ide of it, where they, when they were within eight pa|ces of each &s;ide, they both made a hault. In the mean while, <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> leaving their Troops both at a time, came as neer each other as the River would permit, and without alighting from their hor&s;es, they &s;aluted each other with equal civi|lity, yet their eyes did &s;o &s;parkle the agitation of their hearts, that they both &s;tood &s;ilent a while, and could not &s;peak; and indeed <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not look upon the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> but he mu&s;t needs remember the care he formerly had of his pre&s;ervation, when he &s;ent to acquaint him with the con&s;piracy again&s;t him, and al&s;o how he had &s;aved the life of his Prince&s;s; yet he could not chu&s;e but remember at the &s;ame time, how he was the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the ruiner of his felicity; nor could the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> look upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> without remembrance, how he owed both his life and liberty unto him, and how he had offered to reinve&s;t him in his Throne; &s;o that both of them infinitely e|&s;teeming each other, and &s;o demeaned them&s;elves, as the greatne&s;s of their &s;ouls did &s;uf|ficiently appear. After all rumultuous cogitations of heart were allayed, and rea&s;on a&s;|&s;umed Region in their minds: I am infinitely grieved (&s;aid the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> unto <HI>Cy|rus)</HI> that Fortune has &s;o much obliged me unto you, and that Love &s;hould make me &s;o ungrateful: It is not for any ingratitude or obligations (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that I accu&s;e you, but only becau&s;e you are extreamly unju&s;t, in detaining a Prince&s;s unto whom neither Nature, nor Fortune, nor Love, hath given you any right: As for that which relates unto my own particular, I was fir&s;t obliged unto you, and all that which I have or would have done for you, ought to be con&s;idered only as effects of my acknowledgment: But that you &s;hould de&s;ire to obtain that by force, which ought to be acquired by &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, &s;ervices and prayers, this is a thing mo&s;t horrid; yet if the captivity of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> had any limits &s;et unto it, then hopes of liberty in the end might &s;weeten her impri&s;onment: but to wi&s;h that &s;he &s;hould not be relea&s;ed, until I have defeated a pui&s;|&s;ant Army commanded by three great Kings, and by the conque&s;t of a great Empire, this is &s;uch a piece of high inju&s;tice, as I cannot believe you capable of; on the contrary, I think you ought rather to endeavour my defeat by your own peculiar valour, then by the bloud of two hundred thou&s;and men which are in the Army of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us;</HI> and there|fore I hoped, that you would have accepted of that offer of combat which I &s;ent unto you: How infinitely does it concern the King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> that we &s;hould terminate our differences our &s;elves before a bloudy War become the Arbitrator? Since if I have the good Fortune to vanqui&s;h you, I &s;hall demand no more but the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and if you vanqui&s;h me, the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> &s;hall be re&s;tored. Oh ye Gods (added <HI>Cyrus)</HI> I be&s;eech you infu&s;e rea&s;on into the &s;oul of this Prince, and let him help me to relea&s;e that Prince&s;s whom we adore. Would it were the plea&s;ure of tho&s;e Gods, whom you invoke, (replied the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> that I were able to follow the Dictates of Rea&s;on; for if I could, I &s;hould then re&s;i&s;t my pa&s;&s;ion, and overcome it: I &s;hould then &s;et the Prince&s;s <HI>Manda|na</HI> at liberty, and then I &s;hould make my Love &s;ubmit unto my ambition, and accept of all tho&s;e generous offers which you have made me, and by con&s;equence hope by your valour to regain my Kingdomes: Then though I could not conquer my pa&s;&s;ion, yet I &s;hould at lea&s;t endeavour to overcome my unwillingne&s;s to fight with my Deliverer, and by fighting with you, I might find an end of my misfortunes, either by a glorious Victory, or an honorable death. But to &s;peak &s;incerely unto you, I cannot do it, &s;ince I am neither Ma&s;ter of my own per&s;on, nor of <HI>Mandana's:</HI> When I came fir&s;t unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> after I had lo&s;t my Kingdomes, I brought him no Forces; all that I had, whereby to oblige him unto my protection, was to put the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> into his power, &s;o that &s;ince &s;he is not mine, I have no right to demand her of him again: She is &s;o precious an Ho&s;tage, that it may be &s;aid, that &s;he almo&s;t keeps his Empire and per|&s;on in &s;ecurity: Judg I be&s;eech you after this what I am able to do, you have been my Deliverer, I confe&s;s, and &s;uch a one, as unto whom I owe all I have; nor can it be de|nied, but <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> is my Protector al&s;o, and by the &s;ame rea&s;on, I am as much his deb|tor. Never con&s;ider, (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> what your debt is unto the King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> or un|to me, but con&s;ider what your debt is unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> Is it ju&s;t, that &s;ince the Gods have de&s;tined her to wear the prime Crowns of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> you &s;hould make her die in Pri&s;on? Can your Love con&s;ent unto that? And do you think, that to Love <HI>Man|dana</HI>
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truly, is to make her the mo&s;t mi&s;erable Prince&s;s alive? Recollect your &s;elf generous Rival, hear what rea&s;on &s;ayes unto you, and &s;trive either to overcome your &s;elf, or me, I give you the choice of the&s;e two; if you make choice of the fir&s;t, and will move <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> unto a peace, to &s;hew you that I de&s;ire it not to &s;ave my &s;elf the labour of a War, I do &s;olemnly ingage my word to e&s;tabli&s;h you in the Throne of your Fathers, and to do as much for <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> if he have any need of my a&s;&s;i&s;tance; but if you make choice of the other, then per&s;wade him that it would be very much more advantageous unto him to vanqui&s;h or intrap me, then to hazard it in a Battel; for truly, I cannot en|dure <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould be thus a Captive, and I wonder how you can &s;uffer it: I do not know (replied the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> but there is &s;uch a di&s;cord in my own thoughts, that every day I do both love and hate you, and am my own greate&s;t Enemy; yet there is not one minute in my life, in which I do not mo&s;t de&s;perately love the Prince&s;s <HI>Manda|na;</HI> I cannot fix upon any rea&s;onable re&s;olution, but am alwayes both unju&s;t and mi&s;er|able: No, no, (cryed out <HI>Cyrus)</HI> it is not &s;o; for &s;ince you &s;ee <HI>Mandana</HI> every day, either angry, or with tears in her eyes, your heart mu&s;t needs melt, or di&s;pair, where|as I never &s;ee her; therefore in all likelyhood I am more unfortunate (and not you) then ever I imagined. However, I be&s;eech you be &s;o &s;incerely as to tell me, upon what tearms you &s;tand with <HI>Mandana?</HI> I be&s;eech you do not deny me every thing; and &s;ince you will neither relea&s;e your Mi&s;tri&s;s, nor fight with your Rival, however &s;peak free and &s;incerely unto a Prince who would be your friend, if you would permit him: Alas Sir, (cried out the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> your rigour is too &s;harp, in de&s;iring me to tell you with my own mouth, that you are as much in the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana's</HI> e&s;teem as I am little; and content your &s;elf with this, that though I cannot part with her, yet have I no hopes of ever being loved: What then do you hope for (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto him?) To die, re|plied the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> before you &s;hall enjoy her. There is not a better way to hin|der me from enjoying her, (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> then to fight with me: Sometimes I think upon nothing but that, replied the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> when I look upon you as my Rival, and my Rival beloved; and &s;ometimes when I look upon my obligations, I cannot think of any &s;uch thing: Forget them all for ever, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;ince you will not render me the Prince&s;s whom I adore: However do thus much for me at the lea&s;t, &s;aid he, that you will induce <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> not to draw the War out at length, but that a deciding Battel may &s;peedily be re&s;olved upon, and let Victory fall where it plea&s;e the Fates. This I will promi&s;e you (replied the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> though I am angry with my &s;elf, that I can grant no more, unto one that is not only my Deliverer, but al&s;o a protector of the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> Do not make the re&s;pects which I pay unto that illu&s;trious per&s;on any ob|ligations unto you (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> &s;ince I pay them only in love of her and my &s;elf, and not of you.</P>
<P>After this, the&s;e two Princes talked together of many things, with &s;ometimes ge|nero&s;ity, and &s;ometimes in anger, but Love did alwayes appear in them both: When they were ready to part, <HI>Abradates</HI> advanced, and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> naming him un|to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that Prince &s;aluted him with much re&s;pect, as made appear how he treated <HI>Panthea.</HI> This fir&s;t complement being over, and <HI>Abradates</HI> rendred him thanks for his &s;o generous and civil treatments of the Queen his Wife, <HI>Cyrus</HI> began to &s;peak, and looking upon the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> Have you no pity upon the King of <HI>Su&s;iana?</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) and will you not put me into &s;uch a condition as will make me re&s;tore him the only per&s;on which can make him happy? Oh I be&s;eech you, let me enjoy &s;o much happine&s;s, as that I may break the Chains of the&s;e two great Prince&s;&s;es in pieces, by your breaking the Chains of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana.</HI> As much intere&s;ted as I am, be|cau&s;e I know too well what it is to be deprived of her I mo&s;t love (replied <HI>Abradates)</HI> yet I cannot joyn my prayers unto yours Sir; and therefore without any in&s;ulting upon the mi&s;eries of a great Prince, I endure my own misfortunes, without any addition un|to his; yet thinking my &s;elf mo&s;t happy, in meeting with &s;o generous an Enemy as you Sir are. As <HI>Abradates</HI> was &s;peaking thus, and the name of <HI>Telephanes</HI> coming into the mind of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he began to look among&s;t the <HI>Lydian</HI> Cavalry if he could &s;py the Buck|ler, which they &s;aid he u&s;ed to wear; for though there was no de&s;ign of any fighting that day, yet every one had their Arms. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then looking very circum&s;pectly among&s;t them, whil'&s;t <HI>Abradates</HI> was &s;peaking unto him, he &s;aw a man of an excellent garb, and well mounted, in the fir&s;t rank, who turning his head then to &s;peak unto another which was in the &s;econd Rank; would not at fir&s;t permit him to &s;ee his face, yet his Buckler
<PB N="84" REF="421">
was plainly to be &s;een; &s;o that he longing to have him look towards him, he hearkened unto <HI>Abradates,</HI> but &s;till kept his eye upon <HI>Telephanes,</HI> and though he knew no cau&s;e for it, yet his &s;oul &s;welled with extraordinary agitations, and much more when this pre|tended <HI>Telephanes</HI> turning his head that way, he &s;aw him to be either the Prince <HI>Maza|res,</HI> or his Gho&s;t; for &s;ince he had often &s;een this Prince at <HI>Babylon</HI> before, he &s;aw him in a dying po&s;ture neer <HI>Sinope;</HI> and &s;ince the <HI>Idea</HI> of a Rival is alwayes rivitted in ones memory, he knew him at fir&s;t &s;ight; yet &s;ince he certainly believed him dead, this &s;ight did &s;o &s;urprize him, that he could not chu&s;e but interrupt <HI>Abradates.</HI> I be&s;eech you (&s;aid he, and pointed towards him) how long hath that Cavalier been among&s;t you? and why doth he name him&s;elf <HI>Telephanes?</HI> The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> being very de&s;irous to know more of a man who had done &s;o many gallant feats &s;ince he came into <HI>Lydia,</HI> an&s;wered, that he came to <HI>Sardis</HI> a little before the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> but as for his name, he knew no more of it then what him&s;elf told us: No, no, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus, Telephanes</HI> (if my eyes be not much mi&s;taken) is not his name, but it is <HI>Mazares,</HI> one of the Ravi&s;hers of my Prince&s;s, whom the Gods have rai&s;ed from the dead to torment me the more. <HI>Mazares</HI> hearing him&s;elf named by <HI>Cyrus</HI> (for it was really he) came neerer the river, and look|ing mith a more melancholy then furious a&s;pect: Since you have di&s;covered my right name, &s;aid he unto him, I will not any longer conceal it: I do confe&s;s, that I am <HI>Ma|zares,</HI> the mo&s;t culpable and mi&s;erable man alive: But Sir, &s;ince I am not revived, but only to die a &s;econd death, do not repent that you left me alive: I left you alive (replied <HI>Cyrus</HI> in &s;uch a tone, as manife&s;tly &s;poke the turbulency in his heart) becau&s;e I could not then take it from you with honour: But now, &s;ince I &s;ee you in a condition able to an|&s;wer him that &s;hall call you to an account, I am re&s;olved not to do it as I did before: We &s;hall meet perhaps (replied <HI>Mazares</HI> coldly) before this War be ended, or el&s;e I would look for you all over the world (replied <HI>Cyrus;)</HI> and did I not know the rights of men to be inviolable, we would this very hour end all our differences. <HI>Abradates</HI> fearing that <HI>Mazares</HI> would reply &s;omething that might make <HI>Cyrus</HI> not a Ma&s;ter of his own re|&s;entment, broke off this di&s;cour&s;e, telling them both, that it was not permitted them to &s;peak unto each other at this time, &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> obtained leave from <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> only for the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> him&s;elf and to parl, yet did <HI>Mazares</HI> an&s;wer in &s;uch a manner, as made both his courage and prudence to appear. In the mean time, the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who loved him very well as <HI>Telephanes,</HI> yet now did not know how he &s;hould look upon him; yet con&s;idering, that if <HI>Mazares</HI> had not carried away <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he had not now been in <HI>Lydia,</HI> then he had thoughts of him different from tho&s;e of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> And on the other &s;ide con&s;idering, that but for him, <HI>Mandana</HI> had been now either in the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yri</HI>'s power, or in the power of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he could not have any &s;uch re&s;entments of hatred a|gain&s;t him, as u&s;ually is again&s;t a Rival; yet was he &s;o bu&s;ied in him&s;elf, what to think of <HI>Mazares,</HI> and how to behave him&s;elf towards him, that he medled not with their di&s;cour&s;e, which by the prudence of <HI>Abradates</HI> ended, every one retiring to his own party with different apprehen&s;ions. <HI>Cyrus</HI> yet was the la&s;t that retreated, &s;o unwilling was he to part from two men, whom he had &s;uch a de&s;ire to be fighting with, even both at once, rather then not at all; he was very &s;orry, that he did not a little better inform him&s;elf, how it &s;hould po&s;&s;ible be that <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;hould &s;till live, and why he &s;hould take the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his part, who was his Rival, and why he &s;hould conceal his name: However, return to the Camp he mu&s;t, but he returned with &s;uch furious re&s;entments of Spirit, that he was never &s;een &s;o little Ma&s;ter of him&s;elf as at that time. When he came to the Camp, and had given all nece&s;&s;ary orders, he had a longing impatience to be alone with <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> that he might with freedom de&s;cant upon this odd accident. Well my dear witne&s;s of all my misfortunes (&s;aid he unto him) what do you &s;ay unto what you have &s;een? (for <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> was with him at this enterview) I &s;ay Sir, (replied he) that &s;ince Fortune has been &s;o forward in forging &s;o many prodigies to torment you, &s;he will at la&s;t work as many miracles to ea&s;e you: For my part, (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> I am not of your opinion, but on the contrary, methinks I have cau&s;e to fear, &s;ince this acci|dent, that <HI>A&s;tiages</HI> as wel as <HI>Mazares</HI> may revive to torment me; and that &s;o many millions of men as have lo&s;t their lives in the Armies of my Enemies in &s;o many Battels as I have won, will al&s;o revive to recruit the Army of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> unto an incredible multitude, and that all tho&s;e whom I have &s;o often vanqui&s;hed, will at la&s;t become my Conquerours: For truly, why &s;hould I not think all the&s;e as po&s;&s;ible as this I &s;ee? Did I not &s;ee <HI>Maza|res</HI> dying in the Fi&s;hers Cabin? Or to &s;ay better, Did I not with the&s;e eyes &s;ee him dead?
<PB N="85" REF="421">
Did not the&s;e ears hear him pronounce with a feeble and weak tone tho&s;e &s;ad words con|cerning my Prince&s;s, when he gave me her Scarf, which remained in his hands after the &s;hipwrack with her? Then did he lo&s;e his tongue, and could not &s;peak one word more, when I left him, and they a&s;&s;ured me mo&s;t confidently the next morning that he wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d; yet for all this, <HI>Mazares</HI> I &s;ee is living; <HI>Mazares</HI> is in the &s;ame place where <HI>Mandana</HI> is, and fights for one of his Rivals: Was ever &s;uch a prodigious pa&s;&s;age known? Did the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> whom he betrayed know he is in <HI>Sardis,</HI> perhaps he would find out ways to know how all this came about, and hereafter acquaint me; but alas, certainly the Gods are re&s;olved to overwhelm me with all manner of misfortunes; and have I not good rea|&s;on to think &s;o? The Oracle a&s;&s;ures the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> that he may hope for the enjoy|ment of <HI>Mandana:</HI> The Oracle does affirmatively promi&s;e <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> the Ruine of that Em|pire, which in all likelyhood I &s;hould hereafter po&s;&s;e&s;s; and the <HI>Sibils</HI> an&s;wer pronoun|ceth my death; yet did they conceal one part of my misfortunes, &s;ince they tell me that <HI>Mazares</HI> was alive.</P>
<P>But Sir (&s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> unto him) it is not <HI>Mazares</HI> who now keeps <HI>Mandana</HI> Pri|&s;oner, nor is it the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> but it is <HI>Cre&s;&s;us.</HI> 'Tis true <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> but they were my Rivals who put her into his Power: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> began my misfortunes in carrying her away from <HI>Themi&s;&s;ira: Mazares</HI> encrea&s;ed them in carrying her away from <HI>Sinope,</HI> and fir&s;t from <HI>Babylon,</HI> both which I was ready to take and become Ma&s;ter of: But the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> exceeded them both, in &s;aving her from &s;hipwrack on|ly to ca&s;t her into a Sea of mi&s;eries: 'Tis very true, that without laying the fault upon others, I ought to accu&s;e my &s;elf the fir&s;t: for indeed if <HI>Artamenes</HI> had known <HI>Phili|daspes</HI> when he met him in the Wood and &s;aved his life, <HI>Mandana</HI> had been at liberty, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had been upon his Throne, <HI>Mazares</HI> had been innocent, and I had been the mo&s;t happy man upon Earth. However, &s;ince things pa&s;t cannot be revoked, I mu&s;t think upon the pre&s;ent and future; and endeavor my own &s;atisfaction &s;o far as to &s;acrifice &s;ome of my Rivals unto my Fury and Revenge, before all the&s;e menaced mi&s;eries do fall upon me: Yet this Prince could not execute his de&s;ign &s;o &s;oon, becau&s;e his Enemies were on the other &s;ide of the River, and he could not ea&s;ily come at them: Al&s;o, having cau&s;ed &s;ome Chariots of War to be made which were not fini&s;hed, he was forced to &s;tay a while before he could attempt any thing con&s;iderable: yet there happened every day &s;uch Encounters between Parties, as did &s;harpen the violent de&s;ires of both &s;ides to van|qui&s;h: For &s;ince <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> kept one Pa&s;s over the River <HI>Halis,</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> another, both &s;ides were continually &s;ending out Parties.</P>
<P>In the mean while <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> did punctually ob&s;erve the Orders of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and waited upon the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> unto the Town which that Prince de&s;ired they &s;hould &s;tay in, until the Battel was fought, which as he hoped would be very &s;hortly: They were no &s;ooner there, but <HI>Panthea</HI> &s;ent <HI>Ligdamis</HI> to entreat <HI>Cyrus</HI> that &s;he might have &s;o much liberty as to come and &s;peak with him, about a bu&s;ine&s;s which did much concern him: <HI>Cyrus</HI> then asked <HI>Ligdamis</HI> if he knew what it was? and he an&s;wered, No, but &s;aid, he found <HI>Panthea</HI> &s;o &s;ad and altered, that he was per&s;waded &s;he grieved exceedingly: <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who had a natural di&s;po&s;ition to compa&s;&s;ionate all in any mi&s;ery, without any longer delay, or putting her into the trouble of coming to him, he went unto the place where &s;he was, which was not above thirty furlongs from his Quar|ter. When he was come into the Ca&s;tle where &s;he lodged, he asked <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> very pri|vately whom he perceived very melancholy, how the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> did &s;ince he &s;aw her, and whether he knew of any new misfortune or di&s;tate which had befaln her of late? <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> blu&s;ht at the que&s;tion, and an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus</HI> in &s;uch a manner as made him think that he had promi&s;ed fidelity unto <HI>Panthea,</HI> and would not confe&s;s all he knew: &s;o that commending his di&s;cretion in lieu of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ding him, he went into the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI>'s Chamber. <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> would have entered al&s;o as he u&s;ed to do when <HI>Cyrus</HI> came, but he forbad him: When he was entered, he &s;aw <HI>Panthea,</HI> and none but <HI>Cleonice</HI> with her; but &s;aw her &s;o &s;ad, that he was &s;urprized: Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I ask your pardon, for putting you to &s;o much trouble. 'Tis my part rather to beg a pardon Madam (replyed he) for making you &s;o melancholy, though I do not know the cau&s;e of it: And truly Ma|dam, I think my &s;elf re&s;pon&s;able for all the mi&s;eries which chance unto you, as long as I continue &s;o unfortunate, as not to relea&s;e you. Sir, an&s;wered &s;he, I &s;hould be very un|ju&s;t if I &s;hould charge you with the faults of another; and I have &s;o much re&s;pect unto you, as not to aggravate the crime of one whom you honour with your affection: There|fore
<PB N="86" REF="422">
without telling you again&s;t whom I complain, I &s;hall only entreat you&mdash;No, no Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and ha&s;tily interrupted her) you mu&s;t not conceal either the Crime nor the Criminal, who&s;oever he be; and I do prote&s;t unto you, that if there be any who hath offered you the lea&s;t cau&s;e of complaint, I will puni&s;h him &s;o &s;everely, as you &s;hall &s;ee I am as &s;en&s;ible of any injuries offered unto tho&s;e I honour, as if they were done unto my &s;elf. I ever did beleeve Sir, replyed <HI>Panthea</HI> that your genero&s;ity would prompt to as much; and therefore, though it be not the cu&s;tom for Captives to chu&s;e their Keepers, yet I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you to forbid <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> from &s;eeing me again, and to put &s;ome other whom you &s;hall plea&s;e in his place. You &s;hall be mo&s;t exactly obeyed Madam, re|plyed <HI>Cyrus;</HI> but if <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> hath been &s;o bold as to offer you any di&s;plea&s;ure, he de&s;erves not only to be bani&s;hed out of your pre&s;ence, but out of the &s;ociety of men as a mo&s;t bar|barous and wicked man; therefore I be&s;eech you, to tell me a little more preci&s;ely what the crime is which he hath committed. It is enough I tell you Sir (&s;aid &s;he and blu&s;hed) that <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> is fitter to be in the head of an Army then to guard one of my quality and virtue: After this Sir, ask me no more for this is as much as my mode&s;ty will permit me to tell you: It is enough Madam (replyed <HI>Cyrus,)</HI> and without putting you to the trouble of relating what his crime is (which cannot be little &s;ince committed again&s;t you) I &s;hall make him&s;elf confe&s;s it, and proportion his puni&s;hment accordingly: In the mean time Madam, to te&s;tifie that it is not my intention to expo&s;e you unto any di&s;like of tho&s;e which are about you, be plea&s;ed to chu&s;e whom you will to &s;erve you, but not to guard you; for I de&s;ire no other &s;ecurity from you then your Princely word, and I give you ab&s;olute autho|rity to di&s;place any which you di&s;like to have about you. Ah Sir, &s;aid &s;he, your genero&s;i|ty extends it &s;elf very far. No, no, Madam, replyed he, I will do any thing to &s;erve you, and therefore I be&s;eech you accept of my humble offer; and &s;ince my impatience to pu|ni&s;h him that hath offended you doth earne&s;tly invite me, I be&s;eech you give me leave to depart &s;ooner then I intended. <HI>Panthea</HI> ravi&s;hed at the magnanimity of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> rendred him a thou&s;and thanks for his goodne&s;s to her, and asked him pardon for cau&s;ing any new di&s;plea&s;ure in him: But Sir, &s;aid &s;he, &s;ince it is one of tho&s;e Crimes which Virtue will not permit me to relate, I hope you will excu&s;e me. <HI>Cyrus</HI> an&s;wered unto this with un|equaled genero&s;ity, and then retired: but meeting with <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Pherenice</HI> in the outer Chamber, he &s;tayed a while with them, to know more exactly what was the Crime of <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> knowing that &s;he was plea&s;ed to impart her &s;ecrets unto them; and taking them a&s;ide, I be&s;eech you tell me (&s;aid he to them) what <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> hath done, which hath given the Queen &s;ome cau&s;e of complaint after &s;o many commendations of him? for I would gladly know wherein he hath failed before I puni&s;h him. Sir, an&s;wered <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and &s;miled, you may remember how I told you one day that <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> was not &s;o in&s;en&s;ible as you thought him; and that <HI>Perinthus</HI> &s;eemed once as obdurate as he. I remember it very well, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but is it po&s;&s;ible that <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> &s;hould pre&s;ume to look &s;o high as the Prince&s;s <HI>Panthea,</HI> and &s;o in&s;olent as to expre&s;s any &s;igns of his pa&s;&s;ion. It is mo&s;t certain, replyed <HI>Pherenice,</HI> that he hath been &s;o bold as to love her, and &s;o unfortunate as to let her perceive it. This Sir, is the Crime of <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> which que&s;tionle&s;s is great enough to move you unto &s;o much &s;atisfaction, as to remove him from the Queen: Yet it is certain that of late he hath lo&s;t his Rea&s;on, but it was apparent he did not &s;hew his pa&s;|&s;ion with any de&s;ign that &s;he &s;hould know it: A Virtue le&s;s &s;crupulous then hers might have di&s;&s;embled it, but the Queen was &s;o incen&s;ed again&s;t him, that &s;he cannot endure his pre&s;ence. She &s;hall never be troubled with it, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and I &s;hall &s;o fully &s;atisfie her, that &s;he &s;hall have as much cau&s;e to commend me, as to complain again&s;t <HI>Ara&s;pes.</HI> After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> went out, and made a &s;hort vi&s;it of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> while&s;t <HI>A|ra&s;pes</HI> was &s;ought for, but could not be found in any place of the Ca&s;tle: for when he heard that heard <HI>Panthea</HI> had &s;ent unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he thought &s;he would complain again&s;t him, knowing better the crime he had committed then either <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> or <HI>Pherenice,</HI> be|cau&s;e <HI>Panthea</HI> out of her mode&s;ty and greatne&s;s of Soul, did partly hide it from them. <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> then was in a terrible perplexity; but con&s;idering with him&s;elf that he could not long avoyd the &s;ight of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he re&s;olved to go and confe&s;s his fault, and &s;ubmit him|&s;elf unto his goodne&s;s: Then did he pre&s;ent him&s;elf before him, but with &s;uch a ba&s;hful countenance, that he was &s;carce knowable: <HI>Cyrus</HI> was then in a Gallery at the end of <HI>Araminta</HI>'s Chamber, from whence he came: As &s;oon as he &s;aw <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> he made a &s;ign as if he would be in private with him, &s;o that every one did withdravv, and left him the liberty to &s;peak his mind.</P>
<P><PB N="87" REF="422">
Since <HI>Cyrus</HI> loved <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> and was well inclined to excu&s;e all errours of Love, and &s;ince both <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Pherenice</HI> did not much aggravate his fault, he did not at fir&s;t break into any anger; &s;o that <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> not doubting but <HI>Cyrus</HI> did exactly know his crime, grew &s;omething more confident, and re&s;olved to confe&s;s ingenuou&s;ly all that he &s;hould ask him: Is it not enough <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> &s;aid he unto him, that I &s;hould be per&s;ecuted by my Enemies, but my friends mu&s;t al&s;o lay their loads upon me? And mu&s;t you whom I ever loved, contribute your Faggot to the fire of my anger? Might you not well apprehend by tho&s;e re&s;pects which I rendred unto the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> what your duty was, which I would have you render her? I took you for a wi&s;e and &s;tayed man, and yet you were &s;o con&s;iderate, as to expre&s;s &s;igns of Love unto &s;o great a Queen, who is more illu&s;trious by her virtues, then her high quality: 'Tis true Sir, replied <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> I mu&s;t confe&s;s my &s;elf culpable, if it be a crime to do that which is not po&s;&s;ible for me but to do: Howe|ver (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto him) tell me ingenuou&s;ly how it is, and why you did not accord her pre&s;ence as &s;oon as you perceived your &s;elf fir&s;t in Love with her? You may remem|ber, that once when I ob&s;erved you very &s;ad, and thinking that imployment was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rk|&s;ome unto you, I offered you another: Why then did you not accept of it, if you per|ceived in your &s;elf any inclination to &s;uch an un&s;uitable and unrea&s;onable pa&s;&s;ion? 'Tis true Sir, replied he, I ought to have done &s;o; but it is as true al&s;o, that this imperious pa&s;&s;ion would never permit me &s;o much power over my &s;elf, as to be far from <HI>Panthea;</HI> and my hopes were, that I &s;hould only love her, and &s;he never perceive it: Why would you carry it &s;o? replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> for as long as &s;he had been ignorant of it, I &s;hould ne|ver have known it; or if I had perceived it, I &s;hould have pittled in lieu of accu&s;ing you: Ah Sir, (cried <HI>Ara&s;pes)</HI> it was chance that made my crime, for truly I did repent of my intention to di&s;cover my pa&s;&s;ion, and the Letter which &s;he &s;aw was much again&s;t my will.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> then conjecturing that there was &s;omething which the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> had not told him, and which <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Pherenice</HI> did not know, or el&s;e &s;eemed ignorant, he urged him to relate all the pa&s;&s;age betwixt her and him: Then he told him, that he loved her ever &s;ince he fir&s;t &s;aw her; that he re&s;i&s;ted his pa&s;&s;ion as much as he could, and not being able to overcome it, he concealed it with great diligence; but of late, he could not po&s;&s;ibly chu&s;e, but much again&s;t his will di&s;covered it, by a hundred unthought of pa&s;&s;ages which e&s;caped him; that he had an intention either to &s;peak or to write &s;ome|thing unto <HI>Panthea,</HI> but of the two, he rather fixed upon writing. How <HI>Ara&s;pes?</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> Did you write a Letter of Love unto <HI>Panthea?</HI> Yes Sir, (replied he) but afterwards I repented, and intended &s;he &s;hould never &s;ee it, yet notwith&s;tanding I kept it, not knowing any rea&s;on why, and carried it in my pocket, reading it very of|ten, and found &s;ome comfort in reading that unto my &s;elf, which I dur&s;t not &s;peak unto <HI>Panthea.</HI> A while after, this fair Queen having a great de&s;ire to have a &s;ight of the O|racle which <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> received from <HI>Delphos,</HI> and which &s;he knew I had, &s;he &s;ent a &s;ervant one evening when &s;he was retired unto me for it, I being all zeal to obey her, unhappily mi&s;took papers, and &s;ent that Letter, which I repented of, and re&s;olved &s;he &s;hould ne|ver &s;ee: He unto whom I gave this Letter, was no &s;ooner gone, but I found my error; it vexed me to the &s;oul, I &s;ent my &s;ervants to call him back, but pre&s;ently a rapture of Love &s;educed my rea&s;on, and I recalled them; then commanding and countermanding them four or five times, my la&s;t order was to call him back in good earne&s;t, but it was too late, for he was entred into the Queens Chamber. It is impo&s;&s;ible for me to relate unto you Sir how I pa&s;&s;ed away that night, but I a&s;&s;ure you it was with the mo&s;t re&s;tle&s;s agitations of mind that ever any had. Has &s;he the Letter yet? replied <HI>Cyrus:</HI> Although &s;he have, replied <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> I can ea&s;ily relate it, for I think I have read it a thou&s;and times, and it was in the&s;e tearms.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The unfortunate <HI>ARASPES</HI> unto the faire&s;t <HI>Queen</HI> in the world.</HEAD>
<P><HI>THis is not to beg a pardon for my pre&s;umption in loving you, nor is it to ask you any re|compence, that I let you under&s;tand how Love has made me more y<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ur captive, then the war hath made you; but it is, becau&s;e I think it ju&s;t you &s;hould not be ignorant, that in your captivity you have an ab&s;olute Soveraignty over my heart: If I do not ask a pardon for my ra&s;&s;ine&s;&s;e, it is either becau&s;e I am &s;incere, then becau&s;e I am pre&s;umptuous, &s;ince certainly I cannot repent of loving you: and if I do not ask any recompence, it is becau&s;e I know ve|ry
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well, that I rather de&s;erve puni&s;hment: Thus Madam, pretending unto nothing but to die in your Fetters, be &s;o good I be&s;eech you, as not to ruine me, in making them &s;o intoller|able, that I cannot wear them. This Madam I have had a longing de&s;ire to tell you, and maugre the violence of my pa&s;&s;ion, I &s;hould think my &s;ufficiently favoured, if you could with|out hatred only believe, that I love you more then ever any did.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ARASPES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>This Letter (replied <HI>Cyrus</HI> after he had repeated it) had been rea&s;onable, if it had been addre&s;&s;ed unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> or <HI>Pherenice:</HI> But to &s;peak thus unto a Queen, and a Queen in mi&s;ery, is a boldne&s;s &s;o unexcu&s;eable, that I cannot expre&s;s how infinitely you have di&s;obliged me: I was mo&s;t cruelly puni&s;hed for it the next morning, replied <HI>Ara&s;pes;</HI> for when I came unto her Chamber, according to my u&s;ual cu&s;tome to wait upon her un|to the Temple, &s;he told me I &s;hould not go that day: But the mo&s;t cruel torment of all to me, was, when &s;he &s;ent for me in the evening, and cau&s;ing me to come into her Clo|&s;et: <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me, with &s;uch a Maje&s;ty as made my heart tremble) Since it concerns my honour not to publi&s;h how you have failed in that re&s;pect which you ought to have unto me, I will not let my re&s;entments again&s;t you appear, until I meet the illu|&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> in &s;uch a place where I may entreat him to remove you further from me. In the mean time, &s;ince I cannot endure the &s;ight of you after your extream boldne&s;s, I pray come no more into my Chamber, unle&s;s you have a mind to exa&s;perate my re&s;oluti|ons of hatred. Then I had a mind to prote&s;t unto her, that I was infinitely &s;orry for what I had done, that I repented of ever writing the Letter, and that it came into her hands contrary to my intention, but &s;he would not hear me, and expre&s;&s;ed &s;o much anger in her a&s;pect, and &s;uch an odious aver&s;ion to me, that I retired with an unconceiveable &s;or|row in my &s;oul; Since this Sir, I never had my rea&s;on clear, and this Sir is my crime, do unto me as you plea&s;e; and yet methinks, a Prince who is &s;o well acquainted with the power of Love, &s;hould be &s;omething indulgent towards a man, who&s;e crime is only be|ing in Love; and &s;o I am very much (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> for I pity you infinitely, and I would do any thing to revoke what's pa&s;t if it were po&s;&s;ible, and that you had not offend|ed <HI>Panthea:</HI> But for all that <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> &s;atisfaction mu&s;t be given, it concerns my honour as well as hers, therefore, though I e&s;teem you never &s;o much, I mu&s;t bani&s;h you, not only from her, but my &s;elf al&s;o. Alas Sir, replied <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> Is not the &s;eparation from her I adore puni&s;hment enough, but I mu&s;t be deprived of the honour to die for you in the head of your Army? Con&s;ider Sir, that <HI>Panthea</HI> will be better revenged in my death, then in my Exile: So &s;hall not I, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> for I rather wi&s;h your Exile, then your death. But <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> re&s;i&s;t me no more, retire your &s;elf, and &s;ay nothing, but go ei|ther into <HI>Medea</HI> or <HI>Cap<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">adocia,</HI> or any other place you like be&s;t, until the Queen of <HI>Su|&s;iana</HI> be out of my hands: <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> would have replied, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eemed angry at his refu&s;al, and &s;poke in &s;uch a tone, as intimated he would be obeyed; and &s;o <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> departed the &s;ame hour, though <HI>Cyrus</HI> was very loath to want a man whom he loved &s;o well: He &s;ent then unto <HI>Panthea,</HI> to tell her that he had bani&s;hed <HI>Ara&s;pes;</HI> and that if &s;he approved of it, <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> &s;hould wait upon her in his room. <HI>Panthea</HI> was ravi&s;hed at the genero&s;ity of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;ent him thanks; and not content with that, &s;he di&s;|patched one of her &s;ervants. (which came from <HI>Su&s;a</HI> with her, and whom &s;he e&s;teemed very much) unto her dear <HI>Abradates,</HI> giving him a Letter to deliver unto him, which intimated her great obligations unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> As for <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> before his departure, he writ a Letter unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;ent it by a Souldier, but this Prince did not then, &s;hew it, and it was a long while after before any knew he had writ unto him: The di&s;grace of <HI>A|ra&s;pes</HI> made a great noy&s;e in the Army, the cau&s;e al&s;o was quickly known, and there was none which did not commend <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and pity <HI>Ara&s;pes.</HI> In the mean time, this illu&s;tri|ous Conquerour, being per&s;waded that tho&s;e who &s;eek their Enemies, have the advan|tage of them who wait for them, though inferiour in number, he quitted the Quarter where he was, and took up another &s;o neer the Army of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> that if the River <HI>Ha|lis</HI> had not &s;eparated them, doubtle&s;s he had forced that Prince to a Battel. There was not a day pa&s;&s;ed, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> knew by his Spies what his Enemies did; but that which per|plexed him wor&s;t was, that he did not perfectly under&s;tand what they intended to do: He knew, that by rea&s;on of the great number of <HI>Aegyptians</HI> which were in his Army, they mu&s;t change the order which they were u&s;ed to ob&s;erve in drawing their Troops into Bat|talia:
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&s;o that he had an extream de&s;ire to know preci&s;ely what form they would u&s;e, but he conceived it a thing impo&s;&s;ible: yet he &s;ent out every day fre&s;h Spies, and took new Pri&s;oners; he under&s;tood by them, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> found him&s;elf not well, and returned to <HI>Sardis,</HI> which was not far off, and that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> went every day thither: Since <HI>Cyrus</HI> thought it a more glorious &s;ight to &s;ee <HI>Mandana</HI> then him&s;elf victorions, he re|&s;olved rather to lo&s;e many men in forcing a pa&s;&s;age over the River <HI>Halis,</HI> then to linger away any longer time: Yet notwith&s;tanding, the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> the King of <HI>Hircania, Gobrias, Gadates,</HI> the Prince <HI>Tigranes,</HI> and <HI>Phraartes,</HI> per&s;wading him that it was better to wait a few days for a Victory, then to hazard it, he re&s;olved upon a cour&s;e of pati|ence: yet he was every day on hor&s;eback; &s;ometimes to &s;top victuals from going to the Enemies; &s;ometimes to face them; &s;ometimes to skirmi&s;h in Parties: But what ere he did, or where ere he was, <HI>Mandana</HI> or his Rivals were always in his thoughts, e&s;pecially <HI>Mazares,</HI> who&s;e Adventure &s;eemed mo&s;t prodigiou&s;ly &s;trange unto him.</P>
<P>Some days being thus &s;pent, he had intelligence that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was well again, and was re&s;olved to give Battel: <HI>Cyrus</HI> then burning with impatient fury to &s;horten this War, and to be at handy blows with his Enemies, re&s;olved to &s;end a Herald unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> to tell him. That if he would, he would retreat from the River as far as was nece&s;&s;ary to give him room and time enough to pa&s;s over his Army, and to draw them up into Battalia, upon this condition, he would re&s;olve not to decline fighting, as hitherto he had done. This Project was no &s;ooner re&s;olved upon, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> did put it in execution: and <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> no &s;ooner heard this Propo&s;ition, but he accepted of it; and &s;ent back the Herald which <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent, with a promi&s;e that within four days he would look the Prince his Ma&s;ter in the face, and exchange &s;ome blows with him according to his de&s;ire: After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> a&s;&s;u|med fre&s;h vigour, and hoped for Victory, in &s;pite of all the angry Oracles: This hope al&s;o was infu&s;ed into the hearts of all his Souldiers; who at this time did re&s;emble the Saylers which followed a famous Pilot, who never were a&s;toni&s;hed at the fury of any &s;urging Waves, but when they &s;aw him a&s;toni&s;hed: So likewi&s;e the Troops of <HI>Cyrus</HI> did never con&s;ult with any thing but the face of their General to progno&s;ticate the Victory: &s;o that they always finding there a &s;erene tranquility amid&s;t the greate&s;t dangers; they fought like Souldiers who thought their General could commit no fault, or ever be van|qui&s;hed: but while&s;t this Prince prepared him&s;elf for fight, many things fell out which did for a while keep back that glory which he expected, and which did extreamly puzzle <HI>Croe&s;|&s;us.</HI> When this Prince returned an&s;wer by the Herald which <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent unto him, he was at <HI>Sardis;</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Abradates</HI> were at the Camp: &s;o that the&s;e two Princes hearing of this An&s;wer, thought &s;trange, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> &s;hould &s;o peremptorily de|termine upon the day of Battel without ever acquainting them: Since it was they princi|pally who were re&s;pon&s;ible for the good or bad &s;ucce&s;s of this great Enterprize. The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> being by rea&s;on of his imperfection incapable of any &s;ervice but his per|&s;on; and the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> thought it was known who he was, yet he had no authori|ty to do any thing but &s;hew his valor. The&s;e two Princes then being much incen&s;ed, did highly complain again&s;t <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> e&s;pecially <HI>Abradates,</HI> who at the &s;ame time received a Letter from <HI>Panthea,</HI> which did &s;o highly extoll <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that it did di&s;po&s;e him more to complain again&s;t the King of <HI>Lidia:</HI> Al&s;o con&s;idering with him&s;elf, that it would be a greater difficulty to get <HI>Panthea</HI> out of the power of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> after the Battel, what e're the &s;ucce&s;s be, then before, he re&s;olved to entreat <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> might be exchanged for <HI>Panthea:</HI> But for the more expediency of his De&s;ign, he did communicate his de&s;ires unto <HI>Andramites,</HI> whom he knew to be in love with <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who was with the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana:</HI> So that <HI>Andramites</HI> intere&s;ting him&s;elf in the De|&s;ign, did promi&s;e <HI>Abradates</HI> to be pre&s;ent and urgent with <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> when he &s;hould motion it unto him: As for the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> he never oppo&s;ed his Project: for &s;ince <HI>Abra|dates</HI> did not demand the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> in exchange for <HI>Panthea,</HI> but only Prince <HI>Ar|tamas,</HI> he dur&s;t not be &s;een, he approved of it: <HI>Abradates</HI> then went unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> in the morning; and after he had acquainted him with his di&s;content, that he &s;hould fix upon the day of Battel without acquainting him, he de&s;ired him, that he would &s;uffer the Prince
<HI>Artamas</HI> to be exchanged for the Queen his Wife before the Battel was fought. If we get the Victory (replyed <HI>Croe&s;&s;us)</HI> we &s;hall relea&s;e her more gloriou&s;ly, then by any ne|gotiation of exchange. You may get the Victory, replyed he, and yet I not get <HI>Panthea,</HI> &s;ince certainly the weaker a Party is, the more carefully they keep their Pri&s;oners: The
<PB N="90" REF="424">
truth is Sir, added he, &s;ince I do not fight to conquer Provinces, but chiefly to relea&s;e <HI>Panthea,</HI> and next to oppo&s;e the over-&s;welling Power of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I know not why I &s;hould hazard the lo&s;s of that Lady for ever, who is &s;o infinitely dear unto me, for want of a rea&s;onable Propo&s;ition, therefore I be&s;eech you take it not ill if I be very urgent with you to make this Propo&s;ition unto <HI>Cyrus.</HI> Negotiations of this nature, replyed <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> are not to be made in &s;o &s;hort a time as we have remaining before the Battel. I have &s;uch hopes in the genero&s;ity of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Abradates,</HI> that I believe he will not deny a Truce for &s;ome daies, if you will be plea&s;ed to ask it. I am not u&s;ed unto any &s;uch com|pliance with my enemies (an&s;wered <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> very &s;harply) and therefore I know not how to make any &s;uch motions, neither do I conceive your de&s;ires of an exchange ju&s;t upon the very point of giving a Battel, to be very ju&s;t, or much to any purpo&s;e, for you will bring a Prince&s;s into <HI>Sardis,</HI> and &s;end one of the mo&s;t valiant men upon earth into the Enemies Camp to fight again&s;t us: No, no, <HI>Abradates;</HI> I cannot con&s;ent unto this: He who can fear one &s;ingle man (an&s;wered the King of <HI>Su&s;iana)</HI> and is in the head of 200000. men, can never tru&s;t the valour of his Souldiers: However it be (&s;aid <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> very &s;iercely) &s;ince <HI>Artamas</HI> is a Delinquent again&s;t the State, as well as a pri|&s;oner of War, he &s;hall not be exchanged for the Queen your Wife: Then you &s;hall fight without me Sir (replied <HI>Abradates:)</HI> Sir (&s;aid <HI>Andramites,</HI> and addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us)</HI> I be&s;eech you do not deny this reque&s;t which is made unto you: I will al|wayes deny any thing that is unju&s;t, an&s;wered <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and therefore pre&s;s me no more. <HI>Andramites</HI> u&s;ed many other per&s;wa&s;ive arguments, but all were to no purpo&s;e: Then <HI>A|bradates</HI> went from <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> exceedingly un&s;atisfied, and fully re&s;olved not to fight, unle&s;s this Propo&s;ition was fir&s;t made unto <HI>Cyrus: Andramites</HI> after <HI>Abradates</HI> was gone, did &s;peak many things unto the King of <HI>Lydia</HI> which did much offend him. The King of <HI>Pon|tus</HI> fearing that this di&s;order would make a mutiny among&s;t the Souldiers, did do all he could to per&s;wade <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> to con&s;ent unto the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI>'s de&s;ires, and al&s;o u&s;ed his be&s;t per&s;wa&s;ions unto <HI>Abradates,</HI> that he would not impead the main bu&s;ine&s;s, though <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> &s;hould not &s;atisfie him, but all his arguments &amp; per&s;wa&s;ions would not work upon either of them. At the &s;ame time, the Father of <HI>Panthea</HI> came from <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> where he had been levying &s;ome Forces; &s;o that finding things in this State, he joyned with <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Andramites,</HI> and was more importunate with <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> then they; and &s;ince he had a great con&s;iderable Province under his power, his &s;olicitations did more perplex <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> then any of the re&s;t, out of his fears that his refu&s;al might cau&s;e a Civil War in his own Dominions, at a time when he had his hands full of a very con&s;i|derable Enemy upon him. The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> al&s;o, none knowing his true rea&s;on for it, did Patronize <HI>Abradates</HI> as much as he was able, expre&s;&s;ing his earne&s;t wi&s;hes that the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> were relea&s;ed by Treaty; and he made it known unto all his creatures, that they could not any way more &s;en&s;ibly oblige him, then by their endeavours of per|&s;wading the King his Father unto it.</P>
<P>Things then were in &s;uch a confu&s;ion, both at <HI>Sardis</HI> and in the Camp, that when <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would have given Battel at the day appointed, it was not in his power. However he would not con&s;ent to relea&s;e the Prince <HI>Artamas;</HI> but &s;eeing him&s;elf extreamly impor|tun'd, he purpo&s;ed the exchange of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> for the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana:</HI> But <HI>Abradates</HI> replied, that he would never con&s;ent unto that Propo&s;ition, becau&s;e it would more incen&s;e <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then induce him to the &s;atisfaction of his de&s;ires, to have any Pro|po&s;itions of relea&s;ing his Rival and his Enemy made unto him. Moreover, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> did much rather de&s;ire the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> &s;hould be &s;et at liberty, then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI></P>
<P>Thus this conte&s;t growing &s;o high, and fearing a revolt in an Army which was compo|&s;ed of &s;o many &s;everal Nations, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> re&s;olved to ask a Truce for &s;ome daies, in order to a Treaty for the liberty of &s;ome Pri&s;oners, not yet telling who they were, becau&s;e he was not yet re&s;olved upon them. Then he di&s;patched a me&s;&s;enger unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> import|ing as much, who was much &s;urprized at the demand, and certainly had denied it, if up|on &s;erious deliberation he had not found, that he could not force his Enemy to fight, but with the lo&s;s of many men. <HI>Cyrus</HI> therefore con&s;ented unto a Truce for eight daies, up|on condition, that &s;uch of his men as would go into <HI>Sardis,</HI> might go with as much &s;e|curity, as his Enemies might come into his Camp, and de&s;ired that this condition might be &s;pecified, for all the advantage which he hoped for by this Truce, was to hear how <HI>Mandana,</HI> his Rivals, and his friends did fare: And al&s;o knowing of the divi&s;ion
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which was among&s;t the&s;e Princes, he hoped to make the gap wider.</P>
<P>So that this Truce being re&s;olved upon, it was publi&s;hed the next morning, both in <HI>Sardis,</HI> and in the Camp: So that after this, there was a plea&s;ant mixture of friends and enemies in both Camps and Town, and &s;o that one could not make any difference of &s;ides: All the &s;treets of <HI>Sardis,</HI> as well as the Camp of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> was full of <HI>Per&s;ians, Medes, Arminians, A&s;&s;yrians,</HI> and <HI>Hircanians;</HI> and the Camp of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was as full of <HI>Ly|dians, My&s;&s;ians, Grecians, Thracians,</HI> and <HI>Aegyptians.</HI> In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent <HI>Or|talgues</HI> into <HI>Sardis,</HI> to &s;ee if he could find out any po&s;&s;ible means for him to have a &s;ight of his dear <HI>Mandana. Ligdamis</HI> di&s;gui&s;ed him&s;elf to that intent al&s;o, having no de&s;ire to &s;hew him&s;elf publikely in that Town, becau&s;e he was very well known, but he was informed by them both, that it was a thing impo&s;&s;ible, and that &s;ince the Truce, the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> did not walk upon the top of the Tower as &s;he was wont; &s;o that if he were at <HI>Sardis;</HI> he could &s;ee nothing but the Walls which &s;hut her up: Yet had this Prince much ado to forbear, and I believe indeed he had gone, if &s;ome of his friends, who ob&s;erved him not Ma&s;ter of his rea&s;on, had not di&s;&s;waded him, not that they fear|ed <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would violate the Publique Faith, but their fear was, le&s;t if he &s;hould have met with <HI>Mazares</HI> or the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> there might have been &s;ome jars between them, which might have cau&s;ed a general di&s;order. In the mean time, <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;ent unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to de&s;ire that he might &s;ee his <HI>Panthea,</HI> in the pre&s;ence of whom he plea&s;ed, le&s;t it &s;hould be &s;u&s;pected he &s;poke unto her concerning &s;ome affairs of War, or to know from her the affairs of the Camp, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who experimentally knew, how &s;weet it was to &s;ee her one loved, and hoped that perhaps <HI>Abradates</HI> would retaliate the favour in letting him &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> did very willingly con&s;ent unto his de&s;ire: So that giving all requi&s;ite orders for this meeting, which was to be the &s;ame day, <HI>Abradates</HI> was conduct|ed unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who received him with extraordinary civility; after which, he him&s;elf conducted him unto the Town where <HI>Panthea</HI> was, and into her Chamber, where &s;he a|lone, only with <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Pherenice:</HI> as &s;oon as they entred, Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto her) I hope you will pardon me for all the hard&s;hips which you have indured, during the ab&s;ence of <HI>Abradates,</HI> &s;ince now I bring him unto you: But le&s;t during your di&s;cour&s;e, the &s;ight of a Prince who was forced to keep you a Captive &s;hould mole&s;t you, I will leave you in freedom to di&s;cour&s;e of all your misfortunes.</P>
<P><HI>Panthea</HI> was &s;o over-joyed at the &s;ight of her dear <HI>Abradates,</HI> that &s;he did not half under&s;tand what <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aid; yet after &s;he had &s;aluted her illu&s;trious Husband with as much reverence as affection, &s;he entreated <HI>Cyrus</HI> to be a witne&s;s of their conference, yet notwith&s;tanding he left them together, and went to vi&s;it the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> telling her how he left the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> with <HI>Panthea.</HI> As &s;oon as ever this Prince&s;s heard this, &s;he had an extream de&s;ire to be acquainted with him, yet would &s;he not by any means interrupt &s;o &s;weet a conference &s;o &s;oon; &s;o that &s;he kept <HI>Cyrus</HI> company, who to plea&s;e her &s;aid, that &s;he would one day be as much joyed to &s;ee <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as <HI>Panthea</HI> was to &s;ee the King of <HI>Su&s;iana.</HI> Whil'&s;t they were thus entertaining each other, <HI>Pan|thea</HI> to publi&s;h the high genero&s;ity of <HI>Cyrus</HI> (after <HI>Abradates</HI> and &s;he had expre&s;&s;ed their affectionate &s;ouls to each other) called <HI>Cleonice, Dorali&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Pherenice</HI> to witne&s;s her aggravations and obligements unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and grieved that it was the King her Husbands ill fortune to be ingaged in &s;o unju&s;t a quarrel as that of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> who was &s;o ungrateful, as to deny him a Pri&s;oner for her exchange. In conclu&s;ion, &s;he expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf in &s;uch eloquent tearms, as &s;he moved <HI>Abradates</HI> earne&s;tly to de&s;ire, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would di&s;|oblige him, and give him a ju&s;t occa&s;ion of changing &s;ides. Then did &s;he again aggra|vate her obligations unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> in puni&s;hing <HI>Ara&s;pes.</HI> At the name of <HI>Ara&s;pes Abradates</HI> &s;tarted, and told her, that he who &s;he named was with <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and well entertained, and that he much complained again&s;t <HI>Cyrus:</HI> If it be &s;o, &s;aid <HI>Panthea,</HI> I have taken a valiant man from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and given him unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us:</HI> But however, I do conjure you, if you have an opportunity for it, to per&s;wade the Prince my Father to incline <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> unto a Peace, at lea&s;t, that he vvould not ingage him&s;elf in this War vvith him. <HI>Abra|dates</HI> loved <HI>Panthea</HI> &s;o extream dearly, that he could deny her nothing, and told her, that if he could not procure the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> to be exchanged for her, he vvould then quit <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and vvhat&s;oever became of it, he vvould ingage his vvord to be pre&s;ently with her: As they were thus di&s;cour&s;ing, <HI>Cyrus</HI> brought the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> unto <HI>Panthea,</HI> that &s;he might &s;ee <HI>Abradates,</HI> who returned her &s;uch civil thanks for the honour &s;he did him, as &s;he perceived he was a man of no le&s;s Genero&s;ity then Courage. The
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Conference of the&s;e four illu&s;trious Per&s;ons did much augment the e&s;teem each one had of another, principal between <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Abradates;</HI> for though they were never together before this day, yet there was no &s;uper&s;titious Ceremonies or Complements of Vanity pa&s;&s;ed between them, but they &s;poke &s;incerely to each other, and with a civility &s;o full of freedom, as it was apparent Fame had before made them acquainted.</P>
<P>But while&s;t the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> was congratulating the Joys of <HI>Panthea, Cyrus</HI> asked <HI>Abradates,</HI> whether he could obtain &s;o much favour for him from <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> as that he might &s;ee <HI>Mandana</HI> during this Truce? I &s;hould not de&s;pair of doing you that &s;ervice, if the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and perhaps <HI>Mazares</HI> would not oppo&s;e it: However, I will pa&s;s you my word, that I will u&s;e all my arguments to per&s;wade them that you may &s;ee her. If they be afraid that I &s;hall &s;peak any thing which may be prejudicial to them, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I will promi&s;e to &s;tand &s;ilent all the while I look upon her: However, I be&s;eech you, beleeve this of me, that if <HI>Mandana</HI> were not the cau&s;e of the War, you &s;hould not return alone to <HI>Sardis,</HI> for then I would freely give Liberty unto the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana:</HI> But &s;ince it is to do <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;ervice that I came into <HI>Lidia,</HI> I hope you will not take it ill, if I take all advantages to do her &s;ervice, and by con&s;equence keep one that is &s;o con&s;iderable as <HI>Pan|thea</HI> is: yet I do prote&s;t unto you, it is not without much &s;orrow that I &s;hould be any cau&s;e of your di&s;content. I &s;hall not call to memory how you gave a Retreat unto the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and engaged your &s;elf in the &s;ide of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us:</HI> for as it is not fitting I &s;hould blame &s;o gallant an Enemy for it, &s;o it is rather fit I &s;hould think it the Will of the Gods that I &s;hould obtain the Victory at a dear rate: for certainly, if you were but engaged on our &s;ide, that of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> would not long hold out: But however, though it be the will of Fate to di&s;po&s;e otherwi&s;e of you, yet I conjure you not to deny this favour which I ask of you, &s;ince it does not at all contradict your duty unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us;</HI> I will pro|mi&s;e it as far as in my power, and I am very &s;orry that I cannot a&s;&s;ure you of good &s;ucce&s;s in my endeavors. After this, the&s;e Prince&s;s and Prince&s;&s;es were above an hour in di&s;|cour&s;e of their pa&s;t and pre&s;ent misfortunes; and afterwards they parted: <HI>Cyrus</HI> waiting upon <HI>Abradates</HI> as far as the further quarter of his Camp, did &s;hew him part of his Troop drawn up into Battalia: And it being a very gallant &s;ight, <HI>Abradates</HI> told him, It was no wonder to &s;ee &s;uch good Souldiers under &s;uch a Commander: for truly (&s;aid he unto him) methinks your pre&s;ence has infu&s;ed &s;uch heroique &s;parks into me, that I make no que&s;tion but I &s;hall return more valiant unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> then when I fir&s;t came to you. The ca&s;e is not &s;o with me, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> for as valiant as you are, you have infu&s;ed an un|willingne&s;s in me to fight again&s;t you ever &s;ince I knew you. <HI>Abradates</HI> an&s;wered his obliging language with as much civility and &s;pirit: And afterwards both the&s;e mighty Princes parted extreamly well &s;atisfied with each other. <HI>Abradates</HI> in pur&s;uance of his promi&s;e be&s;eeched the King of <HI>Lidia</HI> to let <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> as <HI>Cyrus</HI> had given him the liberty to &s;ee <HI>Panthea: Cre&s;&s;us</HI> at the fir&s;t did make no difficulty of it, yet added &s;uch a condition unto it, as did render it impo&s;&s;ible; for he con&s;ented unto the enterview, pro|vided the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would approve of it: <HI>Abradates</HI> then went unto the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> to beg the favour; And what inconveniency (&s;aid he unto him) can it be unto you? You know he is in <HI>Mandana</HI>'s favour as much already as he can de&s;ire to be, and therefore though this Prince&s;s &s;hould give him any obliging language, that makes him no more happy then he was before: But it may prove an advantage unto you; for if &s;he tell him, how ob&s;equious and re&s;pective you are unto her, it may chance take off the edg of his Animo&s;ity, and make him fight with le&s;s fury. If I did not think you &s;peak this (re|plyed the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> purpo&s;ely to do that Prince a courte&s;ie who may do her you love another, I &s;hould &s;ay you are the mo&s;t unju&s;t man in the world to de&s;ire any &s;uch thing from me: for I pray know (&s;ince I mu&s;t di&s;cover the bottom of my heart unto you) that I am arrived at that pa&s;s, as I will never endeavor again to enjoy <HI>Mandana:</HI> I have &s;ighed and wept a thou&s;and times at her feet, but all in vain: &s;he hath thus far confe&s;&s;ed unto me, that &s;he beleeves I love her, and that if I were not her Lover &s;he would not de|ny me her e&s;teem: But for all that, &s;he hath &s;o re&s;olutely and con&s;tantly told me, that &s;he will never love me, and hath without telling me, let me perfectly under&s;tand, how &s;he will love <HI>Cyrus</HI> for ever, that I am fully per&s;waded <HI>Mandana</HI> is for ever inexorable to me, and for ever faithful unto my Rival: therefore I will &s;trive no more to win her heart or to enjoy her; but I will, if it be po&s;&s;ible, look upon her eternally, and keep her out of &s;ight of all my Rivals; and will &s;ee them all peri&s;h in a long War, or el&s;e peri&s;h my &s;elf, before I will part from <HI>Mandana,</HI> the Prince&s;s of my Soul. I know very well, that I am
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unju&s;t in it, and that the act is contrary to rea&s;on and genero&s;ity, and that I de&s;erve the blame of all the World: But on the other &s;ide, I know that it is not in my power to over|come my &s;elf: I mu&s;t &s;ubmit unto the &s;overaignity of Love and my evil de&s;tiny, and never think any more of any re&s;i&s;tance: therefore I do conjure you, not to put me unto &s;uch a cruel nece&s;&s;ity as to deny any thing unto that Prince who protects me in his Court: and con&s;ider, that I enjoy no other plea&s;ure in my life, but only in that my Rivals are not ble&s;&s;ed with the &s;ight of my Prince&s;s: As for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and the Prince <HI>Maza|res,</HI> &s;ince they cannot &s;ee but incen&s;e her, I do not much value them: But as for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who&s;e eyes do always attract affection and tenderne&s;s from her heart, I cannot endure he &s;hould have the lea&s;t glimp&s;e of her.</P>
<P><HI>Abradates</HI> hearing the&s;e expre&s;&s;ions from the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> did think he &s;hould ne|ver obtain his de&s;ires: yet his obligations unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> moved him to be further importu|nate; I perceive (&s;aid he unto the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> that there is &s;ome difficulty in ob|taining my demands: But if you &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider, that I had not lo&s;t the only Object of my affections but for the love of you; and that <HI>Panthea</HI> had not been now a Captive but only becau&s;e I received you into my Court; and that if you refu&s;e me this reque&s;t, <HI>Cyrus</HI> will revenge upon her the &s;everity you u&s;e unto him, I conceive you may well think I have ju&s;t cau&s;e to importune you unto a grant of my de&s;ires. <HI>Cyrus</HI> is &s;o generous (replyed the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> that you never need fear any rigor upon <HI>Panthea.</HI> Why then do not you &s;trive to be more generous then he (if it be po&s;&s;ible) replyed <HI>Abradates?</HI> It is &s;uffi|cient that I endeavor to &s;urpa&s;s him in Love (replyed the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> and not in Genero&s;ity, &s;ince I &s;ee it an ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibility to &s;trive again&s;t the &s;tream of my Pa&s;|&s;ion; I know very well, that &s;ince I am the cau&s;e of <HI>Panthea</HI>'s Captivity, I ought to &s;a|tisfie you in your reque&s;t: But oh Heavens, how far am I from any capacity of doing what I ought? and therefore I be&s;eech you pity me, and do not tax me with ingratitude if I deny you any thing, &s;ince it is not I, but the vigor of my in&s;ulting Pa&s;&s;ion. <HI>Abradates,</HI> &s;eeing he could not per&s;wade the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> did leave him with a very cold Comple|ment, and took it very ill, that &s;ince him&s;elf had lo&s;t <HI>Panthea</HI> only for the love of him, he &s;hould deny him &s;uch a favour as would not take <HI>Mandana</HI> out of his Power. He writ then unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and excu&s;ed him&s;elf, that he could not obtain his de&s;ires: but before he &s;ent his Letter, he put <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> in mind of his word, and be&s;eeched him to propound unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> an exchange of Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> for the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana. Cre&s;&s;us</HI> an&s;wered him, that he would &s;end <HI>Andramites</HI> to negotiate the matter, yet he &s;aid he would not relea&s;e that Prince, but upon condition he &s;hould promi&s;e never to think any more upon the Prince&s;s his daughter: This Qualification &s;eemed &s;o &s;trange unto <HI>Abradates,</HI> that he concluded <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> would never have made that Propo&s;ition but purpo&s;ely to break off the exchange: for what probability was there that Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> to recover his Liberty &s;hould engage him&s;elf to quit his affection unto a Prince&s;s whom he had long loved, and whom he was re&s;olved to love as long as he lived, and from whom he had received &s;ome expre&s;&s;ions of Love? Therefore beginning to &s;peak very fiercely in the pre&s;ence of the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> and <HI>Andramites,</HI> who were both intere&s;ted in the bu&s;ine&s;s; Sir (&s;aid he unto him) when you promi&s;ed me to propound this exchange, it was to be according to the common Laws of War, and not according to politique &s;hifts, to render the Propo&s;i|tion ineffectual: When you were to relea&s;e the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> it &s;hould be as he was your Enemy, and not as a Lover of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis:</HI> Love had no &s;hare in this Ne|gotiation, and I will never con&s;ent any &s;uch Propo&s;ition &s;hall be made unto <HI>Cyrus.</HI> What doth it concern you who is relea&s;ed, or how relea&s;ed, &s;o <HI>Panthea</HI>'s Liberty be procured? (replyed <HI>Cre&s;&s;us.)</HI> Doubtle&s;s it does not concern me, replyed <HI>Abradates;</HI> but that which I mo&s;t in&s;i&s;t upon, is, that no &s;uch Propo&s;ition &s;hall be made, as will only incen&s;e him unto whom it is made: Therefore knowing what a value <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ets upon Prince <HI>Ar|tamas,</HI> I thought him &s;ooner then any other to be propounded in exchange. As for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> you may very well imagine, that <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as generous as he is, does not wi&s;h his Liberty &s;o &s;oon as the Prince <HI>Artamas:</HI> And as for any other of the Pri&s;oners, they are not of fit Qualities to be exchanged again&s;t <HI>Panthea: Anaxaris</HI> is none knows who; <HI>So&s;icles</HI> and <HI>Tegeus</HI> are your Subjects; and <HI>Feraulas</HI> is a &s;ervant unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> And &s;ince &s;o Sir, who &s;hould I propound in exchange for <HI>Panthea</HI> but the Prince <HI>Artamas?</HI> The Truce was concluded upon to that end, and yet it &s;eems you will not relea&s;e him, but &s;tand upon con&s;ultation about it. I do con&s;ult upon it indeed, replyed he, and that with good Rea&s;on; for except <HI>Cyrus</HI> him&s;elf, there is not a man in all his Army who would
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be &s;o advantageous to have in my power as the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and you would have me to relea&s;e him for your intere&s;t only: However (&s;aid <HI>Abradates,</HI> with &s;uch an a&s;pect, as made it appear he was much di&s;plea&s;ed at <HI>roe&s;&s;us)</HI> I pray tell me directly what you re|&s;olve upon, and why you con&s;ented unto the Truce, if it were not to &s;atisfie my de&s;ires? I con&s;ented unto the Truce, replied he, to endeavour the relea&s;e of <HI>Panthea,</HI> by relea&s;e|ing the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> or all the other Pri&s;oners, or el&s;e the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> upon &s;uch conditions as I told you.</P>
<P>After this <HI>Abradates</HI> retired, and &s;o did the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> and <HI>Andramites,</HI> and they went unto their Quarters, and the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> went al&s;o with <HI>Abradates,</HI> in&s;o|much as <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> fearing the&s;e three per&s;ons &s;hould make a mutiny in the Army, he re|&s;olved in the end to make the Propo&s;ition in exchange for the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and &s;ent in all ha&s;te to adverti&s;e <HI>Abradates</HI> of his intentions, who in the interim had di&s;patched his Letter unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to excu&s;e him&s;elf in that he could not obtain his de&s;ires, and his expre&s;&s;ions were &s;o effectual, as <HI>Cyrus</HI> did really believe he had &s;incerely done his endea|vour, and complained more again&s;t his own misfortune, then again&s;t any neglect in <HI>A|bradates.</HI> In the mean time <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> did &s;end unto <HI>Cyrus;</HI> his de&s;ire was, that <HI>Andra|mites</HI> &s;hould be imployed to go in that negotiation: He &s;ent unto <HI>Abradates</HI> to move <HI>Andramites</HI> to go unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> but fir&s;t he moved <HI>Abradates</HI> to go him&s;elf, yet he would not go, but &s;tayed in the Camp, where he was much more terrible unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> then if he had been in <HI>Sardis,</HI> as well becau&s;e he had a body of four thou&s;and men, the be&s;t in all the Army, as becau&s;e he was more con&s;iderable, and beloved of the Souldiers in general, then any other. <HI>Andramites</HI> then negotiated as a Lover of <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and by con&s;equence as one much concerned in the liberty of <HI>Panthea,</HI> and therefore he omitted nothing that might render his tran&s;action effectual; for he did not only addre&s;s him&s;elf with much eloquence and prudence unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but he did chu&s;e his time &s;o di&s;creetly, as that the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> was pre&s;ent when he propounded from his Ma&s;ter, the exchange of Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> for <HI>Panthea:</HI> So that though <HI>Cyrus</HI> had a good pretence to retain that Queen until <HI>Mandana</HI> were relea&s;ed, yet he would not in&s;i&s;t upon it, le&s;t he &s;hould di&s;oblige &s;o great a King as he of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and le&s;t in &s;triving to be very prudent, he &s;hould fail in point of genero&s;ity. Moreover, he thought that the exchange of <HI>Panthea</HI> for Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> would be very advantageous to him in the &s;equel of the War, &s;ince he was as wi&s;e and valiant a man as any was in the Univer&s;e, yet could he not re&s;olve up|on this exchange, unle&s;s he drew &s;ome &s;atisfaction unto his Love by it; &s;o that he told <HI>Andramites</HI> in the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI>'s pre&s;ence, that though it was very advantageous for him to keep the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> in his power unto the end of the War, yet he &s;o much honoured the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and loved the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> &s;o well; al&s;o re&s;pected <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Panthea</HI> both &s;o very much, that he would con&s;ent unto the de&s;ires of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> upon this condition only, that during this Truce, it might be permitted him to &s;ee <HI>Mandana. Andramites</HI> hearing him &s;ay &s;o, be&s;eeched him not to in&s;i&s;t upon that, becau&s;e the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had &s;o re&s;olutely denied that unto <HI>Abradates</HI> when he was mo|ved in it, as it is thought impo&s;&s;ible he &s;hould ever con&s;ent unto it: Since <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> is Ma|&s;ter in his own Dominions, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he ought to be obeyed, and therefore I can|not conceive, that the con&s;ent of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> is &s;o ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary: Doubt|le&s;s it is not, replyed <HI>Andramites,</HI> but yet I have &s;ome rea&s;ons which induce me to think, that he will not make u&s;e of his Soveraign Authority in this bu&s;ine&s;s, but will rather break off the Truce: I con&s;ent unto it (&s;aid the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> mo&s;t generou&s;ly) and had rather the Treaty were broke, then a Prince unto whom I am &s;o much obliged &s;hould not receive this poor &s;atisfaction: No, no, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I cannot believe the King of
<HI>Lydia</HI> is &s;o weak a mannager of his Intere&s;ts, but that he mu&s;t think it more dangerous for him to di&s;oblige <HI>Abradate<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> then the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> &s;ince the one hath a Kingdom and Forces on Foot, and the other hath neither; therefore <HI>Andramites,</HI> I pray tell the King your Ma&s;ter what I &s;ay, and let me know his re&s;olution. In the mean time, <HI>An|dramites</HI> (added <HI>Cyrus,</HI> being very glad to perceive &s;ome &s;parks of his affection to kin|dle towards <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> which might make him more zealous with <HI>Croe&s;&s;us)</HI> it &s;hall be your own fault, if you carry no commendations from the illu&s;trious <HI>Abradates</HI> unto his Wife the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> for if you plea&s;e, you &s;hall be conducted unto her. <HI>Andrami|tes</HI> hearing this acceptable offer, could not refu&s;e it; &s;o that he was conducted thither by <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> being ravi&s;hed with joy that he &s;hould &s;ee <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who was with this Prin|ce&s;s, and for who&s;e freedom he did equally &s;olicite: <HI>Andramites</HI> was welcomed by this
<PB N="95" REF="426">
Queen with much civility and &s;atisfaction; for &s;ince &s;he was ignorant how <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> did only &s;eek for a pretence to break off the Treaty, &s;he made no doubt but ere long to &s;ee her dear <HI>Abradates. Dorali&s;a,</HI> for her part, was not uncivil towards <HI>Andramites,</HI> yet he found to be as much as formerly &s;he u&s;ed to be, very fair, infinitely lovely, and a lit|tle too &s;ubtil; and indeed, in lieu of thanking him for the pains he took for the liberty of the Prince&s;s, which included hers, &s;he told him with a &s;mile, that &s;he could not &s;et any great value upon this Propo&s;ition which he brought, &s;ince if it take effect, we &s;hall but go out of one Pri&s;on into another: For to tell you truly, (&s;aid &s;he, whil'&s;t <HI>Panthea</HI> was writing unto <HI>Abradates)</HI> I think we are more &s;afe in the Camp of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then if we were at <HI>Sardis,</HI> &s;ince in all probability <HI>Cyrus</HI> will ere long take it, for he having both Ju&s;tice and Fortune on his &s;ide, he will infallibly be victorious over all his Enemies. But what then will become of the Oracle which <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> received from <HI>Delphos</HI> (replied he) if what you &s;ay &s;hould come to pa&s;s? Truly <HI>Andramites</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) it is much ra&s;hne&s;s to think that men &s;hould &s;o well under&s;tand the language of the Gods, &s;ince &s;ometimes men cannot &s;o much as under&s;tand the language of men: I do confe&s;s it (&s;aid he unto her) that &s;ometimes you would not under&s;tand the language of men, but to tell you truly, I think the rea&s;on was becau&s;e you had not a will to under&s;tand it; nor do I know very well whether you will under&s;tand me now, if I &s;hould in plain language tell you, that I never did nor &s;hall love any comparably as I do you. I under&s;tand you <HI>An|dramites,</HI> replied &s;he, much le&s;s then heretofore; for &s;ince I hear of late no language but <HI>Per&s;ian, Hircanian, A&s;&s;yrian, Arminian,</HI> and <HI>Medean</HI> Tongues, I have forgot the <HI>Lydian</HI> language; and therefore before you &s;peak unto me of any thing which concerns your &s;elf, I mu&s;t learn that Tongue, or at lea&s;t be a year or two in <HI>Lydia.</HI> As <HI>Andrami|tes</HI> was ready to reply, and be&s;eech <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to &s;peak a little more &s;eriou&s;ly, <HI>Panthea</HI> having writ her Letter came to give it unto him, &s;o that it being time to return, he could receive no other &s;atisfaction from <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> but that &s;he was as fair as ever, yet did his flames of Love burn hotter then ever, and he returned unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> with re&s;olutions to u&s;e his utmo&s;t endeavours to move the King of <HI>Lydia</HI> that <HI>Cyrus</HI> might &s;ee <HI>Mandana:</HI> And in order to that, he went unto the Camp before he went unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> and advi&s;ed the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena</HI> and <HI>Abradates</HI> not to &s;tir, though <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> &s;hould &s;end for them, till the Treaty was accompli&s;hed, and to tran&s;act with the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> whom he knew was a well-vvi&s;her to this Treaty, yet did he not think this Prince had any other end in it, then the &s;atisfaction of <HI>Abradates,</HI> and the relea&s;ement of <HI>Artamas,</HI> whom I al|wayes vvi&s;hed might marry his Si&s;ter the Prince&s;s. The&s;e tvvo Princes then taking his coun&s;el, let him go unto <HI>Sardis</HI> alone, vvhether he vvas no &s;ooner come, but he gave <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> an account of his voyage: But as &s;oon as he had ended his relation, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> told him, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> demanded a thing vvhich vvas not vvithin the compa&s;s of his vvill to grant, for he had re&s;olved never to contradict the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> in that bu&s;ine&s;s: Then it is impo&s;&s;ible to conclude this Treaty (replied <HI>Andramites)</HI> for <HI>Cyrus</HI> is &s;o fully re&s;olved to obtain his demand, that the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> him&s;elf, to &s;atisfie his de&s;ires, would per&s;wade him to in&s;i&s;t upon it, though <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould otherwi&s;e be contented: Though Treaty &s;hould break off, replied <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> it &s;hould not trouble me at all: Yet believe it Sir, re|plied <HI>Andramites,</HI> it is &s;omething dangerous to incen&s;e the King of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> apprehending this reply of <HI>Andramites</HI> (whom he knew to be their friend) for a kind of threatning, was much offended at him; and without any direct an&s;wer, on|ly told him, that he would ere long let <HI>Cyrus</HI> know his mind. <HI>Andramites</HI> al&s;o being an|gry at this, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> came in, and did &s;o importunately pre&s;s not to con&s;ent his Rival &s;hould ever &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> that he confirmed him in his re&s;olution, to make his colour for rendring the negotiation of <HI>Andramites</HI> ineffectual; yet the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was very anger, that he thus di&s;obliged <HI>Abradates,</HI> unto whom he was &s;o much ingaged; but this tyrannical pa&s;&s;ion did &s;o di&s;turb his rea&s;on, and u&s;urped power over his &s;oul, that he could not do any otherwi&s;e, nor was he Ma&s;ter of his own mind, In the mean while, <HI>Abradates,</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> hearing of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> his denial, and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his oppo&s;ition, &s;poke high, and like Princes that could not brook &s;uch u&s;age, <HI>Andramites</HI> and the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> did al&s;o cajole with the people in <HI>Sardis,</HI> and gave out, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> refu&s;ing this de&s;ire of <HI>Cyrus</HI> would infinitely incen&s;e him again&s;t them, if he &s;hould become victorious; and therefore it were but ju&s;t to &s;eek for their own &s;ecu|rity; So that both in Town and Camp, things grew into great di&s;order; for as it is the
<PB N="96" REF="427">
ea&s;ie&s;t matter of a thou&s;and, to make the herd of people do any thing; &s;o upon this ground, divers that were very intimate friends unto Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> who&s;e virtues had purcha&s;ed him thou&s;ands of &s;ecret &s;ervants who would venture life and all for him, began to &s;peak very high, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> never cared for the &s;afety of his people, but would let all run to ruine, &s;o he could &s;atisfie his own private ambition? The memory of all the Victo|ries which <HI>Artamas</HI> brought made all the Inhabitants of <HI>Sardis</HI> murmur extreamly, and &s;ay one to another, that if he had never been a Pri&s;oner they &s;hould never have cared for any forraign War: but to &s;ee an Army of above a hundred thou&s;and men at their doors, and to have never an <HI>Artamas</HI> to defend them; this was &s;uch a mi&s;ery as they could not endure without much murmur; and their thoughts were &s;o forward, that they did both &s;ay and think, it would be more advantagious for them if the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> were on the Party of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then thus to be perpetually mewed up in a Pri&s;on: for they knew that he being in love with their Prince&s;s would never de&s;troy <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> and that he was ever of a &s;weet milde di&s;po&s;ition in all things; and they &s;aid openly, that the Inju&s;tice which was done him in his fir&s;t Impri&s;onment, could be no way repaired but by relea&s;ing him from this &s;econd fetters: thus were Camp and Town all in divi&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing all this, was exceedingly joyed at it; for &s;aid he, If they do as I de&s;ire them, I &s;hall &s;ee my Prince&s;s, and her looks will infu&s;e fre&s;h zeal into my Soul, and make me able to relea&s;e, maugre all the fatal Predictions: If on the contrary they will not do as I would have them, then I &s;hall have this &s;atisfaction at the lea&s;t, that their Souldiers will be divided, and &s;o I &s;hall get the Victory more ea&s;ily: yet was he much a&s;toni&s;hed to hear that <HI>Mazares</HI> did not &s;tir in the bu&s;ine&s;s; and every one who came from <HI>Sardis</HI> reported, that this Prince kept his Chamber by rea&s;on of &s;ome &s;light indi&s;po&s;ition in his body: But he heard every moment that the di&s;order did encrea&s;e both between Prince&s;s, and people, and Souldiers. In the mean time, &s;ince the Truce had a day prefixed, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not break his word, he was much vexed that he could not take any advan|tage by this di&s;order, and did with much impatience expect a po&s;itive an&s;wer from <HI>Croe&s;|&s;us:</HI> yet &s;ometimes he would go and vi&s;it <HI>Panthea;</HI> and as it is the cu&s;tom even of the wi&s;e&s;t men, e&s;pecially tho&s;e that are in love to di&s;cour&s;e of all accidents which befall them, &s;o <HI>Cyrus</HI> did &s;peak unto <HI>Panthea</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> of nothing el&s;e but of this bu|&s;ine&s;s now in tran&s;action: Sometimes he would ask <HI>Panthea</HI> whether &s;he thought her husband could brook this Inju&s;tice of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us?</HI> Other times he would de&s;ire the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> to tell him, whether &s;he thought the King her Brother would for ever ob&s;ti|nately per&s;i&s;t in his re&s;olutions of never &s;uffering him to &s;ee <HI>Mandana?</HI> Yet he a&s;&s;ured the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> that though <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> &s;hould deny him his de&s;ires, yet he would re|lea&s;e her, be&s;eeching her to pardon him if he deferred it until the la&s;t hour of the Treaty, in hopes thereby to obtain his de&s;ires; and he expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf in &s;uch obliging terms, that <HI>Panthea</HI> her &s;elf de&s;ired him to defer her Liberty as long as he could. As he was with the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es, <HI>Ortalques</HI> came into tell him, that <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> was arrived at the Camp, and &s;aid he had &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s of con&s;equence to impart unto him: The name of <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> made <HI>Cyrus</HI> blu&s;h, &s;ince when he heard it, he could not chu&s;e but think upon <HI>Mazares,</HI> and that he had &s;ent him unto him, though he could not well comprehend how <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> who went from <HI>Sin pe</HI> to return into his own Country, &s;hould be now in <HI>Lidia.</HI> This alteration in the face of <HI>Cyrus</HI> begetting a great curio&s;ity in both tho&s;e Prince&s;&s;es, they asked him the cau&s;e: yet he would not then tell them, not knowing what bu&s;ine&s;s <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> had with him: So that without giving them any direct An&s;wer, he left them, and went unto him, wi&s;hing with all his heart that <HI>Mazares</HI> had &s;ent by him to meet him with his &s;word in his hand. Since he was much beholding unto <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> for the &s;ervices he had done <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> he did not confound innocence and guilt together, but notwith&s;tanding the agitation of his &s;pirits, and his hatred of <HI>Mazare,</HI> he received <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> very kindly: After which, addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech unto him; As I did at fir&s;t re|ceive you as a friend unto <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) I mu&s;t harken unto you as a Me&s;|enger from my mo&s;t mortal Enemy. Sir, replyed <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> before you know well what appellation to give my Ma&s;ter, I mu&s;t be&s;eech you to give me an hours patience, for if you did but under&s;tand the end of my Relation, perhaps it would &s;trike you into wonder; and therefore it is requi&s;ite I prepare your &s;pirits a little to hear of Miracles: <HI>Cyrus</HI> hear|ing <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> &s;ay &s;o, began to devi&s;e with him&s;elf, what it &s;hould be he had to tell him; but being not able to imagine, he re&s;olved to give him audience, and therefore carryed him into a convenient place for that purpo&s;e. But &s;ince the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> and the
<PB N="97" REF="427">
Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> had heard that he who came to &s;peak with him was from the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> they feared le&s;t it &s;hould be &s;ome Challenge, and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Abra|dates</HI> engaged in it: So that they &s;ent unto him, be&s;eeching him that they might &s;peak a word with him. As impatient as this Prince was to hear <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> yet he went unto the Prince&s;&s;es; who expre&s;&s;ed &s;o much tenderne&s;s over him, and were &s;o troubled to hear that <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> came from <HI>Mazares;</HI> as they importunately forced him to offer them to be partakers of what <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> had to &s;ay, &s;ince he perceived by the manner of <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> his di&s;|cour&s;e there was no fighting matter in it: So he &s;ent for <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> and told him he might &s;peak with as much freedom before tho&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es as if he were in pri|vate with him: After which, every one taking their places, <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> began his Di&s;|cour&s;e thus.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of <HI>MAZARES.</HI></HEAD>
<P>WEre I to &s;peak of my Ma&s;ter only unto the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> my Relation &s;hould then be much &s;horter then now it mu&s;t: And before I entertain two great Prince&s;&s;es unto whom he is unknown (though Per&s;ons of their Quality do commonly know, though they have not &s;een one another) I conceive it is expedient to recite in few words the beginning of his Life, to the end they may better know the Sequel.</P>
<P>It is not at all requi&s;ite (&s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta)</HI> that you &s;hould trouble your &s;elf in telling us any Adventures which have chanced unto the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;ince the time he came from <HI>Babylon,</HI> until the time he was left for dead at <HI>Sinope</HI> in a Fi&s;hers Cabin: for we know how he could not force him&s;elf to love the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> though the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> u&s;ed all arguments to per&s;wade him: and that he became in love with the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> whether he would or no, at the &s;ame time when &s;he triumphantly entered that great Town: Nor are we ignorant how he demeaned him&s;elf when he was there: We know al&s;o how, prompted more by the dictates of his Love then either his Rea&s;on or Genero&s;ity, he invented to come out of that Town clothed in white when it was a Snow; and afterwards being in <HI>Sinope,</HI> how the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion was predominate over his genero&s;ity, did prompt him to deceive her, and carry her away both from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and how to puni&s;h him for that ra&s;h act, the Gods permitted him to &s;uffer &s;hipwrack.</P>
<P>Madam, replyed <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> when you &s;hall know what I intend to relate, I know not then how you will interpret the intentions of the Gods, &s;ince at the &s;ame in&s;tant when they brought him to the very brink of Ruine, then they rather &s;aved him: But before I explain this Riddle unto you, I mu&s;t tell you that it was the greate&s;t and mo&s;t admirable effect of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Beauty, &s;o to di&s;turb and pervert the Rea&s;on of this Prince, as made him capable of doing any unju&s;t act; &s;ince certainly there was never any of his Quality, who&s;e birth, inclination and education was better: Moreover, the di&s;po&s;itions of Nature drawn from his Parents could not chu&s;e but be mo&s;t excellently good; &s;ince it is mo&s;t certain, that never Prince was more virtuous then the Prince of <HI>Saces,</HI> nor any Prin|ce&s;s more heroique then the Queen <HI>Tarina,</HI> my Ma&s;ters mother: But &s;ince her virtue was famous throughout all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> I will &s;peak no more of it; only &s;ay this, that if the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> her &s;on be not as victorious as any, it is &s;trange: But as an addition to all you know or po&s;&s;ibly can know of him, it is requi&s;ite I tell you, that the night preceding the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI>'s &s;hipwrack, and while&s;t the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> out of his re&s;pect dur&s;t not come into her Cabin, he was &s;en&s;ible of as much &s;orrow as a generous heart could po&s;&s;i|bly comprehend: and let me tell the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that I am mo&s;t confident, if he under&s;tood the &s;orrows which he apprehended after that &s;ad accident, he would &s;ooner pity then accu&s;e him; he repented of his crime, though he could not of his pa&s;&s;ion, above a hundred times, and re&s;olved as oft to expiate it; afterwards when he looked her in the face, and ob&s;erved what alteration in her complexion &s;o &s;hort a time had produced, his heart was &s;o &s;trucken with remor&s;e, as he went in all ha&s;te to the Pilot, for fear he &s;hould alter his mind, and commanded him to take the way of <HI>Sinope,</HI> with intentions to re&s;tore the Prince&s;s either into the hands of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> or the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus:</HI> But oh Heavens, how fatal was this Order, as ju&s;t as it was, unto him that commanded it, and unto her for who&s;e &s;ake it was intended? For as &s;oon as the Pilot received it, and in obedient order thereunto, intending to carry <HI>Mandana</HI> unto <HI>Sinope,</HI> he turned the Rudder, but
<PB N="98" REF="428" MS="y">
overturned the Ship, and left us all in a peri&s;hing condition: Never &s;ince did I think it permitable to cen&s;ure the intentions of the Gods, when they do either good or evil unto men: But that it is much &s;afer to admire their Providence, then to dive too far into their Rea&s;ons: And indeed, to &s;peak according unto meer natural Rea&s;on, who would not think that a Prince in love, who had her he loved in his power, and who had &s;o much virtues as to repent the taking her away, and re&s;olved to &s;et her at liberty again, that &s;uch a one, I &s;ay, did rather de&s;erve a Recompence then Puni&s;hment? and yet the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;uffered &s;hipwrack: he thought him&s;elf the cau&s;e of that Prince&s;s death whom he adored; and &s;uffered more torture of Soul then ever any did; and the violence of his de&s;pair was much more like to be his ruine then his &s;hipwrack; and doubtle&s;s it had been his death, had not the Gods mo&s;t prodigiou&s;ly &s;ent him relief.</P>
<P>Be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that the owner of the Cabin (where the illu&s;trious <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> &s;aw <HI>Mazares</HI> dying, and where he received from his hand a rich Scarfe, which was the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI>'s) being gone to fi&s;h a little before the &s;torm did ri&s;e, and ad|venturing &s;o far into the Sea that he could not recover the &s;hore, he was con&s;trained to let go his Boat unto the mercy of the Wind and Waves, was at la&s;t driven to the foot of a Rock which ri&s;e up in the Sea, and where a Ship had been &s;plit, but where his Boat be|ing light did &s;afely arrive, &s;o that he got upon the Rock, and holding his Boat with a Rope, he re&s;olved to re&s;t there till the &s;torm was over, and &s;o he did, until the Tempe&s;t beginning to calm, he di&s;covered an old man upon a plank which kept him above water, and who endeavoured to gain that Rock, but he was &s;o weak, and &s;o far off, that needs mu&s;t he peri&s;h, unle&s;s the Fi&s;herman relieve him. Plain pity then moving the heart of this Fi&s;herman, he made unto his a&s;&s;i&s;tance in his Boat, and took up this man, who&s;e name was <HI>Tyburtus,</HI> by Nation a Greek, who was alwayes with <HI>Mazares</HI> as a Tutor to read all Sciences befitting his Quality unto him. He was no &s;ooner in the Boat, but &s;o weak he was, that ready he was to fall into a &s;woond: Yet when he was recovered, he told how he had been &s;hipwracked, but told him not how it was in carrying away the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> le&s;t it &s;hould abate his zeal to &s;erve him: So that this Fi&s;her-man cheering him up after his homely manner, he offered him his Cabin to retreat unto, which <HI>Tiburtus</HI> ac|cepted of, in hopes to hear &s;ome tydings of &s;ome that were &s;hipwracked with him, or whether his Ma&s;ter peri&s;hed among the re&s;t: The Sea being then &s;moother then before, this Fi&s;her-man began to row about; but &s;ince he had lo&s;t one of his oars in the Storm, he was a long time before he recovered his &s;hore, and &s;o long indeed, that he came not to his Cabin until <HI>Artamenes</HI> was gone away. You may imagine Madam, hovv <HI>Tiburtus</HI> vvas amazed to find the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> there, and in that ca&s;e, for he vvas not yet reco|vered out of his &s;vvoond vvherein the illu&s;trious <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> left him: as &s;oon as he &s;avv him, he vvas extreamly joyed; but vvhen he &s;avv him in that pitiful ca&s;e, his extream joys vvere converted into extream &s;orrovvs: yet &s;ince he vvas a man of an univer&s;al knovvledg in all things, and rea&s;onably vvell ver&s;ed in Phy&s;ick, he endeavored to try vvhether any life yet remained in that Prince, and whether there were any po&s;&s;ibility of helping him: and up|on his careful ob&s;ervance, he di&s;covered his heart did beat: &s;o that u&s;ing all the helps which the poverty of that place would afford him, he employed them &s;o well, that <HI>Ma|zares</HI> revived, but vvith a &s;pirit &s;o little of him&s;elf, that &s;pying <HI>Tiburtus</HI> at his beds &s;ide, he asked him vvhere <HI>Mandana</HI> vvas? Aftervvards he pronounced the name of <HI>Arta|menes</HI> four or five times; and being for an hour after in a confu&s;ed di&s;traction of Rea&s;on, he knevv not vvhether or no <HI>Artamenes</HI> vvas his Rival, or vvhether <HI>Mandana</HI> vvas alive or dead, or indeed whether him&s;elf was living. But at la&s;t, <HI>Tiburtus</HI> endeavoring by his di&s;cour&s;e to reduce his Rea&s;on into its right Region, he began by degrees to know things as really they were, and by con&s;equence to fall into his fir&s;t de&s;pair: Yet had he the comfort to &s;ee <HI>Tiburtus</HI> neer him, whom he ever loved: In &s;eeing him, his hopes re|vived al&s;o, that happily <HI>Mandana</HI> might e&s;cape as well as he, but his hopes of &s;o much happine&s;s were &s;o weak, that they could not induce him to take any care of him&s;elf, or to receive any thing: In the mean while, <HI>Tiburtus</HI> con&s;idering how neer he was unto <HI>Sinope,</HI>
and in a place where the illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> had been, and might come or &s;end again, he took the Ma&s;ter of the Cabin a&s;ide, and conjured him, that as he had &s;aved his life, &s;o he would do him another good office, without which the fir&s;t was all to no purpo&s;e: But le&s;t there &s;hould not be prevalency enough in his prayers, he charmed him with a great Medal of Gold hanging in a Chain of the &s;ame Mettel, which the Queen <HI>Nit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">cris</HI> gave him when he was waiting upon his Ma&s;ter at <HI>Babylon.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="99" REF="428">
The very &s;ight of &s;o rich a Pre&s;ent, &s;o dazled the eyes of the poor Fi&s;her, that he did ab&s;olutely promi&s;e to do what ere he would have him, though it were with mo&s;t de&s;perate hazard of his life: So that <HI>Tiburtus</HI> without any lo&s;s of time cau&s;ed him to take the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> into his Boat, and to clothe him very well, le&s;t the &s;harpne&s;s of the ayr might do him harm. The Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> at fir&s;t was very unwilling unto what <HI>Tiburtus</HI> de&s;ired, &s;aying he was loth to part from that place neer which his Prince&s;s peri&s;hed, and that he had rather dye there then in any other place: But <HI>Tiburtus</HI> promi&s;ing he &s;hould not be carryed very far; and that it was to &s;uch a place as where it was more probable to hear of his Prince&s;s, and where he was in le&s;s danger of falling into the hands of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> he be|gan to &s;ubmit unto his will: Yet not at the fir&s;t; For <HI>Tiburtus</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) &s;ince death is that I look for, why may not the King of <HI>Medes</HI> or <HI>Artamenes</HI> give it me as well as any other way? Although it be all one to you (&s;aid <HI>Tiburtus</HI> to him) yet it concerns the King your Father, and the Queen your Mother, and all the people over whom you are de&s;tined to Raign; therefore I be&s;eech you, follow my advice, and harken unto Rea&s;on. Alas <HI>Tiburtus</HI> (&s;aid he) that man who cares not for life, cares not for a Kingdom: How|ever, replyed <HI>Tiburtus,</HI> though you do not care for either, yet grieve not them that are intere&s;ted in you, and who would be much concerned if you &s;hould fall into the power of a Prince who would treat you as a Delinquent: And truly I am &s;uch a one, replyed he, upon whom they would act no Inju&s;tice, though they proceeded never &s;o rigorou&s;ly again&s;t me: but <HI>Tiburtus,</HI> do what you will with me. After this <HI>Mazares</HI> was carryed into the Boat; and all the people in the Cabin had orders to &s;ay, If <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;ent to enquire of him, that he dyed as &s;oon as he left him. In the mean time, the lamentable condition in which the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> was, would not permit <HI>Tiburtus</HI> to carry him far off, and all their provi&s;ions in the Boat were &s;o &s;mall, as they would not la&s;t above two or three days. This wi&s;e old man being not of that Country, knew not what Cour&s;e to &s;teer; and &s;ince he was far off his own Country (for be plea&s;ed to know it is a great di|&s;tance between <HI>Sinope</HI> and the Country of the <HI>Saces</HI> which borders upon the <HI>A&s;iatique Scithians)</HI> he could not tell where he &s;hould recruit him&s;elf any neerer: He had about him but &s;mall matters to &s;ub&s;i&s;t upon, the &s;hipwrack having left him only that Chain of Gold which he gave the Fi&s;her-man, and one other Jewel of a very con&s;iderable value; yet the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> by chance had &s;ome rich things about him, &s;o that by them he hoped to find &s;ub&s;i&s;tence for a while, but the difficulty was where to land in a &s;afe place: Not knowing then what to re&s;olve upon, they put off from <HI>Sinope,</HI> unre&s;olved what cour&s;e to &s;teer: Yet the Fi&s;her-man &s;eeing <HI>Tiburtus</HI> in &s;uch a perplexity, told him, that if he would tru&s;t him, he would carry him into &s;uch a place where none &s;hould find them: Then acquainting him how he was not born at that place where he dwelt, but in a little I&s;le which was inhabited by none but Fi&s;hers, among&s;t whom he had many kindred, <HI>Ti|burtus</HI> con&s;ented he &s;hould carry them thither: And this Fi&s;her-man promi&s;ed my Ma|&s;ter, to tell him in that place, whether any news was heard of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> or whether they had found her body: So not being able to take any other Cour&s;e, they came to this little I&s;le, which indeed was no more then a huge Rock, not above a days journey from <HI>Sinope:</HI> He who was their Guide, lodged them with a &s;i&s;ter of his, who&s;e husband was a Fi&s;her like him&s;elf, and who entertained them very humanely: In the mean while, &s;ince it is the plea&s;ure of the Gods to pre&s;erve <HI>Mazares</HI> whether he would or no, he lived when as he hated life, &s;ince he beleeved <HI>Mandana</HI> dead, but it was a life &s;o lamen|table, that death was much more &s;weet then it unto him: The little hopes he had of <HI>Man|dana</HI>'s e&s;cape, did now begin to dye; for the Fi&s;her-man, according to his promi&s;e, wen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the day after to enquire, but could hear no news either of her or her Corps: yet this la&s;t circum&s;tance leaving &s;ome far-fetched hopes in him, which induced him not to depart from that barbarous place; <HI>Tiburtus</HI> de&s;ired the Fi&s;her-man to tell him once more that the Corps of <HI>Mandana</HI> was found: For as <HI>Tiburtus</HI> did verily conjecture, that this Prince&s;s was really dead, and that though &s;he were living, yet it were good to wear her out of <HI>Mazares</HI> his memory; therefore he conceived it expedient not to leave any more &s;uch uncertain hopes in him, which might aggravate his &s;orrows, and much multiply his per|plexities. The Fi&s;her-man at his reque&s;t did tell this officious lye, and the Prince <HI>Ma|zares</HI> grieved &s;o, as it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee the difference between an undoubted misfortune, and one in which there was &s;ome incertainty: When the fir&s;t raptures of his de&s;pair were pa&s;t, he told <HI>Tiburtus,</HI> that he would go and dye over the Tomb of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and con|tinued in this mind many days, but at la&s;t the per&s;wa&s;ions of <HI>Tiburtus</HI> did alter his mind;
<PB N="100" REF="429">
but all his per&s;wa&s;ions could not prevail when he moved him to return unto the King of <HI>Saces</HI> his Father: No, no, <HI>Tiburtus</HI> (would he &s;ay) you &s;hall not have your mind in eve|ry thing, nor will I live as you would have me: It's well I &s;atisfie you &s;o far as not to kill my &s;elf, without publi&s;hing my crime and my misfortune unto all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> Live I will <HI>Ti|burtus,</HI> becau&s;e you would not have me dye, but I will live only to lament that Prince&s;s who&s;e life I de&s;troyed: Oh unfortunate Prince (would he cry out) if thou had&s;t any de|&s;ign to betray any one, why did&s;t thou not betray the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King in favour of thy Prince&s;s? and why did&s;t thou not really relea&s;e her? Why did&s;t thou not convey her into the hands of the invincible <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who only is worthy of her? Then would &s;he at the lea&s;t have had an e&s;teem or friend&s;hip for thee: and though thou wert the mo&s;t unfor|tunate man that ever breathed, yet it is better being &s;o, then being her Ravi&s;her. Oh mo&s;t in&s;en&s;ible Sot that I was, could&s;t thou ever hope to be loved by doing that which was mo&s;t likely to procure hatred? Had I not an illu&s;trious Example of this before my eyes on one of the greate&s;t Kings in all <HI>A&s;ia?</HI> who carryed her away, and got nothing by his violence but her hatred: and yet I mu&s;t carry her away al&s;o, but the Gods have mo&s;t &s;e|verely puni&s;hed me for it: If my death would have &s;atisfied that Ju&s;tice, certainly I &s;hould have peri&s;hed in the &s;ame place with her: but &s;ince they knew that her death would pu|ni&s;h me mo&s;t &s;everely, they keep me alive to puni&s;h me with mo&s;t horrid torments. Thus Madam, did the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> argue with him&s;elf: It was in vain for <HI>Tiburtus</HI> to tell him he mu&s;t &s;ubmit unto the Will of the Gods; for his &s;orrows were too great to &s;uffer him: All endeavors to put him in memory of honour and glory were al&s;o in vain: Am|bition was dead in his Soul, and he thought nothing in this World now more glorious then eternally to lament the death of <HI>Mandana:</HI> yet did <HI>Tiburtus</HI> &s;till importune him to return unto his Father, and did &s;peak of it &s;o much, that this unfortunate Prince &s;eeing he could not per&s;wade <HI>Tiburtus</HI> to let him live an unknown &s;olitary life, re&s;olved to &s;teal away from him, and to go into &s;ome Cell, and lament his mi&s;eries alone: In order unto this, he hired a young Fi&s;herman to let him pa&s;s in the night time over the Water, which was not above fifty furlongs from the I&s;le, and left a Letter with him for <HI>Tiburtus,</HI> to this effect.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The unfortunate <HI>MAZARES</HI> unto the wi&s;e <HI>TIBURTUS.</HI></HEAD>
<P>SInce I &s;ee all your &s;apient admonitions cannot infu&s;e Rea&s;on into my Soul, which is &s;en&s;ible of nothing but its own &s;orrows, I thought it be&s;t to part from you, le&s;t my mi&s;eries &s;hould infect you: But to the end that you may ju&s;tifie your &s;elf unto the King and Queen, let them &s;ee by this Letter, that &s;ince I do not think my &s;elf worthy to be their Son, nor to write unto them, I will for ever renounce all civil &s;ociety: yet tell them, that it was Love only which made me a Criminal; and that if I had never loved the divine and unfortunate <HI>Mandana,</HI> I had never done any thing unworthy either of them or you, who have given me a million of good advices, which this pa&s;&s;ion only did keep me from following.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>MAZARES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>This Prince then having given this Letter unto the young Fi&s;her-man who carryed him over the River, and bought him a Hor&s;e, al&s;o cau&s;ed a very poor &s;ute of Clothes to be made for him at a little Town whither he u&s;ed to go and &s;ell his Fi&s;h, he took the next way that he found; for his &s;orrows made him not care which way he went. In the mean while the young Fi&s;her-man returned to the I&s;le, and gave <HI>Tiburtus</HI> the Letter which the Prince did &s;end him, and which did drive him into &s;uch exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow, as never was greater: But all unprofitable Lamentations were but lo&s;s of &s;o much time, and therefore he imme|diately left the I&s;le to &s;eek his Ma&s;ter, and went unto the next Town to buy a Hor&s;e, and to take that way which the young Fi&s;her-man told him he took: but it being a good while &s;ince the Prince did go away, he could not overtake him; yet had he the comfort as he rid on a day and a half together to hear two or three times that he travelled that way; but his grief was, that they who &s;aw him pa&s;s, reported that he kept no high ways. <HI>Tiburtus</HI> being very old, was not able to travel &s;o long without re&s;t, unle&s;s he &s;hould fall &s;ick, &s;o that age and wearine&s;s compelled him to &s;tay twelve or fifteen days. As good fortune was, he found a little Church, dedicated unto <HI>Ceres,</HI> &s;tanding in the mid&s;t of a field, without any other building about it but only the Prie&s;ts hou&s;e which joyned unto it, &s;o that finding him&s;elf very ill he &s;tayed there, and de&s;ired help: Indeed the Prie&s;t had a
<PB N="101" REF="429">
great compa&s;&s;ion and care of him; for <HI>Tyburtus</HI> being a man of great ingenuity and parts, made him&s;elf &s;oon known unto this charitable Ho&s;t to de&s;erve relief, yet could he not recover any health; all that could be done unto him, was only to prolong his mi&s;er|able life until a prodigy conducted me to the place where he was, as I &s;hall relate unto you. You know Sir (&s;aid <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that when you went from <HI>Sinope</HI> into <HI>Armenia,</HI> I asked leave of you to return unto the King my Ma&s;ter, though I was ex|treamly &s;orry I could not carry the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> with me; &s;o that parting from you, loadned with your gifts, ravi&s;hed with admiration, and charmed with your virtues, I took the be&s;t way to go unto the place at which I aimed. The third day of my journey, when I was wandring out of my way, I di&s;covered a great Plain, in the mid&s;t of which I &s;aw a little Church, and a very plea&s;ant hou&s;e: It being not very late, and I weary, I went thither, not only with intentions to inquire of the way, but to de&s;ire the favour of a nights lodging, and I was received in with as much humanity as I could either expect or de&s;ire: The Prie&s;t made &s;ome excu&s;es; that his accommodation was not &s;o good as other times it might have been, telling me, that tho&s;e few &s;ervants he had were &s;o bu&s;ie about a &s;tranger that was &s;ick in his hou&s;e, and &s;o ill, that they thought him a dead man, as his entertainment would not be &s;o good as he wi&s;hed it were.</P>
<P>As he was thus &s;peaking unto him, one came to tell him, that the &s;tranger was very ill, and de&s;ired to &s;peak with him, that he might impart a &s;ecret of &s;ome concernment unto him: I hearing this, did de&s;ire to &s;ee him, and not knowing well why, I went un|to the Chamber of this &s;ick man: But oh heavens, how was I amazed, when I &s;aw him to be <HI>Tyburtus,</HI> whom I thought drown'd with the Prince our Ma&s;ter? My wonder was &s;o great that I could not expre&s;s it by my words: But after a little recollection of my &s;elf, I went unto his Beds &s;ide, and the &s;ight of me &s;urprized him no le&s;s then he did me: The Prie&s;t al&s;o perceiving by our actions that we knew each other very well, and that we much rejoyced at the &s;ight of each other, was amazed as well as me: <HI>Tyburtus</HI> holding out his hand unto me, gave thanks unto the Gods for affording him &s;o much happine&s;s as to im|brace me before he died; then did I endeavour to per&s;wade him his di&s;ea&s;e was not &s;o bad as he thought it, but he knew the greatne&s;s of his pain better then I did. No, no, <HI>Or&s;a|nus,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, let me not flatter my &s;elf, the Gods do not work miracles every day, and I have rendred my &s;elf &s;o unworthy of them, that I ought not to murmure at their wills; I know that all remedies are in vain, and I perceive the end of my doleful daies is at hand, therefore I &s;ent unto this wi&s;e and charitable Clergy-man to receive a &s;e|cret from me, which was not fit to be buried with me in my Tomb; But &s;ince the Gods have &s;o fitly brought you hither, I &s;hall not trouble him with it, &s;ince it does not at all concern him to know it, but &s;hall in few words reveal it unto you. The Prie&s;t hearing <HI>Tyburtus</HI> &s;ay &s;o, did withdraw, purpo&s;ely to leave him liberty to &s;peak what he plea&s;ed: <HI>Tyburtus</HI> fir&s;t a&s;&s;uring him, that he changed his mind not for want of any e&s;teem of him, but only becau&s;e the bu&s;ine&s;s concerned one which I did know, and which he did not. After that the Prie&s;t was gone, I began to condole with him the death of our dear Ma|&s;ter; but <HI>Tyburtus</HI> &s;topping me very &s;hort, told me all that I have told you: After this (&s;aid he) you may well know, that the Gods in bringing you hither did intend I &s;hould acquaint you that the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> is not dead, to the end you may go and &s;eek him, as I intended all the daies of your life, until you have found him out. This <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> was my de&s;ign, and this ought to be yours, if you love your Ma&s;ter, if you had not happi|ly arrived, I had ingaged the Prie&s;t by oath to acquaint the King of <HI>Saces,</HI> that the Prince his Son was not dead: But &s;ince you are here, I thought it not expedient to let any Sub|ject of the King of <HI>Medes</HI> know that he was living; for he hath procured unto him&s;elf &s;uch terrible enemies in the per&s;ons of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and the invinci|ble <HI>Artamenes,</HI> by carrying away the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> that I think it good none know it but your &s;elf. <HI>Tyburtus</HI> having done &s;peaking, and I promi&s;ing him to &s;eek our illu|&s;trious Ma&s;ter throughout all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> he &s;eemed to be a little more cheerful, &s;o that we talked at lea&s;t two hours concerning the Prince <HI>Mazares.</HI> And as he under&s;tood, &s;ince he came to that place, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was not dead, but that &s;he was in the power of the <HI>Pontean</HI> King, and that it was thought he carried her unto <HI>Armenia,</HI> he gave me advice, that after I had &s;ought a while in <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> to go thither al&s;o, it be|ing to be &s;uppo&s;ed, that <HI>Mazares</HI> would either be there, or el&s;e be neer the Prince&s;s whom he adored. But Madam, why &s;hould I trouble you any longer with relations of <HI>Tybur|tus,</HI> who only langui&s;hed in life till he &s;aw me? For as &s;oon as he had imparted his trou|bled
<PB N="102" REF="430">
&s;oul unto me, he grew wor&s;e, and the next day died: I took his lo&s;s with much grief, &s;o that my joyes at my Ma&s;ters being alive were mixed with &s;orrows. In the mean time, after I had payed my la&s;t duties unto dead <HI>Tyburtus,</HI> and rendred a thou&s;and thanks unto the Prie&s;t for his charitable cares of him, I went and wandred I knew not well whi|ther, yet I conceived it my be&s;t cour&s;e would be, to be neer the place where <HI>Mandana</HI> was &s;aid to be, &s;ince in all probability that Prince who was in Love with her, and believed her to be dead, would &s;eek all opportunities to &s;ee her ri&s;en from the dead as &s;oon as he &s;hould hear of it: I re&s;olved therefore upon two cour&s;es, the one, to &s;end a &s;ervant which vvaited upon me, vvho vvas both faithful and vvitty, unto the Queen of <HI>Saces,</HI> to com|fort her vvith her Sons being alive, and to tell her, that I thought it expedient not to pub|li&s;h it until he vvas found. The other vvas, that after I had vvandred a vvhile about <HI>Si|nope,</HI> vvhere I feared he remained &s;ick, I vvould then vvend tovvards <HI>Armenia,</HI> vvhere it vvas reported the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> vvas carried: and according to the&s;e re&s;olutions, I di&s;patched my &s;ervant, then inquired vvith all po&s;&s;ible diligence vvhether I could hear a|ny thing of <HI>Mazares,</HI> but could not meet with the lea&s;t intelligence of him in all <HI>Cappa|docia:</HI> After which, I went unto <HI>Artaxates,</HI> whil'&s;t the Army of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> believed <HI>Man|dana</HI> to be kept up clo&s;e in a Ca&s;tle upon the River <HI>Araxes:</HI> And as I believed as others did, that if the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> were alive, he would be al&s;o at <HI>Artaxates,</HI> I went from place to place, and from Temple to Temple in que&s;t of him: Then vvhen I heard of any general Mu&s;ter of Souldiers, I looked every Souldier in the face, in hopes to find him: Then it came into my phancy, &s;eeing I could not hear any thing of him, that perhaps he vvas &s;o &s;ubtil, as to find out means to get into the Ca&s;tle, vvhere the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> vvas &s;uppo&s;ed to be, and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pontus,</HI> before vvhom I &s;peak then vvas; &s;o that I re&s;olved to &s;tay in that place, and vvait for the event of the War, having no man|ner of other hopes to find him I vvas in que&s;t of. And indeed Sir (&s;aid <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> unto <HI>Cyrus)</HI> I &s;tayed there, until you by your incomparable valour did take that Ca&s;tle vvith a fevv Forces, in the &s;ight of an innumerable uumber of armed enemies. It is impo&s;&s;i|ble for me to tell you hovv &s;ad my &s;oul vvas, vvhen I &s;avv that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> vvas not in the Ca&s;tle; and I may &s;ay it vvithout any di&s;&s;imulation, that you Sir vvere not more grieved not to find <HI>Mandana</HI> there, then I vvas not to find my Ma&s;ter, nor knevv vvhere to &s;earch either for her or him, for I &s;ought for her only in hopes to find him there: Hovvever, patience is my be&s;t remedy; and &s;ince I knevv you took all imaginea|ble care to di&s;cover vvhere that Prince&s;s vvas, I re&s;olved to follovv the &s;ame cour&s;e you &s;teered: But &s;ince I vvould not be knovvn unto you, though you treated me very favour|ably at <HI>Sinope,</HI> becau&s;e I vvould not acquaint you vvith the true rea&s;on vvhich brought me into <HI>Armenia,</HI> nor had any mind to di&s;&s;emble vvith you; therefore I &s;hunned your &s;ight vvith a po&s;&s;ible care, I remained therefore kept clo&s;e in <HI>Artaxates,</HI> till I under|&s;tood you thought the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> vvas at <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> and that &s;he vvould cro&s;s the Country of <HI>Matenes,</HI> vvhich joyns upon <HI>Armenia</HI> and <HI>Cicilia,</HI> and then I de&s;igned to take that vvay: And having found a guide, vvho vvas very vvell ver&s;ed in the vvayes, he conducted me &s;o &s;hort a cut, that I overtook <HI>Abradates;</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> as they conducted this Prince&s;s, before they &s;eparated, and by con&s;equence before you fought vvith the King of <HI>Su&s;iana:</HI> 'Tis true, I did not think it convenient to &s;hevv my &s;elf unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> but contenting my &s;elf with looking upon her, and the Troops which pa&s;&s;ed by and guarded her: But &s;ince I could not find him I &s;ought for a|mong&s;t them, I thought that happily he might follow at a di&s;tance; and under&s;tanding that this Prince&s;s was to imbarque at a <HI>Cicilian</HI> Port to &s;ail unto <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> I got thither be|fore hand, inquiring in every hou&s;e where &s;trangers u&s;ed to lodg, whether &s;uch a one was not there. I went al&s;o into every Ship which was to put forth, whether any Pa&s;&s;en|gers were to imbarque; but do what I could, both before the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> came thither, and when &s;he was there, and after &s;he was gone, I could not meet with the lea&s;t knowledg of him; &s;o that I &s;tayed &s;till by the water &s;ide, after I had &s;een the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> imbarque, as &s;ad a &s;oul as ever lived; and truly my fear was, that he had either took &s;ome de&s;perate cour&s;e with him&s;elf, or at lea&s;t was dead of extream melan|choly, in &s;ome ob&s;cure place where none knew him; for &s;ince I under&s;tood by &s;everal per&s;ons which I had &s;een in the <HI>Armenian</HI> Army, that the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> was not re|turned unto the King his Father, and &s;ince I could not find him about the Prince&s;s <HI>Man|dana,</HI> I could conclude no other but that he was dead; all hopes being then quite extin|gui&s;hed of ever meeting with him, I re&s;olved to return into my own Country; for though
<PB N="103" REF="430">
I promi&s;ed <HI>Tiburtus</HI> to vvander all my life long until I found him, yet &s;ince no hope vvas left of finding him, I thought it vvas in vain to be over-&s;trict in keeping that promi&s;e: Thus then I re&s;olved to return, and in order to that I enquired the be&s;t and &s;afe&s;t Ways: and I vvas informed that the &s;horte&s;t and be&s;t vvay vvas to go along the River <HI>Cydne,</HI> and to leave that great Mountain in <HI>Cicilie,</HI> vvhich is called the black Mountain, on the left hand: That aftervvards I mu&s;t pa&s;s into <HI>Armenia,</HI> and get into the River <HI>Araxes,</HI> vvhere I &s;hould need no Guide, &s;ince I knevv the Way very vvell from thence into my ovvn Country.</P>
<P>But as the Gods are &s;ometimes plea&s;ed to make a Tempe&s;t drive a Ship unto a Port, in lieu of da&s;hing it again&s;t the Rocks, &s;o they cau&s;ed me to wander out of my way mo&s;t hap|pily; and in lieu of taking that way which conducted unto the River <HI>Cydne,</HI> I took ano|ther Rode, which led me &s;o far into that prodigious Mountain whereof I &s;poke, that I knew not which way to go back again: Yet &s;ince it was extream hot Weather, and all other parts of <HI>Cicily</HI> was an open Country, I was not at the fir&s;t &s;orry I had mi&s;taken my way for another where the tops of the Rocks which did hang one over another was a great &s;hadow unto me in my travel: But at la&s;t, when I &s;aw no living creature but a &s;ort of lit|tle wilde Bea&s;ts, which the Inhabitants of that Country call <HI>Squillaques,</HI> which naturally are apt to &s;tealing, and which follow all them that pa&s;s this way to filch &s;omething from them, I confe&s;s that I repented my going &s;o far in this Way, principally out of fear le&s;t I &s;hould wander &s;o far in this hideous Mountain, that I could not get out again when night came on: &s;o that conceiving ea&s;ier for me to turn back by the paths I came, then to follow an unknown Rode where I could meet with none to enquire of, I faced about, and return|ed the &s;ame way I came: but coming unto a place where there was &s;everal beaten paths, I mi&s;took the right, and went into one by which I did not come: I went &s;treight forward a long while, thinking I had been right, and yet methought I &s;aw many things which I ob&s;erved not before; and other times methought I knew where I was: but &s;ometimes hoping I was right, and &s;ometimes fearing I was wrong, I &s;till went forward, impatiently de&s;iring to be from among&s;t tho&s;e Rocks: for often I had a huge high Mountain on my right hand, and a horrid Precepice on my left, and the be&s;t way I had rough and rocky. I ask you pardon Sir, for in&s;i&s;ting &s;o long upon a de&s;cription of the&s;e things: But I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s they made &s;uch a deep impre&s;&s;ion in my mind, that I could not chu&s;e but de&s;cribe them as they were. After I had travelled in this manner a long while, and came unto a place where there was no track, I was forced to &s;tay, becau&s;e the night coming on apace, I was in &s;ome danger of falling into &s;ome Precipice, if I had continued on little longer: I lighted then from my hor&s;e, and putting the bridle upon my arm (for there was no tree in that place to tye him unto) I &s;at down under a Rock; and leaning upon another little one, I re&s;olved to take up my Inn there, and to keep my &s;elf if po&s;&s;ible from &s;leeping, le&s;t my Hor&s;e &s;hould break loo&s;e, or &s;ome wilde bea&s;t come unto me; And in|deed I pa&s;&s;ed away almo&s;t all the night without a wink of &s;leep, or having any de&s;ire unto it, as well becau&s;e the ob&s;curity of that de&s;art place, which carries a kind of terror with it, that moves not much unto &s;leep, as becau&s;e I heard a great multitude of tho&s;e filching Cattle continually pa&s;s by me: But at la&s;t, being a little us'd to the noi&s;e which they made, and being very weary with travelling among&s;t the&s;e rugged Rocks without one bit of meat, about an hour before day I fell a&s;leep again&s;t my will, and waked not before Sun ri&s;e, and I beleeve I had &s;lept longer, if one of the&s;e crafty bea&s;ts, following their natural inclina|tion, had not awaked me, by drawing out of my pocket the Table-book, in which I had writ down the Ways by which I was to go; &s;o that though they &s;ay the&s;e <HI>Squitaques</HI> are commonly as cunning at theeving as are any <HI>I acedemonians,</HI> yet he that which &s;tole my Table-book did awake me: I no &s;ooner opened my eyes, but &s;eeing this Animal, running away with my Table-book in his mouth, I got on hor&s;eback and rid after him, crying as loud as I could to affright him and make him let it fall, and after I had cha&s;ed him a long while, he turned &s;hort behind a great Rock, and I made all po&s;&s;ible &s;peed le&s;t I &s;hould lo&s;e the &s;ight of him, and when I turned where he did, I &s;aw he had let fall what he had &s;toln from me, and ran away as fa&s;t as ever he could. But Sir, I was &s;trangely amazed, when following this little Animal, I found it had conducted me into a little Plain about 15 or 20 furlongs in length, and ten or twelve broad, boundered with the mo&s;t plea&s;ant Wood that is in the whole World; beyond which was a huge and &s;terile Mountain, which &s;eemed to touch the Clouds, and made the mo&s;t terrible and mo&s;t plea&s;ing object both that ever was beheld; for Nature had &s;o moulded it from top to bottom, that without a
<PB N="104" REF="431">
&s;ight of it, it is impo&s;&s;ible to conceive how well the greenne&s;s of this plea&s;ant Wood, op|po&s;ite to this ragged Mountain, did plea&s;e all beholders: When I fir&s;t e&s;pied it, I &s;topt, not knowing whether I &s;hould venture into a Wood who&s;e paths were unknown unto me: yet &s;ince I knew no &s;afer way then that, I thought it better to wander in a plea&s;ant &s;hade, then among&s;t a heap of rubbi&s;h Rocks, where not a pile of gra&s;s did grow. I went over then this little Plain, in the mid&s;t of which I &s;pyed an Arbour, which the rays of the Sun could never penetrate though never &s;o hot, and the Trees of it vvere perpetually green, being compo&s;ed of Cedars, Pines, Mirtles, Evves, as &s;uch like Trees, vvho keeps tho&s;e leaves all Winter green vvhich the Spring time gives them; and the Wonder of the Ob|ject vvas, that the&s;e Trees did grovv among&s;t the Rocks, and all the Rocks vvere covered vvith &s;uch variety of all &s;orts of Mo&s;s, and of as many &s;everal colours, as that the Rainbovv had not more nor more delighting: The variety of the&s;e Trees, and the perpetual fre&s;h|ne&s;s of the leaves, made this Wood incomparably plea&s;ant. I wandered then through this great and plea&s;ing Wood, where a thou&s;and &s;everal &s;orts of pretty birds did make a mo&s;t harmonious eccho, te&s;tifying by the little fear they had of me, that the place was but &s;eldom frequented: After I had gone five or &s;ix hundred paces, I e&s;pyed on my right hand a very plea&s;ant Fountain, which boyling up among&s;t a heap of Pibbles, covered over with a pretty Mo&s;s of Emerald colour, did make a little Rivolet, and ran turning and winding it &s;elf along the &s;ide of the Wood, oppo&s;ite to that a&s;piring Mountain of which I &s;poke before. As I &s;tood by the &s;ide of this Chri&s;tal Fountain, I ob&s;erved a little path which parted from the great Rode, and did lead towards the thick of the Wood; and after I had re&s;ted my &s;elf a while by this Fountain, I followed that path, which always a&s;cended, &s;ometimes inclining towards the right hand, and &s;ometimes towards the left, becau&s;e the hill was too &s;teep to go &s;traight up: When I was in the mid&s;t of this Woody Rock, O Heavens, how I was amazed, when I di&s;covered a great Cave which went into the Rock, and by it the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;itting upon a &s;tone! who at the noi&s;e I made turned his head towards me, and pre&s;ently knew me, and gave me demon&s;trations to know him: I was &s;o exceedingly &s;tartled at the &s;ight of him, that I was a while and knew not what I did, nor alight from my Hor&s;e: my eyes were &s;o full of tears, and my heart &s;o full of &s;orrow, that &s;tood I like a &s;tone, and knew not whether what I &s;aw was real. But at la&s;t, my dear Ma&s;ter ri&s;ing up, and naming me with a great cry, I revived out of my a&s;toni&s;hment: &s;o that lighting from my Hor&s;e, and tying him unto a Tree, I went and ca&s;t my &s;elf at his feet: But he immediately took me up, and embraced me with extraordi|nary tenderne&s;s; My dear <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, is it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould ever have a &s;ight of you again? and will you force me whether I will or no to have &s;ome minutes of con&s;olation in my life? Sir (&s;aid I unto him, with eyes &s;wimming in tears, to &s;ee the me|lancholy in his looks, and to imagine how &s;adly he had lived &s;ince I &s;aw him) I do not intend to add minutes; but an age of con&s;olation unto you, The &s;ight of you indeed is mo&s;t dear unto me (replyed he,) but <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> &s;ince I have been the cau&s;e of my divine <HI>Mandana</HI>'s death, no con&s;olation can comfort me. But Sir (replyed I ha&s;tily) if I &s;hould tell you that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> lives, would not that be a comfort unto you? No <HI>Or|&s;anus,</HI> replyed he, it would not, &s;ince I could not beleeve you: I &s;hould think it only your plot to draw me out of this &s;ad &s;olitude, wherein I live, and in which I am re&s;olved to dye. Yet let me tell you, replyed I, that what I &s;ay is mo&s;t certainly true, for this <HI>Mandana,</HI> who both you and I thought dead, I &s;aw her alive with my own eyes. Ah <HI>Or|&s;anus</HI> (cryed he out) I would I could beleeve this, and dye immediately after; that I might not be deluded by &s;o plea&s;ing a lye, and be for ever delivered from all the mi&s;eries which I endure. But Sir (replyed I) is it po&s;&s;ible this De&s;art &s;hould be &s;o little fre|quented, and this Cell in which you inhabit &s;o unknown unto all men, that not one of them &s;hould come and tell you how all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> is in Arms for the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> that the illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> is no more <HI>Artamenes,</HI> but known to be <HI>Cyrus,</HI> Son to <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> King of <HI>Per&s;ia;</HI> That <HI>Ciaxares</HI> after he had impri&s;oned him, did relea&s;e him, and made him General of his Army; That the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> after he had lo&s;t all his Kingdoms, and flying away in a Ship, did &s;ave the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI>'s life, immediately after the fury of the bo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;terous Waves had &s;eparated her from you; That the invincible <HI>Cyrus,</HI> thinking that Prince had carryed her into <HI>Armenia,</HI> drew the War thither, and became Ma&s;ter of it; That in lieu of relea&s;ing the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> he relea&s;ed only the Si&s;ter of his Rival, that is, the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pontus;</HI> That afterwards the King her Brother being reported to be at <HI>Su&s;a</HI> with the Paince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and that &s;he was to imbarque for <HI>Cicilie,</HI> conducted
<PB N="105" REF="431">
by the King of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> and by the Queen <HI>Panthea, Cyrus</HI> followed <HI>Abradates,</HI> de|feated him, and took the Queen his Wife a Pri&s;oner, in lieu of relea&s;ing the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> that the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> according to his de&s;ign, imbarqued with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Medea,</HI> and &s;teered towards <HI>Ephe&s;us.</HI></P>
<P>Whil'&s;t I was &s;peaking thus, the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> hearkened unto me with extraordi|nary attention, and by his quick and piercing looks endeavoured to penetrate through my eyes into the bottom of my heart, to know whether what I &s;poke were &s;incere and really true; &s;o that I perceiving that fain he would, but could not believe me: No, no, Sir (&s;aid I unto him) do not &s;u&s;pect me of any fal&s;hood, &s;ince the truths which now I tell you are &s;o generally known, that there is not &s;o much as a Shepheard in all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> who knows not that <HI>Mandana</HI> is living, and that there is two hundred thou&s;and men in Arms ready to relea&s;e her. This Prince&s;s (added I) hath al&s;o pa&s;&s;ed &s;o neer you, that cer|tainly &s;he hath &s;een the Cedar tops which grow in this your De&s;art: I am confident that I am not mi&s;taken, for &s;he might di&s;cover them as &s;he went to imbarque: How <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> &s;aid he, can I po&s;&s;ibly believe <HI>Mandana</HI> not dead? Can I think tho&s;e eyes of yours, which now look upon mine, hath &s;een her alive, and that &s;he looked upon the tops of the&s;e Mountains? Ah <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> if this be true, I am not &s;o mi&s;erably unfortunate as I thought my &s;elf.</P>
<P>As this Prince was thus talking, I &s;pyed coming out of the Wood a man admirably hand&s;ome, of a plea&s;ant phy&s;iognomy, but &s;eemed &s;omething melancholy, who being al&s;o as much &s;urprized to find the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> in conference with me, as I was to find my Ma&s;ter in &s;uch a &s;olitude, we gazed upon each other with equal amazement: But the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> calling him, Come <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) help to know whether <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> (of whom I have &s;poke &s;o much unto you, and whom I reckoned among&s;t the lo&s;&s;es which I thought I had &s;u&s;tained) do really tell me the truth. Then he whom my Ma&s;ter called <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> hearing my name, came forward, and &s;aluting me with &s;uch civi|lity as let me know that all which <HI>Mazares</HI> loved was dear unto him, I returned him a &s;alute with much reverence; after which, my Ma&s;ter commanded me to relate all that I had before told him, obliging me very often to a&s;&s;ure him, that I would &s;peak in all &s;in|cerity: Afterwards, asking me how I e&s;caped the Shipwrack? how I came into <HI>Sicily?</HI> how I found out his De&s;art? and whether I knew what was become of <HI>Tyburtus?</HI> I fully &s;atisfied his curio&s;ity in all things, and acquainted him with the death of that wi&s;e old man <HI>Tyburtus,</HI> conceiving that he would apprehend his death with le&s;s &s;orrow at this time when he heard <HI>Mandana</HI> was alive, then if I &s;hould have deferred it; yet was he much perplexed at it, and did exceedingly lament him: And &s;ince <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and he did no|thing el&s;e, &s;ince they were together, but make relations of their lives, and continually di&s;cour&s;e of their misfortunes, he lamented the poor <HI>Tyburtus</HI> as much, as if be had been perfectly acquainted vvith him, though he knevv him not at all, but only by the report of the Prince <HI>Mazares.</HI> In the mean time, &s;ince I had a great de&s;ire to knovv hovv my Ma&s;ter came unto that place, and to learn vvho that &s;tranger vvas; al&s;o vvhen they met, I took &s;o much freedome upon me, as to ask him, be&s;eeching him to pardon me if I vvere too bold, and to believe it proceeded from my very great affection to him: It is but ju&s;t <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, That a Prince of vvhom you have had &s;o much care, and &s;ought &s;o long, ought to render you an account of him&s;elf: But that I may the more con|veniently do it, follovv <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and me, and vve vvill &s;hevv you our habitation: Alas Sir (&s;aid I, and follovved them) I believe your Palace is more beautiful vvithout then vvithin, and that there is a great difference betvveen your Grot and the Wood, be&s;ides it. You &s;hall be a Judg of that pre&s;ently; an&s;wered <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and entring in with them, I was exceedingly a&s;toni&s;hed at the &s;ight: For Sir, all Art and Nature together did ne|ver make a place &s;o beautiful in any place of the world, as Nature alone did in this: I found this Grot to be very deep and large, and yet not ob&s;cure, for the Mountain being very &s;teep, there were &s;everal Windowes pierced through it, and gave light enough to di&s;cern all the rarities both without and within it; a thou&s;and admirable congealations were the ornaments of this place, where one might behold Pillars, Arches, Trees, Flow|ers, Leaves, Mo&s;&s;es, Urns, Tombs, and a thou&s;and other &s;uch things, all of a &s;ub|&s;tance, as clear and tran&s;parent as ever was any Chri&s;tal in the world: At two &s;ides of this wonder I &s;aw two Fountains, which neither fwelling nor dimini&s;hing, kept con&s;tant at the &s;ame level, the water certainly having &s;ome undi&s;cernable cour&s;e through &s;ome crannies of the Rock, according to the mea&s;ure they received from others. When I &s;e|riou&s;ly
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had viewed the&s;e rare and delightful wonders, I could not chu&s;e but admire at the providence of God, who had brought the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> into &s;o plea&s;ant a Wilderne&s;s. Well <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> unto me, and &s;eeing my admiration) Do you think the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> did erre when he called this Grot a Palace? No Sir (&s;aid I unto him) But I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I do not under&s;tand how you live for want of Victuals: You &s;hall know that immediately, &s;aid he unto me: Then going unto the entry of this Cave, he called a &s;ervant which he had there, who came out of another little and le&s;s beautiful Room which joyned to the other, and commanded him to give me &s;omething to eat, to let me &s;ee their garden, and to have a care of my hor&s;e, which was &s;et in a little Cave further off, for all this Mountain was full of them; and accordingly, this &s;ervant unto <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Arcas,</HI> after he had given me a good Dinner, did carry me &s;ome fifty paces further unto the foot of the Rock, and &s;hewed me a garden &s;o full of all manner of Herbs, Roots, Pea&s;e, Beans, and &s;uch like, and <HI>Arcas</HI> told me, that &s;ometimes he went to Hunt, that I wondred how men who &s;ought for death &s;hould find &s;ub&s;i&s;tance in &s;uch a place. <HI>Arcas</HI> al&s;o told me, that his Ma&s;ter by rea&s;on of &s;everal di&s;a|&s;ters, had renounced all civil &s;ociety, and having found out this admirable place in the black Mountain, he re&s;olved to dwell in it all the remainder of his life: So that he, whe|ther his Ma&s;ter would or no, had provided &s;uch things as were ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary for the life of a man. Afterwards he told me, that after they had been &s;etled a while here, the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> came accidentally into this &s;olitary place, and <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and he became &s;uch intimate friends, as they promi&s;ed never to part, but die together in this De&s;art: But (&s;aid I unto him) How do they imploy them&s;elves every day? In condoling, walking &s;ometimes &s;ingle, &s;ometimes together (replied he) Some books they have al&s;o, for I told you already, that at fir&s;t when my Ma&s;ter made choice of this Cave for his habitati|on, I brought hither every thing which I thought might be &s;erviceable unto him; and truly I think the&s;e two illu&s;trious melancholy companions are now &s;o accu&s;tomed to the life they lead, that they would hardly change it; yet truly, I do not think they can live long thus, or rather indeed I wonder they have lived &s;o long, con&s;idering the extream melancholy which po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth them.</P>
<P><HI>Arcas</HI> having told me all the&s;e things, and &s;hewed me his Garden, I went unto the place where I left my Ma&s;ter with <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and he went to take care of my hor&s;e which was put with another, which my Ma&s;ter brought into that Wilderne&s;s. I was yet un&s;atisfied what they did when night came upon them, but was not long &s;o; for when it began to be dark, I perceived in divers places about this vault there were &s;everal pieces of tran&s;parent Rock in divers places, all which were filled with a kind of Oyl which <HI>Arcas</HI> had extracted out of Fir Trees, which grew in great abundance within that Wood, and that faithful &s;er|vant of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> with the help of a kind of Cotton, made abundance of Lamps that gave a mo&s;t glorious light within the Chri&s;tal Grot; &s;o that it &s;eemed incomparably more lu&s;trious and &s;plendant when all the&s;e ru&s;tique Lamps were lighted, then it did in the day. The Beds of the&s;e two retired melancholy men, were &s;uitable to the re&s;t, and were made of Mo&s;s, Reeds, and Ru&s;hes, for they did not &s;eek for any Downy Beds of ea&s;e. The Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> was grown to &s;uch a habit of melancholy, that he could not rejoyce at any thing; and <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> as &s;ad as he was, had a greater &s;hare in that &s;atisfaction which he ought to have in hearing <HI>Mandana</HI> was alike, then he him&s;elf had &s;uch a cu&s;tomary ha|bit of &s;orrows had &s;eized upon his &s;oul; yet finding &s;ome &s;atisfaction in relating &s;ad &s;to|ries, he told me what his thoughts were when he &s;tole away from <HI>Tyburtus;</HI> how having a de&s;ign to &s;eek out &s;ome place vvhere he might pa&s;s unknovvn, he re&s;olved to imbarque for <HI>Sicily,</HI> and &s;o to pa&s;s into <HI>Arabia</HI> the De&s;art, and there end his daies: Yet having con&s;ulted vvith an Oracle, the Gods did by their an&s;vver forbid him that cour&s;e, and di|rected him to dvvell in the black Mountain in <HI>Sicily,</HI> vvhere he &s;hould find &s;ome con&s;ola|tion: Thither I vvent then (&s;aid he unto me) and at fir&s;t believed that the con&s;olation vvhich the heavens had promi&s;ed me vvas death: For pa&s;&s;ing a day and a half in the&s;e Mountains vvithout &s;eeing any body, I made no que&s;tion then but death vvould &s;oon be my lot. But at la&s;t, the Gods being my Guide as vvell as Commander, I met <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> vvalk|ing in the Wood, and &s;poke unto him; pre&s;ently vve grevv acquainted, and the &s;ame day did begin &s;o great a league of friend&s;hip, that vve promi&s;ed never to part from each other: Yet I am very ready to di&s;ingage you from your vvord (&s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and inter|rupted him) for &s;ince the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> lives, it is not ju&s;t you &s;hould be tyed unto he fortunes of a mi&s;erable man, vvho is out of all hopes to better him&s;elf; yet I &s;hall
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have this advantage, that the end of your mi&s;eries will &s;horten mine, &s;ince certainly I &s;hall dye as &s;oon as I am deprived of the &s;weetne&s;s which I find in your company. Alas, alas, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid the Prince <HI>Mazares)</HI> you are not acquainted with the malignity of my fate, if you imagine I can ever be happy: I mu&s;t confe&s;s it is an extraordinary comfort unto me to hear that <HI>Mandana</HI> is alive, and that though I was her Ravi&s;her, yet I was not her Executioner: But for all that, &s;ince I cannot leave loving her, and knowing it to be im|po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould ever get my &s;elf &s;o high in her e&s;teem as I was before, it may be &s;aid that I do nothing but change mi&s;ery for mi&s;ery; and which way &s;oever I look upon the matter, I find my &s;elf the mo&s;t unfortunate Prince upon Earth: for &s;ince I was the cau&s;e that this Prince&s;s fell into the power of the <HI>Pontean</HI> King, that &s;he hath been hurried from Kingdom to Kingdom, and that all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> is in War about it, I am mo&s;t confident &s;he hates my memory every minute in the day, and thinks the Gods mo&s;t ju&s;t in drowning me as a puni&s;hment of my crime: And I may a&s;&s;ure my &s;elf, that as &s;oon as &s;he hears I am not dead, &s;he will be as &s;orry for it as I am glad to hear &s;he is living: Moreover, I am &s;o un|fortunate as to have &s;uch Rivals, as in any rea&s;on I cannot hate them, but &s;uch as I ought rather to lament: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> is cruelly betrayed by me, and I carryed away from him, her whom he infinitely loved, for who&s;e &s;ake he hath lo&s;t the greate&s;t Kingdom in all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> As for the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> how can I complain again&s;t him? Since I ruined <HI>Mandana,</HI> and he &s;aved her, mu&s;t I not rather accu&s;e my &s;elf then him? Can I in any ju&s;tice quarrel with a Prince who re&s;cued my Prince&s;s from her grave which I layd open for her? What can I alledg again&s;t the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus?</HI> What Crime can I tax him with? or to &s;ay better, How may he accu&s;e me? for I made u&s;e of his Name to deceive the adored <HI>Mandana;</HI> under that illu&s;trious Title I &s;educed her, and have eternally lo&s;t that e&s;teem and friend&s;hip which I might have for ever enjoyed: Do you remember <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> (&s;aid he to me) the time when this illu&s;trious Prince&s;s was at <HI>Babylon?</HI> how &s;he called me her Protector: alas, how unde&s;erving was I of that glorious Title? I have ju&s;t cau&s;e to beleeve that of all her Lovers and Adorers, &s;he hates me the mo&s;t: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> as violent as he is by Nature, has not &s;o much affronted her as I have done: The King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> in keeping that only which fortune gave him is not &s;o culpable as I am; for I, mi&s;erable I, am not only an unju&s;t, ra&s;h and in&s;olent Lover of this Prince&s;s, but al&s;o a perfideous Friend and wicked Cheater, who&s;e memory &s;he may ju&s;tly hate: Why &s;hould I trouble my &s;elf about her Liberty? (&s;aid he,) for if the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> do not recover it for her, none el&s;e can.</P>
<P>The Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> was &s;o vehement in &s;uch expre&s;&s;ions as the&s;e, that I thought it not convenient to contradict him, le&s;t I &s;hould more confirm him in his re&s;entments by too much oppo&s;ition; But granting him &s;ome things, and di&s;puting others, our Conver&s;ation la&s;ted till faithful <HI>Arcas</HI> brought in Supper, which was more neat then magnificent, as you may well imagine: After which, my dear Ma&s;ter asked me, how I came to &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> whether <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Araminta</HI> were with her? and as in my an&s;wers I phra&s;ed <HI>Abra|dates</HI> King of <HI>Su&s;iana, Bele&s;is</HI> interrupted me, asking how it was po&s;&s;ible <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;hould be King, &s;ince when he entered into his &s;olitude, the King his Father and the Prince his elder Brother were alive, and he him&s;elf was an Exile at <HI>Sardis?</HI> The Rea&s;on is (replyed I unto him) becau&s;e tho&s;e two Princes are both dead, and con&s;equently <HI>Abradates</HI> is King by &s;ucce&s;&s;ion. The Gods are worthy to be prai&s;ed for it (replyed <HI>Bele&s;is,)</HI> for <HI>Abra|dates</HI> is much more worthy to wear a Crown then the Prince his Brother, who has been my greate&s;t Per&s;ecutor.</P>
<P>Pray <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Panthea</HI> and interrupted him) is this <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> of whom you &s;peak the &s;ame I have &s;o often heard &s;poken of at <HI>Su&s;a</HI> when I came there, and one who of all men living is one of the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed Gallants, whom Love hath puni&s;hed with all his tortures? I know not whether he be the &s;ame you mean (replyed <HI>Or&s;anus,)</HI> but I know that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> is of <HI>Mantiana,</HI> and hath dwelt at <HI>Su&s;a</HI> a long time; That Love hath been the misfortune of his life, and that the Prince of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> elder Brother of <HI>Abradates</HI> hath made him complain much of his violence towards him. There is no que&s;tion (&s;aid <HI>Panthea)</HI> but he is the &s;ame I mean; &s;o that I can a&s;&s;ure you the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> is in company of one of the be&s;t loved men in all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> as tho&s;e who have known him tell me, even by her whom he mo&s;t loved, though &s;ince &s;he mo&s;t hates him: But Sir, &s;aid &s;he to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I pray pardon me for interrupting him in his Relation, and therefore I be&s;eech you let him continue it: <HI>Cyrus</HI> then returned a Complement unto <HI>Panthea,</HI> and commanded
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<HI>Or&s;anus</HI> to proceed, and accordingly he went thus on with his Story.</P>
<P>You &s;ee Sir, how the fir&s;t day of my being in the Wilderne&s;s was &s;pent; Tru&s;ty <HI>Arcas</HI> giving me his bed, and making another for him&s;elf as well as he could. It was &s;o late before I went to bed, that the Birds at break of day did awake me within three hours after I began to &s;leep; yet was I not &s;o &s;oon awake as my Ma&s;ter; for though he was unimaginably joyed that <HI>Mandana</HI> was alive, yet was it a kind of an interrupted joy, and mingled with &s;o many perplexed thoughts, as he could not &s;leep that night: As &s;oon as I came out of my little grot, I found him gone out of his, &s;o that finding <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> alone, I be&s;eeched his help in per&s;wading the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> to quit this kind of life which then he lived: But alas Sir, &s;aid I unto him, the better to move him unto it, It were requi&s;ite you did quit it your &s;elf, and to per&s;wade him rather by your Example then your Rea&s;ons. Ah <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> cry|ed <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> the de&s;tiny of the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> and my &s;elf are much different, and that which is good for him, is not for me. Sir, replyed I, &s;ince I am ignorant of your misfor|tunes, and dare not be &s;o bold as to ask what nature they are of, I cannot &s;o well con|vince you as perhaps I &s;hould if I knew them; but to &s;peak in general, there can be no misfortunes &s;o bitter, but a man of your &s;pirit and Wi&s;dom may &s;weeten them. 'Tis true, replyed he, tho&s;e mi&s;eries which Fortune doth cau&s;e may be overcome, but &s;uch as Love doth load a man withall, there are no comforts &s;o cordial as to &s;weeten them, e&s;pecially &s;uch as mine are; however, I will promi&s;e you to u&s;e my be&s;t arguments to move the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> unto a removal from hence in the morning, I would &s;ay to day (&s;aid he and &s;ighed) if my affection unto him did not need &s;ome time of preparation before I be &s;eparated from &s;o dear a friend. While&s;t I was thus talking with <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> the Prince <HI>Ma|zares</HI> was rather wandering then walking in the Wood; and the di&s;order of his mind was &s;o great, that he talked as he walked, and in lieu of walking far off from the Grot, he was turned upon it again ere ever he was aware: he found <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and me together, as we were going out to look him: No &s;ooner were we met, but <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> in pur&s;uance of his promi&s;e, began to entreat him that he would &s;tay this day with him, &s;eeming as if he made no que|&s;tion but that he had intentions to leave him: As &s;oon as he &s;aid &s;o, my Ma&s;ter looking upon <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> told him, that the alteration in his fortune &s;hould not alter his maner of living; for &s;aid he unto him, It is mi&s;ery enough unto me that I can never pretend unto <HI>Mandana</HI>'s e&s;teem, to make me for&s;ake the &s;ociety of men, although &s;he be not dead; yet it was the de&s;pair which her death did cau&s;e in you, and that made you take up a re&s;olution of for|&s;aking the &s;ight of men. 'Tis true, replyed <HI>Mazares,</HI> but why would you advi&s;e me unto a life which will bring more bitter &s;orrows unto me then this I live? Con&s;ider well <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> what you advi&s;e me unto, and tell me truly what you think to be my be&s;t cour&s;e. Sir, replyed he, a man that is not in love would advi&s;e you to endeavor to forget the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and to return unto the King your Father and the Queen your Mother, who would infinitely rejoyce at it: But &s;ince I too well know the power of that Pa&s;&s;ion over tho&s;e who are captivated with it, I mu&s;t ingeniou&s;ly tell you, that though I think it expe|dient for you to quit your De&s;art, yet I know not what to &s;ay, therefore I advi&s;e you to be your own Coun&s;ellor, and to follow your own inclination. I have mu&s;ed away all this night (replyed the Prince my Ma&s;ter) in contemplation of my pre&s;ent condition, but cannot re&s;olve what I ought or what I would undertake; yet I mu&s;t confe&s;s I find in my Soul &s;uch a violent de&s;ire to &s;ee the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> that I cannot tell whether or no I am able to re&s;i&s;t it: And yet at the &s;ame time, I find my &s;elf &s;o extreamly a&s;hamed of my Crime, that I think I &s;hall never be able to &s;hew my &s;elf: &s;o that my fears and my de&s;ires will not &s;uffer me to re&s;olve what cour&s;e to take: Moreover, though I &s;hould re&s;olve to &s;ee her, yet how can I bring it to pa&s;s? If I go into <HI>Lidia</HI> where &s;he is, and pre&s;ent my &s;elf unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> who fights again&s;t <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then it may be &s;aid that I fight for the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> again&s;t a Prince who would relea&s;e the Prince&s;s: If I &s;hould go into the Army of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and think to have the honour of fighting for <HI>Mandana,</HI> then perhaps I &s;hould only fight for <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and dye before I have expiated my Crime by any con&s;iderable &s;ervice. What &s;hall I do then? I cannot re&s;olve to fight neither for the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> nor for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> nor for <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and yet my de&s;tiny is &s;o odd, that I cannot engage my &s;elf on either &s;ide, but I mu&s;t &s;erve &s;ome of my Rivals; and it is ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible to imagine any way which can be advantagious to me. More|over, &s;ince the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> loved <HI>Cyrus</HI> when he was only <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and in her fidelity to him did &s;corn the greate&s;t King of all <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> what likelyhood is there, that now
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&s;ince <HI>Artamenes</HI> is become <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the King of <HI>Per&s;ea</HI>'s Son, who &s;ince hath conquered many Kingdomes, that &s;he &s;hould change her affection to him: No, no, &s;aid he, &s;he will never change; and I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s, &s;he has no rea&s;on to change; nor can I e|ver hope to obtain the Love of this Prince&s;s, the height of my ambition is, That &s;he would not hate me: Yes <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;aid he, could I but let you &s;ee my real repentance, and could do you any &s;uch con&s;iderable &s;ervice as would force your genero&s;ity to pardon me, and admit me unto your e&s;teem again, I &s;hould de&s;ire no more, but take all my mi&s;eries with content: But alas, how is it po&s;&s;ible for me to obtain this my de&s;ire?</P>
<P>Sir (&s;aid I unto him, in hopes to make him quit his De&s;art) you may obtain what you de&s;ire, if you will contrive wayes how to relea&s;e the Prince&s;s of <HI>Medea,</HI> and re|&s;tore her unto the King her Father: But to effect that; you mu&s;t renounce your &s;oli|tude, and go where <HI>Mandana</HI> is, and &s;eek all occa&s;ions of doing as I advi&s;e you: Oh <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> (&s;aid he) you would not advi&s;e me thus, but only to make me leave this Grot|to; for you know well enough, that what you advi&s;e me unto is not ea&s;ie to compa&s;s: If you vvere once in the way, replied I, I &s;hould then an&s;wer you more affirmatively; but this is mo&s;t certain, that as long as you bury your &s;elf alive in this Wood, you can never do any &s;ervice unto the Prince&s;s whom you love, who yet hates the very thought of you, and who cannot know how you repent the carrying her away as long as you are here? Moreover, if things &s;o fall out that you cannot effect what I advi&s;e you unto, and that you ab&s;olutely re&s;olve to renounce the world, and enter into your Tomb alive, you may when you plea&s;e find this Cave alwayes open to receive you, and alwayes find <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> there (replied that other illu&s;trious &s;olitary man who over-heard us) if death have not put an end unto all his mi&s;eries before your return: No, no, <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> replied the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> We will never part, and if <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> do per&s;wade me to quit this Wilderne&s;s, it &s;hall be upon condition that you &s;hall quit it al&s;o, el&s;e I will never quit it. <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> hearing my Ma&s;ter &s;ay &s;o, an&s;wered him as one that was extream unwilling to quit the place, and there grew a mo&s;t generous conte&s;t between them; <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> de&s;iring him to depart and leave him in his &s;olitude, and <HI>Mazares</HI> re&s;olved not to depart, unle&s;s he would with him, and &s;o the matter re&s;ted that day without any re&s;olutions upon it. The next morning I had induced my Ma&s;ter to leave this Salvage habitation if <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> would go with him, and with my prayers and tears I had prevailed with <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to accompany my Ma|&s;ter, until he was in a more happy condition. Both of them being thus re&s;olved, I im|portuned them to depart immediately lea&s;t their minds &s;hould alter, yet we were forced to &s;tay a while, becau&s;e neither of them would be &s;een in &s;uch habits as then they did wear. Since I had enough left of what Sir you were plea&s;ed to give me for our equipage; and moreover <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> had good &s;tore of Jewels, which his tru&s;ty &s;ervant kept carefully for him, we &s;ent him unto the next Town vvith my hor&s;e to buy another hor&s;e, and to provide cloaths for my Ma&s;ter and <HI>Bele&s;is.</HI> Within three daies after he returned with all things nece&s;&s;ary for our voyage, which we undertook in an odd kind of manner, for I ob&s;erved that the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did leave their De&s;art, as men that had a de&s;ign to return again, yet I &s;eemed as if I did not ob&s;erve any thing, hoping that time and company might happily make them change thoughts. In the mean time <HI>Arcas</HI> was to be our guide out of this Woody Mountain, and indeed did very happily conduct us: For my part, though the place was the mo&s;t beautiful of any in the world, yet I was very glad to be out of it: Alwayes when I looked upon <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> I &s;aw him look upon this Mountain vvith a &s;igh: But &s;ince we wanted yet many accoutrements for our voyage, vve &s;tayed at the fir&s;t Town we came at to furni&s;h our &s;elves, where my Ma&s;ter cau&s;ed a Buckler to be made, vvhich he hath carried ever &s;ince, and vvhereby you may &s;ee Sir, (if ever you ob&s;erved it) how &s;everely he cen&s;ured him&s;elf, &s;ince therein he expre&s;&s;eth him&s;elf vvorthy of death for carrying avvay <HI>Mandana. Bele&s;is</HI> al&s;o furni&s;hed him&s;elf vvith &s;uch arms as &s;uited be&s;t to his liking: And during all the voyage, I u&s;ed all my be&s;t arguments to per&s;vvade the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> rather to return unto the King his Father, then to go unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> for he could never hope for the lea&s;t favour: But his an&s;vver vvas, that he vvould never have left his Cave, but only in hopes to relea&s;e her, and with full intentions to return thither again if he could not effect his de&s;ign. When I &s;avv then vvith vvhat re&s;olution he &s;poke unto me, I thought it better to yeeld unto him, then to conte&s;t any longer. Then vve inquired concerning the &s;tate of things, and vvere inform|ed that your Army Sir had quitted <HI>Armenia,</HI> and made towards <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> to go from thence unto the Frontires of <HI>Phrygia</HI> vvhich joyned upon <HI>Lydia.</HI> We under&s;tood al&s;o,
<PB N="110" REF="434">
that <HI>Abradates</HI> would &s;hortly depart from <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> and ingage him&s;elf in the behalf of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us.</HI> Then did vve con&s;ider vvhether vve &s;hould go unto <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> by Sea or by Land, but the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> had no phancy to tru&s;t him&s;elf unto the incon&s;tancy of the Winds and Waves, &s;ince it vvas further by Water then by Land; and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would not have carried <HI>Mandana</HI> that vvay, but becau&s;e he feared the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> vvould then follovv him, therefore it vvas re&s;olved vve &s;hould not go by Sea; adding further unto other rea&s;ons, that vve &s;hould never hear any nevvs of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> in a Ship until vve came at <HI>Ephe&s;us;</HI> vvhereas on the contrary, vve &s;hould hear all by Land, &s;ince there vvas not a place in all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> vvhich could not inform us. I &s;hall not trouble you Sir vvith a relation vvhich vvayes vve vvent, for that vvould be too tedious, only this, that vve vvere compelled to make long journeys, and not to &s;tay in any part of <HI>Pa|phlagonia</HI> vvhich joyns upon <HI>Cappadocia:</HI> But &s;o it vvas, vvhether by change of Ayr or Diet, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> fell &s;ick, and &s;o very &s;ick, that the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> thought he would have died there. <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did intreat him a hundred times to let him die there, and follow his journey, yet he would not by any means; but on the contrary, prote&s;ted he would never for&s;ake him as long as he lived. In the mean time, the &s;ickne&s;s of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was not only dangerous, but like to la&s;t long: The greate&s;t comfort to <HI>Mazares</HI> was, that he heard the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was in the Temple of <HI>Diana</HI> at <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> and that as the &s;ea|&s;on of the year was, you Sir could not draw into the field; and al&s;o, though he were at <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> there was no &s;eeing of <HI>Mandana:</HI> nor any thinking of getting her out of &s;uch a &s;acred place as that was, yet did he indure the &s;ickne&s;s of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> with much impa|tience; but at la&s;t he began to grow better and better, and made us hope he would e|&s;cape, and indeed &s;o he did. When he was quite out of all danger, and had quitted his Bed, his Phy&s;itian advi&s;ed him to walk and take the fre&s;h Ayr: <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> being very de&s;i|rous to be in &s;uch a condition as he might not be any &s;tay unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> took his Phy&s;i|tians advi&s;e; &s;o that after he had walked &s;ome daies on foot, he found him&s;elf &s;o &s;trong as to ride; then for a trial whether he was able to travel, my Ma&s;ter and he de&s;ign a journey of fifty Furlongs to walk in a great Wood, and I waited upon them: But Sir, we had no &s;ooner entred a hundred paces in the Wood, then my Ma&s;ter riding alone by him&s;elf, &s;ome twenty paces before <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and me, who were talking together, and re|turned with much alteration in his a&s;pect, and addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf unto me, Come hi|ther <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> &s;aid he, and tell whether my eyes deceive me not, for &s;ince I never &s;aw <HI>Cyrus</HI> but once, and then I was not in a very good condition to ob&s;erve his face; there|fore I dare not a&s;&s;ure you, that it was he who &s;aluted me, and asked me whether I met not &s;uch a man as he de&s;cribed unto me; yet certainly if my imagination do well retain the memory of his <HI>Idea,</HI> he who I &s;aw was <HI>Cyrus:</HI> Sir (&s;aid I unto him) Do we not hear every where as we pa&s;s, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> is in the head of his Army? Yet I am the mo&s;t deceived that ever man was, if I do not &s;ee him yet at the root of yonder Tree, replied he. In &s;aying &s;o, he &s;hewed me the Tree where you Sir was leaning.</P>
<P>Oh <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I mu&s;t needs interrupt you in your &s;tory, that I may un|deceive you, and tell you that I was not in <HI>Paphlagonia</HI> when you pa&s;&s;ed through it. I e|&s;teem you &s;o much (an&s;wered <HI>Or&s;anus)</HI> that I will rather believe your words then my own eyes: Your eyes (replied the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and blu&s;hed) are not &s;o as you think them, &s;ince in all likelyhood it was the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> whom you &s;aw, who re|&s;embles the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;o much, that it is no wonder if you were mi&s;taken. But I be&s;eech you tell me the direct time when you &s;aw him you &s;peak of. <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> in obedience to the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> did tell her the exact time; &s;o that by the computation of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and her &s;elf, it was concluded that <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> met the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> three weeks after the &s;tranger <HI>Anaxaris</HI> left him wounded in <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> and in &s;uch a Wood as <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> pre&s;cribed; &s;o that by this, the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> had &s;o much con&s;olation as to know certainly that he was not dead of the wound which he received; but on the other &s;ide, &s;he wondred to hear no news from him&s;elf. After &s;he had received all the &s;atisfaction which <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> could give her, he continued his di&s;cour&s;e in the&s;e tearms.</P>
<P>The Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;hewed me him whom I thought to be the illu&s;tri|ous <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but I told him, (out of prudence, le&s;t an angry accident &s;hould happen) that it was not <HI>Cyrus,</HI> though he much re&s;embled him. <HI>Mazares</HI> yet had much ado to believe me, and I think he would have asked this &s;uppo&s;ed <HI>Cyrus</HI> whether it was he or no,
<PB N="111" REF="434">
had not <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (while&s;t we were in this Conte&s;t) told <HI>Mazares,</HI> that certainly I mu&s;t needs know him better then he could, and therefore by con&s;equence he ought to beleeve me: mean while, he who was the &s;ubject of our di&s;cour&s;e, ru&s;hed pre&s;ently into the thick of the Wood, and was quite out of our &s;ight: So the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> was forced to continue on his Walk. It is impo&s;&s;ible for me Sir, to relate his thoughts unto you; for they were &s;o tumultuou&s;ly di&s;ordered, that he could never tell them unto us: Some|times he was glad it was not you, and &s;ometimes again &s;orry, without any rea&s;on either for his joys or &s;orrows: But &s;ince all his pretentions were only to relea&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> and obtain her pardon, we never met with any, but he enquired both concerning her and you Sir.</P>
<P>That which wondered me mo&s;t in the bu&s;ine&s;s was, that all tho&s;e with whom we &s;poke, told us, that you Sir was towards the Frontiers of <HI>Lidia;</HI> and comparing my belief that it was you I &s;aw, with the&s;e reports, the thought of it did &s;o take up my mind, that I could not chu&s;e but expre&s;s it unto my Ma&s;ter two days after the &s;ight of him who re&s;em|bled you; I told him that I di&s;&s;embled my real thoughts before, and that I did beleeve it was you which we &s;aw in the Wood: So that we travelled a whole day rea&s;oning why you &s;hould be there; and not being able to reconcile our own &s;ights and the&s;e reports, which were &s;o contrary to each other, we &s;till pa&s;&s;ed on un&s;atisfied: But &s;ince I could not give my own eyes the lye, I conceived, that you had made &s;ome &s;ecret Voyage unto &s;ome neighbor Prince, to negotiate &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s or other; and that though reports went you were in your Army, yet it was not impo&s;&s;ible but, you might be &s;ome days ab|&s;ent: Thus beleeving that we had &s;een you, and that you knew not my Ma&s;ter, we arrived at la&s;t at <HI>Ephe&s;us.</HI> The Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> then changed his Name for that of <HI>Telephanes;</HI> but <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> never altered his, becau&s;e it was unknown in <HI>Lidia.</HI> I &s;hall not relate unto you Sir, what agitation of Soul was in the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> (whom now I will call <HI>Tele|phanes</HI> for a while) when he &s;aw the Temple wherein <HI>Mandana</HI> was; for I would (if po&s;|&s;ibly I could) conceal his Pa&s;&s;ion from you, le&s;t I &s;hould too much exa&s;perate your &s;pirit again&s;t him: yet &s;ince the greatne&s;s of his Love does make his Virtue appear, I mu&s;t needs have &s;o good opinion of you Sir, as to beleeve, that at the end of my Relation you will admire, and perhaps become a friend unto &s;uch a Rival as he is, although I do &s;et forth his Pa&s;&s;ion unto <HI>Mandana</HI> to be infinitely high: And the truth is Sir, it is impo&s;&s;ible a Pa&s;&s;ion &s;hould be more violent: but the Wonder is, that &s;ince he came out of his De&s;art, he never entertained one thought but how to make &s;atisfaction for his fault, and obtain a pardon for it, and I am mo&s;t confident, that never any poor Peccant fuller of repentance then he, nor did I ever &s;ee more cruel remor&s;e of mind: As oft as he con&s;idered, that it was through his treachery that <HI>Mandana</HI> was now inclo&s;ed within that Temple, his Soul was &s;o &s;added with &s;orrows, that I wonder he dyed not; and I verily think, that had not the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> been &s;o ill when we came to <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> that he kept his bed by rea&s;on of a wound in his thigh, &s;o that he was not able to oppo&s;e tho&s;e who would have taken away the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis;</HI> I am confident, I &s;ay, that if he had been there, though he had &s;aved the life of the Prince&s;s, yet in the fir&s;t raptures of his &s;orrows, my Ma&s;ter had then a&s;&s;aulted him: But afterwards con&s;idering that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his death would not have relea&s;ed <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;ince as the &s;tate of things were, <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> would not part with her, he conceived it more expedient to break her Chains by Policy: And con&s;idering that it was impo&s;&s;ible to make any attempts upon that place for her Re|lea&s;ement, he thought it better to go unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> whither &s;he was to be conveyed as &s;oon as <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> were agreed upon their conditions; which were not yet concluded upon, though the Negotiation had not been tran&s;acting ever &s;ince the King of <HI>Pontut</HI> came to <HI>Ephe&s;us:</HI> for as &s;oon as he came thither, he &s;ent to demand protection from <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> upon condition that what Treaties &s;oever there were between him and <HI>Ciaxares</HI> or you, <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould never be re&s;tored. Since this Propo&s;ition &s;eemed very hard, becau&s;e by granting it, &s;uch a War would en&s;ue, as would never be ended till one &s;ide was ruined, &s;ince it was not probable that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would ever cea&s;e unle&s;s his daughter was declared, therefore the negotiation was very long before it could be concluded; and nothing was done in it, till <HI>Cra&s;&s;us</HI> having received a &s;miling an&s;wer from the Oracle, and then he con&s;ented unto the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his de&s;ires: yet to find out a plau&s;ible expedient wherewith to colour Ju&s;tice, he engaged him&s;elf never to render the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> in any Treaty without the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his con&s;ent; &s;o that after &s;everal &s;endings the one to the other, the bu&s;ine&s;s was concluded between them when we came to <HI>Ephe&s;us.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="112" REF="435">
Then did we re&s;olve for <HI>Sardis,</HI> and when we had put our &s;elves into a hand&s;om equi|page we went unto that &s;tately Town, where the Prince my Ma&s;ter never feared being known: For though <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> had heretofore been on the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s &s;ide as well as him&s;elf, yet they never &s;aw each other, as well becau&s;e <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was not in <HI>Babylon,</HI> as becau&s;e they were alwayes parted in &s;everal bodies, &s;o that he went boldly unto him, and offered him his &s;ervice, Love telling him, that it was not directly again&s;t the Rules of Ge|nero&s;ity, to conceal his de&s;ign of relea&s;ing <HI>Mandana,</HI> by &s;uch a&s;&s;urances of fidelity, which he would never have failed in, but only for her: And &s;ince Towns are commonly taken by craft, he thought he might without any ba&s;ene&s;s deliver <HI>Mandana</HI> by &s;ubtilty, &s;ince I could not by force. To get &s;ome reputation with <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> he made him&s;elf known unto him for what he was, to wit, a man of a great &s;pirit and able parts in Martial mar|ters; &s;o that his de&s;ign taking effect, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> received him very well, and treated both <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and me with much civility; and the better to di&s;gui&s;e our &s;elves, there &s;eemed to be no difference of quality between us all, but yet the inclination of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> did prefer the &s;uppo&s;ed <HI>Telephanes;</HI> Fir&s;t, though <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was very hand&s;om, of much &s;pirit, and a gallant deportment: It is very true, that &s;ince he did only &s;urmount his &s;orrows out of his affectionate friend&s;hip unto the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> and &s;ince that Prince did &s;urmount his own &s;orrows only to relea&s;e his Mi&s;tri&s;s, therefore they acted differently, the one &s;eeming much more forced then the other: However it was, in a few daies <HI>Telephanes</HI> was well known both in Court and Camp, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> offered him imployment, but he would take none upon him, le&s;t then perhaps he could not lay hold of any fit opportunity which might offer it &s;elf; his only care was, not to be &s;u&s;pected, and to in&s;inuate &s;tim&s;elf with divers per&s;ons: When he under&s;tood that they would lodg the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> within the Cittadel when &s;he came to <HI>Sardis,</HI> his de&s;ign was to make him that was Governour his friend, and he brought it &s;o hand&s;omly to pa&s;s, that he got a great &s;troke with him. In the mean time, &s;ince the negotiation between <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> could not be compleated without an enterview, it was re&s;olved they &s;hould meet neer <HI>Sardis,</HI> and &s;ince all conditions were agreed upon, and they feared that in conveying the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> &s;omething might be attempted for their relea&s;ement; therefore <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> would have them depart from <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> whil'&s;t the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was not there, purpo&s;ely becau&s;e the Spies which Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> might have among&s;t them, might the &s;ooner be deceived. The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was extreamly again&s;t it, &s;aying, That &s;ince the River <HI>Hermes</HI> was between your Camp Sir, and the way which the&s;e Prin|ce&s;&s;es was to go, there was no fear at all: But <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> told him, that the Prince <HI>Arta|mas</HI> had &s;o many creatures in his Dominions, that he &s;tood in fear of his own Subjects as well as of his Enemies, and therefore the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was forced to con&s;ent, that orders &s;hould be &s;ent unto <HI>Andramites</HI> to guard the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es, and conveigh them with tho&s;e Forces which he had unto a certain place where the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would meet him with others, and accordingly it was put in execution. In the mean time, &s;ince it was the will of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> that my Ma&s;ter &s;hould wait upon him when he went to meet the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> he was then put to an extream puzzle, &s;ince that Prince intended to pre&s;ent him unto his Rival, as a man from whom he expected great &s;ervices: And the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> perceiving by the proceedings of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI>
that he valued this <HI>Telephanes</HI> at a high rate, and his hand&s;om pre&s;ence &s;peaking him to be a man of much merit, he received him with great civility, and my Ma&s;ter did an&s;wer it with &s;o much turbulency in his coun|tenance, that I have admired a hundred-times, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> did not perceive it: It is true, that pre&s;ently after he recollected him&s;elf, and carried the matter with as much cunning as a man in Love could, who had a plot to deceive his Rival, and relea&s;e his Mi&s;tri&s;s.</P>
<P>The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> then was as well plea&s;ed with my Ma&s;ter, as my Ma&s;ter would have been with him, if there had not been &s;ome &s;ecret rea&s;ons which took the edg off all tho&s;e civilities which that Prince expre&s;&s;ed unto him, and di&s;obliged him; yet &s;ometimes when he con&s;idered him as one that &s;aved <HI>Mandana</HI>'s life, he could not chu&s;e but acknowledg him&s;elf obliged in his heart. In the mean time, as much as <HI>Telephanes</HI> de&s;ired to &s;ee the Prince&s;s whom he adored, yet he dur&s;t not go with the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who as I told you Sir, was to meet <HI>Andramites</HI> that guarded her: For &s;ince it was not &s;o ea&s;ie for him to di&s;guize his face as his name, he made no que&s;tion but if &s;he &s;aw him &s;he would know him; and if &s;he knew him, before &s;he was informed of his real repentance for carrying her away, her extream aver&s;ion to him would di&s;cover him, and &s;o his de&s;ign of re&s;to|ring
<PB REF="435">
her that liberty which he had taken from her would quite be defeated; therefore he made a hand&s;om excu&s;e for not accompanying the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> as he de&s;ired him, but returned unto <HI>Sardis</HI> exceedingly di&s;quieted, becau&s;e he was not able to regulate his de|&s;ires; for when his repentance and his genero&s;ity had the upper hand in his heart, then he wi&s;hed that the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> might attempt &s;omething for the liberty of the&s;e Prin|ce&s;&s;es, and in lieu of conducting them to <HI>Sardis,</HI> they might be brought unto your Camp Sir: But then when Love was Queen-Regent in his &s;oul, he could not chu&s;e but de&s;ire a &s;ight of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and zealou&s;ly wi&s;h that it might be him&s;elf who &s;hould re|lea&s;e her, and re&s;tore her unto you, rather then any other &s;hould have that honour from him; yet notwith&s;tanding he had no mind to be ignorant of all pa&s;&s;ages between the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> at their meeting; &s;o that for better infor|mation of him&s;elf, he de&s;ired <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to accompany that Prince, not daring to &s;end me, becau&s;e the Prince&s;s knew me. But &s;ince he could not accord being &s;een by the Prince&s;s, becau&s;e &s;he was to pa&s;s into the Town where he was, he de&s;igned to &s;ee her out of a Win|dow as &s;he went through the Town unto the Cittadel; &s;o that he waited for the return of the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;es Arrival with much impatience. About two daies after, the news was brought, that the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> attempting the liberty of the Prince&s;&s;es was taken pri&s;oner, and wounded in &s;everal places, and that all his Party were either killed, defeated, or taken pri&s;oners. About two hours after this, another Po&s;t came from <HI>Andramites,</HI> who told <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was among&s;t the pri&s;oners, being known by a Captain that was in the <HI>Babylonian</HI> War.</P>
<P>This news, which extreamly rejoyced <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> grieved my Ma&s;ter; for though the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was his Rival, yet to &s;ee &s;o great a King <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;uch a ca&s;e, moved much &s;orrow in him, e&s;pecially con&s;idering that this la&s;t accident had not been, if he had not carried away the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> Al&s;o fearing that this Prince might know him, as well as the Prince&s;s might, he was moved to conceal him&s;elf with much care, le&s;t all his de&s;igns &s;hould be &s;poiled; and indeed I did much confirm him in his re&s;olution of keep|ing him&s;elf unknown, e&s;pecially as the Prince&s;s and the pri&s;oners pa&s;&s;ed through the Town, and that day he kept in the place where I lodged, and as good luck was, the &s;treet where we were, proved to be that through which <HI>Mandana</HI> was to pa&s;s, and &s;o &s;he did. It is impo&s;&s;ible I &s;hould tell you Sir, what operation this &s;ight had upon the heart of my Ma&s;ter; the truth, and the wonder is, that it did not &s;o much augment his Love as his repentance; for when he &s;aw her &s;o fair and &s;o &s;ad both, he imagined him&s;elf to be the cau&s;e of that &s;adne&s;s, his &s;orrows were &s;uch, as I can de&s;cribe them no other|wi&s;e, then by telling you that I cannot de&s;cribe them. As &s;oon as the Chariot wherein both the Prince&s;&s;es were was out of &s;ight, and as he was ready to go from the Window, he &s;aw the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> appear, guarded with Souldiers, who conducted him and all the re&s;t of the pri&s;oners, except the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> who was not brought unto <HI>Sardis</HI> until &s;ome daies after, by rea&s;on of his wounds: My Ma&s;ter then &s;eeing at the &s;ame time both the Prince whom he had offended, and the Prince&s;s whom he carried away, fell in|to &s;uch an exta&s;ie of &s;orrow, that it was long before he was able to an&s;wer unto what I &s;aid unto him, and I believe he had not &s;o &s;oon given over his &s;ad thoughts if <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> had not entred; his inqui&s;itive de&s;ire to know the meeting between the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> was quite cooled, and the &s;ight of this Prince&s;s had &s;o troubled his &s;pirits, that he heard <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> but under&s;tood him not: I &s;hould have thought Sir (&s;aid I unto him) that &s;ince your belief of the Prince&s;s being dead did move unto &s;uch a de&s;perate &s;or|row, the &s;ight of her alive &s;hould move you to a &s;en&s;ible con&s;olation, and yet I per|ceive you are as much grieved as ever: Do you think <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> (&s;aid he to me) that I can look upon <HI>Mandana</HI> as a Captive, and &s;ee her &s;ad, but I mu&s;t be &s;o al&s;o? Alas, a|las, <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> I am not capable of any joy until I have made &s;ome reparation for all the injuries I have done her; methinks when I looked upon her, I &s;aw her &s;igh, and &s;aw in her heart that ju&s;t mea&s;ure of hatred towards me by her &s;orrows: I perceived in her inno|cent &s;oul &s;uch a horrid memory of the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> that I am per&s;waded &s;he thinks upon me perpetually, and her hatred of me raigns in her re&s;entments, according to the mea&s;ure of all fre&s;h di&s;graces which befals her: Judg then <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> whether I can look upon this Divine Prince&s;s without di&s;turbed joyes, yet I would not but have &s;een her, and &s;een her &s;ad; for &s;ince I &s;ee her fair eyes &s;o full of tears and melancholy, I am become an ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of my Love, and I would relea&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> only for her &s;elf, and not for me; whereas if I had not &s;een &s;o &s;ad an object, my virtue is &s;o weak, I &s;hould per|haps
<PB N="114" REF="436">
have thought only upon my own intere&s;t: No, no, imperious Pa&s;&s;ion (&s;aid he) thou that prompted me to commit the greate&s;t &s;ins of my life, yet thou &s;halt never move me to commit any more, my virtue is now too &s;trong for thee, and thou can&s;t not vanqui&s;h me: But what do I &s;ay? (added he;) Let me not a&s;cribe that unto Virtue, which ap|pertains only unto Love; and to &s;ay the very truth, It is my being extreamly in love, that prompts me to act as I intend: Hitherto (&s;aid he unto us) I loved <HI>Mandana</HI> only for my &s;elf; but now I will begin to love her for her own &s;ake only: Indeed I know not whether I am able to love her without any de&s;ires; but I am certain I will love her with|out any hopes, and by con&s;equence without offence. Let us then labour my dear <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid this generous Prince) to relea&s;e my Prince&s;s, and for our greater encouragement let us never think of relea&s;ing her for our &s;elves, but for a Prince much more happy then we are; and though I know he de&s;erves all his good fortune, yet perhaps I &s;hall have much ado not to murmur; but I am mo&s;t ab&s;olutely re&s;olved never to mole&s;t him.</P>
<P>The&s;e Sir were the thoughts of the illu&s;trious <HI>Mazares,</HI> who &s;pent the re&s;t of that day and all the night following in the extremity of &s;orrows: yet not to con&s;ume him&s;elf in un|profi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">able &s;ights, he began to ob&s;erve very circum&s;pectly what Guards they kept about the Cittadel, and to nouri&s;h that friend&s;hip which he had obtained with the Governor, and all with de&s;ign to &s;ee what ways might be devi&s;ed for the Relea&s;ement of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> The better to procure friends and creatures unto him&s;elf, he was always ready to do any good office for the meane&s;t Souldier, either unto the King of <HI>Lidia,</HI> or the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> or unto <HI>Abradates</HI> who loved him very well: He courted <HI>Andramites</HI> al&s;o for his favour, whom he oblige<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ently after the Prince&s;&s;es were brought from <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> to <HI>Sardis;</HI> For reports being &s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">bout, either by the Pri&s;oners, or &s;ome other unknown way, that he had taken you Sir as well as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and that at the reque&s;t of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> he had relea&s;ed you, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was &s;o angry with him, that he was a while in &s;ome di&s;grace: But &s;ince it appeared clearly that <HI>Andra|mites</HI> did it ignorantly, every one lamented him: And my Ma&s;ter, who in order to his de&s;ign did endeavor to ingratiate him&s;elf with all men of Quality which were both pow|erful and male-contented, did do <HI>Andramites</HI> very good &s;ervice in this bu&s;ine&s;s, &s;ince <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> did harken more unto his Rea&s;ons, then unto any others that were alledged in his behalf, which &s;ervice did &s;o &s;en&s;ibly oblige him, that he vowed eternal friend&s;hip. But though <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> did re&s;tore <HI>Andramites</HI> into his former favour, yet there re&s;ted in his heart a &s;ecret grudg again&s;t that Prince for &s;u&s;pecting him who had given &s;o many te&s;timonies of his fidelity. As for the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> he was the &s;adde&s;t man in the World that you Sir was not taken; conceiving that if you had been a Pri&s;oner, then the con&s;equence would have been mo&s;t happy for him; becau&s;e he could have payed the debt which he owed in re&s;toring you Sir your liberty, and have &s;atisfied him&s;elf and his pa&s;&s;ion in keeping the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana.</HI></P>
<P>As things were in this condition, we under&s;tood that <HI>Tegeus</HI> &s;on unto the Governor of the Cittadel was among&s;t the Pri&s;oners of War which were taken: And as we under|&s;tood at the &s;ame time that he was in love with a Lady called <HI>Cyleni&s;e,</HI> who was in the Cittadel with the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> the Prince my Ma&s;ter de&s;ired <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> who had a quick wit to find out an opportunity of &s;eeing him, and to know of him whether or no be had any intelligence with any in the Cittadel, and whether there was no po&s;&s;ibilities of relea|&s;ing his Mi&s;tre&s;s, and perhaps him<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">elf. <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> undertook this employment, for my Ma|&s;ter could not employ me (becau&s;e <HI>Feraulas</HI> being a Pri&s;oner with <HI>Tegeus</HI> did know me) and he would not go him&s;elf, le&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;hould &s;ee him; &s;o that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was the only fit man for the &s;ervice, and certainly it was a difficult matter to make a better choyce; for he tran&s;acted the matter admirably well, as you &s;hall hear by the &s;equel of my Di&s;cour&s;e. For my part, I endeavored to tamper and gain &s;ome Souldiers of the Cit|tadel, not telling them wherein I intended to employ them. Thus every one of us being bu&s;ie, though we yet &s;aw no great likelyhood of any happy &s;ucce&s;s in our enterprize, yet we lived in a little le&s;s angui&s;h of mind. In the mean time, &s;ince the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> did infinitly e&s;teem the &s;uppo&s;ed <HI>Telephanes,</HI> he courted him and his friend&s;hip very much, although he found but cold returns: yet &s;ince <HI>Telephanes</HI> dur&s;t not but keep within &s;uch terms of civility as were fitting for a man of his Quality, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> perceived it not, but loved him exceedingly, and &s;o much, that meeting him one day in the Kings Gardenas he came out from a Councel of War held in the Clo&s;et of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> he began
<PB N="115" REF="436">
to &s;peak unto him of his misfortunes, and of his Love: But among&s;t all the re&s;t of his &s;ad di&s;a&s;ters which ever had happened unto him, he did not grieve &s;o much for any thing as that he had &s;uch a Rival as he could not chu&s;e but love, and as he was infinitely obliged unto: For truly (&s;aid he unto him) is it not a mo&s;t mi&s;erable condition to be unju&s;t and ungrateful unto the greate&s;t Prince in the World? unto whom I am a debtor both for my life and liberty; unto whom I am beholding for that Scepter which belongs unto me, if I would take it from him: but yet I cannot; my Love to <HI>Mandana</HI> is &s;o violent, that I am not Ma&s;ter of my Rea&s;on. <HI>Telephanes</HI> hearing the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;peak thus, did think it be&s;t to confirm him in his genero&s;ity, &s;o that perhaps he might induce him to relea&s;e <HI>Mandana:</HI> So that being prompted by the &s;purs of Love which would not let him lo&s;e a minute of time, he repeated unto him all that he had &s;o often hinted unto him&s;elf &s;ince he repented the carrying away of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana.</HI> Do you not con&s;ider Sir (&s;aid he unto him) that every moment you retain the Prince&s;s whom you love, &s;he hates you the more for it? I know it very well, replyed the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> but <HI>Telephanes,</HI> if ever you were in love, I pray you imagine how difficult a thing it is to part with a Prince&s;s, who as &s;oon as &s;he is at liberty will be in the Arms of another? Alas <HI>Telephanes,</HI> if you advi&s;e me to part from her, certainly you were never in love. I wi&s;h the Gods Sir (re|he and &s;ighed, having &s;o much di&s;order in his &s;pirit, as it was to &s;ee he &s;poke as he thought) that what you &s;ay were true. No Sir, I know what Love is; and I &s;peak as I do, becau&s;e I know the power of that Pa&s;&s;ion; for if you love, &s;hould you not do any thing to pro|cure the love of her you love? Yes doubtle&s;s (replyed the King of <HI>Pontus.)</HI> Why then do you take that cour&s;e (replyed <HI>Telephanes)</HI> which will procure her hatred? Becau&s;e I can do no otherwi&s;e (replyed he,) for what cour&s;e can I take to avoyd her hate? By giving the Prince&s;s whom you love her liberty (an&s;wered he,) &s;in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> is not po&s;&s;ible but &s;he mu&s;t needs infinitely e&s;teem you, if your Virtue do &s;urmou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">our Pa&s;&s;ion: Then Sir would your glory &s;pread over all <HI>A&s;ia;</HI> all your Subjects, w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d rebel again&s;t him that u&s;urps your Kingdom; every Prince would arm in your behalf, and reconquer your Dominions for you; <HI>Cyrus</HI> him&s;elf would &s;et you upon your Throne: And indeed Sir, I find &s;o much glory in the act I advi&s;e you unto, that I would do it, though I were &s;ure to dye the next day. Ah <HI>Telephanes,</HI> cryed the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> alas, you do not know the &s;overaignty of that Pa&s;&s;ion which commands my Soul, although you have been in love; Love is either great or little, either according to the beauty which doth cau&s;e it, or el&s;e according to the &s;en&s;ibility of that heart which is touched with it, and therefore all the world does not love alike: But <HI>Telephanes,</HI> I have a Soul the mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible of all men living, and <HI>Mandana</HI> is the faire&s;t and mo&s;t ravi&s;hing Beauty upon Earth: Come <HI>Telephanes</HI> (&s;aid he, and would have carryed him by the arm towards the Cittadel) come and &s;ee the Ju&s;tification of my Crime in the eyes of that Prince&s;s whom I adore: for though they are always incen&s;ed when they look upon me, at lea&s;t very melancholy, yet you &s;hall &s;ee it is impo&s;&s;ible to be deprived of them and live. <HI>Telephanes</HI> was much &s;urprized at the Propo&s;ition, and &s;o much di&s;ordered, that if the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had not been blinded with his over-zeal, he would have perceived it: And what de&s;ire &s;oever my Ma&s;ter had to &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet he would never &s;ee her with the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> &s;o that to excu&s;e him&s;elf, Sir (&s;aid he unto him) If there need no more to ju&s;tifie you but the &s;ight of her Beauty, you &s;hall be &s;o in my opinion; for I &s;aw her when &s;he came fir&s;t to <HI>Sardis;</HI> and the more &s;ad I &s;aw her, the more I accu&s;ed you: all this would not &s;atisfie the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> but he &s;till importuned my Ma&s;ter to go with him unto the Prince&s;s.</P>
<P>Pardon me <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> if I interrupt you in your Story, to ask you, Whether the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> did &s;ee the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> every day? Ever &s;ince &s;he came to <HI>Sar|dis</HI> (replyed he) none had the liberty to &s;ee her but him&s;elf, but truly he is not at all the more happy; for I have heard one of his &s;ervants &s;ay, that he never vi&s;its her but both his Love and De&s;pair is augmented, for he finds her always more fair, but more rigid every day then other. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then asking pardon of the two Prince&s;&s;es, <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> went on with his Story thus.</P>
<P>The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> being very importunate with my Ma&s;ter to go unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> did pre&s;s him &s;o far, that the poor <HI>Telephanes</HI> could find but bad Rea&s;ons to excu&s;e him&s;elf; but he was forced to leave him, and go into the Cittadel without him, and went by a great Walk of Cypre&s;s, clo&s;e by the ditch of that place, and oppo&s;ite to the Garden door: After
<PB N="116" REF="437">
<HI>Mazares</HI> &s;aw him enter, he walked above two hours in that Walk, thinking upon the adventure which had happened: By chance <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and I found him there, and he ac|quainted us with the pa&s;&s;age: Afterwards making a &s;tand, and looking earne&s;tly upon us; Mu&s;t it not needs be confe&s;&s;ed (&s;aid he unto us, that Fortune is very ingenuous to torment me, &s;ince I mu&s;t be continually both culpable and mi&s;erable? For I &s;ee, that to do one good act, as to relea&s;e the Prince&s;s whom I took away, is, I mu&s;t commit a hun|dred bad ones; I mu&s;t, I &s;ay, di&s;&s;emble and deceive them that tru&s;t me; I mu&s;t alwayes &s;peak contrary to truth, I mu&s;t be of one &s;ide, and &s;eem to be of the other, and all this to put the per&s;on whom I mo&s;t love and adore into the power of a beloved Rival: For my dear friends (&s;aid he unto us) with tears in his eyes) to put <HI>Mandana</HI> into &s;uch a condi|tion as &s;he would be, is certain to deliver her unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> This I have promi&s;ed unto my &s;elf, and this I will either do or die.</P>
<P>Sir, replyed <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> I do not que&s;tion but to find out wayes how to do the fir&s;t of tho&s;e two, for by &s;uborning &s;ome of <HI>Tegeus</HI> his Guard, I can &s;peak with him as oft as I plea&s;e, and can di&s;po&s;e him to endeavour the utmo&s;t of my power that the Cittadel may be &s;urprized: He hath given me a Letter unto an old Officer in it, who he &s;aith is very covetous, and who indeed I have found very ready to receive gifts, and by con&s;equence ready to do what I would have him, &s;o I will feed him with gifts. Moreover he told me, that when I had found out wayes to relea&s;e the Prince&s;&s;es, and his dear <HI>Celenice,</HI> he knew how to e&s;cape his pri&s;on without trouble to any; for he who commands the Guard over the pri&s;oners of War is &s;o ab&s;olutely his, that if he de&s;ired it, he could get them all relea&s;ed, except the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> who hath a particular Guard by him&s;elf: But why is <HI>Tegeus</HI> &s;till a pri&s;oner (&s;aid my Ma&s;ter) if it be in his power to have his liberty? Be|cau&s;e in the condition he is in (replied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> he is not &s;u&s;pected, and he hath a de|&s;ign to find out wayes how to relea&s;e the Prince&s;&s;es, and thereby ingage two great Prin|ces, and al&s;o to relea&s;e <HI>Celenice</HI> for his own &s;atisfaction; &s;o that I perceive it &s;ticks but upon two things, to wit, &s;ome men for the execution of his de&s;ign, which I have pro|mi&s;ed him, and one to acquaint the Prince&s;&s;es that their liberty is ready for them, and that they would prepare them&s;elves to follow their Relea&s;ers; and this is the effect of that Letter which I have unto the old Officer whereof I &s;poke, that he &s;hall let the Prince&s;&s;es under&s;tand how there are preparations for their relea&s;ement: But he told me, that this would be difficult for him to do, and that it would be much more ea&s;ie for him to deliver us a Port, and we to carry them away; then for him to &s;peak unto them: But <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> replied <HI>Telephanes,</HI> Why did you not tell me any thing of your negotiation? Becau&s;e I I would have the bu&s;ine&s;s more ripe, replied he, and had it not been to comfort you a little, I &s;hould not have told you &s;o much, becau&s;e the bu&s;ine&s;s cannot be executed &s;o &s;oon. Moreover, a Captain of greate&s;t power in the Cittadel, next the Governour, who is an intimate friend unto <HI>Tegeus,</HI> is not in <HI>Sardis,</HI> nor will he return this fifteen dayes. <HI>Telephanes</HI> perceiving then, that <HI>Tegeus</HI> was Ma&s;ter of the Guards, that he had very powerful intelligence in the Cittadel, that I had gained many of the Souldiers, and that there wanted nothing but a Convoy, and one to acquaint the Prince&s;&s;es, did not think upon any thing, but how to remove the&s;e two ob&s;tacles. A while after, news being brought to Town that <HI>Ny&s;omolis</HI> was taken, and that your Army Sir &s;truck a terror into all <HI>Lydia,</HI> it was requi&s;ite that <HI>Telephanes,</HI> (to keep him&s;elf un&s;u&s;pected, and to pre|&s;erve that advantageous opinion vvhich they conceived of him) &s;hould go into the Wars, and &s;hew that he de&s;erved it; he vvent out therefore vvith <HI>Andramites,</HI> and in &s;everal &s;mall incounters did notably behave him&s;elf; yet his mind vvas, that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and I &s;hould &s;tay in <HI>Sardis,</HI> to keep <HI>Tegeus</HI> and all tho&s;e of his corre&s;pondency in a di&s;po&s;ition to ex|ecute the enterprize, when it was ripe, vvith orders to adverti&s;e him &s;peedily of it vvhen the time came, to the end he might find out a pretence for his coming to <HI>Sardis.</HI> Thus Sir did things &s;tand at <HI>Sardis,</HI> vvhil'&s;t you vvere taking Tovvns; and forcing the <HI>Lydian</HI> Troops to quit their Quarters.</P>
<P>But to &s;horten my di&s;cour&s;e as much as I can, upon the&s;e tearms Sir did the enterprize concerning <HI>Mandana</HI>'s relea&s;ement &s;tand, when after you de&s;ired combat with the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> there was an enterview between you and that Prince, when you knew the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> among&s;t the re&s;t which came with him. I doubt not Sir but you de&s;ire to know why my Ma&s;ter would come unto that meeting, for I wondred at it my &s;elf, but he would give me no other rea&s;on, then that &s;ince you had met him, and &s;poke to him in <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> yet then knew him not, he thought that certainly you would not know
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him in <HI>Lydia,</HI> and therefore he might boldly, without fear of di&s;covery, accompany the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who was very importunate with him, and al&s;o might &s;atisfie his de&s;ires of being pre&s;ent at an enterview, wherein he had a &s;ecret intere&s;t, which none knew of but him&s;elf: For indeed he told me in going to that place, where you and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> were to &s;ee each other, that &s;ometimes he wi&s;hed that your per&s;wa&s;ions might not prevail with the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> concerning <HI>Mandana</HI>'s relea&s;ement, but that he him&s;elf might have the glory of it: And &s;ometimes again, when he &s;u&s;pected the happy &s;ucce&s;s of his enterprize, he wi&s;hed the King of <HI>Pon us</HI> might be moved by your rea&s;ons. How|ever it was Sir, the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> (who I will now call <HI>Telephanes</HI> no longer) did go with the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> upon rea&s;ons &s;o different and oppo&s;ite, that he could never reconcile them him&s;elf. In the mean while Sir, I be&s;eech you do me the honour to con|fe&s;s, that there is never any true judgment to be given upon appearances; for indeed I know Sir, that when you &s;aw the Buckler whereon my Ma&s;ter repre&s;ented a dead man, and his Motto, te&s;tifying, that he thought him&s;elf worthy of it, and knew him who bore it to be the Prince <HI>Mazares:</HI> Then, I &s;ay, you were angry, and hated him, and that you expre&s;&s;ed as much by &s;uch vi&s;ible marks, both in your words and actions, as a|ny one might &s;ee the thoughts of your heart: Yet Sir, this man whom you thus hated, was then thinking upon nothing el&s;e, but how to render the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> unto you, and for ever to deprive him&s;elf of her, and indeed he an&s;wered you with as much mode|ration as a man of courage po&s;&s;ibly could. I &s;hall not need to tell you Sir what his thoughts were upon that occa&s;ion, for you may ea&s;ily imagine them; but give me leave to tell you, that after (by the prudence of <HI>Abradates)</HI> this dangerous conference was ended, and that every one took the way unto his own Quarter, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> knew no more how to behave him&s;elf towards <HI>Mazares,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">en <HI>Mazares</HI> knew what to &s;ay unto him. After they had marched forty or fifty p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ces without a word pa&s;&s;ing a|mong&s;t them, <HI>Abradates</HI> came to my Ma&s;ter with much civility: Generous Prince (&s;aid he unto him) I am &s;orry that I mu&s;t render you more re&s;pect then hitherto I have, for &s;ince it was your plea&s;ure to be unknown, I &s;uppo&s;e you had rather have &s;till been <HI>Tele|phanes,</HI> then the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;ince you have made that name &s;o famous, that you cannot leave it off unle&s;s you wrong your &s;elf: Sir, replyed he, I have been ever &s;o un|fortunate under the name of <HI>Mazares,</HI> that it is no wonder I &s;hould de&s;ire to leave it off for a time; but for ought I &s;ee, the name of <HI>Telephanes</HI> is not more pro&s;perous un|to me.</P>
<P>All this while the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;poke not a word; but calling to memory how <HI>Ma|zares</HI> lived at <HI>Sardis,</HI> and how he refu&s;ed to go vvith him unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> though he importuned him, and con&s;idered that he had in&s;inuated him&s;elf into the friend&s;hip of the Governour in the Cittadel, and vvith all the men of Quality in Court, he thought that he would at la&s;t put all the&s;e into &s;ome de&s;ign; but not being able to comprehend the my|&s;tery, yet being very de&s;irous of further &s;atisfaction, vvithout any further delay he went to the King of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> and looking upon my Ma&s;ter; I be|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eech you Sir, &s;aid he unto him, though you be my Rival, yet deny me not one favour vvhich I &s;hall ask you, as if you were <HI>Telephanes</HI> my friend, and my extreamly loved friend: Although I am your Rival Sir (replyed the Prince <HI>Saces)</HI> and by con&s;equence <HI>Telephanes</HI> could never be very much your friend, no more then <HI>Mazares</HI> could; yet let me tell you, that there are very few things which you are not able to obtain of me: For truly, &s;ince you &s;aved the life of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> whom I mo&s;t unfortunately cau&s;ed to peri&s;h, your prayers mu&s;t needs be very prevalent with me, and indeed &s;o they &s;hall be for ever: If &s;o, replyed the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> tell me what opinion I ought to have of you, for I profe&s;s unto you I do not know; when I call to mind all I have &s;een you do, I know not where I am, and I yet doubt whether you be <HI>Telephanes,</HI> or the Prince <HI>Mazares:</HI> Certainly I am the la&s;t of the&s;e, replyed he: If you be, &s;aid the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> Why do you ingage your &s;elf on the &s;ide of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us?</HI> Why did you conceal your name? And what motives had you to act as you have done? Is it for your &s;elf, or for me, that you have fought? It was neither for you nor for my &s;elf (replyed my Ma|&s;ter, with as much &s;ubtilty as vvit, to di&s;guize the reality of his thoughts) but it was a|gain&s;t <HI>Cyrus:</HI> Yet it does not &s;eem to me, replyed the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> that you &s;poke unto him vvith any &s;uch Symptoms of hatred as &s;hould induce you to fight in favour of one Rival to ruine another. But tell me ingenuou&s;ly I be&s;eech you, What ought I to think
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of your Actions? and how mu&s;t I con&s;ider you? As a man (replyed <HI>Mazares</HI> and &s;ighed) that does not pretend unto the lea&s;t hopes or ayms of ever enjoying <HI>Mandana;</HI> and I would it were the plea&s;ure of the Gods, that I could in&s;pire you with the &s;ame bitter repentance which I have for carrying her away, and cau&s;ing the greate&s;t parts of all the mi&s;eries which have befallen her. How's this <HI>Mazares</HI> (&s;aid the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> do not you pretend any thing to <HI>Mandana,</HI> and yet come di&s;gui&s;ed unto the place where &s;he is? You fight again&s;t the forces of the other &s;ide; you engratiate your &s;elf into friend|&s;hip; you &s;eem to be my friend, and is all this without any pretention? No, no, it is im|po&s;&s;ible, you can never per&s;wade me to beleeve it. It is not an ea&s;ie matter to imagine (&s;aid the King of <HI>Su&s;iana)</HI> what the intention of the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;hould be: Yet he hath one (replyed the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> of what nature &s;oever it be. That which doth mo&s;t trouble me (added he in &s;peaking to <HI>Abradates)</HI> is, that he hath u&s;ed all his endea|vors and arguments to per&s;wade me to render the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> unto <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and indeed how is it po&s;&s;ible (added he, and &s;poke to my Ma&s;ter) if you yet love her, you &s;hould advi&s;e me to put her into the power of a Prince adores her, and for whom &s;he &s;corns all tho&s;e that love her?</P>
<P>To te&s;tifie unto you, &s;aid <HI>Mazares,</HI> that I have no &s;ecret intere&s;t at all, I &s;hall give you the &s;ame coun&s;el now, when you know what I am, and conjure you, with all the faculties of my heart and Soul, to give freedom unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> And I will engage my word, that in acknowledgment of your &s;aving her life, and giving her liberty, I will divide the Kingdom which hereafter I &s;hall po&s;&s;e&s;s, and give half of it to you, if you cannot re|conquer your own. No, no, &s;aid the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> you wi&s;h not what you &s;ay; for if you did, I mu&s;t not look upon you as my Rival, but as my friend. I know not well, re|plyed <HI>Mazares,</HI> whether I am your Friend or my Rival, my rea&s;on is &s;o rafled: but yet I know that I love <HI>Mandana</HI> more perfectly then you do, &s;ince I know how to limit my hopes, and to &s;eek no further then her &s;atisfaction: Did you know how to love &s;o well as I, you would be more &s;en&s;ible then you are of the &s;ufferings which the per&s;on beloved en|dures: But in the name of the Gods Sir, let me per&s;wade you to repent as I do, and let not one of your Rivals have that advantage over you: Moreover, I be&s;eech you do not think, that I only &s;ay I will not pretend any thing unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> out of any fear to make you my Enemy, as valiant as you are; for I care &s;o little for my life, that if I con&s;idered none but my &s;elf, I would &s;eek &s;uch an occa&s;ion to dye the &s;ooner and more gloriou&s;ly: but I do really &s;peak as I think; and it is not more true, that you do love the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> then it is true that I pretend nothing unto her, but I wi&s;h with all my heart and &s;oul that you would &s;et her at liberty, and put her into the hands of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> rather then let her continue mi&s;erable &s;till. If what you &s;ay be true, replyed the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> of all men living you are the mo&s;t virtuous, or el&s;e the lea&s;t amorous; and I &s;hould much wonder if it &s;hould be the la&s;t of the&s;e; and that a corner pa&s;&s;ion &s;hould cau&s;e you to carry away the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and forget your duties to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> As the greate&s;t Crimes, replyed my Ma&s;ter, does cau&s;e the greate&s;t repent|ance; &s;o it is no wonder if &s;ince I have committed a double inju&s;tice, I &s;hould be extream|ly a&s;hamed. It is true, replyed the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> but yet it is very much that, one &s;hould love, and yet be able to render his Mi&s;tre&s;s unto a Rival whom &s;he loved, Yet truly (&s;aid the King of <HI>Sa&s;iana)</HI> the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> does expre&s;s him&s;elf &s;o emphati|cally, and with &s;uch an a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> as is apparent that his tongue &s;peaks the very thoughts of his heart; and therefore I conjure you both, what ever both your de&s;igns are, not to di&s;|unite. For my part, &s;aid the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> if the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> will engage his word, that he will never pretend any thing unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and that he has no con|cealed de&s;ign to carry her away both from <HI>Cyrus</HI> and my &s;elf, I &s;hall carry my &s;elf towards him as if he were not my Rival. <HI>Abradates</HI> then asked <HI>Mazares</HI> whether he would en|gage him&s;elf unto &s;uch Conditions as the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> de&s;ired? &s;ince he him&s;elf pro|fe&s;&s;ed he had no pretentions unto <HI>Mandana.</HI> While&s;t this Prince was &s;peaking thus unto him, <HI>Mazares</HI> did con&s;ult with his mind upon the matter; and finding that if he &s;hould promi&s;e what was required, yet he did not thereby engage him&s;elf unto any thing which was contrary to his de&s;ign, &s;ince his intentions were not to carry away the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> for him&s;elf, therefore he con&s;ented unto tho&s;e Conditions though with much repugnancy: and I verily beleeve, that if he had not certainly known the death of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would not have furthered the liberty of <HI>Mandana,</HI> in lieu of making this
<PB N="119" REF="438">
promi&s;e, he would have decided the controver&s;ie by Svvord, and fought vvith this Prince.</P>
<P>Thus Sir did this conference pa&s;s; after vvhich, <HI>Abradates</HI> acquainting <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> with my Ma&s;ters condition vvhen he came to <HI>Sardis,</HI> and relating all pa&s;&s;ages as much in my Ma&s;ters advantage as I could, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> had not &s;o many jealou&s;ies in his &s;oul as the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had, vvho after did circum&s;pectly ob&s;erve all my Ma&s;ters actions, &s;o that vve had much ado to hold tho&s;e intelligencies which formerly vve did vvithout di&s;covery. In the mean vvhile, the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> had &s;uch an extream abhorrence of all di&s;&s;imulati|ons, that if <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and I had not per&s;vvaded him that the glory of an enterprize of this nature, did con&s;i&s;t only in the execution, and not in the means by vvhich it vvas conceal|ed; and that the Con&s;pirators, the more they di&s;&s;emble in a ju&s;t cau&s;e, the more com|mendations they de&s;erve: I think, that rather then he vvould have done as he did to conceal his de&s;ign, he vvould have undertaken a more violent re&s;olution. After this Sir, you knovv hovv high di&s;contents vvere grovvn among&s;t all the Princes, concerning an exchange of Prince <HI>Artamas;</HI> and the Queen, before vvhom I &s;peak; and hovv <HI>Andra|mites,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> took the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI>'s part: But you do not knovv Sir, hovv my Ma&s;ter making u&s;e of the&s;e divi&s;ions, did &s;ecretly and frequently vi&s;it the generous <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Andramites,</HI> and &s;o vvrought upon their Spirits, as they promi|fed him, that if matters vvere further exa&s;perated, they vvould attempt nothing vvith|out him; but yet my Ma&s;ter &s;till kept his de&s;ign clo&s;e unto him&s;elf. After this Sir, the Truce being publi&s;hed, and the Captain vvho vvas friend unto <HI>Tegeus,</HI> being returned unto the Cittadel, my Ma&s;ter did make a &s;hevv as if he vvere not vvell, to the end he might the more conveniently endeavour to &s;peak vvith <HI>Mandana,</HI> or at lea&s;t vvith <HI>Mar|te&s;ia;</HI> and we did negotiate the bu&s;ine&s;s &s;o happily, that by the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of this friend unto <HI>Tegeus,</HI> vvho had the Guard of the Chamber vvhere the Prince&s;&s;es did lye, vve had permittance to enter into the Cittadel in the night, and he promi&s;ed to help me to the &s;peech of <HI>Marte&s;ia.</HI> As I knew that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> had a very friendly opinion of me ever &s;ince I vvas her guide in bringing her to <HI>Sinope,</HI> &s;o I hoped to effect my bu&s;ine&s;s ve|ry vvell; but do vvhat I could, I could not per&s;wade my Ma&s;ter to &s;tay behind, for he thought that I could not &s;o vvell aggravate his bitter repentance, as him&s;elf could do; &s;o that I was forced to &s;ubmit unto his de&s;ires, and I had &s;o ordered the bu&s;ine&s;s, that ju&s;t at nine of the Clock, the friend of <HI>Tegeus</HI> vvould let my Ma&s;ter and me enter, undi&s;co|vered by any; and &s;o bringing us by a back pair of &s;tairs into his own Chamber, he went unto <HI>Mandana</HI>'s, where finding <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> he de&s;ired her that &s;he would be plea&s;ed to let him have an hours di&s;cour&s;e vvith her; &s;o that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> being as complay&s;ant as any judicious per&s;on would be unto one, that kept them pri&s;oners, con&s;ented; and pa&s;&s;ing from the Chamber of her Mi&s;tre&s;s unto her ovvn, vvhich vvas very neer, the Captain came to us, and according to the plot betvveen my Ma&s;ter and my &s;elf, I only vvent un|to <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> to the end I might the better deceive her, as aftervvards I &s;hall tell you; for vve knevv very vvell, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> did not think my Ma&s;ter to be alive, or that he was at <HI>Sardis,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had given expre&s;s charge; that no news what&s;oever &s;hould be carried unto the Prince&s;&s;es, and therefore we feared not that <HI>Mandana</HI> could know of his being there.</P>
<P>Then did this Captain conduct me to <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI>'s Chamber, and left me there; &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw me, but &s;he broke out into a hundred expre&s;&s;ions of joy and tenderne&s;s. Ah <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) Can you not carry me once again to <HI>Sinope,</HI> and bring the Prince&s;s with me? Yes &s;weet <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid I unto her) that I can, and I came hither purpo&s;ely to make the Propo&s;ition unto you. Alas, replyed &s;he, I &s;ee &s;o little po&s;&s;ibi|lity in it, that I fear they will &s;ooner keep you a pri&s;oner with us, then you can &s;et us at &s;o much liberty; and therefore to con&s;ume no time in telling me any plea&s;ing lies, I pray tell me, how the &s;tate of things in general does &s;tand? For we know nothing here but what plea&s;eth the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who will tell us nothing but that he is in Love; there|fore pray tell how the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> does? And where is his Army? Tell me whether <HI>Artamas</HI> be recovered of his wounds? For the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lydia</HI> is much grieved for him, and if it were not too much to ask you at once, you would do me a plea&s;ure in telling me what is become of poor <HI>F<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ra las? Marte&s;ia</HI> having put all the&s;e que&s;tions unto me, I &s;a|tisfied her curio&s;ity in them all; after which, I a&s;&s;umed the di&s;cour&s;e wherewith I began, and a&s;&s;ured her confidently, that I knew of an infallible way to relea&s;e the Prince&s;&s;es, and
<PB N="120" REF="439">
to put <HI>Mandana</HI> into the hands of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> &s;o that &s;he believed there was &s;ome truth in my words: But &s;he told me, that as for the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> &s;he would never go out of pri&s;on, but by the hand of the King her Father, e&s;pecially &s;ince the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> would remain a pri&s;oner of War; and le&s;t this &s;hould keep the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> from going out, I pray tell me (&s;aid &s;he unto me) What are the be&s;t cour&s;es to be taken: Fir&s;t it is requi&s;ite, &s;aid I unto her, that I have the honour to &s;ee the Prince&s;s; and &s;econdly, the &s;ame honour is de&s;ired for him, that is the chief actor in the enterprize, who is now in the Captains Chamber, who brought me hither, and who de&s;ires to receive his orders from her own mouth: There is no difficulty in all this (replyed <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> pro|vided you will have a little patience, for I believe the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lydia</HI> will leave her pre|&s;ently: But in the interim (&s;aid &s;he) I pray tell me who is this generous Liberator? How can he get us out from hence? And when &s;hall it be? For I wi&s;h it were this very hour, if it were po&s;&s;ible: You &s;hall know the two fir&s;t of your que&s;tions in good time (replied I) and as for getting you out from hence, it &s;hall be within this three daies, if the Prin|ce&s;s plea&s;e: If &s;he plea&s;e (replied &s;he) Ah <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> I warrant you it will plea&s;e her, &s;ince though the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> be as re&s;pective to her as he is unju&s;t, I am confident &s;he would do any thing to get out of his power. In the mean time, &s;aid &s;he, that vve may the &s;ooner &s;ee vvhether the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lydia</HI> be retired, and the &s;ooner &s;ee our De|liverer, I pray you follovv me.</P>
<P>In &s;aying &s;o, &s;he carried me unto a little Clo&s;et over again&s;t the Prince&s;s Chamber, but &s;o neer it; and the partitions &s;o full of crannies (for you mu&s;t know the places of War are not built like Palaces) that any thing might be heard which was &s;poken. Being then in this place where we could hear all the di&s;cour&s;e which pa&s;&s;ed between the two Prince&s;&s;es, we began to hearken, in hopes they would end their di&s;cour&s;e quickly, and pre&s;ently I heard a voice which was unknown to me, and which <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> &s;aid was the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> who complained extreamly again&s;t the malignity of her Fortune: For my part, replied the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> I hardly dare complain again&s;t mine; for &s;ince the conformity which is in our misfortunes did make you love me, and in &s;ome &s;ort cau&s;ed the friend&s;hip which is between the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> methinks I ought to indure it patiently: Ah Madam, &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> I be&s;eech you do not give &s;o bad a foundation unto the affection which I bear you, and &s;eek not for that in the &s;uitablene&s;s of our mi&s;eries, which cannot be found any where but in your rare merits; and if you plea&s;e to look a little neerer into things, you will find a notable diffe|rence, between the misfortunes of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and tho&s;e of <HI>Artamas,</HI> and al&s;o between yours and mine: Yet in many things they re&s;emble very much, replied <HI>Mandana,</HI> for as one hath been expo&s;ed to many dangers, &s;o hath the other; as one changed his own name for that of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> the other a&s;&s;umed the name of <HI>Cleander</HI> in lieu of his own, both of them are brave and gallant, both of them have been Conquerours, both of them in Love, and if there be any difference, it is in that the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> loved by rea&s;on, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> only by inclination: Had you changed the name of <HI>Artamas</HI> for <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> your di&s;cour&s;e had been ju&s;t: I be&s;eech you let me end it (&s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana)</HI> and &s;ee whether I have not rea&s;on to attribute unto the likene&s;s of our mi&s;eries, the pity which you have of mine: Be&s;ides all that I &s;aid be|fore, the&s;e two Princes have had the favour and affection of the&s;e two Kings whom they &s;erved, they have both of them been impri&s;oned by them, for whom they have hazard|ed their lives a thou&s;and times; as <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was di&s;plea&s;ed with you becau&s;e you favoured <HI>Cleander;</HI> &s;o <HI>Ciaxares</HI> hated me, becau&s;e I e&s;teemed <HI>Artamenes:</HI> Indeed what &s;hould I &s;ay? <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Artamas</HI> brought us hither; Have they not per&s;ecuted you as well as me? And as <HI>Adra&s;tus</HI> and <HI>Arte&s;ilias</HI> died for you, did not the unfortunate <HI>Mazares</HI> peri&s;h for me? Are we not now both pri&s;oners together? And mu&s;t it not needs be confe&s;&s;ed, that &s;ince you cannot love me for any re&s;emblance of tho&s;e admirable qualityes which are in you, and not in me, Heaven has a de&s;ign to make you love me, becau&s;e I re&s;emble you in your misfortunes: To &s;hew you (replied the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis)</HI> that the Love I bear you proceeds from nothing but your merits, and not at all from any re&s;emblances of our adventures, I mu&s;t needs let you &s;ee that they are infinitely different; &s;o that in rea&s;on it cannot be &s;aid they have any re&s;emblance, and by con&s;equence you ought not to believe, that the affection I bear you hath any &s;uch cau&s;e: The adventures of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Artamas</HI> are much different; for when <HI>Cyrus</HI> was only <HI>Artamenes,</HI> he knew that he was <HI>Cyrus,</HI>
<PB N="121" REF="439">
and was not ignorant of his own Quality: whereas on the contrary, the unfortunate <HI>Cleander</HI> did not &s;o much as know who him&s;elf was, but thought him&s;elf &s;o far below my Quality, that he did condemn his Love no le&s;s then I &s;hould if I had then known it: <HI>Artamenes</HI> had nothing el&s;e to make his condition known to be equal unto yours, but only to &s;ay he was <HI>Cyrus:</HI> But <HI>Cleander</HI> for a long while dur&s;t not &s;o much as wi&s;h to know who he was, le&s;t his condition &s;hould prove di&s;advantagious unto him if it were known: The&s;e fal&s;e Names under which both of them did pa&s;s was given them variou&s;ly, for <HI>Cyrus</HI> took the Name of <HI>Artamenes</HI> upon him to di&s;gui&s;e him&s;elf; and <HI>Artamas</HI> not knowing his true Name, received that of <HI>Cleander</HI> from <HI>Thimettes,</HI> who gave it him, not thinking he &s;hould ever leave it: 'Tis very true, both of them are mo&s;t gallant men, and both Conquerors, but with a notable difference, &s;ince Fortune hath almo&s;t confined the Victories of <HI>Artamas</HI> to the Kingdom of his Father, while&s;t &s;he hath &s;tretched the Conque&s;ts of <HI>Cyrus</HI> over all <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> The ori|ginal of their Pa&s;&s;ions is al&s;o as different as the merit of tho&s;e two per&s;ons who cau&s;ed them: The Pri&s;ons al&s;o in which both of them were, are very unlike, and proceeded from &s;everal cau&s;es: The jealou&s;ie and wickedne&s;s of <HI>Arte&s;ilas</HI> cau&s;ed the Impri&s;on|ment of <HI>Cleander;</HI> and the prejudicate opinion of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was the cau&s;e of <HI>Arta|menes</HI> his Impri&s;onment; though I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s there was equal inju&s;tice in them both. Moreover, the hatred which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> bore unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> proceeded only from a mi&s;under&s;tanding of the Menaces of the Gods; but the King my Father hated <HI>Artamas</HI> becau&s;e he thought I loved him, and by con&s;equence the cau&s;e of his hatred cannot cea&s;e, as the cau&s;e of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his hatred did. Moreover, you cannot in rea&s;on &s;ay, there was any equality in their la&s;t Impri&s;onment, &s;ince that of <HI>Cyrus</HI> la&s;ted not above an hour at mo&s;t, whereas that of <HI>Artamas</HI> la&s;ts yet, and he was dan|gerou&s;ly wounded be&s;ides: But I be&s;eech you let us clo&s;e up all the&s;e re&s;emblances which we find in our fortunes in this one, which is, our Impri&s;onment: Is there not a va&s;t difference between us? for you know there are two hundred thou&s;and men in Arms for your Liberty: That the mo&s;t valiant Prince upon Earth and the greate&s;t Captain commands this Army, and fights only for you: Moreover, it is ju&s;t in you to wi&s;h him Victory, and to make prayers unto Heaven for it: But as for me, I am not on|ly deprived of all hopes of relief, but of all other con&s;olations, except your friend&s;hip Madam, which truly is a great one: For truly I mu&s;t not de&s;ire my Liberty, &s;ince it cannot be but by the Conque&s;t of the King my Father, by the lo&s;s of his Crown, and by his being a Slave: All which will be, if <HI>Cyrus</HI> be a Conqueror; and if he be not, then Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> will peri&s;h in Pri&s;on, and I dye where I am: &s;o that &s;ince I can|not de&s;ire any thing which would be advantagious to me, I mu&s;t endure my mi&s;eries and never wi&s;h for an end. After this I be&s;eech you judg whether I am at all a deb|tor unto my misfortunes for your affection, but rather for your pity. However it be, replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> I am confident, that the Gods have a de&s;ign Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> &s;hall love and do <HI>Cyrus</HI> good &s;ervice, and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hall protect and comfort <HI>Ar|tamas.</HI> After this the&s;e two Pri&s;oner Prince&s;&s;es &s;poke much more unto each other which I could not under&s;tand, becau&s;e <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> hindered me, and I had much ado to get her let me hear as much as I have related to you, for &s;he was continually ask|ing me que&s;tions, unto which I returned &s;hort an&s;wers, and &s;ometimes only with my head; becau&s;e, &s;ince &s;he named my Ma&s;ter once, I de&s;ired to hear whether &s;he would name him any more: But if I did not certainly know, that the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> my Ma&s;ter would never pretend any more unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> I &s;hould not have been &s;o perfidious unto him, as to acquaint the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> with all tho&s;e advantagious expre&s;&s;ions which &s;he u&s;ed towards him.</P>
<P>But to return unto my Di&s;cour&s;e, Be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that at la&s;t the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lidia</HI> left <HI>Mandana</HI> and went unto her Chamber, which was &s;eparated from his only by a withdrawing Room which was commune to them both. She was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o &s;ooner gone, then knowing there was none with her but <HI>Arianita,</HI> I went unto my Ma&s;ter to bring him unto <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Chamber; the Captain who let us enter into the Cittadel brought us to the door and there left us, to the end he might take more care that none &s;hould di&s;cover us. As <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> prepared the Prince&s;s to receive a man who would relea&s;e her, and told her that it was I who would conduct him, &s;he
<PB N="122" REF="440">
wondered who it &s;hould be that would be her Deliverer: And I knew afterwards by <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;he did think it no other then the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus:</HI> So that her extra|ordinary fears, in thinking what dangers he expo&s;ed him&s;elf unto for her &s;ake, did cool all her joys when &s;he thought upon her hop'd-for Relea&s;ement. Then Madam, you may ea&s;ily imagine how infinitely the Prince&s;s was amazed, when in lieu of &s;eeing the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> enter, &s;he &s;aw the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> ca&s;ting him&s;elf at her feet, whom &s;he imagined to be dead: She turned ha&s;tily towards <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> to ask her, whether what &s;he &s;aw was real? and if it was, why &s;he did deceive her? <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who was no le&s;s amazed then the Prince&s;s, looked upon me with &s;o much Wonder, that &s;he could not ask me why I di&s;&s;embled with her? In the mean while, my Ma&s;ter, who was upon his knees before the Prince&s;s, he began to &s;peak thus unto her: You &s;ee here at your feet Madam a man that is ri&s;en from the dead; but ri&s;en as innocent, as he was culpable before your &s;hipwrack; Therefore I be&s;eech you do not treat me as I de&s;erved when I was &s;o unju&s;t as to carry you away, &s;ince I am not the &s;ame man now as I was then. I do not beg of you Madam, to let me love and adore you; for I am mo&s;t fully re&s;olved in the very reality of my heart, never to have any &s;uch thought as long as I live: All the whole &s;um of my Petition is, that you would be plea&s;ed to pardon my Crime, and give me leave to le&s;&s;en it a little, by procuring you that Liberty which I took from you. Ah <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;aid the Prince&s;s, I will not be deluded at <HI>Sardis</HI> as I was at <HI>Sinope,</HI> and I have no &s;uch thoughts of you at this pre|&s;ent as I had at that time. Yet I am now le&s;s worthy of your friend&s;hip (replyed he) then ever I was; for truly Madam, when I was at <HI>Babylon,</HI> I did nothing but &s;trive again&s;t that Pa&s;&s;ion which you had created in me; and truly though I did re|&s;i&s;t it with all my force, yet it was far too weak; for I was overcome by this impe|rious Pa&s;&s;ion; all the Virtue I had &s;ubmitted unto it: it expelled all Genero&s;ity and Rea&s;on out of my Soul; and at <HI>Sinope</HI> forced me to commit the mo&s;t unju&s;t act that ever was: I carryed you away Madam; I deceived you and carryed you away, in telling you that I would deliver you into who&s;e hands &s;oever you plea&s;ed: But my divine Prince&s;s, I was not long culpable, &s;ince my repentance was almo&s;t as &s;oon as the Crime was committed; and the Command which I gave unto the Pilot to &s;teer his cour&s;e towards <HI>Sinope,</HI> was that which put us in a peri&s;hing condition. No, no, <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;aid the Prince&s;s, you can never per&s;wade me to tru&s;t you, &s;ince you &s;o extreamly deceived me: For to let you &s;ee how horrid your Crime &s;eems in my eye, I do profe&s;s, that, excepting <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I will not tru&s;t any man upon Earth: I e&s;teemed you as much as I could e&s;teem any, and more then that, I loved you as well as I could do my Brother: Then I pray you judg, whether I have not rea&s;on to pa&s;s from one extremity unto another, &s;ince you have &s;o cunningly deceived me, and have cau&s;ed &s;o many mi&s;eries to fall upon me. Truly <HI>Mazares,</HI> I do admire at the plea&s;ure of the Gods in &s;aving your life, &s;ince you have not only been the cau&s;e of my mi&s;eries, but of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> which had not been up in Arms if you had not carryed me away. Cea&s;e Madam (replyed this &s;ad Prince) cea&s;e I be&s;eech you from any further aggravations of my Crime, &s;ince I &s;ee how great it is; for without the con&s;ideration of the mi&s;e|ries of others, I need think upon none but what I have cau&s;ed unto you: But Madam my repentance is &s;o &s;harp, that if you did but know the bitterne&s;s of it, I beleeve you would pity me; and though it be not proportionable to the greatne&s;s of my Crime, yet I cannot impo&s;e a &s;harper pennance upon my &s;elf, then that I &s;hould my &s;elf put you into the hands of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that happy Rival, whom the Gods do favour in &s;o high a manner, that his very Rivals them&s;elves are ready to relea&s;e unto him that Prin|ce&s;s whom they love as well as he doth: For this Madam, I have quitted my De&s;art, unto which I had confined my &s;elf: To this end I came into <HI>Lidia</HI> under a di&s;gui&s;ed Name; and it is my real re&s;olution to get you out of Pri&s;on: And the Gods have &s;o far &s;miled upon my Project, that if you will Madam, you &s;hall be relea&s;ed from hence, and carryed into the Camp of <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>Mazares</HI> had &s;poke the&s;e vvords, he &s;ighed &s;o &s;eriou&s;ly, and in &s;uch earne&s;t manner, as one might &s;ee his repentance was real: But yet for all that, the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> could not believe it; yet &s;ometimes the feeling expre&s;&s;ions of this &s;orrowful Prince would &s;omething &s;tagger her thoughts, but then immediately af|ter,
<PB N="123" REF="440">
diffidence would wholly &s;eize upon her heart, and &s;he could not po&s;&s;ibly be|lieve, that the de&s;ign of Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> was really to &s;et her at liberty: She per|ceived he had a great and powerful intelligence in the Cittadel, and &s;he was well e|nough per&s;waded, that he who could &s;o cunningly come in, could as vvell get out: But her belief told her at the &s;ame time, that his end was to carry her away the &s;e|cond time, and not really to relea&s;e her, &s;o that all his per&s;wa&s;ive arguments could not move her, but &s;he re&s;olutely told him, &s;he had rather &s;tay where &s;he was a pri|&s;oner &s;till, then to be fooled in following him: Alas Madam (&s;aid he unto her) Will you not believe me when I prote&s;t repentance, and to explate my crime, would &s;et you at liberty? I mu&s;t ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;s, that I have not power to &s;ay I do not love: And Madam, I am re&s;olved not to make a mixture of any lyes and truths to|gether, but I do mo&s;t &s;olemnly prote&s;t in the pre&s;ence of tho&s;e Gods which mu&s;t make all my projects pro&s;perous, that this pa&s;&s;ion is without the lea&s;t &s;park of any hope, or any pretention unto you in the world: I de&s;ire no more but a pardon of my crime, and to &s;et you at liberty, if it be obtained, I &s;hall not murmure at my death: It is but ju&s;t that this tormenting pa&s;&s;ion be &s;till in my &s;oul, as a more &s;e|vere penance for my fault, and &s;o be plea&s;ed to look upon it, and que&s;tionle&s;s you will allow it, e&s;pecially con&s;idering that I &s;ue for no other recompence: However, be not &s;o prepo&s;terou&s;ly re&s;olute as to believe me, vvhen I told a prejudicial lye, and not to believe me when I tell you a mo&s;t real truth, which &s;hall &s;et you at liberty: No, no, <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;aid the Prince&s;s, neither you nor any el&s;e &s;hall deceive me twice; I tru&s;ted you before, becau&s;e I thought you incapable of deceiving me, but &s;ince you have deceived me once, I will never tru&s;t you again: Do not think Ma|dam, replyed he, that it is now po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould have any ill de&s;ign upon you: How if I had any &s;uch? How could I put it into act? 'Tis true, I can get you out of pri&s;on, becau&s;e the Camp of <HI>Cyrus</HI> is neer, and a &s;afe place of retreat: But &s;hould I have any de&s;ign to carry you for any ends of my own, how is it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould effect it? <HI>Sardis</HI> would be no &s;afety to hide you in it, all the Country is full of Forces belonging unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> what therefore could I do with you? I know not, &s;aid &s;he, neither where <HI>Cyrus</HI> is, or what cour&s;e you would take, but I know ve|ry well I cannot tru&s;t you: Why Madam, &s;aid he unto her, Will you refu&s;e your liberty, becau&s;e it is offered by a Prince whom you do not love? The rea&s;on why I love him not (replyed &s;he) is becau&s;e I do not believe he has any intention to re|lea&s;e me, and de&s;igns no further then to make me change my Chains; and truly I had rather (&s;ince I think you only intend to remove me from pri&s;on to pri&s;on) be with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lydia,</HI> then with you. To make it apparent Madam, &s;aid he, That I have no ends of my own in it, be plea&s;ed to know, that my de&s;ign is not on|ly to relea&s;e you, but the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> al&s;o, and that it is by a devoted &s;ervant unto a Woman of hers that I have this intelligence in this Cittadel; and therefore Madam you need not doubt the &s;incerity of my intentions: I doubt all, replied &s;he, For I had rather &s;u&s;pect your words, then that they &s;hould deceive me again: But <HI>Or&s;anus;</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, and turned towards me) I did not think it po&s;&s;ible that you &s;hould &s;econd your Ma&s;ter in &s;uch a piece of &s;ervice as this, and I have alwayes known &s;o much virtue in your mind, that I rather will think he deludes you, then that you have any intentions to delude me, as he hath: Madam, replied I, give me leave to a&s;&s;ure you, that the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> hath no intentions to deceive you.</P>
<P>Alas <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) it &s;eems you are not &s;o wi&s;e as I am, if you think &s;o: Truly Madam (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;peaking to the Prince&s;s) Since <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> &s;ayes it, methinks credit ought to be given to his words, becau&s;e he is not in Love, and by con&s;equence more to be believed then the Prince <HI>Mazares:</HI> To te&s;tifie unto you Ma|dam (&s;aid my Ma&s;ter &s;peaking to <HI>Mandana)</HI> I will remain in your pri&s;on after you are gone out, and an illu&s;trious friend, who I met with in my &s;olitude, &s;hall con|duct you to the mo&s;t happy <HI>Cyrus,</HI> whil'&s;t I &s;tay here, and patiently indure the death which <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> &s;hall give me, and I promi&s;e you to accept it with much joy, &s;o you will promi&s;e me a favourable memory: And I will do more then that al&s;o if you plea&s;e (&s;aid he, being tran&s;ported with the violence of his Love and di&s;pair, to &s;ee &s;he would not believe him) for I will kill my &s;elf before you go out of that pri&s;on
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which I will open unto you: If I could believe what you &s;peak, (replyed the Prin|ce&s;s) I &s;hould tell you, that your death in that manner would extreamly trouble me, but in truth I cannot believe you: However, I be&s;eech you acknowledg thus much at the lea&s;t, that if hereafter you once believe me, you will then le&s;&s;en your hatred towards me: I &s;hall do more then that, &s;aid &s;he, For if ever I once believe you, I &s;hall be able to forget what's pa&s;t, and to pardon you, and I think liberty &s;o &s;weet, and your act &s;o generous, that I &s;hould afford you my e&s;teem and friend|&s;hip: But the wor&s;t is, I neither do nor can tru&s;t you; and looking upon you as a Prince, who would deceive me once more, I look upon you with anger and hatred. Was ever mi&s;ery comparable to mine? (cryed he out) You tell that you vvould pardon me, and afford me your friend&s;hip, if what I &s;peak were true; and yet you are &s;o unju&s;t, as to look upon me with anger and hatred, though truth it &s;elf is not truer, then that I would relea&s;e you: I be&s;eech you tell me what I &s;hould do to per|&s;wade you of this truth, and to lay open my heart unto you: I know not, replyed &s;he, but I am &s;ure I cannot believe what you &s;ay; therefore go and move tho&s;e that let you in, to let you out pre&s;ently, and content your &s;elf that I am &s;o generous as not to ruine you, by adverti&s;ing the Guards who I am &s;ure you have not corrupted, that you are here: Do not think that the rea&s;on why I do it not, is becau&s;e I make any doubts whether what you &s;ay be true or fal&s;e; but my rea&s;on is, becau&s;e I am not cruel, and becau&s;e your fir&s;t &s;ervices were &s;o con&s;iderable, that I will not be the cau&s;e of your death: For Heavens &s;ake Madam (&s;aid he unto her) do not drive me to di&s;pair, but believe me: For Heavens &s;ake, replyed &s;he, trouble me no more, but leave me in quietne&s;s: I be&s;eech you deare <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid this Prince) per&s;wade your illu&s;trious Mi&s;tre&s;s to credit my words: Sir (replyed the wi&s;e Lady) I profe&s;s unto you, that for my part I do believe you, but truly I dare not advi&s;e the Prince&s;s to do &s;o, becau&s;e it is not fitting for me to give her coun&s;el in any thing: What &s;hall I do then? replyed he, Or indeed what can I do but die? For &s;ince I quitted my &s;olitary life only to deliver you (&s;aid he to <HI>Mandana)</HI> and &s;o to obtain my pardon, and am not able to obtain either, I will never look for a|ny thing but death, and I will &s;eek for it upon all occa&s;ions in all places, where there is any po&s;&s;ibility of finding it: Indeed Madam, &s;ince you cannot indure me, neither as your Lover, nor as your friend, nor I am able to make you believe my repentance, I mu&s;t and will find out &s;uch dangers, as &s;hall certainly rid you for ever from the &s;ight of that Prince whom you hate, and from who&s;e hand you vvill not receive your liberty.</P>
<P>The Prince&s;s hearing my Ma&s;ter &s;peak &s;o violently, did believe this peril and dan|ger whereof he &s;poke, was, that he would fight with the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus;</HI> &s;o that &s;he expre&s;&s;ed &s;ome fears that he would make &s;ome attempts again&s;t this Prince: He no &s;ooner under&s;tood her meaning, but not giving her time to expre&s;s her thoughts: I under&s;tand you Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I under&s;tand you very well: You would have <HI>Cyrus</HI> have the advantage of me, becau&s;e you would not have me fight with him: But never fear Madam, that I will ever entertain any &s;uch thoughts again&s;t him, I owe more re&s;pect unto you then &s;o, and I am &s;o obliged unto that Prince, as I cannot do it with honour: Therefore Madam if it be my fortune to die by the hand of illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he mu&s;t &s;eek me out, and kill me without any defending of my &s;elf, which I know is infinitely below him. The&s;e Madam are the thoughts of him, whom you think would deceive you: And I be&s;eech you believe, that when I meet <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I &s;hall beg my death from his hand as a recompence for that &s;ervice which I would have done you, as the only remedy again&s;t all tho&s;eevils which I in|dure: And when all this is done Madam, will you hate <HI>Mazares</HI> both alive and dead? Whil'&s;t this Prince was &s;peaking thus, the Prince&s;s looked &s;eriou&s;ly upon him; and &s;ometimes I was in hope his per&s;wa&s;ions had wrought upon her, but yet they did not; yet notwith&s;tanding &s;he u&s;ed &s;uch &s;weet expre&s;&s;ions to him after he had decla|red him&s;elf concerning <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that if the conference had la&s;ted a little longer, I know not whether this virtuous Prince&s;s had not been overcome. But the Captain who let us enter, coming to tell us that it was full time to go out of the Cittadel, a nece&s;&s;ity compelled us to retire, without any further per&s;wa&s;ions upon the Prince&s;s
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<HI>Mandana,</HI> and with deep &s;orrows, that &s;o great an enterprize &s;o neer execution &s;hould be uneffected: And when my Ma&s;ter came to his own Lodging, and related the &s;tory unto <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> I could not chu&s;e but admire at the greatne&s;s of his Pa&s;&s;ion by the horror of his de&s;pair: Death and nothing el&s;e was his thoughts; he could not imagine why he &s;hould or how he could live: &s;o that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and I had much ado to moderate the fury which he conceived again&s;t him&s;elf.</P>
<P>My greate&s;t admiration was, that the &s;ight of <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould more augment his repentance, and confirm him in his generous de&s;ign: The Guards upon the Prince&s;s; her Lodgings, and a thou&s;and other circum&s;tances, which he ob&s;erved at his entrance and coming out of the Cittadel, though it was very dark, were &s;o many additions to his &s;orrows: 'Tis I, would he &s;ay, only I, that am the fatal cau&s;e of her Impri&s;onment; that &s;he meets with all the&s;e horrid objects, and that &s;he enjoys not a minutes re&s;t; and &s;he hath rightly proportioned her hatred, according to tho&s;e mi&s;eries which I have cau&s;ed upon her; for I think it is impo&s;&s;ible to be hated more then &s;he does me; if &s;he did not, &s;he would never chu&s;e an Impri&s;onment under a Prince who hath a potent Army to oppo&s;e <HI>Cyrus,</HI> rather then hazard her &s;elf upon that danger which &s;he fears: Certainly &s;he hates me more then &s;he doth the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> for if &s;he did not, though I &s;hould carry her away the &s;econd time, yet it were a ea&s;ier matter for <HI>Cyrus</HI> to force her out of my hands, then from two Princes who have all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> engaged in their Intere&s;ts: But que&s;tionle&s;s it is the Will of the Gods, that &s;he will not only not love me, but infinitely hate me: Yet for all this, I under&s;tand, or think I under&s;tand (for my Rea&s;on is &s;o ravelled, that I dare not credit my own in|tellectuals) that if <HI>Mandana</HI> could beleeve me really penitent, &s;he would then e&s;teem me, and be my real friend: For Heavens &s;ake (&s;aid he) go to <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> once more, and &s;olicit her to do more then I my &s;elf can: Bid her per&s;wade her incom|parable Mi&s;tre&s;s, not to refu&s;e her Liberty, and let her contrive what &s;ecurity I &s;hall give her, that my only end is her Relea&s;ement: The matter requires ha&s;te; for if our enterprize be not executed while the Treaty la&s;ts, it will never be effected, &s;ince if it do break off, I mu&s;t go into the Army, and con&s;equently cannot &s;tay here unle&s;s &s;u&s;pected: The counterfeiting my &s;elf to be not well at this time, that I may have more liberty to negotiate the bu&s;ine&s;s, does already begin to perplex the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> therefore dear <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> try once more what may be done, that our enter|prize may not be fru&s;trate. You may imagine, that I was not able to deny &s;uch a reque&s;t unto a Prince who had &s;o much prevalency with me, and who required no|thing that was unju&s;t: But for a more colourable pretence of the bu&s;ine&s;s, I took the Letter which <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was to deliver unto <HI>Celeni&s;e,</HI> and intended to de&s;ire <HI>Mar|te&s;ia</HI> to deliver it unto her: &s;o that foliciting the Captain who was of our Intelli|gence, he permitted me the next night to enter into the Cittadel, and helped me to the &s;peech of <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> unto whom I u&s;ed my be&s;t arguments, that &s;he would let the Prince&s;s know how much &s;he did prejudice her &s;elf in refu&s;ing her Liberty: and in|deed I was &s;o importunate with her, that I am confident &s;he beleeved me: but as for the Prince&s;s, &s;he told me, that &s;he was very mi&s;tru&s;tful &s;till. Afterwards, when I told her I had a Letter for <HI>Celeni&s;e,</HI> &s;he replyed upon me, that it would be to no purpo&s;e, becau&s;e the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> would certainly never go out of Pri&s;on but by the hand of her Father; and that <HI>Celeni&s;e</HI> would never leave her Mi&s;tre&s;s; yet I be&s;eeched her to &s;end for her, to the end I might give her <HI>Tegeus</HI> his Letter, which
<HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> did. When &s;he came, &s;he told me with fears in her eyes, that &s;he was much beholding unto <HI>Tegeus,</HI> but &s;he could not per&s;wade her Mi&s;tre&s;s to go out of the Cittadel, nor could &s;he po&s;&s;ibly leave her. When I found that the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of the&s;e two Ladies, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Celeni&s;e,</HI> were ineffectual: I was &s;o urgent with <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to let me &s;peak unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> once more, that at la&s;t &s;he per|mitted me; and I followed her into her Chamber, after &s;he had asked leave, and a&s;&s;ured her <HI>Mazares</HI> was not there: But all my Rhetorical Rea&s;ons were not able to rai&s;e one grain of credit unto what I de&s;ired &s;he &s;hould beleeve; all that I could po&s;&s;ibly obtain from her, was, that I brought her to make a doubt upon the matter, which &s;he never did till this la&s;t time: yet &s;ince &s;he would not hazard her going out upon doubtful terms, it did not alter her re&s;olution. Madam (&s;aid I then unto her)
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&s;uppo&s;e that what I &s;ay be true, were it not a piece of Inju&s;tice in you not to accept of his intentions to repair the fault which he hath committed? For my part Madam, methinks it is not &s;uitable to your u&s;ual goodne&s;s; for what would you have my Ma&s;ter do? I know his very thoughts; and do a&s;&s;ure you, his coming unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was only with a de&s;ign of relea&s;ing you; and that his only ayms in fighting for him, was only to &s;et you at Liberty: But you Madam will not accept of that Liberty which he offers you, he will not &s;tay any longer on that &s;ide which is not yours, nor dare he go on to the &s;ide of <HI>Cyrus</HI> unle&s;s he carry you with him: What then Madam &s;hould he do? I be&s;eech you &s;uffer not &s;o great a Prince to peri&s;h, as que|&s;tionle&s;s he will, unle&s;s you afford him &s;ome hopes of being ju&s;tified in your opinion, and beleeve that his Virtue tran&s;cends his Love, and his Repentance his Crime. Truly Madam, I am in more then half a mind to tell you, that I will never go from this place, until my humble prayers have obtained what I de&s;ire in my Ma&s;ters be|half. <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, your expre&s;&s;ions do both trouble and affright me; for how can I think you &s;peak &s;incerely? and yet how can I think you can de|ceive me? and how can I ever imagine that a Prince who was &s;o unju&s;t as to carry me away, &s;hould afterwards be &s;o generous as to repair his faults? yet to &s;peak &s;in|cerely unto you, I begin to think it not impo&s;&s;ible: But my greate&s;t difficulty is, that I cannot credit the Prince <HI>Mazares:</HI> I perceive there is a way to get out of pri&s;on, but all per&s;wa&s;ions cannot move me to follow it: and the truth is, the act of the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> and the act of the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> makes me to &s;u&s;pect every thing, and dares not tru&s;t any thing; therefore I pray you importune me no more unto a thing which I cannot do. What then will become of my Ma&s;ter (&s;aid I unto her) if you be not plea&s;ed to &s;hew him a way how he may manife&s;t it unto you, that his real intentions are to relea&s;e you? I be&s;eech you Madam, think upon it, and pro|cure not unto your &s;elf hereafter the name of a murtherer of the mo&s;t virtuous Prin|ce&s;s upon Earth. To &s;hew you <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, that I will not deny you every thing, but that I &s;hould be glad the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> had &s;ome opportunities to expre&s;s &s;ome convincing te&s;timonies of his real penitency, and an infallible way to recover my e&s;teem and friend&s;hip, tell him, that I would have him go and fight for my Liberty in fighting for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> which if he do, I &s;hall then beleeve that his real intention was to relea&s;e me. But Madam, &s;aid I unto her, <HI>Cyrus</HI> perhaps will not give my Ma&s;ter any good entertainment. Que&s;tionle&s;s he will receive him as his friend, replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> if he be per&s;waded that his de&s;ign was to relea&s;e me. To make a better way for his acceptance, I will write a Letter unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> which <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;hall give him, which &s;hall te&s;tifie how I e&s;teem him if he become as vir|tuous as formerly he was. Then did I accept of her offer; not only becau&s;e I had a great de&s;ire my Ma&s;ter &s;hould be out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> le&s;t our plot &s;hould be di&s;covered by <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> or the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> but al&s;o becau&s;e I conceived it would be an infi|nite advantage unto my Ma&s;ter if he were once the friend of the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus.</HI> In conclu&s;ion Madam, this great Prince&s;s did write her Letter unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and told me in good earne&s;t, that if <HI>Mazares</HI> took this cour&s;e, &s;he would think his ayms were hone&s;t, and &s;he would let him have her e&s;teem and friend&s;hip; &s;o that in this a&s;&s;u|rance I left her: yet I did attempt a little further in my Ma&s;ters behalf: but do what <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and I could, this was all we could obtain. After this, I went unto my Ma|&s;ter, who expected me with great impatience, though he had no hopes in the world of my effecting any thing; and truly it was happy his hope was &s;o low, for it induced him to accept of this Propo&s;ition which the Prince&s;s made with better re&s;entments: and when I a&s;&s;ured him that if he took this cour&s;e, the Prince&s;s would then freely pardon him, and remit him into her e&s;teem, he could not chu&s;e but rejoyce: yet was he &s;orry to &s;ee he could not obtain any thing from the Prince&s;s but by turning on the other &s;ide without any colourable pretence: and he made a dorr, whether or no he &s;hould deliver this Letter unto <HI>Cyrus;</HI> but after a &s;trong conte&s;t of two hours with his own heart, his Virtue did at la&s;t overcome his Pa&s;&s;ion: and after all this time of contemplat on with him&s;elf, he returned unto <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and me with much melan|lancholy in his face, but yet vvith more tranquility in his eyes, then vve had &s;een of many days. Well my friends (&s;aid he unto us) my Pa&s;&s;ion hath &s;ubmitted; I have
<PB N="127" REF="442">
got the Victory, and &s;ince I cannot relea&s;e my Prince&s;s, I am re&s;olved to do what|&s;oever &s;he commands me: But &s;ince I am a Delinquent to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> as well as unto the Prince&s;s, and de&s;ire to expiate that crime as well as the other, I wi&s;h we could by the means of <HI>Tegeus,</HI> and the re&s;t of our friends relea&s;e him.</P>
<P>As he was &s;peaking this, <HI>Andramites</HI> came unto him, and &s;aid that things were all in a mighty confu&s;ion, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Abradates</HI> were quite out, and that <HI>A|bradates</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> were declared enemies, that all the Princes and peo|ple al&s;o began to &s;ide, that one who&s;e name was <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> and who had formerly quitted the party of the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and came unto the King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> did mo&s;t cunningly foment the&s;e divi&s;ions; that according to his promi&s;e he came to tell him, how the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> (knowing <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> &s;ought for nothing but a pretence to break off the Treaty, concerning the exchange of Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> for you Ma|dam) was re&s;olved to quit his &s;ide: And moreover (&s;aid <HI>Andramites)</HI> I am &s;ure for my part that I &s;hall be clapt up in pri&s;on, &s;o that I am ab&s;olutely re&s;olved to fol|low your fortunes, which will be, (and the be&s;t cour&s;e) to go unto the party of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> Nor am I to be blamed, if for the &s;ecurity of my per&s;on, and relea&s;ement of my Mi&s;tre&s;s, I go and take &s;ide with the Enemy. The Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> hearing <HI>Andramites</HI> &s;peak thus, was very glad of it, becau&s;e he &s;aw a convenient way for his revolt, and that it would be much more ea&s;ie for him to get out of the Camp of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> with others, then if he went to <HI>Cyrus</HI> by him&s;elf, for the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> did keep many vigilant eyes upon him, as long as he was at <HI>Sardis.</HI> After then he had lent an attentive ear unto all that <HI>Andramites</HI> told him, who did aggravate the inju|&s;tice of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> with as much zeal as po&s;&s;ibly could be in a man, who longed to be with his fair <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> he told him, that all his intere&s;ts &s;hould ever be his, and that he would do what&s;oever plea&s;ed him: Yet (&s;aid he unto him) If we could devi&s;e a way to relea&s;e the pri&s;oners, we &s;hould be more acceptable to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and I have a mo&s;t infallible way to effect it, if you will leave the whole matter unto me: In conclu&s;ion Madam, <HI>Andramites</HI> con&s;ented unto all my Ma&s;ters de&s;ires; and <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and my &s;elf did &s;o negotiate with <HI>Tegeus,</HI> that the bu&s;ine&s;s was ready for execution the next day following: But we could not po&s;&s;ibly devi&s;e which way to relea&s;e the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> becau&s;e he had a particular Guard over him, with whom tho&s;e of <HI>Tegeus</HI> had no acquaintance; and the rea&s;on why he was more &s;trictly guarded then the re&s;t, was, becau&s;e he had a hundred thou&s;and friends in <HI>Lydia:</HI> So that the &s;ame which was his happine&s;s, turned at this time to his mi&s;ery. And thus we were con|tented to endeavour only the liberty of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> of <HI>So&s;icles,</HI> of <HI>Tege|us,</HI> of <HI>Feraulas,</HI> and of the &s;tranger <HI>Anaxaris:</HI> Since he who commanded the Guard over them was an intimate friend unto <HI>Tegeus</HI> (though <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was igno|rant of it) there was no great difficulty in the bu&s;ine&s;s; therefore about two hours before day, the Prince <HI>Mazares, Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;ome other of their friends and my &s;elf, went unto the Captain who &s;tayed for us, and as it was agreed among&s;t us, he carried us unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s Chamber, who waking at the noy&s;e which we made at our entrance, was extreamly amazed to &s;ee, (by the help of a great Candle which hung in the middle of the Room) that it was the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> (whom he thought dead) which approached towards him. This Prince being na|turally of a violent temper, knew not well whether he was awake, or dream't, or whether it was a man or a Gho&s;t: But he rai&s;ed him&s;elf upon his Bed, and drawing the Curtain which was of T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rian Purple; What do I &s;ee (&s;aid he in a furious and loud tone) Did you come from the &s;hadows of death to pronounce the end of my life? Or are you yet among&s;t the living, that I may puni&s;h you for your Trea&s;on again&s;t me? Sir (replied the Prince my Ma&s;ter without any turbulency) you &s;hall know from whence I came when you are out of your pri&s;on, from whence I came to re|lea&s;e you, that I may thereby make &s;ome &s;atisfaction for the wrong which I have done you: How <HI>Mazares</HI> (replied he) Mu&s;t I be beholding unto you for my li|berty? You mu&s;t Sir (replied my Ma&s;ter) But I be&s;eech you make ha&s;t and follow us: No, no, (replied that violent Prince) I will never owe my liberty to that man, who took <HI>Mandana</HI> from me: When I have relea&s;ed you (replied <HI>Mazares)</HI> I
<PB N="128" REF="443">
&s;hall never think you beholding to me for it, &s;ince in giving you liberty, I have gi|ven you nothing but what I took away from you: Yet if you will help the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> to relea&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> you mu&s;t accept of that liberty which I offer you, and accept of it pre&s;ently, for time is precious. Ah <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;aid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria,</HI> Have you found out way to relea&s;e me? Yet if I do accept of it, I will not promi&s;e you to forget what's pa&s;t, becau&s;e then I &s;hould forget <HI>Mandana</HI> and my &s;elf both: All that I will &s;ay is, That I will u&s;e all the faculties in my power that my friends, my Rivals, and my Enemies &s;hall not exceed me in genero&s;ity; and therefore it may be &s;uppo&s;ed, that I am not le&s;s generous then you are, and that I &s;hall be Ma&s;ter of my own thoughts: However Sir (replied the Prince <HI>Mazares)</HI> I be|&s;eech you make all the ha&s;t you can: Then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> Guards, who were all of our intelligence, helped to dre&s;s him: Then <HI>Mazares</HI> offering him a Sword with the &s;ame re&s;pect he u&s;ed to him when he was in <HI>Babylon:</HI> Here Sir (&s;aid he unto him) take that, and puni&s;h <HI>Mazares</HI> with it when you have relea&s;ed <HI>Man|dana,</HI> if you think your &s;elf not &s;atisfied: Oh, I wi&s;h to the Gods (replied the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> in accepting the Sword very civilly) that vve could relea&s;e that Divine Prince&s;s vvhom vve have made &s;o mi&s;erable, and again&s;t vvhom both you and I have been &s;o culpable and unfortunate.</P>
<P>After this, &s;triving vvith him&s;elf, be cooled his fury and anger, and thinking <HI>Andramites,</HI> whom he knevv to be the &s;ame vvhich guarded the Prince&s;s, and brought him to <HI>Sardis,</HI> he followed <HI>Mazares</HI> and him, or to &s;ay better, vve all follovved <HI>Tegeus</HI> and the Captain, vvho guarded the pri&s;oners, vvho by a back pair of &s;tairs did let us out &s;o &s;ecretly, that tho&s;e Souldiers vvho vvere not of the Guard never perceived us. After this vve met vvith no rub in the bu&s;ine&s;s, becau&s;e <HI>An|dramites,</HI> vvho vvas Lievtenant-General of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> his Army, had cau&s;ed a Cap|tain, vvho vvas his creature, to guard a Gate of the Tovvn, tovvards <HI>Abradates</HI> his Quarter, vvhether vve intended to go, and as vve did, vvithout any ob&s;tacle at all. As &s;oon as vve came unto the Tent of <HI>Abradates,</HI> vve advi&s;ed upon our be&s;t cour&s;e, and it vvas re&s;olved Sir (&s;aid <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech to <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that to prevent all danger, the&s;e Princes &s;hould not yet come into your Camp, be|cau&s;e the day began to break, and becau&s;e the Brother of <HI>Andramites,</HI> vvho kept the pa&s;s over the River <HI>Halis,</HI> vvould not have been to order things &s;o &s;uddenly to let us pa&s;s. Al&s;o &s;ince the Quarter of <HI>Abradates</HI> vvas in a very advantagious Trench, he did not fear that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> vvould fall upon him. Moreover it vvas imagined, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> could not &s;o &s;oon recover his a&s;toni&s;hment, into vvhich the departure of the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;omena,</HI> and the e&s;cape of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had put him: And in the mean time, le&s;t you Sir &s;hould be too much alarum'd, and that you might give order that the Forces of <HI>Abradates</HI> might pa&s;s with le&s;s difficulty, I obtained leave Sir to come and acquaint you, that your Army was to be &s;trengthened with three of the mo&s;t valiant Princes upon earth, with many other men of Quality, and with four thou&s;and of the be&s;t Souldiers in all the Army of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us. Feraulas</HI> did think to have the honour of this imployment from me; but &s;ince he was not able to make &s;o perfect a relation of all things unto you Sir, as I could, therefore I op|po&s;ed his de&s;ign: He will not long be deprived of the honour of &s;eeing you Sir, for the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> re&s;olves to di&s;ingage this evening, as &s;oon as it is dark, to pa&s;s over the river <HI>Halis</HI> before day, and to be with you at Sun-ri&s;e.</P>
<P>This Sir is the &s;ub&s;tance of what I have to tell you, mo&s;t humbly be&s;eeching you to believe, that I have truly related the generous alteration that is in my Ma&s;ters mind; and therefore I conjure you to look upon him as your friend, and not as your Rival: But &s;ince my prayers are too incon&s;iderable to obtain my de&s;ires, I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech the&s;e two great Prince&s;&s;es to intercede for me, making no que&s;tion, but they are able to obtain them for me.</P>
<P><HI>Or&s;anus</HI> having ended his Speech, <HI>Panthea</HI> and <HI>Araminta</HI> did &s;econd his de&s;ires, and intreated <HI>Cyrus</HI> to bury all pa&s;t pa&s;&s;ages in the pit of Oblivion, and not to doubt of the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> his repentance. <HI>Cyrus</HI> would not let them go on: I
<PB N="129" REF="443">
be&s;eech you, &s;aid he unto them, Do not take from me the glory of vanqui&s;hing my &s;elf, and let not <HI>Mazares</HI> be a debtor unto your genero&s;ity, for that which he expects from mine: Though I mu&s;t confe&s;s it is no &s;mall difficulty to admit a Rival for a friend, and &s;uch a Rival e&s;pecially as carried away the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> and therefore by virtue may be beholding unto &s;uch examples as your &s;elves: But &s;ince the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> is not now my Rival, and can become my friend, I &s;hall ea&s;i|ly admit him &s;o, and by his example, &s;hall perhaps become as generous in forget|ing the wrongs he hath done <HI>Mandana,</HI> as he hath been in his repentance: But Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;poke unto <HI>Panthea)</HI> doubtle&s;s it is to you I am a debtor for the&s;e great Auxiliaries which the valiant <HI>Abradates</HI> brings, &s;ince he would ne|ver have &s;o &s;harply re&s;ented the inju&s;tice of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> but for the love which he bears unto you: I would it were as you &s;ay Sir (replied &s;he) for I &s;hould be glad that I were able to pay any part of that debt which I owe you: I would it were the will of the Gods (replied the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta)</HI> That I had the &s;ame advantage you have, and that the King my Brother would be moved unto repentance by the excel|lent example of the Prince <HI>Mazares:</HI> However it be Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto this Prince&s;s) I be&s;eech you do not let it trouble you to &s;ee the Forces of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> weak|ned; and mine &s;trengthened, &s;ince I will ingage my word, that the &s;ooner I am Conquerour, the &s;ooner &s;hall the misfortunes of your hou&s;e end. In the mean time, &s;ince it is requi&s;ite &s;ome orders &s;hould be given for the reception of tho&s;e who are coming to help us to conquer, I be&s;eech you give me leave to depart from you.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> retired, leaving the heart of <HI>Panthea</HI> full of joy, and carry|ing <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> with him, of whom he asked a thou&s;and que&s;tions, in returning to his Quarter.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as he come there, he made choice of &s;ome Troops which he vvould &s;end to receive <HI>Abradates,</HI> and the re&s;t, with whom <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> returned, to a&s;&s;ure his Ma&s;ter that <HI>Cyrus</HI> would protect him. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> ordered all things him&s;elf, even to the very lodgings of the King of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> of <HI>Mazares,</HI> of <HI>Andramites;</HI> of the re&s;t of any quality who came with them, and of all the re&s;t of the Regiments which they brought, for he would not fail in the lea&s;t circum&s;tance of what was fit|ing: In retarning to his Tent, he met <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and carried them with him to acquaint them (as men of tender and pa&s;&s;ionate &s;ouls) with what had happened: Do you not admire (&s;aid he unto them, after he had related the &s;ub|&s;tance of what <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> told him) at the odne&s;s of my phanta&s;tical fate, which al|wayes differs from all other de&s;tinies in the world? Do you not &s;ee how I have found a Rival whom I cannot look upon as an Enemy, nor hate, unle&s;s I go again&s;t the Law of genero&s;ity, but I mu&s;t admit him into the degree of a friend, and protect him in my Army, who perhaps will help me to relea&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> that he may car|ry her away the &s;econd time? Not but that I do believe all <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> told me, who&s;e hone&s;ty I cannot &s;u&s;pect; yet for all that, I have much ado to under&s;tand how it is po&s;&s;ible one &s;hould love, and never pretend to be loved again. If you had offend|ed as <HI>Mazares</HI> hath (replied <HI>Aglatidas)</HI> as amorous as you are, I believe you would think it enough if you vvere pardoned, and be contented with it: I think &s;o too, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> But I think al&s;o, that as &s;oon as I was pardoned, I &s;hould de&s;ire &s;omething further, for the very Nature of Love is to de&s;ire it; and it mu&s;t nece&s;&s;a|rily be concluded, that if <HI>Mazares</HI> de&s;ire no more, he is not in Love: However, I know it is impo&s;&s;ible to leave loving <HI>Mandana,</HI> and therefore I am certain <HI>Mazares</HI> will be my Rival for ever: Yet it appears plainly (replied <HI>Ligdamis)</HI> that genero|&s;ity hath at this pre&s;ent a great power upon the heart of this Prince, otherwi&s;e he would never have relea&s;ed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who is his Rival as well as you are: What would you have me &s;ay, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but that all accidents unto me are &s;o full of wonder, that they deprive me of my rea&s;on. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was very &s;orry that <HI>Mandana</HI> would not let <HI>Mazares</HI> relea&s;e her: and immediately after he would be very glad of it that he had not, thinking it a &s;hame any &s;hould relea&s;e her but him&s;elf: yet however he was very unquiet in his thoughts, but his unquietne&s;s la&s;ted not long, for the con&s;tancy which he found in <HI>Mandana</HI>'s mind did di&s;&s;ipate all manner of other fears or doubts or perplexities. 'Tis true, he had many cau&s;es of vexation other|wi&s;e;
<PB N="134" REF="444">
yet he found his Party &s;o con&s;iderably &s;trengthened, that his hopes of Victory did &s;weeten every thing el&s;e; &s;o that he pa&s;&s;ed away the re&s;t of the night with <HI>A|glatidas</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> in much &s;erenity of mind: Yet he &s;lept very little that night, as well becau&s;e the &s;ight of <HI>Mazares</HI> would trouble him, as in expectation of his new addition of Forces. He was no &s;ooner adverti&s;ed by his Spies which he had purpo&s;ely &s;et, that <HI>Abradates</HI> had pa&s;&s;ed over the River <HI>Halis</HI> with his Troops; but he took hor&s;e, after he had &s;ent to acquaint the Kings of <HI>Phrigia</HI> and <HI>Hircania,</HI> and other Princes of his Army: &s;o that in a very &s;hort time having abundance with him, he went to meet the&s;e Princes &s;ome thirty furlongs from his Camp. He was no &s;ooner come on to a little ri&s;ing ground, but he &s;aw the Troops of <HI>Abradates</HI> appear, and tho&s;e which he had &s;ent out meet with them; &s;o that marching forward with about five hundred Hor&s;es only, he met <HI>Abradates</HI> and his Rival: When the&s;e two Bodies were &s;o neer, that the fir&s;t Ranks might know each other, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Abradates</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> (out of the re&s;pect which they owed unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> as their ancient Conqueror, and as now to be their Protector) did leave their main Body, and advanced towards him: <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw their action, but he did the &s;ame, both &s;ides alighting from their Hor&s;es at the &s;ame time &s;ome twenty paces from each other. <HI>Abradates,</HI> as it was agreed between the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Ma|zares</HI> and him&s;elf, did advance the fir&s;t, and pre&s;ented the re&s;t unto <HI>Cyrus.</HI> Sir, &s;aid he unto him, If I had come alone unto you, I &s;hould have feared my recepti|on; but &s;ince I bring with me two &s;uch valiant Princes, and &s;o many gallant men which follow them, I dare hope you will not deny us protection, e&s;pecially when you con&s;ider, that I have brought a Prince, who would have brought the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> to you, if &s;he would have given credit to him, and who would have brought the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> al&s;o if it had been po&s;&s;ible. Upon his &s;aying &s;o, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;aluted <HI>Cyrus:</HI> the fir&s;t of the&s;e with a kind of angry civility, and the other with a mo&s;t melancholy re&s;pect: <HI>Cyrus</HI> returned the&s;e &s;alutes very civilly, though with more coldne&s;s then he re&s;olved; yet he &s;poke unto them with incomparable genero&s;ity as &s;oon as he had overcome his natural repugnancy to embrace his Rivals and the Ravi&s;hers of <HI>Mandana;</HI> and as &s;oon as this aver&s;e Cere|mony was over, I make no doubt at all of Victory now (&s;aid he unto them) nor can Fortune as powerful as &s;he is prevent the Relea&s;ement of <HI>Mandana.</HI> You may &s;ee by this Sir (&s;aid <HI>Mazares</HI> unto him, and gave him <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Letter) that the adored Prince&s;s you &s;peak of might have been out of Pri&s;on had &s;he plea&s;ed, and that I did my be&s;t to obtain my pardon. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then taking <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Letter from the hand of his Rival with as great an agitation of &s;pirit as <HI>Mazares</HI> had in giving it, he opened it, and after a civil Complement unto the Prince&s;s, he read the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>MANDANA</HI> to the Invincible <HI>CYRUS.</HI></HEAD>
<P>IF the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> be &s;o generous as to give you this Letter, and will fight for you, then receive him as if he had relea&s;ed me, &s;ince it was long only of my &s;elf, that I was not relea&s;ed by him; Render therefore unto his Virtue that which I have refu&s;ed him; and be a&s;&s;ured he will merit your friend&s;hip if is be true that his repentance be real: Therefore without any remembrance of his carrying me away from <HI>Sinope,</HI> think how he protected me at <HI>Babylon,</HI> and would have relea&s;ed me out of <HI>Sardis:</HI> Live therefore with him as if he were always your Friend, and as if he had never been your Rival; And be a&s;&s;ured that you will &s;en&s;ibly oblige her who is the mo&s;t ju&s;t and mo&s;t acknowledging per&s;on in the world. Adieu; Extract out of the la&s;t words in this Letter all the c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n&s;o|lation that &s;he can give you, who&s;e Name is with a true Epithite, &V;nfortunate</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>MANDANA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>While&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> was reading this Letter, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s mind was full of un|imaginable torment; and &s;peaking unto <HI>Mazares</HI> in a low voyce, You are a happy man (&s;aid he unto him) that can with &s;uch a calm and moderate Pa&s;&s;ion give
<PB N="135" REF="444">
<HI>Mandana</HI>'s Letter unto your Rival. I do not think my &s;elf to be in any condition of envy (replyed <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;adly) and I beleeve you would think &s;o as well as I, if you did but know my heart. As they were thus talking together, <HI>Cyrus</HI> having read this Letter which infu&s;ed much calmne&s;s into his &s;pirit, he looked upon <HI>Mazares</HI> with much mildne&s;s; and a&s;&s;ured him mo&s;t obligingly and generou&s;ly both, that he would e&s;teem him as the Relea&s;er of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and never remember his act at <HI>Si|nope:</HI> So that <HI>Mazares,</HI> maugre the Pa&s;&s;ion of his Soul, was ravi&s;hed with admira|tion as well as the King of <HI>Su&s;iana.</HI> But &s;ince the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did impatiently re&s;ent this di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Cyrus</HI> did end it very hand&s;omly: And <HI>Abradates</HI> did pre&s;ent <HI>Andramite:</HI> unto him; Al&s;o <HI>Mazares</HI> pre&s;ented <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> telling him, that this his illu&s;trious Friend could well te&s;tifie his Repentance: Al&s;o <HI>Anaxaris, So&s;icles, Tege|us,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> coming up towards him, <HI>Cyrus</HI> embraced them with much joy, e&s;pecially the la&s;t of the&s;e: After which, taking hor&s;e, he rid towards the Camp; where <HI>Cyrus</HI> was no &s;ooner arrived, but according to the Orders which he had given, a Councel of War was held in his Tent, to con&s;ult whether the Truce &s;hould &s;till be ob&s;erved, or whether this accident ought to move them to break it off: <HI>Mazares</HI> gave there his voyce as freely the fir&s;t day, as if he had been an ancient Friend of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> The que&s;tion was a while in doubt: &s;ome gave their votes to break off the Treaty, and take advantage of the di&s;order in the Army of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us;</HI> and others af|firmed that it did not &s;uit with the glory of <HI>Cyrus</HI> to do &s;o: Tho&s;e who were of this opinion, &s;aid, that this which happened was an advantage which could not be at|tributed unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;ince he had yet done nothing but receive his Pri&s;oners, and give retreat unto an ill treated Prince, and unto &s;ome other Malecontents of Qua|lity; that therefore patience was to be u&s;ed, &s;ince the Truce would not la&s;t above three days. In conclu&s;ion, the bu&s;ine&s;s being well debated, how great a de&s;ire &s;o|ever <HI>Cyrus</HI> had to fight, e&s;pecially having now got the Pa&s;s over the River <HI>Halis</HI> free by the means of <HI>Andramites</HI> his Brother, yet notwith&s;tanding he would never violate the Laws of War: So that this being the Re&s;ult of the Councel, all the Princes retired unto their Tents which were prepared for them, except <HI>Abradates,</HI> whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> did wait upon unto a little Town where his dear <HI>Panthea</HI> lodged, giving Orders unto <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> to withdraw, to the end there might be no &s;ign of any Cap|tivity. <HI>Cyrus</HI> would have <HI>Andramites</HI> al&s;o to follow <HI>Abradates,</HI> that he might have a &s;ight of <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> thinking the Gods would one day reward him for having comi|&s;eration upon unfortunate Lovers like him&s;elf; and for his care in &s;weetening the bitter Pills of their mi&s;eries, though he &s;aw no remedy for his own.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The End of the &s;econd Book in the fifth Part.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="book">
<PB REF="445">
<PB N="137" REF="445">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR The Grand CYRUS. The Fifth Part. BOOK. III.</HEAD>
<P>_AFter <HI>Cyrus</HI> had done every thing, that the dignitie of his Place; expedi|ency of affaiers; Civilitie; genero&s;itie, and tenderne&s;&s;e of &s;oule could exact from him in &s;uch a Juncture of accidents, he had a great de&s;ire to talk in private with his beloved confident <HI>Feraulus</HI> concerning <HI>Man|dana,</HI> for he under&s;tood by the relation of <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> that he &s;aw her walke upon the top of the Tower where &s;he was kept Pri&s;oner: &s;o that Com|manding him to be called for, he welcomed him with as much tender|ne&s;&s;e as an Amorous Prince could po&s;&s;ibly expre&s;&s;e unto the only Con|fident of his pa&s;&s;ion, and unto &s;uch a confident as had done him many extraordinary &s;er|vices, and given him much comfort in his mi&s;eries. He talked with him above two hours, and could not get any thing out of him concerning his Prince&s;&s;e; for <HI>Feraulus</HI> had &s;een <HI>Mandana</HI> at &s;uch a di&s;tance, that he could not draw any &s;atisfaction from any thing he could tell him. But Love hath &s;uch a qualitie, that tho&s;e who are Captivated by it, cannot di&s;|cour&s;e of any thing but what concernes the Per&s;on Loved. Therefore, though <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;poke as much as could be thought upon of the La&s;t accidents of his Life, yet he repeated all the fir&s;t al&s;o with as much earne&s;tne&s;&s;e, as if they were yet to fall upon him. Tis very true that at that time there was no need of farr fetcht things to help out di&s;cour&s;e: for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> returne, and the Arivall of <HI>Mazares,</HI> was &s;ubject enough: Moreover, <HI>Mandanas</HI> Letter was enough to talke on for him; &s;ince he thought it was a Piece of great difficultie to indure, that the Prince&s;&s;e &s;hould write &s;o obligingly in behalfe of <HI>Maza|res.</HI> But yet the la&s;t words of her letter, did make amends for all the re&s;t: and when he con|&s;idered how &s;he allowed him to explaine her words in the mo&s;t favorable &s;en&s;e for him&s;elf, the Joyes of his &s;oule were ea&s;ier to be imagined then expre&s;&s;ed: Oh my divine Prince&s;&s;e, would he &s;ay, will you permitt me to interpret your words unto my owne advantage? Do you know, mo&s;t excellent Prince&s;&s;e, how farr a Lover may flatter him&s;elf; and do you not fear that I will make your words &s;peake more then ever you intended? when you &s;ay that you are ju&s;t, &amp; full of acknowledgement, do you not think to &s;hut ju&s;tice &amp; acknowledge|ment within &s;uch narrow limitts, that you cannot under&s;tand what I have done to relea&s;e you?
<PB N="138" REF="446">
No, no, divine <HI>Mandana,</HI> this is not the glo&s;&s;e which I will put upon your words; Ne|ver reckon, I be&s;eech you, upon the combates which I have fought, Nor the Townes which I have taken; nor the Battles which I have won, but I be&s;eech you reckon, my violent and re&s;pected pa&s;&s;ion for &s;omething if you plea&s;e. It is for that only, for which I de&s;ire you &s;hould be obliged unto me, and do me ju&s;tice in: never make any account of the dangers which I have run into, nor of the wounds which I received, but I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you to &s;et a value upon my &s;ighs which I have oft &s;ent out of a &s;ad &s;oule; and upon my teares which I have &s;hed &s;ince fir&s;t I began to love you: and I be&s;eech you (&s;aid he, as if &s;he were pre&s;ent to under&s;tand him) Let the raptures of my love, make me put &s;uch a favourable interpretation upon what you have writ, as may make me beleeve, that when you &s;ay you will be ju&s;t, you mean by it, you will love me, as well as I love you, but alas, what do I &s;ay? were it not inju&s;tice to wi&s;h <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould love me as well as I love her? yes doubtle&s;&s;e, it were; and therefore let us call that grace which we have very improper|ly Called Ju&s;tice. For my part Sr. (&s;aid <HI>Feraulus</HI> and interpreted him) I do not think the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> wil doe as you de&s;ire &s;he &s;hould; for your victories are as great &s;ignes of your love as your &s;ighes and teares are: and therefore if &s;he joyne all the&s;e toge|ther, as I make no que&s;tion but &s;he will, I am per&s;waded &s;he will one day love you as well as you do her: Ah <HI>Feraulus,</HI> &s;aid he, how far is that day off? and how many things have I to do before I can be &s;o happy: A battle mu&s;t be fought and won, afterwards a con&s;i|derable &s;iege will continue: and after that, I mu&s;t fight with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> The&s;e <HI>Feraulus</HI> are but the lea&s;t of difficulties that I am to meet with, before I mu&s;t come and ca&s;t my &s;elf at the feet of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and beg &s;o much favour as to be loved. Judge then whether I have not more cau&s;e of feares then hopes, e&s;pecially after &s;o many ominous Ora|cles. Whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> was thus entertaining him&s;elf; the thoughts of his Rivals were no &s;moother then his: <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and <HI>Or&s;amus</HI> did Cheer up the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> as much as they could, and commending the genero&s;ity of his re&s;olution, did endeavour to confirme him in his repentance: They had al&s;o &s;o much Court&s;hip as to flatter his pa&s;&s;ion though they would not cure it; and therefore they told him, that <HI>Mandana</HI> would infallibly give him her friend&s;hip and e&s;teem, if he continued his cour&s;e as he had begun: were I &s;o happy as to obtain that (&s;aid he) I &s;hould never de&s;ire more: and certainly I &s;hall endea|vour my utmo&s;t for it: But if I cannot obtain that happine&s;&s;e, then I know my cour&s;e, which is to return unto my De&s;art again, and there hide my &s;ufferings, and &s;igh out &s;or|rowes till I die. No, no, Sr. replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> 'Twill never come to that, for <HI>Mandana</HI> will re&s;tore you to her former e&s;teem, and your virtue &s;hall for ever be mi&s;tre&s;&s;e of your pa&s;&s;ion. It is therefore I that mu&s;t return into my &s;olitude, I who can never hope for any thing. The hopes I have, replied <HI>Mazares,</HI> are of &s;uch a &s;hallow nature that they can ne|ver afford me any &s;weetne&s;&s;e; becau&s;e they are &s;uch only as my rea&s;on advi&s;eth my will un|to, and not &s;uch as my heart doth really wi&s;h for: and &s;ince <HI>(Bele&s;is)</HI> felicity doth chief|ly con&s;i&s;t in the &s;atisfaction of de&s;ires, I am certain to be the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man alive; &s;ince I mu&s;t never enjoy mine: yet I be&s;eech you do not think I &s;peak this, as if I did repent of my repentance: No, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> I do not, but am ab&s;olutely re&s;olved to fight for <HI>Cyrus</HI> till the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> be relea&s;ed, and never to aske any other favour from the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> but her e&s;teem and friend&s;hip, and I do not think it po&s;&s;ible that all the force of my love and de&s;paire can make me alter my re&s;olution. yet for all this, my heart will be full of tumultuous cogitations, and I mu&s;t prepare for a continuall war with my &s;elf, and let me tell you further, that I am not like unto mo&s;t men who out of loves re&s;entments do think all their Rivals unworthy men, how accompli&s;hed &s;oever they be: But on the contrary, me thinks I &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;o much above the rate of other men, and &s;o worthy of <HI>Mandana,</HI> that I think it a &s;trange Inju&s;tice if he did not love her, and &s;he him: &s;o that Judging by the greatne&s;&s;e of that Princes merit, and the greatne&s;&s;e of the affection which that Prin|ce&s;&s;e ought to bear him, I mu&s;t conclude, that no other ought to pretend any thing unto her: and therefore I have nothing to do in the world, but to &s;eek for a hand&s;ome death, as doubtle&s;&s;e I &s;hall if I cannot obtain my pardon. On the other &s;ide, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> he is not without his perplexities; yet was he glad to be relea&s;ed, becau&s;e <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould not have all the glory of fighting for <HI>Mandana:</HI> but it vexed him that he &s;hould be obliged unto <HI>Mazares</HI> for it. Yet &s;ince the &s;ight of a loved Rivall did &s;et a &s;harper edge upon his &s;pirits, then a Rival hated could: all the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> malice was again&s;t <HI>Cyrus.</HI> Yet did he much e&s;teem him maugre all his malice; and the virtue of this Prince did &s;hine in &s;o much lu&s;tre, that this malignant Jealous Prince could not chu&s;e but looke upon him as
<PB N="139" REF="446">
one of the greate&s;t Princes of the world, and the mo&s;t worthy of <HI>Mandana.</HI> But whi|le&s;t the&s;e three illu&s;trious Rivals were entertaining their melancholy thoughts, <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Panthea</HI> did &s;olace them&s;elves in the joyes of each other. <HI>Andramites</HI> al&s;o was plea&s;ed with the &s;ight of his adored <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ocund and indifferent humours, did yet not a little perplex him. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and <HI>Cleoncei</HI> thought their houres &s;weet, &s;ince they were together: But the Prince <HI>Phraretes</HI> thought time more tedious, &s;ince he thought it im|po&s;&s;ible to &s;ee the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta</HI> not incen&s;ed. The Prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> bewailed the ab|&s;ence of his dear <HI>One&s;ila,</HI> as <HI>Aglatidas</HI> did of <HI>Ame&s;tris: Tegeus</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> al&s;o gree|ved at the captivity of <HI>Celene&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia.</HI> The truth is, one would have &s;aid, love was the very &s;oul of this Army, &s;ince there was not any con&s;iderable per&s;on in all the camp of <HI>Cyrus</HI> who had not a &s;ence of this pa&s;&s;ion. But whil&s;t it tooke up the thoughts of &s;o ma|ny illu&s;trious per&s;ons on the party of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the King of <HI>Lydia</HI> and his &s;ide was all thoughts of anger and revenge, the e&s;cape of his pri&s;oners of war much troubled him. The depar|ture of the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;&s;omena</HI> did trouble him more; and the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> and <HI>An|dramites</HI> revolting &s;ides, did put him into a &s;trange fury; The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> al&s;o &s;ee|med malecontent, and was much troubled that <HI>Andramites</HI> &s;hould do as he did: though he did much aggravate all di&s;contents, none knowing his rea&s;on why.</P>
<P>As for the King of Pontus, he had variety of apprehen&s;ions upon the matter, for he was very angry that <HI>Abradates,</HI> the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;&s;omena,</HI> and <HI>Andramites</HI> &s;hould adhere unto <HI>Cyrus;</HI> but he was not &s;orry that the king of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> were out of <HI>Sar|dis:</HI> for though the fir&s;t of the&s;e two was a pri&s;oner, yet he feared lea&s;t he &s;hould have &s;ome &s;ecret plots al&s;o; a naturall antipathy again&s;t a Rivall, made him glad of his ab&s;ence, and he was not angry at both their departures: And not being &s;o much perplexed as <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> was, he did what he could to per&s;wade him that the lo&s;s was not &s;o great as he did apprehend it: The wor&s;t was, that the trace was near an end, and &s;ince there was no negotiation in hand becau&s;e the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> had changed &s;ides, they not knowing upon what ground to de&s;ire a prolonging of the treaty. In the mean time, this alteration had put all <HI>Sardis</HI> in &s;uch a fright, and &s;o much di&s;ordered the Arny of <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> that there was an ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity of more time to appea&s;e both people and &s;ouldiers. Moreover, &s;ince the pa&s;&s;age over the River <HI>Halis</HI> was in the power of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he might be forced to give battle if that Prince plea&s;ed: and he plainly &s;aw, that if he did fight before things were better compo&s;ed, the day would be lo&s;t: Therefore, as extream maladies have alwayes recour&s;e unto ex|tream remedies, &s;o <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> re&s;olved to begin another negotiation, though he had no inten|tion to end it; but only to gaine time. He told then the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> that He inten|ded to propound unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> an exchange between the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Artamas:</HI> but it was upon &s;uch odd conditions, as was apparent he aymed more at drift of time, then any reall exchange, &s;ince one qualification was, that the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> &s;hould promi&s;e never to pretend unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis:</HI> and demanded further a relea&s;ement of all the pri&s;oners which had been taken &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> entered into his dominions. The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> approved of all that <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> did propound unto him: for though in reality he was very willing to get his &s;i&s;ter the Prince&s;&s;e out of the power of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> yet he dur&s;t not tell the king of <HI>Lydia,</HI> that all his propo&s;itions could never take effect; becau&s;e being his prote|ctor, it was fit he &s;hould comply with his opinion: <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> therefore; becau&s;e he had no other way, &s;ent to de&s;ire a prolonging of the Truce for eight dayes more, to the end there might be a treaty concerning the relea&s;ment of the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Ara|minta.</HI> As &s;oon as ever this propo&s;ition was made unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he knew very well: the re|all de&s;igne of the Lydian King: and if he had followed his own inclination, he would ab&s;o|lutely have rejected it, and tooke advantage of the di&s;order which was in the Army of <HI>Croe&s;us:</HI> But &s;ince it was propounded in the pre&s;ence of the Phrygian King (who hoped to have his &s;on at liberty by this negotiation) <HI>Cyrus</HI> perceiving the thoughts of this king, would by no meanes di&s;oblige him, nor make the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta,</HI> whom he highly e&s;teemed, to think that he was more carele&s;&s;e of her liberty then of <HI>Pantheas.</HI> And &s;ince he thought it concerned <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> more to keep the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> then it did him&s;elf to keepe the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta,</HI> he con&s;ented unto the Truce de&s;ired; and the &s;ooner, be|cau&s;e, being a&s;&s;ured of the pa&s;&s;e over the river <HI>Halis,</HI> he could force <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> to fight when he would; So that not in&s;i&s;ting upon eight dayes, he re&s;olved to &s;atisfie the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and not to incen&s;e the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Pontus.</HI> Moreover, the&s;e eight dayes, were as expedient for him as for <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> for &s;ince the Lydians had made great wa&s;te in all the Coun|try along the river <HI>Halis</HI> towards <HI>Sardis,</HI> he could in that interim provide ammunition and
<PB N="140" REF="447">
provi&s;ion enough for his Army in all the neighbour Townes. The Truce then being renew|ved, the Prince <HI>Phraa&s;tes</HI> began to plot how to render it ineffectuall: not out of any di&s;|affection unto Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> but becau&s;e he was deep in love with <HI>Araminta,</HI> and could not con&s;ent &s;he &s;hould go into the Country of his enemy, &s;o he might lo&s;e the &s;ight of her for ever. In the mean time, &s;ince the fir&s;t dayes of this treaty were &s;pent only in receiving Propo&s;itions from <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> which pa&s;&s;ed under the name of the King of <HI>Pontus, Cyrus</HI> was not &s;o bu&s;ie but He went to vi&s;it <HI>Panthea,</HI> and partake of her joyes in <HI>Abradates:</HI> the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> al&s;o went thither &s;ometimes, and &s;o did all the re&s;t of the Princes in the Army; &s;o that during this Truce, the Court of <HI>Panthea</HI> might very well be called the mo&s;t glorious Court in the world, &s;ince no place upon earth had &s;o many gallant men together as it had. The &s;tranger <HI>Arexaris,</HI> (during this little peace if I may tearme it &s;o) did make it appear that he was a man of Civility as well as Courage. The Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> though very melancholy, yet his &s;olitude had not rendred him uncivill, but he al&s;o vi&s;i|ted the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana:</HI> He &s;aw: the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> al&s;o: but all his vi&s;its, were vi&s;its rather of Civility, then any plea&s;ant Company. In the mean time the King of <HI>Su&s;ia|na</HI> con&s;idering the &s;everall intere&s;ts of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mazares,</HI> and of <HI>Mazares</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> did &s;o prudently compo&s;e their &s;pirits, that they agreed together almo&s;t as well, as if all pa&s;t pa&s;&s;ages were forgotten. Yet the King of <HI>Ay&s;&s;ria,</HI> did often let &s;lip &s;uch lan|guages as &s;poke his memory of them, but the wi&s;dome of <HI>Mazares</HI> did &s;o di&s;creetly tem|per the impetuous humour of the A&s;&s;yrian King, that there happened no di&s;order among&s;t them. All three would di&s;cour&s;e together of their pa&s;&s;ions, and not quarrel, but it was in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Abradates:</HI> for an extraordinary care was taken, never to let them be alone together, le&s;t &s;ome violent pa&s;&s;ion of &s;oul &s;hould produce &s;ome &s;ad event. In the mean while <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> though in the mid&s;t of an army of 150000. men, and in a Towne wherein were two great Prince&s;&s;es, and many Ladies of quality be&s;ides, yet melancholy did &s;it &s;o heavie upon his &s;oul that he never &s;aw any but the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> with whom he lodged. Things &s;tanding upon the&s;e tearms, upon a day when <HI>Cyrus</HI> was with the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> with whom the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta</HI> was pre&s;ent, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> went to a little towne with the Prince of <HI>Sa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es,</HI> to get &s;omething mended about the ca&s;e of a picture which he prized infinitely dear, and would not tru&s;t it with any one: as he was &s;peaking unto the workman, and tooke out the picture which he would not for&s;ake, the workman having &s;ome knowledge in that Art, and finding it to be a rare piece, Could not chu&s;e but look upon it; whil&s;t he was thus looking upon it both with admiration and delight, a &s;tranger of a ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|&s;ome garbe lighted from his hor&s;e clo&s;e by the hou&s;e where <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was, and accidentally ca&s;ting his eyes upon this picture, he knew it: and did &s;o wonder to finde it in <HI>Lydia,</HI> that he could not chu&s;e but ask him who held it, and how he came by that picture, telling him, that it was his, for he could &s;peak the Lydian language: he had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but <HI>Be|le&s;is</HI> under&s;tanding him, and knowing the voice, he turned and ha&s;tily took the picture: and turning towards the &s;tranger, he perceived that he was not mi&s;taken, but that it was really him whom he thought it to be, &s;o that falling a pace back, Oh <HI>Hermogenes</HI> (cryed he out being tran&s;ported with grief and de&s;pair, and drawing his &s;word) du<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t you follow me as far as <HI>Lydia</HI> to take the picture from me, who&s;e original you did &s;o cruelly &s;teal away? <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was &s;o &s;urprized to meet <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and &s;o many &s;everall things comming into his thoughts at once, it was a long while before he could get him&s;elf into a po&s;ture of de|fence; or con&s;ider what he &s;aw was po&s;&s;ible: But he had not lei&s;ure to deliberate upon the matter: for <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> pa&s;&s;ing by chance by, as <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;tood upon his guard, and as <HI>Hermoge|nes</HI> knew not whether what he &s;aw was true or fal&s;e, called company to help him, and he &s;eized both upon <HI>Belefis</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes</HI> as two men that were quarrelling, &s;ending imme|d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">atly to acquaint <HI>Mazares</HI> with it, who as &s;oon as he heard of it, be&s;eeched <HI>Cyrus</HI> to take order in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: The Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> hearing the name of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did add her pray|ers unto his, accu&s;ing her &s;elf of forgetfulne&s;&s;e, &s;ince <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> &s;poke unto her of him: yet to repair her fault, &s;he acquainted the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> with the merit of the man, and a&s;&s;u|ring <HI>Cyrus</HI> that he was a man of great quality and much &s;pirit, all the Princes went into another chamber to &s;ee <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and him who quarrelled with him, but the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> having an earne&s;t de&s;ire to &s;ee <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> entreated <HI>Cyrus</HI> to let them be brought before him: &s;o that he commanded them to be brought in. As &s;oon as ever they entred into the cham|ber, <HI>Panthea</HI> did know <HI>Hermogenes</HI> to be of <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> and of good quality, and who intending to get into <HI>Sardis,</HI> did by good fortune hear that <HI>Abradates</HI> had changed &s;ides, &s;o that he altered his cour&s;e, and came to this little town, which was the &s;ame where the Queen of
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<HI>Su&s;iana quartered: Abradates</HI> and <HI>Panthea</HI> highly e&s;teeming <HI>Hermogenes</HI> did much wel|come him and <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> both; after they had &s;poken unto the&s;e two quarrellers with all po&s;&s;i|ble civility, they be&s;eeched <HI>Cyrus</HI> to favour them, and oblige them to tell what their dif|ference was: It is of &s;uch a nature, (&s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> that it is impo&s;&s;ible it &s;hould ever be rightly told, and therefore I think it better to leave us enemies &s;till, then to con&s;ume &s;o much time in troubling two great Princes with relation of &s;uch things as are indifferent un|to them. The Intere&s;t of per&s;ons of &s;uch merit (an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus)</HI> ought never to be in|different unto the greate&s;t Princes upon earth; Therefore if to render ju&s;tice, nothing be wanting but a hearing the relation of your lives, we &s;hall hear them with much delight; Al&s;o, I cannot think we can better imploy our vacant time during this truce, then in ma|king <HI>Hermogenes</HI> and you friends: and I &s;hall have &s;ome advantage by it (added <HI>Cyrus</HI> with a &s;mile) &s;ince if I do reconcile you, I &s;hall hope you will fight with more courage in the day of battle, therefore I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> that &s;he would be plea&s;ed to command <HI>Hermogenes</HI> to tell me his adventures, if <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> will not do it him&s;elf: <HI>Hermogenes</HI> (replied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> is too much intere&s;ted in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, to relate his &s;tory and mine; For Sr. he mu&s;t needed make a partiall relation, &s;ince he would per&s;wade me that I am in the wrong and he in the right. To make it appear that I &s;tand not in need of any di&s;gui&s;ements of the truth (&s;aid <HI>Hermogenes)</HI> I am contented that he him&s;elf relate al the pa&s;&s;ages betwixt us: I cannot do it (replied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> for it is impo&s;&s;ible I &s;hould make a relation of all my &s;ad adventures, and not return into my fir&s;t de&s;pair. To compo&s;e the matter betwixt them (&s;aid <HI>Abradates</HI> unto <HI>Cyrus)</HI> It mu&s;t neither be <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> nor <HI>Hermoge|nes</HI> that mu&s;t relate their adventures, but &s;ome one who is an equall friend unto them both, and who is acquainted with the perfect &s;tory: oh Sr. replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> there is none in the world can do it, but <HI>Alcenor:</HI> 'tis he whom I intend to &s;peak of, replied <HI>Abradates,</HI> and I wonder you &s;aw him not, &s;ince he came to <HI>Sardis</HI> two dayes before I left it, and there|fore did certainly follow me hither. It is rather to be wondred, if he did &s;ee him, re|plied the Prince <HI>Mazares;</HI> for <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> almo&s;t never &s;tirred abroad &s;ince he left his de&s;art, but when he thought to a&s;&s;i&s;t me in the delivery of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana:</HI> After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;ired the&s;e two enemies to refer the relation of their difference unto him whom <HI>Abradates</HI> named, &s;ince they could not agree to do it them&s;elves: and they con&s;ented un|to it: yet de&s;iring to &s;ee <HI>Alcenor</HI> before he &s;poke; &s;o that without lo&s;&s;e of any longer time, the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> &s;ending to looke for him, he was immediatly found and was &s;hewed unto both tho&s;e his friends, who joyntly willed him to &s;peak the truth, both of them &s;up|po&s;ing there needed nothing el&s;e to Iu&s;tifie them&s;elves: after which, retiring into another chamber, <HI>Alcenor</HI> began the relation in the&s;e termes: <HI>Panthea</HI> appointing him to addre&s;&s;e his &s;peech unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> as Judge of the controver&s;ie, for &s;he had already been informed of the adventure, though &s;he was de&s;irous to hear it over againe.</P>
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<DIV3 TYPE="history">
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<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> and of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI></HEAD>
<P>DOubtle&s;&s;e Sr. It will &s;eem very &s;trange unto you, that I &s;hould be &s;o equall a friend un|to two enemies, as I &s;hould even to the lea&s;t circum&s;tance, know the events of both their lives even to their mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts; and that both of them &s;hould have &s;uch a good opinion of my &s;incerity, that they are contented I &s;hould relate the adventures of their lives in their own pre&s;ence, though they are of that nature, that the lea&s;t circum&s;tance omitted doth extreamly alter the ca&s;e: yet notwith&s;tanding I hope to render my &s;elf wor|thy of the favour which they do me, being fully re&s;olved to di&s;gui&s;e nothing, but will ingenuou&s;ly relate, all their imbecillities as I found in them. But Sr. &s;ince I conceive it re|qui&s;ite you know who they are: (give me leave to tell you Sr. that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> is a Mantianian, and of the Prime quality in his country, and that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> is a Su&s;anian, and of a very high quality al&s;o, be&s;ides the advantages of birth, they had that of excellent education, not only in &s;uch arts as are e&s;&s;entially requi&s;ite to make compleat men; but al&s;o in other in|feriour trifles which yet do infinitely poli&s;h the &s;pirits of them who know them, and are delightfull to tho&s;e that know them not: It was the plea&s;ure of their Parents they &s;hould travell together at one time: and as if the Gods de&s;igned their meeting, and that they &s;hould love each other, they met both at <HI>Babylon</HI> not only at the &s;ame time, but al&s;o in the &s;ame hou&s;e though one of them came from <HI>Su&s;a;</HI> and the other from <HI>Mantiana,</HI> &s;o that though both of them were of &s;uch a garbe, as might move equall curio&s;ity of knowing who they were, yet they &s;ought for occa&s;ions of beeing talked of, and they ea&s;ily found them. For &s;ince they had got mo&s;t of the <HI>A&s;iatique</HI> languages, before they &s;et out to travel; and &s;ince the <HI>Su&s;ian</HI> and <HI>Mantinian</HI> tongues re&s;embled one another, they di&s;cour&s;ed famili|arly together, the fir&s;t time they met; &amp; went together to view the wonders of this proud and &s;tately town: they were &s;o well acquainted at this very fir&s;t encounter, tthat they affected the &s;ame plea&s;ures, practi&s;ed the &s;ame Arts: knew the &s;ame things; a fir&s;t, their intentions were to a&s;&s;ociate together as long as they &s;tayed in <HI>Babylon,</HI> where they <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">journed about a moneth; But &s;ince in that time they grew more intimate, and loved each other better, they could not part &s;o &s;oone, and in conclu&s;ion agreed to travel together; tho&s;e two loving friends kept clo&s;e together a whole year in travelling from Court to Court, and from Coun|try to Country, in much delight, not the lea&s;t conte&s;t ever happening between them: af|ter they had &s;een all that was worthy of &s;ight, <HI>Hermogenes</HI> moved <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> in lieu of re|turning home, to &s;pend &s;ome time at <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> and certainly his curio&s;ity to &s;ee &s;o &s;tatly a towne was grownded upon good rea&s;on, for I do not think there is a town in the whole univer&s;, &s;o full of all delights: <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> then being ea&s;ily per&s;waded to &s;ee the mo&s;t goodly place of the world, and to go with a friend from whom he could not part without extream grief, arived at <HI>Su&s;a</HI> a little while after the illu&s;trious <HI>Abradates</HI> was bani&s;hed: But that he might not repent of his comming thither; <HI>Hermogenes</HI> who was well acquainted with all the Advenues, did &s;o guide him, that they entered in at the mo&s;t plea&s;ant quarter, which indeed is one of the mo&s;t delightfull objects that eye can behold. For Sr. in comming to <HI>Su&s;a</HI> this way, there is a little hill from whence one views a great valley containing above a hundred furlongs, in the mid&s;t of which pa&s;&s;eth in a &s;erpentine manner the river <HI>Choa&s;|pes,</HI> the water whereof is &s;o clear and pure, that the mo&s;t cri&s;tall fre&s;h &s;pring is not com|parable to it, upon the banks of this River, &s;tands the towne of <HI>Su&s;a;</HI> and the great number of magnificent Fabricks makes it &s;eem as fair without, as it is within; That which makes the place mo&s;t plea&s;ant, and dwelling there mo&s;t healthfull is, that all this great valley is diapered with a million of &s;everall colours in flowers, which by their admirable enamell does charme the eyes with variety, and perfume the Aire with odour: infinitely &s;urpa&s;&s;ing the Rainbow or any other pro&s;pect what&s;oever: Al&s;o, from this abundance of Fragrant Flowers, the towne of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> takes its name; for in that language they &s;ignify alike; and therefore this valley or meddow is called the Rainbow of <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> throughout
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all <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> Moreover in coming that way which <HI>Hermogenes</HI> did bring <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> there are along that plea&s;ant River foure great walkes, &s;o large, &s;o &s;traight, &s;o even, and &s;o &s;hady, by the height of the trees which grow by the &s;ides (though wood is very &s;cant in all that Countrey) that a more Plea&s;ant walke cannot be imagined. Unto this place all the Ladies every evening re&s;ort in their Coaches, and where the Men Rendezvous on hor&s;eback: &s;o that having Libertie to go &s;ometimes into one walke and &s;om|times into another, it is a Place of the greate&s;t plea&s;ure in the world. <HI>Hermogenes</HI> intend|ing to let the fir&s;t time of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> his coming unto <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> to be a time of Plea&s;ure, and the more to &s;urpri&s;e him, he never told him that he would bring him this way: yet becau&s;e he would not di&s;plea&s;e his friend, by bringing him into a place of &s;o much re&s;ort in a negligent habit: de&s;ired him that morning to dre&s;&s;e him&s;elf as one that was to Lodge in a hou&s;e where he &s;hould &s;ee many Ladies, as indeed there was at the hou&s;e of <HI>Hermogenes;</HI> his mo|ther and his &s;i&s;ter being there: So that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> not fore&s;eeing the harmle&s;&s;e deceit of his friend, did habit him&s;elf in a very rich hand&s;ome &s;uite, above the cu&s;tome of travellers: But he ea&s;ily perceived the cunning of <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> when he found all the&s;e great walkes full of Gilded Coaches in which were all the Prime Beauties of <HI>Su&s;a;</HI> and after them, an infinite number of men of Qualitie, admirably well mounted, and Richly habited who came and &s;aluted them. Then did <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> thank him for his Plea&s;ant fallacie in letting him &s;ee &s;o many beauties together in one place and in &s;uch a Gallant manner. After which &s;ending all their traine another way, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &amp; <HI>Hermogenes</HI> began to enter into the walke, as if in lieu of travell, they were newly come out of <HI>Su&s;a.</HI> For my part: I being an intimate friend unto <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> before he was acquainted with <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> I was extreamly &s;urpri&s;ed to &s;ee him arive whil&s;t I was talking with &s;ome Ladies: for I did not yet expect him. I no &s;ooner &s;pied him, but &s;hewing him tho&s;e unto whom I talked, (to the end, they &s;hould not take it ill, that I left them &s;o abruptly) I went to meet him: and &s;ince it was not the cu&s;tome of that place to alight from hor&s;es, becau&s;e it would interrupt the walke of Ladies; we embraced each other on hor&s;eback: After the fir&s;t raptures of joy to &s;ee one another, <HI>Hermogenes</HI> de&s;ired me to love <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> as he de&s;ired <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to love me: after this <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and I &s;aluted each other with much Civilitie and &s;o much freedom, as made it apparent we were both of us di&s;po&s;ed to obey <HI>Hermogenes</HI> in his de&s;ires. All our Complements being performed, <HI>Her|mogenes</HI> de&s;iring to divert <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and de&s;ired his travel unto <HI>Su&s;a</HI> might plea&s;e him, asked me whether all the Beauties of the Town were that evening in the walkes? Wi&s;hing that his friend &s;hould all at once &s;ee what <HI>Su&s;a</HI> had fair. And as he named all that were there, and all that were not there, it chanced that one Lady of Qualitie called <HI>Cleodora,</HI> who doubt|le&s;&s;e was one of the brighte&s;t &s;tarres in all <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> was not there, whereat <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was very &s;ad; and as I asked why he &s;hould be &s;o &s;ad, &s;ince I knew he was not in Love? the Rea&s;on is <HI>Alcenor</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) becau&s;e I would have all the Beauties in <HI>Su&s;a</HI> here, to the end &s;ome of them might Captivate <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and &s;tay him here among&s;t us: If &s;o, replyed <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI>
you would not be obliged at all unto me for my &s;tay in <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> and therefore I had rather &s;tay here upon termes of friend&s;hip then Love. After this we began to look upon the Ladies, and to &s;alute them. Every one wondring to &s;ee <HI>Hermogenes</HI> bidding him welcome home, and asking who <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was. After many turnes, well <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Hermogenes</HI> to him) do you find any of our beauties worthy of the honour to Captivate you? I finde their beau|ties to be admirably rare, replied he: but to tell you truely, I have not met with any yet who makes my heart and my &s;pirits to tremble, as commonly beautie u&s;eth to do unto one that is de&s;tined to Love, and which ever precedes that Love he owes her: So that if this <HI>Cleodora,</HI> who you &s;ay is not here, have no other Charmes then the&s;e have, you and none el&s;e &s;hall thank me for my &s;tay in <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> &s;ince in all likelyhood, I &s;hall not fall in Love. As <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;aid &s;o, we &s;aw a Coach appear at the end of the walkes towards <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> which &s;eemed to be <HI>Cleodora's</HI> Aunts with whom &s;he lived: I no &s;ooner &s;pied it, but I &s;hewed it unto <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> who knowing it as well as my &s;elf, told <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and &s;miled, that he would go meet his Captivator: I am not yet conquered, replied he, and &s;miled al&s;o however he fol|lowed, and <HI>Hermogenes</HI> carried him on that &s;ide which <HI>Cleodora</HI> was u&s;ed to &s;it: But when they came neer the Coach, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> found her the faire&s;t that he &s;aw. Since it was late be|fore &s;he came into the walkes; and the Sun low, her face was unmasked, &s;o that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;aw her as if Fate had a de&s;igne to Fetter him, as indeed really he was: <HI>Cleodora</HI> was that time in a white dre&s;&s;e trimmed with Diamonds and Rubies, having upon her head many feathers of White and Carnation die, which hung down &s;o low behind, that they reached to her Armes when &s;he turned her head: As part of <HI>Cleodoras</HI> beauties was to have eyes admirably
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faire: Complexion white and ruddie, and her &s;tature tall, there did not need any &s;earch to be made for the di&s;covery of it; for &s;he alwaies &s;eemed faire at fir&s;t &s;ight: and &s;o that all beholders were per&s;waded they &s;hould find fairer feature upon further con&s;ideration: &s;o that it was no wonder if <HI>Cleodora</HI> did that, which many others could not; <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> no &s;ooner &s;et eyes upon this evening &s;tarr, but he preferred it before all the re&s;t, and de&s;ired <HI>Hermo|genes</HI> to take the other turne: when we heard him &s;ay &s;o we &s;miled, and asked him whether he found trembling of heart and &s;pirit, which he &s;aid alwaies preceded Love? he an&s;wer|ed us with a &s;mile again, that he was not yet fettered, but feared he &s;hould be: if you fear it &s;aid I unto him, why do you follow your enemy, and not rather fly from her? It is becau&s;e I had rather tru&s;t to my re&s;i&s;tance (an&s;wered he) then to my flight: &s;ince he &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Be|le&s;is, Hermogenes</HI> and my &s;elf met <HI>Cleodora</HI> the &s;econd time, who then knew <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> for at the fir&s;t time &s;he did not perceive him, becau&s;e &s;he fixt her eyes &s;o fa&s;t upon <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> that &s;he minded not any thing el&s;e for a long time; As it is very ordinary in &s;uch places to look upon &s;trangers, more then upon their old acquaintance, though happily not &s;o hand|&s;ome, and that's the rea&s;on &s;he did not &s;ee <HI>Hermogenes;</HI> but knowing him this &s;econd time, &s;he called him unto her, &s;eeming to be glad to &s;ee him, but gladder of the occa&s;ion to aske the name of that &s;tranger whom &s;he &s;aw was of his acquaintance. And therefore &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but calling him as I told you before, How long <HI>Hermogenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) is it &s;ince you returned? It is &s;o lately Madam, (replied he) that I need not make any excu&s;e for not having the honour to &s;ee you before; although you be &s;he whom of all the world I owe mo&s;t re&s;pect unto, &s;ince I have not yet been in <HI>Su&s;a.</HI> Tis very gallant, replied &s;he to fini&s;h a years travels with &s;uch a walk as this: and if you had been thought in Love when you departed, I &s;hould have beleeved this to be the place where you had ap|pointed to meet your Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e; To tell you truely Madam, (replied he) the affection which I have unto this &s;tranger whom you &s;ee here, is the cau&s;e that I have the honour of &s;eeing you here this day, for &s;ince I had a great de&s;ire he &s;hould &s;tay here among&s;t us, I did what I could to fetter him, and therefore Faire <HI>Cleodora</HI> I conjure you, to do me this favorable office. You are a wicked friend (an&s;wered &s;he) to de&s;ire any &s;uch thing; but indeed I cannot think you do de&s;ire it: But <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> to &s;peake a little more &s;eriou&s;ly, tell me this &s;trangers Name; his Qualitie; and his Countrey? I &s;hall tell you more then all this (replied <HI>Hermogenes)</HI> for when I have told you that his Name is <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> of a high Qua|litie, and that he is a <HI>Mantianian,</HI> I &s;hall tell you further, that he thinkes you the faire&s;t he ever &s;aw; and if you will not beleeve me, I will move him to tell you as much him|&s;elf. As &s;oone as he had &s;aid &s;o, not giving <HI>Cleodora</HI> time to an&s;wer, he turned towards <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and calling him aloud: Come hither <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) come and confirme what I have told <HI>Cleodora;</HI> Provided you have told her that I think her the faire&s;t upon earth (&s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> coming neer the Coach which went very &s;oftly, and &s;aluting her with a low Congie) I &s;hall mo&s;t Joyfully confirme your words, and that with an oath if need be. Doubtle&s;&s;e Generous &s;tranger (an&s;wered &s;he and &s;miled) you think you do <HI>Hermo|genes</HI> a curte&s;ie in commending any thing he &s;hewes you; and indeed I receive your flat|teries rather as a marke of your friend&s;hip to him, then of any good opinion, you have of me. If it were &s;o Madam, (replied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> I &s;hould have commended every beauty which I &s;aw in this place before you came, purpo&s;ely to oblige <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> But I can a&s;&s;ure you, I commended none but your &s;elf: and I mu&s;t add, &s;aid <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> that if <HI>Be|le&s;is</HI> Love any in <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> it mu&s;t be the Faire <HI>Cleodora:</HI> for he told <HI>Alcenor</HI> and me, that he perceived in him&s;elf &s;uch a kind of heart-trembling as u&s;eth to precede Love alwaies; as &s;oon as <HI>Hermogenes</HI> had &s;aid &s;o, &s;o many Coaches mett in that Place, as of nece&s;&s;itie the di&s;cour&s;e mu&s;t break off; <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> telling <HI>Cleodora</HI> with his eyes that all <HI>Hermogenes</HI> &s;aid was true, and <HI>Cleodora</HI> made &s;uch &s;ignes by the actions of her head and hand, as made her thoughts &s;omthing apparent. After which, all the Ladies retired to their homes, and &s;o did we. In our way thither, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> asked us of what di&s;po&s;ition <HI>Cleodora</HI> was: and whether &s;he had many Servants? Since I was better able to informe him then <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> who had been ab&s;ent a whole year, I took upon me to an&s;wer and &s;atisfie his Curio&s;itie, which indeed was better grounded then he imagined: So that to content him I told him in general, that there was not one of her &s;ex in <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> who had more or a finer &s;pirit then &s;he had: I perceived that already (replied he) both by her Phy&s;iognomie, and the aire wherewith &s;he &s;poke: But that which I de&s;ire to know is, of what kind of &s;pirit that is? Since that is your de&s;ire (replied I) I mu&s;t tell you that <HI>Cleodora</HI> hath in appearance more &s;weet affabilitie, then ever any had; yet tho&s;e who know the
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bottome of her heart, do &s;ay &s;he is a little more &s;evere: but how ever it be, it is mo&s;t certain, that very many &s;trive to plea&s;e her, though &s;he di&s;likes all; yet not|with&s;tanding all this, there is much tenderne&s;&s;e and goodne&s;&s;e in her &s;pirit: and this third is a mixture of complacence and &s;everity both in her &s;oule, which makes her not alwayes of an equall temper, though &s;he be alwayes affably plea&s;ant. Moreover &s;he is extreamly nice and delicate in choi&s;e of her friends, which is commended by &s;ome, and much blamed by others: for if tho&s;e who vi&s;it her, be not very compleat men of admirable Parts, &s;he cares not for their company, nor whether they e&s;teeme her or e&s;teem her not. You do very much perplex me, &s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is;</HI> for you tell me &s;uch a &s;tory as makes <HI>Cleodora</HI> very dreadfull to me; and yet I cannot chu&s;e but think it much plea|&s;ure to engage the heart of &s;uch a one as you de&s;cribe her. If you dare attempt it (repli|ed I) you are more bold then many compleat gallants of our Court, who que&s;tionle&s;&s;e have a great inclination to love <HI>Cleodora,</HI> but dare not attempt it: Not but that as you &s;ee, &s;he is civill and affable enough; yet it is &s;o difficult a task to plea&s;e her that few men have &s;o good an opinion of them&s;elves, as ever to go about it. Moreover this mu&s;t be &s;aid in her commendations, that &s;he is never deceived in her choi&s;e, and who|&s;oever &s;he e&s;teemes, does certainly de&s;erve to be &s;o: yet for all that it were to be wi&s;h|ed &s;he would be more indulgent then &s;he is to the imperfections of others; not that &s;he doth ever &s;peak of them; but becau&s;e &s;he will never &s;peak unto them who have them; or if &s;he do, it is with &s;uch a cold indifferency as makes them de&s;pair who have &s;o much witt as to di&s;cerne it: yet for all this <HI>Cleo|dora</HI> is admirably complacent, e&s;pecially unto tho&s;e whom &s;he has a de&s;ire to be acquainted with: and therefore &s;ince you merit to be in the catalogue of tho&s;e whom &s;he e&s;teemes, I advi&s;e you to &s;ee her, and &s;ee her often whil&s;t you are at <HI>Su&s;a.</HI> Though it be but ou of mear curio&s;ity (replied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> certainly I will &s;ee her, let me give you this advice, &s;aid <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> for you mu&s;t know that if <HI>Cleodora</HI> have not changed her humour, &s;he is yet very fanta&s;ticall, and puts a great difference between the compleat gallants of the Court, and others; therefore if you de&s;ire to plea&s;e her, you mu&s;t not live as a &s;tranger that would never be known: perhaps the rea&s;on is (re|plied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> becau&s;e &s;he is per&s;waded it is impo&s;&s;ible to be compleat unle&s;s one have &s;uch a garbe and aire, as is very rarely gotten any where but in Court, be&s;ides that (added I) <HI>Cleodora</HI> knowes not what to &s;ay unto &s;uch as are ignorant of the newes which is in the world, and which &s;he knowes admirably well. To plea&s;e <HI>Cleodora</HI> then (replied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> it &s;eems I mu&s;t furni&s;h my &s;elf with a hundred thou&s;and things of di&s;cour&s;e: doubtle&s;&s;e you mu&s;t (replied I, unle&s;&s;e you have a priviledge above others) if you would have her talk long with you: Thus Sr. did <HI>Hermogenes</HI> and I make <HI>Cleodora</HI> known unto <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> who was entertained at his friends hou&s;e with much magnificence, The next day following <HI>Hermogenes</HI> went to the King, and to the Prince of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> who then was, and carried <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> with him, who&s;e name was not unknown unto the&s;e Princes, for his father had formerly been a long time together at <HI>Su&s;a.</HI> After this, two or three dayes were &s;pent in receiving vi&s;its which were ren|dred unto <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> and in letting <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;ee the rarities of the towne. After this he asked <HI>Hermogenes</HI> when he would carry him unto <HI>Cleodora?</HI> for (&s;aid he) though I am not yet well furni&s;hed with &s;uch di&s;cour&s;e as will divert her, yet I have a great de&s;ire to vi&s;it her. <HI>Hermogenes</HI> &s;ent immediatly to know whether <HI>Cleodora</HI> was at home: and an&s;wer was brought, that about an hour &s;ince &s;he was gone into the coun|try, and would not return this fifteen dayes. Since I intend to &s;tay three moneth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> in this place (replied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> to comfort my &s;elf I mu&s;t imagine that it is a delight de&s;er|red, not lo&s;t. During the ab&s;ence of <HI>Cleodora, Hermogenes</HI> &s;hewed <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> all the beauties both in Court and Town, but his heart was not at all moved by them: and being of a plea&s;ant and quick war, he made him&s;elf acquainted with all the friends of <HI>Hermogenes</HI> in a &s;hort time, and knew the &s;everall intere&s;ts and bu&s;ine&s;&s;es of all the Court, as well as if he had been bred in it all his life: After the expiration of fifteen dayes, the fair <HI>Cleodora</HI> returned: and hap would have it &s;o, that <HI>Bele&s;ia, Hermogenes,</HI> and I being in the walkes, we &s;aw her return and &s;aluted her: and knowing of her return before hand we were there the fir&s;t; and &s;ince it was yet very timely, we might without any incivility vi&s;it her; but fir&s;t we gave her time to con&s;ult with her gla&s;s, and make her &s;elf fit to entertain company. When we were come thither, <HI>Hermo|gens</HI> pretented <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to her Aunt and her al&s;o; and to compleat his civility unto his
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friend, he kept the Aunt in di&s;cour&s;e, and left <HI>Cleodora</HI> unto <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and me. In the mean while, as flatteries are &s;eldome forgotten when they are hand&s;omly applied; &s;o the language of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> unto <HI>Cleodora</HI> in the walks, the &s;ame day he came fir&s;t to <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> did now move her unto more affability then &s;he ordinarily u&s;ed, and &s;he &s;poke unto him much more then unto any one: yet &s;he treated him as a &s;tranger, unto whom &s;he thought it not fit to &s;peak of any thing but in generall; therefore beginning her di&s;cour&s;e, I do not aske you (&s;aid &s;he unto him) whether <HI>Hermogenes</HI> hath &s;hewed you all the beauties of <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> for I make no que&s;tion but he carried you to all places where you might meet with any delights; therefore I pray you do me the favour to tell me, what you think of our publike places, of our Temples; of our walkes, and of every thing in <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> all the&s;e Madam (replied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> &s;eem admirably beautifull unto me: but to tell you &s;in|cerely (&s;aid he and laughed) I do not think the&s;e que&s;tions proper to divert you: therefore I be&s;eech you do not u&s;e me like a &s;tranger, unto whom nothing is to be tal|ked on, but the cu&s;tomes of his own country. If I had had the honour to have &s;poke with you the day after I fir&s;t arrived, I &s;hould have been patient at &s;uch di&s;cour&s;e as this: But now, Fair <HI>Cleodora,</HI> it is fifteen dayes &s;ince I came to <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> &s;o that if you think I know nothing yet, but that your &s;treets be large and neat: your Tem|ples beautifull; your Palaces magnificent, and &s;uch things, you treat me too cruelly: but I be&s;eech you, if you love me, do not force your &s;elf unto &s;uch di&s;cour&s;e, but ask me what newes, as if I were a <HI>Su&s;anian</HI> and a courtier. <HI>Cleodora</HI> hearing <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;ay &s;o, began to laugh, not thinking he could tell her any private newes: and imagi|ning he would not have &s;poke &s;o, but becau&s;e he had known &s;omething of her humour; &s;o that beginning to talke again, I &s;ee you know (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that I am afraid of any new acquaintance, nor care for the company of men who are ignorant in the affaires of the world; But <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> I am not &s;o unju&s;t as they report me: for that which I wonder at, is at the men of <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> who are ignorant in all things: but as for you, who are not &s;o, nor have dwelt among&s;t us; I &s;hould be very unrea&s;onable if I &s;hould blame you for not knowing all the &s;ecrets of our Court, and uncivill al&s;o, to &s;peak unto you of &s;uch things as you under&s;tand not. For my part (&s;aid I and &s;pake unto <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> I conceive you have rea&s;on to commend <HI>Cleodora:</HI> on the contrary, re|plied he, perhaps I have more cau&s;e to complaine of her, then you think I have: but however (&s;aid he, &s;peaking unto her) will you be plea&s;ed to promi&s;e me, that you will not let me pa&s;s under the notion of a &s;tranger, if I do tell you &s;ome newes? I do not mean &s;uch (&s;aid he and &s;miled) as is &s;poke aloud in the &s;treets, or &s;uch as is whi&s;pered from eare to eare four dayes together before it bolt out. Ah <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) you will make me the mo&s;t a&s;hamed, and do me the greate&s;t favour in the world, if you can do as you &s;ay: yet I &s;ee no likelyhood of it, for excepting ye&s;terday, I have every day received letters from <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> which acquainted me with all the newes that was &s;tirring, (however, &s;aid he unto her) if I acquaint you with &s;omething &s;ince, you ought not to tax me with ignorance: After this he began to tell her of a hundred pa&s;&s;ages: and to &s;peak unto her, as one that knew all the factions, and &s;everall intere&s;ts of every per&s;on of quality, whether it were his ambition or his love, or any thing el&s;e in all the Court and Town: &s;o that <HI>Cleodora</HI> and he came to that pa&s;s, before the conference ended, that they often whi&s;pered unto each other, and induced me to change my place, and addre&s;&s;e my &s;elf unto the Aunt of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes:</HI> And &s;o that from this fir&s;t day <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was very intimate with <HI>Cleodora,</HI> who openly confe&s;&s;ed that he had told her many things which were never written unto her: Truly &s;aid &s;he unto him, as they were ready to go away) I beleeve you have been a long time concealed in <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> for it is impo&s;&s;ible you &s;hould come to the knowledge of all the&s;e things (which you have told me) in fifteen dayes. I know &s;omething more replied he, which doubtle&s;&s;e, you do not know: oh I be&s;eech you (&s;aid <HI>Cleodora</HI> unto him) go not away before you impart it to me: I will (&s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to her) then whi&s;pering in her eare, certainly you do not know, &s;weet <HI>Cleodora</HI> (&s;aid he unto her, that I am extreamly in love with you) I do not indeed (&s;aid &s;he aloud and blu&s;ht) and more then that, I do not beleeve it, or think it po&s;&s;ible. Time will tell us both, more certainly an&s;wered <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and retired: after which we went out, and went unto the hou&s;e of <HI>Hermogenes.</HI> When we were with <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> in his chamber, we asked him what he thought of <HI>Cleodora?</HI> I will not tell you, replied he, for perhaps you are not now the cau&s;e of my &s;taying here; I do not wonder (replied I) that you &s;hould be well plea&s;ed with this
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beauty, &s;ince &s;he hath treated you otherwi&s;e then &s;he u&s;ed to do any that were not her friends, yet her behaviour (&s;aid he) would co&s;t me many an angry hour, if I in earne&s;t love her: for notwith&s;tanding her &s;weet affability, I di&s;cover a kinde rigid pride in her, which would grieve me to the &s;oul; and notwith&s;tanding all this, &s;he hath &s;uch attracts in her eyes, as I know not how to defend my &s;elf again&s;t them, though I have a great de&s;ire unto it: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> I ever defended my &s;elf again&s;t her: for though &s;he have many alluring beauties, yet there are many things ob&s;ervable in her humour, which are &s;o many antidotes again&s;t the poi&s;on of her charmes, &s;o that I am in no danger of ever dying for love of her. It is not &s;o with me, &s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> for I am afraid I &s;hall one day complain again&s;t you for making me acquainted with her. The&s;e were the effects Sir, which the beauty of <HI>Cleodora</HI> wrought in the heart of <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> and now I will tell you what effects <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> produced in the heart of <HI>Cleodora.</HI> But to let you &s;ee how even very trifles do often purcha&s;e great e&s;teem among&s;t Ladies. Be plea|&s;ed to know that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> under&s;tanding there was a great league of friend&s;hip between the &s;i&s;ter of <HI>Hermogenes</HI> and <HI>Cleodora,</HI> he expre&s;&s;ed much civility towards her, and &s;he to him, her name was <HI>Pra&s;&s;illa: Bele&s;is</HI> being one day with her, he entreated her to &s;hew him what rare Gardens there was in <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> I &s;hould have asked this favour of <HI>Hermogenes</HI> (&s;aid he) but I confe&s;&s;e unto you, I cannot think any gardens, or walks plea&s;ant unle&s;&s;e in the company of Ladies; and therefore you will much oblige me, if you will do me this honour. <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> had no &s;ooner pronounced the la&s;t word, but <HI>Cleodora</HI> entered, who came to vi&s;it <HI>Pra&s;&s;illa:</HI> &s;he was no &s;ooner &s;et down, but <HI>Pra&s;|&s;illa</HI> acquainted <HI>Cleodora</HI> with the de&s;ire of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> who the &s;ooner to compa&s;&s;e his de|&s;ire, &s;eemed to hinder <HI>Pra&s;&s;illa</HI> from ending that which &s;he had begun to tell: I be|&s;eech you, &s;aid he unto her, do me not &s;o bad an office, as to make me pa&s;&s;e yet for a &s;tranger unto the fair <HI>Cleodora,</HI> with whom I am not yet thoroughly acquainted. The re&s;i&s;tance which <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> made, wrought his de&s;ired effect, and infu&s;ed a great de&s;ire in that Lady, to know what <HI>Pra&s;&s;illa</HI> would tell her: &s;o that being very urgent, <HI>Pra&s;&s;illa</HI> told her, and withall de&s;ired her a&s;&s;i&s;tance, in &s;etting forth the glories of <HI>Su&s;a. Cleo|dora</HI> being glad of an occa&s;ion to complement with <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> told him, that &s;he was much plea&s;ed to &s;ee he was not like mo&s;t travellers, who hardly u&s;e to know who it is that reignes in the Countrey which they pa&s;&s;e thorow: and who content them&s;elves onely with the memory of the temples which they have &s;een, of mountains, of rivers, and &s;uch things; but never enquire of the manners, cu&s;tomes, and people, which dwell in tho&s;e Towns; who&s;e &s;treets and publike places, they onely u&s;e to ob&s;erve: But I perceive you are better acquainted with all the gallants of our Court, then you are with our Gardens: and therefore I am very willing to a&s;&s;i&s;t <HI>Pra&s;&s;illa</HI> in letting you &s;ee them, and if &s;he plea&s;e, to morrow &s;hall be the day, when with &s;ome other Ladies that are our friends, we will go unto the mo&s;t plea&s;ant place in the world, not farre off our river. I am very well contented with it, &s;aid <HI>Pra&s;&s;illa.</HI> And then <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> could do no le&s;&s;e then concur with the de&s;ires of two &s;uch plea&s;ant Ladies; alwayes &s;eeming to be &s;orry <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;hould treat him as a &s;tranger. The matter be|ing thus re&s;olved upon, and the morrow being come, <HI>Hermogenes, Bele&s;is</HI> and I went to wait upon the Ladies, who were to be pre&s;ent at this walk: And <HI>Cleodora</HI> being in the plea&s;ant humour, as &s;oon as we came unto the place, and came out of the Coach, &s;he held out her hand unto <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> Come hither generous &s;tranger (&s;aid &s;he unto him) come and &s;ee the beauties of our Countrey, that you may talk of them when you come into your own.</P>
<P>For heavens &s;ake Madam, &s;aid he unto her, Call me not &s;tranger: I mu&s;t needs call you &s;o this day, replied &s;he, and laughed, &s;ince I &s;hall &s;hew you a thou&s;and things you never &s;aw before, and &s;ince you are in a place where you have no acquaintance. I am contented, &s;aid he, to be a &s;tranger untill this day of wa&s;hing be ended: and &s;o am I &s;aid &s;he. At the coming into the Garden &s;he willed him to ob&s;erve all the beauties in it: the re&s;t of the company followed, and mixed di&s;cour&s;e. At the fir&s;t <HI>Cleodora</HI> car|ried him into a great walk of Cypre&s;&s;e trees, at the end of which was a Fountain, the waters whereof ri&s;ing up in great &s;pouts one upon another, &s;eemed as if it were a rock of chry&s;tall, unto which the rayes of the Sunne gave colours like to the Bowe of hea|ven. Afterwards we went to &s;it down in a great Arbour of Myrtle, wherein there were twenty four &s;tatues: In the mid&s;t of this Arbour there was a Fountain, who&s;e wa|ters were ca&s;t out by twelve Sea-mon&s;ters, &s;o that half of their bodies were onely vi&s;ible; in the mid&s;t of which, was a Neptune with his Trident. Becau&s;e this Arbour was ex|ceedingly
<PB N="148" REF="452">
plea&s;ant, and had &s;everall &s;eats in the mid&s;t, we &s;tayed there a long while; <HI>Cleodora</HI> was alwayes di&s;puting with <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and would needs per&s;wade him hee had &s;uch things as tho&s;e he &s;aw in his countrey: &s;he named all the flowers, and herbs (that were generally known) unto him; and &s;he was &s;o witty upon every &s;ubject, that &s;hee infinitely delighted all the company: <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did contribute as much as po&s;&s;ible to aug|ment the mirth: But after we had been a long while there, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> told <HI>Cleodora,</HI> that to compleat all her favours, it would be a great addition, if &s;he would be plea&s;ed to let him &s;ee the hou&s;e unto which the garden belonged. You will not finde it &s;o plea&s;ant as what you have &s;een already, &s;aid &s;he: for excepting one Parlour, and a vault, which are exceedingly cool in Summer, all the re&s;t are incon&s;iderable: yet if you will, wee'l go: In &s;aying &s;o <HI>Cleodora</HI> ro&s;e up, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> continually leading her, and all the company follow|ing untill we came to the Parlor door: Then did <HI>Cledora</HI> &s;end unto the porter to o|pen the door: But Sir, there was no need to &s;tay long for him; becau&s;e as &s;oon as <HI>Cleodora</HI> and <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> came to the door, it was opened: and <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;aw that there was a very magnificent Banquet prepared. She was &s;o &s;urprized at the &s;ight, and &s;o little imagining it could be <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> who prepared it, that &s;hee retired, and would her &s;elf &s;hut the door, &s;uppo&s;ing there might be &s;ome &s;ecret piece of gallantry of other men: But &s;he was not long in that errour, for <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> thru&s;ting open the door, there was heard a con&s;ort of rare Mu&s;ique: after which, turning towards <HI>Cleodora,</HI> he be&s;eeched her to excu&s;e him as a &s;tranger, if he did not treat her &s;o hand&s;omely as he would do. How, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) do I &s;hew you the garden, and is it you that gives us this co&s;tly Banquet: At lea&s;t, confe&s;&s;e that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> and <HI>Aleenor</HI> have ordered the bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e. I will not &s;hame them &s;o much (replied he) by telling &s;uch an untruth to ex|cu&s;e my &s;elf withall for your no better entertainment: Then did <HI>Hermogenes</HI> and I declare that we knew nothing of it: So that after this, every one was ravi&s;hed with ad|miration, acclamations and commendations of <HI>Bele&s;is: Cleodora</HI> asked pardon for trea|ting him as a &s;tranger, and promi&s;ing never to do &s;o again as long as &s;he liv'd. The truth is, we prai&s;ed <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;o much, that every one forgot there was &s;uch a thing as &s;ilence in Nature: And the company was &s;o highly &s;atisfied with this plea&s;ant &s;urprize, that it wrought no &s;mall effect in the heart of <HI>Cleodora:</HI> For there is nothing &s;o preva|lent with a growing affection, as to act &s;ome high peece of gallantry as may cau&s;e many per&s;ons to commend one in the pre&s;ence of her he loves. Thus, Sir, did <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> cea&s;e to be a &s;tranger with <HI>Cleodora;</HI> who after this did vi&s;it her very often, and with whom he fell &s;o deep in love as he intended to &s;tay as long as he could in <HI>Su&s;a.</HI> He car|ried it out &s;o very well, that his parents &s;ending him wherewith to put him&s;elf in Equi|page, that there was not one man of his condition in all the Court, who lived at a finer rate then he. In the mean time, he knew &s;o admirably well how to take the height of <HI>Cleodora's</HI> &s;pirit, that he was in very favourable e&s;teem with her; yet dur&s;t never &s;peak &s;eriou&s;ly of his pa&s;&s;ion to her: for he knew it was a dangerous bu&s;ine&s;&s;e to &s;peak unto her of any love: At fir&s;t &s;he declared, that &s;he ranked him in the Cata|logue of her friends in generall: A while after, &s;he did him the favour to acknow|ledge publikely, that he was in the number of three or four whom &s;he preferred be|fore all the re&s;t: and a while after that, I beleeve <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> knew, without her telling him, that he was the prime of her friends. In the mean while he dur&s;t not di&s;cover him|&s;elf to be her lover, but onely her friend; for he being very intimate with her, &s;he confe&s;&s;ed one day unto him, that &s;he &s;hould be the mo&s;t &s;atisfied woman in the world, if &s;he could once &s;ee, how farre the patience of an ill treated lover would go: You may well think, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that I am in no humour of any gallantry: but if ever I chance to run out of my wits &s;o farre as to take any plea&s;ure in the folly of another, and that the fanta&s;ticall fate of love do ever &s;end me a lover, certainly I &s;hall not take any greater plea&s;ure in the world, then in tormenting him. And truly I do not think any thing &s;o &s;weet, as to make &s;uch a &s;ort of men to &s;uffer, as make little mole-hills to be great mountains of mi&s;ery: But is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to her) that you &s;hould be capable of any &s;uch thoughts of cruelty? If I &s;hould (&s;aid &s;he and laughed) cut the throat of a man with my own hand; poy&s;on another; &s;et a Town on fire, and a thou&s;and &s;uch things, doubtle&s;&s;e the&s;e would be horrour unto me, and I &s;hould ra|ther die then think of any &s;uch things; But <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;ince in making a man mi&s;erable, I am onely a little partiall, a little angry, and a little in&s;en&s;ible: I &s;hall not much do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> at it, though it purcha&s;e me the name inhumane, inexorable, and cruell: yes a Ty|gre&s;&s;e
<PB N="149" REF="452">
if you plea&s;e, or any thing rather then to come puling with finger in eye, and tell me that I am fair, that I am amiable, and that I am charming. Therefore it is a great happine&s;&s;e, that I was not borne with beauty enough to make many Conque&s;ts: for certainly my Raigne would have been tyrannicall. Yet I can hardly beleeve it, replied <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> for tho&s;e who live under your power, me thinks have no minde to rebell: 'Tis then becau&s;e I do not know they are my &s;ubjects, replied &s;he; for if I did, I &s;hould quickly make them &s;laves, and &s;laves &s;o loaded with irons, that perhaps they would endeavour to break them. <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;poke this with &s;o much earne&s;tne&s;&s;e of &s;pirit, as <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was amazed, and dur&s;t not be &s;o bold as to declare him&s;elf, as he once intended; becau&s;e he thought &s;he &s;poke it purpo&s;ely that he &s;hould not engage him&s;elf to &s;erve her: and indeed this thought did &s;o damp his &s;pirit, as from that day he became very re&s;er|ved and melancholy; and &s;o much that he never enquired after any thing: &s;o that in lieu of furni&s;hing <HI>Cleodora</HI> with news, and acquainting her with all pa&s;&s;ages before any knew it, he did enquire of her, for he did not know &s;o much as the common news of the &s;treet. This lovely Lady, perceiving his change, began one day when he was alone with her, to chide him, and al&s;o to oblige him, for as good hap for him was, &s;he was not then in an humour &s;o to hide her anger, as none could di&s;cover it. Is it po&s;&s;ible, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I &s;hould ever &s;ee &s;uch an alteration? for indeed, you do not le&s;&s;e a|&s;toni&s;h me now you are ignorant of all that is done in <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> then you did when you came fir&s;t, and yet knew every thing: Is it becau&s;e you are weary of your complacen|cie towards me? Is the rea&s;on, becau&s;e you are weary of <HI>Su&s;a?</HI> or is it becau&s;e you think news not fit for di&s;cour&s;e, and intend to reforme the world by your example? It is not any of the&s;e you have named Madam, replied he; But the rea&s;on is, becau&s;e there is &s;omething &s;o choaks my mind, that I can think of nothing el&s;e for it. The on|ly remedy for &s;uch an humour, an&s;wered <HI>Cleodora,</HI> is to frequent no places but where one hath &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, which may drive it out of your thoughts: The rea&s;on why I am now ignorant of every thing (replied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> is, becau&s;e I cannot go unto the place where I have my bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: and in that place, I do not hearken to what people &s;ay. But <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> (replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> not ghe&s;&s;ing at what he would &s;ay) I &s;ee you continually here: 'Tis true Madam (an&s;wered he) but the rea&s;on why I am continu|ally here is, becau&s;e no other place plea&s;eth me: It &s;eems then (&s;aid &s;he craftily) that you have no de&s;ire to plea&s;e your &s;elf: for of late you are alwayes mu&s;ing, and never &s;peak. The rea&s;on is Madam, replied he, becau&s;e I am afraid to &s;peak that which you have no de&s;ire to know. Provided you do not &s;peak of any thing wherein I have any intere&s;t, an&s;wered &s;he, there is nothing which you can &s;peak that will offend me. Me thinks, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> your curio&s;ity would be more rationall, if you de&s;ired to know that which concerns you, then that which concerns you not: however it be, &s;aid &s;he unto him, it is my humour, and all tho&s;e that de&s;ire to plea&s;e me, mu&s;t conforme them|&s;elves unto it. But Madam, (replied he, with a very &s;erious countenance) if I &s;hould tell you there is a per&s;on who complains again&s;t you, a per&s;on whom I have heard you &s;ay, you e&s;teemed, would you not de&s;ire to know of what he accu&s;eth you, to the end you might ju&s;tifie your &s;elf? No, (replied &s;he) for if I be accu&s;ed wrongfully, it is not worth my ju&s;tification: and if I be culpable, it is as I would be, and be both in|capable of repentance or excu&s;e. I cannot beleeve you &s;o unju&s;t (replied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> but &s;ince you will neither ju&s;tifie nor excu&s;e your &s;elf, may I not think you would not have others ju&s;tifie or excu&s;e them&s;elves? No, &s;aid &s;he: for by the &s;ame rea&s;on that I would not give an account of my actions unto others, do I de&s;ire that others &s;hould do that which I will not do my &s;elf. If this be &s;o Madam, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> then I hope, you will not be offended when I tell you, that the rea&s;on why I am ignorant of all the pa&s;&s;ages of the world is, becau&s;e all my endeavours are imployed to know your heart; and the rea&s;on why I &s;peak &s;o little, is, becau&s;e I am afraid to &s;peak too &s;oon, e&s;pecially when I &s;hall tell you that I love you in &s;uch a fatall minute, as &s;hall for ever purcha&s;e your hatred. I a&s;&s;ure you, replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> all times are alike for that, and there is one minute in which I &s;hould allow you to &s;peak of any &s;uch thing, therefore, I pray you never do it; you are &s;o farre ingaged in an odde Di&s;cour&s;e, but you may turn it into a Rallarie. No, no Madam, &s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> I &s;peak mo&s;t &s;eriou&s;ly: and I had rather incen&s;e you by di&s;covering the violent pa&s;&s;ion of my heart, then that you &s;hould be for ever ignorant of it: I have heretofore heard you &s;ay, that you had rather be called cruell, inhumane, and inexorable, then be commended; therefore me thinks you ought
<PB N="150" REF="453">
not to think it &s;trange, that I had rather you would call me ra&s;h, pre&s;umptuous, and in|&s;olent, then that you &s;hould commend me onely as your be&s;t friend: Since you would have it &s;o, replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I will do what I can to &s;atisfie you, though till now I was never put to the nece&s;&s;ity of it. I be&s;eech you Madam, &s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> do not treat me with the extremitie of your rigour and anger. I was &s;o far from it, (replied &s;he and laughed) that if I had been now in an angry humour, I am confident you would not have &s;poken thus, but I &s;hould have impo&s;ed &s;ilence &s;till upon you, though I mu&s;t in|geniou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e, that within this quarter of an hour, I indeavored to be angry with you, but could not: and the rea&s;on was, becau&s;e I did not beleeve any&s;uch thing as you &s;peak of: Ah Madam, (cryed <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> I will have none of your &s;weetne&s;&s;e upon &s;uch hard conditions; yet what probabilitie is there, that the faire <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;hould know what is done in every place where &s;he is not; and be ignorant of what <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;eth in my heart, where continually &s;he is? Moreover Madam, who is able to keep me at <HI>Su&s;a</HI> unle&s;&s;e your &s;elf? The friend&s;hip of <HI>Hermogenes</HI> (replied &s;he) who brought you hither: Tis true, replied he, I came hither for the Love of him, but yet more true, that I &s;tay here for the Love of you Madam. If what you &s;ay be true, (replied &s;he) I advi&s;e you to depart from <HI>Su&s;a</HI> as &s;oon as you can; for <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> to tell you truly, I am a better friend, then I &s;hall be a Mi&s;tris, though I &s;hould &s;uffer you to love me: but indeed I cannot do that; and you cannot do me a more &s;en&s;ible di&s;plea&s;ure, then to per&s;wade me that you love me: for what inclination &s;o|ever I have, to love newes, yet I do not love to be the newes of others: and when I con&s;ider, that if you take a fancy of doing &s;uch things for me, as men who would be thought to be in Love u&s;e; every one will begin to whi&s;per, that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> Loves <HI>Cle|odora,</HI> and perhaps they will add, that <HI>Cleodora</HI> allows of it without re&s;i&s;tance; I &s;hall be &s;o extreamly angry, that I &s;hall go neer to hate you. Madam, replied <HI>Be|le&s;is,</HI> the only way to prevent all whi&s;eprings that I am in Love with you, is to permit me the liberty of telling it unto you in &s;ecret, and that you do not force me to de&s;paire: for Madam, I conceive it an ea&s;ie matter for an happy Lover to be &s;ecret: But if you will not beleeve that I Love you, and let me &s;peake of it &s;omtimes unto you, then I &s;hall be forced to per&s;wade you of the truth by doing a thou&s;and things which would di&s;cover my pa&s;&s;ion unto all the world.</P>
<P>Therefore, Faire <HI>Cleodora,</HI> Con&s;ider well before you Pronounce the &s;entence of my death, whether I do de&s;erve it, if it be your Plea&s;ure, none &s;hall ever know that I Love you, and you your &s;elf &s;hall only know what power you have over my &s;oul. But if you will not allow me to &s;peak of my Love in private, I Profe&s;&s;e unto you, I will make every man a confident of my Pa&s;&s;ion, not only to the end I may have &s;ome comfort in complaining again&s;t your Rigour, but to the end al&s;o that all the world may &s;peak of you; you &s;hall &s;ee (hard-hearted woman) whether it is better a 100000 Men &s;hould &s;ay I Love you, then that I my &s;elf only &s;hould tell it you, and that with a mo&s;t unparalelled re&s;pect. I pray <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cleo|dora,</HI> hold your peace, unle&s;&s;e you have a minde to provoke me into very rude language: for if you continue any longer, the anger of my heart will &s;o ri&s;e, that I &s;hall raile agin&s;t you. As <HI>Cleodora</HI> was &s;aying &s;o, I came in, and broke off their di&s;cour&s;e: I ea&s;ily perceived they had been in &s;ome private talk; for I &s;aw &s;uch a lively colour in the cheekes of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and &s;o much anger in the eyes of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> that I almo&s;t ghe&s;&s;ed at the pa&s;&s;age between them: after this, <HI>Cleodora</HI> put in pra|cti&s;e what &s;he had formerly told <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> For there was no kinde of &s;everitie, which &s;he did not &s;hew unto him, though &s;he e&s;teemed him infinitly, and perhaps Loved him al&s;o. She did not only avoid all occa&s;ions of talking alone with him, but if in any company he came among&s;t them, &s;he would talk to &s;ome other in his pre&s;ence, yet truely &s;he was all wayes civill towards him: for I beleeve &s;he did not &s;trive to quench tho&s;e flames which &s;he had kindled in his &s;oule, but did in her wi&s;hes rather blow the bellows and increa&s;e it: yet all her civilities towards him did much grieve rather then comfort <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> and one day finding her alone, he complained of his mi&s;erable condition unto her, I re&s;pect you &s;o much Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that I will not complaine of all your cruelties and &s;cornes, for indeed I think my &s;elf worthy of them, for Madam, what good will all your civilities do me if you have re&s;olved upon my Ruine? is it becau&s;e you love long torments, and becau&s;e a violent death will not ful|ly &s;atisfie your crueltie? Civilitie replied <HI>Cleodora</HI> is debt a due even to our very ene|mies.
<PB N="151" REF="453">
I know very well Madam, (replied he) that it is to be u&s;ed in war, and com|bats, but I know al&s;o, that you ought not to u&s;e it to a man who importunes you for Love, and who&s;e pre&s;ence angers you. Ah <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;miled) I mu&s;t needs make a difference between <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &amp; <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> (if I may &s;ay &s;o) for truely I did infinitly e&s;teeme that plea&s;ing &s;tranger who did &s;o much invite my curio&s;itie, the fir&s;t time I &s;aw him, and who&s;e company was very delightfull to me in many entertainments, and plea&s;ant walkes. But I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e that this <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> now, is not &s;o &s;utable to my humour as the other was. Provided you will Love either of them (replied he, and &s;miled as well as &s;he) I will promi&s;e the other &s;hall not offend you, or complaine a|gain&s;t you: Seriou&s;ly <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) can there be any truth in your words? &s;eriou&s;ly cruell Lady, (replied he) can you doubt it? For indeed <HI>Cleodora,</HI> if you did not know that I Loved you, then your behaviour to me was unrea&s;onable; and if you did know it, it was unju&s;t and inhumane: Con&s;ider therefore with your &s;elf, I conjure you, or to &s;ay better, con&s;ider me, and force me not into de&s;paire. To &s;hew you (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that I would not ab&s;olutly di&s;oblige you, I will make an ingenuous declaration unto you, but I pray you do not put another glo&s;s upon my words then my meaning will beare. Never fear Divine <HI>Cleodora,</HI> (&s;aid he unto her) that I will flatter my &s;elfe with any thing that you can &s;ay unto me; for I look upon my mi&s;e|ries through &s;uch gla&s;&s;e, as makes them &s;eeme greater then they are, and my happine&s;&s;e le&s;&s;e. Since &s;o, replied &s;he, I will not fear to tell you, that I do infinitly e&s;teeme you; and if I were capable of &s;o much weakne&s;&s;e as to love any, it &s;hould be you &s;ooner then any other: But for all that, I mu&s;t tell you, for your good both and my own; it is requi&s;ite I loved you but a little: for if I &s;hould proceed &s;o far as to tell you that your pa&s;&s;ion plea&s;eth me, I &s;hould be &s;o much a&s;hamed, that it would make me extreamly melancholy: and &s;ince melancholy begets vexation, and vexation anger, we &s;hould alwaies be quarrelling; therefore to compo&s;e things, and that you may not complaine of my inju&s;tice, I will make a propo&s;ition unto you: which is, that you &s;hall Love me much le&s;&s;e then you do, and I will Love you a little more then I do; to the end our affections may meet in the medium, and become a more &s;olid and true friend|&s;hip. When you begin to Love me a little more, replied he, I &s;hall try if I can Love you much le&s;&s;e: Oh <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, it is you that mu&s;t begin fir&s;t and not I. Alas Madam, (re|plied he, and &s;ighed) If you cannot Love me, when I Love you as much as I can: I doubt you will not Love me at all, if I Love you le&s;&s;e. But cruell woman, my affection to you is not in my choice, as it &s;eemes yours to me is in yours, for whether you would have me Love you, or not Love you; I &s;hall alwayes love you; not only whether you will or no, but al&s;o whether I will or no: yes inhumaine heart that you are, you do often make me wi&s;h I could not Love; but I cannot drive out of my heart that Pa&s;&s;ion which tyrannizeth in it. <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> had many other expre&s;&s;ions of his &s;oule, but could not ob|taine any more from her; yet he thought him&s;elf very happie, that he was treated no wor&s;e. In the mean time, the rare merits of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> had a mo&s;t powerfull influ|ence upon the heart of <HI>Cleodora;</HI> yet was it long before &s;he would give him any vo|luntarie te&s;timonies of it: But yet without any de&s;igne at all, &s;he would often do &s;uch things, as let <HI>Hermogenes</HI> and me know, that &s;he did not hate him: for though ordinarily &s;he &s;eemed very cold in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, when he did earne&s;tly &s;eek for op|portunities of &s;eeing her: yet when it chanced that he was not in any place, where &s;he imagined he would follow her, &s;he would alwaies twitt him with &s;ome piece of ral|larie or other: &s;o that one may &s;ay (if it be lawfull to &s;ay &s;o, of &s;uch an amiable per&s;on as <HI>Cleodora</HI> was) that her fanta&s;ticalne&s;&s;e was the fir&s;t favour which <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> recei|ved from her: But at la&s;t, after a long conte&s;t between her lenitie, and her &s;everitie, &s;he yielded a little, and confe&s;&s;ed unto <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> that &s;he was well plea&s;ed, he could not love her le&s;&s;e. It is a hard task to tell how joyfull this half de&s;pairing Lover was, when he obtained leave to talk of his pa&s;&s;ion unto <HI>Cleodora:</HI> the memory of all her rigour was plea&s;ing to him: and though &s;he granted no further favour, then &s;uffering her &s;elf to be Loved, yet did he e&s;teeme him&s;elf the mo&s;t happie man alive: yet was his happine&s;&s;e not long tranquill; becau&s;e the more <HI>Cleodona,</HI> began to love <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> the more hard &s;he was to be plea&s;ed. If he expre&s;&s;ed much love, &s;he would &s;ay he was imprudent, to expre&s;&s;e &s;o many vi&s;ible markes of his pa&s;&s;ion; if he offered to hide it, &s;he would chide him for changing, and &s;ay he loved her le&s;&s;e, If he were plea&s;ant, &s;he would think &s;he had given him too many te&s;timonies of her affection,
<PB N="152" REF="454">
and would &s;ay &s;he repented; if he were &s;ad, &s;he would accu&s;e him for not being &s;uffi|ciently &s;en&s;ible of her favours, by his expre&s;&s;ions of joy: &s;o that what&s;oever <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> could either &s;ay or do, there was &s;ome exceptions or other &s;till again&s;t him, and con|tinual Jarrs between them. However they knew that they loved and were confident of it, though they would often u&s;e &s;uch expre&s;&s;ions as would make others beleeve they loved not at all. Yet for all this, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> had many plea&s;ant houres; For <HI>Cleodora</HI> would &s;uffer him to write when he could not &s;ee her; and &s;he gave him her picture, &s;o that the unequality of her humours, would move one to &s;ay that Ro&s;es have alwayes thornes in them, and thornes bear ro&s;es. Thus Sr. did <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> live a long time, whil&s;t <HI>Hermogenes</HI> and I without any intended de&s;ignes, did recreate our &s;elves in the vi&s;i|ting of Ladies with all indifferency that could be: Yet <HI>Hermogenes</HI> went le&s;&s;e to vi&s;it <HI>Cleodora</HI> then any other, to the end (as he &s;aid) that his friend might have more op|portunities of courting his mi&s;tre&s;&s;e alone. Things being upon the&s;e termes it chaunced that a &s;i&s;ter of <HI>Cleodoras</HI> Aunt died in the Country where &s;he had lived a long time: and having left only one daughter called <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> about the age of fifteen yeers: This young Lady came unto <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> to dwell with her mothers &s;i&s;ter, and con&s;equently in the hou&s;e with <HI>Cleodora.</HI> When &s;he came thither <HI>Bele&s;is, Hermogenes</HI> and I, were gone a journey of eight dayes before we returned; and then we went to <HI>Cleodora,</HI> who had already contracted a great friend&s;hip with her new-come Co&s;en: But Sr. we were all wonder when we &s;aw <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> for though we know &s;he was to come to <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> and had heard &s;ay &s;he was very fair, yet wee could not chu&s;e but be dazled, at the lu&s;tre of her eyes, and purity of her complexion: Nature never gave unto any one &s;uch lovely hair, pure collours, &s;prightly eyes, and han&s;ome mouth: though her &s;tature was not tall, yet it was not low; but &s;o rightly proportioned in all parts and &s;o noble, that &s;he was a delightfull wonder; her affability was as admirable as her beau|ty: the lovely Aire of her A&s;pect was &s;uch, that her eyes never took any hearts with|out giving &s;ome hopes of moving hers, though yet as mode&s;t as po&s;&s;ible could be. Thus Sr. apppeared <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> when <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> fir&s;t &s;aw her with <HI>Cleodora,</HI> who pre&s;ented us all unto her lovely Cozen, who&s;e civilitie to us appeared as much as &s;he was &s;pright|ly and fair. Since <HI>Cleodora</HI> and <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> were of different beauties, envie took no hold of their &s;oules, and they had this advantage, that they did not injure each other, though it mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed that <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> had more amiable &s;parks of youth in her face then <HI>Cleodora</HI> had: though there was but three yeers difference in their age. In the mean time, as it is civility to commend all beauties e&s;pecially the fir&s;t &s;ight, <HI>Hermoge|nes</HI> and I did extreamly commend the beauty of <HI>Leoni&s;a: Bele&s;is</HI> al&s;o commended her, but le&s;&s;e then we, becau&s;e it was before his mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, for my part, &s;ince I had no &s;uch rea&s;on upon me, I did as much as I could extoll <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> I asked her whether they had not already written of the death of many of her Lovers about that place from whence &s;he came, whom very grief for her ab&s;ence mu&s;t needes kill: For &s;aid I unto her, if they were not dead, they would have followed you, and we &s;hould have &s;een them here. I a&s;&s;ure you, &s;aid &s;he and laughed, if I had as much beau|ty as to make any lover in the place from whence I came, and to make them follow me hither I &s;hould not have brought very good company with me, and therefore it is my happine&s;&s;e that I have made no conque&s;ts. But you will make &s;ome here and that quickly, replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> and que&s;tionle&s;&s;e &s;he will not make many incon&s;tants, added I: fie, fie, &s;aid <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I be&s;eech you, do not pre&s;age &s;o many misfor|tunes unto <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> at one time. It &s;eemes (&s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> very plea&s;ingly and blu&s;hed) that I have not yet lived, but came from a &s;avage place where they know not what love is: For I &s;hould think it more glorious, to take hearts from other beauties who tooke them fir&s;t, then to take &s;uch as were never captivated by any. It is mearely <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">alice <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> to &s;ay any &s;uch thing; and much inju&s;tice and vanity al&s;o. Did I not tell you, replied <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> that I knew not how to argue rightly upon &s;uch a &s;ubject? yet what&s;oever you &s;ay, I mu&s;t needs think that it would be very plea&s;ant. But would you be contented, replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> that they &s;hould quit you for another? No (an&s;wered <HI>Leoni&s;a)</HI> and becau&s;e I do fancy how eztreamly vexed I &s;hould be if &s;uch a thing &s;hould chance unto me, therefore I do perfectly fancy the plea&s;ure of cau&s;ing it to others: If the mi&s;eries of others do &s;o delight you (&s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> who had not yet &s;poken) I extreamly pitty tho&s;e who are de&s;tinied to love you; I beleeve they are &s;o &s;mall a number (replied &s;he) as I beleeve I &s;hall not give you any great &s;ubject of
<PB N="153" REF="454">
compa&s;&s;ion. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Cleodora</HI> only for arguments &s;ake with her Co&s;en) I wi&s;h with all my &s;oul that the fir&s;t heart you captivate may be incon&s;tant and ca&s;t off your fetters to puni&s;h you for your unju&s;t opinion: I cannot yet repent of it (&s;aid <HI>Leo|ni&s;a)</HI> for when I con&s;ider the plea&s;ures I &s;hould take, in rooting the image of another out of the heart of him whom I have captivated, and forced this lover to let me &s;ee the picture and letters of his fir&s;t mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, and how I &s;hould delight in looking upon the one, and reading the other, I a&s;&s;ure you it is worth wi&s;hing I were &s;o fair as to make &s;ome incon&s;tant lover to be my votary: In good earne&s;t (&s;aid <HI>Cleodora</HI> and laughed) you will make me beleeve you know not what you &s;ay: I do confe&s;&s;e, I do not, &s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> but I know what will plea&s;e me: and yet I do not &s;ay I will love this incon&s;tant man, whom I would make, for my de&s;igne is only to laugh and make &s;port with him when I have made him &s;o. Fie, Fie, fair <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> you are now wor&s;e then your Co&s;en thinks you? for why &s;hould you de&s;ire to gain hearts, unle&s;s you were re&s;olved to part with your owne? That re&s;olution replied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> me thinks is too much: and I have &s;o good an opinion of my &s;ex, that I do not think there is one who is &s;o liberall as to part &s;o ea&s;ily with their heart: yet I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e &s;aid &s;he and &s;miled, &s;ome men will vaunt how they po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e the hearts of many fair ones); But certainly they got them &s;urreptitiou&s;ly, by craft or violence. I a&s;&s;ure you, replied <HI>Hermo|genes</HI> which way &s;oever one enjoys yours, he will enjoy a mo&s;t glorious and heavenly happine&s;&s;e. Though it were &s;o, an&s;wered &s;he, yet this heavenly happine&s;&s;e you &s;peak of &s;hould co&s;t him &s;ome &s;orrowes before he enjoyed it, for I am re&s;olved not to give him the lea&s;t roome in my heart, and therefore farr from giving it all unto him; I pray you <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cleodora,</HI> do not &s;peak &s;o re&s;olutely, &s;ince it is no prudence to triumph before the victory; you never yet heard any Court&s;hip, but only Country complements, and have all your life been brought up among&s;t ru&s;tiques; and yet you are as confident of your &s;elf, as if you had made all the gallants of <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> bow knees unto your beauty, and as if you &s;corned them all: Beleeve me <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> it is no di&s;cretion to have &s;o good an opinion of your own &s;trength, and I have known &s;ome as well conceited as your &s;elf, who &s;lighting their enemies, are &s;ometimes overcome, therefore do not brag that you are invincible: when you have been a yeer or two at Court, and when your beauty hath made an infinite number of &s;laves who have ca&s;t off their fir&s;t Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es to enter into your fetters, and when you have defended your &s;elf again&s;t them all, we will then all ow you to &s;peak thus boldly, but till then, I mu&s;t tell you I cannot endure it. 'Tis better for me to &s;ay nothing replied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> then to di&s;pute again&s;t you. Then, after a while of &s;ome other di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Bele&s;is, Hermogenes</HI> &amp; I, took our leaves, being all very well plea&s;ed with the beauty and wit of <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and concluding her to be the only &s;tarr of the Court or Towne. <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> yet, did hardly con&s;ent unto this &s;o clearly as we did, and only &s;aid that if <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> had not a colen in <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> &s;he had clearly tran&s;cended all that was amiable. In the meantime, &s;ince he could never &s;ee <HI>Cleodora,</HI> but he mu&s;t &s;ee <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> al&s;o, becau&s;e they dwelt both in one hou&s;e, therefore he &s;aw her every day: and as <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> was one of tho&s;e beauties which the more one lookes the more one likes; &s;o <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;eeing her more then any other, did e&s;teem her more then any, though &s;he was generally e&s;tee|med of all: <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> al&s;o was more civill and complacentiall unto <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> then &s;he was to any other, not only becau&s;e his merits did excell others, but al&s;o becau&s;e &s;he ob&s;erved that her Aunt and <HI>Cleodora</HI> e&s;teemed him very much; &s;o that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> finding her to be of a very &s;weet and affable condition, u&s;ed to &s;eek for &s;ome comfort in her company, when <HI>Cleodora</HI> did at any time frown upon him, and &s;o it chanced, that <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> a|gain&s;t her will cau&s;ed a quarrel to ri&s;e between them: For as her beauty was all the talke of the Town, &s;he attracted abundance of gallants about her, and al&s;o &s;ome others that were not over well accompli&s;hed: &s;o that <HI>Cleodora</HI> who was u&s;ed only unto very choi&s;e company, grew weary of &s;uch a mi&s;clelany of many men, and her complacency to them was very cold: &s;he told <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> diver&s;e times of it: but &s;he not being of her Co&s;ens humour, and being &s;omething yonger then &s;he, &s;he could not finde in her heart to bani&s;h any that came unto her; and &s;eemed to e&s;teem her: &s;o that &s;he told <HI>Cleodora,</HI> that &s;he could not be uncivill unto any, and more then that, &s;he ought not to take &s;o much upon her in a hou&s;e where &s;he is rather to obey their command: <HI>Cleo|dora</HI> dur&s;t not &s;peak of it unto her Aunt, becau&s;e &s;he knew it would not plea&s;e her that &s;he &s;hould be of any &s;mch criticall humour: and therefore not knowing what cour&s;e to take, &s;he entreated <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> one day (&s;ince &s;he ob&s;erved there was a great confidence
<PB N="154" REF="455">
between <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> and him) that he would tell her, that her univer&s;all civility did much offend her: and, if &s;he an&s;wer you (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that &s;he does not love to di&s;|oblige any one, tell her that in all rea&s;on &s;he ought rather to oblige &s;ome one compleat gallant to e&s;teem her and not &s;hew &s;uch equall civility unto all that come to &s;ee her: As <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;aid &s;o, and thinking none did hear her but <HI>Bele&s;is, Leoni&s;a</HI> was unknown in a clo&s;et, and came unto them laughing, and addre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf extream &s;weetly unto <HI>Cleodora:</HI> I be&s;eech you, &s;aid &s;he, do not condemne me, before I may an&s;wer for my &s;elf: <HI>Cleodora</HI> perceiving that <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> had heard what &s;he &s;aid, &s;eemed as if &s;he knew that &s;he was in the clo&s;&s;et, and &s;poke purpo&s;ely that &s;he might under&s;tand her: In the mean time I will &s;eriou&s;ly tell you <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> before <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) who knowes the world very well: that there are two &s;orts of people, who without any choi&s;e u&s;e to affect a multitude which thus daily flock about you: I pray tell me, &s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> in which Catalogue you rank me, and who are tho&s;e two &s;orts of people, which &s;o affect that which I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e I do not hate? They are, replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> either Country people newly come to town, or el&s;e they are light headed hu&s;wifes which love tat|ling. Surely, &s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> I am not of this la&s;t number; I confe&s;&s;e it, &s;aid <HI>Cleodo|ra,</HI> for if you be, you would make me much to wonder; yet I mu&s;t-&s;ay thus much for you, that you &s;mell not at all of the country unle&s;&s;e in this humour: But <HI>Cleodora,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> is it not an undeniable maxime, that civility ought to be &s;hewed unto all in generall? and is it not by e&s;teem only, that one ought to put a difference between tho&s;e men we &s;ee? No, &s;aid <HI>Cleodora,</HI> for which way can one expre&s;&s;e e&s;teem but by civility, when one would di&s;tingui&s;h one of excellent qualities from others? you know it is not hand&s;ome to give men tender and obliging language. The word friend|&s;hip is &s;omething too hard to pronounce; and it is dangerous to u&s;e it in &s;peaking unto young and Courtly Gallants; and the truth is a man mu&s;t give a thou&s;and te&s;timonies of his wisdome, or el&s;e do &s;ome very con&s;iderable peece of &s;ervice, before it will be hand|&s;ome to be tender and affectionate to him: after this, con&s;ider <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> whether you be not too prodigall of your civility, unle&s;&s;e it be &s;hewed only unto &s;uch men as really e&s;teem you: I &s;hall be very re&s;erved in my favours and my e&s;teem, replied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and be prodigall only of a thou&s;and triviall pa&s;&s;ages and behaviours which indeed are no|thing el&s;e but common civility, your pray&s;es and commendations and e&s;teem, replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> are certainly of an ine&s;timable value; But <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> It is men only that mu&s;t hand&s;omly give commendations &s;o frequently, when they &s;peak unto Ladies, and &s;urely you never told <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;ince you &s;aw him, that you think him very hand&s;ome, that his wit doth infinitely plea&s;e you, and that his company charmes you; Alas Madam, &s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> I be&s;eech you do not Jeere me in your di&s;putes, for it is not I who cau&s;eth the fair eyes of <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> to attract &s;o much company that troubles you, I pray you &s;aid <HI>Le|oni&s;a</HI> to <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> let me an&s;wer <HI>Cleodora</HI> my &s;elf; I pray an&s;wer then directly, replied &s;he; &s;o I will replied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and therefore I will confe&s;&s;e I never &s;poke any &s;uch thing unto <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> as you mention; yet I a&s;&s;ure you, that ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">gre this univer&s;all civility wherewith you upbraid me, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> hath ob&s;erved that I put a great difference between him and many others: &s;peak <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cleodora,</HI> does <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> &s;ay truth? have you perceived that e&s;teem which &s;he had of you from that which &s;he had unto any el&s;e? <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was now much put to it; for he was unwilling to di&s;oblige <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and fear|full to anger <HI>Cleodora;</HI> &s;o that carrying a levell hand between them both, I have &s;o little right unto fair <HI>Leoni&s;as</HI> e&s;teem, replied he, that I cannot imagine how &s;he &s;hould put any difference between me and the lowe&s;t rank of qualified men: But as I am oft apt to flatter my &s;elf, and to beleeve things which I de&s;ire, I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e I have ob&s;erved &s;ome land of civility u&s;ed more obligingly unto me then unto &s;ome others to whom &s;he hath done more reverence; &s;o admirably well doth &s;he know the art of obliging by little things. Beleeve not <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cleodora</HI> unto <HI>Leoni&s;a)</HI> &s;ince I a&s;&s;ure you, he is no lover of multitudes; and certainly he hath good rea&s;on for it; So have you <HI>Leoni&s;a;</HI> for what can you do with &s;o many men? you cannot marry them all; You would not be thought a Tatler, you cannot e&s;teem them all, and therefore how can you endure them all? Nothing is more &s;weet unto me, replied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> then to think that none doth hate me, but that every one on the contrary &s;hould e&s;teem and commend me. Ala<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cleodora)</HI> what extream folly in it to &s;ay &s;o? for what good will the e&s;teem of a thou&s;and men do you, when you e&s;teem not them; and beleeve it, Dear <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> it is very well if one can live &s;o as none &s;hall hate them, with
<PB N="155" REF="455">
affecting that all the world &s;hould love them; I do confe&s;&s;e, that one ought to do all the good they can, and not to let a per&s;on drown for want of a hand lent to help him out. Yet for all this, one mu&s;t love for them&s;elves and their friends, and not altoge|ther for the publique; The fitte&s;t places for expre&s;&s;ions of civility is in the Temples, in the walkes, and in the &s;treets; but in my chamber, if my coldne&s;&s;e to tho&s;e that trou|ble me would not drive them away, I &s;hould be then uncivill and perhaps go a little further &s;ometimes, to rid my &s;elf of &s;ome &s;uch men as I know; And certainly all this, not without good rea&s;on, for one dull fellow may hinder me from enjoying the con|ver&s;ation of the compleate&s;t man in the world. And truly I have &s;o nice a &s;pirit, that I cannot endure this kind of complacency, which will not purcha&s;e one reall friend in a thou&s;and yeers: 'tis very true, &s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> that perhapps I have fewer friends then you, but perhaps I can brag of having fewer enemies: and do you not con&s;ider it is a hard matter to finde a man who will not thinke you of too my&s;terious and private a &s;pirit? how many have you di&s;obliged by not &s;peaking to them, or by &s;peaking too much unto &s;ome whom you affect more then them. I know not what you &s;ay, re|plied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> but I pray take notice that the &s;corne or hatred of &s;ome men moves me not at all: nor do I value the bla&s;t of vulgar popularity more then an uncon&s;tant puff of winde. I care not for the e&s;teem of the giddy multitude; when I began the world, and &s;et lawes unto my life, I re&s;olved never to do any thing which would draw odium upon my &s;elfe: But I never re&s;olved to trouble my &s;elf &s;o much as to get the love of all the world: but on the contrary I am very de&s;irous of the love of a very few, becau&s;e I think a very few are worthy of reciprocall Returnes: moreover I con&s;ider that one &s;ingle per&s;on cannot po&s;&s;ibly love many men; And true happine&s;&s;e is to live with one they loves, and to &s;hun the &s;ight of tho&s;e they loves not. The&s;e <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> are my max|imes, which never will be yours unle&s;&s;e you change your humour. To te&s;tifie unto you, &s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> how much I value your judgement, I do profe&s;&s;e, that I would ab&s;olutely live as you would have me; I be&s;eech you Madam after this (&s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> unto <HI>Cleodora)</HI> do not chide <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> any more; For ought I &s;ee (&s;aid <HI>Cleodora</HI> unto him) you are very much devoted unto her, and would not any think who hear you &s;peak, that I am in the greate&s;t wrong in the world, and that <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> is in the right? you, I &s;ay, who have told me a thou&s;and times that a multitude was as odious to you, as the company of one qualified per&s;on was plea&s;ant: and that the conver&s;ation of above three or four at the mo&s;t, was ever trouble&s;ome to you; and yet you have not put in one word to &s;trengthen my &s;ide, but your &s;ilence hath &s;o fortified <HI>Leoni&s;a's,</HI> that &s;he thinks in her heart your &s;ilence was only out of di&s;cretion, and becau&s;e you had no minde to condemne me. Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) &s;eeing <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> &s;ubmits unto you, I think you intend to pick a new quarrel with me, for I did not think it ju&s;t to meddle in a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e wherein I had no intere&s;t, when one comes into a place (Replied &s;he with a &s;cornfull &s;mile) where the per&s;on who talkes is not &s;utable to their liking, it is an ea&s;ie matter to make excu&s;es and pretend bu&s;ine&s;&s;e to decline the company. And <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> be not deluded, for mo&s;t of the men who come unto tho&s;e hou&s;es which are as publique as the Temples, and frequent them, more do come only for their own ends; if it be winter, they &s;eek out warme chambers; if &s;ummer, coole roomes; they are choi&s;e in their very &s;eats; &s;ome talke of riding hor&s;es, others of &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: &s;ome not knowing whither to go, are there out of nece&s;&s;ity; and perhaps of a hundred men that frequent the&s;e hou&s;es, there is not one has any honourable de&s;igne; For my part, I who do not de&s;ire men &s;hould &s;eek me, I hate that kind of life, and therefore (&s;aid &s;he in ri&s;ing up) le&s;t my company and di&s;cour&s;e &s;hould &s;eem too long unto you both; I will go unto my chamber, where none but &s;uch as plea&s;e me enters, by that rea&s;on, &s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> I hope <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and I may follow you. I am infinitely obliged unto you (&s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> unto <HI>Leoni&s;a)</HI> for &s;peaking &s;o advantagious for me: but I am afraid <HI>Cleo|dora</HI> will hardly con&s;ent unto part of your motion; I &s;hall con&s;ent unto le&s;&s;e then you imagine (&s;aid &s;he) for I will not con&s;ent unto any part of it, &s;ince in the angry humour I am in, neither &s;hall I plea&s;e you, nor you me; in &s;aying &s;o, &s;he went away and pulled the chamber dore after her, &s;eeming by that action, &s;he would not have <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> nor <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> follow her; yet had they followed her notwith&s;tanding, if at the very &s;ame time they opened the dore to go after her, abundance of company had not come in, which hindered <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> from executing her intended de&s;igne; However <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> left her, and went to <HI>Cleodoras</HI> chamber, but in his way thither he met the Prince of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> coming
<PB N="156" REF="456">
to &s;ee <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and would by all meanes have him back, telling him he had &s;ome bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e with him: the re&s;pect <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> owed unto this Prince, who was naturally of a very violent temper, moved him to obey; &s;o that he went with him into <HI>Leoni&s;as</HI> chamber againe; yet he &s;tayed not above halfe an hour there, for as &s;oon as he &s;aw a fit oppor|tunitie, he &s;tole away and went to <HI>Cleodora;</HI> but he could not meet with her; for &s;ince &s;he &s;aw <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did not follow, not knowing the true rea&s;on, &s;he went out at a back way to vi&s;it &s;ome of her friends which dwelt not far off, purpo&s;ely that when <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> came to her chamber he &s;hould not finde her there. He was &s;o well acquainted with her, that he made no que&s;tion but &s;he went out of &s;pite to him; in the mean time, I know not what temper his &s;oul was in that day, but had not the &s;ame re&s;entments he was wont to have when <HI>Cleodora</HI> was in her fanta&s;ticall humours, for commonly he was alwayes very &s;ad, and was never at quiet in his minde till he had made his peace with her: but now, in lieu of &s;orrowes, he was all anger, and re&s;olved to expre&s;&s;e as much unto her the next time he &s;aw her; And &s;ince &s;o, it is no wonder if the&s;e two incen&s;ed parties had a &s;harpe and twitting conference the next morning when they met. Yet for all this, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did not give <HI>Cleodora</HI> any di&s;re&s;pective language, but he was nothing &s;o ob&s;equious as at other times to appea&s;e her: All his di&s;cour&s;e tended to his owne ju&s;tification, but never u&s;ed any Prayers nor Conjurations, nor &s;ighes: &s;ince <HI>Cleodora</HI> was not u&s;ed unto &s;uch complements from him, &s;he was &s;o far from accepting of his ju&s;tifications, that &s;he accu&s;ed him of cold hollow hartedne&s;&s;e; &s;o that this little &s;quabble, grew to be an earne&s;t falling out: and they parted upon &s;uch tearmes that for many dayes <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> dur&s;t not &s;ee <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and perhaps had no great minde to it. However, chance at la&s;t brought him to &s;ee her, and to &s;peak to her: &s;o that it &s;eems love was re&s;olved to torment <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> more then ever any man which knew his power, and cau&s;ed the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of this Lady, who&s;e heart was already much moved, to be now ab&s;olutely charmed, and much increa&s;ed towards <HI>Bele&s;is.</HI> Yet notwith&s;tanding, thus much may be &s;aid in excu&s;e of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> that his vexation, to &s;ee he could ne|ver finde the affection of <HI>Cleodora</HI> to be &s;olid and certain, was one of the main cau&s;es of his love to <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI> However it was mo&s;t certain he loved her, and &s;o exce&s;&s;ive|ly that his love to her encrea&s;ed, and to <HI>Cleodora</HI> le&s;&s;ened. At fir&s;t, he did not think he was in love with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> but thought that he was only angry with <HI>Cleodora:</HI> But he began by degrees to fear that <HI>Cleodora</HI> would not be appea&s;ed, and that he was di&s;|obliged from &s;eeing her as her &s;ervant: yet was he in a great &s;traight what to re&s;olve upon, for if he did not reconcile him&s;elf to <HI>Cleodora,</HI> he could not &s;ee <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> And he con&s;idered further, that admit he did reconcile him&s;elf, then it would be a piece of difficulty to make <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> beleeve he loved her: Al&s;o he was extreamly a&s;hamed of his incon&s;tancy, and that he &s;hould &s;o delude one whom he had &s;o much loved, and whom yet he e&s;teemed, maugre his new pa&s;&s;ion: yet <HI>Cleodora</HI> continued &s;o violent again&s;t him, that though he knew his crime, yet he could not repent of it. But what troubles and &s;orrowes &s;oever his &s;oul had, he never acquainted <HI>Hermogenes</HI> or me with his new love, but only complained again&s;t the fanta&s;ticalne&s;&s;e of <HI>Cleodora:</HI> in the mean time, this Lady who&s;e heart was really affectionate unto <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> repented of what &s;he had done, and &s;eeing he fell off from his accu&s;tomed Court&s;hip, as fierce as &s;he was, &s;he re&s;olved upon the fir&s;t opportunity to reduce him. And going one day with her Aunt unto the Queen without <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> by chance &s;he met him: as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw him, &s;he had a great minde to &s;peak unto him, yet &s;he could not finde in her heart to u&s;e her tongue, thinking it enough if &s;he looked upon him without anger, and to an&s;wer him mildly if he &s;poke unto her. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was in &s;uch a dump that he neither knew what to do or &s;ay: for the very &s;ight of <HI>Cleodora</HI> did make him &s;o much a&s;hamed of his weakne&s;&s;e, that one while he re&s;olved to carry him|&s;elf as if he loved none but her: (this &s;aid he to him&s;elf) is perhaps more then I can do, and perhaps more then I ought, &s;ince it is not Ju&s;t to make her and my &s;elf mi&s;e|rable by telling <HI>Cleodora</HI> I love only her, when as I am ready to dye for the love of <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> but how can I break off her chaines who has expre&s;&s;ed a thou&s;and te&s;timonies of her affection to me, and who&s;e very fanta&s;ticall humours are &s;ignes of it? how dare I ever let her know that I am incon&s;tant? how can I continually counterfeit? and what fruit can I hope for from my di&s;&s;imulation? yet however, whether I re&s;olve to devote my heart unto <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and cha&s;e <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> out of it; or whether I will court <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> and ca&s;t off <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I mu&s;t at this pre&s;ent apply my &s;elf to the la&s;t of the&s;e; for
<PB N="157" REF="456">
if I would have her take her fir&s;t po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of my heart, I mu&s;t approach her fair eyes, that they may kindle the flame which &s;o long burned in my &s;oul: and if on the contra|ry, I de&s;ire to be inflamed by the glorious light of <HI>Leoni&s;a's</HI> eyes, yet &s;till I mu&s;t keep fair with <HI>Cleodora,</HI> &s;ince I cannot &s;ee the one without the other. Thus <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> not know|ing whether he &s;hould be incon&s;tant or no; whether he &s;hould appea&s;e <HI>Cleodora</HI> or de|ceive her, he acco&s;ted her with &s;uch &s;trange confu&s;ion as had a great operation upon the heart of that Lady, who was ignorant of the cau&s;e, but attributed the alterations in his face unto his repentance. He asked her in a trembling po&s;ture, whether her an|ger was yet over? It is &s;o long &s;ince you &s;poke unto me, &s;aid &s;he and &s;miled, that it were but ju&s;t in me if I told you, it continued &s;till: But <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> the manner of your asking makes me beleeve, that I ought not to tell you &s;o, and therefore I do declare unto you, that I do with all my heart pardon all that is pa&s;t. Oh Madam (&s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> unto her and blu&s;hed) you are all goodne&s;&s;e if you do not puni&s;h me. If you had &s;poke thus, replied &s;he, at the beginning of our quarrell, it had not la&s;ted &s;o long: but the wor&s;t of it was (continued &s;he and laughed) that we were both of us very humorous at once: therefore, I pray you, let us hereafter be &s;o one after another; or if you plea&s;e, let us not be &s;o at all: and the &s;ooner to oblige you unto it, I promi&s;e you to do my be&s;t in cor|recting my &s;elf: I leave you to judge Sir, in what a perplexed condition <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was: Then did he begin to renew his love unto <HI>Cledora,</HI> but it la&s;ted not long, for as he waited up|on her home, and there &s;aw <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> all was qua&s;ht again: and <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> &s;eeing him come with her Cou&s;in, came unto her to rejoyce that &s;he had brought <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> with her, and gave him &s;uch obliging language, as quite damped all his intentions of continuing con&s;tant to <HI>Cleodora.</HI></P>
<P>After this <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> became &s;o unquiet and re&s;erved, that he was not knowable. All this while, he &s;poke not a word of his love to <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> but addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf wholly to <HI>Cleodora,</HI> as if he yet loved her, yet with &s;o much regret, that he was forced every day to colour the matter with &s;ome hand&s;ome invented lies: Sometimes he would &s;ay, he had received news of his fathers being &s;ick: &s;ometimes again he would &s;ay, he was ill him&s;elf; and &s;ometimes not knowing what to &s;ay, he would put poor <HI>Cleodora</HI> in a mi|&s;erable dump: for &s;ince &s;he did really love <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and con&s;idered &s;he was ready to lo&s;e him in a fanta&s;ticall humour, &s;he gave him now no cau&s;e of complaint, but was as complacentiall as could be: and yet &s;he &s;aw he was as much out of tune as when &s;he was the contrary. This being the &s;tate of things, <HI>Hermogenes</HI> with whom <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> lodged, ob&s;erved that now he was nothing &s;o carefull of <HI>Cleodora's</HI> letters as he was wont, for he found two or three of them upon the Table, lying loo&s;e and open; whereas before his incon&s;tancy, he would never part with them out of his hands when he &s;hewed them unto him, but would alwayes read them him&s;elf unto <HI>Hermogenes:</HI> Al&s;o, <HI>Hermogenes</HI> found the Picture of this Beauty, which he had lo&s;t, but did not re&s;tore it untill three or four dayes after, and all this while <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> never mi&s;&s;ed it, which was quite contrary to his cu&s;tome; for when he loved <HI>Cleodora,</HI> he u&s;ed to look upon it every quarter of an hour: The greate&s;t wonder to <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was, that he &s;aw <HI>Cleodora</HI> did never treat <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;o kindly as now, and yet <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was more melancholy then when &s;he was mo&s;t rigorous. <HI>Hermogenes</HI> having an extreme de&s;ire to know the cau&s;e of &s;o great an alte|ration in his friend, he came unto him one morning to re&s;tore <HI>Cleodora's</HI> picture. But, as he would not &s;peak of it &s;eriou&s;ly at the fir&s;t, the better to di&s;cover his reall thoughts; &s;o he began thus; If the vertue of <HI>Cleodora</HI> (&s;aid he unto him and re&s;to|ring the Picture) were le&s;&s;e known unto me then it is, I &s;hould think you had &s;ecretly married her, without either the con&s;ent of her friends or yours: for as it is the cu&s;tom of many Lovers, to &s;light all the trifling favours which their mi&s;tre&s;&s;e gave them, when once they enjoy them&s;elves: &s;o I &s;hould think, that &s;ince you lo&s;t <HI>Cleodora's</HI> picture, and did not mi&s;&s;e it three dayes together, and &s;ince you are grown more carele&s;&s;e of her Letters then u&s;uall, that you enjoy &s;o much happine&s;&s;e in the &s;ub&s;tance, that you need no &s;hadowes, or pictures, or letters to comfort you: 'Tis true, I perceive you &s;o melancholy, that it is evident you are not contented: And therefore &s;ince I cannot dive into the bottome of your heart, I conjure you to tell me, whether I mu&s;t rejoyce or grieve with you; and if you will not open your thoughts unto me, I will ask <HI>Cleo|dora</HI> of them, who as I think, &s;hould know them. Oh I be&s;eech you <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> do not tell <HI>Cleodora</HI> how I lo&s;t her picture, and never mi&s;&s;ed it, nor how I left her letters &s;o carele&s;&s;ely that they might be &s;een: Then tell me, &s;aid <HI>Hermogenes,</HI>
<PB N="158" REF="457">
from whence comes this alteration in your humour? Is it not enough you know the humour of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> replied he, without asking any further rea&s;ons? The humour of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> is now &s;o &s;weet, and complacentiall towards you, that <HI>Leoni&s;'<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> cannot be more affable to all the world, then <HI>Cleodora's</HI> to you. Ah, <HI>Hermo|genes,</HI> (&s;aid this incon&s;tant Lover, being tran&s;ported by the exce&s;&s;e of his new pa&s;&s;ion) I would to the gods, <HI>Cleodora's</HI> humour had alwayes been like <HI>Leoni&s;a's:</HI> Like <HI>Leoni|&s;a's,</HI> I &s;ay, upon who&s;e face I never yet &s;ince I knew her, &s;aw the lea&s;t wrinkle of an|ger, and who&s;e fair eyes are like unclouded &s;tars, which &s;hine alwayes alike, without one cloud of anger. I &s;hould have thought (replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> looking earne&s;tly upon <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> that a Lover had never thought any eyes fair, but onely his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es, but for ought I perceive <HI>Leoni&s;a's</HI> eyes plea&s;e you as well <HI>Cleodora's. Bele&s;is</HI> blu&s;ht at the language of his friend, and let him apparently &s;ee there was a great alteration in his &s;oul; &s;o that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> went on; Confe&s;&s;e the truth to a friend (&s;aid he unto him) and tell me freely, whether <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> is not more in your heart then <HI>Cleodora:</HI> and whe|ther if &s;he have not already driven her out; &s;he will ere long 'tis true, replied <HI>Bele&s;is;</HI> But cruel friend, what delight can you take in maksng me to lay open my imperfections? However, (replied <HI>Hermogenes)</HI> then you do love <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and not <HI>Cleodora?</HI> I know not (an&s;wered he) whether I do not love <HI>Cleodora,</HI> but I am &s;ure I am de&s;perately in love with <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> Then doubtle&s;&s;e you do not love <HI>Cleodora,</HI> an&s;wered he, for one cannot love two at once. However, I mu&s;t needs chide you, for truely Incon&s;tancie is an unexcu&s;able crime, unle&s;&s;e it be cau&s;ed through the infidelity, or exce&s;&s;ive &s;eve|rity of a mi&s;tre&s;&s;e. But the ca&s;e is farre otherwi&s;e with you, for you cannot taxe <HI>Cle|odora</HI> with any infidelity, nor is &s;he more &s;evere then vertue and decency require. I know very well that I am culpable, though I could find &s;ome excu&s;e for my crime, if I would: for indeed <HI>Cleodora,</HI> hath quarrelled with me without any cau&s;e in the earth, and hath &s;o tired out my patience, that my pa&s;&s;ion is much weakned whether I would or no: Yet the gods are my witne&s;&s;e, that I have endeavoured with all my po&s;&s;ible power to reject <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and keep my heart wholly for <HI>Cleodora;</HI> but ala&s;&s;e all was im|po&s;&s;ible, all too too weak; for all my de&s;ires, all my thoughts and faculties have chan|ged objects: I do not &s;ee <HI>Cleodora</HI> with the &s;ame eyes I did, and by a fatall inchant|ment, that which I once thought would be my chief felicity, will not now afford me one quarter of an hours joy: what then would you have me do? Can I alter my de|&s;tiny? Can I dictate rules unto my fate? and make love an act of my will? I know that <HI>Cleodora</HI> has a million of mo&s;t excellent qualities, and that &s;he is mo&s;t admirably fair; But I finde <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> has pulled my heart out of her hands, and made mee change Mi|&s;tre&s;&s;es: I am mo&s;t horribly a&s;hamed of my incon&s;tancy I confe&s;&s;e, but I cannot keep my &s;elf from changing; therefore I be&s;eech you <HI>Hermogenes</HI> pity me, in lieu of con|demning me, &s;econd me in my affection to <HI>Leoni&s;a;</HI> you, I &s;ay, who fir&s;t brought me to <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> and is the cau&s;e of all my mi&s;eries: and could ever lover be more mi&s;erable then I? For it was my fate to love a Lady of a difficult and fanta&s;ticall humour; I endured as much as patience her &s;elf could do, to the end I might obtain her love; and when in all likelihood I was arrived even at the very Port of my happine&s;&s;e, my an|gry fate would needs prompt me to cea&s;e my de&s;ires of enjoying <HI>Cleodora:</HI> All the time and pains which I employed in getting the affection of this Lady, whom I thought would have compleated my felicity, is quite, ab&s;olutely, entirely lo&s;t: &s;ince her affecti|on makes me onely more culpable, and more mi&s;erable; and &s;ince I mu&s;t fatally begin my &s;ighes and prayers for another, again&s;t all which I know no remedy: therefore my dear <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> once more let me entreat your a&s;&s;i&s;tance. I be&s;eech you fir&s;t, &s;aid <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> upon what termes are you with <HI>Cleodora</HI> and <HI>Leoni&s;a? Cleodora,</HI> replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> thinks I love her &s;till; and as for <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> I have not yet &s;poke a word unto her, onely in the language of eyes, and yet I imagine by her looks &s;he under&s;tands me: How, replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> does <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> under&s;tandthat language, and an&s;wer it? I do not think &s;he under&s;tands me, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he an&s;wers, but becau&s;e &s;he is very carefull not to an&s;wer. But <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> dare you ever &s;peak of any love unto <HI>Leoni&s;a?</HI> do you not fear &s;he will upbraid you with incon&s;tancy? and can you have the confidence to tell <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> you love her, in the &s;ight of <HI>Cleodora?</HI> for my part <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> I wonder how you can have &s;uch a thought: If <HI>Cleodora</HI> lived at the other end of the Town, the matter would not be &s;o difficult: but to love one Lady really, and to di&s;&s;emble love unto another in the &s;ame hou&s;e, and another who really
<PB N="159" REF="457">
loves you, is a thing &s;o &s;trange, that I &s;ee no po&s;&s;ibility of doing any good in it: For <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> you cannot po&s;&s;ibly delude <HI>Cleodora</HI> long: indeed I do not think it impo&s;&s;ible but one may per&s;wade a Lady that he loves her, though he do not, provided hee does not really love any other: but to love another really, and to per&s;wade a Lady whom he formerly really loved, that he loves her &s;till, cannot &s;ink into my beleef. I &s;ee all the&s;e difficulties which you propound, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and conceive them to be as great and greater then they are: But &s;ince my tyrannicall pa&s;&s;ion triumphs over all oppo&s;ition, I mu&s;t delude <HI>Cleodora,</HI> notwith&s;tanding my &s;ecret repugnancy, &s;ince o|therwi&s;e I cannot &s;ee <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> I intend therefore (if I can &s;peak it without blu&s;hing for &s;hame) to continue my vi&s;its unto <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and to live with her as if I loved her &s;till; unle&s;&s;e at &s;uch times as when I can look upon <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> and <HI>Cleodora</HI> not &s;ee, and talk to her when &s;he cannot hear. I have already told you, replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> that you cannot do this: and I am the mo&s;t mi&s;taken man in the world if <HI>Cleodora</HI> be not un|deceived once in eight dayes, and if you do not lo&s;e both <HI>Cleodora</HI> and <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> at once. After this, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> began to walk about the chamber with the greate&s;t agitation of &s;pi|rit in the world: and afterwards addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf to <HI>Hermogenes;</HI> My dear friend, &s;aid he unto him, if you would do me one favour which I am thinking upon, I &s;hould owe my life and all my felicity unto you. Tell me what it is, replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> that I may con&s;ider whether I can and ought to do it: for your rea&s;on I perceive is &s;o blin|ded, that I dare not tru&s;t you: I would have you, replied he, fain a love unto <HI>Cleodo|ra,</HI> and become my Rivall, which you may ea&s;ily do; and it is not impo&s;&s;ible but you may per&s;wade her to beleeve you, and therefore I conjure you dear <HI>Hermogenes</HI> to per|&s;wade <HI>Cleodora</HI> that you are her lover. But what advantage can you draw from this di&s;&s;imulation? replied <HI>Hermogenes:</HI> My plot is, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> that you &s;hall make <HI>Cleodora</HI> incon&s;tant, as <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> hath made me: or at lea&s;t that you may give a colour unto my incon&s;tancy, and by living in that manner with her as I may have &s;ome ground to accu&s;e her of incon&s;tancy, and that I may upbraid her with her change, as well as &s;he me, with mine. Beleeve me <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> (replied <HI>Hermogenes)</HI> I &s;hall never make <HI>Cleodora</HI> incon&s;tant; all that I &s;hall be able to do is to give you &s;ome colour of falling out. But if &s;he prove more faithfull then ever unto you, and all my endeavours cannot &s;hake her con&s;tancy, you will then be more in fault. I do confe&s;&s;e it, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> but I cannot cea&s;e, being le&s;&s;e mi&s;erable: It will &s;uffice if your company with her will give me a colourable quarrell again&s;t her, and that I may hereafter &s;ay, than the beginning of my love to <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> was from my beleef that &s;he was per&s;idious<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> whil&s;t you are &s;peaking to <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I &s;hall &s;ometimes have opportunity of &s;peaking with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and therefore I mu&s;t &s;ay, that upon you and your a&s;&s;i&s;tance depends all my hopes. I mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e, &s;aid <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> that I owe you all &s;ervice; But I mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e al&s;o, that I am extremely unwilling to do you this office which you de&s;ire. But <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was &s;o exceedingly urgent with him, that he undertook is: and for the hand&s;omer carriage of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, he did not at fir&s;t &s;peak of his di&s;&s;embled pa&s;&s;ion, but onely went to &s;ee her after their ordinary, and to court her much more then he did <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> But the rare&s;t pa&s;&s;age was to &s;ee with what zeal <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> wi&s;hed <HI>Cleodora</HI> might u&s;e <HI>Hermogenes</HI> kindly, that he might have the better ground of a quar|rell: In the mean time, be plea&s;ed to know, that though there was a very good corre|&s;pondency between <HI>Cleodora</HI> and <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> yet there was no &s;uch &s;trict league of confi|dence between them, as to impart all maters unto each other: &s;o that <HI>Cleodora</HI> never ac|quainted <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> with any pa&s;&s;ages betwixt her and <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> nor did ever any tell <HI>Leoni|&s;a</HI> that <HI>Cleodora</HI> did not hate him: &s;he &s;aw that they were kind unto each other, but &s;he thought it was onely matter of friend&s;hip, and never &s;u&s;pected any matter of love between them: Being then in this opinion, upon a day when the &s;i&s;ter of <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was with her, between whom there was an intimate affection, and <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"></HI> infinitely e&s;teeming <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;he began to &s;peak unto <HI>Pra&s;&s;illa</HI> concerning him, as into her that was &s;i&s;ter to his be&s;t friend: At fir&s;t, &s;he enquired of his hou&s;e, of his hindred, of his e&s;tate, of his travels, of the friend&s;hip between <HI>Hermogenes</HI> and him, and of a hundred other things, which expre&s;&s;ed her curio&s;ity of every thing which related unto <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> After <HI>Pra&s;&s;illa</HI> had made an exact return unto all her Que&s;tions, and &s;aw that <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"></HI> prepared to enquire further, I be&s;eech you tell me (&s;aid <HI>Pra&s;&s;illa</HI> and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">) why you have &s;uch a mind to &s;peak of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and whats the rea&s;on you would &s;o exactly know every circum&s;tance which concerns him? is it love, or onely curio&s;ity? I cannot re|&s;olve
<PB N="160" REF="458">
you, (replied <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> in Rallarie) whether it be Curio&s;ity or Love, but I am &s;ure it is not out of any hate to him that I enquire: nor is it credible it &s;hould be love, (replied <HI>Pra&s;illa)</HI> though I askd the que&s;tion, for you have more rea&s;on then to love one who cannot love you again, and you are wi&s;er al&s;o then to make any conque&s;t in pre|judice of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> who would never Pardon you: is <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> then in love with <HI>Cleodora</HI> (re|plied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and blu&s;hed) I think he hath loved her &s;o long, replied <HI>Pra&s;illa,</HI> that it will not be doubted, and you are the onely one in all <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> who is ignorant of it: But <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> how comes it to pa&s;&s;e that you change Colour, when I tell you <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> is in love with <HI>Cleodora?</HI> The rea&s;on is, (replied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and blu&s;hed more, not ha|ving time to think of an an&s;wer) becau&s;e I thought he was in love with another: and with whom? (asked <HI>Pra&s;illa):</HI> you have &s;o twitted me with my Curio&s;itie (replied &s;he) that I will not &s;atisfie yours. Yet truly I would gladly know with whom you thought <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> in love: I am &s;o vexed to be thus deceived in my judgment (repli|ed <HI>Leoni&s;a)</HI> that I will die rather then tell you. Then will I never tell you any thing you de&s;ire to know (an&s;wered <HI>Pra&s;illa);</HI> yet replied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> I do exceedingly de&s;ire to know more Pa&s;&s;ages Concerning <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and <HI>Cleodora:</HI> I know a thou&s;and (replied <HI>Pra&s;illa)</HI> but I will not tell you one, unle&s;&s;e you will tell me fir&s;t, with whom you imagined <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> in Love: Since you will needs know (&s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> to her) I thought him to be in Love with you: fie, fie <HI>Leoni&s;a (cryed Pra&s;illa)</HI> you are not &s;incere; do you think me &s;uch a fool, as to think you &s;ay truly: No, no, <HI>I</HI> am not &s;o ea&s;ily deluded, but to puni&s;h you for it, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall tell you what you would not confe&s;&s;e unto me: Be &s;ure you gue&s;&s;e truly, &s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and laughed, el&s;e <HI>I</HI> &s;hall never Pardon you, e&s;pecially &s;ince <HI>I</HI> am deceived my &s;elf, and would be re|venged upon <HI>Bele&s;is.</HI> Thus Sr. the&s;e two amiable Ladies, did under&s;tand each o|ther without any direct telling; and thus did <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> fir&s;t under&s;tand of any pa&s;|&s;ages between <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and <HI>Cleodora.</HI> However, the eyes of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> had told her &s;uch things, as &s;he knew not whether &s;he &s;hould give more credit to the words of <HI>Pra&s;illa</HI> or the looks of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> yet &s;he re&s;olved to carry her &s;elf more coldly to him, as if &s;he were de&s;irous to puni&s;h him, becau&s;e he was the &s;ubject of her di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Pra&s;illa,</HI> which was not at all agreeable to her minde: you may well imagine Sr. after this which <HI>I</HI> &s;hall tell you, that the&s;e four Per&s;ons were not without &s;ome|thing to do: For <HI>Cleodora</HI> was very bu&s;ie to di&s;cover from whence the melancho|lie of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;hould proceed: And <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> had enough to do, in deluding <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and endeavouring to finde out wayes to di&s;cover his Love unto <HI>Leoni&s;a. Hermogenes,</HI> having undertaken to di&s;&s;emble Love, was not without his cares: and <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> being de&s;irous to di&s;cover exactly the thoughts of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> had &s;uch a kinde of unquiet Cu|rio&s;ity, as it cannot be otherwi&s;e named: When <HI>Hermogenes</HI> did begin to frequent <HI>Cleodora,</HI> after their ordinary manner, Shee made him a hundred welcoms, thinking thereby, more to oblige <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> then <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> and imagining that his coming was onely to do &s;ome good office for his friend: and never dreamt of the matter as it was<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Some dayes pa&s;&s;ed thus on, and none of the&s;e Parties found any great augmen|tation of &s;orrows: <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> yet had his choice, for when he was alone with <HI>Cleodora,</HI> he could &s;peak unto none but her, and when he was with <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> and her, he was &s;o amazedly confounded, that he was not able to help out with Conver&s;ation. unle&s;&s;e in things indifferent. In the mean time, <HI>Hermogenes</HI> to content his friend, did &s;o accu&s;tom him&s;elf to &s;peak to <HI>Cleodora,</HI> that he left much time unto <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to talk with <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> yet this did exceedingly perplex <HI>Cleodora:</HI> for beleeving that <HI>Hermo|genes</HI> was of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> his intelligence, &s;he could not comprehend, why he &s;hould not give place to <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to talk unto her and why he &s;hould alwayes talk to her him&s;elf, yet at la&s;t &s;he imagined, that perhaps <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was in Love with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and had de|&s;ired <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to &s;peak to his advantage, but &s;till &s;he thought &s;trange <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;hould ne|ver talk with her: But what conveniency &s;oever <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> had to talk with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> by rea&s;on of <HI>Hermogenes</HI> his holding <HI>Cleodora</HI> in hand: yet he had not confidence e|nough to di&s;cover his Pa&s;&s;ion to her, in the pre&s;ence of one whom he had formerly loved &s;o well, and one who loved him, and therefore he &s;ought for an opportunity of &s;eeing her, when <HI>Cleodora</HI> was not pre&s;ent. He never could finde her without <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> who at the la&s;t, was no le&s;&s;e de&s;irous to talk with <HI>Cleodora</HI> in private as <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was to talk with <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> For Sr. be plea&s;ed to know, that &s;ince <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was more Conver&s;ant with <HI>Cleodora</HI> then he u&s;ed to be, he di&s;covered &s;o many charmes
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and rich beauties in her minde, that never any appeared more amiable in the eye of his Fancy, and he hath told me a hundred times, that who&s;oever does not &s;ee her in this free humour of familiarity which &s;he u&s;eth to her real friends, cannot &s;ee half her beauty; nor can imagine the power of her charmes. <HI>Hermogenes</HI> di&s;covering a thou&s;and fre&s;h Graces, and as many rare Qualities in the &s;pirit and heart of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> which he was ignorant of before, was wounded a fre&s;h with the darts of her fair eyes, and fell in&s;en|&s;ibly to Love her; at fir&s;t he could not think it to be Love: for he did nothing el&s;e but blame <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> for quitting <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf unto <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI> But by degrees he left of telling his friend of his incon&s;tancie, and fell &s;o de&s;perately in Love with this Lady, as <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> never loved her or <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> more. Yet he did not acquaint his friend with his growing Pa&s;&s;ion, though he knew not why he &s;hould make a &s;ecret of it, unle&s;&s;e becau&s;e, Love in it's own nature is a my&s;tery, and Loves &s;ecrecy, he never &s;trived again&s;t this Powerfull affection which took root in his heart: For al|though he knew the heart of <HI>Cleodora</HI> was a little engaged to <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> yet he hoped that when he &s;he knew his incon&s;tancy, &s;he would di&s;engage her &s;elf, and then he might perhaps po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e that place in her &s;oul which <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> had made him&s;elf un|worthy of. <HI>Hermogenes</HI> then having the&s;e thoughts, did vi&s;it <HI>Cleodora</HI> with &s;uch a&s;&s;iduitie, that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> not knowing the thoughts of his heart, did alwayes when they were together, ask him pardon for the trouble which he con&s;trained him&s;elf unto, for his &s;ake. But at la&s;t, hoping for &s;ome fruit of the plot, which he had invented, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;eemed to grow &s;omething jealous of <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> and did &s;o negotiat with <HI>Cleodora,</HI> that he per&s;waded her &s;he was deceived, if &s;he thought he talked unto <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> in behalf of <HI>Hermogenes:</HI> for by &s;ome pa&s;&s;ages which he told her, &s;he thought he talked with her, onely to &s;pite her. At the fir&s;t, &s;ince &s;he imagined this odde and jealous proceeding of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> was an argument of his love to her, &s;he was not of|fended with him, and &s;o much le&s;&s;e, becau&s;e not &s;u&s;pecting any thing of the love of <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> &s;he imagined it would be an ea&s;ie matter to cure <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> of his jea|lou&s;ie when &s;he would, by de&s;iring his friend not to apply him&s;elf &s;o much unto di&s;|cour&s;e with her, &s;o that taking a kinde of delight to torment <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> for a few dayes, &s;he never troubled her &s;elf to remove that belief out of him which &s;he thought he had, &s;o that this did facilitate unto <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> the de&s;igne which he had to di&s;cover his pa&s;&s;ion unto <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI> One day then when they were all four together in <HI>Leoni&s;as</HI> chamber, which &s;he kept, not being very well, <HI>Cleodora</HI> to vex <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> asked <HI>Her|mogenes,</HI> if he would go with her upon a vi&s;it which &s;he intended to make, <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> hearing her &s;ay &s;o, began to complain for leaving her, and threatning to u&s;e her with the like indifferency if ever &s;he were &s;ick: But <HI>Cleodora</HI> told her that &s;he left her &s;uch good company as &s;he had no rea&s;on to grudge hers. <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> ravi&s;hed with this, though heretofore he would have de&s;ired her pre&s;ence, told her, that &s;he might judge others by her &s;elf, who in carrying away <HI>Hermogenes</HI> would not regreat tho&s;e &s;he left with her. After which <HI>Cleodora</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes</HI> going out, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> re|mained alone with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> who knew not what to think of this pa&s;&s;age: for if &s;he remembred what <HI>Pra&s;illa</HI> told her, &s;he &s;hould believe <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> Loved <HI>Cleodora;</HI> and that this was onely a trick to hide his pa&s;&s;ion: but when &s;he con&s;idered all his actions, &s;he beleeved he Loved her and not <HI>Cleodora.</HI> Yet not knowing what to think, nor daring to wi&s;h any thing, &s;he turned towards <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and looking upon him with a crafty &s;mile, I do extreamly pittie you <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that <HI>Cleodoras</HI> &s;everity &s;hould engage you thus in a company, which cannot Countervail the lo&s;&s;e of hers: I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid he unto her) if you will pittie me, let it be becau&s;e I have &s;ought for an opportunitie of &s;peaking to you in private, and could never meet with it till now: we have been &s;o continually Conver&s;ant, replied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> that I can|not think you have any thing to &s;peak of, more then you have already told me; for have I not &s;een you every day, &s;ince you came to <HI>Su&s;a?</HI> Tis true, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> I have &s;een you every day and the rea&s;on was, becau&s;e I would &s;peak with you in pri|vate: for Divine <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> had I &s;een you &s;eldom, perhap's I &s;hould not have ob&s;erved all the Riches of your minde, but &s;hould doubtle&s;&s;e have been le&s;&s;e in Love with you then I am. Fie <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> (cryed <HI>Leoni&s;a)</HI> I thought you would have &s;poken &s;eriou&s;ly, but I &s;ee you deceive me: No, no Madam replied he, you cannot imagine I will je&s;t upon &s;uch a &s;ubject as this, and it is &s;o certainly true, that I am in love with the fair <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> that it is not po&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould doubt it. Since there is a kinde of Raillary,
<PB N="162" REF="459">
&s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> who&s;e &s;ubtilty con&s;i&s;ts in &s;eeming to &s;peak in earne&s;t, I &s;hall think that yours is now of that nature. But <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> that which Puzzles me mo&s;t, is, that I cannot imagine what good it will do you, unle&s;&s;e you would thereby blinde me from knowing you are in Love with <HI>Cleodora:</HI> but that you may not u&s;e your Language in vain by offering to per&s;wade me you Love her not, know <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> that I do know you have Loved her ever &s;ince the fir&s;t day you came to <HI>Su&s;a.</HI> I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e with &s;ome &s;hame, replied <HI>Be|le&s;is,</HI> that I did Love <HI>Cleodora:</HI> but that you may know the end of my pa&s;&s;ion, as well as the beginning of it, I be&s;eech you know, that as I began to Love <HI>Cleodora</HI> the fir&s;t day I came to <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> &s;o I cea&s;ed to love her the fir&s;t day you came hither, and when I had the honour fir&s;t to &s;ee you: Ah <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> cryed &s;he, doubtle&s;&s;e you remember how I told you that day, I &s;hould take great delight in making men incon&s;tant, and to pull their hearts out of the hands of tho&s;e who had &s;ubjected them; and certainly you do this to jeer me for this folly which I expre&s;&s;ed unawares: No (replied he, with a mo&s;t &s;er ious Countenance) it is becau&s;e you have really made me incon&s;tant unto <HI>Cleo|dora,</HI> and more con&s;tant then any man alive unto the Faire <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI> Incon&s;tancy, an&s;wered &s;he, isof &s;uch a nature, as tho&s;e that are once capable of it, will be &s;o for ever: No, (replied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> not when it has rea&s;on, not humor, for it is foundation, and when the per&s;on one for&s;akes, is le&s;&s;e faire, and le&s;&s;e accompli&s;hed then the per&s;on whom one chu&s;eth. However, replied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> before I give any farther eare unto you, you mu&s;t give me leave to inform my &s;elf very throughly, whether I am fairer and more accompli&s;hed, then a|ny in all <HI>Su&s;a;</HI> For <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> if <HI>I</HI> finde it not &s;o, but that there are an infinite number in <HI>Su&s;a</HI> more amiable then <HI>I, I</HI> were a fool if <HI>I</HI> accepted of your affection this day, to lo&s;e it to morrow: Cruel woman, (&s;aid he unto her) <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you do not treat me &s;o rigorou&s;ly, but con&s;ider, that &s;ince <HI>I</HI> love you more then <HI>I</HI> love <HI>Cleodora, I</HI> &s;hall never love any but <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> &s;ince in pulling my heart out of her hands, you mu&s;t needs have &s;uch a power, which none can ever &s;urmount. However it be, replied &s;he, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t needs tel you, that if what you &s;ay be true, you will be a mo&s;t mi&s;erable man, &s;ince <HI>I</HI> will do all <HI>I</HI> can to puni&s;h you for your incon&s;tancy, in for&s;aking <HI>Cleodora;</HI> However, &s;aid he unto her, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you refu&s;e not to give credit unto my words: <HI>I</HI> will refu&s;e all that you can ask, replied &s;he: How, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> can <HI>I</HI> think you will not be|leeve me? and can <HI>I</HI> imagine that though you did beleeve me, yet you would be al|wayes inexorable? Doubtle&s;&s;e you may, an&s;wered &s;he, for <HI>I</HI> am mo&s;t fully re&s;olved, never to give you the lea&s;t hopes, that <HI>I</HI> can take any delight in being loved. How <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> &s;aid he, will you refu&s;e me every thing <HI>I</HI> &s;hall de&s;ire? will you not allow me the lea&s;t hope? as for hope, replied &s;he, perhaps <HI>I</HI> cannot take it from you: Tis true, an&s;wered <HI>Be|le&s;is,</HI> but it is in your power to give it; Since you can finde it in your &s;elf, replied <HI>Le|oni&s;a,</HI> you need not &s;eek for it from another: <HI>I</HI> mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you, do not ab&s;o|lutely deny me all things; but do only one thing for me; and to the end you may grant it willingly, <HI>I</HI> do profe&s;&s;e unto you, that the thing which <HI>I</HI> &s;hall ask, cannot be called a favour: upon that condition, replied &s;he, <HI>I</HI> give you leave to &s;peak what you will. After this, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> I &s;hall not fear to be&s;eech you that you will beleeve as of|ten as I &s;peak unto <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I have a zealous de&s;ire to &s;peak unto <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> and that all the te&s;timonies of affection which I render unto her, out of fear &s;he &s;hould bani&s;h me from you, are &s;o many te&s;timonies of that violent pa&s;&s;ion, which I bear to the faire <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI> Do you not call this a favour? (replied &s;he and laughed) No, &s;aid he, but onely a means how to obtain it: I pray, replied &s;he, what greater favour can one do then to hear you? to hear, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> is certainly only a Civility: but to love is the real favour; It being &s;o, replied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> you will do very well and wi&s;ely never to hope for any favour from me: for <HI>Bele&s;is;</HI> I do tell you truly, it were a fond vanity in me, if I &s;hould offer to take any Lover from <HI>Cleodora:</HI> and indeed (if I may &s;peak &s;o of a man, who hath &s;poken &s;o placentially unto me) I think of incon&s;tancy, and incon&s;tant men, as I do of Trea&s;on and Traitors: it is your part (added&s;he, and &s;miled to take off &s;ome part of the wormwood in her words) to make interpretation of what I &s;ay: I perceive Madam replied he, that you would have me think you Love incon&s;tancy, and hate the incon&s;tant men; In the mean time, it is not very ju&s;t me thinks to treat me more Cruelly then a Lover, who never loved any be&s;ides you, and who never quitted any other for you. But Madam, if you con&s;ider, what I lo&s;e for the love of you, I am confident you will confe&s;&s;e, that your beauty did never produce greater effects of its power, then in Captivating my heart: as <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> was ready
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to an&s;wer, much company came in, &s;o that the conference ended; <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> not knowing whether or no, <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> beleeved what he &s;aid unto her. Yet his hope was, that hereafter &s;he would be more ob&s;ervant of his actions, and by con&s;equence would better perceive his Love to her: All this while, <HI>Hermogenes</HI> who was gone with <HI>Cleodora</HI> upon a vi&s;it, having not found her whom they went unto, brought her back into her own chamber, having no will to go into <HI>Leoni&s;a's:</HI> &s;o that finding a free opportunitie of &s;peaking to her, his pa&s;&s;ion did &s;o &s;pur him to acquaint <HI>Cleodora</HI> with his &s;ufferings for her, that he re&s;olved upon it, yet he could not find fit words wherewith to ex|pre&s;&s;e him&s;elf as he de&s;ired: And I think if <HI>Cleodora,</HI> not thinking of it, had not furni&s;hed him with an occa&s;ion to di&s;cover his Love unto her, he would hardly have ven|tured upon it, out of his feares to incen&s;e her: But after a quarter of an hours &s;ilence, not one word pa&s;&s;ing betweene them: for <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was con&s;idering what to &s;ay, and <HI>Cleodora</HI> mu&s;ed upon the proceedings of <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> But &s;he rou&s;ing her &s;elf &s;uddenly out of her fixed po&s;ture, and turning towards <HI>Hermogenes</HI> with a &s;mile: if <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, do not entertaine <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> better then you do me: and if <HI>Leo|ni&s;a</HI> be not better company to <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> then I am to <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> we did them no very good office in leaving them alone, nor unto our &s;elves neither, &s;ince if we were all four together, perhaps we &s;hould mu&s;e le&s;&s;e then we do. I know not Madam what you do, replied <HI>Hermogenes:</HI> But <HI>I</HI> am &s;ure as mu&s;ing as <HI>I</HI> am, and as re&s;erved as you are, <HI>I</HI> had rather be alone in your company, then with all the company in the world: and yet there is no great plea&s;ure (&s;aid &s;he) in the company of one who&s;e &s;pirits are &s;o di&s;tracted, and thoughts &s;o far off, when &s;he &s;peakes as if there were countrys, and &s;eas between them: and <HI>I</HI> confe&s;&s;e when <HI>I</HI> revived out of my mu&s;ing humour, and found you in yours, and as far off me in your thoughts, as <HI>I</HI> was off you; <HI>I</HI> thought my &s;elfe very uncivil, and was ready to correct my &s;elf for it: Why Madam, &s;aid <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> can you think that my thoughts might not be of you, though <HI>I</HI> did not &s;peake? doubtle&s;&s;e they were not, replied &s;he, and to be &s;incere with you, though you were neer me, yet you were far off my thoughts. We are then very different, &s;aid <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> for you are alwayes in my thoughts, though <HI>I</HI> be far from you: <HI>I</HI> &s;ee you will repaire that incivilitie, whereof <HI>I</HI> taxed you with another exce&s;&s;ive ci|vilitie, but know, <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> that you need not u&s;e unto me any improbable truth, much le&s;&s;e any po&s;&s;ible lies, to get beliefe: <HI>I</HI> had thought that what <HI>I</HI> &s;poke, &s;aid <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> had been ea&s;ie to beleeve; for Madam, it is very imaginable one may remember you, when he &s;ees you not, and for my part <HI>I</HI> profe&s;&s;e, that <HI>I</HI> can think of nothing el&s;e but you, in what place &s;oever <HI>I</HI> am: had you told me, replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> that you remember me very often, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould have thought my &s;elf obliged unto you, becau&s;e then <HI>I</HI> &s;hould have thought you &s;poke &s;incerely; but to &s;ay you re|member me alwaies, this is too much to beleeve: and yet <HI>I</HI> tell you not all, an&s;wered
<HI>Hermogenes,</HI> &s;ince if <HI>I</HI> &s;hould tell you all <HI>I</HI> think of you, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould tell you more then ever <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did: &s;ince certainely <HI>I</HI> Love you more then ever he did. Ah <HI>Hermo|genes,</HI> cryed <HI>Cleodora, I</HI> cannot endure this affront, for would you have me lend an eare unto a declaration of Love from you, and another from <HI>Bele&s;is?</HI> who&s;oever con|&s;iders what you &s;ay, will find that you wrong <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> as well as me: for if you think <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> loves me not, he hath rea&s;on to complaine again&s;t you, for thinking him capa|ble of &s;ubjecting him&s;elf to &s;o meane a beauty as my &s;elf: and if he do Love me, then you are a very bad friend to him, and an ill husband of, your own honour, to publi&s;h your crime &s;o boldly: However it be Madam, (replied <HI>Hermogenes) I</HI> do Love you; and certainly Love's you without a crime, though there were no o|ther rea&s;on to excu&s;e my &s;elf, but by &s;aying <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t needs Love you and cannot chu&s;e: No, no <HI>Hermogenes</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cleodora)</HI> you cannot deceive me: <HI>I</HI> &s;ee this is only a com|pacted plot between <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and you; and therefore without any anger again&s;t you, <HI>I</HI> will only be revenged upon <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> for indeed <HI>I</HI> do not take it well, he &s;hould oblige you, to &s;peake unto me as you do: and there are &s;ome things wherewith there is no je&s;tings. I do prote&s;t unto you Madam, replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> is ignorant of any thoughts of Love which I have to you; though I knew all his: you are then a very perfidious friend, an&s;wered <HI>Cleodora: I</HI> know not Madam whether or no <HI>I</HI> am a perfidious friend, but <HI>I</HI> am mo&s;t certaine, that <HI>I</HI> am a mo&s;t faithfull, and pa&s;&s;i|onate Lover; in the mean time, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you Madam, let <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> complaine again&s;t my infidelitie, when he &s;hall know it, and let me only beg this one favour only from you, that
<PB N="164" REF="460">
you will be plea&s;ed to ob&s;erve both the pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and mine; and to promi&s;e me that if <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> con&s;ent unto my happine&s;&s;e you will not oppo&s;e it: you tell me &s;uch &s;trange things, replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> that I know not what an&s;wer to return: yet I know this, that I take it very ill you &s;hould &s;peak unto me as you do: yet Madam replied he, I &s;hall &s;ay the &s;ame as long as I live: then &s;peak unto me no more, replied &s;he, at lea&s;t in pri|vate; yet once more <HI>Hermogenes</HI> I charge you to proceed no further unle&s;s by order from <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &amp; unle&s;s I may know his rea&s;on, for to &s;peak &s;incerely unto you, if you be hisrival, you are le&s;s his friend: But I ob&s;erve you live &amp; agree together as you u&s;ed to do: there|fore if you will really oblige me, tell me what benefit he hopes for by this plot: Since I am not &s;o bad a friend to <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> as you upbraid me with, &s;aid he, I will relate no|thing unto you that concernes him. But &s;hall only tell you that he is ignorant of my love to you, and by con&s;equence cannot know that I have a&s;&s;umed the boldne&s;&s;e to tell you that I love you; But Madam I be&s;eech you do not charge me with any infidelitie to my friend, or ra&s;hne&s;&s;e to my mi&s;tre&s;&s;e; let time and your own rea&s;on finde out the truth of things: I need no time, replied &s;he, to finde out that I ought not to &s;uffer you to &s;peak as you do, therefore be &s;ilent unle&s;&s;e in lieu of my anger, you will incur my ha|tred: After this <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was &s;o bold as to u&s;e many expre&s;&s;ions more pa&s;&s;ionate then the fir&s;t, and &s;poke with &s;uch an Aire, as let <HI>Cleodora</HI> know, he loved her in ear|ne&s;t: And in that belief, after &s;he had well con&s;ulted with her &s;elfe upon the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and after <HI>Hermogenes</HI> had left her, &s;he re&s;olved not to acquaint <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> with any pa&s;&s;a|ges between them, for fear &s;ome quarrell or di&s;order might grow between them, for though &s;he intended to be very faithfull unto <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> yet &s;he wi&s;hed that no misfor|tune might happen unto <HI>Hermogenes</HI> for the love of her: and therefore &s;he could not re&s;olve to break off ab&s;olutely with him: but intending to avoid as much as &s;he could his being alone with her: After <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was gone, &s;he went into <HI>Leoni&s;as</HI> cham|ber from whence <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was not yet departed: But &s;ince both their &s;pirits were very bu&s;ie in thinking upon what they had told them, and in endeavouring to know the truth, their conver&s;ation was &s;ome thing Re&s;erved and Private. At fir&s;t, when <HI>Cleodora</HI> entred, <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> &s;poke fir&s;t, Though you were &s;o cruell as to leave me, &s;aid &s;he unto her, yet I pray tell me what newes you have heard in your vi&s;its: Since I did not finde any at home (replied <HI>Cleodora)</HI> and &s;ince I never &s;tirred from <HI>Hermogenes</HI> out of my chamber, I know no more then I did when I left you, it is you rather then I that is likely to tell newes; I a&s;&s;ure you, replied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> if you know no more then I do, you have met with no very good intelligence, for I &s;aw no body but <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> who told me nothing at all: yet you have been a long time together, replied <HI>Cleodora:</HI> I have had never the more news for that, replied <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> as you might have with <HI>Her|mogenes:</HI> But <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> replied <HI>Cleodora</HI> is u&s;ed to hear more news then he: yet he hath told me none (replied &s;he) yet I would gladly know, replied <HI>Cleodora</HI> what you have talked on all this while: &s;ometimes we talked of you (an&s;wered <HI>Leoni&s;a)</HI> and the re&s;t of the afternoone was &s;pent in repetition of a hundred things which imprinted them|&s;elves &s;o &s;lightly in my memory, that I have forgotten them: But &s;ince I know you have a better memory, I pray tell me what di&s;cour&s;e <HI>Hermogenes</HI> and you have had, &s;ince news was no part of your conver&s;ation? Truly &s;aid <HI>Cleodora</HI> unto her, I &s;hall be a little more ingenuous then you are, for I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e that I remember very well all <HI>Hermogenes</HI> &s;aid unto me: but I profe&s;&s;e I will not tell you, unle&s;&s;e you will tell me what <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;aid unto you concerning me: cannot you Imagine replied <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> what <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and I might talke of? No, replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> not in the humours he hath been in of late, and therefore I would gladly know, whether he complaines of any thing which I have unawares &s;poken: it is not likely he &s;hould complain of you to me (re|plied <HI>Leoni&s;a)</HI> what did he then &s;peak of? (&s;aid <HI>Cleodora)</HI> &s;incerely I cannot tell you, an&s;wered <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> I only know we &s;pake of you, but know not upon what occa&s;ion. I &s;hould not &s;o &s;oon forget whats told me (replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and blu&s;hed for anger &s;he &s;hould be &s;o inqui&s;itive to no purpo&s;e) after which every one of them began to mu&s;e upon the matter, and pa&s;&s;ed away the re&s;t of the evening without any di&s;cour&s;e, unle&s;&s;e &s;ome odd word by chance. Thus S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. was the &s;tate of things, when one of high qua|lity, and of greater wealth, fell in love with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> as well as <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> his name was <HI>Ti&s;ias:</HI> But &s;ince he was a man of none of the rare&s;t parts, &s;he could not much brag of this conque&s;t; Yet being then very young, and Rubies gli&s;tering in her eyes, &s;he was plea&s;ed that a man of his ranke &s;hould think upon her; though &s;he had no e&s;teem
<PB N="165" REF="460">
of him at all, but looked only upon him through his great birth, and through the magnificence of his troops, and becau&s;e he was in favour with the Prince of <HI>Su&s;a.</HI> Then did <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> think him&s;elf very mi&s;erable, becau&s;e &s;ince <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> fell in love with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> he was almo&s;t perpetually with her, and did not only hinder him from tal|king with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> but forced him often to apply him&s;elf unto <HI>Cleodora,</HI> unto whom he could hardly &s;peak: <HI>Hermogenes</HI> had al&s;o &s;ome &s;hare in this angry adventure, becau&s;e he &s;poke le&s;&s;e unto <HI>Cleodora</HI> then before, and his pa&s;&s;ion was arived to that height as he could enjoy no re&s;t: Yet all his expre&s;&s;ions of affection were in vain: for this La|dy was &s;o con&s;tant in her affection to <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> that nothing could alter her: all the favour &s;he &s;hewed him, was not to &s;peak unto <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he thought if &s;he did, there might ari&s;e &s;ome quarrell between them; her greate&s;t motive to that was, becau&s;e &s;he thought <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was jealous of <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> and becau&s;e he di&s;&s;embled a coldne&s;&s;e to his friend, the better to delude <HI>Cleodora;</HI> and therefore &s;he offered him to &s;ee <HI>Hermo|genes</HI> no more, and denied that he was in love with her. But &s;ay what &s;he could, <HI>Be|le&s;is</HI> told her that he would endeavour to love <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> to be revenged of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> &s;ince &s;he loved <HI>Hermogenes</HI> to mock <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and his pa&s;&s;ion: &s;o that <HI>Cleodora</HI> beleeving <HI>Be|le&s;is</HI> to be really jealous of <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> began to &s;hun him with all care, and to treat him extreamly roughly: <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> on the other &s;ide was far from his happine&s;&s;e: not but that he knew <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> e&s;teemed him, and was not &s;orry that he loved her, but it was becau&s;e he had &s;o few opportunities of talking with <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> in private, e&s;pecially &s;ince <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> became his Rivall, that it was impo&s;&s;ible he &s;hould make any far progre&s;&s;e into her heart: Yet he watched his opportunity &s;o well, that one day he &s;poke with her, when neither <HI>Cleodora</HI> nor <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> were pre&s;ent, and in a place where none could hear what they &s;aid, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> laying hold on this precious minute, began to aggravate the grandure of his pa&s;&s;ion: But as <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> for all her &s;weetne&s;&s;e had a kinde of imperi|ous &s;pirit, &s;o &s;he began to &s;peak, and looking upon him with an angry a&s;pect: Truly <HI>Be|le&s;is</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I wonder you dare be &s;o bold as to per&s;wade me you love me, when all the world knowes you love <HI>Cleodora;</HI> If I could ca&s;t off <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and not ca&s;t off <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> al&s;o, replied <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> the world &s;hould quickly be undeceived, for I would behave my &s;elf &s;o toward her, as there &s;hould be no que&s;tion, that I am not in love with her, though I would never fail in the payment of tho&s;e re&s;pects which are due unto a per&s;on of her merit and virtue; But &s;ince my cro&s;&s;e fate will have it &s;o, as I cannot let you know that I love you, unle&s;&s;e I &s;eem to love her al&s;o. Que&s;tionle&s;&s;e it were inju&s;tice in the Fair <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> to tax me with a thing which I would not do but for the love of her. I can tax you with one fault, replied &s;he, unto which I think you cannot make any direct an&s;wer, and thats this; if you were not in love with <HI>Cle|odora,</HI> why are you continually looking upon her picture? That you may know what I looke upon (replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> in giving the ca&s;e unto <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> and letting her open it her &s;elf) I be&s;eech you &s;ee and judge whether my crime be &s;o great in looking upon that picture. Then <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> taking the ca&s;e, and opening it, &s;he was extreamly &s;ur|pri&s;ed, when in lieu of <HI>Cleodoras</HI> picture, &s;he had found her own. Ah <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid &s;he and blu&s;ht) your crime is greater then I thought it: for I cannot think it good you &s;hould have my picture: <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> then fearing &s;he would not re&s;tore it, did cunningly catch it out of her hands, before &s;he could hinder him. I humbly ask your pardon Madam, for my incivility (&s;aid he unto her) but I am &s;o mi&s;erable, that I ought to fear the lo&s;&s;e of my only con&s;olation which your rigor hath left me: do not deceive your &s;elf (&s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a)</HI> for it is not my intention to let you have it, nor to expo&s;e my &s;elf unto the danger of the worlds belief that I gave you the picture. I am not &s;o vain, Madam, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> to make my boa&s;t of receiving &s;uch a favour from you: but you may well think, that man who would &s;o clo&s;ely conceal a reall favour if he re|ceived it, will not fal&s;ely report that you gave him this picture: you have not been yet &s;o di&s;creet, replied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> but I know that you had <HI>Cleodoras</HI> picture: 'Tis true, an&s;wered <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> but you know it only by the &s;i&s;ter of <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> who her &s;elf had never known it, if I had not been in love with you, for that was the true rea&s;on that I became &s;o carele&s;&s;e and left it once behinde me; Ah <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and inter|rupted him) I will never &s;uffer my picture to remain in the hands of a man, who is u&s;ed to lo&s;e it: hitherto I have not lo&s;t it (replied he) have you <HI>Cleodoras</HI> yet (re|plied <HI>Leoni&s;a)</HI> 'tis very true, I have, &s;aid he, and under colour of that, I &s;ometimes plea&s;e my &s;elf in looking upon yours, even in her pre&s;ence: <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> then importuned
<PB N="166" REF="461">
him to tell her how he got her picture: And <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> told her, that under&s;tanding &s;he was to have her picture taken to &s;end unto &s;ome of her Cozens in the province from whence &s;he came, he &s;uborned the painter and got it from him: afterwards he &s;hew|ed her how the ca&s;e was double, which &s;he did not perceive before, and there &s;he found <HI>Cleodoras</HI> picture and her own both: So that by this fallacie <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did often look upon the picture of his new Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, at the &s;ame time when the poor <HI>Cleodora</HI> thought it had been her own, becau&s;e &s;he knew the ca&s;e, and becau&s;e <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did &s;om|times &s;hew her her own picture purpo&s;ely, that &s;he might think he looked upon it: For though <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was mo&s;t de&s;perately in love with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> yet he &s;till feared and re&s;pected <HI>Cleodora. Leoni&s;a</HI> knowing this trick, u&s;ed all her rethorique to get her picture out of his hands: but do or &s;ay what &s;he could he would not part with it: But being de&s;irous to be as &s;afe as &s;he could, and being al&s;o de&s;irous to &s;atisfie her &s;elf in one thing which &s;he had much longed to know, and at lea&s;t to make triall of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> his vertue. Truly <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him after much other talke) I cannot beleeve you loue me, nor &s;uffer my picture to be in your hands but upon one condition: which is, that you let me have in my keeping all <HI>Cleodoras</HI> letters unto you, and al&s;o her picture; for unle&s;&s;e you do this, I do prote&s;t I &s;hall not beleeve you love me: but &s;hall think that you love <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;till, and that you carry my picture but the better to hide hers. All this is &s;o unju&s;t, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> that I cannot imagine you &s;hould de&s;ire I &s;hould beleeve you: and truly <HI>Cleodora</HI> never did me &s;o much honour as to write unto me: as for her picture, 'tis true, I got it by a &s;light as I did yours, and by con&s;equence I were too &s;imple if I let it pa&s;&s;e for a favour; if &s;o, &s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> and laughed, me thinks you &s;hould not think it &s;trange that I do no more for you then <HI>Cleodora</HI> did, for I do intend to be no le&s;&s;e &s;evere then &s;he. But for all that I know you had <HI>Cleodoras</HI> picture from her own hand, and I know al&s;o you received a hun|dred letters from her: if I had replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> I be&s;eech you be as kinde as <HI>Cleodora</HI> was: I &s;hall be what I ought to be, replied &s;he when you have performed the condi|tion which I de&s;ire: It is que&s;tionle&s;&s;e my duty to do any thing which you de&s;ire (re|plied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> except &s;uch things as may make me lo&s;e your e&s;teem: and unto &s;uch things Madam, the love I bear you will not permit me to con&s;ent unto: and therefore I be&s;eech you Madam take it not ill if I deny your de&s;ires; for how &s;hould you ever tru&s;t my di&s;cretion with the lea&s;t favour; if I &s;hould lavi&s;hly confe&s;&s;e what <HI>Cleodora</HI> conferred upon me? it is &s;ufficient Madam, that I for&s;ake her for you without ba&s;ely betraying her; al&s;o I do not think you have well con&s;idered what you demand; Really &s;aid he and &s;miled, if you &s;hould de&s;ire to &s;ee <HI>Cleodoras</HI> letters, and to know how far &s;he favoured me, to the end you might go as far as &s;he. I think I &s;hould invent a thou&s;and lies and counterfeit as many letters which might be advantagious to me; but &s;ince I know that though I received a thou&s;and reall favours from the greate&s;t beauties in the world, yet you would not be the more favourable to me, therefore I be&s;eech you, move me not to invent fal&s;e ones; if you would have me relate any pa&s;&s;ages between <HI>Cleodora</HI> and me, I be&s;eech you Madam let it be her Rigours and Cruelties, to the end that aggravating the mi&s;eries which &s;he hath cau&s;ed me to &s;uffer, you may re&s;olve to be more milde and &s;weet, and make me le&s;&s;e mi&s;erable. Examples (repli|ed <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> craftily) are things which much moves me, and powerfully workes upon my &s;pirit; and therefore if you tell me only of <HI>Cleodoras</HI> cruelties, perhaps I &s;hall ea&s;ily have the &s;ame thoughts &s;he had; I know Madam replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> that you are more rea&s;onable then to do as you &s;peak, or to &s;peak as you do and &s;peak &s;incerely; but though <HI>Cleodora</HI> had writ many obliging letters unto me, and though I had them in my keeping, yet <HI>I</HI> ought not to give them you; A lover doubtle&s;&s;e ought blindly to obey the per&s;on whom he loves, but not, (as <HI>I</HI> &s;aid before) when he expo&s;eth him&s;elf to the lo&s;&s;e of her e&s;teem; Yet there are &s;ome certain things (replied <HI>Leoni&s;a)</HI> which if a Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e de&s;ire, and the &s;ervant obey, he will merit her affection; and I know not whether what <HI>I</HI> now de&s;ire of you be not in that number; for although <HI>I</HI> am forced to confe&s;&s;e that it is hand&s;omer to do as you do, then if you did otherwi&s;e, yet <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t let you know it is not &s;o obliging, &s;ince you cannot deny me but for two rea|&s;ons; the one, becau&s;e you dare not tru&s;t my di&s;cretion; the other, becau&s;e you would perhaps keep your &s;elf upon termes to renew love with <HI>Cleodora;</HI> and which of tho&s;e tow&s;oever it be, certainly it is not very advantagious for me. <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t needs acknowledge, &s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> that what&s;oever your di&s;cretion be <HI>I,</HI> do not think
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my &s;elf obliged to tru&s;t you with any thing which might be prejudiciall unto the per&s;on whom I once loved, and who did not hate me: For truely if I did, I &s;hould give you a very fine example of indi&s;cretion, &s;uch a one as I &s;hould think that you could not be more di&s;creet then I am, unle&s;&s;e you give me a ju&s;t &s;ubject of complaint. But Ma|dam, as to what you &s;ay, that perhaps I keep <HI>Cleodora's</HI> letters in my hands, pur|po&s;ely to clo&s;e with her again; In an&s;wer to this Madam, I will tell you, that if you plea&s;e, I will never &s;peak unto her again, nor ever look upon her: I will go &s;o farre as incivility, if you de&s;ire it: but I be&s;eech you, let me not go &s;o farre as trea&s;on: yet do not think I be&s;eech you, that I &s;peak thus, becau&s;e my love to you is not violent e|nough, for though I do deny what now you do de&s;ire of me, yet I offer at the &s;ame time to undertake the mo&s;t difficult enterprizes in the world for your &s;ervice. At the&s;e words <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> interrupting him, It is enough, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) it is a &s;ufficient triall of your vertue <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> But to the end you &s;hould not have a le&s;&s;e good opinion of my vertue, then I have of yours, know, that if you had con&s;ented unto what I did &s;o urgently de&s;ire, I &s;hould never have tru&s;ted you with the lea&s;t favour in the world: But &s;ince you have re&s;i&s;ted me with &s;o much prudent ob&s;tinacie, and denied me the picture of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I con&s;ent you &s;hall keep mine, though you &s;tole it from me.</P>
<P>At the pronouncing the&s;e words <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> was &s;ilent, and blu&s;ht, and I know not whe|ther <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was ha&s;tier to render thanks then &s;he was to dimini&s;h the obliging &s;ence of her language. But he was &s;o ready to apprehend the obligation, that the words no &s;oo|ner touched his ear, but they reached his heart, and his heart his tongue to thank her. Though you do nothing (&s;aid he unto her) but con&s;ent unto a thing which you could not hinder me from, yet am I infinitely obliged unto you, for creating it a gift, and not a theft; and I am mo&s;t certain, I &s;hall finde your Picture more re&s;embling your fair &s;elf, &s;ince the&s;e three or four words which you have &s;poken in my favour, do &s;o plea|&s;ingly &s;weeten my imagination, that I &s;hall think my &s;elf much more happy every time I look upon it: I pray <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> do not give me &s;o many thanks, le&s;t I &s;hould think <HI>I</HI> have granted you to much and repent: then <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t &s;hut up my acknow|ledgments in my heart, &s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and content my &s;elf with &s;hewing you, only my Love. After this <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> de&s;ired to &s;ee her picture, which he pre&s;enting unto her; he had as great joy to receive it from the faire hand of his dear <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> as if he had received it from her own gift. But fir&s;t he ob&s;erved unto her, by the di&s;tingui&s;hment of the cla&s;pes, which was on that &s;ide where <HI>Cleodora's</HI> picture was, to the end &s;he might know in ope|ning of the Ca&s;e, which &s;ide hers was on: for though it is not the cu&s;tome of tho&s;e that have the pictures of the per&s;ons whom they love, to look upon them in their pre|&s;ence, yet it was not &s;o with <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> for whether it was <HI>Cleodora,</HI> or <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> that hee loved, he would look upon their pictures with &s;uch violent raptures of love, and &s;uch private thoughts, as if they were the very &s;ub&s;tances. Hee was never better plea&s;ed, then when he &s;aw <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> in a great Clo&s;et at her Aunts, where there was on four great Pillars, four great Mirrours of polli&s;hed &s;teel: which way &s;oever he turned he &s;aw four <HI>Leoni&s;a's,</HI> and &s;ometimes many more <HI>Leoni&s;a's,</HI> at lea&s;t he &s;aid &s;o, when he would ag|gravate his pa&s;&s;ion: and there al&s;o he looked often upon the Picture, though it was in the &s;ame Chamber where &s;he was. Thus Sir you &s;ee upon what termes <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was with <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI> In the mean time, the poor <HI>Cleodora,</HI> thinking that the love of <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was the true cau&s;e of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> his manner of behaviour, re&s;olutely determined to entreat him not to &s;ee her any more, &s;eeing that all her roughne&s;&s;e of behaviour would not re|pul&s;e him. Since &s;he knew he was very wi&s;e, and knew mo&s;t of the pa&s;&s;ages between <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and her: She thought it be&s;t to &s;peak unto him in all ingenuous &s;incerity: &s;o that finding him one day, in her Aunts chamber, as &s;he was bu&s;ie in talking with others: &s;he began to &s;peak unto him: In the mean time, &s;ince &s;he had a long while &s;hunned him, <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was ravi&s;hed at the alteration: but his joy was very &s;hort; for &s;hee no &s;ooner opened her mouth, but he knew that he &s;hould have more cau&s;e to complain again&s;t <HI>Cleodora,</HI> then to thank her. I pray you <HI>Hermogenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) do not murmur at the reque&s;t I &s;hall make, and take that confidence which I have in you, for the greate&s;t te&s;timony of my e&s;teem and affection, which you can ever receive from me: For Heavens &s;ake Madam (&s;aid <HI>Hermogenes)</HI> do not ask me any thing that will force me unto a denyall: If I thought I &s;hould be denyed (&s;aid &s;he) I would not ask, but having great confidence in your wi&s;dom, I hope to obtain my reque&s;t. But Madam, re|plied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> what can you de&s;ire more of me, then what I have already given?
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I would de&s;ire you, for &s;ome urgent con&s;iderations which neerly concern me, to forbear either &s;eeing me or &s;peaking unto me: Alas Madam, replied he, you ask me that which is not in my power to grant? But I pray Madam, is this the te&s;timony of that e&s;teem, and affection you &s;poke of? Doubtle&s;&s;e it is (replied &s;he) for if it were not, I &s;hould have bani&s;hed you without &s;peaking to you, and therefore me thinks you ought to con|&s;ent willingly to my de&s;ire. If you will bani&s;h me, replied he, becau&s;e the Per&s;on that hath Power over you, thinks it not fit, I &s;hould have the honour to &s;ee you, or becau&s;e my pa&s;&s;ion makes too great a noi&s;e in the world: I could put a favourable &s;ence of your act, and obey you: But fair <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I know very well, you onely would pack mee away, to admit of <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> I crave your pardon Madam, (&s;aid he, &s;eeing <HI>Cleodora</HI> blu&s;h at his an&s;wer) for taking the freedom to &s;peak with &s;o much &s;incerity, but yet the lamentable condition wherein I am, might &s;erve, me thinks, for an excu&s;e. How|ever, I mu&s;t tell you, that though it be onely to recall the happy <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> that you drive me away, yet you ought to let me love you, and that freely; for Madam, if jealou&s;ie do not bring him back, nothing will: Therefore, though you have no con&s;ideration of me at all, and though you con&s;ider onely your &s;elf, yet it is your be&s;t cour&s;e to let mee live with you as formerly. No <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> replied &s;he, you mu&s;t not deny me, and therefore content your &s;elf that I am not angry at what you &s;ay: But I will ingenu|ou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e unto you (&s;aid &s;he, holding her hand before her eyes, and turning away her head to hide her blu&s;hes) that the jealou&s;ie of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> begins to anger me, e&s;peci|ally &s;ince it di&s;covers his folly unto &s;ome who el&s;e would never have known it. I be|&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid <HI>Hermogenes)</HI> do not di&s;gui&s;e the truth, but con&s;ider, that <HI>Cle|odora</HI> being my Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, and <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> being alwayes my intimate friend, it is not po&s;&s;i|ble but I &s;hould a little know how things are: Certainly, replied &s;he, &s;ince <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> is your rivall, you cannot be his &s;pie; <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> carrying him&s;elf now, replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> as the lover of <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and not of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I do not re&s;ent him as my rivall: How|ever it be <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> replied &s;he, do not deny me in my reque&s;t, and do not force me to bani&s;h you with a noi&s;e. But Madam, I be&s;eech you, (replied he) &s;ince <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> is in love with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> is it not unju&s;t in you to treat <HI>Hermogenes</HI> thus? Doubtle&s;&s;e it is not (an&s;wered &s;he) for I have &s;uch a horror to all men, that your &s;elf mu&s;t needs bee included: Revenge is very &s;weet replied he: I confe&s;&s;e it, replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> yet there is no &s;weetne&s;&s;e to be revenged upon ones &s;elf by de&s;iring it upon another: And &s;ince <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> you have too many excellent parts, to owe your affection which one hath to you, unto the hatred which one hath again&s;t your rivall; therefore it were more ex|pedient you looked about for &s;ome better fortune: No, no Madam, replied &s;he I am none of tho&s;e delicate &amp; &s;crupulous men, who are &s;o preci&s;e as to ob&s;erve which hand it is that gives a pre&s;ent: for &s;o you will love me, I care not whether it be by revenge, or by in|clination. However <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I will be obeyed. This is &s;ome favour yet, replied he, that you will ab&s;olutely command me, after you began with intreaties, 'Tis true, &s;aid &s;he, but lea&s;t you repent, do as I bid you. <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> &s;eeing with what re&s;olution <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;pake, thought it his be&s;t cour&s;e not to re&s;i&s;t her: &s;o that to gain a little more time, for the execution of a de&s;igne which hee had: he conjured her to allow him &s;ix dayes onely to con&s;ider; at the end of which time hee would demand one hours audience. Since <HI>Cleodora</HI> did very much e&s;teem <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> &s;hee con&s;ented unto his de&s;ire, and &s;o they parted: <HI>Cleodora</HI> hoping &s;he had bani&s;hed <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> and that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> would return unto her: and <HI>Hermogenes</HI> hoping, that as &s;oon as hee obtained one thing of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> which he intended to ask, he &s;hould make <HI>Cleodora</HI> change her mind. And to that end, he went to look him the very &s;ame hour, and as hap was, found him in his chamber: As &s;oon as he &s;aw him, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> came to meet him, and gave him many thanks for applying him&s;elf &s;o clo&s;ely unto <HI>Cleodora</HI> that day, for hee had thereby given him good opportunity to talk with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> to his exceeding delight. I am extremely joyed, &s;aid <HI>Hermogenes</HI> to him, that I was able to contribute any thing to your felicity: But my dear <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid he unto him, and embraced him) you mu&s;t do &s;omething al&s;o, to keep me from being mi&s;erable: You need not u&s;e any &s;uch con|juration, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> for can you doubt, but that I will do any thing I can, to &s;erve you? In good earne&s;t <HI>Hermogenes</HI> your way of proceeding does offend me, &s;ince prayers are not to be made unto reall friends: 'Tis doubtle&s;&s;e enough to let them know we &s;tand in need of them, and that will oblige them to our &s;ervice: Speak then I con|jure you, and tell me quickly what you would have me do for you. You mu&s;t, &s;ince
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you will not have me intreat you, (replied <HI>Hermogenes)</HI> let <HI>Cleodora</HI> know that you love her not, and let her al&s;o know, that you love <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI> Ah <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> (replied <HI>Be|le&s;is)</HI> it is yet too &s;oon to appear incon&s;tant in the eyes of <HI>Cleodora:</HI> and why would you have me &s;o &s;oon di&s;cover my crime? is it becau&s;e you are weary of talking &s;o much with her? and does it vex you to be tied too long unto a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which con|cerns you not? if &s;o, I had rather you would cea&s;e &s;eeing her, then to tell her what I would not have her know &s;o &s;oon, and which indeed &s;he will know but too &s;oon. No, no &s;aid <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> you do not under&s;tand me: but to explain my words unto you, know cruel friend, that when you &s;haked off the fetters of the fair <HI>Cleodora,</HI> you enchained me with them: and the truth is, you never loved that fair Per&s;on, &s;o well as I love her, nor would I quit her for a thou&s;and of your <HI>Leoni&s;as.</HI> (How &s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> in a great a&s;toni&s;hment) do you love <HI>Cleodora?</HI> yes, replied he, I do love her, and thank the gods you love her not, but are in &s;uch a condition as to pitie me, and give me leave to do as I de&s;ire of you. <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was &s;erious, did not que&s;tion the truth of his words, but the &s;trangene&s;&s;e of the matter was, he was &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed at them, that he walked up and down the chamber, and could not &s;peak a word: &s;o that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> wondering to &s;ee him &s;o amazed, importuned him &s;till to let his incon&s;tancy be known unto <HI>Cleodora.</HI> For truly, &s;aid he unto him, if you will for my &s;ake permit it; you will be a gainer by it as well as my &s;elf, &s;ince if <HI>Cleodo|ra</HI> do not pretend any thing unto your affection, &s;he will not then torment you, as &s;he doth. Though her affection, replied he, will not torment me, yet her hatred will; therefore I intreat you heartily, not to tell her po&s;itively that I do not love her: and it will al&s;o reflect &s;omething upon <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and con&s;equently it will augment your mi|&s;eries, and not le&s;&s;en mine. For I cannot &s;ee what advantage you can draw unto your &s;elf by letting <HI>Cleodora</HI> know that I am in Love with <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI> Since I mu&s;t tell you, replied he, know that it is becau&s;e <HI>Cleodora</HI> (who thinks you jealous of me, and who thinks you counterfeit love to <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> to &s;pite her) loves you a thou&s;and times bet|ter then &s;he &s;hould: &s;o that my affection to her cannot have any influence upon her heart, unle&s;&s;e I can expel you out of it: move her to hate me if you can, becau&s;e &s;he loves you (replied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> but I be&s;eech you do not endeavour to make her love you, becau&s;e &s;he hates me: me thinks (&s;aid <HI>Hermogenes</HI> and &s;miled) this is too much fanta&s;tical nicene&s;&s;e, for you do either love <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> or you Love her not: if you do not love her, then you ought to tell me po&s;itively, that you love <HI>Cle|odora</HI> &s;till, and that you are my enemy, becau&s;e you are my Rival. But if on the contrary you do love <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> I do not &s;ee any rea&s;on why you &s;hould not permit me to tell <HI>Cleodora,</HI> that which will advance me, and free you from her affection for I am fully per&s;waded, that though it be onely to revenge her &s;elf, &s;he will treat me much better. However, not to di&s;&s;emble with you, let me tell you truly, that if you do not con&s;ent unto this reque&s;t, know, it is her will, I &s;hould neither love her, &s;peak to her, nor &s;ee her any more: and then he told <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> all the pa&s;&s;ages betwixt <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and him&s;elf; Whil&s;t he was telling him the &s;tory, he ob&s;erved a &s;trange agitation in his minde, though he could not well conceive the rea&s;on, unle&s;&s;e it was his &s;hame to be known &s;o incon&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> But &s;o it is (&s;aid he after he had related all unto him) that <HI>Cleodora</HI> will certainly <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ere long know you love her not, and that you love <HI>Leoni&s;a;</HI> and &s;ince &s;o, is it not much better &s;he knew it now, when &s;ome advan|tage may be gotten by it, then to &s;tay till none can be reaped by the knowledge of it? The more you hide your crime, the more Criminal you will appear: and there|fore I conjure you let me endeavour to obtain that which you would willingly part with: Con&s;ider, that you have no rea&s;on to denie me, becau&s;e you are the cau&s;e that I love her, &s;ince it was for your &s;ake I undertook &s;uch familiarity with her: I &s;aw her long before you, and never loved her, and certainly, &s;o I &s;hould have done all my life: but &s;ince onely in your behalf, and for no intere&s;t of my own, I was &s;o com|placential as to &s;ee her, and am de&s;perately in love with her, me thinks it is but ju&s;t, you &s;hould contribute all you can to cure that wound which you have cau&s;ed. I wi&s;h I could, (replied <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> much amazed) But I mu&s;t confes unto you, I cannot &s;o far preua<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l with my &s;elf, as to &s;uffer you &s;hould di&s;cover my Crime unto <HI>Cleodora,</HI> moreover I be&s;eech you con|&s;ider that &s;ince I am not upon ab&s;olute good t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">arms with <HI>Leoni&s;a, Cleodora</HI> when &s;he knows the truth, will in a probability do me a thou&s;and ill offices unto <HI>Leoni&s;a;</HI> and therefore, though I &s;hould give way unto your de&s;ires, it &s;hould not be til I had ab&s;olutely gained,
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the heart of <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI> But whil&s;t you are obtaining that victory, replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> what would you have become of me? for <HI>Cleodora</HI> within this &s;ix dayes will neither let me &s;peak unto her, nor &s;ee her again: Con&s;ider I be&s;eech you, what you would do if the ca&s;e were your own: I know not, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> but I am &s;ure I cannot con&s;ent you &s;hould di&s;cover my Crime unto <HI>Cleodora.</HI> But why I pray you, did you fall in love with her? did you not lay to heart what I told you of her humours? why were not you wi&s;e by my woes, and let her alone; Beleeve me, it were Prudence in you in lue of endeavouring to win her heart, to di&s;engage your own from &s;uch a &s;ad &s;er|vice: for the more in favour you are with <HI>Cleodora,</HI> the more unquiet &s;hall your &s;oul be: and therefore though it were onely in Con&s;ideration of your &s;elf, I ought to deny you what you de&s;ire in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: No, no <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;aid he, we ought not to &s;erve our friends according to our own Palats, but according unto theirs: and when I fir&s;t di&s;&s;embled to be in love with <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I did not rea&s;on with you, &s;o wi&s;ely as you with me, though perhaps, I had more cau&s;e then you have. However &s;ince at your de&s;ire in feigning love to <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I became really in love with her, I cannot &s;ee why you &s;hould &s;o ob&s;tinately deny my reque&s;t. But <HI>Hermogenes</HI> with all his Rhetorick could not per&s;wade <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to con&s;ent. And <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> having no good rea&s;ons wherewith to Colour his denial imployed his Prayers, and in all Zeal intreated him not to tell <HI>Cleodora</HI> that he did not love her, but loved <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI> After this Con|te&s;t had la&s;ted a long while, the&s;e two friends parted, both complaining one a|gain&s;t the other; Tis true, yet there was no bitterne&s;&s;e in their complaints, but they &s;poke to each other as if they hoped &s;till to per&s;wade; but after they were parted, they did more &s;harply re&s;ent the bitter Con&s;equences of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was &s;o &s;unk with &s;orrow, that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> had refu&s;ed to a&s;&s;i&s;t him in his &s;ervice of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> that he came in lamentable dejection unto me, to relate the Pa&s;&s;age, aggravating the in|ju&s;tice of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> his denial in &s;uch Language, as made the vehemency of his Pa&s;&s;ion appear plainly unto me: but that I &s;hould not be ignorant in any circum&s;tance which was related unto either of them, the next morning <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> knowing I was an indifferent friend unto them both, came and acquainted me with the pa&s;&s;age al&s;o, and de&s;ired me that I would keep <HI>Hermogenes</HI> from telling <HI>Cleodora</HI> how he deluded her. So that I being the confident of them both, I made u&s;e of that knowledge I had of their real thoughts, to keep them from falling out, and did &s;o temper their &s;pirits, that they complained again&s;t each other, in a much more civil manner. Yet the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e could not &s;tand long upon the&s;e terms, as you &s;hall pre&s;ently know. In the mean while <HI>Be|le&s;is</HI> was not a little perplexed when he went unto the Aunts of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and <HI>Le|oni&s;a:</HI> for when he talked not unto the la&s;t of the&s;e, he was not plea&s;ed: and when <HI>Hermogenes</HI> talked with <HI>Cleodora,</HI> he was not able to endure it, imagining alwayes that notwith&s;tanding all his prayers, he was di&s;covering his incon&s;tancy unto her: &s;o that to de|fer that inconveniency, he would often times leave <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and come to interrupt <HI>Hermogenes</HI> and <HI>Cleodora,</HI> intruding him&s;elf into their di&s;cour&s;e, and excu&s;ing him|&s;elf afterwards to <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> as well as he could. <HI>Cleodora</HI> for her part &s;eeing <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was &s;o troubled and unquiet, and that yet he &s;pake more unto her then he u&s;ed, did inter|pret all his inquietudes unto her own advantage <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> thought him to he &s;till in love with her. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> told <HI>Cleodora</HI> in a low voice, that if e|ver &s;he would reduce <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;he mu&s;t not bani&s;h <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> but as for <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> &s;he knew not what to think, but upon the perple<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ities of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;he endeavoured to keep that which &s;he had cau&s;ed <HI>Cleodora</HI> to lo&s;e. The truth is Sir, I &s;aw that at this time, which I a&s;&s;ure you I never in my life &s;aw before, and perhaps &s;hall never &s;ee again: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, a man to be jealous and not in love, &s;ince certainly <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did for &s;ome dayes behave him&s;elf both to <HI>Cleodora</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> as if he did not love the one, but as if he were the Rival of the other: to wit, with many Perplexities, ma|ny alterations of Countenance, and with the very &s;ame impatiencies, that jealou&s;y is u&s;ed to infu&s;e into tho&s;e whom it mo&s;t torments, In the mean time, he alwayes &s;aid that he did not Love <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and that he was de&s;perately in love with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> I have heard &s;ay (&s;aid I unto him one evening when I was &s;peaking unto him concerning his intimate thoughts) that it is not ea&s;y to be long in love without a little jealou&s;ie but I never thought it po&s;&s;ible to be jealous, unle&s;&s;e one were in love; And yet I &s;ee you behave your &s;elf as if you were; For truly you cannot endure <HI>Hermogenes</HI> &s;hould talk in private with <HI>Cleodora</HI> you interrupt their di&s;cour&s;e as much as you can and
<PB N="171" REF="463">
when you cannot, you look upon them as if you would look through their hearts, and gue&s;&s;e their thoughts; and then you are &s;o tran&s;ported, that you never look upon <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> though you are deeply in love with her: What would you have me do? (&s;aid he to me) I would have you hearken unto rea&s;on (an&s;wered I) and &s;ince you are not in love with <HI>Cleodora,</HI> not to hinder <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> but permit him to do what&s;oever wil be advantageous to him: No, no <HI>Alcenor,</HI> &s;aid he, I cannot prevail &s;o far with my &s;elf: and there is &s;uch a fatal fanta&s;ticalne&s;&s;e upon me that I cannot endure neither that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> &s;hould tel <HI>Cleodora</HI> I betrayed her, nor that he &s;hould love her, or be loved: I value not me thinks if a hundred others love her, but I cannot en|dure <HI>Hermogenes</HI> &s;hould: yet you are more obliged to endure him then any other, replied I, for he is more your friend then any other: Tis very true, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and if you did but know how much I am a&s;hamed of my folly, you would Pitie me in the mean time it is &s;o predominate, that I can ever return ab&s;olutely unto <HI>Cleodora,</HI> nor allow <HI>Hermogenes</HI> to love her, nor can I never for&s;ake <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI> As we were di&s;|cour&s;ing thus together; <HI>Hermogenes</HI> came in, who in my pre&s;ence &s;pake as obligingly unto <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> as po&s;&s;ibly could be: He told him that his &s;ix dayes would expire that night, and that he came once more to &s;olicit him for a con&s;ent unto what he former|ly de&s;ired. Moreover I have one thing to tell you &s;aid he, before you give me my la&s;t denial, which is, that if you will repent of your fault, and quit <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> and return unto <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and become as faithful as you have been incon&s;tant: I promi&s;e you, to cea&s;e my &s;ure, and never to di&s;cover your Crime, prote&s;ting unto you that I will not onely leave <HI>Cleodora,</HI> but <HI>Su&s;a</HI> al&s;o: but then I expect, that if it be &s;o, you will love <HI>Le|oni&s;a</HI> &s;till, and by con&s;equence not pretend any thing unto <HI>Cleodora:</HI> I expect I &s;ay, you &s;hould a&s;&s;i&s;t me, and no longer oppo&s;e my de&s;ire. All that you &s;ay, is ful of rea&s;on, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;o that I am infinitely a&s;hamed to return &s;uch an extravagant an&s;wer: But <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> if you love me you will pitie the imperfections of your friend, and excu&s;e me if I denie you, and confe&s;&s;e that I cannot receive a more &s;en&s;ible di&s;plea|&s;ure then to &s;ee you love <HI>Cleodora,</HI> though I Love <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> I know very well that it is extream folly to &s;peak thus: But it mu&s;t be you <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> who are wi&s;er then I am, that mu&s;t connive at my weakne&s;&s;e: it was you that brought me to <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> and cau&s;ed all my mi&s;eries, and therefore it mu&s;t be you that mu&s;t comfort me. Tis true replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> I did bring you to <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> but it was you fir&s;t who brought me in love with <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and by Con&s;equence it is our parts to comfort one another. After this, I took upon me to talk unto them both, but all to no purpo&s;e, and thus we all parted without any conclu&s;ion at all. And certainly it was very happy <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did not lodge neer <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> as he did when he came fir&s;t to <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> for if they had, matters might have been wor&s;e be|tween them. In the mean time, the poor <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was in a &s;ad condition, be|cau&s;e <HI>Cleodora</HI> ob&s;erving the inquietudes of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and thinking he &s;uffered them for the love of her, &s;he re&s;olved to bani&s;h <HI>Hermogenes;</HI> So that the &s;ix dayes which &s;he gave him, being expired, &s;he prepared her &s;elf for that hour of audience which he asked, and &s;he promi&s;ed, and taking hold of the opportunity in her Aunts chamber, they went both to a window, far enough from the re&s;t of the company, to talk, and not be under&s;tood; Therefore <HI>Cleodora</HI> began to conjure him not to &s;peak unto her any more, but by degrees to withdraw him&s;elf from coming to her. However Madam, &s;aid he unto her, you will confe&s;&s;e that it is for <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> his &s;ake that you bani&s;h me; and that if he were not in love with you, you would not bani&s;h me; <HI>Cleodora</HI> thinking that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> would be better &s;atisfied if &s;he &s;poke &s;incerely unto him, then if &s;he &s;hould di&s;&s;emble a truth which he was not ignorant of, told him in very obliging lan|guage, that it was very true, &s;he de&s;ired to take from <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> all cau&s;es of jealou&s;y, and all complaints again&s;t her: a&s;&s;uring him, that if &s;he had not &s;ome compa&s;&s;ion upon <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;he would never deprive her &s;elf of his company, but &s;hould de&s;ire him to regu|late that affection which he &s;aid he bore her. <HI>Hermogenes</HI> hearing <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;peak with more mildne&s;&s;e then one that had any minde to bani&s;h another, or ab&s;olutly di&s;oblige him, did beleeve, that if &s;he knew of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> his incon&s;tancy, perhaps he might po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e that place which this incon&s;tant man inojyed in the heart of this La|dy: &s;o that being prompted unto it by the exce&s;&s;e of his love, and perceiving that be mu&s;t either quit <HI>Cleodora,</HI> or undeceive her in her belief that &s;he had of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> his lo|ving her, began to think of changing the &s;entence of his death: &s;ince he did ex|treamly Love <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> he was extreamly unwilling to tell her what he knew but
<PB N="172" REF="464">
&s;ince it concerned the chiefe felicity of his life: and love &s;urmounting all lawes of friend&s;hip, his &s;pirits began to be exa&s;perated again&s;t <HI>Bele&s;is.</HI> Whil&s;t <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was thinking what to do, <HI>Cleodora</HI> looked upon him, imagining that the many alterations in his countenance, were cau&s;ed only becau&s;e of his &s;orrows, that he was not to &s;peak unto her as he was u&s;ed: but at la&s;t <HI>Hermogenes</HI> prevailing with him&s;elf: the gods are my witne&s;&s;es Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) what an extream unwillingne&s;&s;e is in, me, to ea&s;e my &s;oule of tho&s;e mi&s;eries which oppre&s;&s;e it, by telling one thing which doubtle&s;&s;e will much trouble you, and which is far from plea&s;ing me. For the melancholy which I &s;hall &s;ee in your faire eyes, when you &s;hall under|&s;tand, that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> is unworthy of tho&s;e honours you do him, will infinitly grieve me. But Madam, though I &s;hould not attempt to revoke that fatal &s;entence, which you have pronounced again&s;t me; yet in con&s;ideration of your own intere&s;t, I think my &s;elf obliged to di&s;cover unto you, what I know: for I am fully per&s;waded, that when a Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, and a friend are in the &s;cales, the weights are much uneven. Nor is it in my choice to deliberate, &s;ince as the &s;tate of my ca&s;e &s;tands, I mu&s;t tell you that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> is an uncon&s;tant man: that his jealou&s;ie is counterfeit, and that he is in love with <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI> At the fir&s;t <HI>Cleodora</HI> did not beleeve <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> but thought that all he told her, was his own invention: But &s;ince there is nothing more ea&s;ie, then to infu&s;e mi&s;tru&s;t into an amorous minde, &s;he no &s;ooner had told <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> that &s;he gave no credit unto his words: but &s;he began in&s;en&s;ibly to be jealous, and aske him upon what conjectures he grounded his beliefe? So that by little and little, and hardly knowing what &s;he &s;aid, &s;he asked <HI>Hermogenes</HI> of more things then he knew of: and al&s;o he told her more, then &s;he de&s;ired to know: yet &s;ince there &s;till remained &s;ome kind of doubts in her; <HI>Hermogenes</HI> told her, that to clear them all, &s;he &s;hould get her picture out of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> his hands, and there &s;he might &s;ee <HI>Leoni&s;as</HI> al&s;o; Ah <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cleo|dora:</HI> could I but &s;ee that, I &s;hould extreamly hate <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> and certainly you may &s;ee it, replied he, if you go hand&s;omly about it: but alas Madam, &s;aid he, it will not be enough to hate <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> unle&s;&s;e you love <HI>Hermogenes:</HI> I a&s;&s;ure you, &s;aid &s;he unto him, if this you tell me be true, I &s;hall not ea&s;ily love any: and I &s;hall &s;o hate my &s;elf, that I &s;hall not be in any di&s;po&s;ition to love others, &s;ince to &s;peak truly, none ever loves, but for love of them&s;elves: but however I a&s;&s;ure you, that I &s;hall think my &s;elf eternally obliged unto you, for di&s;|covering the perfidiou&s;ne&s;&s;e of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to me. As &s;he &s;poke the&s;e la&s;t words, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> entered, who &s;eeing <HI>Hermogenes</HI> and <HI>Cleodora,</HI> &s;eparated from the company, went towards them, to interrupt their di&s;cour&s;e; though <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> was in the &s;ame chamber. In going thither, his mind began to change, becau&s;e he feared <HI>Hermogenes</HI> had already di&s;covered his crime: yet &s;ince he had already &s;tept a pace forward, he went on, with a &s;pirit &s;o full of turbulency, as plainly told <HI>Cleodora,</HI> his mind was unquiet. On the other &s;ide, this Lady was not a little troubled, in di&s;&s;embling her thoughts: But &s;ince there was a nece&s;&s;ity in it, to the end &s;he might clear all her doubts, &s;he forced her &s;elf extreamly, to &s;peak unto <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> as &s;he u&s;ed to do: yet &s;he received him with a con&s;trained civilitie, &s;o as <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was much perplexed at it, not knowing whe|ther it was an effect of her knowing his crime or that it was only to &s;pite him: <HI>Hermogenes</HI> al&s;o was &s;o damped, that he dur&s;t hardly look upon <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and there|fore it was not &s;trange, that the&s;e three per&s;ons could not endure to be together, but came unto the re&s;t of the company, as &s;oon as they had done their fir&s;t complements. In the mean while <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> enter, turned her head continually, to ob&s;erve whether he &s;pake unto <HI>Cleodora:</HI> but &s;ince &s;he &s;aw, he &s;aid almo&s;t nothing, but that they all came towards her, the little &s;pite &s;he had again&s;t him dimini&s;hed: yet for all that, &s;he thought to be revenged, and was &s;o, immediately after for Sir, you mu&s;t know, that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> at his fir&s;t coming into the chamber, did chu&s;e rather to ad|dre&s;&s;e him&s;elf unto <HI>Cleodora,</HI> then unto <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he was alone with <HI>Hermo|genes,</HI> and he no &s;ooner &s;aw that they were &s;eparated, and joyned to the re&s;t of the company, but he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto <HI>Leoni&s;a;</HI> who to be revenged as I &s;aid before, did receive him with &s;uch a cold look, as did little comfort him, in his &s;ecret &s;or|rows: for turning her &s;elf pre&s;ently towards <HI>Ti&s;ias,</HI> &s;he taught <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> by experience, what it was to prefer another before him&s;elf, and he could not get her to &s;peake one word unto him all that day: but while&s;t <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> was revenging her &s;elf in this man|ner, <HI>Cleodora</HI> was full of impatient de&s;ires, to be clearly re&s;olved of every thing which
<PB N="173" REF="464">
<HI>Hermogenes</HI> told her, and moved the company, to go and walk by the river, which runnes by <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> for &s;he had no minde to walk in the common walkes, becau&s;e then &s;he could not &s;o conveniently talk with <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> as &s;he de&s;ired: &s;ince <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> was with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and being of the mo&s;t confiderable qualitie in all <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> none did di&s;pute with him for the place he would take, and therefore he led <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> to the Coach, and afterwards by the rivers &s;ide, to which all the company being come, they walked on foot in a great meadow, where there were many willows growing by the river &s;ide: <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;eeing that he could not walk with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and being de&s;irous to hinder <HI>Hermogenes</HI> from pre&s;enting his hand unto <HI>Cleodora,</HI> he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto her, though not with the &s;ame Aire, he was accu&s;tomed before he loved <HI>Leoni&s;a: Cleodora</HI> &s;poke to him with much civilitie and &s;weetnes, in&s;omuch as <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> a&s;&s;ured him&s;elf, <HI>Hermogenes</HI> had not yet di&s;covered his crime, and con&s;idering with him&s;elf, how <HI>Cleodora</HI> alwaies loved him very dearly, his &s;oule was &s;tinged with extream remor&s;e, for betraying &s;o faire, &s;o &s;weet a Lady: Not but that he did &s;till turn his head continually towards <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> to &s;ee how <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> courted her; and it was apparent, that his heart was pit|tifully torne in pieces. In the mean time <HI>Cleodora,</HI> who had a &s;ecret de&s;igne in it, did &s;o order her pace, whether <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> would or no, that they were &s;eparated from the re&s;t of the company, taking a little path neerer the river &s;ide, to the end, as &s;he &s;aid, &s;he might walk more under the &s;haddow of the willowes; after they had walked a while, <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;eeming to look upon the river that was very calme and &s;mooth, and would needs look upon her &s;elf in it: Ah <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, I &s;hould think my gla&s;&s;e to be a very bad one, or el&s;e I look very ill of late, yet I &s;ee it is not, for this river flatters no more then it: <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> not &s;u&s;pecting her de&s;igne, did contradict her, and &s;aid &s;he never looked more faire; thinking that &s;he &s;aid &s;o only to move him not to con&s;ent unto her. <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> therefore told her, he &s;aw none more faire, &s;ince the fir&s;t day he came to <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> yet <HI>I</HI> have been very ill, and much altered &s;ince then, replied &s;he, and I am confident that if you will look upon my picture, it will accu&s;e you of flat|tery, and make my alteration evidently appeare. To &s;hew you (&s;aid he to the end &s;he might not &s;ee it, le&s;t &s;he &s;hould &s;ee <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI>'s al&s;o) that I think you fairer then your picture, I will not look upon it now in your pre&s;ence, becau&s;e I had much rather look upon you, then it: &s;etting flattery a&s;ide, &s;aid <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I pray you let me &s;ee it: I would gladly let you &s;ee what wrong you do your &s;elf, (&s;aid he unto her) in &s;peak|ing &s;o ill of your beauty, but I am &s;o unfortunate, as I left it this morning in my ca|binet, and forgot it: in &s;aying &s;o <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> blu&s;ht, and &s;o did <HI>Cleodora</HI> al&s;o, for &s;he knew well, he &s;poke not truely: but to excu&s;e the di&s;order that appeared in her face: I would not have given you my picture (replied <HI>Cleodora)</HI> to lock it up in your Cabinet, and forget me; Oh Madam (&s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> unto her, extremly non-plu&s;t) I be&s;eech you condemne me not, for &s;o ill expre&s;&s;ing my &s;elf: for it was not my intention, to &s;ay that I forgot it, but that without any intention, I left it in my cabinet: However it be, (&s;aid &s;he) I would not have given you it for that, yet I pray you let me &s;ee it as &s;oon as you can, and look well whether or no, you left it there; for &s;ince you tell me, you left it there, and never thought of it, perhaps without think|ing of it, you have it about you: <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> refu&s;ed a long time to look for it, &s;aying that he knew that he had it not about him: but at la&s;t, le&s;t <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;hould &s;u&s;pect him; he &s;eemed to look whether or no he was deceived, and to that end he looked among&s;t many papers, and other things which he carried about him, having a great care not to pul out that which he would not have her &s;ee. But as ill luck for him was, the cla&s;pes of his table book, catched hold of the cla&s;p of the ca&s;e, of the picture, and drew it out: &s;o that <HI>Cleodora</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw it, but &s;he took it, before <HI>Be|le&s;is</HI> could hinder her; <HI>Cleodora</HI> had no &s;ooner this picture, but fearing that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> would take it from her, &s;he put it in her pocket; afterwards, turning towards him, hereafter, (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;eeming as if &s;he did not think he told a lie) tru&s;t not too much to your memory. In the mean time, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was extreamly perplexed: for al|though he did not think, that <HI>Cleodora</HI> knew <HI>Leoni&s;a's</HI> picture was in that ca&s;e, as well as her own: yet he knew, that if it remained long in her hands, &s;he would &s;ee it: And therefore it was made of &s;uch a fa&s;hion, that it was very hard for tho&s;e that knew it not, to perceive that it opened at both &s;ides, yet he thought, that <HI>Cleodora</HI> being &s;u&s;pitious, and witty, would ea&s;ily finde it out, if &s;he had any long time to con&s;ider it. And therefore he began to conjure her, to re&s;tore it pre&s;ently, but dur&s;t
<PB N="174" REF="465">
not for his life have recour&s;e unto any force, again&s;t one to whom he owed &s;o much re&s;pect: Madam, &s;aid he unto her, you asked me your picture, to &s;ee whether you were fairer then it, and to do Ju&s;tice in re&s;toring it again the &s;ame hour: I will look upon it &s;aid &s;he, when I am with my gla&s;&s;e: But Madam, &s;aid he, how do you think it po&s;&s;ible, I &s;hould be all the re&s;t of the day without it? Since you &s;ee the Per&s;on, whom it per&s;onates, (replied &s;he with a crafty &s;mile) you need not regret the want of the picture: promi&s;e me then I be&s;eech you, replied he, that you will re&s;tore it before we part; perhaps I &s;hall re&s;tore it to morrow, &s;aid &s;he at lea&s;t <HI>I</HI> will intreat you to come unto my chamber, and &s;ee the difference, betwixt my picture, and my &s;elf: After this <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> u&s;ed a hundred conjurations, and began to be very angry in his language: al&s;o he was very nigh; &s;teeping his words in his tears: but at la&s;t he was forced to be &s;ilent, for <HI>Cleodora</HI> brought him into the company again, &s;o that he could not talke any longer in private together: and to take all occa&s;ion of it from him, &s;he went unto <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and parted not from her all the re&s;t of the day: You may imagine Sr. how <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> fretted, and how impatient <HI>Cleodora</HI> was to be in &s;uch a place where &s;he might &s;ee whether all <HI>Hermogenes</HI> told her was truth: She did fit &s;o upon thornes, that &s;he complained it was grown late, to the end &s;he might the &s;ooner induce them homeward: on the contrary <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> thinking to finde &s;ome remedy for the di&s;covery which he feared, or at lea&s;t finding &s;ome con&s;olation in deferring it, did all he could to &s;pin out time, telling <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;he was not very full of complacen|cy, in de&s;iring &s;o much good company &s;hould be deprived of &s;o much plea&s;ure for her fake: but &s;ay what he could, they went home betimes: Yet his hope was, that when he came to her hou&s;e, he might perhaps wait upon her to her chamber, and there importune her to re&s;tore the picture, but &s;he very cunningly &s;tayed in her Aunts chamber untill he was gone: and as &s;oon as ever that was, &s;he went into her clo&s;|&s;et, and &s;hut her &s;elf up, and very ha&s;tily opened the ca&s;e, where at fir&s;t &s;he found only her own picture: But &s;ince <HI>Hermogenes</HI> told her that the ca&s;e was do|ble, &s;he begun to con&s;ider it very attentively: and looked upon it a long while, turning it on every &s;ide, that at la&s;t &s;he found the way to open it, and pre&s;ently found the picture of <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> As &s;oon as ever &s;he &s;aw it, &s;he let it fall from her hand, Then taking it up, &s;he looked upon it again: after which, throwing it upon the ta|ble with as much anger as &s;orrow: Ah <HI>Hermogenes</HI> cryed &s;he out: all is but too true: but I wi&s;h it were not; well perfidious <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> ha&s;t thou betrayed me, and become incon&s;tant? well, well, <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> added &s;he, did you come unto <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> to make me the mo&s;t mi&s;erable woman in the world? And you <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> did you only love me to acquaint me with the cheat of your friend? But what good can <HI>Bele&s;is, Leoni&s;a</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes</HI> get, by the mi&s;eries which I endure? &s;ince it is my &s;elf whom I ought to accu&s;e for all my di&s;a&s;ters. For indeed (added &s;he, and addre&s;&s;ed her &s;peech as unto a third per&s;on) to what end is it, that &s;he is &s;o curious in the choi&s;e of her friends, &s;ince &s;he is &s;o ill a chu&s;er of her lover? &s;he could never endure above four or five in all the world, and out of that number &s;he hath preferred one before the re&s;t, and it is very he, that hath betrayed and for&s;aken her, &s;he I &s;ay, who for&s;ooke all the world for <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> &s;he changed her own humours for him, and was neither cholerick or im|perious, yet he hath for&s;aken her, when &s;he was mo&s;t favourable unto him: Doubt|le&s;&s;e, &s;aid &s;he, I mu&s;t now treat him, as they u&s;e to do &s;laves and &s;paniels that are better for beating and ill u&s;age; or to expre&s;&s;e my &s;elf a little better, I mu&s;t neither be milde nor &s;evere unto him, but for my own quiets &s;ake, I mu&s;t not &s;ee him at all: But alas it is but too true, that I have &s;een him; I have e&s;teemed him, and I have lo|ved him: Yet I am fully re&s;olved, never to &s;ee him again in private, but once, and that &s;hall be, to chide him for his perfidie, and I am mo&s;t certain I &s;hall never e&s;teem him again. But for all my wi&s;e re&s;olutions, &s;aid &s;he and &s;ighed, I cannot tell whether I can never love him again; me thinks I am fuller of &s;orrow and anger then I am of hatred: and me thinks I cannot chu&s;e but wi&s;h he would repent; But I am re&s;olved though he &s;hould repent, yet never to pardon him, but to be revenged both upon him for his crime, and upon my &s;elf for my folly: After this, <HI>Cleodora</HI> told me, that &s;he &s;poke a hundred things more, which &s;he could not well remember: and that &s;he fixed upon a hundred &s;everall re&s;olutions contrary to one another, and that her minde was full of all, that love, hatred, anger, and jealou&s;y could in the mo&s;t violent manner in&s;pire into her: And was &s;o long in discour&s;e with her &s;elfe, that
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her women were con&s;trained to come &amp; tell her it was very late, and that if &s;he would &s;leep before it was day, &s;he mu&s;t go to bed quickly. <HI>Cleodora</HI> de&s;iring to conceal her per|plexities, took up the picture which &s;he threw upon the table with much violence, and went to bed: but a&s;&s;ured me that &s;he never clo&s;ed her eyes all that night; but after &s;he had well thought upon what cour&s;e to take, &s;he re&s;olved to imploy all her wits to make <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> fall out, and to make a way for <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> to marry her: Yet &s;ince &s;he could not bring this to pa&s;&s;e by her &s;elf, but did &s;tand in need of the help of <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> who could ea&s;ily help on her de&s;igne, &s;he re&s;olved to endure him, and make him the confident of her revenge. Since &s;he was one of an arrogant &s;pirit, &s;he had an apprehen&s;ion that none could ob&s;erve by her eyes that &s;he had been crying, or that &s;he wanted &s;leep: &s;o that before the &s;un appeared, &s;he wiped up all her tears, and &s;hut up all her &s;ighs, and did &s;trive to &s;et a glo&s;&s;e of that tranquility upon her face which was far from her heart: &s;he would needs be dre&s;&s;ed better then the day before, thinking her dre&s;&s;e would add gayne&s;&s;e unto her lookes; After that &s;he had taken all po&s;&s;ible care to hide her melancholy, &s;he went from her own chamber to <HI>Leoni&s;as,</HI> which was not far off, but &s;ince this Lady did not ri&s;e &s;o &s;oon as <HI>Cleodora,</HI> &s;he was not yet ready; and not knowing why or what her bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was, &s;he did chide her for being &s;o early, and earne&s;tly asked the rea&s;on; for truly &s;aid &s;he unto her, I did not think to &s;ee you &s;o early, and &s;o fine to day, (adding and laughing) that &s;urely &s;he intended to make &s;ome new conque&s;t at the Temple, and told her it was prophane to have any &s;uch thoughts, and that therefore, &s;he was too early up, though her complexion was as fre&s;h, and eyes as &s;parkling, as if &s;he had &s;lept ten hours; Yet it is &s;o early, &s;aid &s;he unto her, that before we go unto the Temple, halfe the curles of your hair would be out, and hang down negligently. I a&s;&s;ure you, replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> with a blithne&s;&s;e which was not very naturall, if I can but plea&s;e you to day, I &s;hall think the time imployed in my dre&s;&s;e to be well be&s;towed. As for any conque&s;t, my dear Co&s;en, I prote&s;t they are far from my thoughts, &s;ince if I &s;hould make any, I &s;hould endeavour to lo&s;e them again; After this, the&s;e two fair ones talked of a hundred &s;uch things as the&s;e, whil&s;t <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> was dre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf; and when &s;he was ready, <HI>Cleodora</HI> a&s;&s;uming a more &s;erious countenance, and having a minde to be revenged upon <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> I am very &s;orry &s;aid &s;he unto her, that I am forced to give you any &s;uch te&s;timony of my love, as will not be agreeable to your liking; and to reveal a &s;ecret unto you which perhaps you will not give me any thanks for, but &s;ince I am per&s;waded it is fit to be done, I am re&s;olved upon it, entreating you fir&s;t to beleeve, that I have no intention to finde that which I would advi&s;e you to lo&s;e. There is &s;o much ob&s;curity in your words, replied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> that I cannot make any an&s;wer, all that I can &s;ay is, that I am mo&s;t willing to put a favourable con&s;truction upon any thing you &s;hall &s;ay, and thankfully acknowledge any confidence you &s;hall put in me; if &s;o replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I &s;hall confe&s;&s;e unto you, (though I cannot with|out a blu&s;h) that long before you came to <HI>Su&s;a, Bele&s;is</HI> did court me, and if I dur&s;t &s;ay it, did love me; but loved me in &s;uch a manner a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> made too great a noi&s;e in the world; &s;o that to hinder him from doing many things which might be prejudiciall unto me, I was forced to be a little le&s;&s;e &s;evere towards him then otherwi&s;e I &s;hould; Then did I &s;uffer him to tell me &s;ometimes that he loved me, le&s;t be &s;hould otherwi&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">la<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> it unto others; &s;o that having &s;ome e&s;teem of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and &s;lightly acknowledging the affection he had to me, I behaved my &s;elf with much confidence towards him. This was the &s;tate of things, my dear <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> when you came fir&s;t hither&punc; But &s;ince love is a pa&s;&s;ion which is hard to be hid, I confe&s;&s;e <HI>I</HI> was afraid le&s;t you &s;hould per|ceive the love which <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> profe&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed unto me; for &s;ince I never &s;aw you &s;ince you were five yeers old, I had not experience enough in you to make you my confident: &s;o that <HI>I</HI> hope in rea&s;on it will not offend you that I did at that time mi&s;|tru&s;t you, and to tell you truly, &s;ince you had never been at Court, I thought you would interpret things of this nature as crimes, and that perhaps you knew not how to di&s;tingui&s;h between an innocent pa&s;&s;ion and an unlawfull affection: So that extreamly fearing you &s;hould di&s;cover the corre&s;pondency between <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and my &s;elf, I told him that I would not expo&s;e my &s;elf unto that hazard, and willed him never to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> in private with me before you, no in&s;o much as to look upon me when you were pre|&s;ent: For though I knew you not, yet I ob&s;erved in you a notable &s;pirit, which made me fear you: I being thus full of unquiet thoughts, add not effecting <HI>B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">&s;is</HI> &s;o
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much as he did me: I ab&s;olutely told him, that I would not live in &s;uch continuall ap|prehen&s;ions of fear; and he &s;eeing I was almo&s;t re&s;olved to break off with him, rather then you &s;hould come to know the intelligence between us; he propo&s;ed (for the &s;etling of my minde in quiet, and to hinder you from di&s;covering the truth) that I would permit him to di&s;&s;emble a love unto you: and I, not loving you then, as now I do, con&s;ented unto his propo&s;ition: Conceiving it would be matter of great joy unto a young fre&s;h come Lady to think &s;he had captivated the heart of &s;uch a gal|lant man as <HI>Bele&s;is.</HI> I a&s;&s;ure you (&s;aid <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and blu&s;hed, denying only &s;he was deceived) <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> hath very ill acquitted him&s;elf of his negotiation, for he never told me that he loved me, but I very well perceived that he loved you: Fie, fie, <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cleodora</HI> very &s;ubtilly) never deny it unto me, for I know it as well as your &s;elf; only pardon me I be&s;eech you for con&s;enting unto <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> in that cheat which <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> put upon you. But to &s;hew you I had no intention it &s;hould go &s;o far: You mu&s;t lend me a patient hearing: and I &s;hall tell you, that in con&s;enting to his propo|&s;ition, I declared unto him, that I would only have him addre&s;&s;e him in complements of Court&s;hip and Gallantry: and not &s;eem to engage him&s;elf in good earne&s;t, for that would not be only a &s;imple cheat, but a horrible Treachery which I would never con|&s;ent unto: he promi&s;ed me as much as I de&s;ired, and &s;ince that, my minde hath been in &s;ome &s;erenity, knowing that you would imagine his affection was to you, and by con&s;equence never &s;u&s;pect he loved me: At fir&s;t <HI>I</HI> was u&s;ed to ask him what he &s;aid unto you, and what you an&s;wered, but afterwards <HI>I</HI> gave over and enquired no more. Having &s;ince that ob&s;erved, that he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf with a &s;trange a&s;&s;iduity unto you, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e my dear <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> that your fair eyes &s;truck a terror in|to me, and <HI>I</HI> feared his fiction was turned earne&s;t: Then <HI>I</HI> re&s;olved to tell <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> of it, who &s;wore a thou&s;and oathes unto me, that he never loved you one minuite, and the more forcibly to per&s;wade me, he offered never to &s;peak unto you again. And that he would put into my hands all that ever he had of yours, even your picture: in &s;aying &s;o <HI>Cleodora</HI> did &s;hew her picture unto <HI>Leoni&s;a: I</HI> cannot repre&s;ent unto you Sir, the a&s;toni&s;hment of this Lady: for <HI>I</HI> have heard her &s;elf &s;ay, that her &s;pirits were never in her life &s;o troubled as then. Ah <HI>Cleodora,</HI> (cried <HI>Leoni&s;a) I</HI> never gave <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> my picture, <HI>I</HI> will beleeve you replyed &s;he, but he told me you did, and that which makes me &s;ooner beleeve you is, becau&s;e I never gave him mine: and yet he told me, replied <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> that your own hand did give it him and he did not only tell me, but I think he told <HI>Hermogenes</HI> as much, for I have heard his &s;i&s;ter &s;ay &s;o: However it be, &s;aid <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I thought my &s;elf obliged, to remedy the wrong I did, and undeceive you. But to let you &s;ee (&s;aid &s;he unto her) that in di&s;covering this truth unto you, I do it not out of any jealou&s;ie, let me tell you that my minde does &s;o di&s;gu&s;t the proceedings of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> that I am ab&s;olutely re&s;olved to break off with him, and the &s;ooner becau&s;e I have credible information, that he holds a &s;ecret corre&s;pondency with a Lady of the be&s;t quality in all <HI>Su&s;a.</HI> Therefore if you will be|leeve me, and the advice of her who fir&s;t con&s;ented to delude you, you &s;hall ab&s;olutely reject him as I do, and let both re&s;olve never to &s;ee him again: I know that if I &s;hould looke upon the matter as <HI>I</HI> might, <HI>I</HI> had &s;ome rea&s;on to complain again&s;t you, &s;ince your own words did &s;ignifie you beleeved that I loved <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and yet for all, that you did as much as was in your power to engage him unto a love of you: but it was I who committed the fir&s;t fault, and therefore will pardon you the &s;econd; offering my a&s;&s;i&s;tance to revenge your &s;elf upon <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> better then you your &s;elf can without me. <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> hearing <HI>Cleodora,</HI> &s;ay &s;o, knew not what to think, nor could &s;he doubt her words, becau&s;e &s;he found &s;o much probability in them: So that her anger again&s;t <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> for deceiving her did &s;o exa&s;perate her &s;pirits; that &s;he was not at all angry with <HI>Cleodora,</HI> but did very ea&s;ily pardon her: After which, being very forward to incen&s;e her again&s;t <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and told her all his pa&s;&s;ionate and obliging ex|pre&s;&s;ions unto her: But &s;ince this was a better &s;tory to tell <HI>Cleodora</HI> wherewith to incen&s;e her: She told her another which was much &s;weeter: for as &s;he told her how &s;he beleeved that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> loved her, yet I know (&s;aid &s;he unto her) that I was much too blame in &s;u&s;pecting it, for when I importuned him one day to let me have your picture and all your letters, the wicked man made his deniall of them, pa&s;s in my conceit for an effect of his di&s;cretion and virtue, and I had that day &s;o good an opinion of him for it, that I &s;hewed him more favour then ever I did &s;ince I knew
<PB N="177" REF="466">
him: Thus Sir, the poor <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> did &s;econd the de&s;igne of <HI>Cleodora</HI> to be revenged upon <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> yet <HI>Cleodora</HI> was not &s;orry that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> had &s;o much re&s;pect of her as not to give her letters unto <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> But he was &s;o culpable &s;o many other wayes that this did not make her change her de&s;igne, and &s;hee &s;till looked upon him as a man who was naturally very di&s;creet, but yet very incon&s;tant: Then &s;he began to flatter <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and to confirme her in their re&s;olution of bani&s;hing <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;eeking out for hand&s;ome pretences to move their Aunt not to take it ill. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Leoni&s;a's</HI> &s;oul was not &s;trong enough to di&s;&s;emble &s;orrow that day, &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Cleodora</HI> to &s;ay &s;he was not well, and that none could &s;ee her, and indeed &s;hee went unto Bed, the better to hide tho&s;e tears, which perhaps &s;he could not hold: After which, <HI>Cleodora</HI> went unto the Temple, waiting for the afternoon with much impatience; for &s;hee imagined, that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> would not fail to vi&s;it her in her chamber: yet hee came not &s;o &s;oon as &s;he hoped, for hee apprehended that &s;hee could not find out <HI>Leoni&s;a's</HI> Picture, and therefore it was late before hee came to &s;ee <HI>Cleodora:</HI> and at la&s;t hee went, but it was with &s;uch thoughts as him&s;elf did not well know what they were: for as hee earne&s;tly de&s;ired that <HI>Cleodora</HI> would not love <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> yet hee was &s;till as deep in love with <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> as ever hee was, though hee bore much re&s;pect unto <HI>Cleodora.</HI> But for all tho&s;e re&s;pects hee was extremely afraid, that &s;he &s;hould know his crime, not out of any re&s;entments of love, but of honour.</P>
<P>Thus being very unquiet in his thoughts, and fearing al&s;o that <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> &s;hould know he had talked &s;o long with <HI>Cleodora</HI> the day before, and that he &s;hould go into <HI>Cle|odora's</HI> chamber before hers, he appeared before <HI>Cleodora</HI> very re&s;erved and melancholy. As for her, &s;ince &s;he hoped, that <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> did re&s;olve upon a revenge, her face was full of joy, which rai&s;ed a great confidence in him, thinking that if <HI>Cleodora</HI> had &s;een the picture of <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> &s;he would not have been &s;o plea&s;ant: Well Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) have you not found your &s;elf far fairer then your picture? hath not your gla&s;&s;e convinced you of an errour? and are you not clearly of my opinion, that you are infi|nitely fairer then your picture? I know not whether you were in the right, or the wrong, in telling me &s;o (&s;aid &s;he unto him) but I am &s;ure there is one in that Ca&s;e which I took from you, whom you think farre fairer then mine, or my &s;elf either. In &s;ay|ing &s;o, <HI>Cleodora</HI> blu&s;ht for anger, and <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> grew pale with fear and a&s;toni&s;hment: he had not power to open his mouth: &s;o that <HI>Cleodora,</HI> &s;eeing he &s;poke not: You do very well <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, you do very well, not to go about to excu&s;e your &s;elf; for you would do it &s;o &s;curvily, that you would but augment my anger. I know Ma|dam, (&s;aid he then unto her) that you have rea&s;on to think me culpable, &s;ince you have &s;een the picture of <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> and I know, &s;aid &s;he, that you can never per&s;wade me to the contrary: for to &s;pare you the labour of giving any &s;curvy rea&s;ons, or in|venting any lies, I know all the pa&s;&s;ages betwixt <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> and your &s;elf: you cannot tell me a word which I do not know, either from her &s;elf, or her confident which hath betrayed her: and I remember all that you have done again&s;t me al&s;o; and after all this, I pray, judge what thoughts I ought to have of you, and whether I have not rea|&s;on to &s;light you &s;o far as to hate you extremely: but yet notwith&s;tanding, I cannot hate you without an Epithite, and therefore let me repeat it, and tell you, that I do mo&s;t horridly hate you: I cannot endure the very &s;ight of you: not onely as you are an incon&s;tant man, which is an imperfection farre below a generous &s;pirit, but becau&s;e you are a clo&s;e &s;inner, and would have concealed your incon&s;tancy, in faigning to be jealous, and &s;o would have &s;meared me with your own crime. Pray Madam (&s;aid be unto her) why did you treat me &s;o long, &s;o cruelly? and why did you make me &s;o mi|&s;erable, that I was forced to make you jealous, and faigne to be &s;o of you, thereby to obtain your love? Fie, fie <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) do not &s;till di&s;&s;emble the mat|ter, you did really love <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and never thought I loved <HI>Hermogenes.</HI> I know not, &s;aid he, whether I thought it; but I am &s;ure I feared it extremely, and I would have done any thing to hinder him from being in your favour. Your language is &s;o extra|vagant (&s;aid &s;he unto him in great anger) that I cannot endure you &s;hould be a minute longer with me: But &s;ince it is the la&s;t time of all my life that ever I will &s;peak unto you, I &s;hall be glad to know what were your motives, and rea&s;ons of your change: for before ever <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> came to <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> you &s;aw there a thou&s;and fairer then my &s;elf, or her either; yet you did not quit me for any of them: nor can it be my feverity which tired your patience, &s;ince when I was rigorous you loved<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">me, and when I was otherwi&s;e,
<PB N="178" REF="467">
then you changed your thoughts: Nor could it be any of my favours which could glut your love, for thanks be to the gods, I did never load you with them: what then may be the cau&s;e of your incon&s;tancy? Am I more &s;tupid then I was? or of a more un|plea&s;ing humour? Speak then <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> but &s;peak to me as if I were not <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and tell me exactly, how came <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> to cha&s;e me out of your heart: for I &s;hould be glad to know whether I was violently thru&s;t out, or came out with your good-will: whether it was through your own weakne&s;&s;e, or my fault? <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> being &s;o extremely importu|ned by <HI>Cleodora,</HI> knew not well what to an&s;wer: for he was &s;o horridly a&s;hamed of his incon&s;tancy, he could not for his heart confe&s;&s;e it: on the other &s;ide, he &s;aw that he could not deny it: and that though he &s;hould &s;eem to repent, and <HI>Cleodora</HI> inclinable to pardon him, yet it would be upon condition to for&s;ake <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> which he could not do: &s;o that not knowing what an&s;wer to returne, he &s;pake &s;o ambiguou&s;ly, that <HI>Cle|odora</HI> was almo&s;t as angry at it, as at his incon&s;tancie: Sincerity (&s;aid &s;he) is a thing which every one may have: I will beleeve then, that you cannot love me, and that you cannot but love <HI>Leoni&s;a;</HI> all this is hone&s;t: But could you not confe&s;&s;e the truth unto me, and not adde a crime unto your imbecillity? What would you have me &s;ay Madam (replied <HI>Bele&s;is)</HI> &s;ince at this pre&s;ent I know not what to think? I confe&s;&s;e that I have loved you more then I do, but you your &s;elf is the cau&s;e I do not love you as well as I did: &s;ince in the very heat of my pa&s;&s;ion, you put my patience to &s;uch ri|gid triall, as any other be&s;ides my &s;elf would have hated you. Then it &s;eems, (&s;aid <HI>Cle|odora</HI> &s;harply) according to your &s;ence, that I am obliged unto you for pa&s;&s;ing from love onely into indifferency? But know, (weak and uncon&s;tant man) that indifferency among&s;t per&s;ons that once loved dearly, is much more offen&s;ive then hatred, and there|fore I ought to hate you more, becau&s;e you did not hate me: But alas Madam, re|plied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> would you have me &s;incere, when as my &s;incerity does onely incen&s;e you more? Yet I &s;hould be glad you were, replied &s;he, for I would know any thing that would not be advantagious unto you. All that I can do at this pre&s;ent (&s;aid he unto her) is to a&s;&s;ure you that I never fail'd in my due re&s;pects of you, nor &s;poke one word again&s;t you to <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> but I denied her your picture, therefore I conjure you, as you are generous, not to u&s;e hers ill. I under&s;tand you very well (&s;aid &s;he unto him) you would have me re&s;tore it unto you: but &s;ince it will be more acceptable to receive it from her hand then from mine, I will re&s;tore it unto her, that &s;he may give it you the &s;econd time. Oh I be&s;eech you Madam, &s;aid he unto her, do not offer &s;uch a &s;en&s;ible di&s;plea&s;ure unto a Lady who is not at all culpable: For &s;uppo&s;e me to be an uncon&s;tant man, one that hath for&s;aken you, and betrayed you; yet <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> hath no other &s;hare in my crimes but in &s;uffering me to &s;ee her. However it be, &s;aid <HI>Cleodora,</HI> it &s;hall be as I &s;ay. I &s;ee then Madam, replied he, that you onely &s;eek a pretence for doing mee an ill office unto <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> But Madam, though you think I do not love you, yet I mu&s;t needs intere&s;t my &s;elf in any thing which concerns you, when I &s;ee you are &s;o ravi&s;hed with joy that you can accu&s;e me of incon&s;tancy, le&s;t I &s;hould tell you that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> hath made you an infidell. I would not advi&s;e you (&s;aid &s;he unto him) to make u&s;e of any &s;uch ill policie, for it will not avail you; In the mean time, &s;ince you will have me know your reall thoughts, I mu&s;t tell you mine: Know then, that it is impo&s;&s;ible any &s;hould have more horrid hatred, then I have of your incon&s;tancie; nor le&s;&s;e regret for lo&s;ing that which is &s;o ea&s;ily lo&s;t. After this, pray go and &s;eek for &s;ome crums of comfort from <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> after you have been a whole long night without her picture: neither is &s;he well, and did bid me tell every one that they &s;hould not vi&s;it her this day: but &s;ince perhaps you have &s;ome peculiar priviledge, you may chance to &s;ee her: In the mean time, I pray prepare your &s;elf to go any whither, &s;o it be out of my &s;ight, for I have &s;o much credit with my Aunt, as I can obtain from her you &s;hall not have the liber|ty to look into her hou&s;e: without doubt the rea&s;on is (replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> not well knowing what he &s;aid) becau&s;e you would have a hand&s;ome opportunity of &s;eeing <HI>Hermogenes:</HI> without doubt the rea&s;on is, replied &s;he, becau&s;e I would &s;ee <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> no more, neither incon&s;tant, nor &s;o bold as to tell me &s;uch things as he never thought: moreover, I pray do not mea&s;ure my anger by the little bitterne&s;&s;e which is in my words: for if I &s;hould follow my own naturall Genius, I &s;hould tell you mo&s;t &s;trange things. But &s;ince you may imagine, that the greatne&s;&s;e of my anger is a mark of the greatne&s;&s;e of my affe|ction which I had towards you: I will let you &s;ee, that I have &s;o much power over my &s;elf, as to be an ab&s;olute Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e of a pa&s;&s;ion which u&s;eth to be imperious, and hard
<PB N="179" REF="467">
to be kept within the limits of Rea&s;on. <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> would have &s;aid &s;omething concerning <HI>Leoni&s;a's</HI> Picture, and concerning <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> but the patience of <HI>Cleodora</HI> would not permit him, and therefore away he went. As &s;oon as he was gone out of <HI>Cleodora's</HI> chamber, he went to &s;eek &s;ome con&s;olation in <HI>Leoni&s;a's,</HI> having a mind to prepare her, le&s;t <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;hould do her an ill office: But when hee came within two paces of the door, her woman told him, that none could &s;ee her mi&s;tr&s;&s;e: but hee &s;o tampered with her, that he per&s;waded her to leave the door open, to the end it might be &s;aid he entered without &s;peaking unto any: and accordingly this woman went in, and left the door half &s;hut, as <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> de&s;ired her. Then pre&s;ently after he entred, and went to <HI>Leoni&s;a's</HI> bed-&s;ide undi&s;cern'd by any of the women which were in the other &s;ide of the chamber, &s;he who left open the door ran unto him, &s;eeming to be very angry that he entred, and asking pardon of her Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, who indeed was very angry. She would have de&s;ired him to go out again, but &s;till he pre&s;&s;ed forward, and <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> at la&s;t admitted of his vi&s;it: hee was no &s;ooner &s;et, but he asked her why &s;hee &s;hould &s;o cruelly drive him out of her chamber, at a time when he was mo&s;t in need of con&s;olation: The rea&s;on is, replied <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> very &s;harply, becau&s;e re&s;olving to drive you out of my heart, I began this day to drive you out of my chamber. Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I perceive <HI>Cleodora</HI> hath prejudicated your opinion of me. Ah <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> replied &s;he, you &s;ee how &s;he whom you named, repenting of her con&s;ent unto your cheat, hath di&s;covered it unto me: <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> hearing <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> &s;peak &s;o, was &s;o a&s;toni&s;hed, that hee knew not what to think of her words: for he knew but too well, that it was <HI>Cleodora</HI> whom he deceived, and that he never deceived <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> Then he de&s;ired her, &s;hee would bee plea&s;ed to let him know whereof &s;he accu&s;ed him. <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> as plau&s;ible as &s;he was, was &s;o incen&s;ed with this de|mand, that &s;he gave him a hundred bitter expre&s;&s;ions, letting him under&s;tand the crime which &s;he thought he had committed: <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> then offered to ju&s;tifie him&s;elf, but &s;he would not &s;uffer him to &s;peak, No, no &s;aid &s;he unto him, you are culpable, and more then is imaginable: for why would you put my Picture into <HI>Cleodora's</HI> hands, and re|fu&s;ed to tru&s;t me with hers? Was it not enough, that to &s;atisfie her, you &s;hould di&s;&s;em|ble love to me, and conceal the affection which you had, and yet have to her, but you mu&s;t al&s;o triumph over my innocencie, and my credulity, in giving her a Picture which I never gave you, and which I did onely con&s;ent that you &s;hould keep, &s;ince I found you &s;o di&s;creet as not to part with <HI>Cleodora's?</HI> Alas Madam, &s;aid he, do you think that I did voluntarily give your picture unto <HI>Cleodora?</HI> I mu&s;t needs think it, &s;aid &s;he, for &s;he could not take it from you by violence: <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> then conjured her to admit of his ju&s;tification. But &s;he an&s;wered him, that &s;he would &s;ooner beleeve his eyes then his words, and &s;ay what he could, he could not obtain leave to &s;peak; for <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> had &s;uch an extreme &s;pite again&s;t him, becau&s;e &s;he thought he di&s;&s;embled a love to her, that &s;he could not &s;uffer him to ju&s;tifie him&s;elf: yet had his importu|nity wearied her out, and he had obtained liberty to plead for him&s;elf, had not <HI>Leoni|&s;a's</HI> Aunt come in, who hearing that &s;he kept her chamber, and would &s;ee none, came to &s;ee how &s;he did: But &s;he much wondered to &s;ee <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> with her: I thought, &s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> to have found you &s;ick by your &s;elf: and in lieu of that. I finde you well, in good, though not much company. I a&s;&s;ure you, replied &s;he a little trou|bled, that I am not a whit better for my company, and you would do me the greate&s;t favour in the world, if you would move <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> who came in without permi&s;&s;ion, to go out without thanks, and leave me at re&s;t, and in &s;olitude, which is the be&s;t remedy again&s;t what I am troubled with. This grave Lady hearing her &s;ay &s;o, and &s;eeing both her eyes &s;welled, and her colour high, did ea&s;ily beleeve that &s;he was ill in her head: &s;o that pre&s;enting her hand unto <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;he moved him to follow her, telling him with a &s;mile, that &s;he would acquaint him with a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which perhaps he knew not of; which was, that he &s;hould never vi&s;it Ladies at &s;uch times, when they had not a de&s;ire to be &s;een: for truly, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I am very much deceived, if <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> pardon you this long time, for &s;eeing her in her negligent dre&s;&s;e: and I know by the colour which I ob&s;erved in her face, that &s;he was very angry: <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> then made a hun|dred excu&s;es unto this Lady, de&s;iring at lea&s;t to be in favour with her, who had power either to admit him into her hou&s;e, or to drive him out. But his &s;pirits being in a &s;trange di&s;order, he did not continue long in returning hand&s;ome an&s;wers, but did &s;o rove in his di&s;cour&s;e, that &s;he thinking he was weary of her, and that he could not endure the company of any but young per&s;ons, &s;he grew very angry with him, and played upon
<PB N="180" REF="468">
him with a jearing kinde of Rallary: &s;o thar poor <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> went out of the hou&s;e very ill &s;atisfied with all that dwelt in it, and with him &s;elf al&s;o &s;o much, that he complain|ed more again&s;t him&s;elf then any of the re&s;t. Sometimes he would upbraid him&s;elf with incon&s;tancy, and repent that ever he quitted <HI>Cleodora:</HI> but he was no &s;ooner in but out of that minde, and quarrelled with him&s;elf for being &s;o re&s;pective of her: &s;omtimes he would lay the fault upon <HI>Leoni&s;as</HI> credulity, and afterward accu&s;e <HI>Cleodora</HI> of her old fanta&s;ticalne&s;&s;e: nor did he &s;pare <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> yet had he no convincing proofs again&s;t him, but thought that <HI>Leoni&s;as</HI> picture was it which di&s;covered the truth unto <HI>Cleodora,</HI> who for her part was not without her &s;hare of inquietudes; de&s;ire of revenge did &s;o tran&s;port her &s;oul, that almo&s;t &s;he did not value the ruine of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and hence it was that &s;he received <HI>Hermogenes</HI> with extraordinary civilitie, while&s;t <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was with <HI>Le|oni&s;a.</HI> The fir&s;t time &s;he &s;aw him, thanks for di&s;covering the deceit of his friend, was his fir&s;t congratulation: &s;he called him her deliverer, and gave him &s;uch obliging Lan|guage, that if he had been le&s;&s;e in love then he was, he had thought him&s;elf deeply obliged: but becau&s;e all <HI>Cleodoras</HI> candid favours were but &s;o many &s;ymptomes of her affection to <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> though &s;he did &s;eem &s;ore incen&s;ed again&s;t him, yet he could not reli&s;h them as favours to be rejoyced at, yet &s;he told him &s;o often, that &s;he would ne|ver forget the &s;ervice he had done her, that at la&s;t his hopes told him he might hap|ly draw &s;ome advantage to him&s;elf by di&s;covering his friends incon&s;tancy: but &s;ince he &s;aw much turbulency in her &s;pirit, he dur&s;t not &s;olicit for that place in her heart which <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> de&s;erved to lo&s;e, and lent an ear unto all her bitter exclamations again&s;t the Perfidie of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> without any expre&s;&s;ions of his own pa&s;&s;ion, further then with the language of his eyes onely. After &s;he had told him that &s;he had the Picture of <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and her &s;elf; and had related all <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> told her: <HI>Hermogenes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) I do not think it enough that you have revealed his crime: but you mu&s;t al&s;o help me to puni&s;h him. Provided that you will give me but apart of tho&s;e po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions where|with you enriched him, replied he, I &s;hall be ready to a&s;&s;i&s;t you in your revenge, and after that defend them again&s;t all the world. It appeares that the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions you &s;peak of were of no great value, &s;ince <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did &s;o willingly part from them: but <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> it is not now time to talk of &s;uch things, &s;ince I need no additions unto my misfortunes, therefore I conjure you to tell me &s;incerely whether you will a&s;|&s;i&s;t me to be revenged upon <HI>Bele&s;is;</HI> for unle&s;&s;e you will, I &s;hall quite forget your &s;er|vice in di&s;covering his crime. I be&s;eech you Madam, replied he, fir&s;t tell me what kinde of revenge you intend before I promi&s;e you any thing? not that I think I can denie you any thing, nor that <HI>I</HI> do &s;u&s;pect you are capable of o|bliging me unto any thing which becomes not a man of honour: But I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, I have already done <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;o great a mi&s;chief, in taking from him your e&s;teem and affection, by acquainting you with his incon&s;tancy, that <HI>I</HI> have a great de&s;ire to know what more you would have me to do: I would have you, &s;aid &s;he unto him, imploy that credit which I know you have with the Prince of <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> and with the friends of <HI>Ti&s;ias,</HI> that the la&s;t of the&s;e may marry <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> you know that he hath a great de|&s;ire unto it, and there are &s;ome rea&s;ons why both families &s;hould forward the mo|tion, and likewi&s;e &s;ome, why they &s;hould oppo&s;e it: and becau&s;e I know you are able to &s;urmount all ob&s;tacles, and bring it about, I conjure you to negotiate the bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e. I can a&s;&s;ure you, that in the humour &s;he now is, and wherein I will keep her as long as I can, &s;he will marry who one will. I wi&s;h Madam, replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> that this de&s;ire of revenge would infu&s;e into your &s;oul, a favourable inclination to receive my &s;ervices. I &s;hall mo&s;t willingly receive this &s;ervice which I require, replied &s;hee; But Madam, an&s;wered he, I &s;ee you do admirably well contrive your own revenge, and you could not do it more fully then by taking <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> from <HI>Bele&s;is,:</HI> but I do not perceive you have any con&s;ideration of the intere&s;t which I might have in this revenge: do not you con&s;ider divine <HI>Cleodora,</HI> that by putting <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> into &s;uch a condition, as &s;he can never be married to <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> you put <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> into a way of returning unto <HI>Cleo|dora<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> though he &s;hould, &s;aid &s;he, he &s;hould return in vain: moreover Madam, pur|&s;ued <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> I mu&s;t tell you, that my love to you does &s;o perfectly tel me what the &s;orrows of a man would be, from whom all hopes of enjoying his Mi&s;tris is taken a|way, that how great &s;oever my de&s;ires are to plea&s;e you, yet I am extreamly unwil|ling to obey you, therefore I be&s;eech you think of &s;ome other way to puni&s;h <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> As he is not my Rival, &s;ince now he does not love you, I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, I cannot leave
<PB N="181" REF="468">
loving him as my friend; not but that he hath denied me many things, which exceed|ingly incen&s;ed me again&s;t him, but for all that, I cannot commit this trea&s;on again&s;t him: I know well that I have revealed his crime unto you, but it was becau&s;e in doing &s;o I did not take from him that per&s;on whom he de&s;ired to enjoy. Therefore Madam, I be&s;eech you once more, move me not unto a thing for which you will here|after upbraid me, when the heat of your anger is over, and your rea&s;on free: revenge your &s;elf upon <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> in forgetting him: or if you cannot forget him, remember him onely to hate him, and to dete&s;t his incon&s;tancy: and if you will puni&s;h him fur|ther yet, I be&s;eech you make me &s;o happy, that my felicity may create a horrid en|vie in him: in letting him know that he hath quitted Diamonds for gla&s;&s;e in for&s;a|king <HI>Cleodora</HI> for <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI> No, no <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> replied &s;he, I am not capable of this genero&s;ity which you would per&s;wade me unto, and which perhaps proceeds not from your heart, but becau&s;e there is in you a little di&s;po&s;ition to oblige mee. Alas Madam, &s;aid <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> you do not know me, if you think it want of affection which makes me &s;peak thus: you know me wor&s;e then I know you, replied &s;he, if you think I can keep any mea&s;ure in my revenge: and not &s;ee that you have no di&s;po|&s;ition to do me &s;ervice: for the truth is, &s;aid &s;he, if you will do me any, you mu&s;t a&s;&s;i&s;t me with your tran&s;action, that <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> may marry <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> or that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> ne|ver &s;ee <HI>Cleodora</HI> again. Oh Madam, &s;aid he unto her, for heavens &s;ake have &s;ome care of my honour: and force me not to a thing which will render me odious in the eyes of all the Court: I do not intend, replied &s;he, that you &s;hould publikely &s;peak of a marriage between <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> and <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> but I would have you go cunningly to work, and negotiat it with all &s;ecrecy; truly Madam, &s;aid he unto her, &s;ince you force me to tell you my thoughts, I mu&s;t manife&s;t unto you, that I will not refu&s;e you out of genero&s;itie onely, but out of love al&s;o: for Madam, what hatred &s;oever you re|&s;ent again&s;t <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> or what love &s;oever he bears unto <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I &s;hall never be at re&s;t as long as I &s;ee any po&s;&s;ibility of your uniting together: after this Madam, you may imagine, that it is not for want of affection that I refu&s;e what you de&s;ire of me: what ever it be, replied &s;he, it &s;eems you refu&s;e me, and refu&s;e to do the thing which I mo&s;t de&s;ire of any thing in the world; But for all that, &s;ince I have no right to force your will, I wil di&s;pence with you from your obedience: and the rather becau&s;e I do Fancy another way to bring my de&s;igne to pa&s;&s;e without your help, and I am not &s;orry that I &s;hall not ingage my &s;elf unto you by it. <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> thinking <HI>Cleodora</HI> was incen&s;ed again&s;t him, began to give very obliging Language; prote&s;ting unto her, that what ever he &s;aid, yet if it were her Po&s;itive plea&s;ure, he would obey her, though his honour and life and all would be at the &s;take: &s;o that <HI>Cleodora</HI> took him imediately at his word. But Madam, &s;aid he unto her, that I may have &s;ome Colourable excu&s;e wherewith to an&s;wer tho&s;e that know my Crime, I be&s;eech you what recompen&s;e may I hope for if <HI>I</HI> do as you de&s;ire me: even any thing, an&s;wered &s;he, for I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e unto you, that if <HI>I</HI> could prevent <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> from obtaining <HI>Leoni|&s;a, I</HI> &s;hould be fuller of joy then <HI>I</HI> am able to expre&s;&s;e, and by con&s;equence &s;o obliged unto you, that I will put no limits unto your hopes, provided they be ju&s;t. Then Ma|dam replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> &s;ince <HI>I</HI> &s;ee &s;o much &s;weetne&s;&s;e in your expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall con|jure you, that if <HI>I</HI> hinder <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> from <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> you &s;hall give <HI>Cleodora</HI> unto <HI>Hermo|genes.</HI> No, no <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, <HI>I</HI> will not capitulate with tho&s;e <HI>I</HI> would have do me any good office; and <HI>I</HI> wonder how you dare be &s;o bold as to ask me any &s;uch thing: otherwi&s;e Madam, an&s;wered he, how can you conceive, (&s;ince <HI>I</HI> am &s;o deeply in love with you) that <HI>I</HI> can hinder <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> from marrying <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> &s;ince <HI>I</HI> ought &s;o earne&s;tly to wi&s;h the marriage? and how can <HI>I</HI> chu&s;e but &s;u&s;pect and fear that you have &s;ome &s;ecret de&s;igne in it, if you will not engage your &s;elf unto any thing, and therefore Madam, &s;ince if I break off that marriage, it is not impo&s;&s;ible but he may repent, and you may pardon him; <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you take it not ill, if <HI>I</HI> be very unwil|ling to hinder that match which may cau&s;e yours with <HI>Bele&s;is.</HI> Then <HI>I</HI> &s;ee <HI>Hermo|genes,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that you will not do this good office which <HI>I</HI> would have you; and the le&s;&s;e to di&s;oblige me, you pretend a re&s;entment of love, though indeed it be onely a re&s;entment of genero&s;itie: <HI>I</HI> will not much blame you for it, for <HI>I</HI> have not yet ab&s;olutely lo&s;t my rea&s;on: neither have I any great rea&s;on to commend you, &s;ince you have denied that which I did mo&s;t de&s;ire. In the mean time &s;ince you can|not &s;atisfie my de&s;ires, unle&s;&s;e upon &s;uch a condition, as I will not engage my &s;elf into:
<PB N="182" REF="469">
yet <HI>I</HI> pray you let the &s;ame genero&s;itie, which will not permit you to betray your friend, keep you from betraying her that tru&s;ts you with her &s;ecrets, and her revenge. <HI>Her|mogenes</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Cleodora</HI> would not promi&s;e what he de&s;ired, did beleeve that &s;he would onely have <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> marry <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> to the end that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> might thereby be out of all hopes of enjoying her, and &s;o return unto her again: and therefore re&s;olving not to do a thing which he thought prejudicial both to his honour and his love, did excu&s;e his denial with a hundred expre&s;&s;ions of &s;orrow, and in &s;uch a &s;en&s;ible manner, that &s;he plainly &s;aw he was as full of vertue as love, &s;o that they did not part upon very ill terms. <HI>Hermogenes</HI> had one imagination which proved very advantagious for him; For &s;ince he perceived the minde of <HI>Cleodora</HI> was filled onely with thoughts of revenge upon <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> he did cunningly hint unto her, that though his jealou&s;ie was but counterfeit, yet he could not be more &s;en&s;ibly vexed then to hear that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did vi&s;it her, and that &s;he did not &s;light him; Tis true, he u&s;ed much art in his expre&s;&s;ions, fearing <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;hould attribute his thoughts unto jelou&s;ie, and he applied his words &s;o ingenuou&s;ly, that <HI>Cleodora</HI> called <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> a hundred times fanta&s;tical, as well as in|con&s;tant. So as in that humour &s;he was then in, &s;he would not neglect the lea&s;t thing that might di&s;plea&s;e <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and therefore &s;he re&s;olved to &s;peak ofter unto <HI>Hermogenes</HI> then &s;he u&s;ed, and al&s;o to treat him incomparably better. In the mean time, &s;ince &s;he had one friend that was much in favour with the prince of <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> and had a prevalent power both with him and <HI>Ti&s;ias,</HI> &s;he plotted how to make u&s;e of him, though at fir&s;t it went again&s;t her minde to tru&s;t her &s;elf unto any one who knew nothing of her &s;ecrets. But as &s;weet revenge will &s;urmount all ob&s;tacles, &s;he tran&s;acted with this friend, who was able to accompli&s;h her de&s;ires, and managed the matter with &s;o much &s;ubtilty, that the Prince of <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> did earne&s;tly de|&s;ire this marriage. The fir&s;t of the&s;e, for &s;ome rea&s;ons of &s;tate which required this al|liance, and the other, becau&s;e &s;o many impediments being now removed which ob|&s;tructed his love, he was hotter then ever to marry <HI>Leoni&s;a.</HI> As for her, &s;ince &s;he had been foiled with the deceits of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> her heart began to lean after ambition, and hearkened unto a marriage with <HI>Ti&s;ias:</HI> Tis true, the coun&s;els of <HI>Cleodora</HI> did much prompt her unto it, and &s;o much the &s;ooner, becau&s;e &s;he &s;aw <HI>Cleodora</HI> re&s;olved never to &s;ee <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> again, and becau&s;e &s;he &s;aw her treat <HI>Hermogenes</HI> much better. Thus think|ing her &s;elf di&s;intere&s;ted, &s;he thought &s;he might do as &s;he plea&s;ed: &s;o that when the poor <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> came to vi&s;it <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> he was in a perplexed condition, for &s;ince it did extreamly concern <HI>Cleodora</HI> that he &s;hould have no private conference with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> al&s;o <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> thinking <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to be in love with her Cozen, &s;he was not &s;orry he did not &s;peak unto her; They promi&s;ed not to leave each other until the marriage with <HI>Ti&s;i|as</HI> which was plotted in &s;ecret was &s;olemnized: &s;o that when <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> waited for an opportunity to Ju&s;tifie him&s;elf unto <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and appea&s;e <HI>Cleodora,</HI> he found them continually together, and could not &s;peak with them a&s;under. But that which did mo&s;t &s;tick upon his &s;tomack, was, that <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> commonly was continually talking with
<HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes</HI> with <HI>Cleodora;</HI> and indeed Sir, the poor <HI>Bela&s;is</HI> did fret with no le&s;&s;e impatience to &s;ee <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;peak &s;o civilly unto <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> then to &s;ee that <HI>Le|oni&s;a</HI> would not &s;peak unto him at all, or if &s;he did, it was but &s;ome interrupted word, and that in anger: &s;o that though he had equally loved <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> yet he could not have done more then he did, and to &s;peak &s;incerely, <HI>I</HI> verily beleeve that the love of <HI>Hermogenes</HI> to <HI>Cleodora</HI> did inkindle in his heart &s;ome embers of his fir&s;t love: he grew to that height, as almo&s;t to hate his friend: they never &s;aw one ano|ther unle&s;&s;e at <HI>Cleodora</HI> Aunts, whither <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> could not chu&s;e but go, and whither he never went but he received a fre&s;h di&s;content. For &s;ince <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> thought her &s;elf delu|ded, &s;he began to hate him: and &s;ince <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;aw that her favouring <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> perplexed him: &s;he doubled her civilities to <HI>Hermogenes;</HI> the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was &s;o car|ried, that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes</HI> were ready to quarrel two or three times: and if <HI>I</HI> had not been pre&s;ent one day by accident, certainly &s;ome hurt had en&s;ued: but that which ruined <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> rai&s;ed the de&s;ignes of <HI>Hermogenes;</HI> For <HI>Cleodora</HI> imagining how <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> would be incen&s;ed if &s;he &s;hould marry <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> &s;he permitted him &s;ecretly to ask the con&s;ent of her Parents, to the end that <HI>Leoni&s;as</HI> marriage and hers might be pub|li&s;hed both together, conceiving it would overwhelm him with &s;orrows, to hear of &s;uch a &s;houre of perplexities all at once. And indeed the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was carried &s;o &s;e|cretly, and went on &s;o pro&s;perou&s;ly in a few dayes, that all their kindred con&s;ented,
<PB N="183" REF="469">
and all &s;eemed to be made up: <HI>Ti&s;ias,</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> were the only favorits, in &s;omuch as <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> having one day found the picture which <HI>Cleodora</HI> gave <HI>Bele|&s;is,</HI> and which &s;he took from him againe, he de&s;ired it of her, and &s;he gave it unto him: as for the picture of <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> &s;he had taken it out of the ca&s;e, and re&s;tored it unto her. Thus was <HI>Hermogenes</HI> enriched, with the ruines of his friend: Not that <HI>Cleodora</HI> did love <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> but becau&s;e revenge reli&s;hed &s;o &s;weet in her minde, that &s;he reflected upon nothing but what might ha&s;ten it: Whil&s;t things were thus carried, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> led the mo&s;t mi&s;erable life of any man in the world: for his &s;oul was &s;o &s;unk with &s;orrows, that he never thought either of <HI>Cleodora</HI> or <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and he hated both <HI>Hermogenes</HI> and <HI>Ti&s;ias:</HI> at fir&s;t his thoughts and de&s;ires were very different concerning the&s;e two Ladies: for he de&s;ired to enjoy <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and only de|&s;ired that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> might not enjoy <HI>Cleodora:</HI> but afterwards, according to the mea&s;ure that <HI>Cleodora</HI> favoured <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> &s;o did the thoughts of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> grow more tender towards her; His &s;hame of his incon&s;tancy augmented: and his love to <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> did not le&s;&s;en: So that he was the mo&s;t mi&s;erable of men: This being the &s;tate of things, two pa&s;&s;ages above all the re&s;t, did &s;well his &s;orrowes; the one was, he heard <HI>Hermogenes</HI> had the picture which once was in his po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, and the other was, that the Prince of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> &s;olicited for the marriage of <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and that the match was as good as made up, and the marriage would be &s;olemnized within two dayes. I &s;hall not need Sir, to relate all the raptures of his &s;oule upon this newes; for my &s;tory is too long already: and becau&s;e you may ea&s;ily gue&s;&s;e them, I &s;hall only tell you Sir, that &s;ince the marriage of <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> mo&s;t pinched him, and his love of <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> was was the Predominate pa&s;&s;ion of his heart, he re&s;olved to quarrell with <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> upon &s;ome other pretence, before the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e went any further: &s;o that meeting him at the temple the next morning, he went out with him as if without de&s;igne; they fell upon a di&s;cour&s;e of newes and war, and <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did ob&s;tinately contradict all that <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> &s;aid; for his de&s;igne was to move <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> to begin the quarrell, becau&s;e know|ing the ha&s;ty humour of the <HI>Su&s;anian</HI> Prince, he apprehended he &s;hould be bani&s;hed, if it appeared that it was he who a&s;&s;aulted the man whom he loved. But &s;ince <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> was a man of more heart then &s;pirit, it was a long time before he would be provoked, yet <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> urged him &s;o far, that <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> drew his &s;word fir&s;t: but it was &s;o little be|fore <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> that notwith&s;tanding it, he received the fir&s;t blow. Their fight was furious, and if by-&s;tanders had not parted them, they had died both upon the place: yet do what all could, both were wounded: and yet <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;o &s;lightly, that he ne|ver kept his bed for it, &s;ince it was only upon his left arme. But <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> was much wor&s;e. for he received two dangerous hurts, and had much the wor&s;e of the combat: for be&s;ides his two wounds, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;eeing company come in to part them, he clo&s;ed with him and di&s;armed him by force: In the mean while, though this quarrell was conceived to be only ca&s;uall in heat of blood, the Prince of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> was much incen&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> for though he loved <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> well enough at his fir&s;t coming to <HI>Su&s;a;</HI> yet <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> being his great favorit, all matters were made wor&s;e again&s;t <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> &s;o that there was none, but &s;uch as were altogether uninterre&s;ted per&s;ons, or &s;uch as were very generous, who came to vi&s;it him: but all the croud was upon <HI>Ti&s;ias,</HI> as the man that was the Princes favorit. But as for <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> &s;ince he was very Generous, he went to vi&s;it him, and offer him&s;elf unto his friend. Chance was, that <HI>I</HI> was there when he came, and I was a witne&s;&s;e of their meeting: 'tis true, I much wondered to &s;ee with what hollowne&s;&s;e <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> received <HI>Hermogenes:</HI> &s;o that fearing a long di&s;cour&s;e might draw on &s;ome quarrel, I told <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> that I de&s;ired to talk with him upon &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; and car|ried him away with me, extreamly wondering at the proceedings of <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> In the mean time, this combate did highly incen&s;e <HI>Cleodora</HI> again&s;t him, and confirmed her in her de&s;igne of revenge, by hindring him of <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and marrying <HI>Her|mogenes,</HI> e&s;pecially when &s;he under&s;tood with what coldne&s;&s;e he received his vi&s;it. On the other &s;ide, the Prince of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> did expre&s;&s;e &s;o much di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> that his friend told him there was no &s;afety for him to &s;tay in court, and they advi&s;ed him at lea&s;t to keep his lodging for &s;ome dayes. Yet all could not per&s;wade him not to go out, becau&s;e needs would he go and be &s;atisfied; whether <HI>Cleodoras</HI> picture was in the hands of <HI>Hermogenes.</HI> And as he went one morning unto him, under pretence of giving him a vi&s;it; he under&s;tood by the way, that his marriage with <HI>Cleodora</HI>
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was re&s;olved upon, and that within few dayes; it would be &s;olemnized: It is im|po&s;&s;ible to relate how the heart of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> trembled, but when he had recollected him&s;elf, in lieu of going to <HI>Hermogenes</HI> as he intended, he went to walk in a private place, behind the hou&s;e where he dwelt: after he had long mu&s;ed, and di&s;ge&s;ted his anger, he re&s;olved to hinder the marriage, at what rate &s;o ever: and his love formerly to <HI>Cleodora</HI> began to re&s;ume &s;uch force in his heart, that it a|mazed him&s;elf: Being then full of the&s;e fanta&s;ticall and &s;trange thoughts, he went towards the hou&s;e of <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> and in his way he met <HI>Cleodora</HI> in her coach: Her hood being up, he &s;aw her &s;o fair that time, that his eyes were never &s;o full of won|der at her beauty: Since &s;he &s;aw him, he prepared to &s;alute her, but &s;he turned her head a&s;ide in a &s;cornfull manner, and by that action did kindle the fire, which begun &s;o violently to &s;parkle. <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> then continued on his way to <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> where acci|dentally I met him; &s;ince he knew I was not ignorant of all pa&s;&s;ages between them, my pre&s;ence was no hinderance unto him from &s;peaking; He no &s;ooner entered, but addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech unto <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> Will you not re&s;tore me the trea&s;ure which you have taken from me (&s;aid he unto him) and which I would have tru&s;ted you with|all; if it be of my friend&s;hip which you mean, replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> I can a&s;&s;ure you, that I never took it from you, and therefore you may ea&s;ily finde it where it was. No <HI>Hermogenes</HI> &s;aid he unto him, I mean not that: for I doubt not but mauger all my misfortunes, you have pre&s;erved that: But it is <HI>Cleodora</HI> which I demand: <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I &s;ay, unto whom I intreated you to di&s;&s;emble love, but never permitted you to love her really: therefore I conjure you to di&s;pute with me no longer about her: if love were a thing voluntary (replied <HI>Hermogenes)</HI> I &s;hould think you had rea&s;on to &s;peak thus unto me: But <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> you your &s;elf know very well by your own experience, that one cannot leave to love when one will, and by the &s;ame rea&s;on, one does not alwaies love where one would: for if it were &s;o, I am per&s;waded you would never have quitted <HI>Cleodora</HI> for <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> but I under&s;tand very well, why you &s;peak thus unto me: &s;ince it is not likely but the man who fought with <HI>Ti&s;ias,</HI> to prevent his marriage with <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> will at the &s;ame time think upon <HI>Cleodora,</HI> whom he hath incen&s;ed by that combate: when I fought with <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> (replied he) I knew not that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was to marry <HI>Cleodora:</HI> then it &s;eemes (replied <HI>Hermo|genes)</HI> it is more out of hate to me, then love to her, that you oppo&s;e my good fortune. No replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> but it is becau&s;e as to my misfortune I did in an in&s;tant leave my love of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> for the love of <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> &s;o now <HI>I</HI> leave my love of <HI>Leo|ni&s;a,</HI> for the love of <HI>Cleodora.</HI> I know not whether the lo&s;ing my hopes of enjoy|ing <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> will contribute any thing to the extingui&s;hing of that fire which flamed towards her, to enlighten another in my heart: but I am mo&s;t certaine that I no &s;ooner knew <HI>Cleodora</HI> was to be yours, but my old pa&s;&s;ion which was lurking in my heart, began to break forth into a flame againe, and that with much violence; as <HI>I</HI> think I &s;hall lo&s;e my witts, unle&s;&s;e you have pittie of me. I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e Sir, that <HI>I</HI> was never in my life &s;o amazed, as when <HI>I</HI> heard <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;peake &s;o. <HI>Hermo|genes,</HI> as you may well imagine was in the &s;ame condition, and knew not well what to an&s;wer; for though he knew <HI>Cleodora</HI> had con&s;ented to marry him, yet it was rather out of revenge upon <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> then out of any intention to make him happie: and therefore he had &s;trange apprehen&s;ions, le&s;t <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;hould come to the know|ledge of his repentance, and repent her &s;elf al&s;o. Therefore, beginning to an&s;wer, I know very well, &s;aid he unto him, that what I &s;hall &s;ay will much trouble you; but &s;ince it is nece&s;&s;ary that you know it, both for your tranquillitie and mine own; I mu&s;t tell you, that though I &s;hould con&s;ent, yet it is a thing impo&s;&s;ible for you, ever to be happie in the enjoyment of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> &s;ince &s;he is &s;o incen&s;ed again&s;t you, that it may truely be &s;aid &s;he now hates you, as much as &s;he loved you before: it is becau&s;e &s;he hates me, replied <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> that I hope &s;he will love me; for if her &s;oule were only upon termes of indifference, or that &s;he &s;corned me, I &s;hould for ever have de&s;paire of pardon: but &s;ince &s;he does not, I be&s;eech you let me have no other ob|&s;tacle but <HI>Cleodora</HI> her &s;elf: moreover (&s;aid he unto him) I know that &s;he gave you a picture, which indeed &s;he could not give, becau&s;e &s;he gave it unto me fir&s;t, there|fore I pray you re&s;tore it unto me. But is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid I unto him, and interrup|ted him) that this you &s;ay &s;hould be really true? Can I beleeve that the man which within this eight hours &s;aid he could love none but <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> &s;hould now love none
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but <HI>Cleodora?</HI> I cannot well expre&s;&s;e my thoughts (&s;aid he unto us) for there is &s;uch a multitude of things which at once do overpre&s;&s;e my heart, that I cannot ut|ter them; all I can &s;ay unto you is, that I know the gods are re&s;olved to puni&s;h me for my incon&s;tancie; and therefore <HI>I</HI> do mo&s;t cordially repent of it: <HI>I</HI> am con|fident that within this eight hours, neither <HI>Cleodora,</HI> nor <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> hated me; yet by a mo&s;t fatall turne, I am like to lo&s;e them both, and that in the mo&s;t cruell manner. For <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> is ravi&s;hed from me by a man, whom of all liveing I mo&s;t &s;corned; and <HI>Cleodora</HI> by him, whom I mo&s;t dearly loved. To &s;peak my minde really un|to you (&s;aid I and interrupted him) you can blame none but your &s;elf, for your misfortune; I know very well, replied he, that I am culpable; I &s;ee my reque&s;t unto <HI>Hermogenes</HI> is not ju&s;t; yet &s;ince the love of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> took fir&s;t root in my heart, me thinks <HI>Hermogenes</HI> might pitty my weakne&s;&s;e I doe very much pittie you, replied <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> but me thinks I ought to pitty my &s;elf al&s;o: However my dear <HI>Hermogenes</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) I be&s;eech you for heavens &s;ake, oblige me, and tell me &s;incerely whether you think <HI>Cleodora</HI> does really love you? or whether it be only &s;pite again&s;t me that moves her to let you &s;erve her. I know very well your merit is much above mine, and therefore, &s;ince I had the honour once not to be hated, it may not be impo&s;&s;ible, but &s;he may now love you: However I begg this favour from you, to tell me what you think, prote&s;ting unto you, that if you will &s;wear as you are a man of honour, that you think &s;he loves you as well as &s;he loved me, I will never &s;eek for any other remedy again&s;t my mi&s;ery but death: All that I can tell you, is (replied <HI>Hermogenes</HI> who could not tell all his thoughts) that I am per&s;waded <HI>Cleodora</HI> hates you, and I know &s;he con|&s;ents that I &s;hall marry her, This is enough to let me know, replied he, that you are not upon &s;uch good tearmes with her, therefore I conjure you to permit me &s;o much favour as to &s;peak once more in private with <HI>Cleodora:</HI> For if &s;he love you &s;o well as not to value my repentance you will be the more happy: And if I be &s;o happy as to reduce her unto the &s;ame tearms &s;he formerly was, you will be a gainer by that al&s;o, &s;ince it would have been but halfe a happine&s;&s;e for you, to marry a woman who&s;e affection was but weak towards you, therefore, I be&s;eech you, deny me not this reque&s;t: I confe&s;&s;e, that &s;ince I thought the reque&s;t of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to be &s;omething rea&s;onable, I endeavoured to per&s;wade <HI>Hermogenes</HI> unto a con&s;ent, but he would not by any meanes harken unto it. In the mean time, the more he denied, the more hopes <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> had that he was not quite rooted out of <HI>Cleodoras</HI> heart, &s;o that having no hopes at all from <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> but conceiving &s;ome glimps from <HI>Cleodora,</HI> his pa&s;&s;ion did much increa&s;e: Seeing then that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> would not by any means con&s;ent he &s;hould &s;peak unto her, he began to ask the picture which he had: But <HI>Hermogens</HI> replied, that he ought not to take any notice whether it was his or no, it &s;ufficed that he received it from <HI>Cleodora;</HI> and therefore he would not re&s;tore it to him: As I had blamed <HI>Hermogenes</HI> a little before, becau&s;e he &s;o ob&s;tinately refu&s;ed to let <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;peak unto <HI>Cleodora:</HI> &s;o afterwards I blamed <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> for pre&s;&s;ing his friend, to re&s;tore a picture, which he had not from him. In the interim, &s;ince I did extreamly fear that being alone with them, I could not hinder them from being too &s;harp and high, I, told them that being both po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with one too violent a pa&s;&s;ion; to &s;peak of their intere&s;ts with moderation, I de&s;ired, that for the time to come, they might know each others pretentions only by me: Adding further, that when they were &s;eperated I &s;hould tell them &s;omething which I could not tell them in their pre&s;ence. So that temporing thir minds, as well as I could: I got them to part without a quarrell: After which, I went &s;ometimes to the one, and &s;ometimes to the other, not know|ing which &s;ide to take: For when I was with <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> he repented &s;o bitterly of his incon&s;tancy, that he moved me to pitty him: and when I &s;aw <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> he would per&s;wade me that right was on his &s;ide: for &s;aid he unto me if <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> had never for|&s;aken <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I &s;hould then not only have never falne in love with her, but if I had, I &s;hould have re&s;trained my &s;elf out of re&s;pect unto the lawes of friend&s;hip: But &s;ince he forced me to &s;ee her often, and entreated me to di&s;&s;emble love unto her; and now to barr me from &s;eeing her any more, but to ravi&s;h out of my heart a love which he him&s;elf cau&s;ed, that is a thing which I neither can, nor ought, nor will do: on the other &s;ide, &s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to me is it ju&s;t, that becau&s;e I intreated <HI>Hermogenes</HI> only to &s;ee a Lady whom I loved, that he &s;hould therefore rob me of her? does he not know that ever &s;ince the fir&s;t time he asked me leave to di&s;cover my incon&s;tancy unto
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her, I told him, that I would never &s;uffer him; might he not well imagine that <HI>I</HI> neither would, nor ought, to do it but out of re&s;entment of love, though he gave it another phra&s;e? Can one be Jealous without affection unto the party of whom he is Jealous? might not <HI>Hermogenes</HI> rather think I loved two per&s;ons at once, then to think me jealous of him without being in love with <HI>Cleodora?</HI> Afterwards (&s;aid he unto me) my demand was but ju&s;t, when I propounded to let <HI>Cleodora</HI> judge the difference between us, and that he would &s;uffer me to &s;ee and &s;peak to her; for if after that &s;he would have cho&s;en him, I would have left <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> and &s;hould have gone unto &s;ome place farr off from hence, where I might have hid my &s;elf from the acquain|tance of men; where neither he nor <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;hould have heard any more of me. After this <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> began to aggravate his misfortunes, untill anger did &s;o &s;well his &s;pirits, that never remembring his love or friend&s;hip to <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> he &s;aid that he was not able to &s;uffer him to marry <HI>Cleodora.</HI> In the mean while, the Prince of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> hearing that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;tirred out of his lodging, was &s;o incen&s;ed again&s;t him, that I was advertized, he intended to give command that he &s;hould retire him&s;elf. And I un|der&s;tood that <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> (thinking that whil&s;t he could not &s;tirr out, <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> might per|haps work upon the &s;pirit of <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> again&s;t him) had moved the Prince of <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> up|on &s;ome Colourable pretence or other to place <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> about the Queen, untill he was perfectly recovered of his wounds: So that fearing &s;ome mi&s;chief was plotted again&s;t my friend, I conjured him to quit <HI>Su&s;a</HI> for &s;ome certain dayes: but he told me that he would never quit it untill he had &s;poken with <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and that in private. He told me how that he had been &s;everall times at her hou&s;e; but he was alwayes an&s;wered by them that &s;he was not within, or would not be &s;een: Adding that if <HI>Hermo|genes</HI> would enjoy her in quietne&s;&s;e, it were his be&s;t cour&s;e to procure him a &s;ight of her: When I therefore perceived the ob&s;tinacy of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> I went unto his friend, in hopes to do &s;ome good upon him: but found him as re&s;olute as a Rock which would not be moved: So that when I &s;aw I could make no good end between them, I went privately unto <HI>Cleodora</HI> to let her know the &s;tate of things, and that her prudence might prevent all mi&s;chief, and order the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e between them; for they being both my friends, I knew not how to be partiall, and to preferr one before another: I had no &s;ooner acquainted <HI>Cleodora</HI> how things were between <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> but &s;he &s;aid that the la&s;t of the&s;e did her wrong to tell his friend &s;he would not &s;ee him, &s;he &s;eemed to be much &s;urpri&s;ed, and very unquiet: Yet afterwards &s;he u&s;ed &s;o many expre&s;&s;ions of anger again&s;t <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> as I thought he would finde no great &s;atisfaction in &s;eeing her: But &s;ince he did &s;o vehemently de&s;ire it, and &s;ince I could not per&s;wade him to go out of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> untill he heard his &s;entence of death pronounced from her own mouth, I be&s;eched her to let him have the opportunity to &s;ee her, but &s;he would not con&s;ent unto it; Yet for all this, I had a conceipt that if I did deceive her, and finde out a way for <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to &s;ee her, &s;he would pardon me; So therefore thinking to advance the happine&s;&s;e of <HI>Hermogenes</HI> by advancing the departure of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> who would not &s;tirr from <HI>Su&s;a</HI> till he &s;poke with <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I ordered the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e &s;o, that the next morning, I imployed <HI>Hermogenes</HI> in &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e another way, and one of my Co&s;ens carried <HI>Cleodora</HI> to &s;ee a new built palace, which for its curio&s;ity, every one went to &s;ee it, &s;ince it was yet uninhabited; <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> who had his in&s;tructions failed not to be there; &amp; my co&s;en conducted <HI>Cleodora</HI> unto a Gallery, where leaving the re&s;t of her women, &s;he carri|ed her into a chamber, &amp; within that chamber a clo&s;et where <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was waiting for <HI>Cle|odora;</HI> &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but &s;he &s;tarted back, &amp; would needs go out again; he falling upon his knees, and having hold of her gowne; For God &amp; Heavens &s;ake Madam (&s;aid he unto her) give me but one howres hearing, I conjure you. 'Twas to that end this chari|table woman brought you hither; Give me leave therefore Madam to beg your pardon, and to beg it in a flood of tears. Provided you will give me leave to deny you all you aske (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I &s;hall con&s;ent to give you audience. If I demand death Madam, will you deny me that al&s;o&punc; (&s;aid he unto her) doubtle&s;s I would deny you that, replied &s;he, not only becau&s;e the puni&s;hment which you de&s;erve would not be long enough if you dyed &s;o &s;oon, but becau&s;e it &s;ufficeth that you have de&s;ired &s;omething, which I cannot con&s;ent unto, how ever it be Madam (&s;aid he unto her) if it be only to chide me, yet I be|&s;eech you hear me, &amp; hear me with patience, whil&s;t the&s;e two were thus in di&s;cour&s;e; &s;he who brought <HI>Cleodora</HI> in the hou&s;e went unto the re&s;t of the women which were in the Gallery, &amp; did amu&s;e them with &s;hewing them pictures, &amp; other &s;uch talk, &s;o that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;eeing he could talk and not be under&s;tood: Give me leave Madam (&s;aid he unto her,
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fore I ask you pardon, to a&s;&s;ure you that this <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> whom you &s;ee at your feet, is the very &s;ame <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> whom heretofore you were plea&s;ed to preferr before any other. And &s;o I do &s;till, &s;aid &s;he, for I think you &s;o much different from all other men, that I think you do incomparably excell them all. However it be Madam, &s;aid he, I am mo&s;t certain of one thing, which is, that my heart was never &s;o full of love unto you as now; Oh, I wi&s;h with all my &s;oul, replied &s;he, that you &s;poke truth; and I wi&s;h with all my &s;oul Madam, &s;aid he, that you did really de&s;ire it; No, no, <HI>Bele|&s;is,</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Cleodora,</HI> I was not far from my reall thoughts, when I &s;aid that I &s;hould be even ravi&s;hed with joy, to be certain that you were de&s;perately in love with me; But you do extreamly mi&s;take my meaning if you think I make this wi&s;h with any intentions to accept of your affection; Since I do not wi&s;h you &s;hould love me for any other rea&s;on, but that I might thereby puni&s;h you for cea&s;ing to love me before. I confe&s;&s;e Madam (replied he) that I am the mo&s;t to blame of any man alive, for doing as I lately did; But Madam I be&s;eech you do not too &s;everely looke upon the mo&s;t extravagant act of all my life; or if you do looke upon it, let it be as upon a &s;ubject whereupon to exerci&s;e your goodne&s;&s;e; Forgivene&s;&s;e Madam does mo&s;t re&s;em|ble divinity, and by con&s;equence your &s;elf; To what purpo&s;e is clemency, but to forgive; and this is the operation, that when it is extended in the greate&s;t mea&s;ure, it converts the greate&s;t offendors to become the greate&s;t lovers; Moreover Madam, do not think, I be&s;eech you that I did ab&s;olutely cea&s;e to love you, at that very time when I &s;eemed to be mo&s;t in love with <HI>Leoni&s;a;</HI> She can tell you that <HI>I</HI> would never be moved to acquaint her with the lea&s;t pa&s;&s;age which had been between us, nor could <HI>I</HI> ever endure that my be&s;t friend &s;hould ever love you; and therefore it mu&s;t by ne|ce&s;&s;ary con&s;equence be concluded that <HI>I</HI> ever loved you; Not that by this <HI>I</HI> intend to ju&s;tifie my &s;elf; But that <HI>I</HI> would if <HI>I</HI> could &s;omething le&s;&s;en my crime, to the end you may the &s;ooner pardon it; Before <HI>I</HI> can ever have &s;uch a thought, replied <HI>Cleo|dora, I</HI> mu&s;t lo&s;e my wits: for incon&s;tancy is a crime of &s;uch a nature, as is ab&s;olute|ly impardonable: But <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you Madam, replied he, did not you your &s;elf &s;o behave your &s;elf towards <HI>Hermogenes</HI> in &s;uch a manner as might very well make me be|leeve that you were guilty of the &s;ame crime wherewith you tax me? When <HI>I</HI> ob|&s;erved, replied <HI>Cleodora,</HI> that out of a mo&s;t fanta&s;ticall humour you were angry <HI>I</HI> &s;hould begin to love <HI>Hermogenes, I</HI> mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e that ever &s;ince the fir&s;t time <HI>I</HI> per|ceived you loved <HI>Leoni&s;a, I</HI> would not undeceive you: think on therefore, if it an|ger you, that I do love him, and did love him, and more then that, ever will love him: for I a&s;&s;ure you, that you cannot plea&s;e me better then to torment your &s;elf: But Madam, I be&s;eech you (replied he) do you not fear to drive me into a horrid di&s;pair; and to make me ru&s;h upon any rude attempts, which a man de&s;perately in love may do, when he has lo&s;t his rea&s;on and wits? No <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> replied &s;he, I app re|hend no &s;uch danger, for I heard &s;ay and beleeve it, that a man of a divided heart is not capable of over violent pa&s;&s;ions: But Madam, replied he, my heart is none but yours, nor ever &s;hall be any others. Can you be &s;o impudent, replied &s;he, as to make any apologie for your &s;elf, after your weather-cock incon&s;tancy? for my part &s;ince I u&s;e to judge of the future by what is pa&s;t, I am confident I &s;hould love you to mor|row again, and you would &s;ay the &s;ame unto <HI>Leoni&s;a</HI> which now you do unto me: and perhaps forgetting both her &amp; me the third day, you will make a fre&s;h addre&s;s to a third: Ala&s;s Madam, &s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> can you not finde a heart to pardon me: And will you not have any conficence in my affection? no doubtle&s;&s;e, (replied &s;he) for how is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould give me any a&s;&s;urance of it: Since you ca&s;t me off when I was as hand&s;ome as ever I was or ever &s;hall be, and at a time when I was mo&s;t affable and complacentiall to you? What can I tru&s;t unto? to your words which you have &s;o ill kept? or to your oaths which you have &s;o wickedly fal&s;ified? No Madam (&s;aid <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and interrupted her) you may tru&s;t unto my repentance. That is, divine <HI>Cleodora,</HI> which will pre&s;erve me from incon&s;tancy for the future; for I am &s;o horridly a&s;hamed of my crime, that it will mo&s;t certainly prevent a relaps: I cannot beleeve it (an&s;wered &s;he very &s;harply) and I a&s;&s;ure you, that I do intere&s;t my &s;elf &s;o little in any thing which relates unto you (except in &s;uch things as may vex you) that I care not a &s;traw what befalls you. In the mean time, I mu&s;t tell you, that I would not have you &s;eek for any more opportunities of &s;peaking to me, unle&s;&s;e you would have me put a thou&s;and incivilities upon you before all the world:</P>
<P><PB N="188" REF="472">
But Madam, (replied he) though all my pa&s;t &s;ervices are lo&s;t, and though I am quite ruined in your opinion, yet I cannot chu&s;e but be&s;eech you to obliterate all pa&s;t crimes, and to &s;uffer me to begin upon a new &s;core of love, as if I had never loved you before: and then if you be not &s;atisfied with my fidelity, treat me as the mo&s;t vile, ba&s;e, and infamous man that lives; and may you marry <HI>Hermogenes:</HI> and untill then, give me leave to tell you Madam, that I cannot endure him. Yet I will marry him, replied &s;he, &s;ince my parents con&s;ent unto it, therefore the be&s;t cour&s;e you can take for your own tranquillity, is to endure him, and &s;ay nothing, rather then nothing to the purpo&s;e; for all you can &s;ay &s;hall be in vain, Moreover, never think of &s;peaking unto <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> unle&s;&s;e you will augment my hatred, and my &s;corn of you: In the mean time, you may hope to your comfort, that perhaps, <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> will die of his wounds, and then you may return unto <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and quit me the &s;econd time: for &s;ince &s;he is of a much more &s;weet and affable di&s;po&s;ition then I am, doubtle&s;&s;e &s;he will receive you more kindly then I &s;hall. And after that <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> I have no more to &s;ay unto you, un|le&s;&s;e to a&s;&s;ure you, that when you have quitted me for <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> I &s;hall have &s;uch thoughts of you, as &s;hall de&s;erve that you become more faithfull then you have been. The&s;e <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> are all the advantagious thoughts I can have of you: After the&s;e words <HI>Cleo|dora</HI> ro&s;e up, and &s;ay what <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> could &s;he left him complaining again&s;t her that delu|ded him: But Sir, that which was mo&s;t rare in this encounter was, that this conference produced different effects in the hearts of <HI>Cleodora</HI> and <HI>Bele&s;is.</HI> For this imperious La|dy was extremely joyed, to know by the eyes of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> he was the &s;ame to her as for|merly he had been, though it was without any intention to pardon him, but onely to make him more mi&s;erable: So that &s;he publi&s;hed to all the world her marriage with <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> as a thing which much plea&s;ed her: As for <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> he parted from <HI>Cleo|dora,</HI> more in love with her then ever he was: &s;o that extremely wondering at his love of <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> he looked upon her as the cau&s;e of his lo&s;ing <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and began to hate her extremely. Being thus in a mo&s;t horrible de&s;pair, he came unto me to tell me, that he found <HI>Cleodora</HI> ab&s;olutely inexorable; but that for all this, he could not endure <HI>Her|mogenes</HI> &s;hould marry her. I u&s;ed my be&s;t rethoricke to per&s;wade him to it, but all in vain: I hinted unto him what he had &s;aid unto <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> that if <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;hould make choi&s;e of him after he had talked with her, then that he would let him alone in quietne&s;&s;e. But he told me, that he was not obliged by any &s;uch promi&s;es, as were im|po&s;&s;ible to be kept; &s;o that not knowing how to prevent that inconveniencie which I feared, I told him that the Prince of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> would bani&s;h him the Town, I hoping that time and ab&s;ence would &s;ettle his &s;oul: But although <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> received this command that &s;ame day, yet was he not &s;o quick in his obedience; but did &s;omething to obey it, for he did conceal him&s;elf &s;ome dayes in the Town: In the interim, he writ divers times to <HI>Cleodora</HI> without receiving any an&s;wer: al&s;o he &s;aw <HI>Hermogenes</HI> once: but <HI>Hermogenes</HI> gave him &s;uch &s;atisfactory and prevalent rea&s;ons, that they parted without a quarrell as <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> intended: for in the very heat of his love; he &s;till retained a great love of <HI>Her|mogenes.</HI> While&s;t he was in <HI>Hermogenes</HI> his Clo&s;et, he &s;pied the picture of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> ly|ing upon a Cabinet; and being tran&s;ported with violence of pa&s;&s;ion, he took it, whil&s;t his friend was gone to &s;peak with one who asked for him: I do confe&s;&s;e, I &s;aw him commit this theft: but &s;ince I knew <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was ere long to marry <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> would depart the Town within two dayes, I did not oppo&s;e him: but fear|ing le&s;t during tho&s;e two dayes &s;ome &s;ad con&s;equence might follow, I &s;tayed with <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> and told him how it was, de&s;iring and conjuring him not to deny &s;o &s;mall a con&s;olation to his friend: and indeed <HI>Hermogenes</HI> promi&s;ed me to take no notice of it, though the lo&s;&s;e of this Picture did exceedingly trouble him. In the mean time <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> thought him&s;elf all happine&s;&s;e; his marriage and <HI>Hermogenes</HI> his al&s;o, was publi&s;hed to be both in one day: and all preparations were providing to render the &s;olemnities joy|full. But during this while, <HI>Bele&s;is, Hermogenes,</HI> and <HI>Cleodora</HI> were not without their unquietudes. The fir&s;t of the&s;e, as you may well imagine, had cau&s;e enough: <HI>Hermogenes</HI> al&s;o, though ready to marry <HI>Cleodora,</HI> yet thought him&s;elf not &s;atisfied, becau&s;e he &s;aw &s;he was extremely melancholy: And <HI>Cleodora</HI> was as &s;ad as any, for though her heart was full of &s;weet revenge upon <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> yet &s;he was to be revenged up|on him, by being revenged upon her &s;elf: But while&s;t they were all in their di&s;contents, <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> who&s;e ambition recompen&s;ed the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> knowing that he was concealed in <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> And fearing, that it was onely to be an ob&s;tacle to her greatne&s;&s;e, de&s;ired <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI>
<PB N="189" REF="472">
to move the Prince of <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> that he might be &s;earched for, and &s;ecured: &s;o that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> hearing of this, and fearing to fall into the hands of a violent and incen&s;ed Prince, re|&s;olved to leave <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> but before he went, he heard that the marriages between <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> and <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> and between <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> and <HI>Cleodora</HI> were to be &s;olemnized the day af|ter: For my part, I went with him &s;ome two hundred furlongs out of <HI>Su&s;a;</HI> but I ne|ver in all my life &s;aw &s;o &s;ad a &s;oul, as <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> had at that time: At parting, he gave two letters unto one of his &s;ervants, the one for <HI>Cleodora,</HI> the other for <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> with order to deliver them into their own hands before he departed: That which did a little perplex me at parting was, that I &s;aw he &s;ent all his train and equipage into his own Countrey, with a letter to his father; and that he would retain none with him but one &s;lave, having no mind to tell me what his de&s;igne was, nor whither he went: In the mean time the me&s;&s;enger with the letters did not fail in his Commi&s;&s;ion. Since it was very early, for <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> went out of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> by break of day, he went unto <HI>Hermogenes</HI> be|fore he went unto <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and gave him a letter, which was thus indited.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>BELESIS <HI>&V;NTO</HI> HERMOGENES.</HEAD>
<P><HI>I</HI> Think you will not complain again&s;t me for taking <HI>Cleodora</HI>'s Picture, &s;ince I leave you in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of <HI>Cleodora</HI> her &s;elf: I cannot deny, but that if I had found any inclina|tion in the heart of that fair One, to pardon me, I would have conte&s;ted for her till death: and I confe&s;&s;e my &s;orrows to depart before I have given you &s;ome te&s;timonies of my re&s;ent|ments, for the troubles you have put me unto; yet &s;ince I have taken up a re&s;olution to pu|ni&s;h none of all tho&s;e that were cau&s;es of my mi&s;erable misfortune, I entreat you to ac|knowledge my moderation, and to let me make one reque&s;t unto you: Which is, that when you are in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of <HI>Cleodora,</HI> you would not in&s;ult over an unfortunate lover, whom you have made mi&s;erable, and not put her in memory of that incon&s;tancie, whereof you your &s;elf have have been a confident. This is the onely de&s;ire which an unfortunate man will ever ask of you as long as he lives: who having found no compa&s;&s;ion in the heart of his friend, nor &s;weetne&s;&s;e towards him in the mind of his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, will for ever renounce the &s;ociety of men and women.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Bele&s;is.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><HI>Hermogenes</HI> received this letter with &s;ome re&s;entment of tenderne&s;&s;e, but for all that, he was not &s;orry for the departure of <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> and his hopes of marrying <HI>Cleodora</HI> the next morning, made him &s;o full of joy, that he could not very much condole the misfor|tune of his friend. But as the letter of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> had no great operation upon his &s;oul; yet that to <HI>Cleodora</HI> produced con&s;iderable effects: for it was &s;o full of mo|ving expre&s;&s;ions, that unle&s;&s;e her heart had been made of marble, it would have moved compa&s;&s;ion: and certainly it made &s;uch a deep impre&s;&s;ion in her minde, that when <HI>Cle|odora</HI> &s;hewed it unto me, I asked her a copy of it; and though I never read it but once, yet I &s;hall never forget it: The words were the&s;e.</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="190" REF="473">
<HEAD>BELESIS <HI>&V;NTO</HI> CLEODORA.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>I</HI> Have &s;o well de&s;erved all the torments which I endure, that I cannot accu&s;e you of any Inju&s;tice: and <HI>I</HI> am &s;o really repentant, that I do not think it fit to murmur again&s;t your goodne&s;&s;e, though it would not grant me a pardon: In the mean time I re&s;pect you &s;o much irreconcileable as you are, that I will not complain either again&s;t you, nor again&s;t <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> nor any el&s;e but my &s;elf: and to let you &s;ee that I &s;hould have been faith|full unto you, I promi&s;e you, to live in &s;ome place farre from hence: I pa&s;&s;e my word, that I will think of nothing el&s;e but you, all the re&s;t of my mi&s;erable life: and &s;ince I be|came criminall by the &s;ight of One whom I ought not to have looked upon, but for the love of you, I will never look upon any who&s;oever, but one &s;ervant which <HI>I</HI> will carry with me, to the end that when <HI>I</HI> am dead he may relate unto you the con&s;tancy of him whom you ba|ni&s;hed for his incon&s;tancy. <HI>I</HI> am confident that if he be faithfull, he will draw tears from your fair eyes, and will perhaps make you grieve for the death of him who&s;e life you have made mo&s;t mi&s;erable.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Bele&s;is.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>When <HI>Cleodora</HI> received this letter, her mind was extremely unquieted, and though &s;he was ready to marry <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> yet her &s;weet de&s;ire of revenge upon <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was converted into extreme &s;orrow for him: and though &s;he exceedingly e&s;teemed <HI>Hermo|genes,</HI> yet her &s;oul not being able to love any but <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> &s;he di&s;covered, that notwith|&s;tanding all her re&s;entments, and her anger again&s;t him, her heart was never quite di&s;|ingaged from him: &s;he received his letter with a blu&s;h, and opened it with extreme beating of heart: &s;he began to read it with a &s;igh, and ended it with a &s;hower of tears: In &s;hort Sir, <HI>Cleodora</HI> &s;aw &s;he could not marry <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> and that &s;hee &s;till loved <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> In the mean time all things were prepared for her marriage, and &s;hee &s;aw an impo&s;&s;ibility of recalling <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> Not knowing then what to do, &s;he deferred her mar|riage, purpo&s;ely to con&s;ider what was to be re&s;olved upon: and to that end &s;he fained her &s;elf to be &s;ick, and went to bed. <HI>Hermogenes</HI> hearing this, he was exceedingly trou|bled, not onely becau&s;e &s;he whom he loved was not well, and becau&s;e his happine&s;&s;e was deferred, but al&s;o becau&s;e he had &s;ome &s;u&s;pition of the truth: he went then to &s;ee <HI>Cleodora</HI> in all ha&s;t, but he was told by orders from her, that &s;hee was a&s;leep, yet he came &s;o often, that &s;he was forced to let him &s;ee her, but &s;he &s;poke very little to him, and that &s;he did &s;peak was onely in complaining of her &s;ickne&s;&s;e, and pain, which &s;hee did really endure, though it was of an other nature then &s;he complained of: Thus the marriage of <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was to be put off for that day: And <HI>Ti&s;ias</HI> more happy then he married <HI>Leoni&s;a,</HI> who&s;e eyes though dazeled with the magnificence of all the prepa|rations, yet &s;ometimes they were very melancholy that day of great jollity; yet very few ob&s;erved them, for I onely perceived it; As for <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> hee was not pre&s;ent that day, though the whole Court was. But while&s;t the Kings Palace was filled with joy, where the Prince of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> would have this marriage &s;olemnized, <HI>Cleodora</HI> was in her bed: Sometimes &s;he repented that &s;he did not pardon <HI>Bele&s;is;</HI> otherwhiles, &s;hee would blame her &s;elf for treating <HI>Hermogenes</HI> &s;o kindly; and pre&s;ently after, &s;he would approve of what a little before &s;he condemned, and pa&s;&s;ing from one thought into ano|ther, &s;he found re&s;t in none, e&s;pecially when &s;he con&s;idered that perhaps &s;hee &s;hould never &s;ee <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> again, who was the onely man of all the world with whom &s;he
<PB N="191" REF="473">
thought &s;he could live happily: as rarely accompli&s;hed as <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was, &s;he then di&s;covered a hundred things in his humour, which concurred not with hers; in conclu&s;ion Sir, not to abu&s;e your patience too much, <HI>Cleodora</HI> pa&s;&s;ed over three dayes in &s;uch horrible agitations of &s;pirit, that &s;he thought it would co&s;t her either her life, or her wits: but at la&s;t, being re&s;olved what cour&s;e to take, &s;he gave orders &s;ecretly for the execution of her intended de&s;igne; and indeed did execute it as I &s;hall tell you. Be plea&s;ed to know Sir, that one morning as I was ready to go out of my lodging, <HI>I</HI> received a letter from <HI>Cleodora,</HI> which de&s;ired me to bring <HI>Hermogenes</HI> that &s;ame hour, unto the Temple of <HI>Ceres,</HI> which is not above thirty furlongs from the town, whither &s;he went, to give thanks unto the Godde&s;&s;e, for a favour which &s;he &s;aid &s;he had received, during her &s;ickne&s;&s;e. Then Sir, be plea&s;ed to know further, that this Temple is kept by an hundred virgins, who ob&s;erve the &s;ame ceremonies which they at <HI>Ecbatan</HI> do, though they be not con&s;ecrated with the &s;ame Godde&s;&s;e. <HI>I</HI> confe&s;&s;e that at fir&s;t, <HI>I</HI> had not any &s;u&s;pition of <HI>Cleodoras</HI> de&s;igne, but went unto <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> unto whom I &s;hewed the letter which I received: but as for him, he was more clear-&s;ighted then I was, for as &s;oon as he &s;aw the letter, he feared &s;he would take &s;ome de&s;perate re&s;olution: &s;o that without any more delay, we took hor&s;e and went unto this temple: as &s;oon as we were alighted, they conducted us unto a chamber, which was ordained to receive &s;trangers; where we &s;tayed awhile: pre&s;ently we &s;aw a door open out of the cloi|&s;ter of the Virgins, out of which we &s;aw <HI>Cleodora</HI> come accompanied with two women, but with &s;uch a &s;ober melancholy in her a&s;pect, as would have tendered the mo&s;t obdurat heart. <HI>Hermogenes</HI> al&s;o was &s;o moved, &s;o amazed, and &s;o angry, that he had not power enough to expre&s;&s;e his a&s;toni&s;hment: after this &s;he came unto us, and after civil &s;alutations &s;he did &s;it down, and cau&s;ed us to &s;it by her: After this, &s;he began to &s;peake; I do not doubt (&s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Hermogenes)</HI> but what I &s;hall now &s;ay unto you, will trouble you: And I had a mind to let you know it in a place, where the re&s;pect due unto the Godde&s;&s;e of this place, will perhaps oblige you to receive it with more moderation. I be&s;eech you Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Hermogenes</HI> unto her) do not put me to the utmo&s;t triall of my vertue; and con&s;ider well what you will tell me, whether I can hear it and live, or without lo&s;ing my wit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> and rea&s;on, and re&s;pect unto &s;acred things. Since I know by my own experience, that none ever di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> of &s;orrow; and &s;ince I have a better opinion of your vertue and wi&s;dom, then your &s;elf has, I &s;hall not fear to tell you, what re&s;olution I have taken. Know then, &s;aid <HI>Cleodora,</HI> that I &s;hould be unworthy of your affection, if I &s;hould marry you, for the di&s;covery of my heart &s;ince the departure of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> lets me &s;ee, that <HI>I</HI> am not in a condtion to make you happie: Why Madam (&s;aid <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> interrupting her) will you delude tho&s;e hopes which your &s;elf did create in me? I &s;hould delude them more, replied &s;he, if I &s;hould go about to &s;atisfie them, &s;ince then I &s;hould attempt a thing above my power. For to tell you truly, I have the&s;e three la&s;t dayes, con|tinually conte&s;ted for you again&s;t my &s;elf, and could not overcome; &s;o that &s;eeing it was impo&s;&s;ible to give you my affection, &s;ince I had given it to <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> and by con|&s;equence, &s;hould make you mi&s;erable, and augment my own &s;orrows; <HI>I</HI> thought it mo&s;t expedient for me, to di&s;ingage my &s;elf from all the world, and wholy devote the re&s;t of my dayes unto the Godde&s;&s;e which is adored in this place. This <HI>Her|mogenes,</HI> is that which I had to tell you, and it is your part to te&s;tifie by your vo|luntary con&s;ent unto it, that you have more vertue then love. Ah Madam, replied he, <HI>I</HI> am not able to endure this, but I mu&s;t murmur and oppo&s;e it with all my power. <HI>I</HI> would not advi&s;e you to do &s;o, replied &s;he, &s;ince if you do, it will be in vaine. But Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) if it be &s;o, that you love <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> &s;till, why did you not pardon him? and if you do not love him, why will you not accom|pli&s;h my happine&s;&s;e? Do not force me (replied &s;he) to make a preci&s;e relation of what hath pa&s;&s;ed in my heart; for &s;ince <HI>I</HI> am re&s;olutly determined to forget all my follice, <HI>I</HI> will not revive them in my memorie: The truth is, I will never returne again to <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> perhaps Madam, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, that during the time that you are but a pro|bationer, and before you engage your &s;elf for over, your minde: will change: <HI>I</HI> do not think it, (replied &s;he) for it is not my cu&s;tom to change my minde; and if <HI>I</HI> ever change, it &s;hall be in favour of <HI>Hermogenes:</HI> For heavens &s;ake Madam (&s;aid he unto her being tran&s;ported with &s;orrow and de&s;paire) do not &s;hut up your &s;elf in this place:
<PB N="192" REF="474">
if it be (added he) becau&s;e you do not think me worthy of that honour which your parents would confer upon me; though you would deprive me of that happine&s;&s;e, yet do not deprive the world of 'its chiefe&s;t ornament: Beleeve me <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> my fate hath called me to this place, and there is no remedie you can u&s;e to prevent it; as <HI>Hermogenes</HI> was going to an&s;wer, the &s;ame door through which <HI>Cleodora</HI> came unto us, opened the &s;econd time: and the Governe&s;&s;e of the&s;e &s;acred Virgins, appeared all in whit, holding a &s;heafe of gold in her hand, accompanied with a great number of virgines in the &s;ame habit, holding every one of them, apples of gold in their hand: As &s;oon as they were all come out and ranked behind the governe&s;&s;e, &s;he called <HI>Cleo|dora:</HI> who leaving us, and de&s;iring us to accquaint her Aunt that &s;he was in that place; and after &s;he had made a low congee to <HI>Hermogenes</HI> with tears in her eyes, &s;he went towards that door, whom &s;he who kept the door received in: all the virgines beginning to &s;ing hymnes unto the honour of <HI>Ceres,</HI> as &s;oon as &s;he was entered and the door &s;hut. But Oh heavens, how dolefull was that &s;ong unto <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> and in what a pittifull plight was he in? In the meane time there was no remedie but com|plaints; for there was no po&s;&s;ibilitie of procuring any more conference, either with <HI>Cleodora,</HI> whom they carried into the temple, nor with any of the virgins. But we were con&s;trained to returne unto <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> and report this &s;trange &s;tory: and never &s;ince Sir, was it po&s;&s;ible for <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> to &s;ee <HI>Cleodora;</HI> yet we under&s;tood by one of the &s;acrificers, that &s;ince &s;he came into that place, &s;he never enquired of any worldly bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, except it were &s;omtimes, &s;he would aske if any knew in what part of the world <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> lived; or in what part he died? But as none could inform her what was become of him, &s;he was nothing &s;atisfied: yet we were told &s;he was &s;omthing joyed to know, he was not returned into his own country, which made us think &s;he had rather be her &s;elf mi&s;erable, then to know that he was happie: Yet for all this, &s;he lived a mo&s;t &s;trict and exact life, and as regular to the orders, as any of the mo&s;t ancient virgins of the temple, though &s;he had yet &s;ix monthes to be as a probationer, before &s;he made her la&s;t vowes. This Sir, was the adventure of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes:</HI> and I have no more to tell you, unle&s;&s;e that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> &s;ince <HI>Cleodora</HI> took this re&s;olution, was a hundred and a hundred times at deaths door with &s;orrow: but beginning in&s;en&s;ibly to con&s;ider, that he him&s;elf was in &s;ome &s;ort a cau&s;e of her reclu&s;ement, and of his friends lo&s;&s;e, rea&s;on began to re|vive in his heart; his pa&s;&s;ion by degrees grew le&s;&s;e violent: and I have heard him wi&s;h divers times that he were able to call back <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> whom we thought to be dead in &s;ome unknown country: and therefore I cannot chu&s;e but wonder that he &s;hould quarrell with <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> when he fir&s;t met with him: doubtle&s;&s;e it mu&s;t needs be <HI>Cleodoras</HI> picture which <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> took from him; the &s;ight whereof did &s;urpri&s;e his rea&s;on as well as his eyes, which was the cau&s;e of it, &s;ince I am very certain that he pre&s;erved a good opinion, and much friend&s;hip for him, e&s;pecially &s;ince his love to <HI>Cleodora</HI> began to le&s;&s;en.</P>
<P><HI>Alcenor</HI> having ended, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was well &s;atisfied with his relation, and gave him thanks: <HI>Panthea, Araminta, Abradates,</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> did al&s;o thank him: after|wards upon examination of the matter, they could not conceive it any great piece of difficulty, to reconcile the&s;e two enimies. For &s;ince <HI>Hermogenes</HI> could live with|out <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and that his love to her was le&s;&s;ened, doubtle&s;&s;e it was fit for him to yeeld unto <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> who&s;e love was rather augmented then le&s;&s;ened: they conceived al&s;o that as for the picture, it was ju&s;t it &s;hould remaine in the hands of him un|to whom <HI>Cleodora</HI> gave it, and that if <HI>Hermogenes</HI> could not con&s;ent to renounce <HI>Cleodora,</HI> then to let that faire one know <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was alive and loved her &s;till, and that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> loved her al&s;o: and that afterwards whether &s;he would remain &s;till in that place, or chu&s;e one of them for her husband, they &s;hould conforme their wills thereunto accordingly, and become friends: but the be&s;t of the &s;tory is, when <HI>Al|cenor</HI> went to <HI>Ble&s;is,</HI> with intentions to acquaint him that <HI>Cleodora</HI> had not married <HI>Hermogenes;</HI> he found them talking together, having both of them de&s;ired their guards that they might meet: &s;o that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> under&s;tanding that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> had not married her, his animo&s;itie again&s;t him &s;o vani&s;hed, that he was full of tender expre&s;&s;i|ons in words to him: making a &s;hort relation of the mi&s;erable life he had led: &amp; &s;o that <HI>Hermogenes</HI> being exceedingly moved with it, &amp; con&s;idering that he was the cau&s;e of all his mi&s;eries, re&s;olved to overcome him&s;elf, and con&s;ented to u&s;e his be&s;t endeavours to
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get <HI>Cleodora</HI> out of her Cloi&s;ter: Since <HI>Alcenor</HI> was friend unto them both, he em|braced them with much joy; and carried them into <HI>Pantheas</HI> Chamber, more to thank the company for their patience in hearing their Adventures; then to be reconciled by them, &s;ince they had compo&s;ed all differences them&s;elves. Yet notwith&s;tanding <HI>Cy|rus</HI> willed them to promi&s;e the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> that they would live lovingly toge|ther: and &s;o they did very willingly: Afterwards <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mazares,</HI> accompanied with <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and all that followed him thither returned to the Camp. In the way thi|ther, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> brought a man unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> whom he thought to be a &s;pie, and upon whom they found a Letter directed unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta.</HI> This did con&s;tantly affirme, that he was not &s;ent to know any thing concerning the Army, but only with a letter to the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Pontus: Cyrus</HI> taking this letter but not opening it, asked him from whom it came: but he an&s;wered he could not tell: All he knew was, that a man unknown to him, came into <HI>Heraclea</HI> where he dwelt, as it appeared by his language and taking him a&s;ide offered him a great recompence if he would under|take to carry a letter unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta,</HI> and a greater if he brought him back an an&s;war, and told him that he would expect his return about eight dayes hence, and would be every morning by &s;un-ri&s;e at the Temple expecting the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of his voy|age: <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing by the ingenuity of him who &s;poke, that he lyed not, did not &s;et any guard upon him; but to te&s;tifie the re&s;pect he owed unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aramin|ta,</HI> did &s;end this letter unto that Prince&s;&s;e and never opened it: Commanding <HI>Chri|&s;antes,</HI> who had orders to carry it, to ob&s;erve her countenance whil&s;t &s;he read it: and in obedience to this command he went unto the Prince&s;&s;e, and delivered the letter: which as &s;oon as ever &s;he &s;aw the &s;uper&s;cription, &s;he knew it to be the hand of <HI>Spi|tridates,</HI> &s;o that opening it with extream de&s;ire to know where <HI>Spitridates</HI> was, &s;he read the&s;e words,</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>THE VNFORTVNATE <HI>SPITRIDATES,</HI> VNTO THE PRINCESSE <HI>ARAMINTA.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>WHat &s;orrowes &s;oever I &s;uffered, yet I do declare in the fronti&s;piece of my letter, that I do not intend to complain again&s;t you; but to ob&s;erve all tho&s;e due re&s;pects which I ever rendred unto you; and if in the &s;equell of my di&s;cour&s;e any unbecoming word drop from my pen, it is again&s;t my will, After this Madam, I &s;hall not doubt, to let you know the adventures of an unfortunate man who has no &s;hare in your affection, and &s;hall tell you, that the pri&s;on in which my father keeps me for the love of you, they cannot torment me more then by telling me every day, that you have conquered the conqueror of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and if I dur&s;t, without offence, &s;peak it, your heart is more illu&s;trious in that victory, and more &s;ecure. I be&s;eech you Madam, do but imagine how in&s;upporta|ble is my impri&s;onment, in hearing how kinde you are to him by a hundred particular cir|cum&s;tances: Yet I would not re&s;olve upon death, till I had it under your hand that you have changed your thoughts, me thinks I owe &s;o much re&s;pect unto tho&s;e a&s;&s;urances of fide|lity which you were plea&s;ed to honour me with, as not to condemne you before you an&s;wered for your &s;elf: Not that I do think you perfidious maugre all reports: But Madam that which mo&s;t of all perplexeth me is, that knowing I re&s;emble <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I know not how you can look upon him without a remembrance of unfortunate <HI>Spitridates:</HI> and I know not how you can remember him but you mu&s;t al&s;o remember my loyall love, This re&s;emblance 'twixt <HI>Cyrus</HI> and my &s;elf is not at all in our fortunes as in our faces: for he is happy, I
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<HI>am mi&s;erable: he is with you: I am ab&s;ent, he a Conqueror, I a Captive: He can command mo&s;t of all</HI> A&s;ia, <HI>but I cannot command my &s;elf: But yet for all this; Madam, this Prince does all his actions more for his own then your glory: whereas on the contrary, I have renounced all mine to do you &s;ervice: I have for&s;aken Crowns, &s;uffered Bani&s;h|ment and impri&s;onment: and to &s;peak all in few words, I have done all I could and con|&s;equently all I ought: A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> I wi&s;h with all my &s;oul Madam, that you could &s;ay as much, and &s;ay truly: However, &s;ince I never had the lea&s;t de&s;ire of life, but only to do you &s;ervice: and &s;ince I ought not to enjoy it unle&s;&s;e you will looke favourably upon me, I be|&s;eech you be &s;o generous as to pronounce my death under your hand, that I may have the glo|ry of dying in obeying you.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Spitridates,</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>The Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta</HI> blu&s;hed all the while &s;he read this letter, and <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> did &s;o &s;eriou&s;ly ob&s;erve her, that he made no que&s;tion but it was a letter of &s;ome impor|tance, though he could not imagine the truth: But whil&s;t he was gue&s;&s;ing at it, the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Pontus</HI> cal'd for her dear <HI>He&s;eonida</HI> to &s;hew her this letter, her &s;elf not being able to contain her wonder at the contents of it, nor well knowing whether or no, &s;he &s;hould let <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ee it, becau&s;e her mode&s;ty made a &s;cruple of it. But <HI>He&s;eonida</HI> upon &s;erious con&s;ideration of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and how he had &s;ent this letter unopened unto her, &s;he thought it but fit &s;he &s;hould tru&s;t him with the &s;ecret of it. Moreover, this Prince&s;&s;e knowing very well how gro&s;ly <HI>Spitridates</HI> was mi&s;taken, and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was as con&s;tant unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> as her &s;elf was unto the Prince of <HI>Bithynia,</HI> &s;he re&s;olved to let him &s;ee it, le&s;t he &s;hould imagine it to be of another nature then it was: &s;o that without further delay, &s;he writ the&s;e lines,</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>ARAMINTA <HI>&V;NTO</HI> CYRUS.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Sir,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>IT is fit my confidence in you &s;hould equall your civility: and &s;ince you would not open that letter which by the lawes of warry you very well might, I will &s;hew you one which I ought to conceal, if I did not think you as di&s;creet as you are generous. You may judge by it Sir, after you have read it, how ingenious fortune is to per&s;ecute me, &s;ince unle&s;&s;e you will be plea&s;ed to tend me your helping hand you will augment my mi&s;eries: I be&s;eech you pardon the crime of unfortunate</HI> Spitridates, <HI>in thinking you to be guilty of one, and help me to lament his mi&s;eries and to &s;weeten mine: you may if you plea&s;e, Sir, &s;end back this letter unto me by him who brought it, to the end I may know a little better, in what condition that unfortunate Prince is;</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Araminta.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>This Prince&s;&s;e had no &s;ooner done writing, but &s;he inclo&s;ed the letter of <HI>Spitridates</HI> in her own, and fealing them up gave them both unto <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> who returned to his ma&s;ter after he had received as much civility as the perplexities of that Prince&s;&s;e would permit her: After which, &s;he began to repeat all his misfortunes, with re&s;en|ting
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aggravations. In the mean while <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who longed for an occa&s;ion to oblige her, as &s;oon as he had read the letter of <HI>Spitridates</HI> and her own, did &s;end it back unto her by him that brought it, and an&s;wered her in the&s;e termes.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>CYRUS</HI> &V;NTO THE PRINCESSE <HI>ARAMINTA.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>SInce the lawes of warr ought never to contradict tho&s;e re&s;pects which are due unto per|&s;ons of your Quality and virtue, doubtle&s;&s;e I have done no more then what I was obli|ged unto: But for your part Madam, you have gone farr beyond what might be requi|red at your hands. All I can &s;ay, unto you by way of gratitude for the confidence you have in my di&s;cretion, is to a&s;&s;ure you, that the Prince is only mi&s;taken in Name, when he &s;peaks unto you of that affection, which your merits hath planted in my heart, &s;ince certainly my love of you is as perfectly pure, as his love is con&s;tant: I am confident Ma|dam that what I now &s;ay, will not offend you, but that you will be plea&s;ed if I conjure you &s;o to tran&s;act with</HI> Spitridates <HI>(who&s;e virtue makes me admire him) that he will looke upon me as his friend, as I am re&s;olved to be and already am, that &s;o ju&s;tifying me, you may thereby ju&s;tifie your &s;elf al&s;o: And in the interim I promi&s;e you, maugre the hatred which doubtle&s;&s;e he conceives again&s;t me, that I will be very carefull of re&s;toring him unto his liberty, as &s;oon as ever the Gods have made me &s;o happy as to relea&s;e the Prince&s;&s;e</HI> Mandana.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Cyrus.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>This Letter being given unto him who brought that of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> he was conducted unto the Prince&s;&s;e, who made no que&s;tion of being by him fully informed of the for|tune and condition of that Prince: But &s;he was a&s;toni&s;hed when &s;he found he did not know &s;o much as that he was a Pri&s;oner: He could only tell her, that about &s;ome moneth &s;ince, there were &s;ome pri&s;oners brought from <HI>Heraclea</HI> in the night time, and that they were clo&s;ely kept, but he could not tell who they were: Then &s;he asked him what was reported of <HI>Spitridates?</HI> to which he an&s;wered that none knew what was become of him, and that all the people both in <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Bithynia</HI> did much lament him. After this, &s;he enquired concerning <HI>Arbianes</HI> and <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> who he &s;aid were in health: So that &s;ince &s;he could not receive any further &s;atisfaction from him, &s;he re&s;olved not only to &s;end him back with a letter, but al&s;o to &s;end one of her &s;ervants with him, to &s;peak with the man who was to meet him in the Temple of <HI>Heraclea:</HI> Then without more delay, the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta</HI> writ unto <HI>Spitrida|tes,</HI> and chu&s;ing out a &s;ervant to &s;end back with him who brought the letter, &s;he recompen&s;ed him in an ample manner: for though &s;he was a pri&s;oner, yet &s;uch was the genero&s;ity of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as he allowed her what&s;oever &s;he plea&s;ed: In the mean time, the treaty concerning the exchange of this Prince&s;&s;e for the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> went &s;low|ly on: for <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> did &s;o delay the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, as that there was not one Article re&s;olved upon the day before the Treaty was to end: <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner con&s;ented unto any thing, but <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> rai&s;ed a new difficulty in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: and his &s;ecret de&s;igne to gain time, did &s;o manife&s;tly appear, that though it concerned the liberty of the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> yet the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> was the fir&s;t that told <HI>Cyrus,</HI> it was not fit to treat any longer with &s;uch a Prince as was not &s;incere in his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: and the rather, becau&s;e it was reported there was great joy in the Army of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> for the arivall of &s;ome Egyptian
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forces, which were reported to be commanded by a Prince of a mo&s;t gallant deport|ment. So that perceiving this Treaty was onely a colour wherby to protract the war: It was re&s;olved to prolong it no longer, what propo&s;itions &s;oever the enemies made, yet would not <HI>Cyrus</HI> break it until the la&s;t minut of it was expired: but as &s;oon as ever that was, and the Commi&s;&s;ioners for treaty on both &s;ides being come back, <HI>Cyrus</HI> renewed the war; And began to draw up his forces, to pa&s;&s;e over the river <HI>Halis</HI> at that pa&s;&s;age, where the brother of <HI>Andramites</HI> commanded: and &s;ince there was in that plate, a great and &s;tately Ca&s;tle, as &s;oon as the Ar|my had pa&s;&s;ed the river, and the For<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">orn hope of <HI>Cyrus</HI> had beaten back the &s;couts of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> to the very wals of <HI>Sardis, Cyrus</HI> cau&s;ed the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the Ladies to be brought into that Ca&s;tle, to the end that <HI>Abradates</HI> might not be troubled to pa&s;&s;e over the river, when he went to &s;ee <HI>Panthea:</HI> in the mean time this great &s;oul which was capable of many things at once, in the mid&s;t of all his amorous &s;ufferings, was as vigilant as any young ambitious man, and as prudent as any old weather-beaten Captain he did not onely know how many troops he had, what ammunition, and what magazins, and artillery, but he knew al&s;o who commanded every particular &s;quadron, and who was fitte&s;t to be tru&s;ted in any dangerous expedition: he knew the capacites of every Captain, even to the per&s;onal valour of every private &s;ouldier: &s;o that when he drew up his army into Battalia, every one was ranked in &s;uch a place as was fitte&s;t for him: but whil'&s;t his diligence was in the ordering of every thing, it was much murmured in the army, that <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> &s;hould revolt unto the enemy, and intelli|gence was one day brought unto him, when the kings of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and <HI>Hircania, Tigranes, Mazares,</HI> and many others were pre&s;ent, that this <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> was the one|ly advi&s;er of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> how to rank his men in the day of battle; and as &s;ome pri&s;oners which were taken were brought unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and as he asked them, how they thought <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> would order his army? they an&s;wered they heard &s;ay, that all would be di&s;po&s;ed according to the coun&s;el of a certain Medean who was come unto their &s;ide, and who advi&s;ed them to alter that order which they were accu&s;tomed to ob&s;erve. The pri&s;oners had no &s;ooner given this an&s;wer, but every one knew it was <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> they &s;pake of: but they were all much amazed to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> in lieu of being angry again&s;t him, onely &s;mil'd and &s;aid, that he wi&s;hed this Medean in his power. Yet he had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but without any further reflection upon it he called a councel of war, to con&s;ult upon the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e in general yet there did not need any where <HI>Cyrus</HI> was: for he &s;o &s;trengthened his advice with &s;uch &amp; &s;o many prevalent rea&s;ons, that none ever oppo&s;ed him: &s;o that the Kings of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Phrygia, Hircania, Su&s;iana,</HI> and <HI>Mazares, Tigranes, Per&s;odes, Phraaries, Gobrias, Gadates, Anaxaris,</HI> and every one referring all things to his conduct: he began to con&s;ider of all things requi&s;it for the march of his Troops, and for the day of battle; in order to that he cau&s;ed all the officers of his Armie to come before him, and gave every one of them his particular order what to do: &s;o that their bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was onely to obey his orders, and that was enough: it is your care, (&s;aid he unto the Captains) to inclo&s;e the wor&s;t of your &s;ouldiers with the be&s;t, that their valour may on all &s;ides be exemplary, and keep them from running away: afterwards, he commanded the Captains what confidence &s;o ever they had in their men, yet to exhort them unto their duty, and be &s;ure to puni&s;h cowards telling them, that the onely way to make their &s;ouldiers invincible, was to make their &s;ouldiers to &s;tand in more fear of their Commanders, then of their enemies; after that, he gave all nece&s;&s;ary orders for the march of his Artillery and baggage, as well as for the Chariots of war: he ordered how the Regiments &s;hould march one after another, and was very circum&s;pect that none &s;hould be di&s;plea&s;ed with his imployment, he took or|der for the Archers which were to be carried in tho&s;e Chariots, a&s;&s;igning every one in all this great Armie his particular dutie, and his &s;oul was of &s;uch a large capacitie, as made it apparent that he could govern the whole univer&s;e with as much ea&s;e as others could a private family. This one thing he did e&s;pecially recommend unto all his of|ficers, that tho&s;e that were of the Rere-guard &s;hould alwayes keep them&s;elves in as ready a po&s;ture to fight, as if they were in the front of the battle. All things being thus ordered, and it being re&s;olved to match the next morning, <HI>Cyrus</HI> the night before went to take his leave of the Prince&s;s accompanied with mo&s;t of any qualitie in the Army,
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and among&s;t the re&s;t tho&s;e that had neere&s;t relation unto that place, as <HI>Phraartes, Andra|mites,</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis:</HI> who knowing that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> would &s;urpri&s;e the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> and that his father who was governour, would be forced to declare him&s;elf, he made no difficulty at all in fighting for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;ince &s;o many other Lidians would be in his Army. <HI>Cyrus,</HI> being full of generous civility, told all the Ladies in general, that he would do all he could to prevent their &s;hedding of tears after the victory which he hoped to obtain, a&s;&s;uring the Princes <HI>Araminta</HI> for her particular, that he would not fail in any thing he had promi&s;ed <HI>Cyrus</HI> had that night as much joy in his a&s;pect as might ea&s;ily per&s;wade unto a belief of a happy &s;ucce&s;&s;e in that battle which he was to fight; <HI>Panthea</HI> al&s;o added unto the hopes of it, imagining he knew well enough that his ene|mies were not &s;o &s;trong as they gave out: but he told her, that on the contrary he under&s;tood there was an extraordinary gallant Egyptian Prince come unto his enemies, and that the Prince of <HI>My&s;ia</HI> was al&s;o arived at <HI>Sardis,</HI> and further that a valiant <HI>Jo|nian</HI> Commander called <HI>Arima&s;pes</HI> was come with Auxiliaries to the aid of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us:</HI> but &s;ince the valiant <HI>Abradates</HI> is on my &s;ide (&s;aid he) and &s;ince <HI>Ju&s;tice</HI> is al&s;o on our &s;ide, I &s;hall not de&s;pair of victory: but I &s;hall have this con&s;olation at the lea&s;t, that I will either get the victory or die: after this, he took his leave of them and all the re&s;t of the Ladies, every one of them commending his civilitie, and praying for his pro&s;perity. Yet <HI>Phraartes</HI> could not obtain one &s;mile from the Princes <HI>Araminta,</HI> who&s;e &s;orrows for the pri&s;onment of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and fears of the battel were &s;o great, that &s;he hard|ly took any notice of him: as for <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> he received all imaginable expre&s;&s;ions of tenderne&s;&s;e from his dear <HI>Leoni&s;a:</HI> but for <HI>Andramites,</HI> he &s;aw <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> onely in termes of civilitie, yet he did not think him&s;elf altogether mi&s;erable, &s;ince &s;he looked &s;o well as in termes of civility upon him: in the mean time <HI>Abradates</HI> took not his la&s;t leave till the next morning: but as he was ready to put on his Arms which he u&s;ed to wear, <HI>Panthea</HI> &s;ent him a mo&s;t magnificent &s;ute which &s;he had &s;ecretly cau&s;ed to be made, and which &s;he trimmed up with all her jewels; His helmet glittered with abun|dance of rich Diamonds, and had a plume of purple colour; the re&s;t of the arms were &s;utably rich, and of the &s;ame colour with his plume: &s;o that <HI>Abradates</HI> wondering to &s;ee a &s;tately &s;ute of arms, began his thanks unto his dear <HI>Panthea,</HI> by complaining a|gain&s;t her for dre&s;&s;ing his arms with her jewels, which were for her &s;elf at a fea&s;t of rejoycing after the victory. I have &s;o great an opinion of your valour (&s;aid &s;he unto him) and we are &s;o indebted unto the illu&s;tirous <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that I thought it re|qui&s;it you &s;hould weare very remarkable arms, to the end your glorious acts, may the more ea&s;ily be di&s;cerned by him in the day of battle: but for all the courage of <HI>Panthea,</HI> &s;he could not pronounce the&s;e words without a &s;hower of teares: &s;he endea|voured to hide them, le&s;t <HI>Abradates</HI> &s;hould take them as a &s;ad omen, nor would that Prince take notice of them, le&s;t it &s;hould too much melt her heart and his own: but many expre&s;&s;ions of an inviolable eternal affection pa&s;&s;ed between them: and he promi&s;ed &s;o to acquit him&s;elf in the &s;ight of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as &s;hould become him, &s;o that in&s;en&s;ibly ingaging them&s;elves in a di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> they did infinitely commend him for his civil u&s;age of them, <HI>Panthea</HI> making the time as long as &s;he could before they bad this cruel adieu, purpo&s;ely the longer to enjoy the &s;ight of her dear <HI>Abra|dates,</HI> who was never &s;o hand&s;om, and gallant as in this glorious &s;ute of arms. But the time did come that he mu&s;t leave her, and he embraced his dear <HI>Panthea,</HI> and then pronouncing the word adieu, he went out of her chamber, to mount into a mo&s;t magnificent Chariot of war which waited for him at the Ca&s;tle-gate, <HI>Panthea</HI> follow|ing him with all the re&s;t of the Ladies which were pri&s;oners. And he e&s;pying her with &s;uch a &s;adne&s;&s;e in his countenance as was not &s;utable to his great and heroique &s;oul, he went back unto her, and taking her by her fair hand, which he ki&s;&s;ed with a &s;ad devotion, and being de&s;irous &s;he would go in again, I pray unto the gods, (cryed he out) I may behave my &s;elf as one that is worthy to be <HI>Pantheas</HI> husband, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> his friend, after which conjuring her once more to retire, he left her, and went ha&s;tily into his Chariot: but &s;he was not retired till he was quite out of &s;ight, he &s;till looking upon her as long as he could. But as if the con&s;tancy of <HI>Panthea</HI> had been in&s;pired that &s;he &s;hould never &s;ee him again, &s;he &s;ounded, and her women were forced to carry her to bed.</P>
<P>In the mean time, never was &s;uch a glorious &s;ight as this Army, for not
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onely <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the king of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Mazares,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the Princes were mo&s;t ma|gnificently armed; but there was not a common &s;ouldier, which &s;hined not in his arms: &s;o that the &s;un &s;hining that day without a cloud, made the march of this army the mo&s;t glorious &s;ight that ever eye beheld. All the Cavalry had marrions of burni&s;h Bra&s;&s;e, with white feathers, their &s;uits of arms carnation colour, and their lances all gilt or imbroidered. As for <HI>Cyrus</HI> his arms were the &s;ame of gold, which he wore that day he gained the victory over the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> the hor&s;e he rid on, had al&s;o the honour to &s;erve him in many of his victories, and particularly in that: &s;o that the king of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> knowing the&s;e armes, he &s;ighed, and could not chu&s;e to &s;ay unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I pray heavens, (&s;aid he unto him) that tho&s;e arms which now you wear, prove as for|tunate again&s;t <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and the kings of <HI>Pontus,</HI> as they did again&s;t me, and I be&s;eech the gods I may make better u&s;e of mine this day then I did on that. You did &s;uch glorious things that day, (replid <HI>Cyrus</HI> mode&s;tly) that if fortune had not been your foe, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had not been conquerour, and therefore I have greater hopes this day in your valour then in mine own. Then <HI>Mazares, Tigranes, Phraartes, Anaxares, Go|brias, Gadates,</HI> and all the volunteers coming unto him, he commanded that all the army &s;hould march; he him&s;elf did lead up the vanguard with the king of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> unto whom he gave the right hand, and offered him the command of it: <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> commanded the main body of the battle, wherein were all the Homotimes: the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> the rare guard: and <HI>Abradates</HI> al the Chariots of war, which made a di&s;tinct body of it &s;elf: <HI>Cyrus</HI> then beginning to advance, having fir&s;t &s;ent out &s;couts to di&s;co|ver the enemy, gave motion to this huge body, who with one wink di&s;per&s;ed &s;pirits into it. <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> al&s;o and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> prepared for a general combate, and neglected nothing that might get a victory. Tis true, there was a va&s;t difference between the&s;e two armies: for hope was in that of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and fear was in the <HI>Lydi|an</HI> kings. Not that he was any thing inferiour in numbers, e&s;pecially &s;ince the arival of the Egyptian Auxiliaries, and of tho&s;e forces which the Prince of <HI>My&s;&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Arima&s;pes</HI> brought up: but the very name of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was grown &s;o terrible every where, that it was no &s;ooner known in the camp of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> this prince was come over the river <HI>Halis,</HI> but fear &s;ei&s;ed upon the hearts of all his &s;ouldiers, and the night following their frontier Guards gave many fal&s;e alarmes to their own &s;ide, for they apprehended &s;uch fears as made them beleeve they &s;aw what they &s;aw not, &s;o that they &s;tood all night in their arms. <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> then fearing le&s;t this general terrour &s;hould grow to be one of tho&s;e panick fears which hath ruined whole armies, without a blow, re&s;olved to expre&s;&s;e &s;ome courage, and by his example to infu&s;e it into others, that he might meet <HI>Cy|rus:</HI> &s;o that the morning after, he di&s;encamped, and advanced a little beyond <HI>Thy|barra,</HI> at the &s;ame time <HI>Cyrus</HI> was drawing towards him: &s;o that the&s;e two huge armies encamped that night within fifty furlongs of each other. <HI>Cyrus</HI> becau&s;e he would not be &s;urpri&s;ed, pa&s;&s;ed over all that night without any &s;leep: and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> being as vigilant as he, they were witne&s;&s;es of the pains he took in every thing, and how he neglected nothing that might obtain a victory. In the mean time the&s;e three illu&s;terous Rivals &s;pent all the night together in one tent, but with different thoughts, though <HI>Mandana</HI> was the onely object of them all. As for <HI>Cyrus</HI> his cer|tainty of <HI>Mandanas</HI> love, maugre all the manaces of the gods, afforded him many hours of joy amid&s;t his &s;ufferings: whereas on the contrary, the king of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> maugre the favourable oracle which he received at <HI>Babylon,</HI> knowing he was not loved, and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was many times po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with &s;uch fits of fury, as he had much ado to ma&s;ter them. <HI>Mazares,</HI> though his thoughts were le&s;&s;e violent, yet was his &s;orrow a heavy load upon his heart, for when he began to con&s;ider, how he had impo&s;ed upon him&s;elf a nece&s;&s;ity of never pretending further then to the frend&s;hip of <HI>Mandana,</HI> he knew not whether he was able to keep within tho&s;e limits which he had pre&s;cribed unto him&s;elf: on the other &s;ide, the king of <HI>Pontus,</HI> thought him&s;elf as mi&s;erable as any, e&s;pecially when he con&s;idered that it was not a victory could make him happy, &s;ince when he had conquered <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he could not conquer <HI>Mandana,</HI> unto whom he had not &s;poke one word of the battle towards, le&s;t it &s;hould trouble her too much: for it may well be &s;aid, never was ravi&s;her le&s;&s;e violent, and more re&s;pective then him&s;elf: &s;o that <HI>Mandana</HI> and the princes <HI>Palmis</HI> not knowing they were ready to fight, for their liberties, did both condole and comfort each other. Yet was <HI>Mandana</HI> very &s;orry &s;he
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did not credit <HI>Mazares,</HI> for &s;he under&s;tood by <HI>Cyleni&s;a</HI> how that Prince was really gone unto <HI>Cyrus.</HI> The Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> for his part, he did &s;uffer unconceivable tor|ments of mind, not onely by rea&s;on of his own impri&s;onment, but for the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Pal|mis,</HI> and in thinking upon the Battle which was ready to be given: yet as brave as hee was, he was &s;omething glad that he was not to bee in it, becau&s;e the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis</HI> could not hereafter upbraid him for fighting again&s;t the King her father. But as re&s;tle&s;s as the&s;e three, nay all the&s;e Illu&s;trious per&s;ons were, I think it may truly be &s;aid, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> being mo&s;t amorous, was mo&s;t tormented, or at lea&s;t mo&s;t diligent to obtain the victory: For no &s;ooner did <HI>Aurora</HI> begin to gild the clouds from the Ea&s;t, then hee awaked all his Camp, by &s;ound of Trumpets, Drums, Fifes, and Howboys: &s;o that all this va&s;t Army, was in a moment in their Armes, and ranked under their co|lours, ready to obey their Generall; who, being as full of Piety as valour, com|manded a Sacrifice to be offered unto the Gods, and to beg victory from them: and willed the Sacrificers to u&s;e no other Ceremonies then after the <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> cu&s;tome: &s;o that the <HI>Magi</HI> who made preparations for this Ceremony, made choice of a Hill, which was in the mid&s;t of the Camp, to &s;acrifice unto the Sunne, which they called, <HI>Oco&s;mades,</HI> and unto <HI>Venus &V;rania,</HI> whom they called <HI>Mitra,</HI> and unto <HI>Jupiter; Cyrus</HI> making choice of the&s;e three divinities: to the end that <HI>Jupiter</HI> might give him power to vanqui&s;h; that the <HI>Sunne</HI> might &s;hine upon his victory; and that <HI>Venus &V;rania</HI> might favour his de&s;igne of <HI>Mandanaes</HI> relea&s;ement; Since the Per&s;ians ne|ver u&s;e to &s;acrifice, but under the Canopy of Heaven, nor dre&s;&s;e up any Magnifi|cent Altars, nor light any Fire, nor u&s;e any Crowns of flowers: the Ceremony was not long, for the Sacrificers do nothing but put a wreath of Myrtle upon their heads, and carry the Victims up to the Hill they make choi&s;e of: and there they invoke the Gods unto whom they &s;acrifice, and according to the Per&s;ian cu&s;tome, which is ne|ver to make any prayers but for all the Per&s;ians in generall, excepting for their King, they ask of tho&s;e divinities all that may be glorious unto their nation, and by con&s;equence victory: Afterwards they pray for all their Army, and for <HI>Ciaxares</HI> onely in particular: <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;iring to make no di&s;tinction between Per&s;ians and others; In the mean time, how early &s;oever the <HI>Magi</HI> were, tho&s;e of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> were before them: 'Tis true, it was in a different manner: For &s;ince he and the King of Pontus, and the Prince of My&s;&s;ia, and all the other great Commanders, had ob&s;erved that their &s;ouldiers &s;tood in fear of their enemies, and that the very name of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;truck a terror into them, they were them &s;elves afraid le&s;t this panick fear &s;hould put their Army into di&s;order: Therefore &s;ince they were to fight a deciding battle, they thought be&s;t to infu&s;e mettle into their men by &s;ome rules of religion. And in order to that, they brought into u&s;e an ancient &s;acrifice u&s;ed in wars, in the time when <HI>Heraclides</HI> raigned in <HI>Lydia:</HI> And about two hours after midnight, they make ready their Altars in the mid&s;t of the Camp, all the Souldiers being drawn a|bout them as in Battle array: After this, they make about the&s;e Altars, twelve fires, which &s;hews unto the Souldiers a great number of Victims, which the Sacrificers kill before them: About the&s;e Altars, fires, and bloody Victims, &s;tand two hundred men with &s;words drawn in their hands: After which, the&s;e men do &s;wear all the Officers, ne|ver to leave fighting untill they have met with deaths or victory; then they call all the Souldiers one by one, and make them promi&s;e and &s;wear with mo&s;t terrible&punc; Impr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ati|ons upon them&s;elves and their po&s;terity, to be obedient unto all that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> or their Officers &s;hall command them: and never to flee from battle, but every one to kill his fellow that &s;hall offer to give ground before victory be obtained, and if there were any which out of fear of &s;uch a &s;trange &s;acrifice, would not &s;wear, the&s;e men with &s;words in their hands were to kill them; and by this cruell example to affright the re&s;t to pro|mi&s;e what was de&s;ired them, though perhaps they had no intention to keepit: yet not|with&s;tanding &s;ince &s;uch things as the&s;e do extremely move the hearts of the multi|tude, the &s;ouldiers in the Army of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> in generall, did beleeve they &s;hall become more valiant after this Ceremony: &s;o that hopes &s;ucceeding their fears; the Army of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> began to be confident of happy &s;ucce&s;&s;e in Battle.</P>
<P>However, the King of <HI>Lydia</HI> did not tru&s;t more to the multitude of his men, then he did of &s;ome advantages which might be taken, and therefore he advanced to <HI>Hyberra,</HI> &s;o that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was much amazed, when after his &s;acrifices ended, and day began to break, he &s;aw his enemies removed from the place he thought them to be, coconceiving that they
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had po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed them&s;elves of a place of great advantage for them&s;elves: and the very truth is, if this Prince had not been full as wi&s;e as he was valiant, he had expo&s;ed his Army to an inevitable ruine. <HI>Thyberra</HI> was a Town of an indifferent largene&s;&s;e, &s;ea|ted upon a plea&s;ant Hill, &s;ome thirty furlongs from <HI>Sardis:</HI> at the foot of this hill ran a little river, which running round the walls made the acce&s;&s;e very difficult: So that it &s;eemed, <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> thought he &s;tood in need of all advantages to deal with &s;uch a Prince as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was. As this Hero was ever u&s;ed to &s;eek his enemies, and never to turn his back upon them, he drew up into battalia upon another hill, oppo&s;ite to that which <HI>Cre&s;|&s;us</HI> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, and &s;eemed &s;o exceedingly de&s;irous to be fighting, that he &s;tood in need of all his prudence, to &s;top the heat of that courage, which de&s;ired to hazard all then not fight. Yet upon better con&s;ideration, finding that if he lo&s;t this Battle his glory would receive a foil, and <HI>Mandana</HI> would not be relea&s;ed: he examined the matter a little better. He &s;aw that the right wing of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was &s;heltred with the Town of <HI>Thyberra,</HI> which on that &s;ide was naturally fortified, by the fall of many Torrents which time had made &s;o deep and impetuous, that the pa&s;&s;ages were not fordable: <HI>Cy|rus</HI> al&s;o &s;aw that the main body of his enemies was mo&s;t judiciou&s;ly placed, &s;o that more advantage could not be devi&s;ed: for indeed it was in a little wood, which nature had &s;o intrenched, that all art could not mend it: As for his left wing, it al&s;o had po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion of another Hill, the acce&s;&s;e unto which was through many ditches: &s;o that it were fond imprudence to fight vpon &s;uch di&s;advantages, e&s;pecially &s;ince <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was more numerous then him&s;elf. The King of <HI>Lydia</HI> hoped that <HI>Cyrus</HI> would have done as hee did at <HI>Artaxates,</HI> and in <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> &s;o that <HI>Cyrus</HI> hazarding all, and he nothing, he might chance get the victory. But &s;ince prudence will alter thoughts according to occa&s;ions, <HI>Cyrus</HI> who did hazard all in <HI>Armenia</HI> to deliver <HI>Mandana,</HI> where he might well in rea&s;on do it, would not do &s;o in <HI>Lydia,</HI> where he &s;hould hazard the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Mandana</HI> and the victory al&s;o: yet hee u&s;ed all po&s;&s;ible &s;tratagems to make <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> quit the ground he was in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of, and to provoke him to fight upon rea&s;onable termes. It may truely be &s;aid, all military Art was u&s;ed upon this occa&s;ion, to draw his enemy out of his holds: &s;o that every day both Armies had continually skirmi&s;hes, though <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not engage his enemy in a main Battle: In the mean while the place where he was encamped was very incommodious for him, for his enemies being ma&s;ter of the little river which ran by <HI>Thyberra,</HI> he wanted drink both for hor&s;e and man, and like|wi&s;e all manner of forrage. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then re&s;olving to di&s;incamp, re&s;olved to quarter neer <HI>Pactolus,</HI> where his Army might have plenty of all provi&s;ions, which he wanted in the quarters he quitted, and where he might ob&s;erve the motion of his enemies, which way &s;oever they moved, and force them to fight if they &s;tirred: the que&s;tion was, whe|ther they &s;hould remove in the night, or in the day time: for though prudence told <HI>Cyrus</HI> it &s;hould be in the night, yet his great &s;oul would not permit him: his chief rea&s;on why he de&s;ired to follow the motions of his courage was, becau&s;e he was in hope <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> would follow him, and &s;o he &s;hould face about and fight him. But &s;ince there was &s;ome danger in that attempt, and that good &s;ucce&s;&s;e was doubtfull: he re&s;olved up|on an honourable Retreat, in the face of an Army much &s;tronger then him&s;elf, and commanded by Princes expert in Command: &s;o that at break of day his fir&s;t Brigade began to march, the &s;econd followed; afterwards the Artillery, and Charriots marched in the head of the Infantry. The Orders of <HI>Cyrus</HI> were &s;o well executed, that the Re|treat was without di&s;order, except the fir&s;t Brigade of the right wing, wherein <HI>Cyrus</HI> was, becau&s;e the left wing of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> which was oppo&s;ite to it, and wherein the Lydi|ans and <HI>Mariandins</HI> were, was be&s;t able to fall upon this Prince, becau&s;e there was few|er ob&s;tacles on that &s;ide then any other: and they left them to charge that Prince, whom not a <HI>Lydian</HI> dur&s;t look in the face upon even termes, nor now a&s;&s;ault him but becau&s;e he retreated: In the mean time <HI>Cyrus</HI> commanded that body of Hor&s;e which <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> commanded, to keep their ground upon the plain, to the end his Brigade might retreat between the Hor&s;e, as indeed they did: But tho&s;e forces which <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> commanded that day, who retreated with the re&s;t of the Army, as well as tho&s;e which <HI>Anaxaris</HI> commanded, were a&s;&s;aulted by the <HI>Mariandines,</HI> who received them with much courage, e&s;pecially <HI>Anaxaris</HI> who indeed did miracles at that time. But do what they could, the Troops which they commanded were wor&s;ted, <HI>Anaxaris</HI> was wounded, and taken pri&s;oner, and <HI>A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">s</HI> more happy then he, di&s;ingaged him&s;elf from among&s;t
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them, and got among&s;t his own party. The enemy encouraged by this pro&s;perous be|ginning had advanced their victory, if <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> had not &s;topped them, and given them &s;uch a &s;harp repul&s;e, as merited the acclamations and prai&s;e of both Armies: for hee charged with &s;uch furious valour, as made it appear he merited the favour of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> and fighting both for his own glory, and the glory of his Ma&s;ter, he beat the <HI>Mari|andines,</HI> and <HI>Lydians,</HI> as farre as half way up the Hill from whence they de&s;cended. But three &s;quadrons comming fre&s;h upon him, and all the Cavalry of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> being com|manded to oppo&s;e the valour of <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> He and his forces were forced to &s;ubmit un|to &s;uch a multitude, and retreated in confu&s;ion, e&s;pecially becau&s;e they retreated down the Hill. <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who&s;e prudence could not be deluded, did fore&s;ee this, and comman|ded one part of his Troops to draw up into Battalia on the top of the next Hill, and or|dered his Brigade to keep the plain, to a&s;&s;i&s;t the retreat of <HI>Hyda&s;pes;</HI> and to that end he went from &s;quadron to &s;quadron, to exhort them all, to &s;hew them&s;elves worthy of that good opinion which he had of them, and their courage, and indeed, he had a con|fidence that they would do as heretofore they were accu&s;tomed, and never for&s;ake him: Yet as he charged tho&s;e who forced his men to retreat in di&s;order, the&s;e &s;ame &s;quadrons who promi&s;ed never to for&s;ake him, nor never yet had done &s;o, were bla&s;ted with that &s;ame fear which heretofore they were wont to a&s;toni&s;h others: &s;o that whether the multitude of their enemies did amaze them, or whether the tumultuous retreat of their own &s;ide did &s;hake their courage, they for&s;ook <HI>Cyrus:</HI> &s;o that there was no other cour&s;e for him, but to think of &s;aving him&s;elf, that he might &s;ave all his Army, yet he would not re&s;olve upon that cour&s;e, untill he was driven to the danger of being either killed or taken, more then once: &s;o loath was he to retreat from his enemies, who never met him but were beaten. Tho&s;e of his men whom fear frighted out of judgement, ran away to the bottom of the Hill, where all the Infantry &s;tood as a Re&s;erve: but tho&s;e who had &s;o much courage as to look danger in the face, and retain their rea&s;on, &s;tayed at a pa&s;&s;e in the plain, where there was a little blinde, which did in &s;ome &s;ort hide them. <HI>Cyrus</HI> who at this time had his &s;pirits as free, and his &s;oul as &s;eeing as if he were in no danger, &s;pying &s;ome of his men which made a halt in this place, be|gan to rally as many of them, as he could together, and couragiou&s;ly facing about upon his enemies did not only &s;top their pur&s;uit, but did vigorou&s;ly repul&s;e them, and beat them up the Hill which <HI>Cyrus</HI> his men had quitted: After this Heroick Act, <HI>Cyrus</HI> meeting with the King of A&s;&s;yria, the King of Phrygia, the King of Hircania; and all the Princes of his Army, he fully determined to give Battle, and not to alter from the fir&s;t Orders which he had given: and indeed there needed no other alteration, unle&s;&s;e that the fir&s;t Brigade of the right wing &s;hould change places with the &s;econd; <HI>Cyrus</HI> not conceiving them yet recovered out of tho&s;e fears into which they were driven, and therefore would not expo&s;e them to the fir&s;t &s;hock of the Battle: not but that there is ever &s;ome danger to change Orders in the face of an ene|my, yet the change of tho&s;e two Brigades was done in &s;uch excellent order, and re|gular motion, that the lea&s;t confu&s;ion did not appear: for commanding a counter|march, they pa&s;&s;ed from ones place to the others, between rank, and rank, and kept their di&s;tances and motions &s;o even, that in a very little time, they were ready to fight, as if there had been no change at all: All the Calvalry which <HI>Cyrus</HI> had rallied were &s;ent unto &s;uch Quarters as were fit to be po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed: and all things were &s;o &s;oon, and &s;o well ordered, that it was not di&s;cerneable any men were lo&s;t in this retreat; the lo&s;&s;e whereof in reallity was very &s;mall. In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> who was alwayes cir|cum&s;pect to chu&s;e the mo&s;t advantagious ground, e&s;pecially in the day of Battle, took the right wing, and quartered them with the fir&s;t Brigade, who&s;e &s;quadrons were compo&s;ed of Per&s;ians, Medes and Cappadoceans, and placed a Body of Volun|tiers, who de&s;ired the honour to fight where he did, between two &s;quadrons which <HI>Gadates</HI> commanded, in the head of which this Prince would fight: The mo&s;t emi|nent of the&s;e Voluntiers were <HI>Per&s;odes, Andramites, Ligdamis, Tim<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">n, So&s;ules, Her|mogenes, Bele&s;is, Or&s;anus,</HI> and <HI>Tegeus: Feraulus,</HI> and <HI>Ortalques</HI> alwayes keeping clo&s;e to their Ma&s;ters: Tho&s;e who this day &s;erved under this Prince, were the King of A&s;&s;yria, who commanded the fir&s;t Brigade, a&s;&s;i&s;ted by <HI>Aglatidas: Tigranes</HI> kept clo&s;e unto the per&s;on of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and was adjutant unto him as <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was unto the King of A&s;&s;yria. <HI>Artabanes</HI> commanded the Cavalry of this Brigade: In the mean
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while <HI>Mazares</HI> took upon him the command of the left wing, the fir&s;t divi&s;ion whereof was equal in number of &s;quadrons, to the fir&s;t divi&s;ion of the right wing: <HI>Gobrias</HI> commanding this fir&s;t divi&s;ion, was a&s;&s;i&s;ted by <HI>Adu&s;ius: Phraartes</HI> comman|ded the cavalry of this Brigade. The fir&s;t divi&s;ion of the infantry marching between the&s;e two wings, con&s;i&s;ted of five battalions: the artillery marched in the head of the infantry: and &s;o did the hundred armed charriots under the commande of <HI>Abrada|tes,</HI> who&s;e &s;tatly charriot was drawn by eight of the fine&s;t hor&s;es ever eye beheld: the &s;econd divi&s;ion of the right wing was commanded by <HI>Artaba&s;es,</HI> as the &s;econd divi&s;ion of the left was by <HI>Chri&s;antes:</HI> the &s;econd Brigade of infantry was divided al&s;o into five battalions; many &s;quadrons of hor&s;e were placed between the two Brigades of infantry, &amp; all the body of Per&s;ian Cavalry, wherein were the Homotimes, and the A&s;&s;y|rian Infantry commanded by <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> made up the body of the battle: The body of re|&s;erves, compo&s;ed of Phrygians and Hircanians, were commanded by the Kings of <HI>Phrygia</HI> and <HI>Hircania.</HI> All things being thus ordered, there was &s;uch an interior joy appeared in the a&s;pect of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as in&s;pired courage into the &s;oules of all tho&s;e that looked upon him: But that the &s;ame &s;pirit of valour which did animate him, might be infu&s;ed into all the army, he commanded a mu&s;ter of all his troopes, and going from Divi&s;ion to Divi&s;ion, from Brigade to Brigade, from Squadron to Squa|dron, and from Rank to Rank, he di&s;&s;ipated all feares out of cowards, and in&s;pired valour into them, and the mo&s;t couragious al&s;o.</P>
<P><HI>Remember my Companions</HI> (would he &s;ay unto the fir&s;t &s;quadrons) <HI>that it concernes you to fight this day, not only to get victory, but to keep that Glory which we have gotten at other times.</HI> Afterwards turning towards other Troops, <HI>Forget not</HI> (would he &s;ay unto them) <HI>that tho&s;e who fight ill, are in more danger then tho&s;e who fight well, and that in all places and fights, there is more &s;afty in keeping ground then flying.</HI> Then going a little further and &s;peak|ing unto others: <HI>Make it appear Souldiers</HI> (&s;aid he) <HI>that you know how to vanqui&s;h by Art, and never Triumph by hazard: Remember</HI> (would he &s;ay to others,) <HI>that mo&s;t of our enemies have been vanqui&s;hed by us before, and that they never vanqui&s;hed you: Let not the multitude of our enemies fright you,</HI> (would he &s;ay unto &s;uch who&s;e va|lour he &s;u&s;pected) <HI>for if you have but more heart then they, you will ea&s;ily overcome them though they were as many more. I &s;hould do you wrong</HI> (would he &s;ay unto &s;uch whom he de&s;ired to flatter) <HI>if I &s;hould exhort you to fight; It is enough if you do but as you were wont. Moreover my Companions,</HI> (&s;aid this Prince and went a little further) <HI>Remember that our Cau&s;e is Ju&s;t, and the gods are Ju&s;t. I know you are brave and Gallant men, and that you were never overcome, and that you ju&s;tly expect great Recompence. And I dare boldly promi&s;e both it and victorie unto you, if you will but do, as I will do my &s;elf.</HI></P>
<P>After, this <HI>Cyrus</HI> recommended three things e&s;pcially unto them all. The one was, to ob&s;erve each other in their march, that thereby the order of Battle might not be broken, but that their divi&s;ions might be even, and their di&s;tances equall:
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The &s;econd was, neither to be too backward when they charged, nor too precipi|tatly forward: And the la&s;t was, to let their enimies &s;hoot all their Arrows, and throw all their darts, before they began to &s;hoot and throw theirs. Afterwards <HI>Cyrus</HI> going to <HI>Abradates,</HI> told him that he expected to be a debtor unto him, for the victory which he hoped for: But the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> &s;eeing him&s;elf very di&s;ad|vantageou&s;ly placed, an&s;wered, that he &s;tood mo&s;t in need of his help to get the victory, and that he de&s;ired &s;ome Per&s;ians would come and teach him to fight. After which, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;till exhorting his &s;ouldiers, returned to the head of the right wing in which he was to fight: and he had no &s;ooner took his place, but <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> who had di&s;ingaged him&s;elf from the <HI>Lydians,</HI> came into the Army of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and pre&s;ented him&s;elf unto him. I am now come Sir, (&s;aid he unto him) to expiate the crime which I committed, by dying in your &s;ervice, as I writ to you that I intended when I went fir&s;t unto your enemies, purpo&s;ely to give you intelligence. We have &s;o much need of valiant men, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that as faulty as you are, I cannot chu&s;e but be glad to &s;ee you: and when you have given me a &s;hort account of what you know concerning the enemie, I will a&s;&s;igne you your place to fight with <HI>Andra|mites.</HI> Then <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> whi&s;pered with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and told him all which he thought of mo&s;t concernment: As &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> had well con&s;idered upon the advice which <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> gave him, he &s;aw the <HI>Lydian</HI> Cavalry appear upon the hill which was oppo&s;it to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and to divide them&s;elves into right and left wings, to make room for the maine Battle of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us. Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing by this, that now his enemies would fight, was infinitly joyed to &s;ee that his &s;eeming retreat had deceived them, and invited them to fight in hopes of a victory, upon more ea&s;ie termes now then ever, by rea&s;on of the di&s;order which happened. In the meane time, the Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in a condition to fight: and that of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was not: for the great diligence of this famous conqueror, &s;urpri&s;ed the &s;pirits of tho&s;e, who would have &s;urpri&s;ed him. And indeed without any delay, or giving his enemies &s;o much time as to rank them|&s;elves, <HI>Cyrus</HI> marched up to them, the &s;un being then three hours and a half high: untill now the Army of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was full of hopes to be victorious. But as &s;oon as ever they &s;aw <HI>Cyrus</HI> come to them with full re&s;olution to fight, their confidence failed, and victory became doubtfull. The word of Battle which <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave unto all his Troops, was, <HI>J&V;PITER our PROTECTOR.</HI> But all the Army animated by the pre&s;ence of a Prince, whom all the &s;ouldiers called a &s;econd Mars, in lieu of Crying Jupiter our Protector, made the aire eccho with the name of the god of war: &s;o that all crying out Mars, Mars, the noi&s;e of &s;o many &s;everall voices, mingled with the Mu&s;ick of Trumpets, Fifes, Hoboyes and Drums, &s;eemed to be acclamations of victory, though it was only the beginning of combate. The Charriots and the Artillery of <HI>Cyrus</HI> did much more execution then tho&s;e of his ene|mies, for they rained mo&s;t terrible clouds and &s;howers of arrows upon the Lydian troopes: and the artillery made &s;uch impetuous &s;hots of &s;tones upon the enemie, that they were exceedingly annoyed, in&s;omuch, as they had much ado to keep in or|der: yet <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> &s;eeing they were forced to fight, did &s;hew much gallantry, and came up to fight with great re&s;olution: yet were they put to one notable di&s;advantage, for they were forced to rank them&s;elves into Battalia as they marched: &s;o that it was a hard matter for a great body not &s;ettled in order, to &s;u&s;taine the &s;hocke of another which is better ordered. But yet at la&s;t they ranked their troopes: The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> notwith&s;tanding his imperfection, commanded the two divi&s;ions of the right wing, being a&s;&s;i&s;ted by <HI>Pactias</HI> who gave orders for him, this Prince having only the honour of the command, not being able to do any other &s;ervice, then by his per&s;onal Valour. The of Prince <HI>My&s;&s;ia,</HI> and a Lydian of qualitie called <HI>Artibies,</HI> commanded the two divi&s;ions of the left wing: <HI>Arima&s;pes</HI> the valiant Jonian Captain, commanded all the infantry: and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> all the other troopes which were as re&s;erves: <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was placed in the head of a body of Lydian Cavalry in the mid&s;t of the battle: the&s;e two great armies, were &s;ome thirty paces from each other, when <HI>Cyrus</HI> perceived the left wing of his enemy &s;ent three volleys of arrowes upon the right wing of his, &s;o that this Prince de&s;iring that his men &s;hould not &s;hoot theirs before the enemy had thrown all their darts, did make a &s;top to hinder them, and commanded that none
<PB N="204" REF="480">
&s;hould draw an arrow untill their Enemies had done theirs. This command was as ex|actly obeyed as Judiciou&s;ly given: from whence did ari&s;e three con&s;iderable advanta|ges: for it did redouble the fury of the troops in re&s;trayning them, it put order into all the divi&s;ions and ranks: and by receiving upon them&s;elves all the arrowes and darts of their enemies, they exhau&s;ted them of all at the very fir&s;t &s;hock: This being the &s;tate of things, The Prince of <HI>My&s;&s;ia</HI> to &s;ignall him&s;elf, advanced with his fir&s;t divi&s;ion again&s;t that of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who at the &s;ame time advanced to receive him: The&s;e two Divi&s;ions, being come within reach of darts, did both make a &s;tand a pretty while, both de&s;iring the other &s;hould begin: At la&s;t the Lydians more impatient, began to ob&s;cure the Ayre with an incredible Cloud of Arrowes and Darts: at the &s;ame time <HI>Cyrus</HI> Commanding his men to doe as he did, he threw the fir&s;t dart, and drawing their &s;words, ru&s;hed upon the &s;quadron which oppo&s;ed him, and did &s;uch miraculous acts, that all he did before was nothing in compari&s;on of this: his fir&s;t divi&s;ion couragiou&s;ly following him, charged the fir&s;t divi&s;ion of the <HI>Lydians</HI> with &s;uch fury, that they entirely routed them. <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ee|ing he had taught them in that place how to get a victory, di&s;engaged him&s;elf from among&s;t them, to &s;ee what other place &s;tood in need of his help: But he was no &s;oo|ner from among&s;t them, then the &s;econd divi&s;ion of the enemies &s;econding their fir&s;t, did &s;o repul&s;e that from which <HI>Cyrus</HI> departed, that all the king of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> valour could not &s;ave him&s;elf from being taken: 'Tis true he made a gallant re&s;i&s;tance, and charged through both divi&s;ions of his enemies: <HI>Tigranes</HI> al&s;o was unhappily woun|ded, and maugre his valour, taken pri&s;oner, though he did mo&s;t gallant things in the &s;ight of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> nor did he render him&s;elf untill his hor&s;e was killed, and was over|numbered by a multitude.</P>
<P>This being the &s;tate of things; the &s;econd divi&s;ion to repair the misfortune which it had in his retreat, had command to relieve the fir&s;t: Which it couragiou&s;ly did under the conduct of <HI>Artaba&s;es.</HI> In the mean while <HI>Cyrus</HI> having rallied his fir&s;t divi|&s;ion, fell upon them on one &s;ide whil&s;t <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> was on the other: And both this Prince and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> did &s;uch wonders, that the whole power of their enemies was not able to &s;top their valour: Yet the combate was a while very doubtfull: and victo|ry knew not which &s;ide to take, for &s;ometimes the Troops of <HI>Cyrus</HI> would &s;o pre&s;&s;e upon the <HI>Lydian</HI> Troops with &s;uch fury, as one would have thought them quite rou|ted and torne in pieces: And &s;ometimes they would &s;o rally, and charge afre&s;h, as would make tho&s;e who routed them before to &s;tagger: That which to the glory of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was mo&s;t remarkable, was, that there was not one of his &s;quadrons &s;quan|dred by any of the <HI>Lydian</HI> Troops, which <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not rally, and bring up again to fight with as much courage and judgement, and quickne&s;&s;e, as if he had been more then in one place at once, &s;o ready was he to do all that his great &s;oul d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d prompt unto him: And it is not imaginable how oft he charged, and how many &s;ingle com|bates he had: He no &s;ooner had vanqui&s;hed in one place, but he &s;ought out a new &s;ubject for his valour: and being not contented with overcomming all he met with, he &s;ought out for the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> with extream de&s;ire: But all in vain, for for|tune would not let them meet. In the mean while he met with fre&s;h re&s;i&s;tance, and the re&s;olutene&s;&s;e of his enemies gave him an ample &s;ubject for his prudence and valour; So that not enduring that the victory &s;hould continue any longer upon doubtfull tear<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">s, he cau&s;ed his body of re&s;erve to march up; The King of <HI>Lydia</HI> did the like but with different &s;ucce&s;&s;e; For the Kings of <HI>Phrygia</HI> and <HI>Hircania</HI> did &s;o &s;harply charge their enemies, and were &s;o exceedingly animated by the example of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> whom they &s;aw do &s;uch incredible acts of valour, as they had the honour to &s;econd him in his courage, and: outed the left wing and body of his enemies re&s;erve, who were forced to fly &amp; yield unto the valour of a Prince whom none could &s;urmount; In the mean while, &s;ince the whole Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in&s;pired with the &s;ame &s;pirit, <HI>Mazares,</HI> where he was, did as much as any brave Prince could do, who de&s;ired death and victory; for he charged the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> and <HI>Pactias</HI> with extraordinary valour. He did not only go unto them with a re&s;olution of fury, but &s;eeing they would not come unto him, be|cau&s;e they were on a very advantagious ground, he went up the hill unto them, with incredible courage, though without any di&s;order or indi&s;cretion, and charged them &s;o hotly, that he routed them; yet one of his &s;quadrons, pa&s;&s;ing up a place of difficul|ty,
<PB N="205" REF="480">
was repul&s;ed by one of the enemies &s;quadrons, but <HI>Gobrias</HI> releeved them, and forced the Lydian Squadron to do like their fellowes, which was to fly away in di&s;or|der; Yet The &s;econd divi&s;ion of the enemy ateempted to relieve their fir&s;t but <HI>Chri|&s;antes,</HI> comming up to <HI>Mazares,</HI> the right wing of the Lydians was entirely &s;quande|red; So that <HI>Mazares</HI> now made no doubt of victory, though him&s;elf was two or three times in danger to be taken by the enemy. The body of the battle, in the head of which were the Charriots, had no mean &s;hare in the victory; and <HI>Abradates</HI> did more then he promi&s;ed his dear <HI>Panthea,</HI> and indeed more then he &s;hould have done; for he did &s;o expo&s;e him&s;elf unto dangers, as if he had either known him&s;elf invulnerable, or el&s;e de&s;ired death; he drove the eight hor&s;es which drew his char|riot with &s;uch fury, as he tumbled down his enemies, and forced their charriots to fly; The re&s;t of the Charriots which followed him, doing the &s;ame, &s;truck terrour into all that oppo&s;ed them; Some of the enemies charriots fled; others were tumbled over and broken: all were rendred u&s;ele&s;&s;e to the Lydians. <HI>Abradates</HI> having done this, and &s;eeing the Egyptian Battalia keep their ground, went with his Charriots to rumble among&s;t them and overthrew all he met, either by the impetuo&s;ity of his Charriots, or by his &s;word, or with the Sythes wherewith the Charriots were ar|med: Never was &s;ight more terrible to behold then this: The hor&s;es trampled upon the bodyes of dead and dying men: The Syths cut off others: and the wheels ran over tho&s;e which the hor&s;es and Sythes tumbled down: But alas, the victory of <HI>Abradates</HI> pro|ved fatall unto him: for the field was &s;o &s;trewed with hor&s;es and dead men, with broken armes, and overturned Charriots, that he could not pa&s;&s;e but over Mountains of the&s;e mingled together: &s;o that the wheels &s;ometimes went high, and &s;ometimes low, and his Charriot unfortunately overturned maugre the skill of him which drove it: Yet <HI>Abradates</HI> di&s;ingaged him&s;elf from under it, and began to fight on foot, but was forced to yeeld unto a multitude, who &s;eeing him down fell upon him: &s;o that this valiant Prince and all tho&s;e with him peri&s;hed at this time; yet his death was re|venged to the full; For <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> and <HI>Gadates</HI> comming in, they charged all tho&s;e that fell upon <HI>Abradates,</HI> with &s;uch fury that they forced them to retire in confu&s;ion into the body of their battle; Afterwards <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> with tho&s;e troops under his com|mand charged <HI>Arima&s;pes</HI> and his troops, and all the Battalions of the fir&s;t divi&s;ion, char|ged tho&s;e enemies which oppo&s;ed them with &s;uch vigour, that <HI>Arima&s;pes</HI> as Great a Commander as he was, was forced to yeeld unto the valour of <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> not being able to re&s;i&s;t him long. The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> who fought with as much courage, and ill fortune, perceiving the di&s;order in <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> his Army, did what he could to Rally, and was twenty times in danger to be taken: But in that deplorable condition in which he &s;aw him&s;elf, he could do no good. <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> al&s;o, as well as he, gave many rare te&s;timonies of his courage, but could not finde any remedy again&s;t his misfortunes. He &s;aw the two wings of his Army broken in peeces, and the main body of the battle &s;quandred: He &s;aw the field was covered with his dead and dying men: That ter|rour was in all his Troops: they fled where&s;oever <HI>Cyrus</HI> a&s;&s;aulted them, and in &s;ome places where they were not a&s;&s;aulted. So that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> &s;eeing no way but to &s;ecure his per&s;on, and defend <HI>Sardis:</HI> And the king of <HI>Pontus</HI> thinking upon the pre&s;ervation of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> both the&s;e two Princes re&s;olved to retire; and &s;o they did notwith&s;tanding <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ought all over for them, and could not hear any thing of them: for they were gotten into a great body of hor&s;e, which ha&s;tily flying, rai&s;ed &s;uch a cloud of du&s;t as ob&s;cured their flight, and hindred him from the pur&s;uite: In the mean time <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mazares,</HI> being both of them in the heads of tho&s;e wings which they had &s;o gloriou&s;ly conducted, fell upon the Rear of the enemies battle, which con&s;i&s;ted only of the remainder of Infantry, the Hor&s;e being all fled away. So that
<HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing none that was able to re&s;i&s;t him, but one Egyptian Battalion which &s;tood &s;till upon their ground: He &s;ent <HI>Feraulus</HI> to take their Guards the Captain whereof was killed, and to give this Battalion Battel. But as <HI>Feraulus</HI> did execute the commands of his ma&s;ter, he found that the&s;e Egyptians did naught el&s;e but cover them&s;elves with their Bucklers, and &s;tood as men that were re&s;olved to dye upon the place: <HI>Cyrus</HI> wondring to &s;ee this Battalion neither advance nor retreat; and &s;eeing all his Army victorious, and al&s;o the Army of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> quite defeated; He commanded the fight to cea&s;e, and to ask the Egyptians, why they would not throw away their armes, if they
<PB N="206" REF="481">
intended to render them&s;elves, and why they did not fight if they would not? unto this they an&s;wered, that the Prince who commanded being dead, and his body in the middle of their Battalion, they were re&s;olved never to for&s;ake it; and therefore if <HI>Cyrus</HI> would have them &s;ubmit them&s;elves unto him, he mu&s;t give them leave to ren|der all the honours which was due unto his bodie, and go to bury him: this being gran|ted them, they would take the part of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and leave <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> who had for&s;aken them: otherwi&s;e they would be all killed upon the body of their dead Prince: <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;oon|ner heard their de&s;ires, but he admired their fidelity and affection to their Prince, and con&s;ented to their demands, appointing <HI>Feraulus</HI> to let the body of the dead Prince be carried in a Chariot of war whither they would have it, de&s;iring al&s;o to &s;peak with the chief commanders of the&s;e Egyptians, who without more delay lifted up the corps of their General. But as if heaven would recompence them for their fidelity, as the Chariot pa&s;&s;ed by <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he ca&s;ting his eyes upon him whom the E|gyptians thought to be dead, he perceived that as he leaned his head upon a Buck|ler, he opened his eyes: &s;o that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing a Prince &s;o hand&s;om as he was, in a con|dition to be recovered, commanded <HI>Feraulus</HI> to carry him into one of his tents: &s;o after this pur&s;uing his victory he went before <HI>Thybirra,</HI> and &s;ummoned it, which the &s;ame houre &s;ubmitted unto his di&s;cretion. So that having in one day won a battle, took a town, and relea&s;ed the king of <HI>A&s;|&s;yria, Tigranes,</HI> &amp; <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> he was mo&s;t triumphant: it is worth ob&s;ervation, that this pri&s;oner king was he who did capitulate about the &s;urrender of this town, unto which they who took him carried him: for the inhabitants &s;eeing them&s;elves with out any hopes of relief, or any power to defend them&s;elves, threw them&s;elves at his feet, be&s;eeching him to intercede for them unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> to u&s;e them well, which he promi&s;ed and perform|ed: for <HI>Cyrus</HI> at the reque&s;t of his Rival did mo&s;t generou&s;ly expre&s;&s;e all &s;ignes of clemency and &s;weetne&s;&s;e unto them upon all occa&s;ions. This victory left the con|quered no manner of con&s;olation: for the Lydians were totally defeated: they lo&s;t all their Artillery, all their En&s;ignes and all their Chariots, and all their Baggage. Abundance were killed, and abundance were taken pri&s;oners: <HI>Arima&s;pes</HI> that valiant Ionian was taken, and died the next day of his wounds: and all this with a very incon|&s;iderable lo&s;&s;e unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> unle&s;&s;e in the death of <HI>Abradates</HI> which did &s;o &s;en&s;ibly grieve him, that he expre&s;&s;ed much &s;orrow upon the field, and where he encamped that night, notwith&s;tanding his &s;atisfaction not onely to &s;ee that all his friends and &s;ouldiers had exceedingly well behaved them&s;elves, but al&s;o that his very Rivals &s;hould adde unto his glory. Seeing he had now nothing to do for the relea&s;ement of <HI>Mandana,</HI> but to enforce the walls of <HI>Sardis,</HI> his joyes at it did comfort him for the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Abradates;</HI> who&s;e corps he &s;ent to &s;eek, that he might render it all the honours it de&s;erved. And &s;ince the gods were plea&s;ed to &s;howre happine&s;&s;es upon him, af|ter &s;o many bitter &s;torms of misfortunes, as he went into his tent to re&s;t him&s;elf after all his glorious paines, there came a po&s;t unto him from <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> to let him know that his Armies were no le&s;&s;e pro&s;perous under his command, then under his own: for he had vanqui&s;hed all that ever oppo&s;ed him, and that the greate&s;t part of al lower <HI>A&s;ia</HI> was reduced under his Empire: at the &s;ame time al&s;o arived an Envoye from <HI>Ci|axares,</HI> to tell him that he could &s;pare him many fre&s;h troopes, becau&s;e <HI>Thomiris</HI> was not in a capacitie to make any war upon him, &s;ince &s;he was de&s;perately &s;ick of a langui&s;hing di&s;ea&s;e which was like to co&s;t her her life, or her rea&s;on. And to compleat his happine&s;&s;e, a Cavalier whom he knew to be one of tho&s;e he heretofore had pardo|ned, for being in the con&s;piracie of cowardly <HI>Artanus;</HI> brought him a letter from <HI>Mandana,</HI> which before he read it, did induce him to beleeve that he had very ill expoun|ded the oracles of the gods, and that for the future he &s;hould be as happy under the name of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as he had been mi&s;erable under the name of <HI>Artamenes.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>The end of the fift Part.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="481">
<PB REF="482">
<PB REF="482" MS="y">
<P>THE Third Volume OF ARTAMENES, OR The Grand CYRUS, THAT EXCELLENT <HI>NEW</HI> ROMANCE: <HI>Being the <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 span">Sixth PART</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 span"></P>
<P>Written by that Famous Wit of FRANCE, <HI>MONSIE&V;R</HI> de <HI>SC&V;DERY,</HI> Governor of NOSTRE-DAME.</P>
<P><HI>And now</HI> ENGLISHED <HI>by</HI> F. G. <ABBR>E&s;q.</ABBR></P>
<P>LONDON, Printed for HUMPHREY MOSELEY at the Prince's Arms in St. <HI>Paul</HI>'s Church-yard; and THOMAS DRING at the George in Fleet-&s;treet. M. DC. LIV.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 N="6" TYPE="part">
<PB REF="483" MS="y">
<PB REF="483" MS="y">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR, CYRVS the GREAT. The Sixth Part.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="book">
<HEAD>BOOK. I.</HEAD>
<P>_THough <HI>Cyrus</HI> was infinitely impatient to &s;ee what the incomparable <HI>Mandana</HI> had writ unto him, yet it was a long time before he could reade the Letter; not only becau&s;e exce&s;&s;e of Joy had di&s;ordered his heart &s;o much, that he knew not whether he &s;hould beleeve what he &s;aw, but al&s;o becau&s;e hee would have the man who brought it tell him, whether he received it from the hand of <HI>Mandana?</HI> how hee &s;aw, and when? but hee had no &s;ooner asked him all &s;uch que&s;tions as he de&s;ir'd to be &s;atisfied in them, without &s;taying for his an&s;wer, he opened the Letter which had no &s;uper&s;cription, but when he had opened it, hee knew her Character, and found in the beginning of it the&s;e words.<LB>
<HI>The unfortunate <HI>Mandana</HI> unte the unfaithfull <HI>Cyrus.</HI></HI><LB></P>
<P>This Prince had no &s;ooner ca&s;t his eyes upon her cruell words, but hee &s;topt, and read them over the &s;econd time, yet with &s;o much wonder and de&s;paire, that hee could not chu&s;e but breake out into &s;ad expre&s;&s;ions of his &s;orrowes, in&s;omuch that feeling his heart full of violent Agitations, he return'd in private, but &s;till as he return'd he read <HI>Mandana's</HI> Letter, which contained the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<P>I would I could lock up in my heart my re&s;entments of your Incon&s;tancy: But I doe con|fe&s;&s;e my wonder is &s;o great, to heare that you have changed your opinion of me, that I cannot chu&s;e but vent both my admiration and indignation; though I know it argues weakene&s;s to make any complaints unto &s;uch as offends me, and that it &s;peakes more greatne&s;s of Soule not to accu&s;e &s;uch Delinquents as we are re&s;olv'd never to pardon. But &s;ince I cannot indure your change without complaint, I will complaine like one that will never be appeas'd: Therefore I doe declare unto you, that I will not any longer be the Pretence of the ambition, nor be the innocent cau&s;e of all <HI>A&s;ias</HI> de&s;olation. Render back unto my Father tho&s;e Forces which you have of his, to the end my fetters may never be unloo&s;ed by your hand, for I con|fe&s;s I had rather remaine a Captive &s;till under a re&s;pective Ravi&s;her, then to bee &s;et at Li|berty by a perfidious Prince, who hath heretofore given a hundred illu&s;trious Te&s;timonies of his fidelity unto</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>MANDANA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><PB N="2" REF="484">
<HI>Cyrus</HI> read this Letter with &s;o much &s;adne&s;&s;e, with &s;uch a&s;toni&s;hment and perplexity of &s;pirit, that he was forced to read it over againe: But the more he read, the more he was a|mazed, and the heavier was his heart: and though his innocency might have been a cordiall unto him, yet his too delicate a &s;oule could not without extreame &s;orrow, &s;uffer &s;uch an unju&s;t accu&s;ation: and his purity of love could not chu&s;e but be apprehen&s;ive, that <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould think him capable of any change in his affection to her; moreover, &s;ince it appeared not by her letter who it was &s;he thought he loved, he could not gue&s;&s;e whether it was <HI>Pan|thea</HI> or <HI>Araminta,</HI> for he rendred equall civilities unto them both: &s;o that being in a mo&s;t &s;ad de&s;paire, he &s;ent for him who brought the letter, to &s;ee if he could draw &s;uch conceits from him, as might give him any &s;atisfaction. This man then told him, that being in the cit|tadell of <HI>Sardis,</HI> when they brought the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis</HI> thither, he re&s;olved to &s;tay there untill he found an opportunity of paying a debt which was upon him, by doing &s;ome &s;ervice unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana;</HI> hoping alwaies to finde an oc|ca&s;ion to make it knowne unto &s;ome of the women which belonged unto that Prince&s;&s;e, how he was ready to attempt any thing which &s;he would command. He further &s;aid, that &s;ince &s;he was &s;trictly guarded, he could not devi&s;e any way how to execute his de&s;igne, un|till of late he met with an opportunity of talking with <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who at fir&s;t gave no credit unto his words, but afterwards beleeving what he &s;aid unto her, &s;he brought him this let|ter, a&s;&s;uring him it would be a very acceptable piece of &s;ervice unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> if he delivered this letter unto him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing this was all he could get out of the man, commanded <HI>Ortalques</HI> to have a care of him, and conjuring him to let none what&s;oever know that he brought a letter from <HI>Mandana,</HI> for he would not make his Rivals &s;o glad as to know he was in her disfavour: and love is of &s;uch a nature, as all tho&s;e in whom it is predominate, doe for&s;ee any thing that may either advantage or di&s;advantage their Ri|vals, a&s;well as them&s;elves: and therefore <HI>Cyrus</HI> would not adde unto his &s;orrowes, tho&s;e Joyes which he &s;hould finde in the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> eyes, if he &s;hould come to under&s;tand his di&s;grace. His re&s;pects al&s;o of <HI>Mandana,</HI> would not permit him to let it be knowne unto others, that &s;he was capable of &s;o much inju&s;tice and weakne&s;&s;e, and as all jealou&s;ie does argue love, &s;o his di&s;cretion would hide it in the Prince&s;&s;e. After <HI>Ortalques</HI> was return|ed with him, who thinking he had brought &s;uch joyfull newes unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> had filled him full of &s;orrow: <HI>Cyrus</HI> called for <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who was not a little &s;urmi&s;ed to finde &s;o much &s;adne&s;&s;e in his eyes. Sir (&s;aid he unto him after the &s;ame accu&s;tomed freedome which he e|ver u&s;ed unto his illu&s;trious Ma&s;ter) I did not think it po&s;&s;ible a victorious conqueror could be &s;o melancholy upon the very field of Battle. Ah <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> &amp; &s;hewed him <HI>Man|danas</HI> Letter) Fortune is more ingenious to torment me then you imagine, &s;ee (&s;aid he) Read the cruell words which my Prince&s;&s;e hath written, which mu&s;t needs poi&s;on all tho&s;e &s;weets which u&s;e to follow Victory. This is it, which makes me in&s;en&s;ible of the glory in Vanqui&s;hing, which bitters all my joyes, and ruins all my hopes. I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e (&s;aid <HI>Ferau|las</HI> after he had read the Letter) that I wonder how the Prince&s;&s;e who is &s;o prudent can thinke you unfaithfull; But for all that, I know not why you &s;hould &s;o exce&s;&s;ively grieve, for there is no que&s;tion in the World but it is an ea&s;ie matter to deceive her. No, no <HI>Ferau|las</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> my mi&s;ery is not &s;o incon&s;iderable as you thinke it: for &s;ince my Prince&s;&s;e can &s;o ea&s;ily beleeve I love her not, and that I fight only out of Ambitious ends; &s;he may as well doe me more injury: perhaps &s;he may ab&s;olutely take her heart from me, and give it to the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> whom certainly &s;he would never have &s;o con&s;tantly refu&s;ed, but for love of me. You know her, you know not how firme her re&s;olutions are: you &s;ee how &s;he would not let <HI>Mazanes</HI> relea&s;e her, and you &s;ee al&s;o how &s;he treates me as &s;he did him, &s;ince &s;he would have me &s;urrender up unto her father, tho&s;e forces which are his; and tells me plainly &s;he had rather be in the power of a re&s;pective Ravi&s;her, then be relea&s;ed by a perfidi|ous Prince: Fie, fie, <HI>Mandana</HI> (cryed he out) can any &s;o unju&s;t a thought harbour in your minde? can you beleeve it? is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould &s;et your hand unto it? Alas, alas, but &s;ince I &s;ee you have, I mu&s;t needs think you will not &s;ee my innocency, but that you are be|come the mo&s;t unju&s;t, the mo&s;t perfidious, and the mo&s;t ungratefull Prince&s;&s;e in the World. But Sir (&s;aid <HI>Feraulas</HI> and interrupted him) why may you not as well believe that as &s;oon as you have taken <HI>Sardis,</HI> the prejudicated opinion of the Prince&s;&s;e will cea&s;e? For truly when &s;he &s;hall &s;ee you pro&s;titute at her feet, all tho&s;e Lawrells which Fortune and Victory hath Crowned you withall; and that you doe no longer look upon <HI>Panthea</HI> or <HI>Araminta,</HI> &s;he mu&s;t needs repent of her errour, and render you her affection, which doubtle&s;&s;e &s;he ne|ver yet took from you, though &s;he have writ it; for if &s;he had, &s;he would never have
<PB N="3" REF="484">
writt unto you: however it be, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> my Prince&s;&s;e thinks I love not her, but that I love &s;ome other, &s;he thinkes that all I have done for her, the giving of &s;o many battles, the many hazards of my life only for her liberty, were only con&s;equents of ambition, not love: though heavens know all my affection of glory, all the ambition of my &s;oule, had never &s;et fire on all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> had never overturned &s;o many Provinces, nor Conquered &s;o many Kingdomes, if my love of her had not been my only &s;purr; yet &s;he thinks &amp; &s;he writes that all was but a Cloake to cover my Ambition, and never telling me whom it is &s;he accu&s;eth me to love, &s;he treats me as one whom &s;he loveth not; truth mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed <HI>Feraulas,</HI> there is &s;ome odd fan|ta&s;ticall fury in my Fate: may it not be &s;aid, that Fortune which makes all in the world happy and mi&s;erable, hath for&s;aken the care of the univer&s;e to thinke upon me only? for by an unexpected cruelty &s;he moves my &s;oule to pa&s;&s;e eternally from one extreame to another, and that there is not a minute between an extreame joy and an extreame misfor|tune: &s;he ever makes the &s;weet to precede the bitter, &s;o that it plainly appears, &s;he gives me the fir&s;t only to make me more &s;en&s;ible of the other: doe you not &s;ee in what a time, on what a day, at what an hour, and in what a place &s;he will have me receive this cruell letter from <HI>Mandana?</HI> had &s;he &s;ent it before the battle, perhaps Victory would now have &s;weetned that bitter Wormwood which is in my heart. But on the contrary, I mu&s;t receive it after I have overcome my enemies, and my Rivall: after I know all lower <HI>A&s;ia</HI> is reduced under my power: receive it when I was ready to take <HI>Sardis;</HI> in the field of Battle, where I &s;aw nothing about me but &s;ignes of my Victory: yet in the mid&s;t of all the&s;e cau&s;es of joy, &s;or|row mu&s;t needs clogg my &s;oule and overcome it, in&s;omuch as I am mo&s;t confident that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> who hath lo&s;t the Victory is not &s;o &s;ad as I am: But he hath more cau&s;e then you, replyed <HI>Feraulas:</HI> for truly Sir, all your Arguments cannot per&s;wade me that the Prince&s;&s;e can continue long in this beliefe. However, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I mu&s;t make ha&s;t and go to <HI>Sardis,</HI> that I may either peri&s;h under the Walls, or el&s;e come to throw my &s;elfe at <HI>Mandanas</HI> feet, and aske her with whom &s;he thinks me in love, and that I may prote&s;t unto her I love none but her &s;elfe. After this and much other di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Ferau|las,</HI> he re&s;olved to &s;end him who brought <HI>Mandanas</HI> Letter to him, with an an&s;wer unto that Prince&s;&s;e: For the man &s;eeming to be re&s;olute and bold, <HI>Cyrus</HI> thought it an ea&s;ie matter for him to gett into <HI>Sardis</HI> as indeed he did: &s;o <HI>Cyrus</HI> tran&s;ported by the violence of his pa&s;&s;ion writ a letter unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> but in &s;uch ha&s;t, as one may &s;weare it was the di|ctate of his heart, and his hand following his thoughts he writ the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>Vnhappy CYRUS unto unju&s;t MANDANA.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>It mu&s;t needs be that I love you better then ever any did, &s;ince notwith&s;tanding your in|ju&s;tice in calling me perfidious, I love you no le&s;&s;e then I did before. On the contrary, my pa&s;&s;ion is &s;o violent, and your unju&s;t accu&s;ation makes me &s;o &s;en&s;ible of it, that if you did but know the re&s;entments of my &s;oule, you would confe&s;s your &s;elfe to be the mo&s;t cruell and un|ju&s;t woman in the world. If fortune in War continue her &s;miles upon me, and that I find no greater difficulty in taking <HI>Sardis</HI> then in winning that Battle which <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> lo&s;t; you shall ere long (Madam) &s;ee me at your feet; and as you were my fir&s;t pa&s;&s;ion, &s;o you &s;hall be my la&s;t. In the interim, I be&s;eech you remember that you permitted me to affect glory; and thats the rea&s;on, I did not think it hand&s;ome to be rigorous after con|que&s;t; but that it was permitted me to be civill towards two great but unfortunate Prince&s;|&s;es, and to compa&s;&s;ionate their mi&s;eries. This is all I have done (to too unju&s;t <HI>Mandana)</HI> unto the two only Ladies I have &s;een &s;ince the War began; and to the only per&s;ons I thinke you can &s;u&s;pect me to be in love with. But how was it po&s;&s;ible (Madam) you should doe &s;o? How comes it to pa&s;&s;e you knew your &s;elfe, and me no better? However I be&s;eech you, di&s;pence with me from &s;urrendring my power unto the King your Father, untill I have &s;et you at li|berty, and when that is done (Madam) and when I have conquered all my rivals, I shall &s;ur|render the Army which I command unto the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> and leave you all the Crowns I have conquered, that you may weare them upon your head, and then (as I have already &s;aid) I will come and pro&s;trate my &s;elf at your feet, and either die with &s;orrow &amp; love, or el&s;e per&s;wade you that I was never unfaithfull, and that never any &s;ince the world began did love one more, then you are by</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>CYRUS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><PB N="4" REF="485">
This Letter being written, <HI>Cyrus</HI> read it over more then once, imagining that his repe|titions of it, would per&s;wade <HI>Mandana</HI> of his innocency, and after he had &s;ealed it, <HI>Fe|raulas</HI> was to give it unto the man who was to deliver it: yet upon &s;econd thoughts, <HI>Cyrus</HI> would needs deliver it with his owne hand, and it may truly be &s;aid, that never bringer of ill newes was better recompen&s;ed. After this he was forced again&s;t his will to take &s;ome houres of re&s;t: and the wearine&s;&s;e of the day precedent, and his &s;orrowes were &s;omething charmed by &s;leep, 'tis true his &s;leep was but an interrupted &s;lumber, and far from &s;oft &s;ecu|rity: for &s;ince his Imagination was &s;weld with nothing but tumultuous things, his &s;leep and dreames could not be plea&s;ant. But to &s;ee the force of his love, &amp; tenderne&s;&s;e of his affections; in lieu of dreaming upon combatts and noi&s;e, he dreames only of <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Abradates:</HI> he was full of various dreames, though all were &s;ad ones: &s;ometimes he &s;aw <HI>Mandana</HI> without <HI>Abradates,</HI> but he never &s;aw <HI>Abradates</HI> without <HI>Mandana:</HI> this Prince&s;&s;e was mo&s;t deeply imprinted in his Fancy, as well as in his heart, though that part of the &s;oule is accu&s;tomed to be light &amp; extravagant, and will ordinarily repre&s;ent &s;everall kinds of ob|jects, e&s;pecially in &s;leep. 'Tis true, the &s;leep of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not deep, nor la&s;ted long: a&s;&s;oone as he was awake, a councell of war was held in his Tent where the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Mu&s;sa|nes,</HI> and all tho&s;e that u&s;ed to be there, were pre&s;ent; where it was re&s;olved, that without giving any time unto the enemy, to recollect him&s;elfe, or to the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> to carry <HI>Mandana</HI> out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> they &s;hould the &s;ame hower goe and beleaguer the Towne: &s;o that without more delay, they con&s;idered the &s;cituation of it, &amp; when quarters were mo&s;t convenient to be po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed: <HI>Cyrus</HI> then a&s;&s;igned the quarters unto all his Army, which was to march that very hower: but he him&s;elfe &s;tayed untill the next day, becau&s;e he intended a vi&s;it unto <HI>Panthea</HI> to condole the death of <HI>Abradates</HI> with her, and to comfort her: but newes was brought that his Corpes could not be found upon the place where he fought, by rea&s;on of the abundance of men &s;laine which lay dead upon the ground; <HI>Cyrus</HI> com|manded &s;earch &s;hould be made the &s;econd time, and &s;ent for all the Captains that fought under <HI>Abradates</HI> and were alive, to a&s;&s;ure them that he would recompen&s;e the admirable &s;ervice both of their Ma&s;ter and them: Then after he had taken all requi&s;ite order for the Siege of <HI>Sardis,</HI> and for the interment of the dead, he took hor&s;e to vi&s;it <HI>Panthea,</HI> all or|ders for the beleaguering of the Towne were ea&s;ily executed; for as <HI>Cyrus</HI> fore&s;aw it would come to that pa&s;&s;e, he brought all manner of Engines with him, which were requi&s;ite for the taking of that Towne: But before he went to the place where <HI>Panthea</HI> was, he &s;tept into the Tent into which the Aegyptian Prince was carryed, who was &s;o loved by his &s;ouldiers; The chief of tho&s;e Egyptians who never did nor would for&s;ake him; told <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that the Chyrurgeons, after &s;earch of his wounds, did not de&s;paire of Life, but yet would not un|dertake for him; and though the Phy&s;itians did forbid any to &s;peak with him, yet theywould permit their illu&s;trious Conqueror to enter, but he refu&s;ed, knowing it might prejudice their wounded Ma&s;ter: &s;o commanding that all po&s;&s;ible care &s;hould be had of him, and a&s;&s;uring tho&s;e Egyptians that they might expect any thing from his a&s;&s;i&s;tance, he departed. But as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was as &s;ad after Victory as if he had been conquered: &s;o <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> were in a mo&s;t deplorable condition; the fir&s;t of the&s;e in flying away after the lo&s;&s;e of the Battle, did for&s;ee the lo&s;&s;e of his Kingdome: and though the <HI>Delphique</HI> Oracle a&s;&s;ured him, that if he undertook Warr with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he &s;hould ruine a great Empire, he was affrayed he meant his owne, and that he under&s;tood the Oracle &s;ince he &s;aw him|&s;elfe &s;o neer ruine: on the other part, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> con&s;idering he was the cau&s;e of his ruine who had protected him, imagined that he &s;hould now lo&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> as he had lo&s;t his Kingdomes; &s;o that the&s;e two Princes retired in &s;ilence and mourned in &s;ecret for their lamentable condition, not being able to complaine either again&s;t Fortune, or one a|nother, or of them&s;elves, &s;ince they knew them&s;elves to be the cau&s;es of their mi&s;eries: Terror had &s;truck &s;o deepe into the hearts of all their remainder of troops, that tho&s;e which followed them did continually imagine them&s;elves to be followed and a&s;&s;aulted: &s;o that by degrees they disbanded them&s;elves, and in little troopes tooke &s;everall waies: And <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;aw them&s;elves &s;o &s;lenderly accompanied, that they could ea&s;ily count all that followed them: &s;o that con&s;idering how in the morning they were in the head of 200000 Men, and that before night they &s;aw them&s;elves without one &s;ervant, &s;or|row and de&s;paire did &s;o &s;ei&s;e upon their &s;ad &s;oules, that not knowing what they did, and comming unto a place where the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e were &s;everall waies, they parted from each other without any intention &s;o to doe, and there was &s;o very few men with them, that it may well be &s;aid they were alone. Which way &s;oever <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> turned his eyes at the beginning of his flight,
<PB N="5" REF="485">
he &s;aw nothing but dead and dying men, and men that fled: Pre&s;ently after hee &s;aw none but a few affrighted per&s;ons who &s;aved them&s;elves in the Towne with their Baggage: At la&s;t leaving the high way, and cro&s;&s;ing the Country to get unto <HI>Sardis</HI> un&s;eene in &s;uch a de&s;picable condition, he came unto a little &s;olitary vally: &s;o that comming out of a terri|ble tumultuous world into a place where all was &s;ilent but onely a little murmuring Ri|volet, where birds were &s;inging, he &s;ighed, and, as if a place of &s;ilence were a place of &s;afety, he marched &s;oftly: But as hee turned his head to &s;ee who followed, hee found him&s;elfe alone, for of tho&s;e foure or five which did follow him when the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;trayed from him, one of them had his hor&s;e wounded, and could nor follow; another him&s;elfe wounded and &s;tayed behind, and all having &s;ome impediment or other upon them, left their unfortunate Prince, who &s;eeing him&s;elf alone in this &s;olitary Valley, then knew, that all his beloved trea&s;ures were but u&s;ele&s;&s;e vanities, and that wi&s;e <HI>Solon</HI> had good rea&s;on to de&s;pi&s;e them. Whil&s;t he was there in his &s;ad contemplations &s;till going forward, he heard the &s;ound of a plea&s;ing Pipe, and turning him&s;elf that way, he &s;aw that he who played upon that Ru&s;tique In&s;trument, was a young &s;illy Sheapheard about fourteen or fifteen yeares of age; who without any feare of publique mi&s;ery, or knowledge of any Bat|tle that had been fought, plaid upon his Pipe, and kept a little flock as innocent as him&s;elf: <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> then &s;tanding &s;till and con&s;idering this young Shepheard who was very faire, &s;ighed with more Bitterne&s;&s;e then his countrey mu&s;ique was &s;weet, and ca&s;ting up his eyes unto heaven, he envied the happine&s;&s;e of this &s;illy Boy; and though he was a King, yet wi&s;hed with all his heart he could change his Scepter into this Sheepheards hooke. But &s;ince he could not be dictator to his de&s;tiny, nor alter the mutable decree of that &s;overaigne power which rules the world, he continued his March, and came at la&s;t to <HI>Sardis,</HI> where he was received by all the people with teares of tenderne&s;&s;e and &s;orrow. The King of <HI>Pon|tus</HI> who wandred another way came not till an hower after him: &s;o did likewi&s;e the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> and the Prince of <HI>My&s;&s;ia,</HI> who had taken another way. All the Princes did what they could to keep up the hearts of the People: but every minute wounded men came in, who told the people of the death of &s;ome freind or other, &s;o that it was a hard matter, to gull tho&s;e men who &s;aw their King return &s;ingle after he went out in the head of the greate&s;t Army in the World. Moreover the&s;e Princes under&s;tood that the <HI>Thracians</HI> in lieu of coming to <HI>Sardis,</HI> after they were rallied, faced about into their owne country: and that the <HI>Ionian</HI> Troopes did the like; the <HI>My&s;&s;ians</HI> al&s;o followed their example and retired: &s;o that in all appearance they could never recruit into a body againe, and that their only cour&s;e was to keep the Towne, till they could make new levies for their reliefe. Thus the people being too well informed of the lamentable &s;tate of things, did murmur highly, and &s;aid very boldly, that the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> mu&s;t be relea&s;ed, that there was no other way to prevent the danger which hung over their heads, and that it was a &s;hame for the <HI>Lydians</HI> to let &s;o innocent a Prince be in pri&s;on, who had formerly e&s;tabli&s;hed their Empire by &s;o many brought-home Victoryes, and who onely was able to check the Power of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> This murmur of the people &s;eemed &s;o full of ju&s;tice and rea&s;on, that it became the generall opinion of all in a &s;hort time, and nothing could be heard of in all places, but that <HI>Artamas</HI> was innocent, <HI>Artamas</HI> was a gallant man, <HI>Artamas</HI> knew what belonged to warr, he was a great captaine and a fortunate conqueror; &s;o that pure re&s;pect which they bore unto their Soveraigne, kept them from relea&s;ing this Prince. But <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> thought the&s;e re&s;pects (con&s;idering the urgent nece&s;&s;ity of things) too weake an ob&s;tacle to prevent it; &s;o that he told them, hee would relea&s;e him, and in order to that, he propounded unto Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> to &s;et him at liberty upon condition he would defend the walls of <HI>Sardis</HI> again&s;t <HI>Cyrus.</HI> But &s;ince this Prince could not accept of this condition, unle&s;&s;e he &s;hould fight again&s;t the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> his Father, therefore as well as he loved the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis,</HI> and as great a de&s;ire as he had to prevent the ruine of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> he re|fu&s;ed it: yet with &s;o many &s;ignes of &s;orrow and evident te&s;timonies of re&s;pect, as made it apparent he grieved that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> &s;hould have &s;uch enemies, again&s;t whom neither honor nor nature would permit him to fight. However this unfortunate King was much incen&s;ed at the denyall of Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and doubling his guards, he divulged among&s;t the people all that he could po&s;&s;ibly devi&s;e, to allay their zeale of relea&s;ing him. But the giddy incen&s;ed people who are light and capable of any impre&s;&s;ions, &s;till continued their devices of this Princes liberty, making eternall Elogies of his Valour and Magnanimity, and rayling again&s;t <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> threatening every hower to relea&s;e this renowned Pri&s;oner, before they would &s;leep: yet they did not attempt it. In the meane time the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> took
<PB N="6" REF="486">
&s;uch order in the Citadell, that the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis</HI> knew not that the Battle was lo&s;t, untill <HI>Sardis</HI> was be&s;ieged: as for the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> her &s;oule was &s;o full of &s;orrow that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould prove perfidious, that tho&s;e thoughts took up all her minde, and &s;he enquired of nothing; therefore it was ea&s;ie to hide it from her. But whil&s;t &s;he thought upon nothing but the &s;u&s;pected incon&s;tancy of the mo&s;t con&s;tant Prince in the World: And whil&s;t the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis</HI> thought upon nothing but the deplorable condi|tion of the King her Father, and the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and whil&s;t all the cares of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was to &s;ecure the walls of <HI>Sardis,</HI> and whil&s;t the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> looked for nothing but death in defending the Cittadell, and whil&s;t the Prince <HI>Myr&s;ile&s;&s;e,</HI> the Prince of <HI>My&s;sia, Pactias</HI> and all other commanders were bu&s;y in fortifying the Towne, and whil&s;t the tu|multuous di&s;contented people di&s;approved of all that the Princes did, not knowing whether it was right or wrong, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> though a Conqueror, yet went in extreame &s;orrow to vi&s;it <HI>Panthea:</HI> But in his going thither, he had &s;ome repagnancy again&s;t it; for &s;ince he knew it was either &s;he or <HI>Araminta</HI> with whom <HI>Mandana</HI> thought him in love, he feared le&s;t this vi&s;it &s;hould hurt him, and le&s;t Fame (which carryes the lea&s;t actions of Princes over all the World) &s;hould let <HI>Mandana</HI> know it. But for all that, <HI>Abradates</HI> dying in his &s;er|vice, nothing could hinder him; &s;ince his &s;oule was full of &s;orrowes, he would go not only with a &s;mall compay, but al&s;o a dark way, by the River <HI>Halis</HI> untill he came at the ca&s;tle where the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> lodged, yet he needed not to goe &s;o farr to &s;eek her, for a&s;&s;oone as newes was brought unto that Prince&s;&s;e how the Battle was fought, not telling her <HI>Abradates</HI> was kill'd, &s;he took Coach immediately without acquainting the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta</HI> or <HI>Dorali&s;&s;a,</HI> &s;o that taking none with her but <HI>Phinenc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e,</HI> two other women, and a few &s;ervants, &s;he went unto the place of fight by the &s;ame way which <HI>Cyrus</HI> took to come unto her; and though <HI>Phinencie</HI> did all &s;he could to di&s;&s;wade her from this voyage, yet needs would &s;he goe, telling her, that if <HI>Abradates</HI> were living, &s;he could not go too &s;oon to rejoyce with him; if he were wounded, &s;he could not go too &s;oon neither to help him; and that if he were dead, &s;he could not make too much ha&s;t to follow him unto his Grave: &s;o that her Coach going as fa&s;t as her Hor&s;es could draw it, and going al&s;o all the Night, &s;he came unto the place where <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who was coming to her, di&s;covered her Coach, yet not knowing it to be hers: but that which took up his eyes mo&s;t was to &s;ee her &s;topp and &s;tay by another neer the River, where many men were do|ing &s;omething which he could not di&s;cerne; his curio&s;ity was much higher when he &s;aw women come out of their Coach which &s;topped in much ha&s;t, one of which &s;att downe up|on the earth, but he could not di&s;cerne what &s;he did, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing all this, without any ex|traordinary apprehen&s;ion, went on &s;till towards them. But he was extreamly &s;urpri&s;ed, when coming neerer, one of tho&s;e men whom he &s;ent to &s;eek the Corps of <HI>Abradates</HI> told him, that his companions and him&s;elfe had found it and brought it to the River &s;ide, with intentions to carry it in the next Boat that pa&s;&s;ed by unto the place where <HI>Panthea</HI> was: but no Boate pa&s;&s;ing by, and an empty Coach coming that way, they altered their intentions, &s;o that as they were ready to put the Body of <HI>Abradates</HI> into it, <HI>Panthea</HI> came unto them, who no &s;ooner knew the Body of her Husband, but that &s;he came ha&s;tily out of her Coach, and &s;at downe by it upon the ground, making &s;uch lamentable cryes, and &s;howering out &s;uch floods of Teares, as never was more &s;ad an object. <HI>Cyrus</HI> making ha&s;t unto her, and lighting from his Hor&s;e a little di&s;tance from this deplorable Prince&s;&s;e, he &s;aw her &s;it by the Corps of <HI>Abradates,</HI> from whom they had not taken his Rich &s;uite of Armes which <HI>Panthea</HI> gave him; for the enemy being vanqui&s;hed they had no time to think of Plunder, or &s;tripping the dead, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> pur&s;ued &s;o far, that his men were bu&s;ied another way. 'Tis true the&s;e &s;tately Armes had lo&s;t much of their lu&s;tre by rea&s;on of the abundance of blood which dimm'd the Diamonds, and turned them to fatall Rubies; but as for him, he was &s;o little changed, that he only looked a little pale: <HI>Panthea,</HI> who held his head in her lapp, upon whom &s;he fixed her eyes and bedewed with abundance of Teares which &s;he continually wiped off that &s;he might look upon her deare <HI>Abradates,</HI> her Teares were accompanyed with &s;ighs &s;o &s;ad and loud, which came from the depths of her heart, and from the &s;adde&s;t heart that ever was, &s;o that they could not chu&s;e but fill all &s;pectators full of &s;orrow and compa&s;&s;ion. This Prince&s;&s;e was &s;o &s;adly taken up with this &s;o fatall object, that &s;he &s;aw not <HI>Cyrus</HI> when he came unto her: and certainly &s;he had not knowne he was there, if the Prince extreamly moved at the &s;ight of dead <HI>Abradates</HI> and to &s;ee <HI>Panthea</HI> in &s;uch a pitifull condition, had not kneeled down upon the ground to comfort her, and by his loud language moved her to turne towards him. I would it were
<PB N="7" REF="486">
the will of the Gods, Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto her, with &s;uch a &s;adne&s;&s;e upon his face as &s;ufficiently te&s;tified the &s;orrows of his &s;oul) that I could revive the Illu&s;trious <HI>Abradates</HI> with the lo&s;&s;e of my life; and that the lo&s;&s;e of my blood could &s;top your tears. You &s;ee, Madam, how much the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Abradates</HI> troubles me, and how your &s;orrows grieve me. At fir&s;t <HI>Panthea</HI> could an&s;wer <HI>Cyrus</HI> no way but by profound &s;ighs and &s;obs, which would not give her leave to &s;peak. But as this Prince&s;&s;e had a &s;oul as great as &s;en&s;ible, &s;he recol|lected her&s;elf. Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him with a dolefull lifting up of her eyes, and with her right hand pointing at her dear <HI>Abradates)</HI> &s;ince I have received this fatall lo&s;&s;e, you ne|ver need to think of &s;topping up my teares, &s;ince it is the office of death to doe it, and which ere long mo&s;t certainly &s;hall. May you quietly enjoy that Victory which you have got, and remember &s;ometimes, that my dear unfortunate <HI>Abradates</HI> was perhaps the Victim which rendred the Gods propitious unto you. But, Sir, whil&s;t my &s;orrows are &s;obbing o|ver <HI>Abradates,</HI> I forget my obedience unto his la&s;t commands. In &s;aying &s;o, &s;hee pulled out a paper &s;ealed, and gave it unto <HI>Cyrus.</HI> Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him) the day before the de|parture of my deare&s;t <HI>Abradates</HI> from me, he gave me this, which I pre&s;ent unto you, with orders &s;o to doe if he dyed in your &s;ervice. You &s;ee he's dead, Sir (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;howred teares afre&s;h) and therefore you may &s;ee there what he de&s;ir'd you &s;hould know. <HI>Cyrus</HI> did what he could to get <HI>Panthea</HI> into her Coach, and to let them lay the Corps of Illu|&s;trious <HI>Abradates</HI> in the other, de&s;iring to deferre the reading of the Letter which &s;he gave him, untill &s;o &s;ad an object as dead <HI>Abradates</HI> was removed; but &s;he would not by any meanes, &s;o that this Prince not daring to contend too much with her in the fir&s;t ap|prehen&s;ions of her &s;orrow, did as &s;he would have him, and began to &s;ee what <HI>Abradates</HI> had writ with his own hands. As &s;oon as he opened it, he &s;aw the&s;e en&s;uing words writ|ten in a greater Character then the re&s;t of the lines.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The La&s;t Will of <HI>ABRADATES.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>I</HI> Leave my heart and entire affections unto my deare&s;t <HI>Panthea,</HI> and my King|dome unto the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus;</HI> upon no other condition, but that he &s;hall pro|tect this Prince&s;&s;e who wore the Crown, and comfort her after my death: Concei|ving that all my Subjects will be as obedient unto this Prince as unto my &s;elf; and knowing that I cannot doe an act more glorious for my &s;elfe, then to make choice of &s;uch a Succe&s;&s;or, nor more profitable for them, then by giving them &s;uch a Soveraign; nor more advantageous for the Queen my deare&s;t Wife, then in procuring her &s;o ge|nerous a Protector.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ABRADATES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After <HI>Cyrus</HI> had read what the King of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> had writ, he was a&s;toni&s;hed at the ge|nero&s;ity of this Prince, &s;o much, that his &s;orrow began afre&s;h; and &s;ince his great &s;oul could never yeeld unto any in point of Genero&s;ity, I mu&s;t needs declare unto you, Madam (&s;aid he unto <HI>Panthea)</HI> that I accept onely of this la&s;t Qualification which the ever Renowned <HI>Abradates</HI> hath conferred upon me, conceiving that he would never have con&s;tituted me King of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> but becau&s;e the Laws of his Country would not permit him to make you Queen. But I accept of the title of your Protector, with hopes of meriting it by my &s;er|vices, and protecting you again&s;t all the world. I doe declare, and promi&s;e you, never to make u&s;e of this Authority which <HI>Abradates</HI> hath given me in his Dominions unto any other end, but onely to &s;ettle the Crown upon your head. Your expre&s;&s;ions (replyed <HI>Panthea)</HI> are worthy of your &s;elf, and worthy of <HI>Abradates</HI> his friend. But, Sir, I need no more then a Tomb large enough to hold <HI>Abradates</HI> and my &s;elfe: Therefore I be|&s;eech and conjure you to leave me by my &s;elf awhile with this dear illu&s;trious Corps, which I am fully re&s;olved never to for&s;ake. I know, Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto her) that your &s;orrows are but ju&s;t, and that they may be extreame without ever accu&s;ing you of any weakne&s;&s;e. But, Madam, it is requi&s;ite that you &s;hould pre&s;erve the memory of <HI>Ab|radates;</HI> and in order to that, it is requi&s;ite you &s;hould live. Therefore I mo&s;t humbly, and earne&s;tly be&s;eech you, let us goe and prepare a Tomb worthy of his Valour and Qua|lity; and give me leave to &s;eparate you from him, whom death too cruelly before me hath &s;eparated you. I conjure you unto it (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and taking one of the hands of
<PB N="8" REF="487">
this Illu&s;trious Corps) by the mo&s;t valiant Prince that ever lived, and by the onely man of all the world whom you loved. But, ala&s;s, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was extreamly &s;urpri&s;ed to &s;ee this hand which was quite cut off from the arm of <HI>Abradates</HI> with a &s;word, remaining in his own, and &s;eparated from the body of his illu&s;trious friend; his &s;peech failed him, tears dropt from his eyes; and <HI>Panthea</HI> redoubling hers, took his valiant hand out of the hand of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and after &s;he had ki&s;&s;ed it with abundance of tenderne&s;&s;e, and re&s;pect, &s;he layed it in its place, as if &s;he de&s;ired to fa&s;ten it unto his arm again, wa&s;hing it with many tears as quite took away all the blood wherewith it was &s;prinkled in &s;everall places: It is my &s;elf, &s;aid &s;he, it is I who am the cau&s;e of <HI>Abradates,</HI> my dear <HI>Abradates</HI> his death; for I had not confidence enough in his own accu&s;tomed valour, to pay that debt which I owed unto you, Sir: I &s;poke a hundred things which moved him to &s;urpa&s;&s;e him&s;elfe; and I am mo&s;t confident, that his love of me cau&s;ed him to precipitate him&s;elf into the mid&s;t of dangers: Is it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould look upon him and live? Can I &s;uffer any &s;hould &s;peak unto me of any &s;uch thing as con&s;olation? Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto her) &s;ince your mi|&s;eries cannot be remedied, you ought to endure them patiently. <HI>Abradates</HI> dyed full of glory; his memory will pa&s;&s;e to Po&s;terity with honour; but to make it more illu&s;trious, it is your part, Madam, to make the con&s;tancy of your &s;oul equall his courage; and it is my part al&s;o to make the friend&s;hip betwixt me and him, and the re&s;pects I have of you, conduce unto his glory, and your tranquillity. I be&s;eech you, Madam, tell me whither it is your plea&s;ure I &s;hould conduct you; and leave it unto my care, to provide for the Fune|rals of this Illu&s;trious Corps. Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him, with a little more &s;erenity in her looks) I be&s;eech you let me have the &s;ight of this dear Corps only one quarter of an hour, and let me have the liberty to lament in &s;ilence and privacie when none &s;hall be with me. <HI>Cyrus,</HI> unwilling to contradict her too much, ro&s;e up, and taking <HI>Phinence</HI> apart as well as <HI>Beli&s;is,</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes</HI> who followed him, he began to de&s;ire her &s;he would help him to per&s;wade <HI>Panthea,</HI> that they might take away this doleful object from before their eyes: But <HI>Phinence</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes</HI> were &s;o &s;added with &s;orrows, that they could not &s;peak; and as for <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> he dur&s;t not think that his eloquence could prevaile where all the Rhe|torique of <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not. None of the other men which waited upon this Prince were &s;o near as to &s;peak unto this mi&s;erable Queen; &s;o then &s;eeing he was the only man who mu&s;t deal with her, &s;ince <HI>Phinence</HI> could not by rea&s;on of her extreame grief, and abundance of tears, he began to chide <HI>Panthea:</HI> But <HI>Phinence</HI> who by long experience knew &s;he could not endure to be cro&s;t in her fir&s;t apprehen&s;ions of &s;orrow, re&s;trained him, and de&s;ired him to give her a minutes patience. Stay, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, I be&s;eech you &s;tay: I will if I can &s;top the current of my tears, and ca&s;t my &s;elf at the Queens feet, and endeavour to get her from <HI>Abradates.</HI> But whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus, Phinence, Hermogenes,</HI> and <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> were devi&s;ing how they might &s;eparate <HI>Panthea</HI> from dead <HI>Abradates,</HI> this deplorable Prince&s;s was de|vi&s;ing in her mind what cour&s;e &s;he &s;hould take never to be parted from him. And &s;ince Fate favoured her di&s;mall de&s;ign to dye, &s;he e&s;pied a Dagger which her dear <HI>Abradates</HI> had about him, which he u&s;ed not in Battaile; &s;o that conceiving her &s;elf to be the cau&s;e of her husbands death, not onely in what &s;he had &s;aid unto him at parting, but al&s;o be|cau&s;e &s;he did fir&s;t engage him on <HI>Cyrus</HI> his Quarrell, &s;he thought the Gods did &s;uffer <HI>Ab|radates</HI> to have this Dagger, that &s;he might by it both puni&s;h her &s;elf, and free her &s;elfe from all her mi&s;eries. Since &s;he had lo&s;t all &s;he loved, nothing could plea&s;e her; &s;he could not conceive &s;he ought ever to comfort her &s;elf; and &s;he thought it a &s;hame to live &s;ince <HI>Abradates</HI> was dead. So that her exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow made her think death to be the greate&s;t good that ever could befall her. She no &s;ooner e&s;pyed this Dagger, but taking it un&s;een by any of the company, becau&s;e every one diverted their eyes from that lamentable object, &s;he &s;truck it into her body, and drawing it out againe to give her &s;elf a &s;econd blow, &s;he had not &s;trength enough; &s;he leaned upon the body of her deare&s;t <HI>Abradates,</HI> the blood which powred out of her wound, gu&s;hed upon the arm of this Illu&s;trious dead corps. Though tho&s;e who were near <HI>Panthea</HI> never perceived this act; yet one that was a &s;ervant unto this Prince&s;&s;e, and who was farther off, did &s;ee her take this Dagger, and crying out a|loud, and running towards her, his voice made <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and all the re&s;t turn their heads towards him, and not towards <HI>Panthea;</HI> &s;o that this was partly a cau&s;e that none but this Servant &s;aw the act, and by con&s;equence why they could not prevent it. But &s;ince the loud cryes of this Servant doubled, who &s;till cryed out, and never told why, <HI>Cyrus</HI> began to &s;u&s;pect &s;omething; he went towards him, and coming near <HI>Panthea,</HI> he found her at the la&s;t ga&s;p; yet &s;he opened her fair eyes, turning them towards <HI>Abradates,</HI> and afterwards
<PB N="9" REF="487">
up to Heaven, where they fixed without any further &s;ign of life. <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;o amazed at this &s;ad accident; &s;o grieved for the death of two &s;uch Illu&s;trious per&s;ons, and &s;o a&s;to|ni&s;hed at the great heart of <HI>Panthea,</HI> that he was not able to expre&s;&s;e either his wonder or his &s;orrows. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Pherenice,</HI> and the re&s;t of the women were &s;o full of pitty|full lamentations, as would have melted hearts of Marble. And the amaze was &s;o generally among&s;t them all that were pre&s;ent &s;pectators of this bleeding &s;pectacle, that none of them were able to comfort another: And to compleat this Tragical adventure, three of the Queens &s;ervants killed them&s;elves within ten paces from the Queen: And <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> igno|rant of this accident, came by, by chance, and &s;aw the dead Queen, who&s;e Beauty &s;ur|mounted his Virtue, and overcame the in&s;en&s;ibility of his heart; <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> being of a violent ha&s;ty compo&s;ition, and &s;till in love, though he was full of re&s;pects unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> yet his Pa&s;&s;ion was above his Rea&s;on, and the greatne&s;&s;e of his Love did appear in the greatne&s;s of his De&s;pair, that he de&s;erved &s;ome excu&s;e for no better concealing it. His eyes were full of fury, he knew not whom he &s;poke unto, and asked all one after another, what brought <HI>Panthea</HI> unto this condition: He could not beleeve &s;he was dead by her own hand, and re&s;olved to revenge her death as &s;oon as ever he &s;hould know the cau&s;e. But when at la&s;t he beleeved what was told him, he turn'd his fury again&s;t him&s;elfe, and had hee not been prevented, would have faln upon his &s;word: Afterwards he would have thrown him|&s;elf into the River, if <HI>Cyrus</HI> had not commanded two of his friends to have an eye over him, and not to for&s;ake him; otherwi&s;e he had infallibly followed <HI>Panthea</HI> to the grave. In the mean time, &s;eeing no remedy for this &s;ad accident, he cau&s;ed the bodies of <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Panthea</HI> to be put in one Coach, and the women of the Prince&s;s in the other; him&s;elf following on horsback with his men, towards the Ca&s;tle where the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta</HI> was. <HI>Cyrus</HI> al&s;o cau&s;ed the bodies of tho&s;e &s;ervants which killed them&s;elves, to bee brought, to the end they might be buried clo&s;e by the Tombs of their Princes. He &s;ent <HI>Feraulas</HI> to order all things nece&s;&s;ary for the Funerals of the&s;e two Illu&s;trious per&s;ons, which he de&s;ired &s;hould be as magnificent as po&s;&s;ible. In the mean while the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>A|raminta,,</HI> who with extreame impatience expected the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI>'s returne, was in the window of her chamber with <HI>Cleonice, Dorali&s;a,</HI> and the re&s;t of the Ladies, which were Pri&s;oners when the&s;e two Coaches arrived, and followed by <HI>Cyrus:</HI> So that &s;he was infinitely &s;urpri&s;ed to &s;ee one of the faire&s;t Prince&s;&s;es in the world, and one of the mo&s;t valiant Heroes upon earth in &s;uch a lamentable condition. <HI>Cyrus</HI> commanded their bodies to be layd in a great Hall under a Canopy of State, covering them with a Counterpane of black Velvet: He al&s;o commanded abundance of Chri&s;tall Lamps to be placed in the Hall, and there the&s;e two Illu&s;trious Corps to remaine untill the Ceremonies of Funerall were ready. In the mean whil <HI>Cyrus</HI> went to the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> to condole with her, ra|ther then to comfort her; but what con&s;olation &s;oever he found in her company, he made no long vi&s;it there. Yet he a&s;&s;ured her that the King her Brother was neither dead, nor wounded, as he under&s;tood by &s;ome Pri&s;oners which were taken. After which he left her, &s;aying, he would wait upon her the next day; for he was re&s;olved to honour the Funerals of <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Panthea</HI> with his pre&s;ence. After this <HI>Cyrus</HI> vi&s;ited <HI>Cleonice</HI> and <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> in their chambers, whither they were retired; bringing <HI>Cleonice</HI> unto them, and comforting them with extraordinary civility. He a&s;&s;ured them he would have as great a care of them as ever <HI>Panthea</HI> had; nor would he forget the very meane&s;t of her Va&s;&s;als. But to te&s;tifie how much he honoured the dead, he command <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to provide Ar|chitectors for the erecting of a &s;tately Tomb of Marble and Porphyrie in the &s;ame place where <HI>Panthea</HI> dyed. The next day following an Aegyptian Sacrificer embalmed their bodies after the cu&s;tome of the Country, which was to keep them incorruptible: After which they were layd in a Temple clo&s;e by, untill their Tombes were built, whereon <HI>Cy|rus</HI> cau&s;ed their Epitaph to be written in many Languages; &s;etting forth to all that read them, the Valour of <HI>Abradates,</HI> the beauty and virtue of <HI>Panthea,</HI> their dear affections to one another, their lives and deaths, and the fidelity of their &s;ervants. After <HI>Cyrus</HI> had rendred the honours due unto <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Panthea,</HI> he re&s;olved to &s;ee the Prince&s;s <HI>Ara|minta</HI> once more before he went whither his honour, or to &s;ay better, his love called him. But in &s;eeing her, he conceived, that &s;ince &s;he had &s;o much confidence in his di&s;cretion, as to acquaint him how <HI>Spitridates</HI> was jealous of her and him, &s;o he conceived it expedient to acquaint her, how <HI>Mandana</HI> was jealous of him and her; but his principall motive of all was, becau&s;e he had a de&s;ign to take all manner of choler from <HI>Mandana,</HI> to be jealous of him; and in order to that, he be&s;eeched this Prince&s;s not to think it &s;trange if
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he vi&s;ited her no more untill he had delivered the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Medea</HI> from her impri&s;on|ment, and had ju&s;tified him&s;elfe: but the be&s;t of the &s;tory was, that at the very &s;ame time he intended to acquaint <HI>Araminta,</HI> &s;he intended to intreat him that he would &s;ee her &s;eldomer, le&s;t tho&s;e who per&s;waded <HI>Spitridates</HI> of what was &s;o farr from truth, &s;hould thereby have &s;ome ground whereupon to build their &s;uppo&s;itions, &s;o that <HI>Cyrus</HI> needed not to feare his reque&s;t would be offen&s;ive to her. Afterwards &s;he conjured him, that as long as the Siege la&s;ted, he would not &s;uffer the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> to vi&s;it her. But wonder was, that the&s;e two prudent per&s;ons, who had &s;uch great rea&s;on not to be long together, yet this time held a very long conferrence; for after they had di&s;cour&s;ed of their misfortunes, and after &s;he had put him in memory of all his promi&s;es concerning the King her Brother, they began to talk of <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Panthea. Cyrus</HI> intreated her &s;he would be plea&s;ed to take a care of <HI>Pherencie</HI> and <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> untill they had re&s;olved upon &s;ome cour&s;e, and that &s;he would be plea&s;ed to let <HI>Cleoni&s;&s;a</HI> and her friends &s;tay with her till the Siege was ended; after which he left her, and went in all ha&s;t to lay clo&s;e Siege unto <HI>Sardis.</HI> But in his way, he called at the Tent of the Egyptian Prince, whom he found in a condition to be &s;een, and to be carried unto the &s;ame Ca&s;tle where the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta</HI> was, whither <HI>Cyrus</HI> cau&s;ed him to be conducted, and where he lay in the Chamber of the unfortunate <HI>Panthea:</HI> the enterview of the&s;e two Princes began &s;uch a friend&s;hip, and ended not but with their lives; for from this very fir&s;t day they found in each other all the qualities that could be wi&s;hed for in friends. When <HI>Cyrus</HI> fir&s;t entred into the Tent of this illu&s;trious wounded Prince, who was called <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> the Grandure which appeared in his A&s;pect &s;urpri&s;ed him, for though he then &s;eemed to be of a very hand&s;ome compo&s;ure the fir&s;t time he &s;aw him, yet &s;ince he &s;aw him not but when he lay in a &s;wound, he found a very advantageous altera|tion in him. But as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was very plea&s;ingly &s;urpri&s;ed at the &s;ight of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> &s;o <HI>Se&s;o|&s;tris</HI> was infinitely &s;urpri&s;ed at the &s;ight of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who produced his cu&s;tomary effect in the hearts of all that looke upon him, which is, to move re&s;pect and admiration. Since <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> did owe his life unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and was infinitely obliged unto him, for his &s;o generous u&s;age of his men, he returned him a complement of gratitude. Sir (&s;aid he in the Grecian language, knowing that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;poke it admirably well, but was not &s;o well ver&s;ed in the Aegyptian Tongue) I am very glad that Fortune which in divers other occa&s;i|ons hath been &s;uch an enemy unto me, hath been favourable to me in this, and hath brought me to take that &s;ide, which is both more ju&s;t and more fortunate, then that where|in I was. But Sir the principall rea&s;on why I thinke my &s;elfe &s;o obliged unto Fortune, is, becau&s;e by her I enjoy the honour of &s;eeing you, as I mo&s;t earne&s;tly de&s;ired. I thinke my &s;elfe extreamly honoured (replyed <HI>Cyrus</HI> mode&s;tly) that a Prince &s;o highly honoured for his vertue by his Souldiers as you are, &s;hould have any inclination to love me; for it is to be beleeved, that &s;o many Valiant men would not reverence you &s;o much as they doe, unle&s;&s;e you were more valiant then they are. But Sir, I doe admire, I &s;hould never till now heare tell that there was a Prince in <HI>Aegypt,</HI> which carried the name of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris;</HI> and knowing all the acts of the great <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> who heretofore was &s;o highly Victorious in <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and <HI>Arabia;</HI> I &s;hould be ignorant who this <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> is whom now I &s;ee &s;o illu&s;trious. Sir (replyed this wounded Prince) when I &s;hall have rendred my &s;elfe worthy your e&s;teem by &s;ome con&s;iderable action, I &s;hall then tell you who I am, and untill then, I cannot thinke my &s;elfe in a condition able to let you know the di&s;a&s;ters of my &s;elfe and Family. <HI>Cyrus,</HI> perceiving that much &s;peaking might prejudice the health of this Prince, would not pre&s;&s;e him any further, but parted from him infinitely well plea&s;ed and &s;ati&s;fied. One of the principall Egyptian commanders who was with <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> waiting upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> to his Hor&s;e, told him that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was one of a mo&s;t prodigious &s;pirit and Valour, and a&s;&s;ured him, that when he &s;hall be acquainted with his quality truly, he will finde his merits &s;urpa&s;&s;e the mo&s;t illu&s;trious that are in the world. After which <HI>Cyrus</HI> leaving him, went in all ha&s;t unto the Camp: a&s;&s;oone as he came there, the Kings of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Phrygia, Hircania, Mazares, Anaxaris,</HI> and all the re&s;t, rendred him an account how all things &s;tood, yet he did not altogether tru&s;t unto them but went him&s;elfe to view all the Quarters, &amp; to &s;pie out the &s;trong and the weake places. But upon exact view and con&s;ideration he was very &s;orry to finde them much more &s;trong then they were reported unto him; yet what diffi|culty &s;oever there was in taking it by force, he was re&s;olved not to make a long warr of it, nor to make a regular Siege of it, by rai&s;ing Forts and ca&s;ting Lines about it, and he cho&s;e rather to lo&s;e &s;ome men than to be a long time thought uncon&s;tant unto <HI>Manda|na;</HI> yet he thought it expedient not to pre&s;&s;e too hard upon <HI>Sardis,</HI> untill he made &s;ure
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one &s;ide of the Towne, at which he feared the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> might carry away the Prin|ce&s;&s;e. In the meane time, as he would never neglect any thing which was b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">coming him, &s;o he &s;ent unto the Prince of <HI>Cla&s;&s;omina,</HI> whom he acquainted by Letter with the deaths of <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Panthea;</HI> he &s;ent al&s;o unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to let him know of his Victory, and to tell him that he had no need of tho&s;e Forces which he offered him; he &s;ent al&s;o unto <HI>Per&s;epolis</HI> to the King his Father, and the Queen his Mother; he de&s;ired al&s;o that <HI>Alcenor</HI> would goe into <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> accompanyed with <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> and <HI>Adu&s;ius,</HI> and that they &s;hould carry with them the la&s;t Will of <HI>Abradates,</HI> the better to move the people to put it in execution; his device was al&s;o to &s;end <HI>Hermogenes:</HI> but this generous friend knowing that <HI>Cyrus</HI> would &s;end <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> al&s;o, he de&s;ired a di&s;pen&s;ation, not daring to tru&s;t him&s;elfe, but feared he was never able to &s;ee <HI>Cleodora</HI> come out of the Temple of <HI>Ceres,</HI> without &s;ome re&s;entments of &s;orrow, if &s;o it chanced that <HI>Bele&s;sis</HI> &s;hould per&s;wade her to come out, &s;o that there was onely <HI>Abradates, Adu&s;ius, Bele&s;is, Alcenor,</HI> and &s;ome other <HI>Su|&s;anians</HI> who were in commi&s;&s;ion to goe into <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> They did not take their leaves of <HI>Cyrus</HI> without expre&s;&s;ions of much &s;orrow to leave him at &s;uch a time, when they might be &s;er|viceable unto him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> to te&s;tifie his acknowledgment of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> his zeale towards him, wrote unto <HI>Cleodora</HI> to a&s;&s;ure her of her adorers fidelity. <HI>Mazares</HI> al&s;o did the &s;ame, and that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> might not be nece&s;&s;itated to tell <HI>Cleodora</HI> him&s;elfe what a mi&s;erable di&s;contented life he lived, this Prince &s;ent <HI>Or&s;anas</HI> with him. The parting between <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Bele|&s;is</HI> was exceedingly &s;ad; a&s;well as that between <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes</HI> who had &s;o much power over him&s;elfe, as to let his friend &s;ee he was well &s;atisfied and contented. <HI>Cyrus</HI> ap|pointed <HI>Alcenor</HI> and <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> to goe and bid adieu unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Pherenice,</HI> who might perhaps employ them in &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. When <HI>Cyrus</HI> had given &s;atisfaction unto all others, he thought upon nothing but how to &s;atisfie him&s;elfe in relea&s;ing <HI>Mandana.</HI> The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> were much in Admiration to ob&s;erve he was more di&s;qui|eted after the Victory, then he was before; yet they could not dive into the rea&s;on, but did in vaine &s;eek for it: however, the melancholy of <HI>Cyrus</HI> beginning to le&s;&s;en by rea&s;on of his hopes ere long to ju&s;tifie him&s;elfe; their curio&s;ity did le&s;&s;en accordingly, and both they and he thought upon nothing but the taking of <HI>Sardis;</HI> yet had they very different thoughts, for <HI>Cyrus</HI> hoped that by the taking of this Towne he &s;hould ju&s;tifie him&s;elfe in the opini|on of <HI>Mandana;</HI> and a&s;&s;oone as he had vanqui&s;hed the King of <HI>A&s;syria,</HI> to enjoy her: but as for this King, the taking of <HI>Sardis,</HI> and the vanqui&s;hing of <HI>Cyrus</HI> would not &s;uffice to make him happy, for when all this was done, he had the obduracy of <HI>Mandana,</HI> to van|qui&s;h which in all probabilitie he could never hope for, unle&s;&s;e in the promi&s;e of the Ora|cle; as for <HI>Mazares</HI> he was in a more mi&s;erable condition then they both; for which way &s;oever &s;quares went he could never finde any favourable hopes, he did his be&s;t to bani&s;h that hope out of his heart, by bani&s;hing that love which fir&s;t planted it there, &s;o that at the &s;ame time when he fought again&s;t the <HI>Lydians,</HI> he fought again&s;t him&s;elfe: and there pa&s;&s;ed not a day away, wherein love and vertue did not contend which &s;hould have the dominion of his &s;oule. In the meane while <HI>Cyrus</HI> was extreamly vigilant, he went perpe|tually from quarter to quarter, and longed with exceeding impatiency to &s;ee things in &s;uch a &s;tate, as they might make an a&s;&s;ault upon the Towne, though all the Walls were manned with &s;uch a multitude of &s;ouldiers, that the very thought of placing ladders, was enough to &s;tagger the &s;toute&s;t re&s;olution. 'Tis true, that tho&s;e which in the Towne upon their ramparts, &s;eeing this great victorious Army environ it, were not terryfied with the &s;pecta|cle, as not doubting their ruine, thought upon nothing but how to &s;ell their lives at as deere a rate as they could; yet the &s;ight of this apparent danger did not produce the &s;ame effect in the hearts of all the inhabitants, for the Towne was &s;o divided among them&s;elves, that <HI>Cre&s;sus</HI> &s;tood in as great feare of his owne &s;ubjects, as of his enemies. As love is &s;uch an heroique pa&s;&s; on as is infinitely above the capacity of the vulgar, &s;o the people of <HI>Sardis</HI> could not believe that <HI>Mandana</HI> was the reall cau&s;e of the Warr; but on the contrary they imagined it to be ambition only which exa&s;perated <HI>Cyrus</HI> again&s;t them; &s;o that knowing how this Prince had rendred back the Kingdome unto the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> after he had conquered it, and that he contented him&s;elfe only with the honour of it, and making him to pay a tribute which was due unto <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> Therefore the rout of the people took up a Fancy, to &s;ay that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> had no better way then to propo&s;e unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> to become his Va&s;&s;all, imagining that this Prince would accept of it: &s;o that this fancy pa&s;&s;ing from minde to minde, and from mouth to mouth, it rai&s;ed &s;o great a tumult in the Towne, that <HI>Cre&s;sus</HI> to calme it, was forced to tell the people, that he would make &s;ome propo&s;itions
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of peace unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but yet mu&s;t &s;tay a few daies fir&s;t. Whil&s;t <HI>Cre&s;sus</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> were in this condition, <HI>Cyrus</HI> who&s;e great &s;oule thought nothing difficult, prepared him&s;elfe for a generall a&s;&s;ault. 'Tis true, one &s;ide of the Towne towards the Mountaine <HI>Tinolus,</HI> was &s;o inacce&s;&s;ible, that there was no po&s;&s;ibility of a&s;&s;aulting it on that &s;ide, and every where el&s;e, the Walls were &s;o full of men, that there was apparent danger in the a&s;&s;ault: however, <HI>Cyrus</HI> re&s;olved to attempt it, he vi&s;ited all his Engins, and Ladders, to &s;ee if they were long enough: he mu&s;tered up all his forces, he &s;poke his &s;ouldiers faire, and after he had given order to a&s;&s;ault it in three places at once, the one of which was to be commanded by the King of <HI>A&s;syria,</HI> the other by <HI>Mazares,</HI> and the third by him|&s;elfe, This Prince was the fir&s;t that put a Ladder again&s;t the VVals of this Famous Towne, after the ditch was filled full of Faggots, maugre the re&s;i&s;tance of his enemies, con&s;idering the di&s;order in the Towne, there was great hope of good &s;ucce&s;&s;e unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> in the at|tempt. Yet the report was no &s;ooner &s;pread about among&s;t the Inhabitants of <HI>Sardis,</HI> that their Towne was ready to be &s;tormed, but de&s;paire did &s;o rou&s;e up their &s;pirits, and made them &s;o Valiant, that there was hardly a woman that went not to defend it, and had not to throw upon the heads of them that climbed the Ladders: indeed the re&s;i&s;tance of the <HI>Lydians</HI> animated by the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was &s;uch, that all the valour of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and them that &s;ought under him, could not force them that day; <HI>Cyrus</HI> was repul&s;ed above twenty times from the top of the walls; and if fortune had not happly pre&s;erved him, he had mo&s;t certainly peri&s;hed at this bout, for the enemies did &s;o &s;toutly defend them&s;elves, that there was no po&s;&s;iblity to get upon their Ramparts: nothing but overturned and broken Lad|ders could be &s;een; there flew from the VValls of <HI>Sardis</HI> &s;uch a prodigious number of Arrowes, Darts, and Javelines, that the Aire was ob&s;cured by them, tho&s;e who e&s;caped them, mi&s;&s;ed not a &s;hower of &s;tones, which were continually throwne at them; they al&s;o had a kinde of Sythes which kept the Walls from the a&s;&s;aultants, &s;o that all three divi&s;i|ons were forced to come off: but <HI>Cyrus</HI> in his coming off quartered under the counter|&s;carph of the Mote, &s;ince he would not be upbraided with getting no advantage. <HI>Anaxa|ris,</HI> who fought that day next him, and did &s;uch wonders, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> confe&s;&s;ed he never &s;aw a more valiant man, did exceedingly help this Prince to take this Quarter, and to keep it: the night al&s;o coming on, did much facilitate the worke, and made it in a conditi|on to be kept; yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> was very &s;orry his fir&s;t a&s;&s;ault &s;ucceeded no better; but knowing all daies were not alike in Warr, he &s;hrunk not, no more then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> or <HI>Mazares</HI> who were very gallant that day, and he commended his &s;ouldiers, as indeed he had no rea&s;on to complaine, for they did as much as any couragious men could doe. He was &s;o happy as to lo&s;e not one man of any quality in this &s;torme, 'tis true, a great number of &s;ouldiers were killed, &s;o that a&s;&s;oon as day appeared, a truce was made to carry off the dead, during which time <HI>Cyrus</HI> was very circum&s;pect to ob&s;erve whether there was any other quarter of the Wall which might be attempted with le&s;&s;e difficulty. But whil&s;t he was con&s;idering what was advantageous or di&s;advantageous, the <HI>Lydians,</HI> who in rea&s;on &s;hould have been more couragious, after they had repul&s;ed their enemies, became more cowed in their &s;pirits, for many of them being wounded and killed, they were more af|frighted then before, the women &s;eeing their husbands and children wounded and killed, were &s;o full of cries and teares, that they melted the hearts and courages of the re&s;t, &s;o that &s;uppo&s;ing their King might now make a more advantageous treaty after he had repul&s;ed <HI>Cyrus</HI> then before, they began to &s;peak of nothing el&s;e, and that in &s;o high a manner, as this unfortunate Prince would willingly have parted with <HI>Mandana</HI> to &s;ave his Crowne. But the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had &s;o cunningly carried the matter, as <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was not Ma&s;ter of the Cittadell, for this Prince had &s;o complyed with <HI>Pactias</HI> and all the &s;ouldi|ers, that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> could not di&s;po&s;e of it: in&s;omuch as this unfortunate King was not Ma&s;ter &s;o much as of his owne Daughter, nor of the only Towne which was left him. In the meane time <HI>Cyrus</HI> being adverti&s;ed by &s;ome &s;pies which <HI>Andramites</HI> imployed, and which went in and out of the Towne, that the tumult began to grow high, re&s;olved to let them alone, and try what it would produce before he would give a &s;econd a&s;&s;ault: al&s;o intending to a&s;&s;ault in all places of the Towne which were acce&s;&s;ible, he found he had not Ladders enough for it, &s;o that he contented him&s;elfe with keeping that quarter which he had made, and to repul&s;e tho&s;e enemies which two or three times did indeavour to di&s;lodge them that guarded it; but as oft as they fallied, <HI>Cyrus</HI> beat them back &s;o &s;harply, that at la&s;t they thought no more upon it. As all things &s;tood upon the&s;e tepmes, <HI>Leontidas</HI> ac|companied with an Envoye from <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> came from <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> and <HI>Harpagus,</HI> to
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acquaint <HI>Cyrus</HI> with the particulars of the happy &s;ucce&s;&s;e, which before he hinted unto him pre&s;ently after the Battle was won: <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw them, but he was as much Joyed as po&s;&s;ible, for &s;ince he loved <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> very well, and exceedingly e&s;teemed <HI>Le|ontidas,</HI> he hoped for much con&s;olation from them. Yet he could never look upon this jealous Lover without a remembrance of all his jealous pa&s;&s;ages which he related at <HI>Sy|nope,</HI> or without calling into his memory at the &s;ame time the unju&s;t jealou&s;ie of <HI>Manda|na,</HI> &s;o that notwith&s;tanding his joy to &s;ee <HI>Leontidas,</HI> he embraced him with a &s;igh, yet he gave a &s;udden check unto all his &s;ad re&s;entments, purpo&s;ely to expre&s;&s;e how great &s;atisfaction the victory of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> did give him. I a&s;&s;ure you (&s;aid he unto him after the fir&s;t complements, and after he had asked the Envoye from <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> how that Prince did) I have made no fewer prayers for the felicity of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> then for my owne, and his happine&s;&s;e keeps me from murmuring at the continuation of my owne mi&s;eries. You have rea&s;on Sir (an&s;wered <HI>Leontidas)</HI> to intere&s;t your &s;elfe in the good fortune of the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus;</HI> for as his good fortune keepes you from murmuring again&s;t the Gods for your mi&s;eries: &s;o your mi&s;eries keepe him from thanking them for his owne happine&s;&s;e. But I pray you relate unto me not only all his Victories (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto <HI>Leontidas)</HI> but al&s;o all his and your adventures, and tell me al&s;o, how fares all your friends? is <HI>Philocles</HI> yet cured of his pa&s;&s;ion, does he love &s;till without being loved againe? is <HI>Thimocrates</HI> &s;till Amorous and ab&s;ent? and are you yet jealous? All that you aske (replyed <HI>Leontidas)</HI> doe que&s;tionle&s;&s;e de&s;erve an&s;wers, except the la&s;t which concernes my &s;elfe: for Sir, it is to no pur|po&s;e to aske a man who is naturally jealous whether he be jealous &s;till, &s;ince certainly he can never be otherwi&s;e. This an&s;wer of <HI>Leontidas</HI> did much grieve <HI>Cyrus,</HI> conceiving that according to it, the jealou&s;ie of <HI>Mandana</HI> would la&s;t Eternally; for the exce&s;&s;e of his pa&s;|&s;ion would not permit him to di&s;tingui&s;h between a jealou&s;ie naturally rooted in the heart without cau&s;e or rea&s;on, and a jealou&s;ie which hath &s;ome colour and cau&s;e, and which by con&s;equenc continues no longer then the cau&s;e; yet he concealed the di&s;order of his thoughts, and moved <HI>Leontidas</HI> to &s;atisfie his curio&s;ity in letting him know all the pa&s;&s;ages concern|ing <HI>Thra&s;ibulus, Harpagus, Philocles, Thimocrates,</HI> and him&s;elfe, conceiving it would be a great joy unto him to heare that the&s;e lovers, who were &s;o unhappy the la&s;t time he &s;aw them, are now in a better condition: al&s;o &s;ince <HI>Leontidas</HI> came upon the day of Truce, when <HI>Cyrus</HI> had no great bu&s;ine&s;&s;e in hand, knowing that <HI>Sardis</HI> was not in any conditi|on of reliefe, he imployed this lea&s;ure in hearing of the particulars of both the Victories and amorous adventures of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus.</HI> But &s;ince <HI>Leontidas</HI> knew that the Envoy from <HI>Philoxipes</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Mega&s;ides</HI> had &s;omething to &s;ay unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> from his Ma&s;ter which would be more plea&s;ing unto him, than all he could &s;ay, he re&s;olved to &s;atisfie his curio&s;ity in few words. Sir, &s;aid he unto him, the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> hath &s;ent you &s;uch joyfull newes by <HI>Mega&s;ides,</HI> that le&s;t your &s;oule &s;hould be too much &s;urpri&s;ed at it, I thinke it is expedient for me to prepare you for the reception of it by relating things of le&s;&s;e con&s;equence; yet I mu&s;t not keep you too long, therefore I will tell you all you de&s;ire to know in as few words as po&s;&s;ible. <HI>Cyrus</HI> hearing <HI>Leontidas</HI> &s;ay &s;o, did beleeve that what <HI>Me|ga&s;ides</HI> had to &s;ay, related only unto <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> and not him&s;elf at all; &s;o that though he much e&s;teemed him, yet &s;ince he loved <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> better, he did not interrupt <HI>Leontidas,</HI> who at fir&s;t put him in minde of the &s;tate wherein things &s;tood concerning the Prince of <HI>Mi|lete,</HI>
when they parted from each other: But <HI>Cyrus</HI> interrupting him, Ah <HI>Leontidas</HI> &s;aid he, you wrong me much if you think I forget the intere&s;ts of my friends, no, no, I have not forgot any thing which concerns <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> or your &s;elfe, I very well remember how the peo|ple of <HI>Milete</HI> drave out the wicked <HI>Mela&s;ia,</HI> the ambitious <HI>Philodice,</HI> the unfortunate <HI>Le|once,</HI> and the Tyrant <HI>Alexide&s;mas,</HI> and that all the&s;e abominable wretches retired to the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> brother of <HI>Philodice,</HI> who endeavoured to contract a league with all his neighbour &s;tates, and that in the meane time <HI>Anthemeus</HI> in lieu of calling back his Prince, as the wi&s;e <HI>Thales</HI> advi&s;ed him, he employed all his endeavours to make the people cry up Liberty, and not to acknowledge their Ma&s;ter. I remember al&s;o that the fair <HI>Alcioni|da</HI> &s;tayed at <HI>Mytelenes</HI> whil&s;t the Prince <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> came to <HI>Sardis,</HI> and from thence went into <HI>Armenia,</HI> where you know he dyed, declaring by his la&s;t words, and by a Letter un|to <HI>Alcionida,</HI> and that it was his will <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> &s;hould marry her: And to &s;hew you, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that I remember all that concerns my friends, I remember al&s;o that the la&s;t ab&s;ence of <HI>Thimocrates</HI> was cau&s;ed by a combat which hee fought with one of his Rivals, whom he killed, for which he was bani&s;hed from <HI>Delphos</HI> for three years. Nor have I forgotten how the unfortunate <HI>Philocles,</HI> who never was beloved, was ab&s;olutely out of all hopes to be &s;o,
<PB N="14" REF="491">
cau&s;e the fair <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> was married, and returned into <HI>Iali&s;&s;a.</HI> And for your part (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> with a &s;mile, which he &s;econded with a &s;igh) I remember very wel you were jealous of all both above and below your quality; and that when you left <HI>Sam<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s,</HI> after you had fondly con&s;ulted with the Philo&s;opher <HI>Xanthus,</HI> you left three of your Rivals with the fair <HI>Alci|damia.</HI> And after this, I pray judge whether it be nece&s;&s;ary to call into memory what I have &s;o well, and &s;o often thought upon. I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, Sir, replied <HI>Leontidas,</HI> I could not think your own misfortunes would have permitted you to remember &s;o exactly the mis|fortunes of others; but &s;ince I &s;ee that I am deceived, I will ha&s;ten, and tell you that the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> not being able to carry <HI>Ti&s;anders</HI> Letter unto <HI>Alcionida</HI> him&s;elf, nor to acquaint her with the death of her husband, and having no mind to urge her unto the accompli&s;hment of that unfortunate Prince's La&s;t Will, as &s;oon as he came into <HI>Milete,</HI> of which he was not yet Ma&s;ter, he &s;ent <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> to give the Letter of dying <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> unto <HI>Alcionida,</HI> giving him al&s;o another from him&s;elf to that Fair one, which, Sir, I am very &s;orry I cannot &s;hew you as <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> did unto me: For, Sir, I never in my life met with &s;o well a penned Peece, &s;o moving, &s;o full of Art, Wit, Eloquence, and Judgement: But to hint it a little unto your apprehen&s;ion, I need &s;ay no more, then that when <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> was not in love with <HI>Alcionida,</HI> but onely the friend of <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> it was impo&s;&s;ible &s;hee could be more tender then &s;he was towards that Illu&s;trious decea&s;ed Prince: And that when he was not the friend of <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> but only a Lover of <HI>Alcionida,</HI> &s;he could not be more pa&s;&s;ionate then &s;he was: He u&s;ed not one word which was unbecoming: The word Love was not &s;o much as once u&s;ed throughout the Letter: He did not entreat her to fulfill the La&s;t Will of her Husband, who de&s;ired her to marry him. But in asking nothing, he ask|d all; and never was peece &s;o full of wit and pa&s;&s;ion, as this admirable Letter. But after <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> had fully in&s;tructed <HI>Leo&s;thenes,</HI> and di&s;patched him away to <HI>Alcionida</HI> and unto the &s;age <HI>Pittacus,</HI> Father of <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> unto whom he writ al&s;o; he con&s;ulted with <HI>Harpagus,</HI> upon the be&s;t expedients to compa&s;&s;e his de&s;ignes, and they conceived it be&s;t; Fir&s;t, how to become Ma&s;ters of <HI>Milete,</HI> before he thought of any revenge of his enemies: Yet the matter was not in their owne choice, for the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> as I told you be|fore, made a league with the <HI>Lanthians,</HI> the <HI>Carians,</HI> and the <HI>Caunians,</HI> &s;o that getting up a con&s;iderable Army, he mu&s;t thinke of fighting and not of going unto <HI>Milete,</HI> whither <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> then &s;ent one of his men &s;ecretly unto <HI>Thales.</HI> In &s;hort Sir, this Prince did fight him and defeated him. After this Victory, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> were forced to retreat into their Towne: which <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> the &s;ame hour beleaguered with Trenehes, and by that meanes they had only that &s;ide towards the Sea open, from whence they had no hopes of any &s;uddain reliefe, &s;o that &s;ince their crimes put them in minde of puni&s;hment, if ever they fell into the hands of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> their plot was to get their per&s;ons out of the reach of his revenge. They in&s;pired into the &s;pirits of the <HI>Phocean</HI> People, &s;o great a horrour of &s;trange dominion, that the innocent People were out of all heart: Then they de&s;ired a Parle, and at fir&s;t propo&s;ed &s;uch advantageous termes, that <HI>Harpagus</HI> moved <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> to forget &s;ome of his re&s;entments and hearken unto them: So that all acts of Ho&s;tility cea&s;ing on both &s;ides, and they were in treating two dayes: In the mean time, the <HI>Phoceans</HI> took hold of this Interim, to tackle up all their Ships, which were not a few: For they were the fir&s;t of all the <HI>Grecians</HI> which made any long Sea voyages, and who al&s;o found out the way of <HI>Tyrrhenea</HI> and <HI>Tarte&s;sa.</HI> In con|clu&s;ion, Sir, in one night all the <HI>Phoceans</HI> embarqued with their Wives and Children, and carried with them all that was of any value, even to the Statues of their Temples. So that the next morning in lieu of Commi&s;&s;ioners to Treat, we &s;aw none, neither upon the Walls, or any where el&s;e: In&s;omuch as <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> triumphed in an empty Town, none remaining in it but a few mi&s;erable Slaves. This, Sir, much perplexed <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> for it was prejudicial unto him: Who putting a Garri&s;on in <HI>Phoceus,</HI> he &s;tayed no longer there, but &s;ent to a&s;&s;ure <HI>Euphranor,</HI> who was chief of all the <HI>Gnidian</HI> Councell, that he had no other de&s;ign but to protect them, and conjured him not to give any Retreat unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> nor <HI>Alexide&s;mus.</HI> But notwith&s;tanding all the fair words of <HI>Thra|&s;ibulus,</HI> he knowing that the Army which he commanded belonged unto a Prince which pretended to &s;ubject all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> he would not tru&s;t him, but endeavoured to cut that <HI>I&s;thmus</HI> of land which was between the two Seas, and which onely joyned the <HI>Gnidean</HI> Country unto the Continent. But as they digged to make their country an I&s;le, whether it was &s;o, or whether they imagined it, they thought the &s;tones rebounded again&s;t them; &s;o that
<PB N="15" REF="491">
thinking the Gods were not plea&s;ed with their work, they gave it over. <HI>Euphranor</HI> to oblige them by the &s;ame rea&s;on which hindered them, &s;ent to con&s;ult with the Oracle at <HI>Delphos:</HI> But the Oracle which formerly returned ob&s;cure An&s;wers unto all their Que&s;ti|ons, did now an&s;wer the <HI>Gnideans, That they &s;hould not any longer vainly labour to cut this I&s;thmus, becau&s;e if Jupiter had intended to make their Country an I&s;land, he could have done it without them,</HI> &s;o that this an&s;wer being known at <HI>Gnide, Euphranor</HI> &s;ubmitted to the will of the Gods; and yeelded unto more then&punc; <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> demanded; for he &s;ent &s;ome deputies of the country to a&s;&s;ure him of the fidelity which he would render unto him. I &s;hall not need to tell you Sir how <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> u&s;ed them kindely, for when you know they came from <HI>Euphranor,</HI> you will imagine it: In the mean while <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> (af|ter he had &s;ent them away with as much confidence of well u&s;age as they de&s;ired) under|&s;tood that his enemies were retired unto <HI>Xanthus,</HI> after they had been refu&s;ed in many o|ther places, and that the multitude of <HI>Phoceans</HI> were gone to <HI>Chio,</HI> he turned his Forces towards them, yet fir&s;t there was a nece&s;&s;ity of fighting the <HI>Carians,</HI> who quickly &s;ubmit|ted: Meane while <HI>Anthemius</HI> and <HI>Thales</HI> negotiated in <HI>Milete</HI> according to their &s;everall de&s;ignes. But the ends of <HI>Thales</HI> being more ju&s;t then the ends of <HI>Anthemius,</HI> the Gods did favour them, and maugre this Arch-enemy of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> he di&s;po&s;ed the people to &s;ub|mit and receive their Legitimate Prince. 'Tis very true the power of your Armies Sir did not a little help him in his e&s;tabli&s;hment, and he commanded me to tell you Sir, that he is a debtor to you for that &s;ecurity which he hopes to enjoy as long as he lives, and that all his Victories are but effects and con&s;equences of yours. But Sir, to compleat his good for|tune, he received newes the next morning, that he had defeated the <HI>Xantheans</HI> and <HI>Lici|ans</HI> who were joined together, and had forced <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> to retire, not only into the Towne, but into the Ca&s;tle; for they thought them&s;elves not &s;e|cure in the Towne: but that which is mo&s;t &s;trange, was, that the&s;e mi&s;erable enemies, (the image of who&s;e Crimes di&s;turbed their rea&s;on and deprived them of all humanity) &s;et fire on that place which was their Sanctuary. It is no wonder if the horrour of their wickedne&s;&s;e did make them Imagine more mercy in the flames, then from the hands of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus:</HI> For <HI>Mela&s;ia</HI> had exiled him, had cau&s;ed him to lo&s;e his Dominions, and poi&s;oned his Father; <HI>Philodica</HI> was a partner in her de&s;ignes and crimes. The Prince <HI>Phoceus</HI> to re|venge the misfortune of his &s;onne, did not &s;cruple to violate all Lawes, no more then <HI>Alexi|de&s;mus,</HI> who&s;e Wife doubtle&s;&s;e was little culpable, and yet &s;he had a hand in the &s;ame de&s;igne: For Sir, the&s;e de&s;perate wretches did not only burn the Towne of <HI>Xanthus</HI> in re|tiring to the Ca&s;tle, but &s;eeing <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> preparing to force it, they burnt it and them|&s;elves al&s;o, and by this meanes were the executioners of divine revenge, and with their owne hands puni&s;hed tho&s;e crimes which they had commited. You may well imagine Sir, how much this horrid adventure did &s;urpri&s;e <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> and all the Army, for &s;uch a horrid object was enough to &s;trike terrour a&s;well into the hearers as &s;pectators of it. After this Sir, nothing could re&s;i&s;t the power of your Armies, all did acknowledge your Au|thority, &s;o that <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> full of glory went unto <HI>Milete,</HI> where he was received with the greate&s;t acclamations in the world. But &s;ince he thought it not enough to be e&s;tabli&s;hed in his Dominions, unle&s;&s;e he were &s;o in the heart of <HI>Alcionida,</HI> he thought upon nothing but that; his greate&s;t griefe was, that he did not know directly what opinion this faire one had of him, for &s;ince &s;he had heard of <HI>Ty&s;anders</HI> death before <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> came to <HI>Mytile|nes,</HI> he found her ready to embark and return to <HI>Gnides</HI> unto her Father, when <HI>Thra&s;ibu|lus</HI> &s;ent him unto her, &s;o that &s;he received his Letter, but returned no an&s;wer but by way of civill Complement, and would not write, becau&s;e &s;he thought he &s;hould expre&s;&s;e either too much or too little; <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> only told him at his returne, that one could not behold more &s;adne&s;&s;e then appeared in her eyes, though &s;till mo&s;t fair. <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> no &s;ooner knew that &s;he was at <HI>Gnides)</HI> where &s;he arived pre&s;ently after the Deputies which had been with him were returned) but he &s;ent <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> unto <HI>Euphranor</HI> to aske her in Marriage; he &s;ent al&s;o at the &s;ame time unto the Prince of <HI>Mytilene,</HI> to intreat him he would move <HI>Alcionida</HI> to fulfill the la&s;t will of dying <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> and he writ the &s;econd time unto <HI>Alcionida</HI> in &s;uch pa&s;&s;ionate expre&s;&s;ions, as was ea&s;ie to di&s;cern that his thoughts &amp; his words were all one: Since <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> did me the honor to have a great confidence in me, during this Warr, he &s;ent me with <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> to a&s;&s;i&s;t him in the ne|gotiation of his de&s;ignes, &s;o that though <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> was &s;ent unto <HI>Euphranor,</HI> I may &s;ay, that I was &s;ent unto <HI>Alcionida;</HI> I cannot make an exact relation Sir, of all our tran&s;acti|ons, which mett with no great difficulties in approbation of the Father, but with many in the minde of the Daughter; for if I &s;hould, the length of it would deferr that &s;atisfaction
<PB N="16" REF="492">
which you may otherwi&s;e receive. But in as conci&s;e a manner as I can, let me tell you, that the rare merits of <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> did not le&s;&s;en the tender affection &s;he bore unto <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> though &s;he lived mo&s;t lovingly with her husband: Yet for all that, though her husband upon his death, willed her to marry <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> yet &s;he had a conceit that it would be more glo|rious for her not to obey him then to accompli&s;h his La&s;t&punc; Will: And this conceit did &s;o command her mind, that &s;he thought her &s;elf worthy of blame if &s;he &s;hould marry <HI>Thra|&s;ibulus,</HI> though &s;he loved him very dearly. But the Prince of <HI>Mytilene</HI> having writ unto her, with de&s;ires &s;he would fulfill the will of the Prince his Son; and <HI>Euphranor</HI> ab&s;o|lutely commanding her, &s;he obeyed them without any re&s;i&s;tance: And was glad that two who had &s;uch power over her, did a&s;&s;ure her it was not again&s;t her honour. Thus, Sir, &s;ince <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> and my &s;elf had ab&s;olutely power to doe it; the marriage of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> and <HI>Alcionida</HI> was concluded, <HI>Leo&s;thenes</HI> returned to <HI>Milete,</HI> and I &s;tayed at <HI>Gnides</HI> until all things were ready for <HI>Alcionidas</HI> departure: I &s;hall not &s;peak, Sir, of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> his joy, nor of her magnificent Reception: But I &s;hall a&s;&s;ure you that the fair <HI>Alcionida</HI> is wor|thy of his affection; and &s;o much the more, Sir, becau&s;e &s;he &s;hares with him in that affecti|on which he hath unto your &s;ervice; &s;ince certainly &s;he is &s;o charmed with your Virtue, though &s;he know you onely by Fame, and <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> that &s;he was full of prayers for your pro&s;perity, as he is, Thus, Sir, you &s;ee, in what a happy condition is <HI>Thra&s;ibulus:</HI> And as if his good fortune did extend unto his friends, when I returned from <HI>Milete</HI> with <HI>Alcionida,</HI> I found <HI>Thimocrates</HI> ready to depart unto <HI>Delphos,</HI> becau&s;e he received News that his friends had procured a revocation of his bani&s;hment; and that the Father of <HI>Te|le&s;ile</HI> having changed his mind, would give his daughter unto him, before all the re&s;t of her Lovers; &s;ince <HI>Menecrates,</HI> who was the mo&s;t con&s;iderable of them all, being repul&s;ed by the rigours of <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> had changed his mind: So that this Lover, who re&s;ented ab|&s;ence the wor&s;t of all mi&s;eries, was gone unto his dear <HI>Tele&s;ile,</HI> never to leave her. <HI>Phi|locles</HI> al&s;o departed from <HI>Milete</HI> at the &s;ame time to <HI>Iali&s;&s;a,</HI> hearing that the Husband of fair <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> was dead, and would try whether he could finde a Widdow more mollible then a Maid. For my part, Sir, whom jealou&s;ie hath &s;o tormented, I found at my return a Letter from one of my friends at <HI>Samos,</HI> which might in all probabilities cure me of my Pa&s;&s;ion, and con&s;equently of my Jealou&s;ie; for he writes unto me, that now <HI>Alcidamia</HI> is not all Fair; he de&s;cribes her lean and pale, and &s;o altered, that I know not how my Love and Jealou&s;ie can &s;ub&s;i&s;t any longer, and yet they doe. I doe not wonder (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;miled) that your Love &s;hould la&s;t longer then the Beauty of <HI>Alcidamia;</HI> for one ought not to mea&s;ure the length of Love by a Rule which is &s;hort, fragile, and muta|ble, as Beauty is. But my wonder is you &s;hould be &s;till jealous; for according to your de|&s;cription of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> &s;he is not like to make any more Conque&s;ts. 'Tis true, Sir, re|plyed <HI>Leontidas,</HI> but in telling me this of <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> they tell me further, that <HI>Theanor</HI> was never &s;o much in her favour as now: So that &s;ince I have heard &s;ay, commonly the faire&s;t per&s;ons cea&s;e to be rigorous when they cea&s;e to be fair, I am afraid &s;he will keep that by her favours which &s;he could not by her beauty: So that I am now more jealous then I was when <HI>Alcidamia</HI> was the faire&s;t in the World. And &s;ince, Sir, <HI>Alcidamia</HI> hath onely lo&s;t her beauty by lo&s;ing her health, &s;o that perhaps the next Spring will give her more then &s;he hath lo&s;t, but will never re&s;tore me her affection which &s;hee hath be&s;towed upon another. But, Sir, &s;ince I ought not to be le&s;&s;e jealous of your glory then of my Mi|&s;tris, though in a different manner, give me leave to tell you, that within the&s;e few daies there will come unto you Deputies from all the Countries which <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> and <HI>Harpa|gus</HI> have conquered. And &s;ince the Army which they command hath nothing to doe in tho&s;e places where you are the Ma&s;ter, be plea&s;ed to &s;end them &s;uch orders as you would have them follow. In the mean time, Sir, I be&s;eech you, let <HI>Mega&s;ides</HI> doe the commands of the Prince <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> and acquaint you with a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which will rejoice you in your mi&s;eries, becau&s;e it will let you &s;ee the end of them. What confidence &s;oever I have in you (replyed <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;adly) I can hardly beleeve what you &s;ay: Nor can I tell whe|ther I &s;hould credit the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> him&s;elfe, if he were here, and &s;hould per&s;wade me I ought to hope for an end of my mi&s;eries. I would not have you beleeve, Sir (&s;aid <HI>Leontidas)</HI> either the Prince <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> or <HI>Mega&s;ides,</HI> or my &s;elf, but the Gods onely, who have given you &s;uch a clear a&s;&s;urance of it, that you dare not doubt it when you know it. I under&s;tand &s;o little what you mean (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that I know not what to an|&s;wer; therefore I conjure you (&s;aid he, and applyed his &s;peech to <HI>Mega&s;ides)</HI> to tell mee what you would have me know, and what it is will &s;o much rejoyce mee. Sir (replyed
<PB N="17" REF="492">
<HI>Mega&s;ides,</HI> before I &s;atisfie your curio&s;ity, be plea&s;ed to remember, that in <HI>Cyprus</HI> there is the Oracle of <HI>Venus &V;rania,</HI> which for matters of Love did never fail in her An&s;wers. Af|ter this Sir, give me leave to tell you, that the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> &s;i&s;ter unto the Prince <HI>Phi|loxipes,</HI> in who&s;e fortune hath been many changes, &s;ince you were in our <HI>I&s;le;</HI> having a minde to con&s;ult with the Oracle upon a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e on which the welbeing of her life depended, and having &s;ent unto <HI>Delphos,</HI> as unto the mo&s;t famous Oracle of the World, &s;he received an an&s;wer, which &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed her, that &s;he thought it impo&s;&s;ible to come to pa&s;&s;e, &s;o that &s;eek|ing for further &s;atisfaction of the an&s;wer, &s;he con&s;ulted with this of <HI>Venus Vrania,</HI> which told her in expre&s;&s;e termes, <HI>It was not more true that</HI> Cyrus <HI>was the greate&s;t Prince in the World; and that he &s;hould be hereafter as happy as heretofore he had been unfortunate, then what this Oracle of</HI> Delphos <HI>had told her &s;hould come to pa&s;&s;e.</HI> Ah <HI>Mega&s;ides,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> how &s;hould I beleeve this? for the Gods never u&s;e to contradict them&s;elves: however, they did not give me any &s;uch an&s;wer when I con&s;ulted with tho&s;e by whom they &s;ometimes reveale their &s;ecrets unto the &s;ons of men. <HI>Mega&s;ides,</HI> &s;eeing he was not beleeved, pre&s;ented unto him a Letter of credence, which the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> writ unto him, which he did not pre&s;ent &s;ooner, becau&s;e <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Leontidas</HI> were &s;o clo&s;e, he could not without interruption. But af|ter he had given him this Letter, he gave him the Oracle al&s;o which the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> received, &s;o that <HI>Cyrus</HI> not knowing whether he &s;hould &s;ooner beleeve <HI>Venus &V;rania,</HI> then the <HI>Sibyll</HI> with whom he had con&s;ulted, or <HI>Jupiter-Belus</HI> who rendred the favourable an|&s;wer unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> his minde was in an anxious perplexity. That which induced him to thinke he had ill expounded what the <HI>Sibyll</HI> &s;aid unto him, and what was an&s;wered the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> at <HI>Babylon,</HI> was, to &s;ee the Oracle at <HI>Delphos</HI> a&s;&s;ure <HI>Cre&s;&s;us, That if he went to War, he &s;hould ruine a greaa Empire.</HI> Yet he &s;aw that he was in a condition of ruine. But all the hopes of <HI>Cyrus</HI> could hardly expell feares from his heart, therefore he &s;aid unto <HI>Me|ga&s;ides,</HI> I perceive the Oracle which the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> received, tells her, <HI>That it is not more true I &s;hall be happy, then that which the Oracle an&s;wers her &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e.</HI> But <HI>Mega&s;ides,</HI> the knott of the matter is to know, whether that which the Oracle of <HI>Delphos</HI> an&s;wered her will come to pa&s;&s;e; for it is upon that which I mu&s;t finde a foundation for any of tho&s;e hopes which the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> would haue me entertaine. Sir, replyed <HI>Mega&s;i|des,</HI> as the Prince who &s;ent me did imagine, that it would be the good fortune of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> which would create beliefe and hopes in you, it hath obtained permi&s;&s;ion from her, to let you know what all her adventures, which doubtle&s;&s;e is &s;o rare, as the relation of it will adde much unto your hopes and delight, if you can &s;pare &s;o much lea&s;ure to heare it. Though I ought not to intere&s;t my &s;elfe &s;o much in the Fortune of one of the faire&s;t Prince&s;&s;es in the world (an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus)</HI> yet &s;ince my owne hath a dependency upon hers, I am forced to intreat you to acquaint me with it: and therefore &s;ince the Prince <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Salamis</HI> have given you permi&s;&s;ion, I be&s;eech you to doe me the Favour: but that I may have the better lea&s;ure to heare you, and not hinder my cares of the Siege, which is of &s;o great importance, it is requi&s;ite I take the time which I u&s;e to allow my &s;elfe for &s;leepe: there|fore let it be in the night if you plea&s;e: and &s;o it was. In the meane time <HI>Cyrus</HI> appointed <HI>Fe|raulas</HI> to have a care of <HI>Leontidas</HI> and <HI>Mega&s;ides,</HI> and to bringe them unto him a&s;&s;oon as he was retired into his Tent, after he had bid goodnight unto all the company. But doe what he could, his minde &s;till rann upon what <HI>Mega&s;iaes</HI> told him; and he had &s;uch impatient de|&s;ires to know how the Oracle was fulfilled, that he di&s;patched all orders concerning the Ar|my with as much celerity as po&s;&s;ible, to the end he might retire the &s;ooner. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then was no &s;ooner at liberty, but <HI>Feraulas</HI> in obedience to his commands brought <HI>Leontidas</HI> and <HI>Me|ga&s;ides</HI> unto him, and <HI>Mega&s;ides</HI> began his relation after this manner.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of <HI>TIMANTES</HI> and <HI>PARTHENIA.</HI></HEAD>
<P>I Be&s;eech you Sir, doe not expect I &s;hould relate any thing of tho&s;e wonderful events wherein <HI>Mars</HI> has a greater influence then Love, or wherein fortune workes the greate&s;t alterati|ons, in acquainting you with the Adventures of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> who&s;e name is <HI>Parthenia:</HI> but on the contrary, be plea&s;ed to know, that all the accidents in <HI>Cyprus</HI> can|not be of that nature. Indeed, it may well be &s;aid, that Love, who in all other places does often cau&s;e tragicall events, is contented, when he is angry, to produce onely fanta&s;ticall and capri|tious effects in our I&s;le. However, tho&s;e who find the&s;e effects in them&s;elves do think them&s;elves mo&s;t unfortunate, and complaine as much as tho&s;e whom Fortune, Love and Ambition all at once doe torment: After this Sir, I know not whether it be nece&s;&s;ary to put you in minde, that
<PB N="18" REF="493">
Love in our Court is not a &s;imple bare pa&s;&s;ion as in other places; but a pa&s;&s;ion of nece&s;&s;ity and decency: All men mu&s;t Love; and all Ladies mu&s;t be loved: no hard-harted in&s;en&s;ible man ever gets any e&s;teeme among&s;t us, except the Prince <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> who yet continued not &s;o long: This obduracy of heart is branded as a crime, and liberty of this kind is &s;uch a &s;hame, that tho&s;e who are not in Love, will at lea&s;t &s;eeme to be &s;o. As for Ladies, cu&s;tome does not nece&s;&s;arily oblige them to love, but onely to &s;uffer them&s;elves to be loved, and all their glory con&s;i&s;ts in making illu&s;trious conque&s;ts; and not to lo&s;e their Loves which they have captivated, though they be rigid unto them: For the principall honour of our Beauties is, to returne in their obedience tho&s;e captives which they have made onely by the power of their Charmes, and not by their Favours: &s;o that by this cu&s;tome, there is almo&s;t an ab&s;o|lute nece&s;sity of being a Lover, and unfortunate: yet it is not forbidden Ladies to acknow|ledge the per&s;everance of their loves by a pure affection; <HI>Venus Vrania</HI> allowes it; But &s;ome|times it is &s;o long before they can win the heart of the per&s;on loved, that the paines of the Conqueror does almo&s;t equall the plea&s;ure of the conque&s;t: yet it is allowable for beauties to make u&s;e of many innocent Arts wherewith to take hearts: Complacency is not a crime: care to &s;eeme faire is no affectation, ob&s;equiou&s;ne&s;&s;e is extreamely commendable, &s;o i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">be without ba&s;ene&s;s. Plau&s;ibility is a vertue: and to conclude all in &s;hort, all that may make them&s;elves a|miable, and all that may make them&s;elves to love, is permitted, provided it be not again&s;t the lawes of mode&s;ty and cha&s;tity: which manage the Gallantry of our I&s;le, is the predominate ver|tue of all Ladies. Thus allowing Fate, Innocency &amp; love, they live mo&s;t plea&s;ant &amp; merry lives: This Sir I thought requi&s;iteto hint unto your memory, that you may better comprehend what I am to relate. I &s;hall not neede to tell you Sir, that <HI>Parthenia</HI> was borne with a taking beauty; &s;uch a one as charmes at the fir&s;t &s;ight, &amp; which &s;eemes to augment, every moment one lookes on her; for it is impo&s;sible you &s;hould have been in <HI>Cyprus</HI> and not know it, though &s;he was at <HI>Paphos</HI> when you were there: But give me leave to tell you Sir, that her witt &s;parkles as well as her eyes; and her di&s;cour&s;e charmes as well as her beauty: Moreover, her minde was none of tho&s;e narrow ones, who knew one thing, and was ignorant of a thou&s;and: but on the con|trary, it was &s;o miraculou&s;ly large, that though it cannot be &s;aid <HI>Parthenia</HI> knew every thing equally well: yet it is mo&s;t certaine &s;he could give an excellent accompt of all things: there was al&s;o &s;uch a delicate &s;harpene&s;&s;e in her witt, that tho&s;e whom &s;he honored with her con|ver&s;ation &s;tood in feare of her, and though all her expre&s;sions were &s;imple and naturall, yet were they full of &s;trong &s;oliditie: moreover &s;he could turne her witt as &s;he plea&s;ed: &s;hee would be &s;erious and wi&s;e with tho&s;e that were &s;o: &s;he would be gallant and plea&s;ant upon nece&s;&s;ity: &s;he had a high heart, and &s;ometimes an humour of flattery; None knew the newes of the World better then &s;he: &s;he was of a naturall timero&s;ity in &s;ome things, and bold in others: &s;hee was full of heroique Genero&s;ity, and Liberality, and to conclude her de&s;crip|tion; Her &s;oule was naturally tender and pa&s;&s;ionate: and it may ju&s;tly be &s;aid, that never any did &s;o perfectly know the differences of love, as the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis:</HI> And I never in my life heard a more plea&s;ing di&s;cour&s;e then her, to make a di&s;tinction betwixt a pure refined love and a gro&s;&s;e terre&s;triall pa&s;&s;ion: between a love by inclination, and a love by acquaintance: between a &s;incere Love and a Counterfeit, between a Love that hath endes in it; and a Love Heroique: For indeed, &s;he would penetrate into the very heart: &s;he would de&s;cribe jealou&s;ie more ter|ribly by her words, then tho&s;e who Paint it with Serpents, gnawing the heart: &s;he knew all the innocent &s;weets of Love, and all the Torments, and every thing that had any dependency upon this pa&s;&s;ion, was &s;o perfectly knowne unto her, that <HI>Venus Urania</HI> her &s;elfe did not know them better then the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salami<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> This Sir is her de&s;cription of whom I mu&s;t &s;peake, who was no le&s;&s;e loved, then &s;he was lovely. And indeed, who&s;oever would Catalogue the Prodigious number of her Lovers in his memory, would que&s;tionle&s;&s;e be a&s;toni&s;hed, &s;ince it is mo&s;t certain, the fair <HI>Parthenia</HI> hath Captivated many, above a thou&s;and hearts &s;ince &s;he began to appear a Glorious Starre in the World: The greate&s;t wonder in <HI>Paphos</HI> was, that &s;he was never taken away, becau&s;e the Fa|ther of <HI>Philoxipes</HI> being Governour of <HI>Amathu&s;ia,</HI> cau&s;ed all his children to be taken away untill they were in a fit condition to appear in Court: So that the Lu&s;tre of <HI>Parthenias</HI> beau|ty was not like that of the Sun which we &s;ee every day, and unto who&s;e Rayes we are ac|cu&s;tomed unto: For &s;he appeared upon a &s;uddain at <HI>Paphos,</HI> all Lu&s;tre and Glory, and dazeled all beholders: It may mo&s;t truly be &s;aid, that &s;he dimmed all other beauties, and &s;corched more hearts in one day, then other beauties could onely warm in all their lives. But that which is mo&s;t ob&s;ervable in the Conque&s;ts of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> when &s;he came fir&s;t to <HI>Paphos,</HI> was, that &s;he never made u&s;e of her admirable wit, becau&s;e her beauty was &s;o Prodigiou&s;ly charm|ing,
<PB N="19" REF="493">
that tho&s;e &s;he Captivated, were fettered by her lookes, before ever &s;he &s;poke; &s;o piercing were her eyes, and &s;o inevitable were her Charmes. But Sir, as I told you already, that none dur&s;t be in&s;en&s;ible at <HI>Paphos,</HI> or at lea&s;t &s;eem &s;o; you may well conceive <HI>Parthenia</HI> found not many men at Liberty; and that &s;he could not gain &s;o many hearts without robbing others; and &s;ince &s;o, &s;he mu&s;t needs be loved by incon&s;tant &s;ervants, who quitted their fir&s;t Chaines to a&s;&s;ume hers: For in the changing of a Mi&s;tri&s;&s;e, it is no good rea&s;on to alledge, he found one more faire, and therefore changed: &s;ince I am confident that whoever quits one whom once he loved for another more faire then &s;he, doth mo&s;t certainly quit her for &s;ome end or o|ther. Look then upon <HI>Parthenia</HI> as one that hath many Lovers, and many haters: for it is to be &s;uppo&s;ed that they who lo&s;t tho&s;e hearts, &s;he found did not love her: And not one of them but did &s;et their wits on work to cavill at her beauty, and find &s;ome defect in it; And &s;ince they found that not any ea&s;ie matter, they would at lea&s;t quarrell with her dre&s;&s;e, though it was never &s;o hand&s;ome, and devi&s;ed all manner of Plots to di&s;parage her. In the meane time, <HI>Parthenia</HI> perceiving their envious aimes, tooke much plea&s;ure in revenge, by Captivating each day their Lovers; not caring for new Enemies, &s;o &s;he could make new Captives, for &s;he was taken of a fit age for it, and wherein it is a difficulty to keep with|in limits of Conque&s;ts and unju&s;t &s;uites and &s;acrifices unto her beauty: She was infinitley plea&s;ed to &s;ee &s;uch a croud of Adorers about her, whom &s;he carried in Triumph which way &s;oever &s;he went: But &s;ince &s;he did Captivate them onely by the lu&s;tre of her eyes, and not her wit or tongue, all her Amorites were not equally worthy of her Chaines: Some of them dull and gro&s;&s;e: others light and fanta&s;ticall, and &s;ome again envious and trouble&s;ome: So that finding her &s;elfe troubled with that which at fir&s;t &s;he delighted in, &s;he did what &s;he could to re&s;tore them unto tho&s;e from whom &s;he drew them, at lea&s;t to be rid of them; yet &s;he found this to be no ea&s;ie matter; and now, it may well be &s;aid, her beauty put her to abundance of trouble and vexation: For many Quarrells did ari&s;e among&s;t them&s;elves; But at la&s;t, her &s;eve|rity to &s;ome, and even incivility to others did rid her of this doting and trouble&s;ome mul|titude: For though the Cu&s;tome of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> was for Ladies to &s;uffer them&s;elves to be loved; yet it was not with all &s;orts indifferently. Thus <HI>Parthenia,</HI> being delivered from that per&s;e|cution, which this abundance of Lovers, and her own beauty cau&s;ed, &s;he retained onely three, who being more agreeable to her fancy then the re&s;t, &s;he bani&s;hed not: The&s;e three were not onely different in quality, but al&s;o in humours: The fir&s;t was a kin&s;man unto <HI>Timoilea,</HI> whom you &s;aw in <HI>Cyprus,</HI> called <HI>Polydamas,</HI> who&s;e inclinations were all generous: Hee was fair, hand&s;ome, and well compacted, he had a high and noble Aire; his wit was plea&s;ant, but ordinary: And he plea&s;ed more by an unexpre&s;&s;ible charm which was in all his actions and his Per&s;on, then by what he &s;poke, which tooke more by the manner then the matter ex|pre&s;&s;ed. The &s;econd was the Prince of <HI>Salamis:</HI> infinitely Rich, of great qualitie, and of a hand&s;ome pre&s;ence, having wit enough, but a little fanta&s;ticall. And the third was of a mean and ba&s;e birth, called <HI>Callicrates,</HI> who&s;e wit was incomparably above the be&s;t in all <HI>Paphos;</HI> and highly e&s;teemed both among&s;t Men and Women. He writ both in Pro&s;e and Ver&s;e mo&s;t admirably, in &s;uch a plea&s;ing and unu&s;uall way, as may be &s;aid, he invented it; at lea&s;t I am &s;ure, I never &s;aw any for him to imitate, and I think it may be truly &s;aid, none will ever imi|tate him, but imperfectly; For of a very trifle he would compo&s;e a plea&s;ant Letter: And as the <HI>Phrygians</HI> &s;aid of <HI>Midas,</HI> all he touched was Gold; So all that came from <HI>Callicrates</HI> pa&s;t for current: He would make Gla&s;&s;e pa&s;&s;e for Diamonds, and out of the poore&s;t &s;ubject extract ex|cellent matter: His company at &s;ome times was wonderous plea&s;ant, but not alwaies alike; for &s;ometimes he would be as i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">rome, as mo&s;t of the World were alwaies unto him: And hee had &s;uch an exce&s;&s;ive delicacy of wit, that &s;ometimes it might better be phra&s;ed Phanta&s;ti|call then delicate: His Per&s;on was not very well compo&s;ed; Yet he made an open profe&s;&s;ion of Court&s;hip and Gallantry: but it was of an univer&s;all Gallantry, &s;ince he loved all &s;orts, of all qualities: Yet had hee one mo&s;t dangerous quality for a lover, which was, that hee did as much affect to be thought he was loved, as really to be &s;o. The&s;e Sir, were the three a&s;&s;iduous Servants about <HI>Parthenia,</HI> who yet would not let her heart be engaged unto any one of them; For <HI>Polydamas</HI> had not wit enough, though will, the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> was fanta&s;ticall; and <HI>Callicrates</HI> was of &s;o inferiour a quality, that &s;he could not look upon him, only as an admirer of his parts, not as her Lover: So that to make up &s;uch a one as &s;he could fancy, was to finde one who had the heart and per&s;on of <HI>Polydamas,</HI> the quality of the Prince of <HI>Salamis,</HI> and the wit of <HI>Callicrates:</HI> But &s;ince this was a thing impo&s;&s;ible, &s;he content|ed her &s;elf, to e&s;teem every one of them according to their merits, but to love none of the three. Yet <HI>Polydamas,</HI> and <HI>Callicrates</HI> were more in her favour then the Prince of <HI>Sala|mis:</HI> For the per&s;on of the one did extreamly plea&s;e her, and the wit of the other made h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">
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merry. In the mean time, all the&s;e three Lovers had different de&s;ignes upon <HI>Parthenia:</HI> For <HI>Polydamis</HI> his chief care was to be loved, and unle&s;&s;e that, doubtle&s;&s;e he would not marry her. On the contrary, the Prince of <HI>Salamis,</HI> rather then not enjoy her would have married her, though &s;he hated him; and therefore he was as diligent to gain tho&s;e who had any prevalence with her, as to plea&s;e her; and <HI>Callicrates</HI> who&s;e &s;oul was all vanity, his prin|cipall care was to carry it &s;o, that the people &s;hould &s;u&s;pect <HI>Parthenia</HI> was in love with him; and I am confident, he would have been better &s;atisfied that all the Court &s;hould have be|leeved it, then he would, if &s;he had really loved him and none have known it. Therefore all his actions had &s;ome &s;acret de&s;ign in them, which <HI>Parthenia</HI> did not perceive till a long while after. But the &s;trange&s;t humour of <HI>Callicrates</HI> was, he never &s;o much loved out of his own judgment, as by that of others: And if <HI>Parthenia</HI> had been fairer then &s;he was: had it not been for the great reputation of her beauty, he had never loved her: For the lightne&s;&s;e of his fancy commonly never fixed upon any thing, but &s;uch as made greate&s;t noi&s;e in the world: Stately hou&s;es, Greatne&s;&s;e, Pompous Traines, high Quality, and &s;uch like, &s;ometimes made him quit the faire&s;t Lady in <HI>Cyprus;</HI> and therefore it is no wonder, if meeting with Quality, Beauty, Wit, Reputation, Honour, Riches, and all in one per&s;on, he &s;hould apply him&s;elf more to her then any other; and his chief felicity was in per&s;wading all the Court he was in no mean favour with her: Not that the meanne&s;&s;e of his birth dur&s;t pre&s;ume to act as <HI>Po|lydamas</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> did; but he took upon him another kind of familiar air, and he did in&s;en&s;ibly allure <HI>Parthenia</HI> to let him commend her; to &s;peak unto her often in whi&s;pers, and &s;ometimes to &s;ay aloud in Rallary, that &s;he was a mo&s;t dangerous per&s;on. Since he did not &s;o much care to be loved, as to have it thought he was: He never &s;poke any thing to her in private which might di&s;plea&s;e her, le&s;t &s;he &s;hould bani&s;h him. But he was exceeding|ly careful to carry it &s;o, that people might perceive he was in love with her: Therefore when at any time he went out from <HI>Parthenia</HI> with any one whom he thought had wit enough to ob&s;erve him, he affected to &s;eem melancholy. Sometimes he would not &s;peak; otherwhiles he would &s;peak of nothing but her; and follow almo&s;t into all places, affecting to look atten|tively upon her, when &s;he looked not upon him; yet very carefully watching for an oppor|tunity to make &s;ome &s;ecret &s;ign unto her, upon &s;ome trifle or otherwi&s;e which he had tru&s;ted her withall, purpo&s;ely to that end: For his humour was, to peru&s;e one favourable looke which might be perceived above any reall favour in &s;ecret. The &s;trange&s;t humour of <HI>Callicra|tes</HI> was, that though he had &s;uch fitne&s;&s;e of wit, as he could &s;eldome find any that were worthy of any Elogies, yet he had certain extravagant and fanta&s;ticall conceits, which &s;ome|times made him love others, which were not at all amiable, unle&s;&s;e it was becau&s;e he would be loved; and according to his own &s;ence, he had the vanity to beleeve he was: He had &s;uch an imperious wit, as he affected alwaies to have &s;ome whom he might &s;corn; and &s;ince none &s;uch could be found either among&s;t per&s;ons of quality, or per&s;ons rea&s;onable, he looked a little lower for &s;ome whom he might torment, and be rather their tyrant then their Lover; &s;o that it may rightly be &s;ayd, never had any &s;o many thoughts in their heart &s;o oppo&s;ite to one another as his. Moreover, all the world knew, that he was a greater Votarie unto <HI>Venus Anadiomena</HI> the La&s;civious, then unto <HI>Venus Urania</HI> the Cha&s;t, and he had &s;uch adoe to be|leeve there was any &s;uch thing in the world as pure affection; yet he was not only allowed of among&s;t all the Ladies, but al&s;o by many of them loved; &s;o that it was not to be wondered that the wi&s;dom of <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;hould permit him her e&s;teem; and the more, becau&s;e he was more re&s;pective to her then all others, and becau&s;e he never &s;poke of any &s;uch thing unto her as Love, unle&s;&s;e in Rallarie, and after &s;uch a manner as could neither offend her, or make her beleeve him. In the mean time <HI>Polydamas</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> being of &s;uch qualities as they might publi&s;h their loves of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> they courted her by wayes very different: For the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> was onely very a&s;&s;iduous about her, and <HI>Polydamas,</HI> who had not wit enough to hold out any &s;erious and long di&s;cour&s;e, did expre&s;&s;e his pa&s;&s;ion by a thou&s;and diver&s;ions, as Balls, Mu&s;iques, Collations, and Walks; and &s;ince he was very amiable, and danced well, all his actions plea&s;ed her, and his pre&s;ence and plea&s;ant humours was enough to infu&s;e joyes into the mo&s;t melancholy &s;ouls, &s;o that <HI>Parthenia</HI> did not hate him, nor had any indi&s;|po&s;ition to marry him if her Parents would con&s;ent. But &s;ince there was then &s;ome factions in Court, which divided the Great Families: Some rea&s;ons of Intere&s;t moved tho&s;e who had the di&s;po&s;e of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> not to marry her unto <HI>Polydamas.</HI> On the other &s;ide, <HI>Callicrates</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Polydamas</HI> in much favour with <HI>Parthenia,</HI> he moved her to ob&s;erve the &s;hallowne&s;&s;e of his wit, and did it with &s;o much art, as for all her inclination to <HI>Polydamas,</HI> &s;hee began to think &s;he &s;hould be blamed if &s;he loved him, or made choice of him, &s;o that checking her
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own thoughts, <HI>Callicrates</HI> had the joy to &s;ee &s;he began to be a little more cold towards <HI>Poly|damas,</HI> then accu&s;tomed. Yet &s;ince &s;he had a very &s;trong inclination to him, &s;he could not up|on a &s;udden vanqui&s;h her &s;elf; and <HI>Callicrates</HI> &s;tood in need of new wit to hinder her. As he was one day with her, he brought it about &s;o hand&s;omely, that &s;he began &s;o in&s;en&s;ibly to &s;peak of <HI>Polydamas,</HI> and to &s;peak very advantageou&s;ly of his great courage, of his Libera|lity and Magnificence. I confe&s;&s;e, Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that <HI>Polydamas</HI> merits all the commendations you give him, and if he did but know as well what you de&s;erve, as you doe what he de&s;erves, he would be the happie&s;t man upon earth, he would honour you more, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e more in love with you then he is. <HI>Polydamas</HI> (replyed <HI>Parthenia)</HI> is not in love with me; but though he were, I am confident more or le&s;&s;e wit does not get more or le&s;&s;e love; and there are &s;ome dul blockheads more in love, then all your &s;pritely wits are. Ah Madam (&s;aid <HI>Callicrates)</HI> if I dur&s;t but tell you what I think, I &s;hould induce you to change your minde. I give you leave (&s;aid &s;he unto him) Then, Madam (&s;aid he) let me tell you, that poor <HI>Poly|damas</HI> does but love the one half of the fair <HI>Parthenia.</HI> Dare you &s;wear, Madam, that he under&s;tands all you &s;ay? Doe you not ob&s;erve that he looks more upon you then he hears you, and that there is no coherencie between what you &s;ay, and what he an&s;wers? For my part (&s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> who was not very glad at what <HI>Callicrates</HI> told her) I think <HI>Polydamas</HI> an&s;wers as others doe; but it is the noble qualities of his &s;oul which is mo&s;t com|mendable: &s;ince you will not con&s;ent with me (replyed he) that <HI>Polydamas</HI> hath a very &s;hal|low wit; I will apparently prove unto you that you have ten thou&s;and times more then hee hath. You would doe me the greate&s;t plea&s;ure in the world, replyed &s;he. Truly Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I doe not beleeve you. Doe you think then, replyed &s;he, that I love <HI>Polydamas</HI> better then I doe my &s;elf? &s;ince I preferre his glory before my own. I doe not &s;ay &s;o, (&s;aid he, and laughed) but I mu&s;t tell you, I fear it, and think it. But I pray, Madam (&s;aid <HI>Calli|orates,</HI> with the &s;ame freedome he u&s;ed to all the world, whil&s;t <HI>Polydamas</HI> loves one half of the fair <HI>Parthenia,</HI> let a certain man whom I know love the other. Yet, Madam, when I &s;ay <HI>Polydamas</HI> loves the one half of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> I &s;ay not truly; for certainly he loves not halfe her beauty, though he &s;ee it every day. I think indeed he knows that it is great, that &s;he is of a good &s;tature, that &s;he hath faire eyes, that her neck is whiter then &s;now, that her complexion is admirable, her hair fair, her mouth lovely and all excellent; but as for that charming air, which is an ornament to all the&s;e, he knows it not at all. I am confident that though you plea&s;e him infinitely, he knows not why you plea&s;e him. There are &s;uch pretty, I know not whats, in your face as infinitely tran&s;cends his &s;phere of knowledge. He under&s;tands not the language of your eyes; your &s;ighs which are &s;o &s;ubtle and eloquent, and which &s;ome|times makes known the &s;weetne&s;&s;e or bitterne&s;&s;e of your heart, doe not produce the &s;ame effects in his heart which they doe in others; and to expre&s;&s;e my very thoughts in one word: I am confident, that he who can be &s;o happy, as to obtain &s;o much favour from <HI>Par|thenia</HI> as to love all in her, that <HI>Polydamas</HI> knowes not; will have a better halfe then he. <HI>Cal|licrates</HI> &s;poke all this with &s;o much audacity, that <HI>Parthenia</HI> had a mind to be angry, but &s;he had no time; For the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> coming in, <HI>Callicrates</HI> retired with as much &s;e|riou&s;ne&s;&s;e in her lookes, as if he had been all day talking upon nothing but Politiques, or Morall Philo&s;ophie. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Parthenia</HI> did very much e&s;teem him, &s;he was ve|ry &s;orry &s;he had &s;uch an inclination to love a man whom he e&s;teemed not: For &s;ince &s;he did not &s;u&s;pect that <HI>Callicrates</HI> was in love with her, his words had a great influence upon her heart: Yet &s;he was not ab&s;olutely re&s;olved to bani&s;h <HI>Polydamas</HI> at that time, as afterwards through the malice of <HI>Callicrates</HI> &s;he was, and thus it came about. <HI>Parthenia</HI> being one day ill, &s;he kept her Chamber, and by con&s;equence, was vi&s;ited by very many, among&s;t the re&s;t, <HI>Polydamas</HI> and <HI>Callicrates,</HI> who being that day in one of his dumpi&s;h moodes, which eve|ry one did chide him for; did &s;it in a corner of <HI>Parthenia</HI>'s Chamber, &s;eeming not to un|der&s;tand what any &s;aid. In the mean time, <HI>Polydamas</HI> not thinking that <HI>Callicrates</HI> was &s;o &s;ilent, to the end he might hear the better, began to talke, as he u&s;ed, to wit, with little cohe|rence, le&s;&s;e eloquence, and lea&s;t wit; yet with acceptation, becau&s;e his Per&s;on was very ami|able? And as an amorous man is apt to &s;peak more unto her he loves then any other; So <HI>Po|lydamas</HI> to <HI>Parthenia:</HI> On the other &s;ide, <HI>Callicrates,</HI> having a clo&s;e de&s;ign, and an admirable memory, not regarding what any of the re&s;t &s;aid, harkned very attentively unto all <HI>Parthe|nia</HI> and <HI>Polydamas</HI> &s;aid to each other: as he li&s;tned well, &s;o he remembred better, &s;ince cer|tain<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y he remembred word for word, all that pa&s;&s;ed between them: So that the conver&s;ation ending without a word unto any, and in all ha&s;t went home; when as &s;oon as he was come, he writ dialoguewi&s;e all that he heard <HI>Polydamas</HI> and <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;ay, putting their names to
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each Paragraph, without any alteration. So that <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;peaking alwaies as well as any in the World, and <HI>Polydamas</HI> the wor&s;t; the words of <HI>Polydamas</HI> wanting the grace of accent wherewith they were pronounced: and the words of <HI>Parthenia</HI> gracing them&s;elves, this Di|alogue was very delightfull to read: For be&s;ide the difference in their an&s;wers, the di&s;cour&s;e made mo&s;t pittifull gibberi&s;h, as if it were a continued di&s;cour&s;e: But though <HI>Polydamas</HI> was not to be blamed or upbraided with this; yet <HI>Callicrates</HI> made u&s;e of it to &s;erve his malice: Who to lo&s;e no time, went next morning betimes to <HI>Parthenia,</HI> whom he found alone: As &s;oon as he was entered, the Prince&s;&s;e remembring his &s;ilent dumpes the day before, began to chide him, and to ask him whether he was yet in the humour of &s;peaking: No Madam (&s;aid he to her) but on the contrary, I am come hither this day to tell you what I thought ye&s;ter|day: You &s;eemed &s;o melancholy ye&s;terday, an&s;wered &s;he, that I doe not think it will be any delighting matter, unle&s;&s;e you were in the humour of compo&s;ing Ver&s;es: For I have heard &s;ay, tho&s;e who compo&s;e them, are as much &s;eparated from them&s;elves, as you were ye&s;ter|day from the company whil&s;t you were in it. I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, &s;aid he, I had no confe|rence with the Mu&s;es, yet I was in the merry vain of writing &s;omething as plea&s;ant; But 'tis in Pro&s;e, not Ver&s;e: &s;ince I know you are as good at the one as the other, replyed &s;he, I much de&s;ire to &s;ee it, and therefore &s;ince you came hither this day to tell me what you thought ye&s;terday, I pray &s;hew them: I &s;wear Madam, &s;aid he unto her, though I came with that in|tent, yet I know not whether I &s;hould &s;hew you what I writ: No no, <HI>Callicrates,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Par|thenia,</HI> and &s;upected nothing) never pumpe for any excu&s;es or denialls, for I will &s;ee them: Then promi&s;e me Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) to doe me &s;o much honour, as to tell me &s;in|cerely who you find ill in them; and ob&s;erve unto me all the faults. I profe&s;&s;e <HI>Callicrates,</HI> (an&s;wered &s;he) this is a mo&s;t admirable good one, that you &s;hould think I can correct any thing you write: But to take all colour of excu&s;es from you, I promi&s;e you to tell what I think of them, that is as much as to &s;ay, I will promi&s;e you to commend them and you both. I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) you will be very indulgent, if you commend all I have writ: but to be &s;incere, let me tell you that there are &s;ome things in what I &s;hall let you &s;ee, which are not unworthy of your &s;elfe: And let me al&s;o a&s;&s;ure you, there are other things, which are not &s;o much as worthy of my &s;elfe, and which cannot plea&s;e you, unle&s;&s;e you be &s;trangely prejudicated: You doe not u&s;e &s;uch inequalities in what you write (replyed <HI>Parthe|nia)</HI> and I am confident you would not &s;atisfie my de&s;ire in &s;eeing if they were &s;o: You &s;hall your &s;elfe be judge (&s;aid he unto her, and gave her the Paper writ word for word, all the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Polydamas</HI> and <HI>Parthenia)</HI> But how comes it to pa&s;&s;e (&s;aid &s;he in taking it) that you put me to read what you have writ? The rea&s;on is, (replyed he) becau&s;e I &s;hall be more delighted to hear you read them then my &s;elfe, and I am confident you under&s;tand them better. <HI>Callicrates</HI> being accu&s;tomed to vent a hundred witty trickes, <HI>Parthenia</HI> upon a &s;ud|dain &s;u&s;pected one: But however &s;he had rather expo&s;e her &s;elfe to be deluded, then not &s;atisfie her Curio&s;itie, and therefore &s;hee opened the Paper, and fir&s;t found this Title.<LB>
<HI><HI>The an&s;wers of</HI> POLYDAMAS <HI>and</HI> PARTHENIA, <HI>and of</HI> PARTHENIA <HI>and</HI> POLYDAMAS.</HI><LB></P>
<P>She had no &s;ooner read this, but &s;he began to laugh; yet not with a blu&s;h, (and looking upon him) as being more de&s;irous to read in his face then in the Paper what he meant by this piece of knavery: Yet did &s;he not imagine the truth; for &s;he thought he would have in|formed <HI>Polydamas</HI> and her &s;elfe of &s;omething: But in reading on, &s;he found her own very words, as well as tho&s;e of <HI>Polydamas;</HI> and indeed all their di&s;cour&s;e verbatim. Then had &s;he various apprehen&s;ions, for at fir&s;t &s;he thought it a plea&s;ant Piece of work, but immediately after, &s;he could not chu&s;e but be angry at <HI>Callicrates,</HI> at <HI>Polydamas,</HI> and her &s;elfe: at <HI>Callicrates</HI> for his knavery, at <HI>Polydamas</HI> for his little wit, and at her &s;elfe for her weak|ne&s;&s;e. Yet out of honour, &s;he concealed her thoughts as well as &s;he could, thinking it much better to hear his Rallarie, then &s;hew her re&s;entment; and to that end, &s;he read the Paper from one end to the other, and was &s;o extreamly a&s;hamed, that her heart &s;hould ever have any di&s;|po&s;ition to love him who &s;poke &s;o, that &s;he ab&s;olutely re&s;olved to Ca&s;hiere <HI>Polydamas</HI> out of her Soule. All this while <HI>Callicrates</HI> looked attentively upon her: So that as &s;oon as <HI>Parthe|nia</HI> had done reading, well Madam (&s;aid he unto her) do you not confe&s;&s;e there are many things in that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ou &s;ee, which de&s;erve your Cen&s;ure? I confe&s;&s;e, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> that you have as much knavery as wit: and I had need be as good unto you as I am, not to hate you extreamly for this trick which you have put upon me: Madam (&s;aid he unto her) you are
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not &s;o good as your word, for you promi&s;ed to correct all my faults in what you read. You are &s;o farr from wi&s;e (&s;aid &s;he unto him and &s;miled) that I &s;hould be as fooli&s;h as you are, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> I &s;hould take the paines to an&s;wer you &s;eriou&s;ly: However Madam (&s;aid he unto her) certainly you will confe&s;&s;e, that ye&s;terday you did not thinke that <HI>Polydamas</HI> &s;poke &s;o ill as you doe to day: I a&s;&s;ure you (&s;aid &s;he) I did not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eed the an&s;wers of <HI>Polydamas,</HI> but my owne, and I am beholding to you for nothing but for undeceiving me of the over good opinion I had of my &s;elfe; for I thought I had &s;poke better then I did. Ah Madam (&s;aid he, and would have taken the paper from her) certainly you did not read them &s;o well as you &s;poke them: I be|&s;eech you give me leave to read your words; yet <HI>Callicrates</HI> could not get the paper out of <HI>Parthenia</HI>'s hands, who kept them whether he would or no; perhaps if you de&s;ire to &s;ee what was writ in this paper, that you might &s;ee the difference between the wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t of <HI>Polydamas,</HI> and <HI>Parthenia:</HI> But Sir that a &s;i&s;ter which I have, who waites upon this Prince&s;&s;e did tell them un|to me, yet I cannot remember them; yet certainly nothing could be more different from ano|ther then the an&s;wers of <HI>Parthenia</HI> and <HI>Polydamas.</HI> In the meane time this conference of <HI>Cal|licrates</HI> and <HI>Parthenia,</HI> which began in rallerie, did end in a more &s;erious di&s;cour&s;e: for pa&s;&s;ing in&s;en&s;ibly from one thing to another, <HI>Callicrates</HI> moved <HI>Parthenia</HI> to confe&s;&s;e &s;he could not but wonder <HI>Polydamas</HI> &s;hould be &s;o Amiable and have &s;o little Witt. For Heavens &s;ake Madam (&s;aid he unto her) doe me the favour the fir&s;t time you &s;ee him and are in di&s;con|tent with him, turne away your head and winke, that you may heare him and not &s;ee him: and if after that you doe not confe&s;&s;e you have no cau&s;e to love him, I will for ever for&s;ake tho&s;e hopes I have that you will never hate me: for really Madam; there cannot be a greater difference between any two, then between the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Parthenia</HI> and <HI>Polydamas.</HI> Therefore Madam take my advice, prophane not tho&s;e excellencies which the Gods have given you, by giving your &s;elfe to one who cannot halfe under&s;tand them; but finde one out that is able to know and adore you. This Sir was the conference between <HI>Parthenia</HI> and <HI>Callicrates,</HI> who left her with much &s;a|tisfaction, that he had &s;o well pro&s;pered in his de&s;igne: and indeed, ever &s;ince that day, <HI>Par|thenia</HI> was Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e of her &s;elfe, and di&s;engaged her heart, able to look upon <HI>Polydamas</HI> as a lover, whom &s;he would condemne unto de&s;paire, which was no &s;mall joy unto <HI>Callicrates,</HI> who as of<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> as he met <HI>Polydamas,</HI> did treat him mo&s;t cruelly, and abu&s;e him in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Parthenia;</HI> yet in &s;uch a manner, as <HI>Polydamas</HI> did not perceive it, becau&s;e it was by ap|plauding him for things which were not at all commendable, and in admiring all he &s;aid, and making an Elogie upon every word he &s;pake: and he had been more gro&s;s in his abu&s;es, if the Prince&s;&s;: had not impo&s;ed &s;ilence, and forbidden him to u&s;e him &s;o. In the meane time the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> continued to &s;ee and &s;erve her, though he made no great progre&s;&s;e into her affection; and ob&s;erving that <HI>Callicrates</HI> was much in her favour, but had not the lea&s;t thought of his being in love, though it was already noi&s;ed in the world, he indeavoured to oblige him, and made him the confident of his de&s;igne; but <HI>Callicrates</HI> having no minde to turne &s;olicitor for another in matter of love, told him, that he could doe nothing for him, and that <HI>Parthenia</HI> was one who would take advice from none but her &s;elfe: But &s;ince he per|ceived that <HI>Polydamas</HI> was not yet enough out of <HI>Parthenias</HI> Bookes, he hinted &s;uch things unto the Prince of <HI>Salamis,</HI> as moved him to apprehend, that as long as <HI>Polydamas</HI> was a vi&s;i|tor of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> none ought to be pretender unto her: yet he told this as a mighty &s;ecret, for his de&s;igne being to make the world beleeve <HI>Parthenia</HI> loved him, he would not publi&s;h that &s;he had any inclination to <HI>Polydamas.</HI> But he told him all that he could devi&s;e which might move the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> to hate his Rivall, and to make him quarrell with him, hoping thereby to be quit of two Rivalls at once, either by killing each other, or by bani&s;h|ing them for fighting: and indeed his plot did hit, and that which did advance it, was, the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> being one day in <HI>Parthenia</HI>'s clo&s;et, &s;he went out for &s;omething, and left this Prince with others in it, and the company coming out pre&s;ently after, left him in the Clo&s;et expecting <HI>Parthenia</HI>'s return, &s;o that looking upon divers things which lay upon the Table, he found a paper which the Prince&s;&s;e had left and forgotten, and it proved to be that which <HI>Callicrates</HI> writ, with the an&s;wers of <HI>Polydamas</HI> and <HI>Parthenia;</HI> for the Prince&s;&s;e would not burn it, becau&s;e &s;he kept it to cure her &s;pirits in reading of them: &s;o that the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> &s;eeing the name of <HI>Polydamas</HI> and <HI>Parthenia,</HI> took up the Paper, and would &s;ee the contents of it; yet &s;eeing there was much to read, and fearing the Prince&s;&s;e would re|turne before he had fini&s;hed, and being tran&s;ported with a curio&s;ity as great as his love, he took it and went away before the Prince&s;&s;e returned into her clo&s;et: but he was &s;trangely a|mazed when he &s;aw it, for it pa&s;&s;ed all mens under&s;tanding, nor he could not thinke that
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<HI>Parthenia,</HI> who had &s;o much witt could thinke well of all that <HI>Polydamas</HI> had &s;aid, nor could he imagine it writ by <HI>Callicrates</HI> with her con&s;ent, though he knew it to be his hand; nor could he beleeve, con&s;idering his &s;u&s;pitions, that <HI>Parthenia</HI> loved <HI>Polydamas,</HI> that &s;he &s;hould take any delight to &s;ee <HI>Callicrates</HI> full of &s;uch raillery again&s;t him, &s;o that not knowing what to thinke, he re&s;olved to make him who writ this fanta&s;ticall Dialogue, tell the truth: he &s;ent then to &s;eek <HI>Callicrates,</HI> and rather then faile of finding him; went him&s;elfe to look him: but &s;ince this man, maugre his vanity he had in being thought to be <HI>Parthenia's</HI> Idoll, and her lover, had many other pa&s;&s;ions le&s;&s;e honourable then that, the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> could not ea&s;ily finde him, though he went unto twenty &s;everall hou&s;es to enquire: but at la&s;t, accidentally &s;eeing him come out of a hou&s;e which he never thought of, he &s;ent for him, and conjured him to tell him what was his de&s;igne in writing tho&s;e an&s;wers of <HI>Polydamas,</HI> and giving them unto <HI>Parthenia.</HI> Sir (&s;aid he with an an&s;wer as quick as his witt) I wonder much you &s;hould not under&s;tand my de&s;igne, and that you &s;hould not &s;ee I have no other but to doe you &s;ervice, in letting faire <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;ee the odds that is between her witt and your Rivalls. Ah <HI>Callicrates,</HI> &s;aid the Prince of <HI>Salamis,</HI> why would you keep &s;ecret my obliga|tions unto you? and why did you not let me know <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;uffered you to abu&s;e <HI>Polyda|mas?</HI> As &s;he hath much witt, replyed <HI>Callicrates,</HI> what re&s;entment &s;oever &s;he hath, &s;he makes no expre&s;&s;ions of them; However it be, &s;aid the Prince of <HI>Salamis,</HI> all will doe no good, &s;ince after this I &s;ee <HI>Polydainas</HI> in as great favour as ever. <HI>Callicrates</HI> perceiving that this Prince was not jealous of him, he kindled it again&s;t <HI>Polydamas</HI> by a hundred cunning expre&s;&s;ions, &s;o that when he left him, he left him more jealous then ever, but with more hope of revenge al&s;o again&s;t his rivall, imagining that &s;ince <HI>Parthenia</HI> out of her prudence had winked at <HI>Calli|crates</HI> his jeering raillerie, &s;he would be al&s;o di&s;creet as to hide her re&s;entments at his quarrel|ling with him. The Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> having this Fancy, it was not long before he put his de&s;igne in execution; for as there never wants a colour of a quarrell between two Rivalls: The fir&s;t occa&s;ion that he met with, he began to contradict all that <HI>Polydamas</HI> &s;aid very ob&s;tinate|ly, and pa&s;&s;ing from contradictions unto angry di&s;putes, they fell from words to blowes, and fought a Bloody duell. For the Prince of <HI>Salamis,</HI> having a &s;ecret de&s;igne upon him, &s;tay+ed for <HI>Polydamas</HI> in a great plaine, which is before <HI>Parthenia's</HI> Palace, &s;o that this Prince&s;&s;e was a &s;pectator of the Combat out at her Window, which was endedbefore they could come in to part them. Which of the&s;e two had the advantage could not be judged, for they were both of them equally wounded, and their &s;words both broke when they clo&s;ed, and fell; doing both of them what they could to vanqui&s;h each other; this combat made a great noi&s;e in the Court, butas for <HI>Callicrates,</HI> he laughed in his &s;leeve: yet hewent pre&s;ently to the Priuceffe to grieve with her, or rather to &s;ee how &s;he took it: but &s;he thought him to be her friend, &s;he did not di&s;&s;emble how this combat had a great influence upon her heart; which newes was nothing plea&s;ing unto <HI>Callicrates:</HI> for &s;he let him know, that &s;he hated the prince of <HI>Salamis,</HI> and that &s;he loved <HI>Polydamas</HI> better then before, taking it very ill at the hands of the fir&s;t, that he &s;hould be &s;o bold as to quarrell with the other in any con&s;ideration of hers; not being ignorant, that it was he who fir&s;t a&s;&s;aulted, and knowing that there could be no o|ther fallings out between them but for her intere&s;ts. Truth is Madam (&s;aid <HI>Callicrates</HI> to her) you have rea&s;on to be angry with the Prince of <HI>Salamis,</HI> and it is but ju&s;t to hate him for his &s;oe little re&s;pect of you: But I cannot find you have any cau&s;e to love <HI>Polydamas</HI> better, &s;ince he hath done nothing, but that he would not let him&s;elfe be killed: for I cannot beleeve Madam, you &s;hould thinke he had any other end in defending his life, but to keep it for the love of you; and were I to judge upon the actions of the&s;e two Rivalls, I &s;hould thinke you are more of the two obliged unto the Prince of <HI>Salamis,</HI> then unto <HI>Polydamas,</HI> who for all this, hath no more witt then he had; for I prote&s;t Madam, I am confident, that if he were him&s;elfe to relate his Combate with &s;uch Eloquence as he hath, you would wi&s;h the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> Victory. I a&s;&s;ure you <HI>Callicrates</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I have much adoe not to be offended at you, for &s;coffing at a thing which both grieves and angers me: And the the truth is Sir, though <HI>Parthenia</HI> had not contracted any affection with <HI>Polydamas,</HI> yet &s;he could not chu&s;e but be very &s;en&s;ible of his misfortune, and the more, becau&s;e falling in a Feavour he dyed of his wounds, the &s;ixth day after the combat, &s;o that <HI>Callicrates</HI> need|ing not now to oppo&s;e that affection which he feared was in her heart towards him, he be|gan to pitty him in her pre&s;ence, &s;aying, that the high qualities of his &s;oule, and the hand&s;om|ne&s;&s;e of his per&s;on, did &s;erve to excu&s;e the imperfections of his wit, de&s;iring if it were po&s;&s;ible, that her &s;orrowes for his death, might keep her from any affection to the Prince of <HI>Salamis,</HI> and moved him to goe out of <HI>Paphos</HI> untill all things were appea&s;ed: but when <HI>Callicrates</HI>
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was out of <HI>Parthenia</HI>'s pre&s;ence, he &s;coffed as much at <HI>Polydamas</HI> dead as living; and &s;aid that all the Court was beholding unto the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> for ridding it of a man who &s;poke &s;o much non&s;ence. In the mean, to &s;atisfie his vanity, whil&s;t there was no profe&s;&s;ed Lovers of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> he was an eternall vi&s;itant, and &s;aw her every minute &s;he was vi&s;ible; and when &s;he was not, he affected to &s;peak of her, and oftentimes to name her in lieu of another: So that he called every one <HI>Parthenia,</HI> &s;eeming alwayes to reprehend him&s;elf, and be angry that his tongue &s;hould &s;o betray the thoughts of his heart. In &s;hort, he carryed it &s;o, that all the Court &s;u&s;pected him to be in love with <HI>Parthenia,</HI> none yet daring to &s;peak of it unto the Prince&s;&s;e: For certainly (&s;aid every one) &s;he mu&s;t needs perceive that which all the world &s;ees; and if &s;he does &s;ee it, why does it not di&s;plea&s;e her, and move her to bani&s;h <HI>Callicra|tes</HI> from her? So they thought <HI>Callicrates</HI> in love with <HI>Parthenia,</HI> but never told their thoughts unto her, who never &s;u&s;pected any &s;uch thing, &s;ince he never talked unto her but of things indifferent, and of &s;mall con&s;equence. As for him, &s;ince he affected more the &s;atis|faction of his vanity then his love, fear of bani&s;hment would never let him tell her &s;eriou&s;ly that he loved her, to the end there might be more &s;u&s;pition that he was loved. In the mean time the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> having &s;etled his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and the Phy&s;itians reporting that <HI>Po|lidamas</HI> dyed rather of the ill di&s;po&s;ition of his humours then of his wounds, he returned unto the Court as &s;oon as he was recovered; and he knew &s;o well how to tamper with all the Parents of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> that his Marriage was concluded upon before ever he &s;pake unto her. I &s;hall not relate unto you, Sir, what unwillingne&s;&s;e was in <HI>Parthenia</HI> to obey the commands of her Parents, in looking upon the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> as the man whom &s;he was to marry; nor how <HI>Callicrates</HI> did augment her aver&s;ion to it: But give me leave to tell you, Sir, there was no remedy, <HI>Parthenia</HI> mu&s;t marry the Prince of <HI>Salamis,</HI> and <HI>Callicrates</HI> mu&s;t be contented: His comfort was, <HI>Parthenia</HI> loved him not, and in his hopes &s;he would make him her &s;ecret Confident. Al&s;o his hopes were, that all the world knowing <HI>Parthenia</HI> loved not her Hu&s;|band, it would be more ea&s;ie for him to make them beleeve, &s;he loved him. Yet what vanity &s;oever he had, and what ill opinion &s;oever he held of women in generall, I am confident hee could never think <HI>Parthenia,</HI> who&s;e virtue he knew very well, could have any vitious thoughts in all her life, though &s;he had a &s;en&s;ible and pa&s;&s;ionate &s;oul. In conclu&s;ion, Sir, the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> marryed <HI>Parthenia</HI> much again&s;t her will, and he expre&s;&s;ed &s;o much love unto her at their Marriage, that &s;hee &s;weetned her bitterne&s;&s;e, and dimini&s;hed her aver&s;ion to him. Hee gave her, in ca&s;e he dyed before, the Principality of <HI>Salamis,</HI> being more &s;ubmi&s;&s;e unto her then ever any was. But, Sir, as I have before de&s;cribed the beauty of this Prince&s;&s;e unto you, &s;o, is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould beleeve that the eyes of this Prince being accu&s;tomed unto the beauty of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> &s;hould take le&s;&s;e delight in looking upon her, then in a fre&s;h beauty, which was a thou&s;and degrees inferiour unto hers? Yet it is true, that this Prince loving her onely becau&s;e &s;he was fair, and his eyes being glutted with the cu&s;tom of &s;eeing her, his pa&s;|&s;ion le&s;&s;ened, and his &s;oul in&s;en&s;ibly fell off from lukewarm to indifferency, and from indif|ferency to &s;corn: For &s;ince he was of a fanta&s;ticall &s;pirit, the humours of <HI>Parthenia</HI> and his kept no corre&s;pondency. I leave you, Sir, to imagine, how &s;ad this Prince&s;&s;e was when &s;hee found her &s;elf &s;lighted: Indeed it troubled her &s;o much, that &s;he fell &s;ick, but in &s;uch a lan|gui&s;hing di&s;ea&s;e, as though it did not much hazard her life, yet it robb'd her of her beauty. And you may imagine, Sir, that he who &s;corned her when &s;he was the faire&s;t in all <HI>Cyprus,</HI> did not love in the Autumn of her beauty, but began to be har&s;her then before unto her: He had twenty &s;everall Paramours, who for all their glittering beauties were yet inferiour unto <HI>Parthenia,</HI> notwith&s;tanding her decayed alteration. The mutable mind of this Prince did &s;o amaze the World, that none could imagine the &s;ecret cau&s;e of the ill corre&s;pondence between <HI>Parthenia</HI> and him; and every one had his cen&s;ure for him: In &s;o much as he having a hint of it, grew angry, and began to &s;peak aloud, that hee could not conceive why they &s;hould think it &s;trange he could not love his Wife, &s;ince according to his &s;ence, it was neither hand|&s;om nor rea&s;onable: For (&s;aid he unto me, when I asked him what an&s;wer I &s;hould returne unto tho&s;e who wondered why he loved not <HI>Parthenia,</HI> who was yet the faire&s;t in <HI>Cyprus?)</HI> I think there is no &s;uch extravagancy in the world, as for a Husband to be alwaies in love with his Wife; and if <HI>Parthenia</HI> would have kept me &s;till in love with her, &s;he &s;hould never have marryed me. I confe&s;&s;e, Sir, (&s;aid I unto him) there ought to be a difference between a Husband and a Lover; and I agree with you, that there are a hundred gallantries which are or|naments in a Lover, that would be ridiculous in a Husband. But, Sir, by your favour, this difference ought not to reach &s;o far as the heart; certainly one ought to love and honour her he marries as much after, as before marriage: Civility and Re&s;pect mu&s;t not be bani&s;hed, but
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pre&s;erved as pre&s;ervers of Love; le&s;t incivill familiarity &s;hould intirely root it out. Ala&s;s, <HI>Mega&s;ides,</HI> &s;aid he, it &s;eems you were never marryed, nor very well know the nature of Love. Truly, Sir, &s;aid I unto him, I think you doe not know it your &s;elf; for if you did, why doe you not love <HI>Parthenia,</HI> &s;ince &s;he is as fair now, as when you were in love with her? The rea&s;on is, &s;aid he, becau&s;e, that beauty which one enjoyes is like perfumes, which continuall cu&s;tome brings one not to &s;mell at all. And for my part, I am per&s;waded, that as one doth ac|cu&s;tome him&s;elf unto a beauty, one may likewi&s;e accu&s;tom him&s;elf unto ugline&s;&s;e; &s;o con&s;e|quently who&s;oever will marry, ought not to be &s;o curious in chu&s;ing one that is fair. Then Sir, &s;aid I unto him, why did you marry <HI>Parthenia?</HI> I married her, &s;aid he, becau&s;e Love led me out of my wits; and I cho&s;e rather to run the hazard of being her Lover, then not to enjoy her. The truth is, there is &s;omething in Marriage, which is &s;o incon&s;i&s;tent with Love, that I cannot endure people &s;hould blame me for not loving <HI>Parthenia.</HI> I cannot conceive, re|plyed I, you can love other women, who are a thou&s;and times le&s;&s;e fair then &s;he. Were you marryed, an&s;wered he, you would know how, as well as I: The truth is, who&s;oever takes away the &s;weetne&s;s of Novelty from Love, takes away Love it &s;elf; and who&s;oever doth ba|ni&s;h fre&s;h de&s;ires, and fre&s;h hopes from it, leaves no zeal or delight in it. Con&s;ider what the pa&s;&s;ion of a man will be, who alwaies &s;ees the &s;ame woman; who has no new hopes, no fre&s;h de&s;ires, and who &s;ees nothing in the time to come, but that his Wife will grow old and ugly. But, Sir, &s;aid I unto him, though you are not capable of a con&s;tant love, yet let me advi&s;e you at lea&s;t to e&s;teem <HI>Parthenia;</HI> let your love become friend&s;hip. Had I never been in love with her, replyed he, or had I married her for no other intere&s;ts, I could have done as you ad|vi&s;e me. But, <HI>Mega&s;ides,</HI> to fall from love to friend&s;hip, is a thing I cannot think po&s;&s;ible, nor am I capable of it. Indeed I am &s;ometimes a&s;hamed to &s;ee how weary I grow when I have been with her one poor quarter of an hour. Yet &s;ince I cannot love her, &s;he mu&s;t &s;ute her mind to her fortune, and let me alone to live as I li&s;t. The&s;e, Sir, were the thoughts of this Prince when he began to leave loving <HI>Parthenia;</HI> but hee was not the onely man who changed his thoughts of her; for <HI>Callicrates</HI> al&s;o finding that &s;he was not now the glorious Star of the Court, he fell off from his frequent vi&s;its; all the Beauties whom &s;he had robbed of their Lovers at her fir&s;t arrivall in <HI>Paphos,</HI> were ravi&s;hed at her misfortune; and all her Lovers whom &s;he had rigorou&s;ly treated, rejoiced: In&s;omuch as <HI>Parthenia,</HI> &s;eeing &s;he had lo&s;t all that her beauty had gotten, had &s;uch an indignation again&s;t her &s;elf, that &s;he left the Court, and went unto <HI>Salamis,</HI> where &s;he lived mo&s;t ob&s;cure and &s;olitarily; but where &s;he found a hundred things to charm her &s;orrows, and &s;olitude afforded her much &s;weetne&s;&s;e, &s;ince the cau&s;e of her grief was out of &s;ight; and as &s;he &s;aw nothing which plea&s;ed her, &s;o &s;he &s;aw no|thing which vexed her; and the ab&s;ence of her husband, and all tho&s;e that for&s;ook her with her beauty, made her mind very &s;erene; &s;o that u&s;ing her &s;elf by degrees unto a kind of me|lancholy which &s;ei&s;eth upon a &s;oul and never troubles it, &s;he grew wonderous well contented, and recovered her beauty. This being the &s;tate of things, &s;o it chanced, that the Prince of <HI>Sala|mis</HI> died &s;uddenly at <HI>Paphos,</HI> in his return from hunting: And the King made choice of <HI>Calli|crates,</HI>
as him that was the ancient friend of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> to carry the news of his death unto her. I am confident, Sir, you wil imagine that it was impo&s;&s;ible this Prince&s;&s;e &s;hould grieve violent|ly for the death of her husband who had &s;o &s;corned her; yet was &s;he much more moved at it, then in all po&s;&s;ibility &s;he would: For when <HI>Callicrates</HI> acquainted her with his death, &s;he &s;hed tears, but not in &s;o great abundance. But <HI>Callicrates</HI> could di&s;cern her eyes had recover|ed their fir&s;t lu&s;tre; and he found her &s;o admirably fair, that in lieu of telling her what he had premeditated, he &s;tood and gazed upon her, only telling her that her husband was dead: Yet he could not &s;ee her long that day; for &s;he retired, and &s;at upon herbed, purpo&s;ely to re|ceive the vi&s;its which &s;he fore&s;aw would be made: And indeed about two hours after the news was known, all of any quality in <HI>Salamis</HI> came unto her. In the mean time, &s;he &s;ent back <HI>Callicrates</HI> the next morning, though he had no de&s;ire to goe &s;o &s;oon; but when he was returned, his report of <HI>Parthenia</HI>'s beauty was &s;o high, that all the Court talked on nothing el&s;e but this wonderfull alteration. I &s;hall not &s;pend any time, Sir, in telling you how the Corps of the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> was carryed to the place of his name; but give me leave to tell you, Sir, that as &s;oon as all ceremonious mournings were over, <HI>Parthenia</HI> made a voyage to the Court upon a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which concerned the Principality of <HI>Salamis;</HI> al&s;o that perhaps &s;he was not &s;orry that &s;he was as fair as ever; for <HI>Parthenia</HI> was not above eighteen years of age: However &s;he returned unto <HI>Paphos,</HI> where &s;he dimmed all that could pretend to any beauty, and captivated no fewer hearts then &s;he did at fir&s;t; but hers was more difficult to be caught then ever, and &s;he was &s;o re&s;olutely determined not to receive the affections of any,
<PB N="27" REF="499">
that &s;hee did not thinke her &s;elfe &s;o much as obliged unto any that profered theirs unto her. And as <HI>Callicrates</HI> one day chid her for this cold indifferency; and telling her that &s;olitude had made her &s;alvage and un&s;ociable, &s;hee &s;tiffly maintained, that &s;hee had no rea&s;on to think her &s;elf beholding unto tho&s;e who loved her, becau&s;e her beauty plea|&s;ed them: For the truth is, &s;aid &s;he, I am re&s;olved not to expo&s;e my &s;elfe unto the &s;ame mi&s;|fortune I have had: and as long as I believe, that they do not love me, but becau&s;e I plea&s;e their eyes; and for a fading thing which a little &s;ickne&s;&s;e may take from me, I cannot much build upon &s;uch kind of affections. But Madam, replyed <HI>Callicrates,</HI> if you take beauty a|way from love, you may as well take away his arrowes and bow, and quite di&s;arme him. I would not take beauty away, replyed &s;he, but on the contrary, I would have &s;uch u&s;e made of it as of a Candle: do you not &s;ee, that when fire is put unto a faggot, it burnes, though the Candle which lighted it be taken away? or extingui&s;hed? So would I have beauty do, which &s;ets hearts on fire: but I would not have them extingui&s;h, when it which &s;et them on fire is ex|tingui&s;hed: Your &s;mile Madam, replyed <HI>Callicrates,</HI> is full of wit: Yet certainly, the fire which la&s;ts long, mu&s;t have &s;omething to maintain it: Tis true, &s;aid &s;he, but it mu&s;t not be beauty, for that is onely to kindle the fire, not to pre&s;erve it: It would be a rare World, if love &s;hould alwaies change as oft as the face of tho&s;e they love doth: if &s;o, a Rheume would kill a thou&s;and lovers: and a gentle feaver would break a thou&s;and Chaines, and &s;et as many Slaves at liberty: No, no, things mu&s;t not be &s;o; and who&s;oever loves onely the beauty of <HI>Par|thenia,</HI> &s;hall never get her love: I would have them love all <HI>Parthenia,</HI> and not by halfes as you told me when <HI>Polydamas</HI> lived; I would have them love her for &s;omething be&s;ides her beau|ty, that they may not fall off when it fades: did not you do &s;o <HI>Callicrates</HI> before I went to <HI>Salamis?</HI> Tis true Madam, I did; an&s;wered he, but it was becau&s;e I could not endure to &s;ee you mi&s;erable: Fie, fie, replyed &s;he, you cannot make me believe that: but I am per&s;waded you left me, either becau&s;e I had fewer Company, or becau&s;e my friend&s;hip was le&s;&s;e con&s;ide|rable: But know, &s;aid &s;he and &s;miled, that I never loved <HI>Callicrates,</HI> but for the wit of <HI>Calli|crates,</HI> I liked his f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Letters and his &s;mooth ver&s;es, and his plea&s;ant conceits: other|wi&s;e what did I care <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> he were happy or mi&s;errable? Al&s;o I thought <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> daies in which you &s;hewed m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">one of my letters (&s;aid &s;he in &s;uch a manner as might let him &s;ee &s;he was not ignorant of his proceedings) or ver&s;es, or on which you were not plea&s;ant, to be ill &s;pent in your company, and but for them, I &s;hould very near have hated you, for I cannot endure <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">con&s;tancy, either in friends ot lovers; but it is mo&s;t of all odious in friends; &s;ince &s;o, Madam &s;aid he, I be&s;eech you do me the honour, to ranke me among&s;t your Lovers that I may be le&s;&s;e criminall. Since I cannot revoke what's pa&s;t (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;miled) I cannot though I would make yo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ore or le&s;&s;e innocent then you are, but in ju&s;tifying you on the one &s;ide, I &s;hall condemn you on the other; therefore it is much better I look upon you as an unfaithfull friend, then as an uncon&s;tant lover, &s;ince which way &s;oever you &s;hall become the la&s;t of the&s;e, you will be alwaies criminall, and alwaies ill treated. However I &s;hould be glad Madam, &s;aid he unto her, that yo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">uld do me the honour I ask, for I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, I cannot endure to be di&s;honored, and called an unfaithfull friend, &s;ince in being one, I &s;hould have renounced all virtue and genero&s;ity: but it is otherwi&s;e in being onely an incon&s;tant Lover, for &s;uch a one is onely accu&s;ed of lightne&s;&s;e and weakne&s;&s;e: Yet I think folly may be added unto them (reply|ed &s;he.) Since that is a thing which is not di&s;honorable, replyed he, it &s;hall be no great ob|&s;tacle unto me; and I had rather you &s;hould think me fooli&s;h and out of rea&s;on, then thinke me culpable. Though <HI>Callicrates</HI> was formerly wont to &s;peak many times as boldly as thus, without any &s;upicion of &s;peaking &s;eriou&s;ly; yet now <HI>Parthenia</HI> took it ill he &s;hould &s;peake thus, for he &s;poke it with &s;uch an Air, &s;o bold as di&s;plea&s;ed her: So that both &s;he and <HI>Callicrates</HI> &s;tood a long while &s;ilent, and <HI>Parthenia</HI> had no mind to begin di&s;cour&s;e, for &s;he ob&s;erved that <HI>Callicrates</HI> was not &s;orry for her anger: but this &s;ilence la&s;ted not long, for company came in; and <HI>Callicrates</HI> went out, very glad <HI>Parthenia</HI> under&s;tood him: Yet he re&s;olved to appea&s;e her at what rate &s;oever, though it co&s;t him a hundred oathes that he did not love her, and that he &s;poke as he did onely to put her into a quarter of an houres impatience. How|ever Sir, there was &s;uch a Fatalitie in the beauty of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> as brought upon her a hun|dred mi&s;eries, either by tho&s;e who loved her, or by tho&s;e who envyed her, or by <HI>Callicrates.</HI> There was al&s;o a man of very high account who loved her, but not long; and &s;he was &s;o a&s;&s;aulted by all the Court, and all the World, that &s;he was not able to endure it; and &s;o much the le&s;&s;e becau&s;e the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> returning from War, Courted her in marriage, for a friend of his; &s;o that to deliver her &s;elf from &s;o many importunities at once, &s;he re|turned to her &s;olitude. She had no fancy to <HI>Salamis,</HI> but to the Country; and &s;ince I had
<PB N="28" REF="500">
a Si&s;ter who&s;e name was <HI>Amaxita,</HI> whom &s;he loved very tenderly, &s;he entreated her to goe with her unto her accu&s;tomed de&s;art, which &s;he willingly con&s;ented unto. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Parthenia</HI> had ever a pa&s;&s;ionate Soul, &s;he was &s;omething perplexed to &s;ee that &s;he could meet with none whom &s;he could love: Al&s;o the cu&s;tome of <HI>Cyprus</HI> requiring that all Ladies &s;hould be loved, &s;he was &s;omething vexed that all tho&s;e Ladies, who were her Enemies, be|cau&s;e &s;he was fair, &s;hould Triumph in her ab&s;ence. But that which mo&s;t vexed her, was a piece of knavery which <HI>Callicrates</HI> played her. I think Sir, I told you not that &s;ince their la&s;t conference which ended in &s;ilence, he never &s;poke in private with <HI>Parthenia,</HI> who alwaies tooke occa&s;ions to prevent him, and who treated him &s;o coldly, that if he had not found out a way to make this coldne&s;&s;e &s;erve his Vanity; he would have dyed with &s;orrow: But &s;ince this happened a little before the departure of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> he made every one believe, but did not &s;ay it directly, that this coldne&s;&s;e of hers to him was but di&s;&s;embled; and the more to confirm this beliefe after the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> was gone, he writ unto her very often; yet writing nothing that could po&s;&s;ibly di&s;plea&s;e: Moreover he &s;ent her a hundred pretty knackes, and &s;ent them &s;o hand&s;omly, that it had been hard for her to refu&s;e &s;uch diver&s;ions as were but nece&s;&s;ary in that &s;olitude wherein &s;he lived: So that to make it la&s;t the longer, &s;he re&s;ol|ved to an&s;wer. But though her letters were onely Jollities, and of things very indifferent, and written with de&s;ign that he &s;hould &s;hew them; yet he did not &s;hew one of them. So that every one knowing <HI>Parthenia</HI> writ unto him, and &s;eeing that he made a my&s;terious &s;ecret of her letters; the Enemies of this Prince&s;&s;e endeavoured to make it thought that the Corre&s;pon|dency which &s;he held with <HI>Callicrates</HI> was more then matters of wit onely. But the further to &s;atisfie his vanity, he di&s;&s;embled an intended journey, and gave out &s;uch unlikely preten|ces of it, as made every one full of Curio&s;ity: And to make it more generall, he bad adieu to all the Court: After which, he departed without any with him, and in the Evening, &s;aying that it was hot, and therefore be&s;t travelling in the night; Moreover, &s;ince he made no que&s;ti|on but &s;ome would have very ob&s;ervant eyes upon all his actions, as &s;oon as he was out of the Town, he took the way which leads where the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> was, and went within fifty furlongs of the hou&s;e; they turning upon the left hand, he went to hide him&s;elf with a friend he had thereabouts, not telling the true cau&s;e; and there he &s;tayed fifteen whole daies: After which, he returned to <HI>Paphos,</HI> where tho&s;e who watched him, had publi&s;hed that hee was gone to the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis:</HI> So that when he returned to the Court, every one asked him why he would conceal the place where he had been: But the more to make it beleeved, he &s;eemed to be in a mighty chafe again&s;t them that &s;aid &s;o: The bu&s;ine&s;&s;e made &s;o great a noi&s;e all over, that I writ unto my Si&s;ter, purpo&s;ely that &s;he might let <HI>Parthenia</HI> know it, who made no que&s;tion, but that this was &s;ome knavery of <HI>Callicrates;</HI> So that this did more and more confirm her in her aver&s;ion which &s;he had to the World. In the mean time, <HI>Par|thenia</HI> did &s;o clearly make it known at <HI>Paphos</HI> that he was not with her, as none did doubt it; but yet they could not accu&s;e <HI>Callicrates</HI> of this impo&s;ture, becau&s;e he alwaies &s;aid he was not with the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis.</HI> However <HI>Parthenia</HI> broke off all manner of commerce with him: But as if the Gods would have death Triumph over all tho&s;e whom the eyes of <HI>Parthe|nia</HI> had vanqui&s;hed, <HI>Callicrates,</HI> a little while after this impo&s;ture, dyed, extreamly lamen|ted by all tho&s;e that knew him, and even by tho&s;e al&s;o whom he had mo&s;t cruelly deluded: for his excellency of wit, and other rare qualities, excu&s;ed the malignant vanity of his Soul. The fair <HI>Parthenia</HI> among&s;t the re&s;t lamented him: notwith&s;tanding all Cau&s;es of complaint which he had given her: Now was the time Sir, when the Prince <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> fell in love with <HI>Policrite:</HI> So that being bu&s;ie with his own Pa&s;&s;ion, he let the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> live as &s;he plea&s;ed: Yet would he &s;ometime invite her to quit her Solitude; but this was not often: Yet &s;ince he was married, he began to importune <HI>Parthenia</HI> to return un|to her friends, and not to pa&s;&s;e away the re&s;t of her daies as &s;he did. But all his pre&s;&s;ures were in vain: For &s;he told him, that her re&s;olution was to &s;ubmit the conduct of her life unto the Gods: and in order to that &s;he had &s;ent unto <HI>Delphos</HI> to con&s;ult with the Oracle, and to enquire what &s;he &s;hould do to be happy, expecting the an&s;wer with much impatience; yet when it came, &s;he was not much &s;atisfied with it: For the Oracle an&s;wered her in the&s;e words; <HI>That if &s;he would be happy, &s;he mu&s;t marry a man who loved her without the helpes of her beantie: and that on the contrarie, if &s;he married any one of tho&s;e whom her eyes had Cap|tivated, &s;he &s;hould be the mo&s;t unfortunate woman of her time.</HI> I leave you to imagine Sir how much this an&s;wer perplexed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> for to imagine that any one could love her and not &s;ee her, &s;he could not comprehend it po&s;&s;ible: To think al&s;o one &s;hould &s;ee her, and not think her fair, and in &s;eeing her, &s;eparate her &s;pirit from her body, and adore the one, without
<PB N="29" REF="500">
loving the other, this was as far fetched a conceit as the other: So that &s;he concluded it to be the will of the Gods not to love any but that &s;he &s;hould &s;till live in &s;olitude: For, &s;aid &s;he, &s;ince the Gods doe tell me, that if I marry any one of tho&s;e whom my eyes have captivated, I &s;hall be the mo&s;t unfortunate woman of my time: they doe tacitely tell me, I mu&s;t never marry. But though you &s;hould take this re&s;olution, (&s;aid the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> who loved her ex|ceedingly) is it therefore nece&s;&s;ary that you &s;hould bani&s;h your &s;elfe from all civill Society? Certainly I &s;hould (&s;aid &s;he unto him) for why &s;hould I expo&s;e my &s;elfe unto the a&s;&s;aults of any that will profe&s;&s;e &s;ervice, and perhaps per&s;wade me to &s;light the coun&s;ell of the Gods? For my part, replyed <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> I doe not thinke we under&s;tand this Oracle as it ought to be, for the Oracle of <HI>Delphos</HI> would never coun&s;ell you unto a thing &s;o oppo&s;ite unto the Laws of the Godde&s;&s;e whom we adore, who would have us love and beloved: for my part, if I thought it, I &s;hould advi&s;e you to &s;upplicate this Godde&s;&s;e, for a re&s;olution of this doubt which I thinke is well rai&s;ed. The opinion of <HI>Philoxipes</HI> &s;eemed &s;o rea&s;onable unto <HI>Parthenia,</HI> that &s;he went her &s;elfe into the Temple which is upon the farthe&s;t part of the I&s;le towards the Ea&s;t, to con&s;ult with the Oracle of <HI>Venus Vrania;</HI> The Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Policrite</HI> carryed her thither, and I had the honour to goe with her, and to be pre&s;ent, when &s;he asked, whether &s;he ought to under&s;tand the Oracle of <HI>Delphos</HI> as &s;he did? But Sir, &s;he was extreamely &s;urpri&s;ed, and &s;o was all the company, when the Oracle an&s;wered her, <HI>That it was not more true that you were the greate&s;t Prince in the world, and that you &s;hould be hereafter as happy as heretofore unfortunate, then it was true that this which the Oracle of</HI> Delphos <HI>&s;aid &s;hould come to pa&s;&s;e.</HI> The Prince <HI>Phi|oxipes</HI> Sir, was beyond expre&s;&s;ions joyed, to &s;ee that you were &s;o highly in favour with the Gods, as that their Oracles &s;hould Trumpet your pray&s;es over all the earth: and it may be truly &s;aid, that never &s;ince the time of <HI>Licurgus,</HI> who heretofore received the like honour from <HI>Delphos,</HI> did the like happen till now. The Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> then was much comforted by it, for the &s;lender &s;atisfaction which the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> received from this Oracle: for indeed &s;he could make no other con&s;truction of that from <HI>Delphos,</HI> and this Oracle, but that the Gods would have her pa&s;&s;e away her life, un&s;een of any, and unlo|ved, which is a kinde of &s;hame and malediction in our I&s;le. But Sir, that which the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> mo&s;t rejoyced at, was to &s;ee the Gods not only truly to commend you, but al&s;o to promi&s;e a period to your misfortunes, &s;o that he no &s;ooner carried the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> into her &s;olitude, but he embarked one of his Servants to bring you this plea&s;ing newes: yet by misfortune the Ve&s;&s;ell in which that man imbarked &s;uffered Shipwrack, and the man pe|ri&s;hed; the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> not hearing any thing of it untill a long time after, &s;o that he could no &s;ooner let you know the glorious te&s;timony that the Gods did render unto your vertue, and I am confidently per&s;waded that it was the plea&s;ure of the Gods, you &s;hould not know this Oracle untill that which concerned the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> was found to prove true; &s;o that there might be more ground for your hopes and belief of what they &s;aid con|cerning you. Give me leave to tell you Sir, that &s;ince this Prince&s;&s;e received the la&s;t an&s;wer from <HI>Venus Vraia,</HI> &s;he looked upon her Cell, as the place where &s;he was to live and dye, and took as much paines to hide her Beauty, as others did to &s;how theirs; The reading, the walk|ing, and conver&s;ation of my Si&s;ter who would never for&s;ake her, were all her recreations: the Prince <HI>Philoxipes, Policrite,</HI> and <HI>Dorida,</HI> did &s;ometimes give her a vi&s;it, but it was very rare|ly. <HI>Parthenia</HI> imployed her &s;elfe &s;ometimes to make her Pri&s;on more ple<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">nt, in cau&s;ing the Chambers to be painted, and making Gardens: In the meane time, though &s;he &s;trove to E|clips her beauty, yet it did every day increa&s;e, her Cheeks had fre&s;h Ro&s;es grew in them, and the lu&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> her eyes &s;hined more glorious then ever: But the pretye&s;t wonder was, that though <HI>Parthen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">w</HI> no body, yet &s;he was nothing negligent in her dre&s;&s;e, but &s;till had as great a care of her beau<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> as if &s;he had a de&s;igne to conquer a thou&s;and hearts, as if &s;he had thought, that though it was forbidden her to love any, yet &s;he would imploy her inclination to love, and be beloved of her &s;elfe: and certainly a more beautifull object could not be &s;een, &s;ince <HI>Parthenia</HI> was never &s;o faire at Court, as I &s;aw her in her &s;olitude, where &s;he &s;uffered me &s;om|times to come and vi&s;it my &s;i&s;ter: yet for all that, on &s;ome certaine day's &s;he would be &s;om|thing out of tune, and &s;o give over her &s;elfe to Melancholy, that &s;he would fall out with her own Beauty: 'Tis true her humors angred none but her &s;elfe, for &s;he would even then then vent a hundred excellent things to tho&s;e that could under&s;tand them. I remember one day when I was there, and found her in one of tho&s;e humors when &s;he was off the hookes in her conceit, and when I heard her wi&s;h &s;he were not of &s;o high a quality, to the end &s;he might be more Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e of her &s;elfe and le&s;&s;e ob&s;erved by others: and when I heard her wi&s;h her &s;elfe of ano|ther
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&s;ex; however Madam &s;aid I unto her, you cannot de&s;ire to be more faire then you are. Ah, <HI>Mega&s;ides,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, how infinitely are you mi&s;taken? For I prote&s;t in the humour now that I am in, I had rather bee &s;uch an one as <HI>Ae&s;op</HI> is de&s;cribed, who they &s;ay, was the mo&s;t ill favoured man in the world, then to be the faire&s;t woman, eye ever &s;aw. I confe&s;s Ma|dam, &s;aid <HI>Amaxita,</HI> that I cannot beleeve you, or be of your mind. Perhaps &s;o (&s;aid <HI>Parthe|nia,</HI> and &s;miled) but however, I cannot think beauty to be &s;o great a jewel as it is imagined; at lea&s;t it is none of tho&s;e &s;weets which have no mixture of bitterne&s;s with them. For my part, Madam, &s;aid I unto her, I am not of your opinion: For I am per&s;waded that beauty is one of the mo&s;t excellent gifts of the Gods: Doe you not &s;ee what a &s;overaign influence it hath up|on all hearts above any thing el&s;e? It charmeth Marble, and makes it mollible; it tames Tygers, and makes them affable, and &s;ubjects the mo&s;t cruel, rebellious and ambitious &s;pirits. 'Tis true, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> but it cannot keep tho&s;e who are incon&s;tant; and I have known &s;ome, but of common beauty, which have been more con&s;tantly loved then any others. Since the number of Incon&s;tants is le&s;s then tho&s;e I named (an&s;wered I) and &s;ince Incon&s;tancie hath its birth from the hearts of Lovers, and not from the eyes of their Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es: It is not to be wondered that it &s;hould be &s;o. Yet, Madam, without all di&s;pute, of all the excellent gifts of Nature, Beauty is incomparably the greate&s;t. But not mo&s;t durable (replyed &s;he) and therefore I can|not think a thing &s;o fading, can de&s;erve the Epithite of good, &s;ince its &s;weets are mingled with &s;o many bitter Ingredients. I pray examine what plea&s;ure tho&s;e find who are owners of Beau|ty: In their Infancie they are not &s;o much as &s;en&s;ible of it; in more ripe years they injure o|ther beauties; or which is wor&s;e, are injured: if they be of fair complexion, then they can|not endure the brown; or if they be brown, they cannot endure the fair; all, that's as fair as them&s;elves, di&s;plea&s;eth and frets their hearts: Moreover, if a Lady look a little pale, or her eyes a little hollow, there needs no more to make all the Town &s;ay, Ala&s;s, how &s;he's changed! She was fair &s;ayes one; There goes a withered beauty &s;ayes another; and every one hath his cen&s;orious vote. But &s;ay they &s;hould not &s;ay &s;o, what's the re&s;ult of the fine&s;t Beauty? It gets one many Lovers, who&s;e love la&s;ts no longer then it doth: It attracts at randome, both the wi&s;e and the fooli&s;h, the hand&s;ome and ugly; and vani&s;heth often before youth, and in|fallibly when age comes. So that tho&s;e who love their Wives becau&s;e they are fair, will mo&s;t certainly come to hate, and at lea&s;t &s;light them. I pray then judge whether Beauty be a thing &s;o de&s;irable. Though all &s;hould be true (replyed <HI>Amaxita)</HI> yet I had rather be fair, and run the hazard of being &s;lighted when I am old, then not to bee faire, and be &s;ure to bee &s;lighted when I am young: For truly if one be not fair, there is requi&s;ite abundance of wit to &s;upply that want: And &s;ince more men are able to judge of the beauty in a face, then they can of wit, or &s;oul, the world will follow the fair, and let fine &s;oules &s;hift for them&s;elves. However it be, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> &s;ince I am per&s;waded that the highe&s;t misfortune is to be once loved, and then not to be &s;o; and &s;ince Beauties are more expo&s;ed unto that danger then any others, I doe not recant of any thing I &s;aid. The&s;e, Sir, were the opinions of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> whil&s;t &s;hee was in her melancholly moods; and this was the life &s;he lived when a Gallant of high e&s;teem, called <HI>Timantes</HI> came to <HI>Paphos,</HI> with an equipage proportionable to his quality, and high birth, and &s;utable to the magnificence of his mind and riches, which were both as high as his Quality. This <HI>Timantes,</HI> Sir, was de&s;cended from King <HI>Minos,</HI> who raigned <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ong in <HI>Crete:</HI> And though the Crown was not inve&s;ted in his hou&s;e, but the form of Government changed, yet the people did highly re&s;pect tho&s;e who were de&s;cended from their ancient Kings, in&s;o|much as they had the highe&s;t honours, and greate&s;t authority among&s;t them. So that it may be &s;aid, that though the Father of <HI>Timantes</HI> had not the name of a King, yet <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ad very near the authority, e&s;pecially in matters of War. 'Tis true, that &s;ince he did &s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> ob&s;erve the Lawes of that famous King which before I named, and who was a pat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">rn <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> the Le|gi&s;lators of <HI>Greece,</HI> hee did not deceive that tru&s;t which the people repo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> him, but did infinitely purcha&s;e their love; and no wonder; for I am confident, that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">oever is an ob|&s;erver of the Laws, will ea&s;ily get love and obedience al&s;o. This, Sir, was the de&s;cent of <HI>Ti|mantes,</HI> who&s;e per&s;on was extreamly hand&s;ome, and who&s;e wit was above ordinary capaci|ties. The rea&s;on of his voyage had no matter of privacy in it, and being born in an I&s;le which had a controver&s;ie with ours in point of Reputation, he had a longing curio&s;ity to &s;ee whether <HI>Cyprus</HI> was to be preferred before <HI>Crete,</HI> or <HI>Crete Cyprus:</HI> So that his travel being a voyage of plea&s;ure and curio&s;ity onely, he arrived at <HI>Paphos,</HI> as I &s;aid, with a mo&s;t magnifi|cent Train and Equipage. His Quality was no &s;ooner known, but the King did him all ima|ginable honours; and his merits were no &s;ooner di&s;covered, but he was e&s;teemed beyond all expre&s;&s;ions: So that in a few dayes <HI>Timantes</HI> was no &s;tranger in our Court: The Queen <HI>A|retephile</HI>
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much honour'd him; the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> had contracted a clo&s;e friend&s;hip with him; <HI>Policrite</HI> e&s;teemed him, and not a Lady in all the Court, but had a good word for him. As it is the cu&s;tom of all Courts to double their diver&s;ions in favour of &s;trangers, the like was there for <HI>Timantes:</HI> But whether in company, or Balls, or Sports, or Walks, or publique Fea&s;ts, <HI>Timantes</HI> was the onely man of &s;pirit, wit, behaviour, and magnificence. So that no one was talked on in <HI>Paphos</HI> but him, his reputation rung as loud, and reached as far as where the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Salamis</HI> kept her &s;olitudes; and I think I was the fir&s;t who de&s;cribed him unto her. Yet &s;he did all &s;he could to hinder me, &s;aying, &s;he would not willingly know any more what pa&s;&s;ed in the world, &s;ince &s;he had quitted it: But notwith&s;tanding, pre&s;ently after, &s;he asked me, which of all the Ladies in the Court was it that mo&s;t moved the heart of <HI>Timantes?</HI> Be|leeve me, Madam, &s;aid I unto her, hitherto his civility hath been &s;o equall unto all, that it &s;eemes he's not in love with any: For at a grand Fea&s;t, where there was u&s;ed a kind of de|lightfull Combat, where tho&s;e which fought had their devices upon their Bucklers: <HI>Timantes</HI> repre&s;ented upon his, a Phoenix with this Motto;
<Q><L>I &s;tay untill the Sun doe burn me.</L></Q></P>
<P>Certainly, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> this Stranger puts none of the Ladyes out of hope to conquer his heart, to the end none &s;hould hate him as long as he &s;tayes at <HI>Paphos.</HI> In the mean time, <HI>Mega&s;ides,</HI> you would oblige me very much in acquainting me with the&s;e diver&s;ions which I am ignorant of: And therefore when you vi&s;it your Si&s;ter hereafter, I pray you acquaint me with what the Court hath more then it had when I was there; what new diver&s;ions, what fre&s;h gallants, and what the old ones, who are pa&s;t diver&s;ions, &s;ay. This, Sir, <HI>Parthenia</HI> heard me &s;peak of <HI>Timantes</HI> the fir&s;t time; but I was not the onely one who told her of him: For the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> went to &s;ee her, and did the &s;ame; <HI>Policrite</HI> al&s;o, and <HI>Dorida</HI> writ unto her; &s;o that &s;he had a mo&s;t exact Idea of <HI>Timantes:</HI> Yet would &s;he never con&s;ent that the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> &s;hould bring him thither, as he affected; this Prince telling her, that a Stranger would not interrupt her &s;olitude: But &s;he did &s;o earne&s;tly forbid him, that hee dur&s;t not bring him; or, to &s;ay better, the Gods would not permit him, &s;ince they would have <HI>Timantes</HI> and <HI>Parthenia</HI> acquainted in another manner. But, Sir, before I tell you how it was, be plea&s;ed to know, that there was a fair hou&s;e of <HI>Timocleas</HI> Fathers, about a dayes journey from <HI>Paphos,</HI> about half way unto the town or place where <HI>Parthenia</HI> lived; in this place there was a Labyrinth of Myrtle trees, who&s;e hedges were &s;o thick, and &s;o high, that one &s;hall be as much puzzled to get out of it, as out of the famous Labyrinth of <HI>Egypt,</HI> or that in <HI>Crete;</HI> but this was made with &s;uch art, that tho&s;e who were in them of <HI>Egypt</HI> or <HI>Crete,</HI> yet could not finde out the i&s;&s;ues of this: For as that of <HI>Crete</HI> was made by ingenious <HI>Dedalus,</HI> when <HI>Minos</HI> kept there the <HI>Minotaure,</HI> who&s;e modell <HI>Dedalus</HI> borrowed from that of <HI>Egypt:</HI> So likewi&s;e that which is at <HI>Paphos</HI> was made by a man, who, having &s;een both the other, took &s;omething out of the one, and &s;omething out of the other, and contrived one of the mo&s;t plea&s;ant diver&s;ions in the world: The Architecture &s;eemed in Myrtle as if it had been in Marble, conveighing from room to room, from clo&s;et to clo&s;et, and from galle|ry to gallery: In divers places there were erected Statues of Alaba&s;ter, and Bra&s;&s;e, which yet were no notions of the wayes in, or out, becau&s;e the very &s;ame were pla<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> in many places a|like; there were al&s;o &s;everall &s;eats of gra&s;&s;e-cu&s;hions, whereupon to r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t the weary limbs of wanderers, or for tho&s;e that knew the pa&s;&s;es to &s;it &amp; contemplate. The center of this Labyrinth, where <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e&s;e wayes did meet, was a mo&s;t plea&s;ant round, in the mid&s;t of which was a mo&s;t admira<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ource of water, which was conveighed over the hedges as high as they were. This; Sir, was the Lab<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">nth which <HI>Timantes</HI> had &s;o much curio&s;ity to &s;ee, &amp; with more longing de|&s;ire, becau&s;e he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;een that in <HI>Crete,</HI> which was vi&s;ited from all parts of the World: He &s;poke often of going to it: and the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> intended to make one, but falling &s;ick, his jour|ney was &s;topped: So that <HI>Timantes</HI> turned his intentions into a hunting de&s;ign, with &s;ome o|thers of quality in <HI>Paphos:</HI> But as chance would have it, <HI>Timantes</HI> lo&s;t his way, and wande|red from the re&s;t of the company with a friend who travelled with him, who&s;e name was <HI>Antimaques;</HI> So that not knowing were they were, they e&s;pied at their comming out of a Wood, a very &s;tately hou&s;e, &s;tanding in the mid&s;t of a great plea&s;ant Plain; They no &s;ooner &s;aw it, but went thither, both out of curio&s;ity, and to ask where they were, and which was their way to <HI>Paphos: Timantes</HI> going fir&s;t, went &s;traight to the dore, and found it open: Then came into a great Ba&s;e Court, where he &s;aw no body: Yet he and <HI>Antimaques</HI> lighted from their hor&s;es, and leaving them with a &s;ervant which followed them, they entred into a
<PB N="32" REF="502">
Garden of a prodigious bigne&s;&s;e, who&s;e door al&s;o they found open: But as &s;oon as <HI>Timan|tes</HI> had taken two turnes in the Garden, he &s;aw a great Copps of Mirtle Hedges, &s;o that he made no que&s;tion but chance had brought him thither, where he had &s;uch a de&s;ire to go, and that this was the Labyrinth he de&s;ired to &s;ee; So that walking ha&s;tily towards it with a long|ing de&s;ire to &s;atisfie his Curio&s;itie, and never thought of any guide: For &s;ince he was ac|quainted with the turnings and windings of that in <HI>Crete,</HI> he imagined, he &s;hould hit of this al&s;o: He entered therefore with <HI>Antimaques</HI> into this Labyrinth, and as &s;oon as he had pa&s;&s;ed through five or &s;ix of the Roomes or Clo&s;ets, he found, that he was ignorant of the turnings, and that it differed from the other at <HI>Crete:</HI> But it was no longer con&s;idering, for he was already &s;o far wandered, that the more he &s;ought to find the way out, the further he was carried in. Yet was he much delighted with this plea&s;ant Wilderne&s;&s;e: for &s;ince <HI>Anti|maques</HI> and he were both in hunting habits, <HI>Antimaques</HI> had a horn about him: So that they feared not lo&s;ing them&s;elves, imagining they could make them&s;elves heard when they would: As they were thus talking together, and <HI>Antimaques</HI> jea&s;ting with <HI>Timantes</HI> at their wandering, and telling him they &s;tood in need of <HI>Ariadnes</HI> thred to get out of this Laby|rinth; and hinting unto him, that being of that Queens Race, it was more a &s;hame for him then any other, to be thus entangled, upon a &s;uddain, he heard a woman &s;inging, and that mo&s;t admirably: &s;o that &s;ilently walking towards the place from whence the voice came, they found there was but one thick hedge between them and her that &s;ung: But it was &s;o ex|traordinarily thick and high, that they could by no meanes po&s;&s;ible &s;ee her they heard, nor get to her; For when they tryed, they found them&s;elves farther from her: So that not being able to withold commendations from one that &s;ung &s;o well; And <HI>Timantes</HI> hoping there|by hee might perhaps get out of his wandering, he began to cry out, in a loud tone of admiration, as &s;oone as &s;he had done &s;inging; Ah <HI>Antimaques</HI> how happy is this wande|ring unto us, provided we meet not with the &s;ame de&s;tiny by Land, that <HI>Uly&s;&s;es</HI> did by Sea, &amp; that harmonious voice we hear be not onely a baite to draw us unto a farther lo&s;s of our &s;elves. But Sir, to make the rea&s;on of the fanta&s;ticall encounter the more plea&s;ant unto you, be plea&s;ed to know, that &s;he who &s;ung, was the Prince&s;s of <HI>Salamis:</HI> who having planted &s;uch a Labyrinth as this at her own hou&s;e, onely the hedges not yet grown above two feet in height, &s;he knew all the turnings very wel: So that comming thither that day to con&s;ult with my Si&s;ter, whether &s;he &s;hould place the Statues in hers as in this; She came into this Garden at a little back door, where her Coach waited for her. More over, &s;ince &s;he affected to be &s;olitary, &s;he kept this voy|age very &s;ecret, and therefore &s;he came in a poor Coach, without one man with her, and her chiefe rea&s;on why &s;he made &s;uch a my&s;terious &s;ecret of it, was, becau&s;e this Garden belonged unto a man who&s;e Son was deep in love with her; and therefore &s;he would not have it knowne who &s;he was, l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t they &s;hould imagine &s;he de&s;ired to recall him whom &s;he had bani&s;hed: And it was the ea&s;ier to conceale, becau&s;e the Porter and the Houskeeper, who let her in, had been her Dome&s;tique Servants whil&s;t her Husband lived; &s;o that they were more for her then for their Ma&s;ter, and therefore they took an e&s;peciall care none &s;hould know it? And in order to that, they went to the place where her Coach &s;tood, le&s;t any &s;hould enquire who&s;e Coach it was: They left another Gardiner at the other door, with orders to let none enter, though it &s;eemed they were ill ob&s;erved; for <HI>Timantes</HI> it &s;eemed found the door open, and entered, as I told you before: But Sir, he had no &s;ooner expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elfe unto <HI>Antima|ques</HI> (as I &s;aid before) but <HI>Parthenia</HI> was much &s;urpri&s;ed to heare one &s;o near her, and would remove from that place: But <HI>Antimaques</HI> an&s;wering <HI>Timantes,</HI> that he was &s;o farre from fearing this &s;weet voice would make them lo&s;e them&s;elves, as he hoped &s;he would hap|pily help them out of the Labyrinths, &s;he under&s;tood by this, that they had really lo&s;t them|&s;elves, and had no Guide, e&s;pecially; becau&s;e &s;he peceived by the accent of their voices, that they were &s;trangers: So that recollecting her &s;elfe, and imagining that t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> could never get unto the place where &s;he was, and knowing they knew her not, &s;he re&s;olved for diver&s;ions &s;ake, to an&s;wer them that &s;pake unto her: So that &s;he &s;aid, the voice they heard would not charme them, &s;ince they cared not for the hearing it, but onely that they might by it get out of that Labyrinth in which they were entangled: Oh Madam, &s;aid <HI>Timantes,</HI> I be|&s;eech you mi&s;take me not; For I am &s;o glad of my entanglement, that I wi&s;h not to come out: and am &s;o far from &s;eeking for the i&s;&s;ues of this Labyrinth, that I &s;eek onely how to get unto the place where you are, that I may know whether there be as much &s;weetne&s;&s;e in your eyes as in in your voic: It &s;eemes by your expre&s;&s;ions, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> that you have as much wit as Civility: but I know not whether I may chide you or no, for offering to engage your &s;elf without a guide in a place where you cannot get out without one. Whil&s;t <HI>Parthe|nia</HI>
<PB N="33" REF="502">
was talking to <HI>Timantes, Amaxita,</HI> and <HI>Antimaques,</HI> did both of them, what they could, on their &s;ides of the hedge, to open the boughes of Mirtle: but they were &s;o extraordi|nary thick and entertwined, that <HI>Amaxita</HI> labored long in vain: Yet at la&s;t &s;he found a place by the beames of the Sun, which pierced through the thick of the hedge, &s;o that though the place was very narrow, yet &s;he &s;pied <HI>Timantes</HI> talking to <HI>Parthenia,</HI> but &s;aw not <HI>Antima|ques,</HI> who was as bu&s;ie as &s;he &s;ome four paces off, but could &s;ee none of them: <HI>Amaxita</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Timantes,</HI> but &s;he made a &s;igne unto <HI>Parthenia,</HI> who imagining that &s;ince they might &s;ee on that &s;ide of the hedge, as well as &s;he on this, pulled down her hood, and cau&s;ed all her women to do the like. Yet &s;he removed a little to look upon the man whom <HI>Amaxi|ta</HI> &s;pied, and whom &s;he ea&s;ily perceived to be a man of &s;ome great quality, not onely by the richne&s;&s;e of his Clothes, but al&s;o by the Garbe, and Aire of <HI>Timantes; Parthenia</HI> &s;tayed not long there; for &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but &s;he made no que&s;tion but that he was the &s;tranger of whom they reported &s;uch wonders: In&s;omuch as without any rea&s;on, &s;he perceived in her &s;elfe a &s;trange agitation of that, for which &s;he could find no cau&s;e, but onely the odne&s;&s;e of the adventure: But at la&s;t <HI>Antimaques</HI> found out a place where he might &s;ee <HI>Parthenia.</HI> 'Tis true, &s;ee her but with her hood pulled down, no more then he could <HI>Timantes</HI> who &s;aw her &s;o al&s;o: So that all this while, every one was in a hu&s;ht &s;ilence:: For <HI>Timan|tes</HI> not knowing that the Lady whom he looked upon, de&s;ired not to be &s;een; hoped &s;till &s;he would lift up her hood as he earne&s;tly de&s;ired: His curio&s;ity wasthe more zealous, becau&s;e he &s;aw a Lady of a very hand&s;ome &s;tature and Symmetry, and had the white&s;t hands in the World, for <HI>Parthenia</HI> pulled <HI>Amaxita</HI> by the Gown to whi&s;per unto her, that &s;he thought this to be the man &s;o much extolled by every one: So that by this meanes, <HI>Timan|tes</HI> might judge of her beauty by her voice, by her &s;tature, by her armes, and by her hands. As for her dre&s;&s;e, nothing could be concluded from it: For that day, &s;he wore &s;uch a dre&s;&s;e as ladies of highe&s;t qualitie &s;ometimes u&s;e, and which tho&s;e of a more inferiour Ranke u&s;e al&s;o, &s;o that nothing could be drawn from it! Nor had he time to ob&s;erve how her women kept that re&s;pective di&s;tances, for the hole through which he looked was &s;o little, that hee could &s;ee but one at once, and <HI>Parthenia</HI> removing from that place &s;ome two paces, he could &s;ee her no more, do all he could: I be&s;eech you Madam, &s;aid he unto her, though you will not give me leave to &s;ee you, yet for Heavens &s;ake let me hear you; and be not &s;o inhumane as to let an unfortunate &s;tranger wander, and wander for the love of you: For truly Madam, had not your &s;weet alluring voice becharmed my eare, I am confident I had found the way out of this my&s;terious Labyrinth: And though I am deceived in this, yet to let you know that I have &s;een others which I could have better under&s;tood: Let me tell you, that I am a <HI>Cretan,</HI> and I be&s;eech you, let me not find the <HI>Cyprian</HI> Ladies le&s;&s;e pittifull then they there: For doubtle&s;&s;e you know how <HI>Ariadne</HI> helped <HI>The&s;eus</HI> out of the Labyrinth there: And be not &s;o cruell I be&s;eech you, as to leave him wandering here, who has the honour to partici|pate of that illu&s;trious and charitable Ladies blood: but help <HI>Timantes</HI> out of this place as <HI>Ariadne</HI> did <HI>The&s;eus</HI> out of that: For I mu&s;t needs have the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion to you, that &s;hee had unto him, if you do the like for me. Since you are &s;uch an ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of your pa&s;&s;i|ons (replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> very glad to &s;ee &s;he was not deceived) that you can love, when and whom you plea&s;e: It is to be likewi&s;e feared, that you can al&s;o hate when and whom you plea&s;e: and that if I &s;hould do for you as <HI>Ariadne</HI> did for <HI>The&s;eus,</HI> you would not do for me as <HI>The&s;eus</HI> did for <HI>Ariadne:</HI> Therefore Sir, I have no di&s;po&s;ition to free you from your La|byrinth upon that condition which you propo&s;e, for on the contrary, you could tell me nothing which would &s;ooner withhold me: Al&s;o &s;ince now I know your qualitie, I cannot find in my heart to &s;ee you, becau&s;e I am much a&s;hamed that I have rendred you no more re&s;pect: But Madam (replyed he, and &s;miled) would it not be uncivill, if you &s;hould not permit me the &s;ight of you, but to leave me wandering in a place, out of which I cannot get without your help? and do you not fear I &s;hould complain again&s;t you? Could you know Sir who I am, replied &s;he, doubtle&s;&s;e I &s;hould fear it, and &s;hould not do &s;o: However Madam, I be&s;eech you tell me why you u&s;e me thus? The rea&s;on is (replyed &s;he, and laughed) becau&s;e having never captivated any by my own charmes, I &s;hould be glad to take hold of this opportunity, and at lea&s;t to make one Pri&s;oner. If there want nothing but that, to give you &s;atisfaction (an&s;wered <HI>Timantes)</HI> I promi&s;e you to be your Captive, and Pri&s;oner both: I con&s;ent not to follow you out, but to remain in this Labyrinth; therefore I be&s;eech you, deny me not the happine&s;&s;e of &s;eeing you, but in&s;truct me which way I &s;hould come unto the place where you are; &s;ince I &s;hall be nothing but a peece of incivilitie towards you, replyed &s;he, I cannot allow my &s;elf to let you &s;ee me: but mu&s;t be guilty of this cruelty wherewith you charge me: The cruelty of fair ones, will ab&s;olutely be forgotten, (replyed he) if they will but once &s;hew
<PB N="34" REF="503">
them&s;elves, how can I give credit unto your words (replyed &s;he and laughed &s;till) &s;ince you rank me in the number of faire ones before you &s;ee mee. I know already (replyed he) that you have a mo&s;t Angell-like voice, not only in &s;inging but in &s;peaking: moreover I know that you are of a mo&s;t admirable &s;tature &amp; garb, &amp; that you have the white&s;t hands upon earth: &s;o that if your eyes be an&s;werable, and as far as I imagine them, you mu&s;t needs be the faire&s;t upon earth: Since you imagine them &s;o faire, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> I will keep you &s;till in that imagina|tion, and not &s;how them unto you; yet that you &s;hall not &s;ay I am altogether inhuman, I promi&s;e to &s;end you one that &s;hall help you out of that Labyrinth, a&s;&s;oon as I am gone. <HI>Timantes</HI> perceiving <HI>Parthenia</HI> prepared to be gone. I be&s;eech you Madam &s;aid he unto her, let me at the lea&s;t know your name as I have told you mine: I had rather let you have a &s;ight of me (an&s;wered &s;he) then tell you my name, but I pray you give me leave to conceale both. After this, <HI>Parthenia</HI> went away, and <HI>Timantes</HI> heard no other noi&s;e but what &s;he and her women made as they departed, who never feared being followed; yet they went very fa&s;t, and took Coach in all ha&s;t, commanding the Porter to goe and help tho&s;e &s;trangers out who were wandring in the Labyrinth, but not untill a full hower after &s;he was gone, command|ing him al&s;o not to tell who &s;he was, but to &s;ay they were &s;ome Ladies of <HI>Paphos</HI> unknown to him. After this, <HI>Parthenia</HI> went away, and the porter in obedience to his former Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, &s;tayed an houre, before he went to relea&s;e the &s;trangers &s;he &s;poke of. In the meane time <HI>Ti|mantes</HI> and <HI>Antimaques</HI> were as bu&s;ie as could be to follow her, but they were &s;o far from getting out as they came into the middle of it, that is to &s;ay, in the round place where they re&s;olved to &s;tay and expect the performance of her promi&s;e. But as every minute &s;eemed an age unto any that are in expectation of any thing, <HI>Timantes</HI> began to expre&s;&s;e his &s;orrowes unto <HI>Antimaques</HI> that he could not &s;ee the face of her who &s;ung, and his extreame de&s;ire to know her name; yet his impatiency was not &s;o earne&s;t to be out of the Labyrinth, as that he might endeavour to learn who this unknown one was, who&s;e voice, &s;tature, hands, and witt, did &s;o plea&s;ingly &s;urpri&s;e him, &amp; &s;weetly charme him: &s;o that <HI>Antimaques,</HI> thinking the &s;ound of his Horne would the &s;ooner cau&s;e &s;ome unto their relea&s;e, began to winde it as loud as he could, but all in vaine, for the Porter who walked in the Garden till the hower after <HI>Parthe|nia's</HI> departure; hindred the Gardner from going to them al&s;o: but when the hower was o|ver, he went and relea&s;ed them: a&s;&s;oon as he &s;aw them, according to <HI>Parthenia</HI>'s order, he told <HI>Timantes,</HI> that a Lady unknowne unto him &s;ent him to relea&s;e them, and asked pardon for coming no &s;ooner, becau&s;e he mett with a man with whom he had &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of impor|tance. Ah my friend (an&s;wered <HI>Timantes)</HI> you tell me not truly, for it is impo&s;&s;ible you &s;hould not know one who is &s;o well acquainted with every turne of this my&s;terious Labyrinth. Sir, (&s;aid the Porter with a &s;eeming ingenuity) &s;ince I have not been long a Porter unto this hou&s;e, it is no wouder I &s;hould not know this Lady; for I a&s;&s;ure you my Ma&s;ter hath a Daughter I know not yet: <HI>Timantes</HI> did not yet beleeve him, but pre&s;&s;ed him to tell him who &s;he was; but all in vaine: then did he promi&s;e him a very con&s;iderable reward, if he would but &s;atisfie his longing curio&s;ity, but &s;ince promi&s;es are not &s;o prevalent with &s;uch men, as pre&s;ent gifts, and &s;ince <HI>Timantes</HI> had nothing about him to give, he kept him&s;elfe faithfull unto <HI>Parthenia.</HI>
When <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;aw he could not win him to reveale, and indeed beleeved he was ignorant who &s;he was; however tell me &s;aid he unto him, which way &s;he went: Sir (&s;aid the man mo&s;t &s;ubtilly) I &s;hall ea&s;ily doe that; and then he &s;hewed him the high way to <HI>Paphos,</HI> a&s;&s;uring him confidently that her Coach went that way, though it were quite contrary, and he told it with more confidence, becau&s;e the way was much beaten, and Coach-Wheeles might be &s;een lately gone that way, &s;o that <HI>Timantes</HI> giving credit unto his words, took Hor&s;e with <HI>Antimaques,</HI> and without any thoughts of Hunting, went in ha&s;t and hopes to overtake the Coach: yet he asked the Servant whom he left with the Hor&s;es, whether he &s;aw any thing, but though he an&s;wered, yet did not this undeceive him, &s;o that he went as farre as <HI>Paphos</HI> in hopes to overtake it: and &s;o it chanced, that asking &s;ome men upon the way whether they mett a Coach, they an&s;wered that they mett two: &s;o that <HI>Timantes</HI> not que&s;tioning but &s;he in whom he was in que&s;t of was one, he went on: but when he came at <HI>Paphos,</HI> and told every one he &s;poke with, that the Lady he met with at the Labyrinth came thither, none ever looked towards the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> nor could they beleeve &s;he would ever leave her de&s;art, and come unto that place for the rea&s;on afore&s;aid, and therefore none ever thought upon her: but to con&s;ider who there was in <HI>Paphos</HI> who did &s;o well &s;ing, but &s;ince the number of them was great this afforded no light, the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> never thought upon the Prince&s;&s;e his Si&s;ter, but on the contrary imagined her whom <HI>Timantes</HI> heard to be a woman of inferiour ranke, who had a good voice but was very ugly, and for that rea&s;on would not &s;how her &s;elfe, and indeed every one was of that opinion, and chid <HI>Timantes</HI> for his curio&s;ity: But he for his further &s;a|tisfaction
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would &s;ee this ugly woman, and heare her &s;ing; but when he &s;aw and heard this woman, he was confident &s;he was not the &s;ame: but his imagination was filled with &s;o much curio&s;ity, that <HI>Timantes</HI> began to &s;u&s;pect it was <HI>Parthenia</HI> which he heard. In the meane time, he would not declare his thoughts unto any but one woman, who was his friend, and this wo|man beingone of tho&s;e whom <HI>Parthenia</HI> had heretofore robbed of her adorer, &s;he hated her; he had no &s;ooner asked her whether this woman whom he mett with might not be the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> who&s;e Beauty, Witt, and Voice, he had heard &s;o much extolled; But &s;he cryed out, and an&s;wered with as much envio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s ha&s;t as any Rivall could, that if &s;he whom he met was of a good &s;tature, white hands, and &s;weet voice as he de&s;cribed, it could not be <HI>Parthenia.</HI> For &s;aid &s;he, however &s;he be cryed up by the world, yet &s;he is tall but not hand|&s;ome, her hands are white, but not well made, and her Voice is &s;hrill, but not plea&s;ant. You may imagine Sir, after this, that all the &s;u&s;pitions of <HI>Timantes</HI> dyed, for he knew that he whom he &s;aw was of an admirable proportion and height, her hands the white&s;t and be&s;t made in the World, and her voice the mo&s;t &s;weet and plea&s;ing: &s;o that this plea&s;ing Idea &s;welling his imagination more and more, and augmenting his curio&s;ity, he continued his que&s;t after this amiable unknowne one, he went unto the Temples, to the Walks, and all Vi&s;its, with an intended de&s;igne to &s;eek her out in all places: but all his labour was lo&s;t, and he &s;till continued in the &s;ame unquiet curio&s;ity. In the meane while <HI>Parthenia</HI> being return|ed from the Labyrinth to her &s;olitude, began to talk with <HI>Amaxita</HI> of their encounter, ex|treamly commending the hand&s;ome garb of <HI>Timantes,</HI> and the gallantry of his witt. Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Amaxita</HI> unto her) if <HI>Timantes</HI> prove the man whom the Gods have re&s;erved for you, our journey was very happy, and I am confident your voice and witt did charme him more then you imagine, for he &s;poke in &s;uch an obliging Empha&s;is, as certainly expre&s;&s;ed more then common civility. Alas <HI>Amaxita</HI> (an&s;wered <HI>Parthenia</HI> and laughed) doe you thinke I could wound <HI>Timantes</HI> through &s;o thick a hedge? I know they &s;ay Love has wings, but I cannot thinke he can fly &s;o high as over it: therefore never imagine that <HI>Timantes</HI> has any thoughts of me: his curio&s;ity happily la&s;ted a quarter of an hour, or &s;o, and after that, dyed, and there's an end: and I pray let us doe the like, and never trouble our &s;elves, with chimeri|call Fancies in the Aire, which have neither beginning nor ending: For truly <HI>Timantes</HI> will never love me un&s;een, and if he &s;hould &s;ee me, and chance to be captivated by that poore pittance of Beauty which I have, I dur&s;t never tru&s;t him; not only be|cau&s;e of that cruell experience I have had, that love founded upon Beauty will never la&s;t, but al&s;o becau&s;e the Gods have fortold me, that I &s;hall never be happy if I marry one whom my eyes have captivated. The&s;e, Sir, were the thoughts which <HI>Parthe|nia</HI> had of <HI>Timantes,</HI> who&s;e per&s;on and wit did much plea&s;e her: yet had he ea&s;ily &s;lipt out of her memory, unle&s;&s;e the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> had vi&s;ited her, who revived him in her fancy; and thus it came to pa&s;&s;e. After that Prince had been a long while in conver&s;ation with her, &s;hee asked him whether he would give her leave to &s;hew him the alterations &s;he had made in her Garden: And <HI>Philoxipes</HI> de&s;iring the &s;ame, <HI>P arthenia</HI> carried him into all the places which &s;he had tricked up &s;ince he &s;aw her; for he had an admirable fancy and judgement in &s;uch things, his &s;tately hou&s;e of <HI>Clara</HI> having learned him knowledge in &s;uch things. After a long di&s;cour&s;e of Fountains, Walks, Statues, and Flowers, <HI>Philoxipes</HI> ca&s;ting his eye upon the La|byrinth which I told you before &s;hee had made, and who&s;e hedges were not yet grown up; Your Labyrinth, &s;aid he unto her, will be a long time in growing up before they will be fit for &s;uch an adventure as the Stranger had of whom I &s;pake the la&s;t time I &s;aw you; for the&s;e hedges are yet very low. <HI>Parthenia,</HI> hearing <HI>Philoxipes</HI> &s;ay &s;o, changed colour: 'Tis true he did not take notice of it, becau&s;e his head was turned towards the Labyrinth: So that <HI>Par|thenia</HI> recollecting her &s;elfe, asked <HI>Philoxipes</HI> what that adventure was, which &s;hee knew of better then he did? And he related from the beginning to the ending all the &s;tory, aggravating the applau&s;es and commendations which <HI>Timantes</HI> gave the unknown Lady, purpo&s;ely to make his relation &s;eem more plea&s;ant: For after he had told <HI>Parthenia,</HI> how <HI>Timantes</HI> had extolled her hee knew not, and he thought him in love with her, hee added his further con|ceit, that he thought &s;he whom he &s;o exce&s;&s;ively commended, was a woman of low Quality, and ugly; then hee named that woman unto <HI>Parthenia</HI> whereof he &s;poke before, and with whom he had &s;o upbraided <HI>Timantes.</HI> Me-thinks he may be &s;oon &s;atisfied, whether or no it be &s;he (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e, and laughed) for he need only &s;ee and hear this woman. He hath done &s;o already (replyed he) but he is certain that it was not &s;he, and is angry when any names her unto him, mo&s;t confidently affirming, that &s;he whom he &s;aw is the hand&s;ome&s;t woman in the world, and &s;eeks out for her in all places. You may imagine, Sir, how much delight the
<PB N="36" REF="504">
Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> took in hearing a relation of an adventure which concerned her &s;elf, un|known to the Prince <HI>Philoxipes;</HI> yet this was not her greate&s;t delight; for her certainty that &s;he made &s;ome impre&s;&s;ion upon the mind of <HI>Timantes,</HI> or at lea&s;t his memory gave her &s;o high a &s;atisfaction, that how joyed &s;oever &s;he was in the company of <HI>Philoxipes</HI> whom &s;he tender|ly loved, yet &s;he was impatient till he was gone, that &s;he might the &s;ooner tell <HI>Amaxita</HI> all he had related. She offered a hundred times to di&s;cover unto the Prince the truth of the ad|venture, but &s;ome &s;ecret &s;ugge&s;tion of her thoughts did hinder her: However &s;he asked <HI>Phi|loxipes</HI> a hundred que&s;tions concerning <HI>Timantes,</HI> which induced him to tell her, he would bring him to her; but &s;he forbade him more violently then ever; telling him, the more com|pleat <HI>Timantes</HI> was, the le&s;&s;e de&s;ire &s;he had to &s;ee him: For truly, &s;aid &s;he, when one is re|&s;olved upon a cour&s;e of &s;olitude, to bring any plea&s;ant company which is not to &s;tay there, doth but redouble &s;orrows, and leaves one in a more deep and &s;erious melancholy and mi|&s;ery: And truly, when&s;oever you doe me the honour to &s;ee me, 'tis two dayes at lea&s;t after, before I can take any delight either in Fountains or Gardens. You could not in a more civill manner tell me (replyed <HI>Philoxipes)</HI> that I &s;hould not come &s;o oft to &s;ee you; and indeed I am partly acquainted with your humour, which is not to affect &s;uch plea&s;ures as are &s;econded by &s;orrows, and that's your chiefe rea&s;on why you would not bee loved, le&s;t you &s;hould run the hazard of not being &s;o after. 'Tis very true, replyed &s;he, I place that unhappine&s;s in the high|e&s;t rank of misfortunes; and as I think there cannot be a greater: But you &s;ee (&s;aid <HI>Phi|loxipes</HI> unto her) that all tho&s;e who love do not prove Incon&s;tants, as the Prince of <HI>Salamis</HI> was, and as many others who loved you did. And to &s;hew you one example, I doe prote&s;t unto you, that the enjoyment of my dear <HI>Policrite,</HI> does not at all le&s;&s;en my love: I am as much charmed as I was before I married her; and if hand&s;omne&s;&s;e would permit it, I would ca&s;t my &s;elf as &s;ubmi&s;&s;ively at her feet now as ever: For my heart is not at all altered, and I am more troubled to hinder my &s;elf from expre&s;&s;ions of my pa&s;&s;ion, then to continue my zea|lous affections to her. <HI>Policrite</HI> is &s;till admirably fair, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> that your Con&s;tancy hath not yet been put to any difficult te&s;t: For I confe&s;&s;e there are a &s;ort of men, not like tho&s;e, who fall off from loving, before the beauty doth which fir&s;t moved them, and who&s;e pa&s;&s;ion does la&s;t as it doth. Fie, Si&s;ter, &s;aid <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> wrong me not &s;o much as to think, that though <HI>Policrite</HI> were not fair, I &s;hould not love her as much as ever; but beleeve me that her beauty is not the onely cau&s;e of my Con&s;tancy; her &s;oul, and her mind has a million of reall beauties beyond it, which time and age can never ruin, and which I &s;hall dote upon eternally. I need no confirmations of my opinion, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> that it is not beauty which cau&s;eth con&s;tant and faithfull love. <HI>Philoxipes</HI> would then have &s;aid more, but it was late; and there|fore he concluded with <HI>Parthenia,</HI> that as the ab&s;ence of the Sun cau&s;eth darkne&s;&s;e; &s;o the lo&s;&s;e of beauty cau&s;eth lukewarmne&s;&s;e and incon&s;tancy in tho&s;e who love onely for it. After this he returned to the Court, and left <HI>Parthenia</HI> at liberty to talk with <HI>Amaxita,</HI> unto whom &s;he related all that the Prince had &s;aid concerning <HI>Timantes,</HI> taking great delight in talking with her; wi&s;hing &s;ometimes that <HI>Timantes</HI> knew it was &s;he, and &s;ometimes again checking her &s;elf for wi&s;hing. Since <HI>Amaxita</HI> would have been glad to have <HI>Parthenia</HI> le&s;&s;e &s;olitary, &s;he u&s;ed all her arguments to per&s;wade her, that <HI>Philoxipes</HI> might bring <HI>Timantes</HI> to her; but &s;he could not be moved unto it, &s;till prote&s;ting, that her beauty &s;hould never be the cau&s;e of her misfortune, and that both rea&s;on, experience, and the authority of the gods obliged her not to change her opinion. After this, Sir, <HI>Parthenia</HI> would &s;ometimes unawares talk of <HI>Timan|tes,</HI> and then cea&s;e for many daies together; &s;o that perhaps &s;he would have quite forgot him, but for another adventure which I &s;hall acquaint you withall. It was now at that time of the year when the <HI>Adonian</HI> Fea&s;t was celebrated in the Town of <HI>Amathonte,</HI> which is &s;o famous for the magnificent Temple there, and the ceremony there celebrated. I know, Sir, you will be a little &s;urpri&s;ed to hear talk of this Fea&s;t in a place where <HI>Venus Urania</HI> had not more Al|tars then hath <HI>Venus Anadiomena.</HI> But be plea&s;ed to know, that when that famous Queen, of whom ye have heard reports, did re-e&s;tabli&s;h the Temples of that great godde&s;&s;e, &s;hee was forced to tolerate &s;ome cu&s;toms which were not quite repugnant unto good manners: For as the herd of people doe oftentimes love the Ceremonies of Religion, better then the Religion it &s;elf, &s;he thought it not expedient to incen&s;e tho&s;e who were apt to murmur at an univer&s;all change: So that &s;he was in &s;ome &s;ort forced to tolerate the Fea&s;t of the <HI>Adonians</HI> for the &s;a|tisfaction of the people in <HI>Amathonte:</HI> So that &s;ince that time this Fea&s;t is &s;till kept, and be|come &s;o famous, that they re&s;ort from all parts of the I&s;le unto it. <HI>Parthenia</HI> knowing the day when it was to be ob&s;erved, re&s;olved to go thither, and more for the &s;atisfaction of <HI>Amaxita's</HI> de&s;ires, then to content her own curio&s;ity: And &s;o &s;he de&s;igned for <HI>Amathonte,</HI> but to goe
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unknown, le&s;t it &s;hould be laid in her di&s;h, &s;he &s;hould quit her &s;olitude, to &s;ee &s;uch a Fea&s;t as that. Since &s;he was acquainted with one in <HI>Amathonte</HI> whom &s;he could ab&s;olutely command, becau&s;e &s;he was brought up with the Prince&s;&s;e her mother, &s;he lodged at her hou&s;e: And &s;ince &s;he was wel in years, &amp; had neither husband nor children, nor any great Family, &s;he did &s;o well conceal her &s;elf there, that none ever &s;u&s;pected &s;he was at <HI>Amathonte:</HI> For coming in the night, &amp; in no magnificent Coach, &amp; having none with her but my Si&s;ter, &amp; two women to wait up|on her, it was no difficulty to be unperceived in that Town, e&s;pecially at a time when &s;o many &s;trangers were there: But, Sir, give me leave to tel you, that this Fea&s;t of the <HI>Adonians</HI> is a Fea&s;t of Tears at the beginning, &amp; of Joy at the end, as you &s;hall ere long know. In the fir&s;t place, it was the very e&s;&s;ential part of the Ceremony in mourning for the death of <HI>Adonis,</HI> to forbid all Ladies that day to enter into the Temple with their masks off, or hoods up, it being not per|mitted tho&s;e that come to lament over the Tomb of <HI>Adonis</HI> to have their faces uncovered as long as the Ceremony la&s;ted: For &s;ince all the Ladies could not cry, they &s;aid it was better they &s;hould come vailed, then that Joy &s;hould be &s;een in their eyes at a Fea&s;t of Tears. The fir&s;t thing that is to be &s;een in the Temple that day, which is full of Lamps, and no other Light, is a great Coffin of Gold covered with Ro&s;es, Mirtle, and Cypre&s;&s;e, lifted upon four &s;teps co|vered with black Tape&s;try, full of enflamed hearts, and drops of tears in &s;ilver: The&s;e foure &s;teps &s;tand upon four great Pillars of black and white Marble, twenty paces in diameter; a|bout which &s;tand all tho&s;e that are &s;pectators of the Ceremony: The&s;e Pillars being half cover|ed with the riche&s;t <HI>Sydonian</HI> Tape&s;try; Clo&s;e about the Coffin kneel fifty of the faire&s;t Virgins in the Town, dre&s;&s;ed like Nymphs; but Nymphs in mourning, and all in de&s;pair, that is, with loo&s;e Robes of black Tiffeny, with a mixture of &s;ilver their hair di&s;hevelled upon their &s;houl|ders, yet not in a negligent manner, te&s;tifying by di&s;&s;embled tears, or at lea&s;t deep-fetched &s;ighs, their extream &s;orrow of &s;oul. About this Square, on which the Coffin lies, is hanged all the Equipage of a Hunter, but a Hunter mo&s;t magnificent, that is, with a Bow of Ebony garni&s;hed with Gold, with a Quiver of the &s;ame; a Horn of Ivory, adorned with Jewels; a Hunters &s;taffe headed with Rubies and Emeralds. Then two of tho&s;e mourning Beauties, which were about the Coffin, began to recite in ver&s;e the Prai&s;es of <HI>Adonis</HI> in form of a Dialogue; and when their Panegeric was ended, twelve others began to &s;ing other Ver&s;es, condoling his death, and to &s;ay truly, the Song was &s;ad, and &s;o full of grieving expre&s;&s;ions, enough to melt any heart. But before I end the relation of this Ceremony, I mu&s;t needs tell you, Sir, how the gods having determined that <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;hould love <HI>Parthenia,</HI> prompted him to come unto this Fea&s;t, and &s;o he did; and was not only there; but had placed him&s;elf between <HI>Parthenia</HI> and <HI>Amaxita,</HI> who according to the cu&s;to<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of this place had their hoods pulled down, and therefore the beauty of <HI>Parthenia</HI> could not attract his lookes more then any other of the Ladies who were all hooded, except tho&s;e who were about the Coffin: But &s;ince <HI>Parthenia</HI> and <HI>Amaxita</HI> &s;pied him, they made a &s;ign unto each other as &s;oon as he came in, &s;ignifying thereby their meanings. <HI>Parthenia</HI> confe&s;&s;ed afterwards unto me, that &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Ti|mantes,</HI> but her heart did beat, and &s;he thought of changing places; but thinking afterwards that perhaps it might more attract ob&s;ervance, &s;hee &s;tayed where &s;he was. As for <HI>Timantes,</HI>
&s;ince hee &s;aw no Ladyes unvailed but tho&s;e about the Coffin, and knew not that &s;hee hee &s;o &s;ought after was &s;o near him, he regarded the Ceremony with clo&s;e attention, untill after the twelve had &s;ung their Song of &s;orrow. One among&s;t them turned towards all the Ladies of the A&s;&s;embly, and conjured them in the name of <HI>Venus</HI> to conjoyn their complaints with theirs, and &s;ing with her &s;ix ver&s;es which &s;he would immediately recite unto them, to the end that which they made for the death of <HI>Adonis</HI> might bee a publique mourning; and &s;he no &s;ooner began to &s;ing the&s;e &s;ix ver&s;es (which all the <HI>Cyprian</HI> Ladies knew) but all with|in the Temple began to &s;ing after her; &s;o that <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;inging as the re&s;t, not think|ing that in &s;uch a crowd of voices <HI>Timantes</HI> could di&s;tingui&s;h hers: But however, Sir, &s;hee no &s;ooner began to &s;ing, but among&s;t this great abundance of &s;everall voices, which made the Temple eccho, he di&s;tingui&s;ht hers from them all, and knew it; and the voice no &s;ooner &s;truck his ears, but his heart, and let him know he had found her he long had lookt for. So that without any further regard unto the ceremony, he turned towards her, to &s;ee whe|ther he could find the &s;ame conformity in her &s;tature as in her voice; and as &s;he feared, le&s;t her hood &s;hould not be enough down, &s;he cunningly, puld it down with her fair hand: So that <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;eeing the &s;ame &s;tature, the &s;ame hand, and hearing the &s;ame voice which he heard before, did not que&s;tion but &s;he was the &s;ame he met with before. Yet he would not &s;peak unto her untill &s;he had done &s;inging; Meane while hee endeavoured to di&s;cover through her Vaile, whether her face was as fair as all he knew, but his endeavours were in vain: For the
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Temple having no light but that of Lampes, he was uncertain whether <HI>Parthenia</HI>'s Vaile was thicker then others; for &s;ince her intention was to conceal her &s;elf, &s;he wore one of tho&s;e which our Ladies u&s;e to wear when they travell, to keep them from the Sun. <HI>Timantes</HI> could therefore &s;ee no more, then what he &s;aid before: Yet it did not much trouble him, for his hope was, that after the Ceremony was ended, he &s;hould &s;atisfie his curio&s;ity. So that <HI>Par|thenia</HI> had no &s;ooner done &s;inging with the re&s;t, but <HI>Timantes</HI> bowing and &s;peaking unto her in a low voice; I need not ask Madam, &s;aid he unto her, what is become of my curio&s;ity to &s;ee this ceremonie, for certain it is your &s;elfe, who drew me hither, without my knowledge. Sir an&s;wered <HI>Parthenia,</HI> if I did draw you hither without your knowledge, pray adde this, that it was without my knowledge: For &s;ince I have neither the honour to be known unto you, nor to know you, certainly we met without de&s;ign: But &s;ince Sir, the end of the ceremony will quickly &s;eparate us, and &s;ince you came to &s;ee it, not talke with me, I be&s;eech you ob&s;erve the end with as much attention as you did the beginning: Ah Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) I cannot do as you bid me: And to &s;hew you, that I ought not, be plea&s;ed to know, that I am the &s;ame <HI>Timantes,</HI> who had the honour to meet you in the Labyrinth, and who &s;ince that have &s;ought you in all places. You need not tell me who you are (replyed &s;he &s;ubtlely, and purpo&s;ely to amu&s;e him) for I have &s;een you in other places then here or there: <HI>Timantes</HI> was &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed at this an&s;wer of <HI>Parthenia</HI>'s, that he knew not what to &s;ay, for he knew not that &s;he &s;aw him through the hedge, but imagining that &s;he had &s;een him at <HI>Paphos.</HI> However, he knew none that did &s;ing like her, nor who &s;poke as &s;he did; &s;o that hearing her &s;ay &s;o, he knew not what to think or &s;ay: Al&s;o &s;he impo&s;ed &s;ilence, during all the re&s;t of the ceremony, not, &s;aid &s;he, I have any &s;uch great devotion unto this Fea&s;t, as I &s;hould if it were unto <HI>Venus Urania;</HI> but becau&s;e it is not ju&s;t, &s;ince you came from <HI>Paphos</HI> hither, and &s;ince I am here not to ob&s;erve it, and be able to tell you what we have &s;een. For your part Madam, &s;aid he unto her, you may do what you plea&s;e; but for my part, I am re&s;olved to look upon nothing but your &s;elf: For I am &s;o afraid to lo&s;e you again, that I am re&s;olved not to be put to the cruell nece&s;&s;ity of being &s;eparated from you the &s;econd time, before I &s;ee you. <HI>Parthenia</HI> hearing <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;ay &s;o, and having no mind to expre&s;&s;e her &s;elf, that he &s;hould not &s;ee her, or know who &s;he was, le&s;t &s;he &s;hould augment his curio&s;ity, gave him no an&s;wer, but impo&s;ed &s;ilence, and ob&s;erved the re&s;t of the ceremony. Her example was nothing to <HI>Timantes,</HI> who could &s;ee nothing they did, &s;ince he had <HI>Parthenia</HI> to look upon. In the meane while, the ceremony continued &s;till: a con&s;ort of hunting in&s;truments was heard: another of Shepheards Mu&s;ick, and another of Lutes: after which, they put mo&s;t rare Odors in the perfuming pannes which made a little cloud, and by an engine which invi&s;ibly moved the Coffin of gold vanqui&s;hed in the blood, as well as the Tape&s;try of &s;able full of enflamed hearts, and teares of Silver: and in Lieu of &s;o &s;ad an object, was &s;een a little Garden &s;et with Ro&s;e tre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, and Mirtles in huge magnificent ba&s;ins &s;tanding upon the &s;quare, where the Coffin did lie in the mid&s;t, of which did grow above all the re&s;t of the flowers, that &s;weet flower, into which 'tis &s;aid, the Gods at the reque&s;t of <HI>Venus,</HI> did metamorpho&s;e <HI>Adonis.</HI> So that tho&s;e &s;weet Odors di&s;&s;ipating by degrees, the ceremony began to look with another face, and the &s;ame women which before &s;ung &s;onges of &s;orrow, throwing away all their Mantles of mourn|ing, appeared in rich and magnificent dre&s;&s;es, and &s;ung &s;ome ver&s;es which declared the im|mortality of <HI>Adonis</HI> unto all the A&s;&s;embly: So that the ceremony ended in joy, and a &s;acri|fice of thankes: But Sir, &s;ince the cu&s;tome is, that as &s;oon as this little Garden appeares, all the Ladies mu&s;t unmask them&s;elves; <HI>Parthenia</HI> who was not ignorant of it, though &s;he had never &s;een the Fea&s;t, made a &s;igne unto <HI>Amaxita</HI> to retire; and indeed, when the perfuming Pannes &s;ent forth &s;uch clouds of &s;weet &s;mokie Odors as did both darken the Temple, &amp; almo&s;t &s;tifle the Ladies; <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;eeming not able to endure it, changed places with <HI>Amaxita</HI> and her two women, and retired with varietie of thoughts, for &s;he feared <HI>Timantes</HI> would know and follow her: yet &s;he was very glad, that he did not perceive her when &s;he changed places; yet quickly he found her, and changed place as well as &s;he, and followed her under one of the Arches of the Temple, where &s;he was &s;et with <HI>Amaxita,</HI> intending to goe out among&s;t the croude when the ceremony was ended, not daring to go out &s;ooner, lea&s;t <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;hould follow unto the place where &s;hee lodged. In the meane time, as &s;he was &s;itting, and cau&s;ing my Si&s;ter to &s;it with her without any ceremony, (the better to di&s;gui&s;e the matter) <HI>Timantes</HI> came and kneeled down before her, asking pardon for that liberty which he tooke, and be&s;eeching her not to be as rigorous unto him, as &s;he was in the Labyrinth, for Madam (&s;aid he unto her) though I doe infinitely honour your &s;ex in generall, and you above all in particular, I am re&s;olved this day to faile in that duty which I owe you, by importuning you to doe me the honour to lift up that envious vaile which
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covers your faire face, and hinders the beames of your beauty from &s;hining upon me, or el&s;e to tell me in what place and time my eyes may have a &s;ight of her whom my heart already ho|nours. Since Nature hath not be&s;towed upon me, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> any &s;uch beauty as your imagination gives me, I will not my &s;elfe put you out of that plea&s;ing Idea, which you have formed of me in your Fancie, but which does not at all re&s;emble me: for truely when you &s;ee me, and &s;ee me &s;o infinitely below what you thinke I am, I &s;hall then perhaps in lieu of cha|&s;ing curio&s;ity out of your minde, put aver&s;ion into your heart. Ah Madam, &s;aid he, though your eyes &s;hould not be &s;uitable to your &s;tature and proportion, nor to your voice, nor to your hands, nor your witt, yet I &s;hould infinitely honour you. Yet Beauty does not con&s;i&s;t in any thing you know of me, replyed &s;he, for the mo&s;t exact and hand&s;ome &s;tature in the world, the faire&s;t hands, the &s;weete&s;t voice, and the fine&s;t witt, may notwith&s;tanding all the&s;e be the uglie&s;t woman in a land; if her complexion be thick and muddy, the &s;ymmetry of her face dis|proportionable, and her phy&s;iognomy &s;avage or dull. Ah Madam, an&s;wered <HI>Timantes,</HI> all the&s;e you name makes me beleeve you are &s;uch an one as my imagination Fancies: for true|ly if you were not &s;o faire as I thinke you are, you could never make &s;uch a hand&s;ome de|&s;cription of ugline&s;&s;e, and I am confident, that to make up your owne picture, there needs no more but the ju&s;t contraries to what you have &s;aid: Therefore Madam I be&s;eech you in the name of that Godde&s;&s;e which is here adored, let me at lea&s;t know who you are, for I am re|&s;olutely determined to follow you untill I know. <HI>Parthenia</HI> perceiving <HI>Timantes</HI> to &s;peak as a man fully re&s;olved to &s;ee her, and to know who &s;he was, was exceedingly perplexed, &s;he knew well enough, that if &s;he &s;hould lift up her hood, he could not know her; but &s;he thought al&s;o, that the &s;ight would more augment his curio&s;ity then dimini&s;h it, and that he would then follow her as earne&s;tly as before, &s;he dur&s;t not tru&s;t unto his di&s;cretion, and &s;hew her face or tell her name, becau&s;e &s;he was not &s;o well acquainted with him, as to thinke he would be faithfull, nor would &s;he in the minde &s;he then was in, &s;uffer her beauty to make a conque&s;t of him; and though &s;he did already very much e&s;teem him, both by all reports, and by her owne knowledge, yet &s;he would not let him &s;ee her face, nor put her &s;elfe upon &s;uch tearmes as &s;hould oblige her to &s;hun him: But &s;he knew not very well what advantage &s;he could draw unto her &s;elfe by not letting him &s;ee her and know who &s;he was; yet for all that, &s;ince the Gods had let her know &s;he &s;hould never be happy by procuring love unto her &s;elfe, by any allurements of her Beauty, &s;he could not re&s;olve upon it, but concluded it to be her duty to &s;ubmit unto the opinion of the Oracles, both of <HI>Delphos,</HI> and of <HI>Venus Vrania.</HI> Thus was &s;he fully re&s;olv|ed not to &s;hew her &s;elfe, or name her &s;elfe unto <HI>Timantes,</HI> therefore beginning to &s;peak, Sir &s;aid &s;he unto him, I perceive that you have &s;ome &s;leight curio&s;ity to know who I am, and therefore to be ju&s;t, I mu&s;t not thinke it &s;trange you &s;hould de&s;ire &s;atisfaction from me, e&s;pe|cially &s;ince certainly you are per&s;waded, that in importuning me to lift up my hood, you thinke to doe me a civility by it: But Sir, to te&s;tifie that I will deale with you as with one who&s;e vertues I honour, I will impart &s;omething unto you, and tell you, that it does &s;o much concerne me, that you &s;hould not at pre&s;ent know who I am, as perhaps the wellbeing of my life depends upon it: therefore I conjure you, by all that is deare unto you, not to aske me who I am, nor to follow me. It &s;eemes Madam, replyed he, that you dare not tru&s;t that ver|tue which you &s;ay you know in me, &s;ince you dare impart nothing unto me: But Madam, one is not obliged to doe impo&s;&s;ibilities, and &s;ince I mu&s;t not for ever lo&s;e you, therefore I doe profe&s;&s;e that I will never leave you untill I know who you are, but withall I doe a&s;&s;ure you I will never reveale who you are, &s;ince you would not have it knowne. <HI>Parthenia</HI> then perceiving the ob&s;tinacy of <HI>Timantes,</HI> bethought her &s;elfe of another expedient to prevent his knowing who &s;he was, and pre&s;ently propounded it unto him, becau&s;e &s;he &s;aw the ce|remony was ready to end. Sir, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I confe&s;&s;e I cannot hinder you from fol|lowing of me, and therefore you may know where I lodge, and perhaps know who I am; but I doe here profe&s;&s;e and declare unto you, that if you doe &s;o, you &s;hall never &s;ee or &s;peake unto me againe, but on the contrary, if you will be &s;o ob&s;ervant of my de&s;ires as not to follow me, nor to enquire who I am, nor ever tell any without exception, that you met with her the &s;econd time, whom you fir&s;t met with in the Labyrinth, I promi&s;e you my com|pany in a place which will afford better conveniency of talk then here; Therefore make your choice Sir, but fir&s;t con&s;ider well, that if I tell you this day who I am, I will &s;hun you all the dayes of my life after, &s;o that you &s;hall never &s;ee me more; and if you doe not follow me, but exactly doe this I de&s;ire, I will keep my promi&s;e with you: but doe not thinke of promi&s;ing (addeth &s;he) and not performing, for I am confident there is not one in all <HI>Paphos</HI> unto whom you can impart the&s;e adventures, which will not communicate it unto me againe the &s;ame
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hower: therefore take heed what you &s;ay, for I doe the &s;econd time reiterate my re&s;olution never to &s;ee you againe as long as I live, if you &s;ee me this day, and doe not punctually ob|&s;erve all my de&s;ires. Madam, &s;aid he unto her, what would you have a man an&s;wer who is ready to dye with de&s;ire of knowing you, and whom you would have run the hazard of ne|ver knowing you: No, no, (&s;aid &s;he ha&s;tily unto him, &s;eeing that the people began to go out of the Temple) provided you doe not follow me, but doe as I de&s;ire, you &s;hall infallibly &s;ee me, and &s;peak with me, within the&s;e eight dayes. Sweare then unto me, an&s;wered <HI>Timantes,</HI> in the pre&s;ence of the Godde&s;&s;e who is here to be adored: I doe &s;aid &s;he unto him, but after that, doe not follow me one pace further, and to keep you to your di&s;tance, think that the on|ly meanes of &s;eeing me hereafter, is not to follow me now. But Madam, an&s;wered he, you doe not tell me where I &s;hall finde you: I will let you know it at <HI>Paphos,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, and went away. Once more (&s;aid <HI>Timantes</HI> in following her) may I tru&s;t unto your words? Yes an|&s;wered &s;he, &s;o you do not follow me. <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;poke the&s;e words unto <HI>Timantes</HI> in &s;uch a re&s;olved manner, as he &s;aw &s;he would be obeyed, and therefore he thought his duty &s;o to do it; yet this thought had not fa&s;t root in his heart, fearing that unknowne beauty &s;hould break promi&s;e with him, he &s;till looked after <HI>Parthenia,</HI> who turned her head two or three times to &s;ee whether he obeyed, and &s;till looked after her as long as he could with intention to fol|low her maugre all her promi&s;es: But a&s;&s;oon as &s;he was mingled among&s;t that great croud of vailed Ladies which went out of the Temple, doe what he could, he lo&s;t the &s;ight of her; yet he thought he &s;aw her in the &s;treet joyning to the gate of the Temple, but he was deceived, for a&s;&s;oon as he was out, &s;he turned upon the right hand, &s;till ob&s;erving whether or no, <HI>Ti|mantes</HI> did punctually obey her, and perceived that he had much adoe; and though &s;he did not de&s;ire he &s;hould &s;ee or know her at this time, yet I know not whether or no &s;he de&s;ired he &s;hould obey her without repugnancy; yet &s;he was very glad &s;he was out of &s;ight, and gladder when &s;he was come to the place where &s;he lodged, out of which &s;he &s;tirred not, untill &s;he re|turned homewards the next morning: As for <HI>Timantes,</HI> he had a mind to &s;tay &s;ome dayes in <HI>Amathonte,</HI> to enquire who this unknown Lady was; but &s;ince &s;he promi&s;ed him, to let him heare of her at <HI>Paphos,</HI> he returned thither, after he had walked over all the &s;treets of this &s;tately Towne, above twenty times, in hopes to find her, who was already in his heart; but after all his unprofitable que&s;t, he returned to <HI>Paphos,</HI> having brought with him one &s;ervant and two Lacques, for <HI>Antimaques</HI> &s;tayed behind by rea&s;on of &s;ome indi&s;po&s;ition he found in him&s;elfe. In his returne, he did nothing but mu&s;e continually upon his adventure; yet accord|ing to his promi&s;e he re&s;olved to tell it unto none, unle&s;&s;e &s;he brake promi&s;e with him; he examined all rea&s;ons, and con&s;idered which of them it might be which cau&s;ed her to deale thus with him, and there was nothing which his imagination did not &s;ugge&s;t unto him; &s;omtimes he thought, that perhaps &s;he was not faire, but that thought vani&s;hed upon con&s;ideration of her faire hands, hand&s;ome &s;tature, &s;weet voice, and her admirable witt, which were &s;trong Arguments unto his faith that &s;he was Faire. Af|terwards he &s;u&s;pected her to be &s;ome woman that came to <HI>Amathonte</HI> upon &s;ome de&s;igne of &s;ecret gallantry; but afterward con&s;idering that &s;he concealed her &s;elfe a&s;well in the Laby|rinth as at <HI>Amathonte,</HI> and that he &s;aw no men with her, he changed his thoughts: At la&s;t he arrived at <HI>Paphos,</HI> and there he knew not what to do or think: In the mean time this ad|venture came &s;o near his heart, that he thought upon nothing el&s;e, during the eight dayes of his longing expectation: As oft as he went out of his own lodging, he left word, that if any came to &s;peak with him upon any bu&s;ine&s;s, to bring them unto him: And he never came in but he asked whether any were there to &s;peak with him, or brought him any Letters: His life was &s;o unquiet, and his curio&s;ity &s;o full of impatience, that hours &s;eemed dayes, and dayes ages. But whil&s;t <HI>Timantes</HI> was in this condition, <HI>Parthenia</HI> was in a confu&s;ed irre&s;olution: Her fir&s;t thoughts were to break premi&s;es with <HI>Timantes,</HI> and not to &s;ee him; yet &s;he continued not long in that mind; for con&s;idering that if &s;he broke with him, he was not obliged to keep promi&s;e with her, but divulging unto all the world this la&s;t meeting, they might come to gue&s;&s;e the truth: &s;o her fir&s;t re&s;olution held not, but &s;he asked coun&s;ell of my Si&s;ter. I pray <HI>Amaxita</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto her) tell me what you would doe if you were in my condition? Ought I to break my promi&s;e with <HI>Timantes,</HI> or keep it? For my part, Madam (replyed <HI>Amaxita,</HI> who did all &s;he could to drive her out of her &s;olitary humour) I cannot &s;ee any rea|&s;on you have to break your promi&s;e with him, nor can I di&s;cover any ill that can come unto you by ob&s;erving it; for if hee doe &s;ee you, then he will love you, and then the Oracle is full|filled; and truly, Madam, I am &s;o confident that <HI>Timantes</HI> is the man whom the Gods have re&s;erved for you, that I dare not advi&s;e you to break your word with him: For you have
<PB N="41" REF="506">
met him twice in &s;o &s;trange a manner as induceth me to this opinion: For doe you not ob|&s;erve, that as unknown unto him as you are he is unquiet, and as full of re&s;pective curio&s;ity as &s;ome Lovers who have &s;een you a thou&s;and times, and who did not think more of you then <HI>Timantes</HI> doth? Though all you &s;ay, were true, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> yet am I not much be|holding to him, &s;ince his curio&s;ity is not an effect of my merit; but becau&s;e naturally one loves to know that which he is ignorant of, e&s;pecially in &s;ome things: Yet I am confident, reply|ed <HI>Amaxita,</HI> that if your voice had been har&s;h, your &s;tature and compo&s;ure ill favoured, your hands ugly, and your wit gro&s;&s;e, when you &s;poke unto him, his curio&s;ity had not la&s;ted halfe a quarter of an hour: I doe not &s;ay that <HI>Timantes</HI> is in love with you; but I dare confident|ly a&s;&s;ure you, that if you will, he will be: For I perceive by his expre&s;&s;ions that there is &s;uch a tender and pa&s;&s;ionate kind of inclination betwixt you and him, as u&s;eth to be between two who really love. By this account, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> you think my heart has the &s;ame incli|nation to <HI>Timantes</HI> as the heart of <HI>Timantes</HI> hath to me. Truly Madam (replyed &s;he, and &s;miled) If my re&s;pects I owe you would permit me, I &s;hould freely and ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e, that I think <HI>Timantes</HI> hath a &s;trong inclination to love you, and that you have al&s;o an incli|nation to &s;uffer him he &s;hould love you. Therefore I be&s;eech you con&s;ider, being born in an I&s;le where it is a &s;hame not to be loved, and not to love; whether it be hand&s;om to mu&s;e a|way your life in this manner: If it be not, I would advi&s;e you to doe more then all the Beau|ties of the Court can, and captivate the heart of <HI>Timantes,</HI> which would not be taken by all their Charms. <HI>Amaxita</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Parthenia</HI> to her) to lay open the &s;ecret of my &s;oul unto you, I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e that I thinke the chief felicity of life con&s;i&s;ts in the having &s;overaigne authority over the heart of &s;ome one, and in a plea&s;ing communication of joyes and &s;orrowes unto a &s;uitable di&s;po&s;ition: This &s;ympathy of &s;oules and &s;pirits, doth doubtle&s;&s;e find great &s;weetne&s;&s;e in pure affections; but yet, for all that, there is too much equality between two friends to find that &s;atisfaction, as may be had in an affection of another nature; for one &s;hall not finde in friend&s;hip a blinde obedience, &s;ecrets are commonly di&s;clo&s;ed; and though friend|&s;hip have a fire in it, a&s;well as love hath, yet that fire is but a light without heat, whereas love both heats and lights; and indeed my deare <HI>Amaxita</HI> (pur&s;ued &s;he and blu&s;hed) it mu&s;t needs be confe&s;&s;ed, that a pure and innocent love is the only joy of the world, if it be la&s;ting; But the cruelty of it is, when a firme and con&s;tant &s;oule contracts affection with a light and perfidious heart. But do you think Madam (replyed <HI>Amaxita)</HI> that it is an ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;i|bility to finde a con&s;tant lover? I doe not think it impo&s;&s;ible, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> but I thinke it a great difficulty, e&s;pecially among&s;t tho&s;e who love only for beauty, and no other rea&s;on; the truth is, to make love la&s;ting and perfect, there mu&s;t no intere&s;t be mixed with it, he mu&s;t love becau&s;e he is forced unto it; rea&s;on mu&s;t be excluded, and not at all contribute: And in|deed I confe&s;&s;e <HI>Amaxita,</HI> that if I thought I &s;hould finde <HI>Timantes</HI> to be a man who could love me, without any confideration of my quality, or my riches, or without grounding his pa&s;&s;ion upon that little pittance of Beauty which I have, I would doe any thing to get his affection: I doe not &s;ay I would commit any crime to purcha&s;e it; but I &s;hould goe a little further then that exact rule of prudence which would have one hazard nothing. I pray you Madam &s;aid <HI>Amaxita,</HI> what hazard do you run, in this occa&s;ion which pre&s;ents it &s;elfe? you know <HI>Timantes</HI> de&s;erves you, both by his birth, his riches, his per&s;on, his witt, and his vertue; moreover you know, the Prince your Brother loves him dearly, and you &s;ee <HI>Timantes</HI> courts you and &s;eeks you out in all places; moreover yet, it appeares by the manner of your meetings, that it is he whom the Gods would have you mary: for it is not by any influence from your eyes, that you have captivated, or at lea&s;t filled him full of curio&s;ity; and therefore Ma|dam, if you will follow my advice, keep your word with him, let him &s;ee you, but not know who you are if he does not love you, yet you run no hazard, becau&s;e he knowes not who you are, and if he doe love you, then you have found in <HI>Timantes</HI> the man that mu&s;t make you happy: But though I would keep my word with him and &s;ee him, replyed &s;he, yet how &s;hall I doe it? unto whom can I tru&s;t the &s;ecret? and how can I hand&s;omly &s;ee him unle&s;&s;e he come hither? Moreover, &s;ince it ought not to be by that little beauty I have, that I mu&s;t captivate him who mu&s;t make me happy, I conceive it ought rather to be by my vertue then my witt, that I mu&s;t make this conque&s;t, and therefore I make a que&s;tion whether in con&s;enting that <HI>Timan|tes</HI> &s;hall &s;ee me in &s;ecret, I bring my vertue in &s;u&s;pition, for certainly I have a mo&s;t invinci|ble aver&s;ion again&s;t any thing of immode&s;ty. <HI>Amaxita</HI> &s;eeing there was no difficulty in the minde of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> but how to carry the matter hand&s;omely, began to con&s;ider how it might be done, and &s;he con&s;idered &s;o well, that her imagination had contrived a way how to &s;atisfie the Prince&s;&s;e. But Sir, it is fit I tell you, that the Principall rea&s;on which moved
<PB N="42" REF="507">
<HI>Amaxita</HI> to per&s;wade <HI>Parthenia</HI> that <HI>Timantes</HI> might &s;peake with her, was, becau&s;e <HI>Philox|ipes</HI> and <HI>Policrite</HI> had de&s;ired her a thou&s;and times that &s;he would per&s;wade this Prince&s;&s;e to quitt her &s;olitude, and not to rely &s;o punctually upon the &s;trict words of the Oracle, which they thought was ill interpreted. This Sir was the motive which induced <HI>Amaxita</HI> unto what &s;he did, and to induce <HI>Parthenia</HI> to lay hold of this expedient which &s;he pro|po&s;ed unto her, &s;he moved her to read over againe the Oracle of <HI>Delphos,</HI> which was as I told you before in the&s;e words, <HI>That if &s;he would be happy, &s;he mu&s;t not marry a man whom her eyes had not captivated,</HI> and by con&s;equence (&s;aid <HI>Amaxita)</HI> it mu&s;t be concluded that there is one in the world who may love you and never &s;ee your eyes; for the Gods doe never foretell things impo&s;&s;ible; &s;o that it is almo&s;t evident that <HI>Timantes</HI> is the man whom the Gods have &s;ent to make you happy: therefore Madam if you will take my judgement thinke no more upon it, but let him &s;peak with you. But I pray you <HI>Amaxita,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> how can I goe unto <HI>Paphos</HI> and not be known? and how can I &s;ee <HI>Timantes,</HI> but he mu&s;t &s;ee my face? or talk with him, but he may gue&s;&s;e who I am? However, after this cruell experience which I have had in the incon&s;tant re&s;olutions of tho&s;e who only love Beauty; I will not have <HI>Timantes</HI> know whether my eyes be faire or ugly, nor know my quality; for truly if I doe conquer his heart, it &s;hall not be by fading beauty which dies, and his affection dies with it, and which will leave me in &s;uch a &s;ad de&s;pair, as I have had but too much tryall off. <HI>Amaxi|ta</HI> hearing <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;ay &s;o, would not contradict her, becau&s;e &s;he thought it not impo&s;&s;ible, but <HI>Timantes</HI> might fall in love with her, and not &s;ee her face, and that he was not of their opinion, who thinke the eyes only are the givers and receivers of love. But Madam, &s;aid &s;he, you mu&s;t act your part, and therefore you mu&s;t give it out you intend a journey of fifteen dayes, and in lieu of going to the place pretended, go &s;ecretly iuto <HI>Paphos,</HI> and lodge ata friends of my Brothers, and &s;tay there all that time, during which time, upon &s;ome pretence which we will think upon at lea&s;ure, I will procure that your Chamber &s;hall be a ground room to|wards the Garden, with a Belcone which opens upon a Je&s;&s;imine Arbor, which is much dark|er then any other; this friend is a woman of quality and vertue, her Husband and Sonne are both at <HI>Athens,</HI> and &s;he is much obliged unto my Brother, and he to her; &s;he it is we will tru&s;t in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. But if it &s;hould come to be knowne I was at <HI>Paphos</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Parthenia)</HI> what would people &s;ay? and what would they think? At the wor&s;t (replyed <HI>Amaxita)</HI> they can but &s;ay you had a mind to &s;e a Hor&s;e-race and not be knowne; and indeed this was a hand&s;ome excu&s;e, for there was to be one, and the end of the race was to be behind the La|dies hou&s;e; yet <HI>Parthenia</HI> could not bring her mind unto it, untill the &s;ixth day when I came thither, where I was no &s;ooner come, but &s;he de&s;ired to ask me concerning <HI>Timantes,</HI> pur|po&s;ely to know whether he had been &s;ecret, for I had the honour to &s;ee him after with the Prince <HI>Philoxipes. Amaxita</HI> in obedience to <HI>Parthenia</HI>'s commands, asked me before her, whether the &s;tranger of whom &s;uch wonders were reported was &s;till at <HI>Paphos?</HI> and whether he was as plea&s;ant in the Court, as he was at fir&s;t? <HI>Timantes,</HI> replyed I, is que&s;tionle&s;&s;e as compleat a Gallant as the World hath, but &s;ince a journey he took to &s;ee the <HI>Adonian</HI> fea&s;t, he is become much more re&s;erved, and unquiet then he was before; yet certainly it is by rea&s;on of &s;ome di&s;temper in his body, not minde, for no ill accidents have any way cro&s;&s;ed him: Perhaps he is in love (&s;aid <HI>Parthenia)</HI> No, no, replyed I, for &s;ince his return from <HI>Amathonte,</HI> he never vi&s;ited one Lady: Then certainly (&s;aid &s;he laughing, and looking upon <HI>Amaxita)</HI> the <HI>Adonian</HI> fea&s;t hath in&s;pired him with &s;uch a melancholy, as it cannot be cured againe. After this, pa&s;&s;ing from one di&s;cour&s;e to another, I began to relate what expectation there was of a Hor&s;e-race to be at <HI>Paphos,</HI> &s;o that <HI>Parthenia,</HI> who&s;e heart de&s;ired to &s;ee <HI>Timantes,</HI> took this occa&s;ion to colour her de&s;igne: then &s;he told my &s;i&s;ter, that &s;he would not eternally detaine her from all manner of plea&s;ures, but would have her go and &s;ee this Hor&s;e-race; and therefore (&s;aid &s;he unto her) you &s;hall have my Coach, and <HI>Mega&s;ides</HI> &s;hall go with you to <HI>Paphos,</HI> and bring you back when the &s;port and Fea&s;t is done, that you may relate all the pa&s;&s;ages of it unto me. <HI>Amaxita</HI> hearing <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;ay &s;o, knew this was but a colour for her owne voyage, &s;o that &s;eeming to think &s;he was in good earne&s;t, &s;he told her, that &s;he would not goe unle&s;&s;e &s;he went al&s;o, and in conclu&s;ion, the journey was agreed upon, and <HI>Amaxita</HI> &s;eeing the Hor&s;e-race, was her umbrage: But for all this &s;he was full of anxious circum&s;pections, &s;uch as were like to break off the voyage, and &s;he alledged &s;o many ob&s;cure and intangled rea&s;ons, to make me under&s;tand what cau&s;e &s;he had to keep this journey clo&s;e, as I wondered, and afterwards &s;he made me &s;weare a thou&s;and oaths of &s;ecrecy, though hea|vens knows I knew nothing then but that &s;he would goe to &s;ee this Hor&s;e race? after which I went before to prepare her who was to entertain <HI>Parthenia,</HI> and order all things for the
<PB N="43" REF="507">
concealment of her voyage, my Mother her &s;elfe knew not that my &s;i&s;ter was at <HI>Paphos,</HI> and the matter was carried &s;o hand&s;omely, that none did &s;o much as &s;u&s;pect any thing; and cer|tainly it was not a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of difficulty, for &s;ince <HI>Parthenia</HI> told none at her owne hou&s;e whither &s;he went, and &s;ince &s;he arrived in the night, and the hou&s;e where &s;he lodged, very neare the gate of the Towne where &s;he entered, it was not any ea&s;ie matter for any to di&s;cover any thing, e&s;pecially <HI>Parthenia</HI> having no women with her which &s;tirred out. In &s;hort Sir, <HI>Parthenia</HI> came to <HI>Paphos</HI> hardly conceiting that &s;he came to &s;ee <HI>Timantes;</HI> and when &s;he was there, and <HI>Amaxita</HI> asking her whether &s;he would performe her promi&s;e? &s;he replyed re&s;o|lutely that &s;he was not able to con&s;ent unto it, and that &s;he would only &s;ee <HI>Timantes</HI> at the Race which was to be the next morning: It was in vaine for <HI>Amaxita</HI> to tell her, her term was expired that day, for &s;he had &s;etled her re&s;olution: <HI>Amaxita</HI> was in a hundred minds, whether or no &s;he &s;hould acquaint <HI>Philoxipes</HI> with the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: But for all that, &s;he thought that the two Oracles which <HI>Parthenia</HI> had received, had made &s;uch a deep impre&s;&s;ion in her mind, that &s;he would be extreamly offended if &s;he &s;hould have cau&s;ed the Prince <HI>Phi|laxipes</HI> to have importuned her; &s;o that fearing to incen&s;e her to no purpo&s;e, and thinking that if the Gods would have <HI>Timantes</HI> to marry <HI>Parthenia,</HI> they would find out the means to bring it about, &s;he did not re&s;i&s;t the Prince&s;&s;e. However, the Hor&s;e-race was to be the day following, and all the Court would be there, and &s;ince the hou&s;e where <HI>Parthenia</HI> was, was u&s;ed to entertain Ladyes upon &s;uch occa&s;ions, &s;he who owed it could not deny tho&s;e who came that day to lookout at the Windowes, unle&s;&s;e &s;he &s;hould give cau&s;e of &s;u&s;pition that &s;ome were there whom &s;he would not have &s;een; therefore <HI>Parthenia</HI> was put into a Clo&s;&s;et, who&s;e Window was &s;o dre&s;&s;ed with boughs and leaves of Palme, through which one might &s;ee, and not be &s;een, and through which <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;aw the Hor&s;e-race, which was in a great plaine before that window. I will not offer to de&s;cribe this Race unto you Sir, it will &s;uffice I tell you that <HI>Timantes</HI> appeared there in glory, and won the prize; But the mo&s;t remarkable pa&s;&s;age was, that <HI>Timantes</HI> imagining that the unknown Lady who filled him &s;o full of curio&s;ity, was one of the Ladies of <HI>Paphos,</HI> and that &s;he would &s;ee this Race, did change his Motto, which he bore upon other occa&s;ions, which repre&s;ented a Phoenix upon his &s;hield, with this Motto,
<Q><L>I &s;tay untill the Sun do burn me;</L></Q>
he now repre&s;ented a Faggot &s;et on fire by the heat of the Sun, which was Eclip&s;ed, with the&s;e words,
<Q><L>It burnes me though it be Eclip&s;ed.</L></Q></P>
<P>I leave you to imagine Sir, how the &s;ight of this device &s;urpri&s;ed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> &s;ince the Clo&s;&s;et wherein &s;he was &s;hut up, was very low, and the Race ending ju&s;t under it, &s;he might ea&s;ily perceive this device upon the &s;hield of <HI>Timantes;</HI> for all tho&s;e who were of this &s;port, carried a Javeline and a Buckler. <HI>Parthenia</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw this device, but &s;he made the Ap|plication as <HI>Timantes</HI> would have wi&s;hed, and told it unto <HI>Amaxita,</HI> who taking that oppor|tunity, asked her with a &s;mile, whether &s;he would let that Sun which burned <HI>Timantes</HI> be al|waies Eclip&s;ed? As my &s;i&s;ter did not &s;peak altogether &s;eriou&s;ly, &s;he an&s;wered her in the &s;ame manner; however, <HI>Amaxita</HI> ob&s;erved, that <HI>Parthenia</HI> was very glad <HI>Timantes</HI> had not forgot her; &amp; though this device might be taken as much for a common piece of gallantry, as a mark of love, yet it touched to heart <HI>Parthenia</HI> &amp; obliged her: It &s;eemed al&s;o, that <HI>Timantes</HI> then had a more melancholly aire in his a&s;pect, then ordinary, &amp; &s;he imagined that the rea&s;on per|haps was, becau&s;e &s;he had broke her promi&s;e with him; yet &s;he could not con&s;ent to &s;end him word that he &s;hould come into the Garden by a back door which was under the Walls of the Towne, and &s;peake unto her through the grates of her window: But Sir, it was not long that &s;he was in this trouble, for the &s;ame Gods who brought them twice to meet, brought them the third time to &s;peak together, and thus it came about. The Lodging of <HI>Timantes</HI> was &s;o neare <HI>Parthenia's,</HI> that the lodgings looked into the Garden; tho&s;e with whom <HI>Timantes</HI> lodged having no Garden of their own, and being people of good quality, and intimate friends unto this Lady where <HI>Parthenia</HI> lodged, they obtained leave of her to walk there &s;ometimes, and obtaine the &s;ame liberty for <HI>Timantes: Timantes</HI> being melancholy &amp; hot with Riding that day, he de&s;ired to refre&s;h him&s;elfe, and walk there that evening; and &s;o he did, but all alone, and walked &s;o long a time, afterward he &s;at downe in an Arbour of Je&s;&s;imine, ju&s;t under
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<HI>Parthenia</HI>'s window, and there &s;tayed near an hour, finding much plea&s;ure in mu&s;ing in a place where the air was &s;o fre&s;h and &s;weet. The Sun was &s;et, and hardly day enough to di|&s;tingui&s;h Flowers, when <HI>Parthenia</HI> opened her window over the Arbour of Je&s;&s;imon, pur|po&s;ely to let in the &s;weet &s;mel which every Summer evening in <HI>Cyprus</HI> ari&s;eth from the ground: She no &s;ooner opened it, but &s;he &s;aw the Moon ari&s;e, &s;o that &s;peaking unto <HI>Amaxita,</HI> but not naming her, That Planet, &s;aid &s;he unto her, is not Eclip&s;ed, as that in the Device of <HI>Ti|mantes</HI> was; it was long onely of your &s;elf (&s;aid <HI>Amaxita</HI> unto her) that the Sun of him you named, &s;hined not more bright then this Planet you behold. You may imagine, Sir, how <HI>Timantes</HI> was &s;urpri&s;ed, when he heard him&s;elf named, and thought it to be the voice of his amiable unknown Lady: Yet he was not &s;ure of it at fir&s;t; for &s;ince <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;poke not very loud, he was in &s;ome doubt, but to be &s;atisfied, he &s;tarted up in all ha&s;te, and went unto the window gently; and he was no &s;ooner there, but <HI>Parthenia</HI> an&s;wering to what <HI>Amaxita</HI> &s;aid, &s;ince it is the work of the gods to un-eclip&s;e the Planets, &s;aid &s;he, it is therefore unto them <HI>Timantes</HI> mu&s;t addre&s;&s;e him&s;elf, if he would have them unvailed. I have already follow|ed your coun&s;ell, Madam (replyed <HI>Timantes)</HI> &s;ince doubtle&s;&s;e it was the gods that brought me hither, when it is onely long of your&s;elf that the Sun which burns me, though Eclip&s;ed, does not reduce me unto a&s;hes if it &s;hould di&s;cover its whole light. When <HI>Timantes</HI> came near, <HI>Parthenia</HI> not knowing who it was, pulled down her hood, and retired from the window: But <HI>Amaxita,</HI> not &s;o frighted as &s;he was, knew it to be the voice of <HI>Timantes</HI> at fir&s;t; &s;o that this encounter more confirming her in her opinion, that the Gods would have <HI>Timantes</HI> and <HI>Parthenia</HI> marry, &s;he gave him a complement, and went unto the other &s;ide of the room to fetch <HI>Parthenia,</HI> who was very backward, but at la&s;t came unto the window: Shee did not tru&s;t unto the mask of night to hide her beauty; for &s;ince the Moon &s;hone, neither &s;he, nor <HI>Amaxita</HI> would appear before <HI>Timantes</HI> but with their hoods pulled down; &s;o that he &s;eeing &s;he was not di&s;po&s;ed to give him &s;atisfaction: You mu&s;t needs be, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, what I ever thought you, that is, the faire&s;t per&s;on in the world, &s;ince you doe not think night with all its vayles can hide the lu&s;tre of your eyes. However, Madam, I be&s;eech you &s;hew me that which I know already. Let me receive &s;ome con&s;olation by hearing you &s;peak; and tell me why you would have me be a debter unto chance for my good fortune and happine&s;&s;e in meeting with you, after you had promi&s;ed me the honour of talking with you, within eight dayes? When <HI>Timantes</HI> began to &s;peak, <HI>Parthenia</HI> was infinitely troubled becau&s;e &s;he could not conceive how he &s;hould come into the garden, unle&s;&s;e he knew &s;he was there, and unle&s;&s;e &s;ome had betrayed her; but when &s;he heard him attribute the meeting unto Chance, &s;he grew more confident, and her mind was in di&s;po&s;ition to an&s;wer him with more tranquillity; yet would &s;he know more preci&s;ely how he cam into the Garden, &amp; did &s;o earne&s;tly pre&s; him to tel her, that he told her how it was, and moreover told her ingeniou&s;ly without any di&s;&s;imula|tion, that he did not doubt but to know unto whom he &s;poke, &s;ince &s;he was in a hou&s;e &s;o near his; yet he did not know who dwelt in the hou&s;e. But after <HI>Timantes</HI> had told all &s;he de&s;ired to know: You &s;ee, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, that I tell you all I can, doe the &s;ame I conjure you for me, and hide not your eyes &s;o long, &s;ince certainly they carry their own light with them, I &s;hall &s;ee them in &s;pight of all ob&s;curity. Therefore, for Heavens &s;ake, Madam, deny me not this favour; for I de&s;ire it more pa&s;&s;ionately then I did ever any thing in my life. I doe prote&s;t, Madam, though I have &s;een all that's fair in <HI>Cyprus,</HI> yet I find not one among&s;t them all whom I de&s;ire to &s;ee again with half that zeal I doe your beauty. I never appeared in all the&s;e publique Fea&s;ts, but with all the &s;ymptomes of a man who adores you as he doth the gods, that is, without knowing you. Therefore, again, and again I implore you, Madam, not to deny my &s;uit. Sir, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> I would I could con&s;ent unto what you &s;eem &s;o earne&s;tly to de&s;ire: But truly there is &s;omething &s;o odde and fanta&s;ticall in my face, that I cannot doe as you de&s;ire, unle&s;&s;e I &s;hould re&s;olve never to &s;ee you again. But if it be &s;o, that my conver&s;ation does not glut you, the time may come in which you may know who I am without lo&s;ing mee, therefore I pray content your &s;elf at this time, that I &s;uffer you to talk an hour of things indifferent. Of things indifferent (replyed <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;harply) ala&s;s, Madam, 'tis more then I can do, and I mu&s;t tell you, that I can &s;peak of nothing but your &s;elf, until you grant my de&s;ire. Our conver&s;ation then will not be very plea&s;ant (replied <HI>Parthenia,</HI> &amp; laughed) for you know &s;o little of me, that we &s;hal but &s;til repeat the &s;ame di&s;cour&s;e again, yet I am mo&s;t certain, replyed he, that I &s;hall never be weary of it, &amp; after I have told a thou&s;and &amp; a thou&s;and times how I am charmed a thou&s;and times with the excellency of your voice, and more with the graces of your witt, yet I &s;hall &s;till be delighted with repeating it againe, provided you will not deprive me of the hopes of knowing you better hereafter then now I doe. As long as
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you tell me nothing but that you have a &s;trong de&s;ire to know who I am, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> I &s;hall ea&s;ily beleeve you; but that you &s;hould per&s;wade me that as long as you are ignorant of who I am, yet that I &s;hould have any power over your &s;oul, this is a thing I cannot ea&s;ily comprehend, and yet it is that, if any thing, will oblige me to tell you who I am; for truly to tru&s;t all the &s;ecrets of my life unto one who has no affection to me, is a thing I cannot doe; and therefore &s;ince it is impo&s;&s;ible you &s;hould love me unle&s;&s;e you did know me, and &s;ince you cannot know me unle&s;&s;e you love me fir&s;t, I pray you therefore after a di&s;engagement of our promi&s;es at <HI>Amathonte,</HI> let us part for ever. Oh Madam, &s;aid he unto her, &s;ince the meanes to know you is to love you; I doe now mo&s;t infallibly profe&s;&s;e it, for truly, there is &s;ome &s;uperi|or power which whether I will or no, does force me unto it, and to love you better then ever any I yet know: Yet Madam I mu&s;t declare this withall, that &s;ince I mu&s;t and doe love you, my love is love and not friend&s;hip-love; for as for my friends of either &s;ex, it is my minde that makes the choice, and I will know them long before I tru&s;t them; But it is otherwi&s;e with my love, for it is above my rea&s;on, it is the worke of my heart, not of my Braine: Therefore Madam, &s;ince I &s;en&s;ibly find that inclination unto you, which I never found unto any el&s;e, I may well beleeve that this my inclination is love. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> I am not of your opinion, becau&s;e I am per&s;waded, that if you talk long with me, though you did not know who I was, nor &s;aw whether I were faire or foule, yet perhaps you might af|fect in the degree of friend&s;hip; for by long conver&s;ation one may come to know the &s;oul of that per&s;on they conver&s;e withall, and it is not impo&s;&s;ible but friend&s;hip may &s;pring from &s;uch acquaintance, though they are ignorant both of quality and face: But as for love Sir, it is of another nature, for it is beauty only which can claime the priviledge of creating love. Alas Madam; &s;aid he unto her, how little doe you know what zeale love is, if you think that Beauty is the only cau&s;e of it? doe you not con&s;ider that if it were &s;o, none but great beau|ties could create it? then two or three high beauties would engro&s;&s;e all the Adorers in a great court: but on the contrary we &s;ee it otherwi&s;e, and find &s;ome women who have neither much beauty nor great witt, yet are loved by very compleat men, and &s;omtimes it is &s;een al&s;o, that the faire&s;t women in the world cannot &s;o much as win one &s;ingle heart unto their &s;ervice; and &s;ince &s;o Madam, love is a powerfull effect of that &s;ympathy which operates whether we will or noe; and beleeve me Madam, I be&s;eech you, that &s;ince there are &s;ome men, yea and witty men, who love women who are not very faire, I may love you, whom I know already to be a great beauty, and whom I think to be very faire. However it be Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, you &s;hall not know it this long time: Is it po&s;&s;ible Madam, replyed he, that you &s;hould have any rea&s;on for doing &s;o? Yes, an&s;wered &s;he, a mo&s;t prevalent one, &s;uch a one as if you render your &s;elfe hereafter worthy to know it, you will confe&s;&s;e I doe but what I ought to doe. Yet Madam, replyed he, though perhaps it concerns you not to let your &s;elfe be known here, yet dare you not tru&s;t my di&s;cretion? I prote&s;t Madam, that I never revealed unto any who&s;oever, any thing which you did forbid me: At <HI>Amathonte</HI> I know it very well (&s;aid &s;he purpo&s;ely to puzle him) for I am informed as much from all your friends, and therefore know|ing that you are able to keep a &s;ecret, I will tru&s;t you with one, and acquaint you with the re&s;entments of my &s;oul, to the end you may not be ab&s;olutely ignorant of me: Know then that I am very &s;incere, that I have a very tender heart, that my affection is a little Tyrannicall, that I love vertue and honour, that I hate a divided heart, that I never will be&s;tow my owne, but where I am fully convinced by all imaginable waies, that I &s;hall &s;overaignly raign in his heart that &s;hall have it; that I am a mortall enemy to incon&s;tancy, and to avoid that unhap|pine&s;&s;e principally, I neither de&s;ire to love, nor be loved: And more then this Sir, never ask me, for I a&s;&s;ure you, that you &s;hall not obtain it. Oh Madam (&s;aid he unto her) I be&s;eech you doe not &s;ubvert the universall order of the World; I have knowne the faces of all my friends a long time before I could know their hearts, and you would have me know your heart a long time before I mu&s;t know your face; once more I be&s;eech you Madam be not &s;o prepo&s;terous in your actions, but after you have &s;hewed me your &s;oule, let me &s;ee your faire eyes al&s;o. No, no Madam (&s;aid he after a little pau&s;e) upon &s;econd thoughts, I de&s;ire nothing but what you plea&s;e, and I confe&s;&s;e, I ought to be &s;o well &s;atisfied with this rich di&s;covery of your divine &s;oul, that I ought to de&s;ire no more: But Madam, to the end you may know my &s;oule as you doe my quality, my &s;pirit, and my per&s;on, be plea&s;ed to know, that what&s;oever I pro|mi&s;e, I alwaies performe; that where I love, I love till death, unle&s;&s;e I be for&s;aken or betrayed; that I am none of tho&s;e lovers who profe&s;&s;e &s;ervice that they may command; on the contra|ry, I would not be loved, but only to be the more captivated; I am not of their humour who valew the witt of women, but only as an ornament unto their beauty; on the contrary, I
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valew their beauty only as an ornament unto their minds; &s;o that not building the founda|tion of my love upon &s;o tran&s;itory a ground, but upon &s;uch as &s;hall la&s;t as long as life; it will la&s;t as long al&s;o. If all this were true replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> and &s;miled, you &s;hould not de&s;pair of knowing who I am: Since I beleeve all you &s;ay Madam, &s;aid he, I hope you will beleeve all that I &s;ay; you may enquire concerning me of all tho&s;e that know me, but I can enquire of none but your &s;elfe: You might have &s;aid, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> that it was not permitted you to enquire of any body el&s;e: However Madam &s;aid he unto her, I be&s;eech you permit me to talk with you here, untill you have had a longer tryall of my di&s;cretion: <HI>Parthenia</HI> then &s;tayed a while before &s;he an&s;wered; but <HI>Timantes</HI> was &s;o importunate and full of urging expre&s;&s;ions, that indeed &s;he feared le&s;t he &s;hould attempt more then &s;he would have him, to know who &s;he was; therefore beginning to &s;peak: I am contented Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that you &s;hall &s;peak unto me for &s;ome certain dales, at the &s;ame houre, and in the &s;ame place, provided you &s;weare unto me by <HI>Venus-Vrania,</HI> that you will not tell unto any who&s;oever without exception, how you met with the unknowne per&s;on, nor reveale where &s;he is; for if you doe, I &s;hall in|fallibly know it, and I &s;hall no &s;ooner know it, but I &s;hall immediatly re&s;olve never to &s;peak with you againe, and take &s;uch a cour&s;e as you &s;hall never know me, and therefore &s;atisfie your &s;elfe with thus much. Madam &s;aid he unto her, &s;ince it is in your power to make lawes, and &s;ince it is my duty to ob&s;erve them, certainly you &s;hall be obeyed: But I be&s;eech you Madam, what &s;ecurity can I have in your promi&s;e, that I &s;hall &s;ee you here to morrow at the &s;ame time and place? My word (replyed &s;he.) But Madam, &s;aid he, you did not keep your word before, for the eight daies were pa&s;t, and yet I heard not from you. To &s;et your mind at re&s;t replyed &s;he, I allow you to reveale all I have &s;aid unto you, if I be not here to morrow. After this, <HI>Timantes</HI> retired, and a&s;&s;oon as he was gone, &s;he &s;hut her window, and &s;ent to de|&s;ire her with whom &s;he loged, that the door which was towards her neighbours hou&s;e might be &s;hut, le&s;t <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;hould return and harken what they &s;aid in her chamber; &s;he had a de&s;ire to quit it, and did &s;o, taking another one &s;tory higher, which looked not into the garden; moreover &s;he charged a new all tho&s;e that knew of her being at <HI>Paphos</HI> to keep it &s;ecret, no other rea&s;on appearing unto them, but that <HI>Parthenia</HI> had no minde it &s;hould be known that &s;he quitted her &s;olitude to come and &s;ee any publique &s;ports, e&s;pecially, &s;ince &s;he did not lodge with the Prince her Brother, whither &s;he &s;aid &s;he would not go, becau&s;e there it was impo&s;&s;ible her voyage could be kept &s;ecret; &s;he had al&s;o this advantage, that the wo|man with whom &s;he lodged, was ea&s;ie to be deceived. But after all the&s;e orders were given, and that &s;he was alone with <HI>Amaxita,</HI> &s;he began to di&s;cour&s;e of their adventure; one while was ravi&s;hed with joy that <HI>Timantes</HI> had found her out, without her giving him any no|tice; otherwhiles one would have thought &s;he had been angry with her &s;elfe for &s;eeing him at all; afterwards &s;he had an imagination, that <HI>Amaxita</HI> gave him notice, that &s;he was in the hou&s;e, and that &s;he had cau&s;ed it to be told unto <HI>Timantes</HI> what was her humor; for in|deed &s;aid &s;he unto her, he hath told me all that I could de&s;ire a man &s;hould &s;ay, or all that he could tell me if he had known my minde. This ought to per&s;wade you Madam, replyed <HI>Amaxita,</HI> that it was the Gods who prompted him to &s;peake, for as for my part, you know I never was out of your &s;ight, nor have I any acquaintance with <HI>Timantes:</HI> I know it very well replyed <HI>Parthenia;</HI> but I know &s;o little how it &s;hould come to pa&s;&s;e, that <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;hould find me out &s;o often, and &s;hould tell me almo&s;t all my owne thoughts, that you mu&s;t pardon me, if I had and &s;till have a little &s;u&s;pition of you; and &s;ince I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e the truth unto you as unto a &s;econd &s;elfe, I think that I did not accu&s;e you for it, to the end you might more powerfully per&s;wade me, that it was the plea&s;ure of the Gods <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;hould love me; and I did po&s;itively beleeve all he told me, for I could not &s;tifle the only plea&s;ant thought which I enjoyed &s;ince my &s;olitude, which is, my hopes to finde a man capable of a con&s;tant love. But Madam (&s;aid <HI>Amaxita</HI> unto her) why have you given orders contrary to the promi&s;e which you made of &s;eeing <HI>Timantes</HI> againe? The rea&s;on is, &s;aid &s;he, becau&s;e I would &s;peak with him, but I would not have him know me, and becau&s;e I thought you would find a way tomorrow that the garden door which I cau&s;ed to be &s;hut, may be open: For truly, untill I am a&s;&s;ured <HI>Timantes</HI> loves me, and a&s;&s;ured by a thou&s;and tryalls of his affection, I will not have him know yet who I am, or &s;ee me; but that which I would at pre&s;ent know, is, whether <HI>Timantes</HI> be faithfull or no, and whether he hath not told our adventure, neither to the Prince, nor any other of his friends. After <HI>Parthenia</HI> had expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elfe, <HI>Amaxita</HI> (who knew that <HI>Antimaques</HI> was in love with <HI>Dorida,</HI> and that <HI>Dorida</HI> wi&s;hed well unto me, and would tru&s;t me with any thing) told her, that if &s;he would tru&s;t it unto my di&s;cretion, I &s;hould ea&s;ily make a di&s;covery of what &s;he de&s;ired to know. At fir&s;t <HI>Parthenia</HI> pau&s;ed upon
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propo&s;ition, but afterwards &s;he was &s;o well per&s;waded of my fidelity, that &s;he tru&s;ted me with the &s;ecret. In the mean time <HI>Timantes</HI> had his &s;hare in &s;orrow; for after he was entered into the hou&s;e where he lodged, he enquired, not telling any rea&s;ons why he asked, what women tho&s;e were in the hou&s;e w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h belonged to the Garden where he walkt, but he was amu&s;ed when he was an&s;wered there was none but the Mi&s;tris of the hou&s;e, who was well in years, and &s;ome &s;ervants which waited upon her: Yet he very well knew, that &s;he unto whom he &s;poke, was neither a &s;ervant nor old; for her conver&s;ation a&s;&s;ured him of the fir&s;t, and her fair hands, her &s;weet voice, and hand&s;ome &s;tature a&s;&s;ured him of the &s;econd: Al&s;o the two other times which he &s;aw her, he knew by her colours which &s;he wore, that certainly &s;hee was young, though by it he could not know her qualitie: So that all the&s;e circum&s;tances compared, they puzzled him exceedingly: He &s;aw that all he knew of her was mo&s;t admirable; and that &s;he had &s;uch a c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ming Empha&s;is in the accent of her voice, as any thing &s;ounded better in her mouth a thou&s;and times then in any other: He found her to be of &s;uch &s;harp, &s;o gallant, and ea&s;ie a &s;pirit and wit, that hee was ravi&s;hed with her di&s;cour&s;e, and hee beleeved &s;he was of &s;uch a &s;weet nature, as could love mo&s;t tenderly, grounding his opinion upon her hatred a|gain&s;t Incon&s;tancie. But for all this (&s;aid he, upon &s;erious examination of the matter) there mu&s;t needs be &s;omething that is very &s;trange, either in the qualitie, or in the beautie of this woman; for why el&s;e &s;hould &s;hee bee &s;o nice as to hide her &s;elfe from a man who&s;e acquain|tance &s;hee does not ab&s;olutely reject? And yet &s;hee mu&s;t needs bee faire, for I have &s;een as much as argues it; and &s;hee mu&s;t needs al&s;o be a woman of Qualitie, her language, her &s;pirit, her wit, her port, does &s;ufficiently prove it, and convinceth mee of the&s;e doubts. What&s;oever &s;hee bee (&s;aid hee) &s;hee does infinitely plea&s;e me; and though it bee onely to know her name, I mu&s;t obey her; for &s;hee hath told mee, that if I doe as &s;he would have me, I may not de&s;pair of knowing it hereafter, and yet it is a very odde way, that I &s;hould know a thing by not enquiring of it; for he con&s;idered, how &s;he po|&s;itively told him, that if he enquired of any one, &s;he could know it; and if ever &s;he knew he enquired of any one, he &s;hould never know her, nor &s;peak unto her; therefore his curio&s;ity wrought &s;uch effects in his heart, as never did the like in any, &s;ince it hindred him from en|quiring of that which he mo&s;t earne&s;tly de&s;ired to know: And truly, though <HI>Timantes</HI> had a mo&s;t longing de&s;ire to ask all his acquaintance who this amiable unknown one was, whom he already loved, and hardly knew it, yet he dur&s;t not &s;peak of it, &s;o much as to <HI>Antimaques,</HI> le&s;t he &s;hould blab it unto <HI>Dorida:</HI> So that he pa&s;&s;ed over that night and the day following in extreame impatience. In the mean time <HI>Amaxita,</HI> having &s;ent me unto him, I became his &s;pie, and I kept all the day where he was, and at night reported unto my Si&s;ter, how he &s;eem|ed very re&s;erved unto all tho&s;e he met withall; that he refu&s;ed &s;upper with the Prince <HI>Phi|loxipes,</HI> or to goe into the Walks upon the Sea-&s;ide, as he u&s;ed, where all the Court did ren|dezvous, and that he retired unto his own lodging very timely, not rendering any rea&s;on why: So that <HI>Amaxita,</HI> told all this unto the Prince&s;&s;e; &s;he was exceedingly joyed, and more readi|ly re&s;olved, not to faile in her promi&s;e unto <HI>Timantes,</HI> and in order to that, appointing <HI>A|maxita</HI> to get the Garden door open, and <HI>Amaxita</HI> knowing how to doe it unknown unto the Mi&s;tris of the hou&s;e, all things were &s;o hand&s;omly carried, that at the appointed hour,
<HI>Timantes</HI> came to the window of the low room where <HI>Parthenia</HI> was, under pretence of writ|ting. But when <HI>Timantes</HI> came, he could &s;ee no more of <HI>Parthenia</HI> then before, but yet found her in a di&s;po&s;ition to receive him more civilly, the reports which &s;he had from me, giving her more &s;atisfaction. She no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but &s;he began to &s;peak: I de&s;ire your pardon Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him) for being perhaps a hindrance unto your plea&s;ure in walking by the &s;ea-&s;ide as you u&s;e, but that which comforts me a little is, that it hinders you from the &s;ight of all tho&s;e Beauties which u&s;e to walk there. It &s;ufficiently appears, Madam (&s;aid he unto her, after he had mo&s;t re&s;pectively &s;aluted her) That I hoped for greater plea&s;ure in your com|pany then in the &s;ight of all tho&s;e Beauties you &s;peak of, &s;ince I quitted them to come unto you; and therefore I need not any complement upon that. But, Madam, &s;ince you know all pa&s;&s;ages of the world &s;o well, it &s;eems you are not unknown unto any but me. 'Tis true, Sir, replyed &s;he, but it is upon a rea&s;on &s;o advantageous to you, that if I could now tell it, I am confident you would confe&s;&s;e your &s;elf obliged unto me for it: How much &s;oever I am re|&s;olved to honour you, replied he, yet I can hardly think I am obliged to thank you for deny|ing me a thing which I de&s;ire with as much zeal as the mo&s;t violent Lovers do the enjoyment of their Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es. Yet it appears (&s;aid <HI>Parthenia</HI> craftily) that the conver&s;ation you had here ye&s;terday, gave you no great &s;atisfaction: For as for my part when I pa&s;&s;e any night away in any agreeable &s;atisfaction, there remains in my countenance all the next
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day a great impre&s;&s;ion of joy, whereas on the contrary, when I have been in any wearying company, melancholy &s;ads my eyes at lea&s;t four and twenty hours after it; and therefore if you be of my humour, I have cau&s;e to think you were weary of our conver&s;ation ye&s;terday; for I know you were very melancholy, and re&s;erved all the day after. 'Tis true, Madam, re|plyed he, I was very re&s;erved, but it was upon a rea&s;on quite contrary to yours, &s;ince truly I am never &s;o melancholy as after a great plea&s;ure. And this, Madam, which I enjoy in talk|ing with you, is far from a &s;erene delight, but on the contrary is &s;o mixed with inquietude and curio&s;ity, that it torments me as much as if you &s;hould deprive me of all hopes; for you know me, and all that I doe, but I cannot &s;o much as know your name, or what you are, though I de&s;ire it with &s;uch a zealous pa&s;&s;ion as will never let me re&s;t till I be &s;atisfied. But, Sir, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia</HI> unto him, me-thinks you &s;hould not be &s;o vexed to know who I am, &s;ince if I be worth your thoughts, it depends upon your &s;elf to know it hereafter, b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> if you have onely a bare curio&s;ity to know me, doubtle&s;&s;e then it will be nothing difficult to overcome your &s;elf without that &s;atisfaction, &s;ince you need onely come no more hither, but forget me, and there's an end. Doe you think, Madam, &s;ayd he unto her, that it is &s;uch an ea&s;ie matter to forget you? I think indeed, &s;aid &s;he, that it is a harder matter to remember me then to for|get me. No, no, Madam, replyed he, do not deceive your &s;elf, I &s;hall never forget you, nor be contented <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ill I have obtained two mo&s;t precious things from yo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, I mean, the &s;ight of your beauty, and the knowledge of your heart. The knowledge of the one, replied &s;he, mu&s;t ob|tain the &s;ight of the other; and therefore to teach you what you ought to doe to obtain your de&s;ires, Know, that before you &s;ee me, or know who I am, you mu&s;t win my heart, and therefore con&s;ider well with your &s;elf, whether you can doe all I would have you without knowing me; for that is the onely way to winne my heart. And &s;ince I am very &s;incere, and will not di&s;gui&s;e my mind &s;o much as my face, I will tell you, that for divers rea&s;ons which now I mu&s;t conceal, I am re&s;olved never to entertain any affection which is built upon &s;uch a fading foundation as Beautie and Riches are, upon which time and fortune have &s;uch influ|ences: I would have one love me by a naturall inclination, by the knowledge of my &s;oul, my mind, and my humour: Moreover, I would have him love me either ugly, or poor, as I am, or may be: I would have him love none but me, and love me extreamly, and alwaies; to doe nothing but what I would, nor to de&s;ire any thing but what plea&s;eth me; to obey mee blindly, and without any repugnancy. I pray, Sir, after this, judg whether it be &s;o ea&s;ie as you think to enjoy the &s;ight of me: For I &s;hall never grant it but unto &s;uch a one as hath won my heart, and my heart will never be won but by &s;uch wayes as I have told you. Moreover, &s;in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e blood and birth are not things &s;o tran&s;itorie, &s;ince neither time nor fortune can hinder me from enjoying them till death, I will confe&s;&s;e unto you that the hou&s;e from whence I am de&s;cended is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s noble as any in <HI>Cyprus:</HI> But after all this, Sir, ask me no more; for you will ask in vain. Whil&s;t <HI>Parthenia</HI> was &s;peaking, <HI>Timantes</HI> was in a maze of thoughts: For as all <HI>Greece</HI> is full of certain women who make publique profe&s;&s;ion of an univer&s;all Gallantry, and who doe not confine them&s;elves unto the limits of mode&s;ty, but who by pro&s;tituting their honours doe enrich them&s;elves; and there was &s;ome &s;uch in <HI>Cyprus,</HI> &s;o his fears &s;ome|times &s;ugge&s;ted unto him, that <HI>Parthenia</HI> was one of them. But hee found &s;he &s;poke in &s;uch an air as per&s;waded him to the contrary; and when &s;he con&s;idered that &s;he was in the hou&s;e of a woman of Quality and Honour, and that it is not the cu&s;tome of &s;uch kind of per&s;ons to hide their beautie, he repented of his former thoughts: And when <HI>Parthenia</HI> had told him all the qualification which &s;he required to be in a Lover, he found his own humours de|&s;cribed, and told her immediately, that he would engage him&s;elf unto all &s;he had propound|ed provided &s;he would promi&s;e him, that after &s;he had made tryall of his con&s;tancy, &s;hee would give him her hear, and &s;hew her face. And the&s;e promi&s;es pa&s;&s;ed on both &s;ides in ap|pearance, rather as bare complements and peeces of Gallantry, then any reall promi&s;es. And though there was already a violent inclination in the heart of <HI>Timantes</HI> to love <HI>Parthenia,</HI> and a mo&s;t &s;trong di&s;po&s;ition in <HI>Parthenia</HI> to love <HI>Timantes,</HI> yet &s;ince both of them were per&s;ons of great wit and rea&s;on, they thought this &s;o odde and unrea&s;onable, that they could not re&s;olve to &s;peak &s;eriou&s;ly, and many dayes pa&s;&s;ed before they could under&s;tand the reall thoughts of each other in earne&s;t. In the mean time before <HI>Timantes</HI> went away, <HI>Parthenia</HI> made him &s;wear not to &s;peak a word of any pa&s;&s;ages, nor to enquire of her, but that he &s;hould &s;tay untill &s;he gave him a&s;&s;urance of her affection, and let him &s;ee whether &s;he was fair or foul. The truth is, Sir, <HI>Parthenia</HI>'s wit did &s;o charm <HI>Timantes,</HI> and &s;he had &s;uch an ab&s;olute power over him, that he dur&s;t not tell &s;o much as <HI>Antimaques</HI> his adventure, le&s;t he &s;hould tell it unto &s;ome other. And it was ea&s;ie for him to conceal it, becau&s;e <HI>Antimaques</HI> being
<PB N="49" REF="510">
in love with <HI>Dorida,</HI> he was continually every night with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Policrite,</HI> &s;o that <HI>Timantes</HI> could be at his appointed times unperceived; yet for all this, he indeavoured by one of his &s;ervants to &s;uborne one of that Ladies hou&s;e where <HI>Parthenia</HI> lodged, to tell who it was which lay there, but all bu&s;ine&s;&s;es were &s;o hand&s;omly and closly carried, that nothing could be knowne. In the meane time, &s;ince he feared that if this unknowne Lady &s;hould know how he broke promi&s;e with her in the enquiring who &s;he was, &s;he would ca&s;t him off, he laboured by all meanes to &s;top the mouthes of tho&s;e that were enquired of, and to oblige them unto &s;ilence: &s;o that indeed <HI>Parthenia</HI> never knew it: 'tis true, he was every way &s;o ob|&s;ervant, and faithfull, that &s;he had rea&s;on to be contented; for notwith&s;tanding all my ob&s;er|vant eyes over him, both in all his words and actions, I could never report any thing unto my &s;i&s;ter which could di&s;plea&s;e <HI>Parthenia,</HI> and indeed he much altered his manner of living, for his only de&s;igne being to find out this lovly unknown one, and being per&s;waded that &s;he was &s;ome Lady of <HI>Paphos,</HI> who came to that hou&s;e only to talk with him, he went from vi&s;it to vi&s;it, not &s;taying long any where, hoping &s;till to di&s;cover by voice this Lady whom he &s;o much de&s;ired to know: but all his enquiry and vi&s;its were in vaine, for he could not find her; and <HI>Timantes</HI> became more deeply in love with <HI>Parthenia</HI> then any of her former lo|vers who had &s;een her: He grew al&s;o much more unquiet in his mind, and certainly was tor|mented more then other lovers u&s;e to be; &s;ometimes he would &s;o complaine unto <HI>Parthenia</HI> that &s;he would pitty him, and &s;ometimes he would &s;o dote that he made her laugh: For my part, (&s;aid he unto her when the Moon &s;hined cleare, and when he pre&s;&s;ed her to lift up her hood) I cannot indure you &s;hould &s;o long deny me what I ask, not that there is any nece&s;&s;i|ty of your Beauty to make my pa&s;&s;ion endure, for &s;ince it begun without it, it can continue without it: But that which makes me I cannot endure you &s;hould u&s;e me thus, is, that you tell me you will let me have a &s;ight of you when I have won your heart, and perceiving that you are more and more carefull to hide it, I have cau&s;e to think I am further off from making that illu&s;trious conque&s;t. You would have it at too cheap a rate (replyed <HI>Parthenia)</HI> if you &s;hould &s;o &s;oon win it, and therefore that you may the more e&s;teem me, I will hold you off a little longer. In the mean time I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid he unto her) let your words form your Image, that I may adore it, and which pa&s;&s;ing from your mouth into my heart, it may there remaine, untill the reall &s;ub&s;tance drive it out: for truly Madam, I wander all the day long, from hou&s;e to hou&s;e, from Temple to Temple, and every where to &s;eek you out: my imagination fancies your beauty every day in a hundred &s;everall Idea's: &s;ometimes I &s;ee you faire, &s;ometimes brown haire, &s;ometime fre&s;h complexion, &s;ometimes pale, &s;ometimes I am per&s;waded that you have &s;weet, langui&s;hing, and compa&s;&s;ionate eyes, and &s;ometimes I think you have &s;prightly and &s;parkling eyes, &s;uch as kindle fire in the &s;oules of all tho&s;e that look upon them: &s;ometimes I think them gray, and &s;ometimes black, and not knowing what they are, I &s;till equally adore them, what ever they be: But I be&s;eech you Madam, tell me on|ly whether they be faire, or black, or gray, or blew, or what they are? When you have told me (replyed &s;he craftily) what colour you de&s;ire them to be, then perhaps I &s;hall tell you which they are. <HI>Timantes</HI> at this was puzzled, for he dur&s;t not tell which he de&s;ired, le&s;t he &s;hould hitt wrong, nor did <HI>Parthenia</HI> po&s;itively promi&s;e him to tell which they were, &s;o that not daring to an&s;wer preci&s;ely, he began to accu&s;e her of inhumanity, and &s;he interrupting him accu&s;ed him of weakne&s;&s;e; for &s;aid &s;he unto him, I perceive by your own words, that you would have me fair, becau&s;e you &s;ay your imagination fancies me to have the faire&s;t eyes in the world, and con&s;equently I have cau&s;e to feare, that if I be not &s;o, you will change your opinion of me. Oh Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I be&s;eech you doe me not &s;o much wrong as to think, that though you be not fair, that I &s;hall love you le&s;&s;e: but however, as long as your eyes doe not bely my imagination, I mu&s;t &s;till think you are the faire&s;t per&s;on in the world: and I be&s;eech you, why &s;hould I not proportion your beauty unto the excellency of your &s;oul and witt; and therefore if you will be &s;ure of my fidelity, &s;hew your &s;elfe as you are, and if after that, I doe not adore you &s;till, though you &s;hould be never &s;o ugly, then hate me as much as I love you. Love is a mo&s;t fanta&s;ticall pa&s;&s;ion (&s;aid &s;he unto him) Tho&s;e who are in love with any beauty, doe profe&s;&s;e that it is the &s;oul they love, and that they onely de&s;ire the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the heart, and not the beauty: That this is the limits of their hopes, and &s;umme of all their de&s;ires. Yet I &s;ee Love is of &s;uch a nature that it &s;lights all that it enjoyes, and prizeth that which it doth not enjoy. Fruition gluts de&s;ires, and if &s;o, you have more rea&s;on to thank me then complain again&s;t me: For truly, I begin where others end: I have confe&s;&s;ed unto you, that I e&s;teem you: I have told you that I &s;hould be glad to have you love me, and I have not forbidden the hopes of being
<PB N="50" REF="511">
loved: You have con&s;ented not to ground your affection upon beauty, I have di&s;covered my &s;oul unto you; I have taught you which way one may obtain my heart, and I never told you it was invincible: But after all this you complain, and pre&s;&s;e me to &s;hew you my face. Go, go, Sir, keep it within the limits of our conditions, unle&s;&s;e you would have mee break off with you. There is &s;o much charm in every word you &s;peak, replyed <HI>Timantes,</HI> that you &s;till augment both my love and my curio&s;ity: And therefore I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you, Madam, Give me leave to beg this favour upon my knees. Let it content you that I attempt not violent cour&s;es to know who you are, and that I have &s;o much power over my &s;elf as not to ask all my acquaintance about the Court. But, Madam, that I may &s;till continue in my obedience, and enquire of none el&s;e, I be&s;eech you give me leave &s;ometimes to ask your &s;elf; And be not offended, I conjure you, if I importune you with my prayers and impatiencies. Did I not infinitely love you, I &s;hould not be &s;o de&s;irous: But &s;ince I love you beyond all ex|pre&s;&s;ions, I mu&s;t needs entreat you, and pre&s;&s;e you, to let me know whom I love. I know there are a rich Mine of Beauties in your mind; all that I can &s;ee of your per&s;on is mo&s;t ad|mirable; The thoughts of your heart doe ravi&s;h me: There is &s;ome &s;ecret charm in your conver&s;ation, which I never found in any other: You doe &s;o powerfully and plea&s;ingly cap|tivate my &s;pirits when you &s;peak, that I think I could look upon you, and not perceive whe|ther you be fair or foul, you utter not a word, which pierceth not my heart as &s;oon as my ear. But for all this (&s;aid he, and &s;miled) me-think I doe not know you yet &s;ufficiently, and my curio&s;ity is &s;o violent to &s;ee your face, as well as your heart, that I cannot chu&s;e but beg the favour, and to tru&s;t unto my love and di&s;cretion. Whil&s;t <HI>Timantes</HI> was talking thus, <HI>Par|thenia</HI> bethought her &s;elf of a very odde way to make tryall of his Con&s;tancy; therefore be|ginning to &s;peak unto him, and &s;eeming to yeeld unto part of his de&s;ires, I am content, &s;aid &s;he, &s;ince I &s;ee you &s;o much de&s;ire it, not to deny you all you ask: But &s;ince I am re&s;olved not to conferre favour upon favour, and to loaden you all at once, I will not let you know who I am, onely I will let you &s;ee my face in open day; but upon condition that you &s;hall not &s;peak unto me in the place where you &s;hall &s;ee me, which &s;hall be, if you plea&s;e, to morrow morning at a little Church clo&s;e by the Gate. There I will be ju&s;t two hours after the Sun is up: I will wear the &s;ame cloathes I did, when you &s;aw me at the Fea&s;t of <HI>Adonis:</HI> I will &s;it by the &s;econd Pillar upon the right hand, and will lift up my hood as &s;oon as I &s;ee you, to the end you may &s;atisfie one part of your curio&s;ity. I be&s;eech you, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, why may you not now &s;hew your face? I know it is too dark to &s;ee you as I would, but it wil not hinder me from &s;eeing you better to morrow. I &s;ee you have forgot one of our condi|tions, which was, to de&s;ire nothing but what I &s;hall plea&s;e. How great &s;oever your power is o|ver me, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, it cannot extend &s;o farre as to bound my de&s;ires: And all I am able to doe, is to hide them from you. After this <HI>Parthenia</HI> parted from <HI>Timantes,</HI> not con|&s;enting to his de&s;ire, telling him, that if he did offer to &s;peak unto her, or to follow her to morrow morning, &s;he would never &s;ee him again. So that <HI>Timantes</HI> promi&s;ing all &s;he de&s;ired, he went away full of hope and joy that he &s;hould &s;ee her in the morning who had filled him &s;o full of love and curio&s;ity. But as tho&s;e hopes, who&s;e cau&s;es are love, are very re&s;tle&s;&s;e, &s;o he could not &s;leep all that night, but did ri&s;e &s;o early, that his men wondered, and the more, becau&s;e they &s;aw him dre&s;s him&s;elf, as if he were to go unto &s;ome Ball, or great Fea&s;t, though it was onely unto a little Church where few of any quality ever re&s;orted, and &s;o early as women of Quality were hardly awake. But <HI>Parthenia</HI> was as bu&s;ie as <HI>Timantes</HI> was impa|tient; for &s;he was &s;o carefull to make &s;ure of the heart of <HI>Timantes,</HI> as nothing &s;hould ever after be able to take it from her; and therefore &s;he re&s;olved to try whether he could love her after a beleef that &s;he was not fair: And in order to that, &s;he dre&s;&s;ed a woman of hers, who was well bodied, and about her height, in the &s;ame habit that &s;he wore at the Fea&s;t of <HI>Ado|nis;</HI> and &s;ince the woman had never been at <HI>Paphos</HI> before, &s;he could not be known. But, Sir, be plea&s;ed to know, that this woman had one of the uglie&s;t faces in the world, for all the parts of her face were &s;o unproportionable, that one would have &s;worn they were never made one for another: So exce&s;&s;ively ill favoured, that I never in all my life &s;aw an object &s;o di&s;plea&s;ing as the face of this woman. In the mean time, to the end that <HI>Timantes</HI> might bee the more deluded, <HI>Amaxita</HI> followed this counterfeit <HI>Parthenia,</HI> as if &s;he had been her wo|man, and they went unto this Church in the Ladies Coach with whom <HI>Parthenia</HI> lodged. But for the more &s;ecurity, <HI>Parthenia</HI> would have my Si&s;ter &s;end for me, to be in the Church, and to fall in with <HI>Timantes</HI> as &s;oon as he came in, to the end that he might keep him from &s;peaking to her, who&s;e &s;ight was enough to bla&s;t a Lover, giving me orders to doe as occa|&s;ion &s;hould require, and to &s;peak what I thought fit to keep <HI>Timantes</HI> from di&s;covering the fallacy. Yet <HI>Parthenia</HI> did not intend to keep <HI>Timantes</HI> long in that belief of her he &s;hould
<PB N="51" REF="511">
&s;ee, but on the contrary re&s;olved when he had &s;een how, he would &s;peak unto her after this in|nocent impo&s;ture, to let him &s;ee that evening the woman with her, to the end that hee might know his error, and to root this terrible Image out of his mind. To be &s;hort, Sir, as this device was phanta&s;tically plotted, &s;o was it cunningly executed. This woman went unto the Church earlier then th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> hour appointed, that &s;he might be there before he came: Yet it was not above a quarter of an hour, for he burned in &s;uch impatience to have a &s;ight of her he loved, that he was al&s;o there before the hour appointed: But as I was there before him, and knew the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, I &s;aw him enter earne&s;tly and ha&s;tily: Hee was no &s;ooner there, but he looked to|wards the place where <HI>Parthenia</HI> told him &s;he would &s;it, and &s;aw a per&s;on of a hand&s;om &s;ta|ture waited upon by one who indeed was the &s;ame hee &s;aw with <HI>Parthenia</HI> at <HI>Amathante.</HI> Moreover, he &s;aw &s;he was in the &s;ame place nominated, and that &s;he was in the &s;ame dre&s;&s;e and habit which he had formerly &s;een; &s;o that he did not at all doubt, but that &s;hee whom he &s;aw was his beloved unknown Lady: And though there was a little difference between the height of this woman, and that of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> yet the fancy of <HI>Timantes</HI> was &s;o prejudica|ted, that he did not ob&s;erve it: He advanced ha&s;tily to the place where &s;he was. But as it was covenanted betwixt <HI>Parthenia</HI> and him, that he &s;hould not &s;peak unto her in that place, &s;o he &s;et him&s;elf down &s;ome or four paces upon the left hand over again&s;t her, that he might the better &s;ee her: He was no &s;ooner &s;et, but <HI>Amaxita</HI> adverti&s;ed this counterfeit <HI>Par|thenia,</HI> who knew not <HI>Timantes,</HI> to put up her hood, which &s;he immediately did, lifting it up &s;o c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nningly, that he could not &s;ee her hands; for <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;o ordered her. But, Sir, I be&s;eech you imagine how <HI>Timantes</HI> was amazed, who fancying the Idea of an admirable beauty, &s;aw the uglie&s;t vizard in the world: His wonder was &s;o great, Sir, that it appeared in his face and all his actions; his colour went and came twenty times in a minute: he con|geed towards her with a lowring look in &s;pite of his teeth; and was &s;o frighted at &s;uch a mon&s;trous object, that hee did not &s;o much as &s;trive to hide his amazement, nor had hee the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition of any delu&s;ion put upon him: So that being extreamly troubled at this ad|venture: Oh ye ju&s;t Gods (&s;aid he to him&s;elf, as he told me afterwards) why did you put &s;o &s;weet a voice, and &s;o rare a mind into &s;uch an ugly body? And why did yee joyn &s;uch an admirable &s;tature and body, with &s;uch fair hands, unto &s;uch a witches face? But how comes it to pa&s;&s;e (&s;aid he immediately after) that this per&s;on &s;hould know all the niceties and delicates of Love, &s;o w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l as &s;he doth? Some one &s;ure has loved her, el&s;e how could &s;he ever know them? For my part (&s;aid he, and &s;ighed) had I &s;een her face before I had known her minde, I &s;hould never have made her &s;o much as my confident, and farre from making her my Mi&s;tris; and I think I &s;hould have falne from love to aver&s;ion. Had &s;he been but indifferent ugly, or one of tho&s;e women who neither attract nor loath: Had &s;he any thing in her phy&s;iognomie which promi&s;ed either wit or goodne&s;&s;e, I &s;hould have &s;ome inclination to love her, and zea|lou&s;ly adore her. But what doe I &s;ay? Can I for&s;ake her who hath the mo&s;t charming wit, and the mo&s;t divine &s;oul of any woman in the world, and who hath mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly allured my heart? As <HI>Timantes</HI> was thus di&s;cour&s;ing with him&s;elf, with as much &s;orrow as <HI>Amaxita</HI> took plea&s;ure in ob&s;erving him, and continually looking upon her whom he thought to bee
<HI>Parthenia;</HI> This woman forgetting <HI>Parthenia's</HI> order not to &s;hew her hands, did pull her hood down, and did not hide them; &s;o that <HI>Timantes</HI> e&s;pyed them, when he was perhaps ready to re&s;olve upon the breaking off with <HI>Parthenia,</HI> though he would never confe&s;&s;e it; he &s;aw they were not the &s;ame &s;nowy hands which he &s;aw both at the Labyrinth, and at <HI>Ama|thonte,</HI> and al&s;o at the window where he talked with her. He &s;aw, I &s;ay, that they were thick and &s;hort, and not at all white; &s;o that recollecting him&s;elf, he knew he was deceived, and was &s;o glad, that there appeared nothing but joy in his face, as there appeared &s;orrow before: Then was he &s;orry that he did no better glo&s;s his fir&s;t &s;urpri&s;e, but to repair it, he re&s;olved to go to her who had only the habit of his beloved unknown Lady, &s;aying, that it was not unto her that he made a promi&s;e not to &s;peak unto in the Church, nor to follow her, and &s;ince &s;he had broke her word with him, he was not obliged to keep his with her. Ju&s;t as he was fixing up|on this cour&s;e, the counterfeit <HI>Parthenia</HI> went away with my Si&s;ter, and perfectly undeceived him in her walk, &s;ince &s;he had nothing of that Maje&s;tique port which <HI>Parthenia</HI> had, that &s;he was of a hand&s;om &s;tature. In the mean time, &s;ince I &s;aw he followed her, I met with him, before he could overtake her. Sir (&s;aid I unto him, as I acco&s;ted him) this Lady whom I &s;aw you &s;alute, is &s;he of <HI>Crete?</HI> No, (replyed he, and was very angry that I interrupted him in his de&s;igne) I beleeve &s;he is of <HI>Paphos:</HI> and becau&s;e I thought her to be &s;ome woman of quality, therefore I &s;aluted her though unknowne. I thought Sir, &s;aid I unto him, and &s;miled, that it had not been the fa&s;hion to &s;alute Ladies who are unknowne, unle&s;&s;e they be &s;ome &s;uperlative beauties;
<PB N="52" REF="512">
but I &s;ee your civility goes farther then ours. I have &s;omething more to &s;ay then you have (an&s;wered he, and &s;till went on) for I am more inqui&s;itive then you are, and would gladly know who this Lady is: Certainly Sir (replyed I, not &s;eeming as if I de&s;igned to hinder him) your curio&s;ity in this, is like theirs who have a de&s;ire to &s;ee Mon&s;ters, and who never think they have &s;een all <HI>Aegypt,</HI> if they have not &s;een tho&s;e dangerous Bea&s;ts which devour pa&s;&s;en|gers: However &s;aid he, I would gladly know who this Lady is: Sir, &s;aid I &s;till to keep him from following, I beleeve it will be an ea&s;ie matter to know that, for I know the Coach which brought her to the Church: I know it al&s;o &s;aid he to me, but I know not her that is in it: I will promi&s;e you to enquire replyed I, and to give you an account. In the meane time, the counterfeit <HI>Parthenia</HI> and my &s;i&s;ter took Coach, and <HI>Timantes</HI> dur&s;t not &s;peak to them in my pre&s;ence, as he intended, &s;o fearfull was he to incen&s;e his beloved unknown one: But when they were gone, and <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;aluted them at parting, he put me in mind of my pro|mi&s;e, and de&s;ired me to perform it, colouring his curio&s;ity with &s;uch poor pretences, as I had much adoe to keep from laughing; I knew well that he only de&s;ired to know her, that he might be acquainted with her who &s;ent her: and you may well think Sir, that at that time I would promi&s;e him any thing: After this, I went home with him, and pre&s;ently after that, I went to give my &s;i&s;ter an account of what had pa&s;&s;ed. Since &s;he &s;aid that <HI>Parthenia</HI> did this only as a tryall of <HI>Timantes</HI> his fidelity, &s;he would not acquaint her with the extreame &s;orrow that appeared in his eyes, when he &s;aw the face of this ill favoured woman, but told her only that he &s;eemed to be &s;urpri&s;ed, that notwith&s;tanding he &s;aluted her mo&s;t civilly, and would not follow her when &s;he went out of the Church, never telling how the woman undeceived him by &s;hewing her hands, &s;o that <HI>Parthenia</HI> thinking that <HI>Timantes</HI> imagined her to be as ugly as that woman, began to repent her of that impo&s;ture, fearing he would not return any more according to the ordinary appointment; for though &s;he did this only to make <HI>Timantes</HI> think &s;he was not faire, yet &s;he could not indure that he &s;hould have &s;uch a horrible imagination of her, &s;o that &s;he waited for the evening with a re&s;tle&s;&s;e impatience, &s;ometimes &s;he entertained her &s;elfe with tho&s;e joyes &s;he &s;hould have if <HI>Timantes</HI> did return, &s;ince then it was an infallible &s;igne that ugline&s;&s;e would not alter his minde; otherwhiles &s;he feared that he would not come at all; &s;o that to&s;&s;ing h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r thoughts continually be ween hopes &amp; feares, &s;he pa&s;&s;ed away the day with as much perplexity, as <HI>Amaxita</HI> did with plea&s;ure, in remembrance of all &s;he &s;aw in the mind of <HI>Timantes,</HI> unto whom <HI>Parthenia</HI> commanded me to tell, that I could not learn who that Lady was whom he &s;aw in the Church: However, night being come, <HI>Timantes</HI> did not faile to come unto <HI>Parthenia</HI> according to his cu&s;tome. But &s;he had no &s;ooner opened the window, than &s;he began to &s;peak unto him: Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, are you yet &s;atisfied? can you find a heart to love &s;uch a one as you &s;aw this morn|ing in the Church? To &s;hew you Madam, &s;aid he unto her, and &s;miled, that I can alwaies take delight in &s;eeing you, I be&s;eech you lift up your hood which hides you, for &s;ince I &s;aw you in the morning, me thinks you &s;hould conceale your &s;elfe no longer: Why Sir, &s;aid &s;he, do you think you &s;aw me? Indeed I doe not, &s;aid he unto her, and therefore I am come to complaine again&s;t you for breaking promi&s;e, and con&s;equently di&s;obliged m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> from keeping promi&s;e with you: No, no, Madam, &s;aid he, never deny the truth, for if you will deceive me, you mu&s;t not only give your habit unto her who did &s;o &s;curvily per&s;onate you, but you mu&s;t give her your hands al&s;o, your aire, and your port: yet I confe&s;&s;e that at fir&s;t, the con|fidence which I had in your &s;incerity, deceived me, and my owne eyes betrayed me; but yet my heart did quickly find it was not you. However (&s;aid &s;he unto him, and confe&s;&s;ed the im|po&s;ture) I pray you tell me unto what height you hated me, when you thought that I was &s;he you &s;aw? I doe prote&s;t Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I had not one thought which could of|fend you, and I was more angry with the Gods then you: But yet (replyed <HI>Parthenia)</HI> what thoughts had you at that time? Since you will have me confe&s;&s;e, replyed he, I will tell you, that I murmured again&s;t the Gods, for placing &s;o many oppo&s;its and contrarieties in one per|&s;on: yet I murmured only for the love of you; I had re&s;pect unto your honour, and not mine owne; and I had not one de&s;ire but what was for your advantage. Ah Sir, you are not &s;in|cere, (replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> and interrupted him) but yet I wi&s;h you were, and would really tell me, whether you would not have for&s;aken me, if I were &s;uch a one as you &s;aw? Since you de&s;ire I &s;hould lay open all my heart unto you (an&s;wered <HI>Timantes)</HI> I mu&s;t tell you, that if you were &s;uch a one and could not &s;peak, I think I &s;hould have much adoe to continue my affection: but if on the contrary, you were &s;uch a one as I &s;aw, and would &s;peak alwaies as you doe, I would eternally follow you. But Sir, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> I would not have you di&s;&s;em|ble, nor &s;peak in raillery; but in very &s;erious earne&s;t: I will Madam, &s;aid he unto her, and the
<PB N="53" REF="512">
more exactly to obey you, I doe prote&s;t before the Gods who heare me, and as I hope they will a&s;&s;i&s;t me, that what I &s;ay is mo&s;t really true; and I a&s;&s;ure you, Madam, my heart is &s;o ab&s;olutely tyed unto you, that I will never di&s;engage my &s;elfe: yet I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e Madam, that if you be as faire as I think you are, I beleeve I &s;hall perhaps love you a little more then I doe; but &s;till I mu&s;t confidently a&s;&s;ure you, that though you be not, I &s;hall not love you le&s;&s;e. Ah Sir, replyed &s;he, this cannot be, for &s;ince you can love me more if I were faire, you mu&s;t needs love me le&s;&s;e if I be not: yet Sir, this is mo&s;t certainly true, that though perhaps I be not ill favoured, yet I &s;hall be: and therefore if you cannot love me unle&s;&s;e I be faire, I pray you cea&s;e loving me now; for I ever told you from the fir&s;t beginning of our acquaintance, that I never can endure a heart which can change, I would have one &s;hould alwaies love me alike, and if I &s;hould love you one day, I &s;hould love you ever, which can never be, if you can love me le&s;&s;e; and indeed how is it po&s;&s;ible one &s;hould endure without high anger, and ju&s;t re&s;entment, that one &s;hould fall back from love to luke-warmne&s;&s;e, to &s;ee ones &s;elfe &s;leight|ed when one &s;hould be mo&s;t e&s;teemed: and yet Sir this is ordinary, and happens a thou&s;and and a thou&s;and times, and will doe againe; and the cruelty of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is, that they both become equally in&s;upportable; and if there be any difference between the &s;leighter and the &s;leighted, between the party who falls off from love, and the party who is con&s;tant, certain|ly he that falls off is lea&s;t to be pityed: this incon&s;tant doth certainly lo&s;e &s;ome plea&s;ure, in lo&s;ing his affection, but he can ea&s;ily recover it in others; whereas on the contrary, a con&s;tant per&s;on in lo&s;ing the &s;weets of being loved, doth at the &s;ame time lo&s;e all the &s;weets of his life, and is overwhelmed with all &s;orts of &s;orrows; and indeed, how is it po&s;&s;ible he &s;hould ever think of any thing that hath the name of a diver&s;ion, how can he be able to live unle&s;&s;e to revenge. Therefore Sir con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly, whether or no you can be con&s;tant, doe not make me more mi&s;erable then I am, in making me hope for a good which I &s;hall be deprived of. I doe prote&s;t unto you Madam, &s;aid he unto her, that I think it an ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibility that ever I &s;hall love you le&s;&s;e: the thing which mo&s;t perplexeth me, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> is, that when I aske any a&s;&s;urances of affection, the mo&s;t incon&s;tant man in the world does think he &s;hall never be incon&s;tant, and he will tell me the very &s;ame things that the mo&s;t faithftll lover <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">n. Madam, &s;aid <HI>Timantes</HI> to her, &s;ince there is no waies to make &s;ure of the time to come, but by what is pa&s;t, and what is pre&s;ent, I de&s;erve not to be puni&s;hed as an incon&s;tant man, becau&s;e I expre&s;&s;e my reall and true thoughts by the &s;ame words that a perfidious lover expre&s;&s;eth his; therefore I be&s;eech you, be plea&s;ed to make tryall of my con&s;tancy, by any manner of way your witt can devi&s;e: but then Madam, I be&s;eech you fir&s;t, before you put me to the te&s;te, tell me who you are, you mu&s;t di&s;cover your faire eyes unto me, and &s;tuffe not my imagination with the Idea of a witch, as lately you would. Then Sir, <HI>Parthenia</HI> thinking that perhaps <HI>Timantes</HI> was not fully undeceived of the opinion which he had, that &s;he whom he &s;aw in the Church was really her &s;elfe, and therefore &s;he would have that wo|man &s;peak to him open faced, &s;o that <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;eeing them both at once, might plainly &s;ee, &s;he was not the &s;ame he &s;aw in the Church. But a&s;&s;oon as <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;aw her, and &s;he retired againe, he began to &s;peak: No, no Madam, &s;aid he unto <HI>Parthenia,</HI> you need not &s;how me this woman twice, thereby to undeceive me, my error la&s;ted not a minut, and my heart did not long fancy an image that was unworthy of your &s;elfe. You tell me too much to be be|beleeved, replyed <HI>Parthenia;</HI> and to &s;ay truly (added &s;he and &s;miled) I cannot altogether blame you, though you &s;hould not tell me the whole truth at this time; for truly I can hardly en|dure to let this woman &s;erve me, &s;he is &s;o ill favoured, and therefore I ought not to think it &s;trange, that another &s;hould be backward to &s;erve &s;uch a re&s;emblance as &s;he hath for a Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e. After this, their conver&s;ation was &s;ometimes mingled with a thou&s;and &s;incere prote&s;tations of eternall affection; another while with plea&s;ing joyes of minde, which made both <HI>Timantes</HI> and <HI>Parthenia</HI> know, that they were worthy of each other, and that they loved more then they would &s;peak of. In the mean while, &s;ince the mo&s;t difficult things in the world unto a lover is, to keep lockt up in his heart all his adventures, and never tell them unto any; <HI>Timantes</HI> was of the &s;ame mind, and therefore altering his intentions of hiding it from <HI>Antimaques,</HI> le&s;t he &s;hould be telling it to <HI>Dorida,</HI> he re&s;olved to acquaint him; and on the contrary thought it an ea&s;ie matter for one lover to keep clo&s;e the &s;ecrets of another; &s;o that after he had left <HI>Parthenia,</HI> and was returned home, he &s;tayed untill <HI>Antimaques</HI> was returned from <HI>Policrite,</HI> to the end he might acquaint him with all the adventure, and ask his coun&s;ell which way he &s;hould &s;atisfie both his love and his curio&s;itie: yet before he would open unto <HI>Antimaques,</HI> he made him promi&s;e more then once, never to &s;peak of it unto any who&s;oever, and then he told his adventure: At fir&s;t <HI>Antimaques</HI> harkened unto it
<PB N="54" REF="513">
as a pretty plea&s;ant &s;tory, and as a very merry and phanta&s;ticall adventure; not thinking that his friend was really in love with one he never knew: But when he heard him aggravate his inquietudes, hee knew that his curio&s;ity was of an amorous nature, for which hee began to chide him: But when he perceived that <HI>Timantes</HI> was the more &s;erious, he began to pitty and laugh at him. Then <HI>Antimaques</HI> asked him pardon for wondering at the odne&s;&s;e and novelty of the adventure; and told him that he could not beleeve it to be any more then a bare peece of gallantry, and not a real pa&s;&s;ion: But &s;ince I perceive you are really in love, I do infinitely pitty you; and &s;o much the more, becau&s;e one of the&s;e things mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily be, either &s;he whom you love is very phanta&s;ticall, or el&s;e &s;he is foul, or el&s;e a woman of inferiour quality, and I pray heaven &s;he be not &s;ome thing wor&s;e then all the&s;e, and that you be not co&s;ened. Ah cruel, and unju&s;t friend (&s;aid he unto him) it &s;eems you know her whom I a|dore. I know her as much as you doe (an&s;wered <HI>Antimaques)</HI> for it was I who fir&s;t &s;hewed her unto you in the Labyrinth. 'Tis true, &s;aid <HI>Timantes,</HI> that you then &s;aw her hand&s;ome &s;tature and proportion, her fair hands; you heard her voice, and her excellent wit, yet all the&s;e are nothing in compari&s;on of what I know: For I finde &s;uch a charme in her conver&s;a|tion as ravi&s;heth me; and though &s;he will not tell me who &s;he is, yet I can di&s;cover as much as a&s;&s;ures me of the greatne&s;&s;e of her minde, of the noblene&s;&s;e of her birth, the genero&s;ity of her &s;oul, and al&s;o the beauty of her face: For there is &s;uch a kinde of charming aire, and gallantry in her &s;peech, as any one may know &s;hee is faire, and never &s;ee her. Ala&s;&s;e, Sir, (cryed <HI>Antimaques)</HI> I cannot chu&s;e but pitty you, unto what a cruell point are you arrived? And I cannot chu&s;e but pittie you the more, becau&s;e I doe not &s;ee which way I &s;hould &s;erve you, &s;ince you forbid mee to &s;peake of it un|to any, and con&s;equently I cannot enquire who &s;hee is you love: And yet I thinke that if you will follow my coun&s;ell, you may perhaps have &s;ome light of that which you de&s;ire to know. <HI>Timantes</HI> then asked him, what he would advi&s;e him to doe? I perceive, replyed he, by what you have told me, that you have employed all your arguments to per&s;wade her you love, to let you know who &s;he is: You have u&s;ed your be&s;t rhetorique and rea&s;ons; you have earne&s;tly entreated her; you have added complaints unto your rea&s;ons and prayers, but I doe not &s;ee you have tryed the eloquence of Liberality. Love would have offerings and &s;acrifices as well as the re&s;t of the gods; and therefore if you will be rul'd by me, find out a hand&s;ome pretence of pre&s;enting a rich pre&s;ent unto her: If &s;he be &s;uch a one as you think her, &s;he will refu&s;e it, and not &s;hew her &s;elf after it: Or if &s;he be not &s;uch a one and fair, &s;he will take it, and let you &s;ee her. If it be the fir&s;t of the&s;e, you have di&s;covered a new beauty in her &s;oul; and if the &s;econd, you have at lea&s;t &s;atisfied your curio&s;ity: And however, if &s;he re&s;i&s;t your per&s;wa&s;ions, your &s;ighs, and your pre&s;ents, you will reap &s;o much &s;atisfaction as to &s;ee that I &s;hall not condemn your pa&s;&s;ion. Though I know very well, re|plyed <HI>Timantes,</HI> that Liberality is in&s;eparable from Love, yet I cannot chu&s;e but fear to in|cen&s;e the per&s;on whom I love in pre&s;enting it. But if I doe follow your coun&s;ell, the pre&s;ent mu&s;t be &s;o rich and magnificent, as that &s;he may judge of the mea&s;ure of my love by it. Then <HI>Timantes</HI> re&s;olving to follow the coun&s;ell of <HI>Antimaques,</HI> hee cho&s;e among&s;t all his Jewels that which was mo&s;t rich and rare, and the number out of which it was taken was not &s;mall: For as per&s;ons of his Quality u&s;e alwayes to carry many with them when they travel, &s;o <HI>Timantes</HI> being very rich and magnificent, he had a great abundance of Jewels: And af|ter hee had taken one of them which he thought to bee mo&s;t worthy of her hee loved, and put it into a very magnificent box enamelled with gold, he re&s;olved to pre&s;ent it unto her the next morning with &s;uch a complement as might make it acceptable. Then after he had talk|ed awhile with her of &s;everall plea&s;ant Subjects, <HI>Timantes</HI> who was accu&s;tomed to complain, and knowing that nothing plea&s;eth beauties better then to complaine of &s;omething, he began thus; How long, Madam, mu&s;t I love you (&s;ayd he unto her) without giving any te&s;timonies of my love? When &s;hall I obtaine &s;o much liberty as to doe &s;uch things as love u&s;eth to in|&s;pire into &s;uch as are under his empire? Did I know you, and were it permitted me to manife&s;t my pa&s;&s;ion, I &s;hould be as forward in my expre&s;&s;ions as the mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionate lovers, and as mag|nificently you &s;hould be courted, with as many Mu&s;ique entertainments as there are dayes; I &s;hould ere now have made three or four publique Fea&s;ts; the Ball &s;hould be continually left with you, and you &s;hould have &s;een whether we know how to treat in <HI>Crete,</HI> as well as they doe in <HI>Cyprus.</HI> Moreover, &s;ince I am confident that I have many Rivals, I &s;hould let you &s;ee that perhaps they were not worthy to be preferred before me: I &s;hould follow, and court you in all places: I would endeavour to be a friend unto your friends, and an enemy unto your enemies: I would not look upon any but &s;uch as you favour, and I &s;hould find out a thou&s;and
<PB N="55" REF="513">
wayes to let you &s;ee the grandure and merit of my pa&s;&s;ion: But as things are, what &s;hould I doe to expre&s;&s;e my love? You may obey me, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> and that's enough; for in do|ing &s;o, I &s;hall think my &s;elf as much obliged as by all you tell me you would doe if you knew me. That is &s;o little, replyed he, that I cannot beleeve it will oblige you at all, Madam, or that you can &s;o much as e&s;teem me for it; for thereby you cannot know whether I bee gene|rous or no, you will be ignorant whether I be liberall or courteous. I may have a thou&s;and virtues or vices which you can never &s;ee; and therefore, I be&s;eech you, Madam, let me not be confined unto &s;uch narrow limits, but give love leave to appear &s;ome way or other: To make it appear in my eyes, an&s;wered <HI>Parthenia,</HI> it mu&s;t bee hid from the eyes of all others: At lea&s;t, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, give me leave to regulate my whole life according to your directions, and that I may ask your advice in all my actions. As for that, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> I &s;hall mo&s;t willingly con&s;ent unto it; for I de&s;ire nothing more then to know your heart. Then, I be&s;eech you doe me that honour, Madam (&s;aid he unto her, and pre&s;ented unto her the enamelled box in which the Jewell was) as to tell me to morrow whether this which I pre&s;ent unto your fair hand be worthy to be offered unto a great Prince&s;&s;e; for I de&s;ign it unto one who certainly merits to be a Queen. At the fir&s;t <HI>Parthenia</HI> did not think that it was in|tended unto her, but perhaps unto <HI>Policrite,</HI> or <HI>Aretaphile,</HI> and therefore without any diffi|culty &s;he took it, yet &s;he no &s;ooner had it in her hand, but &s;he changed opinion, and thought it intended unto her. This imagination did &s;well her heart both with anger and curio&s;ity: The fir&s;t of the&s;e, becau&s;e &s;he thought <HI>Timantes</HI> did not think of her as &s;he would have him; and the &s;econd, becau&s;e &s;he would &s;ee whether <HI>Timantes</HI> would give it unto her; therefore &s;eeming as if &s;he never thought to have any &s;hare in his liberality, &s;he told him that &s;he would not &s;tay &s;o long as to morrow before &s;he gave him her opinion of it, but would goe unto the candle which was at the further end of the chamber, and &s;ee whether this which he would give was worthy of him&s;elf; for certainly (&s;aid &s;he, mo&s;t obligingly) if it be worthy of your &s;elf, it is worthy of her you intend it for who&s;oever &s;he be. In &s;aying &s;o, &s;he went to &s;ee what it was which <HI>Timantes</HI> put into her hand, with intention to re&s;tore it unto him the &s;ame hour; and he al&s;o went away as well as &s;he, the better to &s;hew that he would not take it again: So that <HI>Parthenia</HI> hearing him walk, went back to the window purpo&s;ely to call him, but hee was already gone out of the Je&s;&s;imin Arbour which was under the window: So that after &s;he had &s;tayed a long while to &s;ee whether he would return, and hearing nothing of him, &s;he &s;hut the window, and went to look upon that which <HI>Timantes</HI> had left with her. She did not look upon it alone, for &s;he &s;hewed it unto <HI>Amaxita,</HI> who was not a little ravi&s;hed at the lu&s;tre of it; but <HI>Parthenia</HI> did le&s;&s;e regard all tho&s;e Pearls and Diamonds then &s;he did a Letter which &s;he found with them in the box, which was thus written.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>TIMANTES</HI> unto his admired unknown one.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>SInce there is no King but receives Tribute from his Subjects, permit me, I be&s;eech you, &s;ince I am not onely your Subject, but your va&s;&s;all, to give what I can, though not what I ought. As you are my Godde&s;&s;e, I mu&s;t pre&s;ent you with offerings and &s;acrifices; and as you are the Queen of my heart, I mu&s;t pay you Tribute. Therefore I be&s;eech you to accept of my offering, not to let you &s;ee that I am liberall, but to &s;hew you that I am not covetous. I be&s;eech you doe not think that I have any thoughts of purcha&s;ing your heart by it: For I know the price is inestimable, and that all the Gold, Pearls, Diamonds, and Rubies which the Sun ever produced &s;ince it &s;hined upon the Univer&s;e, is not able to pay it: And if ever I &s;hall hope to be &s;o ble&s;&s;ed hereafter as to enjoy it, I mu&s;t have recour&s;e unto my tears, and &s;ighs, and prayers, and not unto Pearls and Diamonds, and &s;uch like. However, I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you, be not offended at my boldne&s;&s;e, nor take it ill from one who having given you his whole heart, may give you what he thinks inferiour to it al&s;o: And therefore, I be&s;eech you doe not hate me for it, nor look more coldly upon me to morrow, unle&s;&s;e you will overwhelm with &s;orrows your mo&s;t Adorer</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>TIMANTES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After <HI>Parthenia</HI> had read this Letter, &s;he gave it unto <HI>Amaxita,</HI> who reading it al&s;o, could not &s;ufficiently admire the liberality of <HI>Timantes,</HI> and told <HI>Parthenia,</HI> that if his love were mea&s;ured by his gift, he loved her better then ever any could. I know not, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI>
<PB N="56" REF="514">
whether he love me as much as you talk of, but I am &s;ure he does neither &s;ufficiently e&s;teem me nor know me at all: For it &s;eems he thinks to blind my eyes, and winne my heart with Dia|monds, as children with toyes; he thinks me of a weak mind, and mercenary &s;oul; and yet I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e he is &s;omething excu&s;able; for my manner of dealing with him is &s;o phan|ta&s;ticall and extraordinary, that I ought not to thinke much of him; nor am I re&s;olved to treat him rigorou&s;ly, but will onely let him &s;ee he was mi&s;taken in his thoughts that I would receive a pre&s;ent of any importance from him; and that he may not doubt of my genero&s;ity, I will not onely refu&s;e what he offers me, but I will pre&s;ent him with a gift, and a gift of that magnificence, as he may conjecture at my quality and riches; for the Gods have not menaced me with misfortunes, though he who is to marry me doe know that my birth and quality is not ba&s;e. <HI>Parthema</HI> was as good as her word; for &s;he did not onely put tho&s;e things which <HI>Timantes</HI> gave her into the box, but &s;he put al&s;o into it the Ca&s;e of a Picture &s;et with Dia|monds of a mo&s;t con&s;iderable greatne&s;&s;e. She did not fear they would be known to be hers, though <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;hould &s;hew them unto all in <HI>Paphos;</HI> for &s;he lately got them made in <HI>Sala|mis,</HI> purpo&s;ely to put the Picture of <HI>Policrite</HI> in it, which &s;he took out before &s;he &s;ent it un|to <HI>Timantes:</HI> Al&s;o &s;he an&s;wered the Letter of <HI>Timantes</HI> in another hand then &s;he u&s;ually writes: After which I procured a tru&s;ty per&s;on to carry this box unto him in the morning betimes: and the matter was &s;o well carryed, that it was given unto one of <HI>Timantes</HI> his &s;ervants whom he put much confidence in, to give unto his Ma&s;ter: This was as well as <HI>Par|thenia</HI> de&s;ired; For the &s;ervant of <HI>Timantes</HI> knew not the man who gave it unto him, nor took any notice of him, nor ever was like, for he was not one of <HI>Paphos,</HI> but departed the next morning into his own country: So that <HI>Timantes</HI> when he awaked was &s;trangely a&s;to|ni&s;hed to &s;ee that upon the Table which hee thought was in the hands of his unknown Mi|&s;tris. At fir&s;t he thought his eyes deceived him, or el&s;e that he dreamt, and was not well a|waked. But his &s;ervant telling him, that a man whom he knew not, nor would tell his name, nor would &s;tay until he awaked, did charge him to give it unto him, then he thought it to be true. But &s;ince he imagined that his admired <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">own one had &s;ent back his pre&s;ent, hee was exceeding &s;orry, and &s;o much the more <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e hee feared that &s;ince &s;he was &s;o generous as to refu&s;e a gift of that value, &s;he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> be of<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ed at him: Therefore he opened the box with much impatience, not to &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e whether all his Jewels were there, but to &s;ee whether &s;hee had returned an An&s;wer unto his Letter. In the mean time he was infinitely a&s;toni&s;hed to &s;ee upon the tops of all his own Jewels, that Rich Picture Ca&s;e which <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;ent him, and which he was certain was not his: Hee no &s;ooner &s;aw it, but hoping her Picture was within it, he never con&s;idered the beauty and richne&s;&s;e of it, but opened it in all ha&s;te; but in lieu of &s;eeing what he &s;o extreamly de&s;ired, he &s;aw the&s;e words written in the place of the Picture,
<Q><P>This Ca&s;e will &s;erve hereafter to put my Picture in, if you render your &s;elf worthy of it.</P></Q></P>
<P>Ah mo&s;t cruell Lady (&s;aid he, as I heard afterwards) will you never be weary with making tryall of my patience, and let me &s;ee what I &s;o much adore? After this he found a Letter containing the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>To the too Inqui&s;itive <HI>TIMANTES.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>I</HI> Am &s;o fully per&s;waded that Liberality is a virtue, and a virtue mo&s;t Heroick, that I will never doe any thing which may make you think me guilty of its oppo&s;ite vice; and there|fore I have &s;ent back your rich pre&s;ent, and &s;end it without any &s;harp reprehen&s;ions: For &s;ince you doe not know who I am, I ought not to be offended at that which would be injuri|ous to me if you did: Yet I mu&s;t complain a little, that after &s;o much conver&s;e with you, when I did not hide my heart as I did my face, you &s;hould not have &s;o good an opinion of me, as to think that I would refu&s;e your offer: But I will not break with you for this, though for no other con&s;ideration but to give you cau&s;e to know me better. However, to repair your fault, I enjoyn you to keep this ca&s;e which I &s;end you, without &s;hewing unto any; for if you do, you &s;hall never &s;ee my Picture nor my &s;elf.</P>
</LETTER>
<P><PB N="57" REF="514">
As <HI>Timantes</HI> ended the reading of this letter, <HI>Antimaques</HI> entered, who found his friend much taken up with this new adventure, which he related unto him, notwith&s;tanding the prohibition of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> thinking it no trea&s;on to make that man his confident, whom he loved as a &s;econd &s;elfe: But as <HI>Timantes</HI> was a&s;toni&s;hed, &s;o <HI>Antimaques</HI> was much more, having no rea&s;on after this, to doubt neither of the quality or genero&s;ity of this unknown Lady. For indeed the pre&s;ent which <HI>Timantes</HI> gave her was &s;o rich, that it was an argument of a great &s;oule to refu&s;e it, and the Ca&s;e which <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;ent him was &s;o magnificent, that &s;he mu&s;t be both rich and liberall who gave it: &s;o that <HI>Antimaques</HI> after this confe&s;&s;ed, that <HI>Timantes</HI> had rea&s;on to pro&s;ecute his adventure, and to try how far it would go; he moved him to &s;how this Ca&s;e unto &s;ome who perhaps might know it, and thereby to learne where it was made: he moved him al&s;o to &s;hew her Letter, thereby to find out the writer by the writing: But &s;ince <HI>Timantes</HI> ob&s;erved in di&s;cour&s;e with his beloved unknowne one, that &s;he knew all pa&s;&s;ages in the World, he dur&s;t not put it to the venture, but de&s;ired <HI>Antimaques</HI> a thou&s;and and a thou&s;and times, not to reveale his &s;ecret unto any, yet he had &s;ometimes a great de&s;ire to &s;peak him&s;elfe unto the Lady at who&s;e hou&s;e <HI>Parthe|nia</HI> lodged: but &s;he had &s;o often told him, that if ever he enquired of her, &s;he would then never &s;ee him more, that he dur&s;t not attempt it. In the meane time, he waited for night with much impatience; yet he was much unre&s;olved what to doe with the picture ca&s;e which <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;ent him: for &s;ince it came from the hands of her he loved, he had no will to part with it: on the other &s;ide, it was &s;o rich that he thought it were to be le&s;&s;e generous then &s;he, if he did not re&s;tore it; &s;o that not knowing what he &s;hould doe with it, he carried it unto the place of meeting: but he was not &s;o happy as he hoped to be, for <HI>Parthenia</HI> to perplex him the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">re, &s;ent <HI>Amaxita</HI> to tell him, &s;he could not &s;ee him that night; and as <HI>Timantes</HI> asked <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> the rea&s;on, &s;he gave him &s;ome cau&s;e to think by her an&s;wer (though &s;he told him not &s;o expre&s;ly) that it was becau&s;e &s;he was preparing her &s;elfe to goe unto a generall Ball, which the Prince&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Policrite</HI> kept the next day: &s;o th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Timantes</HI> ravi&s;hed that <HI>Amaxita</HI> had told him this ere ever &s;he was aware, began to re&s;olve not to faile being at this meeting, and there to talk with all the Ladies, &s;o that he made no que&s;tion but to find her whom he looked for: but &s;ince he hoped to pick &s;omthing out of <HI>Amaxita,</HI> he talked with her a long time, and &s;ince he collected by her di&s;cour&s;e that &s;he was of <HI>Parthenia</HI>'s Cabbinet coun&s;ell, he told her a hundred things to tell her, and began to aggravate his &s;orrowes, that he could not re&s;olve to re&s;tore the picture Ca&s;e which &s;he &s;ent him, and which he thought too rich to keep: yet (&s;aid he unto her at the end of their di&s;cour&s;e) I doe conjure you to tell that excellent Lady, I will re&s;tore the Ca&s;e that day &s;he gives me her picture; but to the end &s;he &s;hould not think I keep it out of any covetous inclination, I will within this four daies proclaime a Hor&s;e-race, and will give that for the prize which I pre&s;umed to offer unto her, and &s;o I may &s;afely keep that pre&s;ent which otherwi&s;e might make me &s;u&s;pected of covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e. <HI>Amaxita</HI> u&s;ed all her Rhetorick to per&s;wade him to an alteration of his re&s;olution, but all in vaine: However they parted, agreeing that the day following at coming from the Ball, he &s;hould come unto the u&s;uall place of meeting. After this <HI>Timantes</HI> was all hopes and joyes, for he beleeved he &s;hould know this unknown one by her voice, or at lea&s;t he would &s;et &s;uch &s;pies about the hou&s;e whither &s;he would come into at her returne from the Ball, as &s;hould tell him who &s;he was. Then he prepared him&s;elfe with all care po&s;&s;ible, and went unto the Ball &s;o timely, that the Hall was not made cleane when he came there. In the meane while I was advi&s;ed by <HI>Amaxita</HI> to ob&s;erve <HI>Timantes</HI> very clo&s;e, and to render her an account a little before the Ball ended: I was &s;o forward to doe the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> any &s;ervice, and con&s;idering that in this I might al&s;o &s;erve <HI>Timantes,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> who I knew de&s;ired the Marriage, that I was almo&s;t a&s;&s;oon in the place of a&s;&s;embly as he was: For my part, I never had &s;o much plea&s;ure in all my life, as I had that day in ob&s;erving <HI>Timantes,</HI> for there did not one beauty enter, which I perceived by his eyes, he did not wi&s;h might prove his unknowne one; and not one entered which was foule, but he feared that was &s;he, and I &s;aw &s;o many &s;everal turbulencies in his countenance, that after I laughed at him, I could not chu&s;e but pitty him: That which did mo&s;t &s;tick in his &s;tomack was, that there were at this a&s;&s;embly three or foure women of <HI>Paphos</HI> who were very rich and very ill favoured, and except the Queen <HI>Policrite, Timoclia,</HI> and one more, he &s;aw not one beauty there as was likely to &s;end &s;uch a pre&s;ent as he received. In the meane time he knew it was not one of tho&s;e foure, for he knew it by their Tones, and &s;aw moreover it could not be the two fir&s;t, who were both married and virtuous; and he knew it could not be the other two, for they had both of them declared Servants, and Ser|vants whom they did not hate: Thus not knowing what to thinke, he went from place to place,
<PB N="58" REF="515">
talking to all the faire ones, and foul ones, one after another, but could not finde her he looked for: then as he was walking from one to another, a Ladie of <HI>Amathonte,</HI> a high beauty and one whom <HI>Policrite</HI> received as a per&s;on of quality, did enter; &s;he being wonderfull faire, and he having never &s;een her before, though &s;he had been three daies in <HI>Paphos,</HI> he looked upon her with hopes that this was &s;he he loved; and hearing her &s;peak, he thought he heard &s;omething in the &s;ound of her voice which re&s;embled his unknown one, &s;o that being ravi&s;h|ed with joy, he waited till the complements between <HI>Policrite</HI> and &s;he was pa&s;&s;ed, and &s;he &s;eated in her place; and &s;he was no &s;ooner &s;et, but <HI>Timantes</HI> according to the freedome of our Court, talked to her, to the end he might move her to an&s;wer him, but this Lady being one of that countrywho&s;e cu&s;tome is not to talk with any &s;he knows not, had much adoe to an|&s;wer him: Be&s;ides, &s;he was as dull as &s;he was faire, and when &s;he did an&s;wer, it was &s;o con|fu&s;edly and little to the purpo&s;e, thas <HI>Timantes</HI> hardly under&s;tood what &s;he &s;aid. However, his imagination being fore&s;talled, he thought her &s;tupiditie and &s;ilence, was only affected, and that &s;he would di&s;gui&s;e her &s;elfe, therefore he continued on, &s;till hoping &s;he would &s;peak more; but long did he &s;tay before he could get any thing from her, unle&s;&s;e a yea or no: yet at la&s;t he found his error, for a man of <HI>Amathonte</HI> coming to her, &s;he told to him &s;o freely after the ru&s;ticity of her country, as fully undeceived <HI>Timantes,</HI> and &s;ince there was not one woman of any rea&s;onable quality in all the a&s;&s;embly which he had not &s;poke unto, or heard &s;peak, he &s;att downe, but &s;o &s;adly, that he minded nothing which pa&s;&s;ed in the company; yet they forced him to dance, but it was &s;o carele&s;ly, and far from his accu&s;tomed garb, that <HI>Poli|crite</HI> could not chu&s;e but chide him. In the mean time, &s;ince I thought the Ball would quickly end, I went out, to render an account of my ob&s;ervations unto my Si&s;ter, and told her ex|actly to the lea&s;t circum&s;tance all his actions, naming all the principall Ladies of the a&s;&s;embly which <HI>Timantes</HI> talked with, not forgetting the Lady of <HI>Amathonte:</HI> I told her al&s;o that I thought there were men about the hou&s;e watching who entered, but I did not think they could know me, becau&s;e it was very dark: After I had told all I knew, I went out at another dore then I intended at. But <HI>Amaxita</HI> had no &s;ooner well informed <HI>Parthenia</HI> of all pa&s;&s;ages, but <HI>Timantes</HI> came unto his accu&s;tomed place. However, <HI>Parthenia</HI> the more to deceive him, wore many Jewells that night more then u&s;uall; for though it was dark, yet there was &s;o much dim light from the Moon, the Starrs, and Candle which was at the further end of the room, as might make the Diamonds &s;parkle: &s;o that <HI>Timantes</HI> knowing that <HI>Parthenia</HI> was better dre&s;&s;ed then ordinary, he thought then that &s;he had really been at the Ball: though he knew he had &s;poken unto all the Ladies, and knew that none of them was her he talked unto then: Moreover &s;ince he under&s;tood from his &s;pies, that there entered none into the hou&s;e but one man, he thought againe &s;he was not at the Ball: &s;o that he was driven to &s;uch a cruell nece&s;&s;ity, as he knew not what to think: But to compleat his amazement, <HI>Parthenia</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but not giving him &s;o much lea&s;ure as to &s;peak. Well Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him) what think you of the &s;pirit of the <HI>Amathontine</HI> Lady, with whom you talked longer then with any Lady of <HI>Paphos?</HI> doe you not feare that all the Ladies of our Court &s;hould hate you, for preferring a Lady of that Country before them? and doe you not further think I may well be Jealous? I pray heavens Madam, &s;aid he, that it be the la&s;t of the&s;e, for &s;ince that pa&s;&s;ion cannot be in your heart, but it mu&s;t ari&s;e from another, I &s;hould think my &s;elfe very happy; for then you mu&s;t love me, and let me &s;ee you, and con&s;equently I mu&s;t not be driven to the cruell nece&s;&s;ity of &s;eeking you out every where, and finding you no where, but here where I cannot &s;ee you with a full &s;atisfaction. But Madam, I be&s;eech you tell me &s;incerely, whether you were at the Ball or no? Is it not a &s;ufficient an&s;wer, &s;aid &s;he, to tell you all that pa&s;&s;ed in this meeting? and then &s;he told him all that <HI>Amaxita</HI> had related unto her, and &s;o puzled him, that he knew not what to think. But yet (&s;aid &s;he unto him) who would you wi&s;h me to be of all the Ladies you &s;aw with <HI>Policrite?</HI> I wi&s;h you were none but your &s;elfe, replyed he, and that I could know who you are, for if you u&s;e me thus long, I &s;hall infallibly lo&s;e my witts and rea&s;on. Very well (an&s;wered <HI>Parthenia</HI> and &s;miled) I begin to think &s;o, and that which makes me mo&s;t feare it, is, that unle&s;&s;e you had been out of your witts and rea&s;on, you would never have offered me &s;uch a rich gift, which I could not accept of, without a &s;tain unto my vertue. You may think it from another conjecture Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) for after you had &s;ent me &s;uch a glorious example of genero&s;ity, and &s;ent me back my gift with another more rich then mine, yet I keep it, and keep it without rendring you thanks: yet I &s;hall keep it no longer then untill you are plea&s;ed to honour me with your picture, which you have not forbidden me to hope for. So did my woman tell me, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> but I mu&s;t tell you, there are many things to be done, before I give you my picture, for I will be fir&s;t
<PB N="59" REF="515">
well a&s;&s;ured of your heart for ever; but untill then, I pray tell me, who doe you think of all the beauties you have &s;een in <HI>Cyprus,</HI> does in your judgement be&s;t de&s;erve the prize? You have &s;o accu&s;tomed me to make no u&s;e of my eyes (&s;aid he unto her) that I think them to be very ill Judges of beauty; for &s;ince I think upon none but that of your &s;oul, and mind, and cannot &s;ee yours, I cannot tell whether I &s;hould love the fair or the brown. <HI>Parthenia</HI> did then exceedingly pre&s;&s;e him to tell her whether he liked the beauty of <HI>Policrite</HI> or <HI>Aretaphile</HI> bet|ter, purpo&s;ely to prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;e him with what he &s;hould hereafter find hers to be; but doe what &s;he could, he could not clearly expre&s;&s;e him&s;elf, becau&s;e he knew not the complexion of her he &s;poke unto, but &s;triving to divert the di&s;cour&s;e, hee told her, how all the men and women in <HI>Cyprus</HI> (except one woman, who&s;e judgement was oppo&s;ite to all others) told him that all the beauty he had &s;een was nothing comparable to the beauty of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis: Parthenia</HI> hearing her &s;elf named, did think at fir&s;t, that perhaps <HI>Timantes</HI> knew who &s;he was, but &s;he was mi&s;taken; for <HI>Timantes</HI> going on with his di&s;cour&s;e; 'Tis true, &s;aid he, I doe beleeve this &s;ingular woman as much as I doe all the re&s;t; e&s;pecially becau&s;e &s;he is one of a good wit. Wit, replyed &s;he, is not &s;o nece&s;&s;ary to judge of beauty: But there is a nece&s;&s;ity of Ju&s;tice and Impartiality, and without envy at the beauty of another. But I pray tell me, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> who is the woman which &s;peaks thus in di&s;advantage of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Sa|lamis? Timantes</HI> thinking of no inconveniencie by naming this Lady, needed not many en|treaties: But he had no &s;ooner named her, then <HI>Parthenia</HI> began to wonder at her inju&s;tice. I be&s;eech you, Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, do not judge of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> and her beau|ty by the reports of this woman, who without rea&s;on hates her. But if &s;he be &s;o amiable as they &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y &s;he is, replyed <HI>Timantes,</HI> how is it po&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould hate her? No, no, Sir, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> doe not deceive your &s;elf, you mu&s;t never judge of the beauty of one faire one, by the reports of another beauty: For I am confident that among&s;t a hundred, you will not find two that are ju&s;t, but every one will think to adde glory unto them&s;elves by detracting from others. The truth is, &s;aid <HI>Timantes,</HI> I did wonder very much this woman &s;hould be &s;o oppo&s;ite unto the judgement of all others, concerning the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis.</HI> I pray tell me, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> what &s;hee did &s;ay in particular of her? For I take the greate&s;t plea&s;ure in the world to &s;ee envy and jealou&s;ie work in the &s;pirits of tho&s;e who are in&s;pired with tho&s;e humours. Since it is your plea&s;ure, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I will confe&s;&s;e, that after I had the honour to meet you the fir&s;t time in the Labyrinth, and could not finde you in any place after, nor none could tell me who you were, I had an imagination that you were this Prince&s;&s;e whereof we &s;peak: Yet I dur&s;t never reveale my thoughts unto any but this Lady, who was my indifferent good friend; but &s;he kept me not long in that errour; for &s;he told me the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> had a &s;hrill voice not at all &s;weet; that &s;he was gro&s;&s;e and ill made; that &s;he had white, but not hand&s;ome and fair hands. The truth is, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> There is no certain conclu&s;ions to be made by the reports of others; and &s;ince I love <HI>Parthenia</HI> very well, but doe not love her who &s;peaks again&s;t her, perhaps I &s;hall be partiall, and favour the one, and wrong the other, then I would have you &s;ee the Prince&s;s of <HI>Salamis,</HI> and be judge your &s;elf. In the mean time I am beholding to you, for thinking me to be her; for though &s;he were not as all report her, yet my obligation is not the le&s;&s;e, &s;ince your imagination fancied me to be &s;o, and not as that Lady de&s;cribed her. 'Tis true, replyed <HI>Timantes,</HI> That I fancied your Idea like that of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> bee &s;hee as fair as &s;hee can be. However (&s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> exceedingly de&s;iring to know what <HI>Timantes</HI> would think of her beauty) I pray doe me &s;o much favour as to &s;ee that Prince&s;&s;e. How can I &s;ee her, Madam, replyed he, for the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> asked her leave to bring me into her de&s;art, and &s;he would not honour me &s;o far: And to tell you truly, Madam, all my curio&s;i|ty is confined unto your &s;elf, and I de&s;ire to &s;ee none el&s;e: Yet I &s;hould think my &s;elf obli|ged to you (an&s;wered &s;he) if you would &s;ee her. Once more, Madam, &s;aid he, pray tell me how I can &s;ee her. You may ea&s;ily doe it (&s;aid <HI>Parthenia)</HI> for I know &s;he goes almo&s;t every day unto a little Temple of <HI>Venus Urania,</HI> not above thirty furlongs from her hou&s;e, towards <HI>Amathonte.</HI> I doe know the Temple, &s;aid hee, for it was &s;hewed unto me as I went unto the <HI>Adonian</HI> Fea&s;t. Since &s;o, &s;aid &s;he, I pray you goe thither to morrow; for I confe&s;&s;e I &s;hould be very glad if the beauty of that Prince&s;&s;e &s;hould plea&s;e you, to the end you may hereafter &s;u&s;pect the reports of that Lady who I love not, and may put her out of the Cata|logue of your friends. Ala&s;s, Madam, &s;aid <HI>Timantes,</HI> there is no nece&s;&s;ity of my &s;eeing the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> for I know enough from you to make me di&s;card that Lady from the number of my friends; for &s;ince &s;he does not plea&s;e you, &s;he cannot me. No, no, &s;aid &s;he, I would not have you do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;o out of complacencie, but out of rea&s;on, therefore I conjure you to
<PB N="60" REF="516">
doe as I de&s;ire. But, Madam, &s;aid he, if this Prince&s;s be as fair as reports make her, me-thinks you &s;hould have &s;ome care of my heart, in expo&s;ing it unto &s;o great a danger: at lea&s;t you &s;hould &s;hew me your eyes, that I may with them defend my &s;elf again&s;t hers. On the con|trary, &s;aid &s;he, &s;ince I doe intend never to give my entire affection untill I am fir&s;t mo&s;t certainly a&s;&s;ured of yours, I wi&s;h the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> were a thou&s;and times fairer then &s;he is, that &s;he might be a &s;tronger tryall of your con&s;tancie: For &s;ince I value not a perfideous in|con&s;tant heart, nor would be loved for beauty if I had it, but would have good &s;ecurity a|gain&s;t all tho&s;e evils which beauty cau&s;es, I &s;hould be glad you &s;aw all the beauties in <HI>Cyprus,</HI> to the end I might not fear it. In conclu&s;ion, Sir, <HI>Parthenia</HI> ordered the matter with &s;o much art, that <HI>Timantes</HI> promi&s;ed to go next morning and &s;ee whether the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> were at that Temple, not having the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition of the truth, nor thinking &s;he had any other de&s;ign in her commands, but onely that &s;he loved to be punctually obeyed: So that he prepared him&s;elfe for it: And after he went from her, <HI>Parthenia</HI> gave all requi&s;ite orders for his journey in the morning, and &s;o did &s;he: <HI>Amaxita</HI> writ a Letter unto me to &s;end a Coach by break of day; for <HI>Parthenia</HI> would not make u&s;e of the Ladyes with whom &s;hee lodged, becau&s;e <HI>Timantes</HI> knew it. So &s;he did ri&s;e betimes in the morning, and dre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf in her riche&s;t habit, and neglected nothing which might &s;et her &s;elf out with advantage: When &s;he was all ready, and had looked the la&s;t time in her gla&s;&s;e, <HI>Amaxita</HI> asked what was her de&s;ign? not being yet &s;atisfied with all the rea&s;ons &s;he had told her, I would exactly know, &s;aid &s;he, what <HI>Timantes</HI> will think of me, which I can never doe, if I &s;hew my &s;elf unto him, and di&s;cover who I am. But, Madam (&s;aid <HI>Amaxita</HI> unto her) &s;ince you doe not feare that your beauty will attract the heart of <HI>Timantes,</HI> why doe you tell him the truth? No, reply|ed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> I have not changed my mind, but &s;till fear the menaces of the gods, and the&s;e fears are my rea&s;ons why I goe &s;o fanta&s;tically to work. But for all that, Madam (&s;aid <HI>A|maxita)</HI> I am confident <HI>Timantes</HI> will think you the faire&s;t that ever he &s;aw; and I beleeve all the excellings of your &s;pirit, your &s;oul, your hands, your &s;tature, and your voice will have much adoe to hold out again&s;t the glory of your eyes; and therefore if you think you cannot marry him, if perchance he &s;hould be in love with your beauty as well as with your &s;oul, never expo&s;e him unto that danger, but &s;eek out &s;ome other way to make tryall of his fi|delity. Yet <HI>Parthenia</HI> would not hearken unto <HI>Amaxita:</HI> But not well knowing what &s;he &s;hould think if <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;hould commend her either too much or too little: She went into the Temple &s;o early, as &s;he was in no danger to be known in the Town: She went al&s;o by a blind way, to the end that &s;he might come as if &s;he came from <HI>Salamis;</HI> for &s;o her De&s;art was called: But &s;ince &s;he feared that if <HI>Timantes</HI> did &s;ee her in the Temple, he would know her by her &s;tature: as &s;oon as &s;he came; &s;he offered her &s;acrifice; and afterwards &s;eeing that <HI>Timantes</HI> was not come, &s;he went unto the Sacrificers hou&s;e under pretence of re&s;ting her &s;elf, who&s;e hou&s;e was clo&s;e by the way as one comes from <HI>Paphos.</HI> So that being in a Parlor, &s;hee leaned again&s;t the window talking with <HI>Amaxita,</HI> who&s;e hood was up as well as hers; for in favour of their de&s;ign the Sun did not then &s;hine. She had not &s;tood there a quarter of an hour, but <HI>Amaxita</HI> e&s;pied <HI>Timantes</HI> coming towards the place where they were, having with him only one &s;ervant, and &s;he no &s;ooner e&s;pied him, but &s;he &s;hewed him unto <HI>Parthenia,</HI> ju&s;t as <HI>Timantes</HI> turned his eyes towards them, but it was &s;o far off as he could not di&s;cerne her beauty, and therefore he advanced with no ha&s;t; but when he was &s;o neare&punc; <HI>Parthenia</HI> as to di&s;tingui&s;h that attracts in her face, he made no que&s;tion but &s;he was the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> and was &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed at the lu&s;tre of her beauty, that he changed colour, and confe&s;&s;ed to him&s;elfe, that the Idea which he had fancyed of his beloved unknown Lady, was not fairer, nor &s;o faire as this Prince&s;&s;e: he went then as gently as po&s;&s;ible, he gazed upon her with at|tention full of rapture, and bowed unto her with mo&s;t reverent re&s;pect, and did not go into the Temple untill he had &s;eriou&s;ly contemplated upon it, and meeting with one of the &s;acrificers of that place going into the Temple, he &s;tayed and fell into di&s;cour&s;e with him, purpo&s;ely for a pretence of looking longer upon her; at fir&s;t he intended to go unto her as upon a vi&s;it, knowing &s;he was not ignorant he was the friend of the Prince her Brother, but having only one &s;ervant with him, and being in a cour&s;e and common habit, he could not find a mind to be &s;o neare a per&s;on of that Beauty and Maje&s;ty, who &s;truck &s;o high an admiration and re&s;pect into him; therefore &s;ince the &s;acrificer went into the Temple, and he dur&s;t &s;tay no longer there, he went into the Temple al&s;o, hoping &s;till he &s;hould &s;ee her againe at his coming out: But <HI>Parthenia</HI> having no intention he &s;hould &s;peak unto her, or follow her, a&s;&s;oon as &s;he &s;aw him gone into the Temple, &s;he took Coach and went towards the place of her &s;olitude, yet &s;he went out of it againe, a&s;&s;oon as &s;he was in a wood about two furlongs
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di&s;tant from the Temple, and &s;ince &s;he would not come unto <HI>Paphos</HI> untill it was night, nor meet with <HI>Timantes</HI> in the way, &s;he took a blind way through the Forre&s;t which went unto the hou&s;e of one who was acquainted with my &s;i&s;ter, and there &s;he pa&s;&s;ed away the re&s;t of the day. In the meane while Sir, &s;ince <HI>Parthenia</HI> had ob&s;erved that her beauty had produced its cu&s;tomary effects upon the &s;pirits of <HI>Timantes,</HI> to witt, admiration, and tu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">bulencie, &s;he knew not whether &s;he &s;hould be glad or angry, yet &s;he de&s;ired to plea&s;e <HI>Timantes;</HI> but for all that, when &s;he con&s;idered the menaces of the Gods, &s;he could not chu&s;e but be &s;orrowfull, that her beauty had any influence upon the mind of her lover, and feared, that &s;ince he was &s;o &s;en&s;ible, he would not be &s;o <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">n&s;tant, as &s;he wi&s;hed and hoped. However, (&s;aid <HI>Amaxita</HI> to her and laughed) though I <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">antes</HI> doe change the object of his pa&s;&s;ion, yet is he not incon|&s;tant, becau&s;e &s;till he loves none but you: I a&s;&s;ure you, an&s;wered &s;he, that if he &s;hould, I &s;hould be no le&s;&s;e jealous of my &s;elfe then any other: Oh Madam (&s;aid <HI>Amaxita</HI> and interrupted her) it is not po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould &s;o &s;crupulously rely upon the Oracle, as to have any &s;uch thought, and be jealous of your &s;elfe; for would you have <HI>Timantes</HI> have no eyes? or in ha|ving be wor&s;e, and think you not hand&s;ome? Truly <HI>Amaxita</HI> replyed &s;he, you put me to the que&s;tion, for I &s;hould be &s;orry to &s;eem ugly in his eye, and yet I would not have him dote too much upon beauty, and if I &s;hould find that he prefers the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> before his unknown Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, I doe confe&s;&s;e I &s;hould be very &s;orry: Truly Madam, replyed <HI>Amaxita,</HI> I cannot beleeve you, and I am confident, that maugle all the menaces of the Gods, you doe not think as you &s;peak, &s;ince certainly it is not po&s;&s;ible any beauty &s;hould be an enemy unto her owne charmes. But Sir, whil&s;t <HI>Parthenia</HI> and <HI>Amaxita</HI> were thus talking, <HI>Timantes</HI> was en|tertaining him&s;elfe very &s;weetly with the rare beauty which he had &s;een. Is it not po&s;&s;ible would he &s;ay, to joyne the &s;pirit of my beloved unknown owne, to the beauty of her I &s;aw? Alas, alas, I would it were, that I might be the happie&s;t man alive, in the enjoyment of the mo&s;t accompli&s;ht per&s;on in the world; but that would be too much, and if there were a wo|man in the world &s;o faire as the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> and who&s;e &s;pirit were as great and &s;weet as hers I love, there would be more Altars erected unto her, then either unto <HI>Venus-Ana|diomena,</HI> or to <HI>Venus Vrania:</HI> Be contented therefore with what the Gods have given unto her whom I adore, and wi&s;h only that &s;he be but a little le&s;&s;e faire then the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis. Timantes</HI> was not long in the&s;e thoughts, for his hot de&s;ire of &s;eeing this wonder of beauty a|gaine, moved him to go out of the Temple almo&s;t a&s;&s;oon <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> came into it: But &s;ore was he grieved, to under&s;tand from tho&s;e that looked to his hor&s;es, that the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> was gone, he asked which way &s;he went, and followed a while, but &s;ince &s;he was in the wood be|fore he took hor&s;e, he could not overtake her, therefore he returned towards <HI>Paphos,</HI> &s;o ravi&s;hed with the beauty of this Prince&s;&s;e, that he almo&s;t feared his falling in love with her. In the mean time, &s;ince his unknowne Lady did not prohibite him, from &s;peaking of this journey, he told every one where he had been, only concealed the cau&s;e; and the chiefe&s;t motive which induced him &s;o to doe, was, becau&s;e he could not forbeare commending the beauty of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> which he knew he dur&s;t not doe to the height, when he &s;poke with his un|knowne one at night, for he knew that it was the greate&s;t indi&s;cretion in the world for any lo|ver to commend the beauty of another before his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, &amp; the mo&s;t of all in him, becau&s;e his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e would not have him &s;o inamoured with the beauty of the body as the mind, &s;o that he did nothing but extol the beauty of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> unto all the men he met with that day, he told it unto <HI>Philoxipes, Policrite,</HI> and <HI>Dorida;</HI> and he went him&s;elfe to tell that Lady who &s;o di&s;commended this Prince&s;&s;e, that &s;he knew not what beauty was; he had not the lea&s;t &s;u&s;picion that this Prince&s;&s;e was his unknown Lady, &s;uppo&s;ing it a thing impo&s;&s;ible that a woman &s;o faire, could hide her beauty from a man that was in love with her, e&s;pecially from one &s;he hated not, and whom &s;he wi&s;hed eternally to love her: for being igno|rant of the Oracles which the Prince&s;&s;e received, he could not gue&s;&s;e at the true cau&s;e of her &s;o fanta&s;ticall and extraordinary proceedings: None could think it &s;trange that the Prince&s;&s;e &s;hould come &s;o neare <HI>Paphos</HI> as this Temple, and not come into the Town, becau&s;e it was her ordinary humor. But <HI>Philoxipes</HI> and <HI>Policrite</HI> murmured a little that &s;he did not &s;end to know how they did, imagining no other rea&s;on, but that &s;he had no de&s;ire to have it known &s;he was there, for feare &s;he &s;hould be invited to come into the Town: However, night being come, <HI>Timantes</HI> went unto his accu&s;tomed place of meeting, being re&s;olved to commend the beauty of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> but not too highly for the rea&s;ons afore&s;aid: He was no &s;ooner there, but <HI>Parthenia</HI> asked him, what he thought of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis?</HI> I think &s;he is very faire replyed he, and I think that &s;he who told me otherwi&s;e, did her much wrong, for truly if that Prince&s;&s;e had a mind an&s;werable to her eyes, and a &s;oule as faire as her face,
<PB N="62" REF="517">
que&s;tionle&s;&s;e &s;he were a rare woman: But though &s;he be only faire replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> is it not po&s;&s;ible to love her? Yes (replyed he, and &s;miled) if tho&s;e that look upon her were all eyes and no &s;pirit: No, no, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> doe not di&s;&s;emble, I &s;ee you have a mind to an&s;wer me according to my thoughts, and not your owne, and to tell me rather what I would have you &s;ay, then what you think: Suppo&s;e I did Madam, replyed he, is it a crime to be com|placentiall? Complyance &s;aid &s;he, ought not to go &s;o far as to di&s;&s;emble ones thoughts, it is enough if it &s;ubmit unto them, and too much to hide them; true delight con&s;i&s;ts in con|formity of thoughts, and not of words only; and truly I am more joyed to &s;ee one whom I love, think ju&s;t as I doe, then I am to &s;ee them who for my<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ke force them&s;elves in every thing to a complacency: certainly there is nothing more &s;w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">nd plea&s;ing then this, &s;ym|pathy of &s;pirits, thoughts and opinions; therefore never &s;trive to find out what I would wi&s;h you to &s;ay, but be cleare and ingenuous, and &s;peak your owne thoughts, for you cannot de|ceive me. Madam, replyed he, I doe ever &s;peak &s;incerely unto you, you ask me whether the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> be faire? I an&s;wer you that &s;he is very faire, am I farre from the truth? <HI>Parthenia</HI> being then angred to think her beauty had not &s;o much pierced the heart of <HI>Timantes</HI> as &s;he thought, began to &s;peak in a little higher tone: You commend the Beauty of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> very coldly (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that it is plain to &s;ee, you doe it out of complacency only, or el&s;e out of &s;ubtilty to per&s;wade me your heart is not &s;en&s;ible of beauty. 'Tis mo&s;t true Madam, replyed he, I am at this time &s;en&s;ible of nothing but your &s;pirit and &s;oule, and all I know of you: and therefore Madam doe not wonder (&s;aid he, think|ing that he could not plea&s;e her better) if I be not &s;o much charmed with the beauty of this Prince&s;&s;e, as I &s;hould have been, if I had not been in love with you: and truly Madam, my de&s;ires of returning hither were &s;o hot, that I did not &s;pend much time in contemplation of her. This Sir was the conference between <HI>Timantes</HI> and <HI>Parthenia</HI> that night, <HI>Timantes</HI> hardly daring to commend the beauty of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> though <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;eemed to de&s;ire it, and <HI>Parthenia</HI> not well knowing whether &s;he &s;hould commend him for it, or no: But after he was gone, &s;he re&s;olved with her &s;elfe, and concluded that her beauty did not charme him, and was mi&s;taken when &s;he thought to &s;ee nothing but &s;ignes of admiration in his face and actions: No, no, &s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Amaxita,</HI> certainly I am deceived, and all that which I thought to be admiration is only a&s;toni&s;hment; <HI>Timantes</HI> que&s;tionle&s;&s;e is &s;urpri&s;ed, but it is to &s;ee that the world &s;hould &s;o much commend me with &s;o little cau&s;e, certainly he loves beauty in another &s;hape then that which the Gods have given unto me; there is &s;ome|thing in my face which di&s;ta&s;ts his eyes, and will certainly make me to lo&s;e all that my &s;pirit hath gotten. Madam (&s;aid <HI>Amaxita</HI> unto her) you &s;aid you would not have <HI>Timantes</HI> love you for your beauty: 'Tis true &s;aid &s;he, but however, I would not have him hate me becau&s;e he finds &s;omthing in my face which does not plea&s;e him: I know <HI>Amaxita</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) that this I &s;ay &s;eemes unrea&s;onable unto you, but I cannot help it, for had you tryed as I have done, what a mon&s;trous mi&s;ery it is to be &s;leighted by him who once adored me, you would excu&s;e all my imperfections and weakne&s;&s;es, and would confe&s;&s;e, I had rea&s;on to try all waies po&s;&s;ible, which might make me know the heart of <HI>Timantes.</HI> However Sir, <HI>Parthenia</HI> was not long in the beliefe that her beauty did di&s;plea&s;e her lover, for as it was my chance to be in three or foure places where he had &s;o highly extolled her, the next morning I acquainted my &s;i&s;ter, and &s;he <HI>Parthenia</HI> with it, and &s;ince I thought there was never any danger in telling a beauty that &s;he was extolled, I told the &s;tory with as many aggravations as I could, and therefore &s;aid, I think <HI>Timantes</HI> was as much in love with her beauty as her &s;pirit. Madam &s;aid <HI>Amaxita</HI> to her, it may truly be &s;aid that <HI>Timantes</HI> loves two and is not incon&s;tant, &s;ince he loves but one per&s;on, and by giving his heart to one he does not take it from the o|ther: and it may be further &s;aid, that you have a Rivall whom you cannot hate, for I doe not think your &s;pirit can envie the power of your eyes, nor your eyes oppo&s;e the conque&s;ts of your &s;pirit. <HI>Parthenia</HI> hearkned unto all that <HI>Amaxita</HI> &s;aid, and never gave her an&s;wer; but after I was gone, and &s;he had commanded me to keep an ob&s;ervant eye &s;till over <HI>Timantes,</HI> &s;he did complaine of him almo&s;t a&s;much for extolling her beauty too high unto others, as &s;he did for extolling it too little the night before unto her, and finding that he did not &s;peak &s;incerely, &s;he was very &s;ad, yet not &s;o much as when &s;he thought that &s;he did not plea&s;e his eye, and when <HI>Amaxita</HI> asked her what &s;ecurity &s;he de&s;ired of the heart of <HI>Timantes?</HI> &s;he told her that &s;he did not know her &s;elfe: Truly Madam, &s;aid <HI>Amaxita</HI> to her, I cannot &s;ee you can either expect or de&s;ire better a&s;&s;urance then you have, that <HI>Timantes</HI> is the man whom the Gods would have you to marry; for he began to love you without the power of your beauty, and not knowing whether you were noble or rich: he &s;till loves you, and knowes not that
<PB N="63" REF="517">
you are faire, and loves you in a place where there are a thou&s;and &s;hining beauties, who doe all they can to engage his heart; you would have per&s;waded him that you were ill favoured, and indeed he had great rea&s;on to &s;u&s;pect it; yet for all this he continues loving you, you have al&s;o imployed your owne beauty to make tryall of his con&s;tancy, and you &s;ee he is faithfull to you, that he dares not commend her in your pre&s;ence, for feare certainly he &s;hould thereby give you cau&s;e to think that he can be &s;en&s;ible of beauty. All that you &s;ay is true, replyed <HI>Parthenia,</HI> but yet for all this, if <HI>Timantes</HI> can &s;uffer his heart to be drawne from his un|known Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, by the charmes that are in the beauty of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> though his unknown Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e and this Prince&s;&s;e be all one, yet I have rea&s;on to feare, that if he can quit my &s;pirit for my beauty, he may hereafter quit both my &s;pirit and my beauty, for &s;ome other per&s;on, unto whom the grace of novelty will give advantage; &s;o that to have better a&s;&s;urance of the heart of <HI>Timantes,</HI> I will yet try what ab&s;ence will doe, which que&s;tionle&s;&s;e is the &s;tronge&s;t te&s;t of all others, therefore I will return into my &s;olitude, and returne without &s;o much as bidding him adieu, fearing that if he &s;hould know, he would &s;et &s;o many &s;pies about the hou&s;e, that he might follow me. <HI>Amaxita</HI> did oppo&s;e her de&s;igne, and per&s;waded her as much as &s;he could to let <HI>Timantes</HI> know of her departure, but all in vaine, for &s;he would not hearken unto her; yet &s;he could not depart the next morning, becau&s;e &s;ome orders were to be taken for the privacy of her journey, &s;o that &s;he &s;aw <HI>Timantes</HI> once more, whom &s;he chid for the exce&s;&s;ive applaudes which he gave the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> and for not &s;peaking unto her in the &s;ame tearmes when he told her his opinion; and therefore, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I have cau&s;e to beleeve that they who accu&s;e you of being in love with her had rea&s;on for it: but I pray you if it be &s;o confe&s;&s;e it unto me, I conjure you unto it, to the end I may not ingage my &s;elfe in any further affection, and that I may be no impediment unto you in that conque&s;t: but Sir deceive not your &s;elfe, you will not find &s;o ea&s;ie a matter as may be you think; I know <HI>Parthenia,</HI> and I know &s;he is harder to plea&s;e then I am, and more deli|cate; &s;o that in all likelyhood, if you quit me for her, you will lo&s;e me, and not find her. <HI>Timantes</HI> hearing <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;ay &s;o, did prote&s;t that he was not in in love with the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> nor ever would be,: You promi&s;e me now &s;aid &s;he and &s;miled, more then I ask, and it will be &s;ufficient if you only a&s;&s;ure me you doe not love her at pre&s;ent; as for the time to come you are a little too bold with it, if you &s;peak for it with as much certainty as for the pre&s;ent. But Madam, &s;aid he unto her, &s;ince I am not at pre&s;ent in love with the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> it followes of nece&s;&s;ity I never &s;hall be, for as I doe not &s;eek to &s;ee her, &s;o though I would I cannot, &s;ince &s;he hath already denyed me that honour, and therefore it is not likely I ever &s;hall: I doe confe&s;&s;e (&s;ince you know I &s;aid it in other places) that the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Sala|mis</HI> is the faire&s;t that ever my eye beheld, but &s;ince I find a greater beauty in your mind and &s;pirit, then in her face, and &s;ince I am re&s;olved to &s;erve you all my life, and never &s;ee her againe, it doth of nece&s;&s;ary con&s;equence follow, that I doe not love her, and that I &s;hall for ever love you. However once more let me tell you, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> it is good to &s;ubmit unto the providence of the Gods, for the time to come: Why Madam? &s;aid he, have you not told me a hundred times that you would not valew any affection which you were not &s;ure would be eternall? &s;o that you had an eye unto things to come, a&s;well as things pa&s;t and pre&s;ent. How|ever it be, &s;aid <HI>Parthenia,</HI> I would not have you an&s;wer equally for the pre&s;ent and the future, le&s;t you make me &s;u&s;pect both. After much &s;uch di&s;cour&s;e as this, <HI>Timantes</HI> retired, and the next morning <HI>Parthenia</HI> returned to her &s;olitude, leaving a letter with me for <HI>Timantes,</HI> with orders to convay it &s;o &s;ecretly unto him, that he could not &s;u&s;pect or gue&s;&s;e how it came; but &s;ince the difficulty was, to find out a way how <HI>Timantes</HI> might an&s;wer, and not know which way his letters went. I was a long time before my invention could hit on it, but at la&s;t I found out a way to convay <HI>Parthenia's</HI> letter to him, and his an&s;wer to her unknown to him by whom, and thus I went to work. I &s;ent the fir&s;t letter of <HI>Parthenia</HI> to <HI>Timantes</HI> as I &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">t the Jewells, that is to &s;ay, by an unknowne per&s;on, who gave it unto his &s;ervant; but I added a note unto this letter, counterfeiting my hand as <HI>Parthenia</HI> did hers, by which I in|timated unto him, if he would return an an&s;wer, he &s;hould give his letter unto one who in the morning early &s;hould be at the &s;tatue of <HI>Venus</HI> in the great Temple of <HI>Paphos;</HI> and to the end that the matter might be carryed with more &s;afty, I employed one of my friends, and made him beleeve, that it did highly concern me (upon a de&s;ign which hereafter I would im|part to him, when I had commi&s;&s;ion for it from a per&s;on who had ab&s;olute power over me) to receive &s;ome letters which none &s;hould know by whom I received them, nor for whom I received them; and I did &s;o entangle the matter, that he could never know whether I nego|tiated for my &s;elfe or for another, or whether it concerned matter of State, or matter of
<PB N="64" REF="518">
Gallantry, &s;o that he not knowing whether I tran&s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ed in things concerning love or ambi|tion, he did as I de&s;ired him, and I giving him full in&s;tructions, and he being both <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ld and tru&s;ty, the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was done a&s;well as I could wi&s;h: He delivered the Letter which <HI>Parthenia</HI> left at parting, and which did extreamly &s;urpri&s;e <HI>Timantes,</HI> and it was thus indited.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>To</HI> TIMANTES.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR.</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>IN this re&s;olution which I have fixed upon, to try whether the affection which you profe&s;&s;e unto me, will abide ab&s;ence, and &s;urmount it, I think you are a little be holding unto me, for &s;paring you the labour of bidding me adieu, think, if you will that I &s;pared my &s;elfe that labour, for &s;ince I hide my face from you, it is but ju&s;t I tell you that which my eyes would have done if you had &s;een them. If during this ab&s;ence I under&s;tand you continue faithfull unto me, and that really you are not in love with the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> to my prejudice, perhaps at our next meeting you &s;hall know who I am. In the meane time remember it is not permitted you to enquire who gives you my Letters, nor who receives your an&s;wers; know that it concerns your good if you love me, and mine al&s;o: Adieu.</P>
</LETTER>
<P>This Letter did not only &s;urpri&s;e, but extreamly grieve <HI>Timantes,</HI> and he was &s;o pa&s;&s;ionate|ly both in love and &s;orrow for her ab&s;ence, that he was nothing but a lump of Melancholly, and &s;o continued many dayes. The greate&s;t augmentation of his inquietudes, was, that it was not permitted him to enquire of that which he had the greate&s;t de&s;ire to know; and that he was not able to keep within tho&s;e &s;trait limits which were pre&s;cribed him. He went him&s;elf to carry his an&s;wer unto my friend who expected it in the place which I directed him to; but he was exceedingly &s;urpri&s;ed when he &s;aw him to be a man he knew not, and a man of Quality: He offered any thing unto him if he would tell him unto whom he was to give that Letter, but all in vain, in&s;omuch as he was driven to the nece&s;&s;ity of conjuring him not to tell hee asked the que&s;tion. So that my friend giving me the Letter which could have no &s;u&s;pition, I &s;ent unto <HI>Parthenia,</HI> who found the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The unfortunate and mi&s;erable <HI>TIMANTES</HI> unto his cruell unknown one.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>IN thinking to &s;pare me the &s;orrows of bidding you adieu, you have drowned me in them. What can you think, Madam, will become of a man who adores you, who knows not who you are, nor whither you goe, but is ignorant whether you will ever return for him, or ever return at all? For heavens &s;ake, Madam, have &s;ome compa&s;&s;ion upon my constancy, and never fear that the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> will dri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> you out of my heart: I doe adm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e her, I confe&s;&s;e, but I will not love her, as I told you before, I will not &s;ee her. In the mean <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e, I be&s;eech yo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, put not my patience to the utmo&s;t rack, unle&s;&s;e it be your <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">gn to mak<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e de&s;pair, or un|le&s;&s;e you would put me to death not only for love, but al&s;o f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">rio&s;ity. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">urn, Madam, I be&s;eech you, if you be gone, or &s;hew your &s;elf unto me if you be not: For truly I cannot imagine where you are, or who you can be; and I am per&s;waded that if your inhumanity la&s;t a little l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ger, I &s;hall not know my &s;elf: Yet I am mo&s;t certain, that nothing can prevent me from being the mo&s;t faithfull of your Lovers, and the mo&s;t zealous of your Adorers,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>TIMANTES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>This, Sir, was the an&s;wer which I &s;ent unto <HI>Parthenia,</HI> who writ many times to <HI>Timant<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> and he al&s;o unto her: Yet &s;ince the beauty of this Prince&s;&s;e who he &s;aw in that little Temple which is in the way towards <HI>Amathonte,</HI> did make a deep impre&s;&s;ion in his heart, he &s;poke of her very much; &s;o that <HI>Amtimaques</HI> who was in love with <HI>Donida,</HI> and would have been even ravi&s;hed with joy to &s;ee him marryed unto <HI>Parthenia,</HI> he alwaies was hinting unto him that was only this Prince&s;&s;e that he could marry with honor, and not with an unknown woman, who perhaps had no beauty, or at lea&s;t was of &s;ome fanta&s;ticall di&s;po&s;ition. <HI>Timan|tes</HI> then did remember him of his promi&s;e not to condemn his pa&s;&s;ion if the unknown Lady did refu&s;e his pre&s;ent: But <HI>Antimaques</HI> an&s;wered that when he &s;aid &s;o, he did not think there was in <HI>Cyprus</HI> any match for him &s;o advantagious as this of this Prince&s;&s;e: but now
<PB N="65" REF="518">
he unde<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters">ood that the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> did really wi&s;h that he &s;hould marry his &s;i&s;ter, he could not be any longer in his fir&s;t opinion: For I pray you Sir &s;aid he unto him, do but compare your unknown Lady with <HI>Parthenia</HI> a little; as for her quality, it is mo&s;t certain it cannot be more high, nor &s;o high, for there is none in all the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e that is comparable unto her; as for her beauty, according to your owne de&s;cription, the compari&s;on mu&s;t needs be as unequall; as for her vertue, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ou know what high reputation &s;he hath; and as for her &s;pirit, the world knowes no equall, and would you preferre you know not who, before her? Doubt|le&s;&s;e I would replyed <HI>Timantes,</HI> for I love her, and &s;he does not hate me: as for the Prin|ce&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> though I could love her, and though her ravi&s;hing beauty &s;hould force me to be perfideous, yet it were very doubtfull whether &s;he could love me; for I have heard &s;ay &s;he is of a nice &s;pirit, and few men can plea&s;e her, though many not without &s;ome merit have courted her, therefore I pray you talk no more of this Prince&s;&s;e, who&s;e Idea is but too deeply imprinted already in my imagination. In the mean time, <HI>Dorida,</HI> who for the intere&s;t &s;he had in <HI>Antimaques,</HI> de&s;ired that <HI>Timantes</HI> might &s;tay in <HI>Cyprus,</HI> u&s;ed all her arguments to per&s;wade <HI>Policrite,</HI> that &s;he would importune the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> to quit her &s;oli|tude; &s;o that unknown to <HI>Parthenia, Philoxipes, Policrite, Dorida,</HI> and <HI>Antimaques,</HI> plot|ted her marriage with <HI>Timantes:</HI> and truly it was happy they did &s;o; for otherwi&s;e, I think <HI>Parthenia</HI> would never have made her &s;elfe known unto <HI>Timantes;</HI> for &s;ince her rea&s;on was not quite prejudicated, &s;he would often think her proceedings with him &s;o fanta&s;ticall, that &s;he could not beleeve <HI>Timantes</HI> could really e&s;teem her; and as an effect of this opinion, &s;he did &s;o firmly re&s;olve never to di&s;cover her &s;elfe, but to break off ab&s;olutely with him, that <HI>Amaxita</HI> quite de&s;paired of ever altering her. In the meane time, <HI>Philoxipes</HI> knowing that <HI>Timantes</HI> thought his Si&s;ter very faire, he thought that if he could make her like him, a&s;well as he liked her, the de&s;ign &s;o much de&s;ired might happily take effect: But &s;ince &s;he could never like <HI>Timantes</HI> unle&s;&s;e &s;he &s;aw him; and &s;ince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> knew not that &s;he knew him a&s;well as he did, he re&s;olved to carry him unto the Prince&s;&s;e, and to &s;urpri&s;e her in her &s;olitude: But <HI>Timantes</HI> excu&s;ed him&s;elfe &s;aying, he re&s;pected her more then to force her to &s;ee a man whom &s;he did not think worthy of that honour, and had denyed it before, adding further, that it would be a meanes to make her hate him: &s;o that <HI>Timantes</HI> refu&s;ing to goe in a civill complement, <HI>Philoxipes</HI> knew not what to think: But <HI>Antimaques</HI> who was acquainted with the pa&s;&s;age, told it unto <HI>Dorida,</HI> to the end &s;he might tell <HI>Policrite,</HI> that the rea&s;on why <HI>Timantes</HI> would not go to &s;ee the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> was, becau&s;e he would not ex|po&s;e him&s;elfe unto the danger of falling in love with one who perhaps would be in&s;en&s;ible of him: So that <HI>Dorida</HI> preparing the mind of <HI>Policrite,</HI> and <HI>Policrite</HI> the mind of <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> it was plotted and re&s;olved among&s;t them, to get out <HI>Timantes</HI> under colour of taking a journey of plea&s;ure, and in lieu of carrying him unto the pretended place, to carry him unto the Prince&s;&s;e: But &s;ince the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> knew the humour of <HI>Parthenia,</HI> it was thought expedient to gaine <HI>Amaxita;</HI> therefore he made a vi&s;it unto the Prince&s;&s;e, and ne|gotiated the matter &s;o dexterou&s;ly, that &s;he found an opportunity (whil&s;t <HI>Parthenia</HI> was dre&s;&s;ing her &s;elfe, for it was very early) to talk with <HI>Amaxita</HI> in her chamber, and imparted unto her their de&s;igne of marrying the Prince&s;&s;e his &s;i&s;ter unto <HI>Timantes.</HI> Let us tell her &s;aid he, to &s;atisfie her concerning the Oracles which &s;he received, that he is fallen in love with her reputation, and with the commendation which every one gives of her &s;pirit. At fir&s;t, <HI>Amaxita</HI> thought that the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> knew &s;omething of the pa&s;&s;ages between <HI>Timan|tes</HI> and <HI>Porthenia,</HI> but &s;he was greatly undeceived of that, by &s;everall pa&s;&s;ages he told her: &s;o that &s;eeing it was the zeale and earne&s;t de&s;ire of this Prince to promote this Marriage, &s;he re&s;olved to impart the &s;ecret of all the &s;tory unto him, conceiving that if &s;he did not, perhaps the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> (when he &s;aw the amazement that <HI>Timantes</HI> would be in, when &s;eeing and hearing <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;peak, he would know her, and his unknowne one to be one and the &s;ame per&s;on) would not know what to think, and perhaps would have &s;ome di&s;advantagi|ous thought of <HI>Parthenia;</HI> therefore <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e intreated the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> to beleeve the &s;incerity of her words, and conjured him not to di&s;cover what &s;he had imparted, aggravating the &s;cruple which <HI>Parthenia</HI> made, to marry a man who was in love with her beauty; &s;o that <HI>Philoxipes</HI> crediting all that my &s;i&s;ter told him, he was &s;o &s;trongly confirmed in his de&s;igne, that he thought of nothing el&s;e but how to promote it: He concluded then with <HI>Amaxita</HI> upon the day when he would bring <HI>Timantes</HI> unto <HI>Parthenia,</HI> to the end that the Prince&s;&s;e mig<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> not be that day in her negligent dre&s;&s;e, though &s;he &s;hould not be acquainted with the rea&s;on: After which he returned into <HI>Paphos,</HI> where <HI>Timantes</HI> was droning out a life of melancholy, for he was profoundly in love with his unknown Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, and could not forget
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the beauty of the Prince&s;s of <HI>Salamis,</HI> from whom he received divers Letters, no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> knowing them to be from her. In the mean time <HI>Parthenia</HI> was almo&s;t ab&s;olutely re&s;olved to di&s;engage her &s;elf from the affection of <HI>Timantes,</HI> for &s;he &s;tood upon &s;uch terms of honour, that &s;he could not re&s;olve to make her &s;elf known unto him, after all this fanta&s;ticall gallantry: And indeed &s;he writ unto him as if it were to be the la&s;t he &s;hould ever receive from her: Yet I think it was not her full intention, for I think &s;he writ another after it, purpo&s;ely to know his &s;orrows af|ter this &s;ad news, and the better to know how he loved her. However, <HI>Timantes</HI> received the Letter after he had engaged him&s;elf to <HI>Policrite</HI> and <HI>Philoxipes</HI> to goe the next morning unto a place where yet he never had been; not thinking that it was unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Salamis.</HI> But &s;ince he grieved exce&s;&s;ively at the Letter from <HI>Parthenia,</HI> he did what he could to di&s;-en|gage him&s;elf, but he could not; all his pretences would not &s;erve for an excu&s;e, nor content <HI>Philoxipes:</HI> Hee went him&s;elf to <HI>Timantes</HI> to oblige him unto this journey. <HI>Policrite</HI> &s;ent &s;everall times unto him, and &s;ent him po&s;itive word, that for her part &s;hee would not goe, unle&s;&s;e hee did. So that as &s;ad as hee was, there was a nece&s;&s;ity of going with them; but Heavens know it was with &s;o much unwillingne&s;&s;e and &s;orrow, that it appeared in his face, in his words, and in his habit; for it was carele&s;&s;e. He did &s;trive, and force him&s;elf to &s;eem a little plea&s;ant, but his &s;orrows were &s;tronger then him&s;elf. <HI>Phi|loxipes</HI> would have exceedingly grieved had he not known the cau&s;e; but my Si&s;ter did write unto him, intimating it, and her de&s;ires of ha&s;tning the execution of the de&s;ign. I forgot to tell you, Sir, how <HI>Timantes</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Parthenia</HI>'s Letter that night, and I &s;ent it away &s;o, that &s;he received it two hours before <HI>Philoxipes</HI> and <HI>Timantes</HI> came unto her: But never was there &s;uch a condoling Letter written; it moved <HI>Parthenia</HI> to repent of her rigid dealing with him: In the mean time <HI>Amaxita</HI> knowing that &s;ome company would come that day, was much puzzled how to get her out of her negligent dre&s;&s;e, and bethought her &s;elf of a way how to move her unto it. The Prince&s;&s;e long &s;ince promi&s;ed my Si&s;ter to &s;uffer her to take her Picture, and therefore my Si&s;ter told her that I had writ unto her by him who brought the Letter from <HI>Timantes,</HI> intimating that the Limmer would be there that day, and would in|fallibly be there within two hours. So that <HI>Amaxita</HI> in this con&s;ideration entreated the Prince&s;&s;e to dre&s;&s;e her &s;elf as well as po&s;&s;ibly &s;he could. The Prince&s;&s;e told her at fir&s;t, that he &s;hould &s;tay untill to morrow: but <HI>Amaxita</HI> told her, the Limmer was &s;o full of work, that he could not &s;tay &s;o long, and that there was no time to &s;pare: So that <HI>Parthenia</HI> loving my Si&s;ter very well, did let her women dre&s;&s;e her as if &s;he were going unto &s;ome publique Fea&s;t, <HI>Amaxita</HI> telling her that the Limmer was to work upon her clothes that day, and that the better dre&s;&s;ed &s;he was, the more lovely would her face look, and would in&s;pire a hand|&s;ome fancy into the Limmer, and al&s;o that it was nece&s;&s;ary that <HI>Parthenia</HI> was to dre&s;&s;e her &s;elf, to the end he might draw her whole Picture. But whil&s;t <HI>Amaxita</HI> was making choice of &s;uch Jewels and clothes as &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Parthenia</HI> to wear that day, <HI>Timantes</HI> not knowing whither he was carryed, left the conduct of him&s;elf to the Prince <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> and the Prince&s;s
<HI>Policrite; Antimaques</HI> made one in this voyage as well as <HI>Dorida,</HI> and I had the honour to be there al&s;o, <HI>Philoxipes</HI> knowing by my Si&s;ter, that I was a confident in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. But, Sir, the more melancholly <HI>Timantes</HI> was, the more inclination had <HI>Philoxipes</HI> and <HI>Policrite</HI> to be merry, being more fully per&s;waded that he was the man whom the gods had re&s;erved for a happine&s;&s;e unto the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> &s;ince it is hardly po&s;&s;ible without &s;ome &s;pe|ciall order of divine providence, that <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;hould love <HI>Parthenia</HI> in &s;o odde a way. In the mean time this gallant company went on, and came at la&s;t &s;o near that De&s;art of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> that <HI>Timantes</HI> coming out of a deep &s;tudy, asked who&s;e hou&s;e that was, and whither it was they went unto. It is the &s;ame that we goe unto, &s;aid <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> but you &s;hall not know who&s;e it is, untill you have &s;een her who will entertain us. <HI>Timantes</HI> was &s;o deep in his melancholy, that he never minded this indirect an&s;wer, or had any &s;u&s;pition. We came unto the Ba&s;e Court of the Ca&s;tle, and then went on foot: <HI>Timantes</HI> led <HI>Policrite,</HI> and <HI>Antimaques Dorida:</HI> As for <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> he told the Prince&s;&s;e his Wife, and <HI>Timantes,</HI> he would goe before, and acquaint them they were come; &s;o that commanding me to fol|low him, we went befor unto <HI>Parthenia's</HI> chamber, who had newly done dre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf, and who being told by &s;ome of her &s;ervants that the Prince her Brother, and Prince&s;&s;e her Si&s;ter was come, &s;he was coming in ha&s;t to entertain them: So that <HI>Philoxipes</HI> giving her his hand after he had &s;aluted her, he did not oppo&s;e her civility which &s;he intended unto <HI>Policrite,</HI> but led her unto the mid&s;t of the outer room where they met. Sir, it is a mo&s;t difficult matter to relate how <HI>Timantes</HI> was amazed when he &s;aw the Prince&s;s of <HI>Salamis</HI> appear, whom hee knew at fir&s;t, though he never &s;aw her but once before; and how the Prince&s;s of <HI>Salamis</HI> was
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&s;urpri&s;ed when &s;he &s;aw <HI>Timantes,</HI> who knew a&s;&s;oon as ever &s;he &s;poke that his unknown Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e and &s;he were one and the &s;ame; certainly this adventure was full of wonder, at the very fir&s;t <HI>Parthenia</HI> blu&s;ht: and in lieu of advancing towards <HI>Policrite,</HI> &s;he thought to &s;top; <HI>Timantes</HI> did the &s;ame, and never were two per&s;ons of &s;uch &s;pirits as they &s;o planet-&s;truck with amazement; yet <HI>Timantes</HI> amid&s;t his wonder, had &s;ome glimps of joy a&s;well as &s;or|row, the fir&s;t of the&s;e, becau&s;e the beauty of <HI>Parthenia</HI> made &s;uch a print in his heart, as he could not but joy at the &s;ight of &s;uth a beauty; the &s;econd, becau&s;e as things &s;tood between him and his unknown Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, he feared left this vi&s;it would ruine him in her opinion. But when <HI>Parthenia</HI> was a little recollected from her fir&s;t a&s;toni&s;hment, and with much adoe was able to tell <HI>Policrite</HI> &s;he was glad to &s;ee her, <HI>Timantes</HI> fell into a &s;econd fit of wonder, much greater then the fir&s;t; for <HI>Parthenia</HI> had no &s;ooner pronounced four words, but he perfectly knew her voice, and made no que&s;tion in the world but that &s;he was his un|known Mi&s;tre&s;s: but yet this la&s;t amazement was much different from the fir&s;t: for he was beyond all expect tion joyed to find, that all he loved in two per&s;ons were conjoyned in one, and that his unknown Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e and <HI>Parthenia</HI> were one and the &s;ame, the motions of his heart did beat in his eyes; joy danced in his lookes, and he had much adoe to hinder his expre&s;&s;ions of it; e&s;pecially when <HI>Policrite</HI> having ended her owne complements, pre&s;ented him unto <HI>Parthenia,</HI> who &s;aluted him civilly, but yet very faintly; for &s;ince &s;he was ignorant how <HI>Timantes</HI> was compelled to come unto her, &s;he thought that &s;ince he was &s;o jocund after &s;uch a letter as &s;he &s;ent him, that he did not love her; &s;o that though &s;he was not uncivill, yet he ob&s;erved &s;he was angry: Al&s;o &s;he was &s;o a&s;hamed, that <HI>Timantes</HI> &s;hould know her, that &s;he could no longer hide her &s;elfe from him, and that it was no obligement in her, the making her &s;elfe known unto him, that all her thoughts were &s;o intangled and confu&s;ed, that &s;he knew not what to doe or think, yet &s;he imagined there was &s;ome &s;ecret de&s;igne or other in this vi&s;it, and &s;he &s;u&s;pected that <HI>Amaxita</HI> had revealed her &s;ecret; &s;he looked earne&s;tly in her eyes to find in them a confirmation of her &s;u&s;pition, but &s;he could not di&s;cover any thing by them. In the mean while <HI>Philoxipes</HI> began to chide his &s;i&s;ter and laugh, becau&s;e &s;he was not &s;ufficiently joyed at the &s;ight of <HI>Policrite,</HI> and becau&s;e of her incivility in not thanking her for bringing to her the brave&s;t and mo&s;t gallant man in the world, in bringing <HI>Timantes:</HI> I beleeve, &s;aid &s;he unto her, that the Prince&s;&s;e my &s;i&s;ter is &s;o well per&s;waded of my affection, as &s;he will not doubt but I am ravi&s;hed with joy to &s;ee her, and as for this illu&s;trious &s;tranger (added &s;he and blu&s;hed) I think he hath &s;o little cau&s;e to thank you for bringing him hither, as I have not &s;o much intere&s;t in him, as to thank you my &s;elfe for him. I a&s;&s;ure you Madam (replyed <HI>Timantes,</HI> and looked upon her with equall love and joy) I think my &s;elfe &s;o happy in the honour of &s;eeing you this day, that if you had any intere&s;t in me, you would render abundance of thanks for me unto the Prince <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> and &s;o much the more (&s;aid he, thinking to ju&s;tifie him&s;elfe, and not thinking that the company took any notice) becau&s;e the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> forced that happine&s;&s;e upon me, in compelling me to come hither, where I &s;hould have feared to di&s;turb your &s;olitude. After this <HI>Parthenia</HI> brought all this good company into her chamber, her mind being as full of various thoughts, as the mind of <HI>Ti|mantes,</HI> who&s;e eyes were &s;till fixed upon hers, and &s;he on the contrary dur&s;t not look upon him, but &s;hunned his looks as much as &s;he could: In the meane while <HI>Philoxipes</HI> and <HI>Policrite,</HI> asked her how it came to pa&s;&s;e &s;he was &s;o finely dre&s;&s;ed in a de&s;art, and afterward chid her for coming nere <HI>Paphos,</HI> and never &s;ending to &s;ee how they did; and thus the time was &s;pent untill dinner. But as <HI>Timantes</HI> did burn with de&s;ire to tell his adored unknown Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e that he knew her, &s;o he watched the opportunity (whil&s;t <HI>Philoxipes</HI> and <HI>Policrite</HI> were talking of the be&s;t expedients to get <HI>Parthenia's</HI> con&s;en<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> unto their de&s;ires) to addre&s;&s;e him&s;elfe unto her, and to talk with her when none heard. Why Madam, &s;aid he unto her, have you &s;o long eclip&s;ed the greate&s;t beauty in the World? why would you rather put it to hazard then your owne will that I &s;hould &s;ee you? The la&s;t letter which your unknown Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e writ unto you (&s;aid &s;he unto him) has &s;o little reached your hart, that I cannot tell whether her acquaintance with you, will be &s;o plea&s;ing as you imagine; or whether the con&s;olation which you look for from the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> will be &s;o great as you hoped: it was not &s;he whom you &s;aw at the Temple, but &s;he whom you &s;aw at <HI>Paphos,</HI> whom I de&s;ired you &s;hould love. <HI>Ti|mantes</HI> hearing <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;ay &s;o, prote&s;ted that he never intended to come and &s;ee her but that the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> had deceived him, and forced him to come whether he would or no, and that &s;he might ob&s;erve by his negligent habit, that he had no &s;uch intentions when he ro&s;e in the morning. The truth is Sir, he &s;et all his Rhetorick upon the rack for arguments to per&s;wade her, and make her beleeve, that he had no intention of &s;eeing the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis,</HI> and &s;aid a&s;much as if he were to ju&s;tifie him&s;elfe for intending a vi&s;it unto her mo&s;t
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mortall enemy, or as if his unknown Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e and the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> were not all one per&s;on: and he was in a faire way to make his peace, when <HI>Philoxipes</HI> and <HI>Policrite</HI> came towards them; <HI>Philoxipes</HI> taking <HI>Parthenia</HI> a&s;ide to talk with her in private, and <HI>Policrite</HI> to talk with <HI>Timantes.</HI> But Sir, why &s;hould I &s;o longe hinder you from knowing the good for|tune and happine&s;&s;e of the&s;e two lovers, which is a happy Omen of your owne? Therefore let me tell you without making any particularities, that <HI>Philoxipes</HI> let the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> under&s;tand, that he knew how <HI>Timantes</HI> loved her, and &s;he made no difficulty to confe&s;&s;e &s;he did not hate him. Afterwards he made it apparent unto her, that the Oracles were accompli&s;hed, &s;ince <HI>Timantes</HI> loved her without the influence of her beauty, and he per&s;waded her to put the fidelity of <HI>Timantes</HI> unto no further tryalls, prote&s;t|ing unto her, that he dur&s;t an&s;wer for his con&s;tancy. On the other &s;ide; <HI>Policrite</HI> told <HI>Timantes,</HI> that <HI>Philoxipes</HI> knew of his pa&s;&s;ion and approved of it. Thus were all things &s;o pro&s;perou&s;ly tran&s;acted, that it was re&s;olved upon before <HI>Philoxipes</HI> returned unto <HI>Paphos, Antimaques</HI> &s;hould return to <HI>Crete</HI> to procure the con&s;ent of <HI>Timantes</HI> his Father. In the mean time, left &s;olitude &s;hould infu&s;e fre&s;h &s;cruples, and more fanta&s;ticall thoughts in <HI>Parthenia, Philoxipes</HI> would have <HI>Policrite</HI> carry her unto his &s;tately hou&s;e of <HI>Claria,</HI> and there continue with her before &s;he returned to Court. In conclu&s;ion, Sir, all things were happily compo&s;ed; <HI>Parthenia</HI> pardoned <HI>Amaxita</HI> for revealing her &s;ecret: <HI>Timantes</HI> rendered a million of thanks to the Prince <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> and was infinitely more in love with <HI>Parthenia</HI> then before, but dur&s;t not tell her as much, le&s;t &s;he &s;hould thinke he loved her beauty more then her &s;oul. <HI>Antimaques</HI> returned with the con&s;ent of <HI>Timantes</HI> his Father; and to recompence his pains a match was made up between him and <HI>Dorida,</HI> and they were marryed eight dayes after <HI>Timantes</HI> and <HI>Parthenia.</HI> I &s;hall not trouble you, Sir, with a rela|tion of the great rejoycings in <HI>Paphos,</HI> for you are not concerned in them, onely let mee tell you this, Sir, that never were two &s;o happy as <HI>Timantes</HI> and <HI>Parthenia;</HI> and to let this Prince&s;&s;e &s;ee he loved her above Parents, Country, and and all the world, he would not goe into <HI>Crete,</HI> but re&s;olved to dwell in <HI>Cyprus.</HI> The King, for <HI>Philoxipes</HI> his &s;ake, conferred up|on him the Government of one of the principall parts of the I&s;le: So that <HI>Parthenia</HI> found a full accompli&s;hment of her joyes, in&s;omuch, as you, Sir, have rea&s;on to hope, that the &s;ame gods who declared her happine&s;&s;e and yours at the &s;ame time, would produce the &s;ame happy events unto you, Sir, as unto her. Al&s;o it was the Prince <HI>Philoxipes</HI> his plea&s;ure, that I &s;hould come and acquaint you with the happy conclu&s;ion of this adventure, that you might with greater hopes wait for a happy end of all your misfortunes, and for an accompli&s;hment of your felicity, which he de&s;ires with all his heart, and wi&s;hes with as much zeal as he doth his own.</P>
<P><HI>Mega&s;ides</HI> having ended his &s;tory, <HI>Cyrus</HI> expre&s;&s;ed a thou&s;and thanks to the Prince <HI>Phi|loxipes</HI> for the hopes he gave him of an end unto his mi&s;eries; and thanking <HI>Mega&s;ides</HI> in particular for his exact relation of this plea&s;ant adventure, he thought he had good rea&s;on to hope, that &s;ince the Gods had made <HI>Parthenia</HI> &s;o happy &s;o odde a way, they would al&s;o make him happy after all his mi&s;eries. After this <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked <HI>Leontidas</HI> where he met with <HI>Mega&s;ides,</HI> and he was an&s;wered, at <HI>Milete;</HI> then he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed them, a&s;&s;uring <HI>Mega&s;ides</HI> and <HI>Leontidas,</HI> that he would take orders for their di&s;patch, as &s;oon as he had taken a little re&s;t. But they both be&s;eeched him to give them &s;o much leave as to &s;tay and &s;ee the end of the Siege of <HI>Sardis: Leontidas</HI> importuning him to &s;end his orders unto <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> by &s;ome other; and <HI>Mega&s;ides</HI> de&s;ired he might not return unto <HI>Cyprus</HI> but with news of a new Victory, to the end he might be more joyfully welcomed by <HI>Philoxipes. Cyrus</HI> con&s;ented unto their re|que&s;ts, and giving them both thanks and commendations, he bad them retire unto their re&s;t, being him&s;elf in more quietne&s;s of &s;pirit then he was the day before; for though the Oracle of <HI>Babylon</HI> did threaten him; and the Sybill declared &s;ad things unto him, yet &s;ince <HI>Venus Urania</HI> &s;poke him fair, he did not &s;o &s;adly re&s;ent the re&s;t, nor de&s;paired of happine&s;&s;e, &s;ince he might as well beleeve the one as the other. Thus this news did invigorate his &s;pirits amid&s;t his &s;ufferings: He had fre&s;h hopes of happy &s;ucce&s;s in his &s;iege of <HI>Sardis,</HI> and hoped al&s;o that the unju&s;t jealou&s;ie of <HI>Mandana</HI> would &s;hortly end: So that after he had given &s;ome Military orders, he refre&s;hed him&s;elf with two or three hours of &s;ound &s;erene &s;leep: His Dreames al&s;o which u&s;ed to be horrid, now &s;miled upon him, and he &s;aw <HI>Mandana,</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> not jea|lous nor angry: He thought he &s;aw her &s;itting in an Arbour &s;et round with Flowers, and that &s;he called him with as much &s;weetne&s;&s;e in her voice as in her eyes; but as he was going unto her, and ready to kneel unto his Prince&s;&s;e, he thought he heard a great noi&s;e, which made her vani&s;h, and him awake, very &s;orry he could no longer enjoy &s;o fair and &s;weet a vi&s;ion.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The end of the fir&s;t Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="book">
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<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR, CYRVS the GREAT. THE SIXTH PART.  BOOK II.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_CYRUS,</HI> as &s;oon as he was awake, begun to think how he might turn his plea&s;ing dreames into reall enjoyments of <HI>Mandana,</HI> but &s;ince that could not be, unle&s;&s;e <HI>Sardis</HI> were taken; the getting of that famous Town was the object of all his wi&s;hes and thoughts. Never was this victorious Prince &s;o greedy of Conque&s;t as at this time. Nor did he neglect any thing that might further his de&s;ign, but did &s;o often hazard his life at that Siege, that if Fortune had not had a greater care of his life then him&s;elf, his Rivals had triumphed over his ruin without any quarrell among them&s;elves. But this Prince was &s;o powerfully protected by heaven, to fall in &s;o ju&s;t a war, though tho&s;e who judge of things according to appearances, and con&s;ider not that the &s;ecrets of So|veraign power are in&s;crutable, did think him to be for&s;aken. Mean while, the ce&s;&s;ation of ho&s;tility, untill the dead of both &s;ides were brought off, being ended, both the A&s;&s;aulters and the A&s;&s;aulted began both to u&s;e all endeavours to compa&s;&s;e their de&s;ired ends. <HI>Cyrus</HI> attempt|ed to rai&s;e another Sconce under the Counter&s;carp of the Ditch, oppo&s;ite unto that which he made before; to the end that when he made a &s;econd A&s;&s;ault, this might facilitate his de|&s;ign; and that when he was Ma&s;ter of two Pa&s;&s;es over the Ditch, he might make a &s;calado in two &s;everal places at once without the lo&s;&s;e of many men: Yet this was not done without a Councell of War: But &s;ince this Prince never propounded any thing without deep judgement, and which was not advantageous to the common cau&s;e, both his Friends and his Rivals were forced alwayes to approve of what he &s;ayd: Yet would the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;ometimes op|po&s;e him out of pure ob&s;tinacy: And if the wi&s;dom and prudence of <HI>Mazares</HI> had not &s;ome|times interpo&s;ed, and tempered the violence of the <HI>A&s;syrian</HI> Prince, perhaps the combat be|tween <HI>Cyrus</HI> and him would have been fought before the War, and by con&s;equence before <HI>Mandana</HI> was at liberty: For &s;o was the condition between <HI>Cyrus</HI> and this Prince, to put to hazard that in a &s;ingle Duell which he had wonne, and &s;o ju&s;tly merited by &s;o many generall Combats, by the taking of &s;o many Towns, by the conque&s;t of &s;o many Provinces and King|domes, and by the winning of &s;o many Battels. 'Tis true, all the Friends of <HI>Cyrus</HI> had an ob&s;ervant eye over them; and more true, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> him&s;elf had &s;ometimes pitty upon this Prince, who without all doubt had many excellent qualities: For when he con&s;idered,
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how he was a great King, that he had lo&s;t a great Kingdome, and the prime Town in the World, and that the Violence of his pa&s;&s;ion, forced him to &s;erve in the Army of his conque|ror and rivall, and al&s;o enemy, that he was certainly hated of <HI>Mandana,</HI> he excu&s;ed his imperfections and weakne&s;&s;es, and deferred his revenge untill after <HI>Mandana</HI>'s relea&s;ment when he might with honour take it; yet would he augment his &s;orrowes, by letting him know what the Oracle of <HI>Venus-Vrania</HI> had &s;aid in his commendations, that he might have le&s;&s;e confidence in that which he received from <HI>Jupiter-Belus</HI> at <HI>Babylon.</HI> It was not only envie to take all hopes from a rivall, which moved <HI>Cyrus</HI> to publi&s;h this Oracle, but as his rea&s;on why he would not divulge the &s;ad an&s;wer of the <HI>Sybill,</HI> was, becau&s;e he would not dishearten his &s;ouldiers: &s;o on the contrary, he de&s;ired they &s;hould know this Oracle, that it might invigorate their &s;pirits, and give them fre&s;h hearts to fight, knowing well that hopes of Victory in a Souldier is a Battle more then halfe wonne. But &s;ince his mode&s;ty would not permit him to offer any prophanation, by altering any thing which the Gods had &s;aid, he de&s;ired <HI>Mega&s;ides</HI> and <HI>Leontidas</HI> to leave out what the Oracle of <HI>Ve|nus-Vrania</HI> had &s;poken in his commendations, and to publi&s;h only what related unto an end of his mi&s;eries: For though this Oracle did not po&s;itively &s;ay that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould take <HI>Sardis,</HI> that he &s;hould relea&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> and vanqui&s;h all his Rivalls; yet &s;ince they fortold him to be happy, the&s;e things mu&s;t con&s;equently en&s;ue, &s;ince mo&s;t certainly he could never be happy without <HI>Mandana,</HI> and he could never get <HI>Mandana</HI> without a conque&s;t of his Rivalls and enemies; therefore by nece&s;&s;ary inference, he was to obtaine this victory, before he could en|joy this Prince&s;&s;e. This Oracle then was no &s;ooner publi&s;hed by <HI>Mega&s;ides,</HI> and principally by <HI>Leontidas,</HI> who was acquainted with all the officers in the Army, but it produced tho&s;e ef|fects which <HI>Cyrus</HI> expected; fre&s;h valour was infu&s;ed into all his troops, and new &s;orrowes &s;ei&s;ed upon the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> heart; all the mountainous hopes he had in the promi&s;es of <HI>Jupiter-Belus</HI> began to &s;hrink into Mole-hills, by rea&s;on of this Oracle; but &s;ince he thought that by murmuring again&s;t the Gods would but the more incen&s;e them, he was &s;ilently hu&s;ht, and hated <HI>Cyrus</HI> the more, though he did not le&s;&s;e e&s;teem him. As for <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;ince he ex|pected nothing but mi&s;ery, his rea&s;on did &s;urmount his pa&s;&s;ion, and he had no other hopes but to participate with <HI>Cyrus</HI> in the danger and glory of relea&s;ing <HI>Mandana,</HI> and therefore the&s;e promi&s;es of the Gods unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did little fret his heart: 'tis true, he was alwaies &s;o mi&s;erable, that Fortune could hardly be more incen&s;ed again&s;t him then &s;he was, but &s;ince he was not le&s;&s;e prudent then unfortunate, nor le&s;&s;e generous then prudent, <HI>Cyrus</HI> began to e&s;teem him infinitely, and keep clo&s;e &s;ociety with him; both of them did complain unto each other of the King of <HI>A&s;syria</HI>'s violent humor, and at la&s;t did &s;o accu&s;tom them&s;elves unto civility, that they did not only e&s;teem, but think each other worthy of <HI>Mandana;</HI> yet they never &s;pake of her but &s;ighed, and as they went from quarter to quarter, vi&s;iting the gards which <HI>Cyrus</HI> kept upon all the advenues of <HI>Sardis, Mandana</HI> was the only object of their di&s;cour&s;e, unle&s;&s;e when they were obliged to &s;peak of &s;omething which related unto the Siege. How are you Sir, would <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;ay unto him, in being not only loved by the mo&s;t glorious Prince&s;&s;e of the world, but al&s;o in never having done any thing which might di&s;plea&s;e her; I wi&s;h unto the heavens, that &s;ince it was my bitter fate to be hated, that it might be unju&s;tly, and that I could not upbraid my &s;elfe with meriting her hate, by my deceiving her, and carrying her away from <HI>Sinope.</HI> There is both &s;o much love, and prudence, and genero&s;ity, in your expre&s;&s;ions Sir, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that I would not have my Prince&s;&s;e heare you. No, no, Sir (&s;aid <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;adly) never feare the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;ince &s;he has &s;lighted the King of <HI>A&s;syria</HI> for you, and &s;ince &s;he had rather &s;ee all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> in armes then you unfaithfull; &s;ince &s;he has held out again&s;t all the &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive attempts of the <HI>Pontean</HI> King; and has hated me &s;o far, as to deny that liberty which I offered her, you may well be confident, that nothing will alter the con&s;tant heart of that Prince&s;&s;e. Whil&s;t <HI>Mazares</HI> was talking thus, <HI>Cyrus</HI> hearkened and &s;ighed, &s;eeing him to be more mi&s;erable then he thought him; nor would he acquaint him with his condition in <HI>Mandana</HI>'s thoughts, le&s;t he &s;hould revive &s;ome hopes in the heart of his generous Rivall, and kindle that fire which was not quite extingui&s;hed. In the meane time <HI>Cyrus</HI> neglected not the erecting of that &s;conce which he intended, and was re&s;olved upon by the councell of War, but it was not done without much difficulty; for the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> knowing the importance of it, did &s;ally out three times upon them; yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing well that one of the greate&s;t &s;ecrets in War is, never to quit the fir&s;t de&s;ign for a &s;econd, becau&s;e then &s;udden orders can never be &s;o prudently given, nor punctually executed, as tho&s;e which are deliberatly pondered, therefore he com|manded this &s;conce to be pro&s;ecuted with all the power he had; and &s;ince his army was nume|rous,
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he thought that let the Enemies make what Sallies they could, he was able to beat them in again. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and the King of <HI>Hircama,</HI> had each their &s;everal Quarters to make good; and the Stranger <HI>Anaxaris</HI> fought that day next <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he thinking it a &s;ufficient recompence of his Valour, to have this Renowned Heroe a witne&s;&s;e of it: And it mu&s;t be acknowledged, that as the commendations of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was noble Rewards for the Acts of <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> &s;o the Acts of <HI>Anaxaris</HI> did de&s;erve the commendations of <HI>Cy|rus.</HI> Among&s;t all the re&s;t of his bravery during this Siege, that erecting of this Sconce was one of the mo&s;t remarkable; for he did &s;uch things as could never be equalled by any but by the valour of <HI>Cyrus</HI> onely, who que&s;tionle&s;&s;e upon this occa&s;ion did &s;uch things as can hardly be related without &s;u&s;pition of truth. Above twenty times was he beaten off by the enemy, and as often did he repul&s;e them into the town, he lo&s;t and regained that quarter of the ditch where he intended the Sconce; but at la&s;t he wearied his enemies, and perfected his de&s;igne: The Sallies which the be&s;ieged made in other places did thrive no better: <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;u&s;tained &s;ome lo&s;s of men, but not comparable to his Enemies: <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> who &s;ince the death of <HI>Panthea</HI> did &s;igh out a life of &s;orrows, was wounded at this bout, where he fought more with de&s;ign to die then vanqui&s;h, but &s;o it did not prove, for there was no mortality in the wound he receiv'd, but was rather a means to &s;ave his life then to put it in danger. The King of <HI>A&s;syria</HI> was in thoughts of death al&s;o at this time: But the advantage was clear on <HI>Cyrus</HI> his &s;ide: For he had fini&s;hed his &s;conce, he had killed many <HI>Lydians,</HI> and took abundance of pri&s;oners. Hee under&s;tood from &s;ome of them after the Fight was ended, and he returned to his Tent, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> to keep up the people, told them of great Relief to come from <HI>Thrace,</HI> that the <HI>Bactrians</HI> al&s;o would &s;end Auxiliaries, and that ere long <HI>Cyrus</HI> would be forced to rai&s;e the Siege. He under&s;tood from them al&s;o more certainly then before, that <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> had no power in the Cittadell, and that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had &s;o tampered, that he was ab&s;olute ma&s;ter of the Souldiery. The&s;e Pri&s;oners al&s;o told him, how there came a Lady late unto the Cittadell, unto whom the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> moved <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> to give protection. How could this Lady, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> get into <HI>Sardis,</HI> &s;ince it is compa&s;&s;ed about with two hundred thou|&s;and men? No, Sir, &s;aid one of tho&s;e pri&s;oners, &s;he came in before unknown for whom &s;hee was, though they &s;ay &s;he is of &s;ome great Quality. There is al&s;o a man, who&s;e name is <HI>He|racleon</HI> (who is a mo&s;t gallant man) that promi&s;eth <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> to bring great &s;uccours unto him: They &s;ay al&s;o, that he has been long in <HI>Sardis</HI> concealed; but I can give no further &s;atisfacti|on in the adventure, onely this, that he is a man of &s;ome great Quality. After this <HI>Cyrus</HI> re|tired, and mo&s;t part of the&s;e pri&s;oners took up arms under him. The day following, tho&s;e Deputies which <HI>Leontidas</HI> &s;poke of, arrived, and in the name of the people who &s;ent them, did &s;wear inviolable fidelity to him. They came from <HI>Gnide,</HI> from <HI>Cavia,</HI> from the Territo|ries of <HI>Xanthes,</HI> and from <HI>Licia;</HI> the <HI>Cauniens</HI> al&s;o, and the <HI>Mele&s;ians</HI> &s;ent their Deputies, &s;o that Fortune &s;miled upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> from all &s;ides. And truly, if ambition onely had been his aim, and if glory onely had been his wi&s;h, he had full cau&s;e of contentment; but &s;ince Love onely was the engine of his &s;oul, he reli&s;hed nothing but what conduced to <HI>Mandana</HI>'s re|lea&s;ment, and he would freely have quitted all his Conque&s;ts upon that condition. However he received all the&s;e Deputies with much &s;weetne&s;&s;e, and treated them mo&s;t magnificently. He a&s;&s;ured them of protection again&s;t all their enemies; and told them he would &s;o mediate the matter with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> as he &s;hould look upon them like antient and faithful Subjects. In con|clu&s;ion, they were &s;o charmed with his &s;weet expre&s;&s;ions, that he made him&s;elf as much a Ma|&s;ter of their hearts by his &s;weetne&s;&s;e, as he had made him&s;elf Ma&s;ter of their Country by force of Arms. Their greate&s;t admiration was, to &s;ee a Prince &s;o young, &s;o expert in all their Cu|&s;tomes and Laws, and able to give them as &s;ound advice in the management of publique af|fairs, as if he had been brought up among&s;t them, and had nothing to doe but govern them: He &s;poke unto them all in their &s;everall Languages, and filled them all &s;o full of wonder, that they returned not onely charmed with his pre&s;ence, his &s;pirit, his virtue, and his &s;weetne&s;&s;e, but al&s;o with his gifts, and went with re&s;olutions to incite their Citizens unto &s;ome act which might redound unto the glory of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> And they did con&s;titute every year for ever a day of thanks to be rendered unto the gods for bringing them under the power of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> In the mean while to te&s;tifie more confidence in the people which expre&s;&s;ed &s;o much affection, he confirmed all their Laws and Priviledges, remitted unto them all Tributes, and required nothing from them but a&s;&s;urances of unalterable fidelity: Calling back the Army which <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> and <HI>Harpagus</HI> commanded; &s;ent orders for the fir&s;t of the&s;e to march with them unto him, and leaving the other in the arms of his dear <HI>Aleionida:</HI> And though <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;o well ver&s;ed in the Politiques, as that he knew it contrary to cu&s;tom to draw off his Army &s;o &s;oon from a
<PB N="72" REF="523">
new conquered Country; yet &s;ince this <HI>Lydian</HI> War was the main hinge upon which all the re&s;t moved, and &s;ince he left Garri&s;ons in &s;ome places of greate&s;t &s;trength, he did not think the hazard was great, but thought it better to fortifie his own Forces; not knowing how long the Siege might la&s;t; and knowing that the taking of &s;o great a Town as <HI>Sardis,</HI> might require as great an Army as his. However, <HI>Cyrus</HI> neglected nothing, he &s;ent to &s;ee how <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris</HI> recovered, who was &s;o well, that he &s;ent <HI>Cyrus</HI> word, he &s;hould ere long come and ha|zard that life in his &s;ervice which he had pre&s;erved. <HI>Cyrus</HI> al&s;o &s;ent a complement to the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta,</HI> and was as good as his word in not &s;uffering <HI>Phraartes</HI> to come unto her during the Siege: nor did he forget <HI>Cleonice</HI> and <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> nor any of the Lady Pri&s;oners: But though he did mo&s;t gloriou&s;ly acquit him&s;elf of all he had to doe, either as a Lover, or as a Friend, or as an Enemy, or as a Prince, or as the Generall of an Army, or as a Conque|rour, yet <HI>Mandana</HI>'s unju&s;t charging him with infidelity, did grate upon his very heart: and as oft as this angry thought came into his mind, he thought al&s;o he had &s;ome rea&s;on to fear her con&s;tancy: Since commonly tho&s;e who lightly &s;u&s;pect others are guilty them&s;elves: yet did he pre&s;ently repent of &s;uch a thought, which had much more troubled him, if he had not received intelligence that the people of <HI>Sardis</HI> began to con&s;ider that their riches would not fill their bellies, and that there was likelihood of a hungry &s;edition to ri&s;e among&s;t them, &s;o that their Town would be thereby more pregnable: And indeed there was great probabi|lity of it, though <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> did all they could, the one to &s;ave his Crown, the other his Mi&s;tris; but they were in extream fears of both: Yet le&s;t the people &s;hould de&s;pair, they concealed their fears, and divulged that Relief was coming; that the Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> wa&s;ted every day, and that he would in a &s;hort time be forced to rai&s;e his Siege: That the people which he had conquered did revolt, and con&s;equently he would not be in any condition of new Conque&s;ts. Moreover the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> gave out, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not now care for <HI>Mandana</HI> who was the cau&s;e of the War, but that he was in love with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta;</HI> &s;o that within this &s;hort time all would be made good friends: So that the&s;e reports being divulged, the people &s;uffered their mi&s;eries more patiently, in hopes ere long to &s;ee an end of them. The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> al&s;o received another advantage; for this report coming out of the Town into the Cittadell, and from the mouthes of the peo|ple unto the Souldiers: So that <HI>Mandana</HI>'s women heard what was talked in <HI>Sardis:</HI> the Guards told them aloud (thinking it would bee welcome newes that they &s;hould ere long come out of pri&s;on) that the Peace was almo&s;t concluded between the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Cyrus;</HI> adding, that the fir&s;t of the&s;e was to marry <HI>Mandana,</HI> and <HI>Cyrus Araminta. Mar|te&s;ia</HI> did not credit the&s;e reports, though they confirmed <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Jealou&s;ie; and though they made no impre&s;&s;ion in the &s;pirit of <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> yet they did in <HI>Areatina,</HI> who told all &s;he heard unto a woman belonging to the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis,</HI> and in &s;o loud a voice as <HI>Manda|na</HI> in the next room over-heard her: It did &s;o &s;urpri&s;e her, that the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Lydia</HI> who was with her, did ask her, why &s;he did &s;o &s;uddenly change her colour? <HI>Mandana</HI> being one who loved not to confe&s;&s;e her own weakne&s;&s;e; but what confidence &s;oever &s;he had in the di&s;cretion of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis,</HI> yet &s;he concealed her jealou&s;ie; but now &s;eeing it was be|come publique talk, &s;he re&s;olved to acquaint her, de&s;iring leave fir&s;t to ask <HI>Ariamta</HI> where &s;he had the&s;e reports. <HI>Arianita</HI> being &s;urpri&s;ed that <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould over-hear her, would have denied her words; but <HI>Mandana</HI> told her ab&s;olutely &s;he did &s;peak them, and &s;he would know the truth; &s;o that at la&s;t &s;he told her all. The&s;e two Princes then retiring them&s;elves: For my part, &s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis,</HI> I cannot find any rea&s;on why you &s;hould fear that this talk of the Guards &s;hould be true: For is it probable or credible, that the greate&s;t Prince in the world &s;hould be capable of &s;o much unworthine&s;&s;e? Though he were perfideous, and could not pre&s;erve his heart, yet certainly he would never make conditions of peace by di&s;po|&s;ing of you, but would &s;et you at liberty: He may perhaps re&s;tore the Kingdom of <HI>Pontus</HI> unto the Brother of his new Mi&s;tris, but has nothing to doe in the di&s;po&s;ing of the King of <HI>Medes</HI> Daughter, who&s;e Army he commands; and therefore I am confident <HI>Cyrus</HI> is innocent, and the&s;e reports of the Guards are onely tho&s;e vain popularities which &s;uch kind of people u&s;u|ally vent, though there be no appearance of truth in them. No, no, Madam (replyed <HI>Man|dana</HI> &s;adly) the news is not all fal&s;e, nor doe I think it all true: I doe not think the perfidie of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;o high as to make his conditions of peace with me: Yet certainly he loves not me, but the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta;</HI> and I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e that I have &s;uch probable conjectures of his crime, that I doe not doubt it. I confe&s;&s;e al&s;o I have concealed my &s;u&s;pitions from you, be|cau&s;e I could not po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e you &s;o &s;oon with an ill opinion of that man whom I had &s;o highly commended unto you. But I pray you (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis)</HI> what proofs have you
<PB N="73" REF="523">
of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his incon&s;tancy, who hath te&s;tified &s;o many &s;ignes of unalterable con&s;tancy? and done more for you, then any did for any? Be plea&s;ed to know, replyed &s;he, that a while before the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> went to fight the Battle which he lo&s;t, he came into my Chamber with more glimps of joy in his face then u&s;ually: Madam (&s;aid he unto me) I be&s;eech you pardon me, if I acquaint you with a thing, which doubtle&s;&s;e will not plea&s;e you, but &s;ince it con|cernes you no le&s;&s;e then me, I think it my duty to let you know it. Sir, &s;aid I unto him and &s;ighed, you have &s;o accu&s;tomed me to ill newes &s;ince I have been in your power, that though you &s;hould tell me any thing which will not plea&s;e, yet I &s;hall heare it. I think Madam, &s;aid he unto her, that it will di&s;plea&s;e you to heare that <HI>Cyrus</HI> whom you preferre before all the Princes in the World, and who indeed does merit all his glory, hath pre|ferred one before you, that is inferior to you in all things: I doe not de&s;ire Madam you &s;hould beleeve me, but beleeve your owne eyes. After this he gave me a letter, telling me it was from the Prince&s;s his &s;i&s;ter, and which indeed was &s;o; adding, that it was taken from a man who was taken pri&s;oner: But Madam, &s;aid <HI>Mandana,</HI> that you may &s;ee what cau&s;e I have to &s;u&s;pect and grieve, I pray you read this letter from the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Ara|minta,</HI> which the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> left with me; I need not tell you how this Prince&s;&s;e was in love with <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;onne to <HI>Ar&s;omenes</HI> King of <HI>Bithynia;</HI> nor need I tell you, how <HI>Spitridates</HI> does wonderfully re&s;emble <HI>Cyrus;</HI> for per&s;ons of your quality and wi&s;dome know all the&s;e adventures: After this, <HI>Mandana</HI> did give the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta</HI>'s letter unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis,</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> finding in it matter enough to make <HI>Mandana</HI> jealous, re&s;olved to give it unto her, thereby to poi&s;on her opinion of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> opening this letter found the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>ARAMINTA, <HI>unto</HI> SPITRIDATES.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>I</HI> Conceive you have rea&s;on of wonder, to &s;ee one whom you have driven to the nece&s;&s;ity of justifying her &s;elfe, almo&s;t confe&s;&s;e all things that you can accu&s;e her of: In the meane time I cannot deny, but that I am extreamly obliged unto the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who hath had more re&s;pect of me, then ever conqueror had of a captive, and that I have as much of him, looking upon him as the greate&s;t Prince in the world, and the mo&s;t glorious conqueror: Nor can I deny, but he does wonderfully re&s;emble you, and that the &s;ight of him does extreamly delight me. After all this, I wonder you &s;hould write unto me, that it &s;hould be reported I have conquered the conqueror of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and that my heart is his mo&s;t illu&s;trious conque&s;t; for con&s;idering all I have done for you, this is extream inju&s;tice, there was no nece&s;&s;ity that you &s;hould tell me, that before you were in pri&s;on, you heard of his re&s;pects unto me and to him, for I confe&s;&s;e it; &amp; le&s;&s;e need to writ unto me how they report a hundred particular pa&s;&s;ages 'twixt him and me, for you cannot do it without a wrong unto me. Return <HI>Spitridates,</HI> return, &amp; render your &s;elfe worthy of my ju&s;tification, repent of your accu&s;ation: 'Tis true, I cannot much grieve, &s;ince the taking of <HI>Sardis</HI> will let you know what the de&s;ignes of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and my &s;elfe are. I doe not &s;ay this Prince hath promi&s;ed to &s;et you at liberty, for you will perhaps think he would not doe it, but only to recompence you for taking from you one who heretofore was mo&s;t deere unto you. After this, I have no more to &s;ay, but that &s;ince it is the voice of the peo|ple which accu&s;ed me, I doe expect and wait untill the &s;ame doe let you know I never did any thing which I ought not to do, nor ever had the lea&s;t thought which I ought not to think, and that I love none but whom I will love unto the death of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ARAMINTA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>A&s;&s;oon as the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis</HI> had read this Letter, <HI>Mandana</HI> began to &s;peak. VVell Madam, &s;aid &s;he unto her, is it not rea&s;on that &s;ince the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> is jealous of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta,</HI> I &s;hould &s;u&s;pect the fidelity of <HI>Cyrus?</HI> mu&s;t there not needs be &s;ome truth in that which is &s;o generally &s;poken both in <HI>Bithynia</HI> and <HI>Lydia,</HI> in <HI>Chalcidonia</HI> &amp; in <HI>Sardis?</HI> Moreover Madam, I am mo&s;t certain this is the hand of <HI>Araminta,</HI> for I have &s;everall times &s;een hers, when the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was a ho&s;tage in the King my Fathers Court; &s;o that I cannot think there is an impo&s;ture in it: moreover I cannot &s;u&s;pect the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> of forgerie, for I have &s;een the &s;ervant whom <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;ent with the Letter, and he is the very &s;ame &s;ervant which I preferred unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> when he went unto <HI>Themi&s;cyra:</HI> But did this Ser|vant tell you that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in love with <HI>Araminta?</HI> (replyed the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis)</HI> He did not directly &s;ay &s;o (replyed &s;he) but he &s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> did render as much honour unto <HI>Araminta,</HI>
<PB N="74" REF="524">
as if &s;he were at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> he vi&s;ited her very often, and held long di&s;cour&s;es with her: More|over, this me&s;&s;enger from <HI>Spitridates</HI> tells me one thing, which puts me out of doubt that there is a great league of &s;ecrecy between <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Araminta;</HI> for he tells me, that when he was brought before <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and the letters which I had about me pre&s;ented unto him, he &s;ent it immediately unto <HI>Araminta</HI> by <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> not knowing from whence it came, and it was only by <HI>Araminta</HI>'s an&s;wer I came to know it was from <HI>Spitridates;</HI> this me&s;sen|ger had orders to go unto this Prince&s;s with <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> who gave her this Letter directed to her from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who was &s;o full of re&s;pect unto her, that he &s;ent it unopened, though by the lawes of Warre he might have done it without any incivility. But the better to let you &s;ee what this &s;ecret bu&s;ine&s;s was, the man &s;aies that the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> &s;ent back the Letter of <HI>Spitridates</HI> unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> by <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> with the letter which &s;he writ unto him from her &s;elfe, and that afterward <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent it back againe with his an&s;wer unto her. I be|&s;eech you Madam judge whether I need to doubt of the infidelity of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> for if he were not a lover of <HI>Araminta,</HI> &s;he would never have &s;ent him <HI>Spitridates</HI> his Letter, it had been enough if &s;he had &s;ent him word that it concerned no matters of State or Warre. But certainly &s;he in|tends to &s;acrifice <HI>Spitridates</HI> unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;ent his Letter to know of him what &s;he &s;hould an&s;wer. For all this, &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> it &s;eemes <HI>Araminta</HI> would ju&s;tifie her &s;elfe, &s;ince &s;he &s;aies <HI>Spitridates</HI> hath no cau&s;e to be jealous: Alas Madam, replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> I find more crime in <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then I doe innocency in <HI>Araminta,</HI> for &s;he does &s;o weakly ju&s;tifie her &s;elfe, that &s;he &s;eemes rather to prepare <HI>Spitridates</HI> for her incon&s;tancy, then to cure his jea|lou&s;ie; &s;he confe&s;seth almo&s;t all he can accu&s;e her of, and deferrs her ju&s;tification untill after the taking of <HI>Sardis;</HI> never telling him, &s;he will be &s;till his and not the lover of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> &s;he began to make him hope for liberty, but &s;he ended in telling him, &s;he would love him untill death whom &s;he loved at that pre&s;ent, but never tells him whether it be he &s;he loves or no; &s;he might a&s;well have &s;aid, <HI>Araminta</HI> is incon&s;tant, becau&s;e &s;he thinks <HI>Cyrus</HI> more amiable then <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and more happy; a mixture of ambition with love, is not ami&s;s, and by entertaining the pa&s;&s;ion of this Prince, &s;he renueth the Crown in her, and Crowns her own head with all his Lawrells: The truth is Madam, it is not &s;trange that the conqueror of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> &s;hould conquer <HI>Araminta</HI>'s heart; and le&s;s wonder if I &s;hould murmur, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould be conquered by a captive Prince&s;s, then for her to be moved with the teares of a conqueror: But Madam, it mu&s;t be confe&s;sed his height of inju&s;tice in him to for&s;ake me after all this I have done for him, after he hath been the cau&s;e of all the mi&s;eries in my life; after I have for his &s;ake &s;leighted the greate&s;t Princes in the world, and after I had over|come my own &s;pirit and heart for his &s;ake: Yet Madam it is but too true, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> has for&s;aken me, and had rather lo&s;e the reward of all his pa&s;t &s;ervices, then remain faithfull. Truly Madam, &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> me thinks you condemn <HI>Cyrus</HI> upon no good ground, for though there be &s;ome appearances again&s;t him, yet they are no convincing proofs; and you ought not to condemn him as a criminall. I beleeve (&s;aid <HI>Mandana</HI> and &s;igh|ed) that the taking of <HI>Sardis</HI> will make his crime apparent; and as for this pretended peace, which is talked of unto <HI>Araminta,</HI> I am confident it is nothing but common brute without ground: However &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> deferre your judgment untill the end of the Siege, and then you may &s;ee the innocency or crime of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and indeed it is not &s;afe to cen&s;ure untill then, and then either to thank him for your liberty, or chide him for his incon&s;tancy. Oh, I pray unto the Gods that you may have then &s;o much power with him, as to make him be gentle unto the conquered, as hither to he hath been. Though I &s;hould have no power with him, replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet I am confident he would treat the King your Father very well; but as for matter of chiding, &s;aid &s;he, I have already done it: and then <HI>Mandana</HI> told <HI>Palmis</HI> how &s;he had writ unto him, and by whom, who was one of tho&s;e a&s;sa&s;&s;inates which &s;hould have killed <HI>Cyrus</HI> at the in&s;tigation of the coward <HI>Artanus,</HI> and whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> did afterwards mo&s;t generou&s;ly pardon, when he fell into his power. In the mean time, he never an&s;wers me, though the man promi&s;ed me to return or die: But <HI>Mandana</HI>'s expectations were in vaine; for as cunning as the man was, he was &s;u&s;pected and &s;tayed, &s;o that he could not return to the Cittadell, they &s;earched him whether he had any letters, and found about him that of <HI>Cyrus</HI> which was mo&s;t carefully &s;ealed, and <HI>Pactias</HI> before whom he was brought, &s;ent it immediately unto the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> Thus was the unhappy <HI>Mandana</HI> deprived of the comfort in receiving a letter from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> which que&s;tionle&s;s would have convinced her of the error wherein &s;he was; yet was &s;he very happy in having the &s;ociety of a per&s;on &s;o full of &s;pirit and goodne&s;s as the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> to comfort her in her mi&s;eries, and certainly did retalliate comfort for comfort, yet had they one more addition of &s;orrowes; for the King of
<PB N="75" REF="524">
<HI>Pontus,</HI> conceiving another Chamber in the Fort did require fewer Guards, and by con&s;equence more &s;afe, &s;ince it is an ea&s;ier matter to find few, then many faithfull, he would have them removed thither: But &s;ince they could only pa&s;&s;e into it by a great high Tarra&s;&s;e, from whence they might di&s;cover all about the Town, they had a view of all the Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> which were about it; yet as their relations were different, &s;o they turned their looks &s;everall wayes: For <HI>Mandana</HI> looked towards the be&s;iegers, where &s;he knew <HI>Cyrus,</HI> though &s;hee thought him unfaithfull; and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis</HI> looked towards that part of the Town where &s;hee knew the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> was pri&s;oner, but the love of her Country, her tenderne&s;&s;e towards the King her Father, and the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> drew &s;ome of her tears for them, and for the Prince <HI>Artamas:</HI> And after &s;he had &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idered the huge Army which covered all the Plains as far as &s;he could &s;ee: Ala&s;s (&s;aid &s;he, and turned towards <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;adly) you have &s;o much comfort, Madam, as to &s;ee your Relea&s;er among&s;t this va&s;t multitude of men. Ala&s;s, Madam (replyed <HI>Mandana)</HI> a perfideous Prince &s;hall never be my Deliverer; and I &s;hall have more joy to &s;ee the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> out of Pri&s;on, &s;ince he is your Adorer, then to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> victorious, &s;ince he loves not me. The di&s;cour&s;e of the&s;e two great Prince&s;&s;es was not long; for their Guards would not permit them to be long in that place. So they en|tered into their new lodgings; and they entered &s;ighing, though &s;he who had the lea&s;t cau&s;e was mo&s;t &s;ad; but her errour was the more excu&s;able, becau&s;e if &s;he had really lo&s;t the heart of her Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;he had lo&s;t the greate&s;t Jewell in the world. Whil&s;t then this faire and &s;ad Prince&s;&s;e was with &s;o much inju&s;tice lamenting her lo&s;&s;e, and whil&s;t <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> was with as much rea&s;on trembling at his; whil&s;t the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was in de&s;pair, and whil&s;t the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> endured his pri&s;on patiently, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was thinking of nothing but how to relea&s;e <HI>Mandana:</HI> He complained of her Jealou&s;ie, but it was with &s;o much reverent re&s;pect, as would have been fully &s;atisfied, had &s;he known it. In the mean while, it vexed him to &s;ee <HI>Sardis</HI> hold out longer then he expected; and he re&s;olved upon the lo&s;&s;e of many men rather then not to carry it the next A&s;&s;ault: and becau&s;e he would not receive a baffle, he &s;tayed &s;ome dayes untill Scaling-ladders were in readine&s;&s;e. In which interim &s;ome de&s;ign or other was &s;till on foot, either in preventing victuals from coming to the Town, or in cutting off &s;ome Water from the enemy; or in repul&s;ing of Sallies which were every day made: The rea&s;on which made the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;o frequent in his Sallies, and hazard &s;o many men in them, was, he would the better pry into the encampment of his Enemies, and &s;pie an opportunity, if need &s;hould be, of carrying away the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana:</HI> By this meanes al&s;o, hee could either &s;end out Spyes into the Army of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> or el&s;e to &s;o|licite for Reliefe. Things &s;tanding on the&s;e termes, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> made a Sallie in the night time on that Quarter where <HI>Cyrus</HI> commanded in per&s;on. At fir&s;t hee killed many men, fell into the Trenches, and &s;lew all that &s;tood in their way, and gave an Alarm unto all the Camp; but <HI>Cyrus</HI> did quickly &s;top their fury by his pre&s;ence; for his voice was no &s;ooner heard both among&s;t his own men, and his Enemies, but the one &s;truck with fury, and the other with fear, the Enemy fled, and his men followed &s;o clo&s;e, that they were ready to enter the Town with them; but &s;o few of the Enemy entered, as &s;ince that they had no great mind of making Sallies on <HI>Cyrus</HI> his &s;ide. The <HI>Egyptians</HI> and <HI>Medes</HI> be|ing upon the Guard that night, had their &s;hare in the glory of that Action; who yet were beholding to <HI>Cyrus</HI> for their valour, who being as &s;weet after victory, as valiant in fighting, had a great care of all wounded men as well friends as enemies, and &s;o much the rather, be|cau&s;e he under&s;tood that there was an <HI>Egyptian</HI> of quality taken pri&s;oner, who before hee rendred him&s;elf, did &s;o gallantly di&s;pute for his liberty, as he was wounded in &s;everall places, and yet fought till he fell from his Hor&s;e, &s;o was forced to yeeld. <HI>Cyrus</HI> enquired his name in the pre&s;ence of many Egyptian Officers about him; but they knew not, and were extream|ly impatient to know whom this valiant man of their Nation &s;hould be: But when they heard his name was <HI>Heracleon,</HI> they could not chu&s;e but murmur among&s;t them&s;elves, &amp; &s;eem a&s;toni&s;hed, e&s;pecially when they heard afterwards that <HI>Cyrus</HI> commanded that a great care &s;hould be had of him, and placed him in one of his own Tents. There was an Egyptian Of|ficer who&s;e name was <HI>Miris,</HI> could not hold from grumbling at this indulgency of <HI>Cyrus</HI> to him. Oh, Sir, &s;aid he, be not &s;o &s;weet as to pre&s;erve the life of the mo&s;t wicked man upon earth, infinitely unworthy the protection of &s;o virtuous a Prince. If he be &s;uch a one as you &s;ay, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the Gods will puni&s;h him without me. But who is this <HI>Heracleon?</HI> Sir, replyed <HI>Miris,</HI> he is a man mo&s;t unworthy of his birth, which indeed is noble: He is a Rivall to the generous <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> he is an Enemy to his Country, an A&s;&s;a&s;inate of Kings, and a man who&s;e love and ambition prompts unto all imaginable villanies: Therefore I conjure
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you, as you tender the intere&s;t of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> to command he be le&s;&s;e e&s;teemed, andmore care|fully guarded le&s;t he e&s;cape, or kill him&s;elf when he &s;ees he's known: For, Sir, it doth much import <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> &s;ince <HI>Heracleon</HI> is in your power, that this wretch doe not dye, before he let him know that which he onely can inform him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> having ob&s;erved that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> loved <HI>Miris</HI> very well, did hearken unto him, and commanded that <HI>Heracleon</HI> &s;hould bee carefully guarded, that his words &s;hould be carefully ob&s;erved: commanding al&s;o, at the reque&s;t of <HI>Miris,</HI> that an account be given of his wounds, to the end, that if he be in danger, he may be moved to confe&s;&s;e what concerned the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> However, Sir, &s;aid <HI>Miris,</HI> I be&s;eech you as you re&s;pect the intere&s;t of this great Prince, Sir, to let mee have two houres di&s;cour&s;e and audience, as &s;oon as conveniently you can; that I may acquaint you, how it concerns <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> to know what onely <HI>Heracleon</HI> can tell him, and that you may know al&s;o what difference to put between the&s;e two Rivals; for &s;ince I mo&s;t exactly know all pa&s;&s;ages between them, and &s;ince the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> commanded me to acquaint you with it as &s;oon as I met with a favourable opportunity, I &s;hould be exceedingly glad &s;ince you have his ene|my in your hands, to acquaint you with his adventures. The &s;tory will extreamely plea&s;e (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> for ever &s;ince the fir&s;t I &s;aw <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> I have had a great de&s;ire to know his fortunes; therefore I promi&s;e you to manage my matters &s;o, as I will find &s;ome hours of au|dience before I &s;leep; and indeed <HI>Cyrus</HI> was as good as his word; for after he had &s;pent all the re&s;t of that day, and the beginning of the night in giving orders, he retired &s;omething &s;ooner then ordinary: Yet fir&s;t he under&s;tood, that at the fir&s;t <HI>Heracleon</HI> would hardly &s;uffer him&s;elf to be dre&s;&s;ed, and raved as if he had been mad, but at la&s;t he &s;uffered his wounds to be dre&s;&s;ed, which proved very dangerous, yet not impo&s;&s;ible to be healed; and though they were not, yet it would be long ere he dyed of them. At la&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent for <HI>Miris</HI> to give him audience, conjuring him to make an exact relation of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> his life: For, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> your hints concerning <HI>Heracleon</HI> makes me de&s;irous to know more, &s;o al&s;o there is a &s;ecret kind of inclination in me, which makes me to de&s;ire a more exact knowledge of his intere&s;ts. I a&s;&s;ure you, Sir, replyed <HI>Miris</HI> you cannot have a greater de&s;ire to know, then I have to ac|quaint you with his adventures. Since &s;o, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> let us lo&s;e no time in di&s;cour&s;e of any thing el&s;e. Then <HI>Miris,</HI> in obedience unto the commands of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> began thus.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of <HI>SESOSTRIS</HI> and <HI>TIMARETA.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>TO inform you rightly concerning <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and the cau&s;e of his misfortunes, I mu&s;t not onely relate the Hi&s;tory of his Life, but his Fathers al&s;o; and I mu&s;t exactly bring in the &s;tory of all <HI>Egypt</HI> in generall, as well as his in particular: So far is the originall and &s;ource of his misfortunes fetched. Therefore, I be&s;eech you, Sir, do not wonder if I begin my di&s;cour&s;e with things which at fir&s;t &s;ight &s;eem impertinent unto my di&s;cour&s;e, yet by the &s;equell you &s;hall finde that they are e&s;&s;entially nece&s;&s;ary. I be&s;eech you al&s;o, Sir, give mee leave to relate many things particularly which Fame doubtle&s;&s;e hath already brought unto your ears; yet it is impo&s;&s;ible you &s;hould perfectly under&s;tand the adventures which have dependency upon them, &s;ince it is not credible your Infancy could be capable of them; nor indeed po&s;&s;ible in your riper years, that the Conquerour of all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> &s;hould have &s;o much lei|&s;ure from his illu&s;trious Conque&s;t, as to enquire of all the pa&s;&s;ages in <HI>Africa.</HI> Give me leave to tell you then, Sir, that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> is the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> that Renowned, but unfor|nate King, who after a long and happy Reign, brought home &s;o many glorious advantages from the Wars with <HI>Tyre</HI> and <HI>Sidon,</HI> was at la&s;t thrown out of his Throne. This <HI>Apriez</HI> boa&s;ts of his de&s;cent from the Race of the fir&s;t <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> &s;o famous for his Virtues and Victo|ries: For <HI>P&s;ammethicus</HI> his great Grandfather was &s;o. 'Tis true, this Prince from whom <HI>Apriez</HI> de&s;cended, was him&s;elf &s;ufficiently adorned with glory, without any derivatives from his Predece&s;&s;ors, &s;ince it was he who had the honour to defeat eleven Kings, or rather &s;o many Tyrants, which during a vacancie upon the Throne, divided all the Kingdom into &s;o many illegitimate powers. This is, Sir, the extraction of <HI>Se&s;ostris:</HI> And I know, Sir, you will wonder when I tell you, that <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> who this day reigns in <HI>Egypt,</HI> hath a Son of <HI>Apriez,</HI> and a Son who commands all the Forces of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> Conqueror of the late King his Father: But, Sir, if you will be plea&s;ed to lend as much patience as to hear me, your wonder will va|ni&s;h, and all that which did &s;eem incredible, will ea&s;ily be beleeved. To return then unto the &s;ource of <HI>Se&s;ostris</HI> his misfortunes, it is expedient, as I &s;aid before, to acquaint you with the misfortunes of the King his Father; and afterwards tell you how <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> came unto the
<PB N="77" REF="525">
Throne, for the&s;e are the hinges of all the Hi&s;tory. I have already told you Sir, how happily <HI>Apriez</HI> raigned: happy in Warrs, happy in peace, and as happy al&s;o in his marriage, not on|ly in a Prince&s;&s;e of mo&s;t admirable beauty and vertue, but al&s;o in a &s;onne born the fir&s;t yeare of her marriage: a &s;onne who from his very cradle &s;eemed to be what you &s;ee him at this day; and all the interim of his infancy was full of illu&s;trious hopes. Thus was <HI>Apriez</HI> the happie&s;t of all the Kings upon Earth, Ma&s;ter of the mo&s;t abundant of rich Kingdomes in the World; never was <HI>Aegypt</HI> in &s;weeter tranquillity, never did the Floods of <HI>Nilus</HI> make our fields more fertile, and never was the Monarchy more firmly e&s;tabli&s;hed then it &s;eemed to be at that time: Yet Sir, this Serenity was quickly overclowded; but that you may the better &s;ee which way the Gods did bring it about, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> (who at this day raignes, and who&s;e birth was more noble then his enemies report) was then in the Court, harbouring &s;o much ambition &s;ecretly in his heart, as &s;eldome did &s;uffer him to be in re&s;t. There was in the Court at the &s;ame time, a Prince&s;&s;e, who&s;e name was <HI>Ladice,</HI> who had been married, who being a Widdow, obtained the Queenes favour, and con&s;equently the Kings, for it is the cu&s;tom of <HI>Aegypt,</HI> that all Husbands doe in generall re&s;pect their Wives, and e&s;pecially Kings their Queenes, grounding this laudable cu&s;tome upon the excellent example of <HI>O&s;iris,</HI> who was infinitely uxorious unto <HI>I&s;is;</HI> and this way <HI>Ladice,</HI> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing the heart of the Queen, was in great credit with the King; and as tho&s;e in favour are alwaies looked upon, &s;o <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> who&s;e &s;pirit was as great as his ambition, perceiving the power which <HI>Ladice</HI> had with the Queen, began to apply him&s;elfe unto her more then any other, before her favour was much divulged in the world; to the end he might per&s;wade this Prince&s;&s;e, that this was not the rea&s;on why he &s;aw her more then he was accu&s;tomed: For <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> being of a penetrating &s;pirit, and knowing the humours both of the Queen and <HI>Ladice,</HI> though the favours of this Prince&s;&s;e were at fir&s;t but &s;mall in &s;hew, yet he fore&s;aw that un|doubtedly they would augment, and therefore to &s;et a better price upon his &s;ervices, he began betimes to declare him&s;elfe to be a devoted friend unto <HI>Ladice:</HI> and indeed this Prince&s;&s;e who was extreamly plea&s;ed with the &s;pirit of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> was not long before &s;he became his friend as much as he hers, and more, for he loved her becau&s;e of her favour, and &s;he loved him only in re&s;pect of his merit and per&s;on. In the mean time, when <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> &s;aw he was not mi&s;taken in his conjectures, but that <HI>Ladice</HI> did grow more and more in favour, the better to cloake his ambition, he made the Prince&s;&s;e think he loved her, and &s;o hand&s;omly mannaged the matter, that &s;he was not angry with him for it: I will not tell you Sir, which way he di&s;covered his pa&s;&s;ion to her, nor how <HI>Ladice</HI> accepted it, becau&s;e I intend not a relation of his or her hi&s;tory: only this, that <HI>Ladice</HI> being both faire and a favourit, all the men of any quality in the Court, did apply them&s;elves to &s;erve her, &s;o that &s;he neither accepting nor rejecting any of them, &s;he was ab&s;olute Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e of the hearts, of all the Grandees of <HI>Aegypt:</HI> and &s;ince this Prince&s;&s;e did love the State, &s;he made u&s;e of their loves, as well as her beauty and favour, to keep them from any rebellions in the Kingdome, and in&s;eparably to unite them unto the Kings intere&s;t: and the truth is, &s;he did negotiate with &s;o much wi&s;dome and genero&s;ity, that &s;he merited eternall glory, for &s;he did di&s;&s;ipate &s;everall facti|ons, &s;hattered many confederacies and plots, and reduced them all unto the Kings obedience. In the meane time <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> who in the eyes of all the world &s;eemed only the friend of <HI>Ladice.</HI> did really become her lover, and a lover loved, becau&s;e &s;he had a beliefe that he was the only man who loved her, in con&s;ideration of her per&s;on, and not of her favour, not knowing that his &s;oule was filled fuller of &s;ecret ambition, then it was of love: yet did &s;he find &s;ome diffi|culties in the matter, for there was then no &s;uitable proportion between <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> and his rivalls, nor between him and her &s;elfe, yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;ince &s;he did mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionately love him, and thought her &s;elfe obliged; and &s;ince he courted her with unequalled re&s;pects, and had &s;erved the King in many occa&s;ions with much fidelity, &s;ince he got much glory in the Warr with <HI>Tyre</HI> and <HI>Sydon,</HI> and &s;ince her inclination prompted her to preferre him before all the World, and &s;ince her &s;oule was di&s;engaged from all others, &s;he could with more ea&s;e overcome all other ob&s;tacles, and re&s;olve to marry him, if &s;he could have any infallible a&s;&s;u|rance that tho&s;e who then courted her, and whom &s;he kept from di&s;turbing the &s;tate, would not renew all their factions, e&s;pecially at that time when the King was engaged in a warre with the <HI>Cyrenians:</HI> But <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> being in great favour, and knowing all her thoughts, and all the impediments of his happine&s;&s;e, he redoubled his court&s;hip and &s;uit for &s;ome further a&s;&s;urances of her affection; for &s;ince he &s;aw a nece&s;&s;ity of his going to the Warres with the King, and knew that &s;ome of his rivalls would &s;tay behind with the Queen, he feared le&s;t in his ab&s;ence <HI>Ladice</HI> &s;hould change her mind, &s;o that &s;eeming de&s;perate, he told her ab&s;c|lutely
<PB N="78" REF="526">
he would not go with the Army, that he had rather lo&s;e his honour, then hazard the lo&s;s of her affection; and was &s;o re&s;olute in his expre&s;&s;ions, that indeed &s;he thought he would not go. However Sir, <HI>Ladice</HI> loving <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> very well, and having re&s;olved to marry him a&s;&s;oon as this Warre was ended, this ambitious lover found it no knotty matter to winne her unto a marriage in &s;ecret: And indeed <HI>Ladices</HI> heart being as full of Love, as the heart of this &s;ecret lover was full of ambition; a few daies after the Kings departure they were marryed privatly in a little Church, without any other witne&s;&s;es but the officers of the ceremony, except one of her women in whom &s;he tru&s;ted: By this meanes <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> was in a quality to enjoy the benefit of <HI>Ladices</HI> favour, which he de&s;ired more then the enjoyment of her beauty: However, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> went now to the Army, and was husband to the faire <HI>Ladice:</HI> But to put her &s;elfe into a condition of publi&s;hing her marriage after the Warre, &s;he procured the King by the Queenes mediation to make him one of his Leiutenant Generalls, his fidelity and courage being the pretence of her &s;uit, though it &s;eemed &s;omething extraordinary to the Queen, yet the Queen conde&s;cended unto it. In the meanewhile this Warre wanted a plau&s;i|ble glo&s;&s;e, for it was &s;aid <HI>Apriez</HI> did make it, only to &s;ecure the Grandees of his Domini|ons, le&s;t they &s;hould ruffle into a civill Warre; however the beginning was pro&s;perous enough, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> performed very con&s;iderable &s;ervices, he won the hearts of the &s;ouldiers, and was Ma&s;ter of the Army: when&s;oever <HI>Apriez</HI> encountered with his enemies, he bafled them; &s;o that though no main battle had been yet fought, yet there was enough done to get a reputa|tion unto his Army, and &s;trike a terrour into the enemies country. This being the &s;tate of things, <HI>Apriez</HI> gave <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> the command of ten Thou&s;and men in his Army, with them to a&s;sault the enemies upon another &s;ide, thereby to &s;eparate their Forces, and then more ea&s;ily to conquer them: but things did not &s;ucceed according to his de&s;igne, for the <HI>Cyreni|ans</HI> would not divide them&s;elves, &s;o that not &s;eparating their Army, they did that which <HI>Apriez</HI> would have done, which was, they forced him to fight and vanqui&s;hed him: his Ar|my was &s;o ab&s;olutely defeated, that he was forced to return unto <HI>Sais,</HI> where he left his Queen, and where he arrived full of &s;hame and &s;orrowes; for he had not only lo&s;t the Battle, but the lo&s;s of Blood was &s;o much, that it put all <HI>Aegypt</HI> into mourning. <HI>Apriez</HI> in his re|turn to <HI>Sais,</HI> &s;ent for <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> to come unto him, and commanded him to draw off tho&s;e forces under his command from the enemies country, and keep them upon the frontiers; leaving order unto the other Lieutenant Generalls, to rally as many as they could of his &s;hattered army: <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> obeying the King, was very glad he had no &s;hare in the di&s;honor in this defeat, and that he was able to tell <HI>Ladice</HI> that he had done nothing unworthy of the honour &s;he did him. In the mean time, the lo&s;&s;e of this Battle cau&s;ed a generall revolt in all <HI>Aegypt,</HI> both people and &s;ouldiers began to murmur, and an univer&s;all report went all over, that <HI>Apriez</HI> did &s;uffer him&s;elfe voluntarily to be vanqui&s;hed; that he divided his army purpo&s;ely to ruine &s;ome Grandees of his dominions, whom he thought did trouble him, hoping after that to raign more imperiou&s;ly over them, and become more Tyrannicall. However Sir, whether the Souldiers &s;poke this from them&s;elves, or from the in&s;tigation of <HI>Ama&s;is;</HI> it is mo&s;t certaine, that all the rallied troopes, with tho&s;e which <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> brought upon the frontiers, did &s;eem to revolt, and make head again&s;t their Prince: <HI>Apriez</HI> no &s;ooner heard this, but to calm this mutiny, re&s;olved to &s;end <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> to the army, looking upon him as a plau&s;ible man with the &s;ouldiers, and faithfull unto him. <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> accepting of this commi&s;&s;ion, prepared to go unto the Army; but before he went, <HI>Ladice</HI> u&s;ed all her per&s;wa&s;ions and arguments which could move him to doe the King and his country good &s;ervice upon this occa&s;ion; adding unto all her prayers, that if he could at this time pacifie the Army, and by con&s;equence all <HI>Aegypt,</HI> &s;he would then acquaint both the King and the Queen with her marriage, who could not po&s;&s;ibly di&s;approve of it, after &s;uch a con&s;iderable &s;ervice. But Sir, &s;ince <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> marryed <HI>Ladice</HI> more for ambition then love, he could not keep within tho&s;e limits which this generous Prince&s;&s;e pre&s;cribed him: yet when he came fir&s;t unto the Army, he began to doe like a faithfull &s;ubject; and I am per&s;waded, where his enemies &s;ay, that then he had none but good intentions, and as ambitious as he was, would have made him&s;elfe a fortune by noble waies: He drew up all his Army into Battallia, and calling all the officers together he &s;hewed them their fault, and the inju&s;tice of their proceedings. But whil&s;t he was thus &s;peaking unto them, an <HI>Egyptian</HI> took a Helmet, and putting it upon the head of <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> as is u&s;ed at the coronation of our Kings; let me put thee into the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the Kingdome of <HI>Aegypt</HI> (&s;aid the &s;ouldier unto him) and talk no more to us of obeying <HI>Apriez,</HI> for we will not have a King that hath been conquered. The in&s;olent &s;peech of this &s;ouldier, being prompted unto it by many others, was &s;econded by a generall acclamation; &s;o that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI>
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&s;aw it was in his choice whether he would be King or no. This rou&s;ing up the ambition of his &s;oul, he con&s;ulted not with genero&s;ity, or rea&s;on, or glory, which forbids any to reigne by unju&s;t wayes, but did blindly, and totally &s;ubmit unto his ambition: Yet at fir&s;t hee rejected the propo&s;ition, but yet &s;o faintly, and after &s;uch a manner as made all the Souldiers &s;econd their acclamations, and &s;ay <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> mu&s;t be their Soveraign. Then, Sir, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> began to &s;peak as a man who was forced to receive the Soveraign power, yet he would not directly take upon him the Quality of a King; but told them that to acknowledge their confidence in him, he would be their Protector, and promi&s;ed never to leave them untill he had obtained their pardon, and al&s;o new Priviledges: But the more <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> excu&s;ed him&s;elf, the more vio|lent were all the Officers and Souldiers, who all unanimou&s;ly &s;aid they would have him to be their King. However <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> di&s;patched a me&s;&s;enger to the Court, and to let <HI>Apriez</HI> know how &s;orry he was for this accident; a&s;&s;uring him, that he would not &s;eem to accept of any part of this power which the Souldiers gave him, but only to reduce them unto obedience: But at the &s;ame time he &s;ent one of his &s;ervants &s;ecretly unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Ladice,</HI> conjuring her to retire from the Court, and to come and receive a Crown which the Gods by his hand did offer her. In the mean time the King was adverti&s;ed by &s;ome faithfull Officers of the Army how things pa&s;&s;ed, and hee grew into &s;uch a choler again&s;t <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> that in lieu of di&s;&s;embling his re&s;entments, he railed again&s;t him as a Rebell, and di&s;patched a man of good Quality, named <HI>Paterbenis</HI> with orders to joyn with &s;ome few Officers who were faithfull, and to &s;eize upon the per&s;on of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> or el&s;e kill him if they could not take him. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Ladice,</HI> who was truly generous, and did extreamly di&s;approve of this manner of acting, though &s;he did extreamly love <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> yet &s;he &s;ent him word, that &s;he was &s;o farre from removing away from the Court, or participating of his Crime, as &s;he would declare, that if he did not quickly return unto his duty, &s;he would become his mo&s;t mortall Enemy: Yet did &s;he endeavour to glo&s;&s;e the matter at Court as much as &s;he could; but all in vaine; for <HI>Apriez</HI> being re&s;olved already upon his cour&s;e, di&s;patched <HI>Paterbems</HI> with his Com|mi&s;&s;ion, yet it took not &s;ucce&s;&s;e; for as &s;ecret as it was carryed, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> did know it: So that when <HI>Paterbenis</HI> came to the Camp, he found him he was already acquainted with the bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e of his voyage. When he came unto him, he found him bu&s;ie in exhorting the Soul|diers to draw up into Battalia, and to defend his life which <HI>Apriez</HI> would take from him by &s;ome among&s;t them. <HI>Paterbenis</HI> comming to him as <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> was thus bu&s;ied, he re&s;olved to &s;peak unto him as if the King did credit all which <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> told him, and as if he did not &s;u|&s;pect his fidelity; to the end he might gaine more time to plot with tho&s;e Officers of the Army who advertized <HI>Apriez</HI> of the truth: But <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> knowing the cau&s;e of his coming, gave him no time to talk: No, no, <HI>Paterbenis,</HI> &s;aid he unto him, Di&s;&s;emble not that which I know as well as your &s;elf; You come with intentions to carrie my head unto <HI>Apriez,</HI> but I cannot beleeve the&s;e Souldiers who Crowned it will &s;uffer you; therefore I advi&s;e you to re|turn immediately, and tell that Prince who &s;ent you, that if he defend his Crown as well as I &s;hall my head, I &s;hall not be King a long while. <HI>Paterbenis</HI> would have replyed unto this bold language, but there was &s;uch an acclamation among&s;t the Souldiers at the an&s;wer of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> as the Me&s;&s;enger &s;aw his be&s;t cour&s;e was to return; for the Souldiers began to threa|ten him with in&s;olent menaces. <HI>Paterbenis</HI> then returned to <HI>Sais,</HI> where <HI>Apriez</HI> was in his &s;tately Palace which he had newly built; yet he found but faint entertainment from her; for this unfortunate King &s;eeing the ill &s;ucce&s;&s;e of his voyage, beleeved he did comply with <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> &s;o that upon the information of &s;ome Souldiers who followed him, who affirmed that if he had &s;tayed a little longer in the Army, there had been a mutiny, he did not onely arre&s;t him, but put him to death. This ha&s;ty and violent death did ruin <HI>Apriez;</HI> for <HI>Pater|benis</HI> being a man of much integrity and known hone&s;ty to all the world, the people of <HI>Sais</HI> did exceedingly murmur at it. All the friends of <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> fearing the like treatment from the King, &s;ince he was capable of &s;o unju&s;t an act, did take their friends part, and went unto him, and among&s;t the re&s;t, the Father of <HI>Heracleon:</HI> So that in le&s;&s;e then a moneth, <HI>Ama|&s;is</HI> had a formidable army which &s;till did every day encrea&s;e from all the Provinces of <HI>Egypt.</HI> In the mean time the heart of <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> was very re&s;tle&s;&s;e; love of <HI>Ladice</HI> did &s;trive with his ambition, yet could not vanqui&s;h it, and &s;o much the le&s;&s;e, becau&s;e his marriage with her being not known, &s;he was in le&s;&s;e danger of <HI>Apriez</HI> his violence; but ala&s;&s;e, this unfortunate Prince&s;&s;e was much to be lamented; for &s;he was not onely forced to &s;eparate from her dearly loved <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> but &s;he perceived &s;he was with child, &amp; con&s;equently mu&s;t tel the Queen (whom &s;he tenderly loved, and who tenderly loved her) that &s;he was Wife to him who would pull her from the Throne. Being put to this extremity, &s;he con&s;ulted with all her thoughts and
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endeavours how to winne <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> unto repentance; and in order to that, &s;he &s;ent to acquaint <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> with her condition; and after a thou&s;and mo&s;t tender and per&s;wa&s;ive arguments and invitations, &s;he &s;ent to tell him, that if he would not conde&s;cend unto her de&s;ires, &s;he would acquaint the King how &s;he was his wife, and &s;hared in his crime, and &s;o con&s;equently, the next news he &s;hould hear, would doubtle&s;&s;e be, that hee had lo&s;t both a Wife and a Child; &s;ince it was not probable, but he who put to death the innocent, would take the &s;ame cour&s;e with the Wife of an U&s;urper who confe&s;&s;ed her &s;elf culpable. But all the per&s;wa&s;ions and threats of <HI>Ladice</HI> were in vain: For <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> did think that the Queen loved her better then to &s;ee her peri&s;h, and that <HI>Ladice</HI> was wi&s;er then to accu&s;e her &s;elf, and therefore he &s;ent her word, that he thought him&s;elf unworthy of that honour which &s;hee had done him, unle&s;&s;e he pur&s;ued his de&s;ign, and &s;et her upon a Throne. To that end he cau&s;ed it to be proclaimed, that he was de&s;cended from the Line of the fir&s;t Kings of <HI>Egypt,</HI> from whom the Predece&s;&s;ors of <HI>Apriez</HI> had u&s;urped the Soveraign Power: So that to give &s;ome colourable glo&s;&s;e to his rotten cau&s;e, he made it pa&s;&s;e for good, and &s;trengthned him&s;elf the more: <HI>Apriez,</HI> &s;eeing him&s;elf for&s;aken of his own Subjects, and particularly of <HI>Heracleons</HI> Father, who was a man of great power, made u&s;e of &s;ome Auxiliary Forces; The <HI>Ionians,</HI> the <HI>Carians,</HI> and &s;ome o|ther <HI>A&s;iatique</HI> people, rai&s;ed him thirty thou&s;and men; &s;o that being in the head of this ar|my, he went out of <HI>Says</HI> with re&s;olutions to fight. One thing is here ob&s;ervable, which ne|ver perhaps was &s;een before; the right King of <HI>Egypt</HI> had not one Egyptian in his army, which was compo&s;ed all of Strangers; and on the contrary, all the army of the U&s;urper was com|po&s;ed of naturall Subjects, who fought again&s;t their right King. In the mean time the mi&s;e|rable <HI>Ladice</HI> having not power to execute the me&s;&s;age &s;hee &s;ent unto <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> hoping &s;till to move his heart, &s;he remained in unconceivable &s;orrows: for &s;he knew, that had not &s;he been a Mediator for him, he could never have arrived at that pa&s;&s;e: So that looking upon her &s;elfe as the onely cau&s;e of his crime, of her Countries de&s;olation, and of the States ruin, there was not a day but &s;he de&s;ired death. Nor did &s;he know what &s;he &s;hould ask from the gods: But ever refigning her &s;elf unto their will, &s;he waited for the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of War with more re&s;tle&s;s|ne&s;&s;e of mind then did the Queen. <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> her onely &s;onne was then &s;ome four or five years old, but his innocency could not prevent the Fate of his Father, for the more unju&s;t &s;ide was the more fortunate: But not to &s;tay you too long, Sir, in this part of my &s;tory, I &s;hall onely in a few words tell you, how the Army of <HI>Apriez,</HI> and that of <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> joyning near <HI>Mem|phis,</HI> where tho&s;e high a&s;piring Pyramids look over all the re&s;t of <HI>Egypt,</HI> this fatall Battle to <HI>Apriez</HI> was lo&s;t: At the fir&s;t encounter he was wounded, and a while afeer taken; and la&s;tly, in a mo&s;t &s;trange manner, lo&s;t his life: for tho&s;e into who&s;e hands he fell, di&s;agreeing who &s;hould have the honour of pre&s;enting him unto <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> did quarrell among&s;t them&s;elves amid&s;t a Battle, and that with &s;o much rage and fury, that one of them thinking his &s;ide the weaker, did de&s;perately turn towards this unfortunate King who &s;tood in the mid&s;t of them, and with an unexampled inhumanity killed him, rather then his com|panions &s;hould enjoy that advantage which he could not get him&s;elfe. Thus, Sir, you &s;ee how this mi&s;erable King lo&s;t both his life and Kingdome, and upon what Title <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> came unto it. You may imagine how &s;ad this news was unto the Queen, when &s;he heard her Husband had lo&s;t both Kingdome and life, and con&s;equently, the young <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> the Crown. But how great &s;oever her &s;orrows were, yet were they le&s;&s;e then the Genero&s;ity of <HI>Ladice,</HI> who could never enjoy any comfort in being the Wife of an U&s;uper. This &s;ad Queen endea|voured all &s;he could to move the people of <HI>Says</HI> unto fidelity, and oppo&s;e <HI>Ama&s;is;</HI> but the hatred of the Inhabitants again&s;t <HI>Apriez</HI> was &s;o high, as that they were &s;o far from doing as &s;he de&s;ired, though it was in a little River of Tears, &s;hewing unto them her young Sonne, that they mutined afre&s;h, and would all take the &s;tronger &s;ide: So that this deplorable Queen fearing they would &s;ei&s;e upon her per&s;on, and her young Son, was forced to fly the Towne in the night, and to retire with a very &s;mall number unto a &s;trong Ca&s;tle which was &s;ome thirty furlongs from <HI>Says;</HI> as &s;he had re&s;olved from the fir&s;t in ca&s;e of nece&s;&s;ity. As &s;he was ready to depart, accompanyed with her dear <HI>Ladice,</HI> there came a Me&s;&s;enger from <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> to the Prince&s;&s;e his Wife, to tell her of his Victory, and al&s;o to will her not to engage her &s;elf in the misfortunes of the Queen, unto whom for her &s;ake, he would leave a Province in <HI>Aegypt</HI> upon condition &s;he would put the young <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> into his hands. <HI>Ladice</HI> no &s;ooner heard this propo&s;ition, but &s;he exclaimed again&s;t <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> and told the Me&s;&s;enger what&s;oever the Queen could de&s;ire. Go (&s;aid &s;he unto him) and tell <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> that I was born a Subject unto a King before I was his Wife; and my being marryed could not di&s;oblige me from my
<PB N="81" REF="527">
fir&s;t duty, nor ever &s;hall, unle&s;s he will re&s;tore unto the young <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> that Crown which he u&s;urped from the unfortunate <HI>Apriez:</HI> After which, not &s;uffering him to &s;peak a word more, &s;he went unto the Queen, who &s;tayed for her to depart. Never was flight more happy than this; for the Queen was no &s;ooner out of the Town, but the people were in her hou&s;e, to execute that order which <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> had &s;ent by him who &s;poke to <HI>Ladice;</HI> which order was, that the Inhabitants &s;hould be in Armes, and &s;ecure the per&s;ons of the Queen, of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and <HI>La|dice.</HI> But the gods, who doubtle&s;&s;e were plea&s;ed to pre&s;erve <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> moved this Envoy of <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> to &s;peak unto <HI>Ladice,</HI> before he did unto the Inhabitants. Thus this young Prince, and the&s;e two unfortunate Prince&s;&s;es e&s;caped from the Victory of <HI>Ama&s;is.</HI> This great Queen was al&s;o &s;o happy in her flight, that none of them knew which way &s;he went: But &s;ince they could not be ignorant long, <HI>Ladice,</HI> who would not be delivered in a hou&s;e which might come into the hands of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> advi&s;ed the Queen not to &s;tay in it, but to goe further off where they &s;hould not be &s;o &s;oon found: And &s;o they did. But ala&s;s, the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es had not &s;ooner any lea&s;ure to reckon up the &s;um of their pre&s;ent mi&s;eries, and lament them together, but they were given to under&s;tand that all took part with the Conquerour; that high and low <HI>Aegypt</HI> did both of them acknowledge his power, and that all the Provinciall Towns &s;ent their Deputies to promi&s;e fidelity: That <HI>Says, Thebes, Memphis, Buba&s;tis, Sienna, Bu|&s;iris, Canope,</HI> and <HI>Ani&s;is</HI> did &s;ubmit; and that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> was Ma&s;ter of all <HI>Aegypt,</HI> except <HI>E|lephantine,</HI> which yet took time of con&s;ideration. They under&s;tood, that all the <HI>Cala&s;ires,</HI> and <HI>Hermobites</HI> (for &s;o we call the Noblemen among&s;t us) did obey him without murmur, becau&s;e they all hoped <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> would let them have more power then they had under <HI>Apriez.</HI> So that &s;eeing no hopes of any relief from any &s;ide, the Queen was in the mo&s;t deplorable condition of any in the world: From the &s;terile De&s;arts of <HI>Lybia</HI> &s;he could expect no relief, which is on the We&s;t &s;ide of <HI>Aegypt;</HI> on the South, the Cataracts of <HI>Nilus,</HI> and the Moun|tains block up all Pa&s;&s;es; and on the Ea&s;t, doubtle&s;&s;e, Sir, you know the va&s;t Fennes along that Province which is called <HI>Barathra,</HI> and which &s;eparates <HI>Syria</HI> from <HI>Aegypt,</HI> do hinder the march of any Troops; and on the North &s;ide, the wayes are all inacce&s;&s;ible; neither could the Queen expect my relief from the <HI>Ionians,</HI> nor the <HI>Carians,</HI> who lo&s;t all their Forces at the la&s;t Battle: <HI>Aegypt</HI> within was all revolted, &s;o that &s;he had no way but to flye, or dye. This great Queen had a man with her, who&s;e name was <HI>Amenophis,</HI> Brother unto my Mother, a man of extraordinary &s;pirit and virtue, brought up in the hou&s;e of the late King, who&s;e fidelity was well known unto the Queen, and <HI>Ladice,</HI> and unto whom he was a pro|fe&s;&s;ed friend: <HI>Amenophis,</HI> to chear up the courage of the Queen, and to per&s;wade her to &s;ub|mit her &s;elf unto the plea&s;ure of the gods for better fortune, advi&s;ed her to think of no cour&s;e con&s;idering the &s;tate of things, but how to hide her &s;elf, and the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and to &s;ee whether tract of time would alter the face of things. The Queen then referring the conduct of her &s;elf unto the prudence of <HI>Amenophis;</HI> hee re&s;olved for <HI>Elephantine,</HI> which yet had not totally &s;ubmitted. But, Sir, be plea&s;ed to know, that when the Battle was fought, the River <HI>Nilus</HI> began to ri&s;e, &s;o that when the Queen took a re&s;olution to quit that place where &s;he was, to &s;eek a &s;anctuary further off, this River, according to its cu&s;tome, over-flowed all the Country, &s;o that &s;he was forced to change the place as much out of nece&s;&s;ity as rea&s;on; for when this Deluge was at the height, all <HI>Aegypt</HI> was water, unle&s;&s;e Hills, and Townes built upon them, which &s;eemed like little I&s;lands, and the Campaigne like Sea at that time about them. <HI>Amenophis</HI> then provided a Boat to tran&s;port this deplorable company: And as this &s;welling of <HI>Nilus</HI> did on the one &s;ide trouble them, &s;o on the other, it kept them from falling into the power of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> who by rea&s;on of this Inundation could not &s;end any Troops from <HI>Says,</HI> nor make any exact &s;earch for the Prince&s;&s;es. But, I be&s;eech you, Sir, i|magine a little not onely in what a pittifull condition the Queen, and the young Prince her Son were, but al&s;o in what a &s;ad ca&s;e that unhappy <HI>Ladice</HI> was: For &s;ince &s;hee now grew big, though it was not perceived, yet &s;ince &s;he was to goe with the Queen to ju&s;tifie her &s;elf, &s;he mu&s;t needs tell that &s;he was Wife unto <HI>Ama&s;is.</HI> However, &s;he was re&s;olved not to for&s;ake her, nor did not: <HI>Amenophis</HI> having provided all things nece&s;&s;ary for fifteen dayes, they im|barqued from the place where they were, though the hou&s;e was not near water when the Ri|ver was within i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s Channel. Their Boat at one end had a Cabin covered with Canvas; un|der which was the Queen, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris, Ladice,</HI> and two women of the Queens: At the other end was <HI>Amenophis,</HI> two Servants, and the Rowers. Imagine, Sir, in what a condition this Queen was, who of a great Kingdom had nothing left but a little Cock-boat, in danger to pe|ri&s;h by the impetuo&s;ity of the <HI>Nile,</HI> by the Crocodiles, by the Hypopothames, and a thou&s;and mo&s;t horrid Mon&s;ters wherewith that river is filled: which way &s;oever they looked, they could
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&s;ee nothing but water, which was making the land of her enemies fertile, if &s;he ca&s;t her eyes upon poor <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> they &s;wam in tears, to &s;ee in his face &s;o many &s;igns of grandure in &s;o de&s;picable a fortune, &amp; to find &s;o many &s;ymptomes of a great heart in &s;o tender an age, for he was not at all di&s;maid at the to&s;&s;ing of the waves, and bounding of the Boate: thus this mi&s;erable Queen, not knowing which way to look for any con&s;olation, turned towards her dear <HI>Ladice;</HI> but in lieu of finding any in her eyes, &s;he &s;aw them &s;wim in teares, and full of &s;o much melancholy, that her owne was more augmented, <HI>Amenophis</HI> only was he who gave her &s;ome comfort: However, the River <HI>Nile</HI> was not &s;o trouble&s;ome as &s;he apprehended, becau&s;e it was not &s;o great where &s;he cro&s;&s;ed, as it was in the province of <HI>Delta,</HI> who&s;e &s;cituation is very low, and nothing to be &s;een but the forme of this <HI>Greek</HI> Letter, who&s;e name it carries; &s;o that after eight or tenn daies rowing, they found &s;ome townes where they might refre&s;h and re&s;t them|&s;elves in the night. I forgot to tell you Sir, that the Queen, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Ladice</HI> had no &s;uch &s;ignes of greatne&s;&s;e in their garments, le&s;t they &s;hould be known; &amp; truly I think they needed no di&s;gui&s;ment, for though the habit of a Queen and a Shepheard be very different, yet &s;orrowes had &s;o changed the countenances of the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es, that they were le&s;&s;e knowable then any di&s;gui&s;e of garments could make them; only they had all their Jewells about them, in Ca&s;e of need. But Sir, I have &s;o many things to relate, that I &s;hall not &s;pend any time in telling you, how they were twice in danger of drowning, by certain Windes, which blow alwaies when the <HI>Nile</HI> is high, they are called the Ete&s;ian Winds, and I have &s;o many other things to relate which will move your pitty, that I &s;hall not meddle with this: But let me tell you Sir, that after all imaginable impediments of this dangerous voyage, they came at la&s;t into a Town, &s;cituated upon a high hill, and with works to repul&s;e the waves, which is not above &s;ixty furlongs from <HI>Elephantine;</HI> in this place <HI>Amenophis</HI> heard how that Town was at la&s;t re|&s;olved to obey <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> and that deputies were going to &s;wear fealty to their new King. Thus after a long and dangerous voyage, hoping to find a place of Sanctuary, the Queen was loaded with a new burthen of &s;orrowes, &s;o that &s;he had no way now but to hide her &s;elfe: But the better to doe &s;o, they mu&s;t not goe unto <HI>Elephantine,</HI> and therefore the Queen con&s;ulted with <HI>Amenophis,</HI> who was well acquainted with that Country, and upon better thoughts he re|membered a Shepheard of his acquaintance, who&s;e Father heretofore &s;erved his, and who dwelt in a very &s;olitary place and plea&s;ant, where the Queen might be both &s;afe and conveni|ent: &s;o that without more adoe, they went that way, and the next morning came to a little I&s;le, which doubtle&s;&s;e the Gods did purpo&s;ely create for a Sanctuary and place of retreat unto this great Prince&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">: for Sir, I am confident that nature never framed &s;uch a place as this; it is about fifteen or &s;ixteen furlongs in length, and &s;omething oval, in the mid&s;t of it is an high hill, where one may retire when <HI>Nilus</HI> is high, and where the pa&s;tures are only inha|bited by Shepheards, in cabbines, this hill is full of Sicomores, who&s;e &s;hadow is very de|lightfull, and at the foot of it unto the river banks, are meadowes, &s;o thick, &s;o fre&s;h, &s;o &s;weet, and faire, as it &s;eemed to be a mo&s;t fertile land: a million of water-trees did &s;haddow the&s;e plea&s;ant meadowes in divers places, and as if the Gods had de&s;igned that tho&s;e who inhabit in it &s;hould not be di&s;covered by pa&s;&s;engers in Boats, it is &s;et round about with a thick and high hedge of O&s;iers, and ro&s;e trees, which grow &s;o clo&s;e to the water, and adorne it, and as if it did both invite and forbid an entrance unto all tho&s;e that came unto it, all the Ro&s;e-trees were intermingled with a kind of wild Lillies, which grow along the River <HI>Nilus,</HI> and who&s;e odour perfumes the whole I&s;le. This Sir was the plea&s;ant de&s;art which &s;erved for a Sanctuary and retreat unto the Queen. <HI>Amenophis</HI> was no &s;ooner landed, but he went to &s;eek him who he knew lived there, and having found him, he di&s;po&s;ed him to entertain &s;ome per|&s;ons which fled from the per&s;ecution of the new King, yet not telling who they were, though he enjoyned clo&s;e &s;ecrecy: then they went unto his hou&s;e, which was the greate&s;t and neere&s;t in all the I&s;le, which had not above ten or twelve in all, and they &s;o &s;eparated one from ano|ther, that they might ea&s;ily go in and out undi&s;covered by any: he found this Shepherd had witt enough, but &s;omething covetous, which fault the more plea&s;ed <HI>Amenophis,</HI> who having wherewith to &s;atisfie the humor of the man, thought he would make him very faithfull to the Queen; and indeed he was &s;o, for he never &s;poke a word unto any of the re&s;t in the I&s;le; &s;ince it was late when they landed, none did di&s;cover them, all the Shepheards being bu&s;ie in driving their flocks unto their folds, &s;o that <HI>Amenophis</HI> had all that night to in&s;truct his Shepheard, who&s;e name was <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> a married man, who&s;e Wife was called <HI>Nicetis:</HI> he told them then (after a good reward in hand, and large promi&s;es of more if they were faithfull) his be&s;t cour&s;e was to &s;ay unto there&s;t of the Shepheards, that the&s;e people in his hou&s;e were forced out of their homes by the floods, which when it was pa&s;&s;ed would return, &amp; in the mean time
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&s;tay here, that they dwelt beyond <HI>Elephantine:</HI> Since they were already &s;ufficiently di&s;gui&s;ed, they &s;tood in need of no great change of Garments; the men which rowed the Boat were kept there for the wafting of their two &s;ervants into any Town to fetch &s;uch things as they needed: So that this little retreat for its tranquillity, did &s;o &s;atisfie the Queen, that &s;he hoped the Gods would pre&s;erve <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> for &s;ome better fortune: But yet the &s;ighs and tears of <HI>La|dice</HI> redoubled; for &s;eeing the mu&s;t make known her Marriage unto the Queen, unle&s;&s;e &s;he would di&s;honour her &s;elf in her opinion, &s;he re&s;olved upon it, the third day after they came into the I&s;le: As &s;hee was then in the morning with this Prince&s;s, who never &s;tirred out of her Cabin &s;ince &s;he came into it, &s;he began to conjure her with a flood of teares in her eyes, to promi&s;e not to hate her after &s;he had acquainted her with a bu&s;ine&s;s: Such language unu&s;uall did &s;urpri&s;e the Queen, who knowing no po&s;&s;ible cau&s;e why &s;hee &s;hould hate <HI>La|dice,</HI> promi&s;ed &s;he would not, in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Amenophis,</HI> and prote&s;ted &s;hee would love her as long as &s;hee lived, let her &s;ay what &s;hee would. Then this unhappy Prince&s;&s;e beganne to acquaint her in few words, but many, many &s;ighs and teares, with her Marriage unto <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> and the condition &s;he was in: And in &s;uch moving man|ner as would have in&s;pired pitty into the mo&s;t barbarous heart. No, no, Madam (&s;aid <HI>Ladice</HI> unto her, after &s;he had made a full relation) you are not obliged to keep pro|mi&s;e with the Wife of an U&s;urper; and I repent that I did ask it of you: Hate me, hate me, as you ought to doe the Wife of your Enemy, though truly I am at this pre&s;ent a mo&s;t mortal enemy unto him, nor will ever pretend unto any greatne&s;&s;e which <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> hath gotten by un|ju&s;t wayes, and doe &s;o horridly hate his action, that I doe not onely hate him, but my &s;elf al|&s;o. In the mean time, Madam, if your &s;orrows can find any &s;atisfaction by taking revenge of <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> upon my per&s;on, doe it, I conjure you: For &s;ince hee hath &s;o much &s;lighted my prayers and de&s;ires, I thinke he cares not for my life, therefore I referre it unto your di&s;po&s;i|tion: I ask no other favour from you, but to think me innocent; and that if I could, I would pull the Scepter out of the hands of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> and give it unto <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> though I were a &s;lave all the dayes of my life. <HI>Ladice,</HI> having told her tale in &s;o &s;ad a manner, the Queen as generous as &s;he, began to an&s;wer her with a ki&s;&s;e; for &s;he could not po&s;&s;ibly expre&s;&s;e her won|der at the virtue of this Prince&s;&s;e, who had voluntarily exiled her &s;elf, rather then to reigne unju&s;tly: But after her &s;pirits were a little recollected, &s;he began to comfort her, and tell her &s;he would love her as well as before, and much better. <HI>Amenophis</HI> did &s;econd the Queen with all the comforts he could, and gave her as many prai&s;es as &s;he de&s;erved; but &s;hee did re|ject all applauds in &s;o generous a manner, as did more and more tender the heart of the Queen. After this, the &s;orrows of this Prince&s;&s;e &s;welled her heart &s;o full, tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;he fell &s;ick, and &s;o &s;ick, as &s;he dyed the third day: But in lo&s;ing her life, &s;he gave it unto a Daughter, which was a mo&s;t perfect Miracle of Beauty. But, Sir, &s;ince the death of <HI>Ladice</HI> was no le&s;&s;e gene|rous then her life, I mu&s;t needs relate in few words the particulars of it. After that &s;he had brought to light this fair Daughter, who&s;e life was as extraordinary as her birth, and that &s;he perceived &s;he could not live, to lo&s;e no precious time, &s;he called for Pen, Ink, and Paper, and writ the&s;e words unto <HI>Ama&s;is.</HI></P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>Dying <HI>LADICE</HI> unto Ambitious <HI>AMASIS.</HI></HEAD>
<P>SInce I have but one quarter of an hour to live, I have not time to &s;ay much unto you, but know that I leave you a Daughter which perhaps you &s;hall never &s;ee, if you do not re&s;tore the Crown unto young <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> and I think my &s;elf happy, that in dying I have left &s;ome pawn in his hands. I wi&s;h unto the Gods that you could &s;ee me dye; for perhaps it would coole that ambitious pa&s;sion which hath cau&s;ed the death of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>LADICE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After the Prince&s;&s;e had read over her Letter, &s;he gave it unto <HI>Amenophis,</HI> de&s;iring him to keep it carefully, and to make u&s;e of it when he &s;aw fit: Afterwards turning towards the Queen, &s;he implored her pardon in be&s;eeching her to pre&s;erve the life of this daughter unto young <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> becau&s;e as long as &s;he was in her power, &s;he might perhaps give &s;ome &s;top unto the ambition of the Father. The truth is, Sir, this unfortunate Prince&s;&s;e &s;poke unto the Queen, as if &s;he wi&s;hed life unto her Daughter onely for love of her, and if &s;he had lo&s;t that naturall affection which is in all mothers, which is, to wi&s;h life unto their children for the loves &s;ake which they bear unto them. The Queen was extreamly moved to &s;ee the Prince&s;&s;e
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in &s;uch a condition, and a&s;&s;ured her, that &s;he would not look upon this Child as the daughter of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> but as the daughter of <HI>Ladice,</HI> and con&s;equently would have as great care of her as of her owne: after this a&s;&s;urance <HI>Ladice</HI> thanked the Queen, with eyes &s;wimming in teares; then neglecting all worldly cares, her thoughts were all addre&s;&s;ed unto the Gods, yet not with one prayer for either <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> or her daughter, but only for the Queen and young <HI>Se&s;o&s;|tris,</HI> after which &s;he dyed: You may imagine that there was not very great Pomp at her Fu|nerall, which indeed was with no more ceremony then if &s;he were &s;ome Shepheards daughter of the I&s;le, le&s;t there &s;hould ari&s;e &s;ome &s;u&s;pition of them: However, <HI>Nicetis</HI> was carefull in nur&s;ing of <HI>Ladice's</HI> daughter, who was called <HI>Timareta:</HI> The fir&s;t daies, after the death of this generous Prince&s;&s;e, were &s;pent in lamenting her lo&s;&s;e; but afterwards, the Queen conforming her mind unto an accident, again&s;t which there was no remedy, advi&s;ed with <HI>Amenophis</HI> what was be&s;t to be done with <HI>Ladice</HI>'s Letter: <HI>Amenophis</HI> con&s;idering the ca&s;e of things, could not beleeve that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> would re&s;tore the Crown unto <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> at the reque&s;t of dying <HI>Ladice,</HI> for &s;ince he could not moderate his ambitious pa&s;&s;ion at her conjurations, and at a time when he knew not whether the &s;ucce&s;&s;e would be good or bad, certainly he would not hearken to her when he was in full po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion; nor was it credible, that to get out of the Queens hands a young daughter newly born, he would part with a &s;cepter; but perhaps when he hears of <HI>Ladice's</HI> death, he will enter into a new fury, and add revenge unto his ambition, imagining they were the cau&s;e of <HI>Ladice's</HI> death; furthermore he thought that it was to be feared when <HI>Ladices</HI> Letter was delivered, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> might come to know where <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was; therefore his advice was to keep the letter untill &s;uch time as they were able to rai&s;e a party in the State. The Queen then approving of this advice, thought upon nothing but how to conceale her &s;elfe and &s;onne; but this care la&s;ted not long; for Sir, &s;ince <HI>Nylus</HI> was fallen into his ac|cu&s;tomed channell, there did ari&s;e from the ground certaine vapours, which that Year cau&s;ed a contagion in the Town of <HI>Elephantine,</HI> which did depopulate almo&s;t all the Town, and was brought into this little I&s;le, by tho&s;e two men which went in the Boat to fetch them nece&s;&s;aries; but the&s;e two men were not alone which lo&s;t their lives, for almo&s;t all the inhabi|tants of the I&s;le did the like, and tho&s;e who did not fled; <HI>Amenophis</HI> had fled for company if the Queen had not fallen &s;ick and dyed, with the two women with her; a&s;&s;oon as <HI>Ameno|phis</HI> &s;aw the Queen &s;ick, he re&s;olved to &s;tay with her, but &s;ent away <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> with the Wife of a Shepheard, and <HI>Timareta</HI> with her nur&s;e, into one of tho&s;e Cabbines which were upon the topp of the Hill, which not being inhabited, was not infected with &s;o bad an aire, and by this meanes he &s;aved the life of the young <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> This horrible infection could not la&s;t long in the I&s;le, for there was &s;o few people in it, that it was almo&s;t quite depopulated, either by death or flight of the inhabitants: But the mo&s;t lamentable pa&s;&s;age was, that the Queen and her women dyed in four daies, &s;o that <HI>Amenophis</HI> was left alone in the I&s;le, with <HI>Se&s;o&s;|tris, Tra&s;eas, Nicetis, Timareta</HI> her nur&s;e and one &s;ervant. Seeing then the &s;tate of things, <HI>Amenophis</HI> thought it be&s;t to keep the I&s;le &s;till, it being more &s;afe by this accident then before, and more ea&s;ie to hide the young <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> in a depopulated de&s;art, then when it was peopled; and tho&s;e who fled were &s;o affrighted, that they dur&s;t not return, and tho&s;e who were there, thought <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> to be the &s;onne of <HI>Amenophis,</HI> whom they thought a Shepheard, and that <HI>Timareta</HI> was daughter to <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> and <HI>Nicetis.</HI> In the mean while, <HI>Amenophis</HI> con&s;idering the &s;tate of things, could not hope to attempt any thing openly again&s;t <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> therefore he re&s;olved to wait &s;ome favourable conjuncture, when he might &s;afely &s;hew the young <HI>Se&s;o&s;|tris</HI> unto the people, and that they might know him to be their Prince when occa&s;ion was; he took extraordinary care for his education, as well as that &s;olitary place would permit. <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> being very young, was not &s;en&s;ible of the Queen his Mothers death, nor remembred any Father, but <HI>Amenophis:</HI> but to the end he might divert him&s;elfe, and better learn tho&s;e things which <HI>Amenophis</HI> taught him, who was one of the mo&s;t knowing men of all <HI>Aegypt,</HI> he went &s;ecretly unto <HI>Elephantine,</HI> where then I was, about eight yeares of age; and &s;ince I had no father, but left to the conduct of a mother, who was &s;i&s;ter unto <HI>Amenophis;</HI> he procu|red me of her, as a comfort to him in his exile; for &s;ince &s;he had many children, and <HI>Ameno|phis</HI> very rich, &s;he was willing to part with me: &s;o I was carried unto this place of &s;olitude, which at fir&s;t I was weary of, but cu&s;tom did better acquaint me with it, and though I was four yeares elder then <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> yet he had &s;uch a quick forward &s;pirit, that I exceedingly loved him: <HI>Amenophis</HI> had no other bu&s;ine&s;&s;e or delight, but to teach us &s;uch things as our ages were capable of; <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> and his wife took care of the family, and the &s;ervant went and came continually between <HI>Elephantine</HI> and the I&s;le, to have the newes of the world by meanes of my Mother, who did not yet directly know where her brother was: but &s;till he could
<PB N="85" REF="529">
heare no newes that plea&s;ed him; for be plea&s;ed to know Sir, that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> did think him&s;elfe as &s;ecure and ab&s;olute a Ma&s;ter of all <HI>Egypt,</HI> as if the Throne had hereditarily and ju&s;tly de&s;cended unto him; yet for all that, the Queen and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> not being in his power, they were &s;harp thornes in his thoughts, he grieved al&s;o exceedingly that <HI>Ladice</HI> followed them; but &s;eeing all his diligent &s;earches were in vaine, and that he could learn no further then that they were imbarqued upon the <HI>Nyle,</HI> he thought his be&s;t expedient to divulge all over <HI>Aegypt</HI> that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and the Queen were drowned, to the end, that the people thinking there was no &s;ucce&s;&s;or of <HI>Apriez</HI> living, they would more willingly &s;ubmit unto him; and to confirm them in this belief, he cau&s;ed the ob&s;equies of <HI>Ladice</HI> to be &s;olemnized, knowing certainly (as he &s;aid) that &s;he peri&s;hed with them: In the mean time, he cau&s;ed &s;ecret &s;earches to be made with extraordinary care, which per&s;waded <HI>Amenophis</HI> when he knew it, that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> had &s;ome ill de&s;ign in it, &s;o that &s;eeing all <HI>Egypt</HI> was in a hu&s;ht tranquillity, he thought upon nothing but the education of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> And &s;ince A&s;trology is the originall &s;cience of all <HI>Egypt,</HI> wherein all per&s;ons of any curio&s;ity have &s;ome knowledg; <HI>Amenophis</HI> was expert in it, and found by it, that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;hould hereafter &s;ee happy daies: Yet maugre his A&s;trology he was once in a mind to quit his de&s;art, and to go and let the people know that their Legiti|mate Prince lived; for he under&s;tood that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> beginning to cheer him&s;elfe up, after his lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Ladice,</HI> and altogether giving him&s;elfe up unto plea&s;ures, the people began to mur|mure, and con&s;idering that he was not of the royall race, they began to de&s;pi&s;e him, not ren|dring him &s;o much honour as they did before, but &s;aid openly, that they remembred him in another picture then now he was, &amp; that though they did not give him honour enough as their King, yet they rendered him too much as he was <HI>Ama&s;is;</HI> and that &s;ince their King and <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> were not all one, he ought not to complain again&s;t them. This Prince hearing how the people began to mutter, did re&s;olve upon an odde cour&s;e to &s;top their mouthes, yet &s;uch a one as produced its effect, and forced <HI>Amenophis</HI> back unto his De&s;art. There was in that &s;tately Palace which the late King built, great ve&s;&s;els of Gold which were u&s;ed in publique Fea&s;ts, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> took all tho&s;e Ve&s;&s;els and cau&s;ed them to be melted into a Statue of <HI>O&s;iris,</HI> and to be &s;et before the Palace Gates: As &s;oon as it was placed there, all the people flocked about it, looked upon it with profound re&s;pect, rendering as much honour as if <HI>O&s;iris</HI> had been there: For among&s;t us the repre&s;entations of &s;uch things as wee adore are &s;acred unto us, even the very Images of Animals are held in veneration. <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> &s;eeing out of a Balcone the reve|rence which the people payed unto this Statue of <HI>O&s;iris,</HI> told them that he wondered they &s;hould honour this Statue &s;o much, con&s;idering it was made out of the Golden ve&s;&s;els which were u&s;ed in their publick fea&s;ts, but they returned &s;uch an an&s;wer as he expected, that it was not the mettle they honoured, but the repre&s;entation of <HI>O&s;iris:</HI> After which he told them, that accordingly they ought not to look upon him as <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> only, but as their king, &s;ince he did repre&s;ent <HI>Apriez</HI> more lively, then this Statue did <HI>O&s;iris.</HI> The people being moved by &s;uch an example as &s;ilenced them, began to reverence <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> &amp; the more, becau&s;e he proclaimed &s;ome lawes which &s;eemed full of ju&s;tice, and gave great hopes of his wi&s;dome; for he enacted that all his &s;ubjects throughout his dominions, &s;hould give an account to the governour of the place where he lived, how he had lived the yeare before, to the end he might bani&s;h idlene&s;&s;e and inju&s;tice both at once: So that <HI>Amenophis</HI> no &s;ooner heard how the people began to grumble, but he heard immediatly after, that he &s;tood upon fa&s;ter grounds then ever, as if the Gods had neglected the conduct of the univer&s;e, &s;ince they &s;uffered an u&s;urper to &s;it upon the Throne, and the legitimate King to be in exile, brought up in a De&s;art among&s;t a company of Shepheards. But Sir, I mu&s;t not in&s;i&s;t longer upon this, &s;ince I have many things of great importance to tell you: In the mean time therefore, &s;ince <HI>Amenophis</HI> thought to draw &s;ome advantage by the young <HI>Timareta,</HI> he thought fit to educate her &s;o, as &s;he might hereafter be known unto <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> without di&s;like, which he did excellently well by meanes of my mothe, &amp; the great recompen&s;es which he promi&s;ed, &s;o that &s;he &s;ent him a woman to be tutor to this young Prince&s;&s;e: This woman was a <HI>Theban,</HI> mo&s;t admirably qualified for the education of &s;uch a per&s;on as this: divers cro&s;&s;e adventures had ruined her family, and forced to &s;eek a livelyhood by &s;uch a happy &s;ervitude as this: her name was <HI>Edi&s;ea.</HI> Thus Sir, <HI>Timareta</HI> came under her tuition, a&s;&s;oon as &s;he was fit to be taken from her Nur&s;e, who had e&s;caped the contagion as well as &s;he: and be plea&s;ed to know Sir, that as <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was a miracle, &s;o <HI>Timareta</HI> was another, for beauty and &s;pirit, all the parts of her face were &s;o many wonders; her complexion though a little brown, yet mo&s;t lovely; her hair the pure&s;t black that ever was; her a&s;pect was &s;o high and charming, as it did invite both admiration and love: So that I may truly &s;ay, never were two children together &s;o amiable as the young
<PB N="86" REF="530">
<HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and the young <HI>Timareta;</HI> e&s;pecially when the lu&s;tre of their &s;pirits began to joyn and &s;hine with their beauties, which was, when <HI>Timareta</HI> was eight, and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> twelve years of age: For, Sir, I a&s;&s;ure you, all their actions and their words were infinitely taking, and tran&s;cend their ages. Since naturally I was rea&s;onably active, and had &s;ome education be|fore I came into this I&s;le, I practi&s;ed all exerci&s;es of body with <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> which he performed admirably well, as running, leaping, &s;hooting, the Lute, and &s;uch things: As for the Liberal Sciences, <HI>Amenophis</HI> taught him as well as any Prince in the world &s;tood in need of: He could &s;peak divers Languages, e&s;pecially the Greek very well: For &s;ince <HI>Amenophis</HI> had the di&s;po&s;ition of all the Queens and <HI>Ladice</HI>'s Jewels, we wanted neither Books, nor any thing el&s;e which was requi&s;ite: Yet our habits were cour&s;e like Shepheards, and &s;ometimes wee went unto the Flocks when <HI>Amenophis</HI> gave us leave. Again, <HI>Edi&s;ea</HI> educated <HI>Timareta</HI> as if &s;he were in the Court; though &s;he permitted her to u&s;e &s;ome &s;uch common things as Shepheards u&s;e, as the making of fine Baskets of Ru&s;hes, weaving &s;trings in &s;everall colours, and &s;uch like: But <HI>Edi&s;ea</HI> did not onely teach her the&s;e trivials, but al&s;o the Greek language; yet the wonder of all was, to &s;ee what a wonderfull inclination <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had unto <HI>Timareta:</HI> He could not endure to be out of her &s;ight; he never contended with her for any thing, but in all things &s;ubmitted unto her, that at that age complacency was a novelty: If hee ob&s;erved &s;he wanted any Ru&s;hes to make her pretty Baskets, wherein &s;he put her fruits and flowers, he went in all ha&s;t to get her them: If at any time &s;he de&s;ired any Flowers, he was never at re&s;t untill he brought her a basket full: he thought &s;o much of plea&s;ing her, that he thought upon nothing el&s;e. On the other &s;ide, the young <HI>Timareta,</HI> though very &s;weet unto all, yet did put &s;uch a notable difference between <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and all others, as it was very ob&s;ervable: She approved of all he &s;aid; and if two of us pre&s;ent unto her any thing at one time, &s;hee would accept that which <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> offered before the pre&s;ent of any other. Thus, Sir, wee lived untill <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was &s;ixteen, and <HI>Timareta</HI> twelve years of age: But, Sir, as they were amiable in their Infancy, &s;o they were amiable in their riper age, when their &s;pirits did put &s;oules into their beauty, and when they were grown capable of loving: For truly, though <HI>Timareta</HI> had a de&s;ign to plea&s;e a whole Court, &s;he could not take more care of her &s;elf then &s;he did: And if <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had a de&s;ign to publi&s;h his &s;pirit unto all the world, he could not have been more exactly careful to plea&s;e, then he was when he &s;poke before <HI>Timareta.</HI> In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Amenophis</HI> conceived that if <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Timareta</HI> were hereafter to appear in the world as known who they were, it would be advantageous that <HI>Timareta</HI> &s;hould love <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> he did not check this growing affection, no more then <HI>Edi&s;ea,</HI> who alwaies follow|ed the mind of <HI>Amenophis,</HI> without &s;eeking for other rea&s;on, and &s;o much the rather in this, becau&s;e &s;he perceived all the inclinations of <HI>Timareta</HI> to bee virtuous. In the meane time, &s;ince we read all &s;orts of Books, e&s;pecially the Hi&s;tory of <HI>Aegypt,</HI> &s;ometimes when <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and I were together, w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> talked of many things, e&s;pecially of <HI>Amenophis,</HI> and what de&s;ignes he &s;hould have: For, &s;aid <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> to me, I find by the Hi&s;tory of <HI>Aegypt,</HI> that it is divided into &s;ix &s;everall profe&s;&s;ions: That the Prie&s;ts are ordained for &s;acred things; the Noblemen for Councellors unto their King, for Commanders in their Armies, and Gover|nours of Provinces; that their Souldiers in generall think upon nothing but matters of War; that the Merchants bu&s;ie them&s;elves in nothing but in things belonging to their Traffique; that Labourers follow onely their Plough; that Artificers meddle with nothing but what will make them more knowing in their art; and that Shepheards keep them&s;elves within compa&s;s of their Fould, and think upon nothing but their Flocks. Yet though we be onely Shep|heards, I &s;ee <HI>Amenophis</HI> doth in&s;truct us in a hundred things which the Law forbids, and I find my heart too big to be contained within the compa&s;&s;e of this little I&s;le, and I have had &s;ome thoughts of making a propo&s;ition unto you of leaving it, if&mdash;At this word <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;topped, and though I did extreamly pre&s;&s;e him to goe on with his &s;entence, yet I could not move him: So that I was forced to &s;peak his thoughts, and agree with him to &s;teal out of this I&s;le, relating many things concerning <HI>Elephantine,</HI> which I remembering very well begot a &s;trong curio&s;ity in him: But for all our plot it was not ea&s;ie to be executed: For <HI>Amenophis</HI> had a &s;trict ob&s;ervant eye upon us; and indeed <HI>Se&s;ostris</HI> did decline it, for hee was already deep in love with the young <HI>Timareta;</HI> being after this very re|&s;erved unto each other, wee parted, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;aying hee would walke by him&s;elfe, and I &s;aying I would returne unto my Cabin: Since we came out with a de&s;ign to Hunt, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> brought his Bow, and Quiver full of Arrows, with a &s;taffe in his hand like tho&s;e which the Shepheards about <HI>Elephantine</HI> u&s;e to carry, with a &s;teele point at either end, and with which one might defend him&s;elf as well as with any Sword: For &s;ince in the Province of <HI>Elephan|tine</HI>
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the&s;e Crocodiles are not held in veneration as in that of <HI>Thebes,</HI> where it is not lawfull to kill them, but on the contrary they think it a thing well plea&s;ing unto the Gods to purge <HI>Nilus</HI> from the&s;e terrible devourers, and all the Shepheards of this Province carry &s;uch Pike|&s;taff<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s to kill them, and defend them&s;elves: So <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> without any other de&s;ign then con|templation, walked a long time by the water &s;ide, not meeting with any interruption of his &s;tudy, but at la&s;t coming unto a place where a little I&s;thmus &s;hot it &s;elf into the <HI>Nile,</HI> he e|&s;pyed <HI>Timareta,</HI> who to take the fre&s;h air, and view of the River, had left <HI>Edi&s;ea,</HI> and came unto this neck of Land, which, as I &s;aid, &s;hot it &s;elf into the River, and the better to enjoy a pro&s;pect, &s;he had made a gap with her fair hands through that hedg of O&s;iers and Ro&s;es which grew along the banks of this I&s;le, and which was thinner in that place then any where el&s;e. <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> no &s;ooner &s;pied her, but ravi&s;hed with joy, he made towards her, yet hee had no &s;ooner &s;tept four paces forward, but he e&s;pyed upon his right hand, through the thick of O|&s;iers and Ro&s;es, one of the&s;e terrible Mon&s;ters of <HI>Nilus,</HI> which cutting the water with in|credible &s;wiftne&s;&s;e, was ready to fall upon the fair <HI>Timareta,</HI> and pull her into the water with his affrighting tallons which tho&s;e Crocodiles are armed withall: He no &s;ooner &s;aw this fierce Animall, but he cryed out, and ran with all ha&s;t to get between the Crocodile and <HI>Ti|mareta;</HI> for though he had Bow and Arrows, yet hee knew that both the thickne&s;&s;e of the hedge would hinder their execution, and al&s;o the &s;cales of the Crocodile were &s;o hard, that it was impo&s;&s;ible they &s;hould enter: Thus con&s;idering this in an in&s;tant, he ran with his Pike-&s;taffe in his right hand, and his Bow in his left, to get between the Mon&s;ter, and <HI>Tima|reta.</HI> In the mean time, the cry of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> coming to the ears of this young Prince&s;&s;e, &s;he turning her head to know the rea&s;on, and al&s;o &s;eeing the Crocodile coming towards her, &s;he was &s;o amazed with fear, that &s;he was &s;peechle&s;&s;e, yet the exce&s;&s;e of her fears did not produce their ordinary effects, but the contrary, and made her run as fa&s;t as &s;he could towards <HI>Se&s;o|&s;tris;</HI> and the nature of a Crocodile being to be more furious upon them which fly, then tho&s;e which &s;tand &s;toutly to them, this fierce Animal fearing to lo&s;e his prey, flounced out of the River, made the air eccho with the rattle of his &s;cales, and &s;haking off the fome of water, he followed the fair, and fearfull <HI>Timareta,</HI> who turning her head &s;ometimes, to &s;ee whether the Mon&s;ter were near her, yet ran with incredible &s;wiftne&s;&s;e towards <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> who ran al&s;o to her relief. Imagine, Sir, I be&s;eech you, what an object was this unto <HI>Edi&s;ea,</HI> who a far off &s;aw this terrible &s;pectacle. In the mean while <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> turning upon his right hand to let <HI>Timareta</HI> pa&s;&s;e by, he got betwixt the Crocodile and her, to &s;tay his fury at lea&s;t, though he could not overcome him. This Mon&s;ter (which never &s;aw <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> becau&s;e he looked onely upon his fair prey which he pur&s;ued) &s;eemed to be &s;urpri&s;ed, and &s;topt upon a &s;uddain. But though the nature of the Crocodiles (as I &s;aid before) was to be le&s;&s;e furious upon tho&s;e who &s;toutly &s;tood to them, then upon tho&s;e which fly, yet &s;ince he &s;aw him&s;elf &s;o far from his Sanctuary the River, de&s;pair did rouze his fury, and he fell upon <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> yet recoiled at fir&s;t &s;ome two or three paces, but it was to return with greater violence; but <HI>Se&s;o|&s;tris</HI> being beyond belief &s;tout, did not at all lo&s;e his judgement, &s;o throwing away his bow, and taking his Pike-&s;taffe in both hands, the combat began between this fierce Mon&s;ter and him, whereof the fair <HI>Timareta,</HI> who was faln with fear and wearine&s;&s;e &s;ome twenty paces off, was a witne&s;&s;e as well as <HI>Edi&s;ea,</HI> who&s;e affright would neither permit her to goe for|ward nor backward. In the mean time, &s;ince Crocodiles can &s;ee better upon land then wa|ter, this did put by the point of the Pike-&s;taffe &s;o cunningly, that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> could not touch him, unle&s;&s;e in &s;uch places where he could not hurt him, for this armed Mon&s;ter had onely one place where he could receive any mortall wound. Sometimes he would &s;eem weary, and make a retreat purpo&s;ely to &s;urpri&s;e <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris;</HI> then upon a &s;udden &s;tretching out his greedy tallons, and opening his helli&s;h mouth, wherein all the teeth were poy&s;oned, he would ca&s;t him&s;elf upon him with &s;uch violence, that <HI>Timareta</HI> often thought her dear deliverer was de|voured: The Scales of this horrid Mon&s;ter made a &s;hrill noi&s;e, and would vary into &s;everall colours, their ru&s;&s;et would become red, and anon blew, his eyes were full of a gloomy fire, his teeth &s;eemed all bloody with the la&s;t prey he had devoured; a green and yellow foame &s;pued out of his throat, and a thick dusky &s;moak which came from his no&s;e &s;o blinded the eyes of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> that he could hardly defend him&s;elf from his tallons; yet his great heart was not at all a&s;toni&s;hed or weary, but he avoyded all the a&s;&s;aults of this affrightiug Mon|&s;ter with &s;uch incredible agility, as is admirable, he &s;hifted &s;o nimbly &s;ometimes to the right hand, &s;ometimes to the left, that at every turn he gave him a thru&s;t, but to his great grief all in vain. In the mean time, this gaping Mon&s;ter would not &s;ubmit, but with a reach of his paw, &s;cratched all the Arrows out of his Quiver, and with another reach pulled his Quiver
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quite from him, thinking to pull him al&s;o, but by good fortune the quiver loo&s;ened, and he e&s;caped the fury of this mon&s;ter; yet he began to think, he &s;hould peri&s;h at the la&s;t, and had no hope in any thing, but the glory in re&s;cuing his dear <HI>Timareta,</HI> when the Crocodile ro&s;e up right on his hinder feet, intending to throw him&s;elfe upon the head of <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris,</HI> but this <HI>Hero</HI> took that opportunity, to thru&s;t his Pike into his belly, and reached his very heart; it was a happy hit to light ju&s;t upon that only place where the &s;cales were penetrable: this mon&s;trous bea&s;t perceiving him&s;elfe wounded, bellowed out a horrid noi&s;e, and &s;trove to revenge his death; but <HI>Se&s;ostris</HI> being ravi&s;hed that he had wound|ed his fierce enemy, and to &s;ee his blood run upon the gra&s;&s;e, did hold his pike-&s;taffe &s;o &s;tiffe and clo&s;e in the wound, that the mon&s;ter could not di&s;engage him&s;elfe, but in lieu of falling upon <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> tumbled on one &s;ide, moving very weakly; for &s;ince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> would not pull his weapon out of the wound, it was probable he pierced deeper into his heart, or at lea&s;t kept him that he could not ri&s;e: <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> now &s;eeing his horrible enemy vanqui&s;hed, and ready to breath his la&s;t, he pulled his bloody weapon out of the wound, and let the life of this mon&s;ter run out with his blood; after which, all glorious with Victory, he went to ca&s;t him&s;elfe at the feet of the fair and fearfull <HI>Timareta,</HI> who not being able to pa&s;&s;e &s;o &s;uddenly from extream &s;orrowes into extream joyes, had &s;till all &s;ignes of fear in her fair face: I pray you pardon me, &s;aid he unto her, for no &s;ooner killing this mon&s;ter, who&s;e cruelty would have devoured the faire&s;t per&s;on in the world. Ah <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, ri&s;e up, how is it po&s;&s;i|ble you &s;hould &s;peak with &s;uch calmne&s;&s;e of &s;pirit as you doe, for my part (&s;aid &s;he and walked towards <HI>Edi&s;ea</HI> who was coming towards her) I am &s;till afraid the mon&s;ter &s;hould revive: <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;miled at the feares of <HI>Timareta,</HI> with as much tranquillity as if he had been in no danger, and a&s;&s;uring her there was no cau&s;e of fear, he helped her to walk: But as <HI>Edi&s;ea</HI> met them, &s;he asked <HI>Timareta</HI> whether &s;he had given thanks unto her deliverer: Alas, &s;aid &s;he unto her, I am &s;till &s;o fearfull that the mon&s;ter is not yet dead, that I &s;hall not be able to thank him all the day; all I can &s;ay for his &s;atisfaction is, that whil&s;t he fought with this terrible Mon&s;ter, I was in as much fear of him as of my &s;elfe. Alas, amiable <HI>Timare|ta</HI> &s;aid he unto her, your expre&s;&s;ion is above my de&s;ert, and higher then I can beleeve. As <HI>Timareta</HI> was ready to an&s;wer <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and to tell him with what &s;incerity &s;he &s;poke her thoughts, <HI>Amenophis</HI> and I came unto them, &s;o that <HI>Edi&s;ea</HI> relating the combat of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and his Victory, we forced <HI>Timareta</HI> to return back and look upon this Mon&s;ter which <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had killed; I &s;ay we forced her, for indeed &s;he feared to look upon him after he was dead, yet with much adoe &s;he went: but when we came unto the place where he lay wallow|ing in his owne blood, and &s;aw there was no cau&s;e of any feare, &s;he began then to tell <HI>Ameno|phis</HI> with an incomparable grace, all the pa&s;&s;ages, and how the fight was; for the natural mode&s;ty of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> only told how he had overcome him, and no more of any circum&s;tances; but the young <HI>Timareta</HI> helping him out, did aggravate the matter, as if in publi&s;hing the glory of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> &s;he had augmented her owne. <HI>Amenophis</HI> could not chu&s;e but wonder at this prodigious encounter, and to con&s;ider how the daughter of an u&s;urper &s;hould be re|leeved by him, from whom her Father had taken the Scepter and Crown; and to &s;ee as much amitie grow betwixt them, as there was hatred betwixt their Fathers. However, after <HI>Amenophis</HI> had well con&s;idered all the&s;e things, whil&s;t <HI>Timareta</HI> was relating the adventure with an admirable grace, he highly extolled the courage of <HI>Se&s;ostris,</HI> and told him, that this heroique quality was the duty of all men; that Shepheards as well as Kings ought to be quali|fied with it; that they were obliged to defend their flocks, as well as Kings their people, and &s;o exhorted him to invig<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rate his valour. Truly Sir (&s;aid he unto him) &s;ince there is a marvelous re&s;emblance 'twixt Kings and Shepheards, you need not think &s;trange if I give you the &s;ame le&s;&s;ons as if you were the &s;onne of a King. And indeed Sir, <HI>Amenophis</HI> in&s;tructed <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> in all the moralls and politiques, under the &s;imilitude of a Shepheard, ruling his flock as well, and with as much art, as might in&s;truct a King in ruling his people: and there|fore keeping &s;till within his termes, he told <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> that &s;ince he had &s;o magnanimou&s;ly defended <HI>Timareta</HI> from a mon&s;ter, he &s;hould al&s;o defend his flock from wolves. Oh Father, (&s;aid <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> ha&s;tily) I doe not love your flocks of &s;heep, &s;o well as I doe the fair <HI>Timareta. Amenophis</HI> &s;miled at this an&s;wer, as well as <HI>Edi&s;ea;</HI> but <HI>Timaret</HI> a blu&s;ht, and looked down|wards, &s;aying &s;omthing in a low voice, which &s;ome under&s;tood, yet which they knew was no ill of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris.</HI> In the mean time, &s;ince it was late, we returned to our cabin, continually talking of <HI>Timareta's</HI> timero&s;ity and her deliverers courage. The next morning, <HI>Amenophis,</HI> to incite this young Prince unto a love of glory, did make this known unto all the Shepheards in the I&s;le, who all admired and applauded his couragious act: The&s;e Shepheards when they
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&s;aw this Mon&s;ter, they carried him unto a little Chappel which &s;tood in the further part of their I&s;le towards the ea&s;t, to render thanks unto the Gods, for &s;aving <HI>Timareta</HI> and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> from the fury of this Crocodile: the ceremony was performed with a little kind of triumph, for all the Shepheards with their Pipes went to and fro playing tunes of rejoycing and victory: afterwards eight Shepheards carryed this mon&s;ter, and immediately after it, went <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> Crowned with a wreath of Palme and Lawrell, whereof abundance grew in this I&s;le: this victorious Prince having his Pike-&s;taffe decked with flowers in his right hand; but the prety|e&s;t &s;ight was, to &s;ee young <HI>Timareta,</HI> who made the Crown for the Temples of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> follow him with all the re&s;t of the Shephearde&s;&s;es, with &s;o much joy in her face, as it may truly be &s;aid, &s;he was the greate&s;t ornament unto this ru&s;tique triumph, and indeed &s;he was &s;o, e&s;pecially in the eyes of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and his love did &s;o much increa&s;e, that he could not long hide that harmle&s;&s;e fire which began to burn his heart; &s;o that after thanks given unto the Gods, and after all the Shepheards had brought <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> to our Cabin, he was no &s;ooner returned, but taking the Crown from his head, he entered into a little Chamber where <HI>Tima|reta</HI> lay, and where &s;he then was, and whil&s;t <HI>Amenophis</HI> was thanking the Shepheards, and <HI>Edi&s;ea</HI> the Shephearde&s;&s;es, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> taking that opportunity, went to <HI>Timareta</HI> with the Crown in his hand: It is mo&s;t ju&s;t, &s;aid he unto her, that I pre&s;ent this unto you, who have much better merited it then I; and I a&s;&s;ure you, I would not have worn it, but becau&s;e I could not refu&s;e &s;o great an honour as to be Crowned by the faire&s;t hand upon earth; but be|cau&s;e I will not be unju&s;t, I pro&s;trate at your feet the &s;ame Crown wherewith you adorned my head; for once more let me tell you, it is your &s;elfe only which merits all the honour of my victory. Truly (&s;aid the young and fair <HI>Timareta,</HI> with as much becomingne&s;&s;e and innocen|cy) I do not under&s;tand you, but I am very certain it was you who fought with the mon&s;ter, and killed him: and if fear as well as valour de&s;erved triumph, 'tis I then might claim it as my due, but &s;ince it does not, keep it <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> keep this Crown which I have made for you, &s;ince 'twas your &s;elfe only who fought and vanqui&s;hed, and who only de&s;erves it. 'Tis true indeed, my dear <HI>Timareta,</HI> 'twas I who vanqui&s;hed, &s;aid he, but it is you who have vanqui&s;h|ed me, for had I not had a mo&s;t earne&s;t de&s;ire to &s;ave you, I &s;hould have been le&s;&s;e valiant, and &s;hould perhaps have been vanqui&s;hed, and con&s;equently it is you who has obliged me. You may &s;ay what you plea&s;e <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, but I am &s;ure I owe my life unto you, and you owe me nothing, for indeed I never did you any &s;ervice, nor gave you any thing, only this poor Crown, which you would re&s;tore back. Ha <HI>Timareta,</HI> &s;aid he, you are much more liberall then you think of, for you haue giuen me a thing which I &s;hall never re&s;tore you, and which indeed I cannot if I would: <HI>Timareta</HI> hearing <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;peak thus, began innocently to bethink her &s;elfe what <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> ever gave her; for my part, &s;aid &s;he, you take a delight in puzeling me, for truly I remember that you have given me a thou&s;and times, &s;ome fruit, and birds, and ru&s;hes to make my baskets, but I doe not remember I was ever liberall unto you: Yet you have given me a thing, replyed he, which I &s;hall keep as long as I live: Then certain|ly, &s;aid &s;he, I gave it you a&s;&s;oon as I came out of my cradle, and at a time beyond my me|mory: No, replyed <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> it was when you were more in yeares then &s;o: For heavens &s;ake, &s;aid <HI>Timareta,</HI> tell me what it is? Since you would &s;o earne&s;tly know (replyed he, half &s;mi|ling and blu&s;hing) you have given me love: Ah <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he all in confu&s;ion, not know|ing whether &s;he &s;hould be angry or glad) will you recompence me &s;o cruelly for making you a Crown, as to mock at my &s;implicity? Ah <HI>Timareta</HI> (&s;aid he) will you &s;o cruelly recompence me, for, as you &s;ay, &s;aving your life, as that you will give me a death? for I mu&s;t tell you mo&s;t &s;eriou&s;ly, that if you doe not think I love you a thou&s;and times better then I doe my &s;elfe, and think it without anger, I &s;hall mo&s;t infallibly dye. <HI>Timareta</HI> having recollected her &s;elfe whil&s;t <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was talking: however it be (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I declare unto you, that though perhaps I did innocently give you what you &s;ay, yet I would not have you re|compence liberality for liberality, in giving me the like. As <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was ready to an&s;wer, they were called away to dinner; but as long as it la&s;ted, <HI>Timareta</HI> dur&s;t not &s;o much as look upon <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris;</HI> yet there appeared &s;uch carnation blu&s;hes in her cheeks, that &s;he was forced unto a nece&s;&s;ity of masking them with an excu&s;e, and &s;aid, &s;he was &s;o hott with going to the Chappell, that &s;he &s;hould not be cool again all that day. But Sir, without further relation of the fir&s;t conferences between the&s;e two illu&s;trious lovers, I &s;hall only tell you, that as <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> loved <HI>Timareta,</HI> and <HI>Timareta</HI> knew it, &s;o ever &s;ince they did agree more amiably. Then Sir, was this Prince plea&s;ed to make choice of me for his confident, who had no other &s;ecrets to tru&s;t me withall, but the violence of his pa&s;&s;ion; for certainly <HI>Timareta</HI> did behave her &s;elfe with an extream re&s;ervedne&s;&s;e, &s;o that it may be &s;aid, &s;he was wi&s;e before her time: more|over
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<HI>Edi&s;ea</HI> ob&s;erved her very clo&s;e; yet the virtue of <HI>Timareta</HI> was a &s;ufficient guard unto her beauty. However, having put <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> unto a thou&s;and te&s;ts by as many rigours, &s;hee had all imaginable e&s;teem and tenderne&s;&s;e of this lovely &s;hepheard: &s;he gave him a thou&s;and innocent te&s;timonies of it upon a hundred occa&s;ions; either by her favourable looks, or by &s;ome obliging blu&s;hes, or by &s;ome plau&s;ible words, or by a thou&s;and other little expre&s;&s;ions, which &s;peak plain enough unto a Lover. It was a great augmentation of affection be|tween the&s;e two young Lovers, to think they were like to have no ob&s;tacles in their Mar|riage: The quality of their Parents was equall, their age proportionable; there was not one &s;hephearde&s;&s;e in all the I&s;le whom <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> could endure to talk with one quarter of an hour; nor was there one &s;hepheard which <HI>Timareta</HI> could endure to looke upon: Rea&s;on told them both, that <HI>Amenophis</HI> &amp; <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> would like of the match: &s;o that without any re&s;i&s;tance they gave them&s;elves the liberty of that love which their own merits did create. This being the &s;tate of things, <HI>Amenophis, Edi&s;ea, Timareta, Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and I, we went one evening to walk in that place where they u&s;e to land in that I&s;le; for &s;ince the adventure of the Crocodile, <HI>Timareta</HI> would not walk any where near the River but about that Port. As we were &s;et upon the Gra&s;&s;e, which was diapared with variety of Flowers, <HI>Timareta</HI> fitting next <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> asked him, if he did &s;ee a Boat which was coming towards the I&s;le? he an&s;wer|ed her, that &s;he did him wrong to ask him &s;uch a que&s;tion, for if &s;he were in company hee never looked upon any thing but her &s;elf; but upon her &s;erious demand, he looked, and indeed &s;pied a Boat making towards them; &s;o that &s;hewing unto <HI>Amenophis</HI> what <HI>Timareta</HI> &s;hew|ed him, we all looked upon this Boat; but it being late, and beginning to darken, we could not di&s;cover the per&s;ons in it. The thing which <HI>Amenophis</HI> mo&s;t wondered at, was, becau&s;e it was not ordinary for any Strangers to come unto that I&s;le; but the Barque drawing nearer, we di&s;covered in it a man of grave and &s;erious phy&s;iognomy, yet very comely, who not re|garding us, nor any thing the company did, lookt onely upon the Moon, which dimly &s;hi|ned. The re&s;t of the men were onely Rowers, one of which came on &s;hore, and asked <HI>Ame|nophis,</HI> whom he thought to be the Ma&s;ter of the company, whether a be-nighted &s;tranger could po&s;&s;ibly obtaine the favour of a nights lodging in the I&s;le, his intentions being for <HI>E|lephantine,</HI> but being &s;o late they conceived it dangerous to land in that Port in the night. <HI>Amenophis</HI> hearing the man &s;peak, and knowing by his garb and habit, that the man in the Boat was a &s;tranger, he did not onely let him have leave to lodge in the I&s;le, but let him have his own Cabin. Afterwards enquiring of what Country, he under&s;tood he was of <HI>Samos:</HI> after he knew his Country, <HI>Amenophis</HI> asked his Name? it was an&s;wered <HI>Pythagoras.</HI> Then were the &s;pirits of <HI>Amenophis</HI> filled with joy, and he re&s;olved to make him the be&s;t entertain|ment po&s;&s;ible: For <HI>Amenophis</HI> being an intimate Friend unto the High Prie&s;t of <HI>Memphis,</HI> and by means of my Mother held a &s;ecret corre&s;pondency with all his intimate friends, in|tending to u&s;e them as occa&s;ions &s;erved, he had not long &s;ince received a Letter from his friend, which intimated, that <HI>Pythagoras</HI> was arrived at <HI>Memphis:</HI> You may imagine, Sir, how <HI>Amenophis</HI> was joyed, being a man of deep knowledge, who &s;ince his exile had no other company but <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris, Edi&s;ea, Timareta,</HI> and my &s;elf. His joyes were the more, becau&s;e he under&s;tood from the High Prie&s;t of <HI>Memphis,</HI> that <HI>Pythagoras</HI> would not return unto the Court of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> and therefore there was no danger in receiving him: So going unto the Boat, he offered his hand unto <HI>Pythagoras,</HI> to help him out, and addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech unto him, I render mo&s;t hearty thanks unto the Gods (&s;aid he in the Graecian language) for bring|ing a man into this De&s;art, who&s;e Reputation tran&s;cends all the reports of tho&s;e &s;even Sages which <HI>Greece</HI> at this time boa&s;ts of. This Philo&s;opher wondering to hear <HI>Amenophis</HI> &s;peak unto him, and in the Graecian tongue, &s;aluted him with a Maje&s;tique civility, and to &s;hew the e&s;teeme he held of our Nation, he would not an&s;wer him in Greek, but in the Egyptian Language. Thus did the&s;e two Renowned men at their fir&s;t meeting greet one another, but not in their naturall Languages, both of them retaliating equall Civilities. The Complements of <HI>Pythagoras</HI> were &s;hort, for doubtle&s;s you know, Sir, how this Philo&s;opher was &s;o great a lover of &s;ilence, that hee would have his Di&s;ciples &s;tudy five yeares, and not &s;peake: His Maxim being, to &s;ay little, and heare much; and the onely way to &s;peak well, was to heare much. However, that little he &s;poke, was enough to charm <HI>Amenophis,</HI> who carried him in|to his Cabin, after he had pre&s;ented <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> unto him as his &s;onne, and all the re&s;t of his Family as &s;ervants unto <HI>Pythagoras.</HI> But, Sir, all the diligence of <HI>Amenophis</HI> to bid him welcome was ill be&s;towed: for this Philo&s;opher never eat any thing which had life in it, but Figs and Fruits were a fine Fea&s;t unto him. After this &s;light repa&s;t, <HI>Amenophis</HI> began to di&s;cour&s;e of the mo&s;t &s;ublime Sciences, and &s;o admirably well, that this Philo&s;opher charmed
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with his knowledge, told him, that &s;ince his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e in <HI>Aegypt</HI> was onely to learn, &amp; know tho&s;e great men in it, he mu&s;t needs &s;tay a while with him, &amp; not goe &s;o &s;oon to <HI>Elephantine,</HI> where he could not meet with better company. <HI>Amenophis</HI> received his di&s;cour&s;e with much mode&s;ty, and conjured him to let him become his Scholar, as well as two more, mean|ing <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and my &s;elf: In &s;hort, Sir, <HI>Pythagoras</HI> re&s;olved to &s;tay &s;ome time in the I&s;le, &s;o that he &s;ent back the Boat which brought him, and liked his &s;olitude &s;o well, that hee &s;tayed there four Months. In which time he in&s;tructed <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> with much delight; for this great Philo&s;opher was &s;o ravi&s;hed to finde &s;o wonderfull a di&s;po&s;ition in the &s;pirit of this young Prince to learne the highe&s;t things, as hee taught him both with wonder and delight. He admired al&s;o the young <HI>Timareta,</HI> and &s;o much the more, becau&s;e (&s;aid he) I never knew any of her &s;ex who could &s;o hand&s;omely be &s;ilent, or &s;peak quicker when there was need, or &s;uffer others to &s;peak with more patience. The truth is, Sir, he took an extreame delight in her: For his opinion being, that all &s;oules doe tran&s;migrate from one body into another, either men, bea&s;ts, birds, or any animals (which the Greeks call <HI>Metemp&s;ucho&s;is)</HI> he had an univer&s;all compa&s;&s;ion of all living things; as oft as he found Fi&s;hers with their Nets full of Fi&s;hes, he would buy them all, and &s;et them at liberty. And after he had been a while in our I&s;le, he took notice that the young <HI>Timareta</HI> had many little birds in cages which &s;ung very &s;weetly, and that &s;he loved them exceeding well becau&s;e <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> gave them. The Phi|lo&s;opher according to his Doctrine gave liberty to the&s;e birds, and thereby did exceedingly grieve <HI>Timareta</HI> for the lo&s;&s;e of her birds, and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> for the &s;orrows of <HI>Timareta;</HI> yet did they murmur at their lo&s;&s;e onely in &s;ecret; for as <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> received many &s;apient Documents from <HI>Pythagoras,</HI> &s;o he practi&s;ed that &s;ilence which he taught his Scholars. <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> talking with <HI>Timareta</HI> after her lo&s;&s;e, told her, as pittifull as <HI>Pythagoras</HI> was, he was not able to &s;et him at liberty as he had done her birds. Truly, replyed &s;he, I &s;hould think it more ju&s;t to &s;et men at liberty rather then birds. But, <HI>Timareta,</HI> there is a great difference between them and me; for tho&s;e birds are glad of their freedome, but I &s;hould be &s;orry any &s;hould break my chains: So &s;ince <HI>Pythagoras</HI> intends onely a good unto tho&s;e he frees, when he knows I am your captive, he would not relea&s;e me: But as for your part, fair <HI>Timareta,</HI> why doe not you follow the example of this great Philo&s;opher, and become pittifull? would you have me &s;et you at liberty, replyed &s;he, as he hath done my birds? No, replyed he, but I would have you make me happy in my captivity. How &s;hall I doe that? (replyed &s;he.) The way is, an&s;wered he, by obliging me more unto you, by charming me with a million of harm|le&s;&s;e favours; by being gladder when you &s;ee my love augments, then all <HI>Aegypt</HI> is when they &s;ee the <HI>Nile</HI> to ri&s;e; and (if it would not anger you to &s;ay it) by participating with me in my Fetters: Ah <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, would you have me to be pittifull, and your &s;elf &s;o cruell as to wi&s;h my captivity? Fie, fie, it were not ju&s;t; therefore all I can doe is to tell you, it &s;hall not be long of me, if you be not free. Then you doe not love me at all (replyed he, and looked &s;adly upon her.) I doe not &s;ee, replyed &s;he, how you can draw that conclu|&s;ion from what I &s;aid; for what greater good can be done to a pri&s;oner then to &s;et him at liberty? yet you never gave tho&s;e pretty birds which &s;ung &s;o &s;weetly and delighted you, their liberty, replyed <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris.</HI> I doe confe&s;&s;e it (&s;aid &s;he) for their impri&s;onment plea&s;ed mee better then their liberty. I be&s;eech you, replyed <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> why will not my captivity plea&s;e you al&s;o, &s;ince I am, and ever will be an eternall &s;lave unto your beauty? As <HI>Timareta</HI> was about to an&s;wer, <HI>Amenophis</HI> came and interrupted. However, you &s;ee the Documents of <HI>Pythagoras</HI> were no hinderances to the love of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> but rather taught him a thou&s;and innocent wayes to become more amiable, and his pa&s;&s;ion did &s;till &s;o violently encrea&s;e, that he asked <HI>Timareta</HI> leave to move a Marriage unto <HI>Amenophis.</HI> This motion much &s;urpri&s;ed him; for he did not think it within the &s;pheare of his Authority to marry <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> unto the Daughter of <HI>Ama&s;is:</HI> Yet for all that, he was willing <HI>Timareta</HI> &s;hould love <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;till; For when things were ripe, and that he had rai&s;ed a party in the Kingdom, this might be a means of peace between the Legitimate King and the U&s;urper, at lea&s;t would be a good Ho|&s;tage: For <HI>Amenophis</HI> knew, that though <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> was married, yet he had no children with his Wife, nor could have, becau&s;e he had repudiated this &s;econd Wife: And though this motion did &s;urpri&s;e him, yet he told <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> that his choice was worthy of his &s;pirit and judgement; but yet he was not of age fit for Marriage: That his Marriage was a matter of greater importance then he imagined; and that <HI>Timareta</HI> was &s;uch a Jewell as he mu&s;t long hope for before he enjoyed it. This too &s;trict an&s;wer not &s;atisfying <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> hee &s;till added his prayers unto his rea&s;ons; but all in vain, for he grew &s;o extreamly melancholly and &s;ad that he was hardly knowable. All the documents and advi&s;ements of <HI>Pythagoras</HI> which <HI>A|menophis</HI>
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employed, were to no purpo&s;e: For this young man making u&s;e of his own Do|ctrines again&s;t him, told him, that &s;ince the De&s;tinies did govern the Univer&s;e, and that men were not Ma&s;ters of their own actions, he ought not to be condemned for loving <HI>Timareta</HI> with &s;o much violence, &s;ince he did but what he could not chu&s;e to doe. The truth is, Sir, this Prince was &s;o incen&s;ed at the refu&s;all of <HI>Amenophis,</HI> that he would not &s;tudy, nor walk, nor recreate, nor doe any thing, but lament: And that which mo&s;t augmented his &s;orrows and melancholly was, that <HI>Amenophis</HI> thinking the &s;ight of <HI>Timareta</HI> was a main cau&s;e of his di&s;tempers, he re&s;olved to &s;end her to my Mother at <HI>Elephantine</HI> for a while: So that un|known to <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris, Edi&s;ea</HI> departed the next morning by break of day, with <HI>Timareta,</HI> car|rying orders with them unto my Mother, that &s;he &s;hould pa&s;&s;e under the notion of one of her Co&s;ens, and to put her into &s;uch a habit as was &s;utable to that quality. The de&s;ign was &s;o cunningly executed, that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> knew nothing of it, and that <HI>Timareta</HI> could not &s;peak to him at parting: But at la&s;t <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;eeing her gone, he was &s;o &s;ad, that it was impo&s;&s;ible for any to be more: Yet &s;ince he thought <HI>Amenophis</HI> to be his Father, he did not exclaim again&s;t him, but complained of his misfortunes unto me, and in &s;uch a manner, as would have moved a heart of &s;tone to pitty. <HI>Pythagoras</HI> being informed by <HI>Amenophis</HI> of the cau&s;e of <HI>Timareta</HI>'s exile, and of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> his &s;orrows, did imploy all his Phy&s;ick of Philo&s;ophy to cure or com|fort him, but all in vain; for not knowing where <HI>Timareta</HI> was, or could be, he continued in a mo&s;t &s;ad condition. In the mean while, <HI>Pythagoras</HI> being called away, he prepared for his departure; and &s;ince he re&s;olved to be gone very timely in the morning, he took his leave o|ver might of <HI>Amenophis,</HI> who happened to be &s;o ill, that he could not bring him to his Boat. <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> knowing this, re&s;olved to quit the I&s;le which was intolerable to him, and to go and &s;eek <HI>Timareta;</HI> or at lea&s;t to let <HI>Amenophis</HI> know, that he did him wrong, in denying the &s;a|tisfaction of his de&s;ires. He communicated his de&s;ign unto me, which I approved of, upon condition he would let me follow; for I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e I was weary of a narrow I&s;le, which had not one beauty in it worth my pa&s;&s;ion. But after a departure was agreed upon, the difficulty was how to execute it. As for me, the matter was ea&s;ie, but <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had many ob&s;ervant eyes upon him; yet he contrived a way to execute his de&s;ign; for &s;eeing <HI>Amenophis</HI> was &s;ick, and could not conduct <HI>Pythagoras</HI> to the boat, he di&s;&s;embled him&s;elf to be lame in a thigh, and not able to &s;tand: So <HI>Amenophis</HI> &s;eeing him not able to goe abroad, nor out of his bed, he could not imagine of any going out of the I&s;le, and therefore gave no &s;trict orders to ob&s;erve him, but tru&s;ting much in me, he did recomend unto me the care of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris.</HI> In the mean time <HI>Pythagoras</HI> having, as I &s;aid before, taken his leave of <HI>Amenophis</HI> over night, after a promi&s;e never to reveal he was in the I&s;le, he came al&s;o to bid adieu unto <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and I only had or|ders to wait upon him the next morning. But, Sir, we knowing that there were two Shepheard|de&s;&s;es which intended to goe the next morning unto <HI>Elephantine,</HI> I did &s;o tamper with them, that I got one of their habits, which I carried &s;ecretly unto the chamber of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> And the cu&s;tome of the Egyptian Villages being to wear great white plaited Mantles which cover them from head to foot, when they goe unto that Town, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> took one of them to cover his &s;hepheards habit, and covered his face with a hood as Shephearde&s;&s;es u&s;e; &s;o getting out of the Cabin unperceived, he came to the River &s;ide, and &s;tayed with her that was to goe unto the Town: So that when <HI>Pythagoras</HI> came to embarque, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> covered with his Mantle entered in al&s;o with tho&s;e two women which were of the confederacy, whom I per&s;waded that there was no other my&s;tery in the de&s;ign, but that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> being in love with <HI>Timareta,</HI> he would goe and &s;eek her out: And the&s;e women much murmuring that <HI>Amenophis</HI> &s;hould hinder their Marriage, they con&s;ented unto our de&s;ign; and <HI>Pythagoras</HI> never heeded the&s;e women more then he did the Rowers: But then the difficulty was how I &s;hould pretend my departure, and at la&s;t I hit upon it; and told <HI>Pythagoras</HI> with a confident look, that <HI>Ameno|phis</HI> commanded me to wait upon him as far as <HI>Elephantine,</HI> &s;o that this Philo&s;opher did not long contend with me, but imagined this to be onely a complement of civilitie: So I embar|qued with them, &s;till looking whether <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was well di&s;gui&s;ed. But, Sir, to trouble you no longer with things of &s;uch triviall con&s;ideration, be plea&s;ed to know we arrived at <HI>Elephan|tine:</HI> As &s;oon as we landed, I took leave of my Philo&s;opher, and followed my Shephearde&s;&s;es, who &s;tayed for me &s;ome twenty paces off; then <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had nothing to doe, but to throw off his Mantle which covered his Shepheards habit. Thus in an in&s;tant from a Shephearde&s;&s;e he became a Shepheard, and parted from his company, after he had &s;ent a Letter by them unto <HI>Amenophis,</HI> which he had written before he came out of his Cabin, and if my memory faile not, it contained the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
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<HEAD>SESOSTRIS <HI>unto</HI> AMENOPHIS.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Ask your pardon for being more obedient unto Love then unto you: For I am forced to it. Certainly I de&s;erve to be excu&s;ed. Do not wonder, Sir, that &s;ince I cannot live without <HI>Ti|mareta,</HI> I &s;hould goe to &s;eek her all over the World. I am extream &s;orry for taking <HI>Miris</HI> from you; but obliging terms of friend&s;hip has forced him to doe almo&s;t as much for me as I doe for <HI>Timareta,</HI> and he will quit you to follow my fortunes, which might have been made happy if you would: But I wi&s;h yours may be better, and that I may &s;ee you again after, but not before I have found <HI>Timareta,</HI> who is a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l the life of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>SESOSTRIS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After he had given this Letter to the&s;e women, I de&s;ired them to tell tho&s;e that rowed the Boat, I would not return unto the I&s;le that day, therefore to let them return and not &s;tay for me; and telling the women that <HI>Timareta</HI> lived beyond <HI>Elephantine.</HI> But, Sir, we found our &s;elves put to a pittifull <HI>non plus;</HI> for we were given to under&s;tand that they landed <HI>Ti|mareta</HI> on the other &s;ide of the River, and not at <HI>Elephantine;</HI> yet after we had well looked about us, and could not di&s;cover any Town where po&s;&s;ibly &s;he could be, we concluded &s;he mu&s;t be in this. This conceit put us into no le&s;&s;e puzzle then before, &s;ince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had never been at <HI>Elephantine,</HI> and &s;ince I had been &s;o long out of it, that I had forgot all the &s;treets: Nor dur&s;t I on the other &s;ide goe unto my Mother; for I knew, if &s;he found that I came with|out the order of <HI>Amenophis,</HI> &s;he would &s;tay me: But at la&s;t remembring that in my Infancy there was a great League of Friend&s;hip between me and another boy which was the onely Son of a very Rich man, I enquired of a Merchant which was in the Port concerning his Fa|ther; and I under&s;tood from this Merchant, that both the Father and Mother of my friend were dead; and that he was in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of his E&s;tate. Then I enquired where his hou&s;e was, and we went immediately thither; and I de&s;ired to &s;peak in private with him. So that after &s;ome patience in waiting, I was brought unto him, who at fir&s;t knew me not, both by rea&s;on of my &s;hepheards habit, and becau&s;e I was much altered in my &s;tature and face. But after I had talked with him, and revived the memory of our ancient acquaintance, he embraced me with much joy, and knew me perfectly. Then I told him, after I had enjoyned eternall and inviolable &s;ecrecie, how <HI>Amenophis</HI> &s;ince the death of <HI>Apriez</HI> had renounced the world, and took him&s;elfe unto a de&s;art, where he kept me, and that I being weary of that life, had e&s;caped from him: after which, I pre&s;ented <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> to him, under the notion of &s;onne unto <HI>Amenophis.</HI> In conclu&s;ion Sir, I carryed the matter &s;o hand&s;omely, and found my friend &s;o generous, that he entertained us in his hou&s;e, and accommodated us with all things nece&s;&s;ary what&s;oever: In the mean time, we kn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">w not where <HI>Timareta</HI> was, nor knew not where to &s;eek her in &s;o great a towne, though we &s;ought her in all places, as well as in places where &s;he was likely to be, as where not. The &s;ight of &s;o fair a Town did &s;pring &s;ome ambitious thoughts in the heart of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and the &s;ooner to cau&s;e <HI>Amenophis</HI> to bring <HI>Timareta</HI> into the I&s;le againe, he re&s;olved to goe into the Warrs, where he might &s;atisfie his ambition at lea&s;t, though not his love, and to get glory, though he could not get <HI>Timareta:</HI> He had no &s;ooner formed this de&s;ign in his imagination, but he imparted it unto me, and no &s;ooner communicated but con&s;ented unto; and the &s;ooner, becau&s;e a report went, there was &s;ome commotion again&s;t <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> in one of the Provinces in <HI>Aegypt:</HI> &s;o that without any longer delay, I communicated our intentions unto my friend, who being of a very generous di&s;po&s;i|tion, did furni&s;h us with all things requi&s;ite, to put our &s;elves in an equipage of Warre: thus quitting the Shepheards crook for a &s;word, we left <HI>Elephantine,</HI> not hearing any thing of <HI>Timareta;</HI> and indeed how was it to be hoped ever to heare of a &s;imple Shephearde&s;&s;e in &s;uch a Town as that? However, &s;ince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> de&s;ired his Shephearde&s;&s;e &s;hould know it was for love of her he left the I&s;le, I forgot to tell you Sir, that he had engraved &s;ome words upon a Sycomore which grew upon the Hill in the mid&s;t of the I&s;le, where <HI>Timareta</HI> u&s;ed often to &s;it and enjoy the plea&s;ant pro&s;pect, and where they had often held &s;uch amiable di&s;|cour&s;es in that place, as he was confident that if ever &s;he returned, &s;he would come unto that place, and find the&s;e words,
<Q><P>Se&s;o&s;tris <HI>not being able to live where the faire</HI> Timareta <HI>is not, he is gone with a de&s;igne to dye a&s;&s;oon as he hath lost all hopes of finding her.</HI></P></Q></P>
<P><PB N="94" REF="534">
But Sir, before I tell you any thing of our martiall voyage, give me leave to relate in few words, how <HI>Amenophis</HI> was a&s;toni&s;hed, when about two hours after the departure of <HI>Pytha|goras,</HI> he under&s;tood he was gone as farre as <HI>Elephantine</HI> to conduct him; yet &s;ince he could not imagine <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> to be in a condition of going, he did not at fir&s;t &s;u&s;pect his departure, but &s;ending unto his chamber to ask whether he knew of my intentions, he was extreamly amazed when he heard he was not there; he pre&s;ently &s;ent for all tho&s;e that &s;aw <HI>Pythagoras</HI> embarque, who all &s;aid they &s;aw none but three Shephearde&s;&s;es, the &s;tranger, and my &s;elfe; &s;ince the number of women in that I&s;le is not great, he &s;ent out <HI>Tra&s;eas; Nicetis,</HI> and a &s;ervant, to enquire what women went unto <HI>Elephantine:</HI> but after an exact &s;earch, they found only two wanting; &s;o that <HI>Amenophis</HI> not doubting but <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> went out of the I&s;le in di&s;gui&s;e, he was extreamly troubled, but knew no remedy, for there was not one Boat to be had in all the I&s;le to &s;end after them, all being gone out to fi&s;h: but towards night, to put him out of all doubt of our flight, the two women returned, and gave him the letter, &s;aying, they were much amazed when they found her whom they thought to be a Shephearde&s;&s;e, to prove <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris:</HI> yet <HI>Amenophis</HI> did hardly beleeve them, and was as angry with them, as any &s;o wi&s;e a man as he could be, with them which had failed rather out of &s;implicity then malice: However, without more delay, he &s;ent <HI>Tra&s;eas, Nicetis,</HI> and a &s;ervant, with orders to &s;tay two or three daies in <HI>Elephantine,</HI> and walk up and down the &s;treets, Temples and publique places, to &s;ee if they could meet with them, not daring to go him&s;elfe for feare of di&s;covery; But do what they could, no tidings was to be heard of us, &s;o that <HI>Amenophis</HI> was the &s;adde&s;t man alive: But &s;ince he &s;aw that the violence of his pa&s;&s;ion had driven him away, he thought that perhaps the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion might bring him back unto this I&s;le; yet he dur&s;t not call back <HI>Timareta</HI> &s;o &s;oon, le&s;t <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;hould have &s;ome de&s;ign to take her away in her re|turn, and &s;o he might perhaps lo&s;e her for ever, not having her in his power which might invite his returne; nor dur&s;t he quit the I&s;le, le&s;t <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;hould return when he &s;hould not be there, &s;o that he was forced to &s;tay by him&s;elfe to lament his mi&s;eries; yet was he never out of hope, for his knowledg in A&s;trology &s;hewed him &s;uch happy pre&s;ages for <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> that maugre all malice of his fortune, he tru&s;ted more to the &s;ignes of the heavens, then to his &s;ufferings upon earth; yet was he extreamly &s;orry for the ab&s;ence of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> for he under&s;tood that his &s;tratagems to rai&s;e a party again&s;t the u&s;urper, proved not effectuall, and that his private friends in <HI>Thebes,</HI> and <HI>Heliopolis</HI> had &s;o well tran&s;acted; that the people did not only begin to ri&s;e, but men al&s;o of great quality began to declare them&s;elvse, e&s;pecially in <HI>Thebes,</HI> where the &s;pirit of revolt was ri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e among&s;t the people, becau&s;e <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> when he came fir&s;t to the Crown, to oblige the people unto a declaration for him, did tell the inhabitants, that he would re&s;tore their Town unto its an|tient lu&s;tre: for, Sir, you know that heretofore it was the prime town of all <HI>Aegypt,</HI> before the ever renowned <HI>Menez</HI> cau&s;ed <HI>Memphis</HI> to be built, which &s;ince that, hath been the u&s;uall aboad of all their Kings, by rea&s;on of the &s;cituation which is mo&s;t Maje&s;tique, mo&s;t plea&s;ant and lovely in the world; &s;o that as <HI>Memphis</HI> increa&s;ed in wealth, <HI>Thebes</HI> decayed; and the inhabitants of <HI>Thebes</HI> knowing, that riches, greatne&s;&s;e, and magnificence of towns, ari&s;eth from the pre&s;ence of Kings, they petitioned <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> that according to his promi&s;e, he would inhabit among&s;t them: nor had <HI>Thebes</HI> been &s;o ready to declare for him, but in hopes of this: yea &s;eeing him &s;o farr from keeping promi&s;e with them, that he cau&s;ed his Tomb to be built at <HI>Memphis,</HI> as in the place where he would both live and dye: the friends of <HI>Ameno|phis</HI> found it an ea&s;ie matter to make this a pretence for a revolt, and to engage <HI>Heliopolis</HI> in the intere&s;t of <HI>Thebes,</HI> becau&s;e of the great traffique and commerce which was ever be|tween tho&s;e two Townes: This <HI>Amenophis</HI> &s;aw, that if he had <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> in his power, he had a faire opportunity to make him known unto the people, and perhaps to cau&s;e an univer&s;all revolution in all <HI>Aegypt;</HI> for it was ea&s;ie to make this Prince known, having <HI>Ladices</HI> Letter in his hands; and al&s;o having <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> and <HI>Nicetis</HI> with him, knowing that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was the &s;ame child he brought into the I&s;le, about four or five yeares of age; al&s;o he had one of the Princes &s;ervants with him. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Amenophis</HI> could never effect his de&s;ignes, unle&s;&s;e he tru&s;ted and imparted them unto &s;ome: there was a man of good quality in <HI>Thebes,</HI> who knew that the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez</HI> was living, though he knew not where he was; for <HI>Ame|nophis</HI> would never impart the place of his retreat unto any, le&s;t he &s;hould run &s;ome hazard; yet he could do no le&s;&s;e then to &s;end unto him, who &s;aid it was now a time to bring the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> and to excu&s;e the matter by &s;aying, that this Prince was &s;ick, and that a&s;&s;oon as he was in a condition to come unto <HI>Thebes,</HI> he would bring him. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Tima|reta,</HI>
<PB N="95" REF="534">
though well plea&s;ed with &s;o plea&s;ant a Town as <HI>Elephantine</HI> was, and to be out of the cour&s;e habit of a Shephearde&s;&s;e, yet &s;he did mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly lament the want of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris;</HI> but &s;he lamented in &s;ecret, not daring to complain unto any: and whil&s;t <HI>Amenophis</HI> and <HI>Timareta</HI> were thus full of &s;orrowes, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was fuller then they, and truly all the way we travelled towards &s;ome rendezvouz of Warr, he talked of nothing but <HI>Timareta,</HI> and he grew &s;o dull and melancholy, that there was a little quarrell almo&s;t ri&s;en between us: Then Sir, be plea&s;ed to know, that when we under&s;tood there was a province which revolted again&s;t <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> the que&s;tion was, whether we &s;hould take the part of <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> the u&s;urper, or the &s;ide of the people which revolted from him? I being &s;omething elder then <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and remem|bered all the imprecations and cur&s;es again&s;t <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> when he came to the Crown, my incli|nation and judgment was to fight again&s;t him: But <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was of the contrary opinion, and would fight in the Army of <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> again&s;t the revolters: my arguments were, that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> was an u&s;urper; that all re&s;pects were due unto the legitimate King; that they of <HI>Thebes</HI> were no rebells, but ju&s;t enemies unto a Tyrant, and con&s;equently I thought it mo&s;t ju&s;t to take their part: On the contrary <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> he argued, that though <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> was an u&s;urp|er, yet they of <HI>Thebes</HI> were unworthy of a&s;&s;i&s;tance: for, (&s;aid he) if they were faithfull unto their Prince, why did they acknowledg <HI>Ama&s;is?</HI> and &s;ince they did acknowledg him, why doe they now for&s;ake him? were there a Prince de&s;cended from the royall race of our Kings unto whom the Crown &s;hould de&s;cend, then &s;hould I certainly fight on their &s;ide; or if they had only a de&s;ign to revenge the death of <HI>Apriez,</HI> I would be on their &s;ide al&s;o, but &s;ince I hear their aimes are only at their private intere&s;ts, and grandure of their Town, and for that they trouble all the Kingdome, it is but ju&s;t if they peri&s;h: Al&s;o, I have heard <HI>Amenophis</HI> &s;ay, that it is better to obey one Ma&s;ter then many, and that a good Tyrant in peace, is better for the people then a ju&s;t warr: Moreover, without any further rea&s;ons, I find my heart &s;o incli|nable to take the part of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> that it is &s;ufficient I tell you, that I can take no other. After this Sir, I &s;ubmitted unto <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> but it was with much adoe; then we went unto the Army of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> who then was under the command of <HI>Heracleon,</HI> who at pre&s;ent is your pri&s;oner, and who was then the Kings favourite, not only becau&s;e he was the man who had the greate&s;t hand in &s;etting him upon the Throne, but becau&s;e his per&s;on plea&s;ed him; and though this warr was of that importance as might very well oblige <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> to go into it him&s;elfe; but the rea&s;on why he did not, was, becau&s;e he was very &s;ickly. At la&s;t Sir, we came to the camp, and &s;eemed as men who would &s;erve as voluntiers: but Sir, as <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had an excellent faculty in u&s;ing a pike-&s;taffe under the notion of a Shepheard, he had a better in u&s;ing a &s;word under the notion of a &s;ouldier, for never was &s;een in <HI>Aegypt</HI> a man of &s;o fine a garb in armes as he; he attracted the eyes of all, both officers and &s;ouldiers, but as his admira|ble behaviour did invite their looks in the camp, &s;o it did much more when he fought: for <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> did things which certainly did &s;urpa&s;&s;e all that they could imagine of his valour: yet <HI>Heracleon</HI> was not a witne&s;&s;e of it, for at the very fir&s;t charge he was wounded, and &s;o exceedingly, that he was carried out of the Camp, and could not return all that Battle, which was commanded by his Lieutenant Generall, who&s;e name was <HI>Simandius;</HI> &s;o the valour of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was not known unto <HI>Heracleon,</HI> but only by report: But Sir be plea&s;ed to know, that though we came into this camp only as &s;imple voluntiers, unknown unto any, yet the valour of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> made us quickly known unto all the Army, for he did &s;o highly and happily &s;ave the life of <HI>Simandius</HI> in a battle, that his fame flew as far as <HI>Heracleon</HI> and <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> al&s;o: But Sir, the admiration was, that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> who would be known for no more then a Shepheard, would have us change our names, though the names of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Miris</HI> were &s;o generall and common in <HI>Aegypt,</HI> that it was not likely we &s;hould be known: But the truth is, he was &s;o afraid of being known to be a Shepheard, that he did as much as he could have done to hinder his being known to be the &s;onne of a King, if he had known his royall birth: &s;o that taking upon him the name of <HI>P&s;ammetites,</HI> as long as he was in the Army; it was under that name, and not <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> that his reputation was divulged, both in the Army of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> and in that of the enemy, and a hundred heroique acts, made him lookt upon as a man extraordinary. <HI>Simandius,</HI> in recompence that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had &s;aved his life, would have given him a good command, but &s;ince he was re&s;olved to return &s;hortly unto <HI>Elephantine,</HI> to &s;ee whether his adored <HI>Timareta</HI> was returned to the I&s;le, he would not accept of it: However Sir, though <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> did miracles under the notion of <HI>P&s;ammetites,</HI> and that in &s;aving the life of <HI>Simandius,</HI> he only prevented the defeat of his army, yet the enemies &s;ide was very &s;trong, and &s;eemed to maintain their revolt very &s;trongly: The Army wherein we were, &s;coffed at a report in <HI>Thebes,</HI> that a &s;onne of <HI>Apriez</HI> would ere long be in the head of their forces; <HI>Se&s;o&s;|tris</HI>
<PB N="96" REF="535">
was the fir&s;t who affirmed that the enemy gave that out only to make their revolt &s;eem more ju&s;t, and that if it were true there were a &s;onne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> he would ere now have ap|peared in tho&s;e &s;kirmi&s;hes already fought: But after all this Sir, the time of year for field be|ing &s;pent, and <HI>Simandius</HI> being forced to retreat with his forces into Winter quarters, becau&s;e the <HI>Nile</HI> began to &s;well, he would needs carry him who was &s;o famous under the name of <HI>P&s;ammetites,</HI> unto the Court, that he might receive from the King a recompence due unto his courage; but <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> to excu&s;e him&s;elfe with more civility from going, told him, that he would come to the Court a&s;&s;oon as he was in a condition to appear in it, without &s;hame unto him, &amp; therefore de&s;ired permi&s;&s;ion fir&s;t to go home: Then <HI>Simandius</HI> asked where his home was, and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> (as it was agreed between us) an&s;wered, it was at a town called <HI>Canopea,</HI> which gives the name unto one of the &s;even mouthes of <HI>Nilus:</HI> &s;o <HI>Simandius</HI> being glad to know the place where he, who &s;aved his life, lived, did pre&s;&s;e him no further, contenting him&s;elfe with his promi&s;e of returning to court: yet he forced <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> to receive a very rich pre&s;ent of Jewels, and among&s;t the re&s;t, a great medall of Gold, of which <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> gave him many to be|&s;tow upon the like occa&s;ions, on the one fide of which was the Kings picture, and on the o|ther, that of <HI>Ladice,</HI> who&s;e memory was &s;till very dear unto him, not only becau&s;e he ever loved her, but al&s;o becau&s;e by her meanes he came to be King, though farre contrary to her intentions. But Sir the admiration is, that as <HI>Timareta</HI> had a great re&s;emblance of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Ladice</HI> her Mother, &s;o this medal had a great re&s;emblance of <HI>Timareta,</HI> &s;o that after we had taken leave of <HI>Simandius,</HI> and had looked upon this medall with more lea&s;ure, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> re|joyced more at this adventure then is expre&s;&s;ible; yet could not &s;u&s;pect any thing of the truth; for &s;ince this re&s;emblance was not exactly perfect, and &s;ince he verily beleeved <HI>Timare|ta</HI> was really the daughter of a Shepheard, he conceived it to be only an act of chance, for which he ought to render thanks unto the Gods: The very &s;ight of this medall made us to return to <HI>Elephantine,</HI> with more ha&s;t, and more joy then we came from it, for after this happy adventure, he made no doubt but to find <HI>Timareta</HI> in the I&s;le: At la&s;t Sir, we arrived at <HI>Elephantine,</HI> and went to him with whom we were before entertained, who was much a&s;toni&s;hed to &s;ee us return in a better equipage then we were in at our departure. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> returned only for <HI>Timaretas</HI> &s;ake, we were no &s;ooner come to <HI>Elephantine,</HI> but he endeavoured to know whether &s;he were returned to the I&s;le, and remembring very well that it was the day on which Boats did commonly come to the town, he walked towards the Port, and &s;o happily, that he &s;aw comming a Boat full of Shepheards, and Shephearde&s;&s;es, yet would he not &s;hew him&s;elfe, but &s;ent a &s;ervant which he had entertained during his voyage, to ask whether a maid called <HI>Timareta</HI> was at that pre&s;ent in the I&s;le? and being an&s;wered that &s;he returned a few daies &s;ince, <HI>Se&s;ostris</HI> without one minute of more delay, re&s;olved upon a return al&s;o: but &s;ince he conceived that all the Shepheards would wonder to &s;ee him in that habit, and perhaps mock at him, he put on again his old habit of a Shep|heard, which he left off when he went unto the Army; for my part I per&s;waded him to ap|pear before <HI>Timareta</HI> in the &s;ame habit wherein he was, but he would not, and I am confident that if he had been really a Shepheard, he could not have done what he did, but being the &s;onne of a great King, though ignorant of it, his &s;oul was above that kind of vanity, and thought it enough to let her &s;ee his martiall voyage had been happy, by giving her tho&s;e Jewels which <HI>Simandius</HI> gave him, except that medall which had that fair re&s;emblance: &s;o <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> following his de&s;ign, and I following him, we left our men and equipage of warr at my friends hou&s;e, and waited for the people who were to return into the I&s;le, and who were extreamly joyed when they &s;aw <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris;</HI> he found al&s;o among&s;t them one of tho&s;e women which helped him out of the I&s;le, after which <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> enquired for <HI>Timareta, Ame|nophis,</HI> and <HI>Edi&s;ea,</HI> but e&s;pecially of <HI>Timareta,</HI> he under&s;tood that this fair maid was re|turned into the I&s;le with <HI>Edi&s;ea,</HI> but a thou&s;and times fairer then ever he &s;aw her; and that two daies after &s;he came, <HI>Amenophis</HI> departed with a &s;ervant which he had along with him. Though <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> loved <HI>Amenophis</HI> very well, maugre his rigour, yet at this time he was very glad of his ab&s;ence, and &s;ince he could talk of nothing but <HI>Timareta,</HI> as long as that little navigation la&s;ted, &s;he was all his di&s;cour&s;e both with me and the Shepheards, who all knew he was in love: When we drew near our de&s;art, he thought he &s;aw &s;ome upon the hill in the mid&s;t of the I&s;le, where he had engraved &s;ome words upon the Sicomors; but it being too farr off to di&s;cerne whether it was a Shepheard or a Shephearde&s;&s;e, he asked me whether I &s;aw one at the root of that tree which grew ju&s;t upon the very knab of the hill; he had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but that Shephearde&s;&s;e who lent him her mantle at departure, began to &s;peak: I'le lay my life &s;aid &s;he to him, that it is <HI>Timareta,</HI> for &s;ince &s;he returned, &s;he is almo&s;t alwaies
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there. <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> hearing this, did not doubt but it was &s;he, &s;o that his imagination &s;upplying the defects of his eyes, he thought he di&s;cerned her &s;tature and her habit, and thinking that &s;he was only there to think upon him, he was extreamly joyed; and his de&s;ire to &s;ee <HI>Timareta</HI> was &s;o great, that he leapt the fir&s;t out of the boat, almo&s;t before it touched land. In the mean time Sir, to let you know how un&s;earchable are the &s;ecrets of the Gods, and how vain all humane providence is, give me leave to tell you both how and why <HI>Amenophis</HI> departed: Be plea&s;ed to know then Sir, that tho&s;e who began the commotion at <HI>Thebes,</HI> and <HI>Heliopolis,</HI> &s;eeing no <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> appear, began to murmur again&s;t <HI>Amenophis,</HI> who had &s;o long held them in hopes of &s;eeing him, &s;o that writing unto him to te&s;tifie their feares, that after they had a&s;&s;ured the people, and publi&s;hed throughout all <HI>Aegypt</HI> that there was a &s;onne of <HI>Apriez</HI> living, after all this they &s;hould be forced to &s;ay, they were deceived, and that there is no &s;uch thing: <HI>Amenophis</HI> was forced to go him&s;elfe (not daring to tru&s;t it in a letter) and &s;atisfie them of all the pa&s;&s;age: In the mean time, he cau&s;ed <HI>Edi&s;ea</HI> and <HI>Timareta</HI> to returne into the I&s;le, to the end, that if <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> returned, &s;he might &s;tay him, appointing <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> and <HI>Edi|&s;ea</HI> to tell him, that he had altered his opinion &s;ince his departure, and at his return would give him all po&s;&s;ible &s;atisfaction: al&s;o, conjuring <HI>Edi&s;ea</HI> to order it &s;o, that the faire Shep|hearde&s;&s;e might &s;tay <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> if he returned: after which, <HI>Amenophis</HI> departed in a di&s;gui&s;e and carried the Prince&s;&s;e Servant with him: And the&s;e were the motives Sir, which attracted <HI>Amenophis</HI> out of the I&s;le, and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> in, and <HI>Timareta</HI> al&s;o: But to returne unto <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> whom I left leaping ha&s;tily out of the Boat, the &s;ooner to &s;ee his faire Shephearde&s;&s;e; give me leave to tell you Sir, that he found her upon the top of the hill, and bottome of the Sico|more where <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had imprinted his mind, and &s;he every day &s;ince her return was reading it: this beauty he found in a mu&s;ing po&s;ture, her eyes down, and walking &s;oftly, when he was coming ha&s;tily to her, to te&s;tifie his de&s;ires of &s;eeing her, who being upon a &s;udden &s;weetly &s;urpri&s;ed with the &s;ight of her dear <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and to &s;ee his face &s;o full of joy, had good cau&s;e to think his heart was as full of love; both their joyes were &s;o high, that they were not able to expre&s;&s;e them by their words, yet at la&s;t they &s;poke, but it was both at once, but yet they under&s;tood each other, for upon &s;uch occa&s;ions, regular &s;et civillities are not the mo&s;t obliging, but there is a certain di&s;order of &s;pirit, &amp; confu&s;ion of words, which plea &s;eth much better, then any &s;tudyed complements of quaint language, which perhaps &s;ignifie nothing, at mo&s;t, nothing to the purpo&s;e: but after they had vented what their fir&s;t raptures permitted them, <HI>Timareta</HI> &s;aluted me, and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;aluted <HI>Edi&s;ea,</HI> who followed <HI>Timareta</HI> &s;ome twenty paces from her: the&s;e two lovers were both &s;o equally di&s;ordered with a plea&s;ing &s;urpri&s;e, that <HI>Timareta</HI> in &s;peaking to me called me <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> called <HI>Edi&s;ea Timareta:</HI> this little reciprocall error had different effects, for <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was very glad to heare <HI>Timareta</HI> u&s;e his name in lieu of mine, nor was he &s;orry for calling <HI>Timareta,</HI> in lieu of <HI>Edi&s;ea,</HI> thinking &s;he would thereby know, that his thoughts did run on her: but as for <HI>Timareta,</HI> &s;he was vexed at her &s;elfe for being &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed, that &s;he blu&s;ht for &s;hame: This pretty error was not only the joy of <HI>Se&s;o|&s;tris</HI> at the fir&s;t meeting, but it was highly augmented to &s;ee <HI>Timareta</HI> a thou&s;and times more faire and charming then &s;he was at his departure: &s;he was grown taller, her neck was in ano|ther, but better modell, &s;he was grown plump, her complexion was poli&s;hed, her eyes more lu&s;trous, her behaviour more gracefull and free; all which, made her infinitely more amiable. Moreover, the beauty of her mind was as much bettered, as that of her body, and her being at <HI>Elephantine,</HI> had &s;o taught her the air and garb of the world, that &s;he &s;eemed to be, as indeed &s;he was, a great Prince&s;&s;e, di&s;gui&s;ed in the habit of a Shephearde&s;&s;e: <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> for his part, was grown infinitely more amiable al&s;o, his behaviour was more high, and his &s;pirit more bold and refined: Thus the&s;e two young per&s;ons, finding each other worthy of fre&s;h admiration, it is no wonder if their affections were greater then before, yet for all this, there was &s;ome &s;uch altera ions in the way of <HI>Timareta,</HI> as made <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> have many an angry houre; for as this young beauty did certainly love more then before, &s;o &s;he did expre&s;&s;e it le&s;&s;e; &s;o that at the fir&s;t private conference which they had together, after the return of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> he complained of her cruell change in her behaviour, who being now more circum|&s;pect then when &s;he was young, would not let all her heart be &s;een in her tongue: I be&s;eech you fair <HI>Timareta</HI> &s;aid he unto her, from whence proceeds this alteration which I perceive in you? and why do you treat me more &s;eriou&s;ly and more coldly then before you u&s;ed? You may (replyed &s;he and &s;miled) leave out one of your la&s;t words, which you u&s;ed, &s;ince I have done nothing which can make you think I treat you more coldly; I confe&s;&s;e I have left off a little of my childi&s;h &s;implicity, and merryments of my infancy. Ah <HI>Timareta,</HI> replyed he, do not under the colour of that cruell expre&s;&s;ion deprive me of that &s;weetne&s;&s;e which
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heretofore you ble&s;&s;ed me withall; but let me at the lea&s;t take &s;ome con&s;olation in things that are pa&s;t, though I cannot in the things pre&s;ent. To &s;hew you that I am not rigorous (&s;aid <HI>Timareta</HI> to him) I promi&s;e you never to forget how I owe my life unto you, but at the &s;ame time I conjure you to forget all the innocent pa&s;&s;ages of my infancy, not to regulate in mea|&s;ure the re&s;t of my life by what is pa&s;t; for truly <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> I have &s;poke a hundred thou&s;and things, which makes me blu&s;h to think of them, and which I &s;hall never &s;peak againe: Why? (&s;aid <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris)</HI> do you think it ju&s;t, you &s;hould treat me wor&s;e then you did, becau&s;e you have more &s;pirit and witt then you had? and becau&s;e you are more faire, and con&s;equently I more your captive, therefore you &s;hould be more rigorous to me? I conceive &s;aid &s;he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d and &s;miled, that now there is more decorum to be ob&s;erved; and though I &s;hould love you, yet I &s;hould not tell you &s;o, but it is your part only to gue&s;&s;e at it: It mu&s;t needs be confe&s;&s;ed &s;aid <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> that this fa&s;hion is a little too Tyrannicall and unju&s;t, for am I not the very &s;ame I was when you lived in more freedome with me? No, &s;aid &s;he unto him, you are now a much more refined man: But admit I be replyed he, mu&s;t you therefore u&s;e me wor&s;e? No, replyed &s;he, but I doe it to get more of your e&s;teem: Ah, <HI>Timareta,</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> rigour is an ill expedient, whereby to get the e&s;teem of a lover: I a&s;&s;ure you &s;aid &s;he, I think it is a better then indulgence: For all your rigour <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> (&s;aid he, and &s;hewed her the medall which <HI>Simandius</HI> gave him) you cannot hinder me from having your picture: 'tis true, &s;aid he, it does not fully re&s;emble you, but however it is not more unlike you, then your &s;elf is, to what you were unto me in that age when you &s;uffered me to look on your eyes without turning them away. <HI>Timareta</HI> taking this medall, and looking upon it, was extreamly &s;urpri&s;ed, to find the figure of a woman on the one &s;ide of it, who&s;e aire did much re&s;emble hers; &s;o that having a longing de&s;ire to know how he came unto it, and how it came to re&s;emble her, &s;he began to be importunate with him to tell her: Then would he according to his intentions, have given her all that <HI>Simandius</HI> gave him, yet by no means would &s;he receive them, but pre&s;&s;ed him &s;till to tell her, how he got &s;o much riches, and asking him further, how after this he could return to be a Shepheard: Give me leave (&s;aid he unto her) to begin my an&s;wer, where you ended, and to tell you, that I am a Shepheard becau&s;e you are a Shephearde&s;&s;e, and when you leave being &s;o, I will then ca&s;t away my Crook; and for all the re&s;t (&s;aid he, &s;eeing mee coming towards them) you may know them from the mouth of <HI>Miris.</HI> As I heard the&s;e la&s;t words, I asked <HI>Timareta,</HI> after I had &s;aluted her, what it was I &s;hould tell her, and &s;he telling me, I made a relation of our voyage; but &s;ince I was to acquaint <HI>Timareta</HI> with the valour of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> he would needs impo&s;e &s;ilence upon me; but &s;eeing he could not, he ro&s;e up and went to <HI>Edi&s;ea</HI> who was coming towards us; &s;o I made an exact rela|tion of all his acts, how great a reputation he had gotten under the name of <HI>P&s;ammetites,</HI> and which way he came by the medall; but whil&s;t I related all the&s;e things, I perceived &s;uch joy in the eyes of <HI>Timareta,</HI> as plainly appeared <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was not a little in her favour. In the mean time Sir, what a&s;&s;urances &s;oever <HI>Edi&s;ea</HI> gave this amorous Shepheard, that <HI>Ame|nophis</HI> had changed his mind, and promi&s;ed at parting, that at his returne he would give him full &s;atisfaction; yet he had a mi&s;tru&s;t in all the&s;e faire words, and if <HI>Timareta</HI> had not been as wi&s;e as faire, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had certainly carried her away out of the I&s;le, before the re|turne of <HI>Amenophis:</HI> but &s;he was &s;o angry at the very fir&s;t motion of it, that he never dur&s;t think of it afterwards, for &s;he continued three whole daies, and would not &s;peak unto him, though he courted her with all imaginable plau&s;ibility: yet after a thou&s;and petitions for a pardon, and as many promi&s;es to &s;ubmitt totally unto her will, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> made his peace, and re&s;olved according to the orders of this fair Shephearde&s;&s;e, to re&s;t quiet untill the re|turn of <HI>Amenophis;</HI> &s;o that after this reconcilement, wherein I was a mediator, they lived to|gether without the le&s;t jarre, unle&s;&s;e only &s;uch as are e&s;&s;entiall redintegrations of love, as are every day, both in and out a hundred times; yet was their tranquillity much mole&s;ted by the death of <HI>Edi&s;ea,</HI> who being gone, <HI>Timareta</HI> had no rea&s;onable conver&s;ation but in the company of <HI>Se&s;ostris. Tra&s;eas</HI> doubtle&s;&s;e was a man of much &s;pirit, and was much civilized by the long communication of <HI>Amenophis; Nicetis</HI> his wife was al&s;o a little more &s;ociable, by the company of <HI>Edi&s;ea:</HI> but for all that, they were nothing &s;uitable to the youth and aire of <HI>Timareta;</HI> and therefore having no other agreeable company, &s;he was the more joyed in that of <HI>Se&s;ostris,</HI> yet ever with much re&s;ervedne&s;&s;e, making it ap|peare, that &s;he would give her &s;elfe no more liberty, then <HI>Edi&s;ea</HI> her governe&s;&s;e would were &s;he living: yet this re&s;ervedne&s;&s;e had nothing in it but mode&s;ty, without any rigour or &s;eve|rity; &s;o that after all teares were dried up for the death of <HI>Edi&s;ea, Se&s;ostris</HI> was without any inquietudes, but to &s;ee <HI>Amenophis</HI> returned not; and becau&s;e he thought the longer his ab|&s;ence was, the more was his happine&s;&s;e deferred: But Sir, his longing expectations of <HI>Ameno|phis</HI>
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were all in vaine, for he was faln into a de&s;perate Adventure. For be plea&s;ed to know Sir, that as he was going to the places where all the Officers of that faction which he had rai&s;ed, were covered, he was &s;o unfortunate, as in going through the Town of <HI>Nea,</HI> which is in the Province of <HI>Thebes,</HI> and where there was a &s;edition rai&s;ed, that <HI>Amenophis</HI> and his &s;ervant, chanced to be in the mid&s;t of this <HI>Tumult,</HI> again&s;t their wills: In the mean time, as ill lucke was, one of the principall men of the Town was hurt, and was &s;o near <HI>Amenophis</HI> and his &s;ervant, that they with many others were taken as authors of this &s;edition, the par|ty of the hurt man prevailing again&s;t the other. Thus was <HI>Amenophis</HI> and his &s;ervant a long while pri&s;oners; for being &s;trangers, they had no &s;upport, <HI>Amenophis</HI> not daring to make u&s;e of any his friends in <HI>Thebes,</HI> &s;ince tho&s;e who were ma&s;ters of this Town were for <HI>Ama&s;is:</HI> So than he was forced to tru&s;t onely unto his innocency: But tho&s;e who were reall Criminals, and were taken with him, they had kindred and friends in the Town, they were relea&s;ed, and the innocent more clo&s;ly kept in their Pri&s;on. Yet could they not proceed unto judgement a|gain&s;t them, becau&s;e they would fir&s;t &s;ee of him who pro&s;ecuted again&s;t them, being in his bed; it was long before they could be certain whether he would mend or end, live or die; &s;o that the puni&s;hment being to be more or le&s;&s;e rigorous according to the event, <HI>Amenophis</HI> and his &s;er|vant were kept Pri&s;oners, not being able, or daring if they could, to apply them&s;elves unto any, <HI>Amenophis</HI> was extream grieved at one thing, for he found that he had lo&s;t <HI>Ladices</HI> let|ter to <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> in the Tumult, by meanes of which he hoped hereafter to make <HI>Se&s;ostris</HI> and <HI>Timareta</HI> known, and which he would needs carry with him, both becau&s;e he would by it ju&s;tifie him&s;elf unto his friends, and becau&s;e he would not tru&s;t it any where but where he was him&s;elf. But whil&s;t he was in this pittiful Condition, the Nile did &s;well, &amp; afterwards return|ed again within its ordinary bankes, as alwaies it u&s;ed towards Winter. <HI>Heracleon</HI> drawing his Forces out of the winter Garri&s;ons, did &s;uppre&s;&s;e tho&s;e which revolted, and almo&s;t quite de|feated them, &s;o that they were forced all to retreat into <HI>Thebes.</HI> Yet <HI>Heracleon</HI> could not be&s;iege them, but contented him&s;elf with being Ma&s;ter of the field, and have, by this action, obtained greater favour with the King. This happy &s;ucce&s;&s;e per&s;wading <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> that his be&s;t cour&s;e to keep the People in their obedience, was to &s;hew him&s;elf in all his Provinces, and to Perambulate all his Kingdom; he began to go from Town to Town, to win their &s;pirits, and to imprint a new Re&s;pect. And that his voyage might &s;eeme onely a Progre&s;&s;e of Peace; the King would have all his Court with him: at la&s;t Sir, he came to <HI>Elephantine:</HI> and hee was no &s;ooner there, but the imperfection and weakne&s;&s;e of his eyes did &s;o augment, that hee thought he &s;hould have quite lo&s;t his &s;ight: but that which did mo&s;t affright him, was a terri|ble apparition which he then &s;aw: I am confident it was rather one of tho&s;e my&s;terious dreams, which &s;ometimes foretells men of future accident, then a reall apparition: however it it was, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> &s;aid, that when he awaked one night, an hour before day, he &s;aw, or at lea&s;t thought he &s;aw a gloomy light, by the help of which, he perceived the Gho&s;t of <HI>Apriez,</HI> and di&s;tinctly &s;aw the wounds he received; when he was mo&s;t barbarou&s;ly ma&s;&s;acred: The body was all bloody and disfigured: but the great amazement<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of all, was to &s;ee following the dead King, the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Ladice,</HI> in a great &s;ad mourning Mantle, who looking upon him with a menacing kind of action, and angry eyes, began to &s;peak the&s;e words, in &s;uch a lamentable, Penetrating and terrible a tone, that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> was almo&s;t out of his wits. Know (&s;aid &s;hee, and &s;hewed him this unfortunate King) that this unhappy Prince whom thou did&s;t de&s;troy, hath left a Son: and if thou do&s;t not re&s;tore unto him that Crown which thou di&s;t pull from the head of his Father: thou &s;halt never &s;ee any other more plea&s;ing object then this thou now <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ee&s;t, but &s;hall &s;ee it, or wor&s;e continually. Yes, too ambitious <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> (pur&s;ued the Gho&s;t) than &s;halt neither &s;ee thy Subjects, nor the Scepter which thou mo&s;t injuriou&s;ly hold&s;t: nor the infant which I left thee, nor the common light: but thou &s;halt eternally &s;ee me upbraiding thee with thy Crime, untill thou entere&s;t into thy holy Tombe: After this a thou&s;and fla&s;hes of Red, Blue, and Black Flame appeared, wherein the bodies of <HI>Apriez</HI> and <HI>Ladice</HI> vani&s;hed: The&s;e Flames were accompanied with &s;o great a noi&s;e, as he thought the Chamber &s;haked: &s;o that pa&s;&s;ing out of the&s;e affrighting flames into a di&s;mall ob&s;curity, and out of a horrid noi&s;e into a deepe &s;ilence, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> was &s;o troubled that hee knew not what to think or re&s;olve upon: his wonder was doubled, when he was told in the morning, that it rained a whole hour together in the night: For Sir, &s;ince Rain was never &s;een in that part of <HI>Aegypt,</HI> the Prodigie did the more affright him. But he had another cau&s;e of fear: For newes was brought, that <HI>Apis,</HI> who&s;e Birth had rejoyced all <HI>Aegypt</HI> a little before, was dead with the fla&s;h of Lightning and a thunder; I will not explain what this <HI>Apis</HI> was a|mong&s;t us, for I know Sir, you cannot be ignorant of it: By the&s;e you may know that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI>
<PB N="100" REF="537">
had &s;ome cau&s;es of fear, and the more, becau&s;e the Statue of <HI>O&s;iris</HI> which he erected before his Palace, fell down in the night; yet would this Prince conceale his a&s;toni&s;hment, and &s;ent to con&s;ult with the Oracle of <HI>Latona</HI> at the Town of <HI>Bulte,</HI> which is the mo&s;t renowned of all in <HI>Egypt:</HI> But this Oracle did not give him any &s;atisfaction, for it an&s;wered him in ob&s;cure terms. <HI>That if he would have his Po&s;terity Raign after him, he mu&s;t re&s;tore that Scepter which he had u&s;urped, unto him who had right unto it: or otherwi&s;e he &s;hould not only lo&s;e his &s;ight, but his eyes and life. Ama&s;is</HI> then &s;eeing him&s;elf &s;o cruelly threatned, and finding that really his &s;ight did weaken, began to &s;trive again&s;t his ambition, and would have overcome it, yet hee could not bring it about: &s;o that endeavouring all manner of waies to &s;ecure him&s;elf, he be|gan to tran&s;act as if he apprehended nothing, in his heart he was full of continuall appre|hen&s;ions: This being the &s;tate of things, they brought <HI>Ladices</HI> Letter unto <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> which <HI>Amenophis</HI> lo&s;t in the Tumult, and which was found by an Officer of <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> in that Towne, who &s;ent it unto the King, not knowing who lo&s;t it: It coming unto the hands of the King, he no &s;ooner &s;aw it, but notwith&s;tanding the weakne&s;&s;e of his eyes, he perfectly knew the Character: you may ea&s;ily imagine that he read it with wonder, and application; and the more becau&s;e he was extreamly joyed to under&s;tand that <HI>Ladice</HI> had left him a child: But Sir, one thing chanced which is worthy of ob&s;ervation: For <HI>Ladices</HI> letter was &s;o tumbled in the tumult, that it could not be di&s;cerned whether it mentioned a Son or a Daughter, but it was more like to be a Son then a Daughter: He &s;aw in the place where &s;hee &s;poke of a child which &s;he left; It was this
<Q><P>Know then that I have left you a&mdash;which you &s;hall never &s;ee unle&s;&s;e you render the Scepter unto the young <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris.</HI></P></Q></P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince he under&s;tood by this letter, that when <HI>Ladice</HI> writ it the young <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was alive; yet he never thought of re&s;toring the Scepter unto him. But intended one|ly to leave it unto the Child which <HI>Ladice</HI> left, whether it was Son or Daughter. He had al|&s;o a conceit that perhaps <HI>Ladice</HI> was not dead: and he was &s;o blinded with ambition, that he began already to di&s;po&s;e of this Child, though it was not in his power, nor knew where to look, it, no, nor was certain of its life: Then he told <HI>Heracleon,</HI> that &s;ince his late Father helped him unto the Crown, it were ju&s;t he &s;hould transferre it into his hou&s;e: and therefore he promi&s;ed him, that if he could find the Child which the gods had given him, he would then pay tho&s;e debts which he owed unto his hou&s;e in generall, and unto his valour in par|ticular: pa&s;&s;ing his word, that if it proved a Daughter, he would marry her unto him: and if a Son, he &s;hould marry the Prince&s;&s;e his Si&s;ter, who&s;e name was <HI>Li&s;erina:</HI> who knowing that her brother was at <HI>Elephantine,</HI> came thither to &s;ee him; this Prince&s;&s;e being then not above three furlongs from that Town. In the mean while, this letter being found in a pub|lique place, none knew who lo&s;t it: So that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> was much perplexed; and the more, be|cau&s;e it appeared by this letter, that the Son of <HI>Apriez</HI> lived when it was written; yet hee was per&s;waded that now he was dead, becau&s;e he appeared not at <HI>Thebes,</HI> and in the head of the revolted Army: However to be the better &s;atisfied, he remembred that <HI>Amenophis</HI> de|parted from <HI>Says</HI> with the Queen, and knew that he was of the Town of <HI>Elephantine;</HI> al&s;o he imagined, that he could perhaps re&s;olve him of what he &s;o much de&s;ired to know, and therefore he would cau&s;e a &s;trict &s;earch to be made in all that great Town and places about it, he would al&s;o ask all his kindred that he found: But my mother hearing of the&s;e intenti|ons, &s;he went pre&s;ently out of <HI>Elephantine:</HI> So that &s;he onely being able to give them any intelligence of him, their &s;earch came to nothing. But at la&s;t the Governor of that Town, under&s;tanding that no &s;earch had been made in our I&s;le; but the King hearing of it, as if hee were prompted by a powerfull in&s;tinct, commanded a &s;earch to be made there, and an ac|count of what was found to be given unto him. The Kings Command being the &s;ame hour executed, we were much a&s;toni&s;hed to &s;ee the officers of <HI>Elephantine</HI> come betime in the mor|ning into our I&s;le, who went from Cabine to Cabine, asking who dwelt there; &s;o that ours be|ing the greate&s;t in all the I&s;le, they were &s;ure not to baulk it. <HI>Thra&s;eas</HI> an&s;wered for all his Familie, whom they de&s;ired to &s;ee, &s;o that <HI>Timareta, Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and I appeared before the men, who no &s;ooner &s;aw us, but they began to examine very clo&s;ly who we were. But Sir, before I preci&s;ely acquaint you with the an&s;wers of <HI>Thra&s;eas:</HI> give me leave to tell you, that &s;ome daies before <HI>Amenophis</HI> departed from the I&s;le, the Princes &s;ervant who knew he was to de|part, and who exceedingly loved <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Thra&s;eas</HI> extream earne&s;tly, to have an e&s;peciall care of him if ever he returned into the I&s;le, and not to let him go out again. <HI>Thra&s;e|as</HI> being a man of good wit, could not chu&s;e but be full of curio&s;ity, and imagine that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI>
<PB N="101" REF="537">
and <HI>Timareta</HI> both were of &s;ome Noble births: for <HI>Amenophis</HI> had confe&s;&s;ed that the Queen and <HI>Ladice</HI> were women of great quality, who fled from the per&s;ecution of the new King; al&s;o he had &s;ome glances of the abundance of Jewels belonging unto the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es, which <HI>Amenophis</HI> cau&s;ed his &s;ervant to hide, before he departed the I&s;le: <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> tried all manner of waies a hundred times over, to know who <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Timareta</HI> were, but all in vaine; but at la&s;t he thought he had found a way to oblige this &s;ervant unto a confe&s;&s;ion: he told him therefore, when the Servant de&s;ired him to have &s;uch a care of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> if he returned, that he would have no care of him, unle&s;&s;e he would tell him who he was: At fir&s;t, the &s;ervant refu&s;ed, as he had many a time before; but at la&s;t upon a thou&s;and promi&s;es of inviolable fidelity, and the &s;ervant finding <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> ever both faithfull and affectionate: al&s;o thinking it would be advantagious, if he knew that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> and legitimate King of <HI>Aegypt;</HI> and after he had &s;worn unto him by <HI>O&s;iris</HI> and <HI>I&s;is,</HI> that he &s;hould never betray him: Know <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) that thou art in a po&s;&s;ibility ere long to be above thy quality; for this Prince&s;&s;e who was buried here was the wife of <HI>Apriez,</HI> and the mother of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and &s;he who dyed in giving life unto <HI>Timareta,</HI> was the wife of <HI>Ama&s;is:</HI> &s;o <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> thou maie&s;t have in thy power, the &s;onne of the legitimate King, and the daughter of the u&s;urper: Judge after this, whether thou bee&s;t not the hap|pie&s;t of men, &s;ince which &s;ide &s;oever fortune turne, thou wilt have in thy power that per&s;on who ought to weare the Crown of all <HI>Aegypt.</HI> After the &s;ervant had told all he knew, <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> was extreamly joyed, and promi&s;ed inviolable fidelity and &s;ecrecy. After this Sir, you may well imagine, that when <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> &s;aw the&s;e men in his Cabin, who asked &s;o preci&s;ely who <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was, who <HI>Timareta</HI> was, and who I was, he had good rea|&s;on to be a&s;toni&s;hed; but to prevent all cro&s;&s;e interrogatories, and le&s;&s;e in danger to contra|dict him&s;elfe, he &s;aid we were his children, and that <HI>Nicetis</HI> was our mother, never naming <HI>Amenophis</HI> at all: At fir&s;t the an&s;wer of <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> did &s;urpri&s;e both <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and me, yet imagining there was &s;ome &s;ecret rea&s;on which we were ignorant of, we did not contradict him. In the meane time, tho&s;e who made &s;uch &s;trict inqui&s;ition, looked upon <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> with admiration, and upon <HI>Timareta</HI> with as much, and put many que&s;tions unto <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> unto which he an&s;wered very directly; but &s;o did not <HI>Nicetis,</HI> for though &s;he heard her husband &s;ay, we were their childran, yet when they began to examine her, and ask, how their family did &s;ub&s;i&s;t, in lieu of a direct an&s;wer, &s;he &s;aid, that having but one daughter, they might ea&s;ily &s;ub&s;i&s;t: &s;o that the men finding a contradiction between her and her husband, pre&s;ently &s;up|po&s;ed &s;ome hidden matter in the wind, and the more, becau&s;e <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> endeavouring to mend what his wife had &s;aid, replyed, that <HI>Nicetis</HI> did not call <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and me her children, be|cau&s;e he had us by another wife, but for all this we were her children: however, <HI>Nicetis</HI> not liking what her husband &s;aid, &s;he began to grumble, that when <HI>Amenophis</HI> returned he would not think well that any &s;hould take his &s;onne from him. The name of <HI>Amenophis</HI> was no &s;ooner pronounced, but one of the officers belonging to <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> being among&s;t them who made the &s;earch, made no doubt but they had found what the King de&s;ired to know, for he knew that the King had clapt up all the kindred of <HI>Amenophis,</HI> and he knew further, that he fled away with the Queen and <HI>Ladice:</HI> &s;o that drawing his company a&s;ide, he left them in the I&s;le, and went immediatly to acquaint the King with his di&s;covery: <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> no &s;ooner heard all the&s;e circum&s;tances, but he thought them probable conjectures to find in that I&s;le what he &s;ought for, and would goe him&s;elfe to be better informed in a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of &s;o great importance: and being then in the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina's</HI> chamber, where <HI>Heracleon</HI> al&s;o was, he would have them go with him; for, &s;aid he unto them both, you have as muchintere&s;t as I have, in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e I am about, &s;ince I have already told you, if I have a &s;onne, he &s;hall marry the Prince&s;&s;e, <HI>Li&s;erina,</HI> and if a daughter, &s;he &s;hall marry <HI>Heracleon:</HI> &s;o Sir, the officer of <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> confirming his report, with many probable conjectures, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> made no que&s;tion but to find &s;atisfaction: He embarqued then with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina, Heracleon,</HI> and five or &s;ix per&s;ons of quality, and no more, for upon this occa&s;ion he would have no greater attendants; &s;o they came unto the I&s;le, and in landing, you may imagine, Sir, what prayers unto the Gods the ambitious <HI>Heracleon</HI> made, that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> might find a daughter, and you may al&s;o imagine how <HI>Li&s;erina</HI> wi&s;ht him to prove a &s;onne. In the mean time, <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> ob&s;erved, that this officer returned unto <HI>Elephantine,</HI> and he no &s;ooner had a hint that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> would come into the I&s;le, but he imagined that he came to enquire, what was become of the Queen, of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and <HI>Ladice;</HI> &s;o that <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> rea&s;oning after this manner, and having no time to in&s;truct <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> becau&s;e there were many ob&s;ervant eyes upon them, he walked only towards him, and in pa&s;&s;ing,
<PB N="102" REF="538">
told him, it concerned his whole fortune not to contradict him: a&s;&s;oon as he had &s;aid &s;o, without any wonder or di&s;order in him&s;elfe, he &s;at down before his cabin, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;tanding by, and leaning upon his Shepheards hook. But Sir, as tho&s;e who have any de&s;ignes to plea&s;e are no waies negligent in their cloaths, wherein the hand&s;ome&s;t per&s;ons, may lo&s;e &s;omthing of their complacencie, <HI>Timareta</HI> and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> were &s;o hand&s;ome that day, and &s;o gallant in their habits (though only in the homly &s;implicity of a Shepheard and a Shephearde&s;&s;e) that none could look upon them without admiration. In the mean time, the King drawing near the Cabin, <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> ro&s;e up, and went to look upon him, &s;eeming as if he could not beleeve that the King could have any thing to &s;ay unto him: <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris, Timareta,</HI> and I followed him; on the other &s;ide, the King coming &s;traight towards us, that officer who before had &s;een us, pointed to us with his hand as he &s;poke unto the King; a man of quality led the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina.</HI> But Sir, <HI>Heracleon</HI> no &s;ooner ca&s;t his eyes upon <HI>Timareta,</HI> but he made a million of &s;ecret prayers unto the Gods, that &s;he might prove the daughter of <HI>Ama&s;is:</HI> and <HI>Li&s;erina</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> but &s;he mo&s;t earne&s;tly de&s;ired he might prove the Kings &s;onne: as for <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> he pa&s;&s;ionately de&s;ired a &s;ucce&s;&s;or, and not a daughter: After he had looked upon <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Timareta,</HI> he took <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> a&s;ide, and without any witne&s;&s;e but <HI>Heracleon,</HI> he charged him to tell the truth, after which he asked him where <HI>Amenophis</HI> was? and what was become of the Queen, the young <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Ladice?</HI> For I am &s;ure (&s;aid the King (though he knew not but by conjectures) that they were in this I&s;le. <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> finding by the manner of the Kings &s;peaking, that he was not &s;o well informed as he &s;aid he was, re|&s;olved to pro&s;ecute his former de&s;igne, which was, Sir, not to confe&s;&s;e that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> le&s;t then he &s;hould peri&s;h in the hands of his enemy; but to tell him on the contrary, that he was the &s;onne of <HI>Ladice</HI> and him&s;elfe: For, argued he unto him&s;elfe, &s;o <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> doe raigne, what matters it whether it be as the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> or as the &s;onne of <HI>Ama&s;is? Tra&s;eas</HI> being thus re&s;olved, did not deny, but that the Queen was in this I&s;le; but for the furtherance of his project, he &s;eemed as if he were ignorant that &s;he, who came with the Queen was his wife: he confe&s;&s;ed that the Queen and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> came into this I&s;le, with another Prince&s;&s;e who dyed three daies after her arivall, and her death gave life unto a &s;onne: adding, that four daies after a contagious di&s;ea&s;e happening in the I&s;le, the Queen and the young <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> dyed al&s;o, and &s;ince that, <HI>Amenophis</HI> gave the name of <HI>Se&s;ostris</HI> unto the &s;onne of this Prince&s;&s;e who dyed in child-bed of him. Where is the Child? (&s;aid the King) Sir, (replyed <HI>Tra&s;eas)</HI> this is he I &s;peak of, who thinks <HI>Amenophis</HI> to be his Father, and whom of late, I have &s;aid to be my &s;onne, becau&s;e <HI>Amenophis</HI> was wondrous carefull to conceal him, though I knew not his rea&s;on for it, but was &s;o bold as to &s;ay he was mine. But where is <HI>Amenophis</HI> &s;aid the King? Sir, replyed <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> I doe not know, only I am &s;ure he recom|mended <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> unto me. Oh <HI>Heracleon,</HI> &s;aid the King, que&s;tionle&s;&s;e this Traytor who carried away the Queen and <HI>Ladice</HI> from <HI>Sais,</HI> had a de&s;ign to arme my owne &s;onne again&s;t me, by per&s;wading the people that he was the &s;on of <HI>Apriez:</HI> yes, yes, <HI>Heracleon,</HI> 'twas he that made the people of <HI>Thebes</HI> beleeve that he was alive, and doubtle&s;&s;e his de&s;ign was, to have my &s;onne to be taken for that Prince. But <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> (&s;aid the King who knew his name) may I give credit unto your words? mu&s;t he whom you &s;hew unto me weare the Crown after me? Yes Sir, replyed <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> if the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Ladice</HI> were your wife: moreover Sir, doe not think that I conceal the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> command me to pri&s;on, and if any other <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> but this be found, then put me to death. But, (&s;aid <HI>Heracleon,</HI> who was nothing plea&s;ed that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> &s;hould have a &s;on after &s;uch fair promi&s;es) the danger is not in your concealing <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> but the point is, to know certainly that this is not <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> and that he who came from <HI>Sais</HI> dyed, and not the Child of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Ladice. Tra&s;eas</HI> hearing <HI>Hera|cleon</HI> urge this, began to confirm his words with a thou&s;and deep Oathes: But whil&s;t <HI>Hera|cleon</HI> and <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> were in conte&s;t about it, the King remembring the Apparition of <HI>Ladice,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the prodigies, his heart began to tremble, the guilt of his crimes &s;o gnawed upon his con&s;cience, that he could have wi&s;hed for a &s;onne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> unto whom he might have rendered the Scepter, &s;o that not in&s;i&s;ting upon &s;uch niceties as <HI>Heracleon</HI> did, he did beleeve that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was either his owne &s;onne, or the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> &s;o that which &s;o|ever he was, he de&s;erved to raigne, he re&s;olved to acknowledg him after he had well examined others in the I&s;le, who &s;poke nothing in contradiction of what <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> &s;aid. In the mean while, all the younkers of the I&s;le were a&s;&s;embled to &s;ee the King, and not daring to approach too neer, they got tenn or twelve of them upon a thatcht Sheep-fold, the better to look upon him, but the timber being rotten, both Sheep-fold and Shepheards tumbled down together, and it fell &s;o neare the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina</HI> (who being much taken with the beauty of <HI>Timareta,</HI>
<PB N="103" REF="538">
had called her unto her) that &s;he could ea&s;ily &s;ee the wonderfull accident which this little di&s;order cau&s;ed: For Sir, be plea&s;ed to know it happened to be in the very &s;ame place where <HI>Amenophis</HI> before his departure had cau&s;ed all the Queens and <HI>Ladices</HI> Jewells to be hid, &s;o that two Boxes in which they were, being broke open with the fall, one might per|ceive a thou&s;and Rich Diamonds gli&s;tering among&s;t the rubbi&s;h of this old &s;heepfold: The Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina</HI> no &s;ooner e&s;pied them, but &s;he cryed out, not being le&s;&s;e amazed at the &s;ight, then tho&s;e &s;hephcards with their falls: The &s;creek &s;he made, cau&s;ed the King to turn towards her, and &s;he telling him what &s;he &s;pied, he came to her, and him&s;elfe &s;aw the cau&s;e of her wonder: &s;o that commanding all the Jewells to be gathered up, and brought unto him, hee pre&s;ently knew the ca&s;e of a Picture which <HI>Ladice</HI> was wont to wear, and which was very remarkable, and likewi&s;e many other Jewells which he had &s;een both the Queen and <HI>Ladice</HI> wear. After this, making no que&s;tion but they had been in the I&s;le, he gave more credit unto the reports of <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> &amp; que&s;tioned not but that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was his Son. But <HI>Heracleon,</HI> having yet a mind to hinder that beliefe, ob&s;erved unto <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was too big and tall for that age which his Son could be off, and therefore could not be his Son. <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> an&s;wered unto this objection, that it was every daies experience to find &s;ome of fourteen or &s;ixteen years of age as well grown as others of twenty, and the King adhered unto that argument. In con|clu&s;ion Sir, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> believing in his very heart he was either his Sonne or the Sonne of <HI>Apriez;</HI> he would examine the matter no further, knowing that it would be a &s;tronger &s;upport unto him to have Succe&s;&s;or, then not. He &s;ince confe&s;&s;ed, that if at this time it had appeared clear|ly in the eyes of the World, that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was the Sonne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> he would not have treat|ed him as he did. But &s;eeing it appeared he was not his Sonne, he could not make him pa&s;&s;e &s;o, and re&s;tore the Scepter unto him, unle&s;&s;e it did appear to be a Re&s;titution, therefore he would not make the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e &s;o intricrate as perhaps he &s;hould if he had not had that thought. But he enquired as much as he could to know whether <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was his or the Sonne of <HI>Apriez.</HI> Whil&s;t he was thus bu&s;ied, <HI>Simandius</HI> who came with the King, and had &s;tayed behind &s;peak|ing with &s;ome of his friends, and being now come up, he began to look upon <HI>Timareta,</HI> who&s;e wonderfull beauty attracted the eyes of all the World, but afterwards turning towards <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris,</HI> who yet &s;aw not him, he pre&s;ently knew him to be the valiant <HI>P&s;ammetites</HI> unto whom he was debtor for his life; &s;o that coming to him, whil&s;t the King was in talke with <HI>Tra&s;eas, Heracleon,</HI> and <HI>Li&s;erina:</HI> Is it po&s;&s;ible, (&s;aid he unto him) that the valiant <HI>P&s;amme|tites,</HI> who knowes how to u&s;e a &s;word &s;o gloriou&s;ly, had rather take a &s;heephook in an I&s;land, then come to the Court, where preparation of great recompence was made for his virtues? <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris</HI> knowing <HI>Simandius,</HI> was exceedingly a&s;hamed to be &s;een in &s;o meane a habit, and hee blu&s;ht; but endeavouring to recollect him&s;elfe, Sir, &s;aid hee unto him and &s;miled, me thinkes it would be as much for your honour as mine, if you &s;eemed at this time not to know me. No, no, &s;aid <HI>Simandius,</HI> I cannot endure any fal&s;e Glory, and therfore though you be but a &s;imple &s;hepheard, yet you merit to be a King, and I mu&s;t publi&s;h to the world, that I am a debtor unto you for my life, and the King for a victory. <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> then turning him&s;elf with intention to call <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and acknowledge him for his Son, <HI>Simandius</HI> taking <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> by the arme, pre&s;ented him unto <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> Behold Sir, (&s;aid he unto him) look upon the per&s;on of this lovely Shepheard: this is the valiant <HI>P&s;am|metites</HI> which I told you of, who onely won the battle. The King was &s;urpri&s;ed at the words of <HI>Simandius,</HI> that he told him he was gro&s;ly mi&s;taken, for you call this Shepheard <HI>P&s;ammetites,</HI> &s;aid he, and every one a&s;&s;ures me his name is <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> I cannot tell Sir, replied <HI>Simandius,</HI> how they call my pre&s;erver in this I&s;le, but I am &s;ure he called him&s;elf <HI>P&s;ammetites</HI> in the Army. <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> perceiving that the changing his name, did extreamly puzzle the King, <HI>Simandius</HI> and <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> who kn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">w not any thing of his martiall voyage, began to &s;peak, and &s;atisfie their wonders; &s;ince <HI>Simandius</HI> will needs have it &s;o (&s;aid he with an ex|cellent grace,) and that I mu&s;t have the honour to be known unto your Maje&s;tie, I mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e, that in changing my profe&s;&s;ion, I changed my name al&s;o: And that whil&s;t I was a Souldier, I a&s;&s;umed the name of <HI>P&s;ammetites:</HI> But why did you return to this I&s;le and take a Shepheards hook, (&s;aid the King even ravi&s;hed with joy, that he whom he &s;hould acknow|ledge for Sonne, was worthy to be &s;o,) rather then to come unto the Court? <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> then being put to a Nonplus, would not &s;ay that it was for the love of <HI>Timareta,</HI> but to colour his return, he &s;aid, that &s;ince he went out of the I&s;le without his Fathers con&s;ent, he repented, and would return to ask pardon. However it be Sir, &s;aid <HI>Simandius</HI> to the King, this Shep|heard is the mo&s;t valiant man in your Maje&s;ties Kingdome: and I am confident that the Great <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and the renowned <HI>P&s;ammetites,</HI> both which names he bears, were neitherof
<PB N="104" REF="539">
them more valiant then he? At lea&s;t not more great then he is like to be (Replied <HI>Amaris)</HI> for I do declare unto you all and all the World, that this <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> whom you &s;ee here, is my Sonne. In &s;aying &s;o, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> would have embraced him: But <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> throwing him&s;elf at his feet, told him with much humility and wonder, that he was unworthy of this honour: Yet ri&s;e he mu&s;t, for the King did &s;o command him, appointing all tho&s;e about him to regard him as &s;ucce&s;&s;or. It is imaginable Sir, that this declaration was nothing plea&s;ing unto <HI>Heracleon:</HI> but on the contrary, that it was all joy unto the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Li&s;erina.</HI> On the other &s;ide, the fair <HI>Timaretta,</HI> &s;eeing her dear <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> ready to change his Sheephook for a Scepter, was infinitely ravi&s;hed. But this her joy had no &s;ooner filled her eye, then her heart began to &s;igh in &s;ecret, when &s;he con&s;idered that now &s;he was like to lo&s;e <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and perhaps, for ever; <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> who&s;e great Soul was mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible of glory, could not chu&s;e but be glad to &s;ee hee was now no Shepheard: But when in the height of all his joyes, he looked upon his fair <HI>Tima|reta,</HI> and con&s;idered that now he mu&s;t leave her, his &s;orrowes did &s;o mixe and moderate his joyes, that the King could not enough admire the greatne&s;&s;e of his Soul, which was &s;o little moved at &s;uch &s;urpri&s;ing and advantagious newes. In the mean time, <HI>Heracleon</HI> (who&s;e fate was to have a Soul which was tyrannized over by the mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ions) in the mid&s;t of all his &s;orrowes to &s;ee the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina</HI> more happy then him&s;elf, could not chu&s;e but look upon the fair <HI>Timareta</HI> with much admiration. He checkt him&s;elf a hundred times for look|ing upon her, yet looked upon her a hundred times whether he would or no: In the meane time the King finding more cau&s;e to think <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> his Sonne, &s;ince he had taken his part a|gain&s;t the Rebells of <HI>Thebes,</HI> did not pau&s;e upon what he had to do, or what he had done: but after he had given the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina</HI> all tho&s;e Jewells which were found in that I&s;le, which he &s;aid belonged unto him, either as &s;ucce&s;&s;or unto <HI>Apriez,</HI> or as husband unto <HI>Ladice;</HI> and after he had told the Shepheards he would give them as much as they were worth, and told <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> he would make him a happy man, he turned to <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and asked him whether hee would goe with him unto <HI>Elephantine? Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> hearing the King aske that que&s;tion, be&s;eech|ed him not to &s;hame him &s;o much as to carry him thither in that habit, but that he would be plea&s;ed to let him &s;tay in the I&s;le untill &s;uch time as he was in a better equipage: al&s;o Sir, &s;aid he unto him, it is but fit you give me one day or two to prepare my &s;elf for Grandure, le&s;t the Lu&s;ter of it upon a &s;uddain &s;hould dazzle my eyes: Noe, noe my Sonne, replyed <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> there is no fear, but he who can &s;urpa&s;&s;e the brave&s;t men of all <HI>Aegypt</HI> in valour, is &s;ufficient|ly prepared for the quality unto which he is born. For all this <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> would not con&s;ent, but u&s;ed &s;uch hand&s;ome arguments as moved the King unto &s;o much complacencie, as to &s;a|tisfie his de&s;ire, thinking indeed, that the people who are alwaies mo&s;t taken with outward appearances, would not be &s;o well plea&s;ed to &s;ee him in a Shepheards habit. So it was re&s;ol|ved to leave him all the day following in the I&s;le, for an equipage proportionable to his qua|lity could not be prepared in le&s;&s;e time. Yet the King would not leave him without &s;ome of his Servants; therefore he commanded the Captain of his Guard to &s;tay in the I&s;le with twelve of his companions. <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> by rea&s;on of the horrid apparition, and other things which took up his thoughts, never minded what a re&s;emblance there was between <HI>Timareta</HI> and <HI>La|dice.</HI> As for <HI>Heracleon</HI> and <HI>Li&s;erina,</HI> they had never &s;een <HI>Ladice.</HI> However, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> retired, after he had be&s;towed a complement upon the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina</HI> which <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> under&s;tood not, but &s;he well enough: So that &s;he looking upon this lovely Shepheard as a great Prince, as a great Prince who hereafter &s;hould be King, and who &s;hould make her a Queen, &s;he was as complacentiall, as civil, and as loving to him as po&s;&s;ibly &s;he could be. Since &s;hee was very fair, &s;he did not doubt but the heart of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> would become her Conque&s;t; nor did &s;hee imagine he was in love with <HI>Timareta,</HI> or ever would be, for &s;he being of an ambitious di&s;|po&s;ition, &s;he mea&s;ured the mind of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> by her own: And made no que&s;tion, but if hee had any pa&s;&s;ion towards her, he would leave it with his &s;heephook: Thus <HI>Li&s;erina</HI> left him, with as much joy in her heart as in the Kings, who was beyond all expre&s;&s;ions ravi&s;hed that he had a &s;ucce&s;&s;or. But quite contrary with <HI>Heracleon,</HI> who after his hopes in &s;eeing <HI>Tima|reta,</HI> thought to enjoy the greate&s;t beauty in the World, and the Prime Crown of all the Univer&s;e; yet now &s;aw all the &s;atisfaction of his ambition choaked. But after the King was gone out of the I&s;le, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> mu&s;t needs receive all the complements which the Shepheards would pre&s;ent him withall: For &s;ince naturally he had a &s;oul full of all &s;weetne&s;&s;e and civility, he would not &s;o &s;oon take upon him that &s;tate, which his quality conferred upon him, &s;o that it was impo&s;&s;ible for him to &s;peake in private that day with his dear <HI>Timareta;</HI> and the more difficult, becau&s;e the Captain of the Guard de&s;iring to be the fir&s;t in favour with the new Prince, did not leave him at all. I al&s;o had much a doe to te&s;tifie my joyes at his happine&s;&s;e:
<PB N="105" REF="539">
Yet as well as I could I confe&s;&s;ed my great de&s;ires of telling him I knew <HI>Amenophis</HI> was not a Shepheard, and begg'd his pardon for not telling him, excu&s;ing my &s;elf with the menaces of <HI>Amenophis</HI> if I did: Al&s;o Sir, alwaies thinking that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was his Sonne, I could ima|gine no end he had in it, but to conceale him&s;elf. But to return Sir where I left, be plea&s;ed to know Sir, that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and <HI>Timareta,</HI> did not &s;peak unto each other but in the language of their eyes, and that neither &s;o much as u&s;uall: for the re&s;pects which <HI>Timareta</HI> began to have of him, infu&s;ed &s;uch a con&s;traint into her lookes, as eclip&s;ed all the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of them; and which made <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> who was accu&s;tomed to know the mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts of her heart by them, not to under&s;tand their Language: But the next morning being come; and knowing that the day following, they would carry him unto <HI>Elephantine,</HI> he re&s;olved to talk with <HI>Ti|mareta:</HI> in order to which, love moved him unto the fir&s;t Command upon tho&s;e about him, though he was re&s;olved not to take upon him as a Prince, untill he had left off the habit of a Shepheard: But &s;eeing that if he did not, he could not talke with <HI>Timareta,</HI> and know|ing that &s;he was gone to the top of the hill without any company, but one Shephearde&s;&s;e, hee followed her, and commanded the captain of the guard not to follow him: This Prince then being rid of all interrupters of his talk with <HI>Timareta,</HI> went up the Hill, and when he came to the top, he found his fair <HI>Timareta</HI> &s;itting at the root of a tree, wiping her eyes as if &s;he had been crying: <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;eeing his Shephearde&s;&s;e in this &s;ad condition, &s;ighed, and with &s;uch reall &s;orrow, as I am confident, if fate had been in his owne choice, he would have pre|ferred a Sheephook hook before a Scepter, and the gathering of &s;heep before people: After then he had a while contemplated upon the cruelty of his good fortune, he advanced towards <HI>Timareta,</HI> with intentions to throw him&s;elfe at her feet, and with the &s;ame re&s;pects he u&s;ed: but the fair <HI>Timareta,</HI> turning her head at the noi&s;e of his walking, and &s;pying <HI>Se&s;ostris,</HI> &s;he more and more wiped off her teares, after which, &s;triving to bring joy in her eyes, &s;he ro&s;e up, and &s;aluting <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> with a more reverent civility then ordinary: What do you think of me Sir, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) for not finding &s;ome opportunity to expre&s;&s;e my joyes at your good fortune, and grandure unto which you are rai&s;ed? But Sir, &s;ince my de&s;tiny is to live with Shepheards, not Princes, I dur&s;t not be &s;o bold as to tell you my thoughts. Ah cruell <HI>Timareta</HI> (&s;aid he to her) why why &s;peak you thus unto me? can you think the alteration of my quality or fortunes, can alter my heart? No, no, <HI>Timareta,</HI> deceive not your &s;elfe, and wrong not me, I am the very &s;ame unto you now, that I was ye&s;terday, and you &s;hall find me the very &s;ame upon a Throne, that I am and have been in this I&s;le: call me no Sirs, I conjure you, for I declare that you, and only you &s;hall reign Eternally in my &s;oule: moreover my dear and lovely <HI>Timareta,</HI> do not force your &s;elfe to rejoyce at the good fortune which is fallen upon me, but on the contrary know, that you cannot more injuriou&s;ly affront my affection, then to rejoyce at any thing that may &s;et me farthe&s;t from you: do not therefore intere&s;t your &s;elf in the Fortune more then I my &s;elfe doe; but if you will oblige me, confe&s;&s;e that I had &s;ome &s;hare in tho&s;e teares, which I &s;aw drop from tho&s;e fair eyes, when I came fir&s;t unto you. Since you have been a witne&s;&s;e of my weakne&s;&s;e (replyed <HI>Timareta</HI> and blu&s;ht) I will confe&s;&s;e you were the cau&s;e of my &s;orrows, but I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e withall, that I did not grieve at your good fortune, though 'tis mo&s;t true that the lo&s;&s;e of you can only grieve me, and the more, becau&s;e I &s;ee it is mo&s;t ju&s;t I love you; for really it were a miracle, if you &s;hould thinke upon an unfortunate Shephearde&s;&s;e, amid&s;t all the grandures of a glorious Court; and indeed you are obliged in point of honour, to hide the memory you have had of me, and never to give me any more te&s;timonies of your affecti|on: You &s;ee then Sir, that it is the lo&s;&s;e of my owne good fortune which I lament, and not at your happine&s;&s;e; for I doe prote&s;t unto you Sir, that as oft as I look upon you, and con&s;ider, that now your quality is mo&s;t &s;uitable to your vertue, I am more joyed at your good fortune, then I am able to expre&s;&s;e; and when I think how in leaving your &s;heep-hook, you get a Crown in exchange, I am extreamly &s;atisfied: For all this, I cannot chu&s;e but remember, how I have lo&s;t <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and &s;hall &s;tay in this I&s;le without a deliverer; yet I be&s;eech you Sir, remember, that my &s;orrows neither are, nor never &s;hall be injurious to you. All the while <HI>Timareta</HI> was talking thus, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> gazed upon her, with &s;uch abundance both of love and &s;orrow, that he thought he &s;hould either have lo&s;t his life, or his witts; and after a mo&s;t attentive and &s;ighing audience, he began to grieve at his good fortune in good earne&s;t: Alas <HI>Timareta</HI> (&s;aid he with a face full of &s;orrow) am I any thing more then I was? and will they pull me from you to morrow? Yes, &s;aid &s;he, and you ought to pull me out of your heart al&s;o, and perhaps will. Ah <HI>Timareta,</HI> cried he, do not adde unto my &s;orrows, for they are &s;o great, that they need no augmentation. No, no, Sir, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) my language is more
<PB N="106" REF="540">
rea&s;onable then yours, and to &s;hew you, that my affection and rea&s;on is not blinde, or that I preferre my own &s;atisfaction before your glory, I doe declare, that there is no rea&s;on in the world but you &s;hould forget <HI>Timareta,</HI> and that it is not fitting a great Prince &s;hould love a &s;imple &s;hephearde&s;&s;e. Ah <HI>Timareta,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> this &s;imple &s;hephearde&s;&s;e you &s;peak of, is in my &s;oule above all the Queenes upon earth: However, to morrow about this time you will be in a great and &s;tately Court, and I &s;hall be in a poor cabin, rejoycing at your happi|ne&s;&s;e, and grieving at my owne misfortune: thus living in a continual mi&s;cellany of teares for joy, and teares for &s;orrow, the unhappy <HI>Timareta</HI> mu&s;t drone away her daies in a de&s;art, till the day without any hopes of ever &s;eeing you again. Oh Heavens (&s;aid <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> tran&s;ported with love and &s;orrow) I be&s;eech you let me &s;ee you every day: yes <HI>Timareta</HI> (&s;aid he and kneel|ed to her) I am ready to for&s;ake this Crown which hangs over my head, if you will for the love of me quit this I&s;le: come, let us go my deare&s;t <HI>Timareta,</HI> and &s;eek out &s;ome other de&s;art, where without any ambition, or Crowns, I may only raign in your &s;oule, as you raigne in mine; let us try if we can e&s;cape this night following, perhaps I &s;hall find a way to &s;uborn my my gaurd: for I profe&s;&s;e to doe nothing but what &s;hall plea&s;e you, and will I marry you at the fir&s;t place we come at, if you plea&s;e; I promi&s;e you al&s;o never to remember I am the &s;onne of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> nor pretend to any greater glory then your love. Your promi&s;es, replyed <HI>Timareta,</HI> are infinitely obliging; but for all that Sir, your honour will not permit me to accept of your propo&s;itions; you mu&s;t give me leave only to heare them, and you, but never to wrong you: Alas, added &s;he, &s;ince my de&s;ires ayme only, that your glory may flouri&s;h over the the whole earth, that you may be the admiration of the people over whom you are to raign, and that you may be happy both in peace and warr; I cannot de&s;ire &s;o much happine&s;&s;e to my &s;elfe, upon any condition of being an hinderance to your felicity, I know Sir, it is unju&s;t to de&s;ire otherwi&s;e, but I cannot doe otherwi&s;e. I know moreover, that ambition is a pa&s;&s;ion &s;o much &s;tronger then love, that there is no likelyhood, but the fir&s;t &s;tep up unto that Throne which you &s;hall one day mount, will make me lo&s;e the &s;ight of you. For heavens &s;ake (&s;aid <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris)</HI> tell me of no &s;uch contrarieties, but make &s;ure of my affection by the waies which I propound. I cannot (replyed &s;he) for I would not have it co&s;t you a Crown; nor can I ever hope, that the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> can be as faithfull as the Shepheard <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris;</HI> or though he &s;hould, I can never be happy by it, &s;ince it cannot be, but by his being unhappy. However it be reply|ed <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> I am mo&s;t certain, that I &s;hall never love any but <HI>Timareta:</HI> I cannot a&s;&s;ure her (aded he and &s;ighed) to put the Crown of <HI>Aegypt</HI> upon her head, for perhaps it will never be in my power: I will &s;wear unto her three mo&s;t certain truths, fir&s;t, that I can never be happy without her; &s;econdly, if I can I will Crown her a Queen; and la&s;tly, &s;he &s;hall for ever raigne in my heart. I would I could beleeve you, replyed <HI>Timareta,</HI> but I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, I cannot; for what te&s;timonies of affection &s;oever you give me, I can find no &s;ecurity in them, &s;ince the Prince <HI>Se&s;ostris</HI> is not obliged to keep any promi&s;es made by the Shepheard <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris.</HI> But my dear <HI>Timareta</HI> (&s;aid he) now I am no &s;hepheard, though in the habit of one, I &s;wear unto you by all that's &s;acred, that I will adore you eternally, and never any but you; &s;o it is not the &s;hep|heard <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> who hath engaged his word unto you, but it is the &s;onne of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> who as near as he is to pa&s;&s;e from a cottage to a court, and from extream ba&s;ene&s;&s;e, unto the height of grandure, doth prote&s;t unto you, that he had rather die at your feet, then live upon a Throne without you. I be&s;eech you Sir, &s;aid <HI>Timareta,</HI> do not &s;o much augment my &s;orrows, by expre&s;&s;ing your &s;elfe &s;o infinitely obliging, which will but make me more &s;adly lament my lo&s;&s;e. But my deare&s;t <HI>Timareta,</HI> &s;aid he, you &s;hall never lo&s;e my heart: I will wi&s;h I may not Sir, replyed &s;he, but I can never hope for it: Ah me, ah, &s;aid he, what &s;hall I doe, that I may per&s;wade you of that reall thir&s;t in my intentions: Truly Sir, &s;aid <HI>Timareta</HI> and &s;ighed, I &s;hould be much puzled to tell you what, for I am extreamly glad you mu&s;t be a King, I am very angry you are not &s;till a &s;hepheard, and I have thoughts &s;o contrary unto each other, that I am a&s;hamed of my owne weakne&s;&s;e, and the more, becau&s;e I am not able to hide it from you. Doe not call that weakne&s;&s;e, my deare&s;t <HI>Timareta,</HI> &s;aid he unto her, which is &s;o &s;weet a te&s;timony of your con&s;tant affection; but &s;ince I doe you ju&s;tice in being ju&s;t unto by &s;elfe, I conjure you to beleeve, that neither time, ab&s;ence, ambition, nor any thing el&s;e in the earth, can make my mind alter from what I now profe&s;&s;e; and beleeve me, there is nothing which I would not doe to &s;erve you, nor is there any thing I ever will willingly doe which &s;hall offend you, or interrupt your affection. After this Sir, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was &s;ilent, &s;orrow would not permit him to &s;peak one word more: <HI>Timareta</HI> for her part had not power to an&s;wer one word: 'tis true, they looked upon one another, and &s;aw each others heart through their eyes, &s;o that they had &s;ufficient cau&s;e of &s;atisfaction; yet part they mu&s;t for night did call them;
<PB N="107" REF="540">
and &s;ince they thought the next morning would not afford them the liberty of talking to+gether, without too many witne&s;&s;es, after all &s;erious looks with a &s;ad &s;ilence they bad each other adieu, and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> being forced to part, he went down the Hill on the one &s;ide, <HI>Ti|mareta</HI> went down the other &s;ide to the &s;hephearde&s;&s;e, who &s;tayed for her &s;ome twenty paces from thence: the next morning, tho&s;e who were appointed to provide rich clothes, brought them, and <HI>Heracleon</HI> with abundance of the Court came to waite upon <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> who&s;e garb in tho&s;e rich habits appeared &s;o high, that <HI>Timareta</HI> was the more &s;ad: gladly would &s;he, if &s;he could have &s;tayed in her cabin, yet &s;he could not; needs mu&s;t &s;he look at <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> as long as &s;he could, but that &s;he might be le&s;&s;e ob&s;erved, &s;he got among&s;t other &s;hephearde&s;&s;es about the Port, to &s;ee him embarque. In the mean time, <HI>Heracleon</HI> coming into the I&s;le, met <HI>Timareta</HI> as &s;he was going to the Port, and as &s;ad as &s;he was, he &s;aw her &s;o very fair, that he was more charmed with her beauty this &s;econd time, then the fir&s;t, he had abundance of &s;adne&s;&s;e in his countenance, and &s;till looked upon her as long as he could, and at parting, was as &s;orry for her, as <HI>Timareta</HI> was to part with <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> I mu&s;t tell you Sir, that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and I agreed, that I &s;hould &s;tay in the I&s;le to &s;ee whether <HI>Amenophis</HI> would return, to know from him what I &s;hould doe, this Prince a&s;&s;uring me, that as &s;oon as he was &s;etled in the Court, he would then make his affection to me appear. That which mo&s;t perplexed me, was, that I could not comprehend why <HI>Amenophis</HI> &s;hould have &s;uch a care of <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> his &s;onne: but not being able to reach the rea&s;on, I re&s;ted my mind in quiet; yet <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> conjured me with all the mo&s;t obliging language po&s;&s;ible to &s;peak of him every day unto his &s;hephearde&s;s: and indeed &s;o I did, for as &s;oon as he was imbarqued, I followed <HI>Timareta</HI> to her Cham|ber: but alas Sir, how &s;ad was our di&s;cour&s;e? for &s;he imagining, that &s;he &s;hould ne|ver &s;ee, or at lea&s;t &s;peake to <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> againe as long as &s;he lived, did &s;o extreamly grieve as truly I never &s;aw the like. In the meane time, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> ariving at the Port of <HI>Elephantine,</HI> found there one of the fine&s;t hor&s;es in the World on which he mounted: there being al&s;o Hor&s;es enough for all that followed him: All the people of that great Town were in the &s;treets to &s;ee him pa&s;&s;e: A million of high Applaudes made the Aire Eccho: all the Ladies in the windowes &s;tood to &s;ee him pa&s;&s;e, and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina</HI> among&s;t the re&s;t, who pretended to have no &s;mal intere&s;t in the Glory of this Prince: you may well imagine Sir, how <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> entertained him, whom he acknowledged for his Sonne, he expre&s;&s;ed all po&s;&s;ible &s;ignes of tenderne&s;&s;e, and the more, becau&s;e <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> fill'd all the Court with admiration: for all imaginations being filled with this conceit, that &s;ince he was found among&s;t a company of &s;illy &s;hepheards, his education would appear but meane: yet when they &s;aw and heard him &s;peak, they could do nothing el&s;e but admire: The common peo|ple talked of nothing el&s;e but his hand&s;ome Garb&punc; The Ladies of his &s;pirit and civility; and
<HI>Simandius</HI> of his Courage: &s;o that within the compa&s;&s;e of eight daies, he had got as much e&s;teeme, as if he had been in the Court all his life: <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> overjoyed with having a &s;ucce&s;&s;or, forgot not his promi&s;es to the &s;hepheards of the I&s;le, for hee &s;ent them much riches, quitted them of tribute, and gave them high priviledges and immunities. But as for <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> in par|ticular, and his family, he thought not this enough: Therefore for a te&s;timony of his ac|knowledgement, he would have him dwell in a Ca&s;tle which was &s;ome fifty furlongs from <HI>E|lephantine,</HI> &s;cituated between a great Lake, and a great Wood: And &s;ince <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> had no di&s;po&s;ition to alter his profe&s;&s;ion; he made him the riche&s;t &s;hepheard in all <HI>Aegypt:</HI> Al&s;o hee would have <HI>Timareta</HI> leave the I&s;le, and me al&s;o. But in leaving it, we left orders with the &s;hepheards there to acquaint <HI>Amenophis</HI> if he returned where we were: In the meane while, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> to te&s;tifie unto <HI>Timareta</HI> that he forgot her not; and that the beauties of the Court did not dazle his eyes, he &s;ent a &s;ervant &s;ecretly the third day, with a letter to <HI>Timareta</HI> which contained the&s;e words</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>SESOSTRIS <HI>unto</HI> TIMARETA.</HEAD>
<P>I Have now &s;een all that can be called fair in the Court, but I find not one comparable to your &s;elfe: Fear not then that I &s;hall ever after my mind: but be a&s;&s;ured that I am the very &s;ame in <HI>Elephantine,</HI> that I was in our de&s;art, and &s;o &s;hall continue untill the death of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>SESOSTRIS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>You may imagine Sir, how joyfully <HI>Timareta</HI> received this te&s;timony of fidelity from <HI>Se|&s;a&s;tris:</HI>
<PB N="108" REF="541">
But perhaps you cannot comprehend that exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow which followed her Rap|tures of joy. For, &s;aid &s;he unto me, what will it availe me to have <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> continue faith|full, &s;ince, con&s;idering the un&s;utablene&s;&s;e of our qualities, he cannot continue his affection, unle&s;&s;e he do that which in the common opinion of the world, is unworthy of him&s;elfe? Is not this the very height of infortunacy, that the love <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> bears unto me &s;hould be a &s;hame unto him? Con&s;tancy which in it &s;elfe is a virtue, would be now a weakne&s;&s;e in <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> if he &s;hould continue loving me: yet I mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e, I wi&s;h he would not change, &s;ince wee are never like to &s;ee each other: And &s;ince &s;o, we run no hazards neither in my reputation, nor he in his Glory; But alas, it &s;hall never be &s;aid <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> has the heart of a &s;hepheard in the habit of a Prince; therefore my dear <HI>Miris</HI> (&s;aid this &s;ad &s;hephearde&s;&s;e) It is mo&s;t fit that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;hould forget me, and I him: But alas, to me it is impo&s;&s;ible, and therefore &s;he di&s;|&s;embled her thoughts in an&s;wering the Prince in the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>TIMARETA <HI>unto the Prince</HI> SESOSTRIS.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Cannot better acknowledge the honour which you are plea&s;ed to do me, then by conjuring you to forget me: and for ever to deprive me of the onely thing in the World which can delight me: The &s;acrifice which I offer is great: But how infinite is the debt owing unto the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> from the &s;hephearde&s;&s;e)</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>TIMARETA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>This letter did not &s;o well plea&s;e the Prince, as his letter did <HI>Timareta,</HI> nor was it long before he an&s;wered it, &amp; before he moved her to write more &s;incerely and more obligingly. Yet <HI>Timareta,</HI> did alwaies write with &s;o much re&s;ervedne&s;&s;e, that though <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> complained, yet he e&s;teemed her the more. In the meane while, &s;ome daies being &s;pent in publique Fea&s;ts, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> &s;ent for <HI>Se&s;o&s;iris,</HI> and told him that &s;ince he intended the Prince&s;s of <HI>Li&s;erina</HI> for his wife, he would acquaint him with it, to the end he might apply him&s;elfe to win her heart as he had already her e&s;teem. <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> harkned unto this motion with much re&s;pect, but more &s;orrow, in&s;omuch as he had much adoe to hide it: For his violent love of <HI>Timareta</HI> told him, he mu&s;t never marry any other. Yet did he not contradict the motion which <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> made: but told him, that it were fit to give the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina</HI> &s;o much time as to forget &s;he had &s;een him a &s;hepheard: and he &s;poke &s;o hand&s;omly, and with &s;o much judgement, that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> thought that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> onely de&s;ired to have &s;ome a&s;&s;urance of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erinas</HI> affecti|on before he married her, though it be not the cu&s;tome of Kings and Princes to marry with that con&s;ideration. But the King thinking this &s;melt too much of a &s;hepheard, told him, that Princes did not marry as other men, but married more for their people then them&s;elves, and therefore they had not alwaies the freedome of their choice: In &s;hort, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> &s;poke with &s;o much &s;overaignty, that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> would not gain&s;ay his will: but &s;ince the King thought he had con&s;ented, he told him that he would give him &s;ome daies re&s;pite, before he made a pub|lication of it: When <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> parted from the King, he retired to his Chamber full of ex|treame &s;orrow: Till now he looked upon <HI>Li&s;erina</HI> with much indifferency: but &s;ince this, hee looked upon her with unalterable aver&s;ion: and as oft as he con&s;idered that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> would marry him unto her, he was ready to run out of his wits: for love does often drive one to hope for not onely things difficult, but even things impo&s;&s;ible. <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> &s;ometimes hoped that happily <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> would not force him to marry her, but that when it &s;hould plea&s;e the gods to afford him a fit opportunity of retiring him&s;elfe from the World, hee would then marry his fair &s;hephearde&s;&s;e, as well as many Kings of <HI>Aegypt</HI> had married with <HI>Graecian</HI> &s;laves. In conclu&s;ion Sir, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> re&s;olved to imploy all his po&s;&s;ible endeavours, to deferre the marriage, leaving the re&s;t to the Conduct of the gods. In the meane time <HI>Heracleon</HI> was as full of re&s;tle&s;&s;e thoughts as he, though in a different way, for certainly ambition was the tor|ture of his mind. But &s;ince he could not alter the order of things as he plea&s;ed, how envious &s;oever he was to &s;ee <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;o near the Crown; hee complied with him as with a Prince, who&s;e friend&s;hip he would gain, though him&s;elfe could not Raign: and endeavoured to divert him with a po&s;&s;ible complacency: yet <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> could not affect the conver&s;ation of <HI>Hera|cleon:</HI> for be&s;ides his imperious di&s;po&s;ition, he con&s;idered him as the brother of <HI>Li&s;erina,</HI> who he thought did eagerly put on his marriage with this Prince&s;&s;e; in&s;omuch as he could not po&s;&s;ibly affect him. In the mean time, &s;ince Civility would not permit him to fall out with him, they were continually together. And <HI>Heracleon</HI> conceiving he could not po&s;&s;ibly devi&s;e
<PB N="109" REF="541">
any diver&s;ion more &s;utable to his age then hunting: He invited him very often to that &s;port, wherein <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;eemed to take great delight; more affecting to be in the fields and woods, where he might &s;ometimes entertain his own thoughts, then to be in <HI>Elephantine,</HI> where hee was very often con&s;trained to entertain <HI>Li&s;erina.</HI> But, Sir, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Heracleon</HI> and he being one day hunting together, the bea&s;t which they pur&s;ued, did lead them near the Ca&s;tle where <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> dwelt, &s;o that riding along the Lake they &s;aw the fair <HI>Timareta</HI> walking by the water &s;ide, and in &s;uch a profound &s;tudy, that the merry cry of the dogs, and the &s;hrill mu&s;ique of the Horns could hardly make her look up, and &s;ee who pa&s;&s;ed by her. But at la&s;t the noi&s;e being &s;o loud and near, &s;he turned a&s;ide with a langui&s;hing look, as if &s;he had been married unto a crabbed Husband, who interrupted her &s;tudy: And &s;he no &s;ooner lifted up her eyes, but <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Heracleon</HI> knew her, and &s;topt; letting the Cha&s;e run on. <HI>Timareta</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw them &s;top, but &s;he knew them al&s;o; and blu&s;hing, &s;he &s;eemed more fair then ever, and &s;o charmed the eyes of <HI>Heracleon,</HI> that in talking to <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> he could not chu&s;e but extoll her. <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was grieved to the very &s;oul, that hee dur&s;t not throw him&s;elfe at the feet of his fair Shephearde&s;&s;e, whom he &s;o much re&s;pected all the while he was a Shep|heard. But at la&s;t, his love &s;urmounting all other con&s;iderations: Though I &s;hall appeare a Shepheard in the habit of a Prince (&s;aid he, and laughed) as <HI>Achilles</HI> did a boy in the habit of a woman when he could not chu&s;e but wear a &s;word, I mu&s;t &s;tay one minute, and &s;peake unto this fair Shephearde&s;&s;e; were it for nothing but to ask how he doth with whom I lived. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Heracleon,</HI> I am much joyed at the motion, onely out of a de&s;ire to plea&s;e my &s;elf in looking upon her. After this the&s;e two Princes alighted from their hor&s;es, and went to <HI>Timareta,</HI> who continuing on her walk, went towards <HI>Nicetis,</HI> who was not far off, but &s;he was prevented by the&s;e two Princes, who &s;uiting their civilities according to her beau|ty, not her quality, did acco&s;t her as if &s;he had been of their own. Their di&s;cour&s;e with her was long, though nothing of privacy, or any thing of concernment; yet &s;he &s;poke with &s;o much &s;pirit and grace, as when they parted <HI>Heracleon</HI> was no le&s;&s;e in love then <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> So that coming out of <HI>Elephantine</HI> with two, but love &amp; ambition, he returned with three, &s;ince certainly he grew jealous as &s;oon as in love; for though <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> in &s;peaking to <HI>Timareta</HI> did keep a carefull di&s;tance, and though <HI>Timareta</HI> on her &s;ide did examine every word, and did regulate their very looks, yet maugre all their precaution, <HI>Heracleon</HI> &s;aw in their eyes &s;ome &s;parks of that fire which burned in their hearts, &s;o that both his Love and his Jealou&s;ie begun both at once: But for his better &s;atisfaction, in their way to <HI>Elephantine</HI> he asked the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> whether it was po&s;&s;ible he could &s;o long live with <HI>Timareta,</HI> and not be in love? <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> who for &s;everall rea&s;ons would not have it thought he was in love with this Shephearde&s;&s;e, told him hand&s;omly, that it was with beauty as with the Sun, continual look|ing upon it, makes it never admired; and he being brought up with <HI>Timareta</HI> from the cradle, he ever thought her fair, but never found matter of adoration in her. But &s;ince <HI>Se&s;o|&s;tris</HI> could not &s;ay this without his face betrayed his tongue, as his tongue belyed his heart,
<HI>Heracleon</HI> was confirmed in his opinion; he being a man violent in all things, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with the three mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ions that the heart of man is capable of, he pre&s;ently began to endeavour wayes for the &s;atisfaction of them all: But &s;ince Love was the pa&s;&s;ion mo&s;t pre|dominate, he did oftentimes u&s;e to come and look for <HI>Timareta,</HI> not onely by that water &s;ide, but in the hou&s;e where they dwelt, though &s;he entreated him with as much wi&s;dome as mode&s;ty not to put him&s;elf unto the trouble; and in every vi&s;it he grew &s;o deep in love, that it almo&s;t &s;tified his ambition, and the more, becau&s;e he found in her as much virtue as beauty, and an invincible re&s;i&s;tance. As for <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> &s;ince more eyes were upon him then <HI>Hera|cleon,</HI> he could not &s;o ea&s;ily &s;ee her, and it was onely once that he found an opportunity to &s;teal &s;o much time as to talk with her, and then he was &s;o unhappy as it was known unto <HI>He|racleon,</HI> who was almo&s;t choaked with de&s;pair. In the mean time <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> thinking he had given long enough time for con&s;ideration unto <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> began to publi&s;h unto all the world, that he would marry him with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina.</HI> The fir&s;t Ceremonies were performed: So that &s;ince all Marriages of per&s;ons of this quality are quickly divulged, it was not onely known at <HI>Elephantine,</HI> but the news was carryed as far as <HI>Timareta:</HI> But when the wi&s;e and prudent <HI>Timareta</HI> did plainly fore&s;ee, that as &s;oon as <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> cea&s;ed from being a &s;hepheard, the King would infallibly oblige him to marry, &s;he grieved exceedingly, yet endeavoured all &s;he could to hide her &s;orrows, but could not; for I have heard her expre&s;&s;e her &s;elf concern|ing <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> &s;o generou&s;ly, &s;o wi&s;ely, and yet &s;o pa&s;&s;ionately, and obligingly, that I di&s;cove|red more grandure of &s;pirit and &s;oul in her then ever before. In the mean while <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was not le&s;&s;e &s;ad then &s;he: <HI>Li&s;erina</HI> onely, who courted the Crown more then the affection of
<PB N="110" REF="542">
<HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> &s;he had all the joy po&s;&s;ible; yet &s;he thought it &s;omewhat &s;trange that the Prince &s;o full of &s;pirit, as he was, &s;hould look upon her onely with eyes of civility: But the predomi|nate pa&s;&s;ion of her heart being &s;atisfied, &s;he cheered up her &s;elfe, e&s;pecially &s;eeing that in all ap|pearance, nothing could hinder her marriage: the reports whereof, were &s;o generally divulged, that none made any que&s;tion of it: It &s;eemed as if the ceremonies were to be performed at <HI>Ele|phantine,</HI> at which the King was well plea&s;ed; and &s;he hoped her happine&s;&s;e was now &s;o nigh that nothing could prevent it: But what &s;he called happine&s;&s;e <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> called mi&s;ery: and in|deed his &s;oul was &s;o wholly devoted unto <HI>Timareta,</HI> that the Lu&s;ter of her fair eyes dimmed all the other beauties of the Court: &s;ince hee &s;aw the noi&s;e of his marriage was &s;o loud as it might reach her eare; he could not re&s;t untill he found an oppor|tunity to &s;teale away and vi&s;it her; and to that end, hee went unto his Chamber one evening very timely, and took hor&s;e immediately at the Palace Garden dore, and went unto <HI>Tamareta:</HI> hee knew <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> went not to bed &s;o &s;oone as others, becau&s;e his flocks of &s;heepe were late in the field: But we were much a&s;toni&s;hed to &s;ee this Prince arive &s;o late with one &s;ervant which u&s;ed to bring his letters unto <HI>Timareta:</HI> who then was in the walk towards the Lake, where the Trees not being very thick, the light of the Moon, was light enough. A young &s;hephearde&s;&s;e who &s;erved <HI>Nicetis,</HI> was in the &s;ame walke where the Prince came to &s;eek <HI>Timareta,</HI> after he had given me order to keep <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> from interrupting them: <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was full of mo&s;t tender expre&s;&s;ions to her: he offered her a hun|dred times the very &s;ame he did in the I&s;le, where their love had originall. Hee profered to renownce all Grandure, Court and Crown, &s;o &s;he would but follow his fortune: And this Ge|nerous &s;hephearde&s;&s;e did a hundred times conjure him, to doe nothing unworthy of that Grandure unto which he was rai&s;ed, and to propo&s;e nothing unto her unworthy of his vir|tue: But &s;ay what &s;he could, he was &s;till in the &s;ame tune, and &s;aid he would never marry <HI>Li|&s;erina,</HI> conjuring her not to let any reports or appearances delude her, but con&s;tantly to be|lieve, that he would never be anies but hers. <HI>Timareta</HI> contradicted this la&s;t expre&s;&s;ion of <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris,</HI> but it was very faintly, for &s;he had not &s;o much power over her &s;elf as to advi&s;e him un|to a marriage with <HI>Li&s;erina:</HI> but &s;hee told him re&s;olutely, &s;hee<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> would not have him quit the Court, nor carry her away: but when hee talked of his marriage with <HI>Li&s;erina,</HI> her tongue could not betrayher heart, all her expre&s;&s;ions were bla&s;ted: Little and weak per&s;wa&s;ion was in her Eloquence. Moreover, <HI>Timareta</HI> being very prudent, &s;he thought not fit to acquaint <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> with all the vi&s;its of <HI>Heracleon.</HI> For &s;ince &s;he knew him to be in favour with <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> &s;he thought it not wi&s;dome to &s;ow any &s;eeds of divi&s;ion between them. But on the other &s;ide, &s;he thought it not di&s;cretion to &s;ay nothing to him: therefore &s;he told him, that &s;ometimes as his hunting cha&s;e drew him that way he would call: But &s;ince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had ob&s;erved that <HI>Heracleons</HI> heart was wounded with the beauty of <HI>Timareta,</HI> though &s;he &s;poke nothing of it, yet he beleeved him to be deeply in love: But yet he feared not to drive him far enough from the heart of this lovely &s;hephearde&s;&s;e, &s;o that hee parted very well &s;atisfied from her, and likewi&s;e &s;he from him, con&s;idering the &s;tate pre&s;ent of their fortunes. In the meane while, <HI>Heracleons</HI> heart being torn in pieces by three unruly pa&s;&s;ions, he could not chu&s;e but open him&s;elf unto a friend of his named <HI>Tani&s;is,</HI> who&s;e &s;pirit was not onely &s;ubtile, but capable of all villanies and cheates in the World, re&s;pecting nei|ther Divine nor humane Lawes, and followed no other rule of life, but what would plea&s;e or profit him: yet did he appear in the eyes of all the World in another vizard; and having &s;pi|rit and wit enough, he palliated all his villanies with virtuous &s;emblances, the better to com|pa&s;&s;e his ends: yet had he no intimate friend but <HI>Heracleon</HI> onely, but the League between them two was &s;o great and clo&s;e, that none could be greater. In the mean time, as I told you, <HI>Heracleon</HI> acquainted <HI>Tani&s;is</HI> with the pre&s;ent po&s;ture of his &s;oule, &s;o aggravating the Gran|dure of his love, of his jealou&s;ly and of his Ambition, that he perceived the mi&s;eries which he endured, required extream remedies. And that let them be what they would, he was able to &s;erve him. Fir&s;t <HI>Tani&s;is,</HI> who thought it more expedient to &s;atisfie the Ambition of his friend, then his love, becau&s;e him&s;elfe had more intere&s;t in that pa&s;&s;ion then the other, told him, that at what rate &s;oever it was, he mu&s;t hinder the marriage between <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina:</HI> In order to which, he mu&s;t &s;o protract it, that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> who was not well, might fir&s;t die, before it was accompli&s;hed, &s;ince it was likely he would not live long: It was thought that he advi&s;ed to poy&s;on him, to the end he might hinder <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> from being ac|knowledged his &s;ucce&s;&s;or, and that he might be &s;ucce&s;&s;or him&s;elf: As for the &s;atisfaction of of his love, <HI>Tani&s;is</HI> could not imagine, that the heart of a &s;imple &s;hephearde&s;s could hold out again&s;t a man of <HI>Heracleons</HI> quality: he advi&s;ed him fir&s;t to have recour&s;e unto pre&s;ents, and
<PB N="111" REF="542">
afterwards to carry her away: As they were thus bu&s;ied, and <HI>Heracleon</HI> &s;aw nothing to doe but to put the advi&s;e of <HI>Tani&s;is</HI> in execution, one of his &s;ervants came to tell him, that the Kings Officer, who had been unju&s;tly accu&s;ed for rai&s;ing that tumult which was in a Town within the Province of <HI>Thebes</HI> de&s;ired to &s;peak with him. But, Sir, before I acquaint you with what this Officer told <HI>Heracleon,</HI> give me leave to put you in memory, that it was the very &s;ame man who found dying <HI>Ladice's</HI> Letter where <HI>Amenophis</HI> lo&s;t it, and who afterwards let it fall in <HI>Elephantine,</HI> where he was forced to retire untill his friends had procured his Ju|&s;tification. After this, Sir, be plea&s;ed to know, that when he came within two dayes journey of <HI>Elephantine</HI> unto one of his friends, he fell &s;ick with &s;orrow, and to that height, as a Feaver &s;ei&s;ed upon him, which for &s;ome dayes bereft him of his rea&s;on, but after he was recovered, and enquired of the pa&s;&s;ages in the world, he was much &s;urpri&s;ed to under&s;tand that the King had that Letter which he lo&s;t, and the more to hear that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was acknowledged for his Sonne: For <HI>Ladice's</HI> Letter not being &s;ealed, when this Officer found it, he read it, and re|membered very well that <HI>Ladice</HI> told the King &s;he had left him a Daughter, and not a Sonne: So that not knowing what to thinke, he wondered that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> knowing the Prince&s;&s;e his Wives hand &s;hould not give credit unto her words; for tho&s;e with whom he was, were igno|rant that the Letter was a little torn or defaced; &s;o that to be better &s;atisfied he writ unto one of his friends in <HI>Elephantine:</HI> but before he began to write, he looked in his Table-book, in which he had put dying <HI>Ladice's</HI> Letter before he was &s;ick, and there miraculou&s;ly found a little bit of the Letter which made it apparent, that <HI>Ladice</HI> left a Daughter, and not a Sonne: So that then apprehending the mi&s;take of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> and knowing how he had for|merly expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf, that if it were a Daughter <HI>Heracleon</HI> &s;hould marry her, hee thought that he had found out a way to undeceive the King of his errour, to make <HI>Heracleon</HI> happy, and to rai&s;e him&s;elf a fortune: And therefore he carefully &s;ealed up this little bit of the letter, and as weak as he was he came to <HI>Elephantine</HI> in the night, going &s;treight unto <HI>Heracleon's</HI> hou&s;e, and found him in the company of <HI>Tani&s;is,</HI> as I told you. At fir&s;t he de&s;ired to &s;peake with him in private, but <HI>Heracleon</HI> telling him, that nothing was &s;o &s;ecret which <HI>Tani&s;is</HI> &s;hould not know, he began to tell him, how he had found <HI>Ladice's</HI> Letter, and how he had lo&s;t it, and how he had found that which would convince <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> of his errour in thinking <HI>Ladice</HI> left him a Sonne; for it would be ea&s;ie to prove it unto the King by that little bit of the Letter which mentioned a Daughter, and which was torn out of the Letter; &s;o that comparing this bit with the Letter it &s;elf, he might find them &s;o evenly jump, that the King might be put out of all errour. <HI>Heracleon</HI> was beyond all expre&s;&s;ion glad, that he could render the birth of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> doubtfull; but to goe &s;urely to work, he would have this Officer concealed in his hou&s;e, and examine all things at more lea&s;ure, conjuring him to have a &s;pe|ciall care of that which mu&s;t take the Crown from his Si&s;ter and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and put it upon his own head; for he made no que&s;tion but <HI>Timareta</HI> was daughter unto <HI>Ama&s;is:</HI> Yet could he not devi&s;e why <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> &s;hould di&s;gui&s;e the truth. But &s;ince it appeared that <HI>Ladice</HI> had a Daughter, it mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily follow that there was &s;ome impo&s;ture in the relation of <HI>Tra|&s;eas:</HI>
So that to &s;ift the matter before it came to the King, <HI>Heracleon</HI> and <HI>Tani&s;is</HI> re&s;olved to tamper with <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> and either by promi&s;es or menaces to &s;crew the matter out of him: This cour&s;e being re&s;olved upon, <HI>Heracleon</HI> and <HI>Tani&s;is</HI> went to the hou&s;e of <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> and came thither before the Sun was up, or <HI>Timareta</HI> awake. But the more to oblige unto a true relation, <HI>Heracleon</HI> would tell him at fir&s;t what he knew: I come hither (&s;aid he un|to him) to make you confe&s;&s;e the truth of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which I know as well as your &s;elf, but to know what rea&s;on you had to tell the King a lye, and to make him mo&s;t inju&s;tly to acknowledge <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> for his Son, and to ob&s;cure that Daughter which the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Ladice</HI> left him? Speak <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> (&s;aid he) tell me your rea&s;on for it? but never goe about to main|taine <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> to be his and <HI>Ladice</HI>'s Sonne; for know, that the King within the&s;e two dayes mu&s;t &s;ee all that wants in <HI>Ladice</HI>'s Letter, which will apparently prove the King is gulled, and that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> is not his Sonne, and that all tortures that can be devi&s;ed will be inflicted upon you to make you &s;peak the truth: yet if you will tru&s;t me, and tell me truly why you put this impo&s;ture upon him, and where the Daughter of <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> is, I will promi&s;e not onely to protect you, but to keep you in the Kings favour: And if you will confe&s;&s;e un|to me that <HI>Timareta</HI> is his Daughter, and doe as I would have you, I will promi&s;e you a re|compence much above that which <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> gave you. Whil&s;t <HI>Heracleon</HI> was &s;peaking thus, <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> was extreamly perplexed; for he perceived by his manner of &s;peaking, that hee knew all the truth: &s;o that fear damping his &s;pirits, he could not rea&s;on upon the matter; yet he perceived, that though <HI>Heracleon</HI> knew <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was not the Son of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> yet he did not
<PB N="112" REF="543">
know him to be the Sonne of <HI>Apriez;</HI> therefore hee conceived him to be ignorant of it, otherwi&s;e hee would mo&s;t certainly have intimated it unto him: So that af|after he had &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idered with him&s;elf, he re&s;olved to confe&s;&s;e unto <HI>Heracleon,</HI> that <HI>Timareta</HI> was the daughter of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> conceiving it was that which he principally de&s;ired: for <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> being a man of a quick wit, and &s;pirit enough, and knowing that the King when he was in the I&s;le, &s;aid, if he had a Daughter he would marry her unto <HI>Heracleon:</HI> he doubt|ed not but it was his own intere&s;t which he &s;ought after: But as he re&s;olved to confe&s;&s;e the truth, as relating unto <HI>Timareta,</HI> and to &s;ay &s;he was the daughter of <HI>Ama&s;is:</HI> So he re&s;olved al&s;o not to di&s;cover that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was the Sonne of <HI>Apriez:</HI> for it was a horror unto his con|&s;cience to deliver the Sonne of his Legitimate King unto the hands of an u&s;urper, who perhaps world put him to death: &s;o after he had well con&s;ulted with him&s;elfe, and &s;eeing <HI>Heracleon</HI> multiply both promi&s;es and threatnings. Sir, (&s;aid he unto him) If you will &s;olemnly &s;wear that you will &s;ave my life: I &s;hall confe&s;&s;e all I know, and as much perhaps as you de&s;ire to know: <HI>Heracleon</HI> then &s;wearing unto him, <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> confe&s;&s;ed that <HI>Timareta,</HI> was the Kings Daughter: Adding, that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was his own Sonne: and that Fatherly indulgence prompt|ed him to make him King in prejudice of <HI>Timareta;</HI> and then King al&s;o to get a better recom|pence, for finding the King a Sonne, then a Daughter: But, (&s;aid <HI>Heracleon</HI> unto him) It appears <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> pa&s;&s;ed for the Sonne of <HI>Amenophis,</HI> and not as yours, and you confe&s;&s;ed as much to the King: 'Tis very true Sir, (replyed <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> boldly, the better to colour his lie) but the rea&s;on was, becau&s;e when the contagion did almo&s;t depopulate our I&s;le, and when the Queen and the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> her Sonne dyed, and &s;pared this <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> whom now you know <HI>Amenophis</HI> with a thou&s;and promi&s;es of recompence, de&s;ired me to let my &s;on pa&s;s for his, ne|ver telling me his rea&s;on for it: and indeed I con&s;ented, knowing my Son would be more rich by pa&s;&s;ing for his Sonne then mine: &s;o that all the &s;hepheards in the I&s;le never thought <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> to be my Sonne: After this <HI>Heracleon</HI> and <HI>Tani&s;is</HI> began to whi&s;per low one to ano|ther, and to examine what <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> had &s;aid concerning <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> For they &s;aw <HI>Amenophis</HI> had a de&s;ign to make <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> pa&s;&s;e for the Son of <HI>Apriez:</HI> and they began to &s;u&s;pect that <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> had not told the truth, but that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was really the Sonne of <HI>Apriez.</HI> Yet they did not conceive it expedient to dive too deep into the matter, for knowing that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> of late was much &s;tung with remor&s;e of con&s;cience for all that was pa&s;&s;ed, they feared that if he &s;hould come to know that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was the Sonne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> and afterwards &s;hould heare of the affection between <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Timareta,</HI> he would marry them together to quiet his con&s;cience, and to take away all colour of War: Therefore, though <HI>Heracleon</HI> did &s;u&s;pect <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was not the reall <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> yet he did not make his &s;u&s;pitions known unto <HI>Tra&s;eas;</HI> but re&s;olved by the advi&s;e of <HI>Tana&s;is,</HI> fir&s;t to let him become a &s;hepheard again, and after|wards ab&s;olutely to ruine him. But Sir, after an exact con&s;ideration of all the con&s;equences in this affair, they in&s;tructed <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> in all they would have him doe, <HI>Heracleon</HI> beginning to let him have a ta&s;t of his liberality. And to the end <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> &s;hould not have time to repent or fly, or adventure <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> or <HI>Timareta,</HI> they obliged him to go pre&s;ently with them unto <HI>Elephantine:</HI> Leaving two Servants which came with them, to conduct him, appointing them to follow <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> &s;ome twenty paces from him, and no nearer, le&s;t too much notice &s;hould be taken: But Sir, <HI>Heracleon,</HI> as it was plotted betwixt him and <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> went to the King as he returned from the Temple, and as he was entering into his Palace, <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> fell down upon his knees mo&s;t humbly be&s;eeching the King to give him audience: <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> turn|ing about, and knowing him, thought that &s;ome had done him wronge, and he demanded ju&s;tice, or that he had not received what he commanded &s;hould be given him: So that turn|ing towards him, It is ju&s;t, &s;aid he, that the man who found me a &s;ucce&s;&s;or &s;hould obtain what audience he de&s;ires. Oh Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> with tears in his eyes) I come not to demand any ju&s;tice, but a pardon, &s;ince I am the mo&s;t guilty man alive. <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> being a&s;toni&s;hed at the Lan|guage of <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> in who&s;e countenance, he &s;aw fear imprinted, commanded him to follow, becau&s;e he would not have all the people to hear: and being entred into his Chamber, where he would have none to follow, but <HI>Heracleon</HI> and <HI>Tra&s;eas.</HI> This &s;hepheard fell down upon his knees again, Sir, &s;aid he to <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> you &s;ee pro&s;trate at your feet, that mi&s;erable &s;hepheard, who&s;e ambition to make his Sonne King, has made him&s;elfe the mo&s;t culpable of men: For truly Sir, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> is my Sonne and not yours: and <HI>Timareta</HI> who&s;e beauty attracts the eyes of all that behold her, is really your Daughter. <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> infinitly perplexed at this, began to look upon <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> with much anger: How do&s;t thou think I can believe thee (&s;aid he unto him) after &s;uch a fair tale when I was in the I&s;le? how can I believe this which now thou telle&s;t me is true? who or what will you give me good &s;ecurity of it? for &s;ince thou art capable of &s;uch an impo&s;ture, may I not as well think thou would&s;t make thy Daughter to Raigne in
<PB N="113" REF="543">
prejudice of my Sonne, as thy Sonne in prejudice of my Daughter. From whence proceeds this remor&s;e of con&s;cience which thus expo&s;eth thee to my fury? Hath <HI>O&s;iris</HI> appeared unto thee? or what hath cau&s;ed thy repentance? Sir, replyed <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> (following the in&s;tructions of <HI>Heracleon)</HI> As &s;oon as I heard of your Maje&s;ties intentions of marrying <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina,</HI> my con&s;cience did &s;o extreamly torture me, that I had rather &s;uffer the puni&s;hment which I de&s;erve, then to let a mi&s;erable Shepheard run any longer into &s;uch a fortune as he was unworthy of. Moreover, Sir, if the weakne&s;&s;e of your eye-&s;ight had not hindred you from &s;eeing that extream re&s;emblance which <HI>Timareta</HI> hath of the Prince&s;&s;e her Mother, you would at fir&s;t have known her for your Daughter; and this did induce me principally to deceive your Maje&s;ty. <HI>Heracleon</HI> would then have &s;poke &s;omething in favour of <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">&s;eas,</HI> but <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> not hearing him, asked this Shepheard a hundred que&s;tions, unto all wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> he gave &s;uch &s;atisfactory quick an&s;wers, that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> was at a dilemma. However, he loved <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;o well, that his naturall inclination prompted him to maintaine him in the rank wherein he was, and to puni&s;h <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> as an Impo&s;tor. But as he was in this mind, the Officer which was concealed at <HI>Heracleons</HI> hou&s;e, and was in&s;tructed by him, &s;ent unto the King by the Captain of his Guard, that he had &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e with him whereupon de|pended the tranquillity of all his life, and that it concerned him to know it as &s;oon as po&s;&s;i|bly hee could. <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> with a di&s;ordered minde, commanded him to enter, and the &s;ooner, becau&s;e hee under&s;tood this man had cleared him&s;elfe of that rai&s;ing of Sedition, whereof hee was accu&s;ed, I &s;hall not tell you, Sir, in what language this man acquainted the King, how it was hee who found the Letter in <HI>Nea,</HI> how he read it as &s;oon as he found it, and &s;aw that it mentioned the leaving him a Daughter; how afterwards he lo&s;t it at <HI>Elephantine,</HI> and how miraculou&s;ly he found that which would convince him of his errour; for if I &s;hould make a full relation, it would be too tedious, Sir, unto you. However <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> no &s;ooner heard what he &s;aid, but being very impatient to &s;ee what he had brought him, he took the little bit of paper which the man had pre&s;erved; and the King joyning it unto the Letter of <HI>Ladice</HI> which was torn, it filled up &s;o even and ju&s;tly, and an&s;wered unto every corner, like wax unto a Seal, that there could not be the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pi|tion of any cou&s;enage; for it joyned &s;o clo&s;e, that it was hard to be &s;een where it was torne: But as the King was much &s;urpri&s;ed to &s;ee this little bit of the Letter fit his place &s;o ju&s;tly; &s;o was he much more, to finde, that then it was as plain as the Sun, that <HI>Ladice</HI> left him a Daughter; for the word Daughter was in that little bit which was added: nor could he &s;u&s;|pect any forgery, but that it was writ with the hand of <HI>Ladice</HI> as well as the re&s;t of the Letter. <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> then being &s;atisfied that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was not his Sonne, asked <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> who he was? and he an&s;wered him as he an&s;wered <HI>Heracleon,</HI> to wit, that him&s;elf was the Father of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris;</HI> and an&s;wered &s;o fully unto all objections which <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> could put unto him, that he could find no cau&s;e of contradiction. But &s;ince <HI>Heracleons</HI> pa&s;&s;ion did as well thir&s;t for revenge up|on <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> as his Rivall, as to &s;atisfie both his love and ambition by marrying <HI>Timareta,</HI> he told the King in a low voice, that he beleeved <HI>Amenophis</HI> had taken the &s;onne of <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> intending to make him pa&s;&s;e for the Sonne of <HI>Apriez;</HI> and according to his judgement, it were fit to ob&s;erve him, le&s;t he &s;hould goe into <HI>Thebes,</HI> and per&s;wade the people that hee was the reall <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris.</HI> But <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> who did extreamly affect <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> who&s;oever he was, not onely becau&s;e he had obtained him a glorious victory, but by rea&s;on of a powerfull in&s;tinct, he would not hearken unto the propo&s;ition. It is enough, &s;aid he, if I take from <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> the quality of a Prince, and not his liberty; and let his birth be what it will, it appears &s;o glo|riou&s;ly in the world, that I cannot think it ba&s;e: If any be to be arre&s;ted, it is <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> not him; and indeed the King committed him unto the cu&s;tody of his Guard, and appointed two women of quality in <HI>Elephantine</HI> to goe unto <HI>Timareta.</HI> But &s;ince <HI>Heracleon</HI> would needs be the fir&s;t that &s;hould carry this good news unto his faire&s;t Shephearde&s;&s;e, he be&s;eeched the King he might wait upon the two Ladies thither, which he granted him, expre&s;ly char|ging him, and the Officer who found <HI>Ladice</HI>'s letter, and <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> to &s;ay nothing without permi&s;&s;ion from him, of any thing which had pa&s;&s;ed among&s;t them. Thus the Prince <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris,</HI> being ignorant of what was doing again&s;t him, thought of nothing but that mi&s;ery which his greatne&s;&s;e cau&s;ed unto him, not thinking he was like to lo&s;e it. In the mean time <HI>Heracleon</HI> went to <HI>Timareta,</HI> who was much troubled for <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> as well as <HI>Nicetis,</HI> but much more was &s;he moved at the &s;ight of a Coach full of Ladyes, and when the&s;e Ladyes told her, they had commands from the King to carry her unto him, at fir&s;t, <HI>Timareta</HI> an|&s;wered, that it was not credible &s;o great a Prince de&s;ired to &s;ee &s;o &s;imple a Shephearde&s;&s;e as her &s;elfe. Yet when &s;he &s;aw them in good earne&s;t, &s;he began to fear that <HI>Heracleon,</HI> who
<PB N="114" REF="544">
&s;he &s;aw among&s;t them, would put &s;ome trick upon her: But he perceiving her thought, by the leave of the Ladies tooke her a&s;ide, and being &s;eparated &s;ome Paces from the Company, conjured her not to acquaint the King how he had revealed his &s;ecret unto her. Truly Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, you think I do not know my &s;elf, but becau&s;e I have been brought up with the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> therefore that mu&s;t make me familiar with the King his Father: No Madam &s;aid he unto her: ah Sir, (&s;aid &s;he and interrupted him) I be&s;eech you do not &s;o ex|treamly Jeere me: do not give me any &s;uch title as &s;hephearde&s;&s;es do not under&s;tand: I doe not give you the title as a &s;hephearde&s;&s;e (replyed he) but as a Prince&s;&s;e. For now, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> is no more then a &s;imple &s;hepheard, and you are the Daughter of <HI>Ama&s;is.</HI> Believe me Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Heracleon,</HI> &s;eeing &s;he gave no credit to him) what I &s;peak is truth; and before to mor|row night, you will &s;ee your &s;elfe above all the Grandees in <HI>Aegypt,</HI> and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> will <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> be|low all that can be called ba&s;e. Oh Sir, (replied <HI>Timareta</HI> all amu&s;ed) Fortune is ne<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;o blind nor &s;o unju&s;t, as to cau&s;e &s;uch a Revolution: However it be, &s;aid he, the&s;e Ladies have orders to wait upon you unto <HI>Elephantine;</HI> And I to guard you, then being my &s;elf infinitly happy in the honour of being the fir&s;t me&s;&s;enger of &s;uch good newes. This you tell me &s;eemes &s;o impo&s;&s;ible (replied &s;he) that I cannot believe it; and though it &s;hould be true, yet I finde my &s;elfe &s;o unworthy of &s;uch an honour, that I &s;hall never receive it. After this, they put <HI>Ti|mareta</HI> in the Coach; but &s;he would not goe, unle&s;&s;e they would let <HI>Nicetis</HI> go with her. In the meane time, &s;he being naturally hand&s;ome, and &s;ince &s;he was alwaies uncertain whether <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> would come that way in hunting, &s;he was never in her negligent dre&s;&s;e; Therefore &s;he appeared &s;o fair in the eyes of tho&s;e Ladies who waited upon her, that they all admired her beauty: As for <HI>Heracleon,</HI> he thought him&s;elf almo&s;t at the top of happine&s;&s;e: For he imagined him&s;elfe married unto the greate&s;t beauty of all <HI>Aegypt,</HI> and unto one who would make him King. Moreover, he had the &s;atisfaction, to put his rivall be&s;ides his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e and Throne: So that meeting with that at one time, which would fully &s;atisfie, both his love, his ambition, his jealou&s;ie, and his revenge, he was as happy as his own wi&s;hes could make him. But &s;o was not <HI>Timareta,</HI> who&s;e a&s;toni&s;hment was &s;o high, that &s;he was not capable ei|ther of joy or &s;orrow; yet &s;he enclined more unto the latter of the&s;e then the fir&s;t. In the meane time, &s;he arived at the Court: <HI>Heracleon</HI> acquaints the King; and he bids her to enter. But &s;he was not &s;ooner two paces within the Chamber, and the King upon a &s;udden &s;eeing as well as ever he did: he found in <HI>Timaretaes</HI> face &s;uch a prodigious re&s;emblance of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Ladice</HI> his wife, that he made no doubt but <HI>Timareta</HI> was his Daughter: &s;o that embracing her with abundance of tenderne&s;&s;e, he acknowledged her for his own: and acknowledged her with as much joy, as he was at the miraculous change in his &s;ight, which made him able to behold <HI>Timareta,</HI> and confirmed him in his opinion that the gods would protect him. <HI>Timareta</HI> &s;ee|ing the honours which the King did her, knew not how to receive them: yet &s;he told him with as great grace as mode&s;ty, that &s;he was onely a &s;imple &s;hephearde&s;&s;e, and farre unworthy &s;uch favours from &s;o great a King: for &s;ince &s;he thought it impo&s;&s;ible that &s;he &s;hould be ac|knowledged for a Prince&s;&s;e and that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;hould become a &s;hepheard again, &s;he would not an&s;wer the King as his Daughter. In the meane time, &s;ince the King made no que&s;tion of of what <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> told him concerning <HI>Timareta,</HI> he al&s;o believed all he &s;aid concerning <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris;</HI> &s;o that thinking his repentance had expiated his crime, he commanded him to be &s;et at liberty, and to come before him. <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Timareta,</HI> but he asked her par|don, for offering to take the Crown from her, and giving it unto <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris. Timareta</HI> hearing <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> &s;ay &s;o, blu&s;ht, and looked down with her eyes: yet was it not for any anger at the injury he had done her; but for &s;orrow that &s;he &s;hould be a cau&s;e of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> his returning un|to a &s;hepheard again. In the meane time, the King cau&s;ed all the Ladies to enter, and told them who <HI>Timareta</HI> was: &s;o that this fair &s;hephearde&s;&s;e, becoming a Prince&s;&s;e in an in|&s;tant, you may well imagine, &s;he &s;tood in need of as great a &s;pirit as &s;he had. And &s;ince <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> had commanded the matter &s;hould be clo&s;ly carried, le&s;t <HI>Se&s;ostris</HI> &s;hould know the alterati|on in his Fortune: he cau&s;ed <HI>Timareta</HI> and all the Ladies to go into another room, and com|manded to fetch <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> unto him. But as <HI>Timareta</HI> was ready to go out of the Kings Cham|ber, being prompted by a thought which &s;he could not keep in, Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I be|&s;eech you give me leave, before I goe, to ask you whether <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> who I ever thought to be my father, ever told you how I owe my life unto <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> and that if I have the honour to be your Daughter, you are obliged to recompence him for my &s;ake: As <HI>Timareta</HI> could not &s;peak <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, without &s;ome di&s;order which appeared in her face, <HI>Heracleon</HI> had much more di&s;|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> in his heart: and the more, becau&s;e the King de&s;iring to know how <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;aved <HI>Ti|maretas</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">e, This fair Prince&s;&s;e it unto him, with all po&s;&s;ible aggravations, as if &s;hee
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had a de&s;ire, in taking the Crown from <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> at lea&s;t to procure him the Kings favour: 'Tis true, he had a &s;tronge inclination, to lend a favourable eare unto any thing that was in ad|vantage of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris.</HI> Therefore when <HI>Timareta</HI> had ended her relation, the King a&s;&s;ured her, that he would e&s;teem <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> as her deliverer: Then he parted from her, as &s;oon as hee had commanded the Ladies, to &s;ee her in an Equipage &s;utable to her pre&s;ent quality: &s;o <HI>He|racleon</HI> conducted her unto her Chamber. As for <HI>Nicetis</HI> &s;he met her husband in the outer|chamber. In the meane while, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> having &s;ent for <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> he perceived in his going to the King, that there was &s;ome extraordinary matter in the wind: for notwith&s;tanding all their care's to conceale it, the noi&s;e of it was &s;pread abroad. But though he &s;aw wonder in all the fa|ces he met, yet he could not gue&s;&s;e what the matter was: but he was not long in ignorance, for as &s;oon as he came unto the King, who prepared him as well as he could to make the newes as little &s;ad unto him as he could: he told how he had been deceived, how that he was not his Sonne, and how <HI>Timareta</HI> was his Daughter, demon&s;trating unto him all his proofes: More|over (&s;aid he, and gave him not time to &s;peake) do not think that the man whom I e&s;teemed worthy to be my &s;on and really was &s;o, &s;hall ever become a &s;hepheard again: No, no <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> I do not intend it: but on the contrary, I will make a publique declaration that you &s;hall have a Ranke above all my Nobility, and continue &s;o near the Throne, as it &s;hall be hardly perceived you have had a fall. Sir (replyed <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> who had time to recollect him&s;elfe whil&s;t the King was &s;peaking) &s;ince I received the honour of being taken for your &s;onne, without a|ny pride or o&s;tententation: So I receive the newes of my change, without a grudg, or de&s;pair, or &s;orrow: yet I mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e, that if I had quitted this honour unto any other but <HI>Ti|mareta,</HI> I &s;hould have been mo&s;t exreamly &s;ad: but I know her virtue &s;o worthy of her quali|ty, that I &s;tand in need of no comforts in my lo&s;&s;e, &s;ince &s;he is the gainer: Moreover Sir, I con|fe&s;&s;e my &s;elf infinitly obliged unto you for your Princely expre&s;&s;ions, but yet I cannot accept of your offers: for truly Sir, if ever I come into the ranke of your Nobility, I will be &s;ome|thing beholding unto my &s;word, and not altogether unto your goodne&s;&s;e for the honour: And truly con&s;idering the pre&s;ent condition of my Soul, I am not yet re&s;olved whether I &s;hould make u&s;e of my &s;heephook or my &s;word: for I had need of a little time to examine whether I have found more or le&s;&s;e misfortune in the one then in the other: Yet I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you to believe, that I never contributed any thing unto your Maje&s;ties error, &s;ince I never thought my &s;elfe to be the Sonne of <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> but of <HI>Amenophis.</HI> But what&s;oever I be Sir, I &s;hall be alwaies affectionately devoted unto your &s;ervice: But before I leave the Court, I be&s;eech you give me leave to bid adieu unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta.</HI> I con&s;ent unto it mo&s;t willingly (&s;aid the King) but not that you &s;hall bid her adieu; <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> an&s;wered unto the&s;e obliging expre&s;&s;ions, with much re&s;pect: and though <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> would not have him go from the Palace; yet he would not lie there, but went unto my friend whom I brought him acquainted with, and where we left all our martiall Equipage. Hee was no &s;ooner there, but he &s;ent for me to ac|quaint me with the revolution in his fortune; yet I knew it before, by <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> and <HI>Nicetis,</HI> who were returned home. But when I came unto his Chamber. Well my dear <HI>Miris,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, is not my fortune very fickle? and mu&s;t not he be either in&s;en&s;ible or mortall that dies not for &s;orrow at &s;uch an alteration? not that I do at all regreet the Grandure &s;o much as perhaps you imagine, for thankes be to the heavens, I have a &s;oul which &s;ores above all &s;orts of ambition: but that which grieves my &s;oul is, that I am &s;till at an un&s;utable di&s;tance from <HI>Ti|mareta,</HI> either as a Prince or a &s;hepheard; and I conceive, that though &s;he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e that honour which I had ye&s;terday, and I that which &s;he hath quitted; yet I am &s;till further of inequality then before. For had I been a King, I might have created her a Queen: but <HI>Timareta</HI> being Prince&s;&s;e, mu&s;t never make me a King; and therefore my dear <HI>Miris,</HI> if I doe lament the lo&s;&s;e of a Scepter, it is not out of ambition, but onely out of love. Moreover I cannot look upon <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> as my Father, untill <HI>Amenophis</HI> return, and a&s;&s;ures me I am his Sonne: And &s;ince now there is no nece&s;&s;ity of concealing our &s;elves, I would advi&s;e you (&s;aid he to me) to ap|pear in the world for what you are, to the end you may acquaint me with the pa&s;&s;ages in it: for when I have once &s;een <HI>Timareta,</HI> I am re&s;olved to for&s;ake it: not that I can &s;o &s;oon de|part from <HI>Elephantine,</HI> &s;ince <HI>Heracleon</HI> is in love with <HI>Timareta:</HI> for though I am a &s;hep|heard, <HI>Aegypt</HI> &s;hall never have a King that is my Rivall. There I endeavoured to per&s;wade <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> that he mu&s;t not run any hazards of ruining him&s;elfe; but &s;tay in expectation of &s;ome change, which might happily be advantageous for him; that the return of <HI>Amenophis</HI> would perhaps better in&s;truct us; and truly after all this, I was confidently per&s;waded that neither <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> or <HI>Amenophis</HI> ever gave him life. In thinking to comfort me, replyed he, you drive me unto new &s;orrowes; for admit I were that which you think I am, yet am I the mo&s;t
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mi&s;erable man in the World: and if I be not what you &s;uppo&s;e me, &s;till I am all infortunate. In the meane while, <HI>Se&s;ostris</HI> was not the onely one who complained: The Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;eri|na</HI> had her full &s;hare of &s;orrow; ambition did no le&s;&s;e torment her, then love did <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> &s;he told every one, that this was but a &s;u&s;pition of her brothers, who had a de&s;ire to be King him&s;elf: adding that certainly <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was the Sonne of <HI>Ama&s;is:</HI> and that <HI>Timareta</HI> was no more then a &s;hephearde&s;&s;e: and &s;he &s;poke it &s;o loud and confidently, that <HI>Heracleon</HI> moved the King to &s;end for her, to command her &s;ilence; for in the humour <HI>Heracleon</HI> was, there was nothing which he would not &s;acrifice unto his ambition: In the mean time, how great &s;oever the de&s;ires of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> were to &s;ee <HI>Timareta;</HI> yet his &s;orrowes were &s;o great that day, as he was forced to &s;tay untill the morning, pa&s;&s;ing away the night in &s;uch re&s;tle&s;&s;e thoughts, that he never &s;hut his eyes: <HI>Timareta</HI> for her part, &s;he enjoyed no delight in all her Grandure; but &s;lighted all maner of diver&s;ions, or care in dre&s;&s;ing her &s;elfe: For all the magnificence of her Lodging, &s;he took more delight in the remembrance of her Cabin where &s;he could talke with <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> and when &s;he con&s;idered that &s;he was like to lo&s;e him for ever, &s;he was in a mind to part with all her Grandure which cau&s;ed the misfortune: &s;ometime &s;he was more grieved to &s;ee her &s;elfe a Prince&s;&s;e, and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> a &s;hepheard, then &s;he was when &s;he believed her &s;elfe a &s;hephearde&s;&s;e, and him the Sonne of a King. There was none therefore who&s;e joyes were full, but onely <HI>Heracleon</HI> and <HI>Tani&s;is.</HI> As for <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> for all the &s;atisfaction which he had to &s;ee the living Image of his dead but dear <HI>Ladice,</HI> he had &s;uch a re&s;tle&s;&s;ene&s;&s;e in his heart, as quite di&s;tempered him, &s;o that he found no delight in any thing. But Sir, the next morning being come, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> according unto the Kings permi&s;&s;ion, went to &s;ee <HI>Timareta,</HI> and entred into her Chamber, as &s;he was dre&s;&s;ed the fir&s;t time, as a per&s;on of her quality: As for <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> hee was in a plain hand&s;ome &s;ute without any trimming, &s;uch as men of quality commonly u&s;e to wear when they would not be &s;een. But there was &s;uch a ma&s;&s;e of melancholy in his heart, that he could hardly keep it out of his face: 'Tis true, he had &s;ome cau&s;e of con&s;olation, for when he entred into <HI>Timaretas</HI> Chamber, he found her face &s;o full of &s;erious &s;orrow, a|mid&s;t all her magnificence, that he might ea&s;ily divine the cau&s;e: This vi&s;ion was &s;o plea&s;ing, that it made him able to hide &s;ome parts of his &s;orrowes. But on the contrary, <HI>Timareta</HI> &s;ee|ing &s;o much con&s;tancy in the &s;oul of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> did the more tender his heart by the teares which fell from her fair eyes: So that de&s;iring to hide this di&s;order from her women, after <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had &s;aluted her with a profound reverence, &s;he went into a corner between her bed and fire, where he followed her, and began to &s;peak; Madam (&s;aid he unto her) I be&s;eech you take it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ot ill that the &s;hepheard <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;hould a&s;&s;ume &s;o much liberty as to entreat you would be plea&s;ed to give him that &s;heephook your fair hand was u&s;ed to carry, a&s;&s;uring you he &s;hall receive it with more con&s;olation then he did the newes and hopes of his being King of all <HI>Aegypt.</HI> Ah <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he and interrupted him) I do not take it well, that your &s;pi|rit &s;hould be &s;o free after your change, as to talk of any &s;uch thing. I remember, that the fir&s;t time you &s;aw me after the King had acknowledged you for his &s;onne, you looked upon me with eyes full of teares: 'Tis true Madam (&s;aid he) but I am now &s;o affraid my &s;orrowes &s;hould be ill interpreted, and that you &s;hould think I grieved at the parting from that Gran|dure which now is yours, that I ma&s;tered my &s;elf, and hid &s;ome part of my &s;orrowes; yet if you will be plea&s;ed to a&s;&s;ure me, you will not think ambition to be the cau&s;e of my &s;orrowes, I &s;hall &s;hew you all my &s;ad re&s;entments: But that I may with more freedome do it, I be&s;eech you be this day onely the &s;hephearde&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta:</HI> you will be a Prince&s;&s;e all the re&s;t of your life, and it is but one hour which I &s;hall de&s;ire to deprive you of that honour: I a&s;&s;ure you, replyed <HI>Timareta</HI> and &s;ighed, that I &s;hall be unto you, ever the &s;ame I was. True it is, I will not engage my &s;elfe to live with you as I have done, for you know decency does not allow it; but I promi&s;e you, that the change in my fortune is not able to change the lea&s;t thought of my hear<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc; And I &s;hall ever think my &s;elf mo&s;t unhappy in my condition, becau&s;e it is different from yours. I do not think that after this you will complain of me; Nor do I complain of you Madam (replyed he) but I do extreamly complain of my unhappy fate, which rai&s;ed me up to throw me down again, and which onely rai&s;ed you to make me more mi&s;erable. But Ma|dam, however I be&s;eech you do not deny me that which has ab&s;olute dependency upon your &s;elfe, and which neither contradicts virtue nor decency: Me thinkes (replyed <HI>Timareta)</HI> af|ter what I have already &s;aid, I need not tell you, that I will not deny you any thing you &s;hall ask, &s;o it bring ju&s;t conditions with it. Since &s;o Madam (replyed <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris)</HI> let it not offend you, if I conjure you to believe that your quality hath nothing augmented tho&s;e re&s;pects I had of you, and that quality which within the&s;e two daies I had, did nothing le&s;&s;en the pa&s;&s;ion of my &s;oul to you. Moreover Madam, that you may not take it ill if I pre&s;erve the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion &s;till in my heart; remember I be&s;eech you, that &s;ince I was not capable of
<PB N="117" REF="545">
change in becoming the Son of a King, &s;o I am not capable of any alteration in returning to the quality of a Shepheard: So that adoring you out of a compul&s;ive nece&s;&s;ity, again&s;t which there is no re&s;i&s;tance, you would be unju&s;t if you were offended at it. Moreover, Madam, &s;ince in lo&s;ing my chief happine&s;&s;e I have not lo&s;t all my rea&s;on, I know very well that I can hope for nothing from you; that it is my duty to adore you, and never &s;ee you; and that it is onely death that mu&s;t terminate my &s;orrows: All that I can in rea&s;on ask, is, that you will be a little angry at fate for putting a greater inequality in our qualities then in our incli|nations. However, &s;ince you give me leave to &s;peak unto you now as unto the Shephearde&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta,</HI> I mu&s;t tell you that there is one thing that you can doe for me which will keep me from dying with grief. If it be in my power (replyed &s;he) and that it be not again&s;t the rules of virtue and decency, certainly I &s;hall do it. I have &s;o deep a re&s;pect of you, replyed <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> that I dare hardly &s;peak it; but &s;ince I am confident in your goodne&s;&s;e, I mu&s;t tell you, Madam, that all the favour which I beg is, that you will not marry <HI>Heracleon,</HI> when I was in the &s;ame quality you now are, I was firmly re&s;olved never to marry any but you. But, Madam, &s;ince the laws are not equall betwixt us, I &s;hall not ask &s;o much, but onely except <HI>Heracleon</HI> from all the Princes in the world. Not but that I am mo&s;t confident the day of your marriage with any Prince will be the day of my death, but my death will be le&s;&s;e &s;harp if it adde not felicity unto <HI>Heracleon.</HI> If you had not given me leave to expre&s;&s;e my &s;elf, Madam, I &s;hould not have &s;poke &s;o boldly as I doe. But &s;ince if you plea&s;e to remember, that the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> offered to throw away his crown if you plea&s;ed, and to &s;eek out &s;ome de&s;art I&s;le, where he might live with you, I hope you will not think the Shepheard <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> too in&s;olent. I think him &s;o un|fortunate (replyed &s;he) that though he were too bold, yet I &s;hould not be offended at him: But to an&s;wer directly unto what you ask me (added &s;he) I promi&s;e you to u&s;e all the endea|vours that in all hand&s;omne&s;&s;e I can, never to marry <HI>Heracleon.</HI> And I promi&s;e you more then that; for if I cannot oppo&s;e the Kings will, I will have recour&s;e unto death. Yet I doe not by this exact any great obligation from you, for I have &s;uch a &s;trong naturall aver&s;ion a|gain&s;t him, that I will thwart his intentions, as well out of love to my &s;elf, as out of love to you. But the thing which I would have you take for a favour is, that if the gods would leave me to my own choice, I had rather be a Shephearde&s;&s;e with you, then Queen of twenty <HI>Ae|gypts</HI> without you. Oh, Madam, &s;aid <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> how much am I obliged to you for the&s;e ex|pre&s;&s;ions which will infallibly ha&s;ten my death, and hinder me from droning out a longer un|happy life? For after this I mu&s;t dye with grief to &s;ee my &s;elf driven to &s;uch a &s;ad nece&s;&s;ity of lo&s;ing one &s;o infinitely generous. No, no, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I would not have that which I &s;peak to comfort you be an augmentation of your &s;orrows; but on the contra|ry, if I have any power of you, I would have you live and love me, and that I may &s;till have &s;o much con&s;olation as to think, that in what place &s;oever you are, you keep your affection for me. That which may bee an a&s;&s;urance unto you of mine, is, that when you were the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and I Shephearde&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta,</HI> what inequality &s;oever there was between us, yet I &s;hould not have taken it well you &s;hould forget me, though I had de&s;ired you to do it: So that you are no farther off my quality then I was of yours, you need not fear I &s;hould for|get you, though I &s;ee you not. After this, ask me no more: Doubtle&s;&s;e I doe too little for the Shephearde&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta,</HI> but perhaps a little too much for the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Aegypt.</HI> As they were thus in talke, one came to tell <HI>Timareta</HI> in all ha&s;te, that the King would &s;peake with her, &s;o that &s;he mu&s;t part abruptly from <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> Yet &s;he bade him adieu as the Shep|hearde&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta,</HI> and though in a tumult, yet tenderly, and in &s;uch an obliging manner, that though the pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was very violent, yet had he no cau&s;e to complain. He retired then unto the lodging which he made choice of for his retreat, where he related unto me this &s;ad di&s;cour&s;e, as he u&s;ed to doe all others. In the mean time <HI>Timareta</HI> in going to the Kings chamber, under&s;tood that he &s;ent for her to tell her, that having engaged him&s;elfe unto <HI>Heracleon,</HI> that if hee had a Daughter to marry her unto him, therefore hee would ac|quaint her with it, to the end that &s;he &s;hould begin to look upon him as upon one that was to be her Husband. It is &s;o &s;hort a while, replyed <HI>Timareta,</HI> &s;ince I had the honour to know I was your Daughter, that me-thinks it is injurious to make mee &s;o &s;oon acknowledge any other authority then yours; therefore, Sir, I be&s;eech you, let me a while enjoy the honour which I have. As the King was ready to an&s;wer <HI>Timareta,</HI> and tell her that he would be obeyed, he fell into a &s;ound which la&s;ted near an hour, and when he recovered out of it, he found that he had quite lo&s;t his &s;ight; and whil&s;t he was in his &s;ound, his imagination was filled with the &s;ame apparition which formerly he had &s;een, but with this difference, that the menaces of <HI>Ladice</HI> were more terrible; &s;o that he was not in a condition to talk any longer unto <HI>Ti|mareta</HI>
<PB N="118" REF="546">
concerning her marriage with <HI>Heracleon,</HI> for he was &s;o troubled that he knew not what to re&s;olve upon, not daring to tell all his griefe; For &s;ince he was not ignorant of <HI>Heracleons</HI> ambition, and knew what that pa&s;&s;ion could offer, hee dur&s;t not expre&s;&s;e how much he was troubled at the menaces of the gods, if he did not re&s;tore that Crown which hee had u&s;urped: So that keeping all his &s;orrowes to him&s;elfe: Oh yee ju&s;t gods, &s;aid he, which puni&s;h me with &s;uch &s;everity, though de&s;ervedly, How &s;hould I re&s;tore the Scepter which I have u&s;urped? The &s;onne of <HI>Apriez</HI> is dead as well as him&s;elf, and there remaines none living of his line; yet you let me under&s;tand by the&s;e horrid vi&s;ions, that the Child of this unhappy King is not dead, but you do not let me know where he is: I had &s;ome &s;u&s;pitions indeed that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> is the true <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and you who know the &s;ecrets of hearts, do al&s;o know that when I declared him my &s;ucce&s;&s;or, I thought him to be as much the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez</HI> as mine owne: yet I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e that had I then known him for the &s;onne of that unhappy King, I &s;hould not have re&s;tored him the Scepter, becau&s;e I was unwilling to part with Soveraign Au|thority, and to make a re&s;titution in that manner before all the World: But now I have chang|ed my mind, I cannot believe that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> is the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez:</HI> for why &s;hould <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> cau&s;e the &s;onne of his legitimate King whom he had brought up, to de&s;cend from the Throne? What likelyhood is there that he &s;hould make one of the greate&s;t Princes in the World to be|come a &s;hepheard? There is more rea&s;on to think that <HI>Amenophis</HI> &s;hould take away the &s;onne of this &s;hepheard with a de&s;igne to make him pa&s;&s;e for the &s;onne <HI>Apriez,</HI> and to &s;end him to <HI>Thebes</HI> when he &s;aw opportunity: Yet for all this the gods do tell me by the Oracles, that I mu&s;t re&s;tore the Scepter which I have u&s;urped: and by mo&s;t affrighting vi&s;ions a&s;&s;ure me that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> is living: what &s;hould I do then? what can I re&s;olve upon? As <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> was in this re&s;t|le&s;&s;e mind, <HI>Heracleon</HI> came unto him, <HI>Timareta</HI> being returned unto her Chamber: And &s;ince <HI>Heracleon</HI> was a man who mocked at all the&s;e prodigies and advi&s;ements of the gods, he looked upon this accident which happen'd unto the King, as a thing which would be ad|vantageous unto him&s;elf, which would the &s;ooner ha&s;t on his marriage with <HI>Timareta,</HI> and more a&s;&s;ure him of the Crown: Yet he dur&s;t not that day &s;peak unto the King, who on the o|ther &s;ide dur&s;t not tell <HI>Heracleon</HI> all the inquietudes of his &s;oule. In the meane time Sir, be plea&s;ed to know that <HI>Amenophis</HI> and the &s;ervant were &s;o happy, that hee whom they fain'd <HI>Amenophis</HI> mortally wounded, did not die of his wounds: and &s;o it chan|ced that whether hee was &s;ick, the affaires of the Towne changed faces, and the weak|er party becoming the &s;tronger, he left that &s;ide he was of to take the other. Thus in this generall revolution, <HI>Amenophis</HI> found his &s;afty, for the Pro&s;ecutor changing &s;ides, would pro&s;ecute no farther, but &s;uffered him to take his liberty. In the mean while, <HI>Ameno|phis</HI> after he had conferred with the revolters, who had rai&s;ed fre&s;h Forces, and had a&s;&s;ured them there was a Sonne of <HI>Apriez</HI> living, and that he would infallibly bring him unto them, he returned unto our I&s;le in hopes to find <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> But Sir, you may imagine his wonder, when he heard in all places where he pa&s;&s;ed, that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> knew by <HI>Ladices</HI> letter that he had a Sonne; that he had found this Sonne in an I&s;le near <HI>Elephantine,</HI> and that his name was <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris. Amenophis</HI> at fir&s;t, thought all the&s;e reports to be but Fables; but finding the nearer he came to <HI>Elephantine,</HI> the more they were confirmed it, he knew not what to think. Yet his a&s;to|ni&s;hment was nothing in compari&s;on of that amazement he was in, when he came within a daies journey of this great Town, and heard that he whom <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> had acknowledged for his Sonne proved to be no more then a &s;imple &s;hepheard, and was returned to his former con|dition; and that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> acknowledged a &s;hephearde&s;&s;e, who&s;e name was <HI>Timareta,</HI> for his Daughter: I &s;ay you may ea&s;ily imagine how all the&s;e things &s;urpri&s;ed <HI>Amenophis:</HI> How|ever he conceived it expedient before he attempted to go into the I&s;le, to know more certain|ly of the truth; &s;o that he re&s;olved to go unto <HI>Elephantine</HI> in the night, and lodge with his &s;i&s;ter: But he was much perplexed to under&s;tand when he came there, that &s;he was not in Town: &s;o that <HI>Amenophis</HI> not daring to tru&s;t him&s;elfe with the Dome&s;tiques of the hou&s;e, and the Father of him with whom <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and I lodged being his intimate friend, he re&s;olved to make the Sonnes hou&s;e his Retreat, whil&s;t he enquired of the po&s;ture wherein things are: So that we were not a little a&s;toni&s;hed, when my friend, who knew how dear <HI>Amenophis</HI> was unto us, brought him into the Chamber where we were. I cannot ea&s;ily expre&s;&s;e unto you Sir, both our joyes and his. He asked us a hundred things, and we in lieu of an&s;wers, asked him other que&s;tions. In the mean time, the ma&s;ter of the hou&s;e leaving us to the freedome of talke: I be|&s;eech you (&s;aid <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> who had an extreame de&s;ire to know who him&s;elf was) Tell me who I am? Am I the &s;onne of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> or the &s;onne of <HI>Tra&s;eas,</HI> or your &s;on? you are none of all the&s;e (replyed <HI>Amenophis)</HI> who&s;e am I then? (replyed <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris)</HI> you are Sir,
<PB N="119" REF="546">
(replyed <HI>Amenophis)</HI> &s;ince it is now time to tell you, the Sonne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> and the legiti|mate King of <HI>Aegypt,</HI> and I come to fetch you, that you may accompli&s;h a de&s;igne which hath been a long time in plotting. <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed to hear this, that he doubted whether he had well under&s;tood him, &s;o that he de&s;ired <HI>Amenophis</HI> to repeat what hee had &s;aid. Then <HI>Amenophis</HI> gave him an account of his de&s;ign in concealing his birth, and told him it was he who rai&s;ed all the revolts in <HI>Thebes, Heliopolis,</HI> and other places. Then <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris</HI> and I told him all the adventures both of <HI>Timareta</HI> and him&s;elf, which did no le&s;&s;e &s;urpri&s;e <HI>Amenophis,</HI> then his relation did us: The actions of <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> did mo&s;t puzzle him; for hee did not beleeve that the Princes &s;ervant had revealed his &s;ecret. However it be &s;aid <HI>Amenophis,</HI> I had a de&s;igne to carry both <HI>Timareta</HI> and you unto <HI>Thebes,</HI> and then acquainted <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> that <HI>Apriez</HI> had left a Son, and <HI>Ladice</HI> a Daughter, &s;o that when hee knew, wee had a per&s;on &s;o deare unto him in our power, wee might have brought him unto &s;ome rea&s;onable termes. But &s;ince that the po&s;ture of things are otherwi&s;e, Come, Sir, let us goe to <HI>Thebes,</HI> whither I will conduct you, and let the un|ju&s;t <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> &s;ee you are not his &s;onne but enemy, if he will not re&s;tore the Crown which is your due: I know very well, Sir, that when you parted from our I&s;le, you had a great affection unto <HI>Timareta;</HI> and though ab&s;ence cannot cure you, and though &s;he be Daughter unto the U&s;urper of your Dominions, you may yet love her, and you mu&s;t make a ju&s;t War to con|quer her, and &s;o enjoy at once both your Kingdome and your Mi&s;tris. Remember that your very name obliges you unto high things; and the Gods have given you &s;pirit and heart e|nough to equall, and perhaps to tran&s;cend the mo&s;t illu&s;trious of your Ance&s;tors. You know that when I taught you to be a faithfull and courageous Shepheard, I taught you by it to be a great and generous King. Begin then the conduct of your people whom the Gods have law|fully &s;ubjected unto you, and know that the War you &s;hall attempt is mo&s;t ju&s;t, and cannot chu&s;e but prove propitions. It is to expell an U&s;urper; it is to revenge your father, mo&s;t bar|barou&s;ly ma&s;&s;acred: it is to revenge the death of your mother, who&s;e &s;orrows onely put to death: it is to crown your &s;elf with glory in the eyes of all Nations; it is to get your own Kingdome, and your Mi&s;tris. Oh Father (&s;aid <HI>Se&s;ostris)</HI> for I cannot call you otherwi&s;e, I mu&s;t tell you, and tell you without ba&s;ene&s;&s;e, that I cannot, nor will not leave loving <HI>Tima|reta,</HI> though &s;he be the Daughter of an U&s;urper. I doe affect glory, and fear no dangers, but I love <HI>Timareta,</HI> and fear to offend her. <HI>Timareta</HI> (replyed <HI>Amenophis)</HI> is que&s;tionle&s;s wor|thy of your e&s;teem, not onely for her beauty and excellency of &s;pirit and virtue, but al&s;o for the genero&s;ity of her mother, who was as faithfull a Subject as <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> was perfidious: And for the&s;e rea&s;ons I am not again&s;t your loving her, but agree if <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> con&s;ent, that you may marry her: But to effect that, and to oblige <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> to give her unto you, you mu&s;t be in the head of an Army; you mu&s;t ask her as the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> and let him know that <HI>Se&s;ostris</HI> the Shepheard, and <HI>Se&s;ostris</HI> the Prince are not the &s;ame. Oh Father (replyed he) this Prince, and this Shepheard you &s;peak of are but one per&s;on, yet have different de&s;ires, and I doubt whether one can yeeld unto the other. The Shepheard ought to yeeld unto the Prince (replyed <HI>Amenophis.)</HI> Rea&s;on would have it &s;o (replyed <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris)</HI> but Love will not con&s;ent unto it. If you doe but con&s;ider the pre&s;ent po&s;ture of your fortune (an&s;wered <HI>Amenophis)</HI> you will find, that Love as well as Rea&s;on requires you &s;hould follow my ad|vice: For the Shepheard <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> cannot pretend any thing unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta.</HI> 'Tis true, replyed he, but <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> the Prince ought not to pretend any thing unto the Daugh|ter of his Enemy: That you may cea&s;e being his enemy, an&s;wered <HI>Amenophis,</HI> you mu&s;t become his ma&s;ter, you mu&s;t fight with him and conquer him, and then give back <HI>Timareta</HI> that Crown which you have with ju&s;tice taken from him. The&s;e, Sir, were the arguments which <HI>Amenophis</HI> u&s;ed unto <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> to convince him in point of love, and to invite him unto <HI>Thebes;</HI> but the pa&s;&s;ion which had taken up a &s;trong re&s;idence in the &s;oul of this Prince, would not permit him &s;o &s;uddenly to re&s;olve upon &s;o difficult a matter: He de&s;ired of <HI>Ame|nophis</HI> two dayes of con&s;ideration, but indeed it was to finde out an expedient how to acquaint the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta</HI> with his true birth, and to hinder <HI>Heracleon</HI> from marrying her, yet he could not po&s;&s;ibly compa&s;&s;e either: for it being the cu&s;tom of all mercenary minded va&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ls to follow fortune at the heels, and change as it doth, when <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> would have en|tered to have &s;een <HI>Timareta,</HI> tho&s;e who were at the Palace gate, and kept it for <HI>Heracleon,</HI> did treat him like a Shepheard, and would not &s;uffer him to enter. This cour&s;e entertain|ment did &s;o incen&s;e him, that he doubled his fury again&s;t <HI>Heracleon,</HI> though he did not know that this triviall di&s;grace was cau&s;ed directly by him: His grief was, hee knew not how to ruin <HI>Heracleon,</HI> for he was too generous to attempt any unworthy way, nor was it an ea&s;ie
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matter to invite him to fight with a Shepheard, neither could he force him, becau&s;e he went alwaies well attended, nor did he ever &s;tirre out of the Palace &s;ince <HI>Timareta</HI> was acknow|ledged Prince&s;&s;e. However, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> could not re&s;olve upon departure from <HI>Elephantine</HI> untill he had made &s;ure of <HI>Heracleon</HI> for ever marrying <HI>Timareta:</HI> nor would he goe unto <HI>Thebes</HI> untill he had fir&s;t asked advice of his dear Prince&s;&s;e: So that when tho&s;e two dayes given by <HI>Amenophis</HI> were expired, he mu&s;t allow him more: for &s;ince the noi&s;e of <HI>Hera|cleons</HI> marriage with <HI>Timareta</HI> grew louder every day, the jealou&s;ie of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> augmented accordingly, and the more, becau&s;e hee &s;aw le&s;&s;e hopes of revenge upon his Rivall. In the mean while <HI>Amenophis</HI> was vexed to the heart, that he could not get <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> out of <HI>Elephan|tine.</HI> But to make &s;ome u&s;e of his vexatious abode in the Towne, hee went privately in the night to vi&s;it divers per&s;ons of his acquaintance whom he knew would not di&s;cover him, to the end he might di&s;po&s;e them unto any great de&s;ign, if occa&s;ion were. But whil&s;t <HI>Timareta</HI> grieved for <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> in the mid&s;t of all her grandure, the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina</HI> grieved for the lo&s;&s;e of a Crown, and <HI>Heracleon</HI> thought of nothing but how to become King, to murther <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and to marry <HI>Timareta;</HI> and whil&s;t <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had a mind full of vexatious thoughts, and had a hundred plots in his brain, all oppo&s;ite to one another: <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> was mo&s;t cruelly tormented, not onely with &s;orrow for the lo&s;&s;e of his eyes, but al&s;o with angui&s;h of &s;pirit, and &s;ting of con&s;cience for his wickedne&s;&s;e; he thought alwaies he heard the voice of <HI>Ladice</HI> threatning him, and the more was his mi&s;ery, he ob&s;erved that <HI>Heracleon</HI> began to take much authority upon him, and began to tran&s;act like a man who pretended to have all the power &s;hortly in his own hands: But one extraordinary accident chanced, which did infi|nitely trouble him. Be plea&s;ed to know, that there is a generall Fea&s;t ob&s;erved throughout all <HI>Aegypt,</HI> called the Fea&s;t of Lamps, which is celebrated unto the glory of <HI>I&s;is,</HI> and which is the onely Fea&s;t among&s;t us, who&s;e ceremony is alike ob&s;erved in all Villages, Townes, and Cities; and the day being come, they adorn their Temples with Garlands, and &s;trow all the &s;treets with flowers, and &s;et before their doors all that they have mo&s;t rare. And when the Sun is &s;et, and night begins, they light not onely an infinite number of magnificent Lamps in every Church, but al&s;o in all the &s;treets and publique places, in all their doors, windows, and towers; about all the walls of the Town, upon the Ma&s;ts and Prows of every Ship in the Port; and this they doe to the very lea&s;t village or cabin of a Shepheard: &s;o that at this time all <HI>Aegypt</HI> is as light as day in the darke&s;t night. And &s;ince among&s;t us it is beleeved, nothing is more acceptable to the gods then Perfumes, nor any thing more whol&s;ome, or bet|ter to purifie the Air, every one addes unto his Lamp a Bonefire of Aromatique wood before his door; &s;o that in an in&s;tant there is &s;uch a plea&s;ant vapour in the air, as perfumes all the fields about the Town: They u&s;e to &s;ing al&s;o quantity of Songs in honour of <HI>I&s;is,</HI> both in their Churches and &s;treets, but a large relation of this is not nece&s;&s;ary unto my di&s;cour&s;e: But this Fea&s;t being kept whil&s;t we were there, every one hoped, that the pre&s;ence of the King would make it more glorious, though the accident which happened did trouble all tho&s;e who were lovers of quietne&s;&s;e and peace. But, Sir, the hour being come when the Ceremony began, there was &s;o much light, that all the Town &s;eemed on fire: <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> according to the cu&s;tom went to the Temple in a Coach, and <HI>Timareta</HI> with him; <HI>Heracleon</HI> went on Hor&s;-back next after the Kings Coach, and all the Court followed. But, Sir, the wonder was, that in all the &s;treets where the King pa&s;&s;ed, all the Lamps &s;eemed to extingui&s;h, their light became dimme, their fires went out, and their perfumes changed their plea&s;ant &s;mell: The &s;hrill &s;creeks and cryes of fatall Birds were heard, and the accident did &s;o amaze all the in|habitants of <HI>Elephantine,</HI> that they were full of fearfull ejaculations and cryes, which mo|ving the King to ask the rea&s;on, and they were con&s;trained to tell him; yet to &s;weeten the Kings apprehen&s;ion, <HI>Heracleon</HI> u&s;ed all po&s;&s;ible skill to find out the naturall cau&s;e of this Pro|digie; but <HI>Timareta</HI> was &s;o affrighted, that &s;he communicated her fears unto the King her Father; yet would he needs goe on unto the Temple, but the &s;ame di&s;mall &s;ight and noi&s;e was &s;till heard there as well as in the &s;treets: So that this Prince not &s;eeing as others did, heard nothing about him but murmuring of voices, which let him know that the people were affrighted; and he be&s;eeched the Gods to let him know what it was they would have him do which might appea&s;e them. After which he returned unto his Palace, yet more perplexed then before. As for <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> he had the happine&s;&s;e of &s;eeing <HI>Timareta</HI> in the Temple, but yet he was not &s;o happy as to be &s;een, though notwith&s;tanding all her feares, he ob&s;erved &s;hee looked all about for him. This being the po&s;ture of affairs, it chanced that an old &s;ervant belonging to <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> knew that &s;ervant which was with <HI>Amenophis</HI> as he was &s;tanding in the &s;treets to &s;ee the King pa&s;s; &s;o that &s;ince they were wel acquainted heretofore, he wondred that
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he &s;hould &s;hun him, and &s;eem not to know him: at fir&s;t, he thought that perhaps he was de|ceived; but the care which the other took to avoide him, was it which confirmed him in his opinion, al&s;o he had a private marke in his face which made him very knowable: yet he could not &s;peak unto him, for the pre&s;&s;e of people did part them: The &s;ervant belonging to <HI>Ameno|phis</HI> being at la&s;t come unto the dore of his hou&s;e where we lodged, he entered, and got out of &s;ight from the Kings &s;ervant, who then returned unto the Palace, for this &s;ervant being one of tho&s;e who waited about the Bath, he was to prepare one for the King his Ma&s;ter. However hee was certain that the man whom he had &s;een was the &s;ame which departed from <HI>Says,</HI> with the Queen, the young <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris, Ladice</HI> and <HI>Amenophis:</HI> &s;o that con&s;idering well with him|&s;elf, he thought it fit to acquaint the King, and did &s;o as &s;oon as he had opportunity: And &s;ince he named the hou&s;e where he &s;aw the man enter, the King was much amazed at it, for he knew it to be the hou&s;e where <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> lodged: &s;o that apprehending a &s;ervant unto the late Queen of <HI>Aegypt,</HI> was with <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> who he &s;u&s;pected to be the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> he be|gan to think, he was not mi&s;taken when hee thought &s;o: but as hee was ready to command him who gave him the intelligence, to enquire better, concerning the truth, hee had further intelligence from one of his &s;ervants that <HI>Amenophis</HI> was in <HI>Elephantine,</HI> plotting &s;ome great de&s;ign: <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> no &s;ooner heard this, but he &s;ent the Lieutenant of the Guard, to bring him by maine force unto him; appointing al&s;o <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> to come, and expre&s;ly charging that <HI>Heracleon</HI> &s;hould not know any thing: The&s;e orders were &s;ecretly given, and as punctu|ally executed, for he knew nothing of any pa&s;&s;ages &s;ince he was bu&s;ie in Coun&s;ell with <HI>Tani|&s;is</HI> and others all that day, con&s;ulting concerning his marriage with <HI>Timareta:</HI> But whil&s;t he was deliberating upon a thing which he thought certain, and never looked at waies how to bring it to pa&s;&s;e, <HI>Amenophis, Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> his &s;ervant, and I were brought unto the Palace. You may very well imagine Sir, how this touched <HI>Amenophis</HI> to the quick, for &s;ince he was ignorant of the King repentance, he was in extream fear le&s;t <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> &s;hould peri&s;h, or at lea&s;t be kept a pri&s;oner, if he were known to be the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez:</HI> He began to prepare him&s;elf for a deniall, and to give <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;uch in&s;tructions as he thought mo&s;t expedient, to per&s;wade <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> that he was not &s;onne unto <HI>Apriez,</HI> in ca&s;e he had any &s;u&s;pitions of it: But <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> told him that he would not pa&s;&s;e for what he was any longer, for, &s;aid he, I would have <HI>He|racleon</HI> know who I am: and I had much rather <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> &s;hould know I am the &s;onne of his enemy, then that <HI>Timareta</HI> &s;hould look upon me as a &s;hepheard, and <HI>Heracleon</HI> as a man unworthy to mea&s;ure a &s;word with him: he would have &s;aid more, but he was prevented by the Lieutenant of the Guard, who broke off our di&s;cour&s;e and conducted us: But Sir, when we came to the Palace, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> would &s;peake with <HI>Amenophis</HI> in private: &s;o that carrying him into his Clo&s;et, we &s;tayed in his chamber: But <HI>Amenophis</HI> was wonder-&s;truck when he heard <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> &s;peak: Well <HI>Amenophis,</HI> &s;aid he unto him: I pray acquaint me with &s;uch things as I de&s;ire to know: I do not ask you what is become of <HI>Apriez</HI> his &s;onne, with any intenti|ons of h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rme unto him, for know, that I am not the &s;ame I was, I have lo&s;t my ambition in lo&s;ing my &s;ight, and the ju&s;tice of the gods lies &s;o heavy upon me, as teacheth me to be ju&s;t al&s;o: And therefore I de&s;ire to know certainly of you whether the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez</HI> be living, and were he is? <HI>Amenophis</HI> hearing the King to &s;peak thus, knew not, whether or no hee &s;hould tru&s;t him: But <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> perceiving by his pumping for an an&s;wer, that he had no con|fidence in him, a&s;&s;ured him with an oath, that if the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez</HI> were living, hee would re&s;tore the Crown unto him, by giving him his daughter. <HI>Amenophis</HI> was now per&s;waded, and after high applauds of the Kings mo&s;t generous re&s;olution, he began to tell him the whole truth, making an exact relation of all pa&s;&s;ages, which happened unto <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> unto the Queen, unto <HI>Ladice,</HI> unto <HI>Timareta,</HI> and unto him&s;elf, &s;ince he went from <HI>Says;</HI> hand&s;omly aggra|vating the valour of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> in the Combate with the Crocodile to &s;ave the life of the Prin|ce&s;&s;e, and giving him &s;uch hints as he might thereby gue&s;&s;e at the affection which <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had unto his daughter the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta:</HI> After which, hee added a mo&s;t excellent rethoricall di&s;cour&s;e, per&s;wading him to &s;tand firm in tho&s;e re&s;olutions which he had taken, and &s;hewing him that he can no way Raign &s;o &s;afe and &s;ecurely, both with externall and internall &s;ereni|ty of &s;oul, but by cau&s;ing <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> to raign: nor never &s;o &s;ecurely &s;ettle the Crown upon his Po&s;terity, as by a marriage between <HI>Timareta</HI> and him: for, &s;aid he, which other way is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould re&s;tore the Crown, and &s;ettle a &s;atisfactorie peace throughout all <HI>Aegypt.</HI> But Sir &s;aid he, that your Maje&s;ty may not &s;u&s;pect me of any forged &s;uppo&s;itions, it were re|qui&s;ite you &s;ent for <HI>Tra&s;eas, Nicetis,</HI> the nur&s;e of <HI>Timareta</HI> who yet lives; and &s;ome &s;hep|heards which are in the I&s;le, and were then &s;o when I arived there, and by all the&s;e your Ma|je&s;ty may know that <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> had never a &s;onne, and that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> is the &s;onne of <HI>Apriez,</HI> and
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the very &s;ame I brought with me when I came into that I&s;le; for though his age hath much altered his re&s;emblance, yet there is re&s;emblance enough to know him to be the &s;ame. <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> was &s;o well per&s;waded by the arguments of <HI>Amenophis,</HI> that he &s;carce needed any further &s;a|tisfaction; and the Gods had infu&s;ed &s;uch a &s;trong belief into his heart, that he was per&s;wa|ded fully all was true which <HI>Amenophis</HI> had &s;aid: Yet not to be deluded in a matter of &s;o great importance, he &s;ent for all tho&s;e <HI>Amenophis</HI> named, who confirmed all he had told the King: For <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> no &s;ooner came face to face before <HI>Amenophis,</HI> who bad him &s;peak the whole truth ingenuou&s;ly, without any di&s;gui&s;ment, but he very &s;incerely did &s;o. Thus there needed no more for the knowing of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> then the te&s;timonies of <HI>Tra&s;eas, Nicetis, Ti|mareta</HI>'s Nur&s;e, the &s;ervant of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and all the Shepheards, who all concurred in the very &s;ame relation. Then <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> entered, and <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> &s;poke unto him in &s;uch a generous manner, that the hearts of all the hearers were mollified. <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;eeing this happy turne in fortune, did an&s;wer <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> with wonderfull wi&s;dom and genero&s;ity, which appeared to be in a higher degree then the genero&s;ity of the King: For &s;ince his love to <HI>Timareta</HI> was all his thoughts, hee behaved him&s;elfe towards <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> with the &s;ame re&s;pect, hee did when hee was thought to be his Father. In the mean time, &s;ince this Prince knew that <HI>Heracleon</HI> would mo&s;t &s;adly re&s;ent this news, he would not have it publi&s;hed untill better opportunities for it: So wee returned that night unto the places where we were before. But, Sir, that which confirmed the King mo&s;t in the&s;e re&s;olutions which he had fixed upon, was, that after he had &s;ent for <HI>Heracleon,</HI> and with all po&s;&s;ible prudence acquainted him with the rea&s;ons which moved him to break his word, and that he received his rea&s;ons in &s;uch a manner, as let him know he had no mind to part with <HI>Timareta:</HI> In lieu of fearing any revolutions in the State, or apprehending the re&s;entments of <HI>Heracleon,</HI> he found &s;uch quiet re&s;t and &s;atisfaction in his heart, as he had not enjoyed a long time before. So that di&s;mi&s;&s;ing <HI>Heracleon,</HI> he told him, for his la&s;t rea&s;on, that he could not di&s;po&s;e of that which was not his own; and that he never made any promi&s;e of Scepter, or <HI>Timareta</HI> unto him, but in ca&s;e <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> dyed; but &s;ince he was alive, all promi&s;es are null. <HI>Heracleon,</HI> with as much inju&s;tice as in&s;olency, call|ed that weakne&s;s which he &s;hould have phra&s;ed virtue; and told <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> with in&s;ufferable boldne&s;&s;e, that he de&s;erved more &s;hame in re&s;toring a Crown, then he did glory in getting it. But in conclu&s;ion, Sir, <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> impo&s;ing &s;ilence upon him, he was forced to retire. <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> re|maining in as much tranquillity of mind, as the other went away di&s;ordered. Yet he gave &s;pe|ciall order that ob&s;ervant eyes &s;hould be had over <HI>Heracleon;</HI> for &s;ince he loved him, he would not willingly lo&s;e him, nor be forced to drive him away from him. After this, he went to bed and &s;lept, and in lieu of ga&s;tly apparitions, and terrible dreams as he u&s;ed to have, his ima|gination was full of &s;weet and plea&s;ing things, <HI>Ladice</HI> appeared unto him, but it was in full lu&s;tre of that beauty which formerly he adored; in commending him as much as before &s;he menaced him, and exhorting him to goe on with what he had &s;o well begun; and to augment the wonder, whether the joy and agitation of his &s;pirits had di&s;per&s;ed &s;ome melancholy va|pours, which cau&s;ed his blindne&s;s, or whether the gods would either puni&s;h or recompence him according to the various thoughts of his &s;oul, when he awaked, he found his &s;ight re&s;to|red; &s;o that being tran&s;ported with joy and delight, he &s;ent for <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Timareta,</HI> and went with them unto the Temple, to render thanks unto the gods, him&s;elf declaring unto all the people that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was the Son of <HI>Apriez,</HI> and telling <HI>Timareta</HI> that &s;he was much ob|liged unto a Prince, who though &s;he was the Daughter of an U&s;urper, yet would give her the Crown of <HI>Aegypt;</HI> yet <HI>Se&s;ostris</HI> did publiquely declare, that he would not wear the Crown untill after the death of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> but would be onely regarded as the fir&s;t of his Subjects. You may well imagine, Sir, how great was the joy of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Timareta,</HI> when being returned to the Palace, and this Prince had the liberty to wait upon her to her chamber, and to talke with her freely before he returned unto the King, as he was de&s;ired, that he might be advi&s;ed with concerning the be&s;t expedients of publi&s;hing the matter throughout all the Kingdome, and principally at <HI>Thebes</HI> and <HI>Heliopolis,</HI> to the end all Warres might cea&s;e. I hope you will pardon me, Sir, if I do not relate any joyes and delights of this juncture; <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &amp; <HI>Timareta</HI> continued &s;o &s;hort a time happy, that I cannot do it; nor will I relate all the re&s;olutions the King took with <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and <HI>Amenophis;</HI> nor how great was the peoples joy when they knew there was a Prince de&s;cended from their Antient Kings who &s;hould &s;ucceed <HI>Ama&s;is.</HI> But give me leave to tell you, that in con&s;ideration of the happy event of this adventure, the King par|doned <HI>Tra&s;eas</HI> the untruthes which he had told: <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> did the &s;ame, and <HI>Amenophis</HI> fol|lowed their example. As for the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Li&s;erina,</HI> &s;he had &s;ome comfort, to &s;ee her brother put by the Kingdome: for &s;he conceived him onely to be the cau&s;e why &s;he was not Queene.
<PB N="123" REF="548">
But as for <HI>Heracleon,</HI> the motions of his heart were mo&s;t violent: and <HI>Tani&s;is</HI> incen&s;ing him by his wicked Coun&s;ells, there was no abhominable propo&s;ition which they made unto each other, which they did not harken unto without any horror or repugnancy: But at la&s;t, after they had propounded Crime after Crime, they re&s;olved, that con&s;idering the jun|cture of affaires, there was no way but to kill <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and the King al&s;o. And in the meane time to publi&s;h that <HI>Amenophis</HI> was an impo&s;tor, who foi&s;ted in a pretended Sonne of <HI>Apri|ez:</HI> And to farther that de&s;ign, they re&s;olved, that the King &s;hould fir&s;t be killed, to the end it might be publi&s;hed that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> killed him: and for a pretence, to rai&s;e a tumult, during which, <HI>Tani&s;is</HI> &s;hould kill <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> having men for that purpo&s;e with him. This horrid de|&s;igne being re&s;olved upon, all their endeavours were to put it in execution with all &s;peed. <HI>Ta|ni&s;is,</HI> accu&s;tomed unto all villanies, had alwaies &s;uch men at his beck, who never look after a|ny thing but recompence, but never enquire whether a thing be ju&s;t or unju&s;t: But the diffi|culty was, how to get him unto the Kings Palace, at that time when the act was to be execu|ted: Yet &s;ince <HI>Heracleon</HI> had many Creatures in the hou&s;e, he found out one that was neither rich nor virtuous: moreover he had been once turned out of office by <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> and at the re|que&s;t of <HI>Heracleon</HI> re&s;tored: This man at the &s;alutation of <HI>Tani&s;is,</HI> did ordinarily keepe the Guard upon a little back &s;taires which went between the lodging of <HI>Se&s;ostris</HI> and the Kings Chamber: So that thinking the man mo&s;t fit to give entrance unto tho&s;e whom they would imply to murder the King, and the &s;ooner, becau&s;e it might ea&s;ily be imagined that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was the A&s;&s;a&s;inate, con&s;idering the place which he Guarded, therefore <HI>Heracleon</HI> put on <HI>Ta|ni&s;is</HI> to &s;uborne this man: But Sir, I will not make any longer relation of an act &s;o horrid: but in &s;hort, let me tell you, <HI>Tani&s;is</HI> &s;uborned this Officer, who promi&s;ed to let in whom he would: and the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was brought unto &s;o near a point of execution, that men were ready to cry out the King was killed, and that it was <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> killed him; and le&s;t there &s;hould be any failing in the enterpri&s;e, <HI>Heracleon</HI> had provided a boate upon the Nile, which ran on the back &s;ide of the Garden, that he might thereby &s;ave him&s;elfe if need were, and al&s;o laid hor&s;es &s;ome thirty furlongs from <HI>Elephantine.</HI> In conclu&s;ion Sir, this being the Juncture of things, the King had intelligence by one of tho&s;e whom he had &s;et to eye <HI>Heracleon,</HI> that certainly he had &s;ome plot in hand, though he knew not what it was. <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> hearing this, fea|red that <HI>Heracleon</HI> had &s;ome ill de&s;ignes upon <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> not thinking of any thing again&s;t his per&s;on: So that to prevent any danger, hee doubled the Guards towards the lodging of <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and by con&s;equence weakned his own, which was favourable unto the de&s;igne of <HI>He|racleon.</HI> But the gods being ju&s;t, they did not favour him but unto his own ruine. For <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> knowing that the Guards were doubled at his dore, would know the rea&s;on, and called him in who commanded the Guard, who at fir&s;t &s;aid he knew nothing, but that accidentally the Guards were &s;tronger on the one &s;ide then the other. But <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> finding that this Souldier knew more then he would tell, he was very urgent with him, and &s;o farre, that at la&s;t he told him, it was &s;uppo&s;ed <HI>Heracleon</HI> had &s;ome ill de&s;ign, becau&s;e he was &s;een that night go out of the Palace, and &s;peak unto an officer which had the Guard upon the back &s;taires, and was heard to promi&s;e him great recompences. This officer &s;aying to excu&s;e his &s;ilence, that he dur&s;t not tell it, le&s;t he &s;hould not be credited, and become expo&s;ed unto the hatred of <HI>Heracleon: Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> no &s;ooner heard this, but after promi&s;e of recompence for his fidelity, he went to acquaint the King, though it was late, and he knew that he was retired to his re&s;t: and certainly it was by the in&s;piration of the gods. However it was Sir, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> went: and went not that way of the back &s;taires, but by the great common way, le&s;t he whom the &s;oul|dier &s;u&s;pected and commanded that &s;ide, &s;hould think he was di&s;covered, if he &s;hould &s;ee him <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o &s;o late unto the King, who was fa&s;t a&s;leep, when <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> came unto the Chamber with two of the guard and my &s;elf. But the &s;trangnes of this accident is Sir, that ju&s;t as they opened the Kings Chamber dore to goe and wake him, and tell him <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> de&s;ired to &s;peak with him, we &s;aw the wardrobe dore open at the &s;ame time, and many men with drawne &s;words enter into the Chamber, which had a Lamp burning in it. <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw this, but drawing his &s;word, he ran with a mo&s;t magnanimous genero&s;ity between the Kings bed, and the&s;e A&s;&s;a&s;inates, not con&s;idering him as the u&s;urper of his Kingdome, but as the father of <HI>Timareta.</HI> So that the King being wakened with the noi&s;e of them that would have killed him and them that defended him (for the two Guards and I followed <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> with our &s;words drawn) the fir&s;t object that he &s;aw, was, that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> killed one of the A&s;&s;a&s;&s;inates, and wounded another, he al&s;o ob&s;erved that he &s;till &s;tood betwixt him and them as much as he could. I cannot ea&s;ily tell you, Sir, what an affrighting object this was unto <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> but it la&s;ted not long, for the incomparable valour of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> repul&s;ed all the wicked A&s;&s;a&s;&s;inates.
<PB N="124" REF="549">
<HI>Tani&s;is</HI> who led them up, felt the weight of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> his arm, being wounded in two places: So that after this fear &s;ei&s;ing upon all the Con&s;pirators, they went out of the Chamber and Wardrobe: <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> would have pur&s;ued them further, but <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> ri&s;ing up ha&s;tily, would not let him: So that making the doors fa&s;t on that &s;ide, and guarding them untill all were awake in the Palace, the King &s;ent two of the Guard down the back &s;tairs, to know the number of the Con&s;pirators, and to report all they &s;aw unto him: Al&s;o hee &s;ent o|ther two to cau&s;e all his Officers to come unto him, and among&s;t the re&s;t, <HI>Simandius:</HI> In the mean time tho&s;e who failed in the execution of that de&s;igne, rallyed about <HI>Hera|cleon;</HI> for hee &s;tayed in the Court with tho&s;e whom he had appointed to murder <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> But &s;ince he &s;aw his de&s;ignes did not hit, and that hee could neither kill the King, nor <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> hee pitched upon another plot, which was to carry away the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Aegypt:</HI> Hee knew &s;hee had but few men with her, and that &s;hee lodged farre off the Kings lodging: For <HI>Elephantine</HI> not being the ordinary re&s;idence of our Kings, the Palace where he lodged was very irregularly built: So that <HI>Heracleon</HI> finding more facility in this de&s;ign then the other, he did ea&s;ily execute it. Cau&s;ing then her door to be opened in the name of the King, he entered, and took away <HI>Timareta</HI> maugre all her teares, cryes, and entreaties, and this great Prince&s;&s;e had &s;carce time enough to dre&s;&s;e her &s;elf. Yet &s;he had this advantage in her mi&s;ery, that her women went with her. In the mean time, tho&s;e men whom the King &s;ent to di&s;cover the Con&s;pirators, hearing &s;ome women cry, returned in all ha&s;t, and told the King that they were in the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta</HI>'s chamber: So that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> hearing this, ran like a man in fury to defend his Prince&s;&s;e, but he came too late; for <HI>Heracleon</HI> and <HI>Tani|&s;is</HI> were both already embarqued. You may ea&s;ily imagine, Sir, how this Prince was grie|ved, e&s;pecially when he &s;aw all his pur&s;uits of <HI>Heracleon</HI> were in vain. That which favour|ed his flight, was, that none imagined that he was embarqued in the <HI>Nile,</HI> but that he was &s;till hid in <HI>Elephantine.</HI> The next morning it was known that <HI>Heracleon</HI> landed at the place where he had layd his hor&s;es, and that <HI>Tani&s;is</HI> &s;tayed by the Rivers &s;ide, and dyed in the arms of &s;ome Shepheards who found him in that place, though no news could be heard of <HI>Heracleon,</HI> or which way he took; and though <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> u&s;ed all po&s;&s;ible endeavours to finde it out; for he wandered two whole moneths, hardly knowing whither he went: <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> for his part cau&s;ed a &s;trict &s;earch to be made all over the Kingdome, and all in vaine: So that at la&s;t <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was con&s;trained to &s;tay with the King untill he had further light where <HI>Heracleon</HI> was. In the mean time, all tho&s;e who took up Armes for the Son of <HI>Apriez,</HI> layd them down againe. And the King went to <HI>Thebes,</HI> carrying <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> with him, who&s;e &s;orrows were be|yond expre&s;&s;ion. From <HI>Thebes</HI> they went to <HI>Memphis,</HI> where the King met with an Am|ba&s;&s;ador from <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> who demanded ayd according to the alliance which was between them: So that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> &s;ent tho&s;e men who &s;erved in the war of <HI>Thebes,</HI> who had been witne&s;&s;es of the valour of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> under the name of <HI>P&s;ammetites: Ama&s;is</HI> willing <HI>Simandius</HI> to com|mand them; but a while after the&s;e Forces were departed, a Letter which <HI>Heracleon</HI> writ un|to one of his friends in <HI>Aegypt,</HI> did happily fall into the hands of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> which let him know that he was in <HI>Lydia:</HI> So that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> not communicating his de&s;ign unto any but me, re&s;olved to &s;teal away from <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> and <HI>Amenophis,</HI> to &s;erve in the War under <HI>Croe&s;us:</HI> And this he did with abundance of reluctancy, for he was infinitely charmed with the fame of your valour and virtue, and loth he was to take any &s;ide but yours. Yet Love being the predominate pa&s;&s;ion of his &s;oul, he re&s;olved to &s;erve <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> thereby to obtain <HI>Timareta:</HI> So that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;tole away from the Court, and I followed him: At parting he writ unto the King, acquainting him with the cau&s;e of his voyage; al&s;o unto <HI>Amenophis,</HI> de&s;iring him to appea&s;e the King, a&s;&s;uring him he would never return unle&s;&s;e he brought back <HI>Tima|reta,</HI> al&s;o de&s;iring him to move <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> to write unto <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> that he would make a &s;trict &s;earch for <HI>Timareta,</HI> and return her to him. At la&s;t, Sir, we arrived at <HI>Sardis,</HI> where <HI>Siman|dius</HI> was before us with the Forces he commanded, who were as full of joy as wonder to &s;ee my Ma&s;ter. I need not tell you, Sir, how <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Myr|&s;yles</HI> received <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> very well: But I a&s;&s;ure you, hee was infinitely grieved that hee could hear no news either of <HI>Heracleon</HI> or <HI>Timareta,</HI> after all his care and &s;earch with <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> made upon the Letter of <HI>Ama&s;is.</HI> In the meane while as things &s;tood, honour would not permit <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> to goe out of <HI>Sardis</HI> to &s;eek his Prince&s;&s;e from Town to Town throughout <HI>Lydia;</HI> al&s;o the approach of the Army pre&s;ently made it a thing impo&s;&s;ible for him: So <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris</HI> in lieu of looking for <HI>Timareta,</HI> was engaged to fight, and he did &s;o courageou&s;ly, that he de&s;erved immortall glory; and, Sir, you know that your Battalion was the onely one that day which was not broken. But, Sir, be plea&s;ed to know, that the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI>
<PB N="125" REF="549">
was not wounded by any of your men, but by the ba&s;e <HI>Heracleon.</HI> I cannot tell you, Sir, how he came mingled among&s;t us, or how he came to know my Ma&s;ter; but when we were fight|ing with the valiant <HI>Abradates,</HI> and when <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> did things worthy of your e&s;teem, had you been a witne&s;&s;e, this Traytor <HI>Heracleon</HI> came behind him, who thought he had no ene|myes to fight with but what were before him, and wounded him in &s;uch &s;ort, that hee fell down dead among&s;t our Heroes. As I was the onely man who ob&s;erved who&s;e arme it was who gave the wound, &s;o I was the onely man who revenged the death, as I thought, of the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and as I was redoubling my fury, when I perceived it to be <HI>Heracleon,</HI> I was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">dred from killing him outright, by a &s;quadron of your men, Sir, who pur&s;uing their victory, came betwixt <HI>Heracleon</HI> and me; &s;o that I was forced to get into a Body of our men, where I &s;tayed untill after you had gained the battell, and untill our &s;hewing our firm re&s;o|lutions, obliged your great heart to put a difference between us, and them that fled, and to treat us with &s;o much genero&s;ity, as moved us to think, that after you has &s;aved the life of the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris;</HI> you would al&s;o out of your goodne&s;&s;e make the wicked <HI>Heracleon</HI> con|fe&s;&s;e in what place the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta</HI> is: For truly, Sir, we have &s;aved the life of the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> in vain, if he do not find the Prince&s;&s;e whom he adores.</P>
<P>My own misfortunes have &s;o taught me how to have pitty upon the mi&s;eries of others (an|&s;wered <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that I mu&s;t needs have much compa&s;&s;ion upon the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris;</HI> and I a&s;|&s;ure you I will zealou&s;ly intere&s;t my &s;elf in any thing that relates unto him; and to te&s;tifie as much, I will goe my &s;elf to make <HI>Heracleon</HI> confe&s;&s;e where the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta</HI> is; and I be&s;eech the Gods that I may re&s;tore her unto the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> in relea&s;ing <HI>Mandana.</HI> After this <HI>Miris</HI> retired; for i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> was very late, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> had but little time to re&s;t; yet he did not &s;leep until he had be&s;towed one quarter of an hour in remembrance of his dear Prince&s;s; though it was with much &s;orrow at her unju&s;t Jealou&s;ie, whereof &s;he had given him &s;uch a cruell Te&s;timony.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The end of the Second Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="book">
<PB N="126" REF="550">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR, CYRVS the GREAT. THE SIXTH PART.  BOOK III.</HEAD>
<P>_WHil&s;t the mo&s;t Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> was lending an eare unto the adventures of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and the crimes of <HI>Heracleon,</HI> the la&s;t of the&s;e hearing what care <HI>Cyrus</HI> had of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> he was in &s;uch a fury, as all his wounds o|pened, and &s;uch a violent Feaver &s;ei&s;ed upon him, that intelligence was given unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he could not outlive the night following: <HI>Cyrus</HI> then hearing in what condition he was, in remembrance of his promi&s;e, went to &s;ee him, and to win him either by fair means or foul to confe&s;&s;e where <HI>Timareta</HI> was, but he found him not in a condition to be talked withall, for he raved, and was out of his wits; yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> had as good intelligence concerning this Prince&s;&s;e in his raving idle talk, as if he had his rea&s;on free: For as &s;oon as he &s;aw the Prince at the &s;ide of his bed, and his imagination being filled with thoughts of <HI>Timareta,</HI> he thought <HI>Cyrus</HI> to be the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and began to thank him for giving Sanctuary unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta</HI> in the Citadell of <HI>Sardis.</HI> Afterwards changing his di&s;cour&s;e, hee &s;poke &s;ometimes of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> as if he were dead, and &s;ometimes again as if he would kill him: &s;o that his mind not &s;etling upon any one object, it was not po&s;&s;ible to draw any certaine in|telligence concerning <HI>Timareta</HI> out of him: Yet &s;ince a Pri&s;oner confe&s;&s;ed unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that there entered a Lady of great quality into the Citadell of <HI>Sardis,</HI> he thought there was &s;ome ground to be taken of what <HI>Heracleon</HI> had &s;aid, yet he would not give this hope unto <HI>Se&s;o|&s;tris,</HI> untill he had more; but <HI>Heracleon</HI> having lo&s;t his &s;peech, and a little while after his life, then he &s;ent <HI>Miris</HI> unto him to acquaint him with the death of his Rivall, and what great probability there was, that the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta</HI> was in the Cittadell of <HI>Sardis.</HI> After which, according to the cu&s;tome, he went to give all nece&s;&s;ary orders, and to vi&s;it his Troops, leaving the care of <HI>Heracleons</HI> Funerall unto tho&s;e about him. He went al&s;o unto the Tent of <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> who&s;e wounds were not &s;o vexatious unto him as the &s;orrows of his &s;oul: From thence <HI>Cyrus</HI> went to hold a Councell of War, wherein it was re&s;olved, that within two dayes they &s;hould give a &s;econd a&s;&s;ault: So that this Prince employed all his time in &s;eeing the Engines, in in&s;tructing tho&s;e who were to make them, in giving good coun&s;el unto all the Officers, and in encouraging the &s;ouldiers. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> did the like, and all the re&s;t of the Kings and Princes in the Army were exceedingly zealous to promote the de&s;igns of <HI>Cyrus. Anaxaris</HI> in particular was not the lea&s;t forward in the &s;ervice
<PB N="127" REF="550">
of this Prince: And the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> being almo&s;t perfectly recovered of his wounds, was &s;o very much joyed that there was &s;ome likelyhood of <HI>Timaretas</HI> being in <HI>Sardis,</HI> that he would needs go unto the Camp, e&s;pecially when he heard that an a&s;&s;ault was to be given unto the Town: for though the forces of <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> came with intentions to defend it, and the Egyptians unto whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hewed favour, had not &s;ubmitted but upon condition not to be forced to fight again&s;t <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> yet now things looked with another face: and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> heard that <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> &s;poke unworthily of the Egyptians, who onely re&s;i&s;ted the Enemy in the day of Battle: This did &s;o incen&s;e all them of that Nation, that they were re&s;olved to fight for <HI>Cy|rus:</HI> But &s;ince the re&s;olution was taken whil&s;t <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was not in a condition to command them: this Prince, who&s;e genero&s;ity was more &s;crupulous then theirs, would not &s;uffer them, before he entreated <HI>Cyrus</HI> to let him &s;end a herald unto the King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> to ask whether the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta</HI> was in <HI>Sardis</HI> or no, and whether he would re&s;tore her? this he did, that he might find a way to doe it without a wound unto his honour. He departed then from the Ca&s;tle where he was, but fir&s;t he took leave of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta,</HI> unto whom he had already made many vi&s;its, to thank her for the care &s;he had of them, during the violence of his &s;ickne&s;&s;e. He bad adieu al&s;o unto the fair <HI>Cleonice,</HI> unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the Pri&s;oners. <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> then after he had received a thou&s;and civilities from all the&s;e fair Pri&s;oners, went unto the Camp, where he was entertained by <HI>Cyrus</HI> with all the honours due unto his birth, virtue, and merit: And after <HI>Cyrus</HI> had offered him all a&s;&s;i&s;tance in his power, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> de&s;ired he might &s;end a Herald, to enquire and demand <HI>Timareta,</HI> which according to his de&s;ires was done. But this me&s;&s;age was in vain, either unto <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> or the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> for the more per&s;ons of quality they had in their power, the more &s;ecure they thought them|&s;elves, and therefore would not re&s;tore <HI>Timareta. Croe&s;us</HI> therefore an&s;wered, that it was true he had her in his hands: But he would not re&s;tore her, unle&s;&s;e <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> would &s;end &s;trong reliefe as might rai&s;e the &s;iege of <HI>Sardis.</HI> So that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> receiving this an&s;wer in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> turned &s;milingly toward him, and told him that in his apprehen&s;ion, &s;ince it was more ea&s;ie to take the Town of <HI>Sardis,</HI> then to relieve it, it were better for him to receive <HI>Timareta</HI> from his hand then from <HI>Croe&s;us:</HI> therefore in lieu of relieving the Town, he would help to take it; and was very glad that he was certain &s;he was in the Town, which could not chu&s;e but be taken, &s;ince the invincible <HI>Cyrus</HI> would a&s;&s;ault it: My hope is, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that &s;ince the valiant <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> will fight for <HI>Timareta,</HI> he will teach me by his example, how to fight for <HI>Mandana.</HI> In the meane time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> treated <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> with all civility, and would have all the Grandees of his Armie vi&s;it him, and do him all honour, &s;o that <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> that day &s;aw all the Princes which were in the Armie, who were &s;o well &s;atisfied with him, and &s;o taken in with his &s;pirit and civility, that he was infinitly e&s;teemed. And to do him the more honour, <HI>Cyrus</HI> would have him comm and one Brigade of the A&s;&s;aulters, &s;o that the morning being come, all orders being given, all the Engines fit, all the Ladders ready, &amp; every one prepa|red to fight, they began an hour before day, to fill the ditch about the Town in diver&s;e places with faggots: which was &s;o readily done, that the a&s;&s;ault was given almo&s;t in an in&s;tant: and this great Towne, was &s;et round with ladders except that &s;ide which lookes towards the mountaine <HI>Tmolus,</HI> which &s;eemed inacce&s;&s;ible: <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in that quarter next the Cittadell which was the mo&s;t dangerous: The King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> a&s;&s;aulted that &s;ide towards <HI>Pactolus.</HI> The King <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> that which was oppo&s;ite to it: And <HI>Mazares</HI> commanded that which was between <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria: Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> that &s;ide which looked towards the Plaine: <HI>Tigranes</HI> and <HI>Phraartes</HI> another towards the principall Port: and <HI>Anaxares</HI> another quarter: <HI>Hida&s;pes, Chri&s;antes, Andramites, Aglatides, Per&s;odes, Hermogenes, Leontidas,</HI> and all the brave men of the Army commanded under the&s;e Princes. The King of <HI>Hircania Gobrias,</HI> and <HI>Gadates,</HI> remained at the Camp, and commanded the re&s;erves; to execute all the commands of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and to &s;end reliefe where there was need: The orders of this a&s;&s;ault were not onely judiciou&s;ly given, but mo&s;t couragiou&s;ly executed: and the more, becau&s;e the Lydian re&s;i&s;tance found matter enough for the valour of all the&s;e great Princes and Souldiers: Both be&s;iegers and be&s;ieged were all fury, both in a&s;&s;aulting and defending: There was &s;uch a va&s;t number of Ladders, and men to carry them, that if the Lydians had not been incouraged by a man whom love made think nothing difficult, certainly they never would have oppo&s;ed &s;o great a &s;torm, and &s;o generall an a&s;&s;ault, but he infu&s;ed &s;uch &s;pirit into them, and they fought &s;o couragiou&s;ly, that they made their enemies admire them: for though they were a&s;&s;aulted by the mo&s;t valiant Princes of the World, and by &s;tout &s;ouldiers u&s;ed to gain battles, conquer Kingdomes, and take Townes; yet they re&s;i&s;ted them &s;o &s;turdily, that they &s;eemed invincible: they did not onely &s;end clouds of arrowes, &s;howers of &s;tones, and throw down,
<PB N="128" REF="551">
Ladders, but fought hand to hand with heroique fury, again&s;t tho&s;e that came upon the top of the walls: But Sir, though <HI>Cyrus</HI> did things prodigious, and all the re&s;t of the Princes won|ders, e&s;pecially <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris;</HI> and though every one fought with all their force, yet they were not able to carry the Town that day: Yet it was very remarkable, that except <HI>Tigranes</HI> who was &s;lightly hurt in the hand by the fall of a ladder, there was not one of tho&s;e Princes either kil|ed or wounded. 'Tis true <HI>Cyrus</HI> was oft in extreame danger, for he expo&s;ed him&s;elf &s;o oft, that he was of tready to be thrown down from the top of the ladder, or el&s;e to be knockt in the head with &s;tones which the Lydians threw: Yet he came off &s;afe, but &s;o &s;adly, that never any was more, for he found it a matter of great difficulty to force this Town: &s;o that calling a Councel of Warre whil&s;t a Ce&s;&s;ation of ho&s;tility was made for four hours, to draw off their dead, it was re&s;olved, to force it no more, becau&s;e it could not be taken by &s;torme, by rea&s;on of the high walls, multitude of Inhabitants, and abundance of Souldiers which defended it: but they be|gan to draw a line about it with forts, hoping to take tho&s;e by famine who could not be taken by force: And the next morning without more delay, <HI>Cyrus</HI> went with the Engineers of his Army to view the ground, and to con&s;ider at what di&s;tance they &s;hould make it, and how they were to rai&s;e forts to defend it: It was no &s;ooner re&s;olved upon, but Pri&s;oners and others began to ca&s;t up earth: <HI>Cyrus</HI> him&s;elf, being a while an example to encourage the laborers: &s;o that the Inhabitants of <HI>Sardis</HI> &s;eeing their Town ready to be inclo&s;ed: and that the be&s;iegers went not about to rai&s;e their &s;iege as they hoped, their joyes for the la&s;t repul&s;e of the enemies was quite qua&s;hed, and they began to murmure: &s;ome &s;aid one thing; &s;ome another; &s;ome|times they would make them believe, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> cared not for <HI>Mandana,</HI> then they would per&s;wade them, that he would di&s;campe if they did couragiou&s;ly &s;u&s;taine this a&s;&s;ault, yet it &s;eemed thye were like to be expo&s;ed unto all the hard&s;hips of a long &s;iege: So that they fell unto a fre&s;h mutinie, for nothing is more terrible to the people then fear of Famine: The thing which much augmented their di&s;order, was, that when the &s;iege began, there were many &s;trangers in the Town who were forced to &s;tay again&s;t their wills, and who now would have gone out if it had been in their power: among&s;t this multitude of &s;trangers, there was one <HI>Li|cian Ladie</HI> of quality, who coming unto <HI>Sardis</HI> to &s;ee a &s;i&s;ter which was married unto <HI>Do|rali&s;as</HI> Unckle, was there &s;hut up, having with her one daughter, one Neece, and one of her friends, all three very fair and amiable: Every one was &s;orry that the&s;e three beauties and &s;trangers &s;hould be &s;hut up in a be&s;ieged Town. They did earne&s;tly &s;olicite <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> for leave to write unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who they knew was the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Pontus,</HI> &s;ince the death of <HI>Panthea,</HI> that &s;he would obtain leave of <HI>Cyrus</HI> for three Ladies who were not of <HI>Sardis,</HI> to come out of the Town, and go unto their own homes. And &s;ince they knew <HI>Andramites</HI> was in love with <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> al&s;o in favour with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> they hoped he would mediate for them: Therefore ha|ving obtained a a Herald from the King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> they writ unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Andramites,</HI> giving their letters un&s;ealed unto this Herald, who according to his Commi&s;&s;ion, went out of the Town unto the head of the Trenches where he &s;tayed, and where an officer and four &s;ouldiers came to conduct him unto <HI>Cyrus.</HI> This Prince no &s;ooner knew the Cau&s;e of his coming, but he &s;ent him immediately unto <HI>Dorali&s;a;</HI> and &s;ending her word by him who conducted the Herald, that he con&s;ented unto what was de&s;ired: &s;o <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Andramites</HI> in lieu of coming to ask a favour, were obliged to come and thanke <HI>Cyrus:</HI> Then the Herald returned with much &s;atisfaction, the time being &s;et when <HI>Cyrus</HI> would &s;end a Convoy to guard the&s;e Ladies at their coming out of the Town: Then the Herald rendering an account of the happy &s;ucce&s;&s;e of his voyage; that <HI>Lician</HI> Lady, named <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> accompanied with a Neece named <HI>Parmenides,</HI> her daughter called <HI>Cypide,</HI> a &s;i&s;ter of <HI>Parmenides</HI> called <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and one of her friends named <HI>Candiope,</HI> went to thank <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> and take their leaves of him: The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> accompanied them to the Gates of the Town, in con&s;ideration onely that they were co&s;ens of <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> whom he ever highly e&s;teemed: and certainly this &s;tood in need of a per&s;on of &s;ome authority to conduct them thither: For though the Inhabitants might have been glad of the&s;e Ladies going out of the Town, yet they murmured: yet the pre|&s;ence of Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> re&s;training them, they let them go out in a Coach, <HI>Parmenides</HI> ri|ding on hor&s;eback, and followed by all the Train of <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> and her own: A Herald of <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> riding before, to conduct them unto the place, where <HI>Andramites</HI> in the head of fifty hor&s;e wai<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed for them. But as if Fortune did &s;trive how to make the mo&s;t innocent actions of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eem culpable, it chanced that the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis</HI> ha|ving got a day of leave to take fre&s;h air, upon the Tarra&s;&s;e, from which all the Plain is di&s;co|vered, they were there ju&s;t as the&s;e Ladies went out at the Gate next the Cittadel; &s;o that won|dering to &s;ee a Coachfull of Ladies go out of a be&s;ieged Town, they began to ob&s;erve them, and follow them clo&s;e with their eyes, &s;o that they &s;aw when the Herald conducted them to
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the place where <HI>Andramites</HI> &s;tood, and ob&s;erved how <HI>Andramites</HI> received them, <HI>Mandana</HI> perceived, or at lea&s;t imagined, that he received them with much re&s;pect, and afterwards that he led them towards the Camp: Since all he did, mu&s;t needs be by the orders of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> his actions could not be indifferent unto her; and &s;he conceived that the&s;e Ladies could not come out of <HI>Sardis</HI> but by the permi&s;&s;ion of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> therefore &s;he had &s;o violent a curio&s;itie to know who they were, and why <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould &s;hew them &s;uch a favour, that &s;he could not chu&s;e but ask the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> the next time &s;he &s;aw him, which was every day at &s;uch hours as his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of War could be&s;t &s;pare him, and when the melancholy of <HI>Mandana</HI> permitted him; therefore &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but addre&s;&s;ing her &s;peech unto him: I would gladly know, Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, who tho&s;e Ladies were which ye&s;terday went out of <HI>Sar|dis,</HI> and who have obtained more favour then I can? The King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> not being igno|rant of her thoughts, an&s;wered her craftily, that tho&s;e Ladies obtained a Pa&s;port from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> becau&s;e they were Co&s;ens unto a Lady who&s;e name was <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> loved very well, and who at this pre&s;ent is with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta.</HI> Thus this Prince, though he &s;poke nothing but truth, yet &s;poke very much again&s;t his Rivall. <HI>Mandana</HI> not doubting but that <HI>Cyrus</HI> permitted the&s;e Ladies to come out of <HI>Sardis</HI> onely in con&s;idera|tion of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta,</HI> and not at all of <HI>Dorali&s;a;</HI> yet &s;ince &s;he would hide the agi|tation of his &s;pirit as much as &s;he could. I wonder, &s;aid &s;he, &s;ince the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta</HI> has &s;uch a power over the &s;pirits of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that there are not more Ladyes which make u&s;e of her credit with him to get out from hence; for I beleeve he can deny her nothing. I beleeve (replyed the King of <HI>Pontus)</HI> that my Si&s;ter makes better u&s;e of that power which &s;he hath over the &s;oul of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then you doe of that which you have over me: You, I &s;ay, who every day ask things impo&s;&s;ible, or at lea&s;t things which if not denyed, will give a death to him you ask them of. I know not what &s;he askes (replyed &s;he) yet I am &s;ure, I ask nothing of you but what is ju&s;t, and which you ought not to deny me. Though I agree, re|plyed he, that what you ask is ju&s;t, yet I cannot agree, Madam, that I ought not to deny it: For Love is a pa&s;&s;ion which cannot acknowledge any empire but his own. Therefore never wonder, Madam, if I doe not hearken unto what you &s;ay, &s;ince you never &s;peak any thing but in oppo&s;ition to my pa&s;&s;ion. Though I &s;hould confe&s;&s;e, Sir (replyed <HI>Mandana)</HI> that Love does not admit of Rea&s;on, yet it mu&s;t admit, and &s;ubmit unto nece&s;&s;ity: Therefore to what purpo&s;e is all your ob&s;tinate endeavours to defend <HI>Sardis,</HI> and to win my heart, &s;ince the fir&s;t of the&s;e is very difficult, and the other ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible? It were better policy for the King of <HI>Lydia</HI> to think of pre&s;erving his Crown, and for you to think of procuring your liberty by giving me mine. I will con&s;ent (added &s;he, in a mind extreamly incen&s;ed a|gain&s;t <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that you &s;hall not deliver me into the hands of any Prince who is your Rivall, &s;ince I would have you deliver me unto none but the King my Father. Ah Madam (replyed he, the better to know her thoughts) can I beleeve you had rather be carryed unto <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> then to remain in the Camp of <HI>Cyrus?</HI> Doubt it not, replyed &s;he, but beleeve, that my &s;oul is in &s;uch a condition, as I will neither be favourable unto you, or him. How, Madam, reply|ed he, can you cea&s;e from loving <HI>Cyrus</HI> as well as my &s;elf? I a&s;&s;ure you, &s;ayd &s;he, I begin to love none in that way you would be loved. I have told you, Sir, a hundred times, that you have an infallible way to get my e&s;teem and friend&s;hip, which is, to keep me no longer a Captive: For though in rea&s;on, when any one cea&s;eth from per&s;ecuting, it is enough the per&s;ecuted party cea&s;e from hating, without &s;o much genero&s;ity as to forget all pa&s;t injuries, which the common people of the world are not u&s;ed to doe: But I will now repeat the &s;ame I have &s;aid a hundred times before, Doe but relea&s;e me, Sir, and I will ever both e&s;teem, and become your friend. I wi&s;h to the Gods, replyed he, that I were able to be contented with your offer, or that I could per&s;wade you to a little more. As for my &s;elf (replyed &s;he) it is ab&s;olutely impo&s;|&s;ible, therefore it mu&s;t be you that mu&s;t change, &s;ince I cannot, that the Warres may cea&s;e, which cau&s;eth &s;o many mi&s;eries, and which in all likelyhood will la&s;t a long time: at lea&s;t, I am per&s;waded <HI>Cyrus</HI> has no de&s;ign to end it quickly, &s;ince hee lets &s;o many out of <HI>Sardis.</HI> The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> hearing <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;peak in this manner, was as joyfull as his bad con|dition could permit, for he perceived her mind was much incen&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and truly he was not mi&s;taken: He was no &s;ooner gone out of her chamber, but <HI>Mandana</HI> called for <HI>Marte&s;ia:</HI> What doe you conceive (&s;aid &s;he unto her) of the pa&s;&s;ages we have &s;een this day? Could you ever beleeve that the civilities of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould tran&s;cend his love? However, you &s;ee how he carryes him&s;elf, and can you yet maintain that he is &s;till the &s;ame he was unto me? Was ever the like &s;een? Would <HI>Cyrus</HI> fami&s;h a Town, and yet &s;uffer many people to goe out of it? For I doe imagine (&s;aid this incen&s;ed Prince&s;&s;e) this is not the fir&s;t time he
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hath given Pa&s;ports, at the reque&s;t of <HI>Araminta.</HI> But, Madam (replyed <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> tho&s;e you &s;aw goe out this day, will not at all alter the Siege of <HI>Sardis,</HI> nor retard the taking of it. Ah, <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> doe not defend the unfaithfull <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;ince I am confident, he would never have let them come out, but that he had a mind thereby to oblige the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta.</HI> I confe&s;&s;e the coming out of the&s;e Ladies doe not much impede the taking of this Town by Famin, but I know that it is not the cu&s;tome of Love, to doe things by the rules of Rea&s;on; and I a&s;&s;ure you, I &s;hould have liked it better that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had uncivilly refu&s;ed the&s;e favours for his love of me, then to have ju&s;tly granted them unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta.</HI> But whil&s;t this great, and unhappy Prince&s;&s;e, took the bare civilities of <HI>Cyrus</HI> for a crime, hee would have given her greater &s;ubjects of complaint, had &s;he known how he entertained the&s;e &s;trangers Ladies who came out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> though in truth &s;he had no rea&s;on to accu&s;e him, &s;ince what he did was out of his civill and obliging nature, which thought it a peece of inju|&s;tice to deny a per&s;on of <HI>Dorali&s;a's</HI> merit &s;uch a favour as could not prejudice <HI>Mandana:</HI> Nor did he more then what <HI>Mandana</HI> her &s;elf would have advi&s;ed him unto, if &s;he had not been prejudicated with an unju&s;t jealou&s;ie, which di&s;ordered both her &s;pirits and heart. This Prince who never did any thing but in a gallant manner, appointed <HI>Andramites</HI> to conduct them into his own Tent before he carried them unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and received them with all imaginable re&s;pects; and certainly it was hard for any to doe otherwi&s;e, for they were very hand&s;ome, and would have invited civilities from tho&s;e that had no particular relation to them. <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> though well in years, yet had a remnant of beauty; and though one could not &s;ay &s;he was very fair, yet it mu&s;t needs be confe&s;&s;ed &s;he was very hand&s;om: <HI>Cydipe</HI> her Daughter, though no perfect Beauty, yet &s;he had a great repute of it; and though &s;he had not all tho&s;e regular lineaments of exact &s;ymmetry, yet &s;he pa&s;&s;ed for a great Beauty. Her aire was exceedingly attractive and free; but though &s;he did attract eyes, yet <HI>Arpalice</HI> did charm them; &s;ince certainly never was a more lovely woman looked upon: She was fair and lively; every part of her face was admirable: There was &s;omething in her eyes both &s;o glorious and &s;weet, as had all the charms both in grey and black colours: So that joyning an excellent &s;pirit unto a fair body, it might be rightly &s;aid, &s;he was one of the mo&s;t lovely per&s;ons in the world. <HI>Candiope</HI> was not &s;o fair as her two friends, yet very amiable, not onely in her great and noble air, but in her quick and in&s;inuating wit, able to make others reveal their &s;ecrets, without imparting her own. <HI>Parmenides</HI> who was with the&s;e Ladyes, was hand&s;om, and of a comly pre&s;ence, though &s;he had a kind of &s;urline&s;&s;e in her phy&s;iognomie. The re&s;t of the people with them, were onely the women of <HI>Lyca&s;te, Cydipe, Arpalice, Candiope,</HI> and <HI>Par|menides,</HI> with &s;ome men &s;ervants. In the mean time <HI>Andramites</HI> conducting them unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who then had with him <HI>Anaxaris, Aglaridas, Ligdamis, Hida&s;pes,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> this Prince entertained them with much civility, asking pardon for &s;hutting up in a Town, and putting them unto the inconveniencies which they had received: But truly, &s;aid he, you may accu&s;e the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the King of <HI>Lydia</HI> rather then me, &s;ince if they would, they might have prevented all by relea&s;ing the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana.</HI> We have &s;o much care to applaud you, Sir, replyed <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> that we cannot accu&s;e. I have more rea&s;on to thank your honoured Co&s;en, Madam (replyed he) who gave me this opportunity of doing any &s;ervice unto per&s;ons of your quality and merit. And indeed, Madam, I think my &s;elf more obliged to you then you think I am: For I am confident that the <HI>Lydians</HI> &s;eeing the&s;e three fair ones which ac|company you, would have fought more &s;toutly in their defence then they will now they are out, at lea&s;t their Lovers will fight with le&s;&s;e fury. I a&s;&s;ure you, Sir, replyed <HI>Arpalice,</HI> for my part, all my Conque&s;ts &s;hall never hinder yours. I had thought (&s;aid <HI>Cydipe,</HI> and looked upon her Co&s;en) that you would have an&s;wered for <HI>Candiope</HI> and my &s;elf; but &s;ince you have not, I a&s;&s;ure you, Sir (&s;aid &s;he, and turned towards <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that you have lo&s;t more then got by the coming out of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and (if I dur&s;t &s;ay it) by <HI>Candiopes</HI> and mine; for we did no|thing el&s;e every day, but accu&s;e the two Kings of <HI>Lydia</HI> and <HI>Pontus</HI> of Inju&s;tice, for not re|lea&s;ing the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana.</HI> Doubtle&s;&s;e, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the <HI>Lydians</HI> are very faithfull to that Prince even in unju&s;t things; for if they were not, three &s;uch Beauties as you, maintaining &s;o ju&s;t a cau&s;e as mine, would certainly have moved a Sedition in my favour. As <HI>Arpalice</HI> was ready to an&s;wer, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> brought in a pri&s;oner, who&s;e hand&s;ome garb attracted the eyes of all beholders, by the air wherewith he entered into the Tent of this Prince, but as &s;oon as he was entered, it &s;eemed he was not unknown unto the&s;e Ladies. <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> expre&s;&s;ed much wonder at the &s;ight of him; <HI>Cydipe</HI> &s;eemed much &s;urpri&s;ed, <HI>Parmenides</HI> very melancho|ly, <HI>Candiope</HI> very glad, and the fair <HI>Arpalice</HI> blu&s;hed deeply, and &s;hewed &s;uch a &s;weet di&s;order in her eyes, that it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee that &s;he had more intere&s;t in this pri&s;oner then the re&s;t,
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who for his part was not a little &s;urpri&s;ed to finde tho&s;e per&s;ons in the Tent of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> whom he thought to be in <HI>Sardis:</HI> His re&s;pects unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> kept him from te&s;tifying either his wonder or his joy; and let <HI>Arpalice</HI> know onely by &s;ome &s;toln lookes, that he was more a pri&s;oner unto her then unto <HI>Cyrus.</HI> In the mean time this Prince ob&s;erving the &s;everall motions in the countenances of the&s;e Ladies, made no que&s;tion but this man, who <HI>Chri|&s;antes</HI> brought in, was of their acquaintance, therefore beginning to &s;peak; Since I &s;ee, Madam (&s;aid hee unto <HI>Lyca&s;te)</HI> that this pri&s;oner is not unknowne unto you, and &s;ince it &s;eemes by his aire, that it is ju&s;t he &s;hould not be long in Fetters, will you bee plea&s;ed to give mee leave to enquire before you, where hee was taken. Sir (&s;aid <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> unto him) I a&s;&s;ure you that you never took a Pri&s;oner &s;ince the Warre began, who better de&s;erves his freedom, nor who better de&s;erves to be carefully kept, then this who I bring unto you, &s;ince certainly the Lydians cannot have a greater aide, then the per&s;on of &s;uch a man as he. The commendations you give, replyed he mode&s;tly, is more glorious to them that overcame me, then to my &s;elfe: Victory, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> is not alwaies an infallible ar|gument of Valour: &s;ometime the vanqui&s;hed are more gallant men then the vanqui&s;hers: But I pray <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> where met you with this Couragious Enemy? For I find his mode&s;ty &s;o great, that there is no asking him: Sir, replyed <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> I cannot tell you what were the motives which moved this valiant man to go into <HI>Sardis:</HI> but this is truth, that a little before day, he leaped into the ditch at a place which we had rai&s;ed the la&s;t a&s;&s;ault, and he hid him&s;elf be|hind a heap of &s;aggots which the enemyes had not yet burned: by chance a Centinell &s;tanding at that &s;conce which you rai&s;ed la&s;t, perceived him, and ob&s;erved that he looked towards the walls of the Town, and made a &s;igne unto tho&s;e upon it, that they &s;hould open a little Po&s;tern dore near that place: &s;o that theLydians believing that certainly he had &s;ome inteligence ofim|portance to bring them; and that perhapps he brought &s;ome news of that belief which the great King of <HI>Pontus</HI> made them long for: they intended to open it unto him, and for his more &s;afe entry, they would make a &s;alley: But the Centinell who &s;pied him, told me what he &s;pied, be|fore they opend the little dore: and I thought it more expedient to take him then to &s;hoot him: Then I cau&s;ed a hundred men to make ready, and get betwixt him that would enter in|to <HI>Sardis,</HI> and the little dore which they opened for him; &s;ending at the &s;ame time, &s;ix of the mo&s;t re&s;olute &s;ouldiers to bring him unto me: but &s;ince they could not go unto him without di&s;covery, tho&s;e upon the walls killed one, and wounded two of them with arrows, &s;o that there was but three who came up to him: and then the Lydians dur&s;t not &s;hoot, le&s;t they &s;hould as &s;oon hit him that would come into the Town, as tho&s;e who would take him: and thus this valiant Pri&s;oner was in the mid&s;t of three &s;tout &s;ouldiers without any other aide but his owne valour: all this is nothing, &s;aid the Pri&s;oner, &s;ince I was taken: But &s;ince that would not have beene, replyed <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> unle&s;&s;e I had &s;ent &s;ix more, af|ter you had killed two of the fir&s;t, I think I cannot &s;ufficiently extoll you. Whil&s;t <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> was &s;peaking thus, one might perceive by the eyes of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> that the applauds which were given this Pri&s;oner did not di&s;plea&s;e her, and that &s;he gave a mo&s;t attentive eare unto it: and much more, when <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked this generous Pri&s;oner what his name was? whether he was the King of <HI>Lydia</HI>'s &s;ubject? whether he had imployed him upon &s;ome negotiation with &s;ome neighbour Prince? or whether he brought any newes of a pretended reliefe, wherewith <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> did flatter the people of <HI>Sardis?</HI> Sir replyed he, my name is <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and the place of my birth is <HI>Halicarna&s;&s;us,</HI> &s;o that I am neither the King of <HI>Lydia</HI>'s &s;ubject, nor engaged in his intere&s;ts: why then (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> would you chu&s;e the more unju&s;t &s;ide? and why, &s;ince your valour cannot be idle, would you not rather &s;tay in our Army then attempt to get into a be&s;ieged Town? <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was then at a nonplus, for he had no mind to tell the true cau&s;e of his de&s;ign to get into <HI>Sardis.</HI> Then he began to make many imperfect an&s;wers: but &s;ince he &s;aw <HI>Cyrus</HI> was nothing &s;atisfied with them, he feared that if he did not tell the truth, hee &s;hould &s;till remaine a pri&s;oner of warre, and by con&s;equence be &s;eparated from that per&s;on he loved. Therefore re&s;olving &s;uddainly with him&s;elf, Sir, replyed he, as I have been a long admirer of your glory, &s;o I would not have you &s;u&s;pect me to have any di&s;po&s;ition of becom|ing your enemy; Therefore I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e the truth, though perhaps the fair <HI>Arpalice</HI> before whom I &s;peak, will be angry with me; be plea&s;ed to know therefore that my affection unto her, invited me into <HI>Sardis,</HI> where I know, &s;he was engaged: And therefore Sir, &s;ince Love onely made me &s;o bold, all the applauds which <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> gave unto me, are due unto the fair <HI>Arpalice:</HI> And to te&s;tifie that I &s;peak the truth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, I am &s;o far from de&s;iring to go into <HI>Sar|dis,</HI> &s;ince <HI>Arpalice</HI> is not there, that I begge &s;o much favour from you, as to let me fight a+gain&s;t the Lydians upon the fir&s;t occa&s;ion which pre&s;ents it &s;elf. Since you are more a Pri&s;oner unto the fair <HI>Arpalice</HI> (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> then unto m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">; It is &s;he that mu&s;t appoint you wha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">
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is her plea&s;ure. Truly Sir, (replyed &s;he in a great confu&s;ion at what <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> had &s;aid) I do not think I have any right to di&s;pute with you for this illu&s;trious Pri&s;oner: but though I had, yet I am &s;o much obliged unto you, and I know he &s;o much admires you, that to pay a debt which I owe you, and to plea&s;e him with command, I enjoyn him to &s;erve you, as long as he lives. Truly added <HI>Lyca&s;te; Arpalice</HI> has good rea&s;on for all &s;he &s;aies: and truly replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> if &s;he be rigorous unto the valiant <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> &s;he is the mo&s;t unju&s;t per&s;on in the World. Whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;peaking thus, <HI>Parmenides</HI> &s;eemed much di&s;contented, yet he dur&s;t not openly expre&s;&s;e it, onely the fair <HI>Arpalice</HI> his Si&s;ter knew his thoughts by his &s;ilence. But as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was ready to tell <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> that &s;ince he was onely a Pri&s;oner of love, he was no Pri&s;oner of War, <HI>Hermogenes</HI> brought another Pri&s;oner, whom he &s;aid came from the walls of <HI>Sardis</HI> into the ditch by the help of a long cord, by that way which lookes towards the River, and being &s;een by &s;ome &s;ouldiers, they took him without any re&s;i&s;tance, telling them he had no other &s;ide but to change &s;ides; and that being &s;pied by tho&s;e who kept Guard upon the walls, when he came down, he was in a thou&s;and dangers of being killed by &s;hots of ar|rowes again&s;t him. But the admiration was, that when this Pri&s;oner who &s;eemed to be a man of qualitie, entered into the Tent, <HI>Cyrus</HI> ob&s;erved that he was not unknown neither unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> nor <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> nor <HI>Parmenides,</HI> nor <HI>Cydipe,</HI> nor <HI>Candiope,</HI> nor <HI>Arpalice:</HI> His pre|&s;ence, though hand&s;ome, was not equally joyfull unto them all: for all except <HI>Parmenides</HI> who was glad to &s;ee him, were either angry or melancholy. So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> having a fre&s;h cu|rio&s;ity to know who he was, and what de&s;ignes he had, began to ask very pre&s;&s;ingly: In&s;o|much as this Pri&s;oner named <HI>Menecrates,</HI> who was a lover of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and by con&s;equence the Rivall of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and who knew well that <HI>Parmenides</HI> was a favourer of his de&s;igne, began to tell <HI>Cyrus</HI> ingenuou&s;ly, that he had no other de&s;igne in coming out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> but to follow <HI>Arpalice</HI> whom he loved; but &s;ince this beauty had not the like thoughts of him which &s;he had of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> &s;he began to oppo&s;e what he &s;aid: me thinks (&s;aid &s;he unto him very &s;harply) if the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> be ju&s;t, he &s;hould not give much credit unto what you &s;ay, for truly (&s;aid &s;he with a di&s;daining &s;mile) to come out of a be&s;ieged Town where they are ready to dye for hunger, is not an argument of any great matter of love: and therefore I doe not conceive that your fair tale of love ought to excu&s;e you from being a Pri&s;oner of Warre: &s;ince he declares him&s;elf to be yours (replyed <HI>Cyrus</HI> and &s;miled) it is not ju&s;t he &s;hould have two ma&s;ters; and therefore I will not di&s;pute with &s;o fair a one as you: <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> hearing <HI>Cy|rus</HI> &s;ay &s;o, and &s;eeing that out of his genero&s;ity he would relea&s;e both <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Mene|crates,</HI> whom &s;he knew would quarrell, Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him to prevent it) your actions &s;peake your great &s;oul: but if I may be &s;uffered to make a reque&s;t unto you, it &s;hould be, that you would be plea&s;ed either to keep the&s;e two Captives &s;till in your Pri&s;on, or el&s;e ab&s;olutely command them to live friendly together. Since they are none of my Subjects (replyed he) I will onely entreat them to let me judge of that difference. Sir (&s;aid <HI>Parmenides</HI> then) &s;ince the difference which is betwixt <HI>Menecrates</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> is of &s;uch a nature as it can ne|ver be known, unle&s;&s;e you know the whole &s;tory of their lives: and &s;ince their adventures are not heroique enough for the care, it will &s;uffice, if you will be plea&s;ed out of your goodne&s;&s;e to keep <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> with you, untill <HI>Menecrates</HI> hath manife&s;ted his innocency unto <HI>Arpali|ce,</HI> who is the cau&s;e of their difference. Since <HI>Cyrus</HI> ob&s;erved that <HI>Arpalice</HI> did favour <HI>Thra|&s;imedes</HI> more then <HI>Menecrates,</HI> he told <HI>Parmenides</HI> that he would keep them both untill hee had time to hear the cau&s;e of their quarrell: That in the meane time; <HI>Andramites</HI> &s;hould con|duct <HI>Lyca&s;te, Cydipe, Arpalice,</HI> and <HI>Candiope,</HI> unto the Ca&s;tle where the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aramin|ta</HI> was, and where they might conveniently remain, untill &s;uch time as he could determine the difference that was between two men, who&s;e Enemies qualities obliged him rather to make them friends then Enemies. <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> having a good opinion of the ju&s;tne&s;&s;e in his cau&s;e, did thank <HI>Cyrus</HI> for the honour he would do him in being his judge: but as for <HI>Menecrates,</HI> he was not &s;o well &s;atisfied, no more then <HI>Parminides.</HI> Yet their re&s;pects of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;topped their mouths, e&s;pecially when they perceived <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> render a million of thanks unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> for preventing a misfortune, by his prudence, which might happen either unto <HI>Thra|&s;imedes</HI> or <HI>Menecrates,</HI> or both. After which, the Ladies took their leaves of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;o &s;atis|fied with his civilities, that they could talk of nothing el&s;e. <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates</HI> re|mained rather as men that were guarded then as Pri&s;oners of Warre: The fir&s;t of them was committed unto the care of <HI>Chri&s;antes;</HI> and the other unto <HI>Feraulas.</HI> As for <HI>Parmenides,</HI> hee waited upon <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> unto the Ca&s;tle. <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> had al&s;o orders from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to guard the Ladies, &s;ince it would be a great joy unto him to &s;ee his deare&s;t <HI>Cleonice. Cyrus</HI> at going out of his Tent, pre&s;ented his hand unto <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> to conduct her unto her Coach, though &s;he did earne&s;tly refu&s;e it. <HI>Andramites</HI> pre&s;ented his hand unto <HI>Cydipes; Ligdamis</HI> to <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and
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<HI>Parmenides</HI> unto <HI>Candiope. Arpalice</HI> in pa&s;&s;ing by the&s;e two lovers and Pri&s;oners, &s;hewed a different re&s;pect unto them: For &s;he &s;aluted <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> with a very obliging civility, and <HI>Menecrates</HI> with &s;uch cold lookes; as were enough to freeze him into de&s;pair, e&s;pecially &s;ince the affront was in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and his Rivall: After <HI>Cyrus</HI> had put the&s;e Ladies in|to their Coach, he be&s;towed &s;ome complements upon the two Rivals, and then he called a Councell of Warre. In the mean time, as gallant as <HI>Andramites</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> were, they left the Camp with joy: the fir&s;t of the&s;e, becau&s;e he was performing an acceptable peece of &s;er|vice unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and the other, becau&s;e love was predominate in his heart, above all de&s;ires of glory: al&s;o the Ladies whom they were to guard were &s;o amiable, that the &s;ervice was very plea&s;ant. All the way, they talked of nothing but <HI>Cyrus:</HI> At la&s;t being come unto the Ca&s;tle, <HI>Andramites</HI> carried them &s;traight unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI>'s Chamber, to the end &s;hee might pre&s;ent them unto the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Pontus; Andramites</HI> giving orders that they &s;hould lie in the&s;e lodgings where <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> did lie. In the meane time, as &s;hie as <HI>Dorali|&s;a</HI> was, and though &s;he was of an humour to do a hundred good offices, rather then to receive one, and never cared for giving over many thanks, yet &s;he could not chu&s;e but be much joyed at <HI>Andramites,</HI> for bringing the&s;e per&s;ons thither, who were &s;o near and dear unto her: yet her complement unto him was but &s;hort: for though &s;he had an excellent grace of &s;peech, yet &s;he did &s;eldome u&s;e any aggravations: and tho&s;e who knew her heart, counted one of her words for a thou&s;and, and would think her very courteous: &s;o that though &s;he &s;aid little, yet <HI>Andramites</HI> was well contented: and &s;he was &s;o bu&s;ie in welcoming <HI>Lyca&s;te, Cydipe, Arpa|lice,</HI> and <HI>Candiope,</HI> that &s;he had not lea&s;ure to give <HI>Andramites</HI> many thanks. It being a long time &s;ince <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> had &s;een her; and &s;ince <HI>Cydipe, Arpalice, Candiope,</HI> and <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> had &s;een each other &s;ince they were Children; they were full of complements. It was not long be|fore the wit of <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> began to &s;parkle as well as her eyes, for being in one of her plea&s;ant and charming humours, &s;he did &s;o quibble with <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> and all the company, that &s;he was the fulle&s;t of witty diver&s;ion in the World. But after the Ladies had a little re&s;ted and repo&s;ed them&s;elves, they made ready to go and &s;ee <HI>Araminta.</HI> And <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> knowing that the Prin|ce&s;&s;e was to be &s;een, conducted them to her Chamber: But fir&s;t, &s;he mu&s;t pre&s;ent them unto <HI>Cleonice</HI> and <HI>Pherenice,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the Lady Pri&s;oners, who in re&s;pect of her came to &s;ee them, and went with them to the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta:</HI> But <HI>Cleonice</HI> having a de&s;ire to honour the&s;e ladies as co&s;ens unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> as new comers and &s;trangers, &s;he would have them go before her: and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> being obliged to pre&s;ent his hand unto <HI>Cydipe</HI> being next the dore as &s;he pa&s;&s;ed, and <HI>Parmenides</HI> had already given his hand unto <HI>Cleonice; Dorali&s;a</HI> perceiving it, told <HI>Cydipe</HI> in a low voice, how &s;he thought her &s;elfe obliged to acquaint her, that &s;he did but ill recompence <HI>Ligdamis</HI> for the paines he had taken in being her guard, &s;ince by &s;eparating him from <HI>Cleonice,</HI> &s;he &s;eparated him from her that was mo&s;t dear unto him. 'Tis true (added &s;he) that I think his de&s;ign was as much to &s;ee as to guard you, therefore you are the le&s;&s;e obliged unto him: <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;peaking with a de&s;ign to be heard. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> com|plained again&s;t her inhumanity in in&s;ulting &s;o cruelly over a man who had brought her the mo&s;t plea&s;ant company in the World, and which &s;hould be a cau&s;e of much rejoycing in it: I do not know (&s;aid &s;he unto him) how you can phra&s;e that inhumanity, which proceeds from my pitty of you: This is not the fir&s;t time (added he &s;till walking) I have ob&s;erved, that there are &s;ome mi&s;eries which you have no compa&s;&s;ion upon in your rallary; and the unfortunate <HI>Andramites</HI> knowes well that I doe not lie; &s;ince both of you &s;peak, replyed <HI>Cydipe,</HI> you will make me under&s;tand things very well: I a&s;&s;ure you (re|plyed <HI>Ligdamis)</HI> I can never make you perfectly under&s;tand <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> perhaps you believe (&s;aid &s;he and laughed) you have twitted me &s;ufficiently in telling that I am not ea&s;ie to be under&s;tood; but &s;ince I am re&s;olved to treat you very civilly this day, I profe&s;&s;e unto you, that I take it for a great commendations: and that I would not be like &s;ome men I know, who the very fir&s;t day one &s;ees them, vent all the &s;tock of wit they have, and &s;hew every cranny of their &s;oules. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> had an&s;wered <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> but they were &s;o near <HI>Araminta</HI>'s Chamber, that that di&s;cour&s;e mu&s;t end to &s;alute the Prince&s;&s;e, who received all the&s;e Ladies with abundance of &s;weetne&s;&s;e; not onely out of her naturall civility, but al&s;o to the more to oblige <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> After the fir&s;t complements were pa&s;t: &s;he asked them concerning the King her brother, whom they commended very much unto her: afterwards, &s;he asked them, whether they were not extreamly weary of a be&s;ieged Town? and on the contrary, if they were glad to be out of it? &s;o pa&s;&s;ing from one que&s;tion to another, unto which every one in their turnes had their vies, <HI>Araminta</HI> began to extoll the beauty of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> of <HI>Cydipe,</HI> and of <HI>Candiope,</HI> and &s;aid that it did not &s;eem <HI>Sardis</HI> was yet put unto any great extremities, &s;ince they brought out &s;uch
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fre&s;h complexions: adding that <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> would never have let them come out, but to drive all the be&s;iegers into de&s;pair. <HI>Arpalice, Cydipe,</HI> and <HI>Candiope</HI> did all blu&s;h at the commendati|ons: Afterwards <HI>Andramites</HI> began to tell <HI>Araminta</HI> the admirable effects of <HI>Arpalices</HI> beau|ty: relating, how one ventured his life to go into <HI>Sardis,</HI> becau&s;e he thought her there; and another ventured his life in coming out, becau&s;e &s;he was not there: I doe not know &s;aid <HI>Ara|minta,</HI> which of the&s;e two men is mo&s;t lovely, or mo&s;t loved, but I wi&s;h it were rather he that would have gone into <HI>Sardis,</HI> rather then he who came out: I conceive Madam (replyed <HI>Parmenides</HI> who favoured <HI>Menecrates)</HI> that it is not alwaies ju&s;t to judge of things, by &s;ome happy events, which are onely effects of chance: For truly he who was in the Town had no way left to te&s;tifie his love, but to come out of it. 'Tis very true, &s;aid <HI>Araminta;</HI> but &s;ince hee who goes into a halfe &s;tarved Town, ready to be taken, is in greater danger, then he who comes out of it, I mu&s;t needs wi&s;h him better fortune then I do to the other: I a&s;&s;ure you Ma|dam, (replyed <HI>Arpalice</HI> and blu&s;hed) to &s;peake in rea&s;on, I can neither commend the act of him that would go in, nor of him that came out, &s;ince according to my apprehen&s;ion, the one would have headlong run into the danger, and the other would have &s;hunned it. Whil&s;t <HI>Araminta</HI> was talking with the&s;e Ladies, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> talked low with <HI>Cleonice:</HI> and <HI>Andramites</HI> did the like with <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> but &s;ince he had to do with one who&s;e wit was above the &s;phear of mo&s;t others, when he &s;poke low unto her, either &s;he an&s;wered him not at all, or el&s;e very little, or very &s;harply; therefore he never dur&s;t &s;peak above three or four words at once unto her, e&s;teeming him&s;elf very happy if &s;he did not an&s;wer him in &s;uch a &s;harp tone as was able to turn the &s;weete&s;t words in the world into wormwood. After the vi&s;it of the&s;e Ladyes had la&s;ted a rea&s;onable time, they went unto their chambers. <HI>Andramites</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;tayed in the Ca&s;tle untill they were ready to goe to bed, and then they would return to the Camp in the night, le&s;t they &s;hould lo&s;e any opportunity of honour, yet they would not depart before they had received the commands of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta,</HI> who charged them with a com|plement unto <HI>Cyrus.</HI> After which they had adieu unto all the Ladies; but whil&s;t they were performing their &s;everall complements, <HI>Arpalice</HI> took <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> a&s;ide, and after &s;he had pull|ed down her hood to hide her blu&s;h, &s;he de&s;ired her to conjure <HI>Andramites</HI> in private, that he &s;hould have a &s;peciall care that no new di&s;pute &s;hould ari&s;e between <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Me|necrates,</HI> telling him, that perhaps when <HI>Cyrus</HI> was bu&s;ie about great affairs, they would not be &s;o &s;trictly guarded but &s;ome misfortune might fall out between them. Adding, that it would be an un&s;peakable grief unto her, if either of them &s;hould dye in any con&s;ideration of her. Since it is not &s;o ea&s;ie a matter as perhaps you think for me to make any reque&s;t unto <HI>An|dramites,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> doe not think I will undertake it, unle&s;&s;e you will promi&s;e to tell me, what intere&s;t you have in the&s;e two pri&s;oners: For though Curio&s;ity be not my cu&s;tom, and though I am ignorant of many things, becau&s;e I will not ask them, yet I mu&s;t needs con|fe&s;&s;e, I have &s;uch a de&s;ire to know the cau&s;e of &s;uch extraordinary events, that I will con&s;ent unto what you ask me, if you will promi&s;e what I ask you. I have &s;o much intere&s;t in them (replyed <HI>Arpalice)</HI> that I cannot deny you. Since it is &s;o (&s;ayd <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> I will doe as you de&s;ire mee. And indeed, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> taking <HI>Andramites</HI> a&s;ide, as if &s;he had &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which concerned him to communicate unto him; and though &s;hee was of &s;uch an humour as did not love to ask any one to doe a good office, yet &s;he put a no|table difference between making a reque&s;t for another, and one for her &s;elfe: And therefore, though with much adoe &s;he entrated <HI>Andramites</HI> to have a care of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Mene|crates</HI> until the King had reconciled them, a&s;&s;uring him &s;he would take it for a great obli|gation; and adding, that he might take her making any reque&s;t unto him as a mark of that e&s;teem which &s;he had of him; for, &s;aid &s;he, there are but four per&s;ons in the whole world un|to whom I would be obliged, though there be an infinite number that I would oblige; yet if I could pre&s;erve my &s;elf from being obliged unto any, I &s;hould be very glad; but &s;ince this is not in my power, and that I mu&s;t be obliged unto one, I had rather it &s;hould be unto you then any other. Though your language, Madam (replyed he) cannot be catalogued in the number of favours, which one might hope for from her he adores, yet I will take it to be &s;uch a one, &s;ince it is the greate&s;t I ever had from you. But as you have done me the honour to a&s;&s;ure me, that I am in the number of tho&s;e three or four per&s;ons unto whom you would &s;uffer your &s;elf to be obliged: I be&s;eech you tell me whether I be the fir&s;t, &s;econd, or perhaps the la&s;t of that infinite number which you would oblige? I a&s;&s;ure you, &s;aid &s;he, and laughed, I cannot an&s;wer you directly I would; for I have a&s;&s;igned no places in my heart, all tho&s;e who are there are in a confu&s;ion without any order of rank, &s;o that I cannot tell which is fir&s;t, or &s;econd, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But <HI>Andramites</HI> (added &s;he) this is not the bu&s;ine&s;s which I de&s;ire of you, and therefore unle&s;&s;e you would have me repent of my reque&s;t, and be &s;orry for giving
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you an occa&s;ion of obliging me; &s;peak not a word more, unle&s;&s;e it be to bid me adieu. Give me leave, Madam, &s;aid he, onely to tell you, that I depart the mo&s;t&mdash;For Heavens &s;ake <HI>Andramites</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, and interrupted him with a laugh) &s;peak not a word more, un|le&s;&s;e you be well a&s;&s;ured that what you &s;ay will not anger me; for &s;ince the reque&s;t I made unto you concerns one of my friends, I &s;hould be glad you would not put me to recall that reque&s;t which I have made unto you, and therefore it is better that I interrupt your &s;peech, and leave you; and indeed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> making him a &s;erious reverence, as if &s;he had done her bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, left him, and went unto <HI>Arpalice</HI> to tell her that <HI>Andramites</HI> would doe as &s;he de|&s;ired. All this while <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was bidding adieu unto his dear <HI>Cleonice,</HI> with whom he was alwaies upon con&s;tant termes of amity. Thus <HI>Andramites</HI> and he returned to the Camp, and left all the&s;e Beauties together, who did not part untill <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> was forced to tell them, it was full time to retire unto their re&s;t. In the mean time, &s;ince it did nearly concern <HI>Arpalice,</HI> that <HI>Cyrus</HI> in reconciling <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates</HI> &s;hould know that he could not pro|tect the la&s;t of the&s;e in prejudice of the other, unle&s;&s;e he made her mo&s;t mi&s;erable, &s;he con&s;ult|ted with <HI>Candiope</HI> (who was her deare&s;t friend, and clo&s;e confident in all her &s;ecrets) upon the be&s;t expedients. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Candiope</HI> unto her) if the ca&s;e were mine, con&s;idering the credit which <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> hath with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> both by her &s;elf, by <HI>Araminta,</HI> and by <HI>Andra|mites,</HI> I would open my heart unto her, and tell her the whole truth. She hath already de|&s;ired (replyed <HI>Arpalice)</HI> that I &s;hould doe as you advi&s;e me, and I have promi&s;ed her. Why then doe you ask my advice upon a thing (replyed <HI>Candiope)</HI> which is already re&s;olved? Be|cau&s;e I have promi&s;ed more then I can perform (&s;aid <HI>Arpalice)</HI> for though it be a great weak|ne&s;&s;e to be timerous in relation of any thing which is not a crime, yet I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e I cannot my &s;elf tell <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> what is requi&s;ite &s;he &s;hould know, thereby to engage her in my bu&s;ine&s;s. Then I mu&s;t &s;ay (replyed <HI>Candiope,</HI> and &s;miled) that you are very rigorous unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> if you dare not tell <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> that which a whole Province knows: for is there one in <HI>Licia</HI> which knowes not that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> is in love with you? No, &s;aid <HI>Arpalice,</HI> but there is none except you, and <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> who knows that I love him; and it is but a while &s;ince hee could gue&s;&s;e at it, nor yet knows &s;o well as you doe: Therefore you would infinitely oblige me, if you would &s;pare me many a blu&s;h, and would take the pains to relate all my imper|fections unto <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> You are well acquainted with the originall of our affections, and I beleeve your &s;elf is the greate&s;t cau&s;e. But dare you tru&s;t your &s;elf unto my di&s;cretion? (&s;aid <HI>Candiope</HI> unto her) are you not afraid that my ill memory will make me mi&s;report your words? and perhaps alter &s;ome of them, or make you &s;peak too obligingly unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes?</HI> As <HI>Arpalice</HI> was going to an&s;wer, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> came into their chamber, who after &s;hee had told <HI>Arpalice,</HI> that &s;he was glad to &s;ee by her complexion, and quickne&s;&s;e of her eyes that &s;he had &s;lept well, &s;he asked whether or no &s;he remembred her promi&s;e? <HI>Candiope</HI> knowing very well what <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> meant, laughed, and told her, that <HI>Arpalice</HI> was not very well di&s;|po&s;ed to perform her promi&s;e; telling her afterwards all the di&s;cour&s;e which was between them: So that there was a very plea&s;ant conference between the&s;e three per&s;ons: For my part (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> after &s;he had heard the difference between them) I cannot think <HI>Arpalice</HI> ever did, or &s;aid, or thought any thing which &s;he may not tell me, and therefore I am per&s;waded, that it is rather out of vanity then mode&s;ty that &s;he will not let me under&s;tand her adventures from her own mouth rather then from anothers, &s;ince it is not po&s;&s;ible any &s;hould know ano|thers &s;tory &s;o well as them&s;elves: But the truth is, one &s;hall not &s;peak of them&s;elves &s;o well as others will do. Mo&s;t true (&s;aid <HI>Candiope) Dorali&s;a</HI> hath found out a good rea&s;on to &s;top your own mouth; for you would rob your &s;elf of a thou&s;and applauds which I &s;hall give you, and which really you de&s;erve: Yet I cannot phra&s;e your way to be a vanity, but rather a de&s;ire of glory, and you de&s;ire to get <HI>Dorali&s;aes</HI> e&s;teem, therefore de&s;ires that &s;he may know you the better by my reports then your own. I pray you tell her what you plea&s;e, replyed <HI>Arpalice,</HI> &s;o you do not put me to &s;ay any thing: And indeed &s;o it was concluded, that <HI>Candiope</HI> &s;hould relate all the adventures of <HI>Arpalice.</HI> Then <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Candiope</HI> agreed, that as &s;oon as dinner was pa&s;t, they &s;hould carry <HI>Lyca&s;te, Cydipe,</HI> and <HI>Arpalice</HI> unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> where they would leave them, and return into <HI>Dorali&s;aes</HI> chamber: And &s;o they did; for they were no &s;ooner entered, but &s;hutting the door, and <HI>Candiope</HI> leaning upon a table of Ivo|ry inlayd with Ebony, &s;he began her di&s;cour&s;e with a Complement, thus.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
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<HEAD><HI>The History of</HI> ARPALICE <HI>and</HI> THRASIMEDES.</HEAD>
<P>YOur Reputation, amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> being &s;uch as makes it dangerous to &s;peak ill before you, might well &s;ilence me from making any long di&s;cour&s;e in your pre&s;ence, if it did not meerly concern a per&s;on who is mo&s;t dear unto you, and de&s;erves to be &s;o unto all tho&s;e that are capable of her extraordinary merit: and her intere&s;t being more con&s;iderable then my own, I will begin that relation which you expect, as if you had never heard of our Coun|try, of our Town, or of <HI>Arpalice</HI> her &s;elf; for though you be very near in alliance of blood, yet you never were in <HI>Licia,</HI> but alwayes at <HI>Sardis</HI> or <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> never &s;aw each other &s;ince you were five years of age, when <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> came to <HI>Sardis,</HI> I conceive it convenient to begin as if you knew her not at all. Be plea&s;ed to know therefore, that <HI>Arpalice</HI> was but &s;even years of age when &s;he lo&s;t both her Father and her Mother, and that <HI>Parmenides</HI> was not of a fit age to govern him&s;elf, therefore a Brother of <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> their Uncle, was their Tutor; who having no Wife, put the young <HI>Arpalice</HI> unto <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> who hath brought her up with as much care as &s;he did <HI>Cydipe.</HI> The Father of <HI>Arpalice</HI> holding an intimate corre&s;pondencie with a man of Quality named <HI>Amphidamas,</HI> who was of the &s;ame Town, and had but one Sonne, and one Daughter, he ordained by his la&s;t Will and Te&s;tament, that <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;hould marry his Son when &s;he came at age: That which cau&s;ed the great riches of <HI>Arpalice</HI> (though &s;he had a Brother) was that they were not both by one Mother: And &s;ince it is the cu&s;tom of our Country, that Mothers give ranks unto Families, and not the Fathers; and the Mother of <HI>Arpalice</HI> being exceeding rich, declared by her te&s;tament, that &s;he &s;hould marry <HI>Menecrates:</HI> adding, that her intention was, that he &s;hould have the greate&s;t part of her e&s;tate, if her daugh|ter would not marry him. It may very well be &s;aid, that <HI>Arpalice</HI> was never Mi&s;tris of her &s;elf, &s;ince &s;he was engaged before &s;he had either rea&s;on or di&s;cretion. <HI>Menecrates</HI> was then four years of age, and <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;even, when every one &s;aid unto them, that they were de&s;ti|ned to live together, and that they were &s;o fa&s;t, nothing could ever part them; but before I ac|quaint you how they lived together, I mu&s;t tell you, what the manner of living is, in our Town. All the world knows, that <HI>Licia</HI> in generall is a mountainous Country, very craggy and uneven; and very barren in many places; therefore you may imagine, perhaps, that tho&s;e who inhabit there, will &s;mell of the rudene&s;&s;e of their Country: But there being &s;ome land in <HI>Licia</HI> exceedingly fertile, it may be &s;aid, there are as gallant compleat men there as any is in the world: Al&s;o the Metropolis of our Country which is called <HI>Patara</HI> is one of the mo&s;t famous Towns in all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> not onely for its beauty, but al&s;o for the magnificent Temple of <HI>Apollo,</HI> who&s;e Oracle is &s;o famous, and many Strangers re&s;ort thither to con&s;ult with it: Al&s;o many come out of curio&s;ity to &s;ee that famed mountain of <HI>Chimera:</HI> This Mountain, I &s;ay, whom the renowned <HI>Bellerophon</HI> rendered famous, who&s;e top is full of Lions, middle of wild Goats, and bottome Serpents; &s;o that many Strangers re&s;orting unto <HI>Patara,</HI> it is mo&s;t plea|&s;ant living there. Moreover, though the Government of our Country be in the manner of a Republique, yet a King of a Court may be &s;een there as well as in a Monarchicall &s;tate: For there is a Pre&s;ident of the Councell, who&s;e authority is &s;o great, that he wants onely the name of being Soveraign of all <HI>Licia:</HI> So that all the Offices of State being in his di&s;po&s;e, he is as much courted, and as much honour done him, as if he were ab&s;olute King: So that their way of living is much more plea&s;ant then in other Republiques, where every one is di|vided into &s;everall Factions; and the contrary, the authority of one man attracting together all the compleat Gallants of a State into one Town, and after into one hou&s;e; this que&s;tion|le&s;&s;e makes &s;ociety mo&s;t agreeable, and &s;pirits more polite, it being the &s;ource of all delights, and gallantry. And I can a&s;&s;ure you, we had the advantage to live in a time when there were more compleat men in <HI>Licia,</HI> then of three ages before. This is the place, fair <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> where <HI>Arpalice</HI> was educated, and lived all her time: I &s;hall not need to tell you what &s;hee now is; for it is apparent &s;he is one of the greate&s;t Beauties in the world: You may &s;ee &s;hee has been ever fair, not like one of tho&s;e beauties, who make people beleeve they u&s;e enchant|ments, and who after they have been ugly in their infancy, become fair in &s;ix moneths; yet <HI>Arpalice</HI> did not onely promi&s;e beauty in her mo&s;t tender years, but abundance of &s;pirit; a &s;pirit &s;o gallant, &s;o high, &s;o noble, &s;o pa&s;&s;ionate for liberty, and &s;uch an enemy to all &s;ubjecti|on and con&s;traint, that I have heard &s;ay a hundred times, a plea&s;ure commanded did lo&s;e the plea&s;ure of it: You may imagine therefore, that nothing could fall out more oppo&s;ite to her humour then to be engaged at &s;even years of age, to marry <HI>Menecrates:</HI> not but that he was exceedingly hand&s;ome; but though he had been the hand&s;ome&s;t man upon earth, yet he would
<PB N="137" REF="555">
never have got the heart of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> out of his rea&s;on al&s;o, that &s;he did not chu&s;e him; and truly, I think another thing did much di&s;union the &s;pirits of the&s;e two per&s;ons, which was, that <HI>Menecrates</HI> was of an imperious nature, and an enemy to any thing that cro&s;&s;ed his in|clination; &s;o that it may be &s;aid, that <HI>Arpalice</HI> loved liberty, and <HI>Menecrates</HI> loved licentiou&s;-ne&s;&s;e. But to return unto the beginning of their lives: be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> and her brother who were the Tutors of <HI>Arpalice</HI> and <HI>Parmenides,</HI> did think them&s;elves obliged to &s;ee the la&s;t will of <HI>Arpalices</HI> Father and mother executed: &s;o that they u&s;ed all their endea|vours to incline the heart of this young Lady to love <HI>Menecrates:</HI> on the other &s;ide, the friends of this pretended lover did &s;o expre&s;ly command him to court his young mi&s;tri&s;&s;e, that being not at an age to di&s;obey them, he was continually with her: at lea&s;t, at &s;uch times when he was not bu&s;ied with his Tutors, who taught him &s;uch things as one of his quality ought to learne: and they &s;aw one another &s;o oft, that it may be &s;aid, they &s;aw one another too often to love. The three fir&s;t years both of them being very young, it was not ob&s;erved, that there was any &s;tronge aver&s;ion in the heart of <HI>Arpalice</HI> towards <HI>Menecrates:</HI> nor any great affection in the heart of <HI>Menecrates&punc;</HI> towards <HI>Arpalice:</HI> But alwaies doing as their Parents bad them; <HI>Menecrates</HI> &s;end a thou&s;and pritty knacks for tokens unto <HI>Arpalice</HI> which &s;he received very civilly more for the love of the things, then the &s;ender: if they danced or walked, it was alwaies together; and they never enjoyed any plea&s;ures a&s;under: yet this la&s;ted not long: for <HI>Menecrates</HI> being &s;eaven years elder then <HI>Arpalice,</HI> when he was eighteen, &amp; &s;he but eleaven: &s;o that having lo&s;t his Father, he began to live after &s;ome mode, and to u&s;e her like a child, &amp; entred into the world with all the liberty of a young man of an impetuous &s;pirit: Yet his de&s;igne was to marry <HI>Arpalice,</HI> &amp; to keep her in hand with &s;ome trivial tokens, but in &s;uch a negligent manner, that as young as &s;he was, &s;he took notice of it, and &s;lighted him. However be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Menecrates</HI> having no mind to lo&s;e <HI>Arpalices</HI> e&s;tate, contracted an intimate friend&s;hip with <HI>Parmenides,</HI> for he concurring in age, he loved the brother better then the &s;i&s;ter: Al&s;o there was a &s;ympathy of humors between them: but though he had &s;crewed him&s;elf into his affecti|on, yet he did not neglect <HI>Arpalice.</HI> Thus did he &s;wim in all delights and plea&s;ures, and belie|ved him&s;elf, as &s;ome fort of men u&s;e to do, who though they be married, yet make a pro|fe&s;&s;ion of Court&s;hip and Gallantry. When he was in any of his Gallantries, either he would not come before <HI>Arpalices</HI> window; or if he did, it was &s;o late, that &s;he &s;hould not &s;ee him: if &s;he were at any meeting, he took her out to dance not above once, or twice at the mo&s;t, and then would leave her to go and talke with &s;ome other whom his heart more liked: All the ad|vi&s;es of his mother and friends were in vain, when they told him that <HI>Apalice</HI> had more wit then years: that he did ill to u&s;e her &s;o; that he would move her unto an aver&s;ion; which in|deed he did, for all his care was to plea&s;e him&s;elfe, telling all tho&s;e who &s;poke unto him, that he would let <HI>Arpalices</HI> beauty grow a little, before he would apply all his Court&s;hips and re&s;pects unto her: things being upon the&s;e termes, and <HI>Arpalice</HI> being &s;ome twelve or thirteen years of age, he de&s;igned to travell with <HI>Parmenides,</HI> and not to return untill three years were expired: So that during his ab&s;ence, the beauty of <HI>Arpalice</HI> grew to be (as now you &s;ee it) a very miracle, and was an admiration to all <HI>Lycia: Cydipe</HI> was al&s;o very fair; and the &s;i&s;ter of <HI>Menecrates</HI> called <HI>Cleoxine,</HI> who was much about the age of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> was al&s;o very love|ly; &s;o that it might very truly be &s;aid, the&s;e three were the greate&s;t ornaments of our Towne: and &s;ince I &s;aw them every day, it was ea&s;ie for me to get their friend&s;hip: and truly of all the three, <HI>Arpalice</HI> did mo&s;t take my heart: and &s;uch a knot of friend&s;hip was tyed be|tween us, as nothing can di&s;&s;olve: In the meane time; though <HI>Arpalice</HI> was a wonder of beau|ty, yet none dur&s;t engage them&s;elves to &s;erve her: &s;he charmed the eyes of all that looked up|on her, and every one defended them&s;elves again&s;t the inchantment of her beauty: the com|mendations which every one gave her, was to &s;hun her with all care, le&s;t &s;he &s;hould exact more love and adoration then hopes: every one lamented that it was not permittable to &s;erve her o|penly; and vented a hundred things which confirmed her, in her love of liberty. Yet cu&s;tom, rea&s;on and mode&s;ty willing her to follow her own humour, &s;he concealed her re&s;entments as much as &s;he could: Yet in the &s;ecret of her heart &s;he had an extreame unwillingne&s;&s;e to be for|ced unto the mo&s;t important action of her life which ought to be mo&s;t free: &s;he knew very well, that &s;he made all tho&s;e de&s;pair that thought upon her in love: and &s;he knew al&s;o, that the rea&s;on why &s;he denyed all, was becau&s;e &s;he was promi&s;ed unto <HI>Menecrates:</HI> Moreover, &s;he perceived that all the friends of <HI>Menecrates,</HI> kept ob&s;ervant eyes upon her. So that &s;he lived in &s;uch a con&s;traint, as a Lady of quality called <HI>Zenocrite,</HI> who had a plea&s;ant wit in Rallary, termed her the fair &s;lave; and this name was &s;o much u&s;ed among&s;t us, as we called her by it as much as by her own name: for &s;he being of a &s;weet plea&s;ing &s;pirit, &s;he would not be angry at
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any Rallary, and the truth was <HI>Zenocrite</HI> was &s;uch a per&s;on as might &s;ay what &s;he would without any exception: and truly there was more Gallants frequented this Ladies hou&s;e whom I la&s;t named, then any other in the Town. <HI>Zenocrite</HI> is fair, of a good per&s;on, her Phy&s;ognomie &s;ubtile, though &s;he had a kind of langui&s;hing aire: &s;he &s;poke things as if &s;he ne|ver thought them: yet &s;poke them more &s;prightly then tho&s;e that did think them: &s;he had an admirable fancy, and would turn things mo&s;t plea&s;antly: &s;he would &s;ometimes tell a &s;tory in mo&s;t elegant termes; and would &s;omtimes be &s;atyricall in four words: yet was &s;he of a good and generous nature: and if &s;he &s;pake in the di&s;advantage of any one, it was more out of an exce&s;s; of rea&s;on and &s;incerity, and out of an impetuo&s;ity of wit and fancy (which &s;he could not hold in) then out of malice. The rare&s;t of her qualities was, that the &s;adne&s;&s;e of her &s;pirit did often time cau&s;e joy in others: For where &s;he lamented the mi&s;eries of the time, or of ill government, &s;he did it in &s;uch a plea&s;ant manner, that &s;he did more delight company by her complaints and murmures, then others could do in their mo&s;t frolique humours: &s;he had all the newes, which &s;he did alwaies poli&s;h in the relation; not that &s;he changed it, but, that in her Comment upon it, &s;he was mo&s;t agreeable company. Moreover, there being alwaies abundance of company at her hou&s;e: Liberty was alwaies free, tho&s;e that would be &s;ad might be &s;o, tho&s;e that would be frolique might be &s;o, tho&s;e that had no mind to &s;peak might be &s;ilent; &s;o that every one might find there a &s;atisfaction for his humour: to conclude my de|&s;cription of her, <HI>Zenocrite</HI> was a per&s;on every way extraordinary; you may conceive then, that <HI>Arpalice</HI> having &s;o fine a &s;pirit, and living in the Neighborhood, did &s;ee her very oft, and this priviledge &s;he had, that <HI>Zenocrite</HI> &s;poke of her, as a per&s;on whom &s;he e&s;teemed very much; and I think that I may truly &s;ay the conver&s;ation which <HI>Arpalice</HI> had with her, did not a little confirm her love of liberty: and when &s;he did aggravate the inju&s;tice of tho&s;e who do ab&s;olutely di&s;po&s;e of the wills of others, not knowing whether it be &s;utable to their minds or no, it mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed &s;he &s;poke rea&s;on; and truly it is very &s;trange, to &s;ee fa|thers oblige the Children to marry, not knowing whether they love or hate; whether their humours be &s;utable or oppo&s;ite: and if they can but pa&s;&s;e away an afternoon without wearine&s;&s;e, no matter for all their lives after. Since all that <HI>Zenocrite</HI> &s;aid &s;eriou&s;ly, ob&s;erved and exactly related, the friends of <HI>Menecrates</HI> did all they could to hinder <HI>Arpalice</HI> from &s;eeing her &s;o often; but <HI>Arpalice</HI> had alwaies been well u&s;ed there, &s;ay what they would, &s;hee would not be kept from thence: telling them, that &s;ince <HI>Zenocrite</HI> was a woman of no le&s;&s;e vertue then wit, &s;he knew not why &s;he &s;hould not &s;ee her: the thing which mo&s;t netled them was, that in &s;eeing <HI>Zenocrite, Arpalice</HI> &s;aw all the Gallants in <HI>Lycia:</HI> yet &s;ince they were for|ced to be patient, and to &s;et &s;ome &s;pies to ob&s;erve whether any one Courted <HI>Arpalice,</HI> man|gre her engagement: but all their ob&s;ervant paines were in vain, for &s;ince, <HI>Menecrates</HI> was a man of high quality, and &s;ince it was known that <HI>Parmenides</HI> de&s;ired this marriage &s;hould go forward, notwith&s;tanding all <HI>Arpalices</HI> charmes, and what inclinations &s;oever they had to her, all tho&s;e who fell in love with her, did &s;tifle their pa&s;&s;ions, and would not regularly ap|ply them&s;elves to &s;erve her: Thus every one did commend her and e&s;teem her, but none dur&s;t love her: I leave it unto your imagination, how perplexed &s;he was to &s;ee, that if &s;he were free, &s;he might chu&s;e as &s;he would; and yet &s;he &s;aw &s;he was forced to marry <HI>Menecrates</HI> whom &s;he could not endure: how oft has &s;he made her complaints unto me? and how oft has &s;he wi&s;h|ed, that &s;he were poor &s;o &s;he were free? This being the po&s;ture of things, the friends of <HI>Mene|crates</HI> receiving continuall letters from him, intended to &s;end him <HI>Arpalices</HI> Picture, that he might &s;ee how &s;he was improved, hoping to make him the &s;ooner return: They addre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves unto him who had the di&s;po&s;ition of her, to get Picture taken, and comman|ded it with &s;uch peremptory authority, that obey &s;he mu&s;t. Yet &s;hee deferred it as long as po&s;&s;ible, and there was no pretence which &s;he did not make u&s;e of, to excu&s;e her &s;elfe: one day &s;he had an ill dre&s;&s;e on, another day &s;he had not &s;lept well in the night, and therefore did not look plea&s;ant enough to have her Picture taken: another time, &s;he had promi&s;ed a vi&s;it, but at la&s;t, after all the&s;e delaies and excu&s;es &s;he mu&s;t obey. For my part, I have wondred a hun|dred times how they could take her Picture with any re&s;emblance, con&s;idering the fretting melancholy that was in her a&s;pect, and the impatience &s;he did fit in; for &s;he changed her coun|tenance continually, according to the variety of thoughts in her mind: &s;he did almo&s;t never &s;it &s;till, but was alwales re&s;tle&s;&s;e and ready to ri&s;e; and truly if the Artificer had not been a man of an admirable fancy, and the mo&s;t excellent man in his art that was in the World, he could never have done what he did; for notwith&s;tanding all the re&s;tle&s;&s;e impatience of <HI>Ar|palice</HI> he took her Picture marvellous like her. As much incen&s;ed as &s;he was again&s;t <HI>Menecrates;</HI>
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for all her &s;pite again&s;t the Picture drawer, yet &s;he was very glad to &s;ee it, when it was fini&s;hed; for in what humour &s;oever one is in, you know, one would not wi&s;h long to appeare ill favoured. So that <HI>Arpalice</HI> cheering up her &s;elfe by little and little, con&s;ented that they &s;hould &s;end her Picture unto <HI>Menecrates:</HI> and &s;ince it was in a very little modell, it was put into a very fine Ca&s;e, and &s;ent unto him, yet <HI>Arpalice</HI> would not have it &s;ent as from her, nor that they &s;hould &s;end him word, &s;he con&s;ented unto it. But I be&s;eech you admire a little at the wonderfull juncture of things; when <HI>Menecrates</HI> received this Picture, he was at <HI>Apamea,</HI> where was al&s;o a Halicarna&s;ian man of quality, named <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> who had no other de|&s;ignes in his being there but as a Traveller. And as you know, the Phrygian Mu&s;ique is mo&s;t admirable, there was a place in that Town where at certain daies was kept a con&s;ort of voices and In&s;truments, unto which all the Gallants re&s;orted, when they had lea&s;ure: &s;ome onely, becau&s;e they loved Mu&s;ique, and others out of love to company, which was infallibly to be found there. So that <HI>Menecrates, Parmenides,</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;im<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">des,</HI> all three men of much &s;pirit, and curio&s;ity, failed not to be there: And as we commonly &s;ee, tho&s;e who are &s;trangers in any Town, though they be not of the &s;ame Country, yet have a di&s;po&s;ition to conver&s;e together with tho&s;e of the &s;ame Province they are of; So, it chanced that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> &s;ought occa&s;i|ons of talking with <HI>Parmenides,</HI> and with <HI>Menecrates,</HI> and finding them both to be men of much &s;pirit, he accu&s;tomed him&s;elf to talke ofter with them then any others; and &s;ince in &s;uch places as that, it is not u&s;uall to talke of very &s;erious or important matters, they began to di&s;cour&s;e of the difference which is in the beauty of women, according to the &s;everall pla|ces where they are borne: So that pa&s;&s;ing iu&s;en&s;ibly from one thing unto another, they asked each other reciprocally, if there were any excellent beauties in the places where they were born? And &s;ince <HI>Menecrates</HI> was the fir&s;t which asked the que&s;tion, <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> an&s;wered him, that there were many very lovely ones in his Country; but, &s;aid he, for all that, I am mo&s;t unhappy, for the truth is, that at this pre&s;ent, there is hardly an excellent beauty in all the <HI>Halicurna&s;&s;us,</HI> though &s;ome ten or twelve years &s;ince, there were a thou&s;and mo&s;t rare ones: and it may be &s;aid, that the &s;tarres in our Court are &s;et, and &s;hine not: It is not &s;o in our Town, replyed <HI>Parmenides,</HI> for there are an infinite number of ri&s;ing &s;tarres and growing beauties. And to let you &s;ee one of them, &s;aid <HI>Menecrates,</HI> look upon the Picture of one of our fair ones. In &s;aying &s;o, he &s;hewed him <HI>Arpalices,</HI> which he received that morning. <HI>Thra|&s;imedes,</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw it, but he confe&s;&s;ed, he never &s;aw any &s;o fair, asking often, whether it was not one of tho&s;e Pictures which more &s;hew the excellency of the Arti&s;t then the reall re|&s;emblance of any one: whil&s;t <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Parmenides</HI> was called away, by &s;ome that would &s;peak with him; &s;o that &s;taying &s;till with <HI>Menecrates,</HI> he began more and more to ad|mire the beauty of this Picture, and asked him, whether it was the Picture of any with whom he was in love, or of &s;ome of his kindred? for I &s;uppo&s;e, &s;aid he, it mu&s;t be one of tho&s;e two; It is neither of the one nor the other, replyed <HI>Menecrates,</HI> for I a&s;&s;ure you, that <HI>Arpa|lice</HI> who&s;e Picture you &s;ee is not my Co&s;en, nor am I in love with her: Is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid <HI>Thra&s;imedes)</HI> you &s;hould know this per&s;on and not love her? Doubtle&s;&s;e I can, replyed hee, and very ea&s;ily. 'Tis true, when I came from the place where &s;he is, &s;he was not &s;o fair then, as now, and they write unto me that &s;he is more charming then her Picture. Whil&s;t <HI>Menecra|tes</HI> was talking thus, <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> looked &s;till upon the Picture with much admiration; but at la&s;t, he re&s;tored it unto him again, and talked of other things. At their going out from thence, they went unto one of tho&s;e hou&s;es where gaming is u&s;ed, and which is open to all commers, for <HI>Phrygia</HI> being near neighbour unto <HI>Lydia,</HI> and as you know the <HI>Lydians</HI> are the inventers of mo&s;t games of chance, &s;o play is u&s;ed as much at <HI>Apamea,</HI> as at <HI>Sardis. Mene|crates</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> coming into this hou&s;e, (where <HI>Parmenides</HI> was not) <HI>Menecrates</HI> pre&s;ently began to play, but with &s;uch ill luck, that he lo&s;t all he had about him, except the Picture of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> who&s;e Ca&s;e was of Gold with a circle of Diamonds. So that having no money to play, and being de&s;perate; he offered tho&s;e he played again&s;t, to play the Ca&s;e of the Picture, but <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> not giving them time to an&s;wer, told <HI>Menecrates,</HI> that if he were re&s;olved to play that Ca&s;e, he de&s;ired it might be with him, and upon condition, that the Picture might be in it, he would &s;take the double value to what it co&s;t. <HI>Menecrates</HI> did pau&s;e upon it a little, but his hot de&s;ire of play, and greedine&s;&s;e to win back &s;ome part of what he had lo&s;t, being prevalent with him, he accepted of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> his offer, yet de&s;ired no more for a &s;take then the ju&s;t value of the thing: he was the &s;ooner induced unto this re&s;olution, be|cau&s;e he thought <HI>Arpalice</HI> could never come to know how he played her Picture, &amp; as for <HI>Par|menides,</HI> he did not fear that he would be angry, for there was &s;uch a &s;trong linke of friend&s;hip between them, that nothing could break it: But to be &s;hort, <HI>Menecrates</HI> lo&s;t the Ca&s;e, Picture &amp;
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all; and <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> wonne it, yet offered afterwards to lend him money to play, but h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> fretting at the unkindne&s;&s;e of fortune, he went home as melancholy at his lo&s;&s;e as <HI>Thra&s;i|medes</HI> was merry at the winning it; yet <HI>Menecrates</HI> did fret more at his ill fortune in gene|rall, then at the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Arpalices</HI> Picture in particular; for having a greater love to play, then to her, he was more &s;en&s;ible of the one then the other. Al&s;o knowing, that in all like|lyhood the &s;ub&s;tance of that Picture which he had lo&s;t, would infallibly be his, he did no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> re&s;ent the lo&s;&s;e: As for <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> he was not of that mind, for he was better plea&s;ed in winning this Ca&s;e and Picture, then if he had wonne a much more con&s;iderable value in money: So that fearing <HI>Menecrates</HI> would engage him to play it again if he &s;aw him, he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;hunned meeting with him, which he might ea&s;ily doe; for having but two dayes to &s;tay i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Apamea,</HI> he would not appear in his &s;ight, yet he went to bid him adien, and <HI>Parmenide<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> al&s;o, but as chance was he met with neither of them, and &s;o he took his journey without &s;eeing them, I &s;hall not be &s;o tedious as to tell you unto what Town he went; &s;ince it is not pertinent to my &s;tory; but give me leave to tell you, that in all places he came at, he care|fully ob&s;erved whether he could &s;ee any woman &s;o fair as that Picture: But whether really he met with none who had &s;o much beauty, or whether he found none that plea&s;ed him &s;o well as that of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> certainly he gave her the preheminence in his heart. After then he had wandered through divers places in Lower <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> as he was ready to return unto <HI>Hali|carna&s;&s;us,</HI> he began to chide him&s;elf for being of that humour, who had rather &s;ee things which are le&s;&s;e rare, becau&s;e they are farther off, then things of more worthy ob&s;ervation, becau&s;e they are at home: And that <HI>Caria,</HI> and <HI>Licia</HI> doe joyn, yet he never had been at <HI>Pa|tara,</HI> though men from all corners of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> come thither to con&s;ult with the Oracle of <HI>A|pollo;</HI> and many al&s;o come into <HI>Licia</HI> to &s;ee the Mountain of <HI>Chimera: Thra&s;imedes</HI> there|fore re&s;olved to &s;ee our Country; and he added unto his generall curio&s;ity of &s;eeing all the R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ties of our Town, his particular de&s;ire of &s;eeing <HI>Arpalice.</HI> Then took he his way unto <HI>Patara,</HI> where he arrived in the mo&s;t plea&s;ant &s;ea&s;on of all the year: But before I re|late how he lived, it is convenient I tell you his admirable adventure which happened unto him, the fir&s;t day he came unto the Town. Know then, that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> remembring hee knew a man whom he had &s;een in <HI>Hallicarna&s;sus,</HI> &s;ent to enquire whether he was in the Town before he entered him&s;elf, to know whether he might lodge at his hou&s;e according to the Laws of Ho&s;pitality, which all Nations doe reverence. He &s;ent therefore a &s;ervant unto his acquaintance, with a Letter importing this reque&s;t: Hee was &s;ome fifteen Furlongs from the place when he &s;ent this &s;ervant; and it was in &s;uch a very delightfull place, that he re&s;olved to &s;tay there with another &s;ervant who walked his hor&s;e, untill the other returned; for it is not the cu&s;tome of Travellers for to goe with any great Traine: Since it was not late, he thought he had time enough to &s;tay for a returne of him he &s;ent unto the Town, and &s;ince it was in a wonderous plea&s;ant place, hee was the more invited to &s;tay: For imagine a little Valley, &s;urrounded with Hills, intermingled with Rocks, at the bottome of which ran a little Brook that cro&s;&s;ed the valley, on the banks of which grew abundance of wild Willows, which made a mo&s;t plea&s;ant &s;hade. As an ad|dition of delight unto the pro&s;pect of this place, there was a neat hou&s;e, built upon one of tho&s;e Hills, and as one walked unto it by the &s;ide of the River one might &s;ee between the point of two Rocks (which &s;eemed purpo&s;ely for that to &s;eparate) the Town of <HI>Patara</HI> a far off: This was the place, amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> where <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> &s;tayed waiting for his &s;ervant: At fir&s;t when he lighted from hor&s;e, which he gave unto his other &s;ervant to hold, he began to walk along the River &s;ide in this plea&s;ant &s;haddow of Willows, and walked &s;o long forward, that his &s;ervant lo&s;t the &s;ight of him; yet &s;ince he commanded him to &s;tay in that place, and knew he would return, becau&s;e the way which <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> walked was quite contrary to the way towards the Town, his being out of &s;ight never troubled him. In the mean time after <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> had walked him&s;elf weary, he &s;ate down at the root of a tree, where he fell into a deep contemplation, and mu&s;ing upon pa&s;t adventures; but his mu&s;ing be|ing none of tho&s;e kinds that are cau&s;ed by the running of Rivers, or the ruffling of leaves, when the wind blows them, or which comes upon one without any cau&s;e, it is requi&s;ite you know, that he had been in love in his own country, and travelled onely to cure him&s;elf of that pa&s;&s;ion which he had unto one who betrayed him, and who indeed had more lightne&s;&s;e then beauty. In the mean time anger and ab&s;ence had cooled his pa&s;&s;ion, which to &s;ay truly he could never call love; yet in all his Travels he could not meet with one Beauty which hee preferred before this of his perfidious Mi&s;tris, except this of <HI>Arpalice:</HI> So that conceiving the &s;ight of this Picture was a remedy wherewith to drive out of his imagination the Idea of
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that per&s;on whom he would forget, he continually carryed it about him ever &s;ince he wonne it; and being in this plea&s;ant &s;olitary place, he drew this Picture out of his pocket, and be|gan &s;eriou&s;ly to contemplate upon it. He lay almo&s;t all along, his head leaning upon a little tuft of gra&s;&s;e which grew at the foot of a Willow, holding in his hand the Picture of <HI>Arpa|lice;</HI> but after he was well compo&s;ed in his own thoughts, and agreed that the per&s;on whom he would not love was not &s;o fair as that Picture, his mu&s;ing did grow more confu&s;ed, and he thought upon ju&s;t nothing, no not &s;o much as upon the Picture which he held in his hand: So that it being very hot, and he being up betimes, the murmuring of the brook, the ruffling of the leaves, the &s;inging of the Birds being all inviters unto &s;leep, e&s;pecially a man who had neither any great joy or &s;orrow in his &s;oul, <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> fell a&s;leep: The Ca&s;e which he held in his hand falling out of it: Whil&s;t <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> &s;lept thus, you mu&s;t know, that <HI>Lyca&s;te, Cydipe, Arpalice,</HI> and my &s;elf, with many others were come out to walk unto this pretty neat hou&s;e, which I told you was built upon one of tho&s;e hills which compa&s;&s;ed about the valley where <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> &s;lept: For &s;ince it belonged unto <HI>Zenocrite,</HI> we frequented it as if it were our own. In the mean time be plea&s;ed to know, that there was a great League between <HI>Arpalice</HI> and my &s;elf, and therefore we never took delight in our walks, unle&s;&s;e we talked together in private, &s;o that we alwaies took &s;ome occa&s;ion or other to &s;eparate from the re&s;t of the company, and impart our thoughts freely unto each other. It chanced that day, that having &s;omething or other to tell <HI>Arpalice,</HI> I entreated her that we might talk together; &s;o upon the fir&s;t opportunity we parted from the company, and went out at the back Garden door, where there was a good path unto the Rivers &s;ide: And after we had walked a little way, <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;topping &s;uddenly, beckned unto me to hold my peace, and &s;hewed unto me among&s;t the Trees, <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> a&s;leep, as I told you before: At fir&s;t <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;eeing by his habit, that he was a man of &s;ome quality, her de&s;ign was for us to turn back, being unwill|ing to be &s;een in &s;uch a &s;olitary place with &s;o little company: But &s;ince I &s;aw we were not far from our retreat, I was bolder then <HI>Arpalice,</HI> for I would needs look upon <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> a little nearer, wondering to &s;ee &s;uch a man &s;leeping in &s;uch a place, not &s;eeing any hor&s;e or &s;ervant which he had. I went then &s;ome &s;teps nearer him, whether <HI>Arpalice</HI> would or no, and taking her by the gown forced her to follow: But &s;he and I had no &s;ooner pa&s;&s;ed by two ranks of trees, then we e&s;pied the Ca&s;e of the Picture which fell out of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> his hand, as I told you before: We no &s;ooner &s;aw it, but a fre&s;h curio&s;ity rai&s;ed our &s;pirits, though we did not yet know it to be the &s;ame which was &s;ent unto <HI>Menecrates,</HI> for the gra&s;&s;e did halfe hide it. But the wonder was, that <HI>Arpalice,</HI> who till then was the mo&s;t timerous, did now grow the bolder of the two, and being prompted by a &s;trong curio&s;ity, after &s;he had looked about whether or no any came, and after &s;he had ob&s;erved the Stranger &s;lept &s;oundly, &s;he went to take up the Ca&s;e; &s;he was &s;o taken with ob&s;erving the face of him which &s;lept, as &s;hee took up the Ca&s;e, hardly &s;o much as looking upon it; but retiring back with the &s;ame wari|ne&s;&s;e wherewith &s;he approached, we went to look upon the Picture which we &s;u&s;pected to be in the Ca&s;e, yet with intentions to put it into the &s;ame place where <HI>Arpalice</HI> found it; for you may imagine that we had no de&s;igne of playing the Theeves: And indeed I had taken out of my pocket a little Inkhorn and paper, intending to write &s;ome conceit within it, to the end that this &s;leeping man whom we thought to be a Lover, might &s;ee the Picture of his Mi&s;tris was taken from him, and that he might read a reprehen&s;ion for his negligence. You know, &s;weet <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> how plea&s;ant &s;uch adventures as the&s;e are to people of our age, and therefore <HI>Arpalice</HI> and my &s;elf were exceedingly delighted with this conceit: But when <HI>Arpalice</HI> and I were behind the Willows, and looked upon this Ca&s;e, we were extreamly &s;urpri&s;ed to &s;ee it was the &s;ame which was &s;ent unto <HI>Menecrates,</HI> or at lea&s;t extraordinary like it; yet it was &s;uch a far fetcht conceit to think it was the &s;ame, that we did give our own eyes the lye, and did not open it with any thought to finde <HI>Arpalices</HI> Picture. You may well imagine how we were a&s;toni&s;hed, when we &s;aw it to be the very &s;ame which was &s;ent unto <HI>Menecrates.</HI> However &s;ince we were over near the Stranger to rea&s;on upon this adven|ture without danger of waking him, we went farther off, &s;till looking behind us to &s;ee whether the man did not ri&s;e up and follow us. But at la&s;t, being got unto the foot of the Hill, we asked each other how it was po&s;&s;ible the Picture &s;hould come into his hands? For my part (&s;aid I unto <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and &s;miled when &s;he asked me the que&s;tion) If I credit my own eyes, I cannot doubt but that it is the &s;ame which was &s;ent <HI>Menecrates,</HI> and in rea&s;on I have &s;ome cau&s;e of &s;u&s;pition, that there is &s;ome &s;ecret peece of gallantry betwixt you and this Stranger, which you conceal from me. This thought is &s;o injurious (replyed &s;he) that I can|not beleeve you &s;peak it &s;eriou&s;ly. Truly (&s;aid I, and laughed) I cannot tell whether I &s;hould
<PB N="142" REF="558">
be in jea&s;t or earne&s;t; for how do you thinke I &s;hould give a ju&s;t judgement upon a thing &s;o full of admiration? the thing which mo&s;t perplexes me, replyed &s;he, is, that I know not how to be &s;atisfied of this adventure: there is no way, replyed I, but to waken him; oh <HI>Candiope,</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Arpalice,</HI> I am farre from your opinion: for I am ju&s;t now in &s;uch a fear that hee &s;hould wake, that for all my great de&s;ire to &s;ee what he will do when he finds that he hath lo&s;t my Picture, as I am re&s;olved to retain: And &s;ince I believe he will grieve more for the lo&s;&s;e of the Ca&s;e, then the Picture, I will &s;end the Ca&s;e unto him by a &s;ervant, after I have taken out the Picture: therefore I intreat your a&s;&s;i&s;tance in finding out &s;uch a one, as I may tru&s;t with it. For my part, I do confe&s;&s;e, I had a good mind to have &s;ome di&s;cour&s;e with him. But as we were in conte&s;t about it, one of our women, who had been looking us all out, came to tell us, that the Coach<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, were ready, that <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> &s;tayed for us: &s;o that all our bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was, to find out &s;ome fit officer, to watch this &s;tranger, and to follow him unto his loding. Yet we could meet with none but a Gardiner, whom we in&s;tructed as well as we could; and ob|liged him by promi&s;es to do as we de&s;ire. The truth is, he &s;eemed &s;o dull, that we had little hopes in his negotiation, nor dur&s;t we tru&s;t him with the Ca&s;e to give unto this &s;tranger: Yet he promised us, to come the next morning, and give us intelligence: and truly we had not much time to in&s;truct him, for no le&s;&s;e then four me&s;&s;engers came for us, in le&s;&s;e then a quarter of an hour; when we came unto the re&s;t of the company, they chid us for leaving them &s;o long: <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> told us in halfe earne&s;t halfe jea&s;t, that per&s;ons of our age could not have any &s;uch long &s;ecret conferences, but they mu&s;t &s;tand in need of &s;ome favourable con&s;truction: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Arpalice</HI> (who could not endure con&s;traint) if any &s;hould offer to take from me the liberty of my &s;ilence, I think I &s;hould talke continually: And on the other &s;ide, if I &s;hould be commanded to talke alwaies, I would be dumbe as long as I lived; And truly (&s;aid &s;he and &s;miled to colour her de&s;ign of talking with me) I have &s;uch a longing de&s;ire to talk unto <HI>Candiope</HI> in a low voice, that I do not think I can forbear: after this, &s;he came and whi&s;|pered &s;omething in my ear. At fir&s;t, they thought much we &s;hould whi&s;per thus, and were continually interrupting us; but at la&s;t, they let us alone: and wee talked as much as we would, not onely in the Coach, but al&s;o in that Garden which wee went to &s;ee: Then did wee racke our imaginations to gue&s;&s;e, which way po&s;&s;ibly this &s;tranger could come by this Picture; but all our thoughts could not hit upon the truth. We could not &s;u&s;pect that <HI>Menecra|tes</HI> gave it unto him: nor could we think the man &s;tole it con&s;idering his habit and hand&s;om|ne&s;s, to imagine that <HI>Menecrates</HI> had lo&s;t it at&punc; play, was a farre fetched thought: The be&s;t that we could imagine was, that he had lo&s;t it, and they found it. But at la&s;t, we returned home to the Towne, where we were no &s;ooner come, but we were informed that the husband of <HI>Ly|ca&s;te</HI> named <HI>Menophiles,</HI> was returned from his journey of eight daies, which he had taken, &amp; that he had brought home with him a &s;tranger, who &s;eemed to be a man of quality, but &s;o much wounded, that the Chirurgeons came to dre&s;&s;e him. <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> no &s;ooner heard this, but out of a curio&s;ity and compa&s;&s;ion together &s;he went immediately unto the Chamber where her hu&s;|band was with this &s;tranger: <HI>Arpalice</HI> and I, moved with the &s;ame curio&s;ity, followed her; but <HI>Cydipe</HI> would not, becau&s;e &s;he was apt to &s;ound if &s;he were in the room with a wounded man. As &s;oon as we &s;tept into the Chamber, <HI>Menophiles</HI> beckned that wee &s;hould make no noi&s;e; and to prevent it he came unto us into the outer room, where he no &s;ooner was, but <HI>Ly|ca&s;te</HI> asked him very earne&s;tly who this was of whom he had &s;uch care? It is, &s;aid he unto her, the mo&s;t valiant man in the world, and the hand&s;ome&s;t. It is a man who&s;e life I would &s;ave, and who hath &s;aved my life. But after this, ask me no further, for I neither know his name nor his Country; but where did you meet with him? &s;aid <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> I met with him, &s;aid he, by the Brook &s;ide which runs under the Hill upon which <HI>Zenocrites</HI> hou&s;e is built, where I met a &s;ervant holding his hor&s;e, and pa&s;&s;ing on, I came unto that place in the valley, where there is a little path which leads unto <HI>Zenocrites</HI> Garden. You may well imagine, dear <HI>Dora|li&s;a,</HI> that <HI>Arpalice</HI> and I were very attentive unto this relation of <HI>Menophiles:</HI> which he con|tinued, being come unto the place, &s;aid he, I &s;aw him whom I &s;peak of with his &s;word in his hand, again&s;t four &s;ouldiers, defending him&s;elf, and fighting like a lyon. And though I had &s;ent all my men another way, but onely one Lacquey, yet I would needs relieve him: when they who were upon him &s;aw me with a &s;word in my hand, they divided them&s;elves, two to undertake him, and two upon me: they no &s;ooner turned towards me but my Lacquey ran away, &s;o that I was engaged with the&s;e two, who at fir&s;t killed my hor&s;e: after this, they wi&s;hed me not to meddle in a quarell which did not concern me; and &s;eemed to have no o|ther de&s;ign upon me, but to keep me from &s;topping their intentions of killing this man; but one of them turning about, and &s;eeing one of their fellowes which was upon this &s;tranger fall,
<PB N="143" REF="558">
fell upon me with all fury: I defended my &s;elf as well as I could, but certainly I had been killed, if this &s;tranger had not come into my reliefe as &s;oon as he had killed the other who fought with him. So that the two who were upon me, &s;eeing their fellowes both dead, and ob&s;erving that <HI>Zenocrites</HI> Garden dore opened, they had recour&s;e unto their heeles: This <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">nger and I pur&s;ued them, but in vain. In the mean time this valiant man was much wounded in the Combate again&s;t two, and lo&s;t blood by following them who fled: then turning back to thank me for what I had done, he fell dead at my feet: in the mean time, <HI>Zenocrites</HI> Garden dore opening as I &s;aid, and the Gardiner &s;eeing the pa&s;&s;age, called all that were in the hou&s;e to a&s;&s;i&s;t, and &s;o I got this illu&s;trious wounded man unto the place where now he is, intending to proportion my care of him according to his merit. After <HI>Menophiles</HI> had ended his relation of the pa&s;&s;age, <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> asked him a hundred que&s;tions, which <HI>Arpalice</HI> and I never minded: for we made no que&s;tion but this man whom <HI>Menophiles</HI> &s;poke of, was the &s;ame we &s;aw &s;leeping: So that we were both of us full of wonder, but not long, for under&s;tanding that this &s;tranger enquired whether any one found a Picture about the two &s;ouldiers which he had killed, <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> went into the Chamber, and we followed, perceiving him plainly to be the &s;ame we &s;aw &s;leeping; yet he did not know <HI>Arpalice:</HI> for his weakne&s;&s;e would hardly give him leave to open the curtain, and <HI>Arpalice</HI> did more then halfe hide her &s;elfe, behind <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> and me; &s;o that &s;he knew him, but he could not know her to be the &s;ame per&s;on, who&s;e Picture he had lo&s;t. Yet as weak as he was, he returned a very &s;prightly complement unto <HI>Lycaste,</HI> when &s;he told him, he was in a place where he might freely command any thing in it: but &s;ince the Chirurgeons would not have any to talke unto him, this conference la&s;ted not long: but <HI>Arpalice</HI> and I did not &s;o &s;oon as give over our di&s;cour&s;e upon this &s;urprizing adventure, but we re&s;olved not to &s;peak a word concerning this Picture, untill we were fur|ther informed of all circum&s;tances; but &s;ince I know you de&s;ire to know the cau&s;e of this com|bate, I will tell you what we heard the next morning. Chance would have it, that four Soul|diers pa&s;&s;ing by <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> as he was a&s;leep, he walked ju&s;t as they were within four or five paces of him; and ju&s;t as two of them looked upon him and laughed: whether it was at &s;ome|thing which concerned not him, or whether it was at his &s;o &s;tarting out of &s;leep, it is not known. But <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> walking, &s;eeking for his Picture, and not finding it, did think the&s;e &s;ouldiers who looked upon him and laughed, had taken it: but to move them unto a re&s;tituti|on, he &s;hewed no &s;ignes of anger, and calling to them, friends, &s;aid he unto them, it &s;eems you de&s;erve to be li&s;ted among the Lacedemonian Souldiers, therefore I de&s;ire you to re&s;tore, what you have taken from me, and in recompence I &s;hall with much willingne&s;&s;e give you the full worth of it: The Souldiers wondering to hear <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> to &s;ay &s;o, thought that hee was not well waked, began uncivilly to laugh aloud, and to tell him in an in&s;olent jeere, that they were very &s;orry he had not a better dream. In &s;hort, <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> being fully per&s;waded that the&s;e Souldiers had the Picture which he had lo&s;t, &s;aid &s;omething which let them know his thought, unto which they re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">orted &s;o extravagantly, as <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> in his anger could not forbear <HI>Menaces:</HI> In &s;o much as all four at once, a&s;&s;aulted him, either with intentions to make him fly or to kill him. But the odne&s;&s;e of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, was to &s;ee how he &s;till affirmed that the&s;e Souldiers had the Picture; when he related his adventure unto <HI>Menophiles</HI> and <HI>Ly|ca&s;te,</HI> aggravating the misfortune that hee &s;hould kill two of them and yet not find it: but knowing that tho&s;e two which fled, had it between them. In the mean time, the &s;ervant of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> being returned unto the place where he left his ma&s;ter, to tell him that his friend was ravi&s;hed with joy that he would lodge with him, he found the &s;ervant which walked his hor&s;e, who told him that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> commanded him to &s;tay there, and that he was gone to walk along the Brook &s;ide. Then both the &s;ervants followed the Brook; but they found onely the bodies of the&s;e two &s;ouldiers which were dead, and not yet taken away: Then were they much troubled; In the mean time, &s;ince it was very late, and they hearing no tidings of their Ma&s;ter, one &s;ervant went unto <HI>Zenocrites</HI> hou&s;e, where the Gardiner telling them what he knew, told them al&s;o that it was in vaine for them to think of getting into the Town, that day, becau&s;e the Gates would certainly be &s;hut before they could get thither. The next mor|ning the Gardiner according to his words came unto us, and brought with him the two &s;ervants of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> to let us under&s;tand the name and quality of their Ma&s;ter, which being known, all cares to a&s;&s;i&s;t him were doubled. However this being not enough to &s;atisfie the curio&s;ity of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> &s;he cau&s;ed one of her women who had wit enough, to aske the &s;ervant whether the Picture which his Ma&s;ter had lo&s;t, was the Picture of any of his owne Country with whom he was in love, thinking thereby to pumpe the truth out of him: and
<PB N="144" REF="559">
indeed the &s;ervant without any &s;ubtilty, told her how his ma&s;ter had wonne it at play in <HI>A|pamea,</HI> but told her not who lo&s;t it, or who&s;e it was, &s;ince he never &s;aw the Ca&s;e opened in which it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">s. I leave you to think, amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> how vexed <HI>Arpalice</HI> was when &s;hee he heard <HI>Menecrates</HI> &s;et &s;uch a &s;mall e&s;teem upon her Picture. I a&s;&s;ure you (&s;aid &s;he unto me the fir&s;t time &s;he heard it) <HI>Menecrates</HI> in lo&s;ing my Picture hath lo&s;t more then he is aware of; for after this affront, that poor pittance of complacency which I ob&s;erved towards him, &s;hall le&s;&s;en. I pray con&s;ider a little, how do you think he would u&s;e me if I were marryed, &s;ince he is carele&s;&s;e before he is my husband? As violent as <HI>Arpalice</HI> was, and angry, truly I could not condemn her; yet &s;he was much perplexed, and would not have it known how &s;he had been the innocent cau&s;e of this misfortune; yet &s;he had an earne&s;t de&s;ire that all the world might know what new cau&s;e of hatred &s;he had of <HI>Menecrates.</HI> However, we did not think it fit to make it known, that we took this Picture which had cau&s;ed &s;o &s;ad an accident; only to give it out that we knew that <HI>Menecrates</HI> had lo&s;t it at play, and however to have pa|tience for a while. In the mean while <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> recovered, and the Phy&s;itians and Chirur|geons all reported him to be pa&s;t all danger, &s;o that he began to enquire who it was unto whom he was &s;o much obliged; but &s;ince the names of <HI>Menophiles</HI> and <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> did not ac|quaint him that <HI>Arpalice</HI> was in the &s;ame hou&s;e, he could not know &s;he was there: But bee plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Arpalice</HI> being alone with her Aunt, &s;he was obliged to follow her in|to the chamber of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and it chanced al&s;o that <HI>Menophiles</HI> who went in the fir&s;t, having &s;omething to tell <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> in private, he took her towards the window, and left <HI>Arpa|lice</HI> alone by the bed &s;ide of this illu&s;trious wounded man. Imagine, I be&s;eech you, how infi|nitely was he &s;urpri&s;ed, when the per&s;on whom he &s;aw was the &s;ub&s;tance of that Picture which he had both wonne and lo&s;t; yet was he a while in doubt, becau&s;e he found her fairer then her Picture; but being confirmed in his opinion by the extreamly re&s;emblance which hee found in every part of <HI>Arpalices</HI> face, unto her Picture, he was even ravi&s;hed with joy at the encounter: <HI>Arpalice</HI> carefully ob&s;erving him, did ea&s;ily perceive the &s;ur|pri&s;e, and joy of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> but &s;ince hee was not yet in a fit condition for any long conver&s;ation, their vi&s;it continued not above a quarter of an hour: But whil&s;t it la&s;ted, hee de&s;ired <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> as hee had done <HI>Menophiles</HI> before, that hee might be carried unto a friends hou&s;e which he had in <HI>Pata<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> but &s;ince &s;he knew <HI>Menophiles</HI> would not &s;uffer him to goe out of his hou&s;e untill he was perfectly well, &s;he &s;poke unto him with all po&s;&s;ible civility, and &s;o retired. She was no &s;ooner gone, but he who <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> knew in the Town, came to &s;ee him: So that he being extreamly de&s;irous to be better informed con|cerning <HI>Arpalice,</HI> who&s;e Beauty &s;truck him with &s;o much admiration, he under&s;tood her to be the Neece of <HI>Menophiles</HI> and <HI>Lyca&s;te;</HI> that &s;he was promi&s;ed unto <HI>Menecrates,</HI> and that &s;he was Si&s;ter unto <HI>Parmenides:</HI> So that by this he came to know that <HI>Arpalice</HI> was to marry a man whom &s;he affected not, and one who did not much care for her; for &s;ince he had got her Picture &s;o ea&s;ily from her, and heard it from his own mouth, that he was not in love, he could not doubt it. But how is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid he unto him&s;elf) that one &s;o fair as &s;he &s;hould marry, and not be loved? For without all doubt &s;he is able to create love in all that have &s;oules. Really (&s;aid he unto his friend) the fate of <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;eems to be worthy of much compa&s;&s;ion: For though <HI>Menecrates</HI> be hand&s;om, and hath &s;pirit enough, yet &s;ince he cannot love her, he cannot be worthy of her. However, replyed his friend, it is not an ea&s;ie matter to alter her fate; for if &s;he refu&s;e to marry <HI>Menecrates</HI> &s;he will lo&s;e the greate&s;t part of her e&s;tate. She had better lo&s;e it all, replyed <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> then lo&s;e her liberty&punc; But if <HI>Arpalice</HI> be wi&s;e (&s;aid his friend) &s;he will not refu&s;e him; for as fair as &s;he is, &s;he will find but few lovers when her e&s;tate is gone. All men, replyed <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> are not &s;o covetou&s;ly minded as you think them; and if I &s;hould fall in love with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> I &s;hould make you alter your opinion. In the mean time, we had no &s;ooner acquainted <HI>Zenocrite</HI> how <HI>Menecrates</HI> had lo&s;t <HI>Arpalices</HI> Picture, but &s;he &s;et it all over the Town in &s;uch a plea&s;ant manner, &s;o full of anger and wit, that nothing el&s;e was talked on for eight dayes together. Al&s;o &s;he would receive it from <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> own mouth, and in order to that &s;he would vi&s;it him as &s;oon as he was in a condition to be &s;een; and coming to vi&s;it <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> as &s;he was in the chamber of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> &s;he would let none goe in to acquaint her, but went &s;traight her &s;elf: As &s;oon as &s;he was en|tered, &s;he &s;ent to de&s;ire <HI>Cydipe, Arpalice,</HI> and me, who were in another chamber, to come unto her in the chamber of <HI>Thra&s;imedes:</HI> and I think it was the very day that he fell in love with <HI>Arpalice:</HI> For her joy to hear <HI>Zenocrite</HI> &s;o bitter and wittie again&s;t <HI>Menecrates,</HI> made her &s;eem &s;o <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">air, that he was not able to defend him&s;elf again&s;t her charmes. After the fir&s;t complements were pa&s;&s;ed, <HI>Zenocrite</HI> was wonderous well acquainted with the whole Family
<PB N="145" REF="559">
of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> for it was one of her qualities that the knew almo&s;t all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> So that pa&s;&s;ing in&s;en&s;ibly from a conver&s;ation of civility, into a jollity of mirth, &s;he asked him &s;harply before <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> how much he &s;taked again&s;t <HI>Arpalices</HI> Picture, when he played with <HI>Menecrates:</HI> For I imagine (&s;aid &s;hee) that &s;ince hee has no judgement either<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Pictures or Diamonds, he would venture it for a little. It is not long of me, replyed <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> that much was not &s;taked again&s;t it, &s;ince I offered him to &s;take the double what&s;oever it co&s;t, only for the Ca&s;e; as for the Picture (&s;aid he, and looked upon <HI>Arpalice)</HI> all my e&s;tate is not e|quall to the prince of it. But, Madam (added he) how came you to know that <HI>Menecrates</HI> lo&s;t the Picture of the fair <HI>Arpalice?</HI> It &s;eems, &s;aid <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> that you are a &s;tranger in this Country, el&s;e you would not wonder that <HI>Zenocrite</HI> &s;hould know it. The pa&s;&s;age is &s;o re|markable (&s;aid <HI>Zenocrite)</HI> to &s;ee a Lover play away the Picture of his Mi&s;tris, that it mu&s;t needs be known all over the World. But I wonder why the friends of <HI>Menecrates</HI> &s;hould be &s;o ill advi&s;ed as to &s;end <HI>Arpalices</HI> Picture to him: For in my apprehen&s;ion there is nothing more ridiculous then the&s;e Family gallantries, which in the &s;ight of all the world are done by the con&s;ent, if not the force of friends. If I had known this (&s;aid <HI>Arpalice) Thra&s;imedes</HI> &s;hould have been better then he is: For <HI>Menecrates</HI> &s;hould never have had my Picture, and by cor&s;equence this misfortune which hath happened unto him &s;hould never have been. Do not call that a misfortune, Madam (replyed he) which brings me the honour to be known unto &s;o many noble per&s;ons. You may &s;ay what you plea&s;e (&s;aid I unto him) but I think three dangerous wounds which you have received may very well be called a misfortune. Three are &s;ome misfortunes (replyed he) which produce great happine&s;&s;e; and I may very well rank this to be in the number of them. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Zenocrite)</HI> &s;ince you do not dye of them, I am glad it happed &s;o; for I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, I have &s;uch &s;trange aver&s;ion unto all &s;uch Lovers as are by the la&s;t Will and Te&s;tament of Parents, and who are certain to marry their Mi&s;tris the fir&s;t day they &s;ee them, that I am glad they meet with &s;ome rubs in their pro|gre&s;&s;e: For take away feares, hopes, and mi&s;eries from love, and a lover is quite un&s;pirited: And to prove what I &s;ay, doe but imagine the mo&s;t compleat Gallant of the World, and con|ceive him to be with her whom he is to marry, the three or four preceding dayes before the Marriage, and imagine all his Brothers, Si&s;ters, Nephews, Neeces, Uncles, Aunts, Fathers, Mothers, Grandfathers, and Grandmothers came to rejoyce with him, I am mo&s;t confident you will confe&s;&s;e with me, that nothing will put him more out of countenance, be he never &s;o profe&s;&s;ed and declared a Lover: For my part, it does &s;o wound my eyes and imagination, that I cannot endure it. This is the ca&s;e of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> who ever &s;ince &s;he was born had her Lover before her eyes without love, whom &s;he alwayes looked upon as one that mu&s;t be in|fallibly her husband whether &s;he can fancy him or no. Whil&s;t <HI>Zenocrite</HI> was talking thus, <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> looked upon <HI>Arpalice</HI> mo&s;t attentively, and ob&s;erved that his friend was plea&s;ed with what &s;he &s;aid; but &s;o was not <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> who was angry at it; but <HI>Zenocrite</HI> being not accu&s;tomed to con&s;ult with the thoughts of others to expre&s;&s;e her own, continued talking, as &s;he begun, all the re&s;t of the day, knowing very well that <HI>Arpalice</HI> was not angry at her. Sometimes &s;he would de&s;cribe the&s;e kind of Lovers, afterwards repre&s;ent the &s;oule&s;&s;e &s;pirits of their Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es; then &s;he would compare them with reall Gallants, and ob&s;erve &s;uch no|table differences between them, that it was not po&s;&s;ible but to concur with her in her opini|ons. But (&s;aid I once unto her, and interrupted her) then it is requi&s;ite to bani&s;h quite all manner of court&s;hip and gallantry: For &s;ince a legitimate and ordained Gallant is not a Gallant, and that virtue will not admit of it otherwi&s;e, it mu&s;t be concluded that it mu&s;t not be admitted of at all. When I &s;aid &s;o (replyed <HI>Zenocrite)</HI> I did not directly mean as you under&s;tand it; for tho&s;e Lovers which I condemn, are either tho&s;e who are not really &s;o, or who are long before hand declared to be &s;o: For indeed to cau&s;e Gallantry to produce hand|&s;ome effects, he who acts it, mu&s;t love, and never con&s;ider whether he &s;hall, or not marry; for when thoughts of marriage doe ari&s;e in the heart of a Lover at the &s;ame <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> his pa&s;&s;ion doth, I will maintain he is not Gallant as he is, who not knowing why he loves, nor which way to obtain love, yet does continue to love: Re&s;tle&s;ne&s;&s;e is one of the &s;weets of love; and I doe not think there is any conver&s;ation more weari&s;ome, then that of a Lover who hath nothing to de&s;ire, nor nothing to fear, or hope for. For my part (replyed <HI>Thra&s;imedes)</HI> I doe beleeve a Lover who hath nothing to complain of, is not in love: For let him be in as great favour as po&s;&s;ibly he can, yet he ought to think that he is not enough in favour. Cer|tainly, replyed <HI>Zenocrite,</HI> it is mo&s;t dangerous to &s;it down and &s;ay, I am &s;atisfied and content|ed; nor is it very obliging: But as for <HI>Menecrates</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, and ro&s;e up) I a&s;&s;ure you, I would not for any thing, but he had lo&s;t <HI>Arpalices</HI> Picture, becau&s;e the accident hath &s;o di|verted
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me, and will &s;til divert me. After this <HI>Zenocrite</HI> retired, and al&s;o all the re&s;t of the com|pany, leaving <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> to entertain his own thoughts; and truly he was very indiffe|rent; for the beauty of <HI>Arpalice</HI> did &s;o plea&s;ingly take up his mind, that he thought upon no other thing. In &s;hort, amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> not to trouble you with a relation of all the fir&s;t thoughts of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> let me onely tell you, that his weakne&s;&s;e was &s;o great, as it was a long while before he was &s;ound, and &s;o he &s;aw <HI>Arpalice</HI> almo&s;t every day; and as his wounds which he received from her did heal, &s;o her beauty made them deeper in his heart. He hath told me &s;ince, that at the fir&s;t he did &s;trive again&s;t his pa&s;&s;ion, but not being able to van|qui&s;h it, he &s;ubmitted, and entirely abandoned his heart unto it. Since <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> had a|bundance of &s;pirit, and witty gallantry, he &s;oon got the e&s;teem of <HI>Arpalice;</HI> he had al&s;o the good luck to plea&s;e <HI>Zenocrite.</HI> For my part, I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, I had an ea&s;ie inclination to become the friend of <HI>Thra&s;imedes;</HI> nor did I hinder tho&s;e advantageous thoughts which <HI>Arpalice</HI> had of him. In the mean time, as much in love with her as he was, he dur&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;hew it unto her: For as the po&s;ture of things was, it was as offen&s;ive to talk of any &s;uch matters, as unto a marryed woman. However, &s;ince he knew &s;he had an aver&s;ion unto <HI>Mene|crates,</HI> he did not de&s;pair: But &s;ince he knew that the grand &s;ecret of love was to plea&s;e and divert, he courted <HI>Arpalice</HI> and all her friends with all manner of delights: The fir&s;t divert|ing entertainment which he gave her, was &s;o extraordinary, that I mu&s;t needs relate it. Ima|gine then, that we were in a great chamber, with <HI>Lyca&s;te, Zenocrite, Cydipe, Arpalice,</HI> and many others, and my &s;elf: Fir&s;t, we heard an admirable harmony of Mu&s;ique in the &s;treet, <HI>Zenocrite</HI> looked upon us, and asked for whom this was intended? adding, that &s;he beleeved &s;ome declared Lover who never does things hand&s;omly, was at the charge of it. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Cydipe,</HI> I am &s;ure it concerns not me; and me le&s;&s;e then (you added <HI>Arpalice.)</HI> Perhaps it is intended to the company in generall (&s;aid I.) It is not the cu&s;tome (&s;aid <HI>Thra|&s;imedes)</HI> to give publique entertainments; for though every one who hears it, have equally their &s;hares in it, yet I doe beleeve there is a particular intendment of it unto &s;ome one. After|wards we began to de&s;cant who it &s;hould be, and we named all the men of our acquaintance, but could not agree among&s;t our &s;elves which of them it &s;hould be; for if I named one, <HI>Cydipe</HI> would tell me that could not be, becau&s;e &s;he knew he was engaged in other company; if I named another, <HI>Zenocrite</HI> would a&s;&s;ure me, that &s;he knew he was not in a condition for enter|tainments, but was that night in a melancholly mood; if <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> thought &s;he had gue&s;&s;ed him, we all let her &s;ee that &s;he was deceived; and as for <HI>Zenocrite,</HI> &s;he her &s;elf confe&s;&s;ed, that &s;he could not imagine from whom this gallantry &s;hould proceed: But whil&s;t we were giving our verdicts, <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;poke not a word, and &s;eemed as if &s;he would not take &s;o much pains as to find it out. Would not any one &s;ay (&s;aid <HI>Zenocrite)</HI> that <HI>Arpalice</HI> is a Stranger as well as <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and that &s;he knows no body here. My &s;ilence (replyed &s;he, and &s;miled) argues that I am not guilty of that fault whereof all women are accu&s;ed, who (they &s;ay) love to be talking when there is &s;omthing that &s;hould be li&s;tened unto with attention, and who ask que&s;tions when they &s;hould be &s;ilent; and for my part, I conceive they are to be blamed who do &s;o: For how can we take any delight in the Mu&s;ique (&s;aid &s;he) if we doe not &s;ilently hearken unto it? Yet <HI>Arpalice</HI> could not impo&s;e &s;ilence upon them; for their curio&s;ity to know who it was that gave them this entertainment, did tran&s;port them above all other con|&s;iderations. We &s;ent a &s;ubtle and witty boy out of a back door, who knew all the men of quality in the town, with orders to ob&s;erve &amp; enquire who was the director, and at the charges of the Mu&s;ique: But we were all exceedingly &s;urpri&s;ed, when at his return he told us, that except the Mu&s;ique there was not one per&s;on in all the &s;treet. This boy had no &s;ooner reported this, but <HI>Zenocrite,</HI> more &s;ubtle then the re&s;t, told us that &s;he would trouble her &s;elf no farther to know who gave it, but onely to know to whom it was intended. Me thinks it is as difficult to find out that as the other (&s;aid I.) It is becau&s;e I am ignorant that I knew it (an&s;wered &s;he.) This Riddle is &s;o ob&s;cure (replyed I) that I confe&s;&s;e I cannot under&s;tand it, and I be|leeve it will pazzle <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> to unty the knot. Yet I am confident (&s;aid &s;he) that he will confe&s;&s;e I am not mi&s;taken: Then whi&s;pering with him, &s;he asked him whether it was unto <HI>Arpalice,</HI> or <HI>Cydipe,</HI> or my &s;elf that he intended this Mu&s;ique? <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was extreamly &s;urpri&s;ed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he &s;hould g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;&s;e him, and did earne&s;tly deny it, but the more he &s;aid &s;he was mi&s;|taken, the more he did confirme her in her opinion. So that <HI>Zenocrite</HI> being ravi&s;hed, that &s;he had hit the mark which we had mi&s;&s;ed, her thoughts did pa&s;&s;e from one to another, a|mong&s;t us all but <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> unto whom &s;he would not impart any thing: For my part, &s;he had no &s;ooner h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d her thought unto me, but I concluded it certain, and <HI>Cydipe</HI> did the &s;ame, and indeed &s;o did all the re&s;t of the Ladies. As for <HI>Arpalice,</HI> whether &s;he did di&s;&s;emble her
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thoughts, and &s;u&s;pected that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was in love with her, or that &s;he really did not credit our thoughts, &s;he alwayes &s;aid that we were all mi&s;taken; but &s;he continued not long in that Tone, for the next morning, I &s;ent for one of tho&s;e that was of the Mu&s;ique, who had formerly taught me in that quality, to come unto me, and conjured him to tell he, who employed him the night before: He being one who ever would tru&s;t his greate&s;t &s;ecrets of his heart unto me, did ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e it that they were before no other hou&s;e, but before <HI>Lyca&s;tes,</HI> that he who employed them was a very Gentile &s;ervant, who very liberally rewarded them, and enjoyned &s;ecre&s;ie; that he had the tone of a &s;tranger, and did every way &s;o fully de&s;cribe the man, that I knew well enough that it was the &s;ervant of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> who employed them, and I imparted the &s;ecret unto <HI>Arpalice.</HI> There chanced al&s;o a more &s;urpri&s;ing accident then this; for be plea&s;ed to know, that the &s;ame night we had this Mu|&s;ique, we all agreed to walk two dayes after to a &s;tately and magnificent hou&s;e &s;ome forty furlongs from <HI>Patara,</HI> which belonged unto a man, who was never better plea&s;ed and joyed then when him&s;elf was not the Ma&s;ter of it, and when his Porter told him there was much company in it, and when he heard they were delighted with it, and thought it to be a mo&s;t admirable peece of Architecture: And indeed he was &s;o taken with the beauty of it, and expre&s;&s;ed his joy that others &s;hould be of the &s;ame mind, as one Lady did ab&s;olutely make it her own. The plea&s;ure which others took in it was his; but at this time he was in the Town upon &s;ome occa&s;ions. This, amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> was the hou&s;e which we intended to goe unto, in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> all of us expre&s;&s;ing our &s;orrows that he was not in a condition to goe with us, and every one de&s;cribing unto him the beauty, conveniency, and excellencies of this hou&s;e. <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> commended the Architecture, and the Scituation of it; <HI>Zenocrite</HI> a va&s;t Arch &s;tanding upon thirty and two Columns, and a &s;tately Stairca&s;e: <HI>Cy|dipe</HI> extolled the Hall which might well become the magnificence of the Egyptian Kings; for my part, I commended the plea&s;ant Pro&s;pect, the Gardens, Fountains, Grots, and Statues: But as for <HI>Arpalice,</HI> who was all that day in an humour to be oppo&s;ite unto others, &s;he told us of a certain little &s;olitary Clo&s;et which &s;he preferred before all that we extolled in this &s;tately Fabrique. Not but that I know, &s;aid &s;he, all the&s;e things which you commend are e&s;&s;entially more beautifull, yet this be&s;t plea&s;eth me, and I intend that day when you walk, I will walke onely with my eyes, and &s;tay in that clo&s;et which I &s;peak of. Imagine (&s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Thra|&s;imedes,</HI> to ju&s;tifie her choice) that this Clo&s;et which &s;uits &s;o well with my inclination is &s;o &s;eated, that though it be open on two &s;ides, &s;o that one may &s;ee two wayes as far as &s;ight can reach, yet one cannot meet with any but &s;olitary objects. The Gardens which one &s;hall &s;ee on one &s;ide are all Gra&s;&s;e and Gravell Walks, &s;et with green trees. The Fountains all of Ru|&s;tique work; the River, though naturall, &s;eemes to be artificiall. Beyond the Gardens one &s;hall di&s;cover a great Forre&s;t, and beyond it Meddows, Pa&s;tures, Rivers, but not a Town, Hou&s;e, Hill, or Wood to hinder Pro&s;pect: So that if one were the onely one in all the Uni|ver&s;e, yet one &s;hould hardly be more &s;olitary then in that place. I be&s;eech you then imagine what delight may be taken in &s;uch a clo&s;et: I can find magnificent Architecture, and hand|&s;ome chambers in many places of our Town; but I cannot any where find the plea&s;ing &s;olitude of this clo&s;et. As you are plea&s;ed to de&s;cribe it, Madam, &s;aid <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ow voice, it is not po&s;&s;ible but to be of your opinion, and to think that which you commend, de&s;erves to be preferred before any thing which any other commends: After this, we had much other di&s;cour&s;e which is not pertinent to my &s;tory; but the day of our journe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> being come, we we went unto this hou&s;e according to our appointment, and we were as frolick as our hopes: Fir&s;t, at the corner of the Forre&s;t we were &s;aluted with a con&s;ort of Hoboyes, admirably de|lighting: When we were in the Hall, we heard another Con&s;ort of Voices at the higher end; and when we were in the Chamber, a mo&s;t rare Voice and a Theorboe: Admiration made us all &s;ilent to hearken unto this Harmony: After this we had a mo&s;t admirable fine Banquet, in &s;o much as <HI>Zenocrite</HI> &s;aid, that mo&s;t certainly it was given by &s;ome man who had &s;ome amorous de&s;igns. However, &s;ince the man appeared not, none knew what to think; but as at the fir&s;t Mu&s;ique, &s;o at this, I doubted not but it was the gallantry of <HI>Thra&s;imedes:</HI> Yet &s;ince he had been wonderous civilly treated by <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> I did not know whether this was onely an acknowledgement of the favours he received, or a te&s;timony of love, but I was not long in this ignorance, for be plea&s;ed to know, that the &s;ervant of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> who of his condition, was the wittie&s;t man alive, did take &s;uch order with the Porter, that he might carry a letter, &amp; lay it on the Table in the Clo&s;et which &s;o much plea&s;ed <HI>Arpalice,</HI> obliging him to open the clo&s;et unto none unle&s;s her &s;elf; giving him &s;uch in&s;tructions, as he did according to his mind: And indeed, when <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> &amp; <HI>Zenocrite</HI> de&s;ired to enter, he told them he could not open
<PB N="148" REF="561">
it, becau&s;e his Wife who was in the Garden had the Keyes: So, making that his excu&s;e, hee re&s;erved it whil&s;t <HI>Arpalice</HI> came: But &s;taying untill he had an opportunity to let her enter alone; &amp; &s;he returning back to ask him why they could not enter into it, he told her, that &s;ince &s;he was alone he would let her enter, and the rea&s;on why he denyed it before, was becau&s;e his Ma&s;ter had charged him not to let many enter. <HI>Arpalice</HI> taking him at his word, de&s;ired to enter, con&s;enting that he &s;hould lock her in if he would, &s;o he came to open it within an hour: So the Porter did open it, and locked it again as &s;oon as &s;he was entered, making as if this were a great favour which he did her. At fir&s;t when &s;he entered, &s;he told me that &s;hee went unto the Windows to enjoy the Pro&s;pect; but turning a&s;ide, &s;he &s;aw lying upon a Marble Table, a Letter, which had this Super&s;cription.<LB>
<HI>To the Fair, and &s;olitary <HI>Arpalice.</HI></HI><LB></P>
<P>You may ea&s;ily conceive, amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> how this adventure &s;urpri&s;ed your Co&s;en; and if the Letter had been &s;ealed, certainly &s;he had not opened it; but when &s;he read it &s;he found the&s;e vvords.</P>
<LETTER>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>YOur Beauty hath driven me to &s;uch a fatall nece&s;sity, as that I cannot hide the mi&s;ery which you have cau&s;ed, and I conceived that I could not more hand&s;omely acquaint you with it, then in &s;uch a &s;olitary place as plea&s;eth you. Had I &s;een that your eyes had ob&s;erved mine, and understood them, I would not now have written, that I doe infinitely love you, but &s;ince I &s;aw you did not under&s;tand that language, I thought it more re&s;pect to write then to &s;peak unto you: Yet if I be deceived in that, I am ready to repair my fault, and will tell you on my knees, upon the fir&s;t hand&s;om opportunity, that the Grandure of my pa&s;sion cannot be equalled by any thing but your Beauty.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>THRASIMEDES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After <HI>Arpalice</HI> had read this Letter, &s;he vvas exceedingly unre&s;olved vvhat to doe: Shee thought that to take it vvas too obliging unto him that vvrit it; and to leave it, was to &s;hevv unto any that entered vvhat <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> had vvritten: But at la&s;t &s;he thought of a way which was &s;afe both wayes, which was, to blot out what <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> had written: yet fir&s;t &s;hee would take a copy, though it vvere but to &s;hew it unto me; and &s;o &s;hee did; and &s;o &s;hee thought <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> could not accu&s;e her of too much indulgency: and &s;hee had no &s;ooner blotted out what was written in the Letter, but the Porter came and open|ed the door, telling her that the company wanted her: Then &s;he went out, but covered her face with her hood to hide her blu&s;hes, and could not &s;peak one word unto the man: Shee was no &s;ooner out, but &s;pying me in a window towards the Garden, &s;he came unto me, and acquainted me with the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, &s;hewing me a copy of the Letter: For my part, I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, I told her, that I thought the proceeding of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> to be very gallant. So do I, &s;aid &s;he, but let me tell you, I think it a little too bold, and very offen&s;ive to me; for he cannot chu&s;e but know the bad condition of my fortune, and how I am engaged unto <HI>Mene|crates,</HI> and con&s;equently I neither can, nor ought to &s;uffer him, as I might if my fortune were otherwi&s;e. If love, &s;aid I unto her, vvere not a violent domineering pa&s;&s;ion, I &s;hould thinke <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> vvere obliged to hearken unto rea&s;on, and follovv it: But, <HI>Arpalice,</HI> if hee bee in love, as very likely he is, it vvere unju&s;t if you &s;hould think he acts by the rules of Rea|&s;on: and to &s;peak with rea&s;on, I cannot &s;ee why <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> &s;hould not think he may be|come a Rivall unto him that did carele&s;ly play away the Picture of his Mi&s;tris: We had talked much more, but time called us homeward; where when we were arrived, <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> and <HI>Cydipe</HI> went unto the Chamber of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> but <HI>Arpalice</HI> would not goe, feigning to be a little ill: He being a man of a quick &s;pirit, ea&s;ily apprehended the rea&s;on why <HI>Arpalice</HI> came not, and therefore feared extreamly that &s;he was incen&s;ed, yet very glad he was &s;he had received his Letter: As for <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> though &s;he did beleeve <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> had given the Mu|&s;ique, and Banquet, yet &s;he never dreamed of any particular de&s;ign in it: So that &s;he did highly commend the magnificent liberality of this unknown man, who had &s;o &s;umptuou&s;ly treated them. But after he vvas gone, and the &s;ervant of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> coming in, he acquainted his Ma&s;ter hovv <HI>Arpalice</HI> had read his Letter, and blotted it out. At the fir&s;t his feares vvere predominate, but aftervvards hope tempering his fears, he vvaited vvith much impa|tiencie
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to &s;ee <HI>Arpalice,</HI> that hee might gue&s;&s;e by her eyes whether he had any hopes to have any &s;hare in her heart: but his longing de&s;ires were not &s;o &s;oon &s;atisfied: for <HI>Arpalice</HI> continued &s;till her &s;eigned &s;ickne&s;&s;e, purpo&s;ely becau&s;e &s;he would not be obliged to go with <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> into his Chamber; and her rea&s;on was, becau&s;e &s;he knew that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> intended ere long to remove from the hou&s;e; yet he had not left his Chamber: but &s;ince he could not &s;ee <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and not being able to live long in that anxiety, he began to &s;tirre abroad as a man in health: Gladly would he have &s;tayed a little longer, if he could have &s;een <HI>Arpalice,</HI> but &s;ince he could not enjoy that happine&s;&s;e, he told <HI>Menophiles</HI> in the morning, that he intended to tre&s;pa&s;&s;e upon his genero&s;ity no longer, but would lodge with an acquaintance he had in the Town: <HI>Menophiles</HI> was very unwilling to part with him, but at la&s;t, <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> prevailed, and though he was yet &s;omething weak, yet changed his lodging. 'Tis true, the hou&s;e unto which he was to go, was not farre di&s;tant, yet he dre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf that day, in his riche&s;t ha|bit, and as a man who was to &s;ee the onely per&s;on whom he pre&s;erred before all the World. At fir&s;t, he went unto the Chamber of <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> where <HI>Cydipe</HI> was, and where he thanked her with as much &s;pirit as civility, for all the courte&s;ies he had received. But &s;ince he feared that when he would go unto <HI>Arpalice,</HI> who kept her Chamber, <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> would go with him, he made his vi&s;it very long, in hopes &s;ome would come in, and &s;o he might more ea&s;ily &s;ee <HI>Ar|palice</HI> alone; and indeed it happened according to his wi&s;hed hopes; for there came in much company, and whil&s;t &s;he entertained them, he went into the Chamber of <HI>Arpalice</HI> with more ha&s;t, then his weakne&s;&s;e&punc; would well allow him. Since &s;he fore&s;aw, that &s;ince he had been at <HI>Ly|ca&s;tes</HI> Chamber, he would come unto hers al&s;o, &s;he &s;ent for me, le&s;t he &s;hould find her alone, but as I was ready to go unto her, &s;ome company came in which &s;tayed me, &s;o that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was more happy then &s;he intended he &s;hould be, for he found an opportunity to talke in pri|vate with her: there being none but one &s;ervant in the room; as earne&s;t as the de&s;ire of <HI>Thra|&s;imedes</HI> was to &s;ee <HI>Arpalice,</HI> as &s;oon as ever he &s;aw her, he was fuller of fears then joyes, be|cau&s;e he found her &s;o &s;erious, that he apprehended the enterprize in which he was engaged more difficult then he imagined: Yet &s;he received him with civility enough, but it was mixed with &s;uch a cold &s;trangene&s;&s;e, as had no obliging &s;weetne&s;&s;e in it. However, <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> being re&s;olved to lay hold upon &s;uch a favourable opportunity, after the fir&s;t complements were pa&s;t, and <HI>Arpalice</HI> de&s;ired him to &s;it down, I thought Madam (&s;aid he unto her) to have found you &s;o &s;ick, as would have moved compa&s;&s;ion in all tho&s;e that &s;aw you, but for ought I &s;ee, you are in &s;uch a condition, as make all tho&s;e who &s;ee you to need pitty them|&s;elves; and I believe you affect &s;olitude onely to prevent the making men mi&s;erable: I a&s;&s;ure you, though it be good to do &s;o, (replyed &s;he) yet one knowes not how to avoid it: for there is no place &s;o &s;olitary where a misfortune may not happen. I under&s;tand you very well, Ma|dam, &s;aid he unto her, and I can &s;ee how you reckon the boldne&s;&s;e which I pre&s;umed to take in di&s;turbing your &s;olitude in the Clo&s;et in the number of your misfortunes. But I be&s;eech you Madam, is it &s;uch a grand misfortune to be told, that I adore you? and is it a crime, that I am not able to live unle&s;&s;e you know I am totally devoted yours? I neither begged your e&s;teem nor your affection; but onely pre&s;ented mine; I be&s;eech you, why then do you receive me with &s;uch a hollow hearted entertainment? I have long &s;ince heard &s;ay, replyed &s;he, that it is the cu&s;tome of tho&s;e who are in fault, to complain fir&s;t, before they be accu&s;ed. I be&s;eech you Madam, replyed he, what crime have I committed? Am I the cau&s;e that you are the faire&s;t per&s;on in the world? Can I chu&s;e but admire you, have I not a heart that is &s;en&s;ible? or if it were a crime, have you not &s;ufficiently puni&s;hed me for it? have you not mo&s;t cruelly blotted out what I had writ? and deprived me of your &s;ight three daies together? &s;urely that is puni&s;hment enough to expiate all the crimes which a violent pa&s;&s;ion forced me to commit. Had you told me, replyed <HI>Arpalice,</HI> that your de&s;ign was onely to make me hate my &s;olitude in writing &s;o craftily that letter which I found in the Clo&s;et, doubtle&s;&s;e I &s;hould then have pardoned you: but &s;ince you per&s;evere in your crime, and continue talking as you do, I mu&s;t needs expre&s;s my di&s;like of it, and that I am highly offended: It &s;eemes then, that you are as rigorous as fair, replyed he, but though you be, yet I be&s;eech you Madam, do me the favour to tell me what puni&s;hment you have re&s;erved for <HI>Menecrates?</HI> for I &s;ee no rea&s;on or ju&s;tice, that you &s;hould puni&s;h me for adoring you; and recompence him for &s;lighting you: I conceive it no good plea, replyed &s;he, to ju&s;tifie ones &s;elfe, by the crimes of others; and though <HI>Menecrates</HI> be culpable, yet that does not at all excu&s;e <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> from being culpable al&s;o: Pray Ma|dam, replyed he, do me &s;o much honour as to tell me what my crime is? you have writ unto me, replyed &s;he, and thats enough: are you offended becau&s;e I tell you truth (replyed <HI>Thra|&s;imedes)</HI> It is no matter, &s;aid &s;hee, whether what you &s;ay be true or fal&s;e, your crime is in tel|ing
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it: Do you thinke me as culpable, replyed he, in &s;peaking &s;incerely, as in telling you a lie? How ever it be, &s;aid &s;he, you have offended me, and I am the more apprehen&s;ive of your fault, becau&s;e I had the greate&s;t inclination in the world to be your friend: Oh Madam, &s;aid <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> if &s;o, It is impo&s;&s;ilbe you &s;hould hate me, becau&s;e I love you: or if it be, not be|cau&s;e I have told you, but becau&s;e I have told you in an ill manner; your di&s;tinctions are very nice; (replyed <HI>Arpalice</HI> and &s;miled) But never to trouble your &s;elfe further with a &s;earch whether I am offended becau&s;e you love me; or becau&s;e you have writ unto me, or becau&s;e you have writ to me in an ill manner, be a&s;&s;ured, I am offended: I be&s;eech you Madam re|plyed he, &s;ince I have offended again&s;t my will, tell me which way I &s;hould appea&s;e you? In doing that, &s;aid &s;he which is contrary unto the thing which offended me: Then replyed he, I mu&s;t mo&s;t horridly hate you; but &s;ince that is not in my power, I mu&s;t endeavour to ap|pea&s;e you &s;ome other way, which Madam &s;hall be, by a mo&s;t humble re&s;pect and profound &s;ilence: yes Madam, &s;ince what I &s;ay offends you, I will not any more &s;peake of my pa&s;&s;ion, untill I can obtain my pardon, and that your eyes a&s;&s;ure me of it. I a&s;&s;ure you, &s;aid &s;he, if you under&s;tand their Language very well, they will never tell you any thing, which may per|&s;wade you, I can forget the offence, which you have given me. Alas Madam, replyed he, I do not de&s;ire you &s;hould forget it as long as you live; but that you may remember as long as life la&s;ts, that I am the mo&s;t zealous and re&s;pective Lover that lives upon the Earth: As <HI>Arpalice</HI> was ready to an&s;wer, and perhaps &s;harply, I came in; making a thou&s;and excu&s;es, that I came no &s;ooner, I perceived that the minds both of <HI>Arpalice</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> were &s;o di&s;tracted, that they knew not what I &s;aid, and I began &s;o to talke unto them, as I moved <HI>Arpalice</HI> to blu&s;h and <HI>Tha&s;imedes</HI> to &s;mile, who told me he would come and thanke me for the favour I had done him: but to tell you truly, I thought my &s;elfe little beholding to him for the favour, becau&s;e he did vi&s;it me rather as the friend of her he loved, then for any other rea&s;on. After he was gone out of <HI>Arpalices</HI> Chamber, &s;he related all their conver&s;ation unto me; but for all her anger again&s;t <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> for &s;peaking &s;o openly of his love; yet I knew &s;he did not hate him, but that there was a &s;trong inclination in her heart to e&s;teem him. I pray <HI>Arpalice,</HI> &s;aid I unto her, tell me wherein you think liberty con&s;i&s;tes? you, I &s;ay, who declares your &s;elf to be an enemy unto all manner of force and con&s;traint; who would enjoy it in the mo&s;t triviall things: who never thinkes any recreation plea&s;ant, unle&s;&s;e you might chu&s;e it? who thinkes that which others call decency, to be an in&s;upportable &s;everity: who was alwaies u&s;ed to &s;ay, that the only advantage which men have above women is liberty; and that the greate&s;t plea&s;ure of Travellers is, that they are not &s;ubject unto the Lawes of the places where they pa&s;&s;e: and who conceives the chiefe felicity of friend&s;hip to con&s;i&s;t in venting unto each other all that is in their hearts freely without compul&s;ion: and yet I &s;ee this great Lover of liberty, does &s;uffer her &s;elfe to be a &s;lave: I pray, &s;aid &s;he unto me, what moves you to &s;peak thus? Rea&s;on, replyed I, for do I not know that you hate <HI>Menecrates</HI> extreamely? I do confe&s;&s;e it, replyed &s;he, and do not I know, &s;aid I, that you do lov<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ra&s;imedes?</HI> Did he behave him&s;elfe to|wards me as I would have him, replyed &s;he, I do <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">fe&s;&s;e indeed, that I think I &s;hould not hate him: for his per&s;on does plea&s;e me; and his &s;pirit is infinitly agreeable unto mine, and hee does almo&s;t per&s;wade me that he e&s;teems me. I pray tell me, &s;aid I unto her, how would you have him behave him&s;elfe towards you? and what would you have him &s;ay? but withall Madam, I would have you &s;peak &s;incerely: would you have have him (&s;aid I unto her, &s;eeing &s;he an&s;wered not) not re&s;pect you more then any other? that he &s;hould not prefer to talke with you before me; that he &s;hould look upon you like a man who thinkes upon nothing? that he &s;hould never talke unto you but upon things indifferent, as having no particular de&s;ign to plea&s;e you, that he &s;hould never commend you; nor do any thing which might per&s;wade you that he loves you? &s;peake I conjure you, and ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e that if he &s;hould do thus, he would not be &s;o much in your opinion as he is, though he hath a little over freely told you, that he loves you. You are &s;o free this day, (replyed <HI>Arpalice</HI> and laughed) that I thinke you will make me a hater of Liberty, &s;ince it moves you to utter &s;o many things which di&s;plea&s;e me, though they do not anger me &s;o much as I would. I be&s;eech you &s;aid I, con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly, and re&s;olve with your &s;elfe what you will do with the poor <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> for I per|ceive he is &s;o deeply in love with you, that I am confident he will never returne into his owne Country: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Arpalice</HI> very &s;adly, I do not thinke you would have me &s;o mi&s;erable, as to marry a man whom I cannot love, nor do I think you would have me love <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> whom I can never pretend unto: but I thinke <HI>Candiope,</HI> that you are either out of your wits, or el&s;e will drive me out of mine; otherwi&s;e why do you not expre&s;&s;e your &s;elfe quite contrary to what you do? It is becau&s;e I cannot betray my owne thoughts (replyed I
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and laughed at her anger) and becau&s;e I have no mind to contradict yours. Then did <HI>Arpa|lice</HI> by degrees confe&s;&s;e unto me, that &s;he never &s;aw a man in all the world whom &s;hee could affect, except <HI>Thra&s;imedes.</HI> But not to trouble you with a tedious relation of all wee &s;aid at this time; let me onely tell you, that it appeared <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> had no intention of going &s;o &s;oon from <HI>Lycia:</HI> For he put him&s;elf into a magnificent equipage, and co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ed the acquain|tance of all the Gallants in our Town: But as for the Ladies he never vi&s;ited any unle&s;&s;e the friends of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and among&s;t them, I was one whom he often vi&s;ited, and with whom he held a great intimacy of friend&s;hip. He was &s;o amiable and hand&s;om, that he was the ob|ject of an univer&s;all e&s;teem, and it had been &s;trange if <HI>Arpalice</HI> had &s;lighted him. Hee was none of tho&s;e light <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">apo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ring lovers, who care not what they talk before their Mi&s;tri&s;&s;es, o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> who exce&s;sively commend a black Beauty before one that is fair; but on the contrary hee is &s;o judicious, &s;o exact, and di&s;creet in his pa&s;sion, and without any affectation or con&s;traint in his actions, that if at any time he commended any in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> it was &s;o as it might appeare hee thought <HI>Arpalice</HI> the mo&s;t fair, and mo&s;t worthy of commen|dations: And I beleeve never any had a finer art to keep him&s;elfe within in his owne ranke then hee had. As oft as I have &s;een him with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> in the Temples, at Vi&s;its, in Walkes, and A&s;&s;emblies, I never &s;aw him intru&s;ive, nor ever put any out of their places, yet was hee perpetually with her, and therefore you may imagine, that if &s;hee had a heart ab&s;olutely in&s;en&s;ible, &s;hee could not chu&s;e but bee much taken with &s;uch a perfectly acompli&s;hed man as <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and with one who was &s;o knowing in the art of procuring love. I will omit all the relation of all tho&s;e rigours which &s;he &s;hewed unto him at the fir&s;t, and how &s;he &s;lighted the merits of &s;uch a man: For per|haps you will hardly think it po&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould treat a man &s;o roughly, whom &s;he e&s;teemed &s;o highly: But let me tell you, that the pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> on of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> did manife&s;tly appear, that the friends of <HI>Menecrates</HI> tooke it to heart, and though they e&s;teemed <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> very well, yet they thought them&s;elves obliged to tell <HI>Arpalice</HI> their minds. Untill now <HI>Ar|palice</HI> did con&s;train her &s;elf, but as &s;oon as <HI>Menophiles</HI> and <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> &s;poke unto her concern|ing <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and commanded her to let him know, that he mu&s;t not any farther engage him&s;elf in her &s;ervice, &s;he cea&s;ed to re&s;i&s;t her inclination, and did &s;o peremptorily revolt from tho&s;e that commanded her to bani&s;h <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> &s;o incivilly, that &s;he began to &s;lack her rigour to him: Yet would not &s;he permit him to &s;peak openly of his love, but without any anger or &s;harpne&s;&s;e, impo&s;ed &s;ilence upon him. This being the &s;tate of things, news came that <HI>Parmenides</HI> and <HI>Menecrates</HI> would return within two dayes. This report had diffe|rent operations in the heart of <HI>Arpalice;</HI> for her love unto her brother made her rejoyce to &s;ee him &s;o &s;oon, and her hatred of <HI>Menecrates,</HI> made her &s;trangely apprehend his return. On the other &s;ide <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> had &s;o little a&s;&s;urance of the heart of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> that he knew not what to re&s;olve upon, nor how to behave him&s;elf towards <HI>Menecrates,</HI> therefore he de|termined to find out a way how to &s;peak with <HI>Arpalice</HI> in private: But &s;ince it was not her cu&s;tome to give him any &s;uch opportunities: And &s;ince all he had to &s;ay required longer time then common conver&s;ations, which la&s;ted not above a quarter of an hour, he bethought him|&s;elf of an invention which did admirably well &s;erve his turn. Know then, that to bring a|bout his de&s;ign, he be&s;towed a vi&s;it upon me; and after much common di&s;cour&s;e, he began to talk of <HI>Menecrates,</HI> asking me confidently, how I thought <HI>Arpalice</HI> would receive him: Afterwards falling from one di&s;cour&s;e to another, he told me that he had a very great de|&s;ire to give an entertainment unto <HI>Arpalice,</HI> before <HI>Menecrates</HI> came: For, &s;aid he, if one may credit <HI>Zenocrite,</HI> &s;he dares not &s;o much as lift up her eyes after he is arrived. For my part, though I knew <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was in love with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> yet I did not &s;u&s;pect hee had any &s;ecret de&s;ign in his words; and he was &s;o accu&s;tomed to treat us with fre&s;h entertain|ments, that the propo&s;ition did not at all &s;urpri&s;e me. I asked him then what kind of treat|ment this &s;hould bee? telling him it mu&s;t be quickly if hee would have it before the re|turn of <HI>Menecrates. Thra&s;imedes</HI> perceiving me &s;o ea&s;ily deluded, told me, that <HI>Arion,</HI> who was &s;o famous throughout the world, was arrived at <HI>Patara;</HI> but &s;ince he had a de&s;ire to pa&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> unknown, he would not be got to play upon the Harp, unle&s;&s;e one had &s;ome intimate friend&s;hip with him; but being well acquainted with him at <HI>Corinth,</HI> hee could prevaile with him, provided it was not before much company. This may ea&s;ily be, replyed I; for it may be at <HI>Lyca&s;tes</HI> hou&s;e. The company would be too great there (replyed he) for there will not be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ewer then <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">yca&s;te, Zenocrite, Cydipe, Arpalice,</HI> and your &s;elf; and you may well imagine, that it is not po&s;&s;ible to make <HI>Zenocrite</HI> keep any long &s;ilence to oblige <HI>Arion</HI> to play his be&s;t; for you mu&s;t know that &s;uch a man who&s;e voice u&s;eth to charm the very
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Dolphins, will not take it well that Ladies will not be attentive: Me-thinks I &s;ee him already lay his Lute or Harp upon the Table at the fir&s;t word which <HI>Zenocrite</HI> &s;peaks, and will neither play, nor &s;ing any longer. What then is the be&s;t cour&s;e, &s;aid I unto him? The be&s;t way is, re|plyed he, that you invite <HI>Arpalice</HI> hither to your hou&s;e to morrow after dinner upon &s;ome pretence or other, that &s;he come alone, and that you give it out all that day, that you are not within, and admit of none but <HI>Arion</HI> and your &s;elf, who will come together. <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> had no &s;ooner made this propo&s;ition, but I accepted of it; for &s;ince my Father allowed me all the liberty I could de&s;ire, knowing I would not abu&s;e it, it was an ea&s;ie matter for me to do according unto this propo&s;ition: and &s;ince I beleeved <HI>Arpalice</HI> would not dorr at it, I made a po&s;itive promi&s;e unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> who having a <HI>Halicarna&s;sian</HI> friend, who played pa&s;|&s;ing well upon the Harp, and &s;ung as well, he made u&s;e of him in lieu of <HI>Arion.</HI> To &s;horten my di&s;cour&s;e as much as I can, I obtained of <HI>Arpalice</HI> to come and &s;ee me, and the truth is, I forced her, for &s;he did long deny me, but perceiving me grow angry, &s;he came thither the day following very timely: You may imagine that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> failed not to come, nor to bring his pretended <HI>Arion</HI> with him: but I forgot to tell you, that he de&s;ired me to treat him with much civility, and to commend him highly: He told me al&s;o, that the be&s;t way to make him &s;ing, and play well, was to entertain him well before he began to &s;ing: for it is the humour of all the Mu&s;itians in the world, to love applauds, and therefore if any would have him doe his be&s;t, they mu&s;t commend him, and allow him patience in relating &s;ome of his amorous adventures, or his adventure of the Dolphin. If that be all, &s;aid I unto him, let mee alone to doe all the civilities which are fitting: And indeed, the next morning when hee came, I was as good as my word: and <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> had &s;o well de&s;cribed his Godde&s;s unto him, that he did all which was de&s;ired of him: So that this counterfeit <HI>Arion,</HI> who was a man of wit and &s;pirit enough, began to addre&s;&s;e all his di&s;cour&s;e unto me accor|ding to the in&s;tructions of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> whil&s;t one of his men was to bring his harpe: At fir&s;t, the di&s;cour&s;e was generall among&s;t us all four; but he fell in&s;en&s;ibly to talke onely unto me: t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hin king thereby to oblige him unto a better humour of &s;inging, I willingly hearkened unto him, and de&s;ired him to relate his admirable adventure of the Dolphin which was &s;o famed over all the World. And indeed he began &s;uch a circum&s;tantiall relation, that I thought hee would not have fini&s;hed before the next morning, and &s;o he would not &s;ing nor play that night. Moreover <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> had told me that he was phanta&s;ticall, and I was &s;o fully per|&s;waded of it, that I dur&s;t not &s;eem &s;o weary of him as I was. In the meane while, <HI>Thra&s;i|medes</HI> de&s;iring not to lo&s;e &s;uch a favourable opportunity as had co&s;t &s;uch paines to compa&s;&s;e, came nearer <HI>Arpalice</HI> then before; Madam (&s;aid hee unto her, in a low voice) me thinkes &s;ince <HI>Candiope</HI> permits <HI>Arion</HI> to relate his pa&s;t misfortunes, you may as well allow me to re|late my pre&s;ent mi&s;eries: But I be&s;eech you Madam (added he, perceiving by her lookes that &s;he prepared to deny him) be not &s;o inhumane as to deny me a hearing: the harp of <HI>Ari|on</HI> will pre&s;ently prevent me without your rigour, therefore I be&s;eech you let me &s;peak. <HI>Arpa|palice</HI> thinking that ere long the Harpe of <HI>Arion</HI> would come, and that then the pretended <HI>Arion</HI> would begin to &s;ing and play, did not impo&s;e &s;ilence upon <HI>Thra&s;imedes:</HI> So that this lover, not fearing to be interrupted by the Mu&s;ique of <HI>Arion,</HI> began his di&s;cour&s;e. Madam (&s;aid he unto her) I cannot think my &s;elf &s;o unhappy as that you &s;hould not know I love, and love you infinitely: all my actions &s;peak as much, my very looks may a&s;&s;ure you of as much, and certainly it is impo&s;&s;ible that there &s;hould be &s;o much love in my heart, and you ignorant of it: So, Madam, I will u&s;e no per&s;wa&s;ive arguments to let you know I love you; for I pre&s;uppo&s;e you know it: but I will onely ask you, how it is your plea&s;ure I &s;hould behave my &s;elf unto this lovele&s;&s;e Rivall who will &s;hortly arrive? for I doe profe&s;&s;e and de|clare, Madam, that I cannot change my heart. Moreover give me leave to a&s;&s;ure you, Madam, that if I were &s;o happy as to be more in your e&s;teem then he, the engagement which obligeth you unto him &s;hould be no ob&s;tacle unto my happines: For though I know that if you refu&s;e to marry him, the la&s;t Will and Te&s;tament of your Parents deprives you of the greate&s;t part of your e&s;tate, yet give me leave to tell you, that I have enough to recompence that lo&s;&s;e, &s;ince certainly my e&s;tate is as much as both yours and <HI>Menecrates,</HI> if both put together: Let him enjoy then what the Laws of your Country gives him, and I be&s;eech you grant me that which, both rea&s;on and love requires, I mean, your affection. Your expre&s;&s;ions are &s;o full of genero|&s;ity, replyed <HI>Arpalice,</HI> that I cannot be offended at them: But after my thanks to you, I mu&s;t tell you, that how much &s;oever I e&s;teem you, and what aver&s;ion &s;oever I have unto <HI>Menecrates,</HI> and how great a repagnancy I have to be forced, yet I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, I have not power to make any other expre&s;&s;ions then &s;uch as I have all my life: Therefore, generous <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> if you
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doe e&s;teem me, you will pitty my misfortune, and make no ill attempts to alter me: And if you will oblige me, live with <HI>Menecrates</HI> as you did at <HI>Apamea,</HI> and live with me as with a per&s;on neuterall and indifferent. How, Madam, &s;aid he, doe you think there is any equity in your language? Can you think it po&s;&s;ible I can live with you in a neutrality, and indiffe|rency? Would you have me live with <HI>Menecrates</HI> as I did at <HI>Apamea?</HI> I be&s;eech you, Ma|dam, con&s;ider what you &s;ay; think what a lamentable fate it is to marry one who loves you not; and what inju&s;tice it is to drive a man into de&s;pair who infinitely loves you, and who will infallibly die if you have no care of his life: For heavens &s;ake, Madam, put a difference between <HI>Menecrates</HI> and me. Con&s;ider, I be&s;eech you, how he will receive this honour which you doe him without any joy, and conclude that he who can &s;o ea&s;ily play away your Picture, will perhaps as ea&s;ily part with your per&s;on as it: For my part, Madam, the attecti|on, which I bear unto you, makes me receive the lea&s;t of your favours upon a thankfull knee; and in te&s;timony of it, I pray &s;ee how great a veneration the heart of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> holds of you. In &s;aying &s;o, he let her &s;ee how carefully he had kept the Letter which he had writ unto her. Doe not think, Madam (&s;aid he) I carry this &s;o carefully about me, for any other rea&s;on but becau&s;e it was touched with your fair hands, when you cruelly blotted out the fir&s;t te&s;timoniall of my love. Imagine, Madam, I be&s;eech you, with what reall reverence I &s;hould receive a reall favour: Oh, for heavens &s;ake, put not a va&s;t trea&s;ure into the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of a blind man, who knows not the value of it. Let him have the liberty to puni&s;h him&s;elfe by a new choice; and doe you make choice of a heart which knows how to adore you accor|ding to your infinite merit: Doubtle&s;&s;e you will find in mine as much reverence as pa&s;&s;ion, and as much fidelity as love. Advi&s;e well with your &s;elf, Madam, and con&s;ider what is your be&s;t cour&s;e: The very lea&s;t &s;yllable you can pronounce may regulate all my actions; and truly upon your an&s;wer depends the fate of all my life. I am not &s;o full of vanity (an&s;wered &s;he) as to beleeve all you &s;ay; but I have &s;o good an opinion of you, as to hope you will not deny the reque&s;t which I &s;hall make unto you, which is, that you wil for the love of me live civilly with <HI>Menecrates,</HI> le&s;t if you doe not, &s;omething might reflect in my di&s;advantage, which &s;hould infallibly fall upon you: For in the humour I am in, perhaps I am not &s;o ju&s;t as to accu&s;e tho&s;e of my misfortune who are the reall cau&s;es of it. If you will honour me &s;o far as to promi&s;e me, replyed <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> that you will never make <HI>Menecrates</HI> happy, I &s;hall promi&s;e you to live civilly with him: But, Madam, if you make me ab&s;olutely de&s;pair, I &s;hall hardly an&s;wer you as I doe. I a&s;&s;ure you (replyed <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and &s;ighed) I &s;hould de&s;pair my &s;elf, if I thought nothing could prevent my marriage with <HI>Menecrates;</HI> and I am confident if &s;uch a mi&s;ery doe befall me, I &s;hall hardly beleeve it the very preceding minute. Whil&s;t <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was talking with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> &s;he looked continually whether <HI>Arions</HI> Harp was brought; not that &s;he did hate him who was &s;peaking unto her; but becau&s;e &s;he feared to give him either too obliging, or too &s;harp an&s;wers, and therefore &s;he would gladly have their di&s;cour&s;e in|terrupted: For my part, I looked as earne&s;tly as &s;he for the coming of the Harp: For &s;ince <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> told me, that there was a notable difference between the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Arion</HI> and his Mu&s;ique, I longed to hear it; and indeed he &s;poke very elegantly, &s;o that thinking hee would &s;ing a hundred times better then he &s;poke, I had a conceit he would then charme me: But at la&s;t, after a long &s;tay, according to the plot of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> the Harp came: And as &s;oon as I &s;aw it, I pre&s;ented it unto this pretended <HI>Arion,</HI> thinking I could not oblige him more then by my impatient de&s;ire of hearing him; but he having no &s;uch de&s;ire to be heard, took it, and layd it upon the Table again: &s;aying, he would fir&s;t fini&s;h what he had begun, and what I had commanded him to relate: So that fearing to anger him, I &s;ate down again, and hearkened unto the re&s;t of his Dolphin adventure, which he did tell even to the lea&s;t wave of Sea in which the King of Fi&s;hes did triumph: de&s;cribing him &s;o circum&s;tantially, as he did not omit &s;o much as a Scale or Fin of the Dolphin, nor the curles which he made in the water: yet I was &s;o &s;imple as to think that all his long winded de&s;criptions were onely con&s;equents of his Poeticall humour, and that his manner of &s;peaking was onely a little too full of Tropes and Figures; though I ob&s;erved all along that he &s;poke very elegantly: But at la&s;t, after a long relation of this adventure, he took up the Harp and played: <HI>Arpalice</HI> al&s;o drew nearer, and impo&s;ed &s;ilence upon <HI>Thra&s;imedes:</HI> but the counterfeit <HI>Arion</HI> told her, that &s;he needed not make &s;uch ha&s;t, for his in&s;trument was not yet in tune, and it would be long before hee could bring it into fit order for Harmony, all the favour he de&s;ired was, that &s;he would bee plea&s;ed to &s;peak low, addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech afterwards unto <HI>Thra&s;imeaes,</HI> conjuring him to give an example unto <HI>Arpalice:</HI> And indeed this Mu&s;ician was very long in tampering, and tuning his Harp: twenty times did he twine up and down the &s;trings; &s;ometimes it was &s;et
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too high, &s;ometimes too low, &s;ometimes in the &s;ame note it was before: he broke above twenty &s;trings, &s;till &s;omething was out of order: then would he lift up his eyes towards hea|ven, and turning towards the company &s;eem to be very angry: Afterwards would he offer at a tune in a kind of confu&s;ed manner, &s;o as one could not judge whether he was skilfull, o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> ignorant in Mu&s;ique: And indeed this &s;ubtle friend had all the fretting humours of a peevi&s;h Mu&s;ician, and &s;eemed &s;o hard to plea&s;e in tuning his In&s;trument, that he gave <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> time enough to talk, he would lengthen out the time by intermixing a di&s;cour&s;e of Mu&s;ique: and omitted not one term of art: he told me of three &s;orts, of the Phrygian, of the Dorian, and of the Lydian: he had up the Diotonique, the Cromatique, the Diapa&s;on, the Me&s;e, the Parame&s;e, and a hundred other conjuring words, which I under&s;tood not, nor ever &s;hal remem|ber; and all this in &s;uch a Magi&s;terial tone, as if <HI>Amphion, Linus,</HI> or <HI>Orpheus</HI> had &s;poke. In the mean time, be plea&s;ed to know, that I thinking I could not do a greater plea&s;ure unto him that was my Mu&s;ique Ma&s;ter, then to acquaint him, I &s;ent for him, appointing him to be brought into my Clo&s;et by a back paire of &s;tairs: And indeed when this pretended <HI>Arion</HI> had tuned his Harp, this Mu&s;ician was in my Clo&s;et, with all the women of my hou&s;e. You may ima|gine how impatient he was to hear this man, who&s;e fame went over all the world. In the mean time, &s;ince I knew he was not le&s;&s;e famous for his Ver&s;es, then for his Mu&s;ique and Voice, and thinking tho&s;e which he &s;ung when he thought he &s;hould have dyed, would be mo&s;t ad|mirable, I would needs entreat him to &s;ing them; therefore I explained my meaning, and courted him unto it: you may imagine that he could not &s;atisfie my de&s;ire, &s;ince the true <HI>Arion</HI> would never impart tho&s;e admirable Poems unto any; but the friend of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> having wit at will, excu&s;ed him&s;elf very hand&s;omly: He told me, that it was a &s;ong &s;o &s;ad, and &s;o full of lamentable expre&s;&s;ions, that it would move more &s;orrow then joy. I, who de|&s;ired that he &s;hould have a good opinion of my ability in matters of mu&s;ique, de&s;ired to think that <HI>Arpalice</HI> and my &s;elf were not of the humours of mo&s;t women in generall, who affect onely light plea&s;ant Airs; but on the contrary, we delighted mo&s;t in melancholly tunes, which &s;ad and &s;often the hearts of hearers, and move them unto compa&s;&s;ion. Oh, Madam, replyed he, I dare not con&s;ent unto your de&s;ires; for I am confident, that which moved the Dolphins unto compa&s;&s;ion, will move too much &s;adne&s;&s;e in you. Seeing then that I could not move him to &s;atisfie my de&s;ires, I pre&s;&s;ed him no farther, but let him &s;ing what he plea&s;ed: All this while <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was expre&s;&s;ing his love unto <HI>Arpalice,</HI> who fearing to give too much hope unto her Lover, ro&s;e up, and came nearer the counterfeit <HI>Arion,</HI> who perceiving his friend had done his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and would talk no longer with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and therefore he re&s;olved to &s;ing: But though he did it very well for a man of Quality, who made it not his profe&s;&s;ion; yet my ex|pectation being high, I was a&s;toni&s;hed when this friend of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> began to &s;ing &s;o mean|ly. But what&s;oever I was, the Mu&s;ician in the Clo&s;et was much more. However, <HI>Arpalice</HI> and I dur&s;t not let our wonder appear; but &s;eemed as if we thought he &s;ung admirably well: yet I could not chu&s;e but tell <HI>Arpalice</HI> in a low voice (whil&s;t he was tuning his Lute for ano|ther Air) what I thought: Do you not think (&s;aid I in her ear) that Dolphins only can think this Harmony admirable? For my part, &s;aid &s;he, all I can &s;ay is, that if <HI>Arion</HI> &s;peaks no bet|ter then he fings, certainly he has tired you. I a&s;&s;ure you (&s;aid I unto her) he does not &s;ing &s;o well as he &s;peaks; and I am confident, that it was by words, not &s;ongs, he charmed the Dol|phin. Though <HI>Arpalice</HI> and I re&s;olved to &s;peak but one word, yet I found my &s;elf in &s;uch a laughing vein, that I talked a long time purpo&s;ely to keep me from laughing out: But that which gave me the fir&s;t ground of &s;u&s;pition was, that whil&s;t I was talking to <HI>Arpalice,</HI> I ob|&s;erved this feigned <HI>Arion</HI> tuned his In&s;trument, looked upon <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and was &s;o tickled with a laughing conceit, that he had much adoe to contain as I: yet did he counterfeit the Mu&s;ician &s;till, and did it very well: But finding his friend de&s;ired no longer di&s;cour&s;e, and &s;eeming to be angry at what <HI>Arpalice</HI> and I did, he laid his Harp upon the Table ha&s;tily, and would &s;ing no longer: <HI>Arpalice</HI> having not ob&s;erved &s;o much as I, began to make a thou&s;and excu&s;es, and de&s;ired him to continue his &s;inging, but he, with the petti&s;h humour of a Mu|&s;ician, &s;aid, it &s;hould be &s;ome other time. For my part, I &s;tood &s;ilent, and he making u&s;e of my &s;ilence to colour his refu&s;all of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> told her, that he perceived I was not plea&s;ed, be|cau&s;e he would not &s;ing the &s;ame ver&s;es which he &s;ung when the Dolphin &s;aved his life, and therefore he would &s;tay untill &s;uch time as he had a little recollected his memory. Since you owe your life unto them, replyed <HI>Arpalice,</HI> it is not credible you &s;hould forget them. Whil&s;t &s;he was talking thus, <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> who was not &s;orry his plot was di&s;covered, becau&s;e it would be taken for a mark of love, came unto me, and asked me with a &s;mile what I thought of his friend. Me-thinks (&s;aid I unto him in a low voice) that this <HI>Arion</HI> &s;peaks &s;o well,
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and &s;ings &s;o ill, that I think him more fit to divert company by his di&s;cour&s;e, then to char<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Dolphins by his voice: For my part if I had been a Dolphin, I &s;hould have taken more de|light in hearing the Waves da&s;h again&s;t the Rocks, then in his &s;ongs. However (&s;aid <HI>Thra&s;i|medes</HI> unto me) his Harp gives not more &s;atisfaction then his eloquence. I cannot &s;ay &s;o (re|plyed I) for his di&s;cour&s;e plea&s;eth me much better then his Mu&s;ique. After this <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> told me, that <HI>Arion</HI> had a de&s;ire not to be known, and therefore would be called <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> as long as he &s;tayed in Town. And the be&s;t conceit was, that this borrowed name which <HI>Thra|&s;imedes</HI> mentioned, was the right name of the counterfeit <HI>Arion,</HI> who after as much di&s;cour&s;e as &s;poke him to be a man of much &s;pirit, went away with <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> who told me &s;o much as I did not doubt of this trick which was put upon us: So that fearing le&s;t it &s;hould make &s;ome noi&s;e in the Town, I went pre&s;ently into my Clo&s;et to entreat the Mu&s;ician not to tell <HI>Arion</HI> was in <HI>Patara:</HI> but a woman of <HI>Arpalices,</HI> and another of mine, over-hearing that name, it was a hard matter that a &s;ecret &s;hould be kept among&s;t three, e&s;pecially &s;ince the Mu|&s;ician was even ravi&s;hed that <HI>Arion</HI> &s;ung &s;o ill. 'Tis true, he did not report that he heard <HI>Arion</HI> in my chamber, but he &s;aid he heard him: The two women dur&s;t not tell all the truth which they thought they knew, but they told all the women of <HI>Zenocrite</HI> that <HI>Arion</HI> was in Town, and that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was acquainted with him: So that the next day the news was publique, and every one asked whether they had &s;een <HI>Arion?</HI> But the be&s;t conceit was, that the &s;ame day <HI>Zenocrite</HI> came unto <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> where I was, with <HI>Cydipe,</HI> and <HI>Arpalice, Thra&s;imedes</HI> came al&s;o, and brought <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> with him as <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> that is, as a man of Quality in <HI>Hallicarna&s;&s;is,</HI> and not as <HI>Arion:</HI> For my part, though I did beleeve he had put a trick upon us, yet I knew not for whom I &s;hould take this Stranger; but I was much per|plexed, that every one who came that day to <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> &s;hould all talk of <HI>Arion:</HI> Some &s;aid one thing, others another, according to the various reports of Relators: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Zenocrite,</HI> I de&s;pair not of knowing him, for I am told he is a friend of <HI>Thra&s;imedes.</HI> I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, when I heard <HI>Zenocrite</HI> &s;ay &s;o, I thought it &s;ome affront which &s;he put upon <HI>Arpa|lice,</HI> and me; and that &s;he had known &s;omething of the precedent dayes pa&s;&s;age. On the o|ther &s;ide, <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> knew not what to think: But at la&s;t <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> &s;aid, that he had not as yet &s;een <HI>Arion,</HI> and that if he did meet with him, he promi&s;ed <HI>Zenocrite</HI> to bring him unto her: He had no &s;ooner pa&s;&s;ed this promi&s;e, but all the company de&s;ired the &s;ame favour, and <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> was as earne&s;t of it as any of the re&s;t: So that <HI>Arion</HI> de&s;ired to &s;ee <HI>Arion.</HI> In the mean time <HI>Arpalice</HI> and I could hardly hold from laughing; yet &s;he re&s;train|ed her &s;elf as well as &s;he could: She had much adoe to bring &s;ome angry Idea into her fancy to prevent it; but at la&s;t the thought of <HI>Menecrates</HI> his arrivall the next day, gave a &s;top un|to all her mirth. In the mean time <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> came to me, and asked me pardon for the im|po&s;ture which he had u&s;ed, making me an exact relation of all, and conjuring me to pittie him, and doe him all good offices unto <HI>Arpalice.</HI> I &s;hall not relate all that he &s;aid unto us, for it would be too long: nor how <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was per&s;ecuted by all tho&s;e who de&s;ired him to make them acquainted with <HI>Arion,</HI> nor how <HI>Zenocrite</HI> did play upon the return of <HI>Mene|crates:</HI> But let me tell you, that <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Menecrates</HI> did return the next day, and ap|prehending, that perhaps within a few dayes they would enjoyn her to marry him, &s;he was &s;o exceedingly &s;ad at the thought of it, that &s;he fell &s;ick, and &s;o &s;ick that &s;he kept her bed. To tell you truly, I am per&s;waded, that as things &s;tood, her e&s;teem of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> did augment her aver&s;ion unto <HI>Menecrates:</HI> However, her di&s;like of him made her &s;ad and &s;ick: So that partly &s;ad, partly &s;ick, &s;he kept her bed all the next day, and I &s;tayed with her, becau&s;e &s;he de|&s;ired I &s;hould &s;ee how he would acco&s;t her; and indeed the meeting was very civill on <HI>Mene|crates</HI> his &s;ide, though with much indifferency, but with an extream coldne&s;&s;e from <HI>Arpa|lice:</HI> She being in her bed, and, as &s;he &s;aid, &s;ick, no great notice was taken, but he &s;eemed more di&s;po&s;ed to look upon <HI>Cydipe,</HI> who was very hand&s;ome that day, then to talk with <HI>Ar|palice;</HI> and he did it &s;o openly, that one could not doe him a greater plea&s;ure then to with|draw, and leave him alone with her: But the &s;trange&s;t thing is, that this Lover, who at his return found his Mi&s;tris &s;ick, was &s;o little troubled at it, that he &s;tayed very late talking with <HI>Cydipe</HI> in <HI>Lyca&s;tes</HI> chamber, and was in the merrie&s;t mood in the world that night: I leave you to judge whether this was not enough to augment <HI>Arpalices</HI> aver&s;ion, who was in|deed &s;o really troubled at this proceeding, that &s;he was really &s;ick for fifteen dayes; and <HI>Mene|crates</HI> did not vi&s;it her above one quarter of an hour every day, employing all the re&s;t in plea&s;ures, and courting <HI>Cydipe,</HI> who infinitely plea&s;ed him: Al&s;o he did vi&s;it <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and &s;o did <HI>Parmenides:</HI> For though they had told him of the pa&s;&s;age concerning the Picture, and had hinted as much as might per&s;wade him that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was in love with <HI>Arpalice;</HI>
<PB N="156" REF="565">
yet &s;ince him&s;elf was not, he cared not, and con&s;equently did not choak his civilities unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> who ever &s;ince the day in which he confe&s;&s;ed his trick, did continually tell me of his love to <HI>Arpalice.</HI> In the mean time &s;ince &s;he would not do <HI>Menecrates</HI> &s;o much favour as to &s;eem angry again&s;t him for playing away her Picture, but onely continued cold towards him, without any mention of the true cau&s;e, &s;he was very de&s;irous of &s;ome time to re&s;olve upon what cour&s;e to take, and would goe into the Country with <HI>Zenocrite,</HI> who asked leave of <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> telling her, that fre&s;h air was the be&s;t thing to recover her health: So that <HI>Arpa|lice</HI> went with <HI>Zenocrite</HI> for fifteen dayes: <HI>Menecrates</HI> not knowing whether &s;he was impro|ved or no, &s;ince he had onely &s;een her in the dark: So &s;he went out of her bed into a Coach; and was not very &s;ick; for &s;he being much more &s;ick in mind then body, &s;tirring made her better. For my part, I &s;tayed at <HI>Patara,</HI> with orders to write news unto <HI>Arpalice:</HI> and indeed I gave her a full relation, and had matter enough for it: for <HI>Menecrates</HI> was &s;o taken with the beauty of <HI>Cydipe,</HI> and <HI>Parmenides</HI> &s;o deep in love with <HI>Cleoxene,</HI> Si&s;ter unto <HI>Menecrates,</HI> and the counterfeit <HI>Arion</HI> &s;eemed not to hate me, &s;o that I had matter of news enough: But when I &s;ent all this news unto her, I &s;ent two &s;everall Letters, one to her &s;elf, another to &s;hew <HI>Zeno|crite:</HI> for though &s;he was a very generous per&s;on, yet there were &s;ome &s;ecrets which one would hardly tru&s;t them&s;elves with; and though &s;he was her confident in a hundred things, yet they were &s;uch as related more unto others then her &s;elf: Thus <HI>Zenocrite</HI> knew all, but knew it by &s;uch as had no intere&s;t in it: And thus I left it unto the di&s;cretion of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> what &s;he thought fit to impart unto her: And &s;he told her with joy that <HI>Menecrates</HI> applyed him|&s;elf unto <HI>Cydipe,</HI> but with &s;orrow, that <HI>Parmenides</HI> loved the Si&s;ter of <HI>Menecrates:</HI> I writ to her al&s;o in rallery, how <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> vi&s;ited me &s;o oft, that <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> had not opportu|nity to expre&s;&s;e half the e&s;teem he had of me. In the mean time the love of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> be|ing violent, the ab&s;ence of <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;eemed long unto him, and needs mu&s;t he write unto her: Since hee knew I u&s;ed to &s;end unto her, and &s;ince he had made me tell him the day when I writ unto her, he came unto me as I was ready to make up my Pacquet; and knowing I &s;ent her all the witty and plea&s;ant things I could gleane, he gave me &s;ome ver&s;es, which he had two yeares &s;ince, but &s;ince I never &s;aw them, I took them for a novelty; So that after he had read them unto me, I &s;ent them unto <HI>Arpalice:</HI> But as <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> gave them unto me, he &s;lily &s;lip<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> a note into them which I perceived not: So that when <HI>Arpalice</HI> opened my Pacquet &s;he was much &s;urpri&s;ed to find a Letter from <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> who&s;e hand &s;he knew very well, and wondering I &s;hould undertake to &s;end it without any mentioning it unto her. The Letter was thus written.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>To the Faire&s;t Per&s;on in the World.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>I</HI> Do not only beg a pardon for my own pre&s;umption in writing to you, but for <HI>Candiope</HI> al&s;o, whom I have deluded: Yet, Madam, how can I chu&s;e but ask how long this cruel ab&s;ence will la&s;t, which deprives me of the happine&s;&s;e in &s;eeing you? and I mu&s;t needs ask al&s;o, whe|ther you will for ever bani&s;h that man out of your heart, who infinitely loves you, and cannot po&s;&s;ibly live without you. I &s;hould &s;ub&s;cribe his name, but I be&s;eech you name him your &s;elf, to the end I may have the honour of being pronounced by the faire&s;t per&s;on that ever was.</P>
</LETTER>
<P>As this Letter was as full of re&s;pect as Gallantry, it did more plea&s;e then anger <HI>Arpalice;</HI> and the delu&s;ion which <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> put upon me had a happier &s;ucce&s;&s;e then he could wi&s;h: yet &s;hee &s;eemed to be angry, but it was in &s;uch mild termes, as it was evident her anger pro|ceeded rather from decencie then any &s;harp re&s;entment: yet <HI>Arpalice</HI> did not an&s;wer the Letter of <HI>Thra&s;imedes;</HI> but &s;ent it unto me; and if I could as well remember her Letter unto me, as I doe this which I have related, I &s;hould make you confe&s;&s;e &s;he writes as well as &s;he &s;peaks: For truly it was the mo&s;t facetious peece of wit that ever I &s;aw: She ob&s;erved the &s;everity of a prudent per&s;on in anger, and yet had many expre&s;&s;ions concerning <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> infinitely obliging. 'Tis true, &s;he charged me not to &s;hew her letter, but to tell you the truth, I &s;aw &s;he had been &s;o elaborate in writing, that I thought &s;he had no de&s;ire to be obeyed: for when &s;he writ onely unto me, her Character was wont to be more carele&s;&s;e, and wor&s;e legi|ble; &s;he u&s;ed not &s;uch exact expre&s;&s;ions, nor elegant phra&s;es. So that I &s;hewed it unto <HI>Thra|&s;imedes,</HI> chiding him &s;oundly for the trick hee had put upon mee, but to qualifie my anger, I &s;hewed him <HI>Arpalices</HI> Letter, wherewith he was extreamly charmed, not onely becau&s;e it
<PB N="157" REF="565">
was admirably penned, but al&s;o becau&s;e it was obliging unto him&s;elf: He u&s;ed all his Retho|rique to get a coppy of that place which concerned him&s;elf, but I would not &s;uffer him. 'Tis true he read it &s;o oft, that he could not chu&s;e but remember it. In the mean time, this daies conference did &s;o perfectly per&s;wade me of the real affection <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> bore unto <HI>Arpalice,</HI> that for the good fortune of them both, I wi&s;hed <HI>Menecrates</HI> &s;o far in love with <HI>Cydipe,</HI> that he would marry her, and think no more upon <HI>Arpalice:</HI> And I a&s;&s;ure you, that during this ab&s;ence I did what I could to advance it: I never &s;aw <HI>Cydipe</HI> in a negligent dre&s;&s;e but I chid her, le&s;t it &s;hould be any hinderance; and what&s;oever &s;he &s;ay now, &s;he was then glad <HI>Mene|crates</HI> preferred her before the greate&s;t beauty in all <HI>Licia:</HI> And indeed &s;he was a ful of compla|cency to him, as any virtuous per&s;on could be. 'Tis true, &s;he was univer&s;ally civill unto all; &s;o that many were not &s;o &s;ubtle as to perceive: but that never deceived me; for I ea&s;ily perceived &s;he was glad <HI>Menecrates</HI> loved her. In the mean time, <HI>Parmenides,</HI> who was deep in love with <HI>Cleoxene,</HI> dur&s;t not &s;hew it unto <HI>Menecrates,</HI> becau&s;e he was afraid to incen&s;e her: And know|ing that <HI>Arpalice</HI> did not love <HI>Menecrates,</HI> he thought be&s;t to keep upon good termes with <HI>Cleoxenes</HI> Brother: And for the better under&s;tanding of this adventure, you mu&s;t know, that <HI>Cleoxene</HI> had as great a &s;pirit as beauty, but it was &s;uch a &s;ubtle &s;ecret &s;pirit, that tho&s;e who thought they knew her be&s;t, did &s;ometimes find they knew her not at all: and indeed, at that time &s;he pa&s;&s;ed for a per&s;on indifferent, who valued not the love of any, but delighted in all plea&s;ures in generall, and loved nothing el&s;e: who did not apply her &s;elfe unto any plea|&s;ure in particular; who kept not &s;ecret confidence with any, but told all the world, &s;he could not conceive any thing was nece&s;&s;ary to be kept &s;ecret: Yet this per&s;on whom I have de&s;cribed unto you, held an intimate corre&s;pondency for above a year with a brother of mine, who&s;e name was <HI>Ly&s;ias,</HI> and none ever &s;u&s;pected any thing. 'Tis true, <HI>Ly&s;ias</HI> was as di|&s;creet, as <HI>Cleoxene</HI> was &s;ubtle, and I &s;hould never have knowne this corre&s;ponden|cy, if by chance I had not found <HI>Cleoxenes</HI> Letter, who&s;e hand I knew, and which moved my Brother to impart his &s;ecret unto me for fear I &s;hould reveale it. You may imagine (after this which I have told you) that <HI>Cleoxenes</HI> put my Brother into much pe|plexity: yet &s;ince he thought her rigour proceeded from her indifferency, the wor&s;e &s;he treat|ed him, the more he loved her: For as tho&s;e who are of a proud and lofty &s;pirit, as he was, either quickly recoile, or more re&s;olutely fall on, <HI>Parmenides</HI> not doing the fir&s;t of the&s;e, did the &s;econd, and did &s;o ha&s;tily court <HI>Cleoxene,</HI> that if <HI>Li&s;ias</HI> had been capable of Jealou&s;ie, doubtle&s;&s;e, he would have feared &s;uch a Rivall: But as <HI>Cleoxene</HI> carryed the matter, he was not at all jealous, and the a&s;&s;aults of <HI>Parmenides</HI> did rather divert them, and augment their affections: For <HI>Li&s;ias</HI> was more circum&s;pect, and <HI>Cleoxene</HI> was more exact, and more obli|ging. Moreover, they made me promi&s;e and &s;wear &s;uch faithfull &s;ecre&s;ie, that I never acquain|ted <HI>Arpalice</HI> with this affection, who thought <HI>Cleoxene</HI> to be as indifferent, as indeed &s;he was amorous: And I have heard her wi&s;h a hundred times that &s;he were of her temper, and had a &s;oul &s;o di&s;ingaged as &s;he thought <HI>Cleoxene</HI> had. As for <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> he behaved him&s;elfe towards me, as if he were per&s;waded, it was not hand&s;ome for a man of &s;pirit to &s;tay &s;o long in a Town without &s;ome peece of Gallantry: and I carryed my &s;elf towards him, as one that was not &s;orry he &s;hould e&s;teem me &s;o much above others, as to talk of me when hee re|turned into his own Country. Thus <HI>Philistion</HI> having a heart not over deeply engaged, was very plea&s;ant, and obliging company: <HI>Menecrates</HI> thinking upon nothing but how to plea&s;e <HI>Cydipe: Parmenides</HI> of nothing but how to move the heart of <HI>Cleoxene, Cleoxene</HI> &s;porting at his pa&s;&s;ion with <HI>Li&s;ias;</HI> and <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> and I having no further de&s;ignes, but to e&s;teem one another, <HI>Arpalice</HI> returned with <HI>Zenocrite,</HI> but &s;o admirably fair, and &s;o perfectly reco|vered of her &s;ickne&s;&s;e, that &s;he was cried up as a fre&s;h new-come beauty: and I beleeve &s;he re|turned with full intentions to treat <HI>Menecrates</HI> cour&s;ly. Know then, that <HI>Zenocrite</HI> brought her into her Aunts chamber, where &s;he found abundance of company, among&s;t the re&s;t, <HI>Me|necrates,</HI> who was talking unto <HI>Cydipe</HI> when &s;he entered: <HI>Zenocrite</HI> addre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf to <HI>Ly|ca&s;te,</HI> I have brought <HI>Arpalice</HI> back unto you (&s;aid &s;he unto her) becau&s;e I would not lo&s;e the complement you owe me, for bringing her back &s;o fair and &s;pritely, after I had her from you &s;o melancholly and &s;ick: for I a&s;&s;ure you (&s;aid &s;he craftily) if every one be of my mind, they will confe&s;&s;e with me that &s;he was never fairer, no not when her Picture was taken, which was &s;ent unto <HI>Menecrates,</HI> and which he lo&s;t unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes.</HI> I be&s;eech you, Madam (&s;aid <HI>Menecrates</HI> unto <HI>Zenocrite,</HI> with as much impudence as &s;hame) do not &s;o &s;harply twit me, for lo&s;ing a Picture which by your own confe&s;&s;ion did not perfectly re&s;emble <HI>Arpalice,</HI> &s;ince &s;he is fairer now then &s;he was at that time; and to tell you truly, I did it rather to pub|li&s;h her beauty then to wrong it, when I put her Picture into the hands of one who travelled.
<PB N="158" REF="566">
I a&s;&s;ure you (&s;aid <HI>Arpalice,</HI> with as much fury as a beauty could &s;parkle) that though <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> were not half &s;o compleat a man as he is, yet I &s;hould think my Picture better in his hand then yours: For I am more obliged unto him who had a de&s;ire to win my Picture, then unto him who will venture to lo&s;e it. I cannot well ju&s;tifie my &s;elf in that (replyed <HI>Me|necrates,</HI> extreamly a&s;hamed) I am per&s;waded (replyed <HI>Zenocrite)</HI> that you will be more puzled to ju&s;tifie your &s;elf in private then in publique, and if your ca&s;e were mine, I would ne|ver go about it. If he did (&s;aid <HI>Arpalice)</HI> it would be in vain. I had better then take the coun&s;ell which is given me (replyed he.) You had need of that coun&s;ell, and more (replyed <HI>Zenocrite)</HI> and went away. I thank you for yours (replyed <HI>Menecrates,</HI> and pre&s;ented his hand unto her to conduct her unto her Coach) being glad to be out of that place where hee was &s;o <HI>non plus't:</HI> And though he &s;tood in much fear of <HI>Zenocrite,</HI> yet hee had rather &s;hee &s;hould chide him a thou&s;and times in private, then to be twitted &s;o in publique. After he had done his civilities unto <HI>Zenocrite,</HI> he returned unto the company, which was not now &s;o ter|rible unto him, &s;ince <HI>Zenocrite</HI> was out of it: yet he dur&s;t not come near <HI>Arpalice,</HI> for his be|haviour unto <HI>Cydipe</HI> during her ab&s;ence, did extreamly perplex him. But &s;ince he had eyes &s;ubtile enough to &s;ee that <HI>Arpalice</HI> was a thou&s;and times fairer then ever he &s;aw her; and &s;ince &s;he perceived he did ob&s;erve it, &s;he was very glad of it, thinking &s;he could not have a more noble way of revenge, then to let him &s;ee, &s;he was not worthy of &s;o much &s;corn he had of her: al&s;o &s;he received all the applauds and commendations of her beauty with great joy, and I much wondered when I &s;aw her admit of all extollings of her beauty with &s;o much delight; and &s;he &s;et her &s;elf out more to &s;pite the Lover whom &s;he hated, then to plea&s;e the Lover whom &s;he loved. <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was no lo&s;er by it, and it may be &s;aid, that &s;he recompenced him, purpo&s;ely to puni&s;h <HI>Menecrates. Thra&s;imedes</HI> was &s;o much in favour with her, that he had continuall private conference with her. In the mean time, it being late, all the company went from <HI>Lyca&s;tes</HI> chamber, but not all alike &s;atisfied: for much difference was between the &s;atisfaction of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates.</HI> The la&s;t of the&s;e finding <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;o faire and charming, that he was a&s;hamed of his behaviour towards her: yet &s;ince he looked upon her as one whom for all this he &s;hould marry, his care was onely to know how he &s;hould carry him&s;elf between <HI>Cydipe</HI> and <HI>Arpalice:</HI> But the next morning he changed his mind; for a friend of his coming to &s;ee him, and beginning to di&s;cour&s;e upon the pre&s;ent condition of his &s;oul, he under&s;tood by him, that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> came into my chamber with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> without any company but <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> and my &s;elf, who had appointed that day, that all my &s;ervants &s;hould &s;ay I was not within, and he was by &s;everall circum&s;tances &s;o fully &s;atisfied, that there was a corre&s;pondency between them, that he began to hate <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and to le&s;&s;en his love unto <HI>Cydipe,</HI> al&s;o to love <HI>Arpalice</HI> a little more; and re&s;olved neither to lo&s;e her e&s;tate, nor her &s;elf, his love of <HI>Cydipe</HI> was rather a fancy then a reall pa&s;&s;ion, what ere &s;he thought; and you mu&s;t know, that <HI>Menecrates</HI> being fully per&s;waded in four or five daies that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was in love with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> that he was not hated, but that him&s;elf was, h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> grew extreamly vexed, and &s;poke not unto <HI>Cydipe</HI> as before: but in the fir&s;t place, in lieu or winning <HI>Arpalice</HI> by his &s;ervices, he &s;ummoned <HI>Parmenides</HI> to perform his promi&s;es, in exe|cuting the La&s;t Will and Te&s;tament of his Father and Mother, who ordained him to marry <HI>Arpalice.</HI> In the mean time, <HI>Parmenides,</HI> who had a particular intere&s;t, not to &s;atisfie <HI>Mene|crates,</HI> told him, that he had conference with all tho&s;e who had any power over his Si&s;ter; and not to let &s;lip &s;uch a fit opportunity, he asked his Si&s;ter in marriage. For my part, &s;ayd <HI>Menecrates,</HI> I freely give you all the power I have. <HI>Parmenides</HI> an&s;wered the &s;ame for as much as concerned <HI>Arpalice.</HI> Thus they did both of them di&s;po&s;e of that which was not in their power: And I a&s;&s;ure you, they quickly found it: for as &s;oon as <HI>Parmenides</HI> &s;poke unto <HI>Ar|palice,</HI> &s;he told him, that &s;he would not think of any marriage matters &s;o &s;oon: yet &s;he would not ab&s;olutely tell him, &s;he would never marry <HI>Menecrates,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he knew him to be very imperious, and might have occa&s;ion to accu&s;e her, if &s;he declared &s;he would nor fulfill the Will of her Father, therefore &s;he told him onely, that &s;he would take &s;ome time to re&s;olve upon it, chu&s;ing rather to tell <HI>Menecrates</HI> his doom then her Brother: But when <HI>Parmenides</HI> &s;aw he could not prevaile with her, he told her of his affection unto <HI>Cleoxene,</HI> conjuring her to take it into her con&s;ideration. Unto this &s;hee an&s;wered, that &s;ince all her amity could not make her change her thoughts of <HI>Menecrates,</HI> he might think al&s;o, that <HI>Cleoxene</HI> would not be ruled by her Brother, and &s;o his happine&s;&s;e or mi&s;ery depended upon <HI>Cleoxene,</HI> and not up|on <HI>Menecrates.</HI> After this <HI>Parmenides</HI> did &s;till importune her a long time, and <HI>Arpalice</HI> re&s;i&s;ted; and &s;o not yeelding unto each other, each of them were left unto them&s;elves. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Menecrates</HI> &s;olicited for <HI>Parmenides</HI> unto <HI>Cleoxene,</HI> who continuing in her indiffe|rency,
<PB N="159" REF="566">
de&s;ired him to beleeve, that the &s;ame humour which cau&s;ed his di&s;ingagement, kept her from engaging her &s;elf: &s;o that &s;he did not refu&s;e <HI>Parmenides</HI> in particular, but all men in generall, conjuring him to &s;ollicite her no more concerning Marriage: So that neither <HI>Par|menides</HI> nor <HI>Menecrates</HI> could give each other any good account of their Loves: and well may I &s;ay of their Loves, dear <HI>Dorali&s;a;</HI> for I a&s;&s;ure you, as &s;oon as <HI>Menecrates</HI> imagined that he &s;hould not marry <HI>Arpalice,</HI> he fell de&s;perately in love with her: So that he ranked him|&s;elf in the quality of profe&s;&s;ed, and not declared Lovers, as <HI>Zenocrite</HI> defined them, and as &s;he &s;oon perceived it; and I think &s;he was one of the fir&s;t that publi&s;hed it to the world. As for <HI>Arpalice,</HI> &s;he was both &s;ad and glad: For &s;he was glad <HI>Menecrates</HI> loved her, to the end &s;he might be revenged of him; but her fears le&s;t &s;ome quarrell &s;hould ari&s;e between <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates</HI> made her &s;orry: As for <HI>Cydipe,</HI> I am per&s;waded that <HI>Menecrates</HI> made her alwaies beleeve, he had no intentions to marry <HI>Arpalice,</HI> but onely to &s;hew it was not long of him, to the end he might enjoy her e&s;tate in ca&s;e &s;he refu&s;ed Marriage. In the mean time <HI>Thra|&s;imedes</HI> was not without his &s;hare of perplexity, to &s;ee how <HI>Menecrates</HI> changed his minde concerning <HI>Arpalice;</HI> &s;o that there was none who were happy but <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> and my &s;elf: The cau&s;e of our happines was, becau&s;e we had &s;o much e&s;teem and affection unto each other, as to plea&s;e, and &s;peak freely of every thing, and becau&s;e we were not &s;o deeply in love as to di&s;qui|et our &s;elves: So that keeping within the ju&s;t limits of amity, we laughed at the mi&s;eries of all others, except tho&s;e of <HI>Arpalice</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> in which we were extreamly concerned: But at la&s;t <HI>Menecrates,</HI> not being able to endure the &s;everity of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> re&s;olved to force her unto a private audience: In order to that, he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto <HI>Parmenides</HI> to obtaine his wi&s;h, and to carry him in the morning into <HI>Arpalices</HI> chamber, whil&s;t &s;he was dre&s;&s;ing <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;elf: As for <HI>Parmenides</HI> he left him with her: So that &s;eeing he could not be rid of <HI>Me|necrates</HI> without hearing him, &s;he gave him audience; but it was with &s;uch a &s;ad counte|nance, and &s;uch anger in her eyes, that he had hardly power to &s;peak: But yet the Beauty of <HI>Arpalice</HI> did &s;o exa&s;pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">te his pa&s;&s;ion, that it did at la&s;t augment his boldne&s;&s;e: &s;o that be|ginning to &s;peak as &s;oon as he &s;aw her di&s;po&s;ed to hear, Madam, &s;aid he unto her, before I complaine of your &s;everity unto all the world, I will take the honour to talke with you, and confe&s;&s;e that I have merited your hatred and &s;corn; al&s;o profe&s;&s;e, that I will endeavour fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the future to be worthy of your e&s;teem and affection. It is not my cu&s;tome (replyed &s;he, care|le&s;ly) to be capable of any contrarieties; and therefore &s;ince I doe hate you, you can hardly per&s;wade me to e&s;teem you. Since there is no impo&s;&s;ibility in it (replyed he) I will not de|&s;pair, for I am fully re&s;olved to give you mo&s;t infallible te&s;timonies of my love, &s;uch as I hope will work upon your heart: And truly, Madam, I am not the &s;ame <HI>Menecrates</HI> I was when you were a child; but I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e unto my &s;hame, that I did not then love you, and was a long while culpable: But now I have changed my thoughts, and am as much in love with you now, as I was indifferent before, and would it be ju&s;t in you to treat me now, as when I did not love you? It is &s;o improbable, replyed &s;he, that a man who hath &s;corned me all his life, even &s;o far as to lo&s;e my Picture, can change his mind &s;o &s;oon, and pa&s;&s;e from one extream unto another, that I wonder you will offer to per&s;wade me unto it. I have already told you, Madam, that I doe not intend to ju&s;tifie my &s;elf for the time pa&s;t, but I be&s;eech you put a difference between the time of my guilt, and time of my innocency. When you have lived as long innocently (replyed <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;harply) as you have done culpably, I &s;hall then con&s;i|der whether I &s;hould puni&s;h or recompence you, and &s;o equally forget both your injuries and your &s;ervices, that I &s;hall be all indifferency. Madam, &s;aid he unto her, if love were a pa&s;&s;i|on which one could command when one will, then I &s;hould confe&s;&s;e you had rea&s;on to upbraid me for not loving you from your cradle; but &s;ince it is not, and &s;ince it was the plea&s;ure of the Gods that I &s;hould not love you untill you became the mo&s;t lovely beauty in the world, ought you to hate me for that? <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> (added hee) whom perhaps you hate not &s;o much as you doe me, has not long known you, and could not love you untill he did know you; and why I be&s;eech you may you not look upon me as well as him? There is &s;uch a va&s;t difference betwixt you and him (replyed &s;he very angerly) that I cannot look alike upon you: for without putting my &s;elf to the trouble of con&s;idering whether he love me or not, I am certain he hath not &s;corned me as you have done: But to make u&s;e of your own arguments, I will not accu&s;e you for loving me till now, upon condition you will not accu&s;e me that I can never love you hereafter. Hereafter, replyed <HI>Menecrates,</HI> is not a thing which one can po&s;itively make an&s;wer for. I a&s;&s;ure you (&s;aid &s;he) if you can but promi&s;e me that you will not love me till death, I can promi&s;e to hate you as long as I live. However (&s;aid &s;he) &s;ince by parting with part of my e&s;tate, I can be di&s;engaged from you, I will throw it away upon you
<PB N="160" REF="567">
with joy; but I be&s;eech you doe not imploy <HI>Parmenides,</HI> nor <HI>Meophiles,</HI> nor <HI>Lyca&s;tes</HI> bro|ther, nor <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> her &s;elfe to torment me, for all they can do &s;hall not alter me: After this, <HI>Menecrates</HI> would have prote&s;ted unto her, that he would never take any advantage of her Fathers will, and that all his ayms were at her; but &s;he would not heare him any longer, telling him it was Church time, and that &s;he would have him be gone; in&s;omuch as indeed he was forced to go; but he went in a mi&s;cellany of &s;orrow, anger and love, that he could not forbear complaining unto all he met. In the mean time, one of <HI>Arpalices</HI> women, and one of mine, hearing <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> called <HI>Arion,</HI> they thought that <HI>Arion</HI> was his right name, and that <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> was but borrowed: &s;o that they being of &s;uch an humor as was incapable of keeping any &s;ecrets, they told every one that this &s;ame <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> who they &s;aid was in love with me, was not a man of any fa&s;hion, but that he was the famous Mu&s;itian who was &s;o much cried up, and who could not be found all about the Towne: &s;o that the&s;e women telling it unto &s;uch as acquainted <HI>Menecrates</HI> with it the &s;ame day, he was &s;o ill &s;atisfied with <HI>Ar|palice,</HI> he told it unto all the world, thinking it would anger both <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and me al&s;o; for he knew me to be one that &s;tood upon terms of honour, and that this report would not plea&s;e me. Thus in the compa&s;&s;e of a day all the Towne told one another, that <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> was <HI>Arion,</HI> and all beleeved it, except four or five who knew the truth: yet <HI>Arpalice</HI> and I were the la&s;t that knew it: But at la&s;t <HI>Zenocrite</HI> told us, conjuring us to tell her the truth: As &s;he was making this reque&s;t, <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> came in, who knowing what was reported of him, came laughing into <HI>Zenocrites</HI> Chamber where we were, and told us all he heard; but &s;ince <HI>Arpalice</HI> and I were nothing plea&s;ed with this report, becau&s;e we feared &s;ome ill con&s;equences, we could not chu&s;e but blu&s;h, &s;o that <HI>Zenocrite</HI> beleeving &s;ome truth to be in the&s;e reports, began to pre&s;&s;e us very earne&s;tly to confe&s;&s;e the truth unto her. I know very well &s;aid &s;he, that <HI>Philistion</HI> by his admirable aire &s;hould be a man of qualitie, and that he hath an excellent &s;pirit; but I know al&s;o <HI>Arion</HI> is no common Mu&s;itian, he can compo&s;e ver&s;es rarely, and has &s;een &s;o many gallant men, that I am per&s;waded he him&s;elfe is one; and therefore if <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> &s;hould be <HI>Arion,</HI> it is no di&s;honour unto him to tell it. Whil&s;t <HI>Zeno|crite</HI> was talking thus, <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> made his heart ake with laughing, <HI>Arpalice</HI> and I al&s;o could not hold, maugre our anger: But at la&s;t <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> to let <HI>Zenocrite</HI> &s;ee he was not <HI>Ari|on,</HI> &s;ent for a Harpe which he played on before her, and afterwards &s;ung; but it was long fir&s;t, for his laughter would not let him. It was good &s;port to &s;ee how he &s;trived that day to &s;ing ill, that he might make it knowne he was not <HI>Arion;</HI> as much as he did to &s;ing well in my Chamber to make us think that he was he: and indeed he &s;ung &s;o, that he left no &s;u&s;|pition that he was <HI>Arion:</HI> &s;ince <HI>Zenocrite</HI> could not po&s;&s;ibly think he could &s;o di&s;&s;emble his voice, and therefore we were nece&s;&s;itated to confe&s;s the truth. But whil&s;t we were talking of this adventure, <HI>Menecrates</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> quarrelled: the fir&s;t of the&s;e having told the other &s;omething which reli&s;hed not, concerning the pretended <HI>Arion;</HI> &s;o that going out together, they fought, and perhaps had killed each other had they not been parted; yet <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> had the better of it. This accident making a great noi&s;e, we quickly heard it at <HI>Zenocrites,</HI> and you may imagine how much <HI>Arpalice</HI> and <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> were troubled at it: <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> went out immediately to look his friend, who, they &s;aid, were both committed unto cu&s;tody untill they were friends. I &s;hall not make any particular re|lation what talk this produced, let me only tell you, that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> being exceedingly beloved, and all the world di&s;liking that <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;hould be forced to marry <HI>Menecrates,</HI> ho&s;e that &s;tirred in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, did equally oblige <HI>Menecrates</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ve quietly the one with the other, and that the one &s;hould not take it ill if the other courted <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">palice,</HI> who only was able to make them happy or mi&s;erable; and thus was the reconcile|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">nt made up between them: yet <HI>Menecrates</HI> re&s;i&s;ted it as well as he could, &s;aying it was not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> they &s;hould permit <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> to pretend unto <HI>Arpalice:</HI> adding, that they were both engaged unto each other from their infancy. Unto which <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> an&s;wered, that ha|ving it from his owne mouth at <HI>Apamea,</HI> that he did not love <HI>Arpalice,</HI> he had good rea&s;on to think he would no further &s;ue unto her, and therefore he would not check that pa&s;&s;ion which her beauty had created in his heart: and the rea&s;ons which <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> urged being found rea&s;onable, they were agreed upon the conditions afore&s;aid. But <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> being not &s;atisfied with what <HI>Menecrates</HI> &s;aid of him, about three daies after they fought, and <HI>Phili|stion</HI> made it appear that he could u&s;e a &s;word better then a Harpe, for he got the better, and gave a &s;light wound unto the other in the arme. The&s;e two Combats cau&s;ed others al&s;o, for <HI>Parmenides</HI> and <HI>Ly&s;ias</HI> fell out concerning this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and fought. Truth is, it was no wonder my Brother &s;hould come off with the honour, for in fighting with <HI>Parmenides,</HI> he
<PB N="161" REF="567">
he knew him to be his Rivall, but <HI>Parmenides</HI> knew not that <HI>Ly&s;ias</HI> was his indeed. Deer <HI>Dorali&s;&s;a,</HI> nothing was talked on for a month together but quarrels, which were cau&s;ed by this imaginary <HI>Arion;</HI> but at la&s;t the &s;torme being over, both <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates</HI> began openly to court <HI>Arpalice. Parmenides</HI> he was &s;till deeply in love with <HI>Cleoxine,</HI> whil&s;t <HI>Ly&s;ias</HI> was her Paramour. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Parmenides</HI> imagined that the more rigo|rous <HI>Arpalice</HI> was unto <HI>Menecrates,</HI> the le&s;&s;e favourable would <HI>Cleoxine</HI> be unto him, he did extreamly per&s;wade her; <HI>Menecrates</HI> did no le&s;&s;e unto <HI>Cleoxine,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he treated <HI>Parmenides</HI> no better: &s;o that the&s;e two Brothers were intolerable torments unto their &s;i&s;ters, as if they had been imperious and crabbed Fathers, or capritious and jealous Husbands. <HI>Arpalice</HI> and <HI>Cleoxine</HI> took this per&s;ecution not alike, for <HI>Cleoxine</HI> cared not at all for it: but it was not &s;o with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> for &s;he indured the tyranny of <HI>Menecrates</HI> with intolerable impatience, &s;o as I could not chu&s;e but pitty her: I al&s;o had my &s;hare of perplexities, becau&s;e <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> continually pre&s;&s;ed me to imploy all the power I had with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> in favour of <HI>Thra&s;ime|des:</HI> I knew very well that her inclination leaned that way; but <HI>Parmenides</HI> u&s;ed &s;uch pre&s;|&s;ing &s;olicitations again&s;t it, that &s;he could not re&s;olve upon it. As &s;he was one day much trou|bled with the per&s;ecution of <HI>Parmenides,</HI> and as I much pittyed her, I advi&s;ed her to tell her brother, that &s;he would willingly &s;acrifice her &s;elfe for his &s;ake, &s;o it might do him &s;ervice, but that &s;he would not venture her &s;elfe &s;o farre upon uncertainties of his good fortune; and that therefore &s;he would engage her &s;elfe to marry <HI>Menecrates,</HI> a&s;&s;oon as he had married <HI>Cleoxine,</HI> knowing well by my brothers intelligence, that it would never be. But in what a perplexity were I, (&s;aid <HI>Arpallice</HI> who was ignorant of the love between <HI>Ly&s;ias</HI> and <HI>Cleoxine)</HI> if my brother &s;hould marry the &s;i&s;ter of <HI>Menecrates?</HI> I can a&s;&s;ure you (&s;aid I unto her) he will never marry her: and after I had told her all I knew, &s;he took my coun&s;ell, and told <HI>Parmenides</HI> accordingly, charging me to tell <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> that it &s;hould not trouble him, if he heard any reports to his prejudice. In the mean time, <HI>Arpalice</HI> had no &s;ooner told <HI>Parmenides</HI> that &s;he would marry <HI>Menecrates</HI> a&s;&s;oon as he had marryed <HI>Cleoxine;</HI> but <HI>Parmenides</HI> the more to oblige <HI>Menecrates</HI> unto a pre&s;&s;ing his Si&s;ter to be favourable unto him, told him what <HI>Arpali|ce</HI> &s;aid; &s;o that <HI>Menecrates</HI> did double his per&s;ecution of <HI>Cleoxine,</HI> and importuned his &s;i&s;ter much more then his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e. I forgot to tell you, how I had a de&s;ign to doe a good office unto my Brother, for I knew that <HI>Cleoxine</HI> had promi&s;ed, if <HI>Menecrates</HI> did much pre&s;&s;e her, and would force her to marry <HI>Parmenides,</HI> &s;he was then re&s;olved to tell him the rea&s;on why &s;he could not, and would then make <HI>Ly&s;ias</HI> happy; &s;o that by this means, I &s;hould at once be &s;erviceable unto <HI>Arpalice, Thra&s;imedes, Ly&s;ias,</HI> and <HI>Cleoxine,</HI> and &s;hould al&s;o oblige <HI>Phili&s;ti|on.</HI> On the other &s;ide, <HI>Cydipe,</HI> who doubtle&s;&s;e did think <HI>Menecrates</HI> loved her, did continu|ally advi&s;e <HI>Arpalice</HI> to prefer <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> before <HI>Menecrates.</HI> Thus every one having a hid|den de&s;igne, we were all put to our witts, e&s;pecially when we were all together: Mean while, what a&s;&s;urance &s;oever I gave <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> to give the &s;ame unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> yet he could not move him to re&s;t &s;atisfied: he told me one day, that if <HI>Arpalice</HI> did not honour him &s;o farre as to give him &s;ome a&s;&s;urances of her affection, his friend would fall upon &s;ome violent re|&s;olution, and that his pa&s;&s;ion was too violent to be &s;atisfied with trifles, and therefore &s;he mu&s;t at lea&s;t give him &s;ome plea&s;ing words. After this I pre&s;&s;ed <HI>Arpalice</HI> (who came one day to &s;ee me becau&s;e I was not well) to &s;peak unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> as unto a man whom &s;he loved. I pray you &s;aid I unto her, what great difficulty is in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e? why &s;hould you not give him &s;uch &s;atisfaction, as will co&s;t you only a few words? A few good words replyed &s;he, are of greater con&s;equence then you imagine, yet I doe not &s;ay that I will never give them: but if I be Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e of my rea&s;on, I &s;hall not give them till needs I mu&s;t: for the&s;e few words <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;peak of as a &s;mall matter, are yet the utmo&s;t limitt that mode&s;ty or vertue allowes: till they be &s;poke, the good or bad fortune of a lover is in the power of his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e; then is &s;he his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, he her &s;lave; but when the&s;e few words are pa&s;t through the eare into the heart of a lover, then doth he expect &s;ome proofs of this affection, and asks it, not as a &s;lave, but as due unto him, and &s;o never asks it with &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion: and therefore my deer <HI>Candiope,</HI> let me tell you once for all, that the&s;e few words which you would have me to &s;peak unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> &s;eem to be &s;o full of crime, that I dare not &s;peak them, and therefore I declare unto you, that all I can &s;ay unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> is, that I de&s;ire he &s;hould continue loving me. And al&s;o at la&s;t, &s;aid I unto her, that you con&s;ent he &s;hould hope to be loved againe. I a&s;&s;ure you (&s;aid &s;he, and both laughed and blu&s;ht) your capitulations are in vaine, for it hath &s;o fallen out very often, that I never told <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> any thing whiched I re&s;olv to tell him: and on the contrary I have told him what I re&s;olved not to tell him; and this is the rea&s;on why I avoid as much as I can &s;peaking with him in private; for I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, that nothing in the world angers me more, then when I have been either more obliging, or more cruell then
<PB N="162" REF="568">
I would be. However, &s;aid I unto her, though you will not talk with <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> in private out of affection, yet doe it out of prudence: For certainly at this time there is a nece&s;&s;ity to make u&s;e of that power which you have over him, le&s;t he &s;hould fall upon &s;ome violent and de&s;perate cour&s;e. <HI>Arpalice</HI> hearing me &s;ay &s;o, though at fir&s;t &s;he was ob&s;tinate, yet at la&s;t yeelded unto my de&s;ire, upon condition I would think &s;he did it out of prudence, not affection; though &s;he confe&s;&s;ed if ever &s;he affected any, it &s;hould be him: But the difficulty was, to find fit place of &s;ecre&s;ie for conference; and <HI>Arpalice</HI> and I were both unaccu&s;tomed unto &s;ecret meetings, that we were both puzled to con&s;true it. I no &s;ooner propounded one expedient, but <HI>Arpalice</HI> found a thou&s;and difficulties in it: at her hou&s;e, <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> and <HI>Cydipe</HI> were alwaies there: in my chamber the adventure of <HI>Arion</HI> did thrive but badly: in a Church was all the world: So that &s;he &s;crupled at all, though there was no crime in the matter: walk we could not without more company; and after a long rea&s;oning upon it, we found no &s;a|tisfaction in any place: But at la&s;t chance did that for us which our inventions could not. As we were thus in conference, one came to tell me that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> asked for me: At fir&s;t <HI>Arpalice</HI> thought I had put a trick upon her, that I di&s;&s;embled &s;ickne&s;&s;e purpo&s;ely to make me come and &s;ee her, and that this was a compact between <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and mee: &s;o that &s;he would needs goe away, and I would not let him enter untill I had undeceived her. Well (&s;aid &s;he to me) I &s;hall not &s;peak over obligingly this day unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes;</HI> perhaps it were better for him I went away. But for all that, I made her &s;it down; &s;he would have &s;at upon my bed becau&s;e lea&s;t &s;een, and indeed &s;he did &s;o hide her &s;elf, that none but <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> could have known her; yet he did, and &s;eemed beyond all mea&s;ure joyed at the meeting. At fir&s;t, talk was generall, and <HI>Arpalice</HI> had &s;o little &s;hare in it, that &s;he hardly knew what we &s;aid: But <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech particularly unto her, and <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> beginning to &s;peak low unto me, the talk divided, and we were the be&s;t part of an hour without any interruption: I cannot give you an exact relation of the conference between <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Arpalice;</HI> for both of them told me &s;everally afterwards, that they could not repeat it: All I know is, that <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;aid &s;he &s;poke over kindly unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and that &s;he repented: and <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> told me that &s;he gave him not one favourable word; yet he was &s;atisfied, though he had no great rea&s;on for it, unle&s;&s;e he thought he &s;aw in the eyes of <HI>Arpalice</HI> maugre the darkne&s;&s;e, a more obliging &s;weetne&s;&s;e then before &s;he u&s;ed. However <HI>Arpalices</HI> went away the fir&s;t, and would not let <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> wait upon her: She was no &s;ooner gone, but <HI>Cleoxene</HI> came in, who according to her accu&s;tomed jollity, began to chide me for being in the com|pany of two &s;uch Gallants, asking me if I had &s;pent all the afternoon with them? whether we had any more to &s;ay? and whether &s;he interrupted us? Hearing <HI>Cleoxene</HI> &s;peake in this manner, in lieu of an&s;wering preci&s;ely, and telling her <HI>Arpalice</HI> had been there, I told her laughing, that there was no danger in interrupting a di&s;cour&s;e of three per&s;ons, &s;ince it was likely many &s;ecrets would not be imparted: 'Tis true, &s;aid <HI>Cleoxene,</HI> and if all the world were of my mind, there &s;hould be fewer my&s;terious matters then there are. This is the rea|&s;on I am alwayes &s;o indifferent, affecting rather to have no &s;ecrets in hand, then to run the hazard of hiding them, and cannot. Yet there are many things, replyed <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> which are very plea&s;ing, and cannot be hid. Love is a pa&s;&s;ion &s;o generall, &s;aid <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> as it mu&s;t needs be in the number of tho&s;e things which cannot be long concealed. If ever I &s;hould be culpable of it (replyed <HI>Cleoxene)</HI> I am confident none &s;hould perceive it. Then you would not love at all (replyed <HI>Thra&s;imedes)</HI> On the contrary (replyed &s;he) I &s;hould love better then a|nother. You would live then in an extream con&s;traint (&s;aid <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> to her) No, an&s;wered &s;he, I &s;hould be in le&s;&s;e con&s;traint then others who are &s;o full of their gallantry. I mu&s;t confe&s;s (&s;aid I) though I have no intentions to make u&s;e of your &s;ecret, yet I &s;hould be glad to know it. As <HI>Cleoxene</HI> was ready to an&s;wer, <HI>Ly&s;ias</HI> knowing &s;he was in my chamber, came thither: pre&s;ently after, <HI>Parmenides</HI> brought in <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> and <HI>Cydipe: Menecrates</HI> al&s;o came in: But that which mo&s;t amazed us was, that <HI>Zenocrite</HI> having met with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> who telling her I was &s;ick, forced her to come back with her, the &s;econd time: So that when &s;he came into my chamber, and not knowing I had kept her fir&s;t vi&s;it from <HI>Cleoxene,</HI> &s;he told me, to colour her &s;econd, that I was not obliged unto her for it, for &s;he came more for <HI>Zenocrites</HI> company then for mine: My hope was at fir&s;t, that <HI>Cleoxene</HI> would not remember how &s;he asked me, whether I had &s;pent all the afternoon with <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> and that I did not tell her <HI>Arpalice</HI> was there. But the&s;e hopes la&s;ted not long: for all the company ri&s;ing up at <HI>Zenocrite</HI> and <HI>Arpalices</HI> entrance, &s;he came unto me, and asked me, laughing, what plea&s;ure I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ook in concealing it from her? I a&s;&s;ure you (&s;aid I unto her in a low voice) my intention was not to hide <HI>Arpalices</HI> being here from you, and you &s;ee &s;he her &s;elf does not conceale it.
<PB N="163" REF="568">
It was becau&s;e you had not well agreed upon it, replyed &s;he, and &s;miled: after which &s;he re|turned to her place, and all the company being &s;et, <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> began the di&s;cour&s;e where we left, when it was interrupted by the entrance of <HI>Ly&s;ias.</HI> Me thinks (&s;aid he) and looked upon <HI>Cleoxene,</HI> that you ought to impart a great &s;ecret unto <HI>Candiope</HI> when <HI>Ly&s;ias</HI> came in. 'Tis true, &s;aid &s;he, but it mu&s;t be in private, and not in publique. <HI>Zenocrite</HI> not being accu&s;tomed to let things be talked of in her pre&s;ence which &s;he under&s;tood not, did pre&s;&s;e to know it, and &s;o urgently, that though it was the greate&s;t &s;ecret of <HI>Cleoxenes</HI> life, yet &s;he re&s;olved to &s;peak as confidently as if it were a thing onely to help out di&s;cour&s;e: So that after a relation of what had been &s;aid before <HI>Ly&s;ias</HI> came in, <HI>Gleoxene</HI> went on, and asked whether &s;he was in the right, when &s;he &s;aid, tho&s;e who meddle with matters of Gallantry, without cunning e|nough to hide it, have not more pains then plea&s;ure, and doe not de&s;erve a faithfull Lover. For truly, &s;aid &s;he, if there be any &s;weets in love, I conceive it mu&s;t be when one is loved and loves, and it is not known unto any, becau&s;e then one is not expo&s;ed to envy, nor detraction, nor to the di&s;plea&s;ure of &s;eeing jealous Rivalls quarrell and fight: But one does quietly en|joy an empire which is not mole&s;ted by any thing; &s;uch doe know all that others know; but others know not what they know: and I am per&s;waded it is with love as with fire, the more it is inclo&s;ed, the better it is kept; and indeed, doe you not &s;ee, that tho&s;e loves which none are ignorant of, doe evaporate, and quench in a &s;hort time? All the World doe &s;o talk of it for a while, that the Lovers them&s;elves do in&s;en&s;ibly forget to talk of it: Judge then, I pray, whether two who are in love, and keep their affections clo&s;e from all the world but them|&s;elves, be not more happy then others? Doubtle&s;&s;e they are, replyed <HI>Zenocrite:</HI> But what would you have this clo&s;e Lover doe? and how can he hide it, if he doe all that is requi&s;ite in love? What becomes of that multitude of things which they &s;ay are in&s;eparable from that pa&s;&s;ion? For my part I am an enemy unto the&s;e declared Lovers, and think them &s;o ridicu|lous, that I am per&s;waded there is a mean between tho&s;e you &s;peak of, and them: For if you take away &s;ighs and &s;orrows, vexations, fears, jealou&s;ies, and raptures of joy, cares to plea&s;e and divert alterations in countenance, magnificence and liberalitie from a Lover, you take a|way all things that can expre&s;&s;e his affection, and all that can render him agreeable. No, no, replyed <HI>Cleoxene,</HI> a concealed Lover is not &s;uch a one as you de&s;cribe; he &s;ighs, but it is in &s;ecret, he mourns, but it is not becau&s;e none under&s;tands it but his Mi&s;tris; he has his vexati|ons, but he di&s;&s;embles them; he is jealous, but it is onely as much as augments love, and not quench it; he has his raptures of joy, but they are in &s;ecret; he has a mo&s;t diligent care to plea&s;e his Mi&s;tris, but his diligence appeares onely unto her, &s;ince it is her plea&s;ure &s;he &s;hould hide his pa&s;&s;ion: And as for liberality and magnificence, &s;ince they are virtues which may appear in all brave men, and are not confined onely unto Gallantry, he may be liberall and magnificent in a hundred things and occa&s;ions which relate not unto love; and by con&s;e|quence this clo&s;e Lover may u&s;e them without any di&s;covery of his pa&s;&s;ion: In the mean time he enjoyes a trea&s;ure which none does envy, becau&s;e none thinks he enjoyes it. Whil&s;t <HI>Cleoxene</HI> was talking thus, I dur&s;t not &s;o much as look upon my brother, or <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and <HI>Ly&s;ias</HI> dur&s;t not look upon <HI>Cleoxene</HI> or me: as for her, &s;ince &s;he was fully per&s;waded, that none knew the corre&s;pondency between <HI>Ly&s;ias</HI> and her &s;elf, &s;he &s;pake with as much confidence and boldne&s;&s;e, as any di&s;intere&s;ted neutral, or indifferent per&s;on could: And indeed, <HI>Parme|nides,</HI> who had &s;o much intere&s;t in her as to ob&s;erve her narrowly, did not think her to be capable of any light kind of amity, therefore was far from thinking her po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with a vio|lent pa&s;&s;ion: So that e&s;teeming him&s;elf more happy in having a lukewarm Mi&s;tris, whom he thought loved him as well as any, then to be like <HI>Menecrates</HI> whom <HI>Arpalice</HI> loved le&s;s then &s;he did <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> he gave a plea&s;ant audience unto <HI>Cleoxene:</HI> As for <HI>Menecrates</HI> and <HI>Thra|&s;imedes,</HI> they hardly heard what was &s;aid, for their thoughts were all taken up with looking upon <HI>Arpalice,</HI> who neither looking upon him whom &s;he loved not, le&s;t &s;he &s;hould plea&s;e him too much, nor upon him whom &s;he loved, le&s;t her looks &s;hould be cen&s;ured, &s;he gave an attentive audience unto <HI>Cleoxene</HI> and <HI>Zenocrite,</HI> who held all the di&s;cour&s;e that day; and continued it a long time with variety of plea&s;ant things: Yet towards the end, every one be|gan to &s;peak of other bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and talked what they thought good, except <HI>Menecrates,</HI> who could not &s;peak one word in private with <HI>Arpalice.</HI> As for <HI>Cleoxene,</HI> &s;he &s;pake low unto <HI>Ly&s;ias,</HI> and none took notice of it; and &s;he had the plea&s;ure to &s;ee her pa&s;&s;ion &s;o clo&s;ely carried, that <HI>Parmenides</HI> him&s;elf took it no wor&s;e that <HI>Ly&s;ias</HI> could talk with her, then with any other: And &s;ince &s;he could not chu&s;e but laugh when &s;he &s;pake to <HI>Ly&s;ias,</HI> to &s;ee how hand&s;omly &s;he deceived the world, <HI>Parmenides</HI> de&s;ired his private Rivall to tell him what &s;he laughed at: You may imagine how this plea&s;ed <HI>Cleoxene;</HI> but as for <HI>Cydipe,</HI> I beleeve &s;he
<PB N="164" REF="569">
was not &s;o well &s;atisfied: at la&s;t the conver&s;ation ended, and &s;ince <HI>Cleoxine</HI> had not forgotten what &s;he apprehended of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and &s;ince &s;he laboured to per&s;wade her brother, that he mu&s;t never pretend unto <HI>Arpalice,</HI> to the end he &s;hould not pre&s;&s;e her to marry <HI>Parmenides,</HI> &s;he told him that <HI>Arpalice</HI> had made two vi&s;its that day, and that the fir&s;t was to meet <HI>Thra|&s;imedes,</HI> telling him how &s;he came to know it. I leave you to judge what operation this had upon the heart of <HI>Menecrates: Cleoxine</HI> did what &s;he could to per&s;wade him, to make good u&s;e of the knowledge he had that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was preferred before him, thereby to cure him of his affection unto <HI>Arpalice:</HI> But &s;ince he knew his &s;i&s;ter did not love <HI>Parmenides,</HI> he thought upon &s;erious con&s;iderations, that no great credit was to be given unto her words: therefore he referred it unto the next day, to know whether it was true that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> were a long time alone with <HI>Candiope</HI> and her, and when he found I &s;poke truth, he was extreamly angry; and &s;o much, that I can expre&s;&s;e it no better then by telling you, that he was in a minde never to love <HI>Arpalice</HI> againe: &s;o that not con&s;ulting any longer whether he &s;hould qua&s;h his pa&s;&s;ion or not, he began to &s;peak unto <HI>Zenocrite</HI> concerning <HI>Arpalices</HI> vi&s;its, as an appointed meeting with <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> declaring openly, that he would no longer mole&s;t the plea&s;ures of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> nor ever thinke of her againe. <HI>Zenocrite</HI> hearing <HI>Menecrates</HI> &s;ay &s;o, was very much perplexed, for &s;he wondered <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;hould ap|point a meeting with <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and on the other &s;ide &s;he was glad to &s;ee, that as long as <HI>Menecrates</HI> his anger la&s;ted, <HI>Arpalice</HI> would be freed from him, and at liberty to make <HI>Thra&s;i|medes</HI> happy; yet &s;ince &s;he knew <HI>Arpalice</HI> loved her reputation above her private &s;atisfaction, &s;he would ju&s;tifie her, and therefore told <HI>Menecrates,</HI> that this which he called an ap|pointment, was but a ca&s;uall accident; but lea&s;t in ju&s;tifying <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;he &s;hould revive the love of <HI>Menecrates,</HI> which &s;eemed extingui&s;hed, &s;he added, that being his friend, &s;he thought her &s;elfe obliged to tell him, that it was a gro&s;&s;e incon&s;ideration in him to think of ever marrying a woman whom he had &s;o extreamly &s;lighted; as for her part &s;he verily beleeves him to be pa&s;t all hopes of ever obtaining her love, &amp; therefore it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> much better both for him&s;elf and <HI>Arpalice</HI> to let her alone, &amp; trouble him&s;elfe no furthe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &amp; indeed <HI>Zenocrite</HI> being very eloquent, &s;he made &s;uch good u&s;e of <HI>Menecrates</HI> his anger, that &s;he fully per&s;waded him to think no more of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> &s;o that without more delay, &s;he engaged him to give her commi&s;&s;ion to tell <HI>Parmenides</HI> of it, <HI>Menecrates</HI> conjuring her to a&s;&s;ure him, that this &s;hould be no hinderance unto him concerning his Si&s;ter. <HI>Menecrates</HI> was no &s;ooner gone, but &s;he &s;ent for <HI>Parmenides,</HI> to tell him that <HI>Menecrates</HI> had no more thoughts of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> but that he was ready to do him any good office unto <HI>Cleoxine. Parmenides</HI> hearing this, was in a bitter chafe again&s;t <HI>Arpalice:</HI> and his rea&s;on was, becau&s;e he thought that now he would be more &s;lack in his &s;olicitations of <HI>Cleoxine:</HI> &s;o that leaving <HI>Zenocrite,</HI> he went to <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and intended to give her a very bitter lecture, afterwards he went unto <HI>Menecra|tes</HI> to tell him it was now full time to pre&s;&s;e <HI>Arpalice</HI> unto marriage with him; but &s;ince he was yet in his violency of anger and jealou&s;ie, he thanked him for his offer, and a&s;&s;ured him once more, that he would be more clo&s;e in his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e to <HI>Cleoxine,</HI> then hitherto he had, though he do not now pretend any thing unto <HI>Arpalice.</HI> Thus <HI>Cleoxine</HI> thinking to rid her &s;elfe from trouble, did augment it. But I be&s;eech you admire a little at the fanta&s;ticall fate of things: that which could not be obtained neither by <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> nor <HI>Lycias,</HI> did fall upon the&s;e two lovers by rea&s;on of the violence which <HI>Arpalice</HI> and <HI>Cleoxine</HI> endured through the tyranny of their brothers: for <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;eeing her &s;elfe &s;o unju&s;tly tormented, re&s;olved to con|fe&s;&s;e unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> that &s;he would love him, upon condition he would attempt nothing either again&s;t <HI>Menecrates</HI> or <HI>Parmenides:</HI> &amp; <HI>Cleoxine,</HI> who had made &s;uch a my&s;terious &s;ecrecy of her affection to <HI>Lycias,</HI> re&s;olved al&s;o to confe&s;&s;e ingenuou&s;ly, that having neither Father nor Mother, &s;he thought her &s;elfe unblamable, if &s;he followed her owne inclination in marrying <HI>Ly&s;ias,</HI> whom &s;he had long loved; and indeed &s;he told <HI>Menecrates</HI> as much, who not being able to finde any fault with her choice, either in his condition or per&s;on, he blamed her only for her &s;ecrecy; yet adding, that &s;ince he had pa&s;&s;ed his word unto <HI>Parmenides,</HI> he could not recall it, and therefore if &s;he married <HI>Ly&s;ias,</HI> it &s;hould be without his con&s;ent. In the mean time, <HI>Arpalice,</HI> who could not indure the reports of her appointed meeting, &s;ince it was un|true, re&s;olved to make it knowne that their meeting was by accident, not appointed; and in|deed made it apparent: &s;o that <HI>Menecrates</HI> finding his anger was unju&s;tly grounded, it cea&s;ed, and he went unto <HI>Arpalice</HI> that very &s;ame hower, whom he found alone. You may ea&s;ily imagine &s;he was not a little a&s;toni&s;hed to &s;ee <HI>Menecrates</HI> at her feet, whom &s;he thought had for ever de&s;i&s;ted her company: Indeed &s;he was &s;o &s;urpri&s;ed, that &s;he had not power to hinder him from &s;peaking and asking pardon: 'tis true, it may be &s;aid, that though &s;he was a
<PB N="165" REF="569">
while &s;ilent, yet it was to &s;peak unto with him more anger: For he had no &s;ooner &s;poke what he thought fit to obtain his Pardon, but &s;he was as &s;harp as po&s;&s;ible could be, and char|ged him never to &s;ee her again: and the truth is, &s;he forced him away. As for <HI>Parmenides,</HI> it was not with him as with <HI>Menecrates;</HI> for as &s;oon as he knew, that there had been a long concealed affection between <HI>Cleoxene</HI> and <HI>Ly&s;ias,</HI> he thought no more upon her; but to reta|liate genero&s;ity for genero&s;ity unto <HI>Menecrates,</HI> he a&s;&s;ured him, that he would hinder the Marriage of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> with <HI>Arpalice.</HI> Thus in lieu of former promi&s;es of marrying each others Si&s;ters, they now promi&s;ed onely that they &s;hould not marry their Rivals. This being the juncture of affairs, <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> received news, that his father was &s;ick of a long, but mortal di&s;ea&s;e, &amp; commanded him to come immediately unto him. Imagine how great his &s;orrow was, not onely becau&s;e his Father was in danger of death, but that he &s;hould be &s;o far off <HI>Arpalice,</HI> at a time when his pre&s;ence was &s;o requi&s;ite in <HI>Lycia.</HI> But to abbreviate my &s;tory, be plea&s;ed to know, that before his departure, <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> and I &s;o pre&s;&s;ed <HI>Arpalice,</HI> that at la&s;t &s;he promi&s;ed unalterable fidelity unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> who was extreamly &s;orry to part from her: and <HI>Phi|listion</HI> being al&s;o to return, he departed with him; expre&s;&s;ing more affection to me at parting then I thought he had: You may ea&s;ily imagine that the ab&s;ence of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was as plea|&s;ing unto <HI>Menecrates,</HI> as it was &s;ad unto <HI>Arpalice:</HI> 'Tis true, &s;he treated him &s;o &s;harply, that he got no advantage by it, but onely a riddance of a Rival. In the mean time, <HI>Cleoxene</HI> &s;ee|ing &s;he could not obtain the con&s;ent of her Brother, did marry mine, after an a&s;&s;embly of ma|ny friends, who liked her choice: So that there was an end unto all <HI>Parmenides</HI> his hopes, and de&s;ires; nor did <HI>Menecrates</HI> &s;ee his Si&s;ter &s;ince: 'Tis true he was never in the &s;ame place with her: for you mu&s;t know that <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> having &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> went thither a few dayes after the departure of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and the marriage of <HI>Cleoxene:</HI> So that <HI>Parme|nides</HI> being willing to be far from her, and <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> de&s;iring him to goe this journey with her, he came to <HI>Sardis</HI> with her, with <HI>Cydipe,</HI> and <HI>Arpalice.</HI> For my part, &s;ince my Fathers Mother was in <HI>Sard<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> was glad to finde an opportunity of &s;uch good company. Thus came we all unto <HI>Sardis&punc;</HI> leaving <HI>Menecrates</HI> in <HI>Lycia:</HI> But at parting, <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and I writ unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> to acquaint them where we were, and that we &s;hould not hazard any Letters in our ab&s;ence, which was like to be long; and we came to <HI>Sardis</HI> a little before the beginning of the War; yet we could not beleeve that <HI>Cyrus</HI> would be &s;o forward in the Siege of that Town. Thus for a time were we without any trouble, but <HI>Menecrates</HI> followed after us: You may well imagine how his journey angered <HI>Arpalice;</HI> and though &s;he treated him as &s;harply as po&s;&s;ible, yet did he not alter his de&s;ign of being where &s;he was. Moreover, &s;ince the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> could not be quickly di&s;patched, we mu&s;t have pa|tience. The greate&s;t of our perplexity was, that every day we heard of the progre&s;&s;e of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and that his Army approached, <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> then thought upon return, but was prevented by a &s;ickne&s;&s;e, which cau&s;ed her to keep her bed untill <HI>Sardis</HI> was be&s;ieged. Then you mu&s;t know, that <HI>Menecrates</HI> thinking the reputation he had got in the War would move <HI>Arpalice</HI> to treat him better, he did &s;o &s;ignall him&s;elf, that <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> obliged him to take upon him a very con&s;iderable command: So that when we through your favour came out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> he dur&s;t not ask leave to follow us; for as things were, he knew <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> would not give it. However, not being able to abide in a be&s;ieged Town, not onely becau&s;e his Mi&s;tris was out, but al&s;o becau&s;e doubtle&s;&s;e he apprehended that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was before the Town, he leaped over the ditch to follow him. The adventure was more rare, becau&s;e <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> knowing we were in the Town, was taken the &s;ame day by the men of <HI>Cyrus</HI> as he attempt|ed to get into the Town. After this, I be&s;eech you judge, whether it doe not meerly con|cern your fair Co&s;en, that you &s;hould know all I have told you, to the end you may move <HI>Cyrus</HI> to reconcile the&s;e two Rivals, to end all their differences, and let <HI>Arpalice</HI> marry <HI>Thra|&s;imedes.</HI> One thing hath happened which may facilitate the Marriage, which is, that <HI>Par|menides</HI> to comfort him&s;elf for the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Cleoxene,</HI> doth look upon <HI>Cydipe,</HI> who perhaps will admit of his affection, &s;eeing &s;he cannot obtain the love of <HI>Menecrates</HI> as &s;he thought: So that I am confident <HI>Parmenides</HI> will con&s;ent that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> marry <HI>Arpalice.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Candiope</HI> having ended her &s;tory, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> did a&s;&s;ure her, that &s;he would write a Letter un|to <HI>Andramites</HI> (though &s;he did not u&s;e to doe &s;uch favours unto any) which &s;hould move him to negotiate &s;o with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as that this happine&s;s of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> &s;hould be &s;o e&s;tabli&s;hed, as nothing could mole&s;t it. Then did &s;he craftily ask her, whether <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> was in the Town; for me-thinks (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;miled) that &s;ince he came out with <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> hee &s;hould be with him. I a&s;&s;ure you (replyed <HI>Candiope,</HI> and both blu&s;ht, and laughed) I &s;hould have thought &s;o al&s;o; but &s;ince I did onely &s;ee <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> I could not enquire of him; and
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to tell you both truly and &s;incerely, the friend&s;hip that is between <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> and me &s;tands upon &s;uch termes, that when&s;oever I &s;ee him, I mu&s;t accu&s;e him of infidelity, for there being no promi&s;es between us, but to e&s;teem each other as long as we live; I have rea&s;on to think that he may doe the &s;ame for me where&s;oever he is, that I doe now for him. As <HI>Dorali&s;sa</HI> was ready to reply, &s;he was told that <HI>Lycaste, Arpalice, Cydipe, Cleoxine,</HI> and all the other pri|&s;oners were come from the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta,</HI> and were returned every one to their owne Chambers by another way then which they intended, and which they yet knew not; &s;o that <HI>Candiope</HI> went to finde out <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> and left <HI>Dorali&s;&s;a</HI> at liberty, to write unto <HI>Andramites;</HI> though it was &s;omething again&s;t her minde, yet &s;he u&s;ed &s;uch phra&s;es, as though her letter was long, he could not finde one word which &s;poke any advantage unto him: for <HI>Dorali&s;sa</HI> hinted at nothing but according to her friends intentions concerning <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates;</HI> but as good luck for him was, the &s;ervant who car|ried the Letter did not finde him in a condition to make any long reflection upon the rigour of <HI>Dorali&s;&s;a;</HI> for having in hand &s;ome great important bu&s;ine&s;&s;e concerning <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he only writ two words unto <HI>Dorali&s;sa,</HI> that he would mo&s;t punctually obey her, after which, he went unto this Prince, and a&s;&s;oon as he was in his Tent, <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked him, whether the predictions of the <HI>Telmi&s;&s;ians</HI> unto the fir&s;t King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> were true? that if he cau&s;ed a Child which the Gods had given him to be carried round about the Walls of <HI>Sardis,</HI> the Towne &s;hould be impregnable in all places where he could pa&s;&s;e? This beliete is &s;o generally received, replyed <HI>Andramites,</HI> that I cannot chu&s;e but wonder at the generall revolt which is among&s;t the inhabitants of <HI>Sardis,</HI> who &s;eem &s;o confident in the &s;trength of their VValls, that they never tru&s;t unto the promi&s;es of their Gods, but when the danger is farre off and not likely to happen: For I remember when news came to <HI>Sardis</HI> that you had taken <HI>Baby|lon,</HI> I heard many men of courage &s;ay, that their Town was happy in not being expo&s;ed to that danger; and that is was under the protection of the Gods a&s;&s;oon as it was built: Yet I remember I heard &s;ay at the &s;ame time, that the fir&s;t King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> who received this odd command from the Gods, for &s;o it &s;eemed unto tho&s;e who con&s;ider not, that it is the way of the Gods to bring great things to pa&s;&s;e by &s;mall meanes, and to hide their intentions from the &s;ons of men, had made the &s;cituation of <HI>Sardis</HI> &s;o, that the VValls and this Child could not be carried round, but the place where he could not be carried, is &s;o inacce&s;&s;ible of it &s;elfe, that there needed no greater &s;ecurity then nature it &s;elfe had given unto it; and it is on that &s;ide where yet you never made an a&s;&s;ault, and which &s;eemes &s;o inacce&s;&s;ible, that though it &s;elfe cannot reach it, al&s;o the <HI>Lydians</HI> keep &s;uch feeble guards there as it &s;eems to tru&s;t to the &s;trength of it. 'Tis true &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I think they have rea&s;on to tru&s;t nature with the &s;trength of that place, and need not fear the taking of <HI>Sardis</HI> in that place: yet there is a report among&s;t the &s;ouldiers, that there is a quarter of this Town where it may be taken, and that it is impregnable every where el&s;e: therefore it mu&s;t needs be this you &s;peak of (added he, and &s;eemed not to neglect the advice of the &s;ouldiers) &amp; you know how &s;uch things as the&s;e whether there be a po&s;&s;ibilitie or not in them, yet they make deep impre&s;&s;ions in the &s;pirits of a multitude; &amp; you know how de&s;pair does faint the hearts of &s;ouldiers, &amp; what a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">error is &s;truck into a great Army, when once they think the Gods are again&s;t them; therefore though I know the place you &s;peak of be inacce&s;&s;ible, yet I will view it, and give out as if I approved of the advice which the &s;ouldiers give me: and accordingly the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Mazares, Se&s;o|&s;tris, Tygranes,</HI> and <HI>Anaxares</HI> being come unto him, they all took hor&s;e as well as he, and were guided unto this place by <HI>Andramites,</HI> which the &s;ouldiers &s;aid was the only place to which mu&s;t let them into <HI>Sardis,</HI> &s;ince the guard was weak on that &s;ide, <HI>Cyrus</HI> might view it with le&s;&s;e danger; and tho&s;e few <HI>Lydians</HI> who were upon the Walls did mock at tho&s;e who looked upon that place of their Towne; yet they &s;hot many arrowes, though they imagined they would doe no execution, by rea&s;on of the exce&s;&s;ive height of the Rock where they &s;tood: Al&s;o <HI>Cyrus</HI> had erected a little &s;conce on that &s;ide, to umbrage his men when they came to view that place which &s;truck terror into all beholders; for it was a great &s;harp rock, &s;o &s;teep that it was terrible to behold, and where it was not imaginable any could go except Goats; upon the top of this Rock were walls &s;o low that the &s;ouldiers might lean over them; and which indeed was rather a bare Parapet then a wall; the pa&s;&s;e over the Ditch there, was not very difficult, but the Rock was &s;o &s;teep and high, that the Mountain <HI>Tmolus</HI> which was over again&s;t it, was not more inacce&s;&s;ible: Al&s;o all the Princes which looked upon it, and had <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> it before, would never have taken &s;o much pains as to view it the &s;econd time, but only becau&s;e they would not &s;eem to de&s;pi&s;e the advice of the &s;ouldiers; yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> knew it more prudence to attempt a hundred vain offers, then to neglect one that was nece&s;&s;ary, and there|fore
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he looked upon this &s;teep &s;turdy Rock more &s;eriou&s;ly then any of the re&s;t; and as hee was in deep contemplation of it, an accident chanced which per&s;waded him, <HI>Sardis</HI> might be taken: It chanced that a <HI>Lydian</HI> Souldier being upon the wall, and looking over the Parapet, let his Helmet fall, which tumbled down the Rock to the bottome of the ditch; the &s;ouldier was very angry for the lo&s;&s;e of his Helmet, e&s;pecially becau&s;e his companions jeered him; and therefore he tryed if he could get down and fetch it, ju&s;t whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in the S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">once looking upon this Rock, who &s;eeing the Souldier de&s;cend, &s;hewed him with wonder unto the re&s;t of his company, and ob&s;erved him very attentively, but they &s;aw him more like a man who would rather precipitate him&s;elf, then one that would ever come down; yet they were amazed, when they &s;aw by degrees turning and winding, he came down: 'Tis true he made many &s;tops to chu&s;e &s;teps, but at la&s;t he alwayes found them; and <HI>Cyrus</HI> took notice that the Rock was full of wild gra&s;&s;e-tufts which kept the Souldier from &s;lipping: So that de&s;cending &s;loping from tuft to tuft, he came at la&s;t to his Helmet, and took it up with joy, beginning to a&s;cend the &s;ame way he de&s;cended, and to goe up more ea&s;ily then he came down, becau&s;e the precipice did not &s;o much affright him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> admiring this wonderfull accident, told the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> that &s;ince this Souldier could a&s;cend this Rock, a hun|dred thou&s;and might doe the &s;ame: So that diligently ob&s;erving the way he took, they took &s;uch good notice of it by certain yellow Flowers which grew there accidently, that they were regular marks unto their eyes: <HI>Cyrus</HI> tooke a Table-booke out of his pocket, and drew this Rock &s;o plainly, that the way which this Souldier went was evident to his eye: &s;o that he did not doubt of the taking of <HI>Sardis.</HI> The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> were as confident as he: <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> al&s;o hoped by this way to find his dear <HI>Timarcta;</HI> and <HI>An|dramites</HI> was per&s;waded by this de&s;cending and a&s;cending of this Souldier, that the predicti|ons of the Gods were true: As for <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> he did not oppo&s;e the intentions of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but he thought it &s;o difficult, that he could not hope for any happy &s;ucce&s;&s;e in the attempt. After they had de&s;canted upon the enterpri&s;e, they returned to fini&s;h their re&s;olves, with the advice of other Princes in the Army of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and to attempt this enterpri&s;e, the great difficulty was, that they knew not how to mount this Rock, neither by day, nor night that was dark: for by day they would be di&s;covered, and ea&s;ily repul&s;ed; and by night it was hard to hit &s;o dangerous a way: But &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> had a &s;oul of a va&s;t capacity, and in a moment could &s;ee all things that made an enterpri&s;e either fea&s;ible or impo&s;&s;ible: He con&s;idered that the Moon was at the full, and not ri&s;ing till the Sun was &s;et, &s;he would &s;hine to help them in climbing the Rock; he knew well, that if &s;he &s;hined &s;o much as to let them &s;ee, &s;he would al&s;o let them be &s;een, but he knew al&s;o, that in all great enterpri&s;es of Warre, &s;omething mu&s;t bee put to hazard. Al&s;o <HI>Andramites</HI> did &s;o a&s;&s;ure him, that &s;light guards were kept on that &s;ide, as without delay he re&s;olved to give three Alarm a&s;&s;aults the night following, on the &s;ide furthe&s;t off the place where he intended the true one, whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> in the head of five hundred men, and all the brave men of his Army, would goe, and either the climbe the Rock or dye, not being able to &s;uffer, that a common Souldier &s;hould doe more for his Hel|met, then he would doe for <HI>Mandana.</HI> In the meane time, &s;ince he conceived it impo&s;&s;i|ble to bring &s;o many men up that way, as were &s;ufficient to take the Towne: His de&s;igne was to carry up &s;o many onely as might make him Ma&s;ter of the next Port, and there to let in the Body of his men, and in order to that, hee appointed a Body of Infantry, and another of Cavalry to bee in readine&s;&s;e near that Port, unperceived by the <HI>Ly|dians,</HI> giving a &s;igne when they &s;hould advance and enter: And indeed this Prince gave out all orders, as if he were a&s;&s;ured his enterpri&s;e would take effect; and al&s;o he gave all requi&s;ite orders in ca&s;e it &s;hould fail: He made choice of the &s;ouldiers who were to follow him, and appointed them all to carry Pike-&s;taves in their hands, to lean upon them in climb|ing the Rock, and to fight with them when they were up, having no other Arms for this ex|pedition but a light Buckler, a Sword, and a Pike-&s;taffe, which was to &s;erve for &s;everall u&s;es. In the mean time, &s;ince the life of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was exceedingly pretious, the Kings of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and <HI>Hircania,</HI> who were to give the&s;e Alarms, did what they could to hinder this Prince from this attempt in his per&s;on; or at lea&s;t to di&s;&s;wade him from being the fir&s;t in climbing this Rock: But he was &s;o per&s;waded the enterpri&s;e would faile, if he did not execute it him&s;elf; and &s;o confident it would pro&s;per if he did, that it was impo&s;&s;ible to make him change his o|pinion. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> made u&s;e of that freedom which he ever u&s;ed with him, to qualifie that he|roique heat which for the love and glory of <HI>Mandana</HI> did &s;o often precipitate him into dan|ger, hee would per&s;wade him, that the enterpri&s;e would pro&s;per better, if hee would let his &s;ouldiers climb fir&s;t; but hee an&s;wered, that hee was per&s;waded his &s;ouldiers would climbe
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better if they followed him, then if he followed them; and therefore he was firmly re&s;olved not to change his opinion. <HI>Cyrus</HI> pa&s;&s;ed over all that day with abundance of impatience: And the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> with as much, and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> no le&s;&s;e. <HI>Mazares,</HI> though he was out of all hopes of ever being happy, yet did mo&s;t earne&s;tly de&s;ire the liberty of <HI>Mandana,</HI> as if &s;he had loved him. But the hour of acting this enterpri&s;e being come, and all things in readine&s;&s;e for the execution, <HI>Cyrus</HI> cheered up the Souldiers which followed him; and promi&s;ed &s;uch large recompences, if the de&s;ign pro&s;pered, that though they had been but half valiant, the very prize before their eyes was enough to &s;et an edge upon their courages, and exa&s;perate their valour. He gave them three things principally in command: Fir&s;t, to follow him, and doe as he did: Secondly, not to &s;peak one word as they climbed: and thirdly, ne|ver to look behind them, le&s;t the terrour of the precipice &s;hould a&s;toni&s;h them. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> would gladly have moved the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> to march only in the middle of the Soul|diers who were to follow him, but doe what he could, he would be the &s;econd: So that <HI>A|naxaris</HI> was put in the middle of that File which was to climb; and <HI>Tigranes</HI> to be la&s;t, to prevent any from recoiling: <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris, Phraartes, Per&s;odes, Andramites, Feranlus, Ligdamis, Leontidas,</HI> and all the Heroes di&s;per&s;ed them&s;elves among&s;t the fir&s;t hundred Souldiers which followed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to encourage them by their example. All things being then ready, <HI>Cyrus</HI> with all his men one by one went down the ditch, by a tract which was not very difficult; fir&s;t carefully ob&s;erving the plot which he had drawn of the Rock, that he might the better re|member the tract he was to hold in climbing: And it &s;eemed that he had both well ob&s;er|ved, and remembered it; and though the Moon did &s;hine but dimly, yet it was enough to di&s;cover the yellow flowers, which were directions unto them; and though he &s;aw &s;ome diffe|rence in the colour of them by this gloomy light, yet he began to mount, climbing neither too &s;oftly, le&s;t he &s;hould &s;lip, nor too fa&s;t, le&s;t his Souldiers could not follow; &s;till &s;triving to re|member the way which the &s;ouldier took who fetched his Helmet: and he hit it &s;o well, and led them up &s;o happily, that he got to the mid&s;t of the Rock without any noi&s;e, or any &s;top; &s;o that beginning to hap well in the enterpri&s;e, and being de&s;irous to judge of that which he had to climb, by that which he had already pa&s;t, he turned his head, and notwith&s;tanding the ob&s;curity of the night, did plainly &s;ee the long File which followed, every &s;ouldier his leader, and which reached to the bottome of the ditch; but as he ob&s;erved them, he heard a great noi&s;e upon the top of the Rock; indeed it was the <HI>Lydians</HI> who were walking their round: <HI>Cyrus</HI> hearing this &s;topped, and lay clo&s;e to the Rock to prevent di&s;covery; and according to his orders of imitation, he who was next him did the &s;ame, and &s;o every one to the end of the File did imicate his leader, and &s;tirred not a jot till <HI>Cyrus</HI> thought fit to march: But, ala&s;s, how full of &s;ad thoughts was this Prince when he imagined his de&s;igne di&s;covered, and perhaps all the Defenders of <HI>Mandana</HI> ready to peri&s;h; yet his con&s;ola|tion was to &s;ee, that if he peri&s;hed, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> who was next him, would peri&s;h al|&s;o; for of all his Rivals he could lea&s;t endure him, though he e&s;teemed him very much: But his fears of being di&s;covered by tho&s;e that went the Round, were needle&s;&s;e: For they thought that place &s;o inacce&s;&s;ible, that they never did u&s;e to vi&s;it it, onely went by it as a pa&s;&s;e from one Port unto another. <HI>Cyrus</HI> when he heard no more noi&s;e, but all quiet, he began to climb again with more ha&s;t then before, and al&s;o with more hopes, thinking to get unto the top of the Rock, and to become Ma&s;ter of the Work behind the Parapet before their enemies came another Round; and indeed he did &s;o: for happily getting up to the top of the Rock, he, and all that followed him, went over the Parapet, drew their &s;words, and made ready to fight: he was al&s;o &s;o happy as not to be di&s;covered by any Century: Al&s;o to facilitate his de&s;igne, and according to his orders, the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> &s;econded by <HI>Gobrias</HI> and <HI>Gadates,</HI> gave fal&s;e Alarms on the other &s;ide to amu&s;e the enemy: So that the <HI>Lydians</HI> being all gone to that &s;ide, <HI>Cyrus</HI> had lei&s;ure enough to pa&s;&s;e his men unper|ceived. After <HI>Cyrus</HI> had left a hundred of his men to guard the &s;ame place hee came from, that hee might make good his retreat in ca&s;e that hee could not become Ma&s;ter of the Port, hee marched on in the head of four hundred of his men, and &s;o &s;ur|pri&s;ed the fir&s;t Centinels that hee killed them before that they could give the Alarum; and pa&s;&s;ing on, he came to the Court of Guard which was kept at the Gate which he de&s;ired to become Ma&s;ter of: He &s;urpri&s;ed them and fell on &s;o &s;harply, and &s;uddenly, that they had not time to draw their &s;words and dy with Arms in their hands: Yet there was a few which fought &s;toutly: but at la&s;t, the valour of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;econded by the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Mazares, Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and the re&s;t of the Gallant men, did overcome them, and cut them all in pieces: when <HI>Cyrus</HI> was become Ma&s;ter of the Gate, and the Troopes who were commanded to enter, had
<PB N="169" REF="571">
the &s;igne which was made unto them; they ha&s;tily advanced, and entred <HI>Sardis,</HI> ju&s;t as <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> (who was adverti&s;ed that the Enemy was within the Town) &s;ent forces to regain what had been lo&s;t, imagining that the Gate was traiterou&s;ly delivered up by &s;ome of his men, and never &s;u&s;pecting that <HI>Cyrus</HI> came up by the Rock. In the mean time, the Troops of <HI>Cyrus</HI> being entered, and hor&s;es being brought for all the Grandees, they mounted them: after which, <HI>Cyrus</HI> being now in the head of the Cavalry, he did vigorou&s;ly repul&s;e all that oppo&s;ed his pa&s;&s;age; he endeavoured to get a great place which was between the Palace of <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> and the Cittadell: Commanding the Troops as they entred, to make good the prin|cipall &s;treets and publique places, but above all things, to keep the Gate at which they ente|red. In the mean time, the fal&s;e Alarums continued, which amu&s;ed one part of the Enemies: Never was &s;uch a confu&s;ion as among&s;t the <HI>Lydians.</HI> All the &s;ouldiers that were off their Guards, would have gotten whither their duty called them, but could not po&s;&s;ibly, becau&s;e the &s;treets were already po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed by <HI>Cyrus.</HI> The Inhabitants were &s;o frighted, that they never thought of either Barracading their &s;treets, or coming out of their Hou&s;es. The women made lamentable &s;creeks: The cla&s;hing noi&s;e of Armes ecchoed from all &s;ides; The different noy&s;e of Conquerors, and conquered, filled the aire with variety of &s;ounds: But <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> having at la&s;t a&s;&s;embled &s;ome &s;ouldiers, oppo&s;ed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who after that, got not one corner of a &s;treet without fighting for it: The other Troops which had orders to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e other quarters of <HI>Sar|dis,</HI> met with re&s;i&s;tance in &s;everall places: In this great confu&s;ion one might &s;ee in &s;everall places, wo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">en croud into the Temples: into other places, &s;ome that were de&s;perate, would throw all that they had out of the windowes, to qualifie their Enemies: Indeed, the di&s;order was &s;o great, the Tumult &s;o terrible, and terror &s;o uni|ver&s;ally &s;truck, both into the hearts of the <HI>Lydian</HI> Souldiers, and al&s;o into the Inhabitants, that they were at their wits ends. <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> in &s;o great a di&s;order had no way left but to en|deavour his retreat into the Cittadell with the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles;</HI> to the end he might make &s;uch a Capitulation as at lea&s;t might &s;ecure his per&s;on; and not doubting but &s;ince he had <HI>Mandana</HI> in his power, he could atlea&s;t obtain his liberty: This unfortunate King, did ex|treamly wonder that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> never came at him, all the time of this great di&s;or|der; yet upon con&s;ideration that his love of <HI>Mandana</HI> cau&s;ed him to keep the Cittadell, hee thought it le&s;&s;e &s;trange. Seeing then that <HI>Sardis</HI> was lo&s;t: That his Enemies were ma&s;ters of all the principall &s;treets: That almo&s;t all the Ports of the Town, were quitted by his men, and were in the power of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> He did retire, as I told you into the Cittadell. But &s;ince the fir&s;t de&s;ign of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was to get between the Cittadell, and the Palace of <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> to the end hee might take this unfortunate King, he effected it &s;o well, that he cut off his way: and there it was that the Combate was hotly di&s;puted: The approach of the Sun, having dimmed the light of the Moon, all manner of objects might vi&s;ibly be di&s;cerned, and one might know another; So that the <HI>Lydians</HI> fighting in the pre&s;ence of their King, both for his life and liberty, did things beyond beliefe. The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> though dumbe, yet his acts did merit eternall memory, but as valiant as they were, all were not able to re&s;i&s;t the invincible <HI>Cyrus;</HI> who fought under the walls of the Cittadell, with the heart he did at <HI>Sinope</HI> under that Tower which the flames of fire were ready to con&s;ume, and in which he thought to find his Prince&s;s, being no le&s;&s;e valiant under the name of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then he was under that of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> At lea&s;t I am &s;ure of this (&s;aid he in him&s;elfe in the mid&s;t of the Tumult) I have this advantage, that I am &s;ure I &s;hall relea&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> if I be victorious: For my rivall has no Galley, to carry her away in, as <HI>Mazares</HI> had, nor can the Sea favour his flight: But whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> did envi|gorate his valour by his &s;weet hopes, <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> intending to charge through the mid&s;t of his E|nemies, which oppo&s;ed his pa&s;&s;age, to the end he might get into the Cittadell, got into the front of his men; repul&s;ing all tho&s;e that a&s;&s;aulted him with incredible valour: Indeed he ru&s;h|ed &s;o among&s;t them, that he was compa&s;&s;ed about; The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> &s;eeing him &s;o engaged, came to relieve him: but before hee was able to get to him, hee &s;aw a <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> Souldier, whil&s;t <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> was defending him&s;elf, ready to kill him behind, ha|ving his &s;word already lifted up to run him through. The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> &s;eeing the King his father was ready to be killed, and he not able to help it, was &s;en&s;ible of &s;o &s;ad an appre|hen&s;ion, and &s;training to cry out with all his force, his tongue unloo&s;ed, and this Prince who never &s;poke before, did &s;peak to &s;ave the King his fathers life; hee no &s;ooner &s;aw this action of the Souldier, but &s;triving with extraordinary violence, he cryed out, <HI>Souldier &s;pare the King:</HI> this voice which was as plain as loud, penetrating the ears of that <HI>Per&s;ian,</HI> did &s;top his lifted up arme, and made him change his intentions of killing this Prince, into a de&s;ign onely of ta|king him a Pri&s;oner: But there was no great difficulty in that; for <HI>Cyrus</HI> coming up ju&s;t as this prodigie happened, did find all the <HI>Lydians</HI> who heard the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> &s;peak, &s;o a|mazed,
<PB N="170" REF="572">
that there was much le&s;&s;e difficulty in taking both the King, and the Prince his Son: Al&s;o <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> &s;eeing no hopes, thought it better to render him&s;elf, then to be taken in a vain re&s;i&s;tance. So that this unfortunate King turning towards <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and commanding the Prince his Son to cea&s;e fighting and follow him, there was a Ce&s;&s;ation of Armes on both &s;ides: Then <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> turned the point of his &s;word towards him&s;elf, and hilt to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he pre&s;ented it un|to him, telling him, that &s;ince he was not able any longer to re&s;i&s;t again&s;t the Conqueror of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> he would &s;ubmit, both him&s;elf, his Crown, and the victory unto him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> hearing the King of <HI>Lydia</HI> &s;ay &s;o, &s;eemed much moved, and an&s;wered him in termes worthy of his Genero&s;ity. I receive your Sword (&s;aid he unto him, and took it) but it is with a promi&s;e to re&s;tore it as &s;oon as you have re&s;tored unto me the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> and &s;urrendred the Cittadells wherein &s;he is: Since I have &s;urrendred my &s;elf Sir, &s;aid he unto him, you may i|magine all in my power is yours. But Sir, I mu&s;t tell you, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> is not in mine. Then <HI>Cyrus</HI> told him he would &s;end immediately to &s;ummon him: after which <HI>Croe|&s;us</HI> and <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> were committed unto the cu&s;tody of <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> who carried them to their own Palace which was clo&s;e by: and the &s;word of <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> was put into the hands of <HI>Ferau|lus,</HI> with orders to re&s;tore it when&s;oever he &s;hould ask it: In the mean while, &s;ince <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> had &s;urrendred him&s;elf, there was no more fighting in any part of the Town, but in hou&s;es which Souldiers would have Plundered: But <HI>Cyrus</HI> who&s;e mind ran all upon the Cittadell, would not let his Souldiers think of Pillaging this goodly Town, he &s;ent <HI>Tigranes, Phraartes</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris</HI> to hinder them, and who accordingly did &s;o: In the mean time, he who went unto the Cittadell from <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> to bid the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;urrender it unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> returned, and reported, that the Lieutenant <HI>Pactias,</HI> who was Governour told him, that provided he could &s;ee an order &s;igned with the hand of <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> he would without re&s;i&s;tance obey him. So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> procuring this order, he &s;ent it, and commanded that the Souldiers &s;hould come out; and appointed al&s;o &s;uch Troops as &s;hould enter at the &s;ame time: Al&s;o he drew up a great body of Infantry, in the mid&s;t of the Plain which was between the Fort and the Palace of <HI>Croe&s;us.</HI> As for <HI>Cyrus</HI> him&s;elf, he was in the head of a &s;quadron of Hor&s;e, to view the Soul|diers come out of the Cittadell, and to &s;ee &s;uch as he appointed to enter; watching with great impatiency, untill things were in &s;uch po&s;ture, as that he could enter him&s;elfe, and have the glory of &s;etting the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> at liberty; al&s;o to let her know by this act, that her jealou&s;ly was ill grounded. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> though he had many raptures of joy at his hopes to &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet had he perplexities. I believe he did as much fear to &s;ee the meeting of <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as he de&s;ired to &s;ee her at liberty: As for <HI>Mazares,</HI> though he had put on &s;tronge re&s;olutions to hope for nothing, yet had he much adoe to make his pa&s;&s;ion &s;ubmit unto his rea&s;on: And at this time, he could not chu&s;e but envie the happine&s;s, which <HI>Cyrus</HI> was going to take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of: So that there was none but the unconquerable <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who&s;e joyes were pure, without any mixture of heart burnings: yet was he &s;omething a&s;toni&s;hed, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> did not all this while appear, nor look out of the Citta|dell, to make &s;ome termes for him&s;elf before he did &s;urrender it: but he imagined him, bid|ding his la&s;t adieu unto <HI>Mandana;</HI> and that he would not believe <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> to be taken, there|fore neither ought nor would &s;urrender the Fort: But when he &s;aw all the <HI>Lydian</HI> Souldiers come out, he was full of unexpre&s;&s;ible joy, and &s;uppo&s;ing the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was with <HI>Man|dana,</HI> he &s;ent <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> to relea&s;e the Prince <HI>Artamas:</HI> The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Mazares,</HI> and <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> followed him, the la&s;t of the&s;e being as impatient to &s;ee whether his dear <HI>Timareta</HI> was in the Cittadell, as all the other Princes were to &s;et <HI>Mandana</HI> at liberty. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> wil|ling <HI>Cyrus</HI> not to enter the Fort, untill he &s;aw the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> come out, but his caution could not keep <HI>Cyrus</HI> one minut from the &s;ight of his Prince&s;&s;e: So that being &s;purred on by an impatience, proportionable to the heat of his love: and thinking that he had as many men with him as he had in the Cittadell, he entred ha&s;tily into the Cittadell, enquiring the way unto <HI>Mandana's</HI> Chamber: and having heard that the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Pal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ts</HI> were together in the Pri&s;on, he asked if &s;he were with her: a Souldier carried him unto a pa&s;&s;age Chamber, which was common betweeen both the&s;e Prince&s;s, and as he was &s;hewing him, which was <HI>Mandana's</HI> Chamber, and with the Prince&s;&s;es of <HI>Lydia,</HI> the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Pal|mis</HI> came out of hers: but in lieu of her accu&s;tomed looks of joy, her eyes were all &s;well'd with tears: But notwith&s;tanding all her &s;orrowes, &s;he &s;poke unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> with as admirable a grace, as <HI>Cyrus</HI> did with genero&s;ity as &s;oon as he entred into the Fort. Sir &s;aid &s;he unto him, the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> hath ever made me hope to find in you all the favour that can be ex|pected from a generous Conqueror, therefore I &s;hall not de&s;pair to obtain &s;o much favour from your goodne&s;&s;e as to be put in the &s;ame Pri&s;on with the King my father, that I may help him to &s;upport his chaines. <HI>Cyrus,</HI> charmed with the virtue of this <HI>Lydian</HI> Prince&s;&s;e, a&s;&s;ured her
<PB N="171" REF="572">
that &s;he was a Pri&s;oner unto none but her &s;elfe, and that he was extreamly &s;orry that he for|ced to make war upon the King her Father: But Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I hope you will pardon me, if I conjure you to help me to break off the chaines which fetter the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana:</HI> As <HI>Palmis</HI> was going to an&s;wer, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> &s;aw the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta</HI> enter, who having now no Guards upon her Chamber, came to de&s;ire the protection of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> The &s;ur|pri&s;e of this Prince&s;&s;e was &s;o great, when &s;he &s;aw <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris;</HI> that &s;he could not chu&s;e but cry out, &s;o that this Prince going towards her, he pre&s;ented his hand unto her with unconceivea|ble joy, and then pre&s;ented her unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> ju&s;t as the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis</HI> was about to an|&s;wer his que&s;tion concerning <HI>Mandana.</HI> So that he was forced whether he would or no to receive the complement of the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Aegypt,</HI> who&s;e &s;uperlative beauty did attract the eyes of all beholders: he an&s;wered her mo&s;t civilly, and &s;he &s;poke with as much grace and ele|gancy as wit; but all his an&s;wers were very &s;hort, by rea&s;on of his impatiency to &s;ee <HI>Manda|na,</HI> who he imagined would not appear by rea&s;on of her unju&s;t jealou&s;ie. But he had no &s;oon|er an&s;wered <HI>Timareta,</HI> and told her &s;he was more a debtor to the valour of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> for her liberty then unto him, then the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> entred with <HI>So&s;icles</HI> and <HI>Tegeus,</HI> whom <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> had relea&s;ed. <HI>Artamas</HI> not knowing whether he &s;hould fir&s;t pay his thanks unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as his deliverer, or &s;alute his Prince&s;&s;e: or whether he &s;hould more rejoyce at his liber|ty, or grieve for the impri&s;onment of <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> and being di&s;tracted between a Deliverer and a Mi&s;tri&s;&s;e, <HI>Cyrus</HI> ob&s;erved him; and being de&s;irous to be rid of all that hindred him from &s;eeing <HI>Mandana,</HI> he went unto <HI>Artamas,</HI> and pre&s;ented him unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis,</HI> telling her that he was as worthy of her, as &s;he of him. But whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> was thus engaged to entertaine the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es, before he went unto <HI>Mandana's</HI> Chamber, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had been there before him; and a &s;ervant opening the dore unto him, he asked where <HI>Mandana</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> were? he no &s;ooner heard the an&s;wer, but he cryed out, and &s;o loud that <HI>Cyrus</HI> heard him; and fearing le&s;t &s;ome &s;ad accident had happened unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> he went to|wards him, without doing any civilities unto the Prince&s;&s;e: what new fatality is now befaln us, (&s;aid he unto him?) The greate&s;t that ever could (replyed he, with &s;uch a fury in his eyes that &s;truck to the heart of <HI>Cyrus)</HI> For <HI>Mandana</HI> is not here, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> carried her away more then three hours before day: How, (replyed <HI>Cyrus</HI> in a &s;ad de&s;pair) is not <HI>Mandana</HI> here? oh Madam, (added he, and turned to the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Lydia)</HI> why did you not tell me this &s;ad newes at the fir&s;t? Alas Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him, in a great amazement) I could not tell you what I knew not: for the Guards would not &s;uffer me to go unto <HI>Manda|na's</HI> Chamber to comfort my &s;elfe, all the while the horrible noi&s;e la&s;ted which I heard in the Town: So that thinking the &s;ame &s;everity was u&s;ed unto her as me, I never &s;u&s;pected her flight: Al&s;o the danger wherein my own eyes &s;aw the King my Father, and the Prince my brother, did &s;o di&s;tract my imagination, that I thought upon nothing el&s;e, and therfore I knew nothing of <HI>Mandanaes</HI> flight: After this, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and <HI>Mazares,</HI>
went into <HI>Mandana's</HI> Chamber, where they found her not, and where there was none but the &s;ervant, who &s;poke unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> and him <HI>Cyrus</HI> did examine concerning <HI>Manda|na's</HI> carrying away: but he could not gather any great &s;atisfaction; for the &s;ervant told him, that he did not &s;ee either <HI>Mandana</HI> or the woman depart: and that he &s;aw none but <HI>Pactias</HI> who commanded him to &s;tay in the Chamber, and not to open it, what noi&s;e or commands &s;oever he heard, untill two hours at lea&s;t after day. The Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Ti|mareta,</HI> coming into <HI>Mandana's</HI> Chamber, as well as <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Artamas,</HI> they were exceedingly grieved at the accident, e&s;pecially the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis.</HI> For &s;he having been long|er with <HI>Mandana</HI> then <HI>Timareta,</HI> and had contracted an everla&s;ting league of friend&s;hip with her; &s;he had al&s;o more need of the protection of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then had the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Aegypt.</HI> 'Tis true, her &s;orrowes were not comparable unto &s;orrowes of the three Princes whom love cau&s;ed to re&s;ent the flight of <HI>Mandana</HI> mo&s;t &s;adly: Nor did they know whether they &s;hould terme it a flight or a carrying away: However, to lo&s;e no time, they &s;earched all the corners of the Cittadell <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">or the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Mandana,</HI> le&s;t they &s;hould be hid in &s;ome place; al&s;o <HI>Cyrus</HI> cau&s;ed all the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his men to be &s;ecured; and proclaimed throughout the Town, great rewards unto any that could tell where <HI>Mandana</HI> was, or onely which way &s;he went. In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> carried the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis</HI> unto the King her fathers Palace, and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta</HI> al&s;o; conjuring the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis</HI> to get out of <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> what he knew concerning <HI>Mandana's</HI> departure, and the place of her retreat, a&s;&s;uring him of his liberty, if he could truly inform him, where &s;he was: but all was to no purpo&s;e: for neither by the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his Dome&s;tiques, nor by the Proclamation about the Towne, nor by <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> could <HI>Cyrus</HI> meet with any intelligence, nor was man in more de&s;pair then
<PB N="172" REF="573">
<HI>Cyrus:</HI> Nor was man in &s;uch a boi&s;terous fury as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> nor was ever any more amu&s;ed then <HI>Mazares:</HI> One &s;aid that certainly the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was lurking &s;omewhere in the Town, and that it was impo&s;&s;ible they &s;hould get out: another &s;aid, they went out during the great confu&s;ion that was made, either by the River, or by the &s;ide of the Town, where the Line of Communication was not fini&s;hed: and a third &s;aid, that <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> mu&s;t needs know, or at lea&s;t conjecture where they were. They propounded expedient upon expe|pedient, to find out the truth, but all in vain: and <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;o many orders to give out, either for the &s;ecurity of the new taken Town, or for the Guard of <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> or for the &s;earch of <HI>Mandana,</HI> that he had no &s;ooner given one command, but it was nece&s;&s;ary to give ano|ther. He had no time to contemplate his misfortune; but yet he apprehended it in gro&s;&s;e to be &s;o great, and his &s;oul was &s;o full of confu&s;ion, that he thought him&s;elf the mo&s;t mi&s;era|ble man alive. But after he had &s;ent to adverti&s;e the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and the King of <HI>Hir|cania</HI> how affairs &s;tood, and appointing them to &s;end out &s;everall parties of Hor&s;e to en|quire of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Mandana;</HI> and after he had given command at all the gates, that none &s;hould goe out before it was known who they were, and to guard the walls; as if the Town were yet be&s;ieged, le&s;t the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;hould get out by the help of Ladders; and after he had taken all the cour&s;es which either Love or Prudence could invent: <HI>Andra|mites</HI> came to tell him, how he under&s;tood from a &s;ervant of <HI>Pactias,</HI> Governour of the Cit|tadell, that his Ma&s;ter &s;ent a Servant the la&s;t night for &s;ix of his be&s;t hor&s;es to bee brought unto the &s;ide of <HI>Pactolus,</HI> towards the great Rock by which the Towne was taken, and therefore it was probable that the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> were gone out of <HI>Sardis: Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner heard this, but he de&s;ired to &s;peak him&s;elf with the man whom <HI>Andramites</HI> &s;poke with; and &s;ince the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was not then with him, nor any but <HI>Mazares</HI> and the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> he went with them unto the place where this &s;ervant of <HI>Pactias</HI> &s;ayd the Hor&s;es were carried, to the end he might judge which way they took: But <HI>Feraulus</HI> thinking it not fit that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould goe in a new taken Town with &s;o &s;lender a retinue, did hint it unto him: So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> commanding two hor&s;es to follow him, went unto the &s;ide of <HI>Pactolus:</HI> He was no &s;ooner there, but <HI>Andramites</HI> who was that Country man, coming to the River, and &s;eeing the Golden &s;and which is &s;o famous throughout the world, he knew by it that the water was very low in that place, and that it was not impo&s;&s;ible but it might be foorded, there being at &s;ome times of the year not wa|ter enough to carry the little Boats which u&s;e to pa&s;&s;e. Moreover, <HI>Cyrus</HI> ob&s;erved, that the tracts of the Hor&s;es feet did not goe along the River <HI>Pactolus,</HI> but went into it: Al&s;o, there were &s;ome Fi&s;hermen, who came unto the &s;ide of the River to look at <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who &s;aid, that the la&s;t night they &s;aw from their hou&s;es, which were clo&s;e by, &s;ome hor&s;es pa&s;&s;e over the River: one of them adding, that he al&s;o &s;aw a little Boat, but the Alarm to the Town be|ing &s;o hot in all quarters, they would not &s;tir out of their hou&s;es to &s;ee who they were; ima|gining that they were &s;ome, who fearing a Famine, had rather venture them&s;elves among their enemies, then hazard to dye for hunger. Then <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked whether they &s;aw any wo|men? One of them knowing what they &s;ought for, an&s;wered, yes, in hopes of recompence proclaimed; and others more &s;incere, an&s;wered, no: But indeed, though <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw, they knew not what they &s;aw, yet he imagined, that infallibly the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was out of <HI>Sar|dis,</HI> &s;o that without more delay, he re&s;olved to follow in per&s;on; yet not being cleared of all his doubts, he &s;ent <HI>Andramites</HI> to tell the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> that he left him in the Town to make all diligent &s;earch there, whil&s;t he went without the Town in que&s;t of intelligence. He would needs have the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> to returne and comfort the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis</HI> for the misfortune of the King her Father: But <HI>Artamas</HI> being a debtor unto him for the liberty of his Prince&s;&s;e, would not for&s;ake him when he was in que&s;t of his own: As for <HI>Mazares,</HI> there was no doubt which way he would take: Thus the&s;e three Princes did happily foord the Ri|ver with their men. In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not chu&s;e but wonder at the weakne&s;&s;e of <HI>Sardis</HI> on that &s;ide. 'Tis true, that as the River <HI>Pactolus</HI> did ri&s;e and fall in a &s;hort time, it was not above four hours in that condition: When <HI>Cyrus</HI> was on the other &s;ide of the River, he &s;aw the prints of hor&s;e feet come out of it; but he &s;aw within a &s;hort way they were &s;o mingled with many other, that he knew not the right ones he would follow: When hee was about a Furlong off, he came to a place where three wayes parted, &s;o that &s;taying to conferre with <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Artamas</HI> what cour&s;e was be&s;t to take, they re&s;olved to divide them|&s;elves, and did &s;o, into three companies; <HI>Cyrus</HI> letting <HI>Feraulus</HI> goe with the Prince <HI>Arta|mas,</HI> becau&s;e he knew not <HI>Mandana;</HI> all promi&s;ing to return unto <HI>Sardis</HI> within three dayes at the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, or el&s;e to &s;end news of their adventures: But when <HI>Cyrus</HI> was to chu&s;e which
<PB N="173" REF="573">
of the&s;e three wayes he &s;hould take, he was much put to it; for he had no &s;ooner re&s;olved upon one, but he repented; and to &s;ay truly, he would have been in all three, and at <HI>Sardis</HI> al&s;o; yet at la&s;t he made choice of that way which was towards the Sea-&s;ide, &s;uppo&s;ing that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would draw that way: But ala&s;s, what a mi&s;cellany of &s;ad thoughts po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed the &s;pirit of this Prince during this voyage. He talked with all he met, he &s;ent unto all the hou&s;es he &s;aw either on the right or left hand, but could not hear any tidings of them. As oft as he came unto any cro&s;&s;e way, he would again divide tho&s;e men he had; thinking if he did not &s;o, he &s;hould leave the way which <HI>Mandana</HI> took&punc; And indeed he did &s;o di|vide, and &s;ubdivide his men &s;o often, that he had left but ten with him&s;elf, and at la&s;t but five, and having none of quality with him <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who was fitter for him then any other, becau&s;e he knew the Country very well. As he was in a Wood which was full of waies, he heard on both &s;ides of him the noi&s;e of men on horsback, which were in the thick of the Wood, thinking al&s;o that he heard the voices of women: So that he knew not what to re|&s;olve upon; yet rather then mi&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> or at lea&s;t not know whither they carryed her, he divided his men again, and kept onely with him <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and another, and &s;ent the o|ther two on the two &s;ides; then they &s;truck &s;everally into the thick of the Wood, in hopes to get where they heard noi&s;e of hor&s;es, men and women, <HI>Cyrus</HI> thinking that he heard the voice of <HI>Arianita;</HI> but the Wood being full of Leaves, <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not get to them, but tho&s;e who followed him, finding a clearer pa&s;&s;age, they got before him: Al&s;o he perceived, that the noi&s;e he heard was le&s;&s;e and le&s;&s;e: and in lieu of going forward he went back towards the high way; hoping when he was in the way, more ea&s;ily to gain what he had lo&s;t: yet it fell not out as he imagined: for in his cro&s;&s;ing the Wood to the high way, he could not hear any thing either of his own company or any el&s;e, yet he hoped to overtake them, and indeed hee galloped &s;o fa&s;t, that he overtook <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and the other man; and finding two wayes, he &s;ent the man one way, and he with <HI>Ligdamis</HI> took the other; he had not gone above thirty paces, but he met with two country women with baskets of fruits upon their heads, whom he asked whether they met with any before them? but they an&s;wered, that about half an hour &s;ince, they thought they heard &s;ome hor&s;es pa&s;&s;e by them, yet they could not &s;ee any thing: Such an odde an&s;wer, made <HI>Cyrus</HI> ask no more que&s;tions of the&s;e women, onely the way to the place where they heard tho&s;e hor&s;es which they could not &s;ee; but the two women could not agree upon the place: So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing he lo&s;t his time in talking with them, he went on his way: but all to no purpo&s;e, for he could not finde what he &s;ought after, &s;o that he began extreamly to de&s;pair; and the more, becau&s;e his hor&s;e was almo&s;t tyred, and night came on: So that hee was forced to take coun&s;ell of <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> and to refre&s;h their hor&s;es at the fir&s;t Town they came at; but in going to it, the Wood by degrees grew thinner, and they came to a place where ran a violent. Torrent, which fell impetuou&s;ly from a Moun|tain not far off, and &s;eparated the Wood from a plea&s;ant Meddow, and ran &s;o deep, that there was no po&s;sibility of pa&s;&s;age, and the banks were &s;o &s;teep, that it could not be &s;womme with a hor&s;e: <HI>Cyrus</HI> coming to the &s;ides of this Torrent, along which he mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity goe, he e&s;pied a woman &s;itting in the mid&s;t of this Meddow, who&s;e head lay upon the knees of another woman: Upon the fir&s;t rapture of this &s;ight, needs would he cro&s;&s;e the Torrent, but his hor&s;e would not take it; &s;o gave him time to con&s;ider what was be&s;t to be done, though he was ready to attempt any impo&s;&s;ibility: Then did hee goe more into the Wood, that he might &s;ee the better, and was even wonder &s;truck when he &s;aw the one was <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the other <HI>Marte&s;ia;</HI> he no &s;ooner &s;aw them, but he called <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who was behinde him, to &s;hew them unto him; but as &s;oon as he had &s;aid &s;o, they vani&s;hed, and he &s;aw them no more, and con&s;equently could not &s;hew them. This prodigious adventure did &s;o a&s;toni&s;h him, that he dur&s;t not beleeve him&s;elf: he went then as near as he could to the Torrent, to look at the place where he thought he &s;aw <HI>Mandana,</HI> but he could &s;ee nothing; he could not imagine that whil&s;t he turned his head to call <HI>Ligdamis</HI> &s;he could get to a cro&s;&s;e way which was towards the foot of the Mountain; &s;o that not knowing whether it was an apparition, or a phanta&s;ie, he &s;tood &s;till, and &s;poke not one word: his rea&s;on gave his eyes the lye, and per|&s;waded him it could not po&s;&s;ibly be <HI>Mandana</HI> which he &s;aw; yet this Idea made &s;uch a deep impre&s;&s;ion upon his &s;pirit, that after he had told <HI>Ligdamis</HI> what he &s;aw, he asked him where one might get over the Torrent? But <HI>Ligdamis</HI> an&s;wered him, that they mu&s;t turn back, and that they left a way in the Wood which would have carried them into that Meddow. After this, he told him, that he was ab&s;olutely re&s;olved to goe unto the place where he had &s;een this fair Vi&s;ion. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> di&s;&s;waded him, and &s;aid it was but labour lo&s;t: but needs would he goe unto the place notwith&s;tanding. Then did <HI>Ligdamis</HI> carry him to a way where the
<PB N="174" REF="574">
Torrent was more &s;hallow, which they ea&s;ily foorded, and made all ha&s;t to the Meddow, le&s;t night &s;hould be upon them before they got thither; yet had they day enough to get thither: And when <HI>Cyrus</HI> was come to the place where he &s;aw <HI>Mandana,</HI> he found the gra&s;&s;e all ruffled, and layed in that place, and &s;hewed that &s;ome did &s;it upon it, and their foot&s;teps were plain|ly di&s;cerned in the Meddow: for in all other places the Flowers and Gra&s;&s;e were fre&s;h and untrodden, but in this place where they had been, and which way they went. <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;o amazed at what he had &s;een, and did &s;ee, that he was almo&s;t out of his wits: As for <HI>Ligda|mis,</HI> he was per&s;waded, that chance onely had &s;o foiled the Gra&s;&s;e, where <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aid he &s;aw this apparition, and beleeved what <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw, was onely the &s;trength of imagination and love together. Then &s;eeing that night came on, that it was a long way to the neere&s;t Town, and that their hor&s;es were &s;pent: he forced <HI>Cyrus</HI> to be going, and leave the place where he &s;aw <HI>Mandana,</HI> or a phanta&s;m re&s;embling her, for he knew not what to think it was: But in their going they light upon that path which was newly made in the Meddow; but in the going out of this Meadow it was &s;o dark, that neither Path, nor Men, nor Hor&s;es could be di&s;cerned, and he was forced to &s;ubmit unto this conduct of <HI>Ligdamis;</HI> and going in the dark, he called to memory a dream which he had, in which he &s;aw <HI>Mandana</HI> in a Meddow, and that &s;he immediately vani&s;hed: To think how his dreame proved true, did much aug|ment his wonder: Afterwards calling into his memory the long Catalogue of his misfortunes &s;ince he came from <HI>Per&s;epolis</HI> at &s;ixteen years of age, and con&s;idering that he yet was but four and twenty, he thought that if the Gods would have him live longer, and torment him with more misfortunes, they mu&s;t invent &s;ome new ones, &s;ince there was none in the world which he had not gone through: 'Tis true, in matters of glory and war, he had been happy: but &s;ince all his Victories did not availe his Prince&s;s, he valued them rather as mi&s;eries then good fortunes: But whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> was rapt in the&s;e &s;ad thoughts, he &s;till in&s;en&s;ibly went on, onely following <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who went before: At la&s;t, being come to a hou&s;e at the foot of a hill, which &s;tood &s;ome hundred paces from a Village, <HI>Cyrus</HI> lighted from his hor&s;e, and never en|quiring whether the lodging was good or bad, he went into a little chamber which was &s;hew|ed him: <HI>Ligdamis</HI> took care for every thing, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> might take the better re&s;t: And <HI>Ligdamis</HI> would not let the woman goe unto the Town to provide any nece&s;&s;aries; for hee conceived, that if it &s;hould come to be know that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was the Conquerour of <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> and him that kept him pri&s;oner, &s;ome well-wi&s;her of that unfortunate King might &s;ei&s;e upon <HI>Cyrus;</HI> therefore he cho&s;e rather to have bad entertainment, then run that hazard: However, the poor woman who&s;e husband was not at home, made a thou&s;and excu&s;es, telling them that if her husband were at home, that entertainment might have been better: <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked her, whether &s;he &s;aw any women of quality pa&s;&s;e by on horsback that day with &s;uch a man in their company as he de&s;cribed the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> to be? but &s;he an&s;wered, No. Then <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> after a homely repa&s;t went to their re&s;t; yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> waked before day, and made ready to depart: When he was taking hor&s;e, the Ma&s;ter of the hou&s;e being returned home to entertain him better then his Wife had done; though, Sir, I mu&s;t tell you, that I can hardly repent of my ab&s;ence, for I a&s;&s;ure you it hath been very &s;erviceable unto a di&s;tre&s;&s;ed L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ly. A Lady? (replyed <HI>Cyrus</HI> ha&s;tily) Yes, Sir, &s;aid he, and I left her at a Town about twenty furlongs from hence, where heretofore I dwelt. <HI>Cyrus</HI> hearing this man &s;ay &s;o, was very urgent with him, to relate where he found this Lady; what &s;tature &s;he was of, and how &s;he was di&s;tre&s;&s;ed? As for her di&s;tre&s;&s;e, replyed he, I cannot give you an exact relation; but I can a&s;&s;ure you &s;he is very fair, that &s;he hath cryed very much, and that a man who was with her, was very diligent to comfort her. Where did you find her, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and when? I found her the la&s;t night, replyed the man, a little before Sun-&s;et, as I was returning from a place where I had &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; and I heard the man &s;ay, that her hor&s;e did throw her into the River, where &s;he was in danger to be drowned; and that &s;he was in danger to be drowned, and that &s;he had &s;o hurt her leg that &s;he was not able to &s;tand, or endure the jogging of a hor&s;e; &s;o that I coming to the place where &s;he was in this condition, I offered my &s;elfe to help her; and the man who was in her company taking me at my word, de&s;ired me to carry him to a place where this Lady might have help; and I conducted them to this Town where I told you I had been: The man carrying her in his arms, and I leading her hor&s;e which threw her into the Torrent. <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner heard this, but hee de&s;ired him in all ha&s;t to carry him unto the place where this Lady was; but the man &s;eeing him &s;o very earne&s;t, knew not whether he &s;hould &s;hew him the way or no: yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> at la&s;t did promi&s;e him &s;uch re|wards, that he made him&s;elf ready to be his convoy, and carryed him unto the very cham|ber where &s;he was, without acquainting any in the hou&s;e, for the people of that hou&s;e where
<PB N="175" REF="574">
&s;he lodged being of his acquaintance, never examined him: Yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked them whether &s;he was very much hurt, but they an&s;wered him, that &s;he was much better then &s;he was thought to have been; for the Chirurgeon &s;aid her leg was not broken but onely &s;trained: and a&s;&s;ured them it would mend quickly, &s;o &s;he might re&s;t &s;ome dayes. After this <HI>Cyrus</HI> went into this Ladies chamber, and knew her to be <HI>Arianita:</HI> He no &s;ooner &s;aw her, but going to her, and &s;eeing none could under&s;tand him but <HI>Ligdamis:</HI> Ah my dear <HI>Arianita</HI> (&s;aid he unto her) what have you done with my Prince&s;s? Sir (an&s;wered &s;he, much amazed to &s;ee him) I have left her much again&s;t my will, by rea&s;on of an ill accident which happened unto me, and I am not &s;o happy as <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> who is gone with her. But where is &s;he? replyed <HI>Cyrus:</HI> Into what part of the World hath the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> carryed her? Is it farre off? And can you not informe me which way I &s;hould follow. Ala&s;&s;e, Sir, replyed &s;he, you aske mee &s;uch que&s;tions as I cannot an&s;wer; for I know not whither the King of <HI>Pon|tus</HI> will goe; all I know is, that I left them ye&s;terday a little before Sunne-&s;et, and that they re&s;olved for to travell all night, and that it will be very hard for you to follow them, not onely becau&s;e they are farre before you, but becau&s;e they goe invi&s;ible: you tell me &s;uch wonders, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that they tran&s;cend my under|&s;tanding: yet I tell you nothing but what is true, replyed &s;he: therefore Sir, &s;ince you cannot follow the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> untill you fir&s;t know in what manner he goes, you mu&s;t allow &s;o much patience as to let me tell you. I would gladly ask you, replyed he, how the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> got out of <HI>Sardis?</HI> whether he carried away my Prince&s;&s;e, or whether &s;he followed him? whether I &s;aw her ye&s;terday with <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> in the mid&s;t of a meadow? and whether &s;he hate me? I have al&s;o a great de&s;ire to ask you how you do after your fall, and carry you un|to &s;ome place of better accommodation; but I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e I have a mo&s;t earne&s;t de&s;ire to follow <HI>Mandana,</HI> and deliver her from her unju&s;t Rivall: yet Sir, replyed <HI>Arianita,</HI> you can|not follow them with &s;ucce&s;&s;e, unle&s;&s;e you know as much as I doe: Then I conjure you to tell me quickly, &s;aid this amorous Prince. <HI>Ligdamis</HI> would then have withdrawn to the o|ther end of the Chamber, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> would have him be partaker of what <HI>Arianita</HI> would relate. So that after the dore was &s;hut, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;itting upon the &s;ide of her bed, he de&s;ired her to relate all &s;he knew concerning <HI>Mandana.</HI> Sir replyed &s;he, I could tell you many pa&s;&s;a|ges concerning that Prince&s;&s;e whom I have the honour to &s;erve, and which I believe you would gladly know: but con&s;idering the pre&s;ent &s;tate of things, I will onely relate which is requi&s;ite to be known at this pre&s;ent; and tell you which way I come to be acquainted with the &s;ecret of the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> That there was a man of quality with him, who certainly is mo&s;t innocent of his ma&s;ters inju&s;tice, and who pittying the mi&s;eries of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Manda|na,</HI> hath often lamented them unto me: and I a&s;&s;ure you, that by his means we have received many civilities and comforts in our Pri&s;ons: And Sir I mu&s;t tell you, that I think there is &s;uch termes of friend&s;hip between us, as I have &s;ome power over his &s;pirit. And it is by him I know which way your Rivall robbs you of the fruit of your victorie in taking <HI>Mandana</HI> from you. Know then Sir, that when the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> perceived that you re&s;olved to take <HI>Sar|dis</HI> by famine, when you could not by force, he thought him&s;elf lo&s;t, though he would not confe&s;&s;e it unto any but to <HI>Pactias,</HI> and him who told it unto me who&s;e name is <HI>Timonides.</HI> Seeing then that your lines were begun, he knew that if once they were but fini&s;hed, it would be impo&s;&s;ible for him to get out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> and have recour&s;e unto flight, therefore he fell in|to a mo&s;t extream de&s;pair; <HI>Timonides</HI> told me, that then he did &s;trive with him&s;elf to over|come his pa&s;&s;ion, but could not po&s;&s;ibly, and the greate&s;t rea&s;on was, becau&s;e he had &s;ome hopes, that the jealou&s;ie which he had infu&s;ed into the heart of the Prince&s;&s;e, would make much to his advantage: In the mean time, he could not conceive it po&s;&s;ible to get him|&s;elf and <HI>Mandana</HI> out of <HI>Sardis;</HI> yet he was continually contriving waies how to compa&s;&s;e it; and di&s;cour&s;ed often with <HI>Pactias</HI> about it; who came unto the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> one mor|ning, and told him, that he had found out a way to get <HI>Mandana</HI> out of <HI>Sardis.</HI> At fir&s;t, this Prince was &s;o tran&s;ported with joy, that he embraced him, but afterwards conceiving it to be impo&s;&s;ible, he would not &s;o much as ask him what his way was: But Sir (&s;aid <HI>Pactias</HI> to him) I know you are not ignorant of the wonderfull virtue which is in that &s;tone called the the <HI>Heliotrope;</HI> and you know, that the famous Ring of <HI>Gyges</HI> (which by making him in|vi&s;ible, got him a Crown) hath alwaies been carefully kept in the Royall family of <HI>Lydia;</HI> and that the Prince <HI>Mexaris,</HI> brother of <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> had it from the King his father. And I think I have heard you &s;peak of an effect of this Ring when <HI>Mexaris</HI> one day made an enter|tainment for <HI>Panthea,</HI> when he was in love with her, and when <HI>Abradates</HI> was his Rivall. Therefore I &s;hall not need to relate, that there is a certain kind of lu&s;tre in this &s;tone, da&s;les or ca&s;ts a kind of a mi&s;t about the per&s;on who carries it, and makes them invi&s;ible: then Sir, you mu&s;t know, that when <HI>Mexaris</HI> died he went out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> and out of favour with the
<PB N="176" REF="575">
King his brother, becau&s;e he would have carried away the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Cla&s;&s;omena:</HI> &s;o that when the news of his death was known among&s;t the Kings Dome&s;tiques, they filched away the greate&s;t part of his Trea&s;ure, before any orders could be given concerning them: and among&s;t the re&s;t, they took this famous Ring of <HI>Gyges.</HI> A &s;trict inquiry was made for the thiefe: for <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> valued this Ring more then all the re&s;t, but nothing could be heard of it. In the mean time one of the Officers of <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> had a command in this Cittadel under me, and this morn|ing dyed; but a little before his death he de&s;ired to &s;peak with me, and told me, that he was a complice in the theft which was committed after the death of <HI>Mexaris:</HI> Adding, that ha|ving nothing but this Ring of <HI>Gyges</HI> in his po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, he gave it into my hands. I cannot tell whether he meant to give it the King or me, for he dyed pre&s;ently. However it was, Sir, I have the Ring, who&s;e effects are &s;o wonderfull, that I beleeve it may be &s;erviceable to you: The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was at fir&s;t exceedingly joyed at what <HI>Pactias</HI> told him. But upon &s;e|cond thoughts he thought it would not &s;erve his turn, for the virtue of this &s;tone extended onely to him who carryed it, and therefore he was as much grieved as before. Then he fell in|to a deep and &s;erious contemplation of it; and Love being a pa&s;&s;ion which fills the mind full of Fancy, and gives new and quicker fire to the imagination, he found out an expedient u&s;e of it: He con&s;idered, that as a Load&s;tone divided into &s;everall parts doth &s;till retaine his whole virtue in every part, and will attract Iron; and that Amber, and Jet doe keep the qua|lities which Nature gave them, though they be divided; therefore the Stone in this Ring if divided might as well retain his efficacy in every part, and con&s;equently he might make <HI>Mandana</HI> invi&s;ible as well as him&s;elfe: He had no &s;ooner apprehended this, but hee imparted it unto <HI>Pactias,</HI> who approved of his Fancy very well, not doubting but that the Heliotrope would admit divi&s;ion as well as the Load&s;tone: Hee added fur|ther to fortifie his opinion, that all inanimate things in nature, either Stones or Mettles would keep their qualities, though divided; and therefore the Heliotrope: But if it be divided onely into two, replyed the King of <HI>Pontus, Marte&s;ia,</HI> and <HI>Arianita,</HI> and you mu&s;t be left behind; and if you doe &s;tay behinde when I am gone, I know <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> will doe what he can to ruin you; and I know further, that it will be much more difficult to get <HI>Mandana</HI> away by her &s;elf then with <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Arianita:</HI> Yet I cannot conceive, &s;aid <HI>Pactias,</HI> that this &s;tone ought to be divided into &s;o many parts: And as for me, never take any thought; for I will di&s;gui&s;e my &s;elf, and get out the next &s;alley which is made, untill which I will hide my &s;elf in <HI>Sardis:</HI> And as for the Prince&s;&s;es women, we will lock them up untill you be far enough off from being followed. Though this de&s;ign was not very well ex|amined, and though the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;aw it full of difficulties, yet the execution was re|&s;olved upon, hoping in time to &s;urmount all the ob&s;tacles. <HI>Pactias</HI> then brought a Workman to divide this Heliotrope, and &s;et it when it was divided; he brought him into a chamber of the Cittadell, where he was &s;hut up untill he had done his work: But, Sir, as this Arti&s;t was dividing this &s;tone, who&s;e nature he was ignorant of, and which indeed was too big for a Ring, in lieu of dividing it into two, it &s;hivered and fell into &s;ix peeces of different bigne&s;&s;e: The King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who would needs be pre&s;ent, &s;eeing this accident, and fearing that this &s;tone had lo&s;t its virtue, and was altogether u&s;ele&s;&s;e, he was extreamly angry and &s;ad, and was very angry with the man; but making tryall of the peeces, he found that every one retained their whole virtue, &s;o that in lieu of chiding, he thanked the man; for now he &s;aw it would be much ea&s;ier for him to get away <HI>Mandana,</HI> then if it were divided but only into two; and now he conceived his de&s;ign, which before he thought impo&s;&s;ible, to be onely difficult. In the mean time, before he &s;et the &s;tones, he con&s;idered how he &s;hould doe to get <HI>Mandana</HI> to carry one, and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and I another; for he imagined, that for all her jealou&s;ie, he could never winne her to contribute any thing unto her carrying away: and con&s;idering, that to make this &s;tone doe his effect, it mu&s;t bee turned towards the per&s;on who was to carry it, hee could invent no better way, then to fixe one unto the Pomell of the Saddle which <HI>Manda|na</HI> was to ride upon, for that way the &s;tone might be turned towards her, and almo&s;t as near her body as if it were in a Ring: So that conceiving no better way could po&s;&s;ibly be found out, he commanded him who was to &s;et the &s;tones, to &s;et three of them in &s;ilver onely, and in &s;uch a manner as one might put them in, and take them out when they would; and for the three others, he would have them &s;et in Rings. Then the man con&s;idering upon the pre|po&s;ition which was made, he devi&s;ed a way according unto the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his de&s;ire; for he would place this Heliotrope in the Pomell of the Saddle, as if it had been onely the head of a Nayle, and did drive in many other Nayls, to the end that this like them might &s;eem onely an ornament, and was placed &s;o cunningly, that it was alwayes turned towards the per&s;on who &s;at in the Saddle. This invention did &s;o take the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> that I did
<PB N="177" REF="575">
pre&s;&s;e on the execution of it very earne&s;tly; and indeed it was done with as much ingenuity as it was invented: But whil&s;t he was working, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was upon two de&s;ignes at once: The one was, to augment tho&s;e &s;parks of Jealou&s;ie which were kindled in the Prin|ce&s;&s;e; and the other was to be as cautious in his going out of <HI>Sardis</HI> as if he had not this miraculous &s;tone. In order unto the&s;e two things, after tho&s;e Ladies, who at the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>A|ramintaes</HI> reque&s;t you permitted to goe out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> were gone out&mdash;Ah <HI>Arianita</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and interrupted her) It was not at the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Aramintas</HI> reque&s;t, that I per|mitted tho&s;e Ladies to goe out, but at the in&s;tance of one who was Co&s;en unto them, named <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who was with the late Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana.</HI> However, Sir (replyed <HI>Arianita) Man|dana</HI> does think it was at her reque&s;t, and accu&s;eth you of too little affection unto her, and of too much unto <HI>Araminta:</HI> But, I be&s;eech you, Sir, be &s;o patient as to hear me, and know, that after the&s;e Ladies were gone out, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> cau&s;ed one of the Guard to tell us the next morning, as news which he had from one who was taken pri&s;oner, that you treated them with extraordinary civilities; that you &s;ent them to the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta,</HI> cau&s;ing all imaginable honours to be done them in her con&s;ideration. Adding, that at pre&s;ent, this Prince&s;&s;e had the ruling of the whole Army; that all addre&s;&s;es were unto her for any Office; that &s;uch Pri&s;oners were relea&s;ed as &s;he thought good, and indeed that you were &s;o far in love with her, as every one was a&s;toni&s;hed at it, and &s;aying that many condemned you for it. You may wel imagine, Sir, that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and I would never have told all this unto the Prince&s;&s;e, though we had beleeved it; but he who told us, took &s;uch a time, as when the Prince&s;&s;e was in her Clo&s;et, and &s;poke &s;o loud, that &s;he heard, and was extreamly moved at it, and was extreamly incen&s;ed again&s;t you, in&s;omuch that &s;he commended the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his di&s;|cretion, that he would not tell her him&s;elf. Ala&s;&s;e <HI>Arianita</HI> (cryed out <HI>Cyrus)</HI> what di&s;mall news is this you tell me? Beleeve me, Sir, &s;aid &s;he, I doe not tell you that the Prince&s;&s;e loves the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> but to be &s;incere with you, I mu&s;t needs &s;ay, &s;he complains again&s;t you. She is &s;o unju&s;t in her complaints (replyed this &s;ad Prince) that the Gods to puni&s;h her, hath hindered me from relea&s;ing her: But, I be&s;eech you, <HI>Arianita,</HI> goe on, and tell me all you know. I &s;hall tell you then, Sir, that <HI>Mandana</HI> had &s;uch an incen&s;ed &s;oul again&s;t you, that &s;he could not &s;leep one wink all the night following, but accu&s;ed you ten thou&s;and times of in|gratitude and incon&s;tanc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e, and &s;aid &s;he would never love any as long as &s;he lived; re&s;olving with her &s;elf to leave loving you, or at lea&s;t to love you le&s;&s;e: &s;he was full of &s;ad expre&s;&s;ions unto <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and me, as were enough to move the harde&s;t heart in the world, which if right|ly con&s;idered, may give you more &s;atisfaction then &s;orrow, becau&s;e they are &s;ymptomes of her affection to you. Though the &s;atisfaction you mention be but bitter; yet I conjure you to tell me all that <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;aid: for the re&s;pects I owe unto my Prince&s;&s;e are &s;o high, that her very injuries &s;hall not make me murmur again&s;t her. Ala&s;s, Sir, replyed <HI>Arianita,</HI> if I &s;hould tell you all the Prince&s;&s;e &s;aid, I &s;hould not end this day: For I a&s;&s;ure you, &s;he &s;poke more that day in a quarter of an hour then at other times &s;he was accu&s;tomed to doe in two hours. No, no (&s;aid &s;he to <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who entreated her to &s;u&s;pend her judgement of you till <HI>Sardis</HI>
was taken) doe not thinke that the Victory of <HI>Cyrus</HI> will produce my liberty: 'Tis true, I wi&s;h him victorious (&s;aid &s;he) and doe not yet hate him &s;o much as to de&s;ire he &s;hould be overcome, but yet I would not have him relea&s;e me; and I look upon that libertie which he &s;hould give me, as upon a thing that would grieve me more then any thing upon earth. Oh Heavens, &s;aid &s;he, is it not po&s;&s;ible that one of my quality, con&s;idering the &s;tate of things, &s;hould &s;uborne her Guards? For as the ca&s;e of <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> &s;tands upon bad termes, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his ca&s;e is much wor&s;e: Why &s;hould not the hopes of a rich reward from the King of <HI>Medes</HI> move &s;ome of my guard to &s;et me at liberty? I &s;hall think you want either wit or affection to me if you doe not &s;o much for me, or at lea&s;t if you doe not attempt it. It is &s;o ordinary to &s;ee men change with fortune, that I make no que&s;tion but you may doe that for me, which will make me more joyfull then I am able to expre&s;&s;e. Imagine what a joy it would be unto me to get out of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his power, and not be beholding unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> for my liberty; but that I may upbraid him with his Incon&s;tancy, and have no new obligations upon me to him. Con&s;ider, I conjure you, what con&s;iderable &s;ervice this would be unto me, and how I &s;hould be obliged unto a recompence. But, Madam, &s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to her, though it were po&s;&s;ible that <HI>Arianita</HI> and I &s;hould &s;uborn your Guards, yet how can you ever think to e&s;cape? Do you not con&s;ider, though they let you goe &s;afe out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> yet you cannot e&s;cape the be&s;iegers? Oh <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, never make that objection; for if I were once out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> a&s;&s;ure your &s;elf I &s;hould well enough e&s;cape both the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Cyrus,</HI> e&s;pecially If they let mee out on that &s;ide where <HI>Medes</HI> keep guard:
<PB N="178" REF="576">
for I mu&s;t needs think that they who are &s;ubjects unto the King my Father will &s;o far obey me, as to carry me unto <HI>Ecbatan</HI> before they will carry me unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> However, though they &s;hould not, but &s;hould carry me to that perfidious man, yet I &s;hould thereby take away the honour from him of delivering me: In &s;hort Sir, the Prince&s;&s;e u&s;ed &s;uch arguments unto us, that &s;he per&s;waded us it was not difficult to &s;uborne her guards: Then I offered to &s;peak unto <HI>Timonides</HI> over whom I knew I had &s;ome power, but &s;he did expre&s;ly forbid me, telling me, that it mu&s;t be unto the officers of <HI>Pactias,</HI> or <HI>Pactias</HI> him&s;elf, that I mu&s;t break the mat|ter, and not unto any man that had relation unto the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> She gave us Com|mi&s;&s;ion to promi&s;e any thing in her behalf, a&s;&s;uring us that &s;he would punctually perform what&s;oever we promi&s;ed: Then we talked that very night with one of the officers under <HI>Pactias,</HI> and falling into a di&s;cour&s;e of the Prince&s;&s;e and her misfortunes, we told him that both he and all his company were al&s;o infortunate, &s;o that after all their fidelity and care in guarding <HI>Mandana,</HI> they could never hope for any recompence; &s;ince they were all ready to become the &s;laves of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> Afterwards, adding many other rea&s;ons, and joyning his own in|tere&s;t unto the pitty which he ought to have of &s;o great a Prince&s;&s;e, we moved him to &s;erve the Prince&s;&s;e, and that way to &s;helter him&s;elf from that &s;torm which <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> would bring upon him: This officer hearing us &s;ay &s;o, did not ab&s;olutely reject our propo&s;ition, though he did not accept it; and we imagined that the difficulty which hee made was to draw on a greater recompence for the &s;ervice which he &s;hould do in delivering the Prince&s;&s;e: yet that was not his thought: nor would he put us out of hopes to gaine him, le&s;t if he had ab&s;olute|ly denyed us, we &s;hould make the propo&s;ition unto &s;ome other, who perhaps would lend a more willing eare unto it then he did: But be plea&s;ed to know Sir, that he was no &s;ooner gone from us, but he acquainted <HI>Pactias</HI> with the propo&s;ition which we had made, who con|ceiving that this would exceedingly forward the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his de&s;ign of carrying away <HI>Mandana,</HI> he imparted it unto him, and made him beyond all expre&s;&s;ions joyfull, not doubting now but to get the Prince&s;&s;e out of <HI>Sardis</HI> very ea&s;ily: and he did the le&s;&s;e fear it, be cau&s;e the river <HI>Pactolus</HI> was &s;o low, that he knew it was foordable at a place near the Cittadel: So that &s;eeing the main ob&s;tacle which he found in his de&s;ign (which was that, if he carried us by force we would cry out) was overcome, he thought how to execute the matter immediate|ly; yet re&s;olving to &s;tay untill &s;uch a night as there was a alarum given on that &s;ide of the Town, oppo&s;ite unto the Cittadell: In the mean time, <HI>Pactias</HI> appointed him whom wee had &s;poke unto, to hold us in hand, as if he intended to make his fortune by relea&s;ing <HI>Mandana,</HI> and that he &s;hould have carried the matter &s;o cunningly, that we &s;hould not have the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition, he would deceive us: And indeed, he acted his part &s;o well, that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and I did verily believe we had won him to us: for he &s;eemed as if it went &s;omthing again&s;t the hair of his mind, to betray his ma&s;ter, and yet &s;eemed as if he were infinitly compa&s;&s;ionate of the mi|&s;ery in which the Prince&s;&s;e was: And <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and I were &s;o deluded in him, that wee al&s;o deluded <HI>Mandana;</HI> but the truth is, &s;he was as much deluded by the words of him with whom we treated, as by ours: for &s;ince he told us, to delude us the more, that he would not under|take the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, unle&s;&s;e he &s;pake unto the Prince&s;&s;e; we did &s;o bring it to pa&s;&s;e, that he did &s;peak with her, and concluded what we had begun: Thus taking the whole matter upon him, we had nothing to do but to be ready for a departure, when he &s;hould adverti&s;e us: And to make the matter &s;eem more likely, he told us of the &s;hallowne&s;&s;e of the River, adding, that unle&s;&s;e it were &s;o, he could not po&s;&s;ibly deliver us. But the Prince&s;&s;e thinking that &s;he mu&s;t needs be at &s;ome expences in the execution of his de&s;ign, &s;he gave him a very rich Ring: which he took le&s;t &s;he &s;hould &s;u&s;pect him if he refu&s;ed; &s;o that now we were full of hopes. The Prin|ce&s;&s;e was very &s;orry to leave the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis,</HI> but &s;he knew that though &s;he &s;hould &s;hew her the way how &s;he might get out of Pri&s;on, yet out of her re&s;pects unto the King her father, &s;he would refu&s;e it, therefore &s;he did not impart her de&s;ign unto her: but waited with much impatience for the execution of it: and we waited not long: for the Heliotropes being &s;et, and <HI>Pactolus</HI> at an ebbe, <HI>Pactias</HI> having procured a boat to waft over the Prince&s;&s;e, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and me, le&s;t there &s;hould be any danger in riding the River; the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> bidding <HI>Timo|nides</HI> to be in a readine&s;&s;e, and <HI>Pactias</HI> having given all requi&s;ite order for our going out of <HI>Sardis</HI> It chanced that about two hours after we were gone to bed, we heard a great noi&s;e in the Town: &s;o that the Prince&s;&s;e fearing &s;ome &s;edition, &s;he did ri&s;e, and dre&s;&s;ed her &s;elfe: And &s;he was no &s;ooner ready, but the men from whom we expected our liberty, came to tell us, that now we might ea&s;ily make an e&s;cape whil&s;t there was a di&s;order in the Town, occa|&s;ioned by a fal&s;e Alarum which he &s;aid <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> gave, purpo&s;e to keep the Inhabitants awake: the rea&s;on why he told the Prince&s;&s;e it was a fal&s;e Alarum, was, becau&s;e the King of <HI>Pontus</HI>
<PB N="179" REF="576">
feared, that if <HI>Mandana</HI> knew, <HI>Sardis</HI> was taken, &s;he would then change her re&s;olution, and not go out: for he knew not how high her jealou&s;ie was, though he had a great gue&s;&s;e at it: You may well imagine Sir, that the Prince&s;&s;e received this newes of her pretended liberty with much joy: So that telling the man &s;he was ready, he left us, and returned about a quarter of an hour after to conduct us down a back pair of &s;tairs where none could &s;ee us, him&s;elf and two of his companions, untill we came unto the Court of Guard, where we found very few Soul|diers: for you mu&s;t know Sir, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would not have the Prince&s;&s;e &s;ee him untill &s;he was out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> and pa&s;t the Camp of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> therefore taking one Ring him&s;elfe, and giving one to <HI>Pactias,</HI> and one unto <HI>Timonides,</HI> they followed us unperceived. I will not trouble you with a relation how the Prince&s;&s;e was amazed, when &s;he was out of the Cittadell onely with three men, and us, and when &s;he heard the horrid noi&s;e that was in the Town. But let me tell you, that the waies being very fair and &s;andy from the Cittadell unto the Ri|ver <HI>Pactolus</HI> which was clo&s;e by, we went in more fears then trouble: The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Pactias</HI> followed us, al&s;o <HI>Timonides</HI> who carried the Heliotropes, which were to be put into the Pomels of the Saddles as I told you: when when we were come to the River, we &s;aw hor&s;es ready, and a little boate, into which the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> our conductor, <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and I entred: the two Souldiers, rode over the River upon two of the hor&s;es, and carried the re&s;t in their hands. And give me leave to tell you Sir, that when the Prince&s;&s;e &s;aw her &s;elfe in the mid&s;t of the River, her fears began to vani&s;h, and joy took po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of her heart: it plainly appeared, that &s;he did not &s;o much fear being taken by your forces, as by tho&s;e of <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> or the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> Now &s;hall I be pre&s;ently out of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his power, &s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and me, and &s;hall not be beholding unto a perfidious Prince for my li|berty: when we landed, he whom we called our deliverer, went where <HI>Timonides</HI> was, who was fixing the Heliotropes unto the Saddles on which the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana, Marte&s;ia,</HI> and I were to ride: It being night, and the Moon &s;hining but dimly, al&s;o our minds being taken up with various thoughts, we never ob&s;erved that the hor&s;es on which we rid were invi&s;ible, nor had we any lea&s;ure to de&s;cant upon what we &s;aw or not &s;aw: for as &s;oon as wee were on horsback, we went away: I forgot to tell you Sir, that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> riding behind our conductor, the vertue of the Heliotrope &s;ufficed for both: As for the two men who came in the boate with us, they went on either &s;ide <HI>Mandana</HI> to conduct her: And to the end the&s;e two Souldi|ers who were not invi&s;ible, &s;hould not be ob&s;erved by your forces; <HI>Pactias</HI> had put them into Per&s;ian habits: al&s;o the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> not tru&s;ting wholy unto the virtue of the&s;e Helio|tropes, was &s;o carefull in chu&s;ing his way, and pa&s;&s;ing between the Quarters on that &s;ide where the line of communication was not fini&s;hed, that I am per&s;waded, though there had been none of the&s;e Heliotropes, he had pa&s;&s;ed &s;afely. In the mean time, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> let <HI>Mandana</HI> go fir&s;t, that the two men that were vi&s;ible might be guides unto all the company who &s;aw not each other: commanding them, that if any of the Enemy came to take them, not to make re&s;i&s;tance, but to let <HI>Mandana</HI> go next whom he alwaies rid, though &s;he &s;aw him not: Though our minds were &s;o full of hopes and fears, and the night was &s;o dark, that wee took no notice of this wonder; yet when we had rid a while, and I ob&s;erved that we could not &s;ee any but the two footmen which ran by the Prince&s;&s;e, but could not &s;ee either <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> or our Conductor, wondering what &s;hould be become of the other hor&s;es which we &s;aw at the water &s;ide, I confe&s;&s;e that fear did &s;o po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e me, that I could not chu&s;e but cry out: I thought that I had wandered out of the way as well as tho&s;e two men: The cry which I made, cau&s;ed the Prince&s;s to look about her, and &s;eeing only the two men vvho held the bridle of her hor&s;e, &s;he vvas as much &s;urpri&s;ed as I was: <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> who was behind our Deliverer, and who com|mitted her &s;elf wholly unto his Guidance, coming out of a deep contemplation, had her &s;hare in the a&s;toni&s;hment, when &s;he looked &amp; could not &s;ee us: In the mean time <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;top|ped, and I al&s;o, and we were &s;o affrighted, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> thought twenty times to di&s;cover him&s;elf, and comfort us: but he did not, &s;till leaving the care of us unto him vvhom vve looked upon as the Author of our Liberty, and he comming to <HI>Mandana,</HI> let her feel the hand of <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> a&s;&s;uring her that &s;he needed not to fear any thing, and that the vvonder vvhich &s;he &s;avv vvas an inchantment only to &s;et her at&punc; liberty: if you only vvere invi|&s;ible, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I &s;hould think you had found the ring of <HI>Gyges,</HI> vvhich I hear <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> hath lo&s;t; but I cannot &s;ee either <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> or <HI>Arianita,</HI> and I perceive by vvhat they &s;ay, that they do not &s;ee me: Hovvever it be Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I a&s;&s;ure you that you have no cau&s;e to fear any thing; and the better to a&s;&s;ure you, vvhen none pa&s;&s;eth by, you may &s;peak either with <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> or <HI>Arianita,</HI> and I perceive by vvhat they &s;ay, that they do not &s;ee me: Hovvever it be Madam, &s;aid he vnto her, I a&s;&s;ure you that you have no cau&s;e to fear any
<PB N="182" REF="577">
thing; and the better to a&s;&s;ure you, when none pa&s;&s;eth by, you may &s;peak either vvith <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> or <HI>Arianita,</HI> whom I will cau&s;e to come nearer you: whil&s;t this man and the Prince&s;&s;e were talking thus, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and I were in extream fright: yet being under the conduct of a man, who had &s;o much power as to act &s;uch wonders, vvee dur&s;t not but &s;peak him very fair, thinking that &s;ince he vvas able to make us invi&s;ible, he vvas able to do vvhat he plea&s;ed. The Prince&s;&s;e having the &s;ame thoughts, did not much pre&s;&s;e him to tell her hovv he vvrought the&s;e miracles, and thought it more expedient to concur with him only to carry her unto the place where &s;he de&s;ired to go, to wit unto <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> and to &s;tay at &s;ome Town where &s;he might &s;tay with &s;afety, and have &s;o much time as &s;end her a fitter Equipage. Since we were yet in the place where we might meet with &s;ome of the Troops of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> hee he promi&s;ed her all &s;he de&s;ired, le&s;t &s;he &s;hould meet &s;ome and cry out: So that the Prince&s;&s;e putting a new confidence in him, &s;he onely admired the prodigie, without any fear of his deceiving her: contenting her &s;elf with &s;eeing onely tho&s;e two men who guided her hor&s;e, and &s;peaking unto <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and me. Thus then we pa&s;&s;ed the Camp of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> between two Quarters, we met &s;ome Troopers and Souldiers &s;everall times; but &s;ince the two vi&s;ible men were cloathed in Per&s;ian habits, they pa&s;&s;ed for their own men, who were going from Quarter to Quarter: So that we travelled without any ob&s;tacle: And that which at fir&s;t was a ter|rour unto us, became afterwards our diver&s;ion. <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and I had a hundred phanta&s;ticall wi&s;hes: For my part I wi&s;hed to &s;ee the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> to upbraid him with his inju&s;tice, at a time when he could neither &s;ee, nor follow us. <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> wi&s;hed to meet the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria,</HI> to tell him, that this device was better then the white habits in a &s;now, which he u&s;ed to get out of <HI>Babylon;</HI> that we might have the plea&s;ure of &s;eeing him de&s;perate, when hee could hear the Prince&s;&s;e, and not &s;ee her. As for <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he hinted to us, though &s;he did not name you, that &s;he was de&s;irous to &s;ee you, Sir, and that you might onely hear her voice. Thus we went on, not &s;u&s;pecting that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was &s;o near as to hear us: Yet me thought, that as we went over a &s;tony way, I heard more hor&s;es then we had in our com|pany, but dur&s;t not expre&s;&s;e my thoughts. Thus wee got out of the Camp, and about the height of the day the Sun began to be &s;o hot, that the Prince&s;&s;e complained very much. And coming to a place where were two wayes, the one leading unto a thick &s;hady Wood, and the other into an open Plain; the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;eeing the men who guided <HI>Mandanaes</HI> hor&s;e to take the open way, he forgot that he &s;hould not &s;peak, and commanded them to turn upon the right hand into the &s;hade. I leave you to imagine, Sir, how we were &s;urpri&s;ed when wee heard the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his voice, which wee knew full well. The truth is, it was &s;o great, that we cryed out all at once. The Prince&s;&s;e &s;topped upon a &s;uddain, and leaping ha|&s;tily from her hor&s;e, &s;he became vi&s;ible, and fell into &s;uch lamentable complaints, as would have moved pitty from very &s;tones. I no &s;ooner &s;aw her lighted from her hor&s;e, but I did the &s;ame, and &s;o did <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and went both unto the Prince; the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was extream|ly perplexed; for &s;ince he had only four in his company, he thought it would be difficult to carry us away by force, therefore he went politiquely to work; for leaving his Ring with
<HI>Timonides,</HI> he came and threw him&s;elf at <HI>Mandanaes</HI> feet, giving her all the re&s;pective lan|guage that a violent and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive pa&s;&s;ion could devi&s;e; be&s;eeching her to pardon him, prote&s;ting he would &s;till ob&s;erve the &s;ame &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion unto her as formerly, and a&s;&s;uring her that he would onely endeavour to winne her by his tears: adding, that if he could not ob|taine this happine&s;&s;e in a &s;hort time, he would then carry her unto <HI>Ecbatan:</HI> Yet all his &s;ub|mi&s;&s;ive eloquence could not move the Prince&s;&s;e, who told him peremptorily, that &s;he would ab&s;olutely die upon the place. In&s;omuch as the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> perceiving her ob&s;tinate, and would goe no further, he began to be&s;eech her not to force him to faile in his &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive re&s;pects, and force her to follow him. And to &s;hew you, Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that I am able to doe it, know that I have fiftie Hor&s;e with me, though you &s;ee them not. At fir&s;t the Prince&s;&s;e did not beleeve him, but the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> cau&s;ing <HI>Pactias</HI> and <HI>Timo|nides</HI> to &s;peake, &s;he did no longer que&s;tion the truth; for &s;he knew both their voices: So that exceedingly grieving at it, and chu&s;ing rather to follow her Ravi&s;her, then to force him by a vaine re&s;i&s;tance unto any violence, &s;he yeelded, &s;ince &s;he could not chu&s;e, and got upon her hor&s;e. Yet fir&s;t &s;he told the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> that he &s;hould never hope for any thing from her but hatred and contempt. In the mean while, &s;ince in lighting from my hor&s;e, I had let goe my bridle, it was a peece of difficulty to finde him againe, &s;ince he carryed with him that which made him invi&s;ible; and <HI>Timonides</HI> was ready to take me up behind him, when this hor&s;e which was kept with that which <HI>Pactias</HI> rid upon, came unto him when he neigh|ed; &s;o that <HI>Pactias</HI> hearing him &s;o near to him, layd hold on him, and I got up. Then after
<PB N="183" REF="577">
that <HI>Timonides</HI> had given the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his Ring againe, wee went on, but ala&s;s, it was with thoughts different from tho&s;e wee had before, and certainely this Prince&s;&s;e did repent of her e&s;cape, yet I cannot tell you her thoughts, but by conjecture, for &s;ince that I never heard her &s;peak: When we were come into the Wood, where we &s;aw &s;ome hou&s;es, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> let the Prince&s;&s;e &s;tay under a &s;hade, and brought &s;ome meat unto her, but &s;he would take nothing, onely a gla&s;&s;e of water, and that at the reque&s;t of <HI>Marte&s;ia;</HI> after which we continued on our journey. In the mean time <HI>Timonides</HI> feared that I &s;hould complain again&s;t him, for not imparting his Ma&s;ters &s;ecret unto her, therefore he rid al|wayes next me, and I having a great de&s;ire to know how wee came to be invi&s;ible, con|jured him to tell me, and a&s;&s;ured him that if he would tell me the truth, I would pardon him. I had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but <HI>Timonides</HI> being glad that I would accept of his ju&s;ti|fication, bad me in a low voice &s;top my hor&s;e, and &s;tay a little behinde the King of <HI>Pon|tus;</HI> for &s;eeing the two Footmen which guided <HI>Mandanaes</HI> hor&s;e, we knew he was not farre off her: So that &s;topping our hor&s;es untill we were out of hearing, after <HI>Timonides</HI> told me with a thou&s;and oaths, that he knew nothing of the de&s;igne untill the la&s;t night, that <HI>Pactias</HI> cold him, he related all unto me: adding, that it would be long before the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> came unto any place of retreat, and that he was re&s;olved to travell all night, and not to re&s;t the Prince&s;&s;e until break of day. In the mean time we were &s;o attentive unto our di&s;cour&s;e, that we never minded our way; &s;o that being in a thick Wood full of &s;everall wayes, we took a wrong one: and we minded it &s;o little, that though wee met with two women with baskets of fruit upon their heads, wee never &s;o much as enquired of them. Alas, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> and interrupted her, I met tho&s;e women al&s;o, and what they told me was the rea&s;on why I took not that way which would have conducted me unto the Prince&s;&s;e. But I be&s;eech you relate unto me quickly all that you know, that I may in all ha&s;t go and repair my fault: I &s;hall quickly end Sir, &s;aid <HI>Arianita,</HI> for <HI>Timonides</HI> and I perceiving wee were out of the way, wee doubled our pace back, hoping to overtake them; but wee never could: Then this accident did happen unto me, for be plea&s;ed to know, riding along the Torrent, my hor&s;e &s;lipped, and threw me into it, &s;o that being much hurt, <HI>Timonides</HI> was much troubled with me; and I know not what hee could have done without the help of him who brought you hither. Ah <HI>Arianita,</HI> cryed <HI>Cyrus</HI> out, what will all you told me availe me, unle&s;&s;e you will let me have that &s;tone which made you invi&s;ible, that I may make u&s;e of it, if ever I meet with <HI>Mandana:</HI> Alas Sir, replyed &s;he, one misfortune never comes alone, for be plea&s;ed to know, it fell into the Ri|ver, when my hor&s;e did throw me: and as for that of <HI>Timonides,</HI> hee took it from his finger, when he came to helpe me out of the Torrent, and knew not where hee laid it, &s;o that both of them are lo&s;t. As <HI>Cyrus</HI> was going to an&s;wer <HI>Arianita,</HI> a great noi&s;e of hor|&s;es was heard in the Court. He no &s;ooner heard it, but he went unto the window to &s;ee what made it, and &s;aw it to be the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and his retinue, who in his fruitle&s;&s;e &s;earch of <HI>Mandana,</HI> heard there was a Lady in that hou&s;e, brought thither by one man, and therefore he came to &s;ee whether or no it was the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana:</HI> When <HI>Artamas</HI> &s;aw <HI>Cyrus</HI> out of the window, hee hoped that it was indeed the Prince&s;&s;e: hee lighted ha&s;tily from his hor&s;e, and came unto the Chamber where he was, <HI>Feraulus</HI> following him: but his joyes were pre&s;ently converted into de&s;pair; yet hee &s;aluted <HI>Arianita,</HI> of whom <HI>Feraulus</HI> enquired concerning <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus, Artamas</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> advi&s;ed upon the be&s;t expedients: but &s;ince ha&s;t was the mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary cour&s;e that could be taken, they re&s;olved to &s;eparate them&s;elves once more, and dividing the men which they had among&s;t them to &s;earch &s;till towards the Sea &s;ide: For truly, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;ince <HI>Mandana</HI> hath two footmen with her, who are not invi&s;ible, and &s;ince &s;he is when &s;he is on her hor&s;e, it is not impo&s;&s;ible to get &s;ome intelligence of her: <HI>Cyrus</HI> would needs &s;ee <HI>Timonides,</HI> before he departed, and &s;ince <HI>Arianita</HI> had told him he had done many good offices for <HI>Mandana</HI> during her impri&s;onment, hee received him not ill. Yet he was very urgent vvith hitm to confe&s;&s;e whether hee knevv vvhich vvay the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his Ma&s;ter did take: and the &s;ooner to induce himunto it, without any perfidious treachery unto his Ma&s;ter, <HI>Cyrus</HI> told him, that hee vvould engage his vvord to &s;et that Crovvne vvhich vvas taken from his Ma&s;ter, upon his head again, if by his meanes he could find out the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana:</HI> But all all his importunities and promi&s;es were ineffectuall. So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing he could draw no more out of him, he left him to Guard <HI>Arianita,</HI> when &s;he was in a condition to go unto
<PB N="184" REF="578">
<HI>Sardis,</HI> leaving <HI>Feraulus</HI> with him for a conductor: after which he took hor&s;e, and parting from the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> he went in que&s;t of <HI>Mandana,</HI> though with le&s;&s;e hopes then be|fore he met with <HI>Arianita:</HI> But whil&s;t this great Prince was wandering, through woods and Mountaines, and Plaines; <HI>Mandana</HI> was in a mo&s;t de&s;perate condition, e&s;pecially &s;ince <HI>A|rianita</HI> and <HI>Timonides</HI> were lo&s;t, for &s;he knew the power &s;he had over that man, and what good offices he had done her in <HI>Sardis,</HI> and had the &s;ame hopes in him when &s;he was out: She had a great de&s;ire to &s;tay in that Meadow where <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw her, untill <HI>Timonides</HI> and <HI>Arianita</HI> overtook them, and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> could not hinder her for a while, becau&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> leaped from her hor&s;e, and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> al&s;o, &s;o that he was forced to con&s;ent unto her: But &s;ince the Torrent was betwixt <HI>Arianita</HI> and <HI>Mandana,</HI> and this accident chance|ing, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his me&s;&s;enger could hear no newes of her: &s;o that he forced her to get up, and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> al&s;o, ju&s;t after <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;pied them; in the mean while, <HI>Mandana</HI> is for|ced to travell all night untill break of day: and then the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> finding a litle private hou&s;e, &s;uffered her to re&s;t &s;ome hours; after which, he con&s;trained her to take hor&s;e again, asking her a million of pardons for the pains he put her unto; and his &s;orrow for being a cau&s;e of that exce&s;&s;ive griefe which he &s;pied in her eyes when &s;he was from the Heliotrope, was as great as <HI>Mandana</HI>'s; But his love having the predominancy over his vir|tue, his rea&s;on was not &s;o clear as to be a&s;hamed of his crime, but he went on &s;till in a con|tinuall cour&s;e of committing it: Therefore pa&s;&s;ing on with <HI>Pactias,</HI> and him who rid be|fore <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and the two footmen which waited upon <HI>Mandana,</HI> he came the next day very late unto a little Port called <HI>Atarmes,</HI> where the Prince&s;&s;e had time enough to re&s;t her &s;elf all night: and where indeed &s;he did &s;o, for her wearine&s;&s;e did &s;o &s;tupifie her &s;en&s;es, that &s;he &s;lept with more tranquility, then one would have imagined her &s;orrowes would have permitted her. As for the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> he being of an indefatigable con&s;titution, and his pa&s;&s;ion being incompatible with &s;leep, in lieu of thinking upon any re&s;t, his thoughts were all of guarding <HI>Mandana,</HI> and procuring a Ship: but &s;ince it was &s;omthing difficult to find one ready to depart, and more ea&s;ie to find one in the morning, he &s;tayed till then, when indeed he found one: &s;o that <HI>Mandana</HI> was no &s;ooner awake, but he let her know by <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> that &s;he mu&s;t prepare for a departure; &s;he had a mind to make re|&s;i&s;tance; but &s;ince he had lodged her upon the very Port, and not above &s;ix paces from the &s;hip, &s;he thought her re&s;i&s;tance would be in vaine, and the rather, becau&s;e &s;he would not &s;uffer either <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> or her to &s;peak with any in the hou&s;e where &s;hee lodged, denying leave to go into the Temple: So that all <HI>Mandana</HI> could do, was to protract her depar|ture onely one hour longer, finding out &s;everall pretences for it, though &s;he knew not to what end; for in her beliefe of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his love of <HI>Araminta,</HI> &s;hee could not imagine he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> would follow her: yet &s;he made as many excu&s;es as if &s;he had expected &s;ome reliefe. As &s;he was in this condition, and as the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was in a Chamber which joyned unto hers, talking with <HI>Pactias,</HI> &s;he e&s;pied out of her window, a man of mo&s;t admirable Garbe, and rich in clothes, walking by him&s;elf: &s;he looked &s;tedfa&s;tly upon him, to the end that when he turned, &s;he might &s;ee if &s;he knew him, and whether hee could relieve her: As &s;he had this thought, hee turned towards her, and to te&s;tifie her wonder at the &s;ight, &s;he cryed out: yet pre&s;ently checking her &s;elfe, and not creditting her own eyes, be|cau&s;e he whom &s;hee &s;aw was at &s;ome di&s;tance, &s;hee called <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and &s;hewed her the cau&s;e of her admiration: Look <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto her, look whether that be the per|fidious <HI>Cyrus</HI> or no. <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> coming to the window, did perceive that <HI>Mandana</HI> had good rea&s;on for her thought, and that it was <HI>Cyrus:</HI> Well Madam, &s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> unto her, never &s;ay <HI>Cyrus</HI> is unfaithfull, that will leave the Siege of <HI>Sardis</HI> to follow you: Ah my dear <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Mandana:</HI> I know not whether it be him or no, but I am &s;ure, I am exceeding afraid, lea&s;t the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;hould either go out or come hither, lea&s;t I &s;hould be a &s;pectator of &s;ome &s;ad accident: my greate&s;t fear is, &s;aid &s;he, becau&s;e I &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> by him&s;elf: certainly replyed <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> he has company in the next hou&s;e, which he hides to prevent &s;u&s;pition: Did I not know, replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> that the Prince of <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> was Pri&s;oner in <HI>Chalcedonia,</HI> I &s;hould alter my opinion, but &s;ince I know he is, I cannot doubt but he whom &s;he thought to be this great Prince, and who indeed was the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> walked nearer her: <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> then advi&s;ed her, to &s;hew her &s;elfe, to the end, that if he were come to relieve her, he might bring out his men: <HI>Mandana</HI> without further arguing the matter, took the coun&s;ell of <HI>Maret&s;ia:</HI> So that looking out of the window ju&s;t as <HI>Spitridates</HI> was within ten paces of her, and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was ready
<PB N="185" REF="578">
to make a &s;igne unto him, this Prince who&s;e mind was taken up with many a &s;ad thought, &s;eeing Ladies out of the window, and that he were obliged to &s;alute them if he pa&s;&s;ed by, turned &s;uddenly a&s;ide the other way, &s;eeming as if he had not &s;een them, though he was the mo&s;t civill man upon earth, when hee was not overwhelmed with &s;orrowes. In the mean time, <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;eeing this, and thinking that this pretended <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;een her, and &s;eemed as if he did not &s;ee her, &s;he was even ready to &s;inke downe with &s;orow: Well <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> whether or no is <HI>Cyrus</HI> innocent now? and whether I were not ju&s;t if I &s;hewed him unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> that hee might re|venge my quarrell? However ungratefull and perfidious Prince that thou art, I cannot chu&s;e but tremble, that thy Rivall &s;hould be &s;o near thee and not knovv it: yet Madam I be&s;eech you, &s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> what can it po&s;&s;ibly be imagined, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould do at <HI>Atar|mes,</HI> if he did not follovv you? for my part I am confident that he vvaites as you do for the hour that you are to embarque, that hee may then call out his men and receive you out of the povver of the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> Wee vvill &s;ee that pre&s;ently (&s;aid &s;he vvith as much anger as ha&s;t) and indeed <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> u&s;ed her be&s;t per&s;vva&s;ions to have a little patience, and to con&s;ider upon it: but her &s;pirits vvere &s;o incen&s;ed, that &s;he vvent imme|diately and told the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;he vvas ready to depart: Yet &s;hee had no &s;ooner told him, but &s;he repented, but it vvas too late. In the mean time, the Shippe being rea|dy, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> never thought of a vvay hovv to get <HI>Mandana</HI> to take a Helio|trope, but giving them all unto one of his men to carry, he follovved the Prince&s;&s;e, vvhom <HI>Pactias</HI> did lead, becau&s;e &s;he vvould not &s;uffer her Ravi&s;her to have that honour. But vvhen &s;he vvas ready to go out of the hou&s;e, and imagined that perhaps <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> vvould fight in her pre&s;ence, &s;he could hardly find a heart to vvalke: Yet at la&s;t, thinking that if <HI>Cyrus</HI> vvere there to relea&s;e her, hee vvould bring men enough for it, and if he did not, that he was worthy of puni&s;hment, &s;he went forward: &s;he had no &s;ooner gone three paces but &s;he thought &s;he &s;aw <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who was &s;o farre from intere&s;ting him&s;elfe in the quarrell, that he &s;lightly turned a&s;ide, and &s;hunned meeting with her: this &s;econd adventure did &s;o &s;urpri&s;e her, that &s;he was not able to retaine her re&s;entments, but cryed out with as much anger as &s;orrow; Oh thou perfidious man, can&s;t thou &s;ee me carryed away before thy eyes, and not re&s;cue me? The&s;e &s;harpe words reaching the eares of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> he turned his head to &s;ee who pronounced them, and whether &s;hee addre&s;&s;ed them unto him&s;elfe, and turned ju&s;t as the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> turned: So that think|ing he had &s;een <HI>Cyrus</HI> as well as &s;he, fearing he followed with much company, and re|membring how hee owed both his life, and liberty unto that Prince, hee took <HI>Manda|na</HI>'s hand by force, and <HI>Pactias</HI> a&s;&s;i&s;ting him, put her ha&s;tily into the Shippe with <HI>Mar|te&s;ia,</HI> and the man he brought with him; and without &s;taying for the two footmen, who waited upon <HI>Mandana,</HI> hee lanced forth immediately, and left them with the hor&s;es at <HI>Atarmes:</HI> In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Spitridates</HI> conceived that <HI>Mandana</HI>'s words were ad|dre&s;&s;ed unto him, and who thought that hee had &s;eene the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his face, though at fir&s;t he took him not for the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta's</HI> brother, hee came to the water &s;ide, and called unto &s;ome Marriners in the Port to carry him into the Shippe which newly lanced out, and that they would helpe him to relieve a Lady who was car|ryed away in it, conceiving that in honour he ought not to &s;uffer this violence to be done unto her, though he knew her not: But call and cry and make what promi&s;es he would, they would not hazard them&s;elves again&s;t tho&s;e they knew not: So that &s;eeing he could not prevaile with them, he &s;et him&s;elfe to look upon tho&s;e that were in the Boat, who by that time were &s;o farre off in the River, that he could receive no &s;atisfaction, for hee knew not <HI>Mandana;</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his back towards him, and &s;poke unto the Mar|riners to make all the ha&s;t they could. But <HI>Spitridates</HI> ob&s;erving that there were two men who came unto the Shippe, and were too late to get in, who afterwards went into the hou&s;e over again&s;t the Port, he &s;ent a &s;ervant thither, who came to tell him, there came a man unto the place where he lodged, who &s;aid that <HI>Sardis</HI> was taken: But the&s;e two men fearing they &s;hould follow the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> would not tell who hee was unto the &s;ervant of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who returned to his Ma&s;ter and told him that he could get nothing out of tho&s;e two men: but a&s;&s;ured him, that tho&s;e who were &s;hipped away, were per&s;ons of good quality, as may be conjectured by their hor&s;es which they left behind them: <HI>Spitridates</HI> being fuller of curio&s;ity then before, &s;eeing he had lo&s;t the &s;ight of the Shippe, went him&s;elfe to talke with the&s;e two men: but he no &s;ooner &s;aw them,
<PB N="186" REF="579">
then he knew one of them to be a man who was heretofore in the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his &s;er|vice when he was at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> before <HI>Ar&s;amenes</HI> revolted: He no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but the Idea of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> came into his fancy, and hee made no que&s;tion but it was he, &s;o that calling him by his name, the man knew him al&s;o, and they fre&s;hly renewed their old acquaintance: So that he could not deny but that hee was imbarqued, was the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his Ma&s;ter, and that he having carryed away the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> from <HI>Sardis,</HI> came to imbarque at this Port. <HI>Spitridates,</HI> no &s;ooner heard this, but he fell into an exce&s;&s;ive griefe: for knowing that hee did &s;o very much re&s;emble <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that his owne mother took that Prince for him in <HI>Bythinia,</HI> he made no doubt but <HI>Mandana</HI> was in the &s;ame errour, and that the infidelity which &s;he upbraided him with all, thinking him to be <HI>Cyrus,</HI> was grounded upon the infidelity of <HI>Araminta.</HI> So that entring into a new de&s;pair and jealou&s;ie, hee altered his intentions of &s;taying at <HI>Atarmes,</HI> waiting of the &s;ucce&s;&s;e in the Siege of <HI>Sardis,</HI> and re&s;olved to go and carve out his own Revenge up|on that Prince whom he thought to be his Rivall, and to go and chide the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Pontus</HI> for her infidelity: Is it &s;o, (&s;aid hee unto him&s;elfe) that <HI>Araminta</HI> hath for&s;aken me, and followes the favourite of Fortune? However, unju&s;t Prince&s;&s;e, I have done all that was po&s;&s;ible to te&s;tifie my love of you: I have voluntarily, for&s;aken Crowns for your &s;ake: I have renounced all my ambition, I have &s;tifled all thoughts of revenge upon an u&s;urping Prince, onely becau&s;e he had a meer relation unto you: I have di&s;obeyed the commands of the King my Father; I have &s;uffered the rigour of a long im|pri&s;onment, I have wandered like an unknown vagrant throughout the world, only to ob&s;erve yout will: there is nothing which I have left undone, that was within the com|pa&s;&s;e of po&s;&s;ibility, to plea&s;e you: yet the Conqueror of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> hath got a greater &s;hare in your heart then I have; his glory charmes you, and dazles your eyes: and que&s;tionle&s;&s;e you may imploy all your Arts to make him as perfidious as your &s;elfe. But what likelyhood is there, (added this incen&s;ed Prince) that <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who hath expre&s;&s;ed &s;uch high te&s;timo|nies of a con&s;tant pa&s;&s;ion unto <HI>Mandana;</HI> who hath gained &s;o many battles; taken &s;o many Towns, and put all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> in armes for her deliverance, &s;hould after all this become in|con&s;tant, if you had not cunningly imployed all your charmes, to &s;upplant a Prince&s;&s;e, whom he had &s;o long loved? Doubtle&s;&s;e you think, unju&s;t Prince&s;&s;e, that I am &s;till in Pri&s;on, and that nothing can interrupt your joyes: perhaps you hold intelligence with the King your brother, which hath ravi&s;hed away <HI>Mandana,</HI> lea&s;t that Prince &s;hould &s;hake off your fetters, and a&s;&s;ume hers: Doubtle&s;&s;e, you hope that <HI>Cyrus</HI> will reconquer the King|dome of <HI>Pontus</HI> for your brother: and that if you give me my liberty, it is more then you ought to do. But thanks be unto the Heavens, I am not your debtor for it, but &s;hall per|haps be in &s;uch a condition as &s;hall revenge <HI>Mandana</HI> for the infidelity of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and to puni&s;h you in his per&s;on for infidelity to me: As <HI>Spitridates</HI> was entertaining him&s;elf with the&s;e thoughts, the taking of <HI>Sardis</HI> was confirmed by diver&s;e reports: So that having nothing to do any longer at <HI>Atarmes,</HI> he took hor&s;e, and re&s;olved rather to ruine him&s;elfe then not him who took the heart of <HI>Araminta</HI> from him: However (&s;aid he un|to him&s;elfe) <HI>Araminta</HI> can di&s;&s;emble her incon&s;tancy no longer, for &s;ince <HI>Sardis</HI> is taken, and <HI>Mandana</HI> carryed away: if I find <HI>Cyrus</HI> courting her without any care of <HI>Mandana</HI> or thoughts of following her; there is no colour or excu&s;e for them: I know very well, that to fall upon the great Conqueror of <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> will be a mo&s;t dangerous atermpt, but &s;ince I hope for death not victory, what need I fear? After this, <HI>Spitridates</HI> plunged him&s;elfe &s;o deep in his own thoughts, that he him&s;elfe knew not what hee thought: and thus he went on till towards the evening; and then de&s;iring to &s;et out a lodging in a village which hee &s;aw on his right hand, he &s;pied a party of twenty hor&s;e, who coming out of a little wood, cro&s;&s;ed his way, and one of them came to him: <HI>Spitridates</HI> then, rou&s;ing him&s;elfe then out of his contemplation, went to meet him, but he was exceedingly a&s;toni&s;hed, when hee &s;aw him to be <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;ince it was impo&s;&s;ible any other in the world &s;hould &s;o much re|&s;emble him&s;elfe: <HI>Cyrus</HI> (for it was he) was as much amazed on the other &s;ide, making no que&s;tion but it was <HI>Spitridates,</HI> thinking no man upon earth el&s;e could &s;o much re&s;emble him&s;elfe: The a&s;toni&s;hment of both the&s;e Princes was &s;o great, that they &s;topped their hor|&s;es &s;ome three or four paces off each other: during which time, the whole Troope came up, and all of them were as much &s;urpri&s;ed to &s;ee <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as <HI>Spitridates</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> were to &s;ee each other: <HI>Spitridates,</HI> had a mixture of joy among&s;t his wonder, to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> in a place where in all probability he was in que&s;t of <HI>Mandana:</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> amid&s;t his mi&s;ery
<PB N="187" REF="579">
was glad he was in condition to cure &s;o great a Prince of &s;o unju&s;t a jealou&s;ie as hee knew had infected his &s;oul: Al&s;o he was the forwarder to &s;peak not onely to ea&s;e <HI>Spitridates</HI> of his tormenting pa&s;&s;ion, but al&s;o to aske whether he knew any thing concerning <HI>Mandana.</HI> Yet &s;ince he would not wholly tru&s;t unto this prodigious re&s;emblance; Generous &s;tranger, (&s;aid he unto him, after a long pau&s;e of looking upon him) if you be the &s;ame which my eyes make me believe you are, I have very joyfull news to tell you: and I wi&s;h unto the gods, that in recompence of it, you could tell me as good concerning <HI>Mandana</HI> whom I am in que&s;t of, and whom perhaps you met. <HI>Spitridates</HI> hearing <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;peak in this manner, his &s;oul was fuller of joy, then he was able to expre&s;&s;e: for now he knew not whether hee &s;hould look upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> as his Rivall, or as the protector of <HI>Araminta;</HI> but at la&s;t, cal|ming the tumultuous turbulency of thoughts, and de&s;iring clearer &s;atisfaction of all his doubts: Sir, (&s;aid he unto <HI>Cyrus)</HI> you need not doubt, but that I am the unfortunate <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who, for &s;ome rea&s;ons which now I &s;hall forbear to tell you, is come into <HI>Ly|dia,</HI> to find out the end either of my daies or of my mi&s;eries: But in coming thither, as &s;taying at the Port of <HI>Atarmes</HI> which is a daies journey from hence; it was my fortune to &s;ee a thing which I cannot chu&s;e but wi&s;h earne&s;tly, that it may trouble you; to the end you may make me as full of joy as you have done of hope: for truly Sir, it was my for|tune to &s;ee the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> carry away the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> but I was not able to help it, or know it, till after they were embarqued. How (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> with &s;o much &s;ad|ne&s;&s;e as plea&s;ed <HI>Spitridates)</HI> did you &s;ee <HI>Mardana</HI> embarque? and cannot I follow? how|ever, for heavens &s;ake, tell me which way the unju&s;t Ravi&s;her carryed her from me. <HI>Spitri|dates</HI> then &s;eeing all the &s;ymptomes of a reall &s;orrow in the face of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> was &s;o well plea|&s;ed with it, that cea&s;ing to hate him, and beginning to hope that <HI>Araminta</HI> was con&s;tant, he told him all he knew concerning <HI>Mandana,</HI> &amp; with all aggravations po&s;&s;ible, for he could not chu&s;e but rejoice at the de&s;pair of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> becau&s;e the more he &s;aw him troubled, the more he beleeved <HI>Araminta</HI> was faithful: &amp; the exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow of <HI>Cyrus</HI> did &s;o perfectly undeceive him, that he began to intere&s;t him&s;elf in the &s;ame &s;orrow which procured his joy. As they were thus talking, the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> came unto that place with his troop, where <HI>Cyrus</HI> ac|quainted him with all he under&s;tood from <HI>Spitridates,</HI> the &s;ight of whom did much &s;urpri&s;e him: <HI>Cyrus</HI> then obliged them to &s;alute each other, after which advi&s;ing upon the be&s;t cour&s;e, they were extreamly perplexed; for <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not goe unto <HI>Artames,</HI> becau&s;e it was not yet brought into &s;ubjection, and where a guard was kept without a hazard of be|ing arre&s;ted, and di&s;abled from &s;erving <HI>Mandana;</HI> nor did he know which way to &s;eek her, &s;ince he knew which way &s;he was carried. The re&s;ult of their con&s;ultation was, to &s;end unto all the Sea-ports, to &s;ee if they could hear any thing of her: <HI>Cyrus</HI> then went unto the next hou&s;e to write, where in one hour he &s;ent di&s;patches unto <HI>Ephe&s;us, Milete, Gnides, Cuma,</HI> and all other Ports on that coa&s;t with orders to make &s;trict enquirie, and to entreat <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> and <HI>Euphranor,</HI> father of <HI>Alcidonia,</HI> to &s;end out &s;hips to &s;ea, and to give intelligence unto <HI>Sardis</HI> of all their adventures: for &s;ince this Town was almo&s;t at an equall di&s;tance from all the&s;e places, his be&s;t cour&s;e was to goe thither, that he might &s;o order his Troops as they might in an hours warning be readie to march where he &s;hould hear the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was: After which, and before he took hor&s;e, he took <HI>Spitridates</HI> a&s;ide, and told him with as much genero&s;ity as &s;incerity of his unju&s;t jealou&s;ie, &s;o that this Prince being a&s;hamed of his weakne&s;&s;e, and unju&s;t hatred of him, did now give him &s;uch plau&s;ible language, as &s;poke him not unworthy of his friend&s;hip: <HI>Cyrus</HI> to &s;ettle his mind in tranquillity, offered him never to &s;ee the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta</HI> again, though he had a mo&s;t high e&s;teem of her: But &s;ince the extraordinary &s;orrows of <HI>Cyrus</HI> had entirely cured <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> of his jealou&s;ie, he an&s;wered with as much genero&s;ity as &s;pirit; and the&s;e two great Princes began to contract as great a league of friend&s;hip, as there was a re&s;emblance in their faces. After this, they took hor&s;e and went towards <HI>Sardis,</HI> unto which he could not come untill the next day at noon, becau&s;e they were forced to re&s;t them&s;elves four or five houres at a little town in the way. In their return they met with the Prince <HI>Artamas: Cyrus</HI> al&s;o met with tho&s;e whom he &s;ent into the Woods, &s;o that all the&s;e Princes being met againe, they came to the gates of <HI>Sardis,</HI> where they were received with loud acclamations of joy: But at his entrance he met with <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> who came ha&s;tily to him; Sir, &s;aid he unto him, in a low voice, you come in a happy hour to calm a great di&s;order which is in the Town; for be plea&s;ed to know, ever &s;ince your departure, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> having made a &s;trict &s;earch in all the hou&s;es of the Town to no purpo&s;e, he is faln into &s;uch a fury, e&s;pecially
<PB N="188" REF="580">
&s;ince he mi&s;&s;ed you, that he is almo&s;t out of his wits: But the wor&s;t of all is, that by a hundred &s;light conjectures, he thinks <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> knows where <HI>Mandana</HI> is; &s;o that this violent Prince having tried all wayes of mildne&s;&s;e to make this King confe&s;&s;e that which perhaps he knows not, hath added menaces, and is re&s;olved to &s;eem as if he would put him to death, and make him di&s;cover out of fear that which he de&s;ires to know. Oh heavens, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> is it po&s;&s;ible &s;o great a Prince &s;hould be culpable of &s;o great a crime? Yes, Sir, replyed <HI>Hi|daspes,</HI> and the people are &s;o incen&s;ed, that to prevent any Sedition, I am come unto this gate to &s;ee whether the guards be &s;trong, and all the Officers there; for ju&s;t now I beleeve <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> is upon the Scaffold, the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis</HI> all in tears; the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> lament|ing, and all the inhabitants of <HI>Sardis</HI> in a generall revolt. <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner heard this, but riding immediately unto the great Plain which is between the palace of <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> and the Cittadel, where <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> told him this &s;ad &s;pectacle might be &s;een, he came with &s;uch ha&s;t, as made it apparent that he blamed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> violence; when he fir&s;t came upon the plain, he &s;aw all the plain full of &s;ouldiers in their armes, and people crying; in the mid&s;t of which was a Scaffold erected, and a &s;take unto which <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> was tyed, and fag|gots round about him ready to be kindled, many A&s;&s;yrian &s;ouldiers holding lighted Tor|ches in their hands ready to &s;et them on fire if he would not tell where <HI>Mandana</HI> was. <HI>Cy|rus</HI> beholding &s;o &s;ad an object, was &s;truck with &s;o much horror to &s;ee a man of that quali|ty in &s;uch a pittifull condition, he made his way through the crowd, and came unto the Scaffold ju&s;t as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> the more to terrifie <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> had put fire unto a faggot, which began to kindle, and ju&s;t as that unfortunate King remembring the &s;aying of <HI>Solon, That none was happy before his death,</HI> began to cry out, <HI>Oh</HI> Solon, Solon, <HI>how true is thy speech? Cyrus</HI> then coming to the Scaffold which the fire began to burn, and hearing the&s;e words, commanded the fire to be quenched, that <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> &s;hould be untyed, and carryed back unto his Palace, turning towards the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who was pre&s;ent, to check him for his violence, and told him he was certain that <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> did not know where <HI>Mandana</HI> was. As &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> had given this command, the people and &s;ouldiers did make the air eccho with their acclamations, every one being forward to quench the fire, &s;ome to pull away fag|gots, others to fetch water; but there was no need of it; for as if the heavens had been o|been obedient unto the command of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> it rained upon a &s;udden &s;o abundantly, that the fire was immediately extingui&s;hed. After which <HI>Croe&s;us</HI> comming down from the Scaffold, <HI>Cyrus</HI> made a thou&s;and excu&s;es for the injury done him, and went with him as far as his Palace, to give him all the con&s;olation he could. As for <HI>Cyrus</HI> he went to lodge in the Cit|tadell, and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> followed him, whom he did extreamly chide for his vio|lent proceedings, and then he related unto him all he knew concerning <HI>Mandana, Mazares, Artamas,</HI> and <HI>Spitridates</HI> followed him; &s;o did <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris, Tigranes,</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> who having an extream de&s;ire to know the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of his voyage, did accompany him unto the chamber which vvas prepared for him, that they might knovv vvhether they &s;hould rejoice or grieve vvith him; al&s;o to know vvho <HI>Spitridates</HI> vvas, vvho&s;e extream re&s;emblance vvith <HI>Cyrus,</HI> begat a great curio&s;ity in all that &s;avv him.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>The end of the Sixth Part.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="580" MS="y">
<P>THE Fourth Volume OF ARTAMENES, OR The Grand CYRUS, THAT EXCELLENT <HI>NEW</HI> ROMANCE: <HI>Being the Seventh and Eighth PARTS.</HI></P>
<P>Written by that Famous Wit of FRANCE, <HI>MONSIE&V;R SC&V;DERY,</HI> de Governor of NOSTRE-DAME.</P>
<P><HI>And now</HI> ENGLISHED <HI>by</HI> F. G. <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR></P>
<P>LONDON, Printed for HUMPHREY MOSELEY at the Prince's Arms in St. <HI>Paul's</HI> Church-yard; and THOMAS DRING at the George in Fleet-&s;treet. M. DC. LV.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="581">
<PB REF="581">
<HEAD>TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE AND MOST PERFECTLY NOBLE <HI>THE LADY</HI> ANNE LUCAS.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_YOur <HI>CYRUS</HI> hath lengthened this <HI>Fourth Addre&s;s</HI> beyond expe|ctation: but 'twas becau&s;e he had more to &s;ay; for He hope's to an&s;wer (as <HI>Tully</HI> did when they ask'd his opinion of <HI>Demo&s;thenes'</HI> Orati|ons) that the <HI>longe&s;t is the be&s;t.</HI> Were it better, 'twere fitter for your <HI>Honour's</HI> acceptance: and Nobler it had been if a great <HI>Per&s;onage</HI> of our own Nation (who never &s;tood forth to the World in Print) had fill'd his De&s;ign in tran&s;lating this <HI>Author;</HI> wherein there was good Progre&s;s made, till the whole <HI>Tran&s;lation</HI> was found to be fini&s;h'd by another hand. The <HI>Author</HI> (I hear) fir&s;t built this Story in contemplation of an eminent Lady of <HI>France,</HI> who&s;e rich <HI>Idaea</HI> &s;o heighten'd his Soul as made him write no|thing that's mean or vulgar. Had his knowledge been ble&s;&s;'d with your <HI>Lady&s;hip's</HI> Character, he had lift up his thoughts (if po&s;&s;ible) higher. For, when he con&s;ider'd the Strength and Largene&s;s of Your <HI>Under&s;tanding;</HI> the number, height, and perfection of Your <HI>Vertues;</HI> the admirable compo&s;ure of Your <HI>Outward</HI> and <HI>Inward</HI> Form, (to &s;ay nothing of the honour of your high <HI>Extraction)</HI> and all the&s;e a&s;&s;i&s;ted by your own mo&s;t Learned and Noble <HI>LORD,</HI> with that happy Tran&s;cript of both Your Per&s;ons in that excellent young <HI>Lady</HI> (the image and delight of all your Perfections:) When the&s;e great Materials had &s;tood before our <HI>Authors</HI> Phan&s;ie, he had drawn his <HI>MANDANA</HI> and the Great <HI>CYRUS</HI> greater than them|&s;elves. But it is not for men of humble condition (that is, for me) to di&s;cour&s;e of things &s;o Illu&s;trious as Your <HI>Ladi&s;hip,</HI> for who&s;e increa&s;e in all Felicity may God accept the Prayers, and your <HI>Ladi&s;hip</HI> the Endeavours of</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>(MADAM)</SALUTE> <SIGNED>Your Honours mo&s;t humble and mo&s;t obedient Servant
H&V;MPHREY MOSELEY.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="stationer to the reader">
<PB REF="582">
<HEAD><HI>THE</HI> STATIONER TO THE READER.</HEAD>
<P>_I Mu&s;t ask your pardon if you pay more for this Volume than any of its fellows; which ea&s;ily you'l grant, when you &s;ee this contains a great many more &s;heets than any of the re&s;t. The <HI>Author</HI> would have it &s;o, and by that time you have read it, you'l finde He had rea&s;on. There's but one Volume more behind, which this <HI>Tearme</HI> will infallibly bring you; and then you'l confe&s;s (for many knowing per|&s;ons have done it already) that our Language cannot boa&s;t of any <HI>Romance</HI> &s;o large, &s;o material, &s;o u&s;eful as the <HI>GRAND CYR&V;S.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>H. M.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 N="7" TYPE="part">
<PB N="1" REF="582">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR The Grand CYRUS. The Seventh Part.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="book">
<HEAD>BOOK. I.</HEAD>
<P>_IT was not <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris, Tygranes,</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris</HI> alone, who were full of cu|rio&s;ity to under&s;tand who <HI>Spitridates</HI> was, and who were de&s;irous to know the &s;ucce&s;s of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his voyage, for that illu&s;trious Conqueror was in a moment inviron'd with a croud of Princes, Captains, and men of Quality, who did mo&s;t feelingly intere&s;t them&s;elves in all that concerned him, in&s;omuch, as for a while he was forced to &s;mother his &s;orrows, purpo&s;ely to a&s;&s;ure them, that theirs for him did oblige him, and that he would not be ungrateful unto them for it. But whil'&s;t he was expre&s;&s;ing his acknowledgment unto the&s;e illu&s;trious per&s;ons, <HI>Tegeus</HI> came to pre&s;ent him mo&s;t hearty thanks from the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> for quenching tho&s;e flames which were ready to devour the King her Father. The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> &s;ent al&s;o to the &s;ame end, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;o many complements both to pay and receive, that he had but a very little time of li|berty to enjoy his own thoughts; hand&s;omne&s;s al&s;o required that he &s;hould dine in pub|lique. In the mean time, the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> went to vi&s;it the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and to a&s;&s;ure her, that he would imploy the very uttermo&s;t of his credit with <HI>Cyrus</HI> to move him unto a well treating of the King her Father: He &s;aw al&s;o the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> and was extreamly joyed to find him able to return an an&s;wer: As for <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> he dur&s;t not at|tempt to vi&s;it him, but re&s;olved to &s;tay, and &s;ee whether <HI>Cyrus</HI> would pre&s;ent him: In the <HI>interim,</HI> the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> and <HI>Hircania</HI> hearing of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his return, came to the Camp at <HI>Sardis,</HI> to acquaint him with two things which could not be plea&s;ing unto him: The fir&s;t, That all the parties which they had &s;ent out in que&s;t of <HI>Mandana,</HI> could meet with no intelligence of her: And the &s;econd, That the taking of <HI>Sardis</HI> had more weak|ned his Army, then either the la&s;t battel, or the &s;iege of that Town had done; for &s;ince Plunder was not re&s;trained, tho&s;e who had inriched them&s;elves had disbanded them&s;elves
<PB N="2" REF="583">
during his ab&s;ence, &s;ome carrying away what they had got, and others &s;elling off their &s;hares, that they might more ea&s;ily &s;link away. This news did exceedingly grieve <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but to prevent any further di&s;order, and to keep tho&s;e which remained within the com|pa&s;s of their duty, he cau&s;ed more to be given unto them then he had promi&s;ed at the be|ginning of the Siege, and &s;everely puni&s;hed &s;ome of them which fled, and were taken again: But his Atmy was yet &s;o numerous, that if his Love of <HI>Mandana</HI> had not been in a mo&s;t &s;uperlative degree, he would not have apprehended it too weak to a&s;&s;ault and take all the places which the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> could chu&s;e for a Sanctuary. But &s;ince it is the nature of that pa&s;&s;ion to think no ob&s;tacle &s;mall, though really they be &s;o; <HI>Cyrus</HI> appre|hended this accident, as if it were much more con&s;iderable then indeed it was, yet was he very circum&s;pect to perceive, that <HI>Phraartes</HI> appeared not among&s;t all tho&s;e who came to vi&s;it him upon his return, and his thought al&s;o was to give <HI>S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">itridates</HI> &s;peedy &s;atisfacti|on in &s;eeing the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> Then he began to inquire where <HI>Phraartes</HI> was, but none could give any direct accompt of him where he was; all that any knew was, as &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> departed, <HI>Phraartes</HI> vani&s;hed al&s;o.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing his affection to the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pontus,</HI> made no doubt but that he was gone to vi&s;it her, and knowing him to be of a ha&s;ty and violent temper, his fear was, le&s;t &s;ome di&s;a&s;terous chance &s;hould fall out, if <HI>Spitridates</HI> went by him&s;elf to &s;ee that Prin|ce&s;s; therefore he prevailed &s;o far with <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as notwith&s;tanding his impatience to &s;tay until the next day, before he went unto the place where his longing de&s;ires called him, <HI>Cyrus</HI> mo&s;t obligingly telling him, that &s;ince he was cured of his jealou&s;ie, he would wait upon him to the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> but could not po&s;&s;ibly that day, by rea&s;on of divers orders of grand importance, which he was to give out: Since the term was but &s;hort, <HI>Spitridates</HI> con&s;ented unto the de&s;ires of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who in the mean time &s;ent unto the Ca&s;tle where he left <HI>Araminta,</HI> to &s;ee whether <HI>Phraartes</HI> was there, and to com|mand his return unto <HI>Sardis:</HI> After which, this Prince, after he had given all requi&s;ite orders for the tranquility of the Town, for the incampment of his Army, and for the Guard of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> he went to vi&s;it the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Timaretta,</HI> to crave their pardon for his abrupt departure, and leaving them when he went out of the Cittadel without any tenders of civility, be&s;eeching them to con&s;ider his excu&s;e, that &s;ince he was bu&s;ied about the liberty of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> it had been a grand crime in him if he had &s;tayed a little longer with them, after he under&s;tood the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had carried her away. The&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es being both of them &s;en&s;ible of their oblige|ments unto <HI>Cyrus, Palmis</HI> in re&s;pect of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Artamas, Timaretta</HI> al&s;o in re&s;pect of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and her &s;elf, they returned unto him as many thanks, as he made excu&s;es un|to them: They were obliged al&s;o unto it by the fre&s;h favours which he did them, for he told the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> that he would carry the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and that way put him in remembrance of his obligations unto <HI>Cleander;</HI> afterwards he told the Prince&s;s <HI>Timaretta,</HI> that as &s;oon as he had taken convenient order for the hand&s;omne&s;s of her voyage, and for the magnificency of her Train and Equipage, &s;he &s;hould when &s;he plea&s;ed return into <HI>Aegypt,</HI> under the conduct of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> upon condition notwith|&s;tanding that &s;he would honour him with her promi&s;e, to make that renowned Prince as happy as he de&s;erved to be.</P>
<P>The&s;e two great Prince&s;&s;es having an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus</HI> as civilly as genero&s;ity obliged them, he left them to vi&s;it <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> to the end he might ask his pardon for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s violencies, to condole with him his mi&s;ery, and to pre&s;ent the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> unto him, knowing well that the King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> would con&s;ent unto this reconciliation: But in going thither, <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> who had the guard of the&s;e Princes, and of all the Ca&s;tle, cau|&s;ed them to pa&s;s through the &s;tately Chamber wherein all the Trea&s;ures of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> did lie. The &s;ight of &s;uch a ma&s;s of riches, and &s;o many gli&s;tering things, had not brought him out of that profound &s;tudy into which the taking away of <HI>Mandana</HI> had put him, if <HI>Ti|granes, Anaxaris,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> who followed him as well as the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> had not expre&s;&s;ed their wonder and a&s;toni&s;hment, by the cries which they could not re&s;train, notwith&s;tanding tho&s;e re&s;pects which they were alwayes wont to ob&s;erve unto that He|roique Conquerour: Yet notwith&s;tanding their admiring noy&s;e had not invited <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto any con&s;ideration of &s;o many glorious &s;ights, if <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> who was loath to pa&s;s &s;o &s;oon out of &s;o fair a place, had not by his words awakened him: Look Sir, at lea&s;t, I be&s;eech you (&s;aid he, and &s;miled) upon that you have conquered; and be confident, that &s;ince Fortune has &s;o far &s;miled upon you, as to make you Ma&s;ter of all the&s;e Trea|&s;ures,
<PB N="3" REF="583">
it is impo&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould frovvn &s;o much as to let you lo&s;e the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> Therefore Sir, you may very vvell look upon them as mo&s;t certain pledges of your future good fortune: I &s;hall look upon him (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> vvhen <HI>Ciaxares</HI> gives me leave to recompence the valour of &s;o many brave men, vvho hath aided me as you have done to conquer them, or vvhen he has permitted me to re&s;tore them unto the unfortunate <HI>Croe&s;|&s;us</HI> in the con&s;ideration of the Prince <HI>Artamas:</HI> But &s;ince that is not yet, it is &s;ufficient I appoint <HI>Hidaspes</HI> to have a care of them; and indeed <HI>Cyrus</HI> had not &s;tayed a minute long|er in con&s;ideration of all that magnificence, if he had not ob&s;erved that <HI>Tigranes</HI> had an earne&s;t de&s;ire to &s;tay longer: So that being unvvilling to oppo&s;e his curio&s;ity, he vvalk|ed &s;oftly through three great Chambers, and tvvo Galleries, vvhich pa&s;&s;ed from one in|to another, and vvhich vvere all filled vvith mo&s;t rare and precious things: All placed in &s;uch an order, and by &s;o much Art, that one might every vvhere ob&s;erve a regular confu&s;ion, and plea&s;ant di&s;order, vvhich the lu&s;tre of the magnificent Cabinets did make; all vvhich did fill the imagination of beholders vvith abundance of plea&s;ing conceipts, and forced their minds and &s;pirits into admiration; and certainly not without good cau&s;e, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> as di&s;intere&s;ted as he was, and though full of &s;orrow and pa&s;&s;ion, yet in the end honored with his ob&s;ervance, this prodigious heap of riches which <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> had &s;o dearly doted upon, and which <HI>Solon</HI> &s;o little e&s;teemed, that they purcha&s;ed his aver&s;ion: Ne|ver was &s;een together &s;o much &s;ilver, &s;o much gold, &s;o many precious &s;tones, nor &s;o ma|ny rarities, as there were in tho&s;e three Chambers and two Galleries: The Grandure of the Di&s;hes and Ve&s;&s;els were prodigies&punc; the Statues of the &s;ame mettle were innumerable, and in beauty incomparable; but among&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> all the&s;e &s;everal figures of gold, there was one of Marble &s;o admirable, that it invited <HI>Cyrus</HI> to &s;tay, and a long time to admire it above the re&s;t, though the material of it was not &s;o precious as many others; it was fa&s;hioned with &s;o much art, and repre&s;ented &s;o fair a per&s;on, as it is no wonder, if it charmed the eyes of a Prince, who&s;e judgment was mo&s;t delicate, and who was exqui&s;itely able to judg of all beauties. This Statue was of a natural and ordinary grandure, &s;tanding upon a Pede&s;tal of gold, between Pillars on four &s;ides, of an admirable beauty, to each of them were Captives chained of all &s;orts and conditions, but they were inchained by little <HI>Cupids,</HI> &s;o rare and admirably wrought, as eye never &s;aw better. The figure repre&s;ented a Woman of about eighteen years of age, of a mo&s;t &s;uperlative, &s;urprizing, and exact beauty; all the features of her face were wonderfully fair, her &s;tature &s;o noble and hand|&s;ome, that nothing could be more alluring, her dre&s;s was &s;o Courtly and extraordinary, that it was equally after the mode of <HI>T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rian</HI> Ladies, after the fa&s;hion of the Nymphes, and after that fa&s;hion in which the Godde&s;&s;es are dre&s;&s;ed, but particularly the Godde&s;s of Victory, as the <HI>Athenians</HI> deck her, that is without wings, and only with a Coronet of Lawrel upon her head: This Statue was placed upon its Ba&s;is, with &s;uch a &s;prightly a|ction, as it &s;eemed to be animated: The face, the neck, the arms, the hands were of white Marble; as well as the thighes and feet; whereof one part only was to be &s;een through the lacing of her buskins, becau&s;e &s;he did with her left hand a little hold up her Mantle, that &s;he might, as if it were, the more ea&s;ily walk, holding in her right hand the skirt of her Vaile, which de&s;cended from the hinder part of her head, under the Co|ronet of Laurel, as if &s;he would prevent the Wind from whifling it too much. All the garni&s;hings of this figure were cut in Marble and Ja&s;per of various colours: The garment of this fair <HI>Phenecian,</HI> which was lapped in a thou&s;and plea&s;ing folds was of Ja&s;per, who&s;e colour was &s;o lively, that it re&s;embled the <HI>Tirian</HI> purple. A Scarf which was negligently thrown about her neck, and reached to her &s;houlders; was of a kind of Marble, ming|led blew and white, which infinitely plea&s;ed the eye: The Vail of this figure was of the &s;ame piece, but carved with &s;o much art, that it &s;eemed to be as &s;oft and pliant as a piece of Tiffiny: The Coronet of Laurel was of green Ja&s;per, and the Buskins were of ena|mel'd Marble; but the rare&s;t piece of admirable art was, there was a kind of Ayr and Spirit in this figure, which did inaminate it, and which per&s;waded all beholders that it was ready to walk and &s;peak: One might perceive a &s;prightly Phi&s;iognomy, and a certain kind of fiercene&s;s in her action, as let all beholders know, that &s;he whom it repre&s;ented had a fierce &s;oul, this figure looking with &s;corn upon the Captives which were inchained at her feet. Moreover, the Carver had &s;o exactly imitated the fre&s;hne&s;s and plumpne&s;s of young fair ones, that one might know the age of her whom he repre&s;ented by that Statue. This figure being thus admirable, it was not without rea&s;on that the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;o curious as to ask the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> whether it was not the work of <HI>Dipoe|nus,</HI>
<PB N="4" REF="584">
or of <HI>S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ill&punc;s,</HI> who were the two mo&s;t curious Gravers that were then in the world, imagining notwith&s;tanding, that this Statue was more then the bare effects of a fine phan|cy: But the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> after he had told him, that it was indeed the work of one of tho&s;e Gravers whereof he &s;poke, who were of the I&s;le of <HI>Crete;</HI> he told him fur|ther, that it was made in repre&s;entation of a Lady of Quality in <HI>Tyre,</HI> with whom the late King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> was in Love, and who was reported to be one of the faire&s;t per&s;ons of the World, much fairer then her Statue: This being &s;o (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> Why did not that amorous King keep this figure? Becau&s;e as I have heard &s;ay (replied <HI>Artamas)</HI> this Statue was not fini&s;hed when that King died; and as doubtle&s;s you know Sir, &s;ince you have been in <HI>Greece, Dipoenus</HI> and <HI>Scillis</HI> did leave four images imperfect, which they be|gan in <HI>Peloponne&s;is,</HI> to wit, of <HI>Apollo,</HI> of <HI>Diana,</HI> of <HI>Hercules,</HI> and of <HI>Minerva,</HI> be|cau&s;e there was not ready payment made of what was promi&s;ed unto them, &s;o you may ea&s;ily conceive, that the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> being dead, and the Prince his Son who &s;uc|ceeded him, having bu&s;ine&s;s of more importance upon him, then to give them what the King his Father had promi&s;ed; <HI>Dipoenus</HI> and <HI>Scillis</HI> were no more patient with him, then they were in <HI>Greece;</HI> for after one demand of their wages, perceiving there was &s;ome re|&s;pite of time required for the payment, they imbarqued in the night, and carried their work with them: And <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> then having a repute to collect all rarities in all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> they addre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves to him, and &s;old this Statue unto him: 'Tis true, the report is, that a little after the War, the young King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> &s;ent to demand it of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> of|fering the double of what it co&s;t, but he would not part with it: This adventure, repli|ed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> is doubtle&s;s worthy the beauty of this Statue which cau&s;ed it. After this, he looked upon the miraculous quantity of Arms belonging to all Nations in the world, Arms of pure gold &s;et with precious &s;tones: He al&s;o admired the Thrones of mo&s;&s;y gold; the figures of all the Gods which were adored throughout all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> who&s;e price of the bare materials only were worth more then is imagineable: He &s;aw al&s;o in that place, Ta|bles, Mirrous, and Cabinets of an ine&s;timable price: All the Tables which were &s;et round tho&s;e Chambers and Galleries, were filled with a million of mo&s;t rare and rich things, Pearls, Rubies, Emeralds, Diamonds, and &s;uch things, made &s;uch a glorious and preci|ous mi&s;celany, that no diapared Meadow in its glory of the Spring could make a more plea&s;ant object, then the variety of precious things did which lay upon tho&s;e Tables: In the mid&s;t of the&s;e magnificent varieties, the ingenuous fables which <HI>Ae&s;ope</HI> compo&s;ed at <HI>Sardis</HI> were &s;hevved unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> in vvhich he had vvrit, and vvith &s;uch art couched all the hi&s;tory of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> his Court, and vvhich this Prince &s;o e&s;teemed, that vvhen <HI>Ae&s;ope</HI> departed out of <HI>Lidia,</HI> he vvould needs have him give them unto him: And to te&s;tifie hovv much he e&s;teemed them, he cau&s;ed them to be richly bound vvith tho&s;e vvhich he had before compo&s;ed, which taught mo&s;t excellent Morals unto tho&s;e who under&s;tood well the language of Bea&s;ts, whom he made to &s;peak: Indeed the book was covered with enamelled gold, and &s;o &s;et with Diamonds, as turn it which way one plea&s;ed, the name of <HI>Ae&s;ope</HI> appeared; the Cla&s;ps were as rich, and &s;uitable to the re&s;t; and <HI>Croe&s;|&s;us</HI> did not more honour unto <HI>Homer,</HI> or any of the books of the <HI>Sibbels,</HI> &s;o famous throughout all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> then he did unto <HI>Ae&s;ope,</HI> &s;ince he thought his works worthy to be among&s;t his Trea&s;ures, which he prized at a higher rate then all things in the world be|&s;ides. After a &s;erious contemplation of this world of riches, and with a&s;toni&s;hment be|held the va&s;t number of huge giblets of gold and &s;ilver: After, I &s;ay, he had reflected upon the misfortune of the Prince who lo&s;t them, and &s;o pa&s;&s;ionately loved them, <HI>Cy|rus</HI> went out of this place of riches, unto the Chamber of mi&s;erable <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> with whom was the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles:</HI> This old King, and this young Prince, received <HI>Cyrus</HI> with all civility due unto a Conquerour, yet without any ba&s;e dejection of Spirit: As there ap|peared a &s;orrow in their eyes, &s;o al&s;o there appeared a con&s;tancy in their &s;ouls; and <HI>Cy|rus</HI> &s;eeing with what re&s;olutene&s;s they indured &s;o great a mi&s;ery, &s;aid aloud, That they de&s;erved to wear all their lives that Scepter which they had lo&s;t, and that it &s;hould not be his fault, if <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not re&s;tore it unto them: And indeed, this generous Prince did &s;o behave him&s;elf towards <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and his Son, in &s;uch an obliging manner, that it may be &s;aid he made a mo&s;t ab&s;olute conque&s;t of them, and gained their hearts by his civility, as well as conquer their Kingdomes by his valour. As &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> entred into the Chamber where they were, they advanced towards him: but this minded Prince, making ha&s;t to meet them, received them with as much civility, as if it were in times of peace, or as if their pre&s;ent fortune were equal: I could never have believed (&s;aid <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> to
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his illu&s;trious Conquerour) that I &s;hould ever have thought my &s;elf able to give thanks unto a Prince who conquered my Crown: Yet Sir, &s;ince I owe my life unto you, and &s;ince the &s;ame hand which pul'd me from my Throne, pul'd me al&s;o from the Scaffold which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s violence cau&s;ed me to a&s;cend, I think it rather my duty to commend you, then to complain of my misfortune: But Sir, &s;ince the life which you have pre&s;erved, can neither be glorious nor plea&s;ing unto me, let it &s;uffice I only com|mend you without giving you thanks, and that I acknowledg you to be worthy of that glory which you po&s;&s;e&s;s: I do not de&s;ire you &s;hould thank me, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> Nor do I fully con&s;ent you &s;hould commend me; but I cannot indure that you &s;hould hold &s;o bad an opinion of the <HI>Medean</HI> Kings, as to di&s;pair of your being in a more happy condition then you are, e&s;pecially con&s;idering, that this Prince (added he, and pre&s;ented <HI>Arta|mas</HI> unto him) is my mo&s;t dear friend, and con&s;idering that I have almo&s;t as much cre|dit with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> as <HI>Artamas</HI> hath with <HI>Cyrus.</HI> The King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> who had after then once &s;ince the taking of <HI>Sardis,</HI> repented him&s;elf of the inju&s;tice which he had done the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> did receive him very civilly, yet with much &s;hame, it not being po&s;&s;i|ble he &s;hould &s;ee him, and not remember the obligements wherein he was bound, when he carried the name of <HI>Cleander,</HI> and the unju&s;t impri&s;onment which he cau&s;ed him to &s;uffer, after he was known to be the Prince <HI>Artamas;</HI> yet notwith&s;tanding, as he was re&s;olved to acknowledg unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he did not de&s;erve his misfortune, he did check him&s;elf, and &s;aid, &s;ince Conquerours may impo&s;e what Laws they plea&s;e upon the Con|quered, I will believe what you plea&s;e, and be&s;eech the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> to bury all my violencies and injuries in Oblivion: It becomes me, replied the Prince of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> to for|get all the mi&s;eries of <HI>Artamas,</HI> but it becomes me al&s;o never to forget the obligations wherein <HI>Cleander</HI> &s;tands bound unto you; therefore Sir, I do promi&s;e you, to be unto you as long as I live the very &s;ame I was when you honored me with your friend&s;hip: I be&s;eech you Sir (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and interrupted him, &s;peaking to the King of <HI>Lydia)</HI> re|new that old friend&s;hip with a Prince, who by many &s;ervices and much fidelity hath de|&s;erved it: The friend&s;hip of a King without a Kingdome (replied <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and &s;ighed) ought not to be twice asked, by my mo&s;t illu&s;trious Conquerour; therefore Sir, I con&s;ent unto all you de&s;ire of me, and readmit the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> into the &s;ame place which for|merly he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed in my &s;oul, being extreamly &s;orry that I have not in me a power where|by to recompence his virtue: When I have intreated the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to recompence your own, I &s;hall let you know, that you have power enough to re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ene|rate his, and I wi&s;h unto the Heavens you had prevented your misfortune at the begin|ing of the War, by giving him the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and re&s;toring me the Prince&s;s <HI>Man|dana:</HI> But I be&s;eech you, added <HI>Cyrus,</HI> Give me leave to ask you, (if I may do it with|out exa&s;perating your &s;orrows) by what motives and policy were you ingaged in this un|ju&s;t War? And what was the true rea&s;on which moved you to &s;light the King of <HI>Medes</HI> and my friend&s;hip? No rea&s;on (replied <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> &s;adly) but your good fortune and my bad: For truly Sir, it doth mo&s;t clearly appear, that the Gods would never have per|mitted me to protect the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana,</HI> but only to make you a Conquerour of my Kingdome: Never believe Sir that you can lo&s;e this Prince&s;s; and to manife&s;t it unto you, con&s;ider, that every carrying her away hath gained you a Kingdom; and be a&s;&s;ure|ed, that it is to make you Conquerour of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> the Gods have &s;uffered &s;he &s;hould wander from Province to Province: But oh you unju&s;t Gods (cried he out) Why have you deluded me by Oracles &s;o clear in appearance, and &s;o ob&s;cure in reality? <HI>Cyrus</HI> per|ceiving that without any de&s;ign he had incen&s;ed the &s;orrows of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> to comfort him, would hearken to his complaints, and dive into his thoughts; therefore he de&s;ired him to give a rea&s;on why he accu&s;ed the Gods? I accu&s;e them Sir (&s;aid he) for adverti&s;ing me by their Oracles of all the lea&s;t con&s;iderable pa&s;&s;ages of my life, and deceiving me in the mo&s;t important bu&s;ine&s;s that ever I con&s;ulted with them about: When I be&s;eeched them to tell me the i&s;&s;ue of the Warre again&s;t you, they an&s;wered in the&s;e very tearms:
<Q><L>If thou unto this War will go,</L>
<L>An Empire great thou'lt overthrow.</L></Q></P>
<P>Is it ju&s;t Sir (&s;aid this grieved Prince) that after &s;o many offerings unto them, they &s;hould &s;o far delude me, as to make me believe I &s;hould de&s;troy them, who have de&s;troy|ed
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me? Therefore Sir, I be&s;eech you permit me amid&s;t the tran&s;port of my &s;orrows, to &s;end unto <HI>Delphos,</HI> to the end it may be a te&s;timony unto all po&s;terity, that it is dange|rous to be too curious in future matters, and that men ought not to pry too narrowly into the &s;ecrets of the Gods; for though I do accu&s;e them of inju&s;tice, yet my &s;econd thoughts are more rea&s;onable then my fir&s;t, and that it is my &s;elf who am inju&s;t in complaining of them; whereas in very truth, I ought only to complain again&s;t my &s;elf: For indeed the Gods are ju&s;t, and &s;aid truly, &s;ince in overthrowing my own Empire, I have overthrown one of the greate&s;t in all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> However (replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and interrupted him) I will do my utmo&s;t that you may have cau&s;e to commend my way of dealing with you, and to &s;weeten all your bitter misfortunes. In the mean time, if any of your Guards do di&s;o|bey my commands, and not render you that re&s;pect which I would have them, let me be adverti&s;ed of it; to the end, that their puni&s;hment may &s;atisfie you, and ju&s;tifie me. Oh Sir (cried <HI>Croe&s;&s;us)</HI> I do not wonder that a Prince who knows &s;o well how to u&s;e his vir|tue, &s;hould alwayes Conquer: And I wonder le&s;s that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> hath been conquered by a Prince, who&s;e virtue tran&s;cends his: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> (replied <HI>Cy|rus</HI> mode&s;tly) hath been unfortunate, becau&s;e his de&s;ign was unju&s;t; but for the re&s;t, though he hath been ever my enemy, and though he be &s;till my Rival, yet I mu&s;t needs ju&s;tifie him in &s;ome part of that violence which he u&s;ed towards you; and a&s;&s;ure you, that his de&s;ign was only to terrifie you &s;o far, as to make you out of fear to tell where <HI>Man|dana</HI> was, but his intentions never were to put you unto death: It is a thing which I am bound to tell you, becau&s;e I know it to be a truth; and to tell the &s;ooner, becau&s;e I cannot indure, that the man who&s;e quality is equal unto yours and mine, &s;hould be ac|cu&s;ed of an action &s;o barbarous. After this, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> began again to commend him, the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> did &s;econd him, <HI>Artamas, Tigranes,</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris</HI> could not chu&s;e al&s;o but applaud <HI>Cyrus:</HI> who&s;e mode&s;ty not being able to hear &s;uch commendations of him&s;elf, was forced to depart a little &s;ooner then otherwi&s;e he would from the King of <HI>Iydia.</HI> This unfortunate Prince did entreat <HI>Cyrus</HI> before he went away, to u&s;e well his new conquered Subjects, be&s;eeching him not to take it ill, if he u&s;ed his be&s;t endeavour to be their Protector, though he could not be their King. <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;o moved at this reque&s;t, that he renewed all the prote&s;tations and promi&s;es which he formerly made unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us;</HI> a&s;&s;uring him, that he would imploy all his power with <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> that he would re&s;tore the Crown unto him which he had lo&s;t, upon condition that he &s;hould become his Va&s;&s;al, as the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> was, and that he &s;hould follow the Wars until he had relea&s;ed <HI>Mandana.</HI> And indeed <HI>Cyrus</HI> was no &s;ooner returned to the Cittadel, but he be|gan to write unto the King of <HI>Meades,</HI> both in the behalf of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and to render him an accompt of all pa&s;&s;ages, intending to di&s;patch a Po&s;t the next morning, and then to be in a readine&s;s for a vi&s;it of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and to carry with him the Prince <HI>Spitridates:</HI> The truth is, he could not write without perturbation of mind, and inter|ruptions to him&s;elf, for his imagination was filled with thoughts of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> upon the lea&s;t noy&s;e which he heard, he alwayes thought that &s;ome was bringing intelli|gence of her, and the place where &s;he was carried unto; &s;o that the&s;e flattering hopes begot a mo&s;t horrid renovation of grief, when he found they were deceived. But whil'&s;t he was writing in the&s;e perturbations of mind, <HI>Spitridates</HI> was entertaining him&s;elf with hopes &s;o full of impatience, that it may be well &s;aid, time was a torment unto him, for believing he &s;hould &s;ee the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> the next morning, every minute &s;eemed an Age unto him: As for <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Artamas,</HI> after they had conducted <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto the Cittadel, they returned to the Pallace, to &s;ee at once tho&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es who raigned in their &s;ouls: The fir&s;t of the&s;e, &s;ince he had not of a long time &s;een his deare&s;t <HI>Timaretta,</HI> he thought he &s;hould never &s;ee her enough: And the &s;econd, be&s;ides the joy which he &s;hould have to be with his Prince&s;s, he was joyed, that he was able to render an accompt unto her of the conference between <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the King her Father, and that he was a|ble to tell her that he was well received. Since the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es had two Chambers which joyned together, and &s;ince they were both in their own Chambers, which <HI>Se&s;o|&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Artamas</HI> came to &s;ee them, they parted at the doors of the Chambers. But vvhil'&s;t <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> vvas entertaining his deare&s;t <HI>Timaretta,</HI> and vvhil'&s;t he vvas prote&s;ting that his Love vvas as violent, as vvhen &s;he vvas the faire&s;t Shephearde&s;s of all <HI>Aegypt,</HI> and he the mo&s;t amorous Shepheard of the World. Whil'&s;t, I &s;ay, <HI>Artamas</HI> vvas prote&s;ting unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Palm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> (after he had rendred her an accompt of all pa&s;&s;ages bet<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"></HI> and him) that the a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">teration in her fortune had vvrought no change in his heart,
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and that he did love her vvith more zeal and re&s;pect, though the King her Father vvas a Captive, and though he had lo&s;t his Crown, then he did before, when &s;he was the Daughter of the mo&s;t pui&s;&s;ant and rich King of all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> Whil'&s;t (I &s;ay) the&s;e two il|lu&s;trious Lovers found &s;ome &s;weetne&s;s in di&s;cour&s;ing of their pa&s;t misfortunes and pre&s;ent mi&s;eries, <HI>Andramites</HI> prepared him&s;elf to wait upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> the next morning, when he intended to carry <HI>Spitridates</HI> unto <HI>Araminta,</HI> to the end he might the &s;ooner &s;ee his belo|ved <HI>Dorali&s;a: Ligdamis</HI> al&s;o, as well as he had the &s;ame de&s;ign to &s;ee his deare&s;t <HI>Cleonice: Parmen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">des</HI> al&s;o, who came to <HI>Sardis</HI> as &s;oon as he heard it was taken, thought of re|turning to &s;ee <HI>Cydipe;</HI> &s;o that all the&s;e <HI>Amor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tes</HI> being no le&s;s amorous then <HI>Spitridates,</HI> were no le&s;s impatient then he, and expected the happy hour with as much re&s;tle&s;&s;ene&s;s of mind: They all departed, not &s;o early in the morning as they could have de&s;ired, be|cau&s;e <HI>Cyrus</HI> had yet &s;o much bu&s;ine&s;s to di&s;patch, that the Sun was a great height before he took hor&s;e; for he had not only his la&s;t orders to give unto the me&s;&s;enger whom he &s;ent unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> but he had commands to give concerning the bringing of <HI>Menecra|tes</HI> and <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hra&s;emedes</HI> unto <HI>Sardis:</HI> He had written and &s;ent unto <HI>Per&s;ipolis,</HI> but he had yet to command, that they &s;hould go unto certain &s;mall Maritine Towns, who&s;e names were out of his memory when he &s;ent unto <HI>Ephi&s;us, Milete, Guides,</HI> and <HI>Cuma;</HI> for though in his &s;ending thither he had given orders in general to go unto all the Ports on that Coa&s;t; yet becau&s;e he had not preci&s;ely named the Towns which he then remembred, he vvould &s;end thither, chu&s;ing rather to do a hundred things to no purpo&s;e, concerning the Que&s;t of his Prince&s;s, then to fail in the lea&s;t circum&s;tance that had any &s;hadow of po&s;&s;ibility in doing her &s;ervice: But at la&s;t all bu&s;ine&s;s was di&s;patched, and he departed, fir&s;t asking pardon of the Prince <HI>Spitridates,</HI> for keeping him &s;o long from the &s;ight of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> conjuring him to pardon the fault of an unhappy Lover, who was not &s;o neer the &s;ight of her he loved as he was. After this complement which <HI>Spitridates</HI> received with the &s;ame civility it was expre&s;&s;ed, they rid towards the Ca&s;tle where <HI>Cyrus</HI> had lodg|ed <HI>Araminta: Tigranes</HI> knowing the violent di&s;po&s;ition of his Brother <HI>Phraartes,</HI> would al&s;o make one in this journey, to prevent any unruly attempt, which his Brother might fall upon at the &s;ight of <HI>Spitridates:</HI> As for <HI>Andramites, Ligdamis,</HI> and <HI>Parmenides,</HI> they waited upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> at this time, more for their &s;akes whom they loved, then for any o|ther rea&s;on: <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who was intere&s;t in all the&s;e Lovers, was very de&s;irous to be a witne&s;s of all their joyes, &s;o that he accompanied <HI>Cyrus</HI> as well as <HI>Anaxaris, Artabanes, Chri&s;antes, Hirmogenes, Leontidas, Megabi&s;es,</HI> and many others. This Prince took with him two hundred hor&s;e for his Guard, conceiving that there was not need of any more, though it was a daies journey in a Country newly conquered, for <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> had no Troops in the field, the di&s;order was &s;o great among&s;t the people, and the Dominion of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was hoped to be &s;o gentle, that con&s;idering <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he &s;tate of things, there was no fear of a|ny revolt: Al&s;o a great part of the way he was to go, was through the Camp, and their own Quarters, and by con&s;equence le&s;s dangerous: But when the&s;e Princes were about fifty furlongs from <HI>Sardis, Cyrus</HI> met a &s;ervant of <HI>Artaba&s;es,</HI> unto whom he had com|mitted the Guard of <HI>Panthea</HI> and <HI>Araminta,</HI> when he di&s;placed <HI>Ara&s;pes:</HI> This &s;ervant came to tell him from his Ma&s;ter, that the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> had carried away the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pontus:</HI> This &s;ervant had no &s;ooner openly delivered his me&s;&s;age unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but <HI>Spitridates</HI> gave &s;o &s;ad a cry, that he did mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly move the hearts of all who heard him unto pity: As for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> though he had only a mo&s;t pure harmle&s;s affection unto <HI>Araminta,</HI> and pity of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> yet was he mo&s;t extreamly troubled at the accident; the &s;ence of honour, mixing with the tenderne&s;s of his &s;oul, cau&s;ed him to re&s;ent very bitterly this little re&s;pect which <HI>Phraartes</HI> had of him in taking away a Prince&s;s who was his pri&s;oner: <HI>Tigranes</HI> for his particular was exceedingly grieved at his Brothers fault; and it had been a difficult matter for a &s;tranger, &s;eeing the&s;e three Princes to know which of them was the Lover of the Prince&s;s who was carried away: Though the &s;orrows of <HI>Spitridates</HI> were a thou&s;and times deeper then tho&s;e of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Tigranes,</HI> yet his eyes, his words, and all his actions, could not make it appear how great they were: After his fir&s;t apprehen&s;ion of &s;orrow and di&s;pair, he &s;tood &s;till more then a quarter of an hour in a Lethargy of Spirit, which made him hear what others &s;aid, as if he under&s;tood them not. During all this time of this &s;ad &s;ilence, he had &s;uch a cloud of di&s;mal melancholy in his face, as made it mo&s;t apparent, that his &s;oul was in mo&s;t horrid torments: The fir&s;t words he uttered were, Is it po&s;&s;ible that <HI>Artaba&s;es,</HI> the fidelity of who&s;e heart I make no doubt, &s;hould not prevent &s;o great a misfortune? Sir, replied the &s;ervant, the
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great wounds which he hath received upon this occa&s;ion, will &s;ufficiently te&s;tifie, that he hath not failed in the duty which he owes you, and that his extraordinary valour did not at this time fail him: But how is it po&s;&s;ible (replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and interrupted him) that <HI>Phraartes</HI> could execute his de&s;ign? Sir (replied the &s;ervant) to acquaint you exactly how it was, be plea&s;ed to know, that when the news of taking <HI>Sardis</HI> came unto the Ca|&s;tle where we were, all the Souldiers in it looked upon tho&s;e who were with you, as much more happy then them&s;elves, becau&s;e there they might inrich them&s;elves with the plunder of that rich Town, in&s;omuch as the very night following, the greater half disbanded them&s;elves, intending to mingle confu&s;edly among&s;t your victorious Troops, and &s;hare with them in their booty, &s;o that by this means the Garri&s;on was extreamly weakened: My Ma&s;ter determined to acquaint you with it, but &s;ince he was to keep &s;uch as were pri|&s;oners, and no pri&s;oners, &s;uch as you looked upon rather as their Protector, then as their Conquerour, he conceived that it was not nece&s;&s;ary to acquaint you, e&s;pecially &s;ince there was no likelyhood that any &s;hould attempt their relea&s;ement. Thus fearing le&s;t you &s;hould tax him with negligence, he would not adverti&s;e you of Souldiers his flight, but re&s;ted quiet as before. After this Sir, &s;o it chanced, that the &s;ame day you went in que&s;t of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> came to &s;ee the Prince&s;s <HI>Aramin|ta,</HI> who gave him mo&s;t cold entertainment. As &s;oon as he had left her, &s;he &s;ent for my Ma&s;ter to complain unto him of you, &s;aying, that &s;he had entreated you to prevent <HI>Phraartes</HI> from &s;eeing her; but he telling her, that you were ignorant of his coming, and that he came out of <HI>Sardis</HI> after your departure, it was &s;ome con&s;olation unto her, conceiving then that &s;he had more right to treat him ill: But truly, I being at the Prince&s;s Chamber to &s;peak with <HI>He&s;ionide,</HI> when he came unto her the &s;econd time, I was a Wit|ne&s;s that her language vvas &s;o &s;harp, and bitter unto him, as I admire he would ever car|ry avvay that Prince&s;s, vvho expre&s;&s;ed &s;uch a terrible aver&s;ion tovvards him. As &s;oon as he vvas gone out of her Chamber, &s;he charged me to tell my Ma&s;ter, that &s;he conjured him not to let <HI>Phraartes</HI> enter any more into her Chamber: And the truth is Sir, <HI>Arta|ba&s;es</HI> vvent unto him, de&s;iring him to &s;ee her no more, but to go out of the Ca&s;tle. <HI>Phra|artes</HI> as violent as his humour is, did upon this occa&s;ion curb him&s;elf, and an&s;vvered him vvith &s;o much civility, that he did not think it fit to force a man of his Quality out, vvith|out &s;pecial order from you: And &s;ince he vvas then ignorant vvhere you vvere, he could not adverti&s;e you of the pa&s;&s;age; &s;o that contenting him&s;elf vvith keeping <HI>Phraartes</HI> from going unto the Chamber of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and could not in any rea&s;on fear, that a Prince vvho had only one Page vvith him, vvould ever attempt any thing of force. During this time, <HI>Phraartes</HI> vvould often vi&s;it <HI>Cleonice, Ar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">alice, Lyca&s;te, Do|rali&s;a, Cydip<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, Candiope,</HI> and <HI>Phorenice,</HI> vvith all the re&s;t of the pri&s;oners, di&s;cour&s;ing continually with them of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> When he was not with any of them, he would walk under the Window of that Prince&s;s, from whence he &s;ometimes &s;aw her again&s;t her will; for you know Sir, &s;he lodged in a low Chamber towards the Garden: But whil'&s;t he carried it thus, his Page, who was very ob&s;ervant of him, was continually talking and playing with tho&s;e Souldiers, who were oft from the Guard. In this manner Sir did <HI>Phraartes</HI> behave him&s;elf until ye&s;terday, when one of tho&s;e you &s;ent unto <HI>Ephe|&s;us,</HI> to <HI>Guides,</HI> to <HI>Cumes,</HI> to <HI>Miletes,</HI> and many other places, after you had met with the Prince <HI>S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ridates,</HI> came to this Ca&s;tle, where he lodged, becau&s;e it was in his way: So that he meeting with <HI>Phraartes,</HI> who was walking before the Gate, where by chance I was, I &s;aw he knew him: He asked him from whence he came, and whether he went? The other an&s;wered, that you Sir had met with <HI>Spitridates,</HI> that he had told you hovv the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was imbarqued with the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> at a Port called <HI>Artames,</HI> that you treated that Prince with a thou&s;and welcomes, and that you vvent both together unto <HI>Sard<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Phraartes</HI> no &s;ooner under&s;tood that the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> was with you, but he changed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, cau&s;ing him to repeat over again what before he told him: Af|ter vvhich&punc; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> but that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was the very &s;ame vvho vvas &s;o much talked of for <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">lan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">, vvhich this man &s;aid vvas betvveen him he had &s;een, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> vvithout all doubt he vvould be &s;hortly with <HI>Araminta,</HI> and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Prince&s;s unto <HI>Sardis:</HI> So that it is probable, for this rea&s;on he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> that de&s;ign which he was hatching when he came fir&s;t to the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, becau&s;e we under&s;tanding this morning, that his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> with that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">nall number of Souldiers vvhich vve had, he had <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> pre&s;ents and gifts, for one of them vvho is novv vvounded,
<PB N="9" REF="587">
hath di&s;covered the truth unto us. But in conclu&s;ion Sir, not to abu&s;e your patience any longer, pre&s;ently after all the Ladies were retired unto their Chambers, and <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> according to his cu&s;tome had gone the Round, vi&s;ited the Guards, and was entred into his Chamber, <HI>Phraartes</HI> came out vvith his men, from the place vvhere vve thought he had been a&s;leep; &s;o that a&s;&s;embling all the Souldiers vvhom he had &s;uborned, the re&s;t vvere &s;o &s;mall a number, as they vvere not able to re&s;i&s;t their companions: Al&s;o to af|fright them, he threatned to kill them. After vvhich, dividing them&s;elves, &s;ome vvent unto the Chamber of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and others unto the lodging of <HI>Artaba&s;es,</HI> to prevent him from relieving: And in &s;hort Sir, their de&s;ign took &s;uch effect, as they carried away the Prince&s;s, and vve not able to hinder them; not but that the noy&s;e which they made in breaking the Windows of the Chamber, and the cryes of the Ladies did a|waken us at the fir&s;t. <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> vvas vvounded at the beginning of the tumult, and &s;ome felt the vveight of his arm, vvho vvould have kept him from coming out to the relief of the Prince&s;s; yet at la&s;t he received &s;o many Wounds, and lo&s;t &s;o much blood, that he fell dovvn as dead, and vvas no longer able to oppo&s;e the violence of <HI>Phraartes:</HI> In &s;hort, he has thriven in his unju&s;t de&s;ign, and hath made u&s;e of &s;ome of my Ma&s;ters Hor&s;es to carry away the Prince&s;s, and indeed leaving none that were able to follovv, for he mounted upon them all the Complies of his Crime. I &s;hall not relate unto you Sir, the cryes and tears of <HI>Cleonice, Dorali&s;a, Pherenice, Candiope, Lica&s;te, Arpalice,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the Ladies: But give me leave to tell you Sir, that as &s;oon as my Ma&s;ter came unto him&s;elf, he commanded me to get a hor&s;e at the next hou&s;e, and to come in all ha&s;t to acquaint you vvith this di&s;a&s;terous adventure, and his &s;orrovvs, vvhich Sir is &s;uch, as he would not let me &s;tay a minute to get his Wounds dre&s;&s;ed, though I a&s;&s;ure you there was great need of it. As long as this di&s;cour&s;e of the &s;ervant la&s;ted, the &s;oul of <HI>Spitridates</HI> was in torment, his &s;orrovvs for the carrying away the Prince&s;s was not all the cau&s;e of it, for many pangs of an unju&s;t jealou&s;ie of <HI>Cyrus</HI> began to revive, and his fear was, that it was <HI>Cyrus</HI> who cau&s;ed <HI>Araminta</HI> to be carried away: For &s;ince he did not yet know that <HI>Phraartes</HI> was in Love with her, he could not devi&s;e what motive &s;hould induce him unto that act of Violence. On the other &s;ide, the &s;orrow and anger which he &s;aw in the eyes of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> did thwart his unju&s;t opinion: Al&s;o con&s;idering that <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> was very much Wounded, he could not under&s;tand why <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould let &s;uch a man to peri&s;h, whom he e&s;teemed worthy to have the Guard of tvvo great Prince&s;&s;es: Hovvever, though he &s;avv &s;ome rea&s;on on the one &s;ide, and no appearance of any on the other, yet he could not compo&s;e his re&s;olutions, and his &s;oul &s;uffered more torment, then his tongue was able to expre&s;s: But the&s;e jealous thoughts had no long time of re&s;ting in his heart, for as &s;oon as the &s;ervant of <HI>Artaba&s;es</HI> had ended his relation of all the bu&s;ine&s;s, <HI>Cyrus</HI> expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf &s;o obligingly, &s;o generou&s;ly, and &s;o tenderly unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> that his candid language had a more prevalent operation, then rea&s;on only and truth had, for he did quite eradicate tho&s;e &s;parks of jealou&s;ie which began to kindle in the mind of that Prince, and which would not &s;uffer him to complain again&s;t the cruelty of his adventure, not well knowing whether he &s;hould quarrel with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Araminta,</HI> and as his Rival, or complain again&s;t him as his friend, and as the Protector of his Prin|ce&s;s. But when he heard <HI>Tigranes</HI> ask <HI>Cyrus</HI> and him pardon for the violent crime of his Brother, and &s;aid, That he him&s;elf would be the fir&s;t who would help to puni&s;h him, and that he would never leave <HI>Cyrus</HI> until he had found that Prince&s;s which he had lo&s;t: And when he under&s;tood from the mouth of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> fell in Love with the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> as &s;oon as &s;he came unto <HI>Artaxates,</HI> his &s;oul found &s;ome ea&s;e a|mid&s;t his &s;orrows; and then he began to hearken and an&s;wer unto the &s;incere prote&s;tations which <HI>Cyrus</HI> made unto him: You know (&s;aid this free-minded Prince) That I am more obliged then any other to intere&s;t my &s;elf in what concerns you, &s;ince I owe my life unto the Queen <HI>Arbiana</HI> your Mother, at that time when &s;he received me into her hou&s;e in <HI>Bythinia:</HI> For though &s;he did think me to be her Son, yet I mu&s;t &s;et a value upon her cares of me; and truly &s;he treated me &s;o generou&s;ly after the di&s;covery of her errour, that though there were no other rea&s;ons then this, yet I &s;hould think my &s;elf obliged to &s;erve you with my real affection: But generous Prince, I have more prevalent rea&s;ons then that; your own merit, Noble Prince, hath arguments enough to oblige me; the Virtue of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> requires my be&s;t &s;ervices, and the injury which I have received from <HI>Phraartes,</HI> makes the matter as much m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e as yours, &s;ince the Prince <HI>Ti|granes,</HI> before whom I &s;peak, is of a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> generous &s;oul, I am confident he will allow
<PB N="10" REF="588">
me to complain again&s;t his Brother: But not to lo&s;e a minute of precious time, let us ha&s;t unto the place where the crime was committed, and try if we can find which way they took: Then would <HI>Spitridates</HI> have di&s;&s;waded <HI>Cyrus</HI> from going any further towards the Ca&s;tle, de&s;iring of him only fifty hor&s;e, with whom he him&s;elf only would pur&s;ue the Ravi&s;her, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> would not be di&s;&s;waded: So that all of them &s;etting in all ha&s;t for|ward, they came thither betimes, where they under&s;tood more then they could by the &s;ervant of <HI>Artaba&s;es,</HI> whom they found &s;o ill of his Wounds, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had not pow|er to accu&s;e him for not acquainting him with the flight of his Souldiers, which was the cau&s;e of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI>'s being carried away: <HI>Spitridates</HI> not being able to re&s;t all uight in the Ca&s;tle, intreated <HI>Cyrus</HI> that he might go out the &s;ame night, and that he would lend him fifty hor&s;es: <HI>Cyrus</HI> then excu&s;ed him&s;elf a thou&s;and times unto that Prince, in that he could not quit the intere&s;ts he had in <HI>Mandana</HI> for his, and in that he &s;hould part from him before he had recovered <HI>Araminta,</HI> conjuring him to acquaint him with all pa&s;&s;ages concerning her, to the end he might &s;end him an Army if need were, prote&s;t|ing, that there was nothing which he would not do for his &s;atisfaction, and the liberty of &s;o virtuous a Prince&s;s; adding, that &s;ince <HI>Tigranes</HI> would go with him, there would be le&s;s need of his valour. <HI>Spitridates</HI> at the fir&s;t did oppo&s;e the intentions of <HI>Tigranes</HI> to follow him; but afterwards, con&s;idering that his pre&s;ence might be u&s;eful, he accepted his offer, and went together, after they had re&s;ted their hor&s;es &s;ome two or three hours, during which time they had intelligence which way <HI>Phraartes</HI> did fir&s;t take: But in lieu of fifty hor&s;es, <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave a hundred unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who would not &s;ee tho&s;e Ladies who were in the Ca&s;tle, for his &s;oul was too much perplexed for any complements. When this Prince was ready to take hor&s;e, <HI>Cyrus</HI> imbraced him, and told him, that he was &s;or|ry there was as great a re&s;emblance in their misfortunes as in their faces, and wi&s;hed he might be more happy in relea&s;ing <HI>Araminta,</HI> then him&s;elf had been in relea&s;ing the Prince&s;s <HI>Mand<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">na;</HI> after which, the&s;e two Princes parted. <HI>Spitridates</HI> was no &s;ooner gone, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> re&s;olved to return unto <HI>Sardis</HI> the next morning betimes, and therefore went to &s;ee all the Ladies in the Ca&s;tle, and to di&s;po&s;e them for a removal unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> and al&s;o to cheer them up after the di&s;a&s;ter of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> knowing very well, that they all did mo&s;t tenderly love her: He found them all in the Chamber of <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> where <HI>Andramites, Parmanides,</HI> and <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">igdamis</HI> were before him, for they were not able to be any longer in a place where the per&s;ons whom they loved were, and not to &s;ee them. Though <HI>Cyrus</HI> was full of &s;orrow, both for his own misfortunes and his friends, yet he carried him&s;elf with &s;uch civility towards all the Ladies, as there was not one who did not highly applaud him.</P>
<P>After he had in a condoling manner &s;poke concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI>'s carrying away, he told <HI>Lyca&s;ta,</HI> that to prevent the like misfortune in <HI>Arpalice,</HI> her Lovers mu&s;t be agreed, and their differences ended, and therefore he conjured him to return unto <HI>Sardis;</HI> &s;peaking al&s;o afterwards in a mo&s;t obliging manner unto <HI>Arpalice, Cydipe,</HI> and <HI>Candiope:</HI> Afterwards he talked a while unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Pherenice,</HI> concerning the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> and al&s;o &s;poke &s;omething unto <HI>Leonice</HI> in favour of <HI>Ligdamis.</HI> But <HI>Mandana</HI> being the principal aim of all his thoughts, he asked them all in general, Whe|ther they did not pity him in his &s;ufferings of &s;o many &s;uch &s;orrows as <HI>Spitridates</HI> had now tryall of? And there was not one among&s;t them, who did not imploy their be&s;t e|loquence to per&s;wade <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that they did extreamly intere&s;t them&s;elves in the misfor|tunes of that Prince&s;s and him&s;elf. <HI>Cleonice</HI> among the re&s;t, to te&s;tifie her zeal, &s;aid, That as oft as &s;he remembred how and by whom the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> had been carried away, &s;he conceived &s;uch an extream hatred again&s;t men, as there was not above two or three men in the whole Univer&s;e, whom &s;he did not hate: Really, &s;aid &s;he, I do not think there is any &s;uch pernicious Villains in the World, as tho&s;e who carry away Women without their con&s;ents; I will not except &s;o much as <HI>A&s;&s;a&s;&s;inates,</HI> Poy&s;oners, or Traytors; for revenge, or &s;uch like, may &s;ometimes have cau&s;es &s;o con&s;iderable, as may ju&s;tifie, or at lea&s;t extenuate the mo&s;t bloudy effects: But can any one per&s;wade me, that it is a good rea&s;on for the carrying away of a Woman, to &s;ay he was in Love with her? It is impo&s;&s;ible, for vvhere one loves another, he vvill do nothing but vvhat &s;hall make him|&s;elf loved, and not &s;uch things as will procure hatred: I mu&s;t confe&s;s, (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and interrupted her) That to look upon the matter as you do, you have cau&s;e to hate all men: But to con&s;ider it as I do, I think that I have cau&s;e to &s;ay, that by the &s;ame rea|&s;on I &s;hould de&s;pi&s;e almo&s;t all Women; and I think my &s;elf able to maintain, that if
<PB N="11" REF="588">
there never had been any vvho had pardoned their Ravi&s;hers, the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> nor the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> had never been taken away: But &s;ince every man can fetch &s;ome example of &s;ome Lady or other, who was appea&s;ed after &s;he was taken away, they flatter them&s;elves in a hope to thrive no wor&s;e then they did who carried them avvay: So that it may well be &s;aid, that it is the weakne&s;s of &s;ome Women vvhich cau&s;ed the in&s;o|lent boldne&s;s of men, for never any did attempt the committing of a crime, with|out hopes of thriving by it: This vvhich you &s;ay, replyed <HI>Cleonice,</HI> Does not ju&s;tifie men, but only excu&s;e them: 'Tis true, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> But they have &s;omething to &s;ay for them&s;elves, more then Women have who pardons tho&s;e who take them away, &s;ince, as I conceive, they are without all manner of excu&s;e: What can they &s;ay to authorize their imbecility, but that their &s;ouls were of a ba&s;e mould, and their hearts pu&s;ilanimi|ous? Are they not Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es of their own lives, though not of their liberties, in ca&s;e a|ny violence be offered? But certainly tho&s;e who can pardon &s;uch a crime, can pardon any thing el&s;e: For my part, I mu&s;t confe&s;s ingenuou&s;ly, That I had much rather be accu&s;ed for voluntary abandoning my heart, unto a man whom I &s;hould think worthy to enjoy it, then &s;uffer my &s;elf to be per&s;waded by a man who treated me ill, and carried me away: I conceive the opinion of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to be &s;o generous and rea&s;onable, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that I am per&s;waded there is not a Lady in all the company who will contradict her: I a&s;&s;ure you Sir, replyed &s;he, that peradventure there is &s;ome one who will allow of it, rather out of re&s;pect to you, then out of her own opinion: I would gladly know, &s;aid <HI>Arpalice,</HI> Whom it is you &s;u&s;pect not to be of your opinion: Since I will a&s;&s;ure you, that it is not your &s;elf, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and &s;ince I confe&s;s my &s;elf to be per&s;waded that you vvould never pardon <HI>Menecrates,</HI> if he &s;hould carry you away: You need not importune me a|ny further, and to &s;peak &s;incerely, I do not know: The &s;cope of what I &s;aid was only this, that I verily believe there are few Women of firm and generous &s;ouls, and that I might the more applaud the illu&s;trious <HI>Mandana,</HI> who though &s;he hath had three of the greate&s;t Princes of the World asking her pardon for carrying her away, and yet vvould never grant them, chu&s;ing rather to &s;ee all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> in a flame, then yeeld unto the de&s;ires, &s;ighs&punc; and tears of her Ravi&s;hers: For my part, I do confe&s;s, that when I had the ho|nour to &s;ee her at <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> I was more ravi&s;hed at the con&s;tancy of her &s;oul, then at the charms of her beauty or Wit, though &s;he be the mo&s;t ab&s;olute accompli&s;hed Prince&s;s of the World: But to te&s;tifie, that all Women are not of my opinion, Give me leave to tell you, that &s;ome of the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI>'s Women, finding the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> to be a very accompli&s;hed man, and &s;eeing in Love and much perplexed, they murmured a|gain&s;t the &s;tubbornne&s;s of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> and wi&s;hed her of a little more flexible nature: I be&s;eech you, &s;aid <HI>Pherenice,</HI> declare that I was not of that opinion: I do not remember you were, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> but though you were, the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> would think never the wor&s;e of you; for then you had not the honour to know him: Doubtle&s;s I &s;hould not, replyed <HI>Cyrus;</HI> But I do confe&s;s, I had rather &s;he were not of that mind; and you have much more obliged me then I thought I was, by acquainting me with your opinion: If you be obliged, replyed <HI>Lica&s;ta,</HI> unto all tho&s;e vvho vvi&s;h the Ravi&s;hers of <HI>Mandana</HI> may peri&s;h, and that you may be happy, you are ob|liged unto the greate&s;t part of all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> Since I do believe Madam, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that you mea&s;ure the thoughts of others by your own, your expre&s;&s;ion doth infinitely both plea&s;e and oblige me: But becau&s;e I would not be too trouble&s;ome unto her who is a wi&s;h|er of my good fortune, by &s;taying too late, I &s;hall take my leave of her until to morrovv at night, when I &s;hall hope for the honour of &s;eeing her at <HI>Sardis,</HI> with all this honour|ed company, whom <HI>Andramites</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> will convey thither: Methinks Sir (reply|ed <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> cunningly) That &s;ince it is requi&s;ite your Convoy and Guard &s;hould be &s;tronger then ours, you vvere be&s;t to take <HI>Andramites</HI> along vvith you, and leave only <HI>Ligdamis</HI> vvith us: Since I think my &s;elf a little better ver&s;ed in the Orders of War then you are, replyed <HI>Cyrus</HI> and &s;miled, I hope you will excu&s;e me, if I do not follovv your advi&s;e in this, though I vvill obe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> in every thing el&s;e: In &s;aying &s;o, <HI>Cyrus</HI> ri&s;e up, without &s;taying for the thanks of <HI>Andramites,</HI> and after he had &s;aluted all the Ladies with extraordinary grace and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> retired unto the Chamber which was prepared for him, where he repo&s;ed him&s;elf <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> break of day, and then commanding a care to be had of <HI>Artaba&s;es,</HI> he departed, but was with a melancholy &s;oul, for thinking that this accident unto a Prince whom he &s;o much e&s;teemed, and unto a Prince who re&s;embled him, vvas a very bad Omen; and con&s;idering, that the advantage of the Prince&s;s <HI>Ara|minta,</HI>
<PB N="12" REF="589">
vvas novv out of his power, it grieved him very much, for &s;he vvas Si&s;ter to the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and was a very good Pawn which he had lo&s;t, &s;o that every &s;tep of way was a fre&s;h thought of melancholy: <HI>Anaxaris</HI> kept the neere&s;t him, and to him he &s;poke the mo&s;t that day. After a long de&s;cant upon his misfortunes, <HI>Cyrus</HI> upon a &s;ud|den began to &s;lack his pace, and looking very obligingly upon him: How long valiant &s;tranger (&s;aid he unto him) Will you hide your &s;elf from me, and put me to the nece&s;|&s;ity of &s;aying, that you are the man whom of all the world I know be&s;t, and know lea&s;t? I am mo&s;t confident there is none knows your worth better then I do; I know you are of an excellent compo&s;ure, I am acquainted with the accutene&s;s and excellency of your Spi|rit; Genero&s;ity &s;hines in your &s;oul, your valour is ab&s;olutely Heroique; but for all this, I know not who you are, nor know whom to ask; therefore, dear <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> I be&s;eech you give me leave to ask the que&s;tion, and let me not be denied: I wi&s;h Sir, I could de|&s;erve tho&s;e commendations you are plea&s;ed to give me: And I wi&s;h al&s;o, that I were a|ble to &s;atisfie your curio&s;ity: But &s;ince it is convenient for me to conceal my &s;elf, as &s;ince it will not at all avail you to know, I hope you will not put me to nece&s;&s;ity of di&s;obeying you: Though all this doth but augment my curio&s;ity, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> yet becau&s;e I love you, I will check my de&s;ires, upon condition you will be per&s;waded, that my greate&s;t rea&s;on which moved me to de&s;ire the knowledg of vvhom you vvere, vvas my de&s;ires of &s;erving you: <HI>Anaxaris</HI> returned thanks unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> for the honour which he did him, but it was in &s;uch terms as per&s;waded that Prince, that <HI>Anaxaris</HI> was of &s;uch a Quality, as was more u&s;ed to receive then give thanks. Since now they drew neer the Camp, <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> though of giving out &s;everal orders as he pa&s;&s;ed, he vi&s;ited many of the chief Com|manders, &s;o that it was almo&s;t night when he came to <HI>Sardis:</HI> At his entrance in he met <HI>Mazares,</HI> who came to meet him, and they &s;aluted with the &s;ame civility which they u&s;ually &s;hewed unto each other, but in &s;uch a melancholy manner, as made it manife&s;t there was no news to be heard of <HI>Mandana:</HI> I will not ask you (generous Rival) &s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto him, Whether you know any thing concerning our Prince&s;s, for your &s;adne&s;s &s;peaks you do not: 'Tis very true Sir (replied <HI>Mazares)</HI> I do not know any thing of the Prince&s;s more then what you knew ye&s;terday when you parted; But I know another thing which will be a Wonder unto you, and which I will immediately tell you: Since it is not any thing which relates unto the Prince&s;s, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> you may tell me what you plea&s;e, and I &s;hall hearken unto it vvithout any impatience: I do not &s;ay, replied <HI>Ma|zares,</HI> That it does not relate unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> but only that I do not know any thing of that Prince&s;s, for if I had &s;aid &s;o, I had &s;aid untruly, &s;ince it is to be believed, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> is gone to &s;eek her: Is the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> gone? (replied <HI>Cyrus</HI> with a&s;toni&s;hment?) Yes Sir, an&s;vvered <HI>Mazares,</HI> One of his men whom he left with a Let|ter for you, told me, that he him&s;elf took hor&s;e about four hours &s;ince, and that he in|tended to ride all night, and do what he could to be the fir&s;t who &s;hould know where the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner heard this &s;trange news, but he changed colour, and cholor began to mix with his &s;orrows: He was afraid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had received &s;ome &s;ecret intelli|gence of the place where <HI>Mandana</HI> was: It vexed him that the violence of his nature &s;hould prompt him unto a thing which would be taken for exce&s;s of Love: He was afraid that he would find out &s;ome wayes to come unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> and deliver her, though there was no likelyhood of it: As for <HI>Mazares,</HI> his thoughts were as turbulent as tho&s;e of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> for though his Love was without any hope, and though he was re&s;olved to look no further then the liberty of <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet many times his heart would &s;parkle out &s;ome hatred of his Rival, and Love of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> &s;o that he &s;tood in need of all his rea&s;on to expel and &s;mother the&s;e gu&s;ts of his old pa&s;&s;ion. At this time he had no lei&s;ure to vent his thoughts, for <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;o great a de&s;ire to &s;ee what the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had writ, that he &s;ent in all ha&s;t for the man who had the Letter, appointing him to be brought unto the Cittadel, vvhither he vvent, to expect him vvith an impatience &s;uitable to the grandure of his Love; yet he was not long in that re&s;tle&s;s mood, for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> Officer, knowing that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was returned to <HI>Sardis,</HI> came unto him at the &s;ame in&s;tant that he was &s;ent for; &s;o that within a quarter of an hour after <HI>Cyrus</HI> came to the Cittadel, he received the Letter, which he &s;o impatiently longed for: He opened the Letter in all ha&s;t, and read it &s;o fa&s;t, as if he would have known all the Con|tents of it in one in&s;tant; yet notwith&s;tanding his impatient ha&s;t, he was long in reading it; for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> writing it in ha&s;t, the Character was not legible, yet in con|clu&s;ion he picked out the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="13" REF="589">
<HEAD>The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> to the too happy <HI>CYRUS.</HI></HEAD>
<P>NEver think that the de&s;ign which I have undertaken to go in que&s;t of the Prince&s;s, &s;hall make me decline the lea&s;t jot from our old conditions; on the contrary, leaving you in the head of a hundred thou&s;and men, and I going alone to di&s;cover if I can where the Prince&s;s it, the confidence which I have in your Word, obligeth you to keep exact touch with me: As for my part, never fear that I will fail, &s;ince a King without a Kingdome or Army, is not in a condition of daring to do it, though he would. Give me leave then to go and be your Spy, &s;ince it is the plea&s;ure of Fate I can do nothing el&s;e, as long as we believed the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> to be in <HI>Armenia,</HI> or knew that &s;he was in <HI>Sardis,</HI> the hope of delivering her, did &s;uffer me to indure the &s;ight of you and <HI>Mazares:</HI> But now, &s;ince we know not where &s;he is, and &s;ince I &s;hall be le&s;s u&s;ele&s;s in the Army, then perhaps I &s;hall be el&s;where, I will quit my &s;elf from the &s;ight of my Rivals, not but that I know the height of your genero&s;ity in all that relates unto me: But I had rather that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould accu&s;e you of too little Love unto her, in your too much civility unto me, then &s;he &s;hould accu&s;e me of too little affection unto her, in the too acknowledgment which I have of you: Therefore I leave it to the publike voge, either to commend you, or blame me for what we do: However, once more, I incite you to the ob&s;ervation of our conditions, and remember alwayes, that you can never enjoy <HI>Mandana,</HI> until you have ruined</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>The King of A&s;&s;yria.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After <HI>Cyrus</HI> had read this Letter, his &s;oul was a little more at ea&s;e, although he found many things which netled him, and which revived in his heart that old hatred which he had towards this furious Rival, when he pa&s;&s;ed under the name of <HI>Philida&s;pes,</HI> and when he him&s;elf under the name of <HI>Artamenes;</HI> but his comfort was, that he perceived the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> departure was only an effect of his phanta&s;tical humourt, and of his violent temper, not that he knew any particulars of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> yet the re|membrance of that favourable Oracle which this Prince received from the Temple of <HI>Ju|piter, Belas</HI> at <HI>Babylon,</HI> did &s;omewhat &s;ting his apprehen&s;ion: And &s;ince he could not think upon that Oracle, but he mu&s;t needs al&s;o remember that &s;ad an&s;wer vvhich the Si|bel gave him, the&s;e thoughts revived &s;ome fears in him; yet notwith&s;tanding, when he con&s;idered, that the plau&s;ible Oracle of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> had been ill interpreted, his hopes revi|ved. In the mean time, &s;ince he found extraordinary virtue to be in the Prince <HI>Maza|res,</HI> and &s;ince he did not then look upon him as his Rival, he &s;hewed him the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> Letter, as if he had been his intimate friend. The&s;e two Princes did di&s;cour&s;e a while upon the violent humour of their Rival, and of the de&s;ign which he could have; and the more they con&s;idered it, the more they believed it to be a meer Vagary of his hu|mour. As they were in the&s;e thoughts, <HI>Feraulas</HI> came in, who came to acquaint <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> that he had brought <HI>Arianita</HI> and <HI>Timonide</HI> unto <HI>Sardis;</HI> and that he had brought that Lady unto the Palace, unto whom <HI>Cyleni&s;e</HI> had given half of her Chamber. <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who loved all that belonged to his Prince&s;s, was very glad to know that <HI>Arianita</HI> was bet|ter then when he la&s;t &s;aw her, though &s;he was not alwayes favourable unto him; and he appointed <HI>Feraulas</HI> to have a care of her, de&s;iring al&s;o <HI>Tegeus,</HI> vvhom he &s;avv in his Chamber among the re&s;t, to tell <HI>Cyleni&s;e,</HI> that he took all her good offices done unto <HI>Arianita,</HI> as done unto him&s;elf. Pre&s;ently after, <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and <HI>Arianita</HI> came in, who told <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that all the Ladies which he &s;avv the night before, vvere come to <HI>Sardis;</HI> and &s;ince they had no de&s;ire to &s;eparate, they vvere all lodged at the hou&s;e of <HI>Lica&s;ta's</HI> Si|&s;ter. But <HI>Cyrus</HI> not liking that, he &s;ent to entreat them they vvould be plea&s;ed to lodg in the Palace, vvhich vvas of capacity enough to lodg them all conveniently; vvhich of|fer, after once refu&s;al, they accepted; So as it may vvell be &s;aid, That never vvas there &s;uch a company of Beauties as this was in the Palace of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us:</HI> 'Tis very true, every one of them was not equally &s;atisfied: There was three of them who were unfortunate, and the re&s;t very happy: <HI>Timaretta</HI> was all hopes, and had nothing to fear; <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was living, <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> was faithful, and <HI>Heracleon</HI> was dead; &s;o that nothing wanted to com|pleat their contentment, but to return into <HI>Aegypt,</HI> where <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> did earne&s;tly de&s;ire them. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was as unfortunate, as <HI>Timaretta</HI> was happy; and
<PB N="14" REF="590">
all his con&s;olation was in the genero&s;ity of his Conquerour. The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> though he lo&s;t the hopes of a Crown, yet obtained of the Gods the liberty of his &s;peech; but he only imployed the u&s;e of that Organ in lamenting his misfortune, it was a benefit too dear to be &s;en&s;ible of. As for the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> &s;ince <HI>Artamas</HI> proved &s;o highly ge|nerous and con&s;tant; and finding <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was well received, and the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> was not oppo&s;ite to his de&s;ign, &s;he had rea&s;on to be very well &s;atisfied, if &s;he could have without &s;orrow &s;een the King her Father, and the Prince her Brother turned out of the Throne, and made Captives. As for <HI>Ligdamis</HI> and <HI>Cleonice,</HI> they were the happie&s;t of all, and injoyed all the &s;weets of a mo&s;t pure love and friend&s;hip: As for <HI>Arpalice,</HI> the incertainty of what agreement <HI>Cyrus</HI> would make between <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates,</HI> did keep her in a re&s;tle&s;s condition, though yet &s;he hoped, that at the reque&s;t of <HI>An|dramites,</HI> he would favour the fir&s;t of the&s;e: <HI>Cydipe</HI> for her part, &s;he was not &s;orry to &s;ee that her beauty did eclip&s;e that of <HI>Cleoxene,</HI> in the phancy of <HI>Parmenides: Candiope</HI> thought &s;trange &s;he could hear no news of <HI>Phili&s;ton:</HI> And to &s;ay truth, there were very few who had not their perplexities, not only in the Palace and the Cittadel, but al&s;o in all the great Town; for certainly, there was then a &s;trange kind of tumultuous con&s;tel|lation, which moved tho&s;e who had not bu&s;ine&s;s, to make &s;ome; and que&s;tionle&s;s every one was a &s;ufferer, either in the per&s;on of their friends, or their own: Yet the behavi|our of <HI>Cyrus</HI> towards <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> did &s;o win the hearts of the people, that he was as &s;afe in <HI>Sardis</HI> as he could be, either in <HI>Per&s;ipolis,</HI> or <HI>Ecbatan.</HI> The next morning <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> and all the Beauties who came to <HI>Sardis,</HI> went to vi&s;it the two Prince&s;&s;es, who received them according to their de&s;erts. The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> who had the liberty to go unto the Chamber of the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter, with whom all this plea|&s;ant company was, he was there al&s;o, but his de&s;ign was only to &s;ee <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> whom he had not &s;een &s;ince &s;he went from <HI>Sardis</HI> to <HI>Su&s;a</HI> with <HI>Panthea:</HI> So that after he had addre&s;|&s;ed his complement unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Timaretta,</HI> and whi&s;pered with the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> he asked their permi&s;&s;ion to go neerer <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;ince &s;he was then far off the Prince&s;&s;es, and bu&s;ie in talk with <HI>Candiope,</HI> &s;he heard not what he &s;aid: So that when he came neer her, &s;he thought he would have expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf by the help of that Table Book, which heretofore he u&s;ed too wittily, when <HI>Ae&s;ope</HI> was in the <HI>Lydian</HI> Court; for though &s;he heard he was not mute, yet &s;he could not imagine that he could &s;peak, or at lea&s;t &s;peak well: The cau&s;e of her errour was, becau&s;e &s;he did not con&s;ider that he was never deaf: She was extreamly &s;urprized; when &s;he heard him &s;peak better then mo&s;t did, who &s;poke alwayes: So that when &s;he heard his fir&s;t complement, in lieu of an&s;wering, or te&s;tifying her &s;orrows for the misfortunes of his hou&s;e and Country, &s;he could not chu&s;e but go back, and look upon him with admiration: How Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, Is it not above five or &s;ix daies &s;ince you could &s;peak? No, no, it is impo&s;&s;ible: Mo&s;t certainly you &s;poke long in &s;ecret, otherwi&s;e you could not &s;peak &s;o well in publique: And certainly you have been &s;ilent for the time pa&s;t; purpo&s;ely to put all other to &s;ilence for the future: Your language, replyed the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> Is not perhaps &s;o plea&s;ing as you think; for truly the&s;e exce&s;&s;ixe applauds you give me, does argue, that my &s;ilence did much di&s;|plea&s;e you, and was trouble&s;ome, &s;ince you think this little which I &s;peak to be worthy of admiration. <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who was recollecting her &s;elf, con&s;idered that &s;he had com|manded this Prince too much: And to carry it more prudently, it were better to com|mend him le&s;s, and lament his misfortunes more: So that to repair her errour, &s;he al|tered his di&s;cour&s;e, and began to talk with him upon all the misfortunes of <HI>Panthea,</HI> and of all the alterations which &s;he found in <HI>Lidia</HI> at her return: However, &s;aid &s;he unto him, You have this advantage, that your Conquerour is the mo&s;t generous Prince in the World: 'Tis true, replied <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> But for all that, mo&s;t amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> The King my Fa|ther is the mo&s;t mi&s;erable, &s;ince it is a very great misfortune for tho&s;e who are u&s;ed to con&s;er favours upon others, to be put unto the nece&s;&s;ity of receiving them from another: Yet this is &s;ome con&s;olation, that we are &s;ubjected unto one of the greate&s;t Princes of the World, and unto one whom you e&s;teem, and unto one whom I know you are obliged: 'Tis very true Sir, an&s;wered <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> I am obliged unto him, but I wi&s;h that you were not in a condition to be &s;o; and that on the contrary, the King had obliged unto him, which he might have done, by rendring back the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana.</HI> What's pa&s;t, replyed <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> cannot be recalled; and in lieu of acknowledging tho&s;e faults which cannot be repaired, we mu&s;t endeavour to indure our bad fate, like men who are worthy of better: And to te&s;tifie that I do all I can to &s;weeten my mi&s;eries, I prote&s;t unto you, I find &s;ome
<PB N="15" REF="590">
&s;weetne&s;s to think, that the Gods, who once had made me above the Quality of the a|miable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> hath now made me her equal: Oh Sir (replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and inter|rupted him) Your civility is exce&s;&s;ive; and it had been a better wi&s;h, to have de&s;ired the Gods, that I might be exalted unto your Quality, then to &s;ay you find any &s;weetne&s;s in their deba&s;ing you down unto mine: Since the fir&s;t of the&s;e is not in my power, and the other really is &s;o, you need not wonder, I &s;hould chu&s;e rather to tell the thoughts of my heart, then to trouble my &s;elf in making unprofitable wi&s;hes. <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> was going to an&s;wer when <HI>Cyrus</HI> entred, and broke off their di&s;cour&s;e: but that which mo&s;t &s;urprized <HI>Lyca&s;te, Arpalice, Cydipe,</HI> and mo&s;t of all <HI>Candiope,</HI> was to &s;ee <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> enter among&s;t tho&s;e who accompanied him; they could not imagine &s;o readily as they wi&s;hed, why he would not &s;ee them before he &s;aw <HI>Cyrus;</HI> they dur&s;t not change their places to &s;peak unto him, nor could he come hand&s;omely unto them, though he much de&s;ired it: But pre|&s;ently after the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> entred, and &s;ome of tho&s;e who were with <HI>Candiope</HI> went out. <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> at la&s;t came up, and talked with as much delight, as before his impatience was great. <HI>Candiope</HI> for her part received him with abundance of joy, in&s;omuch as it was ea&s;ie for <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to ob&s;erve, that there was a greater love between them, then <HI>Candiope</HI> had &s;poke of, when &s;he related the adventures of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Arpalice,</HI> for &s;he took notice that <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> was &s;o taken up with looking upon <HI>Candiope,</HI> with &s;peaking and heark|ning unto her, that he never &s;o much as thought of any civility unto <HI>Lyca&s;te, Arpalice,</HI> and <HI>Cydipe</HI> who were clo&s;e by him, and it was not long before &s;he told <HI>Candiope</HI> what &s;he thought.</P>
<P><HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> then hearing the name of <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> when <HI>Cyrus</HI> pre&s;ented him unto <HI>Palmis,</HI> and knew very well that it vvas the &s;ame <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> vvho &s;hared in the adventures of <HI>Arpa|lice,</HI> &s;eeing vvith vvhat earne&s;tne&s;s and affection <HI>Candiope</HI> and he talked together, &s;he vvent tovvards <HI>Candiope,</HI> and pulling her gently by the Govvn; I pray tell me (&s;aid &s;he cunningly) Whether this <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> unto vvhom you &s;peak, is that <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> vvho is the friend of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and vvho counterfeited <HI>Arcon</HI> &s;o vvell, as for my part I cannot i|magine it is he. <HI>Candiope</HI> vvas &s;o &s;urprized at the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that &s;he blu&s;h|ed, imagining that it vvas becau&s;e the ayr and garb of <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> did not plea&s;e her, and that the <HI>Idea</HI> vvhich he had formed by the recital vvhich &s;he had made of him to her, vvas more advantageous for <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> then that conceipt vvhich him&s;elf begot: So that be|ing much a&s;hamed, and fuller of anger then &s;he vvould &s;uffer to appear, vvhich yet ap|peared more then &s;he would have it, &s;he asked her friend, Why &s;he made a que&s;tion, Whether he &s;he &s;aw was that &s;ame <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> of whom &s;he heard her &s;peak: The rea&s;on why I did not believe it to be him, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> Becau&s;e you told me, that there was only terms of e&s;teem betwixt you and him, on a kind of &s;light affection, which you could not phra&s;e either Love or friend&s;hip; and which was of &s;uch a nature only, as that you would &s;peak well of each other in all places, and this is all the proofs of his affection you ever had from him; So that finding in the face of this <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> the joy of a Lover, who &s;ees his Mi&s;tre&s;s after a long ab&s;ence, you may well pardon me if I doubted whether <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> was <HI>Phili&s;tion:</HI> If you believe, as you &s;ay, (replied <HI>Candiope,</HI> and both &s;mile|ed and blu&s;ht) You were very malicious to interrupt me: To de&s;erve the title which you give me (an&s;wered &s;he) I profe&s;s that I will not &s;uffer you to &s;peak with <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> in pri|vate all this day, unle&s;s you entreat me to let you talk with him: Then I will entreat you, replied <HI>Candiope,</HI> For there are &s;ome things of importance which he began to tell me, the which I mu&s;t needs know, becau&s;e they will facilitate the agreement between <HI>Thra&s;i|medes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates:</HI> No, no, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> That &s;hall not &s;erve your turn; for if you do not entreat me, and confe&s;s that I do you a plea&s;ure in it in con&s;ideration of your &s;elf, I will not let you be in quietne&s;s: I be&s;eech you let it &s;atisfie (replied &s;he and &s;miled) That I entreat you only for the Love of <HI>Phili&s;tion:</HI> I will, an&s;wered <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> Upon condition you will promi&s;e me, to tell me what he &s;aith unto you: I do prote&s;t I will, &s;aid <HI>Candiope,</HI> and turned towards <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> who really had &s;omething to impart unto her, which did conduce to the reconcilement of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates,</HI> though <HI>Candiope</HI> &s;aid &s;o unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> as an excu&s;e of her &s;elf. Al&s;o after that this counterfeit <HI>A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">on</HI> had expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf as fully as Love could prompt a Lover after a long ab&s;ence, and had a&s;&s;ured her of the fidelity of his heart, and prote&s;ted that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he never &s;aw her &s;o fair and lovely in all his life, as at this his return: Then he told her the rea&s;on why he did not follow <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> when he came into <HI>Sardis,</HI> which was, becau&s;e he was forced to &s;tay in <HI>Halicarna&s;&s;us,</HI> by rea&s;on of &s;ome Wounds he had received in a combat, in which
<PB N="16" REF="591">
he was ingaged, concerning the intere&s;ts of both <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and of one of his Si&s;ters. <HI>Candiope</HI> not comprehending how <HI>Arpalice,</HI> who was of <HI>Patara,</HI> could have any intere&s;t mixed with a Si&s;ter of <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> who was of <HI>Halicarna&s;&s;us,</HI> &s;eemed to be much &s;urprize|ed: But for her &s;atisfaction, <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> told her, how he had a Si&s;ter who&s;e name was <HI>Androclea,</HI> who was loved by a man of Quality in this Town, named <HI>Ephialtes,</HI> whom &s;he much di&s;liked, but dur&s;t not &s;hew it, becau&s;e &s;he had an imperious Mother, who would needs have her marry him; that whil'&s;t <HI>Ephialtes</HI> was ab&s;ent, <HI>Menecrates</HI> and <HI>Parmenides</HI> chanced to come unto <HI>Halicarna&s;&s;us:</HI> When were they in that Town? (&s;aid <HI>Candiope</HI> and interrupted him.) They were there, replied <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> after their departure from <HI>Apa|mea,</HI> and whil'&s;t <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and I were at <HI>Patara;</HI> So that whil'&s;t <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> fell in Love with the Mi&s;tre&s;s of <HI>Menecrates, Menecrates</HI> fell in Love with my Si&s;ter at <HI>Hali|carna&s;&s;us:</HI> Was <HI>Menecrates</HI> in love with your Si&s;ter? (replied <HI>Candiope.)</HI> Doubtle&s;s he was, replied <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> and the wor&s;t was, my Si&s;ter had as great an inclination to him, as &s;he had aver&s;ion unto <HI>Ephialtes;</HI> So that &s;he being ea&s;ily per&s;waded unto a thing which &s;he much de&s;ired, &s;he believed he loved her, and he quickly perceived that &s;he did not hate him; and by this means there grew &s;o great an amity betwixt them, as to impart all their &s;ecrets unto each other: This being &s;o, my Si&s;ter acquainted him that her Mother would marry her again&s;t her will unto <HI>Ephialtes,</HI> and <HI>Menecrates</HI> al&s;o acquainted her, that his friends would likewi&s;e ingage him unto a Lady of <HI>Licia,</HI> whom he loved not. Thus this conformity augmenting their affections, they grew to &s;uch a point, as to promi&s;e each other to u&s;e their be&s;t endeavours that they might marry together; So that when <HI>Menecrates</HI> departed from <HI>Halicarna&s;&s;us,</HI> he told my Si&s;ter, That he went to u&s;e all his endeavours for breaking off with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and that as &s;oon as it was done, he would return unto our Town: But he being of &s;uch an humour, as very often to begin Love phanta&s;tically, and &s;o to end it, he forgot my Si&s;ter as &s;oon as he was out of her &s;ight; for indeed you know how he behaved him&s;elf at his return to <HI>Patara,</HI> how <HI>Cydipe</HI> for a while did take him, and how the love of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> to <HI>Arpalice</HI> revived the love of <HI>Menecrates</HI> unto the Beauty. In the mean time, my Si&s;ter being nothing of the temper of <HI>Menecrates,</HI> when <HI>Ephialtes</HI> came to her, he was cour&s;ely entertained, and all the authority of a Mother could not compel <HI>Androclea</HI> to marry him. This was the &s;tate of things, mo&s;t amiable <HI>Candiope,</HI> when <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and I returned from <HI>Halicarna&s;&s;us,</HI> af|ter we had left you at <HI>Patara:</HI> Since the Love of <HI>Menecrates</HI> and my Si&s;ter was clo&s;ely carried. I was ignorant of it at my return; but afterwards, my mother dying, as well as the Father of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and <HI>Ephialtes</HI> addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf unto me for my Si&s;ter, as one whom my Mother had promi&s;ed unto him, I pre&s;&s;ed <HI>Androclea</HI> to tell me why &s;he would not marry him? And &s;he being driven to the nece&s;&s;ity of giving me a rea&s;on for her proceedings, &s;he confe&s;&s;ed the whole truth unto me. I no &s;ooner knew this, but de|&s;igning to advance the marriage of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and break off that of <HI>Menecrates</HI> and her, I con&s;ulted with <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and told <HI>Ephialtes,</HI> that not being of the &s;ame humour of my Mother, nor having the &s;ame power over my Si&s;ter which &s;he had, I could not force her to marry him; and therefore I wi&s;hed him to de&s;i&s;t from any further thoughts of it, intending afterwards to return unto <HI>Patara,</HI> and to carry <HI>An|droclea</HI> thither al&s;o, under a pretence of con&s;ulting with the Oracle, to the end I might &s;ummon <HI>Menecrates</HI> unto his promi&s;e, and to trouble all his de&s;igns. But <HI>Ephialtes</HI> would not permit me to do as I intended, for he being of a mo&s;t violent and ha&s;ty temper, and deep in Love, he could not brook my refu&s;al of forcing my Si&s;ter to accompli&s;h my Mo|thers promi&s;e; So that he &s;ent me a challenge, and we fought, unknown to <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> I had the good fortune to get the better, and to make him quit his pretences; but I had the misfortune al&s;o to be much Wounded, and could not follow <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> when he got into <HI>Sardis,</HI> which doubtle&s;s I had done, if my hurts had permitted me. In the mean time, &s;ince I was not able to live out of your &s;ight, and &s;ince I had promi&s;ed <HI>Thra&s;ime|des</HI> to make u&s;e of the Love which <HI>Menecrates</HI> bore unto my Si&s;ter, I brought <HI>Androclea</HI> with me, intending to leave her at a Frontire Town of our Country which joyns upon <HI>Licia,</HI> and which is not far from hence, where we had &s;ome friends, to the end that when I had found <HI>Menecrates,</HI> &s;he might be neerer the place where I knew he would be: But hearing by the publike talk, that <HI>Sardis</HI> was taken, and al&s;o by a <HI>Halicarna&s;&s;ean</HI> Soul|dier, who was returning unto his Country loadened with booty, who &s;aid, That <HI>Thra&s;i|medes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates</HI> were both in the power of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and that there were &s;ome <HI>Lician</HI> Ladies which went out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> who were &s;harers in the intere&s;t of tho&s;e two pri&s;oners,
<PB N="17" REF="591">
I collected that it mu&s;t needs be you; So that without more delay, I took a re&s;olution of coming hither, and bringing my Si&s;ter with me; So that taking the benefit of a Convoy of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his Troops, we came &s;afely to <HI>Sardis</HI> without any danger; but &s;ince no &s;trangers were &s;uffered to enter, who&s;e names were not pre&s;ented unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I an&s;wered unto tho&s;e who asked mine, by the name of <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> and that I was friend unto a valiant man who came into <HI>Sardis,</HI> and who <HI>Cyrus</HI> treated &s;o well: They told that Prince po|&s;itively the very &s;ame words which I told them: &s;o that the name of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> cau|&s;ed me to be brought unto him, after I had conducted my Si&s;ter unto the place where the &s;tranger Ladies lodged. This Prince received me very well, and told me, that I came opportunely to be a witne&s;s of that accords which he would that day make between <HI>Thra|&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates.</HI> I no &s;ooner heard this, but I took the liberty to tell him, that he could not ju&s;tly do it, unle&s;s fir&s;t he did me the honour to give me a little audience, and he con&s;enting unto it, the &s;ame hour I told him what now I told you: Afterwards, he commanded me to follow him hither, telling me, that he would go unto the Chamber of <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> whether he would have <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates</HI> brought, to the end he might reconcile their differences: The matter will not be difficult, replied <HI>Candiope,</HI> af|ter this which you have told me; but I do conceive it requi&s;ite, that <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> and <HI>Arpa|lice</HI> know what you have told me, before any accommodation be made. <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> con|ceiving what <HI>Candiope</HI> did &s;ay to be rea&s;onable, permitted her to adverti&s;e her friends of what &s;he thought fit: Before <HI>Cyrus</HI> began to &s;peak of the bu&s;ine&s;s between <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates:</HI> And <HI>Candiope</HI> had no &s;ooner imparted it unto <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> and <HI>Arpalice;</HI> but <HI>Cyrus</HI> addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf to the fir&s;t of the&s;e, I intended, &s;aid he unto her, to have come unto your Chamber, purpo&s;ely to endeavour the reconciling of two friends, by &s;etting <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates</HI> at liberty: But &s;ince there is &s;ome difficulty in the bu&s;ine&s;s, to conceive it were more expedient to take the advice to the&s;e two great Princes, before whom I &s;peak, and of the&s;e two Princes, upon condition notwith&s;tanding, that the fair <HI>Arpalice</HI> con&s;ent unto it: <HI>Arpalice,</HI> replied <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> is not &s;o accu&s;tomed unto her own will, that it is nece&s;&s;ary to con&s;ult with her thereupon: therefore Sir, I be&s;eech you fol|low the Dictates of your own will without any further information of hers; And indeed Sir you may judg by the blu&s;hes in her cheeks, that &s;he has not confidence enough to tell you what &s;he thinks: I can de&s;ire nothing Sir (replied <HI>Arpalice</HI> mode&s;tly) But what &s;hall plea&s;e you, and therefore it is not nece&s;&s;ary my words &s;hould expre&s;s my thoughts: Since &s;o (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto <HI>Lyca&s;te)</HI> I be&s;eech you Madam, let the matter be before &s;uch an illu&s;trious company: My will Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, Is what &s;hall mo&s;t plea&s;e you, hoping that the more illu&s;trious per&s;ons there are, who &s;hall give their votes in favour of him who &s;hall be happy, the more patient will he be, again&s;t whom the &s;entence is given. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> who had a mo&s;t admirable memory, and rare eloquence, and who knew how to compo&s;e the large&s;t adventure in few words, began &s;uccinctly to relate the whole bu&s;ine&s;s of <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates,</HI> which he received either from <HI>Andra|mites,</HI> or <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> or <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> bringing the &s;tory unto the very day when <HI>Thra&s;ime|des</HI> would have got into <HI>Sardis,</HI> which was be&s;ieged, becau&s;e he thought his Mi&s;tre&s;s to be there, and when <HI>Menecrates</HI> would have come out, becau&s;e he thought &s;he was not there; adding al&s;o, that the Si&s;ter of <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> was in <HI>Sardis:</HI> You remember Madam, (&s;aid he, and addre&s;&s;ed his di&s;cour&s;e unto the Prince&s;s) That <HI>Menecrates</HI> and <HI>Arpalice</HI> were de&s;igned by their Parents to marry: That <HI>Arpalice</HI> cannot confirm her mind unto the will of her parents without extream violence upon her &s;elf: That <HI>Menecrates</HI> hath a long time &s;lighted her, and al&s;o played away her picture unto <HI>Thra&s;imedes:</HI> Moreover, he &s;eems to have renounced all right unto that fair Lady, in promi&s;ing the Si&s;ter of <HI>Phi|li&s;tion</HI> to do all he could to break off with her: That <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> hath ever loved <HI>Arpa|lice</HI> &s;ince fir&s;t he knew her, and that <HI>Menecrates</HI> never began to love her, until he began to fear le&s;t <HI>Arpalice</HI> &s;hould love <HI>Thra&s;imedes.</HI> Then after <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;et forth the intere&s;t of both the&s;e per&s;ons unto tho&s;e who knew it not, and had revived it in the memory of tho&s;e who did know it, he thought it requi&s;ite to &s;ee the Si&s;ter of <HI>Phili&s;ti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n,</HI> and there|fore he &s;ent immediately for her: Though <HI>Androclea</HI> had no mind to appear among&s;t &s;o great a company, yet the affection of her &s;oul unto <HI>Menecrates,</HI> and her de&s;ire to break off this marriage with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> prompted her to appear; and the &s;ooner, becau&s;e her Brother, in point of honour, and for her intere&s;t, and that of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> did ex|treamly pre&s;s her unto it; So that after &s;he had imployed a quarter of an hour in dre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf, &s;o that it might appear her beauty de&s;erved not to be &s;lighted, &s;he went unto the
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Palace of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> being conducted by <HI>Phili&s;tion;</HI> But &s;he entred with &s;o good a grace unto the Chamber of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> where all the illu&s;trious company was a&s;&s;em|bled, that &s;he did attract the eyes of all tho&s;e who were pre&s;ent: <HI>Androclea</HI> was hand|&s;ome, and of a large &s;tature, her a&s;pect was very Maje&s;tical with a mixture of &s;weetne&s;s with it; and though every particular feature was alike beautiful, yet &s;he had the ayr of &s;o high a beauty. After &s;he was come into the Chamber of the <HI>Lidian</HI> Prince&s;s, and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had very civilly received her, he pre&s;ented her unto <HI>Timaretta</HI> and <HI>Palmis.</HI> As &s;oon as &s;he entred, &s;he looked about her, to &s;ee if &s;he could know <HI>Arpalice,</HI> by the de&s;cription of <HI>Phili&s;tion. Arpalice</HI> for her part, having a great de&s;ire to &s;ee <HI>Andro|clea,</HI> who had the advantage to move the heart of <HI>Menecrates</HI> before her, &s;he did mo&s;t attentively look upon her; &s;o that looking accidentally upon each other at once, and <HI>Androclea</HI> believing her &s;he looked upon to be <HI>Arpalice,</HI> &s;o it chanced that they both blu&s;hed, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> perceived it: I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ee very well (&s;aid he unto them) That there is no need you &s;hould be named unto each other, and that you know one another before you be acquainted: Since I would excu&s;e <HI>Menecrates,</HI> replied <HI>Androclea,</HI> I &s;hall be very glad that &s;o perfect a beauty as this Lady I look upon hath cau&s;ed his incon&s;tancy, upon con|dition, that this incon&s;tancy do cea&s;e: The applauds which you give me, replied <HI>Ar|palice,</HI> may well make me blu&s;h for &s;hame; but in lieu of rejecting them, give me leave to tell you, that I am much joyed, to &s;ee how according to all likelyhood <HI>Menecrates</HI> will no &s;ooner &s;ee you, but he will repent him&s;elf of the inju&s;tice which he hath done you, and the trouble he hath put me unto. After this <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who de&s;ired to be &s;peedily deli|vered of all bu&s;ine&s;s that might hinder him from the thoughts of <HI>Mandana,</HI> began to ask <HI>Arpalice</HI> What were her intere&s;ts in this bu&s;ine&s;s? But this di&s;creet Lady an&s;wered him, That &s;he had only two: The fir&s;t, To be di&s;pen&s;ed from that ingagement wherein the te&s;tament of <HI>Menecrates,</HI> his Parents and hers, had brought her with him: The o|ther, That by his wi&s;dome and prudence, he would prevent <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Menecrates</HI> from fighting. After this, <HI>Arpalice</HI> was &s;ilent; though if &s;he had humored the &s;ecret mo|tions of her heart, &s;he would have urged the matter more pre&s;&s;ingly in advantage of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> but her mode&s;ty did check her. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked <HI>Androclea,</HI> What &s;he pretended unto? I pretend, &s;aid &s;he, unto nothing, but to puni&s;h <HI>Menecrates,</HI> for not beginning to love the fair <HI>Arpalice</HI> as &s;oon as he began to know her: That you will oblige him to keep his word with one, who&s;e merit and beauty is much inferiour unto hers whom he hath preferred before her; but I think him obliged to love her only, becau&s;e he hath promi&s;ed: After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> willed <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> to give his opinion, who being no le&s;s bold then generous, told him freely, That &s;ince he was the friend of <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> he would to his utmo&s;t oppo&s;e the Marriage of <HI>Menecrates</HI> with <HI>Arpalice:</HI> And more|over, he being the Brother of <HI>Androclea,</HI> he could not endure it; and therefore <HI>Mene|crates</HI> mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity prepare him&s;elf to fight, both again&s;t <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and him&s;elf, if he thought of marrying <HI>Arpalice.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> hearing what <HI>Arpalice, Androclea,</HI> and <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> pretended, de&s;ired them to withdraw into another Chamber; after which he &s;ent for <HI>Menecrates, Parmenides,</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> one after another: But before he asked the fir&s;t of the&s;e, what were his pretentions? He hinted unto him, That now <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> and <HI>Androclea</HI> were at <HI>Sar|dis,</HI> with intentions to hold him to his word. But Sir (&s;aid he and cryed out) If the heart which I had then, when I promi&s;ed <HI>Androclea</HI> to love her, be changed, what can I do to &s;atisfie her? Moreover, I did make no further promi&s;e unto her, but to do what I could to break off with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and I wi&s;h unto the Gods that it were in my power to do it; for con&s;idering the &s;corn of that cruel Lady, and the goodne&s;s of <HI>Androclea</HI> not yet to hate me, I &s;hould be mo&s;t glad to be revenged of her; but &s;ince I am not able Sir, I conjure you to remember, that the wills of the dead ought to be inviolable: However (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto <HI>Menecrates)</HI> It is ju&s;t you hearken to the complaints of <HI>Androclea: Me|necrates</HI> would have refu&s;ed it, but the Prince&s;s <HI>Timaretta,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> com|manded him to go into the room where &s;he was with <HI>Arpalice</HI> and <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> upon con|dition, that <HI>C<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">nice</HI> and <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> would conduct him thither, unto which he was obe|dient. Then <HI>Parmenides</HI> appeared, who having quite forgot <HI>Cleoxene</HI> for <HI>Cydipe,</HI> de|clared, that he had no other intere&s;t in the bu&s;ine&s;s between <HI>Menecrates</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> but only his promi&s;e to the fir&s;t of them to do him all the good offices he could unto his Si&s;ter, from which he would not alter, though he did not marry <HI>Cleoxene. Parmenides</HI> having &s;aid all he could, he retired, and <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> was brought in, though it was not nece&s;&s;a|ry
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to ask him what he pretended unto, it being ea&s;ie to comprehend, that &s;o they would give <HI>Arpalice</HI> unto him, he would be no longer an enemy unto <HI>Menecrates:</HI> Yet for or|ders &s;ake, <HI>Cyrus</HI> would have him &s;peak, which he did with &s;o much Spirit, and expre&s;&s;ed &s;uch &s;en&s;ible &s;ymptoms of Love unto <HI>Arpalice,</HI> that all tho&s;e who heard him, were ab&s;olutely on his &s;ide; &s;o that retiring, as the other did, he left the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> at liberty to take the advice of the Prince&s;s <HI>Timaretta,</HI> of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> of the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> of the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> and all the company. But though it was not u&s;ual to &s;ee &s;o many per&s;ons together without difference in opinion, yet at this time they all concurred. At the fir&s;t, there were &s;ome, who though they were per&s;waded that <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> did better de&s;erve <HI>Arpalice</HI> then <HI>Menecrates,</HI> yet they had much ado to di&s;pen&s;e with the la&s;t will of a Father which he makes when he is dying: But after they heard <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;peak, they al|tered their opinion, and conceived that Marriages ought to be &s;o free as Parents, if they be wi&s;e, will never con&s;train their children to marry again&s;t their inclination: Judg then I be&s;eech you &s;aid this great Prince, Whether it be not blameable in a Father to marry his child again&s;t her inclination; and whether it be not permittable for <HI>Arpalice</HI> to follow her own will, not her Fathers: &s;ince he could not fore&s;ee when he appointed her to mar|ry <HI>Menecrates,</HI> that <HI>Menecrates</HI> would &s;light her a long time, that <HI>Menecrates</HI> would promi&s;e <HI>Androclea</HI> to break off with <HI>Arpalice;</HI> that <HI>Menecrates</HI> vvould love his Daughter only out of a cupritious humour, and to hinder his Rival from being happy: For my part, &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> I cannot think a Father ought by vvill to di&s;po&s;e of the affection of his children; Who vvould undertake, &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Timaretta,</HI> that the young child vvhich the Father vvould have to be the Husband of his Daughter hereafter, vvill be virtuous? I am per&s;vvaded, replyed <HI>Sefo&s;tris,</HI> That Fathers vvho make &s;uch Te|&s;taments, do intend they &s;hould be obeyed only in ca&s;e the match prove fit and rea&s;ona|ble: Since &s;o, &s;aid the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> A &s;entence mu&s;t be pronounced in favour of <HI>Thra&s;imedes:</HI> My opinion is, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to endeavour the making of as fevv unhappy in this bu&s;ine&s;s as vve can, and to prevent the fighting of &s;uch brave men, as vvhich &s;ide &s;oever the Victory falls, the Conquerour vvill have cau&s;e to regreet it: For though <HI>Me|necrates</HI> be incon&s;tant, and a little capritious, yet he is a man of Soul and Spirit: I be|&s;eech you con&s;ider (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and turned to both the Prince&s;&s;es) that if <HI>Arpalice</HI> be injoyned to accompli&s;h the Te&s;tament of her Father by marrying <HI>Menecrates,</HI> they vvill all be unhappy: <HI>Menecrates</HI> vvill be ingaged to fight both again&s;t <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> and <HI>Phili|&s;tion;</HI> again&s;t the fir&s;t upon the &s;core of his Mi&s;tre&s;s, again&s;t the &s;econd upon the &s;core of his Si&s;ter: Doubtle&s;s there vvould be many unfortunate, replied <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> but not all, for <HI>Me|necrates</HI> vvould enjoy his Mi&s;tre&s;s: 'Tis true, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> He vvould enjoy the beauty of <HI>Arpalice,</HI> but I am fully per&s;vvaded, that &s;ince he vvould not enjoy her heart, he would never enjoy contentment; and the greate&s;t good that <HI>Menecrates</HI> would have in the bu&s;ine&s;s, would be the hinderance of his Rival from being happy; for as &s;oon as the fir&s;t daies of marriage are over, he will turn even de&s;perate for marrying one who hates him, and who perhaps he will hate al&s;o, for con&s;idering the temper of <HI>Me|necrates,</HI> I am the mo&s;t deceived of all men living, if the enjoyment of that which he loves, be not an infallible means to quench the flames of Love in his heart: As for <HI>Ar|palice,</HI> it mu&s;t needs be concluded, that &s;ince &s;he Marries <HI>Menecrates</HI> whom &s;he loves not, and does not marry <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> whom &s;he loves, &s;he would be mo&s;t mi&s;erable. <HI>Androclea</HI> for her part, &s;he would not be &s;atisfied, to &s;ee a man whom &s;he loved become the Husband of another; nor would <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> be at all contented to &s;ee <HI>Menecrates,</HI> af|ter a promi&s;e to marry his Si&s;ter married unto another; and as for <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> it mu&s;t be concluded, that he being in love with <HI>Arpalice,</HI> and knowing him&s;elf to be loved, he would be one of the mo&s;t mi&s;erable Lovers in the World, if his Rival &s;hould enjoy his Mi&s;tre&s;s: So that it is apparent, by giving <HI>Arpalice</HI> unto <HI>Menecrates,</HI> all tho&s;e who are intere&s;ted in this bu&s;ine&s;s, are made unhappy; for <HI>Parmenides</HI> him&s;elf, though he make a &s;hew of being ingaged in the intere&s;t of <HI>Menecrates,</HI> yet if I be not deceived, he will be glad that his Si&s;ter would not marry the Brother of one whom he will &s;ee no more, and one who hath treated him ill. On the contrary, if <HI>Arpalice</HI> be given unto <HI>Thra&s;i|medes,</HI> both they will be happy: <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> will be &s;atisfied: Ju&s;tice will be done unto <HI>An|droclea; Parmonides</HI> will not be di&s;obliged, and <HI>Menecrates</HI> will be forced to be happy whether he will or no, &s;ince he may have a Wife who loves him, and is delivered from one who hates him. Moreover, though he will not &s;ubmit his mind unto rea&s;on, yet he will have no ground of any quarrel but with <HI>Thra&s;imedes,</HI> and hath nothing to &s;ay with
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<PB N="22" REF="593">
ly unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I vvi&s;h you had only let me &s;een that fatal Scarf, vvithout a &s;ight of that Divine Picture; for by the vi&s;ion of that mark of my crime, vvith the apparition of that Beauty vvhich cau&s;ed me to commit it, I &s;hould have been only expo&s;ed to a renovation of my &s;orrovvs and repentance, and had been out of danger to revive my Love: I ask you pardon (replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and vvould have &s;hut the Ca&s;e in vvhich the Picture vvas) for expo&s;ing you unto &s;o great a danger: Alas Sir (replied <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;ighing, and hold|ing <HI>Cyrus</HI> by the arm) I knovv not vvhy I &s;hould fear it, or complain; but I am mo&s;t certain, that though my Love vvere more violent, if it vvere po&s;&s;ible, then it is, yet I vvould not attempt any thing vvhich vvould offend you, as long as our Prince&s;s loves you, and not me: Therefore &s;ince you may be confident that &s;he vvill for ever love you, and never me, do not envy me the happine&s;s of one minutes &s;eeing the Picture of Divine <HI>Mandana,</HI> to the end, that the &s;ight of the adored Prince&s;s whom I have &s;o much offend|ed, and cau&s;ed all her misfortunes, might augment my repentance: So that Sir, in lieu of reviving my affection, you will add unto my remor&s;e that ever I carried her away: Look then upon the picture of our Prince&s;s, mo&s;t generous Rival, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but look upon it with &s;uch thoughts as will keep me your friend, and not fru&s;trate that Heroique re&s;olution which you have taken, of contenting your &s;elf with the e&s;teem and friend&s;hip of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and endeavouring her relea&s;e: I do promi&s;e it Sir, &s;aid this perplexed Lo|ver; after which he looked upon the picture, and he had no &s;ooner ca&s;t his eyes upon it, and a little contemplated upon it, but blu&s;hing, he found &s;uch a violent agitation of heart, that doubting the con&s;tancy of his re&s;olution, he ha&s;tily &s;hut the Ca&s;e, and re|&s;toring it to <HI>Cyrus:</HI> Here Sir, &s;aid he unto him, take this mo&s;t angelique picture, I am of a weaker temper then I thought my &s;elf, and dare not &s;o confidently an&s;wer for my thoughts, but to te&s;tifie the de&s;ires I have to overcome them, give me leave only to look upon this Scarf, which revives in my memory <HI>Mandana</HI> floting upon the Waves, and ready to peri&s;h through my default: Methinks I &s;ee her yet (&s;aid this amorous Prince) when having no other help but mine, in &s;pite of the impetuous Waves, &s;he endeavoured to be loo&s;e from me, chu&s;ing rather to die, then receive life from the hand of her Ra|vi&s;her: But alas, divine Prince&s;s, &s;aid he, you were ignorant of that reformation which was in my &s;oul: I wi&s;h, mo&s;t generous Rival (&s;aid he, and looked upon <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that I were a&s;&s;ured to have all my life the &s;ame thoughts which then I had, when a mountain of horrid Waves overwhelmed us, which loo&s;ed this Scarf, and &s;eparated me from our Prince&s;s, whom then I &s;aw &s;wallowed up by that terrible Element, and thought to be ever lo&s;t: I wi&s;h Sir once more, that this horrid Idea might be for ever imprinted in my mind: But alas Sir, Many times again&s;t my will I &s;ee &s;uch things as are fuel to the fire of my pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>Mazares</HI> &s;poke all this in &s;uch &s;adne&s;s and &s;incerity, that the heart of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> though a Rival, melted; and he was &s;o &s;weet in his expre&s;&s;ions, that <HI>Mazares</HI> had no cau&s;e of complaint: and after this mi&s;erable Prince had condoled his Fate, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> lamented his bad fortune, and both of them pitied and cheered up each other, they asked one a|nother whether they heard any thing concerning the Prince&s;s, &s;ince they &s;aw each other, and did mutually di&s;plea&s;e by an&s;wering, they heard nothing. In the mean time, &s;ince their di&s;cour&s;e had continued long, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was told, that many waited in his Chamber, &s;o that he went out of his Clo&s;et to di&s;patch them who had any bu&s;ine&s;s with him. After|wards, he went to vi&s;it <HI>Arianita,</HI> purpo&s;ely to talk with her concerning his dear Prince&s;s. He had often a mind to do as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> had done, but upon better thoughts, he conceived it better &s;ervice to <HI>Mandana</HI> for him to &s;tay in &s;uch a place where he might re|ceive the intelligence of all who went to inquire of her: So that contenting him&s;elf with preparation of all things in readine&s;s to march, as &s;oon as he &s;hould receive intelligence where &s;he was, he omitted nothing which did become his genero&s;ity, either for the Prin|ces whom he had vanqui&s;hed, or for tho&s;e whom he protected, or for his friends, or his Dome&s;tiques, or his Souldiers: So that the third day which <HI>Menecrates</HI> had taken, be|ing come, he omitted nothing which concerned his bu&s;ine&s;s; but he under&s;tood, that he was the la&s;t night fallen &s;ick, and &s;o violently, as it was not fit to ask him his re&s;oluti|on. <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner heard of this, but he appointed Phy&s;itians to take care of <HI>Mene|crates:</HI> When they did vi&s;it him, they found him in &s;uch a de&s;parate condition, as that they dur&s;t not an&s;wer for his life. This news being told unto <HI>Androcl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a,</HI> &s;he was &s;o per|plexed at it, that her affection would not permit her to follow the exact rules of hand|&s;omne&s;s, con&s;idering the infidelity of <HI>Menecrates,</HI> but &s;he did every day vi&s;it him
<PB N="23" REF="593">
with <HI>Lyca&s;te:</HI> Al&s;o <HI>Arpalice,</HI> hoping that the &s;ight of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> would work upon the heart of <HI>Menecrates.</HI> &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> to carry her unto him: At the fir&s;t <HI>Menecrates</HI> &s;eemed angry; afterwards, as his di&s;ea&s;e increa&s;ed, he &s;eemed to take no notice; but when it began to dimini&s;h, and when he con&s;idered that he did not &s;o much as think upon him all the while he was &s;ick, and that he had &s;een the fair eyes of <HI>Androclea</HI> &s;wim a thou|&s;and times in tears for him, he permitted the &s;ight of her with le&s;s trouble, and a while after, he looked upon her with delight: It might very well be &s;aid, that as his Feaver vani&s;hed, &s;o did his infidelity, and that he recovered the health of his body and mind both together, and that he was able to follow the Dictates of rea&s;on, and the coun&s;els of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> In the mean time, &s;uch magnificent equipage was in preparation, for &s;end|ing <HI>Timaretta</HI> unto the King her Father, as it was evident <HI>Cyrus</HI> would do her all the ho|nours he could. Al&s;o he ordered that Ships &s;hould be ready at the &s;ame Port where <HI>Se|&s;o&s;tris</HI> imbarqued at his coming unto <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> But whil'&s;t all this equigage was making ready, <HI>So&s;o&s;tris</HI> without any impatience at all expected the day of his departure, for he found &s;o many &s;weets in <HI>Timaretta,</HI> and &s;o much &s;atisfaction with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he did not regret this little prolixity which kept him from his compleat felicity. The Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> for his part, did every day find &s;o many occa&s;ions of doing &s;ervice unto his Prince&s;s, either in behalf of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> or of <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> that he would not change his happine&s;&s;es with a|ny; and when <HI>Cyrus</HI> compared the &s;tate wherein he was with his own, he thought him|&s;elf much more mi&s;erable; but al&s;o when he remembred the condition wherein he had &s;een the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and con&s;idered the alteration of his fortune, he did not di&s;|pair of his own; but e're long after he was mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly perplexed, for after many daies tedious expectation, tho&s;e whom he &s;ent unto <HI>Milete</HI> returned, who told him, that certainly the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> pa&s;&s;ed not by that Coa&s;t. Tho&s;e al&s;o whom he &s;ent unto <HI>Guides,</HI> returned as ignorant as the fir&s;t, who could learn no more then tho&s;e who had been at <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> and many other Maritine Towns, all who reported for certain, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> touched not in tho&s;e places; &s;o that <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> were in a mo&s;t inconceiveable perplexity, when one morning he who had orders to go into <HI>Cames</HI> returned, and &s;o opportunely, that he &s;poke unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mazares,</HI> before he had &s;poken unto any of his acquaintance; for having a great de&s;ire to tell that Prince what he knew, and knowing he &s;hould be highly rewarded for the pains he had taken, he went &s;trait unto the Cittadel, where he found <HI>Cyrus</HI> talking with <HI>Mazares</HI> in his Clo&s;et, con|&s;ulting what was the mo&s;t expedient re&s;olutions for them to take. As &s;oon as he appear|ed, <HI>Cyrus</HI> knew him to be the &s;ame who had orders for <HI>Cumes,</HI> he went towards him, and asked ha&s;tily whether he had learned any intelligence: Sir, &s;aid he, thanks be to the Gods, I have been more happy then the re&s;t of my companions, and am able to inform you where the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is. At the&s;e words, <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> did both of them at once imbrace him, and bad him tell them what he knew. Sirs, &s;aid he unto them, I know of certainty, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> are at <HI>Cumes,</HI> but they are known by very few: I know that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> at his landing, did &s;et up the colours of <HI>Milete</HI> in his Ship, as if it had been a Merchants Ve&s;&s;el: I know al&s;o, that he came thither in the night; that before he landed, he &s;ent a &s;ervant in a little Boat unto the Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> who as you know is very young, though he be mo&s;t ab&s;olute in his Dominions. In the mean time, though I know not the rea&s;on of his tran&s;action, yet he doth not di&s;cover unto the Inhabitants of <HI>Cumes,</HI> that he would give any retreat unto the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> but on the contrary, to carry it more clo&s;ely, he does not lodg him in his Palace, and the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is lodged in a private hou&s;e, though &s;trictly guarded. Moreover, under the pretence of your great Victories; and that all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> is in Arms, the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> begins to tackle up his Ships, and to make Levies of armed men in the Country: The rea&s;on, &s;aid <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">yrus,</HI> Why this Prince will not have it known that he gives us retreat unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> certainly is, becau&s;e he is not in a condition to defend them: It is not to be doubted, an&s;wered <HI>Mazares:</HI> But yet &s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto him who brought the news, How came you to know all this? And how can we give credit unto your words? Sir, replyed he, I have travelled much in my life, and was a Souldier very young, and &s;o it falls out, that a &s;ervant unto him at who&s;e hou&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> is lodged, was my Comrade in the <HI>Mile&s;ian</HI> Wars again&s;t <HI>Policrates,</HI> &s;o that meeting this man upon the Port of <HI>Cumes,</HI> and there renewing our acquaintance, I re|&s;olved to make u&s;e of him for the di&s;covery of what I de&s;ired to know; but I was not put unto the nece&s;&s;ity of his di&s;cretion, for in&s;en&s;ibly pa&s;&s;ing from one di&s;cour&s;e unto ano|ther,
<PB N="24" REF="594">
as I was telling him, that he was a very happy man in dwelling within a peaceable Town, whil'&s;t all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> was in Arms, he began to tell me, that <HI>Cumes</HI> ere long would have its turn, and afterwards told me all that I tell you: And he told me, that his Ma|&s;ter with whom <HI>Mandana</HI> lodged was extreamly troubled, that the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> had given a retreat unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> becau&s;e he feared that it would be the ruine of his Country, telling me, that he heard his Ma&s;ter expre&s;s as much unto his Wife, not thinking that he did hear him: But, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto him, Know you nothing but what this man told you? Yes Sir, replied he, But I be&s;eech you lend me a little patience, and then I &s;hall tell you, that after this which I have already told you, this man told me, that there was a Woman with that Prince&s;s, whom he pitied the mo&s;t in the world; that &s;he &s;omtimes &s;poke unto him out of grated Windows which opened into a back Court, and endeavoured to &s;uborn him to carry a Letter for her unto one whom &s;he would direct him unto, after he had promi&s;ed fidelity, offering Jewels which &s;he &s;hewed unto him, which &s;eemed to be of a great value: But &s;aid he unto me, I was put to a great <HI>nonplus,</HI> for I would not betray my Ma&s;ter, nor would I di&s;cover what this Woman &s;aid unto me, le&s;t they &s;hould lock her up and treat her ill: Oh my dear friend (&s;aid I unto him, the bet|ter to per&s;wade him unto my de&s;ires) your virtue is too too &s;crupulous: Let us divide the Jewels, and give me the Letter to carry, &s;o may you be a gainer without danger: At the fir&s;t, he could hardly re&s;olve upon it; but after, &s;eeing me &s;o forward to be a complice of his crime, I brought him to con&s;ent unto the Commi&s;&s;ion of it; &s;o that without more a|do he took my coun&s;el, he &s;poke that night unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> he &s;eemed to be per&s;waded by her, he took the Jewels and the Letter which was directed unto you, and brought both Letter and Jewels unto me: Oh mo&s;t cruel man, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> Why did you not give me this Letter at the fir&s;t? Becau&s;e, &s;aid he, I would fir&s;t make an orderly relation, but to repair that fault, I will give it unto you, and &s;o he did, which <HI>Cyrus</HI> opening, found the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>MARTESIA</HI> unto the illu&s;trious <HI>CYRUS.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>THough the Prince&s;s continually complains of you, &s;ince I am confident it is without cau&s;e, I thought it fit to acquaint you, that we are at</HI> Cumes, <HI>where in all likelyhood we &s;hall for &s;ome time remain: If you will ju&s;tifie your &s;elf unto her who accu&s;eth you, you mu&s;t quit the Prince&s;s</HI> Araminta <HI>to come and relea&s;e her; but to comfort you, know that your Rival is no gainer by your di&s;grace; but the Prince&s;s not being able, as the &s;tate &s;tands with her, to revenge her &s;elf upon you, doth revenge upon him that infidelity whereof &s;he &s;uspects, I will not &s;ay, accu&s;eth you. In the mean time, be confident, that as &s;oon as I &s;ee your Forces ap|pear, I will speak in your behalf, and plead hard in your ju&s;tification. After this, I mu&s;t further tell you, that I under&s;tand both by good fortune and craft, the King of</HI> Pontus <HI>fears to be be&s;ieged, both by Sea and I and, and fears that if he &s;ee a Naval Army, he &s;hall not be able to carry us away. This Sir is the advice of one, who&s;e hopes are, that he who hath ta|ken</HI> Artaxates, Babylon, <HI>and</HI> Sardis, <HI>will ere long put an end to all our misfortunes, and take</HI> Cumes.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>MARTESIA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had read this Letter, he &s;hewed it unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> who read it with &s;ome &s;light re&s;entments of joy; for though he hoped for nothing, yet it was &s;ome con|&s;olation to know by this Letter, that <HI>Mandana</HI> complained again&s;t <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and though he well conceived that time would ju&s;tifie this Prince, yet he could not chu&s;e but find &s;ome &s;weetne&s;s, in thinking that at that time &s;he loved him le&s;s then &s;he had done: As for <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> doubtle&s;s he was grieved to knovv that the inju&s;tice of <HI>Mandana</HI> continued; but al|&s;o he was much joyed to know that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> vvas his Advocate, and to knovv vvhere <HI>Mandana</HI> vvas. But before he re&s;olved upon any cour&s;e, he asked him vvho gave him this Letter, if he knevv any more? and vvhy he did not endeavour to &s;ee <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> him&s;elf, to tell her hovv he vvas &s;ent purpo&s;ely unto <HI>Cumes,</HI> to enquire nevvs of the Prince&s;s? Sir, replied he, it vvas my de&s;ign; for after I had taken the Letter, I told my friend, that I vvould leave all my &s;hare of Jevvels vvith him, upon condition he vvould bring me to the &s;peech of <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> vvhich he promi&s;ed me: But as ill luck vvas, this
<PB N="25" REF="594">
man &s;peaking unto her was &s;een by his Ma&s;ter, who ob&s;erving him earne&s;t with her, turn|ed him away immediately, &s;o that he returned unto me, and told me, that now he was not in a condition to do as I de&s;ired; and &s;o I &s;eeing that I was not able to do you any fur|ther &s;ervice in that place, I returned hither with all the ha&s;t I could make. <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing that the man had no more to &s;ay, cau&s;ed him to be &s;o magnificently rewarded, as it was ap|parent that a Prince &s;o liberal was deeply amorous: But as he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed him, he charged him to be very &s;ilent, and &s;peak not a word of any thing he knew concerning <HI>Mandana:</HI> Af|ter this, <HI>Mazares</HI> and he con&s;ulted upon the be&s;t expedient in the bu&s;ine&s;s. And after they had &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idered upon all the circum&s;tances, they concluded it the be&s;t cour&s;e to &s;eem being ignorant of where the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was, until they were in a readi|ne&s;s of be&s;ieging <HI>Cumes,</HI> e&s;pecially until they had a Navy ready to block up the Port of <HI>Cumes,</HI> if it were po&s;&s;ible; and the better to conceal it, <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave it out unto all the World, that he could not di&s;cover where &s;he was, and &s;o more &s;ubtilly deludes the Spies of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> which he had in <HI>Sardis;</HI> yet <HI>Mazares</HI> advi&s;ed him to &s;end unto divers places, as if he endeavoured to inquire, which <HI>Cyrus</HI> ob&s;erved, and in publique di&s;patched many Officers to that purpo&s;e: But to lo&s;e no time, and the better to palliate his de&s;ign, he &s;ent <HI>Leontidas</HI> to <HI>Thra&s;ibulas,</HI> with ample in&s;tructions of what he de&s;ired him to do, conjuring him to &s;et out as many Ships as he could, and arm them as well and &s;peedily as po&s;&s;ible, de&s;iring him to colour his preparations &s;o, as none &s;hould &s;u&s;pect they were for him, conjuring him al&s;o to ingage the Prince of <HI>Mytilene.</HI> Al&s;o he &s;ent <HI>Mega&s;ides</HI> unto the Prince <HI>Philoxipes,</HI> to whom he writ a Letter of thanks for the good hopes which he gave him, by letting him know the Oracle which the Prince&s;s of <HI>Salamis</HI> had received, and which had been &s;o happily accompli&s;hed; but he conjured him al&s;o to pro|cure &s;ome Ships for the King his Ma&s;ter: He &s;ent al&s;o unto the Prince of <HI>Cicily</HI> upon the &s;ame bu&s;ine&s;s, and to have an eye alwayes whether the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> remained &s;till at <HI>Cumes:</HI> He &s;ent thither the &s;ame man, who brought him the intelligence, that he did not give it out he &s;ent him thither: He gave him a Letter to <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and Jewels where|with to &s;uborn tho&s;e who guarded the Prince&s;s, and &s;o by that means he might get admit|tance to deliver <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI>'s Letter: He gave him al&s;o two tru&s;ty and faithful Slaves, that he might &s;end them any whether if occa&s;ion were, when he came to <HI>Cumes.</HI> Al&s;o he re&s;olved with <HI>Mazares,</HI> that their Land Army &s;hould not move until the Navy were out at Sea, le&s;t it &s;hould too &s;oon alarum the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and &s;o ruine their de&s;ign of relea&s;ing <HI>Mandana</HI> in lieu of advancing it. In the mean time, they &s;eem|ed to the World as if they grieved extream, that they could not hear any intelligence where the Prince&s;s was; but their real &s;orrow was, to know that &s;he was in &s;o &s;trong a Town as <HI>Cumes,</HI> which at that time was a terror to all her Neighbours; yet notwith|&s;tanding, &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> never a&s;&s;aulted any which he did not take, and &s;ince his Valour never met with any ob&s;tacles which he did not &s;urmount, the hopes of vanqui&s;hing once more cau&s;ed &s;ome tranquility in his &s;oul. Things &s;tanding upon the&s;e terms, <HI>Cyrus</HI> re|ceived Letters from <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> by Po&s;ts which he had &s;et up, which Letters intimated un|to him, that his power was not at all limited, but that he might di&s;po&s;e ab&s;olutely of all things, that he might give and take away Crowns as he plea&s;ed, and do with all his Con|que&s;ts what he thought mo&s;t fit; that he thought it convenient as well as he did, it would be more ea&s;ie to keep <HI>Lidia,</HI> by re&s;toring it unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> upon the conditions which he propo&s;ed, then by guarding it, and making him a Slave: Al&s;o that by making him a Tributary King, he did him&s;elf much honour, &s;ince he made him a mo&s;t illu&s;trious Sub|ject; adding notwith&s;tanding, that to keep him within the compa&s;s of his duty, and pre|vent revolts, he would not have him re&s;tore his Trea&s;ures unto him, but de&s;ired him to take them unto him&s;elf. After this, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> lamented the misfortune of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and incouraged him to pur&s;ue his Victories until he had relea&s;ed her. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then having ab&s;olute Authority to treat <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> as he plea&s;ed, took up a re&s;olution worthy of his great &s;oul; for as the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> and <HI>Artamas</HI> were talking in his Chamber, he told the fir&s;t of them, that &s;ince he could not find to break off the Marriage of the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> with the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and having no mind he &s;hould marry the Daughter of a King without a Kingdome, he was re&s;olved to re&s;tore that Crown unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> which he had lo&s;t. Oh Sir, &s;aid the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> I pray heaven I have rightly under&s;tood you: Yes, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and to te&s;tifie that I would have a perfect reconciliation be|tween <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and you, I would have you go and tell him from me, that the King of <HI>Me|des</HI> having left the di&s;po&s;ition of his Crown entirely unto me, I do re&s;tore it unto him,
<PB N="26" REF="595">
upon condition he will become the Va&s;&s;al of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> as the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> is; that he &s;hall pay a &s;mall Tribute as a mark of his dependency; that he &s;hall follow me to the Wars with the Prince his Son, until I have relea&s;ed the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and that un|til I &s;hall depart unto the place where I &s;hall hear &s;he is, they &s;hall have Guards upon them; and this, not that I &s;hall make any que&s;tion of their words which they &s;hall pa&s;s, but becau&s;e the people &s;hall not make any new In&s;urrection which may force me to ruine him. After this, the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> returned a million of thanks and applauds unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> But <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing that it would be the height of joy unto the Prince <HI>Artames,</HI> that he could tell the Prince&s;s <HI>Palm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> &s;he &s;hould &s;ee the King her Father upon his Throne again, impo&s;ed &s;ilence upon him, conjuring him to it in all ha&s;t, and perform his Com|mi&s;&s;ion: But &s;ince I know you de&s;ire to go unto the Chamber of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> be|fore you go unto the Chamber of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> her Father, I conjure you to do &s;o, and tell her, that I am extreamly glad I am able to do any thing which &s;hall be plea&s;ing unto her. <HI>Ar|tamas</HI> an&s;wered the civilities of <HI>Cyrus</HI> with a profound reverence; after which, he went in all ha&s;t unto his dear Prince&s;s to acquaint her with the happy change in her Fathers for|tune.</P>
<P>This news did &s;o &s;urprize her, that &s;he could hardly believe it; but &s;ince &s;he could not chu&s;e but give credit unto the words of <HI>Artamas,</HI> her joyes were above her expre&s;&s;ions, yet &s;he would not permit any long repetitions of his te&s;timony, for &s;he was &s;o impatient, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> &s;hould know his good fortune, as &s;he pre&s;&s;ed <HI>Artamas</HI> above twenty times to go and tell him, which accordingly he did, after he had pre&s;ented the complement of <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto her: Then he went unto the King of <HI>Lidia,</HI> whom he found &s;itting in a pro|found melancholy: As &s;oon as <HI>Artamas</HI> entred into the Chamber, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> did ri&s;e up to receive him; but <HI>Artamas,</HI> as &s;oon as ever he had lea&s;ure told him, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had re&s;to|red the Crown of <HI>Lidia</HI> unto him: Oh, I be&s;eech you, &s;aid <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and interrupted him, Do not add vveight unto my Chains, by puffing me up into any fal&s;e hopes of a&s;cending the Throne: No Sir, replied <HI>Artamas,</HI> The happine&s;s vvhich I tell you of, is none of tho&s;e vvhich are to be hoped long for before enjoyment; you are already King of <HI>Lidia,</HI> if you plea&s;e. And then <HI>Artamas</HI> began to tell him the conditions vvhich <HI>Cyrus</HI> required upon his ree&s;tabli&s;hment, vvhich <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> did apprehend to be &s;o &s;vveet and ea&s;ie, con&s;i|dering the unfortunate condition vvhich he expected all his life, as they did not dimini&s;h his joyes of a&s;cending the Throne. As they vvere thus in di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> entred, vvho came to tell <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> that <HI>Cyrus</HI> entreated him he vvould not take it ill, if he added one condition more unto tho&s;e, vvhich <HI>Artamas</HI> vvas to tell him, before he made a pub|lique Declaration of his ree&s;tabli&s;hment. The vvords of <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> did exceedingly per|plex both tho&s;e Princes: <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> began to doubt of his good fortune, and <HI>Artamas</HI> apprehended no le&s;s, at lea&s;t that the condition which <HI>Cyrus</HI> would add, was of &s;ome hard and &s;hameful nature for the King of <HI>Lidia;</HI> &s;ince he had not charged him with it. But in conclu&s;ion, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> Sir, &s;aid he unto him, The orders which I have to pre&s;ent unto you from the Prince my Ma&s;ter is, that the &s;ame day which he &s;hall make choice of to re&s;tore your Crown unto you, in one of your mo&s;t famous Temples, and in the &s;ight of all your Subjects, you will be plea&s;ed in the &s;ame Temple to give the Prince&s;s your Daughter unto the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> who by many &s;er|vices hath de&s;erved her.</P>
<P>The di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> did &s;o plea&s;ingly &s;urprize both tho&s;e two Princes, that they were a long time before they could &s;peak: But at the la&s;t, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> reviving out of his exta&s;ie of admiration at the virtue of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to tell his Ma&s;ter, that as precious as his Crown was, which he re&s;tored him, he thought him&s;elf more ob|liged unto him, for giving &s;uch a Husband unto his Daughter, then for giving him his Crown and Kingdom: And he might a&s;&s;ure him, that this la&s;t thing which he de&s;ired, &s;hould be no impediment unto his a&s;cending the Throne, &s;ince he did not think him un|worthy of it, and &s;ince his great &s;oul con&s;ented unto it. <HI>Artamas</HI> hearing <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> &s;peak &s;o, made a thou&s;and prote&s;tations of real &s;ervice, and afterwards applauded <HI>Cyrus</HI> to the Heavens: And the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> coming then into the Chamber, and knowing the pa&s;&s;ages, he did participate in the joyes of the King his Father, and added his Tri|bute of thanks and commendations unto his. After they had &s;ufficiently expre&s;&s;ed their acknowledgments, the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> returned to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to acquaint him with what joy and re&s;entments of gratitude <HI>Croe&s;&s;us, Myr&s;iles,</HI> and <HI>Palmis,</HI> received and admired the altitude of his genero&s;ity to them; it was not only by their reports that <HI>Cy|rus</HI>
<PB N="27" REF="595">
under&s;tood it, for <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> not daring to ask the liberty of coming in per&s;on to expre&s;s his re&s;entments, did &s;end unto him, as well as the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis;</HI> But <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing, that who&s;oever obligeth &s;oon, doth double the price of the obligation, he told the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> he would give orders, that things requi|&s;ite for this double ceremony &s;hould be pre&s;ently made ready, to the end that the &s;olem|nity might be before the departure of <HI>Timaretta,</HI> and that the Marriage of the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> might be honored with the pre&s;ence of the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Aegypt:</HI> In order unto which, Commi&s;&s;ion is given unto <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> and they begin all preparations for this great Fea&s;t. In the mean time, <HI>Artamas</HI> as &s;oon as ever he vvent from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> acquainted <HI>Palmis</HI> with his fre&s;h and high obligation, aggravating his joyes with &s;o many raptures of Love, that this Prince&s;s never knew the greatne&s;s of it until now: For her part, &s;he being extreamly mode&s;t, &s;he expre&s;&s;ed much le&s;s joy at the a&s;|&s;urance of her marriage, then at her under&s;tanding that her Father was to be re&s;tored unto the Crown, though the &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of it did not directly fall upon her; yet <HI>Artamas</HI> did not murmure, for knowing this Prince&s;s &s;o well as he did, he ever thought that if e|ver he chanced to be happy, &s;he would hide &s;ome part of her &s;atisfaction from him. In the mean time, though <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not intend that the bu&s;ine&s;s &s;hould be blazed until the day of ceremony, yet it was not po&s;&s;ible to be hid, e&s;pecially &s;ince there was an enter|view between the King of <HI>Phrigia</HI> and <HI>Croe&s;&s;us;</HI> &s;o that &s;ome noy&s;e of it being voged a|broad, it was pre&s;ently divulged over all the world. Now was the name of <HI>Cyrus</HI> high|ly celebrated among&s;t the Inhabitants of <HI>Sardis;</HI> but the admiration was, that the princi|pal joy was to under&s;tand, that though their King was re&s;tored unto them, yet they were in a &s;ort under the power of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;till, &s;ince <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was the Va&s;&s;al of <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> One thing al&s;o was very extraordinary in this incounter; for though it be the cu&s;tome of that place, that when any one receives a benefit, to go and vi&s;it tho&s;e who receive it, and rejoyce with them, without any vi&s;its unto him who conferred; yet upon this occa&s;ion it was not &s;o; for all tho&s;e of any Quality in <HI>Sardis,</HI> went to thank <HI>Cyrus,</HI> before they went to rejoyce with the King of <HI>Lidia,</HI> in&s;omuch as there was nothing to be &s;een but complements, both in the Palace and Cittadel. All the Ladies went al&s;o unto the Prin|ce&s;s of <HI>Palm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">,</HI> as well tho&s;e in the Palace as tho&s;e in the Town, who could not chu&s;e but extol <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who in &s;weetning the bitter misfortunes of tho&s;e he had vanqui&s;hed, did &s;harpen his own: For when he con&s;idered <HI>Artamas</HI> was &s;hortly to enjoy her he loved, and con&s;idered that <HI>Mandana</HI> was yet in <HI>Cumes,</HI> and in the hands of his Rival, that he mu&s;t tediou&s;ly tarry in expectation of a Naval Army to a&s;&s;ault, and that the &s;ucce&s;s of the Siege was dubious, his &s;ufferings were incredible: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI>'s ab&s;ence al&s;o did &s;omwhat acquaint his perplexities, though his pre&s;ence was almo&s;t un&s;ufferable. How|ever, not to le&s;&s;en the joyes of the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> whom he &s;o highly e&s;teemed, he confined &s;ome part of his &s;orrows unto the Clo&s;et of his heart, le&s;t they &s;hould dull the joyes of this glorious Fea&s;t, and le&s;t he &s;hould fail in any circum&s;tance, he went to vi&s;it <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> but it was more as their friend then Conquerour: He went al&s;o to vi&s;it the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Timaretta;</HI> but in his return unto his own lodging, he was much &s;urprized to &s;ee <HI>Menecrates,</HI> who beginning to quit his Chamber that day, came to render thanks for the care which <HI>Cyrus</HI> had of him, and to acquaint him, that the malady of his body had cured the malady of his mind, and had &s;o perfectly let him know, that <HI>Androclea</HI> did merit his affection, as he came to tell him, that he was ready to obey his commands, and not to look upon <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> as his Rival. <HI>Cyrus</HI> being even ravi&s;hed at the conver&s;ion of <HI>Menecrates,</HI> did &s;end immediately for <HI>Thra&s;imedes, Phili&s;tion</HI> and <HI>Parmenides,</HI> to vvhom having told the happy change which was in the heart of <HI>Menecrates,</HI> he found the tvvo fir&s;t of them very ready to imbrace him; and as for <HI>Parmenides,</HI> &s;ince he had no other concernment in the bu&s;ine&s;s, but that of <HI>Menecrates,</HI> &s;ince he was &s;atisfied, he was &s;o al&s;o, &s;o that there remained nothing to do but adverti&s;e <HI>Lica&s;te,</HI> but <HI>Cyrus</HI> needed not to trouble him&s;elf for that, for her Husband being come to <HI>Sard<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> vvith <HI>Li&s;ia</HI>'s Brother of <HI>Candiope,</HI> &s;he came to pre&s;ent them unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> accompanied vvith <HI>Cydipe, Arpalice, Candiope</HI> and <HI>Androclea;</HI> &s;o that by this means there vvas a perfect reconciliation made among&s;t all tho&s;e per&s;ons, vvho&s;e intere&s;ts vvere &s;o confu&s;edly mingled: But to make it more &s;olid, <HI>Cyrus</HI> conjured <HI>Menophiles. Lica&s;ta</HI>'s Husband, vvould permit the marriage of <HI>Arpalice</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;imedes</HI> to be &s;olem|nized the next morning, vvhich vvas the &s;ame day of Prince <HI>Artamas:</HI> He made the &s;ame reque&s;t al&s;o unto <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> in behalf of <HI>Androclea</HI> and <HI>Menecrates;</HI> and &s;ince he
<PB N="28" REF="596">
knevv the thoughts of <HI>Parmenides</HI> tovvards <HI>Cydipe,</HI> and of <HI>Phili&s;tion</HI> tovvards <HI>Candiope,</HI> he &s;poke unto <HI>Menophiles</HI> and <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> in behalf of the fir&s;t, and to <HI>Li&s;ia</HI>'s and <HI>Candiope</HI> in behalf of the other, and he &s;poke with &s;uch per&s;wa&s;ive Rhetorique, and found &s;o few ob&s;tacles in the minds of tho&s;e per&s;ons whom he endeavoured to per&s;wade, that they all con&s;ented unto his de&s;ires.</P>
<P>Thus the&s;e four marriages were made up in an in&s;tant, and three differences, who&s;e con|&s;equences might have proved fatal, were happily reconciled: The bu&s;ine&s;s being known, <HI>Lyca&s;te</HI> and her fair company were no &s;ooner returned unto the Palace, but the Prince&s;&s;es came to vi&s;it her, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Pherenice</HI> were with them, and <HI>Cleonice</HI> came in the la&s;t, becau&s;e &s;he had been bu&s;ied in receiving her mother, who knowing that her Daughter was at <HI>Sardis,</HI> was come from <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> to &s;ee her, with intentions to carry her thither: So that <HI>Cleonice</HI> having adverti&s;ed <HI>Stenobea</HI> who the Ladies were, and her obligements to them, &s;he came al&s;o to vi&s;it them, and was conducted thither by <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who taking hold of this fit opportunity, did earne&s;t be&s;eech <HI>I&s;menia,</HI> who had ever been the confi|dent of his dear <HI>Cleonice,</HI> that &s;he would &s;peak unto <HI>Stenobea</HI> concerning his marriage. The bu&s;ine&s;s might the more ea&s;ily be brought to pa&s;s, becau&s;e her Father, who was Governour of the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes</HI> was come to <HI>Sardis;</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> having made his peace with <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> he might the more ea&s;ily a&s;&s;ent unto it: <HI>I&s;menia</HI> accordingly made the Propo&s;ition, but her power alone was not prevalent enough; but <HI>Cyrus</HI> mu&s;t intercede who did it &s;o effectually, that <HI>Ligdamis</HI> could not wi&s;h it better; yet he was a little &s;ad to &s;ee <HI>Cleonice</HI> become a little more re&s;erved, as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw that &s;he was infallibly to marry <HI>Ligdamis:</HI> And after he had pre&s;&s;ed her him&s;elf in vain, to tell what it was which interrupted her joyes, he &s;et <HI>I&s;menia</HI> upon her, who an&s;wered, That it was becau&s;e &s;he feared, that as heretofore &s;he was grieved, becau&s;e the friend&s;hip of <HI>Ligdamis</HI> was be|come Love, and &s;ince that, grieved becau&s;e his love did not return unto friend&s;hip; &s;o it was happen, that when &s;he had married <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> perhaps it would become neither love nor friend&s;hip to her, &s;he conceiving that marriage would rather procure indifferen|cy, jealou&s;ie, and &s;corn, then any e&s;teem, love, and friend&s;hip. As &s;oon as &s;he had ex|pre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf unto <HI>I&s;menia,</HI> &s;he told it unto <HI>Ligdamis,</HI> who expre&s;&s;ed &s;o many te&s;ti|monies of love unto <HI>Cleonice</HI> by his &s;orrows that &s;he &s;hould &s;u&s;pect him, that in the con|clu&s;ion this melancholy cloud did vani&s;h out of her mind, and he did perfectly per&s;wade her, that &s;he might expect from him, both a violent and an everla&s;ting pa&s;&s;ion; &s;o that after this, joy began to &s;parkle in her eyes. Then &s;he returned and received all civilities unto <HI>Cydipe, Arpalice, Candiope</HI> and <HI>Androclea:</HI> But amid&s;t &s;o many happy Lovers, <HI>An|dramites</HI> was an infinite &s;ufferer, &s;ince he found <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> more cruel; the joyes of others were his griefs, and the preparatives of the&s;e marriages tormented him, for &s;he was &s;o full of her witty rallary, as made it apparent to him, that &s;he was not in any humour to augment the number of married people. Seeing then that all his &s;ervices and Court&s;hips would not prevail with her, he re&s;olved to apply him&s;elf unto the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles;</HI> for ob&s;erving that &s;he much e&s;teemed him, and that he was reinve&s;ted into his power and au|thority, he thought that if he would undertake to &s;peak for him unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> perhaps &s;he would then marry him by rea&s;on of his interce&s;&s;ion, though not out of affection. But before he tryed this way, he advi&s;ed with <HI>Pherenice,</HI> with whom he had an intimacy, and &s;he telling him, that this cour&s;e could not prejudice him, he went unto the Prince, to de&s;ire his protection, but he was much &s;urprized, when after he had opened his de|&s;ign, the Prince told him, that he de&s;ired a bu&s;ine&s;s in which he wi&s;hed with all his heart he were able to &s;erve him; but for divers rea&s;ons which prevented him, he would &s;eek out &s;ome other way whereby he might te&s;tifie how much he e&s;teemed him. In the mean time, he advi&s;ed him as a friend, not to per&s;i&s;t in his Love to <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> After which, much company entring, <HI>Andramites</HI> went out, as ill &s;atisfied with the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> as with his Mi&s;tre&s;s. As &s;oon as he was gone, this Prince, who had not &s;een <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;ince he was in hopes of &s;ucceeding to the Crown of <HI>Lidia,</HI> went unto her Cham|ber upon a vi&s;it, for he had the free liberty of all the Palace before the ceremony of re|&s;tallation was &s;olemnized. In the mean time, <HI>Pherenice</HI> after &s;he had advi&s;ed <HI>Andrami|tes</HI> to imploy the credit of the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> &s;poke unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> in his behalf, the better to prepare her for the Princes mediation, but &s;he &s;o fully expre&s;&s;ed her re&s;olution of never marrying <HI>Andramites,</HI> that &s;he was out of all hopes; &s;o that he thought it ex|pedient to adverti&s;e her friend of what the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> would &s;ay unto her, to the and &s;he might deny him more civilly; but &s;he wondred to &s;ee <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> extreamly angry
<PB N="29" REF="596">
at <HI>Andramites,</HI> for having recour&s;e unto the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles:</HI> 'Tis true, &s;he had not time to &s;ay much again&s;t him, for the Prince entred pre&s;ently, and made her change her di&s;cour&s;e. As &s;oon as he entred into <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI>'s Chamber, <HI>Pherenice</HI> went out upon &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s which called her away, and by that means <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> had opportunity of di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> But he was no &s;ooner &s;et down, then this incen&s;ed Lady, thinking he would &s;peak for <HI>Andramites</HI> prevented him. I perceive Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him &s;harply, not giving him lea&s;ure to bethink him&s;elf) that you are preparing to &s;peak unto concern|ing the follies of <HI>Andramites:</HI> But I be&s;eech you Sir, tell me nothing which may mole&s;t tho&s;e joyes I ought to have at the genero&s;ity of <HI>Cyrus</HI> towards the King your Father, and your &s;elf: Never fear, dear <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;aid he unto her, that I will ever &s;peak concerning the pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Andramites,</HI> not but that he hath much &s;olicited me unto it, but I have &s;o &s;trong a rea&s;on to the contrary, that you need not fear I &s;hall &s;olicite you in his behalf: Since it is &s;o, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> I mu&s;t needs expre&s;s my &s;atisfaction to &s;ee you &s;o rea&s;on|able as you ought to be: If I were &s;o rea&s;onable as I ought to be, replied he, doubtle&s;s I &s;hould wi&s;h that thing now, which I have wi&s;hed a long time, and which you do not de|&s;ire I &s;hould: Why Sir, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> cannot I de&s;ire you were King of <HI>Lidia?</HI> That is not it which I mean, replied he, Nor do my de&s;ires mo&s;t carry me to a Throne; for I mo&s;t de&s;ire that now, which I de&s;ired when the Prince <HI>Atis</HI> lived, and which then I ought not to pretend unto: For my part, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> I do believe that at the time you &s;peak of, you wi&s;hed mo&s;t that you could &s;peak: 'Tis mo&s;t true, an&s;wered he, but the chief rea&s;on of my wi&s;h was, that I might be able to tell you I do love you: Oh Sir (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and laughed, not believing that the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> &s;pake &s;eri|ou&s;ly) If you had then any &s;uch de&s;ire, you were able enough to make me under&s;tand it, you I &s;ay, who could &s;o well interpret unto <HI>Pherenice</HI> the Fable of <HI>Ae&s;ope,</HI> which concerned the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> and her Lovers: 'Tis true, replied he, I could then have let you know that I loved you, &s;ince then I could vvrite a little; al&s;o as dumb as I vvas, I could have told you as much in the language of eyes, but what rea&s;on had I then to ex|po&s;e my &s;elf unto the rallary of the mo&s;t witty per&s;on in the World, I, I &s;ay, who have many times &s;een &s;ome of be&s;t language &s;tand mute before you, meerly out of the fear of your Wit: But Sir, replied &s;he, am I not as terrible now as I was then? You are, re|plied he, and much more Madam, for I find you much fairer. But I am grovvn more bold, and novv dare vvithout difficulty acquaint you with that vvhich I have all my life concealed: Knovv then beloved <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that I began to love you as &s;oon as I began to &s;ee you, from your very infancy I have born you affection, this affection encrea&s;ed vvith your beauty, and during all the loves of <HI>Cleander, Arte&s;ilas, Abradates,</HI> and <HI>Mexaris,</HI> I I loved you vvith more zeal then all tho&s;e Princes did tho&s;e Prince&s;&s;es vvith vvhom they vvere in Love: Yes, charming <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> all the time of my &s;ullen &s;ilence, I then burned, in the flames of affection to you: Oh Sir, &s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> you can never per&s;vvade me of it; for &s;ince the tenderne&s;s over the King your Father cau&s;ed you to &s;peak, vvhen you &s;avv the Souldier ready to kill him, I am confident that if your pa&s;&s;ion had been &s;o vio|lent unto me, you vvould then have &s;poke and told me of it: But at that time, certainly there vvas as deep a &s;ilence in your heart as in your tongue, and there vvas as much tran|quility in your &s;oul as in mine: Do you not know <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> replied the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> that Love u&s;eth to make even tho&s;e who &s;peak be&s;t to become dumb? How then would you have him make an unfortunate Lover &s;peak, who was dumb before? Why then do you &s;peak now, replied &s;he? I &s;peak, replied he, by the &s;ame rea&s;on that I was &s;ilent, for I was &s;ilent becau&s;e I could not &s;peak, and I &s;peak becau&s;e I cannot be &s;ilent. More|over, &s;ince I have ever heard you profe&s;s that you would have a heart fre&s;h, which never loved any but your &s;elf, I thought that mine being &s;uch a one as you de&s;ired, I might without any injury offer it unto you. Moreover, I do not only offer you a new fre&s;h heart, but I do expre&s;s my pa&s;&s;ion in &s;uch words as never were prophaned with the ex|pre&s;&s;ion of either faigned or real pa&s;&s;ions: I never pronounced the Word Love but un|to you only, I never &s;aid I love you, but once, and that was unto you: Be not therefore &s;o unju&s;t, I be&s;eech you, as to reject me with the &s;ame rigour, as if I had pre&s;ented un|to you a heart which had received a thou&s;and &s;everal impre&s;&s;ions, or as if I had told you things which I had &s;poken a thou&s;and times unto another: I a&s;&s;ure you Sir, replied &s;he, That you do &s;o much perplex me, as this little which you have &s;poken forceth me to re|gret the time wherein you could not &s;peak unto me: Truly I wi&s;h that I could &s;peak, nei|ther too &s;harp nor too uncivilly; but I fear that if you continue to per&s;wade me unto this
<PB N="30" REF="597">
belief, it will be hard for me to keep within tho&s;e ju&s;t limits, which tho&s;e re&s;pects I owe you requires of me; therefore not to take what you have &s;aid &s;eriou&s;ly, be plea&s;ed to know, that when you heard me &s;ay I would have a nevv fre&s;h heart, it vvas vvhen I &s;poke of men vvhom I knevv verv vvell had none &s;uch: For to &s;peak the very truth, I neither care for a nevv nor an old heart, I de&s;ire only to keep mine ovvn entire, and conti|nue alvvayes an ab&s;olute Mi&s;tre&s;s of my &s;elf. Moreover Sir, I mu&s;t adverti&s;e you, that for one that is a very &s;tupid Sot in matters of the World, I am one vvho of all Women upon earth knows lea&s;t how to &s;peak upon matters of Court&s;hip and gallantry: Some|times I can chide others for it, but to &s;peak my &s;elf is a thing which I cannot do; there|fore Sir I be&s;eech you either change your di&s;cour&s;e, or el&s;e I &s;hall wi&s;h you dumb: Mo&s;t cruel Woman, replied <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> What plea&s;ure can you take in bla&s;ting me with all your fury, me I &s;ay, who hath yet expre&s;&s;ed but one part of my love to you? Faith Sir, re|plied &s;he and laughed, I do not believe the half you have &s;aid already, nor will I often give you any occa&s;ion of di&s;cour&s;ing with me, but that you may not have any cau&s;e to complain of me, knovv I be&s;eech you Sir, that I am much fitter to make a friend then a Mi&s;tre&s;s; for though to my misfortune I &s;hould have a tender &s;en&s;ible heart tovvards you, you vvould not be a jot the happier, &s;ince as &s;oon as ever I did perceive it in my &s;elf, I &s;hould carry it as if I hated you: Take heed therefore Sir of being in too good terms vvith me, for fear of being in too bad; and to te&s;tifie hovv nice and phanta&s;tical I am in &s;uch things, I mu&s;t tell you, that I have often in my life, even almo&s;t hated the mo&s;t compleat men, only becau&s;e through vveakne&s;s vvithout rea&s;on they have put me to the blu&s;h in talking vvith them: Con&s;ider therefore vvhat I &s;hould do, if you &s;hould of|fer to intangle me in any &s;uch kind of gallantry: Con&s;ider Sir that I am not fit for it; if you plea&s;e to e&s;teem me more then another, I &s;hall be glad of it, but let this e&s;teem be vvithout any ingredient of Love or tenderne&s;s, if you vvould oblige me unto you. As <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> vvas ready to reply, <HI>Arpalice</HI> and <HI>Cydipe</HI> came in, vvho told <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> after their fir&s;t complements vvere performed, that vvithin this houre an Amba&s;&s;ador vvould arrive, vvhich the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> &s;ent unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> vvho&s;e Equipage vvas reported to be more magnificent then ever vvas &s;een; and that the Prince&s;s <HI>Timaretta,</HI> vvho&s;e Chamber open|ed unto the place vvhere he vvas to pa&s;s, had charged them to tell her &s;he vvould be very glad of her company vvith the re&s;t of the Ladies to &s;ee the&s;e <HI>Phenicians,</HI> vvho vvere re|ported to be &s;o magnificent. The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> hearing vvhat <HI>Arpalice</HI> and <HI>Cydipe</HI> &s;aid, did vvithdravv him&s;elf, having no di&s;po&s;ition to &s;ee an Amba&s;&s;ador pa&s;s, vvho came not to the King his Father. Al&s;o the pa&s;&s;ion of his &s;oul did &s;o po&s;&s;e&s;s him, and the manner of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI>'s u&s;age did &s;o trouble him, that he vvas not in any humour of &s;eeing &s;uch diver&s;ions: But it vvas nothing &s;o with <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> for &s;he was &s;o well plea&s;ed at her har&s;h language unto the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> that &s;he vvent vvith the blithe&s;t di&s;po&s;ition in the World to quibble at the&s;e Amba&s;&s;adors vvho vvere to arrive, but &s;he found not vvhat &s;he &s;ought for, and her blith and critical humour could not find any cavil in them &s;he vvent to &s;ee: The truth is, the like magnificence vvas never &s;een, both for the great a|bundance of Camels covered vvith cloaths of Tirian Purple imbroydered vvith gold, and for the rarity of their Hor&s;es, al&s;o for the richne&s;s of their habits. Moreover, this Am|ba&s;&s;ador (vvho&s;e &s;tature vvas as high as his Quality, vvhich vvas of the be&s;t in all <HI>Pheni|cia)</HI> had vvith him above a hundred men of Quality, extraordinary hand&s;om, vvho&s;e cu|rio&s;ity only to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> induced them unto this voyage. Among&s;t this hundred, there vvas one illu&s;trious per&s;on, vvho&s;e merit vvas rare and &s;uperlative, his name vvas <HI>Ari&s;t|heus,</HI> a name very famous, both through all <HI>Greece</HI> and all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> &s;o that in vvhat humour of rallary &s;oever <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> vvas in that day, &s;he vvas forced to commend all &s;he &s;avv that day. Hovvever, this Amba&s;&s;age vvas variou&s;ly talked on, though none knevv vvhat it vvas, yet they vvere not ignorant long, but knew the cau&s;e of it. After this Amba&s;&s;ador was lighted from his hor&s;e at the Gate of the Cittadel, he was conducted by <HI>Hida&s;ps</HI> unto a great Hall, where <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave him audience. This Amba&s;&s;ador &s;poke in his own language, vvhich <HI>Cyrus</HI> did very well under&s;tand, and pre&s;ented a Letter from the King his Ma&s;ter, which began thus.</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="31" REF="597">
<HEAD>The King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> unto the greate&s;t Conquerour that ever was.</HEAD>
<P>AS I make no que&s;tion, but that &s;ince you have be &s;ieged <HI>Sardis,</HI> you will ere long take it; So I have &s;ent this Amba&s;&s;ador to ask that favour from you which <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> cruelly de|nied me, but which I hope you will not: He hath Commi&s;&s;ion to offer you my alliance and friend&s;hip with thirty thou&s;and men, if you &s;tand in any need of them: I a&s;&s;ure you, that if you accept this offer, and accord unto my demand, you will ever oblige me;</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>The King of <HI>Phenicia.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>All the while this Letter was reading, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was thinking what it &s;hould be that the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> could de&s;ire of him, but not being able to imagine it, he told the Am|ba&s;&s;ador that it was from him he mu&s;t know how to &s;atisfie the King his Ma&s;ter: Then the Amba&s;&s;ador told him with an excellent grace and much eloquence, that the principal point of his Voyage was to &s;atisfie the de&s;ire which the King his Ma&s;ter had of being alli|ed unto &s;o great a Prince, and to the end that this alliance might be more firm, he de&s;i|red that he might be obliged unto him, by reque&s;ting a favour which <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> denied a little before the War. Then the Amba&s;&s;ador pur&s;uing his di&s;cour&s;e, let <HI>Cyrus</HI> under|&s;tand, that the young King of <HI>Phenicia</HI>'s de&s;ire was, he would be plea&s;ed to re&s;tore that Statue which <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> bought of <HI>Dipoenus</HI> and <HI>Scillis,</HI> and which the late King his Father cau&s;ed to be made a little before his death, offering for it above three hundred Talents of Incen&s;e, and what&s;oever <HI>Arabia</HI> the happy produced out of her precious and Aromati|cal &s;tore, for <HI>Siria</HI> joyning upon <HI>Arabia,</HI> and <HI>Phenicia</HI> making part of <HI>Siria,</HI> there was con&s;tant commerce between tho&s;e people; therefore the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> made choice of that which he thought mo&s;t worthy for the ran&s;ome of the Statue of the faire&s;t per|&s;on in his Kingdome, and mo&s;t worthy to be offered unto the greate&s;t Prince upon earth. This Amba&s;&s;ador told <HI>Cyrus</HI> further, that he came from <HI>Tyre,</HI> as &s;oon as the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> heard that he had won the Battel again&s;t <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and as &s;oon as he heard that his de&s;ign was to be&s;iege <HI>Sardis,</HI> adding in applaud of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he made more ha&s;t in his Conque&s;ts, then him&s;elf did in his journey, &s;ince he came after his Victory. But to te&s;tifie unto this Prince, that the King his Ma&s;ter did not doubt of his genero&s;ity, but be&s;eeched him before he gave his an&s;wer, to honour him with a view of tho&s;e pre&s;ents which the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> &s;ent, be&s;eeching him to look out at the Window upon the Camels which &s;tood loadened, and which by the magnificence of their coverings, made it evident, that what they carried was precious. Al&s;o it might be judged by the odorife|rous &s;mells wherewith the Ayr was perfumed, by rea&s;on of tho&s;e perfumes, that it was a mo&s;t magnificent pre&s;ent.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing &s;uch generous proceedings, did &s;atisfie the Amba&s;&s;adors de&s;ires: To te|&s;tifie unto you, &s;aid he unto him, that without further deliberation I con&s;ent unto the King your Ma&s;ters de&s;ires, I will accept of what he hath &s;ent, not as a price of that Sta|tue which I will re&s;tore him, but as a Gage of his amity, which is very dear unto me: And I do accept of his pre&s;ent, to te&s;tifie that I will learn how to imitate his liberality. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> behaved him&s;elf with a thou&s;and civilities to this Amba&s;&s;ador, for he &s;eemed to be a mo&s;t accompli&s;hed man. Moreover, <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing that the <HI>Tirians</HI> were very powerful at Sea, he hoped to get &s;ome aid from them for the &s;iege of <HI>Cumes;</HI> there|fore he re&s;olved to render unto the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> in the per&s;on of his Amba&s;&s;ador all the honours that he could devi&s;e. But &s;ince the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI>'s extraordinary de&s;ire to have this Statue, filled <HI>Cyrus</HI> with much curio&s;ity, he asked whether it were po&s;&s;ible that the per&s;on whom it repre&s;ented, were as full of beauty as it? Asking further, Whe|ther &s;he had a &s;oul and &s;pirit worthy of &s;o fair a body? But he told him that &s;he was much fairer then her Statue, that her Spirit was as high as her beauty, and that her &s;oul was more worthy of e&s;teem and admiration then her beauty and Spirit; adding, that her fortune was as extraordinary as her merit, and her virtue more admirable then all that he had &s;aid. After this, the Amba&s;&s;ador pre&s;ented unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> the be&s;t &s;ort of tho&s;e who fol|lowed him, and among&s;t the re&s;t, the illu&s;trious man, who bore the name of <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI>
<PB N="32" REF="598">
and pre&s;ented him as a particular friend unto that fair Lady of whom he &s;poke, and as being him&s;elf one of the rare&s;t men in the World: I think my &s;elf very happy (&s;aid <HI>Cy|rus</HI> in imbracing him) that he is only her friend, for had he been her Lover, perhaps I &s;hould not have had the happine&s;s to &s;ee him, &s;ince it is probable he would have been with the &s;ub&s;tance for whom this Statue is made: I can a&s;&s;ure you Sir, replied <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> that though I were her Lover, and de&s;ired above all things to plea&s;e her, yet &s;hould I have had the houour which I have received this day; for that mo&s;t excellent per&s;on takes &s;uch great delight to hear talk of your Virtue and Victories, that to obtain her favour, I ever intended to be a Witne&s;s of &s;o many truths as you Sir make good, and &s;o be able to plea&s;e her in talking of you: Your language (replied <HI>Cyrus</HI> in the &s;ame <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> &s;poke) does much oblige me, but I would not have tho&s;e who come unto me u&s;e many adulati|ons and flatteries as you do, le&s;t in taking too much delight in their applauds, I &s;hould grow in the end not to merit them from any. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave orders unto <HI>Hi|da&s;pes</HI> to conduct this Amba&s;&s;ador and all his Train unto the lodging which was prepared for him, commanding her to treat him with magnificence worthy of that King who &s;ent him. In the mean, though <HI>Cyrus</HI> by the will of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was become Ma&s;ter of all the Trea&s;ures of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> upon condition not to re&s;tore them unto him; yet he told him con|cerning this Amba&s;&s;ador, though he was not yet in the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of his Crown which he would re&s;tore unto him, and though it was not above eight daies before the ceremony was to be &s;olemnized with the marriage of the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the happy Lovers who were then at <HI>Sardis;</HI> and he did more then that, for he did &s;o tran&s;|act the bu&s;ine&s;s, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and this Amba&s;&s;ador did &s;ee each other, <HI>Cyrus</HI> telling the latter of the&s;e, that he ought not to con&s;ider this Prince as him who had denied the Sta|tue which the King his Ma&s;ter demanded, but as a Tributary King unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> of whom he de&s;ired alliance, &s;ince he de&s;ired his; &s;o that after this reconciliation, which this Amba&s;&s;ador had power to make, for his Commi&s;&s;ion was not limited, he did vi&s;it the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis,</HI> as well as the Prince&s;s <HI>Timaretta,</HI> and was &s;o charmed with this mag|nificent Court, and with the beauty of all the Ladies in it, that at the de&s;ire of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he promi&s;ed to be at this great Fea&s;t which was to be kept within eight daies, during which time, nothing was talked of but the King of <HI>Phenicia,</HI> whom they &s;aid was in Love with that Beauty who&s;e Statue he demanded, every one were full of curio&s;ity to know more preci&s;ely the particularities of the adventure; the rea&s;on of the difficulty to know it was, becau&s;e there were only three or four with this Amba&s;&s;ador who under&s;tood the Lidian and the Greek Tongue, and the&s;e three or four were &s;o bu&s;ied in an&s;wering all that was asked them, as they could not be moved unto any long conver&s;ation. Al&s;o during the fir&s;t daies, they were taken up in &s;eeing the rarities of the Town, and all the Trea&s;ures of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> &s;o that at la&s;t the great Fea&s;t day arrived before any knew that which they had &s;o great a de&s;ire to know. This ceremony was doubtle&s;s one of the mo&s;t &s;umptuous in the World, and the mo&s;t glorious for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> if he had followed the dictates of his own inclination, he had &s;topped many things which wounded his mode&s;ty: But there was a nece&s;&s;ity of &s;ubmitting unto the cu&s;tome, and unto the Councels of the King of
<HI>Hircania, Gadates, Gabrias,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> who told him, That it was fit the people with their own eyes &s;hould &s;ee their King was a Slave, and that it was he who made this Slave a King, &s;o that maugre the repugnance which he had unto it, he yeelded unto cu&s;tome, and hearkened unto the coun&s;el of his friends, though not in all things, for he would not &s;uffer <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> to go chained through the &s;treets of <HI>Sardis,</HI> from the Palace to the Tem|ple, but thus prevented it. Pre&s;ently after break of day, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> were carried in a Coach to the lodging of the High-Prie&s;t, which joyned to the Temple where the ceremony was to be &s;olemnized, where they &s;tayed until it began. In this Temple, which was one of the greate&s;t in the World, was erected an Amphitheater, mo&s;t mag|nificently covered with the riche&s;t Tapi&s;try of <HI>Sidon,</HI> where all the Ladies might mo&s;t con|veniently &s;it and &s;ee. All the &s;treets, from the Cittadel to the Temple, were al&s;o &s;ump|tuou&s;ly hung, there &s;tanding ranks of Souldiers on both &s;ides, all in &s;uch glittering Arms, as never was a more glorious &s;ight; a thou&s;and Martial In&s;truments made the Ayr eccho, with &s;hrill and plea&s;ant &s;ounds, which attracted all the people of <HI>Sardis,</HI> either into the Temple, or into the &s;treet which joyned to it, or into the place before the Cittadel, out of which <HI>Cyrus</HI> came accompanied with all his Court, which was &s;o numerous, and &s;o glorious that day, as it was &s;uitable unto the Court of <HI>A&s;ia</HI>'s Conquerour. As for the <HI>Phenician</HI> Amba&s;&s;ador, he was in the Temple upon a Scaffold with all his Train, next
<PB N="33" REF="598">
him was the Prince&s;s <HI>Timaretta,</HI> and all the Ladies which lodged in the Palace of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us.</HI> When <HI>Cyrus</HI> entred into the Temple with a huge croud of people about him, <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was brought by the Prie&s;t into the mid&s;t of the Temple, having a Chair, and Fetters of Gold upon his hand, and behind him the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> in the like manner. The Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> was next him, but under a Canopy of golden Ti&s;&s;ue, and without Chains, <HI>Cyrus</HI> having no mind that &s;he &s;hould have any &s;ign of &s;ervitude, or that they &s;hould up|braid him with triumphing over a Lady. As &s;oon as this Prince entred into the Temple, mo&s;t admirable Mu&s;ique was heard, which after it had played a quarter of an hour, &s;ome Himns that were &s;ung unto the Gods, did cea&s;e: After which, <HI>Cyrus</HI> who was upon an elevated Throne de&s;cended, and taking off the Chains and Fetters which <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and and <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> wore, and which he gave unto the Prie&s;t, he took from the hand of the &s;aid Prie&s;t a Crown, and put it upon the head of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> after he had cau&s;ed him &s;olemnly to &s;wear, that he would acknowledge the power of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> never to depart from his in|tere&s;ts, and inviolably to keep the conditions between them. <HI>Cyrus</HI> had no &s;ooner put this Crown upon the head of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us;</HI> but the vault and roof of the Temple did ring with acclamations, and the people could not be &s;ilenced from extolling the genero&s;ity of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> But at the la&s;t all the tumultuous noy&s;e of joy being appea&s;ed, <HI>Cyrus</HI> cea&s;ing to treat <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> as vanqui&s;hed, and to behave him&s;elf as a Conquerour, demanded his Daughter for the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> in the pre&s;ence of the <HI>Phrigian</HI> King who &s;tood next him.</P>
<P>He had no &s;ooner asked the que&s;tion, but <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> taking the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> by the hand, pre&s;ented her unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and bad him di&s;po&s;e of her as he plea&s;ed: After which, cau&s;ing the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> to approach, the Prie&s;t advanced al&s;o, and the Prince&s;s <HI>Pal|mis:</HI> At the conclu&s;ion of which Mu&s;ique did play again, and pre&s;ently after the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> conducted the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> into a mo&s;t magnificent Chariot, which waited at the door of the Temple, and which was followed by a hundred others full of Ladies, all the Princes riding on hor&s;eback, accompanied with all the Gallants of Quality. When they came unto the Palace, there was a mo&s;t &s;umptuous Fea&s;t prepared. and after Dinner a Hor&s;erace in the Great Plain. The repa&s;t at night was no le&s;s Princely then that in the morning, Bonefires were made at every door, the Palace was full of harmonious Mu|&s;ique, but the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> would not permit any dancing, by rea&s;on of the exce&s;&s;ive &s;adne&s;s which &s;he &s;aw in the eyes of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> though he forced him&s;elf as much as he could. Al&s;o, though <HI>Cyrus</HI> had re&s;tored much unto the King her Father, in re&s;toring the Crown, yet <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> had lo&s;t much in lo&s;ing his independent Authority, and his Trea&s;ures: So that though it was a Fe&s;tival day, yet it was not one that had all the &s;igns of joy which it might have had: Yet the <HI>Phenician</HI> Amba&s;&s;ador was extreamly &s;atisfied as well as <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> who could not enough admire the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and he was full of ob&s;ervance, that his eye was never off him, as long as he could &s;ee. In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> having not forgot the de&s;ires of <HI>Ligdamis, Thra&s;imedes, Men crates,</HI> and <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> the ceremony of their Marriages were accompli&s;hed the next morning after that of the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and the whole Court did honour them with their pre&s;ence. This &s;econd Fea&s;t was no le&s;s magnificent then the fir&s;t, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> was no le&s;s melancholy this day then before, to &s;ee how far &s;hort he was of the happine&s;s of all the&s;e Lovers. <HI>Mazares</HI> was no more plea|&s;ant then he: However, <HI>Cyrus</HI> had an extraordinary care that the <HI>Phenician</HI> Amba&s;&s;ador &s;hould be vvell plea&s;ed vvith his civilities, and to that end he did divert him as much as he could and prepared Pre&s;ents for the King his Ma&s;ter and him, vvhich vvere above the double vvorth of tho&s;e he received; and finding much &s;atisfaction in the company of <HI>A|ri&s;theus,</HI> he talked vvith him very often, and certainly not vvithout good rea&s;on, for there vvas not a man in the World who could &s;peak better concerning Politiques, nor vvho better under&s;tood the intere&s;ts of all Princes in that time, then <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> did: And to &s;peak truth, <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> &s;poke vvell in all things vvhat&s;oever: And <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not content him&s;elf vvith di&s;cour&s;ing of Affairs in general, but he carried him along vvith him into the Vi&s;its vvhich he made unto the Prince&s;&s;es and other Ladies. He made u&s;e of him al&s;o to knovv hovv the King of <HI>Plenicia</HI> could furni&s;h him vvith Ships, before he made any Propo&s;itions of it unto the Amba&s;&s;ador of that Prince, in&s;omuch as <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> vvere almo&s;t in&s;eparable. Since he vvas generally knovving in every thing, he &s;poke &s;o many &s;everal languages, that he vvas able to conver&s;e vvith all the Ladies there, though there vvere tho&s;e of many &s;everal Countries. In the mean time, &s;ince the <HI>Phenician</HI> Amba&s;&s;ador knevv that the &s;ooner he returned, the more acceptable he &s;hould be unto
<PB N="34" REF="599">
the King his Ma&s;ter, he moved for his departure as &s;oon as might be. <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;igning to &s;atisfie him, that he might the &s;ooner obtain tho&s;e Ships he de&s;ired, told him, that he was ready to keep promi&s;e with him. But before he re&s;tored him the rare Statue which he demanded, the Prince&s;s <HI>Timaretta</HI> went to &s;ee it, and afterwards all the Court: Tho&s;e who dwelt in <HI>Sardas,</HI> and had &s;een it &s;everal times, went again, by rea&s;on of that curi|o&s;ity which this adventure begot in them. And indeed, the curio&s;ity was &s;uch, as no|thing el&s;e was talked on: And <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> being very conver&s;ant among&s;t the Ladies, they asked him a thou&s;and que&s;tions, but mo&s;t e&s;pecially <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> unto whom he applied him|&s;elf more then unto any other, though others courted his conver&s;e more then &s;he did. But the more &s;he talked unto him concerning this admirable per&s;on whom this Statue re|pre&s;ented, the more he augmented her curio&s;ity: So that being one day much impor|tun'd in the pre&s;ence of the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> to relate the Hi&s;tory of her Ad|ventures, he promi&s;ed that it &s;hould be exactly done by a friend of his, who knew the particulars of it better then he did, and who indeed did &s;o mo&s;t plea&s;ingly. Since you are not this Countryman, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and &s;ince I have not the honour to be well known unto you, you do not know that I never u&s;e to give any time unto tho&s;e who pro|mi&s;e me any thing, e&s;pecially when by holding them to their promi&s;es, I &s;hall oblige two per&s;ons &s;o illu&s;trious as tho&s;e who now hear me, and who will certainly be very glad to know the adventures of a Lady in whom the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> hath &s;o much intere&s;t. <HI>Cyrus</HI> approving of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI>'s Speech as well as the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis, Ari&s;theus</HI> told them, they &s;hould be &s;atisfied when they plea&s;ed: So that without further delay, it was re&s;ol|ved, that at that night he &s;hould perform his promi&s;e, as indeed he did: For he prepa|red him who was to relate what they de&s;ired to know, to go with him unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis</HI> Chamber, where the Prince&s;s <HI>Timaretta</HI> would be a partaker of that diver&s;ion. 'Tis true, <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> could not &s;tay there, becau&s;e the <HI>Phenician</HI> Amba&s;&s;ador &s;ent a Po&s;t that night unto the King his Ma&s;ter, to give him an account of his happy &s;ucce&s;s in his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, and he was obliged to write al&s;o: So that after he had brought his friend thi|ther, who&s;e name was <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">clamis,</HI> and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;es &s;aw him to be a man of good Spirit, he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, asking leave of <HI>Cyrus</HI> to go, whil'&s;t <HI>Telamis</HI> was making his relation, and make another unto the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> of his magnificence and gene|ro&s;ity, and of all the mo&s;t rare Qualities which he found in him; adding further, mo&s;t obligingly, that &s;ince he intended to conceal none of his active virtues from the King his Ma&s;ter, he did not think he could return before the end of <HI>Telamis</HI> his relation: After vvhich, making me <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> low obey&s;ance, he retired, and left <HI>Telamis</HI> with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Phrigia, Timaretta, Cyrus,</HI> and <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who after &s;ome &s;hort preamble to excu&s;e his imperfections in the Narration of his hi&s;tory, he began it mo&s;t elegantly in Greek, which all his Auditors did under&s;tand admirably well, <HI>Palmis</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;iring him to addre&s;s his Speech unto <HI>Timaretta.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of <HI>ELISA.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THough I know very well Madam, that per&s;ons of your Quality are ignorant of no|thing which pa&s;&s;eth in the Courts of Kings, who mo&s;t remote from their own; yet I may in rea&s;on think, that an <HI>African</HI> Prince&s;s will take &s;ome plea&s;ure in hearing exactly related, the manners and cu&s;toms of one of the mo&s;t con&s;iderable Kingdoms in all <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> Al&s;o, &s;ince the Hi&s;tory which I am to relate cannot be very well under&s;tood, before I give you an <HI>Idea</HI> of our Court, and the manners u&s;ed, I conceive it better, fir&s;t to make a general de&s;cription of it, before I come unto the particular per&s;ons vvhereof it is com|po&s;ed, and vvho are intere&s;ted in the adventure which I am to relate: I mu&s;t therefore tell you Madam, hovv that &s;ince the <HI>Phenicians</HI> vvere almo&s;t the fir&s;t people of <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> vvho expo&s;ed them&s;elves unto long Voyages at Sea, and e&s;tabli&s;hed the greate&s;t Com|merce among&s;t his Meighbour Nations, they abounded in riches much more then others, and con&s;equently it may be very rightly &s;aid, that their delights, their luxury, their vo|luptuou&s;ne&s;s, and their magnificence vvere more abundant among&s;t them then any other people; not but that this State hath been &s;hrevvdly &s;haken &s;everal times: One vvhile by the commotion vvhich the <HI>Phenic<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ans</HI> made concerning the Daughter of the King of <HI>Ar|gas:</HI> Another time by the Rebellion vvhich tho&s;e of <HI>Crete</HI> made at <HI>Tire,</HI> concerning
<PB N="35" REF="599">
the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI>'s Daughter: Sometimes by the divi&s;ion of <HI>Pigmation</HI> and <HI>Did<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">,</HI> and by the flight of that Prince&s;s: And another time by the general Rebellion of all the <HI>Phenician</HI> Pe&s;ants, who intirely &s;ubverted the Government. But at the la&s;t, maugre all the&s;e revolutions of Fortune, this Kingdom hath of late recovered its fir&s;t &s;plendor, and the Cities of <HI>Tire</HI> and <HI>Sidon,</HI> which may both of them be termed the Metropolitans of this E&s;tate, are certainly two of the goodlie&s;t, mo&s;t magnificent, and riche&s;t Towns in the World, either in re&s;pect of their &s;cituations, or the beauty of their buildings; or their great traffique in Purples wherewith they cloath the Kings of the earth, and are an ornament of the World. Moreover, as there is nothing which contributes more un|to the perfection of Arts then Riches, nor which more readily attracts all &s;trangers who have any excellencies then abundance: It may very well be &s;aid, that one might find all <HI>Greece</HI> in <HI>Phenicia,</HI> &s;ince certainly there were the Workmen of all tho&s;e famous Towns: So that by this means, the buildings in <HI>Tire</HI> and <HI>Sidon</HI> were not only mo&s;t &s;tately, but mo&s;t regularly built, the Painters there were good, the Ingravers excellent, and the Mu&s;ique comparably charming unto the <HI>Lidian.</HI> The Ladies were not only fair, but they were al&s;o &s;tately, ingenuous, and apt in every thing they attempted to learn, there being not one Woman among&s;t the <HI>Phenician</HI> people who did not excel in &s;ome work or other, either for the ornaments of Women of high quality, or for the u&s;e of the Tem|ple. As for the Court there, I may well &s;ay, and not &s;ay too much, that it is the mo&s;t compleat in the World: The lives they lead, are doubtle&s;s mo&s;t plea&s;ant, e&s;pecially be|cau&s;e Merits there before Birth are promoted to the highe&s;t Ranks: The conver&s;e of La|dies is there allowed, but yet in &s;uch a <HI>Medium</HI> of liberty as is equally void, both of two much ceremony or any incivility, Dancings, Walkings, and Mu&s;ique, are the ordi|nary recreations of that Court: Di&s;cour&s;e is the chief bu&s;ine&s;s of all tho&s;e who have any Spirits, and e&s;pecially of Ladies unto whom there is daily re&s;ort, and who are the di&s;|pen&s;ors of the glory and reputation of all compleat men; for who&s;oever hath not the ap|probation of four or five Ladies, can never hope to pretend unto any univer&s;al e&s;teem. As for the men, it may be &s;aid there are of all &s;orts: And indeed there are &s;ome men of great quality, who&s;e merits are infinitely above their quality: And there are al&s;o &s;ome who have nothing to boa&s;t of but their quality: There are &s;ome who&s;e glory con&s;i&s;ts in the magnificence of their Train, and richne&s;s of their cloaths: And there are others, who&s;e glory is only in their own virtues: And doubtle&s;s there are another &s;ort of men, of an in&s;upportable vain-glory: But to &s;peak generally, there is a kind of &s;uch a Spirit of Politene&s;s that raigns in the Court, as renders it mo&s;t delightful, and which produceth an incredible number of mo&s;t compleat men; and that which makes them &s;o, is, becau&s;e the men of Quality in <HI>Phenicia</HI> &s;corn to be ignorant in all &s;orts of Sciences, and are not as in &s;ome other Courts, where they imagine, that if a man know how to u&s;e a Sword, may be allowed to be ignorant in all things el&s;e. But on the contrary, there's not a man of a|ny condition in our Court, who is not able to judg of the rare&s;t works, or at lea&s;t who does not &s;trive to honour him&s;elf, by honouring tho&s;e who are more knowing then him&s;elf.</P>
<P>This Madam was the condition of our Court, when that mo&s;t admired Lady, of whom I am to di&s;cour&s;e, came into the World; and this is that &s;ame which it is at this day. It requi&s;ite I tell you Madam, before I begin to &s;peak of this mo&s;t excellent per&s;on, that the late King of <HI>Phenicia,</HI> who hath a great part in the beginning of this Hi&s;tory, was a Prince who merited the name of a great Conquerour, making him&s;elf mo&s;t eminent up|on a hundred &s;everal occa&s;ions, and having purcha&s;ed the reputation of extraordinary valour; but being born under a more amorous con&s;tellation, then ever any of his condi|tion was: It may very well be &s;aid, that he joyed more in the Conque&s;ts of his Love, then he did in tho&s;e of <HI>Mars.</HI> He had an univer&s;al civility unto all of that Sex, which made him generally loved: And his Spirit being infu&s;ed unto all the Courtiers, every man under his Raign had all Ladies in a high e&s;teem and Veneration: Al&s;o I a&s;&s;ure you, the Gods could never have &s;ent this per&s;on into the world, of whom I am to &s;peak in an age di&s;po&s;ed to adore her Beauty, admire her Spirit, and reverence her Virtue, as in this. Now Madam, I &s;hall tell you, that this incomparable Lady, who&s;e name was <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> is of a very Noble Family, and hath this advantage, to be born in great abundance of wealth; for her Father, who&s;e name was <HI>Straton,</HI> was extream rich. This man was of Spirit enough, but it was a Spirit of ambition, and for the world: He was of a hot and lively temper, who loved all manner of plea&s;ures, and who was never content, unle&s;s his hou&s;e
<PB N="36" REF="600">
were filled with all the Grandure of the Court; he kept an open and plentiful Table; his hou&s;e was the Rendezvouz of plea&s;ures, either in Walkings, Mu&s;iques, or Fea&s;ts: So that it may be &s;aid, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was born in a hou&s;e of joy. The Wife of <HI>Straton,</HI> called <HI>Bar|cea,</HI> was fair, but phanta&s;tical, and did not contribute any thing, neither to the plea|&s;ures of her Husband, or of tho&s;e who came to him: And it often &s;o fell out, that &s;he was not &s;een, and left in her Chamber without the lea&s;t, how do you. Since <HI>Straton</HI> had been long married before he had any children, when <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> came into the World, he was extraordinarily joyed at her, and &s;olemnized her Birth, with a Fea&s;t of a va&s;t expence. I will not in&s;i&s;t long Madam upon the extraordinary beauty of this Child, when fir&s;t &s;he &s;aw light: But I be&s;eech you permit me to begin the Hi&s;tory of her life, from her com|ing out of her Cradle, &s;ince certainly in <HI>Tire</HI> they talked of the little <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> as a great miracle, when &s;he was not above five or &s;ix years of age: It was not only the prodigi|ous lu&s;tre of her beauty which filled the Court with admiration, but it was as well her rare wit and &s;prightly an&s;wers; it was her excellent grace, and &s;trange facility to learn any thing was taught her, and her plea&s;ant conceipts in diverting company; al&s;o a &s;tateli|ne&s;s at that age, as would have becomed the Maje&s;ty of a Queen: Be&s;ides all the&s;e qua|lities, &s;he had two more, which did render her mo&s;t amiable, for &s;he had &s;uch an ad|mirable voice, and &s;uch an inclination unto Dancing, as that at the age of five years &s;he was mo&s;t excellent in both, beginning al&s;o to play upon the Lute, which &s;he did with &s;uch a grace, that &s;he charmed all her hearers. <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> being thus qualified as I tell you, and much more amiable then I am able to relate, you may ea&s;ily conceive that her Father did mo&s;t tenderly love her, and he loved her &s;o much the more, becau&s;e he ob&s;erved that his Wife did not love her over-well, and becau&s;e the beauty of his Daughter, though a child, did &s;tick in her &s;tomack: Nor did he leave her unto her guidance, but on the con|trary, he placed the little <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> in a Chamber, far off hers, and &s;et a Governe&s;s over her, who was as virtuous as &s;he was apt, and fit to cultivate the &s;weet and noble inclina|tions of this young Lady: So that &s;he being of a natural &s;iveetne&s;s, and educated with &s;uch extraordinary care, it is no wonder this rare child &s;hould make a greater noy&s;e in the World at nine years of age, then the faire&s;t u&s;e to do at eighteen. Al&s;o one occa&s;ion did pre&s;ent it &s;elf, which did make the rare merit of this young <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> to &s;hine, and which was not talked on only in <HI>Tire,</HI> but al&s;o throughout all <HI>Phenicia,</HI> and all the Kingdoms, who&s;e Amba&s;&s;adors were then at our Court. Be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that a <HI>Tirian</HI> named <HI>Cry&s;iles,</HI> who was admirable in Mu&s;ique, and had travelled, returned unto <HI>Tire,</HI> and being a very accompli&s;hed man: and known of all the Court, he came unto <HI>Stra|ton</HI>'s hou&s;e, as others did, and was &s;o charmed with the young <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> that he vvould needs become her Ma&s;ter in Mu&s;ique, and teach her upon the Lute, and to &s;ing all tho&s;e Songs which he learned of the famous <HI>Arion,</HI> with whom he had an intimate friend&s;hip at <HI>Le&s;tos,</HI> and whom he had &s;een at the Cape of <HI>Tonarus,</HI> when that Dolphin which &s;a|ved his life brought him thither: Since this accident was a great miracle, and <HI>Cry&s;iles</HI> an eye-witne&s;s of it, I believe he vvas de&s;ired by every one to tell it, a thou&s;and and a thou|&s;and times over, &s;o that it was the only talk of the Town for many daies. The King him&s;elf cau&s;ed him to relate it, and &s;o did the Queen; and <HI>Chri&s;iles</HI> was &s;o tired with &s;o often rela|ting it, as he &s;aid once laughing, that <HI>Arions</HI> Dolphin was not &s;o weary with carrying him, as he was with telling the &s;ame thing &s;o oft over: The time was then, when the cu&s;tome was to celebrate a great Fea&s;t unto <HI>Neptune:</HI> For the <HI>Tirians</HI> being all Seamen, their grand devo|tion is unto the Sea Gods: They conceived al&s;o, that their Town being an I&s;le, they were more obliged then any others to reverence <HI>Neptune:</HI> You know Madam, how it is a received belief every where, that during the love of this God unto <HI>Amphitrites,</HI> there was a Dolphin vvhich did prodigious feats for him, and how this Fi&s;h was placed among the Stars for the good &s;ervices which he had done that God: So that the <HI>Tirians</HI> in the honour of this God and <HI>Amphitrite,</HI> do extreamly reverence Dolphins; and under&s;tand|ing this adventure of <HI>Arion</HI> from <HI>Cry&s;iles,</HI> they attributed the miracle unto <HI>Neptune,</HI> as Ma&s;ter of the Seas. This time being neer that Fea&s;t, and it being the King who was to be at the charges of that ceremony, this Prince did contrive a place according unto the cu|&s;tome, to repre&s;ent &s;ome Emblemes of <HI>Neptune,</HI> and he made choice of this adventure of <HI>Arion.</HI></P>
<P>He no &s;ooner had this phan&s;ie, but he did communicate it unto tho&s;e that had the con|trivance of &s;uch things, and unto <HI>Cri&s;iles</HI> al&s;o; and they all agreed, that this adventure would furni&s;h out a mo&s;t rare Scean, and make a mo&s;t plea&s;ant &s;hew; So that without any
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more delay, Painters, Ingravers, Engeneers, and Mu&s;itians were to be imployed, and the King being then deeply in Love with a Lady of that Court, it may very well be &s;aid, that this magnificence intended, was made as much for her as for <HI>Neptune.</HI> In the mean while, the Engeneers and Painters found out an invention to repre&s;ent the Sea, to make <HI>Neptune</HI> appear &s;itting in his Chair, and <HI>Amphitrites</HI> in hers; to repre&s;ent Ships, and the <HI>Tritons,</HI> and the <HI>Nereides,</HI> to &s;hew a Dolphin which &s;hould &s;eem to &s;wim, but they could not devi&s;e who it &s;hould be that &s;hould repre&s;ent <HI>Arion,</HI> who as <HI>Cri&s;iles</HI> &s;aid, was both young and fair; and &s;ince the be&s;t Singers there were neither young nor fair, they were a little puzled; but in conclu&s;ion, <HI>Cri&s;iles</HI> who aimed at nothing more then the glory of the young <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> made a Propo&s;ition unto the King, that he would command <HI>Straton</HI> to permit his Daughter to repre&s;ent <HI>Arion,</HI> which he could not refu&s;e, &s;ince the Queen her &s;elf was to repre&s;ent <HI>Amphitrites.</HI> The advi&s;e of <HI>Cri&s;iles</HI> was not at the fir&s;t liked by the King, who feared that the young <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> would be out of countenance, and &s;poil the fine&s;t pa&s;&s;age of the Mu&s;ique: But <HI>Cri&s;iles</HI> an&s;wered the King &s;o &s;atisfactorily, that the King con&s;ented, and he was no le&s;s bu&s;ie in ordering this entertainment, then he would have been in ordering a Battel, and therefore &s;ent immediately unto <HI>Straton,</HI> to propo&s;e the bu&s;ine&s;s unto him: But le&s;t he &s;hould be denied, he did both pray and com|mand at once, &s;o that <HI>Straton</HI> did not deny. This Prince al&s;o de&s;ired the Queen to ask <HI>Barce</HI> concerning <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> le&s;t out of her capritious de&s;ign, &s;he &s;hould be any ob&s;tacle unto the de&s;ign. But in conclu&s;ion Madam, not to abu&s;e your patience with any frivolous and impertinent relations, <HI>Cri&s;iles</HI> taught the young <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> the very &s;ame words and Aire <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Arion</HI> u&s;ed to allay the cruelty of tho&s;e that would have devoured him. <HI>Cri&s;iles</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> obtained the favour to have them from him, though he would not give them unto a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, and the wonder was, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> did &s;o admirably learn them, that <HI>Cri&s;iles</HI> him&s;elf was a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ed; but the greate&s;t wonder of all was, to &s;ee the confidence and bold|ne&s;s of the young <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> without any more a&s;toni&s;hment, then if &s;he had been in her own Chamber, having no other Spectator but her Governour, though it was in the pre&s;ence of a full and glorious Court. I will not lo&s;e &s;o much time <HI>Madam,</HI> as to de&s;cribe the magnificence of this Mu&s;ique; it will be &s;ufficient I only tell you, that never was a finer in <HI>Phenicia,</HI> and I will only in&s;i&s;t upon that which concerned the young and fair <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> Though I could tell you Madam, that the Sea was &s;o fully repre&s;ented, that all the Spectators feared the Waves would have da&s;hed them&s;elves again&s;t the Com|pany: And that the Chairs of <HI>Neptune</HI> and <HI>Amphitrites,</HI> were adorned with all that the Sea produced mo&s;t rich; that Pearls, Choral, and Rubies, were the garments of the&s;e two Divinities: The ve&s;tures of the <HI>Nercides</HI> and the <HI>Tritons</HI> were of <HI>Aggates,</HI> Mother of Pearl and Sea Ru&s;hes: That the Ship out of which <HI>Arion</HI> was ca&s;t into the Sea, &s;eemed to be far di&s;tant, as if it had floted to catch the <HI>Dolphin;</HI> and that all the Sceans were &s;o lively repre&s;ented, as that they did deceive the eyes. But give me leave to tell you Ma|dam, that when the young <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> appeared upon the <HI>Dolphin,</HI> all the A&s;&s;embly &s;houted a cry of admiration, which in lieu of amazing, did imbolden her, and cau&s;ed their won|der to double. The truth is, never could any thing be a rarer Spectacle, then to &s;ee <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> upon this <HI>Dolphin,</HI> which &s;wimming gently, and lifting his head out of the Water, as if he were proud of &s;uch a burthen, &s;eemed as if he would leap among&s;t the A&s;&s;embly, &s;wim|ing &s;ometimes on one &s;ide, and &s;ometimes on another. The young <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> who&s;e hair was fair, like as <HI>Apollo</HI> is repre&s;ented, did tye up her locks with much becomingne&s;s, le&s;t they &s;hould have hung down too long, yet divers of them in Breads did hang negligently upon her &s;houlders: Her dre&s;s was of Ti&s;&s;ue in divers colours mingled with Gold: Her Buskins, which &s;uffered &s;ome part of her white legs and feet appear under her waving Garment, which the motion of the <HI>Dolphin</HI> &s;tir'd, did imitate the manner how Fi&s;hes do &s;wim. A thou&s;and Diamonds &s;et in &s;everal places of her Garment did ca&s;t a &s;hining flame, but the eyes of the fair <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> did out-&s;hine them all: The &s;leeves of her Garment reached no further then her Elbowes, which &s;uffered the lovely plumpne&s;s of her youth to appear.</P>
<P>The Aire being then very hot, and <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> having naturally a Love incarnate complexion in her cheeks, with a mixture of pure white, her Beauty augmented, and appeared more lively and fre&s;h; her lips were perfect Coral, her teeth no &s;now was whiter, and her eyes no Stars more lu&s;trious. After all this, you may well conceive Madam, that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was a glorious Object, who without any a&s;toni&s;hment at the motion of the Dolphin, nor at the &s;tirring of tho&s;e well repre&s;ented Waves, nor at the pre&s;ence of the King or Queen,
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nor at that huge number of Spectators, did hold her Lute with a mo&s;t admirable grace, and did &s;ing with &s;o much wonderful confidence and skill, that all the Court was &s;urprized and charmed. <HI>Cri&s;iles</HI> was in an exta&s;ie of joy, and indeed it was a wonder, that the voice of one &s;o young &s;hould reach &s;o far, as to fill &s;o va&s;t a place as that was with a har|mony &s;o charming, as moved all hearts unto admiration. Al&s;o when &s;he was landed at a Cape, which repre&s;ented the Cape of <HI>Tenaros;</HI> and when the Dolphin had &s;et her on &s;hore, the King was &s;o tran&s;ported with admiration, that not &s;taying the end of the Mu|&s;ique, he went to imbrace her, and made extreamly much of her. Afterwards he car|ried her to the Queen, who was al&s;o come out of her Chair, and gave her a thou&s;and commendations, which &s;he received with much re&s;pect: But the applauds which every one in the Court did give her, with the mo&s;t Maje&s;tique fury in the world, as if for a thing which &s;he thought to be a meer vanity: After this Madam, &s;he went often to the Queen, yet &s;he never went, but &s;he &s;till augmented the admiration of all tho&s;e who &s;aw her; and I am confidently per&s;waded, that &s;he made more Lovers at that time, then did think them|&s;elves to be &s;o, and who becau&s;e of her exceeding youth, imagined their pa&s;&s;ions were no more then only an admiration, and complacency of them&s;elves, which moved them to &s;eek all occa&s;ions of &s;eeing her, only becau&s;e &s;he diverted them: Since the King was ingaged at that time in a mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ion, and &s;ince <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was a very child, he look|ed upon her only as a miracle, and not as a Mi&s;tre&s;s, yet he made her a thou&s;and wel|comes, and applauded her to the Skies upon every occa&s;ion: He never &s;aw <HI>Straton,</HI> but he asked how his Daughter the fair <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> did; and there was never any extraordinary di|ver&s;ion, but the young <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> mu&s;t needs be pre&s;ent. In the mean time, as &s;he grew, &s;o did her beauty, and fa&s;ter, and every Spring put fre&s;her Lillies and Ro&s;es upon her cheeks, then grows in any gardens: At fourteen years of age, &s;he was the mo&s;t exact Beauty that ever was &s;een in <HI>Phenicia:</HI> And Madam, as I have already de&s;cribed the beauty of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> in her Childhood, &s;o I be&s;eech you give me leave to de&s;cribe her, as &s;he was at four|teen, and as &s;he is at pre&s;ent; and it is requi&s;ite I let you know her heart and her Spirit, that you may with more delight and attention hear her adventures: Imagine therefore Madam, a per&s;on of the mo&s;t hand&s;om and noble &s;tature in the world, if you will con|ceive <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s: And though it was much under the common height of one that can be called tall, yet her &s;tature was &s;o exactly hand&s;ome, as all her body was as fair as her face. More|over, her port was &s;o noble and free, and yet &s;o full of Maje&s;ty, that never any vvas &s;een to walk with a better grace, nor &s;tand &s;till with a more mode&s;t countenance, yet con|fident enough.</P>
<P>Moreover, her action was no le&s;s plea&s;ing, then her &s;tature was noble, and her Port Maje&s;tique, her favour was neither forced nor carele&s;s, &s;he looked without affectation, and yet looked, as if &s;he would appear fair: If &s;he con&s;ulted with her gla&s;s to rectifie any thing that was ami&s;s in her dre&s;s, &s;he did it with &s;o hand&s;om a grace, and with &s;o much art, that any would &s;ay her hair did with delight obey tho&s;e fair hands which ordered it. All that &s;he did was done in &s;uch a taking way, that one knew not how to look upon her, and not love her. Moreover; Nature never gave fairer eyes unto any then unto her, they were not only full and fair, but they were al&s;o fiery and &s;weet, and &s;parkling alto|gether, but &s;o quick and &s;parkling, and &s;o dazled all that looked upon them, as their true colour cannot be well defined; her mouth was as perfect a beauty as her eyes; the pure whitene&s;s of her teeth de&s;erved the Carnation of her lips, her young and fre&s;h complexi|on made &s;o great, &s;o natural, and &s;o &s;urprizing a lu&s;tre, that at the very fir&s;t &s;ight &s;he would force admiration and applauds: Indeed the delicacy and purity of her complexion cannot be expre&s;&s;ed by any tongue, ingredients of white and red were &s;o &s;weetly mixed, that the faire&s;t and &s;weete&s;t Je&s;&s;imons and Ro&s;es comes not neer it in compari&s;on: Her No&s;e was of a mo&s;t exact Cicemtry, and Propo&s;ition, without ri&s;ing too much or too little, but made a mo&s;t compleat beauty: Indeed the whole compo&s;ure of her face being neither very round, nor very oval, though it inclined more to the la&s;t then the fir&s;t, was a mo&s;t prime work of Nature, who joyning all her wonders together, kept back nothing that could po&s;&s;ibly be de&s;ired. Moreover, <HI>Eli&s;a's</HI> Neck was no le&s;s fair, then all the parts de&s;cribed before, &s;o that the mo&s;t envious at her beauty could find no fault to carp at: You may well imagine then Madam, that &s;uch a young Lady as I have de&s;cribed, who dre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf to the be&s;t advantage, who played mo&s;t admirably upon the Lute, who &s;ung better then ever any did, and who danced with a grace above imitation, was mo&s;t fit to take hearts: Yet I cen a&s;&s;ure you Madam, this is not all, for which <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was com|mendable:
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for be plea&s;ed to know, that her &s;pirit and her wit had a million of charms and Beauties in them, and &s;he knew &s;o well how to make a mixture of mirth and jolity with her wi&s;dom and mode&s;ty, that never any was more exact in the Art: There was in her humour &s;uch a jolly plea&s;antne&s;s, as would make a great company very merry, though they were all the mo&s;t &s;erious and grave per&s;ons in the world; and &s;he knew &s;o well how to an&s;wer all tho&s;e who did vi&s;it her, both how to divert them, and how to plea&s;e them, and how to oblige them, that every one was infinitely plea&s;ed with her, be they of what humours they would. Since &s;he had &s;een all the compleat Gallants in <HI>Phenicia,</HI> one may &s;afely &s;ay &s;he knew all that they did know; and believe it, &s;he could &s;peak of all things very fitly and well, though &s;he &s;poke of many things which &s;he never heard before: But as &s;he was good at conver&s;ation in general, &s;o was &s;he al&s;o at particular; for &s;he would be a whole afternoon talking with one of her friends with as much gravity, as if &s;he were at a great Fea&s;t: Que&s;tionle&s;s &s;he was a lover of company, but &s;he would not be weary in &s;olitude; and when &s;he was in the Countrey walking by a Rivers &s;ide, and hearing the Nightingals &s;ing, &s;he would be as plea&s;ant, as if all the Court was with her. Moreover, never any was of more regular nor of more exact civility then &s;he; &s;he did as much as po&s;&s;ibly &s;he could to accord the di&s;obliging of any, but on the contrary, did with a &s;e|rious care &s;tudy how to oblige all the world: But Madam, her &s;oul was yet far greater then her beauty, and tran&s;cended her wit, and it cannot be better expre&s;&s;ed, then by &s;aying, that it was &s;o full of generous and heroique thoughts, that glory only did ani|mate her heart: She was indeed &s;omthing cholerique, but her choler was &s;o temper'd with an ingenuous &s;weetne&s;s, as that it never di&s;plea&s;ed, and as there was a kind of pride in her &s;oul, &s;o there was a &s;weet tenderne&s;s in her heart. Indeed never any loved her friends with more zeal, nor treated her Lovers with more rigour: There was never any unto whom &s;he promi&s;ed friend&s;hip, had the lea&s;t cau&s;e to complain, &s;he was ever ready to do them all good offices with joy, even to the expences both of pur&s;e and health, by taking pains in their bu&s;ine&s;s; &s;he loved them, though ab&s;ent, exiled, pri&s;oners, without money, without credit, and her friend&s;hip hath &s;omtimes gone as far as their very graves. Grandure never daunted <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> &s;he has &s;een Kings and Princes at her feet, and would never permit her &s;oul to be taunted with that vain-glory, which looks only at appearan|ces, and &s;educeth all weak &s;ouls: She was as unmoveable as a &s;tone at the intere&s;t of riches, as you &s;hall perceive by the &s;equel of the &s;tory; &s;he was not capable of any envy, though almo&s;t all the Beauties envied her: On the contrary, &s;he did ever aggravate the Beauty of others; and one of her greate&s;t delights was to &s;ee any good qualities in others, virtue had predominate charms over her, &s;he loved all that was worthy to be loved, and hated vice with as much zeal as &s;he loved virtue; &s;he was not only full of humility, but mode&s;ty, but it was a true real mode&s;ty, which is no le&s;s in the heart then the face, and which never deceives tho&s;e who admire it.</P>
<P>Moreover, &s;he was as full of prudence as wit, though far from that which is called &s;ubtilty, which often pa&s;&s;eth for that virtue among&s;t many per&s;ons: But as for <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> &s;he was full of &s;incerity, &s;he was capable of the clo&s;e&s;t &s;ecrets, and of a con&s;tancy which hath few examples among&s;t tho&s;e of her Sex. The truth is Madam, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> is a miracle, and it is no wonder at all &s;he &s;hould get &s;o many lovers and friends: But &s;ince &s;he hath been more happy in the la&s;t of the&s;e then the fir&s;t, I will &s;peak as well of her friends as of her Lovers. But to return to the bu&s;ine&s;s from whence I digre&s;&s;ed, give me leave to tell you Madam, that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> being arrived at the age of fourteen, &s;he made &s;o many Con|que&s;ts, and &s;ubjected &s;o many hearts, that perhaps I &s;hould not find belief, if I &s;hould number them; for &s;he was beloved of all who were capable of loving; all the Princes in the Court were her Slaves; three Brothers of that Quality Rivals at a time; all men a lit|tle inferiour unto that Rank acknowledged her power, and &s;he was a Mi&s;tre&s;s unto all their Ma&s;ters.</P>
<P><HI>Chri&s;iles</HI> in teaching her to &s;ing, learned to &s;igh for her, and he loved her with &s;o much devotion, that he would never teach any other but her, to the end &s;he might only &s;ing perfectly. The very Painters who took her picture, burned in hot flames of Love; there was not one who had any rea&s;on that were not in the &s;ame condition. In the mean time, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> in the mid&s;t of all the&s;e victories, &s;tood firm as Marble, &s;till the &s;ame, and out of a Noble pride, which rendred her more charming, &s;he was not puft up with her Con|que&s;ts, and it may very well be &s;aid, that <HI>Straton</HI> had more joyes then &s;he; but it was not &s;o with <HI>Barcea,</HI> who could not indure the great reputation of her Daughter: The
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young <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;uffered all her phanta&s;tical humours with unparallelled patience, and was ve|ry complacential unto the will of her Father; and it was chiefly to plea&s;e him, that &s;he expo&s;ed her &s;elf to &s;o much company who came thither, &s;ince certainly he affected it much more then &s;he. But to honour the Triumph of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s Beauty, the King of <HI>Phenicia,</HI> that famous Conquerour, became her Captive, but her Captive in a different manner from that he was accu&s;tomed to be, for heretofore his heart was able to make a retreat, but his pa&s;&s;ion to <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was otherwi&s;e obliged, and except &s;ome that envied her Beauty, none ever &s;poke or thought any thing which could be di&s;advantageous to her, and cer|tainly they had no rea&s;on, for I verily believe, that there was never any per&s;on who&s;e virtue was more pure, nor who was put unto more difficult trial then the virtue of <HI>Eli&s;a.</HI> I then had the honour to be much in the Kings favour at that time, and was the confident of his pa&s;&s;ion, and by con&s;equence was a witne&s;s of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s virtue, though &s;ince &s;he hath confe&s;&s;ed unto me, that at the fir&s;t &s;he was joyed a little, to &s;ee a Prince who was belo|ved of his people pro&s;trate at her feet: One who was a terror unto all his Neighbours, and e&s;teemed of all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> But &s;he did &s;o di&s;creetly palliate tho&s;e joyes, and alwayes re|ceived the King with &s;uch an indifferent civility, as I heard that Prince a hundred times &s;ay, he never came neer her but he trembled: I know very vvell, that tho&s;e vvho had a mind to dimini&s;h the honour of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> have reported that it was not impo&s;&s;ible to re&s;i&s;t a Prince who was none of the hand&s;ome&s;t, who had the Garb more of a Souldier then of a King, and one who indeed was no proper man: But for all this, he was one of the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Kings in the world, and one, who by rea&s;on of his familiarity and affability, was extreamly plea&s;ing and taking, he would di&s;cour&s;e with &s;o fine a grace, and behave him&s;elf with &s;o much &s;weetne&s;s, that he gained the hearts of all the world: Moreover, never was Lover &s;o civil, &s;o ob&s;equious, nor &s;o re&s;pectful as he, and by con&s;equence it may truly be &s;aid, that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> did merit infinite glory in re&s;i&s;ting &s;o great a Prince: I will not in&s;i&s;t Madam, upon any relation of his Court&s;hips, nor upon the Fea&s;ts which he made in con&s;ideration of her, nor with what a&s;&s;iduity he did vi&s;it her, for that would be too tedious and long: But give me leave only to tell you, that he was as diligent in his Court&s;hips of her, as he was of all the others whom he loved. In the mean while, <HI>Stra|ton</HI> who was of an ambitious compo&s;ition, was much joyed to &s;ee the King was in Love with his Daughter, yet he would alwayes tell <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> that he pretended unto no further, then to make u&s;e of the Kings favour for a certain time, and not that &s;he &s;hould &s;acrifice her &s;elf unto his fortune: In order unto this, he was very glad that the King did him the honour to come often unto his hou&s;e, and that it was become an ab&s;olute Court: As for <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> &s;he was quickly weary of all the&s;e gli&s;tering gallantries, for &s;he &s;aw that they were dangerous to her reputation, and deprived her of million of plea&s;ure and diverti&s;e|ments: The re&s;pects of a King, cau&s;ed all the Lovers of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> to conceal their Chains; and &s;ome of them &s;eem to love others for fear of offending the King, and who dur&s;t not &s;o much as &s;peak unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> which &s;he remembred very well, when afterwards they ad|dre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves: Since the virtue of this Lady was well known unto the Queen, the Kings Love did not put <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> out of her good opinion, or of the King: On the contrary, when this Prince was at any time in a melancholy mood, the Queen would &s;eek out for &s;ome occa&s;ion to make him go and &s;ee <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> If he were at any time &s;ick, &s;he would &s;end for <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> to charm his di&s;ea&s;e with &s;inging, &amp; &s;he e&s;teemed <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> as much as the King loved her: Since this Prince had a Genius of Rallary, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> did a long time receive the expre&s;&s;ions of his pa&s;&s;ion, as if he did it only to divert him&s;elf; but afterwards, his pa&s;&s;ion encrea&s;ing, &s;he &s;aw that &s;he was driven to the nece&s;&s;ity of re&s;olving what cour&s;e to take, and how &s;he &s;hould behave her &s;elf towards him: If &s;he followed her own inclination, and the fiercene&s;s of her na|tural di&s;po&s;ition, &s;he would have made it her glory to have treated the King wor&s;e then the meane&s;t of his Subjects, but &s;he was not ignorant that her Father would take it ill: So that &s;ince &s;he knew this Prince had naturally a light kind of a &s;oul, and could entertain more then one pa&s;&s;ion at one time, &s;he u&s;ed her be&s;t endeavours to extingui&s;h his pa&s;&s;ion unto her, by reviving in his heart the former love which he had, and perhaps might have again unto a per&s;on of rare beauty and virtue, whom he had quitted for her, conceiving, that if he did quit her only for her, and &s;hould per&s;i&s;t, it would be di&s;honourable. Ha|ving then fixed upon this re&s;olution, &s;he would &s;ing before the King only &s;uch &s;ongs as had been made for this illu&s;trious Rival, whom &s;he de&s;ired &s;hould only raign in the heart of this Prince, and that by &s;inging her prai&s;es, he &s;hould apply him&s;elf unto her again.</P>
<P><HI>Eli&s;a</HI> made u&s;e of a thou&s;and &s;uch de&s;ires to le&s;&s;en the Kings pa&s;&s;ion towards her, and
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knowing that I had &s;ome credit with him, &s;poke one day unto me, when I was intending to move her to be a little more favourable unto the King: <HI>Talamis</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) The King doth me the greate&s;t honours in the world in vi&s;iting me, and making a di&s;tin|ction between me and others of my quality; yet I wi&s;h you would be plea&s;ed to do me a good office unto him, which would be a very acceptable favour unto me, but I am afraid you will not: Methinks Madam, (&s;aid I unto her and &s;miled) you &s;hould ea&s;ily believe without any arguments of per&s;wa&s;ion, that I cannot deny any thing unto the Mi&s;tre&s;s of my Ma&s;ter: And be&s;ides, I am &s;o devoted unto your &s;ervice, that you may command me any thing without the lea&s;t fear of di&s;obedience: It is not as the Mi&s;tre&s;s of your Ma|&s;ter, replied &s;he, that I de&s;ire you &s;hould &s;atisfie my de&s;ire, but as I am your friend, and as &s;o I will be (if you do not deny me) as long as I live: I be&s;eech you Madam, &s;aid I unto her, make ha&s;t, and tell me what is your plea&s;ure I &s;hould do to merit that glorious Title which you are plea&s;ed to promi&s;e me upon tho&s;e conditions: My de&s;ire is, &s;aid &s;he, That you will cau&s;e the King to love me le&s;s then he doth, and that he will renew his affe|ction unto that mo&s;t accompli&s;hed Lady, whom he &s;o zealou&s;ly adored before: How Ma|dam (&s;aid I unto her) would you have the King love you le&s;s? Yes, an&s;wered &s;he, I much de&s;ire it, becau&s;e I am a real Lover of honour, but wi&s;h not to be ranked with three or four per&s;ons whom he hath already loved, and whom a little fal&s;e glory &s;educed: I mu&s;t confe&s;s unto you, added &s;he, that if the King &s;hould quit me out of &s;corn, per|haps I &s;hould be &s;o weak as to be a little angry. And I think al&s;o, that if he &s;hould ca&s;t me off for &s;ome whom he named unto me, I &s;hould al&s;o be &s;omthing moved: But if he &s;hould leave me, only becau&s;e he hath repented of his infidelity unto &s;o accompli&s;hed a Lady as &s;he is whom he quitted for me, I do a&s;&s;ure you I &s;hould be extreamly joyed; therefore I conjure you to &s;peak unto him upon all opportunities, in behalf of this illu|&s;trious Rival: Let him often look upon her Picture, and rekindle, if it be po&s;&s;ible, that fire which blazed out &s;o glorious a flame: For truly <HI>Telamis,</HI> I con&s;ider that the King cannot make me a Queen, and though he could, yet is not my Quality worthy to be one; and he would be infinitely injurious to him&s;elf, if he &s;hould have any &s;uch thought: But I a&s;&s;ure you, that my heart is too high, and my &s;oul too noble to &s;acrifice my honour upon an ill-grounded vanity; therefore <HI>Telamis</HI> I conjure you not to deny me this re|que&s;t.</P>
<P>I do confe&s;s Madam, that this Di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> did &s;urprize me: At the fir&s;t, I thought that &s;he had &s;ome &s;ecret inclination another way, which perhaps was one part of her vir|tue; for I could not imagine that one &s;o young as &s;he was capable of &s;uch a re&s;olution as this: but I was quickly undeceived, and was con&s;trained to admire the vertue of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> more then her beauty: The truth is, I was &s;o charmed, that I for&s;ook the Kings Intere&s;t for hers: &s;o that in lieu of negotiating with her as he plea&s;ed, I negotiated with him as <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> plea&s;ed: Yet was it not po&s;&s;ible to do as &s;he de&s;ired; &s;o that re&s;olving to &s;peak un|to him her &s;elf, &s;he did it with &s;o much confidence and genero&s;ity, that this Prince loved her the more: yet &s;he had &s;o much power over him, as he prote&s;ted that he would never have any unju&s;t de&s;igns upon her, and that he would do what he could to moderate the violence of his pa&s;&s;ion; which was no ea&s;ie matter for him to do; but to bring it about, and to cha&s;e one pa&s;&s;ion out with another, he de&s;igned &s;ome Conque&s;ts upon the <HI>Sircans</HI> which are toward the We&s;t; and in order to that, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e prepared a great Navy, and employ|ed him&s;elf wholly in the Wars, purpo&s;ely to le&s;&s;en that love which raigned in his Soul: &s;o that it may be &s;aid, he was as diligent in cha&s;ing <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> out of his heart, as if he would have won her by winning of Battels. In the mean while, it delighted <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> that all <HI>Phe|nicia</HI> did &s;trive in vain to know the cau&s;e of the Kings de&s;igns; and it plea&s;ed her that he talked of nothing but advancing her family, but advancing her father, and promi&s;ing her, that if he could not cure him&s;elf of his pa&s;&s;ion by this voyage which he was attempting, to let her live as &s;he plea&s;ed at his return: and that he would endeavor all po&s;&s;ible ways to plea&s;e her. But to te&s;tifie how extream the Love of this Prince to <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was, even at the very &s;ame time that he endeavored to extingui&s;h it, be plea&s;ed to know that <HI>Dipoenus</HI> and <HI>Scillis,</HI> who&s;e Fame was blazed over all the world, being landed at <HI>Tyre,</HI> he entertained them, to make during his ab&s;ence the rare Statue, which at this pre&s;ent is among the Trea|&s;ures which <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> had heaped up, and which doth &s;o lively re&s;emble <HI>Eli&s;a;</HI> appointing them to repre&s;ent her, as the Athenians did repre&s;ent <HI>Victory,</HI> which was without wings, intimating by that as well as they, he would not have Victory for&s;ake and fly from him: For their pains, he promi&s;ed &s;uch great Recompence when he returned, that it is not ima|ginable
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what he would have given for the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> her &s;elf, &s;ince he would give &s;o much only for her Statue. Since he had &s;everal Pictures of this fair <HI>Eli&s;a, Dipoenus</HI> and <HI>Scillis</HI> did form their model by them: Al&s;o they had &s;everal &s;ights of her, though &s;he knew not the rea&s;on why they looked &s;o upon her, for the King did keep it &s;ecret: In the mean time, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was much joyed in her hopes, that her fathers ambition would be &s;atisfied without any hazard of her honour or reputation; and therefore &s;he made a thou&s;and vows and prayers for the happy &s;ucce&s;s of the Kings expedition, who imbarqued after he had given <HI>Straton</HI> a thou&s;and A&s;&s;urances of Grandure at his Return, not daring to expre&s;s him&s;elf more directly concerning his Pa&s;&s;ion: I &s;hall not weary you Madam, with a Re|lation of this War: The beginning and &s;equel was pro&s;perous to the King; he defeated his enemies where&s;oever he met them; and he never &s;ent any news of his Victories unto <HI>Tyre,</HI> but he writ unto the incomparable <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and thanked her as the cau&s;e of all his happy &s;uc|ce&s;s: In conclu&s;ion the difference between the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> and the <HI>Sircans</HI> came to General Battel, which the King gave, and had the Victory, and &s;ent pre&s;ently by me the news of it unto the Queen, and at the &s;ame time unto <HI>Eli&s;a;</HI> forbidding me to &s;peak unto any, that he had received a &s;light wound with a dart on his &s;ide, le&s;t it &s;hould di&s;quiet the Queen, or dimini&s;h the joys of the people for his Victory: commanding me moreover, to a&s;&s;ure the Queen and particular <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> in private, that he would follow within eight days with his victorious Army, after he had left &s;ome Gari&s;ons in certain places which he took in the beginning of the War. So u&s;ing the help both of Sail and Oar, I came to <HI>Tyre</HI> with incredible &s;peed, and brought with me this news of Joy, which pre&s;ently became &s;o univer|&s;al, that nothing was thought on but magnificent Preparatious for the Kings Entry. <HI>Eli|&s;a,</HI> though not very well, yet &s;he did partake of this publique Rejoycing, and the &s;ooner, becau&s;e the Letter, which I brought from the King, was the mo&s;t obliging in the world; and becau&s;e I a&s;&s;ured her, that in lieu of lo&s;ing this Princes heart as &s;he once intended, &s;he had only purified it, and made it capable only of an innocent pa&s;&s;ion: Adding after|wards, how he had commanded to tell <HI>Straton,</HI> that he &s;hould prepare him&s;elf to receive as &s;oon as he arrived, one of the mo&s;t con&s;iderable Offices in the State. So that Madam, <HI>Eli|&s;a,</HI> having rea&s;on to hope for the being the Kings Favorite, and not his Mi&s;tre&s;s, as &s;o many others had been, &s;he began to de&s;ire his return, and to be impatient of &s;eeing him: Since I had an extraordinary e&s;teem of her, and loved no other, I never was from her, where <HI>Straton</HI> was very glad to &s;ee me; and I went the oftner, becau&s;e the hou&s;e of <HI>Straton</HI> being towards the Sea, I was certain from the Chamber of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> to &s;ee a Ship arrive, which I thought to be one of the Kings that came before to acquaint us with the hour of his arri|val; but it was not &s;o, for that Ship &s;uffering Shipwrack, we wondered one day when I was in <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s Chamber, to &s;ee the whole Navy appear: Since I &s;pied it the fir&s;t, I could not chu&s;e but expre&s;s my joyes, by acquainting <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> with it: Come Madam, &s;aid I un|to her, Come and triumph over the Conquerour of others, and fully enjoy your Vi|ctory.</P>
<P>She blu&s;hed at my words, and we no &s;ooner went to the Balcone, but we di&s;cerned the Fleet, and pre&s;ently after, we di&s;covered how all the Ships had their ornaments of victory: We &s;aw a thou&s;and Flags waving in among&s;t the Cordage, as many flames fla&s;h|ing, the Ships were &s;et round with colours gained from the Enemies, and all the Decks &s;hined with gold and &s;ilver: But that which mo&s;t &s;urprized <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and me when the Fleet came neerer, was to perceive all the&s;e Flags and Pennons, in lieu of being of &s;everal co|lours, as they u&s;e in combat or in Triumph, were all of one dusky dark colour mixed with gold and &s;ilver, &s;uch as is u&s;ed in the Funeral ceremonies of Kings: The &s;ight of this made us begin to tremble, but our admiration augmented, when coming neerer the place where we were, we could di&s;tinctly perceive, that the Captain who had more or|naments then the re&s;t of the Ships, had upon his Deck a great Coffin, placed upon a half part of three &s;tairs, and that this Coffin was covered with black cloth, wrought with gold, upon which was placed a Crown, and a magnificent Sword, and at the head of this Coffin a Trophe elevated, to &s;ignifie, that he who died and was in the Coffin, died in triumphing, a hundred lighted Lamps hung round about the Deck: The Kings chief Officers were in mourning, and waited round about the Coffin: This &s;ight cau&s;ed ex|tream &s;orrow in <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s heart and mine; a doleful mu&s;ique was heard from every Ship, which by its lamentable tone &s;poke the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> to be dead: All the Ships gained from the enemy followed this Captain, but without any Flags, Pennons, Banners, or Ornaments to &s;ignifie their defeat; the Souldiers in them were chained upon the Decks
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of the Ships, to honour the Funeral Pomp of that illu&s;trious Conquerour. To be &s;hort Madam, it was the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> who was dead of his &s;light hurt, which he had com|manded me to conceal from the Queen and <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> when he &s;ent me to carry the news of his victory: Doubtle&s;s you will ask me Madam how it was po&s;&s;ible, that a wound which permitted this Prince to write unto the Queen and <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and which did hardly trouble him, &s;hould cau&s;e his death &s;o &s;uddenly: But I &s;hall an&s;wer, that the Dart which had been poy&s;oned, as it was known after my departure, and the venom having not di&s;per&s;ed its malignity when I came from him, he did not &s;eem to be &s;o much as ill. But as &s;oon as I had left him, the venom reached his heart, and he died within twenty four hours after: He was no &s;ooner dead, but his Lievtenant General di&s;patched a Ship for <HI>Tire<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> to bring this &s;ad news: Mean while, he ca&s;t anchor neer a great Town not far off his Road, pur|po&s;ely to give orders for all things nece&s;&s;ary to honour the Funeral Pomp of the King his Ma&s;ter: But as I told you, the Ship which &s;hould have preceded the Fleet, being Ship|wracked, none were adverti&s;ed of the Kings death, nor of the Navies approach. After this Madam, you may ea&s;ily imagine, how <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and I were amazed and grieved; for though the &s;oul of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was not ingaged in any pa&s;&s;ion to this Prince, yet &s;ince &s;he was of a generous di&s;po&s;ition, and &s;en&s;ible of benefits, it was impo&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould look upon the Coffin of this Prince, whom &s;he had &s;een &s;o re&s;pective at her feet, with a dry eye, or tranguile &s;oul: And when the Captain of the Ship came under her Window, &s;he ha&s;tily retired, as not being able to endure &s;o &s;ad an object; yet notwith&s;tanding her retirement, her &s;orrows encrea&s;ed when the Ship came into the Port, and the people who were crowded to render honour unto their victorious and living King, did cry out mo&s;t dolorou&s;ly, when they knew that their Prince was dead: The noi&s;e of &s;uch a cla|mour was &s;o great, that the Chamber of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;eemed to &s;hake, and it was long before we could make our complaints, becau&s;e we could not hear each other: 'Tis true, our tears did &s;peak our &s;orrows, and we &s;aid many things in &s;aying nothing: But at la&s;t our tongues were &s;ad expre&s;&s;ors of our lo&s;&s;es, yet it was not &s;uddenly, for <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> de&s;iring to know all particulars of his death, willed me to go out and inform my &s;elf. But this is not pertinent to my di&s;cour&s;e, let me only tell you Madam, That the la&s;t words of the dying King was with the name of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> which did not le&s;&s;en the grief of this fair and virtuous Lady. As &s;he was moved only out of her genero&s;ity, &s;o <HI>Straton</HI> grieved out of intere&s;t and grati|tude both, for all his hopes were qua&s;hed, and could not expect that from the new King which he hoped for from the other. Never was a more general mourning then this, ne|ver was a greater con&s;ternation then &s;eemed to be among&s;t the people, and never did change of Prince cau&s;e &s;uch an alteration in private fortunes.</P>
<P>During this confu&s;ed un&s;etledne&s;s, and trouble which was in the Court, <HI>Straton</HI> went into the Country, and carried <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> with him, who was glad of &s;uch a &s;olitude to hide her melancholy, and where &s;he was plea&s;ed I &s;hould &s;omtimes come and &s;ee her: But du|ring this time, <HI>D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">oenus</HI> and <HI>Scillis,</HI> having moved the Kings Officers for what the late King had promi&s;ed unto them, and the&s;e Officers, perhaps without acquainting the King having repul&s;ed them, they imbarqued in the night; and carried away with them the rare Statue which they had made, and which they &s;aid was an ab&s;olute miracle. In the mean time, as it is the cu&s;tom to mourn for the death of a King, &s;o it is al&s;o the cu&s;tom to re|joyce with him who is to &s;ucceed; and as publike &s;orrows never la&s;t long, &s;o a calm be|gan &s;uddenly to appear in the Court, and things were &s;etled as before: As for <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> though &s;he was not of an humour to pa&s;s &s;o quickly from &s;orrows into joyes, yet out of rea&s;on and wi&s;dom &s;he rowzed up her &s;elf; and &s;ince her heart was not ingaged in any particular affection, her &s;orrows were more ea&s;ily comforted: <HI>Straton</HI> then returning unto <HI>Tire, Eli&s;a</HI> returned al&s;o; and &s;ince &s;he had never &s;een the Queen &s;ince the Kings death, &s;he went to her as &s;oon as &s;he had got into a habit of mourning. Never was the Court &s;o full as now, there was not a man of any quality in all <HI>Phenicia</HI> who was not there at <HI>Tire;</HI> So that when <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was with the Queen, with a Prince&s;s who loved her very well, &s;he met with the applauds of all the Grandees in the Court and Realm: For indeed Madam, the mourning which <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> wore for that renowned Conquerour, did &s;o very well become her, that without doubt it helped her to conquer many hearts which were not yet &s;ubjected, that black and plain dre&s;s, that vail hanging down to the ground over her fair hair, that plated Tiffiny about her fair Neck, and tyed with &s;everal black Ribbonds, like a Scarf; tho&s;e turned up &s;leeves, which let the whitene&s;s of her arms appear, and all her &s;ad habit, which gave a more fre&s;h lu&s;tre to her eyes, and was a foil unto the fre&s;hne&s;s
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of her complexion, all of the&s;e were &s;o advantageous unto her, that her greate&s;t adorers confe&s;&s;ed, they never &s;aw her &s;o fair; and they pre&s;&s;ed &s;o that day to &s;ee her, that one could hardly pa&s;s through the Chamber unto the Queen, who did treat her according to her merits. Among&s;t that croud of gallants, there was one that day with the Queen, who&s;e name was <HI>Poligenes,</HI> who was one of the mo&s;t con&s;iderable men in our Court, both for his quality and merit, who being a great friend of <HI>Stratons,</HI> and one of the prime Admirors of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> was ravi&s;hed with joy at the acclamations which were attributed to her Beauty, yet he thought that this his joy was as much an effect of that friend&s;hip which he held with the Father, as the love which he bore the Daughter; for having &s;een her in the Cradle, and u&s;ed in her infancy to &s;peak unto her, as if he had been her Brother, al|&s;o given her a hundred advi&s;ements in divers accidents, he could not believe he was in Love with her; yet it was not long before he did perceive it, as I &s;hall hereafter tell you: A|mong&s;t this multitude of men of Quality, who were then at Court, there was one of <HI>Si|don,</HI> called <HI>Phocilion,</HI> who having never &s;een <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> before, was &s;o &s;urprized and charm|ed, that he could not talk of any thing el&s;e: He did not content him&s;elf with looking upon her while&s;t &s;he was with the Queen, but he followed her when &s;he went out as far as her Coach, afterwards he came in again unto the Queen, and mixing with the company of three or four, whereof <HI>Poligenes</HI> was one, he began to extol the beauty of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> very highly, asking where &s;he lodged? who u&s;ed to vi&s;it her often? and who could carry him thither? <HI>Poligenes,</HI> who till now was glad of the prai&s;es which were attributed unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> began to think &s;trange at tho&s;e which <HI>Phocilion</HI> gave her, for he was very hand&s;om, and he told this fre&s;h Adorer of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> that the hou&s;e of <HI>Straton</HI> was not now &s;o open and free, as it was wont to be in the time of the late King, and therefore he would not advi&s;e him to court his new acquaintance; adding further, that &s;ince he was a <HI>Sidonian,</HI> it was not convenient for him to &s;ee &s;uch a dangerous per&s;on in <HI>Tire;</HI> yet for all this, his per&s;wa&s;ions would not work upon <HI>Ph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">cilion,</HI> for which he was very &s;orry: So that calling him&s;elf to an account, he found, that certainly the affection which he bore unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> was of another nature then he imagined: But before I acquaint you Ma|dam with the progre&s;s of this Love, it is requi&s;ite I acquaint you what kind of man the lo|ver was. <HI>Poligenes</HI> was doubtle&s;s de&s;cended from a very illu&s;trious family, and out of a hou&s;e more noble then that of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> his per&s;on was very hand&s;om, he was rich and neat in his habit, and never any had a more Polite and facetious wit then he, Court&s;hip and gallantry were qualities born with him, civility was in&s;eparable from him, and though he was of a little too &s;erious compo&s;ition, yet he was not melancholy; but on the contrary, his conver&s;ation was very plea&s;ing: 'Tis true, he was a little re&s;erved and particular, and never &s;poke in any of tho&s;e tumultuous conver&s;ations, where there was much company: If he was at any time to give a treatment, he would do it with &s;o good a grace in &s;uch or|der, and &s;o neatly, that one would believe it co&s;t him half as much more as it did; and in any thing which he undertook, either Races, Mu&s;iques, Balls, Walks, or Fea&s;ts, he al|wayes had &s;omthing extraordinary and rare; &s;o that all unanimou&s;ly did give him the re|putation of the neate&s;t of men, and it may well be &s;aid, that all the &s;pruce youths of the Court came not neer him: <HI>Poligenes</HI> was about thirty five years of age when the late King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> died, although he &s;eemed not to be above twenty and eight: He had a Bro|ther much younger then him&s;elf, but he was not then at <HI>Tire; Poligenes</HI> being as I have de&s;cribed, did not mix him&s;elf with the youth of the Court, which made &s;uch a croud up|on <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> as if he were their Rival; but on the contrary, he behaved him&s;elf as the friend of <HI>Straton,</HI> and his Daughter, not but that he did commend her with a better grace then they, and was as full of his expre&s;&s;ions of gallantry, but it was in a way more &s;ubtil, and by not profe&s;&s;ing the Gallant he was more Courtly then they: Since he knew the &s;harp|ne&s;s of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s humour, he carried it &s;o as he per&s;waded her, that what&s;oever he &s;aid, were only effects of that Gallantry which proceeded from his natural Genius; &s;o that <HI>E|li&s;a</HI> not &s;u&s;pecting he had any particular de&s;ign upon her, lived with him in much confi|dence, and as if he were her brother: The better to palliate his own thoughts, <HI>Poligenes</HI> would &s;omtimes give her advice, either in acquainting her what was &s;aid of her, or in ad|vi&s;ing her to rid her &s;elf of &s;ome who vi&s;ited her, craftily chu&s;ing tho&s;e whom he feared mo&s;t prejudicial to him: <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> thinking him well intentioned towards her, thought her &s;elf exceedingly obliged to him for his behaviour to her, and his advice, though &s;he would be her own Governour, nor was &s;he of too ea&s;ie a belief, yet &s;he lived with him in a mo&s;t obliging manner: So that whil'&s;t &s;he made all tho&s;e to di&s;pair whom &s;he thought her Lo|vers,
<PB N="45" REF="604">
<HI>Poligenes</HI> whom &s;he thought only her friend, received a thou&s;and te&s;timonies of e|&s;teem and friend&s;hip. In the mean time, <HI>Phocilion</HI> notwith&s;tanding the advice of <HI>Polige|nes,</HI> found out a way by the help of a friend to be carried unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and being hand&s;om and of a good &s;pirit, al&s;o being of good quality, and a very compleat man, <HI>Straton</HI> en|tertained him very well, and the better, becau&s;e he looked upon him as one who might in rea&s;on think of a Marriage with his Daughter, for he knew very well, that all tho&s;e Princes and Grand Signiors who had loved her, would not marry her. As for <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;he looked upon him as a compleat man, and never looked further, for in the humour &s;he was, mar|riage was no part of her inclination. <HI>Phocilion</HI> being di&s;creet and wife, having a &s;weet and plea&s;ing wit, and never &s;peaking any thing unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> which might give her the lea&s;t cau&s;e to &s;hun his company, he courted hers, and he had pre&s;ently got that plea&s;ing fami|liarity with her which &s;he allowed to her friends, and denied to her Lovers. <HI>Poligenes</HI> up|on whom <HI>Phocilion</HI> ca&s;t a &s;hadow, imployed all his Stratagems to put him out of <HI>Eli&s;ia</HI>'s favour: Somtimes he would tell her, he was but a Ru&s;tique, other whi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es, that if &s;he had any thoughts of Marriage, it &s;hould be one of a better Rank, and that &s;he might the &s;ooner take his coun&s;el, he would &s;peak &s;ometimes very well of <HI>Phocilion,</HI> whom he fear|ed more then all the re&s;t: For &s;ince he was well acquainted with the high virtue of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> he did much le&s;s fear the Princes who loved her then <HI>Phocilion,</HI> who&s;e condition and qua|lity being more equal unto hers, might permit him to look upon her as a man whom &s;he might innocently Love: But notwith&s;tanding all his advi&s;es, he could not per&s;wade <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> to his wi&s;h; and knowing her to be imperious, and that perhaps he might anger her if he a&s;&s;umed any authority over her, he dur&s;t not be further importunate: However, his &s;oul enjoyed her u&s;ual &s;erenity a few daies after, for &s;ince <HI>Phocilion</HI> was not forward, and &s;ince his de&s;ign upon <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was not a &s;imple de&s;ign of Gallantry, but of Marriage, he did not tran&s;act as other Lovers did, but carried it with much le&s;s noy&s;e, becau&s;e he was not &s;orry to ob&s;erve the carriage of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> amid&s;t &s;o many Adorers before &s;he would declare her &s;elf: So that negotiating as the friend of <HI>Straton, Poligenes</HI> did a little rea&s;&s;ure him|&s;elf, and al&s;o came to be very friendly with <HI>Phocilion,</HI> who having ob&s;erved that <HI>Polige|nes</HI> was in <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s favour, took a &s;pecial care not to be upon any ill terms with him. As there is no manner of mourning is &s;o &s;oon pa&s;&s;ed over, as that of the Court, e&s;pecially where a young Prince &s;ucceeds an old King, &s;o plea&s;ure now began to bud out in <HI>Tire,</HI> where they began to make many magnificent Fea&s;ts, of which <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was the faire&s;t orna|ment.</P>
<P>There were al&s;o divers games of Prize to be played, and I remember one which con|ducted much to the glory of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and which procured her the hatred of many beauties: For imagine Madam, that tho&s;e who won the Prize that day were to carry it unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> out of the extream de&s;ire they had to plea&s;e her, and to get &s;ome honor in her pre&s;ence. Tho&s;e three Princes Rivals whereof I &s;poke, and who were Brothers and Rivals both, were in the number of tho&s;e who were to lay at her feet tho&s;e marks of advantage which they had won: But it was mo&s;t admirable to &s;ee, with what mode&s;t pride <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> refu&s;ed what they pre&s;ented unto her, and with what repugnancy &s;he obeyed <HI>Straton,</HI> who com|manded her to accept their offerings. <HI>Poligenes,</HI> who was one of tho&s;e who brought the Prize, was yet received more favourably then the re&s;t, becau&s;e &s;he feared not in him tho&s;e con&s;equences which &s;he apprehended in tho&s;e who were her declared Lovers; yet I am confident, that for all her fury, &s;he was not &s;orry for receiving an honour that day, which none but her &s;elf ever had, yet &s;he did hide her &s;atisfaction &s;o well, that &s;he re|turned home with &s;o little &s;ign of joy, as if &s;he never thought upon it. The next morn|ing, all tho&s;e who &s;hared in her glory went to vi&s;it her, to te&s;tifie that they were very glad of the honour which &s;he had received; but they found that &s;he had a &s;oul &s;o infinite|ly above all that can be phra&s;ed vanity, that they judged her more worthy of a Crown then the Prize they had offered, not but that &s;he received their applauds with a &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive mode&s;ty; but on the contrary, it was with &s;uch a proud and fierce humility, (if it may be &s;aid) as made it apparent, that &s;he found more &s;atisfaction in her &s;elf, then in the prai&s;es of another, not but that &s;he did love the commendations of her friends, but &s;he would have their commendations to be real &s;igns of that e&s;teem which tho&s;e who commend her have of her, and that they be worthy who give her any &s;uch applauds: As for tho&s;e tumultuous Encomiums which are given out of cu&s;tom or decency, they did more vex then plea&s;e her; and I have &s;een her receive them &s;o fiercely, as &s;he hath been ready to convert her love into hatred again&s;t tho&s;e who gave them, and truly it is not &s;trange &s;he
<PB N="46" REF="605">
&s;hould; for be&s;ides her natural humour of fiercene&s;s, and cholor, <HI>Poligenes</HI> did much contribute unto it; and I am confident that he would commend this Spirit of fiercene&s;s in her, a hundred times more then her beauty, voice, or wit: I remember one day a|mong&s;t the re&s;t, when none but <HI>Poligenes, Phocilion,</HI> and I were with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and be|ginning to commend her genero&s;ity in loving to do good offices unto her friends, we fell in&s;en&s;ibly to repeat one after another all the excellent qualities which &s;he was owner of, though &s;he endeavoured to make us change our di&s;cour&s;e: Since you will needs have me endure your Panigyriques (&s;aid &s;he, &s;eeing we &s;till went on) I pray do me the favour to tell me of my faults that I may amend them: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Phocilion,</HI> I cannot find any but one which I can de&s;ire &s;hould be mended, which is, that you are a little too &s;cornful: For my part, replied <HI>Poligenes,</HI> I think, and could rather wi&s;h &s;he were not &s;o &s;weetly familiar; for I do profe&s;s unto you, that if there were a nece&s;&s;ity <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;hould lo&s;e any one of tho&s;e qualities which renders her &s;o admirable, I would let any of them go, rather then her &s;cornful and haughty way of demeanure: How, (&s;aid I with ad|miration, and looked upon <HI>Poligenes)</HI> Do you prefer the pride of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> before any other of the good qualities which &s;he is owner of? I be&s;eech you con&s;ider well what I &s;ay, (re|plied he) and do not think I &s;peak without rea&s;on: I mu&s;t confe&s;s, replied <HI>Phocilion,</HI> that my rea&s;on reacheth not &s;o far, nor can I under&s;tand how it &s;hould be po&s;&s;ible you can con&s;ent that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;hould part with the lea&s;t good quality &s;he hath, rather then that pride and &s;corn, which addeth an ingredient of fear, to be mixed with the Love of tho&s;e who profe&s;s any affection to her: For my part (&s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and laughed) I am &s;o glad to find any one who will commend a fault which I cannot mend in my &s;elf, as I cannot &s;ufficiently expre&s;s my obligation unto <HI>Poligenes</HI> for it: I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, replied he, you need never thank me for a thought which I cannot chu&s;e but think: But I be&s;eech you, &s;aid <HI>Phocilion,</HI> What is the motive which prompts you to affect this pride in <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> which blemi&s;heth all the re&s;t of her virtues? It is, replied he, becau&s;e thereby her heart is not ea&s;ily conquered; and as I am fully per&s;waded; (&s;peaking in kind of rallary) that it is not my de&s;tiny to make that illu&s;trious Conque&s;t, &s;o I am very glad, that there is &s;omthing in the &s;pirit of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> which may hinder others from it as well as my &s;elf; and to &s;peak in rea&s;on, there is nothing that better becomes any high beauty, then this noble Pride, yet I mu&s;t needs &s;ay, that this humour does not &s;uit hand&s;omly with every one, for there is requi&s;ite a thou&s;and good qualities, to produce tho&s;e plea&s;ing effects which I &s;peak of, and it mu&s;t be a high Beauty that mu&s;t &s;et it off, for Beauty only is not enough, but a high &s;pirit and a great heart are e&s;&s;entially requi&s;ite; and I am per&s;waded, that the haughti|ne&s;s of a fair fool hath &s;uch a neer re&s;emblance of Pride, and comes &s;o neer a kind of fooli&s;h idle vanity, as it doth much misbecome them, and renders them in&s;ufferable. I know that if this per&s;on who hath this loftine&s;s of behaviour, have not al&s;o a great and generous heart, &s;he will be bitter and tart, and &s;urely in lieu of being &s;tately, this I do not wi&s;h to be in any accompli&s;hed per&s;on: Sullenne&s;s and Stateline&s;s are two different things, the fir&s;t is Ugly, the other is Maje&s;tical, the one a &s;ign of a melancholy Spirit, the other of a great and noble &s;oul: Yes, the &s;tateline&s;s which I &s;peak of is a &s;park of Di|vinity, which di&s;tingui&s;heth tho&s;e who are &s;o from the common herd of people, which makes them feared, and re&s;pected of tho&s;e who love them, and which without the lea&s;t incivility, forbids too much familiarity with tho&s;e who are &s;o &s;tately, and which quality I do every day admire in <HI>Eli&s;a;</HI> and therefore wonder not that I &s;hould de&s;ire her to part with any other quality then with this noble Pride, which I &s;o much love in her, and which al&s;o hath rendred you &s;o good offices: To me, replied <HI>Phocilion,</HI> For heavens &s;ake do not offer to per&s;wade me that I am any Debtor unto the haughtine&s;s of <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> Indeed you are, replied <HI>Poligenes,</HI> For can you think, that &s;he being &s;o fair, &s;o amiable, and &s;o much adored as &s;he is, her heart would have been at this time to di&s;po&s;e of, if &s;he had not been as &s;tately and maje&s;tical as &s;he is? or if &s;he had been &s;o affable and &s;weet, as you &s;eem to de&s;ire her, &s;he could never have &s;een &s;o many denied Suitors at her feet, without having pity upon &s;ome one of them, in&s;omuch as when you came unto <HI>Tire,</HI> and courted her acquaintance, you would have found her heart ingaged, whereas now you find it free, and &s;o di&s;ingaged from any affection, as the mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionate of all her Lovers cannot find in her behaviour the lea&s;t cau&s;e of any jealou&s;ie: 'Tis true, replied <HI>Phocilion,</HI> But on the other &s;ide, they cannot find any foundation of hope: Yes, replied <HI>Poligenes,</HI> very much, &s;ince there is no fear that any will be more happy then your &s;elf: But I be&s;eech you (&s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and interrupted them) Wherein does this &s;tateline&s;s you &s;peak of con&s;i&s;t? I pray
<PB N="47" REF="605">
tell me, that I may know how to be more or le&s;s lofty, as occa&s;ions &s;hall be offered? Is it in the Aire of my vi&s;age that it appears? or in all my actions in general? Is it in my words? Or in the accent of my voice? Is it in &s;omthing which I cannot define, replied <HI>Poligenes;</HI> For truly, you are more civil then many others, who pa&s;s for more &s;weet and affable then they are; you are e&s;&s;entially good, you are ready to do all good offices to your friends with an excellent grace: Al&s;o upon &s;ome occa&s;ions you are pittiful and ten|der, but with all the&s;e you are high-minded and &s;tately, as I would have you to be; and to &s;ay truly, I think that this brave and noble Pride, hath its &s;ource from the root of your heart, and from thence it pa&s;&s;eth into your Spirit, into your eyes, into your face, and into all your actions and words: Since &s;o (&s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> then) I mu&s;t be as long as I live the very &s;ame I am at this pre&s;ent, for I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s unto you, that I would not change my heart for any others: Though your highne&s;s of behaviour &s;hould make you have no other thought but that, replied <HI>Poligenes,</HI> yet I &s;hould for ever love it; for as I &s;aid before, I &s;hould not be &s;orry if others cannot enjoy that thing, which I cannot my &s;elf enjoy.</P>
<P><HI>Phocilion</HI> was not yet &s;atisfied with the rea&s;ons of <HI>Poligenes,</HI> but this di&s;cour&s;e la&s;ted &s;o long, that night &s;ummoned us to leave <HI>Eli<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a,</HI> who doubtle&s;s was gladder to &s;ee her &s;tateli|ne&s;s commended, then any other Quality, for &s;he heard every one applaud her beauty, her voice, and her Spirit, and &s;omtimes &s;he met with &s;ome who found fault with her &s;tateline&s;s, and extreamly complained again&s;t it. This was the &s;tate of things Madam, when the Brother of <HI>Poligenes,</HI> whom I told you was travelling in <HI>Greece,</HI> returned unto <HI>Tire:</HI> He was then about four and twenty years of age, and there being &s;uch a difference of age between <HI>Poligenes</HI> and him, he re&s;pected him almo&s;t as his Father; and indeed <HI>Po|ligenes</HI> took as great a care of <HI>Agenor,</HI> as if he were his Son; he was therefore extreamly glad to &s;ee him &s;o hand&s;om, and plea&s;ing every way; and I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, a man could not be more hand&s;om then he was; he was not only hand&s;om and of a good garb, but he was al&s;o exceeding agile in all the exerci&s;es of his body, e&s;pecially in dance|ing. Moreover, he had an admirable wit, but it was a merry and diverting wit, which infinitely plea&s;ed all companies. Moreover, he was the apte&s;t of all men to make &s;ecretss, to di&s;cover tho&s;e of others, and to hide his own when he would: 'Tis true, this humour la&s;ted not long, nor took him oft; for he had a vanity, which cau&s;ed that he could not be loved, without de&s;iring it &s;hould be known; yet the pa&s;&s;ions of his &s;oul were very vi|olent, but vanity would not permit them to be &s;trong in his heart; and certainly, if <HI>Age|nor</HI> had not had this fault, he had been much more amiable in the eyes of tho&s;e he loved then he was: For as for others, except his Rivals, he was the &s;weete&s;t and mo&s;t civil of men towards them, his vanity being only confined unto his Gallantries. <HI>Agenor</HI> being &s;uch a one as I have de&s;cribed, he returned to <HI>Tire,</HI> while&s;t <HI>Straton, Barce,</HI> and <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> were gone for fifteen daies into the Country. In the <HI>interim, Poligenes</HI> &s;hewed his Bro|ther all the Court, who got in it extraordinary reputation, e&s;pecially among the Ladies. In the mean while, <HI>Agenor</HI> having a &s;oul naturally di&s;po&s;ed unto Gallantry, could not live without a bu&s;ine&s;s of that nature; he applied him&s;elf unto one of the Queens women named <HI>Lyriope,</HI> one both of beauty and merit, but of an envious and revenging &s;pirit, &s;uch as would not permit her &s;elf to be at re&s;t: Indeed <HI>Lyriope</HI> looked upon any thing that was advantageous unto any of her companions with a &s;piteful eye; and I believe &s;he never &s;aw a good face, but &s;he had ill re&s;t all that day: I think al&s;o that &s;he wi&s;hed her &s;elf both fair and brown both at once, that &s;he had eyes both black and grey, and indeed to be all that others were, yet be what &s;he her &s;elf was al&s;o. <HI>Lyriope</HI> was not only envious at the beauty of others and their Conque&s;ts, but at their very cloaths al&s;o, not enduring any &s;hould have more riches, nor better made then her &s;elf, without extream regret: You may then imagine Madam, that a woman of this humour was extreamly joyed, that a man whom all the Court mo&s;t talked of, and of greate&s;t braverie, &s;hould apply him&s;elf to &s;erve her, and to make choice of her among&s;t a Court full of beauties; &s;o that fearing le&s;t this Conque&s;t &s;hould e&s;cape her, &s;he re&s;olved to joyn her endeavours unto her charms, and retain by &s;ome light favours what her beauty had gotten: But <HI>Lyriope</HI> was mi&s;taken in her rea&s;on at this time, for I am per&s;waded, that if her heart had been harder to con|quer, &s;he had kept her conque&s;t longer: However, this gallantry made a great noi&s;e in the world; for as &s;oon as it was &s;aid that <HI>Agenor</HI> loved <HI>Lyriope,</HI> it was al&s;o &s;aid <HI>Lyriope</HI> did not hate <HI>Agenor;</HI> &s;o that when <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> returned out of the Country nothing el&s;e was talk|ed of.</P>
<P><PB N="48" REF="606">
She was no &s;ooner returned unto <HI>Tire,</HI> but all the Court came to her, &s;o as <HI>Agenor</HI> wondered, that he could hardly find a man that day in all his vi&s;its, yet it was not long before he knew the rea&s;on, for going at night unto the Queens lodging, he under&s;tood by the di&s;cour&s;e of the Gallants in the Court, that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was the cau&s;e of the &s;olitude he found in every place: Some &s;aid &s;he was returned fairer, then when &s;he went away, and that the Country Aire had purified her complexion, others &s;aid &s;he was grown taller, o|thers affirmed her to be &s;omthing le&s;s proud, or at lea&s;t, their joyes to &s;ee her at <HI>Tire</HI> a|gain, made her &s;eem more &s;weet and affable; others who heard her &s;ing, &s;aid and &s;wore &s;he had learned &s;ome Mu&s;ique of the Nightingals in the Country, maintaining &s;he never &s;ung &s;o well as now.</P>
<P><HI>Agenor</HI> hearing the&s;e commendations of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> asked <HI>Lyriope</HI> whether &s;he de&s;erved them or no: But &s;he, according to her envious humour made a de&s;cription which out-vied en|vy it &s;elf; &s;he told him, that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s eyes were &s;o great and &s;taring, as would affright him, that her complexion was &s;o high as it was an ab&s;olute red, and that &s;he was &s;o arrogant and proud, as that &s;he was even dogged and &s;urely; &s;o that detracting from <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> all her beauty and good qualities, &s;he made her Picture nothing like her. I chancing to be pre|&s;ent at this di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Lyriope</HI> could not chu&s;e but contradict her, and hate her al&s;o: I be&s;eech you Sir, &s;aid I unto <HI>Agenor,</HI> do me the favour to &s;u&s;pend your judgment of <HI>E|li&s;a,</HI> until you have &s;een her, which &s;hall be ere long, for I am a witne&s;s how &s;he chid <HI>Poligenes,</HI> for not bringing you to her hou&s;e this day, telling him, that &s;he did not be|lieve, being his friend &s;o much as &s;he was, he would have had a Brother &s;o much accom|pli&s;hed as reports &s;peak you, and not make her acquainted with him. <HI>Agenor</HI> hearing me &s;ay &s;o, did ea&s;ily apprehend that <HI>Lyriope</HI> &s;pake enviou&s;ly of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s Beauty; for though he was in Love with her, yet he doted not, and though &s;he had touched his heart, yet &s;he had not got it: However, he carried the matter, as if he had mo&s;t zealou&s;ly loved her, and therefore he asked her leave in a low voice to &s;ee <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> which &s;he dur&s;t not de|nie him.</P>
<P><HI>Agenor</HI> having leave to &s;ee <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> he was no &s;ooner returned home to his Brother where he lodged, but he went unto his Chamber, to &s;ee whether he would acquaint him with <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s de&s;ire of bringing him unto her, as I had told him, but he wondered to &s;ee <HI>Poli|genes</HI> not &s;peak a word unto him concerning her; yet none had ever told <HI>Agenor</HI> that his Brother was in Love, he imputed it unto his oblivion: So as he re&s;olved to acquaint him with what he knew, <HI>Poligenes</HI> was much &s;urprized at his Brothers di&s;cour&s;e; and the truth was, it was not his forgetfulne&s;s of what the fair <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;aid unto him, which re&s;trained him from acquainting his Brother with it; but the true rea&s;on was, becau&s;e he was not yet fully re&s;olved whether he &s;hould be glad of that acquaintance or no: Yet notwith&s;tand|ing, &s;ince <HI>Agenor</HI> &s;eemed to be much in Love with <HI>Lyriope,</HI> he re&s;olved upon it, nor did he well &s;ee how he could prevent it; therefore de&s;iring his Brother to excu&s;e his forgetful|ne&s;s of the honour which <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> did him, he promi&s;ed to carry him thither the next morn|ing: But to be a little better a&s;&s;ured of the bu&s;ine&s;s, he would pump out his thoughts of <HI>Lyriope,</HI> to &s;ee whether it were to be hoped that his pa&s;&s;ion to her would keep him from any thoughts of <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> Brother (&s;aid he unto him and &s;ighed) are you not afraid to make the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r <HI>Lyriope</HI> jealous, by &s;eeming &s;o earne&s;t of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s acquaintance? Since &s;he cannot think me in Love with one I know not, replied <HI>Agenor,</HI> I had no &s;uch apprehen|&s;ions, not &s;hall I render this vi&s;it without he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> leave: And indeed <HI>Agenor</HI> told him upon what terms he was with <HI>Lyriope;</HI> and after he had cau&s;ed him to promi&s;e fidelity unto the confidence he put <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> him, he let him know that <HI>Lyriope</HI> did willingly permit him to &s;peak of his pa&s;&s;ion, that &s;he had not forbid him to hope, that he had already &s;everal Letters unto her, that indeed &s;he had not returned any an&s;wers, but it was only becau&s;e &s;he dur&s;t not tru&s;t the me&s;&s;enger, that not a day pa&s;&s;ed whereon &s;he did not give him an occa&s;ion <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;ee and &s;peak <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> her, that &s;he did alwayes acquaint him with the places where the Queen <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> be, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o the end he might be there, and that indeed he had &s;ome rea&s;on <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o think him&s;elf not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed I a&s;&s;ure you Brother, replied <HI>Poligenes,</HI> You have much rea|&s;on to think the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> you, and I am very glad of it: For indeed (&s;aid he craftily) be|&s;id<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> is very fair, and the Conque&s;t cannot chu&s;e but be very plea&s;ing and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> unto you, you will al&s;o &s;atisfie your ambition as well as your Love, &s;ince <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">|ta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ly <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> more in the Queens favour then all the world believes: I know &s;ome <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> which I cannot acqu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">nt you with, (&s;aid he, though he had none) <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> do <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 words"> to per&s;wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ou unto a careful con&s;ervation of what you got, and to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he|ri&s;h
<PB N="49" REF="606" MS="y">
the affection of <HI>Lyriope.</HI> After this, <HI>Poligenes</HI> thinking him&s;elf as &s;ecure as he could de&s;ire, parted from <HI>Agenor,</HI> who being to vi&s;it a per&s;on of &s;uch extraordinary merit, of whom &s;uch high reports were famed, he ordered his &s;ervant the next morning to give him a Sute of clothes which he affected, and which indeed did admirably well become him; for it was neither too plain nor too gaudy, but the colours and trimming &s;uited &s;o well, as it was very hand&s;om to the eye. <HI>Agenor,</HI> neglecting nothing which might &s;et him&s;elf off, with the mo&s;t advantage, went to <HI>Poligenes</HI> as &s;oon as it was convenient time to vi&s;it, and claimed his promi&s;e, which indeed he kept without any repugnancy; imagining that &s;ince <HI>Lyriope</HI> was &s;o kind, he would not be &s;o perfideous to her, as to change for one who&s;e Con|que&s;t &s;eemed impo&s;&s;ible: So that without further delay he went with <HI>Agenor</HI> unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> prucing him&s;elf &s;o up that his brother &s;hould not look younger then him&s;elf; And to &s;peak the truth, the choice was very hard to be made; not but there was a difference between the&s;e two brothers almo&s;t in every thing, but yet the difference was without any inequa|lity of merit, both of them having the e&s;teem of mo&s;t accompli&s;hed men: The Maxims of <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> in point of gallantry were very oppo&s;ite unto each other: For <HI>Poligenes</HI> &s;aid, that one ought never to declare his love openly, until he had &s;ome a&s;&s;urance of being beloved: <HI>Agenor</HI> on the contrary maintained that he ought not to hide the pa&s;|&s;ion of his &s;oul one minute from her that was the cau&s;e of it; And indeed <HI>Agenor</HI> did not &s;peak this out of a bare humor of gallantry, but did ever &s;o expre&s;s him&s;elf: <HI>Poligenes,</HI> for his part, he would be a clo&s;e Lover until he had a&s;&s;urance of reciprocal affection; and therefore finding in the &s;pirit of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> marks only of e&s;teem, and no di&s;po&s;ition unto &s;uch an affection as he de&s;ired, neither to him nor any other, he &s;ilently adored her, though with an unmea&s;urable pa&s;&s;ion, hoping &s;till that this re&s;pective friend&s;hip would at la&s;t con|vert it &s;elf into love, maugre her intentions.</P>
<P>But to return where I was; <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> were betimes at the hou&s;e of <HI>Straton,</HI> when no company but my &s;elf was there, &s;o that I only was the Witne&s;s of this fir&s;t en|terview: Since <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was after at the Chamber of <HI>Straton</HI> then in that of <HI>Barce,</HI> becau&s;e of her fanta&s;tical humors, it was there where <HI>Poligenes</HI> pre&s;ented his Brother&punc; <HI>Agenor</HI> unto the Father and the Daughter, both whom received them with much civility. After the fir&s;t Complement, <HI>Straton</HI> having &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s with <HI>Poligenes,</HI> carryed him out of the Chamber, and left <HI>Agenor</HI> with <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and me. This Beauty was that day in &s;uch an ad|vantagious habit, as it is no wonder if the L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;ter of her beauty dazled the eyes of <HI>Agenor.</HI> Since &s;he had no intentions of going abroad, her dre&s;s was as Ladies u&s;e when they keep their Chambers; but yet as one who would be &s;een, and not as one who was &s;ick, her ha|bit was blew trimmed with Silver; her hair was part brarded up behind with Pearls and blew Riband, and part hung negligently down upon her neck, on which &s;he wore a Neck|lace of Diamonds &s;et in Gold enamel'd black: Moreover, &s;ince Chance would have <HI>Age|nor</HI> &s;ee her with &s;ome extraordinary delight, &s;he did &s;it upon a Cu&s;hion of Carnation Tin&s;el; &s;o that this Carnation and this blew did ca&s;t &s;uch plea&s;ant reflection of colours upon the cheeks of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> that her beauty appeared in full advantage of lu&s;tre: &s;o as the light being full in her face, &s;he appeared as &s;he was, fair enough to make an infidel of <HI>Age|nor,</HI> who did &s;it ju&s;t oppo&s;ite to tho&s;e eyes which had made &s;o many Conque&s;ts: We were no &s;ooner &s;it, but <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> begun the Di&s;cour&s;e: I do a&s;&s;ure you Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I can hardly pardon <HI>Poligenes</HI> for the injury he hath done me in making me no &s;ooner ac|quainted with you, &s;ince he hath deprived me of a plea&s;ure which I know not how to re|cover. It is my part Madam, to complain again&s;t him (replyed <HI>Agenor,)</HI> and not yours&punc; but though it were &s;o, that the &s;ight of me does not di&s;plea&s;e, yet &s;ince I have the honour to &s;ee you now, I know not why you &s;hould &s;ay <HI>Poligenes</HI> hath deprived you of a plea&s;ure which you cannot recover. The Rea&s;on is (&s;aid &s;he and laughed) becau&s;e I have an ex|tream de&s;ire and delight to hear the di&s;cour&s;e of tho&s;e who have travelled, e&s;pecially you who are returned from a place of mo&s;t exqui&s;ite Politene&s;s. Provided Madam you will permit me (replyed he and &s;miled) after I have told you what I have &s;een excellent in <HI>Greece,</HI> to &s;peak al&s;o of what I have found mo&s;t rare here, I &s;hall promi&s;e you to &s;atisfie your curio&s;ity. Perhaps you may think (replyed &s;he craftily) that I think you will not take &s;o much pains as to tell you what Beauties there are about the Queen. I mean not of about the Queen, replyed he; and when I asked permi&s;&s;ion to &s;peak of all the Beauties I found to be fair here, I did not intend that this word <HI>here</HI> &s;hould extend it &s;elf further then this very Chamber wherein you are. However it be &s;aid &s;he, I pray do me the favor to tell me, whether the Ladies are as fair in <HI>Greece,</HI> as they are fam'd to be? That beauty
<PB N="50" REF="607">
Madam, replyed he, is certainly mo&s;t admirable: But if you had been as now you are, when I parted from <HI>Ph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nicia,</HI> or as young as then you were, if I had then the honour to have &s;een you, I &s;hould not have been guilty of a thou&s;and Injuries which I have done you during my Travels: For truly Madam I mu&s;t needs ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s, I have &s;worn a thou&s;and times unto a thou&s;and Ladies, both at <HI>Corinth, Athens, Argos, Thebes,</HI> and <HI>Sparta,</HI> that there was not one in all <HI>Phenicia</HI> which was comparable unto their Beauties: But to repair the injury I have done, I be&s;eech you Madam give me leave, that as I have told this extream un|truth unto a thou&s;and Greeks, &s;o I may tell you al&s;o as often in real truth, that you alone are fairer then all they together. Though what you &s;ay were true (replyed <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> rallary) yet I &s;hould not be obliged unto you for telling me one thing &s;o often; and to &s;peak truly (added &s;he, and turned towards a great Gla&s;s upon her right hand) I need but look once upon my &s;elf to confute all you have told me. Oh Madam (&s;aid <HI>Agenor,</HI> and looked in the Gla&s;s al&s;o) if you will but beleeve your own eyes, you will beleeve my words. While&s;t they were in this Di&s;cour&s;e, and I harkened unto it, I ob&s;erved that <HI>Poligenes,</HI> who was walking in the other end of the Chamber with <HI>Straton,</HI> gave no great heed unto what he &s;aid unto him, but on the contrary li&s;tened with a jealous ear unto the talk of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and <HI>Agenor,</HI> e&s;pecially when they walked neere&s;t where we were; yet I thought his rea&s;on was only a bare curio&s;ity to know whether <HI>Agenor</HI> was plea&s;ed with the Di&s;cour&s;e; and I confe&s;s I had tho&s;e thoughts of a Brother which &s;hould have been unto a Lover: How|ever, &s;ince they did often pa&s;s from a &s;erious di&s;cour&s;e unto a plea&s;ant, and from a plea|&s;ant unto a &s;erious; <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> chiding him for his extolling her beauty very &s;harply, and <HI>A|genor</HI> ob&s;tinate in his applauds of it, their di&s;cour&s;e was very little of News either of the People or War: But <HI>Agenor,</HI> according to his maxim, highly extolling <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and not hiding his advantagious thoughts of her, he commended her to the Heavens, and that with much earne&s;tne&s;s: So that <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> to make him change his di&s;cour&s;e, and to te&s;tifie &s;he knew how <HI>Lyriope</HI> had a &s;hare in his heart; I pray tell me, &s;aid &s;he unto unto me, whether <HI>Agenor</HI> u&s;e to commend all tho&s;e he talks with, with &s;uch exce&s;s as he doth me? to the end I may know how to take all he &s;ays unto me: Since you have &s;een him with the Queen, you may ea&s;ily give me this &s;atisfaction; therefore I conjure you to tell me, what he &s;aid unto all the Ladies he &s;aw; then &s;he named many of the Ladies unto me, and among&s;t the re&s;t, <HI>Lyriope.</HI> For my part Madam, replyed I unto her, I never heard him commend any &s;o much as you. How, &s;aid &s;he, does he commend me more then he doth <HI>Lyriope?</HI> Oh <HI>Telamis,</HI> it cannot be: Yet it is very true, replyed <HI>Agenor,</HI> that I never commended any &s;o much as you. I perceive (an&s;wered &s;he) you do not beleeve I know that you are in love: But <HI>Agenor,</HI> I have better intelligence then you think I have; and the Report of <HI>Lyriope</HI>'s Conque&s;ts did fly into the Country: And I mu&s;t al&s;o tell you (added &s;he and laughed) that for my own glory I was very glad &s;he had made this Con|que&s;t before my return, becau&s;e now I cannot be upbraided for my inability to do it. People newly &s;ubjected (replyed he and looked upon her) are oft-times very glad to re|volt. Ab <HI>Agenor,</HI> replyed &s;he, I would have no Subjects rebel again&s;t their fir&s;t Ma&s;ters; And I am per&s;waded the chains wherewith <HI>Lyriope</HI> hath captivated you, are &s;o &s;trong, that though you would you cannot break them: however, I think you very bold in telling me that you commend me more then her. I confe&s;s Madam, replyed he, that you do a little puzzle me; yet I do conceive that without any injury unto <HI>Lyriope,</HI> I might &s;ay as much as I have done; for truly, &s;aid he, I am of &s;uch an humor, as I no &s;ooner perceive my &s;elf to be in love, but I mu&s;t immediately tell it: Al&s;o I conceive, that in &s;aying one loves, one hath made a long &s;peech unto her he &s;ays it: nor will I an&s;wer that I can commend you long as I have done. This way of commending, replyed <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> &s;hould never be my cu|&s;tom; but <HI>Agenor,</HI> you have better expre&s;&s;ed your &s;elf then I imagined: however I mu&s;t tell you, that I am very glad you are in love, becau&s;e I &s;hall be more apt to contract friend|&s;hip with you. I do know many per&s;ons Madam, replied I, who will never contract any friend&s;hip with a man in love. If I had any &s;ecrets to keep, replyed <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> I beleeved &s;hould not &s;ay as I do: but all the friend&s;hip which I de&s;ire with <HI>Agenor,</HI> is only a bare complacency, and a petty kind of exchange of indifferent &s;ecrets, which hardly can be termed &s;ecrets, which yet help very well to furni&s;h out di&s;cour&s;e and for &s;uch a friend, it is no matter if he be in love. Oh Madam, replied he, if I be not much mi&s;taken, you are a mo&s;t dangerous friend. <HI>Poligenes</HI> hearing the&s;e la&s;t words, could not chu&s;e but draw neerer, and a&s;&s;ure his Brother (while&s;t <HI>Straton</HI> was talking with one of his men) that he was mi&s;taken in what he &s;aid, &s;ince <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was as good a friend as &s;he was a dangerous Mi&s;tre&s;s.</P>
<P><PB N="51" REF="607">
As he &s;poke the&s;e words much company came in, which cau&s;ed di&s;cour&s;e to be more general: However, though fir&s;t Vi&s;its u&s;e not to be very long, yet <HI>Agenor</HI> continued his until night, and he grew as well acquainted with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> as if he had known her all his life: But whe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> at night he went to the Queens Lodgings, he was put to a puzzle how to render an account unto <HI>Lyriope</HI> of his actions in the afternoon: As &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw him, &s;he ob|&s;erved that he had &s;pruced up him&s;elf that day, and that he was finer then on the fir&s;t days when he de&s;igned to plea&s;e her: not but that he was always very hand&s;om; yet pa&s;&s;i|onate people can &s;py day at a &s;mall crany, and find a difference betwixt a natural neatne&s;s without de&s;ign, and an extraordinary tricking up, which proceeds from &s;ome &s;ecret de|&s;ign: So that &s;ince <HI>Lyriope</HI> had not &s;een <HI>Agenor</HI> all that day&punc; &s;he was extreamly de&s;irous to know where he had been: She no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but &s;he began to que&s;tion him, yet without any di&s;covery of her thoughts, I pray <HI>Agenor</HI> tell me (&s;aid &s;he unto him) how you have &s;pent this day? and how comes it to pa&s;s I have not &s;een you? I have been in a hundred places, and could not meet with any company, replied he, and at la&s;t <HI>Poligenes</HI> having promi&s;ed <HI>Straton</HI> to bring me unto his hou&s;e, would have me go along with him. Well <HI>Agenor</HI> (&s;aid &s;he and blu&s;ht) what think you <HI>Eli&s;a?</HI> You made &s;uch an ugly de|&s;cription of her, replied he, that I beleeve it cau&s;ed me to think her fair. The fate of this woman (replied this envious per&s;on) is very &s;trange; for I am per&s;waded, that though they &s;ay every Nation hath a kind of beauty which is particular to it &s;elf; &s;ome affecting the fair, others the black, and &s;ome the brown, others red; &s;ome would have them tall and gro&s;s, others little or of a mean &s;tature; &s;ome one complections and features, &s;ome others: yet I do beleeve, that if all men from all parts in the world did &s;ee <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> they would all con&s;ent to commend her beauty. As &s;he was &s;aying this in a low voice unto <HI>Agenor,</HI> one of tho&s;e who had been at the hou&s;e of <HI>Straton,</HI> came into their company and asked <HI>Agenor</HI> (not knowing what he had told <HI>Lyriope)</HI> whether he &s;tayed long with <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> after he came away? But <HI>Agenor</HI> had no &s;ooner told him a confident lye, and &s;aid he came away immediately after him, but another entered, who had &s;tayed there late, and came away when he did, who asked <HI>Agenor,</HI> if ever he &s;aw a fairer then <HI>Eli&s;a?</HI> And to drive him the more upon the Rock of a <HI>non-plus,</HI> a third came in, who knowing <HI>Agenor</HI> had never &s;een <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> before that day, and having &s;een him enter &s;o &s;oon after dinner, told him, that he did very well in making his vi&s;it &s;o long, and coming &s;o timely to &s;ee the &s;un&s;hine of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s beauty at the height of the day. <HI>Lyriope</HI> no &s;ooner heard this, but &s;he blu&s;ht for very &s;hame, &s;pite, and jealou&s;ie, for &s;he plainly under&s;tood <HI>Agenor</HI> went to the hou&s;e of <HI>Straton</HI> very timely, and was all the whole afternoon there; &s;o that he told her a lye, when he &s;aid he had been in a hundred places and could find no company. Then &s;he &s;ternly fixed her eyes upon his, as if &s;he did upbraid him with it; but he not being ig|norant of the power he had over the heart of this woman, did not much trouble him&s;elf at it, beleeving it no Herculean labor to make his peace; And indeed he u&s;ed &s;uch argu|ments as per&s;waded her that &s;he was beholding to him for the lye he had told: For, &s;aid he (as we under&s;tood afterwards) you may well imagine, that though I &s;hould fall in love with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and be an Infidel unto you, yet I could not in &s;o &s;hort a time become &s;o deeply engaged, as to make a my&s;tery of a pa&s;&s;ion which yet had taken no root: But beleeve me, it was only my complacence unto <HI>Poligenes</HI> which moved me to &s;o long a vi&s;it; and my fear le&s;t you &s;hould take it ill that I had been there all the day, moved me to invent and tell this lye: However (added he mo&s;t craftily) I am very glad that I have di&s;covered a &s;park of jealou&s;ie in your &s;oul, and as oft as I de&s;ire to receive any new favor from you, I think it my be&s;t cour&s;e to make a long vi&s;it unto <HI>Eli&s;a.</HI> This is rather the way to lo&s;e tho&s;e which you have already, replied &s;he: Ah <HI>Lyriope,</HI> &s;aid <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e, I be&s;eech you know me a little better; and beleeve it, Rigors will never for<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> me to repentance: 'Tis &s;weetne&s;s only will reclaim me, if ever you think there be any fear of lo&s;ing me. <HI>Lyriope</HI> having a &s;oul prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with a violent pa&s;&s;ion, thought the be&s;t way to appea&s;e <HI>Agenor</HI> was to oblige him: And being a woman of more wit then judgment, &s;he received his Rea&s;ons as good, thinking that to keep him from turning Apo&s;tate, and loving <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> her be&s;t cour&s;e was to load him with new favors. As for all the&s;e petty trifles which make &s;uch a blunder in the world when they are known, &s;he was re&s;olved to grant them all unto <HI>A|genor,</HI> thinking thereby ind<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;olvably to tie him unto her, to hinder him from loving <HI>Eli|&s;a,</HI> and to oblige him to marry her: But all did not hit, as you &s;hall perceive by the &s;equel o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the &s;tory. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> went much abroad, though <HI>Agenor</HI> went not to her, yet he &s;aw her every day; and &s;ince her compo&s;ure was &s;uch, as the more one
<PB N="52" REF="608">
looked, the more he liked and admired her; <HI>Agenor,</HI> who was able to judg who me|rited admiration, did perceive that admiration grew in his heart every time he &s;aw her; Yet for a while he gave his heart the check, and bad re&s;i&s;tance unto the beautie of <HI>Eli&s;a;</HI> Yet when he began to be glutted with the favours of <HI>Lyriope,</HI> he began al&s;o to yeeld a little unto the darts of <HI>Eli&s;a;</HI> the ea&s;ine&s;s of the one, and the difficultie of the other, did faint his de&s;ires of <HI>Lyriope,</HI> and &s;o kindle them of <HI>Eli&s;a;</HI> that he could not live and not look upon her: Yet he dur&s;t not &s;o &s;oon appear an unfaithful Changeling, and there|fore his vi&s;its of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> unknown unto <HI>Lyriope,</HI> put him to abundance of trouble. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Poligen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> who had an ob&s;ervant eye over his Brother, perceived pre&s;ently that the over-indulgencie of <HI>Lyriope</HI> did deaden his pa&s;&s;ion, &s;o that he began extreamly to fear he would become his Rival. In the mean time <HI>Phocilion,</HI> finding every day more virtue in <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> became &s;o extreamly in Love with her, as he was re&s;olved to do all he po&s;&s;ibly could to marrie her. Since he was verie rich, he doubted not but <HI>Straton</HI> would approve of his de&s;ign, but he did not think it fit to acquaint him with it, without the permi&s;&s;ion of <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> He &s;aw that this fair and wi&s;e Lady was verie civil to him, and that &s;he &s;eemed verie much to e&s;teem him, but he &s;aw her &s;o far from any thought of &s;uch a particular af|fection as he de&s;ired, and his fears of denial &s;o fainted his &s;oul, that he could not re&s;olve to di&s;cover his de&s;ign. But at la&s;t, after &s;everal vi&s;its, with full intentions of &s;peaking to h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r, and du<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t not, he took heart, and being one day alone with her, he determined to di&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">over his long concealed thoughts. But being acquainted with her maje&s;tical haughti|ne<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> he endeavoured to find a way of doing without incen&s;ing her.</P>
<P>After then he had talked a while of things indifferent, he began to &s;peak: Since you have the reputation (&s;aid he unto her) of being one of the mo&s;t generous friends in the world, I de&s;ire Madam you would be plea&s;ed to do me the honour of affording me &s;ome faithful coun&s;el in a bu&s;ine&s;s whereon depends all the good fortune, and all the bad fortune of a man, who is very much your &s;ervant, and in who&s;e fortune I have a mo&s;t neer concernment. <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> hearing <HI>Phocilion</HI> &s;ay &s;o, &s;tood a little &s;urprized, for &s;he knew he had much affection to her, though he never told her; yet &s;ince &s;he knew him to be very di&s;creet and wi&s;e, &s;he did not think he would &s;ay any thing that would di&s;plea&s;e her; therefore con&s;idering well with her &s;elf for an an&s;wer, Methinks, &s;aid &s;he unto him, You &s;hould rather con&s;ult with your own rea&s;on for coun&s;el, then ask mine, for I am very unable to give advice unto any: Therefore if you will believe me, &s;aid &s;he and laught, You &s;hall never reval the &s;ecret of that per&s;on in whom you have &s;uch intere&s;t, le&s;t two &s;everal inconveniences &s;hould befal you at once, the one of receiving ill coun&s;el, the o|ther of making me to de&s;ire to tell that which you &s;hould tell me. As for the la&s;t of the&s;e, replied <HI>Phocilion,</HI> I fear it not: Then it &s;eems you think me to be more &s;ecret then prudent (replied <HI>Eli&s;a)</HI> Since you do not fear I will reveal your &s;ecret, and conceive that I will not give you bad coun&s;el: However it be, replied he, I be&s;eech you Madam do me the honour to hear me, and hear me without interruption, promi&s;ing you, that when I have told you the bu&s;ine&s;s, to wait for your an&s;wer, and to cau&s;e the per&s;on who is concerned in it to follow the coun&s;el you &s;hall give: Out of meer curio&s;itie, replied &s;he, I will permit you to &s;peak, and therefore tell me what the bu&s;ine&s;s is: Before I obey Ma|dam, replied he, I mu&s;t be&s;eech you not to ask the name of him for whom I ask your coun&s;el, unle&s;s you have given &s;uch coun&s;el as he de&s;ires: How now (&s;aid &s;he and inter|rupted <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">) Does he de&s;ire coun&s;el, and yet will not follow it unle&s;s it &s;uit with his in|clination? Ah <HI>Phocilion,</HI> if it be &s;o, I am not fit to give it, for I u&s;e to coun&s;el after my own inclination, and not after others: You may do as you plea&s;e Madam, replied he, However, I be&s;eech you give me leeve to tell you, that there is a man in the world, who after he had lived a long time without the happine&s;s of knowing you, had at la&s;t the honor to &s;ee you fir&s;t, the fir&s;t day you were with the Queen, after the death of the late King: What's the rea&s;on <HI>Phocilion</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and interrupted him) that I am brought into the bu&s;ine&s;s of him unto which you would have me &s;peak? You &s;hall know it pre&s;ently Ma|dam, replied <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e, if you will be plea&s;ed to hear me without interruption: Be plea&s;ed to know then (pur&s;ued he) that he of whom I &s;peak, no &s;ooner &s;aw you, but he ador'd you, and fixed his re&s;olution to adore you as long as he lived: Truly <HI>Phocilion,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> you are a very &s;trange man, for in lieu of con&s;ulting about the bu&s;ine&s;s of another, you talk of nothing but me: Once more Madam, replied he, I be&s;eech you hear me: Since I have <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">gaged my word (replied &s;he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">harply and blu&s;ht) I will do &s;o; but remember al&s;o, that you are obliged unto two things, the one to hearken quietly unto all I &s;hall an&s;wer
<PB N="53" REF="608">
you, the other, to make him who de&s;ires my coun&s;el to follow it: I know it very well Ma|dam, pur&s;ued he, and I will keep my word. To return from whence I digre&s;&s;ed, I mu&s;t tell you Madam, that this man who adored you upon the fir&s;t &s;ight, and will adore you eter|nally, not being able to live, unle&s;s he can live happily, charged me to ask you what is your plea&s;ure &s;hall become of him? You are already &s;o civil unto him, as he thinks him|&s;elf much your debtor for it: You have given him many marks of e&s;teem, for which he is eternally obliged: <HI>Straton</HI> does him the favour to honor him with his friend&s;hip, his qua|lity is equal unto yours, his fortunes though much le&s;s then you de&s;erve, yet ample enough to make you happy, if riches will do it. And Madam, this man is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with &s;uch a re&s;pective pa&s;&s;ion, and is &s;o full of reverent devotion to you, that he dur&s;t never acquaint you with it: And though he hath &s;ome rea&s;on to believe, that <HI>Stra<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">on</HI> would not deny it if he asked his permi&s;&s;ion to Court you unto his de&s;ires, yet he would never &s;o much as think of it, until fir&s;t I asked your coun&s;el for him: But Madam, before you give it, be plea&s;ed to know, that never man knew how to love more zealou&s;ly nor re&s;pectively, then he you; and you mu&s;t not be ignorant, that if you advi&s;e him to be &s;adly &s;ilent, and to hide the unmea&s;urable pa&s;&s;ion of his Soul, you will force him into &s;uch an exce&s;&s;ive di&s;|pair, as he will mo&s;t certainly have recour&s;e unto death. Con&s;ider al&s;o I be&s;eech you, how the reverence he bears you is &s;o great, that knowing your &s;everitie and your &s;crupu|lous virtue, he dares not make it known that he dies for the Love of you, without let|ing you know al&s;o the innocencie of his intentions: I know well Madam, that there are every day Princes at your feet, and that he for whom I mediate is none: But let all your Princes be as amorous as they can, I am mo&s;t certain that his &s;oul exceeds all theirs in ve|neration and Love: Therefore Madam, I be&s;eech you con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly what I &s;ay con|cerning him: I do &s;o perfectly know his thoughts of you, that I a&s;&s;ure you I do not know my own thoughts better: Speak then Madam I be&s;eech you, will you advi&s;e this &s;ecret Lover to di&s;cover him&s;elf unto <HI>Straton,</HI> or unto your &s;elf? And is it your plea&s;ure I &s;hould tell you his name? Since you have told me, replied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> that you will not reveal his name until I advi&s;e him as he would have it, I conceive it be&s;t not to name him, until I have given my advice, le&s;t not finding &s;uitable unto his humour, it &s;hould di&s;plea&s;e you: Oh Madam, I do mo&s;t heartily be&s;eech you, &s;aid he unto her, to con&s;ider well before you ca&s;t this unfortunate Lover into the Hell of di&s;pair: To te&s;tifie unto you, replied &s;he, that he could never have cho&s;en a more fit mediator to &s;olicite his bu&s;ine&s;s, if it were a bu&s;ine&s;s unto which I were capable of per&s;wa&s;ion, I will open the very clo&s;et of my heart unto you, as unto one of my be&s;t friends; and that I know that I am of a har&s;h di&s;po&s;i|tion naturally, yet I am confident, that at this time I &s;hall not give you any cau&s;e of com|plaint again&s;t me, that I do not give &s;uch advice unto your friend as he de&s;ires: Alas Ma|dam, &s;aid <HI>Phocilion,</HI> if you advi&s;e me otherwi&s;e, you will doom him unto di&s;pair, and it will be a verie difficult matter for me not to complain again&s;t you if you denie what he de&s;ires: Doubtle&s;s then you would complain without cau&s;e, replied &s;he; But <HI>Phocilion,</HI> you mu&s;t not condemn me before you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ear me: Therefore give me leave to tell you, that I have &s;o great an e&s;teem of you, that I have &s;o good an opinion of your judgment, and that I am &s;o fully per&s;waded, that you have &s;ome e&s;teem of me, as I make no doubt, but that the marriage which you would propo&s;e unto me, would be verie advantageous, but for the mo&s;t horrible aver&s;ion which I have again&s;t Marriage: But <HI>Phocilion,</HI> let me tell you, that this aver&s;ion is &s;o verie &s;trong in me, as I &s;hould certainly hate the man that &s;hould make any Propo&s;itions unto my Father, which &s;hould cau&s;e me to marrie him; therefore if you &s;et any value upon my advice, let not him for whom you intercede &s;peak unto <HI>Straton.</HI> But to &s;hew you that I do not &s;peak this, becau&s;e I have any &s;ecret ingage|ment with any other, I do permit him to &s;peak unto my Father, if he can di&s;cover unto him, that I do refu&s;e him upon any other rea&s;on but what I tell you: But Madam, an|&s;wered <HI>Phocilion,</HI> I be&s;eech you take a little longer time of con&s;ideration upon a matter of &s;uch importance as this; and though you forbid this unhappie Lover to &s;peak unto <HI>Straton,</HI> yet allow him the libertie &s;omtimes to tell you how he adores you: Hitherto, re|plied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> you have &s;poke nothing which I could except again&s;t; but <HI>Phocilion,</HI> the&s;e la&s;t words are &s;omwhat difficult to be under&s;tood by one of my humour: Yet &s;ince I have re&s;olved to temper my &s;harpne&s;s, I will excu&s;e and pardon them, upon condition you will do as I bid you in all things: Alas Madam, replied he, Is there any man in the world that is more willing to obey you then I am? Then I conjure you (&s;aid &s;he) Cau&s;e him for whom you &s;peak, never to &s;peak unto me or my Father concerning his pa&s;&s;ion, and
<PB N="54" REF="609">
be you your &s;elf for ever &s;ilent, and &s;peak unto me no more of it: But Madam, replied he, What hopes can I then give unto this unfortunate Lover? Hopes never to &s;ee me grant unto another that permi&s;&s;ion which I refu&s;e him, replied &s;he: However Madam, pur&s;ued he, give me leave to argue with you a little again&s;t this your aver&s;ion unto marri|age; and I be&s;eech you promi&s;e me, that if I convince and convert you, it &s;hall be in favour of this unfortunate Lover: Since I am confident that my heart will never alter, re|plied &s;he, I am contented, but this Lover you &s;peak of will get no advantage by it. <HI>E|li&s;a</HI> pronounced the&s;e la&s;t words in &s;uch a manner, and &s;o per&s;waded <HI>Phocilion</HI> of her re|al aver&s;ion again&s;t marriage, as he was extreamly &s;orry; for knowing her virtue and re|&s;olute con&s;tancie, he perceived &s;he was not a per&s;on that would be ingaged into any kind of Gallantrie: So that &s;tanding in a deep &s;ilence, and looking upon <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> with eyes of &s;or|row, he fully per&s;waded her that he loved her, and that this &s;ecret Lover, for whom he had &s;olicited, was him&s;elf: As good luck was, both for <HI>Fli&s;a</HI> and <HI>Phocilion,</HI> I came in and found them both extreamly perplexed: Immediately after <HI>Lyriope</HI> came in al&s;o with one of her Cozens, for though &s;he hated <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> yet &s;he would vi&s;it her; and pre&s;ently after all <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> al&s;o entred &s;everally. Since divers marriages were then talked of in <HI>Tire,</HI> and everie one told what they heard: but <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> who had &s;ome &s;ecret de|&s;ign in it, began to condemn the opinion of tho&s;e who &s;ay, that there is a nece&s;&s;ity a woman &s;hould either marrie, or el&s;e go into a Nunnerie, maintaining, that a greater in|jurie could not be offered unto her Sex, then to think, that it mu&s;t either be a Husband, or high walls which only can pre&s;erve their virtue: After this, falling into a general di&s;|cour&s;e of Marriage, <HI>Lyriope</HI> who was never of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s opinion, &s;poke as one who thought that much happine&s;s was to be found in Marriage; and <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> on the contrarie maintained, that all married people were almo&s;t unhappie: For truly, &s;aid &s;he, take for example one of the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed men in the world, and one of the mo&s;t perfecte&s;t women in all <HI>Phenicia,</HI> though they do love as well as they can, though they be young, hand&s;om, rich, and think them&s;elves verie happie in Marriage, yet I am mo&s;t infallibly confident, that they will not long continue &s;o: For my part (replied <HI>Lyriope)</HI> I am not of that belief, but conceive that much happine&s;s may be found by marrying a compleat man, who both loves, and is loved: I concur with you, replied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> That they may &s;omtimes e&s;teem them&s;elves happie in Marriage; but I tell you, this happine&s;s is not la&s;ting: For con&s;ider a little the qualifications of this condition, her husband mu&s;t be a verie accompli&s;hed man, they mu&s;t reciprocally love each other, he mu&s;t have an e&s;tate &s;uitable to her Qua|lity, he mu&s;t be neither phanta&s;tical, jealous, or covetous. Moreover, &s;he mu&s;t enter into all his intere&s;ts, and become ambitious if he be ambitious, entirely &s;ubject her &s;elf unto his humour, obey him without murmure, even in things mo&s;t difficult, and never be at libertie or Mi&s;tre&s;s of her &s;elf. She mu&s;t further be turmoiled with the oeconomical cares and conduct of a great hou&s;e, be expo&s;ed to all the peevi&s;h con&s;equences of Mar|riage, lo&s;e perhaps her health and beautie both before &s;he be old, be expo&s;ed to be jeal|ous, or &s;uffer her husbands, and at la&s;t perhaps have wicked, ill-favoured, and ungrateful children.</P>
<P>The&s;e things <HI>Lyriope</HI> are ordinarie con&s;equences of Marriage, and who&s;oever looks upon &s;uch a Precipice, methinks &s;hould be &s;o affrighted, as they &s;hould not dare to throw them|&s;elves into it: Yes <HI>Lyriope,</HI> Marriage is a mo&s;t terrible thing, and all tho&s;e who venter upon it, are certainly verie fool-hardie: Though I know very well, &s;aid <HI>Phocilion,</HI> that the fair <HI>Lyriope</HI> needs no &s;econd, yet I be&s;eech her to give me leave to help her in defence of this cau&s;e which &s;he maintains: Give me leave I be&s;eech you Madam (pur&s;ued he, and looked upon <HI>Eli&s;a)</HI> to tell you, that in &s;peaking as you do, you are mo&s;t injurious unto the Gods; for if there be not any two per&s;ons in the world who can love happily toge|ther, without any of tho&s;e inconveniences which you do aggravate with &s;o much zeal, it may be &s;aid, that the Gods are unju&s;t and imprudent: How can you without extraordi|narie impietie maintain this again&s;t them? I mu&s;t confe&s;s, replied &s;he, that I admire their providence, but neither know it, nor will penetrate into their &s;ecrets; yet in the mean time I mu&s;t maintain, that as they do not accu&s;e the Gods when they blame a man who is Shipwrackt, becau&s;e he &s;et out to Sea in a Storm, and in a rotten Ve&s;&s;el, &s;o I do not ac|cu&s;e the Gods when I blame tho&s;e, who knowing the crabbed con&s;equences of Marriage, will yet ingage them&s;elves in it.</P>
<P>Whil'&s;t <HI>Lyriope, Eli&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Phocilion</HI> were thus in di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Agenor</HI> was all &s;ilence, not daring to enter into the thoughts of <HI>Eli&s;a.</HI> In the mean time, &s;ince he was more in love
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with her then with <HI>Lyriope,</HI> he was pittifully perplexed in being between the&s;e two, for he would not do any thing which might per&s;wade <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> he was in love with <HI>Lyriope,</HI> nor would he make the la&s;t of the&s;e think he loved her le&s;s then he had: So that to have the delight of looking upon <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> without di&s;obliging <HI>Lyriope,</HI> he did &s;it down by her, but his chief rea&s;on was, becau&s;e &s;he did &s;it oppo&s;ite to <HI>Eli&s;a.</HI> Thus &s;itting on <HI>Lyriopes</HI> &s;ide, and a little behind her, he enjoyed the &s;ight of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> without any notice taken by the en|vious <HI>Lyriope,</HI> but otherwi&s;e by <HI>Poligenes,</HI> who ea&s;ily ob&s;erved that the cunning <HI>Age|nor</HI> did &s;it purpo&s;ely by <HI>Lyriope,</HI> that he might the better look upon <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> As for <HI>Phoci|lion,</HI> he was &s;o bu&s;ied with his own pa&s;&s;ion, that he never minded others; for &s;ince he &s;aw the high virtue of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> he never feared his Rivals; and he was &s;o confidently per|&s;waded that &s;he would not marry, as he never doubted her preferring another before him. Thus the company parted with &s;everal apprehen&s;ions: <HI>Poligenes</HI> went out in a fear that his brother would become his Rival, <HI>Phocilion</HI> was extreamly troubled at the in&s;en&s;ibility of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and her aver&s;ion to Marriage, <HI>Lyriope</HI> was infinitely envious that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was fairer then her &s;elf, and <HI>Agenor</HI> was much le&s;s in Love with <HI>Lyriope,</HI> and much more with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> who never minding the turbulencies &s;he had cau&s;ed in the mind of others, re&s;ted in her ordinary tranquility; yet the procedure of <HI>Phocilion</HI> did extreamly oblige her, and invited her to do what &s;he could, to convert an ob&s;equious Lover into a real friend. But this miracle was impo&s;&s;ible to be wrought, he was re&s;olved to content him&s;elf with <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s commands of &s;ilence, yet he offered once to &s;peak unto her again, but &s;he retired her &s;elf in &s;uch &s;ort, that he impo&s;ed upon him&s;elf &s;o &s;trict a &s;ilence, as he dur&s;t not &s;o much as &s;ight it in &s;ecret: 'Tis true, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> to comfort him, did make a promi&s;e, that if ever &s;he changed her mind, and took a re&s;olution to marry, the change &s;hould conduce unto his advantage, yet conjuring him to believe, that &s;he did not think &s;uch a time would ever come, &s;he earne&s;tly entreated him to live with her as if he were her brother: And indeed <HI>Phocilion</HI> (who&s;e mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts I knew) dur&s;t never after this be &s;o bold, as to &s;peak one word of his pa&s;&s;ion unto <HI>Eli&s;a.</HI> In the mean time, <HI>Lyriope</HI> &s;till thinking her &s;elf more &s;ure of <HI>Agenors</HI> heart, did continue his favours, and gave him a thou&s;and te&s;timo|nies of a violent pa&s;&s;ion. In the mean time, all the Court perceived it, and talked broad of her: All the Advi&s;oes of her friends were in vain, for &s;he had a Maxime which was mo&s;t dangerous for &s;uch as would keep their reputations un&s;tained, which was, to believe, that &s;o &s;he were not in any crime, &s;he needed not to fear any reports: But her behaviour coming to the Queens ear, &s;he received &s;o &s;harp a check for it, that &s;he began to find her indi&s;cretion: Yet perhaps this had not re&s;trained her, nor changed her behaviour towards <HI>Agenor</HI> without another rea&s;on, which much induced her: For be plea&s;ed to know Ma|dam, that <HI>Poligenes</HI> being per&s;waded, the faintne&s;s of <HI>Agenors</HI> love to <HI>Lyriope</HI> proceeded from the ea&s;ine&s;s which he found in her Spirit; he thought, that to help it, and to hinder the growth of that pa&s;&s;ion which he &s;aw began to take root in his heart towards <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> his be&s;t cour&s;e was, that <HI>Lyriope</HI> &s;hould mix &s;ome &s;ecurity with her complacencie towards him: So that bethinking him&s;elf how he might compa&s;s his de&s;ign, he pitched upon one of the Queens women named <HI>Phocinde,</HI> who was a friend both unto <HI>Lyriope</HI> and him. <HI>Po|ligenes</HI> being full of wit, did &s;o negotiate the matter, that he ingaged her to &s;peak unto <HI>Lyriope,</HI> of whom he &s;eemed to have much e&s;teem; telling her al&s;o, though untruly, that he &s;hould be very glad if <HI>Agenor</HI> &s;hould Marry her. So falling in&s;en&s;ibly into a confidence concerning this adventure, <HI>Phocinde</HI> told him, how <HI>Lyriope</HI> found that of late <HI>Agenor</HI> was grown a little negligent of her, that notwith&s;tanding &s;he did all &s;he could to oblige him, a&s;&s;uring him, that &s;he was never more pliant and affable, nor more ready to do a|ny thing he de&s;ired her. If I had any intimate friend, replied <HI>Poligenes</HI> and laughed, who were in Love with the fair <HI>Phocinde,</HI> I would be &s;ure not to di&s;cover one &s;ecret unto her, le&s;t in advantaging <HI>Lyriope,</HI> I &s;hould thereby prejudice my friend; but &s;ince Fate hath &s;o ordered it, that I have no intimacie with any of her Lovers, I will di&s;cover unto her a weakne&s;s in men, which doubtle&s;s &s;he is ignorant of it, to the end, that &s;he know|ing it, &s;he might advi&s;e the fair <HI>Lyriope,</HI> that if &s;he would rekindle in the heart of my Brother a pa&s;&s;ion which I wi&s;h were violent enough to oblige him to marry her, &s;he then mu&s;t follow it; I do extreamly de&s;ire this alliance, (added he, though untruly) and therefore &s;weet <HI>Phocinde,</HI> I mu&s;t acquaint you with the rea&s;on why the pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Agenor</HI> doth &s;o &s;aint towards <HI>Lyriope:</HI> It is, becau&s;e &s;he is too too &s;weet unto him; for you mu&s;t know, that to &s;peak of Love in general, it is never violent, but when the de&s;ires are violent; and &s;ince it is impo&s;&s;ible they &s;hould be &s;o, when what&s;oever they de&s;ire is al|wayes
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ea&s;ily granted, it mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily follow, that to make a pa&s;&s;ion violent, a Lady mu&s;t never grant tho&s;e favours which &s;he is plea&s;ed to be&s;tow, but with much entreaty, to the end a great value may be &s;et upon them, and that there be alwayes a long interval between the fir&s;t de&s;ires, and the fruition of the thing de&s;ired: It is for Kings (pur&s;ued he) to give &s;peedily, and with a free-will; but it is fit Ladies be &s;low, and to give, as if they almo&s;t repented; they mu&s;t be niggardly in their favours, for otherwi&s;e they will be received without delight, they will lo&s;e their value, and con&s;equently be received with a cheap acknowledgment: It is with the favours of fair ones, as with a little River which runneth &s;o &s;weetly and &s;ilently between two gra&s;&s;ie banks, as tho&s;e who walk neer can hardly perceive it; but on the contrarie, if it be full of little rocks which ob&s;tructs the pa&s;&s;age, then it &s;wells, it twines, it murmures, it runs after mo&s;t plea&s;antly, it di|verts tho&s;e which look upon it, it rowzeth them out of that &s;tudie or at lea&s;t makes them &s;tudie with more delight; therefore <HI>Phocinde,</HI> the favours of <HI>Lyriope</HI> to <HI>Agenor,</HI> mu&s;t not be conferred &s;o ea&s;ily and &s;o often; for I mu&s;t tell you again, that men do &s;light favours ea&s;ily obtained; and &s;ince I mu&s;t di&s;cover the imperfections of my Sex, I mu&s;t tell you my thought, which is, that it is more ea&s;ie to revive tho&s;e flames with an exce&s;&s;ive &s;eve|rity extingui&s;hed, then tho&s;e which are choaked by too many and continued favours. Since Love is a capritious enemy unto rea&s;on, a pa&s;&s;ion that &s;ubjects all Rules and Lawes, and &s;ince it often infu&s;eth into one and the &s;ame heart, both fears and hopes, in&s;olencie and re&s;pect, joy and &s;orrow, it would al&s;o have a continual mi&s;cellany of rigours and favours, bitters and &s;weets, which &s;ucceeding each other, do cau&s;e de&s;ires to revive in the heart of a Lover, and that love there la&s;t, and continue without glutting; therefore <HI>Phocinde,</HI> to reduce my brother within the compa&s;s of his duty, you mu&s;t advi&s;e the fair <HI>Lyriope</HI> to mingle a little &s;everity &s;omtimes with the favours which &s;he confers upon him: And indeed, be&s;ides the general fault of all men, it is his temper in particular which re|quires &s;uch Phy&s;ique as I &s;peak of; for he being a lover of glorie, I am certain he would delight in overcoming any thing that makes re&s;i&s;tance; and if &s;he could make him believe, that he is not &s;ure of her heart, he would out of very ob&s;tinacie only Court her to be en|tirely his. But <HI>Phocinde,</HI> this rigour which I advi&s;e <HI>Lyriope</HI> to make u&s;e of to cure the Soul of <HI>Agenor,</HI> is like certain violent Medecines which the <HI>Arabian</HI> Phy&s;itians have in|vented, they will almo&s;t rai&s;e even from very death, if a right quantity be taken, and applied at a right time, but they will al&s;o kill immediately, if too much be taken, or too little; it mu&s;t be therefore <HI>Lyriopes</HI> di&s;cretion, to apply a right do&s;s of &s;everity, which doubtle&s;s will produce its de&s;ired effects. All the while <HI>Poligenes</HI> talked, <HI>Phocinde</HI> li&s;ten|ed with an attentive ear, and was &s;o fully per&s;waded by his arguments, that &s;he re&s;olved to advi&s;e <HI>Lyriope</HI> as <HI>Poligenes</HI> de&s;ired her: But to the end it might work a better effect, he obliged <HI>Phocinde</HI> not to tell her friend how they had talked together, which &s;he promi&s;ed and performed, yet &s;he found it not &s;o ea&s;ie a matter to per&s;wade her friend, as <HI>Polige|nes</HI> did to per&s;wade her; yet notwith&s;tanding, perceiving that <HI>Agenor</HI> was every day more negligent, that he often forgot what &s;he &s;aid, and that he was nothing joyed when he &s;aw her, that he mu&s;ed much when he was with her, and was very much altered, &s;he re|&s;olved to do that for the reducing of <HI>Agenor,</HI> which &s;he would not do for the pre&s;ervati|on of her reputation: But &s;he not being accu&s;tomed unto &s;everity, &s;he did it with the wor&s;t grace that ever fair one did, yet at fir&s;t the matter &s;ucceeded very happily; for the fir&s;t time that <HI>Agenor</HI> perceived her cold carriage to him, he did very importunately ask her the rea&s;on, and perhaps if &s;he had carried the matter hand&s;omly, &s;he had reduced this rebellion Slave; but &s;he having ever more &s;pirit then judgment, was &s;o glad to &s;ee the a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e of <HI>Phocinde</HI> had produced &s;o good effect, did think that the only way to bring <HI>Agenor</HI> unto rea&s;on, was to continue &s;till rigorous; So that following her violent and en|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> di&s;po&s;ition, &s;he did not only &s;eem &s;evere, but phanta&s;tical and &s;omthing wor&s;e: In&s;omuch a <HI>Agenor,</HI> who already loved <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> very well, and who was much puzled to find a hand&s;om pretence for quitting <HI>Lyriope,</HI> made u&s;e of this which &s;he gave him, and b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> to &s;ee her le&s;s and le&s;s by degrees, till at la&s;t he le<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t off &s;eeing her at all. Thus the coun&s;el of <HI>Pol<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">enes</HI> being neither rightly under&s;tood, nor well executed, produced an effect quite contrary to his de&s;ign, for it quenched a pa&s;&s;ion which he would have kindled, and studied another which he would have quenched: You may ea&s;ily imagine in what a de&s;parate condition <HI>Lyriope</HI> was, when &s;he perceived &s;he had lo&s;t her Conque&s;t, &s;he broke off with <HI>Phocinde,</HI> becau&s;e of the coun&s;el which &s;he gave her, &s;he grew more envio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s then before, and began &s;o horribly to hate <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> with whom &s;he kne<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Agenor</HI> continu|ally
<PB N="57" REF="610">
was, that &s;he re&s;olved to take her for the object of her anger and revenge, though &s;he did never voluntarily contribute any thing unto the infidelity of <HI>Agenor:</HI> For as <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> did never &s;ubject any hearts with any de&s;ign &s;o to do, &s;o I know of a certainty that &s;he looked upon <HI>Agenor</HI> as a verie plea&s;ing friend, but yet as a very dangerous Lover, and that there was not a man upon earth of whom &s;he was more afraid to be loved then of him: For &s;he being of a mo&s;t piercing Spirit, did mo&s;t perfectly know his, who being full of boldne&s;s, craft, and vanity, could not love long without prejudice to tho&s;e he lo|ved, or at lea&s;t per&s;ecuting them a hundred &s;everal wayes. In the mean time, it was &s;o natural unto <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> to in&s;pire re&s;pect unto all tho&s;e who came neer her, and her &s;tateline&s;s was &s;o faithful a Guardian of her beauty and virtue, that <HI>Agenor</HI> as bold as he was, dur&s;t never attempt to make a &s;erious Declaration of his Love, yet he could not forbear &s;igh|ing in &s;ecret, and &s;uffer a thou&s;and torments, which yet he would not &s;uffer to appear: And he would often &s;ay, that tho&s;e puling langui&s;hing lovers, who are continually &s;igh|ing and lamenting were good for nothing but to trouble tho&s;e they loved; but that on the contrary, the way to get Love was to plea&s;e, and the way to plea&s;e, was to be plea&s;ant and merry; and that &s;ince Love is alwayes repre&s;ented laughing, he concluded that &s;ighs and tears were not &s;o fit for him as joy and diverti&s;ements. Al&s;o, that &s;ince <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was of a merrie nature, he conceived his be&s;t cour&s;e to be diverting her, without any &s;erious talk of his pa&s;&s;ion. Likewi&s;e, con&s;idering her humour, he thought he &s;hould never ob|tain that liberty; therefore his de&s;ign was, to accu&s;tom her in&s;en&s;ibly unto a permi&s;&s;ion of telling by way of rallarie that he loved her, conceiving, that &s;ince &s;he knew the world, and under&s;tood rallarie, &s;he would not be offended at a thing of this nature, which he told her laughing, and in the pre&s;ence of much company, hoping by this way to hide the truth of his pa&s;&s;ion from the eyes of his brother, whom he &s;u&s;pected to be in Love with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> as well as him&s;elf, and whom he would not have thinked that he was his Rival: And indeed <HI>Agenor</HI> being one day with <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> in a great companie, they began to tell him of his incon&s;tancie to <HI>Lyriope</HI> (for this imprudent woman was not le&s;s &s;candalized for breaking off with <HI>Agenor,</HI> as &s;he was for contracting amity with him) and &s;o much the more, becau&s;e they &s;aid that the Queen intended to &s;end her home unto her parents, and was much incen&s;ed again&s;t her for her ill-carriage of the bu&s;ine&s;s. <HI>Agenor</HI> then &s;eeing them put a hundred que&s;tions to him concerning his incon&s;tancie, re&s;olved not to let a day pa&s;s without putting his de&s;ign in practi&s;e; &s;o that he put them all off with Fea&s;ts, and was wonderous jocand: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and laughed, If I were in your ca&s;e, I &s;hould rather &s;ay that I never loved <HI>Lyriope,</HI> and that I only made a &s;hew of being &s;o, then to confe&s;s as you do, that you are unfaithful, &s;ince in ca&s;es of Gallantrie, incon|&s;tancie is as great a crime as cozenage, for to the la&s;t of the&s;e is only requi&s;ite wit, bold|ne&s;s, and invention, but the fir&s;t proceeds only from weakne&s;s: Al&s;o I am per&s;waded (pur&s;ued &s;he) it had been le&s;s di&s;honorable for <HI>Lyriope,</HI> that you never had loved her, then that you &s;hould cea&s;e loving and quit her. Since my pa&s;&s;ion was quenched by the rigour of <HI>Lyriope,</HI> (&s;aid he with a di&s;&s;embling mode&s;ty) I am per&s;waded that my incon|&s;tancie is neither di&s;honorable to her nor my &s;elf: Never excu&s;e your &s;elf by the rigour of <HI>Lyriope</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Poligenes,</HI> who was glad he could accu&s;e him before <HI>Eli&s;a)</HI> for I am &s;ure, that before &s;he began to be &s;evere, you began to be incon&s;tant, and out of your own lightne&s;s left off loving her, before &s;he did contribute any thing to it: 'Tis true, (an|&s;wered <HI>Agenor,</HI> and laughed, as if he &s;poke only in merrie rallarie) I am forced to con|fe&s;s, that I left loving <HI>Lyriope,</HI> before &s;he thought of treating me with &s;everity, but yet it was not out of my own lightne&s;s good brother: What other rea&s;on be&s;ides could you have (replied <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;harply:) My rea&s;on was (replied he, looking upon her, and rai&s;e|ing his voice that all the companie might the better hear him) becau&s;e you u&s;e to make all tho&s;e incon&s;tants who look upon you, and becau&s;e I cannot be with her, and with you too, becau&s;e I am often weary to &s;ee no company about the Queen, whil'&s;t all the Gallants of the Court are at your feet adoring you; and becau&s;e I would do as all others do, that is, &s;ee you, hear you, admire you, and to tell you boldly before all this com|panie, that which I am &s;ure not one of your Adorers dares do in &s;ecret. <HI>Agenor</HI> &s;peak|ing this with that blithne&s;s which was his natural way, and which did ver<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e well become him, all the company began to laugh, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Poligenes</HI> who blu&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">: So that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> not daring to take that &s;eriou&s;ly, which &s;o many accompli&s;hed per&s;ons took as a piece of gal|lant rallarie, &s;he began to laugh as the re&s;t did, yet it wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> after a &s;corning way, and with a blu&s;h: But &s;he an&s;wered <HI>Agenor</HI> as in rea&s;on &s;he ought, without any anger, and inter|preting
<PB N="58" REF="611">
the matter as a bare piece of merrie wit; and indeed <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> thinking it to be &s;o: I pray <HI>Agenor,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, make not me an umbrage for your weakne&s;s, nor load|en me with the hatred of <HI>Lyriope:</HI> So you can admit of my love, &s;aid he, never care for her hatred, for thanks be to the heavens, I am verie well cured: I a&s;&s;ure you, replied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> I had rather <HI>Lyriope</HI> &s;hould love me then you, and I fear her hatred more then I do yours: As for my hatred Madam, &s;aid he unto her, You are &s;afe; but as for my Love believe it you are not, for &s;ince I have made you &s;ome expre&s;&s;ions of it before &s;o much companie, it concerns my honour to go a little farther: But replied &s;he and laugh|ed, as it concerns your honour to go further, &s;o it concerns mine to hinder you; and therefore I conjure you to be &s;ilent, unle&s;s you will verie &s;eriou&s;ly have me take the part of <HI>Lyriope,</HI> and chide you extreamly for quitting &s;o fair a per&s;on: And I pray tell me (&s;aid &s;he and laughed &s;till) what a&s;&s;urance can I have in the affection of a perfidious A|po&s;tate? The a&s;&s;urance is (replied he) That you will not treat me as &s;he did, and that I hope you will invert the order which &s;he kept with me, for &s;he was &s;weet at the begin|ing, and &s;evere in the end, and I hope you will be &s;weet in the ending, as you are &s;evere in the beginning: Indeed <HI>Agenor</HI> you are much deceived, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I am no Changeling like your &s;elf, that which I am once, the &s;ame &s;hall I be as long as I live, and &s;ince I am crabbed now, I &s;hall be &s;o for ever: That which you call crabbedne&s;s, does &s;o well become you Madam, &s;aid <HI>Poligenes</HI> to her, that you would wrong your &s;elf if you &s;hould leave it: Affabilitie and mildne&s;s would become her better, replied <HI>Agenor: Eli&s;a</HI> is &s;o &s;weet and affable unto her friends, (&s;aid I unto <HI>Agenor)</HI> that I am verie glad &s;he is not &s;o unto her Lovers, becau&s;e if &s;he were, I am per&s;waded &s;he would not then be &s;o unto me: It is a gladne&s;s which you will long enjoy, replied <HI>Phocilion:</HI> I am much ob|liged unto you for your good opinion of me, replied &s;he: And &s;o am I to you, &s;aid <HI>Agenor</HI> unto her, for receiving a Declaration of my Love with &s;o much indifferencie, as that you are not &s;o much as angrie at it: I wonder not, replied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> that <HI>Lyriope</HI> &s;hould be wearie of you, for you have been but one quarter of an houre in telling me you are my Lover, and I perceive you do not know what you would have; &s;omtimes you &s;ay affabi|litie and mildne&s;s becomes me, and other times that my anger obligeth you; and there|fore all I can &s;ay is, that I repent my &s;elf of accu&s;ing you for incon&s;tancie to <HI>Lyriope,</HI> and am &s;o far from thinking that you quitted her, as I think that &s;he drives you away for troubling her with your impertinencies, for truly you have wearied me alreadie, though you have only told me the &s;ame in je&s;t, which you told her &s;eriou&s;ly: After this <HI>Agenor</HI> would have replied, but <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> addre&s;&s;ing her di&s;cour&s;e unto me, did alter the &s;ubject, and made all the companie do the like. In the mean while <HI>Phocilion</HI> ob&s;erved a little better then <HI>Poligenes,</HI> how maugre the mirth of <HI>Agenor,</HI> that which he &s;eemed to &s;peak in je&s;t, was really true: And al&s;o he perceived by the re&s;tle&s;&s;ne&s;s of <HI>Poligenes,</HI> that his affection to <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was not of the &s;ame nature he &s;aid it was, &s;o that <HI>Phocilion</HI> found two Rivals more then ere he thought of, the one of which concealed his pa&s;&s;ion by di&s;covering it, and the other di&s;covered it unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> by hiding it, or at lea&s;t gave her &s;ome cau&s;e to gue&s;s at it. <HI>Phocilion</HI> yet had not that &s;adne&s;s of &s;oul which u&s;e in&s;eparably to follow the di&s;coverie of fre&s;h Rivals, for on the one &s;ide he feared not <HI>Eli&s;a;</HI> and on the other &s;ide <HI>Poligenes,</HI> who was &s;ubtil, and experimented in matters of gallantrie, after a &s;erious ob|&s;ervation of his brother, he apprehended him to be de&s;parately in Love with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> yet the light humour of <HI>Agenor,</HI> and the au&s;tere gravitie of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> ea&s;ed him of his fears. <HI>Agenor</HI> al&s;o, intending to deceive his brother, went at night unto his Chamber to &s;ee him, and began to expre&s;s his joyes at all he had &s;aid that afternoon unto <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> For &s;aid he, I am &s;ure <HI>Lyriope</HI> will know it, and &s;o I &s;hall be fully revenged on her for her &s;everitie to me: Indeed Madam, <HI>Agenor</HI> did je&s;t it out &s;o well, as he did much puzzle <HI>Poligenes,</HI> and made him doubt of that which he believed but one quarter of an houre before. In the mean time he continued his way with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> as he had done the day before even before <HI>Straton,</HI> who took much plea&s;ure in what he &s;aid: The pre&s;ence of <HI>Barce</HI> did not hinder him, as phanta&s;tical as &s;he was; &s;o that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was forced unto a cu|&s;tom of this publique Gallantrie, and the rather, becau&s;e &s;he did not believe <HI>Agenor</HI> was really in Love with her, yet &s;he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> everie day moved unto &s;ome fits of anger again&s;t him, but the j<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">candr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e of <HI>Agenor</HI> did <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters">tie her, &s;he conceived that <HI>Agenor&punc;</HI> aim in it was only to &s;pite <HI>L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">riope,</HI> for what there was much companie, <HI>Agenor</HI> would then be &s;ure to be full of his Court&s;hip, and addre&s;s him&s;elf to her with a thou&s;and plea|&s;ant Gallantries: He would then be alwayes next her, he would look &s;eriou&s;ly upon her, commend her to the heavens, ob&s;erve her d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters">pently, and do everie thing that Love
<PB N="59" REF="611">
could prompt the mo&s;t violent and pa&s;&s;ionate Lover unto: All this he did with a mo&s;t ad|mirable freedom of Spirit, which made <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> believe that his heart was not at all ingaged. But the rare&s;t part of this &s;torie was, that though <HI>Agenor</HI> was full of a thou&s;and Gallan|tries when much companie was pre&s;ent, yet when they were gone, and he remained a|lone with her, then he became as &s;ilent and timorous as a Sheep, he lo&s;t all his confident boldne&s;s, he was all &s;erious and &s;adne&s;s, and di&s;cour&s;ed with <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> only of things indiffe|rent: But that which <HI>Agenor</HI> did with de&s;ign <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;hould thereby gue&s;s at his pa&s;&s;ion, was it which kept her from knowing it, it not being imagineable, that a Lover &s;peaking without any witne&s;&s;es unto the per&s;on he loved, &s;hould not then give her &s;ome cau&s;e to think he loved her: However <HI>Agenor</HI> was alwayes with <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> as much as he could, and &s;poke to her of his pa&s;&s;ion, when there was much companie, but not a word to her, when they were alone together: But however, this phanta&s;tical proceeding of his, procured him a thou&s;and priviledges; for &s;ince he was full of plea&s;ant di&s;cour&s;e, and much delight|ed <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> it moved her to talk more with him then with any other. Moreover, every one did contribute their a&s;&s;i&s;tance unto &s;uch a piece of gallantry, as afforded &s;uch jocand diver&s;ion, and to the heart-burning of his Rivals, it procured him great familiarity with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and to be continually with her: Al&s;o he &s;o got the love of <HI>Straton,</HI> as he could not endure he &s;hould be a day out of his &s;ight: On the other &s;ide, <HI>Lyriope</HI> knowing of <HI>Agenors</HI> procedure, did imagine, that perhaps he did not love <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> but that he u&s;ed this open gallantrie as a puni&s;hment for her &s;everitie, and &s;till loved her in his heart: So that this undi&s;creet woman practi&s;ed a hundred unprofitable &s;tratagems to reduce him, which did indeed drive him further off, and which augmented her hatred and fury again&s;t <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> when &s;he perceived that really &s;he had no &s;hare in the heart of <HI>Agenor,</HI> who went on in his ordinarie cu&s;tom; and he &s;o u&s;ed <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> unto his complacential di&s;cour&s;e, as &s;he returned an&s;wers without any anger. None of his Rivals were jealous, except <HI>Poligenes,</HI> who could not dige&s;t in this diverti&s;ement, which pa&s;&s;ed only for a piece of merrie wit. In the mean while, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s &s;crupulous virtue began to fear that <HI>Agenor</HI> would tell her that &s;eriou&s;ly in private, which he in a R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">llarie told her publikely, and &s;he was the &s;ooner in|duced unto this thought, becau&s;e <HI>Poligenes</HI> and I coming together to &s;ee her, we found <HI>Agenor</HI> there, who as &s;oon as ever he &s;pied us, began his u&s;ual way of Gallantrie: This &s;ticking in the &s;tomack of <HI>Poligenes,</HI> he fell into &s;o deep a &s;tudie, as <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> could not chu&s;e but chide him, for not hear<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ening unto what they &s;aid, asking him of what he thought? I think Madam, &s;aid he unto her, that I had rather know what you did my Brother the honour to &s;ay unto him when <HI>Tela<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">is</HI> and I entred, then to know what <HI>Agenor</HI> &s;aith now.</P>
<P><HI>Poligenes</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> blu&s;ht, and then imagined that her fears were not ill grounded, yet &s;he would not take it as in earne&s;t, but on the contrarie, &s;he told <HI>Poligenes,</HI> &s;he was much obliged unto him, for hinting unto her, that &s;he &s;hould not &s;uffer <HI>Agenor</HI> to talk with her in private: Then Madam, replied <HI>Agenor,</HI> It &s;eems you would have me talk to you of Love perpetually, whereas before I talk unto you of it only in publique, and never in private: However, replied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> I will for the future never talk unto you without witne&s;&s;es: I &s;hall be much beholding to you for it (&s;aid he) for when I was alone with you, I was in &s;uch fear of you, and re&s;pect did impo&s;e &s;uch a cruel &s;ilence upon me, as I never dur&s;t tell the thoughts of my heart unto you: Truly, &s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and laughed, I do not think that ever Lover returned the like thanks: However it be, replied &s;he, I had rather you &s;hould &s;peak unto me of Love in publique, then of things indifferent in private. But Madam, I will not in&s;i&s;t any longer upon relation of trifles, which are not fully pertinent: Let me tell you only, that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> after this, did warily avoid all di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Agenor</HI> in private: So that when he determined to talk &s;eriou&s;ly unto her concerning his pa&s;&s;ion, and to per&s;wade her he was in earne&s;t, he was much puzled to find out a fit opportunity. In the mean time <HI>Phocilion</HI> behaved him&s;elf towards <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> in &s;uch a re&s;pective and obliging manner, that in verie acknowledgment of it, &s;he thought her &s;elf much ingaged to him, and permitted him once to tell her, that the Lover of whom he &s;poke, and him&s;elf, were one and the &s;ame per&s;on, yet he could draw no further advantage from this favour, but that &s;he promi&s;ed him again, if e|ver &s;he altered her re&s;olution, and did intend to marrie, it &s;hould be in favour with him, but withal &s;he told him at the &s;ame time, that &s;he believed this time would never come, and therefore conjured him to content him&s;elf with being in the number of her friends. I &s;hall not &s;pend any time Madam in telling you how many Slaves the fair eyes of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> did
<PB N="60" REF="612">
captivate, for the number is &s;o great as it is incredible, all whom &s;he treated with ex|tream rigour; but I will apply my &s;elf principally unto tho&s;e who&s;e per&s;ons and humours I have already de&s;cribed.</P>
<P>To pro&s;ecute therefore my intention, give me leave to tell you then, that <HI>Agenor</HI> &s;ee|ing the more he told <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> in publike, he was in Love with her, the le&s;s &s;he believed him; he re&s;olved therefore upon a &s;ecret way of declaring it unto her, yet he did con&s;ider this de&s;ign as the mo&s;t dangerous that he could attempt: But &s;ince he could not endure to love, and not be beloved, he re&s;olved to put it unto the hazard. In the mean time, <HI>E|li&s;a</HI> according all occa&s;ions of privacie with him, &s;ince the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Poligenes</HI> he was many daies before he could meet with his de&s;ired opportunitie, yet he was the fitte&s;t man in the world, to put the mo&s;t difficult matters into execution, and to clo&s;e with any oc|ca&s;ions which offered them&s;elves; for be&s;ides his being verie cunning, diligent, and inge|nuous, he had many &s;ervants and creatures who knew verie well how to di&s;cover what&s;o|ever he de&s;ired to know, and who would follow his directions mo&s;t exactly: Moreover, he was Ma&s;ter of a mo&s;t in&s;inuating and flattering affabilitie, which joyned unto his li|beral di&s;po&s;ition, did render an ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of the Dome&s;tiques in the hou&s;es, when he had any intere&s;t of Gallantrie, and by this means he could ea&s;ily know when much companie was with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and when none: He was &s;o faithfully adverti&s;ed, as he knew &s;he had commanded one morning, that they &s;hould &s;ay &s;he was not within: So that make|ing u&s;e of the familiaritie which he had with <HI>Straton,</HI> he went to dine with him: After Dinner he would conduct <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> unto her Chamber, who de&s;iring to &s;ee <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o bodie, would neither &s;tay in the Chamber of <HI>Straton,</HI> nor <HI>Barce</HI>'s: She would al&s;o have hindred <HI>Age|nor</HI> from carrying her unto her Chamber, but her Father, who loved <HI>Agenor</HI> verie well, de&s;ired her to accept of the civilitie of him who was his friend, &s;o that &s;he was forced to permit him. When he was at the door, where &s;he believed he would have left her, he &s;eemed as if he had plea&s;ant matter to impart unto her, &s;o that he being accu&s;tomed to tell &s;uch things, &s;he entreated him to enter: After which, <HI>Agenor</HI> inventing &s;ome kinde of odd &s;torie or other, for a pretence of beginning his di&s;cour&s;e with her, &s;he thought that he had no farther de&s;ign, but to tell this adventure aloud. But after he had told it, and &s;he de&s;ired him to retire, <HI>Agenor</HI> began his intended Speech. Madam (&s;aid he unto her in a low voice, le&s;t he &s;hould be heard by two women who were in the Chamber) I am not yet at the end of my bu&s;ine&s;s, for the truth is Madam, I mu&s;t acquaint you with a bu&s;ine&s;s which I fear will &s;urprize you, though it ought not to do &s;o, and which is like|ly to vex you, though al&s;o it ought not: For ought I &s;ee, replied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> You think me to be verie unju&s;t, &s;ince you &s;ay I &s;hall be &s;urprized and angred at that which I ought not to be; however, I de&s;ire to know what thing this is? It is Madam (&s;aid he unto her) That there is a man in the world who extreamly laments that you &s;hould not know how he adores you, though he has told you of it a hundred thou&s;and times. How's this (repli|ed <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and blu&s;ht for anger, not thinking <HI>Agenor</HI> did &s;peak of him&s;elf) Is there any man in the world who was &s;o in&s;olent, as to tell he loved me? I knew Madam (replied <HI>Agenor</HI> faintly) that you could not endure to hear me without cholor: Yet I would have you tell me (replied <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> innocently) wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> this man is that has lo&s;t either <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> rea|&s;on or memorie, or both: I will Madam, replied he, but it &s;hall be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> you will not bani&s;h me, though I &s;hould tell you &s;uch things as &s;hall <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> for unle&s;s you promi&s;e me this verie &s;olemnly, you &s;hall never know it: It is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, replied &s;he, to condemn the innocent with the culpable; but &s;ince you w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ll <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> my equitie, I will promi&s;e not to bani&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> though you tell who this <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> a hundred thou&s;and times told me that which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> never told me &s;o much at once: But I pray tell me pur&s;ued &s;he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> was he born, and what <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">? The man of whom I &s;peak (replied this <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Lover) was born in <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"></HI> and hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ame is <HI>Agenor: Agenor</HI> (replied <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, not believing he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">) he is &s;o accu&s;tomed to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> fooli&s;hly, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 words"> there is no heed to be taken <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 words"> &s;ayes, and though I know him better th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, yet I will not be alwayes <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> by him. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, &s;aid <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e, I wi&s;h to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> you did know me, for is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould think, that when I told you before<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> world I loved you, I told you &s;o only, becau&s;e that kind of di&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">our&s;e &s;eemed a diver&s;ion? Indeed I did &s;o, an&s;wered <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and I think &s;o &s;till, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;hall do as long as I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, and &s;hall never think otherwi&s;e; al&s;o I think it is advan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> that I &s;hould do &s;o: Then I have no other bu&s;ine&s;s in this world, but to prepare my <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> for death, replied <HI>Agenor:</HI> Was there ever &s;uch a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> accident as
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this? Can I not per&s;wade you that I love you, only becau&s;e I have told you &s;o too oft and too publiquely? I pray <HI>Agenor</HI> (replied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> &s;till thinking he je&s;ted) do not inveigh &s;o again&s;t my incred<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lity; and be mo&s;t confident that if I did beleeve you, you &s;hould not talk thus long with me.</P>
<P>It is not perhaps &s;o ea&s;ie a matter as you think, &s;aid he, to impo&s;e &s;ilence upon a de|&s;perate Lover, and &s;uch a Lover as is accu&s;tomed every day to &s;ay he loves you, without any &s;ecret confinement of his pa&s;&s;ion. However it be, &s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> I declare unto you, that I cannot endure this kind of Gallantrie when none is pre&s;ent: Rallarie &s;uits be&s;t with a tu|mult, and is fitte&s;t for a general Conver&s;ation, not for a private: Tho&s;e who je&s;t &s;hould have many laughers &s;tanding by them; they lo&s;e the plea&s;ure of their conceits when only a &s;ingle per&s;on hears it; and certainly when two only talk together, they ought to be more &s;erious. I do prote&s;t Madam, replied he, I did never in my life &s;peak a truth more &s;eriou&s;ly then this, when I &s;aid in rallarie that I loved you, and what&s;oever I &s;aid did really proceed from the very thoughts of my heart. Take heed (&s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and interrupted him) you do not give me cau&s;e to think you are &s;erious, for &s;ince your company is very plea&s;ant, I &s;hould be very &s;orry to bani&s;h you. It is not in your power to do it, replied he, for I engaged you by Oath to the contrary. No, no (&s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and laughed) do not think me &s;o &s;imple as to beleeve you. I wonder Madam, replied he, you &s;hould not beleeve me: Though I had never told you that I loved you, yet methinks my a&s;&s;iduous vi&s;its only &s;hould have per&s;waded you of it. If you had never told me, replied &s;he, I &s;hould &s;ooner and more ea&s;ily have beleeved you, and you perhaps have been more hap|pie in your de&s;ires. Alas Madam, replied he, if I &s;hould not love you, what &s;hould I do with that pa&s;&s;ionate Soul which the Gods did give me when they gave me life? How is it po&s;&s;ible a heart &s;o ea&s;ie to be enflamed as mine is, &s;hould know you and not love you, e&s;pecially knowing you &s;o perfectlie as I do? For truly Madam, I mu&s;t needs tell you, that there is not one of my Rivals who knows the tran&s;cendenc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> of your merits &s;o well as I do: Since it is my whole &s;tudie and care to ob&s;erve you, I may boa&s;t that I know better then they how &s;uperlative your beautie is above others, and how your merit tran&s;cends all of your &s;ex and time: And &s;ince &s;o Madam, how can you conceive it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould not love you? Let me tell you once more <HI>Agenor</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and interrupted him) that I cannot endure this Rallarie unle&s;s it be before much companie; nor can I imagine, a man really in love can in a je&s;t tell it to the per&s;on whom he loves, before a hundred &s;everal per|&s;ons. Alas Madam, replied he, if you would permit me to tell it you in private, I &s;hould never have &s;ought unto this weak remedie of my mi&s;erie; but &s;ince I know you to be au|&s;tere even unto Cruelty it felf, I thought it be&s;t to deceive you and my Rivals, and to make u&s;e of this invention until I had rendred you &s;ome &s;uch &s;ervice as might in rea&s;on hope for a pardon of my ra&s;hne&s;s in daring to adore you. <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> hearing this, was much at a &s;tand, for on the one &s;ide &s;he had &s;ome rea&s;on to beleeve that he had a mind to deceive her, and on the other &s;ide &s;he feared there was &s;ome truth in his expre&s;&s;ions, &s;ince he &s;eemed to &s;pea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> very &s;eriou&s;ly: &s;o that chu&s;ing rather to incline unto &s;everitie, then to give him any rea&s;on o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> belief that &s;he was le&s;s au&s;tere then u&s;ual, &s;he was re&s;olved to af|ford him no hopes, therefore making all the au&s;terity of her Soul to appear in her eyes, in her a&s;pect, and in her language, this Lover, as &s;tout and bold as he was, found him&s;elf put to pitiful perplexity. Leave off <HI>Agenor</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) leave off &s;peaking thus as you do, unle&s;s you will lo&s;e my e&s;teem for ever, either under the notion of a Friend or of a Lover: if the la&s;t of the&s;e, I ought not to &s;uffer you after all this impudent boldne&s;s; if the fir&s;t, yet ought I to break off with you, &s;ince you have &s;o little complacence as at my de&s;ire not to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eave off that Rallarie which I endure in publique, le&s;t I &s;hould &s;eem fanta&s;tical, but which I abhor in private. <HI>Agenor,</HI> who was acquainted with <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s hu|mors very well, perceived by the tone of her voice, that if <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> ob&s;tinately continued his telling her &s;eriou&s;ly <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e loved her, that he &s;hould be bani&s;hed&punc; ther<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">fore he dur&s;t not do it: &s;o that fearing to render him&s;elf more mi&s;erable by <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, to p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">vent it, he took up another Re&s;olution, which was to conquer him&s;elf, to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> up <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 words"> melancholy in the cabinet of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> heart, and to put on a face<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> beginning to &s;peak in that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 words"> which he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ed in his Rallarie: Truly<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, &s;aid he unto her, I am now arrived at that Point which I propo&s;ed unto my <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ave made you angry: but for all that (pur&s;ued he and laughed) never think <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> to appea&s;e you I will go and &s;ay I do not love you, for that's a little too coar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> a Lady, e&s;pecially a Lady &s;o &s;u|perlatively fair as <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">; &s;uch words as the&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> come out of my mouth: be
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contented I a&s;&s;ure you, that I am what I ought to be unto you, that I &s;ee how you re|ceive Declarations of Love from others, and that I may know whether the friend&s;hip you are plea&s;ed to honour me with, be &s;trong enough to let me tell you what others do: But upon &s;econd and more &s;erious thoughts, and &s;ince I perceive I have no particular priviledg above others, I will begin to behave my &s;elf as I did before, that is, to &s;peak upon matters of Love unto you in publique, and of things indifferent in private.</P>
<P><HI>Agenor</HI> having quicke&s;t and mo&s;t nimble wit of any man alive, he &s;aid this unto <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> in &s;uch a manner, as almo&s;t per&s;waded her, that it was only one of his old humours of rallarie, or &s;uch a plea&s;ant trick as one knows not how to be angrie at; &s;o that &s;he being in a kinde of confu&s;ion betwixt mirth and anger, &s;he began to laugh with <HI>Agenor</HI> for companie, yet grumbled at the fallacie which he put upon her, as if &s;he were not altogether deceived, and as if the anger &s;he had expre&s;&s;ed was not real, &s;aying &s;he never thought him to be in earne&s;t: However, after much bandying betwixt them, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> drave <HI>Agenor</HI> away from her, believing indeed that it was as he had told her; yet &s;omtimes &s;he would think her &s;elf only neutral and indifferent towards him, but never thought him po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with any violent pa&s;&s;ion to her, imagining, (if it be permitted to &s;ay &s;o) that his &s;oul was only po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with an amorous friend&s;hip: As for <HI>Agenor,</HI> he went from <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> in mightie pelt: Have not I (&s;aid he to him&s;elf, as he told me afterwards) &s;poken of Love unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> more then ever any did &s;ince <HI>Cupid</HI> made any lovers, and can it be that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;hould not know I love her? But why was I &s;o &s;imple, &s;ince I had &s;poke &s;eriou&s;ly enough to make her angrie, as to endeavour the appea&s;ing of her, rather then the per&s;wading her of a truth which &s;he mu&s;t know? Yet what would that her knowledg have availed me, if upon it &s;he would both bani&s;h and hate me? What &s;hould I do? &s;aid he, To what purpo&s;e is it to tell in publique that I love her, &s;ince thereby I &s;hall not be believed when I tell her it in private? And to what purpo&s;e is it to make her believe it, if it be her re&s;olution to love no body? Yet I mu&s;t not deprive my &s;elf of the plea&s;ure which I take in telling her that, which none but my &s;elf dare tell her: Who knows, but by con|tinuing in this cour&s;e, I may in the end be &s;o happie, as that &s;he will tell her &s;elf in &s;e|cret, that which I dare only tell her in publique, and make her know the truth without being angrie? As au&s;tere as &s;he is, her heart perhaps is nor &s;o in&s;en&s;ible as &s;he thinks it; for &s;ince it can be tender in point of friend&s;hip, it is not impo&s;&s;ible but it may become &s;o in point of Love. The&s;e Madam were the rea&s;onings of <HI>Agenor,</HI> who indeed carried the bu&s;ine&s;s towards <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> as formerly he did.</P>
<P>In the mean time <HI>Poligenes</HI> ob&s;erving by a hundred of his brothers actions, that cer|tainly he was in Love with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> re&s;olved to impede the progre&s;s of this pa&s;&s;ion, not i|magining it to be yet grown unto a height of violence, nor doubting but that <HI>Agenors</HI> obligations to him, and the re&s;pect which he both owned and u&s;ed to pay, would make him cea&s;e his pretentions, as &s;oon as he &s;hould acquaint him that he him&s;elf loved <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> So that by this means <HI>Poligenes</HI> re&s;olved to di&s;cover unto one of his Rivals that he loved <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> before he had di&s;covered it unto her &s;elf; but to tran&s;act more &s;urely, and that at the &s;ame time, he was negotiating with <HI>Agenor</HI> to ca&s;t off <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> he might al&s;o oblige <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> to ca&s;t off <HI>Agenor,</HI> he re&s;olved to have di&s;cour&s;e with her unto this effect I &s;hall pre&s;ently acquaint you with; but &s;ince he was re&s;olved to begin with <HI>Agenor,</HI> he &s;ought out for a fit opportunitie of talking with him, which he could not meet with until the next morning, for of late they did not lodg together. To this end, he ingaged him to a &s;olitarie walk which is in <HI>T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">re,</HI> and which certainly is one of the mo&s;t plea&s;ant in the world: For be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that <HI>Tire</HI> being an I&s;le &s;eparated from the Con|tinent only by a little di&s;tance, the banks oppo&s;ite to this &s;tately Town make a mo&s;t plea|&s;ant pro&s;pect unto the place where <HI>Poligenes</HI> carried <HI>Agenor.</HI></P>
<P>But &s;ince it is &s;omthing nece&s;&s;arie that I de&s;cribe unto you the place where they walked, in order to your better under&s;tanding of the pa&s;&s;age, let me tell you, that on the Ea&s;t &s;ide of the further part of the Town, which hath no other walls in that place, then what Nature fortified by impo&s;&s;ible acce&s;s, where the R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">s make a long Tarras of above five hundred paces, upon which eight or ten per&s;ons may walk a bre&s;t, there being upon the left &s;ide of this rockie walk which ri&s;eth and falls &s;omtimes more, &s;omtimes le&s;s, &s;everal <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rots extreamly plea&s;ant and cool, where wearie walkers may re&s;t them&s;elves, if the S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> or <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> annoy them. On the other &s;ide, is the Sea, which da&s;hing &s;omtimes to the verie <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> of this natural Tarras (as I may term it) and making a noi&s;e mixed both of terror and delight, doth plea&s;ingly entertain tho&s;e who walk there alone. Moreover, the &s;ight
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of that oppo&s;ite &s;hore of which I &s;poke before, adds much plea&s;ure to the place; for Madam, &s;ince there is not one rich Inhabitant of <HI>Tire,</HI> who hath not &s;ome hou&s;e there, it appears full of magnificent Structures and plea&s;ant Gardens. Al&s;o the Port full of Ships and Gallies, makes the mo&s;t plea&s;ant pro&s;pect in the world, together with the &s;ight of the main Sea at the end of this Tarras walk, where the eye hath nothing to look upon but Ships which go and come to <HI>Tire,</HI> and &s;everal Boats of Fi&s;hers in many places, e&s;pe|cially towards the evening, which was the time when <HI>Poligenes</HI> brought <HI>Agenor</HI> to this lovely place.</P>
<P>But before I tell you of their being there, be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that <HI>Phocilion</HI> who&s;e pa&s;&s;ion was as re&s;pectful as violent, having then no confident of his pa&s;&s;ion, did much delight in &s;olitarie contemplation, when he could not be with <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> So that having pa&s;&s;ed over almo&s;t all the day, and lodging neer this plea&s;ant walk, he went thither, &s;end|ing away all his men, and re&s;olved to &s;tay there verie late. When he was at the end of this long Tarra&s;s, as he turned back, he &s;pied afar off <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor,</HI> who taking no notice of him, were taking earne&s;tly to each other. <HI>Phocilion</HI> having no mind to in|terrupt either them or him&s;elf, went into one of tho&s;e plea&s;ant Grots of which I &s;poke before, intending to let them pa&s;s by, and to go out when they were at a di&s;tance from him; but to the end he might not be perceived by them, chance inviting into a Grot that had many crannies and convavities one within another, he pa&s;&s;ed from the fir&s;t into the &s;econd. In the mean time, ju&s;t as he entred, there chanced to fall one of tho&s;e &s;udden Summer &s;howres of rain, which unexpectedly u&s;e to &s;urprize, and cannot be fore&s;een: This cau&s;ed <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> to look out for &s;helter, and to enter ha&s;tily into the &s;ame Grot where <HI>Phocilion</HI> was: But &s;ince their de&s;ign was only to avoid the rain, they took up with the fir&s;t, and never looked into the &s;econd, out of which <HI>Phocilion</HI> had come into their companie, if he had not heard <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> name <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> So that &s;ince it was impo&s;&s;ible, not to be curious of knowing what the&s;e two men, whom he &s;u&s;pected to be his Rivals, did &s;peak of the per&s;on whom he loved, he &s;tood &s;till in the place where he was unperceived, and where he might hear all they &s;aid, the hollowne&s;s of the &s;econd Grot ea&s;ily receiving the &s;ound of their voices. They were no &s;ooner &s;et, but <HI>Phocilion</HI> with a li&s;tning ear, heard <HI>Poligenes</HI> begin to &s;peak: I &s;ee very well (&s;aid he unto his Brother) that you were de&s;irous to know, why I talked ye&s;terday unto you &s;o much concerning <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and why I am &s;o very de&s;irous to know what you think of her beauty, of her wit, and all the re&s;t of her charms, and thinking that perhaps you did not an&s;wer me &s;incerely, I will acquaint you with the true rea&s;on which moved me to ask you what your thoughts of her were; I know verie well, that you are verie deeply inga|ged in Love to her, if you be at all, but fearing you &s;hould too much intangle your &s;elf in a bu&s;ine&s;s which can never be effected, I thought now to te&s;tifie unto you, how dear your tranquilitie is unto me, and what confidence I have in your di&s;cretion: Know there|fore <HI>Agenor,</HI> &s;aid he unto him) that I have loved <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> even from her very Cradle: Do you love <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> (replied <HI>Agenor</HI> with as much a&s;toni&s;hment in his countenance, as if he had never &s;u&s;pected any thing:) Yes Brother (replied <HI>Poligenes)</HI> I do love her, and love her in that height, as it is impo&s;&s;ible for any to love her more; therefore perceiving you apt to ingage your &s;elf my Rival, I had a de&s;ire to prevent it, by tru&s;ting you with my &s;ecret, which is, that though <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> be all virtue, even in the ab&s;tract, yet I believe if her au&s;teri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> ever &s;uffer any to adore her, it mu&s;t be my &s;elf who mu&s;t enjoy that hap|pine&s;s: Since I have continually &s;een her ever &s;ince &s;he &s;aw the light, and &s;ince my Love of her began to be known unto her ever &s;ince &s;he could know her &s;elf, my pa&s;&s;ion hath not made &s;uch a noi&s;e in the world, as the pa&s;&s;ions of all the re&s;t of her Lovers have done; and indeed you may pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e, that I am entertained with more familiaritie then they, that the never is &s;hie in talking privately with me, and that &s;he &s;eems much my friend unto tho&s;e who do not know I am her Lover; therefore <HI>Agenor</HI> make u&s;e of this advice which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ow I give you, and think, that I do not give it out of jealou&s;ie, but only to the end you &s;hould not lo&s;e your time which ought to be mo&s;t precious unto you: For truly, &s;aid he and &s;miled, you are ju&s;t now at an age fitte&s;t to make Conque&s;ts: If I had not loved you dearly, I &s;hould have let you run on in your error, as all the Court doth, and &s;hould have taken delight in &s;eeing how you de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d your &s;elf like all the re&s;t of my Rivals, but it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">y love to you that would not suffer it.</P>
<P>Whil'&s;t <HI>Poligenes</HI> was talking thus without any interruption, <HI>Agenor</HI> was con&s;ulting with him&s;elf what re&s;olution to take, and being <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> of b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ty then <HI>Poligenes,</HI> he knew very
<PB N="64" REF="614">
well, that what he &s;aid was only to &s;tave him off from <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> So that he re&s;olved upon a cour&s;e as bold as wicked, and an&s;wered unto <HI>Poligenes</HI> in the&s;e terms, whil'&s;t <HI>Phocilion</HI> un|perceived, did hearken both with wonder and attention: Brother (&s;aid <HI>Agenor</HI> unto <HI>Poligenes)</HI> I am verie unhappie, in that you did me not the honour to acquaint me with your love to <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> at that time when you advi&s;ed me to pre&s;erve that affection which <HI>Ly|riope</HI> &s;eemed to have towards me, for then the re&s;pect and dutie which I owed you, might ea&s;ily have quenched tho&s;e &s;parks of Love to <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> in me, which now are grown to a flame. Since I had then no &s;u&s;pition of your pa&s;&s;ion to her, I mu&s;t confe&s;s, my &s;oul is &s;o wholly devoted to her, that it is ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible for me to di&s;ingage it; Not but that if I were fully per&s;waded (added he mo&s;t craftily) you were more in her favour then I, and that &s;he would make you happie, then I would re&s;olve to make my &s;elf mi&s;erable, I would then voluntarily exile my &s;elf, and yeeld <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> unto you: But <HI>Poligenes</HI> (pur&s;ued he) I am mo&s;t confident &s;he deludes you, and that you are not in &s;uch favour with her as you think you are, and that you have a Rival above you in her thoughts: For indeed by your own confe&s;&s;ion <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> knows you love her, and takes it verie well: Do you count that no|thing (replied <HI>Poligenes)</HI> and do think it is not a greater favour to be &s;uffer'd by the mo&s;t au&s;tere per&s;on in the world, then all the beauties in <HI>Phenicia</HI> can confer? I do in|deed believe (replied <HI>Agenor</HI> faintly) that you have &s;ome rea&s;on to take it as a favour, but I believe al&s;o, that the Lover of whom I &s;peak, has rea&s;on to think him&s;elf more in <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s favour then you are. I wonder (replied <HI>Poligenes</HI> &s;harply) that if there were any &s;uch thing, you have not &s;taved off &s;uch a Rival from <HI>Eli&s;a;</HI> for believe it, I, who &s;eem not &s;o violent as you are, if I knew any &s;o happie, as you would make me be|lieve there is, I would not let him continue long &s;o: I am very &s;orrie Brother (replied <HI>A|genor,</HI> and a&s;&s;uming a mo&s;t &s;erious countenance) That I mu&s;t needs di&s;cover a &s;ecret to you, which I re&s;olved never to impart unto any, but the condition wherein I finde your &s;oul, and mine for your &s;ake, moves me to hazard all the happine&s;s of my life, rather then fail in point of friend&s;hip: Hear me then I conjure you, and if it be po&s;&s;ible for you to be ju&s;t your own cau&s;e, I am mo&s;t confident you will condemn your &s;elf, and con|fe&s;s that I am not able to yeeld <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> unto you. At the&s;e words <HI>Poligenes</HI> blu&s;ht, and <HI>Phocilion</HI> in his Grot had &s;uch turbulent pangs of &s;oul, that he could not chu&s;e but make a noi&s;e as he was &s;hifting place, to the end he might hear the better: But they were &s;o attent upon their di&s;cour&s;e, as they took no notice of it, &s;o that <HI>Agenor</HI> proceeded: I know verie well (&s;aid he unto <HI>Poligenes)</HI> that I &s;hall make you extreamly &s;ad, and my joyes of being more in <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s favour then any who&s;oever, is exce&s;&s;ive. Alas, <HI>Agenor,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Poligenes,</HI> and interrupted him, Your green experience deludes you, may be you think, that becau&s;e <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was delighted a little with your publique Gallantrie, therefore &s;he loves you more then any other: But believe it <HI>Agenor,</HI> believe it confidently, that the hearts of tho&s;e who are per&s;waded unto love, are never moved by publique talk before &s;o much companie: However it be, &s;aid <HI>Agenor,</HI> I have told her that in private, which you never did, and I am &s;ure I never expre&s;&s;ed one pa&s;&s;ionate word before you and o|thers, but I expre&s;&s;ed the &s;ame when I have been alone with her: But I pray Brother, without further moving me to betray <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s &s;ecrets, why do you not make &s;ome reflecti|on upon things pa&s;t, and from them draw infallible proofs of my happine&s;s? Have you not &s;een me &s;light <HI>Lyriope,</HI> who loadened me with favours, and that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> did burthen me with the weight of her Chains? <HI>Lyriope</HI> was fair, &s;he loved me, and I did not hate her: Can you think that becau&s;e <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> is fairer then <HI>Lyriope,</HI> that I would quit her who favoured me, to take one that was rigorous? No, no, <HI>Poligenes,</HI> I am not of that com|po&s;ition, hopes is alwayes as much in my heart as Love is, and I cannot tell whether or no it &s;omtimes precedes it; believe it I &s;hould never have left <HI>Lyriope,</HI> if I had not &s;ome cau&s;e to believe <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> would be favourable to me; I know that my way of carriage to her hath been &s;omthing extraordinarie, but I know al&s;o that by-wayes are often the &s;horte&s;t: Yet I cannot believe, replied <HI>Poligenes,</HI> that the way which you have taken, will ever lead you to the heart of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> nor that you have found out this blind way, which &s;o many men have only &s;ought for in vain: I could ea&s;ily let you run on in your error, replied <HI>A|genor,</HI> but &s;ince it is advantageous unto my Love, that you be undeceived, I will acquaint you upon what terms I am with <HI>Eli&s;a.</HI></P>
<P>Then began <HI>Agenor</HI> to tell a thou&s;and confident lyes to <HI>Poligenes,</HI> a&s;&s;uring him, that he held a mo&s;t intimate corre&s;pondencie with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> that they two had agreed upon a thou&s;and things, which he repeated one after another; that &s;he took in &s;erious earne&s;t
<PB N="65" REF="614">
all that he &s;eemed to &s;peak in Rallarie, and that when they were in private together &s;he would tell him all that the re&s;t of her Lovers &s;aid unto her.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o (&s;aid <HI>Poligenes</HI> to try whether <HI>Agenor</HI> &s;poke truth) you know in what terms I expre&s;&s;ed my pa&s;&s;ion unto her. <HI>Agenor</HI> now was put to a <HI>n n-plus;</HI> yet remembering he had heard his Brother &s;ay that he would never di&s;cover his Love until he was almo&s;t &s;ure of being loved, he imagined (what&s;oever he &s;aid to the contrary) that he had never openly declared him&s;elf unto <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> therefore without any demur to his Que&s;tion; As for you, &s;aid he unto him, I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> never told me you &s;poke unto her of your Love: Perhaps the rea&s;on why &s;he would not tell me was becau&s;e I being your Brother, &s;he would not mock at your pa&s;&s;ion as &s;he did at the re&s;t of her Lovers: but certainly, &s;he ranked you only in the Catalogue of her Friends when &s;he &s;poke unto me; and therefore I never &s;u&s;pected you to be in love with her, and con&s;equently I am inno|cently engaged to be your Rival; but &s;o far engaged that I cannot make a retreat. <HI>Po|ligenes</HI> hearing <HI>Agenor</HI> &s;ay &s;o, made no que&s;tion but he &s;aid truly: for &s;ince he knew very well that he never told <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> how he loved her, the concordance of <HI>Agenor</HI>'s talk with this truth, moved him to beleeve all that he &s;aid both before and after: But &s;ince Jealou&s;ie made him invent a way now to pick out &s;ome advantage by his knowledge of all the pa&s;|&s;ages between <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and <HI>Agenor,</HI> he confined his anger and his &s;orrows unto the clo&s;et of his own bre&s;t, and beginning to &s;peak; Go on you happie Lover (&s;aid he unto him) and acquaint me with all your good fortune, that by qua&s;hing all my hopes, I may not di&s;turb your felicity. But is it true (&s;aid he unto him &s;uddenly) that this au&s;tere woman, who has &s;lighted &s;o many Princes and Kings, can &s;o far &s;uffer her heart to be captivate as to tell you that he loves you? I dare not &s;ay po&s;itively that &s;he did, replied he. But is it po&s;|&s;ible, replied <HI>Poligenes,</HI> that &s;he &s;hould tell you of all tho&s;e who anored her? I a&s;&s;ure you, replied he, that &s;ince the late King unto <HI>Cry&s;iles,</HI> I know all pa&s;&s;ages. Yet <HI>Phocilion,</HI> an|&s;wered <HI>Poligenes,</HI> &s;eems to be more in her favour, then to be comprized in that Rallarie which &s;he u&s;eth to all her Lovers: Yet he is not, replied <HI>Agenor,</HI> but is more mockt at then others. <HI>Phocilion</HI> at the&s;e words thought out of a rapture of &s;orrow to come out of the place where he &s;tood concealed; but his de&s;ire of hearing more, though what he had al|ready heard was nothing plea&s;ant, re&s;trained him: yet he heard not much more which did directly concern him&s;elf, for <HI>Poligenes</HI> pa&s;&s;ing from one di&s;cour&s;e unto another, talked unto <HI>Agenor</HI> with extream di&s;&s;imulation. I could never have beleeved, &s;aid he unto him, that one of my Rivals &s;hould be happy, and I not horridly hate him; yet &s;ince I know very well that the choice which <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> hath made is ju&s;t, I will condemn my &s;elf: But &s;ince it is impo&s;&s;ible I &s;hould &s;o &s;uddenly fall from Love unto lue-warm indifferency; and &s;ince I had need to know whether <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> confers any fre&s;h favors before I quit all pretentions to her; I conjure you to acquaint me with all that &s;he confers upon you, and not to think it &s;trange, if in waiting till you receive &s;uch as &s;hall &s;tifle my Love, I continuing &s;eeing her. <HI>Agenor,</HI> very glad of this Propo&s;ition which <HI>Poligenes</HI> made, told him of a thou&s;and imagi|nary favours, and a&s;&s;ured him, that he would give him a Diurnal of the happy Progre&s;s of his Pa&s;&s;ion; asking a thou&s;and pardons, and profe&s;&s;ing as many &s;orrows for being an irre|movable ob&s;tacle unto his good fortune.</P>
<P>After which, the&s;e two Rivals &s;eeing the &s;howre was pa&s;t, went out of the Grot, and walked to the end of the plea&s;ant Tarra&s;s, &s;till talking of <HI>Eli&s;a.</HI> As for <HI>Phocilion,</HI> he was &s;o a&s;toni&s;hed at what he heard, as that he thought to &s;tay and die in the Grot; but at la&s;t he went out, and taking away quite contrary to that of his Rivals, he went with all ha&s;te home, not knowing any rea&s;on why he &s;hould be &s;o ha&s;ty. He was no &s;ooner there, but tells his &s;ervants he would not &s;up, he &s;hut him&s;elf in his Chamber, mu&s;ing &s;o profoundly upon this cruel adventure, as he was not Ma&s;ter of his own thoughts. Is it po&s;&s;ible, &s;aid he to him&s;elf, that <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> who&s;e virtues &s;eemed always unto me more admirable then her beauty, who&s;e au&s;terity &s;eemed invincible, who &s;eemed to affect glory with &s;o much zeal, that &s;he &s;hould have any private engagements both with <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor?</HI> all this at the &s;ame time when &s;he a&s;&s;ured me, that if hereafter &s;he ever enclined to marry, it &s;hould be unto me? Certainly I mi&s;took them: yet all the&s;e cruel words between <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> were &s;o di&s;tinctly pronounced, and are &s;o rivited in my memory, as I have not lo&s;t the lea&s;t &s;illable. It is too true (added this de&s;perate Lover) <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> has but a &s;eeming vir|tue: her au&s;terity is but an unbrage to deceive tho&s;e who think they know her be&s;t: and that Soul which I thought to be far above all the imbecillities of her &s;ex, is capable of the greate&s;t follies, which is, to love many at once. Is it po&s;&s;ible (cried he) that the proud
<PB N="66" REF="615">
<HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;hould &s;coff at the poor <HI>Phocilion,</HI> and &s;acrifice unto the happine&s;s of <HI>Agenor?</HI> and could I hear it from the mouth of two Rivals whom I thought wor&s;e treated then my &s;elf, and live? If I can endure this, I &s;hall merit my misfortune: But I mu&s;t either die for grief, or el&s;e I mu&s;t kill one of my Rivals, or he kill me. Did ever &s;uch a di&s;a&s;terous Fate hang over the head of any Lover? I thought I had loved an in&s;en&s;ible woman, who by her in|&s;en&s;ibility and au&s;terity together overwhelmed me with jealou&s;ie; or being out of hope my &s;elf, I thought none of my Rivals were happier then my &s;elf was: yet I find my &s;elf in lea&s;t favour of them all. But who knows (&s;aid he and interrupted him&s;elf) whether all this be true? Ah no, no, alas, alas, it is too too true: were he only one Rival who boa&s;ted of her favours, I &s;hould think he had belched out &s;ome horrid lye; but there is no likely-hood that <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> both &s;hould be cheats, e&s;pecially being Brothers: Let it then be mo&s;t certainly concluded, that there is no a&s;&s;urance in any, &s;ince not in <HI>Eli&s;a.</HI> I have not &s;o much con&s;olation in my mi&s;erie, as that can in rea&s;on call her Perfideous, &s;ince &s;he never promi&s;ed me her affection; only a&s;&s;ured me, that if &s;he did alter her re&s;olution of never marrying, then it &s;hould be in my advantage: yet it &s;eems &s;he pre&s;erves her liber|ty only to engage her &s;elf unto two at once: But O Heavens! am I not unju&s;t in &s;peaking this of <HI>Eli&s;a?</HI> Can <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> love any, and not <HI>Phocilion?</HI> Can &s;he &s;uffer others to &s;peak of Love, and impo&s;e eternal &s;ilence upon me? Alas <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> &s;aid he and &s;ighed, &s;ince your heart can admit of divi&s;ion, why had not I a part? But what do I &s;ay (&s;aid mi&s;erable <HI>Phocilion:)</HI> No, no, <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> I will have no &s;hares in your affection: I had rather a hundred times you kept your &s;elf neutral, and that you mocked at me and all my Rivals, then to enjoy a moiety only of your heart. I had rather <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> be hated by you, then to be loved with another: Take heed <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> le&s;t this divided affection &s;hould purcha&s;e you none at all: As for me, who have entirely given you my heart, I cannot be contented with a half. However, unju&s;t and ungrateful <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> I have this &s;atisfaction, that I am revenged of you even by tho&s;e whom you preferred before me, for they talk of favours conferred upon them without any rapture of Joy, and without any di&s;cretion: They talk of the&s;e favours with delight, only becau&s;e it &s;uits with their vanity; and I doubt not they will ere long be blabbing to the world tho&s;e things which they talked in private. Alas <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> what an ill choice have you made if you de&s;ire to have &s;ecret Lovers? But to &s;ay truth, &s;he who can favour two at once, never thinks upon any di&s;cretion which they ought to u&s;e. I, Heavens knew, never had any favour to conceal; but when you did at any time look upon me with|out &s;corn, I did conceal it almo&s;t from my &s;elf; Yet <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> you prefer two men who love you only out or vanitie, and who love you more for their own &s;akes then yours: If I had but one happie Rival to deal withall, I might hope that after I had defeated him, I my &s;elf might be your Favorite: but that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;hould have two Favorites, this opens a door for all my Rivals, and renders my happine&s;s impo&s;&s;ible, &s;ince <HI>I</HI> cannot endure to be in a di|vided heart: But &s;ince it is granted, that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> is not the &s;ame &s;he was thought to be, ought <HI>I</HI> in rea&s;on to continue the &s;ame <HI>I</HI> was to her? &s;hould <HI>I</HI> adore her that is not wor|thy of any adoration? or ought <HI>I</HI> to love her who loves many? or at lea&s;t who tampers &s;o with two of my Rivals, as if &s;he did love them: But on the other &s;ide, How &s;hould <HI>I</HI> not love <HI>Eli&s;a? Eli&s;a,</HI> who is Beautie in the ab&s;tract; <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> who&s;e charms are inevitable; <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> who has my heart in her hands; <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> whom only <HI>I</HI> find fair; and <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> whom only indeed <HI>I</HI> can love. Go on then <HI>Phocilion</HI> (&s;aid he, and reprehended him&s;elf) hate thy Rivals and not <HI>Eli&s;a;</HI> pitie only her weakne&s;s, and be revenged on them for her inju&s;tice, &s;ince thy re&s;pects will not &s;uffer thee to do it upon her.</P>
<P>The&s;e Madam were the ravelled thoughts of <HI>Phocil<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">on</HI> all that night, not being able to re&s;olve upon what cour&s;e to take. In the mean time, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor,</HI> after they came out of the Grot, continued their walk, as <HI>I</HI> told you, and &s;till talked of <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> And &s;ince <HI>Poligenes</HI> knew that he never told <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> he was in love with her, nor had any hopes of being loved, he took another cour&s;e to defeat <HI>Agenor,</HI> in faining &s;till to be in <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s favour. Since it is the will of Fate (&s;aid he unto his Brother with as much &s;eeming ingenuity as he had &s;ubtilty in his heart) that we mu&s;t be Rivals, and Rivals both in favour: in lien of di&s;puting who &s;hall yeild up <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> unto the other, let us both equally for&s;ake her, &s;ince &s;he is almo&s;t equally perfidious to us both, and thus by a gene|rous di&s;dain, and &s;urmounting our pa&s;&s;ions pre&s;erve our friend&s;hip: and for a full revenge upon her, let us for&s;ake her whole Sex in general: Let us look upon all Beauties only as bare ornaments of the Univer&s;e, without any doting upon them, but with the &s;ame freedom of &s;pirit we u&s;e to look upon fair flowers in meadows, or upon blo&s;&s;oms of trees, or buds,
<PB N="67" REF="615">
or fountains, or &s;uch like: Why &s;hould we lo&s;e our re&s;t and rea&s;on? Gallantrie is con|fe&s;&s;edly a dilectable thing, but a violent pa&s;&s;ion is meer folly: Let us therefore <HI>Agenor</HI> quit this unju&s;t woman, who cannot content her &s;elf neither with your love nor mine, for what &s;he does to us, &s;he does the &s;ame to all our Rivals: Let us not omit any thing that may blunt the edg and beautie of her charms: My deare&s;t Brother (&s;aid <HI>Agenor</HI> craftily) your expre&s;&s;ions do infinitely joy me, but &s;ince you are able to quit <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> out of jealou&s;ie, &s;pite, and rea&s;on, doubtle&s;s you can al&s;o quit me out of pitie, genero&s;i|tie, and affection: No, no, replied <HI>Poligenes,</HI> deceive not your &s;elf, I am able to quit <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> if you can, but I cannot for&s;ake her unle&s;s you can al&s;o. As good hap was, &s;ome companie came, and broke off their di&s;cour&s;e; for con&s;idering the di&s;po&s;ition of their &s;ouls, it was to be feared that perhaps they would have quarrelled, if none had come to them. In the mean time, <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> parted with different thoughts, for <HI>Poligenes</HI> went away extreamly jealous, but &s;o did not <HI>Agenor,</HI> for he did not give any credit to his brothers words, neither did he fear that <HI>Poligenes</HI> would tell <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> how he bragged of being in her favour; for knowing that it was not &s;o, and that he never had &s;o much as a favourable word from her, as her Lover, he imagined that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> would never accu&s;e him of any &s;uch invention; but that &s;he would rather think it the device of <HI>Polige|nes</HI> to put him out of her favour.</P>
<P>Thus was he extreamly joyed at his finding &s;ome rea&s;on for not yeelding <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> unto his Brother, and at his making him jealous, hoping that verie &s;pite would make him for&s;ake <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> yet was he not &s;ure as he imagined; for <HI>Poligenes</HI> was no &s;ooner up, but he went unto the hou&s;e of <HI>Straton,</HI> and to the end he might have the opportunity of &s;peaking with <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> without any witne&s;s, he made choice of the morning; and for a better pretence, he told <HI>Straton,</HI> that &s;ome Ladies in the Countrie had de&s;ired him to &s;end them &s;ome Jew|els, and &s;ince <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was known to have excellent judgment in &s;uch things, he de&s;ired <HI>Straton</HI> that he might &s;hew them unto her in her Chamber, &s;hewing him al&s;o which he brought on purpo&s;e &s;ome Diamonds, &s;aying it was to let his Daughter &s;ee them. <HI>Straton</HI> no &s;ooner heard this, but he &s;ent to know whether his Daughter were awake, and hear|ing &s;he was dre&s;t, he carried <HI>Poligenes</HI> to her Chamber door, and having &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s, left <HI>Poligenes</HI> with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> who&s;e beautie without any art or ornament appeared in greater lu&s;tre then ever he had &s;een it: At fir&s;t, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> thinking he had &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s with her, asked earne&s;tly what it was: For I do imagine (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that it is of &s;ome im|portance; &s;ince you come to me at an unu&s;ual houre for the vi&s;it of Ladies: 'Tis verie true Madam, replied <HI>Poligenes,</HI> the bu&s;ine&s;s I come about is of great importance: But I mu&s;t tell you, (&s;aid he, and &s;poke in a low voice le&s;t any of her women &s;hould hear) that the bu&s;ine&s;s concerns you more then me: For indeed Madam, had it been only my own bu&s;ine&s;s, I &s;hould not have been &s;o uncivil, as to have di&s;turbed you at &s;uch an un|fitting houre; yet though my bu&s;ine&s;s is only your &s;ervice, yet I deluded <HI>Straton</HI> in telling him, that I de&s;ired your judgment in &s;ome Jewels, for I did not think &s;it that he &s;hould know what I have to tell you.</P>
<P><HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was at the fir&s;t &s;urprized at the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Poligenes,</HI> but &s;ince he never u&s;ed to tell any thing which di&s;plea&s;ed her, &s;ince &s;he thought him to be her friend, and never &s;u&s;pected him as her lover, &s;he recollected her &s;elf, and imagined, that &s;ince he had gi|ven her heretofore much good advice, &s;o now perhaps he was come to acquaint her what <HI>Lyriope</HI> had &s;aid of her; &s;o that thinking <HI>Poligenes</HI> had &s;omthing of con&s;equence to im|part, &s;he made a &s;ign unto her women to go out of the Chamber; after which, turning towards <HI>Poligenes:</HI> I have a great de&s;ire, &s;aid &s;he unto him, to know what you have to tell me: Madam, &s;aid he unto her, though in telling you my bu&s;ine&s;s, I &s;hall give you good proof of my affection; yet I wi&s;h things were &s;o, that I could omit it; for indeed it is of &s;uch a nature, as friend&s;hip alone is not enough to excu&s;e the Trea&s;on which I &s;hall commit again&s;t one whom Nature bids me love; but for all that, &s;ince it concerns the glorie of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> I &s;hall not weigh it; for I am per&s;waded, that I ought to his intere&s;t or my own, rather then fail in the re&s;pects I owe you: I am infinitely obliged unto you (re|plied <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> mo&s;t &s;weetly) for your expre&s;&s;ions of &s;o much zeal in any thing which con|cerns me; but becau&s;e I will not hinder you from relating this bu&s;ine&s;s which I &s;o much de|&s;ire to know, I will not therefore at this time return you your due thanks: Though my de&s;ires of telling you, replied <HI>Poligenes,</HI> are higher then yours, yet I cannot chu&s;e but terr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ble at the Trea&s;on which I &s;hall commit; Yet notwith&s;tanding I conjure you Madam &s;aid he to colour his de&s;ign) that when I &s;hall have di&s;covered the crime of a man com|mitted
<PB N="68" REF="616">
again&s;t you, that you will not then think me a partaker in his crime, but to make u&s;e of the advice which I &s;hall give you, according as your prudence &s;hall think mo&s;t con|ducing to your tranquilitie: I promi&s;e to be directed by your advice <HI>Poligenes,</HI> replied <HI>E|li&s;a,</HI> le&s;t I &s;hould di&s;oblige him who hath &s;o much obliged me: Then Madam, replied he, I mu&s;t with &s;ome &s;hame and anger tell you, that the man whom I accu&s;e is my brother: How <HI>Poligenes</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and interrupted him) hath <HI>Agenor</HI> done any thing which will offend me? <HI>Agenor</HI> (replied <HI>Poligenes</HI> faintlie) doth doubtle&s;s adore you as much as po&s;&s;i|ble he can, but to be &s;incere with you, he hath blabbed out &s;ome things which certainlie he ought not: But I be&s;eech you (&s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;harplie) which way can the indi&s;cretion of <HI>Agenor</HI> concern me, for there is no private intimacie betwixt me and him, or any el&s;e? I wi&s;h Madam, replied <HI>Poligenes,</HI> that all he hath told me of you were not true, if it be not, your glorie is much more &s;afe: How <HI>Poligenes,</HI> (replied <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and blu&s;ht) has <HI>A|genor</HI> told any thing to my di&s;honour? He hath told me &s;omthing, which at lea&s;t is advan|tageous unto him&s;elf (replied <HI>Poligenes;)</HI> But Madam before I complain, give me leave to &s;peak, and in accu&s;ing <HI>Agenor,</HI> in &s;ome &s;ort to excu&s;e him; and let me further tell you, that it is almo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible to find a man of his age who is di&s;creet: Di&s;cretion is a mo&s;t excellent qualitie (replied <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;harplie) but yet tho&s;e who come into my companie may fail in it, yet not prejudice me: But <HI>Poligenes,</HI> I pray unmask this Riddle: Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I would gladly talk with you, as if you did not know, that <HI>Age|nor</HI> loves you: Alas <HI>Poligenes</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and interrupted him) I believe <HI>Agenor</HI> hath deceived you, as once he deceived me, when he would have per&s;waded me, that all tho&s;e Gallantries which he was u&s;ed in companie, were real marks of his Love; for I pro|fe&s;s unto you, I was a long time verie angrie with him for it, yet in the conclu&s;ion I was well &s;atisfied, that all his de&s;igns were onlie to divert, &s;o that we were reconciled again, and I both lo&s;t and found a friend in one quarter of an houre: No, no, Madam, replied <HI>Poligenes,</HI> there is more in it then &s;o: <HI>Agenor</HI> who is accu&s;tomed alwayes to have two or three confidents of his pa&s;&s;ion, to the end he might have &s;o many witne&s;&s;es of his glorie, made choice of me for one; and indeed I know all the pa&s;&s;ages between <HI>Lyriope</HI> and him. Alas <HI>Poligenes,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Eli&s;a, Lyriope</HI> and I are of verie different humours: 'Tis true indeed (replied <HI>Poligenes)</HI> He does not boa&s;t of receiving from you &s;uch as he received from her, I mean letters, pictures, tokens, and &s;uch like favours as may be kept in a Cabi|net, but he is &s;o bold as to &s;ay, he hath received &s;uch from you, as can be kept onlie in the heart with a plea&s;ing remembrance: I am &s;o ignorant in matters of Gallantrie (re|plied <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> with exceeding anger) as I cannot tell the differences between favours and fa|vours, all I know is, there be none &s;o little as are not criminal, or which I could ever find in my heart to confer upon any per&s;on: But yet <HI>Poligenes,</HI> pray ye tell me, what did <HI>Agenor</HI> &s;ay I did for him? He &s;aid Madam, &s;ince I mu&s;t tell you, (replied <HI>Poligenes)</HI> that he has told you a thou&s;and times in &s;ecret how he loves you, that you permitted him &s;o to do without the lea&s;t anger, and that you and he together did &s;coff at all his Rivals; and that in conclu&s;ion, you did not hate him, if you did not love him, and I believe he talked of &s;omthing more obliging then all the&s;e; for he talked, as if he often read in your eyes, that he had a little room in your heart: However Madam (added <HI>Poligenes,</HI> the more to prejudice <HI>Agenor)</HI> &s;ince I have di&s;covered the weakne&s;s of my Brother, yet I mu&s;t needs ask your favour for him, advi&s;ing you not to puni&s;h him: Ah <HI>Poligenes</HI> (cried &s;he out) You give me mo&s;t obliging intelligence, in acquainting me with the wick|edne&s;s of <HI>Agenor,</HI> but trulie withal, you give me verie ill coun&s;el, and I cannot tell whe|ther you do me not a great injurie in it, for you &s;eem to think that what he &s;aid was not invented: Since <HI>Agenor</HI> is my Brother, replied <HI>Poligenes,</HI> You may well pardon me it I did not ea&s;ilie &s;u&s;pect him guiltie of &s;o horrid a crime as to invent what he &s;aid unto me: If I had thought <HI>Agenor</HI> had added lies unto his vanitie in lieu of adverti&s;ing you of his crime, I &s;hould have puni&s;hed him my &s;elf: Then puni&s;h him, replied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> for he ne|ver &s;poke unto me of his pretended pa&s;&s;ion, but after the manner as I told you, and con|&s;equentlie all that he &s;aid are meer forgeries: But &s;ince I think it will redound more unto my glorie, I will take another cour&s;e, which &s;hall be never to &s;ee him again: <HI>Poligenes</HI> finding &s;o happie a beginning of his de&s;ign, to confirm <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> the more in her re&s;olution, he &s;eemed to oppo&s;e it, telling her, it would be enough if &s;he removed from him all &s;ubjects for his vanitie, and not to grant him the libertie of talking any more in private with her: But the more he pleaded, the more aver&s;e was <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> from ever &s;eeing <HI>Agenor</HI> again, of which <HI>Poligenes</HI> was verie glad: But &s;ince I perceived <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was angrie with
<PB N="69" REF="616">
him, for &s;eeming to believe that <HI>Agenor</HI> had not invented what he had &s;aid; he did &s;o carrie the matter, as he per&s;waded her, that indeed he did believe <HI>Agenor</HI> did forge what he had reported: So that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> thought her &s;elf extreamly obliged to him for his intel|ligence, and looked upon him as her be&s;t and mo&s;t faithful friend, promi&s;ing to bani&s;h <HI>A|genor,</HI> and to find out a pretence for it without reflection upon him. In the mean time, her anger again&s;t <HI>Agenor</HI> was extreamlie high, &s;he would not &s;tir out that day; and as &s;oon as ever <HI>Poligenes</HI> was gone, &s;he feigned to be ill, and put on her night dre&s;s, command|ing that none &s;hould &s;ee her, but tho&s;e who received this command, did not exactlie o|bey it: Indeed <HI>Phocilion</HI> being re&s;olved to return unto <HI>Sidon,</HI> and quit <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> as &s;oon as he had twitted her with her weakne&s;s, went to her as &s;oon as ever Dinner was done, and found no difficultie of entrance; So that going &s;traight to the Chamber of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> he found her alone, and in a profound &s;tudie: She no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but chiding her women for not telling him &s;he would not be &s;een, &s;he &s;ent me to renew the &s;ame command, which was exactlie obeyed all the re&s;t of the day, &s;o that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> unawares gave <HI>Phocilion</HI> an op|portunitie of a long audience without interruption; for &s;ince &s;he e&s;teemed him verie much, &s;he could not in civilitie bid him be gone, yet &s;he would not bid him &s;it down, but upon condition he &s;hould &s;tay but one quarter of an houre, but he told her &s;uch things as &s;he could not fore&s;ee her condition was broken, and &s;tayed a great part of the Afternoon. <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;eemed verie &s;ad; and <HI>Phocilion</HI> was much incen&s;ed: They were no &s;ooner &s;et, but he began to &s;peak: Methinks Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that for one who has filled ma|ny others with joyes, you are verie &s;ad your &s;elf: I know not whether I had filled any o|ther with joy, replied &s;he, but I am &s;ure there is &s;ome who have filled me with &s;adne&s;s: I am afraid Madam, replied he, that I am in the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">umber of tho&s;e you &s;peak of, and that I am trouble&s;ome unto you in rendring my la&s;t vi&s;it: You need not doubt it (replied <HI>E|li&s;a</HI> verie obliginglie) if you come to bid me adieu, for then you add much unto my &s;or|row: But <HI>Phocilion,</HI> You have not placed this word <HI>Trouble&s;ome</HI> right, it had been much better, if you had &s;aid you come to make me &s;ad: Your language Madam, replied he, had made me the mo&s;t happie of men, if you had &s;aid &s;o ye&s;terday; but to day, I mu&s;t confe&s;s, the more civil you are unto me, the more rigorous you are: Your language <HI>Phocilion,</HI> replied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> &s;eems &s;o odd, that I know not how to an&s;wer it: That which I know Madam, replied <HI>Phocilion,</HI> is &s;o &s;trange that I am &s;ure I know neither what to &s;ay, nor what to think, and therefore you need not wonder if I be ob&s;cure in my expre&s;|&s;ions, I wi&s;h if it were po&s;&s;ible, that I &s;hould not be under&s;tood, and yet I mu&s;t needs complain; but I am re&s;olved to complain of my own misfortune, and not po&s;itively a|gain&s;t you: I profe&s;s <HI>Phocilion,</HI> replied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> the more you &s;peak, the le&s;s do I under|&s;tand you: I pray con&s;ider well whether you under&s;tand your &s;elf, for I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I cannot believe you have any good rea&s;on for what you &s;ay: I would to the Gods Madam, replied he, that I were culpable, and you innocent: Yes, yes, Madam, I am &s;o zealou&s;ly devoted unto your glorie, that as great as my de&s;ires are, you &s;hould love me, yet I &s;hould be contented with your hate, &s;o what I know were untrue: For ought I perceive, replied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> you accu&s;e me of &s;ome great crime: The crime whereof I accu&s;e you (replied <HI>Phocilion</HI> and &s;ighed) is of &s;uch a nature Madam, that you would be verie in|nocent, if you were only culpable towards me only: Why <HI>Phocilion,</HI> (replied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and blu&s;ht for anger) Do you believe I love any one? I know not Madam, an&s;wered he, whether the re&s;pects I have, and ever will have of you, will permit me to &s;ay, I do be|lieve it: But I am &s;ure, that what I heard from the mouths of <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor,</HI> is enough to make me fear it.</P>
<P><HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was amazed to hear <HI>Phocilion,</HI> who was ever both prudent and re&s;pectful, &s;peak &s;uch &s;trange language; and &s;he believed there was &s;ome odd accident in the wind, where|of &s;he was ignorant. Likewi&s;e her fear was, that the vanitie of <HI>Agenor</HI> had reached his ear: But her greate&s;t wonder was, to hear him name <HI>Poligenes</HI> as well as <HI>Agenor:</HI> So that being extreamlie de&s;irous to know the truth, and concealing a part of her cholor, &s;he importun'd him to tell her what moved him to &s;peak as he did, which he verie exact lie did, relating his walk, how he went into the Grotto to avoid meeting <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>A|genor,</HI> how the Rain made them al&s;o to enter after him, and afterwards related to a &s;yl|lable all he heard them &s;ay. <HI>Phocilion</HI> made this relation with eyes full of &s;orrow, he of|ten interrupted him&s;elf with &s;ighs, he looked upon <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> in &s;uch a concerned manner, and &s;pake &s;o feelinglie and re&s;pectivelie, that &s;he did not at all &s;u&s;pect him of any forge|rie, nor did &s;he make any que&s;tion, but that what he related unto her, were &s;poken
<PB N="70" REF="617">
by <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor,</HI> and &s;he did the &s;ooner believe it, becau&s;e there was much con|currence between the relations of <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Phocilion</HI> concerning <HI>Agenor:</HI> But the hor|ror of the bu&s;ine&s;s, was her apprehen&s;ions of <HI>Poligenes,</HI> who never &s;olicited her but as a friend, and who came to adverti&s;e her of his Brothers vanitie, that he &s;hould him&s;elf prove as vain as he. In the mean time, as &s;he re&s;olved to bani&s;h <HI>Agenor</HI> upon the re|port of <HI>Poligenes,</HI> &s;o &s;he re&s;olved upon the &s;ame &s;entence for <HI>Poligenes</HI> upon the report of <HI>Phocilion:</HI> But to ju&s;tifie her &s;elf unto him, and that with her natural au&s;teritie; I am ve|rie &s;orrie (&s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Phocilion)</HI> that when it was in your power to ingage me infi|nitely unto you, you &s;hould &s;o cruelly di&s;oblige me; for you without any offence have told me almo&s;t dead, but you have told me it in wronging me; you might, if you would, have acquainted me with the lies of <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor,</HI> as lies which you thought fit to adverti&s;e me of, and not as truths; and to tell you trulie, you have more offended me in believing what you heard, then they have done in forging it; and if there be any con|currence between their crime and yours, it is in that they believed one another, as you be|lieved them: Why Madam, replied <HI>Phocilion,</HI> Can you think me more culpable then <HI>Poligenes?</HI> Or more wicked then <HI>Agenor?</HI> However it be, &s;aid &s;he, you are not inno|cent, &s;ince you think me capable of extream imbecilitie. But to let you &s;ee how you are deceived, I am re&s;olved upon three things which I will put in execution; the fir&s;t is, to &s;wear unto you by all that is Sacred, that neither <HI>Poligenes</HI> nor <HI>Agenor</HI> did ever expre&s;s any affection unto me, unle&s;s by way of Rallarie in publique; The &s;econd is, that you may judg of what is pa&s;t by the future, and to let you know that I fear them not, I will for ever bani&s;h them both: The third is, that though I a&s;&s;ure you I have more e&s;teem of you then ever I had of any, yet I will bani&s;h you as well as they, to let you &s;ee that I am Mi&s;tre&s;s of my own thoughts when I plea&s;e; and to per&s;wade you by this example, that one who has an ab&s;olute Soveraigntie over her heart, is not apt to ingage her &s;elf &s;o lightlie as you believed: I cannot endure the &s;ight of a man who is &s;o &s;implie unju&s;t, as to accu&s;e me of a horrid crime, a man who has given me a thou&s;and expre&s;&s;ions of e|&s;teem, one who might have perfectly known me, one who I believed could not have harboured a di&s;advantageous thought of me, and one whom I thought had e&s;teemed me &s;o much, as rather would give him&s;elf the he, then entertain the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition which might be prejudicial to me. Alas Madam, replied he, How is it po&s;&s;ible to be in Love, and not be jealous at the hearing of what I did? And how can one be jealous, and not lo&s;e his rea&s;on, and be unju&s;t? I know not how the&s;e hang together, replied &s;he, but I know that it belongs not unto me to examine the cau&s;e of your inju&s;tice; therefore, with|out further examination, whether you be unju&s;t out of Love, or out of jealou&s;ie, or out of any other cau&s;e, it &s;ufficeth, I have cau&s;e enough to puni&s;h you: But I be&s;eech you Madam, an&s;wered <HI>Phocilion,</HI> Do you make no difference between them and me? Yes, an&s;wered &s;he, for in bani&s;hing them, I &s;hall extreamlie hate and &s;corn them, but I &s;hall content my &s;elf to have much indifferencie towards you: This favour Madam (an&s;wered <HI>Phocilion</HI> with a &s;igh) is of &s;uch a nature, as may be received without any retailiation of gratitude: Whatever it be, replied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> it is all you are to expect from me, but to comfort you, let me tell you, that none &s;hall ever receive a greater from me; for after this cruel adventure which hath fallen upon me, I &s;hall be verie cautious of &s;uch impo|&s;tunes as the&s;e which you have taught me. <HI>Phocilion</HI> perceiving the firm re&s;olution of <HI>E|li&s;a,</HI> did u&s;e all po&s;&s;ible di&s;&s;wa&s;ive Rhetorique; he joyned conjurations to prayers, &s;ighs to words, and with tears he kneeled to ask pardon for his fault; but for all the&s;e <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was unalterable, and go he mu&s;t without obtaining any thing; yet though he retired with a mo&s;t &s;ad &s;oul, yet it was &s;ome ea&s;ement unto him, to perceive, that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was innocent; and he did &s;o &s;eriou&s;lie repent of his facilitie in believing <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor,</HI> as he hate|ed them as much as if they were his Rivals, upon whom he re&s;olved a revenge for <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s rigour. Al&s;o looking upon them as a pack of impo&s;tures, he conceived it to be his dutie &s;o to do in the behalf of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> though he had no other motive. In the mean while, as <HI>Phocilion</HI> was full of &s;orrows and repentance, &s;o was <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> of anger, and her anger was &s;o full of revenge, that if her &s;oul had been capable of any violent and unju&s;t re&s;olution, &s;he would have attempted any thing to &s;atisfie her revenge upon <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor.</HI> But <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> being verie wi&s;e, and knowing that there are &s;ome things, which the more noi&s;e is made, the wor&s;e they are, of which revenge would be but prejudicial; &s;he would not therefore &s;et her &s;elf to puni&s;h <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he&s;e two offenders, yet &s;he did make them verie &s;en|&s;ible of her actions; for &s;ince they loved her with extream zeal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, they did mo&s;t b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e
<PB N="71" REF="617">
re&s;ent her u&s;age of them. In the mean time, &s;ince &s;he had taken a re&s;olution to &s;peak unto them, the one in pre&s;ence of the other, &s;he was two daies before &s;he could find a fit opportunitie for it, which by good fortune did then pre&s;ent it &s;elf: For the&s;e two Ri|vals, both of them de&s;iring to &s;tay the la&s;t with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> did &s;tay until all the companie was gone from her; &s;o that at the la&s;t they were alone with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> but extreamlie a&s;hame|ed, and not daring &s;carce to look upon her, &s;o much did their remor&s;e of con&s;cience up|braid them: So that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> being confirmed in her belief of all that <HI>Phocilion</HI> had told her, began to talk to them both with &s;uch a &s;erious &s;everitie, enough to make the &s;turdie&s;t hearts to tremble, and imprint re&s;pect in the &s;ouls of the mo&s;t in&s;olent: Since you are Brethren in evil, and guilty of one crime, &s;aid &s;he unto them, I think it fit to accu&s;e you both together, and pronounce the &s;ame &s;entence. <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> hearing <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;peak thus, were &s;tronglie &s;urprized: <HI>Poligenes</HI> thought <HI>Agenor</HI> had di&s;covered his crime unto <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> as he had his: And <HI>Agenor</HI> thought now that he was not mi&s;taken, when he thought <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> gave no credit to his words; but as bold as he was, he began to tremble as well as <HI>Poligenes,</HI> nor had they either confidence or lea&s;ure to ask <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> what their crime was, for &s;he went on in bitter &s;everitie to them as &s;he begun: Never think, &s;aid &s;he un|to them, that I will accu&s;e you by particulars of all your impo&s;tures, the di&s;cour&s;e would be unworthie of my &s;elf, let it &s;uffice I tell you, that the Gods have revealed unto me all that you &s;aid in the Grot, that is in the long Tarra&s;s walk by the Sea &s;ide, I expre&s;ly for|bid you both ever to &s;ee me again, and let me tell you, that now I &s;corn you more then ever I have e&s;teemed you; al&s;o I defie you, and bid you &s;ay the wor&s;t that can prejudice me: Never think to imploy the power of my Father, for if you do, I will acquaint him with the ju&s;t cau&s;e of complaint I have again&s;t you; therefore without any re&s;i&s;tance, or delay, I expect obedience unto my will without a &s;yllable of murmure. After the&s;e words, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> went into her Clo&s;et, and made a &s;ign unto them to be gone; &s;o that <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> not daring to &s;tay her, began to quarrel for betraying each other, yet they dur&s;t not &s;tay any longer in <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s Chamber, but went out in extream di&s;pair and furie, not yet directlie knowing what was the object of all their cholor. But they had not gone a|bove twentie paces belching out the furie of their &s;ouls, when a friend unto <HI>Phocilion</HI> met them, and told them, that he expected them both at the Sea &s;ide which looks towards the North, with as many Swords as were requi&s;ite for two to fight again&s;t two, adding, that the cau&s;e of his quarrel was of &s;uch a nature, as no other way but this could give him &s;a|tisfaction.</P>
<P><HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> having &s;harp edges &s;et upon their Spirits, did keenlie accept of this Propo&s;ition, and as men who had a greater mind to fight with one another, then again&s;t any el&s;e; yet point of honor not permitting them to deliberate, they told <HI>Phoci|lion</HI>'s friend that they were readie to go along with him, and did &s;o after they had &s;ent a|way their men. Since their minds were full, they never con&s;idered what might <HI>Phocilion</HI>'s rea&s;on be for calling them to this &s;atisfaction, but in the heat of their furie fought, and knew not why; nor would <HI>Phocilion</HI> tell them directlie his rea&s;on, le&s;t he &s;hould ingage the name of <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> The quarrel then not being known, the combat then could not be prevented, the event whereof was verie bloodie; it fell to the lot of <HI>Phocilion</HI> to fight a|gain&s;t <HI>Agenor,</HI> and <HI>Poligenes</HI> again&s;t <HI>Phocilion</HI>'s friend, all which four were wounded; <HI>Phocilion</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> more dangerous then the other two, <HI>Phocilion</HI> had the advantage of <HI>Agenor;</HI> but <HI>Poligenes</HI> had the better of <HI>Phocilion</HI>'s friend. This combat made a great noi&s;e in the world, none knowing the cau&s;e; for when any asked <HI>Poligenes</HI> or <HI>A|genor,</HI> they bad them ask <HI>Phocilion;</HI> and when they asked <HI>Phocilion,</HI> he an&s;wered, that it was &s;ufficient <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> knew them&s;elves not innocent. In the mean time, this combat produced this good unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> for <HI>Agenor, Poligenes,</HI> and <HI>Phocilion</HI> being all three wounded, &s;he was at much more quietne&s;s, nor was any talk of her as the cau&s;e, only <HI>Lyriope</HI> began to chatter a little, but &s;he dur&s;t not vie again&s;t <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> as formerlie &s;he u&s;ed, becau&s;e her Parents were upon marrying her unto one of the Court named <HI>A&s;ia|dates,</HI> and indeed did marrie her unto him within a few daies after, more for intere&s;t of familie, then any other rea&s;on: So that fearing le&s;t her hatred of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;hould &s;peak her Love unto <HI>Agenor,</HI> &s;he concealed her thoughts of this bu&s;ine&s;s: As for <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> her an|ger again&s;t <HI>Poligenes,</HI> again&s;t <HI>Agenor,</HI> and again&s;t <HI>Phocilion</HI> al&s;o, made her think her &s;elf happie in being delivered from that &s;ight, yet being of a natural goodne&s;s, if the thing had been in her di&s;po&s;e, &s;he would not have permitted this combat; but &s;ince it was not, nor &s;ince &s;he had no hand in it, it did not grieve her that the Gods had permitted
<PB N="72" REF="618">
them to &s;ight, and had ridded her of &s;uch men as &s;he was re&s;olved never to &s;ee a|gain.</P>
<P>This being the &s;tate of things, and <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> confirming her &s;elf more and more in her re|&s;olutions never to marrie, but to grow more au&s;tere if it were po&s;&s;ible. <HI>Straton</HI> who ne|ver enjoyed him&s;elf &s;ince the death of the la&s;t King, but having lo&s;t all his hopes, he fell &s;ick, and within &s;even daies died of &s;o violent a Fever, as he was not able to order any bu|&s;ine&s;s &s;ince the fir&s;t day of his falling &s;ick. This accident was &s;o mournfully re&s;ented by <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> as I wonder it did not co&s;t her life, at lea&s;t her beautie, yet the tears upon her face was only like a dew upon Ro&s;es, which in lieu of changing them, makes them more &s;weet and lovely; and as melancholy has a kind of langui&s;hing &s;weetne&s;s in it, &s;o <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> doubtle&s;s was nothing &s;o au&s;tere in her &s;orrows as formerlie, and con&s;equentlie not &s;o apt to drive her Lovers into di&s;pair. <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> in lo&s;ing <HI>Straton,</HI> did not only lo&s;e a mo&s;t indulgent Fa|ther, but found a &s;ubver&s;ion of her fortune, by falling under the power of a phanta&s;tical Mother, who loved her not, but who &s;ince the death of <HI>Straton</HI> did per&s;ecute her a hun|dred &s;everal wayes. However, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> carried her &s;elf with as much re&s;pect, as if &s;he were the be&s;t Mother in the world; and her genero&s;itie was &s;o high, that <HI>Barce</HI> having left her in the Countrie, and being returned her &s;elf to <HI>Tire,</HI> &s;he there fell &s;ick of &s;uch a con|tageous di&s;ea&s;e, as Husbands dare not come neer their Wives, nor Wives their Husbands; yet <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> no &s;ooner heard the condition wherein <HI>Barce</HI> was, but &s;he departed immediate|lie, and went notwith&s;tanding the danger, to help that per&s;on who re&s;olved to make her life as mi&s;erable as &s;he could: But the Gods, who doubtle&s;s were plea&s;ed to make the vir|tue of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> more &s;plendent, took <HI>Barce</HI> out of this world, ju&s;t as <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was going into her Chamber, again&s;t the per&s;wa&s;ions of all her friends: But &s;eeing her Mother was pa&s;t recovery, &s;he withdrew from a needle&s;s danger, and retired her &s;elf unto a Ladies hou&s;e who was her Cozen, who lived extreamly clo&s;ely, and who&s;e virtue was extraordinarie. Thus <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> made it mo&s;t evident by this action, that &s;he had no de&s;ign of admitting &s;o much companie as &s;he had during the life of <HI>Straton.</HI> But to the end <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> might make the great|ne&s;s of her &s;oul appear, the Gods were plea&s;ed to aba&s;e her fortune, that they might e|levate her Glory, by &s;uch a way as many have lo&s;t theirs Since <HI>Straton</HI> had great imploy|ments under the late King of <HI>Phenicia,</HI> all tho&s;e unto whom he was indebted did fall up|on <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> for &s;atisfaction, and &s;eized upon all her e&s;tate with &s;o much violence and inju|&s;tice, that they made <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> almo&s;t as poor as fair: However, though &s;he &s;aw her &s;elf in a mo&s;t lamentable condition, yet her high &s;oul never trembled at it, but &s;he carried out her bad fortune with as much re&s;olution, as &s;he did her good with moderation, nor was &s;he le&s;s au&s;tere; and when <HI>Poligenes, Agenor,</HI> and <HI>Phocilion</HI> were recovered, and would have &s;een her, &s;he did forbid them with as much authority, as if &s;he had been upon a Throne, and they her Subjects, &s;he was more &s;evere then before, and &s;he would make it appear, that &s;ince &s;he was Mi&s;tre&s;s of her &s;elf, &s;he would follow the rules of virtue more exactly then before: But Madam, that you may &s;ee how great her virtue was, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> whom <HI>Lyriope</HI> had married, did at that time fall &s;o de|&s;perately in Love with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> as he was readie to run out of all his wits and patience for her, and who did more hang upon her then ever <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> did; <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> is a man of much Spirit, but verie violent and ha&s;tie, which moved him to act his de&s;ires with an unexpre&s;&s;ible impetuo&s;itie; you may then verie well imagine, that he being deep|lie in Love with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> would do any thing to enjoy her he loved, if he could finde out fit opportunities for it. Since <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> would not admit of any vi&s;its, unle&s;s of her mo&s;t intimate friends, who could not be &s;u&s;pected of any Gallantrie, he could not find his de|&s;ired opportunitie of &s;eeing her at that Ladies hou&s;e: At la&s;t he contracted a great league of amitie with a per&s;on of Qualitie, who was one of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s friends: Since few men in all <HI>Phenicia</HI> were richer then <HI>&s;iadates</HI> was, and &s;ince he under&s;tood the decay of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s e&s;tate, he conceived that a woman, who was as high-minded as even unto verie pride it &s;elf, could never brook povertie, but thought that perhaps exce&s;&s;ive liberalitie ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> &s;om|ly carried, would tempt her to admit of him as her friend at lea&s;t, though not as her Lover, yet he dur&s;t not be &s;o forward as to offer any pre&s;ents unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> with capitu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a|tions of giving all his riches for the purcha&s;e of her heart but he told her by this friend (whom he per&s;waded that genero&s;itie more then Love prompted him, &s;ince he could not endure to &s;ee virtue poor) that he made her an offer of all his e&s;tate, without the thought of retribution or gratitude, but her acceptance: Al&s;o he put into the hands of this Ladie a va&s;t number of Jewels, to pre&s;ent them unto <HI>Eli&s;a;</HI> &s;o that any other then
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&s;he, con&s;idering the &s;tate of her fortune, might ea&s;ilie have been dazled by them, for <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> then did &s;ub&s;i&s;t only by the genero&s;itie of her with whom &s;he lived. In the mean time, all the eloquence of his Lady Solicitor could not per&s;wade her to accept of this magnificent pre&s;ent, though &s;he did negotiate very cunningly with her; for having in|&s;en&s;ibly ingaged <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> to look upon them, &s;he carried her unto a Clo&s;et, where this a|bundance of Jewels did lie upon a Table: <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> not knowing how they related unto her, began to look upon them &s;he thought mo&s;t admirably rare, and asked the Lady who&s;e they were? Before I return you an an&s;wer, (&s;aid this dangerous friend unto her) let me ask you what you would think of a man who would give you all the&s;e Pearls, Diamonds, Rubies and Emeralds? I would &s;ay and think (replied <HI>Eli&s;a)</HI> that he were either much in Love, or verie liberal, or el&s;e not very wi&s;e, for I know not what el&s;e I &s;hould either &s;ay or think: Yet there is &s;omthing to be &s;aid (an&s;wered &s;he) unto him that would give &s;uch a Pre&s;ent: For indeed <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> it mu&s;t needs be confe&s;&s;ed, that <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> is the mo&s;t generous man alive, and the mo&s;t real friend that ever I knew; and to make it evident, be plea&s;ed to know, that he is &s;o charmed with your virtue, as not being able to endure Fortune &s;hould treat you with &s;o much inju&s;tice, he hath charged me to be&s;eech you, that you will be plea&s;ed he may do that which Fortune would not, and enrich you with what &s;he has given him; He thinks his e&s;tate is not his &s;o long as you do want it, and is per|&s;waded that you have more right unto it then him&s;elf. Moreover, never think that he has any ill intentions in it, he will not &s;o much as &s;ee you, if you plea&s;e, he expects no re|talliation or gratitude, but his liberalitie is all pure; therefore <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> make no &s;cruple in accepting the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of &s;uch a man, who offers it unto you by me, who would never advi&s;e you unto any thing which might be prejudicial unto you, and who would never offer you the aid of another, if I were of abilitie enough my &s;elf. All the while this La|dy was talking, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s re&s;entments were inexpre&s;&s;ible, &s;omtimes anger made her blu&s;h, and look with &s;corn upon her which &s;poke, otherwhiles her &s;hame made her deject her eyes, and &s;omtimes her wonder would bring &s;uch palene&s;s into her face, as if &s;he were afraid: But at la&s;t, not being able to keep &s;ilence, I could never have believed, &s;aid &s;he unto her, that Fortune could have brought me into &s;uch a condition, that any one &s;hould be &s;o bold as to make &s;uch a Propo&s;ition unto me: But as there are &s;ome who &s;uck poy&s;on out of the mo&s;t innocent things, &s;o by contraries I will draw glory out of the mo&s;t infa|mous act in the world: And that you may not think I &s;peak this out of an arrogant pride, I will render you a rea&s;on of my thoughts.</P>
<P>Know then, I am fully per&s;waded, that the e&s;tates of our friends may be ours upon &s;ome certain occa&s;ions; but I am fully per&s;waded withal, that unle&s;s one will render her &s;elf infamous, one ought never to take or accept any thing from a Lover: Yet I have heard you &s;ay, (replied this intere&s;ted friend) that liberality and love are in&s;eparable Conco|mitants: And I a&s;&s;ure you, replied <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> that woman who receiveth Pre&s;ents does give her &s;elf, or to &s;ay better, doth &s;ell her &s;elf: So that when a Lover would be liberal, it mu&s;t be without any gifts unto his Mi&s;tre&s;s; but in Fea&s;ts, cloaths, magnificent equipage, not in any things which are profitable unto the per&s;on he loves; for indeed I know nothing &s;o ba&s;e, &s;o wicked, &s;o oppo&s;ite to mode&s;ty, nor which begets greater thoughts of &s;corn, then for a woman to take any thing of a man who is in love with her; and truly, for my part, I had incomparably rather receive a benefit of &s;uch a nature as this you offer me, from the hand of a mortal enemie, then from any lover, and to beg it upon my knees, then to accept it from a man who is in love with me: I be&s;eech you think, that as unfortunate as I am, I have &s;till a heart &s;o high, as Fortune cannot make it lower; and if I were to chu&s;e, either death or the&s;e magnificent Jewels, doubtle&s;s I &s;hould prefer it before them all, ra|ther chu&s;ing to die with glory then live with &s;hame: But Madam (&s;aid this corrupt friend) <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> doth not require any thing from you: He doth in&s;olently ask me all things, re|plied &s;he, in offering me all the&s;e riches; and I am confident, that never any woman re|ceived any con&s;iderable pre&s;ent from a Lover, but within few houres after he has le&s;s e|&s;teem of her then if &s;he had refu&s;ed it, and looks upon her as one whom he has right unto, as if he had bought a Slave: Tell therefore <HI>A&s;iadates,</HI> he is undi&s;creet in the management of his inclination, which doubtle&s;s is liberal, &s;ince in lieu of getting my e&s;teem by this virtue, he hath got my aver&s;ion; if he will be &s;hewing his liberality, he mu&s;t be&s;tow it without any ends, let him inrich many unfortunate Gentlemen, of which the Court is full, and never think of dazling my eyes with Diamonds: Tell him farther, that I will &s;hun him as much as civility will permit me, and if I &s;hould follow my own inclination.
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I &s;hould be revenged on him with more anger and delight, then if he had &s;tole as much riches from me as he offers: And as for you (&s;aid &s;he unto her whom &s;he &s;poke unto) I will for my own glory believe, that you thought the intentions of <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> very pure and innocent; but &s;ince he hath a little corrupted you, I mu&s;t continue no longer with one who will be per&s;waded unto any thing oppo&s;ite to Ju&s;tice and virtue: In &s;aying &s;o, &s;he ri&s;e up, and went out, maugre all the per&s;wa&s;ions of the Ladie, and put her &s;o out of countenance, as &s;he dur&s;t never after &s;ee <HI>Eli&s;a.</HI> In the mean while, <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> was even dead in &s;orrow, when he under&s;tood how <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> had rejected his liberality, yet he ac|knowledged that he both e&s;teemed and loved her much more for it, then he did before: But the wa&s;pi&s;h part of the bu&s;ine&s;s was <HI>Lyriope,</HI> who till then never believed that <HI>A&s;i|adates</HI> was in Love with <HI>Eli&s;a;</HI> but perceiving him to be melancholy, &s;he came to di&s;co|ver the cau&s;e, and to be extreamly jealous and &s;piteful: <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> on his &s;ide, he con|ceiving that if he had not been married, he might have married <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> he began to hate her abominably: So that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> without any de&s;ign, did make the&s;e two per&s;ons the mo&s;t mi&s;erable of their time. In the mean time, <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> being out of all hopes to relent the heart of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> they began to quench the flames of their pa&s;&s;ions, yet &s;till had &s;uch a high e&s;teem of her, as obliged them both to ju&s;tifie her, and confe&s;s their im|po&s;ture: But as for <HI>Phocilion,</HI> who was accu&s;tomed to love without hope, he continued to love her as before, and was &s;o con&s;tantly re&s;olute, that in the end <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> pardoned him, upon condition he &s;hould keep him&s;elf within the limits of friend&s;hip, without ever &s;peak|ing of any Love.</P>
<P>This being the &s;tate of affairs, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> followed her bu&s;ine&s;s &s;o wi&s;ely and clo&s;e, and with &s;uch good &s;ucce&s;s, as &s;he recovered the greate&s;t part of her e&s;tate out of their hands who had u&s;urped it, and was now in a condition able to &s;ub&s;i&s;t of her &s;elf according to her Quality without the benevolence of any; yet upon the ca&s;ting up of all accounts, &s;he found her &s;elf not &s;o rich as &s;he imagined; but yet having a &s;ufficient competencie to pa&s;s in the world, &s;he contented her &s;elf with her fortune, and &s;uited her &s;elf accordingly: One lo&s;s &s;he had which grieved her very much, for &s;he lo&s;t that Lady with whom &s;he lodged: After which, &s;he re&s;olved to be Mi&s;tre&s;s of her &s;elf, and to enjoy that freedom as long as &s;he lived, &s;he being the mo&s;t &s;ociable company in the world, &s;he had as much care in the culling of her friends, as &s;he had in avoyding her lovers: Never did any live a life more plea&s;ing, more contentedly, nor merrily then <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> after &s;he had quit her &s;elf of <HI>Poligenes, Agenor,</HI> and <HI>A&s;iadates,</HI> who &s;ince the refu&s;al of his Pre&s;ent, dur&s;t ne|ver per&s;ecute her as before, yet &s;till the &s;ame fire burned in his heart mo&s;t ardently: But Madam, that you may the better under&s;tand the felicity of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> it is expedient I make de&s;criptions of &s;ome of her friends which &s;he then entertained, and what manner of lives both &s;he and they lived, by which doing I &s;hall add glory to my Country, by acquainting you with the number of mo&s;t accompli&s;hed per&s;ons who were with her: Be plea&s;ed to know then, that after <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;aw her fortunes to be competent, and in a better &s;tate then once &s;he hoped, &s;he had the happine&s;s to be dearly loved with high e&s;teem and tender|ne&s;s, by one of the mo&s;t illu&s;trious per&s;ons in the world for all Qualities: <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and this Lady, who&s;e name was <HI>Cleomira,</HI> were in&s;eparable. Give me leave to tell you, how <HI>Cleomira</HI> though &s;he lived at <HI>Tire,</HI> yet was an <HI>Athenian</HI> born, and that her family was as illu&s;trious as any of their Kings can boa&s;t of. But &s;ince I am not to relate her hi&s;tory, but only to let you under&s;tand the merit of her per&s;on, I &s;hall only tell you, that <HI>Cleomira</HI> married a man of the be&s;t rank in all <HI>Phenicia,</HI> and of merit &s;uitable to his Quality; after this I will endeavour to give you an <HI>Idea</HI> of <HI>Cleomira:</HI> I mu&s;t not de&s;cribe her Madam as our Painters do <HI>Venus,</HI> for &s;he was not mode&s;t enough to &s;et out <HI>Cleomira,</HI> nor yet as <HI>Pallas,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he was too au&s;teer; nor as <HI>Juno,</HI> who was not charming enough, nor of <HI>Diana</HI> who was a little too &s;alvoge: But to repre&s;ent <HI>Cleomira</HI> rightly, is to pick out all the ex|cellencies of all the&s;e Godde&s;&s;es, to make her picture re&s;emblant: <HI>Cleomira</HI> was tall and well proportioned, all the features of her face were miracles, the delicacie of her com|plexion is inexpre&s;&s;ible, the Maje&s;ty of her pre&s;ence &s;trikes admiration, and there is a kind of divine lu&s;tre in her eyes which imprints reverence in the &s;ouls of all tho&s;e who look upon her; and for my part, I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that I never came neer <HI>Cleomira,</HI> but my heart was &s;truck with an awful re&s;pect. Moreover <HI>Cleomira</HI>'s eyes are &s;o wonderfully fair, that it is impo&s;&s;ible any tongue &s;hould de&s;cribe them, they are eyes which indeed do produce admiration, yet do not produce the &s;ame effects which other fair eyes u&s;e to do in the hearts of beholders, for in producing Love, they al&s;o produce at the &s;ame time both fear
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and reverence, and by a peculiar priviledg they purifie the hearts which they burn. There was al&s;o a mixture of excellent mode&s;ty with the Maje&s;ty and &s;weetne&s;s which was in her eyes, and I am mo&s;t confident, that there is not any man in the world which dur&s;t enter|tain the lea&s;t di&s;vitious thought in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Cleomira.</HI> Moreover, her phy&s;iognomy is the faire&s;t, the &s;weete&s;t, and the mo&s;t Noble that ever eye beheld; and there appeared &s;uch a &s;erene tranquility in her countenance, as did evidently &s;peak the Halcion calmne&s;s in her &s;oul; one might perceive all her Pa&s;&s;ions were &s;ubjects unto her rea&s;on, and ne|ver rai&s;ed any inte&s;tine rebellions in her heart: I do not think that ever the Carnation in her cheeks was &s;een to exceed its limits, unle&s;s through heat in Summer, or by a blu&s;h, but never out of anger or irregularity in her &s;oul: So that <HI>Cleomira</HI> being alwayes con|&s;tantly tranquile, was alwayes con&s;tantly fair: Indeed Madam, if a body of cha&s;tity were to be adored throughout all the earth, I would repre&s;ent <HI>Cleomira</HI>'s: If one would em|bleme glory, then let <HI>Cleomira</HI>'s picture be taken, or for virtue hers al&s;o. Moreover, the mind and &s;oul of this admired per&s;on did infinitely tran&s;cend her beauty, &s;he has no equal in genero&s;ity, con&s;tancie, goodne&s;s, ju&s;tice and purity: The &s;pirit of <HI>Cleomira</HI> has more in it then the light of Nature, for it is adorned and dre&s;&s;ed with all the Liberal Arts, &s;he &s;peaks divers languages elegantly, and is ignorant in nothing that merits know|ledg, yet &s;eems not to know; the mo&s;t &s;ublime Sciences tran&s;cend not her knowledg, &s;he is a compleat Mi&s;tre&s;s in the mo&s;t difficult Arts, &s;he built a Palace after her own ingenu|ous model, the be&s;t in the world, &s;he found out the Art of a Palace of a va&s;t capacity in a little room, order, proportion, regularity are in all the rooms, all is magnificent, all convenient, full of conceit and u&s;eful de&s;ign, her Clo&s;ets and Cabinets are full of rarities, which &s;peak the judgment of the chu&s;er; the Aire in her Palace is all perfume, &s;everal rich pots ful of flowers makes a continual Spring in her Chamber, and the rooms of common u&s;e are &s;o full of plea&s;ure and phancie, that one would think him&s;elf in a place inchanted when he's there. Moreover, &s;he had a mo&s;t facetious ingenuity, in compo&s;ing either Pro&s;e or Ver&s;e. But among&s;t &s;o many high advantages which &s;he received from the Gods, &s;he had the misfortune, that the lea&s;t di&s;temper impaired her health, like certain flowers, which to pre&s;erve their fre&s;hne&s;s, mu&s;t neither be alwayes in the Sun, nor alwayes in the &s;hade, which yet being kept neither cold nor h<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">t, do keep their beauty, or el&s;e will wither and die: <HI>Cleomira</HI> therefore being &s;o tender, went le&s;s abroad then any other Ladies in <HI>Tire:</HI> The truth is, &s;he never needed to go out of her hou&s;e to &s;eek for company, for there was not a per&s;on in all the Court, who had any excellencie of wit or virtue, who did not frequent it, nothing did pa&s;s for currant, if it had not the &s;tamp of her approbation, not to be known unto her, was thought not to be in the world; a &s;tranger never travelled to <HI>Tire,</HI> who would not &s;ee <HI>Cleomira,</HI> and pay her homage; not any excellent Artificer but de&s;ired the glory of her approbation upon their works, all the Poets in <HI>Phenicia</HI> did &s;ing her Encomiums, and &s;he had the e&s;teem of all &s;o univer&s;ally, as there was never a|ny that ever &s;aw her, which did not extol her, and were charmed with her wit, her &s;weetne&s;s and her genero&s;ity. Moreover, <HI>Cleomira</HI> was not the only Ornament of her Palace, for &s;he had two Daughters, who indeed were worthy to be hers: The elder, who&s;e name was <HI>Philonide,</HI> has a mixture of much beauty, much complacence, much wit; all her inclinations are noble and generous, her &s;tature tall and hand&s;om, her beau|ty rare, her behaviour the mo&s;t genuine and natural in the world, her wit the mo&s;t charm|ing, the mo&s;t ea&s;ie, and the mo&s;t gallant that can be, &s;he writ as well as &s;he &s;poke, and &s;he &s;poke like an Angel; &s;he was wonderfully apt for all excellent things, and was igno|rant in nothing that was fit for a per&s;on of her Quality to know; her dancing was able to make any in love with her, and &s;he was every way &s;o apt for the world, for great fea&s;ts, and the honours of a great Court, that it was impo&s;&s;ible for any to be more, her dre&s;s did ever &s;o well become and fit her, and troubled her &s;o little, that one would &s;ay any thing would fit her, plea&s;ures and delights did &s;o Court her, that not a day did pa&s;s with|out a fre&s;h diver&s;ion, and if ever &s;he were &s;ick, it was ever at &s;uch melancholy times, as when no plea&s;ures were &s;tirring; and if &s;he were ill at any time, it was only &s;o, as to draw all the Court unto her Chamber, and never &s;o ill as to be deprived of their company. Moreover, &s;he had &s;uch a prodigious number of friends, (to &s;ay nothing of her Lover) as it was to be admired how &s;he could an&s;wer the friend&s;hips of &s;o many at once, yet &s;he gave them all very ample &s;atisfaction; Yet I am confident, &s;ay what &s;he plea&s;e, that it was impo&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould love &s;o many as &s;he &s;eemed to be obliged unto for their friend|&s;hip; and I am certain, there was a great number whom &s;he did only e&s;teem with com|mon
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civility and acknowledgments, yet they all were very well contented with her, and loved her as effectually as if &s;he loved them, not but that &s;he had many friends who had deep &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ares in her heart, but that choice number was not ea&s;ily di&s;cerned from the re&s;t, and I believe only her &s;elf knew po&s;itively whom and how &s;he loved; yet &s;he had a ge|neral tenderne&s;s to all, which made her the mo&s;t officious per&s;on in the world, and had &s;uch &s;ecret and particular charms in her conver&s;ation towards &s;ome few men &s;he liked, as to pa&s;s away one afternoon in her Chamber in one of tho&s;e Summer daies, which Ladies u&s;e to convert into an artificial night to avoid the heat, was enough to fall in Love with <HI>Philonida:</HI> But Madam, as <HI>Philonida</HI> was a great contributor unto the diver&s;ions of <HI>Cleomi|ra</HI>'s Palace, and made it a mo&s;t charming Paradi&s;e of plea&s;ures, <HI>Anacri&s;a</HI> her Si&s;ter did merit to be her Partner: She was not &s;o tall as <HI>Philonida,</HI> though of a hand&s;om &s;tature, but the lu&s;tre of her complexion was &s;o taking, and the delicacie of it &s;o extraordinary, that though her eyes were not extreamly fair, yet every one did highly applaud her with a thou&s;and Encomiums. Though <HI>Anacri&s;a</HI> was both very fair and amiable, yet there was &s;omthing in her a&s;pect &s;o &s;prightly, &s;o delicate, &s;o &s;ubtil, &s;o au&s;tere, &s;o crafty, and &s;o &s;weet both, as did mo&s;t plea&s;ing arre&s;t all eyes, and as did make her both loved and fear|ed at once; and certainly it is no wonder &s;he &s;hould in&s;pire both the&s;e two pa&s;&s;ions at one time, for &s;he was the mo&s;t amiable, and the mo&s;t terrible both which was in all <HI>Phenicia:</HI> There was one con&s;iderable difference between <HI>Philonida</HI> and <HI>Anacri&s;a,</HI> which yet was contributory to their happine&s;s; the fir&s;t of them was almo&s;t never di&s;contented, in all places &s;he was plea&s;ed with what &s;he could find in them, and whither &s;oever &s;he went, &s;he carried &s;uch a &s;uitable Spirit along with her, as that &s;he could find plea&s;ures in Pro|vinces furthe&s;t off from the Court: But for <HI>Anacri&s;a,</HI> there was &s;o few things which &s;a|tisfied her, &s;o few per&s;ons that plea&s;ed her, &s;o few plea&s;ures that fitted her inclination, her phancie was &s;o delicate, and her humour &s;o hard to be plea&s;ed, as it was almo&s;t im|po&s;&s;ible for her to find one day of perfect happine&s;s in a whole year; yet was &s;he &s;o hap|py, as that her di&s;likes were alwayes diverti&s;ements; for when &s;he was to pa&s;s over a te|dious journey in the Country, or an afternoon in bad company, &s;he would do it &s;o plea|&s;antly, and in &s;uch a charming manner, that it was not po&s;&s;ible but to admire her, and one could not chu&s;e but pardon a per&s;on of &s;o much beauty and &s;pirit as &s;he was, for be|ing very hard to plea&s;e in her choice of &s;uch as &s;he would honour with her e&s;teem, or allow them her conver&s;ation.</P>
<P>Thus Madam have I de&s;cribed <HI>Cleomira,</HI> and her two admired Daughters; and after this, I be&s;eech you, imagine what delights <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> would enjoy in the friend&s;hip of three &s;uch illu&s;trious per&s;ons, who were not contented with loving her them&s;elves, but al&s;o would have all their friends to love her: Truth is, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was &s;o amiable, that to know her was enough to love her; but though &s;he had been le&s;s obliging, yet her affection to <HI>Cleomira</HI> had been enough to purcha&s;e a reciprocal love, for certainly never did two love each other better, then <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> and <HI>Cleomira;</HI> and her a&s;&s;iduity did &s;ufficiently te&s;tifie as much, &s;ince &s;he was continually with her, and did every day partake of each others plea|&s;ures and diver&s;ions: She was continually &s;tudious how to divert her with &s;ome plea&s;ant invention, &s;omtimes by mu&s;ique in her garden, and &s;omtimes by &s;ome innocent di&s;gui&s;e|ment of her &s;elf with &s;ome other of her friends: And &s;ince there was nothing excellent which might not be &s;een in <HI>Cleomira</HI>'s Palace, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was in a continual Paradi&s;e of joy and plea&s;ure; but the mo&s;t &s;olid and greate&s;t plea&s;ure of all the re&s;t was, that every E|vening all <HI>Cleomira</HI>'s mo&s;t intimate friends did rendezvouz at her Palace, and parted not, until hand&s;omne&s;s and nece&s;&s;ity of &s;leep did invite them. But Madam, that you may the better under&s;tand the &s;weetne&s;s of this Society, it is requi&s;ite I give you a hint of &s;ome where of it was compo&s;ed, I mean of tho&s;e who were particular friends unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> for I &s;hould be too long and tedious, if I &s;hould &s;peak of all that great number which meet e|very day at the Palace of <HI>Cleomira;</HI> and I am per&s;waded, that if I &s;hould undertake it, I &s;hould make you more de&s;criptions then there are Statues of gold and &s;ilver in the Trea|&s;ury of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us:</HI> So that confining my &s;elf unto more narrow limits, I &s;hall only &s;hew you the pictures of &s;ome five or &s;ix, whom <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> mo&s;t e&s;teemed, and who indeed were worthy to be &s;o: Be plea&s;ed to know then, that among&s;t tho&s;e who came every day unto <HI>Cleomira</HI>'s there was a man of good Quality, called <HI>Megabates,</HI> Governour of a <HI>Phe|nician</HI> Province, and who&s;e rare merit is worthy to be known unto the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus.</HI> Indeed he was a man extraordinary, and it was hard to find a man of &s;o many excellent
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qualities; he was big and of a good &s;tature, his a&s;pect was fierce and &s;prightly, he had given &s;o many te&s;timonies of his courage, as he had purcha&s;ed abundance of glory; he has been &s;een to force Colours out of an En&s;igns hand in the mid&s;t of a whole Squadron of enemies, and kill him at his feet; afterwards to di&s;ingage him&s;elf couragiou&s;ly from his croud of enemies, that would have hindred his retreat: But Madam, it is not courage only which makes <HI>Megabates</HI> illu&s;trious, for the genero&s;ity of his &s;oul doth doubtle&s;s me|rit as much as his courage; and though he be naturally of a violent temper, yet is he highly ju&s;t. Moreover, he is a mo&s;t zealous honorer of his King, and lover of his Coun|tries good, and the &s;ame zeal which he has to his Prince, and to glory, the &s;ame he hath to his friends; he is not light in the choice of them, but whom he doth chu&s;e, may be a&s;&s;ured that he is Ancere, faithful and zealous: As he is ju&s;t, &s;o is he a declared enemy unto flattery, he cannot commend where he finds not worth, nor can his &s;oul de&s;cend &s;o low as to &s;peak what he thinks not, chu&s;ing rather the opinion of a &s;evere man, then of a flatterer; and I verily think, that if he were in Love with a Lady, who had any &s;light defects either in her beauty, her wit, or her humour; all the violence of her pa&s;&s;i|on could not make him betray his own thoughts; I verily believe if he had a Mi&s;tre&s;s that was pale, he would never &s;ay it was whitene&s;s, or if &s;he were melancholy, he would not in a complement call it &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s; all he was able to do, was to &s;ay nothing, where he could not &s;peak in her advantage; but he was never put to any &s;uch extremities, for &s;ince he was deeply in Love with the fair <HI>Philonida,</HI> who had all the graces both of body and mind, he was never put to any con&s;traint of him&s;elf, and he might well applaud her ten thou&s;and times without any fear of flattery. Moreover, <HI>Megabates</HI> in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing all the virtues, had not the lea&s;t mixture of any vices among them, nor the lea&s;t tincture of any ill habits, his morals were all innocent, his inclinations were all noble, and the mo&s;t cen&s;orious ob&s;ervers of him, could find nothing to cavil at but the maintaining his opinions with too much heat; but though he was very eloquent, yet when the heat of di&s;pute did animate him, that others would not be of his opinion, nor he of theirs: For indeed Madam you mu&s;t know, that <HI>Megabates</HI> was Ma&s;ter of as much wit as courage and virtue, a wit that was conver&s;ant in fine&s;t Sciences, and I dare a&s;&s;ure you, that &s;ince <HI>Homer</HI> unto <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> there is not a man who hath written, who&s;e works he hath not read, with a judgment able to cen&s;ure, both their excellencies and their defects; and certainly his critical humour may be born with as an effect of his ju&s;tice Moreover, he writ him&s;elf &s;o well both in Pro&s;e and Ver&s;e, that it is a great pity he &s;hould not do it af|ter, or that he &s;hould be nice in that Quality: As he writ well, &s;o no man could &s;peak better, e&s;pecially in &s;uch company as plea&s;ed him, and did not oblige him to ob&s;erve a rigid &s;ilence, as he did &s;omtimes with &s;uch as plea&s;ed him not. Moreover, he was &s;o ex|ceedingly apprehen&s;ive, and could &s;o dive into the hearts of tho&s;e he li&s;tened unto, that he would not only an&s;wer their words, but would very often hit on their thoughts. A|gain, <HI>Megabates</HI> for all his au&s;terity was exceeding civil, and this commendations mu&s;t needs be given him, that he was the mo&s;t regular, the mo&s;t exact, and the mo&s;t con&s;tant Lover in the world; who&s;oever judgeth of him, either by the illu&s;trious per&s;on whom he loved, or by tho&s;e whom he numbred in the Catalogue of his friends, mu&s;t needs &s;peak much in his advantage, &s;ince certainly they cannot accu&s;e him of any Hood-winkt pa&s;&s;i|on, or any bad choice in his friends, &s;ince they were all of them worthy to be &s;o: But Madam, I &s;hould never make an end, if I &s;hould tell you all the excellencies of <HI>Megaba|tes:</HI> I will therefore end with this for all, that he was a man incomparable, and that too much cannot never be &s;poken in his commendations: Judg then I be&s;eech you what glory <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> had, in having a friend of &s;o much merit, a friend who never commended but up|on merit, and who did zealou&s;ly commend where&s;oever he found worth; he extolled her to the heavens, and doubtle&s;s &s;he preferred one good word of his, before ten thou&s;and of others, becau&s;e &s;he knew he was &s;incere. I remember I heard her once &s;ay in aggravati|on of his &s;incerity, that &s;he would not believe her gla&s;s, &s;o &s;oon as &s;he would <HI>Megaba|tes,</HI> when he told her &s;he was fair. In the mean time, though &s;he who had &s;uch a friend might well e&s;teem him as a Jewel, yet <HI>Megabates</HI> was not the only riches of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> for &s;he had other friends who in their wayes, and in their profe&s;&s;ions, de&s;erved that glo|rious Title.</P>
<P>The High-Prie&s;t of <HI>Tire,</HI> among&s;t the re&s;t of her mo&s;t confident friends, was certain|ly a man mo&s;t admirable, he had a wit &s;o quick, &s;o &s;prightly, and &s;o &s;uperlative, that there was nothing which e&s;caped his knowledg; yet was he naturally merry, and by inclination
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&s;o gallant, that before the Gods had took him unto their &s;ervice, he could not talk of any thing el&s;e but Gallantry, having &s;uch a natural <HI>Geni<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> to it, as he would be unawares full of &s;uch expre&s;&s;ions, but it was &s;o plea&s;ingly, as <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> told me one day in a merri|ment, that it was pity when he changed his way of life, he &s;hould not bequeath his ta|lent unto &s;ome other, who with decencie might have made u&s;e of it: But Madam, that you may the better know this <HI>Terian</HI> High-Prie&s;t, be plea&s;ed to know, that the &s;olitude unto which he had confined him&s;elf, when he changed his profe&s;&s;ion, did not convert him into a &s;alvage, but his natural plea&s;antne&s;s of his Spirit remained &s;till, yet in &s;uch bounds of goodne&s;s and mode&s;ty, as re&s;embled the innocencie of the former ages: So that &s;ince there is nothing more agreeable, then to find a great wit, and much &s;weetne&s;s mingled together, &s;o there is nothing more amiable, then the conver&s;ion and Society of this <HI>Tirian</HI> High-Prie&s;t; yet there is &s;omthing of abruptne&s;s in his Spirit, and preci|pitation in his ge&s;ture, but not &s;o much as to hinder him from being an&s;werable to my de|&s;cription; and this &s;udden agitation which appeared in his body and mind, was rather an effect of zealous raptures at &s;ublime thoughts, then of any di&s;temper in his humour: Moreover, his virtue, though mo&s;t exact, yet was not &s;o rude and au&s;tere as in others; he applied him&s;elf unto &s;olid goods, and re&s;ted not upon fal&s;e and deceiving appearances, the equality of his humour was one of the charms of his Society, he was never &s;ullen nor &s;harp with his friends; but loved them with tenderne&s;s and pa&s;&s;ion, loved them without any ends, he would go from his &s;olitude to the Court without any tran&s;ports of joy, and from the Court to his &s;olitude without any &s;orrow; but the rarity is, this High-Prie&s;t is not only knowing in matters of Divinity, aed Sacrifices to the Gods, but he is excellent in a hundred thou&s;and &s;everal other things; he writes mo&s;t admirably either in Pro&s;e or Ver&s;e, and with &s;uch a &s;mooth facility, as if all the Mu&s;es were his Dictators, and in&s;pired with what he writ; his phancies in matters of Poetry is of &s;o va&s;t an extent, that it compre|hends the whole univer&s;e, he is &s;o facetious, &s;o &s;mooth, &s;o &s;weet in his writings, that he adds a new fragrancy to the Ro&s;es, and a greater lu&s;tre to the Sun, his works do &s;o in&s;i|nuate, and imprint them&s;elves in the heart and mind with &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ionate Character, as they are exceedingly profitable, and yet this &s;oul &s;o elevated, has the &s;weetne&s;s and docility of a child, it is free from all pre&s;umption or vanity, and he does &s;o charm all tho&s;e that know him well, as they cannot chu&s;e but love him, and that with extream ten|derne&s;s, his &s;oul is adorned with a mo&s;t mode&s;t joy which proceeds from his nature, and from the &s;erenity of his pa&s;&s;ions, and which doth often communicate it &s;elf unto others: This pa&s;&s;ionate inclination of his &s;oul is not changed in him by changing his condition, he hath only changed the object of his pa&s;&s;ion, and in lieu of loving as he did heretofore all that was amiable, he now loves only that which is permitted him to love, which is, his duty and his friends: He is al&s;o much taken with the general beauties of the univer&s;e, and makes it his ordinary delight to admire the grandure of the Gods in contemplation of wonders in their works: The ri&s;ing and the &s;etting of the Sun is a great diver&s;ion unto him, and more then every one is capable of: A &s;erene calm night, under a Canopy of &s;parkling Stars, does plea&s;ingly invite his looks, the murmure of a purling Fountain doth &s;weetly charm his ears, and the unmea&s;urable va&s;tne&s;s of the Sea does fill his &s;oul with &s;o much plea&s;ure, as makes him the more adore that God who is the maker of it. Thus the recreations of this <HI>Tirian</HI> High-Prie&s;t, being a &s;tudy of wi&s;dom, you may ea&s;ily imagine, how &s;ublime is his &s;erious bu&s;ine&s;s; and yet his conver&s;ation is all affable, all plea&s;ant, free, and diverting, having the art, when he is di&s;po&s;ed unto any Rallary, to leave out all bitterne&s;s and &s;harpne&s;s, and to retain that which is plea&s;ing and agreeable, which cer|tainly is a thing more difficult then the ta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">g of Lions: Judg then Madam, if this <HI>Sido|nian</HI> High-Prie&s;t be not worthy to be received into the Palace of the great <HI>Cleomira,</HI> to be e&s;teemed of <HI>Philonida</HI> and <HI>Anacri&s;a,</HI> to be loved of the generous <HI>Megabates,</HI> and to be one of the friends of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and indeed he is &s;o, and in &s;uch &s;ort, as none is more in her favour then he.</P>
<P>After this Madam, I mu&s;t acquaint you, how there is another man of Quality, one of this admirable Society, who the High-Prie&s;t of <HI>Sidon</HI> did mo&s;t tenderly affect, called <HI>Clearques,</HI> who&s;e de&s;cription is &s;o difficult, as I know not how to make it re&s;emble him; yet certainly he merits to be known unto you, and that with much e&s;teem: I can ea&s;ily tell you, that his &s;tature is a common height, his hair brown, and all the features of his face regular enough, and al&s;o indifferently plea&s;ing; but as for his Aire and Phy&s;iogao|my I challenge any one to de&s;cribe it: For indeed Madam, there is in his face a kind of
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&s;eriou&s;ne&s;s and lumpi&s;h melancholy, and yet there is al&s;o a kind of blithne&s;s and jollity in his eyes: Truth is, there is a mi&s;cellany of joy and &s;orrow in his compo&s;ition, which &s;ucceeding each other in their turns, and &s;omtimes may be &s;een both at a time in his face, makes <HI>Clearques</HI> to plea&s;e infinitely: He hath &s;uch a di&s;po&s;ition unto mirth, that in the mid&s;t of the mo&s;t cro&s;s affairs in the world, he is almo&s;t alwayes ready to tell a merry tale, or to take any recreation: But Madam, in &s;peaking of the Spirit of <HI>Clearques,</HI> I mu&s;t tell you, that he had as much courage as was po&s;&s;ible, that he had made him&s;elf eminent in Martial matters a thou&s;and times, and that he had all the qualities which were de&s;ire|able in a man of honor, but I will not in&s;i&s;t upon any de&s;cription of his virtues, only I mu&s;t tell you, that he had one very eminent Quality, which was, that he would mo&s;t faithfully and zealou&s;ly keep all his promi&s;es of this, he hath given mo&s;t Heroique te&s;ti|monies; for all <HI>Phenicia</HI> knows, and hath &s;een him a thou&s;and times hazard his life and liberty for the intere&s;t of a great Prince unto whom he was ingaged. But in pro&s;ecution of my de&s;ign, I mu&s;t let you know, wherein <HI>Clearques</HI> is the mo&s;t &s;ingular: Imagine him then Madam to have as clear and delicate a Spirit as a man can have, and as capable of any high bu&s;ine&s;s when he plea&s;ed to imploy his parts: But the wonder is, there is not a man in the world who knew how to play the fool more plea&s;antly then he; for his Spirit had &s;uch a <HI>Genius</HI> &s;o apt and particular for it, that nothing in the world made more plea&s;ant &s;port then to hear him talk; yet his way was nothing like unto theirs who make it their profe&s;&s;ion to tell merry &s;tories and tales; that which rendred him mo&s;t plea&s;ant was, he talked as if he never thought of what he &s;aid, yet wit, phancy, and quickne&s;s were in|&s;eparable from his words. Moreover, he would pa&s;s &s;o &s;ubtilly from a &s;erious matter to a merry, that one could not chu&s;e but take exceeding delight in it: Some daies he would be very re&s;erved and &s;erious, as if he were hatching &s;ome deep de&s;ign, and after he had kept a long and grave &s;ilence, he would &s;uddenly begin to talk of Gue-gawes and gallan|try as jocondly, as if he had never mu&s;ed at all: He would al&s;o addre&s;s him&s;elf to the mo&s;t, and the mo&s;t &s;erious per&s;on in the world, as well as unto the mo&s;t merry; and he did &s;o well know how to hit the Spirits of tho&s;e he talked with, as he never &s;poke any thing which would let them take it ill: He would &s;omtimes act the child, as if he were one indeed, and with as much application, as if he had nothing el&s;e to do; he would al|&s;o act the old and the young, the wi&s;e, the &s;imple, the &s;prightly, the Blockhead, when he was in the humour to make him&s;elf merry. Moreover, he was born with an amorous &s;oul, but it was not after a common fa&s;hion: For the very truth is Madam, <HI>Clearques</HI> was the mo&s;t gallant, the verie&s;t Weathercock, and the mo&s;t con&s;tant Lover in the world; and though this la&s;t quality &s;eems to be incomparable with the &s;econd; yet it is mo&s;t true, that he was both fickle and con&s;tant; his &s;oul hath been &s;o full of pa&s;&s;ion, that nothing could never &s;tagger it, but maugre this con&s;tancy, he hath entertained a hundred petty tran&s;i|tory Loves; he never &s;aw a woman that plea&s;ed him, but he would tell her of it, and be ready to do a thou&s;and &s;light &s;ervices when occa&s;ions pre&s;ented them&s;elves, and to take delight in &s;eeing and be &s;een: Yet for all this, there was &s;till a &s;uperlative and pre|dominate pa&s;&s;ion in his heart, which was never weakened by this multitude of trifling gal|lantries which he was in all places full of, and he was ever able to quit the&s;e tran&s;itory Mi|&s;tre&s;&s;es for her unto whom he had really given his heart, and was re&s;olved alwayes never to abandon her: So that having found out the art of reconciling fidelity and incon&s;tancy together, he was all complacent unto all the Beauties he met with; and yet pre&s;erved him&s;elf for his real Mi&s;tre&s;s: It may be al&s;o &s;aid, that Fortune had a mind to favour his gallant and merry inclination, for he met with fit adventures in every place, and found out occa&s;ions of imploying his talent among&s;t many Ladies, and that fair ones; &s;o that his adventures were very &s;uitable to his humour. Moreover, as he could &s;peak excellent|ly, &s;o he could write as well; and I do not think any ever had a more amiable way of try|ing wit as <HI>Clearques</HI> had in his Ver&s;es and Letters, &s;o gallant and &s;o plea&s;ant as is inimita|ble: For though all he writ was genuine and natural, yet the wonder is how he could hit upon it, having &s;uch peculiar phancies, as none could light upon, or if they did, could not expre&s;s them comparable to him: In &s;hort Madam, <HI>Clearques</HI> was a man &s;o extraor|dinary, that if the &s;weetne&s;s and plea&s;ants of his Spirit were &s;eparated from the re&s;t of his good qualities, doubtle&s;s enough would be found to make up two compleat men out of one. He is al&s;o univer&s;ally loved and e&s;teemed of all who know him, e&s;pecially by the admirable <HI>Cleomira,</HI> and all tho&s;e who&s;e de&s;criptions I have made.</P>
<P>Now Madam, to follow the Rule I propo&s;ed unto my &s;elf, I be&s;eech you give me leave
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to de&s;cribe unto you the wi&s;e <HI>Theodamus,</HI> who was one of this Society: He of whom I &s;peak Madam being infinitely e&s;teemed of all tho&s;e excellent per&s;ons I have named, ought in rea&s;on to be &s;o of you; nor do I doubt, but he will as &s;oon as you &s;hall know him: <HI>Theodamus</HI> is not originally a <HI>Phenician,</HI> but of a good extraction and Family, wherein virtue hath appeared with full lu&s;tre a long time. Moreover, though <HI>Theodamus</HI> by his profe&s;&s;ion may be ranked among&s;t tho&s;e who are called the accompli&s;hed men of the Town; yet in re&s;pect of his great virtue and rare merit, he is ranked among&s;t the accom|pli&s;hed men of the Court, all who do univer&s;ally e&s;teem him, and treat him with extra|ordinary civility. But Madam, &s;ince the &s;oul of <HI>Theodamus</HI> does merit a thou&s;and prai|&s;es, I will not in&s;i&s;t upon the de&s;cription of his per&s;on; and to let you know him, I mu&s;t fir&s;t de&s;cribe unto you his hone&s;ty, his ju&s;tice, and his prudence; and I a&s;&s;ure you, that all the&s;e three virtues are to be found in his heart, as they are in them&s;elves: Indeed I do not think there is any man in the world more &s;incere, more free, nor more faithful then he; he is mo&s;t ju&s;t in every thing, even in &s;uch things as he is intere&s;ted in; and there was never any who with more rea&s;on doth merit the title of Prudent then he; yet there is &s;omthing in his temper which is not ordinarily found in temperance, for he is extreamly vehement, and if his wi&s;dom were not accu&s;tomed to conquer all his pa&s;&s;ions, and &s;ub|due them unto his rea&s;on, his cholor would &s;omtimes &s;hake his &s;oul: But Madam, this fire which upon &s;ome occa&s;ions put him to &s;ome pain, produceth a thou&s;and good effects, for it makes him the more zealous to &s;erve his friends, it elevates both his heart and &s;oul, it contributes much vigor and &s;pirit in the tran&s;action of any bu&s;ine&s;s he goes about, ei|ther in his own affairs or his friends. Moreover, he re&s;embles the generous <HI>Megabates</HI> &s;o neer, that the love of his Country is &s;o deeply imprinted in his herrt, as there is no|thing which he will not attempt for its &s;afety, if occa&s;ion &s;erved. Again, <HI>Theodamus</HI> is the mo&s;t regularly civil of all men living, and the mo&s;t unwilling to di&s;oblige any one; 'Tis true, his &s;oul was open, but unto very few, yet his heart was hard unto none: As the &s;oul of <HI>Theodamus</HI> was great, firm, and generous, &s;o his mind was as great, &s;olid, and extreamly knowing; but though he was knowing almo&s;t in every thing, yet had been ne|ver ver&s;ed in the Greek Tongue, though his name was de&s;cended out of that Country where they &s;peak no other; yet truly this little piece of ignorance in him, (if the word may be applied unto &s;o able and knowing a man) did &s;et off all the re&s;t of his knowledg much better, for though he had not the Grecian Language, yet he knew all the <HI>Greeks</HI> did know, and there was not any Science unto which he could not &s;peak exceeding well; but in lieu of that Language, he was mo&s;t perfect in the <HI>A&s;&s;irian,</HI> which is the mo&s;t u|niver&s;al in all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and he was a Critique in his own natural tongue, in&s;omuch as there was none who was addicted to write in the <HI>Phenician</HI> Language, but they con&s;ulted with <HI>Theodamus,</HI> who had him&s;elf &s;o polite and uncommune &s;tile, as never any had more fit, more noble, and more natural expre&s;&s;ions of him&s;elf then he: He writ al&s;o in an excellent Character, which &s;et off his works the better; and I a&s;&s;ure you, without any flattery of him, that there appeared a &s;weet regularity in every thing he did, neatne&s;s was in&s;eparable from every thing about him, neat in his apparrel, neat in his hou&s;e, neat in all things, &s;o that the high-prized Cabinets of others, were not worth &s;o much as his of le&s;s value at home, every trifle were effects of the genero&s;ity of his judgment, which could not en|dure to &s;ee any thing out af its place. In the mean time, there is &s;uch a Sea of goodne&s;s in his &s;oul, that though he can &s;ee the lea&s;t blemi&s;h in tho&s;e that conver&s;e with him, yet he was never known to &s;peak the lea&s;t &s;yllable of the faults and imperfections of others, unle&s;s it were in a wilde and harmle&s;s way of acquainting the owners of them, that they might correct them: Nor had this his goodne&s;s the lea&s;t tincture of di&s;timulation in it, when he thought it fit to &s;peak unto any of his friends; for &s;ince he tran&s;acted alwayes by the Rule of rea&s;on, he never &s;ought how to plea&s;e them he advi&s;ed, but how he might profit them. In the mean time, he is all &s;weetne&s;s, all civility, and will commend, even with the highe&s;t &s;trains, tho&s;e whom he &s;ee de&s;erve it: He is &s;o exceedingly taken with all manner of merit and virtue, as makes mo&s;t evident he is him&s;elf a man of &s;uperlative parts; but my greate&s;t admiration is, that though his temper be both violent and &s;erious, yet his conver&s;ation is &s;weet, ea&s;ie, mild, agreeable, natural, and gallant, never conte&s;t|ing in his di&s;cour&s;e, letting them &s;peak who have a mind to it, and him&s;elf full of ability to &s;peak when he will; and though he will &s;omtimes argue upon things, yet it is without any fury or intemperance, but w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">h &s;uch mildne&s;s, as &s;peaks him an ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of his pa&s;&s;ion, and a lover of rea&s;on; but when he is at any time high and zealous, he is
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perfectly convinced, that Right and Ju&s;tice is on his &s;ide, and knows it requi&s;ite to di&s;|pute with zeal. Moreover, <HI>Theodamus</HI> makes it evident by his curio&s;ity, that his plea|&s;ures de&s;erves applauds, for he hath a Study which is adorned with mo&s;t rare books, have|ing carefully and ingenuou&s;ly collected all the learned, witty, polite, gallant, and plea|&s;ant writings of all the wits in <HI>Phenicia,</HI> &s;ince he came into the world: In &s;hort Madam, I do a&s;&s;ure you, that <HI>Theodamus,</HI> both for the beauty of his &s;oul, and the goodne&s;s of his heart, and al&s;o for the fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;s of his wit, is worthy of infinite prai&s;es, and to be ranked in the number of tho&s;e whom <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> prefers before the re&s;t of the world; and in|deed it is mo&s;t certain, that &s;he did prefer him above tho&s;e &s;he e&s;teemed mo&s;t, and a|mong&s;t tho&s;e whom &s;he admitted into her heart, he had the highe&s;t place; and indeed, the truth is, he was a man of &s;uch rare merits, that he was worthy to be propo&s;ed as a model of a man of true honor.</P>
<P>After all this Madam, I mu&s;t beg your favour, and permittance to make two de&s;crip|tions more: The fir&s;t &s;hall be of a man of twenty two years of age, called <HI>Pherecides,</HI> who at that age had the glory to have for his friends all that <HI>Phenicia</HI> had mo&s;t illu&s;trious; And the other &s;hall be of the famous <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> for though he was a <HI>Sardinian,</HI> yet I am confident they know him not. But to return unto <HI>Pherecides,</HI> be plea&s;ed to know, that he was not only of an advantageous &s;tature, but al&s;o extraordinary hand&s;om, yet of &s;uch a beauty, as in his Sex &s;peaks nothing of great and Noble, his complexion was delicate, his eyes gray and tender, the proportion of his face was ju&s;t, even, and plea|&s;ing; but for all this, he had no re&s;emblance of that beauty which is in women, his car|riage was high, and though there was an unconceiveable &s;weetne&s;s in the ayr of his coun|tenance, yet there was a kind of &s;weet au&s;terity al&s;o, which rendred him mo&s;t amiable. Moreover, he had the mo&s;t lovely head of hair in the world, his locks lay in a thou&s;and round curles without any art, and was of the lovelie&s;t brown that ever eye beheld. <HI>Phe|recides</HI> being as I have repre&s;ented him unto you, adorned with all the ornaments of beau|ty, and in the Spring of his youth, yet he had neither ba&s;hfulne&s;s nor timidity, nor o|ver-great boldne&s;s, nor incon&s;ideration: One may &s;ay he came knowing into the world, &s;o wi&s;ely and gallantly did he behave him&s;elf; the tone of his voice was very amiable, and he had this advantage from Nature, that there was in all his action an unexplicable con|formity. Moreover, his &s;oul was &s;o noble, his inclinations &s;o &s;weet, and his heart &s;o tender for his friends, and &s;o full of zeal and fervency to them, as he merited much com|mendations. Again, he had naturally a pure wit, and he compo&s;ed Ver&s;es &s;o fine, &s;o moving, and &s;o pa&s;&s;ionate, as it was evident that he had not a neutral &s;oul: The Poetry of the great <HI>Therpandres</HI> his Uncle, who&s;e reputation was &s;o high, was not more excel|lent then he; and I am very confident, that never any had a heart more tender in point of friend&s;hip, nor more fervent in love then <HI>Pherecides;</HI> for commonly tho&s;e who are hot in matters of Love, are cool in matters of friend&s;hip, and tho&s;e who are capable of the mo&s;t zealous friend&s;hip, are &s;eldome &s;o of any violent love: But as for <HI>Pherecides,</HI> he loved both his Mi&s;tre&s;s and his friend with unlimited ardency. Moreover, he had one peculiar faculty which was at his hours of jollity, to imitate as excellently and plau&s;ibly both, as if he were the very &s;ame he repre&s;ented: But when he expo&s;ed him&s;elf unto this pa&s;time, it was alwayes in a little company, or in the Palace of <HI>Cleomira</HI> with <HI>Eli&s;a.</HI> A|gain, never could man act both a real gallantry and a counterfeit, nor &s;igh &s;o fitly as <HI>Phe|recides;</HI> and he had found out the art of making &s;uch a mi&s;cellany of re&s;pect and boldne&s;s, by his way of acting with tho&s;e he loved really, and counterfeiting with tho&s;e he di&s;&s;em|bled, as it was impo&s;&s;ible he &s;hould be ill-treated: Truth is Madam, I do not think it po&s;&s;ible to find a more amiable gallant, nor a more plea&s;ing friend, then he; and I am confident, that if he had lived long, he had been as compleat a man as ever was in <HI>Phe|nicia:</HI> But Madam, death ravi&s;hed him from all his friends, in the very Spring of his youth, having the glory of having his Urn bedewed with tears from the faire&s;t eyes, and mo&s;t illu&s;trious per&s;ons in all our Court.</P>
<P>La&s;tly Madam, I mu&s;t &s;peak of <HI>Ari&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eus,</HI> of who&s;e per&s;on I need not &s;ay much, &s;ince you know him; and &s;ince he hath been in your pre&s;ence, it will &s;eem ra&s;hne&s;s in me to de&s;cribe his Spirit unto you: But &s;ince I Know it to be of va&s;t capacity, and &s;o incompre|hen&s;ible as you cannot fathom it in &s;o &s;hort a time, I think it permittable to &s;peak of it, as if you knew him not at all: Give me leave therefore to tell you Madam, that <HI>Ari&s;t|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eus</HI> is illu&s;trious in everything, and is owner of &s;o many rare qualities, as I cannot tell
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how to rank them into order, but I will &s;hew them unto you as well as my memory will permit me; yet it is fit that the qualities of his &s;oul have the fir&s;t place; and I a&s;&s;ure you, that tho&s;e of <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> are &s;uch, as an&s;wers all that is deniable, for it is great, high, con|&s;tant, generous and grateful: If from his &s;oul I pa&s;s unto his heart, I &s;hall find it full of a thou&s;and excellencies, I &s;hall &s;ee a Love of true glory, an infinite goodne&s;s and tender|ne&s;s of his friends, and a &s;olid affection unto virtue; and if from his Heart I a&s;cend again unto his mind, what is not to be found there? So clear, &s;o great, &s;o high, &s;o univer&s;ally knowing, as I know none comparable unto him, nor know I any thing which he doth not; if he talk of the mo&s;t &s;ublime, knotty, and uncommune Sciences, he talks as if he never talked of any thing el&s;e; if he di&s;cour&s;e in matters of Phylo&s;ophy, he renders him|&s;elf intelligible unto the very ignorant; if he &s;peak of the Stars, of their &s;cituation or e|levation, it is as if he knew the way 'twixt earth and heaven, and as if he vi&s;ited all the hou&s;es of the Sun as frequently as tho&s;e in <HI>Tire;</HI> if he di&s;cour&s;e of the Morals, he will make it apparent he teacheth no more by his words, then he doth by his manners; if he fall upon any Subject concerning the Politiques, one would think he had governed the Univer&s;e for many years, it being not po&s;&s;ible one can imagine, that books without a long experience &s;hould infu&s;e &s;o much knowledg; he does not only rea&s;on upon publique bu&s;ine&s;s, but al&s;o dives into the Councels of the deepe&s;t &s;ecrets; he looks at the cau&s;es of the mo&s;t &s;trange events, and fore&s;ees the &s;equel of things with &s;o much Ju&s;tice, as it happens very rarely that he is mi&s;taken: If from the Politiques we pa&s;s to his Poe&s;ie, he &s;peaks as if he had taught the Mu&s;es, and not they him, for never was any more admire|able in that act then he; but the admiration is, he hath reduced that Science into Act; for he hath now compos'd a Poem, of the birth of the Gods, (and for that rea&s;on called it <HI>Theogonia)</HI> which is a piece &s;o admirable, that &s;ince <HI>Homer</HI> never any attempted &s;o great a work, it is not only great, but al&s;o admirable; and tho&s;e who are able to judg, do &s;ay, that he hath ob&s;erved a better method, with more judgment and better excellency then <HI>Homer</HI> did. He is Ma&s;ter al&s;o of many other rare works, which render his name illu&s;trious, and which are too long to relate, as well as many other qualities which <HI>Ari&s;t|heus</HI> knows: For indeed he knows many Languages mo&s;t perfectly, he knows all good books, he is excellent in Hi&s;tory, Geography, and to &s;ay all in few words, he is ignorant in nothing; but the greate&s;t wonder of all is, he knows men as well as manners and Sci|ences, and there was not har&s;hne&s;s in his conver&s;ation and Spirit, as u&s;eth to be in mo&s;t Scholers; but on the contray, <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> &s;poke more like a Courtier then a Scholer, he &s;poke mo&s;t elegantly, and without affectation, and thought commonly mo&s;t men who &s;peak much, are accu&s;ed for &s;peaking too much; yet it was not &s;o with <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> though naturally he loves to talk. Moreover, <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> is not of that rigid Sect who &s;corns the conver&s;ation of women, but he is much delighted with them, and would pa&s;s away whole afternoons in trifling talk with them, whom he knew could talk of nothing el&s;e: He expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf and his Gallantries with as good a grace, and perhaps better, then tho&s;e who are Gallants by profe&s;&s;ion: 'Tis true, he hath been &s;omtimes blamed for being a little too full of flattery of Ladies, and too univer&s;ally commending them he &s;poke un|to; but I know this to be a part of &s;o good a principle, as I am none of tho&s;e who will find any fault for being prodigal of his good Language. <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> is &s;o gallant, that &s;om|times he makes it known that he is in Love with an amiable per&s;on, who is a friend of <HI>E|li&s;a's,</HI> and who &s;o exceedingly re&s;embles the fair <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> as one would take the one for the other, both for her beauty, her wit, and her humours; yet to tell you plainly, I think the heart of <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> is only full of tender friend&s;hip unto her: But as for matter of Gallantrie, I believe he keeps that clo&s;e in his heart, for he can hide it and &s;hew it when he will, and is a mo&s;t ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of him&s;elf: 'Tis true, he does and &s;ayes a hundred things which may well be taken for a real Love; and I believe the friend&s;hip he bears unto others, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> per&s;on, has a degree of their heat in it, which is above that he bears <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> but for all this I cannot think it Love, all I grant is, that the &s;park whi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">t, is not altogether friend&s;hip: However, this doth produce much <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ough <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> make the Spirit of <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> appear: Some al&s;o do up|braid him with the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> affection unto three or four one after another, and yet he cannot endure &s;hould any &s;hould <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d him with incon&s;tancie, but in his own defence he &s;aith, that he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d any o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> out of his heart, who once entered into it, and that he only cau&s;e|ed them to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">pla<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> and &s;o without abandoning them, or cea&s;ing to love them, he only releive<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> place in hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> heart for the be&s;t of his friends, who &s;weetly di&s;pute
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one with another for an Empire, which a&s;&s;uredly he never gives without good rea&s;on: However, this helps out conver&s;ation, and makes it more jolly. Moreover, <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> is &s;o full of complacence, as he never contradicts any voluntarily; but my greate&s;t wonder at him is, his inclination to inhance the merits of others, and to hide their defects, which makes him &s;o generally known, as none can be better: Indeed we have not a Prince nor a Prince&s;s, who do not think them&s;elves honored in knowing him, and who do not treat him with abundance of civility: And Madam, upon a &s;erious view of <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> I finde that he comes either &s;hort of a virtue, or el&s;e is in the exce&s;s, for he is &s;omtimes &s;o ex|tremely mode&s;t, as tho&s;e who very well know his merit, cannot endure it, for he will &s;o reject their commendations, as if he were not worthy, and &s;peaks &s;uch things of him|&s;elf, as it is impo&s;&s;ible he &s;hould &s;peak as he thinks, &s;ince it is not credible, that he &s;hould &s;o perfectly know all good qualities in others, and be ignorant of his own excel|lencies. After this Madam, I believe you will confe&s;s, that a man who cannot be blame|ed for any thing but having too much of a virtue, is a man mo&s;t extraordinary, and that &s;uch a one is no mean contributor unto the plea&s;ures of <HI>Cleomira's</HI> Palace: Did you but &s;ee the divine <HI>Cleomira,</HI> the adorable <HI>Philonida,</HI> the fair <HI>Anacri&s;a,</HI> the admired <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> the generous <HI>Megabates,</HI> the illu&s;trious High-Prie&s;t, the plea&s;ant <HI>Clearques,</HI> the wi&s;e <HI>Theodamus,</HI> the merry <HI>Pherecides,</HI> the accompli&s;hed <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> and five or &s;ix others, worthy of &s;uch a company with <HI>Phocilion,</HI> I am mo&s;t confident you would be charmed, and confe&s;s that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> had rea&s;on to think greater felicity was in &s;uch friends, then in her Lovers. Moreover Madam, It is requi&s;ite I let you under&s;tand, that all the&s;e friends of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> did not entertain her with &s;uch a kinde of friend&s;hip as take up with civility, and has &s;o little fervency in it, as it can &s;carcely be di&s;cerned; but on the contrary, it was with a mo&s;t ardent, zealous, and earne&s;t amity, which &s;hewed it &s;elf upon all occa&s;ions, an amity full of applauds and commendations, which was careful to plea&s;e and divert, and to &s;peak rea&s;onable, this affection which they all had unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> might be termed Love without de&s;ires, &s;ince certainly there was much more in it then ordinary amity, though none of the re&s;tle&s;s re&s;entments of Love.</P>
<P>After this Madam, you may ea&s;ily imagine, that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> being continually in <HI>Cleomira</HI>'s Palace, among&s;t &s;o many accompli&s;hed per&s;ons, did live in full &s;atisfaction, and was full of complacence, for her au&s;terity had &s;o choaked all her Lovers, that they kept di&s;tan|ces, and dur&s;t not importune her; yet <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> in his heart was &s;till full of unruly pa&s;&s;i|ons to <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and not daring to te&s;tifie his Love unto her, he re&s;olved to &s;weeten the bit|terne&s;s of his torment, by expre&s;&s;ions of his hatred of <HI>Lyriope,</HI> who endured mo&s;t in&s;ufferable re&s;tle&s;&s;ne&s;s, that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;hould rob her of the heart of a Husband, as former|ly &s;he had done of a Lover: So that whil'&s;t &s;he was innocently enjoying her diver&s;ions a|mong&s;t &s;uch and &s;o many illu&s;trious per&s;ons, <HI>Lyriope</HI> was plotting how to ruine her, and &s;o to cure <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> of his pa&s;&s;ion, yet &s;he was a long time before &s;he could contrive the way: But &s;ince there is nothing which jealou&s;ie cannot invent, <HI>Lyriope</HI> knowing <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> to be ambitious as well as amorous, to try if &s;he could take him off <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> re&s;olved to per&s;wade the King to undertake this Conque&s;t, conceiving that <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> dur&s;t not be a Rival to his Ma&s;ter. Since &s;he had her education with the Queen, and was of the &s;ame age with the King, &s;he had great familiarity with him, for there was alwayes a great friend&s;hip between this young Prince and her. Moreover, &s;ince he never yet knew what Love meant, &s;he thought it not impo&s;&s;ible but her de&s;ign might hit, and the &s;ooner, be|cau&s;e &s;he divers times heard him commend <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> very highly: So that making u&s;e of this favourable inclination which &s;he &s;aw he had unto the thing he de&s;ired, &s;he contrived it &s;o cunningly, that &s;he ingaged the King one day unto a long conference with her; and &s;eeming to be infinitely zealous for his glory and intere&s;t, &s;he per&s;waded him that there was no better &s;ubject for it, then this thing which &s;he had to impart. This Prince being very de&s;irous to know her meaning, de&s;ired her to tell him &s;incerely what it was; <HI>Lyriope</HI> &s;eeing &s;o fit an opportunity, did clo&s;e with it: Then &s;he began to applaud him to the Skies, and to counterfeit a ba&s;hfulne&s;s which &s;eemed natural; &s;he told him that which doubtle&s;s &s;he never would, i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> her jealou&s;ie had not been above her rea&s;on: I mu&s;t con|fe&s;s Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him blu&s;hing, and holding her hand before her eyes, as if &s;he would not have him &s;ee what &s;he de&s;ired he &s;hould) that your commands do perplex me, for I mu&s;t tell you, that which indeed hand&s;omne&s;s forbids me, and yet that which my duty tells me you ought to Know: S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> I am confident of your &s;incerity, (replied this
<PB N="84" REF="624">
young Prince) I conjure you to tell me what it is: Know then Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that the only fault which can be found in you is, that you are a little too &s;olitary, and re|&s;erved, and &s;eem as if you were a hater of civil conver&s;ation, but e&s;pecially the conver|&s;ation of Ladies; your Enemies &s;peak a little broad, and &s;ay, it is a &s;ign your heart is not &s;en&s;ible of tho&s;e &s;ervices which they render you, and that you bani&s;h your &s;elf and them from the plea&s;ures of the Court; and that which is wor&s;e, they intere&s;t the people in their rea&s;onings, &s;aying, that tho&s;e Kings who are lovers of magnificency, fea&s;ts&punc; mu|&s;ique, and glorious Gallantries, do inrich them in their trades; whereas on the contra|ry, tho&s;e who are of other humours do impoveri&s;h them; So that the herd of peo|ple being capable of any impre&s;&s;ion what&s;oever, this report begins to &s;pread it &s;elf throughout all <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ire,</HI> and will ere long through all <HI>Phenicia;</HI> therefore Sir, I conceive it would be very well, if you quitted your &s;erious bu&s;ine&s;s, &s;omtimes to &s;pend &s;ome houres in di&s;cour&s;e with Ladies; and to &s;top the mouths, I know not whether it were not be&s;t of all for you to &s;eem as if you were in love with &s;ome beauty or other, but I would have her &s;uch a one whom you may quit when you plea&s;e, when you have &s;tifled the&s;e odd reports which are rai&s;ed among the people.</P>
<P>The King hearing <HI>Lyriope</HI> deliver her thoughts with &s;uch expre&s;&s;ions of zeal to his &s;er|vice, never examined the truth of her words, nor did at all doubt it: So that &s;eeming to credit her advice, he thanked her for giving it: And to te&s;tifie unto you, &s;aid he unto her, that I am none of tho&s;e who will hear of their faults and not correct them, I will put my heart into your hands, di&s;po&s;e of it as you plea&s;e, for I do prote&s;t unto you, it was never yet any ones but my own, I have eyes <HI>Lyriope</HI> which can di&s;tingui&s;h beauty; but I mu&s;t confe&s;s they never loved with any violence of pa&s;&s;ion: Sir, replied <HI>Lyriope,</HI> I would advi&s;e you not to be too liberal of &s;o precious a Jewel: Di&s;&s;emble the matter (&s;aid &s;he and laughed) and counterfeit Love: But I pray, &s;aid he, a&s;&s;i&s;t me in the choice of her with whom you would have me di&s;&s;emble: Then was <HI>Lyriope</HI> extreamly non-plu&s;t; for though &s;he wi&s;hed the King to di&s;&s;emble a love to <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> when &s;he was at the very point of naming her, envy and jealou&s;ie did &s;o &s;parkle in her heart, that it began to beat, her colour changed, and &s;he &s;tayed a while with her mouth half open before &s;he could pro|nounce the name of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> to per&s;wade the King unto a choice of her for the object of that feigned pa&s;&s;ion which &s;he would advi&s;e him to a&s;&s;ume. <HI>Lyriope</HI> hath &s;ince reported, that &s;he was in pittiful perplexity at that time; and indeed it is ea&s;ily to be imagined, that envy and jealou&s;ie conte&s;ting in her heart, did put it into a &s;trange di&s;order: On the one &s;ide &s;he &s;aw that &s;he might do a great honor to <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> whom &s;he hated; on the other &s;ide, &s;he might &s;pite <HI>A&s;iadates,</HI> and extingui&s;h a pa&s;&s;ion which di&s;turbed her tranquility: But though jealou&s;ie was powerful in her Spirit, yet &s;he had not overcom her envy, had &s;he not phanci|ed much happine&s;s to her &s;elf, if this project could wean him from the love of <HI>Eli&s;a;</HI> for as it is ordinary for envy to make tho&s;e partial who are po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with it, <HI>Lyriope</HI> began to think <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> not &s;o hand&s;om as &s;he was, and never to think that the King would fall really in Love with her; &s;o that the tumultuous turbulency of her &s;oul beginning to calm upon a &s;uddain, &s;he named <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> unto the King: But &s;he had no &s;ooner named her, then this Prince cried out, Oh <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> (&s;aid he unto her) Certainly you have read my very heart, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> being &s;he who of all the Ladies in the world be&s;t plea&s;eth me, and with whom I can with lea&s;t pain &s;eem to be in Love. <HI>Lyriope</HI> hearing the winde in that corner, began to tell the King (her envy growing &s;tronger then her jealou&s;ie) that &s;he &s;hould be extremely &s;orry, if &s;he &s;hould kindle a real pa&s;&s;ion in his &s;oul, and therefore &s;he would di&s;&s;wade him from the choice of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> &s;ince he had a greater inclination to love her then any other, but her labour was in vain, &s;he could not quench what &s;he had kindled, nor change the Kings minde; at la&s;t &s;he re&s;olved to &s;tand unto her fir&s;t principle. Thus it was on all &s;ides re|&s;olved, that the King &s;hould &s;eem to be <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s &s;ervant. Since ths Fea&s;t of <HI>Neptune</HI> was to be celebrated within two daies, a &s;it occa&s;ion of expre&s;&s;ing his gallantry did offer it &s;elf, &s;uch a one as would make all <HI>Phenicia</HI> his witne&s;&s;es. In the mean time, <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> knew nothing how <HI>Lyriope</HI> plotted again&s;t the tranquility of her life, but enjoyed a thou&s;and in|nocent delights in <HI>Cleomira</HI>'s Palace, finding more contentation in the conver&s;ation of her friends, then ever &s;he could in the multitude of her Lovers. <HI>Ph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">cilion</HI> al&s;o, as amo|rous as he was, did not think him&s;elf altogether mi&s;erable, though he was not loved &s;o well as he would be, for he had the con&s;olation to hope that none would ever be more happy then him&s;elf: <HI>Poligenes</HI> and <HI>Agenor</HI> had an infinite e&s;teem of her &s;till, &s;ince rea|&s;on and di&s;pair had cured them of their Love to her; but as for <HI>A&s;iadates,</HI> he was &s;till in
<PB N="85" REF="624">
mo&s;t horrible torment, the violence of his pa&s;&s;ion was without any hope, he received a thou&s;and affronts and checks from <HI>Eli&s;a;</HI> neither <HI>Lyriopes</HI> jealou&s;ie nor his own, would permit him any re&s;t, yet were his &s;orrows much augmented upon the Fea&s;t day of <HI>Nep|tune:</HI> For the King in pro&s;ecution of his intended de&s;ign, applied him&s;elf to commend and Court <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> more then any other, and to &s;peak high in her advantage: He took her out to dance at a Ball which was kept at the Court, and made &s;uch applications to her, as that the next morning the general noi&s;e was all over <HI>Tire,</HI> that the King was in love with <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> But Madam imagine with what a re&s;tle&s;s &s;oul <HI>Lyriope</HI> did pa&s;s over the day of this Fea&s;t: For my part, who by chance was next her the &s;ame night that this pretended Love of the King made the greate&s;t flame, I mu&s;t confe&s;s that I never &s;aw any thing more equally carried in my life; for though I did not then know the true cau&s;e of <HI>Lyriopes</HI> changing countenance, nor did I imagine that envy only was the cau&s;e of it, yet did I ob&s;erve all pa&s;&s;ages, I &s;aw <HI>Lyriope</HI> look &s;omtimes upon the King, &s;omtimes upon <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> &s;omtimes upon <HI>A&s;iadates,</HI> and &s;omtimes upon nothing, though her eyes were open, but &s;tood in a mo&s;t profound mu&s;ing, I perceived her pronounce &s;ome words &s;omtimes half aloud, and perceiving her own error would re&s;train her &s;elf. As for <HI>A&s;iadates,</HI> I heard him &s;ay, that never man was &s;uch a &s;ufferer as him&s;elf, when he &s;aw the King become his Rival; for though he never was in the lea&s;t hope of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s love, yet was he as much grieved at it, as if that Prince had taken from him the heart of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> or hindered him from enjoy|ing her: As for <HI>Phocilion,</HI> he al&s;o was troubled at it, but his was with a mixture of &s;ome tranquility, and the more, becau&s;e he did not conceive that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s eyes would ever be dazled at any grandure, &s;ince &s;he was u&s;ed to treat Princes and Subjects all alike, and was &s;o far from being &s;tartled at Maje&s;ty, that &s;he &s;lighted it: But Madam, the rare&s;t part of this encounter was, that the King had not talked above three words to <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> but he was was really in Love with her, and in as high a degree as po&s;&s;ible could be; yet was this Conque&s;t no joy unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> but on the contrary it troubled her: Yet to draw &s;ome good out of a thing which &s;he looked upon as evil, &s;he imployed all the credit &s;he had over the Spirit of this Prince, to di&s;po&s;e it unto vir|tue, unto which he had already much inclination; and indeed it may be ju&s;tly &s;aid, that all <HI>Phenicia</HI> was beholding unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> for a thou&s;and excellent things which &s;he infu&s;ed into the &s;oul of this young Prince. In the mean time, Fea&s;ts, Mu&s;iques, and all delights were more in u&s;e at the Court then ever; and though <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> &s;ince the Kings love, did more affect &s;olitude, and appeared in &s;ight le&s;s then ordinary, but carried it, as if &s;he would let the Court &s;ee that &s;he was no way contributory unto the love of this young Prince, nor rejoyced at all in the Conque&s;t, yet it was impo&s;&s;ible that &s;he &s;hould not be pre&s;ent at the&s;e great a&s;&s;emblies, whereof &s;he was the cau&s;e, yet &s;he tran&s;acted &s;o wi&s;e|ly, that without incen&s;ing the King, &s;he per&s;waded him, that all he was to expect from her, was re&s;pect and acknowledgment; and that &s;uch acknowledgment only, as &s;hould be locked up in her heart without any other outward expre&s;&s;ions, then wi&s;hing his glory, and the happine&s;s of his raign: And indeed this Prince (who was not of his Fathers in|clinations) did love <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> with a mo&s;t pure flame. In the mean time, <HI>Lyriope</HI> found her &s;elf extremely mi&s;taken in her opinion, that the Kings love to <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> would quench the flames of <HI>A&s;iadates;</HI> for on the contrary, he &s;eeing his choice authorized by the Kings, his flames were hotter, and he began to &s;corn and &s;light <HI>Lyriope</HI> much more; on the other &s;ide, this envious woman &s;eeing the King did really love <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and that loving her as he did, it was very glorious unto her, &s;he thought how &s;he &s;hould quench tho&s;e flames which &s;he had kindled, endeavouring to per&s;wade this Prince, that if he did love <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> in ear|ne&s;t, he would lo&s;e him&s;elf in the minds of the people more then by his indifferency and re&s;ervedne&s;s, but her &s;econd per&s;wa&s;ions were not &s;o prevalent as her fir&s;t: So that give|ing allowance unto his violent and re&s;pective pa&s;&s;ion, he Courted the e&s;teem of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and endeavoured to merit it by a thou&s;and acts of Ju&s;tice, Clemency, and Liberality, knowing well, that the only way to win upon her was by &s;uch &s;olid virtues, yet this did not at all hinder his gallantries. In the mean time <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> though &s;he was naturally in|clined unto good deeds, yet &s;he would never ask any thing of the King which might be a|ny &s;ubject of obligation; &s;o that &s;he was in imaginable credit with the King, and would not make any u&s;e of it, for &s;he kept her &s;elf clo&s;e unto her Maxime, which was to &s;hun all obligations unto a Lover. In the interim, the Kings Love being truly grounded, his heart was all in a flame with the thoughts upon <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> &s;o that he tran&s;acted nothing without imparting it unto her, he con&s;ulted with her in matters of greate&s;t importance; and
<PB N="86" REF="625">
though the mode&s;ty of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> obliged her to refu&s;e tho&s;e honors which he did her, yet he &s;till continued to ask of her tho&s;e coun&s;els which &s;he &s;till denied: This Prince was &s;o re&s;pective, as not to term his affection Love when he talked to her, but only to name it e&s;teem, friend|&s;hip, and a mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ion: He endured her to deny him a thou&s;and trivial things, which &s;he might well have granted unto his Quality, without any injury unto her virtue; and indeed &s;he denied him leave to have her picture taken, with a &s;trange repul&s;e; and and though there were a hundred of <HI>Eli&s;a's</HI> pictures at <HI>Tire,</HI> yet &s;ince they were taken in the life of <HI>Straton,</HI> and &s;ince &s;he would never &s;uffer any to be taken &s;ince &s;he was Mi|&s;tre&s;s of her &s;elf, they did not perfectly re&s;emble her, for &s;he was much fairer then all tho&s;e Pictures: However, he could not by any Rhetorique per&s;wade her unto &s;o much complacence; yet this her refu&s;al did rather augment then dimini&s;h his pa&s;&s;ion, as it may evidently appear by the adventure of this her Statue: For be plea&s;ed to know, that this young King having fini&s;hed a great Gallary, which the la&s;t King his Father began to build, his phancy was to place in it two rows of the Statues of Women, and to make his choice out of all the beauties in his Court: For there being then at <HI>Tire</HI> many of the Di&s;|ciples of <HI>Dipoenus</HI> and <HI>Scillis,</HI> he conceived it an ea&s;ie matter to effect his de&s;ign, which he principally intended unto the eternal memory of his Love to <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> by placing her fi|gure in the highe&s;t part of this Gallery; So that all the Carvers and Ingravers of any re|putation were &s;et in work; but the choice of the mo&s;t excellent among them, being im|ployed to make the Statue of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> yet he could not make it, all his art could not repre|&s;ent that vivacity which was in her looks and action, nor that high air of beauty which was in every part: For my part, I am per&s;waded, their over-great de&s;ire of doing it to the life, did hinder them, for all the re&s;t did mo&s;t lively and exactly repre&s;ent the per&s;ons for whom they were intended: The Statue of <HI>Cleomira</HI> was admirable, that of <HI>Philonida</HI> could not be better, that of <HI>Anacri&s;a</HI> was excellent, and chance would have it, that all were very well but <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s, which was very ill: I cannot ea&s;ily expre&s;s how the King was vexed at it; &s;o that, as you know, upon &s;uch an occa&s;ion every one will &s;trive how to plea&s;e the King, &s;ome or other told him, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hat he knew how he might get a mo&s;t admire|able Statue of <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> This was no &s;ooner &s;aid, but the King was extreamly earne&s;t to know how: After which, he was told, that the mo&s;t rare Statue of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> which <HI>Di|poenus</HI> and <HI>Scillis</HI> made, and which they carried away after the death of the late King his Father, was in the hands of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and that it was probable he would re&s;tore it, pay|ing what it co&s;t.</P>
<P>This advi&s;e was no &s;ooner given then followed, and the &s;ooner, becau&s;e tho&s;e who had &s;een this Statute, a&s;&s;ured the King that it re&s;embled <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> more now, then when it was made for her: And the truth is, <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ipoenus</HI> and <HI>Scillis</HI> aimed to repre&s;ent <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> rather as they imagined &s;he would be, then as &s;he was at that time, e&s;pecially in her &s;tature, for &s;he being then very young, it was imagineable &s;he would grow. In the mean time, Love being a pa&s;&s;ion which will not admit of long deliberation upon &s;uch things as may give it &s;atisfaction, this amorous Prince &s;ent unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> a little before the War, to ask of him the &s;ame favour which the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> hath granted, but he was ob&s;tinately de|nied: So that the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> making no doubt but to obtain what he asked, was exceedingly &s;urprized to under&s;tand at the return of his Amba&s;&s;ador, that the King of <HI>Lidia</HI> had denied him: He did &s;o little que&s;tion the happy &s;ucce&s;s of his de&s;ign, that he made a mo&s;t &s;tately Pede&s;tal to place this Statue upon, and he &s;et up all the re&s;t of the Statues where they were to &s;tand; but it &s;o grieved him that he had not this of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s, as he lock|ed up the Gallery, and would not &s;uffer any ever &s;ince to enter.</P>
<P>This Madam was the &s;tate of things during the War, to wit, The King was &s;till in love with <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> with a mo&s;t unconceiveable re&s;pect: <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> continues &s;till as in&s;en&s;ible as fair and virtuous, <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> &s;till loving her even unto fury, <HI>Lyriope</HI> &s;till hating her with as much animo&s;ity, as envy and jealou&s;ie could invent, <HI>Phocilion</HI> &s;till adoring her without hope, and all the world e&s;teeming her according to her merit, not excepting either <HI>Po|ligenes</HI> or <HI>Agenor:</HI> And mo&s;t certainly &s;he merited all the reputation which &s;he had, for there was never any who&s;e virtue was put unto more difficult proofs then hers.</P>
<P>This Madam was the &s;tate of the Kings love to <HI>Fli&s;a,</HI> when the Fame of all the Victo|ries of the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> in <HI>Lidia,</HI> was blazed in our Court, but e&s;pecially in the Pa|lace of <HI>Cleomira:</HI> For &s;ince there was no place in the world where the renown of all illu|&s;trious
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Heroes was celebrated, as in that; the valour and all the virtues of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was the ordinary di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Cleomira, Philon<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">da, Anacri&s;a, Eli&s;a, Megabates,</HI> and the High-Prie&s;t of <HI>Sidon, Clearques, Theodamus, Pherecides, Ari&s;theus, Phocilion,</HI> and all the re&s;t, who&s;e Rendezvouz was at <HI>Cleomira</HI>'s Palace, where I had the honour al&s;o to be ad|mitted.</P>
<P>I remember one Evening among&s;t the re&s;t, when news was brought that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> had lo&s;t the Battel, and the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> had gotten it, it was the mo&s;t plea&s;ing and agree|able night that ever I enjoyed, War and Love was the &s;ubject of all their di&s;cour&s;e; the victory of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and his love to the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> did furni&s;h them with &s;ubject &s;ufficient: <HI>Megabates</HI> and <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> had &s;ome di&s;putes concerning the policies of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us;</HI> but the plea&s;ant humour of <HI>Clearques,</HI> and of <HI>Pherecides,</HI> made them change their di&s;|cour&s;e; for &s;ince it was probable <HI>Sardis</HI> would be &s;uddenly be&s;ieged, they told <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> that &s;he would ere long be a Captive unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> meaning her Statue which was there; but &s;he an&s;wered them, that &s;he had much rather be a Slave to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then a pri&s;oner un|to <HI>Croe&s;&s;us.</HI></P>
<P>Then pa&s;&s;ing in&s;en&s;ibly from one di&s;cour&s;e unto another, and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his keeping the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> in the Cittadel of <HI>Sardis,</HI> being the &s;ubject of their di&s;|cour&s;e, <HI>Pherecides</HI> asked <HI>Clearques,</HI> whether he had rather be alwayes as the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> is, or alwayes as the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> is? That choice is ea&s;ily made (replied <HI>Clearques)</HI> For I had rather be in the head of a victorious Army, able to win battels, take Towns, and conquer Kingdoms, then to be mued up in a Ca&s;tle without either Ar|my, authority, or a Crown: You take not the que&s;tion as I intend it, replied <HI>Phereci|des,</HI> for I ask you in general terms, which you think the more unhappy, him who can|not &s;ee the per&s;on whom he loves, being certain &s;he loves him, and knowing her to be continually under the eye of his Rival, or el&s;e him who &s;ees her every day, hath her in his power, but cannot move her heart: There is no difficulty in an&s;wering this que&s;tion neither, replied <HI>learques,</HI> for &s;ince one doth not love but to be loved, doubtle&s;s then I &s;hould chu&s;e to be &s;o, yet upon better thoughts I &s;hould not much love, to have my Rival alwayes with my Mi&s;tre&s;s, e&s;pecially not being there my &s;elf: Confe&s;s then, &s;aid <HI>Pherecides,</HI> that the choice which I put you unto is not &s;o ea&s;ily made: I had rather con|fe&s;s, replied he, that I would neither chu&s;e the one nor the other of the&s;e conditions, for in the humour I am in, I love to &s;ee her whom I love, and love not to &s;ee her who loves me not: Since you love di&s;putation, replied <HI>Cleomira,</HI> you have a very good oc|ca&s;ion of it: If I were as able to come off well as <HI>Megabates</HI> is, replied he, I &s;hould not let &s;uch an occa&s;ion &s;lip. <HI>Clearques</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but all the company look|ed upon <HI>Megabates</HI> as the moderator; and indeed after he had an&s;wered <HI>Clearques,</HI> that his re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">trality and indifferency unto all that concerned him not, cau&s;ed his conde&s;cendency unto the opinion of another, he began to maintain, that he who&s;e Mi&s;tre&s;s loved him, and never &s;aw her, al&s;o knew his Rival with her continually, did &s;uffer more then he who&s;e Mi&s;tre&s;s loved him not, and he &s;aw her continually: Yet, added he, though I very well apprehend the rigid &s;ufferings of this ab&s;ent Lover, who of nece&s;&s;ity mu&s;t needs be jealous, yet it is &s;o very natural to de&s;ire the being loved, that in the choice of the&s;e two evils, I had rather chu&s;e that which the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> endures, then to be expo&s;ed unto the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his &s;ufferings: After this all the company parted, every one maintaining that &s;ide which they had cho&s;en, with &s;o much wit and conceit, as never was conver&s;ati|on more &s;prightly and plea&s;ant. Now Madam to fini&s;h my relation, give me leave to tell you, That the King coming unto <HI>Cleomira</HI>'s at the end of this conference, it was there where he had his fir&s;t thought of &s;ending to offer his alliance unto the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and to demand the Statue of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> if <HI>Sardis</HI> was taken: And indeed Madam, he no &s;ooner had intelligence that this Town was be&s;ieged, but never doubting the taking of it, &s;ince it was undertaken by a Prince, who&s;e valour nothing ever could re&s;i&s;t, but he di&s;|patched this Amba&s;&s;ador with whom I came, whom <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> de&s;ired to accompany with many others, only out of curio&s;ity to &s;ee the mo&s;t illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who&s;e Con|que&s;ts are greater then tho&s;e of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and who&s;e glory is &s;pread over all the earth.</P>
<P><HI>Telamis</HI> having ended his relation, left all the company extremely &s;atisfied with him, for making &s;o many excellent per&s;ons known unto them, and for relating the hi&s;tory of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> who&s;e rare virtue, as well as beauty, filled them with admiration: But <HI>Cyrus</HI> had
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no &s;ooner told <HI>Telamis</HI> mode&s;tly, that he might well have &s;pared all his applauds of him: Then <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> according to his promi&s;e returned, but returned &s;o changed, and with a countenance &s;o full of melancholy, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;urprized; So that being very im|patient to know the cau&s;e of this &s;uddain alteration, he began to pre&s;s him unto a relati|on of what it was: Alas Sir, (&s;aid he with extream &s;orrow) who&s;oever &s;hould have told me when I went from hence, that it &s;hould be I who &s;hould relate the end of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s life unto you, I &s;hould never have believed it; yet you &s;ee me here in a &s;ad condition, able to relate the &s;ad &s;tory of her death unto you? How, (cried out <HI>Telamis</HI> out of his &s;ad apprehen&s;ion) is <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> dead? I hope, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> we did not under&s;tand your words well: I would I could tell you otherwi&s;e Sir, replied <HI>Ari&s;theus:</HI> But alas, it is too true that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> is dead, and dead in &s;o glorious a manner, that her death was &s;uitable to her life, and I cannot do her a more glorious office, then to move you unto &s;ome &s;ighs by relating it. Since <HI>Telamis</HI> is &s;ilent, pur&s;ued <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> I &s;uppo&s;e he hath fini&s;hed the re|lation of her life, until our departure from <HI>Tire,</HI> and con&s;equently you know that <HI>A&s;ia|dates</HI> continued &s;till his violent affection to her, although the King became his Rival, and that <HI>Lyriope</HI> was &s;till both jealous and envious. Now I under&s;tand by one of my friends who hath brought this &s;ad news unto me, that all the&s;e &s;everal pa&s;&s;ions are &s;till augment|ed, and he a&s;&s;ures me, that the Kings love of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> is grown to that height, as that he looks upon her as to be Queen of <HI>Phenicia:</HI> So that <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> fearing that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> will be en|joyed by another, re&s;ented it beyond all imagination, and re&s;olved to ruine the Kings de|&s;ign at what rate &s;oever; So that making his ambition to &s;erve his love, he began to plot with &s;ome malecontents, whereof the beds of Kings were alwayes filled, hoping that if he could rai&s;e a Party in the State, and him&s;elf not &s;een in it, he might perhaps cure the King of his pa&s;&s;ion, by being bu&s;ied in di&s;&s;ipating that faction which he had rai&s;ed: On the other &s;ide, <HI>Lyriope</HI> &s;eeing the power of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> &s;o great with the King, &s;he began to be more envious then jealous, and began to plot how &s;he might deliver her &s;elf from the&s;e two Spirits which did continually torment her, though &s;he imployed all the unju&s;t means in the world to effect her de&s;ign. Since inhumanity goes again&s;t the hair of her Sex, &s;he did not at the fir&s;t think upon the applying of extream remedies: But &s;eeing that the Kings love did daily increa&s;e, and that <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> was more and more violent in his pa&s;&s;ions, that he did treat her wor&s;e and wor&s;e; and con&s;idering that if the King &s;hould marry <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> &s;he &s;hould then be a &s;ubject unto her who had taken from her the heart both of a Lover and a husband, al&s;o unto one whom &s;he ever hated, though &s;he had no other rea&s;on for it, but becau&s;e &s;he was fairer then her &s;elf: I &s;ay <HI>Lyriope</HI> con&s;idering all the&s;e things, &s;he re&s;olved upon a mo&s;t horrid cour&s;e, which was, to find out &s;ome way or other how to take away the beauty of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> thinking thereby to take away the cau&s;e of all her mi&s;eries, in damping the love of the King, and the love of <HI>A&s;iadates:</HI> So that without further delay, &s;he con&s;pired with an <HI>Arabian</HI> Phy&s;itian, who was then at <HI>Tire,</HI> and who&s;e reputation in point of hone&s;ty was not over good, and hiring him by rich re|wards, he promi&s;ed her what &s;he de&s;ired, but he had much ado to keep his word; for &s;ince <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> never u&s;ed any adulterations of art to help her beauty, he could not find out any means to bla&s;t her complexion by any exteriour things: So that this man at the ear|ne&s;t in&s;tigation of <HI>Lyriope,</HI> who would not let him re&s;t, re&s;olved &s;ince he could not do it otherwi&s;e, to take away the beauty of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> by taking away her health by a kind of &s;ubtil powder, which had a quality &s;o malignant, as it would make ail tho&s;e who took it to grow very &s;ick within a few daies, by cau&s;ing a kind of a Feaver, and it had ordinari|ly &s;uch a quality, as in the operation it would &s;o burn the bloud, as they would not be knowable: So that <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> being often very ill, though to outward appearance &s;he &s;eemed to be in excellent health, it was an ea&s;ie thing for this <HI>Arabian</HI> Phy&s;itian to finde out wayes of &s;uborning him who commonly carried medicines unto <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> he did it &s;o cun|ingly, as that he did not &s;eem to &s;uborn him to commit a crime, for he only &s;eemed to be very de&s;irous of &s;eeing wLat remedies the <HI>Tirian</HI> Phy&s;itians u&s;ed unto per&s;ons of &s;uch a temper as <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s: So that being &s;hewed &s;everal things which &s;he was to take, he min|gled (un&s;een to him that &s;hewed them) this dangerous powder, which had &s;uch a fa|tal operation, and fatal indeed, for whether the Doctor was mi&s;taken in his compo&s;ition, or that the temper of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was too delicate for it, the very next morning after &s;he took this powder, the Feaver took her, and &s;o extream violently, as &s;he &s;aid at fir&s;t that &s;he was dead; but &s;he &s;poke it with &s;uch incredible con&s;tancy of mind, as was admirable, &s;eeming &s;o little de&s;irous of life, or fear of death, that &s;he &s;urprized all the by-&s;tanders;
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yet &s;he te&s;tified much tenderne&s;s unto her friends, but it was a mo&s;t generous and magna|nimous tenderne&s;s which was not expre&s;&s;ed by tears, or giving any marks of weakne&s;s: I leave you to imagine how <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s &s;ickne&s;s troubled the King, and how all the Court grieved, but e&s;pecially <HI>Cleomira,</HI> and all tho&s;e who commonly were with her.</P>
<P>All helps from Phy&s;itians were in vain, for not knowing the cau&s;e of her di&s;ea&s;e, they could not cure her. In the mean time <HI>A&s;iadates,</HI> who was upon the point of letting the faction which he had rai&s;ed to appear, thought now of nothing but <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s health: So that tho&s;e who were ingaged in the Faction, admired to &s;ee he would meddle no more: As for the Kings, all intelligence that any de&s;igns were again&s;t his e&s;tate, were never hearkened unto, for &s;ince the life of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> was in danger, he could not think of pre|&s;erving any thing el&s;e: As for <HI>Lyriope,</HI> &s;ince envy and lealou&s;ie had rooted out of her &s;oul all thoughts of virtue, &s;he was very glad to &s;ee that in all likelyhood &s;he &s;hould be rid of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> whom &s;he looked upon as the cau&s;e of all her misfortunes: As for <HI>Phocilion,</HI> he was unknowable, and never man was in a more &s;ad condition: But the wonder was, that this powder, which according to the intention of the compo&s;er, was to take away the beauty of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and not her life, did take away her life and not her beauty; for never any breathing was fairer then &s;he was when &s;he was expiring. In the mean time, to imploy her la&s;t hours as well as the re&s;t of her life (after all Phy&s;itians declared her de&s;pe|rate) &s;he gave the King mo&s;t generous and divine advi&s;e, exhorting him to be ju&s;t, cle|ment, liberal, to love his people, never to let him&s;elf be governed by his pa&s;&s;ions; af|terwards mo&s;t excellent coun&s;el unto her friends, &s;peaking unto them with wonderful re|&s;olution and genero&s;ity, di&s;po&s;ing &s;everal things unto them as pledges of her friend&s;hip bequeathed unto them: After this, de&s;iring they would &s;peak no more unto her, but of the Gods, the chief Prie&s;t of <HI>Sidon</HI> &s;tayed with her; yet his exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow to &s;ee <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> in &s;o &s;ad a condition, would not permit him to enjoy the freedom of his rea&s;on; but yet the rea&s;on of this fair, generous, and divine per&s;on was &s;o quick and free; that &s;he did comfort him, and in&s;pired him with power to &s;peak &s;uch things unto her, as he had not been able to do, if &s;he had not revived him by her con&s;tancy and re&s;olution: But why &s;hould I lengthen this &s;ad &s;tory? <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> died as &s;he lived, which was with abundance of glory, and in looking death in the grim face with as much courage, as the greate&s;t Hero in the mo&s;t dangerous and mo&s;t glorious occa&s;ions. I will not go about to repre&s;ent the &s;orrows of the King, for I cannot expre&s;s them; but I can tell you, that the di&s;pair of <HI>Phocilion</HI> was &s;o great, as he died three daies after <HI>Eli&s;a;</HI> yet this is not the mo&s;t &s;ur|prizing thing which I have to tell you, for be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> intending not only to abandon his de&s;igns, but the Court al&s;o, as he was ready to depart, and pa&s;|&s;ing from one Chamber into another, he heard <HI>Lyriope</HI> by chance thanking the <HI>Arabian</HI> Doctor for &s;omthing, extream earne&s;tly, though &s;he did not &s;peak aloud: So that upon a &s;uddain &s;u&s;pecting the truth, &s;ince the cau&s;e of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s death could not be known, he went unto them, and being of a violent temper, he did &s;o black them by his &s;uddain approach and by his menaces, that finding &s;omthing more to fortifie his &s;u&s;pition, he called for his men, cau&s;ed the Phy&s;itian to be arre&s;ted, who would have e&s;caped, and without more de|lay, cau&s;ed him to be &s;o tormented, as he confe&s;&s;ed the whole truth, which he no &s;ooner knew, but he went unto the Chamber of <HI>Lyriope</HI> to run her through with his Sword, but &s;he was already e&s;caped, but yet &s;he did not e&s;cape the Ju&s;tice of the Gods, for the Boat into which &s;he had gotten at the Port of <HI>Sinope</HI> with one of her women only, was over|turned by ru&s;hing again&s;t another, &s;o that <HI>Lyriope</HI> was drown'd, and in one minute pun|i&s;hed for all the extravagancies of her pa&s;&s;ions. <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> could not puni&s;h the <HI>Arabian</HI> Doctor, for &s;ince he ever u&s;ed to carry poy&s;on about him, he took it, to avoid the &s;hame and puni&s;hment.</P>
<P>Thus the violent <HI>A&s;iadates</HI> was all fury and di&s;pair, after he knew the true cau&s;e of <HI>E|li&s;a</HI>'s death. In the mean time, the King made a mo&s;t magnificent Funeral for this won|der of women, all the Court was in mourning as well as him&s;elf, the High-Prie&s;t of <HI>Sidon</HI> writ her Epitaph, all the refined wits of <HI>Phenicia</HI> did write in her glory, the King is cau&s;ing a mo&s;t &s;umptuous Tomb to be erected, and <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> is lamented, as one of the mo&s;t admirable women that ever lived: After all this, there is not a day wherein all her friends do meet, but they condole and celebrate her name with tears and &s;ighs, &s;triving to make their illu&s;trious friend to revive by their di&s;cour&s;e, and Elogies which they made to eter|nize her memory. But to let you &s;ee Sir (&s;aid <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf unto <HI>Cyrus)</HI> how all humane wi&s;dome is limited; and to incite your Noble heart unto pity, be plea&s;ed
<PB N="90" REF="627">
to know, that the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> not doubting but that you would accord unto his demand, hath de&s;igned a Tomb to be made for <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> after &s;uch a fa&s;hion; that the Sta|tue which you will re&s;tore, and which &s;hould have been the ornament of his Gallary, &s;hall be placed upon the top of this &s;tately Sepulcher.</P>
<P><HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> clo&s;ing up his Speech with a deep &s;igh, he did communicate his &s;orrows unto all his illu&s;trious Auditors, all whom had extream compa&s;&s;ion upon the lamentable de&s;ti|ny of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> and did participate in the &s;orrows of <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> and <HI>Telamis: Dorali&s;a</HI> her &s;elf, as hard-hearted as &s;he was, did finde a complement as &s;orrow for <HI>Ari&s;theus;</HI> after which all the company parted, and mourned for <HI>Eli&s;a: Cyrus</HI> collected this con&s;olation from the misfortunes of another, that he was forced to confe&s;s unto him&s;elf, the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> was more unfortunate in his pa&s;&s;ion then him&s;elf, though he was alwayes ac|cu&s;tomed to think him&s;elf the mo&s;t unfortunate Lover in the world.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The end of the fir&s;t Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="book">
<PB N="91" REF="627">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR The Grand CYRUS. The Seventh Part.  BOOK. II.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_Cyrus</HI> was no &s;ooner returned to the Cittadel, but his &s;orrows a&s;&s;umed fre&s;h forces to torment him, cau&s;ed by the &s;ight of all the&s;e happy lovers about him, for who&s;e felicity he had yet taken &s;o much care; not but that he was ever a zealous wi&s;her of their happine&s;s; but comparing the &s;tate of their Fortunes with his own, it was impo&s;&s;ible but he &s;hould &s;igh to &s;ee the difference betwixt the one and the other; though he did confe&s;s unto him&s;elf, that he was le&s;s mi&s;erable then the King of <HI>Phenicia,</HI> yet he &s;aid al&s;o, that he was more unfortunate then all tho&s;e about him, but he &s;aid it with &s;uch &s;en&s;ibility of &s;orrow, that had <HI>Mandana</HI> known the agony of his heart, &s;he would have cha&s;ed all unju&s;t jealou&s;ie out of her own; for it is mo&s;t certain, that never man did know how to love &s;o perfectly as <HI>Cyrus.</HI> In the mean time, the <HI>Phenician</HI> Amba&s;&s;ador knowing the King his Ma&s;ter to be in &s;uch a &s;ad condition, and having nothing el&s;e to do at <HI>Sardis,</HI> prepared for his departure, carrying the Statue of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI> with him, which <HI>Cy|rus</HI> did accompany with Pre&s;ents, much more magnificent then tho&s;e he received: He writ al&s;o a Letter of thanks unto the King of <HI>Phenicia,</HI> for the thirty thou&s;and men which he offered, de&s;iring him to furni&s;h out in exchange of tho&s;e men as many Ships as he could for a &s;ecret de&s;ign which he had imparted unto his Amba&s;&s;ador and <HI>Ari&s;theus.</HI> Thus all the <HI>Phenicians,</HI> except <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> departed infinitely &s;atisfied with <HI>Cyrus:</HI> As for <HI>A|ri&s;theus,</HI> he &s;tayed &s;till with this Prince for three rea&s;ons; the fir&s;t, becau&s;e the Amba&s;&s;a|dor of <HI>Phenicia</HI> and him&s;elf conceiving it would be advantageous unto their King to hold a good corre&s;pondency with &s;o great a Conquerour, they re&s;olved it to be expedient one &s;hould remain with him to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">iment the friend&s;hip betwixt them: The &s;econd was, becau&s;e
<PB N="92" REF="628">
indeed <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> was &s;o charmed with the virtue of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he was de&s;irous to be a longer admirer of him: And the third was the death of <HI>Eli&s;a,</HI> which having grieved him unto the very &s;oul, he was not willing to return unto the place where he had &s;een her &s;o often, and was never to &s;ee her again; and though he did dearly love one of <HI>Eli&s;a</HI>'s friends, yet he re&s;olved to endure this ab&s;ence, e&s;pecially &s;ince <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> did &s;o very much re&s;emble her, as that one of them did com<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">ort him in the ab&s;ence of the o|ther.</P>
<P>Thus the <HI>Phenician</HI> Amba&s;&s;ador departed, and <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> &s;tayed: Al&s;o within a few daies after, the equipage of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Timaretta</HI> being in a readine&s;s, tho&s;e two illu|&s;trious per&s;ons departed from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to return into <HI>Egypt,</HI> leaving behinde them &s;o ma|ny charmed with their merit, and affectionate unto their intere&s;ts, as they all did make a thou&s;and prayers for their felicity: The Prince&s;s of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Timaret|ta,</HI> did bid adieu in the language of &s;ighs, and all the Ladies of the Palace of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> were melted into tears: As for <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> he expre&s;&s;ed much &s;orrow to leave <HI>Cyrus</HI> be|fore he had relea&s;ed <HI>Mandana,</HI> and in acknowledgment of the obligations he had un|to him, for re&s;toring unto him his dear <HI>Timaretta,</HI> and for &s;aving his life, he left his Troops with him, and promi&s;ed to oblige <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> to &s;end him others. <HI>Cyrus</HI> for his part gave this generous Prince the mo&s;t obliging language in the world, him&s;elf waiting upon the Prince&s;s <HI>Timaretta</HI> half a daies journey from <HI>Sardis,</HI> where they took their la&s;t adieu's; both <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Timaretta</HI> did carry them&s;elves &s;o admirably well, and &s;poke in &s;uch a noble manner, that it was not imagineable they ever were a Shepherd and Shepherde&s;s: <HI>Cyrus</HI> al&s;o &s;ent many per&s;ons of quality to conduct them unto their Ship which waited for them, having given unto <HI>Timaretta</HI> as many &s;ervants as &s;he could have had, if &s;he were at <HI>Thebes</HI> or <HI>Memphis.</HI></P>
<P>After the departure of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Timaretta,</HI> the re&s;tle&s;&s;ne&s;s of <HI>Cyrus</HI> augmented, nor could he endure any conver&s;ation, but where <HI>Mandana</HI> was the &s;ubject of their di&s;|cour&s;e: <HI>Mazares</HI> for his part, he was &s;till in a continual turbulency of thoughts, he im|ployed all his virtues to hinder him&s;elf from hating his Rival, and loving his Mi&s;tre&s;s. As for <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> what joys &s;oever he had at his being &s;eated again on the throne: yet he every day had &s;ome apprehen&s;ions of the difference between a va&s;&s;al or tributary Kings, and a Soveraign or Independent Maje&s;ty: As for <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> Love did more torment him then am|bition, and his not daring to &s;peak unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> of his Love, was in&s;upportable: yet he did &s;o much fear to in&s;ence that cruel hearted Lady, as he &s;huned her pre&s;ence, though it was a hell unto him to be where &s;he was not. In the mean time the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and all tho&s;e happy Lovers who&s;e &s;orrows were changed into joys, they now had no other grief but in behalf of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who indeed did merit their pity, both in con&s;ideration of his high de&s;erts, and his great misfortunes. Some daies being pa&s;&s;ed over in continual turbulency of Spirit, the &s;orrows of <HI>Cyrus</HI> redoubled; for he under&s;tood that <HI>Harpagus,</HI> who had orders from him, to bring back the Army which aided <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> to conquer his Domidions, was taken by the chief Officers of his Troops, and the matter was grown unto that height, as that they were divided into two parties, and came to blows; that there was many of them killed, and that tho&s;e who did not peri&s;h in the bu&s;ine&s;s, not daring to appear before him, were almo&s;t all disbanded, reports flying that mo&s;t of the Souldiers were gone into <HI>Cumes,</HI> who&s;e Prince was &s;aid to arm very fa&s;t and &s;trongly. <HI>Cyrus</HI> al&s;o under&s;tood that <HI>Harpagus,</HI> in lieu of keeping his Troop in exact Di&s;cipline, did permit them all imagineable liberty; &s;o that the <HI>Xanthians</HI> and the <HI>Caunians,</HI> though they were very well &s;atisfied with <HI>Cyrus</HI> at the return of their Amba&s;&s;adors, yet not find|ing effects an&s;werable unto words, they were revolted, and had entred into league both offen&s;ive and defen&s;ive with the Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> who was levying a formidable Army. <HI>Cyrus</HI> therefore under&s;tanding, that he had lo&s;t an Army, and that his Rival did daily fortifie him&s;elf, he was extreamly grieved; but that which made his &s;orrows mo&s;t in&s;up|portable was, that he could do nothing without Ships, and that it was not po&s;&s;ible to procure them as &s;oon as he de&s;ired. In the mean time, the &s;ea&s;on of the year for war went on apace, e&s;pecially for a &s;iege, which required a Navy, and the approaching Win|ter was not fit for it. But not enduring to be &s;hut up in a Town whil'&s;t he had any Ene|mie, at the field, he re&s;olved to look out a good di&s;tance from <HI>Sardis,</HI> though he dur&s;t not look towards <HI>Cumes,</HI> nor &s;eem to know that the Prince&s;s was there, until he had a Navy.</P>
<P>After h<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> had communicated this re&s;olution unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> and tho&s;e unto whom he
<PB N="93" REF="628">
u&s;ed to impart his &s;ecrets, he gave orders for every thing accordingly: He left a con&s;ider|able Garri&s;on in the Cittadel of <HI>Sardis; Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> prepared to follow him: The King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> who&s;e health was much impaired, was forced to obey <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who willed him to return unto <HI>Apamea,</HI> and carry thither with him his fair Daughter the Prince&s;s <HI>Palmis:</HI> As for the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> he would not leave him, do what he could.</P>
<P>Thus all this glorious Court broke up: But to &s;ee how <HI>Cyrus</HI> was loved of all who knew him; <HI>Ligdamis, Tra&s;imedes, Menecrates, Parmenides,</HI> and <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> though they were almo&s;t uxorious Husbands, yet they quitted their new married Wives to follow this Prince unto the Wars, though he was very willing to di&s;pen&s;e with them. Thus <HI>Lica&s;ta</HI> return|ed unto <HI>Patara</HI> with all her company, carrying al&s;o <HI>Arpalice</HI> with her, until the return of <HI>Thra&s;imedes: Candiope</HI> took upon her the charge of the fair <HI>Androclea</HI> unto the end of the Wars, where <HI>Li&s;ias</HI> her Brother al&s;o was, and wanting none but <HI>Menophiles,</HI> the Husband of <HI>Lica&s;ta</HI> to conduct them, though <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent a guard with them. <HI>Cleomira</HI> al&s;o returned unto <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> with her Mother, and all the re&s;t of her friends, and all the Beauties parted with much &s;orrow. Thus in the la&s;t three daies that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was at <HI>Sardis,</HI> there was none left in the Palace but <HI>Dorali&s;a, Pherenice,</HI> and <HI>Araminta;</HI> and they having no mind to &s;tay there, they went unto an Aunt of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI>'s. Then during the la&s;t three daies, <HI>Cyrus</HI> went to vi&s;it <HI>Araminta,</HI> to talk with her concerning his deare&s;t <HI>Mandana, Myr&s;iles</HI> went to &s;ee <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> to te&s;tifie his love unto her, and <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> did al&s;o vi&s;it her in way of friend&s;hip, and to take the &s;ame delight in her per&s;on and &s;pirit, which he u&s;ed to admire in another: As for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> his di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Araminta</HI> was upon nothing but his Prince&s;s: Somtimes he would make her relate unto him, how &s;he behaved her &s;elf towards the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> when &s;he was in <HI>Babilon</HI> and <HI>Sinope;</HI> afterwards to tell him, how &s;he carried her &s;elf to the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> at <HI>Su&s;a</HI> and at <HI>Sardis:</HI> Though he knew all the&s;e things before, yet he thought that the time which could not be imployed in the &s;ervice of <HI>Mandana,</HI> ought to be &s;pent in talking of her: As for the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> &s;ince he was upon his departure from <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> he mu&s;t needs once more expre&s;s his affe|ction to her, but though his de&s;ign was &s;o, yet as &s;oon as he came to her his confidence had almo&s;t failed him, for he perceived in <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI>'s countenance &s;uch unquiet frowns, as he took them for ill Omens, and cau&s;ed him to be &s;ilent, which did no le&s;s perplex <HI>Do|rali&s;a</HI> then his language had, becau&s;e &s;he imagined by the di&s;order of his &s;oul, that if no company came in, he would begin to talk of that which &s;he had no mind to hear of; yet to prevent him, &s;he asked a hundred que&s;tions far off the bu&s;ine&s;s &s;he &s;u&s;pected he would &s;peak of: At the fir&s;t the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> an&s;wered unto them, but being at la&s;t tired with &s;uch and &s;o many frivolous and impertinent que&s;tions, I be&s;eech you <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;aid he un|to her, leave asking me &s;uch que&s;tions, as neither concerns your intere&s;t nor mine, and give me leave to ask you &s;ome que&s;tions, which &s;hall much import my tranquility, that you an&s;wer and an&s;wer favourably: To an&s;wer then Sir, replied &s;he, I do promi&s;e you I will, but I will not ingage my &s;elf to an&s;wer favourably, before I know what you will ask: I de&s;ire you to tell me &s;incerely, &s;aid he unto her, whether it be that natural au&s;te|rity which is alwayes in your Phy&s;iognomy, or whether you reject my affection, out of &s;ome aver&s;ion which you have to me? I be&s;eech you (added he) give me leave to &s;peak with the &s;ame freedome which you u&s;e unto your mo&s;t faithful friends: La&s;&s;ure you Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and interrupted him) that if I tell you nothing but what I tell my be&s;t friends, I &s;hall not tell you any great &s;ecrets, &s;ince I do not love to open my &s;elf unto a|ny, nor do know any thing which I le&s;s under&s;tand, then this trick of confidence, which layes open all motions of the heart, all the thoughts of the mind, and all the re&s;entments of the &s;oul unto tho&s;e that would know them; for I am per&s;waded, that they u&s;e very often to &s;ay they think and re&s;ent &s;uch things as they did never think upon, or apprehend: For my part, I do confe&s;s, I am not of this humour; and let me tell you Sir, that they who would know my thoughts mu&s;t gue&s;s at them, or know them by my actions, with|out any obliging me to tell them preci&s;ely what they are, for I will never be ingaged to &s;earch into the bottom of my heart, nor will I take &s;o much pains my &s;elf as to know what I think: For indeed (&s;aid &s;he, to prevent the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> from &s;peaking to her) I have often found in my &s;elf, that I have had &s;ome friends whom I loved more then I thought to have loved, and al&s;o &s;ome other per&s;ons whom I hated more then I thought I did: Ah <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> (&s;aid this Prince) I fear that I am not of this la&s;t order: But I be|&s;eech you, if it be &s;o, let me directly know it, that I may regulate the cour&s;e of my
<PB N="94" REF="629">
life, according unto tho&s;e thoughts you have of me: Hatred Sir, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> is a thought which I ought not to entertain of a Prince, who&s;e &s;ubject I am like to be: But Sir, to take the mo&s;t rational cour&s;e, be plea&s;ed to conceive of me as one that cannot love any: This Sir I conceive to be the only way conducing unto your tranquility and my own; yet notwith&s;tanding (added &s;he) I do not intend to throw off that re&s;pect which I owe you; but on the contrary, will be more ob&s;ervant of you then ever: Re&s;pect in|deed (replied <HI>Myr&s;iles)</HI> ought to be an in&s;eparable companion of all a Lovers actions; but yet it is the mo&s;t injurious word that any Lover can hear from the mouth of her he loves: One may re&s;pect his Ma&s;ter, or his Tyrant, but to re&s;pect an amorous Slave, ah <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> there is no example for this: This word re&s;pect, which you have pronounced, is only u&s;ed as an umbrage unto that hatred or aver&s;ion of a man, who&s;e capricious for|tune rather then rea&s;on, hath &s;et him above her whom he loves: But Sir, I be&s;eech you, (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> Do not you know that you are the King of <HI>Lidia</HI>'s Son? Doubtle&s;s you would forget it, if you did but know how much I am your Slave, as I wi&s;h you did: For &s;ince when I am in your pre&s;ence, I forget what I really am, and think my &s;elf nothing unle&s;s your Lover, methinks you might do the like, and look upon me as I would have you: The Gods pre&s;erve me Sir, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;harply, from doing as you &s;ay; for if I &s;hould look now upon you as my Lover, and not as the King of <HI>Lidia</HI>'s Son, I &s;hould give mo&s;t tart language, I &s;hould forbid you ever to &s;ee me, and I &s;hould mo&s;t horribly hate you: But I hope <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> (&s;aid this amorous Prince) you would not hate me. Since I have &s;aid it before I was aware (replied <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> with a mo&s;t &s;cornful and indiffe|rent &s;mile) I will not un&s;ay it again: But Sir (&s;aid &s;he and blu&s;ht for anger) there is a va&s;t interval between hatred and love: So I were but in a &s;tate of indifferency, an&s;wered he, I &s;hould not di&s;pair of my happine&s;s, but &s;hould &s;till hope: Of all the thoughts, which the pa&s;&s;ion whereof you &s;peak (replied &s;he) can infu&s;e into the heart of a Lover, there is not one methinks &s;o offen&s;ive unto the per&s;on Love, as hope is; therefore Sir, I would advi&s;e you, never to entertain it: What then, replied he, would you have me do? I would have you, if this word be not too free (replied &s;he) never to tell me a|gain of this which I ought not to under&s;tand, nor will give any ear unto without extream anger: For the truth is Sir, I am of &s;uch a Spirit, as though I did not hate a man who loved me, yet I would never have him tell me of it: There is nothing in the world &s;o ty|reth my patience as a Lovers talk, I be&s;eech you judg then, whether I ought to &s;uffer you to &s;peak as you do; therefore Sir regulate your mind, that you may regulate your lan|guage; and let me rejoyce at the glory which you will get in the War, and not make me hate you at your return: To enable me unto the acqui&s;ition of glory (replied he) and to think of any return, I had need hope for more of your e&s;teem, and to find you le&s;s &s;evere at my return then when I leave you. As they were thus in di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> entered, who coming from bidding adieu unto <HI>Arianita,</HI> came al&s;o to make his la&s;t vi&s;it unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who received the honour with as much re&s;pect as joy. This amiable Lady was exceedingly grieved to &s;ee him &s;o unfortunate, and wi&s;hed earne&s;tly for a period unto all his mi&s;eries, and for the liberty of <HI>Mandana,</HI> which was the whole &s;ubject of their di&s;cour&s;e.</P>
<P>Since every houre &s;eemed an Age unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> till he was in the head of an Army, his vi&s;it was not long; but &s;ince he did not know that the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> was in Love with <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> he did him an ill office, for he carried that Prince away with him, to talk upon &s;omthing which he would have the King his Father do, before he went from <HI>Sardis.</HI> Thus was <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> delivered from a vexatious vi&s;it, not but that &s;he did extreamly e&s;teem the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> but it was becau&s;e there was &s;uch natural au&s;terity in her heart, as was oppo&s;ite unto all kinde of Gallantries, and certainly it was a mo&s;t difficult task to be a Lover of <HI>Dorali&s;a's,</HI> and not di&s;plea&s;e her: However, <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> having a particular e|&s;teem of her, did bid his la&s;t adieu by him&s;elf, and rendred her a vi&s;it the next morning, which la&s;ted until night: As this conver&s;ation was long, &s;o was it very delighting, and he finding the demention of her Spirit, could not chu&s;e but have &s;uch affectionate thoughts of her, as his heart was capable of, which being neither love nor friend&s;hip, yet had all the gallantry of the fir&s;t, and the pa&s;&s;ionate tenderne&s;s of the &s;econd; and as long as he &s;tayed at <HI>Sardis,</HI> he held her in the rank of tho&s;e unto whom he had &s;uch an affection as wanted a name, becau&s;e it was never found in any but <HI>Ari&s;theus;</HI> and indeed he was &s;o full of his adulatory and obliging expre&s;&s;ions, and delivered them in &s;uch a manner, that &s;he had not the power to be angry; but though &s;he was not angry when <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> talked
<PB N="95" REF="629">
to her, yet &s;he could not endure that <HI>Arianita</HI> and <HI>Pherenice</HI> &s;hould upbraid her with this illu&s;trious Conque&s;t, and that they &s;hould &s;ay &s;he was not &s;orry for making it; yet <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> parted upon very good terms from her: After which, he prepared him&s;elf to wait upon <HI>Cyrus,</HI> until he heard from the King of <HI>Phenicia,</HI> after the arrival of that Am|ba&s;&s;ador, who carried away the Statne of <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> As for <HI>Andramites,</HI> he was not &s;o hap|py as <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> for he could not have the honour of bidding her adieu in private, but &s;he &s;hunned him. In the mean time <HI>Cyrus,</HI> after he had left <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> to command in the Cittadel of <HI>Sardis,</HI> departed in the Company of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Myr&s;iles:</HI> Thus the Con|quered went to war with the Conqueror; tho&s;e few <HI>Lidian</HI> Troops that were fit for &s;er|vice, were di&s;tributed into &s;everal Regiments of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his Army, who was no &s;ooner in the Field, but he made a Mu&s;ter; but he was extreamly troubled to find, that except the <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> Troops there was not one compleat, and he found by experience, that drow&s;ie re&s;t had con&s;umed his Army more then any two Battels: So that under&s;tanding the league which was made again&s;t him began to be very &s;trong, and finding his own to be weak, both by disbanded Souldiers, and by Garri&s;ons which he was forced to leave in con|quered places, he was grieved to the very &s;oul. Moreover, con&s;idering his de&s;ign of be|&s;ieging <HI>Cumes,</HI> he found it a piece of as great difficulty as was imaginable, and greater then his Love did at the fir&s;t permit him to apprehend; he knew that a great part of his Army mu&s;t be incamped upon the black and barren Mountains, where no accommodati|on was to be found; and another part in mori&s;h and boggy places, and all in water: He knew al&s;o, that there was nothing to be found about <HI>Cumes</HI> nece&s;&s;ary for the incamp|ment of an Army, that the nakedne&s;s and &s;tirility of the place would not afford the Soul|diers any Tents, nor any wood to make them&s;elves Huts; that the Cavalry would find no fitting Quarters, nor any forrage; and that, according to all intelligence, no Army could lye three daies before <HI>Cumes</HI> and not peri&s;h, the difficulty of getting victuals ren|dred the de&s;ign impo&s;&s;ible, for there was no coming by Land but on one &s;ide which the Sea did often overflow; to bring in by Sea was dangerous, becau&s;e the Coa&s;t was with|out Ports, and that in a tempe&s;t there was no landing; So that this great Prince did &s;ee, that if any &s;torm came and la&s;ted but three daies, he &s;hould be forced to rai&s;e the Siege: Be&s;ides all the&s;e con&s;iderations, he &s;aw there was no hope of taking <HI>Cumes</HI> unle&s;s it were by &s;topping up the very mouth of the Port, nor any other way to hinder the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> from carrying away the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> the third time; yet he extreamly fear|ed, that as the &s;ea&s;on was, the Ships he had would not be able to keep the Seas &s;o neer the Land without eminent danger of Shipwrack, by rea&s;on of the winds which common|ly were alwayes high towards the end of <HI>Autumn:</HI> Moreover, the place it &s;elf was ex|traordinary &s;trong, all the inhabitants were provided, the publique Magazines were full, and which of all was mo&s;t con&s;iderable, this place was to be defended not only by the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who was both valiant and amorous, and by the Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> who was a man of courage, and affected glory, but al&s;o by another of high valour and expe|rience, who was &s;o exceedingly veried in the military art of keeping places, as he hath vaunted, that he would give a &s;top to the Conque&s;ts of the Conqueror of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and that he would have the honour to hinder him from vanqui&s;hing, whom none could ever yet re&s;i&s;t: But how huge &s;oever the&s;e difficulties &s;eemed, yet the love of <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto <HI>Mandana</HI> and unto glory, did &s;urmount them all, yet notwith&s;tanding the &s;tirility of the place unto which he was to carry his Army did di&s;quiet his thoughts, out of his fears that the Country could not afford &s;ub&s;i&s;tance &s;o long as to take <HI>Cumes,</HI> and the cutting off a communication which this Town had with others, that might furni&s;h them with victuals, did much trouble him: Al&s;o he apprehended, that the enemy might fall upon <HI>Thybarra,</HI> which he took in the beginning of the Spring: But after all, when this Prince had con|&s;idered all the&s;e inconveniencies, he re&s;olved to u&s;e all remedies to overcome them; he gave orders for the &s;ub&s;i&s;tance of his Army, to fortifie all his Garri&s;ons towards <HI>Cumes:</HI> He di&s;po&s;ed his Troops in &s;uch &s;ort, and dividing them into many little bodies, he con|cealed his de&s;ign from the enemies, yet alwayes quartered them &s;o as he could ea&s;ily call them together again when he plea&s;ed: And to make &s;ure of <HI>Thybarra,</HI> he re&s;olved to for|tifie it, whil&s;t he expected news from <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> in whom he tru&s;ted more then in any other <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">or the &s;ending &s;ome Ships unto unto him. This de&s;ign was no &s;ooner re&s;olved up|on, but marching towards this Town, he put it in execution with &s;uch prodigious dili|gence and ingenuity, as it may be &s;aid, that the fortifications of <HI>Thybarra</HI> were &s;ooner fini&s;hed by <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then any other could have contrived this plot; he him&s;elf made choice
<PB N="96" REF="630">
of tho&s;e who were to work, and for the more expedition, he &s;et on the Souldiers; he appointed in every quarter a man of command to over&s;ee the works in that place; the hor&s;e were appointed to cut and bring Stakes and Faggots which were to bear up the earth which was removed; and for the better mannaging of their time, whil&s;t they were for|tifying the Town, they victualled it al&s;o; and in order to that, all the Pe&s;ants round a|bout <HI>Thybarra</HI> were &s;ummoned to bring in provi&s;ion, he appointed &s;ome to conduct them, others to take an account, and others to put them in the publique Magazines, never was &s;een more ha&s;te and more order; never was &s;een at one time a huge Army, a whole Town, and almo&s;t a whole Country follow the will of one &s;ingle man with &s;uch exactne&s;s, and &s;o much regularity: 'Tis true; <HI>Cyrus</HI> him&s;elf was pre&s;ent ordering the works, with &s;uch &s;ingular ingenuity, and &s;o well obeyed, that in fourteen daies <HI>Thybarra</HI> was fortified, victalled, and furni&s;hed with all manner of military ammunition, and the Prince ready to march as &s;oon as he could receive any news of his Ships, and the an&s;wer of <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> His impatience to accompli&s;h an enterprize, which if it took effect, might relea&s;e <HI>Man|dana,</HI> and get him glory, made every minute &s;eem an Age unto him, yet he did not wait above eight daies for the joyful news which he &s;o much longed for with &s;o much ardour; for then he received orders from <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> which pre&s;cribing nothing unto him po&s;itive|ly, &s;eemed to refer the whole enterprize unto his conduct, and immediately after he re|ceived a&s;&s;urance from <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> that he him&s;elf would go in per&s;on with ten Ships in|to the Channel of <HI>Cumes</HI> at what day he &s;hould appoint, a&s;&s;uring him, that this number was &s;ufficient to block up the Port, without any imploying the Prince of <HI>Mytilene:</HI> So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> being even ravi&s;hed with joy, did pre&s;ently communicate this news unto the Prince <HI>Mazares.</HI> But &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> feared that this number of Ships which <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> would bring, would not be &s;ufficient to prevent the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> from carrying out <HI>Mandana</HI> from <HI>Cumes,</HI> by drawing &s;ome Barque along the Land in the night; therefore he gave orders to provide many little Ve&s;&s;els out of the Ports neere&s;t hand; and indeed they procured twelve from one place, two from another, and one from another, cau&s;ing al&s;o as many Barques and Boats to be provided as he could: So that making up a great Fleet of petty Slips, he &s;ent them to joyn with <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> appointing that <HI>Leontidas</HI> &s;hould command them under the Prince of <HI>Mylet.</HI></P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> made no &s;ecret of his de&s;ign, but called a Councel of War, at which the King of <HI>Lidia,</HI> the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> the Prince <HI>Artamas, Mazares, Myr|&s;iles, Per&s;odes, Gobrias, Gadates, Anaxaris,</HI> and many others were pre&s;ent; but there was not one of them which dorred at the difficulty of the enterprize, &s;eeing it was a thing re&s;olved upon, and a thing which <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;ired with &s;o much earne&s;tne&s;s: So that the bu&s;ine&s;s of the Councel being only to con&s;ult of the way how to advance their re&s;olved de&s;ign, every one had orders to prepare him&s;elf for a departure the next morning, du|ring which time one thing befel <HI>Cyrus,</HI> which &s;eemed a happy pre&s;age, for the valiant <HI>Megabates,</HI> and the generous <HI>Clearques,</HI> incited by a Spur of honour, departed from <HI>Phenicia,</HI> as &s;oon as they under&s;tood by the Letters of the Kings Amba&s;&s;ador; that <HI>Cy|rus</HI> would be pre&s;ently in the Field, and came unto the Camp, de&s;iring to be partakers of tho&s;e perils unto which &s;o great a Prince would expo&s;e him&s;elf, to the end they might be &s;harers al&s;o of &s;ome part of that glory which he &s;hould get. <HI>Ari&s;theus</HI> being extream|ly joyed at the arrival of the&s;e two friends, made it known unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> who they were, though this Prince did already know them very well, by the de&s;cription of <HI>Telamis,</HI> when he related the hi&s;tory of <HI>Eli&s;a:</HI> Al&s;o he received them with much joy, and with the &s;ame civility which he u&s;ed unto all men of extraordinary merit: But in gaining <HI>Megabates</HI> and <HI>Clearques,</HI> he lo&s;t <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> who at the &s;ame time received orders from the King of <HI>Phenicia</HI> to thank <HI>Cyru</HI> for all his favours, and to return unto <HI>Tire,</HI> he having no more bu&s;ine&s;s to imploy him in about <HI>Cyrus,</HI> for &s;ome rea&s;ons which he mentioned in his Let|ter; &s;o that this excellent man parted from this great Prince &s;ooner then he intended, but he parted from him &s;o extreamly &s;atisfied with his Spirit, with his genero&s;ity, with his courte&s;ie, and with all his qualities, as he hath &s;ince confe&s;&s;ed, that never &s;ince he knew the world, had he ever &s;een or heard a man &s;o fit to repre&s;ent the grandure of Heroes, and even of the Gods, as <HI>Cyrus;</HI> adding, that his acquaintance with this Prince hath ex|treamly elevated his &s;pirit, and made him able to end his Poem better then he had began it. In the mean time <HI>Ari&s;theus,</HI> after he had taken his leave of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and bad adieu unto all tho&s;e Princes who infinitely e&s;teemed him, he departed from <HI>Thybarra,</HI> and though it was not his neere&s;t way to returnunto <HI>Sardis,</HI> yet the e&s;teem which he had of
<PB N="97" REF="630">
<HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> per&s;wading him, that it was the neere&s;t, he took that way in his return to <HI>Tire.</HI> But as the arrival of the&s;e two valiant <HI>Phenicians</HI> was a happy pre&s;age unto <HI>Cyrus;</HI> &s;o the arrival of a &s;ervant, which went with him whom he &s;ent unto <HI>Cumes,</HI> gave him a mo&s;t certain a&s;&s;urance of happy &s;ucce&s;s in his enterprize, for by him he received a Letter from <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> wherein he found the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>MARTESIA</HI> unto the illu&s;trious <HI>CYRUS.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THe carrying away of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> which I have made known unto the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> having ju&s;tified you in her re&s;entments, I thought it my devoire to ac|quaint you with it, to the end you might tran&s;act with the more joy for the libertie of a per&s;on who repents her &s;elf of the inju&s;tice which &s;he hath done you, yet it is without her participation that I give you this intelligence; but yet I am confident, that if &s;he did know it, &s;he would ea|&s;ily pardon me for taking th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s freedome to write unto you, &s;ince certainly the rea&s;on why &s;he her &s;elf does not write is, becau&s;e her great heart will not permit her to confe&s;s that &s;he has done you wrong. However Sir, be at quiet concerning the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and be mo&s;t confident, that if <HI>Cumes</HI> &s;hould prove &s;o impregnable unto you, as the heart of <HI>Mandana</HI> is unto him, you will never relea&s;e her, nor by con&s;equence</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>MARTESIA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>The reading of this Letter made <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;o full of joys, that he forgot almo&s;t all his pa&s;t misfortunes, and hope did in&s;pire his Spirit, that maugre all the di&s;mal Oracles which he had received, and in &s;pite of all tho&s;e bug-bear difficulties which he fore&s;aw in the Siege of <HI>Cumes,</HI> he did not que&s;tion his happy &s;ucce&s;s. In the mean time he asked this &s;ervant who was of the intelligence, how he came by this Letter; and what was the &s;tate of things in the Town? To the fir&s;t he an&s;wered, that his Ma&s;ter gave him the Let|ter without telling him how he had it; and to the re&s;t he gave him full in&s;tructions of all that he de&s;ired to know&punc; for by it he under&s;tood the order which was kept in the Town, and how they guarded the Prince&s;s, who is as much unknown in <HI>Cumes,</HI> as if &s;he were here, and &s;o is the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> He told him al&s;o, that the Enemies Army prepared to relieve <HI>Cumes,</HI> when the Siege was &s;et down, and that <HI>Pactias,</HI> and one who&s;e name was <HI>Licambes</HI> did command it; adding al&s;o, to the in&s;tructions which he gave unto <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> that by the orders which was e&s;tabli&s;hed at the Gates of the Town the &s;ame day he came away, it would be hereafter almo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible for his Ma&s;ter to give him any intel|ligence: After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> con&s;ulted with him&s;elf, whether he &s;hould &s;hew <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI>'s Letter unto the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> but he re&s;olved to &s;hew him only the in&s;tructions con|cerning the &s;tate of things; for though the happine&s;s of a Rival does commonly quench the flames of Love in the heart of an ill-treated Lover, yet it does not alwayes &s;o, for &s;omtimes jealou&s;ie does awaken that pa&s;&s;ion, and in lieu of &s;tifling doth revive it: So that not to put the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> unto &s;o much torment, as to know the mind of <HI>Mandana,</HI> he would not &s;hew him the Letter. In the mean time, the day of departure being come, and the Army at the Rendezvouz, <HI>Cyrus</HI> thought fit to divide it into three bodies, order|ing the March &s;o, that the Ships of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> &s;hould be in the mouth of the Port, be|fore he appeared in &s;ight of the Town. Thus his march might be the more ea&s;ie, more &s;peedy, and more orderly: The&s;e three bodies being able to arrive, almo&s;t all at once, and fall upon <HI>Cumes</HI> in an in&s;tant, <HI>Cyrus</HI> would take that way towards the Sea, as that wherein was mo&s;t danger, becau&s;e the Enemy was that way incamped, he had under his divi&s;ion the <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> the <HI>Medeans,</HI> the <HI>Cappadocians,</HI> and all the <HI>Homotimes:</HI> The <HI>Hir|canian</HI> Cavalry were al&s;o with him, <HI>Cyrus</HI> having forced <HI>Clearques</HI> to command a part of them in lieu of an Officer newly dead; for as for <HI>Megabates,</HI> he would fight under <HI>Cy|rus</HI> as a Voluntier. Since all the&s;e Troops which he had made choice of, had couragi|ou&s;ly and faithfully &s;erved under him in all his Conque&s;ts, he had a great confidence in them.</P>
<P><PB N="98" REF="631">
The other divi&s;ion which was commanded by the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> and which took up|on the left hand, were compo&s;ed of <HI>A&s;&s;irian, Armenian,</HI> and <HI>Egiptian</HI> Troops: The third commanded by the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> con&s;i&s;ted of <HI>Gilician</HI> and <HI>Su&s;anian</HI> Troops, and of all tho&s;e who were levied in the new conquered Country: The Artilary was com|manded by <HI>Per&s;odes,</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not think it fit that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> &s;hould have any command in his Army, nor would he permit the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> to have any, le&s;t there &s;hould be any jealou&s;ie or envy between them; &s;o that the&s;e two Kings kept alwayes in the quar|ters of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and were in all the Councels which were held. The march of the&s;e three Bodies was &s;o ju&s;t and even, that they came at one very in&s;tant before <HI>Cumes,</HI> the &s;citu|ation whereof was very &s;trange, for it was &s;eated between two great hills of Sand by the Sea &s;ide, which &s;eemed Mountains of Snow to tho&s;e who &s;aw them at a di&s;tance: On the Ea&s;t it looked towards <HI>Thybarra,</HI> or the South <HI>Mylet; Xanthes</HI> on the We&s;t, and the Sea upon the North: Its Territory was of no large extent, all their commodities came to it by Sea: This Town al&s;o was divided into two, the Inhabitants di&s;tingui&s;hing them|&s;elves by the names of the old Town, and the new; but that which rendred it the mo&s;t con&s;iderable was, that it had but one Port and one Channel able to contain a huge Na|vy in &s;afety: This is it which rendred that Town &s;o formidable to all her Neighbours; As &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;pied the &s;tately Temple of <HI>Neptune</HI> which was in <HI>Cumes,</HI> and which &s;pired &s;o high that it might be &s;een far off, he was extreamly glad. This is the place, &s;aid <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> to him&s;elf where I mu&s;t either die or deliver my Prince&s;s: After which, he di&s;tributed quar|ters unto the Army, and that with &s;o much judgment, that in all likelyhood the Enemy could neither relieve the Town nor force his Camp, lying ln &s;uch a po&s;ture, as that he might win a Battel whil&s;t he was be&s;ieging a Town. This Prince having circum&s;pectly ob|&s;erved all about <HI>Cumes,</HI> and found that there was &s;ome places which defended them&s;elves, and others which were very hard to be kept, he gave all nece&s;&s;ary orders to fortifie tho&s;e places by art which nature had laid open: He al&s;o built a Bridg over the Channel, and thereby had communication between his Quarters, for the more ea&s;ie pa&s;&s;age of victuals: So that <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> with his Ship &s;ailing at the &s;ame time into the Port of <HI>Cumes,</HI> the Town was in an in&s;tant be&s;ieged: The next morning <HI>Cyrus</HI> began his line of circumulation, at which all the Souldiers wrought with incredible earne&s;tne&s;s; the pre&s;ence of the Prince did &s;o invigorate them, that they wrought and never were weary. But to the end that the work might be more firm, he covered the &s;ides of the line with Turf, which did con|catinate the loo&s;ene&s;s of the Sand: He would have had a &s;econd line to fortifie the fir&s;t; but the Banks of Sand being of an unequal height, and &s;o many of them which might command the Camp, he was forced to take in all tho&s;e hills, and by con&s;equence was forced to inlarge his works very far: It chanced al&s;o, that there was one of the&s;e Sandy hills in the Quarters of <HI>Mazares,</HI> which being much higher then the re&s;t, the Enemy might much annoy the Camp, <HI>Cyrus</HI> therefore &s;eized upon it, and made a Fort upon the top of this hill, and with a line did draw it within the line of circumulation.</P>
<P>But after all this, the Sea banks were unfortified, which was as requi&s;ite to be done as any thing el&s;e, for otherwi&s;e all the re&s;t of their works were in vain; and yet the Sand being &s;o loo&s;e in that place, they knew not how to do it; for though this Sea hath nei|ther Flux or Reflux as the Ocean hath, yet it did ri&s;e more or le&s;s, according as the winde did waft the waves, and did &s;omtimes &s;o impetuou&s;ly da&s;h again&s;t the Banks, that &s;ome|thing more &s;olid then Sand mu&s;t be imployed to make it abide its violence; and therefore <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to whom nothing was impo&s;&s;ible, did drive in abundance of piles and &s;takes, which &s;topped the pa&s;&s;age of the Enemy, and &s;o fa&s;t, that the Waves could not &s;tir them; yet this was not done without much difficulty, for tho&s;e of <HI>Cumes</HI> did cut a great Rock which kept in the Sea at the furthe&s;t end of their Town, hoping hereby to overflow the pa&s;&s;age whereby <HI>Cyrus</HI> was to bring his Victuals, and indeed the Land having a de&s;cent from that place, their de&s;ign had taken, and the Army had been put to a great nece&s;&s;ity of victuals, if <HI>Cyrus</HI> had not prevented this inconvenience, by driving abundance more piles, and rowling great &s;tones, filled up with Sand and wreck, which made a new Barra|cadoe to Waves that would have flowed from thence: This work of giving limits to the Sea, (&s;eemed to proceed from a &s;upernatural power. The&s;e works of grand importance only did not take up the mind of this Prince, but al&s;o the lea&s;t things were as well con&s;i|dered by him, he him&s;elf was twice every day at the place where the victuals was, that he might &s;ee the divi&s;ion ju&s;t, and that none &s;hould have any cau&s;e to complain, it was
<PB N="99" REF="631">
his u&s;ual expre&s;&s;ion, that great enterprizes could never be happily executed, unle&s;s a care was had unto trivial as well as important things; but the wonder was to &s;ee, that though this Prince had a thou&s;and &s;everal cares upon him, yet he had &s;uch a admirable freedome of Spirit, and &s;o much blithne&s;s in his eyes, as infu&s;ed much joy into all the Army, and did &s;o envigorate the Spirits of tho&s;e that wrought, as in four daies, maugre the rain; the winde, or any inconveniency, the lines were fini&s;hed, the Sea-banks fortified, the inun|dation of the Waves &s;topped, and all the Sandy hills put into a po&s;ture of defence: Never was &s;een &s;uch great works in &s;o &s;hort a time, nor did ever Prince merit more glory then <HI>Cyrus</HI> did at this time. In the mean time, Love was &s;o predominate in his &s;oul, that in giving all the&s;e orders, he &s;till thought how he gave them for <HI>Mandana,</HI> and that by making the&s;e works he hindred his Rival for carrying away his Prince&s;s; and con&s;idering that if his de&s;ign pro&s;pered, he &s;hould &s;ee <HI>Mandana</HI> at liberty, and his Rival in his fet|ters, he was full of unexpre&s;&s;ible joyes: But as high as his hopes and his joyes were, <HI>Ma|zares</HI> on the contrary was all &s;orrows, to &s;ee how he laboured for another, and that he was delivering <HI>Mandana</HI> to lo&s;e her, but could never hope for the lea&s;t fruit of his Vi|ctory: However, &s;ince he had fixed his re&s;olutions, that his virtue &s;hould &s;urmount his Love, he endeavoured to compo&s;e his minde, and to think of nothing but how to re|lieve <HI>Mandana</HI> to lo&s;e her, but could never hope for the lea&s;t fruit of his victory: How|ever, &s;ince he had fixed his re&s;olutions, that his virtue &s;hould &s;urmount his Love, he en|deavoured to compo&s;e his minde, and to think of nothing but how to relieve <HI>Mandana.</HI> Thus forcing his heart and Spirit by his extream genero&s;ity, <HI>Cyrus</HI> and he agreed very well together, and talked of the Siege, and what was be&s;t to be done, as if they had an equal intere&s;t in the taking of <HI>Cumes:</HI> The greate&s;t admiration of the&s;e two Princes was, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> did not appear among&s;t them; nor &s;o much as &s;ent unto them: As long as we were at <HI>Sardis,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and knew nothing where the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was, I did not wonder to hear nothing of him: But now, &s;ince the Army is marched, hath been at <HI>Thybarra,</HI> and turned towards <HI>Cumes,</HI> he mu&s;t needs know where our Prince&s;s is, and &s;hould joyn with us, to have his &s;hare in the glory of relea&s;ing her: For my part (an|&s;wered <HI>Mazares)</HI> I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s I cannot imagine his rea&s;on, for he was not u&s;ed to give his Rivals any advantage; and therefore, &s;ince he appears not, I neither know what to &s;ay or think of his ab&s;ence: Doubtle&s;s it is very hard to conceive, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> But may he not be in <HI>Cumes?</HI> (added he in a rapture of a &s;ad apprehen&s;ion) If he were there, (an&s;wered <HI>Mazares)</HI> he whom you &s;ent thither would know him, and would have given you a hint of it in the intelligence which he &s;ent you: Let it be then concluded, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that we cannot gue&s;s where he is, and let us believe that where&s;oever he be, he plots our ruine. Things being upon the&s;e terms in the Camp of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the Enemies Army being certainly informed that <HI>Cumes</HI> was be&s;ieged; they met in a place where the Commanders thought mo&s;t fit to con&s;ult upon the be&s;t cour&s;e, and to execute it as &s;oon as it was re&s;olved upon. Since they were very neer the Camp, they hoped to relieve <HI>Cumes;</HI> for con&s;idering the di&s;commodities of the incampment, and the badne&s;s of the weather enough to ruine any Army, they thought that the Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> would be &s;o weakened by their hard working, and being enclo&s;ed between them and the Garri&s;on of the Town, it might be ea&s;ily overthrown by fre&s;h forces; yet the ve|ry name of <HI>Cyrus</HI> being terrible unto them, they re&s;olved to &s;end out a Party of Hor&s;e to take &s;ome pri&s;oners, to the end they might have more certain knowledg of their Enemies condition: But at the &s;ame time, they trimmed and tackled up a great company of Ships, with intention to enter the Port of <HI>Cumes</HI> by force of Sail, if the windes were favourable, in &s;pite of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> his Fleet. In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> like a great Captain did fore|&s;ee, that if the Siege la&s;ted long, his Army would decay, that it might be beaten, and that he might fail in taking <HI>Cumes,</HI> he re&s;olved to &s;horten the Siege by force, and to a&s;&s;ault it with unre&s;i&s;table fury; and certainly this de&s;ign was full of rea&s;on, for victuals would quickly fail, and the Sea was &s;o rough, that the Barques which brought them were often &s;plit in landing: Moreover, it was almo&s;t continual ruine, and Winter came on &s;o fa&s;t, that the Souldier endured much hard&s;hip; the impetuo&s;ity of the winde would &s;omtimes blow &s;uch a cloud of du&s;ty Sand upon all the Camp, as blinded them; their Tents and Huts were all weather-beaten, and many of the Souldiers did lye in mud; be&s;ides all this, they mu&s;t be continually working to repair what the Sea &s;poiled, and to keep the Ditch from being filled up; &s;o that fortune; ill weather, and hard labour, began already to bring divers
<PB N="100" REF="632">
di&s;ea&s;es into the Camp. In the mean, <HI>Cyrus</HI> fore&s;eeing all the&s;e inconveniencies was not di&s;mayed, but endeavoured to &s;urmount them by &s;torming <HI>Cumes,</HI> and &s;o to &s;horten the bu&s;ine&s;s: He very prudently con&s;idered, that he &s;hould loo&s;e fewer men by hazarding a fight, then by a long Siege: So that this being the re&s;olution, <HI>Cyrus</HI> contrived the execu|tion: In order to which, as &s;oon as the intrenchments were fini&s;hed, he went to di&s;cover all the places where the Town might be be&s;t a&s;&s;aulted, <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Artamas</HI> followed him, and after good con&s;ideration, he re&s;olved upon two &s;everal a&s;&s;aults, and prepared for the execution of &s;o great a de&s;ign, before the Enemy could oppo&s;e them, becau&s;e they were very bu&s;ie in their works of defence: <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Artamas</HI> were the fir&s;t who fought in erecting a Sconce to facilitate the a&s;&s;ault, but the Enemy being fully re&s;olved to di&s;lodg them, did &s;ally upon them &s;o &s;harply, as they came thrice that night to the charge, and that with &s;uch vigor, as it was evident that tho&s;e Souldiers were commanded by &s;uch Officers who were re&s;olved to make a gallant defence: <HI>Anaxaris</HI> who was in this bu&s;sle did miracles, and did mo&s;t contribute to the repairing of that Bank of Sand, where the Sconce was made: But in the la&s;t &s;ally which the enemy made to drive them off, this va|liant &s;tranger being very forward to repul&s;e them was taken Pri&s;oner, and carried unto the Town, but after a three houres hot di&s;pute, Victory declared her &s;elf for the be&s;iegers, and the Sconce was made before night, able to hold three hundred men: There was killed, wounded, &amp; taken Pri&s;oners of both &s;ides, but the misfortune of <HI>Anaxaris</HI> did mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly perplex <HI>Cyrus:</HI> On the other &s;ide of the Town the a&s;&s;ault was in a much more readine&s;s, for in a &s;hort time the Be&s;iegers had gained the Counter&s;carp, and things went as well as <HI>Cy|rus</HI> could wi&s;h. In the mean time intelligence was brought, that the Enemies Army was upon their march, and &s;eemed as if they intended to offer battel. <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner heard this news, but he prepared to receive them: But to prevent &s;urprizal, he &s;ent out Scouts, and was pre&s;ently given to under&s;tand that it was a fal&s;e alarum grounded upon what &s;ome Pe&s;ants had &s;een, who &s;eeing a good Party of the Enemies &s;ent out to take &s;ome Pri&s;on|ers, thought them to be the Vantguard of their Army: But the wonder was, that the noi&s;e of the Enemies march to relieve <HI>Cumes,</HI> &s;hould never move the &s;oul of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> nor di&s;may the Souldiers, but all &s;tood in excellent order to receive them: The a&s;&s;ault conti|nued, as if this Allarum had never been, and <HI>Clearques</HI> who &s;hewed him&s;elf mo&s;t bravely, was already got upon the Counter&s;carp, when the Enemy out of their Trenches &s;ent Clouds of Arrows upon the Pioniers; after which they came to handy blows, and a much more terrible and bloody fight there was then that before, and the confu&s;ion was &s;o great, that none knew which were Conquerours, or which conquered; which friends, which E|nemies. <HI>Cyrus</HI> being adverti&s;ed of this di&s;order; went thither immediately, being follow|ed by <HI>Megabates, Thra&s;imedes, Ligdamis, Aglatidas,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the Voluntiers; and he was no &s;ooner in the mid&s;t of this danger, but his pre&s;ence di&s;per&s;ed all fears, he gave new hearts to his Souldiers, damped the Enemies, ree&s;tabli&s;hed the order, and went on with the work But whil&s;t things were in this condition on the Be&s;iegers &s;ide, tho&s;e who commanded the Enemies Army were in a great perplexity, for though their Army was &s;ufficiently numerous, yet after they knew from the Pri&s;oners which they had taken the manner of the works, they thought them&s;elves not able to force them, e&s;pecially having to do with a Prince who was as prudent as valiant: Yet &s;ince <HI>Pactias</HI> knew, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would never pardon him if they attempted nothing for his relief; and &s;ince <HI>Ly|cambes</HI> thought it would go again&s;t the Hair of his honour, to &s;tand &s;till with his hands in his pocket, they re&s;olved to &s;eem at lea&s;t as if they would do &s;omthing, though when they con&s;idered that they were to cope with the mo&s;t valiant Prince in the world, a Prince accu&s;tomed to vanqui&s;h, who&s;e men were admirably di&s;ciplined, who&s;e reputation rob|bed their Souldiers of their hearts, and who&s;e capacity left them no hopes that he would commit any error which might facilitate their de&s;ign: all the&s;e I &s;ay con&s;idered, they thought it madne&s;s to attempt any thing again&s;t him, and they confe&s;&s;ed it folly, ever to hope for any good i&s;&s;ue in their attempt: But making a &s;how as if they would make &s;ome attempt, they marched as <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">f they would a&s;&s;ault the lines, them&s;elves &s;preading a report of it, to &s;ee many tumult would chance in the Camp, which might encourage them to fall on. <HI>Cyrus</HI> hearing this went out of the works with a Body of Cavalrie, and &s;ome Volun|tiers, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">rm him&s;elf, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e them, before they a&s;&s;aulted him; but he was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">y amazed when he &s;aw only &s;igns of quitting their Quarters, and when he under|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ould<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ers <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ed behinde, that <HI>Pactias</HI> and <HI>Lycambes</HI> under|&s;tanding <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the wor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">; did think it impo&s;&s;ible to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">orce them, and that it were
<PB N="101" REF="632">
better to keep their Forces to defend the re&s;t of the Country, then to lo&s;e them in relieve|ing <HI>Cumes,</HI> which they could not hinder from being taken: So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> having van|qui&s;hed without a blow, returned into the Camp with fre&s;h hopes of carrying the Town, and &s;peedy relea&s;ing of <HI>Mandana.</HI> In the mean time, the be&s;ieged did defend it with mo&s;t re&s;olute valour, and &s;o &s;tiffly, that they could not get a foot of ground without a &s;harp combat for it: The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;eemed to be indefatigable, and took all the pains which is in&s;eparable from Sieges: The Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> his liberty being at &s;take, did fight with invincible courage; &s;o that it may well be &s;aid, that never did a&s;&s;ailants fall on with more vigour, nor ever any a&s;&s;ailed defend them&s;elves more valiantly: 'Tis true, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had &s;uch a Sea of &s;orrows flowing upon him, as the courage of any but him&s;elf would have been overwhelmed; for indeed the more &s;ubmi&s;s he was unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> the more unalterable &s;he was; yet for all his &s;orrows, he treated <HI>Anaxaris</HI> very well in his Pri&s;on, who obtained all the liberty of the Ca&s;tle where <HI>Mandana</HI> was, except permi&s;&s;ion to &s;ee her: But &s;ince he retained the <HI>Idea</HI> of her beauty in his memory, ever &s;ince the time he &s;aw her in the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> when &s;he relea&s;ed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he &s;ought out for an opportunity of &s;eeing her again, and ea&s;ily found it; for <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> having &s;een him in the Ca&s;tle Court out of her Chamber Window, and knowing by the Guards that he was a Pri&s;oner, &s;he had a great de&s;ire to &s;peak with him, and to enquire con|cerning <HI>Cyrus;</HI> &s;he cunningly gained the hearts of her Guard, and per&s;waded them up|on &s;ome pretence which &s;he invented, to bring him into the little Garden where the Prin|ce&s;s and &s;he had liberty to walk, and to tell him, that there was a Lady of his Party who de&s;ired, to &s;peak with him. Since the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> were con|tinually bu&s;ie about the defence of the Walls, they were not &s;o circum&s;pect as to minde e|very thing; &s;o that they entirely tru&s;ted a &s;ingle and di&s;armed Pri&s;oner with the Guards which they had appointed over him. Then <HI>Anaxaris</HI> coming into the Garden unperceived, but he &s;aw <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but &s;he advanced towards him with a blu&s;h: Though I have not the honour to know you, (&s;aid &s;he unto him after the fir&s;t &s;a|lute) yet I have &s;ome hopes to obtain a favour from you; for &s;ince you have ventured your life for that Prince&s;s whom I &s;erve, and have endeavoured her liberty at the price of your own, I may well believe you will not deny me the fauour to tell me how that Prince doth, who mu&s;t be both her Deliverer and ours, and to tell me in what condition you left the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus. Anaxaris</HI> hearing <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> &s;peak thus, an&s;wered her with as much civility, as &s;pirit, that he would mo&s;t joyfully obey &s;uch a Lady as her &s;elf; adding, that though he was not in a condition to imploy his courage for the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana's</HI> relea&s;ement, yet he would acquaint her what <HI>Cyrus</HI> did for her. After this, <HI>Marte|&s;ia</HI> asking him a hundred que&s;tions, he informed her of all that <HI>Cyrus</HI> ever did, &s;ince the taking of <HI>Sardis,</HI> unto the carrying away of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and &s;ince her carry|ing away until the Siege of <HI>Cumes,</HI> with all po&s;&s;ible aggravations that might be advanta|gious unto that Prince; So that <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who did much intere&s;t her &s;elf in the happine&s;s of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and who was exceeding glad to find any &s;ubject which might eradicate all me|mory of that unju&s;t jealou&s;ie which <HI>Mandana</HI> had out of her Spirit, &s;he re&s;olved to con|trive it &s;o, that <HI>Anaxaris</HI> might &s;ee her; and indeed, after &s;he had thanked him, and ob|liged him to tell his name, &s;he de&s;ired him to return the next day at the &s;ame hour unto the &s;ame place, where the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> might under&s;tand from his mouth all he had told her: She had no &s;ooner made this reque&s;t unto <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> but he expre&s;&s;ed abundance of joy, a&s;&s;uring her &s;he would do him the greate&s;t favour in the world, in letting him have the honour of &s;eeing <HI>Mandana:</HI> After which, going out the &s;ame way he entred, <HI>Mar|te&s;ia</HI> went unto the Prince&s;s to acquaint her with all the &s;tory, but e&s;pecially with what concerned the carrying away of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> ob&s;erving to her, how <HI>Cyrus</HI> had contented him&s;elf to give fifty hor&s;es unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and would not go him&s;elf to follow her Ravi&s;her, but returned unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> in expectation of tho&s;e whom he had &s;ent unto <HI>Ephe&s;us, Gnides,</HI> and many other places to enquire news of her &s;elf. And Madam, &s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> it is impo&s;&s;ible to meet with a more exact relation then I have, for this hone&s;t &s;tranger told me, that he was with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> when he fir&s;t knew of <HI>Araminta's</HI> car|rying away.</P>
<P>This circum&s;tance created &s;uch a fre&s;h curio&s;ity in <HI>Mandana</HI> to &s;ee <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> as &s;he re|&s;olved to make good <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI>'s promi&s;e: But yet &s;aid <HI>Mandana</HI> unto her, who is this which you would have me &s;ee? Madam, replied &s;he, though he told me not his name, nor who he is, yet I am mo&s;t certain, that he is a man of &s;ome very high quality, I &s;ee
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it by his garb, his behaviour, and his action, al&s;o by his manner of &s;peaking; and I &s;ee it al&s;o plainly, by what <HI>Cyrus</HI> told him; that he is &s;uch a man as I &s;peak of: But I pray, &s;aid <HI>Mandana,</HI> doth <HI>Cyrus</HI> think he can take <HI>Cumes</HI> and relea&s;e us? Truly Madam, re|plied &s;he, I was &s;o inqui&s;itive of what concerned <HI>Araminta,</HI> to the end I might fully ju|&s;tifie the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> in your opinion, as I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that I talked not a word of the Siege, &s;uppo&s;ing, and with rea&s;on, that &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> be&s;iegeth <HI>Cumes,</HI> he will infal|libly take it: Ah <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Mandana</HI> and blu&s;ht) in de&s;iring to ju&s;tifie <HI>Cyrus,</HI> you &s;trangely accu&s;e me, &s;ince you do thereby upbraid me with my weakne&s;s, or an hu|mour which may be termed jealou&s;ie: Did you but know <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (added &s;he) how much a&s;hamed I am, you would not &s;peak of it any more; for truly I can hardly ab&s;olve my &s;elf, for letting <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;o ra&s;hly know the anger which I conceived again&s;t him, when I thought he preferred <HI>Araminta</HI> before me; and though my thoughts of di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t him were rather re&s;entments of glory then any real jealou&s;ie, yet I mu&s;t confe&s;s he might interpret what I writ as he plea&s;ed: For my part Madam (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and &s;miled) were I in lieu of that Prince, I &s;hould rather to my con&s;olation think that you were jealous, then that you were proud: The more you &s;peak, replied <HI>Mandana,</HI> the more you make me a&s;hamed, and let me &s;ee my folly in tru&s;ting too much to my &s;elf: For truly <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> Do you remember the time when <HI>Cyrus</HI> was only <HI>Artamenes?</HI> The time, I &s;ay, when <HI>Feraulas</HI> thinking him dead, did bring me a Declaration of his Love, that I read it in tears and was not angry, becau&s;e I thought that <HI>Artamenes</HI> was dead? I remember it very well Madam, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> nor have I forgot how pity then would not permit you to be angry wit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">him: Then you have not forgot, added <HI>Mandana,</HI> at what a <HI>non-plus</HI> I was when <HI>Artamenes</HI> was received, and how I thought never to &s;ee him, becau&s;e I imagined he would come to know how I &s;teeped his Letter in my tears: Judg now, I pray you, if he &s;hall be &s;o happy as to take <HI>Cumes,</HI> how infinite|ly &s;hall I be a&s;hamed to &s;ee him, when I &s;hall remember that I writ &s;uch things unto him, as will make him believe I was jealous? In good earne&s;t, I am &s;o vexed at my &s;elf for my fondne&s;s, and incon&s;ideration which I have expre&s;&s;ed unto him, that rather then &s;eem guilty of &s;uch a fault, &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> per&s;idious a thou&s;and times: Ah Madam, replied <HI>Mar|te&s;ia,</HI> the pa&s;&s;ion whereof you &s;peak cannot be hid when one plea&s;eth, or &s;hall &s;hew whether one will or no, and &s;hew it &s;omtimes by hiding it: Yet were it abundance of in|di&s;cretion and imprudence to &s;hew it, (an&s;wered <HI>Mandana)</HI> for whether it be well or ill-grounded, it will procure hatred; and therefore though one &s;hould be &s;o unhappy as to be capable of it, yet one &s;hould not &s;hew it: For all your ingenuous arguments which &s;eem to be ju&s;t, an&s;wered <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> yet I am mo&s;t certain Madam, that as you need not doubt of the fidelity of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;o you may be very glad to have it from the mouth of <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> that he left <HI>Spitridates</HI> to go after <HI>Araminta;</HI> and hath neglected no op|portunity to relea&s;e you: You pitile&s;s woman, replied <HI>Mandana,</HI> what delight can you take in making me a&s;hamed? Do not think, that if I have a de&s;ire to &s;ee this Pri&s;oner, but it is becau&s;e I would know from him the &s;tate of the Siege, then for any &s;uch rea&s;on as you &s;peak of, for I do profe&s;s unto you, that I cannot endure to upbraid my &s;elf for have|ing any &s;uch thoughts as are equally injurious, both unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> and my &s;elf: However <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> having a mo&s;t infinite confidence with <HI>Mandana,</HI> did &s;till di&s;pute the bu&s;ine&s;s very re&s;pectively with her, knowing &s;he would not take it ill. However, the next morn|ing according to the re&s;olution, <HI>Anaxaris</HI> &s;aw the Prince&s;s, who was &s;o well &s;atisfied with him, as it was impo&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould be more. At the fir&s;t he was mighty high in his commends of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and all he did for her, he expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf with &s;uch zeal and aggravations, as he could not impo&s;e &s;ilence upon him&s;elf: But at la&s;t he le&s;&s;ened his talk of this Prince, and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> ob&s;erved, that he was &s;o taken up with contemplation of <HI>Mandana</HI>'s beauty, that he could not take his eyes off her: Since this Prince&s;s had a de|&s;ire to oblige him, &s;he asked him of what Country he was? But <HI>Anaxaris</HI> an&s;wered, Ma|dam, &s;aid he, &s;ince &s;everal rea&s;ons oblige me to conceal what I really am, I have denied the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> twenty times, that which you do me the honour to ask, and that which I am extreamly &s;orry I cannot tell you, though perhaps it would be in &s;ome &s;ort advantagious to me, that you did know it. After this, <HI>Mandana</HI> asked him very inqui&s;i|tively what news <HI>Cyrus</HI> heard from <HI>Ciaxares?</HI> And afterwards enquired of all the Army, but e&s;pecially of <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas. Anaxaris</HI> an&s;wered unto all the&s;e que&s;tions, but it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> like a man who was &s;urprized with an over-violent re&s;pect, though he gazed upon her mo&s;t attentively: Since he could receive better intelligence from his Guards, then the
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Prince&s;s could from hers, it was re&s;olved between them, that he &s;hould &s;ee her every day&punc; or at lea&s;t &s;hould &s;ee <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and indeed &s;o he did as long as the Siege la&s;ted. In the mean time, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was in a mo&s;t de&s;perate condition, e&s;pecially when he &s;aw the Port of <HI>Cumes</HI> &s;o blocked up by the Fleet of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> that there was no hopes of his carrying away the Prince&s;s; On the other &s;ide, the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> began to think he took an ill cour&s;e in giving retreat unto the King of <HI>Pontus.</HI> But whil&s;t he was full of this vain repentance, the man whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent into the Town, who had &s;poken twice with <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who took a Letter from her for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and who had &s;ent it unto him by a &s;ervant, this man did cajole with the people as well as he could to move them unto mur|mure, at their being thus ingaged in a trouble&s;ome unlucky war. Thus whil&s;t the illu|&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in the toil&s;ome works of a Siege, he had &s;ome in the Town who were negotiating in his &s;ervice. In the mean time, this indefatigable Prince being gone to vi&s;it &s;ome new works, as he was giving &s;ome orders about it unto an Ingeneer, this man was &s;lain at his feet with an arrow, But as if this day were fatal unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and as if &s;ome malignant con&s;tellation were predominate, as he was returning in the evening unto his Quarter, he de&s;ired to go and give &s;ome orders unto a place where he conceived them to be nece&s;&s;ary: But he was no &s;ooner in the Trenches, then the Enemy &s;hooting off an Engine which carried &s;tones with &s;uch an impetuous celerity as was irre&s;i&s;table, one of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his Pages which followed him, had his head &s;truck off: The danger came &s;o neer this great Prince, as that the skull of this Page being &s;hivered in &s;everal pieces, did wound him in five or &s;ix places in the face and neck; &s;o that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was all &s;prinkled with his own blood, and the blood of this unfortunate &s;ervant. In the mean time, this Prince had &s;uch a &s;weet tranquility in his countenance amid&s;t this great danger, that he cheered up the hearts of all his men, and made it appear that his courage was incapable of fear, and that nothing could &s;hake it: <HI>Megabates</HI> and <HI>Per&s;odes</HI> had their &s;hares in this glorious danger, for they were very neer him: On the other &s;ide, <HI>Pactias</HI> and <HI>Licambes,</HI> &s;eeing they could not attempt any thing by Land to relieve <HI>Cumes,</HI> re&s;olved to try what they could do by Sea, hoping that the bad weather would force <HI>Cyrus</HI> perhaps to rai&s;e the Siege. To this end they tackled up all their Ships, and &s;et out to Sea, as if they would force <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> to give them pa&s;&s;age. The &s;ight of this Fleet filled all the Inha|bitants of <HI>Cumes</HI> with as much joy, as it did <HI>Mandana</HI> with &s;orrows, who looking out of her window, which was towards the open Sea, did with inconceiveable &s;orrow &s;ee this Navy, which &s;eemed to de&s;ire a fight with <HI>Thra&s;ibulus:</HI> This Prince&s;s imagined, that if one Fleet &s;hould defeat the other, <HI>Cumes</HI> would be relieved, and feared that if the Sea were once free, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would remove her unto &s;ome other place where <HI>Cy|rus</HI> could not relea&s;e her; yet &s;he was not long in the&s;e &s;ad apprehen&s;ions, for this Fleet was no &s;ooner in &s;ight of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> but fears did &s;o po&s;&s;e&s;s the Spirits of tho&s;e which commanded it, that they &s;teered about, and betook them&s;elves to flight, and the winde which was not favourable to them for fighting. <HI>Leontidas</HI> who commanded the little Ve&s;&s;els and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he Barques, did cha&s;e them out of the &s;ight of the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who beheld this di&s;a&s;terous di&s;order with unexpre&s;&s;ible &s;orrow: But in exchange <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;aw her Deliverers &s;tand firm, and her Enemies fly to her unutterable joy. In the mean while, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing the re&s;olute re&s;i&s;tance of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> who lo&s;t not a foot of ground without di&s;puting for it with extraordinary valour; Seeing, I &s;ay, that all his En&s;igns and &s;tratagems could not do any good wherewith to carry the Town, becau&s;e they could not make any con&s;iderable breach, bethought him&s;elf of a device, which nothing el&s;e but Love could invent, and this it was; <HI>Cyrus</HI> was adverti&s;ed that in a place of the Ditch towards the Sconce which they had made neere&s;t the Town, there was a great Cave, who&s;e mouth was &s;topped by tho&s;e of <HI>Cumes,</HI> that this Cave did extend it &s;elf by many turnings and windings very far into the earth, &s;o that the walls and fortifications of the Town did &s;tand upon the Cave. <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner knew this, but he re&s;olved to cro&s;s the ditch, and to make a Sconce at the foot of the walls, ju&s;t at the mouth of this Cave, and did effect it. This Sconce was no &s;ooner made defen&s;ible, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> cau&s;ing the mouth to be opened, made a great number of Pioniers and workmen to enter in the night, with tools fit to break the &s;tony roof of this Vault, which bore up a part of the Town: So that moving them to work with incredible alacrity, they came at la&s;t to finde the foundation of the Walls of <HI>Cumes;</HI> but le&s;t they &s;hould totter too much, and too &s;oon, and &s;o &s;mother tho&s;e who were in the Cave, they no &s;ooner di&s;covered the foundation of the Walls, but they underpropped it with Billets; &s;o that imploying as
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many Billets as they di&s;covered &s;tones, the Wall &s;tood firm. But le&s;t the noy&s;e of the Workers &s;hould be heard by tho&s;e in the Town, <HI>Cyrus</HI> cau&s;ed an a&s;&s;ault to be given at the other &s;ide of the Town, purpo&s;ely to draw the people thither, and bu&s;ie them, com|manding tho&s;e forces at the &s;ame time which were on that &s;ide where the Miners were, to make fal&s;e Alarums very often, that is, to make many great &s;houts, and as much noy&s;e as they could: But at the la&s;t, after they had di&s;covered enough of the Walls foundati|on, to hope for a rea&s;onable breach, and after they had underpropped it with as many Piles as were nece&s;&s;ary to uphold it, <HI>Cyrus</HI> cau&s;ed abundance of combu&s;tible &s;tuff to be brought unto the feet of the&s;e Piles, &s;uch as very dry wood, which was made apt to burn by pitch, brim&s;tone, and certain gums which they added to it; &s;o that when the houre of execution came, and all the Workmen retired out, and all things in readine&s;s, <HI>Cyrus</HI> about two houres afternoon, cau&s;ed fire to be put unto this huge ma&s;s of combu&s;tible matter, which he had placed at the feet of the&s;e Piles; &s;o the fire did kindle in an in|&s;tant, the Piles were con&s;umed immediately, the foundation of the Wall wanting Sup|porters did fall, and the Walls wanting foundation followed, &s;o this cau&s;ed the mo&s;t hor|rible object that ever could be beheld; for one might &s;ee at the mouth of the Cave a blooze of &s;everal coloured flames, mingled with a thick cloud of &s;moke; but the mo&s;t affrighting part was to &s;ee, when the foundation of the Wall failed, the horrid &s;ubver&s;ion which was in an in&s;tant, the Souldiers upon them peri&s;h in their ruines, a thou&s;and fla&s;hes of lightning flame flying up in the ayr, the terrible noy&s;e which the &s;tones made in their fall, the Battlements in &s;ome places, to tumble with &s;uch impetuo&s;ity, as that they reach|ed as far as the Sea; the du&s;ty &s;moke which was made by the falling of the Wall would not let one &s;ee a long time, whether the breach was con&s;iderable or no: But after the winde had a little di&s;&s;ipated the muddy mi&s;t in the Ayr, one might perceive that the breach was as much as one could wi&s;h: So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> cau&s;ing an a&s;&s;ault to be made, and finding no re&s;i&s;tance, becau&s;e this &s;trange invention had amazed the Enemy, they began to make a Sconce there: But at la&s;t, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> coming unto that place, and the Souldi|ers recollecting them&s;elves, they did mo&s;t couragiou&s;ly beat back the forces of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and hindred them from fini&s;hing the work which they had begun: The fight was very ob|&s;tinate and bloody. In the mean time, though the Wall in falling at the mouth of the Cave had choaked the fire which flamed thereout, yet there were &s;ome Crannies in this huge heap of ruines, out of which there came &s;o thick a &s;moke, as it deprived the Com|batants of light and knowledg, who friend, who foe: So that the Souldiers of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and tho&s;e of the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> not knowing what they did, fell in o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;uch a confu&s;ed di&s;|order, that tho&s;e of <HI>Cyrus</HI> thought the be&s;ieged had the advantage, and tho&s;e of the Town al&s;o thought that the A&s;&s;ailants had it: So as in this error and di&s;order both &s;ides retreated, and left the Sconce to it &s;elf; yet the &s;moke being vani&s;hed, the Souldiers of <HI>Cyrus</HI> were the fir&s;t who &s;aw it, and returned to the Combat, which they did &s;o pro&s;pe|rou&s;ly, that they fini&s;hed the Sconce and kept it. Whil&s;t they were getting this advan|tage on that &s;ide, <HI>Clearques</HI> obtained another on the other &s;ide where he did a&s;&s;ault; and he got &s;o much honour during this Siege, as <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave him a thou&s;and commenda|tions: All the Voluntiers approved them&s;elves mo&s;t brave men, e&s;pecially <HI>Megabates.</HI> This being the &s;tate of things, <HI>Pactias</HI> and <HI>Licambes</HI> did make another attempt, which was to get &s;ome men into <HI>Cumes</HI> by the way towards the Sea, and indeed they did happily be|gin the de&s;ign, never being di&s;covered by the Scouts; but <HI>Cyrus</HI> being adverti&s;ed of this enterprize, took hor&s;e immediately with <HI>Mazares</HI> and all the bravery of his Army, and went to look upon their Enemies, who &s;eeing they were di&s;covered, retired in &s;uch ha&s;t, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not overtake them: So that he returned to the Camp, where he found all things in a good condition, and looked upon <HI>Cumes</HI> as a Town that would be pre&s;ently taken: His greate&s;t perplexity was his fear, le&s;t the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;hould finde out &s;ome way to &s;teal away <HI>Mandana:</HI> Wherefore con&s;ulting with <HI>Mazares</HI> upon the be&s;t cour&s;e, he believed the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> repented of his giving Sanctuary unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> for involving him into all this mi&s;ery, it was thought expedient to offer him his Domini|ons if he would re&s;tore <HI>Mandana,</HI> and that he would give liberty to the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> becau&s;e he would not move him to betray a Prince unto whom he had given retreat: <HI>Cyrus</HI> hoping that if this Prince would not accept of this offer, yet it would &s;tir up the people again&s;t him, and would hinder the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> from carrying away <HI>Mandana:</HI> So that having &s;ent a Herald unto the Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> to tell him, that having &s;ome ad|vantageous Propo&s;itions to make unto him, he de&s;ired a man of &s;ome credence might be
<PB N="105" REF="634">
&s;ent to receive his intentions. This Prince, after a con&s;ult with the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> an|&s;wered, that their two intere&s;ts being in&s;eparable, he could not receive his me&s;&s;age with|out his participation, but that they would &s;end joyntly the next morning to know what the will of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was, that in the <HI>interin</HI> there might be a ce&s;&s;ation of Arms: Though this an&s;wer of the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> was not according to the wi&s;h of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> yet he took him at his word, and to obtain his ends, he re&s;olved to tran&s;act with equal genero|&s;ity unto his Rival: So that the next morning after the Truce was publi&s;hed, and after he who the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> &s;ent unto him, were come into the Camp; <HI>Cyrus</HI> would needs &s;hew him all his works, to the end the negotiation might better proceed: So that he carried him from Line to Line, from Fort to Fort, and let him &s;ee there was no hopes of ever relieving <HI>Cumes</HI> by Land: Al&s;o, what <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aid un|to him was &s;o full of genero&s;ity, that he could &s;ee no rea&s;on why any of his offers &s;hould be refu&s;ed, for he demanded of the Prince of <HI>Cumes Mandana</HI> only, and yet offered un|to the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> all the conditions which the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> heretofore offered from him, which was, an Army to reconquer his Dominions: I do not offer this, (&s;aid he unto the man) out of the lea&s;t doubt of taking <HI>Cumes</HI> pre&s;ently, but it is becau&s;e I am obliged unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> ever &s;ince I wore the name of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and ha|ving a high e&s;teem of the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> courage, I &s;hould be &s;orry any occa&s;ion &s;hould force me to ruine them, and to tell you truly, I de&s;ire to &s;horten the captivity of <HI>Man|dana,</HI> by a happy negotiation.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> did much oblige the man to whom he &s;poke, and without any un|worthy Propo&s;ition, he made him extreamly &s;atisfied with his genero&s;ity; but the more rea&s;onable the Propo&s;itions were, the more &s;harp were they unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and he laboured to put things unto the utmo&s;t extremity, and the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> pro|te&s;ted never to &s;hrink from his intere&s;t; and though he was mo&s;t de&s;perately in Love, yet he could not chu&s;e but con&s;ider, that &s;ince he was not able to keep <HI>Mandana,</HI> it were inju&s;tice wilfully to ruine a Prince who had given him retreat: But for all this, though he did know it to be both unju&s;t and imprudent, yet his pa&s;&s;ion had no ear to hear of any Propo&s;ition, which had any clau&s;e of <HI>Mandana's</HI> re&s;titution in it; yet notwith&s;tand|ing, not dare to tell the Prince of <HI>Cumos</HI> in plain terms, that rather then re&s;tore <HI>Man|dana</HI> into the hands of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he was re&s;olved to &s;ee both him and him&s;elf to peri&s;h, he gave him &s;uch language as might gain a little time, and if po&s;&s;ible recover &s;ome hopes; and therefore he thought it expedient to tell <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that they could not return him any po&s;itive an&s;wer, without imparting the&s;e Propo&s;itions unto the <HI>Xantheans,</HI> and <HI>Cauni|ans,</HI> and al&s;o until they knew from <HI>Pactias</HI> and <HI>Licambes</HI> in what condition their forces were, and therefore de&s;ired, until they were &s;atisfied in the&s;e things, that the Truce might continue; &s;o that they &s;ent back this an&s;wer unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who accepted of it, provided there were a time limited unto this negotiation, and that the term were not long; and thus the Truce was continued: The King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> &s;ent out an Envoy unto the General of their Army, and another unto the <HI>Xantheans</HI> and the <HI>Cauneans, Cyrus</HI> &s;ending Heralds with them to carry them thither, and to bring them back. In the mean time, the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who had never con&s;ented unto this negotiation, but that he might thereby have longer time to con&s;ider which way he might &s;ave him&s;elf, or at lea&s;t defer his ruine a little longer, he now pumped all his invention for an expedjent how to get <HI>Mandana</HI> out of <HI>Cumes:</HI> But whil&s;t he was vainly &s;eeking for that which was &s;o difficult to be found, <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> admired what was become of the <HI>A&s;&s;irian</HI> King, they could not imagine where he &s;hould be, nor how it was po&s;&s;i|ble he &s;hould be living, and not before <HI>Cumes:</HI> Somtimes <HI>Cyrus</HI> thought him dead, and otherwhiles had a jealous phancy that he was in <HI>Cumes,</HI> and &s;ome way or other tran&s;act|ing his ruine, though yet he could not imagine which way he was able to do it. In the mean while, the Truce being publi&s;hed as well in the Sea as Land-Army, there was a ge|nearl idlene&s;s among&s;t the Souldiers on both &s;ides, and a kinde of a dim image of Peace among&s;t them all.</P>
<P>Things &s;tanding upon the&s;e terms, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> being one morning upon the top of a Fort which he had made upon a hill in the Quarters of <HI>Mazares,</HI> he di&s;covered a Fleet, which with full Sail made towards his. He no &s;ooner &s;aw this, but his pa&s;&s;ion moving him to &s;u&s;pect &s;ome foul play, he changed colour, and would &s;end unto <HI>Cumes</HI> to clear his &s;u&s;pitions, but as he was upon the point of &s;ending, an Envoy came unto him from the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> who came to ask him whether this Fleet did
<PB N="106" REF="635">
come to &s;trengthen his Army, and whether he would keep within the limits of the Truce? So that knowing by this the Fleet were not his Enemies, he concluded they were for him, knowing how he had negotiated for Ships in &s;everal places, and indeed he was not mi&s;|taken. After this, he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed the Envoy with orders to a&s;&s;ure the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> that he would make no attempts until the Truce were ended or bro|ken: And as for the Fleet which appeared, they had no orders from him to approach, nor knew he from whence they came, yet he would ingage his word to make no u&s;e of them, until tho&s;e Princes had refu&s;ed the Propo&s;itions which he made them. After this Envoy was gone, <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;aw that <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> &s;ent out two little Ve&s;&s;els to meet tho&s;e which were making towards him, and that tho&s;e two Ships returned with the Fleet as friends towards <HI>Thra&s;ibulus;</HI> &s;o that rejoycing to &s;ee fre&s;h aid, he thought it would conduce much to make the people of <HI>Cumes</HI> revolt, if tho&s;e Princes &s;hould not ac|cept of tho&s;e offers which he made them: Al&s;o he conceived fre&s;h hopes of &s;eeing his dear Prince&s;s very &s;hortly, yet he was very impatient to know from whence this Fleet &s;hould come, but he was not long without full &s;atisfaction; for the two Fleets were no &s;ooner joyned, and tho&s;e who commanded them had conference, but <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> (according to the liberty of Truce) &s;ent <HI>Leontidas</HI> in a Barque with <HI>Philocles,</HI> who was Lievte|nant General unto him who commanded this Fleet unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to inform him of all pa&s;|&s;ages, &s;o that <HI>Leontidas</HI> arrived at the Camp ju&s;t as <HI>Cyrus</HI> entred into his Tent with <HI>Maza|res, Myr&s;iles,</HI> and many others: But to the end he might know how to receive <HI>Phi|locles,</HI> he went to <HI>Cyrus</HI> before him, and acquainted him, how <HI>Philocles</HI> was &s;ent by the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> who was then Queen of <HI>Corinth,</HI> after the death of the wi&s;e and valiant <HI>Periander</HI> her Father; and that he came to offer him from the Queen this Fleet which he &s;aw arrive.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner heard this from <HI>Leontidas,</HI> but he di&s;po&s;ed him&s;elf to receive <HI>Philocles</HI> with extraordinary civility, not only becau&s;e he did very much e&s;teem him, and becau&s;e he brought him powerful Auxiliaries, but al&s;o becau&s;e he came from one of the mo&s;t il|lu&s;trious Prince&s;&s;es in the world, whom he had &s;een very young when he travelled by <HI>Co|rinth.</HI> Having then appointed <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to go and entertain them whom &s;he had &s;ent, and <HI>Leontidas</HI> to hring him thither, <HI>Philocles</HI> was brought, who pre&s;ented a Letter unto him from the Queen of <HI>Corinth;</HI> which contained the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The <HI>Queen</HI> of <HI>Corinth</HI> to the invincible <HI>CYRUS.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>TO te&s;tifie how dear the remembrance of the illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> is unto me, and how much I intere&s;t my &s;elf in that glory which he hath gotten, I have &s;ent unto him the be&s;t Ships which are on our Seas, being extreamly &s;orry, that he would not acquaint me with his nece&s;&s;i|ties, but demanded aid from Princes, who could not help him with a more willing heart then mine: The Souldiers which I have made choice of to &s;end him, hath all of them heretofore re|turned from Wars with Lawrels on their heads under the late King my Father; and lest they &s;hould forget the art of vanqui&s;hing, I &s;hould be glad to have them fight under &s;uch a Con|querour as your &s;elf, nor can they a greater honour, then to have a helping hand in the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI>'s delivery, and fighting under your En&s;igns; and this is my advantage, that when you &s;hall &s;end them back, I &s;hall be more trrrible to my Neighbours; <HI>Philocles,</HI> who knows my thoughts of you, will more preci&s;ely interpret them; and if he follow my in&s;tructi|ons exactly will tell you, that I do ea&s;ily believe all the wonders which are reported of your life, and that there is none in the world who doth more honor your virtue then my &s;elf, nor who wi&s;heth your happine&s;s with more zeal then</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>CLEOBULINE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>This Letter being full of Noble expre&s;&s;ions, it did mo&s;t infinitely oblige <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who te&s;tified unto <HI>Philocles</HI> &s;o many cordial acknowledgments of this great Queens goodne&s;s unto him, as made it apparent, that his heart was mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible of &s;uch a generous over|ture. After this, <HI>Philocles</HI> acquainted <HI>Cyrus,</HI> how the Queen who &s;ent him under&s;tood that the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> had &s;ent &s;ecretly unto <HI>Corinth,</HI> to cau&s;e Ships of War to be
<PB N="107" REF="635">
made, and that &s;he was diligent to enquire (by &s;ome intelligence which &s;he hath in the Town) what might be his rea&s;on for arming? by which means &s;he came to under&s;tand, that it was becau&s;e he had given retreat unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who was e&s;caped from <HI>Sardis,</HI> and had taken the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> with him: <HI>Philocles</HI> further told him, that this great Queen &s;uppo&s;ing he knew where that Prince&s;s was, and not que&s;tioning but that he would pre&s;ently be&s;iege <HI>Cumes,</HI> &s;he made ready this Fleet which now &s;he &s;ent unto him, which could not po&s;&s;ibly come &s;ooner unto <HI>Cumes,</HI> becau&s;e of the contrary windes: <HI>Philocles</HI> extolled the e&s;teem which <HI>Cleobuline</HI> had of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> with &s;o many ag|gravations, and &s;uch eloquence, as it was evident he came from the Court of a Prince&s;s, where ignorance did not pa&s;s for a virtue, like many other Courts in the world: Though <HI>Cleobuline</HI> was very young when <HI>Cyrus</HI> was at <HI>Corinth,</HI> yet he remembred her to be then very fair, and of an admirable Spirit as well as beauty; and being obliged unto a more particular curio&s;ity, he asked <HI>Philocles</HI> a hundred que&s;tions, concerning this great Prin|ce&s;s and her Government; but the more <HI>Philocles</HI> an&s;wered, the more his curio&s;ity aug|mented, for he told him &s;uch wonders of this Queen in di&s;cour&s;ing with him, of her great &s;oul, &s;pirit, wit, prudence, ju&s;tice, liberality and goodne&s;s, as this Prince was all admiration, and had no longing de&s;ire to know more. In the mean time, to te&s;tifie how much he e&s;teemed of any thing that came from her, he &s;ent <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> un|to him, who commanded this Fleet, with &s;everal Barques loadened with all manner of things &s;uitable for a Pre&s;ent at Sea, keeping <HI>Philocles</HI> with him, and <HI>Leontidas</HI> al&s;o until the Truce was ended.</P>
<P>The next morning, he who commanded the Fleet, who&s;e name was <HI>Thimochares,</HI> came al&s;o to vi&s;it <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who treated him with magnificence worthy of him&s;elf, and worthy of that Queen whom he de&s;ired to honour, by honouring him who commanded her Arms. Since the Truce allowed him lea&s;ure enough, and &s;ince his hopes of &s;eeing his Prince&s;s at liberty had infu&s;ed much &s;erenity into his &s;oul, his civilities were more exact and regular then ordinary; therefore as often as <HI>Philocles</HI> and <HI>Timochares</HI> were with him, he talked with them continually of the Queen, of whom he &s;till heard &s;omthing that was admira|ble, and indeed &s;o many miracles, as would have &s;taggered his belief, and &s;u&s;pected <HI>Phi|locles</HI> and <HI>Timochares</HI> of gro&s;s flattery, if he had not known the fir&s;t of them to be a man mo&s;t &s;incere.</P>
<P>However, this Prince alwayes thought that he committed a crime when he thought of any thing but <HI>Mandana,</HI> and would not perhaps have been &s;o forward in the bu&s;ine&s;s of this Queen of <HI>Timochares,</HI> according to her orders, had he not asked him from her, whe|ther &s;he approved of her de&s;ign never to marry; advi&s;ing with him afterwards upon &s;e|veral things which related unto her Dominions: So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> infinitely wondred at the re&s;olution which this young and fair Queen had taken, and afterwards talking with <HI>Timochares,</HI> and then with <HI>Philocles,</HI> who for divers rea&s;ons wi&s;hed that this Queen would not &s;o ob&s;tinately per&s;i&s;t in her re&s;olution, <HI>Philocles</HI> re&s;olved to acquaint <HI>Cyrus</HI> with &s;ome|thing which almo&s;t none but him&s;elf could, to the end that he might advi&s;e <HI>Timochares,</HI> who had &s;ome credit with <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> to per&s;wade her not to per&s;i&s;t in her de&s;ign: So that after they had augmented the curio&s;ity of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> by a thou&s;and circum&s;tances con|cerning this Queen; and after <HI>Philocles</HI> had told him, that a relation of this Queens life would concern him, <HI>Cyrus</HI> who infinitely e&s;teemed <HI>Philocles,</HI> promi&s;ed to give him au|dience &s;ome night when every one was retired to their re&s;t. But before he would let him begin this relation, he asked him how <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> did? and how the &s;tate of his Love did &s;tand? Oh Sir (an&s;wered he, with &s;uch a &s;mile as te&s;tified that he was either cured of his pa&s;&s;ion, or happy) the &s;tate of my fortune is changed, &s;ince I left you in <HI>Armenia.</HI> Since I hope, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that the change is for the better, I &s;hould be glad to know it: Sir, replied <HI>Philocles,</HI> I am much obliged unto you for your expre&s;&s;ion, but in my acknowledgment of this honour, it would not be ju&s;t in me to trouble you with any long relation of my own adventures, &s;ince I have others more illu&s;trious to acquaint you with|all: It will be enough I tell you, that hope is a thing which a Lover never ought to lo&s;e, &s;ince never any had le&s;s grounds of hope then I had when I was at <HI>Jali&s;&s;a,</HI> after I heard the Husband of <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> was dead: Yet Sir, that extream aver&s;ion which I thought in|vincible, was &s;urmounted by my per&s;everance; and that heart, which with &s;o many &s;er|vices, &s;ighs and tears could not melt, was at la&s;t di&s;&s;olved by my con&s;tancy: So that when I did return unto <HI>Corinth,</HI> I did return the Husband of <HI>Phili&s;ta;</HI> at my arrival there
<PB N="108" REF="636">
I received a Letter from <HI>Thimocrates,</HI> which intimated unto me, that he had married <HI>Te|le&s;ile.</HI> Thus Sir tho&s;e two Lovers, whom you &s;aw in &s;uch a mi&s;erable condition at <HI>Sinope,</HI> as that none had misfortunes comparable unto theirs, are now both of them become mo&s;t happy, though then there was no likelyhood of their ever being &s;o: I a&s;&s;ure you, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I am infinitely joyed at it: I am infinitely obliged unto you, replied <HI>Philocles:</HI> But to return unto the Queen of <HI>Corinth,</HI> I &s;hall mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you Sir, not to &s;u&s;pect me of any flattery, when you &s;hall hear things reported of her; for believe it Sir, her merit is above all commendations or flattery: She was &s;o lovely and accompli&s;h|ed, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> when I was at <HI>Corinth,</HI> that I que&s;tion not but &s;he will merit the Cha|racter you &s;hall give her, therefore you need not <HI>Philocles</HI> to prepare me with any &s;uch Prologue. After this, <HI>Philocles</HI> began the relation thus.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;torie of <HI>CLEOBULINE Queen</HI> of <HI>Corinth.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THough it be the cu&s;tome of tho&s;e who relate the lives of any one to begin a far off, and to give as large a Character of the Ance&s;tors, as of the Party who is mo&s;t con|cerned in the adventure in hand, yet I do not intend to imitate them; therefore Sir, I &s;hall only hint unto you in a conci&s;e method, that <HI>Periander</HI> the Queen of <HI>Corinths</HI> Fa|ther was branched from the illu&s;trious Race of <HI>Heraclides;</HI> that his valour had rendred him a Conquerour of his Dominions, though his Ju&s;tice made him to raign quietly; that he had waged many glorious Wars, e&s;pecially again&s;t tho&s;e of <HI>Epidaurus,</HI> and that his great &s;oul had made him merit the name of wi&s;e, as well as his courage had got him the name of valiant. After this, I &s;hall tell you, that having lo&s;t the Queen, his wife, and two Sons, he died him&s;elf, and left the Prince&s;s his Daughter Queen of <HI>Corinth,</HI> at &s;uch an age as could not be imagined &s;he could bear out her Royal Authority as &s;he did: I know again Sir, that it is the cu&s;tome le&s;t Auditors &s;hould be &s;urprized at the extraordinary me|rits of a per&s;on, to relate how they were educated, and what they were taught, and to derive their Hi&s;torie even from their very Cradle: But &s;ince it is the Queen of <HI>Corinth</HI> I am to &s;peak, I will &s;hew you her upon her Throne, and not mention her further then &s;ince &s;he wore a Crown: Yet of her per&s;on Sir, &s;ince &s;he is much embelli&s;hed &s;ince you &s;aw her, it is requi&s;ite I &s;peak &s;omthing; yet &s;he is a little bigger then when you were at <HI>Corinth,</HI> for her &s;tature could never reach unto the rank of the middle &s;ort, but yet I a&s;|&s;ure you Sir, &s;he has all the Characters of Grandure and Maje&s;ty in her a&s;pect, &s;uch as imprints fear and reverence in the hearts of all that look upon her, though this be a pri|viledg which commonly is re&s;erved only to &s;uch unto whom Nature hath given a high and lofty &s;tature: But though <HI>Cleobuline</HI> be not &s;o high as her heart is great, yet in exchange, &s;he hath the faire&s;t grey eyes that ere were &s;een, her hair the lovelie&s;t fair in the world, her garb and behaviour &s;uperlatively rare; and though her No&s;e be a little above the true exactne&s;s of proportion, yet her phy&s;iognomy is &s;o Noble and Heroique, as it plea&s;eth infinitely, and as I &s;aid before, in&s;pires reverence into the hearts of all beholders: But Sir, I do not only render her commendable unto you, by the graces of her per&s;on; but al&s;o by the grandure of her &s;oul, the noblene&s;s of her inclinations, the genero&s;ity of her heart, and the incomprehen&s;ible altitude of her wi&s;dome and &s;pirit: For it is mo&s;t un|que&s;tionably certain, that never any one living had greater and more admirable qualities then this Prince&s;s hath, &s;he &s;peaks unto all Amba&s;&s;adors which come unto her Court in their own National language, and that with &s;uch eloquence, with &s;o much ea&s;e, and in &s;uch a grace, as puts them all to admiration. Moreover, her knowledg is not limited to the languages which &s;he &s;peaks and writes as well as her own, but there is no manner of Science whereof &s;he is not capable: Yet the thing which in my phancy merits mo&s;t e&s;teem is, that &s;he hath &s;uch a venerable opinion of all per&s;ons that are either knowing or virtuous, or excellent in any Art, that at this very pre&s;ent &s;he hath intelligencers in all places of the world to enquire out tho&s;e who have any extraordinary merit, and by this means there is not any man of any tran&s;cendent parts who hath not ta&s;ted of her liberality: For Sir, be plea&s;ed to know, that this great Queen doth give, as if the Gods had e&s;tabli&s;hed her to in|rich all the knowing men in the world; and certainly &s;he hath good rea&s;on for it to look upon them as her Subjects, &s;ince I am confident there is not one who does not re&s;pect her as if &s;he were his legitimate Queen; &s;he does not only give to tho&s;e who ask her, but un|to tho&s;e who never pretend unto any thing, &s;he gives quickly, &s;he gives much, &s;he gives
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with a good will, &s;he gives with joy, and liberality is a virtue, which &s;he practi&s;eth in &s;uch a Noble and Heroique manner, as &s;he never thinks &s;he gives too much: But the wonder of all is, that this virtue is no blinde hood-wink't virtue which be&s;towes without choice or di&s;cretion; but on the contrary, &s;he gives only unto tho&s;e whom &s;he thinks do merit her gift, yet &s;till mea&s;uring them by the rule of her own genero&s;ity, more then by the virtue of the Receivers; much rather chu&s;ing to give more then is de&s;erved; then not to give as much as her Quality, and liberal inclination prompts her unto. Moreover, this virtue of liberality, which is &s;o proper unto Kings and Princes, is not the only virtue which &s;hines in her, but al&s;o &s;he is exceedingly good, profoundly prudent, and exactly ju&s;t, &s;o ju&s;t that &s;he will violate all her &s;tronge&s;t inclinations, rather then do the lea&s;t in|ju&s;tice to the meane&s;t of her Subjects; and if this virtue which is the very Ba&s;is of all o|thers do at any time tran&s;gre&s;s, it is only when clemency prompts her to pardon &s;ome Noble Delinquent; indeed &s;he knows &s;o well how to mix the &s;everity of Ju&s;tice with the mildne&s;s of clemency, that from the&s;e two virtues do flow a milion of good effects, which makes her to be both feared and loved by all her people. Moreover, &s;he is able to give advice; &s;he is knowing in all affairs, and under&s;tands them &s;o admirably well, that it is a hard matter to po&s;e her in any thing; &s;he never frequents any but magnificent Fea&s;ts in her Court, and &s;tately recreations; but the predominate pa&s;&s;ion of her &s;oul is Love unto the Sciences, and &s;he may as well be called Queen of the Mu&s;es, as Queen of <HI>Corinth;</HI> and indeed they do in all places pay her homage, in perpetual Elogies and Panegeriques, both in Ver&s;e and Pro&s;e; the name of <HI>Cleobuline</HI> is celebrated in all places of the world, and her glory is above any additions. But Sir, to omit any relations of her Government, &s;ince we have nothing to do with the Politiques at this time: Be plea&s;ed to know, that there is a man in the &s;ame Court, who&s;e name is <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> who is not originally a <HI>Co|rinthian,</HI> &s;ince his Grandfather was a <HI>Laced<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">monian:</HI> This <HI>Myrinthus</HI> is a man of excel|lent parts, for he is not only tall, hand&s;ome, fair, and of a good Garb, but he has as much heart, and as much Spirit as any one can have: He had al&s;o this advantage, that his Grandfather and Father having both of them very Noble Fortunes, both of them had the mo&s;t honourable imployments in the State: By this means <HI>Myrinthus</HI> ever from his fir&s;t budding in the world, had much familiarity both with the Queen, and with all the men of highe&s;t Quality in <HI>Corinth:</HI> 'Tis true; <HI>Myrinthus</HI> was of a very con&s;iderable Rank in his Country; yet the truth is al&s;o, that Fortune carried him higher then his birth, but never higher then his virtue: Yet Sir, he need not be looked upon as the only foundation of tho&s;e honours which I &s;hall tell you he received, &s;ince I am very confident, that the Queen of <HI>Corinth</HI> had &s;ome rea&s;on to &s;ay, one never loves, but becau&s;e they cannot chu&s;e and becau&s;e there is &s;ome compul&s;ive power which forceth us, whether we will or no to love and hate, without any help of our rea&s;on: But Sir, &s;ince in order unto my de&s;ign I mu&s;t di&s;cover a &s;ecret unto you which few know, a &s;ecret which doubtle&s;s the Queen of <HI>Corinth</HI> would not have you know; therefore I mu&s;t tell you, that there is in our Court a Prince who&s;e name is <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> a man doubtle&s;s very amiable, both for the Qualities of his per&s;on, for tho&s;e of his wit, and tho&s;e of his &s;oul. Moreover, <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> looked &s;o neer the Crown, that by the Law he was to &s;ucceed <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> if &s;he married not. Thus Prince had ever a mo&s;t reverent and violent pa&s;&s;ion unto this Prince&s;s, but &s;ince &s;he made her &s;elf feared as well as loved, the Rank &s;he kept, did enjoyn him &s;ilence; yet I know very well that the Queen was not ignorant of his pa&s;&s;ion, though he never told her of it, and I am &s;ure that if &s;he did not love him, it was not becau&s;e &s;he was ignorant of his Love, but becau&s;e her &s;oul had a &s;ecret ingagement which &s;he her &s;elf knew not of: For Sir, let me tell you, <HI>Cleobuline</HI> was born with a mo&s;t &s;trong inclination unto <HI>My|rinthus:</HI> But that you may not wonder how I came to the knowledg of all the&s;e &s;ecret par|ticulars, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> who dwelt at <HI>Corinth,</HI> of whom you heard at <HI>Sinope,</HI> and who married the Brother of <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> &s;he, I &s;ay, was of confidence with the Queen a long time, and <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> being intimate with her, &s;ince her return from <HI>Corinth,</HI> I knew from her all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages which I relate unto you: I know therefore Sir (as I told you) that none can have a &s;tronger inclination to love another, then <HI>Cleobuline</HI> ever had to love <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and this affection was &s;o bred in her from the Cradle, as &s;he percei|ved not the greatne&s;s of it until &s;he was a Queen: She knew before that the &s;ight of <HI>My|rinthus</HI> did plea&s;e her more then the &s;ight of any other, that his company did more divert her, that in her eye he had a better Garb then any in the Court, that his cloaths did bet|ter become him, that he had a better grace then any el&s;e, that his Spirit was more plea&s;ing,
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ing, and that &s;he e&s;teemed him more then any &s;he knew, but &s;he thought all the&s;e to be pure effects of her rea&s;on, and of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> his merits, not thinking her inclination had any other ground: But the truth is, &s;he loved him, and knew it not; and &s;he went on &s;o long in this error, that her flame could not be quenched when &s;he di&s;covered it: As for <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> the va&s;t di&s;tance between the Quality of this Prince&s;s and him&s;elf, did &s;o limit his veneration of her virtues, as that it did not produce tho&s;e effects which per|haps it would have done, if <HI>Cleobulines</HI> quality had been equal unto his; for he knew very well, that in all rea&s;on he could not look upon her, but only with an eye of re&s;pect, and not with the lea&s;t thought of Love; he knew &s;he was the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed per&s;on upon earth, but this knowledg produced only of admiration, and if he did bear any af|fection to her, it was only to her glory, and to do her &s;ervice, but not unto her per&s;on; yet was he very officious in rendring mo&s;t exact reverence unto this Prince&s;s, becau&s;e be|ing of a very ambitious temper, and knowing &s;he was to be Queen, he conceived that &s;he might advance his fortunes, and indeed he was not mi&s;taken, for after <HI>Periander</HI> di|ed, <HI>Cleobuline</HI> conferred upon him one of the greate&s;t offices in the State; yet &s;he did believe that in conferring it, he would execute the office better then another, and that what &s;he did was conducible to her &s;ervice: But &s;he was not long in this ignorance of her own heart, for &s;he began pre&s;ently to conceive that &s;he was not her own Mi&s;tre&s;s. Since <HI>Myrinthus</HI> had this Queen in high veneration, &s;ince he was obliged unto her, and &s;ince he expected much from her, doubtle&s;s he failed not in any thing of duty to her as the Queen of <HI>Corinth,</HI> yet &s;he confe&s;&s;ed &s;ince unto <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> and <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> that &s;omtimes, though &s;he knew no rea&s;on for it, yet &s;he was not &s;atisfied with his ob&s;equiou&s;ne&s;s, with his re|&s;pects and &s;ervices, and that &s;he was vexed at him though &s;he did conceal it, and not be|ing able to reach the cau&s;e, &s;he knew not whereof to complain. Thus not knowing what her heart would have of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> &s;he only knew that &s;he was not contented: But though the&s;e di&s;orders did often take her, without any outward expre&s;&s;ions of them, yet &s;he could not believe that &s;he was in Love with <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and &s;he had rather accu&s;e her &s;elf of being phanta&s;tical, then of entertaining any &s;uch pa&s;&s;ions as that in her heart; yet for all that, &s;he confe&s;&s;ed, &s;he had once &s;ome &s;u&s;pitions of &s;uch a thing, which &s;he rejected with a &s;trange violence; adding, that &s;he would not admit of any <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">uch thoughts into her &s;oul, which &s;he &s;hould be obliged to combat withall, and which &s;he thought perhaps al|ready that &s;he could not ea&s;ily vanqui&s;h: So that deluding her &s;elf, &s;he continued loving <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and would not know it; &s;he never called her heart to give an accompt of its &s;ecre&s;ies, as at other times &s;he u&s;ed: So that in &s;ome &s;ort &s;ubmitting her rea&s;on unto the conduct of her pa&s;&s;ion, this illu&s;trious heart was &s;o ingaged to love <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> that when it would have di&s;ingaged it &s;elf, it was not in its power. In the mean time, <HI>Myrin|thus</HI> was as happy as a man could be that was not in Love, for the Queen ca&s;ting a favour|able eye upon him, all the Court Courted him, and he ta&s;ted all the &s;weets that ambiti|on u&s;eth to afford tho&s;e who&s;e projects pro&s;per. <HI>Myrinthus</HI> never asked any thing of the Queen which he obtained not, and &s;he often gave him when he did not ask, her ear was alwayes ready to his de&s;ires, all the friends of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> were &s;ure to finde protection, and it may be &s;aid, that he was infinitely happy and knew it not. <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> for his part, though he dur&s;t never &s;peak a word of his pa&s;&s;ion unto the Queen, and he was not loved &s;o well as he wi&s;hed, yet he was not very mi&s;erable; for be&s;ides his hopes that time and his &s;ervices might move her heart, he had this con&s;olation al&s;o to know, that if ever &s;he married, all rea&s;on and policy in the world would require &s;he &s;hould marry him: So that contenting him&s;elf with that natural civility which this Prince&s;s u&s;ed towards him, he li|ved in tranquility enough, his hopes of being hereafter loved, &s;weetning his &s;orrows for not being loved at the pre&s;ent. As for the Queen, it may be &s;aid, that &s;he had neither Ro&s;es nor Thorns in her Love; for &s;he had neither the &s;weetne&s;s to be loved, or almo&s;t to know that &s;he loved, nor was &s;he &s;tung with that re&s;tle&s;s angui&s;h which that pa&s;&s;ion often procures, &s;ince &s;he was neither angry, nor impatient, nor jealous, yet &s;he was not long in this &s;erenity of &s;oul, which kept her ignorant of her hearts ingagement, and &s;he &s;oon perceived that Love is a mo&s;t dangerous pa&s;&s;ion. But Sir, to let you know how the Queen of <HI>Corinth</HI> came to know the &s;tate of her own heart, be plea&s;ed to under&s;tand Sir, that <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> had a Si&s;ter named <HI>Philimena,</HI> who then was one of the greate&s;t Ornaments of the Court; not that her beauty was &s;o exact, but becau&s;e &s;he had &s;uch a &s;weet agree|ment of features as was preferable before beauty: <HI>Philimena</HI> was of a brown complexion, yes extreamly brown, &s;he was rather little then great, every part of her face was not re|gularly
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hand&s;ome by it &s;elf, but being put together, &s;he was fair and infinitely charming, &s;he had bright, &s;weet, and lively eyes, her mouth was infinitely hand&s;ome, her teeth were admirable, and had a plumpne&s;s which gave her an ayr of youth that did extreamly well become her: But above all the&s;e, &s;he had &s;uch a kinde of &s;weet Gallantry in her per&s;on, as &s;he plea&s;ed all that &s;aw her. Moreover, &s;he had an attractive Spirit, and &s;uch a Spirit as was able to keep tho&s;e Conque&s;ts which her beauty made: You may well imagine Sir, that <HI>Philimena</HI> having the honour to be the Queens Cozen, and being Mi&s;tre&s;s of &s;o much merit, that &s;he was often with her, and that there was no Fea&s;t in the Court whereat &s;he was not: So that by this means <HI>Myrinthus</HI> did &s;ee <HI>Philimena</HI> every day, either with the Queen, or at her own lodging, or in &s;ome other place. But at la&s;t Sir, he &s;aw her &s;o often, that he &s;aw her too often, for he fell mo&s;t de&s;perately in Love with her: Since as I told you, he was naturally ambitious, he never oppo&s;ed a pa&s;&s;ion which had &s;uch a No|ble cau&s;e, nor ever went about to hide it, not being &s;orry they &s;hould report him to be in Love with the Si&s;ter of that man, who in all likelyhood was to marry the Queen; &s;o that finding in one per&s;on a fit &s;ublect to &s;atisfie his love and ambition both, he applied him&s;elf highly to Court <HI>Philimena;</HI> but the be&s;t conceipt was, that he built all the hap|py &s;ucce&s;s of his de&s;ign upon the Queens favour, never dreaming what thoughts &s;he had of him; yet he did not carry it at the fir&s;t as pretending to marry her, but as a man, who preferred her before all the Court, and could not chu&s;e but love her: Since he thought it would avail him, that the Queen &s;hould think him in love with <HI>Philimena,</HI> hoping that &s;he would further the bu&s;ine&s;s, he was as forward to make the Queen know it, as <HI>Phili|mena,</HI> knowing that <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> would not deny the Queen any favour, and &s;o he thought the enjoyment of <HI>Philimena</HI> did depend as much upon <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> as upon <HI>Philimena</HI> her &s;elf.</P>
<P><HI>Myrinthus</HI> then having the&s;e thoughts, was excreamly diligent to make the Queen be|lieve him as amorous as he was, and lo&s;t no opportunity to per&s;wade her that he was not able to live without <HI>Philimena,</HI> he would &s;omtimes on &s;et purpo&s;e when <HI>Philimena</HI> was with the Queen, fail in tho&s;e re&s;pects which he owed unto <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> onely to let her &s;ee the greatne&s;&s;e of his affection to <HI>Philimenat:</HI> You may imagine Sir how the Queen was troubled at this knowledg, I a&s;&s;ure you it was &s;o great, as now &s;he knew what &s;he was ignorant of before, for &s;he could never tell what was in her heart, until <HI>Myrinthus</HI> thus loved <HI>Philimena.</HI> But as &s;oon as it appeared to be Love, there was no po&s;&s;ibility of hiding this pa&s;&s;ion of her &s;oul from her &s;elf, and &s;he had enough to do to hide it from others; &s;he would not at fir&s;t believe her own thoughts, but did &s;trive to be|lieve that the rea&s;on why the love of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to <HI>Philimena</HI> did vex her, was becau&s;e his de&s;ign was too ra&s;h, and with too little re&s;pect unto her: Yet &s;he had no &s;ooner accu&s;ed <HI>Myrinthus</HI> of ra&s;hne&s;s, but &s;he found &s;omthing el&s;e in her heart, all her thoughts were in &s;uch a ravelled di&s;order, as &s;he was fain to examine them one after another, to know what it was From whence proceeds (&s;aid &s;he to her &s;elf, and called all her thoughts to an account) this great turbulency in my heart, &s;ince <HI>Philimena</HI> conquered the heart of <HI>Myrinthus?</HI> What intere&s;t have I in the Conque&s;t, that I &s;hould de&s;ire to oppo&s;e it? and what expect I from a man whom Fortune hath made &s;o much my inferiour? I know not well what I would have (&s;aid &s;he and chid her &s;elf) but I know very well that I would not have him love <HI>Philimena:</HI> But can it be po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould love <HI>Myrinthus</HI> more then I thought I did? <HI>Myrinthus</HI> who who is a thou&s;and degrees below me, <HI>Myrinthus</HI> who loves not me, nor thanks be to the Fates knows that I love him: No; fie, fie, <HI>Cleobuline</HI> is not capable of &s;o much weakne&s;s, &s;he is too zealous an adorer of glory to love <HI>Myrin|thus,</HI> though he &s;hould infinitely love her.</P>
<P>At the&s;e words <HI>Cleobuline</HI> &s;topt, and was a while in examination of her &s;elf; but not being able to be her own Judg, &s;he broke out into expre&s;&s;ions again: However (&s;aid &s;he and blu&s;ht) this &s;ame <HI>Cleobuline</HI> who is &s;uch a lover of glory, and who thought &s;he had not loved <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> cannot endure that he &s;hould love <HI>Philimena,</HI> and finds &s;omthing in her heart which tells her, &s;he &s;hould not be &s;orry if he loved <HI>Cleobuline:</HI> But what's this I &s;ay? (&s;aid &s;he and reprehended her &s;elf) am I in my wits? and can I approve of my own thoughts? No, no, I utterly di&s;claim them if they be unworthy of my &s;elf, I will magnanimou&s;ly contend with my &s;elf for my own glory; and &s;ince all the world com|mends me, I will not give them any cau&s;e to blame me: Surmount <HI>Cleobuline</HI> this <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">&s;ila|nimity which thou ha&s;t di&s;covered in thy heart; and never con&s;ent that the Daughter of the wi&s;e <HI>Periander</HI> &s;hould be capable of &s;o much folly, nor that the Daughter of a great and valiant King &s;hould be &s;o poorly ba&s;e. But is Love a voluntary thing? (&s;aid this Prin|ce&s;s
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to her &s;elf) Is it not a pa&s;&s;ion? And yet I argue as if one might love or hate, whom, and when, and how they plea&s;e. Oh you mo&s;t ju&s;t Gods (cried &s;he out) I would what I &s;ay now were true? and that I could hate <HI>Myrinthus?</HI> 'Tis much better to be unju&s;t then weak: Proclaim war again&s;t thy &s;elf <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> and to make the Conque&s;t more ea&s;ie, imagine, that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> hath done thee an injury, to re&s;pect thee as he hath done; and that he hath affronted thee by loving <HI>Philimena,</HI> that he was obliged to gue&s;s at tho&s;e thoughts which you had of him, and to an&s;wer them, and let him pa&s;s for a perfidious and ungrateful man, who &s;hould know that you loved him and he never love you: But alas, &s;aid &s;he, how can I accu&s;e <HI>Myrinthus?</HI> He does not love me, 'tis true; but the rea&s;on is becau&s;e he thinks that he ought not to pre&s;ume to love me, if he had any &s;u&s;pition that I loved him, had he not then done me wrong? and had I not good cau&s;e to be offended at him? of what then can I accu&s;e <HI>Myrinthus?</HI> can I accu&s;e him of any ra&s;h|ne&s;s in loving <HI>Philimena,</HI> &s;ince I think him not worthy to look upon my &s;elf? If I mu&s;t finde a cau&s;e, (&s;aid &s;he) either in him or my &s;elf to hate him, or at lea&s;t not to love him: Is it not cau&s;e enough; that he is the cau&s;e of that weakne&s;s whereof I accu&s;e my &s;elf? Is it not a &s;ufficient cav&s;e to drive him from my heart, that he di&s;turbs the tranqui|lity of my life? Bani&s;h him then couragiou&s;ly <HI>Cleobuline</HI> from that place where he does not know he is, and raign over thy &s;elf as Soveraignly as over thy Subjects. After this violent conte&s;t; this Prince&s;s thinking that &s;he did not love <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he de|&s;ired it, did what &s;he could to keep clo&s;e unto her re&s;olutions, and to gain that victory at one blow, and put her &s;elf to the la&s;t te&s;t, &s;he appointed many daies of Hunting, and other recreations, where <HI>Philimena</HI> and <HI>Myrinthus</HI> alwayes were; &s;he gave the Bal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> unto <HI>Philimena</HI> very often, thinking to accu&s;tome her &s;elf to &s;ee <HI>Myrinthus</HI> with <HI>Philimen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> without any other &s;orrow or intere&s;t. Thus &s;triving to quench that flame which burned in her heart towards <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> &s;he augmented the flames of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to <HI>Philimena,</HI> by giving him &s;o many occa&s;ions of &s;eeing her; and &s;he her &s;elf would &s;omtimes cau&s;e <HI>Phili|mena</HI> to an&s;wer the affection of <HI>Myrinthus;</HI> for indeed, &s;ince <HI>Cleobuline</HI> intended to con|quer her &s;elf, during the&s;e three daies of fea&s;ting and diver&s;ions, &s;he expre&s;&s;ed as much friend&s;hip unto <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> as he expre&s;&s;ed love to <HI>Philimena:</HI> So that by this means the fair and young <HI>Philimena</HI> &s;eeing her Lover in &s;uch favour with the Queen, did al&s;o look upon him with a more gracious eye. <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> who feared nothing more then to di&s;plea&s;e <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> dur&s;t not expre&s;s any mi&s;like that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> courted his Si&s;ter. Thus the Queen, without any conque&s;t of her &s;elf, helped <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to conquer the heart of <HI>Philimena,</HI> who certainly e&s;teemed him with as much affection as her virtue would permit her.</P>
<P>But whil&s;t <HI>Cleobuline</HI> was contributing unto the felicity of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> &s;he di&s;turbed her own; for the more &s;he &s;aw him, the le&s;s able &s;he &s;aw her &s;elf to cea&s;e loving him, and to en|dure &s;he &s;hould love <HI>Philimena,</HI> when &s;he &s;aw him talk in a low voice unto that fair &amp; young Lady, &s;he would change colour, her heart would beat a Lovers pace, and &s;u&s;pecting that he was expre&s;&s;ing his affection, her &s;oul &s;uffered inexpre&s;&s;ible tortures: If he at any time chanced to commend <HI>Philimena,</HI> &s;he was &s;trangely troubled, and if <HI>Philimena</HI> com|mended <HI>Myrinthus, Cleobuline</HI> could not hold from contradicting her, though &s;he e|&s;teemed <HI>Myrinthus</HI> above all the world. In the mean time, though the Queen found a &s;trange rebellion in her heart, and that there was a continual contrariety betwixt her rea|&s;on and her &s;elf, yet &s;he did ob&s;tinately &s;trive many daies to vanqui&s;h her pa&s;&s;ion; but at la&s;t, &s;he found that all her attempts were in vain, and that the mo&s;t &s;he could do was to hide it; and &s;he thought that al&s;o to be a piece of difficulty, unle&s;s &s;he &s;hould hide her &s;elf and all: And indeed <HI>Cleobuline</HI> not being able to re&s;train her &s;elf, did feign &s;ickne&s;s, to the end &s;he might not &s;ee either <HI>Myrinthus</HI> or <HI>Philimena,</HI> hoping &s;till that this ab&s;ence from them might recover her liberty, yet this re&s;traint and retreat had not that operation which &s;he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">: For when <HI>Myrinthus</HI> was out of her &s;ight, &s;he imagined him alwayes <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Philimena:</HI> So that in he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of relea&s;ing her mind, &s;he did the more ingage it. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> de&s;iring to know where <HI>Myrinthus</HI> was, &s;he would &s;end &s;eve|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> office, and &s;till &s;he was told, that they found him <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> blowed by the bellows of jealou&s;ie, in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> that &s;he would accu&s;e her own folly and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> much in her favour, and more in her <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> would have her with her even at tho&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, &s;ince this Prince&s;s <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">
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turally merry, <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> much wondred to &s;ee her &s;o melancholy, not being able to imagine what the cau&s;e was, for &s;he was infinitely adored by all her people, peace and abundance did flow over all parts of her Dominious, all her Neighbours States did highly e&s;teem her, her reputation reached over all the world, and there was nothing vi&s;ible which could mole&s;t her happine&s;s: So that <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> &s;eeing &s;uch an alteration in the Queen, re|&s;olved to take the liberty of asking her the cau&s;e, at the fir&s;t opportunity which offered it &s;elf; and &s;he was not long before &s;he found it, for the Queen did her &s;elf give it one night when they were alone together: Tell me truly <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> &s;aid the Prince&s;s to her, Do you not de&s;ire to know the cau&s;e of my melancholy? Did I as well know how to di|vine your Maje&s;ties thoughts, replied &s;he, as you do mine, I &s;hould quickly &s;atisfie my curio&s;ity of knowing what it is that troubles you: The truth is Madam, the condition wherein I &s;ee you makes me mo&s;t &s;adly inqui&s;itive, for knowing you to be wi&s;e and pru|dent, I am mo&s;t confident you are not melancholy without a cau&s;e, and not knowing what it is which di&s;quiets you, I thought it the duty of my love to you, to be &s;orry in your behalf.</P>
<P><HI>Cleobuline</HI> hearing <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> &s;peak &s;o feelingly, and knowing that &s;he did love her with m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> tenderne&s;s, &s;he re&s;olved to unburthen her heart, &s;ince it was not po&s;&s;ible that any one &s;oul &s;hould contain all tho&s;e re&s;entments which &s;he had of her own glory, of her love to <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and of her jealou&s;ie of <HI>Philimena:</HI> But &s;ince &s;he was &s;trangely a|&s;hamed of her own weakne&s;s, &s;he drew the Ti&s;&s;ue Curtain of that bed whereon &s;he &s;ate, to the end that darkne&s;s might hely her in di&s;covering unto <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> tho&s;e torments of her &s;oul. After that, &s;he had prepared <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> with a long preamble, and <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> had pro|mi&s;ed inviolable fidelity, &s;he began to &s;peak as if &s;he had committed &s;ome horrid crime: You have good rea&s;on <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto her) to &s;ay I am changed from what I was; for the truth is, I am not that woman whom all the world takes me to be; I know very well that I have the happine&s;s of a reputation high enough, and that all Princes do either e&s;teem me, or look upon me with an eye of envy, yet I mu&s;t tell you, tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> if they knew my heart, they would look upon me either with an eoe of pity, or el&s;e with an eye of &s;corn: Oh Madam (replied <HI>Ste&s;ilea)</HI> the la&s;t of the&s;e can never be: Yes, replied the Queen, &s;ooner then the fir&s;t, if my condition were but known: But <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> the great|e&s;t comfort of my misfortune is, that I hope none will ever know it, and that though I tell it unto you, yet it will &s;leep in eternal oblivion. Certainly Madam you may be con|fident, an&s;wered <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> that I will never reveal any &s;ecret which you &s;hall honour me with the participation; therefore I be&s;eech your Maje&s;ty to tell me what it is which di&s;|quiets you, that I may endeavour a remedy. As &s;oon as I offer to open my mouth, re|plied <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> to tell you the cau&s;e of my mi&s;ery, anger and &s;hame &s;huts it again: I cannot finde words to expre&s;s my thoughts, and I do finde &s;uch a confu&s;ion in all my thoughts, that I can give no order unto my words; one while I would de&s;ire you to ex|cu&s;e my folly, before I acquaint you what it is; &s;omtimes I have a de&s;ire to tell what the matter is and pre&s;ently after I alter my mind, and re&s;olve to tell you nothing at all; therefore my dear <HI>Ste&s;il<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a,</HI> if you can gue&s;s what the cau&s;e of my grief is: But hold (&s;aid &s;he and reprehended her &s;elf) I would not have you gue&s;s, and though you have &s;ome &s;uch &s;u&s;pition, I conjure you not to tell it, for if you &s;hould gue&s;s it, I &s;hould believe all the world might do the like, and &s;o I &s;hould be the mo&s;t mi&s;erable Prince&s;s upon earth. Since <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> naturally had a pa&s;&s;ionate &s;oul, &s;he knew by the manner of the Queens di&s;|cour&s;e, that love was that cau&s;e of her &s;orrows, but yet &s;he could not imagine with whom it &s;hould be that &s;he was in Love, but very &s;weetly replied, that &s;ince &s;he de&s;iree to know no farther then &s;he was plea&s;ed to allow her, &s;he would not dive deeper into the bu&s;ine&s;s then her Maje&s;ty plea&s;ed: Though I am per&s;waded, (&s;aid &s;he) that one may impart all things unto one that is faithful: But Madam (&s;aid &s;he purpo&s;ely to &s;erue out the &s;ecret) what can it be that is &s;o di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="3 letters">cult to be di&s;covered? All the world knows all your actions to be innocent and mo&s;t illu&s;trious, and if you be culpable in any thing, certainly there is none that can te&s;tifie again&s;t you but your &s;elf, and that perhaps for entertaining &s;ome thoughts which were too high: Oh <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> replied the Queen, ambition is no part of my crime, were I as f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ee from all other pa&s;&s;ions as from that, my &s;oul would be at more tranquility; but &s;ince I mu&s;t tell you that which I cannot conceal, know <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> that there is one in the world, who whether I will yr no, hath &s;uch a &s;hare in my heart, as that I cannot hate him, though I would, and though I have a &s;trange de&s;ire unto it: I thought (replied <HI>Ste&s;ilea)</HI> that your Maje&s;ty had &s;ome horrid de&s;ign to &s;ubvert all the Lawes of
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your Dominions, to begin &s;ome unju&s;t war, and to e&s;tabli&s;h &s;ome tyrannical Government, &s;ince you did &s;o highly accu&s;e your &s;elf; but for ought I &s;ee you are culpable of nothing, unle&s;s in that you will not permit one to adore you, or in that you have not hated &s;ome il|lu&s;trious Slave, who doubtle&s;s doth love and adore you with a mo&s;t reverent pa&s;&s;ion: Ah <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> my fate is wor&s;e then you imagine it, and &s;ince I mu&s;t di&s;cover the very root of my heart unto you, know, that I love one who knows it not, and one who loves another, yet &s;uch is the violence of my Love; that I cannot chu&s;e but love him, nor can I endure he &s;hould love another, though I would not have him know I love him, nor that he &s;hould ever tell me that he loves me, though he did; I pray therefore judg <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> whe|ther my condition be not deplorable; and whether I have not good rea&s;on to be much a|&s;hamed of my weakne&s;s: Since I cannot condemn your Maje&s;ty (replied <HI>Ste&s;ilea)</HI> un|le&s;s I &s;hould condemn my &s;elf, I be&s;eech you give me leave to tell you, that I cannot ac|cu&s;e you at all, for &s;ince I know you are not ignorant of my cruel di&s;a&s;ter at <HI>Jali&s;&s;a,</HI> where I fell in love with a man, who made me the confident of his affection unto another, I thought good then to accu&s;e and condemn my &s;elf as your Maje&s;ty doth: But I mo&s;t hum|bly be&s;eech you Madam, who is this happy man that hath made this illu&s;trious Conque&s;t? This Conquerour, replied <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> is the Slave of <HI>Philimena:</HI> Judg therefore <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> if I have not good rea&s;on to be a&s;hamed, for though I know you are culpable of the &s;ame crime that I am, yet I cannot excu&s;e my &s;elf, and to &s;ay the truth, there is &s;ome diffe|rence betwixt you and me, for he whom you loved was your equal, and you were not ob|liged to render an accompt of your actions unto any but your &s;elf: But <HI>Ste|&s;ilea,</HI> I mu&s;t render an accompt of mine unto all the world, I have a tran&s;cendent glory to pre&s;erve, and I prefer that glory above my life; yet I love one of my Subjects above my &s;elf, and which is wor&s;e, I love him, and am not loved, but &s;ees him de&s;perately in love with another; had I &s;o much happine&s;s as to be &s;o blinded by my pa&s;&s;ion, that I could think my &s;elf in no fault, I &s;hould be le&s;s mi&s;erable, and more excu&s;eable, but to my torment, the Gods have left me &s;o much rea&s;on as to &s;ee my own weakne&s;s, and yet have not left me power enouhg to &s;urmount it: But Madam, replied <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> to ju&s;tifie you by your own words, is it not &s;ufficient to &s;top all accu&s;ations, that you have done all you were able to &s;ubdue the pa&s;&s;ion of your &s;oul? For truly Madam, I cannot conceive that virtue con&s;i&s;ts in having no pa&s;&s;ions, Nature gives them unto all, and they can never be totally &s;ubdued but by death; I am confidently per&s;waded, that &s;o the&s;e pa&s;&s;ions prompt us not unto any thing which is again&s;t true glory, we are not culpable, though we cannot &s;ubdue them; therefore Madam, in lieu of accu&s;ing you, as you do your &s;elf, you ought to be commended, for &s;triving &s;o couragiou&s;ly again&s;t that which is the mo&s;t powerful of all pa&s;&s;ions; and you ought to con&s;ider with a little more tranquility, which way you may vanqui&s;h them, or render them le&s;s intollerable. As for vanqui&s;hing them, replied the Queen, I will never hope for it, though I am re&s;olved to &s;trive as long as I live; and as for making them le&s;s intollerable, the way is very difficult to be found. Moreover <HI>Ste&s;i|lea,</HI> there is one thing which doth extremely torment me, for I am per&s;waded that if <HI>My|rinthus</HI> knew my thoughts of him, they would &s;tagger his &s;idelity unto <HI>Philimena;</HI> and &s;omtimes again I have thoughts, that the Crown I wear keeps him from loving me: I be|lieve I have an infallible way to make him break off with <HI>Philimena,</HI> but it is a way I will never take, for there is nothing in the world I fear more, then that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;hould know I love him: Then Madam, &s;aid <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> What will content you? That I had never loved <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> replied &s;he: For to talk of cea&s;ing from loving him, is to talk of a thing impo&s;&s;ible, neither my heart nor my rea&s;on will ever con&s;ent unto it: Then Madam, re|plied
<HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> I cannot ea&s;ily think you can be in &s;uch a mi&s;erable condition, but you may finde out wayes to be happpie: Truly <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> replied <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> the &s;tate of my fortune is &s;uch, that I know no way to happine&s;s, but only to wi&s;h it: For &s;ince the fate of <HI>My|rinthus</HI> is not &s;it to be a King, I cannot be any thing el&s;e but a lump of misfortunes, yet I do conceive &s;omthing that would render me &s;omthing le&s;s mi&s;erable then I am: I be&s;eech you Madam, &s;aid <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> what is it that will be any ea&s;e unto your mi&s;ery? I would have <HI>Myrinthus</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) not to love <HI>Philimena,</HI> but would have him love me, but love me without ever telling me of it, or without ever knowing that I love him, and I would have all the world ignorant of that pa&s;&s;ion which was in our &s;ouls: I pray judg then <HI>Ste|&s;ilea,</HI> whether there be any po&s;&s;ibility of my happine&s;s, truly I can never pretend unto &s;o <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ch as to hope it, all that I wi&s;h is, that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> did not love <HI>Philimena;</HI> yet truly I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">told you my wi&s;h, but &s;hame moves me to alter my opinion, for I feel my
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love to <HI>Myrinthus</HI> converts it &s;elf into hatred again&s;t my &s;elf, and that my jealou&s;ie of <HI>Philimena</HI> turns fury again&s;t my own rea&s;on; therefore <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> I will pau&s;e a while un|til &s;econd thoughts have better dige&s;ted my fir&s;t, and until I am better re&s;olved upon what I would have you do: This is a mo&s;t certain and infallible Maxime which is for ever unal|terable, that I will never do any thing that &s;hall be oppo&s;ite unto glory, and that <HI>My|rinthus</HI> &s;hall never know that I love him. After this, <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> had a long conference with <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> at the conclu&s;ion of which nothing was re&s;olved upon; yet this Queen found &s;ome ea&s;e in her &s;pirits, &s;ince &s;he had di&s;charged her heart unto <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> who&s;e tender and pa&s;&s;ionate &s;oul was very fit to be a confident of &s;uch a Noble pa&s;&s;ion, and ever &s;ince &s;he was in&s;eparable from the Queen, who could not live without her: So that according to the cu&s;tome of all Courts, which is, that as &s;oon as any is admitted into the favour of the Kings or Queens, they are Courted by all the Court: So <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> by her new admittance into the Queens favour, was loadened with civilities and addre&s;&s;es: <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> him&s;elf was very compliant with her, and among the re&s;t <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> as powerful as he was with the Queen, yet Courted the friend&s;hip of <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> to the end &s;he might procure him that Queens con&s;ent unto his de&s;ign of marrying <HI>Philimena;</HI> &s;o that by this means &s;he was upon very good terms with <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> who not knowing the cau&s;e of this new favor, did attribute it as all the re&s;t of the Court did, unto the merit of <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> and unto the recommendati|on of the Prince&s;s <HI>Eumetis;</HI> with whom &s;he &s;pent all the beginning of her life. Thus <HI>Myrinthus</HI> not knowing the true cau&s;e of tho&s;e many favours wherewith the Queen ho|noured <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> did Court her favour, in hopes of her doing him a good office by fa|vouring his de&s;ign. Moreover, in order unto this de&s;ign, he became more ob&s;equious, more exact, more re&s;pectful, and more compliant about the Queen; but the more re|gularly he demeaned him&s;elf, the more did her love and her jealou&s;ie both begin to flame; the more ob&s;equious he was, the more &s;he thought him amiable; but al&s;o con&s;idering that his rea&s;on for being &s;o officious about her was, only becau&s;e he was every day more in love with <HI>Philimena,</HI> a &s;piteful jealou&s;ie did &s;o rouze her heart, as &s;he phancied as much plea&s;ure in hindering <HI>Myrinthus</HI> from marrying <HI>Philimena,</HI> as this Lover did in enjoying her, So that con&s;ulting about it one day with <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> &s;he both prayed her, and conju|red her, to contribute all her endeavours unto the breaking off of this match: I know well (&s;aid &s;he unto her) that I can do it my &s;elf by virtue of my Soveraign authority, but there is two &s;trong rea&s;ons which re&s;train me: The fir&s;t is, becau&s;e I am extreamly afraid that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> would gue&s;s at the cau&s;e, and therefore I will not run that hazard: The &s;econd is, (if I could not do it without a blu&s;h) becau&s;e I would not have <HI>Myrin|thus</HI> hate me, as doubtle&s;s he would, if he &s;hould know it to be I who broke off his mar|riage; therefore <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> I conjure you to imploy all your wits to make him alter his opi|nion of <HI>Philimena,</HI> or at lea&s;t to keep him from marrying her; not that I do intend that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;hall ever know I love him, though you &s;hould effect my de&s;ired project; but it is &s;o great a plea&s;ure unto any one who is in love, to qua&s;h any pa&s;&s;ion that &s;hall oppo&s;e their own, as I would do any thing in the world to &s;ee <HI>Myrinthus</HI> out of love with <HI>Philimena:</HI> I profe&s;s <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) if you can drive her out of the heart of <HI>Myrin|thus,</HI> you &s;hall have as great a &s;hare in my heart almo&s;t as he hath; for then I imagine I &s;hall with le&s;s pain hide that pa&s;&s;ion which thus rants it in my heart, I &s;hal more ea&s;ily van|qui&s;h it, or at the lea&s;t &s;hall love him le&s;s.</P>
<P><HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> hearing <HI>Cleobuline</HI> expre&s;s her &s;elf &s;o earne&s;tly, did promi&s;e all her endeavours for her &s;atisfaction, and ineeed &s;he omitted no opportunity of tran&s;acting it: Since &s;he knew <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to be very ambitious, &s;he undertook one day to per&s;wade him, that to marry &s;o &s;oon was the only way to choak all his ambitious thoughts, &s;ince Fortune is al|wayes more favourable unto tho&s;e who are not married, then unto tho&s;e who are: After|wards, &s;he told him he was undi&s;creet, in thinking of any alliance with a Prince whom the Queen loved not, and that if he would take her coun&s;el, &s;he would advi&s;e him to devote him&s;elf in&s;eparably to the Queen, without any thoughts of any other intere&s;t. But &s;ince <HI>Myrinthus</HI> was chained in the Fetters of Love, the policie of <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> did not reli&s;h; and though he was very ambitious, yet he could not fear what &s;he de&s;ired he &s;hould; there|fore he told her, that he &s;hould not recede from the intere&s;ts of the Queen by marrying <HI>Philimena;</HI> but on the contrary, &s;hould more adhere unto them, &s;ince &s;he was the Si&s;ter of a man, who mu&s;t almo&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity (if ever the Queen marry) marry her: So that <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> &s;eeing &s;he could not work upon the &s;pirit of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> &s;eemed to yeeld unto his opinion, to the end he might &s;till think her one of his friends: And &s;he plotted another
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&s;tratagem to ruine his pa&s;&s;ion, which was: to intimate unto <HI>Philimena</HI> by a friend of hers, who was very intimate with her, that &s;he did her &s;elf the greate&s;t wrong in the world, by thinking to marrie <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> who though indeed he was a verie accompli&s;hed man, yet was of too inferious qualitie for her. But &s;ince <HI>Philimena</HI>'s &s;oul was more &s;en&s;ible of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> his merits, then of any ambition, this coun&s;el was given in vain: So that <HI>Ste|&s;ilea</HI> &s;eeing &s;he could no way quench the&s;e flames of affection in either of them, yet &s;he re|&s;olved to hinder their marriage, and thought &s;he had found an excellent way for it. I told you alreadie Sir, that <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> did verie much Court the friend&s;hip of <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> to the end &s;he might do &s;ome good offices to the Queen, of whom he extremely doted. And I al&s;o told you, that the rea&s;on why he did not thwart the affection of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to <HI>Philimena,</HI> was becau&s;e he feared to incen&s;e the Queen, by cro&s;&s;ing the man that was &s;o much in favour with her: Now I mu&s;t tell you Sir, that <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> could not devi&s;e any bet|ter way to choak the de&s;igns of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> then by <HI>Ba&s;ilides:</HI> So that talking one day with him, &s;he ordered her di&s;cour&s;e &s;o hand&s;omly, that &s;he began to talk of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and his love to <HI>Philimena.</HI> After this, <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> did &s;o prepare his Spirit, that &s;he ingaged him unto her de&s;ires, and moved him to ask her what the Queen thought of that bu&s;ine&s;s. <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> finding that <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> was brought unto her own bow, &s;he went on as hand&s;omly as &s;he begun: At fir&s;t &s;he told him, that &s;he did not verie well know the Queens thoughts, and that if &s;he did, yet &s;he ought not to tell them; afterwards, yeelding by degrees unto the reque&s;t of <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> &s;he made him &s;wear a thou&s;and oaths to be faithful unto her: After that, &s;he told him, how &s;he knew certainly that this marrying would di&s;plea&s;e the Queen, and that the Queen wi&s;hed with all her heart it were broken off, without her be|ing &s;een it. Alas <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> to her) the matter had never gone &s;o far, if I had not feared the Queens di&s;plea&s;ure in oppo&s;ing it: But &s;ince you a&s;&s;ure me, that &s;he doth not approve of this marriage, and that I &s;hall not incur her disfavour by breaking it off, it &s;hall be quickly qua&s;hed.</P>
<P><HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> hearing <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> &s;peak with &s;o much violence, feared le&s;t &s;ome quarrel &s;hould be betwixt <HI>Myrinthus</HI> and him; therefore to prevent any &s;uch di&s;a&s;ter, &s;he told him fur|ther, that he &s;hould not by any means cro&s;s the&s;e de&s;igns with a noi&s;e, becau&s;e the Queen would not take it well that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;hould be openly affronted, but that his be&s;t cour&s;e would be to make u&s;e of the Prince&s;s his Mother to command <HI>Philimena</HI> from any thoughts of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and to treat him as a man whom &s;he would never mar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ie. <HI>Ba|&s;ilides</HI> followed <HI>Ste&s;ilia</HI>'s coun&s;el with a thou&s;and thanks, not thinking that in breaking of the marriage of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> he tran&s;acted again&s;t him&s;elf. In the mean time, <HI>Ste&s;ilia</HI>'s &s;tratagem was not long before it took effect, for <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> having &s;et on the Prince&s;s his Mother, <HI>Philimena</HI> was put into a &s;trange perplexitie: Since &s;he did mo&s;t tenderly affect <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> &s;he could not upon any terms re&s;olve to treat him ill. Al&s;o being exceeding|ly tender of her glorie, &s;he was verie loath to di&s;obey the commands of a Mother: So that taking the middle way, and that &s;he might neither lo&s;e <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> nor di&s;obey the Prin|ce&s;s her Mother, &s;he re&s;olved to acquaint him with the commands which was upon her: At fir&s;t &s;he had much ado to re&s;olve upon this cour&s;e, knowing verie well that &s;he could not do it without being very obliging towards him: But at la&s;t, love being predominate, &s;he re&s;olved to tell him, and to de&s;ire him he would &s;ee her no more; and all this in &s;uch obliging language, as &s;he had not ingaged him &s;o much to &s;ee her, if &s;he had ab&s;olutely commanded it; for he made a thou&s;and vowes that he would &s;ee her in &s;pite of all the world, and told her peremptorilie, that he would leave her; yet <HI>Philimena</HI> would not upon any terms let him &s;ee her at her own lodging; but in lieu therefore they agreed to &s;ee each other at the Queens. Thus <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> in doing this Prince&s;s a good office one way, did her an ill one another way, for &s;he helped her unto the object which of all the world &s;he lea&s;t de&s;ired to &s;ee, to wit, <HI>Myrinthus</HI> often with <HI>Philimena:</HI> But afterwards, <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> being a&s;&s;ured by <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> that the Queen de&s;ired that the marriage might be broken off, he ob|liged the Prince&s;s his Mother to carry <HI>Philimena</HI> into the Country, &s;o that this ab&s;ence was an intolerable torment to <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> yet he was not a &s;ufferer by him&s;elf, and per|haps this is the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">that ev<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> the ab&s;ence of a Rival cau&s;ed &s;orrow; yet certainly <HI>Cleo|bul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"></HI> could not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> upon <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;o &s;ad for the ab&s;ence of <HI>Philimena,</HI> without ex|treme pa&s;&s;age happened which was a great addition to her per|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, that &s;he being obliged to make a great Fea&s;t for the en|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Amba&s;&s;adors which came to her Court, <HI>Myrinthus</HI> appeared in &s;uch <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">if he were neither to &s;ee, or be &s;een by any, he thinking that &s;ince
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<HI>Philimena</HI> was not there: it was no matter for dre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf; and knowing that &s;he had a friend in Court who would &s;end her word of every pa&s;&s;age, he hoped that this his negligence would be recompenced another way, not fearing at all that the Queen would intere&s;t her &s;elf in it. In the mean time, this trivial pa&s;&s;age do &s;o incen&s;e her &s;orrows, as &s;omtimes &s;he was in hopes not to love him any longer; but this hope was quickly qua&s;ht. Did ever any &s;ee &s;uch an odd adventure? (&s;aid &s;he one night unto <HI>Ste&s;ilea)</HI> all that I ever do to cure my &s;elf, or to comfort me, doth more augment my mi&s;erie: The ab&s;ence of <HI>Philimena,</HI> from which I hoped for &s;uch &s;weetne&s;s, cau&s;eth nothing but bitterne&s;s; and I had rather &s;ee <HI>Philimena,</HI> then &s;ee that &s;orrow for her in the face of <HI>Myrinthus:</HI> Is it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould be capable of &s;uch phanta&s;tical thoughts? I am confident, that tho&s;e who &s;ee me enter into any Clo&s;et &s;o often by my &s;elf, do think that I am meditating upon &s;ome grand de&s;igns, and that the good of the &s;tate is all my thoughts: Yet weak woman, that I am bu&s;ied only in thinking whether <HI>Myrinthus</HI> be &s;ad or plea&s;ant, whether <HI>Myrinthus</HI> be hand&s;om or negligent in his cloaths: Ah <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> what thoughts are the&s;e? Call to memory what heretofore thou wa&s;t: Read over all the Elogies that were pre&s;ented to thee, to the end they may put thee in mind of de&s;erving them, and be unto thy &s;elf the &s;ame thou &s;eeme&s;t to be unto others: Thou art talked on over all the world, as if thou wert a Lover of virtue and glorie, and yet thou love&s;t <HI>Myrinthus</HI> who loves not thee, though thou knowe&s;t verie well, that thou can&s;t not do it without doing that which is un|worthy of thy qualitie: Thou love&s;t <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> I &s;ay, who loves none but <HI>Philimena,</HI> and who ought not to enjoy thy affection, though he did love thee as well as he loves her: Be thy own Judg <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> what ba&s;ene&s;s of &s;oul it is to do as thou do&s;t: Con|&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly with thy &s;elf, what abundance of folly it is to be a Slave unto thy own un|ruly pa&s;&s;ions: Remember how the wi&s;e <HI>Periander</HI> thy Father hath told thee a thou&s;and and a thou&s;and times, that tranquility of mind was the greate&s;t goodne&s;s; that this tran|quilitie of mind was in the &s;oul, like health to the body, without which one could not en|joy any manner of plea&s;ure: Recall thy memorie, and think how he told thee, that the love of glory was the only innocent pa&s;&s;ion; quench tho&s;e flames of affection which is in thy &s;oul unto <HI>Myrinthus;</HI> con&s;ider, that thy whole re&s;t and glorie con&s;i&s;ts in conquering thy &s;elf, and thy crime does lie clo&s;e in the &s;ecret corners of thy &s;oul, yet it will pro|cure thee as much &s;hame as if it were publique: How can&s;t thou without a blu&s;h receive tho&s;e commendations which are given thee, &s;ince thou knowe&s;t thy &s;elf unwor|thy of them? How can&s;t thou enjoy the e&s;teem of others, when thou do&s;t not e&s;teem thy &s;elf? Con&s;ider <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly, that if <HI>Myrinthus</HI> whom thou thus adore&s;t, and &s;o tenderly loves, did but know of thy pu&s;ilanimious affection to him, he would e|&s;teem thee le&s;s, and perhaps &s;corn thee; never be &s;o &s;imple as to think, that if he knew of thy affection to him, he would then quit <HI>Philimena;</HI> but be confident on the contrary, that he would hate thee, It &s;eems Madam, (&s;aies <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> and interrupted her) that love is a pa&s;&s;ion which you are not acquainted with, &s;ince you think to vanqui&s;h it by rea&s;on or violence: Alas my dear <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto her) with what other armes would you have me vanqui&s;h my &s;elf? Would you have me &s;ubmit and render my &s;elf without a|ny re&s;i&s;tance? No Madam (replied <HI>Ste&s;ilea)</HI> but in wi&s;hing you to ruine your pa&s;&s;ion, I would not have you ruine your &s;elf: But <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> replied &s;he, what would you have a per&s;on do, who&s;e heart is as full of &s;hame as love, as full of jealou&s;ie as &s;hame, and as full of anger as jealou&s;ie? What would you have a Prince&s;s do, who has a thou&s;and oppo&s;ite thoughts in her &s;oul? Who would &s;omtimes alwayes &s;ee <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and &s;omtimes again never &s;ee him; who &s;omtimes wi&s;heth &s;he knew how he loves him, and who in a minute after believe, that &s;he &s;hould die for &s;hame if he did know it, who hates <HI>Philimena</HI> with as much violence as &s;he loves <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and who often hates her &s;elf, even unto death? Somtimes my dear <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> all the extraordinary pa&s;&s;ages in Hi&s;tory cau&s;ed by Love comes into my memory. I finde &s;ome Kings of <HI>Egypt,</HI> who have made Slaves Queens; and I think I have read of &s;ome Queens who have made Slaves Kings: From hence my rea&s;on wandered, and looked upon <HI>Myrinthus</HI> as one of Noble Qualitie and extraordinary merit; I thought his hand &s;trong enough to hold up the weight of a Scepter, and that he who raigns in my heart might well reign in my Kingdomes. But after the&s;e fond and unworthy imaginations had roven in my mind, my rea&s;on began to rouze, and di&s;per&s;e tho&s;e mud|die Clouds which ob&s;cured it, and made me &s;o abhor my own thoughts, that I hated both her who entertained them, and him al&s;o who was the &s;ubject of them; judg then <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> what a re&s;tle&s;s life I l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ve; and the greate&s;t horror of all is, that in the conclu&s;ion of all my
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raptures, I &s;till find <HI>Myrinthus</HI> innocent, and <HI>Myrinthus</HI> worthy of my e&s;teem: For truly he is a man of courage, &s;pirit, and fidelity, and if I could not look upon him as my &s;ubject I had all the rea&s;ons in the world to be contented with him, yet I complain and know not why I accu&s;e and ju&s;tifie him, I excu&s;e and condemn my &s;elf all at once; yet there is al|wayes in my heart &s;uch a de&s;ire of glory, as often moves me, maugre the violence of my pa&s;&s;ion, to render thanks unto the Gods that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> loves me not, though this be the thing which mo&s;t of any thing upon earth grieves me. But I had no &s;ooner rendred thanks unto them for &s;uch a cruel favour, then I was readie to petition, that they would in&s;pire the heart of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> with the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion that they did mine. Thus being to&s;&s;ed from one turbulent thought unto another, I found not re&s;t in any. After all the&s;e violent expre&s;&s;ions, the Queen was &s;ilent: At la&s;t &s;he told <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> that &s;he thought it &s;o unworthy a thing to take &s;o much fruitle&s;s pains in breaking off the marriage of <HI>My|rinthus,</HI> as &s;he would meddle no further in it, but was re&s;olved to leave it to a hazard a while: For I am per&s;waded (&s;aid &s;he) that I do but augment the love of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> by all my ob&s;tacles.</P>
<P>This re&s;olution being pitched upon, <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> cea&s;ed her negotiations. In the mean while, <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> who&s;e pa&s;&s;ion would never let him re&s;t, endeavoured to gain <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> who indeed was per&s;waded by one of his friends, that for the advancement of his de|&s;igns upon the Queen, it extremely concerned him not to incen&s;e <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> who was &s;o gracious with her; but yet he was at a &s;tand in the bu&s;ine&s;s, for he knew by <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> that the Queen did not approve of his de&s;ign to marrie <HI>Philimena;</HI> yet he him&s;elf knew, that one could not be more in her favour then he was, and therefore he thought it con|cerned him to link him unto his intere&s;ts: So endeavouring not to appear in con&s;enting unto a marriage which the Queen di&s;liked, and not to hinder <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> he re&s;olved to tru&s;t him, and to tell him upon what rea&s;ons he oppo&s;ed his de&s;ign, not caring to &s;acri|fice his Si&s;ter unto his Love. After the place where they might talk in &s;ecret was appoint|ed, <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> told <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> that the rea&s;on why he oppo&s;ed his affection was, becau&s;e <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> a&s;&s;ured him that the Queen did not approved of it: After which, linking their in|tere&s;ts together, <HI>Myrinthus</HI> promi&s;ed <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> to &s;erve him in all things that he was able, and <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> promi&s;ed <HI>Myrinthus</HI> not to oppo&s;e him any more, provided he got the Queens approbation. In the mean while, <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> to begin his favours, cau&s;ed <HI>Philime|na</HI> to return unto <HI>Corinth,</HI> upon &s;ome &s;light colour of the bu&s;ine&s;s. But as the grief which the Queen &s;aw in the countenance of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> during <HI>Philimena's</HI> ab&s;ence did muh perplex her; &s;o the joyes which &s;he &s;aw in him at her return, did drive her into ab|&s;olute di&s;pair.</P>
<P>Yet for all this, the &s;atisfaction of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> was not over-full of tranquilitie, for now knowing that the Queen was not ignorant of his de&s;ign, he found it more difficult to bring it to pa&s;s, then when he thought <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> only did oppo&s;e him: It was in vain to &s;earch out the cau&s;e, for he &s;aw that he was as much in her favour as ever; and he did not &s;o much as ever &s;u&s;pect, that &s;he thwarted his pa&s;&s;ion, only becau&s;e he was too deep in her heart; yet he thought it his be&s;t cour&s;e to &s;eem as if he were ignorant of her di&s;approving of his pa&s;&s;ion; and he thought al&s;o, that if he had as much confident boldne&s;s as to ask her favour unto his de&s;ign, that perhaps &s;he would not deny it. Thus after he had well con&s;ulted upon the matter with <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> and with <HI>Philimena,</HI> it was re&s;olved that he &s;hould take that cour&s;e, and a verie favourable opportunitie did offer it &s;elf, &s;ince <HI>Myrinthus</HI> had done a verie con&s;iderable piece of &s;ervice to the Queen, in negotiating with Amba&s;&s;a|dors from <HI>Lacedemonea,</HI> who were then at <HI>Corinth,</HI> which he tran&s;acted with &s;o much wi&s;dom and &s;pirit, that it may well be &s;aid he prevented a great and dangerous War. <HI>My|rinthus</HI> &s;poke not a word of his de&s;ign unto <HI>Ste&s;ilea;</HI> for &s;ince &s;he was not &s;o open-bre&s;t|ed to him as <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> he had no mind to &s;peak unto her of it, le&s;t &s;he &s;hould di&s;&s;wade him, or el&s;e by her telling <HI>Cleobuline</HI> of it, &s;he might have more cau&s;e to deny him, by giving time to &s;tudie her rea&s;ons for not con&s;enting unto his de&s;ires. After he had well thought upon it, he went one morning to the Queen at &s;uch an houre, when he knew he might have the conveniencie of talking with her, and he went with abundance of hopes to &s;peed well; for when he remembred what honours he had received from this Prince&s;s, the great offices &s;he had given him, and all things &s;he had done for him, it could not &s;ink into his belief, that &s;he would deny him the only thing which crowned all his felicities; therefore he re&s;olved that if he found any difficulty in obtaining his de&s;ires, then to ag|gravate his affection unto <HI>Philimena</HI> in &s;uch a manner unto <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> that &s;he &s;hould &s;ee
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he could not live without her. <HI>Myrinthus</HI> then having thus re&s;olved upon the matter, and being come unto the Queen, he behaved him&s;elf as he was wont, when he had bu&s;i|ne&s;s of importance to talk on: So that <HI>Cleobuline</HI> gave him the opportunitie of talking with her in private, without the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition of the truth, imagining he would tell her &s;omthing which related unto his office; but &s;he wondered, when &s;he knew by the verie fir&s;t words of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> that &s;he was mi&s;taken: Did I not know Madam, (&s;aid he un|to her) that I have the honour to be known very well unto your Maje&s;tie, I &s;hould have cau&s;e to fear, that in lieu of granting me a mo&s;t humble Petition, which I intend to pre|&s;ent unto you, that you &s;hould accu&s;e me of ra&s;hne&s;s, and of extreme ambition. After all that I have done for you <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> replied &s;he, I have verie little rea&s;on to accu&s;e you of ra&s;hne&s;s; and I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I cannot under&s;tand what you can de&s;ire of me, which may move me to think you ambitious: Yet Madam I am &s;trangely afraid your Ma|je&s;tie &s;hould mi&s;take one pa&s;&s;ion for another, and that I having an intention to beg your Maje&s;ties leave to love <HI>Philimena,</HI> and to protect me again&s;t <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> you &s;hould think me not contented with your benefits, but that I would draw others upon my &s;elf by this illu&s;trious alliance: But Madam, I mu&s;t prote&s;t, that ambition is not the cau&s;e of my bold|ne&s;s; and if I had only that pa&s;&s;ion in my &s;oul, I &s;hould certainly be the happie&s;t man a|live: For indeed Madam, you have honored me with &s;o many offices, and put me upon &s;uch glorious imployments, that I know not how to wi&s;h any greater: But Madam, if your Maje&s;tie will be plea&s;ed to let me open my heart, to the end I may excu&s;e my bold|ne&s;s, I &s;hall tell you, that Love is the tyrannical pa&s;&s;ion of my &s;oul, which moves me to Petition your Maje&s;tie with abundance of earne&s;tne&s;s to grant my de&s;ire: If you had been only ambitious, (replied <HI>Cleobuline</HI> and blu&s;ht) you &s;hould &s;ooner obtain your de&s;ires; for &s;ince I am as well able to &s;atisfie the gu&s;ts of that pa&s;&s;ion, as you can de&s;ire them, I &s;hould perhaps continue on my favours to you; but to intere&s;t me in matters of Love, and &s;uch a Love as yours, this <HI>Myrinthus</HI> is a thing which I cannot meddle in: Many rea&s;ons, be&s;t known unto my &s;elf, which I cannot impart unto you, makes me di&s;like your de&s;ired Marriage, yet not that I think you unworthy of <HI>Philimena:</HI> For to te&s;tifie unto you (ad|ded &s;he) being tran&s;ported with raptures of Love) that I do not deny my a&s;&s;ent out of any di&s;advantageous thoughts of you, I do confer upon you the be&s;t office in my Domini|ons, which you became vacant of lately. Alas Madam, replied <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> rather command me to &s;urrender all tho&s;e honours you have formerly conferred upon me, then deny me <HI>Philimena.</HI> Since Love is often a fading pa&s;&s;ion, replied &s;he, and &s;ince ambition on the contrary, is a pa&s;&s;ion which follows tho&s;e who are once tainted with it, even unto death, when the Gu&s;ts of your Love is a little blown over, you will be glad I &s;atisfied your ambi|tion. I be&s;eech you Madam, replied <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> judg not of me according unto the com|mon Rules of others; and believe that I am more amorous then ambitious, and ever &s;hall be &s;o. Since that belief will not be advantagious unto you, an&s;wered the Queen, I will not entertain it, but will continue in the &s;ame opinion I was. I know verie well Madam, replied <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> that you may ju&s;tly denie me all things, and I cannot ju&s;tly complain: But &s;ince the pa&s;&s;ion which raiges in me is not accu&s;tomed to acknowledg any Soveraign|tie unto rea&s;on, I cannot chu&s;e but tell your Maje&s;tie, that it is &s;omthing &s;trange you &s;hould denie me this favour which I do ask of you, after conferring &s;o many favours upon me which I never asked, all which are nothing to me without this: Yes Madam (&s;aid <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> being tran&s;ported with the violence of his Love) <HI>Philimena</HI> is &s;o e&s;&s;entally nece&s;&s;arie unto the felicitie of my life, that I cannot live without &s;ome hopes of enjoy|ing her: As for hope (replied <HI>Cleobuline</HI> with extream grief and anger) I will not take it from you, for &s;ome men will often hope again&s;t all manner of probabilitie, but as for <HI>Phili|mena,</HI> I will never per<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> it; &amp; if you marrie her, it &s;hal be without my con&s;ent: I know verie well, &s;aid &s;he; that after &s;o much goodne&s;s as I have formerly extended towards you, it may &s;eem &s;omthing &s;trange I &s;hould denie you a thing which you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o earne&s;tly de&s;ire, and denie it without giving you any rea&s;on for my denial: But know <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> that this rea&s;on is of &s;uch a nature, as I cannot tell it; yet it is &s;o &s;trange a rea&s;on, that it is invin|cible; and if you did know it, you would confe&s;s, that if you were in my room, you would do the like: And I a&s;&s;ure you, it will not be a greater difficultie for you to ca&s;t off <HI>Phili|mena,</HI> then for me to con&s;ent that you &s;hould ever think on her; therefore <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;o|licite me no more in the matter, for all will be in vain: Let if &s;uffice, that of two pa&s;&s;i|ons. I &s;hall &s;atisfie that which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> u&s;ed to be mo&s;t difficult to content; and if you will be happie, over come the other couragiou&s;ly. Alas Madam (&s;aid <HI>Myrinthus</HI> and &s;ighed)
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it &s;eems your Maje&s;tie is only a lover of glorie and virtue, &s;ince you think it &s;uch an ea&s;ie matter to drive out of my heart a hot-burning pa&s;&s;ion which keeps a mo&s;t violent po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ion. No, no, <HI>Pbilimena</HI> will not out &s;o ea&s;ily: Doubtle&s;s I may re&s;olve not to marry her and die, but I cannot leave loving her and live; therefore Madam, it is in your choice, whether you will glve me death or <HI>Philimena:</HI> The reverent duty which I owe your Ma|je&s;ty, tan go no further: If you doom me to death, I will endeavour to receive it without murmure, but if you grant me life and <HI>Philimena,</HI> what would I not do to te&s;tifie my ac|knowledgments? Con&s;ider Madam, I be&s;eech yoo, that your la&s;t words will be a &s;entence either of life or death unto a man whom you have &s;o much e&s;teemed, as to honour him with abundance favours and benefits: Con&s;ider I &s;ay, that if you permit me to enjoy <HI>Phi|limena,</HI> I &s;hall &s;erve you all the re&s;t of my life with unutterable zeal: And con&s;ider al|&s;o, that if you forbid the bains tho&s;e cruel words will be poy&s;on, which pa&s;&s;ing from your mouth into my ears, will pa&s;s from my ears unto my heart, and there mo&s;t infallibly will be my death, a death the mo&s;t &s;evere and tormentive in the world, &s;ince pronounced by the greate&s;t Queen upon earth, and whom I held in &s;uch reverent e&s;teem; for the mo&s;t certain truth is Madam, that I have yeen as zealou&s;ly devoted unto your glory, as unto <HI>Philimena;</HI> and I do prote&s;t, that I am as faithful a &s;ubject unto you, as I am a faithful lover unto her: Then yeeld obedience, replied <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> unto tho&s;e orders which I command, and obey them willingly: I wi&s;h unto the heavens Madam that I could, re|plied he, but &s;ince I cannot unle&s;s I die, I be&s;eech you command them no more; let it &s;uffice I wi&s;h that I loved <HI>Philimena</HI> le&s;s; and believe it I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you, that if I were able to quench tho&s;e flames which offend you, I &s;hould mo&s;t joyfully do it, knowing very well, that a Prince&s;s who&s;e heart is &s;en&s;ible only of glorie, would the more e&s;teem me, if mine were not &s;o &s;en&s;ible of Love: But the ca&s;e is unalterable with me Ma|dam, 'tis you mu&s;t pronounce the fatal words of life or death: Live then (&s;aid <HI>Cleobu|line</HI> unto him, &s;carce knowing what &s;he &s;aid) but live without <HI>Philimena,</HI> unle&s;s you will both live and die in my di&s;plea&s;ure: I will live Madam if I can, replied he, &s;ince you command it; but &s;ince I am confident that I cannot, I &s;hall die in my &s;orrows that I can|not know why I die; but I &s;hall die with this &s;atisfaction, that I &s;hall die the mo&s;t faith|ful, though the mo&s;t unfortunate of all your Subjects. After this, <HI>Myrinthus</HI> made a mo&s;t low and reverent Conge unto the Queen with &s;uch a &s;ad and drooping countenance, that any other then a Lover would have pitied him. No &s;ooner was <HI>Myrinthus</HI> gone out of the Queens Clo&s;et, but <HI>Stefilea</HI> entred, and &s;he was no &s;ooner entred, but <HI>Cleobu|line</HI> commanded that none el&s;e &s;hould enter; and then &s;he related unto her all the pa&s;&s;a|ges between <HI>Myrinthus</HI> and her &s;elf, and that with &s;o much agitation of &s;pirits, that the pa&s;&s;ion of her &s;oul was very di&s;cernable: Did you know, &s;aid &s;he unto her, with what zealous earne&s;tne&s;s <HI>Myrinthus</HI> asaed leave to marrie <HI>Philimena,</HI> you would wonder how I could denie him, or you would wonder I &s;hould not hate him, and admire how I could conceal the jealou&s;ie of my &s;oul, yet to my un&s;peakable mi&s;erie, the more he &s;eemed in Love with <HI>Philimena,</HI> the more he blew the flame of my affection unto him: Alas (&s;aid I unto my &s;elf whil&s;t he was talking) how happy &s;hould I be, if <HI>Myrinthus</HI> were as affe|ction unto me, as unto another? and when he prote&s;ted that he was as much devoted un|to my glorie as unto <HI>Philimsna,</HI> I had much ado to withhold from &s;aying, that his neere&s;t way of happine&s;s was to be as much devoted unto my per&s;on as unto my &s;ervice: But thanks be to the heavens, my rea&s;on rowzing up to aid me, I abhorred a thought &s;o ba&s;e and unworthie of my &s;elf, and I was more then half re&s;olved to allow the marriage of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> with <HI>Philimena,</HI> thereby to drive <HI>Myrinthus</HI> out of <HI>Cleobulines</HI> heart; but my mouth would not obey the offers of my minde, which neither my heart nor rea&s;on did not command&punc;</P>
<P>Thus my dear <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> I have denied <HI>Philimena</HI> unto <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and I have &s;till kept <HI>Myrinthus</HI> in my heart, notwith&s;tanding his extream love of <HI>Philimena;</HI> yet <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> the&s;e violent flames of affection which I &s;aw in his &s;oul, did in&s;pire &s;uch <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> mine, and I could not be more angrie if <HI>Myrinthus</HI> had been ungrateful and perfidio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ut pre|&s;entlie after my anger cea&s;ed, and I accu&s;ed my &s;elf of the mo&s;t horrible <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> in the world Indeed I mu&s;t confe&s;s unto my &s;hame, that one could not be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">u&s;t then I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> bu&s;ine&s;s, for as violent as my affection to <HI>Wyrinthus</HI> was, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ould never <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> that he &s;hould know it; and that though he had loved me, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">id not allow <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;o much boldne&s;s as to sell me of it; &s;o that it mu&s;t needs b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> the greate&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">olly and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> in the world to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Myrinthus</HI> mi&s;erable: But for all that, I pha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">
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&s;o great a con&s;olation in &s;eeing him out of love with <HI>Philimena,</HI> and I found &s;o much de|light in making my &s;elf believe that he loved me, and knew not that I loved him, as I could not by any means con&s;ent that he &s;hould either love or marrie <HI>Philimena;</HI> yet for all this, I am per&s;waded that he will marrie her, maugre all my commands to the contrarie; and that he will force me to bani&s;h him my Court, to withdraw all my favours from him, and to puni&s;h him for contempt of my authoritie: But alas what's this I talk, &s;aid &s;he, Can I think of bani&s;hing <HI>Myrinthus</HI> my Court, &s;ince I cannot bani&s;h him my heart, that there is much more ju&s;tice in that, then in bani&s;hing him out of my Dominions: For my part Madam, replied <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> I am not of your opinion, for I am per&s;waded that <HI>Myrin|thus</HI> will not marrie <HI>Philimena</HI> without your con&s;ent: Though he do not marrie her with|out my con&s;ent, replied <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> yet a&s;&s;uredlie he will &s;till hate me, and love her; &s;o that whether he marrie, or marrie her not, I &s;hall &s;till be mi&s;erable. However Madam, replied <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> I be&s;eech you devi&s;e &s;ome &s;tratagem or other, and &s;ee whether I can contribute any thing to your &s;atisfaction: I have devi&s;ed more then you imagine (&s;aid &s;he) for in lieu of one &s;tratagem, I have two continually in my mind, but yet they are verie oppo&s;ite unto each other, and therefore I think that neither of them will take ef|fect; for truly I have a mind to make <HI>Myrinthus</HI> love me, and I have a mind to cea&s;e lo|ving him; judg then <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> whether two &s;uch impo&s;&s;ibilities can ever conduce any thing to my &s;ouls tranquilitie. After this, <HI>Cleobuline</HI> told <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> a hundred things, which te&s;tified the grandure of her pa&s;&s;ion, and the grandure of her vir|tue. In the mean time, &s;he became &s;o &s;ad, &s;o unquiet, and &s;o extreamlie melancholie &s;ince the day that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> asked leave to marrie <HI>Philimena,</HI> as <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> much feared her falling &s;ick. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Myrinthus</HI> was in &s;uch a horrid di&s;pair, that never man was fuller of &s;orrows; for he knew that <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> (notwith&s;tanding the league be|tween them) would never let him marrie <HI>Philimena</HI> without <HI>Cleobulines</HI> con&s;ent: Al&s;o con&s;idering his obligements unto the Queen, he knew it a mo&s;t unworthie act to di&s;obey her. Moreover, having a &s;oul verie ambitious, he could not &s;ee how he could have wherewith to &s;atisfie his love, if he &s;hould lo&s;e his fortunes, &s;o that he &s;uffered intoller|able torments; but the greate&s;t torture of all was, that he could not gue&s;s at the Queens rea&s;on to oppo&s;e his de&s;ign; and to compleat his mi&s;eries, <HI>Philimena</HI> under&s;tanding that the Queen would not con&s;ent unto her marriage, &s;he told <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> to try his fidelitie, that &s;he would not have him ruine his fortunes for her &s;ake; and therefore conjured him to think no more of it. <HI>Philimena</HI> told him this in &s;uch a manner, as that he could not gue&s;s at her de&s;ign; but on the contrarie, did think, that &s;he &s;aid &s;o, becau&s;e &s;he feared to leave the Court. Afterwards, he &s;u&s;pected that &s;ome Rival was perhaps more in her fa|vour then he imagined: So that he was as ill &s;atisfied from her, as from the Queen, and yet he made a thou&s;and vows and prote&s;tations of love unto her, the mo&s;t tender and pa&s;&s;ionate in the world; he complained again&s;t her taking &s;o much care of his fortunes, he &s;wore that he would not value them at a &s;traw, but only becau&s;e he was loath to make her mi&s;erable; and he was &s;o full of &s;uch tender and obliging expre&s;&s;ions, that <HI>Philimena</HI> be|ing delighted to hear &s;uch generous te&s;ts of his love, did &s;till oppo&s;e him, though it was with a de&s;ign to tell him afterwards, that provided he could get her Parents con&s;ent, &s;he would not care for the Queens. In the mean time, <HI>Myrinthus</HI> not knowing her de&s;ign, did leave her with a verie little &s;atisfaction, and carried with him a heart full of &s;orrow, and &s;ome jealou&s;ie.</P>
<P>At his going from her, he went unto <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> to de&s;ire her &s;he would be plea&s;ed to tell him what the Queens rea&s;on was to be &s;o cro&s;s unto his de&s;ign, after &s;o many favours &s;hew|ed unto him. The fir&s;t complements being pa&s;t, <HI>Myrinthus</HI> began to entreat her &s;he would be plea&s;ed to do him a favour: It would be &s;o great a happine&s;s (&s;aid &s;he unto him) to do &s;uch a mo&s;t accompli&s;hed man as your &s;elf any &s;ervice, that you may almo&s;t be certain to obtain what&s;oever you &s;hall de&s;ire, &s;o it be within the compa&s;s of my power: Yes <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> &s;aid he unto her, you can tell me what it is which ruines me in the opinion of the Queen: I a&s;&s;ure you, replied &s;he, I cannot tell you that, but I am mo&s;t certain, that you are not in any disfavour with her: Ah <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> replied he, it is impo&s;&s;ible I &s;hould be at all in her favour, for &s;he hath denied me the only reque&s;t that ever I asked, and the reque&s;t is of &s;uch a nature, as I admire why &s;he did not con&s;ent unto it: I know verie weil that <HI>Philemena</HI> is above me, but I have received &s;o many graces, honours, and bene|fits from the Queen, that I could not imagine a denial of this from her: For heavens <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ake <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> tell me the cau&s;e of my misfortune; Have I at any time done any thing that
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di&s;plea&s;ed the Queen? Have I any &s;ecret Enemie that does me any ill offices? Hath <HI>Ba&s;i|lides</HI> betrayed me, and de&s;ired her under-hand to denie me a thing which openly he &s;eem|ed to wi&s;h? Or is it &s;o, that the Queen thinks me in love with <HI>Philimena</HI> onlie as a cloak for my ambition? Does &s;he fear, that when I have married her, I &s;hall pre&s;s her to mar|rie <HI>Ba&s;ilides?</HI> Does &s;he look upon me as a factious per&s;on, who would &s;tir up the people, and rai&s;e a war again&s;t her? Speak <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> tell me, for I am &s;ure you know all that I de&s;ire to know: In thinking me Sir (&s;aid &s;he) in &s;uch favour with the Queen as to know her &s;ecret thoughts, doubtle&s;s you honour me, and have a good opinion of me; but all that I can tell you is, that I do not know one thought &s;he hath which is not advan|tagious to you: When I call to memorie all the honours which I have received from the Queen, replied he, I do ea&s;ily believe what you &s;ay; but when I con&s;ider what &s;he hath denied me, I have rea&s;on to think &s;he hath changed her mind, and does not e&s;teem me. The la&s;t office which &s;he conferred upon you, replied &s;he, will hardly permit you to &s;peak thus: I pray then tell me, &s;aid he unto her, What is the motive which induceth the Queen not to let me love <HI>Philimena?</HI> You know (&s;aid <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> unto him) that there are &s;ome things which policie forbids to tell the cau&s;e of them: I know replied he, that the Queen may have &s;o good an opinion of me, as to honour me with the tru&s;t of her rea&s;ons why &s;he denies me, if policie only were in the bu&s;ine&s;s; &s;o that I mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;itie conclude, that her rea&s;on is, either becau&s;e &s;he hates <HI>Philimena,</HI> or becau&s;e &s;he hates me; and therefore <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> I conjure you to tell me what you know in the bu&s;ine&s;s; never fear that I &s;hall be ever &s;o indi&s;creet as to reveal the lea&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">illable you will tru&s;t me with the participation: A per&s;on in love, replied &s;he, was never fit to keep &s;ecrets; Believe it <HI>Ste&s;ilea;</HI> replied he, as deep in Love as I am, I may be tru&s;ted, for I am mo&s;t confident, that Love will never make me do any thing again&s;t honour or hone|&s;tie: Be a&s;&s;ured, that if I promi&s;e not to tell what you tru&s;t me with unto <HI>Philimena,</HI> I &s;hall perform it: I be&s;eech you pitie a mo&s;t unhappie man who &s;uits with you in this, that he loves the Queen as well as you do: It is my misfortune to think, that if <HI>Ba&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lides</HI> cro&s;&s;ed my de&s;ign, I &s;hould be le&s;s unfortunate then I am. But that the Queen, who&s;e glorie I value at &s;o high a rate that I would die to advance it, that &s;he &s;hould render me the mo&s;t mi&s;erable of her Subjects, that is &s;uch a thing <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> that I mu&s;t needs lament: Since <HI>Cleobuline</HI> is of a Qualitie &s;o high, that it becomes me not to tell her what thoughts I have of her, I am &s;ure &s;he knows mine, but verie imperfectlie; doubtle&s;s &s;he thinks me devoted to her &s;ervice, and that I am her mo&s;t faithful Subject; but perhaps &s;he does not think me obliged unto it, by honour, by intere&s;t, and by gratitude; yet I mu&s;t tell you <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> (to the end I may the more oblige you to tell me what I de&s;ire to know) that I am a thou&s;and times more obliged and devoted unto her by inclination, then by any thing el&s;e: Yes <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> I love the Queen with &s;o much devotion, that I have not more love to <HI>Ph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">limena,</HI> then I have tenderne&s;s to <HI>Cleobuline:</HI> Nay more, I am fully per&s;waded, that if this Queen had been of a lower qualitie, perhaps I &s;hould have been &s;o bold as to have Courted her with a very affectionate eye: Judg then, I be&s;eech you, how &s;ad a thing it is to receive a death from a hand that is &s;o infinitelie dear unto me; for heavens &s;ake therefore, tell me the cau&s;e of my misfortune, that I may know either how to o|vercome it, or to &s;ubmit my mind unto it; for I do profe&s;s unto you, that if you do not &s;omthing more inform my under&s;tanding, I &s;hall be forced to take &s;ome de&s;perate cour&s;e with my &s;elf.</P>
<P>Wil&s;t <HI>Myrinthus</HI> was thus talking, <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> was ruminating upon what cour&s;e to take, &s;he &s;aw that rea&s;on bad her not di&s;cover the Queens &s;ecrets&punc; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;ide, &s;he &s;aw him in &s;uch a de&s;perate &s;adne&s;s, that &s;he much feared it wo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> More|over, though <HI>Cleobuline</HI> had told her ten thou&s;and times, that &s;he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>My|rinthus</HI> know her pa&s;&s;ion; yet &s;ince &s;he thought his knowledg of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> quench his flames of affection unto <HI>Philimena,</HI> and kindle them unto her, &s;he th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> that the Queen would not be much offended at it; &s;o that knowing <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to be o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> an ambitious temper, and hearing from his own mouth that he had much inclination to love the Queen, &s;o that &s;he doubted not, but if &s;he told him the rea&s;on why the Queen cro&s;&s;ed his de&s;ign, it would hinder him from marrying <HI>Philimena.</HI> Al&s;o, <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> perhaps looking upon the advancement of her own fortunes (which &s;he hoped for by this confidence) as upon the Queens tranquilitie, &s;he con&s;ulted with her &s;elf whether &s;he &s;hould acquaint him with it or no. Since &s;he knew <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to be verie di&s;creet, &s;he was the much bolder to ven|ture upon it, and more, when upon &s;econd thoughts &s;he found that &s;he &s;hould run no
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hazard at all: For truly (&s;aid &s;he to her &s;elf, hardly hearing what <HI>Myrinthns</HI> &s;aid unto her) if what I &s;hall tell him do not &s;tagger his con&s;tancie, yet for his own intere&s;t he will never let the Queen know he knows &s;he loves him, &s;ince that would be an affront which would reflect upon him&s;elf; and if what I tell him do make him quit <HI>Philimena</HI> and love <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> I need not fear her anger, though &s;he charged me not to let <HI>Myrinthus</HI> know &s;he loved him; and though &s;he would never have <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to tell her that he loved her. <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> then con&s;idering the pitiful ca&s;e wherein the Queen was, &s;he thought it fit, for her re&s;ts &s;ake, to hazard the matter, and for her &s;ervice to reveal her &s;ecret, &s;ince &s;he knew no better way; therefore &s;he began to think into what language &s;he &s;hould put &s;o delicate and nice a bu&s;ine&s;s. In the mean time, <HI>Myrinthus</HI> having done talking, and &s;eeing that <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> was more intent upon her own thoughts then his words, began to think more then before, that there was &s;ome my&s;terious cau&s;e in the matter, and that <HI>Ste&s;ilia's</HI> &s;ilence arg<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed her incertaiatie, whether &s;he &s;hould, or &s;he &s;hould not tell it unto him: So that applying his earne&s;t prayers to prevent her from any re&s;olution contrary unto his de&s;ires; For heavens &s;ake, dear <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> (&s;aid he unto her) &s;tudy no more upon the matter, but tell me plainly, whether the Queen denied my reque&s;t out of hatred, or out of &s;corn, or out of any other prejudicate thought? The thing you ask, replied <HI>Ste|&s;ilea,</HI> is of greater con&s;equence then you imagine, and it is a &s;ecret of &s;uch a nature, as I cannot tru&s;t you, unle&s;s you will mo&s;t &s;olemnly &s;wear never to reveal it unto any one living, not excepting <HI>Philimena</HI> her &s;elf; and I will have you make a particular oath con|cerning her alone, who of all that lives upon earth mu&s;t not know it. <HI>Myrinthus</HI> hear|ing <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> &s;peak thus, his curio&s;ity did double: So that he made as many promi&s;es, and vowes, and oaths as &s;he de&s;ired, never to &s;peak one &s;illable of any thing &s;he &s;hould im|part, either unto <HI>Philimena,</HI> or any other. All this was not yet enough to &s;ecure <HI>Ste|&s;ilea,</HI> for &s;he would have him &s;wear al&s;o, never to make it known unto the Queen, nei|ther by his words, nor any other action, that he is knowing in what &s;he is going to tell him.</P>
<P><HI>Myrinthus</HI> now being more &s;urprized, and more inqui&s;itive then before, did &s;wear and promi&s;e all &s;he de&s;ired: After which, &s;he a&s;&s;uming a very &s;erious look and low voice, though none was neer that could hear her, but him&s;elf: I make no que&s;tion (&s;aid &s;he unto him) but you wonder to &s;ee me &s;o cautious in relating a thing which only concerns your &s;elf; but your wonder will be much more, when you &s;hall under&s;tand, that this which I would have you &s;o clo&s;ely conceal, is the mo&s;t glorious thing in the world for you: Yes <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> pur&s;ued &s;he, this which makes you thus &s;ad, this which moves you &s;o to com|plain of the Queen, that which you &s;o bitterly murmure at, that which makes you think &s;he hath changed her opinion of you; that this, I &s;ay, &s;hould be the mo&s;t glorious adven|ture of all your life; and that when <HI>Cleobuline</HI> in confirming &s;o many offices, &s;o many Governments, and &s;o many honours upon you, did in them nothing &s;o obliginglie for you, as when &s;he denied you the marrying <HI>Philimena.</HI> Ah <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> (&s;aid he unto her) You will have much ado with all your wit to per&s;wade me unto this belief: If I have but the power to tell you all I know (replied &s;he) you will ea&s;ily believe it: But <HI>Myrin|thus</HI> (&s;aid &s;he and blu&s;hed) Cannot you &s;pare me the labour of telling that which I have promi&s;ed never to reveal? Can you not gue&s;s at what you de&s;ire to know? Let it &s;uffice, I tell you for the opening of your apprehen&s;ion, that it is neither policie, nor hatred, or &s;corn, which moves the Queen to denie you <HI>Philimena.</HI> After all this <HI>Myrin|thus,</HI> I pray tell your &s;elf that which I have not power to tell you, e&s;peciailie when I call to mind the promi&s;es which I have made to the Queen, never to tell it. <HI>Myrinthus</HI> hearing <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> &s;peak in this manner, began to apprehend what &s;he hinted at, but he apprehended it with &s;o much a&s;toni&s;hment, and &s;o much perplexitie of Spirit, as he thought that he mi&s;apprehended her; his thoughts were &s;o ravelled, as he could not unwind them to the bottom; yet to run no hazard, he an&s;wered <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> a little from the matter. The thing which it &s;eems you would have me apprehend (&s;aid &s;he unto him) is &s;o verie full of wonder, as I fear that I &s;hould commit a crime in &s;eeming to apprehend it: No, no, <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> replied <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> it is no crime to under&s;tand me; but you will be extreamly too blame, if after you under&s;tand me, you do not what I conceive you are obliged unto: A|las <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> (cried <HI>Myrinthus)</HI> I cannot comprehend how I can believe you, unle&s;s I &s;hould fail in my re&s;pects unto the Queen; no, no, her denial is not cau&s;ed be any rea&s;on you would give me; and I think it better to mi&s;under&s;tand you, and to accu&s;e you as an Impo&s;ture, rather then to accu&s;e the greate&s;t Queen upon Earth of &s;o bad a choice. <HI>Ste|&s;ilea</HI>
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&s;eeing <HI>Myrinthus</HI> either would not, or would not &s;eem to believe her, did &s;o circum|&s;tance the matter unto him, as at la&s;t &s;he convinced his belief; and he calling to memory a hundred &s;everal pa&s;&s;ages, e&s;pecially the manner how the Queen denied his Marriage with <HI>Philimena,</HI> he did not at all doubt of the truth: Since he was not at all &s;atisfied at the la&s;t conference with <HI>Philimena,</HI> he could not imagine him&s;elf loved by the mo&s;t illu|&s;trious Queen in the world, without &s;ome thoughts which elevating his heart, did exhile|rate his &s;pirits, and ambition did &s;o &s;well his &s;oul, as his imagination was full of Thrones, and Scepters, and Crowns: The beautie, &s;pirit, wi&s;dom, and virtue of <HI>Cleobuline</HI> did &s;o &s;tagger his thoughts, as for a while there was an <HI>interregnam</HI> in his heart. In the inter|val of which, he thought he could give it unto which he plea&s;ed, and &s;tronglie phancied to give it entirelie unto <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> and that he could quit <HI>Philimena:</HI> But this inward tu|mult, which glorie and ambition had rai&s;ed in his &s;oul, being a little calmed, his love to <HI>Philimena</HI> began to revive, and made him think this honour which the Queen did him, as a thing which would render him the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man alive. This &s;erenitie of &s;oul was no &s;ooner e&s;tabli&s;hed in his heart, but turbulent clouds began to blu&s;ter again, and he was &s;o full of contradictions in his talk to <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> as the trouble of his Spirits was evi|dent: I be&s;eech you <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> &s;aid he unto her, before I tell you my thoughts, promi&s;e me never to tell the Queen that you have acquainted me with any thing: for <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> if &s;he &s;hould know I know it, I have nothing in the world to do but die at your feet, &s;ince it is impo&s;&s;ible I can appear before her, the mo&s;t ungrateful and unju&s;t per&s;on that lives among&s;t men. I have already told you Sir replied &s;he, that I would not have the Queen know I have di&s;covered her &s;ecret unto you: 'Tis true, &s;aid he, but I am &s;o &s;en&s;ible of &s;hame, that I am not &s;o joyed as I ought to be, as I am at an extream Dilemna; for I mu&s;t confe&s;s unto you, that my fidelitie to <HI>Philimena</HI> makes me a&s;hamed of my crime a|gain&s;t her, as well as again&s;t the Queen; and I am per&s;waded, that if <HI>Cleobuline</HI> and <HI>Phi|limena</HI> did &s;ee the thoughts of my heart, they would both of them be equally incen&s;ed: I am forced to con&s;e&s;s, that I cannot apprehend my obligations to the Queen without &s;uch agitation of mind, as I am not able to expre&s;s, I would willingly die a thou&s;and times to do her &s;ervice, I would leave loving <HI>Philimena,</HI> and onlie adore her; I would; I &s;ay, &s;acrifice my life, and render her eternal homage: But pre&s;entlie after, when I think upon <HI>Philimena,</HI> I wi&s;h the Queen to hold me in a &s;tate of neutralitie and indifferencie, and indeed to hate me, provided &s;he will let me love <HI>Philimena:</HI> Judg then <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> I be&s;eech you, in what a &s;ad condition that heart is which is tormented with &s;uch various and contrarie thoughts: However it be, &s;aid &s;he, I conceive you owe &s;o much reverence to the Queen, as not to think any more of <HI>Philimena:</HI> I wi&s;h to the heavens (replied he) that I were able to follow your coun&s;el: I do not ask any thing which is unju&s;t (&s;aid &s;he) For &s;ince the Queen would not have you know &s;he loves you, and though you did love her, yet would &s;he have you not tell it unto her; I will not oblige you of nece&s;&s;itie to love her, but onlie to ea&s;e her of &s;o much &s;orrow, as to &s;ee you love another; and this I conceive to be the lea&s;t you can do, for the mo&s;t wi&s;e, virtuous, and mo&s;t accompli&s;hed Prince&s;s in the world: Alas <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> &s;aid he, I know that my dutie is to do all things, but the great difficultie is to know what I am able to do again&s;t my &s;elf, and again&s;t <HI>Philime|na:</HI> And &s;ince all your arguments are not &s;trong enough to &s;tagger my con&s;tancie, or ren|der me perfidious; you would have me leave <HI>Philimena</HI> for the greate&s;t Queen in the world; 'tis true, but it is for a Queen who will not have me know &s;he loves me, and who would have me love her, and never &s;peak of it: No, no, <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ion as this is not able to make a man perfidious, who is accu&s;tomed to tell her he loves, that he loves her. A man, I &s;ay, who has leave to &s;igh, and libertie to let his love be &s;een in his eyes, and to &s;eek for &s;ome advantagious thoughts in the eyes of his Mi&s;tre&s;s, which her tongue dare not utter. But what if upon capitulation the Queen &s;hould let me know her thoughts, and let me tell her mine? Am I yet the Ma&s;ter of my own heart? Can I di&s;po&s;e of it as as I will? Alas, alas (&s;aid he and &s;ighed) how mi&s;erable am I? and how far from that power? Could I be innocent either towards the Queen or towards <HI>Philimena,</HI> my heart would be at &s;ome ea&s;e: But to &s;peak truth, &s;ince I cannot be faithful unto <HI>Philimena,</HI> un|til after I have tried not to be &s;o, my con&s;tancie is almo&s;t guiltie; and as for the Queen, though I am culpable again&s;t her with abundance of repugnance, &s;hame, and repentance, yet &s;till I am guiltie. Thus not knowing well what I am, I dare neither ju&s;tifie nor accu&s;e my &s;elf, but &s;till remain in the mo&s;t lamentable condition in the world: Since it &s;eems im|po&s;&s;ible for you to be happie, replied <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> therefore take that cour&s;e which may ea&s;e
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the Queen of tho&s;e &s;orrows which you have cau&s;ed; you may ea&s;ilie do it, &s;ince all is but to think no more upon <HI>Philimena:</HI> Ea&s;ilie do it (replied <HI>Myrinthus</HI> and looked up|on <HI>Ste&s;ilea)</HI> If I were able, I would immediatelie become perfidious: Yes <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> &s;ince you have told me the Queens rea&s;on for denying my reque&s;t, there is nothing which my heart hath not alreadie invented again&s;t <HI>Philimena:</HI> I have oppo&s;ed again&s;t her the Queens beautie, her &s;pirit, her wi&s;dom, her virtues, her grandure, and all my obligations to her; and the &s;ooner to vanqui&s;h, I have racked my imagination even unto folly, I have phancied things that might accrue unto me, I have allowed my ambition all the &s;winge that vanitie it &s;elf can imagine, and I have &s;et my thoughts &s;o neer a Crown, that &s;ome &s;econd thoughts correcting the fir&s;t, I have blu&s;hed at my own audacitie and ra&s;hne&s;s: But for all this <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> This great Queen who raigns &s;o ab&s;olutely in the hearts of all who know her, and who indeed hath right to raign, cannot drive <HI>Philimena</HI> out of my own heart; therefore if you have any genero&s;itie, pitie my imbecilitie and mi&s;erie: Tell the Queen as from your &s;elf, that I am mo&s;t unworthie of her affection, that &s;he aba&s;e|eth her &s;elf too much in looking upon me; and &s;ince I dare not pre&s;ume to lift up my eyes &s;o high as her, I am not worthie of her looks: But yet I be&s;eech you, do not drive the nail too far, and do not make her pa&s;s from love to hatred; for indeed <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> I mu&s;t profe&s;s unto you, that I &s;hould be almo&s;t as &s;orrie to be hated by <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> as not to be loved by <HI>Philimena,</HI> therefore I be&s;eech you tran&s;act with all your di&s;cretion; for &s;ince I mu&s;t die, I de&s;ire I may with the glorie of her favour. I have yet one Petiti|on more unto you, which is, that you would keep her from hating <HI>Philimena;</HI> and in order to that, per&s;wade her, that in conquering my heart &s;he will never di&s;plea&s;e <HI>Phili|mena:</HI> And per&s;wade her al&s;o if you can, that I de&s;erve &s;ome commendations for re&s;i&s;t|ing her charms. The&s;e are things &s;o full of contrarieties, replied &s;he, that I think my be&s;t cour&s;e is to do none of the&s;e things you &s;peak of: Yet I do mo&s;t con&s;tantly tell you, replied he, that I &s;hall ever love <HI>Philimena;</HI> but withal, I tell it with a &s;igh, and with a blu&s;h, and that I cannot re&s;ent the happine&s;s which I enjoy for thinking of that which I lo&s;e. Oh heavens (cried he out) why is't not po&s;&s;ible to reconcile the Queen and <HI>Phi|limena</HI> in my heart? For my part, I conceive it may be; for as you expre&s;s the affection of the Queen, methinks &s;he &s;hould be &s;atisfied that I hold her in infinite reverence, that I re&s;pect her as they u&s;e to do the Gods; that my Spirits and my rea&s;on doth acknowledg her power, that I vow all my &s;ervices unto her, that my valour &s;hall be ever imployed unto her glorie, and that &s;he only leave my heart unto <HI>Philimena.</HI> But what do I &s;ay (&s;aid he and reprehended him&s;elf) it &s;eems my rea&s;on wanders, in offering to pre&s;cribe Laws unto Love, and to divide that which will not admit of any divi&s;ion: I mu&s;t confe&s;s, the Queen de&s;erves a thou&s;and hearts if I had them; but confe&s;s al&s;o, that &s;ince I have but one, and that one already given, it is not in my power to retake it, and that it is on|ly <HI>Philimena's.</HI></P>
<P>As <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> was readie to reply, <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> entred, who was much &s;urprized to find &s;o many &s;igns of a troubled mind in the face of <HI>Myrinthus.</HI> This thought did &s;o much di&s;|quiet him, as when <HI>Myrinthus</HI> ri&s;e up to go away, he ri&s;e up al&s;o to ask him what the matter was, though he was newly entred, yet <HI>Myrinthus</HI> did not tell him what the mat|ter was, but to &s;ay &s;omthing to colour the matter, he told him, that having de&s;ired <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> to do him a good office unto the Queen, &s;he told him how re&s;olute the Queen continued in denying his Marriage with <HI>Philimena:</HI> So that <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> having &s;ome rea&s;on to think, that the di&s;order he ob&s;erved in the Spirit of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> proceeded only from the ob&s;truction which he found in his de&s;ign, did make him new prote&s;tations, and profe&s;&s;ed he would u&s;e his utmo&s;t endeavours to effect it; after which, they parted; <HI>Myrinthus</HI> car|rying with him the mo&s;t re&s;tle&s;s heart that ever was. Since his &s;oul was of an ambitious temper, and &s;ince he naturally bore much affection to the Queen, this love of this Prin|ce&s;s did huff him up; and when he con&s;idered with him&s;elf what glorie it was unto him to be loved by a Queen &s;o fair, &s;o illu&s;trious, and &s;o charming, it was a thing impo&s;&s;ible but he mu&s;t needs be joyed at it; and to de&s;ire that he were able to be perfidious unto <HI>Philimena;</HI> yet when he began to think, that by pre&s;erving the one, he mu&s;t lo&s;e the o|ther, his ambition began to yeeld unto his love, and all his cares was to find out wayes how to enjoy <HI>Philimena:</HI> But &s;ince the&s;e wayes were hard to find, the Queen not con|&s;enting unto it; he was mo&s;t extreamly grieved. Moreover, he had cau&s;e to think that if he married <HI>Philimena</HI> again&s;t the mind of <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> &s;he would then aba&s;e him as much as &s;he had formerly exalted him: So fearing le&s;t <HI>Philimena</HI> who loved him when he
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was in favour, &s;hould not love him when he was in di&s;grace, his &s;orrows were an in&s;uf|ferable torment: and as an augmentation to his mi&s;ery, he dur&s;t not acquaint <HI>Philimena</HI> with it, or put her fideility to the be&s;t: &s;o that fearing all things, and hoping in nothing, he &s;pent the re&s;t of the day in extream re&s;tle&s;&s;ne&s;&s;e, and all the night following without a wink of &s;leep. But that he might not bee mi&s;erable by him&s;elf, there chanced a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which did not a little perplex <HI>Ba&s;ilides:</HI> For Sir be plea&s;ed to know that in order to his de&s;ignes upon the Queen, his care was to get him&s;elf creatures in her hou&s;e, both among&s;t the officers and amon&s;t the women: and there was one among&s;t the re&s;t, whom he had entirely gotten: This Per&s;on then watching upon all opportunies to ob&s;erve the Queen, e&s;pecially when &s;he &s;eemed mo&s;t melancholy, told him all that &s;he at any time ob&s;erved: But at the la&s;t, &s;he ob&s;erved &s;o clo&s;ely, that &s;he one day heard all that <HI>Steli&s;ea</HI> &s;aid unto the Queen concerning <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and all that the Queen &s;aid unto her: and &s;he heard enough to collect, that the rea&s;on why the Queen would not let <HI>Myrinthus</HI> marry <HI>Phi|limena</HI> was becau&s;e &s;he did not hate him her &s;elf. At the fir&s;t &s;he re&s;olved not to make it known unto <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> knowing that it would not plea&s;e him: but upon &s;econd con&s;ide|rations, &s;he changed her re&s;olution, and the next morning, told him word for word all that &s;he heard. The &s;urpri&s;e of <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> was &s;o great that if he had only the te&s;timony of this woman, he had not given credit unto her words: But upon a &s;urvay of a hundred of the Queens actions: her melancholy &s;ince <HI>Myrinthus</HI> was in love with <HI>Philimena:</HI> and &s;uch like: al&s;o con&s;idering, that though &s;he denyed the earne&s;t reque&s;t of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> yet he continued &s;till in her favour: this put him out of all doubt: and by con&s;equence, made him mo&s;t exce&s;&s;ively &s;ad. How's this (&s;aid he unto him&s;elf as he afterward, told me) does <HI>Cl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">obuline</HI> love <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> who loves not her? And does &s;he not love <HI>Ba&s;ili|des</HI> who loves her above his life? Why then it is <HI>Myrinthus</HI> who is the Remora in the Queens heart which hinders me from the conque&s;t of it: Then mu&s;t I become his enemy in lieu of Protector: And though he cannot be my Rival; yet &s;ince he is the ob&s;tacle un|to my happine&s;&s;e, I mu&s;t con&s;ider him &s;o: I mu&s;t by all means ruine all his pretentions, and oppo&s;e all his de&s;igns: But what's this I &s;ay (&s;aid he and reprehended him&s;elf) my &s;orrows have di&s;tracted my Rea&s;on: And I doe not under&s;tand my own intere&s;t: &s;ince my odd de&s;tiny is, to endeavour the making that man happy whom the Queen preffers before me into her heart: It concernes me more then it doth <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> that he marry <HI>Philimena:</HI> and I mu&s;t labour for his quietne&s;&s;e who is the cau&s;e of all my re&s;tle&s;&s;ne&s;&s;e, and endeavour his felicity lea&s;t he prevent mine.</P>
<P><HI>Ba&s;ilide<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> having well con&s;iderered upon the matter, re&s;olved in order to the better di&s;|covery of the Queens thoughts, to &s;peak unto her him&s;elf concerning the marriage of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> with his &s;i&s;ter: de&s;igning that though &s;he refu&s;ed him, yet to cau&s;e that <HI>Phili|mena</HI> &s;hould move <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to marry her without the Queens con&s;ent, hoping that this would &s;ufficiently incen&s;e her, to bani&s;h him her Court, not being ignorant that &s;he was e|ver very jelou&s;e of her authority. <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> then in pur&s;uance of this re&s;olve, went the next day unto the Queen. But in his way thither, he under&s;tood that <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> after a whole night without &s;leep, was very ill in the morning &s;o that taking this occa&s;ion to &s;peak of him unto the Queen; he no &s;oonner came into her pre&s;ence but looking atten|tively upon her, he told her this news. Since the Queen did not think it po&s;&s;ible, he &s;hould know the thoughts of her &s;oul, &s;he took no heed of re&s;trayning her &s;elf: &s;o that not being able to hold in the fir&s;t conceptions of her heart, &s;he could not hear of <HI>Myrin|thus</HI> being &s;ick without &s;ome vi&s;ible di&s;order in her face enquiring very carefully of what nature his di&s;ea&s;e, was and how he came to know it. As for his di&s;ea&s;e Madam (an&s;wered he) I cannot directly tell you what it is: But if your Maje&s;ty will plea&s;e to comand me, I &s;hall teach him the art how to cure him&s;elf, by telling him the cau&s;e: me thinks (an&s;wer|ed the Queen, who knew very well what <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> would &s;ay) It is a very hard matter to know the cau&s;e, when you do not know the di&s;ea&s;e: yet I do know it Madam, an&s;wer|ed he: for I am mo&s;t confident that if your Maje&s;ty would permit <HI>Merinthus</HI> to marry <HI>Philimena,</HI> he would quickly recouer his health, &s;ince certainly the di&s;ea&s;e of his mind cau&s;eth the di&s;ea&s;e of his body: and if you would cure the la&s;t, you mu&s;t begin with the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">&s;t: &s;ince tho&s;e who govern Kingdomes (replied the Queen with a tart kind of Rallary) u&s;e not to con&s;ult with Phi&s;itians nor fit their Policies unto their temper, this which you tell me &s;hall not alter my Re&s;olution of not giuing my con&s;ent unto a marriage which for divers rea&s;ons I cannot approue of. You may well think Madam, replied <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> that I &s;hall not think <HI>Myrinthus</HI> unworthy of <HI>Philimena,</HI> &s;ince your Maje&s;ty thinks him wor|thy
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of her e&s;teem. The Queen hearing <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> &s;peak thus, did blu&s;h, not that &s;he thought he &s;poke &s;o as knowing the thoughts of her &s;oul, but it was becau&s;e who&s;oever hath any &s;ecret thought, hath al&s;o an imagination &s;o quick, and a heart &s;o &s;en&s;ible, that the lea&s;t thing gales them; and &s;he was no le&s;s perplexed then <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> for to authorize her denial of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;he mu&s;t in &s;ome &s;ort, not &s;peak advantagiou&s;ly of the man whom of all the world &s;he mo&s;t e&s;teemed: And <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> al&s;o to per&s;wade her con&s;ent unto this Marriage, u&s;ed a thou&s;and expre&s;&s;ions of e&s;teem of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> whom he heartilie wi&s;hed &s;he did not e&s;teem.</P>
<P>Thus &s;eeing them&s;elves both put to the nece&s;&s;ity of betraying their thoughts, they were both of them much perplexed; yet both of them re&s;olved in their hearts to betray them as little as they could. The Queen then an&s;wered <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> That it was verie true, <HI>My|rinthus</HI> was owner of a thou&s;and good qualities which had got him much unto her e&s;teem and repute; but &s;ince he was not a <HI>Corinthean</HI> originallie, &s;he thought this rea&s;on, with many other which &s;he could give him, would not permit her to con&s;ent unto his Marriage with <HI>Philimena:</HI> I do believe Madam, replied <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> that your Maje&s;ties concealed rea&s;ons are verie prevalent, but as for that which you are plea&s;ed to honour me the par|ticipation, is not &s;o undeniable as I conceive: The truth is, the Ance&s;tors of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> have been &s;o faithful, as they may verie well pa&s;s for natural Subjects unto your Maje&s;tie: I know verie well that there is much inequalitie between my Si&s;ter and <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and if your Maje&s;tie had not by your Noble favours rai&s;ed him above his Qualitie, his de&s;ign had been ra&s;h: But Madam, though this inequalitie may be a con&s;iderable ob&s;tacle to hin|der a Marriage; yet the high e&s;teem which your Maje&s;tie honours him withal, and the violent affection which he bears unto <HI>Philimena,</HI> moves me to wi&s;h it no le&s;s then him&s;elf. For Madam, I am mo&s;t confident, that if <HI>Myrinthus</HI> were a King, and my Si&s;ter a verie Slave, yet he would make her a Queen: Therefore I mo&s;t zealou&s;ly be&s;eech your Maje|&s;tie to &s;atisfie his love, and give me leave to &s;acrifice a Si&s;ter for the pre&s;ervation of a man whom you are plea&s;ed to honour with your e&s;teem. To retaliate &s;o generous a thought, (replied the Queen, with a &s;oul &s;o full of &s;adne&s;s as &s;he had much ado to hide it) I ought to &s;acrifice <HI>Myrinthus</HI> for your &s;ake, and not &s;uffer you to &s;acrifice <HI>Philimena</HI> for his; and therefore for your own &s;ake, the more you importune me for <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> the more re&s;olute am I to denie you.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cleobuline</HI> upon a &s;udden took her leave of <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> who was in a hundred minds to put off all due re&s;pects, and to let her under&s;tand he knew the thoughts of her &s;oul. But the verie &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion which &s;purred him unto this boldne&s;s, leting him al&s;o &s;ee, that if he affronted the Queen, he might chance lo&s;e her for ever, he curbed him|&s;elf, and went with her without a word, which might make her po&s;itively think he knew &s;he loved <HI>Myrinthus;</HI> and though he harped much upon her e&s;teem of him, yet he thought that &s;he would not expound it love, and indeed &s;he did not at that time; but her weari|ne&s;s of <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> company had another cau&s;e, for trulie &s;he could not endure without in|finite grief to hear him aggravate the violent affection of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to <HI>Philimena;</HI> nor without a &s;trange confu&s;ion hear of the great inequalitie of his qualitie and his Si&s;ters: But that which &s;tung her mo&s;t was, to &s;ee <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> de&s;iring this marriage, and &s;he was the only one who did not wi&s;h it; and to con&s;ider how &s;he incurred the hatred of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> whom in &s;pite of all her power &s;he loved with extream tenderne&s;s, &s;o that the verie thought of being hated did exce&s;&s;ivelie grieve her, but yet &s;he had a more &s;en&s;ible cau&s;e of it afterwards; for <HI>Myrinthus</HI> being recovered, and having &s;ome important bu&s;ine&s;s of State with the Queen, he went unto her, and &s;he found him &s;o altered &s;ince &s;he &s;aw him la&s;t, as thinking his alteration rather an effect of his &s;ouls &s;orrow, then any &s;ick|ne&s;s, &s;he was fretted to the verie heart; yet that was not the only cau&s;e which put <HI>My|rinthus</HI> into &s;uch a Meager complexion, &s;ince certainly his ambition did al&s;o much perplex him: For Sir, before I relate their di&s;cour&s;e, I mu&s;t tell you, that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> being forced to go unto the Queen, with whom he had not been, &s;ince <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> ac|quainted him with her affection unto him, his heart was full of inexpre&s;&s;ible apprehen&s;i|ons: his greate&s;t di&s;quiet was his fears lea&s;t the Queen &s;hould know that <HI>Ste&s;ilia</HI> had ac|quainted him with her amorous thoughts of him: Alas (&s;aid he in him&s;elf) if &s;o, how dare I look upon this Prince&s;s, or how can &s;he look upon me? But afterwards, upon his con&s;ideration of the Queens great virtue, he believed the thing to be as <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> had told him, &s;o that his &s;oul enjoyed a little more &s;erenitie. But when he came unto the Palace Gates, and &s;aw the Guards there, and likewi&s;e &s;aw there the great concour&s;e of people
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going and coming in and out, which deliniates the grandure of Kings; when he &s;aw I, &s;ay, abundance of all &s;orts of men in the Halls, Pre&s;ence Chamber, Privy Chamber, and every where el&s;e in the Court, waiting all only for a verie &s;ight of the Queen. When he &s;aw all the magnificent furniture wherewith the Chambers were adorned, his imagina|tion was &s;o &s;welled with a thou&s;and &s;everal Idea's of grandure and magnificence, as he be|gan to be &s;en&s;ible of the &s;weetne&s;s in being loved by her, unto whom the&s;e Guards, this Palace, all the&s;e &s;tately magnificences belonged, and unto whom all tho&s;e men with bend|ed knees did pay their homage; in&s;omuch as his ambition beginning to revive in his heart, there was a new combat between this proud pa&s;&s;ion and his love of <HI>Philimena,</HI> which was not decided, when word was brought that <HI>Cleobuline</HI> asked for him. <HI>Myrinthus</HI> no &s;oon|er received this Summons, but he ordered him&s;elf for entrance into the Queens Clo&s;et, where then &s;he was; but in the way, how full of phancie was his mind? he had a mind to exclude <HI>Philimena</HI> out of his heart and immediately after he rea&s;&s;umed the image of his deare&s;t <HI>Philimena</HI> into his phancie, to the end he might better guard her again&s;t the Queen; and indeed, not well knowing whether he was faithful or perfidious, he went unto the place where <HI>Cleobuline</HI> was; but he entred with &s;uch a melancholy countenance, and &s;o much di&s;order in his eyes, that the Queen thinking the alteration proceeded more from his &s;orrows that &s;he denied him <HI>Philimena,</HI> then from his &s;ickne&s;s, &s;he could not chu&s;e, but out of a &s;ecret &s;pite, look with le&s;s &s;weetne&s;s upon <HI>Myrinthus</HI> then &s;he was ac|cu&s;tomed: So that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> beginning to fear that <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> had told the Queen all his and her di&s;cour&s;e, he was &s;o di&s;mayed, as he did not an&s;wer her much to the purpo&s;e. The Queen &s;urprized at the di&s;order in <HI>Myrinthus</HI> his mind, asked him from whence this confu&s;ion of thoughts and words proceeded, which &s;he was not wont to ob&s;erve in him? Is it, becau&s;e I do not well under&s;tand them, or becau&s;e you did not hear me? It is neither Madam, replied he, for your Maje&s;tie doth alwayes both under&s;tand and &s;peak verie well, and I alwayes hearken with a mo&s;t attentive ear, in hopes you will command me &s;ome &s;ervice: But it is&mdash;But it is (replied <HI>Cleobuline</HI> and cut him &s;hort) be|cau&s;e you have left your mind where you have be&s;towed your heart: If I had power to have be&s;towed it (replied <HI>Myrinthus</HI> pitifully non-plu&s;t) <HI>Philimena</HI> &s;hould not have had it, but I &s;hould have otherwi&s;e di&s;po&s;ed of it; yet Madam, <HI>Philimena</HI> hath violentlie taken it from me whether I would or no: Since the Law of Nations, replied the Queen, per|mits one to repul&s;e force by force, and that one may take ones own where e're he finds it; take back from <HI>Philimena</HI> with the &s;ame violence, that heart which &s;he took from you: But if you will take my advice, be &s;ure you do not take hers in lieu of your own, for you will be a lo&s;er by the bargain: I wi&s;h to the Heavens Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that I were able to do as I ought, in doing as your Maje&s;tie would have me; for I am &s;o devoted unto your commands, that I had rather be an obedient &s;ubject, then a faithful Lover.</P>
<P><HI>Myrinthus</HI> pronounced the&s;e words with &s;uch a faint and hollow accent, as he &s;urprized the Queen; for his tone did te&s;tifie, that he had &s;ome mental re&s;ervation in his words; &s;he no &s;ooner had this conceipt, but &s;he changed colour; &s;o that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;eeing her blu&s;h for anger, he grew pa&s;e with fear, and blu&s;hed pre&s;entlie after for &s;hame. The altera|tion in the Queens face cau&s;ed the alteration in <HI>Myrinthus;</HI> and the new di&s;order which appeared in the mind of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> did al&s;o di&s;order the Queen: So that the confu&s;ion of the one redoubling the &s;hame of the other, they could not endure each o|thers looks, but heartilie de&s;ired a &s;eparation, and indeed they parted; for the Queen di&s;patching her bu&s;ine&s;s with <HI>Myrinthus</HI> in two words, &s;he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed him by a &s;ign with her hand, without one look upon him, and &s;tayed by her &s;elf in an unconceiveable tur|bulencie of mind. <HI>Myrinthus</HI> did &s;trive with him&s;elf, and would have &s;aid &s;omthing, but &s;he beckned again with her hand to be gone, and go he did, with a heart &s;welled with two violent pa&s;&s;ions, which did mo&s;t &s;trongly tyrannize over it. But as the &s;oul of <HI>My|rinthus,</HI> &s;o the &s;oul of <HI>Cleobuline</HI> was mo&s;t cruelly tormented, for &s;ince &s;he had a mo&s;t penetrating wit, &s;he perfectly di&s;covered by the looks, by the words, and by the tone of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> that he either knew, or gue&s;&s;ed at the thoughts which &s;he had of him, in&s;o|much as extraordinarie &s;hame, and &s;orrows full of anger again&s;t her &s;elf, did make her an intolerable &s;ufferer. Is it po&s;&s;ible, &s;aid &s;he, that my own words and my own eyes &s;hould betray me, &s;ince they have both of them been &s;o long &s;o faithful? For I know very well, that at that time <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hen <HI>Myrinthus</HI> asked my con&s;ent unto his Marriage with <HI>Philimena;</HI> he had then no &s;u&s;pition of my pa&s;&s;ion. But what's this I &s;ay? (&s;aid &s;he
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and reprehended her &s;elf) It cannot be either my words, or my eyes which have di&s;cover|ed the &s;ecret of my heart unto <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> becau&s;e I never &s;aw him &s;ince, and yet there is none but <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> in all the world which knows my thoughts: <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> who hath promi|&s;ed inviolable fidelitie; <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> I &s;ay, who knows that I fear nothing more, then that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;hould know I love him. As the Queen was in this perplexitie, <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> who was newly come to <HI>Corinth,</HI> and had not been there a long while, and whom the Queen ever loved, &s;he entred into her Chamber: So that this Prince&s;s who dearly loved her, made a Truce with her &s;orrows, and began to talk of &s;everal things with her; and pa&s;&s;ing from one di&s;cour&s;e unto another, <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> who knew nothing of the Queens Love to <HI>My|rinthus,</HI> nor of that intimate confidence between her and <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> &s;he being to tell the Queen what day &s;ome pa&s;&s;age happened, &s;he told her it happened the very &s;ame day when <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> came not unto her until night. <HI>Cleobuline</HI> not remembring at fir&s;t that <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> was ever a whole day from her, did contradict <HI>Phili&s;ta:</HI> But <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> to remember it by more circum&s;tances, told her, that it was the verie &s;ame day <HI>Myrinthus</HI> and <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> were a whole afternoon together, adding to prove her words, that <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> came to them at the conclu&s;ion of their conference. The Queen hearing what <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> &s;aid, began to &s;u&s;|pect the fidelity of <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> &s;ince &s;he never &s;poke a word to her of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> his vi&s;it, her &s;u&s;pitions a little after did encrea&s;e; for <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> coming in, <HI>Philista</HI> to make her own words good, asked her whether it was not true that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> came &s;uch a day to &s;ee her, and whether <HI>Ba&s;ilid<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> came not al&s;o.</P>
<P>This que&s;tion &s;o &s;urprized <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> &s;ince &s;he had kept the vi&s;it of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;ecret from the Queen, that &s;he did &s;o blu&s;h in confe&s;&s;ing it, as that the Queen did undoubted|ly conclude her culpable, and therefore was exce&s;&s;iuely &s;ad: Yet &s;ince it concerned her to know preci&s;ely what <HI>Myrinthus</HI> knew, &s;he re&s;olved to &s;et the be&s;t &s;ide of her &s;orrows and anger outward, and to make <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> confe&s;s the truth. But the thing which mo&s;t grated upon her apprehen&s;ion was, that &s;ince &s;he thought <HI>Myrinthus</HI> knew her thoughts, &s;o likewi&s;e did <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> grounding her thoughts of it upon the great familiarity which had been of late between them: So that as pa&s;&s;ionate per&s;ons alwayes u&s;e, &s;he was full of divers imaginations, and cohcluded for certain, that <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> had di&s;covered her &s;ecret unto <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and he unto <HI>Ba&s;ilides:</HI> You may judg Sir, whether a Prince&s;s who pretended unto glorie &s;o much as <HI>Cleobuline</HI> did, could have any &s;uch thoughts as the&s;e, without extream &s;orrow; and indeed hers was of &s;o deep a &s;train, that &s;he could not re&s;t till &s;he had talked with <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> and falling in&s;en&s;ibly into di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> &s;he asked her without any &s;hew of anger, how it came to pa&s;s &s;he never acquainted her with the vi&s;it <HI>Myrinthus</HI> made her? <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> having no better a rea&s;on, told her, that &s;ince &s;he ob&s;erved how &s;he never heard <HI>Myrinthus</HI> named without &s;orrow, &s;he accorded the talking of him as much as &s;he could, unle&s;s it were her &s;elf who fir&s;t begun to talk of him: But <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> (&s;aid the Queen, and looked earne&s;tly upon her) I talked the la&s;t night with you of all the pa&s;&s;ages which chanced that &s;ame afternoon. <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> &s;eeing her &s;elf put to it, did think to mend the matter with another lie: Since I know Madam, &s;aid &s;he unto her, that your Maje&s;tie de&s;ires nothing more zealou&s;ly then to conquer the pa&s;&s;i|ons of your Soul, I would never acquaint you with the di&s;cour&s;e I had with <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> le&s;t it &s;hould encrea&s;e rather then dimini&s;h them: For truly Madam, he came to &s;ee me only to prote&s;t how &s;orrie he was for incurring your di&s;plea&s;ure by thinking upon <HI>Phili|mena:</HI> Did he not ask you (&s;aid the Queen) what my rea&s;on was for oppo&s;ing his Mar|riage? Yes Madam, an&s;wered <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> and blu&s;ht, but I a&s;&s;ured him that I could not tell it: Fie <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> (cried out the Queen in a rapture of anger and grief) either you have betrayed me, or el&s;e your own words have betrayed you, for mo&s;t certainly <HI>Myrinthus</HI> knows more then he &s;hould do: However (&s;aid &s;he, le&s;t <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> &s;hould not tell the truth) if you will ingenuou&s;ly tell me all that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;aid unto you, and all that you an&s;wered him, I will pardon your fault: But <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> be &s;ure you tell me all, and hide not a &s;illable from me. <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> &s;eeing her &s;elf touched the quick, did a while deny all, but at la&s;t the Queen &s;peaking to her with &s;uch authoritie, and promi&s;ing a pardon if &s;he told her all pa&s;&s;ages, &s;he re&s;olved to confe&s;s part of the truth: She told her then, and truly how <HI>Myrinthus</HI> did mo&s;t highly commend her, that afterwards he was very impor|tunate to know her rea&s;on why &s;he ob&s;tructed his Marriage, and how before &s;he was a|ware, only told him, that her rea&s;on was much conducing unto his glorie; how he put all the advantagious interpretation that could be po&s;&s;ible upon tho&s;e words; and how af|ter all, <HI>Myrinthus</HI> did expre&s;s abundance of tenderne&s;s towards her: Since <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI>
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thought to appea&s;e the Queen, by telling &s;uch things, &s;he concealed no obliging ex|pre&s;&s;ion which <HI>Myrinthus</HI> u&s;ed, and hinted not a word of what he &s;aid in advantage of <HI>Philimena;</HI> yet &s;he dur&s;t not tell her how <HI>Myrinthus</HI> offered to quit her, le&s;t the actions of that lover &s;hould belye her words: But &s;he only told the Queen, that it was not im|po&s;&s;ible but he might be brought to quit her. Yet this di&s;&s;embling Artifice of <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> did not hit; for after the Queen had got out of <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> all that &s;he could, &s;he was &s;o tran&s;ported with anger, that though &s;he was re&s;olved to make no noi&s;e of it, becau&s;e &s;he &s;aw her weakne&s;s, yet &s;he could not chu&s;e but expre&s;s all that a mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ion could invent, Fie<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">fie, (&s;aid &s;he unto her with a torrent of tears) have I tru&s;ted you in a bu&s;ine&s;s upon which the whole glory of my life depended, and mu&s;t you go and tattle it unto the man, whom of all men living I mo&s;t feared that he &s;hould know it? Your im|prudence and indi&s;cretion hath deprived me of all con&s;olation, and brought me into &s;uch a condition, as to &s;ee <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;corn me: Doubtle&s;s he believed that all you &s;aid unto him proceeded from my orders; for what likelihood is there he &s;hould think any other? Could he imagine, that you having &s;o much wit and &s;pirit, &s;hould otherwi&s;e be &s;o weak weak and imprudent? Fie, fie, <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> unto what a cruel adventure have you expo&s;ed me? Mu&s;t <HI>Myrinthus</HI> know I love him, and not know I would not have him know it? and mu&s;t <HI>Myrinthus</HI> know this from <HI>Ste&s;ilea?</HI> For my part, I believe you thought I told you that I loved <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> on purpo&s;e you &s;hould let him know it, and that I did for|bid it, only that you might the &s;ooner tell him, but if you had any &s;uch thoughts you were extreamly deceived, and have been injurious as well as perfidious. <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> would then have had &s;ome frivolous excu&s;es to the Queen, but the Queen would not hearken to them: Be &s;ilent <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto her) be &s;ilent, all your inchanting rea&s;ons can|not ju&s;tifie you; and &s;ince your crime hath been in talking too much, it mu&s;t be &s;ilence rather then weak excu&s;es that mu&s;t appea&s;e my anger. In the mean while order it &s;o, as <HI>Myrinthus</HI> may not either by his looks, or by his actions, or by the lea&s;t &s;illable, give me any cau&s;e to think that he remembers what you &s;aid unto him; for if I find he do, I profe&s;s I will not only bani&s;h him my Court, but my Kingdom, though perhaps I cannot my heart: Carry the bu&s;ine&s;s &s;o, that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> may never know how I under&s;tand he knows the thoughts of my &s;oul, for if ever I perceive he do, I &s;hall bani&s;h you as well as him. But why &s;hould I impo&s;e &s;uch orders of &s;ilence and &s;ecre&s;ie upon one who is tattle|ing all &s;he knows, and is not Mi&s;tre&s;s of her own tongue? <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> then kneeling down at the Queens feet, with eyes full of tears, &s;eemed &s;o repentant, that this Prince&s;s who&s;e &s;oul was infinitely glorious, thinking it a &s;hame to pardon &s;uch a crime &s;o &s;oon, and fear|ing lea&s;t her repentant tears &s;hould molifie her, did command her to retire, and not to &s;ee her any more, until &s;he &s;ent for her; commanding her again to negotiate the matter &s;o, as <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;hould never know &s;he knew what <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> told him. After &s;he was gone, this Queen was in a mo&s;t un&s;peakable perplexitie, and that which did mo&s;t exa&s;perate the matter was, that as everie one is apt to believe what they de&s;ire, &s;o &s;he believed it to be within the compa&s;s of po&s;&s;ibilitie to wain <HI>Myrinthus</HI> from <HI>Philimena,</HI> if &s;he infu&s;ed &s;ome ingredients of ambition into her love; and on the contrarie, &s;he perceived by the extream di&s;order of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> his Soul, that if &s;he &s;hould offer him a Crown, yet he would ne|ver offer her his heart, nor quit <HI>Philimena.</HI> So that this con&s;ideration, and her percei|ving a po&s;&s;ibility of keeping <HI>Myrinthus</HI> from the enjoyment of <HI>Philimena,</HI> by making him a King, did exceedingly aggravate her &s;orrows: Since it is allowed the people, (would &s;he &s;ay &s;omtimes when Love had the predominancy of her heart) to chu&s;e a King when they have not one, why is it not allowable in a Queen to chu&s;e one, e&s;pecially when her choice is good? Is it ju&s;t, that becau&s;e I am born upon a Throne, therefore I &s;hould be deprived of that libertie which all my Subjects have? and that I &s;hould be more a Slave then any of my Slaves, in a thing upon which the felicitie of my life depends? But what's this I &s;ay? (&s;aid &s;he and reprehended her &s;elf) methinks I &s;peak as if I could be happy without glory: Fie, fie <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> wander not &s;o far from the right way of rea|&s;on; it is not thy part to examine the u&s;e of it, but to follow it: 'Tis true, <HI>Myrinthus</HI> is worthy of a Crown by his merit, but &s;ince he is not &s;o by his Birth, 'tis but fit thou bee&s;t &s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l his Soveraign, and that he be for ever thy Subject; but alas, this Subject knows thou love&s;t him more then becomes thee; at this very houre perhaps he is at the feet of <HI>Philimena,</HI> and reporting thy weakne&s;s unto her, and prote&s;ting, that though thou &s;hould&s;t offer him thy heart and thy Crown, yet he would willingly refu&s;e them both for the lea&s;t of her favours. On the other &s;ide, if <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> knew, as I believe he does, what
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thoughts thy &s;oul harbors of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> doubtle&s;s he would not value thy affection at a &s;traw, but only becau&s;e he would be King; and as for <HI>Philimena,</HI> I am confident &s;he would look upon thee with &s;corn, and triumph in raigning over the heart of him who raigns in thine: <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> al&s;o, &s;he would hold unworthy thoughts of thee; for &s;ince &s;he revealed the &s;ecret unto <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> doubtle&s;s &s;he thought thou did&s;t de&s;ire to contract a particular friend&s;hip with him, and may be &s;he imagined, that this friend&s;hip had &s;ome virtuous de&s;ign in it: So <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> &s;ee what dangerous con&s;equences thy fond pa&s;&s;ion hath brought thee unto, examine thy heart well, tru&s;t not too much unto thy own vir|tue and &s;trength, reduce thy &s;elf <HI>Cleobuline</HI> into &s;uch a condition, as that thou can&s;t not commit a fault if thou would&s;t; find out &s;ome ingenuous expedient which may ju&s;tifie thy &s;elf in the opinion of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> as well as of <HI>Ba&s;ilides, Philimena,</HI> and <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> call all thy virtues and &s;trengths to thy a&s;&s;i&s;tance, remember the glory thou ha&s;t got; and do all thou can&s;t to pre&s;erve it, and recover thy e&s;teem with <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> which perhaps thou ha&s;t lo&s;t: But alas (&s;aid &s;he after a &s;erious con&s;ideration) I can find no way in the world to effect the&s;e things but one: But oh heavens, how difficult it is? and how hard to be re&s;olved upon?</P>
<P>As &s;he was in the&s;e thoughts, <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> who was to render an accompt unto the Queen, of &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s wherein &s;he was imployed, came unto her, but &s;ince &s;he ob&s;erved her very re&s;erved and &s;ad, after the di&s;patch of her bu&s;ine&s;s, &s;he offered to go out again: But the Queen being fuller of &s;orrows then any one heart was able to contain, did call her back again, and imagining that &s;ince <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> had revealed her &s;ecret unto <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> &s;he might al&s;o impart it unto <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> who was alwayes very kind with her, &s;he thought it be&s;t to tell her her &s;elf, and to bid her keep <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> hereafter from &s;uch faults; &s;o that con&s;ulting more with her cholor then her rea&s;on, &s;he began to complain of <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> unto her: But &s;ince &s;he could not accu&s;e <HI>Ste&s;ilea,</HI> unle&s;s &s;he accu&s;ed her &s;elf al&s;o, &s;he acquaint|ed <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> with her own unhappy condition. Do not think (&s;aid &s;he unto her) that as much as I e&s;teem you, I would ever make any new confident of my weakne&s;s, unle&s;s I were fully re&s;olved either to &s;urmount it, or el&s;e to die: Yes <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> I believe I have found out a way to ju&s;tifie my &s;elf in the thoughts of <HI>Myrinthus, Philimena, Ba&s;ilides, Ste|&s;ilea,</HI> and your &s;elf: And I think I have hit upon it &s;o happily; that I &s;hall arrive at that point which I have &s;o long de&s;ired, which is, to &s;ee <HI>Myrinthus</HI> out of love with <HI>Philime|na:</HI> I perceive you can hardly conceive what this invention &s;hould be: But to make a di&s;|covery of it unto you, know <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> that to keep my &s;elf from ever committing any crime, I will con&s;ent unto that marriage which I have &s;o ob&s;tinately hindred. How Ma|dam, replied <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> will you allow <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to marry <HI>Philimena?</HI> Yes <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> re|plied &s;he, I will, and I will principally, to the end I may never think of marrying <HI>My|rinthus,</HI> nor &s;hew him any &s;igns of love, and to the end al&s;o he may think, that what|&s;oever <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> told him of me is not &s;tronger then my virtue; and al&s;o to per&s;wade <HI>Ba&s;i|lides,</HI> that all which perhaps is told him is not true. Thus far Madam, replied <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> I do agree unto what you have &s;aid, and I mu&s;t infinitely commend your generous de&s;ign; but I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I cannot &s;ee how you can ever hope to &s;ee <HI>Myrinthus</HI> out of love with <HI>Philimena:</HI> Yes I do hope it, replied &s;he, e&s;pecially by his marriage; for &s;ince the love of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to <HI>Philimena</HI> is augmented by my ob&s;tacles, I am confidently per&s;waded, that it will cool again when it finds no oppo&s;ition; the full fruition of <HI>Philimena</HI> will glut him, and more qua&s;h his affection, then all my authoritie is able to do: I be&s;eech you <HI>Phi|li&s;ta,</HI> (&s;aid this Prince&s;s in the rapture of her pa&s;&s;ion) do not tell me that <HI>Philocles,</HI> though now your Husband, is &s;till in love with you, &s;ince there is no love that is eternal: And if I did not hope to find &s;ome little &s;atisfaction in &s;eeing the affection of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to <HI>Philimena</HI> to fade by marriage, perhaps I &s;hould not have power to accompli&s;h that de&s;ign, whereupon the &s;afety of my glorie doth depend; therefore I conjure you to con|cur with me in my hopes, to the end I may more couragiou&s;ly put my re&s;olutions into execution: Yet do not think, pur&s;ued &s;he, that I de&s;ire <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;hould be out of love after he hath married <HI>Philimena,</HI> nor in any thought he &s;hould an&s;wer my affection unto him; no <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> that's not my aim, and doubtle&s;s I have not power to &s;ay, I wi&s;h that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;hould not love me: But I can a&s;&s;ure you, that none of my actions &s;hall ever let him know I love him, though I am confident I &s;hall love him as long as I breath; yet it would be much &s;atisfaction unto me, to &s;ee <HI>Myrinthus</HI> out of love when I have execute|ed my de&s;ign. But oh heavens (added &s;he, and gave <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> no time to an&s;wer her) am I able to do as I would? and am I well a&s;&s;ured that I de&s;ire it? When I con&s;ult with
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my rea&s;on, I find my &s;elf inclined unto it, though it &s;hould co&s;t me my life; but when I con&s;ult with my heart, I am readie to alter my minde, this Rebel heart re&s;i&s;ts me, and if I did not call glory to my aid, I &s;hould relaps into my fir&s;t fond weakne&s;s: But as &s;oon as I con&s;ider it as a mean to keep me from any po&s;&s;ibilitie of committing a fault which my pa&s;&s;ion prompts me unto a thou&s;and times in a day, and which all the world would up|braid me with, as a mean, I &s;ay, to make <HI>Myrinthus</HI> e&s;teem me, and perhaps to quench tho&s;e violent flames of affection which he bears unto <HI>Philimena;</HI> Honor and Love both joyning together do &s;o fortifie my mind, that I am in hopes of an ab&s;olute victorie over my &s;elf, though I am out of all hopes of not loving <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and though I mu&s;t &s;till love him without any fear that this pa&s;&s;ion will draw me unto any ba&s;ene&s;s. After this, <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> who wi&s;hed in her heart that the Queen would marry <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> told her, that the be&s;t way of &s;ecurity again&s;t that pa&s;&s;ion, was to marrie him; and hinted unto her all the politique rea&s;ons of State which might induce her unto it. Ah <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid the Queen unto her) your advice goes a little too far, and further then I am able to follow: 'Tis well, If I can re&s;olve to render <HI>Philimena</HI> happie by permiting her to marrie a man whom I love more then &s;he doth, without moving me to marrie one whom I do not love, nor e|ver &s;hall: For the truth is <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> if it were po&s;&s;ible, I &s;hould cea&s;e loving <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> (as I think it is not) I &s;hould certainly never love any el&s;e: Therefore <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> be con|tented that I do what I think &s;itting for my honour and ju&s;tification, and do not wi&s;h me to groan under any new torment. After this, the Queen di&s;mi&s;&s;ed <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> and would not be &s;een all the re&s;t of the day; but as the day was tormentive to her, &s;o the night much more, never did amorous heart endure more torture then hers, &s;he altered her re|&s;olution a hundred times, and as oft re&s;olved to put it in execution; &s;omtimes her pa&s;&s;ion would be &s;o high, that &s;he was per&s;waded &s;he did <HI>Myrinthus</HI> the greate&s;t inju&s;tice in the world, if &s;he did not put the Crown upon his head, &s;ince it was in her power to make him King, &s;he imagined the injurie as great, as if he had been legitimate King, and &s;he had wringed the Scepter out of his hand; and there was &s;o fierce a combat in her &s;oul be|twixt honour and love, that the Sun brought day into her Chamber before it was ended; She ri&s;e, before &s;he was re&s;olved what to do, and as &s;oon as &s;he ca&s;t her eyes upon a great gla&s;s, by which &s;he pa&s;&s;ed in her way to her Clo&s;et, and &s;pied in her face the alteration which Love and an ill night had brought upon her, &s;he blu&s;hed for &s;hame, that &s;he &s;hould be no more a Mi&s;tre&s;s of her &s;elf: Would not any &s;ay (&s;aid &s;he to her &s;elf) who &s;aw this &s;orrow in my eyes, that I am told of &s;ome lo&s;s of a great battel, which either reflect|ed upon my State, or the tranquilitie of my people? and yet in lieu of lamenting for the lo&s;&s;es of my people, I am lamenting my own lo&s;s; and all this &s;orrow which &s;its &s;o &s;ad|ly in my eyes, hath &s;o poor and weak a cau&s;e, and &s;o unworthie of my virtue, as I won|der how I can endure my &s;elf; rouze up thy &s;elf <HI>Cleobuline</HI> couragiou&s;ly, and conquer thy &s;elf. The Queen finding more power in her heart then &s;he imagined, would not let &s;lip &s;o good an interval; and le&s;t &s;he &s;hould relaps once more into a repentance, &s;he &s;ent immediately to command <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> and <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to come both together unto her; but &s;he had no &s;ooner given this order, then a fre&s;h tumult rebelled in her mind, which put her &s;oul into a new di&s;order, yet it was pre&s;entlie layed, for &s;he was &s;o exceedinglie plea&s;e|ed, that &s;he was able to force her mouth unto words &s;o oppo&s;ite unto her hearts de&s;ire, as her very joyes of vanqui&s;hing, made her able to execute her de&s;ign with a kind of tran|quilitie: So that her de&s;ire of glorie, and de&s;ire of ju&s;tifying her &s;elf in the thoughts of <HI>My|rinthus</HI> and <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> &s;ortifying her &s;oul, &s;he prepared her &s;elf in good earne&s;t for execute|ing her de&s;ign: Then arming her &s;elf with a re&s;olute mind, &s;he &s;hut up all her &s;orrowes in her heart, and &s;o well compo&s;ed her countenance, as &s;he &s;eemed only a little &s;erious, and not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> or troubled. In the mean time <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> and <HI>Myrinthus</HI> being &s;urprized at this &s;udden me&s;&s;age, they could not devi&s;e what the Queen &s;hould have with them, yet they did not impart their thoughts unto each other, for <HI>Myrinthus</HI> out of his re&s;pect and di&s;cretion would not tell <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> what he knew of the Queens Love; and <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> out of his jealou&s;ie would not tell <HI>Myrinthus</HI> what he thought he knew not, and which he would never have him know, yet both of them imagined that the Queens &s;ending for them was ab&s;olutely to forbid the banes of <HI>Philimena's</HI> Marriage: So that though ambiti|on was high in the heart of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> yet his Love of <HI>Philimena</HI> having got the predo|minancie, he went to the Queen with a &s;oul full of melancholy thoughts: On the other <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">de <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> thinking that the Queen oppo&s;ed the Marriage of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> only becau&s;e &s;he her &s;elf loved him, and fearing al&s;o that &s;he would break it only, perhaps with a de|&s;ign
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to make him King, he was &s;o far from looking upon <HI>Myrinthus</HI> as a Husband unto his Si&s;ter, as he hated him as a Rival, though he knew him to be in love with <HI>Philimena,</HI> and not with <HI>Cleobuline.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e two Lovers then being both of them full of re&s;tle&s;s imaginations, came both of them to Court together. They were no &s;ooner entred, then the Queen hearing of their coming, cau&s;ed them to enter into her Clo&s;et; She had no &s;ooner given this order, but &s;he had &s;ome &s;ugge&s;tions in her heart to talk of &s;ome other bu&s;ine&s;s, and to defer the execution of her de&s;ign unto &s;ome other time. But as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and looked upon him as a man who knew her weakne&s;s, and who perhaps blamed her for it, her very de&s;ire to readmit her &s;elf into his e&s;teem, as well as to ju&s;tifie her &s;elf in the o|pinion of <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> did rouze up a greater &s;trength in her re&s;olution then &s;he imagined; and <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> whom the Queen &s;ent for to be pre&s;ent at this action, told me, &s;he admired that a per&s;on &s;o pa&s;&s;ionate as <HI>Cleobuline</HI> was, could &s;o well overcome her &s;elf: She there|fore no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> and <HI>Myrinthus</HI> enter into her Clo&s;et, then cau&s;ing them to come to her, &s;he began to &s;peak unto them both in a mo&s;t &s;urprizing manner: Since I know (&s;aid &s;he unto them) that the bu&s;ine&s;s which I am to &s;peak of does concern you both, I de&s;ired to &s;peak unto you both together. Know then (&s;aid &s;he, and addre&s;&s;ed her &s;peech unto <HI>Ba&s;ilides)</HI> that as I have hitherto hindred the marriage of <HI>Philimena</HI> and <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> out of &s;ome prevalent rea&s;ons which I never told you; &s;o now, tho&s;e rea|&s;ons being changed, I have al&s;o changed my opinion, in&s;omuch as &s;ince I do now like of that which I di&s;liked then, I do not only con&s;ent unto this marriage, but I de&s;ire that it may be con&s;ummated, as &s;peedily as preparations for &s;uch a &s;olemnity will permit. <HI>Ba|&s;ilides</HI> and <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> both were &s;o &s;urprized at the Queens words, as they never thought of any an&s;wer! but the wonder was, to &s;ee the Brother of a Lover to thank the Queen &s;ooner then the Lover him&s;elf: For though <HI>Myrinthus</HI> was unexpre&s;&s;ively in love with <HI>Philimena,</HI> and was extreamly joyed to hear that he &s;hould ere long enjoy her, yet knowing what thoughts the Queen had of him, he dur&s;t not be too forwards in expre&s;&s;i|ons of gratitude, for the favour which &s;he did him, for fear of incen&s;ing her. Al&s;o his ambition &s;trugling a little in his heart, he could not &s;o &s;uddenly quit a Queen for <HI>Phili|mena,</HI> without &s;ome little regret of mind; So that not knowing upon a &s;uddain what to do or &s;ay, he let <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> &s;peak fir&s;t, who apprehending that nothing could be more ad|vantagious unto his de&s;ign upon the Queen then this, he was tran&s;ported with &s;uch a joy, as permitted him the full freedome of his &s;pirits, and he returned his thanks in very craf|ty phra&s;es: I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, &s;aid he unto her, your Maje&s;ty hath not only done an Act of Ju&s;tice in con&s;enting unto what <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;o much de&s;ired, but an act of Cle|mency al&s;o, in pre&s;erving that life which the tyranny of his pa&s;&s;ion would have ruined. <HI>Myrinthus</HI> hearing <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> &s;peak in this manner, though he had a good mind to contra|dict him, yet he dur&s;t not; nor dur&s;t he out of his re&s;pect unto the Queen aggravate a pa&s;&s;ion which he knew would but di&s;plea&s;e her; therefore puting a hand&s;om glo&s;s upon his re&s;entment, he began to &s;peak: Since I cannot evidence my gratitude unto the Queen, (&s;aid he unto her) without giving her &s;ome cau&s;e to think that I murmured again&s;t her, when &s;he denied me that, which now &s;he is plea&s;ed to grant, I had rather publi&s;h her goodne&s;s unto all the world, then to thank her my &s;elf: Therefore Madam, I be&s;eech your Maje&s;tie to di&s;pence with tho&s;e thanks which I owe you, and in exchange give me leave to applaud you, in &s;peaking of tho&s;e many honours which I have received from you; and to publi&s;h unto all the world, that though I die a thou&s;and deaths in your Ma|je&s;ties &s;ervice, yet the va&s;t debt of my gratitude is not di&s;charged: In &s;aying you will give me no thanks, replied the Queen and blu&s;hed, you have given me too many. In the mean time, I do not only di&s;pen&s;e with you for your thanks, but al&s;o for all tho&s;e high applauds you give me; and I hold you di&s;charged of all you owe me, provided you will be fully per&s;waded, that both in denying and giving you <HI>Philimena,</HI> I alwayes had &s;trong rea&s;ons for tho&s;e contrary acts, though they were unknown unto you; and as I place Ju|&s;tice in the fir&s;t rank of all Kingly virtues, &s;o I do abhor that my Subjects &s;hould ever upbraid me with any deficiency in that virtue: If you can be accu&s;ed of any inju&s;tice Ma|dadam (replied <HI>Myrinthus</HI> mo&s;t re&s;pectfully) it is in conferring more favours upon me then I can merit: But &s;ince goodne&s;s is a virtue as well as Ju&s;tice, I &s;hall hope that with|out any blame to your Maje&s;ty for the favours you have done me, that may be attributed unto your goodne&s;s, which cannot be unto your Ju&s;tice: However it be (&s;aid &s;he to fi|ni&s;h the di&s;cour&s;e) &s;ince the greate&s;t joyes are doubled, when they are made publique,
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we will not hinder you <HI>Myrinthus</HI> from publi&s;hing yours; go therefore and tell&mdash;This Prince&s;s would have &s;aid <HI>Philimena;</HI> but &s;he abruptly &s;topped, and the di&s;order of her &s;pirits was &s;o great, that in lieu of &s;aying <HI>Philimena</HI> according to her fir&s;t intention, &s;he &s;aid, unto all the Court, and &s;aid it with a blu&s;h; So that fearing le&s;t her con&s;tancy &s;hould &s;tagger, &s;he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> and <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> who both of them retired very wel &s;atisfied; yet <HI>Myrinthus</HI> had &s;om &s;ecret pangs of &s;orrow in his heart, for as he went out of the Queens Clo&s;et, and turned his head back, and &s;aw her lifting up her eyes unto heaven with a &s;igh, &s;o that not doubting but that he was the cau&s;e of tho&s;e &s;orrows in the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Queen in the world, his joys were &s;o dejected until the fair eys of <HI>Philimena</HI> did revive them, as he could hardly &s;peak unto <HI>Ba&s;ilides;</HI> yet he was no &s;ooner in the pre&s;ence of that fair one, but Love began to fill his heart with extream joy. Yet whil&s;t he was ta&s;ting, all tho&s;e di|licious &s;weets which he had a long time mo&s;t earne&s;tly wi&s;hed for, and which a full &s;atis|fied hope could afford, the Queen did find &s;ome tranquilitie in the Victory which &s;he had obtained over her &s;elf, and was &s;omtimes joyed at it: Well thou imperious pa&s;&s;ion, (did &s;he &s;ay before <HI>Phili&s;ta)</HI> which art accu&s;tomed to conquer the &s;tronge&s;t rea&s;ons, thou ha&s;t now been conquered by mine: Thou Tyrant, I &s;ay, who ha&s;t cau&s;ed the mo&s;t illu&s;tri|&s;trious per&s;ons to run headlong into a thou&s;and crimes and inconveniences, and does of|ten put the whole Univer&s;e into a di&s;order; yet as proud as thou art of thy Triumphs, one &s;imple de&s;ire of glory hath forced thee out of my heart, and made my &s;elf a Sove|raign Mi&s;tre&s;s of it: I do profe&s;s Madam (&s;aid <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> to her) I do extreamly admire at your victory over your &s;elf; I could never think that it were po&s;&s;ible to bani&s;h a mo&s;t vio|lent and tyrannical pa&s;&s;ion out of one &s;oul in &s;o &s;hort a time: Ah my dear <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> re|plied the Queen and &s;ighed) I have conquered this cruel pa&s;&s;ion I confe&s;s, but in lieu of bani&s;hing out of my heart &s;o fierce an Enemy, my rea&s;on hath only enchained him there, and I am in continual fear le&s;t he &s;hould break tho&s;e chains which holds him cap|tive: I find him doing what he can to get at liberty; but I find al&s;o, that he cannot break them unle&s;s my rea&s;on hetray me: I pray <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> &s;trengthen it by your commenda|tions, and tell me that I have done the mo&s;t glorious act in the world; per&s;wade me if you can, that it was more grandure of courage to do as I have done, then it was weak|ne&s;s in me to be &s;o unvanqui&s;hed as I was: It is an ea&s;ie matter for me Madam, replied <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> to commend an act &s;o Heroique, whereof &s;o few are capable; the Sacrifice you have offered unto glory is &s;o great, that as by all the re&s;t of your actions you merit Statues, &s;o by this you merit Temples and Altars, &s;ince you have done a thing which the Gods them&s;elues have not alwayes done: Fie <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> replied the Queen, do not com|mend me &s;o exce&s;&s;ively, for if I &s;hould chance to relaps into my fir&s;t follie, and repent of what I have done, both you and I &s;hould be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ominably a&s;hamed of all the&s;e applauds which you have given me; therefore, though I did entreat you to commend me, yet I pray keep &s;ome mea&s;ure in your commendations; for the very truth is <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> that I did never in my life love <HI>Myrinthus</HI> more then now I do, nor hate <HI>Philimena</HI> more, yet I made them both happy, becau&s;e honour required it, and my Qualitie would not &s;uffer me to commit crimes, &s;ince I mu&s;t do nothing but what is great and Noble, and Soveraignly ju&s;t. Moreover <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> if you did but know my joyes, to &s;ee <HI>Myrinthus</HI> expre&s;s no gladne&s;s when I gave him leave to marrie <HI>Philimena,</HI> you would wonder: But wretch that I am, (&s;aid &s;he and blu&s;ht) I rejoyce at that, which doubtle&s;s I ought to grieve at, and be a&s;hamed; for it is to be thought, that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> did only hide his thoughts be|cau&s;e he knew mine: Stifle therefore this ill-grounded joy, and rejoyce <HI>Cleobuline</HI> at nothing but the Victorie which thou ha&s;t got over thy &s;elf. In &s;hort Sir, the Queen did &s;o encourage her &s;elf in the de&s;ign which &s;he had taken, that it was as generou&s;ly exe|cuted, as it was re&s;olved, yet not without a thou&s;and &s;everal perplexities; for &s;ince all the Court thought they plea&s;ed her in intere&s;ting them&s;elves in the joyes of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> and in commending the marriage which &s;he had made, they &s;poke of nothing el&s;e. Some &s;poke loud in commendations of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> others of <HI>Philimena,</HI> all of nothing el&s;e. In the mean time, &s;ince &s;he would not tru&s;t too much unto her &s;elf, &s;he ha&s;ted on the marriage, as if upon the accompli&s;hment thereof depended all her felicitie: And the bet|ter to colour her affection to <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> &s;he &s;hewed abundance of kindne&s;s to <HI>Philimena,</HI> and &s;ent her <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> rich Pre&s;ents, though &s;he gave her not one &s;weet word which had not a bitter reli&s;h in her own heart: She her &s;elf would al&s;o be at the expences of the marri|age, which was &s;olemnized with extraordinarie pomp: She dre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf, as if it were the day of her Coronation; and as long as the Fea&s;t la&s;ted, &s;he was a mo&s;t ab&s;olute Mi|&s;tre&s;s
<PB N="135" REF="649">
of her own countenance, and of all her actions, though Heavehs knows not with|out inconceiveable &s;orrow at heart, in the mid&s;t of this publique rejoycing. The truth is, &s;he carried it &s;o, that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> thought &s;he had changed her thoughts of him, that <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> thought him&s;elf wronglie informed, and that <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> her &s;elf thought <HI>Cleobu|line</HI> le&s;s engaged to <HI>Myrinthus</HI> then &s;he was, yet &s;he was not long in that thought; for the day after the &s;olemnitie, the Queen cau&s;ed all the Grandees of State to a&s;&s;emble, as if &s;he intended &s;ome notable alteration in Government; and without communicating her de&s;ign unto any who&s;oever, &s;he appeared in the Noble A&s;&s;emblie with &s;o much Maje&s;tie, as &s;he in&s;pired reverence into the hearts of all beholders. <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> according to his Quali|tie, had the fir&s;t place, and <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> by rea&s;en of his offices, the next. This A&s;&s;embly was in a great Hall &s;upported with Marble Pillars, who&s;e Ba&s;is was of <HI>Corinthean</HI> Cop|per, &s;o famous over all the world: Between the&s;e Pillars and Pila&s;ters was hung &s;everal En&s;igns gotten in the Wars by the late King of <HI>Corinth:</HI> And in the mid&s;t of this Hall was erected a &s;tately Throne of three degrees; upon the fir&s;t was the Queen, upon the &s;econd <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> and upon the third <HI>Myrinthus.</HI> All the re&s;t of the A&s;&s;emblie being round about this Prince&s;s, who after &s;he had by her looks impo&s;ed &s;ilence upon all the companie, &s;he made &s;uch a mo&s;t admirablie eloquent Oration, as &s;he charmed all the au|ditorie; but her re&s;olution did a&s;toni&s;h them; for after &s;he had prepared them to hear her plea&s;ure, &s;he declared, That it was her re&s;olute determination never to marrie; adding, that it was her will <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> &s;hould be looked upon, as him who was to &s;ucceed her in the Throne, to the end his authoritie &s;hould be more firm, and that he &s;hould rai&s;e no Factions in the State: Adding after all this a thou&s;and admirable Arguments to autho|rize her re&s;olution: You may judg Sir, how this Oration &s;urprized the A&s;&s;emblie, e&s;pe|cially <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> and <HI>Myrinthus.</HI></P>
<P>As it is the cu&s;tome when the Queen hath ended her Speech, for everie one to give their opinions in order, &s;o <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> &s;poke fir&s;t; and though the Queens Declaration was much in his advantage, and confirmed him in tho&s;e rights whichh nature gave him, yet his love prompted him to contradict the opinion of the Queen, and one could not &s;peak more eloquentlie, nor more reverentlie then he did, to per&s;wade her that &s;he would be plea&s;ed to change her mind. And though the place would not permit him to add his pa&s;&s;ion unto many other rea&s;ons, which might induce her to marrie, yet he did hint upon that point verie delicatelie, declaring unto her, that he would never have any right unto a Crown which &s;he wore by &s;o &s;ad a way, as that which &s;he propounded, and &s;poke as elegantly, as if he had been prepared for it. But when it came to the cour&s;e of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> to &s;peak, and when he concurred in the opinion of <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> the Queen blu&s;hed; and at night &s;he told <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> that her con&s;tancie began to waver, when &s;he &s;aw him for who&s;e &s;ake &s;he re&s;olved never to marrie, to advi&s;e her to it. The di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> was not long, for &s;ince he knew the Queens thoughts, he was more limited in his Spirit; yet he &s;poke verie well, and mixed &s;o many applauds with his contradictions, that it may be &s;aid he choaked all his own rea&s;ons, and confirmed her in her de&s;ign. Afterwards, everie one who &s;poke, be&s;eeched her to change her mind; but after they had all &s;poken what they would, &s;he repeated all their rea&s;ons in a &s;hort method, and clo&s;ed up the A&s;&s;emblie with a di&s;cour&s;e more prevalent then the former, and made it appear that her re&s;olution was unalterable: So that according to cu&s;tome, the Declaration of it was publi&s;hed unto the People, and all circum&s;tances were performed to make it more Authentique. To tell you Sir, how great was the grief of <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> and a&s;toni&s;hment of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> is a thing not ea&s;ie. <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> knew not what to think of her de&s;ign, whether it proceeded out of love to <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> or aver&s;ion unto him&s;elf; but as for <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> he dur&s;t not think him|&s;elf to be the cau&s;e of this her re&s;olution. nor knew he unto what to attribute it. In the mean time, this Declaration made a mightie noi&s;e in <HI>Corinth,</HI> and never did a &s;ecret cau&s;e produce greater events; yet the general opinion was, that the Queen was jealous of her Authoritie, and would not divide it with any by marriage: Some &s;aid, it was her love to the Liberal Sciences, which in&s;pired her with an aver&s;ion unto Marriage; but there was not one did vote it to be for the love of <HI>Myrinthus. Phili&s;ta</HI> her &s;elf not being able to comprehend it, took &s;o much libertie as to ask the Queen: I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid &s;he unto her) what ought I to think of your Maje&s;ties de&s;ign? Is it policie which &s;ug|ge&s;ted it unto you? No no, <HI>Phili&s;ta</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto her and &s;ighed) This re&s;olution which &s;eems to be grounded upon rea&s;ons of State, is grounded only upon rea&s;ons of Love: For indeed my dear <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> by giving <HI>Philimena</HI> unto <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> I &s;hall drive <HI>Myrinthus</HI>
<PB N="136" REF="650">
out of my heart, and by con&s;equence make it incapable of entertaining any other affecti|on, or e&s;pecially the love of <HI>Ba&s;ilides:</HI> And thus, that I might at lea&s;t in appearance, though not in realitie, enjoy my libertie, I have re&s;olved never to marrie; and to keep <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> from any murmure, I have &s;etled my Crown upon him: Madam, replied <HI>Phili|&s;ta,</HI> were <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> only ambitious, this might peradventure keep him from any di&s;con|tents, but &s;ince he is in love, methinks it &s;hould grieve him: Since I am full of phanta&s;ti|cal and extraordinarie thoughts, replied the Queen, I have one for <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> which I confe&s;s is verie unju&s;t: For truly <HI>Phili&s;ta,</HI> though I am &s;ure I can never love him, and though his affection is extreamlie trouble&s;ome unto me, yet &s;omtimes I wi&s;h that he would love me ever; love me &s;o far, as never to marrie as long as he lived, that &s;o the Crown which now I wear may fall upon <HI>Myrinthus.</HI> This is the only innocent way I know to make him a King, which &s;hall be if this phanta&s;tical rea&s;on do hit, not but that my ima|gination is &s;hrewdly wounded, when it phancieth my Crown upon <HI>Philimena's</HI> Head: But for all that, the plea&s;ing thought that perhaps the Scepter may fall into the hands of <HI>My|rinthus,</HI> does tran&s;port me above all other con&s;iderations; and I cannot for my life but wi&s;h, that <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> &s;hould extreamly love me, that the Crown might fall upon the head of <HI>Myrinthus.</HI> In the mean time, to te&s;tifie that this pa&s;&s;ion which yet raignes in my heart is as pure as phanta&s;tical, ob&s;erve I conjure you, how I will live with him who is the cau&s;e of it: For after I have done that which becomes my glorie, I mu&s;t go a little further, and &s;o fully per&s;wade <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> that I am an ab&s;olute Mi&s;tre&s;s of my own thoughts, that he &s;hall be forced to e&s;teem me as much as I love him. And indeed Sir, though the Queen hath ever &s;ince done all that was in her power to advance the fortunes of <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> yet &s;he never moved him unto any more familiaritie with her, then he u&s;ed to have before <HI>Ste&s;ilea</HI> acquainted him with the thoughts &s;he had of him. But Sir, the greate&s;t wonder of this adventure is, that <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> who&s;e &s;oul as I told you was na|turally of an ambitious temper, did pre&s;entlie cool the heat of his affection to <HI>Philimena;</HI> for in a verie &s;hort time after his marriage, he grew &s;o melancholy and re&s;erved, as it was evident, that &s;he had not compleated his happine&s;s. But though one is naturally apt to &s;hare in the &s;orrows of that per&s;on whom one loves, yet the grief that appeared in the countenance of <HI>Myrinthus</HI> never troubled <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> for &s;he quicklie knew that <HI>My|rinthus</HI> did not love <HI>Philimena,</HI> and that he was her Husband, but not her Lover; her &s;a|tisfaction re&s;ted not here: For be plea&s;ed to know Sir, that after ambition had quenched his flames of Love to <HI>Philimena,</HI> that verie &s;ame ambition kindled his love of <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> and &s;o de&s;perately, as he was readie to run out of his wits and rea&s;on: He did what he could to hide his pa&s;&s;ion, both from <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> and <HI>Philimena;</HI> and &s;ince he knew by <HI>Ste|&s;ilea</HI> how nice &s;he was in &s;uch things, he dur&s;t not &s;o much as give the Queen the lea&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> of it. The Queen for her part di&s;guized her thoughts as much as &s;he could, and endea|voured as much as ever &s;he could that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> &s;hould not perceive that &s;he loved him &s;till, or knew that he loved her; and the more &s;he knew <HI>Myrinthus</HI> was in love with her, the farther &s;he was off. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> perceiving the pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Myrin|thus,</HI> began to hate him; and <HI>Philimena</HI> al&s;o having &s;ome &s;uch jealou&s;ie, did wi&s;h &s;o ill unto <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> as &s;he laboured all &s;he could with <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> to rai&s;e a Rebellion in the State: And it is mo&s;t &s;ure, that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> had never any further &s;atisfaction, then to i|magine that the Queen did love him, becau&s;e he knew &s;he did &s;o formerly; and the Queen for her part never looked further then to know that <HI>Myrinthus</HI> loved her, without giving him the lea&s;t &s;ign of her love. In the mean time Sir, &s;ince it is to be feared that the pa&s;|&s;ion of <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> in the conclu&s;ion to rai&s;e a Civil War, I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you Sir; to &s;ignifie unto <HI>Timochares</HI> who hath a great influence upon the Queen, that you are per|&s;waded her re&s;olution of never marrying may produce dangerous con&s;equences: As there are very ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y obligations upon me to <HI>Ba&s;ilides,</HI> doubtle&s;s I &s;hall be readie to do him any good office; but I do prote&s;t unto you Sir, that it is more the Queens intere&s;t, then that of <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> which moves me unto this reque&s;t; for it is mo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible that any &s;hould know her, and not devote him&s;elf more unto her &s;ervice, then unto any other. For Sir, to and the hi&s;torie of this Prince&s;s as I begun it, I do mo&s;t confidentlie a&s;&s;ure you, that there <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ot <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ny lives on earth who can &s;urpa&s;s her in virtue.</P>
<P><HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"></HI> having ended his relation, <HI>Cyrus</HI> made an Elogie in prai&s;e of the <HI>Corinth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> Queen, as high as po&s;&s;ible; repeating all her virtues one after another, and in&s;i&s;ting prin|cipally upon that power which &s;he had over her &s;elf in hiding a mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ion: For truly, &s;aid he, I know by this, that &s;he mu&s;t needs have a &s;oul much greater then mine;
<PB N="137" REF="650">
&s;ince when I was at <HI>Sinope,</HI> and fell in love with <HI>Mandana,</HI> I was never able to vanqui&s;h that pa&s;&s;ion, though I had then &s;tronger rea&s;ons to decline loving that Prince&s;s, then <HI>Cleo|buline</HI> had not to declare her affection unto <HI>Myrinthus;</HI> Therefore <HI>Philocles,</HI> I mu&s;t con|clude the Queen of <HI>Corinth</HI> to be worthy of all tho&s;e glorious Characters which you have given her: And I do a&s;&s;ure you, that if I do tell <HI>Thimochares</HI> what you de&s;ire I &s;hould tel him, it &s;hal be only for the love of you: Since certainly to follow the pure dictates of my own heart, I &s;hould never advi&s;e a Prince&s;s who is in love, to marry a Prince whom &s;he loves not. However, &s;ince I do believe your intentions good, and &s;ince you know the people better then I do, and in what &s;phere the Spirits of the Court do move, I pro|mi&s;e you to do as you de&s;ire. After this, it being very late, <HI>Philocles</HI> retired unto the Tent which was provided for him, and left <HI>Cyrus</HI> in thoughts of envy again&s;t <HI>Myrinthus,</HI> wi&s;h|ing with mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionate zeal, that <HI>Mandana</HI> did as tenderly love him, as the Queen of <HI>Corinth</HI> did <HI>Myrinthus.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The end of the &s;econd Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="book">
<PB N="138" REF="651">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR The Grand CYURS. The Seventh Part.  Book. III.</HEAD>
<P>_THe next morning, <HI>Thimochares</HI> coming to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that Prince per|formed his promi&s;e unto <HI>Philocles;</HI> but yet he knew very well, that he gave &s;uch coun&s;el as the Queen of <HI>Corinth</HI> would not follow: Yet to te&s;tifie how much he e&s;teemed that Prince&s;s, he doubled his civilities upon <HI>Thimochares,</HI> to whom he &s;hewed all the works. After which, and after a mo&s;t Princely Banquet, <HI>Thimochares</HI> returned unto his Fleet, de&s;iring to be on Land no longer, le&s;t &s;ome unfore&s;een accident &s;hould fall out. He was no &s;ooner gone, but one of tho&s;e men whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent with <HI>Spitridates</HI> came into the room; he no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but being extreamlie impati|ent to know what news, he de&s;ired him to acquaint him; but fir&s;t he gave him a Letter from <HI>Tigranes,</HI> in which he found the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>TIGRANES</HI> unto the illu&s;trious <HI>CYRUS.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THe Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> being wounded in his right hand, it mu&s;t be mine that mu&s;t let you know, how he is &s;o unfortunate, as that he cannot accept of tho&s;e generous offers which you made him: For after he had met with the Ravi&s;her of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> whom I cannot call Brother; and after he had fought with him whilst I was another way in que&s;t of that Prince&s;s, be e&s;caped his revenge, after he had &s;lightly wounded him in the right hand, and imbarqued at a <HI>Galatian</HI> Port, whither we followed him, and where we imbarqued al&s;o, though we know not directlie which way he hath taken. After this Sir, I have no more to &s;ay,
<PB N="139" REF="651">
but to tell you, that the acknowledgments of the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> to you, are as great as his &s;orrows, and that my anger again&s;t <HI>Phraartes</HI> doth equal them both, though it doth not exceed my zeal unto your glorie.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>TIGRANES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After the reading of this Letter, <HI>Cyrus</HI> enquired verie particularly of him who brought it, how <HI>Spitridates</HI> did meet <HI>Phraartes?</HI> and by him under&s;tood that it was in a Wood; that <HI>Phraartes</HI> at fir&s;t taking <HI>Spitridates</HI> for him, would have fled, but one of the men knowing him to be <HI>Spitridates,</HI> did fir&s;t a&s;&s;ault him; that all their men fought, but in conclu&s;ion, <HI>Phraartes</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Tigranes</HI> afar off with his Squadron, he ran away, and got into a thick wood, where we lo&s;t the &s;ight of him; that afterwards they under&s;tood, <HI>A|raminta</HI> during the combat was in a Shepherds Cabin; &s;ome two hundred paces from the place where they fought, and that <HI>Phraartes</HI> went and took her away, and carried her into a Port within thirtie furlongs of the place, where tho&s;e who guarded her had pro|vided a Ship; and that he was no &s;ooner come unto this Port, but he imbarqued; &s;ome reporting that he was wounded. This man related further, That <HI>Spitridates</HI> and <HI>Tigra|nes</HI> making towards that place, did come too late; and that they re&s;olved to imbarque al&s;o, and to carry with them tho&s;e whom you gave unto them, and at la&s;t &s;ent him to relate the pa&s;&s;age.</P>
<P>When <HI>Cyrus</HI> had heard all that concerned <HI>Spitridates,</HI> he under&s;tood from <HI>Feraulas,</HI> that <HI>Arianita</HI> making no que&s;tion but <HI>Cumes</HI> would be taken, was gone out of <HI>Sardis</HI> to <HI>Thybarra</HI> with <HI>Dorali&s;a;</HI> who&s;e Aunt had there &s;ome E&s;tate and bu&s;ine&s;s; and therefore &s;he was gone unto that place where &s;he might be neer her Prince&s;s and Mi&s;tre&s;s, when &s;he was relea&s;ed: <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;aid further, that <HI>Pherenice</HI> having no mind to leave her was gone along with her. The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> who was pre&s;ent when <HI>Feraulas</HI> told this news unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> was much joyed in his hopes of &s;eeing <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> at the end of the Siege. But <HI>Cyrus</HI> had no &s;ooner done with <HI>Feraulas,</HI> then an Envoy from the Prince <HI>Philaxip|pes</HI> was brought unto him, and another from the Prince of <HI>Cicilie,</HI> who &s;ent Ships unto him, in&s;omuch as <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing fre&s;h hopes of vanqui&s;hing and relea&s;ing <HI>Mandana,</HI> his &s;oul was all tranquility; but this calm la&s;ted not long: For <HI>Mazares</HI> remembring that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had &s;till the &s;ame <HI>Heliotropes</HI> wherewith he got <HI>Mandana</HI> out of <HI>Sardis,</HI> was extreamly &s;ad; and de&s;iring to communicate his &s;orrows unto his Rival al&s;o, he told <HI>Cyrus</HI> of it the very &s;ame houre, who was &s;o &s;urprized at the apprehen&s;ion of it, that his wonder was as great as his grief: Alas <HI>Mazares,</HI> unto what end is this Siege, to ca&s;t up any works, to have a pui&s;&s;ant Navy, to have made a con&s;iderable breach, to have begun a Treaty, which in all probabilitie will produce happy effects, if our Rival can &s;till &s;teal him&s;elf out of &s;ight, and carry our Prince&s;s from us? Alas <HI>Mazares,</HI> I know not what to think, nor can have any con&s;tancy of hope; I cannot chu&s;e but fear this ac|cident, again&s;t which there are no orders to be given: Oh heavens, how comes it to pa&s;s I &s;hould be &s;o forgetful, and &s;o blind, as not to fore&s;ee this mi&s;erie? Doubtle&s;s the Gods have permitted it, replied <HI>Mazares,</HI> to the end you &s;hould go on with the Siege of <HI>Cumes</HI> &s;o gloriou&s;ly as you have done. But alas, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to what purpo&s;e is it to have &s;o happily advanced it in &s;pite of all the ob&s;tacles that Nature and men could block in our way, &s;ince the qualitie of one little &s;tone can render all our travels unprofitable? Per|haps at this very houre <HI>Mandana</HI> is not in <HI>Cumes,</HI> but that our Rival hath carried her a|way the third time: Truly <HI>Mazares</HI> I know not what to &s;ay or think, but I am &s;ure, that I will never pardon my treacherous memory; Oh heavens, that &s;uch a drow&s;ie &s;leepine&s;s of &s;pirits &s;hould po&s;&s;e&s;s my thoughts, in a bu&s;ine&s;s upon which depends all the good and bad fortune of my life. Alas, alas, I did but flatter my &s;elf with fal&s;e hopes; for I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that when I &s;aw all things in &s;o good a condition, I did not only begin to hope, but al&s;o to believe that I had ill expounded the menaces of the Gods in their Oracles; al|&s;o ill under&s;tood the an&s;wer of <HI>Sibil,</HI> as likewi&s;e the an&s;wer of <HI>Jupiter Belus</HI> unto the king of <HI>A&s;&s;iria:</HI> But now I plainly perceive that deceived my &s;elf, in thinking I was de|ceived, and that I am not yet at the end of my misfortunes. As &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> had pro|nounced the&s;e words, a Souldier was brought unto him, who &s;aid he had a Letter to pre|&s;ent unto him; <HI>Cyrus</HI> then asked him from whom it was? But he an&s;wered, that he could not tell; all he knew was, that it was written by a Pri&s;oner who was carefully guarded in
<PB N="140" REF="652">
a <HI>Bithinean</HI> Ca&s;tle, which joyns upon <HI>Galatia;</HI> and that it was given unto him by one of his Guards whom he had &s;uborned, with orders to bring it unto him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then taking this Letter, not knowing from whom it came, he opened it, and found the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> unto <HI>CYRUS.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>FOrtune, which is re&s;olved to loaden me with all &s;orts of mi&s;eries, is not &s;atisfied that I &s;hould owe you my life, but will al&s;o have me a debtor to you for my libertie: Remember Sir, that you can never enjoy <HI>Mandana,</HI> as long as I am a Pri&s;oner to <HI>Ar&s;amones;</HI> &s;ince you can never overcome me unle&s;s you relea&s;e me, nor have the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that Prince&s;s unle&s;s you do overcome me, according unto your promi&s;e at <HI>Sinope.</HI> Remember <HI>Sir,</HI> that <HI>Cyrus</HI> is ob|liged to make good all the promi&s;es of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and denie not an unfortunate Lover the &s;a|tisfaction of hoping, either to be revenged, or die; and let him never be a Spectator of his Rivals Triumph.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>The King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>See generous Prince (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> and gave him the Letter after he had di&s;mi&s;&s;ed him who brought it) See here, that our Rival is not dead: And con&s;ider I pray you, unto what odd adventures Mrs. Fortune doth expo&s;e me. <HI>Mazares</HI> then taking the Letter read it, and then agreed that the de&s;tiny of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was mo&s;t &s;trange: But though he was re&s;olved to love without hope, and never to pretend any thing unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet he could not chu&s;e but be a little plea&s;ed at the root of his heart, to &s;ee a new ob&s;tacle unto the happine&s;s of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> yet he was &s;o generous as to hide this thought from a Rival who was &s;o kind unto him, and to lament in appearance at the thing which he inwardly rejoyced at. In the mean time, though it was a mo&s;t cruel task for <HI>Cyrus</HI> to relea&s;e a Rival, and &s;uch a Rival as would not value libertie, but only to di&s;pute with him for the enjoyment of <HI>Mandana,</HI> unto whom he could not pretend any right; yet he did not pau&s;e upon it at all, but pre&s;entlie took a re&s;olution worthy of his great heart. For &s;ince he had another Rival for a witne&s;s of his carriage in the bu&s;ine&s;s, he &s;urmount|ed his repugnancy of doing &s;ervice unto an Enemy. Though I did never promi&s;e the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> (&s;aid he unto <HI>Mazares)</HI> but only to fight with him, and not to fight for him, yet I will con&s;ent unto his demand, and that as &s;oon as I can, to the end, that if by good fortune the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> do not make u&s;e of that fatal &s;tone&punc; who&s;e prodi|gious quality hath co&s;t me &s;o much trouble, but that we do deliver <HI>Mandana,</HI> I may then be the &s;ooner a Conqueror, or Conquered. <HI>Mazares</HI> hearing <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;peak thus, could not chu&s;e, but out of a thought of deferring the libertie of one Rival, and the good fortune of the other, tell him that his genero&s;itie went abundantly too far: But <HI>Cyrus</HI> being prompted both by honour and love to make his re&s;olution good, did not al|ter it. No, no, <HI>Mazares</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) I mu&s;t not let the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> think that his valour is terrible to me, nor give <HI>Mandana</HI> any cau&s;e to think, that I &s;pare my &s;elf a combat, to a&s;&s;ure my &s;elf of her Conque&s;t. After this, both the&s;e Princes began to imaagine, how the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> could be in <HI>Bithinia,</HI> and why <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;hould re|tain him; and after good con&s;ideration of it, they conceived that this Prince at his de|parture from <HI>Sardis,</HI> had received &s;ome fal&s;e intelligence concerning <HI>Mandana,</HI> which made him wend his cour&s;e that way, and that being known, <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> arre&s;ted him, yet they could not well imagine his rea&s;on: For though they knew that the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> whom the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> &s;o <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lighted at <HI>Babilon,</HI> in the time of the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> was the Niece of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and was then with him, as well as the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> whom the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> did &s;o a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ront; yet they could not conceive this to be a &s;ufficient rea|&s;on for arre&s;ting this Prince; nor could they imagine why <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> having arre&s;ted him, &s;hould make a &s;ecret of it.</P>
<P>But at la&s;t, not being able to comprehend the rea&s;ons, <HI>Cyrus</HI> bethought him&s;elf how he &s;hould relea&s;e the <HI>A&s;&s;irian King;</HI> and after a &s;erious con&s;ideration, he re&s;olved upon two wayes. The one, to give orders for the drawing out of all <HI>Gala<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ian</HI> and <HI>Cappadocian</HI> Garri&s;ons, and of them compo&s;e a flying Army, which &s;hould quarter as neer the Fron|tiers
<PB N="141" REF="652">
of <HI>Buthinia</HI> as they could: The other, to &s;end unto <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> to demand the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> with orders to offer a Ran&s;ome proportionable unto the Quality of the Pri|&s;oner, and to the magnificence of the offerer. After which, if <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;hould refu&s;e to re&s;tore him, then he who is to command the Forces quartering upon the <HI>Bithinian</HI> Frontiers, &s;hould advance towards the Ca&s;tle where he is kept, and endeavour to &s;ur|prize it. But <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not conceive it ju&s;t, to weaken that Army wherewith he was to relea&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> to go and relea&s;e his Rival.</P>
<P>This de&s;ign being re&s;olved upon, he looked upon <HI>Hidaspes</HI> as the fitte&s;t to go and put it into execution, commanding him to take the man who brought the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI>'s Letter along with him: And for the quicker expedition of the bu&s;ine&s;s, he di&s;patched his Orders the &s;ame day into <HI>Galatia</HI> and <HI>Capadocia</HI> by the Po&s;ts which he had placed in all the Dominions of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> to the end; that when <HI>Hidaspes</HI> came, he might finde things ready for the execution of his de&s;ign. But oh heavens (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as he was giving his la&s;t Orders about this enterprize) Since I am obliged to imploy all my cares of the liberty of my Prince&s;s, mu&s;t I be al&s;o nece&s;&s;itated to take care for the liberty of my Ri|val? However, were I a&s;&s;ured to &s;ee him &s;hortly in &s;uch a condition, as that I &s;hould &s;ee him with a Sword in his hand, I &s;hould cheer up my &s;elf: But knowing the malignity of my Fates, I am almo&s;t certain to relea&s;e my Enemy before <HI>Mandana.</HI> In the mean time <HI>Mazares,</HI> who knew he had carried this Prince&s;s from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> at <HI>Sinope,</HI> re|penting him&s;elf of his fir&s;t thoughts, and to repair his infidelity towards him, had now a mind to contribute unto his liberty: But &s;ince he had more wronged <HI>Mandana</HI> then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> and con&s;equently it more concerned him to repair the one then the o|ther, he &s;tayed in the Camp, to the end he might be pre&s;ent at the taking or rendition of <HI>Cumes,</HI> though the very imagination of the enterview between <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> would cut him to the heart. In the mean time, &s;ince the Fates were re&s;olved to put the genero&s;ity of <HI>Cyrus</HI> to the utmo&s;t te&s;t, there arrived a me&s;&s;enger from <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> who having demanded private audience, obtained it from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who received a Letter from <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> under his own hand; but it being only a Letter of credance, it was from the man who brought it, which <HI>Cyrus</HI> knew the Propo&s;ition which the King his Ma&s;ter made.</P>
<P>This Envoy being a man of parts, he prepared the mind of <HI>Cyrus</HI> by a very long Pro|logue, aggravating the unju&s;t u&s;urpations of the <HI>Pontean</HI> Kings upon tho&s;e of <HI>Bithinea,</HI> and what violent affronts the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> had put upon a Prince and a Prince&s;s, who were &s;o neer related unto <HI>Ar&s;amones:</HI> After which, de&s;iring to induce <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto a con&s;ent to what he &s;hould de&s;ire: The King my Ma&s;ter (&s;aid he unto him, after he had &s;ufficiently aggravated all cau&s;es of complaint again&s;t tho&s;e two Princes) doth think him|&s;elf to be happy amid&s;t his misfortunes, in having &s;uch Enemies as yours, and cannot think that you will protect them again&s;t him. In this thought he hath commanded me to tell you, that knowing the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> will ere long be in your power, &s;o the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> is already in his; and that if you will be plea&s;ed to put that u&s;urping Prince into his hands, he will put the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> into yours, unle&s;s you had rather have him keep him a Pri&s;oner to rid you of an Enemy. I do not u&s;e, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to rid my &s;elf of my Rivals by any &s;uch wayes; and I cannot chu&s;e but wonder, that a Prince who hath &s;o gloriou&s;ly reconquered his Kingdome, &s;hould de&s;ire to rid him&s;elf of his Enemy by &s;uch an ignoble way: But &s;ince <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> hath been &s;o unju&s;t, as to hold <HI>Spitridates</HI> in a ri|gorous Pri&s;on, who is one of the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Princes upon earth, I need not think it &s;trange he &s;hould de&s;ire to u&s;e his Enemy &s;o. However, though the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> be mine, and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> al&s;o, yet I will neither deliver the fir&s;t unto the King of <HI>Bithinia,</HI> nor &s;ecure the other, as he advi&s;eth me; but on the contrary, I have &s;everal times offered the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> to reconquer his Dominions for him, if he will re&s;tore the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> unto me; and I have this day &s;ent to offer the King your Ma&s;ter, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI>'s Ran&s;ome for his liberty. I pray judg after this, whether I can hearken unto any &s;uch Propo&s;ition as you make: But Sir, replied the Me&s;&s;enger, the&s;e two Princes are your Rivals, your Enemies, and the Ravi&s;hers of <HI>Mandana:</HI> It is mo&s;t true, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and therefore I am the more obliged to be revenged by honourable wayes, and not to give them &s;o much advantage, as to wound my reputation, which thanks be to the heavens, did never yet receive the lea&s;t blemi&s;h: Tell therefore your Ma&s;ter, that I neither can, nor ought to do as he de&s;ires; and that if he be well advi&s;ed, he will call home the Prince his Son, and &s;uffer him to marry the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> who&s;e virtues are high, to the end he may have a legitimate title to the Kingdom of <HI>Pon|tus,</HI>
<PB N="142" REF="653">
if the Fate of Arms &s;hould chance to make him peri&s;h in this War, to whom it now belongs. And as for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> I do intend to follow my fir&s;t de&s;ign in &s;ending to <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> about him.</P>
<P>This Envoy would have given farther rea&s;ons unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but this Prince was &s;o con|&s;tant unto his fir&s;t Principles, as he impo&s;ed &s;ilence upon him: However, he gave orders that he &s;hould be treated well, and kept him two or three daies in the Camp, to the end the Troops might have the more room to rendezvouz. Whil&s;t he was there, <HI>Gadates</HI> under&s;tanding that he was a <HI>Bithinean,</HI> and &s;ent by <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> did much wonder that he &s;hould hear nothing from <HI>Intaphernes</HI> his Son, nor from the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> his Daugh|ter: But this me&s;&s;enger telling him that they knew not of his journey, his wonder cea&s;e|ed; and he writ unto them by him when he departed with <HI>Hida&s;pes.</HI> After which, <HI>Cy|rus</HI> had more re&s;tle&s;s thoughts then he was able to Ma&s;ter; for as oft as he thought that <HI>Mandana</HI> was not in <HI>Cumes</HI> his &s;orrows were unexpre&s;&s;ible. The &s;ad di&s;a&s;ter at <HI>Sinope,</HI> and that which he had at <HI>Sardis,</HI> made him apprehend &s;uch fears of taking <HI>Cumes,</HI> and not finding <HI>Mandana</HI> in it, that he was not in le&s;s &s;orrow then if the misfortune had hap|pened already. In the mean time, the&s;e his fears which &s;eemed &s;o well grounded proved &s;hadows, and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was as much perplexed at the lo&s;s of this Heliotrope, as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in the belief that he &s;till had it. Indeed, as oft as he remembred, that as he imbarqued at the Port <HI>Atarmes</HI> in &s;uch ha&s;t, when he took <HI>Spitridates</HI> for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he gave all his Heliotropes unto one of his men to carry, and when he remembred that he to whom he gave them did in the Tumult let them fall into the Sea, he was in a mo&s;t de|&s;perate condition, accu&s;ing him&s;elf of extream indi&s;cretion for making &s;o bad a choice of him he tru&s;ted, for the neerer the Truce was at an end, the further off was he of finding out any wayes of e&s;caping with <HI>Mandana.</HI> The Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> who &s;aw his State lo&s;t if this Prince&s;s got out, had alwayes a mo&s;t watchful eye over the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> &s;o that which way &s;oever he looked, all &s;eemed di&s;a&s;terous to him: If he looked upon <HI>Manda|na,</HI> he &s;aw her &s;till incen&s;ed again&s;t him; If he looked upon the Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> he &s;aw his Protector become his Spy; If he turned his eyes towards the Sea, he &s;aw a pui&s;&s;ant Navy; If he looked towards the Land, he &s;aw Works, Forts, and Souldiers re&s;olved to vanqui&s;h or dye: If he looked upon the Walls of <HI>Cumes,</HI> he &s;aw &s;uch a breach, as would let in <HI>Cyrus</HI> upon the fir&s;t a&s;&s;ault: If he looked upon the Inhabitants of that Town, he heard nothing but murmures again&s;t him; and if he con&s;idered him&s;elf, he found that he was the mo&s;t unfortunate man in the world, whether he looked upon him&s;elf as a Lover, or only as a King without a Kingdom, or as the Enemy of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> for though he was obliged unto him, and might be more, if he would have accepted his generous offers, yet now he was nothing but a lump of black melancholy, &s;ince he could &s;ee no way to e&s;cape and could not re&s;olve to part with <HI>Mandana.</HI> In the mean while, that faithful Agent which <HI>Cyrus</HI> had in the Town, negotiated under-hand with the people, and di&s;po&s;ed them to revolt, in ca&s;e the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;hould not accept of the offers of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> at the return of tho&s;e whom they had &s;ent to <HI>Licambes,</HI> to <HI>Pactias,</HI> to the <HI>Caunians,</HI> and to the <HI>Xanthians.</HI> This man was &s;o active, and &s;o fit for &s;uch an imployment (his name was <HI>Tifernes)</HI> that he alone had in&s;pired the Spirit of Revolt through all the Town: There was not one publique place in all <HI>Cumes</HI> unto which he did not go two or three times in a day: If he &s;aw any two men talking together, he would be &s;ure to make the third, and with a cunning ingenuity, bring them unto his opinion: There was not a day on which he had not &s;ome horrid news or other to affright the peo|ple, which was circum&s;tanced and di&s;per&s;ed, as it grew into a general belief. On the o|ther &s;ide, <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> he was not without his &s;hare of perplexities, not but that he was treated with al the civility that a Pri&s;oner of War could be nor was his Pri&s;on &s;uch a place as that he could comylain again&s;t it, and if his &s;oul had not been more a captive then his body, he would ea&s;ily have endured his misfortune.</P>
<P>But &s;ince there is nothing more dangerous to look upon then a Beauty in mi&s;ery; and &s;ince the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was the faire&s;t unfortunate that ever was, <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> who&s;e &s;oul was of a pa&s;&s;ionate and tender temper, could not look upon her, but needs mu&s;t love her. At the fir&s;t he did attribute all his tender thoughts which he had of that Prin|ce&s;s unto the compa&s;&s;ion which he had of her misfortunes. He thought al&s;o for a while that it was as much the intere&s;t of <HI>Cyrus</HI> as the intere&s;t of <HI>Mandana,</HI> which made him &s;o &s;en&s;ible of all that concerned her: But at the la&s;t his pa&s;&s;ion did &s;o augment, that he knew the greatne&s;s of it, and knew it without any power to re&s;i&s;t it: Since he &s;aw <HI>Man|dana</HI>
<PB N="143" REF="653">
every day, the fair eyes of this Prince&s;s did kindle &s;uch a violent flame in the heart of this violent unknown one, as all his rea&s;on could not quench it; not but that he &s;aw very well that never any love could kindle with &s;maller hopes then his; but yet not being a Ma&s;ter of his own heart, he could not rule the motions of it, all that he was able to do, was to know he ought not to love <HI>Mandana;</HI> yet in excu&s;e of his irregular pa&s;&s;ion, it mu&s;t be &s;aid, that he &s;aw <HI>Mandana</HI> in &s;uch a manner, as it was a very hard matter not to love her; he &s;aw her in &s;ecret, and with &s;ome difficulty; and &s;ince it was by him &s;he knew the &s;tate of the Siege, &s;ince &s;he found him a very accompli&s;hed man, and looked upon him as the friend of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and as a Pri&s;oner of War in her behalf, &s;he u&s;ed him with as much civility as it was po&s;&s;ible for her to expre&s;s. Moreover, &s;ince they were both of them Pri&s;oners, this conformity made &s;uch a kind of equality between them, as rendred her civilities more &s;weet and obliging. It may be further &s;aid in his excu&s;e, that <HI>Mandana</HI> was never fairer then at that time: Indeed it may be &s;aid, that her pri&s;on did only keep her from being Sun burnt, and pre&s;erved the fre&s;hne&s;s of her complexion; he &s;aw her then fair, &s;weet, civil and in mi&s;erie, and he &s;aw her thus every day: So that his heart being tentered by the tears of <HI>Mandana,</HI> Love did more ea&s;ily wound it, and wound|ed it with &s;uch a poy&s;oned arrow, that the wound was incurable. Alas (&s;aid he unto him&s;elf, when he con&s;idered the misfortune into which he was fallen) What can I ever pretend unto by this pa&s;&s;ion? Is it not the madde&s;t fondne&s;s in the world to love &s;uch a per&s;on, who neither can, nor ought love me again, though &s;he did know the violence of my pa&s;&s;ion towards her? For her heart belongs only to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> by &s;o many &s;everal rights, as it would be the greate&s;t extravagancy that ever was, to pretend any thing unto her; The inclination of <HI>Mandana</HI> is only to him, <HI>Ciaxares</HI> hath promi&s;ed this Prince&s;s to him, and his incomparable valour hath conquered her; he hath fought and won &s;everal battels for her, he hath &s;ubjected &s;everal Prouinces and Kingdomes to her, and will ere long take <HI>Cumes,</HI> and re&s;tore her to liberty: Judg <HI>Anaxaris</HI> what hopes thou ha&s;t of <HI>Mandana,</HI> thou whom &s;he knows not, who dares not make thy &s;elf known unto her, and whom &s;he could not love, though &s;he did know thee: Never think to conquer that heart which the Conqueror of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> hath conquered. Con&s;ider, that thou can&s;t not do as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> did; re&s;olve cou|ragiou&s;ly to bani&s;h that Prince&s;s out of thy heart who can never give thee hers. But alas (&s;aid he and reprehended him&s;elf) what good will it do me to oppo&s;e rea&s;on again&s;t an unruly pa&s;&s;ion, which glories in &s;corning it? The more unfortunate I &s;ee my Rivals, the more I excu&s;e my own errour; and &s;ince the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> were not able to defend them&s;elves from the charms of <HI>Mandana,</HI> why &s;hould I be a&s;hamed in my non-ability to re&s;i&s;t them? The fir&s;t of the&s;e loved her when he was unknown as I am; the &s;econd, though at the rate of whole Kingdomes, yet mu&s;t love her, &s;o far as to become her Ravi&s;her; and the third, though he knew &s;he loved <HI>Cyrus,</HI> though he was both Cozen and friend unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> could not chu&s;e but love her, and commit a double trea&s;on in carrying her away, Know and believe <HI>Anaxaris</HI> for thy ju|&s;tification, that the charms of this Prince&s;s are inevitable; and that to fail after three &s;uch great Princes as I have named, is no weakne&s;s; &s;ubmit then <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> &s;ubmit unto
<HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;ince thou can&s;t not re&s;i&s;t her; and without knowing why thou love&s;t, or without con&s;idering the &s;equel of &s;o fond a pa&s;&s;ion, endeavour only to plea&s;e her. Who can te<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">l (&s;aid he further to him&s;elf) whether all my Rivals will not ruine one another? and whether I may not thrive by their ruines? Al&s;o &s;ince I cannot chu&s;e but love <HI>Man|dana,</HI> I have no way el&s;e but to delude my &s;elf as long as I can, for &s;uch is the compo&s;iti|on of my &s;oul, that though I were certain <HI>Cyrus</HI> were to enjoy her to morrow, yet I could not chu&s;e but love her. In the mean time, as hot as the love of <HI>Anaxaris</HI> was, yet he had rea&s;on enough to rule him&s;elf &s;o far, as not to make his pa&s;&s;ion known unto the Prince&s;s who cau&s;ed it; &s;o that behaving him&s;elf towards her with a profound reverence, and unparallelled complaicen&s;e, &s;he grew very friendly towards him. But to render him|&s;elf more acceptable, and that he might the ofter &s;ee her, when he heard no newes, he would invent it; and &s;ince he could not invent any wherein <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not brought in, and to be acceptable unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> he mu&s;t needs bring him in advantagiou&s;ly; there|fore he was extreamly troubled to contrive it: His pa&s;&s;ion brought one extream perplexity upon him; for knowing that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> plotted how to get <HI>Mandana</HI> out of <HI>Cumes,</HI> he was at a &s;tand, whether he &s;hould wi&s;h that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould relea&s;e her, or the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> carry her away: If the fir&s;t happened, he concluded that <HI>Cyrus</HI> would
<PB N="144" REF="654">
pre&s;ently be happy, and <HI>Mandana</HI> at his di&s;po&s;e; but if the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> carried her away, perhaps he &s;hould never &s;ee her again: So that chu&s;ing rather to &s;ee her enjoyed by <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then never to &s;ee her, he was very vigilant that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;hould not execute his de&s;ign. Al&s;o knowing by <HI>Per&s;odes,</HI> that <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> were to fight, before any Marriage of <HI>Mandana,</HI> love moved him to phancy more advantage to him&s;elf by <HI>Cyrus</HI> relea&s;ing her, then by the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his carrying her away: So that making u&s;e of that corre&s;pondency which he had with tho&s;e Guards whom <HI>Mar|te&s;ia</HI> had &s;uborned, he carried the bu&s;ine&s;s &s;o, as he gained almo&s;t half the Garri&s;on. But &s;ince he had nothing to give them, he tampered with them, by telling them of the liberality of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and put them in hopes to be highly recompenced, if they kept the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> for him.</P>
<P>Thus, making u&s;e of his Rivals virtue to further his de&s;ign, he advanced it &s;o happily, that he was almo&s;t as powerful in the Ca&s;tle where <HI>Mandana</HI> was, as either the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> or the Prince of <HI>Cumes;</HI> and if to make him&s;elf Ma&s;ter of it had been enough to relea&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> doubtle&s;s he had tryed it. But &s;ince that Ca&s;tle commanded only one little part of the Town, that was not &s;ufficient; al&s;o, &s;ince he might po&s;&s;ibly fail in the enterprize, he feared le&s;t in attempting to relea&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> he &s;hould make her more mi&s;erable: So that to run no hazard, he deferred his de&s;ign until he had got more Soul|diers.</P>
<P>This being the &s;tate of things, tho&s;e who were &s;ent unto the <HI>Xanthians,</HI> to the <HI>Cauni|ans,</HI> to <HI>Licambes,</HI> and to <HI>Pactias,</HI> returned, and reported unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cumes;</HI> that all of them thought it his only cour&s;e to accept of the Propo&s;itions which <HI>Cyrus</HI> offered; <HI>Pactias</HI> and <HI>Licambes</HI> &s;ent word, that fear was in their Army, and how they were per&s;waded, that if <HI>Cumes</HI> were taken without compo&s;ition, their Troops would all di&s;per&s;e the next day, out of apprehen&s;ions that <HI>Cyrus</HI> would fall upon them; &s;o that they were jealous of the Event, if the Treaty were not concluded: As for the <HI>Xantheans</HI> and the <HI>Caunians,</HI> they asked no more, but a &s;peedy agreement of what was offered. The&s;e Me&s;&s;engers then bringing with them words of peace, and being come to the gates of <HI>Cumes,</HI> the people being incited by <HI>Tifernes,</HI> did in an in&s;tant flock about them, and asked them in a tumultuous and violent manner, what news they brought? So that the me&s;&s;engers to appea&s;e them, &s;aid they brought news of peace. This word Peace was no &s;ooner pronounced, but pa&s;&s;ing from mouth to mouth, it cau&s;ed &s;uch loud acclamations, that all the people ran to the place where tho&s;e &s;hoots of joy made the ayr ring a plea&s;ing peal unto men that were weary of a tedious Siege. The Me&s;&s;engers were &s;o environed with men, that they could not walk; do what they could, the croud encrea&s;ed, before they had gone through one &s;treet, the greater half of all the people in <HI>Cumes</HI> had flocked into two or three &s;treets. In the mean while <HI>Tifernes,</HI> who would not let &s;uch a favourable opportunity &s;lip, went into the mid&s;t of this pre&s;s, to bring things unto &s;uch a pa&s;s as he de&s;ired: He encouraged &s;ome in their de&s;ires of Peace, unto other, he &s;aid, that he heard &s;ay the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> would not accept of it; ad|ding further, that it might be made without them, or el&s;e to force them to it: That the way to have Peace, was to open the Gates of <HI>Cumes</HI> unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who of an Enemy would become their Protector, if they would deliver the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> to him. <HI>Tifernes</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;poken this, but every one repeated it unto their companions, and they to others, adding more or le&s;s tartne&s;s, according to the temper of the rabble. Thus he did &s;ow &s;uch &s;editious &s;eeds among&s;t the multitude, as it was ea&s;ie to be under&s;tood by their cryes, which were heard from all parts, that if they refu&s;ed Peace, the people would fly to the la&s;t refuge, and make it by force: When any Agents of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> offered to oppo&s;e &s;uch tumultuous opinions, they threatned to kill them, and &s;topped their mouths On the other &s;ide, the Prince <HI>Anaxaris</HI> being adverti&s;ed of what pa&s;&s;ed in the Town, he began to temper with the Souldiers, as <HI>Tifernes</HI> did among&s;t the people, &s;till u&s;ing the name of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> them unto his bend. Somtimes he would tell them of the high re|comp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> them, otherwhiles he would intimate the glory which they would <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> the future under &s;uch an illu&s;trious Conquerour, per&s;wading th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> all lo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">den them&s;elves with riches under him. Then to take from others <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Trea&s;on, he added, that by this act they would render the State un|to the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Ma&s;ter, and that he would ingage his word to &s;erve him as much as he could <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> all &s;hame out of their action, by talking of Glory, of recompence, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> brought them to promi&s;e that they would do what&s;oever he de&s;ired
<PB N="145" REF="654">
them. In the mean while, the me&s;&s;engers having rendred their an&s;wers unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> the fir&s;t of the&s;e was extreamly perplexed, for he &s;aw plainly that the other wi&s;hed peace: So that not daring to oppo&s;e his Protector in down-right terms, he only conjured him as his la&s;t favour, to protract the bu&s;ine&s;s a few daies longer, under pretence of &s;ecurity for the Treaty, hoping, that &s;ince it was in a moneth when the winds u&s;e to be high, and the Sea rough and turbulent, a &s;torm might happily ari&s;e, and di&s;per&s;e the two Fleets which blocked up <HI>Cumes,</HI> and &s;o the Town might hap|pily be &s;aved, or at lea&s;t be able to get away <HI>Mandana.</HI> The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> being very importunate, he per&s;waded the Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> yet their conte&s;t about it was &s;o long, as the people had cau&s;e to think that the&s;e Princes did not accept tho&s;e offers of Peace which were made unto them. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Cyrus</HI> having &s;een the Me&s;&s;engers as they pa&s;&s;ed; and under&s;tanding by the Heralds who convoyed them, that they reported words of Peace, he did not doubt of it: So that this Prince &s;eeing him&s;elf upon the ve|ry point of being either happy or mi&s;erable, to relea&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> or to lo&s;e her, to make a Peace, or to begin a War; he doubled all his diligence and cares, and began to be&s;tir him&s;elf, as if the Truce ended rhe very &s;ame houre, and to order all things for a general a&s;&s;ault; <HI>Philocles</HI> and <HI>Leontidas</HI> returned in all ha&s;t to their Fleet; The Prince <HI>Ma|zares</HI> to his Quarter; The Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> unto his; <HI>Per&s;odes</HI> to the place where the Artille|ry was, and the generous <HI>Megabates</HI> with all the Voluntiers about <HI>Cyrus</HI> waited with much impatience for an an&s;wer from tho&s;e who were be&s;ieged: But the greate&s;t fear was, that per|haps the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would &s;teal away <HI>Mandana</HI> by the help of the <HI>Heliotrope;</HI> yet &s;omtimes his hope was, that this Prince&s;s remembring her adventure of <HI>Sardis,</HI> would not be &s;o ea&s;ily deluded: But for all this, his fears were above his hopes; &s;o that every minute &s;eemed an Age unto him. And &s;ince the conte&s;t between the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> was very long; and &s;ince he all that while received no an&s;wer, he &s;ent a Herald to demand it, thinking that this might more ea&s;ily induce the people to re|volt.</P>
<P>But for the better furtherance of his de&s;ign, he commanded the Herald to tell tho&s;e tho&s;e be&s;ieged Princes, that if they would not that very houre give him a po&s;itive an&s;wer, he would give an a&s;&s;ault upon the Town, appointing the Herald al&s;o to di&s;per&s;e this re|port among&s;t the people as they went through the &s;treets; and indeed the man did per|form his charge &s;o very well, as he &s;truck terror into the hearts of all the People in go|ing to the Ca&s;tle; and <HI>Tifernes</HI> clo&s;ing with this occa&s;ion, did blow their terror into fu|ry, and made this multitude re&s;olve to take Arms in their hands if this Herald received not a favourable an&s;wer unto his me&s;&s;age. They al&s;o re&s;olved to &s;eize upon the per&s;ons of the two Princes, to &s;eize upon the Gates, to let <HI>Cyrus</HI> enter, and to go afterwards unto the place where <HI>Mandana</HI> was. In the mean time, <HI>Anaxaris</HI> having a de&s;ire to e|minent him&s;elf, and to make <HI>Mandana</HI> in &s;ome<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ort obliged unto him for her liberty, he hearing that this Herald was with the Princes, and fearing that they would not conclude &s;uch a Peace as he wi&s;hed, he began to make u&s;e of tho&s;e Souldiers which he had gained, and to make him&s;elf Ma&s;ter of the Ca&s;tle, which the People called the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> his Palace, to the end that &s;eizing upon the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Mandana,</HI> he might have that glory which he pretended unto. In the mean time, the Herald which <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent, having received no po&s;itive an&s;wer to his demands, prepared for a return; but he no &s;ooner appeared at the Gate of the Ca&s;tle, then the People, who did with much impati|ence expect him, began to ask him whether or no a Peace was concluded? In&s;omuch as the man perceiving how much they de&s;ired it, did boldly an&s;wer them (purpo&s;ely to make them revolt) that their Princes would not hearken to it, and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> therefore, as &s;oon as ever he was returned to the Camp would give a general a&s;&s;ault. The&s;e words were no &s;ooner heard, but a tumultuous grumbling was among&s;t the People, and Fury pa&s;&s;ing from Spirit to Spirit, did in a moment di&s;per&s;e it &s;elf through all the Town, &s;o that all the Inhabitants took up Arms, and laying a&s;ide all re&s;pects, would break open the Gates of the Ca&s;tle.</P>
<P><HI>Anaxaris</HI> hearing this tumult, incen&s;ed the greate&s;t part of the Garri&s;on; &s;o that the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> being environed on all &s;ides with Enemies, they found them&s;elves in a pitiful condition: If they &s;hould offer to go out of the Ca&s;tle, they &s;hould find the People all in fury with Arms in their hands; if they &s;hould &s;tay in the Ca|&s;tle, they &s;aw they were not Ma&s;ters of it; that one part of their Souldiers would fight a|gain&s;t the other, and that there was &s;afety no where. The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would then
<PB N="146" REF="655">
go to <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Chamber, but the Guards, in lieu of obeying him, would them&s;elves &s;eize upon her per&s;on, which <HI>Anaxaris</HI> coming then to that place, did mo&s;t couragiou&s;ly oppo&s;e.</P>
<P>The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> having got &s;ome Souldiers to his Party, would force his pa&s;&s;age to her; &s;o that <HI>Mandana</HI> out of her Window did &s;ee a very fierce combat between tho&s;e two Princes: 'Tis true, &s;he hardly &s;aw them, but <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> &s;aw more then &s;he did, yet &s;he &s;aw enough to ob&s;erue that <HI>Anaxaris</HI> fought for her with Heroique fury. In another place, the Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> to appea&s;e the People, de&s;iring to &s;hew him&s;elf unto them he was forced to retire; &s;o that he being come unto the place where the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris</HI> fought the skirmi&s;h was more bloody. But in conclu&s;ion, the Party of <HI>A|naxaris</HI> being the &s;tronger, and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> being wounded in the right arm, he mu&s;t &s;ubmit; yet this Prince did not render him&s;elf, but remembring a back-pair of &s;tairs from <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Chamber which went into a back Court, he endeavoured to get up that way, leaving the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> hard &s;et with tho&s;e who were upon him: But <HI>A|naxaris,</HI> who u&s;ed all imagineable prudence in this bu&s;ine&s;s, had placed a Guard there, &s;o that this unfortunate King not being able to have &s;o much advantage as to die at <HI>Man|dana</HI>'s feet, and fearing to fall under the power of a Rival, who&s;e genero&s;ity he feared as much as his &s;everity, he &s;ought out how he might &s;teal him&s;elf from the Victory of this great Prince: So that finding him&s;elf not able to fight, and &s;eeing a Souldier, who was none of tho&s;e whom <HI>Anaxaris</HI> had gained, he got him to open a &s;ecret door which was in the Wall of the Ca&s;tle, that <HI>Anaxaris</HI> did not know of, and out he went, re&s;olving to &s;ee if po&s;&s;ible he could move the People to make &s;ome re&s;i&s;tance. He was no &s;ooner out, but he heard a mo&s;t horrid noy&s;e, and under&s;tood from him with whom he lodged when he came fir&s;t to <HI>Cumes,</HI> that the People had already &s;eized upon the Gates of the Town, that they talked of letting the Troops of <HI>Cyrus</HI> to enter, that the greate&s;t part of the Souldiers were revolted, and that there was but three wayes for him to chu&s;e, either to hide him&s;elf, or to be taken, or to be killed.</P>
<P>The King of <HI>Pontus</HI> being in this de&s;perate condition, and de&s;iring at lea&s;t to hide his &s;hame, did accept of an offer which this man did make, which was, to go into a Garden of his that looked towards the Sea, and therefore might in the night time give him an opportunitie of &s;ome Fi&s;hers Barque, when things were a little better &s;etled, and the Fleet of <HI>Cyrus</HI> left blocking up the mouth of the Port: So that this unfortunate Prince leaving him&s;elf to the conduct of his angry de&s;tiny, followed this man in &s;uch an extream rage and di&s;pair, as would have pitied the mo&s;t cruel of his Enemies, if they had &s;een him in that pitiful condition: The abundance of blood which he lo&s;t, had died all his cloaths &s;anguine, his Sword was red with the blood of them he had killed, but he carri|ed it in his left hand, his right hand having received a wound, which cau&s;ed him to with|draw out of Combat.</P>
<P>As he walked in this po&s;ture, his mind was full of &s;uch &s;ad and violent thoughts, that if he had &s;trength enough to kill him&s;elf, doubtle&s;s he had freed him&s;elf from all his mis|fortunes at a blow, but he had lo&s;t &s;uch abundance of blood, that he was forced to live only becau&s;e he could not die, and he was forced to lean upon a Souldier; and enter into that Garden which was to be his Sanctuary. In the <HI>interim, Anaxaris</HI> having none in Head before him but only the Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> he redoubled his valour the more furi|ou&s;ly: But though his valiant Enemy was forced to fall at his feet when the King of <HI>Pon|tus</HI> parted from him, yet he made re&s;i&s;tance with extraordinary valour, being &s;econded by him who took <HI>Anaxaris</HI> Pri&s;oner, who&s;e name was <HI>Thra&s;iles.</HI> Thus the Conquered became Conquerour, and the Captive took his taker Pri&s;oner: Valiant Prince (cryed <HI>Anaxari</HI> to the Prince of <HI>Cumes)</HI> do not force me to de&s;troy you, I only de&s;ire to re|lea&s;e the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and not to hurt you: But in conclu&s;ion, &s;eeing he would not yeeld, but &s;till re&s;i&s;ted, he fell upon him with &s;o much fury, that after many wounds received, he fell dead at his feet: This death yet did not end the combat; for the valiant <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &s;eeing the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> dead, in lieu of yeelding, did whe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> his courage, to revenge the death of his Prince, and to prevent being a Pri&s;oner unto his Pri&s;oner. But all he could do to vanqui&s;h or die, was in vain; to vanqui&s;h was impo&s;&s;ible, and the genero|&s;ity of <HI>Anaxaris</HI> would not let him die; for de&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing to acknowledg tho&s;e civilities which he received during his impri&s;onment, he would not &s;uffer any of his Party to kill him, but cau&s;ing him to be &s;urrounded by ten or twelve, he was forced to yeeld, as well as tho&s;e few of h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s men which remained. He had no &s;ooner laid down his Armes. but <HI>Anaxaris</HI>
<PB N="147" REF="655">
leaving him to be guarded by four Souldiers, went unto the Tower of the Ca&s;tle, to &s;ee whether he was an ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of it, and to &s;eek for the King of <HI>Pontus;</HI> but he found that he was e&s;caped out of that little door which &s;tood open; and that there was no other tumult, then what the People made at the Ca&s;tle Gate. <HI>Anaxaris</HI> then pre&s;enting him&s;elf unto the&s;e furious people; and having impo&s;ed &s;ilence upon them, he let them under|&s;tand, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was not in the Ca&s;tle, that he him&s;elf was Ma&s;ter of it, that their Prince was dead, and that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was in his Power: That if they would permit him to &s;end unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he would promi&s;e them to obtain for them more advantagious conditions then ever their Prince would a&s;&s;ent unto. He had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but the Inhabitants, without any &s;orrows for the death of their Prince, who had he lived would have puni&s;hed them, did all cry out with one voice, that they would all do as he would have them, and that they had already a de&s;ign to &s;end unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> with offers to deliver up unto him the Gates of the Town, of which they were already Ma&s;ters. <HI>A|naxaris</HI> de&s;iring to di&s;patch one unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> e&s;pied among the croud the Herald which that Prince &s;ent unto <HI>Cumes,</HI> who &s;ince he could not get out becau&s;e of the Tumult, &s;tay|ed there to &s;ee what this di&s;order would come unto: So that thinking it be&s;t to make u&s;e of him, he commanded him to come unto him, yet it went again&s;t the grain of <HI>Anax|aris</HI> to &s;end this me&s;&s;age, for had he followed the violent &s;ugge&s;tions of his pa&s;&s;ionate &s;oul, he would have defended the Ca&s;tle both again&s;t the Inhabitants, and again&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> al&s;o.</P>
<P>But &s;ince this de&s;ign was void of all rea&s;on, and without any &s;hadow of thriving in it, he rejected the thought of it. But as &s;oon as he de&s;ired to &s;peak with the Herald, the People bandying together in &s;everal herds, and after they had held a tumultuous coun|cel, began to cry, and &s;ay, that they would &s;ee the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> before any was &s;ent unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> The Inhabitants of <HI>Cumes</HI> having no mind to open their Gates unto that Prince, until they were well a&s;&s;ured that they were able to render him that Prince&s;s whom he would relea&s;e, and until that Prince&s;s made them a promi&s;e to pre&s;erve their Town. <HI>Anaxaris</HI> then being de&s;irous to give them &s;atisfaction, &s;aid that he would go unto her; and indeed he went unto the Chamber of that Prince&s;s, who was with much impatience and fear expecting the &s;ucce&s;s of this great tumult. But as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> &s;he began to hope the &s;ucce&s;s was happy, e&s;pecially when he came unto her, and in a mo&s;t humble manner told her what the de&s;ires of the Inhabitants were: Madam (&s;aid he unto her) the &s;tate of your Fortune is changed, for in lieu of being under the power of the <HI>Pon|tcan</HI> King, the People of <HI>Cumes</HI> would &s;helter them&s;elves under your protection, and by me de&s;ires to be honored with the &s;ight of you: Generous &s;tranger, replied <HI>Man|dana,</HI> How great are my obligations to you? What does not the King my Father owe you? And how much acknowledgments may you expect from the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> for whom doubtle&s;s you did undertake this which you have with &s;o much courage and good Fortune executed? As long as I was in the Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> (replied <HI>Anaxaris</HI> and blu&s;h|ed) doubtle&s;s I fought for you, for the love of you only: And Madam, I be&s;eech you do not give unto him any part of what I have done in <HI>Cumes,</HI> &s;ince mo&s;t certainly I did it only for the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> without the con&s;ideration of any but her: However (added he, and would not give her lei&s;ure to reflect upon his words) &s;ince the people Madam are impatient, &s;ince they have Arms in their hands, and &s;ince they may in a mo|ment alter their re&s;olutions, I be&s;eech you Madam take a little pains for your liberty, to the end you may owe it unto none but your &s;elf. Alas, generous <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> replied &s;he, that is impo&s;&s;ible; and though I ought rather to &s;ay, that I am a debtor for it unto a hun|dred thou&s;and men, then unto my &s;elf, yet I will confine it unto more narrow limits; and a&s;&s;ure you, that it is unto two, whereof you are one, unto whom I am particularly obliged for it.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Mandana</HI> under the conduct of <HI>Anaxaris</HI> went unto a Balcone which was o|ver the Gate of the Ca&s;tle, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> following her, where &s;he no &s;ooner &s;hewed her &s;elf, but the people did make huge &s;houts of joy: Yet they did not content them&s;elves with the &s;ight of her, but appointing &s;ix among them&s;elves, as Deputies for the re&s;t, <HI>A|naxaris</HI> let them enter into the Ca&s;tle, and pre&s;ented them to the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> who received them as men who de&s;igned her delivery; and they were &s;o charmed with her &s;weetne&s;s, and dazled with her beauty, as they hardly knew what they &s;aid: Some de|manded that their Town might not be plundred, others that <HI>Cyrus</HI> would pardon them, and all &s;peaking confu&s;edly together, it was not an ea&s;ie matter to an&s;wer them. But at
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la&s;t, <HI>Mandana</HI> not only promi&s;ing that their Town &s;hould be pre&s;erved, but al&s;o be en|dowed with new priviledges, they con&s;ented that &s;he &s;hould &s;end the &s;ame Herald which <HI>Anaxaris</HI> would have &s;ent; yet upon condition &s;he &s;hould write unto that Prince, &s;aying in a rude manner, that perhaps he would not give credit unto the Me&s;&s;enger; be&s;eeching the Prince&s;s further, for their greater &s;ecurity, that &s;he would be plea&s;ed to meet <HI>Cyrus</HI> at the Gate of the Town, and to pre&s;ent them unto him, with the Keyes which they would offer him. <HI>Mandana</HI> not thinking it good to contradict tho&s;e men whom fear might make furious, con&s;ented unto their demands; and without more delay, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> gave her Pen, Ink, and Paper, wherein &s;he writ the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>MANDANA <HI>unto</HI> CYRUS.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>SInce the valour of</HI> Anaxaris <HI>hath put me into a condition able to protect the Inhabitants of</HI> Cumes, <HI>I entreat you to incline unto clemency, to pardon a people who have done nothing but obeyed their Prince, to pre&s;erve their Town, to forget it hath been my Pri&s;on, and to ob|&s;erve the day of my liberty by a general Act of Oblivion: You have u&s;ed to be &s;o &s;weet after&punc; a Victory, that I am confident you will not deny me; nor an I le&s;s confident, that you will keep that promi&s;e which I have made, as exactly, as I &s;hall keep that which I make unto you, which is, to acknowledg as long as I live tho&s;e infinite obligation which are upon me.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>MANDANA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>As &s;oon as this Letter was written, <HI>Mandana</HI> gave it to the Herald, who had orders al&s;o to tell <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he &s;hould advance with his Troops towards the principal Gate of the Town, where this Prince&s;s, with the Inhabitants of <HI>Cumes,</HI> would be ready to receive him; and &s;o the Herald making as much ha&s;t as a man who carries good and great news, he came unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> ju&s;t as he was ready to &s;end another, to know what was the meaning of that tumult, which his Souldiers who were neere&s;t the Town did hear: As &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw him, he asked him why he &s;tayed &s;o long, extreamly fearing to hear that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was vani&s;hed with <HI>Mandana,</HI> by virtue of his invi&s;ible <HI>Heliotrope:</HI> Sir, &s;aid the Herald, when you have read this Letter which I &s;hall pre&s;ent unto you, I &s;hall tell you the rea&s;on. But <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner opened the Letter which the Herald gave him, but knowing the hand of <HI>Mandana,</HI> he was &s;o plea&s;ingly &s;urprized, that abudance of joy di&s;&s;ipating all fears, and cha&s;ing all melancholy from his heart, did &s;o &s;parkle in his eyes, as all tho&s;e who looked upon him mighr ea&s;ily know he had received good news. But when he read the Letter, and &s;aw hopes of &s;o on &s;eeing his Prince&s;s, and &s;eeing her at liberty, all the eloquence upon earth could not expre&s;s his joyes, yet was he a little vexed, that another &s;hould have a &s;hare in the liberty of <HI>Mandana,</HI> for the zeal of his love was &s;uch, as he wi&s;hed (if it had been po&s;&s;ible) that he had delivered her without an Army, with any &s;tratagems, and without the help of any but him&s;elf; yet this trivial perplexity la&s;ted but a moment, and after it was over, he was ravi&s;hed with joy, that the glory of &s;erving the Prince&s;s in &s;o high a manner, was re&s;erved for <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> whom he infinitely e&s;teemed. As &s;oon as he had read <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Letter, the joyes which appear|ed in his countenance, pa&s;&s;ed into the hearts of all the Souldiers, as &s;oon as ever this great news was publi&s;hed; he cau&s;ed the Herald to relate how all things pa&s;&s;ed, inquiring particularly concerning the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> After which, he gave out all nece&s;&s;ary or|ders, commanding all to be in Arms: Then in the Head of the Voluntiers and Homo|times, he went within Arrow &s;hot of the Gate, where he was to &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> being al&s;o followed by as many Troops as he thought requi&s;ite to &s;ecure <HI>Cumes</HI> when he was entred.</P>
<P>But &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not go towards this Gate, but he mu&s;t pa&s;s through the Quarters of <HI>Mazares,</HI> therefore he acquainted him with the &s;tate of things, and could not deny this generous Rival that favour which he asked: Sir (&s;aid <HI>Mazares</HI> unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;ighed, though glimp&s;es of joy appeared in his eyes for the liberty of <HI>Mandana)</HI> I be|&s;eech you give me leave as a puni&s;hment for carrying away the Prince&s;s, to be a witne&s;s th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> day of your glory and felicity; and let me find &s;o much favour from you, as that I
<PB N="149" REF="656">
may a&s;&s;ure the incomparable <HI>Mandana,</HI> that my repentance is Real: You know Sir, &s;he did me the honour to promi&s;e me her e&s;teem and friend&s;hip, if I would fight on your &s;ide, I be&s;eech you prompt her to be as good as her word; and the more to move you unto it, and al&s;o to force my &s;elf unto an ob&s;ervance of my word to you, I will make a new &s;o|lemn oath unto you, never to fail, before the &s;ight of that Divine Prince&s;s do put my virtue unto a new Te&s;t: Oh mo&s;t generous Rival, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> to him, I do profe&s;s that if the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> did but know you as well as I do, &s;he would be unju&s;t if &s;he preferred me before you. In the mean time, though out of re&s;entments of Love I ought to wi&s;h you would make a thou&s;and prote&s;tations in lieu of one, that you will never pretend to any thing further then to the friend&s;hip of this Prince&s;s, yet that you may not be alwayes my Conquerour in point of genero&s;ity, I will ab&s;olutely tru&s;t you, and be contented with your fir&s;t promi&s;e, without any new Prote&s;tations: Come then (&s;aid he unto him) come along with me, and be a&s;&s;ured, that if you keep within tho&s;e limits which your virtue hath pre&s;cribed unto your &s;elf, you &s;hall find a mo&s;t real friend in the per&s;on of a Rival, and infinite glory in the e&s;teem and friend&s;hip of our Prince&s;s. After this, the&s;e two gene|rous Rivals rid together, and went towards the place where they were to &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> but they went with very different thoughts, for the joyes of <HI>Cyrus</HI> were only troubled by his impatient longing to &s;ee this Prince&s;s, and the joyes of <HI>Mazares</HI> were troubled whether he would or no, at tho&s;e joyes which he fore&s;aw <HI>Mandana</HI> would have at the &s;ight of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> yet he did &s;o couragiou&s;ly bridle the violence of his Love, that his virtue did keep within his pre&s;cribed limits. In the mean while, <HI>Cyrus</HI> being come, as I told you, within arrow-&s;hot of the Gate of <HI>Cumes,</HI> he &s;ent a Summons unto the Inhabitants of the Town, to keep their word with him; and they re&s;olving not to let him enter the Town, before he promi&s;ed the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> to pre&s;erve them, went to conduct her unto the Gate where they intended <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould enter: She not being in a condition to deny them any thing, con&s;ented unto them, and in a Coach with <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> went to the Gates of the Town. <HI>Anaxaris</HI> leaving the &s;ubtil and couragious <HI>Tifernes</HI> to command in the Ca&s;tle in the mean time; not that the de&s;ires of his pa&s;&s;ionate &s;oul was to be pre|&s;ent at this enterview; but becau&s;e he would not leave <HI>Mandana</HI> to the conduct of a fu|rious multitude, therefore he followed on Hor&s;eback; but he followed with a mind &s;o full of unquiet thoughts, as he had much ado to re&s;train or hide them.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince a timorous and mutinous people do all things out of a giddy fancy without any rea&s;on, &s;o the Inhabitants of <HI>Cumes,</HI> who had invited <HI>Cyrus</HI> to approach took a toyi&s;h fancy, and would not let <HI>Mandana</HI> receive him within the Town, but would by all means have her come out of her Coach, and go out of the Gates, beyond the Bridg, to pre&s;ent unto him tho&s;e men who would offer him the Keyes of their Town. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Cyrus</HI> who could not imagine that <HI>Mandana</HI> would ever come out of <HI>Cumes</HI> to meet him, but on the contrary, thought that he was to go into the Ca&s;tle; therefore he waited with extream impatience on hor&s;eback, until they opened the Gates. He was that day in mo&s;t glorious Armour, of &s;o high a Garb, &s;o Noble and &s;o plea&s;ing, as he attracted the eyes of all the world. Being then in all the impatiency that &s;trong hopes of a neer happine&s;s could in&s;pire, he fixed his eyes upon the Port of <HI>Cumes: Mazares</HI> looking that way as well as he, though with le&s;s hopes and impatience of another nature. And as the&s;e two generous Rivals were thus in expectation; they &s;aw the Gates open, and <HI>Mandana</HI> immediately to appear conducted by <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> but &s;he appeared more fair and fuller of charms then ever, her joyes to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> and her &s;elf at liberty did &s;o &s;parkle in her eyes, and elevate her &s;pirits, that her Beauty was fuller of lu&s;tre. In the mean time <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw her, but they alighted immediately from their hor&s;es, and went towards her.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> came neer, <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> as well to hide the agitation of his &s;pirits, as out of his re&s;pects, did quit the Prince&s;s hand, and let <HI>Cyrus</HI> have the liberty of taking it, and <HI>Mandana</HI> to receive him, and pre&s;ent the twelve Inhabitants of <HI>Cumes</HI> which followed her, one of which number carried the Keyes of the Town in a rich Ba&s;on: So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> walking in the head of all the Voluntiers in his Army, and <HI>Mandana</HI> before the Inhabitants of <HI>Cumes,</HI> behind whom was a huge crowd of people, they both did meet. After <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;aluted <HI>Mandana</HI> with all the reverence of a real Adorer: I am come Madam, &s;aid he unto her, to make good all that you have promi&s;ed for your liber|ty, though it be at the rate of my life: My liberty Sir, replied &s;he, would be bought a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> too dear a price, if it &s;hould co&s;t the life which is &s;o glorious and &s;o plea&s;ing unto me
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Nor am I engaged any further Sir (&s;aid &s;he in pre&s;enting the Inhabitants of <HI>Cumes</HI> unto him, who were all upon their knees) then to obtain of you, that you be plea&s;ed to u&s;e the&s;e men well, who offer you their hearts, in offering you the Keyes of their Town, and who a&s;&s;ure you, that they will be more obedient unto a ju&s;t P&s;ince, then they have been unto one who was not &s;o, in protecting the King of <HI>Pontus:</HI> Madam, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> their de&s;tiny is in your hands, not mine, &s;ince I am fully re&s;olved never to do any thing but what &s;hall plea&s;e you, and po&s;itively without any exception, do all that you &s;hall command me: I conjure you then (&s;aid &s;he unto him) to u&s;e the&s;e Inhabitants of <HI>Cu|mes</HI> as well as you would u&s;e the mo&s;t faithful of my Fathers Subjects: I have already profe&s;&s;ed Madam (replied he) that I am all obedience; therefore if you plea&s;e to com|mand it, they &s;hall them&s;elves keep the Keyes of their Town, which they have not lo&s;t, but to make them&s;elves more happy by it, &s;ince they are under your protection. <HI>Cyrus</HI> bad no &s;ooner &s;poke the&s;e words, but the Inhabitants gave &s;uch &s;houts of joy, as they went from &s;treet to &s;treet, until the Eccho did ring at the further end of the Town. Then, after <HI>Mandana</HI> had confirmed what <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;poke, &s;he did mo&s;t obligingly pre&s;ent <HI>Anax|aris</HI> unto him: Though this valiant &s;tranger, &s;aid &s;he unto him, would have me acknow|ledg you only for my Deliverer; yet I mu&s;t needs tell you, that he hath done incredible things for my liberty, and that I am more his debtor then I know how to expre&s;s. <HI>A|naxaris</HI> then holding down his head to hide the di&s;order of his countenance, did mode&s;t|ly and with much delight receive the commendum which <HI>Mandana</HI> gave him, and recei|ved the thanks which <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave him with much &s;orrow: After which, <HI>Cyrus</HI> to keep pro|mi&s;e with <HI>Mazares,</HI> pre&s;ented him unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto the Prince&s;s) you would do abundance of wrong, if you &s;hould &s;ay, that you owe your liberty only unto me, for without all doubt, the valour of <HI>Mazares</HI> hath much contributed unto tho&s;e victories which I have gotten; and &s;ince he hath given me a thou|&s;and te&s;timonies of a generous repentance, I be&s;eech you readmit him into that friend|&s;hip and e&s;teem which you had of him when you were in <HI>Babilon,</HI> I beg it Madam, re|plied <HI>Mazares,</HI> upon the &s;ame conditions which I propounded at <HI>Sardis,</HI> when it was not your plea&s;ure I &s;hould have the glory of delivering you: I do con&s;ent unto it, repli|ed &s;he with much joy, &s;ince that I have recovered an Noble friend whom I thought for ever lo&s;t.</P>
<P>Thus might be &s;een that which perhaps will never be &s;een again; for <HI>Mandana</HI> pre|&s;ented unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> one of his Rivals, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> pre&s;ented another unto <HI>Mandana.</HI> In the mean while, &s;ince the place was not fit for any long di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Cyrus</HI> be&s;eeched the Prince&s;s to go into her Coach which he &s;aw within the Gate. But &s;ince he would prevent all &s;urprizals, and &s;ince he would not let <HI>Mandana</HI> enter into that Town where his Forces were not, he commanded her Coach to come out of the Town, be&s;eeching her &s;he would be plea&s;ed to &s;ee tho&s;e Troops pa&s;s who had both the honour to fight for her, and now to guard her. <HI>Mandana</HI> under&s;tanding his de&s;ign, went into her Coach with <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and the Coach &s;tood &s;o as the Souldiers might all march ju&s;t before it. <HI>Cyrus, Mazares,</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris</HI> did &s;tand next the Prince&s;s, all three with different thoughts. After which, the Troops began to march and pa&s;s by the Coach, all the Officers and Souldiers, &s;aluting as they pa&s;&s;ed, by holding down their Javelines. All this while, <HI>Cy|rus</HI> who was next the Coach, and who only talked with <HI>Mandana,</HI> was &s;en&s;ible of &s;o much delight as filled his heart, his &s;pirits, and his &s;oul. <HI>Mandana</HI> for her part &s;eeing her &s;elf at liberty, and &s;eeing <HI>Cyrus</HI> next her, &s;he was al&s;o full of plea&s;ing &s;atisfaction, but being a Per&s;on of &s;uperlative mode&s;ty, &s;he did much conceal it. Al&s;o &s;he de&s;ired to avoid all occa&s;ions of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his &s;peaking to her of his Pa&s;&s;ion in that place; therefore beginning the di&s;cour&s;e fir&s;t, as &s;oon as he came unto the Coach whil&s;t the Troops marched by: Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I hope you will not think it ingratitude, if before I thank you for abundance of obliging favours, I de&s;ire you to tell me what news you hear from the King my Father? You never need to fear Madam, replied he, that the man who by all his &s;ervices can never oblige you, can accu&s;e you of any ingratitude: But I am more afraid you &s;hould <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> of incivility in telling you only in three words, that the King your Father <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> preparing to defend him&s;elf again&s;t <HI>Th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">miris,</HI> who they &s;ay intends to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> in good health, that he will be infinitely joyed at your liberty, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> the honor to love me: However Madam, though I do infinitely <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> and though you do de&s;ire to know more, yet I be&s;eech you give me leave Madam <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> a low voice) to &s;peak unto you of nothing during eight daies, but
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concerning my &s;elf: For truly Madam, I have a thou&s;and things to impart unto you, which do infinitely concern me you &s;hould know. If you will be plea&s;ed to relate all your Conque&s;ts, all your Victories, and all your glorious acts (replied &s;he mo&s;t obligingly and &s;miled) the term you mention is not long: No Madam, replied he, I &s;hall not talk of War, or Conque&s;ts, or Victories, for if I &s;hould &s;peak of them, I &s;hould &s;peak then only of the King your Father, &s;ince it is his Arms that have conquered: But Madam, I &s;hall &s;peak to you concerning all the &s;orrows I have had &s;ince I left you at <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> and and the infinite joyes which I have to find you at <HI>Cumes,</HI> which I mi&s;&s;ed of at <HI>Sinope,</HI> at <HI>Artaxates,</HI> at <HI>Babilon,</HI> and at <HI>Sardis.</HI> But Madam, to compleat my joyes, I be&s;eech you do me the honour to confe&s;s, that the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Prince&s;s in the world was once in her life unju&s;t, in &s;u&s;pecting the mo&s;t faithful man alive of infidelity: Oh Sir, replied <HI>Mandana</HI> and blu&s;hed, I mu&s;t confe&s;s my &s;elf injurious, and will never go about to ju|&s;tifie my &s;elf in a thing which I entreat you to forget, and conjure you, as you love me, never to &s;peak of again. However Sir, &s;ince it is not civil to regard &s;o little tho&s;e who have helped to crown you with Lawrels, it were good we deferred the relation of your di&s;a&s;ters and mine until a more fit time and place; and that now I look upon &s;o many brave men, to whom I am beholding for their indefatigable labours they have endured for me; nor can I do any le&s;s for tho&s;e who have helped to conquer your enemies and mine: Since Madam, I can de&s;ire nothing but what you plea&s;e, replied he, I mu&s;t obey you, though I could perhaps complain a little that your joyes are at &s;o a calm in your Spirits, as they wil permit you to keep &s;uch exact civilities: But &s;ince it were a crime to complain of any thing on a day whereon I have &s;o much rea&s;on to commend my fortune, I will impo&s;e &s;ilence upon my &s;elf, and &s;ince you are plea&s;ed to honour with your looks tho&s;e men who have had the glory to fight for you, I conceive they are thereby better recompenced, then if I had given them all the Trea&s;ures of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us.</HI> After this, <HI>Mandana</HI> without any other an|&s;wers to the civility of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then an obliging &s;mile, began to ask the names of tho&s;e Com|manders who pa&s;&s;ed by, which he told her; and to do Ju&s;tice unto &s;o many brave men which had &s;o couragiou&s;ly followed them into all dangers whereunto they led them; he did not only tell <HI>Mandana</HI> the names of tho&s;e &s;he asked, but al&s;o he related unto her the occa&s;ions wherein they did &s;ignal them&s;elves, commending all the Commanders one after another as they pa&s;&s;ed by.</P>
<P><HI>Mandana</HI> al&s;o asked him the names of the Voluntiers, and among the re&s;t of <HI>Mega|bates,</HI> of whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave a mo&s;t excellent Character, de&s;iring her to receive him as a man extraordinary when ever he pre&s;ented him unto her. All this while <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>A|naxaris</HI> were &s;o wholly taken up with their Pa&s;&s;ions, that they looked upon nothing but <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but looked upon them with very various and different thoughts. <HI>A|naxaris</HI> who before he was a Pri&s;oner in <HI>Cumes,</HI> and in love with <HI>Mandana,</HI> was an infi|nite admirer of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> did now envy, and almo&s;t hate him; and the le&s;s hopes he had, the more did his love encrea&s;e. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Mandana</HI> with the &s;ame Beauty, and very &s;ame charms which forced him to love her, and con&s;trained him to hate the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> had much ado to keep within tho&s;e limits which his virtue had pre|&s;cribed unto him&s;elf, his &s;pirits were rebellious, his heart trembled, and all his de&s;ires &s;o di&s;ordered, that he was in a mo&s;t re&s;tle&s;s condition; but his hopes were &s;o very low, that he quickly recollected him&s;elf, e&s;pecially when he remembred the pitiful condition where|in he left the Prince&s;s the la&s;t time he &s;aw her, when the Scarfe broke loo&s;e by which he held her, and held her up upon the Waves. Fie <HI>Mazares</HI> (&s;aid he unto him&s;elf, and look|ed upon <HI>Mandana</HI> whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> talked to her) Can&s;t thou that was a cau&s;e of that Prince&s;s death thou that deceived her, thou that carried her away, thou that left her upon the mercile&s;s Waves ready to peri&s;h if the Gods had not relieved her, can&s;t thou be &s;o fondly impudent as to hope for any thing but a Pardon for thy crimes? Fie, fie, no, no, thou can&s;t never pretend to any more, thou mu&s;t love her as thou did&s;t before, becau&s;e thou can&s;t not chu&s;e but thou mu&s;t call thy love friend&s;hip, le&s;t &s;he &s;hould refu&s;e what &s;he did promi&s;e.</P>
<P>In the mean while, all the Troops being entred into <HI>Cumes,</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing that they were Commanders of all the Ports, Publique place, and the Ca&s;tle, did appoint the Prince&s;s her Coach to enter: This Prince following, accompanied with <HI>Mazares, Anax|aris,</HI> all the Voluntiers and the Homotimes. But when the Coach began to go forward, and as <HI>Mandana</HI> turned her head, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aluted <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and made certain obliging &s;igns, which intimated that he had an extreamly de&s;ire to talk with her. After which,
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this little triumph, the beauty of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the good deportment of <HI>Cyrus</HI> being the chief ornaments, was beheld with acclamations of the common People, the like was never heard: The Streets, the Gates, the Windows, and Hou&s;e tops were full of People; The ayr ecchoed with &s;houts of joy in prai&s;es of <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and with wi&s;hes of their felicity. In the mean time, <HI>Tifernes</HI> fore&s;eeing that <HI>Mandana</HI> would return to lodg in the Ca&s;tle, cau&s;ed the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> corps to be taken away, and carried into the Temple: Al&s;o he cau&s;ed the bodies of all tho&s;e Souldiers to be carried away, which the valour of <HI>Anaxaris</HI> had &s;acrificed unto the liberty of that Prince&s;s, and he locked up the valiant <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> in one of the Towers: So that when the Prince&s;s came there, not any &s;ad objects were to be &s;een.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> under&s;tanding by the Herald he &s;ent, what &s;ervice <HI>Tifernes</HI> had done him, did make very much of him as he entred into the Ca&s;tle, in which he was no &s;ooner come, but he pre&s;ented his hand unto <HI>Mandana</HI> to help her out of the Coach, and turning ve|ry &s;weetly towards <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> he addre&s;&s;ed his &s;peeeh unto him: It is you; valiant un|known one, &s;aid he unto him, that mu&s;t command in a place which your valour hath conquered, and it is you mu&s;t tell me whether I mu&s;t conduct the Prince&s;s: Sir (replied <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> with a &s;trange confu&s;ion) it appertains not unto an unknown one to com|mand any where; but doubtle&s;s, the man who hath had the honour to bear the &s;ame chains <HI>Mandana</HI> did, to &s;hew you which was her Pri&s;on; therefore Sir, if you plea&s;e, you may go up tho&s;e &s;tairs upon your right hand: For my part (&s;aid <HI>Mandana</HI> unto <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> purpo&s;ely to oblige <HI>Anaxaris)</HI> I do not wonder this illu&s;trious unknown one &s;hould &s;o well know the way of a Pri&s;on, who&s;e doors he knows &s;o well, and &s;o couragiou&s;ly how to open: But it's &s;trange methinks (added &s;he, and looked upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> with a &s;mile) that my Deliverer &s;hould go about to bring me again unto it; and that the Conquerour of all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> &s;hould need a guide, he who knows how to find out Victory where&s;oever he will look for it, though it be the mo&s;t difficult thing in the world to find: You do me wrong Madam, replied he, if you think that victorie was my only aim in all my enter|prizes, &s;ince I never regarded it, but only as a means to conduct me unto you. Since <HI>Mandana</HI>'s chamber was but ju&s;t one pair of &s;tairs high, &s;he had not time to an&s;wer <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> for as &s;oon as &s;he was in the <HI>Chamber, Cyrus</HI> pre&s;ented the renowned Voluntiers which followed him unto her, among&s;t the re&s;t <HI>Megabates,</HI> whom the Prince&s;s received with civility equal to his merit. In the mean while, &s;ince it grew late, and &s;ince pru|dence prompted <HI>Cyrus</HI> to take care for the &s;ecurity of the Town, and in it <HI>Mandana,</HI> e&s;pecially &s;ince the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> could not be found, he had at that time no long di&s;|cour&s;e with the Prince&s;s, yet he could not po&s;&s;ibly leave her, before one quarter of an houres talk in private, and before he had given her new a&s;&s;urances of his fidelity and re|&s;pectful Pa&s;&s;ion. You &s;ee here Madam, &s;aid he unto her, the very &s;ame <HI>Artamenes</HI> who at the fir&s;t in the Garden of <HI>Sinope,</HI> did prote&s;t that he would love you as long as he lived, and you &s;ee him now at <HI>Cumes</HI> ready to a&s;&s;ure you by new Prote&s;tations, that he is &s;till, and ever will be the &s;ame. You have given me &s;uch magnanimious te&s;timonies of your af|fection, replied <HI>Mandana,</HI> that it is not nece&s;&s;ary to confirm them by words; a thou|&s;and glorious actions, and as many important &s;ervices have &s;ufficiently per&s;waded me of it: But it is my part, who have nothing but words to give, to make choice of my be&s;t elo|quence, whereby to a&s;&s;ure you Sir, that I am as full of acknowledgments, as any &s;en&s;ible and generous heart is capable of: Oh Madam, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> though all you words be mo&s;t precious, and though you gave me the mo&s;t favourable language in the world, yet that's not it which I would have; and I &s;hould be much better &s;atisfied with one thought of that heart which you &s;ay is more &s;en&s;ible and generous, then ten thou&s;and words of thanks, civility, or acknowledgments: Never trouble your &s;elf Madam, I be&s;eech you, to &s;tudy words, as it &s;eems you de&s;ign; let the eloquence of your eyes only tell me, you are not &s;orrie that you raign in my heart: Let me, I &s;ay, to my felicity think, that your libertie is not the only cau&s;e of joy in your countenance, and that if <HI>Cumes</HI> had been taken by a|ny then my &s;elf, you would have been le&s;s &s;atisfied: Though you do not much value my words replied <HI>Mandana</HI> and &s;miled, yet I will tell you, that you have rea&s;on to believe that I think my libertie &s;weeter from your hand, then from any other; and I will add fur|ther yet, that &s;ince I have been the cau&s;e of all your &s;orrowes, I &s;hould be unju&s;t, if I did not allow you to think, that the joy which you &s;ee in my eyes proceeds from the &s;ati&s;|faction which I have in &s;eeing you again. Oh Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> when I &s;aid that I did not value your words, I knew not what I &s;aid, for I find them &s;o &s;weet, and &s;o glori|ous
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unto me, that I am fully recompenced for all the &s;orrowes I have &s;uffered, &s;o they be not &s;poken only out of a bare civilitie, &s;uch as might perhaps be due unto a Prince whom Fortune imployed for your deliverie: Therefore Madam, if you will be plea&s;ed to com|pleat my happine&s;s, do me the honour to confe&s;s unto me, that all the&s;e your infinitely obliging expre&s;&s;ions, are addre&s;&s;ed unto me as your Captive, and not as unto a Prince whom Fortune hath made a Conquerour of others: If I could &s;eparate <HI>Cyrus</HI> from the Conquerour of <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> replied <HI>Mandana</HI> and laughed, I would divide my civilities to content you; but &s;ince they are in&s;eparable, give me leave without any di&s;tinction to &s;peak equally to them; and &s;ince I find in one and the &s;ame per&s;on, a great Prince, a great Conquerour, and my Deliverer, give me leave to render unto him what I think is due: I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> and interrupted her) take from me the two fir&s;t of the&s;e qualities which you attribute unto me, and give me another, which would better &s;uit with me: I have been &s;o long among&s;t men, to whom I denied all they asked (replied <HI>Mandana</HI> in a mo&s;t obliging kind of rallarie) that you need not think it &s;trange, &s;ince I cannot &s;o &s;oon lo&s;e the habit of denying, if I do not now con&s;ent unto all you ask; for I a&s;&s;ure you, I am not yet &s;o well per&s;waded that I am free, but &s;omtimes I fancie that I &s;ee the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> appear. To prevent that Madam, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> it is requi&s;ite I leave you, that I may go and give all nece&s;&s;arie orders for it. So <HI>Cyrus,</HI> after a mo&s;t profound reverence unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> went out of her Chamber: <HI>Mazares, Anaxaris,</HI> and all the re&s;t followed.</P>
<P>The&s;e two thought the conference between <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;o long, that the vir|tue of <HI>Mazares</HI> was put unto a difficult trial, and the impatience of <HI>Anaxaris</HI> was ready to break out; yet they followed <HI>Cyrus</HI> with faces and hearts full of melancholie unto all pla|ces where he went to give orders. In the mean time, though the ruine of a Rival be a thing which everie one would endeavour, yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> who was once obliged to the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> when he went under the name of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and who maugre his love, looked upon him as Brother to the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> whom he exceedinglie honored, he was not &s;o angrie as he would have been without the&s;e two con&s;iderations; Fir&s;t, that he was e&s;caped his revenge; Secondly, that he was not to be found; not that he was re&s;olved if he had found him, to alter his generous way of u&s;age which he ever ob&s;erved to him when he was his Pri&s;oner, and when he gave him his libertie at <HI>Sinope:</HI> But yet he was not &s;orrie, that Fortune did not put him to the nece&s;&s;itie of treating a Rival ill, if he had fallen in his power: And therefore in the Evening he &s;ent a Barque unto the Prince <HI>Thra|&s;ibulus,</HI> and unto <HI>Thimochares,</HI> to bring their Fleets into the Port of <HI>Cumes</HI> the next morning, that by this means the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> might more ea&s;ily e&s;cape if he were hid in the Town, as very likely he was. Moreover, <HI>Cyrus</HI> le&s;t any &s;tirring &s;hould be among&s;t the People, who are much moved at &s;ad objects, he commanded, that the next night the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> &s;hould be buried, without any noi&s;e or much ceremonie; yet de&s;i|ring that his a&s;hes might be put into the Sepulcher of his Fathers, and that all the honor &s;hould be done him which the pre&s;ent conjuncture of affairs would permit. After he had given all nece&s;&s;arie orders, both for the &s;afetie of <HI>Mandana</HI> and of the Town, he return|ed to the Ca&s;tle where the Prince&s;s was; yet he could not &s;ee until after Supper, for he was &s;o Courted by abundance of companie, that he could not get &s;ooner from them: All the &s;everal Corporations of the Town came to &s;alute him, and went afterwards unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> whether <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent them. But at la&s;t, after he had &s;haken off all hinderances of &s;atisfaction unto his extream de&s;ire, of talking with his dear Prince&s;s, he went unto her Chamber, without the company of any but <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas:</HI> As for <HI>Mazares,</HI> his &s;oul was not &s;o firmly &s;etled, as that he dur&s;t &s;ee the Prince&s;s any more that day: And as for <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> love, jealou&s;ie and &s;pite, made him retire unto &s;ome place where he might vent his melancholy.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> then being delivered from all his Rivals, and from all his friends too, who in &s;uch occa&s;ions are as trouble&s;ome as Enemies, went as I told you unto <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Cham|ber. But meeting <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> in the outer Chamber, he mu&s;t needs &s;tay a little with her, unto whom he was &s;o infinitelie obliged, ad&punc;principally for affirming his fidelitie, when <HI>Mandana</HI> accu&s;ed him with &s;o much inju&s;tice: If you did not know (&s;aid he mo&s;t civilly unto her) how much I am devoted unto our Prince&s;s, and what power &s;he hath over my heart, I &s;hould have &s;ome cau&s;e to fear you would complain again&s;t me; for I con|fe&s;s, my &s;weet <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> that I have not yet either looked upon you, or &s;poke one word unto you, and which is more &s;trange, until I have &s;pent eight daies in t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing with, and
<PB N="154" REF="659">
looking upon <HI>Mandana,</HI> I do not think I &s;hall be able to talk with, or look upon any el&s;e; yet I do profe&s;s <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> to e&s;teem you as much as is po&s;&s;ible, and that I am ex|treamlie beholding unto you for taking my part, and have the greate&s;t de&s;ire in the world to talk with you, though as I told you before, I cannot do it yet this eight daies.</P>
<P>To lo&s;e no time in tedious an&s;wers (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> I do believe Sir all that you are plea&s;ed to tell me, though if I did con&s;ider only my &s;elf, I ought&s;not to believe you, and though I will not trouble you, yet I hope you will not take it ill if I ask <HI>Feraulas</HI> con|cerning all that I de&s;ire to know of you: <HI>Feraulas</HI> (replied <HI>Cyrus</HI> and laughed) hath &s;o much to &s;peak of him&s;elf, that I doubt whether he can tell you any thing concerning me: Since I &s;hall begin the di&s;cour&s;e, replied &s;he and blu&s;hed, he mu&s;t needs an&s;wer me: No no, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I will not do the man who hath &s;o well &s;erved me &s;o ill an office; therefore <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I will di&s;pence with you this day for talking of me unto <HI>Feraulas,</HI> provided you will talk of me unto my Prince&s;s, and &s;till per&s;wade her, that my extream affection de&s;erves to be preferred before any of my Rivals. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> left <HI>Mar|te&s;ia,</HI> and went into <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Chamber, where he found none with her, but two wo|men whom the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> preferred to wait upon her; &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but &s;he did ri&s;e to &s;alute him, &s;he received him with as much civility as the Conquerour of <HI>A|&s;ia</HI> did merit, and with as much joy as the &s;ight of a faithful and re&s;pectful Lover, and li|berator could in&s;pire into her: Since there was none to ob&s;erve their actions, &s;he allow|ed her eyes to &s;atisfie her &s;oul in looking upon <HI>Cyrus,</HI> yet it was with &s;o much mode&s;ty, as that Prince was a little afraid in acco&s;ting her; for &s;ince he never had any ab&s;olute permi&s;&s;i|on from her to &s;peak openly of his Love, and &s;ince when he departed from <HI>Themi&s;cira</HI> unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> he obtained no further from <HI>Mandana,</HI> but that if he did not find out a way to make him&s;elf known unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and to procure his liking, he &s;hould then for ever ab&s;ent him&s;elf, he had apprehen&s;ions of this &s;till; therefore, to let her &s;ee how this ob&s;tacle was removed, his de&s;ign was, after the fir&s;t civilities were over, to talk of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and to let her know how much he was in that Princes favour, but that labour was &s;aved; for this Prince&s;s, who did ever regulate her thoughts according unto the King her Fathers, and who had an extream de&s;ire to know upon what terms <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;tood with him, &s;he began fir&s;t to &s;peak of him.</P>
<P>I pray Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him) before you make any relations of what hath happened unto you, tell me whether the King my Father be plea&s;ed with you, and whether he re|ceives all tho&s;e Lawrels wherewith you have crowned him well from your hand? He is &s;o well &s;atisfied Madam, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and hath made me &s;uch glorious promi&s;es, as if you will be plea&s;ed to confirm them, I am the happie&s;t among&s;t men. You may very well conceive Sir (&s;aid &s;he and blu&s;ht) that &s;ince I was ever re&s;olved to obey him, even in things mo&s;t contrary to my own inclination, and lea&s;t agreeable unto you, that I &s;hall mo&s;t willingly obey him in things mo&s;t &s;uitable unto my de&s;ires, and mo&s;t advantagious unto you: But though I do not que&s;tion the truth of your words, yet I will promi&s;e you nothing, until I know from his own mouth what he hath promi&s;ed; yet let me a&s;&s;ure you, that if he be as full of acknowledgments as I am, you have good cau&s;e to be well &s;atisfied. Though your language Madam be mo&s;t obliging, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> yet I may find &s;ome cau&s;e of complaint: But &s;ince you have ever accu&s;tomed me unto extream &s;ecuritie, I am mo&s;t &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive unto your plea&s;ure Madam, provided you will give me leave to relate all my &s;ufferings: Since it were high inju&s;tice Sir, not to hear of tho&s;e mi&s;eries which my &s;elf hath cau&s;ed during &s;o long a War, I &s;hall be very glad you acquaint me with all the hard|&s;hips you had in <HI>Armenia,</HI> all the mi&s;eries you &s;uffered at the Siege of <HI>Babilon,</HI> all tho&s;e you endured at <HI>Sardis,</HI> and al&s;o at <HI>Cumes:</HI> Oh Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> The&s;e are not the things I de&s;ire to talk of, but it is of the in&s;ufferable &s;orrowes of my &s;oul to leave you when I left <HI>Themi&s;cira;</HI> of the horrid apprehen&s;ions of my heart at my return, when I under&s;tood that <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> had carried you away, and that I had &s;aved his life; my ex|ce&s;&s;ive grief in taking <HI>Babilon</HI> and not relea&s;ing you my horrid di&s;pair at <HI>Sinope,</HI> when I thought the flames had reduced you to a&s;hes, my di&s;mal apprehen&s;ions in finding only the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> on the top of the Tower, and in &s;eeing the Galley with which <HI>Ma|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> carried you away, my deadne&s;s of heart and &s;oul when I thought you peri&s;hed, my vexation to find you in the power of a Rival when I heard you were living, my melancho|ly <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, when I delivered the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> in lieu of the incomparable <HI>Man|dana</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;ee you on the other &s;ide of the River, and I not able to follow
<PB N="155" REF="659">
you, my grief to hear that you were imbarqued at the Port of <HI>Cicilie,</HI> my &s;adne&s;s of &s;oul to hear that you &s;u&s;pected me of infidelitie, my unutterable grief when I took <HI>Sardis</HI> and could not find you in it, my furie, when I heard my Rival had found out an art to make you invi&s;ible, my torment to be alwayes among&s;t my Rivals, and &s;till &s;eparated from you.</P>
<P>The&s;e Madam are the &s;orrows which I de&s;ire to talk of, in hopes, that judging of the greatne&s;s of my Love by the greatne&s;s of my &s;ufferings, you may know me better: It &s;eems we have long been &s;eparated, (replied <HI>Mandana</HI> with a mode&s;t &s;igh) &s;ince you have forgot, that though I permitted you to love me, yet I could never endure you &s;hould &s;peak to me of your Love. My Love Madam, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> was at that time a hidden my&s;terie, I dur&s;t not then tell any that I loved you; but now, &s;ince all the world knows me to be your Adorer, and &s;ince <HI>Ciaxares</HI> him&s;elf approves of it, it were not ju&s;t that you onlie &s;hould be ignorant of my love: For trulie Divine Prince&s;s, there is not one Souldier in the King your Fathers Armie, who knows not that he hath fought onlie for you: I could never have any joy in all the Victories I have gotten, becau&s;e in getting them I could not relea&s;e you; I acquainted all my Rivals with my Pa&s;&s;ion, <HI>Mazares</HI> him&s;elf would &s;omtimes pitie me, and would you Madam be the onlie one in all the Univer&s;e unto whom it &s;hould not be &s;poken? Oh Madam, this would not be ju&s;t: Speak on then, &s;aid &s;he unto him, &s;ince there is no remedie: But I pray Sir give me leave al&s;o to relate my &s;orrows: I am afraid Madam, replied he, that they are not much different from mine; for methinks I hear you aggravate your &s;orrows, for being &s;o often carried away, and expo|&s;ed unto &s;o manie voyages, &s;o much pains, and &s;o manie dangers without your making me a &s;harer in them; and how to my infinite glorie and delight would it have been, if I had been the cau&s;e of your greate&s;t &s;orrows: But alas Madam, I perceive you do not think me worthie of any &s;uch obliging expre&s;&s;ions, as to tell me I was any cau&s;e of them, nor will you permit me &s;o much as to think it: Yet I a&s;&s;ure you, replied &s;he, that my fears le&s;t you &s;hould peri&s;h in &s;ome of tho&s;e dangers into which you expo&s;ed your &s;elf for the love of me, was one of my greate&s;t &s;orrows: Your language Madam, replied he, is mo&s;t obliging, but &s;ince your &s;orrows might perhaps proceed onlie from genero&s;itie, they were not of that nature which I de&s;ired: For trulie Madam, did you know how to love, you would know that ab&s;ence from the per&s;on loved is a mo&s;t horrid torment: But &s;ince the Gods have made you onlie to be loved, and &s;ince they have infu&s;ed love enough into my heart, to make me endure this mode&s;t coldne&s;s, which &s;till oppo&s;eth my felicitie, I will not murmure to &s;ee you no more &s;en&s;ible of my zealous Pa&s;&s;ion: Yet Madam, to my con&s;ola|tion, I would gladlie believe, that your mode&s;tie doth hide &s;ome of your thoughts from me, and that I do not &s;ee all the advantagious re&s;entments of your heart: Being a Prince of &s;o much virtue as you are (replied <HI>Mandana</HI> and blu&s;ht) and knowing me &s;o well as you do, I will freelie permit you to believe, that I have all the advantagious thoughts of you, all the e&s;teem and tenderne&s;s which in any rea&s;on I ought to have of a Prince, unto whom the King my Father is a debtor for his life, and meny Victories, and unto whom I owe my libertie and &s;omthing more. After this Sir, be contented, and ask me no more, for as well accu&s;tomed as you are to get Victories, you &s;hall get no more of me. At the&s;e words, <HI>Cyrus</HI> did render a million of thanks unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> for the Permi&s;&s;ion which &s;he gave him; and then they began to make &s;hort relations unto each other of all their ad|ventures, but it was in a different manner, for <HI>Cyrus</HI> feared that he could never &s;ay enough to &s;et forth the violence of his Pa&s;&s;ion; and <HI>Mandana</HI> was &s;o full of tenderne&s;s towards <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that &s;he feared le&s;t &s;he &s;hould &s;ay too much, yet the conver&s;ation was mo&s;t &s;weet and plea&s;ing unto <HI>Cyrus;</HI> for <HI>Mandana</HI> was not &s;o ab&s;olute a Mi&s;tre&s;s of her looks and words, but that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw by the motion of her eyes, that her heart was not in&s;en&s;ible; &s;o that &s;omtimes his exce&s;s of joy would &s;ilence him, and he would gaze upon her without a word; and &s;omtimes again he would break into &s;uch raptures of expre&s;&s;ion, as it was mo&s;t plain his love was &s;tronger then his rea&s;on: I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid he unto her, when he perceived the di&s;order of his own &s;pirits) pardon me, if I cannot ma&s;ter my joyes, for I profe&s;s they are &s;o great, that the more I con&s;ider you, the more rea&s;on I find to devote my whole heart unto you; for &s;ince I am now &s;o neer the divine <HI>Mandana,</HI> after &s;o long and &s;ad an ab&s;ence, after I believed her lo&s;t, and bewailed her death, this is &s;o high a joy, as is ab&s;olutelie unutterable, when I call to mind the mi&s;erable condition I was in when I love|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d you at <HI>Sinope,</HI> and compare it unto my pre&s;ent happine&s;s: Oh heavens, what an ad|vantagious difference do I find? For I was then unknown unto you, I dur&s;t not then tell
<PB N="156" REF="660">
what I was for fear of being hated, though I knew I could never be loved unle&s;s I were known; I had a great King to my Rival, and another Rival in the head of a pui&s;&s;ant Ar|mie, and I &s;aw everie thing again&s;t me: But now Madam, I find the King your Father for me, I &s;ee the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> without a Kingdome, or any receptacle, I have the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> my friend in lieu of Rival, and I &s;ee the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> a Pri&s;oner unto <HI>Ar|&s;amones,</HI> judg therefore I be&s;eech you Madam, whether the extravagancie of my joyes be not excu&s;eable: Since I am yet far from <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> replied &s;he, I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I can|not re&s;ent the happine&s;s which I enjoy, out of fear it &s;hould be mole&s;ted by &s;ome accident which I cannot fore&s;ee; yet &s;ince it is vanitie, to make imaginarie mi&s;eries, I will hope that our happine&s;s will be durable, and that Fortune will be as con&s;tant in &s;miling upon us, as &s;he hath been in her frowns again&s;t us. After this, <HI>Mandana</HI> hinting unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> that it was late, this Prince retired, and went out of her Chamber, with &s;pirits &s;o full of pa&s;|&s;ion, as he neither &s;aw <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> nor <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> nor <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who never &s;tirred out of the outer Chamber, and was not able to take his mind of that divine Prince&s;s whom he loved; he came unto his own Chamber, and there undre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf, whil&s;t his fancie was &s;till fixed upon the &s;ame object; and &s;leep, as powerful as it is, could not deface the <HI>Idea</HI> of <HI>Mandana</HI> in his imagination.</P>
<P>Now did he begin to accu&s;e him&s;elf for making &s;uch a bad interpretation upon the <HI>Si|bels</HI> an&s;wer, and upon the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI>'s Oracle, and he began to hope, that the Ora|cle rendred unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Salamis</HI> would be as happily accompli&s;hed for him, as for her, His &s;oul was now &s;o &s;olelie devoted unto joy, as he never regarded the combat which he was to have with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> as a thing of any doubtful event, nor ever trou|bled him&s;elf to con&s;ider how &s;orrie <HI>Mandana</HI> would be if &s;he knew it; on the contrarie, he contemplated upon nothing but the beautie-&s;uperexcellencies, and charms of his Prince&s;s, and he lul'd him&s;elf &s;o in the fancie of <HI>Mandana,</HI> that he &s;aw her in his &s;leep as well as when he was awake; he imagined that he &s;aw him&s;elf pre&s;enting her unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and &s;aw <HI>Ciaxares</HI> give her again unto him in recompence of all his travels and pains. <HI>Man|dana</HI> on the other &s;ide entertained her &s;elf with her dear <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> confe&s;&s;ing ingenuou&s;ly unto her, that &s;he never in all her life &s;aw <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;o amiable as now, and that &s;he could not chu&s;e but think her &s;elf extreamlie happie in her raigning in the heart of the greate&s;t Prince in the world.</P>
<P>But whil&s;t the&s;e two illu&s;trious per&s;ons did delight their &s;ouls in the innocent plea&s;ures of &s;eeing each other, <HI>Mazares, Anaxaris,</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> were all full of diffe|rent re&s;entments; a civil War, who&s;e victorie was doubtful, did flame in the heart of the fir&s;t of the&s;e; for &s;omtimes his virtue was weaker then his love, and &s;omtimes his virtue got the upper hand: But for the &s;econd, his love of <HI>Mandana</HI> was &s;o violent, that he had not the lea&s;t thought of oppo&s;ing it, though he could not imagine ever to find out any way of &s;atisfaction: So that abandoning him&s;elf both to his love and his di&s;pair, he was in a mo&s;t mi&s;erable condition: But as for the third, his mi&s;erie did tran&s;cend them both; for the truth is, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was in &s;uch a deplorable condition, as he would have moved <HI>Mandana</HI> and all his Rivals to pitie him, if they had but &s;een him. Since the man who did hide him was not acquainted with the virtue of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he imagined, that if this Prince did know how he concealed the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana</HI> from his revenge, he would &s;everelie puni&s;h him; &s;o that for more &s;uretie, he put this unfortunate King into a little Cabin in a corner of the Garden, where the Gardiner lodged. This bad lodging yet was not at all re&s;ented by this unhappie Prince, though he was much wounded, and could hard|lie be dre&s;&s;ed: But when he con&s;idered that <HI>Mandana</HI> would treat <HI>Cyrus</HI> as her Deliverer, that he had for ever lo&s;t her, that &s;he would eternally hate him, that he was mi&s;erable in the &s;ame Town where his Rival was happy, that he knew not how to get out, and that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> he &s;hould fall into his power, his re&s;entments of the&s;e were unexpre&s;&s;ible: The <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> al&s;o he had an addition of double &s;orrows, for <HI>Mandana</HI> having a de&s;ire to ren|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">to the Gods as well as <HI>Cyrus,</HI> this Prince would needs have her go unto the T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> magnificent ceremonie, to the end the People might better &s;ee her: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> not go unto the Temple of <HI>Neptune,</HI> &s;o much celebrated in <HI>Cum<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">tie pa&s;s under the Walls of this Garden, and under the Wind<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was, this magnificent Pomp did pa&s;s that wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">. So <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">te Prince hearing the noy&s;e which the Troops made, as they pa&s;&s;ed be|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, he asked that Souldier which followed him what noy&s;e it was; and he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, that it was the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> going unto the Temple of <HI>Neptune</HI> to tender
<PB N="157" REF="660">
thanks unto the Gods, he was &s;o tran&s;ported with Love, that he would &s;ee her once more before he died; and therefore did ri&s;e out of his homely bed to look out of this little Win|dow, which was made only of a few Reads, and where indeed he beheld all that pa&s;&s;ed: But when he &s;aw <HI>Mandana</HI> in a Triumphant Chariot with &s;uch joy in her looks, as aug|mented her beautie, he was &s;en&s;ible of more &s;orrow then ever was man before; that which grated him unto the verie heart of his &s;oul, was to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> on hor&s;eback next <HI>Manda|na</HI>'s Chariot, and to &s;ee him in a Garb &s;o high, and Port &s;o maje&s;tical, as in &s;pite of his &s;orrows and jealou&s;ie, he could not chu&s;e but think him worthie of this Prince&s;s; and to &s;um up the total of his mi&s;erie, he &s;aw more joy in the face of <HI>Cyrus</HI> then in the face of <HI>Mandana,</HI> conjecturing from thence, and truly, that he had been very favourably re|ceived, and in an in&s;tant did imagine a thou&s;and favours done unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> more then he him&s;elf could have wi&s;hed to him&s;elf. This thought &s;o di&s;ordered his &s;oul, that love, jea|lou&s;ie, rage and di&s;pair depriving him of rea&s;on, he violentlie broke down the little Win|dow which did hide him from &s;ight; but as good luck to him was, he was &s;o weak, that as he pulled the Window away, he fell backward upon his bed; &s;o that his wound opening and beginning to bleed afre&s;h, he was not able to ri&s;e again, yet he endeavoured, though the Souldier did verie re&s;pectfully hinder him, knowing that if he now looked out of the Window, he would certainly be known. In the mean while, his &s;orrows cau&s;ed by &s;uch a violent agitation of &s;pirits, did ca&s;t him into a &s;ound for above a quarter of an houre, and when he returned out of it, his di&s;pair was no better then madne&s;s. Thus the renowned <HI>Cy|rus</HI> had four Rivals nothing &s;o happy as him&s;elf; but though the &s;tate of their fortunes was very different, yet had they a conformitie in their &s;orrows.</P>
<P>The King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> a Pri&s;oner, and forced to ask &s;uccour from his Rival, he thought him&s;elf the mo&s;t mi&s;erable Prince alive; The King of <HI>Poutus</HI> vanqui&s;hed, wounded, and lurking in a poor Cabin, thought never any &s;o unfortunate as him&s;elf; The Prince <HI>Ma|zares,</HI> who would needs have his virtue triumph over his Pa&s;&s;ion, and who yet &s;aw him|&s;elf every minute ready to be overcome by his Love, he was per&s;waded that none could &s;uffer more then him&s;elf: And <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> in love without one &s;park of hope, and yet re|&s;olved to love <HI>Mandana</HI> till he died, come what could, con&s;idering the &s;tate of his &s;oul, and the &s;tate of his fortune, he could not conceive it po&s;&s;ible any &s;hould be &s;o mi&s;erable as him&s;elf. Thus whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> were rendring thanks unto the Gods for their happy conditions, the King of <HI>Pontus, Mazares,</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> had much ado to forbear murmuring again&s;t the Gods, for expo&s;ing them unto &s;uch di&s;a&s;terous and fatal de&s;tinies; yet the misfortunes of the&s;e three Rivals did not hinder the univer&s;al joy that was in both Town and Camp: But to be &s;hort, at their return from the Temple, <HI>Cyrus</HI> after he had taken orders from <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;ent unto <HI>Pactias</HI> and <HI>Licambes</HI> to acquaint them with the &s;tate of things, and to induce them to lay down arms: He &s;ent al&s;o to the <HI>Xantheans,</HI> and <HI>Caunians,</HI> to confirm the offers which they made: He &s;ent di&s;patches al&s;o unto <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and <HI>Cambi&s;es:</HI> The Prince&s;s writing unto the King her Father to thank him for his cares in procuring her libertie, and unto the Queen of <HI>Per&s;ia</HI> al&s;o, to te&s;tifie her obligations unto the Prince her Son. After this, was to be &s;een (according to the orders which <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent over night) the two Fleets of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> and <HI>Timochares,</HI> enter into the Port of <HI>Cumes,</HI> and as they pa&s;&s;ed in &s;ight of <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Chamber, where <HI>Cyrus</HI> then was, the Flags of all the Fleets vailed Bonnet, in honour of that Prince&s;s. As &s;oon as <HI>Thra&s;ibulus, Timocha|res, Philocles</HI> and <HI>Leontidas</HI> came a&s;hore, they came al&s;o to &s;alute <HI>Mandana,</HI> unto whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> pre&s;ented them: You &s;ee here Madam (&s;aid he and &s;poke of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus)</HI> a Prince who was my Conquerour, and who&s;e valour did exceedingly help me to fini&s;h the <HI>Arme|nian</HI> War: In telling me (replied <HI>Mandana)</HI> that the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> hath conquer|ed the Conqueror of others, you oblige me to e&s;teem him infinitelie: The victorie I got Madam (replied <HI>Thra&s;ibulus)</HI> did co&s;t me &s;o dear; and the defeat of the illu&s;trious <HI>Arta|menes</HI> was &s;o glorious unto him, that if I might have cho&s;en, I had rather have been the conquered then the Conqueror.</P>
<P>As <HI>Cyrus</HI> was readie to replie, and vie mode&s;ty with him, the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> the Prince <HI>Artamas, Gadates, Gobrias, Per&s;odes;</HI> and many others of Noble Quality, came into <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Chamber, who entertained them with as much &s;weetne&s;s as Maje&s;tie. <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> came a little after; the fir&s;t of the&s;e asking pardon for protecting the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> be&s;eeching her not to be le&s;s generous then <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> had been: To te|&s;tifie unto you (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that I will not yeeld unto them in that virtue, I a&s;&s;ure you, I am much joyed at the alliance which you have made, with &s;uch a renowned Prince
<PB N="158" REF="661">
as the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> who hearing what <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;aid of him, returned a mo&s;t ingeni|ous and civil an&s;wer.</P>
<P>But &s;ince &s;uch kind of vi&s;its as the&s;e, never u&s;e to be long, this croud of renowned per&s;ons did &s;oon di&s;per&s;e them&s;elves: <HI>Cyrus</HI> al&s;o was obliged to go out of her Chamber into his own, to receive two Deputies from <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> which <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> &s;ent unto hm: So that <HI>Mandana</HI> in this interval talked with <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> unto whom &s;he had not yet &s;poken; therefore &s;he went into her Clo&s;et, whether <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> brought them. Now was the glorie of <HI>Cyrus</HI> aggravated with much zeal, by the&s;e two faithful &s;ervants unto their Ma&s;ter, and &s;he did much better under&s;tand from them then from him, how much &s;he was obliged unto him. In the mean while, <HI>Cyrus</HI> being come to his Chamber, whether <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes</HI> al&s;o re&s;orted to hear &s;ome news of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> he received the De|puties which <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> &s;ent. He under&s;tood from them, that all the Grandees in the King|dome of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw the Te&s;tament of <HI>Abradates,</HI> who gave him his Crown; but all were joyfully di&s;po&s;ed to become his Subjects, and acknowledg him for their King: That the people did &s;ubmit unto it with abundance of &s;atisfaction, that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> had done him very good &s;ervice in this bu&s;ine&s;s, that <HI>Adu&s;ia</HI>'s according to his order &s;tayed at <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> to command in that Kingdom, until he him&s;elf could honour that &s;tate with his pre&s;ence; that all things were there verie quiet, that both Grandees and People had taken oaths of fidelity to him, and that he was ab&s;olutely King of <HI>Su&s;iana.</HI> The&s;e men having ended their &s;peech, <HI>Cyrus</HI> did treat them as men who brought him a Crown, and began to tran&s;act with them, as with good and faithful Subjects. Then appointing them to be lodged in the Town, he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed them, keeping <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> with him, purpo&s;ely to tell him &s;ome newes of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> whom he infinitely e&s;teemed, knowing that he did ever confirm <HI>Mazares</HI> in tho&s;e re&s;olutions of virtue, which he had planted in his &s;oul, &s;eeing then there was none but <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes</HI> neer him: Well <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) hath the voyage of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> been as happy for him&s;elf, as it hath been for me? Will <HI>Cleodora</HI> acknowledg him for her Slave with as good a will as the People of <HI>Su&s;a</HI> are to acknowledg me for their King? Sir (replied <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> it is not &s;o: Why (&s;aid <HI>Mazares</HI> and interrupted him) had <HI>Cleodora</HI> accompli&s;hed her la&s;t vowes which the women con&s;ecrated unto <HI>Ceres</HI> u&s;e, when <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> came unto <HI>Su&s;a?</HI> No Sir, (replied <HI>Or&s;anus)</HI> we came thither &s;ome daies before &s;he was to perform them: I pray, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> relate unto us the bu&s;ine&s;s.</P>
<P><HI>Hermogenes</HI> under&s;tanding by the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Or&s;anus,</HI> that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did not thrive in his affection to <HI>Cleodora,</HI> his curio&s;itie augmented, and his &s;orrows dimini&s;hed, for his be|lief was that <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was gone to take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of her; &s;o that he lent a mo&s;t attentive ear unto what <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> &s;aid: Since you are plea&s;ed to command me Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> un|to <HI>Cyrus)</HI> to acquaint you with the adventure of <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> be plea&s;ed to know Sir, that when he came to <HI>S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;a,</HI> he pre&s;ently enquired whether <HI>Cleodora</HI> had power to come out of the Temple unto which &s;he was retired, and whether it was believed &s;he would remain there? He under&s;tood that the la&s;t ceremony which was to bind her for ever, was not to be per|formed of a moneth after; that the general opinion was, &s;he would remain there, becau&s;e &s;he might live a retired life there, every one telling her, that &s;he was none of tho&s;e, who in lieu of &s;eeking out a &s;olitude among&s;t the vailed Virgins, and pre&s;erving their innocence, would trouble the fir&s;t, and lo&s;e the &s;econd; and &s;o di&s;honour them in lieu of adding glory.</P>
<P>Yet <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was not very much grieved at the thought that <HI>Cleodora</HI> would remain in the Temple, becau&s;e he hoped &s;he might change her mind; &s;o that not to omit any tittle of his duty in matter of love, he writ unto <HI>Cleodora,</HI> and gave his Letter unto <HI>Alcenor</HI> to carry, &s;oliciting her al&s;o by many friends for leave to &s;ee and &s;peak with her. But whil&s;t <HI>Alcenor</HI> and the Ladies his friends were negotiating for him, he took order for all things which related unto your &s;ervices; and in the mean while he under&s;tood that <HI>Cleodora</HI> re|fu&s;ed his Letter; that &s;he would not &s;ee him, that &s;he obtained leave to &s;horten the time of the la&s;t ceremony, and that it was to be accompli&s;hed the next day: You may judg Sir, what &s;ad news this was unto <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> who no &s;ooner heard it, but he went unto the Temple of <HI>Ceres,</HI> and &s;o tampered with her who had power to command <HI>Cleodora,</HI> that &s;he commanded her to &s;ee and &s;peak with <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> an houre before &s;he was to engage all the re&s;t of her life. <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> then &s;aw her, and &s;poke to her, but never &s;aw her &s;o fair and lovely as then, nor never more inexorable unto his prayers; and to render him the more unhappy, &s;he confe&s;&s;ed unto him, that &s;he was induced unto this cour&s;e which &s;he was going to take, only becau&s;e &s;he was &s;o weak, as not to hate him if &s;he would; and in|deed
<PB N="159" REF="661">
&s;he &s;poke this unto him in &s;uch a manner, as it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee, &s;he did not hate him &s;till, and that what &s;he did, was rather out of a punctileo of honour, which moved her never to pardon <HI>Bele&s;is,</HI> then out of any hatred &s;he had unto him. I &s;hall not need to tell you Sir what this unfortunate Lover &s;aid unto <HI>Cleodora:</HI> For &s;ince you know the na|ture of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> was to be zealous and pa&s;&s;ionate, and knowing what his mind and affecti|on was, you may ea&s;ily imagine that he u&s;ed all the mo&s;t moving expre&s;&s;ions that was po&s;|&s;ible, and all to no purpo&s;e, for this fair one was unalterable, maugre all the &s;orrow &s;he &s;aw in his face, and very well it may be &s;aid, that the &s;orrows of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did make her joyful, for the more earne&s;t he was in praying her, the more ea&s;ily did &s;he deny him. To be &s;hort Sir, this fair one retired, and maugre all the importunate de&s;ires of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> the ceremony was accompli&s;hed, and <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> lo&s;t <HI>Cleodora</HI> for ever; for &s;ince that &s;he would not &s;ee any, no not her deare&s;t friends: So that <HI>Cleodora</HI> who was wont to be the only lover of news, did not now know whether <HI>A&s;ia</HI> was in War or in peace; and this excellent woman did very &s;ufficientlie make it appear, that &s;he could be Mi&s;tre&s;s of her &s;elf when &s;he plea&s;ed. In the mean time, the di&s;pair of <HI>Bele&s;is</HI> did &s;o appear in his face, and in all his actions, as every one feared he would &s;teal away from <HI>Alcenor</HI> as &s;oon as he could, and return unto his De&s;art, and &s;o deprive <HI>Su&s;a</HI> of the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed man in it.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t <HI>Or&s;anus</HI> was &s;peaking thus, <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> did intere&s;t them&s;elves in the &s;orrows of <HI>Bele&s;is:</HI> But as for <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> all the affection he bore him as his friend, could not keep him from rejoycing, that he was never like to enjoy <HI>Cleodora;</HI> yet he did what he could to hide a thought which had more love then genero&s;ity in it; and he might the more ea&s;ily hide it, becau&s;e <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who was not able to live without <HI>Mandana,</HI> did in all ha&s;t give orders that the Works &s;hould be thrown down, that the Forts &s;hould be demoli&s;hed, and that the Army &s;hould &s;till keep in a po&s;ture ready to receive an Enemy, not daring to think of carrying <HI>Mandana</HI> out of <HI>Cumes,</HI> until he heard the Enemies Army was di&s;per&s;ed, becau&s;e he would not hazard a per&s;on who was &s;o infinitely dear un|to him. After then he had given all the prudential orders requi&s;ite, he returned to the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> where all the Ladies of Quality in that Town were come to make their fir&s;t vi&s;it. Since the Prince&s;s &s;poke the Greek Tongue very fluently, and the lan|guage of <HI>Cumes</HI> differed from it only in pronuntiation; it was as ea&s;ie for her to charm &s;o many Beauties by the &s;weetne&s;s of her conver&s;ation, as to charm their eyes by her Beauty; and &s;ince &s;he knew that commendations are very well received by all the world, e&s;pecially when they proceed from a per&s;on of much merit, <HI>Mandana</HI> did extreamly commend eve|ry Lady in whom &s;he could find any good ground for it; She al&s;o did double her applauds when <HI>Cyrus</HI> came in; for beginning to &s;peak as &s;oon as he was &s;et down, Though I know very well (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that <HI>Artaxates, Babilon,</HI> and <HI>Sardis,</HI> are for greater Towns then <HI>Cumes;</HI> yet I a&s;&s;ure you, the conque&s;t of this was more glorious then of them, &s;ince I do not think you ever took any Town wherein there are &s;o many Beauties as in this: There are &s;o many rea&s;ons Madam, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> Why you &s;hould know a Beauty bet|ter then any el&s;e, that though my eyes did not tell me you had rea&s;on for what you &s;aid, yet I &s;hould believe you: However, (added he, and turned towards tho&s;e Ladies whom <HI>Mandana</HI> commended) you may well value at a high rate, the commendations of a Prince&s;s, who is u&s;ed every day to &s;ee the faire&s;t per&s;on in the world: <HI>Mandana</HI> blu&s;hed at the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but could not an&s;wer it; for one of the Ladies, who&s;e name was <HI>Atalia,</HI> began to &s;peak: If the commendations of the Prince&s;s (&s;aid &s;he) were ad|dre&s;&s;ed unto me, or that I had any rea&s;on to apply them unto my &s;elf, doubtle&s;s I &s;hould think my &s;elf the mo&s;t glorious woman in the world, for being commended by one, who every day in her myrrour &s;ees enough to make her &s;corn the greate&s;t Beauties upon Earth. You know very well, amiable <HI>Atalia,</HI> (replied <HI>Mandana)</HI> what &s;hare you ought to take unto your &s;elf of tho&s;e commendations which I give unto the Ladies of <HI>Cumes</HI> in ge|neral; and I know al&s;o what &s;hare I ought to take in tho&s;e you give unto me; however, without putting you to the blu&s;h by any particular applauds, I pray agree with me, that there are few places in the world where are to be found &s;o many beauties as here; and certainly, <HI>Mandana</HI> had good rea&s;on for what &s;he &s;aid, &s;ince there were in <HI>Cumes</HI> at that time a mo&s;t prodigious number of Beauties. Among&s;t all tho&s;e who were then with <HI>Mandana,</HI> there were foure of the be&s;t quality in all the Town, and highe&s;t beauty: <HI>A|talia</HI> was tall, and of a hand&s;om Mine, &s;he had brown hair, eyes gray and &s;weet, her complexion whiti&s;h and lively, &s;eeming alwayes very &s;erious: The &s;econd, who&s;e name
<PB N="160" REF="662" MS="y">
was <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> was fair and lively, yet her eyes black and &s;parkling with a &s;prightly fire: her looks though &s;weet, yet nothing of pa&s;&s;ionate, but it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee &s;he loved to look upon her &s;elf in a gla&s;s, and loved her &s;elf better then all the world be&s;ides. <HI>Cleo|crite</HI> was of a good &s;tature, &s;he had mo&s;t hand&s;om teeth, and fre&s;h ro&s;es upon her lips: her no&s;e was of an exact proportion, and all the features of her face plea&s;ing: &s;he had an a&s;pect of joy and tranquility in her Phy&s;iognomy, which was a great addition to her beauty: &s;o that without any flatery I can a&s;&s;ure you, <HI>Cleocrice</HI> was a high beauty, and had been infinitely amiable had &s;he known how to have loved any.</P>
<P>The third who&s;e name was <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> was of a low &s;tature, but a high beauty, and infi|nitely charming: her neck was white, her arms and hands the &s;ame: her eyes fair, her com|plection rare, and her mouth admirable: She had a kind of au&s;terity and pride in the cor|ner of her eye, and in the corner of her mouth, which though it was very &s;weet, and did much contribute unto her beauty, which though it expre&s;&s;ed &s;ome inequality in her hu|mour, yet did exceedingly become her. The fourth who was called <HI>Philoxene,</HI> and was a widow, was of a &s;tature &s;omething above the common height but very hand&s;om, her hair, was che&s;nut colour: the model of her face was &s;omething on all, her complection whi|ti&s;h and &s;moother no&s;e was &s;omething <HI>Aqueline,</HI> but well proportioned, her eyes full, black, &s;weet and &s;miling; her Phi&s;iognomy was noble and plea&s;ing, which did as well &s;peak the &s;weetne&s;s and equality of her humour, as the tenderne&s;s and genero&s;ity of her &s;oul; and which did invite abundance of e&s;teem, and forced a di&s;po&s;ition to love her: The&s;e four per&s;ons being &s;uch as I have de&s;cribed, and being mingled among&s;t many o|thers who had beauty enough, it was not without good cau&s;e that <HI>Mandana</HI> commended them: Not long after &s;he had as good cau&s;e to commend the &s;weetne&s;s of their minds as well as the charms of their faces: for they all made it appear, that if <HI>Cyrus</HI> had been able to have endured that any &s;hould have &s;hared with him in the &s;ociety of his Prince&s;s, he had not &s;tifled his de&s;ires as he did of talking with her in private, yet he did &s;o hide it, as none of the Ladiees could perceive him: and <HI>Mandana</HI> only could know that as ami|able as the&s;e Ladies were, yet he de&s;ired that they were ab&s;ent from her, yet it was a long while before he could be in private with her; for be&s;ides tho&s;e Ladies that were already with <HI>Mandana,</HI> there came another under the conduct of <HI>Araxaris,</HI> who though &s;he was well in years, yet was a Lady of a very hand&s;om carriage, and &s;eemed to be a woman of quality. <HI>Araxaris</HI> in pre&s;enting her unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> told her name to be <HI>Ni&s;ide,</HI> and &s;aid her quality to be the mo&s;t con&s;iderable in all <HI>Cumes.</HI> After which, this Lady be|ginning to &s;peak, Since I know Madam, &s;aid &s;he unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> what power you have with the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I conceived it my be&s;t cour&s;e to addre&s;s my &s;elfe unto you, for the obtaining of my Sons liberty, who is now his pri&s;oner, who as the Fate of Arms would have it, did take pri&s;oner the Generous <HI>Anaxaris</HI> who pre&s;ents me unto you. I &s;hould not have been &s;o bold Madam, as to ask liberty for a man who took him pri&s;oner that did &s;o couragiou&s;ly fight for yours, if the &s;ame <HI>Anaxaris</HI> had not made me a mo&s;t generous promi&s;e to joyn his prayers with mine to obtain of you, that the &s;ame men who once took him captive, but at pre&s;ent is his, may enjoy the general act of grace with the invincible <HI>Cyrus,</HI> at your de&s;ires Madam did grant unto the meane&s;t inha|bitants of <HI>Cumes.</HI></P>
<P>For my part (added <HI>Anazaris)</HI> I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, (&s;aid he unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana)</HI> that you will extreamly oblige me if you would grant my Conqueror his liberty: and I am the more obliged to &s;erve him, becau&s;e if I had not fallen unto his power, I &s;hould not have had the glory to have done that little &s;ervice for you Madam, which I did: &s;o that Madam, to recompence me fully, It be&s;eech you, let <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> be at liberty: and I am confident, that he is a man of &s;o much merit, as if you had known him, he had been at liberty ere now. Cer|tainly it is not at all nece&s;&s;ary to make any addre&s;&s;es unto me, (replied <HI>Mandana,</HI> and &s;poke unto <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris)</HI> to obtain a favour from the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> which he doth &s;o u&s;ually grant: And le&s;s nece&s;&s;ary Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and interrupted her) to u&s;e my name in a bu&s;ine&s;s which depends ab&s;olutely upon your &s;elf: However, replied that Prince&s;s, I will intreat you to &s;et <HI>Thra&s;yles</HI> at liberty upon my reque&s;t. <HI>Thra&s;yles,</HI> replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> is more a pri&s;oner unto <HI>Anaxaris</HI> then unto me, but I believe he will confe&s;s with me, that you have power to &s;et at liberty whom you plea&s;e: therefore Madam you need only to command, and be obeyed. What ere you &s;ay (replied <HI>Mandana)</HI> I intend that <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> &s;hall be no more a debtor unto you for the liberty of <HI>Thra&s;yles,</HI> then unto me. To end this generous conte&s;t, replied this Lady, my Son and I will both be equally deb|tors
<PB N="161" REF="662">
unto you both, and will both of us make our acknowledgments as if we were obliged unto one and the &s;ame per&s;on. I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid <HI>Anaxaris</HI> unto <HI>Mandana)</HI> Command then that <HI>Thra&s;yles</HI> be &s;et at liberty? Since it is the plea&s;ure of the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;ince you have a peculiar right to con&s;ent unto it (replied he) you will do me a plea&s;ure to go and &s;et upon his pri&s;on, and to let the fir&s;t u&s;e of his liberty be imployed in making me acquainted with a man who is &s;o valiant as to make you his pri&s;oner. Mo&s;t certainly he is a very brave man (replied <HI>Cyrus</HI> not &s;u&s;pecting that <HI>Anaxar<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> was his Ri|val) who is the Vanqui&s;her of <HI>Anaxaris. Anaxaris</HI> who in his heart re&s;ented more di&s;|order then he was well able to ma&s;ter when he heard him&s;elf commended both by his Rival, and by <HI>Mandana,</HI> did &s;eem as if he heard them not: but did &s;ay &s;omething unto <HI>Ni&s;ide,</HI> who being very glad of her Sons liberty, took that pretence to go our, and &s;et o|pen her &s;ons pri&s;on, and acquaint him how much he was a debtor unto this Prince&s;s. For Madam (&s;aid <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> to her) I know <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> hath &s;o &s;trong an inclination to acknowledg a benefit, that he would exceedingly complain again&s;t me, if I &s;hould not acquaint him with his obligements to you, before he hath the honour to &s;ee you. After this <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> re|tired, and went with <HI>Anaxaris</HI> unto the Tower where <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> was: As &s;oon as &s;he was gone, there was not one of tho&s;e Ladies who de&s;ired not to be gone al&s;o, having no mind to be in that place, when <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> entred: But the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> not thinking they had any intere&s;t in the Pri&s;oner, addre&s;&s;ing her di&s;cour&s;e unto them, &s;he did engage them to &s;tay. Since valour is ever accompanied with all nece&s;&s;ary qualities to make a compleat man, &s;aid <HI>Mandana</HI> unto <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> I would gladly know whether <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> have as much wit as courage. Since tho&s;e who can judg of wit in others (replied <HI>Ly&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ice)</HI> had need to have much them&s;elves, doubtle&s;s I am not fit to be a competent Judge in &s;uch a matter. The fair <HI>Cleocrite</HI> who hath it in a &s;uperlative degree, and who be&s;ides that, hath all the indifferency de&s;irable in an impartial Judg, is better able to tell you then I am. This in|difference you &s;peak of (replid <HI>Cleocrit<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> and &s;miled) and which you think &s;o good a qua|lity in an impartial Judg, may cau&s;e me to do a piece of inju&s;tice: for I do not &s;ufficiently know him, and therefore if the Prince&s;s would have an exact account of <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> &s;he much have it from <HI>Atalia,</HI> or from <HI>Philox<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">ne:</HI> for the one is his ancient friend, and the other is his newe&s;t acquaintance: According to your own words, replied <HI>Atalia,</HI> It is &s;o long &s;ince I knew <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> that I have almo&s;t forgot him: And for my particular added <HI>Phi|loxene,</HI> I do &s;o little know him in compari&s;on of you, that I may well &s;ay I do not know him at all. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;miled, (addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf unto <HI>Mandana)</HI> by &s;eeing &s;o many beauties &s;o &s;weetly deny being Judges of <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> wit, I do believe him to have very much: and I am apt to believe that the&s;e Ladies do think more then they &s;peak. The di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Cyrus</HI> did put <HI>Atalia, Ly&s;idice,</HI> and <HI>Philoxone</HI> to the blu&s;h: but as for the indifferent <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> &s;he never changed colour for it, yet tho&s;e three Ladies blu&s;hed more, for as &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;poken that which made them blu&s;h, <HI>Anaxaris</HI> returned and <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> followed, who entred with &s;o good a grace, and &s;eemed to be a man of &s;o good behaviour, and of &s;uch a noble and gallant Air, that as &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Man|dana</HI> &s;aw him, they had a good di&s;po&s;ition to believe that tho&s;e Ladies who had no mind to commend him, did e&s;teem him much more then they would &s;peak of. In the mean time, <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &s;poke &s;o well, &s;o reverently, and &s;o pathetically both unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> and unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that they e&s;teemed him as much for his wit as his courage. It is mo&s;t gene|rous and nobly done Madam, (&s;aid he to the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana)</HI> to give liberty unto a man who endeavoured all he could to hinder yours. Though his zeal unto the Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> and unto his Country, was his only motive to fight again&s;t you. Since you have done nothing but what honour did oblige you unto, replied <HI>Mandana,</HI> I do not think any thing you have done again&s;t me ought to keep me from my dictates of Genero&s;ity: and doubtle&s;s it is upon the &s;ame rea&s;on that the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> doth &s;o ea&s;ily and with &s;o good a will grant me your liberty. Since I know Madam (replied <HI>Thra&s;iles) Ly&s;ide</HI> would have me wholly obliged unto you, I dare not in your pre&s;ence expre&s;s my gratitude unto him, though it be infinite. No no, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> you ought not to give me that which I ought to have no &s;hare in. In all places where the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is pre&s;ent, &s;he is the Authore&s;s of all good, and &s;he de&s;erves the di&s;po&s;ing of all favours, and therefore unto her from whom you received a benefit is your gratitude due. Whil'&s;t <HI>Mandana, Cy|rus,</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> were talking, <HI>Atalia, Ly&s;idice,</HI> and <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> and <HI>Philoxene</HI> looked on, and looked often upon <HI>Thr<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;iles,</HI> who for his part, was not attentive to what he &s;aid, or to what he heard, as he was to ob&s;erve <HI>Philoxene,</HI> and to ob&s;erve whether <HI>Atalia, Cleocrite,</HI>
<PB N="162" REF="663">
and <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> ob&s;erved him. But <HI>Anaxaris</HI> perceived it not, for he was &s;o wholly taken up with the &s;ight of <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as he thought upon nothing but his own pa&s;&s;ion, and never minded others.</P>
<P>But the mo&s;t ob&s;erveable pa&s;&s;age of this day was, that this company who was then with <HI>Mandana,</HI> and &s;tayed very long, was compo&s;ed of per&s;ons who had no mind to be there; for <HI>Philoxene</HI> wi&s;hed &s;he had not been there, <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> was extreamly perplex|ed at her being there, <HI>Atalia</HI> was vexed at her pre&s;ence, and <HI>Cleocrite</HI> as neutral and indif|ferent as &s;he was, had rather have been any where el&s;e: As for <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> he was much non-plu&s;t at his being among&s;t foure Ladies, with whom he had held various corre&s;pon|dencies; and as for <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> though the &s;ight of <HI>Mandana</HI> was the e&s;&s;ential part of his life, yet he cared not for being there, &s;ince he could not be rid of his Rival, &s;o that except <HI>Cyrus,</HI> all in the Chamber de&s;ired to be out: 'Tis true, this Prince was as re&s;tle&s;s as the re&s;t, for though he had no mind to be from <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet he wi&s;hed with all his heart that none el&s;e were with her, yet they &s;tayed a long while: But at la&s;t <HI>Atalia, Cleocrite, Philoxene,</HI> and <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> being gone, <HI>Mandana</HI> asked <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> whether the&s;e Ladies were his friends, and whether he much e&s;teemed them? But ask what &s;he would, he was as much re&s;erved in his &s;peeches of them, as they were to talk of him, yet he commended them more then they commended him, but yet it was after &s;uch a manner, as was appa|rent that he was zealous in the commendations of none but <HI>Philoxene.</HI> After &s;ome other indifferent di&s;cour&s;e, the re&s;t of the company parted al&s;o. But ju&s;t as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was ready to fall in talk with <HI>Mandana, Anaxaris</HI> brought in an Inhabitant of <HI>Cumes,</HI> who had a Let|ter unto the Prince&s;s from the King of <HI>Pontus. Mandana</HI> no &s;ooner looked upon it, but &s;he knew it to be his hand; &s;o that giving it unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> to read: Will you &s;pare me the pains (&s;aid &s;he unto him) of reading this Letter, which I believe will but anger me: I will obey your commands Madam in all things, replied he) though it be no plea&s;ing office to read a Letter from a Rival; le&s;t in lieu of anger, it &s;hould invite you unto pity; after which, <HI>Cyrus</HI> opened the Letter, and found the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>The mo&s;t unfortunate of all men living unto the Prince&s;s <HI>MANDANA.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>SInce revenge is the &s;weete&s;t thing in the world, I thought it my duty to let you know, that though I can give you no other &s;atisfaction in my life, yet I can acquaint you, that never any was &s;o fullie revenged as you are; for trulie Madam I &s;uffer more then ever any did; I &s;uffer without any hope; and which is the greate&s;t of my misfortunes, I &s;uffer without your pitie: And I re&s;olved to let you know my &s;orrows, that I might thereby force you to pitie an E|nemie, who now hath no power to hurt you: Imagine Madam, what &s;adne&s;s of &s;oul it is, after I have lo&s;t two Kingdomes, after I have ruined <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cumes;</HI> after I have &s;o long loved you without any hope but to hinder my Rival from being happie, what hor|ror I &s;ay it is to &s;ee him the mo&s;t happie and mo&s;t glorious of all men, and to lo&s;e my verie hopes of ever &s;eeing you again, I am gone away Madam the mo&s;t unfortunate Prince that ever was in the world, the mo&s;t de&s;perate Lover that ever was or ever will be, and the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man that ever lived: Since I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o almo&s;t alone to &s;eek my death in the &s;ame element, in which I had the happine&s;s to &s;ave your life, and &s;ince in all prohabilitie my end will have no witne&s;&s;es, I had a de&s;ire to let you know, that mangre your in&s;en&s;ibilitie towards me, and in &s;pite of all tho&s;e mi&s;eries into which my pa&s;&s;ion hath precipitated me, I &s;hall &s;till die your adorer, and can never repent of my adoring you, though that be the onlie cau&s;e of all my misfortunes. This <HI>Madam</HI> is the Pa&s;&s;ion which you have &s;corned, and the&s;e &s;hall be my thoughts of you, when the exce&s;s of my &s;orrows &s;hall end my life; believe therefore I conjure you, that you, you onlie &s;hall be my la&s;t thought; and that when I expire, my la&s;t gasp will be a ga&s;p of love, and happie enough &s;hall I think my &s;elf, if after my death you &s;hall onlie &s;ay, I was worthie of a more favourable Fate.</P>
</LETTER>
<P>When <HI>Cyrus</HI> had read this Letter, he looked upon <HI>Mandana</HI> and &s;aid, Doubtle&s;s I have good rea&s;on to fear Madam, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his Letter will move your heart more unto pity then anger, for though he be my Rival, yet I profe&s;s I cannot read it without compa&s;&s;ion: Since pity is natural unto per&s;ons of Heroique genero&s;ity, replied the Prince&s;s, I wonder not your &s;oul &s;hould be &s;en&s;ible of it: But &s;ince I will not pity a
<PB N="163" REF="663">
Prince who had none of me, I will take all occa&s;ions of it from my &s;elf; therefore (&s;aid &s;he, taking the Letter and tearing it in pieces) I will not read it, le&s;t it &s;hould incline me to pity, as it doth you: I know not Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> then and &s;miled) whether your fears of being pitiful &s;hould cau&s;e &s;ome &s;parks of jealou&s;ie in a Lover, who&s;e temper is to be jealous: Nor do I know (&s;aid &s;he and &s;miled al&s;o) whether your compa&s;&s;ion of him would not move any other then my &s;elf to accu&s;e you of want of affection: Oh Madam, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that accu&s;ation would have a very bad foundation; It may be as well grounded as the other, replied &s;he: Then I had rather confe&s;s unto you Madam, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that they are both of them built upon a bad foundation, then to di&s;pute it with you.</P>
<P>After this, the&s;e two illu&s;trious per&s;ons did both of them agree, that this unfortunate Prince de&s;erved pitie; they al&s;o under&s;tood the &s;ame day, in what place he had been hid; and as &s;oon as the Port of <HI>Cumes</HI> was open, he got out in the night as weak and wounded as he was, in a Fi&s;hers Boat, without any with him but the man who rowed the Boat, who was the &s;ame Souldier, who went out of the Ca&s;tle with this unfortunate Prince: So that this news did cau&s;e both <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Cyrus,</HI> much more to pity a King who had &s;aved both their lives, for it was he who adverti&s;ed <HI>Artamenes</HI> of the con&s;piracie among&s;t the forty Caveliers who &s;hould have killed him; and it was he al&s;o who &s;aved <HI>Mandana</HI> from drowning, after &s;he had &s;uffered Shipwrack; therefore &s;ince they could do no le&s;s for him who had &s;aved their lives, they pitied him in his mi&s;erie, though he him&s;elf was the only cau&s;e of it. The next morning they under&s;tood that <HI>Pactias</HI> and <HI>Lycambes</HI> had layed down their Arms; but <HI>Pactias</HI> having no mind to come into an Army where <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> was; whom he had betrayed, he imbarqued for <HI>Mytilene,</HI> and that meeting by chance with <HI>Harpagus,</HI> who dur&s;t not look <HI>Cyrus</HI> in the face, after his being the lo&s;s of that Armie which he commanded, they both contracted friend&s;hip, and cho&s;e the &s;ame place for their exile. So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing no Enemy to fight with, and that the field was clear, his thoughts were all how to get <HI>Mandana</HI> out of <HI>Cumes,</HI> and to advance towards <HI>Medea,</HI> though he had promi&s;ed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> not to marrie that Prince&s;s until he had fought with him, and though <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had in a manner con&s;ented unto it, and though he was fully re&s;olved to keep promi&s;e with him, yet he knew not how to acquaint <HI>Mandana</HI> with the ill news of it; yet he conceived it a kind of blemi&s;h unto his honour to go unto <HI>Ecba|tan</HI> before he had fought with that Prince, &s;ince he knew he would not go thither; but the way being long between <HI>Cumes</HI> and that Town, and &s;ince the Prince&s;s could not go fa&s;t, he hoped that before he got thither the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> would be relea&s;ed, either by ran|&s;ome, or by force. So that &s;till entertaining his fir&s;t raptures of joy, he rejected all angry thoughts what&s;oever, and commanded <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> not to mention a word unto <HI>Mandana</HI> of his intended combat with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria.</HI> Thus minding on|ly how that Prince&s;s &s;hould arrive triumphantlie into <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> he gave all requi&s;ite or|ders for the regulating her hou&s;e, and that her equipage &s;hould be magnificent. Now was the time, when the Souldiers which <HI>Anaxaris</HI> had &s;uborned, and which made him Ma&s;ter of the Ca&s;tle, did demand in recompence which they had done, to have the glory of being a Guard unto that Prince&s;s, which was granted unto them: But the greate&s;t wonder unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> was to &s;ee <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> who had refu&s;ed very con&s;iderable imploy|ments in the Armie, &s;hould only de&s;ire to be Captain of the Guards unto the Prince&s;s; until now, <HI>Cyrus</HI> thought <HI>Anaxaris</HI> to be of &s;ome very extraordinary high Quality; but &s;eeing now, how he confined his ambition unto &s;o low a &s;phere, he thought he refu&s;ed all higher imployments out of his mode&s;ty, and de&s;ired only &s;uch imployment as was &s;uit|able unto his birth: So that con&s;enting unto it with all joy, <HI>Anaxaris</HI> became Captain of the Guard unto that Prince&s;s whom he loved, and was in that office with the approbation both of his Rival and his Mi&s;tre&s;s, who being ignorant of the pa&s;&s;ion in his &s;oul, expre&s;|&s;ed a thou&s;and te&s;timonies of amity unto him. But whil&s;t all things were in preparation for <HI>Mandana</HI>'s departure, all the Ladies in <HI>Cumes</HI> re&s;orted unto her, and did &s;trive how to divert her; among&s;t the re&s;t, <HI>Cleocrite, Italia, Philoxene,</HI> and <HI>Ly&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ice</HI> were very a&s;&s;idu|ous. <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> al&s;o was often with her, where al&s;o all the men of any Quality and wit about <HI>Cyrus</HI> were pre&s;ent. As for that Prince, this pre&s;s of company was often trouble|&s;ome unto him, and the better to colour his vexation, he was often con&s;trained to go out of her Chamber, and to comfort him&s;elf, would go into <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI>'s, and talk with her of <HI>Mandana:</HI> But as he was one day with her, and making her repeat many pa&s;&s;ages which he knew before, one came to tell him the Prince&s;s would &s;peak with him; <HI>Cleo|crite,
<PB N="164" REF="664">
Lydi&s;ie, Atalia,</HI> and another Lady called <HI>Lyriana</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> were with her. As &s;oon as he came into the Prince&s;s Chamber, I be&s;eech you Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, do not imploy your &s;elf only in being the Arbitrator of <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> in ordering the intere&s;ts of Kings and Princes, and in taking and giving of Crowns and Scepters, but I be&s;eech you be a Judg in a difference wherein ambition hath no &s;hare, and in which I do confe&s;s I dare not take upon me &s;o much boldne&s;s, as to give a definitive &s;entence: I do not think my &s;elf more knowing in any thing then you are Madam, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and I hope you do not think me &s;o pre&s;umptious, as to imagine my light of rea&s;on or knowledg to be above yours. Since I mu&s;t &s;uit my words according unto your mode&s;tie, replied &s;he, I mu&s;t tell you there are many things which very hand&s;omne&s;s requires that you &s;hould know better then I do; for example, in all the terms and phra&s;es in the Art of War, were it hand&s;om in me to expre&s;s them &s;o well as you? or were it not a &s;hame for you to &s;peak of &s;uch things &s;o &s;imply as my &s;elf? Truly in &s;ome things one of my Sex ought not to expre&s;s &s;o much perhaps as &s;he doth know, for a kind of voluntary ignorance doth well become us: You know (pur&s;ued &s;he, and would not give <HI>Cyrus</HI> time to interrupt her) that <HI>Cleocrite, A|talia,</HI> and <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> who would not &s;peak any thing concerning <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> when <HI>Anaxaris</HI> ask|ed his libertie, do now all &s;peak unto me of him, and after they had told me a thou&s;and of his good qualities, do de&s;cribe him to be the mo&s;t uncon&s;tant man alive. But as they were &s;peaking to me of the&s;e things, <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> entered, and peremptorily maintained, that he was as faithful as any man living, but the thing which mo&s;t puzzles me is, he con|fe&s;&s;eth withal, that he hath &s;ucce&s;&s;ively one after another loved <HI>Atalia, Cleocrite, Ly&s;idice,</HI> and &s;ome others, and that at this time he is in love with <HI>Philoxene;</HI> How <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> &s;o many &s;everal loves, and yet faithful? Is it po&s;&s;ible you can maintain, that you do not merit the name of uncon&s;tant? Sir, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> To know rightly what I am, it is requi&s;ite you knew my life, to know perfectly all tho&s;e whom I have loved, and that you take &s;o much pains as narrowly to examine what con&s;tancie and what incon&s;tancie is? for I am fully per&s;waded; that one may love many, and not be at all perfidious, nor de&s;erve the name of incon&s;tant: For truly Sir, I conceive, that though the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;hould now quit that pa&s;&s;ion which hath &s;o tormented them, yet they could not be charged with incon&s;tancy, but rather on the contrary, de&s;erve to be com|mended for overcoming them&s;elves, &s;ince all rea&s;on in the world requires it; therefore it mu&s;t be granted, that in &s;ome ca&s;es one may cea&s;e to love, without any brand of infide|lity, and begin to love in another place; without de&s;erving the title of incon&s;tant; and I think that in &s;ome ca&s;es, I may very well &s;ay, it is rather ob&s;tinacie then con&s;tancy in tho&s;e who continue loving where they are certain never to be loved: So that in my opinion &s;uch men in lieu of a virtue, haue a vice, which they thought not of: If it be a vice (replied <HI>Cleocrite</HI> and laughed) I a&s;&s;ure you, that you can never be &s;u&s;pected of it, nor be accu&s;ed for being too ob&s;tinate in your love: No (added <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> but in exchange he may well be charged with incon&s;tancy. The word ob&s;tinate doth &s;o little &s;uit with an incon&s;tant man, &s;aid <HI>Atal a,</HI> that I cannot con&s;ent it &s;hould ever be applied unto <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> who con|&s;idering the number of his &s;everal Loves, is the mo&s;t uncon&s;tant man living: For my part (&s;aid <HI>Lyriana,</HI> who had not &s;poke yet) I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that I cannot ab&s;olutely condemn him, and I think that without manife&s;t inju&s;tice, he cannot be charged in rea&s;on with in|con&s;tancie, though he have loved many per&s;ons: It is very generou&s;ly done (replied <HI>Cy|rus)</HI> to undertake the defence of <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> who is a&s;&s;aulted by three &s;uch terrible Ene|mies: <HI>Lyriana</HI> (replied <HI>Thra&s;iles)</HI> doth &s;o perfectly know my rea&s;on, why I cea&s;e from loving, that &s;he cannot accu&s;e me as the&s;e do, who accu&s;e me becau&s;e they do not know them&s;elves. Moreover Sir, &s;ince there are &s;ome rea&s;ons which may induce one to cea&s;e loving without any charge of incon&s;tancy, I hope genero&s;ity will move you to pre&s;uppo&s;e that I have &s;ome &s;uch rea&s;ons which induce me unto it, and not to look upon me as a per|fidious man; For indeed Sir, I am of this belief, that that which may rightly be termed incon&s;tancy, is a certain di&s;gu&s;t, and a kind of wearine&s;s in &s;pirits, which cau&s;eth the very &s;ame things that once plea&s;ed, not to plea&s;e any longer, though they be the very &s;ame things they were before, and which takes novelty to be an inevitable charm: So that by this means the love of an incon&s;tant per&s;on doth &s;lack, and cool, and die, without any cau&s;e but what is in it &s;elf: So that becau&s;e there is in the heart of &s;uch a one a kind of natural levity, he cannot love the &s;ame per&s;on any longer, be &s;he never &s;o accompli&s;hed, or be he never &s;o well treated; but for my part. I can a&s;&s;ure you without any di&s;&s;imulati|on, that if the fir&s;t per&s;on I loved had been found to be &s;uch a one as I phancied her to be,
<PB N="165" REF="664">
I &s;hould never have loved tho&s;e who upbraid me with incon&s;tancie. It &s;eems (&s;aid <HI>Cleo|crite</HI> then) that <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> hath found &s;ome horrid faults in all the per&s;ons he hath loved: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Ly&s;ide,</HI> that &s;ince <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> hath &s;poken thus before the Prince&s;s, it will much concern our honours, that he declare before the Prince&s;s his rea&s;ons for quitting us. I believe (&s;aid <HI>Atalia</HI> then) that a relation from his mouth will not be verie advanta|geous to us.</P>
<P>If you will, replied <HI>Lyriana,</HI> and if the Prince&s;s de&s;ire to know it, I will make a very exact and impartial relation of all the pa&s;&s;ages which have befalled <HI>Thra&s;iles.</HI> You would do me a great plea&s;ure in it, replied <HI>Mandana:</HI> I a&s;&s;ure you, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> and laughed, you will undertake a very difficult task, to per&s;wade me that <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> could love, and quit three &s;uch Beauties as the&s;e, and not de&s;erve the title of incon&s;tant. <HI>Lyriana</HI> hath ever been &s;o much the friend of <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Ly&s;idice)</HI> as I can hardlie con&s;ent that it &s;hould be &s;he who &s;hould relate the &s;tory unto the Prince&s;s. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> I am &s;o confident that <HI>Lyriana</HI> cannot &s;peak any thing to my di&s;advantage, as I value not whe|ther or no &s;he be more a friend unto <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> then &s;he is unto me. To te&s;tifie, &s;aid <HI>Lyria|na,</HI> that I intend to &s;peak nothing but impartial truth, I am willing that you all be pre|&s;ent at my relation, and that you correct me if I utter anie untruth. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Ly|&s;idice)</HI> though <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> were the mo&s;t uncon&s;tant of all men, yet I had rather acknowledg him con&s;tant, then to be a hearer of all tho&s;e follies which have pa&s;&s;ed betwixt us. That the relation may be more equal, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> It is requi&s;ite that none of the per&s;ons intere&s;ted be pre&s;ent, and that <HI>Lyriana</HI> be alone with the Prince&s;s. <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> who till then could hardly con&s;ent, that <HI>Lyriana</HI> &s;hould relate any bu&s;ine&s;s wherein &s;he was concerned, was the fir&s;t who according to the inequality of her humour, con&s;ented that <HI>Lyriana</HI> &s;hould be alone with <HI>Mandana:</HI> And &s;o the thing being re&s;olved upon, <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> went with <HI>Cleocrite, Ly&s;idice</HI> and <HI>Atalia</HI> into another chamber where <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was: and <HI>Ly|riana</HI> prepared her &s;elf to relate the various loves of <HI>Thra&s;iles:</HI> after which, he was to be declared either an incon&s;tant man, or el&s;e confirmed in his pretence to be a mo&s;t faithful lover. But though <HI>Lyriana</HI> intended to &s;peak before none but the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and before <HI>Cyrus,</HI> yet &s;he had more Auditors: for the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> being entred with <HI>A|glatidas, Cyrus</HI> &s;aid that they who were the mo&s;t faithful Lovers in the world, were verie fit to be judges in the bu&s;ine&s;s: &s;o that everie one taking their places, <HI>Lyriana</HI> addre&s;&s;ing her di&s;cour&s;e unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he began thus.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;torie of <HI>THRASILES.</HI></HEAD>
<P>SInce Truth, Madam, ought alwaies to be in&s;eperable from the words of them who un|dertake to relate any thing; doubtle&s;s I &s;hall be induced in the &s;equel of my di&s;cour&s;e not to make an equal commendations of all tho&s;e per&s;ons of whom I am to &s;peak, though otherwi&s;e they be infinitely laudable: Therefore, I be&s;eech you Madam, do not think that to ju&s;tifie <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> I will unju&s;tly accu&s;e <HI>Cleocrite, Ly&s;idice,</HI> or <HI>Atalia:</HI> &s;ince certainly I will tell you nothing which I will not make them confe&s;s, &amp; which is not known unto all of any qua|lity in <HI>Cumes.</HI> I will not &s;tay you Madam, with a relation how <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> is of a very noble extraction: how he hath upon manie occa&s;ions made him&s;elf Signal i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> war, and how he hath abundance of wit: But give me leave to tell you, Madam, that never man had a more pa&s;&s;ionate &s;oul then <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> hath: for that pa&s;&s;ion of love is &s;o predominate in him, as he cannot live and not love: but to manife&s;t it unto you, that he is not of the &s;ame temper which uncon&s;tants are, I mu&s;t let you know that all the loves which he hath profe&s;&s;ed, were not bare Gallantries and Court&s;hips, but they were zealous and violent, as well as tender and pa&s;&s;ionate: And it is my opinion, that if <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> had been &s;o hapie to love the fir&s;t time, one who had in &s;ome &s;ort an&s;wered his affection, I am mo&s;t confident he would never have loved any but her, and would have loved her until death. And to let you &s;ee, he is capable of con&s;tancy, you may judg of his love by his friend&s;hip; for he had a friend called <HI>Ege&s;ipes,</HI> whom he con&s;tantly loved from his verie cradle: yet the odne&s;s of his de&s;tinie was &s;uch as that he hath loved manie, as I &s;hall tell you. Be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that as &s;oon as <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> was out of his Tutor&s;hip, and began to make vi&s;its of his own head, he fell as much in love as the age at which he was would permit him. But &s;ince you know, young men who fir&s;t enter into the world, are not alwaies treated &s;o well as tho&s;e who have been longer in it, unle&s;s by women who never u&s;e to repul&s;e anie, and &s;uch who would have &s;laves of all &s;orts: &s;o <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> though verie hand&s;ome and of much
<PB N="166" REF="665">
&s;pirit, did not then meet with an equal civility among&s;t tho&s;e Ladies who had the greate&s;t reputation of beauty, and he ea&s;ily ob&s;erved, that they made &s;ome difference between men of his form and age, and others who were elder then him&s;elf: So that &s;ince it was glori|ous for him, he did not fall in Love with &s;uch as would not treat him as a man of power to become their Lover; but he fell de&s;perately in love with a Lady, who being of &s;uch an hu|mour as I &s;poke of before, was beyond all mea&s;ure civil unto him, omitting none of tho&s;e fond fooleries (which women who make it their profe&s;&s;ions u&s;e) to en&s;lave the poor <HI>Thra&s;iles:</HI> The &s;mall experience he had in the world, &s;uffered him to be extreamly joyed at his good u&s;age, and to &s;ee that this Lady treated him as if he were the mo&s;t accompli&s;h|ed man in all the Court: When he made a vi&s;it any where el&s;e, he &s;at upon thorns and &s;tayed not; for as it is u&s;ual unto &s;uch green men, they either talked not at all to him, or el&s;e talking &s;omthing that angred him; &s;o that he hath often prote&s;ted unto me, that he hath been extreamly troubled at it, when they either &s;poke low in his pre&s;ence, or el&s;e &s;poke only of his exerci&s;es, or of his Parents, and &s;o would leave him.</P>
<P>I leave you to judg Madam, what &s;weetne&s;s he found in tho&s;e places where he found different u&s;age, where he was talked unto as others were, and where a hundred trifles were imparted to him; and he loved this Lady as de&s;peratelie as ever any did, and he loved her &s;o much, that for almo&s;t &s;ix moneths time, he thought him&s;elf the happie&s;t man in the world, in being re&s;pected by a Ladie who really had both beautie and wit, but who was the verie&s;t cheat, and the verie&s;t Weathercock that ever was, for &s;he would write Letters of Gallantry unto a thou&s;and &s;everal Gallants, &s;he would let all in <HI>Cumes</HI> love her, and de&s;ired to be loved of all the world, &s;he would put all that ever loved her in hopes, and yet jeer<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">d at all without exception: I think Madam you will not at all wonder that <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> being very young &s;hould be taken with her, and that you will wonder le&s;s he &s;hould leave her, when he di&s;covered her cheats and fooleries, and when he knew &s;he loved him no better then &s;he did a thou&s;and of his Rivals; if to ju&s;tifie the change of <HI>Thra|&s;iles,</HI> it were requi&s;ite to give you a Catalogue of her tricks, I could tell you, that he met with many of her Letters, that he under&s;tood &s;he &s;hewed his unto all his Rivals, that &s;he would jeer with them at his pa&s;&s;ion, and with him at theirs, that &s;he would often &s;end him word he could not &s;ee her, whil&s;t &s;he was talking with others in private, and that indeed &s;he was the weake&s;t, and mo&s;t fooli&s;h per&s;on of her Sex. I leave you to judg Madam, whether <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> was able to continue loving her, and whether his change could be called incon&s;tancy: I will not further aggravate the matter, &s;ince for the ju&s;tification of <HI>Thra|&s;iles,</HI> it is enough to &s;ay, that I conceive he would have been extreamly to blame, had he per&s;i&s;ted loving &s;uch a contemptible woman after he knew her: However, &s;ince the amo|rous inclination of his heart would not let him live long without loving &s;ome or other, af|ter his return out of the Country, and after he had broke off with his fir&s;t Mi&s;tre&s;s, he layed &s;iege to a &s;econd: But &s;ince now <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> began to be reputed one of the compleat|e&s;t Gallants in all over Court, he was looked upon in a different manner from what he was at his fir&s;t entrance into the world, &s;ince there was not a woman of any qualitie who thought it not a glory to have &s;ome &s;hare in his e&s;teem, and his choice was not bad in fix|ing upon <HI>Atalia,</HI> for the object of his &s;econd pa&s;&s;ion, for as you &s;ee her a Lady of much beauty and wit, &s;o &s;he is Mi&s;tre&s;s of much genero&s;ity, goodne&s;s, and freedome. <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> then finding her infinitely amiable, did infinitely love her, and he loved her the more, be|cau&s;e he found her of an humour different from her whom now he &s;lighted; for indeed <HI>A|talia</HI> affected neither gallants nor gallantry, &s;he rather &s;hunned the tumult of the world, then Courted it, &s;he was hand&s;ome without any affectation, and of a &s;weet, ea&s;ie, and agreeable conver&s;ation, though of a little &s;erious temper: So that finding a thou&s;and good qualities in her, oppo&s;ite unto tho&s;e ill ones which he &s;corned in her he had quitted, he ap|plied him&s;elf unto her &s;ervice, and that very violently, continuing a long time in doing all that love u&s;eth to incite the greate&s;t Gallants to do, for indeed he made her many mag|nificent Fea&s;ts; and his love to her was not only violent, but it was al&s;o apparent, and made a great noi&s;e in the world: He &s;eeing that maugre all his endeavours, <HI>Atalia</HI> did not an&s;wer his pa&s;&s;ion, but on the contrary, did &s;light it as much as in civility &s;he could, yet he perceived that it was not out of any aver&s;ion or &s;corn, and that he had a &s;hare in her e&s;teem, though not in her affection; &s;o that he &s;till applied him&s;elf to her &s;ervice with all imagineable exactne&s;s, and he was &s;o ob&s;tinately devoted unto it, that this Lady who did really e&s;teem him, and who feared le&s;t her Parents &s;hould force her to marry a man whom they highly e&s;teeme, re&s;olved to tell him the rea&s;on why &s;he would not an&s;wer his
<PB N="167" REF="665">
affection. One day when he was alone with her, and when he had a de&s;ire to &s;peak of his pa&s;&s;ion to her, and to be&s;eech her &s;he would not &s;corn his affection, &s;he impo&s;ed &s;i|lence upon him, and acquainted him with as much &s;incerity as &s;weetne&s;s, with the true cau&s;e of her coldne&s;s to him: Since I do intend (&s;aid &s;he unto him) to give you very ample te&s;timony of my e&s;teem, I do conjure you to let me acquaint you with a bu&s;ine&s;s which will anger you the mo&s;t of any thing in the world, if what you have told me be true, and that you love me as well as you would make me believe, for truly <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> I were very unworthy of the honour which you do me, if I &s;hould let you engage your &s;elf any further in an affection wherein you can never receive any &s;atisfaction: Alas Madam (&s;aid <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> and interrupted her) can I never hope to be loved or endured? No (&s;aid &s;he unto him) you cannot; and if I could obtain &s;o much power of my &s;elf, as to tell you the rea&s;on, you would agree with me, that unle&s;s I &s;hould wrong you, and be unju&s;t, I mu&s;t deny you my affection: Why Madam (&s;aid he) can you not love me, becau&s;e you love &s;ome body el&s;e? Can there be any in the world &s;o happy, as to be loved by <HI>Ata|lia?</HI> Can any upon earth be &s;o little tran&s;ported with joy at &s;o high a happine&s;s, as that he can hide it? Fie <HI>Atalia,</HI> it is not impo&s;&s;ible: If he were a man of this Court, who hath this honour, I &s;hould di&s;cover the joyes of his &s;oul through his eyes; and the truth is, if there were any truth were in your words, I &s;hould have &s;een him with you, and if I had &s;een him, certainly I &s;hould have known his happine&s;s and his pa&s;&s;ion: Yet you may ea&s;ily con|ceive, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that what I tell you is not invented: But I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid he unto her) who is this too happy man that hinders me from being &s;o, and who hath the glory of your affection? I did not tell you, replied <HI>Atalia,</HI> that I do love any, but only that I would have you know, that there is one who&s;e love I could admit of: If that be all, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> it is not enough to hinder me from loving you; and I be&s;eech you Madam, give me leave to love you as well as my Rival, be he whom he can be, and if it &s;o fall out, that you love him better then me, then it may be my re&s;pects of you may make me endure my misfortune with patience.</P>
<P><HI>Atalia</HI> &s;eeing &s;he had &s;aid either too much, or too little to &s;atisfie him, was at a little <HI>non plus;</HI> &s;o that re&s;olving to drive the nail to the head at one blow, &s;he confe&s;&s;ed unto <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> that &s;he was in love, though &s;he would never confe&s;s with whom: I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid he unto her) tell me who is this invi&s;ible Rival, the noi&s;e of who&s;e &s;ighs could never reach my ears, though I have been almo&s;t perpetually with you? and what hath he done to win your heart, and undo me? He hath loved me (&s;aid &s;he) before you did, and whil&s;t you were in love with another; and he hath loved me with &s;o much fi|delity and obedience, that he never revealed unto you the &s;ecrets which were betwixt us: How Madam (replied <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> much a&s;toni&s;hed) is the Rival you love my friend? No, no Madam, this is not po&s;&s;ible; for truly I have but one only friend, which is <HI>Ege&s;ipes,</HI> and I am mo&s;t confident he would reveal his very heart unto me, if either of us two be faulty, I am &s;ure it is my &s;elf, in never telling him that I loved you; and be&s;ides Madam, <HI>Ege&s;i|pes</HI> hath been ab&s;ent this three moneths: 'Tis true (&s;aid &s;he and blu&s;ht) <HI>Ege&s;ipes</HI> hath been out of <HI>Cumes</HI> this three moneths; but it is as true al&s;o, that he hath been above a year in my heart; therefore <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> &s;ince I would not expo&s;e you unprofitably to lo&s;e a friend, I had a mind to di&s;cover that unto you, which yet he knows not, and will acquaint you, that I &s;hall never love any but <HI>Ege&s;ipes,</HI> who only knows that I do not hate him, but knows not at all how my heart is wholly his: Oh Madam (cried he out) I had rather he knew it, and that I knew it not; But is it true, that <HI>Ege&s;ipes</HI> &s;hould be my Rival, and I have no cau&s;e to hate him? Doubt it not, &s;aid &s;he, for indeed he knows no more that you are his Rival, then you did within this quarter of an hour know that he was yours: However <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he and a&s;&s;umed a very &s;erious countenance) If you be not faithful unto me, and if you do not make good u&s;e of this &s;ecret wherewith I have tru&s;ted you, I do pro|fe&s;s, I &s;hall mo&s;t horridly hate you: I be&s;eech you Madam, replied he and &s;ighed, what &s;hall I do to make good u&s;e of it? You mu&s;t never tell it unto any (&s;aid &s;he) no not un|to <HI>Ege&s;ipes</HI> him&s;elf. You mu&s;t al&s;o cea&s;e to be my Lover, but never cea&s;e to be his friend. Alas Madam, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> how difficult are your commands to be obeyed? how hard a task is it to love a Rival, and leave loving a Mi&s;tre&s;s? When one cannot without inju&s;tice hate the fir&s;t, replied &s;he, nor with any hopes continue loving the other, the mo&s;t rational, the mo&s;t generous, and fitte&s;t cour&s;e is to be taken, and not ob&s;tinately to run on headlong in a de&s;ign which will never pro&s;per.</P>
<P><PB N="168" REF="666">
For all <HI>Atalias</HI> fair language, &s;he could not that daie per&s;wade <HI>Thra&s;iles;</HI> but he per|&s;i&s;ted loving her as before: he thought al&s;o to have quarreled with <HI>Ege&s;ipes</HI> as &s;oon as he returned to <HI>Cumes.</HI> But upon &s;erious con&s;ideration, finding that the affection of <HI>Ege&s;ides</HI> and <HI>Atalia</HI> was indi&s;&s;olvable, and all was both unju&s;t and in vain, to root his friend out of the heart of th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> one, he began generou&s;lie to &s;trive with him&s;elf, he left <HI>Cumes</HI> for a certain time, and when he returned would not vi&s;it <HI>Atalia</HI> anie more: &s;o that ab&s;ence, rea&s;on, genero&s;itie, friend&s;hip and all, overcoming his pa&s;&s;ion, he left off loving <HI>Atalia,</HI> &s;ince he &s;aw an ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibilitie of ever obtaining her love. Thus I conceive it may verie well be &s;aid, that though there was a great difference between her and the fir&s;t Ladie he loved, yet he might verie well quit her without anie a&s;per&s;ion of incon&s;tancie as well as the other.</P>
<P>However, &s;ince in changing his thoughts of her, he had not changed his temper: and &s;ince the amorous inclination of his &s;oul could not be idle, he fell in&s;en&s;iblie in love with <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> who indeed was verie capable of captivating a heart, but was ab&s;olutelie unca|pable of making a Lover happie, for her humour was oppo&s;ite unto anie &s;uch things of that nature. Since the love of <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> unto this fair one was extreamlie violent, I &s;hall in&s;i&s;t longer in relation of the pa&s;&s;ages between them, then I did in relation of the two fir&s;t: And &s;ince it doth verie much concern <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> that you perfectlie know <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> to the end you may not accu&s;e lum for quitting her, it is requi&s;ite I de&s;cribe her unto you: As for her per&s;on, I need not &s;peak of it, becau&s;e you know her, yet I can a&s;&s;ure you, that &s;ince &s;he hath of late been &s;ick, you never &s;aw her beautie in its full lu&s;tre, for certainly when &s;he was in perfect health, &s;he was much fairer then now &s;he is, though now at this pre&s;ent &s;he be very fai<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. For Madam, there was &s;o great a lu&s;tre in <HI>Cleocrites</HI> complection, and in her eyes, when &s;he dre&s;&s;ed up her &s;elf with a de&s;igne to make a Conque&s;t, that &s;he always &s;truck all beholders with admiration: Moreover, <HI>Cleocrite</HI> had an excellent, gal|lant, and knowing it: &s;he &s;poke admirably, and in&s;pired a &s;oul into all company; &s;he would be &s;o &s;weetly merry as plea&s;ed very much, and &s;he would out with a thou&s;and plea|&s;ant quibbles in a plea&s;ant manner: But for all the charms of her beauty and wit, and maugre all the excellent qualities which &s;he was Mi&s;tre&s;s of, &s;he had one which did not only lo&s;e her all her Lovers, but al&s;o all her friends: and which made it a thing almo&s;t im|po&s;&s;ible to love her long and zealou&s;ly. Every one did que&s;tionle&s;s always much e&s;teem her, and love her al&s;o whether they would or no: but it was with a murmure again&s;t her, and with a con&s;e&s;&s;ion they did not well in loving her: for truly <HI>Cleocrite</HI> had &s;uch an u|niver&s;al, and &s;o great a neutrality and indifferency unto all what&s;oever, that &s;he made tho&s;e who knew her to de&s;pair, who otherwi&s;e e&s;teemed her very much; yet do not think, I mean, Madam, when I &s;peak thus of her indifferency, that &s;he is uncapable of either vio|lent pa&s;&s;ion or violent friend&s;hip: but my meaning is, &s;he is ab&s;olutely incapable of any particular application of her &s;elf unto any one who&s;oever; and if &s;he loved any thing much, it was plea&s;ures in general: She could leave any place without any trouble to her &s;elf, new acquaintance never vexed her; She could ea&s;ily endure the ab&s;ence of her be&s;t friends, though yet &s;he would have been glad to &s;ee them: and it may be &s;aid, and truly, that &s;he accu&s;tomed her &s;elfe unto all Companies, and di&s;-accu&s;tomed her &s;elfe from all. Since &s;he had wit in abundance, and could very well di&s;cern degrees of merit, and di&s;tin|gui&s;h men of parts from others, She <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> much delighted to have her chamber always full both of wits, and blockheads: But when-chance would &s;ometimes have it &s;o, that there was none of the fir&s;t &s;ort there, &s;o there were but a number of mean capacities, who could but talk and fill up &s;eats, &s;he was never troubled at it as any other would have been: And I believe <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> as witty and &s;prightly as &s;he was, did &s;o love a multitude, that &s;he had rather have been in the company of five or &s;ix &s;hallow wits, then in the company of the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed man upon earth, if he were long with her. I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, <HI>Cleo|crite</HI> was never better plea&s;ed then when &s;he &s;aw much company both at home and abroad, and pa&s;s continually from plea&s;ure to plea&s;ure, and from fea&s;t to fea&s;t; as for &s;olitude &s;he d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d abhor it, yet this mu&s;t needs be &s;aid to the glory of <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> that &s;he was very ready to do her <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> any &s;ervice when&s;oever any occa&s;ions were offered; and would often treat them as if &s;he d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d mo&s;t tenderly love them. But to tell you truly, it was becau&s;e &s;he knew that decency re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> it&punc; and that when &s;he &s;aw them, &s;he would be merry with them; and being a lover of plea&s;ure and mirth, &s;he would love them that would be merry and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> as the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> and plea&s;ure la&s;ted, and no longer. She was of &s;uch a cold <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, that though &s;he would have been glad that one &s;hould love her, yet &s;he cared
<PB N="169" REF="666">
not for being loved with any tenderne&s;s or violence, provided people did e&s;teem her, and love her enough to &s;ee her often, to be complai&s;ant and merrie, &s;he cared not a &s;traw for any more. However, this &s;trange indifferencie, which vexed both her Lovers and her friends, did not &s;o eclip&s;e <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> but as for all that, &s;he was one of the mo&s;t accom|pli&s;hed Ladies in the world. She being &s;uch then as I have pre&s;ented her unto you, <HI>Thra|&s;iles</HI> loved her, and loved her with &s;o much the more hopes, becau&s;e he thought he did not expo&s;e him&s;elf to love one who loved a thou&s;and, nor unto &s;uch a rockie misfortune as he did in loving <HI>Atalia,</HI> being &s;ure that &s;he had no particular affection unto any which could hinder her from accepting his, &s;ince &s;he was generallie accu&s;ed for loving none at all. He hoped al&s;o that this her cold indifferencie might one day prove advantagious to him, if ever he could win upon her, and that he &s;hould be much more happie in having one who would be cold unto all the world but him&s;elf. The truth is Madam, he loved <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> and did not di&s;pair of obtaining her love; for &s;he being of a free, and open, &s;pritely nature, and entertaining all that diverted extraordinarilie well, <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> was at the verie fir&s;t mi&s;taken, and thought that &s;he was &s;o for the love of him, though indeed it was only for the love of her &s;elf; &s;o that he engaged him&s;elf more and more, and loved her far better then ever he did before.</P>
<P><HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> being of a free and liberal inclination, invented a hundred diver&s;ions which were agreeable to the di&s;po&s;ition of <HI>Cleocrite;</HI> &s;omtimes he would give her a dancing en|tertainment, another while he would &s;urprize her with mu&s;ique: If he walked with her, &s;he was &s;ure to meet with a co&s;tly collation, and for a whole Summer together, there was no day without a plea&s;ant diver&s;ion from <HI>Thra&s;iles:</HI> You may very well imagine Madam, that <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> having a &s;oul &s;o devoted unto delights, would very civilly treat the man who procured them, e&s;pecially a man &s;o accompli&s;hed as <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> was. In the mean time, as much in favour as he was, he could never tell her of his pa&s;&s;ion; for &s;uch was the gene|ral neutralitie of <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> that &s;he never repul&s;ed any acquaintance: So as there was continually &s;o many men with her, and &s;omtimes men verie impertinent, as it was not po&s;|&s;ible for him to get a minutes talk with her in private: But at la&s;t, being one day in the Garden with her, and with foure or five per&s;ons more who he wi&s;hed further off, he led her apart from this trouble&s;ome company. But &s;ince <HI>Cleocrite</HI> did naturally love a gene|ral conver&s;ation, better then any private, &s;he turned &s;everal times to &s;ee whether the com|panie followed, and &s;eeing them to walk a &s;low pace, &s;he offered to call them, as if &s;he had been weary of <HI>Thra&s;iles.</HI> But this Lover having a hot de&s;ire to di&s;cover his pa&s;&s;ion unto her who cau&s;ed it, did hinder her, and would not lo&s;e an occa&s;ion which he had &s;o long looked for: Why Madam (&s;aid he unto her) is not my companie enough to en|tertain you in a place, where Trees, Flowers, and Fountains may delight the eyes, and di|vert the mind? Pray pardon me Sir (&s;aid &s;he very obligingly unto him and &s;miled) for I was afraid that my companie was not good enough to plea&s;e you, and therefore I de&s;i|red to call for more: I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid <HI>Thra&s;iles)</HI> do not think I can de&s;ire better companie then yours, e&s;pecially now when I have &s;omthing to tell you, which I have long de&s;ired to impart: Reallie <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him, without any applica|tion of it to her &s;elf) you do verie ill in &s;taying &s;o long before you tell it. <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &s;ur|prized at her &s;peech, did perceive &s;he did not much mind what &s;he &s;aid, and indeed <HI>Cleo|crite</HI> never &s;taying for <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> his an&s;wer, began to ask him, whether the Ball was to be kept the next day at the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> his Palace? I know not Madam, &s;aid he, whe|ther there be any Ball to morrow; but I am mo&s;t &s;ure, my heart will be much perplexed to day, if you will not hearken unto what I &s;hall tell you, and if you do not hearken very favourablie: For the truth is Madam, I have di&s;covered in my &s;oul a thought &s;o contrarie unto that wherewith you are upbraided, that I am extreamlie afraid you &s;hould hate me when you know it: No, no (&s;aid <HI>Cleocrite</HI> unto him) I am not &s;o unju&s;t as you think me; therefore though you be not of my opinion in everie thing, yet I &s;hall not hate you; for the &s;ame indifferencie wherewith they upbraid me, makes me to allow others their opi|nions, &s;o they will let me enjoy my own, and &s;uffer me to follow my own will: You do much joy me Madam, replied he, and for this day onlie I &s;hall love this indifferent hu|mour, whereof you are &s;o much accu&s;ed, if it will permit me to tell you, and not anger you, that I am infinitelie in love with you. <HI>Cleocrite</HI> was &s;o &s;urprized at the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Thra|&s;iles,</HI> that thinking perhaps it was onlie a piece of Gallantrie, &s;he began to an&s;wer him laughing: Though it were true you did love me, &s;aid &s;he, and though I could hear it with|out any anger, yet I believe you would not be a jot the better, for I never heard that
<PB N="170" REF="667">
indifferencie was any great favour: It is mo&s;t true, it is not (replied <HI>Thra&s;iles)</HI> but yet I mu&s;t needs think it a piece of good fortune, if you can know I love you, and yet not hate me; and trulie my pa&s;&s;ion is of &s;uch a nature, as you would be unju&s;t if it did offend you, &s;ince my de&s;ire is onlie to &s;ee and adore you, and if it be po&s;&s;ible, to talk with you &s;ome|times in le&s;s companie, and more privacie. How's this <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) are you &s;o bold as to talk of any matters of Love unto one who is accompred for neutralitie and indifferencie in the verie ab&s;tract? And can you ever think, that &s;ince I am accu&s;ed for not loving where I ought to love, I will ever begin to entertain any vitious affection, or any Gallantrie? No, no (pur&s;ued &s;he and laughed, and de&s;ired to avoid angring him) though it were true you did love me, and hoped to obtain my life, yet your proceeding is not di&s;creet, but you ought to &s;tay until you &s;aw me inclinable unto any amitie at all; there|fore <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> I would advi&s;e you as a friend, to continue living with me, as formerlie you have done, until you &s;ee my heart a little &s;ofted; for to think I &s;hould in a moment pa&s;s from one extremitie unto another, is to imagine impo&s;&s;ibilities: I know verie well Ma|dam &s;aid he unto her, that it is a verie difficult task to engage unto the love of any; but to &s;hew you that I aim not at any impo&s;&s;ibilities, I do not now ask &s;o much happine&s;s, as that you &s;hould love me, but I only ask &s;o much favour, as to let me love you: I am &s;o accu&s;tomed Sir, replied &s;he, not to care what thoughts men have of me, that what you ask, I think will be no difficultie to obtain; yet &s;ince your companie doth infinitelie plea&s;e me, I wi&s;h with all my heart, you would not drive me to the nece&s;&s;itie of being deprived of it. as infalliblie I mu&s;t, if you continue per&s;ecuting me with any talk of Love, which doth but trouble both the Lover and the loved; for indeed <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> why do you think, I endeavour &s;o much to pre&s;erve this indifferencie, which is &s;o much talked of? The rea|&s;on is, becau&s;e I &s;ee all men who are not &s;o, are mi&s;erable. This fine tenderne&s;s of heart, which is &s;o highly applauded, makes tho&s;e who are capable of it, not onlie &s;en&s;ible of their own mi&s;eries, but of others al&s;o, or at lea&s;t they &s;ay &s;o: So that knowing &s;o many as I do, if I were of &s;uch a tender compo&s;ition, I &s;hould be perpetuallie in mi&s;erie; for there is not a day in the year in which there is not &s;ome one of my friends either ab&s;ent, or &s;ick, or in &s;ome affliction or other: But I know how to pa&s;s away my time a little better then &s;o, and am more rational, then to grieve exce&s;&s;ively at any thing but what reflects direct|lie upon my &s;elf. It &s;eems Madam, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> that you are the happie&s;t per&s;on in the world: Not at all, &s;aid &s;he, for I have as many vexations, as others have. As for ex|ample, when I have a de&s;ign to walk, if it chance to rain, or the day not prove fair, I am vexed to the heart; or if it prove too cold or dry, and the du&s;t di&s;turb the plea&s;ure of it, I am grieved at it to the &s;oul; if any covetous fellow will not be at the charges of keeping a Ball, I &s;hall murmure and grumble at him, as if he had done me &s;ome manife&s;t injurie; if I chance to be a little ill upon any day of diver&s;ion, I &s;hall be &s;o &s;ick as if I were ready to die: So that though I have none but my own &s;orrows to be &s;en&s;ible of (&s;aid &s;he and laughed) yet I have enough to put me to all my patience; therefore <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> do not perplex me with that which of all things in the world I cannot endure, for I a&s;&s;ure you, if you be ob&s;tinate, and will be talking to me of any &s;uch things as Love, you will find, that though I am not capable of any tenderne&s;s, yet as indifferent as I am I am capable of anger; yet for all this, <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> did not take her coun&s;el, but on the contrarie, be|gan to prote&s;t mo&s;t &s;eriou&s;lie and earne&s;tlie, that his affection to her was infinite, and that he was fullie re&s;olved to overcome her indifferencie by a million of &s;ervices, by as ma|ny prayers, &s;ighs, and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ions: So that <HI>Cleocrite</HI> fore&s;eeing &s;he mu&s;t be deprived of
<HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> who furni&s;hed her with a thou&s;and diver&s;ions, and that &s;he was not to accept any of his fea&s;ts, as &s;he did before he had di&s;covered his pa&s;&s;ion unto her; al&s;o con&s;ider|ing that he would endeavour as much as he could to talk onlie with her, and hinder her from talking with others, &s;he was &s;o extreamly vexed at it, as &s;he gave him very angrie language, and <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> could not give any appea&s;ing an&s;wers, for the re&s;t of the com|panie joyning with them, he could not &s;peak to her all that day: Since the anger of this fair one was very high, and &s;ince he never before had any trial of it, he feared that it would la&s;t long, and not daring to revive it, he kept very clo&s;e three whole daies, and dur&s;t not &s;ee her, nor would he go any where el&s;e, &s;ince he could not &s;ee her there: Yet at the la&s;t, &s;ince he was not able to live and not &s;ee her, he re&s;olved to go unto her, but it was in &s;uch a trembling manner, and with &s;uch a dull &s;adne&s;s in his face, as made it evident he had &s;pent his time very ill, &s;ince he &s;aw her la&s;t.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> it was not &s;o with her, for &s;he had been every day in the Walks &s;ince <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> told her of his love; and though &s;he had not been in company of any &s;o accom|pli&s;hed
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as him&s;elf, yet <HI>Cleocrite</HI> was never melancholy for the matter; but was as gay, and plea&s;ant, and merry, as <HI>Thra&s;yles</HI> was &s;aid. This mi&s;erable Lover then going to her with a look as pitiful as <HI>Cleocrite</HI> was plea&s;ant, he entered into her chamber with fears, that he &s;hould find but verie bad reception: But the wonder of the pa&s;&s;age was, that <HI>Cleocrite</HI> having &s;pent tho&s;e three daies in fea&s;ts and plea&s;ures, and had talked with a hundred &s;eve|ral per&s;ons &s;ince &s;he &s;aw <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> had &s;o quite forgot that he had ever mentioned anie matters of love unto her, and that &s;he had given him any &s;harp an&s;wer, or was ever angry at him, as &s;he entertained him with a free and plea&s;ant countenance as for|merly &s;he was wont to do; asking him where he had been? what he had been doing, and why he was not at tho&s;e fea&s;ts She had been at? Telling him, She had been very mer|ry, and that She did not think She &s;hould ever &s;ee more plea&s;ant dayes then the&s;e la&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> was &s;o amazed at the carriage of <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> as he knew not whether he &s;hould be &s;ad or glad at it: yet not thinking it po&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould &s;o &s;oon forget the pa&s;&s;ages be|tween them, his hope was that &s;he repented her &s;elf of her cour&s;e treatments to him; &s;o that de&s;iring to clo&s;e with an opportunity which he thought favourable for him: Had I thought Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) that my company would not have di&s;turbed your plea&s;ures, I &s;hould not have failed to be in tho&s;e places where you have been &s;o plea&s;ant: But I mu&s;t ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s, that I dur&s;t not &s;ee you &s;o &s;oon after the har&s;h language you were plea&s;ed to give me: and I did not come hither now but in fear of your di&s;cover|ing the, zeal of my pa&s;&s;ion. <HI>Cleocrite</HI> hearing <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &s;ay &s;o, did pre&s;ently remember what &s;he had forgotten: at fir&s;t &s;he blu&s;ht for &s;hame, but pre&s;ently after &s;he began to laugh &s;o heartily, that &s;he was not able to &s;peak: <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> did now as much wonder at her at her merryne&s;s, as he did before at her civility, and &s;tood &s;tone &s;till; but at la&s;t <HI>Cleo|crite</HI> beginning di&s;cour&s;e: I ask you pardon <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, for the injury I have done you, in quite forgetting what you &s;aid, and what I an&s;wered the other day: and for not remembring that I was angry with you; for indeed I know that my pre&s;ent civilities are mo&s;t injurious. But I prote&s;t, I did not remember it; yet to repair my fault, and to te&s;tifie that I am not &s;o indifferent as you think me, I will row&s;e up my anger, and qua&s;h all my civilities. <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> was &s;o a&s;toni&s;hed at this, that he neither knew what to think or &s;ay; but at la&s;t, not being able to hold. Is is po&s;&s;ible Madam, &s;aid he unto her, you &s;hould for|get how I told you that I loved you? Yes, &s;aid She, and &s;o forgot it, that I &s;hould do you the greate&s;t wrong in the world, if I &s;hould remember it; for indeed I &s;hould then have lived with you, as I did before.</P>
<P>But Madam, replied he, Can I believe this to be true? To make you certain of it, &s;aid She, keep only five or &s;ix days out of my &s;ight, and when you come again to me, &s;peak not a word that may revive your crime, and my anger in my memory, and &s;ee whether I &s;hall remember it; for unle&s;s I be much mi&s;taken, I &s;hall not, and it will be long of you only, if we do not agree well together as we did before. No no, Madam, replied <HI>Thra&s;i|les,</HI> much incen&s;ed, I mu&s;t not do &s;o; for &s;ince you cannot remember a thing three days, I mu&s;t tell you every day that I love you, and that I &s;hall for ever love you whether you will or no, in &s;pite of that cruel indifferency wherein you &s;o much glory, though it be the greate&s;t fault you have. As <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> pronounced the&s;e la&s;t words, I came into the cham|ber of <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> and heard them very di&s;tinctly: &s;o that prompting them to go on with their di&s;cour&s;e, I need not ask (&s;aid I unto <HI>Cleocrite)</HI> what that fault is, wherewith <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> upbraids you, for &s;ince you have but one it is ea&s;ie to gue&s;s it, e&s;pecially &s;ince it is &s;o ge|nerally known unto all the world. I prote&s;t <HI>Lyriana,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me and laughed) you are very plain with me, and I do not think there is any per&s;on upon earth who is &s;o freely upbraided with her faults as I am. Since you do vainly glory in that one you have, replied I, the world &s;peaks of it without fear of angering you, and without anie hopes al&s;o of ever men<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing you. Then they &s;hould never &s;peak of it, replied She. You take &s;o much plea&s;ure in their &s;peaking of it (replied <HI>Thra&s;iles)</HI> that it is the lea&s;t piece of complacencie they can u&s;e to you to &s;peak of it, as they do the rea&s;on why I am not angry, &s;aid <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> is the &s;ame why the greate&s;t beauties are lea&s;t angry when they are called uglie: For to &s;peak with the &s;ame plainne&s;s, <HI>Lyriana,</HI> that you do, if I had only that fault which the world &s;o twits me with, I were the rare&s;t woman upon earth. Yet you go too far, &s;aid I unto her, if you per&s;wade your &s;elf that a cold faint indifferencie is a good qualitie. Perhaps (repli|ed <HI>Cleocrite)</HI> you call indifferencie &s;omthing el&s;e which I know not, and which I am a &s;tran|ger unto; but I dare maintain that all my thoughts are ju&s;t, and that the amitie whereof
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I am capable, is the mo&s;t convenient, and rational of all others: As for the mo&s;t con|venient for you, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> I do agree with you, but as for the mo&s;t rational, I think it is di&s;putable. The mo&s;t tender amity, replied &s;he, cannot produce any thing which is good, that may not al&s;o be expected from mine; For truly, I think there is none, who loves better to &s;erve their friends, nor is more glad to &s;ee them, then I am: You might have added, replied I, nor none that can better tolerate their ab&s;ence: It is true, &s;aid &s;he, that when I lo&s;e the &s;ight of them, I do not lo&s;e my wits: But I pray tell me, if I were the mo&s;t grieved in the world at the ab&s;ence of my friends, what good would it do them? Doubtle&s;s I am &s;orry to part with friends, but it is without any mad exce&s;s, or troubling my friends which remain, by an in&s;upportable grief, which does them no good who &s;ee it not, and troubles them who do &s;ee it, and ca&s;ts down my &s;elf, without any other benefit but getting the reputation of a tender-hearted thing; but in my judgment, the&s;e are arguments of a weak &s;oul.</P>
<P>Did I not really e&s;teem my friends according to their merit, and &s;erve them when&s;oe|ver they &s;tand in need of my a&s;&s;i&s;tance, I &s;hould &s;et a wor&s;e face upon them when they come to &s;ee me; I &s;hould not let them condemn me as they do, onlie becau&s;e for&s;ooth I do not give them my whole heart, and becau&s;e I am not &s;en&s;ible even to the very la&s;t ga&s;p; and becau&s;e I do not mix with my talk words of tenderne&s;s, zealous amity, and &s;uch like, therefore I mu&s;t pa&s;s for a piece of hard indifference, though to &s;peak truly, I am no more then what is requi&s;ite and concordant to rea&s;on; this is it which I cannot en|dure; And indeed (pur&s;ued &s;he and laughed) do not all the Sages who are &s;o fam'd in the world make prudence to con&s;i&s;t in a &s;elf-denial of all things? and according to their precepts am not I temperate, as they by their &s;apient documents would have me? None of the Sages you &s;peak of, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> did ever condemn amity; No more do I, replied &s;he, but I do regulate it, and give it limits: For to think that amitie &s;hould be a heavy burthen, and an overload unto tho&s;e who have it, is a thing mo&s;t unju&s;t; if &s;o, I had rather chu&s;e ambition, hatred, or anger, then amity, which is prai&s;ed tender amity, hero|ique amity, &s;ince certainly I &s;hould &s;uffer le&s;s by tho&s;e three violent pa&s;&s;ions, then by that you call amity: You might have wi&s;hed jealou&s;ie as a higher aggravation (replied <HI>Thra&s;iles)</HI> If one could be jealous, replied &s;he, without love, I &s;hould have put it in for company; and if you will, I will al&s;o add envy, which is no le&s;s tormentive then jealou&s;ie, that I may let you &s;ee how inconvenient I think this kind of tender amity is; I am confident, that if the hearts of all men were layed open, as mine is, even tho&s;e who make the greate&s;t profe&s;&s;ion of tenderne&s;s, they would not be found more tender nor &s;en&s;ible then mine is, even tho&s;e who make the greate&s;t profe&s;&s;ion of tenderne&s;s, they would not be found more tender nor &s;en&s;ible then mine is; all the difference 'twixt me and others is, that I &s;peak what I think, and would not pa&s;s for what I am not, or for what I would not be: Oh I be&s;eech you, &s;aid I, content your &s;elf with your own indiffe|rencie, and do not undertake to condemn amity, which is the mo&s;t innocent, the mo&s;t ju&s;t, the mo&s;t &s;weet, and the mo&s;t heroique quality in the world; for truly this amity which you &s;o much &s;light is of &s;uch a Nature, as without it, there is no true &s;atisfaction in the world, all other plea&s;ures without it are but imperfect, they reach no further then the &s;en&s;es, but never fill the &s;oul, or charm the heart with abundance of &s;weetne&s;s: 'Tis a|mity, doubtle&s;s which &s;weetens all &s;orrows, which doubles all delights, which makes one to find comfort and con&s;olation in the greate&s;t misfortunes, and indeed it is that which prompts every one unto a thou&s;and heroique actions: The truth is, pur&s;ued <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> It is had <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n veneration among&s;t all Nations, and there is not one per&s;on in all the world ex|cept <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> who is not offended at it, if they be charged with want of amity: I pray do not except me, replied &s;he, for I &s;hould not be plea&s;ed that I &s;hould &s;ay I do not love my friends: But it is true, I do not much affect, that any &s;hould think my amity to be worthy of any Elogies: If you did but know what true amity is, replied I, you would be a&s;hamed to call &s;uch an affection as your heart is capable of, by &s;o glorious a name: How|ever it be, &s;aid &s;he, I would not alter my opinion. After this, <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> and I, did argue a long with <HI>Cleocrite</HI> to no purpo&s;e, for we could not argue her unto any repentance, nor make her acknowledg &s;he was in the wrong. However, &s;ince my de&s;ign was only a bare vi&s;it unto <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> after I had &s;tayed out a rea&s;onable time, I went out, and left <HI>Thra|&s;iles</HI> alone with her, who not being able to leave her, before he had expre&s;&s;ed his affecti|on, as &s;oon as he &s;aw I was gone, he began to &s;peak unto her. Becau&s;e I dare not ask a favour Madam (&s;aid he unto her) which would be oppo&s;ite unto your humour, I &s;hall
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this day only de&s;ire of you, that you would be &s;o indifferent as to let me love you, and not be angry: I have already told you Sir, replied &s;he, all that I can &s;ay upon that que&s;ti|on: But not to deny you everie thing, I &s;hall further &s;ay unto you, that upon condition you will live eight daies, as heretofore you have done, and mention not a word of that pretended pa&s;&s;ion which you &s;ay is in your heart, nor by any of your actions manife&s;t it unto me, I will do what I can to forget all that you &s;aid unto me the other day, and to day: And after this, I prote&s;t I will never examine upon what grounds you vi&s;it me; and to te&s;tifie how plea&s;ing the &s;ight of you is unto me, I promi&s;e you never to attribute any thing which you &s;hall do for me, to any thoughts of Love: Oh Madam (cried out <HI>Thra&s;iles)</HI> I do not de&s;ire this la&s;t favour, but on the contrary, I conjure you to be|lieve, that what&s;oever I &s;hall do or &s;ay, are only &s;uch effects as my love of you doth in|&s;pire into me: When you &s;ee me &s;ad, think that I am &s;o onlie becau&s;e I am not loved of her whom I adore; if you &s;ee me joyed, the onlie rea&s;on is becau&s;e I am neer you; if I be in a deep &s;tudie, imagine it your &s;elf who hath &s;ole taken up my &s;oul; if I look upon you, think that is in hopes you will ca&s;t a favourable eye upon me again; and if I do not look upon you, conceive it is becau&s;e I am afraid to anger you, and find it in your eyes; and indeed Madam, without any interpretation of my actions, as actions of indifferencie, believe that what&s;oever I &s;hall do, is done with a premeditated de&s;ign and hope to obtain your love: To te&s;tifie unto you, replied <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> that I am of a verie pliant humour, I &s;hall believe as you would have me to believe: Oh Madam, &s;aid <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> Shall I be &s;o happie? As for happie, &s;aid &s;he, I know not whether you will be or no; all I know is, and I will &s;ay it again, that I tell you I will believe you love me, and that you would have me love you; but at the &s;ame time I declare unto you, that I will tran&s;act with you, as if I did believe all this, this is, I will &s;ee you no more, that I will &s;hun you with all ima|gineable care, that I will deprive my &s;elf of a thou&s;and delights by it, and by con&s;equence, that I will mo&s;t horriblie hate you. Oh Madam (cried out <HI>Thra&s;iles)</HI> rather then &s;o, I be&s;eech you think that I do not love you: I &s;hall do &s;o, &s;aid &s;he, and do it with abun|dance of plea&s;ure: Yet I be&s;eech you Madam, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> believe, or not believe, as you &s;hall think good: Since I am to believe what plea&s;eth me, replied &s;he, I &s;hall ea&s;i|lie believe you do not love me, becau&s;e I do extreamlie wi&s;h it; therefore <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> take your mea&s;ures accordinglie, and be confident, that the readie&s;t way in the world to make me hate you, will be to create a di&s;po&s;ition in me to part from this neutral indifferencie, which cau&s;eth all the tranquilitie and &s;weetne&s;s of my life; content your &s;elf with my accu|&s;tomed civilities, regulate your &s;elf accordinglie.</P>
<P><HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> u&s;ed all his Rhetorique to make her change opinion, but all would not do; and before he could obtain leave to &s;ee her, as he was wont to do, he mu&s;t promi&s;e her to carrie him&s;elf towards her, as formerlie he u&s;ed: However, he thought it a kinde of happine&s;s that he had let her know he loved her without a bani&s;hment; for &s;ince he could not imagine &s;he &s;hould believe he did not love her, he hoped that &s;he her &s;elf would take it to heart, without his further telling her&mdash;So that a&s;&s;uming to him&s;elf new hopes, and con&s;equentlie new joyes, he continued in his ob&s;equious wayes of &s;erving her, and Courting her with a thou&s;and delights; yet this &s;erenitie of &s;oul and tranquilitie of heart was not long, for the more he applied him&s;elf unto her, the more indifferent he found her, and he more clearlie found it, becau&s;e having two Rivals who were nothing &s;o gal|lant as him&s;elf, and who Courted <HI>Cleocrite</HI> with &s;ome diver&s;ions, yet he ob&s;erved that &s;he was not more faintlie indifferent unto them, then unto him&s;elf, provided the mu&s;ique was good, that the Ball was finelie carried, and the Banquet &s;umptuous, &s;he cared not a &s;traw for him who was at the charges of them, and would have been as well contented to have received all the&s;e diver&s;ions from any other, as from him: So that <HI>Cleocrites</HI> man|ner of living, did put this pittiful Lover to a thou&s;and &s;ecret di&s;plea&s;ures, yet he could not accu&s;e her of any incon&s;tancie, or any &s;ecret under-hand dealing, for &s;he held cor|re&s;pondencie with none, nor treated any better then him&s;elf, nor did &s;he treat him better then any other, though &s;he had a thou&s;and rea&s;ons to put a notable difference betwixt <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> and all the re&s;t; for it was his fortune to render her many con&s;iderable &s;ervices concerning her familie, and having verie much credit, &s;everal occa&s;ions pre&s;ented them|&s;elves, wherein he did highlie manife&s;t his affection unto her. But do what he could, he could not move her heart, nor never extingui&s;h her humour of indifferencie, yet he did accu&s;tome him&s;elf whether &s;he would or no to tell her he loved her, but it produced no more effects upon her &s;oul, then upon a &s;tone, in&s;omuch as he grew &s;o much incen&s;ed
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again&s;t her cruel indifferencie, that he was not only grieved becau&s;e She would not love him, but it vexed him al&s;o that She would not love anie of her friends: and he hath &s;om|times &s;worn unto me, that he &s;hould have thought him&s;elf le&s;s mi&s;erable, if <HI>Cleocrite</HI> had loved anie of his Rivals, then he was to &s;ee her &s;o in&s;en&s;ible and indifferent as She was.</P>
<P>I be&s;eech you Madam, (&s;aid he one daie unto her when he had found &s;ome new &s;igne of her in&s;en&s;ibilitie) Per&s;wade me by &s;ome example, that it is not ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible you &s;hould love &s;ome or other: Chu&s;e out of the whole Univer&s;e whom you &s;hall think good; for were I once convinced you could love anie, I &s;hould be in &s;ome hopes: it not being po&s;&s;ible that anie &s;en&s;ible heart &s;hould know my pa&s;&s;ion, and not an&s;wer it: but to &s;ee that nothing will move it, that your &s;oul will not fix upon anie, that though you have a mo&s;t di&s;cerning eye in all things, yet that you will chu&s;e none, this is a thing which is mo&s;t intollerable. Yet you mu&s;t endure it, replied She, for I will never change, nor do I think I ought ever to change; And indeed She was as good as her word. Yet <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> as incon&s;tant as he is &s;aid to be did &s;till continue loving her, that for my part I did both pi|tie and chide him: Al&s;o I had rea&s;on to double my pitie; for the indifferencie of <HI>Cleocrite</HI> went &s;o near his heart, and grief &s;o filled his &s;pirits that he fell &s;ick, and that mo&s;t ex|treamlie &s;ick. At fir&s;t <HI>Cleocrite</HI> who knew his di&s;ea&s;e, and was not ignorant that She her &s;elf was the cau&s;e, &s;ent to &s;ee how he did, and &s;aid She was verie &s;orrie: but for all that, though all Phy&s;icians thought him de&s;perate, She lo&s;t not a daies diver&s;ion from it, nor was a jot more melancholie, nor wor&s;e dre&s;&s;ed. And que&s;tionle&s;s this la&s;t in&s;en&s;ibility was like to have been the death of <HI>Thra&s;iles:</HI> For &s;ince he had his rea&s;on free, and &s;ince the heat of his feaver had not a jot cooled his love, he did everie daie carefully cau&s;e his men to enquire what <HI>Cleocrite</HI> did, &s;o that &s;omtimes he would hear She was in the walks, other times that She was at &s;ome great fea&s;t; and almo&s;t everie daie that She was never &s;o jo|cond and merrie: But one daie among&s;t the re&s;t, when he was exceeding ill, and <HI>Cleocrite</HI> &s;ending to &s;ee how he did, he &s;ent her word as he believed, that Shewas now like to lo&s;e the mo&s;t faithful of all her &s;ervants, &amp; that he thought he &s;hould never have the honour to &s;ee her again: yet he under&s;tood that this &s;ad me&s;&s;age did not keep her that daie from making &s;everal vi&s;its, vi&s;its of plea&s;ure, and no nece&s;&s;ity at all. You may well imagine Madam, that this went to the verie heart of <HI>Thra&s;iles:</HI> yet maugre all his di&s;contents he recover|ed: but could not &s;o &s;oon recover the di&s;ea&s;e of his mind as of his body; for he returned as deep in love with <HI>Cleocrite</HI> as ever, though he was much vexed She &s;hould be &s;o little &s;en&s;ible of his &s;ickne&s;s, yet She did ea&s;ily appea&s;e him, for as &s;oon as ever She &s;aw him in a capacity of giving her fre&s;h diver&s;ions, She received him with &s;uch joy in her counte|nance as would have per&s;waded anie one, that She had been very &s;orrie for his &s;ickne&s;s: Thus did <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &s;uffer him&s;elf to be deluded, in&s;omuch as he courted her in &s;uch a man|ner as would have moved even crueltie it &s;elf. In the mean while <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> being ingaged to go unto the wars; and the day of his departure being come, he &s;ent to ask her favour that he might come and take his leave of her, but becau&s;e &s;he was engaged with <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> to go unto &s;ome place, I know not where, about a bu&s;ine&s;s not worth a ru&s;h, and even where &s;ome of <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> his Rivals were to meet her: She cho&s;e a verie mean plea&s;ure, ra|ther then deprive her &s;elf of it, in giving <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &s;o much &s;atisfaction as to bid her adieu. You may well imagine Madam, what thoughts <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> carried with him, and whether <HI>Cleocrite</HI> was very &s;orrie for his ab&s;ence; yet &s;omtimes She would think upon him, but it was only to lament the want of tho&s;e diver&s;ions he was wont to give her; and not one tender or obliging thought of him: This Madam, if I be not much mi&s;taken, is &s;ufficient to ju&s;tifie the change of <HI>Thra&s;iles.</HI></P>
<P>Be plea&s;ed to know that towards the end of the Summer, it chanced that I went one morning unto her, to ask her if She &s;hould make a vi&s;it with me that day? At fir&s;t, She told me that She was engaged unto <HI>Philoxene</HI> to go with her unto a place; but upon exa|mination whether She &s;hould find more plea&s;ure in <HI>Philoxenes</HI> vi&s;it or mine: She re&s;olved upon mine, and &s;ent to excu&s;e her &s;elf unto the others: Then She began to make her &s;elfe ready, and to ask my coun&s;el how She &s;hould dre&s;s her &s;elf. As we were then in conte&s;t what She &s;hould wear or not wear, one of her women entred into her Chamber with &s;uch &s;ad looks, as was ea&s;ie to perceive She had &s;ome bad news to tell. Madam, &s;aid the woman unto her, you will be much &s;urprized and verie &s;orrie if you knew all: <HI>Cleocrite</HI> who&s;e mind ran all of dre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf, and never had the lea&s;t thought of <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> did think that her gown which was to be brought that morning, was not yet ready: or that
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the Carkenet of Diamonds which She had borrowed of a friend, and which She intended to wear that day, was broken or lo&s;t; &s;o that She ha&s;tily asked the woman, which of tho&s;e mi&s;chances it was? No Madam, replied She, the news is wor&s;e; <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> is killed, and news of it is brought unto <HI>Ni&s;ide:</HI> Alas (cried I out with extream &s;orrow) is <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> kill'd? Yes (&s;aid the woman) and all the world does infinitely lament him. To tell you Madam, that <HI>Cleocrite</HI> would have been more grieved if the Carkenet of Diamonds had been lo&s;t or broken, then at the death of <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> perhaps had been a lie, and perhaps a truth; for Madam, all that ever She did in the bu&s;ine&s;s was to &s;end unto <HI>Ni&s;ides</HI> to know whether the news was true; and in the mean while She did a little lament the death of <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> but it was with a very quiet mind, and without one &s;ingle tear or &s;igh: Alas, &s;aid She unto me, I was in &s;uch hopes of a thou&s;and delights from <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> this Winter, that I mu&s;t needs lament the lo&s;s of the poor man. For my part, &s;aid I unto her, I lament the lo&s;s of him&s;elf, &amp; not for the lo&s;s of any delights; and although he would have contributed unto no diver&s;ions at all, yet I &s;hould pity him as much as I do. Whil'&s;t we were talking thus, the news of his death was confirmed; and immediately after I &s;aw <HI>Cleocrite</HI> look|ing in her gla&s;s, and being but half dre&s;&s;ed, She dre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf with as much &s;pru&s;ene&s;s and alacrity as She de&s;igned before the &s;ad news was brought: For my part, I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I was &s;o &s;urprized at the obdurate in&s;en&s;ibility of <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> as I was &s;peechle&s;s; &s;o looking upon her actions with as much amazement as &s;orrow, and with as much anger as amaze|ment: I ob&s;erved that &s;he ranged her locks, and curled her hair with as much nicene&s;s and care, and dre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf as trimly as if She had &s;ome de&s;igne of conquering a fre&s;h Lo|ver in lieu of him She had lo&s;t. After I had forced my patience a long while in &s;ilently &s;eeing her deck her &s;elf, and after her woman was gone out, my choler could contain no longer: Fie <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> &s;aid I unto her, does not tho&s;e thou&s;ands of delights which <HI>Thra|&s;iles</HI> hath given you, de&s;erve one day of mourning for him, and to deprive your &s;elf for his &s;ake of a poor mean diver&s;ion the day you hear of his fatal death? If that would rai&s;e him from the dead, replied &s;he, I &s;hould do it with much joy; but &s;ince I have pa&s;&s;ed my word unto <HI>Philoxene, I</HI> am re&s;olved to keep it. But you did re&s;olve to break it (&s;aid I unto her) and to make a vi&s;it with me; and may you not as well break it to mourn one day for the poor <HI>Thra&s;iles?</HI> I can mourn for him better in company then in &s;olitude (replied this hard hearted Ladie) and if I &s;hould this day hide my &s;elf, I might perhaps be accu&s;ed of mourning too much for him: Fie <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> &s;aid I unto her, you are not in any &s;uch re|putation of tenderne&s;s, as that you need fear any &s;uch a&s;per&s;ion; and certainly they would wrong you much, if they &s;hould think you &s;o inclined: Why (&s;aid She) do you think I do not grieve for <HI>Thra&s;iles?</HI> I prote&s;t I think &s;o, &s;aid I unto her. And I prote&s;t, replied &s;he, that I grieve as much as I can, and more then ever I did for any: I do believe it, &s;aid I unto her; yet it is becau&s;e you love nothing in the world but your &s;elf; and as long as you can look in you<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">la&s;s, and find your &s;elf fair, you care for nothing el&s;e; yet I would gladly know whether you could re&s;ent the lo&s;s of your own beautie. <HI>Cleocrite</HI> then offer|ed to give me &s;ome poor rea&s;ons, but I ri&s;e up and left her, not being able to endure &s;uch a &s;tonie hearted piece of in&s;en&s;ibility. How&s;oever, &s;he went with <HI>Philoxene</HI> unto the place agreed upon, where She found more diver&s;ion then She expected, for they danced until night. But Madam, all this was happie for <HI>Thra&s;iles:</HI> for you mu&s;t know, that the cau&s;e of the&s;e reports of his death, was, that there was one <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> killed, but it was <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> of <HI>Xanthes,</HI> and not of <HI>Cumes:</HI> For that <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> who was an Adorer of <HI>Cleo|crite,</HI> and who&s;e death I lamented, being cho&s;en by the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> to carry the news of the victorie which he had lately gotten, he came to town that very evening after his death was reported, his fir&s;t care was to enquire how <HI>Cleocrite</HI> did, and he was let know that She was at a Ball: and at the &s;ame time he was informed that every one thought him dead: he under&s;tood that <HI>Cleocrite</HI> &s;ent unto his mother to enquire of it, and that it was from her confirmed; &s;o that he could not doubt but <HI>Cleocrites</HI> heart was harder to him then any flint. This did &s;o much &s;urprize him that imagining perhaps <HI>Cleocrite</HI> was not told of it; or that perhaps &s;he had heard the news of his death contradicted, he re&s;olved to go unto the place where they &s;aid &s;he was. But in his way thither, he took my hou&s;e in his way to ask me what <HI>I</HI> knew concerning <HI>Cleocrite;</HI> &s;o that after my expre&s;&s;ions of joy to &s;ee him alive, and de&s;iring to cure him of his pa&s;&s;ion, <HI>I</HI> told him that the hard hearted indifferencie of <HI>Cleocrite</HI> was unworthy of his affection: and <HI>I</HI> brought his mind into &s;uch a &s;tate as to wi&s;h he could love her no longer: After which he went unto the place where &s;he was in a &s;trange perplexity: As he entred into the hall, &s;he was dancing, and
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danced &s;o very well, as it was apparent her mind was wholly upon it; and the thoughts of his death did not hinder one &s;tep of her dancing. You may imagine Madam, how <HI>Thra|&s;iles</HI> was troubled to &s;ee how indifferent <HI>Cleocrite</HI> was of him; but much more after &s;he had done dancing, when he &s;aw her talk to his Rivals with as much jolity in her looks, as ever &s;he had in her life.</P>
<P>There being much companie in that place, <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> was not at fir&s;t perceived, but anger upon a &s;udden rowzing up his heart, and de&s;iring to reproach <HI>Cleocrite</HI> with her horrible in&s;en&s;ibility, he broke through the crowd, and came unto the place where &s;he was di&s;cour&s;ing: Imagine Madam, how <HI>Cleocrite</HI> was &s;urprized to &s;ee <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> by her, whom &s;he thought to be dead, &s;he &s;crieked out, as if &s;he had &s;een &s;ome horrid apparition: So that all the company flocked about <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> and rejoyced to &s;ee him. As for <HI>Cleo|crite,</HI> &s;he was as glad as if &s;he had grieved extreamlie for his death, and for half an hour the talk was &s;o tumultuous, as it was not po&s;&s;ible for <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> to &s;peak particularly unto <HI>Cleocrite;</HI> but at la&s;t when every one had complemented them&s;elves out of breath, he had opportunitie of &s;peaking to her: I would believe Madam, for my &s;atisfaction (&s;aid he unto her in a twitting kind of je&s;t) that you are of the &s;ame opinion which &s;ome Peo|ple in the world are of, who think they ought to rejoyce, and be fine&s;t at the death of their kindred and friends, and who laugh at tho&s;e which weep and put on mourning; for if I were not per&s;waded of this, I &s;hould have cau&s;e to think my &s;elf the mo&s;t mi&s;erable of all men living, &s;ince the reports? of my death will not oblige you to be&s;tow one &s;igh upon me, nor &s;top the full carier of your joyes for one minute. <HI>Cleocrite</HI> hearing <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &s;ay &s;o, as in&s;en&s;ible as &s;he was, yet &s;he blu&s;hed, but it was more out of anger then any &s;hame; in lieu of confe&s;&s;ing any fault, or any repentance, or &s;eeking out for any excu&s;es, &s;he an&s;wered him &s;harplie: If you be ri&s;en from the dead, &s;aid &s;he unto him, onlie to make perpetual complaints of me, becau&s;e I did not weep for you, you put me to the nece&s;&s;itie of grieving more for your life, then I did for your death; Therefore if you will take my advice along with you (&s;aid &s;he with a forced &s;mile) be contented that I am glad to &s;ee you again, without any further enquirie, whether I grieved when I thought you dead: Your in&s;en&s;ibilitie Madam, &s;aid <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> goes too too far, and certainlie I &s;hould be the lea&s;t generous of all men, if I &s;hould endure it; I am &s;ure Madam, that the lo&s;s of my affection will never trouble you, &s;ince the lo&s;s of my life did never reach your heart; and it is not out of any humour of revenge that I withdraw this affection from you, but it is onlie from my own tranquilitie; for it is a thing mo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible for any man to love a per&s;on of &s;uch a rockie di&s;po&s;ition, and &s;uch a flintie in&s;en&s;ibilitie as you are, any long time.</P>
<P>When <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> was &s;ilent, and expected an an&s;wer from <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> one came and took her out to dance, and &s;he went with as jocund a countenance, as if <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> were not at all di&s;plea&s;ed, nor did take the lea&s;t care in the world all the day after, to give him any oc|ca&s;ion of talking with her, nor ever offered to excu&s;e her in&s;en&s;ibilitie: I think Madam after all this, you will not condemn <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> for re&s;olving to u&s;e all his endeavours to leave loving &s;uch a &s;tony-hearted per&s;on as was not capable of loving any, yet heaven knows it was a hard task for him to bring it about, and he was a long time con&s;ulting which wayes might po&s;&s;iblie reach the heart of <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> yet in conclu&s;ion, growing out of all patience, verie anger in a few daies did that which his rea&s;on could not, and he cured him&s;elf of a di&s;ea&s;e which he thought incurable, and the more to confirm him in his recovery, <HI>Cleocrite</HI> did care as little for the lo&s;s of him, as if &s;he had e&s;teemed him at the value of a ru&s;h; yet I do believe, &s;ince that, &s;ome re&s;entments of honour made her a little angrie, that &s;uch a Slave had broken pri&s;on; but I am certain, that though &s;he did apprehend the lo&s;s, yet it was not at all out of any tenderne&s;s: I conceive Madam that af|ter all this, <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> cannot be charged with any incon&s;tancie, &s;ince there never appeared the lea&s;t levitie in all his carriage; and that if he did leave loving her, it was onlie becau&s;e it was mo&s;t fitting he &s;hould do it.</P>
<P>Since the love of <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> to <HI>Cleocrite</HI> made a great noi&s;e in the world, it was &s;oon per|ceived they were at odds, and &s;ince the matter was never made any &s;ecret my&s;terie be|tween them, all the world did know the cau&s;e, and I dare boldlie &s;ay, all the world did lay the fault where it de&s;erved, and blamed <HI>Cleocrite:</HI> But among&s;t the re&s;t, <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> could not chu&s;e but much condemn her: So that &s;ince <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> did naturally love to be pitied, and loved &s;uch as took his part, and hearing what <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> &s;aid in his behalf and again&s;t <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> he de&s;ired me to carrie him to her, knowing that I was frequentlie with her; I
<PB N="177" REF="672">
being glad to contribute any thing unto the con&s;olation which he had found in one who condemned the in&s;en&s;ibilitie of <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> did willinglie con&s;ent unto his de&s;ire, not being ignorant, that <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> would think her &s;elf obliged unto me for bringing <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> unto her, whom &s;he e&s;teemed verie much, though he never &s;aw her at her own hou&s;e. But as I have de&s;cribed the other Ladies whom <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> loved, &s;o it is requi&s;ite I de&s;cribe this, who&s;e per&s;on you know is all beauty, all amiable, all charming, in who&s;e mind was a milli|on of beauties and admirable graces; but as for her humour, it is &s;uch, as none living can repre&s;ent it unto you, for indeed Madam there was never any more &s;weet, more compli|ant, nor more agreeable at certain times, on certain daies, and certain houres, and at certain minutes; but al&s;o, never any was more au&s;tere, more imperious, more crabbed, nor in&s;upportable at other times; &s;o that there was &s;uch a prodigious mi&s;cellany and ine|quality in the humour of <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> as I conceive &s;he may be fitlie compared unto one of tho&s;e daies in the Spring time of the year, when one &s;hall &s;ee the Sun guild all the world, give a fre&s;h fragrancie unto the Meadows and Trees, and di&s;clo&s;e a thou&s;and flowers, and upon a &s;udden a terrible &s;torm of Hail and Snow doth fall, together with thunder and winde; &s;o that one may in one day &s;ee all the beauties and all the rigours of the whole year: Indeed Madam, the inequality of <HI>Ly&s;idices</HI> humour is &s;o great, as I have often &s;een her mo&s;t plea&s;ant in the morning, mo&s;t melancholy after dinner, and as merry as might be before night again, having no cau&s;e in the world to be more merrie or more &s;ad at one time then at another: Perhaps you will ask me Madam, how <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> could ever fall in love with &s;uch an uncertain per&s;on; and I mu&s;t an&s;wer, that the good howers of <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> were &s;o plea&s;ing and charming, that it is no wonder at all if &s;he did captivate the heart of <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> which was &s;o apt for love: It may be further &s;aid, that the humour of <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> was alwayes to prefer the &s;ociety of men, before that of women, and le&s;s various in her unequal humours with new acquaintance then with others: Al&s;o <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> did not at fir&s;t know her temper, but on the contrary, was never better &s;atisfied with any per&s;on then with her the fir&s;t time he &s;aw her: For truly &s;he had &s;erved her &s;elf into all his thoughts of <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> and did &s;o inveigh again&s;t her rigid humour, as he had good rea&s;on to think, that &s;he had a heart as foft and &s;en&s;ible, as <HI>Cleocrites</HI> was hard and indifferent: So that ac|cu&s;toming him&s;elf by little and little to &s;ee her, he came at length to love her. Since he had already loved three per&s;ons in one Court, he did for a while conceal his pa&s;&s;ion, fear|ing that the would wonld, as formerlie upbraid him with incon&s;tancy. Whil&s;t he was thus &s;ilently in love with <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> he began to di&s;cover the odne&s;s of her humours, and I can|not tell whether or no he did wi&s;h, that he did not love her, if the fate of it had been in his power: However, &s;ince he believe her not to be in&s;en&s;ible and indifferent, he counted all her other defects as nothing, and to &s;peak the very truth, <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> had no other but this unevenne&s;s of temper, and that was not then &s;trong enough to hinder <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> from loving her, and applying him&s;elf to her &s;ervice: But it is very ob&s;erveable, that the &s;ame imperfection which all the friends of <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> did continually chide her for, was partly a cau&s;e why he di&s;covered his pa&s;&s;ion, &s;ooner then otherwi&s;e he would: For <HI>Ege&s;ipes, Thra|&s;iles,</HI> and I being one afternoon with her, it chanced &s;o, that I began to chide her, for the inequality of her humour, which hindred her from being without any fault: That which did give me a &s;ubject for it was, that when <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> and I came into her Chamber, &s;he did entertain us with &s;uch a hollow kind of gravitie, as if &s;he did not care for our compa|ny, or as if &s;he were in &s;ome mo&s;t deep melancholy, yet within le&s;s then a quarter of an houre <HI>Ege&s;ipes</HI> coming in, &s;he pa&s;&s;ed upon a &s;udden from her dumpi&s;h humour unto the quite contrary, and was extreamly civil, &s;weet and plea&s;ant. In the mean time, I knew it could not be the &s;ight of <HI>Ege&s;ipes</HI> which cau&s;ed the alteration of her humour, knowing that &s;he loved me, as well as him, and that &s;he e&s;teemed <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> more then <HI>Ege&s;ipes:</HI> So that making this my pretence of chiding her: Really <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> (&s;aid I unto her) I am very glad that I came not by my &s;elf to &s;ee you, and I believe <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> is not &s;orry that we came together; for &s;ince you would have entertained us &s;o coldly, it would have vexed us to have &s;een it, e&s;pecially &s;eeing you receive <HI>Ege&s;ipes</HI> with &s;o much joy; but &s;ince we came both together, I believe this coldne&s;s doth not relate unto either of us: For my part, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> I re&s;pect <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> more then to &s;u&s;pect her of any coldne&s;s unto you; and I had rather take it all upon my &s;elf, though there is none in the world could be more &s;orry for it then I &s;hould: No, no <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> replied <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> never trou|ble your &s;elf in a thing wherein you have no &s;hare, nor trouble your &s;elf with &s;atisfying <HI>Lyriana,</HI> for I a&s;&s;ure you, She chides me, rather to correct me then for any thing el&s;e: It
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is mo&s;t true <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> (&s;aid I unto her) and I &s;hould be extreamly joyed if you were al|wayes in the &s;ame mood as you are now, and that you would be never in that humour in which you were when <HI>Thra&s;yles</HI> and I came in: Did you but know how much fairer and more amiable you are when you are out of this dogged fit, certainly you would for ever bani&s;h it; for que&s;tionle&s;s, there is nothing more becoming, then an even, &s;mooth and equal temper: For my part, replied <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> I am not of your opinion, but am per|&s;waded it is more plea&s;ant to find &s;everal per&s;ons in one, then to &s;ee &s;till the &s;ame glutting equality of temper, which never &s;heweth you but one and the &s;ame thing &s;everal times. Certainly, added &s;he, and laughed, it is with equal and unequal humours, as with waters in general, where tho&s;e which are &s;till the calme&s;t, are not the mo&s;t plea&s;ing: I think none will deny, but that the Sea with all its &s;torms and tempe&s;ts is more plea&s;ant then a &s;tanding lake, in &s;pite of its tranquil &s;erenity: The inequality and fury of the Sea, re|plied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> is doubtle&s;s very plea&s;ant unto tho&s;e who &s;tand upon banks, and look up|on it, but very trouble&s;ome unto tho&s;e who are upon it: 'Tis true, replied &s;he: But as the Sea doth &s;omtimes &s;wallow up &s;ome unfortunate per&s;ons, &s;o it plea&s;eth a hundred thou|&s;and who look up in &s;afety. Moreover, this inequality of temper which is &s;o much vaunt|ed of is often, only a good effect of a bad cau&s;e: For to &s;peak in general, if one do well, ob&s;erve tho&s;e who are of this even temper you &s;peak of, he &s;hall find much &s;tupidi|ty in &s;ome or mo&s;t, others of a grave and &s;ilent temper; it is more out of &s;luggi&s;hne&s;s then virtue, that they do not vary and change their humours; others are &s;o continuall in the &s;ame temper of merriment, that they &s;eem fools, and others of &s;uch an in&s;ufferable tediou&s;ne&s;s of &s;pirit, as that their equality of temper, renders them weari&s;ome. Moreo|ver, I will maintain, that mo&s;t of the&s;e equal-&s;pirited per&s;ons, have the thoughts of a ba&s;e and crouching &s;oul: And on the contrary, to &s;peak in general, tho&s;e of a little uneven temper, and &s;omthing fanta&s;tical, have hearts mo&s;t high and heroique. I know there are &s;ome in whom all the virtues meet, wit, &s;pirit, genero&s;ity, complacencie, and equality, are their own, but this is very rare; and I om confident that ordinarily, if men of great|e&s;t &s;pirits have this equality in their humours, it comes to them more by rea&s;on then by temper: You defend a bad cau&s;e with &s;o much eloquence, &s;aid I unto her, that I cannot think you are fully per&s;waded, it is as you &s;ay: Seriou&s;ly (&s;aid &s;he) I think as I &s;ay, and I do not think my &s;elf deceived; for indeed, from whence do you think proceeds the fan|ta&s;ticalne&s;s and inequality, wherewith Poets, Mu&s;itians, Painters, and all tho&s;e who make profe&s;&s;ion of the Liberal Arts are charged? Have they not all their raptures? Do you think the Rules of Poetry, the in&s;truments of Mu&s;ique, colours and Pencils, are tyed to the &s;ame evenne&s;s of temper? Fie no, not at all; but the very &s;ame temper which makes the highe&s;t Poets, the greate&s;t Mu&s;itians, and the be&s;t Painters, makes humours a little unequal and fanta&s;tical. Moreover, it is a gro&s;s error, to think that one alters humour alwayes without cau&s;e or rea&s;on, and mo&s;t certainly there are rea&s;ons which are not vi&s;i|ble unto others, for when the imagination is quick, and the mind very &s;en&s;ible, a very &s;mall matter will be a great vexation: In my own particular, my very own thoughts will put me into a bad humour; and when I am not plea&s;ed with my &s;elf, I am never plea&s;ed with any, nor can I plea&s;e others: But I pray, &s;aid I unto her, how is it po&s;&s;ible, that having &s;o much wit as you mu&s;t needs have to &s;peak as you do, you &s;hould not imploy it to bridle the vexation of your humour, which alters the very ayr of your countenance, and which &s;omtimes makes the &s;weete&s;t and mo&s;t amiable woman in the world become im|perious, and as Peevi&s;h a thing as is imagineable<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter"> The rea&s;on is, &s;aid &s;he, becau&s;e I am &s;uch a lover of liberty, that I cannot be a &s;lave to my own rea&s;on in a thing almo&s;t in|different, and which does not expo&s;e me unto any crime; and al&s;o, my rea&s;on it &s;elf tells me, that I am obliged to change my temper; for as I do not know almo&s;t any one who has not &s;ome quality or other which is to be de&s;ired &s;he had not, my friends ought to bear with my faults as I bear with theirs: This word Fault is very rough (replied <HI>Thra&s;iles)</HI> to expre&s;s any quality that can be found in <HI>Ly&s;idice:</HI> If you con&s;ult with <HI>Lyriana,</HI> repli|ed &s;he, I am confident &s;he will think the word mild enough: Since you are not in your retting humour (replied I unto her) and that one may &s;peak any thing unto you, I find it &s;o &s;trange a thing, you &s;hould be capable of &s;uch extream inequality, that I think it not rough enough, for you who can judg &s;o clearly of others, who can make &s;uch good choice of your acquaintance, and who can hardly endure tho&s;e who are but meanly qua|lified men: Ah <HI>Lyriana</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) when did you ever &s;ee me fret or vex, but when I do &s;ee men that plea&s;e me not, or that I have &s;een &s;ome &s;uch, or that I know I &s;hall &s;ee
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them, or that I only fear to &s;ee them: I be&s;eech you Madam, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> do me the honour to tell me, which of the&s;e four did cau&s;e the coldne&s;s in your face, when <HI>Lyri|ana</HI> and I entred?</P>
<P>As to that, &s;aid &s;he, and laughed, I mu&s;t ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s, that I do not know the rea&s;on. After &s;uch a &s;incere acknowledgment, we continued chiding <HI>Ly&s;idice;</HI> who was in &s;o good an humour that day, as that &s;he was not at all angry. Pre&s;ently after a friend of mine coming to fetch me from <HI>Ly&s;idices,</HI> I left <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> alone there; for <HI>Ege&s;ipes</HI> would needs carry me to my Coach, and went with me. I under&s;tood &s;ince, that <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> finding &s;uch a favourable occa&s;ion, he would not let it &s;lip, not knowing when he might find <HI>Ly|&s;idice,</HI> both alone, and in a good humour; al&s;o the la&s;t di&s;cour&s;e with her did give him a good &s;ubject to talk unto her: and &s;ince I knew he was in love with her, I turned towards him at my going out, and told him thus; If to to your mi&s;ery (&s;aid I to him, and laughed) you be in love with <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> I would advice you to tell her now as much; for in the hu|mour &s;he is now, I think you may tell her any thing without fear of anger: The coun&s;el you give, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> perhaps is more dangerous to follow then you imagine. Not at all (replied I, and laughed &s;till) for as <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> u&s;eth to be angry at every thing when &s;he is in the fretting humour: I am confident, &s;he will not be angry at any thing when &s;he is in the plea&s;ant fit: After this I went out with <HI>Ege&s;ipes,</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;yles</HI> &s;tayed. I under|&s;tood &s;ince from him&s;elf, that as &s;oon <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> and he had taken their &s;eats, he re&s;olved to di&s;cover him&s;elf, &s;o that making u&s;e of my advice, as a Prologue to the bu&s;ine&s;s: As dan|gerous as the coun&s;el of <HI>Lyriana</HI> is (&s;aid he unto her) yet Madam I will follow it: And after I have a long time adored you in &s;ilence, it is ju&s;t you know what thoughts your beautie hath in&s;pired me withal. I be&s;eech you <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> replied &s;he, do you think that the &s;harp language of <HI>Lyriana</HI> need engage you to give me anie &s;weeter; for I am confi|dent &s;he knows not what &s;he &s;aid unto you, nor what you an&s;wered: I know not why Madam, replied he, you &s;hould &s;peak &s;o much of <HI>Lyriana;</HI> But for my part I do prote&s;t, I know very well what I do &s;ay; and that I never in all my life &s;pake more &s;incerelie then now I do, when I a&s;&s;ure you that there is none upon earth that loves you better then <HI>I</HI> do; and that <HI>I</HI> never loved anie neer &s;o much as <HI>I</HI> do you: Fie <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, you have &s;aid too much to be believed; for <HI>I</HI> am confident you have loved three better then ever you loved anie el&s;e. Truth is, the fir&s;t pa&s;&s;ions are ever mo&s;t violent; and <HI>I</HI> think it may verie well be &s;aid, that the more often one loves, the le&s;s he knows how to love. <HI>I</HI> know not Madam, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> whether it do often fall out &s;o as you &s;ay; but <HI>I</HI> am mo&s;t &s;ure it is not &s;o with me: for <HI>I</HI> loved <HI>Atalia</HI> much better then <HI>I</HI> loved her who cau&s;ed my fir&s;t pa&s;&s;ion; <HI>I</HI> loved <HI>Cleocrite</HI> much better then <HI>I</HI> loved <HI>Atalia,</HI> and <HI>I</HI> love <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> much better then them all three. Since you have told me the &s;everal degrees of your love unto three &s;uch amiable Ladies (replied &s;he and &s;miled) <HI>I</HI> pray tell me al&s;o unto what point did you arrive in obtaining the love of them? I thought I had obtained the love of the fir&s;t, replied he, and I was in hopes of obtaining the love of the other two, but did not obtain the love of anie of the three; yet for all this I mu&s;t love the fair <HI>Ly&s;i|dice,</HI> and not de&s;pair to obtain her love. Certainly, &s;aid &s;he and &s;miled, to love and not be loved, is not &s;o great a mi&s;erie as is reported, &s;ince you are &s;o re&s;olved to endure it &s;o oft|en. I be&s;eech you, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> hearken a little more &s;eriou&s;ly unto what I &s;ay: and do me the honour to tell me how you would have me live? I dare not undertake to regulate your life, an&s;wered &s;he, but I &s;hall be verie willing to regulate your words; for truly <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> you have &s;poke &s;o much, that I cannot de&s;ire you &s;hould &s;peak any more. Content your &s;elf therefore with the qualitie of my friend, and never offer to per&s;wade me that you are my Lover: Moreover, I mu&s;t tell you, that you would not be &s;o happie as you imagine, if I &s;hould &s;uffer you to love me. For fir&s;t, you may be a&s;&s;ured, that though I would have you love me above all the world, yet I would do all that ever is in my pow|er never to love you again. But I be&s;eech you Madam, &s;aid he unto her, did you not con|demn indifferenc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e in <HI>Cleocrite?</HI> 'Tis true, &s;aid &s;he, and I condemn it to you, for I would have had her to love you, but it &s;hould have been by virtue, and not by in&s;en&s;ibilitie. This di&s;tinction, replied he, is verie nice; but though there cannot be a more mi&s;erable condi|tion then to love, and not be loved by the per&s;on one loves: yet Madam, I would with all my heart, that the fair <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> were once put to the nece&s;&s;itie of &s;triving not to love me. You &s;ee, (&s;aid &s;he and laughed) that I begin it now; &s;ince I do what I can to believe you do not love me; and that you &s;peak as you do, only becau&s;e <HI>Lyriana</HI> hath engaged you. Oh Madam, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> do me not &s;o much wrong; for if you do, I &s;hall be indu|ced
<PB N="180" REF="674">
to tell all the world I love you, to the end you may not be ignorant of it: Take heed, replied &s;he, le&s;t you do as you &s;ay, for though it be true you do love me, yet I had rather know it only my &s;elf, then that every one &s;hould know it, not that I would make any &s;uch &s;ecret of your Pa&s;&s;ion as &s;hould be advantagious to you, but becau&s;e I do hate above all things in the world, that any one &s;hould be known unto the Court to be my Lover; for if I would treat him ill, it were good for him they &s;hould not know it; and if I would treat him well, it would be good for me they did not know he loved me, le&s;t they &s;hould &s;u&s;pect I love him; therefore <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> if you do not love me, you ought not to tell any that you do, &s;ince that would be to tell an unprofitable lye; and if you do love me, yet you ought not to tell it, for whether I &s;hould be mild or rigorous, it is equally requi&s;ite that this pretended Pa&s;&s;ion be kept clo&s;e: Then Madam, &s;aid <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> I will tell it unto none but your &s;elf, and provided you will be plea&s;ed to let me tell it unto you, I will be &s;ilent unto all the world be&s;ides: I be&s;eech you <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> to him) either hold your Peace, or talk of &s;omthing el&s;e; for believe it, my crabbed humour will come upon me if you continue any longer: Then Madam, it's be&s;t for me to leave you before it come (&s;aid he unto her) And indeed <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &s;eeing company coming in as he &s;aid &s;o, did retire, not knowing whether he was more to hope or to fear, yet he thought him&s;elf very happy, in that he had di&s;covered his love unto <HI>Ly&s;idice;</HI> but the Gods do know, his happine&s;s did not la&s;t long, for this changeable humoured woman was &s;o ill &s;a|tisfied with her &s;elf after <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> was gone from her, and thought that &s;he had &s;poke too kindly unto him, as to repair that fault, &s;he re&s;olved to treat him the mo&s;t &s;harply the next time &s;he &s;aw him: And indeed &s;he was as good as her word, for &s;he would &s;carcely look upon him, or an&s;wer him when he &s;poke; yet <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> could not that day di&s;cerne perfectly whether this rigid u&s;age from <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> was only a &s;imple effect of her unequal humour, or proceeded from what he had &s;poke unto her the la&s;t time: But a few daies after I gave him light in the bu&s;ine&s;s, as I am going to tell you: You mu&s;t know Madam, that going to <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> I found her in her Mothers Chamber, where there was &s;o many women, that there was &s;carce any room for me, but there was not one man among&s;t them all.</P>
<P>I cannot relate every particular pa&s;&s;age of their di&s;cour&s;e, but I mu&s;t confe&s;s it was not very plea&s;ant, for it was compo&s;ed only of this and that dre&s;s, and of &s;uch trifles; and I may very well &s;ay, that I never in my life heard &s;o much &s;poken, and to &s;o little purpo&s;e. I ea&s;ily perceived that <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> was in a fretting humour, and perceived it with delight: becau&s;e it was a kind of whet&s;tone to her wit. As &s;he was very weary of this tumultuous company, which went again&s;t the grain of her inclination, one of her Cozens came in, But the mo&s;t ob&s;erveable thing was, that though this man who came in was far from one of the fine&s;t wits, but of a very common form of men, yet the di&s;cour&s;e did pre&s;ently alter, and became more regular, more witty, and more plea&s;ant, though there was not alteration at all in the company, but only this man, who was none of the be&s;t Speakers: The truth is, though I cannot give a true rea&s;on for it, they talked of other things, and much better, and the very &s;ame per&s;ons who before did weary me, as well as <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> did now extreamly delight me. However, when all the company was gone, I &s;tayed with <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> who &s;eeing her &s;elf at liberty, did upon a &s;udden lay a&s;ide her crabbed humour, and a&s;&s;umed her plea&s;ant: Well <HI>Lyriana,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto me, do you yet condemn me for preferring the company of men before the company of women? and mu&s;t it not needs be confe&s;&s;ed, that if all were written down that fifteen or twenty women together &s;hould talk, it will be the mo&s;t pitiful book in the world: I do confe&s;s (&s;aid I unto her and laughed) that if all I heard this day were written, it would be found a very fanta&s;tical piece: For my part, &s;aid &s;he, I am almo&s;t mad at my own Sex, e&s;pecially when I am in company who&s;e talk is all of dre&s;&s;es, of hou&s;hold-&s;tuff, of Jewels, and &s;uch like; not but that I would have &s;uch things talked of: for truly I have &s;omtimes &s;o well dre&s;&s;ed my &s;elf, as I &s;hould be glad to be told of it; and &s;omtimes my Gown is &s;o rich and well made, that I love to hear it commended; but I would have &s;uch things &s;poke of but &s;el|dome, that they &s;hould talk of them hand&s;omly, as it were by the by, without making it the main bu&s;ine&s;s, and not as certain women I know, who make it the whole bu&s;ine&s;s of their lives, to talk of &s;uch things, and never think of any thing el&s;e; and yet do think upon them with &s;o much irre&s;olution, as that they have not yet determined the que&s;tion in their minds, whether the Red becomes them better then the Blue, or the Yellow, then the Green: I mu&s;t confe&s;s Madam, <HI>Ly&s;idices</HI> di&s;cour&s;e did make me laugh, and the more
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becau&s;e there was a Lady in <HI>Cumes,</HI> who&s;e mind was wholly upon &s;uch things, and never talked of anie thing el&s;e: who&s;e greate&s;t glorie did con&s;i&s;t in the guilding of her Palace, in the richne&s;s of her hou&s;hold&s;tuff, in the finene&s;s of her clothes, and fairne&s;s of her jewels. After I had laughed heartilie at <HI>Ly&s;idices</HI> di&s;cour&s;e, I would needs take the Ladies part in general, and told her that there were as manie men as women, who&s;e companie and di&s;|cour&s;e was not verie plea&s;ing. Doubtle&s;s, replied &s;he, there are &s;ome who&s;e companie and talk is intolerable, but yet there is this advantage in them, that one may more ea&s;ily be rid of them: nor is one obliged to ob&s;erve an exact civilitie towards them.</P>
<P>But <HI>Lyriana,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, this is not my meaning: for the thing I &s;ay is, that the mo&s;t ami|able women in the world, when manie of them are by them&s;elves together, and not a man among&s;t them, do u&s;e to talk of nothing worth a &s;traw, and wearie one another more then if they were by them&s;elves. But it is not &s;o among&s;t men of able and accompli&s;hed parts: Their conver&s;ation, its true, is not &s;o plea&s;ant without Ladies, as with them, yet though it be more &s;erious, it is more rational: For my part, replied I, I could live very contentedlie, though I never &s;aw anie but women, provided they were &s;uch as <HI>Ly&s;idice.</HI> To an&s;wer your civilitie, replied &s;he, I could be as well contented as you, provided my companie were all <HI>Lyriana's:</HI> But for all that, one to one, two to two, or three to three at the mo&s;t makes the be&s;t companie; for I had rather &s;ee none then twelve to twelve. Yes <HI>Lyriana,</HI> (pur|&s;ued &s;he with the pritie&s;t anger in the world) though there were a dozen <HI>Lyriana's</HI> in the world, I &s;hould not de&s;ire to &s;ee them altogether everie daie, unle&s;s there were two or three men among&s;t them. For though I never heard anie impertinencies proceed from you in my life, yet I am confident that if there were twelve of you, there would: or el&s;e you would do like manie of hers, who &s;it and &s;ay nothing, but makes conver&s;ation langui&s;hing and wearie&s;om: The truth is <HI>Lyriana,</HI> unle&s;s you di&s;&s;emble you mu&s;t confe&s;s, that there is &s;omething in it,, which I cannot tell how to expre&s;s, that makes one accompli&s;hed man more to divert and plea&s;e a companie of Ladies, then the mo&s;t amiable women of the world can do: I &s;hall go further then this al&s;o; for I will maintain, that if there be but two women together, unle&s;s they be intimate friends to each other they will be le&s;s plea|&s;ed then they would be, if each of them were talking with a man of &s;pirit and wit whom they had never &s;aw before: Judg therefore, if I have not rea&s;on to murmure again&s;t my Sex in general. But I do wonder (&s;aid I to her and &s;miled) &s;ince the &s;ocietie of men is &s;o nece&s;&s;ary, that you do not manage the companie of <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> better: for I perceive you treat him with as much &s;harpne&s;s as if you intended to bani&s;h him. <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> (replied &s;he and blu&s;hed) is que&s;tionle&s;s a very compleat and plea&s;ing man: but he hath given me &s;uch cau&s;e to complain again&s;t him, as that I cannot pardon him: &amp; I &s;hould more ea&s;ily pardon him, if I were not in the humor in which now I am. Since I had a great de&s;ire to know how the ca&s;e &s;tood between <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &amp; <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> and &s;ince this &s;he told me did much augment my curio&s;itie, I pre&s;&s;ed her to tell me what he had done; &s;o that &s;he de&s;iring to be rid of my importunity without telling me directly what &s;he thought. <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> replied &s;he, hath or would have done a thing which would have di&s;plea&s;ed me the mo&s;t of any thing in the world. This is a verie fine accu&s;ation (&s;aid I unto her) for you know not whether <HI>Thra&s;i|les</HI> hath or would have committed a fault. However it be, &s;aid &s;he, he is culpable; for you mu&s;t know that in all probabilitie he endeavoured to deprive me of my deare&s;t friend, and the man whom of all the world did plea&s;e me be&s;t: and he hath made me &s;o to fall out with him, as I &s;hall be con&s;trained to &s;ee him no more. I confe&s;s Madam, <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> &s;poke this with &s;uch an air, that my curio&s;itie was higher then I could devi&s;e whom &s;he &s;hould mean; I named two or three whom I knew to be her friends, and She alwaies an&s;wered mean; I named two or three whom I knew to be her friends, and She alwaies an&s;wered that I could not gue&s;s him: and to puzzle me the more, She &s;eemed to wonder that I could not hit upon him: But, &s;aid I, who is this friend with whom you mu&s;t break, and with whom <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> hath made you quarrel? He is &s;uch a one, replied &s;he, as hath not only made me out of conceit with him, but out of conceit with my &s;elf al&s;o. I mu&s;t con|fefs, &s;aid I unto her, that I cannot under&s;tand you; for if <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> have told you anie thing concerning this friend, which gives you matter of complaint again&s;t him, why you doth grieve for him? Becau&s;e, an&s;wered <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> that I had rather not have known the crime which <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> hath revealed unto me, then to be deprived of him who did com|mit it: But (&s;aid I innocently unto her) Can you not wink at it as if you knew it not? for &s;o he do not know that you know it, you are not obliged in point of honour to puni&s;h him. If <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &s;hould know, replied She, that I could pardon &s;uch a crime, I &s;hould be extreamly a&s;hamed. But, replied I, though I mu&s;t not know the criminal, yet may I not
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know the crime? No (an&s;wered &s;he and &s;miled) you mu&s;t not know it now: Yet I do wi&s;h, &s;aid I unto her, that <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> whom I made you acquainted with were not &s;o much out of your favour; and I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that I cannot well &s;ee by your words why you &s;hould treat him as you do: If I &s;hould &s;peak &s;o plain as to be under&s;tood (replied &s;he and laughed) doubtle&s;s then you would under&s;tand me, but &s;ince I &s;pake purpo&s;ely that you &s;hould not under&s;tand me, you will hardly find me out. Really <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> &s;aid I unto her, You are a verie &s;trange woman; and it may be &s;aid, that in this bu&s;ine&s;s you are both one of the mo&s;t di&s;&s;embling Per&s;ons, and one of the mo&s;t &s;incere in the world: Since you both commend me and blame me (replied &s;he) I conceive, that I ought neither to thank you, nor complain again&s;t you; yet do not think, that I keep this &s;ecret from you, ibecau&s;e I do not think you worthy to know my heart; but the rea&s;on is, becau&s;e accord|ng to inequality of humour wherewith you have &s;o often upbraided me, there are &s;ome daies on which I make a &s;ecret of every thing, and others, on which I keep clo&s;e nothing. But Madam, I could not per&s;wade <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> to tell me directly: So that not being obliged to ob&s;erve fidelity with one who would not tru&s;t me; I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I was very impatient to &s;ee <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> and to get out of him what I could not out of her, de&s;iring to do a good office between them, and to make them friends.</P>
<P>So that the next morning, chance bringing <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> to &s;ee me, I began to ask him what he had done to incen&s;e <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> &s;o much again&s;t him? How, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> hath <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> complained of me to you? Yes (replied I, &s;eeming to know more then I did) But why did you tell her that which you told her the other day? What I told her, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> ought rather to have obliged, then to have angred her: But <HI>Lyriana,</HI> I pray tell me what &s;he did tell you concerning me? For heavens &s;ake, if you know the cau&s;e of her coldne&s;s to me, do not conceal it; for I do profe&s;s, I cannot under&s;tand why any thing I &s;aid unto her &s;hould provoke her to treat me as &s;he did: I mu&s;t confe&s;s Madam, that when I heard <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &s;ay &s;o, I thought that he had indeed adverti&s;ed <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> how &s;ome one of her friends had either done or &s;aid &s;omthing which de&s;erved her anger, and that it was out of this rea&s;on he &s;hould &s;ay, he never &s;aid any thing unto her which might provoke her to treat him as &s;he did: So that without moving him to tell me what I de&s;ired to know, I told him that <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> complained again&s;t him for cau&s;ing her to lo&s;e one of her deare&s;t friends. This accu&s;ation did at the fir&s;t &s;urprize <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> but afterwards he thought that <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he would not tell me that he had &s;poken unto her of his Love, had invented this little lye to excu&s;e it: So that giving no credit unto my words, he told me, that it was impo&s;&s;ible <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> &s;hould think &s;o of him, for he had been &s;o far from making her lo&s;e any friend, that he ever wi&s;hed all the world did adore her: She did not &s;ay (replied I, being angry that I was not credited) that you made her fall out with this friend; but &s;he &s;aid, that you have either done or &s;poken &s;omthing which hath made that friend fall out with her: I under&s;tand you wor&s;e then I did before (replied <HI>Thra&s;iles)</HI> do for I know that I am not naturally any Mi&s;chief-maker, nor any Tale-teller; and I am &s;ure, I never &s;poke any thing of any body unto <HI>Ly&s;idice:</HI> Certainly then, replied I, &s;ome or other hath done you an ill office to her: But <HI>Lyriana</HI> (&s;aid he and interrupted me) you think you did rightly under&s;tand her? Yes certainly <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> &s;aid I; and let me tell you, that if you do not quickly ju&s;tifie your &s;elf, you will be excluded out of her fa|vour: How can I ju&s;tifie my &s;elf, an&s;wered he, of an accu&s;ation which I under&s;tand not? To give you a good occa&s;ion, replied I, I will permit you to tell her, how I acquainted you that &s;he complained again&s;t you, and that &s;he &s;aid you were the cau&s;e of her falling out with one of her deare&s;t friends; &s;ince &s;he did not make her complaints any &s;ecret, but on the contrary, made a my&s;terie of a thing which &s;he might well have imparted to me, I am willing you &s;hould tell her it was I who told you, and &s;o you may ju&s;tifie your &s;elf: I &s;poke this &s;o confidently unto <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> that he could not chu&s;e but believe me; and fancying more &s;weetne<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s that <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> &s;hould be offended at him for any thing el&s;e, rather then at the Declaration of his love, he re&s;olved to go the next morning unto her, and did &s;o, and he we it &s;o opportunely, that he found her alone: Since I hear from <HI>Lyria|na</HI> Madam, &s;aid he unto her, that you make &s;ome complaints again&s;t me, and that you accu&s;e me for cau&s;ing you to lo&s;e one of your deare&s;t friends, I come to know Madam whether it be true: Yes (replied &s;he &s;harplie) I did &s;ay all that <HI>Lyriana</HI> told you, but I have not yet &s;aid all I think upon the bu&s;ine&s;s: Why Madam (replied <HI>Thra&s;iles)</HI> Can you &s;ay that I did <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ver m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ke you lo&s;e any friend, I who have ever &s;poke enough to make all the world love: You have &s;poke that unto me, replied &s;he, which is enough to
<PB N="183" REF="675">
make all the world love: You have &s;poke that unto me replied &s;he, which is enough to make me break off with him. I would gladly know Madam, replied he, who this friend is, unto whom I have unwittingly done &s;o ill an office: You &s;hall quickly know him, &s;aid &s;he, and all the world &s;hall know that I will &s;ee him no more. But Madam, an&s;wered he, if this friend be faulty, you are unju&s;t to grieve for him, and puni&s;h me: <HI>Lyriana,</HI> replied &s;he, hath already &s;aid as much as you, but to no purpo&s;e: for I have better rea&s;ons then either of you for what I do. For Heavens &s;ake Madam, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> tell me who this friend is, who on my &s;core hath lo&s;t your favour? It is your &s;elf, (replied &s;he, and blu&s;ht for anger) who might have enjoyed my friend&s;hip as long as you had lived, and who hath for|ced me again&s;t my will to bani&s;h you, and al&s;o who hath deprived me for ever of your company, which was verie plea&s;ing, but which now is odious unto me. How Ma|dam, an&s;wered <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> in a great amazement, Am I he? Yes certainly, replied She, You are, I be&s;eech you Madam, &s;aid he, what did I ever &s;ay again&s;t my &s;elfe that could move you to hate me? You have told me, &s;aid She, that you loved me, and that is enough. Yet I would gladly know, replied he, whether your anger proceeds from becau&s;e I love you, or from becau&s;e <HI>I</HI> was &s;o bold as to tell you &s;o: It proceeds, an&s;wered She, from becau&s;e you told me &s;o: for to be &s;incere, one cannot be angry at being lo|ved,</P>
<P>Then Madam, replied, <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> if it be not my pa&s;&s;ion which incenceth you, but only my bad expre&s;&s;ions of it which angers you, I will not Madam, &s;peak anie more, and be contented to let you know it by my looks, by my &s;ervices, and by all my actions. If you had done thus before, replied &s;he, we had been friends: but &s;ince what's pa&s;t cannot be undone, I mu&s;t do as I re&s;olved: And indeed this was all that <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> could obtaine of <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> that daie, and he parted from her in a belief that &s;he would ca&s;t him off. <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> al&s;o for her part, thinking to &s;ee him no more. After <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> was gone from her, he came to me, who was extreamly de&s;irous and impatient to know who this friend was who <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> was &s;o much out with: Well <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, do you now know the name of him, unto whom you have done &s;uch ill offices? Yes <HI>Lyriana,</HI> &s;aid he, I do know him; and I come hither to tell you and to de&s;ire your pitie for him. You &s;ee then, replied I, that I did not lie: Nor do I think, &s;aid She, that you told the truth. For Heavens &s;ake, &s;aid I unto him, explain this riddle. <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> then, &s;eeing I was very earne&s;t with him; and hoping for &s;ome pitie from me, began to acquaint me with his love to <HI>Ly&s;idice:</HI> and afterwards to tell me of the pa&s;&s;age between them, letting me under&s;tand that this friend whom <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> would bani&s;h, and him&s;elf, were both one and the &s;ame. <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> had no &s;ooner told me this, but I began extreamly to pitie him: Alas <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him, how infinitely do I pitie you for being in love with <HI>Ly&s;idice?</HI> Rather pitie me good <HI>Lyri|ana,</HI> &s;aid he, becau&s;e &s;he does not love me, and not becau&s;e I love her: I a&s;&s;ure you an|&s;wered &s;he, <HI>I</HI> pitie you for both cau&s;es, and I know not whether or no you would be le&s;s mi&s;erable in her hate or in her love: for really <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> con&s;idering the peevi&s;h inequa|litie of her humours, <HI>I</HI> do fore&s;ee you would be intolerably puzzled to endure them. Alas, replied he, &s;o &s;he would let me love her, <HI>I</HI> would endure them all. After this, <HI>I</HI> u&s;ed all my arguments to di&s;&s;wade <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> from any longer loving <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> but all in vain. How|ever, he de&s;ired me to let him lament the mi&s;eries which he fore&s;aw he was probably to endure; and <HI>I</HI> con&s;ented unto him. And indeed, after this, there grew a great amitie be|twixt him and me; in&s;omuch as I dare &s;ay, that I knew his mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts. But to return unto <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> you mu&s;t know that though &s;he re&s;olved to bani&s;h <HI>Thra&s;iles;</HI> yet there was &s;o much giddine&s;s in her humour, that &s;he altered her mind: And Madam, not to trouble you with too much impertinacies, <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> was not bani&s;hed: And <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> became one day in &s;o &s;weet a humour, that She &s;uffered him to love her: yet I think it may very well be &s;aid, that She allowed him this favour, to make him re&s;ent the toyi&s;hne&s;s of her humours with more &s;orrow. And indeed, I believe there was not a day after this on which <HI>Thra&s;yles</HI> did not find the truth of my predictions, in &s;aying that his love to <HI>Ly|&s;idice</HI> would co&s;t him abundance of &s;orrow: yet I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s, that all his hours were not equally ill, but I think I may verie well &s;ay, he &s;uffered more in loving <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> then he had done in loving all the three which formerly raigned in his heart: and that the foo|lery of the fir&s;t, the engagement of the &s;econd, and the in&s;en&s;ibilitie of the third, did not put him to &s;o much trouble, as the inequalitie of <HI>Ly&s;idices</HI> humours: For indeed he never knew in what &s;tate he &s;tood, and could never tell in what di&s;po&s;ition to find her mind, when he came to her. He thought &s;ome days that he had a deep &s;hare in her heart: She
<PB N="184" REF="676">
would impart a hundred particular pa&s;&s;ages unto him in a mo&s;t &s;weet and obliging man|ner, in&s;omuch as he would think him&s;elf &s;ure of her affection: But at next meeting the ca&s;e would be mo&s;t mi&s;erably altered, and he would find her the mo&s;t har&s;h, peevi&s;h, au|&s;teer, and cold woman in the world.</P>
<P>And I mu&s;t go a little further, and tell you how it was even ordinary for her to go into her Clo&s;et in a very good humour, and come out in an extream bad one: And to &s;et forth her unequal humours a little higher yet; She has &s;everal times had &s;everal di&s;cour&s;es with <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> and has not ended with the &s;ame humour &s;he begun, though there was no occa&s;ion in the earth given,, which could make her change it. When She was in the good fit, &s;he would commend all that <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> did, and nothing could anger her: and when &s;he was in the bad, She would find fault with every &s;illable he &s;pake, and would be angry at everie thing: &s;ometimes &s;he would complain of his pa&s;&s;ion, that it made too great a noi&s;e in the world: at other times She would have him do a hundred things to publi&s;h it, and She would very often quarrel with him for obeying her own commands. I remember one day among&s;t the re&s;t when <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> was the mo&s;t charming per&s;on upon earth, and the mo&s;t complai&s;ant, and falling into di&s;cour&s;e of Fea&s;ts, Plea&s;ures, and Walks, before five or &s;ix per&s;ons whom &s;he loved very well, every one propounded their own diver&s;ion accor|ding to their own pallate, &s;o that <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> in her turn, after &s;he had hearkned unto the phancies of others, She began to coment upon them, and &s;aid that there was not one in all they had propo&s;ed which had not &s;ome inconveniencie in them. As for dancing, &s;aid She, The trouble in matters of dre&s;&s;ing them&s;elves, the croud one finds there, the &s;etting up late, the &s;pite to &s;ee another dance more, and to be more applanded, all the&s;e &s;urpa&s;s the plea&s;ure of it. As for mu&s;ique, it moves melancholy, or at lea&s;t does &s;o take up the &s;pirits, that &s;o long as it la&s;ts, they can do nothing but hearken: al&s;o the pains of commen|ding the mu&s;ique does alwaies follow the plea&s;ure. As for Grand-fea&s;ts, they are intole|rable by rea&s;on of that glutting abundance in them, and by rea&s;on of that prodigious va|riety, which in having &s;o much to chu&s;e of, doth take away the liberty of choi&s;e: yet ac|knowledging that walking came neare&s;t her inclination, provided it was in delicious places and choi&s;e company; yet notwith&s;tanding to content all the world, &s;he could fancy &s;uch a fea&s;t, as &s;hould have all tho&s;e plea&s;ures which they had propo&s;ed, without anie of the in|conveniences which follow them. <HI>I</HI> pray, &s;aid I unto her, how would you contrive the bu|&s;ine&s;s? Fir&s;t, &s;aid &s;he, I would make choi&s;e of a mo&s;t rare Garden, vvherein vvere many murmuring and cooling Fountains, excellent Statues, &s;hady Walks, open and aiery Al|leys, great Borders but of Flowers, clo&s;e Arbors, and all that's excellent for a Garden: Al&s;o I would have it near a fair hou&s;e: But after all this, I would have the libertie of na|ming all the per&s;ons to be pre&s;ent, whom I would order &s;o hand&s;omly in my choi&s;e, as they &s;hould not be weary of me, as I &s;hould not be weary of them, nor they wearie of one another. After this not to be troubled with too much tricking and dre&s;&s;ing: I would have all the Ladies there undre&s;&s;ed: that there &s;hould be onlie &s;o many Coaches as not to make a throng, that the dividing of companies &s;hould be &s;utable, and that every Coach &s;hould be filled with tho&s;e who love be&s;t to be together: that none &s;hould be put to ri&s;e too &s;oon in the morning: and that every one &s;hould come to the place, ju&s;t to have &s;o much time as to &s;ee the hou&s;e before they &s;it down, and no more.</P>
<P>Moreover, I would have the meat to be mo&s;t exqui&s;itely good without anie &s;uperflui|tie: Then order &s;hould be ob&s;erved, and that the odour of flowers &s;hould take away the &s;mell of a fea&s;t. All dinner while I would have &s;uch mu&s;ique as is more fit to exhilerate the &s;pirits, then to molifie the heart: al&s;o I would have the mu&s;ique in a loft by them&s;elves, and not too near. After all this, I would have us pa&s;s into a cool hand&s;om Chamber, and talk, till the Sun gives us leave to walk; after which everie one &s;hould follow their own inclinations, and chu&s;e tho&s;e places they like be&s;t. When night came, I would have us &s;up as we dined, but in a place where the murmure of Fountains might be heard: at ri&s;ing from table, I would have return to walk again, and to content tho&s;e who affected dan|cing; I would have two or three hundred chry&s;tal Lamps fixed in every Tree in a large Walk, to make the night day: Then to let the mu&s;ique draw near, and tho&s;e that affect|ed dancing, let them dance: without anie hinderance to tho&s;e that had a de&s;ire to &s;it down under a purling fountain, to follow their own humours. After which, without go|ing too &s;oon, or &s;taying too late, I would have us return to <HI>Cumes,</HI> fully &s;atisfied with all innocent delights, without anie trouble and puzzle as u&s;ually follows &s;uch entertain|ments.</P>
<P><PB N="185" REF="676">
<HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> having done, every one agreed that &s;uch a journy as &s;he expre&s;&s;ed would be very plea&s;ing; But &s;aid <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> to imagin &s;uch a thing is not enough, but it mu&s;t be really effect|ed before it be plea&s;ant: For my part, &s;aid he, I will provide the Garden, the Mu&s;ique, and two repa&s;ts, in which &s;hall be no &s;uper<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ity. <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> hearing this offer, was the fir&s;t who accepted of it, and &s;o it was a thing re&s;olved upon. <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> taking upon him the charge and care of all the Fea&s;t, and <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> the choice of all the per&s;ons, who indeed were &s;uch as plea&s;ed her; at la&s;t they all had Summons, the day was appointed, <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> ordered all things according to <HI>Ly&s;idices</HI> expre&s;&s;ions, excepting what related to the Table unto which he did not keep within his pre&s;cribed limits, for he was more magnificent in them.</P>
<P>The day of this plea&s;ure being come, all the Ladies were readie, and all the Coaches provided, but upon a &s;uddain the whim&s;ey did &s;o take <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> that after &s;he had made a new Gown for that day, which was as gallant and gay as po&s;&s;ible: After I &s;ay &s;he was dre&s;t, after &s;he had put on her Hood, and ready to go, She changed her mind; She un|dre&s;t her &s;elf, and went to bed, praying me to make her excu&s;es unto the companie, &s;ay|ing She was not well; but after I received this me&s;&s;age, in lieu of doing as She bad me, I went unto her, and found her more wa&s;pi&s;h and melancholy then ever I &s;aw her in my life. Since I under&s;tood by her women in the outer Chamber that &s;he was well enough, and not at all &s;ick, I went to her bed-&s;ide, I drew the Curtain, and &s;et open the Win|dows: Let me look in your eyes, &s;aid I unto her, and there &s;ee whether your di&s;ea&s;e be real or di&s;&s;embled, for it is by them better then your tongue, that I can know it.</P>
<P>But Madam, in lieu of finding the lea&s;t langui&s;hiug palene&s;s, I &s;aw a fre&s;h complexi|on, her hair &s;o cur<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed, that much pains and art had been u&s;ed, &s;o that without any an|&s;wer: No, no <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> &s;aid I, I am &s;ure you are not &s;ick, and therefore you mu&s;t ri&s;e and go along with us, and I will not let you be at re&s;t till you ri&s;e. At fir&s;t &s;he an&s;wered me in a pitiful tone, but after &s;he &s;aw I did not believe her, &s;he confe&s;&s;ed &s;he was not &s;ick, but only &s;aid &s;o, becau&s;e &s;he would not go with us: Fie, fie <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> &s;aid I unto her; af|ter you your &s;elf propo&s;ed the bu&s;ine&s;s, after you have made choice of the Per&s;ons, after you have engaged <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> unto much care and charge, all which he is at only for the love of you, can you put off thus? Fie, fie <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> I profe&s;s I cannot endure it, and you &s;hall ab&s;olutely go with us: Were this Fea&s;t made for any other then my &s;elf, replied &s;he, I would go to it; but &s;ince I know it is intended only for me, I neither will nor can go, for I know that theres nothing does more put one out of countenance, then to be the Lady of the Fea&s;t: But I pray <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> &s;aid I unto her, did you not know it was on|ly intended for you, when it was fir&s;t re&s;olved upon? Yes, &s;aid &s;he, and engaged my &s;elf before I had well con&s;idered upon it. But did you not con&s;ider upon it this morning before you dre&s;&s;ed your &s;elf, &s;aid I? No, &s;aid &s;he, for as my woman as &s;he was dre&s;&s;ing me, told one, how one of the Ladies who was to be pre&s;ent &s;hould &s;ay, that &s;he was not at all obliged unto <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> for this Fea&s;t, but whollie unto me; this did &s;o vex me, that I &s;aw I had been verie ra&s;hlie incon&s;iderate in &s;uffering <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> to make this Fea&s;t, and that it was the mo&s;t impertinent thing in the world to make my &s;elf beholding unto a man for all the plea&s;ures which he give unto a great companie, and for the &s;atisfaction which men will receive, unto whom it is not intended: The truth is, I mu&s;t be the debtor unto <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> for all this Fea&s;t if I go unto it, for the Mu&s;ique, for the Dancing, and even to the very charges of the Candles, for the verie coolne&s;s of the evening, and murmure of the Fountains. Fie <HI>Lyriana,</HI> this mu&s;t not be, and I had much rather pay for all, then to acknowledg my &s;elf a debtor, as needs I mu&s;t if I go; therefore <HI>Lyriana,</HI> as well as I love you, I mu&s;t not be beholding unto <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> for all the plea&s;ures he provides you this day. Is it po&s;&s;ible, &s;aid I unto her, that <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> &s;hould &s;ay &s;o? Yes, replied &s;he, and more then that, for <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> is as re&s;olute in it, as ever &s;he was of any thing in all her life. Then you make <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> &s;aid I unto her, mo&s;t de&s;perately &s;ad: There will be &s;o much good company (an&s;wered &s;he) as he may verie ea&s;ilie comfort him&s;elf without mine: You were rightlie &s;erved (&s;aid I unto her) if he did, for he mu&s;t needs be &s;en&s;ible of the affront which you put upon him: Let him do what he will, &s;aid &s;he, &s;o you will go and leave me at quiet. But <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> &s;aid I unto her, though you do not con&s;ider <HI>Thra|&s;iles,</HI> yet con&s;ider your &s;elf, and think how your humour will be talked on: Let them &s;ay what they plea&s;e, replied &s;he, &s;o they will let me do as <HI>I</HI> will. As &s;he pronounced the&s;e la&s;t words, <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> came in, and was a&s;toni&s;hed to find her in bed. Since he knew her now as well as my &s;elf, he imagined that this was onlie a fanta&s;tical humour, yet at
<PB N="176" REF="677">
fir&s;t he did not expre&s;s his thoughts. only asked her, how it came to pa&s;s &s;he was &s;uch a &s;luggard, yet adding with a &s;mile, that it was in &s;ome &s;ort but ju&s;t &s;he &s;hould make them &s;tay for her, on purpo&s;e to let them &s;ee that the Fea&s;t was prepared for her: It will appear, &s;aid &s;he, that <HI>I</HI> have no great &s;hare in it, &s;ince <HI>I</HI> will not be there: <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you Madam, &s;aid he unto her, how comes this &s;uddain alteration to pa&s;s &s;ince la&s;t night? Never ac|cu&s;e <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> of any alteration (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> in an angrie mood) &s;ince &s;he hath no rea&s;on in the world for it, but that &s;he is &s;till her &s;elf. Then did &s;he tell <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> that &s;he was not well, but he did not believe her, and he Courted her in the &s;weete&s;t and mo&s;t per&s;wa&s;ive language in the world, not to refu&s;e him this favour, but all was in vain. <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> then &s;eeing all his per&s;wa&s;ions and arguments could not prevail, propo&s;ed unto her to put it off until another day, but &s;he did with abundance of violence forbid it. Then was <HI>Thra|&s;iles</HI> &s;o vexed, as he &s;aid, that &s;ince &s;he would not go, he would not go neither; and for a|bove half an houre <HI>I</HI> was in a belief, that neither &s;he for whom the Fea&s;t was made, nor he that made it, would be pre&s;ent at it.</P>
<P>But in conclu&s;ion She was &s;o earne&s;t with <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> that he him&s;elf &s;hould go, and She her &s;elf to &s;tay behind, that obey her he mu&s;t, and accordinglie went unto this Fea&s;t with|out her. You may imagine Madam, in what a &s;ullen humour <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> was in all that day, yet he did bear out this peevi&s;h pa&s;&s;age with abundance of patience, and as incon&s;tant as he was reported to be, he did not de&s;i&s;t from loving <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> though in my opinion he had verie great cau&s;e; but on the contrarie, he de&s;ired me to tell all the company, that <HI>Ly&s;i|dice</HI> was really &s;ick, le&s;t they &s;hould &s;peak &s;omthing of her which might be di&s;advantagi|ous unto him. But the odde&s;t Pa&s;&s;age of all was, that the next day &s;he would needs per|&s;wade him mo&s;t unju&s;tly, that he was very merry at the Fea&s;t, though he never &s;eemed &s;o melancholy in all his life, and charged him with a crime for obeying her in the entertain|ment of tho&s;e Ladies which &s;he her &s;elf made choice of. However, her wa&s;pi&s;h humour being over, She ea&s;ilie appea&s;ed <HI>Thra&s;iles.</HI> But &s;ince it was not po&s;&s;ible the fanta&s;tical humour of <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> &s;hould be concealed, She made the love of <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> to her more apparent, in&s;omuch as one who was an Enemie unto <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> and had a &s;quint eye her &s;elf upon <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> did give it out, that <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> did not onlie love <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> but al&s;o that <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> &s;uffered <HI>Thra&s;ile&punc;</HI> to love her: And She &s;poke this before &s;o much company, that &s;ome friend of <HI>Ly&s;idices</HI> did acquaint her with it: So that She never con&s;idering that it was onlie the reports of an Enemie, did take the matter as hainou&s;lie, as if it had been the vulgar talk of all the Court, and charged <HI>Thra&s;yles</HI> never to &s;ee her again, yet She did a little moderate her doom, and confined him only not to &s;ee her at her own hou&s;e: So that <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> who was all obedience, &s;ought out all occa&s;ions of comfort to him&s;elf in &s;eeing her at other places, either in the Temple, or in the Walks, or at other vi&s;its which &s;he made, in&s;omuch as though he did not &s;ee her at her own hou&s;e, yet he &s;aw her very often; but he did not long enjoy this favour wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h any tranquilitie for <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> grow|ing into a wor&s;e mood, began to be very har&s;h to him, and to think that he &s;lighted her, &s;ince he came not to &s;ee her, though She po&s;itively commanded the contrarie, and though he never in his life loved her more. In the mean time, <HI>Thra&s;yles</HI> &s;eeing him&s;elf &s;o cour&s;ly treated, could not devi&s;e unto what to attribute the cau&s;e, and I believe would never have found it, unle&s;s he had by chance come unto <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e when <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> was there, where ca&s;ually I was &s;peaking of a man in Court who was one of my friends: One of your friends (re|plied <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> &s;harplie) how can that be, &s;ince I never &s;ee him with you? I do not &s;ay, replied I, that he is in the fir&s;t rank of my friends; yet however, &s;ince I &s;ee him almo&s;t everie day in &s;everal places, I may &s;ay he is my friend: Oh <HI>Lyriana,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, you do &s;trangelie mi&s;take your &s;elf; for it is my opinion, that though I &s;hould &s;ee you everie day at <HI>Philoxenes</HI> hou&s;e, and not at mine, I &s;hould look upon you only as my friends friend, and not my own. But if <HI>Lyriana</HI> &s;hould onlie aim at &s;eeing <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> in <HI>Philoxenes</HI> Cham|ber, replied <HI>Thra&s;yle,</HI> what would you think of her then, I would then think, repli|ed She, that She might have &s;pared her labour, for I am not at all obliged unto her for it: There is &s;uch a notable difference between vi&s;its at ones own hou&s;e, and vi&s;its at ano|thers hou&s;e, one is not Mi&s;tre&s;s of the conver&s;ation, but mu&s;t &s;ubmit in civilitie to the plea&s;ure of her who&s;e hou&s;e it is. Moreover, when one is not at home, one is obliged to &s;ee a thou&s;and per&s;ons whom they care not for meeting with, and who &s;omtimes de&s;ire not to be &s;een. So that the humour taking me, as oft it doth, I &s;hall be a whole after noon and not &s;peak a word; and there is &s;o great a difference between <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> in her own Chamber, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">p <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> in anothers, as one would &s;ay &s;he was two <HI>Ly&s;idices:</HI> Yet (re|plied
<PB N="187" REF="677">
I and laughed) yet there is not nece&s;&s;ity of being &s;o different in your &s;elf: However it be, &s;aid She, it cannot be denied, but that it is incomparably more &s;weet to have good companie at home, then any where el&s;e; and that any one is fuller of life and &s;pirit in ones own Chamber, then in anothers. According to your Maximes Madam, replied <HI>Thra|&s;yles,</HI> I am onlie to be the friend of your friend; You need not doubt it, replied She, and from this verie houre I will look upon you as <HI>Lyriana's</HI> friend and not mine; for I do pro|fe&s;s and declare unto you, that all the men I find abroad, do never make any particular impre&s;&s;ion upon my heart, and it would be an Age before I &s;hould look upon them as having any right unto their amitie, but &s;hould rank &s;uch men in the Catalogue of my acquaintance, and not of my friends. But I be&s;eech you Madam, replied <HI>Thra&s;yles,</HI> if one do forbid anie one of their friends to come unto their hou&s;e, does &s;uch a friend lo&s;e the glorious title and qualitie of friend, by being obedient unto their commands? Yes, re|plied She, if &s;uch a one will willinglie be obedient in &s;uch a thing as might be di&s;obeyed, without di&s;obliging her who did command it. I know one of your friends, replied he, unto whom I will give this coun&s;el: Be not too ha&s;tie, &s;aid &s;he, for perhaps the coun|&s;el which I give in general, is not good for him you &s;peak of in particular. The truth is Madam, <HI>Thra&s;yles</HI> did ea&s;ily under&s;tand her, for &s;ince he had a mind to go the next day unto <HI>Ly&s;idices,</HI> &s;he did treat him mo&s;t abominablie ill, and told him, that &s;ince he would &s;carcelie ever &s;ee her at her own hou&s;e, he &s;hould not &s;ee her any where el&s;e, &s;o that there was a fearful quarrel between them; but for all this, it ended to the apparent advantage of <HI>Thra&s;yles;</HI> for &s;ince that, he obtained leave to &s;ee her at her own hou&s;e, as before. But Madam, it was to torment him more then ever he was before; for I am con|fident, that there was not one day on which the inequalitie of this fanta&s;tical woman did not torment him with a new puni&s;hment, the greate&s;t crueltie was, that &s;he would &s;o &s;mooth him up with her &s;weet and plea&s;ant houres, that he could not for his life di&s;ingage his mind: For truly (&s;aid he one day unto me when <HI>I</HI> was per&s;wading him to de&s;i&s;t) were She alwayes in her ill humours, I could ea&s;ily break tho&s;e bands which tye me to her &s;er|vice: But <HI>Lyriana,</HI> did you but know how amiable She is when She plea&s;eth, you would not wonder I &s;hould love her, maugre her fanta&s;tical inequality, and her good houres forceth me to endure her bad ones with patience. In the mean time I plainlie &s;ee, this &s;weetne&s;s &s;erves onlie to make me the more mi&s;erable. Thus Madam did <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> live with <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> who did a long time endure her impertinent inequalities; and I am verie con|fident, that any other would have for&s;ook her &s;ooner, yet I am mo&s;t confidentlie per|&s;waded, that until this la&s;t pa&s;&s;age, he loved her in &s;pite of her humours, but for it, he was not able to endure it, and certainly he had good rea&s;on; For Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> taking her in the critical minute, when &s;he was all &s;weetne&s;s and civi|lities, he won her to let him ask the con&s;ent of her Parents unto her Marriage with him. He had no &s;ooner obtained this libertie, but being even ravi&s;hed with joy, he went unto <HI>Ni&s;ide,</HI> (for Father he had none long &s;ince) and moved her to tran&s;act with him. <HI>Ni|&s;ide</HI> who was extreamlie tender of her Son, did give him all de&s;irable &s;atisfaction, and &s;poke of it unto <HI>Ly&s;idices</HI> Parents, who liked very well of this Alliance. So that imagining <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> would never have put her upon this motion, unle&s;s he had known her mind be|fore, they accepted the Propo&s;ition with much joy, not at all que&s;tioning but <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> would like of it as well as them&s;elves; but it was not as they imagined: For Madam, this &s;ickle humoured woman having altered her mind, &s;ince <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> left her, di&s;liked of that which before &s;he approved of. 'Tis true, She writ a Letter of Revocation unto him, but he did not receive it until a quarter of an houre after he had received the favourable an|&s;wer which <HI>Ly&s;idices</HI> Parents gave unto <HI>Ni&s;ide.</HI> I leave you to judg Madam, how this &s;ur|prized <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> but his a&s;toni&s;hment was much greater when he ander&s;tood how <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> had declared her &s;elf that She would not marry, and when he under&s;tood that the Parents of this uncertain woman came to <HI>Ni<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ide</HI> with a hundred excu&s;es for engaging them&s;elves &s;o far as they had done, before they knew the mind of her who had the greate&s;t intere&s;t in the bu&s;ine&s;s. Judg Madam, how <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &s;hould re&s;ent this affront which <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> put upon him, and whether he had not good cau&s;e to leave loving her; his anger was &s;o great, that he made a &s;olemn oath never to go unto her again, but ab&s;olutely to break off with her; yet I do verily believe, he would have violated his oath, had not I prevented him; but &s;ince I knew he would never find any joyes in this mo&s;t alterable humoured woman, I did &s;o confirm him in his de&s;ign, that he re&s;olved to execute it. Since he had already found by experience, that ab&s;ence was a good remedie again&s;t &s;uch di&s;ea&s;es, he left <HI>Cumes,</HI> and at parting left this Letter for <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> which contained the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="188" REF="678">
<HEAD>THRASILES <HI>unto</HI> LYSIDICE.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>SInce in loving you with a mo&s;t con&s;tant violence, ever &s;ince I began to &s;erve you, I cannot obtain your love: Perhaps in changing my mind, you will change al&s;o, and perhaps grieve for your lo&s;s: However, I depart from <HI>Cumes</HI> with a mo&s;t &s;trong re&s;olution never to return until I have quite bani&s;hed you out of my heart: Be mo&s;t confidently a&s;&s;ured, that if ever you &s;ee me again, it &s;hall be without the lea&s;t &s;park of love unto you: And if you never &s;ee me, it is becau&s;e I cannot rid my heart of the mo&s;t fervent pa&s;&s;ion that ever any was capable of.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>THRASILES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>When <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> gave me this Letter for <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> I know he de&s;ired an an&s;wer: but I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I would not pre&s;s her for one, le&s;t if it &s;hould be writ in one of her good moods, it might re-engage him to love her, yet &s;ince he wi&s;hed that &s;he had it, I did deli|ver it, and made her read it in my pre&s;ence: After which, I began to chide her a thou&s;and times, and pre&s;&s;ed her to tell me, why &s;he would ever grant <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> any &s;uch permi&s;&s;ion as She did, &s;ince it was again&s;t her mind. When I gave him that Permi&s;&s;ion, &s;aid She, <HI>I</HI> did really think it, and it was my very mind: But afterwards, when <HI>I</HI> con&s;idered this en|gagement which was to be as long as <HI>I</HI> lived, <HI>I</HI> found it fondne&s;s for one who could not tell in the morning what humour She &s;hould be in at night, to think that the &s;ame which plea&s;ed me now, &s;hould plea&s;e me at the latter end of my life: &s;o that it might perhaps have made me mi&s;erable, without contributing any thing unto the felicity of <HI>Thra&s;iles.</HI> For truly <HI>Lyriana,</HI> &s;aid She unto me, when I think upon the extream perplexitie I am in, when the humour takes me in a place out of which I cannot get: and how grieved I &s;hould be if after I were married unto <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> I &s;hould change my mind, and repent; I mu&s;t needs prote&s;t, that as much as I e&s;teem him, I am verie glad he is out of <HI>Cumes:</HI> and &s;hall hardly de&s;ire his return for the rea&s;on he expre&s;&s;eth in the conclu&s;ion of his Letter: yet <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> blu&s;hed as She pronounced the&s;e la&s;t words, and blu&s;hed &s;o much as I could ea&s;i|ly &s;ee her heart and her tongue were at odds. In the mean time I writ unto <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> e|nough to cure him, yet for all that he was not &s;o &s;oon quit of that pa&s;&s;ion which torment|ed him: But during his ab&s;ence I &s;aw <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> remembred what he had writ, and believed that the rea&s;on why he returned not, was becau&s;e he was &s;till in love with her. That which induced me to think &s;o, was, That <HI>Philoxene</HI> going into that Countrey where <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> was, She came to bid me adieu ju&s;t as <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> was in my chamber, &s;o that falling into di&s;|cour&s;e of that &s;olitude whereunto She was going, I told her that I thought her very hap|py in that She was to have the neighbourhood of &s;uch a mo&s;t accompli&s;hed man as <HI>Thra|&s;iles</HI> was. It's &s;o long &s;ince he went out of <HI>Cumes,</HI> replied <HI>Philoxene,</HI> that it's very proba|ble he will not &s;tay long in the Country: Since you are in it, replied <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> and &s;miled, its to be thought he will not &s;o &s;oon leave it: For my part (replied I purpo&s;ely to let <HI>Ly|&s;idice</HI> know I under&s;tood her) I am not of your opinion: for I think it very likely <HI>Philox|ene</HI> will make <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> come &s;ooner unto <HI>Cumes,</HI> then you imagine. I mu&s;t confe&s;s, &s;aid <HI>Philoxene,</HI> I do not well under&s;tand your meanings; for me thinks you both do commend me, and yet &s;peak contrary to each other: It's a Riddle, &s;aid I unto her, which happily you may explain hereafter: If She do not return until <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> returns, replied <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> and laughed, it will be a long time before She know what you mean. After this, and much other di&s;cour&s;e which I remember no&punc; <HI>Philoxene</HI> went away. But within a month after She was gone, as <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> and I were together, and coming o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> of <HI>Atalia's</HI> hou&s;e, who &s;hould we meet but <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> who &s;aluted us very civilly as he pa&s;&s;ed by, but &s;tayed not a jot with us. I no &s;ooner &s;aw him but I lookt upon <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> who as &s;oon as ever She &s;aw him chan|ged colour: &s;o that I turning to her, and &s;peaking low le&s;t our women &s;hould hear. Well <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> (&s;aid I unto her) did you think <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> would ever return? Provided <HI>Philoxe|ne</HI> did not &s;end him, replied She, I do not care though he be returned: For my part, re|plied I, I care not upon what rea&s;on he return, &s;o he think upon the end of his Letter which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> writ unto you. However it be, &s;aid She unto me, you would do me a great plea|&s;ure, if you would tell <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> I am much joyed at his return: I promi&s;e you I will, &s;aid I unto her, though on my con&s;cience you are not &s;o glad of it as you &s;ay you are. As we were thus talking, we came to a Ladies hou&s;e unto whom we intended a vi&s;it: which done,
<PB N="189" REF="678">
I waited upon <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> to her own hou&s;e, and returned to my own, where <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &s;tayed for me: I no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but I &s;eemed very joyful at his return: But yet, &s;aid I unto him, before my joys be full, I mu&s;t know whether you be returned free from this thing called Love: for if you be not, believe me, in lieu of rejoycing, I &s;hall be extreamly grie|ved. Grieve then you mu&s;t, &s;aid he unto me; for I was never more in love in all my life then now, and in all probabilities &s;hall be &s;o till death. Fie fie, <HI>Thra&s;yles,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, you are not &s;o much Ma&s;ter of your &s;elf as I imagined, nor care I for the friend&s;hip of a man, who &s;ince he can &s;o ea&s;ily forget injuries, can as ea&s;ily forget good offices: But <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &s;aid I, have you forgot how you writ unto <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> that you would never retur unto <HI>Cu|mes</HI> until you had left loving her? Pardon me good <HI>Lyriana,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, for I have kept my word. You are not then in love, as you &s;ay you are, replied I. I am more in love <HI>Lyriana,</HI> &s;aid he, then I &s;ay I am; yes, much more then I am able to &s;ay: But, my dear <HI>Lyriana,</HI> it is with <HI>Philoxene,</HI> and not with <HI>Ly&s;idice,</HI> whom &s;pite and rea&s;on bani&s;hed out of my heart, before <HI>Philoxene</HI> came into the Country. Though it be not my cu&s;tom, replied I, to be very glad that anie of my friends &s;hould be in love; yet <HI>I</HI> profe&s;s <HI>I</HI> am infinitely joyed that you are in love with <HI>Philoxene,</HI> &s;ince it is an infallible argument you are not in love with <HI>Ly&s;idice.</HI></P>
<P>After this, <HI>I</HI> began to vaunt that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould &s;o foretel his pa&s;&s;ion; and <HI>I</HI> related unto him what <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> and <HI>I</HI> had &s;aid when <HI>Philoxene</HI> came to bid me adieu: After this he acquain|ted me, how having &s;een <HI>Philoxene</HI> every day &s;ince &s;he came into the Country with all the freedom which the Country could afford: he had &s;een her more in a month there, then he &s;hould have done in <HI>Cumes</HI> in a whole year: and that indeed he had found that in her alone which he had vainly &s;ought for in tho&s;e four per&s;ons which formerly he had loved. How <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him, Are you not only in love, but loved al&s;o? No, replied he, you do not well explain my words, for my meaning is, that <HI>Philoxene</HI> hath more good quali|ties then all the re&s;t together have: And certainly Madam, <HI>Thra&s;yles</HI> had good rea&s;on thus to commend this lovely Widow, &s;ince que&s;tionle&s;s there cannot be a more accom|pli&s;hed per&s;on. Doubtle&s;s he might have found one of as great beauty, and as much wit, and &s;pirit; but never any &s;o without fault. For truth is, &s;he had none: her beauty was infinitely plea&s;ing, her behaviour was high, noble, and mode&s;t; her Phi&s;ognomy &s;pake goodne&s;s and &s;incerity: and there was &s;uch pritty mixture of mirth and &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s to|gether in her face, as did exceedingly become her: She had a million of charms in her hu|mours, as many graces in her mind, and as many good qualities in her &s;oul: virtue was alwayes the end &s;he aimed at in all her actions: She affected glory, She is mo&s;t tender to her friends, She &s;erves them with joy, and never di&s;obliged any. It may be &s;aid her anger is an ornament unto her, in rai&s;ing up &s;ome lovely blu&s;hes, but vani&s;hing &s;o &s;oon as it will not give her time to do any inju&s;tice. It is impo&s;&s;ible but to judg favourably of her: She is fair, She is young, She is rich, and She is a Widdow: She knows &s;o well how to re|gulate her life, that her reputation is high, though her vertue be neither &s;alvage nor au|&s;tere; but on the contrary &s;weet and &s;ociable. This Madam, was <HI>Philoxene,</HI> when <HI>Thra&s;i|les</HI> began to love her, and this She is at this very day: yet I under&s;tand by him, that he dur&s;t not di&s;cover his pa&s;&s;ion unto her&punc; but tells me, that he is fully per&s;waded She knows it, or at lea&s;t &s;u&s;pects it. Since he came only unto <HI>Cumes</HI> upon &s;ome little bu&s;ine&s;s, and to let <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> know how he did not now love her, he &s;tayed but three days, and returned to <HI>Philoxene.</HI></P>
<P>To tell you how vexed <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> was, is not an ea&s;ie matter, e&s;pecially when <HI>Philoxene</HI> returned to <HI>Cumes,</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> followed her the next day; for when &s;he perceived that he was in love with this fair one, She was veved to the very &s;oul. Then did &s;he contract a great amity with <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> and both of them had a plot to make him pa&s;s in the world for the mo&s;t uncon&s;tant man in it, hoping thereby to ruine him in the opinion of <HI>Philoxene:</HI> and indeed, I believe the&s;e reports which they had &s;cattered abroad, did not do him much good nor hurt. But the great ob&s;tacle which <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> met with in the mind of <HI>Philoxene,</HI> was not that: for indeed after he had &s;erved her a whole year with extream a&s;&s;iduity and fidelity, She &s;aw he was far from incon&s;tancie: But Madam the love She had to liberty, kept her from the reception of <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> his &s;ervices: I know &s;he e&s;teemed him above all men living, and that if ever &s;he married, <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> would be her choice: But yet, for all this favourable inclination which apparently &s;he had to him, She did not chu&s;e him, nor put him in any hopes: yet for all that <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> whom they &s;aid was &s;o uncon&s;tant, de&s;i&s;t|ed not, but &s;uffered all, becau&s;e he did not find in her &s;uch things as &s;tifles the very &s;oul of
<PB N="190" REF="679">
Love: As the foolerie of his fir&s;t Mi&s;tre&s;s, the engagement of his &s;econd, the in&s;en&s;ibi|litie of the third, and the fanta&s;tical humours of the fourth: But he &s;tood firm and con|&s;tant to his loving her, and &s;eemed as if he were re&s;olved &s;o to do as long as life was in him, and I am mo&s;t confident it is true; for &s;ince <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> loved <HI>Philoxene,</HI> his con|&s;tancy hath been put unto all &s;orts of trials. Fir&s;t, it is certain, that <HI>Cleocrite</HI> and <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> either out of vanity, or malice, or &s;ome other rea&s;on, laid all the &s;tratagems they could invent to di&s;ingage him for her, and to reduce him unto their &s;ervices. <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> al&s;o for a while had a &s;trong de&s;ire her Son &s;hould marrie one of the faire&s;t Ladies in the world, and much richer then <HI>Philoxene,</HI> yet his pa&s;&s;ion re&s;i&s;ted again&s;t all, even ab&s;ence it &s;elf, for he was three whole moneths in <HI>Milete,</HI> where the greate&s;t Beauties in the world re|&s;ide, yet he continued faithful, and returned to <HI>Cumes</HI> as much in love with her, as when he went away: Moreover, it cannot be &s;aid, that the favours of <HI>Philoxene</HI> did re&s;train him, for none could live more re&s;ervedlie, and u&s;e more &s;everitie then She did to him, though without any rudene&s;s or incivility. Thus Madam it mu&s;t con&s;equentlie and nece&s;|&s;arilie be concluded, that <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> may very well pa&s;s for a verie con&s;tant man, though he have loved many Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es: Yet Madam, &s;ince friend&s;hip may be partial, I will &s;u&s;|pend my judgment until you have pronounced your &s;entence.</P>
<P>After <HI>Lyriana</HI> had fini&s;hed her relation, <HI>Mandana</HI> did extreamlie commend her, and thanked her for her plea&s;ing recital of <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> his adventures, applauding her e&s;pecial|lie for epitomizing five &s;everal Loves into &s;o &s;hort a method, as any one el&s;e would have made &s;o many &s;everal &s;tories. After which, asking <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the Prince <HI>Arta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">,</HI> and <HI>Agla|tidas</HI> in what rank &s;he &s;hould repute <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> they would not give her any coun&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">, but would leave it unto her judgment: So that appointing to let <HI>Cleocrite, Ly&s;idice, A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ia,</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> to enter, it was found that <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> having altered her humour, &s;ince She went out of the Chamber of <HI>Mandana,</HI> was gone away, and had carried <HI>At<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> her, and &s;o there remained none but <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> and <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> who&s;e indifferent humour made her not care much whether <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> &s;hould pa&s;s for a con&s;tant or an incon&s;tant man; and accordinglie She came into <HI>Mandana's</HI> Chamber with <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> as plea&s;ant as if She valued not the indifferencie whereof She imagined <HI>Lyriana</HI> had accu&s;ed her. You &s;ee Madam, &s;aid &s;he to the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> that as indifferent as they &s;ay I am, yet I am more full of revenge then either <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> or <HI>Atalia,</HI> &s;ince I my &s;elf do bring him in who is to be condemned: 'Tis more then you know, replied <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> whether I &s;hall be condemned or ju&s;tified: We &s;hall know it pre&s;entlie, replied &s;he, &s;ince it is the Prince&s;s who mu&s;t teach me what I ought to think of you: I a&s;&s;ure you, replied <HI>Mandana,</HI> that if you regulate your thoughts by mine, you will think nothing that is advantagious to him: For indeed, added the Prince&s;s, after a &s;erious con&s;ideration of the &s;everal changes which hath been in <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> I do not find him &s;o clear as I did imagine; therefore without ei|ther favour or inju&s;tice, I do doom him to be named
<Q><L>The uncon&s;tant man, without incon&s;tancie.</L></Q></P>
<P>The Judgment is &s;o ju&s;t, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that I cannot think the fair <HI>Cleocrite</HI> will mur|mure at it, nor that <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> will complain: Since the name of Incon&s;tant is his doom, replied <HI>Cleocrite,</HI> I &s;hould be injurious to murmure: And for my part, &s;aid <HI>Thra&s;iles,</HI> &s;ince the mo&s;t wi&s;e Prince&s;s in the world declares me to be without incon&s;tancy, I have good rea&s;on to be &s;atisfied, and to commend her Ju&s;tice: Since I have plea&s;ed you both, replied <HI>Mandana,</HI> I have done more then I thought I &s;hould, but certainlie done that which I de&s;ired. As &s;he &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Philoxene</HI> entred, and <HI>Cleocrite</HI> went out: But as <HI>Man|dana</HI> ob&s;erved that <HI>Anaxaris</HI> thought him&s;elf obliged by the favours &s;he did unto <HI>Thra|&s;iles,</HI> &s;he took occa&s;ion to &s;peak unto <HI>Philoxene</HI> in his behalf; and the occa&s;ion did the more fitlie pre&s;ent it &s;elf, becau&s;e <HI>Philoxene</HI> knowing that the Army was to march verie &s;hortlie, &s;he come unto the Prince&s;s, be&s;eeching her to obtain from <HI>Cyrus</HI> a Protection for a fair hou&s;e which &s;he had, which &s;tood ju&s;t in the way they were to march. <HI>Cyrus</HI> for his particular, did &s;o love to do all good offices for unfortunate Lovers, that he &s;poke very much unto <HI>Philoxene</HI> in behalf of <HI>Thra&s;yles,</HI> in&s;omuch, as though &s;he had till then very re&s;olutely defended her liberty, both again&s;t <HI>Thra&s;yles,</HI> and again&s;t her own incli|nation, began now to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> unto the Conquerour of <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> And indeed <HI>Thra&s;iles</HI> did thrive &s;o well under the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">tion of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana,</HI> that within three daies after the match was made up, and their Marriage was honored with the pre&s;ence of <HI>Mandana</HI>
<PB N="191" REF="679">
and <HI>Cyrus,</HI> But though all the Ladies in <HI>Cumes</HI> were invited, there came none but <HI>Cleo|crite</HI> and <HI>Ly&s;idice</HI> of all the Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es of <HI>Thra&s;iles:</HI> The fir&s;t of the&s;e, becau&s;e all things being indifferent unto her except plea&s;ures, &s;he would not lo&s;e &s;uch a fea&s;t of joy, and <HI>Ly&s;i|dice,</HI> becau&s;e coming thither accidentally, and being in a merry humor, &s;he thought it would be mo&s;t glorious for her not to expre&s;s any &s;orrows for the lo&s;s of <HI>Thra&s;iles.</HI> In the mean time, tho&s;e who were &s;ent to the <HI>Xanthians,</HI> and the <HI>Caunians,</HI> being returned, and re|porting that they received all the conditions with joy, there was now no ob&s;tacle to the departure of <HI>Mandana,</HI> for &s;uch ha&s;t was made in the preparations of all things requi&s;ite to her journey, as that all things would be in readine&s;s within a day or two. To loo&s;e no time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave out all nece&s;&s;ary orders, either for the march of the Army, or for the departure of the two Fleets which were in the Port, or to di&s;mi&s;s the me&s;&s;engers from the Prince <HI>Philoxippes,</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Cicilie,</HI> with thanks to their Ma&s;ters. But whil&s;t hope did &s;o nouri&s;h the joyes of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as the engagement with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> ne|ver troubled him; <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris</HI> &s;eeing the di&s;mal day of <HI>Mandana</HI>'s departure drew neer, they were extreamlie &s;ad; for when they con&s;idered that the end of their voyage would be the beginning of felicity unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and the end of his mi&s;eries, their &s;orrows were beyond all expre&s;&s;ions; yet there was abundance of difference between the thoughts of the&s;e two Rivals, and one and the &s;ame beautie, and one and the &s;ame Pa&s;&s;i|on produced in them effects very unre&s;emblant. <HI>Anaxaris</HI> without any hopes, was &s;o be|witched with his pa&s;&s;ion, as he could not for his life re&s;i&s;t it: But as for <HI>Mazares,</HI> he did &s;o continually &s;trive with him&s;elf and his pa&s;&s;ion, that it was impo&s;&s;ible for man to do more. <HI>Anaxaris</HI> to be more in Love, if it were po&s;&s;ible, did &s;ee the Prince&s;s as much as ever he could: <HI>Mazares</HI> on the contrary, was &s;o afraid of a beauty which was above his virtue, as he did mo&s;t carefully avoid all occa&s;ions of &s;eeing her: Indeed, he had never any parti|cular di&s;cour&s;e with this Prince&s;s, &s;ince &s;he was delivered; but the night before their de|parture, <HI>Cyrus</HI> being bu&s;ie in writing to the Queen of <HI>Corinth,</HI> to the Prince <HI>Philoxippes,</HI> to the Prince of <HI>Cicilie,</HI> and in giving orders for &s;ecuring <HI>Cumes,</HI> and di&s;patching the De|puties from <HI>Su&s;iana,</HI> &s;o it happened, that <HI>Mazares</HI> being then with <HI>Mandana,</HI> he was in&s;en&s;ibly ingaged to be alone with her. At fir&s;t there was a great a &s;ilence ob&s;erved be|tween them, for the Prince&s;s remembring how this Prince in whom &s;he tru&s;ted had betrayed her, and how &s;he never was alone with him &s;ince he carried her away, &s;he began to blu&s;h, and <HI>Mazares</HI> for his part, &s;eeing he was alone with that Prince&s;s whom he extremely loved, and who&s;e greate&s;t mi&s;eries he had cau&s;ed, he found in his heart &s;o much love, and &s;o much &s;hame both, as he was a long time before he could tell what to &s;ay unto her; but at la&s;t, not fore&s;eeing what the &s;equel of his di&s;cour&s;e would be, he began to &s;peak unto this Prin|ce&s;s.</P>
<P>Though I doubt not Madam, &s;aid he unto her. but &s;ince you have honoured me with the promi&s;e of your friend&s;hip, and to let me enjoy it as I did at <HI>Babylon,</HI> you will be as good as your word, &s;ince I have kept mine with you; yet Madam, I cannot chu&s;e but beg new a&s;&s;urances of it: For truly Madam, when I think how unworthy of it I have made my &s;elf. I dare not tru&s;t either unto your promi&s;es or your genero&s;ity; and methinks I have rea&s;on to fear, that &s;ince you cannot re&s;tore me to your e&s;teem, you cannot re&s;tore me to your friend&s;hip. Since I find you the &s;ame at <HI>Cumes,</HI> replied <HI>Mandana,</HI> that you were at <HI>Babylon,</HI> I will quite forget all that pa&s;&s;ed at <HI>Sinope,</HI> and rank you among&s;t my deare&s;t friends: The Crime I did commit again&s;t you was &s;o great, replied <HI>Mazares,</HI> as I dare not hope you can forget it, unle&s;s you know &s;omthing more that may extenuate it; for truly Madam, you do not yet know two things which I do mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you to let me now acquaint you with, and which que&s;tionle&s;s will the more willingly induce you to re|&s;tore me unto that e&s;teem and friend&s;hip which you are plea&s;ed to promi&s;e me. It is &s;uffi|cient for that (replied <HI>Mandana)</HI> that you have repented, and that you are re&s;olved to keep within tho&s;e thoughts that now you have: No Madam, replied <HI>Mazares,</HI> my re|pentance is not enough, &s;ince it does only repair my Crime, but the two things which I have to tell you will le&s;&s;en it: Then tell them, replied the Prince&s;s, for I a&s;&s;ure you I &s;hould be very glad of new cau&s;es to e&s;teem you: Since you are plea&s;ed to permit me Ma|dam, replied <HI>Mazares,</HI> I mu&s;t tell you, that it was pa&s;&s;ion which made me<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ninal again&s;t you. Methinks, replied <HI>Mandana,</HI> and blu&s;ht, that this is but a bad way to me to re&s;tore you unto my e&s;teem and friend&s;hip, &s;ince it revives in my memory a thing which made you lo&s;e them: I be&s;eech you Madam (replied <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;eeing the di&s;order in her face) do not fear that I will ever repent of my repentance, and do not imagine I pretend, that the
<PB N="192" REF="680">
pa&s;&s;ion (who&s;e grandure I would have you know) &s;hall &s;erve me unto any other end, then to le&s;&s;en the crime which I committed in carrying you away. No Madam, I promi&s;e you never to tell you the thoughts of my heart as long as I live: and that I will never ask any thing from you but this e&s;teem and friend&s;hip which you promi&s;ed me: But for Heavens &s;ake Madam, give me leave only once to tell you with what imperious violence you com|manded in my heart, when you ravi&s;hed away my virtue.</P>
<P>This is a favour which <HI>Cyrus</HI> him&s;elf, if I asked would not deny; but would give me leave to tell it: for I profe&s;s Madam I de&s;ire not to talk to you of that love which made me criminal, out of hope of any recompence: but only to le&s;&s;en my puni&s;hment, and to ju&s;tifie my &s;elf: I do not beg permi&s;&s;ion Madam, to tell you that I love you, I de&s;ire only to let you know, that I did love you to &s;uch a height, as that I was out of my wits when I carried you away from <HI>Sinope:</HI> To the end, that if you do not look upon me as a wicked wretch, who &s;inned without any provocation or repugnancy, you may the more ea&s;ily keep your word with me. If to believe you loved me (replied the Prince&s;s) be all that's re|qui&s;ite, I had rather confe&s;s it, then doubt of it: to the end I may &s;pare my &s;elf the pains of hearkening unto a di&s;cour&s;e which cannot plea&s;e me, nor be at all advantagious unto you: However Madam, &s;aid he, I be&s;eech you let the greatne&s;s of my crime convince you of the greatne&s;s of my love which moved me to commit it. I pray <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Man|dana,</HI> and interrupted him, do not infu&s;e any &s;cruple in my mind, to poi&s;on that friend&s;hip and e&s;teem I would have of you: and know, that the more you pe&s;wade me that you lo|ved me, the more I &s;hall think you did not love me, and the le&s;s &s;hare will you have in my friend&s;hip; therefore do not expo&s;e your &s;elf unto a thing which perhaps may make you lo&s;e it: For heavens &s;ake Madam, replied <HI>Mazares,</HI> do not threaten me with &s;uch a dire adventure, but give me leave to acquaint you with my real thoughts; to the end you may entertain no unju&s;t ones of me. Think Madam, I conjure you, that I would never &s;peak any thing that &s;hould di&s;plea&s;e you: and that I court nothing but your e&s;teem and friend&s;hip; and that I will eternally fight again&s;t my &s;elf in your behalf; that I will regu|late my thoughts as I do my words: I will forbid my eyes to &s;hew you the thoughts of my heart: and for a te&s;timony of my reverent e&s;teem of you. I will &s;erve <HI>Cyrus</HI> as if I had never been his Rival. Judg Madam, after this, whether you can be &s;o &s;evere as to deny me the favour which I ask; for I prote&s;t Madam, that this is the la&s;t time of all my life that ever I will &s;peak unto you concerning my &s;elf: I will engage my &s;elf never to pro|nounce the word Love in your pre&s;ence: but I be&s;eech you, let me a&s;&s;ure you, that &s;ince love hath cau&s;ed me to commit the&s;e crimes, that I could never have done it, unle&s;s it had been forced by &s;uch a violent pa&s;&s;ion, as that which forced me to forget my reverence of you. But for all this Madam, I mu&s;t tell you, that never was repentance more real then mine&punc; nor more fit to repair a great crime; for there is nothing upon earth which I would not do, rather then to give you the lea&s;t cau&s;e of &s;u&s;picion that I do entertaine one thought which might render my &s;elf unworthy of that glorious friend&s;hip, which you have done me the honour to promi&s;e me, &amp; which I beg with all imaginable zeal, and po&s;&s;ible re&s;pect. <HI>Mazares</HI> pronounced the&s;e words in &s;uch a &s;erious manner, as <HI>Mandana</HI> having no mind to in&s;ult over a Prince who&s;e pa&s;&s;ion only had made him mi&s;erable, did an&s;wer him with as much civility as virtue: and &s;poke unto him in &s;uch a generous manner, that if the love of <HI>Mazares</HI> had been capable of becoming friend&s;hip, he had made the exchange at her in|&s;tance: But though he was not able to regulate the thoughts of his heart, yet he did as much as ever he could, and did regulate his words: And &s;olemnly prote&s;ted unto <HI>Manda|na</HI> never to &s;peak unto her again of that love he had unto her at <HI>Babylon;</HI> to the end She might give him new a&s;&s;urances of her e&s;teem, and friend&s;hip, which <HI>Mazares</HI> received with joy, though not withoht a &s;igh: For truly if this Prince had been only the friend of <HI>Man|dana,</HI> She had given him language obliging enough to content him: but &s;ince he was &s;till her Lover, it was impo&s;&s;ible the friend&s;hip and e&s;teem of this Prince&s;s &s;hould ever make him happy, though out of his rea&s;on and vertue he did look upon this friend&s;hip of hers as the utmo&s;t term of his de&s;ires, and limits of his hopes. In the mean time, the hour of their departure being come, <HI>Mandana</HI> after &s;he had received the complements of all the <HI>Cumean</HI> Ladies, did mount into a glorious triumphant Chariot, none but <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> with her; all the re&s;t of her women being in another Coaches which followed her. <HI>Anaxaris</HI> who com|manded her Guard, did immediately follow; and as for <HI>Cyrus, Mazares, Artamis,</HI> and all the Volunders, they did m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> a Body by them&s;elves &s;ome twenty paces before <HI>Manda|na</HI> The Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus, T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">anes,</HI> and <HI>Philocles,</HI> would not embarque until they
<PB N="193" REF="680">
had waited upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> a days journey out of <HI>Cumes,</HI> but they would by no means permit them, and they were forced to obey. The parting of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Thra&s;i|bulus</HI> was very tender; as for <HI>Thimochares,</HI> he charged him with &s;o many obliging things to tell the Queen of <HI>Corinth,</HI> as it was evident he did highly e&s;teem that Prince&s;s: he did not content him&s;elf with all this, but &s;aid more unto <HI>Philocles</HI> then unto <HI>Thimochares:</HI> al&s;o he willed <HI>Ligdamis, Thra&s;ibulus, Menecrates, Parmanides,</HI> and <HI>Phili&s;tion,</HI> to leave him, and to return unto tho&s;e who for his &s;ake they quitted as &s;oon as they married them: There was not one of them upon whom he did not be&s;tow a thou&s;and thanks and rich Pre&s;ents, as well as upon the jealous <HI>Leontidas,</HI> who returned unto <HI>Cyprus.</HI> As for the generous <HI>Megabates,</HI> though the way of Army was partly his, yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> would hinder him &s;o much as to go &s;o &s;oftly: for remembring that the illu&s;trious <HI>Ari&s;teus</HI> told him that he was in love with the <HI>Philonide,</HI> he would by all means have him take his time; and at parting, did him all the honours that his Quality and rare merit de&s;erved, the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> al&s;o honouring him with all po&s;&s;ible civilities.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> who &s;et a higher rate upon his honour then his life, did fear that if the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;hould be relea&s;ed, and come to <HI>Cumes</HI> after his departure, he might perhaps imagine that he would not perform his word, &s;ince he took the way to|wards <HI>Ecbatane:</HI> therefore he left a man in <HI>Cumes,</HI> with Orders to &s;tay there until the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> came, and to deliver him a Letter, by which he a&s;&s;ured him, that he would not fail in the lea&s;t tittle of his promi&s;e: &s;o that omitting nothing which he owed either un|to his glory, or unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> he &s;atisfied both differing duties. For the greater &s;ecurity of this Prince&s;s, he &s;o ordered his march, as that &s;he was to be always in the mid&s;t of his Army, that he could not imagine any enemy he had rea&s;on to fear. When this Prince&s;s came out of <HI>Cumes,</HI> all the people flocked together in the &s;treets, who having had tryal of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his clemency, did make the Air ring with acclamations of pray&s;es and thanks: This magnificence was worthy of &s;ight, and worthy her for whom it was made, in re&s;pect of the great number of Souldiers; the abundance of Camels which carried the baggage, the richne&s;s of their Sumpter clothes, the glorious Chariot of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the multitude of Heroes about her. Since <HI>Thybarra</HI> was in the way, <HI>Cyrus</HI> re&s;olved to re&s;t there a day, le&s;t the Prince&s;s &s;hould be too much wearied: of which, the Prince <HI>Myr&s;yles</HI> was not a little glad, in hopes to find <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> there, with whom was <HI>Arianita,</HI> whom <HI>Mandana</HI> al&s;o was glad to &s;ee again, though &s;he had not fouud her &s;o faithful as <HI>Marte&s;ia:</HI> This Prince&s;s al&s;o was very glad &s;he &s;hould &s;ee two Per&s;ons whom <HI>Panthea</HI> dearly loved, meaning <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Pherenice:</HI> Never was journey fuller of plea&s;ure then this; one might &s;ee in the face of all the Souldiers &s;uch a &s;prightly jolity, as that they marched with abundance of alacrity, and as if they rejoyced to be at the end of all their labours and travels: one might plainly &s;ee, that though they were not really crowned with Lawrels, yet that they were returned vi|ctors, and that nothing had re&s;i&s;ted them: <HI>Mandana</HI> for her part, imagining every pace to bring her nearer the King her Father, and not further from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> was &s;o abundantly &s;atisfied, as that &s;he found a notable difference between this voyage, and tho&s;e &s;he had made with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,,</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus. Cyrus</HI> for his particular, thinking that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> could not deny him <HI>Mandana,</HI> had no other inquietude, but how to vanqui&s;h the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> And there was not one in all the Army, except <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Anax|aris,</HI> who rejoyced not at the carrying of <HI>Mandana,</HI> unto <HI>Medea.</HI> In the mean time tho&s;e of <HI>Thybarra</HI> made a mo&s;t magnificent entertainment for the Prince&s;s, at her entrance. <HI>Cy|rus</HI> pre&s;ented <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Pherenice</HI> unto her; And She received them as per&s;ons unto whom She was obliged when She was at <HI>Su&s;a:</HI> making very much al&s;o of <HI>Lyriana,</HI> and forgetting her pa&s;t infidelity. Since <HI>Mandana</HI> was full of genero&s;ity, &s;he was not able to look upon <HI>Doroli&s;a</HI> &amp; <HI>Pherenice,</HI> without &s;ome &s;ighs in the memory of the <HI>Su&s;anean</HI> Queen: conjuring them both to keep about her, the &s;ame place they did about <HI>Panthea:</HI> And indeed they did &s;o, for <HI>Mandana</HI> did oblige <HI>Doroli&s;a's</HI> Aunt to let her Neece go along with her: and <HI>Pherenice</HI> was very willing to follow &s;uch a Prince&s;s as the Queen of <HI>Su&s;iana</HI> had dear|ly loved; &s;o that at the departure from <HI>Thyabarra,</HI> the Prince&s;s <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> was joyed to &s;ee that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> was to go this journey; and that he might have the happine&s;s &s;omtimes to talk with her. But as for <HI>Andramites,</HI> in lieu of rejoycing, he grieved: for having di&s;|covered that the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> loved <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> he had rather not &s;ee her, then his Rival &s;hould be always in her eye. In the mean while, &s;ince the Monument which he had cau|&s;ed to be erected in memory of <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Panthea,</HI> was not far off, <HI>Cyrus</HI> went very early before the Prince&s;s waked to &s;ee whether his Orders concerning it were executed:
<PB N="194" REF="681">
de&s;iring al&s;o to render the la&s;t honor unto a King, who dying in his quarrel had left him a Kingdom, and unto a Queen, of whom he had a mo&s;t particular e&s;teem. Since he re&s;ol|ved to go very fa&s;t, that he might return again before the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was ready to depart, he carried with him only <HI>Aglatidas, Chri&s;antes, Feraulas,</HI> and five or &s;ix others.</P>
<P>When he was come to the Monument of <HI>Abradates,</HI> and lighted from his Hor&s;e, he &s;aw that he had been punctually obeyed, that the order of it was right, the Architecture &s;tately, the in&s;criptions &s;uch as he had appointed, and that they had forgot nothing to eter|nize the memory of tho&s;e renowned per&s;ons, who&s;e A&s;hes it inclo&s;ed, and the acknow|led gments of him who cau&s;ed it to be built; the &s;ight of this Monument did fill his &s;oul full of melancholy thoughts, deep &s;tudies &s;eized upon him, and after he had looked upon it, he walked a long time about it, and &s;poke not a word, the Company not daring to interrupt him, kept them&s;elves &s;ome twelve paces off, and &s;poke not a word neither. As he was thus contemplating the deplorable de&s;tiny of <HI>Abradates</HI> and <HI>Panthea,</HI> and was thinking in what a mi&s;erable condition he was when he lo&s;t them, he heard a great noy&s;e of hor&s;es coming towards him, which cau&s;ed him to turn his head, and he &s;aw five or &s;ix Hor&s;emen coming towards this Monument, in the head of whom was the King of <HI>A&s;|&s;iria,</HI> who being no le&s;s &s;urprized to find <HI>Cyrus</HI> there, then <HI>Cyrus</HI> was to &s;ee him, alight|ed from hor&s;e and advanced towards him, with all the civility that could be expected from a man unto his Deliverer, but yet with all the &s;harpne&s;s of a mi&s;erable and incen&s;ed Ri|val. Since it does ill become a Prince (&s;aid he unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> after he had &s;aluted him) who expects you &s;hould keep promi&s;e with him, to fail in his duty, I mu&s;t begin in di&s;cour&s;e with my gratitude; and though you be my Enemy, yet I mu&s;t thank you for the liberty which now I do enjoy: Since I have done nothing but what I ought Sir, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> you may &s;pare your thanks, unle&s;s it be for commanding <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> to procure your liberty as &s;oon as po&s;&s;ibly he could: <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> (replied the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria)</HI> hath mo&s;t exactly ex|ecuted your Orders; for <HI>Ar&s;a nones</HI> having refu&s;ed to relea&s;e me, he delivered me by &s;ur|prizing the Ca&s;tle when I was Pri&s;oner: So that I am forced to confe&s;s you have done a mo&s;t heroique Act in it, and that if it were po&s;&s;ible I could cea&s;e being your Enemy, it would be upon this occa&s;ion; but I am confident, that your affection unto <HI>Mandana</HI> will ea&s;ily hint unto you, that I cannot change my thoughts either of her or you, and that you will take no other advantage from my liberty, but to be the &s;ooner in a condition to fight with me: I am obliged Sir, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to interpret my own actions, as I would do yours upon the like encounter, &s;ince certainly I intended nothing in your relea&s;ement, but that you &s;hould enjoy your liberty freely, nor did I expect any acknowledgments for doing a thing which Honour invited me unto; and to te&s;tifie that I had no intentions to &s;pare my &s;elf a Combat by delivering you, you mu&s;t know, that at my parting from <HI>Cumes</HI> I left a Letter for you, to the end you may be a&s;&s;ured that I was ready to keep my word: Since &s;o, replied the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> you mu&s;t tell me Sir when you will have me keep mine; for &s;ince it hath not been the will of Fate that I &s;hould be &s;o &s;oon relea&s;ed, as to help you in the relea&s;ement of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and &s;ince you have a new right unto her, which I cannot di&s;pute, yet before you can be a quiet po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or of her and all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> in general, you mu&s;t be Vanqui&s;her of me in particular; therefore if you plea&s;e Sir, let us end that controver&s;ie to morrow morning neer the Monument of <HI>Abradates,</HI> which was begun at <HI>Sinope</HI> in the Temple of <HI>Mars.</HI> I know very well (pur&s;ued he) that I owe you Sir my life and liberty; but I know withal, that as the condition whereunto you have brought me &s;tands, I cannot be more mi&s;erable; nor am I in&s;en&s;ible how I &s;peak unto you in the mid&s;t of your Army, and that the few Forces I have are not able to &s;ecure me; but &s;ince I know you, I need not fear any thing; therefore without any further con&s;ideration, what the &s;equel of our Combat will be, I be&s;eech you let me &s;ee you as &s;oon as you can with a Sword in your hand: Should I humour my own inclination (replied <HI>Cyrus</HI> very &s;harply) I &s;hould quickly &s;atisfie your impatience and my own, and I &s;hould not &s;tir off the ground I &s;tand on, before I were either Conquerour or Conquered. But as earne&s;t as my de&s;ires are to end the difference that begun at <HI>Sinope,</HI> there is a mo&s;t prevalent rea&s;on which moves me to de&s;ire a little time before I give you &s;atisfaction, and I de&s;ire it the rather, becau&s;e I do not fail in my word by it, for I did promi&s;e to fight with you before ever I marry <HI>Mandana,</HI> and I do promi&s;e &s;till not to fail, but I never promi&s;ed to fight before I had put her into a place of &s;afety; you know how many battels I have fought to relea&s;e her, and would you have me leave her in the mid&s;t of an Army compo&s;ed of different Nations, in a Country newly conquered, in the mid&s;t of &s;o many newly &s;ubjected Princes, who gape
<PB N="195" REF="681">
for occa&s;ions of revolt? Fie; no, no; neither love nor honour will permit me to do &s;o; and therefore you mu&s;t needs let me carry the Prince&s;s into a place of &s;afety: But when I have carried her into <HI>Medea,</HI> if I do not return to fight you, count me for the ba&s;e&s;t co|ward of all men living; and to &s;peak rationally, your own intere&s;t as well as <HI>Mandana</HI>'s requires I &s;hould do thus, for if the Fate of Armes &s;hould make you Conquerour, what &s;afety can you find in the mid&s;t of an Army who&s;e General you have killed? No, no, an|&s;wered the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> &s;harply, mingle not my intere&s;t with <HI>Mandana</HI>'s, for I know that whether <HI>I</HI> be Conqueror or Conquered, <HI>I</HI> can never hope for any thing from <HI>Man|dana,</HI> She hated me in <HI>Babylon</HI> before you inthron'd me, and certainly She would not love me if I &s;hould kill you; &s;o that I would not fight with you in any hopes to enjoy her, but I would overcome you if I could, and &s;o keep you from enjoying her; &s;o that for my part all places of Combat are to me indifferent, &s;ince Conqueror or Conquered, I can|not expect any thing from <HI>Mandana:</HI> The Gods (pur&s;ued this violent Prince) have de|luded me by their Oracles, but do not you delude me by your words, and rid your &s;elf of an Enemy who is infinitely obliged, but ungrateful to you, who envies all that you enjoy, who cannot brook your glory, and who would pull your heart out, &s;o he could pull <HI>Man|dana</HI>'s out of it; therefore Sir never &s;tudy &s;o much for rea&s;on in the bu&s;ine&s;s, for I know all you can produce as well as if you told them, and if you be Conquered, perhaps <HI>Man|dana</HI> will not be without a Protector: Did you know Sir (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> and interrupted him) how much it is again&s;t my mind to oppo&s;e your de&s;ire, you would &s;ee I de&s;ire to give you &s;atisfaction as much as you; but I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that &s;ince it concerns the &s;afety of the Prince&s;s, I cannot think I ought to do it: Since I know your heart, replied the King of <HI>A&s;|&s;yria,</HI> I do not entertain a di&s;advantagious thought of you: But I know not, added he har&s;hly, whether all the world will think &s;o, when they &s;hall know how you defer fight, and whether they will not think it &s;trange that you &s;hould go to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> as if your inten|tions were, either to arre&s;t me there, or to cau&s;e your &s;elf to be arre&s;ted. Have I not told you (replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and blu&s;ht for anger) that I will only conduct the Prince&s;s unto <HI>Ecba|tan;</HI> and that you have been in &s;afety in <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his Army, when he was there him&s;elf in per&s;on, though he knew what I had promi&s;ed you. Forbear then, unju&s;t Prince that you are, to tell me of &s;uch things as I cannot hear without fury, and without preferring my honour before my love, which I ought not to do: And forbear you (replied the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> to make a mi&s;erable Prince langui&s;h, who hath nothing to hope for but your death and his own, and force him not to tell &s;ome di&s;advantagious lye of you: Fie, fie, &s;aid <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> this is too much to be endured, and I cannot any longer re&s;i&s;t either again&s;t my &s;elf, or again&s;t you, but both my rea&s;on and my love mu&s;t &s;ubmit. Know therefore mo&s;t a&s;&s;uredly, that ere I be foure daies older, you &s;hall be either my Conqueror, or I yours; that is as much as to &s;ay (pur&s;ued the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> as that either you or I mu&s;t die for it: Our Combat &s;hould be to morrow, if <HI>I</HI> could (pur&s;ued <HI>Cyrus)</HI> but &s;ince it cannot po&s;&s;ibly be &s;o &s;oon, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t take a little longer time. In the mean time, to the end that tho&s;e who &s;ee us, may not &s;u&s;pect any thing of our de&s;ign, let us go unto them, and go together unto the Ca&s;tle where the Prince&s;s is, and doubtle&s;s &s;tayes for me to depart: I will do &s;o, &s;aid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> though heaven knows it is the mo&s;t cruel thing in the world for me to go and &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> Triumphant with <HI>Mandana;</HI> but I pray remember, that a Rival may be un|grateful, and &s;till be generous, to the end that if I be overcome by you, you may not &s;tain my reputation in &s;peaking of me to our Prince&s;s: I do not know, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that it is permittable to be ungrateful in any bu&s;ine&s;s, but I am &s;ure that neither you nor I am &s;o now; but &s;ince you are &s;o earne&s;t, I promi&s;e you again, that within this four daies the fate of Arms &s;hall decide your Fortune and mine for ever.</P>
<P>After this, the&s;e two furious Rivals took Hor&s;es, and putting on more calm countenan|ces, the better to hide their de&s;ign, they took their way towards <HI>Mandana,</HI> who not fore|&s;eeing the misfortune which threatned her, had dre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf, and was talking very plea|&s;antly with <HI>Dorali&s;a, Pherenice, Mazares,</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>The end of the Seventh Part.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 N="8" TYPE="part">
<PB REF="682">
<PB N="1" REF="682">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR, THE GRAND CYRUS. THE EIGHTH PART.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="book">
<HEAD>BOOK. I.</HEAD>
<P>_THE Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> was no &s;ooner ready, but according to her Pious Cu&s;tome, &s;hee would goe to the Temple, before &s;he departed: So that <HI>Mazanes</HI> leading her by the hand, &s;he went out of her Chamber: But &s;he was no &s;ooner upon the top of the &s;tairs, but &s;he &s;aw the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> lighting from his Hor&s;e at the other &s;ide of the Court, &amp; who never &s;taying for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> ha&s;ted towards her, before &s;he could get into her Coach. <HI>Mandana's</HI> wonder was &s;o great, that in lieu of go|ing forward, &s;he &s;topped, and gave this unfortunate Prince time enough to com unto her, with the &s;ame reverence he u&s;ed to ob&s;erve, maugre the impetuo&s;ity of his humour, and violence of his Pa&s;&s;ion. <HI>I make no doubt Madame</HI> (&s;aid he unto her, after he had &s;aluted her) <HI>but my &s;ight doth both &s;urprize and di&s;|plea&s;e you, and that I am &s;till the object of your anger and hatred: But &s;ince the King your Father &s;uffers me to be in his Army, as great an Offender as I am both again&s;t him &amp; you: and &s;ince</HI> Cyrus <HI>can endure me, as much his Rivall as I am, I &s;hall hope you will give me leave to wait upon you: and that &s;ince for the love of you I have lo&s;t all, you will not deny me the favour to be one of your Convoy, e&s;pecially &s;ince you allow the &s;ame favour unto the Prince</HI> Mazanes, <HI>who hath been as great an Offender as my &s;elfe.</HI></P>
<P>The Prince <HI>Mazanes</HI> replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> having wa&s;hed away his crime by a gene|rous repentance, is now in the number of my friends, and not my per&s;ecutors. But however it be Sir. I do a&s;&s;ure you Sir, I had rather &s;ee you in the King my Fathers Ar|my, then &s;ee you in <HI>Babylon</HI> again. When you came Sir, I was going to render thanks unto the gods for delivering me out of your power, and giving me that liberty which you had lo&s;t me: As if you will be advi&s;ed by mee, you &s;hall be as acknowledging as my &s;elfe, and thank them you have an Enemy &s;o generous as to let you enjoy a benefit
<PB N="2" REF="683">
which you took from me, and which your &s;elfe had lo&s;t. Since the Gods are ju&s;t (re|plyed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> fiercely) they will recompence the genero&s;ity of my Ri|vall: And Madam you mu&s;t give me leave to ask them nothing, but to be revenged of your extream inhumanity. Unju&s;t Prayers (replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who was not till now come up to them) do &s;eldom reach the eares of the Gods, but to puni&s;h tho&s;e which make them, and therefore take heed how you ask them any thing again&s;t the Prence&s;&s;e, and if you have any revenging thoughts, pray let it light upon me.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> was talking thus, the Prince&s;s took Coach, and took <HI>Dorali&s;a, Phere|nece,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> with her: After which &s;he went unto the Temple, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Mazanes, Myr&s;yles, Anaxaris, Andrumelis, Chri&s;entes, Fe|raulas,</HI> and many others followed him: As long as the Sacrifice la&s;ted, the Prince&s;&s;e was &s;o zealou&s;ly devoted unto the Gods, as &s;he never turned her head or eyes upon a|ny of the company: all whom, being not &s;o intent at their prayers as &s;hee was, had thoughts as different as were their Intere&s;ts. The heart of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was wholly upon the ruine of his Rivall, who&s;e pre&s;ence interrupted all his Joyes: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> though full of impatiency to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> with his &s;word in his hand, yet he had a kind of delight to &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> but it was delight without any tranqulity: And if his mind was upon the Gods whil&s;t he was in the Temple, it was in praying for the death of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the enjoyment of <HI>Mandana,</HI> for the Crown he had lo&s;t, and to be reven|ged upon <HI>Mazanes:</HI> Indeed it may be &s;aid that he murmured rather then pray'd. As for <HI>Anaxaris</HI> who&s;e flaming pa&s;&s;ion was the more violent, becau&s;e it was &s;mothered and conceal'd, he wi&s;hed that the&s;e two Rivals might ruine each other, or he them both: and though he could not imagine which way in all the world he could pretend any thing unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet he was mo&s;t de&s;perately in love with her, and prayed to the Gods mo&s;t zealou&s;ly that &s;he might love him. As for <HI>Mazanes,</HI> his vertue was &s;o confin'd and confirmed, as how&s;oever he loved the Prince&s;s of <HI>Medea,</HI> yet he asked no more from the hands of the Gods, but that he might have her e&s;teem and friend&s;hip; and he had &s;o accu&s;tomed him&s;elf unto combates with his owne de&s;ires, as he dur&s;t not &s;uffer the lea&s;t impertinent wi&s;h proceed from the root of his heart. But it was nothing &s;o with the Prince <HI>Myr&s;yles,</HI> which did mo&s;t fervently pray unto the Gods to change the heart of the &s;evere and in&s;en&s;ible <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and neither thought nor asked for any thing el&s;e. As for <HI>Andrumelis,</HI> who was no le&s;&s;e in love with this faire one then he was, his de&s;ires went &s;omething further, for he equally prayed for the ruine of his Rivall <HI>Myr&s;yles,</HI> and the enjoyment of his Mi&s;tri&s;s <HI>Dorali&s;a.</HI> As for <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who knew of the engagement that was between <HI>Cyrus</HI> &amp; the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> they con&s;ulted with each other, whether or no they &s;hould acquaint the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> with it, and prayed unto the Gods that this invincible <HI>Hero</HI> might have as glorious &s;ucce&s;&s;e in this dangerous occa&s;ion, as in all the re&s;t he ever undertook. As for <HI>Dorali&s;a, Pherenece;</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> all their prayers were for the Prince&s;s whom they waited upon, knowing that they could never expect any hap|pine&s;&s;e unle&s;&s;e &s;he were &s;o: The truth is, all the&s;e different per&s;ons did make &s;uch different prayers, that the Gods whom they invoked could not accord unto them all: They were like unto tho&s;e upon the Sea, &s;ome with de&s;igns of going Ea&s;t-ward, and &s;ome We&s;t-ward, and pray for contrary winds, as each did need: So <HI>Mandana,</HI> the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Cyrus, Mazanes, Anaxaris,</HI> did all of them aske the Gods point blanck contrary unto each other, and by con&s;equence, impo&s;&s;ibilities.</P>
<P>The &s;acrifice being ended, the Prince&s;&s;e returned to the Ca&s;tle, but &s;he &s;tayed not there, purpo&s;ely to &s;hun the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> company; yet before &s;he departed, &s;he would needs know of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> how he met with his Rivall, and chidd him a little for his over-genero&s;ity in relea&s;ing his mo&s;t mortall enemy. Had he been only your ene|my, &s;aid &s;he, I &s;hould not have had any right to accu&s;e you; but &s;ince he is my per&s;e|cutor, me thinks I have cau&s;e to complain again&s;t you as over-generous.</P>
<P>The King your Father, Madam, hath &s;et me &s;uch a glorious example, replyed <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> as I were mo&s;t unworthy of your e&s;teem, if I did not im<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tate him. And truly Madam, (added he) if you did but know what joy it is unto me to &s;ee you put &s;o great a difference between the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> and <HI>Cyrus,</HI> you would not wonder I &s;hould give my &s;elf &s;o much &s;atisfaction.</P>
<P>But for all that, I be&s;eech you Madam doe not alter your thoughts, nor too much pitty the mi&s;erable condition, wherein the King your Fathers Armies hath
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brought my <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Rivall: For I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, though Compa&s;&s;ion be a quality becoming &s;uch an heroique heart as yours Madam; and &s;ince it doth &s;o infinitely con|cern me that your heart be hardned towards him, yet I cannot wi&s;h you &s;hould have any pitty upon him.</P>
<P>I do a&s;&s;ure you Sir, replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> that I cannot be very inclinable to pitty a Prince who hath cau&s;ed all the mi&s;eries of my Life: but in relation to your &s;elfe, &s;aid &s;he, I mu&s;t needs &s;ometimes think, that looking upon him as the cau&s;e of all your Conque&s;ts, and that great glory which you have gotten, you &s;hould hate him a little le&s;&s;e; For truly had he not carryed me away, you had never taken <HI>Babylon,</HI> you had never brought all <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> into &s;ubjection, you had not conquered <HI>Armenia,</HI> you had not vanqui&s;hed <HI>Croe&s;us,</HI> taken <HI>Sardis,</HI> &s;ubjected all <HI>Lydia,</HI> the <HI>Xanthians,</HI> the <HI>Cauneans,</HI> the <HI>Joneans,</HI> the <HI>Ghedeans;</HI> you had not taken <HI>Cumes,</HI> nor ever have been the Conquerour of all <HI>A&s;ia:</HI> 'Tis true, Madam, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but however I &s;hould have &s;till been pro&s;trate at your feet, adoring you, and my endeavours, my &s;ighs and &s;ervices might perhaps have engaged your heart more then it is: &s;o that I may &s;ay, my Conque&s;t had been farre more glorious unto me by them, then by the Armes of <HI>Ci|axares</HI> your Father. I could if I would (replyed the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana)</HI> an&s;wer you obligingly enough, and tell you, that in taking <HI>Babylon, Artaxates, Sardis</HI> and <HI>Cumes,</HI> you have perhaps gained my heart more, then you had done by your &s;ighes and &s;ervices without them, but I am too ill &s;atisfied with you to doe &s;o: Not that I would have you now change way of dealing with the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King, &s;ince he is at li|berty: but I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, I &s;hould not have been &s;orry if you had not relea&s;ed him: and I had rather I could have chidden you for your too little genero&s;ity, then for your too much. However I doe conjure you, added &s;he, not to be far from me; for if you goe and vi&s;ite any more Monuments, I &s;hall feare that you will bring back the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> with you, and therefore I pray let no &s;uch thing come to pa&s;&s;e. Not that I think the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> to be in any Condition able to attempt any thing again&s;t me, unle&s;&s;e it be in attempting &s;omething again&s;t you: but yet for all that his pre|&s;ence is &s;o tormentive unto me, that I &s;tand in need of yours to comfort me.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> hearing <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;peak thus, feared that &s;he &s;u&s;pected &s;omething of the truth: Therefore to cleer all matters, he an&s;wered her, as if he had not any angry thought in his mind again&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> It &s;eems Madam, &s;aid he unto her, you would have me comfort my &s;elf with the &s;ight of an Enemy, who as you &s;ay is the cau&s;e of &s;o many glorious advantages unto me? However it be, replyed this Prince&s;s, Let me always &s;ee you, wher&s;oever I &s;hal &s;ee him, until I come unto &s;uch a place where I may obtain of the King my Father to bani&s;h him, as I do intend: As for your &s;elfe, as trouble&s;ome as his pre&s;ence is unto me, I would not have you attempt any thing to free me from him Since he is a cau&s;e why you Madam do treat me &s;o well (replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and laughed) I &s;hall mo&s;t willinly obey you. After this the Prince&s;&s;e went in|to her Coach with <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia; Pherenece</HI> and <HI>Arianeta</HI> and the re&s;t of the Prince&s;&s;e her women, went in another Coach which followed hers.</P>
<P>In the mean while, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who&s;e thoughts were upon all that related unto the &s;afe|ty of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the execution of his de&s;ign, he altered the orders of his march, and cau&s;ed the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Troops to be placed on the wings, and as faire off the Prin|ce&s;s as po&s;&s;ible: Al&s;o he gave particular orders unto <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> to have a &s;pecial guard upon <HI>Mandana;</HI> not thinking that in being &s;o cautious again&s;t one Rivall, he tru&s;ted her with another. On the other &s;ide <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> had not yet acquainted <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> with <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> engagement, but re&s;olved to ac|quaint her at night, to the end that &s;he making it known unto the Prince&s;&s;e, &s;he might by her &s;overaign authority oblige all the Princes in the Army to have vigilant eyes, and become guards over the&s;e two terrible Rivals. Yet though they had not &s;poken of it unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;ince &s;he was a woman of an excellent &s;pirit, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> arrivall did make her very melancholy; for &s;hee was better acquainted with the violence of his temper, then <HI>Mandana</HI> was, from whom he was ob&s;ervant to hide it. Yet for all that &s;he did &s;trive with her &s;elfe, that her vexation might not ap|peare to the Prince&s;s; I he plea&s;ant humours of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> did much facilitate her con|cealement of her thoughts; for whil&s;t <HI>Mandana</HI> was mu&s;ing, and &s;tudying upon her own thoughts, &s;he would de&s;cant upon the thoughts of all the Princes which ridd by <HI>Mandana's</HI> Coach by the Aire of their Countenances; and &s;he had &s;uch plea&s;ant fan|cies
<PB N="4" REF="684">
upon them, which &s;uited &s;o patt to their adventures, and unto their garbes, that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> not being able to forbeare laughing, did put the Prince&s;&s;e out of her dum|pi&s;h mu&s;ing; who being de&s;irous to know what it was which made them &s;o merry, &s;he cau&s;ed <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to repeat all that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> thought of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria,</HI> of <HI>Mazanes,</HI> of the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> and of all the re&s;t they had talked of. But I be&s;eech you tell me (&s;aid <HI>Mandana</HI> to her, when &s;he &s;aw the Prince <HI>Myr&s;yles,</HI> and <HI>Andramches</HI> neer her Coach) what are the thoughts of the&s;e two Captives, whom your beauty hath taken? and whether <HI>Cupid</HI> hath made them Equals by making them Rivalls, &s;ince the one's a Subject, the other a Soveraign? Alas Madam, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> I cannot tell what they think; and I am &s;o farre from knowing it, that I have done as much as ever I can, not to under&s;tand what they &s;aid, when they &s;pake unto me as intelligibly as they could. But Madam, in lieu of telling you what they thinke upon, I will if you plea&s;e tell you what I think of them. I beleeve <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> (replyed the Prince&s;&s;e) that you will be &s;o farr from &s;incerity in &s;uch a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, as I will not oblige you to tell me any lies: but I had much rather you would tell me, what you fancy they think of you, then what you think of them. Since you will needs have it &s;o Madam (replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and laughed) I &s;hall tell you; That to &s;ee with what a gloomy countenance <HI>Andramches</HI> looks upon the Prince <HI>Myr&s;yles,</HI> I think he is very &s;orry this Prince is not &s;till dumb: and to &s;ee how earne&s;tly that Prince doth talk with others, makes me think, that if he have talked upon any matters of Love, it is only be|cau&s;e he takes a delight in talking of &s;omething which he never talked of before: After this, <HI>Mandana</HI> began to chide with <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and to make her tell her whether &s;hee did not u&s;e to talke more &s;eriou&s;ly and more obligingly unto a Prince &s;o accompli&s;hed as he was, who&s;e heart &s;he had captivated.</P>
<P>But whil&s;t <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> was diverting <HI>Mandana</HI> with her plea&s;ant humours, and had her Quibbles of wit, upon a thou&s;and pa&s;&s;ages, and every object, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was thinking how he &s;hould keep touch with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> as &s;oone as po&s;&s;ible, and imagin|ing how he &s;hould &s;link a&s;ide from &s;o many men as were continually about him. But his greate&s;t care was, to contrive it &s;o, that in ca&s;e he was vanqui&s;hed, then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> to have no power in di&s;po&s;ing of the Prince&s;s. However, he was much per|plexed; For honour would not permit him to impart a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of this nature unto many men: and therefore he took a middle cour&s;e, and told all the chief Command|ers only thus much, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> pre&s;ence did move him to have a more e&s;peciall care of <HI>Mandana's</HI> &s;afety: he conjured them to remember the Fidelity which they owed unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and what&s;oever hapned, never to faile in that. Yet he thought not this enough: But the high e&s;teem he had of <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> prompted him to impart the &s;ecret unto him; for &s;ince he was Captain of the Guard unto the Prince&s;s, he thought him the fitte&s;t to tru&s;t with her, and that it was by him he might get out to fight with the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King: And therefore <HI>Mandana</HI> was no &s;ooner come unto the place where &s;he was to lie; and as &s;oon as <HI>Anaxaris</HI> according to his Cu&s;tome had placed his Guards, he &s;ent for him, and began to talke in private with him: At the fir&s;t, <HI>Anaxaris</HI> knowing by the action of that Prince, he had &s;omething of great im|portance to &s;ay unto him, did imagine that his own eyes had betrayed him, and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had dived into the bottom of his heart, and di&s;covered the flaming and &s;mo|thering Pa&s;&s;ion in it: But he was not long in this errour; for as &s;oon as ever <HI>Cyrus</HI> and he were together, he began to talk unto him: Doubtle&s;&s;e Sir, &s;aid he unto him, though you be a &s;tranger unto me, yet certainly you are a man of extraordinary ver|tue, and uncommon fidelity, &s;ince I am re&s;olved to tru&s;t you with a bu&s;ine&s;s, which is a thou&s;and times more dear unto me then my life, for it concerns my honour: And &s;ince I know you to be a man both brave and generous, I que&s;tion not but that you will carry your &s;elf in &s;uch an important bu&s;ine&s;s as this, as you ought to do: But yet, as highly as I e&s;teem you, and as gteat an opinion as I have of your hone&s;ty, I cannot tru&s;t you with the &s;ecret, untill you have made a &s;olemn oath unto me never to reveale it, nor never do or &s;ay any thing which might rai&s;e the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition of it, e&s;pecially unto the Prince&s;s who of all in the world ought not to know of it. Sir, &s;aid <HI>Anax|aris,</HI> (much amazed, and impatient to heare what <HI>Cyrus</HI> would &s;ay) &s;ince honour doth &s;ufficiently oblige one to conceal the &s;ecrets of another: And &s;ince none are Ma&s;ter but of their own &s;ecrets, I may with &s;ome ju&s;tice complain of you, for exacting from me an oath never to &s;peak of what you will plea&s;e to honour me with the tru&s;t. Yet Sir, to
<PB N="5" REF="684">
te&s;tifie how ea&s;ily I can do what is my duty: I will promi&s;e you with all the &s;incerity of a man who never u&s;es to betray his tru&s;t, never to &s;peake what you &s;hall impart.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> embracing <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> asked him pardon for the wrong he did his vertue, in not tru&s;ting him at fir&s;t: but my deare <HI>Anaxaris</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) did you but know what a contention there is in my heart, between my love of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and my love of honour, and what turbulent agitation the&s;e two violent Pa&s;&s;ions do at this pre&s;ent cau&s;e in it, doubtle&s;s you will excu&s;e me, e&s;pecially if ever you were in Love: But that you may ore clearly pardon me, I mu&s;t open my &s;oule unto you, and acquaint you with the cau&s;e of that injury which I have done unto your Fidelity. After this, he acquainted <HI>Anaxaris</HI> in few words, with the promi&s;e he had made with the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King upon the Tower at <HI>Sinope,</HI> and how he had &s;ince confirmed that promi&s;e at the Monument of <HI>Abradutes.</HI> You may judge (added <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that &s;uch a &s;ecret as this ought not to be revealed: Mo&s;t true Sir, replyed <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> but he who di&s;covers it, may give the man who he tru&s;ts &s;hare with him in the glory, by letting him partake of his perill. That's not my de&s;ign Sir, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but the thing which I require of you generous <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> is, that you &s;olemnly &s;wear unto me, that if the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> do Conquer me, you will with all your power keep the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> out of his: For &s;ince I cannot be vanqui&s;hed but by death, I am very confident that if he become my Conqueror, he will do all he can to &s;ow fedition a|mong&s;t the Souldiers, purpo&s;ely to become Ma&s;ter of the Prince&s;s. And therefore ap|prehending, that an Army compo&s;ed of &s;o many &s;everall Nations, and people newly conquer'd, wherein al&s;o are &s;ome <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Forces, may be apt to mutiny, I thought it nece&s;&s;ary that you, who have got much credit among&s;t the Souldiers, and has an e&s;|peciall care of the Prince&s;s, &s;hould be acquainted with the &s;tate of things; to the end that multiplying your Cares, you may make &s;ure of your Souldiers: And that I may leave orders with you to &s;hew unto all the Commanders <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> the Army, if I &s;hould fall in the Fight which I am to make, and which mo&s;t certainly I &s;hall make very &s;hortly, &s;ince having taken but four dayes, whereof one is already pa&s;t, I will before the la&s;t keep punctuall touch with the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King. <HI>Anaxaris</HI> hearing this was much joy|ed, that he de&s;ired nothing which he could not ea&s;ily promi&s;e, and which he could not keep, though he was &s;omewhat a&s;hamed that he could not choo&s;e but be a Rivall unto a Prince who treated him &s;o obligingly. But at la&s;t, &s;triving with him&s;elf to hide the agitation of his &s;pirits, he promi&s;ed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> with all the zeal of a man that was re|&s;olved to keep promi&s;e, that he would dye a thou&s;and deaths, rather then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;hould ever have <HI>Mandana</HI> in his power, if it &s;o hapned that he were Con|queror. Oh my deare <HI>Anaxaris</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> then unto him) the a&s;&s;urance which you give me doth &s;o elevate my heart, that I am confident I &s;hall vanqui&s;h the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> &s;ince now I do not feare he &s;hall triumph over <HI>Mandana,</HI> though the fate of Armes &s;hould let him triumph over me: Yes yes, my dear <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> I &s;hall owe unto you all the glory I &s;hall get in vanqui&s;hing my Rivall if I do &s;urmount him; for really, if I &s;hould have fought in feare, that my death would have put <HI>Mandana</HI> in his power, I &s;hould have been half overcome before I ever fought: But &s;ince you pro|mi&s;e me to employ the &s;ame valour wherewith you have done &s;uch miracles, and whereof I am a witne&s;&s;e and an admirer, in behalfe of the Prince&s;&s;e, I &s;hall never fear my Rivall will ever rejoyce in the fruits of his Victory, nor do I fear he can vanqui&s;h me.</P>
<P>Moreover I remember, my generous <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> that <HI>Mandana</HI> is a debtor unto you already for her liberty; and this I would have you now doe, is not more difficult then that you did in the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Cumes.</HI> Sir, replyed <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> could you but &s;ee my heart, you would never offer to oblige me by any more new promi&s;es, nor would you doubt but that I am re&s;olv'd to dye for the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana's</HI> &s;ervice. Be con|fident therefore Sir, I be&s;eech you, that as long as I am living, &s;he &s;hall never come under the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> power: but Sir, I beleeve I &s;hall never need to defend her again&s;t him; for if I be not much mi&s;taken, his valour will thrive no better again&s;t you this &s;econd time, then it did the fir&s;t: but I am confident you will overcome him now as you did before. If I do overcome him (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> then Sir, I will come and give you thanks for my victory: &s;o that whether I be Conquerour, or conquered, I &s;hall be &s;till obliged to you, and the Prince&s;s will be infinitely your debtor. If I be vanqui&s;her; I promi&s;e you to let her know her obligations; and if I be vanqui&s;hed,
<PB N="6" REF="685">
&s;ince &s;he her &s;elfe mu&s;t be both Witne&s;s and Judge of your valour, doubtle&s;&s;e &s;he will acknowledg your merits, and con&s;equently, my deare <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> your own vertue will purcha&s;e you the e&s;teem of the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Prince&s;s upon earth. Yet remem|ber above all, to be faithfull unto me: you know how delicate a thing this honour is, therefore for Heavens &s;ake Sir, do for mine, as you would have mee doe for yours: Yet this is not all <HI>Anaxaris</HI> that I require of you, for it mu&s;t be by your means that I mu&s;t ridd my &s;elfe of &s;o many eyes as are upon me, that I may &s;teale from them to goe and fight with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> which you may ea&s;ily do by a way which I have contrived, and which I &s;hall acquaint yon with when time is fit: Oh Sir replyed <HI>A|naxaris,</HI> &s;hould the Prince&s;s know that I &s;hould facilitate your Combate, &s;he would extreamly hate me; &s;ince &s;he &s;hall never know it, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> you will not be ex|po&s;ed unto any danger of it: but though &s;he &s;hould come to know it, I would engage my &s;elfe to make your peace if I be not vanqui&s;hed.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris</HI> parted; the fir&s;t of the&s;e was well &s;atisfied with his confidence in <HI>Anaxaris:</HI> and the &s;econd had his heart &s;o full of different appre|hen&s;ions, as that he was not able to ma&s;ter them: The confidence which <HI>Cyrus</HI> put in him, made him a&s;hamed that he did not give him a &s;incere an&s;wer; but his affection to <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;tuffed &s;o full of fancies contrary unto that, as &s;ometimes he could not choo&s;e but be over-joyed, that the&s;e two Rivals were ready to ruine each other. Yet &s;ince his &s;oule was of a brave and generous compo&s;ition, hee &s;tifled his Joyes as much as he could, and condemned his owne thoughts: Fie fie, unworthy <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> would he &s;ay unto him&s;elf, can&s;t thou &s;uffer thy heart ba&s;ely to rejoyce, that two of the mo&s;t valiant Princes in the world are ready to kill each other? and that thou &s;hould&s;t be rid of two Rivals at once without any danger to thy &s;elfe? Repent, repent for &s;hame of thy ignominious weakne&s;&s;e: and if the&s;e two Princes be any ob&s;tacle unto thy de&s;igns, do not wi&s;h that they &s;hould ruine each other, to the end that thou may&s;t have the honour of ruining them thy &s;elf.</P>
<P>But alas, unhappy <HI>Anaxaris</HI> &s;aid he, and &s;ighed, how vainly art thou ba&s;e in thy wi&s;hes? For though <HI>Cyrus</HI> &amp; the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> K. were both dead, yet <HI>Mandana</HI> is &s;till none of thine: and thou ha&s;t more rea&s;on to think &s;he will never be any ones, but that the death of <HI>Cyrus</HI> will cau&s;e hers: But what doe I &s;ay? (&s;aid he, and reprehended him|&s;elf) I do very unju&s;tly accu&s;e my &s;elfe; For indeed I cannot conceive that honour forbids me to rejoyce at the lo&s;&s;e of a Rivall, as long as this joy is no cau&s;e of it: wait then with hopes, the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of this furious Combate, between two of the greate&s;t Princes upon Earth, di&s;puting for the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the faire&s;t Prince&s;s in the World: But alas, unfortunate <HI>Anaxaris</HI> (added he) how much &s;orrow will the end of this Combate cau&s;e thee? For if <HI>Cyrus</HI> be vanqui&s;hed, thou wilt &s;ee <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;wimming in teares for him: thou wilt heare all her &s;ighs and dolefull complaints, and wilt be a witne&s;&s;e of all her &s;orrows; if <HI>Cyrus</HI> be Conquer or, then thou wilt heare all her ap|plauds of him, thou wilt be a witne&s;&s;e of all tho&s;e te&s;timonies of e&s;teem which &s;he will give him, and thou wilt with thy own eyes perhaps find as much Love in hers to him, as there is in thy heart to her. Think therefore of it <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly, and re&s;olve to vanqui&s;h thy &s;elfe: Con&s;lder how many great things ought to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e thy mind, and that Love is not the pa&s;&s;ion which at this pre&s;ent ought to reign in thy &s;oule: Do not deceive thy &s;elfe as thou do&s;t others, and do not think thy &s;elfe to be <HI>A|naxaris:</HI> Remember, that thou ha&s;t a name more illu&s;trious, which mu&s;t have all the glory, and that this of <HI>Anaxaris</HI> which thou ha&s;t borrowed, mu&s;t not be always thine; Never brand it with a piece of folly in ob&s;tinately loving <HI>Mandana,</HI> who will never love thee. But who knows, &s;aid he (and reprehended him&s;elf) what the Fates have re&s;olved of thee? Perhaps they have re&s;erved for thee all the Victories of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> The Prince&s;s whom thou ador'&s;t does not hate thee, &s;he thinks her &s;elfe much obliged unto thee, and the only man upon earth that hath any &s;hare in her heart, as expo&s;ing him|&s;elfe unto eminent danger. Leave then the conduct of thy life unto the &s;ame Gods, who breathed thy Love into thy &s;oule: and without committing any bu&s;ine&s;s, act no|thing again&s;t thy &s;elfe on the pa&s;&s;ion which po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth thee.</P>
<P>But whil&s;t <HI>Anaxaris</HI> was thus con&s;ulting with him&s;elfe, <HI>Chri&s;tanes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> were &s;eeking for an opportunity of &s;peaking unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and of di&s;po&s;ing her to tell the Prince&s;s of the promi&s;e which <HI>Cyrus</HI> made unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> upon the Tower of <HI>Synope:</HI> But do what they could, they could not get a &s;ight of her, becau&s;e
<PB N="7" REF="685">
<HI>Mandana</HI> to avoid the &s;ight of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King, would &s;ee none that night, nor &s;uf|fer <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to leave her.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who&s;e greate&s;t pre&s;&s;ure of mind was how to fight with his Rivall, he re&s;olved it &s;hould be the next day, whil&s;t the Prince&s;s was at Dinner: &s;o as he employed the re&s;t of that night in making &s;ure of all tho&s;e whom he thought fit|te&s;t to oppo&s;e all the violences of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King, if the Fate of Armes would have him &s;ubjected by him: Yet was it &s;o hand&s;omely carryed, that he gave not the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition of his &s;ecret de&s;ign, colouring the matter only with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> pre&s;ence.</P>
<P>But to the end his Rivall &s;hould not long waite for his promi&s;ed &s;atisfaction, he told him that the day following &s;hould make it appeare which was Conqueror, and which was conquered: hinting uuto him the time and place where he &s;hould expect his &s;atisfaction: So that this violent Prince &s;eeing him&s;elf n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">er his fatall time which was to decide all Controver&s;ies between <HI>Cyrus</HI> and him&s;elfe, his heart began to beat high, he row&s;ed up all his hatred, his jealou&s;ie, and his fury, as a better preparative to fight. He called into his memory all the rigours of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and as much as in him lay did forget that he owed his Life and Liberty unto his Rivall: So that &s;tirring up all the wormwood of his mi&s;eries, and &s;etting an edge upon his anger, the fury of his heart did more appear in his eyes then u&s;uall: and indeed, he found that he was &s;o little Ma|&s;ter of him&s;elf, as fearing le&s;t he &s;hould di&s;cover the &s;ecret, and be an ob&s;tacle unto his own de&s;ign if he were &s;een, he would not expo&s;e him&s;elf the next morning unto &s;ight. But &s;ince his turbulent humour would not let him re&s;t long in a place, as &s;oon as it was day he took hor&s;e, and would take the Aire untill the time he knew <HI>Manda|na</HI> would &s;et out: &s;o that without any with him but a Page, he went to con&s;ult with his own thoughts by a Rivers &s;ide not far off.</P>
<P>In the meane time <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> no &s;ooner knew that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was gone into her Chamber, but they went unto her, and acquainted her, that they thought it requi&s;ite &s;he &s;hould acquaint the Prince&s;s as han&s;omely as commonly &s;he u&s;ed with the bu&s;ine&s;s: Alas &s;aid &s;he unto them, how difficult a task it is to acquaint her with &s;uch bad news, and not extreamly trouble her? but &s;ince it would be an ill peece of &s;ervice to &s;pare her this trouble, becau&s;e it might perhaps expo&s;e her unto a greater, I will leave you, and put her to it. As <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> &s;aid &s;o, and made her &s;elfe ready to leave <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;he under&s;tood by <HI>Arianita,</HI> that <HI>Cyrus</HI> ha|ving received &s;ome Letters from <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> he was gone into <HI>Mandana's</HI> Chamber, &s;o that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> could not &s;peak unto her. The conference between this Prince&s;&s;e and <HI>Cyrus</HI> being very long, and did not end untill it was time to go unto the Temple, hee waited upon her thither, and back again. Whil&s;t they were there, <HI>Cyrus</HI> did a little wonder that he &s;aw not the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> who was not wont to be from <HI>Mandana,</HI> when he could be with her: But his wonder was much more at his return from Church, when being upon the top of the Ca&s;tle &s;tairs where the Prince&s;&s;e lay, he &s;aw five or &s;ixe Souldiers to bring this King extreamly wounded&punc; his amazement was &s;o great, that he was not able to expre&s;&s;e it: and the Prince&s;s turning a&s;ide her head, and &s;eeing it al&s;o, her &s;urprize was as great as his: <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> al&s;o, who &s;tood behind <HI>Man|dana</HI> had her &s;hare in the admiration, but it was mixed with &s;ome Joyes, &s;ince this ac|cident put <HI>Cyrus</HI> in &s;afety. <HI>Anaxaris</HI> on the contrary, he grieved at this misfortune which hapned unto the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King, becau&s;e it did at lea&s;t deferre his Combate with <HI>Cyrus:</HI> And though he had a will to choak any thought that was oppo&s;ite to gene|ro&s;ity, yet he was not able, e&s;pecially becau&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> were together, and in &s;ight.</P>
<P>In the mean time, tho&s;e who carryed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> could not carry him to his Lodging, but they mu&s;t needs pa&s;&s;e by the half Pace where <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;tood, therefore this fatall Lover could not choo&s;e but &s;ee them: So that being both extreamly a&s;ham'd and angry to be &s;een in that condition, both by his Mi&s;tri&s;s and his Rivall, he blu&s;hed for very anger, though he had lo&s;t much blood: He &s;trived to &s;eeme le&s;&s;e wounded then he was, in&s;omuch as turning him&s;elf a little towards the Prince&s;&s;e with more re&s;pect then his &s;alute was able to beare; and &s;hunning the eyes of <HI>Cyrus</HI> becau&s;e he would not receive his Civilities, hee appeared very angry and furious. However, &s;ince the Prince&s;s had not any mind to in&s;ult upon a mi&s;erable man, &s;he went into her Chamber, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked leave to goe and know, who it was that
<PB N="8" REF="686">
wounded the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> for truly Madam, &s;aid he unto her, this Enemy is of &s;uch a ranke as requires this Civility from me. And having the honour to command the King your Fathers Army, its fit I know all pa&s;&s;ages in it, and prevent all inju|&s;tice. I &s;hall not be again&s;t any rea&s;onable civility, replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> provided it be not over long, nor hinder me from departing within an hour. After this <HI>Cyrus</HI> left her, and went unto the place where they carryed the <HI>As&s;yrian</HI> King; but being told that he was dre&s;&s;ing, he would not &s;ee him untill the Chirurgions came from him: As they came out of his Chamber, <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked them how he did, and they an&s;wered him, that of three wounds which he had received, the mo&s;t dangerous was in his right arm, which was very ill, and they would not an&s;wer for it; telling him further, how that the Prince de&s;ired them to &s;ay, he was not in any danger. After this <HI>Cyrus</HI> went unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> chamber, who was calling one of his men to &s;end unto him: So as he no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but &s;triving not to &s;eem weak, or dangerou&s;ly wounded, I am glad Sir, &s;aid he unto him, that you have taken &s;o much pains as to come &amp; &s;ee me: And truly Sir, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I am very &s;orry you &s;hould be in &s;uch a Condition, as obligeth me to render you this vi&s;it. Trouble not your &s;elfe &s;o much for my hurts (replyed this furious Prince in a low voyce, lea&s;t any &s;hould hear but <HI>Cyrus)</HI> for if I be not much mi&s;taken, I &s;hall be well before you can come at <HI>Ecbatane.</HI> Though I &s;hould come there before that, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> it &s;hould not make me &s;tart from my promi&s;e. I conjure you not (an&s;wered the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> And to oblige you unto it, know Sir, that though this hurt in my right Arm were greater then it is, &amp; that I had lo&s;t the u&s;e of it, yet I would fight with you with my left hand rather then voluntarily yeeld the Prince&s;&s;e unto you; for there is a fatall nece&s;&s;ity in it, you mu&s;t either be my Conqueror, or I yours: To te&s;tifie unto you Sir, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that I donot wi&s;h to &s;pare a fighting with you upon the &s;core of your hurts, nor to any advantage of that weakne&s;&s;e which your wounds have cau&s;ed, I be&s;eech you take as long time as you plea&s;e to recover in, and make choi&s;e of whom you will to keep you company: but I be&s;eech you Sir tell me, what Heroe, or what A&s;&s;a&s;&s;inate hath brought you into this Condition? Certainly you will have it from the mouth of my Conqueror (reply|ed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;harply) for I make no que&s;tion but <HI>Intaphernes</HI> will come ere long, and aske a recompence of you, for ridding you of an Enemy, though he fought only upon his own &s;core, but yet he has rea&s;on Sir to give you thanks for his victory; for if my extream de&s;ire to vanqui&s;h him pre&s;ently, that I might fight with you al&s;o this day had not made me run head long into his Arms, as brave as he is, he had not &s;o ea&s;ily vanqui&s;hed me. Since I have &s;uch experience of your valour Sir, replyed <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> I &s;hall ea&s;ily believe what you &s;ay. In the mean time, I a&s;&s;ure you, that if the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> were not the &s;onne of <HI>Gadates,</HI> unto whom I &s;tand bound in many obligations, I &s;hould hardly receive him well, as accompli&s;hed as he can be, &s;ince he is the cau&s;e our Combate is deferred; but becau&s;e I will not my &s;elfe deferr, by aug|menting your paine with too long a vi&s;it; You &s;hall give me leave to retire after a &s;e|cond confirmation of my promi&s;e, not to faile in the lea&s;t tittle of my word; and after I have a&s;&s;ured you, I will appoint &s;ome of my men to wait upon you with as much re|&s;pect as upon my &s;elf, and to have as great care of your life, as if it were ab&s;olutely ne|ce&s;&s;ary unto my felicity.</P>
<P>Mo&s;t noble Rivall, &s;aid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> (lifting up his eyes to heaven) do not over-load mee with your genero&s;ity; but let it &s;uffice, you have promi&s;ed me not to faile in your word.</P>
<P>After this, the violent King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> not being able any longer to ma&s;ter him&s;elfe, turned boi&s;terou&s;ly on the other &s;ide, and began to accu&s;e the Fates for being &s;o op|po&s;ite unto all he de&s;ired. And <HI>Cyrus,</HI> having no more to &s;ay unto him, went out of his Chamber commanding tho&s;e that were to wait upon him, to have e&s;peciall care of him. Thus this generous minded Prince, in point of perfect magnanimity took care for the pre&s;eruation of an Enemy, who wi&s;hed not for life, but to be his death: But <HI>Cyrus</HI> was no &s;ooner out of his Rivals Lodging then this unfortunate King called for one of his men, and &s;ent him unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> to tell her he was very &s;orry he could not waite upon her as he de&s;igned: but that he hoped to overtake her before &s;he cawe to <HI>Ecbatane:</HI> Yet conjuring her, that if he was mi&s;taken in his Conjectures, and dyed of his wounds, &s;he would be plea&s;ed to favour him &s;o farr as not to rejoyce at his death. The man who was to deliver this odd me&s;&s;uage, did very ha&s;tily per|form
<PB N="9" REF="686">
his Commi&s;&s;ion: yet he found the Prince&s;s ready to take Coach, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> with her, rendring her an accompt of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Kings condition: But &s;he no &s;ooner re|ceived this Me&s;&s;uage, then &s;he prepared to an&s;wer him that brought it; Tell the King your Ma&s;ter, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that I never u&s;e to rejoyce at the death of my greate&s;t Enemies, becau&s;e I cannot do it without a piece of inhumanity: but withall a&s;&s;ure him, that I &s;hould exceedingly rejoyce, if in the recovery of his wounds, he &s;hould recover the health of his mind as well as the health of his body:</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Mandana,</HI> with <HI>Dorali&s;a, Pherenice,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> took Coach, and departed immediately: And then <HI>Cyrus</HI> took Hor&s;e, with all the re&s;t of the Princes, except <HI>Mazanes,</HI> who &s;tayed a quarter of an hour behind the re&s;t to vi&s;ite the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> but he found him in &s;uch a fretting and di&s;tempered humour, as he was forced to leave him pre&s;ently, &s;o as he quickly overtook the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana.</HI> In the meane time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> having left order with one to &s;end him exact word of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Kings condition, and to &s;end it &s;ecretly for &s;ome Rea&s;ons be&s;t known to him&s;elf. He al&s;o &s;ent to &s;eek <HI>Gadates,</HI> and to tell him that it was his &s;onne who had wounded the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and to aske him if he knew where he was: Sir (&s;aid <HI>Gadates</HI> unto him as they ridd) I did write unto him by the Me&s;&s;enger of <HI>Ar&s;amenes,</HI> and com|manded him to come and pay &s;ome of my obligations unto you, by rendring you &s;ome con&s;iderable &s;ervices; knowing, that &s;ince the King of <HI>Bythinia</HI> had now no Warrs in his Dominions, he would willingly come hither; but &s;ince that I heard nothing of him: It is credible, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that we &s;hall &s;hortly &s;ee him: For by the manner of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> &s;peech, I collected that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was not wounded.</P>
<P>Though the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> (replyed <HI>Gadates,</HI> and &s;ighed) hath heretofore given my &s;onne a thou&s;and cau&s;es of complaint, in the life time of the Queen <HI>Nitocris:</HI> and though its likely he hath given him &s;ome &s;ince in <HI>Bythinia,</HI> yet I mu&s;t needs be &s;orry both for his Combate and his Victory; For indeed, &s;ince he was born his va&s;&s;all, un|le&s;&s;e he were forced to fight, he ought not to have fought with him.</P>
<P>You &s;peak with &s;o much wi&s;dome, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as it is not credible, that the &s;on of a man &s;o prudent as <HI>Gadates,</HI> would ever make any undi&s;creet combate, and I can a&s;&s;ure you, that he has no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> anqui&s;hed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> without glory.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Gadates</HI> were thus talking and riding together, <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> di&s;cour&s;ed together upon the vertues of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> The Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> and the Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> did al&s;o &s;weetly communicate the pa&s;&s;ions of each others &s;ouls unto each other; The fir&s;t of the&s;e affirming that Love might &s;till &s;ub&s;i&s;t without any hope: And the &s;econd maintaining, that who&s;oever doth truly love, doth not cea&s;e being a Lover, in becoming a Husband.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Mazanes,</HI> when he overtook the Troops, he marched and di&s;cour&s;ed with none, having enough to contemplate upon in his owne thoughts, without the con|ver&s;e of others.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> who&s;e &s;oule was to&s;&s;ed with a thou&s;and various thoughts, and &s;eeking out for one to be the Confident of his heart, he talked with <HI>Andramites,</HI> who&s;e &s;pirit plea&s;ed him, and whom he knew did particularly e&s;teem him. And indeed the truth was, <HI>Andramites</HI> had as &s;trong a de&s;ire to an&s;wer the Amity of <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> as <HI>Anaxaris</HI> had to enjoy his.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;eeing the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was wounded, and that dangerou&s;ly: Al&s;o that they were far enough from him, they told <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> before &s;he went into <HI>Mandana's</HI> Coach, that they would not have her impaart the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e unto the Prince&s;s, &s;ince it would but trouble her to no purpo&s;e, con&s;idering the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> e&s;tate: &s;o that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> a&s;&s;uming her ordinary humour, and <HI>Dc|rali&s;a</HI> continuing her u&s;uall jollity, that days journey was very plea&s;antly pa&s;&s;ed over: It might well be &s;aid, that the Country had decked it &s;elf in its be&s;t ornaments to place &s;o many Gallants as fortune had a&s;&s;embled together; for all the Province through which they travelled, was a pattern for an exqui&s;ite Painter to draw a Land-skip by. The Rivers were mo&s;t delightfully twined among&s;t plea&s;ant Medows, &s;et with O&s;yers and Willows upon the Banks: The Plains through which they pa&s;&s;ed were neither too va&s;tly open, nor &s;o clo&s;e as to make them &s;olitary: The Villages were &s;uch as were full of pretty Cataracts of water, purling Springs, and plea&s;ing Shades: The Hills over which they pa&s;&s;ed were nothing rough and rocky, but afforded mo&s;t delightfull pro&s;|pects of Towns, Villages, Hou&s;es, Rivers, Woods, Ways, and men travelling in them;
<PB N="10" REF="687">
abundance of grazing Flocks, many magnificent Buildings, huge Rocks afar off, and the Sea the furthe&s;t: In&s;omuch as though the Prince&s;&s;e had wanted the company of tho&s;e three excellent per&s;ons who were &s;o amiable, and &s;o full of diver&s;ions, yet &s;he might have found enough in the very variety of the Countrey to feed her eyes withall, and to contemplate upon, without any melancholy: And &s;he pa&s;&s;ed over that day with more plea&s;ure, then &s;he had done a long time before, and &s;o &s;oon, that at her jour|neys end, &s;he did not think &s;he had gone above halfe the way.</P>
<P>But that this dayes Journey might end more plea&s;ingly, chance would have it &s;o, that as &s;he came out of her Coach to go into a hou&s;e of Sacrifice, which was the faire&s;t in all the Town, &s;he &s;pied coming out of this hou&s;e into which &s;he was to enter, a man of a mo&s;t admirable Grab, who both by his habit and a&s;pect &s;eemed to be a man of noble quality: But her wonder was, to &s;ee him &s;link out of a back-door, and in lieu of coming towards her, he took another way, though &s;he could not imagine upon what de&s;ign.</P>
<P>But &s;he was not long in this wonder; for no &s;ooner was &s;he in her Chamber, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> brought this &s;tranger unto her whom <HI>Gadates</HI> pre&s;ented unto him: I thinke it &s;ufficient Madam (&s;aid this Prince unto her in pre&s;enting this illu&s;trious &s;tranger) I tell you, that he whom I bring unto you is &s;onne unto the wi&s;e and generous <HI>Gada|tes:</HI> This I &s;ay Madam, will be enough to make way for his reception as a man of mo&s;t rare merits. It is mo&s;t true Sir, replyed &s;he, for to let me know, that it is the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> is &s;ufficient to move me unto a high e&s;teem of him: But yet (&s;aid &s;he very &s;weetly, and looked upon <HI>Cyrus)</HI> I know not whether I &s;hould give credit unto your words: For Sir, how can I imagine that a man who hath fought &s;uch a Combate, and overcome &s;uch a furious Enemy as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> &s;hould be in &s;uch a condition as I &s;ee him? Since Madam, it is fortune (an&s;wered <HI>Intaphernes</HI> mo&s;t mode&s;tly) which decides combates, &s;he often makes them Conquerors, which &s;hould be conquered: And to &s;ay the very truth Madam, I am a debtor unto you as well as unto the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> for my victory; for certainly the rea&s;on why the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> is not my Conqueror, is, becau&s;e the Gods would not &s;uffer a Prince who is an Enemy unto the one, and a per&s;ecutor of the other to be fortunate in any thing: &s;o that <HI>Madam,</HI> &s;ince I am Victor only by you, it is without any glory un|to me: and if I did not hope to merit your e&s;teem by &s;ome con&s;iderable &s;ervice more then by this act of your vertue, not my valour, I &s;hould be very &s;orry: Mode&s;ty does &s;o well become true valour (replyed <HI>Mandana)</HI> as I mu&s;t needs extreamly com|mend you for &s;peaking with &s;o much moderation of a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which might make a thought of vanity excu&s;able in any other heart but that of <HI>Intaphernes.</HI></P>
<P>After this, <HI>Mandana</HI> to alter the di&s;cour&s;e, lea&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;hould be any &s;ubject of it, began to talk of the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> his Si&s;ter, and of the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bi|thinia,</HI> and to aske him whether <HI>Ar&s;amenes</HI> was &s;till re&s;olved never to con&s;ent unto the marriage of the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> with the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta?</HI> He is &s;o farre Ma|dam from con&s;enting unto it, replyed <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> as I believe him capable of any thing &s;ooner then that Alliance: and if you did but know his actions during the impri|&s;onment of the Prince <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and the impri&s;onment of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King, you would not doubt Madam of what I &s;ay.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> hearing <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;peak thus, had a good mind to &s;ay that <HI>Ar&s;amenes</HI> was injurious, not to let <HI>Spitridates</HI> marry one of the mo&s;t vertuous Prince&s;&s;es upon earth: But remembring that <HI>Mandana</HI> had &s;ome &s;parks of Jealou&s;ie in her mind, he dur&s;t not commend her enough at that time, and only &s;aid, that <HI>Ar&s;amenes</HI> was unworthy of that favour which the Gods had &s;hewed him, in re&s;toring him to his Domini|ons, &s;ince he treated &s;o ill his &s;onne who was one of the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Princes in the world. <HI>Mandana</HI> then would have engaged <HI>Intaphernes</HI> to tell her, how <HI>Ar&s;amenes</HI> arre&s;ted <HI>Spitridates</HI> the &s;econd time, how he got out of pri&s;on, and why the King of <HI>Bythinia</HI> arre&s;ted the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria?</HI> But he an&s;wered her that the&s;e were things which could not be related in few words: For indeed Madam, &s;aid he unto her, before I can acquaint you with the thoughts of <HI>Ar&s;amenes,</HI> it is requi&s;ite I &s;hould relate un|to you the &s;everall intere&s;ts of four or five per&s;ons, who have not the honour to be &s;o well known unto you, as that you &s;hould de&s;ire to know them.</P>
<P>After this <HI>Cyrus</HI> endeavoured to engage him onely in a relation of the cau&s;e of the Combate with the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King; but he could not oblige him to it, this Prince telling
<PB N="11" REF="687">
him that that quarrell begun at <HI>Babylon</HI> during the life of the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> and that the &s;tory would be too long to trouble the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> with the hearing of it. <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;aying &s;o, hee rather augmented then dimini&s;hed the curio&s;ity of <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Cyrus,</HI> yet they would not then pre&s;&s;e him any further, conceiving there might be many pa&s;&s;ages which he would not &s;peak of before &s;o much company, &s;o that the re&s;t of that di&s;cour&s;e was all upon things indifferent: But <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was found to be a man of &s;uch an admirable &s;pirit, that he purcha&s;ed a high form in the e|&s;teem of <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and of all the re&s;t of the Princes: he al&s;o wonne much upon <HI>Dorali&s;a's</HI> e&s;teem, which was a thing &s;he never be&s;towed upon &s;light grounds; But as for <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;he did not content her &s;elfe with bare e&s;teem, for &s;he did ever love him, thinking &s;he could not do any le&s;&s;e for a man, who in conquering the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> had quitted her of a nece&s;&s;ity in telling the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> a thing that would have extreamly troubled her: So that not acquainting him with the cau&s;e, &s;he lived with him, as if they had been of old acquaintance; She did him al&s;o good offices in talking very advantageou&s;ly of him unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana:</HI> But to &s;ay truth, it needed not; for <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was very amiable, a man of great courage and wit, &s;o that his pre&s;ence did much contribute to the plea&s;ure of the Journey.</P>
<P>In the mean time <HI>Mandana</HI> having ob&s;erved &s;ome terms of friend&s;hip to be between <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and being al&s;o very de&s;irous to know the &s;equell of that Princes life, the beginning whereof &s;he knew at <HI>Babylon,</HI> &s;he commanded <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to endeavour the knowledg of all pa&s;&s;ages.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, &s;ince it neerly concern'd <HI>Cyrus,</HI> not to be ignorant in any thing wherein his Rivall had an intere&s;t, he intreated <HI>Intaphernes</HI> to tell him all pa&s;&s;ages in <HI>Bythinia</HI> concerning the impri&s;onment and liberty of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King, wondering much that <HI>Hydaspes</HI> &s;hould not return with him, nor &s;end unto him: Sir (&s;aid <HI>Inta|phernes</HI> unto him) The bu&s;ine&s;&s;e you de&s;ire to know is of &s;uch a nature, as it is impo&s;|&s;ible you &s;hould know it without &s;ome &s;ad thoughts. For I cannot acquaint you with the pa&s;&s;ages in <HI>Bythinia</HI> whil&s;t the King of <HI>As&s;yria</HI> was pri&s;oner but I mu&s;t al&s;o ac|quaint you, how never any gave greater te&s;timonies of his love then this Prince unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> Ju<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> then Sir whether I had not rea&s;on to deny the Prince&s;&s;e a relation which I cannot make, unle&s;&s;e I &s;hould do your Rivall and your Enemy a good office: Generous <HI>Intaphernes</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> I am infinitely obliged unto you for denying what I asked, &s;ince you cannot do it unle&s;s you favour the King of <HI>A&s;syria:</HI> I be&s;eech you keep &s;till in the &s;ame mind, and never &s;atisfie the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana's</HI> curio&s;ity: Not that I am at all injuriou&s;ly jealous of her, but becau&s;e it is the mo&s;t difficult thing in the world to let the per&s;on whom one loves, know any expre&s;&s;ions of the Rivals love: and I had rather <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould accu&s;e me of &s;ome fault, then know that my Rivall hath given any te&s;timonies of his Love.</P>
<P>Then &s;he mu&s;t never know (replyed <HI>Intaphernes)</HI> what hath pa&s;&s;ed in <HI>Bythinia:</HI> No, I conjure you, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but I mu&s;t confe&s;s I de&s;ire to know it my &s;elfe, and I know not whether my &s;orrows to heare that my Rivall hath had an occa&s;ion to &s;ig|nalize his love, be above the plea&s;ure of &s;atisfying my curio&s;ity.</P>
<P>As <HI>Intaphernes</HI> ready to reply, a &s;econd Po&s;t came from <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> But whereas the fir&s;t came with thanks unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> for relea&s;ing <HI>Mandana;</HI> this acquainted him, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> being recovered of a long langui&s;hing di&s;ea&s;e, did revive her fir&s;t de&s;ignes a|gain&s;t <HI>Medea,</HI> and that the generall Rendezvous of her Forces was &s;ome three dayes march from <HI>Araxes.</HI> This newes which had extreamly perp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">exed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> had it come during the &s;iege of <HI>Cumes,</HI> did never trouble him now <HI>Mandana</HI> was relea&s;ed: and he believed that the reports of her liberty would alter the de&s;ign of that incen&s;ed Queen, &s;o that without any di&s;quiet at this newes, his only care was to conceale it from the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> le&s;t it &s;hould trouble her. In the mean time his cares of keeping <HI>Intaphernes</HI> from letting the Prince&s;s know all, that what he told her the next day be|fore &s;he departed, was a cau&s;e that &s;he came &s;ooner to know it; For as <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> did divers times pre&s;&s;e <HI>Intaphernes</HI> unto it, he did &s;o earne&s;tly forbid him, as this made her more earne&s;t to know it: But why Sir (would &s;he &s;ay unto him) will you not be plea&s;ed to honour me &s;o farr, as to tell me this which I have &s;o vehement a de&s;ire to know? Do you think Sir I do not know the beginning of your life? believe me Sir, I have been too long at <HI>Babylon</HI> to be ignorant of it: and to te&s;tifie unto you that I doe know it, I will, if you plea&s;e, repeat word for word all that long and &s;harp language
<PB N="12" REF="688">
which pa&s;&s;ed between you and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> in the time of the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> when you argued in defence of the brown Beauties again&s;t the fair; and when he gave you &s;uch words as provoked you to an&s;wer him in &s;uch a manner, as made it appear you had a heart too high for a Subject, or at lea&s;t for a Va&s;&s;all</P>
<P>Since you are &s;o well acquainted with my life (&s;aid he, and would have civilly put her off) what would you have me tell you more? I would have you Sir acquaint mee, replyed &s;he, with your adventures in <HI>Bythinia:</HI> Alas, Amiable <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid he) doe not ask me that, for indeed I cannot con&s;ent unto it. <HI>Intaphernes</HI> uttered the&s;e words in &s;uch a tone, as moved <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to think that he had &s;ome rea&s;ons for it, &s;o that her curio&s;ity was much more eager then before. That which did mo&s;t exa&s;perate her, was the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana's</HI> prompting her to perform her promi&s;e which &s;he made to get it out of him: this Prince&s;&s;e wittily twitting her with want of wit to bring it to pa&s;&s;e: and &s;ince it was in the Coach, and in pre&s;ence of <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that &s;he thus geered her, &s;he was even mad upon it: For my part (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;eeing it plea&s;ed the Prince&s;s to torment her) If I did attempt to get the friend&s;hip of any one, as I &s;ee you have courted <HI>Intaphernes</HI> for his, I &s;hould be extreamly a&s;hamed to thrive in it no better; for as full of Charms as you are; I &s;ee you have but &s;mall power over him, &s;ince he refu&s;eth to tell you a thing, which doubtle&s;&s;e all <HI>Bythinia</HI> knows: I have been as &s;olici|tous Madam (replyed <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and looked upon <HI>Mandana)</HI> as if my de&s;ign were to Court the love of the Prince <HI>Intaphernes:</HI> As for matter of Love replyed the Prince&s;s, I do not think you can be charged; but I am &s;ure it mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed, that either you have very ill obeyed me, or the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> hath very ill obeyed you. Alas Madam replyed <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;ince I have no right to command him, I have no way but to be contented, and have recour&s;e unto my prayers; Alas <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and interrupted her) It &s;eems <HI>Intaphernes</HI> hath treated you wor&s;e then I did imagine, &s;ince in my opinion it is a greater offence to deny a reque&s;t, then to di&s;obey a command; and to &s;peak &s;incerely, my heart does naturally &s;o hate to be commanded any thing, as I &s;hould much more readily pardon &s;uch as reject my commands, then &s;uch as deny my reque&s;ts: Therefore, &s;ince you have reque&s;ted, and reque&s;ted in vaine, it does ex|treamly touch your honour to be thus denyed by the Prince <HI>Intaphernes.</HI> But <HI>Mar|te&s;ia</HI> (replyed <HI>Mandana)</HI> if you u&s;e no other &s;tratage<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> to get out of him what I de|&s;ire to know, but prayers, you have not done enough; for there are &s;ome certaine things which you mu&s;t &s;eem as if you did not de&s;ire to know them: Did you but know Madam, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> what I have done, you would be &s;atisfied with my endeavors. The more you have done (replied <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> the more you may be a&s;hamed, &s;ince none takes effect. I be&s;eech you <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> try what you can do upon him to &s;crue out what the Prince&s;s &s;o much de&s;ires; Were her Commands upon me replyed &s;he, as they are upon you, I &s;hould have obeyed her: but &s;ince &s;he hath not done me that favour, I have no mind to rob you of the honour in doing her this &s;mall piece of &s;ervice: And therefore &s;ince your prayers have no influence upon <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> goe &s;ome other way to work; make him bolt out that at &s;everall times, which he will not do at once: Puzzle him with a hundred far-fetchd que&s;tions, pump him, and make him confe&s;&s;e what he has no mind to do: Seem &s;ometimes to know what you ask him, and as if you were carele&s;&s;e of knowing more; be &s;ometimes mild, &s;ometimes &s;harp: And when you have tryed all wayes, and all in vain, yet I know one infallible cour&s;e to make him tell what the Prince&s;s de&s;ires to know. Pray then in&s;truct me, replyed <HI>Mar|te&s;ia;</HI> for I have done all that you have yet advi&s;ed me unto, and more: Therefore I be&s;eech you in&s;truct me with this devi&s;e who&s;e event you think &s;o certain. I am con|fident replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and &s;miled, that the Prince&s;s will agree the mo&s;t &s;ure way to know the &s;ecrets of another, is to tru&s;t them with their own. I cannot tell, &s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> whether that be true or no, but I am &s;ure you never pumped out the &s;ecrets of any one by imparting your own. However it be (&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> begin from this very night to tell the Prince <HI>Intapernes</HI> all the particulars of your life, e&s;pecially &s;ince the time that the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> came to <HI>Sinope</HI> under the name of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> omit not &s;o much as the long di&s;cour&s;e you had ye&s;terday with <HI>Feraulas:</HI> And if after all this, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> do not impart his &s;ecrets, I will engage my &s;elf to tell you mine, which is a thing I u&s;e not, but hate mo&s;t of any in the world.</P>
<P><HI>Mandana</HI> hearing <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;peak thus, could not choo&s;e but laugh, e&s;pecially when &s;he &s;aw <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was a little netled: For though &s;he had wit at will, and was excellent
<PB N="13" REF="688">
at Raillary; yet the very name of <HI>Feraulas</HI> having put her to the blu&s;h, &s;he began to &s;tudy revenge upon <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> yet could not hit upon it; for &s;he was of &s;uch an hu|mour, as the names of <HI>Myr&s;yles, Andramites,</HI> and all the re&s;t of her Lovers had ne|ver reached her heart, &s;o that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was forced that day to endure what&s;oever <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> plea&s;ed to put upon her. However, after all this Raillary, the Prince&s;s <HI>Man|dana</HI> told <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> in a more &s;erious manner that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> his deny all did extream|ly augment her Curio&s;ity, imagining that either <HI>Cyrus</HI> or her &s;elf, or both were con|cerned in the relation he was de&s;ired to make: So that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to &s;atisfie <HI>Mandana,</HI> and to &s;top tanting <HI>Dorali&s;a's</HI> mouth, did bethink her &s;elf of a man who&s;e name was <HI>Orcames,</HI> of good rank about the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and in great favour with him; from him &s;he thought to have what &s;he de&s;ired to know: For at their la&s;t di&s;cour&s;e, he let her know how he was obliged unto the intere&s;ts of this Prince, ever &s;ince he was at <HI>Babylon.</HI> &amp; her greate&s;t hope was, in that <HI>Orcames</HI> was a man the be&s;t at relating &s;tories in the world, and loved to employ his talent, and would often when he had no ad|ventures of others to relate, he would voluntarily out with his own. <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> then upon this hope of per&s;wading him to tell her all he knew concerning his Ma&s;ter, and o|ther pa&s;&s;ages in <HI>Bythinia,</HI> did promi&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> afre&s;h to &s;atisfie her Curio&s;ity, and indeed &s;he did not faile in her word. In the mean time, &s;ince &s;he could never talke with <HI>Orcames</HI> but at nights, it was three dayes before &s;he could per&s;wade him to relate the adventures of <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> though his inclination to &s;uch relations was good e|nough: Yet &s;he did &s;o hand&s;omely tamper with him, as &s;he per&s;waded him that it was requi&s;ite the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould be acquainted with the intere&s;ts of <HI>In|taphernes,</HI> to the end &s;he might &s;erve him when occa&s;ions were: In&s;omuch as <HI>Orcames</HI> who was ignorant that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had de&s;ired his Ma&s;ter not to acquaint the Prince&s;s with any pa&s;&s;ages in <HI>Bythinia:</HI> And who knew he had related unto that Prince all the ad|ventures, never dared to let <HI>Mandana</HI> know what <HI>Cyrus</HI> did already know; and he was the more induced unto it, becau&s;e he could not tell any thing which was not glo|rious unto the Prince his Ma&s;ter: &s;o that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> having fitted him to her de&s;ired mould, &s;he went immed<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">nto <HI>Mandana,</HI> with whom <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> was. Mow Ma|dam, &s;aid &s;he unto her, yo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> know the &s;ecrets of <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> at an ea&s;ier rate then his knowing mine, For <HI>O<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">es</HI> hath promi&s;ed me to tell you them, when&s;oever you &s;hall plea&s;e to appoint him. That &s;hall be to morrow at night (&s;ayd the Prince&s;&s;e) for then I know our journey will not be long, and that we &s;hall come to our Lodgings betimes, &s;o that I do intend to retire &s;ooner then ordinary, purpo&s;ely to give him the more conventient opportunity for it.</P>
<P>The bu&s;ine&s;s being thus re&s;olved upon, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> acquainted <HI>Orcames</HI> with it, and the day following, <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;eeming as &s;he were weary with her journey, would not be &s;een all that Evening as &s;he did u&s;ually, yet &s;he had a de&s;ire to acquaint <HI>Cyrus</HI> with the true cau&s;e of that wearine&s;&s;e &s;he complayned of, and to let him be an Audi|tor of this relation: But &s;ince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was then with him, &s;he could not do it: Al&s;o, &s;ince her vertue was very &s;crupulous and delicate, as much as &s;he e&s;teemed <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> yet &s;he would not let him &s;ee her, after &s;he had &s;ayd that &s;he would admit of none; for as for <HI>Orcames,</HI> the matter was not &s;o great.</P>
<P><HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> then &s;eeing that none but <HI>Doali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Pherenice</HI> were with <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he brought in <HI>Orcames,</HI> whom the Prince&s;&s;e received as a man from whom &s;he expe|cted &s;atisfaction of her Curio&s;ity: You need not think it &s;trange, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that I &s;hould rather de&s;ire to know the life of <HI>Intaphernes</HI> from you, then from him|&s;elf: For &s;ince the de&s;ign in my de&s;ires of knowing it, is principally becau&s;e I would the more e&s;teem him: I thought his mode&s;ty would hide part of his vertues from me, and that perhaps he would detract from him&s;elf, and therefore I de&s;ire to receive them from you: but I pray, &s;aid &s;he, let not your relation be limitted only unto the adven|tures of the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> but I be&s;eech you let the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> al&s;o have her place, for I know the intere&s;ts of that illu&s;trious Brother and admirable Si&s;ter are &s;o twi&s;ted, as it were unju&s;t to &s;eparate them in their &s;tories.</P>
<P>Though I would do &s;o Madam replyed <HI>Orcames,</HI> yet I cannot; for truly the Prin|ce&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina</HI> hath &s;o great a &s;hare in all I am to relate, and in all the pa&s;&s;ages of all <HI>A|&s;ia,</HI> even in this which hath hapned unto you Madam in particular, as one may almo&s;t look upon her as the innocent cau&s;e of all the Wars. Indeed if the Queen <HI>Ni|tocris</HI> had not peremptorily re&s;olved that the Prince her &s;onne &s;hould have marryed
<PB N="14" REF="689">
her, perhaps he had loved her, or at lea&s;t not hated her, nor gone out of his King|dome, and by con&s;equence he had never been an Enemy and Rivall unto the illu&s;tri|ous <HI>Cyrus:</HI> he had never carryed you Madam away, he would have re&s;ted peaceable in his own Dominions; you had never come under the power either of the Prince <HI>Ma|zanes,</HI> or the King of <HI>Pontus. Croe&s;&s;us</HI> had at this hour po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed all his Trea&s;ures: <HI>Armenia</HI> had not been tributary, the Prince of <HI>Cumes</HI> had been alive, &amp; all the&s;e great revolutions in <HI>A&s;ia</HI> had never hapned without the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina.</HI> But Madam, I mu&s;t not only bring in the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter, and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> but al&s;o the Prince <HI>Atergatis,</HI> and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> And to &s;peak truth, I have &s;o many &s;everall things to relate which are &s;o twi&s;ted with one another, as I doubt whether I am able to wind the clew of my relation to the bottom without &s;uch a di&s;orderly ruffle, as will weary you. The only favour which I aske, replyed the Prince&s;s, is, not to do as many relators do, who de&s;ign to iuclude many things in few words; for indeed there are many pa&s;&s;ages whereon aggravations are plea&s;ing, and &s;ometimes are nece&s;&s;ary, &s;o that I cannot abide this &s;paring of a few words: and there|fore do not confine your &s;elfe unto over-narrow limits, but freely impart all you know. <HI>Orcames</HI> being glad that the Prince&s;s commands did not thwart his inclinati|on. he a&s;&s;ured her that he would mo&s;t exactly obey her: &s;o that <HI>Mandana</HI> having pla|ced her &s;elfe oppo&s;ite to him, and cau&s;ed Cu&s;hions to be given unto <HI>Dorali&s;a, Phere|nece,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia, Orcames</HI> began his &s;tory thus:</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> of <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> of <HI>Atergates,</HI> of <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and of the Prince&s;&s;e of BYTHINIA.</HEAD>
<P>TO the end Madam you may more ea&s;ily be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hat the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> are accompli&s;hed with a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> vertues which per&s;ons of their quality ought to be, I mu&s;t begin my relation with an Elogie to the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> under whom they were educated, and of whom they both were mo&s;t tenderly loved: But Madam, this Queen hath &s;o many, &s;o great, and &s;uch rare quali|ties, that if I &s;hould undertake to de&s;cribe but a part of them, I &s;hould want time to acquaint you ith wwhat you de&s;ire to know. and to &s;peak the very truth, it need not be brought into any que&s;tion; but a Queen who&s;e name hath filled all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> is fre&s;h in the memory of a Prince&s;s who&s;e glory fills all the earth: I will not therefore &s;tay you Madam with applauds of a great Queen, who&s;e vertues I do believe you &s;ufficiently e&s;teem, maugre the violences of the King her &s;onne: Nor &s;hall I &s;tay you long with acquainting you in things &s;o farre fetched, as I &s;hould have done, if I had not under|&s;tood from <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> how you are not ignorant of the affection which <HI>Gadates</HI> had unto <HI>Nitocris,</HI> and of her vertue in thwarting her inclination unto <HI>Gadates:</HI> &s;o that I &s;hall content my &s;elfe with reviving in your memory, that &s;he having no mind to put the Crown of that Prince whom &s;he loved for feare of cau&s;ing a civill War in her Do|minions, but married another whom &s;he loved not: and with telling you how &s;he ba|ni&s;hed him who had the greate&s;t &s;hare in her heart: How &s;he commanded him to mar|ry: How he obeyed her; and how afterwards, to gratifie his obedience, &s;he intended to &s;et the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> upon the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Throne by marrying her unto the Prince her &s;onne. After this Madam, I believe you will imagine that the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> were educated with all imaginable care, it being ea&s;ie to be conjectured, that the wi&s;e&s;t Queen which ever reigned in <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;ince <HI>Semiramis,</HI> would not neglect the education of a Prince&s;s whom &s;he de&s;igned for a Throne, and of a young Prince who&s;e Father had &s;uch a &s;hare in her heart, and whom &s;he looked upon as one who was to be brother in Law unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> And certainly all her cares were not lo&s;t; for I can a&s;&s;ure you Madam, that the&s;e two young per&s;ons did much exceed their age both in beauty and &s;pirit, and were the admiration not only of all the Court, but of all <HI>Babylon,</HI> w^c^h you know Madam is one of the greate&s;t Cities in the world. I &s;hall not in&s;i&s;t Madam, upon any particular de&s;criptions of <HI>I&s;trina's</HI>
<PB N="15" REF="689">
beauty; for &s;ince the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> is a very picture of her, your own eyes may be judge. I &s;hall only &s;ay thus much, that never was any brown beauty more lovely then hers, nor fuller of attractive charms: As for her &s;pirit, her phy&s;iognomy doth promi&s;e what it is, to wit, great and noble: and which is mo&s;t plea&s;ing, her humor is of &s;uch a &s;weet compo&s;ition, as it gains her more hearts then her beauty.</P>
<P>Yet for all that, this &s;weet and lovely Lady has a heart full of ambition, and &s;o &s;en&s;ible of glory, as &s;he is ready to &s;acrifice any thing, even all her plea&s;ures unto it. She being of &s;uch a temper as I have de&s;cribed, her hopes were flattered up with being a Queen, and her mind was &s;o blown up with thoughts of Grandure, as all her cares were how to plea&s;e the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> and the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> whom &s;he was made believe &s;he was to marry: Since you know Madam what Antipathy there was in him towards her, though he had no other rea&s;on for it, but becau&s;e he would not &s;ute his fancy unto the will of any others, I will not in&s;i&s;t upon any aggra|vations of it: Let me only tell you thus much, that becau&s;e the Prince&s;s <HI>Istrina</HI> was of the fair complexion, he hated all the brown, were they never &s;o fair, &amp; hated <HI>Inta|phernes</HI> only becau&s;e he was her brother. Indeed you know Madam, how he treated him one day when they were hunting together, when the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> more dexterous and happy then he, killed a Lyon: But Madam, the thing which I believe you do not know, or at lea&s;t have but a confu&s;ed notion of it, is, that whil&s;t all the Court wondered to &s;ee this aver&s;ion, as the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Prince towards her, &s;hee made many in Love with her: And among&s;t the re&s;t, there was a young Prince in that Court called <HI>Atergatis,</HI> who was mo&s;t de&s;perately in love with her, and who was no le&s;&s;e meritorious of her Love, then &s;he of his; the Prince <HI>Mazanes</HI> who knowes him, is able to tell you, that the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> is one of the mo&s;t amiable per&s;ons in the world, and the fitte&s;t to make a faithfull and di&s;creet Lover.</P>
<P>As for his per&s;on it is plea&s;ing, and it's hard to look long upon it, and not love it. Since his Quality made him a Companion with the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> in all his plea|&s;ure, he was often times a witne&s;&s;e of that aver&s;ion which he had to the Prince&s;s <HI>I|&s;trina:</HI> And I have heard <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ce &s;ay, that this his aver&s;ion was partly a cau&s;e of his Love; becau&s;e not being <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> conceive how a Prince of his &s;pirit could po&s;&s;ibly hate &s;o faire a per&s;on as &s;he, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> he had ob&s;erved &s;ome particular faults in her, hee therefore applyed him&s;elf unto her, to &s;ee what was the rea&s;on her beauty did not captivate the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> heart: &s;o that &s;eeing her very often, he &s;aw her too oft for his quietne&s;&s;e, for he loved her with as much violence as it was po&s;&s;ible for any living to love. However, &s;ince he knew that the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> was fully re&s;olved that the Prince her &s;onne &s;hould marry her: and &s;ince he very well ob&s;erved the ambitious veine of the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> he dur&s;t not therefore declare him&s;elf, and therefore &s;mothered up mo&s;t tormenting flames: but the odde&s;t pa&s;&s;age in his Love was, that he adhered &s;o much unto the intere&s;ts of the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> as he could not choo&s;e but hate the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> becau&s;e he carryed him&s;elf har&s;hly towards her, though it would have pinched him to the &s;oule if he had &s;een him love her.</P>
<P>Since at that time the heart of <HI>Istrina</HI> was &s;welled only with ambition; and &s;eeing her &s;elfe looked upon by all the Court, as her that was to be Queen of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> &s;hee did imagine that none dur&s;t pre&s;ume to look &s;o high as &s;he: In&s;omuch, as though &s;he did every day &s;ee the Prince <HI>Atergatis,</HI> and though he talked with her as much as he could, and Courted her with continuall trifling &s;ervices, yet &s;he did not perceive he was in love with her, though many others ob&s;erved it, and though &s;hee her &s;elfe had a good inclination to e&s;teem him.</P>
<P>The Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was the fir&s;t that found it out, and was very glad of it; for he heartily wi&s;hed that the Prince&s;s <HI>Istrina</HI> had a Lover whom &s;he loved, purpo&s;ely that he might have a better pretence for not loving her, as <HI>Nitocris</HI> would have him: And indeed this violent Prince &s;eeing that the Lawes of the Land required that hee &s;hould Marry <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> becau&s;e there was none of her Quality in all the Kingdome whom el&s;e he could marry: And &s;eeing that the Qu: <HI>Nitocris</HI> was re&s;olute, &amp; would exact obedience from him, as &s;oon as the Peace with <HI>Phrigia</HI> was compleated, which was under negotiation, therefore he had recour&s;e unto the mo&s;t extream Reme|dies.</P>
<P>Then he made a hundred odd Propo&s;itions unto the Prince <HI>Mazanes,</HI> who would not hearken unto them: &s;o that perceiving the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> was in love with <HI>I|strina,</HI>
<PB N="16" REF="690">
he &s;ent one day to him to tell him that he would u&s;e his be&s;t a&s;&s;i&s;tance to make him happy. <HI>Atergatis</HI> much &s;urprized at the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> Complement, told him, that the only way to make him happy was to give him &s;ome occa&s;ion of do|ing him &s;ome con&s;iderable &s;ervice: No, no, replyed this violent Prince, I meane not to make you happy by your &s;erving me, but by my &s;erving you: I know you are in love with the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina:</HI> Alas Sir (&s;aid <HI>Atergatis,</HI> and interrupted him) I owe you more re&s;pects, then to have any thoughts of that mo&s;t excellent Prince&s;s, but &s;uch as I ought to have of one who&s;e Subject I mu&s;t hereafter be: No no <HI>Atergatis,</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) do not di&s;&s;emble the truth, but confe&s;&s;e freely unto me that you are the Prince&s;s <HI>Istrina's</HI> &s;lave without feare of being hereafter her Subject, for Ia&s;|&s;ure you that I will never put the Crown upon her head: Therefore for your owne &s;atisfaction, and to free me from the perpetuall per&s;ecution of the Queen, who would have me marry her; give me leave to &s;teale her away for you, and put her into your power, yet &s;o as I may not be &s;een in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: I will find you a mo&s;t &s;afe &s;anctuary for a Retreat, where you may wait untill the Queens anger be over, and untill you have got the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina's</HI> Love, Sir, replyed <HI>Atergatis</HI> (extream|ly amazed and puzled to an&s;wer the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> I have already told you that I have no thoughts of the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> but &s;uch as becomes me, though I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s that I doe infinitely admire her: But were it &s;o that I loved this mo&s;t excellent Prince&s;s, I would not Sir accept of this offer, becau&s;e it is not the way to obtain the love of that illu&s;trious per&s;on, &amp; becau&s;e it would hinder her of a Crown: Therefore Sir, whether I be her Lover, or not her Lover, I ought not to con&s;ent unto your propo&s;ition.</P>
<P>Your an&s;wer (replyed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> doth &s;o much &s;urprize me, as I almo&s;t believe my &s;elfe mi&s;taken in thinking you to be in Love with <HI>I&s;trina;</HI> for I cannot conceive it po&s;&s;ible one &s;hould refu&s;e the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of her he loves, though he come to her by the mo&s;t difficulty and unju&s;t wayes in the world.</P>
<P>But perhaps (pur&s;ued he) you do not believe me and are not per&s;waded of my great aver&s;ion to the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina:</HI> yet I do prot<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ergatis,</HI> I hate <HI>Intapher|nes</HI> becau&s;e he is her brother, and &s;hould hate you a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Lover, were I not in hopes of per&s;wading you be her Ravi&s;her al&s;o: I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e when I doe force my eyes to examine her beauty, I do find her fair: and my rea&s;on &s;ometimes tells me, &s;he has wit enough. But for all this &s;he di&s;plea&s;eth me: I cannot abide her; and I am &s;ometimes ve|ry &s;orry that I can only hate her, and that I cannot but only in my heart &s;corn her.</P>
<P>How Sir, replyed <HI>Atergatis</HI> (who could not endure to heare her he adored, &s;o vili|fied) can it be po&s;&s;ible the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina</HI> &s;hould di&s;like you, and &s;tifle your inclina|tion? How is it po&s;&s;i&s;ible <HI>Atergatis</HI> (replyed the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> that the Prin|ce&s;&s;e <HI>Istrina</HI> &s;hould plea&s;e you, charm you, and move your heart, and yet not de|&s;ire to enjoy her by the way which I propound? Yet you love her; and I do plainly &s;ee it in your eyes, that you cannot endure I &s;hould &s;peak &s;o &s;harply again&s;t her: Therefore I doe declare unto you, that you mu&s;t do one of the&s;e three things: You mu&s;t either carry her away, or make her love you, or el&s;e make me hate you: For if I find you to be only a bare Adorer of <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> I &s;hall hate you perhaps more then if I were your Rivall.</P>
<P>As <HI>Atergatis</HI> was &s;tudying for an an&s;wer, as good luck was, the Prince <HI>Mazanes</HI> and others came in and broke off their di&s;cour&s;e, and al&s;o gave him an occa&s;ion of quitting that where his &s;oule &s;uffered the torments of a Hell.</P>
<P>But to &s;um up his torments, as he was going from this Princes Chamber, he met with one who &s;tayed him a long time in talk of &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s; and as he was talking, one of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Princes &s;ervants pa&s;&s;ed by him, and was asked by another whe|ther he went, and he an&s;wered aloud, that his Ma&s;ter &s;ent him to &s;eek a Prince who&s;e name was <HI>Armatrites:</HI> So that <HI>Atergatis</HI> knowing this Prince to be in love with the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and imagining that the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;ent for his Rivall to make the &s;ame propo&s;ition which he had done unto him, he was &s;o perplexed that he was forced to quit him he was talking with, and to goe home purpo&s;ely to re&s;olve with him&s;elfe what cour&s;e to take: I under&s;tood &s;ince, from his own mouth, that he was more perplexed then ever was any amorous heart: Sometimes he was glad to &s;ee the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> aver&s;ion to <HI>I&s;trina;</HI> &s;ometimes again he was angry at it, and other|whiles he repented of his non-acceptance of the offer made unto him, fearing le&s;t his
<PB N="17" REF="690">
Rivall &s;hould anticipate him: What a mo&s;t mi&s;erable cro&s;&s;e de&s;tiny is mine? (would he &s;ay him&s;elfe upon examination of this &s;trange adventure) I do love a Prince&s;&s;e who knows not that I adore her, becau&s;e my re&s;pects unto the Prince for whom &s;he is de|&s;tined does hinder me from letting her know it; and yet this very &s;ame Prince who thinks my felicity would be his mi&s;ery, offers me to &s;teale her away for mee, and put her in my power. Think well on it <HI>Atergatis</HI> (would he &s;ay) con&s;ider whether 'tis not thy be&s;t cour&s;e to return and tell the Prince thou do&s;t repent of thy refu&s;all: For truly &s;ince he is re&s;olved not to make her a Queen, is there any one in all the King|dome that is more worthy of her then thy &s;elfe in re&s;pect of thy violent and re&s;pective pa&s;&s;ion?</P>
<P>But &s;aid he, (and reprehended him&s;elfe immediately after) Can&s;t thou be &s;o in&s;olent as to make any Declaration of Love unto her, after thou ha&s;t cau&s;ed her to be Ravi&s;h|ed away? Take heed <HI>Atergatis,</HI> with what eyes a wronged Prince&s;&s;e will look upon thee, a Prince&s;s who will think that thou ha&s;t taken a Crown from her: Imagine that thou &s;ee&s;t <HI>I&s;trina</HI> incen&s;ed? Let not thy love ecclips thy vertue? Remember that thou ha&s;t ever thought, and that with rea&s;on, that who&s;oever excludes re&s;pect from this pa&s;&s;ion, doth ruine it: and that to take away a Prince&s;s who&s;e heart is not obtained, is the mo&s;t unju&s;t thing in the world, and the greate&s;t folly one can commit: Hearken therefore unto rea&s;on in &s;pight of thy love, and follow its Coun&s;ells rather then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's:</HI> But alas alas, &s;aid he, if thy Rivall &s;hould not be &s;o generous as thy &s;elfe, but &s;hould accept of what this unjn&s;t Prince &s;hould offer him, in what a deplorable condition art thou then? what good will all thy re&s;pects of her thou ado|re&s;t do thee, &s;ince &s;he does not know thou love&s;t her? And who cannot think her &s;elfe obliged unto thee for a thing &s;he is ignorant of? Examine &s;eriou&s;ly <HI>Atergatis,</HI> what cour&s;e is be&s;t to be taken: If thou wilt not doe as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> would have thee, thy Rivall perhaps will: If thou do&s;t carry away <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> &s;he will hate thee: If thou do&s;t not carry her away, another in all probability will. What can&s;t thou do, unfortunate man, in &s;uch a &s;trange condition? Can&s;t thou &s;uffer thy Prince&s;s to be carryed away without acquainting her with the misfortune which hangs over her head? Can&s;t thou give her a greater te&s;timony of thy e&s;teem and love, then by letting her know it? But alas (&s;aid he, and &s;ighed) how can&s;t thou at one time acquaint the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> that thou love&s;t her; that the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> hates her; that thou ha&s;t refu&s;ed the offer of her taking away; that thou art per&s;waded thy Rivall will not &s;tartle at it: The lea&s;t of all the&s;e is enough to tremble thee into a Pal&s;ey in telling it, &s;ince it would make her both &s;ad and angry: Con&s;ider what an angry bu&s;ine&s;&s;e it would be to tell her all the&s;e things at once: Yet why &s;hould&s;t thou pau&s;e upon it; For though there were no other rea&s;on to move thee unto a di&s;covery of what thou knowe&s;t, yet her intere&s;t alone is enough to oblige thee unto it, as her Friend, and not her Lover. But what phra&s;es can&s;t thou make u&s;e of to expre&s;&s;e tho&s;e difficulties, which will &s;o much &s;urprize her? She hath ever looked upon thee as one who was to be her Subject, and thon goe&s;t to tell her that &s;he mu&s;t look upon thee as her Lover; and as a man who wi&s;heth with all his heart that &s;he may never be a Queen. She ex|pects the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> will put a Crown upon her head, and thou telle&s;t her that he would &s;teale her away for another, and that he will perhaps find one who will ac|cept of an offer &s;o unju&s;t, &s;o contrary to genero&s;ity, and even Love it &s;elfe. Never|thele&s;&s;e, the &s;ervice thou owe&s;t unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina</HI> requires it from thee, and thy Pa&s;&s;ion commands it.</P>
<P>But yet once more <HI>Atergatis,</HI> what words wilt thou u&s;e? I know not (&s;aid he and &s;ighed) yet without more ado leave it unto thy Love to &s;ugge&s;t &s;uch as &s;hall per&s;wade the Prince&s;s, that &s;ince the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> does not adore her, he is unworthy of her e&s;teem: and that &s;ince thou love&s;t her more then ever man loved any, thou do&s;t me|rit &s;ome &s;hare in her heart.</P>
<P>After this <HI>Atergatis</HI> being fully re&s;olved to acquaint <HI>I&s;trina</HI> with the pa&s;&s;age, and to give her &s;uch hints as might make her gue&s;&s;e at his Love, he waited with much im|patience untill after dinner. But in the interim, his rea&s;on &s;ugge&s;ted unto him, that perhaps he &s;hould expo&s;e him&s;elfe to the Prince of of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> hatred; if it &s;hould &s;o fall out that the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> &s;hould di&s;cover unto him what he &s;hould tell her: yet this did not divert him from his fir&s;t intentions, and from going unto the Queen as &s;oon as the hour, when every one u&s;ed to goe, was come.</P>
<P><PB N="18" REF="691">
Since the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina</HI> did much e&s;teem him, and ranked him in the number of her intimate friends: and &s;ince the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> did dearly love him, he hoped to find an ea&s;ie opportunity of talking with her, either in the Queens pre&s;ence, or her own chamber: And he found the opportunity more favourable then he hoped, for &s;ince it was then very hot, and the Sun began to grow low, the Prince&s;s went to walk in tho&s;e rare Gardens, made heretofore by the famous <HI>Semiramis,</HI> and which as you know Madam, being vaulted underneath, and &s;upported by huge, high, and &s;tately pillars, has the reputation over all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> to hang miraculou&s;ly in the Ayre, con&s;idering their prodigious bigne&s;&s;e. The Prince&s;s <HI>Istrina</HI> having that day made choi&s;e of this Walk, there being very few company which frequented it, becau&s;e the Queen not going the crowd of the Court &s;tayed with her, &s;ince it was upon her that all Graces and Favours depended. As for <HI>Atergatis,</HI> &s;ince his bu&s;ine&s;s was not there, he followed the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and was &s;o happy, that when he came fir&s;t into her pre&s;ence, &s;he asked him if he would walk with her: He joyfully accepted of &s;uch a fa|vourable opportunity, and pre&s;ented her his hand to lead her out: Since it was a great height to mount into tho&s;e miraculous Gardens, which &s;he made choice of for her diver&s;ion, &s;he was a little weary when &s;he was up: So that to re&s;t her &s;elfe a while, to the end her walk might be the more delightfull, &s;he did &s;it down in an Arbor made be|tween four Palm trees, which being intertwi&s;ted with each other, did make a mo&s;t delicate &s;hade, there being &s;eates of Cyprus wood which perfumed the place. The Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina</HI> &s;itting under &s;uch a cooling &s;hade, the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> had all the conveniency of talking with her he could de&s;ire; For &s;ince there was no per&s;ons with her of his Quality but him&s;elfe, as &s;oon as he began to talke &s;eriou&s;ly with the Prin|ce&s;s, as if he had &s;ome &s;ecre&s;ie of importance to impart, all the re&s;t of the company did out of their re&s;pects retire &s;ome di&s;tance from them: &s;o that <HI>Atergatis,</HI> not to loo&s;e &s;uch a precious moment, Madam (&s;aid he unto her with a trembling heart) I have a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e to acquaint you withall, which I wi&s;h it were already told you, be|cau&s;e it is mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary you &s;hould know it, and yet I dare hardly tell it, unle&s;&s;e I have the authority of your Command.</P>
<P><HI>I&s;trina</HI> &s;urprized at the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> did look &s;eriou&s;ly upon the matter, and endeavoured to gue&s;s at the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; but yet though her faire eyes did look &s;e|riou&s;ly in the eyes of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> and &s;aw them full of love, yet they could not di&s;cover the pa&s;&s;ion of his heart: So that not knowing what to think, I do confe&s;s <HI>Atergatis,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, I cannot imagine what you can tell of &s;uch importance for me to know; for &s;ince I have ever thought you my friend, in lieu of de&s;iring a Command to &s;peak, you &s;hould &s;peak freely without, but &s;ince you do de&s;ire it, I doe command you: Then Madam, &s;aid he, I will obey, and acquaint you with a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which will mo&s;t &s;ur|prize you of any thing in the world: Oh I be&s;eech you (&s;aid <HI>I&s;trina</HI> then) do not yet obey me; but tell me fir&s;t, whether it will be a bu&s;ine&s;s which will anger me, or grieve me, or el&s;e joy me; for you know that plea&s;ing things may &s;urprize one, as well as di&s;plea&s;ing. Since Madam I am full of &s;incerity, replyed he, I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e I have no|thing to tell which I think will plea&s;e you, but much which will di&s;plea&s;e.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, &s;aid &s;he, I pray tell me nothing, unle&s;&s;e you can tell me a way how to a|void any great misfortune. If that had not been the cau&s;e Madam, replyed <HI>Ater|gatis,</HI> I &s;hould never have re&s;olved to acquaint you with what I now intend, but in|deed Madam, it does &s;o neer concern you to know it, as it doth concern the whole tranquility of your life: Speak then <HI>Atergatis</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, and &s;peak quickly for I long to know your bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. I will obey you Madam, replyed <HI>Atergatis;</HI> but it mu&s;t be upon Condition, that my fir&s;t words &s;hall not move you to impo&s;e &s;ilence upon me, but that you will &s;uffer me to &s;peak out without any interruption, all that concerns you to know. Since you cannot tell me any thing which will vexe mee more then this incertainty unto which you have put me (replyed &s;he) I will heare you as long as you plea&s;e: For &s;ince I have a good opinion of your wi&s;dome, I need not fear you will tell me any thing which I ought not to heare.</P>
<P>I &s;hall tell you then Madam, &s;aid he unto her, that though all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> knows how the Queen intends you &s;hould weare the &s;ame Crown &s;he doth, by marrying you unto the Prince her &s;onne, and by con&s;equence all the Subjects of this great Queen, ought to look upon you as her who mu&s;t be their Soveraign: Yet there is one who not be|ing contented with the quality of a Subject which is common to many others, hath a
<PB N="19" REF="691">
devotion to be your &s;lave in a mo&s;t particular manner. Though I did promi&s;e not to interrupt you (&s;ayd <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and blu&s;hed) yet it was becau&s;e I thought you had &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s of importance to tell me: but <HI>Atergatis</HI> I do perceive it to be only a piece of Raillary to divert me, and by Con&s;equence does not merit the performance of my word: I be&s;eech you Madam remember, replyed <HI>Atergatis,</HI> that I de&s;ired you not to impo&s;e &s;ilence upon me, nor wonder at my fir&s;t words. But the more to oblige your audience, I will &s;ubmit unto all imaginable puni&s;hments, if you doe not confe&s;&s;e at the end of my di&s;cour&s;e that you ought to know what I &s;hall tell you, and that I were unworthy to live if I did not acquaint you with it.</P>
<P>The Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> then perceiving that <HI>Atergatis</HI> had indeed &s;ome &s;erious matter to tell her, re&s;olved to hear him without interruption, not imagining that <HI>Atergatis</HI> and this &s;lave whereof he &s;pake were both one: &s;o giving him a new permi&s;&s;ion to &s;peak, he began with as much feare as love.</P>
<P>Be plea&s;ed to know Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that there is a man in <HI>Babylon</HI> who began to admire you as &s;oon as ever he began to &s;ee you: and who without any hopes of being loved, or thoughts of letting you know his Love, doth &s;till continue loving you; but it is with an affection &s;o pure and &s;o free from all manner of intere&s;t, that I am certain untill ye&s;terday about this time, he never intended you &s;hould know his Pa&s;&s;ion, and yet he loves you in a higher degree then ever any could: and had he thought he could pretend unto the enjoyment of you without hindering you of a Crown, he had long &s;ince declared him&s;elfe, and avenged you of the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yri|a's</HI> inju&s;tice. had he thought that the glory of being a Queen had not been the object of your de&s;ires, doubtle&s;s he would have let you known that you do Reign as Sove|raignly in his heart, as ever you can do upon the Throne of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> Hee would have made it known unto you Madam, though he had directly oppo&s;ed the Queen, and though the Prince her &s;onne had loved you as much as he ought to do. So that Ma|dam, the rea&s;on why this concealed Lover hath not di&s;covered his Pa&s;&s;ion unto you, is becau&s;e he was as full of re&s;pect, as Love: becau&s;e he thought it not his duty to make you loo&s;e a Crown, and becau&s;e he could never hope you could prefer the Empire of his heart, above a Kingdome.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince the pa&s;&s;ion of his amorous heart is mo&s;t violent, hee hath &s;uffered and &s;uffered more then ever any did: he hath &s;mothered up all his mi&s;eries in &s;ilence, and without complaint, and would &s;till have done &s;o, if the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had not ye&s;terday told him a thing which is the cau&s;e I now di&s;cover his thoughts unto you. For truly Madam (if I may without offence utter it) that mo&s;t unju&s;t Prince can|not endure you, and will never give you that Crown which he is to wear, though you de&s;erve it better then he. He is not contented with not adoring you him&s;elf, and with entertaining the mo&s;t unju&s;t thoughts in the world of you, but he would al&s;o corrupt this Lover which doth adore you: Yet Madam, &s;ince it is requi&s;ite I acquaint you with the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> inju&s;tice, I mu&s;t tell you, how he &s;ent for him of whom I &s;peak, and told him that he perceived his Love to you, and prote&s;ted unto him that he for his part could never love you, &amp; offered him to &s;teale you away for him, and all this with &s;uch earne&s;t expre&s;&s;ions, as it was rather a Commandement that he made, then a Propo&s;ition. How (&s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and interrupted him) would the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;teale me away, and put me in the power of him you mention? If this be &s;o, though he were King of the whole world, I would di&s;obey the Queen if &s;he commanded me to marry him: and if it were not for the Reverence I owe unto that Prince&s;s, I &s;hould this very day let him know who thus &s;lights me, that I doe not de&s;erve it from him, and that I have a heart as great, as his is in&s;olent and proud: Can I believe <HI>Atergatis,</HI> that this is true? &s;o true Madam, replyed he, that nothing can be more: Then &s;aid &s;he, am I the mo&s;t mi&s;erable woman in the world; for unle&s;s the injurious Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> have not Imparted this unju&s;t Propo&s;ition unto a mo&s;t generous man, perhaps he will accept of it: I cannot tell Madam (replyed <HI>Atergatis</HI> very mode&s;tly) whether the man do merit the attribute of generous; but I am &s;ure, that though he loves you beyond all expre&s;&s;ions, he refu&s;ed to enjoy you by any &s;uch unju&s;t way, as the A&s;&s;yrian Prince propounded: His re&s;pects of you were &s;o high, as he would not acknowledg unto him that he loved you; but told him that though he were, yet you &s;hould never be &s;tollen away, which put that violent Prince into &s;uch a chafe, as he told him in the conclu&s;ion of their Conference, that he mu&s;t do one of
<PB N="20" REF="692">
the&s;e three things: Either let him &s;teale you away; or procure your Love, or el&s;e be hated of him. This la&s;t thing (replyed <HI>I&s;trina</HI> very &s;harply) is que&s;tionle&s;s the mo&s;t ea&s;ie of the three, and al&s;o the mo&s;t ju&s;t: Yet (added &s;he, and blu&s;hed, becau&s;e &s;he knew by the di&s;order which appeared in the face of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> that it was him&s;elf who loved her) the generous proceding of him who refu&s;ed the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> unju&s;t propo&s;ition, doth &s;o &s;en&s;ibly oblige me, that I mu&s;t conjure you not to name him to me, le&s;t being obliged to look upon him as a man who loves me, I &s;hould be driven to &s;hun his company: therefore <HI>Atergatis</HI> &s;ince he cannot choo&s;e but be a mo&s;t excel|lent man, let me have the liberty of treating him with the &s;ame Cruelties I u&s;e unto &s;uch men, and never let me know his name: Oh Madam, &s;ayd <HI>Atergatis,</HI> was ever &s;uch a kind of acknowledgment invented? Could ever any but your &s;elfe have found it out? For &s;ince the proceeding of him whom you would not know doth both plea&s;e and oblige you, why will you not know who he is? The rea&s;on is, replyed &s;he, be|cau&s;e I cannot know him, unle&s;&s;e I re&s;olve at the &s;ame time to hold no particular friend&s;hip with him: &s;o that to take from me a &s;ubject of ingratitude, I mu&s;t not ad|mit of his acquaintance. Then promi&s;e me Madam I be&s;eech you (&s;aid <HI>Atergatis,</HI> and looked mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionately upon her) that you will gue&s;&s;e at him whom you will not permit me to name: For if you will not promi&s;e this, I think Madam, I &s;hall not tell you what remains, though it concerns you mo&s;t of all to know it; for I am fully per|&s;waded, that the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> is at this very hour propo&s;ing unto another whom I know, to &s;teale you away; who perhaps not being &s;o re&s;pective and jn&s;t as him you would not know, will accept of the offer, and prepare for the execution of his un|ju&s;t de&s;ign: Oh <HI>Atergatis,</HI> replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> I will promi&s;e what you plea&s;e, provided you will prevent my being taken away, by naming him unto me, whom you think &s;o apt to undertake &s;uch violence again&s;t me: How Madam (&s;ayd <HI>Atergatis,</HI> retreating a Pace or two, and looking fixedly upon her) would you know the name of him that would injure you, and not know his name who gives the greate&s;t te&s;timony of his re|&s;pect and love that ever any could? Yet &s;ince you will have it &s;o (&s;aid he and came a little neerer her) and &s;ince I am in &s;ome hopes that you will gue&s;s who it is, I will tell you that <HI>Armatrites</HI> is the man whom the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;ent for, after he was denied by that re&s;pective Lover whom you will not let me name. Alas <HI>Atergatis,</HI> replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> hath <HI>Armatrites</HI> accepted of this offer? he is no le&s;&s;e violent and ra&s;h then the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and therefore I cannot imagine any &s;ecurity for my &s;elfe, but by quitting the Court, and acquainting the Queen with it; and con&s;equently by dividing all <HI>A&s;&s;yrin,</HI> and cau&s;ing perhaps a Warre between the Queen and the Prince her &s;onne.</P>
<P>No no Madam, &s;aid <HI>Atergatis</HI> to her, there needs no recour&s;e unto &s;uch violent Remedies; for I know that he who refu&s;ed the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> unju&s;t Propo&s;ition, intends to have a very ob&s;ervant eye over <HI>Armatrites:</HI> And I dare a&s;&s;ure you, that con&s;idering his way of acting, you need not fear it: And therefore you need on|ly to keep clo&s;e for &s;ome certain dayes in the Queens Palace, to prevent all feares; for let me once more a&s;&s;ure you, that the Per&s;on whom you will not permit me to name, had rather dye then &s;uffer any violence to be done unto you: his Love of you will in&s;pire him with policy enough to prevent his Rivall. Therefore Madam, I be|&s;eech you do not let it perplex you too much; for I &s;hould think my &s;elfe mo&s;t unhap|py, if my intentions of preventing one mi&s;ery, &s;hould drive you into another. I know that the lo&s;&s;e of a Crown is great, and will mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly perplex one who&s;e affection is all upon glory: and I know al&s;o that the Me&s;&s;enger of &s;uch bad news cannot be welcom. Yet truly <HI>Atergatis</HI> (&s;aid <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and interrupted him) I think my &s;elfe much obliged to you, though you have acquainted me with nothing but &s;ad things: Then Madam it &s;eems (replyed <HI>Atergatis</HI> &amp; &s;ighed) that you rank among&s;t &s;ad things, that violent and re&s;pective Pa&s;&s;ion, which this unknown Lover bears you, who hath refu|&s;ed to enjoy you by that unju&s;t way which hath been propounded to him, that the enjoyment of you Madam, is the only thing in the world that can make him happy, and without which, he will be ever mi&s;erable: It &s;eems, replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> that I have cau&s;e to grieve at an obligation of &s;uch a nature upon me, which I cannot acknow|ledg, yet I mu&s;t needs be &s;o ju&s;t unto him in my heart, as to wi&s;h him happy in recom|pence of his genero&s;ity. But Madam, replyed <HI>Atergatis,</HI> you do unawares engage your &s;elfe unto many things, he cannot without you, be what you de&s;ire he &s;hould be.
<PB N="21" REF="692">
The Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> having more and more cau&s;e to think that it was <HI>Atergaris</HI> who was in love with her, and who denyed the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> did ri&s;e up, lea&s;t he &s;hould tell her more then &s;he de&s;ired to hear, and lea&s;t he &s;hould take the boldne&s;s to di&s;co|ver him&s;elf: Since I perceive this generous per&s;on whom I will not know is one of your Friends, I conjure you to oblige him to a Continuance of his Genero&s;ity in ac|quainting me by you with all his di&s;coueries of any unju&s;t de&s;igns in the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> or in <HI>Armatrites.</HI> Doubtle&s;s, Madam, replyed <HI>Atergatis,</HI> you &s;hall by me know all that he who adores you with mo&s;t reverence, and loves with all violencies of pa&s;&s;ion can inform you of: After this the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> beginning to walk, called the re&s;t of the Ladies which waited, and took one turn in the Garden, to the end it &s;hould not be ob&s;erved that the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> had told her any thing which altered her de&s;ign of walking: but her Soul was &s;o troubled that &s;he could not take a &s;econd; &s;o that retiring to her Chamber, &s;he feigned her &s;elf &s;ick, purpo&s;ely to have the better pretence for her not going abroad. <HI>Atergatis</HI> at his parting from her u&s;ed many expre&s;&s;ions which confirmed her in her opinion; yet he &s;ayd nothing which mooved <HI>I&s;trina</HI> from her manner of familiarity with him, &s;o that he parting upon very good terms from her, he went away with much &s;atisfaction: For though this Prince&s;s told him &s;he would not know the Name of him they &s;poke of, yet it did not trouble him: But on the contrary being of a quick apprehen&s;ion, he ea&s;ily per|ceived that the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina's</HI> rea&s;on why &s;he did forbid him to tell the Name of the man, was, becau&s;e &s;he knew him: So that flattering up his pa&s;&s;ion, he thought him&s;elf more happy then ever he hoped to be; but his greate&s;t perplexity was his fears that <HI>Armatrites</HI> &s;hould not accept of what he had refu&s;ed, and that the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> would not take away <HI>I&s;trina</HI> from him.</P>
<P>And indeed though it was not known in <HI>Babylon,</HI> but on the contrary reported that he had received the Propo&s;ition as well as <HI>Atergatis;</HI> yet it was mo&s;t certainly true, that he did accept of it with joy, and had executed his de&s;ign, had not his Il|lu&s;trious Rivall been an Ob&s;tacle unto him, as I &s;hall pre&s;ently tell you how. On the other &s;ide <HI>I&s;trina's</HI> Soul was &s;o dejected that &s;he was all &s;adne&s;s: She perceived by what <HI>Atergatis</HI> had told her, that &s;he &s;hould never be a Queen, and that her hopes of it were all qua&s;ht, yet certainly that was not it which mo&s;t did trouble her; for &s;he did more bitterly re&s;ent the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> &s;corn then the lo&s;s of a Crown; not that &s;he ever had any inclination to him, but becau&s;e &s;he conceived her&s;elf more meritorious then to be &s;o &s;lighted, therfore &s;he could not chu&s;e but extreamly hate him, e&s;pecially &s;ince &s;he ob&s;erved his cla&s;hing with the Prince <HI>Intaphernes.</HI> In the mean time &s;he could not find out any remedy to her mi&s;ery; &s;he knew the Queen would not permit her to leave the Court, becau&s;e &s;he had an opinion that the Prince her Son would in the end change his mind. Again, if &s;he &s;hould acquaint <HI>Intapher|nes</HI> with what <HI>Atergatis</HI> had told her, &s;he feared that he being already incen&s;ed again&s;t the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> he might perhaps take &s;ome violent cour&s;e; &s;ince that he would be out of hopes to &s;ee the Crown upon her head, which was the only cau&s;e why he &s;tayed at Court after &s;o many affronts put upon him by the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria: I&s;tri|na</HI> then not knowing what cour&s;e to take, thought be&s;t to pau&s;e &s;ome certain dayes, before &s;he fixed her Re&s;olution; And to the end &s;he might be that Interim in &s;afety, &s;he di&s;&s;embled her&s;elf &s;ick, as I &s;ayd before, that &s;he might the better colour her keeping within the Palace. But after a &s;erious examination of all that related un|to the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> the genero&s;ity of <HI>Atergatis</HI> came into her memory; and though &s;he then held him in the rank of e&s;teem and friend&s;hip, yet &s;he found no di&s;|po&s;ition in her &s;elf to de&s;ire he &s;hould not love her: for as &s;he hath &s;ince opened her mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts unto the Prince her Brother; I knew them, as well as if I had been in her heart: Nor did &s;he de&s;ire he &s;hould love her, but without any further rea&s;oning upon his pa&s;&s;ion; &s;he only con&s;idered the genero&s;ity of his Action, without looking any neere into the matter, or for&s;eeing the Sequell.</P>
<P>In the mean time <HI>Atergatis</HI> employing all his Wits and Policy to di&s;cover what he de&s;ired to know, did nnder&s;tand that the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had held a long Con|ference with <HI>Armatrites,</HI> that after it they both of them were very merry; and that on the Contrary he ob&s;erved the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> would &s;carcely look upon him, in&s;omuch as de&s;canting upon the&s;e probably Conjectures, he concluded that <HI>Armatrites</HI> had accepted of the Propo&s;ition which he refu&s;ed: Al&s;o he met with &s;e|verall
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Orders which both the&s;e Princes had given, that confirmed him in his Opinion; for the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had &s;ent &s;ecretly to the Governour of <HI>Opis</HI> (whether he car|ried you, Madam, when he carried you away) And <HI>Armatrites</HI> had &s;ent mo&s;t of his Train out of <HI>Babylon</HI> upon a very unlikely pretence: After when he had plotted how he might defeat the de&s;ign of his Rivall, he conceived the be&s;t way was to fight with him, and to make his Quarrell upon &s;omthing in which the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was not concerned; for &s;ince the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was a Party in the Crime of <HI>Armatrites,</HI> he thought it no policy to publi&s;h it. <HI>Atergatis</HI> did &s;ee very well that &s;ince he had no certainty of what he feared, exact Prudence required that he &s;hould &s;tay a while and endeavour to make the bu&s;ine&s;s cleerer; But being extreamly in love he appre|hended more danger in &s;taying too long before he fought with <HI>Armatrites,</HI> then in fighting with him too &s;oon; for indeed (&s;aid he to him&s;elf) <HI>Armatrites</HI> is my Ri|vall, that s certain; therfore though I look upon him only as &s;o, and not as a Ravi&s;her of the Prince&s;s whom I adore, yet &s;till I mu&s;t be his Enemy, &s;ince there is not &s;uch a naturall antipathy in the whole Univer&s;e as between two Rivals. Then <HI>Atergatis</HI> feared that if he overcame, he &s;hould then be forced away from <HI>I&s;trina:</HI> yet &s;ince he knew <HI>Nitocris</HI> did not love <HI>Armatrites,</HI> he hoped he &s;hould not be bani&s;hed the Court for it; or at lea&s;t if he were, it would not be long: Al&s;o con&s;idering the car|rying away of the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> he thought it better he &s;hould be bani&s;hed from her, then expo&s;e her unto any &s;uch mi&s;ery; So that to defeat the unju&s;t de&s;ign of <HI>Armatrites,</HI> he re&s;olved to ruine him. But to the end the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> &s;hould not &s;u&s;pect the truth of what he told her, he cunningly got the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> to tell her in his pre&s;ence, as a peece of novelty, how <HI>Armatectes</HI> was the new Favourite of the A&s;&s;yrian Prince, and how <HI>Atergatis</HI> was out of Favour: So that the Prince&s;s ap|plying what he &s;ayd unto her&s;elf, according to the wi&s;h of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> &s;he blu&s;hed &s;o extreamly, that though &s;he was upon her bed where it was not very light, yet <HI>Ater|gatis</HI> perceived it, and &s;aw that he was under&s;tood. In the mean time, without fur|ther delay, he endeavoured to meet with <HI>Armatrites</HI> the next morning, and &s;eemed as if he had no de&s;ign in it; And &s;ince it was that &s;ea&s;on of the year when walking up|on the Banks of the River <HI>Euphrates</HI> was much frequented, he thought to find him there: And &s;ince he was of a very violent and ha&s;ty temper, it would be an ea&s;ie matter to find a cau&s;e of &s;ome Quarrell, e&s;pecially &s;ince he had &s;uch a Spirit of Con|tradiction. For truly, Madam, <HI>Armatrites</HI> was of &s;uch a cro&s;s di&s;po&s;ition, that if two per&s;ons were in contrary opinions to one another, he would rather be of a third to contradict them both, then &s;ide with either.</P>
<P><HI>Atergatis</HI> knowing this humour, did conceive it would be very advantageous to him&s;elf to intere&s;t the Queen in the Cau&s;e of his quarrell, to the end he might be pro|tected again&s;t the Prince her Son, if any need were, that he might not be bani&s;hed if he were the Vanqui&s;hor, and by con&s;equence not be &s;eparated from <HI>I&s;trina.</HI> Con|&s;ulting then with him&s;elf how he might effect his De&s;ign, he re&s;olved when he came to the Banks of <HI>Euphrates,</HI> where he found <HI>Armatrites</HI> to extoll tho&s;e great and wonderfull works which that Illu&s;trious Queen had made, to prevent the violence of the River, by turning it &s;everall waies before it came to <HI>Babylon,</HI> imaging that <HI>Ar|matrites</HI> would be &s;ure to contradict him: And indeed <HI>Atergatis</HI> was not mi&s;taken, for as &s;oon as they met, and as he began to commend that wonderfvll work, <HI>Arma|trites</HI> checked him, and &s;ayd, that the Queen was rather to be blamed, and that &s;he had done much better if &s;he had employed tho&s;e va&s;t Expences in turning the cour&s;e of the River, in fortifying the Frontiers of her Dominions: After which he began to condemn in generall all tho&s;e Princes which bu&s;ie them&s;elves in publick works, and &s;ayd, that this which <HI>Nitocris</HI> had done, was not done for the &s;ecurity of the Town, and to make it more impregnable, but only out of the vanity of that Queen. <HI>Ater|gatis</HI> not to let &s;lip &s;uch a favourable occa&s;ion, told him in an angry tone that he &s;poke to unreverently of a great and illu&s;trious Prince&s;s, who could not be &s;uffici|ently admired: Upon this <HI>Armatrites</HI> returned a tart an&s;wer, and <HI>Atergatis</HI> the like, &s;till engaging the Queen in his di&s;cour&s;e; in&s;omuch as he forced him to bid <HI>Aterga|tis</HI> meet him with a Sword in his Land; <HI>Atergatis</HI> did joyfully take him at his word, and told him, their be&s;t cour&s;e was to take a turn in the Walks, and to draw out in|&s;en&s;ibly from the Company, lea&s;t their De&s;ign &s;hould be perceived; for at the be|ginning of their Conte&s;t, &s;everall per&s;ons did hear them. <HI>Armatrites</HI> being very brave,
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he did as <HI>Atergatis</HI> advi&s;ed him, and they &s;eemed to be good friends, &s;o that there was no &s;u&s;picion of a quarrell.</P>
<P>In the meane time, &s;ince they were both lovers of <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and knew it, they both longed to &s;ee each other with Swords in their hands: &s;o that when they ob&s;erved there was no notice taken of them, in lieu of returning among&s;t the people w^c^h walk|ed, they continued on their walk along the river &s;ide, as if they were men that affected a &s;olitary walk. Since it is the cu&s;tome of that place, for the Pages to waite upon their Ma&s;ters at the Gate of the Towne, to the end they &s;hould not interrupt the walks of the Ladies, by their u&s;ele&s;&s;e &s;currility, the Pages of the&s;e two Princes were with the re&s;t, and by con&s;equence could not &s;ee their Ma&s;ters, when they &s;eparated them&s;elves from the company. However, &s;ince the&s;e two Rivals had either of them a &s;word, they were both of them well enough prepared for a Fight: So that as &s;oon as they came to a place where the River turned, &amp; kept them from the &s;ight of tho&s;e that walked, becau&s;e the ground in that place was very low, they began that Com|bate. I &s;hall not trouble you Madam with any particularities of it; for I have &s;o ma|ny other things to relate, that I mu&s;t not in&s;i&s;t too long upon &s;uch as are lea&s;t plea|&s;ing. Let it &s;uffice therefore I tell you, that <HI>Atergatis</HI> was the Conquerour of <HI>Ar|matrites,</HI> his victory was deep in blood, and fatall to his Enemy: &s;o that being both fortunate and brave, the great courage of <HI>Armatrites</HI> could not defend him&s;elf from foure wounds, two whereof entred into his body. So that lo&s;ing abundance of blood, he fainted pre&s;ently, and &s;triving to make a pa&s;&s;e at <HI>Atergatis,</HI> he fell at his feet, yet he &s;trived to ri&s;e againe; but his generous Rivall who was not wounded, would not &s;uffer him, but took away his &s;word: and having no mind to kill an ene|my, who was not in a condition to defend him&s;elfe, but told him that he would &s;pare his life upon three Conditions.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t, to publi&s;h that their Quarrell was upon &s;peeches of the great workes, which the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> had made.</P>
<P>The &s;econd, to confe&s;&s;e he had a de&s;ign of carrying away the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina:</HI> And the third, to engage his word that he would never think any more of executing his unju&s;t de&s;ign as long as he lived: I could oblige you (pur&s;ued he) never to think any more upon that Prince&s;s; but &s;ince I know that Love is a thing not voluntary, I will not require any thing of you, but what is ju&s;t and Po&s;&s;ible.</P>
<P><HI>Armatrites</HI> being much wounded, &amp; hearing <HI>Atergatis</HI> &s;peak in that manner, was much &s;urprized, for the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had never told him that he made the &s;ame offer unto <HI>Atergatis:</HI> &s;o as imagining that his Rivall came to know of his unju&s;t de|&s;ign, either by revelation from the Gods, or by inchantment, hee never denyed the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, but confe&s;&s;ed that it was true, he had a de&s;ign of carrying away the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>I&s;trina:</HI> hee told him that he did well not to force him unto any promi&s;e of ne|ver thinking any more upon that Prince&s;s, maintaining with abundance of violence, that never any amorous per&s;on ought to make any promi&s;e in prejudice of his Love.</P>
<P>As they were upon the&s;e terms, the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> who had been hunting that morning without any company but his own hou&s;e, came to them: and being much &s;urprized to find them in that condition, he lighted from his Hor&s;e and went up to them: who were as much &s;urprized to &s;ee him, who coming &s;uddenly upon them did heare the name of the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina;</HI> and looking upon both Conqueror, and con|quered, Is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid he to them) that my &s;i&s;ter &s;hould cau&s;e two &s;uch gallant men to fight? <HI>Atergatis</HI> who&s;e &s;pirits were incen&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Armatrites</HI> for what he &s;aid, and thinking that the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> had heard more then he under&s;tood, did force his enemy to confe&s;&s;e before him the cau&s;e of their fight, and his de&s;ign of carrying away the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> by the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> orders; but as he was ma|king this Confe&s;&s;ion, his anger made him bleed &s;o abundantly as he lo&s;t his &s;peech. As guilty as he was, yet the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was &s;o generous as to command &s;ome of his men to help him, and to carry him to the next hou&s;e, becau&s;e <HI>Babylon</HI> was to farr off. As the&s;e men obeyed the commands of their Ma&s;ter, <HI>Armatrites</HI> expired in their armes: &s;o that changing their de&s;ign, they went to acquaint his men at the gate of <HI>Babylon,</HI> whil&s;t <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> 'twixt whom was a great league of friend|&s;hip, they left the high way, and went another blind one, that they might the better di&s;cour&s;e together; yet they went a while without any talking, for both their minds was full: And indeed <HI>Intaphernes</HI> not being able to conceive the my&s;tery of this &s;trange
<PB N="24" REF="694">
adventure, did &s;tudy how <HI>Atergatis</HI> could come to know the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> de|&s;ign: and why he &s;hould rather fight with <HI>Armatrites,</HI> then acquaint him with the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, not knowing how he &s;hould relate the pa&s;&s;age, unle&s;s he &s;hould di&s;cover unto <HI>Intaphernes</HI> the affection he had unto his Si&s;ter the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> he was much perplexed; but at la&s;t, knowing his hatred unto the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and being acquainted with his genero&s;ity and friend&s;hip towards him, he re&s;olved to con|fe&s;&s;e the truth: And the rather, became the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> had &s;aid nothing unto him which he was obliged to hide. So that he fir&s;t breaking &s;ilence: I do not doubt Sir (&s;aid he unto him, as they &s;tayed under a Tree which &s;tood in their way) but you do much wonder at this adventure; but before I do particularize unto you the great inju&s;tice of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Prince, and of <HI>Armatrites,</HI> I mu&s;t open unto you the bottom of my heart, to the end you may not wonder how I became thus intere&s;ted.</P>
<P>I mu&s;t tell you then Sir, and mo&s;t truly, that you have ever been the man of all I know whom I have mo&s;t e&s;teemed and loved: And the Prince&s;s your Si&s;ter hath ever been the per&s;on, whom of all her &s;exe I mo&s;t admired, and had the &s;tronge&s;t inclina|tion unto: Thus, not being able to &s;ay that I e&s;teemed you becau&s;e I loved her; or that I loved her becau&s;e I e&s;teemed you, I can only &s;ay, that both of you have po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion of the prime places in my heart. Yet I do believe, that if I examine the bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e very well (added this Prince very &s;weetly) I &s;hall find, that though I had not the honour to know her, yet &s;till I &s;hould have been your Friend; and though I ne|ver had the happine&s;s to have &s;een you, yet I &s;hould have been her Lover: &s;o that owing that high e&s;teem which I have of both your vertues, only unto your own pro|per merits; if my friend&s;hip be a thing worth the valuing, you are not beholding un|to each other for it. Truly Sir (&s;aid the Prince <HI>Intaphernes)</HI> I do &s;et &s;o high a rate upon your friend&s;hip, that though I be not beholding unto the merits of my &s;i&s;ter for it, but only unto my own, yet I &s;hould think my &s;elfe mo&s;t happy to enjoy it. And if I have any thing to charge my Si&s;ter with, it is becau&s;e &s;he never acquainted me with this noble Conque&s;t which &s;he hath made: Alas mo&s;t generous <HI>Intaphernes</HI> (&s;aid <HI>A|tergatis)</HI> the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> knows not yet &s;o much as you do, nor do I yet know whether I &s;hould wi&s;he &s;he did know it.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Atergatis</HI> related unto <HI>Intaphernes</HI> his intentions of never di&s;covering his Pa&s;&s;ion, unle&s;&s;e the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;hould marry &s;ome other be&s;ides the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and afterwards telling him how that unju&s;t Prince &s;ent for him what the Propo&s;ition was which he made unto him, how he refu&s;ed it: His de&s;ign of acquain|ting the Prince&s;s <HI>Istrina</HI> with it: and to be &s;hort, related the whole pa&s;&s;age with &s;o much &s;weet ingenuity, that indeed <HI>Intaphernes</HI> thought him&s;elfe much obliged un|to him: &s;o that embracing <HI>Atergatis,</HI> I do find &s;uch freene&s;&s;e, &s;uch genero&s;ity, and &s;o much heroique ingenuity in your proceedings Sir (&s;ayd he unto him) that I doe think it much more glorious for my Si&s;ter to Reign in your heart then over all <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria,</HI> &s;ince &s;he cannot do that unle&s;&s;e &s;he become wife unto the mo&s;t unju&s;t Prince up|on earth; and if &s;he will be rul'd by me you &s;hall be happy Sir, if &s;o it be that &s;he can make up your felicity. <HI>Atergatis</HI> hearing <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;peak thus, he expre&s;&s;ed him|&s;elfe with &s;o many tender prote&s;tations of friend&s;hip and thanks, as <HI>Intaphernes</HI> did plainly &s;ee the &s;uperlative affection which he bore unto the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina.</HI></P>
<P>Afterwards, they began to con&s;ult upon the be&s;t cour&s;e which was to be taken, con&s;idering the &s;tate of things; for &s;aid the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> it is to be conceived that the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> will &s;ecretly intere&s;t him&s;elf in the death of <HI>Armatri|tes:</HI> And it is to be feared, that having &s;uch a favourable occa&s;ion for it, he will re|venge him&s;elfe upon you for denying him.</P>
<P>But after a &s;erious examination of the whole bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, they re&s;olved that <HI>Aterga|tis</HI> &s;hould not goe into <HI>Babylon</HI> till it was night: That he &s;hould lodg with <HI>Intapher|nes,</HI> where the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> dur&s;t not offer any violence becau&s;e of the Queen: That it &s;hould be blazed abroad how the Combate between <HI>Atergatis</HI> and <HI>Arma|trites</HI> did grow, becau&s;e the fir&s;t of the&s;e maintained the glory of <HI>Nitocris</HI> again&s;t the other: And that they &s;hould not at all &s;peak of the intended &s;tealing away of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> lea&s;t it &s;hould too much incen&s;e the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> that in the interim, the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;hould goe into the Court to prepare the Queen, and to divulge in what Condition he found <HI>Atergatis</HI> and <HI>Armatrites,</HI> and how he heard
<PB N="25" REF="694">
it from the mouth of the vanqui&s;hed what was the cau&s;e of the Combate, divulg|ing al&s;o the genero&s;ity of the Conqueror, and publi&s;hing that <HI>Armatrites</HI> was the fir&s;t challenger to fight. And after all this, &s;aid <HI>Intaphernes</HI> I mu&s;t go into my Si&s;ters chamber: But generous Prince (&s;ayd <HI>Atergatis</HI> to him) what will you &s;ay of that man whom &s;he will not know? I will tell her, replyed he, that &s;he ought to preferre him before all the re&s;t of the world; and that being &s;o much obliged to him as &s;he is, &s;he de&s;erved the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> &s;corn, if &s;he were not as gratefull as <HI>Atergatis</HI> is generous.</P>
<P>After this, &s;eeing it was late, and would be dark before they came to the gates of <HI>Babylon,</HI> they began to walke, and came &s;o happily, that they could not be known by any who could acquaint the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> that <HI>Atergatis</HI> was gone unto the Lodgings of <HI>Intaphernes.</HI> However, as &s;oon as that Prince had carryed him to his Chamber, he left him, <HI>Atergatis</HI> de&s;iring him to have a greater care of what he &s;aid unto the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> then of what hee &s;hould &s;ay unto the Queen: but as he was ready to goe out, a Page from that Prince&s;&s;e entred, who having heard &s;ome confu&s;ed reports of a Combate with <HI>Armatrites,</HI> did &s;end to &s;ee whether her Bro|ther was returned from hunting, and whether he knew with whom it was that <HI>Ar|matrites</HI> fought? Tell her, &s;aid <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> that I will &s;ee her pre&s;ently, and that I &s;end her word it was he who&s;e name &s;he would not know, that fought with <HI>Arma|trites,</HI> and is his Conqueror. The Page remembring word for word what the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> told him, went back to the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Istrina,</HI> and made an exact relation of the Prince her Brothers me&s;&s;age, and &s;hee was extreamly &s;urprized when &s;he heard it. The cau&s;e of her wonder was not only to know that it was <HI>Atergatis</HI> who fought with <HI>Armatrites</HI> and overcame him, and to know of a certain that it was <HI>A|tergatis</HI> who was in love with her: but her greate&s;t wonder was, to under&s;tand that the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;hould be acquainted with the conference &s;he had held with <HI>Atergatis;</HI> not being able to imagine, that he who would never tell her openly that he loved her, &s;hould acquaint the Prince her Brother with his pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>But whil&s;t &s;he was de&s;canting thus upon the novelty of this adventure, <HI>Intapher|nes</HI> went to the Queen, unto whom he related the combate of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> moving her to &s;et a value upon his zeale who had defended her glory again&s;t him that oppo|&s;ed it, and was vanqui&s;hed, a&s;&s;uring her of a truth that <HI>Armatrites</HI> confe&s;&s;ed it be|fore he died. Al&s;o, &s;ince at the beginning of this conte&s;t between the&s;e two Princes there was &s;everall witne&s;&s;e of it, the noi&s;e of it was &s;pread throughout all the Court, and had come unto the Queens eare: &s;o that what&s;oever the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;ayd unto her, being but a confirmation of what &s;he heard before, it was an ea&s;ie matter for that Prince to di&s;po&s;e her unto a Protection of <HI>Atergatis:</HI> And indeed, though &s;he had no inclination to authorize &s;uch Actions, yet &s;he &s;ent to tell that generous Lover how &s;he wi&s;hed he had nor been &s;o zealous in defence of her glory. However, though &s;he was very &s;orry for the di&s;a&s;trous accident, yet &s;he thought her &s;elfe obli|ged unto him, for intere&s;ting him&s;elfe &s;o far as to hazard his life for her: Adding, that &s;he would protect him as far as ju&s;tice and fittingne&s;&s;e would permit her: But though <HI>Nitocris</HI> had this good opinion of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> yet the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was quite contrary, and undertook to protect the kindred of the dead per&s;on in &s;o high a manner, as made it apparent, he lamented the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>I&s;trina's</HI> intended ravi&s;her: And being a man of an infinite &s;pirit, and penetrating wit, his fears were that <HI>Ater|gatis</HI> would make his vanqui&s;hed Enemy confe&s;&s;e his intentions, and knowing it, would acquaint the Queen.</P>
<P>However <HI>Intaphernes</HI> meeting him as he came out from the Queen, and as he was going unto <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> this violent Prince knowing that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> had already &s;po|ken very advantageou&s;ly in behalf of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> he &s;tayed; I know (&s;aid he unto him in an angry tone) that you are the great abettor of the Prince <HI>Atergatis:</HI> but let me tell you that I am re&s;olved to revenge the death of <HI>Armatrites:</HI> Since <HI>Atergatis</HI> Sir (replyed <HI>Intaphernes</HI> mildly) had not fought with <HI>Armatrites,</HI> but in behalf of the Queen I had thought Sir, you would have been his protector: and I am confident you will, as &s;oon as you have &s;poken with that great and glorious Queen: therefore I be&s;eech you Sir, give me leave to re&s;t in my owne opinion, which ere long will be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">urs: No <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o (an&s;wered the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> very &s;harply) never imagine I &s;hall a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ter my opinion: whom I love now, I &s;hall love as long as I live; and whom I hate
<PB N="26" REF="695">
now, I &s;hall for ever hate; therefore never hope that the Queen can make me change my mind, either in what relates unto <HI>Atergatis,</HI> or any el&s;e: And therefore by con|&s;equence it is your part to conform your mind &amp; opinion unto mine. I will ever con|form my &s;elfe Sir unto the dictates of Rea&s;on (replyed <HI>Intaphernes)</HI> and will never faile in my duty to you or to the Queen: But Sir, I cannot cea&s;e, being the friend of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> &s;ince honour will not allow it: Then be his friend (an&s;wered the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> very hotly) but withall, be &s;ure to find me your enemy. Then this violent Prince did leave <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> who had much a do to keep within compa&s;&s;e of his re&s;|pects: but &s;triving with him&s;elfe not to give any &s;uch tart replies as he de&s;ired, he ex|pre&s;&s;ed him&s;elfe in as &s;weet Language as his genero&s;ity was capable of, and after|wards went unto the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> who expected him with much impatience, which was accompanied with a kind of feare and &s;hame.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as he came into her Chamber, he de&s;ired her to goe into her Clo&s;et, where he would try whether all <HI>Atergatis</HI> had told him was true; and whether &s;he knew any more then he had di&s;covered to him: &s;o that beginning to &s;peak, and looking atten|tively upon her; Methinks &s;i&s;ter, &s;ayd he unto her, that con&s;idering how I have ever lived with you, and &s;ince you have known the very &s;ecrets of my heart, and have not been ignorant of my inveterate hatred of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Prince, you &s;hould have ac|quainted me how you reign in the heart of <HI>Atergatis. Atergatis</HI> (replyed the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>I&s;trina;</HI> and blu&s;ht) hath kept his pa&s;&s;ion &s;o clo&s;e, that though it be &s;o he does love me, yet I knew it not, and therefore could not acquaint you with it: 'Tis true, I had of late a kind of gue&s;s at it, but I might perhaps be mi&s;taken in my Conjectures. No, no, replyed <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> you are not mi&s;taken &s;i&s;ter, if you thought that <HI>Atergatis</HI> a|dored you, and he hath given &s;uch ample te&s;timonie of his love, as you need not doubt it: But Sir, I be&s;eech you (replyed the Prince&s;s) tell me how you came to know &s;o much? and whether <HI>Atergatis</HI> acquainted you with what he &s;aid unto me in the gar|dens of <HI>Semiramis?</HI> when you have related your conference &s;i&s;ter with <HI>Atergatis</HI> (an|&s;wered <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> I &s;hall then relate unto you mine with him.</P>
<P><HI>I&s;trina</HI> hearing her brother &s;ay &s;o, began to tell him very ingenuou&s;ly, all that <HI>A|tergatis</HI> &s;aid unto her: &s;o that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> finding her words concur with what his friend had told him: he acquainted <HI>I&s;trina</HI> with all he knew concerning his Combate and his Love: and did &s;o highly applaud the genero&s;ity of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> and hate the in|ju&s;tice of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Prince, as he did what he could to make her love the fir&s;t, and hate the &s;econd. And certainly there was no great difficulty in effecting his de&s;ign; for the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> thought her &s;elfe &s;o obliged unto <HI>Atergatis,</HI> for hazarding his life to prevent <HI>Armatrites</HI> from carrying her away, and was &s;o mortally offended at the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> that there could not be greater di&s;po&s;itions both to love and to hate, then was in her heart. So that not re&s;i&s;ting the de&s;ires of <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> which were, that &s;he &s;hould content her &s;elfe with the Dominion of <HI>Atergatis</HI> his heart, and reject the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Throne, they con&s;ulted together how they &s;hould negotiate with <HI>Nitocris:</HI> but &s;ince they could not acquaint her with this la&s;t piece of inju&s;tice in the Prince her &s;onne without extreamly grieving her, and without expo&s;ing <HI>Atergatis</HI> to the fury of that robu&s;tuous Prince, if he &s;hould come to know it, they could not re|&s;olve upon that cour&s;e, &s;o that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> di&s;po&s;ed him&s;elfe to return unto <HI>Aterga|tis:</HI> As he was ready to leave the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> &s;hee kept him a little longer; But brother (&s;aid &s;he unto him, and blu&s;ht) doe you intend to acquaint <HI>Atergatis</HI> that you have told me how he loves me? I mu&s;t acquaint him Si&s;ter (an&s;wered hee) if I would be welcome to him: However, replyed &s;he, I be&s;eech you do not tell him that you have per&s;waded me unto any thing: I cannot tell (&s;aid he, and &s;miled) whether I &s;hould or no; for it would not be very advantageous for mee to let him know that you would not give any credite unto my words: To &s;ave your honour, replyed &s;he, you may tell him that I did not doubt of your words, but becau&s;e I &s;u&s;pected his; for truly brother, if you put me to the nece&s;&s;ity of receiving <HI>Atergatis</HI> as a Lover, and as a declared Lover too, you will expo&s;e me to the greate&s;t perplexity in the world: I pray Si&s;ter, &s;aid he unto her, what would you have mee tell him? would you have me &s;o damp all his hopes, that he &s;hall never dare to tell you that he loves you? or would you only oblige me not to deprive you of the delight in hearing it from his owne mouth, which you cannot &s;o plea&s;ingly receive from mine? You know &s;o well bro|ther what I would have you &s;ay (replyed &s;he) that I need not tell you what words
<PB N="27" REF="695">
you what words you &s;hould u&s;e: all I require of you is, that you would not engage me into any Conference of open Gallantry, unle&s;s you would have me u&s;e that man over well unto whom I am extreamly obliged. After this, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> went out of <HI>I|&s;trinas</HI> Chambers, and returned to <HI>Atergatis,</HI> unto whom he related all the pa&s;&s;ages between the Queen and him; al&s;o what the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;ayd unto him, and what the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> an&s;wered him; to the end he might prepare him&s;elf (when things were brought to &s;uch a pa&s;s as he might &s;ee her) to fit his talk unto her de|&s;ires. In the mean time, the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> u&s;ed all his arguments to per&s;wade the Qeen that the Combate of <HI>Atergatis</HI> ought rather to incen&s;e then oblige her: but he could not do it; On the contrary, the Queen took this occa&s;ion to tell him, that he affected alwayes to hate what&s;oever &s;he loved, and who&s;oever loved her: and &s;poke &s;o &s;harply, as he went out very ill &s;atisfyed; And he was that day in &s;uch a huffing Chafe, and gave &s;uch har&s;h language unto <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> as that Prince as wi&s;e and re|&s;pective as he was, did reply &s;o &s;harply as the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> commanded him to keep out of his &s;ight.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the Queen to calme this Storm, &s;ent <HI>Atergatis</HI> word that con&s;i|dering the violence of the Prince her Son, &s;he &s;hould be glad if he would depart the Court for a while, untill &s;he had appea&s;ed the Kindred of <HI>Armatrites,</HI> and till &s;he had &s;weetned the &s;pirit of the A&s;&s;yrian Prince. So that <HI>Atergatis</HI> out of his re&s;pects and obedience unto the Queen, prepared for a departure out of <HI>Babylon:</HI> But &s;ince he could not go, before ht took his leave of the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> he intreated the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> to obtain that permi&s;&s;ion for him; No, no, an&s;wered that Prince, you mu&s;t not do &s;o: and it &s;eems that you do not perfectly know the per&s;on whom you love, &s;ince you do not think it requi&s;ite to deceave her, and that way ob|lige her unto &s;uch a bu&s;ine&s;s as this; but that you may receive your de&s;ired &s;atisfa|ction, I will put an innocent Fallacy upon her: <HI>Atergatis</HI> then thanked <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and told him that his fear was, that he &s;hould e&s;teem him more then he loved his Si|&s;ter; However, &s;ayd he, I am &s;ure, you have obliged me more then ever &s;he did. In the mean time, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> to keep his word with <HI>Atergatis,</HI> did per&s;wade the Prin|ce&s;s his &s;i&s;ter the next morning, to go walk in a Garden which is upon the Banks of the River <HI>Euphrates,</HI> telling her, that now &s;he need not fear to go out of the Pal|lace, &s;ince the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had no more men with whom he could chaffer to car|ry her away: Yet <HI>I&s;trina</HI> did a long time deny him, but <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was &s;o very ear|ne&s;t, as &s;he did &s;u&s;pect &s;ome hidden De&s;ign in it; but her curio&s;ity having got the ma&s;tery of her mind, &s;he re&s;olved to &s;uffer her&s;elf to be deluded: And indeed the next day <HI>Intaphernes</HI> carryed the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter unto the Garden which he propounded, where <HI>Atergatis</HI> by break of day had got before them, and &s;tayed there untill Evening: For &s;ince the Owner of that place was an intimate friend nnto <HI>In|taphernes,</HI> he was very &s;afe there; &s;o that the man carrying <HI>Atergatis</HI> in a great and magnificent Clo&s;et, he watched there very conveniently for the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina.</HI> In the mean time, &s;he was no &s;ooner come into the Garden, but <HI>Intaphernes</HI> motioned to go and &s;ee the hou&s;e; But &s;ayd &s;he unto him, You propounded to bring me out to walk, and now you have no will unto it: If it were be&s;t to be in a hou&s;e, certainly it were be&s;t to be in the Queens Palace, which I beleive is much better then that you would have me go into; yet Si&s;ter (replyed <HI>Intaphernes)</HI> you &s;hall &s;ee &s;omthing in the hou&s;e which you could not in the Queens. After he had &s;ayd &s;o, he carried <HI>I|&s;trina</HI> into a great Hall, from thence into a Chamber which looked into a great plea|&s;ant Meadow; &s;o that finding this Pro&s;pective very delectable, &s;he looked ovt of a Window which &s;tood open, and plea&s;ed her&s;elf with the &s;ight of it: Whil&s;t &s;he &s;tood there without any other Company but two of her women, the Prince <HI>Intapher|nes</HI> opened the door of a Clo&s;&s;et to let in <HI>Atergatis;</HI> &s;o that when the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;tri|na</HI> turned about &s;he was extreamly &s;urpri&s;ed at the &s;ight of him, though &s;he knew the Prince her Brother did not bring him thither without de&s;ign: I cannot tell, Madam, (&s;ayd <HI>Atergatis</HI> mo&s;t re&s;pectively unto her) whether you will pardon the Prince <HI>In|taphernes,</HI> for the fallacy which he hath put upon you in my behalf; but I am &s;ure, I had no power to yeeld obedience unto the Queens Commands, that I &s;hould de|part from <HI>Babylon,</HI> before I had the honour to bid you adieu. It need not be doubt|ed, replyed &s;he but that I &s;hall much complain of him; for indeed I cannot endure that any &s;hould deceive me, no, though it be to my advantage: However I &s;hall
<PB N="28" REF="696">
very willingly pardon him this trick he hath put upon me, becau&s;e he hath given me occa&s;ion of thanking you for hindring <HI>Armatrites</HI> from making me the mo&s;t mi&s;era|ble woman in the world. It is mo&s;t true (&s;ayd the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and interrupted her) and you are &s;o much beholding unto <HI>Atergatis,</HI> that if you were the Queen of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> I conceive you could not pay him the debt you owe him, unle&s;s you gave him the Crown: O, Sir, &s;ayd <HI>Atergatis,</HI> you make me &s;o a&s;hamed at your language, as I dare hardly look upon the Prince&s;s. Since tho&s;e, Sir, who are obliged, replyed <HI>I|&s;trina,</HI> have more rea&s;on to blu&s;h for &s;hame, that tho&s;e who do oblige, I mu&s;t con|fe&s;s it my part to be a&s;hamed, for being obliged &s;o much beyond my Gratitude. Per|&s;ons of your Merits, Madam, replyed <HI>Atergatis,</HI> do alwayes &s;ufficiently recompence all Services that can be done them by their well acceptance of them: Therfore, Ma|dam, if what I have done for you do not di&s;plea&s;e you, I am well payed for the Ser|vice, and for all I can do as long as I live. As the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was ready to reply, the Ma&s;ter of the hou&s;e came and whi&s;pered <HI>Intaphernes</HI> in the Eare, and told him, that there was one of the Queens Officers asked for him, and &s;eemed as if he had &s;ome earne&s;t bu&s;ine&s;s with him; &s;o that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> being gone out of the Chamber into the Hall to &s;peak with this Officer, <HI>Atergatis</HI> had the more liberty to expre&s;s his thoughts unto the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> though he had none which he de&s;ired to conceal from <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> nor which he did not tell him: But &s;ince it is the quality of Love to love Secre&s;ie, and &s;ince the words of a Lover when he &s;peaks of his pa&s;&s;ion would not be heard by any but the per&s;on whom he loves, therfore <HI>Atergatis</HI> was very glad of this opportunity; &s;o that not to let it &s;lip (that he did not intend to &s;peak openly of his pa&s;&s;ion.) I render thanks unto the Gods (&s;ayd he unto the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina)</HI> that they have not driven me unto the nece&s;&s;ity of acquainting you the fir&s;t time with a bu&s;ine&s;s which I could not long conceal from you: and for that the man who&s;e name you would not know, is not unknown unto you, though he hath been di&s;obe|dient unto your Commands of never letting you know it. Truly, I mu&s;t needs con|fe&s;s (replyed <HI>I&s;trina</HI> and blu&s;hed) that you have not di&s;obeyed me, and that in rea|&s;on I have no ju&s;t cau&s;e to complain; yet I cannot chu&s;e but accu&s;e you, though I am not able to give a name unto the Crime wherof I do accu&s;e you: for indeed being &s;o much obliged unto you, as I am, and e&s;teeming you &s;o much as I do, I dare not tell you, that you have not &s;poken &s;incerely unto the Prince my Brother, but I am confi|dent you did not well know your own thoughts, that you were mi&s;taken, and took one word for another, in &s;peaking of the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> unto <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and that you gave the &s;mall e&s;teem and amity you bore her, &s;ome names which did not &s;ute well with them. Do you think, Madam (replyed <HI>Atergatis)</HI> that one can keep a Medium in their e&s;teem and love of you? Since there is a Prince, replyed &s;he, who finds in his heart to &s;corn me, and has a great aver&s;ion to me, me-thinks it a peece of vanity to imagine that you &s;hould &s;o much as e&s;teem me: Oh, Madam, replyed <HI>A|tergatis,</HI> the man you mean de&s;erves not to be ranked among&s;t men, much le&s;s a|mong&s;t Princes. However, Madam, &s;ince a mi&s;erable man, who is ready to depart from you, &s;tands in need of &s;ome Con&s;olation to keep him alive; I will beleive, Ma|dam, that you &s;pake as you did, purpo&s;ely to give me the happy occa&s;ion of telling you my&s;elf how infinitely I adore you. No, <HI>Atergatis,</HI> replyed &s;he, that was not my De&s;ign: But on the contrary, I did beleive, that by &s;peaking as I did, I &s;hould oblige you to take time in the expre&s;&s;ions of your affection, &s;ince it mu&s;t be time only that can well do it: I know very well you have done very much for me already, but &s;ince genero&s;ity only might prompt you unto it, I be&s;eech you give me the free|dom of doubting what you &s;ay, &s;ince there cannot hap a greater mi&s;chance unto you then not to be thought very generous. Alas, Madam, &s;ayd <HI>Atergatis,</HI> I be&s;eech you do not attribute that unto my genero&s;ity which belongs unto my love; take away from me that Vertue, if you plea&s;e, but do not take from me a pa&s;&s;ion which is neere&s;t my heart; and &s;ince you, Madam, your &s;elf did create it in me, do not de&s;troy your own Creature, nor di&s;pute it with me. I do not ask, Madam, that you &s;hould retaliate heart for heart, and &s;igh for &s;igh; All I de&s;ire is, you would be plea&s;ed on|ly to accept of my heart and hearken unto &s;ighs: for truly, Madam, &s;ince the good|ne&s;s of the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> is plea&s;ed to intere&s;t him&s;elf in my mi&s;eries; I may be|leive, he will permit me to Conquer you in the name of that amity you bear unto him, to accept of my affection without any hatred unto me. If I were not to depart
<PB N="29" REF="696">
from you &s;o &s;oon, I &s;hould waite untill my eyes, my &s;ighes, my teares and my &s;ervi|ces had given you a thou&s;and te&s;timonies of my pa&s;&s;ion, before I had made any u&s;e of my words to per&s;wade you. But &s;ince I am ready to depart, methinks Madam, that a man who hath &s;o long loved you in &s;ilence, may have the liberty of expre&s;&s;ing his love without incurring your anger, e&s;pecially having &s;uch a Preface as the Prince <HI>Inta|phernes.</HI></P>
<P>You do make u&s;e Sir of &s;uch a powerfull name replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> that I am much puz|led to find an&s;wer for you; yet I &s;hall tell you, that &s;ince I am a little harder to be per&s;waded then the Prince my Brother is, I do not engage my &s;elfe to believe all that he doth: And therefore be not offended Sir, if I &s;u&s;pect your words; and to &s;peak with rea&s;on, it is to be thought that a Love which begins in ab&s;ence will not la&s;t long. Oh Madam (replyed <HI>Atergatis,</HI> and interrupted her) you do me the greate&s;t wrong in the world to &s;ay that my Love begun in ab&s;ence, &s;ince if you did but know when it did begin, you would find me to be the very fir&s;t of your Adorers. I do not ask any recompence Madam, for all tho&s;e &s;ecret torments which I have already endured for you, &s;o you will but be plea&s;ed to &s;et a value upon tho&s;e which I &s;hall &s;uffer for the future.</P>
<P>I know very well, that &s;ince the eyes of all the Court looked upon you Madam, as &s;he that was to be Queen of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> to offer le&s;&s;e then the heart of a King, was an offering unworthy of you: And I can a&s;&s;ure you, Madam, that my intentions were to obey you as long as I lived; and had I as many Crowns as you de&s;erve, I &s;hould give them unto you with more joy then I could po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e them: Not that (unle&s;s am|bition be the predominate Pa&s;&s;ion of your &s;oule) I can never hope to be happy, &s;ince it is to be feared, that you will not love a King who is not &s;o unju&s;t as not to love you better then a Prince who makes it his glory to be your &s;lave: but the Queens autho|rity forcing the Prince her &s;onne to obey her, your owne inclination cannot re&s;i&s;t her: I be&s;eech you Madam, be not offended at any boldne&s;&s;e in &s;peaking thus unto you: If ambition were a ba&s;e and criminall pa&s;&s;ion, I &s;hould &s;u&s;pect you; But &s;ince de&s;ire of Rule is univer&s;ally in the hearts of all; and &s;ince to a&s;cend a Throne, long and bloody Wars are u&s;ually made; and &s;ince Kingdoms and Empires are &s;ubverted, I may very wel fear that you will make no &s;cruple of loo&s;ing me, that you may Reign; for I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e you may do it without any inju&s;tice to me, &s;ince I have no right in the Earth to hinder you: And I a&s;&s;ure you Madam I am not &s;o in&s;olent as to offer any con&s;traint unto your inclination: but Madam, I be&s;eech you give me leave to tell you, that though I am fully re&s;olved to be &s;lave as long as my life la&s;ts: Yet I perceive I mu&s;t not live your Subject. Therefore Madam, I doe begge it as a &s;ingular favour, that if it &s;o fall out during my ab&s;ence that the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> does re&s;olve to obey the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> you will be plea&s;ed to remember, that you cannot a&s;cend the Throne, but it mu&s;t co&s;t the mi&s;erable <HI>Atergatis</HI> his life.</P>
<P>Since Sir, I am re&s;olved to be very &s;incere, replyed the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> I mu&s;t tell that I will not oblige you by the re&s;olution which I have taken of re&s;i&s;ting the Queen more ob&s;tinately then the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> re&s;pects her, &s;ince I do it only for the love of my &s;elfe; for believe it, I think it more glory to &s;corn a Prince that &s;lights me, then to be a Queen by any unworthy way; &s;o that generous <HI>Atergatis,</HI> you may a&s;&s;ure your &s;elfe that you mu&s;t never be my Subject, and that I &s;hall have no other power over you, but what you do voluntarily give me.</P>
<P>As <HI>Atergatis</HI> was ready to an&s;wer, the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> entred, but with &s;o ma|ny &s;igns of di&s;content in his looks, as it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee, he had met with &s;ome bad news &s;ince he left them: &s;o that the Prince&s;s his &s;i&s;ter longing to be &s;atisfied, asked him what it was which di&s;contented him? I under&s;tand, &s;aid he, that the Peace with <HI>Phrygia</HI> is concluded, and that the Queen prepares for a publique rejoycing: and that the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> marriage mu&s;t follow pre&s;ently after this great Fea&s;t which is to be celebrated for this concluded Peace. The man who told me this, did heare the Queen &s;ay as much: &s;o that thinking to do me a notable plea&s;ure in acquainting me with it, he &s;ought me out in &s;everall places, and found me here. This newes did ex|treamly &s;urprize <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and much more <HI>Atergatis;</HI> who looking the Prince&s;&s;e full in the eyes to di&s;cover the thoughts of her heart, did gaze upon her with extream atten|tion: At fir&s;t &s;he blu&s;ht, and &s;eemed a little moved; but pre&s;ently recollecting her &s;elfe, I am &s;o &s;ure, &s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> of the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> aver&s;ion unto
<PB N="30" REF="697">
me, and of mine to him, that be the Court never &s;o much joyed at at his Marriage and mine, yet I &s;hall be in mourning.</P>
<P>Oh my deare&s;t Si&s;ter &s;aid the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> your expre&s;&s;ions doe infinitely plea&s;e me; for what ambition &s;oever be in my heart, yet I de&s;ire not to &s;ee you a Qu: by becoming Wife unto a Prince who hath wronged me, and who hath wronged me unpuni&s;hed, becau&s;e I was his Subject; and whom, if fortune had not put that diffe|rence betwixt us, I would make known, that the fate of Armes might perhaps make us equalls.</P>
<P><HI>Atergatis</HI> hearing what the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;aid, was well &s;atisfied, and was quit of mo&s;t of his feares, but not altogether; for he knew, that the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> was fully re&s;olved to pre&s;s the Prince her &s;onne unto the very utmo&s;t: nor was hee ig|norant, that the Crown belonged unto her; that &s;he was mo&s;t ab&s;olute in her Domi|nion; and the ancient amity which &s;he had with <HI>Gadates,</HI> was the rea&s;on why &s;he would have him Reign in the per&s;on of his Daughter: &s;o that not relying upon the words of <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> he was in a perplexed condition, and he made a hundred &s;everall Propo&s;itions unto them both, to rid him&s;elf of his fears.</P>
<P><HI>Intaphernes</HI> for his part, advi&s;ed his Si&s;ter to leave the Court, and never acquaint the Queen; but &s;he would not hearken unto that, telling them that &s;he owed more re&s;pect unto the Queen and <HI>Gadates,</HI> then to take any &s;uch cour&s;e: Al&s;o &s;aid &s;he, it may chance &s;o fall out, that the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> will &s;ufficiently re&s;i&s;t her, and ne|ver put me to the nece&s;&s;ity of incen&s;ing the Qu: Alas Madam (&s;aid <HI>Atergatis)</HI> I be|&s;eech you give me leave to tell you, that tho&s;e who will never enter into Combat, can never vanqui&s;h: and &s;o if you will not oppo&s;e the Queen, it is as much to &s;ay, that you will obey her: I do a&s;&s;ure you Sir, replyed &s;he, I will not obey her. And if ever I be your Queen, I freely give both you, and my Brother leave to be my rebellious Subjects; but in the mean time I be&s;eech you give me leave to temper the Queens mind as I plea&s;e: I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e Si&s;ter, &s;aid <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> that you are very much obli|ged to the Queen, and that's the rea&s;on which makes me feare, that if ever &s;he per|&s;wade the Prince her &s;onne, &s;he will per&s;wade you al&s;o. Since I do know my owne heart better then you know it, replyed &s;he, I have more rea&s;on to tru&s;t unto my own genero&s;ity then you have: But to te&s;tifie that I would not have you &s;u&s;pect me to be &s;o ba&s;e, as ever to marry a Prince who hath wronged you, and &s;corned me, I will alter my intention, and be&s;eech the Queen (provided you be pre&s;ent) not to command me ever to marry the Prince her &s;onne, but that &s;he will plea&s;e to give me &s;o much liberty as to retire my &s;elfe: After this, both <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> do return him mo&s;t hearty thanks, and applauded her genero&s;ity: But &s;he being a little di&s;plea&s;ed, that the Prince her brother &s;hould &s;u&s;pect her of any weakne&s;s, did give him a hand&s;ome check for it, which did the more confirm him in his beliefe of her ge|nero&s;ity.</P>
<P>In the mean while, &s;ince it was re&s;olved upon, that he &s;hould go unto the Queen the &s;ame night, he prepared him&s;elfe to leave her: And &s;ince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> did mo&s;t dearly love <HI>Atergatis,</HI> and thought that the more he engaged <HI>I&s;trina</HI> with him, the more aver&s;e &s;he would be unto the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> he conjured her to accept of his affection, and to look upon him as a man who of all the world was mo&s;t worthy of her.</P>
<P><HI>Atergatis</HI> for his part, was full of his tender and pa&s;&s;ionate expre&s;&s;ions: But, &s;ay, do what they both could, &s;he would not engage her &s;elfe unto <HI>Atergatis</HI> further then terms of friend&s;hip and acknowledgment. But to tell you truly, I believe her heart did promi&s;e more then her mouth; and from that day, &s;he began to put a diffe|rence between the amity &s;he u&s;ed to her friends, &amp; the affection &s;he had to that Prince.</P>
<P>However it were, as &s;oon as &s;he returned to the Palace, &s;hee perceived that what the Queen had &s;poken was known to all the world, and that they began already to look upon her as Queen; for &s;he &s;aw &s;uch ob&s;equeou&s;ne&s;s in all that addre&s;&s;ed them|&s;elves unto her, as it was ea&s;ie to know their thoughts, and that their own Intere&s;ts did move them &s;o to doe.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> knowing more preci&s;ely then <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> how the Queen intended his Marriage did take a re&s;olution, which as you know Ma|dam, hath been very unfortunate unto you, &s;ince if he had not left the Court of <HI>A&s;|&s;yria,</HI> he had never come into the Court of <HI>Cappadocia.</HI> However, without any fur|ther
<PB N="31" REF="697">
deliberation, his de&s;ign was to leave the Court, to get out of the Kingdom, and to travell unknown, untill the Queen his Mother had changed her mind, and that the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was marryed,</P>
<P>But &s;ince neither the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> nor the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter did know of his intentions, they &s;poke joyntly to the Queen, and be&s;eeched her to let them retire from the Court, and never to command them back: But the more they complained again&s;t the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> the more <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was &s;en&s;ible of his affronts; and the more <HI>I&s;trina</HI> begged of the Queen never to marry, the more earne&s;t was the Qu: to have them &s;tay in the Court, and was more re&s;olved to make up the match, which &s;he had &s;o long de&s;ired. <HI>I&s;trina</HI> added her Tears unto her Prayers, and <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was very importunate, but all in vaine, for neither &s;ide would yeeld, nor change their minds.</P>
<P>In the mean while the melancholy <HI>Atergatis</HI> hearing from <HI>Intaphernes</HI> how all things pa&s;&s;ed, would not yet &s;tir from the place where he had a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of that im|portance, but re&s;olved to &s;tay a while conceal'd in <HI>Babylon,</HI> until he knew a little better how &s;quares would goe; but he &s;tayed in &s;uch a melancholy condition, that if <HI>Inta|phernes</HI> had not cheered him up, his melancholy had been &s;tronger then his Rea&s;on: That which added the mo&s;t mi&s;ery to his melancholy, was, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> who as I told you, having a de&s;ign to &s;teale out of Court, would needs, to delude the Queen, appeare the next morning at the Fea&s;t for the Peace of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> in a high magnificence. He &s;eemed le&s;&s;e fierce then ordinary, and more civill to the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina:</HI> &s;o that all the Court thinking he would obey the Queen, the noi&s;e of it came unto the eares of <HI>Atergatis</HI> and <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> who would not participate of t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> di|ver&s;ions that day: And &s;o that the&s;e two Princes were both of them equa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d, though from different Cau&s;es. <HI>Intaphernes</HI> did write that night unto his Si&s;ter to know whether it was true that the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was more pliant to her then u&s;u|all; but as he was &s;ending his Letter, he received one from her, which contained the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>ISTRINA UNTO INTAPHERNES.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Brother,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Cannot &s;tay untill the morning to tell you, that though the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> hath changed his behavior to me, yet I &s;hall not change my mind; &amp; if I expre&s;|&s;ed any joyes to &s;ee him le&s;&s;e uncivill, it was out of my hopes to make him better know the aver&s;ion which I &s;hall ever have unto him: Adieu, do not &s;u&s;pect mee of any weakne&s;&s;e, and thinke alwayes of my Genero&s;ity as you would have me think of your upon the like occa&s;ion.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>I&s;trina.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><HI>INtaphernes</HI> had no &s;ooner read this Letter, but he went to &s;hew it unto <HI>Atergatis,</HI> who was both glad and &s;ad at it; for he was glad to hear that the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was con&s;tant to her fir&s;t re&s;olution, but he was very &s;orry to hear that confirmed which had formerly &s;o much grieved him; &s;o that there being a Mi&s;cellany of the&s;e two Contraries in his &s;oule, he knew not how to expre&s;&s;e his thoughts by his words.</P>
<P>As for the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> he knew not what to think; for he could not ima|gine why a Prince who had behaved him&s;elfe &s;o har&s;hly, &s;hould change in &s;o &s;hort a time. Yet in his an&s;wer to the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> he excited her to continue generous, and a&s;&s;ured her, that he would &s;ee her the next day: yet Madam, this Prince&s;s hath confe&s;&s;ed &s;ince unto the Prince her Brother, that &s;he was all the night following ex|treamly
<PB N="32" REF="698">
re&s;tle&s;s, for truly, <HI>Atergatis</HI> had exceedingly obliged her: <HI>Atergatis</HI> was very amicable, <HI>Atergatis</HI> did infinitely love her, and &s;he had no inclination to hate him. Moreover the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> contempt of her, had &s;trangely incen&s;ed her &s;pirits again&s;t him: and his affronts offered unto the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> did extream|ly exa&s;perate her. But on the other &s;ide, when &s;he con&s;idered what Glory it was to be <HI>Queen</HI> of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> to &s;ucceed one of the mo&s;t Illu&s;trious Prince&s;&s;es in the world: To command in the greate&s;t Town upon Earth, to &s;ee none but the Gods above her, and to have but a very few equals in the whole Univer&s;e; &s;he found it a peece of difficulty to keep clo&s;e unto her re&s;olution.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as inclined unto Ambition, Honour and Love did command her to be generous, &s;o that &s;he returned to her fir&s;t thoughts, and re&s;olutely defended her|&s;elfe.</P>
<P>But whil&s;t <HI>Atergatis, Intaphernes,</HI> and <HI>I&s;trina</HI> were each of them de&s;canting upon this adventure; and whil&s;t the <HI>Queen</HI> was preparing to &s;peak the next morning un|to the Prince her Son, and to pre&s;s obedience upon him: That Prince without any company but three of his men, departed from <HI>Babylon</HI> two hours before day.</P>
<P>It is not ea&s;y for me, Madam, to tell you what effects this departure did pro|duce in the Court: It would be task enough to acquaint you with the thoughts of <HI>I&s;trina, Intaphernes,</HI> and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> unle&s;s I &s;hould al&s;o mention the &s;orrows and anger of the <HI>Queen,</HI> to &s;ee that the Prince her Son &s;hould &s;o much fail in his re&s;pects; yet &s;he di&s;&s;embled &s;ome part of her Re&s;entments. But as for <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> &s;he did &s;o lit|tle hide her Joyes at the Princes departure (though in point of honour, &s;he &s;eemed a little angry) that all the Court perceived it; for &s;he being then but very young &s;he co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ot confine all her tumultuous thoughts unto the Clo&s;et of her heart. As for <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> though he was &s;omthing more a Ma&s;ter of him&s;elf, and went as others did to the <HI>Queen,</HI> yet he was very glad to ob&s;erve that the departure of this Prince did not trouble her. As for <HI>Atergatis,</HI> he had &s;uch Raptures of joy as never man had; Such, Madam, as though he did never in his life write unto the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> yet now he writ to acquaint her with his thoughts, asking her pardon for rejoycing at her lo&s;s of a Crown, and hinted unto her &s;o many pa&s;&s;ages of Wit, of Gallantry, and Pa&s;&s;ion, as it was apparent; the heart which guided the hand that writ this Letter was infinitely in Love. The joyes of <HI>Atergatis</HI> were the more augmented, becau&s;e he hoped that now the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was gone, the <HI>Queen</HI> perhaps would revoke, or at lea&s;t &s;horten his Exile; yet he was deceived in his hopes: for be plea&s;ed to know, Madam, that &s;ince the friends of <HI>Armatrites</HI> aimed only at the ruine of <HI>Ater|gatis,</HI> and knowing that he had &s;een the Prince&s;e <HI>Istrina</HI> in that Garden where <HI>Inta|phernes</HI> carried her, and having learned al&s;o that he was &s;till in <HI>Babylon,</HI> did adverti&s;e the <HI>Queen</HI> of it; &s;o that the <HI>Queen</HI> having a mo&s;t Penetrating Wit, and ob&s;erving that the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was joyed at the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> departure, and far from grieving at the lo&s;s of a Crown; &s;he began to &s;u&s;pect &s;omthing from this in|terview, of which &s;he had never told her: And her &s;u&s;pition was the more violent, becau&s;e &s;he remembred how zealou&s;ly the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> pleaded for <HI>Atergatis,</HI> after his Combate with <HI>Armatrites.</HI> So that comparing all the&s;e Circum&s;tances to|gether, &s;he de&s;ired to be &s;atisfied in the bu&s;ine&s;s: and indeed &s;o &s;he was very ea&s;ily; for &s;ince <HI>I&s;trina</HI> &s;tood in fear of her, and did highly reverence her, &s;he had not power to deny this interview in the Garden; nor did &s;he in that di&s;order &s;o much as think upon any Colour for it. Al&s;o &s;he was much &s;urprized when <HI>Nitocris</HI> asked her, why <HI>Intaphernes</HI> de&s;ired her to &s;ee <HI>Atergatis;</HI> Madam (replyed <HI>I&s;trina</HI> and blu&s;ht) &s;ince <HI>Atergatis</HI> was ever a good friend both unto <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and me, he de&s;ired that I &s;hould bid him adieu, and I did not deny him: Fy, fy, <HI>I&s;trina</HI> (an&s;wered the <HI>Queen</HI> to make her confe&s;s) you need not make a my&s;tery of &s;uch a bu&s;ine&s;s: this meeting hath &s;ome other cau&s;e more then I know; but I will know it, and that more particularly from your own mouth. The Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> &s;eeing the <HI>Queen</HI> &s;o very urgent, did make an indirect an&s;wer; but <HI>Nitocris</HI> &s;till pre&s;&s;ing her more, and not giving her time to con&s;ider upon the bu&s;ine&s;s, &s;he forced her at la&s;t to tell her in a tumultuous manner, how &s;he was obliged unto <HI>Atergatis,</HI> acquainting the <HI>Queen</HI> with the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> Inju&s;tice, in offering to &s;teal her away: and acquainting her with the ge|nero&s;ity of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> and how &s;he was di&s;plea&s;ed with the fir&s;t, and more e&s;teemed the &s;econd. But all this did not &s;ucceed according to <HI>I&s;trinas</HI> hopes: for though the
<PB N="33" REF="698">
young Prince&s;s never told the <HI>Queen</HI> that <HI>Atergatis</HI> was in love with her, or that &s;he did attribute his action only unto the genero&s;ity of his Soul: Yet <HI>Nitocris</HI> did &s;mell the truth, for &s;ince &s;ome flying reports went of <HI>Atergatis</HI> his pa&s;&s;ion, &s;he had wit e|nough to con&s;ider all the&s;e things in the true &s;ence. But the wor&s;t was, the <HI>Queen</HI> imagining that <HI>I&s;trina</HI> had of a long time known of the pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> &s;he thought, that perhaps this &s;ecret peece of Gallantry was the cau&s;e why the Prince her Son was &s;o ob&s;tinate. Not but that &s;he knew the Vertue of <HI>I&s;trina</HI> very well; yet looking upon <HI>Atergatis</HI> as an Ob&s;tacle unto the thing which &s;he mo&s;t of any thing in the world de&s;ired: &s;he commanded a new that he &s;hould depart the Court, and not return till &s;he recalled him. <HI>Intaphernes</HI> whom <HI>I&s;trina</HI> dur&s;t not acquaint with what &s;he had confe&s;&s;ed unto the <HI>Queen,</HI> did be&s;eech her not to treat a man &s;o rigorou&s;ly who had fought in defence of her Glory: but &s;he ab&s;olutely denyed him, and told him afterwards all &s;he knew, &amp; what &s;he thought of <HI>Atergatis</HI> his Love of <HI>I&s;trina;</HI> So that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> who&s;e Soul was all Sincerity and Genero&s;ity, confe&s;&s;ed more then the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter did: for he told her po&s;itively all the pa&s;&s;age, and with &s;o much in|genuity that the <HI>Queen</HI> perceived &s;he was mi&s;taken in thinking that <HI>I&s;trina</HI> did know of <HI>Atergatis</HI> his love long before; So that being very glad a Prince&s;s whom &s;he dear|ly loved was ju&s;tified in her Opinion: She did with more moderation admit of <HI>Inta|phernes</HI> his aggravations of the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> Inju&s;tice, in de&s;iring to &s;teal away his Si&s;ter both for <HI>Atergatis</HI> and <HI>Armatrites,:</HI> I do very plainly &s;ee, &s;ayd the <HI>Queen,</HI> that the Prince my Son is very unju&s;t; But for all that <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> as long as he is living I &s;hall &s;till be in &s;ome hopes of <HI>I&s;trinas</HI> being <HI>Queen</HI> of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> And therfore I would not have <HI>Atergatis</HI> have any thoughts of her; &s;o that though the friends of <HI>Armatrites</HI> did not pre&s;s me as they do to bani&s;h him: yet bani&s;hed he mu&s;t be, be|cau&s;e he loves <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and becau&s;e he is a man too well accompli&s;hed for her to hate him. However, a&s;&s;ure him, that if he will change Pa&s;&s;ions, and let Ambition take the place of Love in his heart: I &s;hall ere long fully &s;atisfy it by conferring upon him &s;o con&s;iderable Government, that though he &s;hall be bani&s;hed from <HI>Babylon,</HI> yet his Exile &s;hall pa&s;s rather for a recompence then a puni&s;hment. <HI>Intaphernes</HI> then of|ferred to oppo&s;e the <HI>Queen,</HI> but &s;he impo&s;ed &s;ilence upon him, &s;o that it mu&s;t be as &s;he would have it, and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> mu&s;t depart, yes, and depart without a &s;ight of the Prince&s;s whom he loved: for the <HI>Queen</HI> did cau&s;e her Commands to be &s;o &s;trick|ly ob&s;erved, that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> could not imagine which way he &s;hould procure that &s;a|tisfaction to his friend, who had departed without any Con&s;olation; if <HI>Intaphernes</HI> had not promi&s;ed him to pre&s;ent his Letter unto the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> and oblige her to an&s;wer him. I &s;hall not, Madam, both trouble you and my &s;elf with a relation how the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> &s;pent the fir&s;t months of his Bani&s;hment: nor how carefull he was in writing his Letters unto <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> nor with what exactne&s;s <HI>Intaphernes</HI> an&s;wered him, nor with what zeal that Prince &s;poke of <HI>Atergatis</HI> unto
<HI>I&s;trina:</HI> lea&s;t &s;he &s;hould forget him, and not enough hate the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> for I &s;hould be too long and tedious in telling things &s;o little pertinent or nece&s;&s;ary: But give me leave to tell you, Madam, how one that was Co&s;in to <HI>Armatrites,</HI> hearing that <HI>Atergatis</HI> did often write unto <HI>Intaphernes;</HI> he did adverti&s;e the <HI>Queen</HI> of it, but he was not &s;o cunning as to keep it from the knowledge of <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> therfore &s;uch &s;harp language pa&s;&s;ed between them as they fell to blows: And <HI>Intaphernes</HI> fought with &s;o much courage, that after he had killed his Enemy, he defended him|&s;elf mo&s;t &s;toutly again&s;t three of his men, who &s;eeing their Ma&s;ter dead, would needs be revenged: But though they were valiant, yet he killed one of them, wounded an|other, and put the third to flight, having none but the Gods and him&s;elf; for he met him with whom he fought in a long walk upon the Banks of <HI>Euphrates,</HI> at the end of which he had left his men, and they could not be &s;o &s;oon in with him, as he was Conqueror: Tis true his Victory was dearly bought, for he was dangerou&s;ly wounded in two places: But &s;ince the Chirurgeons did &s;ay there was no danger in his wounds, it may very well be &s;ayd, that the glory he got in the Combate was worth more then the blood he lo&s;t.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the <HI>Queen</HI> perceiving how zealous <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was in all things that related unto <HI>Atergatis,</HI> &s;he re&s;olved to continue his Bani&s;hment, not only as long as the Prince her Son was ab&s;ent, but al&s;o as long as that unju&s;t Prince would not mar|ry <HI>I&s;trina:</HI> and yet she was very favourable unto <HI>Atergatis</HI> in a hundred things of ano|ther
<PB N="34" REF="699">
nature, both to his per&s;on and other his relations. Thus this unfortunate Lover, not &s;etting any period to his bani&s;hment, but the marriage of her he loved, with a Prince whom he hated, did lead the mo&s;t mi&s;erable life of any man in the world; yet he received &s;o much con&s;olation as to have &s;ome Letters from <HI>I&s;trina;</HI> but he recei|ved &s;o much &s;orrow al&s;o as to know how that wi&s;e Prince&s;s told the <HI>Queen,</HI> that the affection of <HI>Atergatis</HI> was very indifferent unto her: yet &s;he told him, how &s;he be|&s;eeched her to &s;end her back unto the Prince her Father, to the end that &s;he &s;hould not hinder the return of the Prince her Son; but &s;he dur&s;t &s;ay no more, yet &s;he ex|plained her&s;elf a little more clearly a few dayes after the Combate of <HI>Intaphernes:</HI> for the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;ent one of his men &s;ecretly into <HI>Babylon</HI> to &s;catter &s;everall Tick|ets in the Town, by which he declared that he would never return into <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> untill the Princes <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was married, and be&s;eeching the <HI>Queen</HI> not to marry her unto <HI>A|tergatis,</HI> for &s;ome rea&s;ons which he would give her, when &s;he had put him into a con|dition of return: So that this Prince by this means revenged him&s;elf upon <HI>Atergatis,</HI> who would not &s;uffer him to &s;teal away <HI>T&s;trina</HI> for him; for the <HI>Queen</HI> upon this did confirm her re&s;olutions of keeping that Prince &s;till in Exile.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> who till now could never let it be known that &s;he did not hate <HI>Atergatis,</HI> began openly to inveigh again&s;t the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;y|rias</HI> Inju&s;tice, who did not only affront her in his refu&s;all of marriage, but did mo&s;t tyrannically pre&s;cribe things which did not belong unto him, and &s;uch things as upon which the whole tranquillity of her life depended. But the more &s;he complained, the more &s;he retarded the return of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> who hearing of the pa&s;&s;ages in <HI>Babylon,</HI> was grived to the very Soul: yet there was &s;uch re&s;entments in the heart of <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> as would have joyed his Soul had he known them; for certainly the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;y|rias</HI> Tickets, and the Proceedings of the <HI>Queen</HI> did make her re&s;olve to look upon <HI>Atergatis</HI> as the only man in the world, who did merit her affection. But, Madam, not to abu&s;e your patience any longer, I mu&s;t in a very few words &s;light over all the petty pa&s;&s;ages in <HI>Babylon,</HI> whil&s;t the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> under the name of <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> was a Lover of you, and a Hater of the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> at <HI>Synope:</HI> for it would take too much time to expre&s;s how &s;ad the <HI>Queen</HI> was, becau&s;e &s;he knew not what was become of the Prince her Son, and to expre&s;s the &s;ad heart of <HI>Atergatis</HI> at his ab|&s;ence from her he loved: the vexation of <HI>I&s;trina</HI> to &s;ee the ab&s;ent Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> an Ob&s;tacle unto her happine&s;s: How angry <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was to have an Enemy of whom he neither could nor dur&s;t be revenged, &amp; to what a trouble the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> was put unto, in being an univer&s;all Mediator to appea&s;e the <HI>Queen</HI> when&s;oever &s;he was incen&s;ed, either again&s;t the Prince her Son, or again&s;t <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> or again&s;t <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> or again&s;t <HI>Atergatis.</HI> Therfore, Madam, without more mention of what pa&s;&s;ed in <HI>Babylon,</HI> whil&s;t the pretended <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> followed the King your Father in the wars which then he had again&s;t the Kings of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Phrygia,</HI> and whil&s;t the Voyage of the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> to <HI>Thomeris</HI> la&s;ted; I &s;hall repre&s;ent unto you only &s;uch things as happened after the <HI>Queen</HI> knew that the Prince her Son had carried you a|way. For truly, Madam, I owe this te&s;timony unto the vertue of that great Prince&s;s, as I mu&s;t a&s;&s;ure you, that this News did extreamly greive her, as but for the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> &s;he had di&s;inherited the Prince her Son from the Crown: Then did &s;he repent that ever &s;he cro&s;&s;ed the inclinations of <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and did not only give her mo&s;t tender and obliging language, but the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> al&s;o who was gone a little before into <HI>Bithinia,</HI> where <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was waging War to recover the Crown of his Ance&s;tors. In the mean while, <HI>Atergatis</HI> who did intere&s;t him&s;elf unto every thing which concerned <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> did follow him to the War, de&s;iring &s;ince he was Exi|led, to pa&s;s his time in the Service of that Prince unto whom <HI>I&s;trina</HI> had relation. I am obliged, Madam, to acquaint you al&s;o, that if this great <HI>Queen</HI> had lived &s;he had be&s;ieged <HI>Opis,</HI> whither the Prince her Son had conveyed you, a&s;&s;uring you that her only de&s;ign in it was to re&s;tore you unto the King your Father: But, Madam, death prevented the execution of her generous De&s;ign, which would have &s;aved many a &s;orrow. But &s;ince this great Prince&s;s at the end of her daies lookt pale death in his grim face, without any fear, and kept her rea&s;on clear unto her very la&s;t breath, &s;he would not leave the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> expo&s;ed unto the violencies of the new King: but know|ing how much I ever devoted my &s;elf unto the Service of the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> &s;he
<PB N="35" REF="699">
did me the honour to make choi&s;e of me with the tru&s;t of the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> ap|pointing me to convey her into <HI>Bythinia</HI> as &s;oon as &s;he was dead; and having no mind, &s;he &s;hould goe unto the Prince her Father, &s;ince he being within the Domi|nions of the Prince her &s;onne, he &s;hould offer &s;ome violence unto her: Therefore, making choi&s;e of a more &s;afe Sanctuary, &s;he would have me carry her unto <HI>Ar&s;amo|nes,</HI> with whom, as I already told you, were the Princes <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> who both of them had highly &s;ignalized them&s;elves in that Warr: &s;o that Madam, I accepting of this charge which the Queen committed unto me, and promi&s;ing mo&s;t faithfully to perform my Tru&s;t, this great Queen of ever honoured memory was no &s;ooner expired, but I prepared for obedience.</P>
<P>The Prince <HI>Mazanes</HI> who infinitely loved <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> e&s;teemed <HI>Atergatis,</HI> and ho|noured <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> did for the more &s;afety of this Prince&s;&s;e give me a Convoy, him&s;elf waiting upon her &s;ome forty furlongs out of <HI>Babylon.</HI> I cannot tell you Madam how great was the grief of the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> for the death of <HI>Nitocris,</HI> for I have not words apt enough to expre&s;&s;e it: but I can tell you, that the looking upon the Prince of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> as the cau&s;e of her lo&s;&s;e by rea&s;on of griefe which your carrying away cau|&s;ed, did cur&s;e him with as many imprecations as you your &s;elf could do. However, as time is the be&s;t &s;alve for all &s;orrows, &s;o when we came into <HI>Bythinia,</HI> her teares were a little dryed up, and her &s;orrows &s;lacked.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as we were upon the Frontiers of that Kingdom, and quite out of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> power, the Prince&s;s did &s;tay to re&s;t her &s;elf, &amp; to give me time to acquaint the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> with her Arrivall: You may well i|magine Madam, that the bad newes of <HI>Nitocris</HI> death was not &s;weetned by this, e&s;|pecially to <HI>Atergatis,</HI> though he was to &s;ee <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> beyond all his hopes; for Ma|dam, be plea&s;ed to know, that the Me&s;&s;enger whom I &s;ent unto the&s;e two Princes, who were then at <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> where the Court was, did find them ready to come unto <HI>Babylon</HI> in a di&s;gui&s;e, purpo&s;ely for the &s;afety of the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> not knowing how the Queens prudence provided for it.</P>
<P>So that being now out of all feares of the new <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Kings violence, and hea|ring that they &s;hould &s;ee her much &s;ooner then they hoped, the &s;orrows of <HI>Inta|phernes</HI> vani&s;hed, and much more the &s;orrows of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> &s;ince he was not &s;o much obliged unto the Queen by rea&s;on of his Exile: However, to loo&s;e no time, in lieu of an&s;wering <HI>I&s;trina's</HI> Letters and mine, they went in all ha&s;t unto <HI>Ar&s;amo|nes,</HI> to acquaint him with <HI>Istrina's</HI> Arrivall, and to de&s;ire Sanctuary for her: &s;ince <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was much obliged unto them, he was very glad of &s;uch an occa&s;ion to gratifie the &s;ervices they had done him in the Wars: &s;o that con&s;enting very cheer|fully unto their de&s;ires, he acquainted the Queen of <HI>Bythinia</HI> with it, the very &s;ame hour, who for the more honour of the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> did &s;end her own Coach to meet her a dayes journey from <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> and al&s;o a particular Complement unto <HI>I&s;trina.</HI></P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> having an earne&s;t de&s;ire to &s;ee her, did make incredible ha&s;t unto the place where &s;he was, friend&s;hip and love being &s;harp &s;purrs unto both tho&s;e Princes, who did very plea&s;ingly &s;urprize us; for wee could not imagine it po&s;&s;ible for them to negotiate with <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and be there &s;o &s;oon. It is not an ea&s;ie matter for me to tell you Madam, how infinitely the&s;e three per&s;ons were joyed: <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> let theirs appear, but as for <HI>I&s;trina</HI> &s;he partly concealed hers.</P>
<P>Their conver&s;ation yet began in tears, but yet their Joys to &s;ee each other, di&s;&s;ipa|ting all clouds of &s;orrow, they began to relate all the pa&s;&s;ages which hapned &s;ince they &s;aw each other; they complained again&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> with &s;uch kind of aggravations as &s;ometimes u&s;eth to comfort &s;uch as have freedom to complain of any Inju&s;tice done them. Yet they did not vent all their thoughts, for the pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Ater|gatis</HI> forged a thou&s;and which he never uttered, yet he had &s;o much &s;atisfaction as to ea&s;e him&s;elfe and his heart a little; for after they had talked a long time with <HI>Istrina, Intaphernes</HI> being de&s;irous to confer with me, did draw me a&s;ide, and left <HI>Atergatis</HI> at liberty to vent his pas&s;ion; I know not Madam, &s;aid he unto her, whether you re|member tho&s;e cruell words you gave me at <HI>Babylon,</HI> when you told me that a Pa&s;&s;ion which begun by ab&s;ence never la&s;ted long. So many cro&s;&s;e adventures have hapned &s;ince, replyed &s;he, that I do not remember what we &s;aid; but (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;miled)
<PB N="36" REF="700">
if I did &s;ay &s;o, I think that I did not &s;peak out of rea&s;on; for &s;ince ab&s;ence doth of|ten de&s;troy the mo&s;t firm grounded affections, well may it de&s;troy a green beginning one.</P>
<P>It &s;eems then Madam, replyed <HI>Atergatis,</HI> that my affection to you is not of &s;uch a Nature as time and ab&s;ence can de&s;troy, &s;ince it is mo&s;t certain I do love and adore you more now, then when I left you; and I may truly &s;ay, that there was not a day pa&s;&s;ed over, wherein my Love did not kindle new fires to burn my heart, and make me more mi&s;erable: For the more of the world I &s;aw, the more I knew how to value your worth. And the Court of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> though full of excellent Beauties, hath let me know, that you are not only a per&s;on of mo&s;t ab&s;olute perfection in <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> but in the world, &s;ince I am mo&s;t &s;ure that all the places I ever came in could not produce one comparable.</P>
<P>Though Aplauds be very plea&s;ing, replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> principally from a man whom one e&s;teems, yet I be&s;eech you be a little &s;paring of them, lea&s;t I &s;hould &s;u&s;pect you of flattery, and doubt of what you &s;hall hereafter tell me: Provided Madam, you do not doubt my affection, replyed <HI>Atergatis,</HI> I do not feare your doubting the truth of my words, when I commend you more then ever I did any; for truly Madam, when I tell you that you are the faire&s;t per&s;on of the whole world, if you wil not believe me, I be&s;eech you believe your Gla&s;s. If I tell you that you have more wit then tho&s;e who have the mo&s;t, that very &s;ame wit w^c^h knows others &s;o perfectly, wil not permit you to doubt of what I &s;ay, nor &s;uffer you to accu&s;e me of any untruth when I extoll all your vertues: And if I were &s;ure you would as well believe I love you, as you mu&s;t needs believe your &s;elfe lovely, I &s;hould be much happier then I am: and indeed Madam, un|le&s;&s;e you do not e&s;teem me at all, you cannot choo&s;e but think that I do admire you.</P>
<P>I do a&s;&s;ure you Sir, replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> I do &s;o little know my &s;elfe, as I cannot tel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> whether one doth me right or wrong; when they e&s;teem me much, or not at all: However, I do once more intreat you not to commend me over much, and I do con|jure you not to tell me any more of your affection; for (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;miled) though I would believe you loved me, yet I ought not to give credit unto your words, there|fore Sir, I intreat you to live with me as the Prince my brother doth; for I do a&s;&s;ure you that though he does not tell me that he loves me, yet I am very confident of his affection.</P>
<P>Oh Madam, &s;aid <HI>Atergatis,</HI> Love and Friend&s;hip are things very different: Friend|&s;hip may be dumb, and indeed it were an odd thing, that all ones Friends &s;hould &s;till be telling that they love; but as for love Madam, it cannot be &s;o: Indeed it is &s;o farre from being dumb as you would have it, that it mu&s;t be eloquent; and aggravations are &s;o naturall unto it, as one may &s;ay, it is above all aggravations, &s;ince certainly one can never love too much: It is a crime to talke of any thieg but his pa&s;&s;ion, when a Lover is &s;o happy as to be alone with the per&s;on he adores. Judg therefore Madam, I be&s;eech you, whether I have not cau&s;e to complain again&s;t that rigorous command of not talking unto you of my pa&s;&s;ion; and whether I have not rea&s;on to make my Complaints unto the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> I had rather you made your Complaints Sir, replyed &s;he, unto my Brother, then unto me; yet I hope, replyed he, that he would move you to do me Ju&s;tice. However, I be&s;eech you, give me leave to aske you Ma|dam, whether after your once intended thoughts of Raigning over all <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and the thoughts of having infinite multitudes for your Subjects, you can be &s;atisfied with having only the unfortunate <HI>Atergatis</HI> for your &s;lave?</P>
<P>As <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was ready to reply, the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> came unto them, and told the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter that &s;he was to goe unto the Court, to the end &s;he might know how to behave her &s;elfe: He made a &s;hort de&s;cription of the ha&s;ty and imperious hu|mor of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> of the vertue and prudence of the Queen <HI>Arbiana;</HI> but when he came to mention the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> he applauded her &s;o highly, and in &s;uch a manner, as if he feared he could never commend her enough; in&s;omuch as <HI>I&s;trina</HI> i|magined that he loved her as much as he e&s;teemed her. Did I not know (&s;aid &s;he un|to the Prince her brother) that you have been alwayes in the Army, &s;ince you came into <HI>Bythinia,</HI> I &s;hould think that the beauty of this Prince&s;s whom you &s;o highly ap|plaud, had very much engaged your heart: But &s;ince I heare of all your Victories, I cannot believe you will let your &s;elfe be vanqui&s;hed: Doubtle&s;&s;e Si&s;ter, replyed <HI>Inta|phernes,</HI> we have been Conquerors in the Wars, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ut yet Love hath conquered me:
<PB N="37" REF="700">
And that liberty which I pre&s;erved amid&s;t all the <HI>Babylonian</HI> Beauties is lo&s;t at <HI>Calce|donea,</HI> by the &s;ight of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prince&s;s. Therefore my deare&s;t Si&s;ter, give me leave to plead for <HI>Atergatis</HI> unto you with more zeale then ever I did; for now I know by my own experience what this tyrannicall pa&s;&s;ion is, which cau&s;eth the grea|te&s;t delight, and the greate&s;t mi&s;eries of life, and therefore Si&s;ter I do intere&s;t my &s;elfe more then ever I did in the pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Atergatis</HI> unto you.</P>
<P>I &s;hould have thought, replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> that tho&s;e who are in Love, would have bin &s;o taken up with their own pa&s;&s;ion, as they would not have had lea&s;ure to employ them&s;elves in the pa&s;&s;ions of others; but for ought I &s;ee, I am deceiued in my opinion. Yet I do perceive that I mu&s;t prepare my &s;elfe for as much friend&s;hip to the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> as you have Love, if I will pre&s;erve my &s;elfe in your good opinion. Cer|tainly Si&s;ter, replied he, if you do not love her, you will do me a great di&s;plea&s;ure, but that I believe will never happen, &s;ince it is ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible to know her, and not to love her, e&s;pecially having a &s;oule &s;o &s;en&s;ible of Merit as you have.</P>
<P>This Prince&s;&s;e (added he) hath this conformity in her fortune with yours, that &s;he once thought to have been the Queen of <HI>Pontus,</HI> as you of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> though both failed upon different cau&s;es. She hath a Brother al&s;o whom &s;he loves as you have, and who mo&s;t tenderly loves her: he is ab&s;ent from her, as I have been from you: and I do find &s;uch a &s;utablene&s;s between her fortune and yours; that though you do not love her by acquaintance, yet you mu&s;t love her by &s;impathy: When we come to <HI>Calcedonia</HI> (replied &s;he) I &s;hall tell you more; In the mean time, I be&s;eech you Brother tell in what condition is the War? For I mu&s;t confe&s;s I do heartily wi&s;h it were ended.</P>
<P>Though <HI>Ar&s;amenes</HI> replyed <HI>Intaphernes</HI> hath alwayes conquered, yet he hath much to conquer; for the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> though he have lo&s;t two Battles, yet he is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ow in the Head of an Army, having &s;till for his Retreat the prime City which is not ea&s;ie to be taken; for doubtle&s;s you know that <HI>Heraclia</HI> by rea&s;on of the Sea, is very &s;trong, having it for its &s;cituation.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Araminta</HI> his Si&s;ter is in <HI>Cabara</HI> in the hands of one of her Lovers, named <HI>Artanus,</HI> who was carryed away when the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> returned unto <HI>Hera|clia,</HI> after he had obtained his liberty by the genero&s;ity of that renowned Stranger, called <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who hath made the Arms of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;o famous, and who&s;e repu|tation is &s;o high: &s;o that though he had vanqui&s;hed the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> defeated his Army, and taken <HI>Heraclia,</HI> yet he mu&s;t after all that Fight with <HI>Artanus,</HI> and take <HI>Cabura.</HI></P>
<P>Alas deare brother, cryed out <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> how many dangers and vexations are to be endured before Peace be in <HI>Bythinia,</HI> or in my heart? After this, &s;ince the love of <HI>In|taphernes</HI> was new, and violent, he could not forbear &s;peaking of it, &s;o that the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> out of complacency did hearken unto him according to his de&s;ires: I be|&s;eech you Brother (&s;aid &s;he unto him) how came Love to be predominate in your heart? Did you love the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> as &s;oon as you &s;aw her? Is it the charms of her beauty, or her wit that hath captivated you? and was your Pa&s;&s;ion as violent at fir&s;t as now? When <HI>Atergatis</HI> &amp; I came fir&s;t into <HI>Bythinia,</HI> replyed <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> we went &s;trait into the Army: &s;o that not having &s;een the Prince&s;s till the Army drew into Winter quarters, it was not untill then my heart began to be engaged: 'Tis true, that I may reckon my Captivity from the fir&s;t day I &s;aw the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythi|nia,</HI> &s;ince my eyes did no &s;ooner &s;ee her, then my heart admired her; methought I had found that which I had long &s;ought after: her beauty did &s;trike me into admiration, but I fancied the &s;ame Idea before.</P>
<P>At the fir&s;t, I fancied her to have as much wit as beauty, and as much vertue as ei|ther; &s;o that fancying her to be full of perfection, I loved her, and told my &s;elfe that he who was &s;o happy as to have her Love, was the happie&s;t man alive. Do not wonder to hear me &s;peak incertainly upon the pa&s;&s;ages of my heart; for the truth is, deare Si|&s;ter, I had &s;uch different apprehen&s;ions, that I can hardly give a true relation. The thing I know of mo&s;t certainty is, that I admired her as much as I was able; but that which mo&s;t made me loo&s;e my &s;elf, was the fir&s;t words which I heard from the mouth of this admired per&s;on, which were not only full of Wit and Civility, but al&s;o of Commendations which &s;he gave me; for it &s;eems Fame had flattered me unto her, for &s;ome Acts which I had done in the Wars.</P>
<P><PB N="38" REF="701">
After this, Si&s;ter, never aske me what I did, for indeed I did nothing but endeavour to fa&s;ten tho&s;e chaines which did captivate me with as much care, as others tooke to break theirs.</P>
<P>In the mean time, I &s;uffered without Complaint: And if <HI>Atergatis</HI> had not given that Prince&s;s &s;ometimes an occa&s;ion to gue&s;&s;e at my pas&s;ion, by &s;ome di&s;cour&s;e he had with her, &s;he had &s;till been ignorant that I was the man who did adore her with mo&s;t reverence.</P>
<P>After this, &s;ince it was very late, it was that night re&s;olved that they &s;hould de|part the next morning, and to talk together all that day. We departed from that place which was three dayes journey from <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> and by the way mi&s;t <HI>Arbianas</HI> Coach which &s;tayed for us, with one of that Queens chief Officers, who was charged with a thou&s;and obliging Complements unto the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina.</HI> The truth is, &s;he was ex|ceedingly well received both by <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and <HI>Arbiana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s their Daughter: They lodged her in the be&s;t Chamber of the Palace, and did her all the ho|nours that were due unto her Merit, as well as unto her Quality. It chanced al&s;o that the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> had as great an inclination unto <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> as <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> had unto her, &s;o that both of them did quickly love each other mo&s;t tenderly, and friend|&s;hip did grow as &s;oon in their hearts, as love did in the heart of <HI>Intaphernes.</HI> Since their Chambers were very neare together, they &s;aw one another every hour, and were &s;uch intimate friends, that they tru&s;ted each other with their Aduentures: &s;o that the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> acquainted <HI>I&s;trina</HI> with the love of <HI>Sinne&s;is</HI> to her, with the death of that Prince, and all pa&s;&s;ages even unto that very hour. <HI>I&s;trina</HI> for her part, imparted the Love of <HI>Atergatis</HI> unto her, &s;o that there was a mutuall exchange of &s;ecrets between tho&s;e two Beauties.</P>
<P>In the mean time, though the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> did much grieve at the death of the Queen <HI>Nitocris;</HI> yet &s;ince &s;he came into a Court which victory had filled with joyes, &s;he mu&s;t be a &s;harer in the diver&s;ions. Not but that the ab&s;ence of the Prince <HI>Spitri|dates</HI> did much grieve both the Queen of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e her Daughter, and all of any quality in Court: Yet for all that, &s;ince <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was a Prince who would make him&s;elf feared, and who as fruits of his victory would enjoy all the de|lights in <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> he &s;aid that it was but ju&s;t, that all tho&s;e who had taken &s;o much pains in helping him to vanqui&s;h, &s;hould al&s;o take the plea&s;ures of the Victory. Yet Madam, you cannot imagine this Court like unto that of a great King in time of Peace, where men of Sword and Blood u&s;e not to be, but you mu&s;t conceive it to be a Mi&s;cellany of all &s;orts of People, Officers of the Army, Voluntiers, Courtiers, Soul|diers of Fortune, Ju&s;tices, Magi&s;trates, Prie&s;ts, and indeed all &s;orts: For &s;ince the Wars had put all in di&s;order; and &s;ince none did &s;trive to appear above his degree, in tho&s;e bad times: and &s;ince every one would be intruders, one might then have &s;een in the King of <HI>Bythinia's</HI> Pre&s;ence Chamber, &s;ome men in &s;uch a &s;habbid habit as dur&s;t not look in at the Gates iu times of Peace.</P>
<P>But &s;ince he &s;tood in need of &s;uch to compleat his Conque&s;t, he would not di&s;ob|lige the men of meane&s;t quality, but &s;uffered them to come into the Court, untill he was &s;e led in his Throne. However, &s;ince men of reall worth were mingled among&s;t the re&s;t, the Court was magnificent, and its Tumult had &s;omething &s;o delightfull in it, as was not at all weari&s;ome.</P>
<P>This Court being &s;uch as I have de&s;cribed, all delights were as if it were in a croud: There was Hor&s;-races, Barryers, Tilting, Dancing, M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ick and Fea&s;ts: But in all the&s;e <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> did behave them&s;elves &s;o admirably, as they did attract the admiration of all: The greate&s;t advantage unto them was, that they got the e&s;teem of tho&s;e Prince&s;&s;es whom they adored, it not being po&s;&s;ible to &s;ee two &s;o equally ex|cellent in &s;uch and &s;o many &s;everall things, but to give them commendations accor|ding to their merits.</P>
<P>I remember one day among&s;t the re&s;t, when there was a great A&s;&s;embly about the Queen of <HI>Bythinia, Intaphernes</HI> danced with &s;uch a becoming grace, as all the com|pany talked of nothing el&s;e all that night. And the truth is, Madam, this Prince who fought like a Lion in the Field, did dance as if he u&s;ed nothing el&s;e; for he did it in &s;o noble a manner, and with &s;o free, &s;o gallant, &s;o ea&s;ie, and &s;o naturall an Aire, as he could not choo&s;e but charm all eyes.</P>
<P><PB N="39" REF="701">
But to return from whence I dig<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ed; one night when a Ball was kept by the Queen <HI>Arbiana,</HI> the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> being retired into the Chamber of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prince&s;s, who reque&s;ted her &s;o to doe, that they might have &s;ome talk together; though it was &s;omething late, they began to confer together of all pa&s;&s;ages, and what they had ob&s;erved at the Ball.</P>
<P>After they had di&s;cour&s;ed upon tho&s;e that were fair, and that tho&s;e were not; of &s;uch as danced much, and &s;uch as danced but a little; who did well, and who not. The Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> began to commend <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis:</HI> after which, per|ceiving that <HI>I&s;trina</HI> dur&s;t neither contradict her, nor con&s;ent unto what &s;he &s;aid, &s;he began to chide her, affirming that &s;ince &s;he would not commend <HI>Atergatis,</HI> &s;he mu&s;t needs love him as well as the Prince her Brother: However, &s;aid &s;he, if it be &s;o, you do an injury unto our friend&s;hip; for truly I have imparted my very heart unto you, but it &s;eems you hide yours, &s;ince you tell me that <HI>Atergatis</HI> loves you, and will not confe&s;&s;e that you love him. I am yet more culpable, Madam, then you ima|gine, &s;aid <HI>I&s;trina</HI> craftily (to be revenged on her) for I have more &s;ecrets then one, which I will not impart unto you. How Madam (replyed the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia)</HI> if &s;o; you mu&s;t re&s;olve not to &s;leep this night, unle&s;&s;e you impart them to mee: If I do impart them, replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> it mu&s;t be this very hour; for I believe if you give me time to think upon it, I &s;hall never impart them, nor indeed do I think I ever &s;hall: Surely they are &s;trange &s;ecrets (replyed the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia)</HI> &s;ince they come &s;o hardly out; there is one among&s;t the re&s;t, replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> which I would never im|part, but I am &s;ure you will know it, though I never &s;peak a word. If &s;o (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia)</HI> my obligation will be the le&s;&s;e, &s;ince I mu&s;t know it by ano|ther; but be what it will, I be&s;eech you tell me what it is? Since you will needs know it Madam, replyed &s;he and laughed, I mu&s;t tell you that you are the mo&s;t cruell wo|man in the world, in captivating tho&s;e who come to &s;acrifice their lives to &s;et the King your Father upon the Throne. For truly Madam, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> is at this pre&s;ent &s;o little his, and &s;o ab&s;olutely yours, that it may very well be &s;aid, you only are able to make his de&s;tiny good or bad as you &s;hall plea&s;e.</P>
<P>How's this Madam (replyed the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia)</HI> believe me you are too full of revenge: Surely I did not offend you &s;o much as to make you puni&s;h me by any Raillary which hath a fal&s;e foundation. I wi&s;h the Gods, replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> that it were not true for <HI>Intaphernes</HI> his &s;ake: Yet Madam (added &s;he, and a&s;&s;umed a more &s;erious countenance) what I told you laughing ought not to incen&s;e you either a|gain&s;t the Prince my Brother, or again&s;t my &s;elfe; for I did not tell it you by any or|ders from him, nor with intentions to let him know I told you, but only to know of you what you would have me advi&s;e him unto? I thought (replyed the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia)</HI> that you had &s;poke in a way of Raillary; but &s;ince you &s;peake in a &s;eri|ous manner, and &s;ince my love to you will not permit me to conceale any thing which is in my heart from you, I mu&s;t tell you, that I &s;hould be very &s;orry the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;hould engage him&s;elf &s;o farre as to love me, becau&s;e I do infinitely e|&s;teem him; for after experience, what trouble it is to re&s;i&s;t ones &s;elf, I will not ex|po&s;e my &s;elfe unto it again.</P>
<P>The King my Father is &s;o bent upon his own will, and doth &s;o ab&s;olutely require mine to be conformable unto his, as I will never re&s;olve upon any thing le&s;t it &s;hould be contrary to his will; therefore, &s;ince it is to be feared that I &s;hall never have the glory to be loved by &s;uch an accompli&s;hed Prince as <HI>Intaphernes</HI> is, it is requi&s;ite both for his tranquility and mine, that you advi&s;e him only to e&s;teem me in the way of friend&s;hip.</P>
<P>I be&s;eech you Madam, replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> that you will be plea&s;ed to teach me what cour&s;e I &s;hould take to make him obey you; &s;o that knowing how to cure the Prince my Brother of his love to you, I may al&s;o cure <HI>Atergatis</HI> of his love to me. Since <HI>Atergatis</HI> doth love one that is infinitely lovely (replied the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia)</HI> I do not think it &s;o ea&s;ie a matter to cure him as <HI>Intaphernes.</HI> And &s;ince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> replied &s;he, doth adore a Prince&s;s infinitely more accompli&s;hed then <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> it's probable he will not be &s;o ea&s;ily cured as <HI>Atergatis.</HI> Seriou&s;ly Madam (replied the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia)</HI> you would do me a very notable plea&s;ure if you would remove out of <HI>In|taphernes</HI> his heart that &s;light pa&s;&s;ion which I will believe he hath unto me; yet tran&s;|act &s;o with him I be&s;eech you, &s;aid &s;he and blu&s;ht, as I do not loo&s;e his e&s;teem. Truly
<PB N="40" REF="702">
Madam, replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> I do think it a thing impo&s;&s;ible to quench the flames which you have kindled in the heart of <HI>Intaphernes:</HI> However, replyed &s;he, do what you can to hinder him from telling me of his affection: Tell him, that if he never &s;peak of it, I have promi&s;ed you to behave my &s;elfe as civilly to him as I do at this pre&s;ent, and for your &s;ake, be as free with him as hitherto I have been: Really Madam, reply|ed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> it is very &s;trange you &s;hould &s;peak this: However (added &s;he, and &s;miled) to keep you from treating <HI>Intaphernes</HI> more coldly then ordinary; I mu&s;t tell you, that if you do treat him &s;o, I &s;hall acquaint him with the di&s;cour&s;e which we have had; for though it be not much in his advantage, yet I am confident he will be very glad to heare how you know of his Love.</P>
<P>I be&s;eech you Madam, replyed the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> do not &s;o, unle&s;&s;e you pro|voke me to a revenge in acquainting <HI>Atergatis</HI> with &s;ome flames which I have di&s;co|vered to fla&s;h out of your heart again&s;t your will. Then Madam, you mu&s;t promi&s;e me, replied <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> to carry your &s;elfe in appearance as if you did not know of his affection, and yet to be &s;omething obliging, as if you did not hate him. I do not &s;ee, replied the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and blu&s;h'd, that this promi&s;e which you would have me make is at all nece&s;&s;ary; for truly to &s;peak with the &s;ame ingenuous &s;incerity as we u&s;e to do of things. I do not think one can be angry that &s;uch a very accompli&s;hed man &s;hould love one: I know that one may not love him, and fully intend never to do it; but I mu&s;t confe&s;s I cannot under&s;tand why one &s;hould hate a man for no o|ther rea&s;on but becau&s;e he loves; and I am per&s;waded, that though one do hate a Lover, yet perhaps they may not hate his pa&s;&s;ion, unle&s;s it force one beyond re&s;pect; for in that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> conceive; it cannot be termed Love which is not full of re&s;pect: and I &s;hould ea&s;ily hate &s;uch as &s;hould not behave them&s;elves as they ought to do.</P>
<P>Since Madam the Prince my brother, an&s;wered <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> can never faile in his reve|rent re&s;pects of you, you do me the greate&s;t plea&s;ure in the world to &s;peak as you do; for &s;ince Madam you &s;ay that one may not love a Lover, and yet not hate his pa&s;&s;i|on, I am mo&s;t confident that you will tolerate the pas&s;ion of <HI>Intaphernes:</HI> And if you will be plea&s;ed to give me leave to tell you what I think; I mu&s;t tell you that I do not de&s;pair of my brothers happine&s;s: For truly Madam (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;miled) it is a marvellous piece of cunning to &s;eparate a Lover and Love: and for my part, I mu&s;t freely confe&s;&s;e I cannot do it, nor can I under&s;tand how one can affect to be loved by a man whom one cannot love; nor delight in any affection, and hate him that owesit. For my particular, I confe&s;&s;e that I have not &s;o much wit as to di&s;tingui&s;h a Lover from his Love; for if the Love plea&s;e me, it is becau&s;e the Lover doth not di&s;|plea&s;e me: and I mu&s;t maintain, that one cannot long take plea&s;ure in being loved by any one, unle&s;s his per&s;on as well as his pas&s;ion; for a Lover and love are in|&s;eparable, and one cannot love the one, and hate the other.</P>
<P>Did I not know replied the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> that your aime Madam is, to draw &s;ome advantageous con&s;equences for <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and di&s;advantageous unto me by talking thus, I &s;hould extreamly wonder to hear you maintain &s;o bad a cau&s;e; For you know as well as I can tell you, that one is glad to be e&s;teemed by ones greate&s;t Enemies: And it is &s;o naturall to de&s;ire the being Loved, as it may ea&s;ily be main|tained that Love never angred any: But we are apt to confound the effects of Pas&s;ion, with the pas&s;ion it &s;elfe, as well as the faults of Lovers with love; but certainly, &s;e|parate the faults of Lovers from them, and they cannot di&s;plea&s;e, though the Lovers them&s;elves may.</P>
<P>However it be, &s;aid <HI>Istrina,</HI> I &s;hall content my &s;elf with the happine&s;s of the Prince my brother, becau&s;e his pas&s;ion doth not at this pre&s;ent incen&s;e you; for I am mo&s;t confident, that if you did hate him Madam, it would vexe you: I &s;hould doubtle&s;&s;e be very unju&s;t (replyed the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia)</HI> if I &s;hould hate the Prince <HI>Intapher|nes</HI> who hath done the King my Father &s;uch glorious &s;ervice: But Madam, I mu&s;t tell you, there is a great di&s;tance between hatred and love. However added &s;he (to conclude this Conference) &s;ince it is very late, it is time to &s;leep, le&s;t that lively co|lour in your cheeks lo&s;e its fre&s;hne&s;s in the morning, and le&s;t the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> &s;hould be troubled at it, and think he made you &s;ick with over-dancing you. I can|not tell Madam (replied <HI>I&s;trina</HI> and laughed) whether you have not &s;ome ends of your own in the advice which you give me; and whether you think not more of your own Complexion, and tho&s;e &s;prightly eyes, then at my health: but however I will
<PB N="41" REF="702">
follow it and obey yon: And &s;o the&s;e two Beauties parted, and went to take that re&s;t which they took from others, for truly <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> took none: Not that they had any cau&s;e to complain again&s;t the Per&s;ons whom they loved and a|dored. For the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> found the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> the &s;weete&s;t and mo&s;t civill in the world; And <HI>Atergatis</HI> knew very well, for all the re&s;ervedne&s;&s;e of <HI>I&s;trina</HI> that &s;he did not hate him.</P>
<P>But being both of them men of a deep wit, and infinite &s;pirit, they knew al&s;o, that though they &s;hould meet with no ob&s;tructions from the Prince&s;&s;es whom they loved, yet they could not be happy without much danger and trouble; For they were not ig|norant that tho&s;e Prince&s;&s;es were too wi&s;e to di&s;plea&s;e tho&s;e upon whom they had de|pendency, &s;ince the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> had heretofore refu&s;ed to be Qu: of <HI>Pontus</HI> ra|ther then di&s;obey <HI>Ar&s;amoues:</HI> And &s;ince <HI>I&s;trina</HI> al&s;o would not have gon out of <HI>Babylon</HI> but only becau&s;e &s;he feared that the Prince <HI>Gadates</HI> her Father &s;hould take it ill if &s;he &s;tayed. So that not doubting but the King of <HI>Bythinia</HI> and <HI>Gadates</HI> would oppo&s;e their de&s;igns, they could not choo&s;e but be exceedingy troubled at it. For indeed <HI>Intaphernes</HI> knew very well, that as long as the Warr la&s;ted, <HI>Ar&s;aemones</HI> wovld keep many Princes in hope of giving his Daughter unto them, to keep them clo&s;e to his in|tere&s;t; and that as long as <HI>Spitridates</HI> did not appear, he would not think of marry|ing her unto any; for &s;ince it was not then known where that illu&s;trious Prince was, (who we knew &s;ince was carried into <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> and taken for <HI>Cyrus)</HI> it was doubtfull whether that Prince&s;s &s;hould be Queen or no, and by con&s;equence <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would not di&s;po&s;e of her.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Atergatis</HI> was well informed, that the Prince <HI>Gadates,</HI> for all the aver&s;ion to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> to <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and for all her affection unto you, yet he was &s;till in hopes of &s;eeing her Qu: of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> &s;ince &s;he was the only per&s;on whom according to the Laws of that State, that Prince could marry: And his hopes was al|&s;o, that the wor&s;t treatment he received from you Madam, at <HI>Babylon,</HI> the &s;ooner would he be cured of his Love, and reduced unto Rea&s;on, by marrying <HI>I&s;trina</HI> out of Maximes of State, though not out of affection.</P>
<P>Thus <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> fore&s;eeing the&s;e ob&s;tacles unto their de&s;igns, did &s;uffer more mi&s;eries then they would expre&s;&s;e. <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was the more mi&s;erable of the two; for &s;ince he had not the liberty to &s;peak of his pa&s;&s;ion unto that Prince&s;s who cau&s;ed it, he was more to be pittied then <HI>Atergatis:</HI> Though he did endeavour all manner of wayes to talk with her, yet it was a very difficult thing to find her a|lone; for when &s;he was with the <HI>Queen,</HI> there was always &s;o much company, that it was ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible to find a privacy: and when &s;he was in her own Chamber, there was another ob&s;tacle, which for a while he thought invincible.</P>
<P>But Madam, that you may the better under&s;tand it, be plea&s;ed to know, that there was a Lady in <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> who though &s;he had a hundred &s;e|verall employ ments, yet &s;he was hardly an hour from the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia:</HI> Not that the Prince&s;s did love her; for on the contrary, &s;he was very trouble&s;om to her; But this woman did &s;o intrude upon her, to the end that other Ladies of the Town might think her a Favourite, that &s;he was one of the mo&s;t burthen&s;ome creatures in the world.</P>
<P>For truly Madam, &s;he cared not a &s;traw for troubling her, &s;o &s;hee &s;hould be but where &s;he would be: She was alwayes the fir&s;t that came to the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia;</HI> and though &s;he would &s;till be fisking into other places, yet &s;he would return again, and be the la&s;t with her: There was no need of talking to her, for &s;he would have her vie in every thing that was in di&s;cour&s;e: If the Prince&s;s was &s;ick, &s;he would &s;end to &s;ee how &s;he did three or four times in a day; &s;he never talked of any thing but what was &s;aid, and what was done at the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia's:</HI> &s;he would always walke with her whether &s;he would or no, and would &s;till be thru&s;ting into her Coach be|fore Ladies of better Quality then her &s;elfe was. Truth is Madam, &s;he was as bold and impudent, as the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> was civill and &s;weet: And though &s;hee was one of the mo&s;t trouble&s;ome and impertinent women in the world, yet &s;he was with the Prince&s;s more then any other all the while &s;he was in <HI>Calcedonia:</HI> But the oddde&s;t pa&s;&s;age in the behaviour of <HI>Beri&s;a;</HI> and if you will, the greate&s;t wonder is, that &s;he would not be only always with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and with the Queen, but &s;he was al&s;o as much in the Town as the Court: She was at all Funerals, at all Marriages,
<PB N="42" REF="703">
at all Chri&s;tnings, and at all both publick and private Diver&s;ions. None could be &s;ick but she would go to &s;ee them, none could have any occa&s;ion of joy, but she wonld go and be a partaker: but though she had a hundred &s;everall employments, yet she di&s;patched them &s;o ha&s;tily, as one would have thought that she never &s;tirred from the Pince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> &s;ince whither&s;oever she went, she alwayes returned to her.</P>
<P>Moreover it was ob&s;erved, that <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> was never ignorant of any thing that was &s;ayd in her pre&s;ence; thinking it again&s;t her honour that any one &s;hould know a thing which &s;he knew not: &s;he would &s;ay that &s;he knew a thing, though &s;he was altogether ignorant of it; yet &s;he had many cunning fetches to make one relate a bu&s;ine&s;s unto her, and to &s;eem as if &s;he was very well informed, &s;he would tell them that talked to her, that there was yet many particulars which &s;he knew of and they did not, which &s;he would tell them another time: after which, &s;he would u|&s;ually tell others what was related unto her, as confidently as if &s;he knew it before. Moreover, &s;he had a fancy to hold &s;ecre&s;y, or rather a &s;hew of &s;ecre&s;y with all men &s;he &s;aw, provided they were Courtiers: &s;he would alwaies be whi&s;pering one after another with all &s;he met, either upon matters of War or bu&s;ine&s;s of State, or Cabi|net news, or bu&s;ine&s;s of Gallantry, or &s;ome tittle tattle or other. Indeed, Madam, I do not think ever any was &s;o earne&s;t in every thing without any bu&s;ine&s;s: I remem|ber one day among&s;t the re&s;t, the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> who did not love her did ob|&s;erve her actions: and it will let you &s;ee, Madam, how &s;he u&s;ed to imploy her time. Be plea&s;ed then to know, Madam, that there is a Church in <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> unto which all the Beauties u&s;ed to pay their Devotions, &s;ooner then any other; except the two Prince&s;&s;es who u&s;ed to go unto a little Church neerer the Palace: &s;o that <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> to loo&s;e no time went betimes unto that where all the Beauties were, which u&s;ed to begin betimes, &amp; from thence unto the Church of the two Prince&s;&s;es which u&s;ed to be later: After this, &s;he went to comfort a man who&s;e wife was dead, &amp; after that &s;he went and dined with a Lady whom yet &s;he did not very well love; as &s;oon as ever &s;he ro&s;e from the Table, &s;he went to the Wedding of a woman of her acquaintance, and from thence to &s;ee one of her Co&s;ins: then &s;he came and took her turn with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and after &s;he had related all that &s;he had gleaned from tho&s;e places, &s;he went out again, to go and &s;ee a &s;tately Ship which a friend of hers had built by the Kings orders, and was then to be lanched to Sea the fir&s;t time; after that, &s;he made two or three Vi&s;its which la&s;ted no longer then the Complement of going in, and coming out, after &s;he knew who was in the hou&s;e; after the&s;e Vi&s;its, <HI>Beri|&s;a</HI> took a turn in the walks by the Sea &s;ide, where many Beauties u&s;ed to walk in that Sea&s;on: from thence &s;he returned to the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> for whom &s;he under|&s;tood there was a magnificent Banqvet prepared that evening in a Garden; &s;o that going with her &s;he was a partaker of the plea&s;ure: yet all this was not enough, for the Prince&s;s returning to the Palace very timely, <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> went to make her excu&s;es unto one who had invited her unto Supper, from thence &s;he went to a Bal at a Ladies hou&s;e, who had married her Daughter; but before &s;he went home, &s;he went unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinias</HI> bed-&s;ide, to bid her good-night: Judge, Madam, whether this day was not well employed, and whether it had not been enough for any two, ex|cept <HI>Beri&s;a:</HI> yet this I mu&s;t &s;ay, becau&s;e it is true, that this Lady would not have been &s;o di&s;plea&s;ing, nor her company &s;o weari&s;om, if &s;he had not been &s;o earne&s;t in going every where, and in talking upon every thing, and intruding her&s;elf into all manner of things: but as &s;he was, I mu&s;t needs &s;ay, that there were very few of any Quali|ty in all the Court, unto whom &s;he was not once a day trouble&s;om, &s;ince &s;he was con|tinually with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> who was the greate&s;t Ornament of the Court, and attracted all the Gallants about her. After this, Madam, you may ea&s;ily imagine, that a per&s;on who was trouble&s;om unto &s;o very many, was al&s;o very trouble&s;om un|to <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> by taking from him opportunities of talking with her whom he ado|red; and he became as great a hater of her, as he was a Lover of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prin|ce&s;s: and though he was one of the mo&s;t civill men in the world, e&s;pecially unto La|dies, yet he had &s;o great a di&s;po&s;ition to cro&s;s this, that he did continually contra|dict her, unle&s;s when &s;he commended that Prince&s;s whom he loved: yet &s;omtimes he found occa&s;ion to conte&s;t with her about that, affirming that &s;he did not commend her enough, or in &s;uch a manner as &s;he de&s;erved. Furthermore, he was &s;o unhappy, as
<PB N="43" REF="703">
that &s;he was more trouble&s;om to him then any other: for &s;ince &s;he ob&s;erved that he was much in favour with <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> with <HI>Arbiana,</HI> and with the Prince&s;s their Daugh|ter, &s;he intruded upon him more then upon any other man: &s;o that &s;he was more a&s;&s;iduous about the Prince&s;s when he was there, then when he was not: However, his fears to pa&s;s for an uncivill man, and the example of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prince&s;s, moo|ved him to endure again&s;t his mind, and contented him&s;elf with continually contra|dicting her. But when he was with <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> how full of invectives was he again&s;t <HI>Beri|&s;a?</HI> Dear Si&s;ter, &s;ayd he unto her one day in my pre&s;ence, why do you not per&s;wade the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> that it is not for her glory to be &s;o eternally troubled with this impertinent woman, which haunts her every where: who is &s;uch an ubiquitary, that &s;he is every where, e&s;pecially with her? For truly, its fit that per&s;ons of her Quali|ty &s;hould have &s;uch only about her as &s;he de&s;ires to have: No, Brother, replyed <HI>I|&s;trina;</HI> but on the contrary, it is the quality of the Prince&s;s which deprives her of the liberty to choo&s;e who &s;he would have about her; For the Gates of Princes, and the Gates of Temples ought alwaies to be open: and becau&s;e Kings are Gods, and above all others, they ought to expo&s;e them&s;elves unto the &s;ight of all the world; And in|deed what do you think <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> would &s;ay, if the Prince&s;s &s;hould forbid her to come &s;o much into her pre&s;ence? and what would tho&s;e &s;ay, unto whom <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> is mo&s;t trou|ble&s;om? As for my part (&s;ayd <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and interrupted her) I would &s;ay &s;he did very well, and that &s;he had done me a very great plea&s;ure: nor can I under&s;tand why the Prince&s;s, becau&s;e &s;he is a Prince&s;s, &s;hould therfore be obliged to endure the perpetuall per&s;ecutions of &s;uch a trouble&s;om per&s;on. I know very well, replyed <HI>I&s;tri|na,</HI> that it is a Torment; but yet as the &s;tate of affairs &s;tands with <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> the Prince&s;s mu&s;t take heed of di&s;obliging &s;uch a per&s;on as <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> who hanting &s;o many places, would make a &s;trange hurly burly, if &s;he &s;hould be &s;tinted in her Vi&s;its. You may &s;ay what you plea&s;e, &s;ayd <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> but I cannot abide that <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> &s;hould al|waies be where I would not have her to be. For my part, &s;ayd I then unto the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> it would be a very good Office unto <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> if &s;he were confined unto her own Quarters: for truly, if &s;he were alwaies where &s;he &s;hould be, &s;he were a per&s;on very amiable, and would be no more trouble&s;om then others: but &s;he is &s;till where &s;he is never bidden, and often where &s;he ought not to be; que&s;tionle&s;s &s;he &s;eems wor&s;e then &s;he is: Therfore I would have her told, that none but per&s;ons of extraor|dinary Merit, and invited ought to intrude into the company of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prin|ce&s;s: for among&s;t per&s;ons of unequall quality, nothing but extraordinary Merits can give &s;uch a Priviledge. But who told you, replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> that <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> does not think her&s;elf of much merit: Though &s;he had, replyed I, yet &s;he ought to have &s;tayed un|till the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> allowed her &s;o much familiarity as &s;he takes, and admit her merits were high enough; it is not fitting to blaze it: But for all this <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> is to be excu&s;ed; for &s;ince &s;omtimes the mo&s;t &s;ad effects of the mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ions are excu&s;ed, and &s;ince men do ordinarily make u&s;e of Love, Ambition, and Jealou&s;ie, to ju&s;tifie their ill actions, certainly &s;ome indulgency ought to be u&s;ed towards <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> who a&s;&s;uredly hath a pa&s;&s;ion in her heart, which is as &s;tronge as any of tho&s;e I na|med, and which many others are troubled with, as well as &s;he, though they do not make it appear. Oh <HI>Orcames</HI> (&s;ayd <HI>I&s;trina)</HI> do not in&s;ult &s;o upon the poor <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> or accu&s;e her of a Crime which &s;he never thought of: For my part, replyed <HI>Intapher|nes,</HI> I think &s;he may be &s;uppo&s;ed to have a thou&s;and in lieu of one; therfore <HI>Orcames</HI> I pray tell us what is the pa&s;&s;ion which <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> is troubled with: It is, Sir, replyed I, an earne&s;t de&s;ire to pa&s;s for a Courtier: and I beleive this kind of envy to be a pa&s;|&s;ion, and a mo&s;t violent one. For my part, I know women in the Town more &s;pright|ly and more amiable then <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> who are haunted with this pa&s;&s;ion, which doth &s;o tyrannize over them, as it makes as great an alteration in their hearts as Love, Jea|lou&s;ie, or Ambition could; for they cannot abide any thing which is not of the Court: and indeed men who&s;e Profe&s;&s;ions are not Souldiers, are in&s;ufferable unto them, women of their quality make them ashamed, they know not what to talk off, and their pa&s;&s;ions are &s;o &s;trong, as that they think they cannot live, but where they ought not to be, unle&s;s, as I &s;ayd before, when they are called and invited thither: for in that ca&s;e, I confe&s;s the Court is a very &s;weet and plea&s;ing life, and of what qua|lity &s;oever one be they may keep their Ranks with decency and honour. However, this will &s;erve to excu&s;e the poor <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> &s;ince certainly the pa&s;&s;ion of the Court is
<PB N="44" REF="704">
more violent then you imagine: However it be, &s;ayd <HI>Intaphernes</HI> unto <HI>Istrina,</HI> you would do me the greate&s;t favour in the world, if you could banish her from the Prin|ce&s;s of <HI>Bythinia;</HI> for I cannot endure to &s;ee a per&s;on perpetually with her who ne|ver does any thing what she ought to do; who is never where she ought to be, who is &s;till talking what she should not, and who is more trouble&s;om to me then any other, though she is a continuall trouble unto all the Court: And if you cannot banish her, yet I be&s;eech you do me the favour, to talk with her alwaies when I am where you and she is: for I profe&s;s I cannot endure she should talk to me, or to the Prince&s;s whom I adore. <HI>I&s;trina</HI> hearing <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;peak thus, did ea&s;ily apprehend the rea&s;on why he hated <HI>Beri&s;a:</HI> &s;o that not being able to forbeare laughing, she told him by way of Raillary, that Envy was too poor a Pa&s;&s;ion to be entertained in his heart, ther|fore I pray let the poor <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> quietly enjoy a happine&s;s which &s;he hath taken &s;o much pains to obtain: As <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was ready to an&s;wer, the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> entred, and <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> only followed her, the re&s;t of her women waiting in the outer Chamber. Since the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was then in a laughing humour, the &s;ight of <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> did &s;o augment it, that for all the reverence which &s;he de&s;ired to pay unto the Prince of <HI>By|thinia,</HI> she could not hold: &s;o that being obliged to a Complement, I ask your Par|don, Madam, &s;ayd &s;he unto her, for being in &s;uch a merry vaine, as that I cannot ex|pre&s;s my joyes of &s;eeing you more &s;eriou&s;ly: I will very willingly pardon you, re|plyed the Prince&s;s, upon condition you will tell me the cau&s;e of your joyes and mirth; for &s;ince you do not u&s;e to laugh un&s;ea&s;onably at nothing, I am much mi&s;taken, if it be not worth the knowing: I a&s;&s;ure you, Madam (replyed <HI>I&s;trina</HI> and laughed &s;till) I &s;hould wi&s;h you knew it, if I did not fear that the Prince my Brother would op|po&s;e it: To prevent him (&s;ayd <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> who would have her vie in every thing) I will promi&s;e you to talk with him as long as you plea&s;e; you &s;hall not need to take &s;o much pains (replyed he) for &s;ince I cannot oppo&s;e the Prince&s;s in any thing, I am willing &s;he &s;hould know what &s;he de&s;ires. However (replyed <HI>I&s;trina</HI> craftily) you mu&s;t needs entertain <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> whil&s;t I obey the Prince&s;s: for you know I mu&s;t not &s;peak alowd all that &s;he de&s;ires to know; <HI>Intaphernes</HI> would have &s;ayd &s;omthing to put it off, but the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> impo&s;ed &s;ilence upon him; and &s;ince &s;he command|ed him to talk with <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> he mu&s;t needs obey. Thus poor <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> not knowing that &s;he her&s;elf was the cau&s;e of that &s;ecret which <HI>I&s;trina</HI> told the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bithinia,</HI> be|gan to talk with <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and employed all her wits and cunning to make him tell her what the matter was, which you may be &s;ure, he did not impart: But whil&s;t he was weary of <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bithinia</HI> was very plea&s;ant with <HI>I&s;trina;</HI> for &s;he hath &s;ince told that &s;he made &s;uch a plea&s;ant relation of the Conference which that Prince and I had with her, as &s;he never in her life pa&s;&s;ed away an hour more merrily: <HI>I&s;trina</HI> related it in &s;uch a manner as let the Prince&s;s under&s;tand the principall cau&s;e of <HI>Intaphernes</HI> his hatred of <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> thinking it to be advantageous to the Prince her Bro|ther, that &s;he &s;hould know his affection to her, cau&s;ed his aver&s;ion unto that woman, yet it proved not &s;o advantageous as &s;he imagined; for the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> de&s;i|ring to avoid all occa&s;ions of being alone with <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> re&s;olved to cherri&s;h <HI>Be|ri&s;a</HI> more then &s;he u&s;ed, though &s;he did not acquaint <HI>I&s;trina</HI> with it at that time. Yet to begin her torments upon him by <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> &s;he talked &s;o long with <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> that at la&s;t &s;he pittied him, and did admit him into their di&s;cour&s;e. Well, Madam, &s;ayd he unto her, do you find that I had rea&s;on to &s;peak as I did? I find, &s;ayd &s;he, that you had rea&s;on, and that you were in the wrong al&s;o: I a&s;&s;ure you, Madam (&s;ayd <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> to flatter <HI>Intaphernes)</HI> I can hardly think that the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> hath not rea&s;on for every thing he &s;ayth or doth; and if I do gue&s;s right, he is not in &s;o much wrong as you imagine. Alas <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> (&s;ayd the Prince&s;s and laughed) if you did gue&s;s right you would condemn him more then I do; for I &s;ay he was right in &s;ome things, but doubtle&s;s you would &s;ay he were wrong in all: yet, replyed &s;he, his Crime doth not much trouble you, &s;ince you laugh &s;o heartily. Do not think, &s;ayd <HI>I&s;trina</HI> then, that though the Prince&s;s condemns my Brother, he is very Criminall, &s;ince &s;he condemns him unju&s;tly though &s;he have no intere&s;t in the bu&s;ine&s;s. <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> was exceedingly puz|led to ge&s;s at the bu&s;ine&s;s: She called to memory all that pa&s;&s;ed of late in Court, but &s;ince she did not look into her&s;elf for the cau&s;e of <HI>I&s;trinas</HI> mirth, and for the &s;ecret which she had imparted unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> she was not like to find it: &s;o that the more she mu&s;ed, the more merry she made them. In the mean time, <HI>Intapher|nes</HI>
<PB N="45" REF="704">
wondered to ob&s;erve, that the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> was much more civill towards <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> then she u&s;ed to be; for she did not only &s;uffer her, but she talked after with her, e&s;pecially when <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was pre&s;ent: You may well imagine Madam, that one who was wont to go unbidden unto a hundred &s;everal places, was very a&s;&s;iduous and officious in a place where she thought her &s;elf welcome and de&s;ired; and &s;he &s;tuck &s;o clo&s;e to this Prince&s;s, that they were almo&s;t in&s;eparable, yet for all that, &s;he had a hundred &s;everall bu&s;ine&s;&s;es in hand, and would go unto a hundred &s;everall places; but &s;he managed her time &s;o well, that &s;he always went at &s;uch houres as the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> was not to be &s;een, &s;o as it &s;eemed as if &s;he were never from her.</P>
<P><HI>Intaphernes</HI> perceiving this new favour, was &s;trangely &s;urprized, for he knew the Prince&s;s did not love <HI>Beri&s;a:</HI> &s;o that making his Complaints unto <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and conju|ring her to tell him why <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> was more in favour then ordinary, he found her as ig|norant and as much troubled at it, as him&s;elf.</P>
<P><HI>Atergatis</HI> al&s;o, as witty as he was, he could not dive into the my&s;tery of the bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e, &s;o that this Prince was in a mo&s;t pittifull perplexity; yet had he known the thoughts of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prince&s;s heart, he had not been &s;o unquiet, for &s;he confe&s;&s;ed afterwards unto the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> that the chief rea&s;on why &s;he made u&s;e of <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> was only to prevent <HI>Intaphernes</HI> from all opportunities of expre&s;&s;ing his pa&s;&s;ion unto her: al&s;o &s;ince &s;he e&s;teemed him in &s;uch a particular manner, and perceiving a great inclination in her heart towards him, &s;he would not put her &s;elf to the nece&s;&s;ity of &s;peaking either too har&s;hly or too favourably: but however, &s;ince he could not &s;ee into the &s;oule of that Prince&s;s, he was extreamly un&s;atisfied. <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> who knew all the rea&s;ons which might induce the Prince her Brother not to engage him&s;elf too farr in a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which had &s;o much difficulty in it, did u&s;e her be&s;t arguments to per|&s;wade him not yet to declare him&s;elf, but to &s;tay untill the War was ended, before he told her of his Love.</P>
<P>But though he &s;eemed to adhere unto this advice, yet he liked his own be&s;t, and re&s;olved to di&s;cover his pas&s;ion unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> as &s;oon as he found a fit opportunity: But Madam, the difficulty was, to find this opportunity, by rea&s;on of <HI>Beri&s;a's</HI> as&s;iduity about her. After he had many dayes waited for it, and all in vain; he bethought him&s;elfe at la&s;t of a way to advance his de&s;ign; which was, to put <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> upon &s;uch a piece of bu&s;ine&s;s as would keep her a whole day from going to the Prin|ce&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia:</HI> &s;o that doing me the honour to tru&s;t me with his &s;ecret, I helped him to deceive <HI>Beri&s;a.</HI></P>
<P>I invited &s;everall of my Friends unto a Fea&s;t, upon condition they would all en|gage <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> to be there; My friends though they did not love her, yet did not deny me, becau&s;e the noi&s;e of <HI>Beri&s;a's</HI> new favour with the Prince&s;s was &s;pread over all the world, and &s;o I engaged her to dine with me, and many other Ladies at a very faire hou&s;e &s;cituated upon the Sea &s;ide &s;ome thirty furlongs from <HI>Calcedonia;</HI> yet &s;he would not promi&s;e me but upon Condition I would let her return to the Town as &s;oon as Dinner was done: Since I had a &s;ecret de&s;ign in the bu&s;ine&s;s, I promi&s;ed &s;he &s;hould, and a&s;&s;ured her that a Coach &s;hould be ready to bring her back when &s;he plea&s;ed: I a&s;&s;ured her al&s;o, to the end &s;he &s;hould not faile, that there &s;hould not be one man or woman of the Town in the company, but named unto her tho&s;e that were to be there, at whom &s;he was well plea&s;ed, becau&s;e they were all Courtiers; but for all that, the principall rea&s;on which mooved her to promi&s;e me her pre&s;ence, was, becau&s;e &s;he ob&s;erved that the Princes <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> did me the ho|nour to love me.</P>
<P>This Fea&s;t being thus concluded upon, it was kept &s;ome two dayes after; yet <HI>Be|ri&s;a</HI> went not out of <HI>Calcedonia</HI> until &s;he had taken her turne with the Queen &amp; Prin|ce&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> unto whom &s;he promi&s;ed to return as &s;oon as ever dinner was done: She made this promi&s;e in my pre&s;ence, for I accompanied her to the Prince&s;s, and would not leave her, becau&s;e I would make &s;ure of her.</P>
<P>In the mean time, I know very wel that &s;he could not return &s;o &s;oon as &s;he intended: And Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that after all my invited Gue&s;ts were a&s;&s;embled to|gether, we all went unto a place de&s;igned for this trick, which indeed was a plea&s;ant place; for be&s;ides the Gardens which are very noble and fine, there was at the end of a long walk, by the Sea-&s;ide, the point of a Rock which did &s;hoot it &s;elf into the Sea, upon which was built a very magnificent hou&s;e, out of which might be &s;een from
<PB N="46" REF="705">
three &s;ides of it, the waves of the Sea da&s;hing again&s;t the foot of that Rock upon which it was built, and which &s;ometimes according to the agitation of the winds would bound as high as the Windows, yet could not come through, but left a white &s;cum like flakes of &s;now. The pro&s;pect of that place was full of delight, and thither it was I carryed <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> and all the Company which a&s;&s;embled purpo&s;ely to delude her. Yet for the better effecting of my project, I cau&s;ed that dinner to be very late, and as if chance had &s;hamed me with ill &s;ervants, &s;ervices came on &s;o &s;lowly, that one might have dined &s;ufficiently between every di&s;h: and I &s;aw <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> thought the time to be very long, and did &s;it upon thorns to return unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia:</HI> But that this longne&s;s might &s;eem le&s;&s;e tedious, I provided the be&s;t things that could be got: As &s;oon as the la&s;t Cour&s;e was upon the Table, <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> began to talk of go|ing, and de&s;ired me to command the Coach to be ready; &s;o that not contradicting her, I pre&s;ently commanded one to be made ready, but it was to &s;uch men as I had in private commanded not to obey me: When dinner was done, &s;he asked and I a&s;|ked whether the Coach was ready, and I was as earne&s;t as &s;he, purpo&s;ely to delude her: and when an&s;wer was made that it was not ready, I &s;eemed to be in &s;uch a colle|rick fume, as &s;he her &s;elf began to appea&s;e me.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince I had provided an open Barque, under pretence of divert|ing the company upon the Sea: I propounded unto them to accept of this diver&s;ion, and to &s;et <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> halfway to <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> and &s;o (&s;aid I and turned towards her) you will loo&s;e no time; for whil&s;t they are coming with the Coach, we are &s;till going un|to the place where you de&s;ire to be, and though the Coach were ready, yet this is as ready a way: Since I winked upon one of my friends to &s;econd this propo&s;ition, &s;he pre&s;&s;ed it on &s;o hand&s;omely, that at la&s;t <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> was per&s;waded to it, thinking that &s;he &s;hould be as &s;oon at <HI>Calcedonia</HI> this way, as the other. Then did we all Embarque, and to continue myproject, I commanded my men, that as &s;oon as the Coach which was to carry <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> was ready, it &s;hould go into &s;uch a place, where I &s;aid we &s;hould land <HI>Beri&s;a.</HI> Since it was then neither too hot, nor too cold, it was plea&s;ant taking the Aire at mid-day, and thereupon I grounded my Plot.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as we were all in the Barque, <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> began to complain that it went not fa&s;t enough, &s;o that adding Oare to Saile we went fa&s;ter: But having appointed him who was to &s;teer, in lieu of going by the &s;ide, to put out to full Sea; he did as I ap|pointed, and <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> took no notice of it, becau&s;e I alwayes kept her bu&s;ie in talk.</P>
<P>But that my plot might better hit, before we came into the Barque, I told all the Ladies (who did not love the humour of <HI>Beri&s;a)</HI> that it would be a good Jea&s;t, if we could make her faile at this meeting which &s;he had appointed at <HI>Calcedonia.</HI> So that all of them approving of my de&s;ign, and &s;ince fallacies of this nature are no great Crimes, they a&s;&s;i&s;ted me exceeding well to keep <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> from perceiving that we went quite contrary to the place &s;he intended, for two or three of them would &s;tand be|fore her that &s;he &s;hould not &s;ee which way we &s;teered: Others held her in talke, and put a hundred Que&s;tions unto her one after another; &s;o that flattering her, and trea|ting her as the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia's</HI> greate&s;t favourite, we plea&s;ed her &s;o very well, that &s;he did not think the time tedious, nor perceived that we were far from the place where &s;he expected her Coach, and thus was &s;he deluded: But at la&s;t &s;eeing we could not hide the truth from her any longer, I cryed out fir&s;t to te&s;tifie my wonder that we were &s;o far in the open Sea. As for <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> &s;he was &s;o &s;urprized, that if I had not fir&s;t found fault, I believe &s;he would have quarrelled with me: but I was in &s;uch a chafe, and kept &s;uch a coile at it, that &s;he could not imagine I intended to de|ceive her. The Pilot &s;aid he under&s;tood me wrong, and thought I had commanded him to come in the Evening to the place where the Coach was to meet.</P>
<P>In the mean time, every one of us had &s;uch an itch of laughter upon us, that we could not hold; and we broke out in &s;uch a manner, as <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> began to &s;u&s;pect the truth, and grew angry in good earne&s;t: But when I perceived that her anger was ve|ry high, I came unto her: If the Lovely <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> (&s;aid I unto her, by &s;uch a way of flattery as I knew &s;hee loved) were not a per&s;on who knowes all the world, and knows al&s;o when it is fit to be angry, and when not, I &s;hould feare that &s;he had now &s;ome occa&s;ion of Choller; but being &s;o much a Courtier as &s;he is, though per|haps &s;ome of the Ladies to enjoy her company the longer, had corrupted the Pilot to &s;teer a wrong cour&s;e, yet I know she under&s;tands Raillary too well to be offended at
<PB N="47" REF="705">
it, and will rather thank her for &s;o hand&s;omly deceiving her. For my particular (ad|ded I) I should have much ado not to take her part again&s;t you, &s;ince certainly I am infinitely joyed to &s;ee you here, &s;o as I cannot chide her, for being a cau&s;e of my hap|ne&s;s: For truly (&s;aid I unto her in a low voyce) you mu&s;t know amiable <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> that this entertainment was intended only for you, and it would be a cruel piece of inju&s;tice not to allow a whole day unto him who cares not for the re&s;t of the compa|ny if you were gone.</P>
<P><HI>Beri&s;a</HI> hearing me &s;peak thus, was a little qualified, &s;aying, that &s;he would wiling|ly pardon tho&s;e that deceived her, upon condition they will make as much ha&s;t to Land as they did from it. But the Pilot hearing her &s;ay &s;o, and knowing well that it was not my mind, told her, that it was a thing impos&s;ible to go in a direct line unto the &s;hoare, becau&s;e there was many hidden Rocks which would endanger them.</P>
<P>The Pilot no &s;ooner had &s;aid &s;o, but all the company bade him have a care of that: and <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> her &s;elfe, as earne&s;t as &s;he was, did not contradict it, but de&s;ired him to carry her as &s;oon as he could with &s;afety to the &s;hoar. As &s;oon as &s;he made that re|que&s;t, we did all &s;o importune her to &s;pend that day among&s;t us, that &s;he could not deny us: and indeed we carried her back to the place where we dined, &s;till per&s;wa|ding her, that &s;he was much obliged unto us for the violence which we did her.</P>
<P>After we were returned thither, we &s;ent for the Coach which waited halfe way to <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> and I appointed tho&s;e which went, not to make over-much ha&s;t, but to be as &s;low in coming as could be, that it was almo&s;t night when it came, and then &s;he mu&s;t needs have &s;o much patience as to &s;tay a banquet before we parted: Thus Madam, to favour the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> I carried the matter &s;o, as it was night be|fore <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> entered into <HI>Calcedonia.</HI> In the mean time that Prince the better to make u&s;e of her ab&s;ence, obliged <HI>Atergatis</HI> to go very timely unto <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and keep her from going unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia:</HI> not that this Prince&s;s was ignorant of his pa&s;&s;ion, or di&s;approved of it: but &s;ince he knew how &s;he did not think it fit for him as yet to di&s;cover him&s;elf unto that Prince&s;s, he de&s;ired to keep &s;ecret from her his de|&s;ign: And indeed Madam, he was &s;o diligent, that he came to the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> when &s;he was newly ri&s;en from the table: and &s;ince that is the time when lea&s;t company comes to her, and when Courtiers u&s;e not to make any vi&s;its, he had conveniency enough of talking with her: When he came into her Chamber &s;he won|dered to &s;ee him; I thought (&s;aid &s;he unto him, and &s;miled) that none but <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> would have vi&s;ited me at &s;uch a time as this; but for ought I &s;ee, &s;he hath left her Commi&s;&s;ion with you to &s;upply her room; or at lea&s;t I know you are now as ha&s;ty as &s;he u&s;eth to be: yet I am per&s;waded you will not be long without her company, for &s;he promi&s;ed me to be here as &s;oon as ever as &s;he had dined.</P>
<P><HI>Beri&s;a</HI> is &s;o very good company (replyed <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and &s;miled as well as the Prin|ce&s;s) as I can hardly think the Ladies with whom &s;he is, will let her return &s;o &s;oon: But Madam, &s;ince I am per&s;waded that <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> never u&s;eth to &s;peak unto you con|cerning me when &s;he is alone with you; I be&s;eech you let me not &s;peak of her, now I have the happine&s;&s;e to be here, when &s;he is ab&s;ent. I a&s;&s;ure you Sir (replyed the Prince&s;s who had a mind to turn the di&s;cour&s;e) that you very much wrong the poor <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> by being &s;o aver&s;e towards her, as I have ob&s;erved you are; for truly, though &s;he be a little too intru&s;ive; yet you need not hate her &s;o much. Oh Madam (&s;aid <HI>Intaphernes)</HI> did you but know the harm &s;he does me, you would confe&s;&s;e I have no rea&s;on to love her. The harm &s;he hath done you, replyed &s;he, is onely be|cau&s;e you fancy that &s;he cannot divert you; and becau&s;e &s;he meddles with every thing you would have her meddle with nothing; but yet I do not love &s;uch nice &s;pi|rits, and delicate wits, for it is very hard for them not to be very often unju&s;t: Since Madam, it is your plea&s;ure I &s;hould not complain again&s;t <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> replyed <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> I will reverence and obey all your de&s;ires: And to concurr with your opinion, and give you an occa&s;ion of calling me the mo&s;t unju&s;t man in the world, I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, my obligations unto <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> for preventing me from being expo&s;ed a thou&s;and times unto your anger. For Madam, &s;ince I am re&s;olved to confe&s;&s;e all my &s;ins unto you, I mu&s;t let you know, that had it not been for the a&s;&s;iduity of bu&s;ie <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> I had ere this told you above a hundred times that I am the man who admires you with more reverence then any man in the World, and loves you with a more violent and re&s;pe|ctive pas&s;ion.</P>
<P><PB N="48" REF="706">
How a hundred times? (replyed the Prince&s;s, and blu&s;h'd) believe me that &s;hould never have been; for after you had told me it the fir&s;t time, you &s;hould never have told it a &s;econd. However, &s;ince you are more obliged unto <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> then I imagined, though she be not pre&s;ent, you &s;peak unto me as if she were; for if you do not, per|haps you &s;hall be driven to the nece&s;ity of grieving &s;he is not here, though I know her pre&s;ence never plea&s;eth you.</P>
<P>When I fir&s;t re&s;olved to tell you Madam, that I adored you, replyed <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> I did not believe you would give a favourable audience; but I mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e, I did not de&s;pair of obtaining a pardon for a Crime which I could not repent of: and un|le&s;&s;e you had been ab&s;olutely the faire&s;t per&s;on that ever lived, I &s;hould never have committed it, and told you that I was your adorer: but I tell it Madam without any other pretence, but only to obtain &s;o much favour from you as not to bani&s;h me for telling it.</P>
<P>You talk in &s;uch a &s;erious tone (replyed the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia)</HI> as I cannot tell how to an&s;wer you, as if you had &s;poken only out of a piece of gallantry; and my o|pinion is, that tho&s;e who do not an&s;wer preci&s;ely unto &s;uch things, doubtle&s;&s;e de&s;ire to be told it often: and therefore to &s;pare my &s;elfe much anger, and to pre&s;erve you in my e&s;teem, I &s;hall tell you very ingenuou&s;ly, that I have a very high conceit and e&s;teem of you, and that you are the man, who&s;e e&s;teem I do mo&s;t de&s;ire; but I mu&s;t tell you withall, that to keep us both in this e&s;teem of each other, you mu&s;t not tell me any more of &s;uch things as you &s;peak of; and that if you do, I will never hear|ken unto it.</P>
<P>If you ob&s;erve this, you will mo&s;t exceedingly oblige me; and both for your &s;ake and my own, I will forget what now you have told me. Oh Madam, replyed <HI>Intapher|nes,</HI> this is not the way to &s;top my mouth; for if you would have mee mention what I have told you, no more, you mu&s;t honour me with a promi&s;e never to forget it: Prote&s;ting unto you, that if you will favour me &s;o farre as to a&s;&s;ure me that you will never forget it, I will then never &s;peak of it again. You know very well replyed the Prince&s;s, that this which you demand is a thing which I neither ought, nor can con|&s;ent unto: But I mu&s;t tell you, that if you will not do as I would have you, doubt|le&s;&s;e I &s;hall not do as you would have me; for I will &s;o ab&s;olutely take all opportuni|ties of &s;peaking to me from you, as you &s;hall never meet with any occa&s;ion of telling me any thing that may either plea&s;e, or anger me.</P>
<P>As <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was ready to reply, much company came in and prevented him, and they continued there all that day, &s;o as he could not renue it. But the be&s;t pa&s;&s;age was, the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> went that night to the Prince&s;s <HI>Istrina,</HI> and <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> at her return to <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> would have me carry her thither: &s;o that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> being there al&s;o with many others, it was the be&s;t &s;port in the world to &s;ee with what ag|gravations <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> related the trick which I had put upon her: Ah Madam, &s;aid &s;he as &s;oon as ever &s;he &s;aw her, if you do not oblige the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> to revenge my Quarrell upon <HI>Orcames,</HI> I &s;hall complain again&s;t you as much as again&s;t him, for he is the cau&s;e of my not returning &s;o &s;oon as I de&s;igned, and why I have &s;pent a whole long day without the honour of being with you. I a&s;&s;ure you (replyed the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> knowing that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> would under&s;tand her meaning) I was never more &s;orry for your ab&s;ence then this day, and I never more wanted your company: Me thinks Madam, replyed <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> that for all the merits of <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> you are inju|rious unto all the company that were with you in &s;peaking, as if you were weary of them: However it be (&s;aid the Prince&s;s) I wi&s;h <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> had been here, e&s;pecially af|ter dinner: I a&s;&s;ure you Madam (replyed <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> to ju&s;tifie her &s;elfe) it wat not long of me, for I did as much as po&s;&s;ible I could to be here again betimes.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> began to relate all the pa&s;&s;age how &s;he was deceived; not omit|ting the lea&s;t Circum&s;tance: The Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> under&s;tood that this fallacy had no &s;uch obliging cau&s;e as <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> believed; for &s;he knew that I was no &s;uch zealous lo|ver of her, as to take all that paines to hinder her return from <HI>Calcedonia;</HI> &s;o that de&s;|canting upon the adventure, &s;he imagined that he who had thus deluded <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> was well acquainted with the &s;ecrets of <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> &amp; doubted not but that Prince had put him upon this device: At fir&s;t &s;he was a little angry at it, but pre&s;ently after anger vani&s;hed; and &s;he could not choo&s;e but think the pa&s;&s;age plea&s;ant, when &s;he con&s;ide|red the bu&s;ie earne&s;tne&s;s of <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> and her impos&s;ibility to do as &s;he would: After
<PB N="49" REF="706">
which, finding good cau&s;e to believe that the Love of <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was very great, &s;ince he was driven unto this &s;hift to expre&s;&s;e his pa&s;ion, &s;he thought upon it with|out any anger, yet telling <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> that there can be no fallacy innocent; however, Madam, replyed <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> I hope you will confe&s;s that there are &s;ome fallacies which are no great Crimes in tho&s;e who act them. I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, replyed &s;he, that perhaps there may be &s;ome plea&s;ure to be taken in them; but I mu&s;t needs con|fe&s;&s;e withall, that there are no deceivers which are not culpable to &s;ome or other. There are &s;ome Crimes, replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> which are &s;o ea&s;ie to be pardoned, as I can|not tell whether the actors de&s;erve the name of Culpable: and whether a terme ought not to be invented which might expre&s;&s;e &s;uch men, neither innocent nor culpable.</P>
<P>For my part, replyed the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> I know no &s;uch per&s;ons as you men|tion, nor any Medium between Innocency and a Crime; nor will I take &s;o much pains as to help out the Language with a word which I &s;hall never &s;tand in any need of; For I mu&s;t declare, that all tho&s;e which I ever have &s;een, do &s;ee, or ever &s;hall &s;ee, do pa&s;&s;e in my opinion, either for Innocent or Culpable again&s;t me: nor can I imag<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ne any medium between the&s;e two.</P>
<P>Then Madam, according to your expres&s;ion (&s;aid <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and looked atten|tively upon her) it &s;eems I am at this pre&s;ent either innocent or culpable in your opi|nion. You need not doubt it (replyed &s;he ha&s;tily) &s;ince que&s;tionle&s;s you cannot doubt it unle&s;s you do me an injury. However Madam (replyed <HI>Intaphernes)</HI> I would gladly know whether you u&s;e to take all nece&s;&s;ary care to be well informed of the in|nocency or the Crimes of tho&s;e you condemn or ju&s;tifie? for truly Madam a very &s;mall circum&s;tance may alter the ca&s;e.</P>
<P>The truth is (&s;aid <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> and interrupted him) if <HI>Orcames</HI> did deceive me by way of mockery, certainly he de&s;erveth my hate: but &s;ince I am per&s;waded, that he had a rea&s;on more advantageous to me for what he did, I &s;hall be more willing to pardon his preventing my return &s;o timely as I de&s;ired. I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s Madam, that I could not choo&s;e but laugh when I heard <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> &s;ay &s;o, and could not choo&s;e but look upon <HI>Intaphernes</HI> as I laughed; &s;o as the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> ob&s;erving it, &s;hee was confirmed in her former opinion, and doubted not but that &s;he her &s;elf was a cau&s;e of the trick which was put upon <HI>Beri&s;a.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time &s;ince &s;he was not well &s;atisfied, what &s;he &s;hould think of <HI>Inta|phernes,</HI> &s;he retired; but the difficulty was to be rid of <HI>Beri&s;a;</HI> for &s;ince the Prince&s;s had told her, that &s;he wanted her company, &s;he could not &s;hake her of; but was for|ced to tell her that &s;he would &s;leep, to make her go out of her Chamber. Yet &s;he &s;leeped not &s;o &s;oone, for &s;hee pa&s;&s;ed away a great part of the night in contriving how <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;hould continue his affection to her without &s;peaking unto her of it, and without forcing her to change her behaviour towards him.</P>
<P>But, Madam, without particularizing the beginning and progre&s;s of <HI>Intaphernes</HI> his affection, give me leave to tell you, that his Services being &s;econded by the Salutati|ons of <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and &s;upported by his own merits, the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> was moved to let him love her: yet upon condition that he sbould alwaies &s;ubmit his love unto her Fortutne; and that if it &s;o happened, that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> should di&s;po&s;e of her again&s;t her will, yet he &s;hould not accu&s;e her of any inju&s;tice or infidelity, but endure the misfortune, with all the Patience he was capable of: But, Madam, &s;ayd he one day unto her, may I not accu&s;e you of Inju&s;tice, in de&s;iring me to promi&s;e Impo&s;ibilities? Can you think a Lover who promi&s;eth to renounce the enjoyment of his adored Mi|&s;tre&s;s, is able to keep his word? I do verily beleive he may, &s;ayd she unto him, and it much concerns you that I do beleive it: and happen what can, I make no que&s;tion but you will exactly keep yours.</P>
<P>This, Madam, was the condition of the&s;e four Illu&s;trious Per&s;ons, who are the Sub|jects of my Hi&s;tory: who as you may very well perceive were not very happy: For <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> could never make the two Prince&s;&s;es whom they loved, to promi&s;e them any thing, again&s;t that obedience which they owed unto tho&s;e who had the di&s;po&s;ing of them: but yet they enjoyed many happy hours when they had op|portunities of talking freely with their adored Prince&s;&s;es. Tis true, the&s;e opportuni|ties were not &s;o oft as they de&s;ired; and <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> did make them mi&s;s &s;o many occa&s;i|ons of that happine&s;s, as they hated her more then ever: The Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> al&s;o, for all her compliance with her, was in the end troubled with her; but yet she
<PB N="50" REF="707">
would not banish her: And I was made choi&s;e of to contrive wayes of keeping her from going unto her &s;o often. So that de&s;igning to &s;erve two Prince&s;&s;es, in ridding them of a bu&s;ie body who was extreamly trouble&s;om to them; I carried the matter &s;o, that upon a day, when <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> was incen&s;ed again&s;t tho&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es, for lea|ving her behind when they went to take the Aire, as I engaged her to make her com|plaints unto me, and to tru&s;t me with her very heart; &s;he began to complain again&s;t them &s;o sharply, as at fir&s;t I thought they had done her the greate&s;t wrong that could be offered to a per&s;on of her Quality. For she repeated all her obliging Ser|vices to the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> aggravating her a&s;&s;iduity about her, to be as much obliging as a thou&s;and Services. But after all her talk and complaints, I found the in|jury to be only as I told you: Tis true, this walk being appointed in her pre&s;ence, and con&s;idering how she had been formerly treated, it was an affront not to take her along with them: yet not to let &s;lip &s;uch a favourable occa&s;ion; after she had di&s;|gorged her &s;tomack, and complained till she was weary with complaints, I began to murmure more then she again&s;t all Grandure, and again&s;t the Court in generall, pur|po&s;ely that I might the better per&s;wade her: Prote&s;ting that if ever I could get into my Country, I would for ever confine my &s;elf to that Province rather then I would indure the &s;corns and affronts of the Court. Afterwards making a thou&s;and Prote&s;ta|tions of friendship and e&s;teem of her; I advi&s;ed her to keep home, or at lea&s;t to retire from &s;uch a tumultuous life as the life of a Courtier is: For truly, my dear <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> (&s;ayd I unto her) when one is not &s;o happy as to be of a Quality fit for a Court, one ought not to be &s;o forward: Alas <HI>Orcames</HI> (&s;ayd she) I know but too well the truth of your words, but yet &s;ince I have &s;een &s;o many Gallants, I cannot for beare going unto them: and I had rather be affronted with Courtiers, then be much made of by Town&s;men, for (added &s;he to bring me unto her mind) I be&s;eech you, do but ob|&s;erve the difference betwixt them: would not any one &s;ay that &s;ees them together, they were of &s;everall Countries far di&s;tant? and though they &s;peak the &s;ame Langu|age, and as they think, the very &s;ame things, yet they expre&s;s them in &s;uch a different manner, as what is gallantry in a Courtier is ab&s;urd in a Town&s;man: But <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> &s;ayd I unto her, this rule is not generall; for I do know &s;ome men of the Town, that are very compleat men, however I am &s;ure, replyed &s;he, that if there be any exceptions, tho&s;e who do de&s;erve to be excepted, have gotten their merits in the world among&s;t Company: otherwi&s;e I cannot &s;ee how they &s;hould de&s;erve it; Though I &s;hould grant it, replyed I, yet that is not &s;ufficient to per&s;wade me that one who is not a Courtier by birth ought to apply them&s;elves unto it, unle&s;s Fortune do call them un|to it by &s;ome extraordinary way: Indeed, were it not a fondne&s;&s;e to hope that per|&s;ons of mo&s;t high Quality &s;hould ever care for &s;uch Companions? one mu&s;t owe them all things, and they be obliged by nothing: They love you only becau&s;e they love them&s;elves; and mea&s;uring their affections to you by the diver&s;ions which you afford them; as &s;oon as your diver&s;ions faile, their loves will cea&s;e: Do you not by experience find, that how Prince&s;&s;es, who are the be&s;t of any in the world, do &s;light you? and &s;ince they have company enough, they will not carry you with them to take the Aire? Good <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> let not the Court deceive you, but undeceive your &s;elfe, and &s;hake it off, before it &s;hake you off: It is but a habit, and may ea&s;ily be left. Do you think that Provinces far off Courts have not wits and men of &s;pirit in them? and can you think tho&s;e wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s and &s;pirits are idle and weary? No no <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> it is not to be imagined; but be confident they think them&s;elves as happy as you or any Courti|er in the world: The laws of amity and friend&s;hip is regularly ob&s;erved among&s;t per|&s;ons of their quality; there is as much complacency among&s;t them as among&s;t others &amp; there being no Lords nor no &s;laves among&s;t them, they live much &s;weeter lives then you imagine. I pray then judg <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> what &s;hould you do at Court? Oh <HI>Orcames</HI> &s;ayd &s;he, I &s;ee you never u&s;e to make any vi&s;its into the Countrey, &s;ince you know no better how tedious and weari&s;om they are. For know <HI>Orcames,</HI> that all of them either talk not at all, or talk too much, or el&s;e talke &s;curvily: They have not only a pronunciation different from the Court, but their matter and manner of &s;peaking doth al&s;o differ: Their gallantry is &s;o gro&s;&s;e, that it is rather an impertinent piece of a talk which is in&s;ufferable; To hear them talk of love is enough to procure hatred; to hear them talk of Martiall matters, would move ones pitty of them: If they talk of news, they know &s;o little of the world, and tell &s;uch unlikely &s;tories, that they are
<PB N="51" REF="707">
not worth the hearing; yet you advi&s;e me <HI>Orcames</HI> not to &s;tir out of my own Quart|ers: I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, &s;ayd I unto her, that I do advi&s;e you to it, becau&s;e the vexati|ons which follow the delights of the Court, are greater then the other, though it were &s;o that no accompli&s;hed per&s;ons were there to be &s;een: For the truth is, as I have already told you, per&s;ons of high Quality care not a &s;traw for their Inferiours: Their friend&s;hip a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">mes only at them&s;elves; they will give you a thou&s;and welcomes to day, and hardly look upon you to morrow: they will promi&s;e more then ever they intend to perform; and their delicacy is &s;uch, that if you do not flatter them &s;uffici|ently, you do them wrong.</P>
<P>Believe mee <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> though there were no other con&s;ideration then this, to drive one out of all Court-fancies, that one mu&s;t &s;pend all their, dayes with people that are above one, unto whom they mu&s;t hold a continuall complacence, and blind obedience, I think it were enough to move one unto my advice: Be&s;ides, matter of honour, which cannot endure to be &s;lighted is con&s;iderable; for indeed <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> you know as well as my &s;elf that if a Town or Country-woman chance to love any Courtier, &s;he expo&s;eth her &s;elfe to more talk then any other, &s;ince certainly it is a piece of inju&s;tice which reigns in the &s;pirits of all men of that quality, &amp; in Courts, to think that a Country Lady is more beholding to them for their &s;ervices and vi&s;its then a Court Lady is.</P>
<P>Moreover, that's not the place where Country Ladies u&s;e to &s;eek for Husbands, ei|ther for them&s;elves, their Daughters, their Si&s;ters, or their Friends; and the truth is, there is nothing more odious then for a Country or Town Lady to be too much at Court.</P>
<P>Therefore <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> if you will be ruled by me, you &s;hall erect a Court in your owne Chamber and attract all the gallants of <HI>Calcedonia</HI> which are rea&s;onable, thither: the number of whom is not &s;o &s;mall as you imagine. I do not advi&s;e you, &s;aid I, to be troubled with &s;uch men whom the name of Court affrights, and who have as great an aver&s;ion to Court as Court hath to them; but like &s;ome Creatures who live &s;ometimes on Land, &s;ometimes on water, make choi&s;e of &s;uch friends as are a Mi&s;cella|ny, part Court, part Country, and plea&s;ing in all. No no, <HI>Orcames,</HI> replyed &s;he, you can never per&s;wade me to it; for though I know, that what you &s;ay is partly true, yet I a&s;&s;ure you I cannot change my opinion: Indeed (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;miled) I am &s;o farr from mewing my &s;elfe in my own Family, that I profe&s;&s;e, I care not if I never came at it, &s;o I could but heare all in it were in health. Since you are of that mind &s;aid I, I will move you but unto one one thing more: &s;o it be not to quit the Court, replyed <HI>Be|ri&s;a,</HI> I will willingly follow your Councell.</P>
<P>Then (&s;aid I unto her) to oblige the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> not to neglect you a|gain, try if you can ab&s;ent your &s;elf only for three or four dayes, and thereby force her to &s;end for you: But &s;uppo&s;e &s;he &s;hould not &s;end for me, replyed &s;he, I &s;hould then be pittifully puzled how to return again to her; And therefore <HI>Orcames,</HI> I had rather follow my own inclination then your advice. Then follow it, &s;aid I, &s;ince I cannot cure you of this fond Court-humour; but if they &s;hould chance to &s;light another time, when they are going unto any diver&s;ions, blame not me for it.</P>
<P>After this, Madam, I left <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> and was very &s;orry that I had no better acquitted my &s;elfe of my Commi&s;&s;ion to per&s;wade her from haunting the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia;</HI> For all I could &s;ay again&s;t the Court, did make &s;uch &s;mall impre&s;&s;ion upon her &s;pirits, as &s;he went unto the Prince&s;s that very &s;ame night, who received her civily enough: For, be&s;ides her naturall &s;weetne&s;s, there was another rea&s;on which obliged the Prin|ce&s;s to tolerate her; which was, becau&s;e the Father of <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> who was a very popular man in <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> had done <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> very con&s;iderable &s;ervice: Thus not know|ing how to be rid of this trouble&s;om Creature, I was again made choice of by <HI>Inta|phernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> to counterfeit Love unto her: And indeed Madam, though I did not love to di&s;&s;emble my thoughts, but ever affected &s;incerity, yet I begun to make experiments upon <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> &s;o that holding her continually in talke, I gave <HI>Inta|phernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> opportunities to talk often with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina.</HI></P>
<P>Thus Madam, was the Winter &s;pent: But the Spring bringing warre with it, it was re&s;olved we mu&s;t depart: I believe Madam I &s;hall tell you no lye. If I tell you, that the adieu betwixt the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and between
<PB N="52" REF="708">
<HI>Atergatis</HI> and <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> was much &s;adder then mine, and <HI>Beri&s;a's;</HI> Yet the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> had &s;uch a commanding power over her &s;elf, that her &s;orrows for the de|parture of <HI>Intaphernes</HI> did not appear; But in exchange &s;he &s;hewed him &s;o many Ci|vilities, and expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf in &s;uch obliging language, that he could not po&s;&s;ibly complain again&s;t her not grieving enough. And to tell you truly, he needed not to look any further then to the eyes of that Prince&s;s to &s;ee her heart, though much &s;or|row did not appear in her face.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Atergatis,</HI> he was a little more happy then <HI>Intaphernes;</HI> for though I cannot perfectly &s;ay that <HI>Atergatis</HI> had any &s;hare in tho&s;e tears which &s;he &s;hed for her Bro|ther: yet I can a&s;&s;ure that her manner of bidding him adieu was enough to per&s;wade him that though he had no &s;hare in her tears, yet her &s;ighs at parting were very deep, that he &s;hould go and expo&s;e him&s;elf to &s;o many dangers.</P>
<P>But at the la&s;t Madam, we departed, and left <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> with the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es, un|to whom &s;he was more comfort during the ab&s;ence of <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis:</HI> I &s;hall not need Madam, to particularize unto you all the pa&s;&s;ages of this War, know|ing that you are not ignorant of them, I &s;hall therefore only mark out the principall events. I &s;hall tell you then Madam, that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was always pro&s;perous, though he had to deale with one of the mo&s;t valiant Princes in the world.</P>
<P>But to tell you truly, it is no wonder if he made u&s;e of all Advantages, for <HI>Ar&s;a|mones</HI> had all the nece&s;&s;ary qualities to effect a great de&s;ign: For he had not only a great wit, deep capacity, and grave experience: He had not only high courage, and lofty ambition, but he had al&s;o a kind of ra&s;h prudence (if I may phra&s;e it &s;o) which made him able to attempt the mo&s;t difficult enterprizes, and which helped him to ex|ecute them with as much &s;ucce&s;s as boldne&s;s.</P>
<P>Moreover, the politique <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> did not confine him&s;elf to the ordinary limits of Ju&s;tice; for I have heard him &s;ay, that all unju&s;t means might be u&s;ed to compa&s;&s;e a ju&s;t de&s;ign: And therefore &s;triving to get upon the Throne of his Ance&s;tors, I can a&s;&s;ure you he employed all to bring it to pa&s;s.</P>
<P>Furthermore it cannot be imagined that he would omit any occa&s;ion to advance it: And &s;o he carried the matter, that the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> after &s;everall Combats, where|in <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had alwayes the advantage, was con&s;trained to retreat to <HI>Heraclea,</HI> which is the Metropolis of his Dominions, and the only Town that was left him in all his two Kingdoms.</P>
<P>During all the&s;e Victories, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> who&s;e reputations were ve|ry high, did often write unto the Prince&s;&s;es whom they adored, for they had obtain|ed permi&s;&s;ion &s;o to do, upon condition that their Letters &s;hould contain only mat|ter of News and Civility without any gallantry. You may well imagine Madam, that this re&s;traint went again&s;t their minds; and that it was difficult to love &s;o much, and not dare to &s;peak of it. Yet this command was not di&s;advantageous to them; for both of them being admirable at their Pens, and &s;ince their Letters included nothing which was to be concealed: Tho&s;e unto whom the Prince&s;&s;es &s;hewed them, did &s;o highly applaud them, as it may well be &s;aid, that they &s;poke in behalf of their Loves in not &s;peaking of them.</P>
<P>However, &s;ince their pa&s;&s;ions were not &s;atisfied, they invented a way to make their minds known without any di&s;obedience unto the commands which they recei|ved: For &s;ince <HI>I&s;trina</HI> had not pre&s;cribed unto the Prince her Brother what he &s;hould write, and had only forbidden <HI>Atergatis</HI> to mention any matters of Love: and &s;ince the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> did not think of charging <HI>Intaphernes</HI> not to mention his pa&s;|&s;ion in his Letters unto the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter; the&s;e two Lovers re&s;olved that <HI>Inta|phernes</HI> to whom <HI>I&s;trina</HI> had pre&s;cribed any limits, &s;hould write unto her all his thoughts of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prince&s;s, and all tho&s;e which <HI>Atergatis</HI> had of her: &s;o that by this invention, the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es might &s;hew the Letters from their Lovers: and the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> dur&s;t not &s;hew hers from her Brother. She being a Lady of a mo&s;t admirable wit, after &s;he had received the fir&s;t Letter, and &s;hewed it unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> &s;he an&s;wered it the mo&s;t wittily in the world.</P>
<P>Alas <HI>Orcames</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Mandana,</HI> and interrupted him) I cannot endure to heare a Letter &s;o much commended which cannot be produced: Therefore I intreat to try if you can remember the &s;en&s;e at lea&s;t, though not the words of the&s;e two Letters: For your &s;atisfaction Madam, replyed <HI>Orcames,</HI> I can do more then that; for I think
<PB N="53" REF="708">
I have a Copy of them about me which I got from the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> who ha|ving lo&s;t the Originall in coming hither, he complayned of it &s;o exceedingly, that to comfort him, I re&s;olved to confe&s;&s;e my crime in &s;tealing that Copy, and let him have a Copy out of mine: And therefore Madam I am able to &s;atisfie your de&s;ires; Then he looked in his Pocket, and found the&s;e two Letters, the fir&s;t of which was thus indited.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>INTAPHERNES UNTO The Prince&s;s ISTRINA.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Si&s;ter,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>SInce I know you have enjoyned the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> to acquaint you with the News of the Armie: And &s;ince I am &s;ure he will obey you as exactly as I &s;hall the divine Prin|ce&s;&s;e who hath impo&s;ed the like commands upon me. You need not thinke it &s;trange if I doe not hint unto you the &s;ame things he doth: I leave it therefore to his care to acquaint you with the Enemies defeat, and victory of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and re&s;erve only unto my &s;elfe to let you know the pa&s;&s;ages of my heart. Know therefore, deare&s;t Si&s;ter, that my adored Prince&s;s does &s;o wholly take up my memory, as I know not whether I &s;hould be &s;o unju&s;t as to forget you, if I did not need your a&s;&s;i&s;tance to keep her from forgetting me. For &s;ince &s;he hath not forbidden you to &s;peak to her of my pa&s;&s;ion, but hath forbidden me to write of it unto her, you may without offence protest unto her, that I can thinke of nothing el&s;e but her; that I do eternally adore her; that her ab&s;ence is intollerable: and that her rigor in denying me &s;o much &s;atisfaction as to mention my love in my letter to her, doth put my life more in danger, then all the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his valour. I be&s;eech you, deny me not this reque&s;t; for if you do, there &s;hall not a Me&s;&s;enger come, by whom I will not give the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> &s;o much &s;atisfaction as to let you know, that he doth &s;till and ever will mo&s;t pas&s;ionately love you: And that there is not a day on which we are not ready to quar|rell, &s;ometimes becau&s;e he maintains that he loves you as well as I love the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia:</HI> and &s;ometimes becau&s;e I will be always talking of her, when he would be always talking of you. The truth is (deare Si&s;ter) he is as melancholy to be at &s;uch a di&s;tance from her he loves, as I am for being from her whom I adore: &s;peak then unto my Prin|ce&s;&s;e in my behalfe, if you would not have me speake unto you in his: And per&s;wade her if it be pos&s;ible to let me write unto her what my heart thinks. But above all, deare Si&s;ter, be &s;ure that this Letter do not pa&s;&s;e for a piece of di&s;obedience, and that neither <HI>Atergatis</HI> nor my &s;elfe be declared Delinquents either to her or you: Adieu, and believe, I be&s;eech you, that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> loves his deare&s;t Si&s;ter, as well as an amorous heart can.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>INTAPHERNES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>I Do confe&s;s, &s;ayd the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> that I could not po&s;&s;ibly believe, that a Brother could &s;peak of Love unto a Si&s;ter, as he hath done to her, without &s;ome tre&s;pa&s;s upon hand&s;omne&s;s: But <HI>Intaphernes</HI> hath done it &s;o delicately, and hath di&s;|obeyed a Command &s;o re&s;pectively, that I long to &s;ee how the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> did an&s;wer him. <HI>Orcames</HI> then pre&s;enting her <HI>I&s;trinas</HI> Letter, and taking <HI>Intaphernes</HI> his, &s;he read the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="54" REF="709">
<HEAD>ISTRINA Unto The Prince INTAPHERNES.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Brother,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>I</HI> Need not tell you how the Letter &s;urprized me, for I am per&s;waded you do not doubt it: Indeed, I found it full of Freind&s;hip, and full of Love; but to te&s;tifie to you, that I would not have you &s;peak unto me, in behalfe of the Prince <HI>Atergatis,</HI> I do a&s;&s;ure you that I will &s;peak in your behalfe unto the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and indeed, already have done, yet you are not a jott the better, for &s;hee thinks you culpable, as I do <HI>Atergatis,</HI> for di&s;obeying. Tis true, I never did forbid you to &s;peak unto me concerning your pa&s;&s;ion, nor his; but my rea&s;on was, I had no right to forbid you any thing, and I will keep within my compa&s;&s;e, and onely make u&s;e of my Prayers: But as I have &s;poken in your behalfe unto the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> I conjure you to &s;peak in my be|halfe unto the Prince <HI>Atergatis,</HI> and tell him, that if I had as much power over him as you &s;ay I have, I will as ab&s;olutely forbid him to make you the &s;peaker of his pa&s;&s;ion, as the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia</HI> forbids you by me, to make me the &s;peaker of yours unto her; for the truth is, our Curio&s;ity is onely to know what pa&s;&s;ages are in the Warrs, and not what pa&s;&s;ages are in your hearts; obey therefore, that Prince&s;&s;e, and cau&s;e <HI>Atergatis</HI> to obey me: And if it be po&s;&s;ible, let neither of you manifest your pa&s;&s;ions by any vaine di&s;obedience. Adue, and beleeve, I be&s;eech you, that I will ever pre&s;erve as much amity for you, as any heart, not in Love, is capable of; and by that con&s;equence <HI>I&s;trina</HI> is more affectionate unto the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> then <HI>Intaphernes</HI> is unto</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ISTRINA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>Really <HI>Orcames</HI> (&s;ayd the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> and returned <HI>I&s;trinas</HI> Letter) If people &s;hould alwayes write &s;o wittily in matters of Love as the&s;e Per&s;ons do, it were almo&s;t to be wi&s;hed, that they &s;hould write of nothing el&s;e; but that you may give me more &s;ubjects of commendations, I be&s;eech you proceed in the relation of their Adventures.</P>
<P>Since you command me, Madam, I mu&s;t obey, replyed <HI>Oreames,</HI> and tell you, That the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> having received <HI>I&s;trinas</HI> Letter, he returned her an&s;wer, that he &s;hould make a doubt whether this was the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinias</HI> command, unle&s;&s;e &s;he did atte&s;t and command it under her owne hand: And as for what related to <HI>Atergatis,</HI> he would not al&s;o po&s;itively beleeve what the Brother of his Saint did &s;ay, unle&s;s &s;he al&s;o did confirm it under her hand: To be &s;hort Madam, he carryed the bu&s;ine&s;s &s;o hand&s;omly, that though the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es were extream wary how they writt any &s;uch Letters, yet they both re&s;olved to write two &s;hort Tickets of two lines, becau&s;e they would write no more then might be &s;een. The Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythi|nias</HI> Ticket contained the&s;e words, if my memory faile not.</P>
<LETTER>
<P>I forbid the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> to write any thing unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina</HI> but what I permit him to write unto my &s;elfe; upon paine of her displea&s;ure of whom hee &s;peaks unto her, and upon promi&s;e of her &s;avovr if he impo&s;e &s;ilence upon him&s;elf, and obey her.</P>
</LETTER>
<P><PB N="55" REF="709">
This Madam, is the Ticket of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prince&s;s unto the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> (pur&s;ued <HI>Orcames)</HI> and &s;ee, if I be not mi&s;taken, how the Princes <HI>I&s;trinas</HI> was indited.</P>
<LETTER>
<P>If you would have me believe that I have any power over you, cau&s;e the Prince <HI>Inta|phernes</HI> to mention you no more in his Letters to me, &s;ince I de&s;ire to know nothing but what I have permitted your &s;elfe to write; and unle&s;&s;e you obey this &s;econd Command as you did my fir&s;t, you have permis&s;ion to mention nothing but the victories of <HI>Ar&s;amones.</HI></P>
</LETTER>
<P>You may perceive Madam, that the&s;e two notes were not very obliging; and you &s;ee al&s;o they were very &s;hort, and contained only a bare command: Yet though <HI>Inta|phernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> had many excellent and large Letters from them, &s;ince the&s;e two Tickets were not &s;ealed, &s;ub&s;cribed, nor &s;uper&s;cribed, they were much joyed at them, and &s;et a dearer rate upon them then upon all the re&s;t of their fine formal Let|ters: <HI>Intaphernes</HI> pre&s;erved his with abundance of care, he did not keep it in the &s;ame place where all the re&s;t of his Letters from the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> were kept, but in a place more precious: For my part, having nothing &s;o delicate a wit as he, nor could de&s;cant &s;o &s;ubtlely upon pa&s;&s;ages of Love, I mu&s;t confe&s;s I could not choo&s;e but wonder to ob&s;erve that this ticket which contained only an angry Command, was preferred before all tho&s;e fine Letters from the &s;ame hand, and which were filled with Civilities and Elogies of his valour, I asked him the rea&s;on of &s;uch an unrea&s;onable act. Alas <HI>Orcames</HI> &s;aid he unto me, it &s;eems you are a Novice in matters of Love, &s;ince you know not the difference between the be&s;t Letter that can be in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e world, which is to be &s;hewed unto every one, and a &s;mall ticket which one is obliged to keep &s;ecret: but the difference is &s;o great, as there is no compari&s;on between them: Why Sir, &s;aid I unto him, can you prefer two or three lines from the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> before &s;o many elegant Letters which you have received from her? And are the&s;e two or three lines which forbids you to mention any matters of love unto the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> more deare unto you then all tho&s;e &s;weet and obliging Letters which com|mands you to write often unto her, and to &s;end her the newes of the Army? Yes <HI>Or|cames,</HI> replyed he, this little Ticket which contains but few words, which &s;eems care|le&s;ly written, who&s;e Characters are hardly legible; and which forbids me to &s;peak of my pa&s;&s;ion, is a thou&s;and thou&s;and times more deare unto me, and more plea&s;ing, then all her &s;weet Letters; wherein it appears &s;he culled the words which &s;he employ|ed, who&s;e Characters are &s;o fine and legible, and which commands me to write of|ten unto her: And if you did but know how to love, you would know how to di&s;tin|gui&s;h between a Letter of indifferency, and a Letter of &s;ecre&s;ie; &s;o that then I &s;hould not need to &s;eek for any rea&s;ons to convince you. But Sir, I be&s;eech you, &s;aid I unto him, are not all tho&s;e fine Letters, and this &s;croule both written by the &s;ame hand: Yes <HI>Orcames</HI> &s;aid he, but they are not indited by the &s;ame mind; for when my Prin|ce&s;s de&s;ires me obligingly to &s;end her the news of the Army, &s;he does me no greater a favour then &s;he might unto any man of quality about <HI>Ar&s;amones.</HI></P>
<P>But when &s;he forbids me to mention my pa&s;&s;ion, &s;he tacitely implyes, that &s;he hath a right to command me, &s;he admits me to be her &s;lave; &s;he te&s;tifies that &s;he knows I love her, and indeed gives me &s;ome &s;igne of confidence, &s;ince &s;he honours me &s;o farre as to a&s;&s;ure me, that I &s;hall be happy in her favour if I can impo&s;e &s;ilence upon my &s;elfe. Truth is <HI>Orcames,</HI> this rigid &s;crowl which &s;eems to you le&s;&s;e obliging then &s;o many fine Letters which applaud me with &s;o much eloquence, hath &s;omething in it more &s;atisfactory to the heart of a Lover, then any thing tho&s;e well pend Letters have which plea&s;e you &s;o well. The very name of my adored Prince&s;s which I cannot pro|nounce without a tremb<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing of heart, does take &s;omething (as I think) from the ex|cellency of tho&s;e rare Letters; and this Ticket unto which &s;he dur&s;t not &s;ub&s;cribe, it has &s;omething in it which I am not able to expre&s;s, that renders it the more valuable. For I am fully per&s;waded, that a Lady who endeavours to conceale both the writer and the party to whom &s;he writes, hath &s;ome &s;uch &s;parks of tenderne&s;s in her thoug<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">s as &s;he would not have fla&s;he out into a flame, and be known: And <HI>Orcames,</HI> &s;ince Love of its own nature loves my&s;teries and &s;ecre&s;ies, it may well be &s;aid, that what|&s;oever is not my&s;terious and &s;ecret, is not Love: And if you would preci&s;ely know the difference which I put between letters of Civility which I received from my Prince&s;s,
<PB N="56" REF="710">
and this little &s;crowl I mu&s;t tell you, that I put as great a difference as between letters from a friend, and a Letter from a Mi&s;tri&s;s.</P>
<P>After this Madam, I left di&s;puting with the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> knowing him to be better ver&s;ed in the doctrine of Love then my &s;elf, and &s;eeing I was not able to per|&s;wade him. In the mean time, &s;ince he knew the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia's</HI> re&s;ervedne&s;s and &s;everity, he mu&s;t obey her, and enjoyn &s;ilence upon him&s;elf as well as <HI>Atergatis.</HI> Yet I am &s;ure, that though the word <HI>Love</HI> was not u&s;ed in their Letters, yet they found an art to u&s;e others which &s;ignified the &s;ame thing, yet without any di&s;obedi|ence unto the commands impo&s;ed upon them. But their greate&s;t grief was, that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> being retreated unto <HI>Heraclea, Ar&s;amones</HI> re&s;olved to be&s;iege him, and began to draw that way, &s;o that it was ea&s;ie to fore&s;ee that it would be long be|fore they &s;hould &s;ee their adored Prince&s;&s;es.</P>
<P>The rea&s;on why <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was &s;o ha&s;ty to be&s;iege <HI>Heraclea</HI> notwith&s;tanding the illne&s;&s;e of the &s;ea&s;on, was, becau&s;e knowing with what zeale the invincible <HI>Cyrus</HI> under the name of <HI>Artamenes</HI> did pre&s;&s;e upon <HI>Babylon,</HI> he feared that if <HI>Baby|lon</HI> were taken before he took <HI>Heraclea, Cyrus</HI> would then protect the &s;ame Prince whom he protected in relieving him at <HI>Sinope,</HI> &s;o that he was &s;o earne&s;t upon this great de&s;ign, as <HI>Heraclea</HI> in a few dayes was beleaguered. Since it imported <HI>Ar&s;a|mones</HI> to know how all pa&s;&s;ed at <HI>Babylon;</HI> and &s;ince <HI>Intaphernes, Atergatis,</HI> and <HI>I|&s;trina</HI> did hate the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> enough to be inqui&s;itive of all the misfortunes that did befall him, all the victories of <HI>Cyrus</HI> were very well known in <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> and at the Camp: And Madam, your heroique re&s;i&s;tance of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> violent pa&s;&s;ion was al&s;o known.</P>
<P>If <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> had not been ingaged in their affections in <HI>Bythinia,</HI> they had then with joy revenged them&s;elves of that unju&s;t Prince, by following <HI>Ga|dates,</HI> who had already took part with the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus:</HI> But &s;ince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> could not for&s;ake <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> as things &s;tood, unle&s;&s;e he &s;hould for&s;ake the Prince&s;s his Daughter: he re&s;olved to &s;tay with him, &s;ince con&s;idering the Wars, he might do it with honour: And as for <HI>Atergatis,</HI> &s;ince if he changed Armies, he &s;hould be at a greater di&s;tance from <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> he cho&s;e rather to &s;atisfie his love then his hatred. As for the Prince&s;s <HI>Istrina</HI> I have heard her &s;ay, that as oft as &s;he was told with what noble re&s;olution you treated the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> it joyed her to the heart, to &s;ee &s;uch full revenge upon that Prince, both by your beauty Madam, by your rigour, and by the valour of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> It is true, her joyes were &s;omething moderated by her feares, lea&s;t the &s;iege of <HI>Heraclea</HI> &s;hould prove fatall either unto <HI>Intaphernes</HI> or <HI>A|tergatis,</HI> who&s;e courages &s;he knew would expo&s;e them unto the greate&s;t dangers up|on all occa&s;ions. This feare in which the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> &s;hared with her, was not yet all the &s;orrow which &s;he had; for the ab&s;ence of the Prince her Brother, and the unfortunate condition of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> did cau&s;e her many an ill houre, for &s;he loved that Prince&s;s exceedingly: But for all that, the glory which <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> had got in the Wars, did much cheer up the hearts of the&s;e two Prin|ce&s;&s;es, e&s;pecially the glory which they got at the &s;iege of <HI>Heraclea.</HI> Since the taking of this Town would be a deci&s;ion of the Warr, and &s;ettle <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> in the Throne, this Prince was not negligent about it: And if I had not many things to tell you which are more e&s;&s;entially nece&s;&s;ary to under&s;tand this &s;tory, certainly my relation of the particulars would make you acknowledg, that except the &s;ieges of <HI>Babylon, Sardis,</HI> and <HI>Cumes,</HI> there was never any more famous then the &s;iege of <HI>Heraclea,</HI> nor a &s;iege where more glorious exploits were performed: Since there wanted only this City to make <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> King of two Kingdoms, he a&s;&s;aulted it with extraordinary vigour: And &s;ince if this City were lo&s;t, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> would be without a Kingdom, he did defend it with &s;uch Heroique courage, as if he had an Enemy le&s;&s;e valiant then <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> he had not been vanqui&s;hed: And he did &s;uch prodigious acts in defence of him&s;elfe, as if he had uot &s;ullied the glory of them by his violencies offered unto you Madam, he might well have been put into the Catalogue of Heroes. But that which ha&s;tned his ruine was &s;ome reports in the Camp that the illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes</HI> had taken <HI>Babylon,</HI> and that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had gotten you out, and carryed you unto <HI>Sinope:</HI> &s;o that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> falling upon the Town more vigorou&s;ly then before, and being &s;econded by the valour of <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> he brought his works unto better perfection in eight dayes, then he had done ever &s;ince the &s;iege
<PB N="57" REF="710">
began: The truth is Madam, without further abu&s;ing your patience; The Gods ha|ving re&s;olved that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;hould be forced out, purpo&s;ely to &s;ave your life, by preventing your being drowned, they made u&s;e of the valour of <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> to vanqui&s;h this valiant and unfortunate King, who was forced to flye away in a &s;hip, not knowing then, that the lo&s;s of his two Kingdoms &s;hould be the cau&s;e of his &s;aving your life Madam, when you &s;uffered &s;hipwrack with Prince <HI>Ma|zanes.</HI> You may imagine Madam, that the taking of <HI>Heraclea</HI> made a great noy&s;e throughout all <HI>Bythinia,</HI> as well as at <HI>Pontus.</HI> But particularly, it rejoyced the two Prince&s;&s;es at <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> principally becau&s;e they knew that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Ater|gatis</HI> had a great &s;hare in the happy &s;ucce&s;s of that &s;iege: But that which hindered the full tide of their joyes was to under&s;tand, that the War was not yet fini&s;hed, becau&s;e <HI>Artanus</HI> was in <HI>Cabira,</HI> where he kept the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> in his power: And <HI>Ar|&s;amones</HI> would not make any Conditions with him, unle&s;&s;e hee would &s;urrender the Town and the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> into his power, and therefore his de&s;ign was to be|&s;iege <HI>Cabira.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time, as &s;oon as <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had &s;etled all in <HI>Heraclea,</HI> he would have the Queen <HI>Arbiana</HI> and the two Princes come thither to te&s;tifie unto his new Sub|jects, that he would be King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> whereof <HI>Heraclea</HI> was the Metropolis, as well as King of <HI>Bythinia</HI> whereof <HI>Calcedonia</HI> was chief. You may ea&s;ily imagine Madam, that this re&s;olution was very welcom unto <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> as it was vexa|tious to the poor <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> who &s;eeeing that the Court was to remove from <HI>Calcedonia</HI> to <HI>Heraclea,</HI> &s;he was even ready to dye for grief, not knowing how it was po&s;&s;ible to live without a Court: And indeed we under&s;tood that every one went to comfort her, as one that had lo&s;t all &s;he loved. Shee employed all her will to find a pre|tence for going unto <HI>Heraclea,</HI> but her Parents would not permit her: &s;o that &s;he &s;aw a nece&s;&s;ity of &s;taying in <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> where &s;he talked of nothing but her weari|ne&s;s of it: and if &s;he made any vi&s;its, to &s;atisfie her bu&s;ie humour, it was only a gad|ding from hou&s;e to hou&s;e to tell how weary &s;he was: And &s;he made her &s;elf &s;o much hated in <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> that there was not a Lady who did not wi&s;h her at <HI>Heraclea.</HI></P>
<P>But Madam, as the de&s;ign of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> in bringing the Queen <HI>Arbiana</HI> unto this &s;tately Town was plea&s;ing unto <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> &s;o I mu&s;t tell you that it was not di&s;plea&s;ing unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> nor to the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina.</HI> Yet I am obliged to tell you unto the glory of the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> that maugre all the victories of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> &s;he could not choo&s;e but &s;igh as &s;he went into the Palace of <HI>Heraclea,</HI> not being able to remember the Condition wherein &s;he had &s;een the Prince <HI>Sinnes&s;is,</HI> the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta,</HI> and <HI>Spitridates,</HI> without much &s;orrow for the death of the fir&s;t, and for the captivity of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and for the ab&s;ence of the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> her brother. Al&s;o her genero&s;ity did carry her fur|ther then this; for &s;he would not upon any terms lie in the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pontus</HI> her Chamber: Since I remember very well (&s;aid &s;he unto the Queen <HI>Arbiana</HI> who pro|pounded it unto her) if the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> did ever look npon me as the Prin|ce&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> when there was not any hopes of the King my Fathers ever being upon the Throne: I will al&s;o &s;till treat her as the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pontus,</HI> although the King her Brother do not enjoy the Kingdom; You may well conceive Madam, that a Prince&s;&s;e who was &s;o generous as to be ju&s;t unto a di&s;tre&s;&s;ed vertue, would not be un|ju&s;t unto a victorious and triumphant vertue, and that &s;he received the Prince <HI>Inta|phernes</HI> with all po&s;&s;ible civility.</P>
<P><HI>Atergatis</HI> found as favourable a reception from <HI>I&s;trina:</HI> And &s;ince the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es had not forbidden them to &s;peak, as they had to write, The&s;e two Princes took occa|&s;ion to &s;peak of that they would, and had not written; and to make known unto their Prince&s;&s;es all the torments they had &s;uffered during their ab&s;ence: But yet they were not long together; for <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> being de&s;irous to fini&s;h the Warre by taking <HI>Cabira,</HI> de&s;ired them to come unto the Army; but &s;ince the di&s;tance was not farre from <HI>Heraclea,</HI> there was &s;uch continuall corre&s;pondency between them, that this &s;econd ab&s;ence was not &s;o rigorous as the fir&s;t: yet <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> could not march &s;o &s;oon as he de&s;ired again&s;t <HI>Artanus,</HI> becau&s;e he fell &s;ick. But Madam, I think it fit to omit the relation of the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> his arrivall at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> and all the pa&s;&s;a|ges concerning the defeat of <HI>Artanus:</HI> Since it is not po&s;&s;ible but the Prince&s;s <HI>Ara|minta</HI> who was &s;o long a Pri&s;oner unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;ince the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> was a
<PB N="58" REF="711">
while in <HI>Sardis,</HI> you mu&s;t needs heare tell &s;ince you were relea&s;ed, the adventures of a Prince who hath the honour to re&s;emble your illu&s;trious Liberator.</P>
<P>The truth is, replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> I under&s;tand by <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> who had it from <HI>Fe|raulas,</HI> all that happen'd unto that illu&s;trious Prince: and con&s;equently I know of his Arrivall at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> the day before the Queen <HI>Arbiana</HI> and the two Prince&s;&s;es were to go unto the Camp, becau&s;e <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was &s;ick: Moreover, I know how the Queen of <HI>Bythinia</HI> took <HI>Spitridates</HI> at fir&s;t for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as heretofore &s;he took <HI>Cy|rus</HI> for <HI>Spitridates:</HI> Nor am I ignorant of all that Princes endeavours to obtain the permi&s;&s;ion of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> to love <HI>Araminta:</HI> Neither am I ignorant of what <HI>Intapher|nes</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> did upon the &s;ame de&s;ign: For indeed <HI>Orcames,</HI> I know how ob&s;tinately <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> denyed them; I know all the defeat of <HI>Artanus,</HI> the meeting of <HI>Spitridates</HI> and <HI>Araminta</HI> upon the bridg of <HI>Cabira.</HI> The generous re&s;o|lution of tho&s;e two Per&s;ons, and in what manner <HI>Spitridates</HI> got <HI>Araminta</HI> out of that be&s;ieged Town, &s;tealing her from the victory of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> who would have kept her Pri&s;oner, if he had taken her. I know al&s;o how <HI>Spitridates</HI> went with that Prince&s;s as far as <HI>Armenia,</HI> where they parted: and that in parting from the Camp, he wrote unto the King his Father, and unto the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter: but I wonder, that in relation of all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, I &s;hould never heare any mention made of <HI>A|tergatis.</HI></P>
<P>The rea&s;on why tho&s;e who related the hi&s;tory of <HI>Araminta</HI> were &s;ilent of the Prince <HI>Atergatis,</HI> replyed <HI>Orcames,</HI> is, becau&s;e he had no hand in the defeat of <HI>Artanus,</HI> not in any pa&s;&s;ages at <HI>Cabira;</HI> becau&s;e the very day on which the Prince&s;&s;es came to the Camp, he fell &s;ick at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> where he remained untill after the departure of <HI>Spitridates</HI> and <HI>Araminta,</HI> &s;o that he could not contract any amity with that Prince as <HI>Intaphernes</HI> did; nor by con&s;equence give tho&s;e who related unto you the &s;tory of <HI>Araminta</HI> and <HI>Spitridates,</HI> any &s;ubject to &s;peak of him. Now Madam, &s;ince you know all pa&s;&s;ages unto the taking of <HI>Cabira,</HI> I &s;hall &s;ay nothing of them, but &s;hall re|late things from thence forward, and tell you that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was &s;o incen&s;ed at the action of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> that he &s;aid he &s;hould not &s;ucceed him, and that he would have every one look upon the Prince&s;s his Daughter, as &s;he that was to be Queen of <HI>Pon|tus</HI> and <HI>Bythinia:</HI> And the truth is Madam, he was &s;o violently earne&s;t in it, that e|very one did believe it was his intention: But though it was the de&s;ign of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> yet it was farre from the intentions of the Prince&s;s his Daughter, who declared her &s;elf &s;o highly and &s;o genevou&s;ly, that &s;he would never thrive by the misfortunes of the Prince her brother, as <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was no le&s;&s;e incen&s;ed again&s;t her then him; &s;o that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was con&s;trayned to grieve with that Prince&s;s, for offering her two Kingdoms. It is true, that his love had its part in this griefe: For this Prince concei|ved, that as long as <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was in the mind, he could never pretend unto the Prince&s;s whom he loved, it being ea&s;ie to fore&s;ee that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would never give her unto him, though upon no other rea&s;on then becau&s;e he was a profe&s;&s;ed lover of <HI>Spitridates.</HI></P>
<P>But as <HI>Intaphernes</HI> had this augmentation of his &s;orrows, &s;o <HI>Atergatis</HI> who was re|covered of his &s;ickne&s;s, was grieved to under&s;tand that <HI>Gadates</HI> who was not igno|rant of his affection unto <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> had &s;ent orders unto a Lady who was with her, to have a &s;trict eye over all his actions, and to render him an account of them; this Prince having &s;till a fancy, that when <HI>Cyrus</HI> had ended the Warr, he might perhaps by a treaty of Peace oblige the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> to marry <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> by obtaining for him a re&s;titution of &s;ome part of his Kingdom; for Madam, though this fancy had but an ill foundation, yet he did, and &s;till doth feed him&s;elf with &s;ome hopes in it: And in|deed, becau&s;e the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> with whom he had been in love, did earne&s;tly de|&s;ire it as long as &s;he lived, he thought that he was obliged by his re&s;pects unto that great Prince&s;s, not to let <HI>I&s;trina</HI> marry, as long as there was any po&s;&s;ibility that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> might marry her.</P>
<P>After this Madam, you may imagine that the lives of the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>A|tergatis</HI> were not very plea&s;ing, &s;ince to live without hopes is the mo&s;t difficult thing upon earth: Yet I am &s;ure, that if they did not hope, yet they were not altogether de&s;perate, yet they were perpetually full of fears: And all the con&s;olation which they had, was to know that they were not out of favour with the Prince&s;&s;es whom they adored.</P>
<P><PB N="59" REF="711">
As for <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> he was &s;o happy as that the King did never &s;u&s;pect his Love: &s;o that he could &s;ee and talk with his Prince&s;s when he plea&s;ed. But all great changes in Kingdoms mu&s;t needs be a while un&s;etled, &s;o there were many commotions and &s;tirrs, which required he &s;hould divide his Army into two Bodies, and that <HI>Intapher|nes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> &s;hould command them. <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> re&s;iding &s;ometimes at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> and &s;omtimes at <HI>Calcedonia,</HI> to give out &s;everal orders to places as need required. Thus Madam, did the&s;e two Princes and the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es live, whil&s;t the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> (after he under&s;tood you were not dead as once he believed) was carrying on the Warr in <HI>Armenia,</HI> thinking that you were there: And thus they continued, untill that generous Prince being upon the Frontiers of <HI>Lydia,</HI> there chanced that thing, which I believe you are not ignorant of, but yet you neither know the cau&s;e nor the con&s;equence of it. I mu&s;t therefore tell you Madam, that when the valiant <HI>Anaxa|ris</HI> who is now the Captain of the Guard, came to the Camp of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> I under&s;tood how he had told him that he had &s;aved the life of the Prince <HI>Spitridates;</HI> and that he was at fir&s;t deceived by that re&s;emblance which is between tho&s;e two great Princes.</P>
<P>But Madam, certainly you do not know who brought <HI>Spitridates</HI> into that Pa|phlagoneon wood where <HI>Anaxaris</HI> found him, nor who kept him there; nor how he went from the place unto which <HI>Anaxaris</HI> conducted him, after he had &s;o valiantly defended him. Therefore I mu&s;t tell you, that when <HI>Araminta</HI> would needs have <HI>Spitridates</HI> leave her in <HI>Armenia,</HI> and commanded him to wander from Countrey to Countrey untill the Gods were plea&s;ed to change the &s;tate of their Fortunes; yet <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> could not find a heart to go out of <HI>Armenia,</HI> &s;ince <HI>Araminta</HI> was in it though &s;he had charged him not to &s;tay there, becau&s;e &s;he feared le&s;t the King her Brother &s;hould arre&s;t him; and becau&s;e &s;he would not have a Prince who had kept her from the power of the King his Father, &s;hould fall into the power of the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who did not love him. So that <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;earching for a place where he might have be&s;t intelligence from <HI>Artaxates,</HI> whil&s;t the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> was there; he thought that he could not better &s;eate him&s;elf, then in &s;ome hou&s;e upon the River <HI>Araxes,</HI> which runs to <HI>Artaxates:</HI> For as great Rivers cau&s;eth great commerce between great Towns, &s;o he thought this place to &s;ute be&s;t with his de&s;ign; and indeed the Village where he &s;tayed was &s;o great a Pa&s;&s;e, as it was ea&s;ie to receive information of &s;ome things which he de&s;ired to know.</P>
<P>But Madam, as all humane Prudence is extreamly limited; &s;o it chanced that the &s;ame way he thought be&s;t to heare news of his Prince&s;s, and to keep him neare her, the &s;ame was it which &s;et him at a greater di&s;tance from her. For Madam, as he was one evening taking the Ayre upon the banks of the River <HI>Araxes</HI> by him&s;elf a|lone, and being far from the hou&s;e where he lodged, a &s;tranger did acco&s;t him, and &s;peaking to him in a broken Language, he &s;poke as thinking him to be <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and as if he had &s;een him in the Court of <HI>Thomiris. Spitridates</HI> perceiving his errour, would undeceive him, but he could not: For this &s;tranger was &s;o confident that this Prince would only conceal him&s;elf, as he never offered to examine &s;eriou&s;ly whether or no his eyes had deceived him: and indeed not giving any credit unto his words, he executed his de&s;ign which he had upon the per&s;on of that Prince, and did it with ea&s;e: For &s;ince <HI>Spitridates</HI> was alone and without any Armes; and &s;ince this &s;tranger was &s;econded by ten men, which lay in ambu&s;h, it was ea&s;ie for them to force him to en|ter into a Barque which was not far off: and it was the more ea&s;ie, becau&s;e the &s;tran|ger having told him that he would carry him unto a great <HI>Queen,</HI> where he &s;hould receive no harm, provided he would repent him&s;elfe of his flight, <HI>Spitridates</HI> thought it would be the more ea&s;ie to undeceive him by arguing with him, then by defending him&s;elf in vain, &s;ince he was alone, unarmed, and again&s;t ten men, thinking that if he &s;hould offer to make any ob&s;tinate re&s;i&s;tance, it would the more argue him to be the man he was taken for. So that going into the Barque, and not being able to hinder the &s;ixe Rowers from putting off the &s;hoar where he intended to &s;tay a while, he began to make a thou&s;and prote&s;tations unto this &s;tranger, that he was not the &s;ame man which he took him for: but all in vain.</P>
<P>I be&s;eech you &s;ayd, <HI>Spitridates</HI> unto him, ask every one you meet what Reports go of <HI>Artamenes</HI> who&s;e name is &s;o famous, and I am &s;ure all will an&s;wer you, that he can|not be in <HI>Paphlagonia.</HI> I need not enquire of any, replyed the man, when my own eyes tel's me I am &s;ure: therfore, Sir, with no murmur again&s;t my violence, I be&s;eech
<PB N="60" REF="712">
you give me leave to carry you unto a <HI>Queen</HI> who&s;e Subject I am, and beleive it, it &s;hall be long of your &s;elf if you be not favourably received. I came by orders from her, pur&s;ued he, to inform my &s;elf of the cau&s;es of your Impri&s;onment (the News wherof hath reached the <HI>Queen Thomiris)</HI> to let you know, that if you will change your thoughts of her, &s;he will march with an Army of a hundred thou&s;and men to force you out of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> his Fetters, and &s;et you out of a Pri&s;on upon a Throne.</P>
<P>In order to this, the Queen <HI>Thomiris</HI> hath given me wherwith to &s;uborn your Guards, and to attempt any thing for your Liberty, but I perceive, Sir, you have your &s;elf procured it. Then <HI>Spitridates</HI> prote&s;ted unto him again, that he was not <HI>Artamenes,</HI> but that he was &s;till a Pri&s;oner unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> but the man would not beleive him, and was &s;o ob&s;tinate in his mi&s;take, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> mu&s;t &s;ubmit. The rea&s;on why this man was &s;o hard to be undeceived, was, that though he had &s;een the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> a hundred times with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> yet as he told him, he never heard him &s;peak: &s;o that the tone of <HI>Spitridates</HI> would not undeceive him, though there was &s;ome difference between the pronunciation of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and that of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> Yet <HI>Spitridates</HI> did not a little wonder that he &s;hould &s;till be taken for another; for &s;ince he did not then know that <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Artamenes</HI> were both one Per&s;on, he could not chu&s;e but think it &s;trange, that fir&s;t they &s;hould carry him unto <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> as being <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and now carry him unto <HI>Thomiris</HI> as being <HI>Artamenes;</HI> yet go he mu&s;t, for he was &s;o &s;tricktly guarded that he could not chu&s;e: But (&s;ayd he unto the man who thus forced him) It does not appear unto me by your &s;peeches that <HI>Thomiris</HI> ever appointed you to do as you have done: &s;ince, Sir, replyed he, &s;he could not fore&s;ee, I &s;hould find you in &s;uch a condition as I have done; &s;he could not command me to &s;ecure your Per&s;on with ten men only: but &s;ince &s;he honoured me &s;o far as to tell me that &s;he would arm a hundred thou&s;and men to have you in her power, it was an im|plicite Command to bring you unto it, if I could by all the wayes that Fortune and opportuniry &s;hould offer me. Al&s;o I have been this eight dayes &s;ince accidentally I &s;aw you in the Temple, in following you and waiting for an occa&s;ion to find you a|lone, as now I found you upon the Banks of <HI>Araxes.</HI></P>
<P>Thus, Madam, did this man &s;peak unto this Illu&s;trious Captive whom he knew not, &amp; for his more &s;afe Convoy, he would have him alwayes lye in the Barque, and not &s;et foot upon land, untill he came to the place where <HI>Araxes</HI> bounders the Country of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes.</HI> He was no &s;ooner there but the man carrying <HI>Spitridates</HI> to lodge with a man of his acquaintance, which had a very good Tent upon the banks of that River, he &s;ent one of his men to acquaint <HI>Thomiris</HI> that he had brought <HI>Artamenes</HI> unto her and to know her plea&s;ure concerning him, not daring to bring him to her without having &s;peciall orders for it. But whil&s;t this Me&s;&s;enger was in his jonrny, <HI>Spitridates</HI> ob&s;erving that the Ma&s;ter of the Tent where he lodged was of a good wit, and that he under&s;tood broken Greek pa&s;&s;ably enough, which is &s;o generally &s;poken over all <HI>A|&s;ia,</HI> becau&s;e contrary to the cu&s;tom of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> he had been a Traveller, he asked him concerning the <HI>Queen,</HI> and what they &s;ayd of her? Sir, &s;ayd he, the <HI>Queen</HI> is a mo&s;t excellent Prince&s;s, and if her Pa&s;&s;ions were &s;omwhat le&s;s violent, &s;he would be all Excellency and all Virtue; but indeed they are &s;o predominate in her, that Rea|&s;on often will not rule her; For if either Ambition, Choller, or Envie po&s;&s;e&s;s her, &s;he humours the Pa&s;&s;ion without re&s;i&s;tance. Indeed her Action again&s;t the Prince <HI>A|riantes</HI> her Brother, to Raign in prejudice of him; her Action again&s;t the Prince <HI>Ari|pithes</HI> who was long &s;ince in love with her, and her Actions concerning the <HI>Amba&s;&s;a|dor</HI> from <HI>Ciaxares</HI> who &s;tole from Court, and is called <HI>Artamenes:</HI> All the&s;e do make it manife&s;tly appear that &s;he has no command over her Pa&s;&s;ions, and that Am|bition, Anger, and Love do ea&s;ily get dominion over her heart, and raign there in full Tyranny; And indeed the voice is, that this Prince&s;s will rai&s;e a very formidable Army, either to be revenged upon <HI>Artamenes,</HI> or el&s;e to make him love her: as if it were as great a matter to conquer the heart of this Amba&s;&s;ador as to conquer a Kingdom. I know that Fame &s;peaks this <HI>Artamenes</HI> to be a mo&s;t admirable man, and that if the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans</HI> had &s;uch a King, they might pretend ea&s;ily to be Ma&s;ters of both <HI>Scy|thias:</HI> But for all that, &s;ince the <HI>Queen</HI> hath a Son, and &s;ince <HI>Artamenes</HI> did &s;teal a|way from the Court, I beleive the War would be unju&s;t, and the Event cannot be happy.</P>
<P><HI>Spitridates</HI> hearing this man expre&s;s him&s;elf &s;o wi&s;ely, re&s;olved to open him&s;elf un|to
<PB N="61" REF="712">
him, to try if he could procure his help to make an e&s;cape: So that whil&s;t all his Guards &s;tood at the Entry of the Tent, which was very &s;pacious, he told him how the ca&s;e &s;tood. But, Madam, &s;uch was the Fate of <HI>Spitridates</HI> to be taken for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that though this man had never &s;een either of them, yet he beleived that he who &s;poke un|to him was <HI>Artamenes:</HI> For, Sir, &s;ayd he unto him, if you be not he, you need not fear being Are&s;ted by <HI>Thomiris,</HI> &s;ince you may be &s;ure that as &s;oon as ever &s;he &s;ees you, &s;he will &s;et you at liberty, therfore, Sir, I need not endeavour your e&s;cape: But I fear, an&s;wered <HI>Spitridates,</HI> I fear lea&s;t the <HI>Queen</HI> &s;hould be mi&s;taken in me, as the man who fir&s;t are&s;ted me is; However it be, Sir, replyed the man, your be&s;t cour&s;e to make me endeavour your e&s;cape, is to confe&s;s ingeniou&s;ly that you are really <HI>Arta|menes:</HI> for if you be, I mu&s;t confes unto you, that I am &s;o devoted unto the <HI>Queens</HI> glo|ry, as I am apt enough to take an occa&s;ion from her of doing a thing which would re|flect upon her honour, if &s;he &s;hould retain you Pri&s;oner. The truth is, Madam, &s;ince <HI>Spitridates</HI> had no other cour&s;e, he deceived this virtuous <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettan,</HI> &s;ince he de&s;ired to be deceived; And indeed the man did &s;o wel manage the matter, as he got <HI>Spitridates</HI> one night out of his Tent, by a back-way which his Guards knew not of; and to make his flight more &s;afe, he would not let him attempt to cro&s;s the River, which was very broad and deep, &s;ince there was not one Fi&s;her-man whom he dur&s;t tru&s;t. Therfore he conveyed him into a poor Shepheards Tent which belonged unto him, where he lay hid above eight dayes. In the mean time he heard how greived the man was who fir&s;t took him: how joyed <HI>Thomiris</HI> was, when &s;he heard that &s;he was to have <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> in her power, and how vexed &s;he was when &s;he was told he was e&s;caped. Her greif, Madam, was &s;o great, that &s;etting all con&s;ideration a&s;ide, &s;he went her &s;elf to the River <HI>Araxes</HI> to &s;earch for <HI>Artamenes</HI> in all the Tents about it: So that <HI>Spitri|dates</HI> knowing how the <HI>Queen</HI> and all her Retinue was to come unto the place where he was, and fearing that his re&s;emblance with <HI>Artamenes</HI> would betray him to her as it had done to many others; al&s;o longing to hear &s;ome news of <HI>Araminta,</HI> he re&s;ol|ved by the help of his deliverer to &s;uborn a Fi&s;her-man, and &s;o they did in all ha&s;t. But though they re&s;olved that his flight &s;hould be in the night, yet they could not &s;tay &s;o long, but he mu&s;t depart pre&s;ently, becau&s;e they had intelligence that <HI>Thomiris</HI> was very neer. So that ha&s;tning their de&s;ign, the Fi&s;her-man was pre&s;ently provided, and <HI>Spitridates</HI> went into the Bark with a hor&s;e which his hone&s;t Ho&s;t gave him: and he took boat ju&s;t as <HI>Thomiris</HI> who was that day on hor&s;eback was in &s;ight, and followed with abundance of company &s;ome two hundred paces from the place where <HI>Spitri|dates</HI> was embarked. At fir&s;t, the Fi&s;her-man who was bu&s;ie about his Ba<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">k, took no notice of them, but rowed as hard as he could: yet when he was as far as the middle of the River, he &s;pyed the crowd of people which followed the Queen, and thought it was the Prince&s;s who was expected to come: So that being much frighted at it, in lieu of rowing on, he would carry <HI>Spitridates</HI> back to the place where he fir&s;t took him in: but that Prince having got a good Cimiter before he embarqued, did draw it, and threatned the man to kill him if he did not row on and carry him quickly to the other &s;ide of the River: So that being extreamly terrified, he rowed with all the &s;trength he had, and got from the &s;ide where <HI>Thomiris</HI> was. But, Madam to make this adventure more extraordinary: The <HI>Queen</HI> chancing to ca&s;t her eyes upon the boat wherin <HI>Spitridates</HI> was when he drew his Cimiter, &s;he was &s;o &s;urprized, and had her i|magination &s;o filled with the fancy of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> as &s;he did ab&s;olutely take <HI>Spitri|dates</HI> to be him, imagining him to have the &s;ame &s;tature and action, and fancying that &s;he &s;aw the very &s;ame features of face though at that di&s;tance: So that her Spi|rits being all Choller and fury, when &s;he &s;aw how this &s;uppo&s;ed <HI>Artamenes</HI> threatned the Fi&s;her-man to kill him, if he did not carry him from her: &s;he both did and &s;ayd &s;uch things as did not become her great Courage and Virtue. Could this ungratefull man know (&s;ayd &s;he aloud) that I intended to arme a hundred thou&s;and men purpo&s;ely for his delivery, and can he threaten a poor Innocent to kill him, rather then &s;ee me? Can&s;t thou endure this <HI>Thomiris?</HI> Can&s;t thou &s;uffer it? Fy, no, no, it cannot be endured, it is too much ba&s;ene&s;s to be &s;uffered. Then would &s;he give a hundred &s;eve|rall and different Commands; one while &s;he commanded to get a boat to go after him, another while being tran&s;ported with the violence of her Pa&s;&s;ion, &s;he would go her&s;elf, another while fearing that a boat could not be had &s;oon enough to overtake him whom &s;he took for <HI>Artamenes;</HI> &s;he commanded her Guard to &s;hoot a Cloud of
<PB N="62" REF="713">
Arrows at the Fi&s;her-man, to make him &s;tay the Bark, not con&s;idering that &s;he was out of di&s;tance for it: then in an in&s;tant after fearing they might kill <HI>Artamenes</HI> in lieu of the Fi&s;her-man, &s;he for bad what before &s;he commanded, and cho&s;e rather to let <HI>Artamenes</HI> live then to be revenged by his death: And all her thoughts were in &s;uch a tumultuous di&s;order, as I am per&s;waded that &s;he her&s;elf knew not what they were.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince tho&s;e that went after this &s;uppo&s;ed <HI>Artamenes,</HI> not being able to overtake him, it vexed her to &s;ee him in the boat, to &s;ee him land, to &s;ee him take hor&s;e, and at la&s;t to loo&s;e the &s;ight of him. This adventure did &s;o much incen&s;e her, that he who helped <HI>Spitridates</HI> to e&s;cape, was forced to provide for his own &s;afe|ty, becau&s;e there was &s;ome &s;u&s;pition of the truth: &s;o that he followed <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and afterwards meeting with him at <HI>Colchides,</HI> he acquainted him with all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, and how <HI>Thomiris</HI> employed &s;everall men to pur&s;ue him, and how the <HI>Queen</HI> was &s;o extreamly greived at this adventure as &s;he fell in a &s;ickne&s;s, as all Phy&s;itians did &s;ay it would be long before &s;he recovered. <HI>Spitridates</HI> being &s;o fortunate as to meet acci|dentally with his Page, he was well able to recompence his deliverer, if he had been of an humour to enrich him&s;elf. But this virtuous <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettan</HI> being declared Enemy unto all Riches, was contented to &s;acrifice his Fortunes unto the <HI>Queens</HI> Glory, and refu&s;ed the offers of <HI>Spitridates</HI> which was very con&s;iderable, for he had great abun|dance of Jewels in the hands of that faithfull Page. Yet this generous <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettan</HI> would not receive any gift, telling <HI>Spitridates</HI> that he was very well contented to a|dore the Sun which produced all tho&s;e Excellencies without enriching him&s;elf by any of tho&s;e glorious Productions.</P>
<P>In the mean while, <HI>Spitridates</HI> thought upon nothing &s;o much as <HI>Araminta,</HI> and en|quired of her as much as he could, but meeting with nothing but uncertainties, he imbarked on the <HI>Euxine</HI> Sea, intending for <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> where he hoped for more certain intelligence: As for his Page, he knew nothing but common talk went &s;he was not at <HI>Artaxates,</HI> nor the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> neither: but that on the contrary you, Madam, was there, and that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> brought the War thither, under the Command of the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who was known to be <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Spitridates</HI> then being imbarked in a Merchants Ship, was &s;o unfortunate in his Na|vigation, and had the winds &s;o contrary, that after the Tempe&s;t had to&s;&s;ed him from Point to Point, and &s;ide to &s;ide, not being able to land any where, he was at la&s;t dri|ven to the <HI>Meotidan</HI> Lake, where he &s;uffered Shipwrack, and that in &s;uch a &s;ad man|ner, as the Ship, the Merchandize, all the men, except him&s;elf and five or &s;ix more did lamentably peri&s;h. This &s;ad Accident had not grieved <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;o much, if it had hapned upon the Coa&s;ts of <HI>Capadocia,</HI> or any place where he might inquire of <HI>A|raminta:</HI> but being ca&s;t upon a place &s;o far di&s;tant from the place where his bu&s;ine&s;s lay, it grieved him extreamly: Not that the <HI>Euxine</HI> Sea was &s;o va&s;t but that it might be pa&s;&s;ed over in few dayes with a favourable wind. But it was not &s;o ea&s;ie a matter for him to do it, being without Ship, without acquaintance, and al&s;o without his Je|wels, &s;ince his Page peri&s;hed, and with him, all he had.</P>
<P>Moreover &s;ince all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> was in Armes, Comerce failed, and the Inhabitants upon the <HI>Meotidan</HI> Lake, &s;ent out no Ships; In&s;omuch that the unfortunate <HI>Spitridates</HI> was forced to go by Land unto the place where he intended, having only as many Jewels as would buy him a hor&s;e and bear his charges alone without any train. But, Madam, the way was &s;o long, and he met with &s;o many rubs in it, that when he got into <HI>Paphlagonia,</HI> the <HI>Armenian</HI> War was ended: Tis very true, as you know, Ma|dam, very well, that it did not continue long: but the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> was upon the Frontiers of <HI>Lidia,</HI> when <HI>Spitridates</HI> after &s;o long and tedious Journy, arrived in <HI>Paphlagonia:</HI> But when to his mi&s;ery, he heard by the publick voge of the people (who &s;eldom know, or talk any other thing but untruths, e&s;pecially in State matters.) When he under&s;tood (I &s;ay) that for a conclu&s;ion of the publick Peace, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was to marry you, Madam, and that the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> was to marry <HI>Ara|minta;</HI> at fir&s;t, he gave no credit unto it, but afterwards meeting with a Souldier who was returning into his own Country enriched with Plunder, which he had got in the <HI>Armenian</HI> War, he under&s;tood by him how civill the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> was unto that Prince&s;s: &s;o that though this Souldier did not tell him that you, Madam, were to marry the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> nor that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was to marry <HI>Araminta,</HI> yet he did both be|leive
<PB N="63" REF="713">
what this Souldier &s;ayd, and what the <HI>Paphlagonian</HI> people &s;ayd al&s;o: &s;o that &s;orrows &s;ei&s;ing upon all his faculties, one could not be in a more mi&s;erable conditi|on then he was. His adventure upon the River <HI>Araxes</HI> was an addition to his mi&s;e|ry; For &s;ayd he, &s;ince the greate&s;t <HI>Queen</HI> in the world was not able to re&s;i&s;t the Charmes of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> though then &s;he did know him to be the Son of a King, and &s;ince &s;he loved him without being loved, how &s;hould <HI>Araminta</HI> re&s;i&s;t her? &s;ince the Conqueror of all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> is &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive at her feet. After this, Madam, as Lovers do al|wayes think that none can look upon the per&s;ons they love, but mu&s;t love them al&s;o; So <HI>Spitridates</HI> was &s;o unju&s;t as to doubt the fidelity of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> &s;o that his Soul being full of intollerable Torments, there was no violent Re&s;olution which he had not a mind to execute. One while he would go unto the Army of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and ask him in the mid&s;t of all his Troops, whether he were his Rivall; and another while, he would go unto <HI>Araminta</HI> her&s;elf, and know from her own mouth, whether &s;he were culpa|ble or innocent: but his greate&s;t care was to pa&s;s unknown through the Army of <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> by rea&s;on of his prodigious re&s;emblance.</P>
<P>As he was in all the&s;e uncertainties and re&s;tle&s;s thoughts, he accidentally met with a man of Quality called <HI>Democlides,</HI> whom he left with the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> when he parted from her in <HI>Armenia;</HI> and when that Prince &s;ent to enquire of the King her Brother, when &s;he was kept a Pri&s;oner at <HI>Artaxates.</HI></P>
<P>This meeting was a great con&s;olation to him; but the wor&s;t was, <HI>Democlides</HI> pitty|ing to &s;ee &s;o great a Prince in &s;uch a mi&s;erable condition, would needs per&s;wade him to return unto the King his Father: And the more to induce him unto it, he &s;eemed to beleeve &s;ome truth in the&s;e reports, though really he gave no credit at all unto them: And further, <HI>Democlides</HI> thought it expedient to acquaint the Prince&s;s of <HI>By|thinia</HI> with the place where the Prince her Brother was, to the end &s;he might advi&s;e upon the be&s;t expedients to render him le&s;&s;e mi&s;erable: And he had a fitter occa&s;ion for it then he thought of: For &s;ince <HI>Spitridates</HI> was in a condition to attempt any thing, he re&s;olved to &s;end &s;ecretly unto the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter, to put him into &s;ome equipage, either to perform his re&s;olution of going into the Army of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> or to take the part of the <HI>Lydian</HI> King, if he found any certainties of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his being a Ri|vall: But yet he would not upon any terms let the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> know the place where he was, and therefore he expre&s;ly charged the &s;ervant of <HI>Democlides</HI> whom he &s;ent unto her, to acquaint her: But <HI>Democrites</HI> writing unto her from him&s;elfe, did intimate the truth of all things in his Letter.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Spitridates</HI> and <HI>Democlides</HI> remained in their Lodgings, which was in a Village not far from a Forre&s;t, where they u&s;ed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o walk and take the Ayre every day in expectation of his return whom they had &s;ent unto the Prince&s;s: For &s;ince there is only a Nook of <HI>Galatia</HI> betwixt <HI>Paphlagonia</HI> and <HI>Bythinia</HI> where <HI>Ar&s;a|mones</HI> was, his journey was not long. But Madam, not to repeat what you know al|ready; one day, as they were walking in the Forre&s;t they were &s;et upon by certain Robbers, and were re&s;cued by the valiant <HI>Anaxanis,</HI> who left <HI>Spitridates</HI> much woun|ded, not knowing who he was; for <HI>Democlides</HI> whom <HI>Anaxaris</HI> took to be the &s;ervant of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> would not tell him.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, the &s;ervant of <HI>Democlides</HI> coming unto a <HI>Chalcedonian</HI> Port, he was there &s;topped to know who he was, from whence he came, and whether he was going; for Madam, you mu&s;t know, that though <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was quiet enough in his Dominions, yet he was as wary as if he feared every thing: holding this maxime that a conquering Prince ought not alwayes to tru&s;t unto the fidelity of new Subjects: &s;o that a Guard was kept at <HI>Chalcedonia,</HI> as &s;trictly as in times of War. So that the &s;er|vant of <HI>Democlides</HI> having an&s;wered &s;omething &s;u&s;pitiou&s;ly, and being upon exami|nation trapped, he was &s;tayed to be farther examined: But what needed further? An Officer belonging to <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> knew him to be the &s;ervant of <HI>Democlides,</HI> who was well known to go from <HI>Cabyria</HI> with <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and thought that happily he knew where he was, and therefore he would adverti&s;e <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> of it: And brought this man before him, who did &s;o terrifie this more weake then wicked wretch, as he gave them the letter of <HI>Spitridates</HI> unto the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter, and likewi&s;e <HI>Democli|des</HI> to the &s;ame Prince&s;s; &s;o that knowing by this la&s;t Letter where <HI>Spitridates</HI> was, he was committed unto clo&s;e Guard, keeping the bu&s;ine&s;s clo&s;e from every one but &s;uch as were to execute his intended cour&s;e, &s;o as no <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> of it was in all the Court.</P>
<P><PB N="64" REF="714">
In the mean while, <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> made choi&s;e of a faithfull fellow, and gave him twenty for his guard, to go unto the place where <HI>Spitridates</HI> was, giving him al&s;o the &s;ervant of <HI>Democlides</HI> with orders notwith&s;tanding to guard him &s;afely lea&s;t he &s;hould e&s;cape and acquaint his Ma&s;ter. But to the end that his commands of &s;ecuring the per&s;on of <HI>Spitridates</HI> might be more punctually executed, he told the man who was to execute this great de&s;ign, that he did not de&s;ire to have <HI>Spitridates</HI> in his power, but only to force happine&s;&s;e upon him: &s;o that this man, thinking that his tran&s;acti|on was as well for the good of <HI>Spitridates</HI> as <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> did prote&s;t unto him, that he would not hearken unto any Prayers, Promi&s;es, or Threats, which the Prince his Son &s;hould make, but would infallibly bring him. After this, <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> commanded him that when he did bring the Prince his Son, not to enter into any Town, but to &s;tay a dayes journy from <HI>Heraclea,</HI> and give notice how all things &s;tood. But, Ma|dam, without more particulars, be plea&s;ed to know, that this man came to the place where <HI>Spitridates</HI> was, and &s;eized upon him, which was ea&s;ie to be done; for he found him in bed, not cured of his wounds, though out of all danger. Moreover the place was far from Towns; And &s;ince the Prince of <HI>Paphlagonia</HI> was then in the Army of <HI>Cyrus, Spitridates</HI> knew not of whom he &s;hould ask protection? But to make the matter more ea&s;ie, <HI>Democlides</HI> being per&s;waded that this Prince would not be &s;o mi|&s;erable in his own Country as where he was, and advi&s;ed him to &s;ubmit unto the force without murmure again&s;t the King his Father, &s;ince he was not able to re&s;i&s;t: Yet <HI>Spitridates</HI> did not yeild before he had employed all his rhetorick to per&s;wade the man to let him go at liberty: but at la&s;t &s;eeing he could not move him, neither by hopes of recompence, nor by any threats, he re&s;olved to go along with him, not being able to re&s;i&s;t twenty men, who at fir&s;t di&s;armed both him and <HI>Democlides,</HI> &s;ince <HI>Spitridates</HI> was very weak, they were forced to put him into a Coach: &s;o, as though this Prince was as violent as any that ever loved, yet it was an ea&s;ie matter to carry him. And he came within a dayes journy of <HI>Heraclea</HI> without any ob&s;tacle: And the man who commanded the Guard &s;ent to acquaint <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> with what he had done: So that this violent Prince commanded him to bring <HI>Spitridates</HI> unto <HI>Heraclea</HI> in the night time, lea&s;t the people &s;hould grumble, and &s;ent more Souldiers that way <HI>Spitridates</HI> was to come, that his Guard might be the &s;tronger; And the bu&s;ine&s;s was di&s;patched with &s;o much &s;ecre&s;ie, that no reports of it were &s;pread abroad: But &s;ince the Policy of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was &s;omthing &s;evere to puni&s;h many, lea&s;t all &s;hould become Delin|quents: Pri&s;oners were &s;o ordinary, that it was no wonder to hear talk that &s;ome were brought in the night into <HI>Heraclea.</HI> In &s;omuch that the Prince&s;s <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> knew nothing of <HI>Spitridates</HI> his impri&s;onment, no more then the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> or the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina:</HI> For indeed, Madam, the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> was put into a Tower by the Sea-&s;ide, with a &s;trong Guard; and <HI>Democlides</HI> was al&s;o his Companion, though he did earne&s;tly per&s;wade him to go unto <HI>Heraclea</HI> without re|&s;i&s;tance.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> commanded that this Prince &s;hould be very carefully looked unto: but &s;o very few did &s;ee him, and tho&s;e that did were &s;o faithfull to the King of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> that for &s;ome dayes <HI>Spitridates</HI> was never thought of. But <HI>Ar&s;a|mones</HI> going one morning to this Tower where <HI>Spitridates</HI> was, and not returning of two hours after, did move &s;ome &s;u&s;pition of &s;ome extraordinary Pri&s;oners; for he re|turned out with &s;o many &s;igns of fury in his face, as tho&s;e who waited upon him at the foot of the Tower, did ea&s;ily ob&s;erve it and divulge it, &s;o as it was conjectured, that the&s;e Pri&s;oners were &s;ome of great importance, but they knew no more: And <HI>Ater|gatis</HI> and <HI>I&s;trina</HI> did not know how much they were concern'd in the Conference be|tween <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> and <HI>Spitridates:</HI> For, Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> did not only move <HI>Spitridates</HI> to ca&s;t of all thoughts of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> but propounded a marriage with <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> not doubting but that Prince&s;s would willingly be <HI>Queen</HI> of two Kingdoms, and ca&s;t off <HI>Atergatis,</HI> whom he knew <HI>Gadates</HI> would not have her to marry. But &s;ince nothing could &s;hake the affection of <HI>Spitridates</HI> unto <HI>Araminta,</HI> he rejected the Propo&s;ition which <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> made. How <HI>Spitridates</HI> (&s;ayd <HI>Ar&s;amones)</HI> can you be &s;o fooli&s;h as to renounce the two Kingdoms of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Bythinia</HI> which I have Conquered, rather then renounce the Daughter of a U&s;urper, and the Si&s;ter of a Prince who hates you, and would heretofore have <HI>Araminta</HI> pre|ferred <HI>Pharnaces</HI> before you? Con&s;ider <HI>Spitridates,</HI> con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly what the va|lue
<PB N="65" REF="714">
of two Kingdoms, which now you may either gain or loo&s;e, by obeying or di&s;o|beying me. I have to&s;&s;ed and toyled above this twenty years to &s;et you upon a Throne; It hath co&s;t the life of the Prince your Brother, and twenty thou&s;and more who have all peri&s;hed to break tho&s;e Chains which fettered you, and to &s;et the Crown upon yout head: And will you rather love a Slave, and be a Slave your &s;elf then en|joy the fruits of all my Victories? For to think, that I will ever &s;uffer <HI>Araminta</HI> to be <HI>Queen</HI> of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Bythinia,</HI> is a thing which I hate to hear of: For be&s;ides my re&s;entments of hatred, revenge, and glory al&s;o, which will not let me con&s;ent unto it; even Policy only will not allow me to give a new title unto my Enemies, by this alli|ance. I know very well that <HI>Araminta</HI> is fair, witty, of much Spirit and Virtue, but &s;ince &s;he is Daughter and Si&s;ter to my Enemies and Ruinors of my hou&s;e: you mu&s;t <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> either think no more upon her, or el&s;e think your &s;elf my Enemy; She whom I motion unto you is as fair and virtuous as <HI>Araminta</HI> can be. Moreover, &s;he is the Daughter and Si&s;ter of a Prince who wi&s;heth my Glory and Si&s;ter unto another, who hath helped me to that Throne upon which I would &s;et you: Yet all the&s;e powerfull arguments could not &s;tagger the con&s;tancy of <HI>Spitridates:</HI> and as I told you before, he rejected the motion of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> with incredible re&s;olution though his mind at that time was much incen&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Araminta.</HI> However <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> did not quite di&s;pair of changing his mind, but re&s;olved upon three things. The fir&s;t to acquaint that Prince with the meeting of <HI>Araminta</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> by the permittance of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> The &s;econd, to acquaint him with all tho&s;e reports of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his love to <HI>Ara|minta,</HI> thongh he knew them to be all fal&s;e: And the third, that when he had enfu&s;ed jealous apprehen&s;ions into his fancy, to acquaint the <HI>Queen Arbiana</HI> with the impri|&s;onment of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> that &s;he might go to &s;ee him, and carry <HI>I&s;trina</HI> with her, ho|ping that the beauty of the Prince&s;s would &s;ooner change his thoughts from <HI>Aramin|ta,</HI> then all his per&s;wa&s;ions and policy. And indeed, Madam, in order to the&s;e Re&s;o|lutions, he did infu&s;e &s;uch jealous apprehen&s;ions into the heart of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as this Prince could not enjoy one minutes re&s;t, and his Soul was &s;o &s;unck in &s;orrows, that having found a way how to write to the Prince <HI>Araminta,</HI> he would not make u&s;e of that way to let the Prince&s;s her Si&s;ter know of his impri&s;onment.</P>
<P>But as the fir&s;t de&s;ign of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> did hit, &s;o his &s;econd did not; as I &s;hall pre|&s;ently tell you. However, &s;ince the day that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was with <HI>Spitridates,</HI> he came out from him much moved, every one was inqui&s;itive of the true cau&s;e, but could not find it out: Yet at la&s;t <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> hearing that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was much di&s;|quieted, and knowing by &s;ome of the Guard that he made continuall complaints a|gain&s;t the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> when he talked with <HI>Democlides,</HI> he thought it time to let him &s;ee the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina:</HI> So that acquainting <HI>Arbiana</HI> with the impri&s;onment of the Prince her Son, he permitted her to &s;ee him, and to carry with her the Prince&s;s her Daughter and <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> upon the condition, that they u&s;e all their endeavours to di&s;&s;wade him from his ob&s;tinate thoughts of marrying <HI>Araminta.</HI> But he did not ac|quaint them with the propo&s;ition he had made unto <HI>Spitridates</HI> concerning <HI>I&s;trina.</HI> Since <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was terrible unto all that knew him; <HI>Arbiana</HI> and both the Prince&s;e&s;s did promi&s;e what he de&s;ired, purpo&s;ely to &s;ee this illu&s;trious Pri&s;oner; &s;o that they were conducted thither the &s;ame day. You may ea&s;ily think, Madam, that <HI>Arbiana</HI> and the Prince&s;s her Daughter, could not &s;ee <HI>Spitridates</HI> in Pri&s;on without extream &s;orrow: And on the other &s;ide, that Prince could not &s;ee them without &s;ome con&s;o|lation, though his heart was full of grief. As for <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> it did exceedingly pitty her heart to &s;ee this Prince in that condition: But for his part, though he did much e&s;teem her when he la&s;t &s;aw her at <HI>Heraclea</HI> before he went to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> yet he was very &s;or|ry to &s;ee her now, becau&s;e he thought &s;he was acquainted with the motion of <HI>Ar&s;a|mones,</HI> and did interpret all her obliging expre&s;&s;ions as a premeditated de&s;ign to ren|der him perfidious and to drive <HI>Araminta</HI> from his heart: So that looking upon her almo&s;t as an Enemy, which came to a&s;&s;ault him by open force, he had much ado to hide the turbulency of his &s;pirits. Furthermore, &s;ince <HI>Arbiana</HI> had promi&s;ed to di&s;|&s;wade him as much as &s;he could from his thoughts of <HI>Araminta,</HI> and indeed did wi&s;h it; &s;he would &s;ay &s;omthing with as much &s;weetne&s;s and prudence as &s;he could, which might per&s;wade him, that con&s;tancy is a virtue which ought to have its Limits as other virtues have; and that when one was re&s;olute upon a thing impo&s;&s;ible, it was rather wilfulne&s;s then con&s;tancy, and therfore &s;he conjured him to con&s;ider very &s;eriou&s;ly
<PB N="66" REF="715">
whether his re&s;olute denyall of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> was of &s;uch a Nature as would merit the name of a Virtue. <HI>Spitridates</HI> hearing <HI>Arbiana</HI> &s;peak thus, was much moved, and mo&s;t humbly be&s;eeched her not to loaden him with new puni&s;hments by forcing him to re&s;i&s;t her will, as he had the King his Fathers: For truly, Madam (&s;ayd he unto her) I am &s;o fully re&s;olved never to for&s;ake <HI>Araminta,</HI> as I &s;hall not only be a Rebell unto the Kings will and yours, but I mu&s;t declare al&s;o that if I could get out of this Pri&s;on, I &s;hould imploy my liberty only in going unto that Prince&s;s, though the Con|querour of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> &s;hould love her, as they would per&s;wade me he doth: For the truth is, I cannot live without her. It is enough that the King hath driven the King her Bro|ther out of his Kingdom, without de&s;iring to drive her out of my heart: Therfore, Madam, I be&s;eech your Maje&s;ty to beleive, that though the King would re&s;ign up all his regall Authority, and &s;et me upon the Throne to morrow, yet I would not accept of it, unle&s;s upon condition that the fir&s;t act of my Raign might be to Crown <HI>Ara|minta Queen.</HI> Therfore, Madam, all that I am able to do, is to be&s;eech you, that you be plea&s;ed to per&s;wade the King, and per&s;wade your &s;elf, how extreamly greived I am, that Fortune and Love &s;hould drive me to a fatall nece&s;&s;ity of di&s;obeying him, and denying you. <HI>Spitridates</HI> did pronounce the&s;e words in &s;uch feeling manner, as the hearts of <HI>Arbiana</HI> and the Prince&s;e&s;s did even melt at the hearing them. But &s;ince they knew very well, that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would not have permitted this Vi&s;ite, but in hopes of per&s;wading him the Prince&s;e&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> told <HI>Spitridates,</HI> that he mu&s;t give them leave to tell <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> how they had &s;poke unto him according to his de&s;ires: With all my heart, Si&s;ter, replyed he, provided &s;till you tell him that I am not changed in my mind, nor ever will. After this their di&s;cour&s;e changed &s;ubject, and <HI>Spitridates</HI> asked how the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> did and earne&s;tly de&s;ired to &s;ee him, adding that his Soul had &s;omthing which he longed to impart unto him, <HI>I&s;trina</HI> hearing this, a&s;&s;ured him that there was &s;uch a dear Core&s;pondency between the Prince her brother and her&s;elf, that he might tru&s;t her with any thing he de&s;ired to impart unto him; and therfore being uncertain whether <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would let <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;ee him, &s;he would willingly do him that Office. That which I would impart unto the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> replyed he, (and a little changed Countenance) is of &s;uch a nature as I cannot well impart it unto you: All I can &s;ay, is to be&s;eech you by the <HI>Queens</HI> leave, if &s;o it chance, that one of the mo&s;t excellent per&s;ons in the world do complain of me in his pre&s;ence, to tell him that I am not culpable, and that I think my misfortune to &s;eem as if I did not e&s;teem her (though really I do infinitely) to be one of the greate&s;t which ever hapned. Since <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was unacquainted with the motion which <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> made unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;he under&s;tood him not: but for his part, he being per&s;waded that &s;he was acquainted with it, did think the lea&s;t he could do, was to put her off hand&s;omly. But as <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was ignorant of it, &s;o was <HI>Arbiana</HI> and the Prin|ce&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> al&s;o: yet <HI>I&s;trina</HI> promi&s;ed to tell the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> what he de|&s;ired. On the other &s;ide <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who fain would, but dur&s;t not ask the <HI>Queen</HI> his Mother what he &s;hould think of <HI>Araminta,</HI> he had much wavering in his re&s;olution: but at la&s;t, being prompted by &s;ome &s;ugge&s;tions of jealou&s;ie, he asked her &s;ome indi|rect Que&s;tions concerning her; And &s;ince the <HI>Queen</HI> imagined that the more faithfull he beleived <HI>Araminta,</HI> the more ob&s;tinat he would be, &s;he only told him what reports were, and not what &s;he thought: After which <HI>Arbiana</HI> and the Prince&s;e&s;s retired. In their return to the Palace, to gain more time they re&s;olved not to do as <HI>Spitridates</HI> would have them; but on the contrary, to keep <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> in hopes as long as they could.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> who was ha&s;ty and violent in all his actions, had &s;ent for <HI>Intaphernes</HI> whil&s;t they were with <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and di&s;covered unto him his inten|tions of marrying the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter unto the Prince his Son. You may imagine, Madam, that &s;uch a re&s;olution did much &s;urprize and perplex <HI>Intaphernes:</HI> For his love to the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> required one thing, and his Friend&s;hip to <HI>Atergatis</HI> required another: Al&s;o knowing how far the heart of <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was engaged, he did not think it po&s;&s;ible for him, though he &s;hould ca&s;t of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> to per&s;wade her from him. Moreover, he thought that the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> would not obey <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and quit his pretentions unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> yet he knew that if he did directly oppo&s;e <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> he &s;hould indanger to incen&s;e him highly, and to be bani&s;hed the Court; So that taking a middle cour&s;e, betwixt con|fe&s;&s;ing and denying what he de&s;ired, he told him, that his motion was very glorious for the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter: but &s;ince it re&s;ted ab&s;olutely upon <HI>Gadates</HI> and not at all
<PB N="67" REF="715">
upon him, he thought him&s;elf obliged to tell him, that he beleived, <HI>Gadates</HI> would ne|ver con&s;ent unto <HI>I&s;trinas</HI> marriage, as long as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was unmarried: Al&s;o it was not likely, that he being on the Part with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he will give his Daugh|ter unto a Prince who cannot marry her, unle&s;s he for&s;ake the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> doth highly protect. After this <HI>Intaphernes</HI> did &s;weeten the matter with a thou&s;and obliging expre&s;&s;ions, which though ju&s;t and rea&s;onable, yet they di&s;po|&s;ed <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> unto anger. If the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> replyed he, were in the Camp of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> perhaps the Prince your Father might refu&s;e the motion; But &s;ince &s;he is at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> perhaps he will be wi&s;er, then to prefer the uncertain hopes of marrying her unto a King without a Kingdome, before the certainty of marrying her unto a Prince who is &s;ure of two. Therfore all I de&s;ire of you, is, that you di&s;po&s;e the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> to help me to drive <HI>Araminta</HI> out of <HI>Spitridates</HI> his mind, &s;ince &s;he is better able to do it than any I know, having all perfections which may move him to obey me and love her.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> not giving <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;o much lea&s;ure as to reply, did leave him and left him in a great perplexity. However, after he had &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idered upon the matter, &s;ince love was &s;tronger in him then any other thought, he re&s;olved to &s;peak un|to the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythina,</HI> before he talked unto <HI>I&s;trinia</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> of the new per|&s;ecutions which were like to fall upon them: And accordingly without more delay, he went unto her, and ea&s;ily found a fit opportunity of talking with her, &s;ince there were no &s;uch bu&s;ie Ladies at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> as <HI>Beri&s;a</HI> was, to hinder him: But he had the freedom to talk what he would, and acquainted her with the Propo&s;ition which the King her Father made unto him, asking her how &s;he would have him do in the bu&s;i|ne&s;s? Conjuring her, that as &s;he was full of goodne&s;s and wi&s;dom, &s;o, that &s;he would con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly upon the &s;everall Intere&s;ts of the Prince <HI>Spitridates,</HI> of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> of <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and of him&s;elf, and de&s;iring her to examine very carefully, whether &s;he her|&s;elf had any Intere&s;t in it. I have &s;o much, replyed the Prince&s;s, that (as I conceive) none can have more then I have: for loving the Prince my brother &s;o tenderly as I do, and having promi&s;ed an unviolable fidelity unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta;</HI> Cer|tainly it is my duty to endeavour all po&s;&s;ible waies that nothing &s;hould &s;eparate them: So that though I had no other motive but this, I &s;hould as much as I was able oppo&s;e the mind of the King my Father; Judge al&s;o what I ought to do, knowing his de&s;ign of troubling the felicity of the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> and <HI>Atergatis.</HI> But, Madam, replyed <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> I do not hear you mention any Intere&s;t that I have in this perver&s;e re&s;o|lution: Since I do not mention my own (replyed the Prince&s;s) you ought not to be offended at it; yet I think it would not be ami&s;s, replyed he, if you would be plea&s;ed to con&s;ider, that if I &s;hould earne&s;tly oppo&s;e the King, perhaps he would bani&s;h me his Court, and perhaps al&s;o bani&s;h me out of your memory (and if I dur&s;t &s;ay it) your heart. As the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> was going to an&s;wer, the Prince&s;s <HI>Istrina</HI> came un|to her Chamber with <HI>Atergatis:</HI> &s;o that having no time to tell <HI>Intaphernes</HI> what &s;he thought, the di&s;cour&s;e began more quietly then it ended; for <HI>Atergatis</HI> and the Prin|ce&s;s were &s;o &s;urprized at the intentions of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> that they were not able to &s;peak. At fir&s;t, <HI>Atergatis</HI> looked upon <HI>I&s;trina</HI> as if he would look into her thoughts: pre|&s;ently after he looked upon <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> as if his looks begged his protection: and pre&s;ently after he looked in the eyes of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prince&s;s, to &s;ee whether &s;he ap|proved of the King her Fathers de&s;ign. And la&s;tly, he con&s;idered with him&s;elf for a remedy again&s;t all the&s;e mi&s;eries. On the other &s;ide, <HI>I&s;trina</HI> looked upon <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;o earne&s;tly, that &s;he did penitrate into the very bottom of his heart, and knew how this troubled him. The Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> for her part, did love <HI>Intaphernes</HI> too well to have him bani&s;hed, and did ca&s;t about for &s;ome expedient which might keep <HI>Spitridates</HI> from incen&s;ing <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> again&s;t him, and yet not prejudice any party. But after each of them in particular had con&s;idered on the bu&s;ine&s;s, and after they had long talked of it in generall, they began by degrees to talke in particular: <HI>Intapher|nes</HI> whi&s;pered with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia;</HI> and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> with <HI>I&s;trina.</HI> You &s;ee, Ma|dam, (&s;ayd the la&s;t of the&s;e unto his adored Prince&s;s) that Fortune doth Court you with Crowns in all places, and poor I, am de&s;tined to Petition again&s;t your Grandure: But I mo&s;t humbly beg of you, Madam, to be no more unju&s;t unto me at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> then you were at <HI>Babylon;</HI> and give me leave to wi&s;h as zealou&s;ly that the intentions of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> may thrive no better then tho&s;e of <HI>Nitocris.</HI> I am &s;o far from contradicting
<PB N="68" REF="716">
your wi&s;hes, replyed <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> that I a&s;&s;ure you Sir, I will add mine unto yours. Not but that I do as highly e&s;teem the Prince <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as I &s;corn the unju&s;t Prince who &s;lighted me; but my rea&s;on is&mdash;Oh I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid <HI>Atergatis,</HI> and interrupted her) give me no rea&s;ons which concern me not; but let me have the hap|pine&s;&s;e to believe, that if the po&s;&s;es&s;ion of two Kingdoms be indifferent unto you, it is becau&s;e the poor <HI>Atergatis</HI> is not altogether indifferent in your thoughts. There is no neces&s;ity, replyed &s;he, that I &s;hould explain my &s;elf as you would have me; for the &s;ecrets of ones heart are not to be di&s;covered; and there is a &s;ort of thoughts never to be known, and but only ghe&s;&s;ed at: Then Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I be|&s;eech you give me leave to ghe&s;&s;e at yours to be as I de&s;ire them: I give you leave (&s;aid &s;he, and blu&s;hed) to think all you can for your own advantage, provided they be not di&s;advantageous unto me. However I pray con&s;ider the cro&s;ne&s;&s;e of my Fate: may it not very well be &s;ayd, that fortune takes a delight to per&s;ecute me by the very &s;ame things which u&s;e to be the felicity of others? And &s;o was the de&s;tiny of the Prince my Father, who when he was at the very point of being a King, was for ever bani&s;h|ed the Court by the very &s;ame Prince&s;s who would have had him Reign: I was once looked upon as one that was to be a Queen, though the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> looked upon me as a &s;lave; yet after I had rooted all ambitious thoughts out of my heart, they tell me again of Kingdoms and Crowns only to torment me, and hinder me from Reigning over my &s;elfe. But &s;ince I do not owe &s;o much re&s;pect unto <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> as I did unto <HI>Nitocris,</HI> I &s;hall deny him with more force then he imagines, provided the Prince my Father does not take his part. Oh Madam, &s;aid <HI>Atergatis,</HI> what cruell words do you pronounce, after &s;o many favourable ones? <HI>Atergatis</HI> &s;poke this &s;o loud, that the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> heard him, &amp; asked what Inju&s;tice <HI>I&s;trina</HI> did him? &s;o that the Conference became generall againe, and they con&s;ulted together what was be&s;t to be done: yet they could not all agree upon the be&s;t Expedient; for when <HI>Intaphernes</HI> for the intere&s;t of his love, &s;aid that he ought not po&s;itively to oppo&s;e <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> becau&s;e he knew that <HI>Gadates</HI> would oppo&s;e it al&s;o, <HI>Atergatis</HI> did not think that advice good: but on the contrary he &s;aid, to draw the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> unto his opinion, that it did extreamly concern the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> for <HI>Intapher|nes</HI> to let <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;ee that his de&s;ign was impo&s;&s;ible, to the end he might let that Prince be at quiet in his Pri&s;on, though he would not relea&s;e him.</P>
<P>He had no &s;ooner &s;poke this, but <HI>Intaphernes</HI> did very civilly oppo&s;e the opinion of his friend, and told him that if he &s;hould do &s;o, <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> who had a deep wit, would believe that he oppo&s;ed him only in favour unto the pas&s;ion which he bore un|to the Prince&s;s, his Si&s;ter, and &s;o he might perhaps moove him to bani&s;h them both the Court, and keep <HI>I&s;trina</HI> there.</P>
<P>I doe conceive it mo&s;t fit, &s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> that the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;tri|na</HI> do undertake to oppo&s;e the King my Father, and that &s;he do endeavour to moove <HI>Spitridates</HI> not to oppo&s;e him &s;o much, purpo&s;ely to appea&s;e him, and therefore I conceive it be&s;t for the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> and the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> both, to re&s;i&s;t <HI>Ar|&s;amones</HI> with equall re&s;olutions. For my part, &s;ayd <HI>I&s;trina</HI> then, I am very ready my &s;elfe alone to oppo&s;e the Kings de&s;ign: Yet I am per&s;waded that if all of us did equal|ly oppo&s;e him, our &s;ide would be the &s;tronger: I am affraid Si&s;ter, replyed <HI>Intapher|nes,</HI> that it would be the weaker; for if <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;hould be incen&s;ed again&s;t the Prin|ce&s;s, again&s;t <HI>Spitridates,</HI> again&s;t <HI>Atergatis,</HI> again&s;t you, and again&s;t me, who &s;hall be the Mediator to appea&s;e &s;o great a difference? The rea&s;on of <HI>Intaphernes</HI> making the re&s;t to concurr with his opinion, it was fir&s;t re&s;olved to &s;pinne out the time as long as they could: and if &s;o it hapned that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> did not alter his mind, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;hould then tell him, that the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter prote&s;ted &s;he would rather dye, then marry a Prince who could never be her Husband, unle&s;&s;e he were perfidious unto the mo&s;t victorious Prince&s;s in the world.</P>
<P>This re&s;olution being agreed upon, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> bethought him&s;elf how to temper the mind of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> how to &s;pin out the time, and how to give lei&s;ure unto the fatherly tenderne&s;s and rea&s;on of that Prince to overcome that politique ob&s;tinacy and de&s;ire of revenge, which made him &s;o oppo&s;e the love of <HI>Spitridates</HI> unto <HI>Ara|minta;</HI> and indeed for a while his de&s;ign did take, for &s;ince <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had more hopes in the beauty of <HI>I&s;trina</HI> then any thing el&s;e, to work a change in <HI>Spitridates,</HI> he would not be over-urgent with his &s;on, to the end the fair eyes of that Prince&s;s might have &s;ome time to turn him Infidell.</P>
<P><PB N="69" REF="716">
In the mean while, the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> thinking to adde &s;ome comfort unto the Prince her brother, as well as to &s;atisfie her &s;elfe, &s;he went every day to &s;ee him. But Madam, the mo&s;t ob&s;ervable pa&s;&s;age was, that the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> went thither al&s;o, becau&s;e <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> did not give the Prince&s;s his daughter leave to &s;ee <HI>Spitrida|tes,</HI> unle&s;s the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> went with her: &s;o that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> were not at all the happier: and this order of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> did breed &s;uch a confu&s;ion in a few dayes, that the&s;e five per&s;ons (as wi&s;e and rea&s;onable as they were) there was a kind of divi&s;ion among&s;t them.</P>
<P>The truth is, Madam, <HI>Spitridates</HI> complayned in &s;ecret again&s;t the Prince&s;s of <HI>By|thinia,</HI> for &s;eeming as if &s;he intended to drive <HI>Araminta</HI> out of his heart by bringing the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina</HI> alwayes with her; for &s;ince the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es could not &s;peak unto him without witne&s;&s;e, they could not undeceive him: &s;o that with murmure of heart he accu&s;ed <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> for not being generous enough: <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> for not &s;tanding enough upon her honour: <HI>Atergatis,</HI> for a very bad Lover: And the Prince&s;s his Si|&s;ter for not being con&s;tant to her fir&s;t thoughts, &amp; for not loving <HI>Araminta</HI> enough. As for <HI>Atergatis</HI> he was in a lamentable plight, for he feared that <HI>Spitridates</HI> would turn Infidell to <HI>Araminta</HI> by &s;eeing <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and he feared that <HI>I&s;trina</HI> at the Queens de&s;ire would turn Infidell to him.</P>
<P>Nor was he well &s;atisfied with <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> thinking he might move <HI>I&s;trina</HI> not to accompany the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> when &s;he went to <HI>Spitridates,</HI> murmuring al&s;o again&s;t the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> for receiving vi&s;its from one they would have him mar|ry, and complayning again&s;t the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> who without con&s;ideration either of his ca&s;e or the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta's,</HI> unto whom &s;he had promi&s;ed &s;o much friend&s;hip, did &s;till &s;ee <HI>Spitridates</HI> once every day. But all the&s;e complaints were no|thing in compari&s;on of tho&s;e which he him&s;elf made again&s;t <HI>I&s;trina</HI> for going every day unto a Prince, whom &s;he knew <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would have her marry.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> complained, that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> in behalf of <HI>Atergatis,</HI> had pre&s;&s;ed her more then once to &s;pare &s;ome of her frequent vi&s;its un|to <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and that <HI>I&s;trina</HI> would hardly be drawn to accompany her: Al&s;o &s;he murmured that <HI>Atergatis</HI> &s;hould grumble again&s;t her: But &s;he did more &s;harply re|&s;ent a kind of hollow coldne&s;&s;e which &s;he ob&s;erved in the mind of <HI>Spitridates.</HI></P>
<P>As for <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> &s;he was off the hooks as much as any of the re&s;t; for valuing the &s;a|tisfaction of <HI>Atergatis</HI> very much, &s;he heartily wi&s;hed that the Prince her Brother, by vertue of his ab&s;olute authority over her, would hinder her from accompanying the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> in her vi&s;its to <HI>Spitridates:</HI> But &s;ince he did not &s;o, &s;hee mur|mured again&s;t him, and complained no le&s;&s;e that the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia</HI> &s;hould want that piece of Complacency to her. However, &s;he was very angry that <HI>Aterga|tis</HI> &s;hould find fault with her too often vi&s;its of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and &s;he was al&s;o &s;ome|thing angry to ob&s;erve that the illu&s;trious Pri&s;oner was &s;omething civill towards her. Furthermore, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> thought much at <HI>Atergatis,</HI> knowing his Pa&s;&s;ion to the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> that he &s;hould offer &s;o ob&s;tinately to re&s;i&s;t him. Nor did he take it wel that <HI>I&s;trina</HI> &s;hould accompany that Prince&s;s with &s;o many &s;igns of unwillingnes, though he would not have her break off with <HI>Atergatis.</HI> But he took it much wor&s;e, that the Prince&s;s whom he loved &s;hould not give him any hopes of his happine&s;&s;e in a Conjuncture wherein he thought &s;he might well permit him to make tryall of it by di&s;covering his de&s;ign unto <HI>Ar&s;amones.</HI> Thus the&s;e five illu&s;trious per&s;ons, murmu|ring in &s;ecret without any open Complaints, they knew not what to &s;ay when met together.</P>
<P>In the mean time <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> after he had given &s;o much time as he thought requi|&s;ite for the beauty of <HI>I&s;trina</HI> to work its effects in driving <HI>Araminta</HI> out of his &s;ons heart, he began to &s;peak big like a Prince that would be obeyed: and to declare unto <HI>Arbiana,</HI> unto the Prince&s;s his Daughter, unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and every one to whom he &s;pake, that he was fully re&s;olved to Court <HI>I&s;trina</HI> unto the marriage of <HI>Spitrida|tes,</HI> and that he was re&s;olved to hinder <HI>Spitridates</HI> from marrying <HI>Araminta.</HI> You may judg Madam, how this re&s;olution did perplex all the per&s;ons that were concer|ned in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: Then did the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia, I&s;trina, Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>A|tergatis</HI> being all together, begin to ju&s;tifie them&s;elves by accu&s;ing each other, and laying the misfortune upon every one but them&s;elves: But when this &s;ecret poy&s;on w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h had lurked in their hearts, &amp; cau&s;ed many a throb, did begin to evaporate by com|plaints,
<PB N="70" REF="717">
they began to take fre&s;h comfort. At fir&s;t, they vented their Complaints tu|multuou&s;ly and in much confu&s;ion, but by degrees collecting their thoughts into &s;ome order, they did all ju&s;tifie them&s;elves; and their pa&s;&s;ions teaching them to excu&s;e the pa&s;&s;ions of others, they made a Peace, and accu&s;ed only them&s;elves for this &s;ecret &s;chi&s;|me which was like to have &s;poyled their whole bu&s;ine&s;s: So that e&s;teem, Love, and friend&s;hip a&s;&s;uming place in their hearts without any anger, &s;pight, and a mi&s;cellany of many other tumultuous thoughts, they began to complayn of their own mi&s;eries, &amp; not of one anothers. But though this &s;eemed to be &s;olidly made, yet <HI>Atergatis</HI> who&s;e love was very violent, he could not hope for any &s;atisfaction of it, untill he had found out a way to make the de&s;ign of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> impo&s;&s;ible. Though the&s;e per&s;ons had infinite &s;pirits &amp; wit in abundance, yet they were extreamly puzled. For, &s;ayd the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> though it &s;hould be po&s;&s;ible to murder the pa&s;&s;ion of the Prince my Brother, yet I &s;hould never con&s;ent unto it: and though I believe his liberty would be his Exile, perhaps co&s;t him his life, at lea&s;t be very long, yet I wi&s;h he had it. It is the only remedy replyed <HI>Atergatis,</HI> which can be found to comfort this illu|&s;trious Prince, and perhaps to force <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> unto a ce&s;&s;ation of his per&s;ecutions; for truly Madam, what comfort can you take to &s;ee the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> loaden with fetters, and to &s;ee him perpetually tormented by the King your Father? Though its true, replyed &s;he, that it would be more advantageons for the Prince my Brother to wander like a fugitive, then to continue a Pri&s;oner; yet there is a &s;trong rea&s;on which forbids me to procure his liberty if I could: For &s;ince the King my Father, du|ring the exile of the Prince my Brother, would declare me <HI>Queen,</HI> I ought not to ex|po&s;e my &s;elfe unto any &s;u&s;pition of &s;uch unju&s;t ambition.</P>
<P>Oh Madam (&s;ayd <HI>I&s;trina)</HI> your genero&s;ity is too &s;crupulous: How can the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> ever &s;u&s;pect you of any thoughts to reign in his prejudice? you I &s;ay, who&s;e &s;oule is &s;o high, &s;o noble, and &s;o di&s;intere&s;ted? and who is capable of no fur|ther ambition, but to render your &s;elfe worthy of more e&s;teem then ever any had? Whil&s;t <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was talking thus, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> hardly hearing what &s;he &s;aid, con&s;ulted with him&s;elf, whether the liberty of <HI>Spitridates</HI> would be advantageous to him or no; and after a &s;erious debate with him&s;elf he concluded, that as long as <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had any thoughts of di&s;inheriting <HI>Spitridates,</HI> he could never pretend unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia:</HI> &s;o that mea&s;uring the intere&s;t of that Prince by his own, he thought it bet|ter for him that he continued &s;till a pri&s;oner, then to wander over the world as he did during his exile. So that concurring with the opinion of the Bythinian Prince&s;s, and <HI>I&s;trina</HI> not daring to contradict them, <HI>Atergatis</HI> ws &s;ingular in his opinion, and con|&s;equently did &s;ubmit in appearance. However he was per&s;waded that the violence of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would reach further then they imagined, and that there was no other re|medy neither for <HI>Spitridates</HI> nor him&s;elfe, then that which he had propounded: And he intended to try if there was any po&s;&s;ible wayes to &s;et that Prince at liberty, and put it in execution when he thought be&s;t.</P>
<P>But whiles the&s;e four were thus rea&s;oning with them&s;elves, <HI>Spitridates</HI> having re|ceived no an&s;wer from <HI>Araminta</HI> to whom he had writ, he was extreamly &s;ad, in thought that her infidelity was the cau&s;e of her &s;ilence: For Madam, he knew not how he who carryed his Letter unto that Prince&s;&s;e, and was to bring her an&s;wer, was &s;topped by the Forces of <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and carryed unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> as we under&s;tood, after the liberty of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;o that this unfortunate Prince being every day forced by his pa&s;&s;ion to expre&s;&s;e a thou&s;and te&s;timonies of fidelity unto a Prince&s;&s;e whom hee thought perfidious, his de&s;pair was &s;ometimes &s;o great, that he wi&s;hed him&s;elf able to hate <HI>Araminta.</HI> But for all that he &s;till loved her with a mo&s;t unalterable con&s;tan|cy: and certainly he gave &s;ufficient te&s;timony of it after the Peace was e&s;tabli&s;hed be|tween <HI>Intaphernes, Atergatis, I&s;trina,</HI> and the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prince&s;s: For <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> be|ing infinitely enraged at his re&s;olute re&s;i&s;tance, went to &s;ee him, and gave him &s;uch bitter and menacing language, as any other heart but that of <HI>Spitridates</HI> would have trembled: Yet he kept clo&s;e unto his pre&s;cribed Principles; and without &s;tarting the lea&s;t jot from his fidelity to <HI>Araminta,</HI> or reverence unto the King his Father, he re|&s;i&s;ted him without any tartne&s;s or complaint. But the more patient and wi&s;e he was in his &s;orrows, the more violent and unju&s;t was <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> in his anger.</P>
<P>Know thou ba&s;e man that thou art, (&s;aid he unto him) that &s;ince thou wilt not be like the &s;onne of a King, thou &s;halt not be one: And to deprive <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hee of any title or
<PB N="71" REF="717">
right to &s;ucceed in two Kingdoms which I po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e, I will declare and renounce the Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and that I have no other pretence unto it but as a Conqueror. Look upon me (&s;ayd this incen&s;ed Prince) as an u&s;urper, and not as a legitimate King: but as an u&s;urper who can &s;overaignly di&s;po&s;e of what I have u&s;urped, and as one that will never give it unto a man who is unworthy of it, and covers him&s;elfe with eternall &s;hame, if within one moneth he do not repent: this is the utmo&s;t minute that I will give him, to choo&s;e whether he will be a King or a &s;lave: Then this vio|lent Prince leaving him, he was at freedom to complain again&s;t his inju&s;tice. But Ma|dam, why &s;hould I con&s;ume any time in telling you the inquietudes of a Prince whom the Gods had &s;o pointed out for a &s;ufferer? It is more requi&s;ite I acquaint you how <HI>Atergatis</HI> apprehending that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was re&s;olved not to obey <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and that <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was not &s;o ambitious as to be Queen of two Kingdoms, he re&s;olved as I told you before, to try all manner of wayes how to relea&s;e him; for being of a mo&s;t liberall di&s;po&s;ition and a winning &s;pirit, que&s;tionle&s;&s;e he was qualified for &s;uch an en|terprize. But Madam, that which mo&s;t advanced his plot was that whil&s;t he was tam|pering to &s;uborn the Guards of <HI>Spitridates</HI> which &s;tood at the gates of the Tower, to the end they might &s;uborn tho&s;e who were neerer his per&s;on, this generous Pri&s;oner was tampering with tho&s;e who were in his Chamber, to the end they &s;hould corrupt tho&s;e which were placed at the gate of the Tower: So that Madam, though <HI>Atergatis</HI> and <HI>Spitridates</HI> held not any corre&s;pondency together, yet they tran&s;acted as if they had; &s;o that by chance working together upon tho&s;e whom they attempted to per|&s;wade, it hapned that when the Guards which were within the Tower did propo&s;e the relea&s;ement of <HI>Spitridates</HI> unto tho&s;e who were without, they found them upon the &s;ame de&s;ign, and ready to make the &s;ame Propo&s;itions unto them within. So that there being a facility to enter per&s;wade each other, the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was quickly conclu|ded, and as &s;oon executed. For &s;ince the Tower &s;tood upon the Sea-&s;ide, <HI>Atergatis</HI> having provided a Barque ready the &s;ame night which he made choi&s;e of for the re|lea&s;ement of this illu&s;trious Pri&s;oner: It was an ea&s;ie matter for the &s;uborned guards who were much the greater number, to quell the re&s;t to relea&s;e this Prince, to carry him to the Barque, and to embarque with him: But Madam, the wonder was, <HI>Spitri|dates</HI> was relea&s;ed, and knew not who relea&s;ed him untill he came unto the Sea &s;ide: For then the Prince <HI>Atergatis,</HI> who would &s;ee the execntion of the bu&s;ine&s;s, did make him&s;elf known unto him.</P>
<P>And to compleat his genero&s;ity, he gave him a Page, and told him that he &s;hould find in the Barque all things requi&s;ite or nece&s;&s;ary for &s;o long a voyage: After which <HI>Spitridates</HI> giving thanks unto his Deliverer with all the ha&s;t of a man that feared to lo&s;e a happine&s;s which he was ready to enjoy, he parted from him, and making all &s;aile and oare they could, he went I know not whither; for after his departure from <HI>Heraclea,</HI> we never heard where he landed. We under&s;tood he was at <HI>Atarmes,</HI> where you Madam took him for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and that he &s;aw you Embarque with the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> but we could never learn whether he went &s;traight from <HI>Heraclea</HI> unto <HI>Atarmes.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean while, though he loved <HI>Democlides</HI> very well, who was in the &s;ame pri|&s;on with him, yet he was not relea&s;ed; for the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was done &s;o ha&s;tily, that the Guards of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> never thought of going to the Chamber of <HI>Democlides:</HI> And <HI>Spitridates</HI> him&s;elf, doubtle&s;&s;e all his thoughts were &s;o taken up with <HI>Araminta,</HI> that he thought of nothing el&s;e.</P>
<P>But Madam, the mo&s;t ob&s;ervable pa&s;&s;age was, that the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> was not at all &s;u&s;pected: and if he had not him&s;elf confe&s;&s;ed it unto the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> we had not known it. To tell you Madam, how much <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was both a&s;toni&s;hed and angered when he knew of <HI>Spitridates</HI> his e&s;cape, were to attempt a thing impo&s;&s;ible: As for <HI>Arbiana,</HI> &s;he was very glad, for &s;he began to feare the violence of the King. As for the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> &s;hee both joyed and grieved, fore&s;eeing that this Exile would be wor&s;e to him then the other: As for <HI>Intaphernes</HI> though he was glad for <HI>Spitridates,</HI> yet he grieved for him&s;elf, becau&s;e he thought that the liberty of this Prince would be an ob&s;tacle unto his de&s;ign: And as for <HI>Aterga|tis,</HI> his joyes were as plump as he could either wi&s;h or hope; and to make them more &s;en&s;ible to him, he under&s;tood that <HI>I&s;trina</HI> was glad of <HI>Spitridates</HI> his e&s;cape:</P>
<P><PB N="72" REF="718">
In the mean time, &s;ince the pride of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would never let him complain long he affected to &s;eem as if he were ea&s;ily comforted for the ab&s;ence of the Prince his &s;on, whom he openly &s;aid &s;hould never be his Succe&s;&s;or. Thus in a few dayes there was as great a calm in the Court, as if this &s;torm had never ri&s;en: For &s;ince every one &s;tood in fear of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> they dur&s;t neither rejoyce nor grieve openly at the liberty or ab&s;ence of <HI>Spitridates:</HI> And all that the Queen could do, was to obtain the liber|ty of <HI>Democlides,</HI> upon condition to depart from <HI>Heraclea.</HI></P>
<P>After that things had thus re&s;ted &s;ome dayes, it was known that the Governour of the Ca&s;tle which &s;tood upon the Frontiers of <HI>Bythinia</HI> towards <HI>Galatia,</HI> had &s;ent a Po&s;t unto <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> about &s;ome important intelligence, and that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had &s;ent twice to him. But that which did a little &s;urprize all the Court, was, that <HI>Ar&s;a|mones</HI> would have the two Princes, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> goe with him unto the Frontiers of <HI>Bythinia.</HI> So that going neither to <HI>Chalcedonia</HI> nor <HI>Chry&s;ipolis</HI> which are the two chief Towns, we went unto a little Village not above fifty furlongs from this Ca&s;tle, who&s;e Governour had given this intelligence which we were all ignorant of, but pre&s;ently after knew what it was.</P>
<P>Be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> after he went from <HI>Sardis,</HI> whil&s;t the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> was gone with <HI>Spitridates</HI> to the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> and with intention to enquire into what part of the world the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had hurried you, this King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> received fal&s;e intelligence, which cau&s;ed his impri&s;onment. For you mu&s;t know Madam, he was told that the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who&s;e Father Reigned with &s;overaignty &s;ufficient to have many Creatures there, had yet &s;o many friends left, as had plotted a great con&s;piracy again&s;t <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> which would pre|&s;ently break out into a flame; &s;o that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> being informed of the bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e, and that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> after he had carryed you Madam from <HI>Sardis,</HI> had carryed you into <HI>Bythinia,</HI> to the hou&s;e of the head-man in the Con&s;piracy which was very &s;trong: and that he carryed you thither, with intentions to hide you there untill all things were in readine&s;&s;e to &s;et you upon the Throne, he wended his cour&s;e that way.</P>
<P>Though this intelligence was not probable, yet there was in it &s;ome appearance of po&s;&s;ibility, which that Prince thought he ought not to neglect: &s;o that he re&s;olved for <HI>Bythinia,</HI> to &s;atisfie him&s;elf of the truth. But &s;ince <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> as I already told you, did keep a very &s;trict Guard in all his Dominions, as if the King whom he had van|qui&s;hed and driven out were &s;till in the head of an Army, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> being to pa&s;&s;e a Bridg over the River <HI>Sangar,</HI> was &s;topped by the Guards there, to know from whence he came, and whither he went. But he being of an imperious temper, in lieu of an&s;wering to tho&s;e Que&s;tions, begun to be angry, and his Examiners being &s;omething in&s;olent with him, he drew his &s;word, and wounded two or three of them. Since he had only one Page with him, &s;ince there was above twenty Souldiers there, and &s;ince many people of the Town at the end of this Bridg compa&s;&s;ing him about, he was arre&s;ted, after he had wounded many of them, and afterwards was carryed to the Ca&s;tle I &s;peak of.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as he who commanded it did look upon him, he knew that he had &s;een him in the Army under the name of <HI>Philidespes,</HI> at the &s;ame time when <HI>Cyrus</HI> under the name of <HI>Artamenes</HI> got victory upon victory in the Wars then again&s;t the Kings of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Phrygia:</HI> So that this man con&s;idering the importance of his Pri&s;oner, did look very carefully to him, and acquainted <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> who no &s;ooner knew it but he came pre&s;ently from <HI>Heraclea,</HI> to the place I mentioned before, to the end he might the better dive into the de&s;ign which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> might have in coming into <HI>Bythinia:</HI> But being a Prince who never u&s;ed to impart his thoughts, unle&s;s there was an ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity for it, he kept this intelligence very clo&s;e: &s;o that though the Village where the Court was, was within fifty furlongs from this Ca&s;tle, yet we knew not who was in it, nor why we were there.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was concerned in all the har&s;h u&s;age of the <HI>A&s;|&s;yrian</HI> King heretofore unto <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> he &s;hould not have any great di&s;po&s;ition to treat this Prince very well: Yet &s;ince the rule of all his actions was on|ly his own intere&s;t, he never had any Friend with whom he would not break, if it wovld be advantageous for him; nor ever had he any Enemy unto whom he would not reconcile him&s;elf upon the &s;ame rea&s;on: &s;o that having this Prince in his power,
<PB N="73" REF="718">
he con&s;idered what u&s;e might be made of him. Then he apprehended, that when <HI>Cy|rus</HI> had relea&s;ed you Madam, his de&s;ires of bringing all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> into &s;ubjection, would move him to make War upon him&s;elf, and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta</HI> would prompt him to it; for he knew not yet how the Prince <HI>Phruartes</HI> had carryed her away.</P>
<P><HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> then, con&s;idering all the&s;e things, he thought fit to give the valour of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ome employment, and to make unto him&s;elf an Allie, &s;o brave and couragious as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was. Then his de&s;ign was, to propound unto him a marriage with the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina;</HI> and for the better acceptance, he offered to kindle a Rebel|lion in <HI>Babylon,</HI> by &s;ome corre&s;pondencies which he had there, and to joyn with him again&s;t all his Enemies: For knowing very well that <HI>Gadates</HI> was very zealous for this Match; and &s;eeing there was no hopes for <HI>Spitridates,</HI> he thought it would not be a hard matter to bring <HI>I&s;trina</HI> unto obedience. Moreover, &s;ince he had indeed di&s;cove|red that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was in Love with the Prince&s;s his Daughter, his plot was to give her unto him, upon condition he would moove <HI>I&s;trina</HI> to marry the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> And upon that condition, he would &s;olemnly declare, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;hould never be King either of <HI>Pontus</HI> or <HI>Bythinia.</HI></P>
<P>And in order to this, he &s;ent <HI>Atergatis</HI> unto <HI>Chalcedonia,</HI> under a pretence of &s;ome popular &s;tirrs there, which indeed were already appea&s;ed, to the end his pre&s;ence might be no ob&s;tacle to his de&s;ign. <HI>Atergatis</HI> then was no &s;ooner gone, but <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> went to &s;ee the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> whom he treated with as high Civilities, as if he were upon his own Throne.</P>
<P>But Madam, I cannot tell whether I ought to go on with my relation, and whe|ther you will think good I &s;hould &s;peak &s;o particularly of a Princes love, who hath been a cau&s;e of your many mi&s;eries: Yet the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> bu&s;ines is &s;o intertwi&s;ted with the hi&s;tory of <HI>Intaphernes, Atergatis, I&s;trina,</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> as I cannot relate the one without the other.</P>
<P>Since they are in&s;eparable, replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> I had rather hear you &s;peak of a Prince whom I do not love, then not to know the &s;equell of their Adventures whom I do in|finitely e&s;teem. Be&s;ides, you know, that &s;ometimes one may be as inqui&s;itive of the actions of an Enemy, as of Friends: Therefore <HI>Orcames,</HI> I pray tell me all the pa&s;&s;a|ges in <HI>Bythinia,</HI> as if I had not intere&s;t in them, and as if I did not hate the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> Upon this command <HI>Orcames</HI> went on with his relatiou.</P>
<P><HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> then being with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and treating him, as I told you, with all po&s;&s;ible Civilities, did at fir&s;t condole his misfortunes, and after many obli|ging expre&s;&s;ions, told him, that it &s;hould only be long of him&s;elf, if he were not more happy: Then he offered to cau&s;e a Revolt in <HI>Babylon,</HI> to give him a con&s;iderable Ar|my: And that he would joyn in&s;eparably with him to oppo&s;e the Conque&s;ts of <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> provided he would marry <HI>I&s;trina</HI> as the <HI>Queen Nitocris</HI> wi&s;hed. As &s;oon as <HI>Ar|&s;amones</HI> had done &s;peaking, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did &s;harply an&s;wer, that hee would mo&s;t willingly accept of his Propo&s;ition without the Condition annexed to it, buto|therwi&s;e he could never think of it: For indeed, &s;aid he unto him, &s;ince I could not love <HI>I&s;trina</HI> at a time when I was in Love with none; Certainly I can never love her now, when I am in love with the faire&s;t and mo&s;t divine Prince&s;s that ever lived: Therefore never offer me &s;uch a thing as I cannot accept of, but let me go and &s;eek out the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> who hath ravi&s;hed away the Prince&s;s whom I adore, and that I may grati|fie you for my liberty, by ridding you of an Enemy who will be a perpetuall thorn in the Crowns that you have conquered. Since <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeks him with a hundred thou|&s;and men (replyed <HI>Ar&s;amones)</HI> it is probable he will find him before you Sir. There|fore I be&s;eech you, let not that be any hinderance unto your acceptance of this ad|vantageous Propo&s;ition.</P>
<P>The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> hearing <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;ay &s;o, did think he jeered at him, and be|gan to be angry: And <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> being as violent as he, this Conver&s;ation which be|gan with Civilities was like to end with Injuries. Yet the King of <HI>Bythinia</HI> thought his de&s;ign might take, and that de&s;ire of liberty might bring the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> unto his Bent: &s;o that de&s;iring to prepare <HI>Intaphernes</HI> for his ends, he took him a&s;ide the &s;ame night: and after he had told him how the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was his pri&s;oner, he began to propound the marriage of <HI>I&s;trina</HI> with him. <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had no &s;ooner pro|nounced tho&s;e words, but <HI>Intaphernes</HI> being tran&s;ported with &s;om violence, How hath Sir (&s;aid he unto him) can I ever con&s;ent my Si&s;ter &s;hould ever marry a Prince who
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hath mo&s;t injuriou&s;ly affronted me, and that &s;he &s;hould ca&s;t off one who is my inti|mate friend? Fye, no, Sir, it is not po&s;&s;ible, nor do I take the heart of <HI>I&s;trina</HI> to be &s;o ba&s;e, as to have any &s;uch thoughts, though the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> were upon his Throne: Be not &s;o ha&s;ty (replyed <HI>Intaphernes</HI> coldly) and to let you &s;ee, that I know a way how to make you like the motion; know, that if you do per&s;wade <HI>I&s;tri|na</HI> unto my de&s;ires, and unto what you know very well the Prince your Father de|&s;ires, I will con&s;ent you &s;hall marry my Daughter whom I know you love; upon condition notwith&s;tanding that you promi&s;e me never to re&s;tore the Kingdom of <HI>Pon|tus,</HI> nor the Kingdom of <HI>Bythinia</HI> unto the unworthy <HI>Spitridates.</HI></P>
<P>This Propo&s;ition did &s;o amaze <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> that for a time he was not able to an|&s;wer: but as he was ready to reply, <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> left him, and &s;ayd, that he &s;aw &s;o much turbulency in his mind, that he would not have him an&s;wer confu&s;edly, but would give him time to con&s;ult with his ambition and his love; after which he left him in a mo&s;t perplexed condition: For on the other &s;ide, he found abundance of joyes in having a a po&s;&s;ibility to enjoy the Prince&s;s whom he adored: But when he con&s;idered, that to enjoy &s;o great a happine&s;s, he mu&s;t give his Si&s;ter unto his Enemy, betray his friend, and u&s;urp the Dominions of a brother unto his Prince&s;s by accepting it, his Soul was in a very Hell. Nor did he beleive that the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> would ever marry him upon tho&s;e tearms, though he &s;hould promi&s;e her not to take any advantage of this declaration: for he had heard her expre&s;s &s;omthing which intimated as much; So that whether he con&s;idered his hatred of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King, his friend&s;hip to <HI>Aterga|tis,</HI> the aver&s;ion of <HI>I&s;trina</HI> to the one, her inclination to the other: or whether he con&s;idered his duty to <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and the high genero&s;ity of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prince&s;s: he &s;aw that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> offered him a benefit which he could not enjoy upon &s;uch con|ditions, though he did accept of them: and con&s;equently his &s;orrows were not mean.</P>
<P>In the mean time, he knew not whether he &s;hould acquaint fir&s;t the Prince&s;s of <HI>By|thinia,</HI> or <HI>I&s;trina</HI> with it: But going unto the Chamber of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prince&s;s, and finding them both together, he could not any longer let this vexatious &s;ecret lye lurk|ing in his heart. You may ea&s;ily conceive, Madam, how the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es wondred when they heard the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was Pri&s;oner, and when they heard the King of <HI>Bythinias</HI> Propo&s;ition unto <HI>Intaphernes.</HI> Truth is, there wonder was &s;o great, as they both did extreamly blu&s;h, though for different rea&s;ons. But &s;ince the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trinas</HI> heart did extreamly hate the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and was very tender towards <HI>Atergatis,</HI> &s;he was the fir&s;t that &s;poke, though it was not &s;he unto whom the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> addre&s;&s;ed his &s;peech: Oh Heavens (&s;ayd &s;he very heartily) can <HI>Ar&s;amo|nes</HI> ever think of forcing me to marry the King of of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> Oh, Madam (added &s;he and looked upon the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia)</HI> I be&s;eech you pardon me if I do not obey him: It is mo&s;t ju&s;t I &s;hould (replyed that generous Prince&s;s) &s;ince I am re&s;olved to commit the &s;ame Crime my &s;elf: For though I do e&s;teem the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and have given him a higher place in my heart, then ever any had; yet I a&s;&s;ure you, I &s;hall never con&s;ent he &s;hould take two Kingdoms from the Prince my brother, nor be ever happy by making him mi&s;erable. However, Madam (replyed <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and &s;ighed) I be&s;eech you honour me &s;o far as to allow me &s;ome comfort for refu&s;ing a be|nefit which you will not let me accept of, and which Honour forbids me as well as my Si&s;ter, &s;ince &s;he cannot endure to be wife unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> rather then unto <HI>Atergatis:</HI> Do but acknowledge, Madam, that the genero&s;ity of your Soule is the only Impediment, and that if it were le&s;s, you could con&s;ent unto my happine&s;s. I do acknowledge, &s;ayd &s;he and blu&s;hed, that I wi&s;h you were, but if you &s;hould be ca|pable of de&s;iring it by any unju&s;t wayes in lieu of wi&s;hing your happines, I beleive I &s;hould wi&s;h the contrary. But, Madam, not to con&s;ume more time in repeating the di&s;cour&s;e of the&s;e three Illu&s;trious Per&s;ons; It was re&s;olved that they &s;hould write un|to <HI>Atergatis</HI> to invite his return, and that in the interim, <HI>Istrina</HI> &s;hould take upon her to re&s;i&s;t <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> &s;ince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> had not power to incen&s;e a Prince who had made him &s;uch a motion as might make him happy, if &s;ome unju&s;t Conditions were not annexed to it: But that which mo&s;t troubled them was, that they could not know whether the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had denyed <HI>Ar&s;amones;</HI> but on the contrary had cau&s;e to beleive, that he had not, and that de&s;ire of liberty had altered his mind.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the King of <HI>Bythinia</HI> who was ever wedded to his own will, asked
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<HI>Intaphernes</HI> the next morning, if he had con&s;idered upon the motion, and that Prince in order unto their re&s;olutions, a&s;&s;ured him, that there was &s;o much glory to him in it, that he thought him&s;elf capable of committing Crimes rather then not accept of it: but al&s;o he was obliged to tell him, that he verily beleived that the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> would never obey him if he commanded her to marry her Enemy. To this <HI>Ar&s;amo|nes</HI> an&s;wered, That a Prince who knew &s;o well how to bring two Kingdoms into &s;ubjection, knew well enough how to make <HI>I&s;trina</HI> obey him; &s;o that a&s;&s;uring him|&s;elf of that, he bent all his endeavours to per&s;wade the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> But all to no purpo&s;e, that Prince &s;till telling him, that you, Madam, and you only &s;hould Raign in his heart as long&punc; as he lived: that he had nothing to do with Kingdoms, that he had no need of any Army, and that he only de&s;ired his liberty, adding &s;ome expre&s;&s;ions which denoted his extream aver&s;ion unto <HI>I&s;trina</HI> and <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> of whom he &s;poke with intollerable &s;corn, as we afterwards under&s;tood by one of the Guards in his Chamber.</P>
<P>Moreover, when <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> did one day pre&s;s <HI>Intaphernes</HI> to the Declaration which he would require of him, never to re&s;tore the Kingdoms of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Bythinia</HI> unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> he perfectly perceived notwith&s;tanding all his hand&s;om an&s;wers, that they did not proceed from his intentions: So that being very angry, and finding his de&s;ign to be impo&s;&s;ible, he plotted another which he thought more ea|&s;ie, by which he thought to be better revenged upon <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and to hinder <HI>Ara|minta</HI> and all her family from having any part in his Dominions, and this it was. His de&s;ign was not to &s;peak of <HI>I&s;trina</HI> any more unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> thinking his a|ver&s;ion to her was chiefly his rea&s;on for not accepting his offer. However, <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would have the <HI>Queen</HI> vi&s;ite the impri&s;oned King, that &s;he &s;hould carry the Prin|ce&s;s her Daughter with her; And &s;o they did, who not being able to gue&s;s at his de|&s;ign, were very glad to &s;ee a Prince who&s;e Adventures were &s;o extraordinary, and who was &s;o much talked of over all <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> Since you are all goodne&s;s, Madam, I hope you will give me leave without any anger to tell you, that he received the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es with much civility, and u&s;ed many expre&s;&s;ions which were full of &s;pirit, full of gene|ro&s;ity, and full of love to you: for he did mo&s;t earne&s;tly intreat them to be Media|tors unto the King for his liberty, that he might go and recover yours: And the more to oblige them unto it, he fell into mo&s;t high Elogies of you. But after that, &s;ince the naturall impetuo&s;ity of his honour could not longer be hid, the <HI>Queen</HI> by chance naming <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> this violent Prince fell into &s;uch an angry chafe both a|gain&s;t him and <HI>I&s;trina</HI> al&s;o, and u&s;ed &s;uch unju&s;t and injurious expre&s;&s;ions, that the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es were not able to endure it, yet having no mind to quarrell with a Prince who&s;e impri&s;onment &s;eemed to them unju&s;t, they retired, promi&s;ing him their inter|ce&s;&s;ions unto <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> for his liberty. But as &s;oon as they were out of the Chamber, the King of <HI>Bythinia</HI> &s;ent to tell him that he would mention <HI>I&s;trina</HI> no more unto him, but would offer unto him the Prince&s;s his Daughter, and two Kingdoms, that he would recover <HI>Babylon</HI> for him by help of &s;ome intelligence which he had: and a&s;&s;u|ring him that within fifteen dayes he would give him an Army able to re&s;i&s;t <HI>Cyrus,</HI> if he would make War with him. Tell the King your Ma&s;ter (replyed this Prince unto the man by whom <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;ent this me&s;&s;age) that if I could cea&s;e being the Rivall of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> doubtle&s;s I &s;hould become his friend: for be&s;ides all his rare Qualities wor|thy of my amity, I mu&s;t acknowledge that I owe him my &s;elf: &s;o that were I not his Rivall I &s;hould never rai&s;e an Army to oppo&s;e him. But a&s;&s;ure <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> al&s;o, that though the Prince&s;s his Daughter be full of perfections; and though I have as great a di&s;po&s;ition to e&s;teem her, as I have aver&s;ion unto <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> yet I cannot hearken unto a &s;econd Propo&s;ition with a more favourable eare then unto the fir&s;t; For &s;ince I mu&s;t ever be the Lover of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> I can never be the Husband of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prince&s;s. But, Sir (replyed the man) were you in any hopes of ever ob|taining the love of this Prince&s;s whom you adore, I &s;hould not think it &s;o &s;trange, that you &s;hould refu&s;e this Offer: But I mu&s;t confe&s;s, when I con&s;ider how you have lo&s;t your Kingdom, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> does not love you and that yet you &s;hould refu&s;e two Kingdoms with one of the faire&s;t Prince&s;s in the world; for one that hates you, my wonder is beyond my words: What ere it be (replyed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> very &s;harply) &s;uch are my reall thoughts; and if the Empire of all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> were offered me, with a condition not to pretend unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> I would refu&s;e it,
<PB N="76" REF="720">
as I do the Kingdoms of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Bythinia:</HI> Oh Heavens (cryed he) was ever any Fate like mine? <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would give me two Kingdoms, and a Prince&s;s worth more then both, yet will not give me that liberty which unle&s;s he violate the Laws of Nations he cannot take from me: Is it po&s;&s;ible that I alone &s;hould be the only man in all the Univer&s;e unto whom he can give his Kingdoms, and the Prince&s;s his Daugh|ter? I &s;ee very well (pur&s;ued this violent Prince) that he makes choi&s;e of me before any other, becau&s;e he knows that if I accept of them I &s;hall never re&s;tore them unto the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> or any of his family, and &s;o the hate he bears unto his Enemies is the cau&s;e of his choi&s;e: But &s;ince his Intere&s;t alone doth prompt him unto the of|fer, he mu&s;t not take it ill, if mine prompt me to a refu&s;all. Tell him therfore, that if I had power not to love the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and to overcome my &s;elf, I had dri|ven her out of my heart, before they drove me out of <HI>Babylon,</HI> and that I &s;hould have conquered my &s;elf before <HI>Cyrus</HI> did overcome me: Or to expre&s;s my &s;elf better, if e|ver I could have left loving this Prince&s;s, it would have been when &s;he de&s;ired to do it with her eyes full of Tears: and therfore I cannot follow tho&s;e motions of hatred and revenge, which induce <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> to make &s;uch odd Propo&s;itions unto me that I can|not accept of them upon tho&s;e tearms, though they &s;eem to be very advantageous to me. Tell him then that I can be his friend, but I cannot be the Husband of the Prin|ce&s;s his Daughter: and &s;o he needs not urge me to no purpo&s;e unto a thing which I cannot do; for the mo&s;t certain truth is, I do love and am not loved, and I am fully re&s;olved &s;o to do till death or fortune change my de&s;tiny. But if after all this <HI>Ar&s;a|mones</HI> will wilfully keep me Pri&s;oner, and hinder me from relea&s;ing <HI>Mandana,</HI> tell him then, that this King without a Kingdom whom he holds in his hands, and whom he thinks &s;o weak and wanting all protection, perhaps is powerfull enough to cau&s;e the ruine of his new Dominions, and make him loo&s;e tho&s;e two Kingdoms which he offers me, &s;ince he hath a Rival &s;o generous as to relea&s;e him, though he be his mo&s;t mortall Enemy. After this the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> made a &s;ign with his hand unto the man, which intimated that he had no more to &s;ay, and that he &s;hould return to the King his Ma|&s;ter, and did it with as much au&s;tere Maje&s;ty, as if he were &s;till upon his Throne. Al&s;o he who was a witne&s;s of his violence and choller was &s;o &s;urprized, that after he had reported unto <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> how the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> received his me&s;&s;age, he could not keep that &s;ecret which was &s;uch a wonder to him: &s;o as imparting it unto me, I was extreamly a&s;toni&s;hed to hear that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;hould alter his re&s;olution.</P>
<P>In the mean time, I thought it requi&s;ite to acquaint the per&s;ons intere&s;ted in this odd de&s;ign: For I mu&s;t confe&s;s, Madam, that as re&s;olute as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> an|&s;wer was, yet I thought he might change his mind. Therfore I re&s;olved to make the &s;tate of things known unto tho&s;e who might find a remedy. As I went unto <HI>Intapher|nes,</HI> I found <HI>Atergatis</HI> with him, who returned &s;ooner then expected; but returned &s;o &s;ad to hear that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would marry <HI>I&s;trina</HI> unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> that <HI>In|taphernes</HI> was not able to comfort him; and as &s;oon as he &s;aw me he called me to help him to &s;ettle the mind of <HI>Atergatis;</HI> Alas, Sir, an&s;wered I, I am not very fit to comfort him and you al&s;o; for I a&s;&s;ure you, when I have imparted all, the Prince <HI>Ater|gatis</HI> hath no other &s;orrows but what will be yours; for the truth is, Sir, it is not <HI>I|&s;trina</HI> whom <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would have the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> to marry, but it is the Prin|ce&s;s of <HI>Bythinia.</HI> The&s;e were &s;uch words of wonder that both the&s;e Princes cryed out: But, oh Heavens, how different were their tones, and how &s;ad was the &s;ound of <HI>Intaphernes</HI> his voice? Indeed, Madam, I am not able to expre&s;s what I &s;aw in the faces of the&s;e two Lovers: I &s;aw in one minute de&s;pair to pa&s;s out of the heart of <HI>Aterga|tis,</HI> into that of <HI>Intaphernes;</HI> fury was quenched in the Soul of one, and kindled in the Soul of the other; I &s;aw &s;orrow dye in the eyes of <HI>Atergatis</HI> and revive in <HI>Intapher|nes:</HI> and in an in&s;tant, I &s;aw the Comforter become the &s;ad man, and the &s;ad man be|come the Comforter. I &s;hould abu&s;e your patience, Madam, if I &s;hould relate unto you all their Lamentations, or how <HI>Atergatis</HI> imployed the &s;ame Arguments of Con&s;o|lation unto <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> which he immediatly before received from him: Nor will I relate all that the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> &s;ayd, when they knew the bu&s;ine&s;s; for having formerly acquainted you particularly with their virtues and the innocent pa&s;&s;ions of their Souls; you may ea&s;ily conceive they expre&s;&s;ed their &s;orrows unto each other. However the&s;e cro&s;s adventures produced one happine&s;s unto the&s;e two Lovers, &s;ince they obliged the Prince&s;&s;es whom they loved, to give them
<PB N="77" REF="720">
as &s;weet and tender Language, as if their Souls were in much more tranquility: for doubtle&s;s there is nothing fitter to induce a per&s;on who loves to unmask affection, then misfortunes and &s;orrows. Whil&s;t things were in this condition, it was known how the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> carryed you, Madam, unto <HI>Cumes;</HI> And that <HI>Cyrus</HI> went to be&s;iege it; &s;o that this news having infu&s;ed other thoughts into the mind of <HI>Ar&s;a|mones,</HI> who was extreamly incen&s;ed again&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> for his refu&s;all, every one was in a &s;trange wonder to hear that we mu&s;t all return unto <HI>Heraclea:</HI> And our wonder was the greater, becau&s;e he appointed (without giving any rea&s;on for it) all tho&s;e only whom he had told that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was in his power, to keep it &s;ecret: After which all departed; this Prince, leaving &s;o many men as he judged fit for the Guard of this Ca&s;tle where the King was Pri&s;oner, yet not daring to leave &s;o ma|ny as he wi&s;hed, lea&s;t that &s;hould be &s;u&s;pected which he would not have known. Since this Prince was of a very clo&s;e &s;pirit, we could not then dive into tho&s;e my&s;teries which afterwards we knew: For indeed, Madam, it was at that time, when <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> to be revenged upon the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and to get the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> into his pow|er, did &s;end unto the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> this me&s;&s;age, that if he would promi&s;e to re|&s;tore the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> into his hands when he had taken <HI>Cumes,</HI> he in exchange would re&s;tore the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> into his power. But as you know, Madam, the Il|lu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> having received a Letter from this Captive King, he took a more he|roick Re&s;olution, and denyed <HI>Ar&s;amones.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> were not at all happy: for <HI>Ar&s;amo|nes</HI> leaving <HI>Arbiana</HI> &amp; the Prince&s;&s;es at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> he carryed them unto <HI>Cabyra,</HI> where he grew &s;o melancholy (when upon the return of his Me&s;&s;enger, and the Arrivall of <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> he heard of the genero&s;ity of <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that he fell &s;ick there: yet he would not let the <HI>Queen</HI> bring the Prince&s;&s;es with her, when &s;he came, but commanded her to leave them at <HI>Heraclea;</HI> for his &s;oul was in &s;uch a fury, that he could not endure <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> or <HI>Atergatis</HI> &s;hould have &s;o much comfort as to &s;ee the Prince&s;&s;es whom they loved.</P>
<P>In the mean time, his &s;ickne&s;s continued &s;o long, that it did facilitate the liberty of the A&s;&s;yrian King. For though they told him that <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> when he departed was gone into <HI>Galatia,</HI> and <HI>Cappadocia;</HI> And that he drew out of all his Garri&s;ons unto a bo|dy, he could not beleive that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had commanded him to attempt the delivering of his Enemy by force: but rather imagined, that it was to recruite the Army, then out of any de&s;ire of his Rivals liberty. So that his Policy being cau&s;ed to &s;leep by the violence of his &s;ickne&s;s, he gave <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> time to &s;urpri&s;e the Ca&s;tle where the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was, and to deliver that Prince. Tis true, that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> were &s;o afraid, lea&s;t the fancy &s;hould take <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> to make him either marry <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> or the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Prince&s;s, they were not very forward in giving any advice for his &s;ecu|rity: and though they did mo&s;t horridly hate the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> yet they wi&s;hed his liberty; And they were as much joyed, as <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was angred, when the news of his &s;urprizall was brought to <HI>Cabyra:</HI> In&s;omuch as <HI>Intaphernes</HI> not being able to hide his joyes, this violent Prince &s;u&s;pected, that he gave intelligence unto <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> to &s;urprize the Ca&s;tle: and his &s;u&s;pitions of it were the greater, when he knew that the Prince <HI>Gadates</HI> had writ a Letter unto him, which he had not &s;hewed, becau&s;e it appointed him to come hither; and <HI>Intaphernes</HI> not being able to be at &s;uch a di&s;tance from the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> would not let <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> &s;ee it, lea&s;t he &s;hould move him to obey <HI>Gadates</HI> &s;ooner then he had a de&s;ire. However, though this Prince was innocent of that the King of <HI>Bythinia</HI> did accu&s;e him, yet he was held guilty, upon bare Conjectures, and bani&s;hed, not only from the Court, but al&s;o out of all his Do|minions. <HI>Arbiana</HI> did what &s;he could to appea&s;e him, but all in vain, for <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would &s;et no term when <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;hould return into his Dominions; but when he brought with him, either the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> or <HI>Araminta,</HI> or <HI>Spitridates.</HI> You may ea|&s;ily imagine, Madam, how &s;ad the Prince was, who after a thou&s;and good Services done unto <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> was treated with &s;uch Ingratiude and Inju&s;tice. <HI>Intaphernes</HI> out of a re&s;entment of honour, had a good mind to ask leave he might carry <HI>I&s;trina</HI> with him; but conceiving it would be more for his advantage that he &s;hould re|main with the Prince&s;s whom he loved, he rejected that thought. However, obey he mu&s;t, becau&s;e he could not help it, and the willinger, becau&s;e the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> commanded him: yet in &s;pight of <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> he had the &s;atisfaction to bid her adieu;
<PB N="78" REF="721">
for &s;ince &s;he was at <HI>Heraclea,</HI> he went out of <HI>Cabyra</HI> in a di&s;gui&s;e thither, and &s;aw her, in the pre&s;ence of <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> of <HI>Atergatis</HI> who followed him, and of my &s;elf. I need not, Madam, make any relation of what the&s;e per&s;ons did &s;ay, the thoughts of who&s;e hearts were &s;o full of tenderne&s;s: But I a&s;&s;ure you, that never was any love or friend&s;hip, &s;o fluent in &s;weet and pa&s;&s;ionate expre&s;&s;ions, as theirs, when they expre&s;&s;ed their &s;or|rows to part from each other, and to part not knowing when they &s;hould be &s;o hap|py as to meet again. The Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> Prote&s;ted unto <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> never to be any'es if &s;he were not his. And <HI>Atergatis</HI> being to loo&s;e his Advocate unto <HI>Istrina,</HI> de&s;ired him to pre&s;s that Prince&s;s in his pre&s;ence unto a Profe&s;&s;ion never to cha&s;e him from her heart. <HI>I&s;trina</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> then made new Prote&s;tations of amity unto each other, as well as <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> &s;o as they tyed them&s;elves unto each other by &s;uch knots, as I am mo&s;t confident are indi&s;&s;olvable. But, Madam, de|part he mu&s;t, and indeed I parted with him, to come unto that place where <HI>Gadates</HI> had &s;o long de&s;ired him; But hearing that <HI>Cumes</HI> was taken, and that you, Madam, were upon your March we changed our way, with intention to meet you upon the Rode.</P>
<P>In the mean time, as the Gods are the only di&s;po&s;ers of all Events, &s;o the Prince <HI>In|taphernes</HI> u&s;ing to ride alone, that he might the better contemplate upon his Pa&s;&s;ion, he lo&s;t his way in a wild Forre&s;t, having none with him but only one Page: For though I u&s;ed to keep him company in &s;uch &s;olitudes, yet I was not then with him, but &s;tayed behind with one of his men, and telling him how extreamly affraid I was to meet with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> when we came to you. But whil&s;t I was in fear that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> might meet with this Prince, the Gods who do not u&s;e to comply al|wayes with the wills of men, but often mock at all humane Prudence, did conduct <HI>In|taphernes</HI> unto the banks of that little River, where the A&s;&s;yrian King was taking the Aire, whil&s;t you, Madam, was in the Temple; and &s;taying in the plea&s;ant place untill the hour of your &s;etting out. I under&s;tand &s;ince by the Page which followed <HI>Inta|phernes,</HI> and by <HI>Intaphernes</HI> him&s;elf, all the pa&s;&s;ages of this meeting: And &s;ince I un|der&s;tand by <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> that you, Madam, do not know it, but de&s;ires infotmation, I &s;hall acquaint you with the particulars; and if I &s;hould conceal an Action &s;o gallant and noble, I &s;hould not make a perfect relation of <HI>Intaphernes</HI> his life. Be plea&s;ed to know then, Madam, that this Prince riding &s;afely along the banks of this little River, hoping &s;till to meet with us again, lea&s;t he &s;hould be forced to arrive at a place where he thought you was, without any Train or Equipage; Love did &s;o take up all the fa|culties of his Soul, that he &s;carcely knew what he did, or &s;aw. On the other &s;ide, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> who &s;eemed as deep in contemplation as <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> though accord|ing to his naturall impetuo&s;ity he went as fa&s;t as if he had a great journy to go, he was al&s;o on the banks of this River, with one Page only; So as <HI>Intaphernes</HI> came towards the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> came towards <HI>Intaphernes:</HI> who being both of them in deep &s;tudies, they pa&s;&s;ed &s;o neer each other, that there Hor&s;es &s;tart|ing at the &s;ame time made both of them think them&s;elves a&s;&s;aulted; So that row&s;ing out of their &s;tudies, and &s;topping their Hor&s;es, they looked &s;ternly upon each other, to know who it was that a&s;&s;avlted them: and both knowing each other, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> he thought that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> intended to all upon him, as <HI>Intaphernes</HI> thought that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> intended to put a new affront upon him: So as both being high in anger, they fir&s;t looked upon one another as men who had di&s;po&s;itions to quarrell. Yet <HI>Intaphernes</HI> gave him a Salute, but it was with &s;o many &s;igns of indig|nation, that his re&s;pects did not demini&s;h the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> fury: For as &s;oon as <HI>Intaphernes</HI> had &s;aluted him, he went two paces back, and began to &s;peak in a haughty and proud tone: For ought I &s;ee (&s;ayd he in a mo&s;t &s;cornfull manner) you are as in&s;olent here, as you were ambitious in <HI>Babylon,</HI> and it &s;eems al&s;o that you have been mo&s;t unju&s;t in <HI>Bythinia,</HI> in being &s;o bold as to cau&s;e <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> to impri&s;on me, pur|po&s;ely to make me marry one, whom I do not think worthy to be the &s;lave of whom I adore. Oh Sir, (&s;ayd <HI>Intaphernes)</HI> you extreamly wrong me, do not urge me again&s;t my will to forget I have &s;een you upon a Throne, lea&s;t I &s;hould not brook it: For, Sir, hitherto I never failed in my due re&s;pects unto you; I was never more ambitious at <HI>Babylon</HI> then did become me, and was &s;o far from forcing you to marry my Si&s;ter, that I mu&s;t tell you, that &s;he did more re&s;i&s;t <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> then you did, not being &s;o ba&s;e as ever to think of being Wife unto a Prince, who hath &s;o much &s;corned her, and
<PB N="79" REF="721">
wronged me. Therfore, Sir, I be&s;eech you, with all the Reverence I owe unto you, as Son unto the <HI>Queen Nitocris,</HI> do not force me to ca&s;t of all tho&s;e re&s;pects: I cannot tell what thou meane&s;t (replyed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;harply) but I am &s;ure I cannot brook the in&s;olency of a Subject, who&s;e duty is to reverence me as much in my Fet|ters as if I were upon the Throne. Upon the&s;e words the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> drawing his Sword he forced <HI>Intaphernes</HI> to draw his al&s;o, but it was only at fir&s;t to defend him&s;elf from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> blows: And indeed, this generous Prince &s;triving to overcom his re&s;entments did recoil &s;ome paces in defending him&s;elf; and &s;peaking again, in the name of the Gods, Sir, (&s;ayd he unto him) do not urge me any further, for my patience can hold no longer: wi&s;h only that thy Valour may hold out (replyed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> in pre&s;&s;ing harder upon him) unle&s;s thou wilt feel the &s;harpne&s;s of mine. After this, Madam, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> being not able to endure any longer, he did not only fight in defence of his life, but al&s;o to revenge him&s;elf. And his Page told me of &s;uch Prodigies which he did, which are not to be conceived un|le&s;s one had &s;een them. For indeed, Madam, though the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had fought with the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and your &s;elf, Madam, had been the Pri&s;e of the Combate, yet this violent Prince could not have fought with more Courage. But as <HI>Intapher|nes</HI> had all the &s;incerity of a mo&s;t brave man, &s;o he told all tho&s;e unto whom he re|lated the pa&s;&s;age, that if the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had &s;tood any thing upon his Guard, he &s;hould have found a hard task to have vanqui&s;hed him: and his mode&s;ty made him &s;ay, that if that valiant Prince had not precipitated him&s;elf unto his Armes, in &s;triving to fini&s;h the Combate quickly, he had not been overcome. Indeed, Madam, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> having wounded him&s;elf in &s;triving to gain the Crupper, his Sword being broke, and he run through the right arme with a touch from his Enemy, his great heart was con&s;trained to yeeld. Yet <HI>Intaphernes</HI> would not abu&s;e his Victory, by in&s;ulting over his unfortunate Enemy, as unju&s;t as he was. But on the contrary, he u&s;ed many generous expre&s;&s;ions; he asked him whether he would be plea&s;ed that he &s;hould con|duct him, offering to hold him up, &s;eeing he was not able to &s;it on hor&s;e-back: but this furious Prince would have only his Page to help him; he forbad <HI>Intaphernes</HI> to come neer him, and commanded him to retire. Since thou art &s;till my Subject, though my Conqueror (&s;ayd this violent Prince unto him) I command the to get out of my Pre&s;ence, for I cannot any longer endure a man who hath ruined all my hopes, &s;ub|verted all my de&s;igns, and hath retarded either my death or my happine&s;s. The&s;e ambiguous words which <HI>Intaphernes</HI> could not under&s;tand, mooving him to think that his &s;orrows for being overcom did di&s;tract the liberty of his mind; he began to pitty him, and offer again to help him, but he fell into &s;uch a Chafe, that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;eeing &s;ome Souldiers a far off coming that way, he was forced to retire.</P>
<P>In the mean time, in lieu of going unto the Ca&s;tle where you, Madam, were, he re|turned back, being re&s;olved not to pre&s;ent him&s;elf unto you, Madam, nor unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> nor unto the Prince his Father untill you were on your march: Conceiving that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was in &s;uch a condition as he would not be able to follow. And in|deed, Madam, this Prince having happily met with us, &s;ome four Furlongs from the place where he fought, we went to wait upon you, Madam, at the hou&s;e where you &s;tayed, and where the Prince <HI>Intarhernes</HI> had the honour to be pre&s;ented unto you that night, by the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Orcames</HI> having ended his Relation, <HI>Mandana</HI> thanked him for the pains which he had taken in &s;atisfying her de&s;ires, and to te&s;tifie how attentive &s;he had been, &s;he re|peated the principall pa&s;&s;ages which he had related: But &s;ince the la&s;t words of the <HI>A&s;|&s;yrian</HI> King had made &s;ome impre&s;&s;ion in the mind of <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he asked <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> what &s;he thought was the meaning of tho&s;e words, that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> by vanqui&s;hing the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> he had ruined all his hopes, &s;ubverted all his de&s;igns, and had re|tarded either his death or his happines: For truly (added he) as the &s;tate of things &s;tand, it is not ea&s;ie to conceive what in any rea&s;on he could hope for, nor what de&s;igns he could have which might be advantageous unto him; Nor could he fear any death from a Rivall who relea&s;ed him, nor could he ever imagine any happine&s;s from me: And yet it is to be &s;uppo&s;ed, that he &s;poke not the&s;e without &s;ome cau&s;e. I a&s;&s;ure you, Ma|dam, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> to be &s;o brave, &s;o glorious, &s;o violent, and &s;o deep in love as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> is, and to be vanqui&s;hed within a hundred Furlongs of his Rivall, and of his Mi&s;tre&s;s, is enough to make him not know wha the &s;ayd: and therefor
<PB N="80" REF="722">
there is no heed to be taken unto what he &s;ayd. Whil&s;t <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> was &s;aying &s;o, <HI>Mar|te&s;ia</HI> was &s;ilent, though &s;ince &s;he knew of the engagement between tho&s;e two Princes, &s;he under&s;tood tho&s;e words better then they: yet &s;ince the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was to &s;tay behind, and &s;ince in &s;uch a condition as was not to be feared, &s;he &s;eemed as if &s;he did not under&s;tand them: And the Prince&s;s her&s;elf concurring with the opinion of <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> did make no further reflection upon them, but went on with her repetition of the Adventures of <HI>Atergatis, I&s;trina,</HI> and <HI>Intaphernes.</HI> After which, all the re&s;t of the Conver&s;ation was only of plea&s;ant and diverting pa&s;&s;ages, of which the poor <HI>Beri|&s;a</HI> was the &s;ubject; For upon good examination of what <HI>Orcames</HI> had &s;ayd, the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> did conclude that there was no Court in the world without a <HI>Beri&s;a,</HI> and &s;omtimes many <HI>Beri&s;a's:</HI> being &s;ure &s;he knew &s;ome at <HI>Themi&s;cira</HI> and at <HI>Sinope. Dorali&s;a</HI> for her part, &s;he knew &s;ome at <HI>Sardis, Pherenice</HI> remembred many at <HI>Suta,</HI> and <HI>Orcames</HI> profe&s;&s;ed he knew above a dozen at <HI>Babylon.</HI> After all which, the Prince&s;s re|membring how it was re&s;olved to be &s;tirring betimes in the morning, &s;he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed <HI>Or|cames</HI> and retired, pre&s;erving her fidelity &s;o entirely for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that &s;he would not &s;o much as call unto her memory, any thing &s;he heard of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King: but her mind being clear from all manner of Objects, &s;he &s;lept as quietly as one that had no manner of cau&s;es to fear any thing.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The end of the fir&s;t BOOK.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="book">
<PB N="81" REF="722">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES: Or The Grand CYRUS. THE EIGHTH PART, AND  SECOND BOOKE.</HEAD>
<P>_WHILST the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana's</HI> &s;leep was not troubled with with any affrighting Dreams; and whil&s;t the huge multitude of Troops which conducted her, did re&s;t them&s;elves from the travells of the day, during the darke &s;hades of night: Whill&s;t &s;leep, I &s;ay, like Death doth equall Kings &amp; Beggars happy and unhappy, and refre&s;h all, <HI>Cyrus, Mazares,</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris</HI> could not &s;ubmit unto one wink of &s;leep, but employed every minute in thoughts of <HI>Mandana.</HI> Not that <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as the &s;tate of things &s;tood, was at all perplexed, but was all hopes and delights: yet tho&s;e delights which proceeded from his hopes, were tempered with &s;ome perplexities, which interrupted his joyes: Not that his courage|ous &s;oule was troubled at the Combate he was to have with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> be|fore he enjoyed <HI>Mandana;</HI> but the truth is, he was &s;o little accu&s;tomed to happine&s;s, that he could not believe he was at the end of his misfortunes: &s;o as not directly knowing what was the ob&s;tacle unto his &s;atisfaction, his heart re&s;ented &s;ome re&s;i|&s;tance of tho&s;e joyes which in rea&s;on he might hope for. But though the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> was troubled with a pen&s;ivene&s;s of which he was ignorant of the cau&s;e; yet it was not &s;o with the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> who being alwayes to &s;trive with him&s;elfe, was every minute in feares, le&s;t his vertue &s;hould be vanqui&s;hed by his Love. <HI>Anax|aris</HI> was much more mi&s;erable then he; for his Pa&s;&s;ion was &s;o violent and high, that his rea&s;on did ab&s;olutely &s;ubmit unto its Empire: and it may be truly &s;ayd that <HI>Man|dana</HI> did not more &s;overaignly reign over the heart of <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> then the Pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Anaxaris</HI> did tyrannically reign over his rea&s;on and vertue: Yet he was not &s;o &s;tark
<PB N="82" REF="723">
blind, but he knew very well that a thou&s;and rea&s;ons did invite him to be the friend of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and not his Rivall: But for all that, when he &s;aw it to be an ab&s;olute im|po&s;&s;ibility for him to leave loving <HI>Mandana,</HI> he thought him&s;elf ju&s;tified, and believed that what&s;oever his love in&s;pired him with, were no Crimes. However, though he did never take &s;o much paines as to &s;trive with him&s;elf, yet was he far from being hap|py: For by abandoning his &s;oule unto his pa&s;&s;ion, he knew very well, that con&s;ider|ing the &s;tate of things, he abandoned him&s;elf unto all imaginable torments: however love <HI>Mandana</HI> he mu&s;t, and ever would. But the odde&s;t thing was, that &s;till he ho|ped again&s;t all manner of rea&s;ons to hope; and though he knew very well, that his hope had no foundation. Yet to find &s;ome ea&s;e unto his &s;ick &s;oule, he endeavoured to make &s;ome intimate friend; not that upon &s;econd and &s;erious thoughts he intended to tru&s;t him with his &s;ecret thoughts which he conceived not impartable unto any, but yet he would have one unto whom he might impart them if any need were; and in or|der unto that, he tampered and prepared the mind of <HI>Andramites.</HI> And &s;ince there is no &s;urer way then to keep the &s;ecrets of others, before he tru&s;t any with his own, he did in&s;en&s;ibly engage <HI>Andramites</HI> to unfold all his thoughts, and contracted &s;uch an intimate League of friend&s;hip with him, that a greater corre&s;pondency could not have been if they had been all their lives well acquainted with each other.</P>
<P><HI>Anaxaris</HI> carryed the matter &s;o hand&s;omely, that by degrees he became Ma|&s;ter of all the &s;ecrets in the &s;oule of <HI>Andramites,</HI> without hazarding his own, or without giving <HI>Andramites</HI> any cau&s;e to &s;u&s;pect that hee had any which he ought not to impart unto him. But whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus, Mazares,</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris</HI> had &s;uch different thoughts cau&s;ed by one and the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion, there was a &s;trange curio&s;ity in the minds of <HI>Mandana, Marte&s;ia, Chri&s;antes,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> to know in what &s;tate was the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> The Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> dur&s;t not en|quire, but <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> asked every one how he did.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris</HI> did very carefully enquire of him e&s;pe|cially the la&s;t of the&s;e, &s;o as if this Prince had been an intimate friend unto all his Ri|valls; The deliverer of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the Protector of <HI>Marte&s;ia, Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> they could not have been more de&s;irous to know the &s;tate of his wounds, then they were; but as inqui&s;itive as they were, yet they could not know any more then what plea&s;ed <HI>Cyrus</HI> to impart; becau&s;e tho&s;e whom he left with the King of <HI>A&s;|&s;yria</HI> did give an accompt only to him: &s;o that &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave it out he was very ill, they knew no other.</P>
<P>In the mean time, this journey being a journey of jollity and victory, <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not only give order that <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould not be di&s;ta&s;ted at any thing, but contrived all way po&s;&s;ible to plea&s;e and divert her in her journey: &s;o as if <HI>Mandana</HI> to re&s;t her &s;elf in any Town, did &s;tay a day there, the day was employed in &s;eeing all that was re|markable in the place. The Ladies all a&s;&s;embled, they fea&s;ted, they danced, they had races, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> carryed <HI>Mandana</HI> unto no places of his Conque&s;t, but he pre&s;ent|ed the &s;weet fruits of his victories unto her, &s;o that betwixt <HI>Cumes</HI> and <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> &s;ee|med to be but one continuall triumph. And the truth is, the people were &s;o fully per&s;waded of the vertues in <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that nothing but univer&s;all acclamations were to be heard in all places where he came. Al&s;o he had an extraordinary care, that the march of his Troops &s;hould not do the lea&s;t injury unto the Countrey: And it may be mo&s;t truly &s;ayd that he came unto no place during all this voyage, where hee had not &s;ignalized &s;ome one of his vertues: For in one Town, he had left te&s;timonies of his humanity in cheering up the people; in an another, he made his Ju&s;tice to appeare, in puni&s;hing &s;om in&s;olent Souldiers; In a hundred places he had left glorious marks of his liberality, according as occa&s;ions pre&s;ented them&s;elves: And in what place &s;oever he came, he was alwayes him&s;elf, which was, always incomparable.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he gave &s;everall te&s;timonies of her Piety during this Journey, by re-edifying ruined Temples, and giving them new foundations according to the peo|ples Petitions: And it is mo&s;t certain that <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> pa&s;&s;ed not a day with|out &s;ome excellent work of goodne&s;&s;e. The Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was &s;uch an admirer of their vertues, that he could &s;peak of nothing el&s;e, when he talked with the Prince <HI>Ar|tamas,</HI> with <HI>Myr&s;iles, Mazares, Anaxaris,</HI> or any el&s;e. And there chanced one ad|venture which gave him further &s;ubject of talk: For <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;iring that <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould go but a very little journey that day, by rea&s;on of convenient Lodging, &s;he
<PB N="83" REF="723">
came unto a place, which afforded <HI>Intaphernes</HI> a &s;ubject of Compa&s;&s;ion, and to talk further of her vertue. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then having re&s;olved that the Prince&s;s &s;hould lye in a little Town upon the Rode, not far from the place where &s;he lodged before, it was &s;o long before &s;he &s;et out, that &s;he came as late to her Lodging, as if her journy had been longer, yet &s;he came time enough to ob&s;erve the extraordinary delighfull, and odd &s;cituation of this Village where &s;he was to lye: She &s;aw as &s;he came unto it, that &s;he was &s;ometimes high and &s;ometimes low, &s;omtimes on a mountain, and &s;ome|times in a valley, and between Rocks. Moreover &s;he &s;aw there an ancient and &s;tately Ca&s;tle &s;tanding upon the point of a Rock, who&s;e pro&s;pect was towards a Forre&s;t: o|ver again&s;t it, &s;he &s;aw three great deep vallies, environed with Rocks, into which they de&s;cended by a winding path in the Rocks: And to make the place more plea&s;ant and extraordinary, there was to be &s;een at the foot of a hill, and on the &s;ide of a Torrent, 2. &s;tately Tombs, the one built after the Aegyptian, the other after the Grecian mode: So as the Sun &s;etting that Evening without any cloudy umbrage, it might almo&s;t be &s;aid that the Sun-beams did guild the whole Countrey, and made it the more dele|ctable.</P>
<P>This magnificent object did make a deep impre&s;&s;ion in the mind of <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;o as when &s;he arrived at this great Ca&s;tle where &s;he was to lodge, &s;he talked upon no|thing el&s;e, enquiring very earne&s;tly who&s;e were tho&s;e Tombs which &s;he &s;aw as &s;he pa&s;&s;ed, and why one was built after the Aegyptian manner, and the other the Greci|an. The que&s;tions you ask Madam (replyed the Ma&s;ter of the Ca&s;tle, who&s;e name was <HI>Eucrates,</HI> a man well in years, of a good &s;pirit, and much travelled) is que&s;tion|le&s;&s;e worthy of your curio&s;ity; for the truth is, Love was a cau&s;e of their foundation as well as Death; it being mo&s;t certain, that if he who cau&s;ed them to be built had not been in Love, they had never adorned the Country about this Ca&s;tle. The Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> hearing the old man &s;ay &s;o, was fuller of curio&s;ity then before: &s;o as pre&s;|&s;ing him to tell her all he knew, he related unto her in few words, how a man of qua|lity and high merits, called <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> de&s;cended from the race of the fir&s;t <HI>Phocen&s;i|ans,</HI> who left <HI>Phocides</HI> to go and build <HI>Phoceus</HI> which the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibalus</HI> had ta|ken, being re&s;olved to travell after he had lo&s;t his Wife, who left him one Son and one Daughter, he came into <HI>Aegypt,</HI> where he fell de&s;perately in love with a Lady of <HI>Heliopolis,</HI> whom he with her con&s;ent did carry away: That after this pa&s;&s;ing through <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> he came unto this Ca&s;tle, where this fair Aegyptian dyed within four dayes af|ter he came thither, and from whence he would not depart, but built this &s;tately Tomb after the mode of the Countrey; and &s;ince <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> would never for&s;ake her who had followed his fortunes, and left her own Country for the love of him, he built his own Tomb near hers, which is al&s;o his hou&s;e where he waits for death to fi|ni&s;h his dayes.</P>
<P>How (&s;aid <HI>Mandana,</HI> and interrupted him) does he live yet, who cau&s;ed the&s;e two Tombs to be built? and lives he in that which is built after the Grecian work? Yes Madam, replyed he, but it is in &s;uch a manner as de&s;erves compa&s;&s;ion; It may be &s;aid, he lives dying, for he &s;pends whole dayes in the Tomb of her he lo&s;t, and never comes in his own but at &s;uch howrs when &s;leep forces him to take truce with his &s;orrows: &s;o as I a&s;&s;ure you, Death and Love together did never make &s;uch an emblem of de&s;|pair, as <HI>Mene&s;teus.</HI> Yet one would &s;ay, that the Gods take delight in his &s;ufferings, and lets him live, to pay an eternall tribute of &s;ighes and tears unto his lo&s;t Lady; for he has already lived above eight years in this mournfull manner, and yet cannot dye. I wonder (&s;aid <HI>Mandana</HI> then) that &s;ince he is of &s;o good a Quality, his friends and neighbours have not forced him to change his heartle&s;&s;e habitation. I a&s;&s;ure you Ma|dam, replyed <HI>Eucrates,</HI> that the illu&s;trious <HI>Peranius</HI> his &s;onne (who &s;hould be Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> after him, if the Armies of the invincible <HI>Cyrus</HI> had not conquered his do|minions) has done all he was able, to move <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> unto a change of his living, but could never per&s;wade him: All he could obtain, was, to let two &s;ervants &s;tay in a hou&s;e next his Tomb, to bring him once a day only &s;uch things as were of ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity.</P>
<P>At the name of <HI>Peranius, Cyrus</HI> who was then pre&s;ent, began to rub up his memo|ry a little, and afterwards he began to &s;peak; Is this <HI>Peranius</HI> you &s;peak of (&s;ayd he unto <HI>Eucrates)</HI> Nephew unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> whom I under&s;tand by <HI>Thra|&s;ibalus,</HI> to be one of the brave&s;t men in the world? Yes Sir, replyed he, it is the &s;ame
<PB N="84" REF="724">
<HI>Peranius,</HI> a &s;i&s;ters &s;on of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, who rather then &s;ubmit, when the Prince his Uncle, and <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> for&s;ook him, did per&s;wade all the Inhabitants of his Town to leave their Countrey, to embarque and acknowledg him for their Head, and to go conquer others, rather then be the &s;laves of <HI>Thra&s;ibalus,</HI> or to &s;ay better, yours Sir, &s;ince it was by your Armes that Prince did wage his Warre. To te&s;tifie, that he need not feare, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that I &s;hall load &s;o brave a man as he with over|heavy fetters, I will tomorrow vi&s;it the Prince his Father, to let him know, that he who honours the very Tombs of vertuous men, does honour the men them&s;elves, though fortune have made them &s;laves. When <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aid &s;o, and this old man heard <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;ay &s;o al&s;o, he told them that they would augment his &s;orrows by their pre&s;ence: adding al&s;o to keep them from going, that the way unto the&s;e Tombs was &s;o rough by rea&s;on of the Rocks and a Torrent, that they could hardly pa&s;&s;e: But when he &s;aw that all would not di&s;&s;wade them, he was &s;ilent and retired.</P>
<P>However, &s;ince <HI>Mandanas</HI> Chamber did open towards the&s;e Tombs, &s;he was no &s;ooner up, but the&s;e &s;tately objects putting her in memory of her de&s;ign, &s;he was more earne&s;t upon it: &s;o that &s;ending unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> to put him in mind of his la&s;t nights re&s;olution, that Prince came and told that he was &s;o mindfull of it, as he had alrea|dy &s;ent to &s;ee whether the way unto the&s;e Tombs were &s;o difficult, and that he was told the way was &s;o good, as &s;he might go in her Coach, &s;o that without more adoe &s;he went: But <HI>Cyrus</HI> being a reverencer of Love where&s;oever he found it, except in the hearts of his Rivals, he was &s;o con&s;iderate of <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> as that he would not too much di&s;turb his &s;olitude by too great a company; therefore he permitted only <HI>Ma|zares, Intaphernes,</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> to accompany him: And as for <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he ad|mitted only of <HI>Dorali&s;a, Marte&s;ia, Anaxaris,</HI> and &s;ome few of her Guard.</P>
<P>This &s;mall company being conducted by <HI>Eucrates</HI> (though the night before he had no de&s;ire to be their Convoy) they came to the&s;e Tombs, the one whereof was much more &s;tately then the other. That which was built after the <HI>Grecian</HI> manner, was a mo&s;t admirable &s;tructure, but had fewer ornaments then that which was after the <HI>Aegyptian,</HI> who&s;e Architecture was very regular: Indeed, though the Pyramide of this Tomb was but of a mean greatne&s;&s;e, yet for its beauty it was comparable un|to the Pyramides of <HI>Memphis:</HI> Its form was triangular, and &s;o excellently well wrought, that the be&s;t eyes could not &s;ee one joynt in the whole work&punc; A thou&s;and Curio&s;ities of branched works did adorn the Fabrick, and one might perceive Hiero|gliphique Characters, which expre&s;&s;ed unto &s;uch as beheld, &amp; could under&s;tand them, the beauty of the Per&s;on whom they repre&s;ented, and the love of the Founder.</P>
<P>Upon the top of this Pyramide was a figure of that <HI>Corinthian</HI> Copper, which was no le&s;&s;e prized in tho&s;e times, then &s;ince the burning of the proud Town. So that this Statue did repre&s;ent Fame, and turned upon a hinge according to the winds, one would have &s;aid, that it was &s;et upon this Pyramide with a Trumper in its mouth, only to declare unto the world the death of that beauty for whom this Tomb was built; this Trumpet being made &s;o artificially, that when the wind did blow, it &s;ent forth a &s;ad kind of &s;ighing &s;ound, full of &s;orrows. This Fame had her wings di&s;play|ed as if &s;he were ready to flye: The skirts of her Garment was waved by the wind, &s;o as unbaring part of her thighes this gave a good grace unto the Statue, and &s;eemed to be more loo&s;e from the point of the Pyramide, who&s;e &s;tately ba&s;is was the Tomb of that illu&s;trious Beauty, whom this renowned Mourner did &s;o lament.</P>
<P>As for that of <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> it was built after the manner of a hou&s;e, the Roof &s;u&s;tai|ned by twelve Collumns betwixt which upon the Frize, and under the Corni&s;h the&s;e words were engraven in Greek characters,<LB>
<HI>Love and Death did build me.</HI><LB></P>
<P>WHen <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> came near the&s;e Tombs, they &s;aw <HI>Menesteus</HI> coming to meet them, being adverti&s;ed of their coming by <HI>Evcrates;</HI> But he met them in an Ayr &s;o &s;ad and langui&s;hing, as made it apparant, that Time had not worn out the re&s;entment of his lo&s;&s;e, yet for all that he retained a high and noble pre&s;ence: His Cloaths were mean, but hand&s;om and fit: And this &s;olitary mourner &s;eemed ra|ther a melancholy Philo&s;opher, then a de&s;perate Lover.</P>
<P><PB N="85" REF="724">
As &s;oon as he came &s;o neare <HI>Cyrus</HI> (who led <HI>Mandana)</HI> as to be under&s;tood, I give thanks unto the Gods (&s;aid he unto him) that the beauty of that admirable Prince&s;s whom I &s;ee, hath taught the Conquerour of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> to reverence the Tombs of tho&s;e whom Love hath brought under his Dominions; and that in lieu of fearing the Ravages of a victorious Army, I am driven to the nece&s;&s;ity of thanking the Conque|ror for the favour he doth me in honouring the A&s;hes of a mo&s;t illu&s;trious per&s;on by his pre&s;ence. My aims are, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> not only to honour the dead, but this Prince&s;s and I both; are come hither to honour an illu&s;trious living per&s;on al&s;o, whom I wi&s;h I were able to per&s;wade out of this &s;olitary Tomb in which he inhabites. For my particular (added <HI>Mandana)</HI> I &s;hould be extreamly joyed, if I were able to per&s;wade you Sir unto &s;ome moderation in &s;o violent and long a &s;orrow as yours is: Since you can never know the cau&s;e (replyed <HI>Mene&s;teus)</HI> I do not wonder Madam, you &s;hould not think my mi&s;ery incurable. However I think my &s;elfe mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly obliged unto your charitable genero&s;ity in wi&s;hing me capable of con&s;olation. After this, <HI>Mene|&s;teus</HI> fearing le&s;t the Sun &s;hould offend the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> did open a door which conducted into a mo&s;t &s;tately Gallery.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> were entred into this Tomb, they were forced to &s;ay, that the love of him who built it was great and high: The truth is, this Tomb was &s;o richly adorned, that a place de&s;tinied for the greate&s;t Fea&s;ts could not be more magnificent: there was in the mid&s;t of it a Sepulchre of incorruptible wood, inlayed with gold in a mo&s;t rich and ine&s;timable manner; and to let it be known, that the Corps which was there interred had been the &s;tar of Beauty in <HI>Heliopolis,</HI> upon this Sepulchre was to be &s;een a S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n repre&s;ented by &s;everall gli&s;tering Diamonds &amp; Rubies, who&s;e glorious colours made it &s;eem the Sun it &s;elf when it was &s;etting, and lending its light unto the other half of the world.</P>
<P>About this Sepulchre was placed twelve young <HI>Cupids</HI> excellently repre&s;ented, who all with one of their hands &s;eemed to wipe away their Tears, and with the other held up rich pots of Perfumes, no Garden full of Je&s;&s;amon and Oranges comparable unto the&s;e which Art only compo&s;ed. Moreover, there did hang in the top of the vault a hundred Chri&s;tall Lamps, in &s;uch order and proportion, as did make appear between every pillar which &s;u&s;tained the Roof twelve &s;tately &s;eates, on which might be &s;een the &s;tatues of twelve women which &s;eemed to weep and lament the lo&s;s of her for whom the Tomb was made; and which by their &s;everall a&s;pects and emblemes did repre&s;ent &s;ome of her vertues for whom they mourned: The Engraver having given to every Statue &s;uch lively emblemes of each vertue, as the dulle&s;t capacity could not choo&s;e but know his meaning. <HI>Mandana</HI> could not choo&s;e but admire the excellen|cy of the work, and confe&s;&s;ed that there mu&s;t needs be &s;omething that was high in the heart of &s;o faithfull a Lover as <HI>Mene&s;teus.</HI> As for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> after he had &s;ufficient|ly admired at every thing that was worthy of wonder, he began to con&s;ider very &s;e|riou&s;ly this mourning Lover, who as &s;oon as he came into the Monument, was &s;o wholly devoted to his &s;orrows, that without almo&s;t any regard either of <HI>Cyrus</HI> or <HI>Mandana,</HI> or any of their company, began to fixe his looks &s;adly upon the Sepulchre, &s;ighing continually with unutterable bitterne&s;s of &s;oule. The beauty of <HI>Mandana</HI> re|viving in his mind the Idea of his lo&s;t Lady, did renew his melancholy: And <HI>Cyrus</HI> admiring the &s;orrows of <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> more then his Tomb, did look mo&s;t attentively upon him: his violent affection unto <HI>Mandana</HI> did make him mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible of &s;uch a lo&s;&s;e as to lo&s;e her one loves &s;o, as he had a di&s;po&s;ition rather to commend the de&s;pair of <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> then to blame him. But whil&s;t <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> was &s;ighing, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;adly looking upon him, <HI>Mandana</HI> went towards the Sepulchre to read &s;ome in|&s;cription which was written in golden Letters; and finding them to be Aegyptian Cha|racters, &s;he called <HI>Cyrus</HI> to interpret them: &s;o that when that Prince came to her, he told her, how the love of <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> had cau&s;ed tho&s;e Letters to be written; but as he was going from one end of the Sepulchre unto the other, he found a very rich Ta|ble-book upon which was written in great Characters, and the Capadocian language,<LB>
<HI>To the Prince&s;s Mandana.</HI><LB></P>
<P><PB N="86" REF="725">
<HI>CYrus</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw this, but he blu&s;hed; for he no &s;ooner looked upon the Chara|cters, but he thought it to be the hand of the <HI>Pontean</HI> King: &s;o as in the tumult of his mind he had certainly concealed it from <HI>Mandana,</HI> if that Prince&s;s &s;eeing through his eyes the agitation of his &s;oule, had not at the &s;ame time &s;een that which cau&s;ed it: &s;o as <HI>Cyrus</HI> perceiving by the Ro&s;es that blu&s;hed in the cheeks of <HI>Mandana,</HI> that &s;he &s;aw them as well as he, he pre&s;ented them unto her. Since Madam, &s;aid he unto her, it is to you this Table-book is directed, therefore it belongs unto you; but whil&s;t you are peru&s;ing it, I be&s;eech you give me leave to ask <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> where he is at this pre|&s;ent who writ this which I now pre&s;ent unto you.</P>
<P>The Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> being as much a&s;toni&s;hed as <HI>Cyrus,</HI> de&s;ired him to read it as well as &s;he: &s;o that opening it, they began to read it whil&s;t <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> took no no|tice of them: but the truth is, it was not only his &s;orrows that hindered his ob&s;er|vance: For &s;ince <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> could not think &s;o long a &s;olitude &amp; &s;orrow could be with|out &s;ome di&s;traction of &s;pirit, &s;he began to talk with him, and had engaged in di&s;|cour&s;e, the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> with <HI>Eucrates</HI> and <HI>Martefia:</HI> As for <HI>Mazares,</HI> this Tomb calling into his memory his &s;olitary life which he led in a Grott when he thought <HI>Mandana</HI> dead, he was taken up enough with his own thoughts, without di&s;cour&s;e with others. And for <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> his thoughts were as much bu&s;ied as <HI>Mazares:</HI> &s;o that <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> reading the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his Letter, they found the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>IT is too much, extreamly too much, to pur&s;ue me even to a very Tomb, and to drive me from a Sanctuary, which all Lawes both divine and humane would have inviolable: but &s;ince it is your plea&s;ure, it mu&s;t be &s;o; Could I have hoped to have &s;een you here without that happy Rivall in your company, I &s;hould have &s;tayed here and a&s;&s;umed the glory to expre&s;s my &s;orrows and my love. But &s;ince it is enough for you to triumph in my heart without him, I mu&s;t &s;hun you, that I may &s;hun him, &s;ince it is not po&s;&s;ible for me to do otherwi&s;e, though I owe him both my life and my liberty. Yet I doe conjure him (if it be lawfull to entreat a Rivall, and if I may do it with due reverence to you) not to expo&s;e him&s;elf un|to any pitty, if you be not capable of any; Con&s;idering that after I have lo&s;t two Kingdomes for the love of you only, yet you drive me from a Tomb where I in|tended to inhabite with the mo&s;t faithfull Lover in the world. I be&s;eech you Ma|dam, oblige my Rivall neither to follow me, nor to &s;earch for me; and the better to induce him, put him in memory, that if I had not had the good fortune to &s;ave you from the enraged waves, he had never had the glory to be at this day favoura|bly looked upon: But alas my &s;orrows make me wander; for after all the rigour, I thinke it had been better for me to have writ unto my Rivall to obtaine a fa|vour from you, then to have writ unto you to obtain any thing from him; However it be Madam, though you &s;hould cau&s;e me to be &s;earched for, to wait upon the Chariot of my Enemy, yet you &s;hould be fru&s;trated, &s;ince who&s;o|ever is Ma&s;ter of his &s;word, is al&s;o Master of his life and liberty. I aske nothing el&s;e of you Madam, but only to believe, that if I do live, it is not in any intentions to comfort my &s;elfe, or to leave loving you: For I doe prote&s;t, that as long as I do live, I &s;hall maintayn again&s;t all my Rivalls, that there is not one of them which loves you with more zeale and reverence then I doe, as rigorous and inexorable as you are unto me.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>The King of Pontus.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><PB N="87" REF="725">
AFter the reading of this Letter, which was &s;o &s;ad as de&s;erved to be read without any anger; <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;carcely daring to look upon <HI>Mandana,</HI> lea&s;t he &s;hould &s;ee &s;ome compa&s;&s;ion in her eyes, he &s;poke the fir&s;t. To &s;pare my &s;orrows Madam (&s;ayd he unto her) that you &s;hould aske me a favour for &s;uch a Rivall as the King of <HI>Pon|tus,</HI> I will prevent your asking, and tell you that as the &s;tate of things do &s;tand, I freely con&s;ent that a King who hath had the misfortune to loo&s;e two Kingdoms, and you al&s;o, &s;hall not be &s;o mi&s;erable as fall into the power of his Enemy, an Enemy un|to whom he thinks him&s;elf a little obliged: Yet Madam, I mu&s;t needs ask you leave to enquire of <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> how the Prince came hither? Though I &s;hould not for your &s;ake (replyed <HI>Mandana)</HI> yet for my own, I de&s;ire you to aske him: Since I a&s;&s;ure you, the adventure doth augment both my curio&s;ity and trouble; For when I con&s;ider how it was neer the Tomb of <HI>Abradates</HI> that you met the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> And that you were very neer meeting with the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> in the Tomb of this fair Aegypti|an, I do almo&s;t believe I &s;hall find per&s;ecutors in <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> when I am there: &s;o they have no greater power to hurt you Madam (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> then the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> hath, you need not feare their violence.</P>
<P>After this <HI>Mandana</HI> went to <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> unto whom &s;he &s;hewed the Letter which <HI>Cyrus</HI> found upon the Sepulchre, and asked him where he was which did write it, and whether he knew him well? <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> was at fir&s;t &s;urprized to &s;ee this Letter, which he knew to be upon the Monument; but coming pre&s;ently ont of his a&s;toni&s;hment, and being not determined what to an&s;wer; I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, replyed he, I thought him who left this Letter in this Tomb, to be one of the mo&s;t &s;add, the mo&s;t noble, and the mo&s;t vertuous men in the world. But Madam, aske me no more, for I neither know his quality, nor the cau&s;e of his &s;adne&s;s, nor where he is at this pre&s;ent; And though I did know, yet I think when you know how he made me promi&s;e not to di&s;|cover him, you are &s;o generous as to pre&s;s me no further: <HI>Cyrus</HI> perceiving by the &s;peeches of <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> that he apprehended no de&s;ign of any violence for giving harbor, did engage his word, that though he whom he had harbored were now in the Tomb, yet there &s;hould no hurt be done unto him: So as <HI>Eucrates</HI> hearing what <HI>Cy|rus</HI> &s;ayd, came neerer, and not &s;taying for the an&s;wer of <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> Sir (&s;ayd he un|to him) Since it was my &s;elf who made this Illu&s;trious Stranger known unto <HI>Mene|&s;teus,</HI> &s;o I thing it fit, it &s;hould be my &s;elfe who &s;hould tell you all I know, which yet will &s;atisfie you little more, then what he hath already told you. For truly, Sir, all I can tell you of him who&s;e name I know not, is this, that about eight dayes &s;ince, ac|cording to the Laws of ho&s;pitality which are inviolably ob&s;erved in this Country, he came unto this Ca&s;tle, which hath the honour to lodge you at this pre&s;ent, and de|manded of me entertainment; for being then very ill, as &s;till he is, he found him&s;elf unable to continue his journey: he had with him only one man, which &s;eemed more like a common Souldier, then any Gentleman, and he &s;eemed to me to be &s;o &s;ad, that I joyfully con&s;ented unto his de&s;ire, giving thanks unto the Gods for an occa&s;ion of a&s;&s;i&s;ting a man &s;o hand&s;om as he, and who &s;eemed &s;o extreamly greived. So that lod|ging him as conveniently as I could, he looked out of his window, and &s;eeing the&s;e two Tombs, he asked me who&s;e they were? And I think he was inqui&s;itive of no|thing el&s;e, and I beleive this &s;ad Object did &s;uite with his melancholy humour; So as I acquainted him with the retreat of <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> and the &s;olitary life that he led: he was &s;o much taken with the &s;tory, that though he was &s;o weak as hardly able to &s;u&s;tain him&s;elf, yet he would needs have me carry him thither, and &s;o I did. And after this time, he went thither every day: for though <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> was u&s;ed to avoid all compa|ny, yet the melancholy of this &s;tranger admitted him &s;ooner then any other: and <HI>Me|nesteus</HI> was &s;o taken with him, that he de&s;ired his vi&s;its every day as long as he &s;tayed with me. But when news was brought ye&s;terday, that I &s;hould have the honour to receive you, Sir, into my hou&s;e, he appeared to be extreamly troubled, and prepared for his departure the very &s;ame hour, though he was in a mo&s;t unfit condition for it. However, I beleive his apprehen&s;ions of your coming hither was the true cau&s;e why two wounds which he &s;ayd he had received in the Wars, and which he thought almo&s;t healed, did open again: So that then it being impo&s;&s;ible for him to go far by rea&s;on of the blood which he lo&s;t, and re&s;olving not to &s;tay in a place where you Sir, were to come, I advi&s;ed him to hide him&s;elf in this Tomb, not fore&s;eeing your curio&s;ity of &s;ee|ing
<PB N="88" REF="726">
it: And indeed he took my coun&s;ell, &s;taying here untill ye&s;terday at Evening, when I acquainted <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> with your re&s;olutions of coming hither, and it mu&s;t be he who can tell you better then I, how he received the news. It is then you (&s;ayd <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto <HI>Mene&s;teus)</HI> who mu&s;t better inform us, and tell us why he of whom we &s;peak, did fear my coming hither. Sir, replyed <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> he told <HI>Eucrates</HI> as well as me, that he being engaged in the contrary part unto yours, he would not ex|po&s;e him&s;elf unto the danger of being your &s;lave, and he &s;ayd it with &s;o much &s;ad|ne&s;s his face, that I am confident being &s;o generous as you are, you would not have in|chained him, if you had &s;een him in the &s;ame condition I did, though he had been your mo&s;t mortall Enemy. As &s;oon as he heard that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was to come hi|ther, and you al&s;o; he told me that he mu&s;t be gone, as &s;oon as ever the Moon which then &s;hined, was &s;et, that he might pa&s;s un&s;een: And &s;eeming as if he would re&s;t two hours, purpo&s;ely to have time to write this Letter, he de&s;ired my favour to pa&s;s away his time in the Tomb, thinking it as he &s;ayd to be more &s;afe then any other; And &s;o cau&s;ing his Servant to carry &s;ome Cu&s;hions for his better ca&s;e, I left him there untill the hour he &s;ayd he would depart: And he being told that the Moon was &s;et, he pre|pared for his departure, not &s;peaking a word of the Letter which he left. But truly, Sir, he departed in &s;uch a deplorable condition, that I then knew his flight had a more urgent cau&s;e then he told me: for though his wounds began to bleed afre&s;h, yet be gone he would, maugre all my de&s;ires to the contrary, a&s;&s;uring him that I would find a way to hide him &s;o in the Tomb as he &s;hould not be di&s;covered when I &s;aw his re&s;olute intention, I pre&s;&s;ed him to tell me the rea&s;on of his ha&s;t, and he told me with a &s;ighing imbrace, that the very &s;ame Pa&s;&s;ion which kept me in the Tomb cau&s;ed him to go out, and prayed me to think that if I knew his mi&s;ery, I &s;hould &s;ay he were the mo&s;t un|fortunate man in the world. After this, Sir, he took hor&s;e in extream pain, and with|out any followers but this one man which waited upon him; he took along the Tor|rent Maugre the darkne&s;s of the night, and the weakne&s;s of his condition: So as in all likelyhood, he is either fallen into the Torrent, or wandered in the wild Forre&s;t, or dead of his wounds and &s;orrows: Whil&s;t <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> was &s;aying &s;o, <HI>Mandana</HI> held down her eyes, as being the innocent cau&s;e of the mi&s;eries of this Prince, &s;he could not chu&s;e but pitty him, who had been as virtuous a man as any lived, had he not loved her too well, or had not his Pa&s;&s;ion confounded his Rea&s;on. <HI>Cyrus</HI> him&s;elf though his Rivall, was moved unto pitty, and doubtle&s;s had been more, had he not ob&s;erved the Compa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Mandana:</HI> yet he kept him&s;elf within the pre&s;cribed limits of his intention, notwith&s;tanding the contrary gu&s;ts of his heart: So then conceiving that if he &s;hould give orders to follow the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> he &s;hould have him in his pow|er; he would not out of his genero&s;ity do it; and indeed becau&s;e he thought <HI>Manda|na</HI> would blame him, and al&s;o becau&s;e he had promi&s;ed <HI>Araminta</HI> to wave his revenge for her &s;ake: So that addre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf unto <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> though the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> whom you harbored (&s;ayd he unto him) be one of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana's</HI> Per&s;ecu|tors, and one of my greate&s;t Enemies in being my Rivall; yet I mu&s;t commend you for your a&s;&s;i&s;tance, and a&s;&s;ure you to make your reception of him his Sanctuary, I will not &s;uffer him to be followed. Indeed (added <HI>Mandana</HI> with as much &s;weetne&s;s as genero&s;ity) I do conceive that revenge of Crimes ought to be left only unto the Gods, and not execute it upon any Enemy that cannot hurt.</P>
<P>In the mean time, as the a&s;toni&s;hment of <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> and <HI>Eucrates</HI> was great to hear that it was the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> whom they had a&s;&s;i&s;ted; &s;o the wonder of <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris</HI> was greater, and that of <HI>Intaphernes, Aglatidas, Dorali&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Marte|&s;ia,</HI> was no le&s;s. Yet the wonder did produce different effects in the minds of <HI>Maza|res</HI> and <HI>Anaxaris:</HI> for the fir&s;t con&s;idering that if he had not carryed away <HI>Manda|na</HI> from <HI>Synope,</HI> the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> had never been reduced unto this pittifull condi|tion, he became extreamly melancholy, conceiving that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> could not call to mind the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his Adventure, but &s;he mu&s;t needs al&s;o revive in her memory tho&s;e fallacies which the exce&s;s of his Pa&s;&s;ion cau&s;ed, and mu&s;t in her heart accu&s;e him for it. But for <HI>Anaxaris:</HI> he had one of the odde&s;t Conceiptes that ever love infu&s;ed into any mind: for though he hoped that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> might per|haps dye of his wounds, when he e&s;caped out of <HI>Cumes</HI> in a Fi&s;hers Boat, yet now he was joyed to &s;ee that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had more Rivals living then he thought of: So as never con&s;idering that the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> could not be the Rivall of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> unle&s;s he were
<PB N="89" REF="726">
his al&s;o; he thought only that as mi&s;erable as he was, that he would be an Ob&s;tacle unto the happine&s;s of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> So as if he was &s;ad at this Accident, it was only to i|magine that perhaps he would dye by his own ha&s;ty flight. As for <HI>Intaphernes</HI> though he had clo&s;ely adhered unto <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> again&s;t the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> yet he could not chu&s;e but infinitely commend <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana,</HI> for their genero&s;ity in not follow|ing this unfortunate King. However &s;ince this Accident was very &s;trange, it cau&s;ed the di&s;cour&s;e to continue &s;o long, that before <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;een the &s;e|cond Tomb, and had talked with this &s;olitary Mourner, of his love and &s;orrows, be|fore they had got to the Ca&s;tle and had dined, it was &s;o late that they re&s;olved to &s;pend all the re&s;t of the day in that place, and not to depart untill the morning. But while&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> was bu&s;ie in giving out &s;everall Orders for the March of his Troops, and the way he would have them hold when they came neer <HI>Cappadocia, Mandana</HI> called <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> into a little Clo&s;et, and began to talk of this adventure: Certainly <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;ayd &s;he unto her) I am de&s;igned for &s;trange things; may it not well be &s;ayd, that the Gods have taken from me the power and comfort of hating all tho&s;e who wrong me, and deprived me of the plea&s;ure of &s;weet revenge? If reflection be had upon pa&s;t things, you will &s;ee that I have rea&s;on for what I &s;ay. If I look upon the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria, Mazares</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> as Princes who have ravi&s;hed me away, and cau&s;ed all the mi&s;eries of my life, have I not the greate&s;t rea|&s;on in the world to hate them, and be revenged; and yet the Gods do &s;end &s;uch intelli|gence of them, as mu&s;t needs abate my hate, and will not let me wi&s;h their Ruine. What &s;trong te&s;timonies have I of the grief and repentance of <HI>Mazares</HI> when he thought me dead? hath not <HI>Orcames</HI> fully informed me of the A&s;&s;yrian Kings mo&s;t violent affection to me? and hath not <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> &s;ufficiently told me the very heart of that Prince unto whom I as well as <HI>Cyrus</HI> are Debtors for our lives, and whom I have co&s;t two Kingdoms? Really <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I could not imagine that ever three Princes &s;hould be &s;o unju&s;t as to ravi&s;h me away and yet be ever worthy of my pitty. The &s;trange&s;t thing, Madam, replyed <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and the mo&s;t glorious for you, is, that all the&s;e Princes do merit to enjoy you, if they had not made them&s;elves unworthy of it, by their unju&s;t carrying you away; And if the Gods had not &s;ent a Prince who alone hath higher parts then they all have, and who adores you with &s;uch a reverent Pa&s;&s;ion, as never gave you the lea&s;t cau&s;e of complaint.</P>
<P>The truth is, replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> I &s;hould be very ungratefull, and by con&s;equence very unju&s;t, if I did not rank <HI>Cyrus</HI> in my highe&s;t e&s;teem and friend&s;hip, and if I did not think my &s;elf very happy in Raigning over the heart of &s;uch a man whom the Gods have thought worthy to Raign over all <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> As the Prince&s;s pronounced the&s;e words, <HI>Cyrus</HI> having di&s;patched all his orders, entred into the place where &s;he was, and as &s;oon as ever &s;he &s;aw him, &s;he blu&s;hed, as if &s;he were affraid he had over-heard her. <HI>Cyrus</HI> perceiving it, did bethink him&s;elf what might be the cau&s;e of that carnation in <HI>Manada's</HI> Complexion: for as the Actions of per&s;ons loved are never indifferent; &s;o he was &s;omthing troubled at this alteration in the Countenance of that Prince&s;s whom he adored: Though, Madam, &s;ayd he unto her, that &s;weet blu&s;h &s;eemed to give a fre&s;h Lu&s;tre unto your beauty, yet I could not chu&s;e but be troubled at it, out of my fear lea&s;t I was the cau&s;e of it, by interrupting you uncivilly; I could per|haps, if I would (replyed <HI>Mandana</HI> with a &s;mile, and blu&s;hed more) con&s;ent unto half you &s;ay without di&s;obliging you: but &s;ince your unju&s;t &s;u&s;pition of interrupting me uncivilly, de&s;erves a puni&s;hment, you &s;hall know no further. Did you but know, Madam, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> what puni&s;hment it is for a Lover to be ignorant of what pa&s;|&s;eth in the heart of her he adores when he has a de&s;ire of it, doubtle&s;s you would &s;ay, your Puni&s;hment exceeds my Crime: though indeed I mu&s;t confe&s;s my weakne&s;s, and a&s;&s;ure you, Madam, that I would do almo&s;t any thing in the world to know the cau&s;e of your blu&s;h. I know very well, that this fond Curio&s;ity is one of tho&s;e follies wherewith the Pa&s;&s;ion which po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth me is upbraided: but yet for all that, I find it to be well grounded. Indeed (pur&s;ued he and &s;miled) &s;ince it is permittable in War to have Spyes in the place which one would take, it is as well allowable to have &s;ome in the heart which one would Conquer, and &s;o hold intelligence: Since Spyes are only implyed (replyed <HI>Mandana)</HI> to know what pa&s;&s;eth among&s;t Enemies; you &s;tand in need of none to know what pa&s;&s;eth in my heart: for there is no War decla|red
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betwixt us. However, I a&s;&s;ure you, Madam (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that &s;omtimes one may as much long to know the thoughts of her he adores, as to know the de&s;igns of his Enemies: and for my particular, I had rather have a faithfull Spy in your heart, then have a hundred with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> or the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> though they were Ma&s;ters of <HI>Babylon</HI> or <HI>Sardis.</HI> Yet, Madam, I be&s;eech you do not think that this my Curio&s;ity hath any &s;mack of Jealou&s;ie, nor that I am one of tho&s;e Lovers, who are extreamly inqui&s;itive for what they would not find: But, Madam, the rea&s;on of it is (&s;ince I mu&s;t confe&s;s it) becau&s;e there is a notable difference between thoughts of e&s;teem which are expre&s;&s;ed by obliging Language, and hidden thoughts which are concealed almo&s;t from the parties them&s;elves, and which others can know only but by gue&s;&s;es. Think it not &s;trange then, Madam, that though I am not &s;o impudent as to think you have any advantageous thoughts of me which you would not honour me with the Participation, yet I cannot chu&s;e but de&s;ire that I were able to dive into the &s;ecrets of your heart I mu&s;t needs de&s;ire to have a &s;ight of all the Virtues together, and wi&s;h your heart were open, that I &s;hould know all your thoughts, &amp; all your de&s;ires. To &s;atisfie one part of your Curio&s;ity (replyed <HI>Mandana</HI> to divert the di&s;cour&s;e) I mu&s;t tell you, that I have a &s;trange de&s;ire to know all the thoughts of <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> &s;ince this eight years that he hath lived in the Tomb of this fair one whom he loved and lo&s;t. Oh, Madam, &s;ayd <HI>Cyrus,</HI> by &s;eeming to &s;atisfie my Curio&s;ity, you rather ayme at your own, and not my &s;atisfaction: But it is not my part to pre&s;cribe Laws unto you, therfore &s;ince it is not yo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> plea&s;ure, I &s;hould be more &s;crutinous into your Soul: and &s;ince you had rather I could talk of <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> then of you or my &s;elf, I &s;hall tell you that I cannot ea&s;ily conceive all his eight years thoughts, for love and &s;orrow are two inexhau&s;tible gulfs of thoughts, if I may &s;o expre&s;s that bottom|le&s;s Aby&s;s in the mind of a grieved Lover, and which wholy po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth him as long as his love and grief la&s;tes: But the greater wonder is, how he hath lived &s;o long, after the death of her he adored. For really Madam, without any aggravation of my &s;or|rows at <HI>Synope,</HI> when I had cau&s;e to fear your being drown'd, I can truly prote&s;t, that I had not one day more to live, when I heard you were living: I am much obliged to you, Sir, replyed <HI>Mandana</HI> for your engaging &s;orrows, though I will not beleive it to be &s;o violent as you expre&s;s, lea&s;t you &s;hould upbraid me with ingratitude: yet truly I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that the mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible &s;orrow of all &s;orrows is the death of the Party loved; and I am &s;o fully per&s;waded of this truth, that as oft as I imagine that there is an ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity I mu&s;t one day hear of the death of per&s;ons whom I love, or they hear of mine, I am &s;o melancholy as I hardly know my &s;elf. Oh, Madam, (cryed out <HI>Cyrus)</HI> what a di&s;mall image do you make to pa&s;s out of your Spirit in|to mine? I ask you pardon, Sir, replyed &s;he; but yet I think you are obliged to con|cur with me: for &s;ince I cannot think without a &s;ad remembrance that you mu&s;t one day hear of my death, or I of yours, methinks it is a mark of amity which merits a par|don for my &s;ad di&s;cour&s;e: your expre&s;&s;ions, Madam, are &s;o obliging, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that I owe you a tribute of a thou&s;and thanks: but for all that, Madam, I beleive I &s;hall &s;carcely pardon you this day, for infu&s;ing into me &s;uch apprehen&s;ions of your death.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> had pronounced the&s;e words, <HI>Eucrates</HI> came to acquaint him that there was a man of Quality from <HI>Phoceus,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Thrymetus,</HI> whom the Son of <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> had &s;ent unto his Father, who de&s;ired to &s;peak with him, and who arrived immediately after he was come out of the Tomb: Adding, that he was accompanied with two &s;trangers, unknown either by their Habits or Language. Since <HI>Mandana</HI> conceived that this man could have no bu&s;ine&s;s with <HI>Cyrus</HI> which her pre&s;ence might hinder, &s;he de&s;ired that Prince, that <HI>Thrymetus</HI> might have audience before her, which <HI>Cyrus</HI> accordingly commanded: and <HI>Eucrates</HI> obeying, <HI>Thrimetus</HI> with his two &s;trange Companions was brought into <HI>Mandana's</HI> Chamber, who with <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aluted them, <HI>Thrymetus</HI> having a Letter (which was only of Credence) to pre&s;ent, he uttered the&s;e words; Sir, (&s;ayd he unto him in Greeek) I am &s;ent unto you from a Prince, who&s;e good or bad fortunes you have power to make: but &s;ince he hath been &s;o unhappy as to be engaged in a Party oppo&s;ite unto yours, and con|&s;trained to pre&s;erve his liberty by abandoning <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">his Country unto your Victorious Armes, and to have recour&s;e unto flight; I cannot tell, Sir, whether his hopes of reception be well grounded: but I am mo&s;t certain that the Prince <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> his Fa|ther,
<PB N="91" REF="727">
unto whom I came upon a me&s;&s;age, is &s;o charmed with your genero&s;ity, that he makes no doubt but that I &s;hall obtain my demands. To te&s;tifie, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that I have a great di&s;po&s;ition to grant any thing unto a Prince of his merit who &s;ent you; I will not a&s;&s;ume the Right of Conquerors, which nere allowes their vanqui&s;hed Ene|mies the names of tho&s;e Countries which are conquered from them. But on the con|trary, though <HI>Peraneus</HI> was never yet called the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> becau&s;e he who left him that Title did not peri&s;h untill &s;ince his departure, yet I will be the fir&s;t that will call him &s;o, and intreat you to name him no otherwi&s;e; for &s;ince the Prince <HI>Thra|&s;ibalus</HI> hath given once &s;uch noble Characters of his Virtue and Valour, I am re&s;olved to treat him as favourably as I have done others, who merits it no more then he. Oh Sir, reylyed <HI>Thrymetus,</HI> I ask no more, for &s;ince you are plea&s;ed to acknowledge <HI>Peraneus</HI> in the pre&s;ence of the&s;e &s;trangers, to be a Prince, and the Prince of <HI>Phoce|ns</HI> you have granted as much as I had in Commi&s;&s;ion to ask: and you have made him the mo&s;t happy Prince upon Earth, if I may phra&s;e a man &s;o, who hath not the glory to be particularly known unto the greate&s;t Prince in the World. Since the expre&s;&s;i|ons of <HI>Thrymetus</HI> did &s;urpize both <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana;</HI> and &s;ince they ob&s;erved much joy in the face of one &s;tranger, and much &s;orrow in the eyes of the other, they were full of Curio&s;ity to know the cau&s;e of this adventure: So as <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;peaking Greek as elegantly as her naturall Language, &s;he very obligingly asked <HI>Thrymetus</HI> the interpretation of it, and the true cau&s;e of his Voyage. <HI>Cyrus</HI> al&s;o de&s;ired to know where the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was, de&s;iring to be informed of all his Actions &s;ince he was cho&s;en chief of that fugitive Troop. Al&s;o he asked who tho&s;e &s;trangers were whom by ther habits he knew not, what intere&s;t they had in the Prince of <HI>Pho|ceus?</HI> and how it was po&s;&s;ible, that three or four advantageous words which he had &s;poken in his behalf, &s;hould make him happy? The Que&s;tions which you ask, Sir, replyed <HI>Thrymetus,</HI> are not to be an&s;wered in few words, no more then tho&s;e the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was plea&s;ed to enquire of: But, Sir, though you &s;hould have the goodnes and the lea&s;ure to lend an eare unto &s;o extraordinary an adventure, as that of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince (&s;ince you are plea&s;ed I &s;hould give him his right name) yet, Sir, be|fore I tell it, I mu&s;t beg one Favour my &s;elf, which is, that you would be plea&s;ed, Sir, to employ your per&s;wa&s;ions and Authority upon the Prince <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> that he would quit the Tomb wherin he dwels, and go into a place where you would e&s;tabli&s;h a new Dominion upon the Prince his Son. The more you &s;peak, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the le&s;s I under&s;tand you, and the more inqui&s;itive I am: And therfore &s;ince I know the Prin|ce&s;s to be as full of Curio&s;ity as my &s;elf, I do declare unto you, that I will not grant any thing, unle&s;s you will tell her the life of that Prince who &s;ent you. But &s;ince it would be perhaps unju&s;t to oblige you unto a long Narration before you have re&s;ted your &s;elf, I &s;hall intreat <HI>Evcrates</HI> to have a care of you &amp; tho&s;e in your company, &amp; to bring you hither in the Evening, that the Prince&s;s may have the plea&s;ure to hear you, if you do not deny her. It &s;o much concerns the Prince who &s;ent me, replyed <HI>Thry|metus,</HI> that you &s;hould not deny the Favour which I ask; that I &s;hould do very ill &s;ervice, if I &s;hould not relate an adventure which is infinitely glorious unto him: Therfore, Sir, I will obey when you &s;hall plea&s;e to command.</P>
<P>After this, and many obliging pa&s;&s;ages from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and <HI>Mandana,</HI> he and the two &s;trangers retired, who one might perceive did perfectly under&s;tand what was &s;poken, but were not &s;o ver&s;ed in Greek, as to &s;peak it before a Prince and Prince&s;s who un|der&s;tood it &s;o admirably well. As <HI>Thrymetus</HI> went out of <HI>Mandana's</HI> Chamber; <HI>Ma|zares, Myr&s;yles, Artamas, Andramites,</HI> and many others entred, who extreamly wondering at the uncouth habits of the&s;e &s;trangers, asked <HI>Cyrus</HI> who they were? For my part (&s;ayd <HI>Artamas,</HI> after <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ayd he knew them not) I had thought that your Valour had &s;et Confines to your Conque&s;ts, becau&s;e it could find no more to Conquer: but yet I &s;ee there are people which the Conquer or of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> knows not. Since we fought only (replyed <HI>Cyrus</HI> mode&s;tly) for the liberty of the Prince&s;s, we have &s;et Confines to our Conque&s;ts in delivering her, unle&s;s we &s;hould do ju&s;tice un|to her merits, and make her Queen of all the world, or unle&s;s &s;he have a de&s;ire to make new Subjects of the&s;e &s;trangers whom we know not. I a&s;&s;ure you, Sir, replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> that though I think you worthy to be Ma&s;ter of all the world, and think you able to Conquer it, yet, Sir, your life, and the lives of &s;o many great Princes who have a&s;&s;i&s;ted you in your Conque&s;ts, are &s;o dear unto me, that if you never make any
<PB N="92" REF="728">
War but to &s;atisfie my Ambition, you &s;hal &s;heath all your Swords in perpetutal peace. Whil&s;t <HI>Mandana</HI> was &s;peaking thus, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Pherenice</HI> who had met with <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and who were talking with <HI>Andramites</HI> in the corner of the Chamber which was not large, they heard what <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;ayd: and <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> finding a kind of barbari&s;me in the Aire of the&s;e &s;trangers, &s;he told <HI>Andramites</HI> who came to her, that the Prince&s;s had good rea&s;on not to de&s;ire the Conque&s;t of &s;uch Subjects: After which, &s;he began to make &s;uch plea&s;ant de&s;criptions of the Aires, Garbs, Po|&s;tures, Reverence, and habits of the&s;e two men, that though there was &s;ome inju&s;tice in her fine Raillary, yet tho&s;e who heard could not chu&s;e but be much delighted: in&s;omuch as <HI>Marte&s;ia Pherenice</HI> and <HI>Andramites,</HI> laughed heartily: But the rare&s;t part of the accident was, that <HI>Mandana</HI> who had a marvellous peircing wit, did gue&s;s the truth, and imagined that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> had found a &s;ubject of Diver&s;ion in the&s;e &s;tran|gers, though they were very magnificent and hand&s;om: And therfore de&s;iring to give a te&s;timony of her goodne&s;s, and find &s;uch a &s;ubject of di&s;cour&s;e as might put off tho&s;e Applaudes which they began to give her, &s;he told her thoughts unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Myr|&s;iles,</HI> who being alwayes glad of any occa&s;ion to hear <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;peak, be&s;eeched the Prince&s;s with a &s;mile, to correct her Inju&s;tice: So that <HI>Mandana</HI> being willing to plea&s;e <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> &s;he went to <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> were not you <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> making &s;ome fine de|&s;criptions of the two &s;trangers (&s;ayd &s;he) when you talked unto <HI>Pherenice Marte&s;ia</HI> &amp; <HI>Andramites,</HI> and cau&s;ed them to laugh &s;o loud? I a&s;&s;ure you, Madam, an&s;wered &s;he, I de&s;erve no great Comends for &s;o ea&s;ily mooving their mirth, for it was &s;uch good &s;port to &s;ee the&s;e &s;trangers, that the very remembrance of them is enough to move laughter; Really <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> you are a &s;trange woman, for &s;ince they &s;poke not, &s;ince they are very magnificent, and &s;ince they are hand&s;om enough, you cannot upbraid them with the fa&s;hion of their habits, and Garb which is different from tho&s;e you &s;ee every day: &s;o as doubtle&s;s they think you as different from the Ladies they u&s;e to &s;ee, as you think them different from the men you &s;ee, and as ami|able as you are, perhaps they think of you, what you think of them. I a&s;&s;ure you, Madam, replyed &s;he, and laughed, if I make them as merry as they make me, we are much beholding to each other. Fye, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;ayd <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;miled, your &s;peeches do make me exceedingly affraid: for I being a <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> born, and you a <HI>Sardinian,</HI> I fear that the fir&s;t time you &s;aw me, I &s;eemed as great a &s;tranger to you as the&s;e; therfore I conjure you to tell me &s;eriou&s;ly, how I &s;eem now your eyes are accu&s;tomed to &s;ee me? Oh Sir, (replyed &s;he with her naturall and &s;prightly vivacity) &s;uch Conquerors as you, are &s;trangers no where: And I may well &s;ay you are the &s;ame at <HI>Per&s;ipolis</HI> that you are at <HI>Babylon,</HI> at <HI>Sardis,</HI> at <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> at <HI>Artaxates,</HI> at <HI>Su&s;a;</HI> at <HI>Themi&s;cira,</HI> and at <HI>Cumes:</HI> So as I a&s;&s;ure you, all the world is your Country, and you a &s;tranger no where. Indulgency to &s;trangers (replyed <HI>Mandana</HI> and &s;miled) is a duty; and if I &s;hould humour my own inclination, I would excu&s;e them all: yet &s;ince you are &s;uch a plea&s;ant Critick to ob&s;erve &s;o &s;ubtlely the faults of others, I mu&s;t confine you unto your own Country and acquaintance. But as for the&s;e &s;trangers, who are &s;o ridiculous to you, I do intend to take them into my Protection, and tell you further that if any <HI>Ethiopians, Indians,</HI> or <HI>Scithians</HI> come to <HI>Ecbatan,</HI> when I am there. I will defend them again&s;t you, for I mu&s;t confe&s;s I cannot indure this kind of Inju&s;tice, though it be almo&s;t univer&s;all. But, Madam, I be&s;eech you with all due reverence, re|plyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> give me leave to ju&s;tifie my &s;elf, and examine the matter a little: with all my heart (&s;ayd <HI>Mandana)</HI> though I am confident you will have much ado with all your wit to prove it no inhumanity to jeer a &s;tranger, meerly becau&s;e he is a &s;tran|ger. For my part, &s;ayd <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I am cleerly of opinion with the Prince&s;s. That opini|on is &s;o ju&s;t (&s;ayd <HI>Mazares)</HI> as I cannot think it will admit of any argument: If I &s;hould &s;peak without intere&s;t (&s;ayd the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> and looked upon <HI>Mazares)</HI> doubtle&s;s I &s;hould concur with you in the opinion of the Prince&s;s: But &s;ince I am no &s;tranger unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> I do &s;o much fear that if &s;he be induced to make peace with &s;trangers, then &s;he will declare War with me, as I dare not declare my &s;elf again&s;t her in this bu&s;ine&s;s. For my part (&s;ayd <HI>Artamas)</HI> my rea&s;on is contrary unto yours, &s;ince I am not of <HI>Dorali&s;a's</HI> Country: yet I mu&s;t adhere unto the opinion of the Prince&s;s by intere&s;t, though the &s;ame rea&s;on were not, &s;ince ju&s;tice and goodne&s;s are on her &s;ide. For ought I &s;ee (replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> undantedly) you have brought me to that pa&s;s as I cannot but come off in this di&s;pute with honour; for there are &s;o many Il|lu&s;trious
<PB N="93" REF="728">
per&s;ons again&s;t me, that though I be vanqui&s;hed, yet I need not be a&s;hamed: and if I be not, then I &s;hall have more glory then ever any had; &s;ince never any did overcom &s;ome of tho&s;e whom I &s;hall vanqui&s;h. But yet (&s;ayd <HI>Mandana)</HI> what can you &s;ay to excu&s;e your &s;elf of that inju&s;tice wherof you are accu&s;ed? have not every Nation, every Kingdom their particular Cu&s;toms? nay, has not every Province, every Town their different Fa&s;hions? either in their Habits or in their Civilities; there Graces of body, &amp; all tho&s;e trifling exterior things which reach only the eyes, but not at all the Soul and mind. I do confe&s;s it, Madam, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> but I confe&s;s withall, that it is this difference which diverts me by its odne&s;s, without any inju&s;tice to the &s;tranger; for I give him the &s;ame liberty which I take my &s;elf, and not caring what he thinks of me, I think of him what I plea&s;e. But <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> you think not right, replyed <HI>Mandana,</HI> if you blame him becau&s;e he is habited after the mode of his Country, as you are after yours; I do not blame him in particular, replyed <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> but I blame all his Nation in generall: Then are you the more unju&s;t (replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and laugh|ed) to &s;cof<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> at three or four hundred thou&s;and men at once, becau&s;e one or two of them only does not plea&s;e you: Furthermore (added <HI>Mandana)</HI> it is unrea&s;onable to de&s;ire that an <HI>Aegyptian</HI> &s;hould be a <HI>Per&s;ian,</HI> when he is at <HI>Per&s;ipolis;</HI> or that a <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> &s;hould be an <HI>Aegyptian</HI> at <HI>Memphis,</HI> &s;o that changing him&s;elf in every Town he comes in, he would make him&s;elf called that Creature which a&s;&s;umeth &s;everall Co|lours as he changeth his Aire: For &s;o <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> doubtle&s;s mu&s;t he. All I require in a &s;tranger, Madam, replyed &s;he, is to conform him&s;elf as much as he can unto the Cu|&s;toms of that Country where he is, and that he do not amaze all eyes by his odd Gar|ments, unle&s;s at &s;ome &s;tately entrance among&s;t a great Company. I would have him al&s;o, to &s;peak very little, unle&s;s he be a&s;&s;ured to &s;peak well: I would have him al|&s;o contented with &s;eeming Liberall and Magnificent, without pretending unto any Politene&s;s or Gallantry; &s;ince they are things of fa&s;hion and u&s;e, and have their par|ticular decency in every Nation, which a &s;tranger is often ab&s;urd in, out of his own Country: But above all things I would have him leave me &s;o much liberty as to laugh harmle&s;ly at all he &s;ayes or does which is again&s;t my mind. For truly, Madam, if he will not allow me that liberty, I &s;hall not let him take it; and I do the more de|&s;ire this freedom, becau&s;e I &s;hould u&s;e it without offence: for there is a great diffe|rence between Raillary upon a man of ones own Country, and Raillary upon a &s;tran|ger; provided it extend only to &s;uch things as are particular unto his Nation: &s;ince the fir&s;t of the&s;e proceeds from malice, and tho&s;e who divert them&s;elves at that rate do &s;eldom purcha&s;e any e&s;teem unto them&s;elves: But, Madam, as for the other, I profe&s;s that my laughing at a &s;tranger does not proceed from any malice of heart: And though the&s;e two men I &s;aw this day, did much divert me, yet I do verily beleive they may be very compleat men, and Gallants in their own Country: So that taxing nei|ther their wits, nor their hone&s;ties, nor courages; I do conceive my &s;elf not &s;o culpa|ble as you make me: And truly, Madam, if the nature of my laughing at &s;uch things be well examined, it will be found nothing &s;o malicious as to laugh (as mo&s;t of the world do) when a hor&s;e throws his Rider, or when ones head is broken: for it argues much more malignity to laugh at &s;uch things as do hurt, and is a greater &s;pite unto tho&s;e upon whom they happen; then to laugh and be merry, as I am, at a fanta&s;ti|call and uncouth Habit: at an out-of-fa&s;hion <HI>Conge,</HI> or a word ill pronounced: yet Madam, you know how ordinary and unhumane it is to laugh at &s;uch &s;ad accidents; and as wi&s;e, as pittiful as you are, I cannot tel whether you have not been &s;omtimes moved to &s;mile at &s;uch an accident. <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;poke this in &s;uch a jolly manner, that <HI>Mandana</HI> and all the Company could not chu&s;e but laugh, and confe&s;s withall, that &s;he de&s;erved the liberty of laughing, not only at all &s;trangers, but al&s;o at all &s;he knew; and to te|&s;tifie unto you (&s;ayd <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto her) that I think what I &s;peak, I give you a free right, to play upon me when you plea&s;e, and to be merry at my expences when you find any occa&s;ion. Should I never divert my &s;elf, replyed &s;he, but when you give me occa&s;ion, I &s;hould live a mo&s;t weari&s;om life: But, Sir, added &s;he, and laughed, &s;ince you are out of your goodne&s;s, plea&s;ed to let me laugh at the&s;e two &s;trangers, I de|&s;ire no more this eight dayes: yet for all this, all the Company concurred, that it was very unju&s;t, not to be very kind unto &s;trangers, or to take the Fa&s;hions of their Countries for incivilities, or arguments of defect in &s;pirit: And all concluded with one voice, that as a man may be but very meanly accompli&s;hed, though he be mo&s;t
<PB N="94" REF="729">
compleat in his Habit, though he have the fa&s;hionable Cringe, and Garb of his Coun|try; and though he have the Court tone to a tittle: So al&s;o it may very well be, that a &s;tranger who has none of the&s;e Qualities, yet may merit much E&s;teem and Comendations, though his Cloathes be odd, though Carriage bad, and his Tone wor&s;e: And &s;o we mu&s;t ever be civill unto &s;trangers, and &s;earch for their Qualities either good or bad, in their minds and &s;ouls: that is the only way to judge of them aright. After this, Di&s;cour&s;e began to change Subject, and much Company coming in, it la&s;ted untill Supper-time; Then all the crowd of Princes and Gallants followed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and left the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> to Sup in private: But as &s;oon as that Prince knew &s;he was ri&s;en from the Table, he took <HI>Thrymetus</HI> who &s;upped with him, as well as his two &s;trange Companions, and claimed promi&s;e of him, and carryed him to <HI>Man|dana's</HI> Chamber, leaving tho&s;e who came with him in the company of <HI>Eucrates;</HI> be|cau&s;e <HI>Thrymetus</HI> acquainted <HI>Cyrus</HI> that he had many things to tell, which he would not have one of tho&s;e &s;trangers to hear. After which, they went unto <HI>Mandana's</HI> Chamber, and found her prepared with all nece&s;&s;ary Curio&s;ity, to give attention un|to the relation which <HI>Thrymetus</HI> was to make. Siuce <HI>Cyrus</HI> knew well, that one does not love to make a long Narration before much Company, he brought none with him to <HI>Mandana's</HI> Chamber: &s;o as <HI>Dorali&s;a, Marte&s;ia, Anaxaris, Cyrus,</HI> and <HI>Man|dana</HI> were all the Auditors of <HI>Thrymetus</HI> his Relation, which began in the&s;e Termes.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>THE HISTORY OF PERANIVS PRINCE OF PHOCEUS; AND Of the Prince&s;s CLEONISBE.</HEAD>
<P>SINCE it doth extreamly import the Prince of whom I am to &s;peak, that you &s;hould have a perfect knowledge of all his Excellent Qualities, I ask your permi&s;&s;ion, Madam, as well as that invincible Prince who hears me, to make you acquainted with him, who&s;e Adventures you de&s;ire to know. And as to his Glory, I am to relate unto you &s;ome of his Heroick Acts, &s;o I mu&s;t be|tray &s;ome of his Virtues, that all the re&s;t may the better appeare unto you; for without any touch upon his mode&s;ty, I &s;hall tell you of his great Courage, Spirit, Genero&s;ity, hone&s;ty, and all other excellent Qualities of his Soule and body: I &s;hall tell you then, Madam, that the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> is worthy to be de&s;cended from that Renowned <HI>Grecian,</HI> who rai&s;ing a Collonie of Gallant men in <HI>Phocides,</HI> pa&s;&s;ed into <HI>A|&s;ia,</HI> and there founded the Town of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> which all his Po&s;terity have peaceably enjoyed, and in great Glory untill the Victorious Armes of <HI>Cyrus</HI> did &s;ubject it, and cha&s;e out a Prince, Uncle unto him of whom I &s;peak, who&s;e unju&s;t violence made him unworthy of &s;uch a Nepew. But, Madam, without &s;earching among&s;t the <HI>Phocen|&s;ians</HI> for matter of Comendations unto this Illu&s;trious Prince of whom I am to treat; give me leave to tell you, that he was born with all high and noble Qualities: And
<PB N="95" REF="729">
that I am mo&s;t confident, all <HI>Greece</HI> which furni&s;hed the world with &s;o many great men, never had a &s;oule more heroique then his. Since he had a Father, adorned with all excellent endowments, this Father was infinitely indulgent in the education of his &s;onne; and not contenting him&s;elfe with what <HI>Phoceus</HI> could afford, he &s;ent him to <HI>Athens,</HI> there to be in&s;tructed in all requi&s;ite Arts befitting his quality, and di&s;po&s;ition, which was even from his Cradle martiall, and apt for high things: And he made choi&s;e of <HI>Athens</HI> rather then <HI>Phoceus,</HI> becau&s;e hee had no minde to quit his Tomb wherein he lives.</P>
<P>It was then at <HI>Athens</HI> Madam, where hee was in&s;tructed in all the excellencies his age was capable of, yet he would not in that place &s;tudy the military Art, before hee could put it into practice: Alwayes affirming that the theorique of War was nothing, and that precepts without practice would not profit him: Indeed he became a Souldi|er at fifteen years of age, and did &s;o highly &s;ignalize him&s;elfe, that his reputation made the brave&s;t men jealous of him, even at a time when he might be thought a young Scholler in the &s;chool of <HI>Mars.</HI> I &s;hall not make any exact relation Madam, of all his Acts in &s;everall Wars, from his fifteenth yeare untill his four and twentieth; for as on the one &s;ide it is not very nece&s;&s;ary, &s;o on the other, I might perhaps make you que&s;tion the truth of my words, by the multitude of Heroique actions which that Prince hath performed. Nor will I do, like tho&s;e who commending only in a gene|rall way, do make it &s;u&s;pitious that they have nothing to &s;ay in particular.</P>
<P>But to take the medium between the&s;e two extreams, and to acqnaint you with the martiall inclination of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, even in his greene&s;t years, I mu&s;t tell you how he made his fir&s;t &s;tep into the Field, that you may thereby judg of his courage. Give me therefore leave Madam to tell you, that he being at <HI>Athens</HI> in his fifteenth yeare, and the <HI>Athenians</HI> in generall being weary of a long and tedious Warr which they waged with the <HI>Megarians,</HI> about the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the I&s;le of <HI>Salamine,</HI> they &s;et forth an Edict, by which they did forbid all tho&s;e who had voyces in the Councell of publique affairs, to make any more Propo&s;itions of continuing this War. In&s;o|much as <HI>Solon</HI> (who&s;e name and merits Madam, I am confident is not unknown unto you) being exceedingly angry that they &s;hould give over &s;uch an important Warre in &s;o ignominious a manner, he endeavoured with all circum&s;pectiall diligence to qua&s;h this Edict which was proclaimed, without expo&s;ing him&s;elfe and his Countrey unto &s;o much danger, as to lo&s;e the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of each other. But all his endeavours had proved ineffectuall, if the great &s;oule of this young Prince had not helped him out. Be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was the intimate friend of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and &s;aw him almo&s;t every day: And being one day with <HI>Solon,</HI> as they were talking of this Edict which prohibited any motions of War, this young Prince &s;eemed &s;o troubled, that <HI>Solon</HI> taking notice of his heroique &s;adne&s;&s;e, did much e&s;teem him for it, e&s;pecially when asking him the cau&s;e, he heard his an&s;wer. For as <HI>Solon</HI> asked him his rea&s;on why he was &s;o angry at this Prohibition. Why Sir, replyed he, does not the very &s;ame rea&s;on which forbids the continuance of the War, forbid men al&s;o to be valiant? If the <HI>Athenians</HI> give over a ju&s;t War becau&s;e they cannot wage it without danger, of what u&s;e is their valour? For my part, if this Edict be ob&s;erved, I had rather return to <HI>Phoceus,</HI> then &s;tay among&s;t a multitude of Cowards who are &s;o ba&s;e as to &s;uffer it: Yet I know there are many young &s;parks which murmure at it in &s;ecret as well as my &s;elfe.</P>
<P>If any one were &s;o hardy, replyed <HI>Solon,</HI> as to propound the continuance of the war unto the <HI>Athenians,</HI> would you willingly &s;econd him? Never doubt it, replyed he, and I am mo&s;t confident that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> would follow, and that we &s;hould cau&s;e the greate&s;t part of all the Sparks in the Town to back us. <HI>Solon</HI> hearing the young <HI>Pera|nius</HI> to &s;ay &s;o, did highly applaud his courage, and without imparting his de&s;ign, be|cau&s;e he thought him too young to be tru&s;ted, he only did extreamly commend his genero&s;ity: giving him afterwards many Rea&s;ons which proved this Edict to be mo&s;t ignominious and di&s;advantageous unto the <HI>Athenians,</HI> not doubting but he would afterwards repeat them unto all tho&s;e he di&s;cour&s;ed with. The truth is, this Prince did &s;o well &s;econd the intentions of <HI>Solon,</HI> that within three dayes <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and hee had di&s;po&s;ed all the youth in the Towne unto a generall revolt unle&s;&s;e this Edict was revoked, which would but ru&s;t their valour.</P>
<P><PB N="96" REF="730">
<HI>Solon</HI> &s;eeing things &s;ucceed to his hearts wi&s;h, re&s;olved to make u&s;e of that inventi|on, which was &s;uch a wonder unto all <HI>Greece,</HI> to &s;ee that man who was &s;o highly fam'd for wi&s;dome, &s;hould have recour&s;e unto fooli&s;hne&s;s to compa&s;&s;e his project. But for all that, this invention which had pa&s;&s;ed for a piece of extravagancy if it had not hit; was taken for a mo&s;t rare invention, becau&s;e it did pro&s;per. Since I do not doubt Ma|dam, but you are acquainted with this action of <HI>Solon,</HI> I &s;hall not particularize it un|to you; but only tell you in two words, that he having compo&s;ed &s;ome ver&s;es fit to incite all the youth unto a demand of the Wars continuance again&s;t the <HI>Megarians,</HI> he did counterfeit him&s;elf to be out of his wits, and went unto a great place in <HI>Athens</HI> where he knew that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> were walking with a great number of their Friends. As &s;oon as he was there, he got upon a high &s;tone Pace where the publique Cryer u&s;ed to publi&s;h all Proclamations unto the People. He had no &s;ooner recited tho&s;e ver&s;es which he had compo&s;ed to incite de&s;ire of War, but <HI>Pi&s;i&s;tates</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> clapping their hands, and approving of what he &s;ayd, and cau&s;ing others to do the like, they went unto every &s;treet, and cryed that this Edict mu&s;t be revoked which was &s;o ignominious to the <HI>Athenians,</HI> and &s;o contra|ry to the Weal publique: They &s;poke with &s;uch efficacy, that in le&s;&s;e then two hours all the young men of <HI>Athens,</HI> brave and &s;imple did joyne with them; And as young as they were, they &s;poke with &s;uch vehemency and authority, that none was &s;o hardy as to re&s;i&s;t them. So that Madam, this Edict mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be revoked to appea&s;e the Tumult, and begin the Warr: And well may I &s;ay that <HI>Solon, Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and <HI>Peranius</HI> only did it.</P>
<P>However, the de&s;ign of <HI>Solon</HI> having &s;o well taken, he became wi&s;e again the next morning; and &s;o well was he known to be &s;o, that they conferred upon him the con|duct of this Warr, wherein the Prince of <HI>Proceus</HI> did follow him, and did miracles. But <HI>Solon</HI> knowing that the rich men of <HI>Athens</HI> would &s;till murmure at the great charges which this War would put them unto, he found a way how to ea&s;e them by a piece of policy, in which the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> did highly &s;ignall him&s;elf as well as <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates.</HI> He went by Sea unto a famous Temple dedicated unto <HI>Venus,</HI> unto which he knew many <HI>Athenian</HI> women of quality did re&s;ort; and choo&s;ing out a cunning and tru&s;ty fellow, he &s;ent him unto the <HI>Megarians,</HI> which were not farr from thence, with Orders to counterfeit the Traytor, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">in offering them a prize of all tho&s;e <HI>Athe|nian</HI> women, and a&s;&s;uring them that they would all be at the Temple of <HI>Venus</HI> &s;uch a time, where they might be all ea&s;ily taken: The plot did take, the <HI>Megarians</HI> believe the fellow, and come with a &s;hip full of Souldiers to the place at the time appointed.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Solon</HI> cau&s;ed all the Ladies and women to forbear coming unto that place; and dre&s;&s;ing a good number of brave youths in the habit of women, he brought them thither, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was of the number; for being both young and as valiant as any Hero, he was very fit for &s;uch an Expedition: And placing him|&s;elfe in the front of all the&s;e &s;eeming Ladies, who had all &s;words hidden under great loo&s;e Mantles, which they u&s;ed to weare over their Gowns; He went, according to the orders of <HI>Solon,</HI> along the water-&s;ide, &s;eeming as if they walked and waited untill the hour of &s;acrifice, as it was the ordinary cu&s;tome of tho&s;e who came over &s;oon.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as the <HI>Megarians</HI> &s;aw them, they made all the Saile and Oare they could, and came to the place where they thought they &s;aw &s;o many Ladies: and landing in all ha&s;t, they came to take away tho&s;e Ladies, thinking after this, that the <HI>Athenians</HI> would be glad to treat and make a Peace with them, to redeem their Wives from be|ing &s;laves.</P>
<P>But they were &s;ufficiently amazed, when the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> (who was the fir&s;t that fell upon them, &s;eeing them come towards him) threw off his Mantle and Hood upon his head, and put him&s;elfe in a po&s;ture of armed defence: This &s;trange Meta|morphe&s;is did mo&s;t terribly &s;urprize them; for he being at that time very faire, one would have &s;ayd that <HI>Venus</HI> was in an in&s;tant turned into <HI>Mars.</HI></P>
<P>The change was not particularly in the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> for all the re&s;t in an in|&s;tant followed his example; and the <HI>Megarians</HI> were &s;trangely terrified, to find &s;uch &s;tout enemies in lieu of Ladies: They offered a retreat unto their Ship, but the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> &s;econded by <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> getting betwixt the Sea and them, they pa&s;&s;ed al|mo&s;t all upon the point of the &s;word after which, being ma&s;ter of their &s;hip, they made u&s;e of a &s;econd Fallacy, which did thrive as well as the fir&s;t: For imbarquing all their
<PB N="97" REF="730">
Souldiers, they went towards <HI>Salamine</HI> as if they had beene <HI>Megarians,</HI> and as if they had brought all the <HI>Athenian</HI> Ladies which they de&s;igned to fetch: &s;o as the Inhabitants of the I&s;le never oppo&s;ing their landing, but on the contrary preparing them&s;elves to receive tho&s;e in the &s;hip, as men who had done them good &s;ervice, they were extreamly &s;urprized to find that they had &s;uffered Enemies to land, and more &s;urprized to ob&s;erve with what miraculous valour the young Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> did a&s;&s;ault them. The terrour was &s;o great in the I&s;le, that <HI>Solon</HI> arriving in a &s;hip pre&s;ently after, did &s;trike a deeper terrour among&s;t the people; who believing that this &s;hip would be &s;econded by a great Fleet, were all &s;o damped with a Panique feare, that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> became Ma&s;ters of the I&s;le with much ea&s;e, and returned unto <HI>Athens</HI> with more honour, as well as <HI>Solon,</HI> who&s;e wi&s;dome was crowned with happine&s;&s;e, by their valour and his owne contri|vance.</P>
<P>This Madam, was the fir&s;t budd of <HI>Peranius</HI> his valour: &s;ince that, he hath done a thou&s;and glorious Acts: There has not been any glorious bu&s;ine&s;s in all <HI>Greece</HI> wher|in he was not one. But the wonder is, he is as well experienced in matters of Sea as Land, and knowes as well how to be a Pilot as a Captain of a &s;hip. The truth is Ma|dam, the valour of this Prince is &s;uperlative: He hath been &s;een to a&s;&s;ault whole Na|vies all lined with Archers; and maugre the thick clouds of Arrows and Darts, hee hath carryed fire, and burned the whole fleet: He hath been &s;een with one &s;ingle &s;hip give cha&s;e to three others, and take two of them: On the other &s;ide, he hath been &s;een &s;et upon by five, and not taken. Furthermore, what hath he not done both in private and generall Combates, both by Sea and Land? Yet for all this, though he had all the fury of an incen&s;ed &s;ouldier in his heart and eyes, when there was any oc|&s;ion, yet he had all imaginable &s;weetnes in the aire of his Countenance &amp; Spirit, when no occa&s;ion was for his valour: And I am able to a&s;&s;ure you of a truth, that he was as great a lover of the company of Ladies, as of honour: And certainly in his per&s;on it might be &s;een, that Warr and Love were not incompatible. Indeed he was a lover of all merriments which were the con&s;equents of Peace, I meane Poetry, Mu&s;ique, Painting, and in generall all that belongs to the Mu&s;es. He writes mo&s;t elegantly, either in matters of &s;erious, or matters of gallantry; and I am &s;ure he can both de&s;cribe a Battle very well, and al&s;o a combate of Love in his heart if he would declare his pa&s;|&s;ion. As for his per&s;on it is infinitely plea&s;ing, though his voyages at Sea hath a little bla&s;ted the great beauty of his youth: His &s;tature is tall and big, his carriage high and noble; the Aire of his A&s;pect, &s;miling and &s;erious both, but never was any more &s;weet, nor of a greater Civility. The fir&s;t time one &s;ees him, he commonly &s;peaks little, but there appears &s;o much judgment in what he &s;peaks, as it is ea&s;ie to &s;ee, that if hee would he can &s;peak more, and &s;peak well.</P>
<P>Moreover, one &s;hould never heare him &s;peak upon matters of War among women unle&s;&s;e he were forced: and much le&s;&s;e of any glorious acts which hee had done, for he could not endure that any &s;hould commend him. But on the other &s;ide he was ex|treamly zealous in commending the valour of others upon all occa&s;ions, and would be ju&s;t even unto his greate&s;t Enemies. Moreover, he was one of the faithfull friends, and the mo&s;t violent Lover that ever was, and he was as liberall as he was brave; but he was as apt for ambition as love, and no le&s;&s;e jealous of his glory then of his Mi|&s;tre&s;&s;e. Further then this Madam, I have no more to &s;ay of the Phocean Prince, on|ly that he &s;eemed wi&s;e in all his undertakings, and the impetuo&s;ity of his humour ne|ver appeared but only in love and warre; for out of them he was &s;o compo&s;ed as it cannot be &s;ayd there was ever turbulency in his heart or di&s;order in his &s;pirit. This Madam was the temper of the Phocean Prince: &amp; thus he was, when he heard that his Country was entring into warrs, and he returned to defend it. Though he knew very wel that the Pr: his Uncle was engaged in an ill cau&s;e, &amp; knew the pretentions of the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibalus</HI> to be ju&s;t; yet for all that, &s;ince it is &s;ometimes Ju&s;tice to defend tho&s;e who are unju&s;t therfore he went unto <HI>Phoceus,</HI> &amp; there behaved him&s;elf, as the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibalus</HI> hath acquainted the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus:</HI> At his return into his Coun|trey, he found that his &s;i&s;ter named <HI>One&s;ienta</HI> was grown one of the faire&s;t and mo&s;t a miable per&s;ons that could be &s;een: Yet he was not joyed at the &s;ight of her, becau&s;e he found her all in tears, by rea&s;on of her fears to &s;ee her country ruined. She would have gone out of the Towne if &s;he could, though &s;he had gone and cloy&s;tered up her &s;elfe
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w2ith <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> in the Tombe; but the Country was not open, and there was as much danger in going out of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> as to tarry in it, &s;o as &s;he was forced unto patience: Al&s;o there being a man of high e&s;teem &amp; great merit, &s;on unto unto one who&s;e name was <HI>Sfurius,</HI> and who&s;e own name was <HI>Menedorus</HI> who was in love with her, I believe it no &s;mall rea&s;on of her &s;tay in <HI>Phoceus.</HI> However, the Town was in a very deplora|ble condition, when the late Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> accompanied with <HI>Alexide&s;mus</HI> and many enormious per&s;ons who drew the wrath of the Gods upon our Town by lea|ving it in the night time, without acquainting any, or leaving a Souldier to defend it. You may imagine Madam, how the Inhabitants were amazed at &s;uch an accident: At fir&s;t they ca&s;t their eyes upon the Prince <HI>Peranius,</HI> who would have exhorted them to defend them&s;elves; but feare of &s;ervitude qua&s;hing their &s;pirits, he could not prevail: &s;o as re&s;olving in a tumultuous manner to quit their Countrey for the pre&s;ervation of their liberty, they intreated this Prince, that he would be plea&s;ed to be their Gene|rall; telling him, that as his Predece&s;&s;ors carryed into <HI>A&s;ia</HI> the Collony which built <HI>Phoceus,</HI> &s;o that he would plea&s;e to conduct them unto &s;ome Country, promi&s;ing him mo&s;t exact obedience: He would once more have per&s;waded them to defend their walls, but it was impo&s;&s;ible to per&s;wade them unto a certain death. In&s;omuch as the Prince being forced to yeeld, and choo&s;ing rather to fly then yeeld without blows, as he mu&s;t have done if he did not yeeld unto them, therefore he amuzed the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibalus</HI> under colour of a two dayes parley; during which time he tackled up all the Ships in the Port, which was no &s;mall number, and in one night loading them with all that was precious in <HI>Phoceus,</HI> even to the very &s;tatues of the Temples, all the people of this &s;tately Town embarqued. But Madam, they embarqned in &s;uch di&s;or|der and confu&s;ion, that never was a more pittifull &s;ight to be &s;een, then the&s;e mi&s;era|ble Inhabitants loadned with their goods and children, followed by their wives and &s;ervants, all for&s;aking their Town with teares, and making the mo&s;t lamentable cryes that ever was heard: Many were &s;o ha&s;ty in entring into the Ships, as they fell into the Sea, where death quitted them from that &s;ervitude which they feared.</P>
<P>For my part, I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, I never &s;aw the like; for in lien of prayers which Pi|lots u&s;e at leaving the Port for a favourable wind, nothing but a confu&s;ed noi&s;e of crying Children could be heard; women lamenting, men cur&s;ing their hard fortune, and Marriners crying. Whole families might be &s;een &s;triving to get into one &s;hip: Friends with Friends, Lovers with Lovers de&s;ired they might peri&s;h together if &s;torms did ri&s;e.</P>
<P>In the mean while the generous Prince who was Generall of this Fleet, having a&s;|&s;embled mo&s;t of the women of Quality together, he put them into a &s;hip that was to be his owne, with the Prince&s;&s;e his Si&s;ter, choo&s;ing three hundred of the be&s;t men for Souldiers. As for <HI>Menedorus,</HI> he left his Father <HI>Sfurius,</HI> and was with the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> that he might in this generall misfortune be nigh unto her he loved, and mixe his &s;ighes and &s;orrows with hers.</P>
<P>At la&s;t Madam, all being embarqued, Anchors weyed, and day ready to dawn, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> gave command to &s;aile towards the I&s;le of <HI>Chio,</HI> hoping the Inhabi|tants of that I&s;le would &s;ell unto them the uninhabited I&s;les which are in that Place, and therefore he made that way. But that you may the better &s;ee how &s;trangely the feare of &s;ervitude had po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed the minds of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Inhabitants, be plea&s;ed to know, that they made a publique oath, by which they engaged them&s;elves never to return again unto their Town; and for te&s;timoniall obligation thereof, they ca&s;t into the Sea a heavy piece of Iron, with oath never to return untill that iron did float up|on the water again, making a thou&s;and curfes upon him that &s;hould be the fir&s;t pro|pounder of a Return.</P>
<P>This terrible Oath being made, the Fleet &s;et forward; but day no &s;ooner did per|mit them to di&s;cern objects, but all this Navy con&s;i&s;ting of &s;o many &s;hips, both over-loadned and ill equipped, perceived that contrary winds did ri&s;e with the Sunne. For my part, being in the &s;hip with the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> I did admire at his experience in the pre&s;ages of a &s;torm; for he no &s;ooner ca&s;t his eyes upon the open Sea, but he knew by the colour only that a Tempe&s;t was nigh: and indeed the Sea beginning to &s;well upon a &s;udden, there was great rea&s;on to feare that this unhappy fleet would be di&s;|per&s;ed. However, &s;ince they never u&s;ed any ve&s;&s;els in our Town but &s;uch as had Oars, they went on, notwith&s;tanding the contrariety of the winds. I need not tell you Ma|dam,
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in what a fright this great number of women were who never &s;o much as &s;aw the Sea before, but as they walked to take the Ayre in a &s;erene afternoon, for this was not yet the la&s;t tempe&s;t which we found. At la&s;t Madam, we came to the I&s;le of <HI>Chio,</HI> but in lieu of being received with humanity, they denyed us the entrance into any of their Ports, and were &s;o far from &s;elling unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> the uninhabited I&s;les which belong unto them, and are called the I&s;les of <HI>Enu&s;&s;us,</HI> that they looked upon us as Enemies, and told us that they would not admit of &s;uch Neighbors which might become &s;tronger then them&s;elves, and might hinder their Commerce: &s;o as all we could obtaine from them, was &s;ome &s;uch refre&s;hments as we &s;tood in need of: Thus were we in a mo&s;t deplorable condition. The great courage of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince had a mind to make the&s;e Inhabitants more pittifull by force, who were &s;o cru|ell as to deny us admittance, which they might &s;o ea&s;ily haue granted. But all the &s;hip being full of Women, Children, and Servants, and having almo&s;t no Souldiers, he could not attempt any thing upon them; for though he could ea&s;ily have po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed him&s;elf of the <HI>Enus&s;ian</HI> I&s;lands, yet he would not, becau&s;e it was impo&s;&s;ible to keep them: So then to Sea again we mu&s;t, not being fully re&s;olved what cour&s;e to &s;teer: But ju&s;t as we were ready to weigh Anchor at the ri&s;ing of the Moon, at which hour the Sea commonly is mo&s;t calm, the Pilots of the Ships did &s;ay, they heard a voyce which bade them goe unto <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> and the Godde&s;&s;e there adored would tell them where they &s;hould find a habitation. The&s;e Pilots had no &s;ooner told what they heard, but a confu&s;ed noi&s;e was heard in every &s;hip, which &s;ayd that this voyce from heaven mu&s;t be obeyed: &s;o as though the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> gave no credite unto what the&s;e Pilots told him, yet he mu&s;t obey a great number, &s;o that to <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> we mu&s;t. But &s;ince it was not a place where this Fleet could &s;afely harbour, nor where it was likely they would receive us, I was made choi&s;e of to waite upon the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;i|crite,</HI> who would her &s;elfe goe and offer a Sacrifice unto <HI>Diana:</HI> Indeed, we came to <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> in a Boat, and afterwards went unto that famous Temple, where that God|de&s;&s;e is adored, to aske of her what cour&s;e we &s;hould take.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as the Sacrifice was ended, &s;he who commanded the vayled Virgins, who&s;e name was <HI>Ari&s;tonice,</HI> came unto <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> to tell her, that the godde&s;&s;e had appeared during the &s;acrifice, and had let her under&s;tand that &s;he would take us into her pro|tection; That &s;he would have us &s;teer our cour&s;e towards the I&s;le of <HI>Cyrnes,</HI> and that from thence we &s;hould &s;ubmit our &s;elves unto the conduct of the wind and waves: Adding, that when we were arrived at the Harbour unto which &s;he would conduct us, &s;he would be there adored under the figure of a Statue which &s;he would &s;hew us, and which was like unto that in the middle of the Temple, only not &s;o great: And to evidence unto you (&s;ayd <HI>Aristonice</HI> unto us) that you need not doubt the words of the Godde&s;&s;e whom I &s;erve.</P>
<P>I mu&s;t further tell you, that &s;he having ab&s;olutely commanded me to go my &s;elfe to found a Temple unto her honour in the place where &s;hee intends to conduct your Fleet, I am ready to go with you, and teach you by my example how to tru&s;t unto her promi&s;es. I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e Madam, that the &s;peech of <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> did &s;urprize me as well as <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> and rai&s;ed a greater confidence in me then I had before: For I &s;aw one, whom I knew to be a per&s;on of great vertue and &s;pirit, ready to quit her Coun|try, and follow &s;trangers whom &s;he knew not. Moreover, be plea&s;ed to know, that the phy&s;iognomy of <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> was &s;o noble, &s;o wi&s;e, and &s;o Maje&s;ticall, that &s;he at|tracted the eyes of all beholders: Al&s;o there was a great di&s;po&s;ition in the Prince&s;s <HI>O|ne&s;icrite</HI> to reverence and believe her: And <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> having a&s;&s;embled all the vailed Virgins, &s;he told them that the Godde&s;&s;e had commanded her to goe and build a Temple in a place which &s;he did not know: After which, &s;he &s;urrendered her autho|rity over them unto another, and left them, to go with us, waited on only by two of her Companions.</P>
<P>Thus we returned unto our Fleet, who received us with more joy then I am able to expre&s;&s;e: The &s;tatue of <HI>Diana</HI> was looked upon by all the People with unexpre&s;&s;ible raptures of joy, and <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> was reverenced by all the Fleet, as if &s;he had been the Godde&s;&s;e her &s;elfe. This Image of <HI>Diana</HI> for the &s;atisfaction of the multitude, mu&s;t be &s;et upon the Poop of the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> his &s;hip, that it might be vi&s;ible to all the Fleet. As for the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> though a Souldier, yet did he feare and re|verence the gods: he honoured <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> as a woman con&s;ecrated unto them; and
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ere long after he admired her as a per&s;on extraordinary, when he di&s;covered the great|ne&s;&s;e of her &s;pirit and vertue.</P>
<P>In the mean time, though he had doubted of the apparition which &s;he &s;aid &s;he &s;aw, yet he could not chu&s;e but follow her orders, &s;ince the multitude had &s;o great a con|fidence in what &s;he &s;aid. We &s;ailed therefore to the I&s;le of <HI>Cyrne</HI> without any ob&s;ta|cle; for &s;ince our fleet &s;eemed to be a Navy, and that a great one, there was no feare of any Pirats: and from <HI>Chio</HI> the wind was &s;o favourable that we came to <HI>Cyrne</HI> with|out the lea&s;t ruffle of the Sea: Hitherto, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> &s;ubmitted unto the conduct of <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> without contradiction: But after he had taken in all nece&s;&s;aries at that I&s;le, &s;he would have per&s;waded him that the Pilots mu&s;t &s;ubmit all unto the wind and waves, and make choi&s;e of no Cour&s;e but as the wind directed; then his Faith began to &s;tagger, and he would never have obeyed, if the multitude &s;tronger then he had not compelled him.</P>
<P><HI>Sfurius,</HI> who was the mo&s;t con&s;iderable man in the Fleet next the Prince of <HI>Phoce|us,</HI> was very hardly brought to con&s;ent unto it: <HI>Menedorus</HI> murmured extreamly, and I mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e I did what I could to oppo&s;e it. But the people being all for <HI>Ari&s;tonice,</HI> &s;ubmit we mu&s;t unto the waves, wind, and fortune. All this while <HI>Ari|&s;tonice</HI> was calm, and had &s;uch a &s;trong confidence in the godde&s;&s;e whom &s;he adored, that &s;he doubted not the fulfilling of her promi&s;es.</P>
<P>Now Madam were we in a &s;trange condition &s;ince we went we know not whither, and without any de&s;ign but as the wind did waft us: Yet were we in much more de|plorable condition; for the gods doubtle&s;s to puni&s;h our unbelief, did rai&s;e a mo&s;t hi|deous tempe&s;t: For Madam, the Wind &s;eemed to blow from all Coa&s;ts, and the waves were &s;o high that they da&s;hed over all the &s;hips. Moreover, darkne&s;s, thunder, light|ning, rayn mingling with waves and winds did all make &s;uch a horrid noi&s;e, that the roaring of the Sea could not be di&s;tingui&s;hed: Now did every one think to peri&s;h, and repented of their tru&s;ting too much unto hazard. But as for <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> in the wor&s;t of the Tempe&s;t, when the whole Fleet was ready to be di&s;per&s;ed, and &s;he her &s;elfe at the point of peri&s;hing, &s;he kept &s;till in the &s;ame tranquility and confidence.</P>
<P>As for the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> he &s;eemed re&s;olute and con&s;tant, but it was only out of his great heart which feared not death, and not out of any hopes to e&s;cape. As for <HI>Menedorus,</HI> though he did not apprehend the danger in re&s;pect of him&s;elf, yet he was not &s;o re&s;olute as the Prince of <HI>Phoceus;</HI> for his feares of the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> did fill him &s;o full of compa&s;&s;ion, and he was &s;o grieved to &s;ee her in danger, that if throwing him&s;elf into the Sea would have calmed the tempe&s;t, he would willingly have been the victime to appea&s;e incen&s;ed <HI>Neptune.</HI> But amid&s;t all the&s;e murmures, <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> with her ordinary tranquility did &s;peak with the &s;ame freedom of &s;pirit, as if the Seas were all &s;erenity and calmne&s;&s;e. Poor men that you are (&s;aid &s;he unto the murmuring Mariners) though you do not believe my words, yet believe that the &s;ame Gods which rai&s;ed, can calm this tempe&s;t, and perhaps make it &s;erve to bring you unto a Port: Leave the Rudder to their providence, and be guided by them &s;ince they are wi&s;er then you. The truth is Madam, after we had been weather-beaten three whole dayes, our Ma&s;ts broken, and our Sailes &s;hattered, upon a &s;udden the winds cea&s;ed, the waves abated, the Rain dimini&s;hed, the Heavens cleered, and the Sun &s;hined: &s;o as in an in&s;tant pa&s;&s;ing from an extream roughne&s;s into a calm &s;moothne&s;s, hope began to cheer up our hearts: Yet I mu&s;t tell you, our hopes were but weake; for our &s;hip was in a very bad condition, and our whole Fleet was ex|treamly di&s;per&s;ed, two &s;hips were not together, and doubtle&s;s the happier for us; for had not the winds &s;eperated them one from another, they had infallibly fallen foule upon each other and enter-&s;haked. As &s;oon as all was calm, <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> getting upon the Deck, kneeled before the Image of <HI>Diana,</HI> and in behalf of the whole Fleet thanked that Godde&s;s for pre&s;erving them: After which, ri&s;ing up, &s;he was the fir&s;t that di&s;covered Land. Then &s;peaking with authority as if in&s;pired by the gods; Cou|rage (&s;ayd &s;he unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> who was next her) for I &s;ee the place where <HI>Diana</HI> will have a new Altar, and where &s;he will find us a mo&s;t &s;afe Sanctuary. As &s;oon as &s;he had &s;ayd &s;o, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> &s;pied &s;ome rocks which &s;eemed to con|fine the Sea; &s;o as not knowing whether that Land was Friend or Enemy, they &s;teer|ed thither. Since all the Fleet &s;trived to rally together, and endeavoured to repayr every &s;hip which the Tempe&s;t had &s;hattered. It was long before we came there, for
<PB N="101" REF="732">
the Storm had &s;o weather-beaten them, that they were almo&s;t out of hopes to get un|to the Shore, it was &s;o far off: but the Marriners being very indu&s;trious, and life be|ing very &s;weet, every one was both laborious and full of invention, &s;o as we came neer enough to di&s;cern a mo&s;t plea&s;ant Country.</P>
<P>Then we di&s;covered very neer us, three little I&s;lands almo&s;t at an equal di&s;tance from each other, and made a Regular Triangle: where there was a Port able only to receive fifteen or twenty Ships; the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> made towards the&s;e I&s;les, which were &s;eparated from the Continent about thirty Furlongs, that he might there rea&s;&s;emble all the Fleet: and from thence &s;end to know what Country it was which they &s;aw and &s;eemed &s;o plea&s;ant at &s;uch a di&s;tance: Since his Pilot had not lo&s;t his Rudder, though he had neither Sayl-yard nor Ma&s;t he cau&s;ed him to Row by &s;trength, and leaving all the re&s;t of the Ships a good way behind he arrived at the&s;e I&s;les, the Sea being as calm as any Lake. When he was &s;o neer to di&s;cern that they had no Trees, he &s;aw come out betwixt the&s;e I&s;les a great Painted and Gilded Bark, who&s;e Sayls were Sky-colour, as well as all the Cordage, which had upon the Poop a mo&s;t &s;tately Tent, under which were many Ladies and &s;ome men talking to them. But as the &s;ight of the Bark rejoyced all that were in the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> his Ship, &s;o this &s;hatte|red bottom moved tho&s;e that were in this Bark unto compa&s;&s;ion: but their compa&s;&s;ion was mixed with &s;om wonder; for &s;ince they e&s;pyed at that time a great Fleet behind our Ship, we perceived that in lieu of coming to us, they &s;ent out a little Boat to know who we were. This Encounter being both full of wonder and delight unto us con|&s;idering the &s;tate wherin we were, and the need we had of help, the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> and all of any quality in the Ship got upon the Deck, and began to look at the Bark with as much Curio&s;ity as they looked at us. But when this little Boat was come up to us, we made &s;uch &s;igns of Peace unto them as we u&s;e upon our Seas, not knowing whether or no they under&s;tood us, we perceiued that the Habit of tho&s;e three men in it, was altogether unknown unto us. <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> her&s;elf, who thought &s;he had &s;een men of all Nations in the World at the Temple of <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> &s;he confe&s;&s;ed, that &s;he could not imagine of what Country they &s;hould be: However, though their Habits were &s;omthing barbarous, yet there was &s;omthing of hand&s;omne&s;s in them, as you may judge by tho&s;e who came with me. But, Madam, the wor&s;t at fir&s;t was, that when they &s;poke unto us we did not under&s;tand them; &s;o as not thinking that men whom we under&s;tood not, could under&s;tand us, we began to expre&s;s our misfotune by &s;igns. But one of the three hearing us talk to one another, we much rejoyced to hear him leave that Language which he u&s;ed at fir&s;t, and ask us in Greek of what Country we were? whither we were going, and what Fleet that was behind us? Madam, I cannot ea&s;ily expre&s;s our joyes; let it &s;uffice I tell you, that it was &s;o great a wonder that we were almo&s;t ravi&s;hed out of our wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s: for though it was only the part of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince to an&s;wer, yet almo&s;t every one upon the Deck did an&s;wer &s;omthing; <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> &s;ayd that <HI>Diana</HI> conducted them unto their Country: <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> that war had driven them from their Country; the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> &s;ayd, that fear of &s;ervi|tude had cha&s;ed them away: <HI>Menedorus,</HI> that Tempe&s;t had ca&s;t them upon their Coa&s;ts, and I think that I &s;ayd, the Gods did never give them &s;uch an excellent Subject to exerci&s;e all their Virtues, &s;aying al&s;o &s;omthing which might intimate unto them the quality of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, of <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> of <HI>Menedorus,</HI> and of <HI>Ari&s;tonice.</HI> But, Madam, all the&s;e confu&s;ed An&s;wers being made, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> asked what Country that was? and who was in that &s;tately Bark? The man of whom he enqui|red being of a witty &s;pirit, told him in &s;hort, that the people which did inhabit it were called the <HI>Segoregians:</HI> that their Country was bounded on one &s;ide by another peo|ple called the <HI>Salian Gaules,</HI> on another by the <HI>Tecto&s;ages,</HI> who inhabit along the Rapid River called the <HI>Rho&s;ne,</HI> on another &s;ide by a Country called the <HI>Celtique</HI>
<HI>Gaules,</HI> and al&s;o on another &s;ide by the Sea towards <HI>Africa</HI> in the South. He told him afterwards, that the King of the <HI>Segoregians</HI> was called <HI>Senan:</HI> That he was a Widdower, that he was come to recreate him&s;elf &s;ome dayes at a Ca&s;tle which was ve|ry neer that &s;hore, and that the Prince&s;s his Daughter called <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> having a de|&s;ire to take the Ayre upon the Sea, was in that Bark, and had &s;ent him to know all things concerning them. The Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> hearing this, de&s;ired him to obtain leave of the Prince&s;s that he might &s;ee her, and be&s;eech her to obtain of the King her Father, a Harbour for &s;o many di&s;tre&s;&s;ed people, conjuring the man to be their In|terpreter:
<PB N="102" REF="733">
No no, Sir, (replyed the man) I need not explayn your Languag unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe:</HI> For though &s;he live in a Clime farr from where the Arts and Sciences do Reign, yet I a&s;&s;ure you &s;he &s;peaks Greek that might become <HI>Athens.</HI> However, &s;ince I dare not permit you to go unto her without her orders, give me leave to render her an accompt of what &s;he de&s;ires to know: The Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> con&s;enting unto it, he went back unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe.</HI></P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, our Fleet perceiving our &s;tay, came to us before the Cockboat returned. But Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that this man who &s;poke unto us was not born among&s;t the <HI>Segoregians;</HI> but on the contrary was a famous Graecian, who had heretofore undergone the law of <HI>O&s;traci&s;m,</HI> and by fortune was driven upon this happy Country where he &s;tayed: &s;o as giving an accompt unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> of all he heard from the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> he told her, as we afterwards knew, that if he were the &s;ame he &s;ayd him&s;elf to be, he was one of the mo&s;t valiant men in the world, adding a thou&s;and commendums of his per&s;on: &s;o as this Graecian Officer, who&s;e name was <HI>Hipomenes,</HI> &s;peaking very advantageous of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince unto <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> as he did of her unto him, I a&s;&s;ure you they did e&s;teem, before they knew each other.</P>
<P>In the mean time the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> knowing &s;he was to appear before a per|&s;on of &s;uch quality commanded her Women to order her weather-beaten Curles a little better, which the impetuo&s;ity of the winds had di&s;hevel'd. At la&s;t Madam, <HI>Hipo|menes</HI> having received orders from <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> we did not only &s;ee him, but the Barque al&s;o came towards us: Yet the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> dur&s;t not advance before he had re|ceived the an&s;wer of <HI>Hipomenes.</HI> But as &s;oon as he under&s;tood that the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleo|nisbe</HI> was coming to take him into her Barque with the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;icrite, Ari&s;tonice,</HI> and all of any quality in his &s;hip, he commanded to row in all ha&s;t toward her Barque, ordering that all the Fleet &s;hould vail Bonnet and waite untill he had received Orders from the Prince&s;s unto whom he was going: And to expre&s;s a great reverence of her, he went in the boat of <HI>Hipomenes</HI> that he might the &s;ooner wait upon her, and &s;hew his confidence, &s;o the Cock-boat went from our Ship unto the Barque which was co|ming towards us.</P>
<P>But I be&s;eech you Madam, fancy a little what kind of object it was unto him to &s;ee this guilded Barque with a magnificent Tent, and waving Flags, in compari&s;on with his Sea-&s;hattered &s;hip, weather-beaten with Tempe&s;t, all torn except the Poop, on which &s;tood the Image of <HI>Diana.</HI> 'Tis true, his Deck was adorned with three admi|rable per&s;ons, who by their beauty and garb were able to plea&s;e any beholder. In|deed, <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> by the maje&s;ty of her a&s;pect; <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> by her rare beauty; and <HI>Me|nedorus</HI> by the hand&s;omne&s;s of his per&s;on were able to &s;trike admiration into any: But Madam, to let them alone a little, I mu&s;t &s;peak of <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> and tell you that &s;he was all our wonder; &s;o as when we came fir&s;t unto her Barque, we were not able to judg of her excellencies. Since &s;he was all Curio&s;ity to &s;ee tho&s;e whom &s;he was to &s;ave, &s;he advanced a Pace out of her Tent before the re&s;t of the Ladies with her, and we ea&s;ily di&s;cerned which was &s;he before &s;he was named unto us. Fancy Madam, a great per&s;on, who&s;e high and noble &s;tature was &s;o maje&s;tick, as one &s;hould conceive <HI>Penthe|&s;ilea</HI> to be: but Fancy withall, that though &s;he had the &s;tature of that fair and young <HI>Amazon</HI> who dyed by the hand of <HI>Achilles,</HI> yet &s;he had not her fiercene&s;s. But on the contrary, &s;he had &s;o much &s;weetne&s;s, and &s;o many Charms in her A&s;pect, though her mind was high, as it might well be &s;ayd, that as one could not love her without feare, &s;o one could not feare her without love: Since never any had &s;o many charms, &s;o much mode&s;ty, nor more beauty: Yet Madam, do not fancy <HI>Cleonisbies</HI> complex|ion to be of the da&s;ling whitene&s;&s;e, which often hides many a fault, or at lea&s;t le&s;&s;ens them. On the contrary her Complexion was black; but &s;uch a black &s;o uniform and lu&s;trous, as was the perfecte&s;t beauty in the world: As for her haire, it was of that colour which &s;uits well with all Complexions; neither &s;o hard as the blacke&s;t hue, nor nor &s;o yellow as &s;ome, but the lovely curling brown which &s;ets off the beauty of her that owns it.</P>
<P>Moreover, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> hath the mo&s;t plea&s;ing uniformity in her face that is imagina|ble: It cannot be &s;ayd her face is ovall, or that it is round; but &s;uch a ju&s;t proportion of parts as both tho&s;e kind of faces can give unto an exact beauty. Her mouth was the hand&s;ome&s;t that ever eye beheld; for it was not onely well made, and her lips
<PB N="103" REF="733">
were not only that lovely Carnation which animates beauty, but it had an unexpre&s;|&s;ible Charm, which would per&s;wade you, though you looked only upon that part, that &s;he mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be eloquent, and that &s;he had abundance of wit, there be|ing &s;uch a kind of little Dimples at the corners of her mouth, and &s;uch a kind of &s;prigh|ly &s;miling and melancholy together, which alwayes appeared, and forced every one to beleive what &s;he &s;ayd.</P>
<P>But, Madam, now I have made an imperfect de&s;cription of <HI>Cleonisbe's</HI> Stature, Mine, Complexion, Hair, Face, and Mouth; how &s;hall I de&s;cribe her Eyes? yet &s;ince I am engaged to de&s;cribe them as well as I can, I mu&s;t tell you, that they are black, great, &s;parkling and &s;weet, indeed they are &s;o &s;prightly quick, &s;o wonderous mode&s;t, and &s;o &s;weetly pa&s;&s;ionate, that they in&s;pire love in the very hearts of all Beholders: Moreover, they are not &s;uch Eyes as u&s;e to a certain tumultuous &s;tirring in them, as will not &s;uffer one to judge of them becau&s;e they are continually changing Objects. But on the contrary, though they be very quick and lively, and though &s;he have mo&s;t penetrating looks with them, yet are they all &s;weetne&s;s and tranquility: What&s;oever &s;he looks upon, &s;he looks upon it applicatively, and without abandoning her extream mode&s;ty which is in&s;eparable from all her Actions, &s;he never ca&s;ts her Eyes off tho&s;e who &s;peak unto her, and by con&s;equence doth &s;uffer one, to look and admire tho&s;e million of Charms which are in them: for indeed there appeares in them a mi&s;cella|ny of Wit, Spirit, Love, Langui&s;hing, Mode&s;ty, Pa&s;&s;ion, Vivacity, Virtue, Goodne&s;s, Mirth, Melancholy, Beauty, and Charms. So that, Madam, if you joyn &s;uch Eyes as I have de&s;cribed, unto all the re&s;t of her Superlative Excellencies which I have related, unto &s;uch a buxom Plumpne&s;s as u&s;ually is in youth, you may ea&s;ily beleive that people who had three daies of tempe&s;t together, &s;een the Image of death about them, were plea&s;ingly ravi&s;hed to &s;ee the admired <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> on the Deck of her Bark: I can|not think that tho&s;e of the I&s;le of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> who &s;aw <HI>Venus</HI> in that Magnificent Shell which was both her Cradle and her Ship, did more admire her, then we <HI>Cleonisbe.</HI> She was that day dre&s;&s;ed after the <HI>African</HI> mode: to wit, her hair half loo&s;e, part wherof was brayded with Ribbons of lively Colours behind her head: her Gown which was of Carnation and white was of a very plea&s;ing Fa&s;hion and Gallant, which without hiding the Comline&s;s of her &s;tature was very Maje&s;ticall: The Cla&s;pes of this Gown was Lockets of Diamonds, all before, and likewi&s;e about her &s;houlders: Her Sleeves were half turned up, and &s;hewed the hair hands and armes of the wearer, as well as her Neck about which was a rich Carcanet of Diamonds covered with a thin Tiffany. To add &s;omthing more of Gallantry unto this little Maritine Triumph: Round about the Tent in which <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> was, were &s;et green boughs who&s;e Odor reached us before we came unto the Bark; there might be &s;een a thou&s;and branches of Orange Trees full of Flowres, mingled with branches of Myrrh, Je&s;&s;emine, and &s;uch as making a Canopy over <HI>Cleonisbie's</HI> head did perfume the Ayre. This mi&s;cellany of Leaves, of Flowers, of Diamonds, and other rich Ornaments, did make a mo&s;t admirable and plea|&s;ing Object.</P>
<P>In the mean time; though we were very attentive in beholding <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> yet we ob&s;erved that there was many hand&s;om Ladies with her, and among the men there was one who &s;eemed to be of high quality, both by his port and by his habit; and al|&s;o by the Carriage of <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> towards him. I be&s;eech you, Madam, pardon me for being &s;o tedious in relating how <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> appeared unto me the fir&s;t time I &s;aw her: I wil now acquaint you with Pa&s;&s;ages in the Bark of <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> and tell you that the Cock-boat going before us, as &s;oon as it came neer enough for the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> to &s;ee and be &s;een, he &s;aluted her with all pos&s;ible Reverence: After which <HI>Hipome|nes</HI> carrying him into the Bark, he carryed him unto this Prince&s;s, who received him with much Civility. You &s;ee here, Madam (&s;ayd he unto her in <HI>Greek)</HI> an unfortu|nate Prince, who gives you hearty thanks for keeping all the people of a great City from peri&s;hing: For I am mo&s;t confident that it is your pre&s;ence which calmed the incen&s;ed Waves, and cau&s;ed the &s;torms to cea&s;e which would have ruin'd us. And, Madam, after my thanks for &s;aving the lives of &s;o many mi&s;erable Souls and innocent Per&s;ons, I be&s;eech you out of your goodne&s;s pre&s;erve them, by obtaining from the King your Father, an entrance into his Ports for our weather-beaten Ships, that he would be plea&s;ed to lend an Eare unto the cau&s;e of our Exile&punc; unto a relation of our mi&s;eries, that he would afford us &s;ome comfort in our extremities, and fulfill the pro|mi&s;es
<PB N="104" REF="734">
of a great godde&s;&s;e. Sir, replyed <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> I am &s;o glad to find an occa&s;ion of helping the mi&s;erable, e&s;pecially &s;uch unfortunates as your &s;elfe, that I have much ado to &s;ay, I am &s;orry for your dia&s;ters, &s;ince they give me a fit occa&s;ion of doing you a good office, and of letting you know, that our Nation is not &s;o barbarous as it is be|lieved to be.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince I under&s;tand by <HI>Hipomenes</HI> that there are Ladies in your Ship, I b&s;eech you let us go and take them into my Barque, &s;ince a place wherein they were like to have peri&s;hed cannot be plea&s;ing unto them: And when we have ta|ken them in, you may &s;end orders unto your Fleet to &s;helter them&s;elves among&s;t the&s;e I&s;lands, untill I have pre&s;ented you unto the King my Father, and obtained your de&s;ires from him; for let me tell you Sir once more, that I do hold it &s;o glorious to do all the good that one is able, as I am confident, that I &s;hall be more joyed in protecting you, then my Protection can be profitable to you.</P>
<P>Oh Madam (replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> and looked upon her with admiration) is it po&s;&s;ible to find &s;uch a per&s;on as your &s;elfe in the remote&s;t parts of the Earth? Can fame be &s;o injurious as not to make you known unto <HI>Greece,</HI> and maugre the huge Sea which &s;eparates, make you adored? Tho&s;e who taught me the Grecian Lan|guage, replyed &s;he, and &s;miled, did al&s;o teach me, that Credite is not alway to be gi|ven unto the flatteries of your Nation, and therefore waving your Commendations, I will heare no more of them from a man who que&s;tionle&s;s is mo&s;t knowing in all things, &s;ince he is of that Country, where the ignorance that reigns in ours, is ba|ni&s;hed.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> &s;eeing the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> his &s;hip was neer, &s;he commanded her Barque to meet, and entreated that man of quality who was with her, who&s;e name was <HI>Bomilcar</HI> to go and receive the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> and <HI>Ari&s;tonice,</HI> and to bring them to her. So as <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> obeying her with much joy, he was al&s;o at this time very ha&s;ty in his obedience, and went to pre&s;ent his hand to <HI>One&s;icrite:</HI> But &s;ince that Prince&s;s would have <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> go fir&s;t, out of her reverence to the God|de&s;s whom &s;he &s;erved, <HI>Bomiclar</HI> did lead her: &s;o as <HI>Menedorus</HI> did help his adored Prince&s;s out of the Ship, and &s;o they went unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> who was talk|ing with the Prince of <HI>Phoceus: Ari&s;tonice</HI> at her going out of the &s;hip did &s;afely lay up the &s;tatue of <HI>Diana,</HI> and committed the care of it unto &s;ome tru&s;ty men: And the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> &s;ent orders that the Father of <HI>Menedorus</HI> &s;hould command the fleet in his ab&s;ence. It is not an ea&s;ie matter madam, to relate the reciprocal admirations of <HI>Cleonisbe, One&s;icrite,</HI> &amp; <HI>Ari&s;tonice:</HI> Nor can I verbatim relate the &s;peeches of the&s;e ex|cellent per&s;ons: therefore I be&s;eech you Madam di&s;pence with me, and imagine them. For my part, I was &s;o &s;urprized to &s;ee <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> and &s;o a&s;toni&s;hed to hear her &s;peak, that I could not chu&s;e but think, &s;he had been either at <HI>Athens,</HI> or <HI>Corinth,</HI> or <HI>Del|phos,</HI> or <HI>Thebes.</HI> I perceived al&s;o, that her politene&s;s had communicated it &s;elfe unto almo&s;t all about her, and that mo&s;t of the Ladies with her had nothing of barbari&s;m in them. <HI>Bomilcar</HI> al&s;o had the Aire of an ingenuous man, and of a great &s;oul, &s;o as being all wonder, I admired and looked, and looked and admired, and &s;aid nothing till we came unto the &s;hoar.</P>
<P>In the mean time, I ob&s;erved one among&s;t the Ladies, who&s;e name was <HI>Glacidia,</HI> whom <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> preferred before all the re&s;t, and addre&s;&s;ed her talke unto her when &s;he commended the beauty of <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> or when &s;he talked of <HI>Ari&s;tonice,</HI> and I per|ceived al&s;o that the Lady was of no mean merit. And I had al&s;o time enough to ob|&s;erve the agitation which was in the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> his heart; and to ob&s;erve that, <HI>Bomilcar</HI> perceived it as well as I did: I heard him &s;ay unto <HI>Glacidia</HI> in a low voice and &s;mile, that con&s;idering how this &s;tranger doth gaze upon <HI>Cleonisbe;</HI> it is to be feared that after he hath e&s;caped the Tempe&s;t, he will be &s;hip-wrack'd in the Port. If &s;uch a misfortune fall upon him (replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> and &s;miled as well as <HI>Bomilcar)</HI> I &s;up|po&s;e the conformity of your fortune will move you to contract a friend&s;hip with him. Oh <HI>Glacidia,</HI> replyed he, you know very well that &s;ympathy in &s;uch mi&s;eries as the&s;e, do never make the &s;ufferers to love one another. Thus Madam, I under&s;tood that <HI>Bomilcar</HI> was a lover of <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> but I could not then di&s;cover whether he was well or ill treated; becau&s;e <HI>Glacidia</HI> taking notice that I might under&s;tand them becau&s;e they &s;poke Greek, &s;he turned towards me, and de&s;ired me to tell her in &s;hort the con|dition of our fortunes.</P>
<P><PB N="105" REF="734">
In the mean time, the nearer we came to the &s;hore, the more plea&s;ant the Country &s;eemed, for among&s;t a thou&s;and &s;everall Trees, whereof the Countrey is full, one might &s;ee upon the right hand great &s;terile Rocks, which made the fertility of other places &s;eem the greater. There was al&s;o on the &s;ame hand, a mountain who&s;e bottom was full of &s;tately Pines; and upon the top which was very &s;teep, &s;tood a Tower of an irregular &s;tructure, which as ancient as it was, yet was it a great ornament unto that &s;ide of the Country.</P>
<P>On the other hand, the Country was very plain, yet mingled with little hills, va|leys, Rocks, Meadows, Fountains, Rivers, and a hundred plea&s;ant inequalities of dif|ferent Scituations, which made the hou&s;es built there very delightfull. Moreover, one might &s;ee abundance of Olive trees Pomgranet trees, Mircles, Lawrells: and all their Gardens full of Oranges, Ge&s;&s;imines, and a thou&s;and other delightfull varie|ties; I do not think any Country more plea&s;ant, or where the Sun produceth more &s;weet Spring-times, longer Summers, richer Autumns, or &s;horter Winters. The hea|vens are always clear, the fruits are always good, their Seas are full of fi&s;h; and the hunters do find &s;uch abundance of Game, that be one of what quality or humour one will, there is enough to give full &s;atisfaction.</P>
<P>But to return again into the Barque, out of which I wandered to make this de&s;crip|tion: Give me leave to tell vou Madam, that as &s;oon as the Barque was in the Port, we &s;aw many Cabins of Fi&s;hers along the &s;hoar &s;ide, and many hou&s;es di&s;per&s;ed about the Country, who&s;e pro&s;pect was limited by far-off mountains, on the tops of which might &s;now be &s;een, though it &s;eldom or never falls in the place where we landed. The Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> having many Coaches waiting for her by the water-&s;ide, &s;he de&s;ired the Ladies with her to go into &s;ome of them, and to make room for us, that we might go &s;ome thirty furlongs unto a Ca&s;tle where &s;he left the King.</P>
<P>But as &s;oon as we were all landed, we heard upon a &s;udden a great noi&s;e of horns winded by men which were hunting, and we &s;aw a great crew of Hunters, which though &s;omething barbarous, yet was plea&s;ant, and &s;omething of magnificence: All the Dogs had great Collers of &s;ilver &s;tudded with gold: The Footmen had every one a kind of &s;hell, which they call trumpets, and which they u&s;e in &s;tead of horns, which made a noi&s;e as &s;hrill as the Tritons before <HI>Neptune.</HI> The Hor&s;-men had Bowes, Ar|rows, and Javelins; and for their habits, they were mixed with &s;uch variety of lively colours, as could not choo&s;e but much take the eye. Every one then turning towards the place from whence the&s;e Hunters came, we &s;aw one who &s;eemed to be the ma&s;ter of all the re&s;t, and who leaving the multitude which followed him, he came &s;trait to|wards the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> who told the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> that he who was coming towards them was the Prince <HI>Carimantes</HI> her Brother. She had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but the Prince alighted from his hor&s;e and came to her, and we &s;aw him to be extreamly hand&s;ome, and not above four and twenty years of age. When he was near enough to di&s;cern tho&s;e who were with <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> he was &s;urprized, e&s;pecially when he di&s;co|vered the great Fleet Yet he was not long in his wonder; for the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleoni&s;|be</HI> pre&s;enting unto him this brave, but unhappy company, who had put them&s;elves under her protectiou: as happy as your Cha&s;e can be (&s;ayd &s;he unto him and &s;miled) I am &s;ure mine upon the Sea is more, and you have not enjoyed more plea&s;ure all the day, then doubtle&s;s you will have, in helping me to negotiate unto the King in behalf of the&s;e excellent per&s;ons which you &s;ee here, and whom I be&s;eech you to protect. <HI>O|ne&s;icrite</HI> being as faire as any eye ever &s;aw, &s;he had &s;o attracted the eyes and mind of the Prince <HI>Carimantes,</HI> as he hardly knew what <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> did &s;ay unto him. Tis true, he did as much as if he had heard her, for he was &s;o full of civilities unto <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> the Prince of <HI>Phoceus, Ari&s;tonice,</HI> and unto <HI>Menedorus,</HI> that they had rea&s;on to be very well &s;atisfied.</P>
<P>However, &s;ince that place was not fit for any long di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Carimantes</HI> carryed <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> unto <HI>Cleonisbies</HI> Coach, telling the Prince of <HI>Phoceus, Menedorus,</HI> and my &s;elfe, that we &s;hould go on hor&s;-back with him; for having at all huntings many &s;pare hor&s;es, there was as many as we &s;tood in need of: &s;o that as &s;oon as the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> had waited upon <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> unto the Coach where <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> already was, and that <HI>Bomilcar</HI> had waited upon <HI>Ari&s;tonice;</HI> and that the Coaches began to goe, they all took hor&s;e and followed: The Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> all the way did talke with <HI>Cari|mantes,</HI> and acquainted him with the de&s;olation of his Country, the fortune of their
<PB N="106" REF="735">
Armes, the greatne&s;&s;e of their Conque&s;ts, the re&s;olution of the Phocean Inhabitants; the command of the Godde&s;s which is adored at <HI>Ephe&s;us;</HI> the &s;torm we endured, and the meeting with the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> who under&s;tood the &s;ame things from <HI>One&s;i|crite</HI> more particularly then &s;he had them from <HI>Hipomenes.</HI> Though the way was not very long, yet I ob&s;erved <HI>Bomilcar</HI> to have much &s;pirit: A &s;pirit &s;o full of activity, as one might &s;ee by his phy&s;iognomy that he was po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with more then one violent pa&s;&s;ion. He asked me a hundred indifferent Que&s;tions, &amp; enquired very narrowly con|cerning the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince: Al&s;o I asked <HI>Hipomones</HI> all that my curio&s;ity did prompt me unto, hoping that &s;ince he was a <HI>Grecian,</HI> I might have all good Offices from him: and among&s;t the re&s;t; I asked and de&s;ired him to tell me who <HI>Bomilcar</HI> was? Sir, &s;ayd he unto me, he is a man &s;o con&s;iderable in this Court, that he is looked up|on as the man who only put an end unto the Warr between the <HI>Carthaginians</HI> and the <HI>Segoregians:</HI> For being a very potent man in his own Country, it was by his ne|gotiation doubtle&s;s, that tho&s;e two Enemy-Nations are at this time in peace. I be|&s;eech you, &s;ayd I unto him, is not <HI>Bomiclar</HI> originally of this Country? No, replyed he, the proud <HI>Carthage</HI> is the place from whence his Father had his being.</P>
<P>After this, pa&s;&s;ing from one di&s;cour&s;e unto another, I under&s;tood that the King of the <HI>Segoregians</HI> had no other children but <HI>Carimantes,</HI> and <HI>Cleonisbe;</HI> and I under|&s;tood al&s;o that I was not mi&s;taken, when I believed <HI>Glacidia</HI> was much in favour with <HI>Cleonisbe;</HI> for he told me, that &s;he did very much e&s;teem and love her; adding, that &s;he very well de&s;erved this happine&s;s, becau&s;e &s;he made u&s;e of <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> favour onely to do good offices unto all well qualified men. At the la&s;t Madam, we came unto the Ca&s;tle where the King was, which was one of the mo&s;t Princely &s;eats which ever I &s;aw, a &s;eate which had a hundred delicate Rivelets and plea&s;ant Medows about it, and a Pro&s;pect of &s;o va&s;t an extent towards the Sea, that ones eyes could finde no o|ther limits but their own weakne&s;s, which would not permit them to di&s;cern beyond the confines which Nature had pre&s;cribed unto them: In coming to it we &s;aw a great Walke &s;et on both &s;ides with Lawrells, above eight hundred paces long. We pa&s;&s;ed through a long a&s;cent rayled and balli&s;tred, planted in order with thou&s;ands of O|range Trees, iutermixed with Pomgranets and Cittrons, which plea&s;ing more then one &s;ence at once, did perfume the Aire in which we breathed. We &s;aw al&s;o in the mid&s;t of a Garden an admirable &s;pring of water which Nature had ca&s;t into an excel|lent figure, and which did ri&s;e in a murmuring noi&s;e, and fall again into a little River in a Meadow behind this Garden. We ob&s;erved al&s;o in coming to this Ca&s;tle, that all the walls of the Court were covered with Mirtle; and that there was a rare border of odoriferous hearbs behind the Ca&s;tle, where one might &s;ee Arbors of Lawrell, Foun|taines and Rivers in mo&s;t admirable method. But our greate&s;t wonder was, the magnificence within this &s;tately hou&s;e, and particularly in the Kings Chamber: Tru|ly Madam, though it was not adorned either with Pictures, or hung with Sydonian Tapi&s;try or Purple; yet what we &s;aw was much more rich and glorious then any that ever I &s;aw: For Madam I be&s;eech you imagine this Chamber to be the height of the hou&s;e, and one of the mo&s;t ravi&s;hing objects that ever any eye beheld. The walls and roof were enamelled with a kind of irregular Arabian work all of mother of pearl and Corall: The bow of Heaven had not more &s;plendant colours then the reflection from the mother of Pearl: and being mingled with Corall of all colours that nature ever produced in the Ligu&s;tique Sea which is not far off, it made the mo&s;t beautifull object in the world. For &s;ome being white, &s;ome black, &s;ome flame-colour, &s;ome Carnation, &s;ome Ro&s;e|colour, this Mi&s;cellany is impo&s;&s;ible to be de&s;cribed: And therefore not to in&s;i&s;t long upon it, give me leave to tell you Madam, how the King of <HI>Segoregians</HI> received us.</P>
<P><HI>Cleonisbe</HI> being of no le&s;s excellency of judgment then &s;pirit, &s;he &s;ent before to ac|quaint the King with her adventure, as &s;oon as &s;he landed, to the end he might not be &s;urprized: when we came into the Hall of the Ca&s;tle, <HI>Carimantes</HI> pre&s;ented his hand unto <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> who now could not let <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> go before her, &s;o that <HI>Bomil|car</HI> did lead her. As for the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> he pre&s;ented his hand unto <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> who mo&s;t obligingly told him, that &s;ince the Prince her Brother would pre&s;ent <HI>One&s;i|crite</HI> unto the King, &s;he would do him that good office to pre&s;ent him. As for <HI>Me|nedorus,</HI> he gave his hand unto <HI>Glacidia.</HI> Since the King did under&s;tand the <HI>Grecian</HI> Language as well as <HI>Carimantes</HI> and <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> he was mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly moved at what
<PB N="107" REF="735">
the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> &s;ayd unto him; after that the Prince&s;s his Daughter had pre|&s;ented him: for though his Speech was but &s;hort, yet he told him all our misfortunes, and in few words did &s;o explain them as the King might mo&s;t ea&s;ily under&s;tand and remember them, he made choi&s;e of &s;uch apt words to expre&s;s our mi&s;eries as the lon|ge&s;t and mo&s;t Eloquent Oration in the world, could not work more tenderne&s;s in the hearts of Auditors. To be &s;hort, Sir (&s;ayd the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> unto the King at the end of his Speech) you &s;ee heare a company of mi&s;erable men, whom fear of &s;er|vitude hath forced to for&s;ake their Country, who have not one foot of ground to tread upon unle&s;s you give it them, or unle&s;s they u&s;urp it; a weather beaten people, loaded with &s;orrows, who have nothing but our liberties and hopes of your favor: nor could wee ever hope unle&s;s the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> had promi&s;ed to be our Patrone&s;s and Mediator to you, and al&s;o obtained the &s;ame favour for us from the Prince <HI>Cari|mantes.</HI> Thus, Sir, upon you depends our De&s;tiny, &s;ince if you do not permit us en|trance into your Ports for our Fleet, we have nothing el&s;e to do but dye patienly. As the King was ready to an&s;wer, <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> began to &s;peak: Sir, &s;ayd &s;he unto him, give me leave to tell you in all due reverence, that this Tempe&s;t which hath ca&s;t us upon your Coa&s;ts, hath given you an ample occa&s;ion to &s;hew your Virtue in receiving us: It was a great Godde&s;s who did conduct us hither; who de&s;iring to have a Temple e|rected unto her Glory in your Country, and to be known among&s;t your people, hath commanded me to do what I have done.</P>
<P>Take heed, Sir, of incen&s;ing her by rejecting tho&s;e who are unfortunate, who as mi|&s;erable as they are have in their Ships ine&s;timable Trea&s;ures, &s;ince they have there a great number of Virtuons men, men full of wi&s;dom and knowledge, excellent Arti&s;ts in all things, who have all the Arts and Sciences in their Ships, which they can impart and communicate unto your people: if you will be plea&s;ed only to allow them &s;ome Corner of your Country, to build a Temple in, and to enjoy that liberty which hath co&s;t them their Country. Once more, I advi&s;e you to beware how you refu&s;e tho&s;e Fa|vours which the Gods do offer you, and know that the Godde&s;s whom I adore does promi&s;e you by me, to make your Country &s;o famous over all the World, if you re|ceive us favourably, that it &s;hall excell all other parts of the World. <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> &s;poke this with &s;o good a grace and &s;o much authority, that all the Company were much moved, and e&s;pecially the King; And he an&s;wered the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Ari&s;to|nice</HI> with all imaginable &s;orrow, and pre&s;ently con&s;ented that their Fleet &s;hould enter into his Ports, upon condition that there &s;hould be but a certain number of armed men in every Ship: And as for giving them a place to inhabit, he told them, that he would a&s;&s;emble the <HI>Sarronides</HI> and confer with them.</P>
<P>In the mean time, he would permit them to hope for a favourable an&s;wer. Since, Madam, this word <HI>Sarronides</HI> may perhaps be a &s;tranger to you: I think it requi&s;ite to tell you that the <HI>Sarronides</HI> among&s;t the <HI>Gaules</HI> in generall, are very like unto the <HI>Magi</HI> in <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> with this difference that the <HI>Magi</HI> meddle only in matters of Religi|on, and the <HI>Sarronides</HI> in civill matters and particular differences. This &s;ort of Phi|lo&s;ophers, Prie&s;ts, and Magi&s;trates altogether were fir&s;t in&s;tituted by the third King of the <HI>Gaules,</HI> named <HI>Sarron,</HI> who would after his own name have them called <HI>Sarro|nides:</HI> yet there were &s;ome part of the <HI>Gaules</HI> where they were called <HI>Drauides;</HI> be|cau&s;e in the Raign of one of their Kings, called <HI>Druis,</HI> he would have them called &s;o. They al&s;o are divided into &s;everall orders, and into &s;everall names, for tho&s;e who do officiate in Sacrifices, are called <HI>Vaces:</HI> Tho&s;e who &s;tudy the knowledge of naturall things, are named <HI>Eubages,</HI> and tho&s;e who are appointed to &s;ing the Heroick Acti|ons of virtuous men, are called the <HI>Bardes.</HI> As for tho&s;e who bear the name of <HI>Sar|ronides,</HI> or <HI>Druides,</HI> &s;ince they are the mo&s;t knowing of all, they are called as I &s;ayd before, unto the Councel of Kings to render Ju&s;tice, to teach the people, and parti|cularly to in&s;truct the youth. Tis true, that among the <HI>Segonigians</HI> all the&s;e &s;everall names are not u&s;ed, as they are among&s;t the <HI>Celtique Gaules</HI> the <HI>Belgique Gaules,</HI> and among&s;t the <HI>Allobroges</HI> which are other <HI>Gaules:</HI> But the name of <HI>Sarronides</HI> only a|mong&s;t this people, doth comprehend them all.</P>
<P>The King then having referred this bu&s;ine&s;s unto his Councel which was compo&s;ed of the&s;e <HI>Sarronides:</HI> The Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> &s;eemed to be well &s;atisfied therewith, a&s;|&s;uring <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> that tho&s;e men who taught humanity unto others, would advi&s;e the King her Father as &s;he &s;hould de&s;ire, promi&s;ing her to &s;olicite them in the bu&s;ine&s;s.
<PB N="108" REF="736">
<HI>Carimantes</HI> for his part did promi&s;e the &s;ame: Afterwards the King talking one after another with the Prince of <HI>Phoceus, Ari&s;tonice, One&s;icrite,</HI> and <HI>Menedorus</HI> he was &s;o extreamly well &s;atisfied with them, that he could not chu&s;e but give them great Com|mendations. Moreover Madam, we were &s;o happy in plea&s;ing all the Court, as I may well &s;ay, never &s;trangers were &s;o little &s;trangers as we were there: for we found &s;uch earne&s;tne&s;s to do us good Offices, that there is great rea&s;on to believe it was the act of the Gods to di&s;po&s;e all hearts unto our good reception.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the King thinking the&s;e &s;torm-&s;hattered people to be in need of re&s;t, he commanded that the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> &s;hould be carried unto a fair Chamber next <HI>Cleonisbies;</HI> and that all the re&s;t of the Ladies with her &s;hould be lodged as con|veniently as might be, as well as the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Menedorus:</HI> Command|ing afterwards that all the Fleet &s;hould come into the Port which was to little to con|tain them all: You would wonder, Madam, if I &s;hould tell you how carefull <HI>Cleoni&s;|be</HI> and <HI>Carimantes</HI> was, to &s;ee the King obeyed: for it is hardly credible, that per&s;ons of their Quality &s;hould be &s;o officious unto &s;trangers whom they knew not; Indeed they gave &s;uch expre&s;s Commands unto all the Kings Officers to wait re&s;pectively and magnificently upon the&s;e per&s;ons, as it was apparent their Merits and Misfortunes did much move them unto Compa&s;&s;ion. <HI>Glacidia</HI> for her part was &s;o full of obliging Acts both towards <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> and <HI>Ari&s;tonice,</HI> and all the re&s;t of their Company as I &s;aw <HI>Hipomenes</HI> had good cau&s;e to tell me, that &s;he de&s;erved the favour of <HI>Cleonisbe:</HI> for &s;he was &s;o full of all goodne&s;s &amp; &s;pirit both, that &s;he purcha&s;ed much e&s;teem from the Prince of <HI>Phoceus.</HI> One pa&s;&s;age hapned that night, which &s;ince made it evident that the Gods re&s;olved that the Prince &s;hould in a &s;hort time get much love, much e&s;teem, and much friend&s;hip, among&s;t all the&s;e per&s;ons who knew him &s;o little, yet in a little time after loved him &s;o much. For, Madam, be plea&s;ed to know that as &s;oon as the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> knew, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> was gon unto her Chamber, he went thither to pre|&s;ent his fir&s;t vi&s;it and was accompanied with <HI>Menedorus:</HI> Whil&s;t <HI>Carimantes</HI> al&s;o went to &s;ee <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> the fir&s;t time accompanied with <HI>Bomilcar.</HI> For my part, I follow'd the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> and was a witne&s;s of his long di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Cleonisbe:</HI> In going thither, I acquainted him how <HI>Glacidia</HI> was <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> Favourite, and from that time he was very carefull to &s;peak &s;uch things of her as might be plea&s;ing after much other di&s;cour&s;e, wherin he did very much commend her, and &s;ayd, that he had ob&s;er|ved her to be a per&s;on of much &s;pirit and goodne&s;s. Oh Sir, &s;ayd &s;he unto him, do not judge &s;o &s;oon of <HI>Glacidia;</HI> for I do a&s;&s;ure you, that in &s;o &s;hort a time you cannot judge of her without much Inju&s;tice: &s;ince it is not po&s;&s;ible, be as ingenious as you can be, that you &s;hould know all her excellent Qualities. I a&s;&s;ure you, Madam, re|plyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> I am confident &s;he hath all &s;he can have, &s;ince you love her &s;o well. That rea&s;on is not very convincing (replyed <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> very mode&s;tly) but to let you &s;ee that though I live among&s;t a people whom the <HI>Graecians</HI> called bar|barous, yet that know who are of merit, I mu&s;t de&s;cribe <HI>Glacidia</HI> unto you; I &s;hall not &s;peak of her Per&s;on &s;ince you know it already, nor &s;hall I tell you, that I do com|mend her mo&s;t for her beauty, though as you &s;ee, &s;he is fair, plea&s;ing, and of a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;tature: nor &s;hall I acquaint you with the graces of her wit, nor the inexhau<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> trea&s;ure of it, becau&s;e I will hereafter hear her Elogy from your own mouth: Neither will I tell you how &s;he has a thou&s;and Excellencies which &s;he never vaunts of, and which out of her mode&s;ty &s;he hides: but let me tell you that her Birth is very Noble, and that never any was more &s;olidly generous, nor more truly good: The Quality which I mu&s;t love in <HI>Glacidia</HI> is, that &s;he is capable of a mo&s;t tender and con&s;tant friend&s;hip, and that never any woman living had a Soul le&s;s bya&s;&s;ed and intere&s;ted then hers. Though her Fortunes have met with many Rubs, yet &s;he armed her&s;elf with &s;uch an invincible patience, as merits the Commendations of all the wi&s;e.</P>
<P>In the mean time, her own perplexities did never cau&s;e any perplexities in any o|ther; for &s;he knew &s;o well how to clo&s;et up her &s;orrows in her own heart, that they never appeared either in her eyes, her actions, nor her words: but on the contrary &s;he is continually of &s;uch an even temper, as that &s;he &s;eems to take delight in every diver|&s;ion, even when her heart doth throb the mo&s;t. Moreover the vertue of <HI>Glacidia</HI> is neither &s;evere nor &s;alvage: and though &s;he &s;eem to be the mo&s;t &s;erious per&s;on in the world, yet none is more knowing in all matters of gallantry then her &s;elfe: But the quality which I mo&s;t applaud in her is, her ju&s;tne&s;&s;e even to her greate&s;t Enemies; For
<PB N="109" REF="736">
&s;he will commend them when any occa&s;ion is given, with as much earne&s;t &s;incerity, as if they had never di&s;obliged her.</P>
<P>Furthermore, I mu&s;t acquaint you Sir, that if ever you become one of her Friends, you may be &s;ure that none dare give you halfe commendations in her pre&s;ence; for &s;he is &s;o &s;en&s;ible and zealous in behalf of them &s;he loves, as &s;he thinks they are never enough applauded: She cannot endure any Raillary upon her Friends: and I a&s;&s;ure you, there is not any one in the world has a greater number of them then &s;he: For &s;ince Fortune had carryed her into the Court of the King of <HI>Celtes,</HI> where &s;he conti|nued a long time, and that &s;he hath been &s;ince in many &s;everall places, I can a&s;&s;ure you, &s;he got friends in all of the be&s;t &s;ort: And beleive me, replyed the Prince of <HI>Pho|ceus,</HI> her merits never got her any whom &s;he e&s;teems more then your &s;elf: Tis true, replyed <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> that is her errour; but I am confident that if her quality were above mine, as mine is above hers, &s;he would love me as &s;he doth. Grandure would never change her, but &s;he would be as ju&s;t to me as I am to to her. She is &s;o re&s;erved (ad|ded &s;he) that if I had not u&s;ed a little violence upon her, I &s;hould not have got her unto this recreation; for &s;he affects home better then the tumults of a Court, which &s;he cannot endure but for my &s;ake. You repre&s;ent <HI>Glacidia</HI> &s;o advantageou&s;ly Ma|dam, replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> that I mu&s;t needs think her loved by all the world: And &s;o &s;he is of all that know her, replyed &s;he, but yet I a&s;&s;ure you &s;he is not prodi|gall of her friend&s;hip, though &s;he be ungratefull unto none; for &s;he is very full of ac|knowledgments, and hates ingratitude as much as marriage, unto which &s;he has a &s;trange aver&s;ion. Since you do love her Madam, replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> &s;hee has need of a gratefull &s;oule, if &s;he will acquit her &s;elf of &s;uch an obliga<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ion: But Ma|dam, I be&s;eech you give me leave to beg a pardon in behalf of all <HI>Grecians,</HI> for the wrong they have done unto your Nation in calling them barbarous, becau&s;e for ought I &s;ee they are barbarous them&s;elves in &s;aying it, e&s;pecially if they &s;aw you. No no, replyed <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> do not unju&s;tly accu&s;e them, for I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e we are &s;o, and I mu&s;t for my own glory confe&s;s it; &s;ince if I doe merit any commendations, it is only becau&s;e being born in a Countrey from where all knowledge is bani&s;hed, yet I have &s;ome glimp&s;es and inclination unto all excellencies. But for you who are of that Countrey where all minds are cultivated with care, where ignorance is a crime, where Politene&s;s is generall, and where their di&s;cour&s;e is neither gro&s;&s;e, nor &s;tupid, nor rude, how is it po&s;&s;ible you can accu&s;tom your &s;elfe unto a Court, wherein are &s;o few &s;ociable per&s;ons? You &s;ee (added &s;he and &s;miled) that in a &s;hort time you have purcha&s;ed a great &s;hare in my good opinion; &s;ince one while I tell you that you &s;hall not find us &s;o barbarous as we are believed, and &s;ince now I confe&s;s that we are more then is believed. Oh Madam, &s;ayd the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> tho&s;e who can &s;peak as you do, cannot be barbarous; I am &s;ure all <HI>Greece</HI> would confe&s;s it, if they had the honour to &s;ee how you excell them in all things.</P>
<P>As the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was &s;aying &s;o, <HI>Carimantes</HI> entred with <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> who would not &s;tay untill the morning without a vi&s;it unto this Prince&s;s in her Chamber: And <HI>Glacidia</HI> entring with her, chance did &s;o contrive it, that &s;he did &s;it next the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> who fell in&s;en&s;ibly to talk with her in a low voyce, whil&s;t <HI>Cleo|nisbe</HI> talked with <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> and he told her that <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> had made &s;uch an admira|rable de&s;cription of her, as he could not think her Gla&s;&s;e could more perfectly repre|&s;ent her face, then &s;he had the beauty of her &s;ould and mind: I make no que&s;tion re|plyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> but the Prince&s;s can make an excellent de&s;cription; but I have great rea&s;on to doubt whether that Picture which you &s;ay &s;he made, do re&s;emble me; for as tho&s;e are not the be&s;t Painters who make pieces like, &s;o I think without offence unto the Prince&s;s, that &s;he hath &s;o &s;triven to make Art correct Nature, that &s;he hath done mine not well. But for my part Sir, who have no greater skill in that excellent art then to imitate what I &s;ee, I could draw her picture better then &s;he mine. To know that, replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> you mu&s;t let me &s;ee it; for I think, that I am already &s;o well acquainted with <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> that I am able to judg ju&s;tly.</P>
<P>Doubtle&s;&s;e you know her beauty, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> and &s;ome part of her mind: But Sir, it is impo&s;&s;ible you &s;hould know the height of that merit which is in that ex|cellent Prince&s;s; and therefore that &s;he may be e&s;teemed by &s;o excellent a man as your &s;elfe, I will do her &s;o much right as to acquaint you with &s;uch things of her as you cannot know without the expences of a long experience: It's not enough replyed the
<PB N="110" REF="737">
Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> to tell me what &s;he is, but I be&s;eech you let me know how &s;he came to be what I &s;ee &s;he is? Oh Sir, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> you mu&s;t ask that of the Gods, and they will tell you, that <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> is a mo&s;t &s;ingular per&s;on. Chance hath &s;ometimes brought into this Court, men that are well qualified from all parts of the world; and &s;ince the Peace which <HI>Bomilcar</HI> hath made with the <HI>Carthaginians,</HI> there hath been many men of that famous Town among&s;t us. But yet for all that, &s;ince the naturall Genius of our Nation is Warr and hunting, I do a&s;&s;ure you that <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> doth me|rit the glory of that Politene&s;&s;e which is in her, &s;ince the glimp&s;es only of her mind have enlightned all the Court: believe it Sir, you will never &s;ee any whom &s;he cannot imitate: and on the contrary, you will find, that tho&s;e who have any &s;parks of good|ne&s;&s;e, have them only out of their de&s;igns of re&s;embling or plea&s;ing her. The truth is Sir, &s;he is obliged only unto her &s;elfe for what &s;he is, and by prodigy has more divi|nity then ever was taught her, and all the vertues were born with her. When I &s;ay all the vertues, I &s;ay it without any diminution, for I am confident &s;he has them all without exception. I cannot expre&s;s my delight to heare you &s;peak this of her, replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus;</HI> for I do prote&s;t, lovely <HI>Glacidia,</HI> I am already &s;o much devo|ted unto the glory of that Prince&s;s as I &s;hould exceedingly grieve to di&s;cover any fault in her: I a&s;&s;ure you, replyed &s;he, you &s;hall never grieve at that, for I am mo&s;t confi|dent you will never find any. The truth is, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> is generous in the highe&s;t degree of genero&s;ity: She loves glory above her &s;elfe: She is pittifull, even &s;o farr as to di|&s;turb her own tranquility to procure it in others: She is all goodne&s;&s;e, all tenderne&s;s and &s;weetne&s;s, and yet her great &s;oule is mo&s;t heroique and courageous. Moreover, &s;he &s;peaks with as much judgment as wit, and with as much eloquence as judgment; her very tone and accent doth expre&s;s part of her goodne&s;s; for &s;he hath &s;uch a kind of feeling and pa&s;&s;ionate &s;ound in her words, as makes it evident her heart is neither fierce nor proud.</P>
<P>Furthermore, though amity be a quality which is &s;eldom found in per&s;ons of her birth and condition, yet it is not &s;o with <HI>Cleonisbe;</HI> for &s;he does &s;o clo&s;ely love tho&s;e whom &s;he thinks worthy of that honour, as I mu&s;t needs commend her for it above all things in the world: The truth is, &s;he is none of tho&s;e who thinks their quality may di&s;pence with the true laws of friend&s;hip, and that equality ought always to be in the minds of &s;uch as love truly: But on the contrary: <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> thinks her &s;elf obliged to love as much as any other loves her: &s;he permits one to chide her if &s;he faile in any point of true friend&s;hip: And &s;he knows &s;o well how to put a difference between the King of the <HI>Segoregians</HI> daughter, and <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> that one cannot &s;ufficiently admire her. Moreover, though the temper of this Prince&s;s be &s;omething inclinable unto me|lancholy, yet no per&s;on upon Earth had a &s;weeter Jocundry of mind then, &s;he, nor who better plea&s;ed tho&s;e unto whom &s;he was freely plea&s;ed to communicate her &s;elfe; and &s;he knew &s;o well how to turn any thing which &s;he &s;aw or heard in a witty and plea&s;ant manner, as I do not think any in the world could be more knowing merry then &s;he.</P>
<P>Again, &s;he is liberall after &s;o noble a manner, and knew how to make her choi&s;e with &s;o good a grace, that her gifts never moved any to murmure, but &s;uch as were unju&s;t or envious. As <HI>Glacidia</HI> &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Bomilcar</HI> who was next her, and partly o|ver-heard her, becau&s;e her zeale made her louder then &s;he intended, he came and told her in her eare, for heavens &s;ake <HI>Glacidia</HI> (&s;ayd he unto her) let time make known unto <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> a man who I fear knows her too well already. This &s;aying of <HI>Bomilcar</HI> cau&s;ing <HI>Glacidia</HI> to laugh, he was moved to grumble a little: But as &s;he was turning again towards the Prince of <HI>Phoceus, Cleonisbe</HI> began to talk unto her, &s;o as their di&s;cour&s;e was for that night interrupted, and pre&s;ently after, every one returned unto their Chambers. But <HI>Hipomenes</HI> &amp; I did not part &s;o &s;oon; for &s;ince by &s;peaking Greek, we came to be acquainted, and to know that his Father and mine had been old friends, we found many occa&s;ions of di&s;cour&s;e. But &s;ince I knew how much it concerned us to know the &s;tate of that Court wherein we were, e&s;pecially con&s;idering we hoped for a Sanctuary in it, I carryed him unto the Chamber of the Phocean Prince, who being uery importunate with him to know things, he &s;atisfied his curio&s;ity. You come hither Sir (&s;ayd he unto him) mo&s;t opportunely to &s;ee this Court in its greate&s;t glory that ever it can be, and al&s;o to &s;ee it in the greate&s;t di&s;order, if the Gods do not give order unto things; for Sir, you mu&s;t know that the <HI>Segoregians</HI> have a cu&s;tome
<PB N="111" REF="737">
which is peculiar unto them&s;elves; which is, that the men do never make choi&s;e of tho&s;e they are to marry; but it is the women, who make choi&s;e of their Husbands: and by the Laws of the Country a Father is never to force his Daughter. The &s;ame Laws do al&s;o require, that the Daughters of their Kings &s;hould have the &s;ame liberty which others have, and that when they have accompli&s;hed the age of eighteen years, they are to make choi&s;e of their Husbands, provided they be of Quality proportiona|ble unto their own: In&s;omuch as &s;ince it is not above two moneths before <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> be at her age fit to make her Choi&s;e, all the Grandees in the Kingdome, and al&s;o of our Neighbors which can pretend unto that honour, are here at this pre&s;ent, among&s;t which <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> mu&s;t make one happy, and all the re&s;t mi&s;erable. For, to be open to you, <HI>Bomilcar</HI> who has a mo&s;t extream ambitious &s;oul, is extreamly in Love with her: A Prince of this Country named <HI>Bretomartes</HI> is the like: and another Prince among&s;t the Celtique <HI>Gaules</HI> no le&s;&s;e then he, who&s;e name was <HI>Galathes,</HI> &s;o as in all likelihood the&s;e three Rivalls will divide the Court. In the mean time, we are all Fea&s;ts and Di|ver&s;ions in expectation of this grand Fea&s;t, which mu&s;t be &s;o &s;ad unto many.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t <HI>Hipomenes</HI> was thus talking, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> did hearken with as much attention as if he had been already intere&s;ted in the choi&s;e which <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> was to make. I be&s;eech you, &s;ayd he unto him, is it not gue&s;&s;ed whom the Prince&s;s will make choi&s;e of? No Sir, replyed <HI>Hipomenes,</HI> for &s;he has thus long lived in &s;uch a way as makes it believed that &s;he cannot choo&s;e any to her &s;atisfaction; but on the con|trary &s;eems to be very melancholy &s;ince &s;he &s;ees the time of her election draw nigh: Yet certain it is, that &s;ince &s;he is much obliged unto <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> it is probable &s;he will make him her Choi&s;e: For the truth is, he hath behaved him&s;elf mo&s;t gloriou&s;ly both by Land and Sea, in the &s;ervice of the King her Father. It was by his only meanes that the Peace was made between the <HI>Carthagenians</HI> and us: His Father was al&s;o the cau&s;e of another Peace, which gave name unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe;</HI> for having con|cluded the Peace by his wi&s;dome, it chanced &s;o that the <HI>Segoregian</HI> Queen being brought to bed that day of the Prince&s;s, the King to confirm the alliance between the&s;e two Nations, did give her two names, to wit, the one of her Country, which was <HI>Giptis,</HI> and the other of <HI>Carthage,</HI> which was <HI>Cleonisbe.</HI> But &s;ince the la&s;t of the&s;e was more agreeable then the fir&s;t, &s;he would always be called by it, &s;o as the <HI>Cartha|ginians</HI> are &s;till more obliged by it. <HI>Bomilcar</HI> was much joyed that the Prince&s;s would bear a name of his Country: But as for her Sir, I do not think &s;he loves any thing but glory; and though &s;he has the free liberty of her Choi&s;e in her &s;elfe, yet &s;he will choo&s;e none but whom the King would have her. And it is vi&s;ible that <HI>Bomilcar, Bri|tomartes,</HI> and <HI>Galathes,</HI> do as much Court the King and <HI>Carimantes,</HI> as they do <HI>Cleo|nisbe:</HI> Al&s;o they are very ob&s;equious to plea&s;e <HI>Glacidia;</HI> but to &s;peak the very truth, all their endeavours that way are to no purpo&s;e, for &s;he fancied none of their Coun|cells. Since there are abundance of people about the King, replyed the Prince of <HI>Pho|ceus,</HI> I doubt you cannot hint unto me which was <HI>Britomartes,</HI> and which was <HI>Gala|thes.</HI> The fir&s;t of the&s;e replyed <HI>Hipomenes,</HI> is a great black man, and hand&s;om, who has a &s;urly and prod Garb, who &s;tood behind the King when you talked with him: And <HI>Galathes</HI> was he who had a gold chain fixed to the pomell of his &s;word, which was a lion of the &s;ame mettle, who is of a middle &s;tature, who&s;e hair is faire, the aire of his Countenance very &s;weet, and his Garb noble. If the&s;e two Rivals of <HI>Bomilcar</HI> replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> have minds &s;utable unto their bodies, and hearts as high as their Garbs, I conceive they have all three great cau&s;e both to hope and to feare: Certainly replyed <HI>Hipomenes,</HI> they are all three per&s;ons of great minds and courage, though they do not re&s;emble each other.</P>
<P><HI>Britomartes</HI> is a man of courage, hone&s;ty, and wit, but there is a mixture of Gauli&s;h roughne&s;s in him which does not plea&s;e. As for <HI>Galathes,</HI> doubtle&s;&s;e he has a great heart, but &s;ubtle withall, and I believe that <HI>Gaule</HI> is able to over-reach a <HI>Greci|an,</HI> he is plea&s;ing civill and full of flattery: and though his a&s;pect doth promi&s;e all the &s;incerity which is attributed unto his Nation; yet certainly he is one that doth lea&s;t di&s;cover his thoughts. But as for <HI>Bomilcar</HI> Sir, it may be &s;ayd, that if &s;ome of his ambition were taken away, there would be no fault left in him, for he was as va|liant as any could be; He is generous, and a mo&s;t zealous friend; he is liberall and ci|vill; he is mo&s;t exact in performance of all his promi&s;es, &s;triving to be above his pro|mi&s;e. He is a man of great wit, his frequency in the world, his travells and his na|turall
<PB N="112" REF="738">
Genius made him able to &s;peak admirably well. But yet for all that, the activi|ty of his temper being joyned unto two mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ions, did make him perpetu|ally re&s;tle&s;&s;e, &s;o as he was not able to &s;tay long in any place, unle&s;s with <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> or <HI>Glacidia,</HI> whom he e&s;teemed very much: Your character of <HI>Bomilcar</HI> replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> makes me think him fit to be preferred before the other: Yet I am &s;ure, replyed <HI>Hipomenes,</HI> that he is in great feare not to be cho&s;en. After this, &s;ince it was very late, we left the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> yet he would not go to bed untill he knew that our Fleet would not depart from the I&s;les untill the morning, and then they came into the Harbour a little after the Sun was up.</P>
<P>In the mean while, &s;ince the beauty of <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> had mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly touched the heart of <HI>Carimantes;</HI> and &s;ince for her &s;ake he was zealous in the protection of this Phocen&s;ian Collony which had for&s;aken their Country, he no &s;ooner knew that <HI>Cle|onisbe</HI> was awake, but he went unto her Chamber, to de&s;ire her, that &s;ince &s;he was in favour with the chief of the <HI>Sarronides,</HI> &s;he would go unto him before the King had con&s;ulted with him, and know of him whether the&s;e &s;trangers were to be recei|ved or no, and to per&s;wade him to let them inhabite in the Land.</P>
<P>Since <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> had ob&s;erved that the beauty of <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> had extraordinarily plea|&s;ed <HI>Carimantes,</HI> &s;he looked upon him and &s;miled: methinks, &s;ayd &s;he unto him, that in lieu of bidding me go to the chief of the <HI>Sarronides,</HI> and negotiate for an enter|tainment of the&s;e, you had better have bid me negotiate for a &s;tay of that faire one only, whom you gazed upon ye&s;terday with &s;o much admiration. Indeed Si&s;ter reply|ed he, I mu&s;t ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e, that the greate&s;t part of my compa&s;&s;ion upon tho&s;e mi&s;erable &s;trangers doth proceed from the admiration I had of <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> who&s;e beauty I confe&s;s hath &s;urprized and charmed me. But you may we I think (added he) that I am not de&s;perately in love with her in &s;o &s;hort a time, or at lea&s;t I think &s;o: yet I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e unto you, that I do already love her &s;o much, that I cannot endure a per&s;on of her quality and beauty, &s;hould after a tempe&s;tuous &s;torm at Sea be reduced unto &s;uch extreamity at Land, as not to know where to inhabite. And therefore &s;ince my admiration doth beget &s;o much pitty in me as that I cannot re&s;t I conjure you to do as I de&s;ire: And I do prote&s;t unto you, I am &s;o de&s;irous to effectuate this de&s;ign, that I wi&s;h with all my heart you were as compa&s;&s;ionate of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince and his misfortunes, as I am of <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> and hers: As for matter of compa&s;&s;ion (replyed <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> and &s;miled again) I a&s;&s;ure you that I am as inclinable to it as you; but I would have it of another nature then yours, which is cau&s;ed rather by the greatne&s;&s;e of <HI>One&s;icrites</HI> beauty, then by the greatne&s;s of her misfortunes. However, I be&s;eech you believe, that I have &s;o much pitty as willingly to con&s;ent unto your de&s;ires: And in my opinion, it would be advantageous unto the King, that men &s;o civilized as the&s;e whom the Sea has ca&s;t upon us, &s;hould qualifie the rudene&s;s of this maritine Peo|ple which inhabite along this Coa&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Carimantes</HI> being of a hot compo&s;ition, and full of impatience, he told the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter that Time was not to be delayed, and therefore &s;omething mu&s;t be done im|mediately; adding that the King mu&s;t not know that &s;he had &s;een him whom they in|tended to employ in the bu&s;ine&s;s: So that upon a &s;erious examination of the bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e, they re&s;olved that <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> &s;hould &s;end for <HI>Glacidia,</HI> and de&s;ire her to go un|to this chief of the <HI>Sarronides,</HI> who dwelt one part of the yeare at that Tower which was built upon that Mountain which I told you we &s;aw upon the right hand as we came from the I&s;les unto the Port. But becau&s;e <HI>Carimantes</HI> would have <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> know what they did for them; he contrived it &s;o by the means of <HI>Hipomenes,</HI> that I &s;hould go with <HI>Glacidia</HI> to be a witne&s;&s;e of what &s;he &s;ayd: &s;o that after &s;he had received her in&s;tructions from the mouth of the Prince&s;s, I went along with her in her Coach without any other company but one woman and two footmen, and came to the foot of that Mountain which as I told you was full of Pine trees. When we came there we mu&s;t go on foot, for the Mountain was &s;o rocky and uneven, that a Coach could not pa&s;&s;e: But to avoyd the inconveniency of this rug|ged way, we found hor&s;es to carry us a foot-way out of the wood and better halfe of the mountain, who&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">op was &s;o &s;teep the hor&s;es had much ado to climbe it: &s;o that <HI>Glacidia</HI> alighting from the Hor&s;es, we went the re&s;t of the way on foot, which was not &s;o difficult as one would imagine it, by rea&s;on of a pair of &s;tayrs in a Rock which makes the ri&s;e more ea&s;ie, there being at &s;everall di&s;tances little hou&s;es &s;u&s;tayned by
<PB N="113" REF="738">
pillars, wherein tho&s;e who climb the Rock may re&s;t them&s;elves in a &s;hade. Thus go|ing by this odd kind of way, I helped <HI>Glacidia</HI> to climbe; who talked to me &s;o plea|&s;antly, that I climbed this mountain, and never looked back, though it be a naturall action in all that climb, to look down upon a place from whence they came: &s;o as &s;ince we never re&s;ted untill we came unto the la&s;t of the&s;e little hou&s;es, which was not a|bove twenty Paces from the Tower, it was only there where I enjoyed the mo&s;t plea|&s;ant pro&s;pect in the world.</P>
<P>The truth is Madam, I do not think that a &s;weeter object was ever &s;een then from the height of this mountain: For imagine you &s;aw a mo&s;t admirable Port in which was a mo&s;t prodigious number of Ships; and to render the Pro&s;pect more beautifull, imagine a va&s;t number of Cabins, which &s;eem a long and large City wherein Fi&s;hers inhabite along the Sea &s;ide: Beyond which is a mo&s;t plea&s;ant Country; On the other hand are the three I&s;les whereof I &s;pake, which plea&s;e the eye exceedingly. A little more on the left hand, one may behold barren Rocks, and a County &s;o wild and &s;a|vage, as if one were in a De&s;art a hundred thou&s;and Furlongs di&s;tant from any habi|tation, but turning on the other &s;ide, one may behold all oppo&s;ite objects: A Coun|try as fertile as the other is &s;terile, and as plea&s;ant as the other is wild. One may be|hold Gardens full of Oranges, Meadows, Hils, Valleys, and all that can make a coun|try delightfull: beyond which, might mountains be di&s;covered afar off, which &s;eem|ed to be &s;o piled one upon another, and in &s;uch fanta&s;ticall figures, that they much plea&s;ed the eye, and did limit the pro&s;pect that way. And look but towards the Sea, and it is very delightfull, becau&s;e it is continually full of Fi&s;her-boats.</P>
<P>I be&s;eech you Madam, pardon my tedious de&s;cription of this plea&s;ant Mountaine, where I &s;tayed for <HI>Glacidia;</HI> and to repaire my fault, I &s;hall not trouble you with any thing I &s;aw in the Tower which &s;erved for the habitation of him unto whom we went, whom we found ready to go unto the King, who had &s;ent for him.</P>
<P>This grave <HI>Sarronide,</HI> who&s;e wi&s;e and &s;erious looks had a mixture both of grandure and plea&s;ingne&s;&s;e in them, did receive <HI>Glacidia</HI> with all po&s;&s;ible civility, and &s;uffici|ently te&s;tified by his expre&s;&s;ions that he much e&s;teemed her. But after the fir&s;t Com|plements were over, and <HI>Glacidia</HI> had pre&s;ented me unto this &s;age <HI>Sarronide;</HI> after &s;he had in few words declared our misfortunes, and had told him the rea&s;on why <HI>Cle|onisbe</HI> had &s;ent her unto him, &s;he joyned her per&s;wa&s;ions unto her prayers, and u&s;ed &s;uch Rhetoricall arguments, that though his &s;oule had been of the mo&s;t flinty com|po&s;ition in the world, &s;he would have melted him into pitty of &s;o many mi&s;erable people. Do not think (&s;aid he unto her, after &s;he had &s;poken her mind) that all your words were needfull to per&s;wade me unto what the Prince&s;s de&s;ires: For I do profe&s;&s;e unto you, that as &s;oon as ever you began to &s;peak, I was re&s;olved to do what you de&s;ire, but I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e I took &s;o much delight in hearing you, that I could not find a heart to impo&s;e &s;ilence: and indeed I was glad to receive in&s;tructions from you, that I might the better know what arguments to u&s;e unto the King, and per&s;wade him unto what you de&s;ire: Oh Father, replyed <HI>Glacidia</HI> (for &s;o out of reverence &s;he termed him) do you not feare to puffe one up into a vanity of conceit by &s;peaking thus? You Sir I &s;ay, who&s;e words are all &s;incerity? No, replyed he, never feare it, for I am &s;o well acquainted with the &s;olidity of your vertue, that I feare no &s;uch weak|ne&s;s in you. However, you may a&s;&s;ure the Prince&s;s that I am &s;o infinitely joyed to re|ceive &s;uch commands from her, as I can obey with much delight: Tell her further, that I am abundantly &s;atisfied to &s;ee her &s;o &s;en&s;ible of the mi&s;eries of poor unfortunate people, for humility and compa&s;&s;ion are Qualities &s;o hard to be found in per&s;ons of her Rank, as I cannot enough admire and honour her for it. And therefore Daugh|ter (added he) I advi&s;e you contribute all your endeavours unto the cheri&s;hing of &s;uch a noble and laudable di&s;po&s;ition in her, omit no occa&s;ion of commending her for it or any vertuous quality: and al&s;o be &s;ure you blame her boldly and home, when you di&s;cover any obdurity or inhumanity in her: The truth is, you cannot do her bet|ter &s;ervice, then to infu&s;e pitty into her &s;oule: I know very well, that <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> needs none of the&s;e precepts; yet I am &s;uch a profe&s;&s;ed Enemy unto all &s;uch as are not &s;en|&s;ible neither of publique nor private misfortunes, that I do every day tell my &s;elfe as much as I de&s;ire you tell <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> le&s;t I &s;hould in&s;en&s;ibly become not compa&s;&s;io|nate enough. And therefore (&s;aid he, and turned towards me) do not think I would have <HI>Glacidia</HI> exhort <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> unto any goodne&s;&s;e becau&s;e &s;he wants it; but know
<PB N="114" REF="739">
that I do it only, becau&s;e I am per&s;waded that Princes &amp; Prince&s;&s;es can never have too much of vertue and goodne&s;s. For to be ju&s;t unto <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> I beleive &s;he has all the vertues in a high degree; and that her compa&s;&s;ion extends it &s;elfe &s;o far, that &s;he ne|ver knew any unfortunate per&s;on whom &s;he did not pitty and help al&s;o, if &s;he could. After this, <HI>Glacidia</HI> confirming what he &s;ayd, I added what I conceived might be ad|vantageous unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;icrite, Ari&s;tonice, Sfurius, Menedorus,</HI> and all the Fleet in generall. Thus Madam, our bu&s;ine&s;&s;e being well di&s;|patched, we returned unto the Ca&s;tle to give an account of your voyage unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> who &s;ent immediately unto <HI>Carimant&eacute;s</HI> to tell him that the chief of the <HI>Sarronides</HI> was plyant unto his de&s;ires, appointing me to acquaint the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> what &s;he had done for them.</P>
<P>In the mean time the progre&s;s of our bu&s;ine&s;s was not &s;o &s;uddenly re&s;olved upon: For the King being de&s;irous to a&s;&s;emble many <HI>Sarronides</HI> to con&s;ult upon &s;uch an im|portant bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, it could not be concluded untill the expiration of eight dayes: not but that he had already conferred with that old wi&s;e Coun&s;ellour with whom <HI>Glacidia</HI> had &s;poken, yet he would not ab&s;olutely determine any thing before he had a&s;&s;em|bled the Councell, with whom he u&s;ed to re&s;olve upon matters of great con&s;equence. In the interim, he treated us exceedingly well, and received all the per&s;ons of any Quality which were in our &s;hips, when the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> pre&s;ented them unto him, e&s;pecially <HI>Sfurius:</HI> In &s;o much, Madam, as therefore being an infinite number of per&s;ons in our Fleet, all the Fi&s;hers Cabins were full of Greeks, who being very de&s;i|rous to be entertained in &s;o good a Country, did &s;o flatter up their Landlords, and recompence them &s;o liberally for every thing they took, that the People did much forward the King in his Re&s;olutions, and to &s;ay that he mu&s;t let us live in their Coun|try, which we &s;hould make much better then it was: For our &s;hips being much better built then theirs, our Arms han&s;omer and better wrought; they &s;ayd that we &s;hould better them in their Arts, and teach them the u&s;e of Olives, whereof that Countrey was full, and which they yet u&s;ed only as an ornament: &s;o that in eight dayes all the people were &s;o de&s;irous to have us dwell in their Countrey, that they &s;ayd aloud, If they would not permit them, they would put fire unto their Ships, and hinder them from going away. But the thing which mo&s;t prompted them unto this re&s;olution, was a report that there was a great Godde&s;s who a&s;&s;ured them they &s;hould be favou|rably received, and that on the contrary, if they did not receive us, they &s;hould be in|volved into all manner of misfortunes.</P>
<P>In the mean time, this Ca&s;tle of the Kings being neer a great Town, all our per|&s;ons of any quality were conveniently lodged: And Madam, whereas it is the cu&s;tome of all &s;trangers to conform them&s;elves unto the habit of that Country where they are, it was not &s;o with us: but on the contrary, in three days the whole Court was got in|to the Grecian mode: For there being in our &s;hips men of all profe&s;&s;ions, there nee|ded no more time to &s;atisfie the de&s;ires of the Prince <HI>Carimantes</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Cle|onisbe,</HI> to leave the habit of their own Country and take ours, which indeed did be|come them much better then their owne. However, during the eight days which the King took to give a definitive an&s;wer, the Court was full of Plea&s;ures and Diver&s;ions: In all which <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> had no &s;hare; for &s;he with her two Companions imployed all the time in prayers unto the Gods to move the Kings heart; &s;o as having cau&s;ed the image of <HI>Diana</HI> which &s;he brought from <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> to be put in her Chamber, &s;he was continually at her Devotion whil&s;t we were all at our Plea&s;ures.</P>
<P>'Tis true, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Menedorus,</HI> did not reli&s;h their Plea&s;ure with a full gu&s;t; for the fir&s;t of the&s;e felt love to grow in his heart; and the &s;econd began to be jealous to &s;ee how earne&s;t <HI>Carimantes</HI> was to plea&s;e the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;icrite. Bomilcar</HI> al&s;o, perceiving that the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> looked upon <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> like a man who was in love with her, had &s;ome re&s;tle&s;&s;e di&s;po&s;ition to wi&s;h that the King would not per|mit us to live in the Land. Yet he was &s;o generous as not to wi&s;h our ruine, for I do beleive he was fearfull to incurr the di&s;plea&s;ure of <HI>Carimantes</HI> and <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> if he had negotiated any &s;uch thing.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Carimantes</HI> having di&s;covered that <HI>Menedorus</HI> was in love with <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> and al&s;o ob&s;erved that &s;he did ca&s;t a favourable eye upon him, was vexed to the heart, that he could not retaine the per&s;on which plea&s;ed him, unle&s;&s;e he re|tained the per&s;on al&s;o which di&s;plea&s;ed him: But in conclu&s;ion, &s;eeing he could not
<PB N="115" REF="739">
lo&s;e the one, but he mu&s;t lo&s;e the other al&s;o, he cho&s;e rather to endure the &s;ight of <HI>Me|nedorus,</HI> then to lo&s;e the &s;ight of <HI>One&s;icrite.</HI> As for <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> &s;he took abundance of de|light in the conver&s;ation of the <HI>Phoceus</HI> Prince, and in the company of &s;o many plea|&s;ing per&s;ons who were with <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> and thought her &s;elf infinitely happy to &s;ee in her Fathers Court &s;o many men &s;o qualified, as &s;he fanc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed all compleat men ought to be.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Britomartes</HI> and <HI>Galathes,</HI> they thought upon nothing but how to be cho&s;en by <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> when the hoped for time was come; for though the la&s;t of the&s;e percei|ved as well as <HI>Bomilcar</HI> that the beauty of <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> had reach'd the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> his heart, yet he never feared a weather beaten Prince whom a tempe&s;t had ca&s;t into the Court, could ever prejudice him: Thus he knew that he had a Rivall, and was ne|ver troubled at it: And I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, that <HI>Bomilcar</HI> and <HI>Galathes</HI> were not &s;o much perplexed to di&s;cover that the Pr: of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was in love with <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> as the Pr: of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was at his being in love with that Prince&s;s; for he was extreamly re&s;tle&s;s when he heard all the <HI>Sarronides</HI> were come, and that the next morning would be the fatall time of the Kings po&s;itive re&s;olution, whether they &s;hould be entertained or excluded the Country: When he fir&s;t heard this newes, he was with <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> whom he courted very a&s;&s;iduou&s;ly during all the&s;e eight dayes; and he was then with her without any other company but <HI>Glacidia,</HI> who acquainted the Prince&s;s with the co|ming of the <HI>Sarronides;</HI> and I under&s;tood from that di&s;creet Lady how the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> hearing that he was to receive his doom the next day did blu&s;h exceeding|ly; Al&s;o I under&s;tood from her, how extreamly his heart was perplexed when he con|&s;idered, that perhaps to morrow he &s;hould be for ever bani&s;hed from his adored Prin|ce&s;s, in who&s;e &s;ight he took &s;uch infinite delight. This thought did not only beget a di&s;order in his heart, but it forced him to di&s;cover &s;ome part of his thoughts. It is to morrow, Madam, &s;ayd he unto her, that mu&s;t make me either happy or mi&s;era|ble, when I &s;hall either have a Country which is dearer to me then my own, or &s;hall be a vagabond, and a fugitive: But more then that, I mu&s;t have the happine&s;&s;e to &s;ee you all the days of my life, or the mi&s;ery to lo&s;e the &s;ight of you for ever. And tru|ly Madam, if the la&s;t of the&s;e be my fate, I &s;hall complain again&s;t the compa&s;&s;ion which you have had of &s;o many mi&s;erable people; and &s;hal be &s;orry that the Port unto which you brought us, was not a Rock to &s;plit our whole Fleet, and &s;o di&s;able us for a departure from that Country, where &s;omething is to be &s;een, which doubtle&s;s cannot be &s;een in any other place of the world: Do not think Madam (&s;ayd he unto her) that it is the purity of your Ayr, your Sun, your Oranges, your Pomgranats, your Lawrels, your Mirtles are &s;uch from w^c^h I &s;hould be &s;orry to be bani&s;hed: No Madam, the&s;e are nothing, but it is from the divine <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> who cannot be found in any other place of the world; It is &s;he only that my &s;oul cannot depart from, without a &s;ea of &s;orrows. I am very &s;en&s;ibly obliged unto you Sir, replyed <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> for preferring me before &s;o many excellencies which beautifie our Country: and for that the obligations which you think you have unto me for affording you &s;ome a&s;&s;i&s;tance, &s;hould move you unto &s;o much friend&s;hip to me: I a&s;&s;ure you I accept of your e&s;teem very kindly, and wi&s;h with abundance of Pa&s;&s;ion, that the King my Father would do as I would, were I in his place, and which truly I believe he will. Truly Madam, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> you need not doubt it; for I believe your mediation and the Prince <HI>Carimantes</HI> will &s;o work, that there will be full &s;atisfaction unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus.</HI> I pray unto the Gods it may, replyed he, yet I cannot choo&s;e but feare it, and &s;hall be in a re&s;tle&s;s impatience untill I know the Kings re&s;olution, a&s;&s;uring you Madam (&s;aid he unto <HI>Cleonisbe)</HI> that I never de&s;ired any thing in my life with &s;o much zeale as I do, to continue in a Country which is &s;o dear unto me. Oh Sir, replyed <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> your ex|pre&s;&s;ions are above beliefe; for I am confident, that if a &s;hip &s;hould at this very hour arrive from your own Country, which &s;hould bring you newes that your Con|querors are conquered, that your Country is out of &s;ervitude, and that you might &s;afely return unto <HI>Phoceus,</HI> you would return thither with joy, and leave us very willingly. Oh Madam (&s;ayd he) I cannot be &s;o generous as you imagine mee; the love of my Country is not &s;o much in my heart as you believe; Yet it is both na|turall and ju&s;t to love ones own Country be&s;t, replyed <HI>Glacidia;</HI> and to tell you truly, it is to be thought that a Prince who &s;eeks for liberty by &s;uch a dangerous way as this you take, does prefer his Country before all things el&s;e what&s;over.</P>
<P><PB N="116" REF="740">
The truth is, replyed he, that when I came from <HI>Phoceus,</HI> I had &s;uch thoughts as I ought to have, and &s;uch as you think I have; but it is al&s;o more true (if there be any difference in truth) that I am now a <HI>Phocencean</HI> or an <HI>A&s;ian</HI> Greek, but all my thoughts run upon your Oranges and Myrtle trees.</P>
<P>If any of us <HI>Gauls</HI> (replyed <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> and &s;miled) &s;hould chance to be driven by fortune either into <HI>A&s;ia</HI> or <HI>Greece,</HI> I am &s;ure our Civility and Complacence would not be &s;o great as yours but we &s;hould prefer our own Country before all the world. However, added &s;he, I perceive we love &s;o well to be flattered, that though we know all obliging expre&s;&s;ions are not po&s;itively true, yet we give them a willing hearing: and certainly there are many truths which are nothing &s;o plea&s;ing as this obliging un|truth which you now tell me. If what I &s;peak Madam be not a truth, replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> then there is no truth in the world. Since none are brought to un&s;peak tho&s;e Pray&s;es which they give in &s;peaking unto the per&s;on whom they prai&s;e, replyed &s;he, I will not pre&s;s you any further to confirm this plea&s;ing untruth by ad|ding another, or that you &s;hould un&s;peak it: And therefore I will believe, that &s;ince you have left none in <HI>Phoceus,</HI> and &s;ince all your friends have followed your fortune, you look upon the place where you &s;ee them as your own Country, where ever it be. I mu&s;t confes Madam, replyed he, that if all the per&s;ons who were here; or if you plea&s;e in the I&s;le of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> which is the mo&s;t plea&s;ant in the world, I &s;hould not then &s;peak as I do: <HI>Glacidia</HI> knowing very well, that <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> would be very glad that this talk were broken off, becau&s;e &s;he did not love to be commended to her face, begun to a|vert it hand&s;omly. Methinks, &s;ayd &s;he, that what the Prince&s;s hath &s;ayd de&s;erves much con&s;ideration, and that her di&s;tinction de&s;erves &s;ome inqui&s;ition. For truly, I would gladly know whether this affection which every one has unto his own Coun|try, be cau&s;ed by tho&s;e who inhabit in it; or whether it be the Land, the Sunne, the Aire, the Sea, the Rivers, and the Towns which &s;o ties them unto it: and whether it be the living Countrey (if I may call it &s;o) or the inanimate Country which moves this great tenderne&s;&s;e to it? I know very well (added &s;he, and addre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf unto <HI>Cleonisbe)</HI> that to &s;peak in generall, the&s;e two things are joyned together; but &s;ince it appears by the example of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, that Fortune hath &s;eparated them, &s;ince all the Inhabitants of <HI>Phoceus</HI> are here, and the Town of <HI>Phoceus</HI> where it was, I would gladly know whether if he found an habitation &s;o good and convenient as it was, he would de&s;ire to return into his native Country; for if &s;o Madam, then it mu&s;t be concluded, it is not only his Kindred and Friends which makes him love his Coun|try, but it is as well the place it &s;elfe where he was born, as they.</P>
<P>For my part (replyed <HI>Cleonisbe)</HI> I am per&s;waded that there is a genius, a natural in&s;tinct which drawes us to affect the places of our Nativity, as well as the per&s;ons which inhabite there: And that our Aire, our Sun, our Sea, and our Land are more really our Country, then our Kindred, Friends, and fellow-Citizens: For truly, our Kindred die, our friends do often faile; our fellow-Citizens are often wicked men, and &s;ometimes our Per&s;ecutors: But the other things which I named before, they ne|ver change for us, and we ought never to change for them. So I conclude, that though to &s;peak of a Country in generall is meant, an a&s;&s;embly of People who live in the &s;ame Land, and under the &s;ame Laws; yet the mo&s;t indi&s;&s;olvable part of a Coun|trey is the circum&s;tance of place, and not of per&s;ons, becau&s;e the one may change and be di&s;&s;olved by &s;trange accidents, but the other can never alter; for the &s;ame Sun which gives Rubies to your Pomgranets, and guilds your Oranges, the very &s;ame Sun &s;hines upon them, and will eternally.</P>
<P>Your arguments Madam, replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> are very good, and full of wit, yet my experience tells me it is not &s;o alwayes: For I do prote&s;t that if I could obtaine liberty to dwell here, I &s;hould never lament the lo&s;&s;e of my Country, nor that &s;tately Town I quitted, ot any thing el&s;e which makes &s;uch a Country as this un|alterable.</P>
<P>For my part, &s;ayd <HI>Glacidia,</HI> I am not of your mind; for there is &s;uch a &s;ympathy betwixt my Country and my &s;elfe, that I would defend it in every thing, thinking if I &s;hould live any where el&s;e, I &s;hould never live at re&s;t; not that I could ea&s;ier part with my Friends then from our Oranges: but my meaning is, that the Prince&s;s hath great rea&s;on to &s;ay, that we are tyed unto places as well as Per&s;ons; and that a native Country is to be preferred before any other though more plea&s;ant. I &s;hould be ex|treamly
<PB N="117" REF="740">
a&s;hamed, replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> to entertaine thoughts oppo&s;ite to tho&s;e of a Prince&s;s &s;o wi&s;e in all things, and unto a per&s;on &s;o judicious as <HI>Glacidia;</HI> yet I am &s;o far from being a&s;hamed of an opinion which is good, that methinks I me|rit &s;ome honour for making my &s;elfe a way &s;o extraordinary, and for not being ca|pable of &s;uch a kind of love unto ones Countrey, as to be tyed unto Rocks and Forre&s;ts.</P>
<P>As the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> &s;ayd &s;o, <HI>Bomilcar</HI> entred, unto whom the Prince&s;s did put the &s;ame Que&s;tion, not telling him her opinion, nor <HI>Glacidias,</HI> nor that of the <HI>Phoce|an</HI> Prince; &s;o as he &s;tudying how to an&s;wer &s;o as might concurr with his thoughts of the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe:</HI> For my part Madam, &s;ayd he unto her; I am per&s;waded that one does naturally love the Land where one was born, and that the Aire Suits be&s;t with their Con&s;titutions, and I believe al&s;o, that the &s;ympathy is &s;o &s;trong, that no|thing can qua&s;h it, unle&s;&s;e &s;ome violent pa&s;&s;ion, as ambition, or love. Then accor|ding to your rule (replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> faintly) one cannot find any hap|pine&s;&s;e in a &s;trange Country, unle&s;&s;e &s;ome rea&s;on of ambition or love do break tho&s;e bonds which tye them unto their Country. I am &s;o confidently per&s;waded of it Sir, replyed <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> that when&s;oever I &s;ee any &s;tranger forget his Country, and not to grieve for being out of it, I always conclude him to have one of tho&s;e two pa&s;&s;ions in his heart. <HI>Bomilcar</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;ayd &s;o, but <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> blu&s;hed, and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> ob&s;erved her; &s;o as &s;eeing the change in her face, he was much joyed at it, i|magining that &s;he applyed the words of <HI>Bomilcar</HI> unto her &s;elfe: &s;o in lieu of contra|dicting him, he extreamly approved of what he &s;ayd; Yet it was in &s;uch a facetious way, as one would really have thought that he had no &s;ecret de&s;ign in concurring &s;o ea&s;ily unto a thing which he might &s;o ea&s;ily have oppo&s;ed. So that Madam, <HI>Bomilcar</HI> unawares was the fir&s;t who cau&s;ed <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> to &s;u&s;pect that her heart had &s;ome &s;parks of love for the Prince of <HI>Phoceus:</HI> And the fir&s;t al&s;o who gave his new Rivall an occa|&s;ion to make her gue&s;&s;e at his Pa&s;&s;ion who was the cau&s;er of it.</P>
<P>However, after he was retired unto his Chamber, he began to think that <HI>Bomilcar</HI> had good rea&s;on to &s;ay nothing was &s;o fit to make one forget his Country then to fall into love in a &s;trange Country: his apprehen&s;ions of it was &s;o &s;trong, that he could not &s;leep, yet his rea&s;on did mu&s;ter up all its forces to oppo&s;e this growing pa&s;&s;ion, but it was grown too &s;trong already to be overcome. What a fondne&s;&s;e is it (&s;aid he unto him&s;elf, as he told me afterwards) to be &s;o de&s;irous of dwelling in a place where I find &s;o dangerous a per&s;on as <HI>Cleonisbe?</HI> were it not more wi&s;edom to depart from it as &s;oon as ever I could, and by &s;hip-wrack to quench tho&s;e flames which &s;corch me, then hopele&s;ly to expo&s;e my &s;elfe unto all the torments of Love? Is not <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> within the&s;e two moneths to make her choi&s;e of him whom &s;he plea&s;eth to make &s;o happy; and can I be &s;o far out of my wits as to think &s;he can choo&s;e me? me I &s;ay, a de&s;picable exile who has neither Countrey, nor a hou&s;e to dwell in; who never did her any &s;ervice, nor can &s;carcely be admitted to dwell with her. What then &s;hould I do, living in a Country where I mu&s;t &s;adly &s;ee her I love, enjoyed either by <HI>Bomilcar</HI> or <HI>Britomartes,</HI> or by <HI>Galathes?</HI> and yet not dare to murmure at it? For what right have I to oppo&s;e their Preten&s;ions? No no, I have none, and therefore if I be wi&s;e, I will depart from a place where I can never be happy, and &s;ave the King of <HI>Segore|gians</HI> a labour of con&s;ulting with the <HI>Sarronides:</HI> But do&s;t thou think of departing, wretched man that thou art, added he, when as thy heart tells thee thou art in&s;epara|bly tyed unto the divine <HI>Cleonisbe?</HI> Why, whil&s;t thou think&s;t thou ha&s;t &s;ome &s;ove|raignty over thy &s;oule, thy de&s;ires revolt, thy will mutinies, and thy heart prompts all thy thoughts unto rebellion. Thus Madam, did the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> &s;trive to re|&s;i&s;t the inevitable power of <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> charms: But as I told you, his Pa&s;&s;ion was grown too &s;trong to be quelled. But on the contrary, it did the more increa&s;e by the re&s;i&s;tance of his Rea&s;on, and he waited untill rhe next morning in a re&s;tle&s;&s;e impati|ence, which would not permit him to take any re&s;t: <HI>Carimantes</HI> for his part was no le&s;&s;e impatient then he, did as zealou&s;ly wi&s;h that <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> might &s;tay there, as the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> wi&s;hed for him&s;elf.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Menedorus</HI> wi&s;hed them&s;elves were bani&s;hed: <HI>Bomilcar</HI> would not have been &s;orry if they were, and <HI>Galathes</HI> would have been glad of it. <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> would have been angry at it as well as <HI>Glacidia:</HI> and <HI>Britomartes</HI> alone was indifferent in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. Furthermore, though <HI>Galathes</HI> did not much feare that
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the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> could hurt him, though he were his Rivall, yet he went to &s;oli|cite one of the <HI>Sarronides,</HI> who was to be of the Kings Councell, and who was much his friend, purpo&s;ely to oblige him in oppo&s;ition to the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, &s;ugge&s;ting all the rea&s;on which might move the King not to receive &s;o many &s;trangers into his Country: &s;o as &s;ome &s;oliciting for our &s;tay, and others endeavouring to oppo&s;e it, I a&s;&s;ure you, opinions were never more divided then among&s;t all tho&s;e illu&s;trious per|&s;ons.</P>
<P>In the meane time, the hour of the Councells A&s;&s;embly being come, <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> with her Companions went to &s;peak with all the <HI>Sarronides</HI> one after another: But in lieu of &s;oliciting them as men who had much power to help or hinder the &s;tay of the Fleet which &s;he demanded; &s;he boldly told them, that it was not in their power to hinder the King from entertaining &s;o many illu&s;trious unfortunate per&s;ons, whom the Godde&s;s &s;he adored had &s;ent unto them for their glory, and for the happine&s;s of their Country; and that &s;he came now only to acquaint them, that the fir&s;t favour &s;he would ask, as &s;oon as the King had received them, &s;hould be to give her a place where &s;he might build a Temple unto the honour of <HI>Diana. Ari&s;tonice</HI> &s;poke this with &s;uch a confidence, and &s;o much maje&s;ty, that they looked upon her with more re&s;pect then before: and &s;ince their cu&s;tom was never to make any great Sacrifice but under Oakes, the propo&s;ition of <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> did perplex them, fearing to di&s;plea&s;e the Gods whom they adored, by e&s;tabli&s;hing a new Religion in their Country. But in conclu&s;ion, not knowig them&s;elves what opinion they were of, they went unto the King in the Councel-chamber, where the Councell was to be held, upon which the de&s;tiny of &s;o many men depended: And there was &s;uch a multitude of all &s;orts in the Ca&s;tle, that there was not one corner which was not full of <HI>Phocen&s;ians</HI> and others. But to &s;trengthen our Cau&s;e, all the Fi&s;hers which did inhabit along that Coa&s;t where we landed, hearing that this was the morning on which we were either to be received or rejected, they flocked in great troops into the ba&s;e Court of the Ca&s;tle, and de|manded to &s;peak with the King, &s;aying aloud that he mu&s;t receive us, and that they would never let men who could in&s;truct them in &s;o many profitable things go out of their Country.</P>
<P>But the Officers of the Guard having de&s;ired them to &s;tay unto the end of the Councell, this croud of <HI>Grecians</HI> and <HI>Segoregians</HI> mingled together, which made &s;uch a hurly burly, were all quiet in expectation of the Kings re&s;olution. We under&s;tood &s;ince by one of the <HI>Sarronides,</HI> that the King after he had propo&s;ed the bu&s;ine&s;s unto them, did expre&s;&s;e unto the A&s;&s;embly, that he &s;hould be exceeding glad (if the good of the State would permit it) to a&s;&s;i&s;t &s;o many mi&s;erable people, and give &s;anctuary unto &s;o many illu&s;trious per&s;ons as were among&s;t us; yet adding, that he preferred the good of his people before his own inclinations: &amp; that if they thought it dangerous to receive us, he would endeavour to deny his own de&s;ires, and reject us. At the fir&s;t, opinions were divided: But &s;ince the chiefe of the <HI>Sarronides</HI> was for us, and being a man of a &s;ound judgment and wit, he brought all to concur with him, except him whom <HI>Galathes</HI> had &s;olicited. But he, &s;ince he had the pretence of the publique good to favour the de&s;igns of his friend, he made u&s;e of it with abundance of zeale again&s;t us; and if the chief of the <HI>Sarronides</HI> had not been as re&s;olute as he was ob&s;tinate, we had all been bani&s;hed. For my part Sir, &s;ayd he unto the King, I know very well that not to con&s;ider the mi&s;eries of tho&s;e who de&s;ire Sanctuary from you, and to de|ny their de&s;ires doth &s;eem to be a peece of cruelty: But I know al&s;o, that con&s;idering the dangerous con&s;equences which the favour they aske might bring with it if con&s;en|&s;ented unto, there is great rea&s;on to deny them: For it is not one particular which de|mands receipt of you; but it is a huge People, who by their multitudes may become terrible to you, and al&s;o by the abundance of good qualities which are attributed un|to them; for the more wit and &s;pirit the&s;e <HI>Greeks</HI> have, the more they are to be feared, it not being expedient that your Subjects who are faithfull in their &s;implicity &s;hould become more knowing by the conver&s;ation of &s;trangers, le&s;t they &s;hould grow muti|nous. Do you not &s;ee already Sir how the&s;e Fi&s;hers who u&s;e them&s;elves only to their Lines and Nets, begin to meddle in matters of State, and will have you entertayn the&s;e &s;trangers, who begin already to have a &s;hare in your authority? Moreover the&s;e &s;trangers are Rich, they are a warlike People; abundance hath made them luxurious and voluptuous: and it is to be feared, that tho&s;e who they &s;ay can teach all the
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Arts unto your Subjects, will communicate the vices of their Country unto them al&s;o: Ignorance and Poverty Sir are good properties to make Subjects obedient: and therefore I conceive that tho&s;e People who can take from your Subjects the&s;e two Properties which makes a Soveraign &s;o ab&s;olute, ought not to be received without great and &s;erious con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>Moreover, the new Religion of the&s;e &s;trangers will either &s;ubvert your own, or at lea&s;t rai&s;e abundance of &s;cruples and errours in the minds of your People. And I know not Sir whether they will &s;hake your Throne it &s;elfe: &s;o that in my opinion, to &s;ati&s;|fie the rights of ho&s;pitality without any danger to your Kingdom, the be&s;t expedi|ent were to permit the&s;e <HI>Graecians</HI> to repayr their Fleet, to give them all things ne|ce&s;&s;ary for a long voyage, and to let them go and &s;eek a Sanctuary &s;omewhere el&s;e; but not to let them inhabit here. This friend unto <HI>Galathes</HI> was &s;o vehement, that &s;ome of tho&s;e whom the Prince <HI>Sarronide</HI> had brought unto his opinion, began to waver, and return unto their fir&s;t thoughts. But this wi&s;e and good old man, &s;eeing their minds began to &s;tagger, did an&s;wer all the rea&s;ons which this friend unto <HI>Gala|thes</HI> had delivered. I am not ignorant Sir (&s;ayd he unto the King) that to con&s;ider the bu&s;ine&s;s in hand with a bya&s;&s;ed intere&s;t, there is &s;ome &s;hew of doubt in it: but I am &s;ure to con&s;ider the true grounds of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and not to be deluded by ap|pearances, there is all the rea&s;on in the world to be of my opinion. For Sir, the mo&s;t ancient of all Lawes, and that which ought certainly to be mo&s;t inviolable, is the law of Ho&s;pitality: and I am not afraid to &s;ay, that upon &s;ome occa&s;ions a King may be more culpable in u&s;ing Strangers ill, then in u&s;ing his own Subjects ill.</P>
<P>Moreover, this whole multitude which is u&s;ed as an argument to hinder your Maje|&s;tie from being pittifull, is an argument to oblige you the more unto it, &s;ince it is more glorious to relieve many then a few.</P>
<P>But to an&s;wer po&s;itively unto the objection of Feares which this multitude of per&s;ons may cau&s;e, I only an&s;wer thus, that in compari&s;on of the multitudi|nous number of your Subjects, the&s;e &s;trangers are &s;o few and weake, as there is no rea&s;on of any fears in the world: Al&s;o being of a Country &s;o far di&s;tant from yours, and a Country wherein they have no power, they never dare attempt any thing a|gain&s;t you, &s;ince they cannot hope for any relief from any part; and &s;ince it is a mo&s;t ea&s;ie matter for you to &s;uppre&s;s, when&s;oever they &s;hall incen&s;e you. Further|more, &s;ince all the&s;e <HI>Grecians</HI> have their whole Families in your Land, it may very well be &s;ayd, that you have mo&s;t &s;ure ho&s;tages of their fidelity; &s;o as you may with much le&s;&s;e danger receive this numerous multitude, then if they were fewer, and had not with them &s;uch per&s;ons as are mo&s;t deare unto them, and unable to beare Arms.</P>
<P>Again, I do admire any one of wi&s;dome &s;hould &s;ay, that the more wit the&s;e <HI>Gre|cians</HI> have, the more they are to be feared: and that Poverty and Ignorance are two nece&s;&s;ary Qualities to make faithfull Subjects. For truly Sir, my opinion is &s;o con|trary unto that, as I dare undertake to maintain unto your Maje&s;tie, that the grea|te&s;t care of a Prince ought to be to make his People rich, and to teach them their duty to their King. The truth is, as ignorance will &s;ometimes keep them under, &s;o it will after make them mutiny without a cau&s;e: It will make People wilfull without rea&s;on: It will fit them for tumults and &s;editions; it will not let them under&s;tand their own in|tere&s;ts: It will ruine them&s;elves in ruining the State: and for want of knowledg they will &s;ubvert Kingdoms, fall off from their duty to their Soveraigns, and al&s;o from their duty to the Gods: So as the link of &s;ociety being once broken between &s;o many per&s;ons whom rea&s;on &s;hould reunite, it mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity follow, there will be an u|niver&s;all confu&s;ion which is equally prejudiciall both unto Princes and Subjects. Be|lieve it Sir, the more wit and ingenuity the&s;e Greeks have, the &s;ooner you ought to receive them, &s;ince though they produce no other benefit unto your People, but to communicate their wit and ingenuity unto them, it is a great benefit &s;ince they will teach them to know their duty. Al&s;o by teaching your Subjects &s;o many admirable Arts, wherein they are knowing, they will bani&s;h idlene&s;s out of the Country, which is the mo&s;t abundant cau&s;e of Revolts. And as to that objection concerning the Fi|&s;hermen, how they &s;hould begin already to meddle in matters of State, I mu&s;t an&s;wer, that this beginning of rebellion, is an argument, one &s;hould not give a bruiti&s;h people any cau&s;e to know their own &s;trength; &s;o therefore, though only in this con&s;iderati|on I mu&s;t conclude it requi&s;ite to receive the <HI>Phocen&s;ians,</HI> lea&s;t by incen&s;ing the <HI>Sego|regians,</HI>
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they &s;hould come to know what they can do before they know what they ought to do, which is one of the mo&s;t dangerous divi&s;ions that can be among&s;t a peo|ple.</P>
<P>Again, as for the vices which are feared to grow out of the abundance of riches; Truly me-thinks their fears go too far, in fearing le&s;t the greate&s;t good of all goods &s;hould &s;ow evill in an age or two, and it would be much inju&s;tice to reject men who are eminent in a thou&s;and vertues, only becau&s;e they feare le&s;t the Riches they bring with them &s;hould produce &s;ome one vice which &s;ometimes does follow them, but are not alwayes Concomitants: al&s;o I can an&s;wer, that as Riches and abundance have their vices, &s;o poverty and want have theirs al&s;o. As the one makes men voluptuous, the other al&s;o makes men &s;teal and kill tho&s;e that are richer then them&s;elves. Now Sir, as to the bu&s;ine&s;s of Religion (added this &s;age <HI>Sarronide)</HI> I mu&s;t tell your Maje&s;ty, that though I have as much zeale unto my owne as any hath, yet I do believe that huma|nity is to be found in all Religions in the world; and it were great cruelty to make &s;o many mi&s;erable, only becau&s;e their Religion is different from ours: On the contra|ry, if we will be indeed zealous in our Religion, we &s;hould &s;trive to convert a People who know not the manner of our wor&s;hip, and to per&s;wade them that our Sacrifices are more perfect then theirs: Thus this argument of Religion which is u&s;ed to hinder &s;o many illu&s;trious unfortunate People from having a Sanctuary among&s;t us, is a &s;trong rea&s;on why we &s;hould grant it unto them.</P>
<P>Al&s;o according to the univer&s;all opinion of all the <HI>Sarronides,</HI> it is not fit for men to judg of things which exceed their under&s;tandings. but it is their duty to believe, that &s;ince the Gods do &s;uffer men in &s;ome places to offer unto them innocent victimes, and in other places to &s;acrifice men: In other places they bring nothing unto their Altars but Flowers, Fruits, and Incen&s;e: In &s;ome places they build Temples unto them; and in other places they are forbidden to build them, and commanded to &s;a|crifice in woods and hills: And thus it is the plea&s;ure of the Gods to be adored in a hundred &s;everall manners. For upon a true examination of the matter, and it being agreed on all &s;ides, that every People do believe that the Gods whom they adore are the makers and ma&s;ters of Heaven and Earth, it mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be concluded that every People do adore one and the &s;ame God under different names, and in different manners: And as there is but one Sunne in the whole world for all People, &s;o al&s;o there is but one powerfull Divinity which is to be adored over all the earth. So Sir, it is to be feared that you anger the Gods, if your Maje&s;ty &s;hould deny a Sanctuary unto men who gave &s;o many te&s;timonies of Piety, &s;ince they came among&s;t us: &s;o as whether you con&s;ider their mi&s;eries, their vertues, the good of your People, or the glory of your Maje&s;ty, I find it mo&s;t requi&s;ite to entertain the&s;e mi&s;erable men, and to receive them as a happine&s;&s;e which the Gods have &s;ent unto us.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as this wi&s;e <HI>Sarronide</HI> had ended his Oration, the King did approve of it exceeding well, and there was no further conte&s;t about the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: &s;o that the Councell being ended, the King cau&s;ed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus, Sfurius, Menedorus.</HI> and eight or ten others the mo&s;t con&s;iderable in their Fleet to be brought in, and told them that he gave them leave to dwell in the Land: and to inhabit in the &s;ame place where they landed; this Prince conceiving it mo&s;t &s;afe for him&s;elfe to let them live to|gether, and not to di&s;per&s;e them&s;elves into his Dominions, becau&s;e they would not &s;o ea&s;ily per&s;wade them unto the Religion of their Country.</P>
<P>To tell you Madam how joyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was, and all the <HI>Phocen&s;ians</HI> except <HI>Menedorus,</HI> is more then I am able to do. Nor am I able to de&s;cribe the joyes of <HI>Carimantes, Cleonisbe, Glacidia,</HI> and all the Gallants of the Court, except <HI>Bomil|car</HI> and <HI>Galathes.</HI> But as their &s;atisfaction was great, &s;o that of the Fi&s;hermen was greater: And they expre&s;&s;ed it by &s;uch &s;houts of joy, as did let the King know that the chief of the <HI>Sarronides</HI> had prudently advi&s;ed him. But among&s;t all that rejoyced at the re&s;olution of the King, <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> was in the highe&s;t degree, conceiving her &s;elfe very in&s;trumentall in the glory of that Godde&s;s who had &s;o happily guided us. But Madam, not to be over-tedious in particularizing &s;o many u&s;ele&s;s things unto you, give me leave to tell you, that the next morning the King him&s;elf &s;hewed unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> the extent of that ground, and the place where he would per|mit us to build And to begin the foundation of this Town with an action of piety, <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> with her own hand did not only mea&s;ure out the place where &s;he would e|erect
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a Temple unto <HI>Diana</HI> which was neer the Sea &s;ide, but al&s;o the very place where the Image of that Godde&s;s &s;hould &s;tand. As for the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> &s;ince he ever held <HI>Minerva</HI> in great veneration having been long at <HI>Athens,</HI> he &s;et out a place for a Temple to be built to that Godde&s;s: After which the great multitude of workmen a|mong&s;t us, beginning to work by the directions of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, one might &s;ee that done in a few dayes which one could not believe fea&s;able in many moneths. The truth is Madam, the <HI>Graecians</HI> did work &s;o very hard, the <HI>Segoregians</HI> did help them &s;o willingly, and all with &s;o much alacrity and &s;peed, that in one moneth and a halfe we had built two Temples, and a great Town. That which did much facilitate, the Country, which though very fertile was yet &s;o &s;tony, that all our work was to heap &s;o many &s;tones together as we &s;tood in need of. Moreover, &s;ince the winds do often u&s;e to beat again&s;t that mountaine where I told you the chief of the <HI>Sarronides</HI> did u&s;e to inhabite one part of the yeare; &s;o it chanced that a little while before wee came into that Country, the violence of the winds had &s;o beaten down abundance of wood at the foot of this mountain, and wafted the Trees to the &s;hoare, that we had nothing more to do but to work them up. You may ea&s;ily imagine, Madam, that this Town was not &s;o &s;tately built as <HI>Babylon</HI> or <HI>Ecbatan:</HI> but yet there was not one Greek who had not a hand&s;om and convenient lodging: There was three publique Market-places in this new built Town, which was much more long then large; be|cau&s;e having enclo&s;ed all the Fi&s;hers Cabins within our Circle, we were confined un|to that narrowne&s;s. There was al&s;o good fountaines and an admirable Port; and though its &s;cituation was upon a hanging ground, and con&s;equently a little inconve|nient, becau&s;e the &s;treets were uneven, yet it was very plea&s;ant: though the <HI>Graecian</HI> Architecture was not &s;et out in its full ornament; for &s;ince our Aimes were only for Lodgings; it may be &s;aid that they were Cabins regularly built rather then hou&s;es; yet they were very convenient and hand&s;ome, and &s;eemed Palaces unto Exiles. But Madam, it was a wonder to &s;ee how the <HI>Greek</HI> did &s;trive to get the <HI>Segoregian</HI> lan|guage, and how earne&s;t the <HI>Segoregians</HI> were to get the <HI>Greek,</HI> for they did &s;udden|ly &s;o perfectly under&s;tand each other, that I do not think there is at this time one of the Kings Subjects who does not under&s;tand Greek, nor one <HI>Graecian</HI> who does not under&s;tand the Language of that Country where they now inhabite. As for <HI>Ari&s;toni|ce,</HI> &s;he cloy&s;tered up her &s;elfe within the verge of that Temple which &s;he built as &s;oon as ever it was fini&s;hed: and not medling with any thing but her devotion, &s;hee lived in a wonderfull re&s;traint.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> knew very well that it was not e|nough to build a Town, unle&s;&s;e it were governed by good &amp; politique Laws, he began to &s;ettle the order of them: and to avoid all envie among&s;t tho&s;e who had acknow|ledged him for their head, he appointed a great number unto the tran&s;action of pub|lique affayrs, naming the number of &s;ixe hundred who had determinative voyces in Councell: But for the di&s;patch of urgent affayrs he con&s;tituted a number of fifteen without a&s;&s;embling a generall Councell; and of this fifteen there was three with whom he advi&s;ed in matters of &s;ecre&s;ie according to occa&s;ions. Thus Madam, this Councel con&s;i&s;ting of &s;ixe hundred, out of which &s;ixe hundred was named fifteen, and out of fifteen three, and out of three, one, all which made up but one Authority, was the government of this new Town, who&s;e modell I de&s;ire to de&s;cribe, before I proceed with the love of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince.</P>
<P>Methinks (&s;ayd <HI>Mandana</HI> and interrupted him) you have forgot one thing which de&s;erves &s;ome curio&s;ity, which is, to tell us whether this Towne was called the new <HI>Phoceus,</HI> or whether they gave it the name of the Country.</P>
<P>Your que&s;tion Madam (replyed <HI>Thrytemes)</HI> is more worthy of Curio&s;ity then you imagine, &s;ince there hapned a very odd pa&s;&s;age about it. For Madam, it was never in the power of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince to call this Town <HI>Diana's</HI> Town, as he intended, but was forced to yeeld unto a multitude, who had got a cu&s;tome of calling it <HI>Mar|&s;cilles,</HI> having no other rea&s;on for it, unle&s;&s;e the forming that name out of two Greek words corruptively put together, for the one halfe of that name in the <HI>Aeoli|an</HI> language &s;ignifies Fi&s;her, and the other halfe in the pure Greek &s;ignifies to tye: But Madam, to interpret the oddne&s;&s;e of the thing a little better unto you, be plea|&s;ed to know that when our Fleet came to this Port, a great multitude of Fi&s;hers were got together to &s;ee us land: &s;o as the Marriners of every &s;hip ca&s;ting out their Cables,
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and knowing them to be Fi&s;hers, becau&s;e they had Lines and Nets in their hands, they prayed the&s;e Fi&s;hers to tye their Cables unto &s;ome &s;takes which were upon the &s;hore, that they might &s;erve in lieu of an Anchor: &s;o as the two words which they pronoun|ced at landing, that is to &s;ay, Fi&s;her, and tye, which in our Language &s;ignifie <HI>Mar|&s;eilles</HI> a little corrupted, they would by all meanes have called the name of the Town thereafter. However Madam, cu&s;tome was &s;tronger then Rea&s;on, and the People more powerfull then the Prince; &s;ince being Founder of the Town, he was not able to give it the name he de&s;ired; but mu&s;t permit the&s;e two Greek words which had no rea&s;onable &s;ignification; be the name of a Town, the government whereof was con&s;tituted wholly by rea&s;on and Prudence. However Madam, I mu&s;t return from whence I digre&s;&s;ed, and acquaint you with the loves of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince of <HI>Cari|mantes,</HI> of <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> of <HI>Menedorus,</HI> of <HI>Britomartes,</HI> and of <HI>Galathes,</HI> from the time the King permitted us to &s;tay in the Country: And Madam, I mu&s;t tell you, that the love of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince to <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> and that of <HI>Carimantes</HI> to <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> did ex|treamly increa&s;e; for then looking upon the Per&s;ons whom they loved as tho&s;e whom they &s;hould &s;ee and adore as long as they lived, their Pa&s;&s;ions were the more infla|med: But this did kindle abundance of jealou&s;ie in the heart of <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> of <HI>Galathes,</HI> and of <HI>Menedorus.</HI></P>
<P>Furthermore, the e&s;teem which the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> had already of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, did abundantly increa&s;e by acquaintance and the friend&s;hip which this Prince had with <HI>Glacidia,</HI> became &s;o great in a few dayes, that &s;he did not value <HI>Bomilcar</HI> who was mo&s;t in her favour, at a higher rate, then &s;he did him.</P>
<P>In the mean while, the <HI>Segoregian</HI> King being returned unto the Metropolis of his Kingdom, which was not above halfe a dayes journey from the place where we lan|ded, he would by all means have the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> after he had given all requi&s;ite orders for the building his new Town to accompany him, with <HI>Menedorus,</HI> my &s;elfe, and many others, <HI>Sfurius</HI> &s;taying behind as an over&s;eer of the works.</P>
<P>'Tis true, &s;ince the di&s;tance was not far, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> went thither very oft; but he always made &s;uch ha&s;t, and cho&s;e his hours &s;o conveniently, that not a day pa&s;&s;ed but he &s;aw <HI>Cleonishe,</HI> with whom was <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> betwixt whom was already an intimate love: Mo&s;t of the <HI>Phocen&s;ian</HI> Ladies did al&s;o follow her, &s;o as this Court did flouri&s;h as much as any Court in the world. As for the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> he was plea&s;ing unto the King, and univer&s;ally unto all that &s;aw him, as nothing but his merits were talked of, and he became &s;o familiar with the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> that <HI>Bomilcar</HI> who had been acquainted with her all his life, was not more: 'Tis true, <HI>Glacidia</HI> did much contribute unto it; for indeed &s;he was a great admirer of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, and being a zealous commender of her friends, &s;he continually talk|ed of him to <HI>Cleonisbe.</HI> Yet &s;he did not commend him only unto her; for &s;he had e|ver a mo&s;t charitable de&s;ire to unite all her friends as much as &s;he could, and to make them love one another, as well as &s;he did; therefore &s;he &s;pake often of the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> unto <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> to the end that begetting an e&s;teem of each other, a friend|&s;hip might grow betwixt them. But Madam, her good intentions did but halfe hit; for though they had all imaginable e&s;teem of each other outwardly, yet there was an implacable antipathy in their hearts: And I do not think that ever &s;ince love and am|bition did make any Rivalls, there was ever two who mote tated each other, yet li|ved &s;o well together as the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Bomilcar:</HI> Doubtle&s;&s;e the vertue of <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> and the prudence of <HI>Glacidia</HI> did much contribute to the keeping of Peace and Civility between the&s;e two Enemies: But mo&s;t certainly, if they had not both been mo&s;t excellently accompli&s;hed men, they had not agreed &s;o well. However, as &s;oon as we came to the place where the King did ordinarily re&s;ide, we found nothing but fea&s;ting and plea&s;ures: and &s;ince &s;trangers have any where that priviledg to be &s;hewed all the diver&s;ions of the Country, it was unto <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> that the King, <HI>Carimantes,</HI> and <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> did &s;hew all the delights of the Court: Yet Madam you mu&s;t not imagine their Fea&s;ts to be &s;o magnificent as tho&s;e in the A&s;ian Courts, nor in the principall Towns of <HI>Greece;</HI> but for all that, though they &s;melt &s;omething of the ru&s;ticity of their fir&s;t in&s;titution, yet were they hand&s;om and delight&s;ome: And the admirable &s;pirit of the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> did add much un|to their lu&s;tre, though in them&s;elves they were but meanly magnificent: For truly their greate&s;t fea&s;ts were tho&s;e of Bulls, of Shepheards, of Fi&s;hers, and another which
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had mo&s;t of gallantry in it, which they called the fea&s;t of Flowers, or the triumph of the Sun: The greate&s;t beauty of the fir&s;t of the&s;e fea&s;ts, was to &s;ee four or five hun|dred Bulls of a prodigious bigne&s;&s;e, who&s;e horns were painted and guilded who had upon their backs cloaths embroydered with a thou&s;and &s;everall colours, and about their necks garlands of flowers: So as the&s;e fierce animals going two by two, and their naturall fiercene&s;s being moved by a kind of &s;hrill harmony which tho&s;e who drive them do make, they make a &s;how &s;o &s;tately, that they move much delight, in pa&s;&s;ing under the Kings Palace, where all the Court are that day. After which, out of a &s;uper&s;tition of the Country, they are carryed round about the Town, where the People do offer them little bundles of fre&s;h gra&s;&s;e; conceiting that if they eate them, they &s;hall have a plentifull harve&s;t, and if they refu&s;e, then not. But this Fea&s;t does not end thus; for as &s;oon as the&s;e Bulls have gone the round, they choo&s;e out twelue of the faire&s;t and &s;tronge&s;t of them, and bring them unto a place before the Kings Pa|lace where they are baited. As for the fea&s;t of Fi&s;hers, indeed it is very delightfull, as that of the Shepheards; for &s;ince they are per&s;ons of Quality who make them both, there are a thou&s;and plea&s;ant pa&s;&s;ages to be &s;een.</P>
<P>But Madam, I will not trouble you with a de&s;cription of them: But as for the tri|umph of the Sun, I be&s;eech you give me leave to be a little longer in the de&s;cription of it, becau&s;e it was this Fea&s;t which gave all tho&s;e who&s;e hi&s;tories I relate &s;ome light to know the thoughts which they had in their hearts. Since we were there at that time of the yeare when they were wont to celebrate this Fea&s;t, wee were all the di&s;|cour&s;e of all the Ladies in the Country: every one wi&s;hing that it might be the Prin|ce&s;&s;e <HI>Cleonishe,</HI> who &s;hould receive all their honours: For Madam, be plea&s;ed to know that &s;ince the Sun &s;hines clearer in that Country then any where el&s;e, becau&s;e it is &s;eldom or never ob&s;cured by any Clouds, and &s;ince there are more flowers there, then in any other place of the world, the Inhabitants do believe it their duty to render ho|mage unto that bright Planet: &s;o that every year they engrave upon certain little &s;hells the names of all the Beauties in the Court, and put them confu&s;edly together into a great Ba&s;in inlayed with mother of pearl: After which the King puts his hand into the Ba&s;in and draws out one; and the Lady who&s;e name is engraved npon that &s;hell which the King doth draw, is &s;he who is de&s;tined to repre&s;ent the Sun, and to receive all the honours which are done unto that glorious Planet which &s;he repre|&s;ents.</P>
<P>The day of this Ceremony being come, chance &s;econding the wi&s;hes of all the A&s;|&s;embly, the name of <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> was found upon the &s;hell which the King drew, &s;o as it was the office of this Prince&s;s to receive all the honour of the Fea&s;t which was to be celebrated eight dayes after, as hereafter I &s;hall tell you: Imagine then Madam, that all the great &s;treets in a great Town were all decked up with Garlands of flowers, from the very tops of hou&s;es to the bottom, and all the ground &s;trewed with variety of the &s;ame flowers, certainly you would conceit this to be a mo&s;t plea&s;ant object; yet I am mo&s;t confident you cannot imagine it halfe &s;o beautifull as it was: However, it being as I tell you, all the Ladies who were not Actors in this Ceremony, &s;tood in the windows which were round about the place where it was to be celebrated, in the midde&s;t of which was erected a Throne, over which was a great Canopie, &s;up|ported by foure pillars, decked with flowers, and wreathed with Mirtle: But the mo&s;t delectable object of all was, that in the mid&s;t of this Canopie was the face of the Sun mo&s;t admirably repre&s;ented unto every beholder. For my part Madam, I mu&s;t inge|nuou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e, that all I &s;aw this day was &s;o new unto me, and did &s;o exceedingly delight me, as I never in all my life found a more excellent diver&s;ion.</P>
<P>But the hour of beginning the Ceremony being come, I &s;aw the gates of the Palace which joyned unto that place to open, and a little Chariot in which was <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> appeared, who repre&s;enting <HI>Aurora</HI> which is always the U&s;her of the Sun, had gar|ments &s;utable unto what &s;he repre&s;ented. Her Chariot and Hor&s;es were painted with <HI>Aurora</HI> colour, re&s;embling the Sun a little before it appear in our Horizon: &s;o as <HI>O|ne&s;icrite</HI> both young and faire, &s;he really appeared more fre&s;h then <HI>Aurora</HI> it &s;elfe which &s;he repre&s;ented, e&s;pecially in the eyes of <HI>Carimantes</HI> and <HI>Menedorus,</HI> who were both of them more in love with her, and more jealous of each other: But after this Chariot had gone round the place, and vani&s;hed out of &s;ight, the Chariot of <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> which repre&s;ented the Sun, appeared with &s;o much lu&s;ter, as I a&s;&s;ure you
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this Prince&s;s dazled the eyes of all the A&s;&s;embly. And though the brown beauty of <HI>Cleonsisbe</HI> do not &s;eem very fit for the re&s;emblance of the Sun, yet dark coloured haire did produce the &s;ame effect that day, as that dusky Azure doth which is about the Sun, when the Heavens are mo&s;t &s;erene and cleer, and when that &s;plendent Pla|net is in its greate&s;t lu&s;tre; for certainly her haire gave a great lu&s;tre unto her. Her Chariot was inlayd with mother of Pearl, and &s;treaks of gold, and done with &s;uch art by &s;ome <HI>Grecian</HI> Arti&s;ts that were employed, as this Chariot by rea&s;on of the &s;eve|rall reflection from the mother of Pearl and &s;ome Topazes which were &s;et in &s;everall places, was no le&s;&s;e glorious then the Sun it &s;elfe: As for <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> &s;he was ador|ned with &s;o many Jewels, that her lu&s;tre could hardly be looked upon: And to re|&s;emble the Sun which &s;he repre&s;ented, &s;he wore a &s;un of Diamonds upon her head: In one hand &s;he held a ve&s;&s;ell of mother of Pearl full of flowers, as being the chiefe work of that glorious Star: In the other hand &s;he held the reyns of the Hor&s;es, who&s;e finene&s;s made worthy to draw the Chariot of the Sun. <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> being then in &s;uch &s;tate as I have told you, and the day being as faire and glorious as was po&s;&s;ible, that place was an Epitome of the whole world; and &s;he carryed her &s;elfe with &s;uch ap|plau&s;e, that the Aire ecchoed with a million of acclamations.</P>
<P>As for the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> he was &s;o charmed with the &s;ight, that if he had not already been in Love, he would now. But after <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> had gone round the place, &s;he left her Chariot at the foot of the Throne which was prepared for her, upon which &s;he a&s;cended by the help of four men of quality who &s;tood at the bottom of the &s;tairs: The dre&s;&s;es of the&s;e four men who repre&s;ented the four &s;ea&s;ons of the yeare were very rich. The fir&s;t was <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> the &s;econd <HI>Britomartes,</HI> the third <HI>Galathes,</HI> and the fourth the Prince of <HI>Phoceus:</HI> Thus <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> when &s;he was upon her throne, &s;he &s;aw at her feet four &s;laves, whom Chance had brought together, and whom love had wounded with one and the &s;ame Arrow. But perhaps Madam, you will aske me why the four &s;ea&s;ons of the year was repre&s;ented by men: To which I an&s;wer that &s;ince there was not one Beauty who would repre&s;ent Winter, Cu&s;tom brought it in, that this Fea&s;t was repre&s;ent by four men. However, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> was no &s;ooner upon her Throne of flowers, but the great Gates of the Palace being opened, there ap|peared thirty per&s;ons, every one in a &s;everall little Chariot, which came gently one after another to render homage unto <HI>Cleonisbe.</HI></P>
<P>But Madam, that you may the better under&s;tand the nature of this homage, be plea&s;ed to know, that every one of the&s;e faire per&s;ons repre&s;ented a &s;everall flower which they made choi&s;e of according unto their fancies: &s;o as the&s;e Ladies to &s;ignifie the flowers which they repre&s;ented, had a Crown compo&s;ed of them on their heads, and another in their hands, their Chariots being trimmed up with the &s;ame flowers.</P>
<P>And to compleat the gallantry of this invention, their habits were of the &s;ame co|lours with the flowers which they repre&s;ented, and every one had a banuer on which was a device &s;utable: Every banner had a flower printed, and &s;ome in&s;criptions un|der it: So that Madam, &s;ince the &s;ea&s;on in which they did celebrate this fea&s;t, all &s;orts of flowers did grow at once in that Country, I am confident a more delightfull &s;ight could not be &s;een. For I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, the&s;e thirty Chariots painted, guilded, and trimmed with flowers, did make a mo&s;t admirable &s;how; and the&s;e thirty faire ones, who&s;e Dre&s;&s;es were both gallant and rich, and all crowned with flowers, were beyond all imagination, admirable.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t which came out of the Palace to render homage unto <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> was crowned with Orange flowers, the &s;econd Ro&s;es, the third Je&s;&s;imine, the fourth O|lives, the fifth with Violets, the &s;ixth with Pomgranets, the &s;eventh with Lillies, the eighth with the ninth with Flower-de-luces, and &s;o with others: &s;o that this lovely Mi&s;cellany of flowrie Crowns worn by the&s;e Beauties, did make a &s;how be|yond all imagination delightfull. As &s;oon as the&s;e Chariots came unto the Throne of the Sun, tho&s;e Ladies which were to repre&s;ent the flower, wherewith they were crowned, they prepared them&s;elves to render homage: And pre&s;enting the Crown which they held in their hands unto one of tho&s;e men who &s;tood at the foot of the Throne, offered unto the Sun only &s;uch flowers as the &s;ea&s;on which they repre&s;ented, did produce. So, &s;ince there are Orange flowers in Winter, it was <HI>Britomartes</HI> who offered the Crown, becau&s;e he repre&s;ented that &s;ea&s;on. It was the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> who offered Ro&s;es, becau&s;e he repre&s;ented the Spring: It was <HI>Galathes</HI> who offered
<PB N="125" REF="744">
the Crown of Olives, becau&s;e he repre&s;ented Summer: And it was <HI>Bomilcar</HI> who offe|red becau&s;e he repre&s;ented <HI>Autumn:</HI> For as I have already told you Ma|dam, there is one &s;ea&s;on in that Country, in which they have all manner of flowers together.</P>
<P>In the mean time, as the&s;e Ladies pa&s;&s;ed before <HI>Cleonisbies</HI> Throne, they &s;aluted her, and tendred unto her their Crowns; and they were heaped one upon another with &s;o much Art, That when the la&s;t of the&s;e Ladies had offered her Garland, there was &s;uch a Trophy of Garlands rai&s;ed unto the glory of <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> all who&s;e flags were &s;et in &s;uch order, as the mottoes might ea&s;ily be read. But whil&s;t all the&s;e little Chari|ots pa&s;&s;ed before the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> and tho&s;e within them were doing homage unto her, Mu&s;ique compo&s;ed of &s;everall In&s;truments impo&s;ed &s;ilence upon the People, who made no di&s;order, becau&s;e the place was rayl'd round about, and hindered them. Nor did the heat of the Sun offend; for this Ceremony was not begun, untill it was declining, and moreover the Palace and hou&s;es were &s;o high, as they ca&s;t a &s;hadow over all the place; and there chanced contrary to the cu&s;tome of that Country to be &s;ome little Clouds that day, which made a &s;hadow, and one would have &s;ayd that this bright Planet to honour the Fea&s;t, had re&s;igned its lu&s;tre unto <HI>Cleonisbe.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean while, according as the&s;e Chariots pa&s;&s;ed by, they ranged them&s;elves next the Chariot of <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> unto which &s;he went as &s;oon as &s;he had received the la&s;t homage of flowers. The four Sea&s;ons cau&s;ing to be carryed before her that Tro|phy of Garlands which were offered unto her: After which the&s;e four Sea&s;ons did follow her every one in a &s;tately Chariot, entring with her into the Palace Court: &s;o as <HI>One &s;icrite</HI> going fir&s;t in repre&s;enting the <HI>Aurora,</HI> the four Sea&s;ons followed the Sun, and the thirty flowers the four Sea&s;ons.</P>
<P>After which <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> went to offer this Trophy of Garlands at a Church which was at the furthe&s;t part of the Town, and then returned to the Palace where a Ban|quet was prepared &s;utable to the Fea&s;t, for it was only of fruits, for the cu&s;tome was for it to be of no other: Yet was it very admirably &s;et out both with rare and excel|lent fruits, in great abundance and variety, and in mo&s;t exqui&s;ite order. The banquet being ended, they went unto another place, where I &s;aw the fine&s;t &s;how that can be imagined; for indeed Madam, all this glorious Troop followed by all the Court, en|tered into a great Hall, who&s;e &s;ight &s;urprized me beyond my expre&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>Suppo&s;e Madam, this Hall to have all its walls of flowers, and the roof &s;upported with pillars of flowers &s;o compo&s;ed as if they were marble; and from the roof a thou|&s;and Garlands and Crowns did hang, compo&s;ed of Orange flowers and Je&s;&s;emine: Thus Madam was the place adorned where the Ball was afterwards to be kept; and it was late before the A&s;&s;embly broke up; for &s;ince all the devices which belonged unto the&s;e Crowns did furni&s;h out with much di&s;cour&s;e upon them, all the men did &s;trive according to their inclinations to applaud tho&s;e which be&s;t plea&s;ed them: And a|mong&s;t the re&s;t that of <HI>Glacidia,</HI> who repre&s;ented the <HI>Amaranthes,</HI> extreamly taking the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> he did highly commend her unto <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> and told her that <HI>Glacidia</HI> had good rea&s;on to make choi&s;e of that flower which &s;he repre&s;ented, &s;ince &s;he had given &s;uch evident demon&s;tration of the con&s;tancy in her affection.</P>
<P>I hope (&s;ayd <HI>Mandana,</HI> and interrupted him) that there was none of tho&s;e thirty Ladies which repre&s;ented thirty &s;everall Flowers, and had thirty &s;everall Devices, which you e&s;teemed &s;o little, as to forget what they were.</P>
<P>Pardon me Madam I be&s;eech you, replyed <HI>Thyrmetes,</HI> If I &s;hould have received the honour to have &s;een you pre&s;ently after this Fea&s;t, I &s;hould have repeated them all; but now at thi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> time I can only remember two of them, and I think <HI>Glacidia</HI> repre&s;ented the <HI>Amaranthes,</HI> with this motto,<LB>
<HI>I never Change.</HI><LB></P>
<P>For &s;ince this Flower hath that priviledg never to lo&s;e its beauty nor fade, <HI>Glacidia</HI> made choi&s;e of it to expre&s;s the la&s;tingne&s;s of her love to <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> and the con&s;tancy of her heart. Then there was another Lady of Quality, who&s;e name was <HI>Amathilde,</HI> who cho&s;e that day a Crown of Ro&s;es: She was very young and faire, and had &s;uch a&punc;
<PB N="126" REF="745">
conceipt of her own beauty as &s;he would often &s;ay &s;he would not de&s;ire to live but till twenty years of age, upon condition &s;he were the faire&s;t in the world: maintay|ning very peremptorily, that &s;he had much rather dye young, then live long, &s;ince &s;he could not live long and be faire. &s;o as &s;uiting her Device unto her humour, and the flower which &s;he repre&s;ented, it was this,<LB>
<HI>My Reign is &s;hort, but beautifull.</HI><LB></P>
<P>Now Madam, I be&s;eech you excu&s;e me for the re&s;t; for the Truth is, I am forced to confe&s;&s;e unto my &s;hame, that my memory failes me, though I am &s;ure they were all as full of plea&s;ant wit as the&s;e I have named. But to return from whence I digre&s;&s;ed, give me leave to tell you Madam, that the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> beginning to commend <HI>Glacidia</HI> unto <HI>Cleonisbe:</HI> Truly Madam, &s;ayd he unto her, <HI>Glacidia</HI> is very happy in being loved by one who knows &s;o well how to proportion her love according to the merits of every one: But I mu&s;t tell you al&s;o, that tho&s;e who are con&s;cious of their own mirth, are very unhappy; for to live without hopes of your e&s;teem, is a mo&s;t un|expre&s;&s;ible torment. Tho&s;e who are not worthy of my e&s;teem (replyed <HI>Cleonisbe;</HI> and &s;miled) do value it &s;o little, as it's likely the deprivation of it never troubles them: and therefore you employ your compa&s;&s;ion very ill, if you pitty &s;uch as are no &s;ufferers, and &s;uch perhaps as you know not. I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, replyed he, I know one who has mo&s;t &s;trange apprehen&s;ions and fears of not obtaining this glori|ous e&s;teem whereof I &s;peak: Then they mu&s;t needs have an ill opinion either of me, or of them&s;elves, replyed <HI>Cleonisbe:</HI> I cannot tell Madam, replyed the Prince of <HI>Pho|ceus,</HI> whether or no they have a bad opinion of them&s;elves, but I am &s;ure they have a very good one of you.</P>
<P>As <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> was ready to reply, <HI>Bomilcar</HI> according to the liberty of the Ball, did take her out to dance, which did much vexe the Prince of <HI>Phoceus;</HI> yet it was not long before he had his revenge in the &s;ame nature; for after <HI>Clonisbe</HI> had danced, and <HI>Bomilcar</HI> had talked a while with her, he took out <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> to dance from <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> as <HI>Bomilcar</HI> took her from him.</P>
<P>In the mean while, <HI>Galathes</HI> and <HI>Britomartes</HI> who had al&s;o their Preten&s;ions, did both of them ea&s;ily ob&s;erve with what an Ayr <HI>Bomilcar</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> be|haved them&s;elves in the bu&s;ine&s;s, &s;o as equally to hinder both, they both applyed them&s;elves unto the Prince&s;s, and would not leave her; &s;o as all the re&s;t of that day none of all the four could &s;peak unto her in private. Though the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was an ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of him&s;elfe when he plea&s;ed, unle&s;&s;e &s;ince he was in Love, yet he &s;pake but very little, fearing lea&s;t he &s;hould &s;peak too much, and more then he would have either his Mi&s;tre&s;s or his Rivals to know. But as for <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> his tongue wasfreer, and he uttered many things, which gave <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> to under&s;tand that he was jealous of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, though he gave no &s;uch language as could anger either her or him: As for <HI>Britomartes,</HI> who was of a more &s;incere &s;pirit, and never glo&s;&s;ed over any hidden meaning, he &s;et no watch over his words. But as for <HI>Galathes,</HI> the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> did ea&s;ily perceive that he under&s;tood <HI>Bomilcar</HI> as well as him, and that his Pa&s;&s;ion was not unknown unto him.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Menedorus,</HI> he was not without his ingenuities; for the Prince <HI>Carimantes</HI> having thought <HI>Aurora</HI> that day to be fairer then the Sun it &s;elfe, he was continually with <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> and talked with her with much delight, whil&s;t <HI>Menedorus</HI> dur&s;t not di&s;turb them. <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> who ob&s;erved the di&s;order of <HI>Menedorus,</HI> had a de&s;ire to break of this di&s;cour&s;e; but it was not fit &s;he &s;hould be uncivill unto the Son of a King, who had given them a being in his Country; &s;o as &s;he being di&s;or|dered as well as <HI>Menedorus, Carimantes</HI> perceived that her &s;pirit was di&s;tempered in her di&s;cour&s;e, and did gue&s;s the rea&s;on. Yet he had no mind that <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> &s;hould perceive he knew the cau&s;e of that perplexity which appeared in her eyes and mind, whether &s;he would or no; but on the contrary, de&s;iring to put it off upon &s;ome o|ther cau&s;e. I perceive Madam, &s;ayd he unto her, that our Fea&s;ts and Diver&s;ions do not plea&s;e you &s;o well as tho&s;e of your own Country: and I &s;ee their &s;implicity is not witty and gallant enough for your &s;ublime fancy: And Madam, the truth is,
<PB N="127" REF="745">
you have great rea&s;on to complayn again&s;t the Lot which is u&s;ed at this Fea&s;t; for indeed it was fit you &s;hould have had the place of <HI>Cleonisbe.</HI> Oh Sir, replyvd <HI>O|ne&s;icrite,</HI> you do me the greate&s;t wrong in the world, if you think I am not infinite|ly well plea&s;ed with every thing I &s;ee here; and you are extreamly unju&s;t to &s;ay that I &s;hould have the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> place: you would be much more equitable if you would &s;ay I did not merit that which I had: For really, <HI>Aurora</HI> is a thing &s;o glorious, as it may well be &s;ayd. I had abundance of vanity in me, in daring to re|pre&s;ent it: For my part, replyed <HI>Carimantes,</HI> I dare confidently affirm, that if <HI>Au|rora</HI> be as glorious as your &s;elfe, &s;he de&s;erves as many &s;acrifices as the Sun. Nor do I think (&s;ayd he and &s;miled) that you would not &s;peak as you do, but becau&s;e you do not often &s;ee <HI>Aurora.</HI> 'Tis very true, replyed <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> I do &s;ee the Sun oftner then I do <HI>Aurora,</HI> and am fitter to judg of the nights beauty then it. Oh fie Ma|dam, replyed <HI>Carimantes,</HI> cea&s;e to be &s;o unju&s;t: And believe as I do, that you are ab&s;olutely the faire&s;t per&s;on in the world: And believe, I be&s;eech you withall, that there is no man upon Earth does more admire and adore you then I do. I would I could per&s;wade my &s;elfe of what you &s;peak Sir, replyed &s;he: But when I ca&s;t my eyes upon &s;o many &s;uperlative Beauties as here are, and remember what my Gla&s;&s;e &s;hews unto me every day, it is impo&s;&s;ible any &s;uch plea&s;ing flatteries &s;hould adde a|ny Joyes unto me: So Sir, &s;ince I am forced not to believe you, I am extreamly &s;or|ry that I cannot be what you &s;ay I am: Oh Madam (&s;ayd <HI>Carimantes</HI> and interrup|ted her) if you have never any greater cau&s;e of &s;orrow, then at finding your &s;elf not lovely enough, you will be ever the happie&s;t per&s;on alive: I wi&s;h to the gods you could as well know tho&s;e who love and adore you, as you may know the Charms which force them unto it: <HI>Carimantes</HI> pronounced the&s;e words with &s;o much vehe|mence, as it was ea&s;ie for <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> to perceive that he was Love-&s;ick.</P>
<P>But &s;ince &s;he would return him no an&s;wer, and &s;ince <HI>Amathilde</HI> after &s;hee had danced, did come and mingle di&s;cour&s;e with them: but <HI>Menedorus</HI> was in &s;uch an|gui&s;h of mind, as it was evident he found no great joy in the Fea&s;t.</P>
<P>In the mean while, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> having about her the Prince of <HI>Phoceus, Bomilcar, Galathes,</HI> and <HI>Britomartes,</HI> &s;he did &s;o plainly perceive the &s;ecret thoughts of their hearts, as that &s;he was much di&s;quieted at them: She ob&s;erved al&s;o, that though there was a great aver&s;ion between all the&s;e foure Rivalls, yet the feud was much more violent between the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> then betwixt any of the re&s;t, though &s;he yet ob&s;erved, that they did infinitely e&s;teem of each other.</P>
<P>Moreover <HI>Glacidia,</HI> whom &s;he called unto he, did know all this as well as &s;he did. Thus this fea&s;t of Flowers did much encrea&s;e the Loves and Jealou&s;ies of all the&s;e Ri|valls, and made all their thoughts known unto <HI>Cleonisbe.</HI> But &s;ince it grew late, all this faire company broke up, every one carrying with them &s;everall thoughts.</P>
<P>Moreover Madam, as it is the common cour&s;e of the world to &s;ee a mi&s;cellany of Joys and &s;orrows &s;ucceding each other, News was brought the next morning that the Salique <HI>Gaules</HI> which bordered upon the <HI>Segoregians,,</HI> and had taken Arms under the pretence of a War with the <HI>Tecto&s;ages,</HI> had now made an eruption into their Frontiers, and had po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed them&s;elves of a very con&s;iderable Ca&s;tle: In&s;omuch as the King having no Armie in readine&s;s, was a little &s;urprized at the news. Yet &s;ince the <HI>Gaules</HI> are all even born Souldiers, there needed no more but to a&s;&s;emble &s;o many men together, and to have a well-compo&s;ed Army. Furthermore, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> de&s;iring to embrace &s;o fit an occa&s;ion of te&s;tifying his Zeale and Courage here, did offer the King all the <HI>Graecians</HI> in his new built Town; telling him it was but ju&s;t, that tho&s;e men who had their beings from him, &s;hould expo&s;e their lives in his &s;ervice: And indeed, the King having great hopes in our &s;uccours, becau&s;e we were better armed then his Subjects or his Enemies, did accept of the of<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">er from the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> at which neither <HI>Bomilcar, Galathes,</HI> nor <HI>Britomartes</HI> was ve|ry glad.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince the time of <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> choi&s;e of a Husband did draw nigh, they could not believe that the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was or could be in any capacity of being cho&s;en, nor that the Prince&s;s her &s;elfe dur&s;t choo&s;e him, though &s;he had a mind unto it. For the truth is Madam, though the Law do give her the freedom of her choi&s;e, yet commonly they never choo&s;e any but by appointment.</P>
<P><PB N="128" REF="746">
But not to in&s;i&s;t too long upon this, let me tell you Madam, that the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> had &s;uch a de&s;ire to &s;erve the <HI>Segeregian</HI> King, as he left in <HI>Mar&s;eilles,</HI> only old men, women and children, forcing all the re&s;t of what profe&s;&s;ion or quality &s;o|ever they were, to take up Arms and follow him, though their new Town was not yet quite fini&s;hed.</P>
<P>Furthermore, the King, <HI>Carimantes, Bomilcar, Galathes</HI> and <HI>Britomartes</HI> mu|&s;tering all the men they could, the Army was very con&s;iderable: But &s;ince we were better experienced in military Arts then any of them, except <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> got great reputation in the fir&s;t Councell of Warre, wherein al&s;o <HI>Sfurius</HI> and <HI>Menedorus</HI> did worthily acquit them&s;elves.</P>
<P>But Madam, becau&s;e I will not be too tedious in particularizing a Warr which la|&s;ted not above fifteen dayes; give me leave to tell you, that the Army marched to|wards the Enemy: That the King regained the Ca&s;tle which the Enemy had taken: that he repul&s;ed them; &amp; entring into their Country, he forced them to beg conditi|ons of Peace which them&s;elves had broken: For the naturall <HI>Genius</HI> of that Nation is, to be &s;oon appea&s;ed and &s;oon incen&s;ed: and tho&s;e who ground great hopes in their divi&s;ions, do often find them&s;elves mi&s;taken. However Madam, give me leave to tell you, that the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> did miracles, &s;uch as got him the reputation of one of the mo&s;t valiant men in the world. <HI>Bomilcar</HI> al&s;o carryed him&s;elfe &s;o excellent|ly as the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> did much e&s;teem him; but this e&s;teem was &s;o farr from le&s;&s;ening the aver&s;ion which was between them, that it did the more encrea&s;e it: <HI>Britomartes</HI> al&s;o and <HI>Galathes</HI> did &s;ignalize them&s;elves: <HI>Carimantes</HI> and <HI>Menedorus</HI> did fight like men that would have Fame &s;peak loud of them unto <HI>One&s;icrite:</HI> And I a&s;&s;ure you Madam all the Princes returned back unto <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> with abundance of glory; And &s;he her &s;elfe did gallantly tell them when they returned, that though Lawrells were very plentifull in her Country, yet &s;he did not think there were e|nough to make &s;o many Crowns as they de&s;erved. However, maugre the aver&s;ion which was between the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Bomilcar</HI> they &s;poke very worthily of each other, and did equall Ju&s;tice unto both their vertues. But as for <HI>Galathes,</HI> who&s;e thoughts were different from theirs, and thought it not fit even to commend a Rivall, he &s;poke not one good word of them, but turned them all into Commen|dums of the Prince <HI>Carimantes.</HI></P>
<P>As for <HI>Britomartes,</HI> he was more &s;incere, and &s;poke of things according to his knowledg: Al&s;o believing that he &s;hould be the man who &s;hould be cho&s;en, be|cau&s;e he was of that Country; As his hopes were more, &s;o his jealou&s;ie was le&s;&s;e: But that which was the greate&s;t advantage unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> was, that the King did really think him&s;elfe indebted for the happy &s;ucce&s;&s;e of this War, not only unto his peculiar valour, but al&s;o unto the valour of his Troops: And the very truth is, every one of them had &s;uch an earne&s;t de&s;ire to te&s;tifie their acknowledgment un|to the King who had given them a harbour, that they did things beyond all imagi|nation; And he &s;poke &s;o advantageou&s;ly of them unto <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> as &s;he thought her &s;elfe obliged to look kindly upon the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> and tell him of it: But &s;ince never man living was in a higher degree mode&s;t, which is an infallible mark of heroique valour, he reverently rejected tho&s;e applauds which &s;he gave him, and gave her others in &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ionate way, that &s;he repented &s;he ever began to com|mend him, though &s;he did not repent of her e&s;teeming him, but on the contrary did e&s;teem him much more. But Madam, give mee leave to tell you in the fir&s;t place; that &s;ince our return to the Court, there grew &s;o great a league of amity betwixt the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Glaoidia,</HI> and between <HI>Glacidia</HI> and <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> that it may very well be &s;ayd that <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> did not love her better then the&s;e two Rivalls did; and that &s;he loved <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> no better then &s;he loved them: One might al&s;o &s;ay, that Fate had a de&s;ign to have it &s;o, for a hundred &s;everall chances hapned which did &s;o oblige them all unto it, as they could not deny their friend&s;hip without ingratitude. By this Madam you may imagine that unle&s;&s;e &s;he had been a woman of extraordinary prudence, &s;he could never have long continued a frien<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> unto two men who were both Rivals, Enemies, and of ambitious &s;pirits, who wi&s;hed both of them for the &s;ame things, and who thought they could never be happy but by the ruine of one another: yet <HI>Glacidia</HI> did carry her &s;elfe &s;o exceeding well between them as &s;he never had the lea&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">quabble with either of them: And the truth is, &s;hee was &s;o
<PB N="129" REF="746">
exactly faithfull both unto them and unto <HI>Cleonisbe;</HI> that though &s;he knew very well what the Prince&s;s thought of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, of <HI>Bomilcar:</HI> and though &s;he knew what tho&s;e two Rivals thought of each other, and al&s;o knew the pa&s;&s;ions of their &s;oules, &s;he never told any thing but what might contribute unto their &s;afety, &s;atisfa|ction, and glory; carrying her &s;elfe &s;o exactly even, that &s;he never gave any of them any cau&s;e to &s;u&s;pect &s;he had any thoughts which &s;he concealed: And I a&s;&s;ure you, that but for her, there had been &s;ome fatall Quarrels between two men in whom both love &amp; hatred was &s;o high. But they were both of them &s;o re&s;pective of her, that when they met with one another at her hou&s;e, they were as civile unto each other as if they had been very good friends, yet had they much ado to be all of one mind: but the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was &s;o much ma&s;ter of him&s;elfe when he plea&s;ed, that he would by no meanes quarrell publiquely. I remember one day above the re&s;t, I had an opportu|nity to ob&s;erve this Antipathy between the&s;e two Rivals: For Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Glacidia</HI> being one &s;o ill that &s;he kept her Chamber, much good company came to vi&s;it her; and among&s;t the re&s;t <HI>Amathilde</HI> of whom I &s;poke before, &s;hee was there mo&s;t of the afternoon. I know Madam, you have not forgot how I de&s;cribed her to be both young and faire, and that it was &s;he who was crowned with Ro&s;es up|on the Fea&s;t day. And that &s;he had &s;uch a great conceipt of beauty, as that &s;he thought one not fit to live after the lo&s;&s;e of it, and con&s;equently that one &s;hould not wi&s;h to live long, unle&s;&s;e one had a particular priviledg to be both old and faire. But before I relate the di&s;cour&s;e which did evidence the aver&s;ion which cau&s;ed &s;uch jealou&s;ie and love in the hearts of the&s;e two Rivals, it is requi&s;ite that I make a more particular de|&s;cription of <HI>Amathilda</HI> unto you: and that I tell you, &s;he did not only thinke none ought to live longer then they were faire; but al&s;o &s;he was in the humour of tho&s;e who becau&s;e they are not above &s;ixteen or &s;eventeen years of age them&s;elves, doe think four or five and twenty to be old age: and who are &s;o blinded with their owne youth, that they &s;peak of tho&s;e who are five or &s;ixe years elder then them&s;elves, as if they were people of another generation; that &s;uch can have no &s;hares in beauty, and that they can pretend no farther unto it, then to &s;ay they have been fair. However; <HI>Amathilde</HI> was extreamly lovely, and few of the greate&s;t beauties did excell her youth.</P>
<P>Now Madam, I mu&s;t tell you, that <HI>Amathilde</HI> coming to vi&s;it <HI>Glacidia,</HI> as I entred, I was a witne&s;&s;e of this di&s;cour&s;e which I am to relate. Shee was no &s;ooner entered, but <HI>Bomilcar</HI> entred al&s;o, and being exceeding tender of <HI>Glacidia's</HI> health, he asked very earne&s;tly how &s;he did: But <HI>Amathilde</HI> not giving <HI>Glacidia</HI> &s;o much lea&s;ure as to an&s;wer, told <HI>Bomilcar</HI> that &s;ince the &s;ickne&s;s of <HI>Glacidia</HI> had not altered her complex|ion, certainly &s;he was not very &s;ick, and con&s;equently not much to be pittyed: For my part (&s;ayd &s;he in her frolique humour) I always mea&s;ure my compa&s;&s;ion accor|ding to the alteration which I find in the faces of my friends when they they are &s;ick: and therefore &s;ince <HI>Glacidia</HI> has no yellowne&s;s nor palene&s;s in her Complexion; her eyes not &s;hrunk, nor her looks melancholy: and &s;ince &s;he has no &s;ymptomes of a lan|gui&s;hing &s;ickne&s;s, let us endeavour rather to divert her then to pitty her; for my o|pinion is, a little pain which does not take away ones beauty, nor ones plumpne&s;s, is not to be over-much condoled. Yet there are &s;ome payns, replyed I, which are &s;hort and violent; and which though no great danger in them, yet de&s;erve &s;ome compa&s;&s;i|on, becau&s;e they are painfull. However it be (&s;ayd &s;he) what I &s;ayd is my opinion: When one hath as much to lo&s;e as you have, replyed <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> certainly they mu&s;t needs feare &s;uch &s;ickne&s;&s;es, as in one night may bla&s;t more Lillies and Ro&s;es in a com|plexion, then a whole Spring can bloom. For my part (&s;ayd <HI>Glacidia,</HI> and interrup|ted them) I think there needs no more to cure <HI>Amathilde</HI> of the love &s;he has unto her own beauty; but to wi&s;h her only eight dayes of &s;uch a &s;ickne&s;s as has no name un|to it, which without any great paine or griefe will by degrees make one leane, or be|come yellow or green, and make ones eyes &s;hrink in their heads; their lips look pale, and cau&s;e &s;uch a &s;udden alteration, as the faire&s;t would quickly become ugly. Oh <HI>Gla|cidia</HI> (cryed &s;he out in a pretty fury) you put me into a mo&s;t terrible fright, and methinks you have given me this di&s;ea&s;e by wi&s;hing it, and I do already perceive &s;ome|thing which makes me change colour. <HI>Amathilde</HI> at this &s;aying did ri&s;e up, and loo|ked upon her &s;elfe in a gla&s;s to &s;ee if what &s;he &s;ayd was true, though it was only to &s;et her hood in a little better order: After which, &s;itting downe in her place again;
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Thanks be to the Gods (&s;ayd &s;he unto <HI>Glacidia)</HI> your wi&s;h has not yet taken any ef|fect, nor I hope ever will: but to prevent any more &s;uch wi&s;hes, know cruel <HI>Glacidia,</HI> that if ever &s;uch a misfortune fall upon me as you wi&s;h, I &s;hall think I only receive it from you; for &s;ince I never had any &s;ickne&s;s but once, I think my con&s;titution &s;o &s;ound and healthy as I cannot believe any one under poy&s;oning can hurt me: But I be&s;eech you, replyed I, did that &s;ickne&s;s which you had work any terrible alteration in you? No, replyed <HI>Amathilde,</HI> and laughed, but on the contrary it did me the grea|te&s;t good in the world; for &s;ince I was then a little of too high a colour, it brought me to &s;uch a right complexion, that the alteration was to my advantage. This is a great happine&s;s, &s;ayd <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> that one &s;hould grow fairer by &s;ickne&s;s. Yet this &s;oundne&s;&s;e of Con&s;titution, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> which makes her &s;o faire at &s;eventeen, will one day make her ugly, &s;ince it will make her live everla&s;tingly. Oh fie <HI>Glacidia,</HI> replyed <HI>Amathilde,</HI> you are the mo&s;t cruell per&s;on in the world to pre&s;age &s;uch mi&s;|fortune unto mee: why (&s;aid I and wondered) do you call it a misfortune to live long? As &s;he was ready to reply, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> entered, and pre&s;ently after <HI>Britomartes</HI> and <HI>Galathes.</HI> But &s;ince the conte&s;t between <HI>Glacidia</HI> and <HI>Amathilde</HI> was too plea&s;ant to end &s;o &s;oon; and &s;ince <HI>Glacidia</HI> was de&s;irous of &s;ome jolly di&s;cour&s;e, to prevent her four Rivals from a more &s;erious, &s;he began it again: and looking up|on tho&s;e who newly entered, &s;he told them the cau&s;e of the Conte&s;t, and the com|plaint which <HI>Amathilde</HI> made again&s;t her, for pre&s;aging that &s;he &s;hould live long. If I could live long, and not alter replyed &s;he, but continue always as if I were eighteen, I &s;hould be contented: but to imagine what I &s;hall be when I am old, it is beyond my patience to endure. However, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> I will tell you plainly that you &s;hall never be fairer then you are, and every yeare you live will detract &s;omething from your cheeks.</P>
<P>For my part, &s;ayd the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> I thinke it abundance of prudence in any one to prepare them&s;elves for &s;uch a mi&s;chance, and to look for it: He had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> though he was of the &s;ame opinion, yet he oppo&s;ed it, as if his de&s;ign were only to take <HI>Amathildes</HI> part, though indeed it was only to be again&s;t the Prince of <HI>Phoceus:</HI> And <HI>Galathes</HI> and <HI>Britomartes</HI> out of re&s;entments of jealou&s;ie and love, did not &s;trive &s;o much for a rea&s;on of what they &s;ayd, as to be contrary unto the re&s;t. Thus the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was &s;ure to be again&s;t the opinion of <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> of <HI>Britomartes,</HI> and of <HI>Galathes: Bomilcar</HI> on the contrary was &s;ure to contradict the Prince of <HI>Phoceus, Galathes,</HI> and <HI>Britomartes: Galathes</HI> he employed all his wit to thwart <HI>Bomilcar, Britomartes,</HI> and the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince: And <HI>Britomartes</HI> he would be &s;ure not to concur in opinion with the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> with <HI>Galathes,</HI> nor with <HI>Bo|milcar.</HI></P>
<P>Thus though it may &s;eem there could be but two oppo&s;ite opinions upon one thing, yet here there were foure &s;o different, that it may be &s;ayd they were all oppo&s;ite un|to each other, &s;o as for a while this conver&s;ation was the odde&s;t that ever was; for no &s;ooner had one of the&s;e Rivals given a rea&s;on for his opinion, but all the other three did earne&s;tly contradict it: and they did &s;o thwart one another with their &s;eve|rall Rea&s;ons, that the di&s;pute was &s;o intangled as they &s;carce under&s;tood each other: In &s;o much as <HI>Glacidia, Amathilde,</HI> and my &s;eife could not choo&s;e but laugh at them, and they them&s;elves perceiving it as well as wee, could not choo&s;e but laugh al&s;o: However, to reduce them unto &s;ome order in their di&s;putations, <HI>Glacidia</HI> comman|ded &s;ilence, and told them, that in her intentions of correcting of <HI>Amathilde,</HI> there needed not &s;o many men talk to her at once: and that it was &s;ufficient if after &s;he her &s;elfe had accu&s;ed her, and received her defence, they &s;hould then &s;peak what they thought good: But I be&s;eech you, &s;aid <HI>Amathilde,</HI> and interrupted them, what can you accu&s;e me of? I can accu&s;e you of an errour replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> in thinking one ought not to live above five or &s;ixe years: For in your opinion one begins but to live at fifteen, and one mu&s;t die when beauty begins to fade.</P>
<P>The truth is an&s;wered &s;he, that the age which is &s;pent in toys cannot be called hap|py, no more then that age when youth and beauty begins to faile: But I be&s;eech you, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> let us examine your maximes a little better, and con&s;ider I conjure you, how little you have lived happily hitherto, and how little time you have to live; for truly according to your Tenents, your life did but begin at fifteen, and I know you have not lived in full &s;atisfaction; for I remember you, you did not think your
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&s;elfe fat enough, and feared you &s;hould not be full enough: But now you are grown unto an admirable &s;tature, and it is as p ump and fre&s;h as the lu&s;ty Grape, is it not true, you are in feare of being either too fat or too leane? But though you did not, yet &s;ince you think five and twenty to be old, certainly your youth will be quickly gone; for if you &s;hould deduct from the time you have lived, and from the time, at which your beauty will decay, tho&s;e days and nights in which you &s;lept ill, tho&s;e days in which you wore &s;ome Gowns which were not well made, tho&s;e dayes on which you were not advantageou&s;ly dre&s;&s;ed: Tho&s;e on which you &s;aw no body: tho&s;e on which you &s;aw only &s;uch as did not plea&s;e you, it will upon this be found, that your life is &s;o &s;hort, as can &s;carcely be &s;ayd you have lived one year. Though I &s;hould grant all this, replyed <HI>Amathilde,</HI> yet I &s;hould not alter my opinion; for &s;ince the very be&s;t time of ones life will not afford an ab&s;olute happine&s;s, I cannot con&s;ent that old age is a thing de&s;irable: For my part, I mu&s;t ingeniou&s;ly tell you my mind, that though I never had much beauty, yet I do not wi&s;h to live longer then I may be put in the Catalogue of tho&s;e who have &s;ome: For when I conceipt that my Gla&s;&s;e which &s;hews me &s;ome &s;ymptomes of youth in my face, will &s;hew al&s;o &s;ome wrinkles of age if I &s;hould live &s;o long, Death &s;eems de&s;irable to me: And I do profe&s;s unto you, that when I think upon the difference there is between a Mayd of &s;ixteen and a Wife of &s;ixty, I had rather dye at twenty then live to fifty. I have already told you, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> that the &s;ame health which makes vou now &s;o faire, will make you live a whole age, and therefore you mu&s;t prepare your &s;elfe to be neither faire nor young. If ever &s;uch fatall mi&s;ery fall upon me (replyed &s;he) I will break all my Gla&s;&s;es in a thou&s;and pieces; I will &s;hun the world as much as it will &s;hun me: and I believe I will never look you in the face again for feare I &s;hould &s;ee my &s;elfe in your eyes; for really my imagination abhors &s;o &s;trange a Metamorpho&s;is: I have much ado to endure &s;o many Mothers and Aunts, who go in company with their Daughters and Neeces; and do you think I &s;hould ever endure it in my &s;elfe? If &s;uch an alteration &s;hould come upon a &s;udden (replyed <HI>Glacidia</HI> and laughed at what <HI>A|mathilde</HI> &s;aid) I &s;hould confe&s;&s;e it were to be wondered at: and if you &s;hould go now this night to bed young and faire as you are, and ri&s;e the next morning old and ugly, I &s;hould then permit you to break &s;ome of your Gla&s;&s;es: But <HI>Amathilde</HI> it will not be &s;o; but when you come unto the fir&s;t point of your decline, every minute will <HI>grada|tim</HI> &s;teale &s;omething from you: &s;o as &s;ince the alteration comes undi&s;cernably upon you, and &s;ince you &s;ee your &s;elfe every day, the change will be in&s;en&s;ible: Oh <HI>Gla|cidia,</HI> replyed &s;he, this can never come to pa&s;&s;e; and I had much rather dye young, then it &s;hould: What plea&s;ure is it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould find in an age, wherein all I doe now, is ridiculous then; when I mu&s;t change my manner of life; when all the world is weary of me; when I mu&s;t alter all my cloaths, when colours is not allowable. No no <HI>Glacidia,</HI> I am not able to endure it; for I mu&s;t tonfe&s;s I cannot change my way of living, and for&s;ake my plea&s;ures: And if you will have me open my heart unto you, I mu&s;t very ingeniou&s;ly tell you, that if I &s;hould live long, I &s;hould not only be ugly, but al&s;o ridiculous; for I am confident I &s;hould be per&s;waded to dance at &s;ixty, though I danced by my &s;elfe, and I &s;hould wear Jewels and colours untill the hour of my death. The truth is, I &s;hould do the very &s;ame things I do at this day; for I know no other thing that can divert me.</P>
<P>Really <HI>Amathilde</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Glacidia</HI> and laughed) you are the &s;trange&s;t woman in the world to &s;peak thus: Yet let me tell you to put you out of all thoughts of dan|cing at &s;ixty; that as the diver&s;ions of your infancy are not &s;uch now unto you, &s;o tho&s;e things will not divert you hereafter, which plea&s;e you now: your plea|&s;ures will change with your face, and both with yeares: And when all your beauty is gone, you will think it &s;weet to live: For my particular, I know that though I live to be extream old, yet I &s;hall wi&s;h to be older, though I &s;hall find no other plea&s;ures but to &s;ee the Ro&s;es blow, and &s;mell the Orange and Je&s;timine Flow|ers. Moreover, &s;ince age is &s;uch a bug-beare to you, do not be&s;tow it &s;o &s;oon upon others: Con&s;ider that &s;ome women are fairer at five and twenty then at fifteen: Leave your invectives again&s;t age I conjure you; for commonly when four or five of young per&s;ons are together; you talk as if you would uever be above &s;eventeen; yet at the very &s;ame time when you are cen&s;uring this Lady to be ugly, and that Lady old&punc; you are drawing towards the &s;ame ages your &s;elves. I be&s;eech you replyed <HI>Amathilde,</HI>
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do me the honour to teach me how I mu&s;t live: you mu&s;t enjoy your beauty and your youth, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> as two things which you mu&s;t infallibly lo&s;e: And you mu&s;t bring your &s;elves to &s;uch a pa&s;&s;e, as to be &s;till amiable when they are lo&s;t. I will free|ly give you leave to enjoy your youth and beauty with all variety of delights, but yet &s;o as it may be without pride, and &s;o as you may part from them without de&s;pair: I con&s;ent you &s;hould gu&s;t all the advantages of youth and beauty, with a full &s;winge; but I would not have you jeer at others who are not &s;o faire as your &s;elues; for cer|tainly it is the greate&s;t folly, and the mo&s;t unju&s;t thing in the world, to &s;coffe at what you may be your &s;elves. For if I were to pre&s;cribe Laws unto &s;uch as delight them|&s;elves in raillary, I would make this inviolable, neuer to mock at &s;uch things as we may be our &s;elves upbraided with: To play upon &s;uch as are &s;tupid and ignorant, there is no danger of any retort, and the like of a hundred examples; But to mock at any woman, becau&s;e &s;he is not faire or young, is to mock at what you mu&s;t certainly be your &s;elves; this is a thing I abhor, that &s;uch as are neither young nor fair, and yet behave them&s;elves as if they were. When one arrives at the twi-light of Beauty, at the medium between youth and age, when one may choo&s;e whether they will pa&s;s for young or old, according to their humours, I would then have them incline more unto re&s;ervedne&s;s, then unto jollity; yet notwith&s;tanding I would not have them de&s;pair, nor pa&s;&s;e from extremity of mirth unto extremity of melancholy: I would have &s;uch renounce all &s;uch things which may be han&s;ome when they were younger: I would have them &s;till be han&s;ome, but without all affectation: I allow them all good company: I would not have them &s;trive more to get Lovers, then to keep Friends. I give them the free liberty of walking; that they &s;hould have eyes for all excellent objects, and eares for mu&s;ique when decency and occa&s;ion pre&s;ent them&s;elves. So <HI>Amathilde</HI> depriving you only of a few gaudy Ribbons, and &s;ome Lovers, which mo&s;t of them very likely are perfidious, me-thinks you need not de&s;pair though I do fore|tell that you &s;hould live long. When I hearken unto you replyed <HI>Amathilde,</HI> I am almo&s;t per&s;waded you are in the right; but when I hearken unto my &s;elf, I can &s;carce|ly believe it: And I am &s;o confident, that as &s;oon as I am out of your &s;ight, I &s;hall hearken unto my own dictates, as I am in the greate&s;t feare in the world, you &s;hould take it ill that I do not follow your advice.</P>
<P><HI>Amathilde</HI> &s;poke this &s;o plea&s;antly, that <HI>Glacidia</HI> and all the company laughed: But as the Prince of <HI>Phoceus, Bomilcar, Galathes,</HI> and <HI>Britomartes</HI> were about to give their opinions of this plea&s;ant Conte&s;t, an old Aunt of <HI>Glacidia's</HI> entered, who was &s;o very much marked with all the grim wrinkles of age in her face, as is imagi|nable: In &s;o much, as though two very young and fair Ladies followed her; yet <HI>Ama|thilde</HI> not being able to endure &s;uch a gha&s;tly object, &s;he prepared to go away; but fir&s;t &s;he came to <HI>Glacidia,</HI> and asked her in a low voyce, will you yet maintaine that old age is de&s;irable? Yes (replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> as &s;hee toid us afterwards) and I will maintain al&s;o that you will de&s;ire it, when you are a little older: Say you &s;o (&s;ayd &s;he, and laughed aloud) then I will to morrow become what you &s;ay I &s;hall be after|wards.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Amathilde, Galathes,</HI> and <HI>Britomartes</HI> went out, and the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleo|nisbe</HI> coming in a little after, this old Lady, who put <HI>Amathilde</HI> in &s;uch a fright, went out al&s;o: &s;o as there remained only the Prince of <HI>Phoceus, Bomilcar,</HI> and my &s;elfe.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> was &s;et down, <HI>Glacidia</HI> related unto her the di&s;pute betwixt <HI>Amathilde</HI> and her: And &s;he had no &s;ooner related it unto her, but &s;he asked the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> what opinion he was of? And when he an&s;wered that he concur|red with <HI>Glacidia,</HI> &s;he turned towards <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> and asked his opinion? Truly Ma|dam, replyed he, I &s;aw &s;o many again&s;t <HI>Amathilde,</HI> that I took her part, not con&s;ide|ring whether it was rea&s;onable or no. Such a generous motive, replyed &s;he, de&s;erves a pardon for maintaining &s;o bad a cau&s;e: Yet I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e (added the Prince&s;s) that I do not love &s;uch genero&s;ity as con&s;i&s;ts only in protecting imbecility again&s;t rea&s;on. Double&s;s I would not have weak people oppre&s;&s;ed; but I am &s;o great a lover of rea|&s;on, as I cannot endure they &s;hould be protected again&s;t it; And in &s;uch di&s;putes as the&s;e, I would have one &s;peak again&s;t ones deare&s;t friends, if their opinions be contra|ry unto it, and &s;ide with their greate&s;t Enemies when they are in the right. The la&s;t of the&s;e is a task a little too difficult; and I think it Madam a much more ea&s;ier matter to &s;ide with my Friends though they be in the wrong, then not to thwart my Enemies, though they be in the right.</P>
<P><PB N="133" REF="748">
Truly (replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus)</HI> I &s;hould be very hardly per&s;waded to goe again&s;t the rules of right and rea&s;on in either: But I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I &s;hould much re|joyce &s;ometimes, when one I love not, takes an ill &s;ide. Though there be &s;ome kind of inju&s;tice in that, replyed <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> yet you are more rea&s;onable then <HI>Bomilcar:</HI> At the lea&s;t Madam, replyed <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> he is much more happy, &s;ince you think him more rea&s;onable then my &s;elfe: Doubtle&s;s I am, replied the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> &s;ince I do entertain any thought which the Prince&s;s approves on; She I &s;ay, who has &s;uch a delicate, ju&s;t, and di&s;cerning a judgment in all things. The thing which I mo&s;t ad|mire at (&s;aid <HI>Glacidia</HI> and in errupted them, is) that <HI>Bomilcar</HI> &s;hould defend that to day which I know he hates in his heart the mo&s;t of any man living: and I am mo&s;t confident, he would never have taken <HI>Amathildes</HI> part, but only becau&s;e he is of their opinion, who thinks all di&s;cour&s;e not worth a &s;traw, when all jump in one opi|nion: I a&s;&s;ure you replyed he, I cannot &s;ay that to be the cau&s;e which moved me to it: <HI>Bomilcar</HI> &s;poke this with &s;uch an Ayre, as the rea&s;on why he would not confe&s;&s;e the cau&s;e which moved him to take an ill &s;ide, was evident unto <HI>Glacidia;</HI> who think|ing it expedient to turn the di&s;cour&s;e, &s;he asked <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> if &s;he &s;aw <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> that day? And pa&s;&s;ing from one di&s;cour&s;e to another, I told her how I &s;aw that morn|ing a branch of Corall of a huge bigne&s;s, and of an admirable hue. <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> then asked me where I &s;aw it? I told her it was in the hands of one who intended to pre|&s;ent it unto her upon that day which was de&s;igned for her to make her choi&s;e of a Husband; for it is the cu&s;tome, that as &s;oon as the choi&s;e is made, all per&s;ons of any quality do offer unto the Prince&s;s &s;ome rich and magnificent pre&s;ents.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as ever I had &s;aid &s;o, there appeared in the cheeks of <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> as fre&s;h a colour as the colour which I &s;aw: The Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Bomilcar</HI> ob&s;erving it, did ea&s;ily imagine that the rea&s;on of her blu&s;h was, becau&s;e that day on which depen|ded her good or bad fortune was &s;o neer, and &s;he never remembred it. But <HI>Bomil|car,</HI> &s;ince his hopes were above his fears, he was not &s;o much perplexed at it as the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> who I &s;ay &s;eeing no foundation for any hopes, could not think up|on that day of rejoycing without extream &s;orrow. But <HI>Bomilcar</HI> being of a ha&s;ty tem|per, and his imagination flattering his rea&s;on, he would needs talk of that Fea&s;t un|to <HI>Cleonisbe:</HI> For &s;ince he believed that &s;he could not &s;peak any thing in advantage of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, it plea&s;ed his fancy to be talking before his Rivall of a Cere|mony which would put him out of all hopes: And therefore arming him&s;elfe with a confident boldne&s;s; Truly Madam, &s;ayd he unto <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> I do not think there was ever &s;uch a cruell fea&s;t as this which is now drawing nigh; for there will be abundance of illu&s;trious and brave men a&s;&s;embled, with certainty that only one of them mu&s;t be happy, and all the re&s;t mi&s;erable. 'Tis very true, replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> this Fea&s;t will be very &s;ad unto &s;uch as pretend unto the Choi&s;e, and &s;ad al&s;o unto &s;uch as not pretending unto that honour, are only &s;o bold as to wi&s;h it: However, I believe (&s;ayd <HI>Cleonisbe)</HI> that this Fea&s;t will be more &s;ad unto her who is to choo&s;e, then unto them who are not cho&s;en. Oh Madam (cryed out <HI>Bomilcar)</HI> then certainly the rea&s;on is becau&s;e &s;he finds none worthy of her choi&s;e, for otherwi&s;e the matter were ea&s;ily determined. I a&s;&s;ure you replyed &s;he, there is a difficulty in every choi&s;e: The Prince&s;s hath much rea&s;on to &s;ay &s;o, replyed <HI>Glacidia</HI> and laughed; for I a&s;&s;ure you that I in my choi&s;e only of flowers, cannot tell &s;ometimes which to fixe upon: And my hand and mind doth waver when I cull either Ro&s;es, Oranges, or Violets: And you may well imagine, that in matters of great importance the Prince&s;s hath great rea&s;on to be as much perplexed in her choi&s;e as tho&s;e whom &s;hee doth not choo&s;e: This is &s;o full of truth replyed <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> that if the Lawes of this State would permit me, I would &s;olemnly di&s;claim from this Cu&s;tome, and would much rather &s;ubmit unto the King my Father, then have the liberty of choi&s;e. Then Madam, your rea&s;on is (replyed <HI>Bomilcar</HI> very &s;adly) becau&s;e you find none worthy of your choi&s;e: However the Laws will have you choo&s;e, and it is very likely that your judgment hath already cho&s;en him whom your mouth would upon the day of Ceremony pro|nounce to be your Choi&s;e.</P>
<P>Though I am not obliged to reveale &s;uch a &s;ecret unto you replyed &s;he, yet I will a&s;&s;ure you, that my Choi&s;e is yet to make: And if I mu&s;t choo&s;e one, it &s;hall be him whom the Gods &s;hall plea&s;e to in&s;pire into my mind, when I am in the Temple. The Prince&s;s &s;poke this after &s;uch a manner, as equally per&s;waded both the Prince of <HI>Pho|ceus</HI>
<PB N="134" REF="749">
and <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> that &s;he &s;poke as &s;he thought; &s;o as the fir&s;t of the&s;e was abun|dantly joyed, and the &s;econd extreamly grieved. For &s;ince the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was never in any hopes of being cho&s;en, he found &s;ome &s;weetne&s;s in thinking that others had no greater hopes then him&s;elfe: But as for <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> &s;ince he conceited him&s;elf to have &s;ome right to be elected, and verily hoped for it, he was in a &s;trange de&s;pair to find the Prince&s;s yet unre&s;olved whom &s;he &s;hould choo&s;e, his &s;orrows augmented his hatred of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, becau&s;e he &s;aw him in po&s;&s;ibility of being elected as well as him&s;elf. But &s;ince &s;uch tumultuous thoughts as the&s;e are great di&s;turbers of the mind, he &s;carcely talked any more that day: But the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> talked more then he did before, and &s;poke &s;uch things as did di&s;cover the thoughts of his heart, though he &s;poke nothing but what would admit of another interpretation.</P>
<P>But in conclu&s;ion, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> being ready to go away, the&s;e two Rivals waited up|on her to her Coach. After which, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> went to the King, and <HI>Bo|milcar</HI> returned to <HI>Glacidia,</HI> from whom I departed immediately after: But &s;ince I had the honour to be much in the lovely Ladies favour, and it being in &s;ome &s;ort ne|ce&s;&s;ary that I &s;hould know all the pa&s;&s;ages among&s;t the&s;e per&s;ons. I under&s;tood from her &s;ince, that as &s;oon as <HI>Bomilcar</HI> was at liberty to talke in private with her, he be|gan thus; I be&s;eech you dear <HI>Glacidia,</HI> &s;aid he unto her, if ever you intend to ob|lige me, of two things do one of them for me: Doubtle&s;&s;e Sir, replied &s;he, I have a mo&s;t &s;trong inclination to do you any &s;ervice, therfore I be&s;eech you tell me pre&s;ent|ly what are the&s;e two things of which you give me the choi&s;e? Either to contrive it &s;o an&s;wered he, that the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> may be no longer my Rivall, or el&s;e that he be no longer your friend; for the truth is, I cannot endure he &s;hould either love <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> or you. Suppo&s;e the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> (replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> and &s;miled) &s;hould de&s;ire me to contrive it &s;o, that either <HI>Bomilear</HI> &s;hould not love the Prince&s;s, or that I &s;hould not be his friend, what an&s;wer would you have me return? I would have you an&s;wer him replyed he, contrary to what I would have you an&s;wer me.</P>
<P>Fie <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> replyed &s;he, in this you are not ju&s;t: But &s;ince I will not be unju&s;t after your example, I will give you the very &s;ame an&s;wer I would give the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> if he &s;hould propound the &s;ame unto me, Know then Sir, that as I will ne|ver cea&s;e being a friend unto you, though you be an Enemy unto the Prince of <HI>Pho|ceus:</HI> So I will ever cea&s;e being his friend, though he be not yours. And as relating unto your pa&s;&s;ions, as I will neither hinder nor help you, &s;o I will only exhort you both to vanqui&s;h your pa&s;&s;ions. As for <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> I will advi&s;e her unto nothing; but let her follow the dictates of her own rea&s;on, which is much beyond my own.</P>
<P>Thus <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> I &s;hall be your friend without prejudice to the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> and &s;hall al&s;o be his without prejudice to you. Though your friend&s;hip unto him re|plied he, can do me no other harm, but that I &s;hall often &s;ee him with you, and be civill to him, yet I &s;hall have great cau&s;e to grudg at it: But Sir, replied <HI>Glacidia,</HI> though you do &s;ee him, yet he &s;ees you al&s;o, and if he do love the Prince&s;s as you think doth, the &s;ight of you troubles him, as the &s;ight of him doth you: And &s;ince he he carries him&s;elf civily to you, be not you le&s;&s;e rationall then he is: For if you give me any ju&s;t cau&s;e to think that he is more complai&s;ant towards me then you are, then perhaps retaliating friend&s;hip for friend&s;hip, I &s;hall be more for the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> then I am for <HI>Bomilcar.</HI> Oh cruell <HI>Glacidia</HI> (&s;aid he unto her) I had rather endure the &s;ight of my Enemy, then endanger to &s;ee you more his friend then mine: As long as you carry your &s;elf as you ought Sir, replyed &s;he, I &s;hall continue the &s;ame I am: but if you think to oblige me unto any inju&s;tice, you will but deceive your &s;elf, for as I told you before, if the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> &s;hould aflront you, I would take your part: and if you affront him, I will take his: I know he e&s;teems you as you e|&s;teem him: I know al&s;o that he loves me as you do: And I know further, that he who fir&s;t falls out, &s;hall lo&s;e me, and I will become a friend unto his Rivall.</P>
<P>Oh <HI>Glacidia,</HI> replyed <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> were you my Mi&s;tri&s;s, you could not lay a more tyrannicall injunction upon me: You may better &s;ay Sir (replyed &s;he, and &s;miled) that were I the wi&s;e&s;t of the <HI>Sorronides,</HI> I could not &s;peak more ju&s;tly then I do; for the very truth is, you have no ju&s;t cau&s;e in the Earth to hate the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> he hath not rai&s;ed either quarrell or faction in the Court; he hath &s;een the Prince&s;s, and he cannot choo&s;e but thinke her amiable: what hurt in all this? Al&s;o, whether he love her or not love, &s;till the choi&s;e is in her: and que&s;tionle&s;&s;e &s;he will make her
<PB N="135" REF="749">
choi&s;e, without con&s;idering whether you love her, or he love her: And &s;ince Rea&s;on only is ner rule, I can a&s;&s;ure you, that though the Law allow her the choi&s;e, yet if her inclination do not concur with rea&s;on, certainly &s;he will reject it. Thus your good or bad fortune depends meerly upon the Prince&s;s, and not at all upon the Prince of <HI>Pho|ceus:</HI> Live therfore civilly with him, as he will live with you; and make me not to be|come partiall between two whom I infinitely e&s;teem, and am much obliged unto: And be confident that I will not &s;peak any thing either in his favour nor yours, un|le&s;s you provoke me. Oh <HI>Glacidia</HI> (&s;ayd he) you are too wi&s;e to be a friend unto a Lover, who is ready to run out of his very wits; for I perceive by <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> that &s;he knows not yet whom &s;he &s;hall make choi&s;e of: And yet methinks &s;he &s;hould; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">or &s;ince I have done her a thou&s;and &s;ervices, and adored her with all reverent de|votion; methinks I de&s;erve to be preferred before either <HI>Britomartes</HI> or <HI>Galathes,</HI> or the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> who is only an unfortunate Exile.</P>
<P>If the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> replyed &s;he, &s;hould tell me that you were only an unfor|tunate <HI>Carthaginian,</HI> I &s;hould blame him for giving &s;uch invective terms, as I blame you for upbraiding a great Prince with that terme of Exile: an Exile yet who&s;e cau&s;e is glorious, &s;ince he left his Country only to pre&s;erve his liberty.</P>
<P>Furthermore, let me tell you, that I know not whether the Prince&s;s hath yet fix|ed upon any or no: but though I did know it, I profe&s;s unto you I would never tell it: For I am re&s;olved to be faithfull not only unto the Prince&s;s, but unto you, and unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> all who are my deare friends, but al&s;o unto my very Enemies: Therefore <HI>Bomilcar</HI> believe that I will neither tell <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> not the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> any thing wherewith you &s;hall entru&s;t me, &s;o I will not tell you any thing they are plea&s;ed to entru&s;t me withall: Let it &s;uffice I promi&s;e you, never to do you any prejudice, but will do you all the Offices that the Lawes of a prudent and generous friend&s;hip can oblige me unto: But to the end you may not deceive your &s;elfe, let me tell you that I will promi&s;e the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> the very &s;ame I promi&s;e you, if occa&s;ions offer them&s;elves: And to te&s;tifie that I am very &s;incere, I tell you again, that I will not bu&s;ie my &s;elfe on any &s;ide between the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleo|nisbe</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> nor between the Prince&s;s and you, unle&s;s I be pro|voked: But &s;ince I hope I &s;hall never be put unto any &s;uch nece&s;&s;ity, you may ex|pect from me all the &s;erviceable offices in my power, provided they tre&s;pa&s;s not up|on the friend&s;hip which is between the Prince&s;s and me, and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus:</HI> Once more let me tell you <HI>Glacidia</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Bomilcar</HI> to her) you are &s;o very wi&s;e that you make me de&s;payr; for by offering me all, you offer me nothing: For &s;ince you will do nothing in prejudice of my mo&s;t feared Rivall, you cannot do me any good office at all: And yet methinks replyed &s;he, that you have two others who are as much to be feared; for if you con&s;ider how <HI>Britomartes</HI> is of the &s;ame Country, and <HI>Galathes</HI> a great Neighbour, you will find them con&s;iderable: 'Tis very true (&s;ayd he) but &s;ince you cannot prejudice them, unle&s;s you do a good office unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> as well as my &s;elfe, I cannot tell whether I &s;hould de&s;ire it.</P>
<P>I &s;hould never make an end Madam, if I &s;hould repeat the whole di&s;cour&s;e be|tween <HI>Bomilcar</HI> and <HI>Glacidia,</HI> but at la&s;t he left her, and had as great an e&s;teem of her vertue, as love to <HI>Cleonisbe.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was extreamly de&s;irous to know whether or no the Prince&s;s was yet unre&s;olved of her choi&s;e, he went betimes the next morning unto <HI>Glacidia,</HI> and found her alone. And being no le&s;s angry to find <HI>Bomilcar</HI> with her, then <HI>Bomilcar</HI> was to meet him, he told her it was the greate&s;t cruelty in the world unto him, that hitherto he could never &s;ee her he e&s;teemed mo&s;t, unle&s;s he &s;aw the man he loved lea&s;t. But Madam&punc; &s;ince I have not <HI>Glacidi|as</HI> Art, to dre&s;&s;e the &s;ame matter in different termes, and like her, put the grace of novelty upon it, I &s;hall omit a great part of what &s;he &s;ayd unto the Prince of <HI>Pho|ceus,</HI> becau&s;e it was almo&s;t the &s;ame &s;he &s;ayd unto <HI>Bomilcar.</HI></P>
<P>But Madam, let me tell you, how this Prince not being able to containe the ful|ne&s;s of his heart, did the &s;ame day unload it unto <HI>Glacidia.</HI> You &s;hall &s;ee (&s;ayd he unto her after much other talk) that I am as confident of your &s;incerity as of your genero&s;ity, &s;ince though you have told me that you are as friendly unto my Rivall as my &s;elfe, yet I will di&s;clo&s;e the very &s;ecret of my heart unto you: I am infinitely obliged unto you Sir for your confidence in me, replyed &s;he, and I look upon it as
<PB N="136" REF="750">
an evident te&s;timony of your e&s;teem: Al&s;o I wi&s;h with all my heart I could cure you of this tormenting pa&s;&s;ion, &s;ince I can do you no other &s;ervice. Oh <HI>Glacidia</HI> (replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus)</HI> do not wi&s;h the cure; for I had much rather be &s;ick of that di&s;ea&s;e which torments me, then enjoy the health you wi&s;h me.</P>
<P>Furthermore, in &s;ome &s;ort to imitate your genero&s;ity, I will not move you to prejudice <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> though it be the thing which mo&s;t of any thing I de&s;ire, next the enjoyment of <HI>Cleonisbe:</HI> But as between two friends who are equally loved, one is obliged in genero&s;ity to have a greater care of him who is unfortunate, then of him who is not: I be&s;eech you let your compa&s;&s;ion be upon my mi&s;ery, and oblige you to put &s;ome difference between <HI>Bomilcar</HI> and me his Enemy: Pitty me at lea&s;t, becau&s;e I de&s;erve it more then he doth: For truly he is allowed to be in the happy Catalogue of tho&s;e who may pretend unto her choi&s;e, he hath done a thou&s;and &s;er|vices both unto the King and <HI>Cleonisbe:</HI> You have &s;poken a thou&s;and times in your life in his advantage unto the Prince&s;s: he hath &s;een her many years together, and is known unto her: the King loves him, and a thou&s;and motives gives him hope of happine&s;s and choi&s;e: But as for me <HI>Glacidia,</HI> I am a poor mi&s;erable wretch that can hope for nothing: I love, but perhahs it is unknown, at lea&s;t but imperfectly: I love, and dare not pretend unto any love again, nor unto any choi&s;e: I love, with the mi&s;ery to know, that even common prudence will not Permit me to be cho&s;en; yet notwith&s;tanding there is &s;omething in my heart, which is neither vanity nor pride, that often hints unto me, I ought not to yeeld unto <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> neither unto <HI>Bomil|car,</HI> nor <HI>Britomartes,</HI> or <HI>Galathes:</HI> &s;o as changing my thoughts, I have &s;ome glimp|&s;es of hope: and though I cannot hope for full happine&s;s, yet &s;ometimes I think it not ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible. 'Tis true I am an Exile, but I am &s;o with a great people who are obedient unto me: And I can boa&s;t of an e&s;tate, which as &s;mall as it is, may extend its limits further then the power of <HI>Bomilcar</HI> can: Since I have many &s;hips, men enough to man them, and Riches &s;ufficient to maintain a long War, and carve out &s;ome important Conque&s;t.</P>
<P>Indeed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> my birth is equall unto <HI>Bomilcars,</HI> my heart is as noble as his, and the pa&s;&s;ion of my &s;oule, not a jot inferior. But for all this, all my feeble hopes do vani&s;h &s;o &s;oon as I am often ready to de&s;pair: And therefore I conjure you <HI>Gla|cidia,</HI> as a cordiall to my comfort, tell me whether you thinke the Prince&s;s &s;poke &s;incerely ye&s;terday, when &s;he &s;ayd that her choi&s;e was yet to make? For if &s;he did, it is a comfort beyond my expre&s;&s;ion, though I know no rea&s;onable ground for any hopes to be built upon it. Since I am very &s;incere, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> and &s;ince flatte|ry of friends, are but meer delu&s;ions, I mu&s;t ingeniou&s;ly tell you, that I wi&s;h with abundance of Zeal, you were able to quench the&s;e flames which thus torment you; for though I find you mo&s;t worthy of the Prince&s;s, yet I have &s;ome cau&s;e to feare, that though <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> &s;hould have the &s;ame thoughts of you; and in her hearr pre|fer you before either <HI>Bomilcar, Britomartes,</HI> and <HI>Glacidia,</HI> yet &s;he dare not choo&s;e you, le&s;t it &s;hould incite &s;ome trouble in the State.</P>
<P>After this Sir, aske me no more; for &s;ince I mu&s;t not reveale the &s;ecrets of <HI>Cleoni&s;|be,</HI> and &s;ince if <HI>Bomilcar</HI> &s;hould aske me more, I would be &s;ilent: I ought to be &s;o unto you, &s;ince I am put upon a cro&s;&s;e conjuncture which will not permit me to &s;erve you, unle&s;&s;e I di&s;&s;erve him; nor &s;erve him, without di&s;&s;ervice unto you: And to tell you &s;incerely, I am not able to give you any particular &s;atisfaction, though the con&s;ideration of <HI>Bomilcar</HI> would allow me, becau&s;e I never thought it my duty to dive too deep into the &s;ecrets of <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> heart. And therefore con&s;ult with your own rea&s;on without me, &s;ince I am not able to give you any faithfull councell, un|le&s;&s;e I &s;hould be perfidious unto the Prince&s;s and <HI>Bomilcar.</HI> Oh <HI>Glacidia</HI> (replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus)</HI> if I &s;hould be my own Councellor, I &s;hould run into &s;trange inconveniences: You are &s;o prudent Sir, replyed &s;he, that you need not feare your &s;elfe: I am &s;o far under the commanding power of Love, replyed he, that you may expect nothing of rea&s;on from me: I &s;hould talk boldly of my Love unto her who is the cau&s;er of it: I &s;hould expre&s;&s;e my odium unto <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> con&s;pire again&s;t <HI>Gala|thes,</HI> and oppo&s;e <HI>Britomartes</HI> with as much fury as he him&s;elfe is capable of. The truth is, <HI>Glacidia,</HI> I &s;hovld attempt any thing, rather then yeeld unto the enjoyment of <HI>Cleonisbe.</HI> Since I am not at free liberty to tell you all I think (replyed &s;he) I finde my &s;elfe at a great puzzle: bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> yet without giving you any cau&s;e to &s;u&s;pect
<PB N="137" REF="750">
me a favourer of <HI>Bomilcar</HI> unto your prejudice, I will advi&s;e you once more con&s;ult &s;eriou&s;ly with your &s;elfe before you offer to act your tumultuous re&s;olutions, who&s;e Con&s;equences may prejudice you more then you can imagine: However, remember I be&s;eech you to carry your &s;elfe &s;o faire towards <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> that I may pre&s;erve the &s;ame neutrality between you, which I intend to do, le&s;t if you force me to his &s;ide, you &s;hould weaken your own.</P>
<P>But Madam, <HI>Glacidia</HI> did not only know all the &s;ecrets of the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Bomilcars</HI> hearts, but &s;he knew <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> al&s;o. And going to her one evening when no company was with her, for privacy &s;ake &s;he took her into her Clo&s;et, where &s;ee|ming to be very melancholy, <HI>Glacidia</HI> asked her the rea&s;on: I do a&s;&s;ure you, replyed &s;he, I cannot directly tell you; for I have &s;uch a mi&s;cellany of &s;everall thoughts which di&s;plea&s;e me, as I cannot tell unto which to attribute my melancholy: Yet truly I think the greate&s;t cau&s;e of it is, becau&s;e I &s;hall &s;hortly be put unto the nece&s;&s;ity of ma|king a Choi&s;e, which has more difficulty in it then is imagined. But Madam, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> I thought your mind had been before this &s;ufficiently prepared for it, and that you would not make choi&s;e of any but whom the King appoints.</P>
<P>That hath hitherto been my re&s;olution, replyed &s;he, but truly I begin to grow wea|ry of it, becau&s;e I feare he will not advi&s;e me to my &s;atisfaction: Then Madam (an|&s;wered <HI>Glacidia)</HI> &s;ince the Law gives you the liberty of your owne choi&s;e; Choo&s;e him whom your own Rea&s;on dictates unto you, and never referre it unto the King. Oh <HI>Glacidia,</HI> replyed &s;he, the que&s;tion is to know whether it be my rea&s;on which bids me to have &s;uch a &s;trange aver&s;ion unto <HI>Bomilcar. Glacidia</HI> &s;urprized at this &s;peech, was a while &s;ilent before &s;he would &s;peak, purpo&s;ely to con&s;ider how &s;he might nei|ther prejudice <HI>Bomilcar</HI> nor the Prince of <HI>Phoceus:</HI> and in order to that, &s;he endea|voured to know from whence this aver&s;ion unto <HI>Bomilcar</HI> might proceed, intending that if &s;he preferred either <HI>Britomartes</HI> or <HI>Galathes,</HI> to prejudice them as much as &s;he could, becau&s;e &s;he did not think them worthy of <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> choi&s;e, and becau&s;e &s;he might well do it without offence unto either of her two friends. I do confe&s;s Madam, &s;ayd &s;he unto her, that I have always ob&s;erved you never had any great inclination unto <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> though I never thought your aver&s;ion &s;o &s;trong: But Madam, I be|&s;eech you (added &s;he) is it not <HI>Galathes</HI> or <HI>Britomartes</HI> that plea&s;eth you better then he doth, and con&s;equently are cau&s;es of your aver&s;ion to him? No replyed <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> and blu&s;hed, I a&s;&s;ure you neither of them are prejudiciall unto <HI>Bomilcar;</HI> however <HI>Glacidia</HI> (pur&s;ued &s;he) you are a little beholding unto me, for forcing my &s;elf to con|ceale from you the naturall antipathy which is betwixt me and him; for truly had he not been one of your friends, I &s;hould long &s;ince have imparted my thoughts unto you; yet I know very well, that my thoughts are injurious; nor am I &s;o ignorant as not to know him to be a very brave compleat man, nor am I &s;o blind as not to &s;ee that he loves me. But for all that, there is &s;omething in my heart, which will not let me reli&s;h his merits, which forbids him entrance into it; and which makes mee have &s;uch thoughts of him, as may rather be phra&s;ed hatred then aver&s;ion. Yet I know very well that all rea&s;on bids me choo&s;e him: and in all probability the King will or|der me to prefer him before all others: Judg therefore <HI>Glacidia,</HI> whether my &s;oule can &s;it &s;atisfied, and &s;ee &s;uch a &s;ad day drawing upon me: Sad I will &s;ay, &s;ince <HI>Bomil|car</HI> is odious unto me, and e&s;pecially of late &s;o abominable that I can hardly endure him. And truly it may be &s;ayd (added &s;he and blu&s;ht) that he him&s;elf contributes &s;omething unto my horrid aver&s;ion: For I be&s;eech you con&s;ider a little how unju&s;t|ly he is &s;till thwarting the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, unto whom both the King, the Prince my Brother, and my &s;elfe are &s;o civill and re&s;pective: I took not &s;o much notice Ma|dam, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> as either to approve or di&s;allow of what <HI>Bomilcar</HI> did again&s;t the Prince of <HI>Phoceus:</HI> And all I am able to &s;ay for him is, that certainly he does not de&s;erve the misfortune of your odinm. But I pray <HI>Glacidia,</HI> &s;ayd <HI>Cleonishe,</HI> doe not you know the rea&s;on why <HI>Bomilcar</HI> and the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince do thus cla&s;h? for truly being both of them your Friends, methinks you &s;hould know the very bottom of their hearts: Believe it Madam, replyed &s;he, I have done as much as is po&s;&s;ible to make them friends, but cannot; and the hatred that is betwixt them (if I be not much mi&s;taken) has a higher cau&s;e then I can tell you; and I do not think Madam, but you are be&s;t able to divine it: Yes <HI>Glacidia,</HI> I can do &s;o (replyed &s;he, and blu&s;ht againe) and it is a rea&s;on why I am &s;o much incen&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Bomilcar:</HI> For the very truth is,
<PB N="138" REF="751">
I do abhor his bold impudence in being jealous of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince. And though that Prince have all requi&s;ite qualities to cau&s;e it, yet he ought not in relation to my &s;elf. And therefore <HI>Bomilcar</HI> may be a&s;&s;ured, that unle&s;s my Father do po&s;itively command me to choo&s;e him, I &s;hall never do it.</P>
<P>However (pur&s;ued &s;he and &s;ighing) if &s;o it chance, that to my grief the King will needs have me choo&s;e him, I be&s;eech you my dear <HI>Glacidia</HI> help out my rea&s;on, and u&s;e &s;uch arguments as may induce me to obey him. Since you may very well believe Madam, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> that I would not &s;peak in advantage of <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> but on|ly becau&s;e he is my friend, therefore I declare that I will never &s;peak in his behalf.</P>
<P>Oh my <HI>Glacidia</HI> (replyed <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> angerly) do not for&s;ake me now, I conjure you, in a bu&s;ine&s;s which is of the greate&s;t concernment of all my life; for let me tell you once more, my rea&s;on &s;tands in great need of your a&s;&s;i&s;tance. Madam, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> I would gladly know why you &s;peak &s;o? For truly (pur&s;ued &s;he purpo&s;ely to di&s;cover her reall mind) if you have &s;uch a &s;trong aver&s;ion to <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> why do you not de&s;ire the King to give you the choi&s;e of <HI>Galathes,</HI> or <HI>Britomartes?</HI> Oh <HI>Gla|cidia</HI> (replyed &s;he ha&s;tily) I do not value them at &s;o high a rate, as my di&s;obedience to the King: It &s;hould never be they, but doubtle&s;&s;e it &s;hould be the............. At the&s;e words <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> blu&s;ht, and was &s;ilent, not being able to get out with her thought; but having &s;poken enough to make <HI>Glacidia</HI> under&s;tand her, &s;he was ex|treamly a&s;hamed, though &s;he u&s;ually imparted her mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts unto her: but at la&s;t, being re&s;olved to open her very heart, &s;he confe&s;&s;ed that if &s;he might fol|low her own inclination, &s;he would prefer the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> before either <HI>Bomil|car, B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">itomartes,</HI> or <HI>Galathes,</HI> and confe&s;&s;ed that &s;he had as great a di&s;po&s;ition to love him, as to hate <HI>Bomilcar.</HI> Judg now, my dear <HI>Glacidia</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto her) whether I had not good rea&s;on to &s;ay I &s;tood in need of your Rea&s;on to &s;upport my own: And therefore I conjure you to do two things continually, untill the &s;ad day of this fatall Ceremony be pa&s;t: The one, to le&s;&s;en my aver&s;ion unto <HI>Bomilcar;</HI> the other to le&s;&s;en my affection unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus.</HI> Though it was never yet in my power to di&s;obey the lea&s;t of your commands Madam, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> yet I be&s;eech you to excu&s;e me in this: For truly Madam, I have &s;o fully determined to keep my &s;elf a New|ter between the&s;e two whom I equally honour, as I am fully re&s;olved neither to hurt nor help either of them in a bu&s;ine&s;s wherein I cannot oblige the one, but I mu&s;t di&s;-oblige the other: and therefore I be&s;eech you take it not ill if I di&s;obey you; for which choi&s;e &s;oever you make between the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> you can|not choo&s;e ami&s;s. Had I di&s;covered a di&s;po&s;ition to prefer <HI>Britomartes</HI> or <HI>Galathes</HI> before either of them, I &s;hould have oppo&s;ed it with all my power; but &s;ince I do not, I have no more to &s;ay: if you overcome your aver&s;ion to <HI>Bomilear,</HI> you will be ju&s;t unto his merit and his love: And if you follow your inclination to the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> you are but ju&s;t unto his vertue and his pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>Thus Madam, which &s;oever you do, you will do well: and which &s;oever you do, I &s;hall have cau&s;e both of joy and &s;orrow; and &s;ince by making one happy, you make the other mi&s;erable: I &s;hall rejoyce with him you choo&s;e, and grieve with him you reject: and therefore I be&s;eech you do me &s;o much honour as not to move me any fur|ther to contribute any thing unto the mi&s;ery of him whom you &s;hall doom unto &s;uch a cruel puni&s;hment. But <HI>Glacidia,</HI> replyed <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> by thinking not to contribute unto it you do extreamly; for if you do not put me in mind, that if I di&s;obey the King, and favour an exiled Prince, then I &s;hall di&s;honour my &s;elf, and perhaps bring a War upon the Kingdom: <HI>Bomilear</HI> will never be cho&s;en: Let it even be as you plea&s;e Madam without any intermedling, replyed <HI>Glacidia;</HI> for truly Madam, I nei|ther can, nor ought to meddle; and if I dur&s;t &s;ay it, you would not have me obey you. I do almo&s;t confe&s;s it <HI>Glacidia,</HI> replyed <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> and &s;ighed; for if you &s;hould de&s;ire me to le&s;&s;en my aver&s;ion unto <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> I feare you would encrea&s;e it. But truly I mu&s;t confe&s;s I know not well what I would have, though I am mo&s;t certain I would have nothing done again&s;t my own glory: But however my dear <HI>Glacidia</HI> (added &s;he) &s;ince I have tru&s;ted you with my aver&s;ion unto <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> and my inclination unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> be &s;ure you let neither of them have the lea&s;t glimpes of my thoughts, for if you &s;hould, there is &s;o much inju&s;tice in my hatred of <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> and &s;o much weakne&s;s in my affection to the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, as I &s;hould be eternally a&s;hamed.</P>
<P><PB N="139" REF="751">
You may well conceive Madam, that <HI>Glacidia</HI> was ready to make this promi&s;e unto <HI>Cleonisbe;</HI> and you may al&s;o believe &s;he would perform it.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Carimantes</HI> being of a fiery nature, and having a fl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ming pa&s;|&s;ion in his heart, he re&s;olved upon a cour&s;e which much tormented <HI>Menedorus,</HI> and grieved <HI>One&s;icrite:</HI> For perceiving that this Prince&s;s entertained &s;o favourable thoughts of <HI>Menedorus,</HI> he acquainted <HI>Sfurius</HI> with it, and de&s;ired him to oblige his &s;on unto a quitting of <HI>One&s;icrite:</HI> hinting unto him, that &s;ince he had given him a being in his Country, it was the lea&s;t of favours he could do for him: adding withall, that he would be &s;o great a friend unto him, as he &s;hould have good cau&s;e to be well &s;atisfied with his acknowledgments. <HI>Sfurius</HI> being alwayes of an humour to prefer the publique good before any particular, though he approved of his &s;ons affection unto <HI>One&s;icrite;</HI> yet he promi&s;ed, his &s;onne &s;hould pretend no further unto that Prince&s;s. A&s;&s;uring <HI>Carimantes,</HI> that though <HI>Menedorus</HI> would, yet he &s;hould not be able to di&s;obey: And in pnr&s;uance of this promi&s;e, <HI>Carimantes</HI> was no &s;ooner gone, but he &s;ent for his &s;onne. At fir&s;t he went about to per&s;wade him by argu|ments drawn from rea&s;on: That having a Rivall unto whom he was &s;o much obliged: and a Rivall who would ere long be in power to ruine him, if provoked, it were wi&s;dome to &s;ubmit, &s;ince it were neither prudent nor ju&s;t to expo&s;e &s;o ma|ny innocent per&s;ons unto the fury of a Prince for the &s;atisfaction of his love: adding further, that &s;ince it concerned the intere&s;t of their Towne in generall, he ought to &s;acrifice all his private plea&s;ures for its &s;afety, and the rather, becau&s;e he was not in any power to di&s;obey. As &s;trong as all the&s;e rea&s;ons were, yet they could not prevaile with <HI>Menedorus:</HI> So as then joyning his authority unto his rea&s;ons and per&s;wa&s;ions, hee ab&s;olutely commanded him to think no more upon <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> telling him that though he would, yet he could not di&s;obey him. You may well i|magine Madam, that <HI>Menedorus</HI> was extremely &s;tartled, yet his love would not give leave to &s;ubmit; but &s;eemed &s;o re&s;olute, that <HI>Sfurius</HI> grew angry, and gave him har&s;h language, in&s;omuch as perhaps he had been forced to yeeld, had he not been tampered withall by <HI>Galathes.</HI> For Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that this Prince ac|cording to his close way, had plotted with &s;everall Greeks, and held private intel|ligence with a friend to <HI>Menedorus:</HI> &s;o that fearing extremely le&s;t <HI>Carimantes</HI> &s;hould be well treated by <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> and con&s;equently induced to favour the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> he &s;ent unto <HI>Menedorus,</HI> and bad him &s;tand firm to his principles: a&s;&s;uring him that the King would never allow of <HI>Carimantes</HI> his pa&s;&s;ion, and con&s;equently he needed not to feare, &s;ince he &s;hould have him for his Patron. Thus Madam, <HI>Menedorus</HI> in &s;pight of all his Fathers rea&s;ons and menaces, did not change his mind.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Sfurius</HI> a&s;&s;ured <HI>Carimantes</HI> that he would keep <HI>Menedorus</HI> from being any ob&s;tacle unto his de&s;ign, de&s;iring him only to have a little patience, and give him &s;ome dayes to work &s;o great a cure: And indeed <HI>Sfurius</HI> applyed a mo&s;t &s;ad remedy unto <HI>Menedorus,</HI> for he went unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> and told him what <HI>Carimantes</HI> &s;aid unto him, conjuring him to u&s;e his utmo&s;t authority to di&s;&s;wade <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> from <HI>Menedorus.</HI> For truly Sir, &s;ayd he unto him, as glorious as your alliance would be, I would never advi&s;e you unto it, &s;ince I &s;hould then expo&s;e you and all the Graecians here unto the violence of an amorous Prince. Therefore, Sir, &s;ince the gods would have him to be our Patron, by the meanes of his affection unto the Prince&s;s your &s;i&s;ter, I conjure you to be as zealous in hindering the Prin|ce&s;s your &s;i&s;ter, as I &s;hall be in oppo&s;ing <HI>Menedorus</HI> my &s;on.</P>
<P>The Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> hearing this, was much joyed to &s;ee it was in his power, and that he might have the honour of favouring the de&s;igns of <HI>Carimantes,</HI> and to cro&s;&s;e tho&s;e of <HI>Menedorus:</HI> Conceiving that &s;ince this Prince did thinke <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> was worthy of him, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> might al&s;o thinke him not unworthy of her: There|fore he gave <HI>Sfurius</HI> a very civill an&s;wer, prote&s;ting that though he had a great mind unto his alliance rather then unto <HI>Carimantes;</HI> yet &s;ince he was &s;o generous as to prefer the publique good before the &s;atisfaction of his &s;onne, he were not wor|thy of his friend&s;hip, if he were le&s;&s;e generous then he: and if he did not deprive him&s;elfe of a happine&s;&s;e which he de&s;ired, rather then hazzard the ruine of their new Common-wealth. So that after this, they con&s;ulted together upon the be&s;t expe|dients, and re&s;olved to work fir&s;t by all &s;weetne&s;&s;e upon <HI>One&s;icrite.</HI> In order to that <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> mu&s;t be employed, who was much in her books, and it was re&s;olved they
<PB N="140" REF="752">
&s;hould move <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> unto a little journey out of <HI>Mas&s;eilles,</HI> without letting her know for what &s;he went: and accordingly the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> did carry the mat|ter &s;o hand&s;omly, as &s;he con&s;ented unto his wi&s;hes: but to the end the bu&s;ine&s;s might take better effect, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> doing me the honour to tru&s;t me with all the &s;ecrets of his life, and to acquaint me with the &s;tate of things, he &s;ent me the night before to prepare <HI>Aristonice:</HI> &s;o as when <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> came to her, <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> carryed it &s;o hand&s;omely, as that Prince&s;s never imagined the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> to have any hand in the Councell which &s;he gave her. At the fir&s;t meeting, nothing pa&s;&s;ed but Complements of welcome, and expre&s;&s;ions of mutuall amity. Afterwards <HI>Ari&s;to|nice,</HI> who&s;e di&s;cour&s;e did always ayme at the bettering of others, began to tell very obligingly, that &s;ince &s;he had received from heaven &s;o great a Talent of beauty, and &s;o many admirable parts, &s;he was extreamly afraid con&s;idering her age, le&s;t &s;he any wayes abu&s;e tho&s;e excellent graces which the gods had given her: And truly Daugh|ter (&s;ayd &s;he, for &s;o &s;he called her) it is not enough to appeare all vertue, and ab|&s;taine from the commi&s;&s;ion of horrid crimes, which per&s;ons well born &s;eldome are guilty of: but one mu&s;t do all the good one can, and above all things not to pro|phane tho&s;e gifts which they receive from heaven: and therefore Daughter, &s;ince you have received &s;uch extraordinary beauty from the gods, it is your duty to be extream carefull not to abu&s;e &s;o great a favour: For truly the beauty of <HI>Helen</HI> was fatall unto all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and all &s;ucceeding ages will impute the burning of <HI>Troy</HI> unto the lovely fire of her eyes: Therefore be &s;ure you remember alwayes, that the Gods did not be&s;tow &s;o much beauty upon you, but with intentions you &s;hould employ it well, not in do|ing harm, when therefore your beauty gives you a power over any one. Remember to con&s;ider whether any unfortunate per&s;ons hade any need of his credit, over whom you have got that power, to the end that drawing a good from the weakne&s;s of ano|ther, yon may merit a reward from heaven: For example, I heare that the Prince <HI>Carimantes</HI> does highly e&s;teem you; you mu&s;t be &s;ure to make u&s;e of him as a Patron to all tho&s;e Graecians whom he hath already &s;o generou&s;ly protected.</P>
<P><HI>One&s;icrite</HI> hearing <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> &s;ay &s;o, began to blu&s;h, and blu&s;hed &s;o much with &s;uch di&s;order in her eyes, that &s;he di&s;covered her heart in an in&s;tant. <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> being of a very &s;weet di&s;po&s;ition, and a little timorous, though &s;he had &s;pirit enough, the di&s;|cour&s;e of <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> came &s;o home to her heart, that &s;he re&s;olved to put her whole confidence in her, and asked her how &s;he &s;hould carry her &s;elfe to be rid of <HI>Cari|mantes</HI> his love without incen&s;ing him, or moving him to attemp any thing again&s;t <HI>Menedorus:</HI> So after &s;he had apologized for her weakne&s;s, &s;he related the affection which <HI>Menedorus</HI> bore unto her, &s;he confe&s;&s;ed the inclination &s;he had unto him; af|terwards told her how <HI>Carimantes</HI> &s;eemed to profe&s;s a Love unto her, and what <HI>Sfu|rius</HI> had &s;ayd to his &s;onne: adding withall, what&s;oever &s;he thought might move <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> to give her coun&s;ell not to di&s;ingage her &s;elfe from the affection of <HI>Menedo|rus,</HI> and to &s;hake off <HI>Carimantes.</HI> But &s;he was much &s;urprized, when <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> after a plau&s;ible hearing returned her an&s;wer: I render thanks unto the Gods who brought you hither (&s;ayd &s;he unto her) for &s;ince it appeares they love you very dearly, I would not for a world you &s;hould abu&s;e their favours: I will not blame you for your complyance with the affection of <HI>Menedorus;</HI> for &s;ince it appears to proceed from vertue, I will not condemn it, though in rea&s;on it had been much better you had received his heart without giving your own. But &s;ince both your Parents and his did approve of your affections unto each other, I have no more to &s;ay again&s;t it: But Daughter, things now have changed faces; for &s;ince <HI>Sfurius</HI> would not have you marry <HI>Menedorus,</HI> and &s;ince the Prince <HI>Carimantes</HI> would marry you, it is mo&s;t ex|pedient you ca&s;t off the fir&s;t, and entertaine the &s;econd: Why Mother, cryed <HI>One&s;i|crite,</HI> do you think the gods would ever pardon me, if I &s;hould change my thoughts of <HI>Menedorus?</HI> Do you think Daughter replyed <HI>Ari&s;tonice,</HI> that the gods would ever pardon you if you &s;hould be a cau&s;e of Ruine unto this va&s;t multitude of People which they by their providence have brought hither? Could you ever an&s;wer it, if <HI>Cari|mantes</HI> &s;hould &s;et our Town on fire, which he permitted us to build.</P>
<P>No no <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> deceive not your &s;elf: and though I cannot &s;peak any plea&s;ing truths unto you at this time, yet I had rather di&s;plea&s;e, then betray you. Know Daughter, that the Prime duty hath an influence over all the re&s;t: and &s;ince there is none more powerfull then that which tyes us unto our Country, no other can ever
<PB N="141" REF="752">
di&s;pence with you from it. The truth is, we are born for it before any thing el&s;e what|&s;oever: You were a <HI>Graecian</HI> before <HI>Menedorus</HI> was your Lover; and con&s;equently you can make him no promi&s;e in prejudice of your Country; and though you &s;hould, it is not tot to be kept. Let me tell you, the de&s;tiny of <HI>Mar&s;eilles</HI> is wholly in your hands: you may pre&s;erve it, or you may ruine it. If you adhere unto the affection of <HI>Menedorus,</HI> you de&s;troy it; If you entertain the offers of <HI>Carimantes,</HI> you &s;ave it: Thus &s;ince the &s;afety of &s;o many innocent per&s;ons depends wholly upon you, you were in a mo&s;t high degree &s;infull, if you do not &s;urmount your &s;elf: and <HI>Menedorus</HI> is mo&s;t unworthy of you, if he be not &s;o generous as to prefer the publique good be|fore his private &s;atisfaction: You have power my dear Daughter to do what you plea&s;e, yet you are in a Country wherein you have no right but what the Prince whom you &s;hall treat ill doth give you; for you know that without him the King had never received us: Moreover no Ship can &s;aile out of our Port without the permit|tance of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, or <HI>Sfurius:</HI> do you think they will ever permit your de|parture, and incen&s;e a Prince who ere long &s;hall be King, and make you a <HI>Queen?</HI> and though they &s;hould winke at your departure, or that you &s;hould &s;teale away, in|to what place of the world could you go? <HI>Phoceus</HI> is full of <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> and we have no other Land or Countrey but <HI>Mar&s;eilles</HI> which you would ruine: Should a per&s;on of your age, vertue and quality wander from Coa&s;t to Coa&s;t, and from Sea to Sea, with|out any other rea&s;on but becau&s;e &s;he is in Love? Do you no better remember the ter|rour of incen&s;ed Seas, out of which the Godde&s;s whom I adore did bring us to a Port? will you again expo&s;e your &s;elfe into tho&s;e dangers, and be upbraided with &s;o much weakne&s;s as not to &s;trive again&s;t a pa&s;&s;ion which to &s;peak truly has no other force in it but what ones &s;elf doth give unto it? But that the intere&s;ts of the party loved may ob|lige you: Con&s;ider Daughter, &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider, unto what danger you expo&s;e <HI>Me|nedorus,</HI> if you &s;hould &s;uffer him to continue a Rivall unto <HI>Carimantes.</HI> Fir&s;t, he will pa&s;&s;e in the opinion of the world for an imprudent man, next with the Prince for an ungratefull per&s;on: But though the quality of a faithfull Lover be very con&s;iderable, yet that ought not to let you expo&s;e his life, as doubtle&s;s you would if you do not break off with him, nor oblige him to leave behaving him&s;elf as your Lover. For <HI>Ca|rimantes</HI> is young, and of a ha&s;ty temper: Moreover he is the &s;onne of a King, one unto whom you are much obliged, and &s;o is not <HI>Menedorus:</HI> Take heed therefore <HI>O|ne&s;icrite,</HI> take heed for your Lovers &s;ake, though you will not for the <HI>Graecians:</HI> It's betteer it co&s;t you &s;ome tears, then him his life, or you your reputation: and there|fore Daughter, &s;ince the intere&s;t of your Country, your own glory; the life of him you love and all is at &s;take, &s;trive with your &s;elfe, and generou&s;ly re&s;olve ab&s;olutely to unloo&s;e your &s;elf from the affection of <HI>Menedorus:</HI> But Daughter, never think to untie the knots which fetter you by degrees, for they are of &s;uch a nature, as they mu&s;t be broken upon a &s;udden, and with violence; for otherwi&s;e in thinking to unty them gently, they will the more intangle, and be made indi&s;&s;olvable. Fixe therefore Daughter upon a re&s;olution worthy of your &s;elf. I conjure you to it for your Coun|try &s;ake, for your glories &s;ake, and for <HI>Menedorus</HI> his &s;ake, and to u&s;e a more pre|valent argument for the &s;ake of that godde&s;s whom I &s;erve, who &s;ince &s;he was never in love, would doubtle&s;&s;e mo&s;t &s;everely puni&s;h you if you &s;hould ruine all this mul|titude of people whom &s;he hath &s;aved, only becau&s;e you loved <HI>Menedorus.</HI></P>
<P>All the while that <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> &s;poke, <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> looked down and &s;ighed conntinu|ally, &s;o as &s;he made it apparent that her heart was extreamly perplexed: but at la&s;t, being forced to an&s;wer, her tears was a prologue to her words: and do what &s;he could it was impo&s;&s;ible to retain them. But the wonder was, that this &s;ymptome of imbecility which &s;he was not able to keep from the &s;ight of <HI>Ari&s;tonice,</HI> was the rea|&s;on of her force to &s;urmount it; for &s;he was &s;o extreamly a&s;hamed, that de&s;iring to repayr her weakne&s;s by an act of courage, after &s;he had dryed up her tears, and &s;tood a while &s;ilent, &s;he promi&s;ed <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> &s;he would u&s;e her be&s;t endeavours to follow her coun&s;ell: Yet I do not promi&s;e (added &s;he) to overcome my &s;elfe; but I promi&s;e to &s;trive, which is more then ever I thought I could do. But Mother, I be&s;eech you (added &s;he) is there no Medium between the&s;e two extreams! Can I not reject the affection of <HI>Menedorus</HI> without entertaining that of <HI>Carimantes?</HI> Receive me I be|&s;eech you into the number of your Companions: And by that means let me not give the unfortunate <HI>Menedorus</HI> any cau&s;e to &s;u&s;pect me of ambition, or incon&s;tancy.</P>
<P><PB N="142" REF="753">
Oh Daughter (&s;ayd <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> and &s;miled) Virgins con&s;ecrated unto <HI>Diana</HI> never ought to fear making their Lovers jealous, and her Nimphs entertain no hunters for their Gallants. But to be more &s;erious, if you have a mind to de&s;troy that Temple which I am building, you need only to &s;hut your &s;elf in it: And therefore for a fur|ther gue&s;s for a remedy unto that di&s;ea&s;e which hath no other then what I propound, &s;acrifice your pa&s;&s;ion for your Country; your own Country affords a thou&s;and ex|examples of brave men, who have &s;acrificed their lives for theirs, yet I impo&s;e no &s;uch rigid task upon you; but on the contrary, I advi&s;e you live, and live happily. Oh Mother replyed &s;he, I do not think that to be po&s;&s;ible: However, though you advi&s;e me to break tho&s;e cords with violence which tye me unto <HI>Menedorus,</HI> yet I be&s;eech you let me unloo&s;e them more gently, and give me &s;ome days to do it.</P>
<P><HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> &s;eeing &s;he had obtained more then &s;he hoped for, con&s;ented unto her demand, and gave her many wi&s;e in&s;tructions to confirm her in her re&s;olution.</P>
<P>But Madam, <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> returning to the Court, <HI>Menedorus</HI> much wondered to &s;ee her &s;o melancholy; and more, when upon the fir&s;t occa&s;ion of talking with her in pri|vate, &s;he conjured him to obey his Fathers commands. Then did he expre&s;s him&s;elf in all the terms that the mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ion could devi&s;e, he a&s;&s;ured her that the King would never con&s;ent &s;he &s;hould marry <HI>Carimantes,</HI> and therefore it would be in vain for her to be perfidious: Afterwards he fell into all his Prayers and Com|plaints to move her unto a con&s;tancy of mind: &s;o as <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> finding her heart to melt, and her re&s;olutions to &s;tagger, &s;he parted from him without any power either to break off or to renew affection: and for &s;ome certain days things re&s;ted thus.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince the ceremony of <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> choi&s;e drew very near, the Court began to &s;well into a tumultuous multitude: And the&s;e foure Pretenders were &s;o &s;olicitous in their de&s;igns and hopes of being cho&s;en, that nothing el&s;e was talked of, and the&s;e Pretenders were perpetually either with the King, or <HI>Carimantes,</HI> or <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> or with <HI>Glacidia.</HI> As for <HI>Britomartes,</HI> he was the lea&s;t bu&s;ie; for being of a lofty mind, and of that Country, he believed that certainly he &s;hould be preferred before the re&s;t. As for <HI>Galathes,</HI> he neither tru&s;ted unto his merits, nor quality, nor any thing el&s;e, but &s;olicited the King, and plotted the ruine of his Rivals. To that end he alledged, that <HI>Bomilcar</HI> being originally a <HI>Carthaginian,</HI> he would not be ac|ceptable to the People: That <HI>Britomartes</HI> being already very powerfull in his own Country, he would be too potent by that Alliance: And as for the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> it was not probable he would permit the Prince&s;s to marry a poor man who had no being but what he gave him.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, he Courted <HI>Carimantes</HI> with all po&s;&s;ible &s;ubmi&s;&s;ions; he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> with all complacency and reverent re&s;pects, and &s;olicited <HI>Gla|cidia</HI> by a thou&s;and expre&s;&s;ions of friend&s;hip.</P>
<P>In the mean time he held intelligence with <HI>Menedorus,</HI> and &s;uborned &s;ome <HI>Sego|regians</HI> to murmure again&s;t the Graecians, to the end the King, <HI>Carimantes</HI> and <HI>Cle|onisbe</HI> might ca&s;t a le&s;&s;e favourable eye upon the Prince of <HI>Phoceus.</HI> As for <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> he never had any plots again&s;t <HI>Galathes</HI> or <HI>Britomartes,</HI> but had a vigilant eye upon the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> who for his part employed his whole mind in prejudice of <HI>Bo|milcar.</HI> All of them were extreamly ob&s;equious unto <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> and <HI>Glacidia,</HI> and for two days before this Ceremony, but for the prudence of that wi&s;e Lady, they had all faln very foul upon one another. I be&s;eech you (&s;ayd the Pr: of <HI>Phoceus</HI> one day unto <HI>Glacidia)</HI> if I be &s;o unfortunate as to be any cau&s;e that the Prince&s;s &s;hould have any advantageous thoughts of <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> let him not know them untill the very la&s;t: de|ferr this &s;atisfaction untill the very la&s;t fatal minute of the Ceremony, &s;o as the &s;ud|den &s;urprize of &s;o great a happine&s;s, may make him dye of joy, as well as I of &s;orrow: For the truth is <HI>Glacidia,</HI> if <HI>Bomilcar</HI> be cho&s;en, and does not dye with joy, he does not love her as he ought.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Bomilcar</HI> out of the like apprehen&s;ion made another reque&s;t un|to <HI>Glacidia,</HI> for he was mo&s;t zealous with her, that if &s;he knew the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> had no hopes of any Choi&s;e, that &s;he declare it to him as &s;oon as ever &s;he could, ima|gining the greate&s;t delight in the world, to make him &s;oon &s;en&s;ible of his misfortune. But <HI>Glacidia</HI> being immoveable, &s;hee con&s;tantly denied both her friends, as oft as they &s;olicited her again&s;t each other, keeping her &s;elf clo&s;e unto her re&s;olution, either in &s;peaking unto them, or unto <HI>Cleonisbe.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="143" REF="753">
In the mean time it was the happy fortune of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince to be in the Pal|lace garden, as the Prince&s;s was in the Evening walking without any other company but her own women, and he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto her with all imaginable devotion, and presenting his hand unto her, he carryed her into a long walk of Orange trees, at the end of which was &s;eats of Gra&s;s: &s;o as it being that &s;ea&s;on of the year when their Oranges were mo&s;t in flower, and the ground all &s;trewed with them, a fitter place to re&s;t in could not be imagined: In which they being &s;et down, their di&s;cour&s;e began with things much different from tho&s;e they ended with. For Madam, they began with their choi&s;e of odoriferous flowers, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> examining in what rank &s;hould be placed the &s;mell of Violets, of Ro&s;es, of Pinks, of Ja&s;&s;emine, and of Oranges, under which they were &s;haded. But after a very plea&s;ant di&s;cour&s;e of &s;o delicate a &s;ubject, the Prince&s;s &s;ayd that the only fault of Perfumes was, that cu&s;tom made them lo&s;e their vertue, and by po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing them, one does not po&s;&s;e&s;s them: and &s;o if one will enjoy any plea&s;ure, they mu&s;t deprive them&s;elves of it for a certain time, &s;ince other|wi&s;e others enjoy it, and not they them&s;elves: and truly this rule is almo&s;t generall, for after one is accu&s;tomed unto fetters, they are not heavy; &s;laves are not &s;en&s;ible of their Chains; Plea&s;ures cea&s;e to be plea&s;ures by a long habit, and &s;o the &s;ame of &s;orrows. This rule Madam, which you think &s;o generall, replyed the Prince of <HI>Pho|ceus,</HI> hath yet his exceptions: For truly Madam, I know a mi&s;erable man who &s;uffers in &s;uch a manner, that though his mi&s;eries cannot encrea&s;e, yet he is &s;till more &s;en&s;ible of them, and habit as powerfull as it is, doth not dimini&s;h his grief; but on the contrary, the more he &s;uffers, the le&s;s is he accu&s;tomed to his &s;ufferings, and is &s;o extreamly impatient, that he not only complains, but he murmurs and repines al&s;o. Patience (replyed <HI>Clonsisbe</HI> faintly) is yet a remedy which is more provoked by mur|muring, then it is ea&s;ed by complaints. Yet truly Madam, replyed he, I am per&s;wa|ded that there is much ea&s;e in Complaints, and &s;ighes from a grieved heart do carry with them &s;ome of that &s;orrow which lies heavy upon it: but when tho&s;e &s;ighs are &s;ti|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">led, and &s;orrows &s;it &s;ilently within, believe it Madam there is no &s;uch deplorable condition: The truth is, it cannot continue long, for one mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity eyther complayn or dye. Methinks the choi&s;e of the&s;e two (replyed <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> and &s;miled) is very ea&s;ie. Since you conceive it &s;o Madam (replyed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus)</HI> I hope you will not be offended, if now, &s;eeing me put to a nece&s;&s;ity eyther of dying or com|playning, I make choi&s;e of the la&s;t: And I conjure you to give me leave not only to complain unto you, but of you, and of my &s;elf; for truly Madam, you have brought me into the mo&s;t pittifull condition in the world. I did not think Sir, replyed <HI>Cleonis|be,</HI> and blu&s;hed, that I had given any cau&s;e of complaint unto any, much le&s;&s;e unto you: But &s;ince it &s;eems I am mi&s;taken, I mu&s;t tell you in generall that I never had a|ny intention to hurt you: but I be&s;eech you, expect no further &s;atisfaction from me then this I have given you; for in the humour I am, I fear nothing more then too ma|ny explanations: Heavens pre&s;erve me Madam, replyed he, from being too offen|&s;ive: No Madam, all I de&s;ire is, you would be plea&s;ed to hear me, and not be angry. If you &s;hould tell me any thing, replyed &s;he, which will cau&s;e it, I conceive it better both for you and me, tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> did not heare you. Oh Madam (cryed he) I mu&s;t needs tell you in what a mi&s;erable condition I &s;hall be upon that day of Ceremony, when you &s;hall make him happy whom you &s;hall think worthy of your choi&s;e: For my part, I am &s;ure that I cannot in any rea&s;on pretend unto it: Yet I am able to prote&s;t that I love you more then all your adorers. Your language does &s;o much &s;urprize me, re|plyed <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> that I know not how to an&s;wer it; for truly I thought you had known me better. I know you Madam, replyed he, for the faire&s;t and mo&s;t excellent Prin|ce&s;s of the world.</P>
<P>But &s;ince it doth extreamly concern me that you know mee to be the mo&s;t mi&s;era|ble man alive, I mu&s;t let you know how much I have &s;uffered, &s;ince the fir&s;t minute I ever &s;aw you: Alas Madam, you doe not know the greatne&s;&s;e of my Pa&s;&s;ion: and Perhaps looking upon me as a mi&s;erable exile, you think it unworthy of your &s;elfe to put &s;o much as in any doubt, whether I &s;hall be cho&s;en. To te&s;tifie I much e|&s;teem you, an&s;wered <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> I will not &s;crupulou&s;ly in&s;i&s;t upon &s;trict rule which would have wholly reject all that can be called Love: and therefore will argue with you upon a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which much concerns my happine&s;&s;e, but I thinke not yours. And the rather, becau&s;e the lawes do permit me the choi&s;e, and allow me to &s;peak
<PB N="144" REF="754">
of it with out any offence unto decency, I &s;hall therefore ingeniou&s;ly tell you, that you have merit enough to pretend unto this choi&s;e: But Sir, though the Law doe give me the liberty of choi&s;e, yet I doe not think &s;o well of my &s;elf, as to tru&s;t un|to my &s;elfe in a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of this nature: &s;o as I indeed choo&s;e in appearance, but the King in effect, &s;ince I only doe what he plea&s;eth. So as if it were true that you loved me, and that I were not di&s;plea&s;ed at it, yet all your complaints would do me no good, &s;ince I will not &s;o much as plea&s;e my own &s;elfe: And to te&s;tifie that I have much confidence in your vertue, I will confe&s;&s;e unto you, that among&s;t all tho&s;e who at this ceremony will pretend unto my choi&s;e, there are three orders of them in my mind: &s;ome are meerly indifferent unto me: &s;ome I hate: and perhaps there will be one whom I would not hate, if it were permitted me to love him.</P>
<P>However, being per&s;waded that perhaps the King will appoint me to choo&s;e one of tho&s;e I hate, and &s;ince I know hee will not appoint mee to choo&s;e him whom I would, if I did follow my owne inclination, I am re&s;olved to humour him with a blind obedience: &s;o Sir, it is upon him my good or bad fate depends, and therefore never make any vaine complaints; for &s;ince I will not &s;eek my owne &s;atisfaction, it is not probable I &s;hould yours.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> was talking, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> looked her full in the eyes, to &s;ee if he could find in them which of the&s;e orders he was: and his mind was &s;o extreamly di&s;compo&s;ed, that almo&s;t in one minute, he thought him&s;elfe in the rank of indifferency, in the ranke of the hated, and in the happy rank of him that was loved. But Madam (&s;aid he unto her) will you not be plea&s;ed to let me know in which of the&s;e orders I am? I cannot well tell (replyed &s;he, and ro&s;e up) whether you be in any of the three. At lea&s;t Madam, honour me &s;o farre (added he) as to a&s;&s;ure me that I am not in the number of tho&s;e who are hated: doubtle&s;&s;e you are not, an&s;wered &s;hee, but perhaps you will, if you put me once more to the nece&s;&s;ity of hearing more of this di&s;cour&s;e. The Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> had a great mind to have retained her a little longer, but he could not; for &s;hee calling one of her women to mend &s;omething about the dre&s;&s;e upon her head, would not give any further occa|&s;ion of di&s;cour&s;ing upon his pa&s;&s;ion: So as he being re&s;olved to talke of nothing el&s;e, and not daring to di&s;obey, he was &s;ilent, and waited upon her unto her chamber, where pre&s;ently after &s;o much company came, that he could not po&s;&s;ibly talke alone with her.</P>
<P>In the mean while, great preparations were made for this Fea&s;t: And though only one of the&s;e Princes were to be cho&s;en, yet they were all as rich in their habits and e|quipage, as if they were all &s;ure of this election. And all the Ladies &s;et their inven|tions upon the rack for the newe&s;t dre&s;&s;e and fa&s;hion: And <HI>Amathilda</HI> among&s;t the re&s;t was as choi&s;e of that colour which would be&s;t become her as <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> was whether &s;hee &s;hould &s;ubmit unto the Kings mind, or follow her own according to the permitance of the law. It was all in vaine for her to aske the advice of <HI>Glacidia,</HI> for &s;hee was unalterable. So that her owne rea&s;on only &s;triving again&s;t her hatred of <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> and again&s;t her inclination unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> &s;hee was not without her many inquietudes. But the Eve of this great fea&s;t being come, the ap|prehen&s;ion of the&s;e foure Riuals were &s;o high, that one would have thought they had lo&s;t their wits and rea&s;ons. They were no &s;ooner in one place, but they were at another: They met with one another at a hundred turns: And the hatred which was between <HI>Bomilcar</HI> and the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince did begin to flame, and was ready to flame out.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> &s;he was &s;o &s;ad as would have moved pitty: yet endure it &s;hee mu&s;t that night, in which all the court was with her. Yet this multitude was one way advantageous to her for a while, for none of her foure Rivals could talke in private with her. But this la&s;ted not long; for the Prince <HI>Carimantes</HI> coming in, after a quarter of an hours di&s;cour&s;e, he went out againe, and carryed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> with him: And the company changing places, <HI>Bomilcar</HI> got next <HI>Cleo|nisbe,</HI> without eyther <HI>Britomartes</HI> or <HI>Galathes;</HI> for the la&s;t of the&s;e was gone unto <HI>Menedorus,</HI> to plot &s;ome de&s;ign with him, and the fir&s;t went unto the King, both of them going out with <HI>Carimantes:</HI> Then <HI>Bomilcar</HI> taking this opportunity, he u&s;ed it &s;o well, that he ingaged <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> again&s;t her mind to let him talk low unto her. I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid he unto her, as afterwards &s;hee told <HI>Glacidia)</HI>
<PB N="145" REF="754">
deny me not the favour which I &s;hall ask: and do me the honour to tell me, whether I may hope you will be plea&s;ed to make a bad choi&s;e to morrow, as to the merit of the per&s;on, but a ju&s;t one, as to the greatne&s;&s;e of his pa&s;&s;ion, who is &s;o bold as to aske whether he may hope to be cho&s;en. I once told you replyed &s;he, that I would choo&s; none but him whom it &s;hould plea&s;e the gods to in&s;pire into my thoughts: and I tell you it againe, and I a&s;&s;ure you, it is more of them then me that you ought to aske what you &s;eeme to de&s;ire, &s;ince truly I know neither your de&s;tiny, nor my own. Is it po&s;&s;ible Madam, replyed he, that you &s;hould not know whom you intend to make happy? If &s;o, alas I may be &s;ure you will make me mi&s;erable: For after &s;o many &s;ervices which I have done you, and &s;o many te&s;timonies of my love which I have given you, if you intended to do me ju&s;tice, you would not &s;peak thus unto me: However Madam, me thinks that if you were re&s;olved upon my ruine you &s;hould do me &s;o much favour as to tell me, to the end, that preventing your choi&s;e, by my death, I might &s;ave my &s;elfe &s;o much &s;orrow as to &s;ee my Rivall happy, and keep you from being taxed with inhumanitie: Me-thinkes Madam, neither <HI>Britomartes</HI> nor <HI>Glacidies</HI> have &s;o much right to pretend unto your affection as I have: I have a|dored you before they ever thought of you: and as for the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> he hath had the honour to know you &s;o very lately, and is &s;o much obliged unto you, that he were exceedingly unju&s;t, if he &s;hould offer to think you &s;hould do more for him, then for me. However it be, &s;ayd <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> and interrupted him, you &s;hall know to morrow about this time, and &s;o &s;hall I, whether I be ju&s;t or no. As <HI>Bomilcar</HI> was ready to reply, the King came in and prevented him; yet he was very glad to be &s;o interrupted, becau&s;e he hoped that he was come to &s;peak unto <HI>Cleo|nisbe</HI> in his behalfe: &s;o that with-drawing out of his re&s;pect, the King began to talk with <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> in a low voyce: In the interim <HI>Bomilcar</HI> addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto <HI>Gla|cidia,</HI> and to conjure her, that &s;he would not &s;till continue in the &s;ame mind &s;he was, in relation to the bu&s;ine&s;s betwixt the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and him. Since I never u&s;e to alter my opinion out of humour, replyed &s;he, I cannot do as you would have me, &s;ince the very &s;ame rea&s;ons which induce me to be neither for you nor for him, nor again&s;t him, nor again&s;t you, do continue &s;till, and are as good to day as ye&s;terday: And therefore do not take it ill if I alter not, &s;ince to change is a thing I &s;eldome u&s;e, unle&s;s &s;ome convincing rea&s;on tell me that my ground is un|ju&s;t. Though the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> replyed <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> hath done me no other hurt, but hindering you from being my mediator unto <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> yet I can never hate him enough for it; for had he never come hither, you had been a great pro|moter of my de&s;ires: I do confe&s;s it replyed &s;he. But I mu&s;t tell you al&s;o, that if you had not been a Rivall unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> I would have done him all the good offices I was able unto <HI>Cleonisbe.</HI></P>
<P>Oh <HI>Glacidia,</HI> replyed he, you have done him too much in doing me none: I a&s;&s;ure you Sir, replyed &s;he, I have done him no more, then I have done for you. However it be, &s;aid he, I am forced to tell you, that if I be not cho&s;en, I do not think I &s;hall be able to keep within tho&s;e limits you pre&s;cribe me, &s;o as methinks you &s;hould wi&s;h my happine&s;&s;e, le&s;t if I be not I &s;hould be forced to take &s;ome violent cour&s;e. To prevent it, replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> let me advi&s;e you this day to prepare your &s;elfe to be mi&s;erable to morrow, to the end that your &s;oule not being &s;urprized, may not be &s;haken. Oh <HI>Glacidia</HI> &s;ayd he, I am in extream feare. you know what I mu&s;t be: No &s;ayd &s;he, but I advi&s;e you, as I would my &s;elf, if the Ca&s;e were mine, and as I would advi&s;e the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> if he &s;hould &s;peak as you doe: As &s;he &s;ayd &s;o, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> entered, who &s;eeing the King talking with <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> and <HI>Bomil|car</HI> with <HI>Glacidia,</HI> went to his Rivall, that he might receive &s;o much &s;atisfaction as to interrupt him, and keep him from per&s;wading <HI>Glacidia</HI> to any which might pre|judice him.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> he was vexed, &amp; in &s;uch fear of incen&s;ing <HI>Glacidia,</HI> that he thought it better to retire, and leave his Rivall alone with her, then to &s;tay with him. But he was no &s;ooner gone, then the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> began to conjure <HI>Glacidia</HI> not to be unfaithfull to him: And at lea&s;t, though you will not favour me, yet do not hinder me: And if I can obtaine any more from you, let the Prince&s;s if it be po&s;&s;ible rather choo&s;e <HI>Britomartes</HI> or <HI>Galathes,</HI> then <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> that &s;o if I be not happy, he may fare no better then my &s;elfe.</P>
<P><PB N="146" REF="755">
Since your reque&s;t is unju&s;t, replyed &s;he, I mu&s;t deny it, and on the contrary declare, that I will do all I can to per&s;wade the Prince&s;s that there are none but you and <HI>Bomilcar</HI> who are worthy of her choi&s;e, to the end that if &s;he choo&s;e not you, &s;he may choo&s;e him; and if not him, &s;he may choo&s;e you; Thus being officious un|to you both, I will prejudice both your Rivals: and certainly I &s;hould do ve|ry well in it, &s;ince I conceive it to be advantageous unto <HI>Cleonisbe.</HI> As <HI>Glacidia</HI> pronounced the&s;e words, the King left <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> and me-thought as if he had &s;po|ken &s;omething which di&s;plea&s;ed her, for there appeared more melancholy in her eyes then before: And certainly I was not deceived; for after the King was gone, <HI>Glaci|dia</HI> under&s;tood that his vi&s;it had di&s;plea&s;ed <HI>Cleonisbe.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean while, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> who was returned unto the Prince&s;s in hopes to find an opportunity of privacy with her, was forced to retire without &s;pea|king one word unto her; for con&s;idering the ill a&s;pect of <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> he thought be&s;t to follow the King. But as &s;oon as all the company was gone out of the Chamber, &s;he called <HI>Glacidia</HI> unto her, and told her how the King with many aggravations had &s;hewed her rea&s;ons why he preferred <HI>Bomilcar</HI> before all the re&s;t of the Pretenders, and had ab&s;olutely commanded her to choo&s;e him.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> had imparted this unto <HI>Glacidia,</HI> one knockt at the door and &s;ayd that the Prince <HI>Carimantes</HI> de&s;ired to &s;ee her: and as <HI>Glacidia</HI> went out of the Clo&s;et, <HI>Carimantes</HI> entered, where as &s;oon as he was &s;etled, he began to &s;peak unto her. You have had &s;o much company (&s;ayd he unto the Prince&s;s) that I thought it not fit to &s;peak unto you of a bu&s;ine&s;s whereupon depends your happine&s;s as well as mine: but now you are alone, I conjure you to tell me whom you intend to make your choi&s;e? Since the King, replyed &s;he, hath not left me the liberty of my choi&s;e, but that I mu&s;t follow his de&s;ires again&s;t my own inclination, <HI>Bomilcar</HI> mu&s;t be pre|ferred&punc; Oh &s;i&s;ter &s;ayd the Prince <HI>Carimantes,</HI> &s;ince the King hath no lawfull power ab&s;olutely to command you: and &s;ince without infringement of the Law, he can only intreat you, I conjure you with all the earne&s;tne&s;s of my heart, to choo&s;e the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> and not <HI>Bomilcar. Cleonisbe</HI> hearing this, was &s;o &s;urprized that &s;he blu&s;ht; but &s;ince &s;he was not &s;orry to heare the Prince her Brother to &s;peak &s;o, and would have been glad to have him per&s;wade her unto it by &s;ome convincing rea|&s;ons and arguments, &s;he &s;eemed to re&s;i&s;t him: &s;he told him then that truly the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was a Prince of great merits; but &s;ince it was not the plea&s;ure of the King to choo&s;e him, &s;he thought it her duty to &s;ubmit. She had no &s;ooner &s;ayd &s;o, but <HI>Carimantes</HI> told her that it was fitter for her to &s;ubmit unto the Laws, then to make her choi&s;e by obedience: That he thought that her choi&s;e of a <HI>Graecian</HI> to be better then a <HI>Carthahinian;</HI> that the cau&s;e of the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> his exile, was glorious; that he had more Subjects, then <HI>Bomilcar</HI> had Va&s;&s;als; and that his merits did excell him every way. And above all other con&s;iderations, dear Si&s;ter &s;ayd he, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> is Brother unto the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> unto whom he hath promi&s;ed to be my mediator, and hath put me in hopes to exclude <HI>Menedorus</HI> from her heart: Oh Sir, &s;ayd &s;he, I am afraid that all your arguments which you think &s;o full of rea|&s;on, would not appear &s;o unto you, but becau&s;e you are intere&s;ted; for I be&s;eech you, what rea&s;ons &s;hould I give unto the King for not &s;ubmitting to his commands? You may tell him (replyed <HI>Carimantes)</HI> that I advi&s;ed you: That an&s;wer might pro|duce a dangerous con&s;equence replyed &s;he; and I had rather (&s;ayd &s;he and blu&s;hed) make him believe that I love the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> then to make him &s;u&s;pect any de|fects of duty in you. But truly (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;ighed) the Kings words unto me will not give me leave to hearken unto you; for as he did aggravate the matter unto me, if I did not make choi&s;e of him, I &s;hould cau&s;e him to break off the Peace which he made for us with the <HI>Carthaginians,</HI> and &s;o renew a War: Al&s;o he told me, I &s;hould ruine my Country, if I did not follow his advice. Oh &s;i&s;ter, replyed this violent Prince, I mu&s;t tell you, there is le&s;s danger in a Forraign War then in a Civill: and as the King told you, that you &s;hould cau&s;e a War with the <HI>Carthaginians,</HI> if you did not choo&s;e <HI>Bomilcar.</HI></P>
<P>So I mu&s;t tell you, that if you do not choo&s;e the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> you will cau&s;e War in your own Country; for I &s;hall the very next day quit the Court, and fortifie <HI>Mar&s;eilles,</HI> and with a body both of <HI>Greeks</HI> and <HI>Segoregians,</HI> &s;hall carve out Ju&s;tice unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> by giving you a legall, voluntary, and not a forced choi&s;e;
<PB N="147" REF="755">
for I am not &s;o blind, but I can &s;ee, that you e&s;teem the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> enough to choo&s;e him, if the King did not hinder you, and do hate <HI>Bomilcar</HI> &s;o much, that you would never choo&s;e him, if you had the freedome of your own inclination: And therefore Si&s;ter &s;atisfie your &s;elf and me, &s;ince you may very well do it without any offence unto the Law of the Land. I know very well Sir, replyed &s;he, that I may, but I know not whether I ought, and therefore I conjure you to attempt no &s;uch violent cour&s;es as I perceive you fancy: But to let you &s;ee, that the rea&s;on why I will not make you any &s;uch promi&s;e as you de&s;ire, is, becau&s;e I conceive honour will not per|mit me. I will ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s, that if I did follow the motions of my own heart, I &s;hould prefer the virtue of the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> before any: And this I do confe&s;s, Sir, to the end you may know, that &s;ince I value not my own intere&s;t, you ought not to think it &s;trange, if I do not &s;acrifice my honour for your &s;atisfaction: And the rather, becau&s;e I am confident that though the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> be not cho&s;en, yet he will not faile to be your mediator unto <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> &s;ince he is obliged unto it, for his own &s;ake, and for hers as well as for yours.</P>
<P>But Si&s;ter, replyed <HI>Carimantes,</HI> if you had loved <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> what could you do more for him? I a&s;&s;ure you Sir, replyed &s;he, that my thoughts of him are very farr from de&s;erving the name of Love. But Sir, &s;ince I am a lover of glory above all things, I be&s;eech you let me take the advice of my pillow, and con&s;ider both of the Kings rea|&s;ons and yours. But fir&s;t tell me, &s;ayd he, whether you have made him any po&s;itive promi&s;e to obey his de&s;ires? I had not &s;o much power, replyed &s;he; but &s;ince my an|&s;wer was only by a re&s;pective and humble &s;ilence, I believe he thought that I would obey him. If you do obey him, replyed <HI>Carimantes;</HI> you force me to become a Re|bell, and to do all that the pa&s;&s;ion of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince &s;hall de&s;ire me, to the end he may favour mine. Therefore Si&s;ter, &s;ince by obeying the Law, you will prevent a dangerous Warr; you will do ju&s;tice unto a Prince who adores you; you will con|tribute unto my happine&s;s, and keep your &s;elf from being mi&s;erable, obey it rather then the King. After this <HI>Carimantes</HI> being gone, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> called for <HI>Glacidia,</HI> un|to whom &s;he imparted all her Brother had &s;ayd: and that &s;he might not be ignorant of any cau&s;es of her inquietude, &s;he told her further, how two of great quality in the Country had told her, that if &s;he did not make choi&s;e of <HI>Britomartes</HI> (who was only of all the Pretenders, that Country man) all the Nobility of the Kingdome would take his part; adding, that <HI>Hipomenes</HI> did adverti&s;e him how <HI>Galathes</HI> had plotted &s;ome great de&s;ign with <HI>Menedorus</HI> in ca&s;e he were not cho&s;en: So as, &s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Glacidia,</HI> which way &s;oever I look, I find my &s;elf in the mo&s;t pittifull condition in the world: For truly if I obey the King, I &s;hall choo&s;e <HI>Bomilcar</HI> whom I hate, I &s;hall not choo&s;e the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> whom I love. I &s;hall incen&s;e the Prince my Brother, I &s;hall di&s;oblige all the Nobility; di&s;obliging <HI>Britomartes:</HI> Al&s;o I do ex|po&s;e my &s;elf unto the violence and &s;ubtlety of <HI>Galathes,</HI> who is the craftie&s;t man a|live. But there cannot be the lea&s;t thought of choo&s;ing either <HI>Britomartes</HI> or <HI>Gala|thes;</HI> for though my naturall aver&s;ion be &s;tronger again&s;t <HI>Bomilcar</HI> then again&s;t them, yet I know, that if I mu&s;t be unju&s;t unto <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> it mu&s;t be in favour of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince: For by choo&s;ing one of them, I &s;hould equally incen&s;e the King and the Prince my Brother, yet they are both of them much to be feared; for the one may rai&s;e a party in the State, and the other being very powerfull with the King of the <HI>Celtes,</HI> may cau&s;e a vexatious War.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, if I &s;hould do as the Prince my Brother would have me, and perhaps as my &s;elf would as much as he, I &s;hould more incen&s;e <HI>Britomartes</HI> and <HI>Ga|lathes,</HI> then if I &s;hould choo&s;e <HI>Bomilcar.</HI> But the great Con&s;ideration of all is, that I &s;hall incen&s;e the King, and I doubt di&s;honour my &s;elfe by it: And after all this <HI>Glacidia</HI> (added <HI>Cleonisbe)</HI> can you be &s;o inhumane as to deny me your Coun&s;ell in &s;o perplexing a conjuncture? No Madam, replyed &s;he, and &s;ince you command me, I will take &s;o much liberty as to tell you, that to ridd your &s;elf of half your trouble, you mu&s;t never think either of <HI>Galathes</HI> or <HI>Britomartes:</HI> but without any fears either of the <HI>Celtes</HI> or <HI>Segoregians,</HI> never trouble your mind with any thing but your choi&s;e either of <HI>Bomilcar</HI> or the Prince of <HI>Phoceus.</HI></P>
<P>Alas <HI>Glacidia,</HI> &s;ayd <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> by leaving me in doubt of that choi&s;e, you leave me in doubt of all. Truly Madam, replyed &s;he, this is all I either can or ought to do: For being fully per&s;waded you cannot choo&s;e ami&s;s between them two which I
<PB N="148" REF="756">
named, I thought I might well &s;ay what I did, but ought not to &s;ay any more, &s;ince I cannot prejudice either <HI>Bomilcar</HI> or the Prince of <HI>Phoceus:</HI> Therefore Madam, it is your &s;elf only who mu&s;t examine the rea&s;ons both of the King and the Prince <HI>Cari|mantes,</HI> and to do what you &s;hall find mo&s;t expedient. If I &s;hould hearken unto rea|&s;on, replyed &s;he, I &s;hould choo&s;e <HI>Bomilcar;</HI> and if I &s;hould honour the motions of my own heart, I &s;hould choo&s;e the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince. But for all this (added &s;he and &s;igh|ed) &s;ince I cannot think my rea&s;on will be &s;trong enough to overcome this powerful inclination which prompts me to choo&s;e the Prince of <HI>Phoceus;</HI> and &s;ince I do not think this inclination, as powerfull as it is, can overcome my Rea&s;on, I could find in my heart a di&s;po&s;ition, neither to choo&s;e <HI>Bomilcar</HI> nor the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> nor <HI>Britomartes,</HI> nor <HI>Galathes,</HI> but to name the fir&s;t man of Quality that I &s;hall &s;ee in the Temple: So that incen&s;ing all at once, both the King, the Prince <HI>Carimantes,</HI> the Prince of <HI>Phoceus, Bomilcar, Galathes,</HI> and <HI>Britomartes,</HI> they may overwhelm me with reproaches, and make me dye with &s;orrow and &s;hame, before I go out of the Temple. <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> did pronounce the&s;e words with &s;uch agony of &s;pirit, that they made <HI>Glacidia</HI> extreamly &s;ad; yet &s;he kept her &s;elfe clo&s;e unto her re&s;olved li|mits, and did as much as ever &s;he could to calm the heart of <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> without bya&s;|&s;ing her &s;elf more on <HI>Bomilcars</HI> &s;ide, then of the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> or favouring the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> more then <HI>Bomilcar.</HI> Yet was &s;he put to a <HI>Dilemma</HI> after this; for after <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> had &s;eriou&s;ly pondered upon it, and had &s;ilent &s;tood a while, &s;he turned &s;uddenly towards <HI>Glacidia:</HI> 'Tis done, &s;ayd &s;he, I am re&s;olved upon it, and re&s;ol|ved to overcome two mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ions at once, I meane hatred and its contrary Pa&s;&s;ion: But that I may be the better able to do it, you mu&s;t encourage my weakne&s;s by your Commendations, and tell me I have done well in choo&s;ing <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> and &s;hould do ill if I &s;hould choo&s;e the Prince of <HI>Phoceus:</HI> Under your favour Madam, re|plyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> I will neither commend nor blame you in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, but &s;hall tell you as heretofore I have done that you cannot choo&s;e ill between the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Bomilcar;</HI> yet &s;ince you can be ju&s;t unto the one, without being unju&s;t unto the other, you cannot too well con&s;ider upon a matter of &s;uch importance.</P>
<P>Since you leave me to my own &s;en&s;e, replyed <HI>Cleonisbe:</HI> not to deceive my &s;elfe, I will take the mo&s;t difficult part, and by con&s;equence the mo&s;t glorious: I know very well, that I ought not to build too much upon the coun&s;ell of the Prince my Brother; for &s;ince the intere&s;t of his own pa&s;&s;ion makes him &s;peak, I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> ought to &s;u&s;pect all he &s;aith, and rather believe the King then him.</P>
<P>Moreover &s;ince my heart hath been &s;o weak as to engage it &s;elf more then I would, tis fit I puni&s;h it for its unju&s;t hatred unto <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> that I deprive it of what it loves, and &s;ubmit unto what it hates. The&s;e <HI>Glacidia</HI> are my thoughts now, and I know not whether you will find me in the &s;ame mind to morrow, However, though you have denyed me your Coun&s;ell, yet I pray you do not al&s;o deny me your Prayers un|to the Gods, that they will be plea&s;ed to give me &s;o much force as to execute what I now re&s;olve upon. After this and a hundred tender expre&s;&s;ions, <HI>Glacidia</HI> left her, and went home, being exceedingly perplexed to &s;ee her &s;elfe driven unto &s;uch a cruell ne|ce&s;&s;ity, as the next day to grieve with the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> for the &s;ame thing which obliged her to rejoyce with <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> for &s;he &s;aw <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> was fully re&s;olved to choo&s;e him. Yet &s;he did not think it expedient to &s;peak of it: and indeed &s;he &s;ayd not a &s;yllable of it either unto <HI>Bomilcar</HI> or the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> who came both un|to her. But on the contrary, was &s;o firme to her re&s;olutions, and did compo&s;e her countenance &s;o well, that their de&s;igns of getting the knowledg of their De&s;tinies from her, were fru&s;trated; for they knowing that &s;he had been late with <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> they hoped to get &s;ome light out of her; but being mi&s;taken in their hopes, each of them departed. <HI>Bomilcar</HI> went to the King, and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> unto <HI>Cari|mantes.</HI></P>
<P>As for <HI>Britamartes,</HI> he had abundance of men of quality with him, to follow him unto the Temple: <HI>Galathes</HI> was as bu&s;ie in hindering others from being cho&s;en, as he was to be cho&s;en him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Al&s;o <HI>Carimantes</HI> and <HI>Menedorus</HI> tran&s;acting according to their intere&s;ts, it might very well be &s;aid they were all extreamly bu&s;ie: yet <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> was mo&s;t to be la|mented, and the condition wherein &s;hee was, was &s;o very pittifull, that a wor&s;e cannot be imagined: For truly it being permitted her to go into her chamber untill
<PB N="149" REF="756">
the time of going to the Temple, &s;he received a hundred &s;everall me&s;&s;ages either from the King, or from <HI>Carimantes,</HI> or from the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> or from his three Rivalls. Yet &s;he had &s;o &s;ad an a&s;pect, as it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee her heart was in extream &s;orrow, and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> as well as <HI>Bomilcar</HI> did ob&s;erve it. For accompanying the Prince <HI>Carimantes,</HI> who went to &s;ee her a little before &s;he went to the Temple, unto which the King was to lead her, they came to <HI>Gla|cidia</HI> in their turns, and expounded her &s;adne&s;&s;e according to their owne re&s;entments. Alas <HI>Glacidia</HI> (&s;aid the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> unto her) what a &s;trange melancholy do I di&s;cover in the eyes of the Prince&s;s? have I not abundance of rea&s;on to feare, if I love her, that I &s;hall be unfortunate, if &s;he &s;hould choo&s;e me, &s;ince their is &s;uch a &s;trange repugnancy in her rather then wi&s;h a happine&s;&s;e which hath cau&s;ed &s;uch a &s;ad melancoly in her?</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Bomilcar</HI> rea&s;oning after the &s;ame manner of mode hee u&s;ed, and drawing a good pre&s;age from this weakne&s;&s;e, he told <HI>Glacidia,</HI> that knowing the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was more in <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> favour then he was, that he could not chu&s;e but be very glad to &s;ee &s;o much melancholy in the countenance of the Prince&s;s, becau&s;e it argued that the choi&s;e which &s;hee was to make did not fully plea&s;e her, and therefore he had rea&s;on to hope, that &s;ince the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was not like|ly to be cho&s;en, he him&s;elf was: But Madam, a chance hapned a little after, which made it apparent that they rea&s;oned more according to their feares, or according to their de&s;ires and hopes, then according unto right rea&s;on: For as the Prince <HI>Cari|mantes</HI> went out, and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Bomilcar</HI> following him, the la&s;t of the&s;e ob&s;erved that <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> blushed as &s;he looked upon his Rivall; and immediate|ly after the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> ob&s;erved that &s;he changed colour as &s;hee looked upon <HI>Bomilcar.</HI> So as one of them apprehending fear, and the other hope, one and the &s;ame thing cau&s;ed two very different effects in their hearts. For <HI>Bomilcar</HI> thought &s;he blushed as &s;he looked upon the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> only becau&s;e &s;he should not choo&s;e him: And the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> thought she blushed as she looked upon <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> becau&s;e being to choo&s;e him, a &s;park of mode&s;ty broke out that colour in her cheeks: &s;o neither the one or other knowing the true rea&s;on of her changing colour, both of them did conclude upon fal&s;e conjectures, for the Prince&s;s after|wards confe&s;&s;ed unto <HI>Glacidia,</HI> that when she blushed as she looked upon <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> it was only out of a re&s;entment of hatred mixed with anger, to &s;ee her &s;elf forced to choo&s;e him. And when she changed colour in &s;eeing the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> it was out of shame, at the inju&s;tice she was going to do unto her Love, and the violence she was to offer unto her naturall inclination.</P>
<P>In the mean time, according to the cu&s;tome, <HI>Carimantes</HI> followed by the&s;e foure Rivalls, and all the men of quality in the Court, went unto the Temple, where all the <HI>Sarronides</HI> of the Kingdom were pre&s;ent that day. I shall not trouble you Ma|dam, with any de&s;cription of that crowd of people in the &s;treets and in the Temple, nor mention the magnificence of the foure Rivals, nor of <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> dre&s;&s;e, nor of all the re&s;t of the Ladies, for it would but abu&s;e your patience. Give me leave on|ly to tell you, that the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Bomilcar</HI> were the two, who&s;e habits were mo&s;t admired, and of them two, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> had the advantage: As for <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> as melancholy as &s;he was, yet she appeared admirably fair: and next the Prince&s;s, <HI>Amathilde</HI> was the mo&s;t gli&s;tering in her dre&s;&s;e, and was the &s;uperla|tive both in beauty and youth: And she knew it &s;o well, that she told <HI>Glacidia</HI> in raillary, remembring their di&s;pute, that upon condition she were &s;ure to be &s;ix years older then she was that day, she would mo&s;t willingly re&s;ign her life, and never aske more in this world.</P>
<P>But in conclu&s;ion Madam, the Prince&s;s being ready, the King came to take her, and leading her into a Chariot of Triumph wherein they two did fit alone, they went unto the Temple, and all the Ladies followed in other Chariots. Since order is much ob&s;erved in that Country in all the&s;e Fea&s;ts, as &s;oon as the King and the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> were &s;et in the mid&s;t of the Temple upon a Throne, all the Ladies did &s;it round about on &s;caffolds where they might have be&s;t &s;ight; and on the right and left hand of the Throne &s;tood all the men of quality, among&s;t which were the four Rivals: As for the Prince <HI>Carimantes,</HI> he &s;ate upon a &s;caffold with <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> pla|cing him&s;elf &s;o that <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> might &s;ee him, and that he might make &s;igns unto
<PB N="150" REF="757">
her, and &s;hew unto her, that his happine&s;s depended upon her choi&s;e, as well as her own. But Madam, I had forgot to tell you, that at the entrance into the Tem|ple, a knot of Jewels which tyed a &s;carfe of Tiffany about <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> neck being broke, <HI>Glacidia</HI> who was next her, advanced to reach them up unto her, whil&s;t the King was hearkning unto what the Prince of the <HI>Sarronides</HI> did &s;ay, who was come to receive him at the Gate of the Temple: &s;o as whil&s;t <HI>Glacidia</HI> was doing her this piece of &s;ervice, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> &s;pake low unto her: There is yet time enough to give me Coun&s;ell, my deare <HI>Glacidia,</HI> &s;ayd &s;he unto her, but within this quarter of an hour it will be too late: And if I do not repent of the re&s;olution which I have taken, I &s;hall prefer him whom I hate, before him whom I love: You have not then changed the re&s;olution of ye&s;terday (replyed <HI>Glacidia,</HI> and &s;pake as low as &s;he could) No (an|&s;wered <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> and &s;ighed) but I have &s;o much ado to remain firm, that I dare hard|ly bragg of conquering my &s;elfe, &s;ince at this very minute I have a combate with my &s;elfe, and &s;trive with more force then I am able to expre&s;s. As the Prince&s;s &s;ayd &s;o, the knot of Diamonds being fa&s;tned, and the King beginning to walk, <HI>Glacidia</HI> could not an&s;wer, but went up to the Scaffold of <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> where &s;he might &s;ee <HI>Cleo|nisbe,</HI> the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> and <HI>Bomilcar;</HI> for the two other Rivals were on the oppo&s;ite &s;ide to that where <HI>Glacidia</HI> was. She &s;aw <HI>Britomartes</HI> and <HI>Galathes</HI> al&s;o, but it was only their faces; yet intere&s;ting her &s;elf only in <HI>Bomilcar</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Pho|ceus,</HI> &s;he cared not for ob&s;erving the re&s;t, nor cared what they thought: But at la&s;t Madam, as &s;oon as the King and the Prince&s;s his Daughter were &s;et upon the throne in the mid&s;t of the Temple, the Prince of the <HI>Sarronides</HI> began to read the Law, which required that this choi&s;e &s;hould be made, and gave an ab&s;olute free liberty of choi&s;e unto the per&s;on who was to choo&s;e, provided that there was no di&s;propor|tion in the quality of that party which was cho&s;en. After which, Mu&s;ique, half <HI>Gra|cian,</HI> half <HI>Gaule,</HI> did make the roof of the Temple to Eccho, whil&s;t all the <HI>Sarronides</HI> were praying unto the gods to in&s;pire the Prince&s;s with &s;uch a choi&s;e as might be hap|py for her &s;elf and the State. But Madam, whil&s;t the Prayers were making, what dif|ferent Devotions were in the heart of <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> of the four Pretenders, of <HI>Cariman|tes,</HI> of <HI>Menedorus,</HI> and of <HI>Glacidia?</HI> But among&s;t the re&s;t, what may one imagine to be the apprehen&s;ions of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, and of <HI>Bomilcar?</HI> For my part, who can only gue&s;s by &s;eeing them, I profe&s;s I pittyed them; for &s;ometimes they would look upon the Prince&s;s as if they begd<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d her favour: &s;ometimes again they would look upon her with &s;ome &s;parks of fury in their eyes, and &s;ometimes they would ca&s;t a mo&s;t extream melancholy look upon <HI>Glacidia.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean while, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> &s;uffered as much as they; for being at the very point of pronouncing &s;entence, and condemning her &s;elf, to pa&s;&s;e all her life with a man whom &s;he could not choo&s;e but hate, and to part for ever from a Prince whom &s;hee could not chu&s;e but love, &s;he was &s;en&s;ible of more then ever &s;he could expre&s;s unto <HI>Glacidia,</HI> though &s;he employed the mo&s;t apt and &s;ignificant words in the world for it. At fir&s;t her rea&s;on would act with her heart as a Rebell which it had tamed: but this Rebell having broken tho&s;e chayns which her rea&s;on had put upon it, the Warre which &s;he thought ended, did but begin, and begun more violently then before. So as whil&s;t they were praying unto the Gods to in&s;pire her, &s;he was in &s;o great a com|bu&s;tion of &s;pirits, that &s;he knew not what to aske them: She had not &s;ooner enter|tained a thought of that prayer which &s;he framed in her re&s;olution of choo&s;ing <HI>Bo|milcar,</HI> but &s;he perceived her &s;elfe unre&s;olved whether &s;he &s;hould choo&s;e him or no. However, &s;he had not &s;o much power as to pray that the gods would give her &s;o much boldne&s;s as to prefer the Prince of <HI>Phoceus:</HI> and as &s;he afterwards told <HI>Glacidia</HI> &s;he had not power to pray that they would in&s;pire her according to their own wills. But at la&s;t, her piety being &s;tronger, &s;he forced her heart to &s;ubmit unto their con|duct, and prayed zealou&s;ly that &s;he might make &s;uch a choi&s;e, as might more con|duce unto her glory then unto her &s;atisfaction. But the more &s;he prayed, the le&s;s quiet was in her &s;oule, and more ravelled in her re&s;olutions of choo&s;ing. Moreover, her naturall aver&s;ne&s;s to <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> and her affection to the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> a&s;&s;u|ming fre&s;h forces to torment her, there was a new hot combate in her mind.</P>
<P>Furthermore, the menaces of civill and forreign Warr which the King and <HI>Cari|mantes</HI> had by their talk made known unto her, filled her imagination with &s;uch &s;ad con&s;equences, that they rai&s;ed a mo&s;t terrible combu&s;tion in her heart.</P>
<P><PB N="151" REF="757">
Again, her fears to incen&s;e the King, or to force <HI>Carimantes</HI> unto &s;ome violent cour&s;e, did extreamly perplex her, but the &s;ight of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince went neare&s;t her heart: And truly Madam, there appeared &s;uch lively &s;orrow in the face of the Prince, that it being ea&s;ie for <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> to conclude there was as much love in her heart, as melancholy in his eyes, &s;he was fuller of irre&s;olution and di&s;pair then ever. So as when the Prince of the <HI>Sarronides</HI> had made a learned di&s;cour&s;e upon the impor|tance of that choi&s;e which <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> was to make, &s;he knew not in the earth what &s;he would, or what &s;he would not have.</P>
<P>In the mean time, according to the cu&s;tome, the King gave a Ring of an ine&s;tima|ble value unto the Prince&s;s his Daughter, who after &s;he had taken it, de&s;cended from the Throne, and was to put it into the hands of the Prince of the <HI>Sarronides;</HI> who af|ter he had received it from her, began to &s;peak with &s;uch authority, as if &s;he had not been Daughter unto that King unto whom he was a Subject. After I have recei|ved this Ring which is here in my hand (&s;aid he unto her) it is your part Madam to name unto me the man whom you think worthy of your choi&s;s, to the end I may give it unto him: But fir&s;t, remember that this choi&s;e ought to be free, it ought to be rea&s;onable, and it ought to be worthy of your &s;elfe. In order unto the&s;e, con&s;ult only with your own rea&s;on, and let neither feare or any humane re&s;pect what&s;oever move you to infringe the Law, which requires that you &s;hould be equitable in your choi&s;e. Be plea&s;ed Madam, then to tell me whom you think worthy of your choi&s;e: At the&s;e words, according to the cu&s;tome; the Prince&s;s would have named him whom &s;he would choo&s;e, and would have &s;ayd <HI>Bomilcar.</HI> But her tongue having no power to pronounce &s;o much as the fir&s;t &s;illable of that name, though &s;he did &s;trive to do it, in lieu of an&s;wering, &s;he &s;tood &s;ilent: and pre&s;ently growing pale, then blu&s;hing im|mediately after, her &s;oule was in &s;uch a maze, as &s;he knew not whom &s;he &s;aw, or where &s;he was: In&s;omuch as not being able to be mi&s;tri&s;s of her &s;elfe, nor calm &s;o great a &s;torm in &s;o &s;hort a time, &s;he layd her hand upon her eyes, &s;he &s;eemed to be &s;o &s;ick and weak, that &s;he was not able to fini&s;h the Ceremony: In&s;omuch as the Prince of the <HI>Sarronides</HI> being a man of an admirable &s;pirit, and knowing that cer|tainly this accident proceeded from the irre&s;olution of her &s;oul, he went unto her, and &s;ayd that it were expedient to adjourn the Ceremony untill another time: And then <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> accepting of that motion, did gladly con&s;ent it &s;hould be &s;o. You may ea&s;ily imagine Madam, what a rumour this made in the Church, and what a|mazement it cau&s;ed in the minds of the four Rivals.</P>
<P>When the Prince <HI>Carimantes</HI> &s;aw how the ca&s;e &s;tood, he came from his &s;caffold, and going &s;traight unto <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> he began to talk with her in a low voyce: Oh Si|&s;ter &s;ayd he unto her, I be&s;eech you defer not your happine&s;s and mine, one word is quickly pronounced Perhaps too quickly for you this day (replyed &s;he and &s;ighed) and therefore its better to defer it untill another time.</P>
<P>In the mean while, the&s;e foure Rivals knew not what to think, yet <HI>Bomilcar</HI> con|cluded that he had rea&s;on to grieve that he was not cho&s;en. And the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> had &s;o much comfort as to think, that &s;ince <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> had not pronounced <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> it was almo&s;t a certain &s;ign &s;he did not love him, for he knew the King would have her choo&s;e him. As for <HI>Britomartes</HI> and <HI>Galathes,</HI> &s;ince their hopes were more in their factions then any thing el&s;e, they were not &s;o angry as <HI>Bomilcar</HI> that <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> choi&s;e was deferred. But whil&s;t they were every one rea&s;oning with them&s;elves, the Prince&s;s did carry her &s;elf as one who was &s;ick, and was carryed back unto the Palace, where &s;he was &s;o extreamly a&s;hamed, that &s;he could not vanqui&s;h her &s;elfe as from a feigned &s;ickne&s;s, &s;he fell &s;ick in earne&s;t. To tell you Madam all the expre&s;&s;ions of this Prince&s;s when &s;he was alone with <HI>Glacidia,</HI> is a task not ea&s;ie: Well cruell wo|man, &s;ayd this &s;ick Prince&s;s, did I not tell you I &s;tood in need of your rea&s;on to &s;trengthen mine? now you &s;ee what a &s;hame I have brought upon my &s;elf: I would have named <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> but my heart turned Rebell, and would not &s;uffer me to pro|nounce him: and I was in &s;uch a condition, that if I had not &s;topped my mouth, I had named his Rivall in lieu of him. But <HI>Glacidia,</HI> make me &s;o a&s;hamed of my weak|ne&s;s, that I may repent; for I mu&s;t confe&s;s it to be &s;o very great, that maugre all my &s;hame, I am in &s;ome &s;ort glad that I am yet free, and that I did not name <HI>Bomilcar;</HI> for if I had overcome my &s;elf, my victory had already co&s;t me more tears, then my defeat hath &s;ighs. However, I be&s;eech you chide me for being &s;o little Mi&s;tre&s;s of my
<PB N="152" REF="758">
own heart: If I &s;hould take &s;o much liberty as to chide you for any thing Madam, re|plyed &s;he, it &s;hould be for commanding me to condemn any of your actions; for truly Madam, I think it to be ju&s;t that you &s;hould choo&s;e the Prince of <HI>Phoceus&punc;</HI> I think it ju&s;t you &s;hould choo&s;e <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> and I thinke it ju&s;t you &s;hould hardly re&s;olve which to choo&s;e. Thus finding rea&s;on in all you do, I cannot condemn you Madam: All I am able to do, is to pitty her who cannot choo&s;e, as well as tho&s;e who cannot be cho&s;en. However, the Prince&s;s was not in a condition to renew the Ceremony, for a feaver of above twelve days did &s;eize upon her, during which time &s;he would not &s;ee either the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> or <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> or <HI>Britomartes,</HI> or <HI>Galathes:</HI> Yet &s;ince &s;he could not choo&s;e but admit of <HI>Carimantes</HI> to &s;ee her, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> had a powerfull mediator unto her. Yet <HI>Bomilcar</HI> did more prejudice him&s;elf, then <HI>Cari|mantes</HI> could &s;erve the Prince of <HI>Phoceus:</HI> For thinking he had &s;ome inju&s;tice done him if he were not cho&s;en he, did not only complain again&s;t the Prince&s;s, but again&s;t the King al&s;o, imagining that he had not &s;olicited <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> enough in his behalfe.</P>
<P>Now, <HI>Galathes</HI> fearing <HI>Bomilcar</HI> more then he did the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> he car|ryed it &s;o, that the Prince&s;s knew how <HI>Bomilcar</HI> complained again&s;t her, and let the King al&s;o know what he &s;aid agin&s;t him. As for <HI>Britomartes,</HI> he went another way to worke; for he &s;pake aloud, that if Ju&s;tice were not done him, he would unite all his friends, and the friends of all his Rivalls who were no happier then him&s;elfe, to mole&s;t the happine&s;s of him that &s;hould be cho&s;en: &s;o as there was none but the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> which did not openly complayn though his &s;oule was as &s;ad as any of the re&s;t: But when he was alone with <HI>Glacidia,</HI> what did he not &s;ay to &s;crue the thoughts of <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> out of her, which &s;he had upon that day of &s;olemnity; which at the beginning had all appearances of a jollity, but at the end was all melan|choly. It &s;eems al&s;o, it was a day de&s;ignd by fate to be univer&s;ally &s;ad, for three ex|traordinary accidents did fall out upon it: and among&s;t the re&s;t, nothing was more talked of, then that the faire and young <HI>Amathilde</HI> &s;hould that day fall &s;ick, and of a &s;ickne&s;s &s;o &s;trange and terrible, that all Phy&s;icians &s;ayd, that though &s;he her &s;elf e&s;caped, yet her beauty could not: Yet they did not at fir&s;t tell her as much, but on the contrary, knowing her humour, they a&s;&s;ured her that &s;he would recover her beauty with her health.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the violence of <HI>Bomilcar</HI> having di&s;plea&s;ed the King, the Prince <HI>Carimantes</HI> clo&s;ed with that opportunity, and went unto him one morning without acquainting <HI>Cleonisbe:</HI> and the King lending him a willing eare, with much boldne&s;s and eloquence, he hinted unto him that he &s;hould not &s;uffer <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> to marry a man who was &s;o in&s;olent as to pretend unto that honour as a due unto him, in&s;omuch as the King did agree <HI>Bomilcar</HI> was too blame: After this, driving the nail to the head, he intimated many inconveniences which were to be feared, if he &s;uffered her to marry eyther <HI>Britomartes</HI> or <HI>Galathes;</HI> and that much le&s;&s;e danger would en&s;ue, if he preferred the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> before any of the re&s;t: At fir&s;t, <HI>Carimantes</HI> found &s;ome repugnancy in the Kings mind, not but that he had a high e&s;teem of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, and loved him extreamly: but being an exile from his Country, this &s;tuck much in his mind. Yet <HI>Carimantes</HI> would not be repul&s;ed for but he pre&s;&s;ed the matter &s;o home, that he obliged the King to think well of him: &s;o as going to carry this welcome news unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> he made him ex|treamly joyed, and obtained from him a confirmation of his promi&s;e, to oblige <HI>One|&s;icrite</HI> to receive the honour he did her very favourably.</P>
<P>The truth is Madam, the Prince <HI>Carimantes</HI> being joyned, nothing could oppo&s;e them, and their power was &s;tronger then <HI>Bomilcars, Britomartes,</HI> and <HI>Galathes</HI> all together. I shall not in&s;i&s;t Madam upon a relation of this important Negotiation; but only tell you that whil&s;t this feaver which the Prince&s;s had, was the pretence of &s;eeing no body; <HI>Carimantes</HI> carryed the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> unto her, and made her confe&s;s unto him that she was glad the King would permit her to do Ju&s;tice unto his merit. It is not an ea&s;ie matter Madam, to relate his raptures of joy: and yet it was greater, when he unde&s;tood that <HI>Carimantes</HI> had negotiated &s;o well with the King, that he gave his con&s;ent they should be happy, and likewi&s;e did permit the Prince his &s;onne to marry <HI>One&s;icrite.</HI> However the&s;e things were carryed &s;o clo&s;ely, that they made no noi&s;e in the Court: For &s;ince the meetings of the King, and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> of <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> and <HI>Carimantes,</HI> were alwayes with much caution,
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nothing was divulged. Moreover, <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> writing almo&s;t every day unto <HI>One&s;i|crite,</HI> to exhort her unto the publique good before her own private &s;atisfaction, &s;he re&s;olved to &s;acrifice her pa&s;&s;ion unto the good of her Country, and did &s;o affirma|tively promi&s;e it unto this illu&s;trious Virgin of <HI>Diana,</HI> as there was no cau&s;e of any doubt but that &s;he would overcom her &s;elf. So that when the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was adverti&s;ed by <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> how the ca&s;e &s;tood, and wi&s;hed his Si&s;ter to break off with <HI>Menedorus,</HI> &s;ince <HI>Sfurius</HI> would not let her marry him, and when afterwards he de&s;i|red her to receive the affection of the Prince <HI>Carimantes,</HI> &s;he told him that &s;he would obey him: Tis true, &s;he told him &s;o with a &s;igh, yet it was after &s;uch a manner, as one might &s;ee &s;he intended to keep her promi&s;e: And indeed, from that day for|ward, &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Menedorus</HI> to with-draw his affection from her, giving all her rea|&s;ons which might induce him to hearken unto her de&s;ires.</P>
<P>But though &s;he gave him as &s;weet language as is imaginable, yet he was &s;o full of &s;orrow and anger that he could not di&s;&s;emble his re&s;entments, but accu&s;ed her of in|con&s;tancy and ambition. Al&s;o he did menace both the Prince <HI>Carimantes</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> &s;o highly, that <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> as &s;weet a temper as hers was, &s;he be ganto be angry again&s;t him for giving &s;uch irreverent language. In&s;omuch as &s;mothering all that tenderne&s;s of heart which &s;he had towards <HI>Menedorus,</HI> &s;he ab&s;olutely charged him never to &s;ee her again: &s;o as this incen&s;ed Lover beginning his obedience by lea|ving her, he went to <HI>Galathes,</HI> and imparted all his &s;orrows unto him, as <HI>Galathes</HI> did the like to him again.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> began to recover, the King and the Prince <HI>Ca|rimantes</HI> re&s;olved, that to hinder any commotion in the State, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> &s;hould tem|per the &s;pirits of the&s;e three Rivalls which were to be rejected, and to tell them han|&s;omely her intentions before the day of &s;olemnity, to the end they &s;hould not be &s;ur|prized, and be ab&s;ent.</P>
<P>The Prince&s;s was hardly per&s;waded unto this; but the King ab&s;olutely command|ding her, &s;he re&s;olved to be obedient, and indeed &s;he was &s;o: For the Feaver having quite left her, and they permitted to &s;ee her, the&s;e three unfortunate Lovers came to pre&s;ent their Complements of joy for her recovery: So that &s;he taking this opportuni|ty, did declare their dooms unto them one after another. But though &s;he employed all her wit and eloquence to make them receive it patiently, yet all would not do.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Britomartes,</HI> he being high and proud, told her in a high manner (after &s;he had de&s;ired him to pretend no longer unto her choi&s;e for &s;everall rea&s;ons) that &s;he was unju&s;t unto his quality and vertue. For as &s;he told him, to qualifie his mind that it was not but that &s;he e&s;teemed him very much, he interrupted her. Since it is &s;o Madam (&s;ayd he unto her) it is enough to authorize all my attempts; for &s;ince you do not think me unworthy of you, I mu&s;t tell you, that I do not think I &s;hall do any thing again&s;t tho&s;e re&s;pects I owe you; when I &s;hall do all, I am able to po&s;&s;e&s;s in honour, which you confe&s;s I may enjoy without inju&s;tice: And &s;o Madam, I &s;hall endeavour all wayes po&s;&s;ible to keep you from an ill choi&s;e. Thus Madam, did <HI>Bri|tomartes</HI> receive his &s;entence.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Galathes,</HI> &s;ince he had the art of di&s;&s;imulation, he &s;eemed to receive all that <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> &s;ayd with all humble re&s;pect, and with a thou&s;and &s;igns of love, not one of any anger, he only told her, that he would do all he was able to obey her, but yet feared that he could not. Afterwards <HI>Bomilcar</HI> being come to <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> who&s;e mind was incen&s;ed again&s;t him, by the complaints he had made again&s;t her and the King her Father, &s;he would not pronounce his doom with any words of &s;weetne&s;&s;e: But on the contrary, &s;he &s;poke &s;o &s;harply, that &s;he was out of all patience. Fie Ma|dam (&s;ayd he unto her, after &s;he had ab&s;olutely charged him not to pretend unto her choi&s;e) Can you remember my mo&s;t violent and con&s;tant pa&s;&s;ion, and treat me thus? Tis true (pur&s;ued he) I complained both again&s;t you and the King: But Ma|dam, how could I do le&s;&s;e, &s;eeing the inju&s;tice which was done me? Might it not well be &s;ayd, that my pa&s;&s;ion was not worthy of you, if my re&s;entments had been le&s;&s;e vi|olent, or had been more wi&s;e in my anger? For the very truth is, what have I not done to de&s;erve you? and in how great hopes hath the King put me, to be preferred before all my Rivalls.</P>
<P>Moreover Madam, can you think I am able to endure that an exile Prince &s;hould take a happine&s;s from me which I have purcha&s;ed by a million of &s;ervices? And be|cau&s;e
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he hath been weather-beaten, and found &s;afety under the &s;helter of your fa|vour, therefore it mu&s;t be I who mu&s;t &s;uffer &s;hipwrack? Think upon it Madam, con|&s;ider it &s;eriou&s;ly, and do not force me to di&s;pair. <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> then thinking her &s;elfe too blame for incen&s;ing a man who had &s;ome rea&s;on to complayn, though he was much to be blamed for complaining &s;o violently after the Ceremony, &s;he re&s;olved to accord a misfortune which might happen, and per&s;wade him more mildly to re|ceive his misfortune. To te&s;tifie unto you (&s;ayd &s;he unto him) that you have no rea&s;on to accu&s;e the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> for your being no better in my thoughts, I will open my very heart unto you, and confe&s;s my whole weakne&s;s and inju&s;tice. I will tell you then, that &s;ince I am not a very &s;tupid, I know very well your worth: I know your originall is great, and that your Ance&s;tors have been illu&s;trious Citizens of <HI>Carthage,</HI> and al&s;o Kings of <HI>Numidia:</HI> Moreouer I know you to be a man of much &s;pirit, and courage, and genero&s;ity: Al&s;o I know how I am obliged unto you by a thou&s;and &s;ervices you have done me: But I know al&s;o, and I mu&s;t tell it, that there hath ever been &s;uch a kind of conceipt in my heart as I am not able to expre&s;&s;e, and which would never allow you to love me. Yet notwith&s;tanding this naturall an|tipathy which I have in vaine &s;triven again&s;t, I was re&s;olved to choo&s;e you, and had named you upon the day of &s;olemnity, if my heart could have &s;ubmitted unto my rea|&s;on, and my tongue have pronounced the word <HI>Bomilcar.</HI></P>
<P>How &s;ad a fate &s;oever it be (replyed he and fighed) to be hated: yet I think my &s;elfe in &s;ome &s;ort obliged to hear you &s;ay, that you did not choo&s;e me becau&s;e you ha|ted me, rather then becau&s;e you loved the Prince of <HI>Phoceus:</HI> And I wi&s;h unto the Gods Madam (&s;aid he, lifting up his eyes to heaven) that you hated me half as much more, &s;o you could love him halfe le&s;&s;e: For truly Madam, I am &s;ure that if he were no happier then my &s;elfe, I &s;hould not be &s;o unhappy as I am. Yet Madam, as hated as I am, &s;ince you would have cho&s;en me, why did you not? or why will you not? I will not, replyed &s;he, becau&s;e I conceive that I &s;hould wrong you, and very ill re|quite the affection you have unto me if I &s;hould in&s;eparably tye you and your for|tunes unto one who can never love you: &s;o that without charging either the King, or the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> or my &s;elfe of any inju&s;tice, attribute it unto a &s;overaign power, again&s;t which nothing can re&s;i&s;t, and which cau&s;eth that I cannot be Ma&s;ter of my own de&s;tiny. You have a friend, added &s;he, who can witne&s;s that I he not, and who can a&s;&s;ure you that I have done all I can for you again&s;t my &s;elfe: how Ma|dam, replyed he, did <HI>Glacidia</HI> know that you have hated me? I did conceale it long from her, replyed &s;he, but I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e at la&s;t I told her I could not love you, and I asked her pardon, le&s;t &s;he &s;hould hate me for it. Then Madam, replyed he, I have no more to &s;ay, unle&s;&s;e this, that as you cannot chu&s;e but continue your hate, &s;o I begg that I may have leave to continue loving you.</P>
<P>After the&s;e words <HI>Bomilcar</HI> ro&s;e up, and went away &s;o &s;ad and angry, as no mor|tall man could be more. As &s;oon as he was gone, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> came in, and finding her alone, he began to di&s;cour&s;e of his pa&s;&s;ion with abundance of de|light; for &s;ince it was approved of both by the King and <HI>Carimantes, Cleonisbe</HI> did freely permit him. So that pa&s;&s;ing in&s;en&s;ibly from one thing to another, the Prin|ce&s;s did let him know that <HI>Glacidia</HI> did know what advantageous thoughts &s;he ever had of him, and told him what di&s;cour&s;e &s;he had with her concerning <HI>Bomilcar.</HI> Then both the&s;e two friends of <HI>Glacidia</HI> did in one day make &s;everall and different Complaints again&s;t her: For <HI>Bomilcar</HI> complained extreamly that &s;he never told him how the Prince&s;s hated him: and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> murmured very much, that &s;he &s;hould &s;o long conceale from him the affection of <HI>Cleonisbe:</HI> But this wi&s;e and di&s;creet per&s;on did &s;o well &s;atisfie them, that it was not fit for her to do otherwi&s;e then &s;he did, as they cea&s;ed all Complaints, and held her in high admiration: For truly &s;ayd &s;he unto <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> as much hated as you were, you were very near your de&s;ired happine&s;s: And as much loved as you were (&s;ayd &s;he unto the Prince of <HI>Pho|ceus)</HI> you were very neer to be di&s;carded for ever: So as de&s;iring neither to hurt nor help you, I would never impart &s;uch things as you could not know, without drawing &s;ome advantage one upon another, which I neither would, nor ought to doe.</P>
<P>But Madam, not to in&s;i&s;t any longer upon things of triviall con&s;equence, it was re&s;olved that the fir&s;t day on which the Prince&s;s was able to &s;tirre abroad, the &s;olem|nity
<PB N="155" REF="759">
&s;hould be accompli&s;hed. The wor&s;t was, it could not be done in private, be|cau&s;e the Law required that the doors of the Temple &s;hould be open that day, unto all men of quality in the Kingdom, either &s;trangers or others: and it was much fea|red le&s;t &s;ome tumult &s;hould ari&s;e. Yet all po&s;&s;ible order was taken to prevent it; for be&s;ides the pretenders unto <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> the di&s;paire of <HI>Menedorus</HI> was much feared. Yet &s;ince the cu&s;tome was, that the marriage &s;hould be &s;olemnized within fifteen dayes after the fir&s;t Ceremony, there was hopes all might be pa&s;&s;ed over without any di&s;order: and that if any of the&s;e Lovers would make any attempts, it would be in this intervall. But there was a mi&s;take; for the imperious humour of <HI>Brito|martes</HI> looking at the &s;hame which would reflect upon him if he were not cho&s;en, did endeavour to di&s;cover who it was whom <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> intended to choo&s;e, to the end he might &s;end him a challenge. But being not well informed, and becau&s;e in common prudence, &s;he &s;hould rather choo&s;e <HI>Bomilcar</HI> then either of his two Ri|valls, he believed <HI>Bomilcar</HI> to be the man who hindered him from his happine&s;&s;e: So as without more delay, he &s;ought for an occa&s;ion of meeting with him, and found it. But Madam, the &s;trange&s;t pa&s;&s;age was, at the very &s;ame time that <HI>Bri|tomartes</HI> intended to fight with <HI>Bomilcar, Bomilcar</HI> intended to fight with the Prince of <HI>Phoceus.</HI> 'Tis true, he concealed his de&s;ign, and <HI>Glacidia,</HI> as fore&s;eeing as &s;he was, did not &s;u&s;pect it: But <HI>Britomartes</HI> and <HI>Bomilcar</HI> meeting in a place where none were but them&s;elves: Since doubtle&s;s you are not ignorant (&s;ayd <HI>Britomartes</HI> unto him) what ju&s;t pretences I have unto the Princess, &s;o I mu&s;t tell you I am not ignorant of yours: But &s;ince I believe neither you nor I do know which of us &s;hall be cho&s;en, I come to make &s;uch a propo&s;ition unto you, as honour will not per|mit you to deny me; If &s;o as you &s;ay, an&s;wered <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> you may a&s;&s;ure your &s;elf I &s;hall mo&s;t willingly embrace it. Then promi&s;e me (replyed <HI>Britomartes)</HI> that if the Prince&s;s choo&s;e you, you will fight with me the next morning, and I will pro|mi&s;e you that if I be cho&s;en I will fight with you if you plea&s;e. I promi&s;e it, replyed <HI>Bomilcar;</HI> but <HI>Britomartes</HI> (&s;ayd he) in promi&s;ing this I promi&s;e nothing, for nei|ther you nor I &s;hall be cho&s;en: Oh that it would plea&s;e the Gods you were put un|to the nece&s;&s;ity of &s;eeing me with a &s;word in my hand. <HI>Bomilcar</HI> &s;poke this with &s;uch an aire as per&s;waded <HI>Britomartes</HI> that his heart and his tongue went together: And the proud <HI>Gaule</HI> having got a promi&s;e of fighting with <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> in ca&s;e it was his fate to be happy, re&s;olved upon a revenge on him that &s;hould be &s;o, who ere it was, and went to tell the &s;ame unto <HI>Galathes</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus.</HI> Thus he chalenged his three Rivals all in one day.</P>
<P>But Madam, the day of Solemnity being come, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> was not &s;o unre&s;olved as &s;he was before; and her owne inclination being authorized by the King and <HI>Ca|rimantes,</HI> &s;he pronounced the name of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince aloud, when the Prince of the <HI>Sarronides</HI> asked her whom &s;he thought worthy of her choi&s;e, &s;o as this &s;age <HI>Sarronide</HI> cau&s;ing him to draw nigh, and having given this ring unto him which he received from <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> this Prince accepted of it with all reverence, and re|turned a Complement &s;utable unto his &s;pirit and affection: After which, the King approved of this choi&s;e, and the Temple did ring with &s;houts of joy. But at la&s;t, the Mu&s;ique cau&s;ing the tumultuous noi&s;e to cea&s;e, they thanked the gods for &s;o good a choi&s;e.</P>
<P>In the mean while, <HI>Bomilcar, Galathes,</HI> and <HI>Britomartes</HI> retired without any &s;hares in the&s;e publique joyes, each of them ruminating upon them &s;everall de&s;igns. As for the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> his Joyes were &s;o high, that he valued not the Com|bate which he was to have with <HI>Britomartes,</HI> and appeared as plea&s;ant all that day as it was po&s;&s;ible for any man to be. In the mean time, <HI>Glacidia</HI> according to her re&s;olutions, grieved for <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> and reioyced for the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> but it was not in any way of di&s;&s;imulation, for &s;he was really glad, and really &s;ad: And both her genero&s;ity and &s;incerity was &s;uch, that &s;he confe&s;&s;ed unto <HI>Bomilcar</HI> though &s;he was extreamly &s;orry that he was mi&s;erable, yet &s;he was extreamly glad that the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was happy. Al&s;o &s;he told the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> that though &s;he was well &s;atisfied with his good fortune, yet &s;hee could not chu&s;e but be much troubled to &s;ee <HI>Bomilcar</HI> mi&s;erable: and &s;he did &s;o well divide her heart be|tween the&s;e two friends, that &s;he did not any iniu&s;tice unto either of them.</P>
<P><PB N="156" REF="760">
Since honour and love are mo&s;t incon&s;i&s;tent together in one heart, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> would not &s;tay untill <HI>Britomartes</HI> &s;hould hint him unto the performance of his promi&s;e; for he &s;ent him a Letter which intimated that he was ready to keep his word&punc; And the next morning they fought, where the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> di&s;armed <HI>Britomartes,</HI> though he was one of the &s;tronge&s;t and mo&s;t valiant men in the world. But as he returned from this fight, he met <HI>Bomilcar</HI> in a great &s;olitary place, who knowing how &s;quares went, came unto him. Since I will not con&s;train you to give me &s;atisfaction (&s;ayd he unto him) as you have done <HI>Britomartes,</HI> untill you be reco|vered of your wearine&s;s which conquering &s;o brave an Enemy hath cau&s;ed, I will not at this time de&s;ire you to draw your &s;word: But &s;ince you are a gallant man, I do conceive you will be ready to morrow about this time to give me this &s;atisfaction.</P>
<P>The Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> &s;eeing a fit occa&s;ion to &s;hew his &s;ecret hatred of <HI>Bomilcar,</HI> without any offence either unto <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> or <HI>Glacidia,</HI> &s;ince he did a&s;&s;ault him the fir&s;t. he an&s;wered him in &s;uch a manner as did let him &s;ee he did not love him. To te&s;tifie unto you (&s;ayd he unto him) that my victory hath not put me to a nece&s;&s;ity of any re&s;ting to vanqui&s;h you, we will without more delay end all differences be|twixt us.</P>
<P>In &s;aying &s;o, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> drew his &s;word, and <HI>Bomilcar</HI> his: For &s;ince they had with them only one Page a peece, and were in a place of privacy, it was ea|&s;ie for them to &s;atisfie both their hatred and their love. And certainly Madam, they began to fight with &s;o much fury, that if the gods had not &s;ent <HI>Hipomenes</HI> and my &s;elfe in the very nick of time to part them, their Combate had been fatall unto both. For from the place where wee fir&s;t di&s;covered them untill we came up to them, I perceived they fought as if they had re&s;olutions either to vanqui&s;h or dye: Do what we could, they were both wounded when we came unto them: 'Tis true, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was le&s;&s;e hurt then <HI>Bomilcar;</HI> for he had only a &s;light hurt in his left hand, but <HI>Bomilcar</HI> very con&s;iderably on his right &s;ide.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Hipomenes</HI> and my &s;elfe were extreamly &s;urprized; for we hear|ing that <HI>Britomartes</HI> had challenged him, you may imagine we wondered to &s;ee him in hand with <HI>Bomilcar:</HI> Al&s;o you may imagine Madam that the&s;e two Combates made a great noi&s;e in the Court, and added much unto the glory of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince. The truth is, there fell out &s;everall accidents that day, which made all di&s;cour&s;e &s;add: For Madam, be plea&s;ed to know that <HI>Britomartes</HI> who had a proud &s;oule, was &s;o grieved at the lo&s;&s;e of his Mi&s;tre&s;s, and to be vanqui&s;hed by his Rivall, that he would needs kill him&s;elf with the &s;ame &s;word which his enemy had re&s;tored unto him: and if his friends had not kept vigilant eyes upon him all the while he was in his raptures of fury, he had not lived two hours after his defeat.</P>
<P>Again, there was in <HI>Mar&s;eilles</HI> an old man, who having pa&s;&s;ed all his life for one that was wi&s;e would needs throw him&s;elf down a Precipie to deliver him&s;elf from his &s;orrows, that he could not dye in the place where he was born.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>Amathilde</HI> being much recovered, did call for a Gla&s;s; and finding that &s;he was never like to be faire again, &s;he fell into &s;uch horrid di&s;pair, that feigning &s;ome had taught her a medicine for her face, wherein was an ingredient of dangerous poy&s;on, &s;he cau&s;ed one of her women to bring it unto her; and in lieu of putting it to the u&s;e &s;he &s;ayd &s;he would, &s;he poy&s;oned her &s;elf. But &s;he only knowing the vertue of this ingredient, but not the quantity to kill one, &s;he took not &s;o much as did execute her intentions: And &s;o, the thing being di&s;covered, they gave her remedy and Antidotes again&s;t her will. You may well conceive Madam, that three &s;uch ac|cidents as the&s;e chancing in one day, did &s;eem very &s;trange: But the greate&s;t di&s;a&s;ter of all was, and to &s;hew there was &s;ome malignant con&s;tellation which did &s;hew its influence by in&s;piring violent thoughts; there was a man of <HI>Liguria,</HI> and of good quality, who intending to dwell among&s;t the <HI>Segoregians,</HI> had ordered all his goods to come by Sea: but his misfortune was, the &s;hip which was to bring them, peri&s;h|ed, yet we under&s;tood that he took his lo&s;&s;e very patiently and con&s;tantly for a whole year, but now would needs throw him&s;elf into the Sea.</P>
<P>Thus Madam, the&s;e foure accidents chancing from different cau&s;es, and hapning in one day, cau&s;ed all the <HI>Sarronides</HI> to a&s;&s;emble, and the Councell of &s;ix hundred al&s;o: For &s;ince the &s;pirits of the People were much di&s;po&s;ed to applaud the courages
<PB N="157" REF="760">
of &s;uch as had recour&s;e unto death to deliver them&s;elves from any misfortune, it was feared that this would produce very ill con&s;equences: and if &s;ome order were not taken, the&s;e examples might be followed by other unfortunate People.</P>
<P>As for the <HI>Sarronides,</HI> their advice was, that to prevent the like di&s;a&s;ters, the glo|ry of the Action mu&s;t be taken away, and to &s;et &s;ome marke of ignominious imbeci|lity upon it. But the Councell of &s;ix hundred which a&s;&s;embled by the permi&s;&s;ion of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, they argued after another manner, and &s;aid, that &s;ince the action might either be ba&s;e or generous, according to the &s;everall motives which cau&s;ed it, &s;o they mu&s;t not be condemned all in generall: and to prevent the frequen|cy, it was not requi&s;ite ab&s;olutely to forbid it: So that not to deprive men of that liberty of dying which the Gods hath left unto them, and to prevent al&s;o that they &s;hall not &s;lightly throw away their lives, it were expedient a Law were made, by which every per&s;on who would come unto A&s;&s;embly and propound the cau&s;es which moves them to dye, they &s;hould be received, and may boldly demand poy&s;on of the Judges, which &s;hall be granted or denyed according as they &s;hall think fit: Con|cluding, that &s;ince it is not ju&s;t a man &s;hould be a Judg and party in his owne cau&s;e, &s;o he ought not to judge and dispo&s;e of his own life as he would.</P>
<P>In conclu&s;ion Madam, this Law was e&s;tabli&s;hed, and two men of the A&s;&s;embly were cho&s;en to keep poy&s;on in a golden Cup, to be given unto them whom they thought fit to receive this la&s;t remedy. You may imagine Madam, that the&s;e acci|dents and this new Law did furni&s;h all tongues with talke enough: but I a&s;&s;ure you, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was more like to dye with joy then poy&s;on: He had the &s;atisfa|ction al&s;o to under&s;tand that <HI>Glacidia</HI> was much incen&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Bomilcar</HI> for fight|ing for &s;he told him, that if he were le&s;s mi&s;erable then he was, &s;he would with|draw her friend&s;hip from him, adding with much genero&s;ity, that &s;he was a Petiti|oner unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> that he would give her leave to pardon <HI>Bomilcar</HI> the injury he had offered in a&s;&s;aulting him: But to make the &s;atisfaction of the <HI>Pho|cean</HI> Prince more full, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> would go unto <HI>Mar&s;eilles</HI> to &s;ee <HI>Ari&s;tonice,</HI> with intentions to &s;tay there &s;ome days; the King thinking it convenient &s;he &s;hould re|mayn there untill the Nuptialls, to the end <HI>Bomilcar</HI> and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> might not be together in one place. Al&s;o the Prince <HI>Carimantes</HI> was very glad that <HI>One&s;i|crite</HI> was to be &s;o near <HI>Ari&s;tonice,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he would confirm her in her new re&s;olu|tion.</P>
<P>But that the pre&s;ence of <HI>Menedorus</HI> might not prejudice the de&s;ign, <HI>Sfurius</HI> com|manded him to &s;tay with the King, &s;o as this journey was all plea&s;ure. Yet the heart of <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> was full of &s;orrow; for &s;he had much ado to entertain the affection of <HI>Carimantes,</HI> and forget <HI>Menedorus:</HI> and I am confident there are few per&s;ons who have done things more difficult for the good of their Countreys, then <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> did for hers. However &s;he &s;et as good a face upon it as &s;he could; le&s;t the Prince <HI>Cari|mantes</HI> &s;hould perceive the troubles of her mind, and indeed &s;he went unto <HI>Mar|&s;eilles</HI> with &s;ome &s;hew of joy in her countenance. You may well imagine Madam, that the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> would entertain <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> with all imaginable honours: And that <HI>Ari&s;tonice</HI> al&s;o was full of acknowledgments unto the Prince&s;s for the ho|nour &s;he did her.</P>
<P>Since <HI>Glacidia</HI> was one among&s;t the re&s;t in this Voyage, &s;he did much contribute unto the plea&s;ure of it: And for three dayes together. I a&s;&s;ure you there was not one in all this illu&s;trious company except <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> who did not think every minute to be very well &s;pent: And though we had &s;everall informations, that <HI>Bomilcar</HI> and <HI>Galathes</HI> were plotting &s;ome great de&s;ign, and that the fir&s;t was almo&s;t cured of his wound: Yet &s;ince the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was to marry <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> as &s;oon as all things were in readine&s;s for the &s;olemnity, we did not feare that any thing could hinder his happine&s;s.</P>
<P>As we were thus without any Cares but how to find out fre&s;h plea&s;ures for every day, it was told the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> that there was a Lady which had &s;ent unto the Councell of &s;ixe hundred, to aske of them the poy&s;on according to the new e|&s;tabli&s;hed Law. This adventure being extraordinary enough to move curio&s;ity, &s;ince it was never heard of before, that there &s;hould be Judges to arbitrate upon the life and death of &s;uch as would not live, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> was very de&s;irous to be at this &s;ad Ce|remony:
<PB N="158" REF="761">
'Tis true, that it was with an intention worthy of her genero&s;ity; for her de&s;ign was, to &s;ee if &s;he who de&s;ired death had any &s;uch misfortune which &s;he could help, to the end &s;he might infu&s;e de&s;ires of life into her. <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> was like|wi&s;e of the &s;ame Curio&s;ity; and as for <HI>Glacidia,</HI> &s;he mo&s;t of all de&s;irous to know what rea&s;oos could move any to renounce life, &s;o as &s;he was very earne&s;t with both the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es to be pre&s;ent when this Lady demanded poy&s;on of the &s;ix hundred.</P>
<P>So as <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> making their de&s;ires known unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> he found out an expedient for it; for &s;ince a place was to be built purpo&s;ely for this Councell, it was &s;o contrived, that the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> could look into it out of his Cham|ber: &s;o as this being the place re&s;olved upon for the Prince&s;s, the Prince <HI>Carimantes,</HI> and tho&s;e of their Retinue, it was concluded that the Councel of &s;ix hundred &s;hould the next morning a&s;&s;emble to heare the rea&s;ons of the Lady, and to put in practice this Law which them&s;elves had made. But we were much &s;urprized to heare that there were two more who demanded audience for the like bu&s;ine&s;s: So as all Curio|&s;ities be redoubled, they expected the hour of this &s;ad Ceremony with much impa|tience.</P>
<P>I &s;hall not trouble you Madam with any de&s;cription of the order which this A&s;&s;em|bly held, but only tell you, that after the Judges had taken their places; after the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> as chief of the Councell had taken his place; and after the Prince <HI>Carimantes, Cleonisbe, One&s;ierite, Glacidia,</HI> &s;ome other Ladies and my &s;elf were in the Chamber, where we could &s;ee and heare all pa&s;&s;ages. We &s;aw a Page of a han|&s;ome pre&s;ence enter, and who by his han&s;ome deportment before the A&s;&s;embly, &s;ee|med to be &s;omething above his condition; Our greate&s;t &s;urprize was to &s;ee, that he held the picture of a Lady in his hand: But though this Picture was drawn at large, &s;ince it was not turned directly towards us, we &s;aw it but by halves, and yet we knew it to be a very faire one; For &s;ince the younge&s;t men of this Councell did &s;it next the Page who held it, we perceived by their actions that they admired the beau|ty of this Picture. But after this han&s;ome Page had obtained leave to &s;peak, he made it known unto the Councell, that the faire per&s;on who&s;e picture they &s;aw, having the misfortune to lo&s;e that excellent beauty which they admired in her picture, which was in her per&s;on much above all repre&s;entations; &s;he had &s;ent by him to be&s;eech them they would be plea&s;ed to grant her the poy&s;on, as the only remedy which &s;he could imagine to comfort her after her lo&s;s: And &s;irs, to te&s;tifie unto you, that if this remedy be fit to be granted unto any, it is unto the per&s;on who &s;ent me, I need only to tell you &s;irs, that though &s;he de&s;ires death more then ever any de&s;ired life, yet &s;he could not find a heart to come her &s;elfe and demand it; for &s;he cannot do it, unle&s;s &s;he &s;hew her &s;elfe in the &s;ame condition wherein &s;he is, which would be a grea|ter torment to her then you can imagine.</P>
<P>Sirs, &s;he hath commanded me to tell you, that &s;ince &s;he hath lo&s;t all &s;he loved, and all which &s;he thinks could render her amiable, you cannot without inju&s;tice de|ny her the only remedy for &s;uch misfortunes. She hath further commanded me to let you know, that it is inhumanity to let her live, becau&s;e &s;ince &s;he will neither &s;ee nor be &s;een, and can neither quit her &s;olitude nor &s;tay in it, it were incredible tor|ment to force life upon her: And if your authority do not relea&s;e her, &s;he will &s;uf|rer more then ever any did; For indeed &s;irs, when&s;oever &s;he looks upon her pi|cture, &s;he &s;wims in tears: and if &s;he look in a Gla&s;s, &s;he is madd, and is not Mi|&s;tre&s;s of her &s;elf: It is you Sirs, who mu&s;t judg of the life and death of this per&s;on, who demands the poy&s;on.</P>
<P>But before you pronounce &s;entence, and after I have obeyed her who&s;e &s;lave I am, I be&s;eech you give me leave to tell you, that I &s;hould never have done this for her, unle&s;s &s;he had promi&s;ed me my liberty in recompence of this &s;ervice, for I was her &s;lave. But to the end this &s;ervice I have done her may not prove fatally &s;ad unto her, I dare be &s;o bold as to tell you, that not being what I appear to be; but having been brought up in another condition then this into which War hath brought me, I can a&s;&s;ure you that &s;he who here de&s;ires to dye, becau&s;e &s;he hath lo&s;t her beauty, hath &s;o many beauties in her mind, that &s;he de&s;erves you &s;hould deny what &s;he asks, and what I aske for her, to the end I may enjoy the greate&s;t of all goods which is my li|berty, and to te&s;tifie hereafter, that &s;he may be loved and not be faire.</P>
<P><PB N="159" REF="761">
As this generous &s;lave did &s;ay &s;o, he turned the picture, &s;o as we plainly knew it to be the portractture of <HI>Amathilde,</HI> and con&s;equently interte&s;ting our &s;elves the more in the judgment which was to be given, we expected with much im|patience, the opinion of the Judges. But after the examination of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e they told this &s;lave that when the gods doe take away from men tho&s;e goods which they were &s;ure to lo&s;e: This is no lawfull cau&s;e to de&s;ire death; For as &s;oone as they began to live, they ought to expect the lo&s;&s;e of them: yet to have &s;ome regard unto the great affection which <HI>Amathilde</HI> had unto her beauty; they ordained, that if after the &s;pace of &s;ixe yeares, &s;hee came unto the Councell of &s;ixe hundred, and declared unto them, that in all that time &s;he received no con&s;olation for the lo&s;&s;e of her beauty, they would then grant what they now deny. This &s;entence was thought &s;o ju&s;t, both by him that was to receive it and tho&s;e who heard it, that they did as much commend the Councell of &s;ixe hundred, as they blamed the di&s;|paire of <HI>Amathilde.</HI></P>
<P>After this Madam, we &s;aw enter an old man, who I told you de&s;ired to die, becau&s;e he could not live out of his own Countrey: but he entred with &s;o much gravity, that never man had an a&s;pect of le&s;&s;e di&s;paire then he: Al&s;o he &s;poke with &s;o much eloquence and force again&s;t bani&s;hment, and had &s;uch excellent ex|pre&s;&s;ions of love to his country, that he even melted the hearts of his hearers: But being very old, the weakne&s;&s;e of his voyce forced &s;ilence upon him. Yet the Iudges not blinded by his eloquence, told him, that the rea&s;ons which would move them to grant poy&s;on, was, when an unfortunate man, who&s;e mi&s;eries had la&s;ted long, and could not meet with any cure.</P>
<P>But his age was &s;uch, as he might well thinke the remedy which he demanded was very nigh unto him: and therefore it was not fit for them to alter the decree of the gods. Thus &s;ending him away after good exhortatinos to overcome him&s;elfe, wee &s;aw appeare the <HI>Ligurian</HI> man of quality, who as I told you having lo&s;t all his goods aboue a yeare &s;ince, would now die: But Madam, I never in my life &s;aw a man with a more melancholy look then he, yet he had a good pre&s;ence with him, and as melancholy as his phy&s;iognomie &s;eemed, yet hee had a &s;prightly kind of a looke.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as he came unto the place where he was to &s;peak, and after he had done reverence to the Judges &s;irs (&s;aid he unto them) though I am to &s;peak unto men of mo&s;t deepe Judgments, yet I have need to mention all my rea&s;ons which invite me unto a de&s;ire of death: For Sirs, &s;ince you mu&s;t be poore, before you can know what povertie is, the greate&s;t of all evills: and &s;ince I both hope and know this mi&s;ery will never befall you, I mu&s;t be&s;eech you to let me de&s;cribe my misfortune: Do not thinke Sir, that I ranke in the number of my rea&s;ons which moove mee to die, tho&s;e of a covetous or a voluptuous man grown poor: For truly it is not abun|dance of riches which I regreet, nor all the the plea&s;ures which follow them: I know how to live in a Cottage as well as a pallace: I can ea&s;ily per&s;wade my &s;elfe, that the fewer Dome&s;tickes I have, the fewer enemies I have. I can live well e|nough without a full &s;pread Table: I can find out good diver&s;ions which will co&s;t me nothing: the murmure of a River, or the chanting of Birds, plea&s;e me as well as all tho&s;e which are at &s;o deare a rate: But Sirs, that I can ea&s;ily live without all tho&s;e, yet alas I can live with friends, and yet I have lo&s;t them all, &s;ince I am brought unto that low condition as makes them thinke they can expect no profita|ble turnes from me: I once thought that I had more then ever any had: but now I find by wofull experience that none ever had fewer then my &s;elfe: I am now quite another man unto them, &s;ince fortune hath for&s;aken me: as plea&s;ing as I was wont to be unto them, I am now but an impertinent fellow, and troubles them: and now I perceive &s;o well that they never loved me but only my fortunes, as I cannot chu&s;e but hate in them a thought &s;o ba&s;e as to cea&s;e loving vertue, becau&s;e it is growne poore: and to te&s;tifie unto you Sirs, that it is meerly the lo&s;&s;e of my friends which makes me de&s;perate, or to &s;ay better that it is meerly their ba&s;ene&s;&s;e which drives me into a fury again&s;t my &s;elfe, you may only be plea&s;ed to con&s;ider that I have lived a year after all my lo&s;&s;es: yet I was as pore the very fir&s;t day after my lo&s;&s;es as I am now: but becau&s;e I was &s;till in hopes to be rich in the greate&s;t riches of
<PB N="160" REF="762">
all riches, my freinds, therefore I con&s;tantly &s;u&s;tained my misfortune. But now after a whole yeares &s;ad experience, finding that unfortunate men can never have any freinds, and that I am not able to live without them, therefore Sirs, I con|jure you to grant me leave to die: And I conjure you unto it with the more <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">at|ne&s;tne&s;s, becau&s;e it concernes all civill &s;ociety, and my owne glory that I live no longer. For truly Sirs, I apprehend &s;uch horrour again&s;t tho&s;e who have for&s;a|ken me, becau&s;e I am not rich, that I am become a hater of all men in generall, and begin to be unju&s;t unto others, as others are unto me.</P>
<P>As &s;oone as this generous unfortunate man had done &s;peaking, <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> being much touched with his di&s;cour&s;e, &s;ent to de&s;ire the A&s;&s;embly not to pronounce &s;entence, untill &s;hee had let them know &s;omthing what &s;he thought. So the Coun|cell appointing &s;ixe of them&s;elves to go and receive <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> plea&s;ure, that Prin|ce&s;&s;e told them, how &s;hee held him who &s;poke to be &s;o brave a man, as to make him happy, and to oblige him unto a de&s;ire of life. Shee offered to give him more goods then he had lo&s;t, and to comfort him for the lo&s;&s;e of his fal&s;h earted freinds which for&s;ook him, &s;hee offered to become his freind, and a freind that would be more generous then they. You may ea&s;ily judge Madam, how much this great act of <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> did move admiration in all the A&s;&s;embly: and how the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> who was chiefe extolled her. So as in lieu of giving &s;entence, they made Elogies unto the vertue of this Prince&s;&s;e. And yet they did pronounce one, and told this generous Ligurian, that if the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> had not found a re|medie unto his mi&s;ery, greater then the mi&s;ery it &s;elf, they would have granted the poy&s;on which he demanded, &s;ince they were con&s;trained to confe&s;&s;e, that po|verty without freinds, is the greate&s;t mi&s;ery in the world.</P>
<P>But &s;ince the amity of the Prince&s;&s;e was a recompence a thou&s;and times above his lo&s;&s;es, they ordained that he &s;hould live to &s;erve her, &s;ince he could not de&s;ire death without ingratitude. The man who was at fir&s;t di&s;po&s;ed to leave life, could hardly leave his thoughts of death: But having a generous &s;oule, he was extreamly moved at the genero&s;itie of <HI>Cleonisbe:</HI> and he acknowledged, that &s;ince there was one &s;uch per&s;on in the the world as &s;he, it was not ju&s;t to leave it: So as being carried where &s;hee was, he gave her thankes for the honour &s;he had done him. But Ma|dam (added he) to ju&s;tifie my de&s;igne of dying, I will accept but half of that you are plea&s;ed to offer: And receiving upon my humble and thankfull knee, the ho|nour of your good will, I will refu&s;e that abundance of riches which you offer me, which perhaps will &s;erve mee to no other u&s;e, but to get new freinds as unworthy as my fir&s;t: &s;o as Madam, e&s;teeming my &s;elfe very rich in your freind&s;hip, leave me in &s;uch a condition, as I may &s;hew that I merit it, by making it appeare, that vertue can &s;urmount poverty, and patiently endure it, provided it be not waited upon with &s;corne which commonly attends upon it: I &s;hall not tell you Madam, how <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> an&s;wered, for I &s;hould wrong her in changing &s;ome of her words: But let me onely tell you, that &s;he would have him accept of both her offers: and indeed &s;hee kept her word: and by the meanes of the King, the Prince her brother, and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> gave him much more then he lo&s;t; Al&s;o gi|ving it unto him with her owne hands, though &s;hee had much adoe to make him take it.</P>
<P>But Madam, to return from whence I digre&s;&s;ed, and to relate all that pa&s;&s;ed in the Councell of &s;ixe hundred, be plea&s;ed to know, that after this <HI>Ligurian</HI> had done his complement unto <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> we &s;aw appeare in the A&s;&s;embly a man who&s;e per&s;on we knew not, who pre&s;enting Letters unto the chiefe or the Councell, and be&s;eeched him that they might be read aloud, for they were the rea&s;ons of a mi|&s;erable Lover who demanded the poy&s;on. Then one of the A&s;&s;embly opening the Letters, began to read them: And if I were able to repeat what I heard, doubt|le&s;&s;e you would &s;ay, that he who wrote that Letter, de&s;erved that death which he demanded: For I am confident, never was &s;orrow &s;et out in more &s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> colours, nor de&s;cribed with more moving aggravations. And <HI>Cleonisbe, One&s;icrite,</HI> and <HI>Carimantes</HI> were extream attentive at the reading of it: I &s;hall onely tell you Ma|dam, that this &s;ad Lover began the recitall of his mi&s;ery, with an Elogie of the beauty and merit of the per&s;on he loved. Afterwards he &s;aid, that he had loved
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her from her Cradle, adding that he had the happine&s;&s;e not to be hated: After this, he aggravated all the proofs of that love which he bore unto her, and did make it &s;o well appeare that he had great hopes of being loved, and of being lo|ved con&s;tantly, that the minds of all his Auditors were di&s;po&s;ed to blame her, if &s;he became perfidious.</P>
<P>Thus Madam, having prepared the hearts of his Judges, he &s;hewed, that without giving her the lea&s;t cau&s;e of complaint, &s;ome thoughts of incon&s;tancy or ambition had moved this per&s;on to ca&s;t him off, and to overwhelm him with mi&s;ery, &s;he favoured a Rivall unto whom he was extreamly obliged: So as ho|nour not &s;uffering him to &s;eek revenge, and Love not giving him leave to live, he asked leave to dye. And he asks it the rather, becau&s;e he finds &s;uch tumultuous thoughts in his heart, that rather then let his Rivall enjoy his Mi&s;tre&s;s, he &s;hall undertake &s;uch a bu&s;ine&s;s as will cau&s;e the death of an infinite number of innocent per&s;ons which he &s;hall engage in his intere&s;ts.</P>
<P>Indeed he made it appeare he was capable of any undertaking with love, am|bition, and jealou&s;ie could in&s;pire into him: And he intimated by &s;ome ambi|guous words, that his death would prevent very great misfortunes, and deli|ver him from great torments, &s;o as he had all the rea&s;on in the world to de&s;ire death, and they to grant it. And indeed the major part of the Judges did &s;ay, that &s;ince the death of this unfortunate Lover would be advantageous both unto him and others, they could not find out a fitter example to &s;hew, that the Law which they had made was not u&s;ele&s;s, and &s;o they ought not to deny death unto a man who by dying would &s;ave the lives of many others.</P>
<P><HI>Sfurius</HI> for his particular was one of the forwarde&s;t to grant poy&s;on nnto him who demanded it, and pre&s;&s;ed it on: But upon this condition, that this de&s;perate Lover &s;hould the &s;ame hour pre&s;ent him&s;elfe before the A&s;&s;embly; for the Law required a &s;ight of him who was to dye, that they might know whether his rea|&s;on was free, and whether he knew what he asked. Then the man who &s;poke, telling the Judges that he would immediately carry their an&s;wer unto the party who would dye. The cup of gold which held the poy&s;on was brought in: and it was no &s;ooner &s;et upon the Table, but we &s;aw <HI>Menedorus</HI> enter, who boldly pre&s;enting him&s;elfe before the Judges, told them that it was he who demanded poy&s;on, thinking with admirable re&s;olution for the Ju&s;tice which they had done him.</P>
<P>I leave you to judge Madam, how <HI>Carimantes</HI> was &s;urprized at the &s;ight of his Rivall: How <HI>Sfurius</HI> was a&s;toni&s;hed that he &s;hould doom poy&s;on to his &s;onne: and how <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> was amazed to &s;ee her Lover de&s;ire to dye for her. Al&s;o I leave it unto your imagination Madam, how great the tumult was among&s;t the A&s;&s;embly who were not ignorant of <HI>Menedorus</HI> his love unto <HI>One&s;icrite:</HI> But give me leave to tell you one very remarkable thing; <HI>Sfurius</HI> who was a high lo|ver of his Country, after he had appea&s;ed the fir&s;t motion which nature cau&s;ed in his heart, he was &s;o angry to &s;ee that <HI>Menedorus</HI> could not &s;urmount him&s;elfe, that he &s;urmounted his paternall tenderne&s;s, and told the A&s;&s;embly that his &s;onne did not only de&s;erve the poy&s;on as an unfortunate man, but as a Delinquent, &s;ince he would not &s;acrifice his particular &s;atisfaction unto the good of the pub|lique intere&s;t, and therefore he de&s;ired that the &s;entence which could not be re|voked, might be &s;peedily executed.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t <HI>Sfurius</HI> was &s;peaking, <HI>Menedorus</HI> turning his head towards <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> he &s;aw her eyes &s;wim in tears: and pre&s;ently after, &s;he not being able to endure the exce&s;s of her &s;orrows, &s;he leaned towards <HI>Glacidia,</HI> who &s;tood behind her, and &s;wounded in her arms: &s;o as whil&s;t all means was u&s;ing to bring her unto her &s;elfe again, <HI>Carimantes</HI> &s;eeing her in that condition, he knew not what to think or do. The &s;orrows of <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> did &s;o plainly let him &s;ee, that &s;he loved <HI>Menedorus,</HI> and not him&s;elfe, that his rea&s;on told him he ought not to love her any longer: And the di&s;payr of his Rivall did &s;o convince him of the greatne&s;s of his pa&s;&s;ion, that he was per&s;waded it was inju&s;tice to oppo&s;e him. But on the other &s;ide, his love checking his rea&s;on, it would not give him the liberty to fol|low it. Furthermore, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> though he was very much vexed at
<PB N="162" REF="763">
the violent re&s;olution of <HI>Menedorus,</HI> yet he dur&s;t not make &s;hew of all his pitty, for feare of incen&s;ing <HI>Carimantes.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Menedorus</HI> &s;eeing the Cup which contained the remedy a|gain&s;t his torment, he went towards the Table on which it &s;tood to fini&s;h his doom, but one of his Judges told him that it was not yet time: And for his particu|lar, he conceived that it was not fit the poy&s;on &s;hould be granted unto him, but that the Judgment which had been pronounced was null and voyd: For &s;ayd &s;he, &s;ince it appears by the &s;orrows of the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> that you are more then indifferent unto her, you are not &s;o happy as to have any recour&s;e unto death; and &s;o much the le&s;s, becau&s;e you informed the A&s;&s;embly that you were not lo|ved, whereas it &s;eems you know not the true &s;tate of your fortune: and &s;o ha|ving pronounced a &s;entence upon a fal&s;e ground, the &s;entence it &s;elfe mu&s;t con&s;e|quently be fal&s;e, and fall.</P>
<P>This opiniou being liked by all the A&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">embly, every one adhered to it except <HI>Sfurius,</HI> who could not bely the genero&s;ity of his &s;oule. As for <HI>Menedorus,</HI> he extreamly oppo&s;ed that pitty in the Judges, and &s;hould have oppo&s;ed it more, if the Prince <HI>Carimantes</HI> had nor &s;ent to tell him, that he had found out a more no|ble way to terminate his pain: &s;o as all the A&s;&s;embly believing that the Prince had overcome him&s;elf, they put <HI>Menedorus</HI> into the cu&s;tody of &s;ome friends, they carryed <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> unto her Chamber, where <HI>Carimantes</HI> followed her, and all the A&s;&s;embly broke up.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> opened her eyes, and began to &s;peak, &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Cari|mantes,</HI> not knowing to whom &s;he &s;poke, that they would give her the poy&s;on as well as <HI>Menedorus:</HI> So as this Prince not being able to endure this object, he went out of her chamber; and not imparting the violent de&s;ign which he had in his mind, he &s;ent &s;ecretly to tell <HI>Menedorus,</HI> that to te&s;tifie he had right to di&s;pute with him for the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> he engaged his word to fight with him, if he could not &s;urmount him&s;elfe; and indeed Madam, without any more delay, it was re&s;olved that in the morning they &s;hould fight by the Sea &s;ide.</P>
<P>But <HI>Carimantes</HI> being very generous, and knowing that if <HI>Menedorus</HI> &s;hould kill him, he could not be in any &s;afety, he cau&s;ed a Boat to be neere the place where they were to fight, to the end that if it &s;hould &s;o happen, he might &s;ave him&s;elfe by it. Without any long circum&s;tances of what pa&s;&s;ed between <HI>Cari|mantes</HI> and <HI>Menedorus</HI> before the fight, I will only tell you Madam, that the la&s;t of the&s;e &s;tealing from tho&s;e who kept him, did come unto the place where <HI>Carimantes</HI> wayted for him; That they fought, that <HI>Carimantes</HI> was &s;lightly wounded in his left arme, and that <HI>Menedorus</HI> was di&s;armed. So as this un|fortunate Lover taking the Boate which was prepared for him, in ca&s;e he were Conquerour, did u&s;e it to carry him from <HI>Mar&s;eilles</HI> after he was conquered.</P>
<P>But the Sea growing turbulent whil&s;t they fought: and as he would needs em|barque in &s;uch de&s;pair as would not &s;uffer him to con&s;ult with the winds, nor hearken unto the coun&s;ell of the Pilot, who would have di&s;&s;waded him from de|parting: The waves were &s;o rough, and the winds &s;o furious, that they da&s;hed this Barque again&s;t the point of a Rock on the left hand of <HI>Mar&s;eilles,</HI> and broke it all to pieces, &s;o as the unfortunate <HI>Menedorus</HI> was drowned almo&s;t in the very Port, into which the waves brought his body, and as if the Gods had a de&s;ire to force <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> to water it with her teares, they permitted the Corp; of this un|fortunate Lover to be ca&s;t by the Sea, ju&s;t under the window of that Prince&s;s, who &s;aw it with her owne eyes, and re&s;ented his death with inconceivable &s;orrow.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>One&s;icrite</HI> having as I told you before, a &s;weet and ea&s;ie &s;oule, &s;he could not re&s;i&s;t <HI>Ari&s;tonice,</HI> who knew &s;o well how to per&s;wade her, that it did not con&s;i&s;t with her glory to alter that re&s;olution which &s;he bad taken, that &s;he re&s;olved to &s;mother part of her melancholy, and to be rul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d by tho&s;e who had mo&s;t right to advi&s;e her, provided they would not force her to marry <HI>Cari|mantes</HI> over-ha&s;tily.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Carimantes</HI> making a thou&s;and excu&s;es unto <HI>Sfurius,</HI> for being the cau&s;e of his &s;onnes death, <HI>Sfurius</HI> an&s;wered him accoding to his won|ted
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genero&s;ity: After which they returned to the King, in thoughts that the marriage of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince with <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> &s;hould with all &s;peed be celebrated. But Madam, at our return we under&s;tood that the &s;tate of things were not &s;o di&s;po&s;ed: For be plea&s;ed to know that <HI>Galathes</HI> whom <HI>Menedorus</HI> had made ac|quainted with many <HI>Graecians,</HI> had &s;uborned &s;ome to them to tell the <HI>Segoregi|ans,</HI> that the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was not the &s;ame he gave him&s;elfe out to be: &s;o as this fal&s;hood pa&s;&s;ing from mouth to mouth, it made &s;o great a noi&s;e a|mong&s;t the People, that nothing el&s;e was talked of: For <HI>Galathes</HI> having &s;ub|orned the <HI>Segoregians</HI> as well as <HI>Phocen&s;ians,</HI> there went an hundred &s;everall tales concerning the quality of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince. And &s;ince the Law which permitted <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> to choo&s;e her Husband, was conditionall, that &s;he &s;hould choo&s;e a man who&s;e Quality was &s;utable to her own: The ca&s;e was &s;uch, that if the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> was not the &s;ame he &s;ayd him&s;elfe to be, then the choi&s;e of the Prince&s;s was null: And to make it, <HI>Galathes</HI> had cau&s;ed this lye to be di|vulged among&s;t the People: And Madam, he had done it with &s;o much art, that tho&s;e whom he employed in the bu&s;ine&s;s, were never &s;u&s;pected to have any hand in the impo&s;ture. And to the end none &s;hould thinke him to be the Author, he would not be the fir&s;t that &s;hould forbid the banes between <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> and that Prince; not doubting but <HI>Bomilcar</HI> and <HI>Britomartes</HI> would take hold of that oc|ca&s;ion which he had given to deferr it, he hoping all the while to find an oppor|tunity of carrying away <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> as afterwards we came to under&s;tand.</P>
<P>And indeed Madam, <HI>Britomartes</HI> and <HI>Bomilcar</HI> hearing of the&s;e great reports, did &s;ay, that for their parts they did believe the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> to be the &s;ame he &s;ayd he was; but &s;ince it was made a doubt by a great People, they could not &s;uffer that the Prince&s;&s;e &s;hould marry him. The te&s;timonies which all the friends of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince did give, were all in vaine, and likewi&s;e what all the men in <HI>Mar&s;eilles</HI> did &s;ay: For the people of that Countrey being of a mutinous in|clination, and &s;ince many were &s;uborned to rai&s;e &s;edition, they took up Armes, and &s;ided with <HI>Britomartes, Bomilcar,</HI> and <HI>Galathes.</HI></P>
<P>Neither the King, nor <HI>Carimantes,</HI> who were fully per&s;waded of the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> his quality, were not able to act accoding unto their inclinations: and the le&s;&s;e able, becau&s;e at the &s;ame time the friends of <HI>Menedorus</HI> had cau|&s;ed a commotion in <HI>Mar&s;eilles,</HI> upbraiding <HI>Sfurius</HI> with his cruelty to his &s;onne; accu&s;ing al&s;o the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> for con&s;enting unto the marriage of <HI>Cari|mantes</HI> with <HI>One&s;icrite.</HI> Meane while <HI>Glacidia</HI> endeavoured to per&s;wade <HI>Bomilcar</HI> that it was in vaine for him to hinder the Marriage of <HI>Cleonisbe,</HI> &s;ince he might a&s;&s;ure him&s;elfe &s;he would never love him. But he an&s;wered her, that &s;ince he could receive no other con&s;olation, but in the ruine of his Rivall, &s;he mu&s;t par|don him if he did it; maintaining that he might very well do it, without giving him any cau&s;e of complaint, &s;ince he did no more then what <HI>Britomartes</HI> and <HI>Ga|lathes</HI> did al&s;o.</P>
<P>In the mean time, as great a care was taken in ob&s;erving the&s;e Rivalls as well as the Prince of <HI>Phoceus, Bomilcar</HI> and he fought the &s;econd time, and were both wounded; but with this difference, that when they parted them, the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> who was clo&s;ed with his Enemy, was the uppermo&s;t. But Madam, this Combate more and more incen&s;ing the people, things grew to a great height. For <HI>Galathes</HI> being exceeding &s;ubtle and witty, had in&s;inuated into the minds of many <HI>Segoregians,</HI> that our Town was much to be feared: and that if we made the Countrey better, it would be only for our &s;elves: and that after they had received us as their friends, we would become their Tyrants, and they our &s;laves. But di&s;order and confu&s;ion being in every place, it was advi&s;ed to appea&s;e the People to talke of a Negotiation, knowing it to be much better then to &s;top their fir&s;t fury. So they asked this incen&s;ed people, and the three Rivalls who were their heads, what proofs they required to te&s;tifie the condition of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince.</P>
<P>But they found them&s;elves much gravelled for an an&s;wer; for &s;ince there re|mayned none in <HI>Phoceus,</HI> it was in vaine to &s;end thither: But after they had well thought upon it, they agreed that the Conquerour of <HI>Phoceus</HI> &s;hould decide the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; and that if the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> would &s;ay unto tho&s;e they
<PB N="164" REF="764">
would &s;end unto him, that <HI>Peranius</HI> was of the Familie of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Princes, and that it was he who commanded the Fleet in departing from that Towne, which his Armies had conquered, then they would yeild up their Pretentions, and agree that <HI>Cleonisbes</HI> choi&s;e was lawfull. Though this Propo&s;ition might &s;eem &s;trange unto the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> &s;ince his de&s;tiny mu&s;t depend upon the te&s;timony of a Prince, unto whom he had not the honour to be known, and who might hold him for his Enemy, yet he did not refu&s;e it: For &s;ince he knew that the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibalus</HI> did know, and that his action had been extraordina|ry, and might be judged worthy to be related unto his invincible Conquerour, he believed that the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> would be &s;o generous as to give a &s;incere te&s;timony in his favour: And &s;o Madam, it was agreed, that I &s;hould come un|to <HI>Cyrus;</HI> That the King &s;hould &s;end me with a per&s;on of Quality, and that the three Rivalls &s;hould al&s;o &s;end a per&s;on of Credance, to heare what the Con|querour of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> would &s;ay unto my demands.</P>
<P>But before we came away, they made all their parties intere&s;ted to &s;wear &s;o|lemnly to agree unto what we &s;hould report: That they &s;hould not trouble the publique Peace; and that during our voyage, they &s;hould attempt nothing a|gain&s;t one another. After all this, they prepared us a &s;hip; and the King, the three Rivalls, and the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> having made choi&s;e of tho&s;e they would &s;end unto the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> we made our &s;elves ready for departure: And yet we did not depart, untill we under&s;tood that the &s;lave who demanded poy&s;on for <HI>Amathilde,</HI> and who had been taken in the Warres by the Father of the faire Lady, was known to be a man of great Quality among&s;t the <HI>Tecto&s;ages:</HI> And moreover, that he had declared unto <HI>Amathilde,</HI> he had been in love with her ever &s;ince he knew her: and that though &s;he had lo&s;t her beauty, yet &s;he had not lo&s;t his love; adding, that if &s;he would receive him favourably, &s;he was yet amiable enough to make him happy. So as Madam, &s;ince <HI>Amathilde</HI> had not a de&s;ire to dye after the lo&s;&s;e of her beauty, but only becau&s;e &s;he thought it impo&s;&s;ible any could love her in the &s;tate &s;he was, &s;he changed her mind when &s;he &s;aw &s;he was deceived: Al&s;o &s;he re&s;olved to live, and love him who loved her, when &s;he thought &s;he was not able to love her &s;elf.</P>
<P>After this Madam, we departed; and with orders from the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> to bring the Prince his Father unto <HI>Mar&s;eilles</HI> if we could: &s;o Madam, &s;ince the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> hath him&s;elf done as much as I could de&s;ire, I found my &s;elfe in a condition able to confound all the Rivalls of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, and to make him happy: al&s;o to contribute unto the happine&s;&s;e of <HI>Carimantes;</HI> for the mutinous people would not per mit him to marry <HI>One&s;icrite,</HI> unle&s;&s;e &s;he were &s;utable to his Quality. So Madam, if the Prince <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> at your per&s;wa&s;ions will plea&s;e to go whether I &s;hall conduct him by orders from the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince, I have no more to wi&s;h.</P>
<P><HI>Thrymetes</HI> having ended his Narration, he left <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> exceeding|ly &s;atisfied; and they promi&s;ed him to forget nothing which might conduce unto the felicity of the <HI>Phocean</HI> Prince: and indeed the next day he &s;poke unto the two <HI>Segoregians</HI> who came with <HI>Thrymetes</HI> in a manner mo&s;t advantageous for that Prince, and an&s;wered them with exceeding civility. Al&s;o he gave an authentique Declaration of his Quality, and mixed it with &s;o many Commendations of his valour and vertue, that a more advantageous Elogie could not be made of him.</P>
<P>But as he was ready to &s;end <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> unto <HI>Mene&s;teus</HI> to move him to quit the Toomb wherein he dwelt, this &s;ad and &s;olitary Prince came to thanke him and <HI>Mandana</HI> for the honour they had done him, and to give thanks unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> for the ju&s;tice he had done unto the Prince his &s;onne. But u&s;e what arguments and per&s;wa&s;ions they could to remove him unto <HI>Mar&s;eilles,</HI> he would not hearken unto them, but they were con&s;trained to let him return unto his mournfull Tomb againe: &s;o <HI>Thrymetes</HI> and the two <HI>Segoregians</HI> which were with him, re&s;olved to return as &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was departed.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> after &s;he had given thanks unto <HI>Eu|crates,</HI> &s;he continued on her journey with the greate&s;t di&s;po&s;ition in the world to divert her &s;elfe, and &s;o &s;he did mo&s;t plea&s;antly for many dayes. It &s;eemed as if e|very
<PB N="165" REF="764">
day did produce fre&s;h joyes: and when &s;he con&s;idered that &s;he was going further from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and drew neerer the King her Father, who would entertaine <HI>Cyrus</HI> as her deliverer, &s;he thought &s;he could not give her heart enough unto the enjoyment of plea&s;ures, after &s;hee had &s;uffered &s;o many mi&s;eries.</P>
<P>Al&s;o &s;he came unto the frontiers of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> towards <HI>Cicilie,</HI> without the lea&s;t di&s;a&s;ter in her voyage, and &s;he had the &s;atisfaction to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> doe an act worthy of his great &s;oule. There came in the evening a Po&s;t from <HI>Babylon,</HI> which brought newes that there had been a great commotion in that Town, and that in the Tumult the people had plundered the Ve&s;&s;els of the Temple of <HI>Ieru|&s;alem,</HI> which were brought thither when the <HI>A&s;&s;yrians</HI> tooke it: And that if the Hebrew people who were Captives in <HI>Babylon</HI> this &s;eventy yeares, had not oppo&s;ed them, they had been Ma&s;ters of it. This Po&s;t told <HI>Cyrus</HI> afterwards, that the Governour of <HI>Babylon</HI> being afraid le&s;t the like &s;hould happen againe, and that he was not able to keep the Towne, he re&s;olved to &s;end unto him all tho&s;e precious Ve&s;&s;els which had been po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed by <HI>Solomon:</HI> And that the cap|tive people not being able to endure that they &s;hould prophane tho&s;e things which had been con&s;ecrated unto &s;acred u&s;es in their &s;acrifices, did follow tho&s;e who drove the Camels which carryed all the&s;e riches. This Po&s;t adding, that falling &s;ick by the way, he could come no &s;ooner; and that hee believed tho&s;e of whom he &s;pake would be here in the morning.</P>
<P>And indeed the Sun no &s;ooner began to appeare, but <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who was always up very early to give out all nece&s;&s;ary orders, e&s;pecially for the ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ch of his Troops, did under&s;tand tho&s;e whom he expected were come: Thus there might be &s;een that great captive people who had been conquered by the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|rias</HI> Grandfather, do now make their addre&s;&s;es unto him who is the conqueror of that Prince unto whom they were &s;laves. But in coming unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> two of the Camels ru&s;hing one again&s;t another, did overturn their Loads, and made it appear how precious their loads were, in&s;omuch as <HI>Cyrus</HI> commanded them to &s;hew all the re&s;t: For &s;ince he did not find <HI>Mandana</HI> in <HI>Babylon</HI> when hee tooke it, he never thought of looking upon all this rich booty&punc; So the Officers obey|ing his commands, they let him &s;ee the mo&s;t magnificent object in the world: For he &s;aw three&s;core great ve&s;&s;els of gold of an ine&s;timable price: A thou&s;and ve&s;&s;els of &s;ilver of a wonderfull bigne&s;&s;e: abundance of co&s;tly In&s;truments u&s;ed in their Sacrifices, who&s;e garni&s;hing were both rich and rare: Foure hundred o|ther ve&s;&s;els of &s;ilver of a le&s;&s;er &s;ize, and a thou&s;and other ve&s;&s;els of the &s;ame mettall of a le&s;&s;e &s;ize then they. So that &s;eeing altogether five thou&s;and ve&s;&s;els of precious mettall and excellent forme, this &s;ight was the goodlie&s;t ob|ject in the world.. Yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not a whit dazled with the lu&s;tre of all the&s;e riches, but looked upon them as he ought. Then the chiefe among&s;t this He|brew people, who followed tho&s;e who carryed the&s;e Ornaments of the mo&s;t fa|mous Temple in the world, pre&s;enting him&s;elfe unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he hearkned unto him with a very willing eare; &s;o as this generous Captive &s;eeing that <HI>Cyrus</HI> lent him a favourable eare, he began to &s;peak unto him with much boldne&s;&s;e and zeale. He aggravated unto him the grandure of the god of his Fathers, the wi&s;|dome of one of their Kings, and the vertue of others. He de&s;cribed unto him the magnificence of the Temple in <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> before it was de&s;troyed: He repre|&s;ented unto him the enormous &s;acriledge of tho&s;e who pulled it downe: he de|&s;cribed the mi&s;eries of their captivity: He asked of him, as of the mo&s;t generous Prince in the world, liberty for his Nation, and leave to rebuild their Temple. Al&s;o that the&s;e Ve&s;&s;els which were con&s;ecrated unto the only god of the whole Univer&s;e might not be prophaned by other u&s;es. This Prince of the <HI>Hebrews</HI> did &s;peak with &s;o much zeale, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> being mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly moved by his language, did grant him his Demands, and much more; for he a&s;&s;igned a very con&s;iderable &s;umm of money to rebuild the Temple of <HI>Ieru&s;alem:</HI> So as this Prince of the <HI>He|brews</HI> divulging among&s;t the multitude the greatne&s;&s;e of the favour granted to them, upon a &s;udden they gave &s;uch &s;houts of joy as waked <HI>Mandana</HI> from her &s;leep.</P>
<P><PB N="166" REF="765">
But <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to rejoyce fully in his great act of Charity, de&s;ired this Prince&s;s &s;he would be plea&s;ed to &s;tay a day longer in that place, to &s;ee this multitude of captive People whom he had delivered, pa&s;&s;e by; and accordingly, <HI>Mandana</HI> be|ing in a Belconie, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> with her, accompanied with all the Prince&s;&s;es, they &s;aw pa&s;&s;e above forty thou&s;and per&s;ons of all &s;orts, who from rank to ranke did by their ge&s;tures render millions of thanks unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> for the liberty which he had given them: &s;o that joyning this va&s;t number of People, their Hor&s;es, their Camels, and all their other Bea&s;ts which carried their baggage, and the Chil|dren of the People delivered, they took up a va&s;t extent of ground; &s;o that it mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be concluded, that a Prince who was &s;o great as was able to give away &s;o much riches, and grant liberty unto &s;o many captives, mu&s;t needs be the greate&s;t Prince in the world: and &s;o much the rather, becau&s;e the good which he did, he alwayes did it with joy and alacrity: And truly he was &s;o &s;en&s;ibly plea&s;ed, that he had an occa&s;ion of breaking &s;o many chains at one blow, and comforting &s;o many &s;ad &s;ouls, that finding a &s;ubject out of which to frame a Complement unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> he asked her pardon for the &s;atisfaction which this adventure did afford him: For Madam, &s;aid he unto her, as you have been the cau&s;e of all my &s;orrows, &s;o you only are the cau&s;e of my Ioyes: and as it is a fayling in my duty, &s;oal&s;o an offence unto my love, to be capable of any other Joyes then that of &s;eeing you, and &s;eeing you at liberty.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The end of the &s;econd Booke.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="book">
<PB REF="765">
<PB REF="766">
<PB N="1" REF="766">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR The Grand CYRUS. <HI>THE EIGHTH PART.</HI>  Book. III.</HEAD>
<P>_THe Heroick joy which the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> had, in re&s;toring li|berty unto &s;o many captives; was not the onely one which he had: For a me&s;&s;enger, being come from the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta;</HI> he was exceedingly joyed to hear by him, that <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> had very well received them, and con&s;ented unto their marriage, which was celebrated with magnificence worthy of the Aegyptian king, in the &s;tately City of <HI>Memphis.</HI> The onely cau&s;e of the Egyptians coming was to thank <HI>Cyrus</HI> for the felicity which <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and <HI>Timareta</HI> enjoyed: And in the name of <HI>Ama&s;is,</HI> to offer him all the forces in his Kingdome, if he plea&s;ed to command them out. But &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not think he &s;hould need to give any more Battles, he did not accept of the offer: But a&s;&s;ured the me&s;&s;enger that he did much participate in the joyes and happine&s;&s;e of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Timareta,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris.</HI> And to te&s;tifie that the news he brought him of their marriage was mo&s;t welcome unto him; he rewarded him with a mo&s;t rich Pre|&s;ent at parting. Tis true, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not the onely one, who was joyed at the happi|ne&s;&s;e of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> for all tho&s;e that knew him in the Army, &s;hared with him, e&s;peci|ally the Egyptians which he had left. But as the news of this Princes happine&s;&s;e was very welcome unto all them that ever &s;aw him, or which ever heard &s;peak of him; &s;o the reports which were publi&s;hed of the augmentation of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrians</HI> kings &s;ickne&s;&s;e, did not produce the like effects in the mindes of tho&s;e who knew him: but many varied in their re&s;entments of it: For many men deploring the misfortune of &s;o great a Prince, did pity him: others were joyed: and <HI>Anaxaris</HI> was &s;orry though he hated him. But the predominate pa&s;&s;ion of his heart &s;waying him more then all other con&s;iderations, he could not chu&s;e but feare the death of a hated Rival, becau&s;e he might have di&s;turbed the felicity of a Rival loved. However, the noi&s;e of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> &s;ickne&s;&s;e was &s;o great, that none doubted the truth of it: and the le&s;&s;e, becau&s;e <HI>Cyrus</HI> (unto whom tho&s;e he had left with the Prince had given him an account) him&s;elf &s;aid that he was very ill, and gave cau&s;e to think, that the fir&s;t news we heard would be of his death: yet he &s;poke it with &s;o much re&s;erved|ne&s;s, that every one wondered at his moderation, in not rejoycing at the lo&s;&s;e of &s;uch
<PB N="2" REF="767">
an enemy as he. As for <HI>Mandana,</HI> her &s;oul was &s;o high and generous, as &s;he was not capable of any joy at the death of a Prince who was not able to hurt her: and indeed, her di&s;po&s;ition was more unto pity then any joy. Yet it was &s;uch a compa&s;&s;ion as di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> did not di&s;turb the diver&s;ions of the voyage, which had all the plea&s;ures and delights of a tranquill Court. For as the dayes journeys were ordered, none were more weary at night, then if they had been onely out to take the air. Al&s;o the great abundance of rarely accompli&s;hed men, which the familiarity of the journey had united, did make &s;uch a delectable mi&s;cellany of men, of all &s;orts of conditions, humours, and Nations, that one mu&s;t needs be very &s;tupid, or melancholy, if they were weary in a place where there were &s;o many plea&s;ing per&s;ons, who for mo&s;t part, had no other de&s;igne but to divert: yet tho&s;e whom love had damped mu&s;t be alwayes excepted. For truely, the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> had the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bithynia</HI> alwayes in his minde: <HI>Artana</HI> was angry to be &s;o long from the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Palmis: Mazares</HI> had much ado to accu|&s;tome him&s;elf to be onely the friend of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and not her lover. <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> was not a little troubled that he could make no progre&s;&s;e in the minde of <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> And <HI>Andramites</HI> de&s;paired to &s;ee there was no likelihood of ever bending her heart. As for <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> he was too much in love with <HI>Ame&s;tris,</HI> not to be impatient of &s;eeing her, and he fretted at the longne&s;&s;e of the voyage, though he drew neerer unto her every day. Thus every lover in the Army had their di&s;contents. But as they were all carefull to hide their frettings, &s;o they did contribute much to the plea&s;ure of con|ver&s;ation, e&s;pecially at nights, when all the company a&s;&s;embled in <HI>Mandana's</HI> cham|ber. <HI>Anaxaris</HI> al&s;o, as unquiet as he was, he was &s;till &s;triving to ma&s;ter his minde, le&s;t he &s;hould &s;hew his unquietudes: for his de&s;igne being to plea&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> hee thought it not fit that the melancholy of his &s;oul &s;hould appear in his face, &s;o as hee concealed it &s;o hand&s;omely, and arrived &s;o perfectly unto that end he aimed at, that there were few men in the world whom <HI>Mandana</HI> e&s;teemed more then <HI>Anaxaris:</HI> Al&s;o &s;he gave him a thou&s;and obliging te&s;timonies of it; either in &s;peaking a thou&s;and good things of him unto <HI>Cyrus;</HI> or in a&s;&s;uring him &s;he would oblige the king her father, to acknowledge the &s;ervices he had done her, or in her way of carriage towards him. For indeed &s;he commanded him with &s;uch mild, &s;weet, and civil authority, that her Commands were more obliging then the prayers of many others. But as <HI>Anaxaris</HI> had a great care of in&s;inuating him&s;elf into the love of <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;o he had a great care to make him&s;elf both loved and feared of all tho&s;e under his command. And the truth is, he was both &s;o loved and feared, as there were very few things which he was not able to make them do. In the mean time, this Illu&s;trious Troop, &s;till advancing, <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> came one evening unto a little Town &s;cituated upon the banks of that great and famous River <HI>Halys:</HI> which hath its originall and &s;ource among&s;t the A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> menian mountains: and after it hath twined it &s;elf through many &s;everall Countrey<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> It divides Cappadocia from Paphlagonia, in this place, not being di&s;tant from the Euxine &s;ea above three hundred furlongs. Since the journey had been &s;omething long, and &s;ince <HI>Mandana</HI> found &s;ome delight to think &s;he was in Cappadocla, where all the people received her with unexpre&s;&s;ible joyes, and continuall acclamations, &s;he inten|ded to re&s;t there a day; whereof <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was very glad, becau&s;e &s;he remembred her &s;elf of an Aunt which commonly dwelt at <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> who had a very noble hou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> within fourty furlongs of it: Remembring moreover, that &s;he was ever u&s;ed to dw<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> there about that &s;ea&s;on: &s;o &s;ending pre&s;ently to enquire, to the end &s;he might finde her at home, &s;he asked <HI>Mandana</HI> leave to make a vi&s;it in the morning, &s;ince &s;he did not travell; &s;o as in this hope &s;he pa&s;&s;ed away the evening in a very merry di&s;po&s;ition&punc; Since <HI>Feraulus</HI> was the man who took upon him to enquire whether her Aunt wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> home, he made &s;uch ha&s;t, that as &s;oone as <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> waked in the morning, &s;he knew that her Aunt was where &s;he thought her; and had much good company with her&punc; <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> no &s;ooner knew this welcome news, but ri&s;ing in all ha&s;t &s;hee went u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Mandana,</HI> and be&s;eeched her to let her go this vi&s;it. The Prince&s;&s;e at fir&s;t, could not remember who this Co&s;in of <HI>Marte&s;ia's</HI> was; But calling to mind pre&s;ently after, t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;he was &s;i&s;ter unto her whom <HI>Artucas</HI> married, who delivered up a Port of <HI>Sinope</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> when he came thither to relea&s;e her, but did relea&s;e onely the King <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> Then &s;he told <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> very obligingly, that not to deprive her of th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> plea&s;ure, nor to deprive her &s;elf of that &s;atisfaction which &s;he hoped to receive <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;eeing her, &s;ince &s;he was &s;o neer, &s;he would &s;end her upon a complement unto <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">
<PB N="3" REF="767">
Aunt, and &s;end her own Coach for her, that &s;he might oblige her to come and &s;ee her. <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> not daring to refu&s;e &s;uch an obliging Propo&s;ition, thanked <HI>Mandana</HI> for the favour, and would be carefull to &s;end and acquaint her kin&s;woman, who was called <HI>Amaldea:</HI> but the Prince&s;&s;e would needs &s;end one of her own &s;ervants; and &s;o &s;he did. Then <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> went out to write a letter unto <HI>Amaldea,</HI> by him that was to go for her, which done, &s;he returned again unto <HI>Mandana's</HI> chamber, where <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Pherenice</HI> were. <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid the Prince&s;&s;e unto her, as &s;oon as &s;hee entred) I know not whether my memory fail me, but I think that when we were at <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> your Aunt who is one of the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed per&s;ons in the world had a friend with her, who in my mind was one of the mo&s;t in&s;upportable women that ere I &s;aw, though &s;he was one of the mo&s;t vertuous, in point of gallantry. 'Tis very true Madam, replied &s;he, and I never in all my life knew any unto whom I had a greater aver&s;ion then unto her you mention. But how was it po&s;&s;ible, &s;aid <HI>Dora|li&s;a,</HI> that &s;uch a one &s;hould be the friend of <HI>Amaldea?</HI> for in my mind, it is very ex|traordinary that any per&s;on of merit, &s;hould have a friend who is not of the &s;ame mould. It cannot be &s;aid, (replied <HI>Mandana)</HI> but that &s;he of whom I &s;peak hath many good qualities: &s;ince &s;he had been very fair<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, and was &s;o &s;till when I went from <HI>Themi&s;cyra:</HI> Moreover, &s;he is very vertuous, and hath wit and &s;pirit enough, but withall, if <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> would de&s;cribe her unto us, I am confident, you would agree that &s;he is not very amiable. Ah Madam, &s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> you &s;peak too favou|rably of a per&s;on who de&s;erves not the attribute of vertuous, &s;ince her vertues do &s;o ill become her: And truely (&s;aid &s;he, turning towards <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> &s;ince the Prince&s;&s;e is plea&s;ed I &s;hould de&s;cribe this friend of <HI>Amaldeas,</HI> who&s;e name is <HI>I&s;alonide:</HI> be plea&s;ed to imagine her as &s;he hath de&s;cribed her, that is, fair and vertuous, and al&s;o full of wit and &s;pirit: but a &s;pirit &s;o full of fooli&s;h pride, that I know not how I &s;hould de&s;cribe it unto you. Indeed, becau&s;e &s;he knows &s;he hath the vertue of mode&s;ty, &s;he thinks &s;he needs not the vertue of humility: and becau&s;e &s;he cannot be upbraided with any light|ne&s;&s;e, or gallantry, therefore &s;he thinks &s;he hath a peculiar priviledge, to be peevi&s;h, fanta&s;ticall, cholerick, and imperious: and indeed, &s;he thinks that becau&s;e &s;hee hath one vertue, &s;he may be permitted to have all the vices: And for my part, were I her husband, I had rather &s;he were a little too gallant, and had a little of all tho&s;e vertues &s;he wants, then to have but one vertue, and have a little of all the ill habitudes that one can have. For my particular, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> I think nothing can be more un|rea&s;onable, then for a woman to value what &s;he ought to be, at as high a rate, as if &s;he were &s;o: <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> doth &s;o value her &s;elf, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and as there are &s;ome in|&s;olent fools, who think that valour is enough to make up a compleat man; &s;o <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> thinks, that becau&s;e &s;he is not a light hou&s;ewife, &s;he is the mo&s;t vertuous woman of the age. In the mean time, the re&s;ult of this fine opinion is, that &s;he makes her hu&s;|band even mad with her fanta&s;ticall humours: &s;he di&s;orders the whole family by her &s;everity and pride: &s;he &s;harply checks all her kindred that are young: &s;he cen&s;ures all the women in the Town where &s;he lives: &s;he &s;corns all that come neer her; &s;he gives a hundred unju&s;t judgements; &s;he puts no difference between a little too much Gallantry, and a great crime: and &s;he condemns all that &s;he &s;ees, and &s;ees not, think|ing that &s;he her &s;elf onely can brag of being vertuous. And indeed &s;he is of &s;uch a pre&s;umptuous &s;pirit, that &s;he is mo&s;t intollerable. The truth is, replied <HI>Mandana,</HI> that this vanity hath a very ill foundation, &s;ince if it be at all excu&s;able, it mu&s;t bee when one hath &s;ome good quality which one is not obliged to have: and it is not e|nough to be proud, becau&s;e one hath &s;ome one vertue without which one &s;hould bee infamous. For example; If a woman who hath beauty, wit, and vertue, do take &s;o much pains as to cultivate tho&s;e excellencies which nature gave her: And do get &s;ome extraordinary knowledge in the Arts and Sciences, which &s;he knows how to u&s;e with all the di&s;cretion fitting for her Sex, doubtle&s;&s;e &s;he hath good rea&s;on to pretend unto more commendations then another: Moreover I mu&s;t agree, that tho&s;e vertues which <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> hath not, may in &s;ome &s;ort be a ju&s;t cau&s;e of boa&s;ting unto tho&s;e who en|joy them: But to draw a vanity out of vertue, is a thing &s;o &s;hamefull unto all the &s;ex in generall, that I am a&s;hamed to think of it: For truly it may be thought, that this kind of vertue out of which <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> draws a vanity, is e&s;&s;entiall unto all women. So in my opinion, the pride of <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> is very ill grounded; and I am per&s;waded that a man who looks for commendations, becau&s;e he never poy&s;oned, or a&s;&s;a&s;&s;inated any
<PB N="4" REF="768">
one, hath as good a rea&s;on for it as &s;he hath, who makes her glory to con&s;i&s;t onely in that &s;he is not too much addicted unto Gallantry. Doubtle&s;&s;e &s;he does not know, re|plied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> that not to be vitious, is not enough to make one vertuous; and that there is a great intervall between Avarice and Liberality: The &s;ame may be &s;aid of all the vertues and all the vices, replied <HI>Mandana,</HI> betwixt which this intervall may be found, in which if any one re&s;t, they neither merit blame nor commendations. For my part, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and &s;miled, I am willing to think that <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> does not merit the Attribute of that vertue whereof &s;he boa&s;ts: for if &s;he be &s;o peevi&s;h, &s;o angry, &s;o &s;cornfull, and &s;o proud as you de&s;cribe her, I cannot beleeve &s;he hath many Adorers. For my part, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I think you are in the right; at lea&s;t I know that none are more in&s;ufferable to me then &s;uch women, as have &s;ouls &s;o ba&s;e as to content them&s;elves with one vertue, and yet are &s;o proud as to &s;corn all tho&s;e ver|tues which they want: And the wor&s;e is her example of this in&s;olent and &s;avage ver|tue, does not good at all unto any young per&s;ons; but on the contrary, all the appre|hen&s;ions of &s;uch &s;ecure and arrogant women, does incen&s;e their &s;pirits, and makes them &s;o afraid of their re&s;emblance, as that often-times they will not re&s;emble tho&s;e who are good. However it be, replied <HI>Mandana,</HI> we &s;hall know by <HI>Amaldea</HI> whe|ther <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> be &s;till of the &s;ame humour: and whether a young &s;i&s;ter &s;he hath, be of the &s;ame. If &s;he be, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, I could not know it by her Phy&s;iognomy: for I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, this young &s;i&s;ter, who&s;e name is <HI>Clo|reli&s;a,</HI> had &s;uch a look with her eyes, as moved me to think &s;he had a very gallant inclination; though it be true, that <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> has &s;uch an ob&s;ervant eye over her, as &s;he cannot follow her own inclination. If this Per&s;on, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> be as plea|&s;ing as her name is, &s;he is more amiable then her &s;i&s;ter: Since I never had any expe|rience of her, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I onely know &s;he ha's a promi&s;ing and gallant Air with her, that &s;he is fair, and that &s;he hath much &s;pirit: yet I cannot &s;ay &s;he is ami|able. But in exchange (added <HI>Mandana)</HI> you may a&s;&s;ure her that &s;he has a bro|ther named <HI>Belemis,</HI> who is as well per&s;waded of his own valour, as his &s;i&s;ter is of her vertue: or at lea&s;t they accu&s;e him (me thinks) for making too much of his bravery. The truth Madam is, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> that <HI>Belemis</HI> who is a man qualified well enough, hath a little too much affected to appear what he is, and that they have rightly accu&s;ed him for making all the crabbed faces of a &s;ouldier: For indeed, his walk is too warlike, his action is too haughty; and when he comes into any company, he has the Air of a man that was ready to give battle, rather then for a conver&s;ation of Gallantry: his clothes al&s;o, has alwayes &s;omething unlike peace: and his tone is &s;o &s;hrill, as one would think his intreaties were commands, military commands: all he does, and all he &s;ayes, would per&s;wade one that he affects to be reputed brave: yet certainly all this is his naturall way. If &s;o, replied <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> then he hath great cau&s;e to chide Nature: for I a&s;&s;ure you, &s;uch men in times of peace are no le&s;&s;e ridiculous, then &s;uch women as are of <HI>I&s;alonide's</HI> humour. After <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> had &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Mandana,</HI> being dre&s;t, &s;he prepared to go unto the Temple with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and all tho&s;e of this Court Errant, if I may phra&s;e it &s;o. But &s;ince the &s;acrifice continued very long, when <HI>Mandana</HI> returned to her lodging &s;he found <HI>Marte&s;ia's</HI> Aunt, already come, and found with her the mo&s;t plea&s;ing company in the world: For indeed, &s;he had with her ten or twelve hand&s;ome women, and as many men of exceeding good quality: &s;o that <HI>Mandana</HI> being plea&s;ingly &s;urprized at this good company, &s;he received them with all po&s;&s;ible Civility, and the better becau&s;e they were all known unto her, for they were all of <HI>Themi&s;cyra. Cyrus&punc;</HI> for his particular was exceedingly &s;atisfied, that all this good company &s;hould come &s;o fitly to make the day more delight&s;ome unto <HI>Mandana.</HI> And all tho&s;e who were with him were very glad to &s;ee &s;o many Ladies in a place &s;o unlikely to meet with any &s;o amiable. As for <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;he was &s;o glad to &s;ee &s;o many of her acquaintance, that her joyes &s;parkled in her eyes: But &s;he was ex|tremely over-joyed to &s;ee with her Aunt the daughter of <HI>Artucas,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Erenice,</HI> with whom &s;he had a particular friend&s;hip at <HI>Sinope,</HI> when &s;he lodged with her Uncle, whiles <HI>Artamenes</HI> was pri&s;oner. She was no &s;ooner at liberty to talke with her, while&s;t <HI>Amaldea</HI> was talking with <HI>Mandana,</HI> but &s;he remembred that &s;he was pre|&s;ent when tho&s;e four Lovers which pretended each of them to be the mo&s;t unfortu|nate Lover in the world, were judged by her in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> Alas my dear <HI>Erenice,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto her, what &s;trange accidents have hapned &s;ince that day I
<PB N="5" REF="768">
was &s;o bu&s;ie in examining whether Indifferency, Death, ab&s;ence, or Jealou&s;ie was the mo&s;t Rigorous: and how much time would it take up, if I &s;hould examine which hath more perplexed me, ab&s;ence from you, or my fears you &s;hould forget me. But while&s;t <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was talking thus, and while&s;t <HI>Erenice</HI> was an&s;wering with as much ingenuity and tenderne&s;&s;e, <HI>Mandana</HI> did with admiration look upon a per&s;on whom &s;he &s;aw among&s;t the Ladies: for though they were all very hand&s;ome, yet there was no compari&s;on betwixt her and the re&s;t. And indeed, this Lady, who&s;e name was <HI>Telamire,</HI> had &s;uch rare and extraordinary charmes in her beauty, that they will hard|ly admit of a de&s;cription. For &s;ince &s;hee was neither great, nor little; pale, nor red; black, nor fair; but held a ju&s;t and even proportion betwixt all the&s;e, as one would &s;ay, Nature did di&s;tingui&s;h her from all others, to the end there might not be confu&s;ion in the &s;everall Orders of Beauties, which &s;ometimes breeds conte&s;ts between the black, and between the fair Beauties. Moreover, <HI>Telamire</HI> was not onely Fair, but of an admirable behaviour; and had an Air which was not at all proud, yet maje&s;ticall. Again, &s;ince <HI>Telamire</HI> was neither black nor fair, her A&s;pect was neither melancholy nor merry, but had &s;uch a ju&s;t mixture of both as made her di&s;creetly plea&s;ant. But as <HI>Telamire</HI> did charme the eyes of all the company: &s;o likewi&s;e there was a man with her that did attract their eyes as much as &s;he: &s;ince certainly his behaviour was as good as &s;he was fair: His Phy&s;iognomy &s;poke him to be a man of much &s;pirit. And hee hear kned unto what was &s;poke, with &s;uch an Aire, as it was ea&s;ie to perceive that he under&s;tood things aright. But that which rendred him mo&s;t con&s;iderable unto <HI>Man|dana,</HI> was his being &s;onne unto <HI>Amaldea,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia's</HI> Cou&s;in: for &s;ince he was not at <HI>Themi&s;cyra</HI> when &s;he was there, &s;he knew him not. She remembred very well that <HI>Amaldea</HI> had a &s;onne who&s;e name was <HI>Artaxander,</HI> but &s;he knew not it was him &s;he &s;aw. And &s;he did no &s;ooner know it, but &s;he made him a mo&s;t obliging Com|plement, and he an&s;wered her in a mo&s;t Elegant &s;tile. So that di&s;cour&s;es beginning by degrees, between &s;o much excellent company, time pa&s;&s;ed away &s;o plea&s;ingly, that <HI>Mandana</HI> thought it not a minuit &s;ince &s;he returned from the Temple, when &s;he was adverti&s;ed that it was dinner time. So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> carried all the men with him, and <HI>Mandana</HI> retained all the Ladies to dine with her: but &s;he declared unto them, that it was not for a dinner &s;he retained them, but they &s;hould not return home that night. But to an&s;wer the Civility of the Prince&s;&s;e, <HI>Amaldea</HI> told her, &s;hee would do more then that, becau&s;e &s;he was re&s;olved to wait upon her two dayes journey farther. Thus all this good company being together, the time pa&s;&s;ed away with much delight: one chance fell out which cau&s;ed that <HI>Mandana</HI> could not depart &s;o &s;oon as &s;he inten|ded, becau&s;e in the night time, that great River on which this little Town did &s;tand did &s;o overflow, that the Countrey all about was water: and for twelve hours together it rained &s;o fa&s;t, that it was one cau&s;e of the Rivers ri&s;ing, though the main rea&s;on of it was, the falling of waters from the Armenian Mountains, which running into this River, did cau&s;e it to &s;well above its ordinary Banks, and over-flow the Plains. However, <HI>Mandana</HI> mu&s;t cro&s;&s;e it before &s;he could continue her journey, and there|fore of nece&s;&s;ity &s;he mu&s;t &s;tay untill the waters were a&s;&s;waged: and al&s;o this good Company mu&s;t needs &s;tay with her, becau&s;e <HI>Amaldeas</HI> hou&s;e was on the other &s;ide of the River. And though there was a bridge, and this bridge not broken, yet there was no getting within twelve furlongs of it, &s;o as all this good Company &s;taying to|gether, there de&s;igne was onely to pa&s;&s;e the time without wearine&s;&s;e unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> who for her part did contribute all her endeavours to divert the Company. But <HI>Mar|te&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid &s;he one morning unto her) how came all the&s;e Ladies to a&s;&s;emble toge|ther at your Aunts? I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, (replied &s;he) I do not know: but &s;ince they came hither, I have done nothing el&s;e but talk of you, and &s;atisfie their curi|o&s;ities concerning your adventures: And though fame had partly told them, yet it told them fal&s;e, and I was glad to let them know the truth. But now I have told them all they de&s;ire to know, I mu&s;t move them in their turnes, to tell me all I de&s;ire to know: for all I know yet is, that there is a notable adventure between this Beauty you &s;ee here, who&s;e name is <HI>Telamire,</HI> and <HI>Artaxander:</HI> and that it &s;eems love makes hap|py and unhappy every where. <HI>Telamire,</HI> replied <HI>Mandana,</HI> is very likely to produce tho&s;e two different effects, for I never in my life &s;aw any that plea&s;ed me more: And therefore <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> informe your &s;elf a little better of her fortune, and let me know it. I &s;hall be very glad to obey you Madam, replied &s;he, &s;ince I have &s;uch an inclina|tion
<PB N="6" REF="769">
my &s;elf: and indeed that Evening <HI>Erenice</HI> being with <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> without any company but <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;he obeyed <HI>Mandana's</HI> commands. Dear Cou&s;in, (&s;aid &s;he unto her) &s;ince I have related the Adventures of our Prince&s;&s;e, and of the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I hope you will not be &s;ilent in your own, and tho&s;e of your acquaintance. When I have told you, replied &s;he, that after your departure from <HI>Sinope,</HI> my father &s;ent me unto <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> to <HI>Amaldea:</HI> and that I was often &s;orry never to hear from you, doubtle&s;&s;e I have told you the mo&s;t important pa&s;&s;ages of my life. Tell me at lea&s;t, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> how it comes to pa&s;&s;e that &s;o many amiable Per&s;ons, who hereto|fore had no &s;ociety together, &s;hould now make a journey together. To &s;atisfie your knowledge in this (replied &s;he) it is requi&s;ite I relate the whole lives of <HI>Artaxan|der</HI> and <HI>Telamire.</HI> Though <HI>Artaxander</HI> be my Cou&s;in as he is yours (replied <HI>Mar|te&s;ia)</HI> yet fortune hath &s;o often parted us that we hardly know each other: But &s;ince he &s;eemes to be a very well accompli&s;hed man, I &s;hould be very glad to know him from you. Therefore my dear <HI>Erenice,</HI> I be&s;eech you acquaint me with his life, and let <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> have her &s;hare in the diver&s;ion. The adventures of per&s;ons unto whom others have no relation, replied <HI>Erenice,</HI> are &s;o farre from diverting them, that I con|ceive it be&s;t to &s;tay untill you and I be alone; for though what I &s;hall tell you have &s;omething that is extraordinary in it, yet as I &s;aid before, tho&s;e who have no intere&s;t in the fortune of them who&s;e Hi&s;tory is related cannot take any delight in hearing it. I am &s;o much intere&s;ted in the happine&s;&s;e of <HI>Artaxander</HI> and <HI>Telamire,</HI> replied <HI>Dora|li&s;a,</HI> that I &s;hould be extremely glad to hear their Adventures. For the truth is, it is impo&s;&s;ible to &s;ee them, and not de&s;ire their happine&s;&s;e. And to te&s;tifie unto you, that they are not indifferent to me, I a&s;&s;ure you, that I wi&s;h with all my heart, if <HI>Artax|ander</HI> have any Rivals, that they may be ill treated; and if <HI>Telamire</HI> love any, that it may be <HI>Artaxander.</HI> But perhaps you have &s;ome &s;ecrets to impart unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> which you would not have me to know, and therefore it is better to leave you at liber|ty. Oh <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Erenice,</HI> and would not let her go) I be&s;eech you do not offer to go away: for I am per&s;waded, if I &s;hould deprive <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> of your &s;ight, mine would not give her any &s;atisfaction. Moreover, as &s;weet as &s;he &s;eems to be, I a&s;&s;ure you &s;he is one of the mo&s;t revenging per&s;ons in the world: and to prove it, I remem|ber, that having one day the misfortune to take her out of very good Company, &s;he was never at re&s;t untill &s;he was revenged, by putting me upon the company of one of the mo&s;t weari&s;ome per&s;ons that ever was; and therefore I be&s;eech you doe not go away. Then &s;atisfie me, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;ince I am &s;o revengefull, for I declare unto you, that if you will not relate unto me the whole life of <HI>Artaxander</HI> and <HI>Telamire,</HI> I &s;hall relate unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> all I know of yours. And you know I am not ignorant, that you have made more mi&s;erable then one, &s;ince we were acquainted. Since that relation (replied <HI>Erenice</HI> and blu&s;ht) would have le&s;&s;e diver&s;ion in it, then that which I &s;hould relate, though you &s;peak much le&s;&s;e then I, yet I had rather obey then re&s;i&s;t you. Then do obey, replied <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> but that the word obey may be rightly placed, obey <HI>Doroli&s;a,</HI> and addre&s;&s;e your &s;peech unto her: For &s;he being a &s;tranger at <HI>Themi&s;|cyra,</HI> you mu&s;t explain many things unto her, which you would not unto me. After this, <HI>Doroli&s;a</HI> an&s;wered &s;omething, and <HI>Erenice</HI> replied: But at la&s;t, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> having impo&s;ed &s;ilence upon them both, and given order that nothing &s;hould di&s;turb them, <HI>Erenice</HI> began her Relation in the&s;e Termes.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
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<HEAD>THE HISTORY OF ARTAXANDER AND TELAMIRE.</HEAD>
<P>_SInce tho&s;e who&s;e lives I am to relate are &s;carcely known unto you, 'Tis requi&s;ite I begin my Relation with their Elogie, that &s;o en|gaging you unto their intere&s;ts, by &s;ome re&s;entments of e&s;teem, you may with more attention hearken unto what I &s;ay. But &s;ince the merits of the&s;e two Per&s;ons are high enough to have got that e&s;teem already, I have rea&s;on to fear that I cannot commend them enough. However, I mu&s;t tell you, that <HI>Telamire</HI> is one of the mo&s;t charming Per&s;ons in the Univer&s;e unto &s;uch as particularly know her: and though &s;he be mo&s;t amiable unto all in generall, yet &s;he is infinitely more unto &s;uch as have any intimacy with her. And it may be &s;aid, that &s;he is as much above her &s;elf, when &s;he is with her intimate friends, as &s;he is above many others, when &s;he is in a generall conver&s;ation: Al&s;o &s;he is &s;o univer&s;ally known, that when any one &s;ees a dull per&s;on in <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> they u&s;e to &s;ay, &s;end him to <HI>Telamire,</HI> for &s;he hath as much as the other hath little. Moreover <HI>Telamire</HI> is exceedingly &s;weet and generous; and her beauty is certainly the lea&s;t good quality &s;he hath. As for <HI>Ar|taxander,</HI> It is enough I tell you, that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> can boldly acknowledge in her Cou|&s;ins behalf, that he hath all tho&s;e excellent qualities which are requi&s;ite to make up a mo&s;t perfectly accompli&s;ht man. After this, I mu&s;t tell you, that <HI>Telamire</HI> is a Lady of Quality; who&s;e father was called <HI>Alga&s;tus:</HI> and her mother was a mo&s;t vertuous woman, who tenderly loved <HI>Amaldea</HI> the mother of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> under the gover|nance of whom he hath ever been, becau&s;e his father died when he was but in his Cradle. And the better to let you under&s;tand what I mu&s;t tell you in the &s;equell of my di&s;cour&s;e; Be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> never had more then one daughter, which was <HI>Telamire:</HI> and that from her very infancy, her mother, who&s;e name was <HI>Cleo&s;&s;onte,</HI> did alwayes tell <HI>Amaldea,</HI> that &s;he would marry her daughter unto the young <HI>Artaxander</HI> her &s;onne, who was then about five or &s;ix yeers elder then <HI>Tela|mire,</HI> who at that time was not above twelve. But though this de&s;igne was known unto very few, and though <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> him&s;elf knew it not, yet it was not &s;o &s;ecretly carried, but the young <HI>Telamire</HI> knew &s;omething of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, by the women which waited upon her: &s;o as from that time, &s;he di&s;po&s;ed her heart to be obedi|ent unto <HI>Cleo&s;&s;onte.</HI> And I cannot tell, whether one &s;hould not attribute &s;ome part of <HI>Telamires</HI> merits unto the innocent de&s;igne which &s;he had in her infancy, to be ere long in a condition of meriting <HI>Artaxanders</HI> e&s;teem. The truth is, I cannot think one could be more amiable being an in&s;ant, then <HI>Telamire</HI> was: for her per&s;on was not onely exceeding hand&s;ome, but &s;he had one of the be&s;t Complexions in the world, and &s;truck all her ma&s;ters into admiration: either he who taught her to dance, or him
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who taught her the A&s;&s;yrian Language, which &s;he &s;poke excellently well. And mo&s;t cer|tainly none could dance better then &s;he did at that time, nor &s;peak a &s;trange Language more politely. Moreover her &s;tature was already &s;o well proportioned, and her Phy|&s;iognomy &s;o compo&s;ed, that all men of any ingenuity, who came unto <HI>Cleo&s;&s;onte,</HI> did not treat her as a child any longer, though yet &s;he was one, but on the contrary, ex|tolled her as a compleat woman, and talked to her as if &s;he were eighteen yeers of age: Al&s;o &s;he an&s;wered them &s;o ingeniou&s;ly, and with &s;uch &s;parks of wit and &s;pirit in her countenance, as one would think, that if &s;he was not very forward to talk, it was on|ly becau&s;e &s;he knew, that &s;he was but twelve yeers of age; and that decency would not allow her yet to &s;hew all her wit, though &s;he &s;hewed enough to make them ad|mire her: So as having all the graces of Infancy, without any of the Toyes, I a&s;&s;ure you, &s;he was then infinitely amiable and charming. I tell you this, (amiable <HI>Dora|li&s;a)</HI> to let you know the fir&s;t ground of <HI>Telamires</HI> and <HI>Artaxanders</HI> affection: 'Tis true, it could not well be called affection at that time: For &s;ince <HI>Amaldea</HI> &s;ent <HI>Artax|ander</HI> to travell as &s;oon as he was &s;eventeen yeers of age, and &s;ince his travell was long, he &s;carcely remembred that ever he heard his mother &s;ay, &s;he de&s;ired he &s;hould marry <HI>Telamire:</HI> and <HI>Telamire</HI> her &s;elf though &s;he remembred the intention of <HI>Cleo&s;&s;onte,</HI> yet &s;he thought it would never come to pa&s;&s;e: for you mu&s;t know, that this vertuous Per&s;on died when <HI>Telamire</HI> was but fourteen yeers of age: &s;o as being under the go|vernance of her father, who &s;et a wi&s;e and vertuous woman over her, &s;he thought upon nothing but better accompli&s;hing her &s;elf without any thoughts of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> con&s;idering that <HI>Cleo&s;&s;ontes</HI> de&s;igne being grounded upon her friend&s;hip to <HI>Amaldea,</HI> it would now fall, &s;ince &s;he was dead: And &s;ince <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> her father was &s;o far from any thoughts of marrying her, that his mind was all upon another wife: for &s;ince he was very rich, he did not de&s;pair to find one, though he was old, and though he would have one that was young, fair, and of good quality: <HI>Amaldea</HI> al&s;o for her part, &s;he never thought more upon this marriage: for &s;he knew that <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> never thought of marrying his daughter; and &s;ince &s;he &s;aw him in a po&s;&s;ibility of having other children by another wife, &s;he thought the match not &s;o advantagious as in <HI>Cleo&s;&s;ontes</HI> dayes: &s;o this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e was laid a&s;ide, as if it had never been thought upon. In the interim, time pa&s;&s;ing on, and <HI>Artaxander</HI> being improved as much by his Travells, as <HI>Tela|mire</HI> grew fair in his ab&s;ence: he returned to <HI>Themi&s;cyra:</HI> But &s;ince he had never been in a place, where they &s;aid that heretofore did dwell the &s;econd Queen of the <HI>Amazons,</HI> called <HI>Orithea,</HI> at that time when &s;he reigned in <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> therefore he had a great Curio&s;ity to go and &s;ee it: and indeed it was one of the goodlie&s;t places in the world; and &s;o Famous, that it was a kinde of &s;hame for a man of any &s;pirit, not to have been there, and to be ignorant of what was there to be &s;een. In the mean time, as chance would have it, you mu&s;t know, that <HI>Artaxander</HI> found in that place a company of <HI>Themi&s;cyrian</HI> Ladies, who came thither upon the &s;ame occa&s;ion he did; to wit, onely out of Curio&s;ity: Among&s;t the re&s;t, there was a Lady, who&s;e name was <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> who was very plea&s;ant, and &s;o is &s;till, though &s;ince &s;he hath much been vexed. This <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> had neither father nor mother living, and therefore dwelt with a brother, named <HI>Belermis;</HI> having no mind to dwelt with a &s;i&s;ter which &s;he had, who was called <HI>I&s;alonide,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he was one of the mo&s;t imperious per&s;ons in the world.</P>
<P>To &s;pare you the labour of de&s;cribing her, (&s;aid <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and interrupted her) I mu&s;t tell you that I have acquainted <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> what &s;he is, to wit, fooli&s;hly proud that &s;he cannot be accu&s;ed of too much Gallantry. Nor is it nece&s;&s;ary that you tell us what <HI>Belermis</HI> is, &s;ince I have told her he might well repre&s;ent the God of war. But as for <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> you would do me a plea&s;ure in telling me of what humour &s;he is at this pre&s;ent.</P>
<P><HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> replied <HI>Erenice,</HI> is oppo&s;ite unto <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> in many things, and re&s;embles her in onely one. For the truth is, her inclination is unto Gallantry&punc; But though &s;he &s;eem to be very Civil, and when &s;he plea&s;eth is Complai&s;ant enough, &s;o her Com|plai&s;ance may &s;erve her own intere&s;ts; yet &s;he is as imperious in her Gallantry, as her &s;i&s;ter is in her way. Moreover, &s;he is as full of revenge as one can be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> for &s;he will attempt any thing to &s;atisfie that humour, being none of tho&s;e who &s;ay that they ought never to be revenged upon them&s;elves: for &s;he is of &s;uch an humour that &s;he had rather do her &s;elf harm, then not hurt them &s;he hates: However, &s;ince <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI>
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is fair and witty: and &s;ince her imperious humour never appears unto tho&s;e who jarre not with her, it is very hard to look upon her and not love her: &s;o that <HI>Artaxander</HI> meeting her at this Town, in which are the ruins of <HI>Orithias</HI> Ca&s;tle, he was as civil to her as any well qualified man ought to be unto a Beauty: and a Beauty who being but a child when he went from <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> had now all the graces of novelty: Al&s;o he applied him&s;elf more to talk unto her then unto all the re&s;t of her Company. But as the&s;e kind of meetings do often cau&s;e others, &s;o after they had viewed all that was to be &s;een at the Ca&s;tle of this great Queen of the <HI>Amazons,</HI> they de&s;igned to go unto another place, where it was &s;aid that <HI>Hercules</HI> and <HI>The&s;eus</HI> arrived, when they defeat|ed tho&s;e valiant warriers: and where might be &s;een the place where tho&s;e two &s;i&s;ters of that Queen, the one named <HI>Hippolite,</HI> and the other <HI>Menalippe,</HI> were taken pri&s;o|ners by tho&s;e two Heroes: So that <HI>Artaxander,</HI> and <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> being many dayes to|gether, and u&s;ing much familiarity and talk, there grew betwixt them a kind of league, which I know not what to call. For I under&s;tood &s;ince from <HI>Artaxander,</HI> that his heart was never really touched with any love, and that the affection he had unto <HI>Clo|reli&s;a</HI> was onely in his mind: and truely (&s;aid he unto me, one day when I pre&s;&s;ed him to tell me his thoughts of her) to te&s;tifie that my heart is free. I love <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> be|cau&s;e I would love her, and I love her without any di&s;temper. But for all that (ami|able <HI>Dorali&s;a) Artaxander</HI> during this journey was as full of his Gallantry as his wit could furni&s;h out. If he talked unto her of <HI>Hippolite</HI> with whom <HI>The&s;eus</HI> fell in love, after he took her pri&s;oner, it was to let her under&s;tand that he &s;hould have had the &s;ame di&s;tance, if <HI>Hippolite</HI> had re&s;embled her: And if he talked to her of <HI>Hercules,</HI> when they &s;hewed him how he overcame the <HI>Amazons;</HI> it was al&s;o to tell her, that &s;he was more valiant then ever they, &s;ince &s;he could get victories, and make pri&s;oners without any Armes. To be &s;hort, though <HI>Artaxander</HI> did onely e&s;teem <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> yet he carried the matter as if he were in love with her: In&s;omuch as <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> who had opinion good enough of her &s;elf, beleeved that he thought as he &s;aid, and looked upon him as her &s;lave. So as returning unto <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> with the glory of her Con|que&s;t, there was none who at her return did not think her much embelli&s;ht; &s;o well did her joyes become her beauty. But (amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> before I tell you how <HI>Ar|taxander</HI> was e&s;teemed at <HI>Themi&s;cyra:</HI> I mu&s;t tell you that our Town being much divided into Factions, there was a Family which was enemy unto that of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> who&s;e elde&s;t &s;onne, named <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> was of the &s;ame age with him: &s;o as chance &s;o ordering it, that his Parents &s;ent him unto the &s;ame places where <HI>Artaxander</HI> was, So it happened, that both of them being young; both well born, and never had any jarres one with another; meeting both in a &s;trange Countrey: engaging them&s;elves in the &s;ame bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; in the &s;ame plea&s;ures, and being farre from tho&s;e who bore all the hatred, they came at length to love one another; and fortune &s;ent them many oc|ca&s;ions wherein they had need of each other, and accordingly they were &s;erviceable unto each other with equall Genero&s;ity. In&s;omuch as the&s;e two reconciled enemies did promi&s;e an inviolable affection, and went unto the warres together again&s;t <HI>Polycra|tes.</HI> I &s;hall not in&s;i&s;t, how they &s;ignalized them&s;elves: but &s;hall tell you, that &s;ince this warre, <HI>Artaxander</HI> was called home by <HI>Amaldea,</HI> and &s;o <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> and he parted: But at parting, they agreed, that they would not publi&s;h their Reconciliation untill they met at <HI>Themi&s;cyra:</HI> for &s;ince the father of <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> was violent and fanta&s;ti|call, he feared le&s;t it &s;hould incen&s;e him, and le&s;&s;en the exhibition for his &s;ub&s;i&s;tence. Thus this friend&s;hip being as my&s;terious as love, it was as violent and tender. In the mean time, this Reconciliation made no noi&s;e in the Court, and at the return of <HI>Artax|ander,</HI> the talk was that he fell in love with <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> at the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Orithia:</HI> but not a word that he was become the friend of <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> during his travells. Then, to return unto the joyes which <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> had, to think &s;he had &s;ubdued the heart of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> I mu&s;t tell you, &s;he talked of nothing el&s;e: 'Tis true, this joy was a little qualified by the &s;harpe reprehen&s;ions of <HI>I&s;alonide,</HI> for going that voyage: for though &s;he went with the permi&s;&s;ion of her brother, and with excellent Company, yet &s;he mu&s;t needs make a &s;trange hurley-burley about it: upbraiding her, that there was a hundred famous Temples in <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> unto which &s;he never had any Curio&s;ity to &s;ee: and yet upon a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of Gallantry, &s;he mu&s;t go to a place where nothing was remarkable, unle&s;&s;e an old &s;tory of <HI>Amazons:</HI> However, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> being accu&s;to|med unto her &s;everity, &s;he cheered up her &s;elf pre&s;ently again&s;t her &s;i&s;ters anger; And
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&s;ince <HI>Telamire</HI> was not well and kept her chamber, &s;he went to vi&s;it her: for there being a great amity between them, and being equall in quality and age, they u&s;ed to &s;ee each other very often: Al&s;o <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> in the mind &s;he was, had a mind to &s;eek out new acquaintance, to the end &s;he might have occa&s;ions of relating her voyage, and talk of <HI>Artaxander.</HI> There was al&s;o another rea&s;on which moved <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> to &s;ee <HI>Telamire</HI> very oft: for you mu&s;t know, that <HI>Belermis</HI> her brother was much in love with her, and pre&s;&s;ed her every day, to knit acquaintance with her, to the end &s;hee might be able to do him a good office. After that &s;he had quieted <HI>I&s;alonide,</HI> &s;he went unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> not knowing that the mother of this Lady had a de&s;igne to marry her unto <HI>Artaxander,</HI> for there had been no reports of it out of the Family. So that after the fir&s;t Complements, and <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> had told <HI>Telamire,</HI> that her &s;ickne&s;&s;e had not altered her: and that <HI>Telamire</HI> al&s;o had told <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> that the Sunne had not burned her, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> asked her the news of the Town, and <HI>Telamire</HI> asked her concerning her voyage. So that having a way &s;o ea&s;ie to humour her own inclination, &s;he made her an exact relation of it, aggravating with extreme delight, her meeting with <HI>Ar|taxander.</HI> Since I have not &s;tirred out of my Chamber of late, (&s;aid <HI>Telamire</HI> unto her) I knew not that <HI>Artaxander</HI> was returned: but I be&s;eech you, did you find him hand|&s;ome enough to render your voyage the more delight&s;ome. I a&s;&s;ure you, replied <HI>Clo|reli&s;a,</HI> I found him to be &s;o excellently accompli&s;hed, as I do not think any one in <HI>The|mi&s;cyra.</HI> When one is in an humour to divert ones &s;elf, (replied <HI>Telamire)</HI> one &s;hall be plea&s;ed at any thing, and tho&s;e who are but meanly accompli&s;hed, will plea&s;e &s;ome|times better, then tho&s;e who are more, can when that humour is off. No, no, <HI>Tela|mire,</HI> (replied <HI>Cloreli&s;a)</HI> the e&s;teem I have of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> is not grounded upon my plea&s;ant humour, but upon his own merits, which are &s;uch, as to ju&s;tifie the judge|ment which I have given of him, I will bring him to you: and I will take upon me to chu&s;e his acquaintance, and his friends for him: for as you know, he parted from <HI>Themi&s;cyra</HI> very young, he is now almo&s;t a &s;tranger in his own Countrey. Certainly, replied <HI>Telamire, Artaxander</HI> hath found you to be as fair, as he finds you to be ac|compli&s;hed, &s;ince in &s;o &s;hort a time, he e&s;teems you &s;o much as to let you chu&s;e his friends and acquaintance for him. However it be, replied &s;he, have not you an ill opi|nion of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> becau&s;e I confe&s;&s;e unto you, that he hath a good one of me: For the truth is, your compleate&s;t men are capable of an errour once in their lives; and it may be that I am the &s;ame of <HI>Artaxander.</HI> Oh <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> replied <HI>Telamire,</HI> I &s;hall rather beleeve the errour is in <HI>Artaxander</HI> then in you, &s;ince I am well acquainted with your merits, but with his, not enough to an&s;wer for him. That you may judge ju&s;tly, replied <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> I will bring him unto you to morrow: for (added &s;he and &s;miled) &s;ince it is I who brings him unto you, I mu&s;t not &s;tay till you be perfectly well, le&s;t I &s;hould expo&s;e this friend whom I e&s;teem &s;o much, unto a great danger, if you &s;hould &s;ee him, when you are perfectly recovered. Since he hath &s;een you already, replied <HI>Telamire,</HI> you have no rea&s;on to fear any in <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> &s;ince certainly there are none &s;o taking as your &s;elf: you are di&s;po&s;ed to flatter me, replied <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> but all the &s;weet language you can give me this day, will not blot out the wrong you have done me, in telling me I do not know compleat men, &s;ince you &s;uppo&s;e I am mi|&s;taken: But to puni&s;h you, if the fancy take me, I will tell <HI>Artaxander</HI> that you can|not beleeve what I &s;ay of him. Oh, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> (cried out <HI>Telamire)</HI> take heed what you do, for if you &s;hould do &s;o, I &s;hould never pardon you as long as I lived. As <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was ready to an&s;wer, there came in &s;ome Ladies, who cau&s;ed the di&s;cour&s;e to change, and moved her to go away, for they were &s;uch as did not plea&s;e her fancy. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Artaxander</HI> had a particular intimacy with her, and with all the Ladies with whom &s;hee was in their voyage, he &s;aw them every day, and came acquainted with <HI>Belermis:</HI> &s;o that it was an ea&s;ie matter for <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> to keep her word with <HI>Telamire.</HI> But &s;ince her de&s;igne was to be very carefull in keeping that conque&s;t which &s;he thought &s;he had made, &s;he told <HI>Artaxander,</HI> when &s;he carried him unto <HI>Te|lamire,</HI> that &s;he was carrying him unto a Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e of her brothers. But I beleeve &s;he told him &s;o, to the end that he looking upon her, as a Per&s;on who was already enga|ged unto another, he might have no thoughts of her, in ca&s;e the Charmes of <HI>Telamire</HI> &s;hould move his heart more then her own. But that he might not bee &s;urprized at the beauty of <HI>Telamire,</HI> &s;he extolled her to the skie, knowing well, that it was a good way to le&s;&s;en the admiration which any great Beauty may cau&s;e at the fir&s;t &s;ight. At
<PB N="11" REF="771">
lea&s;t I do imagine that this was her aim, and my rea&s;on is, becau&s;e when &s;he &s;poke of <HI>Telamires</HI> beauty unto other men, &s;he was nothing earne&s;t in her Elogies. However it was, they came unto this fair &s;ick One, who doubtle&s;&s;e de&s;erved that Epethite; for &s;ince it was my chance to &s;ee her that day, I never &s;aw her look better in her health. 'Tis true, her di&s;ea&s;e was not great, and &s;he was hand&s;omely dre&s;t; al&s;o in &s;uch a neg|ligent and taking manner, that it was impo&s;&s;ible to look upon her, and not to love, at lea&s;t, like her. Al&s;o <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> who &s;ince the return of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> had much more care of her &s;elf then ordinary, was al&s;o hand&s;omely dre&s;t that day: but for all that, the negligent and free Garbe of <HI>Telamire</HI> exceeded her; and &s;he appear'd a thou&s;and times more fair then <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> though <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was al&s;o exceeding well. Since I had a great &s;hare in <HI>Telamires</HI> friend&s;hip, &s;he &s;ent unto me that morning, to pa&s;&s;e away the afternoon with her: and indeed I came &s;o timely, that I was with her, before <HI>Clo|reli&s;a:</HI> but I was no &s;ooner &s;et down, then &s;he asked me, upon what termes I was with <HI>Artaxander?</HI> for, &s;aid &s;he, as we may &s;ometimes have friends who are not Cou|&s;ins, &s;o al&s;o we may have Cou&s;ins who are not friends. All I can can tell you, replied &s;he, is, that <HI>Artaxander</HI> is certainly an excellent wel qualified man, enough both to be my Cou&s;in and my friend: But &s;ince it is not long &s;ince his return; and &s;ince his return he hath been continually with <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> or with tho&s;e Ladies with whom &s;he was at the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Orithea,</HI> I know not yet, whether he hold me as his friend, or will look up|on me onely as his Cou&s;in. As &s;oon as I had &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Artaxander</HI> leading <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> entred: &s;o that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> pre&s;enting him unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> &s;he received him with much civility, and he &s;aluted her with much re&s;pect. I ob&s;erved, that at the fir&s;t he was &s;ur|prized at the &s;ight of <HI>Telamire,</HI> and maugre the Elogies of <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> he did not ima|gine her half &s;o fair as he &s;ound her. But &s;ince <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> did doubtle&s;&s;e ob&s;erve him as well as I, &s;he blu&s;ht for envy, and the more, for ca&s;ting her eyes upon a great Gla&s;&s;e, which was oppo&s;ite to her, wherein &s;he &s;aw <HI>Telamire,</HI> and her &s;elf al&s;o, and maugre the good opinion which &s;he had of her own beauty, &s;he knew that <HI>Artaxander</HI> had good rea&s;on to think <HI>Telamire</HI> fairer then her &s;elf: at lea&s;t there appeared unto me, &s;uch a kind of fretting in her countenance, as moved me to make that interpretation. Al&s;o I ob&s;erved, that after &s;he had &s;een her &s;elf in the Gla&s;&s;e with <HI>Telamire,</HI> &s;hee changed places, &s;aying, that the heat of the day had made her eyes look ill: but doubtle&s;&s;e the rea&s;on why &s;he changed places was, becau&s;e <HI>Artaxander</HI> &s;hould not &s;ee them both at once, as he might before, and &s;o he might not &s;o ea&s;ily di&s;cern the difference be|tween <HI>Telamire</HI> and her. And indeed, as &s;oon as &s;he was removed, and &s;tood where &s;he de&s;ired the vexing feature in her face, me thought, did vani&s;h: And de&s;iring her excellent wit might repair her di&s;advantage of beauty, &s;he began to break out unto a hundred witty and plea&s;ing fancies. But though <HI>Telamire</HI> did not reply with the &s;ame earne&s;tne&s;&s;e that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;poke, yet &s;he replied &s;o pertinently, and in &s;uch an ingeni|ous manner, as made it apparent her wit was as excellent as her beauty. At fir&s;t, the di&s;cour&s;e was of <HI>Cloreli&s;a's</HI> voyage, afterwards of her unexpected meeting with <HI>Ar|taxander,</HI> and of the friend&s;hip &s;he had with him. For my part, &s;aid I, I am per&s;waded that one may another in &s;ix dayes enough to e&s;teem and love them, and more then tho&s;e who know after another manner can in &s;ix moneths: for when they know them by a third per&s;on, who prepares the mind with high Elogies, their imaginations are &s;o prepo&s;&s;e'd with Ideas of their own, that when they come to &s;ee, they will not finde their fancies and Ideas an&s;wered. Doubtle&s;&s;e it often happens as you &s;ay, (replied <HI>Artaxander)</HI> but not alwayes: And for example, I onely need to tell you, that though <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> told me, <HI>Telamire</HI> was one of the faire&s;t per&s;ons in the world, and though I fancied an Idea of all I could think admirable, yet I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e unto you, that if I could let you &s;ee my fancy, you &s;hould &s;ee I had drawn but a very bad picture of her. That which we u&s;e to call a bad Picture, replied <HI>Telamire,</HI> is one, which re&s;embles not the Per&s;on for whom it was made: a Picture which flatters, is as bad a Picture, as that which makes ugly; and &s;o I think I may with out any vanity, &s;ay of yours: becau&s;e perhaps, you found the Idea which you fancied of me, much fairer then I am. Oh <HI>Telamire,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> I am not of your opinion in this, for I can never agree, that a Picture which flatters, is a bad Picture, &s;ince <HI>Telamire</HI> (replied <HI>Artaxander)</HI> never had hers which did flatter, becau&s;e it is impo&s;&s;ible to be made fairer then her &s;elf. I do not wonder &s;he &s;hould not know the difference: but I won|der &s;aid he and reprehended him&s;elf, &s;eeing he exrolled <HI>Telamire</HI> &s;o much, and <HI>Clo|reli&s;a</HI>
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&s;o little) that you <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;hould know it, &s;ince certainly there can be no pi|cture taken from you, which does not injure you very much: I pray <HI>Artaxander</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, and both laughed and blu&s;ht) do not undertake too many things at once: Either<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">nd <HI>Telamire,</HI> and not me; or el&s;e commend me, and not her, for this divided Elogy doth never oblige any: But not to puzzle you in making a choice, which perhaps would not be advantageous unto me, It is better, that &s;ince you have told what you think of <HI>Telamire, Telamire</HI> al&s;o tell what &s;he thinks of you, and whe|ther the Idea which &s;he fancied, be better then what &s;he findes: for to tell you truely, I &s;poke as well of you unto her ye&s;terday, as I did of her unto you: But I beleeve &s;he will not admire you &s;o much as you do her, becau&s;e &s;ince &s;he hath not &s;o good an opinion of me as you have, &s;he did not give &s;o much credit unto my words when I commended you, as you did when I commended her. Fie <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Telamire)</HI> you are the mo&s;t cruell woman in the world. Since I &s;peak nothing (replied &s;he) but what I m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ced before, me thinks you &s;hould not be &s;urprized at it. <HI>Telamire</HI> then fearing that <HI>Artaxander</HI> &s;hould beleeve &s;he had &s;poke &s;ome &s;trange thing concerning him, began to relate the whole di&s;cour&s;e which &s;he had with <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> the day be|fore: Confe&s;&s;ing ingenuou&s;ly, that &s;he did not beleeve him to be &s;o compleat a man, as <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> had repre&s;ented him. Yet I hope (added &s;he) that you will be &s;o rea&s;o|nable, as not to be offended at what I thought of you, before I knew you: and that you will be &s;atisfied with the ju&s;tice I render now I do know you better. Certainly I &s;hall not be offended Madam, replied <HI>Artaxander,</HI> at any thoughts you had of me before you knew me; but I am afraid I &s;hall have &s;ome cau&s;e to be &s;orry for your thoughts of me after you know me. Oh heavens (&s;aid <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> not giving <HI>Tela|mire</HI> time to an&s;wer) that &s;he could &s;o farre mi&s;take her &s;elf; then &s;hould I be the be&s;t plea&s;ed in the world, if I could upbraid her with want of judgement in compleat men. But I am afraid that I &s;hall never have that &s;atisfaction; and that on the con|trary, you will become &s;o much her friend, that I &s;hall become yours le&s;&s;e: and tru|ly I &s;hall not take it well, if &s;he &s;hould be more yours then mine. Provided that <HI>Ar|taxander</HI> be no more my friend then he is yours, replied <HI>Telamire</HI> and &s;miled, what will it concern you, if I be more his then you are? What will it concern me? (re|plied <HI>Cloreli&s;a)</HI> ah <HI>Telamire,</HI> it will extremely concern me; for I am &s;ure you can never be <HI>Artaxanders</HI> friend more then I am, unle&s;&s;e he be more yours, then mine. But amiable <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Artaxander,</HI> and &s;miled as well as they) &s;ince you have done me the favour to accept of the Commi&s;&s;ion which I gave you, to chu&s;e my friends for me, and &s;ince you have brought me hither, I hope you had no de&s;igne that I &s;hould become the enemy of <HI>Telamire.</HI> No replied &s;he, but I had no intention you &s;hould be &s;o much in her favour, as that I &s;hould be out, and yet I am the mo&s;t mi|&s;taken in the world, if this come not to pa&s;&s;e. Though <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;poke this in laugh|ter, yet I a&s;&s;ure you &s;he feared it in earne&s;t. But after this vi&s;it had la&s;ted a long while, &s;he went away: But went away, not knowing what to think upon the matter: &s;ince <HI>Artaxander</HI> was &s;o charmed with the beauty of <HI>Telamire,</HI> that his memory &s;tood in need of all its helps, to remember whether he had not commended her too highly in &s;peaking unto <HI>Cloreli&s;a.</HI> Yet &s;ince he had much a do to talk of any thing el&s;e, becau&s;e his imagination was wholy taken up with her, he talked le&s;&s;e then u&s;uall all that day&punc; which <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> ob&s;erved well enough, as &s;he told me afterwards, to her grief. But that which vexed her more the next day was, that &s;he under&s;tood by me of the Ladies whom <HI>Artaxander</HI> &s;aw with her the fir&s;t time he ever met her, that he had &s;o extol|led the beauty of <HI>Telamire,</HI> as &s;he never heard a higher commendation in all her life. So as con&s;idering that he hardly &s;pake unto her, &s;he conjectured, that his thoughts were wholy upon <HI>Telamire,</HI> and not upon her. Yet &s;ince &s;he had a good opinion of her &s;elf, and &s;he never had any &s;lave who brake her chains, &s;he could not beleeve that <HI>Artaxander</HI> could break tho&s;e fetters which &s;he had (as &s;he thought) laid upon him. So as not &s;eeming to be troubled at it, &s;he lived with him as &s;he begun, to wit, in much friend&s;hip. But a little while after, under&s;tanding that <HI>Artaxander</HI> had been &s;everall times with <HI>Telamire</HI> and never told her, &s;he was in a &s;trange fume, for then &s;he thought that he loved <HI>Telamire</HI> better then her. Yet to excu&s;e her credulity, I mu&s;t &s;ay, that <HI>Artaxander</HI> being in&s;en&s;ible, engaged to complement with her, as if he were in love, he knew not how to make a Retreat. So as, though his heart was full of violent pa&s;|&s;ion unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> yet he talked unto <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> as he u&s;ed: and the rather, becau&s;e he
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did really intend to &s;tifie that growing affection which he had unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> and to lock up his heart both again&s;t the one and the other; Conceiting the &s;imple Gallan|try without any ingredient of love was much more plea&s;ing and agreeable then a vio|lent pa&s;&s;ion could be. Thus he continued to talke unto <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> as tho&s;e who u&s;e to talke of love, but never mean it. 'Tis true, he continued not long at ea&s;e: In the mean time <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> who&s;e heart was really engaged, defcanting upon the &s;tate where|in &s;he was con&s;idered which way &s;he might prevent <HI>Artaxander</HI> from &s;eeing <HI>Telamire,</HI> or at lea&s;t from contracting any friend&s;hip with her. At fir&s;t, &s;he thought it expedi|ent to fall out with <HI>Telamire,</HI> and oblige <HI>Artaxander</HI> to the like, in taking her part; but con&s;idering upon a &s;udden, that perhaps &s;he was not able to win him unto &s;uch a thing, &s;hee feared, that if &s;hee &s;hould &s;ee her no more, yet hee would, and &s;o &s;hee &s;hould not be able to interrupt their conver&s;ation by her pre&s;ence: &s;o as re&s;entment of jealou&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> cau&s;ing her to take up a contrary de&s;igne, &s;he re&s;olved to make a &s;hew of mo&s;t tender friend&s;hip unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> and to &s;ee her &s;o oft, that <HI>Artaxander</HI> &s;hould never &s;ee her, without her: and to puzzle him the more, &s;he obliged <HI>Belermis</HI> her brother, to di&s;cover unto <HI>Artaxander,</HI> the love he bore unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> and to de&s;ire his a&s;&s;i&s;tance, telling him, that he knew <HI>Telamire</HI> did infinitely e&s;teem him, and that he was the fitte&s;t man he could chu&s;e for a Confident: And indeed <HI>Belermis</HI> u&s;ed all his endeavours to get the friend&s;hip of <HI>Artaxander:</HI> and following the advi&s;e of <HI>Clore|li&s;a,</HI> he tru&s;ted him with the very &s;ecrets of his heart, and di&s;covered his pa&s;&s;ion un|to him, conjuring him to a&s;&s;i&s;t him as farre as he could. You may imagine, that <HI>Artaxander</HI> was put to great puzzle. For it was not likely he &s;hould tell him that he was his Rivall, con&s;idering how his ca&s;e &s;tood with his &s;i&s;ter; and it was al&s;o impo&s;&s;i|ble to do for him, as he de&s;ired. However <HI>Belermis</HI> de&s;iring this favour from him in a blunt &s;ouldierlike way, which was naturall unto him, he hardly knew what to &s;ay unto him; yet <HI>Artaxander</HI> having an excellent wit, he excu&s;ed him&s;elf as well as he could. Sir, &s;aid he unto him, I am much obliged unto you for the Confidence you are plea&s;ed to put in me: But <HI>Belermis,</HI> if you will give me leave to &s;peak freely what I think, I mu&s;t ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e unto you, that I am the wor&s;t Agent upon earth in any &s;uch matters; and the onely rea&s;on why I will never undertake to &s;erve my friends in any &s;uch wayes of Love, is, becau&s;e I am fully per&s;waded that I &s;hould do them more hurt then good: and that in &s;uch ca&s;es as the&s;e one ought to imploy none but them&s;elves, for truly, a friend in &s;uch ca&s;es, doth often more harm then a Rivall. And indeed, can you imagine that if <HI>Telamire</HI> &s;hould know that you impart all &s;hee tells you unto me, and all that you tell her, &s;he will not be rigorous towards you? No, no <HI>Belermis,</HI> deceive not your &s;elf: but be a&s;&s;ured a mi&s;tre&s;&s;e will ever be &s;evere, if &s;he know that her Lover hath any Confident, for &s;he will tru&s;t her Lover with ma|ny more &s;ecrets then &s;he will his friend: Therefore all I can promi&s;e you is to &s;peak of you unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> according to my own Refentments, when any occa&s;ion offers it &s;elf; for otherwi&s;e I &s;hould prejudice you more then you imagine. Since <HI>Beler|mis</HI> had not the lea&s;t &s;u&s;pition that <HI>Artaxander</HI> was his Rivall: but on the contrary, thought him to be in love with <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> he onely de&s;ired him at the lea&s;t to give him his be&s;t advice. And &s;ince <HI>Artaxander</HI> had no pretence to refu&s;e that, he con&s;ented unto it, and the rather, becau&s;e it was &s;ome &s;weetne&s;&s;e unto him, to hear all the com|plaints which he made of <HI>Telamire.</HI> And this &s;weetne&s;&s;e he often ta&s;ted, for &s;ince there was &s;carce a day on which he did not receive &s;ome new Piece of cruelty from that fair One, he was continually condoling with <HI>Artazander.</HI> On the other&s;ide, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> according to her de&s;igne, was &s;o full of complai&s;ance unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> and was &s;o very officiou&s;ly &s;erviceable, that <HI>Telamire</HI> did really beleeve &s;he loved her very tenderly: And &s;he had one advantage by &s;eeing her every day: for &s;ince <HI>Telamire</HI> had the reputation of extraordinary vertue, the &s;evere <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> could find no fault with her &s;i&s;ter. And indeed, &s;he was &s;o very frequently with her, that &s;he was almo&s;t no where el&s;e. You may well think, that it was cruell torment unto <HI>Artaxander,</HI> to bee continually talking unto one whom he loved not, and not to be able to talk unto her whom he did love. In the mean time, he was extremely perplexed to cea&s;e the tel|ling <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> that he loved her, and to begin the telling <HI>Telamire</HI> that he adored her: Moreover, the confid<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e of <HI>Belermis</HI> became very trouble&s;ome unto him. and he grew at la&s;t &s;o deep in love, and &s;o vexed, that all were intollerable to him. And indeed, his pa&s;&s;ion became &s;o &s;trong in a few dayes, that he much cared not what <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> or <HI>Be|lermis</HI>
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&s;hould think, though they did know he loved <HI>Telamire:</HI> But the great trou|ble of his &s;pirits was to let the fair <HI>Telamire</HI> know what thoughts he had of her. Since <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> and <HI>Belermis</HI> were continually with <HI>Telamire,</HI> it was a very hard mat|ter for him to find her alone: and he was a long time in hops of <HI>Cloreli&s;a's</HI> being &s;ick, that &s;he might keep her Chamber, and when that occa&s;ion did offer it&s;elf, he was as much troubled to find <HI>Telamire</HI> with her: for <HI>Cloreli&s;a's</HI> eyes were no &s;ooner open in the morning, but the jealou&s;ies of her &s;oul, moved her to &s;end unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> and to entreat her, &s;he would be plea&s;ed to have &s;ome pity upon her in her &s;ickne&s;&s;e, and to &s;ee her as &s;oon as &s;he had dined, for if &s;he did not, it would be a great addition of inquietude in her &s;ickne&s;&s;es So that <HI>Telamire</HI> thinking that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> loved her ve|ry dearly, &s;he went betimes unto her; and forcing her inclination, which did not na|turally love <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> &s;he an&s;wered her &s;eeming friend&s;hip by a thou&s;and expre&s;&s;ions of her &s;ervice and care; and particularly in her diligence and a&s;&s;iduity in this her &s;ick|ne&s;&s;e. Thus for the fir&s;t dayes of her &s;ickne&s;&s;e, it was impo&s;&s;ible for <HI>Artaxander</HI> to find her any where but with <HI>Cloreli&s;a:</HI> And by rea&s;on of <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> the father of <HI>Te|lamire,</HI> he would not offer to make any vi&s;its, at &s;uch times as decency did not permit. But at la&s;t, hitting his time in the nick, he came one morning into <HI>Telamire's</HI> Cham|ber, as &s;he was looking her &s;elf in a gla&s;&s;e, and putting on her hood to go unto <HI>Clore|li&s;a:</HI> And &s;ince &s;he was already very familiar with him, &s;he continued putting it on after &s;he had &s;alu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed him, &s;uppo&s;ing that he would go with her to &s;ee <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> and making the propo&s;ition very civily unto him. Did I not know (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was your friend before I was yours, and that you cannot take it ill I &s;hould pay what I owe unto her merits, in lieu of putting on my hood, I would take it off, and regularly receive your vi&s;it. But &s;ince I do imagine you would have us go together to comfort this fair &s;ick Per&s;on, I am as free with you as <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> her &s;elf would be. I &s;hould think my &s;elf very unhappy, Madam (&s;aid he unto her) if you &s;hould think I would cro&s;&s;e any of your intentions: But Madam, (&s;aid he cun|ningly unto her, to hinder her from going &s;o &s;oon) As I was coming hither, I &s;ent to know how &s;he did, and I under&s;tood &s;he was not awake, and therefore if you will not di&s;turb her, you will not go &s;o &s;oon. But if you plea&s;e Madam, I will &s;end one of my men to wait untill &s;he be awake, and then bring us word: for in my opinion it is better &s;taying here then in her outer Chamber. <HI>Telamire</HI> beleeving this, &s;ent one of her women, to bid one of <HI>Artaxander's</HI> &s;ervants go unto <HI>Cloreli&s;a:</HI> But <HI>Artax|ander</HI> &s;eeming as if he had &s;ome other bu&s;ine&s;&s;e with him, went ha&s;tily to <HI>Telamire's</HI> chamber-door, and commanded the man to be two hours before he returned; and if any of <HI>Telamire's</HI> &s;ervants came to know whether <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> were awake, not to let him &s;peak unto any of the hou&s;e, but to tell him, that &s;he was not. This order being given, <HI>Artaxander</HI> returned to <HI>Telamire,</HI> who cau&s;ed a &s;tool to be &s;et for him, and &s;he began to talk of <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> thinking no di&s;cour&s;e could be more plea&s;ing to him: for &s;he could not imagine that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;hould love him, unle&s;&s;e he had loved her. In the mean time, though his de&s;igne was to di&s;cover his Pa&s;&s;ion unto her, yet it was long before he dur&s;t tell her his thoughts. But &s;ince he could not &s;o well hide his inquietudes, but <HI>Telamire</HI> ob&s;erved him, &s;he imagined that the rea&s;on was becau&s;e he was troubled at <HI>Cloreli&s;a:</HI> But <HI>Artaxander,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) me thinks you are very melancholy, is not the rea&s;on of it becau&s;e you fear <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;hould be &s;ick this morning? No Madam, (&s;aid he unto her tran&s;ported by his pa&s;&s;ion) but it is, becau&s;e <HI>Artaxander</HI> is much wor&s;e to day, then he was ye&s;terday: and I beleeve will every day be wor&s;e and wor&s;e. If <HI>Artaxander</HI> be &s;ick (replied &s;he and laughed) Appearan|ces are very fallacious: &s;o they are, replied he, and to give you an example, Does not all in <HI>Themi&s;cyra</HI> beleeve that I am in love with <HI>Cloreli&s;a?</HI> yet it is mo&s;t certainly true that I am not: And if I were no more in love with an admirable Lady, whom I dare not name, then I am with her, I &s;hould be much more happy then I am. <HI>Tela|mire</HI> hearing <HI>Artaxander</HI> &s;peak &s;o, &s;he began to &s;u&s;pect the truth: and to &s;top his mouth from any more of that di&s;cour&s;e, &s;he turned the talk upon &s;ome thing el&s;e. No, no, <HI>Artaxander,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) never take &s;o much pains to deceive me, for I am more complai&s;ant unto my friends then you imagine me, and as &s;oon as I perceive they have a de&s;igne to make me beleeve a thing, I &s;eem as if I were per&s;waded of it: and &s;o I will tell you, if you plea&s;e, that I do beleeve you love not <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> but that you love &s;ome other: yet for your own tranquility, I &s;hould be &s;orry it were &s;o, for
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I am confident you will have much ado to per&s;wade that other, to beleeve that you do not love <HI>Cloreli&s;a:</HI> However, I pray give me leave to &s;end one of my &s;ervants, and know whether &s;he be yet awake, for I beleeve that he whom you &s;ent, is as fa&s;t a&s;leep as &s;he is: And &s;he &s;ent one accordingly. But the prudence of <HI>Artaxander</HI> fore&s;ee|ing the impatience of <HI>Telamire,</HI> the man whom he &s;ent to <HI>Cloreli&s;a's,</HI> meeting the other and asking him whither he went, and being an&s;wered to &s;ee whether <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> were awake, he told him that he could &s;ave him that labour, for he was newly come from thence, and one of her women &s;aid, &s;he was not yet awake: &s;o as <HI>Telamire's</HI> &s;ervant without any further enquiry, returned to tell <HI>Telamire,</HI> that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was &s;till a&s;leep. It is very &s;trange, (&s;aid <HI>Telamire,</HI> and looked upon <HI>Artaxander)</HI> for I have heard her &s;ay, &s;he &s;eldome &s;leeps, but dreams; and I am confident that at this ve|ry hour, &s;he is with me, though I am not with her. If &s;o Madam, replied <HI>Artaxan|der,</HI> then &s;he is with one, who may if &s;he plea&s;e, plainly perceive whether I love <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> or no: I have already told you, replied <HI>Telamire,</HI> that I am &s;o complai&s;ant, as to beleeve, or at lea&s;t, &s;eem to beleeve, what&s;oever my friends would have me. Then Madam, beleeve that I do not love <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> nor ever did: and if I had bold|ne&s;&s;e enough, I would Conjure you to beleeve al&s;o, that I am extremely in love with the faire&s;t Lady in the world, a Lady over whom you have more power then I wi&s;h you had. As <HI>Telamire</HI> was ready to an&s;wer, a &s;ervant of <HI>Cloreli&s;a's</HI> entred, who &s;aid, That his Mi&s;tris extremely wondering &s;he came not to &s;ee her, had &s;ent him to know how &s;he did, and what the rea&s;on was which debarred her from that &s;atisfacti|on. <HI>Telamire</HI> &s;urprized at this, did look upon <HI>Artaxander,</HI> who without any amaze|ment told the &s;ervant, that it was him&s;elf, who kept <HI>Telamire</HI> from <HI>Cloreli&s;a.</HI> becau&s;e one of her men told him &s;he was not awake. That which made <HI>Telamire</HI> mo&s;t to won|der, was that &s;he had &s;ent a &s;ervant of her own, and this &s;ervant being not in the hou&s;e, &s;he conceived that it was onely &s;ome mi&s;take between <HI>Cloreli&s;a's</HI> &s;ervants and hers: So as making her &s;elf ready to go pre&s;ently unto her, &s;he gave her hand unto <HI>Ar|taxander,</HI> &s;uppo&s;ing he would go with her. And to let him &s;ee, &s;he made no applica|tion of what he had &s;poken, unto her &s;elf. Though I do beleeve, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that you are not in love with <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> yet I cannot chu&s;e but think you will vi&s;it her, &s;ince you cannot deny her the advantage of being the fir&s;t friend you had in <HI>The|mi&s;cyra:</HI> and I will be the more earne&s;t in maintaining her right in that, becau&s;e I pre|tend to be in the &s;econd place your friend. Oh Madam, (&s;aid he) whether I be in love with <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> or no, I am &s;ure &s;he hath not &s;o high a rank in my heart as you have, though &s;he be a per&s;on whom I much honour and e&s;teem. Since <HI>Telamires</HI> hou&s;e was very nigh unto <HI>Cloreli&s;a's,</HI> they had not ley&s;ure to &s;ay any more. And &s;ince one of <HI>Telamires</HI> women might hear them, <HI>Artaxander</HI> was forced to talk of &s;ome|thing el&s;e. However, as &s;oon as they were come into <HI>Cloreli&s;a's</HI> Chamber, &s;he chid <HI>Telamire,</HI> a thou&s;and times, and that with a &s;trange agitation of heart: for &s;ince &s;he &s;aw <HI>Artaxander</HI> with her, &s;he imagined him to be the cau&s;e of her &s;tay: but &s;he was much wor&s;e, when <HI>Telamire</HI> to ju&s;tifie her &s;elf did tell her all the pa&s;&s;ages: yet <HI>Ar|taxander</HI> did &s;till affirm very confidently, that they a&s;&s;ured him &s;he was a&s;leep: But &s;ince the heart of <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was too much engaged to be delud<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d, &s;he would needs look into the matter a little neerer; and calling all her women one after another, they all &s;aid, that they &s;aw none, either from <HI>Artaxander,</HI> or <HI>Cloreli&s;a. Artaxander</HI> then told her, that certainly &s;ome of the &s;ervants unto <HI>Belermis</HI> to &s;ave them&s;elves the la|bour of coming to her, had told this lie. But &s;ay what he would or could, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was not &s;atisfied, and &s;he was fully per&s;waded, that this was a trick of <HI>Artaxanders,</HI> and &s;he thought al&s;o that <HI>Telamire</HI> was an acce&s;&s;ary unto it: for &s;ince &s;he a&s;&s;ured her very earne&s;tly that &s;he had &s;ent unto her hou&s;e, and &s;ince all her women on the con|trary a&s;&s;ured her, that none came from her, &s;he did not onely think <HI>Artaxander</HI> to be in love with <HI>Telamire,</HI> but &s;he thought as that <HI>Telamire</HI> held a great corre&s;pondency with <HI>Artaxander</HI> then ever &s;he imagined: &s;o as jealou&s;ie having po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion in her minde, &s;he was tormented beyond expre&s;&s;ion: and &s;he who was &s;o earne&s;t in &s;ending for <HI>Telamire,</HI> knew not now what to &s;ay unto her. Since I came in a little after this confu&s;ed examination of the matter, I could plainly perceive the turbulency of <HI>Clo|reli&s;a's</HI> mind: all I could ob&s;erve was, the confu&s;ion of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> and the prudence of <HI>Telamire.</HI> For truely this wi&s;e Lady, taking no notice of <HI>Artaxanders</HI> love, not of <HI>Cloreli&s;a's</HI> jealou&s;ie, did &s;peak unto every thing with a marvellous moderation,
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and tranquillity: and certainly I came in very opportunely to help out with di&s;cour&s;e. However, I made her &s;ince confe&s;&s;e, that &s;he could not chu&s;e but find &s;ome &s;weetne&s;&s;e in thinking that though <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> loved <HI>Artaxander,</HI> yet he did not love her; and that the glory to be preferred before &s;uch an amiable Per&s;on was &s;ome delight unto her. For my part, I was exceedingly delighted with the pa&s;&s;ages of that day: for be&s;ides the plea&s;ure of &s;eeing how <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> and <HI>Artaxander</HI> were put to a <HI>Non-plus,</HI> I was extremely taken with &s;eeing <HI>Belermis</HI> in his fierce Garb, who knowing that <HI>Telamire</HI> was in his &s;i&s;ters Chamber, came thither to &s;ee her. But he came (amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> more like a Conquerour then a Captive: not but that all he &s;aid unto her was very civil and re&s;pective; yet his Air and Garb did alter the very &s;ence of his words, and made him &s;eem as if he intended to fetter her, who&s;e chains he wore. Moreover, &s;ince he could not chu&s;e but be talking as much of matters of warre as love, he was &s;o full of his Martiall phra&s;es, as that day I learned as many Military Termes as might &s;erve for the Relation of all &s;orts of Combats, for he v&s;ed them all in his di&s;cour&s;e: &s;o as before 'twas night, I knew what Incampment and Quarters were: I knew what the fir&s;t, &s;econd and third Divi&s;ions did mean; I learned all the Po&s;tures, to the right hand; to the left hand; as you were, double your Ranks, and Files. And I knew from him that day, at lea&s;t enough to lo&s;e a Battle, if I had commanded an Army. And to be &s;erious with you, he was &s;o full of words peculiar unto War, that all I could do, was to remember them, though as yet I did not know the &s;ignifications of them: But to compleat my diver&s;ion, The &s;evere <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> entred, who commonly finding fault with every thing. did not like that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;hould be &s;o dre&s;&s;ed, &s;ince &s;he was &s;ick; &s;aying openly, That tho&s;e &s;ickne&s;&s;es which onely draw company about One, and will let one be dre&s;&s;ed better then when they are well, were of a mo&s;t dan|gerous con&s;equence. For indeed, &s;aid &s;he, If one were really &s;ick, they &s;hould &s;ee none but &s;uch as could cure them, or their very intimate friends: and not do as mo&s;t women now adayes, who are more carefull in con&s;ulting with their Gla&s;&s;e, before company come, then with their Phy&s;itian: And are more diligent in adverti&s;ing all their acquaintance that they keep their Chamber then tho&s;e that can cure them. And to tell you truely, they have a greater de&s;ire to have them come who can tell them a thou&s;and tittle tattles, then &s;uch as u&s;e to cure di&s;ea&s;es. But (&s;aid I unto her, to do <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> a plea&s;ure) if you did but know how much melancholy doth augment all man|ner of di&s;ea&s;es, you would &s;ay, that plea&s;ant company may be put in the rank of the mo&s;t infallible Remedies. If you &s;hould ask the advice of my &s;i&s;ter (an&s;wered &s;he in a mo&s;t imperious Tone) I am &s;ure &s;he will be of your opinion, and maintain that all manner of &s;imples u&s;ed in Phy&s;ick are not comparable to the company of five or &s;ixe &s;uch tittle tattles as are glad to hear of any &s;ick Gallant, who are &s;ick onely becau&s;e they &s;hould come and &s;ee them. I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e unto you (&s;aid <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> and blu&s;ht for anger) that I have been &s;uch a one as you &s;peak of, but at this time I am &s;o ill, that much Company are very trouble&s;ome unto me: <HI>Telamire</HI> hearing <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;ay &s;o, did ri&s;e up, and offered to go away: but <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> out of jealou&s;ie, as well as friend&s;hip, took hold of her and &s;aid, that &s;he was neither weary of her nor me. Then it is of me, replied <HI>Artaxander:</HI> But if &s;o, I be&s;eech you &s;peak unto <HI>Telamire</HI> to command me away, for &s;ince I had the honour to wait upon her hither, I expect that command from her. You may ea&s;ily judge how <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> re&s;ented <HI>Artaxanders</HI> di&s;cour&s;e; yet &s;he could make no an&s;wer unto it: for her &s;i&s;ter being very glad to &s;ee that once in her life &s;he was weary of company, de&s;ired <HI>Telamire</HI> that &s;he would move <HI>Artaxan|der</HI> to go away: And <HI>Belermis</HI> al&s;o, thinking that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was really &s;ick, he went out, and <HI>Artaxander</HI> al&s;o: Yet it was not before <HI>Telamire</HI> had di&s;penced with him, from the Civility which he offered. But <HI>Cloreli&s;a's</HI> &s;pire did &s;o encrea&s;e, that her &s;pi|rits were &s;o turbulent all the re&s;t of the day, as <HI>Telamire</HI> and I, did not think it fit to &s;tay any longer: And &s;o we left her with <HI>I&s;alonide,</HI> who I do beleeve was trouble|&s;ome enough unto her. However, &s;ince I went home with <HI>Telamire,</HI> and could not chu&s;e but talk of <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> I told her how I feared that <HI>Artaxander</HI> was in love with her: So as in the confidence &s;he had in my friend&s;hip, though I was <HI>Artaxanders</HI> Cou&s;in, &s;he told me all pa&s;&s;ages betwixt her &s;elf and him: adding, how infinitely &s;or|ry &s;he &s;hould be, if <HI>Artaxander</HI> &s;hould be in love with her, and <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> jealous. For the fir&s;t of the&s;e, replied I, you need not doubt it: and for the la&s;t, you may be mo&s;t certainly &s;ure of it, And indeed, the event made it evident, I was not mi&s;taken,
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for the truth is, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was as jealous, as <HI>Artaxander</HI> was in love with <HI>Telamire.</HI> There was a hundred triviall pa&s;&s;ages, which &s;erved to augment this pa&s;&s;ion of jealou|&s;ie in the heart of <HI>Cloreli&s;a;</HI> In&s;omuch as not being able to live in &s;uch uncertainties, &s;he did drive <HI>Artaxander</HI> to the nece&s;&s;ity either of &s;eeing <HI>Telamire</HI> no more, or of &s;eeing her no more: but he making choi&s;e of the la&s;t, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> added unto her jealou|&s;ie and love, a mo&s;t terrible de&s;ire of revenge. And in order hereunto, &s;he would not cea&s;e &s;eeing <HI>Telamire,</HI> though &s;he hated her as much as &s;he loved <HI>Artaxander:</HI> for it is the cu&s;tome of &s;uch as are jealous, to hate the lovers who for&s;ake them, almo&s;t as much as tho&s;e for whom they are for&s;aken. However, to &s;pite <HI>Artaxander,</HI> &s;he continued her a&s;&s;iduous &s;eeing of <HI>Telamire.</HI> 'Tis true, <HI>Telamire</HI> did not think her &s;elf at all obliged unto her for her vi&s;its, for &s;he under&s;tood by many with whom &s;he conver&s;ed, that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> did &s;peak very di&s;advantagiou&s;ly of her: yet &s;ince &s;he was alwayes very wi&s;e, &s;he would not make a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of it, but contented her &s;elf to di&s;&s;emble it out, as well as the other: And I am per&s;waded, that her &s;pite again&s;t <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> did contribute &s;omething unto her allowance of <HI>Artaxanders</HI> pa&s;&s;ion, whom &s;he did e&s;teem very highly: In &s;o much, as taking to heart the intention which her late mother had of marrying her unto him, &s;he was per&s;waded that &s;he might inno|cently permit him to love her: &s;o as accu&s;toming her &s;elf by degrees to let him talk more freely of his love, then formerly &s;he had, they came at la&s;t to be &s;o kind, as &s;he permitted him to beleeve that &s;he did not hate him, and &s;o both their parents would con&s;ent, that he might hope to be happy. Yet &s;he had much ado to make him &s;uch a favourable declaration: for you mu&s;t know, that <HI>Artaxander</HI> did not finde &s;o much difficulty in per&s;wading that he loved her, as to make her beleeve that he was never in love with <HI>Cloreli&s;a:</HI> for &s;he alwayes told him, that if he were incon&s;tant, &s;he would not accept of his affection. Thus <HI>Artaxander</HI> for a long time did nothing el&s;e but prote&s;t, that he never loved <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> further then the degree of a friend: and that though &s;he did interpret his thoughts otherwi&s;e then &s;he ought, yet he was not to blame. But <HI>Artaxander</HI> having wit enough, which was al&s;o whetted by a mo&s;t vio|lent pa&s;&s;ion, he u&s;ed &s;o many elegant, amorous, and per&s;wa&s;ive arguments, that at la&s;t (as I told you) he overcame her. In the mean time <HI>Artaxander</HI> did by degrees de&s;ert <HI>Belermis,</HI> and cea&s;e being his Confident. And &s;ince he re&s;olved to love <HI>Telamire</HI> as long as life was in him, he thought it not hand&s;ome to delude him. Thus being di&s;obliged, both from the brother, and the &s;i&s;ter, he applied him&s;elf &s;o wholly to love <HI>Telamire,</HI> as he could hardly live out of her &s;ight. Yet one thing did mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly afflict him; which was, that <HI>Amaldea</HI> (who knew that <HI>Alga&s;tus, Telamires</HI> father, intended to marry again) did not approve of that which before &s;he &s;o much wi&s;hed: but &s;ince he hoped to per&s;wade <HI>Telamire,</HI> not to value her con&s;ent, he enjoyed many plea&s;ing hours, maugre all the jealou&s;ie of <HI>Cloreli&s;a:</HI> meeting almo&s;t every day, with an opportunity of talking with <HI>Telamire,</HI> and not over-heard by <HI>Cloreli&s;a.</HI> Things be|ing upon the&s;e termes, and <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> fore&s;eeing that unle&s;&s;e &s;he undermined <HI>Artaxander,</HI> he would ere long marry <HI>Telamire,</HI> &s;he took the odde&s;t re&s;olution in the world: for her de&s;igne of revenge was &s;o high, that &s;he cared not to &s;acrifice even her very l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">fe unto it: And this was her invention. I already told you, that <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> though very old, yet had a mind to marry again, and to marry both a young and a fair per&s;on, not valuing Riches, &s;o her Quality was good: but &s;ince he was very farre on in yeers, he could not meet with &s;uch a one as would marry him. Yet in his Que&s;t of &s;uch a wife, he imployed a &s;ort of &s;uch people, who&s;e trade is to make matches: And <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> under&s;tanding this, re&s;olved to carry the matter &s;o, that &s;he would marry <HI>Alga&s;tus;</HI> That &s;o being a Mother in law unto her Rivall, &s;hee might bani&s;h <HI>Artaxander</HI> her hou&s;e, and imploy all the favour &s;he had with her husband, to hinder his con&s;ent unto <HI>Artaxanders</HI> marriage. So that meeting wherewith both to &s;atisfie her Revenge, and her Ambition, for <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> was very rich, &s;he re&s;olved to pa&s;&s;e away her life with a man whom &s;he could not po&s;&s;ibly love. And when &s;he con&s;idered how joyed &s;hee &s;hould be to hinder <HI>Artaxander</HI> both from marrying <HI>Telamire,</HI> and coming to her hou&s;e, the crazy age of <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> was no ob&s;tacle to hinder the execution of her de&s;igne. And indeed, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> perceiving how her brother grieved that he could not move the heart of <HI>Telamire,</HI> &s;he put the whole bu&s;ine&s;&s;e upon his &s;core, and &s;eemed as if &s;he onely aimed at his happine&s;&s;e by it: In &s;o much, as making the Propo&s;ition unto him, hee gave her a thou&s;and thanks: And as fierce as he was, he &s;eemed unwilling &s;he &s;hould
<PB N="18" REF="775">
make her &s;elf mi&s;erable for his &s;ake. Yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;eeing that if &s;he married <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> &s;he would get &s;o much power over him to procure his marriage with <HI>Te|lamire,</HI> or at lea&s;t &s;tave off his Rivall, he re&s;olved to further her de&s;igne. Moreover, &s;ince <HI>I&s;alonide,</HI> was eternally upbraiding <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> with her too much Gallantry, &s;he told her, that to te&s;tifie &s;he was able to leave it off when &s;he plea&s;ed, and if ever &s;he would mar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> &s;he mu&s;t wholy alter the manner of her life. But that &s;hee might think there was &s;ome po&s;&s;ibility in the de&s;igne, &s;he told her, that a Per&s;on of her acquaintance a&s;&s;ured her, that if &s;he managed the mind of <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> hand&s;omely, and kept the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e &s;ecret, it would produce a happy effect: And &s;he imployed all her wit to bring it about. And &s;ince &s;he was acquainted with all the women in <HI>The|mi&s;cyra,</HI> which were of her own humour, and who thought as &s;he did, that if one be vertuous, one mu&s;t be au&s;tere in all their actions, &s;he made choi&s;e of one, who&s;e age, behaviour, and dre&s;&s;e, did &s;peak to be a Piece of mo&s;t &s;evere prudence: who&s;e voice was all gravity; who&s;e words were weighed, and who&s;e walk was &s;o compo|&s;ed, as if &s;he counted every &s;tep. So that after &s;he had cho&s;en this per&s;on to pro|pound <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> unto <HI>Alga&s;tus;</HI> &s;he rea&s;oned upon the matter with her, and they both concluded, that an action of greater vertue could not be, then making up this marriage: &s;ince it would be an infallible cure of <HI>Cloreli&s;a's</HI> Gallantry. So as the&s;e two women negotiating together, and engaging the whole Crew of Vertue in <HI>Themi&s;cyra</HI> to be in the Plot, they propo&s;ed the Match unto <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> who not u&s;ing to communicate his de&s;ignes of marriage unto his daughter, did keep it &s;ecret from her, as he had done all the re&s;t&punc; At fir&s;t he gave no favourable an&s;wer unto the motion, becau&s;e he was afraid that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> would be too great a Gallant for him. But in conclu&s;ion, all the&s;e La|dies of a &s;evere Ga<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">b, which interre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves in this marriage, did &s;o a&s;&s;ure him that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> had quite for&s;aken the world, and that &s;he would &s;o well conforme her &s;elf unto him, that he re&s;olved to &s;ee her, at one of tho&s;e Ladies hou&s;es. Not but that he had &s;een her a hundred times before; but yet he would talk with her, before he concluded any thing: and accordingly this meeting was the next day. You may well imagine, that the mind of <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was farre from any tranquillity; But for all that, not caring to be revenged upon her &s;elf, &s;o &s;he could be revenged upon <HI>Artaxander,</HI> &s;he &s;aw <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> and knew &s;o well how to fit her di&s;cour&s;e, that he thought him|&s;elf to be in love with her. I &s;ay he thought &s;o, (amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> becau&s;e I make &s;ome &s;cruple, whether I can call this doting fancy in the mind of an old man, Love, when he would marry a young and a fair woman: and me thinks that pa&s;&s;ion and old age are &s;o un&s;utable, that without any inju&s;tice it may rather be called folly: making a doubt, whether it be po&s;&s;ible that love &s;hould be in their hearts, as they think it is. But to return unto <HI>Alga&s;tus;</HI> whether he thought that he loved <HI>Clore|li&s;a,</HI> or whether he did really love her, It was a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e concluded upon in a few dayes: and it was carried &s;o clo&s;ely, that neither <HI>Telamire,</HI> nor <HI>Artaxander</HI> knew of it, untill the Eve before the marriage of <HI>Alga&s;tus:</HI> And they knew it in &s;uch an ama|zing manner, as did much augment their &s;orrows. For &s;ince that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> would not have married but onely for Revenge, &s;he would undertake to make it known unto <HI>Telamire:</HI> a&s;&s;uring <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> that &s;he was &s;o confident of her friend&s;hip, as &s;he did not doubt but &s;he would be very glad of it: and indeed <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> told it unto <HI>Tela|mire,</HI> as if &s;he had thought &s;o. But to the end, &s;he might better Gu&s;t the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of Revenge, &s;he &s;ent unto <HI>Telamire</HI> in the morning, to tell her, &s;he de&s;ired to &s;peak with her after dinner, for &s;he had a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of great joy to impart unto her. Though any thing which came from <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was alwayes held in &s;u&s;pition by <HI>Telamire,</HI> yet now &s;he imagined that &s;he had &s;omething to tell which would plea&s;e her: &s;o that &s;he expected her at her own Chamber, giving orders that none &s;hould enter, no not <HI>Ar|taxander</HI> him&s;elf. So that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> being come, with her eyes full of joy, as if it had proceeded from her heart, &s;he gave <HI>Telamire</HI> abundance of flattering language: After which, affecting a mode&s;t kinde of &s;hame, which would not let her &s;peak out: I pro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;&s;e <HI>Telamire,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto her, I am much more troubled then you can imagine, to tell you a thing which is fit you &s;hould know. Then it is not &s;uch plea&s;ing bu&s;ine&s;&s;e as you &s;ent me word, replied <HI>Telamire:</HI> Pardon me, replied <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> for I am con|fident loving me as you do, you will be as much joyed as I am: and I a&s;&s;ure you, I am upon a Re&s;olution, which, but for your &s;ake I &s;hould never undertake. That I may acknowledge my obligations, replied <HI>Telamire,</HI> I be&s;eech you let me know what they
<PB N="19" REF="775">
are. I will, (replied <HI>Cloreli&s;a)</HI> provided I have power &s;o to do. After this, &s;hee told her; That it was true, <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> had a long time courted her for his wife: but &s;he refu&s;ing him, he was upon marriage with another, which was the odde&s;t and mo&s;t fanta&s;ticall per&s;on in the world, and that this marriage was almo&s;t concluded: Al&s;o &s;ince he alwayes did me the favour, to prefer me before any other, and being re&s;olved to marry my &s;i&s;ter, if I did not change my mind, I con&s;idered that it would have been the greate&s;t grief in the world unto you, if he had married &s;uch a fanta&s;ticall woman, and on the contrary, the greate&s;t joy, to know he would marry me: So I a&s;&s;ure you, I did not &s;o much in&s;i&s;t upon obedience unto my Parents, or &s;atisfaction unto my &s;elf, as to hinder you from having a mother in law, who would never have been &s;o kind unto you as I do intend to be. Therefore &s;ince you were ever to expect a mother in law, I conceived you would be glad that I was &s;he; and I mu&s;t further tell you, that to mor|row my marriage is to be. But let me once more tell you, my Dear <HI>Telamire,</HI> that it is you onely that makes the marriage, and it is onely for your &s;ake, I do intend to ven|ture upon all tho&s;e bitters, which are un&s;eparable from that condition. As long as <HI>Clo|reli&s;a</HI> talked, <HI>Telamire</HI> lookt mo&s;t attentively upon her, to &s;ee by her eyes whether &s;he &s;pake &s;eriou&s;ly: and finding nothing which might make her &s;u&s;pect the contrary, &s;he grew extremely &s;ad: not that &s;he cared for her fathers marriage, but that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;hould be one whom tomorrow &s;he mu&s;t obey; this was an un&s;peakable torment: How|ever, &s;ince &s;he was ever very wi&s;e, &s;he did what &s;he could to conceal her &s;orrows, and look joyfully with her eyes: but her harde&s;t task was to keep her tongue from be|traying the thoughts of her heart, when &s;he told <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> &s;he was very glad of her choi&s;e. But her looks were &s;o full of melancholy, that &s;he gave <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> an excellent occa&s;ion of Revenge: But &s;he &s;tood upon thorns, untill <HI>Artaxander</HI> did partake of <HI>Te|lamire's</HI> &s;orrows, and therefore &s;he left her, knowing very well &s;he would impart it unto him, as &s;oon as &s;he was at liberty: And &s;o it was, for <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was no &s;ooner gone out of <HI>Telamire's</HI> Chamber, but he entred, and received with a &s;ad heart this un|welcome news. How (cried he out) is <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> to marry <HI>Alga&s;tus?</HI> Yes replied <HI>Telamire,</HI> and tomorrow mu&s;t begin her commands upon me; nor can I di&s;obey her without going again&s;t the rules of Decency, though &s;he is my mo&s;t mortall enemy; and though I certainly fore&s;ee &s;hee will make mee the mo&s;t mi&s;erable woman in the world. Alas, alas, (cried out <HI>Artaxander)</HI> I am afraid &s;he will make me as mi&s;era|ble as you: and that you being continually with one who hates me, &s;he will cau&s;e you and <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> both to hate me al&s;o. Did <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> hate you, replied <HI>Telamire,</HI> I &s;hould not fear &s;o much as I do. But <HI>Artaxander, Cloreli&s;a</HI> doth not hate you; and I am mo&s;t confident, &s;he does not marry my father, but onely to be revenged upon me, becau&s;e &s;he loves you whether &s;he will or no, and I wi&s;h you would deliver me once from this per&s;ecution which is coming upon me. I wi&s;h to the gods, Madam with all my heart (&s;aid he) that I could imagine which way I could deliver you from falling into the power of my enemy, and &s;i&s;ter of my Rivall, but I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, I know not how. And yet you ea&s;ily may (replied <HI>Telamire)</HI> for I am confident, if you would marry <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> &s;he would not marry <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> though &s;he were in the Church with him, and though &s;he were ready to pronounce that terrible word, which ties as long as one lives. Oh Madam, (cried <HI>Artaxander)</HI> what a mo&s;t terrible motion is this? Is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould wi&s;h me &s;o much mi&s;ery? For to tell me you would have me marry <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> is to tell me you will never marry <HI>Artaxander:</HI> to a&s;&s;ure me you love him not; that you have an ill opinion of him, and that you wi&s;h him all ima|ginable ill, &s;ince you wi&s;h him to marry one whom you hate, and who hates you: Oh <HI>Telamire,</HI> Did I under&s;tand you right? Is it po&s;&s;ible your heart and your tongue &s;hould agree? Yes <HI>Artaxander,</HI> replied &s;he, they do; but I a&s;&s;ure you at the &s;ame time that I find my &s;elf to be in a mo&s;t lamentable condition; for I do fore&s;ee, &s;uch dan|gerous con&s;equences of this marriage, that I am in one moment &s;en&s;ible of many yeers torments. I do not onely fore&s;ee <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> commanding me, but <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> upbraiding me at every turn; and al&s;o I &s;ee <HI>Belermis,</HI> looking upon me as a &s;ubject rather of his valour then his love: and yet all this without any remedy, but poor uncomfortable complaints: yet I mu&s;t &s;eem to be all joy, for that very thing which cau&s;eth my grea|te&s;t &s;orrows: I mu&s;t obey one who hates me, one whom I hate. You need not Ma|dam unle&s;&s;e you will, replied <HI>Artaxander:</HI> and your onely way to prevent it, is, to make me happy. For I am per&s;waded that a father who marries again, doth lo&s;e &s;ome|thing
<PB N="20" REF="776">
of that lawfull Authority which he hath over his children: and &s;ince <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> looks onely to his own &s;atisfaction, and never thinks of yours, you may very well &s;eek out wayes to accord the tyranny of <HI>Cloreli&s;a.</HI> No, no, <HI>Artaxander,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I cannot do a you propound, &s;ince it is more ju&s;t to obey <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> then di&s;obey rea|&s;on. After this, <HI>Artaxander</HI> u&s;ed all his winning arguments to move her unto mar|riage without the con&s;ent of <HI>Alga&s;tus.</HI> But &s;till <HI>Telamire</HI> an&s;wered, that &s;he would never do any thing again&s;t the Rules of obedience: and that &s;he &s;hould be le&s;&s;e mi&s;era|ble by doing what duty required, then by not doing it. In the mean time, the more &s;he made her vertue appear, the more love and &s;orrow appeared in his eyes: for when he con&s;idered that he was a cau&s;e of the affections in <HI>Telamires</HI> &s;oul, his did infinitely augment. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> being returned home, after he un|der&s;tood that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> had acquainted <HI>Telamire</HI> with his marriage, <HI>Artaxander</HI> was forced to go away, becau&s;e <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> &s;ent for his daughter: Thus the&s;e two Lovers parted with extreme &s;orrow. Yet <HI>Telamire</HI> was carefull to conceal hers, le&s;t her fa|ther &s;hould think that &s;ome intere&s;t of her own moved her to grieve at his marriage. And &s;he con&s;trained her &s;elf &s;o well, that he did not perceive the &s;adne&s;&s;e of her heart; but on the contrary, beleeved that &s;he was glad (&s;ince he would marry again) hee would marry <HI>Cloreli&s;a:</HI> and he was &s;o fully per&s;waded of it, that he de&s;ired her to have a care the fea&s;t for his marriage &s;hould be Magnificent, And indeed <HI>Telamire</HI> &s;o or|dered every thing, as if &s;he were the mo&s;t joyed per&s;on in the world at this marri|age; at which were pre&s;ent none but the Family of <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> and that of <HI>Cloreli&s;a.</HI> For be&s;ides the age of <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> which did not require a great a&s;&s;embly, <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> would not allow it. As for <HI>Artaxander,</HI> he &s;ighed away all that day with me, and la|mented his misfortune, thinking it to be the greater, becau&s;e <HI>Belermis</HI> was to dwell with <HI>Alga&s;tus:</HI> &s;o that though untill then, he was never jealous of him, yet now he began, and feared le&s;t <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;hould move <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> to command <HI>Telamire</HI> to marry <HI>Belermis.</HI> But &s;aid I unto him, though I do allow you to lament that <HI>Telamire</HI> &s;hould come under the power of <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> who is both her Rivall, and her enemy, yet I can|not endure you &s;hould be jealous of <HI>Belermis.</HI> You know very well, (added I) that he is more like to make her fear him, then love him; and that <HI>Telamire</HI> ever had <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;trange aver&s;ion unto all &s;uch men who&s;e A&s;pects were alwayes as if they were ready to fight. Ah <HI>Erenice,</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) I did not fear that <HI>Telamire</HI> would ever love <HI>Belermis</HI> untill now, nor did I ever &s;u&s;pect her Con&s;tancy: But now, I mu&s;t &s;adly confe&s;&s;e, I am extremely afraid of her vertue. For I am &s;ure that if &s;he hold the opi|nion that &s;he ought not to di&s;obey <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> &s;he will marry <HI>Belermis</HI> for all his gri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Martiall looks, though &s;he were &s;ure it would kill her. And who knows <HI>(Erenice)</HI> whether &s;he will accu&s;tome her &s;elf unto the &s;ight of <HI>Belermis,</HI> and di&s;accu&s;tome her &s;elf from the &s;ight of me? But whil&s;t <HI>Artaxander</HI> was lamenting with me the mi&s;|fortunes of <HI>Telamire</HI> and him&s;elf <HI>Telamire</HI> was in a &s;trange con&s;traint: yet &s;he thought no le&s;&s;e of <HI>Artaxander</HI> then he did of her: for &s;he told me the day after, that when &s;he looked upon either <HI>Belermis,</HI> or <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> &s;he thought of nothing but him. On the other &s;ide, this new married Lady had her angry minuits; and her joyes to &s;ee her &s;elf in a condition to be revenged upon <HI>Artaxander,</HI> was not &s;o tranquill as it was the day before: And a friend of hers told me &s;ince, that &s;hee confe&s;&s;ed &s;hee never looked upon <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> whom &s;he had married, without a remembrance of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> not ever remembered <HI>Artaxander</HI> without unconceivable grief. And &s;he had another ad|dition of &s;orrow: for <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> drawing her a&s;ide, did reade her a Lecture of the life &s;he was to live, the mo&s;t har&s;h, and &s;evere that ever was: &s;he regulated all her actions one after another: &s;hee did limit her to her ordinary vi&s;its, when &s;hee went to &s;ee her &s;ick kindred: and indeed never to make any other, unle&s;&s;e either unto Funeralls and marriages. She told her, that now &s;he was to lay a&s;ide all richne&s;&s;e and &s;uperfluity in her dre&s;&s;es: &s;he forbad her to frequent Walks, Balls, Mu&s;icks, and every thing el&s;e &s;he made choi&s;e of tho&s;e Churches, which &s;hee thought mo&s;t fit for her to frequent: and &s;he taught her how to compo&s;e her countenance, and turn up the whites of her eyes: Yet this &s;evere Lecture was needle&s;&s;e, for her re&s;entments of revenge induced her to all the&s;e rigours, purpo&s;ely to win upon <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> and move him unto what &s;he de&s;ired, both again&s;t <HI>Artaxander,</HI> and <HI>Telamire:</HI> &s;o as &s;he promi&s;ed <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> to follow her coun&s;ell; and indeed, did put on &s;uch an au&s;tere and re&s;erved Garb, th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> loved her extremely. Moreover, for the fir&s;t dayes &s;hee carried it civill<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="21" REF="776">
enough towards <HI>Telamire,</HI> though &s;he did take upon her the Authority of a Mother in Law: for not &s;eeming to know that there was any particular intimacy 'twixt her and <HI>Artaxander,</HI> &s;he gave her a hundred Rea&s;ons which induced her to de&s;ire that &s;he would not &s;ee him any more; no, nor &s;uffer him to come into the hou&s;e where &s;he was: Not that I will take upon me, (&s;aid this revenging woman) to re|gulate you in your acquaintances: but you know when one of my age marries &s;uch a man as <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> one is obliged to live very re&s;ervedly; and therefore I be&s;eech you, think it not &s;trange, if I rob you of that diver&s;ion, becau&s;e it would reflect up|on my &s;elf. Since what <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;aid, had a fair pretence of vertue. <HI>Telamire</HI> dur&s;t not oppo&s;e it; though &s;he knew very well that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> had &s;ecret cau&s;e for it, where|in vertue had no &s;hare. Furthermore, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> the better to execute her de&s;igne, told <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> in a mo&s;t crafty manner, that <HI>Artaxander,</HI> having had heretofore &s;ome thoughts of her, &s;he be&s;eeched him to command <HI>Telamire</HI> to hold no conver&s;e with him. For (&s;aid &s;he unto him) a &s;mall thing may &s;tain the reputation of a woman of my age, and therefore I de&s;ire all occa&s;ions may be removed. You may well imagine that <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> did not deny <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> in that which &s;eemed to proceed from a principle of vertue: So as &s;ending for <HI>Telamire</HI> betimes in the morning, he expre&s;&s;ely comman|ded her to &s;ee <HI>Artaxander</HI> no more. You may al&s;o imagine, con&s;idering my de&s;cripti|on of <HI>Telamire,</HI> that &s;he made no re&s;i&s;tance again&s;t <HI>Alga&s;tus:</HI> yet for all that &s;he was extremely grieved in her heart. In the mean time, &s;ince &s;he thought it expedient that <HI>Artaxander</HI> &s;hould know how the ca&s;e &s;tood, &s;he made choi&s;e of me to make him acquainted with it: And to tell him, that &s;he conjured him to come no more at her, but to wait untill chance gave them an opportunity of meeting which was not a thing very ea&s;ie, con&s;idering the clo&s;e way <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> ob&s;erved, and her vigilant eye over her actions. And truely &s;he &s;poke this with &s;o much &s;adne&s;&s;e in her eyes, that if <HI>Artaxander</HI> had but &s;een her, he would have comforted him&s;elf. But &s;ince he recei|ved his mi&s;ery by the relation of a per&s;on who could not comfort him, he re&s;ented it with more violence then I am able to expre&s;&s;e. Alas (&s;aid he unto me) did the Re|venge of <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> reach &s;o high, as not to marry <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> but onely to be revenged upon me, and per&s;ecute <HI>Telamire?</HI> And can <HI>Telamire</HI> obey her enemy, and bani&s;h me, while&s;t &s;he is continually in &s;ight of <HI>Belermis?</HI> For <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ow, he will not &s;tir out of her &s;ight, &s;ince he dwells with <HI>Alga&s;tus.</HI> This man who was wont to be perpe|tually walking from &s;treet to &s;treet, from Church to Church, and from hou&s;e to hou&s;e, to &s;hew his martiall po&s;tures to all the Town, will not now &s;tir one foot out of <HI>Clo|reli&s;a's,</HI> or <HI>Telamires</HI> Chamber: yet for all this <HI>Telamire</HI> obeyes my enemy, though &s;he hazard my life by it. However, I be&s;eech you, &s;aid he unto me, refu&s;e me not the favour to give a letter unto <HI>Telamire:</HI> for if I be denied all, I &s;hall bee forced unto &s;uch cou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;es as will anger <HI>Telamire,</HI> and cau&s;e repemance unto my &s;elf. Since I &s;aw the mind of <HI>Artaxander</HI> was much exa&s;perated, I dur&s;t not incen&s;e him more by my refu&s;all; &s;o as I was &s;o complai&s;ant as to tell him, That provided his Letter was open, I would let <HI>Telamire</HI> &s;ee it. Thus without more delay he writ a Letter in my Cham|ber, and a very long one, to move her unto &s;ome way or other, how he might &s;ee her in &s;ome other place, &s;ince he could not &s;ee her at home. Afterwards he was very bitter both again&s;t <HI>Belermis,</HI> and <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> and hinted upon &s;o many things, that I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, my memory will not &s;erve to repeat them: All I remember of it was, that it was excellently well penned, though writ in much ha&s;t. And it did much move the heart of <HI>Telamire:</HI> but as much as &s;he was grieved, &s;he an&s;wered onely in the&s;e words, unto the favour which he begged of &s;eeing her.</P>
<P><HI>THe friend&s;hip and e&s;teem I have of you is enough, not to forbid you finding out &s;ome hand&s;ome occa&s;ion of meeting with me, and I &s;hould be very glad if you could find it. But be not offended, if I tell you, that I cannot contribute any thing unto it, &s;ince I cannot do it, unle&s;&s;e I do more then I ought.</HI></P>
<P>Though this an&s;wer was not to fully favourable as <HI>Artaxander</HI> could have wi&s;hed, it did for a while give him &s;ome comfort: but &s;ince his pa&s;&s;ion was mo&s;t violent, he quickly returned unto his former de&s;pair. However, &s;ince he was not able to live without the &s;ight of <HI>Telamire,</HI> he invented all manner of wayes to bring it about: and at la&s;t he under&s;tood that there was a private &s;olitary Garden, where <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> went
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<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
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<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="22" REF="778">
often to take the Air, without any company but <HI>Belermis, I&s;alonide,</HI> and <HI>Telamire:</HI> and enquiring perpetually concerning the thing which mo&s;t took up his mind, he un|der&s;tood that <HI>Belermis</HI> was gone into the Countrey for &s;ome certain dayes: So as re|&s;olving to go into that place, where he knew <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> and <HI>Telamire</HI> would be, hee carried one of his friends with him, and de&s;ired him, that if they met with <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Telamire,</HI> that he would take <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> a&s;ide, and talk with her, whil&s;t he talked with the other: For &s;aid he, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> dares not in&s;ult over <HI>Telamire,</HI> before him whom I &s;hall bring with me, nor dare <HI>Telamire</HI> deny to talk with me. And indeed, without further examination, whether this de&s;igne was well or ill grounded, he adver|ti&s;ed his friend: he craftily enquired the time when the&s;e Ladies u&s;ed to walk, and he went unto the place where they were, and he came but one half quarter of an hour after them, for he would not be fir&s;t in the Garden, le&s;t <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;hould not enter, if &s;he knew he was there. But, amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> this meeting was in a very plea&s;ant manner. For imagine that when <HI>Artaxander</HI> and his friend entred into the Garden, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> and <HI>Telamire</HI> were at the end of a walk, oppo&s;ite to the door, coming as they were going towards them: &s;o as all of them having time to con&s;ider what they &s;hould &s;ay at meeting, they were le&s;&s;e &s;urprized when they met. At fir&s;t, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> intended to turn back, but &s;ince there was no other Garden dore to go out at but that behind <HI>Artaxander,</HI> &s;he thought that in vain, therefore never offering to avoid the meeting, &s;he onely thought how to prevent him from &s;peaking unto <HI>Telamire.</HI> On the other &s;ide, <HI>Artaxander</HI> de&s;ired his friend to go &s;traight unto <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> as him&s;elf intended to go &s;traight unto <HI>Telamire:</HI> but &s;ince there is a notable difference between one that acts for the &s;atisfaction of a friend, and one that acts for their own &s;atisfaction: this friend of <HI>Artaxanders</HI> was not &s;o ready in acco&s;ting <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> as <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was to acco&s;t <HI>Artaxander:</HI> who as witty and amorous as he was, could not meet with <HI>Telamire,</HI> before <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> met with him, becau&s;e &s;he &s;tayed two or three &s;teps behind, &s;peaking &s;omething unto one of <HI>Cloreli&s;a's</HI> women: So though <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> did ex|tremely hate <HI>Artaxander,</HI> and though it was long &s;ince &s;he had &s;poke unto him, yet &s;he acco&s;ted him the fir&s;t, as I told you before, not being very &s;orry that &s;he had met with an occa&s;ion of &s;peaking her thoughts unto him: &s;o as &s;oon as &s;he was neer enough to be under&s;tood. Since there is now no &s;ociety between us, &s;aid &s;he unto him, I &s;hould not have thought it any happine&s;&s;e at all, to meet with an occa&s;ion of telling you &s;ome|thing which concerns you to know: but &s;ince the occa&s;ion doth pre&s;ent it &s;elf without any Que&s;t of it, I will not let it &s;lip; and in &s;aying &s;o, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;tepping betwixt <HI>Te|lamire</HI> and <HI>Artaxander,</HI> he could not avoid talking with her, nor could he talk with <HI>Telamire.</HI> Al&s;o he had a conceit, that perhaps <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> would repent of what &s;hee had done, and hoped that by carrying him&s;elf civilly unto her, he might obtain liberty of &s;eeing <HI>Telamire</HI> again. Then <HI>Artaxander,</HI> after he had &s;aluted <HI>Telamire,</HI> in a mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionate and re&s;pective manner, he began to hearken unto what <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;aid unto him, whil&s;t his friend talked with <HI>Telamire.</HI> But he was much &s;urprprized, when he heard <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> talk in &s;uch a Tone as &s;he did; after &s;he had cunningly &s;tepped three or four paces farther from <HI>Telamire.</HI> I do imagine, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that it is not ne|ce&s;&s;ary to tell you the rea&s;on why I acco&s;ted you, for your apprehen&s;ion is quick enough to know, that it was to hinder you from talking unto <HI>Telamire.</HI> But to &s;ave you the labour of &s;eeking any further occa&s;ions, let me acquaint you that all your en|deavours will be in vain: For the truth is <HI>Artaxander,</HI> I did not marry <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> to let you marry <HI>Telamire.</HI> But on the contrary I mu&s;t declare unto you, that I married him onely to make you mi&s;erable. Alas Madam, &s;aid he, your Revenge goes much too farre if it reach <HI>Telamire,</HI> who never wronged you. Since it hath reached &s;o farre as my &s;elf, replied &s;he, it &s;hall reach as farre as her: And therefore if you value her tranquillity, never think of &s;eeing her again; for if you do, I profe&s;&s;e you will but blow the bellows of my anger again&s;t her and you both. And &s;ince it is in my power to hurt her, I a&s;&s;ure you it &s;hall fall heavy upon her, unle&s;&s;e you take up a firme re&s;o|lution ab&s;olutely to forget her: or at lea&s;t to carry your &s;elf as if you did. Yet never think that I &s;peak this out of any other intere&s;t, but Revenge: for I do prote&s;t &s;e|riou&s;ly. I have no other end in it, but to hinder you from being happy. I will not pump for any excu&s;e Madam, &s;aid he unto her: I will but onely ask you, why you joyn and confound <HI>Telamire</HI> with <HI>Artaxander?</HI> Becau&s;e, replied &s;he, <HI>Artaxander</HI> lives more in <HI>Telamire,</HI> then in him&s;elf, and my Revenge will reach him no other
<PB N="23" REF="778">
way but this. Yet notwith&s;tanding (added &s;he wich a &s;mile full of tartne&s;&s;e) to te|&s;tifie that I will keep &s;ome mea&s;ure in my Revenge, I promi&s;e you, that as &s;oon as ever <HI>Telamire</HI> is married, or that you be married unto &s;ome other, I will then give her more liberty, then untill that I will. And in the mean time, let me tell you once more, that you have no &s;uch &s;ure way to make: <HI>Telamire</HI> mi&s;erable as to &s;eek out op|portunities of &s;peaking with her: And to te&s;tifie the truth of my words, this which you have done at this time, &s;hall co&s;t <HI>Telamire</HI> eight dayes &s;olitude: for let me tell you, I have as much power with <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> as that comes unto: he will have <HI>Tela|mire</HI> obey me; and <HI>Telamire</HI> dare not di&s;obey me: &s;o as I &s;ee my de&s;igne of Revenge upon you is pro&s;perous. But Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould be capable of &s;uch an unju&s;t de&s;igne? I know that I have merited &s;ome part of your ha|tred: but I can never think it allowable that you &s;hould revenge your &s;elf upon <HI>Ar|taxander</HI> through <HI>Telamire.</HI> I cannot tell whether or no it be allowable (replied &s;he) but I am &s;ure it is much delight, to have command over a per&s;on whom one loves not: And in the mind I now am in, I prote&s;t, I had rather command <HI>Telamire,</HI> then a Kingdome. But Madam (&s;aid he then unto her, being tran&s;ported with anger) &s;ince you think it ju&s;t to revenge your &s;elf upon <HI>Artaxander</HI> through <HI>Telamire,</HI> I hope you will not think it unju&s;t, that I &s;hould revenge my &s;elf of <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> through <HI>Belermis.</HI> I have &s;uch a con&s;iderable Ho&s;tage in my power, by having <HI>Telamire,</HI> re|plied &s;he, that I fear not what you dare do again&s;t <HI>Belermis.</HI> And to remove all thoughts of any attempts again&s;t him, I will onely wi&s;h you con&s;ider what that per&s;on is capable to attempt, who could find a heart to marry <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> onely to hinder you from marrying <HI>Telamire:</HI> And I am confident, that if you make a &s;erious reflection upon what I &s;ay, you will never expo&s;e <HI>Telamire</HI> unto the vengeance of a woman who hath recour&s;e unto &s;uch extraordinary wayes of Revenge, and who makes no difficulty to be revenged upon her &s;elf, rather then not be revenged upon others. Af|ter this <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> left <HI>Artaxander,</HI> and called <HI>Telamire</HI> with all the authority of a mo&s;t in&s;ulting &s;tep-mother, and with all the fury of a mo&s;t incen&s;ed Rival: not that &s;he u&s;ed &s;o to do when <HI>Artaxander</HI> was not pre&s;ent: but &s;he found it &s;o &s;weet to vex <HI>Artaxander,</HI> that &s;he could not deny her &s;elf that &s;atisfaction. However, <HI>Tela|mire</HI> not &s;eeming to take &s;uch a rude command in any ill manner, &s;he followed <HI>Cloreli|&s;a</HI> after &s;he had quitted the man who talked with her, and had &s;aluted <HI>Artaxander:</HI> &s;he was al&s;o &s;o wi&s;e, as to forbid him by a &s;igne with her hand, and by her looks to ac|co&s;t her, as it &s;eemed by his action he intended: But in recompence of this angry ad|venture, &s;he &s;hewed him &s;omething &s;o &s;weet and tender in her fair eyes when &s;hee parted from him, that he became more in love with her, and more afflicted. However, &s;ince that day, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was more hot upon her revenge; and did not onely endea|vour to hinder <HI>Artaxander</HI> from &s;eeing <HI>Telamire,</HI> but &s;he brake off with all tho&s;e who had any particular intimacy with him, and obliged <HI>Telamire</HI> to &s;ee him no more, upon &s;uch a poor pretence as it is not worth a mention: But the wonder was, that all <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> did out of jealou&s;ie, did get her greater credit in the opinion of <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> and pa&s;&s;ed in the world for her vertue. For <HI>I&s;alonide,</HI> and all the faction of preci&s;e Ladies, who were her friends did &s;o trumpet up the reformation of <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> that they propo&s;ed her as an example unto all youths who were too much addicted unto diver|&s;ions. In the mean time, <HI>Artaxander</HI> had no other comfort but to relate all his mi&s;e|ries unto me: and to write unto his new reconciled enemy, called <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> who be|came his friend during his travells: But it was an ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibility for him to &s;ee <HI>Telamire,</HI> unle&s;&s;e &s;ometimes at Church, but then he could not &s;peak unto her, and con&s;equently it was &s;mall &s;atisfaction: nor had he &s;o much happine&s;&s;e as to &s;ee any who did &s;ee her, becau&s;e as I told you before, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> had bani&s;hed all his friends what|&s;oever; In &s;o much as he lived the mo&s;t mi&s;erable life in the world. And to make him the more mi&s;erable, he could not chu&s;e but quarrell with <HI>Belermis,</HI> and they fought, with &s;uch &s;ad &s;ucce&s;&s;e, as they were both of them dangerou&s;ly woundeed: and had they not been parted, in all probability it had co&s;t them both their lives. After this, you may ea&s;ily conceive how &s;ad <HI>Telamire</HI> was, to hear in what a pitifull condition <HI>Artax|ander</HI> was: however, &s;he mu&s;t go with <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> unto the chamber of him who was wounded; and &s;eem as if &s;he grieved for the wounds of <HI>Belermis,</HI> though her grief was onely for the wounds of <HI>Artaxander.</HI> And this con&s;traint was not onely for a day: for as long as <HI>Belermis</HI> was ill, he would have her every day to come with <HI>Clo|reli&s;a,</HI>
<PB N="24" REF="779">
who never &s;tirred out of her brothers Chamber: And <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> upbraided her a hundred times a day, accu&s;ing her of all her brothers wounds. But all this was nothing in compari&s;on of her griefs a while after: For you mu&s;t know, that &s;ince <HI>Ar|taxander</HI> had gained one of <HI>Telamires</HI> &s;ervants, unknown unto her, to acquaint him with all her actions, this &s;ervant told him how a&s;&s;iduous <HI>Telamire</HI> was with <HI>Belermis:</HI> &s;o as he grieved in &s;uch exce&s;&s;e, as his wounds grew wor&s;e, and for &s;ome dayes, the Phy&s;itians de&s;paired of his life. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Belermis</HI> mended, <HI>Tela|mire</HI> had the grief to &s;ee him Recover, who &s;he thought was the death of <HI>Artaxan|der.</HI> So that not being able to con&s;train her &s;elf any longer, nor hide her tears, &s;hee feigned her &s;elf to be &s;ick, to the end &s;he might not &s;tir out of her Chamber, nor go any more unto <HI>Belermis:</HI> Yet this invention did not deliver her from that trouble, for &s;ince <HI>Belermis</HI> began to mend, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> brought him to <HI>Telamires</HI> Chamber, who having not &s;o much liberty as to lament in the day, did imploy all the night in tears: And, yet her tears did double, for the &s;ervant, whom <HI>Artaxander</HI> had &s;uborned, did bring her a Letter, wherein &s;he found the&s;e words:</P>
<LETTER>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>I</HI> Cannot deny my &s;elf &s;o much &s;atisfaction as to tell you, that the cares you have of reviving <HI>Belermis,</HI> have killed me: And it is le&s;&s;e by his hand, then yours, that you have lo&s;t the mo&s;t Pa&s;&s;ionate, and mo&s;t Faithfull Lover that ever was:</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Artaxander.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>This Letter did &s;o touch <HI>Telamires</HI> heart, that though &s;he did not love to hazard Let|ters, yet &s;he an&s;wered him in the&s;e words, if my memory fail not.</P>
<LETTER>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Sir,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>You have accu&s;ed me with much inju&s;tice: and if you &s;aw into my heart, you would find, that if I could revive any one, it &s;hould be <HI>Artaxander,</HI> and not <HI>Belermis:</HI> Do not judge of me by appearances, and if it be po&s;&s;ible, get into &s;uch a condition, as I may chide you for no better knowing</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Telamire.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>Though th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> Letter did not contain all the tenderne&s;&s;e that was in <HI>Telamires</HI> heart, beca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e &s;he dur&s;t not tru&s;t unto the thinne&s;&s;e of a piece of paper; yet it wrought &s;o great an effect upon the mind of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> that after it had calmed the turbulency of his &s;oul, the violence of his Fever dimini&s;hed, and in a few dayes he recovered as well as his Rivall. Yet he was more perplexed then before his Combat, becau&s;e <HI>Clo|reli&s;a</HI> had a better pretence for keeping a &s;evere eye upon <HI>Telamire.</HI> Things being up|on the&s;e termes, <HI>Artaxander</HI> had a new di&s;plea&s;ure. For <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> did put away that &s;ervant by whom he received intelligence concerning <HI>Telamire.</HI> But at the &s;ame time, he received much con&s;olation, by a Letter from <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> which intimating unto him that he was returning unto <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> de&s;ired him to come &s;ecretly a dayes journey to meet him, that they might con&s;ult together how to make their reconcilement known unto their parents, with lea&s;t offence unto them. And as &s;oon as <HI>Artaxander</HI> had received this Letter, he prepared him&s;elf to meet his friend, who he found to be much more accompli&s;hed then when they parted: and the friend&s;hip between them was inviolably confirmed: but in lieu of publi&s;hing it, as <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> de&s;igned, <HI>Artax|ander</HI> conjured him to the contrary, and to conceal it carefully. But to the end this prayer might not &s;urprize him, or offend him, he acquainted him with his love of
<PB N="25" REF="779">
<HI>Telamire,</HI> and his mi&s;ery in not &s;eeing her, no nor &s;eeing any who did &s;ee her, becau&s;e <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> had bani&s;hed from her hou&s;e all his friends. So that my Dear <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> (&s;aid he unto him after a full relation of all pa&s;&s;ages) I am per&s;waded that if you pa&s;&s;e &s;till for my enemy, you may ea&s;ily in&s;inuate your &s;elf into the favour of <HI>Cloreli&s;a;</HI> and have that liberty of &s;eeing <HI>Telamire,</HI> which is denied unto all tho&s;e whom &s;he thinks have any conver&s;e with me? &s;o as by this means, I may know how <HI>Telamire</HI> does, and you may much oblige me, in &s;peaking in my behalf unto her. Since I &s;hall give a grea|ter te&s;timony of my friend&s;hip (replied <HI>Ty&s;imenes)</HI> by concealing it, then by publi&s;h|ing it, I &s;hall accompli&s;h your de&s;ires. And accordingly <HI>Artaxander</HI> and he, re&s;olved to keep very clo&s;e the affection which they had unto each other, to &s;ee whether <HI>Clo|reli&s;a,</HI> who bani&s;hed all the friends of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> would admit of a man whom &s;he thought to be his enemy; They al&s;o agreed upon the place, where they were to meet each other &s;ecretly: And for that purpo&s;e, they made choi&s;e of a hou&s;e belonging un|to one of <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> friends, which had two doors, opening into two &s;everall &s;treets; agreeing which of the&s;e doors either &s;hould enter, &s;o as none &s;hould ever &s;ee them enter together into one place; and for the more &s;ecurity, they never met but in the nights, at the hou&s;e of this friend unto <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> for who&s;e fidelity he would undertake. Thus after all things were agreed upon, the&s;e two friends parted, and came &s;everall wayes unto <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> where nothing was known of their Reconciliation: for <HI>Ar|taxander</HI> carried but one &s;ervant with him, when he went to meet <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> and of that &s;ervants fidelity he was a&s;&s;ured. And <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> had none but &s;trangers unto his &s;ervants, for all tho&s;e he carried out of <HI>Cappadocia</HI> were all dead, &s;o as tho&s;e he now had could not reveal the &s;ecrets of their Ma&s;ter if they would, &s;ince they knew not the Language of the Countrey. Since <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> was of the Prime Quality in all the Town, and was very hand&s;ome, his Return was no le&s;&s;e talked of then that of <HI>Artaxanders.</HI> And all the Town feared, that &s;ome rufflle would fall out between them two, whom all the world thought to be enemies: for being of the &s;ame Age, pretending unto the &s;ame things, and had good right both of them to di&s;pute in point of merit, there was great rea&s;on to fear they would fall foul upon one another. And when they met together in any place, they behaved them&s;elves with &s;uch coldne&s;&s;e unto each other, as was very probable would beget a Quarrell between them. Thus their innocent Im|po&s;ture did thrive &s;o well as all the world was deceived by it. But as it did thrive well in generall, &s;o it did thrive better in particular unto <HI>Artaxander:</HI> for you mu&s;t know, that &s;ince <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> did naturally love company, and hated &s;olitude; &s;hee was very glad &s;he had found one out, who was not a friend: unto <HI>Artaxander:</HI> and &s;hee fancied &s;ome delight in contracting friend&s;hip with a man who pa&s;&s;ed for his enemy, thinking this would &s;pite him to the heart: &s;o as when <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> went upon his fir&s;t vi&s;it, &s;he did not entertain him with &s;uch &s;everity and preci&s;ene&s;&s;e as &s;he u&s;ed &s;ince her marriage: But as he was well received by <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he thought him the ene|my of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> &s;o he was very ill treated by <HI>Telamire</HI> upon the very &s;ame rea&s;on: for &s;ince it vexed her to &s;ee every day tho&s;e whom &s;he hated, and never tho&s;e &s;he lo|ved, &s;he could not chu&s;e but be angry at the heart, to &s;ee a man &s;o civilly treated, whom &s;hee thought <HI>Artaxander</HI> hated. She hath confe&s;&s;ed &s;ince unto him, that &s;hee could not this fir&s;t time know him to be a man of much &s;pirit, but told him that &s;hee was vexed at him: yet &s;he continued not long in this errour; and you &s;hall &s;ee how &s;he was undeceived. Since then the Aims of <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> was onely to &s;atisfie his friend, he tempered the &s;pirits of <HI>Belermis,</HI> and <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> &s;o well, as they both of them de&s;i|red <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> to give him leave to &s;ee her often. For as almo&s;t all old men do love to hear talk of Travell, that they may have a pretence to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of their own, <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> &s;o fitted his humour, and hearkned &s;o attentively to what would plea&s;e him, that he do|ted upon him: As for <HI>Belermis, Ty&s;imenes</HI> talked unto him of Battles and Combats; and &s;o much commended his valour, that he loved him tenderly, &s;o as in three or four vi&s;its, he had the freedome of the whole hou&s;e. <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> having wit enough, &s;hee ea&s;ily ob&s;erved how <HI>Telamire</HI> was vexed to &s;ee an enemy of <HI>Artaxanders</HI> to often: and to vex her the more, &s;he affected to place him alwayes next her. But &s;ince he ne|ver &s;aw her unle&s;&s;e <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was pre&s;ent, becau&s;e <HI>Telamire</HI> &s;hunned him as much as &s;he could, he was at fir&s;t much puzled to make it known unto her that he was not the enemy of <HI>Artaxander,,</HI> but&punc; on the contrary, was the confident of his pa&s;&s;ion. But at la&s;t, &s;he under&s;tanding the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Language, which <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> did not, and which
<PB N="26" REF="780">
<HI>Artaxander</HI> and him&s;elf under&s;tood very perfectly: he cau&s;ed his friend to write a Letter in that Language, directed unto <HI>Telamire:</HI> &s;o as carrying it about him, he went to <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> who according to her cu&s;tome, did place him next <HI>Telamire</HI> to &s;pite her, and indeed &s;he was not deceived. In the mean time, as tho&s;e who are witty can turne di&s;cour&s;e as they plea&s;e, <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> that day fell into di&s;cour&s;e among&s;t the Ladies of &s;ome excellent pieces of Pro&s;e and Ver&s;es: And after he had repeated &s;ome in their own Language, and promi&s;ed others, he told <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> that he was extremely &s;orry that &s;he did not under&s;tand the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Language, for he had one of the mo&s;t plea&s;ant love-Letters in the world, written in that Language, which he &s;eemed as if he would inter|pret, but upon a &s;udden &s;eeming to remember that <HI>Telamire</HI> under&s;tood that Language, he gave her the Letter, and forced her to look upon it, whil&s;t he made a &s;hew as if he would tell the &s;ence of it unto <HI>Cloreli&s;a:</HI> So that though <HI>Telamire</HI> had no great cu|rio&s;ity to &s;ee any thing that came from the hand of <HI>Artaxanders</HI> enemy, yet &s;he took this Letter, not daring to offer any incivility unto <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> openly: But &s;he was much &s;urprized when &s;he &s;aw it written by the hand of <HI>Artaxander:</HI> and much more, when &s;he read the words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>ARTAXANDER UNTO TELAMIRE.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>GIve me leave to tell you, that he who gives you this Letter, is not what he &s;eems to be: &s;ince he is &s;o farre from being my enemy, that he is the onely Confident of my Pa&s;&s;ion to you: Look upon him as the deare&s;t of my friends: Tell you him, all you are plea&s;ed I &s;hould know, as I will, what I de&s;ire you &s;hould know: For it is onely in favour of my Love that he &s;eemes to hate me, knowing that none but &s;uch as do hate me are admitted unto the place where yru are: Receive all his &s;ervices, as from my &s;elf; Beleeve all his words, as if I &s;pake them: and if it be po&s;&s;ible, tell him &s;ome thing that may pre&s;erve mee from dying for &s;orrow I cannot &s;ee you. I beg your pardon, for tru&s;ting him before I asked your permi&s;&s;ion, as I would if I could: But &s;ince I could not, I had rather he knew I loved you, then not to know whether you loved or hated me, or then you &s;hould not know that I love you &s;till, more then I did when I &s;wore mo&s;t truly, that I loved you more then ever any yet loved</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Artaxander.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>While&s;t <HI>Telamire</HI> was reading this Letter with a &s;trange agitation of heart, <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> did &s;o court <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> that &s;he could not ob&s;erve her: but &s;triving to invent a Letter upon that &s;ubject which he &s;aid <HI>Telamires</HI> Letter was, he took up the mind of <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> as much as he could. But &s;ince it was impo&s;&s;ible hee &s;hould <HI>ex tempore</HI> invent &s;uch a piece, as could merit tho&s;e Commends which he gave unto it, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> told him, that certainly the excellency of that Letter con&s;i&s;ted in the grace of that Language in which it was written; &s;ince, as &s;he apprehended, the conceits of it were no more then ordi|nary. Oh Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) you have good rea&s;on to &s;ay &s;o, for I a&s;&s;ure you, there is no compari&s;on between what I &s;ay, and the letter it &s;elf: And beleeve it (&s;aid he and took it again, &s;eeing <HI>Telamire</HI> had read it) there are &s;ome pa&s;&s;ages in this Letter would ravi&s;h you with wonder, if I could relate as in it &s;elf it is: Al&s;o I am confident that <HI>Telamire</HI> which under&s;tands that Language will concurre with me.
<PB N="27" REF="780">
'Tis very true, replied <HI>Telamire,</HI> this Letter is very rare, and the interpretation which is made of it is very &s;urprizing al&s;o. You commend this Letter &s;o highly, replied <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> that you make me de&s;irous to learn the Language wherein it is written, and <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> who under&s;tands the Language very well, will be a great help unto me: As &s;he &s;aid &s;o <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> came into the Chamber; &s;o that <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> fearing le&s;t &s;he &s;hould tell her husband of this Letter, and move him to &s;hew it, he went out very ha&s;tily, as if he had remembred &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which he had before forgotten. Yet I think he had no &s;uch great cau&s;e of fear: for &s;ince this Letter was &s;aid to be a Letter of Love, <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> in her affected humour of preci&s;ene&s;&s;e, would not have &s;hewed it unto her husband. But a Cou&s;in of hers who under&s;tood the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> tongue very well coming in accidentally that day, &s;he &s;ent for <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> purpo&s;ely to borrow that Letter of him: for, &s;aid &s;he, I cannot beleeve it to be &s;o excellent a Piece as <HI>Telamire,</HI> and <HI>Ty&s;i|menes</HI> do &s;ay it is, con&s;idering the Interpretation which they made of it unto me: You may well imagine that <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> would not &s;end her that Letter, but to get out of this Labyrinth, into which he had involved him&s;elf, he &s;eemed to look for it, and at la&s;t, &s;aid he had lo&s;t it, affirming unto him whom <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;ent, that certainly he had left it in her Chamber. In the mean while, <HI>Telamire</HI> was &s;o &s;urprized at this Letter, as &s;he hardly knew whether &s;he &s;hould beleeve her own eyes: But the day following, &s;eeing <HI>Artaxander</HI> in the Church, &s;he knew the Letter was his: for he made &s;ome certain &s;ignes unto <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> who did &s;it next her, which induced her to beleeve &s;he was not deceived. So that no longer &s;hunning occa&s;ions of talking with <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> he quickly found an opportunity to let her know, how <HI>Artaxander</HI> and him&s;elf were reconciled during their travels. And indeed, though <HI>Artaxander</HI> had &s;een <HI>Telamire</HI> a hundred times in private, before he fel out with <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> yet he never had revealed this &s;ecret unto her: for be&s;ides that, a lover, when he is alone with his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, doth &s;eldome or never talk of any thing but his Pa&s;&s;ion: &s;o likewi&s;e, &s;ince his friend&s;hip with <HI>Ty|&s;imenes</HI> was made a &s;ecret onely for the love of <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> he would not impart it un|to <HI>Telamire,</HI> though he had opportunity for it. However, after this, the lives of <HI>Ar|taxander</HI> and <HI>Telamire</HI> were much more plea&s;ing; and the wonder was, that the life of <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was al&s;o much more agreeable: for &s;he found &s;uch delight, to imagine that &s;he &s;pited <HI>Artaxander</HI> by &s;eeing <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> that &s;he made it almo&s;t her whole bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e, to contrive new occa&s;ions of &s;eeing him. Moreover, though &s;he ob&s;erved <HI>Te|lamire</HI> had no great aver&s;ion again&s;t di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> yet &s;he &s;u&s;pected nothing; but on the contrary, &s;ince &s;he thought that <HI>Artaxander</HI> would be more angry <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">f &s;hee &s;hould marry <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> then if &s;he &s;hould marry <HI>Belermis:</HI> And &s;ince again, &s;he did not much care for having her to be her &s;i&s;ter in law, &s;he wi&s;hed that <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> were in love with her: And &s;he her &s;elf, &s;aid one day unto him, &s;peaking of her hatred un|to <HI>Artaxander,</HI> that if &s;he were in his room, &s;he would endeavour to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e the &s;ame place which his enemy &s;aid he did in the heart of <HI>Telamire.</HI> And when he an&s;wered, that he honoured <HI>Belermis</HI> more then to become his Rivall, &s;he &s;aid laughing, that <HI>Belermis</HI> was &s;o much devoted to the warres, that in her opinion, one &s;hould do him a great plea&s;ure if they could cure him of his love: Adding afterwards (in a more &s;e|rious Tone) that &s;he really beleeved <HI>Telamire</HI> and <HI>Belermis</HI> would never be happy to|gether: and therefore &s;he could wi&s;h with all her heart, that he could love. <HI>Telamire,</HI> and that <HI>Belermis</HI> could forget her. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Artaxander</HI> under&s;tanding by <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> all that <HI>Telamire</HI> did, and almo&s;t all &s;he thought, he perceived that &s;he &s;till hated <HI>Belermis,</HI> and that &s;he did not hate him. <HI>Telamire</HI> for her part, &s;he was &s;o glad that <HI>Artaxander</HI> continued con&s;tant, though he never &s;pake unto her, nor hardly ever &s;aw her, that &s;he thought upon nothing but him. And indeed, he never vi&s;ited any but whom &s;he was plea&s;ed to permit him; nor ever attempted any thing before <HI>Ty&s;i|menes</HI> had fir&s;t con&s;ulted with her: And this faithfull friend for a long time did &s;o unite the hearts of the&s;e two per&s;ons, that their own merits could not tie them fa&s;ter unto each other, then the &s;olicitations of <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> did. For, when he reported the words of <HI>Artaxander</HI> unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> he did mo&s;t emphatically expre&s;&s;e the amorous affections of his heart: and, when he reported the words of <HI>Telamire</HI> unto <HI>Artaxander.</HI> he omit|ted not one obliging accent. Thus <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> at fir&s;t, finding his own content in the &s;atisfaction of the&s;e two per&s;ons, had next, the delight to d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lude <HI>Cloreli&s;a, Alga&s;tus,</HI> and <HI>Belermis.</HI> Then would the demure <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> needs be bu&s;ie, and break off the frequent vi&s;its of <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> unto <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> telling her it was more dangerous to &s;ee one
<PB N="28" REF="781">
gallant often, then to &s;ee a thou&s;and, and &s;ee them but &s;eldome. But <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> telling her, that <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> was more her husbands gue&s;t, then hers, her pure preci&s;ene&s;&s;e was &s;ilenced: for indeed <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> had carried the matter &s;o cunningly, that <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> did verily beleeve, &s;he &s;uffered <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> only out of complai&s;ance unto him. However, this &s;olitary &s;ociety became more plea&s;ant: becau&s;e <HI>Artaxander</HI> under the Umbrage and name of <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> did give all imaginable diver&s;ions unto <HI>Telamire:</HI> For &s;ince <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> in his youth was a great lover of plea&s;ures, <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> would propound unto him, &s;ometimes, that they might go out and take the Air; &s;ome times he would bring Mu&s;ick unto him, and &s;ome times make him a banquet: So as many delicate pieces of Gallantry did pa&s;&s;e, under the notion of being pre&s;ented unto the whole family: though the truth was, it was alwayes <HI>Artaxander</HI> who was at the charge of the Mu|&s;ick, and Banquets which pa&s;&s;ed under the name of <HI>Ty&s;imenes.</HI> Thus did <HI>Artaxander</HI> every day pre&s;ent <HI>Telamire</HI> with a thou&s;and diver&s;ions, and as many expre&s;&s;ions of his love, without giving the lea&s;t jealou&s;ie unto <HI>Belermis</HI> or <HI>Cloreli&s;a.</HI> And if it be true, as I have heard &s;ay it is, that delu&s;ion is one of the delights of this Pa&s;&s;ion, I am confi|dent they had as much as they could be capable of: &s;ince they had the full delight to know that they loved one another, and al&s;o to delude <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> and <HI>Belermis.</HI> 'Tis true, they &s;pake not unto each other: but &s;ince they writ, and &s;ome times &s;aw one another, this was a mitigation of their grief. Thus <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> intending revenge upon <HI>Artax|ander</HI> did mo&s;t agreeably &s;erve him, and gave him a way to be revenged upon her &s;elf, yet did &s;he reli&s;h all the &s;weets of her Revenge with a full gu&s;t: For &s;he had the com|mand over her Rivall: &s;he hindred her from &s;peaking unto her Lover: It was in her power to forbid the Banes of their marriage: &s;he thought &s;he kept &s;uch a &s;evere eye upon her, as that &s;he could not hold any Intelligence: &s;he thought al&s;o, that &s;he began to love the enemy of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> and that he was ready to die for grief and anger. In the mean time, <HI>Telamire</HI> being full of mode&s;ty, though &s;he had all imaginable ten|derne&s;&s;e towards <HI>Artaxander:</HI> though &s;he received his letters; and though &s;he an&s;we|red them; yet &s;he never &s;pake nor writ any thing which might per&s;wade <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> that &s;he had any violent affection unto <HI>Artaxander.</HI> And con&s;idering how &s;he carried the matter, it might more properly be termed friend&s;hip, or acquaintance, then love: as for the &s;ecre&s;ie of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, &s;he did attribute it more unto the nece&s;&s;ity of &s;ati&s;|fying the odde humours of <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> then to the &s;atisfaction of the nature of that af|fection. Again, as <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> did heartily wi&s;h that <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> would marry <HI>Telamire,</HI> to &s;pite <HI>Artaxander;</HI> &s;o likewi&s;e &s;he Cajoled with <HI>Belermis,</HI> that &s;he per&s;waded him <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> &s;olicited for him, when he talked unto <HI>Telamire:</HI> Thus <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> had opportunity enough to talk with her: <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> al&s;o di&s;po&s;ed <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> to give his daughter unto him, if &s;he could obtain his con&s;ent: And to bring it about, &s;he made u&s;e of all her Authority over <HI>Telamire,</HI> to dre&s;&s;e her &s;elf better then u&s;uall, though &s;he was to &s;ee none but <HI>Ty&s;imenes:</HI> For (&s;aid &s;he, as we under&s;tood &s;ince) <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> &s;ees none but <HI>Telamire. Telamire</HI> is fair: <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> is young and of a pa&s;&s;ionate temper, and by con&s;equence it mu&s;t be concluded, that he loves <HI>Telamire:</HI> And certainly, Amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> the Arguments of this jealous and Revenging Per&s;on were not &s;light: For in&s;en&s;ibly, before ever <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> perceived it, love &s;eized upon his heart, and as changed from hatred, unto amity and friend&s;hip with <HI>Artaxander;</HI> &s;o he chang|ed from Indifferency unto e&s;teem, and from e&s;teem unto Love with <HI>Telamire.</HI> The fir&s;t mark of it which he had was, that he found a great alteration in him&s;elf. For at the beginning of this Negotiation, he was wont to be extremely joyed, when he re|ceived any favourable expre&s;&s;ion from <HI>Telamire,</HI> to report unto <HI>Artaxander:</HI> or any rapture of Pa&s;&s;ion in <HI>Artaxander,</HI> to report unto <HI>Telamire:</HI> but as &s;oon as his heart be|came a little engaged, he found a &s;ecret melancholy at the joyes of his friend, when he told him any thing which conduced to his &s;atisfaction. He weakned as much as hee could, the obliging &s;ence of every word, which the&s;e two per&s;ons &s;poke. And if <HI>Ar|taxander</HI> de&s;ired him to tell <HI>Telamire,</HI> that he was the mo&s;t &s;incerely faithfull, and pa&s;|&s;ionate Lover that ever lived: he would &s;eek out for words le&s;&s;e tender, and &s;ignifi|cant; and &s;o le&s;&s;en and extenuate the life of his expre&s;&s;ions. Again, hee took &s;uch extreme delight in &s;eeing <HI>Telamire,</HI> that he could not long doubt of the pa&s;&s;ion which lay lurking in his &s;oul: yet truely, he oppre&s;&s;ed it with incredible Genero&s;ity: and he oppo&s;ed it as much, becau&s;e he had been the enemy of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> a becau&s;e he was now his friend. For truely, (&s;aid he to him&s;elf, as we under&s;tood afterwards) <HI>Artax|ander</HI>
<PB N="29" REF="781">
as thy friend is obliged to have &s;ome compa&s;&s;ion upon thy &s;ufferings, as thou art of his; but if he take thee as one that hath been his enemy, he hath cau&s;e to &s;u&s;|pect thee of ba&s;ene&s;&s;e, perfidiou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and treachery: for if thou bee&s;t his friend, thou ought&s;t not to be his Rivall: and if thou bee&s;t his enemy, thou ought&s;t not to be his Agent unto his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e. Make then thy choi&s;e <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> (&s;aid he,) if thou wilt be <HI>Artaxanders</HI> enemy, keep it not &s;ecret from him; and if thou wilt be his friend, &s;tifle thy Pa&s;&s;ion, and hide it from him, and <HI>Telamire</HI> both, if it be po&s;&s;ible: But Alas, I perceive thou wilt be neither the one nor the other, and that thou can&s;t neither be friend, nor enemy unto <HI>Artaxander:</HI> yet one of the&s;e thou mu&s;t be; In|differency is not in thy Choi&s;e. To be his Friend and his Rivall both, are two things impo&s;&s;ible: To be his enemy, and his Confident, are two qualities incompatible: And to be the Lover of <HI>Telmmire,</HI> and friend, or enemy of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> is a condi|tion mo&s;t deplorable. For if &s;he look upon thee as his friend, it is as a mo&s;t perfidi|ous friend: as a man unworthy of her e&s;teem, &s;ince he betrayes a tru&s;t, which ought to be mo&s;t inviolable: And if &s;he look upon thee as <HI>Artaxanders</HI> enemy, 'twill bee onely to hate thee, and to enter into all his Intere&s;ts again&s;t thee: Thou do&s;t but flat|ter thy &s;elf, in hopes that <HI>Telamires</HI> affection to <HI>Artaxander</HI> is not violent: for if it be not violent unto him, How can it be unto thee, who can never di&s;cover thy Pa&s;&s;ion to her, unle&s;&s;e thou do&s;t di&s;cover thy Trea&s;on unto <HI>Artaxander</HI> al&s;o? Oh mo&s;t lamentable De&s;tiny! The Per&s;on thou love&s;t mu&s;t either never know thou love&s;t her; or if &s;he do, &s;he mu&s;t know thee to be an Impo&s;tor, and a perfidious Friend. How do&s;t thou think &s;he can ever beleeve thy words, &s;ince &s;he will convince thee out of the very &s;ame words thou u&s;e&s;t to di&s;cover thy Pa&s;&s;ion unto her? For what ha&s;t thou not &s;aid in behalf of <HI>Artaxander;</HI> of his violent Pa&s;&s;ion, of his fidelity to her, and of her obligements unto him? Wilt thou go and tell her, that thou did&s;t tell her lies? Wilt thou give thy &s;elf the lie? and though thou &s;houlde&s;t be &s;o ba&s;e, do&s;t thou think <HI>Telamire</HI> will beleeve thee? And though &s;he &s;hould beleeve, that thou did&s;t di&s;&s;emble with her in &s;peaking for <HI>Artaxander,</HI> thou wilt not be one jot the happier, &s;ince &s;he hath cau&s;e to think, that who&s;oever will lie for another, will lie for him&s;elf. Moreover, con&s;ider <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> con&s;ider the hatred that hath been between the hou&s;e of <HI>Artaxander</HI> and thine: Remember that thy Ance&s;tours and his, have ever &s;triven which &s;hould excell in glory and vertue: And wilt thou give &s;uch an advantage unto the Family which hates thee, as to upbraid thee that <HI>Artaxander</HI> is more vertuous then thy &s;elf? Con&s;ider <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> that if thou do&s;t betray thy friend, he will divulge unto all the world, that thou wa&s;t reconciled unto him, purpo&s;ely to be perfidious and ba&s;e. Con&s;ider that Glory will not &s;uffer thee to give &s;uch advantage unto thy enemies: And that Friend&s;hip will not endure thou &s;houlde&s;t be a Rivall unto thy Friend, e&s;pecially a friend who did overcome the old hatred of his heart unto thee. Con&s;ider that Love is not a more violent Pa&s;&s;ion then Hatred: and thou maye&s;t be as well able to cea&s;e loving <HI>Telamire,</HI> as thou wert to cea&s;e hating <HI>Artaxander.</HI> But art thou able to cea&s;e loving <HI>Telamire?</HI> (&s;aid he) Oh, if thou bee'&s;t, thou art the mo&s;t vile man of the whole earth if thou doe&s;t not: but yet if it be not in thy power, thou art not culpable. What &s;hall I do then, (&s;aid he) love, or not love? Ah doubt|le&s;&s;e, I &s;hall love, (&s;aid this tormented Lover) But if thou wilt be loving, and love with rea&s;on, thou mu&s;t love <HI>Artaxander</HI> and <HI>Telamire</HI> both. The task is difficult, and yet thou mu&s;t do it, at lea&s;t carry thy &s;elf in the &s;ecret of thy heart as a lover of <HI>Telamire,</HI> and publikely as the friend of <HI>Artaxander:</HI> And &s;o betraying onely thy &s;elf, thou onely can&s;t upbraid thy &s;elf: And thou wilt pre&s;erve the e&s;teem of thy Mi|&s;tre&s;&s;e, of thy Friend, of thy Rival, and of thy Enemy, for <HI>Telamire</HI> and <HI>Artaxander</HI> are all the&s;e four unto thee. The&s;e, amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> were the thoughts of <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> pre&s;ently after he perceived him&s;elf in love with <HI>Telamire:</HI> for afterwards we knew from him&s;elf all his mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts. However, after he had mo&s;t &s;eriou&s;ly pon|dered what re&s;olution to fix upon, he was &s;o generous as to re&s;olve upon death, rather then be perfidious unto <HI>Artaxander:</HI> &s;o as I am confident, that never was vertue put upon a more difficult Te&s;t, then his: For he knew that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> did heartily wi&s;h his marriage with <HI>Telamire,</HI> and he knew al&s;o that <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> would joyfully con&s;ent unto it. Again, as the &s;tate of things &s;tood, there was no probability that <HI>Artaxander</HI> &s;hould ever marry her: &s;o as though he could not &s;ee any hopes of happine&s;&s;e for his friend, yet he re&s;olved to be the mo&s;t mi&s;erable of any man alive. 'Tis true, he could
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not ea&s;ily bring him&s;elf unto this Re&s;olve, but &s;uffered as much torment as ever man endured. He was in a hundred minds, either to ab&s;ent him&s;elf, or el&s;e to de&s;ire <HI>Artax|ander</HI> that he would excu&s;e him, from being any longer his Solicitour to <HI>Telamire;</HI> but when he began to compare the mi&s;eries which he endured by his &s;ervice, unto what &s;he &s;hould &s;uffer by ab&s;ence from the fair <HI>Telamire,</HI> he found it better for him to be &s;till an Agent between <HI>Telamire,</HI> and <HI>Artaxander,</HI> then to deprive him&s;elf of her &s;ight, whom he loved and adored. Thus, not cea&s;ing to be the Lover of <HI>Telamire,</HI> hee continued to be the Confident of <HI>Artaxander.</HI> But to tell you truly, It was with abun|dance of &s;orrow; and the more, becau&s;e <HI>Telamire</HI> having a high e&s;teem of him, did le&s;&s;e conceal her reall thoughts from him: &s;o as the more he was in love with her, the more he knew &s;he loved his Rivall. One dayes conver&s;e did &s;trangely perplex him: for whil&s;t <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> took <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> out, upon &s;ome vi&s;it or other, which &s;hee was ob|liged unto: and whil&s;t <HI>Belermis</HI> was gone to vi&s;it a man whom he heard had been fighting, <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> remained alone with <HI>Telamire:</HI> who falling in&s;en&s;ibly to talk of the generall errour wherein all <HI>Themi&s;cyra</HI> was, concerning <HI>Artaxander</HI> and him&s;elf, &s;he aggravated the great danger there was, in judging of things according to appear|ances. For truely, &s;aid &s;he, all the Town takes you to be the enemy of <HI>Artaxander: Cloreli&s;a</HI> her &s;elf thinks it; and &s;o doth <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> and <HI>Belermis:</HI> Moreover, they be|gin to think that <HI>Artaxander</HI> hath forgotten me, and that I have forgotten him. The world al&s;o beleeves, that it is vertue onely which is <HI>Cloreli&s;a's</HI> motive to &s;ee no body: <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> her &s;elf doth not doubt it: yet nothing is more fal&s;e then their opinions in all the&s;e things, though they appear to be mo&s;t true unto all tho&s;e who beleeve them. Therefore, in my opinion, there is no &s;afety in &s;peaking affirmatively of any thing, but what one knows to be of a mo&s;t infallible certainty. 'Tis very true, replied <HI>Ty&s;i|menes,</HI> that appearances are very deceitfull: And I am &s;o &s;trongly per&s;waded of this truth (added he and changed colour) as perhaps, I am able to &s;ay, that the thing which you think you are mo&s;t certaine of, is not as you do imagine it. Nay, nay, replied <HI>Telamire,</HI> I am very confident, that I am not mi&s;taken as others are: and when I think that <HI>Artaxander</HI> is your friend, and that you are his, I think nothing but truth. Al&s;o I am confident, that in thinking <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> to be full both of love, hatred, and jealou&s;ie, I think as I ought to do. And in per&s;wading my &s;elf that you do much e&s;teem me, I am per&s;waded of nothing but what you have induced me to beleeve, by a thou&s;and &s;weet expre&s;&s;ions, and as many obliging offices which I have received from you. And therefore <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> though I grant that appearances are very fallacious, yet I am mo&s;t confident, I am not mi&s;taken, in beleeving the&s;e things I have mentioned unto you. Certainly Madam, replied he, you are not mi&s;taken in thinking, I do much e&s;teem you; but perhaps you are mi&s;taken in imagining that this e&s;teem is &s;o great, or &s;o little as it is. I mu&s;t needs think, replied &s;hee, that you have a very good opinion of me, and that your Civility will not &s;uffer you to undeceive mee in &s;uch a plea&s;ing er|rour: for truely (&s;aid &s;he and &s;miled) when I con&s;ider of it with application, I have &s;ome rea&s;on to fear, that a man who knows &s;o well how to hide his reall thoughts, is not very &s;incere. And truely, would not any one &s;ay, who &s;ees how you carry it, and hears how you talk before people, that you had no affection unto <HI>Artax|ander?</HI> but they you were &s;till ready to quarrell with him? for my part (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;miled again) I mu&s;t needs conclude, that if you know how to conceal love as well as friend&s;hip, you were very fit for the mo&s;t my&s;terious Intelligence. Had I a Pa&s;&s;ion which I would conceal (replied he) I &s;hould conceal it much better then I do the friend&s;hip I hold with <HI>Artaxander.</HI> And yet I have heard &s;ay, (an&s;wered &s;he) that Love cannot long lie hid. I have heard it &s;aid, as well as you Madam, replied he, but I am &s;ufficiently undeceived of that errour: for I know a Lover, who is little &s;u&s;pect|ed to be &s;o, and who is thought he never will be. Since you do know it, replied &s;he, his Pa&s;&s;ion is not &s;o concealed as you &s;ay it is. I do know it indeed (&s;aid he) but the rea&s;on is, becau&s;e it is impo&s;&s;ible I &s;hould not know it: yet it is mo&s;t undoubtedly true, that I onely do know the pa&s;&s;ion of his &s;oul. She who is the cau&s;e of it (re|plied &s;he) doth not &s;he know of that pa&s;&s;ion which &s;he her &s;elf hath created? She knowes it no more then you do (replied he) and which is more &s;trange, this Lover hath Rivalls who dream not that he is theirs. This doth &s;o much &s;urprize me (replied <HI>Telamire)</HI> and I am &s;o de&s;irous to know who this Lover is, who can &s;o well con|ceal his pa&s;&s;ion, both from his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e and his Rivalls, that if ever I &s;ee <HI>Artaxander,</HI>
<PB N="31" REF="782">
I will de&s;ire him to make you name him, that he may let me know it. Of the two, replied <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> I had rather tell you then <HI>Artaxander</HI> who it is: but truely unle&s;&s;e I be forced Madam, I be&s;eech you give me leave neither to tell it unto you nor him: and I &s;hall not reveal a &s;ecret which is the mo&s;t concealed that ever was. As I am per&s;waded (replied &s;he) there never was any &s;ecret, but will out one time or other: &s;o I beleeve, this which you now conceal from me, will one day be the common talk of the Town. I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, replied he, if ever it be revealed, it &s;hall be &s;oo|ner unto your &s;elf then any one I know: but to tell you truely, I do not think that day will ever come. Be not too po&s;itive (replied &s;he) for all things that are within the compa&s;&s;e of po&s;&s;ibility, may happen. For truly, when you and <HI>Artaxander</HI> went from <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> there was no likelihood, that ever you &s;hould be upon &s;uch good termes, and yet I &s;ee you are become his friend, and he yours. 'Tis true, &s;aid he, the change was great and unexpected: and one cannot make a quicker pa&s;&s;e from indiffe|rency unto love, then I pa&s;&s;ed from hatred to the friend&s;hip of <HI>Artaxander.</HI> As for matter of friend&s;hip, (&s;aid <HI>Telamire)</HI> I know very well it may grow a long time af|ter one is acquainted with a per&s;on: But as for love, I cannot think it can be &s;o: for I beleeve that when any one falls in love, it is at the very fir&s;t &s;ight of the party loved. I &s;hould be very &s;orry Madam, &s;aid he unto her, to contradict you in thing: yet truly I cannot agree with you in this: for I mu&s;t tell you again, that I know a Lover, who was onely a bare friend unto the per&s;on with whom he is now in love, a long time be|fore he was &s;o: yet now he is &s;o de&s;perately in love, as hee cannot conceive it po&s;&s;ible, that he &s;hould then be onely a friend unto her whom he now adores. If this Lover, (replied &s;he, and laughed) have no name, no more then your fir&s;t you talked of, I will never as long as I live di&s;pute with you again: for truly, I had rather have rea&s;ons then examples, when the men who&s;e adventures are alledged, are namele&s;&s;e unto me. But to tell you truly, it would be hard to make me beleeve, that any man who hath long &s;een a woman, without loving her, &s;hould afterwards upon a &s;udden fall in love with her: And for my particular, I &s;hould &s;ooner beleeve that a man who never &s;aw me above a quarter of an hour &s;hould fall in love with me, then that another, who hath &s;een me a whole year together with eyes of indifferency, &s;hould afterwards be capable of Love. Yet mo&s;t certainly it is po&s;sible, replied he. And it is not more certainly true that I am <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> then it is, that I know a Lover, who after onely e&s;teem, admiration, and liking of a per&s;on whom you know, is now become extremely in love with her. If I were to talk with him you mean (replied &s;he) I &s;hould certainly ei|ther make him confe&s;&s;e that his friend&s;hip and liking was only a little higher then it was before: or that his affection which is now Love, did begin a&s;&s;oon as he &s;aw her, though perhaps it was then onely a Luke-warme Love, and he hardly knew what it was: but I hold it ab&s;olutely impo&s;sible that any one &s;hould begin to be in love with a woman, two years after he fir&s;t knew her. Then Madam, &s;aid he unto her, It &s;eems that it would be a very difficult matter for a friend who knew you, to per&s;wade you that he is in love, unle&s;&s;e he tells you, he was &s;o the very fir&s;t minute he ever looked upon you? 'Tis very true, &s;aid &s;he, that he would not ea&s;ily per&s;wade me; But thanks be to the gods and <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> (&s;aid &s;he and laughed) I am not expo&s;ed unto that danger, in the &s;olitude wherein I live. But Madam (replied <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> and &s;miled, though he was much non-plu&s;t) one that hears you talk, would think that I have not a heart ca|pable of being moved: and that I have not eyes by which love may enter into my &s;oul: But &s;ince it hath hapned a hundred times, that friends have become Rivals unto their friends, how know you but I &s;hall become &s;o unto <HI>Artaxander,</HI> or am &s;o alrea|dy? In good earne&s;t (&s;aid he to &s;ound her thoughts) I think I &s;hould extremely &s;ur|prize you, if in lieu of telling you, according to my cu&s;tome, that <HI>Artaxander</HI> is ready to die for the love of you, I &s;hould tell you, that I love you more then he doth. 'Tis mo&s;t true, replied &s;he, you would mo&s;t terribly affright me. But yet, (&s;aid he unto her) what would you an&s;wer me, and what would you do, if you &s;hould &s;ee mee at your feet, prote&s;ting with a thou&s;and oaths, that I have done all that ever was in my power, to keep my &s;elf from being <HI>Artaxanders</HI> Rivall? And if I &s;hould vow fur|ther, that I love you infinitely more then ever he did? Fir&s;t, (&s;aid &s;he) I would not beleeve you: and &s;econdly, I would carry the matter as if I did beleeve you, becau&s;e I would treat you as a perfidious friend, a cheat, a man without judgement. For &s;ince I have &s;o freely opened my heart unto you concerning <HI>Artaxander:</HI> you would
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be out of your wits if you &s;hould offer to talk &s;o unto me, though it were &s;o that you did love me very much: But (&s;aid &s;he) I am unwi&s;e to trouble my &s;elf in a bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e, which I hope in the gods will never be. And yet (replied he very coldly) you are fair enough to make an unfaithfull friend, a faithfull Lover: and perhaps I have a heart &s;o &s;en&s;ible, and a &s;oul &s;o tender, that I can neither re&s;i&s;t you, nor over come my &s;elf. After this, <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> fearing he had been a little too lavi&s;h in his tongue, did &s;trive to rou&s;e up &s;ome merrine&s;&s;e into his eyes, purpo&s;ely to weaken the &s;ence of his words. And indeed, he did it &s;o well, that <HI>Telamire</HI> did not &s;o much as &s;u&s;pect any reallity in the matter, but thought it to be onely a &s;port of his wit: So that beginning to talk more &s;eriou&s;ly unto <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> &s;he talked of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> charging him to tell him &s;ome obliging matter, which &s;he de&s;ired he &s;hould know: In &s;o much as <HI>Ty&s;i|menes,</HI> as much a lover as he was, yet he did negotiate as the Agent of his Rivall, and promi&s;ed <HI>Telamire</HI> to tell him what&s;oever &s;he plea&s;ed: and indeed as he went from <HI>Telamire,</HI> he intended to go unto that friends hou&s;e where he was to meet <HI>Artax|ander</HI> every night. But for that night, he went another way, thinking it &s;ome &s;weet|ne&s;&s;e to deferre tho&s;e joyes which <HI>Artaxander</HI> would have, when hee heard <HI>Tela|mires</HI> me&s;&s;age. And to tell you truely, his &s;oul wavered whether he &s;hould bee the friend or the enemy of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> but &s;till was con&s;tant in loving <HI>Telamire.</HI> But yet his vertue getting the ma&s;tery in his mind, he re&s;olved to continue faithfull to his friend; and to hide his love from his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e as well as from his Rivall: After which, he went to acquit him&s;elf of his Commi&s;&s;ion. 'Tis true, hee did it with abundance of pain: he never named <HI>Telamire,</HI> but his heart trembled: he could not hear &s;o much as the name of his Rivall pronounced, without a chine&s;&s;e of heart. However, &s;ince <HI>Artaxander</HI> could talk of nothing el&s;e but <HI>Telamire,</HI> and &s;ince he was that night more earne&s;t then ordinary in talking with <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> he retained him as long as hee could: for &s;ince he had opened the door of his heart onely unto him, it was onely from him he could have any con&s;olation. I be&s;eech you my dear <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) &s;ooth me up a little in my Pa&s;&s;ion, to ea&s;e me in my &s;ufferings: Tell me that <HI>Telamire</HI> is worthy of all tho&s;e mi&s;eries I have endured for her &s;ake; for truly though you bee not in love, yet it is impo&s;&s;ible but you &s;hould know that I have great <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ea&s;on to love her in that degree I do: for if you have but eyes and any &s;oul, you mu&s;t needs know and &s;ee that &s;he is all admirable. 'Tis true, replied <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> that <HI>Telamire</HI> is much accompli&s;hed, and if I would contradict your Pa&s;&s;ion, it &s;hould not be for want of merit in her, &s;ince none can have more then &s;he hath. Ah <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> replied <HI>Artax|ander,</HI> to &s;ee the difference betwixt love and friend&s;hip: for becau&s;e you are onely the friend of <HI>Telamire,</HI> you can content your &s;elf to &s;ay, that none can have more merit then &s;he hath; but I that am her Lover mu&s;t needs &s;ay, that it is impo&s;&s;ible to finde any who hath &s;o much. If we never differ in any thing but that, replied <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> we &s;hall alwayes agree, &s;ince I confe&s;&s;e as well as you, that <HI>Telamire</HI> is incomparable, and that I never knew any &s;o Lovely as &s;he is. Did I know you were in love, replied <HI>Artaxander,</HI> I &s;hould take good heed of obliging you unto any &s;uch high applaud of
<HI>Telamire;</HI> and &s;hould &s;o much re&s;pect our friend&s;hip and your love, and not to wi&s;h you &s;hould preferre the per&s;on whom I love, before her whom you adore: but &s;ince I know you are onely in love with honour, and your friend<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, I conceive, I may well move you to do ju&s;tice unto the merits of <HI>Telamire,</HI> by acknowledging you never knew her equall. But al&s;o I am forced to confe&s;&s;e, that I am as mi&s;erable as &s;hee is fair, e&s;pecially of late: for me thinks you have not &s;poke unto me from her as you were wont: And I &s;ee &s;omething in your mind, which makes me fear, you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e &s;ome thoughts in her which are not advantageous to mee. <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> hearing <HI>Artaxander</HI> &s;peak thus, was afraid that he had di&s;covered his weakne&s;&s;e. So as recollecting all his &s;trength of vertue. he forced his tongue to tell his Rivall, that he was mi&s;taken, and that he was never in his life upon better termes with <HI>Telamire,</HI> then at this time. But he had no &s;ooner pronounced the&s;e words, then he was angry with him&s;elf; and found &s;uch a di&s;order in his heart, that his eyes had betrayed him if he hao &s;tayed any longer with <HI>Artaxander:</HI> and &s;o he left him as &s;oon as ever he could. In the mean time, <HI>Belermis</HI> beginning to perceiver that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was not &s;o zealous for his marriage with <HI>Telamire,</HI> as &s;he was wont; he looked more narrowly unto <HI>Telamire:</HI> and growing jealous of the long conver&s;ation which <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> held with her, he quar|relled with him; and if their Friends, indifferent unto both had not prevented them,
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&s;ome misfortune had hapned between them. <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> &s;eeing how &s;quares went but not &s;eeing the thoughts of <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> &s;hee re&s;olved to de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e her &s;elf of &s;o much &s;atisfaction in marrying her unto <HI>Artaxanders</HI> enemy, but contented her &s;elf, by taking her from him, in marrying her unto her brother. Then did &s;hee begin to u&s;e all the power &s;he had with <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> to favour the de&s;ignes of <HI>Belermis;</HI> and indeed &s;he wrought &s;o much upon him, as ab&s;olutely to command <HI>Telamire,</HI> to prepare her &s;elf for being wife unto <HI>Belermis</HI> within eight dayes. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> that &s;ince he him&s;elf pretended nothing unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> That he would per&s;wade her to obey her father: In the mean time, <HI>Telamire</HI> after &s;he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ad &s;een <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> and <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> &s;he was a mo&s;t &s;ad &s;oul: and the more, becau&s;e what <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;ires &s;oever &s;he had to di&s;obey <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> yet &s;he had not power. Again, &s;he told <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> that &s;he would not have <HI>Artaxander</HI> fight with <HI>Belermi</HI> upon any termes, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ut declared, that if he made any hurly burly for the love of her, &s;he would never <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ee him again: So that when <HI>Artaxander</HI> knew this, he was extreamly &s;orry for it. <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> al&s;o was exceeding full of grief, yet not &s;o full as <HI>Artaxander,</HI> though hee was no le&s;&s;e in love then he, yet was a very faithfull Agent in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: for &s;ince <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e had nothing but bad news alwayes to tell <HI>Artaxander,</HI> he told it him without any <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rouble, though yet he was his friend. 'Tis true, when <HI>Artaxander</HI> gave him in Commi&s;&s;ion to per&s;wade <HI>Telamire</HI> unto di&s;obedience of <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> he did not imploy <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ll the eloquence he had. But doubtle&s;&s;e hee &s;pake more earne&s;tly, and much more <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">u&s;tly, when he negotiated to comfort <HI>Artaxander</HI> for the l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;e of <HI>Telamire,</HI> then when he undertook to per&s;wade <HI>Telamire</HI> to be&s;tow her &s;elf upon <HI>Artaxander.</HI> But <HI>Telamire</HI> did in&s;i&s;t &s;o much upon Points of Glory, that &s;he would never do any thing for which &s;he might be condemned. On the other &s;ide, it was a har&s;h adventure for her to think &s;hee &s;hould never &s;ee <HI>Artaxander</HI> again, that &s;he &s;hould be wife unto <HI>Belermis, Belermis Cloreli&s;a's</HI> brother. She was not able to refrain from tears when &s;he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">alked with <HI>Ty&s;imenes;</HI> and alas, the&s;e tears went to his very heart; but he made a &s;e|cret of them unto <HI>Artaxander,</HI> and told him onely that &s;he was &s;ad, or &s;o, but never told him that &s;he wept. In the mean time <HI>Artaxander</HI> out of the violence of his Pa&s;&s;ion, told <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> that of two things, he mu&s;t needs do one: either he mu&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ight with <HI>Belermis,</HI> mauger <HI>Telamires</HI> charge to the contrary; or el&s;e he mu&s;t carry <HI>Telamire</HI> away: Conjuring him to a&s;&s;i&s;t him in one, or both the&s;e things, &s;o that <HI>Ty|&s;imenes</HI> being put to notable quandaries, he told <HI>Artaxander,</HI> that hee would advi&s;e him never to think of carrying <HI>Telamire</HI> away; giving him &s;uch Rea&s;ons to the con|trary, that if the mind of <HI>Artaxander</HI> had been &s;etled, he might have &s;een that <HI>Ty&s;i|menes</HI> took more intere&s;t in <HI>Telamire</HI> then he ought: for <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> him&s;elf perceived <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e &s;pake over zealou&s;ly. But after he had di&s;&s;waded him from carrying away <HI>Tela|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ire,</HI> and that <HI>Artaxander</HI> had repented of &s;uch thoughts, he offered him in point of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">onour, to be his &s;econd again&s;t <HI>Belermis,</HI> who never went without his friend. But as they were ready to fixe upon this Re&s;olution, one of <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> &s;ervants entred, and gave his Ma&s;ter a Letter, which he &s;aid one of <HI>Telamires</HI> women gave unto him with tears in her eyes. Do you not know &s;aid <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> why &s;hee cried? All I know, &s;aid he, is, that <HI>Alga&s;tus, Cloreli&s;a, I&s;alonide, Telamire,</HI> and <HI>Belermis</HI> went out of <HI>Themi&s;cyra</HI> pre&s;ently after the Sunne was &s;et: and I &s;aw <HI>Telamire</HI> go into <HI>Cloreli&s;a's</HI> Coach, with &s;o much &s;orrow in her countenance, that I beleeve, the journey doth <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ot plea&s;e her. Ah <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Artaxander)</HI> I fear this journey which begins in the night, will prove fatall unto me: After this, reading the Letter which he took from <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> he found the&s;e words.</P>
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<LETTER>
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<HEAD>TELAMIRE UNTO TYSIMENES</HEAD>
<P>THough Sir, I have but one minute to &s;tay in <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> yet, go I mu&s;t, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> know when I &s;hall return: All I know of my journey is, that my father told <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> that hee would carry me into the Countrey, to the end my marriage with <HI>Belermis</HI> might make le&s;&s;e noi&s;e. I pray impart this cruell newes unto <HI>Artaxander,</HI> in &s;uch a manner <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> may make him the lea&s;t &s;ad. A&s;&s;ure him, I will re&s;i&s;t as farre as hand&s;omly I can, and prepare him for a mi&s;ery, in ca&s;e I cannot hinder it. Adieu, <HI>I</HI> have more &s;orrow <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> my &s;oul that I would have him know of: but how great &s;oever it be, yet I do freely con|&s;ent he &s;hould complain again&s;t my weakne&s;&s;e, if my affection do yeeld unto what decency requires, &s;o he complain in &s;ecret. Let me tell you once again: that my melancholy <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> without any equall, unle&s;&s;e the joyes of <HI>Cloreli&s;a:</HI> which appears as vi&s;ible in her eyes, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> de&s;pair doth in the eyes of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Telamire.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>You may ea&s;ily imagine, amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> how &s;ad <HI>Artaxander</HI> was, after the rea|ding of this Letter: yet he was more &s;ad, when upon enquiry, of the place whi|ther <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> was gone unto, he under&s;tood that it was unto a Ca&s;tle which belonged unto <HI>I&s;alonide,</HI> again&s;t which nothing could be attempted, neither to relea&s;e <HI>Telamire,</HI> nor again&s;t <HI>Belermis,</HI> for it was extraordinary &s;trong: Al&s;o, as for <HI>Belermis,</HI> though he knew how to find out a way, to &s;end him a challenge, yet he would an&s;wer, that he would fight, after he had married <HI>Telamire.</HI> Yet <HI>Artaxander</HI> re&s;olved to do what|&s;oever he could, to twit him with point of honour, though he did not hap to make him alter his purpo&s;e: &s;o as going out of <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> with one Page onely, becau&s;e he would not engage <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> in a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e wherein he had no intere&s;t, he took his way towards this Ca&s;tle, in a mo&s;t melancholy mood. For when he thought, that perhaps before he came there, <HI>Belermis</HI> would enjoy <HI>Telamire,</HI> his re&s;entment was beyond all imagination: he told me &s;ince, that he was not ma&s;ter of his own mind and but for his Page, he had lo&s;t his way a hundred times, &s;o troubled was his &s;oul. As he was in this turbulency of &s;pirit, he &s;pied afarre off two Coaches coming towards him, which came a very &s;low pace, and he thought he knew the Page of <HI>Belermis,</HI> who rode on hor&s;eback &s;ome thirty paces before: &s;o as commanding his own Page, to go and ask unto whom tho&s;e Coaches belonged, he under&s;tood, that <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> going <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> the night to avoid the heat of the day, the Coach wherein he was did overturn, &s;o as he was very dangerou&s;ly hurt in the head; and that <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> would not continue his journey, but would return unto <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> after he had re&s;ted a little, at the Town next the place where this accident hapned. So that <HI>Artaxander</HI> under&s;tanding this, he took the way upon his right hand, that he might not pa&s;&s;e too neer the Coache<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> yet he went not &s;o farre off, but he &s;aw <HI>Telamire,</HI> and &s;he him: But &s;ince &s;he was then in as &s;ad a condition to &s;ee her father in that ca&s;e, as &s;he was in parting from <HI>Themy|cyra,</HI> &s;he onely made a &s;igne with her head, unperceived by <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he was turned the other way, to talk unto <HI>Belermis.</HI> But not to trouble you with any imper|tinencies, <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> was carried home to his hou&s;e, and got into bed: Chirurgi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> were &s;ent for; and they found his hurt to be very dangerous, &s;o that when <HI>Artax|ander</HI> came back to <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> every one beleeved <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> would die. <HI>Artaxander</HI> then con&s;idering the &s;tate of things, did not think it good to hazard the incen&s;ing <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">
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<HI>Telamire</HI> by fighting with <HI>Belermis:</HI> but contented him&s;elf with de&s;iring <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> to &s;ee <HI>Telamire:</HI> And the &s;trange&s;t thing was, <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> was mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly grieved at the di&s;a&s;ter of <HI>Alga&s;tus.</HI> As for <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> &s;he was uncapable of any comfort: but I am very confident, that it was more, becau&s;e the death of <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> would take away her power over <HI>Telamire,</HI> then out of any tenderne&s;&s;e of affection unto him. However, <HI>I&s;alonide,</HI> and <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> were all in tears about <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> and never did husband think him&s;elf more tenderly loved by a wife, then he by his, though &s;he wept more out of jealou&s;ie and &s;pite, then any reall &s;orrow for her lo&s;&s;e. As for <HI>Telamire,</HI> &s;he was of another mind: for &s;he lamented with all the reall &s;orrow of a daughter for a father in &s;uch a condition, &s;o that &s;he &s;tood in need of con&s;ola|tion. In the mean time, <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> after four dayes was at his la&s;t ga&s;p: and that which is very ob&s;ervable was, that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> had &s;o much power of him, as to make him give his whole e&s;tate unto her, if &s;he had thought upon it: yet it was the very lea&s;t of her thoughts: but &s;till &s;hee conjured him with eyes full of tears, (as if out of meer tenderne&s;&s;e) that hee would ab&s;olutely command <HI>Telamire</HI> to marry <HI>Belermis,</HI> to the end that both Lovers might be united. But whether it was that the tears of <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> did trouble <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> or that this de&s;ire did mollifie his heart, he &s;eemed to be a&s;toni&s;hed; and when he offered to &s;peak, he could not: &s;o as he lo&s;t his knowledge, and died; leaving it unknown whether he con&s;ented, or denied the demands of <HI>Cloreli&s;a.</HI> So by this means <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was out of any power over <HI>Telamire,</HI> and <HI>Telamire</HI> was ab&s;olutely free: <HI>Artaxander</HI> had ground of hopes; and <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> was in &s;uch a maze, as he knew not what to think: yet &s;till he continued Generous. But &s;ince it was not po&s;&s;ible he &s;hould long continue the Agent of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> and the Lover of <HI>Telamire</HI> both; he told his friend, that now there was no need of deluding <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> any longer, and therefore he de|&s;ired him not to imploy him in vi&s;iting <HI>Telamire</HI> any longer, pretending the aver&s;i|on which he &s;aid he had unto <HI>Belermis,</HI> and <HI>Cloreli&s;a.</HI> However, hee took upon him to carry a Complement from <HI>Artaxander</HI> unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> upon the death of her father. But <HI>Telamire</HI> being too wi&s;e to make any &s;udden alteration in her way of living, &s;he would not admit of his vi&s;it. 'Tis true, this con&s;traint of hers did not continue long: for having intelligence that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> did intend to carry her away for her brother, &s;he &s;ecretly a&s;&s;embled all her kindred, who came altogether im|mediately, and demanded her of <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> who mourned much more to &s;ee <HI>Tela|mire</HI> carried out of her power, then &s;he did to &s;ee <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> carried to his grave: And that high reputation of vertue which &s;he had gotten by the &s;olitude and re&s;er|vedne&s;&s;e which her jealou&s;ie had cau&s;ed, began to le&s;&s;en; for &s;he behaved her &s;elf &s;o, as &s;he made is evidently appear, that &s;he grieved not for the death of <HI>Alga&s;tus.</HI> The truth is, her &s;orrows that &s;he could not now be revenged upon <HI>Artaxander,</HI> did &s;o di&s;order all the faculties of her &s;oul, as it was mo&s;t vi&s;ible unto all that looked upon her, that &s;hee had a mo&s;t violent Pa&s;&s;ion reigning in her &s;oul. Shee was not able to pronounce the Name of <HI>Telamire,</HI> but &s;he changed colour: She com|plained, and could not tell why: The very name of <HI>Artaxander</HI> made her mad; but the name of <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> was pronounced a hundred times, and &s;hee made not the lea&s;t &s;tartle at it: So as all the Town began to be undeceived in their opinions of <HI>Cloreli&s;as</HI> great vertue: Yet&punc; <HI>I&s;alonide</HI> &s;aid, that the exce&s;&s;e of her grief for the death of <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> had a little di&s;tracted her: but this excu&s;e deluded onely the &s;imple. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Amaldea</HI> wi&s;hing the marriage of <HI>Artaxander</HI> with <HI>Telamire,</HI> after the death of <HI>Alga&s;tus,</HI> as &s;hee did in the life of <HI>Cleo&s;&s;ante,</HI> &s;hee negotiated the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e &s;o well, with the kindred of that excellent Lady, as &s;he concluded the matter in few dayes. But &s;ince they feared that <HI>Belermis</HI> would be &s;ome ob&s;tacle, they did carry it very &s;acretly. In the mean time, &s;ince the reconcilation of <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> and <HI>Artaxander</HI> was known, <HI>Amaldea</HI> de&s;ired this friend of her &s;onnes, not to for&s;ake him untill he had married <HI>Telamire,</HI> le&s;t <HI>Beler|mis</HI> &s;hould oblige him to fight the &s;econd time, acquainting him to what a pa&s;&s;e &s;he had brought the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and let him know that the marriage would bee celebrated very &s;hortly. And indeed, <HI>Amaldea</HI> acquainting <HI>Artaxander</HI> what &s;he had done for him; and the friends of <HI>Telamire</HI> having told her what was re&s;ol|ved upon, they both of them did think them&s;elves as happy now, as they were
<PB N="36" REF="786">
mi&s;erable before: but <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> was the &s;adde&s;t man that ever lived. Not but that he did &s;trive again&s;t him&s;elf with admirable genero&s;ity: But yet the Pa&s;&s;ion in his &s;oul was &s;o &s;trong, that he was not able to overcome it. As &s;oon as <HI>Ar|taxander</HI> knew of his happine&s;&s;e, he went to tell it unto <HI>Ty&s;imenes:</HI> but hee was much &s;urprized to finde him &s;o melancholy; and more &s;urprized to finde that hee would not tell him the cau&s;e of his &s;adne&s;&s;e, as he had told him the cau&s;e of his Joyes: Yet <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> coloured his &s;orrows with &s;ome Dome&s;tique bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, which he &s;aid, did not go &s;o well as he wi&s;hed: &s;o that &s;ince the &s;oul of <HI>Artax|ander</HI> was all joy, he never examined the &s;adne&s;&s;e of <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> any further. How|ever, it was &s;o extreme, that as &s;oon as his friend was gone he thought he &s;hould have died: and he was &s;o neer it, that (as hee confe&s;&s;ed &s;ince) that he re&s;olved upon twenty violent cour&s;es in a quarter of an hour. Is it &s;o (&s;aid he to him&s;elf, as he related afterwards) that <HI>Telamire</HI> is going to be married unto <HI>Artaxander,</HI> and he ready to be as happy as thou <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> art ready to be mi&s;erable? And yet it is thy &s;elf who hath contributed unto his happine&s;&s;e, and it is thy &s;elf who can|not &s;ee it without &s;orrow. But thanks be unto the gods (added hee, and &s;ighed) that I can hope for nothing from <HI>Telamire,</HI> for in &s;pite of all my ver|tue, if I had any hopes from her, I &s;hould have much more ado to overcome my &s;elf. But I have not &s;o much Con&s;olation, as that I can complain, either again&s;t my Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, or my Rivall: And I can onely lay the blame upon my own weak|ne&s;&s;e. Yet though <HI>Artaxander</HI> be my friend; and though I am re&s;olved to car|ry my &s;elf as if I were not his Rivall: I am not able to bee a &s;pectatour of his felicity: And when I con&s;ider that within four dayes hee &s;hall enjoy <HI>Telamire,</HI> I finde &s;uch a turbulency in my heart, that if I &s;hould &s;ee him happy, I &s;hould hazard the doing of things which would be farre from either Rea&s;on or Vertue. Let then <HI>Artaxander</HI> alone in Peace, <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> &s;ince thou can&s;t never bee &s;o thy &s;elf: But in order to that, thou mu&s;t never &s;ee <HI>Telamire:</HI> Thou mu&s;t quit thy Countrey: bani&s;h thy &s;elf from that place where thou wilt leave <HI>Artaxan|der</HI> happy: and &s;eek out thy death in &s;ome De&s;art, where thou can&s;t never hear of their felicity, who have cau&s;ed thy mi&s;ery. And the truth is, <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> was &s;o fully re&s;olved, to depart from <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> and never to &s;ee either <HI>Tela|mire,</HI> and <HI>Artaxander</HI> any more, as nothing could &s;tagger this Generous deter|mination: hee &s;eemed therefore as if hee had &s;ome earne&s;t bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which cal|led him away: And without unfolding the cau&s;e of his journey, hee told <HI>Artax|ander,</HI> that he would depart the day before his Nuptials, of which <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Belermis</HI> were ignorant. At the fir&s;t, <HI>Artaxander</HI> u&s;ed all his per&s;wa&s;ions to make <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> &s;tay untill after he had compleated his happine&s;&s;e: and he per|&s;waded him in &s;uch &s;weet expre&s;&s;ions, and tender words, as <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> was &s;o a&s;hamed, that his re&s;olution of going away was the &s;tronger, &s;ince hee was not able to &s;ee <HI>Artaxander</HI> enjoy <HI>Telamire,</HI> without envy at his happine&s;&s;e, and grief to him&s;elf. However, &s;ince hee could not depart before hee had &s;een <HI>Telamire,</HI> hee re&s;olved upon a vi&s;it: but it may bee very well &s;aid, hee went to &s;ee her, but &s;peak he hardly was able: and had not &s;ome company been there, which helped out with di&s;cour&s;e, he had been put to a pitifull <HI>Non-plus.</HI> But at la&s;t he left her, and bid her Adieu, without telling her whither he went, nor why he departed. At his going out from her, he went unto <HI>Artaxander,</HI> with whom he was not able to &s;tay above a quarter of an hour, &s;o violent were the raptures of his grief, which his pa&s;&s;ion cau&s;ed. <HI>Artaxander</HI> u&s;ed all his Arguments to make him &s;tay onely two dayes: for &s;ince he was ignorant of the cau&s;e, hee could not chu&s;e but pre&s;&s;e him to bee a witne&s;&s;e of his happine&s;&s;e. But at la&s;t, &s;eeing hee would not be per&s;waded, and thinking that the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e he pretended was &s;ome &s;ecret of the Family, which was not to bee imparted, he pre&s;&s;ed him no further&punc; but bad him Adieu, with a thou&s;and expre&s;&s;ions of friend&s;hip: Telling him, that he was much beholding unto him for <HI>Telamire,</HI> and that he would acknowledge his obligements for it eternally. But Amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> after that <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> had left <HI>Artaxander,</HI> and returned home, hee thought him&s;elf more mi&s;erable then before: For he found <HI>Telamire</HI> &s;o early fair, and <HI>Artaxander</HI> &s;o full of tender ex|pre&s;&s;ions, that Love and Friend&s;hip beginning to renew in his &s;oul, his &s;uffer|ing
<PB N="37" REF="786">
were beyond all expre&s;&s;ion, or toleration. Yet he &s;tood firme unto his re|&s;olution: But &s;ince love is a Pa&s;&s;ion which naturally would make it &s;elf known, he could not re&s;olve upon his departure before he had made known unto her who cau&s;ed his mi&s;ery, what cour&s;e he took again&s;t him&s;elf, purpo&s;ely to keep him from any attempts again&s;t <HI>Artaxander.</HI> So as being re&s;olved to write unto her, he did &s;o: and when he was ju&s;t ready to depart, he gave it unto a tru&s;ty &s;er|vant, with orders to carry it unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> an hour after his departure, and to chu&s;e &s;uch a time, as when <HI>Artaxander</HI> was not with her. After which, taking hor&s;e, he departed without any with him but one Page onely, and went to a friends hou&s;e &s;ome thirty Furlongs off, to con&s;ult what cour&s;e he &s;hould take, and whither he &s;hould wander, to make choi&s;e of his exile. In the mean time, he with whom he left the Letter which he writ unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> having punctually obeyed him, and given it unto her, &s;he was extremely amazed to finde it &s;uch as I &s;hall afterwards read unto you: for &s;ince &s;he afterwards gave me a Copy, I think it is about me.</P>
<P>In &s;aying &s;o, &s;he looked for this Copy and found it, &s;o &s;he &s;hewed it unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia:</HI> But before &s;he read it, &s;he told them that <HI>Telamire</HI> af|ter &s;he had read it with much wonder, and being in doubt whether &s;hee &s;hould &s;hew it unto <HI>Artaxander</HI> or no, &s;he put it in her pocket, becau&s;e &s;he &s;aw him enter: and a while after, forgetting &s;he had a Letter which &s;he would not have him to &s;ee, &s;he unknowingly dropt it, and he took it up while&s;t &s;he went to talk with one in the outer Chamber, who de&s;ired to &s;peak with her: &s;o that knowing it, to be the hand of <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> and not being able to forbear opening it, he read the&s;e words:</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>TYSIMENES UNTO TELAMIRE.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Make no question but you will wonder, that a man who hath &s;o long &s;poke unto you of <HI>Artaxanders</HI> love, and hath been &s;o faithfull a Confident of his pa&s;&s;ion, &s;hould dare to tell you, that he is his Rivall: yet at the &s;ame time tell you that <HI>Artaxander</HI> loves you as well as any heart can. In the mean time, it is most true Madam, that I began to love and a|dore you within a few dayes after I began to tell you that <HI>Artax|ander</HI> did the &s;ame: and as certainly true that I love you now with as much violence, as ever heart did. Yet you know Ma|dam, that I have done for <HI>Artaxander</HI> all that I promi&s;ed un|to him: and that in all my di&s;cour&s;es with you, I betrayed onely my &s;elf. Yet do not think that I vanqui&s;hed my &s;elf without abundance of pain: but in recompence of my re&s;pective pa&s;&s;ion, I Conjure you to do me &s;o much favour, as beleeve,
<PB N="38" REF="787">
<HI>that I never &s;pake one Syllable in advantage of</HI> Artaxander, <HI>but it &s;truck more &s;orrow to my heart then my tongue is able to expre&s;&s;e. But what&s;oever I have done for him again&s;t my &s;elf, I &s;hall be very glad that he never know his obligements to me: and that you may be the onely Per&s;on in the world who &s;hall know my weakne&s;&s;e and misfortune. Were I to &s;ee you ever a|gain, perhaps you would be offended at what I &s;ay: but &s;ince I do not declare, that I love you untill the very day before you are to marry</HI> Artaxander, <HI>and that then I depart from</HI> Themi&s;cyra, <HI>with re&s;olution never to return again, you would be pitile&s;&s;e Madam, if you &s;hould be offended at me for not de|nying my &s;elf &s;o much con&s;olation, as to think when I am dy|ing, that its fit you &s;hould know the cau&s;e of my death; and to think, that haply you will confe&s;&s;e, that except</HI> Artaxander, <HI>there is not a man in the world who de&s;erves your affection bet|ter then my &s;elf, if Fate had either not made him your lover, or made me his enemy. Moreover Madam, &s;ince I require no an&s;wer, becau&s;e I cannot in any rea&s;on expect it to be favoura|ble; give me leave to Conjure you unto a memory of all I have &s;poken in behalf of</HI> Artaxander: <HI>and to be&s;eech you, that you would beleeve, that if I had &s;poken my heart, I &s;hould have &s;poken much more for my &s;elf then for him. Again, I am for|ced to confe&s;&s;e, becau&s;e it is most certainly true, that friend&s;hip, vertue, and glory, were not the onely motives which induced me to be faithfull unto</HI> Artaxander: <HI>And that had I known how to have thwarted his happine&s;&s;e, and not yours, I &s;hould hardly have kept my &s;elfe within the limits of Genero&s;ity.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Thus Madam, &s;ince I for the love of you, fight again&s;t my &s;elf, me thinks, I merit your compa&s;&s;ion upon a most mi&s;erable Lover: who is going to find an end of his mi&s;eries in the end of his life: and &s;ince he will not disturb the felicity of his Ri|vall, contents him&s;elf to make the cau&s;e of his death known, only unto her who gave it unto</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Ty&s;imenes.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>You may imagine, Amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> how extremely <HI>Artaxander</HI> was &s;ur|prized at the reading of this Letter from <HI>Ty&s;imenes:</HI> And &s;ince hee really loved him, he was infinitely &s;orry, that he was in love with <HI>Telamire,</HI> but yet he re|&s;ented it, without any jealou&s;ie, hatred, or anger. 'Tis true, he was &s;o a&s;toni|&s;hed at what he &s;aw, that &s;carcely beleeving him&s;elf, he began to read the Letter again, as if he would be better &s;atisfied: So as <HI>Telamire</HI> entring before he ended, &s;he was almo&s;t as much &s;urprized that &s;he &s;hould finde him reading it, as &s;he was
<PB N="39" REF="787">
at what the Letter contained: al&s;o &s;he changed colour: for &s;ince &s;hee had con|cealed it from <HI>Artaxander,</HI> &s;he knew not how he might take it. Sir, &s;aid &s;hee unto him, I intended to hide that Letter from you, le&s;t you &s;hould blame mee for the lo&s;&s;e of a friend, who certainly was owner of a thou&s;and admirable parts: but I &s;ee my Intentions are prevented, &s;ince you have found it. Your Intenti|ons Madam, replied <HI>Artaxander,</HI> had been mo&s;t ju&s;t, if they were onely to &s;pare me my &s;orrows for my being the cau&s;e of my friends misfortune. And it cannot be imagined I &s;hould ever complain again&s;t you, for it were mo&s;t unju&s;t to think you le&s;&s;e Amiable then you are. So Madam, I do not accu&s;e you, nor <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> but think my &s;elf more obliged unto him for being my Rivall, then for being my Friend. But the truth is, I extremly condemne my &s;elf, for obliging <HI>Ty&s;i|menes</HI> to vi&s;it you &s;o often; and for doing &s;o much wrong unto your merit, as to think it po&s;&s;ible, he &s;hould &s;ee you &s;o oft, and not love you. I mu&s;t to my &s;hame confe&s;&s;e, that <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> is more Generous then I could have been: for my Pa&s;&s;ion is &s;o &s;trong, that had I been his Rivall upon the &s;ame termes as hee was mine. I &s;hould certainly have been his enemy, and &s;hould have &s;poken more for my &s;elf then him. Therefore Madam, in acknowledgement of his vertue, I ask your leave to pity him, and that you would per&s;wade him to live. Moreover, I ask you pardon for his boldne&s;&s;e in di&s;covering his Pa&s;&s;ion unto you, and begge your amity for him, with as much zeal, as heretofore he begged your affection for me. And, I be&s;eech you Madam, Let my Negotiation be as pro&s;perous as his: and I ask le&s;&s;e for <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> then he did for <HI>Artaxander,</HI> do not deny mee Ma|dam, I conjure you: and let me pre&s;erve my friend, though Rivall, from being the mo&s;t mi&s;erable of all Lovers. Your Demands are &s;o ju&s;t, and ea&s;ie to bee con&s;ented unto, replied &s;he, that you may be &s;ure I &s;hall not deny them: Yet I do con&s;ent unto you upon condition, that you will not invite <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> to &s;ee me, untill he be fully cured of his folly. If I may judge of his Pa&s;&s;ion by my own, replied <HI>Artaxander,</HI> I &s;hould think you will never &s;ee him again: for truly I cannot think it po&s;&s;ible he &s;hould cea&s;e loving: e&s;pecially <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> who hath a pa&s;&s;ionate &s;oul, and knows no <HI>medium</HI> in his love, or hatred.</P>
<P>As <HI>Artaxander</HI> was &s;aying &s;o, an Aunt of <HI>Telamires,</HI> with whom &s;hee then lived, came into her Chamber, to tell her, that <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Belermis,</HI> had di&s;co|vered their intentions of marriage, and made &s;uch a noi&s;e about it, that &s;he thought it expedient to deferre it for a while, to let all the world &s;ee, that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> lied, in giving it out, that <HI>Alga&s;tus</HI> charged <HI>Telamire</HI> not to marry <HI>Artaxander,</HI> &s;ince it is mo&s;t certainly true, he had never forbidden him to &s;ee her, but onely at the in&s;tance of <HI>Cloreli&s;a,</HI> who told her husband, that <HI>Artaxander</HI> was in love with her. At fir&s;t, <HI>Artaxander</HI> did extremely di&s;like this Propo&s;ition: But <HI>Te|lamires</HI> Aunt, telling him that the whole Family did conclude it to be &s;o, and that <HI>Telamire</HI> was of the &s;ame opinion, he con&s;ented that his happine&s;&s;e &s;hould be de|ferred onely for eight dayes. As &s;oon as hee came home, he diligently enquired where <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> was, and under&s;tood that he was not above thirty furlongs from <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> but that he went away from thence by break of day. So that with|out more delay, though it was almo&s;t night, he took hor&s;e, and went to the place where <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> was, whom he found alone in his Chamber, condoling his misfortunes: he was &s;o intent upon his &s;orrows, that <HI>Artaxander</HI> was within a pace of him before he either &s;aw or heard him, but when he turned him&s;elf, lift|ing up his eyes to heaven, as if he would accu&s;e it of his misfortunes, that when he &s;aw <HI>Artaxander</HI> he was &s;o &s;urprized, that he went a &s;tep or two backward, to look better upon him, and to &s;ee whether or no he was mi&s;taken: But <HI>Artax|ander</HI> advancing fa&s;ter then he recoyled, he embraced him, and &s;ighed for com|pany. I come, my Dear <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) to beg your pardon for being the cau&s;e of your exile: I come to hinder you from bani&s;hing your &s;elf: and to a&s;&s;ure you that <HI>Telamire</HI> after &s;he had read your Letter, did give greater com|mendations unto your Genero&s;ity, then unto my con&s;tancy; and that if &s;he do love me more then &s;he doth you, yet &s;he e&s;teems you more then &s;he doth me. If <HI>Telamire</HI> had really e&s;teemed me (replied <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> much &s;urprized) &s;he would never have denied me the favour which I asked, to conceal my weakne&s;&s;e from you:
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but I perceive &s;he has a mind to be revenged upon me for my boldne&s;&s;e, by ma|king me lo&s;e a friend: and by depriving me of &s;o much Con&s;olation, as to think that you &s;hould never know my infidelity. For truely <HI>Artaxander,</HI> I fancied &s;ome &s;weetne&s;&s;e in my mi&s;ery, in carrying it &s;o, that <HI>Telamire</HI> might know of my love, and that you &s;hould never hear of it, le&s;t you &s;hould withdraw your friend|&s;hip from me: but &s;ince &s;he is plea&s;ed to cro&s;&s;e this my de&s;ire, I mu&s;t re&s;olve to be hated both by my Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e and my Rivall. Ah Dear <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> (replied <HI>Ar|taxander)</HI> if I hated you, I &s;hould never have told you that <HI>Telamire</HI> does e&s;teem you. If you do not hate me, replied <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> it is becau&s;e you know <HI>Telamire</HI> will never love me; and though I am your Rivall, yet you value it not, becau&s;e you know I cannot hurt you any more then if I were not. But however it bee, you have done more then you ought, and I &s;hould not do what I ought, if I do not &s;peedily depart from a place in which I cannot &s;tay without envie at your hap|pine&s;&s;e. For if I &s;hould, how is it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould pre&s;erve both my love to <HI>Telamire,</HI> and my friend&s;hip to <HI>Artaxander?</HI> for I profe&s;&s;e, I have &s;triven as much to keep in one as the other: And to conceal nothing from you, know <HI>Artaxander,</HI> that I find in my &s;elf &s;uch &s;trange &s;ugge&s;tions, and tumultuous ima|ginations in my heart, as I will not promi&s;e but I may become your enemy, if I once &s;ee you the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;our of <HI>Telamire.</HI> But &s;ince I am yet as I ought to be unto you, I conjure you to be a little indulgent towards me; and by pro&s;ecuting my intentions of never returning unto <HI>Themi&s;cyra,</HI> let me &s;trive again&s;t the affection which I bear unto her who is going to make you happy: for truely my Dear <HI>Artaxander,</HI> if I may yet call you &s;o, A Rivall that is ab<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ent, and not loved, is not to be feared: and by con&s;enting unto this, you will give me &s;o much &s;atisfaction as to love <HI>Telamire</HI> without any wrong unto you. I will con&s;ent Sir, unto much more then you ask, replied <HI>Artaxander:</HI> for I con&s;ent that you &s;hall &s;ee her, and love her: And I know the vertue of <HI>Telamire</HI> &s;o well, that I am able to continue your friend, though you &s;hould continue to love her. No, no, replied <HI>Ty&s;ime|nes,</HI> I will not accept your offer, becau&s;e I dare not tru&s;t my &s;elfe; nor think I am able to &s;ee you compleatly happy, but I mu&s;t either die, or cea&s;e being your friend: And therefore to pre&s;erve my love unto <HI>Telamire,</HI> and my friend&s;hip to you, I mu&s;t pro&s;ecute my de&s;igne, and bani&s;h my &s;elf for ever.</P>
<P>I &s;hould never make an end, if I &s;hould relate the whole bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of the&s;e two friendly Rivals: for they talked together a whole night. But as they were &s;tri|ving to per&s;wade each other, one came in, and told <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> aloud, that a man, who would not impart his name, de&s;ired to &s;peak with <HI>Artaxander:</HI> So as imagi|ning that it might perhaps be one from <HI>Belermis,</HI> he was commanded to be brought in: and he no &s;ooner entred, but he was indeed known to be the friend of <HI>Beler|mis:</HI> &s;o as <HI>Artaxander</HI> imagining his bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, went towards him to give him the better opportunity of &s;peaking out of the hearing of <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> but <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> following, and the friend of <HI>Belermis</HI> (who was one of tho&s;e Bravadoes by pro|fe&s;&s;ion, who &s;pent their whole lives in Quarrels, Duels, and Punctilioes of ho|nour) &s;eeing that he could not &s;peak unto <HI>Artaxander</HI> but in the hearing of <HI>Ty&s;i|menes,</HI> re&s;olved rather then fail in his friends &s;atisfaction, to engage him as well as <HI>Artaxander</HI> in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. And therefore without more ado, he told <HI>Artaxan|der,</HI> that he knew him to be a man &s;o well able to chu&s;e his friends, as he would dare to tell him in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> that <HI>Belermis</HI> knowing that he was gone out of the Town, came out al&s;o, and waited for him within a hundred pa|ces of this hou&s;e, in hopes to &s;ee him with a &s;word in his hand to di&s;pute with with him for the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of <HI>Telamire:</HI> Adding, that if <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> would bee more then a bare &s;pectatour of the Combat, he woud fight with him. You may well conceive, that <HI>Artaxander</HI> was very ready to give all de&s;ired &s;atisfaction un|to <HI>Belermis:</HI> and that <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> who wi&s;hed for death, would not fear a dan|ger. But <HI>Artaxander</HI> was very much again&s;t <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> his fighting: yet when he heard him &s;ay, that he would fight with <HI>Belermis,</HI> if he would not let him fol|low his fortune, out of a point of honour he con&s;ented; and &s;o they went to the place where <HI>Belermis</HI> was. I will not in&s;i&s;t upon any relation of their thoughts, for they are ea&s;ie to be imagined: nor will I de&s;cribe the Combat, the
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&s;ucce&s;&s;e whereof was very fatall: for <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> kill'd the friend of <HI>Belermis:</HI> but it was after him&s;elf was mortally wounded. Yet <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> had &s;o much &s;trength, after he had vanqui&s;hed his Antagoni&s;t, to go towards his friend, who after he had wounded <HI>Belermis,</HI> had the misfortune to break his &s;word: &s;o as <HI>Be|lermis</HI> making a Pa&s;&s;e upon him, was ready to kill him: when <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> as woun|ded as he was, came neerer and cried out, It was not generous to kill a man who had no weapon. <HI>Belermis</HI> turning his head a&s;ide, and &s;eeing him come with a &s;word in his hand, and &s;eeing the &s;word of <HI>Artaxander</HI> broken, he was a&s;hamed of his action, and confe&s;&s;ed that he was very &s;orry, and that he did not &s;ee his &s;word to be broken. Thus <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> &s;aved the life of his Friend and Rivall: for though <HI>Artaxander</HI> was not wounded, but <HI>Belermis</HI> was, yet &s;ince he had the misfortune to break his &s;word, <HI>Belermis</HI> had certainly killed him, but for <HI>Ty&s;i|menes.</HI> But afterwards company came in: <HI>Belermis</HI> retired, and the body of him whom <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> killed was carryed away. <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> was &s;o weak that he fell; and they were forced to carry him back unto <HI>Themi&s;cyra</HI> in a mo&s;t lamentable con|dition, &s;ince there was no place neerer where he could be dre&s;&s;ed. I be&s;eech you, Amiable <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> di&s;pen&s;e with me from relating all the expre&s;&s;ions from <HI>Ty&s;i|menes</HI> to <HI>Artaxander,</HI> and from <HI>Artaxander</HI> unto <HI>Ty&s;imenes,</HI> for if I &s;hould offer it, I &s;hould drown all my words in tears: And to &s;ave you the &s;orrow of hearing it, I will onely in &s;hort tell you, That <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> lived but five dayes after: that while&s;t he lived he talked of nothing but <HI>Telamire:</HI> that <HI>Artaxander</HI> was &s;adly with him all the while: that <HI>Telamire</HI> was very &s;en&s;ible of this &s;ad accident: and that the very day de&s;igned for <HI>Artaxanders</HI> marriage, was the funerall of <HI>Ty&s;imenes.</HI> But that &s;olemnity was deferred: and for &s;ome dayes, the whole di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Artaxander</HI> and <HI>Telamire</HI> was onely of <HI>Ty&s;imenes.</HI> In the mean time, <HI>Artaxander</HI> taking it to heart, that he had not vanqui&s;hed <HI>Belermis:</HI> and &s;ince he thought he was obliged in point of honour to revenge the death of <HI>Ty&s;imenes</HI> his friend, as well as to fight for love of <HI>Telamire;</HI> therefore he re&s;olved to fight with <HI>Beler|mis</HI> again, as &s;oon as he was cured of his wounds. But in this &s;econd Combat: which was one to one, he had the advantage cleerly: for he wounded <HI>Belermis</HI> in two places, and di&s;armed him: In &s;o much as <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> was even mad to &s;ee that nothing could hinder the happine&s;&s;e of <HI>Artaxander.</HI> Yet &s;hee found out a device to deferre it: for &s;he divulged &s;uch reports about the Town, that never was &s;uch a clamour again&s;t <HI>Telamire,</HI> not onely that &s;he &s;hould marry <HI>Artaxander,</HI> but that &s;he &s;hould think of marrying him whil&s;t &s;he was in mourning, and before her fa|ther was well cold in his grave. In &s;o much as <HI>Telamire,</HI> being &s;trangely moved at tho&s;e clamorous reports, how fal&s;e &s;oever, did take a fancy not to marry till her time of mourning was over: So that to pa&s;&s;e away that time more &s;afely, which was not to be very long, the two families joyned: And &s;ince the Aunt of <HI>Tela|mire</HI> had a hou&s;e very near unto <HI>Amaldeas,</HI> it was concluded that all this company &s;hould come thither: &s;o as for this moneth, wee have been alwayes together, &s;ome times at one hou&s;e, and &s;ome times at another. But &s;ince the time of <HI>Tela|mires</HI> mourning ended ye&s;terday, doubtle&s;&s;e &s;he will be married unto <HI>Artaxander</HI> as &s;oon as this flux of waters will give us leave to return: And that which will the more ha&s;ten the con&s;ummation of it is, wee have received Intelligence, that <HI>Be|lermis</HI> was cured of his wounds, and that <HI>Cloreli&s;a</HI> is more incen&s;ed then ever again&s;t <HI>Artaxander</HI> and <HI>Telamire.</HI></P>
<P>As <HI>Erenice</HI> had ended her relation, and <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> began to thank her for the de|light &s;he had in hearing it, <HI>Amaldea</HI> entred, and told <HI>Erenice,</HI> that the body of <HI>Belermis</HI> was found upon the banks of the River: and that his Page (who&s;e hor&s;e had &s;aved him, by &s;wimming) told her, that his Ma&s;ter being come out of <HI>The|mi&s;cyra</HI> with intentions to hinder the marriage of <HI>Artaxander,</HI> had been at <HI>Amal|dea's</HI> hou&s;e; where hearing, that &s;he was on the other &s;ide of the River; and that <HI>Artaxander</HI> was there al&s;o, he would needs cro&s;&s;e it, maugre its overflowing, and &s;trive to get unto the end of the bridge, out of his fears le&s;t <HI>Telamire</HI> &s;hould bee married before he could come to her; who told her al&s;o, that parting from his hor&s;e, he was drowned. Though <HI>Belermis</HI> was no friend unto any of tho&s;e La|dies
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who were with <HI>Amaldea:</HI> but on the contrary, was an inveterate enemy of <HI>Artaxanders,</HI> which was both kin&s;man and friend unto them all; yet this accident did &s;trike &s;ome &s;adne&s;&s;e into all the Company. As for <HI>Artaxander,</HI> as much an enemy as he was, he took care for his funeralls, which were as well performed, as if he had died in the time when he was <HI>Cloreli&s;a's</HI> friend. However, &s;ince this Accident was it which brought <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> to the knowledge of <HI>Artaxanders</HI> Adventure: And &s;eeing that the floods would not permit them to depart the&s;e four or five dayes, <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Telamires</HI> Aunt, and <HI>Artaxanders</HI> Mother to con&s;ent unto the marriage of the&s;e two Lovers, and that it might be con&s;ummated in their pre&s;ence: And they having no power to deny the reque&s;t, both <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> did honour the Fea&s;t with their pre&s;ence, which though in ha&s;t, yet was very Magnificent, both becomming the per&s;ons pre&s;ent, and tho&s;e for whom it was principally made. 'Tis very true, there was more men at the Balls then Ladies: but tho&s;e few there were &s;o Amiable, that the &s;hew was glorious. And though there was no other Ornaments but <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the &s;ight was worthy Admiration: e&s;pecially when they danced toge|ther; &s;ince it was a thing mo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible to &s;ee two per&s;ons of a finer compo|&s;ure, or that danced better, and with a more noble Air. <HI>Mandana</HI> dazeled the eyes of all beholders: There appeared a mo&s;t extraordinary blithene&s;&s;e in the coun|tenance of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> and one would have beleeved, that he had received &s;ome high newes, which had given him &s;ome ravi&s;hing &s;atisfaction. But the next mornings newes did mo&s;t &s;urprize the world: for the common voge was, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was dead of his wounds: and <HI>Cyrus</HI> him&s;elf &s;aid, he beleeved it: So as all tho&s;e whom his death made melancholy, or merry, were either in tears of &s;orrow, or tears of joy, according to their &s;everall Intere&s;ts. <HI>Anaxaris</HI> grieved: <HI>Mazares</HI> was all compa&s;&s;ion: <HI>Mandana</HI> had &s;ome pity: <HI>Chri&s;antes, Marte&s;ia,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> were all glad of it: And every one now did look upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> as at the end of all his mi&s;eries, &s;ince he now had not one Rivall which he had not van|qui&s;hed, or which was in the lea&s;t re&s;pect to be feared: as for <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> the re&s;entment<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of his pa&s;&s;ionate &s;oul were beyond all expre&s;&s;ions, when he &s;aw that nothing was likely to thwart his Rivalls happine&s;&s;e. For con&s;idering the condi|tion in which the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> was &s;aid to go in from the Tombe of <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> he had not the lea&s;t &s;hadow of any hopes that he could be any ob&s;tacle unto the felicity of his Rivall. However, hee could not endure the very thoughts of it: and though he knew well enough the inju&s;tice of his thoughts, yet he was not able to regulate them, but he &s;till was de&s;iring what he ought not to de&s;ire. But after he had concluded, that nothing could either make him happy, or <HI>Cyrus</HI> mi|&s;erable: May I not hope (&s;aid he unto him&s;elf) that the gods who have ruined all the Rivalls of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> or changed their hearts, will either ruine or change mee as they have all the re&s;t? Yes ye ju&s;t gods (pur&s;ued he) you will either give me the Fate of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King, or el&s;e the Fate of <HI>Mazares:</HI> Doubtle&s;&s;e ere long, I &s;hall either be in my grave, as the fir&s;t: or el&s;e, become as vertuous as the &s;econd. But truely, in the choi&s;e of the&s;e two, I had rather have the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> De&s;tiny then that of <HI>Mazares:</HI> and I had much rather die the Lover of <HI>Mandana,</HI> then live without her Love. But while&s;t <HI>Anaxaris</HI> was rea&s;oning in this manner upon the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> death, and upon his own Pa&s;&s;ion, one came to tell him that <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked for him: &s;o as feeling &s;ome extraordinary tur|bulency in his &s;oul, he had much ado to obey him: but at la&s;t, &s;triving extremely with him&s;elf, he went unto his Chamber, into which he was no &s;ooner entred, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> carrying him into a Clo&s;et, which was within his Chamber, he &s;poke unto him with abundance of Confidence, and Tenderne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>You know, my Dear <HI>Anaxaris</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) that I have already tru&s;ted you with my honour, and all that can make me live with felicity, or die with Con&s;olation: And to te&s;tifie that I have not altered my opinion of you, I will reveal a &s;ecret unto you, which I will never impart unto any but you onely: and which <HI>Feraulas</HI> him&s;elf, that Dear Confident of my Pa&s;&s;ion, &s;hall never know <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> for &s;ince he is in love with <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> I will not let him know, that the King o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> is alive. Is the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> alive? (replied <HI>Anaxaris</HI> and wondred)
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Yes replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and when you heard it reported that hee was very ill of his wounds, and thought him dead, then did he mend, or was perfectly recovered: for &s;ince I intended to keep my word and fight with him, before we come to <HI>Ecba|tan,</HI> I thought it mo&s;t expedient to let this lie pa&s;&s;e for a truth: for I ob&s;erved, that as long as that Prince was well, all my friends were &s;o watchfull over me, that it was impo&s;&s;ible for me to give &s;atisfaction unto my enemy: &s;o as to be revenged upon him for all tho&s;e mi&s;eries which he hath cau&s;ed the Prince&s;&s;e and me to endure, I thought it be&s;t to deceive the world, and publi&s;h the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> death, to the end I might turn my fable into a hi&s;tory, and fight him, without fear of being hindred. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> him&s;elf de&s;ires it; &s;o as when hee &s;ent me word, that within this three dayes he would be within fifty furlongs of this place, neer unto an old ruined Ca&s;tle, which he very preci&s;ely marked unto me, I cau&s;ed it to be publi&s;hed that he was dead. And I &s;ee all the world is &s;o fully per&s;waded of it, that two rea&s;ons induced me to di&s;cover my de&s;igne unto you: though one of them is now invalid: for indeed I thought I &s;hould have &s;tood in need of your help to dei&s;ingage me from &s;o many eyes as were over me, by a device which I had imagined. But now, I &s;hall onely &s;tand in need of your help to hinder my Rivall from getting <HI>Mandana</HI> into his power, if I &s;hould chance to fall in the Combate with him: for though I made him a promi&s;e to fight with him before I enjoyed her, yet I never promi&s;ed him to render her into his power. And there|fore my Dear <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> I conjure you, that if I be overcome, to &s;hew this Order (which I have writ with my own hand, and which I will leave in yours) unto all the Princes, and all the Commanders in the Army; to the end, that when they &s;hall &s;ee, that I have put into the hands of <HI>Mandana,</HI> all the Authority which I received from <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> they may the more readily obey her, and oppo&s;e the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> for truely there is cau&s;e of fear, that &s;o many new &s;ubdued Princes, will be ready to joyn with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> to get out of &s;ervitude, unle&s;&s;e prevented by your fidelity. I know very well your rare valour hath got you much credit in the opinion of the Souldiers. I know the Prince&s;&s;e would be glad you &s;hould be the &s;econd time her deliverer. I know your fidelity cannot bee &s;u&s;pected: and you have heretofore promi&s;ed me, rather to die, then leave <HI>Man|dana</HI> in the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> power. I did promi&s;e it Sir, an&s;wered <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> and I promi&s;e it again, a&s;&s;uring that I am inclinable unto nothing more then to oppo&s;e his de&s;igne. <HI>Cyrus</HI> being extremely &s;atisfied, to &s;ee with what zeal <HI>Anax|aris</HI> an&s;wered his de&s;ires, did expre&s;&s;e him&s;elf in mo&s;t obliging Language: and afterwards gave him &s;everall Orders, both what he &s;hould &s;ay unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> and what he &s;hould do to keep her &s;afe, in ca&s;e he were overcome. Not but that I hope very confidently, my Dear <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> that all the&s;e Orders are to no purpo&s;e, and that I &s;hall conquer the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria:</HI> But my affection unto <HI>Mandana</HI> is &s;o violent, and my hatred of my Rivall &s;o great, that I am re|&s;olved to fight him to his grave, and therefore I ought not to forget any thing which may conduce unto the &s;afety of my Prince&s;&s;e. And therefore once more, I conjure you, to make &s;ure of all your companions: to prepare the &s;pirits of all your friends: and to flatter the Souldiers as much as you can. <HI>Cyrus</HI> added unto all the&s;e one con&s;iderable piece of Prudence: for he put into the hands of <HI>Anax|aris</HI> more money then he needed, to appea&s;e all manner of mutinies among&s;t the Souldiers: &s;o that neglecting nothing which might prevent the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> from having <HI>Mandana</HI> in his power, he &s;pent his three dayes before the Combate in continuall cares: yet they were cares as appeared unto none but <HI>Anaxaris:</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;uch a perfect Ma&s;ter of his own mind, that whether hee talked unto <HI>Marte&s;ia, Dorali&s;a, Mandana,</HI> or any of tho&s;e Ladies which the River &s;tayed in that place: there did not appear any &s;igne, either in his eyes or di&s;cour&s;e, that any thing troubled the calmne&s;&s;e of his &s;oul. On the contrary, &s;ince the River began to confine it &s;elf within its owne limits: and &s;ince it was likely that within a few dayes, the Bridge in the place might be pa&s;&s;ed over, and &s;ince nothing hindred their journey but this inundation of waters, they would all remove pre&s;ently from that place. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Anaxaris</HI> &s;eemed to be very bu&s;ie: but &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> knew the cau&s;e of it, he was &s;o farre from being di&s;quieted, that hee was
<PB N="44" REF="790">
extremely glad, he had found out a protectour of <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;o diligent, &s;o zea|lous, and &s;o faithfull. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> had intelligence every day from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> he under&s;tood that he was not farre from the place where they were to fight, which was to be the next morning: &s;o that renewing all his Orders, and all his Prayers unto <HI>Anaxaris;</HI> al&s;o <HI>Anaxaris</HI> confirming all his Promi&s;es, <HI>Cyrus</HI> took thought for nothing, but how to &s;teal away in the night, a little before day; to the end his fight might be fini&s;hed before he could be mi&s;|&s;ed: yet he went late in the Evening to <HI>Mandana's,</HI> where the Conver&s;ation was very plea&s;ant. Yet &s;ometimes, when <HI>Cyrus</HI> thought, that perhaps, the next day before this time, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;hould &s;ee the Prince&s;&s;e and not him&s;elf, he was extremely &s;ad, though not outwardly: But &s;ometimes again, when hee thought, that perhaps, the day following he &s;hould be the Conquerour of his Ri|vall, and &s;o return unto his Prince&s;&s;e, he was extremely plea&s;ant. So leaving her with that agreeable hope, he returned home, and tru&s;ting none but <HI>Ortalques</HI> on|ly, he got a hor&s;e and a &s;word fit for Combate. But to the end, that tho&s;e who waited upon him in his Chamber, &s;hould not wonder at his going out before day, and with &s;o &s;mall a Retinue, he &s;pake openly as he went to bed, that he intended to go very timely in the the morning unto the Quarters of the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> where he was told he might meet with a Foorde which was pa&s;&s;able, &s;eeming to be very impatient to be Marching. So that tho&s;e who waited upon him, being accu&s;tomed to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> play the part of a common Souldier, as well as the Ge|nerall of an Army, they did not wonder he &s;hould be &s;o early up; that he &s;hould take none but <HI>Ortalques</HI> with him; or that he &s;hould command them to tell all &s;uch as asked for him, that he was &s;till a&s;leep. Thus this Illu&s;trious Prince, after he had gained &s;o many Battles, &s;ubjected &s;o many Provinces, &s;ubdued &s;o many King|domes, yet hung his whole felicity upon Fortune and his own valour: &s;o that a King whom he had conquered, and a King without a Kingdom, was &s;till in a con|dition to vanqui&s;h him: to &s;end him to his grave, and to enjoy the Prince&s;&s;e, for whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> had done &s;uch great things. Al&s;o, all the way as he went, his &s;oul was &s;o full of different thoughts, as he could hardly repeat them in any order. Then did he call into memory, his old hatred to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> at that time when he pa&s;&s;ed under the name of <HI>Phylida&s;pes,</HI> and all the bus&s;les he had with him, under the name of <HI>Artamenes:</HI> He remembred the bloody fight they had at the Temple of <HI>Mars,</HI> clo&s;e by <HI>Synope:</HI> and his imagination repre&s;ented unto him the place where he &s;aved his life, as he returned from the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes:</HI> &s;o that for|getting none of the obligations which that Prince had unto him, though he was u&s;ed alwayes to forget his own benefits, he made u&s;e of them to incen&s;e his ha|tred, as well as the remembrance of all the mi&s;eries he brought upon <HI>Mandana,</HI> by fir&s;t carrying her away. But at la&s;t, coming ju&s;t at Sun ri&s;e, unto the place where the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> waited for him, with one Page onely; the&s;e two Ri|valls acco&s;ted each other, with a haughty civility, as was evident they intended the ruine of one another: Yet &s;ince they re&s;olved to fight on foot, to make quick|er di&s;patch they left tho&s;e who came with them, to &s;tay under &s;ome trees with their hor&s;es: and they went them&s;elves under an old ruined Ca&s;tle, where the ground was very even, to end this great difference, which had put all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> into Armes. As they went, they talked together: And the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> told <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> that he ever thought him more nobly devoted unto Glory, then to break his word, and he thought him&s;elf as much obliged unto him for it as po&s;&s;ibly an ene|my could be. De&s;ire of revenge (replied <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;harply) is &s;o &s;weet, as I be|leeve it is that, which moves me to give both you and my &s;elf this &s;atisfaction, as much as my devotion unto Glory. What ever it be, (&s;aid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> I mu&s;t highly commend you for it: and confe&s;&s;e I owe you both my life and my liberty: But I am forced to confe&s;&s;e al&s;o, that it is much con&s;olation to me, to &s;ee you from the Head of an Army, of two hundred thou&s;and men, over which I had no power, and to &s;ee you here upon equall termes with me. At the&s;e words, both being come to the place where they were to fight, they parted, and without any mea&s;uring of &s;words, they began the Combat. And they began with more fury then others u&s;e to end: They fell upon each other with &s;uch impetuo&s;ity, as if
<PB N="45" REF="790">
they both intended to end all differences at one blow. 'Tis ju&s;t now (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus'</HI> and fell furiou&s;ly upon the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria)</HI> that I will either vanqui&s;h, or die for <HI>Mandana.</HI> This very blow (replied the other valiant Prince, and furiou&s;ly made at <HI>Cyrus)</HI> &s;hall let thee &s;ee which of the two will happen. Yet the work was not &s;o quickly done: for <HI>Cyrus</HI> having warded the blow, which the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria</HI> made at him, as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> warded the blow which <HI>Cyrus</HI> made, they did not touch one another: &s;o as the&s;e two fierce enemies, employing all their valour, and all their skill again&s;t each other, they a&s;&s;aulted and defended them&s;elves &s;o valiantly, that their own valours was an ob&s;tacle unto their victory. For they di&s;puted the matter a long time with &s;uch equality, that neither of them could get the advantage of the other: &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> u&s;ed more judgement in this Com|bat, then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did, who was of a more impetuous temper. Doubt|le&s;&s;e, he made better choi&s;e of the places where he aimed his blowes: But on the other &s;ide, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> did &s;trike with &s;uch fury, that none but <HI>Cyrus</HI> in the world was able to defend him&s;elf from the weight of &s;uch blows. Some|times <HI>Cyrus</HI> would lie open, and put all to hazard, to the end he might &s;ooner vanqui&s;h: Pre&s;ently after, he would lie clo&s;e upon his Guard, and manage his advantages a little better, al&s;o would profit by the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> de&s;pair, who &s;ometimes mocking at the precepts of that Art, would employ onely his &s;trength. But 'twas &s;trange, that the&s;e two valiant Princes, who had both of them won|derfull agility, if they would have u&s;ed it, yet di&s;patched this Combat in a very little &s;pace: For neither of them being willing to give one foot of ground unto his enemy, they were alwayes &s;o neer each other, as within reach, and every minuit in danger to be both killed. But at la&s;t, <HI>Cyrus</HI> had not onely the advan|tage to &s;ee the blood of his enemy, by rea&s;on of a &s;light touch in his left arm: but al&s;o it hapned, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> fell upon his knee: &s;o that <HI>Cyrus</HI> ma|king a pa&s;&s;e upon him, the &s;word of that unfortunate Prince fell out of his hands; yet he recovered him&s;elf &s;o readily, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not pa&s;&s;e upon him as he in|tended, but yet he could not recover his &s;word, becau&s;e <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;eized upon it: In &s;o much, as &s;eeing him&s;elf at the mercy of his Rivall and his Conquerour, his de&s;pair was without equall. Yet it la&s;ted not long: for &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not capable of killing a di&s;armed man: and &s;ince their Combat could not end, but by the death of one, he took his Rivals &s;word by the point, and pre&s;ented the hilt unto him. Since I will not owe my victory unto your misfortune, (&s;aid hee unto him) but only unto my &s;elf: And &s;ince I cannot fight again&s;t tho&s;e who are not in a condition to re&s;i&s;t me; Take your &s;word Sir, and make better u&s;e of it then you have done, if you can. Alas Sir, (&s;aid this violent Prince, and took it) this is too too much: and though you do me no other hurt but over-load me with your Genero&s;ities, yet I cannot endure your &s;ight. And yet I am a&s;hamed (added he, and took breath) to employ the &s;word which you have given me, again&s;t the giver, but yet the love of <HI>Mandana</HI> will allow it: And &s;ince &s;he can be but for one of us, but one of us mu&s;t live. After this, the&s;e two inveterat enemies be|gan their Combat afre&s;h, more fiercely then at fir&s;t: but as they were both ready to vanqui&s;h one another, and perhaps, both ready to peri&s;h, though <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ee|med to have the advantage, becau&s;e fury had di&s;tracted the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> rea&s;on, <HI>Feraulas</HI> appeared; who riding as fa&s;t as his hor&s;e could gallop up to them, cried out, as &s;oon as he was within di&s;tance of hearing, Oh Sir, what are you doing here, whil&s;t the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> is carrying away? At the&s;e words, the two valiant Princes &s;u&s;pended their fury, and &s;tepped &s;ome paces back, to hear whe|ther they rightly under&s;tood him: So that <HI>Feraulas</HI> being come neerer, he told them once again, that <HI>Mandana</HI> was carried away, and carried away by <HI>Anaxaris:</HI> And that unle&s;&s;e they made extreme ha&s;t, they would not deliver her. How, (cried out the&s;e two Rivalls) hath <HI>Anaxaris</HI> carried away <HI>Mandana?</HI> Yes Sir, replied <HI>Ferau|las,</HI> (addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech unto <HI>Cyrus)</HI> and there is &s;uch di&s;order among&s;t the Soul|diers, by rea&s;on of this Accident, and by rea&s;on of a report, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> is alive, and hath killed you, that if your pre&s;ence do not calme this &s;torme, and give Orders to make them follow the Prince&s;&s;e, you will never finde her. The&s;e two Rivalls hearing what <HI>Feraulas</HI> &s;aid, looked fiercely upon him: and as if they
<PB N="46" REF="791">
had been in&s;pired with the &s;ame &s;pirit, both &s;aid, that their Combat mu&s;t bee de|ferred, untill they had delivered <HI>Mandana.</HI> So, renewing their conditions in two words, they went ha&s;tily to their hor&s;es, and went immediatly away toge|ther: for &s;ince the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> wound was very &s;light, hee onely bound it up with a &s;carfe, he went with <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto the place from whence <HI>Mandana</HI> was carried away, for that was the way to follow her, to &s;hew him&s;elf unto the Souldiers, and to take &s;ome Troops along with him. But in his way thither, he met abundance of men of high Quality, who were looking for him: Among&s;t the re&s;t, he wondered to &s;ee the Prince <HI>Indathir&s;is,</HI> that Illu&s;trious <HI>Scythian,</HI> who came out of the Dominions of <HI>Thomiris</HI> with him. As grieved as he was, he re|ceived him very Civilly, and told him his misfortune in the Language which hee under&s;tood, and asked his pardon, that he could not receive him, with &s;o much Joy, as another time he &s;hould. But, (&s;aid he unto him) if you con&s;ider, how the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> is carried away from me, and carried away by a &s;tranger, who&s;e Countrey I do not &s;o much as know, I hope you will excu&s;e my incivi|lities: and will not take it ill, that (having a mind filled with the infidelity of the Traytor <HI>Anaxaris)</HI> I do not render tho&s;e re&s;pects I owe unto the Generous <HI>In|dathir&s;is.</HI> Oh Sir, (replied that Illu&s;trious <HI>Scythian)</HI> you will wonder much more, when you &s;hall know that <HI>Anaxaris</HI> is not <HI>Anaxaris:</HI> and much more then that, when I have told you who he is. How, (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> do you know him? Yes Sir, replied he, and I &s;hall tell you more in private. Then <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eparating from the re&s;t of the Company, and &s;till riding on, to lo&s;e no time, he hearkned unto what <HI>Indathir&s;is</HI> told him, with &s;o many &s;ignes of wonder in his Countenance, as it was ea&s;ie to know that he was both much &s;urpri&s;ed and much grieved.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>The end of the eighth Part.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
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<P><HI>Parthenopoeia,</HI> or the Hi&s;tory of the mo&s;t Renowned Kingdome of <HI>Naples,</HI> with the Dominion thereunto annexed, and the lives of all their Kings.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t part, by that famous Antiquary <HI>Scipio Mazzella,</HI> made Engli&s;h by Mr. <HI>Sam&s;on Lennard,</HI> Herald of Armes.</P>
<P>The &s;econd part compiled by <HI>James Howel</HI> E&s;q. Who, be&s;ides &s;ome Supplements to the fir&s;t part, draws on the Threed of the Story to the&s;e pre&s;ent Times 1654. illu&s;trated with the Figures of the Kings, and the Armes of all the Provinces.</P>
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<P>THE FIFTH AND La&s;t Volume OF ARTAMENES, OR The Grand CYRUS, THAT EXCELLENT <HI>NEW</HI> ROMANCE: <HI>Being the Ninth and Tenth PARTS, which fini&s;h the whole Work.</HI></P>
<P>Written by that Famous Wit of FRANCE, <HI>MONSIE&V;R</HI> de <HI>SC&V;DERY,</HI> Governor of NOSTRE-DAME.</P>
<P><HI>And now</HI> ENGLISHED <HI>by</HI> F. G. <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR></P>
<P>LONDON, Printed for HUMPHREY MOSELEY at the Prince's Arms in St. <HI>Paul's</HI> Church-yard; and THOMAS DRING at the George in Fleet-&s;treet. M. D. CLV.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
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<HEAD><HI>TO THE</HI> RIGHT HONORABLE AND <HI>MOST PERFECTLY NOBLE,</HI> THE LADY ANNE LUCAS,</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_AFter many Addre&s;&s;es, Your Great <HI>CYRUS</HI> comes to take his leave. His Story runs full of &s;uch hazardous Attempts, as bad us expect this Last Volume would prove his <HI>Tragedy.</HI> But Your <HI>HONOUR</HI> knows how the Ancients differ about the Death of <HI>CYRUS.</HI> And tho&s;e who refu&s;e Him for the Lover of <HI>MANDANA,</HI> may equally deny <HI>MAN|DANA</HI> to be his Mother, &s;ince That Name (as well as <HI>CY|RUS)</HI> belong'd to more than one. Our Author hath not &s;hew'd more &s;trength of Brain in the admirable Turnes and Mazes of this Work (which makes it reputed &s;econd to none) than He hath at last in tying all up; wherein yet Hee &s;werves not from the Au|thority of two of the be&s;t Greek Hi&s;torians. Did <HI>Annali&s;ts</HI> and <HI>Chroniclers</HI> draw up Battails with that accurate skill this <HI>Author</HI> does here, <HI>Hi&s;tory</HI> would prove le&s;&s;e tedious, more u&s;efull, and freer from Contradictions. But our <HI>Author</HI> is a <HI>Souldier,</HI> and &s;pent (one would think) all his Thoughts on Seidges and Battailes, till we read his Letters and Sceanes of <HI>Love,</HI> and then we admire how (to both tho&s;e former) he is able to afford us &s;uch <HI>Politick Di&s;cour&s;es.</HI> There are (men of no vulgar <HI>Genius,</HI> and &s;uch as are no Strangers to the <HI>Author)</HI> can lend a <HI>Clavis</HI> to mo&s;t of this Story; can tell where 'tis <HI>Per&s;onall,</HI> and where <HI>Morall:</HI> they know what Prince the <HI>Author</HI> mean's by <HI>CYRUS</HI> fighting in midd'&s;t of a Wood (&s;et on fire round about him) where after conque&s;t of his Enemies he mu&s;t a&s;&s;ault that Element: And while He and the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> are <HI>duelling</HI> for <HI>MANDANA,</HI> She (the great Booty) is taken from them both by a perfidious per&s;on to whom &s;he was entru&s;ted; where <HI>MANDANA</HI> is no Woman, but the <HI>Empire</HI> it &s;elf, and &s;o (I am told) the Word &s;ignifies in the lan|guage of that Country. But without any Key, an ordinary Eye may
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behold in <HI>TOMYRIS</HI> the bottomle&s;s Wrath of a revengefull Prince&s;s; what mi&s;chief that Sex can do in a Kingdom when tempted by <HI>Power,</HI> almo&s;t (if <HI>Pre&s;idents</HI> had not taught us otherwi&s;e) as de&s;tructive as a Man. But herein Your <HI>LADISHIP</HI> will par|don the <HI>Author</HI> as one born and living under the <HI>Salique Law.</HI> Yet nothing is more legible in his Chieftains and Commanders, than that the lu&s;t after <HI>Thrones</HI> and <HI>Scepters</HI> is as boyling mad as <HI>Fond Love,</HI> and infinitely more fatall, &s;ince the violence of <HI>Lovers</HI> &s;trikes but at a couple, when the Thir&s;t after a <HI>Crown</HI> drinks the blood of Millions, who all mu&s;t be &s;laughter'd for that per&s;on who a&s;pires to it. Our <HI>Au|thor</HI> was &s;o watchfull over his <HI>CYRUS</HI> and <HI>MANDANA,</HI> that neither have their Lap&s;es, &s;ave in &s;ome Doubt (Jealou&s;ie I can|not call it) of their mutual Affections, which yet was begotten on ra|tional grounds, and &s;uch overflowings are tolerable in <HI>Love,</HI> though in no other <HI>Pa&s;&s;ion.</HI> How He hath embeli&s;h'd his <HI>Queens</HI> and <HI>Prince&s;&s;es</HI> with di&s;tinct Graces, your <HI>LADISHIP</HI> is be&s;t able to pronounce: For the <HI>Author</HI> (with all his Art and Abilities) cannot feign more Virtues than Your <HI>HONOUR</HI> is po&s;&s;e&s;s'd of; and might &s;afely u&s;e no other Compellations for tho&s;e eminent Per&s;onages he &s;trives to magnifie, than the Names of Your &s;everal Virtues. And this <HI>(MADAM)</HI> is the great Inducement made me humbly offer the&s;e Volumes to Your <HI>LADISHIP;</HI> for if they have ought that is Excellent and Tran&s;cendent, they are yours in Ju&s;tice, and may finde their Exemplars at all capacities: For who&s;e accompli&s;hment in all De|grees of Happine&s;s, for your mo&s;t Learned and Noble <HI>LORD,</HI> and that Confluence of Hopes in that matchle&s;s <HI>young LADY,</HI> You have the con&s;tant Devotions of</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>(MADAM)</SALUTE> <SIGNED>Your Honour's most humble and most obedient Servant
HUMPHREY MOSELEY.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR The Grand CYRUS. The Nineth Part.</HEAD>
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<HEAD>Book. I.</HEAD>
<P>_CAn it po&s;&s;ibly be true (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and cried out, after he knew from <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> the true name of <HI>Anaxaris)</HI> that <HI>Anaxaris</HI> &s;hould be the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> Brother unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> who was gone unto the Kingdome of <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> with the young <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> when <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent me un|to that Prince&s;s? Yes Sir, replied <HI>Indather&s;es, Anaxaris</HI> is really <HI>Ariantes,</HI> brother unto the Queen of <HI>Ma&s;&s;a|gettes;</HI> and the voyage which he made when you were with that Prince&s;s, cau&s;ed him to pa&s;s unknown in your Army, for &s;ince you never &s;aw him, he might pa&s;s for whom he plea&s;ed: But I be&s;eech you (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> what could his de&s;ign be in concealing him&s;elf &s;o long, and in rendring me &s;ervices &s;o great, as will for ever after make me the mo&s;t mi&s;errble man a|live? Did he only wait for an opportunity of revenging <HI>Thomiris,</HI> by carrying away the Prince&s;s whom I adore? And mu&s;t I look upon this Act of his, as an effect of that revenge which lurks in the &s;oul of that incen&s;ed Queen? Or as his love unto <HI>Mandana?</HI> Sir, re|plied <HI>Indather&s;es,</HI> I cannot tell you what the intentions of the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> was; but I am &s;ure he has been too long out of the favour of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> to be the Executioner of her revenge. I be&s;eech you (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> how do you know that <HI>Anaxaris</HI> is <HI>Ariantes?</HI> for I mu&s;t ingenuou&s;lie confe&s;s, what you tell me does &s;o much &s;urprize me, that I mu&s;t needs enquire of all circum&s;tances concerning a matter, which would &s;eem ab&s;olutelie incredi|ble, if any but you had told it. Sir, replied <HI>Indather&s;es,</HI> I know &s;o very well, that <HI>Anax|aris</HI> is <HI>Ariantes,</HI> as none can be &s;urer of any thing; for a &s;ervant of mine, in whom I have extraordinarie confidence, and who hath &s;een him whole years together, did &s;ee him with <HI>Mandana;</HI> and &s;ince I de&s;ired to be &s;ure of the place where you were, I &s;ent him to en|quire,
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with orders to return unto me at a place where I &s;tayed a day to put my &s;elf in a fit equipage to appear before the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> whom I knew you conducted: So as this &s;ervant who has wit and &s;pirit enough, &s;aw <HI>Anaxaris</HI> ye&s;terday do the office of the Captain of the Guard unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> But &s;ince he &s;aw him, and was not &s;een by him again, by rea&s;on of the pre&s;s of people which crowded to &s;ee that Prince&s;s as &s;he went unto the Temple, his wonder at the &s;ight of him was not perceived, and knowing none about him, he had no rea&s;on to expre&s;s his admiration, yet he made a &s;hift to be under&s;tood, and to ask the name of him whom he looked upon &s;o &s;eriou&s;ly; and being an|&s;wered that his name was <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> but none being able to tell him either what he was, or from whence, he ea&s;ily apprehended, that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> would not be known; &s;o that &s;aying no more, he returned in all ha&s;t towards me, not only to a&s;&s;ure me that I &s;hould find you upon the banks of the River <HI>Halis,</HI> but al&s;o to tell me that he had &s;een the Prince <HI>Ariantes&punc;</HI> pa&s;&s;ing by the name of <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> and as Captain of the Guard un|to the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana.</HI> At the fir&s;t I told him, that certainly he was mi&s;taken by &s;ome that re&s;embled him, yet he was &s;o extreamlie confident of it, that I contended no longer with him, but made <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> doubt of it in my own mind, and &s;aid no more unto him: But Sir, when I came unto the place where I imagined to find you, then I under&s;tood that this <HI>A|naxaris</HI> had carried away <HI>Mandana,</HI> and then I made no que&s;tion but that he was the Prince <HI>Ariantes;</HI> and truly I am now as fully per&s;waded of it, as if I had &s;een him my &s;elf: Alas my dear <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> I am no le&s;s per&s;waded of it then you, for trulie were <HI>Anaxaris</HI> of a more inferiour qualitie, certainlie he dur&s;t never have been &s;o bold as to carry away the Prince&s;s; and now methinks you have opened my eyes, and I find &s;ome imperfect re&s;emblance betwixt <HI>Thomiris</HI> and him: Al&s;o he hath an accent, and &s;ound in his voice, as might at lea&s;t have induced me to know him for a <HI>Scithean:</HI> But a&s;|&s;uredly the Gods, being re&s;olved upon my ruine, did blind me, and deprived me of my rea&s;on, to the end that I my &s;elf might contribute unto <HI>Mandana</HI>'s and my own de|&s;truction.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;ilent, and continued a while &s;ighing and walking, then upon a &s;udden calling <HI>Feraulas,</HI> unto whom the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> was talking, he asked him how it was known that <HI>Anaxaris</HI> had carried away <HI>Mandana?</HI> Sir, &s;aid <HI>Feraulas, Anaxaris</HI> hath carried the marter &s;o &s;ubtilly, that none ever knew until within foure houres after his de|parture; for Sir, he went away with the Prince&s;s above an houre before it was day, yet it was not known that &s;he was not in her Chamber, until an houre before I departed, with in|tention to come hither; and which is &s;trange&s;t, <HI>Arianite</HI> whom &s;he left behinde her, had orders to conceal her departure as well as <HI>Pherenice,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the women: But <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> are with her: Oh <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> this cannot be, I can ne|ver believe that <HI>Mandana</HI> would let her &s;elf be carried away, and carried away by <HI>Anaxa|ris:</HI> Sir, replied <HI>Feraulas,</HI> it is as far from my belief as yours, but it is a certain truth, that neither the Prince&s;s, nor either of the Ladies who are with her, did call any unto their aid; that all <HI>Mandana</HI>'s guard followed her, and that <HI>Andramites</HI> and his friends are gone with her: The greate&s;t wonder is, <HI>Arianite</HI> &s;aid, that <HI>Anaxaris</HI> came and cau&s;ed <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to be waked, to the end &s;he might awake <HI>Mandana,</HI> which after &s;he had accordinglie done, he &s;poke unto the Prince&s;s, that he read &s;omthing unto her out of a Letter which he had, and that he &s;hewed unto her a Scarf, which &s;he looked upon with a torrent of tears in her eyes, and with extream bitterne&s;s of heart. <HI>Arianite</HI> &s;aid further, that after <HI>Mandana</HI> had cau&s;ed <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to come unto her, and had &s;ent to waken <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> they both of them wept a while with her, and afterwards the Prince&s;s ri&s;ing in ha&s;te, whil&s;t <HI>Anaxaris</HI> went to take orders for her departure, &s;he did nothing el&s;e but &s;hed tears whil&s;t &s;he was dre&s;&s;ing: She al&s;o &s;aid, that as the Prince&s;s was ready to depart, and to take Coach at a pair of &s;tairs in a back Court, <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> commanded her from the Prince&s;s to cau&s;e her women not to open the door of her Chamber until it was very late. Then <HI>Arianite</HI> pre&s;&s;ing <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to tell her whether the Priuce&s;s went, why &s;he grieved? and why &s;he carried not all her women with her? You &s;hall ere long have orders to come unto her (replied <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> But in the mean time my dear <HI>Arianite</HI> (&s;aid She) repent of your &s;erving the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> &s;ince perhaps you were the cau&s;e of his killing the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and of the Prince&s;&s;es death for very grief of his lo&s;s: You may well conceive Sir, that a woman who thought the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> dead, was extreamlie &s;urprized to hear that he lived, and that he had killed you; yet &s;he could not expre&s;s her wonder, for <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> followed <HI>Mandana</HI> with as much ha&s;te as &s;orrow. However, &s;ince this news did touch <HI>Arianite</HI>
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very much, &s;he imparted it unto the re&s;t of the Prince&s;&s;es women, and al&s;o awaked <HI>Phe|renice</HI> to tell her. So that having pa&s;&s;ed away the re&s;t of the night, and part of the morn|ing in rea&s;oning upon this &s;trange adventure, &s;he &s;ent to &s;eek out <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> yet it was long before her &s;ervant could get out, becau&s;e the foure Guards which <HI>Anaxaris</HI> had placed at the Gate of the Ca&s;tle, would not &s;uffer any to pa&s;s out, becau&s;e their orders was to the contrarie; but at la&s;t obtaining their leave, this &s;ervant got out and went unto <HI>Chri&s;antes,</HI> who under&s;tood before that you Sir was not at your own lodging: And hear|ing at the &s;ame time by <HI>Arianita</HI> that the Prince&s;s was al&s;o gone out, he thought it not fit to conceal her a&s;toni&s;hment: So that acquainting the Prince <HI>Artamas, Mazares, In|taphernes, Myr&s;iles</HI> and others with it, there was pre&s;ently rai&s;ed &s;o great a report of your death Sir, and of the Prince&s;&s;es her departure, that I am not able to repre&s;ent unto you the di&s;order which this &s;ad news cau&s;ed, both among&s;t all your friends, and among&s;t the Souldiers: The greate&s;t wonder was, that none knew what cour&s;e to take, nor from whom to receive orders: Some &s;aid the be&s;t way was; to go unto the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> others unto <HI>Croe&s;&s;us,</HI> and every one voting to revenge your death, and going after <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet all their Spirits were in &s;uch di&s;order, that neither of tho&s;e cour&s;es was taken: Some &s;aid that happily <HI>Anaxaris</HI> had not carried away the Prince&s;s, con&s;idering the manner of her departure: But the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> under&s;tanding from &s;ome of his &s;ervants, that <HI>Andramites</HI> many daies &s;ince had prepared &s;ome of his friends for &s;ome great de&s;ign, which he &s;aid he had in hand, he made no que&s;tion but his de&s;ign was; that knowing <HI>A|naxaris</HI> would carry away <HI>Mandana,</HI> he would al&s;o carry away his adored <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> So that &s;uppo&s;ing them to be carried away by fallacies, this Prince making no reckonings of the&s;e reports which went of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI>'s being alive, and that he had killed you, he a&s;&s;embled together &s;ome of his friends, and went in all ha&s;te to &s;ee if he could di&s;cover which way <HI>Anaxaris</HI> took. The Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> al&s;o took up the &s;ame de&s;ign, but took another way: As for the Prince <HI>Artamas, Intaphernes, Chri&s;antes, Aglatidas,</HI> and my &s;elf, we divided our &s;elves with intentions to find you out: So that being guided doubtle&s;s by the Gods unto the place where you were, I have good rea&s;on to believe that they will al&s;o guide you Sir very &s;hortlie unto the place where <HI>Mandana</HI> is: No no, replied this grieved Prince, there is no hopes, but on the contrarie all is to be feared. After this, the <HI>Sibels</HI> an&s;wer which was brought him by <HI>Ortalques</HI> coming into his mind, he a&s;&s;ured him&s;elf that he was de&s;tined unto a &s;ad fate, and that <HI>Thomiris</HI> would de&s;troy him. Then al&s;o he believed that the Oracle of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King would be fully compleated, and prove to his Rivals advantage; nor dur&s;t he &s;o much as hope, that the Oracle which the Prince&s;s of <HI>Salamis</HI> had received, could be interpreted unto his advantage: So that his Spirits being wholly po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with &s;orrow, he talked no more of what happed in the place where <HI>A|rianita</HI> was, from who&s;e own mouth he intended to be preci&s;ely &s;atisfied of all that <HI>Fe|raulas</HI> told him. He found her with <HI>Pherenice, Amalde, Telamire,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the Ladies which u&s;ed to accompany her, but he found them all in tears; yet his &s;ight was a great comfort unto them; &s;uppo&s;ing that &s;ince he was living, they needed not to fear <HI>Mandana.</HI> However, their a&s;toni&s;hment was not a little unto them that believed the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> dead, and had heard &s;ay afterwards, that he had killed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> when they &s;aw them both living, and carrie them&s;elves to each other as formerlie. And after they were informed of all that <HI>Arianita</HI> knew; after they had examined the four Guards whom <HI>Anaxaris</HI> had left, and who knew nothing but that <HI>Anaxaris</HI> had commanded them to let none go out of the Ca&s;tle until it was late, and that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had been dre&s;&s;ed of a &s;light wound which he had in his left Atm, they advi&s;ed together upon the be&s;t expedients in &s;uch a di&s;a&s;terous occa&s;ion, 'Tis true; their coun&s;els were often inter|rupted, for men come from all Quarters of the Army to be &s;atisfied concerning this great report which was &s;o &s;uddenlie &s;pread abroad, both concerning the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s life, and the death of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and al&s;o the carrying away of <HI>Mandana.</HI></P>
<P>But at the la&s;t, &s;ince the nece&s;&s;ity of the bu&s;ine&s;s did extreamly urge it, <HI>Cyrus</HI> with the advice of all his friends and of his Rival, and when they under&s;tood that <HI>Anaxaris</HI> had not above a hundered men with him, re&s;olved that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> the Prince <HI>Arta|mas,</HI> the Prince <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and him&s;elf, &s;hould each of them take two hundered hor&s;e, and divide them&s;elves, to try if any of them could find out the way which <HI>Anaxaris</HI> took, of which they had no light at all. But &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> was glad that &s;ome of his friends would be with the A&s;&s;irian King, in ca&s;e he &s;hould find <HI>Mandana,</HI> and recover her out of <HI>An|axaris</HI> his hands: And &s;o he had no means to break his promi&s;e and carry her away for
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him&s;elf, therefore <HI>Cyrus</HI> tran&s;acted with abundance of di&s;cretion, maugre all his &s;orrows: And cau&s;ed many of his friends to follow his Rival, As <HI>Ara&s;pes, Aglatidas</HI> and &s;ome others. Thus the&s;e four Princes, taking with them &s;uch men as they &s;tood in need of, they parted, after they had agreed upon the &s;everal ways which they were to take, and of the place unto which they would &s;end intelligence in ca&s;e they heard any news of <HI>Man|dana:</HI> But when the&s;e four Troops had taken their &s;everal ways, and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> march|ed and enquired all the way he went; al&s;o when he con&s;idered how after he had taken <HI>Sinope, Artaxates Babylon, Sardis</HI> and <HI>Cumes;</HI> and how after he had &s;ubdued &s;o many Kingdoms, and delivered <HI>Mandana</HI> when &s;he was carried away by the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> by the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> and by the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> now to &s;ee her carried away again, by the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> he fell into a mo&s;t extream di&s;pair: For he &s;aw him&s;elf in as mi|&s;erable a condition, as he was when he went under the name of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> when upon his return from <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> as he approached <HI>Thimi&s;cyra,</HI> he under&s;tood, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> under the name of <HI>Philida&s;pes</HI> had carryed away <HI>Mandana;</HI> yet &s;ometimes he imagined that <HI>Ariantes</HI> perhaps had not carried her away; but this imagination was very weak in him: for having confidence in his &s;ecre&s;y, he had told him the the hour when he was to fight with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria:</HI> So as &s;eeing he had carried away <HI>Mandana,</HI> be|fore he had &s;o much as fought with his enemy, he could not find any foundation of hope: And not knowing well what to think of this cro&s;s adventure, he very well &s;aw it to be full of cruelty unto him. In the mean time, all his vigilancy and cares to enlighten his knowledge was in vain. The Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> was no more happy then he was in his way; no more was <HI>Intaphernes.</HI> But though the&s;e three Princes with <HI>Mer&s;yles</HI> &s;ought <HI>Ariantes</HI> in vain: It was otherwi&s;e with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria;</HI> for fortune &s;eemed to con|duct him unto unto <HI>Mandana;</HI> and he found the way &s;he went, within forty furlongs of the place where he parted from <HI>Cyrus;</HI> &s;o as making all ha&s;t after, and continually en|quiring, he under&s;tood that the Coach in which the Prince&s;s was, being broken, it would be a long while before it could be mended So as then hoping to overtake them quickly, he marched &s;o fa&s;t, that he came at la&s;t upon a little Hill within thirty furlongs of the <HI>Euxine</HI> Bridge: from whence he &s;aw hor&s;emen coming out of a little Wood; he &s;aw a Coach &s;tay: al&s;o he &s;aw a Lady &s;itting under &s;ome Trees, who&s;e head leaned upon the knees of another, and who by her action &s;eemed to wipe away her tears, there being another woman upon her knees before him, who al&s;o behaved her &s;elf as if &s;he wept: So as knowing that <HI>Manda|na</HI> had none with her but <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> he doubted not but it was &s;he whom he &s;aw. Then without the delay of one minute he encouraged his men unto valor. He com|manded them to have a principle care, not to fight over neer <HI>Mandana,</HI> lea&s;t they &s;hould unawares hurt her: After which he commanded them to march, and at the very fir&s;t to cut all the Reighs of that Charrot in which the Prince&s;s was, to the end <HI>Ariantes</HI> might be di&s;abled from carrying her away: yet &s;ince he was not neer enough to know their faces, he only conjectured who they were; but his conjecture and appearances deceived him: for <HI>Ariantes</HI> having left <HI>Mandana</HI> under that &s;hade, was gone him&s;elf to enquire whether the Coach could pa&s;s a certain way which would &s;horten that way at lea&s;t two hours, in going unto the Port where he had provided a Ship, as &s;oon as he under&s;tood that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was to fight with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria:</HI> So that <HI>Andramites</HI> &s;taying to command <HI>Manda|nas</HI> Guard no &s;ooner &s;aw this body of Cavelry appear, in the head of which was the King of <HI>A&s;&s;irias</HI> but he expected an a&s;&s;ault. Yet to the end he might know who it was that a&s;&s;aulted him, he &s;ent out one of his men to know who tho&s;e were which he &s;aw: And commanding all the re&s;t to prepare them&s;elves for a &s;tout defence: he &s;et one party about <HI>Mandana,</HI> and placed &s;o me other at the entry into the little Wood, which was ea&s;ily de|fended, becau&s;e they could not be &s;urrownded. Since all this could not be done but in <HI>Mandanas</HI> &s;ight; and &s;ince her magination was filled with a fancy that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> had killed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;he &s;tarted up in great ha&s;t, conjuring <HI>Andramites</HI> that if it were the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> which appeared, to defend her again&s;t him; and obliged al&s;o <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> to imploy all her power over <HI>Andramines,</HI> to make him lo&s;e his life rather then &s;uffer her to fall into the hands of a man whom &s;he thought had killed <HI>Cyrus:</HI> She had no &s;ooner &s;aid this, but tho&s;e whom <HI>Andramites</HI> had &s;ent to di&s;eover whether or no it was the King of <HI>A&s;|&s;iria</HI> returned with all &s;peed, &amp; a&s;&s;uaed him that it was the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria.</HI> So that <HI>Manda|na</HI> aggravating her prayers unto <HI>Andramites,</HI> and her commands upon her Guards, &s;he her &s;elf was an ob&s;tacle unto tho&s;e who came to deliver her; not imagining that there could be more danger in being carryed away by <HI>Anaxaris</HI> whom &s;he did not know to be <HI>Ariantes,</HI> then by the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> by <HI>Mazares,</HI> or by the King of <HI>Pontus.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="5" REF="796">
<HI>Adramites</HI> after he had a&s;&s;ured her, that he would die in her &s;ervice, and after he had &s;ent to acquaint <HI>Ariantes</HI> with the adventure, he advanced towards the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> advanced towards him, &s;o that a mo&s;t fatal and terrible combat be|gan betwixt them. Since the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> in his march had divided his men into many &s;mall Parties, le&s;t he &s;hould be mi&s;taken, and &s;ince his intelligence of <HI>Mandana</HI>'s march was various, he was no more numerous then his adver&s;arie, &s;o that the combat being up|on equal terms; it was both &s;harp and bloody. But whil&s;t they were at handy blowes, and whil&s;t <HI>Andramites</HI> endeavoured to hinder the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> from coming at <HI>Mandana,</HI> that Prince&s;s would needs go unto her Coach whil&s;t <HI>Andramites</HI> kept his ground: But &s;ince the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had been exactly obeyed, &s;he found that &s;ome of his men had cut the Reins of his hor&s;es; &s;o that returning unto the foot of a tree environed with tho&s;e whom <HI>Andramites</HI> had left to guard her, her imaginations were beyond all expre&s;&s;ions, e&s;peci|ally when &s;he knew the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and &s;aw him fight with incredible fury; for &s;eeing him with the &s;ame Sword wherewith &s;he thought he had killed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> her &s;orrows were &s;uch as words cannot repre&s;ent. Alas (&s;aid &s;he, ifting up her eyes to heaven and &s;ighing) mu&s;t I come under the power of him who hath taken away the life of the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Prince that ever breathed, and unto whom I was mo&s;t obliged of all men living? Oh ye ju&s;t Gods (cried &s;he, and bathed her eyes in tears) Since the death of <HI>Cyrus</HI> mu&s;t infalli|bly be the cau&s;e of mine, I be&s;eech you defer it no longer, but let me even now expire with &s;orrow; and if you will be favourable unto me, let tho&s;e who fight in my defence revenge the death of <HI>Cyrus</HI> upon the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria;</HI> or at the ha&s;t, let not that unju&s;t Prince triumph over my Tomb, much le&s;s over my per&s;on. Whil&s;t <HI>Mandana</HI> was thus breath|ing up her prayers to heaven, a great noy&s;e of &s;trange voice&punc; of armes, and of hor&s;es was heard, one man no &s;ooner fell of each &s;ide, but another &s;tept into his place, and their fury both in a&s;&s;aulting and defending was as hot as at the fir&s;t. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> for his part did things beyond a man, and he killed almo&s;t as many with his own hand, as all the re&s;t of his followers did. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Andramites</HI> as well in point of love as honor, did what a man of courage could do; but &s;ince the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was &s;toutlie &s;econded by <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> he pre&s;&s;ed &s;o hard upon tho&s;e he a&s;&s;aulted, that they were forced to give ground; &s;o that <HI>Mandana, Dorali&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> then thinking they &s;hould fall under the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s power, they all breathed out &s;uch &s;crie<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> of &s;orrow, as reached the ears of <HI>Andramites.</HI></P>
<P>This Lover no &s;ooner heard the voice of the per&s;on whpm he adored, but recollecting new vigour, and encouraging his men both by his example and language, he repul&s;ed tho&s;e who had repul&s;ed him; then &s;eeking for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> maugre the confe&s;ion of the combat, he fell upon him with extream furie, and environed him with foure of his men; So that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> being weary with the combat which he had in the morning with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who had wounded him &s;lightlie in the left arm, and now not having his u&s;ual &s;trength, he could not re&s;i&s;t &s;o many upon him at once. Al&s;o his de&s;ign being to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">quan|der tho&s;e who a&s;&s;aulted him at the very fir&s;t, he weakned him&s;elf at the very beginning of the combat, and lo&s;t part of his forces: So that being now over-matched, he was wound|ed in &s;everal places: 'Tis true, his wounds co&s;t others of his enemies very dear, and if his hor&s;e had not been killed under him, he had not been &s;o ea&s;ily vanqui&s;hed; yet after he was di&s;mounted, he did not render him&s;elf, but on the contrary redoubling his fury, he did things above imagination, for maugre the valour of them who were upon him on all &s;ides, he made his way through in de&s;pite of them, and perhaps finding his &s;trength to fail, he put his whole &s;trength he had left unto it, and made his way with &s;uch vigour, that he broke through them, and went &s;traight unto tho&s;e who guarded <HI>Mandana.</HI> But in lieu of being able to a&s;&s;ault as he de&s;igned by his action, he fell down after he had received a blow up|on his Thigh, which hindred him from &s;u&s;taining him&s;elf; &s;o that the Guards had di&s;patch|ed him, if <HI>Andramites</HI> who &s;aw him fall had not forbidden them, after they had &s;eized up|hn his Sword which dropt out of his hand as he fell. In the mean while <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>A|a&s;pes,</HI> who fought for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and not for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;rria,</HI> continued the combat with in|credible valour. But whil&s;t <HI>Andramites</HI> re&s;i&s;ted them, the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;triving to get up, he &s;aw <HI>Mandana</HI> turning away her head from the &s;ight of him, and &s;tepping &s;ome pa|ces further from him; but love &s;trengthening his de&s;ires, he got up, and pa&s;&s;ing through tho&s;e who guarded the Prince&s;s, he came to her and fell at her feet, and le&s;t &s;he &s;hould get further off, he took hold of her Gown, the Prince&s;s imagining that he held it with the &s;ame hand that killed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> did &s;trive to get away, and &s;peaking with as much anger as
<PB N="6" REF="797">
&s;orrow; Away, away (&s;aid &s;he unto him) how dare you touch me after you have &s;ent <HI>Cyrus</HI> to his grave? <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I&s;ay, unto whom you owe both your life and liberty, and for whom only I de&s;ire to live, yet I &s;ee you &s;o impudently bold as to appear before me with a Sword &s;tained with his blood, and to &s;tay me with that hand which gave him his death: The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> &s;urprized at <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Speech, and de&s;iring to die unhated: Oh I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid he unto her) Do not put new torments of hatred upon me, I have not killed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and I am &s;o far from being his Conquerour, that certainly he had been mine, if the news of your carrying away had not taken up our combat; and to te|&s;tifie that I am as full of &s;incerity as love, I mu&s;t ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;s that he hath once more given me my life, though I was not able to yeeld you unto him: How (cried out <HI>Mandana)</HI> is not <HI>Cyrus</HI> dead? No Madam, replied he, but the unfortunate Prince whom you &s;ee at your feet is going to die, and to die de&s;perate, unle&s;s you will pardon his crimes, and unle&s;s you will promi&s;e him &s;ome &s;ighs for the blood he has lo&s;t in endeavouring to &s;et you at liberty.</P>
<P><HI>Mandana</HI> then judging by the manne of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI>'s Speech that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not dead, and believing that <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> vhom &s;he knew not to be <HI>Ariantes</HI> had deceived her, commanded her Guards to cry unto <HI>Andramites</HI> that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was living, to the end he might give over the combat; but the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> interrupting her: No, no Madam, &s;aid he, do not deceive your &s;elf, but believe, that if tho&s;e who fight for me be overcome, <HI>Cyrus</HI> perhaps will for ever lo&s;e you, for <HI>Anaxaris</HI> is Brother unto the Queen of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> and he carries you away out of revenge to her, or out of the love of him|&s;elf: All this while you have <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">cited <HI>Andramites</HI> to fight again&s;t your Deliverers, and your orders Madam have brought me into this deplorable condition, yet I do not mur|mure, but know too too la<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e, that &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> doth love you, I ought not to love you, but mu&s;t re&s;olve upon my death, &s;ince I am forced to &s;ay (as much my Rival as he is) that he de&s;erves you better then any el&s;e. As the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was &s;aying &s;o, and as <HI>Mandana</HI> was in extream a&s;toni&s;hment, and unconceiveable &s;orrow, though &s;he was much joyed to hear that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was living, the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> (whom <HI>Andramites</HI> had &s;ent to come up, and we&s;t &s;traight unto the place where <HI>Mandana</HI> was, whil&s;t <HI>Andramites</HI> with his remnant) was fighting with <HI>Aglatidas, Ara&s;pes,</HI> and their re&s;idue: But his intenti|on was to carry away <HI>Mandana, Dorali&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> by force upon hor&s;es unto the Port where his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hip &s;tayed, whil&s;t <HI>Andramites</HI> held the re&s;t in play, and hindred them from pur&s;uing. But <HI>Ariantes</HI> no &s;ooner appeared, then the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> wounded as he was, and though he was not able to get on his knee, he &s;hewed &s;uch a piece of cou|rage as tran&s;cends all belief, for &s;natching a Sword from one of the Guards, and kneeling upon on<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> knee as I &s;aid before, he held <HI>Mandana</HI> by the Gown with his left hand, and the Sword in his right: Then looking upon <HI>Ariantes</HI> as he came to him with a menacing action, Though I have but a &s;mall pittance of li&s;e to live (&s;aid he unto him in a tone which &s;poke both fury and faintne&s;s) yet I have enough to defend the liberty of this Prin|ce&s;s, and to keep her for my Rival: If you be wi&s;e, pur&s;ued he, learn by my lamentable de&s;tiny, not to per&s;ecute this Prince&s;s, for if you do, I profe&s;s you mu&s;t fir&s;t kill me be|fore I will let her go. The King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> pronounced the&s;e words with &s;uch a gene|rous fury, that he imprinted &s;ome re&s;pects in the &s;ouls of all that heard him, even in <HI>A|riantes</HI> him&s;elf: Al&s;o the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> holding <HI>Mandana</HI> by the Gown, <HI>Ariantes</HI> had much ado to part them, out of his fears to hurt the Prince&s;s, in forcing the King of <HI>A&s;|&s;yria</HI> to let her go. In the mean time <HI>Mandana</HI> de&s;irous to be &s;atisfied from his own mouth whether or no he was her Protector, and whether he thought <HI>Cyrus</HI> to be dead, &s;he began to command him to cea&s;e fighting, but &s;he perceived by his an&s;wer that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had &s;poken truth, and better by his action, for he fearing le&s;t more company &s;hould come in, and le&s;t <HI>Andramites</HI> &s;hould be vanqui&s;hed, he commanded that they &s;hould &s;eparate <HI>Mandana</HI> from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI> But this unfortunate Prince no &s;oon|er &s;aw them advancing towards him to that intent, but without quitting <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Gown, he gave him who fir&s;t advanced &s;uch a furious blow, that the man fell half dead at the feet of the Prince&s;s: So that <HI>Ariantes</HI> being incen&s;ed at his re&s;i&s;tance, went him&s;elf to make him quit <HI>Mandana,</HI> when he &s;aw <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> who having left <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> to command tho&s;e who were &s;till fighting, came with five or &s;ix of his men to a&s;&s;ault him: So as being forced unto a defence, he recoiled &s;ome paces from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> whom two of the Guard which were left with him, whereof the one of them was Brother unto him whom that unfortunate Prince had la&s;t wounded, both of them fell upon him behinde, and took
<PB N="7" REF="797">
his Sword from him, &s;ay what <HI>Mandana</HI> could to the contrarie, for this Prince&s;s &s;eeing how things &s;tood, did what &s;he could to defend him, who now defended her, con&s;idering the pittiful condition wherein he was; and &s;he was now as careful of pre&s;erving his life, as &s;he was of cau&s;ing his death, when &s;he thought he had killed <HI>Cyrus:</HI> 'Tis true, all her cares were fruitle&s;s, becau&s;e the la&s;t blows which this unfortunate Prince had received, did &s;o upon a &s;uddain enfeeble him, as not being able to &s;u&s;tain him&s;elf upon one knee, he fell upon that arm which held <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Gown, and &s;o weakly &s;upported him&s;elf: So that the Prince&s;s &s;eeing him ready to expire, and being moved with extream compa&s;&s;ion, &s;he &s;at down upon the gra&s;s, whil&s;t the fight continued &s;ome fifteen or twenty paces from her; and this mi&s;erable Prince, who&s;e &s;trength more and more failed, re&s;ted his drooping head upon <HI>Mandana</HI>'s knee; and this generous and pitiful Prince&s;s &s;eeing him ready to expire, did not draw back from him as &s;he did a quarter of an houre before, and would not deny him the con&s;olation of taking his la&s;t breath upon her knee. Since his great lo&s;s of blood had taken away from him &s;ome part of his fiercene&s;s, by taking away his &s;trength, and &s;ince he had his rea&s;on very perfect, becau&s;e he feared not death, he uttered nothing concerning <HI>Mandana,</HI> but yet what was very tender and moving: 'Tis true, he &s;poke but little, yet that little wrought great effect upon the heart of that Prince&s;s: And to make the freedome of his &s;oul appear, he remembred the Oracle which he received at <HI>Baby|lon</HI> in the Temple of <HI>Jupiter Belus,</HI> which &s;aid thus unto him.</P>
<LG>
<L>Well maye&s;t thou hope to make her mourn,</L>
<L>For all her cruelty and &s;corn,</L>
<L>Becau&s;e hereafter in her Armes,</L>
<L>Thou there &s;halt find &s;uch plea&s;ing charms,</L>
<L>As quite &s;hall terminate thy pain,</L>
<L>And never &s;hall complain again.</L>
</LG>
<P>This Prince very probably remembering this Oracle, lifting up his eyes in a langui&s;hing manner, and looking upon the Prince&s;s; I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid he unto her in a dying tone,) let me have &s;ome &s;hare in tho&s;e &s;ighs which I hear you breath, to the end that dying in your Arms, I may meet with that re&s;t which the Gods have promi&s;ed me by their Oracles: I a&s;&s;ure you Sir (&s;aid &s;he and &s;ighed again) that what you have now done for me, makes me extreamly &s;ad to &s;ee you in this condition, and if I were able to pre&s;erve your life, as you would my liberty, I would do it with all my heart: It is enough divine Madam (&s;aid he unto her in a very low voice) and I &s;hall die much more happy then I lived, &s;ince I &s;hall die unhated by the divine <HI>Mandana.</HI> As this unfortunate Prince &s;aid &s;o, he offered re&s;pectively to take the hand of the Prince&s;s, but at the very fir&s;t touch of it he lo&s;t his &s;peech, and in a hollow whi&s;per did let her under&s;tand that which his tongue could not pronounce: So as this deplorable Prince dying immediately after, he had the glory to make <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;igh, and really to pity his death, who had been the greate&s;t torment of her life. In the mean while the combat continued &s;till, but &s;ince the pre&s;ence of <HI>Ariantes</HI> had given fre&s;h hearts unto his men, the face of things changed, and both <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> who were met, could not with all their valour prevent almo&s;t an ab&s;olute defeat; for &s;ince the hor&s;e of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> was killed, and him&s;elf wounded in the arm, <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> al&s;o being hurt in his right hand, <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>Andramites</HI> left a Party of their men to keep in work tho&s;e few men which re&s;i&s;ted them, and went with the re&s;t unto the place where <HI>Mandana</HI> was; and &s;ay what &s;he would or could, &s;he mu&s;t &s;ubmit unto force, and be carried away again&s;t her will, not but that it grieved <HI>Ariantes</HI> to the &s;oul, that his pa&s;&s;ion &s;hould tran&s;port him beyond his due re&s;pects. But though he ask|ed pardon for the violence he offered, yet he behaved him&s;elf as a man who would exe|cute his de&s;ign; and indeed he carried <HI>Mandana, Dorali&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> unto the Port where the Ship waited; and as he remembred how <HI>Mazares</HI> in his carrying away <HI>Mandana</HI> from <HI>Sinope,</HI> did &s;et fire upon all the Ships in the Port, he re&s;olved upon the like, le&s;t he &s;hould be followed, which thing was ea&s;ily done, becau&s;e there was not above three or foure there; and becau&s;e the Port was &s;eparated from the Town which was neer, and &s;ince there was not above two or three men in each of tho&s;e Ships. Thus <HI>Mandana, Dorali&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> being put into the Ship, and <HI>Ariantes, Andramites,</HI> and their retinue al&s;o entred, they began to hoy&s;e &s;ail, not tarrying for tho&s;e they left in hand with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s men; for though <HI>Ariantes</HI> had left one of his deare&s;t friends among&s;t
<PB N="8" REF="798">
tho&s;e which fought, yet he would not hazard the lo&s;s of <HI>Mandana</HI> to pre&s;erve him, &s;o violent was his pa&s;&s;ion. Thus parting from the Port a little after Sun-&s;et, <HI>Mandana</HI> was in as &s;ad a condition as ever. But whil&s;t this Prince&s;s (and with rea&s;on) was grieving, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was as &s;ad as his &s;orrow was ju&s;t, for after he had in vain &s;ought <HI>Mandana,</HI> chance brought him at la&s;t unto the place from whence &s;he was carried away: So as finding the place covered with dead and dying men, he &s;aw <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Coach, and the hor&s;es grazing loo&s;e; he &s;aw <HI>Aglatidas</HI> wounded, as well as <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> and he &s;aw the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> dead. So that not finding <HI>Mandana</HI> there, and tho&s;e who fought for her liberty van|qui&s;hed, his &s;orrow was mo&s;t extream; but it was at a higher pitch, when he under&s;tood from <HI>Aglatidas</HI> and <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> how the ca&s;e &s;tood, and when he under&s;tood from one of <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Guard, who lay wounded neer the place where the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s corps did lye, &s;ome of that Princes dying expre&s;&s;ions, and all that he had done for her liberty. So as this generous Rival in imitation of that compa&s;&s;ion which they &s;aid <HI>Mandana</HI> ex|pre&s;&s;ed at the lo&s;s of &s;o valiant a Prince, he al&s;o pitied the lamentable de&s;tiny of &s;o great a King, though he had been his mo&s;t mortal Enemy. But to &s;pend no time in fruitle&s;s complaints, he commanded &s;ome of his Followers to put the corps of this renowned Rival into <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Coach, to catch the hor&s;es, and to drive to the place from whence he came, there to &s;tay till he had re&s;olved what Funeral Honours to do unto it. After which, vi&s;iting the wounded, to &s;ee if any could tell which way <HI>Ariantes</HI> took, the Prince <HI>Indather&s;es,</HI> who was with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> did know one of his Country who was of good Qua|lity called <HI>Adonacris:</HI> So as going to him, and making him&s;elf known, they were both &s;urprized at the &s;ight of each other. But after the fir&s;t pa&s;&s;ages of civility, <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> asked him &s;uch que&s;tions as <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;ired to be &s;atisfied in, and he an&s;wered that he thought it in vain to follow <HI>Ariantes,</HI> for certainly he would be Shipped before any could be at the Port where he had provided a Ship, though it was not far from the place where they were. However <HI>Cyrus</HI> ha&s;ted thither after, at the reque&s;t of <HI>Indather&s;es,</HI> he had com|manded that a &s;pecial care &s;hould be had of <HI>Adonacris,</HI> who as wounded as he was, had the ayr of a brave accompli&s;hed man, and of good quality. But as much ha&s;t as <HI>Cyrus</HI> made, it was dark when he came unto the Port from whence <HI>Ariantes</HI> departed a little af|ter Sun-&s;et, &s;o as he found none but tho&s;e Ships which his Rival had &s;et on fire; nor had he &s;o much con&s;olation as to under&s;tand which way the Ship &s;teered which carried away his Prince&s;s, for the night being dark, one could not di&s;cover any thing towards the Sea, nor could he learn any thing from the men which had their Ships burning, for their amaze|ment at the accident, did &s;o wholly take up their minds, that they thought upon nothing el&s;e but quenching the fire, and never heeded which way he &s;teered who had done them the hurt.</P>
<P>Thus the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not that day learn whether <HI>Ariantes</HI> went towards his own Country, or whether he &s;teered toward <HI>Thrace,</HI> or towards the <HI>Meotidan</HI> Lake, or towards <HI>Colchis,</HI> &s;o as he was in the mo&s;t mi&s;erable condition in the world; for &s;ince there was no Port within a daies journey of the place where he was, he thought it in vain to &s;end after <HI>Ariantes,</HI> &s;ince he knew not which cour&s;e he &s;teered; yet he &s;ent <HI>Feraulas</HI> with fifty men, and commanded him to take as many Ships as he could find, and to divide his men into all the Ships, to enquire news of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and to know into what place of the world he might go and &s;eek <HI>Mandana.</HI> He had a mind to go him&s;elf in per&s;on, but his friends diverted him, by de&s;iring him to con&s;ider, that &s;ince all he could do was to en|quire of the place unto which <HI>Ariantes</HI> went, &s;ince he was not in a condition to a&s;&s;ault him, he had better &s;tay and expect intelligence, then to wander upon the Seas with &s;o much uncertainty of the way which he took; but the greate&s;t inducements of his &s;tay was, be|cau&s;e <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> told him that happily <HI>Adonacris</HI> knew more of <HI>Ariantes</HI> mind, then he would tell in his pre&s;ence: So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> being per&s;waded by him, returned to the place where the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s Corps was carried, and whether they had al&s;o carried <HI>Adona|cris</HI> after he was dre&s;&s;ed. But in his return thither, he went through a Village where he re&s;ted him&s;elf two or three houres, and found a &s;ervant unto <HI>Andramites,</HI> who being wounded &s;tayed there, and who knew all the &s;ecrets of his Ma&s;ter: So as <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> know|ing him very well, acquainted <HI>Cyrus</HI> with it, and told him, that happily he might get ma|ny things out of this man, if he did force him unto it; and accordingly <HI>Cyrus</HI> u&s;ed pray|ers, menaces, and promi&s;es of recompence, if he would tell all he knew, both concerning <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>Andramites:</HI> Sir (&s;aid the man again) If what I &s;hall tell you would bring my Ma&s;ter under your power, though I know the de&s;ign of the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> to be very
<PB N="9" REF="798">
unju&s;t, yet I would not tell you any thing, for all your menaces or promi&s;es of recom|pence. But Sir, &s;ince it cannot, if you will promi&s;e me to pardon my Ma&s;ter here|after, if his Pa&s;&s;ion to <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> engaged him in a de&s;igne as unju&s;t as that of the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> upon this condition, I will tell you all the pa&s;&s;ages betwixt them.</P>
<P>Since genero&s;ity appeared in the di&s;cor&s;e of this &s;ervant, and &s;ince he asked nothing in the behalf of <HI>Ariantes, Cyrus</HI> promi&s;ed what he de&s;ired upon condition he would tell him all he knew concerning the de&s;ign of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and upon condition he would tell him how he had deceived <HI>Mandana,</HI> and carryed her away. Sir, (&s;aid he then after thanks for his promi&s;e) &s;ince I have been happy in the favour of my Ma&s;ter, and have been &s;erviceable to him in this la&s;t bu&s;ine&s;s, I know all the pa&s;&s;ages which you can de&s;ire to get out of me: Therefore I &s;hall tell you, that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> having contracted an intimate friend&s;hip with <HI>Andramites,</HI> did at the la&s;t di&s;cover unto him, who he was, and how he loved and adored the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> al&s;o he told him how the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> was then alive, that with in three days he would meet you Sir, neer the ruins of an old Ca&s;tle, and that you were to fight with him; and how you gave <HI>Ariantes</HI> your orders to &s;hew unto all the Officers, in ca&s;e you fell in the Combate, to the end they &s;hould obey the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana.</HI> But Sir, After the Prine <HI>Ariantes</HI> had acquainted my Ma&s;t|er with all the&s;e things, and told him how you had furni&s;hed him wherewith to make &s;ure of all his companions, he expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf the mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionately in the world: and if I could excu&s;e him without offending you, I would a&s;&s;ure you that he had much ado to be|tray you, &amp; that his genero&s;ity did much &s;truggle with his pa&s;&s;ion; but in conclu&s;ion, his pa&s;&s;ion being too &s;trong for him, he de&s;ired <HI>Andramites</HI> to a&s;&s;i&s;t him in his de&s;ign of car|rying away <HI>Mandana</HI> the &s;ame night that you were to fight with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria:</HI> and the more to engage him in his intere&s;t, he told him that in carrying away <HI>Mandana,</HI> he would al&s;o carry away <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> So that my Ma&s;ter who till then had re&s;i&s;ted <HI>Ariantes</HI> de&s;ign, could not now re&s;i&s;t his own pa&s;&s;ion: for con&s;idering what a Rival he had of the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> he &s;aw he could not pretend any thing unto <HI>Dorali&s;a:</HI> and if &s;he ever loved, it would be rather that Prince then him&s;elf: So that finding the de&s;ign of <HI>Arian|tes</HI> unju&s;t, when his own love had no intere&s;t, it was not enough to engage him in his in|intere&s;t; but afterwards both of them thought of nothing el&s;e but how to execute it. In order unto that, I was made choi&s;e of by the&s;e two lovers to find out tru&s;ty men for &s;o great a de&s;ign, and accordingly I provided twenty Souldiers of good re&s;olution to be ad|ded unto the Guard of the Prince&s;s. Thus Sir, carrying the matter very &s;ecretly, there was above a hundred men re&s;olved to obey <HI>Ariantes</HI> in all things what&s;oever. But the day being come, and <HI>Ariantes</HI> knowing that you were to depart an hour after the Moon was up, they re&s;olved to delude <HI>Mandana</HI> and carry her away: To that end <HI>Ariantes</HI> went to awaken <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> that &s;he might awaken the Prince&s;s, telling her that it was a bu&s;ine&s;s of &s;uch high and ha&s;ty concernment as would not admit of one minuts delay: Accordingly <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> being ri&s;en and gone to awake the Prince&s;s, &s;he cau&s;ed <HI>Ariantes</HI> to enter; he addre&s;&s;ed him|&s;elf in a melancholy a&s;pect &s;utable to the &s;ad news he had to tell her, and which he would have her credit. But Sir, without any relation of what he &s;aid unto the Prince&s;s to deceive her: I &s;hallonly tell you, how according to his re&s;olution with my Ma&s;ter, he told her that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> was alive: He told him what you promi&s;ed that Prince at <HI>Sinope:</HI> And he &s;hewed her the Order which you left him to execute in ca&s;e he fell in the Combate with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> So that the Prince&s;s &s;eeing an Order written with your own hand Sir, and perceaving it was not to be read until after your death: &s;he drew as &s;ad a conclu&s;ion from it, as <HI>Ariantes</HI> wi&s;hed; and &s;he a&s;&s;ured her &s;elf that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> had killed you: and the more becau&s;e the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> by the means of a witty fellow who was his &s;ervant, had cau&s;ed him to get out of your Chamber that Scarfe which you wore the day before, being the &s;ame (as I have heard &s;ay) which that Prince&s;s denyed you in <HI>Cap|padocia,</HI> and which you took from the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> when he was almo&s;t dead by rea|&s;on of the Shipwrack with the Prince&s;s: So as when &s;he asked <HI>Ariantes</HI> how he knew you Sir, were dead? he told her that <HI>Ortalques</HI> who followed you, brought back the news, and likewi&s;e brought back the Scarfe which formerly had been hers; adding that he had brought <HI>Ortalques</HI> him&s;elf unto her, had not that faithful &s;ervant been re&s;olved to revenge your death Sir, upon the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> &s;econd; and fighting with him he was &s;o wound|ed that all he was able to do was to come and adverti&s;e him of the &s;ad accident according to the order which he received from his Ma&s;ter before the fight. <HI>Ariantes</HI> added further, that as wounded as he was, he would have brought him, had he not feared that if the
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Guards of the Ca&s;tle had &s;een him, the accident would have been too much divulged, be|fore &s;he had well con&s;idered upon her own &s;afety. After this, <HI>Mandana</HI> asked him with a &s;ad &s;igh, what <HI>Ortalques</HI> had done with the Corps of his Ma&s;ter? And <HI>Ariantes</HI> an&s;wered her, that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> had made him&s;elf a party among&s;t the Souldiers, and would not &s;uffer <HI>Ortalques</HI> to bring it off; but he had much adoe to &s;teal away and &s;ave him&s;elf. Therefore Madam (&s;aid he unto her) It is mo&s;t expedient that you think upon the be&s;t cour&s;e to &s;ecure your &s;elf, for I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that I am afraid the commands of a living and victorious King, will be more powerful, then the orders of a vanqui&s;hed and dead Prince, though he were the greate&s;t in the world. You may imagine Sir, how this news grieved the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> But in conclu&s;ion, after abundance of &s;ad complaints, &s;he told the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> &s;he de&s;ired his advice; conjuring him to make his promi&s;e good unto you Sir, and to die rather then to let her come under the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s power. Madam (&s;aid he unto her) you need not exhort me to defend you again&s;t this Prince, for I am &s;ufficiently re&s;olved upon it: but the difficulty is how to do it han&s;omely, and not to die before you are at liberty. In the mean time, I mu&s;t once again tell you, that I do not beleeve the Order which I have from the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;ufficient to keep the Of|ficers and Souldiers in obedience: For <HI>Crae&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mer&s;yles</HI> &s;eeing their Conqueror dead, will perhaps be glad to aid the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> in getting the Throne, to the end they may a&s;cend their own Thrones. The Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> as generous as he is, will per|haps cea&s;e being Tributary unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> unto whom he was not &s;o obliged as unto <HI>Cy|rus:</HI> The King of <HI>Hircania</HI> will doubtle&s;s be of the &s;ame mind: And I make a doubt whe|ther <HI>Gobrias</HI> and <HI>Gadates</HI> will not make u&s;e of this occa&s;ion, to make the King of <HI>A&s;|&s;iria</HI> forget all they have done again&s;t him. To be &s;hort Madam, &s;o many new Conquer|ed people are apt to rebel: and I have good cau&s;e to fear that the Orders of the illu&s;tri|ous <HI>Cyrus</HI> will be but ill obeyed if your per&s;on be not &s;ecured before the death of the Prince be divulged.</P>
<P><HI>Mandana</HI> hearing <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;peak thus, and finding much probability in all he &s;aid, &s;he told him, that her &s;orrows were &s;o much above her rea&s;on, that &s;he was not able to re|&s;olve upon any cour&s;e to keep her &s;elf out of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI>'s power, and de&s;ired him to tell her what &s;he &s;hould doe: Since you command me Madam (an&s;wered he) I &s;hall tell you, that in my opinion, the be&s;t cour&s;e is to depart in all ha&s;t and goe unto &s;ome Port upon the <HI>Euxine</HI> Sea, which I know is not above a days journey from hence: that as &s;oon as you are there, to provide a Ship, and make u&s;e of it if occa&s;ion be: after this, when you are out of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Kings reach, then to &s;end unto the Troops to come and receive your Orders; if they obey, and that the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> do not hinder them, you may then continue your voyage: and if they do not obey, the Madam you may im|barque pre&s;ently, and &s;ecure your Per&s;on from the violence of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King. <HI>Man|dana</HI> finding all this to be full of rea&s;on, did beleeve him: yet &s;he had a de&s;ire to &s;end for <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas:</HI> But <HI>Ariantes</HI> telling her that they lodged far from the Ca&s;tle, and their de&s;ign requiring both &s;ecrecy and ha&s;t, &s;he was contented to let them alone, though her grief was extream; and &s;he feared &s;o much to fall into the King of <HI>A&s;|&s;yria</HI>'s power, that indeed her Soul was all &s;orrow and fear: So that &s;ince &s;he thought no man more fitting to tru&s;t, then him unto whom you had tru&s;ted your &s;ecrets and your honor, &s;he &s;ubmitted her &s;elf wholly unto his conduct: yet &s;he chid him much for not acquainting her with your engagements with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria:</HI> but to put that off, he told her, that he never knew of it until <HI>Ortalques</HI> told him, and gave him this Order which he &s;hewed her. So that the Prince&s;s re&s;olving to follow his advice, &s;he &s;ent to give Or|ders for her departure; &s;he did ri&s;e as fa&s;t as &s;he could, and departed with two women only, beleeving that <HI>Ariantes</HI> had no further de&s;ign but to &s;ecure her Per&s;on.</P>
<P>But Sir, I forgot to tell you, that in ca&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> had not been willing to follow the advice of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> he had carried her away by force; and would have told her that he had Orders &s;o to doe, and to carry her unto the King her father: yet Sir, that needed not: for as I have already told you, the Prince&s;s confiding in the man whom you tru&s;ted Sir, and not &s;u&s;pecting that he was in love with her, &s;he her &s;elf was acce&s;&s;ary to her own carry|ing away: And the truth is, when the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> came up, &s;he beleeved <HI>Cyrus</HI> to be dead, and that <HI>Ariantes</HI> under the umbrage of <HI>Anaxaris</HI> was her Protector. But I pray tell me (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> and interrupted him) what is the de&s;ign of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and whe|ther will he carry <HI>Mandana?</HI> Sir, replied the man, if he have not changed his mind, he will land at the Port of <HI>Cholchis,</HI> and keep clo&s;e in that Province, until he have
<PB N="11" REF="799">
brought one of the&s;e two things to pa&s;s, either until he have negotiated with the Queen his Si&s;ter, or el&s;e until he have declared war; for I under&s;tood within the&s;e few days that there came a man of quallity di&s;gui&s;ed unto him, who told him that his friends had rai&s;ed a great Party again&s;t <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and that the &s;tate of things was &s;o, as he was able to take the Kingdom of the <HI>I&s;&s;edons</HI> from <HI>Thomiris,</HI> which he pretended that Prince&s;s unju&s;tly de|tained from him.</P>
<P>This <HI>Scithyan</HI> who came to <HI>Ariantes</HI> (replied <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> and addre&s;&s;ed his &s;peech unto <HI>Cyrus)</HI> is certainly him, for whom I de&s;ired your protection Sir: If &s;o, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> happily we may get more light from him, then yet we know. If he do know any thing (replied <HI>Indather&s;es)</HI> I am in good hopes he will impart it to me, for he is my very good friend, and is a little obliged to me: So as &s;ince I know him to be a mo&s;t accom|pli&s;hed man, I have good rea&s;on to hope he will not hide what I &s;hall de&s;ire to know, if he can impart it without betraying his friend. For Heavens &s;ake, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> let me know as much as you can concerning <HI>Ariantes;</HI> I &s;hall not fail Sir, an&s;wered this generous <HI>Sci|thian,</HI> for I a&s;&s;ure you Sir, I &s;hould be as much joyed to help you in the delivery of <HI>Man|dana,</HI> as I was when I had the happine&s;s to help you out of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetian</HI> Country. Af|ter this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> thanking him, and confirming the promi&s;e he made unto the &s;ervant of <HI>Andramites,</HI> he returned unto the place from whence <HI>Mandana</HI> departed; but in his way thither he met the Prince <HI>Mer&s;iles,</HI> who with unequaled &s;orrow, told him thus, Sir (&s;aid he) &s;ince one that is a &s;ubject unto the King my father hath his hand in carrying away the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> I may perhap &s;eem to be acce&s;&s;ary; But if you will be plea&s;ed Sir, to con&s;ider what he hath done again&s;t my &s;elf, doubtle&s;s you will not think me culpable: As he was &s;aying &s;o, <HI>Mazares</HI> overtook them, and with &s;o much &s;adne&s;s in his face (as it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee) that though he did not pretend any thing unto <HI>Mandana;</HI> yet he did very much intere&s;t him&s;elf in her misfortunes. And <HI>Cyrus</HI> had no &s;ooner returned a civil an&s;wer unto the Prince <HI>Mer&s;iles;</HI> but <HI>Mazares</HI> conjured him to tell him, whether he had heard any thing concerning <HI>Mandana?</HI> So as <HI>Cyrus</HI> e&s;teeming him very much, and had loved him mo&s;t tenderly had he never been his Rival, he gave him a mo&s;t exact account of all pa&s;&s;ages; but he had no &s;ooner done &s;peaking, then <HI>Mazares</HI> told him that he was exceeding generous to &s;atisfie his curio&s;ity: For truly (&s;aid he) though I never car|ryed away <HI>Mandana</HI> but once, yet it may very well be &s;aid, that I am acce&s;&s;ary both un|to the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his carrying her away, and al&s;o unto this of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> &s;ince if I had never begun, they had never followed: But I a&s;&s;ure you Sir, that I would &s;pend both my blood and my life, to recover unto her that liberty which I cau&s;ed her to lo&s;e. Alas, alas, cryed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> con&s;idering what is pa&s;t, what may be expected from the future: After this <HI>Cyrus</HI> began to march, and mu&s;e with him&s;elf until he met with the Prince <HI>Ar|tamas,</HI> unto whom he related as much as he did unto <HI>Mazares:</HI> And after that he went &s;traight into the Ca&s;tle, where all <HI>Mandana's</HI> women &s;tayed with all the Ladies of <HI>Thimi&s;|cira,</HI> who were to return the next morning, for the River which had not &s;welled its banks was now confined into its ordinary limits, and would let them pa&s;s. But &s;ince <HI>Arianite</HI> was of their acquaintance, &s;he and <HI>Pherenice</HI> &s;tayed with them, and all the re&s;t of <HI>Man|dana's</HI> women al&s;o: <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;iring <HI>Amaldea</HI> to have a care of them until their Prince&s;s was at liberty; and that &s;he would carry them unto <HI>Thimi&s;cira,</HI> where he would give or|ders for all things they &s;hould need.</P>
<P>In the mean time <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> went to vi&s;it <HI>Adonacris</HI> to &s;cru what he could out of him, before <HI>Cyrus</HI> re&s;olved upon any cour&s;e: But whil&s;t he was there, he did not only give orders that all honor &s;hould be given unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI>'s Corps, as if that dead Prince were living upon his Throne: But al&s;o, that it &s;hould be carryed unto the &s;tate|ly Tombe which the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> his Mother had built in <HI>Babylon.</HI> And accordingly about three days after, his Corps was put in a Charriot covered with black cloth imbroi|dered with Gold, the hor&s;es which drew it, in magnificent harne&s;s, and this Charriot was waited upon by two hundred men in mourning on hor&s;e-back, whereof half went before it, and half behind.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince it was ever the cu&s;tom of <HI>Cyrus</HI> to do a hundred unnece&s;&s;ary things for the &s;ervice of <HI>Mandana,</HI> rather then neglect the lea&s;t expedient that might be &s;erviceable; he conveyed away Spies to <HI>Cholchis,</HI> where the &s;ervant of <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;aid be would land: and he &s;ent <HI>Ortalques</HI> &s;ecretly in a di&s;gui&s;e to <HI>Gelonide,</HI> who had been very fa|vorable to him when he was with <HI>Thomiris;</HI> but &s;ince it was <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> who had the mo&s;t commerce with her, <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;ired him to write unto her; and de&s;ired <HI>Aglatidas</HI> who was
<PB N="12" REF="800">
Nephew unto that wi&s;e Lady, to do the like, he him&s;elf intending to march &s;lowly to|wards that Country, until he knew preci&s;ely where <HI>Mandana</HI> was. Whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> was thinking upon the&s;e things, <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> having been to &s;ee <HI>Adonacris,</HI> and having found him in a condition to be talked with, he conjured him to tell what <HI>Ariantes</HI> his de&s;ign was? I can tell you, replied <HI>Adonacris,</HI> that &s;ince I came hither, I oppo&s;ed as much as I was a|ble, the unju&s;t de&s;ign of <HI>Ariantes:</HI> And truly, generous <HI>Indather&s;es,</HI> I had a good mind to betray that Prince, to the end I might the better have &s;erved him; but &s;ince I was a|fraid to ruine him, by de&s;iring to &s;erve him, I dur&s;t not tru&s;t <HI>Cyrus,</HI> unto whom I had not the honour to be known; and if it had been the plea&s;ure of the Gods, that you had been here when I came fir&s;t hither, things had not now been in that lamentable condition as they are: For truly Sir, <HI>Ariantes</HI> hath lo&s;t a Kingdom, to carry away <HI>Mandana,</HI> and he chu&s;ed rather to be her Ravi&s;her, then to be King of the <HI>I&s;&s;edons:</HI> I do &s;o little under|&s;tand the meaning of all this, replied <HI>Indather&s;es,</HI> that I cannot give any an&s;wer unto it, for &s;ince I left <HI>Thomiris,</HI> I have been alwayes in <HI>Greece</HI> &s;eeking <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> who as you know is my Unkle, &s;o as I have only a confu&s;ed notion of what hath pa&s;&s;ed in both the <HI>Scithia's;</HI> and &s;ince I de&s;ired to forget the ungrateful <HI>Thomiris,</HI> I would not &s;o much as think upon the Country where &s;he dwelt, nor ask any news of it: 'Tis true, &s;ince I came into <HI>A&s;ia</HI> I under&s;tood, that pre&s;ently after my departure from the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> there grew a War between <HI>Arirntes</HI> and <HI>Thomiris,</HI> by rea&s;on of apretention which that Prince had unto the Crowne, but I have &s;uch a confu&s;ed knowledge of it, that you would do me the greate&s;t plea&s;ure in the world if you would be plea&s;ed to tell me, not only all you know concerning <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>Thomiris,</HI> but all the adventures happened unto your &s;elf; and if you will compleatly oblige me, let the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> know it al&s;o: and to induce you unto it, I mu&s;t a&s;&s;ure you that it much concerns the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> (whom you love) you &s;hould oblige a Prince, who certainly will one day be his Conquerour. Since I have nothing to &s;peak concerning the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> which can prejudice him (replied <HI>Adonacris)</HI> but on the contrary, will rather excu&s;e him, I will willingly &s;atisfie your de&s;ires as far as I can: But to tell the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> all that re|lates unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and all that concerns my &s;elf, will be a di&s;cour&s;e &s;o long, that I am a|fraid, con&s;idering my condition, I &s;hall not be able to go through with it: But I have a friend which came unto me this morning, who knows all things as well as I my &s;elf, and who &s;peaks Greek excellently well, he &s;hall relate the matter better then I my &s;elf can.</P>
<P><HI>Indather&s;es</HI> &s;eeing that indeed he was not able to &s;peak &s;o long together, unle&s;s he &s;hould do him&s;elf hurt, though he was indifferent well of his wounds, he accepted of his offer: So <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;ending for his friend, who&s;e name was <HI>Anabaris,</HI> he pre&s;ented him unto <HI>Indather&s;es,</HI> and telling him what office he de&s;ired from him, he prepared him&s;elf for obedience: So that <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> telling him, that he would fir&s;t know what houre <HI>Cyrus</HI> would appoint, and then &s;end him word, he went unto that Prince, and left tho&s;e two il|lu&s;trious <HI>Scithians.</HI> And <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to loo&s;e no time, de&s;ired <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> to bring <HI>Anabaris</HI> unto him that night: So that he &s;ent to &s;eek <HI>Anabaris,</HI> and pre&s;ented him unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who after a very civil reception, de&s;ired him to &s;atisfie his curio&s;ity. Then <HI>Cyrus, Inda|ther&s;es,</HI> and he, each of them taking their places, he began thus.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The History of the Prince <HI>ARIANTES,</HI> of <HI>ELIBESIS,</HI> of <HI>ADONACRIS,</HI> and of <HI>NOROMANTE.</HI></HEAD>
<P>WHen I con&s;ider Sir, by what wayes the Gods do bring the &s;trange&s;t things to pa&s;s, and what that indi&s;&s;olveable Chain of &s;mall things with great ones, and great ones with &s;mall things is, I cannot chu&s;e but admire their order, and acknowledg that it is not fit for men to pry too far into their my&s;teries: Indeed Sir, who can imagine that the vio|lence which the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> hath done unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> had its fir&s;t cau&s;e in the adventures which I am now to relate unto you? And that before ever <HI>Ariantes</HI> knew her, he had done a hundred things which put a di&s;po&s;ition into his Spirit of com|mitting that Crime which now troubles you; yet it is mo&s;t certain, that whil&s;t you were with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and whil&s;t the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> was in the Kingdom of the <HI>I&s;&s;edons</HI> with the young Prince <HI>Spargapi&s;e,</HI> there fell out &s;uch things, as would have prevented this accident if they had not been: Then Sir, I do think it pertinent to tell you, that the Father of <HI>Thomiris</HI> was not born a King, and that when he became one he was already married: Indeed <HI>Thomiris,</HI> who was his then only Daughter, was four years of age when the Prince
<PB N="13" REF="800">
<HI>Lypacari</HI> her Father, by his prudence &amp; valor po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed him&s;elf of the Kingdom of <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> after the death of the la&s;t of their ancient Kings: So as by this means the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> coming into the world two years after <HI>Lypacaris,</HI> a&s;cended the Throne, <HI>Thomiris</HI> was &s;ix years elder then the Prince <HI>Ariantes:</HI> I tell you this Sir, that you may the better under|&s;tand by what right <HI>Thomiris</HI> raigns in prejudice of this Prince; for be plea&s;ed to know, that the <HI>I&s;&s;edons</HI> are &s;o per&s;waded that prudence cannot be found in youth, as without any difference of Sexes, they have a Law, that when their King dies, his elde&s;t Child mu&s;t raign: So as if he have a Daughter elder then a Son, the Crown is hers. Things being thus, and the Father of <HI>Thomiris</HI> dying, this young Prince&s;s, who was then fourteen years of age, was proclaimed Queen, becau&s;e the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> was but eight: And &s;he found her way the more ea&s;ie unto it, becau&s;e the Son unto the late King of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> who was then at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and was deep in Love with that young Prince&s;s, did countenance her cau&s;e by his pre&s;ence, and by his intere&s;t, that &s;o he might unite in her per&s;on two King|doms under one and the &s;ame Authority: And indeed, things went as he wi&s;hed, for <HI>Tho|miris</HI> was declared Queen, and he married her pre&s;ently after: 'Tis true, they &s;tayed not at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> which is the Metropolis of our Kingdome; becau&s;e the King of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;a|gettes</HI> being dead, the Prince his Son carried the Queen his Wife into his own Country, and he carried her thither in double mourning, becau&s;e the Queen his Mother-in-law di|ed al&s;o: So that this Prince carrying the young <HI>Ariantes</HI> with him, by this means he took him out of the peoples &s;ight, le&s;t, murmuring that they had not a King re&s;ident in their own Kingdome, there &s;hould any rebellion begin under his name. In the mean time, this young Prince&s;s being the fir&s;t year delivered of a Succe&s;&s;or, the King her Husband died &s;uddenly, and left <HI>Thomiris</HI> Queen-Regent during the minority of the young <HI>Spar|gapi&s;es,</HI> and left her al&s;o Queen of two Kingdoms. Though this Queen was very young, yet &s;he raigned Soveraignly and ab&s;olutely, and in great glory, making her &s;elf &s;o terri|ble unto all the Grandees and people, that there was not the lea&s;t commotion in either of her Kingdomes. In the mean time, though &s;he was born at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> though that Kingdom was more civilized then the <HI>Ma&s;&s;age<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tes,</HI> though we have their goodly Towns, and though the others habitation be only in Tents, yet &s;he preferred that warlike people before that which was more civil and polite; &s;o as &s;ending Lievtenants unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> &s;he dwelt in Tents Royal. Al&s;o it was her plea&s;ure, that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;hould &s;tay with her, until the People beginning to murmure a little at the exorbitances of tho&s;e &s;he &s;ent to govern them, and then &s;he &s;ent thither the young <HI>Spargapi&s;is</HI> her Son, though he was but a child, to the end his pre&s;ence might appea&s;e all tumults. But becau&s;e that young Prince did love <HI>Arian|tes</HI> very well, <HI>Thomiris</HI> let them both go together, which voyage continued longer then &s;he thought of. This was the voyage Sir which tho&s;e two Princes made when you were with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> during which time, all manner of diver&s;ions were invented among&s;t us to plea&s;e the young <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> and keep him among&s;t us, to the end we might &s;till have him among&s;t us, who was to be our King. Since <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> is a place as plea&s;ant as any what|&s;oever, it was there where <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;tayed mo&s;t; after they had &s;urveighed all the Kingdome. And though <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> was not yet at an age to reli&s;h plea&s;ures, yet &s;ince <HI>Ariantes</HI> was eight years elder then he, the diver&s;ions were mo&s;t for him; Dancings, Fea&s;ts, Balls, and other exerci&s;es of the body were for <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> but walks of Gallan|try, conver&s;ation of Ladies, and civil &s;ociety were for the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> who que&s;tion|le&s;s was already one of the mo&s;t plea&s;ing Princes in the world. Thus whil&s;t he was at <HI>I&s;|&s;edon,</HI> the Court was very magnificent and glorious, &s;ince all the men of Quality and wit in the Kingdome repaired thither, and &s;o of all the Ladies, in&s;omuch as <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> did flou|ri&s;h in a high manner, at lea&s;t, I am &s;ure, that both the <HI>Scithia's</HI> were not comparable to it: Indeed we made a great difference between the <HI>Scithians</HI> and our &s;elves, whom we called <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">arbarians:</HI> The rea&s;on why we were more civilized then they was, becau&s;e we were not very far from the Euxime Sea, and were neer the Ca&s;pian, whereby we had more commerce with &s;trangers then the <HI>Scithians</HI> who lived beyond the craggy Mountains, which divide the two <HI>Scithia's.</HI> So this mixed concour&s;e of many people which inhabit among&s;t us, hath &s;weetened the ferocity of the ancient <HI>Scithians,</HI> and hath civilized us more then the re&s;t. Al&s;o many among&s;t us do hold, that we are de&s;cended from the <HI>Grecians,</HI> as well as the <HI>Callipides,</HI> which are another &s;ort of people among&s;t us, who are reputed <HI>Scithians</HI> as well as we are: So that whether by my fir&s;t mentioned rea&s;ons, or by our original, que|&s;tionle&s;s we are more poli&s;hed then our Neighbours, as I &s;aid before.</P>
<P>But to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eturn from whence I digre&s;&s;ed, give me leave to tell you, that <HI>Adonacris</HI> being
<PB N="14" REF="801">
as accompli&s;hed a man as any is upon Earth, was one who had a great &s;hare in the friend|&s;hip of the&s;e two Princes, e&s;pecially with <HI>Ariantes:</HI> and certainly Sir, he was loved with abundance of rea&s;on, for it was a mo&s;t difficult thing to find out a man of &s;o amiable a compo&s;ure as he. For he was not onely han&s;ome, and of great courage and wit; but he was one that loved his friend as well as any man living: And he had &s;uch an Air and Garb of the world, as he did infinitely plea&s;e at the very fir&s;t &s;ight, and therefore it is no wonder if he plea&s;ed the Prince <HI>Ariantes.</HI> But Sir, as <HI>Adonacris</HI> plea&s;ed this Prince, &s;o he had a Si&s;ter called <HI>Elybe&s;&s;is,</HI> who better plea&s;ed him; and <HI>Ariantes</HI> was &s;o taken with the beauty of this Lady, as I cannot imagine how it is po&s;&s;ible &s;uch a violent pa&s;&s;ion &s;hould cea&s;e, and make room for any other in his heart, whom&s;oever it was. But Sir, be|fore I make any di&s;cription of the beginning, continuance and ending of this love, I mu&s;t acquaint you, how before the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> came unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> there was a man of qua|lity in that town called <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> who was deeply in love with <HI>Elybe&s;&s;is,</HI> and who was &s;o happy as not to be ill in her opinion: So as it may be &s;aid, that <HI>Ariantes</HI> a&s;&s;aulted a place which was already rendered, when he attempted to move the heart of <HI>Elybe&s;&s;is:</HI> But &s;ince that pa&s;&s;ion was kept clo&s;e, this Prince did not at the fir&s;t know, how &s;he whom he loved was engaged.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> did carry it &s;o as it mu&s;t quickly be known whether he loved or no; for he was of a hot and pa&s;&s;ionate temper, his de&s;ires were &s;o many violen|cies, as magnificent in all things as is imaginable; and exceedingly han&s;ome in his clothes. He was well proportioned, brown hair, eyes quick and lively: and his face did &s;o &s;hew the thoughts of his Soul, as it was ea&s;ie to know by the &s;ight of him only, that he had a great and fiery heart, much above his quality. But that you perfectly know this Rival of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> let me tell you that he had a mo&s;t excellent wit, and a quick fancy, full of de|lectable raptures, which makes conver&s;ation plea&s;ant. The truth is, there was a kind of inequality in his humor; for he would be &s;ometimes &s;o unlike him&s;elf, that he would not &s;peak for a whole day together, and &s;ometimes again, he would do nothing but talke; yet it mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed, that this inequality was mo&s;t cau&s;ed by &s;ome men which did not alike plea&s;e him, and &s;ometimes al&s;o it was a pure effect of his humour and temper. Howe|ver, it may be &s;aid of him, that he was &s;ometimes merry, &s;ometimes &s;ad, &s;ometimes complai|&s;ant, &amp; &s;ometimes all contradiction; but let me &s;ay thus much of him, in what humour &s;oe|ver he was, he was always generous, no man in the world being more officious then he: for truly though he loved plea&s;ures with extream eagerne&s;s, yet he would quit them all with joy to do any good office, not only unto his intimate friends, but unto any of any virtue what&s;oever. Moreover as mu&s;ique is natural unto all men; &s;o I think it may be &s;aid of Poe|&s;ie; and that there is no people in the world which u&s;e not an even mea&s;ure of words, which &s;weetly take the ear, and gives an ornament unto their thoughts who write in ver&s;e.</P>
<P>As the <HI>Scithians,</HI> expre&s;ly the <HI>I&s;&s;edons</HI> u&s;e a kind of Poe&s;ie not unplea&s;ing unto tho&s;e who under&s;tood our language: So I dare a&s;&s;ure you Sir, that if you &s;aw the ver&s;es of <HI>A|gather&s;es</HI> and could under&s;tand them, you would admire the &s;ublimity of a <HI>Scythians</HI> Ge|nius. Moreover, when he is in a good humour, his mirth hath &s;uch a kind of &s;urprizing impetuo&s;ity to it, as doth exceedingly divert, and makes him very plea&s;ing: 'Tis true, our Ladies do a little quarrel with him, for not being re&s;pective enough towards the Gods: For the truth is, if any occa&s;ion pre&s;ent it &s;elf, he will mock at <HI>Ve&s;ta,</HI> which we call <HI>Tabiti;</HI> at <HI>Jupiter</HI> and his Eagle; at <HI>Vulian</HI> and his Forge; at <HI>Neptune</HI> and his Trident; at <HI>Hercules</HI> and his Club: at <HI>Mars</HI> and his Paramours, and &s;o at all the re&s;t of our Di|vinities which we and the people adore: Not but that I think he beleeves all that we do; but &s;ince almo&s;t all Religions are e&s;tabli&s;hed upon things which are not of common re&s;em|blance, <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> had got &s;uch a habit of Raillarie which our Ladies can hardly brook. Moreover he made &s;uch an open profe&s;&s;ion of ab&s;olute independency, that it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee that he could not &s;ubject him&s;elf unto any thing but his own will, unle&s;s in being a|morous: But to make a &s;hort definition of him, <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> was excellently accompli&s;h|ed; and de&s;erved a mo&s;t rare Carracter: This is he Sir, who was loved by <HI>Elybe&s;&s;is,</HI> be|fore <HI>Ariantes</HI> was Captivated with her. As for the Lady, it is a piece of extream difficul|ty to make an exact di&s;cription of her humour and &s;pirit. Therefore after I have told you, that &s;he is full, of a tall and han&s;om &s;tature; that &s;he is pale, brown hair, fair eyes, and that the Air of her countenance is noble, langui&s;hing and plea&s;ing: I &s;hall only tell you, that &s;he is as full of wit as ambition, though high in both: And though they &s;ay, one cannot have two violent pa&s;&s;ions at once, yet &s;he was in love with <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> though
<PB N="15" REF="801">
&s;he had a mo&s;t ambitious &s;oul. After this Sir, you may ea&s;ily conceive, that <HI>Ariantes</HI> was neither well nor ill received by <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> when he made his love known unto her, for her engagements unto <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> was the rea&s;on &s;he could not well receive him; al&s;o the ambitious inclination of her &s;oul would not let her treat a man of <HI>Ariantes</HI> quality ill: So as taking the <HI>Medium,</HI> it may be &s;aid, that &s;he was neither &s;weet nor &s;harp unto that Prince.</P>
<P>But Sir, before I engage my &s;elf any further in the &s;equel of this hi&s;tory, give me leave to tell you, that whil&s;t the eyes of all the Court were upon <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>Elibe&s;is, Adona|cris</HI> began to fall in love with a Lady of eminent quality, named <HI>Noromanta,</HI> who was come unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> with her Father upon &s;ome important bu&s;ine&s;s, but he began, and none perceived it, and carried it &s;o cunningly; al&s;o there was &s;uch conformity of humour be|tween them both, as there was &s;carce any need to tell each other that they were in Love; yet <HI>Noromanta</HI> was as re&s;erved in all things, as any woman in the world: And to intere&s;t you Sir in her fortune, I be&s;eech you give me leave to repre&s;ent her unto you as then &s;he was, and as now &s;he is. Imagine her Sir, a great woman, of an advantagious &s;tature, but I mean hand&s;ome and noble, of a high and mode&s;t ayr, her complexion white, fre&s;h and lovely, her eyes black, &s;parkling, and &s;weet, her face round, her mouth well made, her neck full and plump, her garb haughty without any ranting. Moreover, her wit was pro|portionable to her beauty, &s;he &s;peaks well, and per&s;wades with &s;o &s;weet an eloquence, as one has no power to deny. She &s;eems to be all goodne&s;s, all &s;weetne&s;s, all civility, and all &s;incerity; and though her enemies do make a que&s;tion of this la&s;t quality in point of friend|&s;hip, yet they all agree, that though &s;he be not &s;o &s;incere as &s;he &s;eems, yet it is more plea|&s;ing to be deceived by her, then to be faithfully loved by many others; but to &s;peak truly, I am fully per&s;waded, that <HI>Noromanta</HI> is only &s;o, to keep her &s;elf from being deceived, for I hold her one of the be&s;t and mo&s;t &s;incere women in the world unto tho&s;e whom &s;he really loves. Moreover, &s;he hath all requi&s;ite qualities po&s;&s;ible to imprint a re&s;pect in tho&s;e who come unto her, and I do wonder how <HI>Adonacris</HI> dur&s;t tell her that he was in love with her, but chance helped on his boldne&s;s in the di&s;covery of his pa&s;&s;ion, and I do believe, that if <HI>Ariantes</HI> had not been in love with <HI>Elibe&s;is, Adonacris</HI> dur&s;t never have told <HI>Noromanta,</HI> that he loved her: And indeed it was a long time that <HI>Adonacris</HI> had de&s;perately loved <HI>Noromanta,</HI> and &s;poke not a word of it unto her; but this Beauty talk|ing one day unto him when he came to vi&s;it her, &s;he told him mo&s;t &s;weetly, how all the Beauties in <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> envied <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> his Si&s;ter, for captivating the heart of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> for the very truth was, they were all exceedingly netled at it: For my part (&s;aid &s;he, after &s;he had with much eloquence aggravated all the &s;ymptoms of envy which &s;he had ob&s;erved in the minds of all our Ladies) I do not know any greater imbecility in the world, then to be vexed at any &s;uch thing; for if &s;he who is preferred before all the re&s;t has more merit then they have, it is extream inju&s;tice to murmure at it; and if the man who gives the pre|cedency does make an ill choice, it were neither glorious nor rea&s;onable to trouble ones &s;elf for not getting the e&s;teem of a man, who knows not how to make a good choice; and in my opinion, Love is not alwayes a convincing argument of extraordinary merit in tho&s;e who cau&s;e it, &s;ince certainly it is more an effect of inclination, then rea&s;on: It is mo&s;t certain, replied <HI>Adonacris,</HI> That rea&s;on alone never cau&s;es love, but withal, I am per&s;waded, that the love which rea&s;on doth authorize, is a thou&s;and times more &s;trong, then that which rea&s;on doth re&s;i&s;t; and that who&s;oever loves forcibly, mu&s;t be able to tell him&s;elf, that there is no Civil War betwixt his heart and his rea&s;on: I know very well (an&s;wered <HI>Noromanta)</HI> that love would be more &s;trong, if it have rea&s;on for a Pillar, but I do believe that doth not often fall out: I cannot tell whether or no it often fall out (re|plied <HI>Adonacris)</HI> but I am &s;ure it happens &s;omtimes, and happened unto a man whom you do know: Then certainly (replied &s;he) it is the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> who indeed hath all the rea&s;on in the world to love her whom he adores: No, no, an&s;wered <HI>Adonacris,</HI> for though there were nothing but the inequality of Birth betwixt that Prince, and her he loves, <HI>Ariantes</HI> had rea&s;on enough to oppo&s;e his pa&s;&s;ion: But amiable <HI>Noromanta</HI> (&s;aid he unto her) I intend to tru&s;t you with a &s;ecret, and to tell you, that it is my &s;elf of whom I &s;peak; of my &s;elf, I &s;ay, who before ever I was in love, had ever in my fancy an <HI>Idea</HI> of her whom I de&s;ired &s;hould captivate me, and indeed this Image was &s;o imprinted in my mind, that I went unto no place, but I &s;ought whether I could find her out, of whom my rea&s;on had formed an <HI>Idea.</HI> Oh <HI>Adonacris</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Noromanta</HI> craftily, and &s;u&s;pected &s;ome|thing of his pa&s;&s;ion) I &s;uppo&s;e that <HI>Idea</HI> is very fair: For my part, I fancy the mo&s;t ad|mirable
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piece that ever was &s;een; for I am confident, that in forming the beauty of her whom you would love, you would have her hair the faire&s;t in the world, gray eyes, a plea|&s;ant ayr, and I do imagine, you may &s;eek her in all places, but find her no where. Pardon me amiable <HI>Noromanta</HI> (&s;aid he unto her) if I contradict you in all: For fir&s;t; I &s;hall never affect a Flaxen Beauty, nor have I been &s;o unfortunate as you think: For truly (pur&s;ued he and &s;miled) after I had fancied an <HI>Idea</HI> of the rare&s;t Beauty in the world, a brown Beauty, and after I had in vain &s;ought her in more Kingdomes then one, I found her the very &s;ame day you came unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and directly then, when I had the honour to &s;ee you the fir&s;t time: Certainly your memory fails you, (replied <HI>Noromanta</HI> and blu&s;hed) for I do remember very well, that the fir&s;t time I had the honour to &s;ee you, I was alone in my Chamber, when <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> brought you thither: I do very well remem|ber it al&s;o, (replied <HI>Adonacris</HI> and &s;miled) but that is not incongruent with what I told you: For &s;ince I mu&s;t tell you more plainly, it was in your eyes I found that fire which I was in que&s;t of to burn my &s;elf, and it was in your fair per&s;on in whom I found that per|fect Beauty, which I &s;hall never find any where el&s;e: I mu&s;t confe&s;s (replied <HI>Noromanta)</HI> that your language doth &s;urprize me, for either I do not know the world, or if I &s;hould believe you, I mu&s;t an&s;wer you as a man who &s;peaks with too much boldne&s;s; therefore the be&s;t cour&s;e, both for you and my &s;elf is, not to believe you: But by way of your ex|cu&s;e, to think that you are of their opinion, who think they never ought to be alone with a Lady, (unle&s;s old) without expre&s;&s;ions of &s;uch pieces of Gallantry, as will equally &s;uit, ei|ther with the fair or the brown Beauties, either with the great or the little, and talk only with lips, and without con&s;ent either of heart or thought. Oh Madam (&s;aid <HI>Adonacris,</HI> and interrupted her) my language is not of that nature, and it cannot &s;uit with any but you only. Moreover, I do prote&s;t, that my heart makes good all that my tongue &s;peaks, and if I can be accu&s;ed of any thing, it is becau&s;e I dare not fully di&s;cover the greatne&s;s of my affection to you: You have told me &s;o much already, replied &s;he, that I a&s;&s;ure you I think it too much, for as much as I e&s;teem you, I mu&s;t curb my inclination of treating you as one of my deare&s;t friends; I mu&s;t, I &s;ay, &s;hun your company, &s;et a Watch upon my words and looks, and indeed I mu&s;t &s;o far overcome my &s;elf, as (I fear) to hate you.</P>
<P>As <HI>Noromanta</HI> &s;aid &s;o, the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> entred, and did lead <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> &s;o that fur|ther di&s;cour&s;e was broken off, whereof both of them were very glad, for <HI>Adonacris</HI> fear|ed le&s;t <HI>Noromanta</HI> &s;hould treat him ill; and certainly <HI>Noromanta</HI> was not angry that &s;he had no time to do it. But <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> were no &s;ooner entred, then <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> followed them, who ob&s;erving that <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> did not avoid the conver&s;ation of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> was not very well plea&s;ed with her, but was very melancholly all that day, and it was &s;uch a kind of melancholly, as rather re&s;embled anger then &s;orrow, for either he &s;poke not at all, or if he did &s;ay any thing, it was in two words, and tho&s;e contradictory. Moreover, one might perceive by his looks, that the vexation of his heart would not permit him to &s;peak all he thought. I who came in with the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> did never in my life &s;ee a man who&s;e eyes did better &s;peak the thoughts of his &s;oul, then his: <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> al&s;o &s;aw it very well. As for <HI>Ariantes,</HI> he was &s;o taken up with looking upon her he loved, that he never regarded <HI>Agather&s;es;</HI> and to augment his grief, the young <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> entred, who not knowing well what to &s;ay unto <HI>Ladies,</HI> began di&s;cour&s;e with him in particular as &s;oon as he came in: But &s;ince <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> was both witty and bold, he did not long endure this torment: Therefore inventing upon a &s;uddain &s;ome kind of plea&s;ant &s;tory or other, which he made a great &s;ecret of unto this young Prince, and which he thought would fill him full of curio&s;ity, he told him, that <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> did know the whole bu&s;ine&s;s, and that if he would be plea&s;ed to ask it of her in a low voice, &s;o that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> did not hear him, doubtle&s;s &s;he would tell it unto him: But Sir, added he, you mu&s;t pre&s;s her unto it very urgently and long, for I know her humour to be &s;uch, that &s;he will never impart what &s;he knows, until after an hundred entreaties: Nay if that be all (an&s;wered the young <HI>Spar|gapi&s;es</HI> innocently) I will put her to a thou&s;and entreaties, and will not leave her all this day, until &s;he tell it unto me: And accordingly, he went pre&s;ently to <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> and &s;et him&s;elf down by her. Since <HI>Ariantes</HI> was full of re&s;pect unto <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> he withdrew, and gave him the freedome of talk with her.</P>
<P>Thus <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> parted him and <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> he not knowing the cau&s;e. But the be&s;t of the &s;tory is, <HI>Elibe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">s</HI> knew not in all the world what this young Prince meant, and pro|te&s;ted unto him, that &s;he under&s;tood him not. But &s;ince <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> had told him, that &s;he
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would not impart under a hundred intreaties, the more importunate was this young Prince with her, by how much &s;he &s;aid &s;he was ignorant.</P>
<P>But at the la&s;t, &s;he denyed him &s;o earne&s;tly, that he beleeved her, and tormented her no longer: yet notwith&s;tanding &s;ince <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> had &s;o confidently a&s;&s;ured him that &s;he did know it, he &s;aid aloud, that <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> had &s;o a&s;&s;ured him of her ignorance that he be|lieved it was he which was mi&s;taken. I do prote&s;t unto you Sir, (replied <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> boldly) That there is no per&s;on upon earth which knowes what you de&s;ire to know, if <HI>Eli|be&s;is</HI> do not: And indeed he lied not, for &s;ince it was a thing of his own invention, none could know it.</P>
<P>In the mean time, he rallied out the matter &s;o well, that his de&s;ign of &s;eparating <HI>Arian|tes</HI> from <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> did take effect: for he did &s;o cunningly ingage the young <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> to be urgent with <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> that his importunitie la&s;ted all the day, which he thought to be well &s;pent &s;ince he had interrupted his rivall. But that which gave him mo&s;t &s;atisfaction was, that in the conclu&s;ion of <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> ob&s;tinate curio&s;itie, he ob&s;erved that <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> be|gan to &s;u&s;pect his fallacie, &s;o as he went away le&s;s vexed than he was at the beginning of the conver&s;ation: And yet he did not think him&s;elf fully &s;atisfied, untill he had private audience from <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> to tell her of her new Conque&s;t: Therefore the next morning he went unto her &s;o early, that &s;he was not dre&s;t when he entred into her Chamber: And finding her in con&s;ultation with her Mirror, he asked pardon for his abrupt entrance; but he asked it in a manner &s;o little &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive, that <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> knew he was vexed in mind: there|fore ordering the curles of hair more negligently on that &s;ide than the other which was dre&s;&s;ed, to the end her women might retire, &s;he indeavoured to appea&s;e <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> if &s;he could: But tho&s;e who dre&s;&s;ed her were no &s;ooner at the other end of the Chamber, then <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> with a kind of tanting Rallery, and a malicious &s;mile, told her that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> was very happy by his coming to &s;ee her: For Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) if you had continued dre&s;&s;ing your &s;elf with the &s;ame care you began when I entred, he would have found you &s;o fair, that he would have died with love, before you could have had lea|&s;ure to have compa&s;&s;ion upon him. In telling me (replied &s;he and blu&s;ht for anger) that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> had found me fair if he had &s;een me as I &s;hould have been if you had not come; you tacitely imply, that you do not think me fair as I am; but whether it be, that I am not very jealous of my beauty, or that I do not think it depends upon two or three negligent curles: if you did think to anger me, you are extreamly mi&s;taken. If you &s;hould be in earne&s;t Madam (an&s;wered <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> &s;harply) I &s;hould be very &s;orry; for Madam, you are &s;o carefull to di&s;plea&s;e others, that I think it is permittable to wi&s;h &s;ome|times your care le&s;s. I pray <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Elibe&s;is)</HI> without any more exerci&s;ing your wit in tanting terms, tell me what it is you complain of? I complain Madam, (replied he, &s;ince you are plea&s;ed I &s;hould tell you) becau&s;e High Quality dazles your eyes; and be|cau&s;e you think I ought rather to &s;uffer the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> to love you, than a man of my condition: Yet Madam, I mu&s;t tell you, that in ca&s;es of Rivals, quality is nothing; &s;laves and Kings are all one: In all other things, I do re&s;pect Kings and Princes as much as be|comes my duty; but in matters of love, I prote&s;t Madam, that I do not value their quality: and though you make a great difference between <HI>Ariantes</HI> and others, yet I &s;hall not; but &s;hall look upon him as my Rivall without any con&s;ideration of <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> uncle, or <HI>Thomiris</HI> brother. And to the end you may not doubt of what I &s;ay (Pur&s;ued he with ex|tream violence) I &s;wear unto you by <HI>Ve&s;ta,</HI> by <HI>Hercules,</HI> by <HI>Mars,</HI> by <HI>Venus,</HI> by <HI>Neptune,</HI> and by all the gods which we adore, that I will be as good as my word: Since it is allowable to correct ones fir&s;t thoughts upon &s;ome occa&s;ions, replied <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> I hope that when your anger is over, you will alter your mind: Nay Madam, as for that, replied he, I &s;hall change; and therefore you may build upon what I &s;ay, for really I cannot indure you &s;hould be capable of any &s;uch imbecility. I do prote&s;t unto you Sir, (&s;aid &s;he then unto him) that you have no rea&s;on in the earth to complain: and if you would have me di&s;co|ver my heart unto you, I will ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s that its true, Ambition is the predomi|nate Pa&s;&s;ion of my Soul; and that the onely rea&s;on of my-&s;light complacency unto the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> is, becau&s;e I know that I do thereby vex all the beauties of <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> by po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing that Prince &s;o much that he never &s;peaks unto them.</P>
<P>I know very well Madam, replied he, that you do vex them, in cau&s;ing the Prince <HI>Ari|antes</HI> never to &s;peak unto them: but you may know withall, that you vex me extreamly, by perpetuall talking with him. Since he is not to &s;tay here, replied &s;he, me thinks it need not trouble you &s;o much: and truely how do you think I can be uncivill unto a man of
<PB N="18" REF="803">
his Qualitie? Oh Madam, cried he out, it is not Qualitie that ju&s;tifies a Rivall; for I have already told you, and do tell you again, that Qualitie is no rea&s;onable cau&s;e of Incon|&s;tancie: And as for Ambition Madam, believe it Madam, that there is more glory in &s;lighting a Prince then in treating him favourably.</P>
<P>Moreover, how can I a&s;&s;ure my &s;elf of your mind, and how can the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> a&s;|&s;ure him&s;elf, if you &s;hould quit me for him? For truely he is a Prince without a Princi|pality, and there are a thou&s;and in the world whom you would prefer before him, if you had the fortune to know them: and if chance &s;hould &s;o bring it about that <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> &s;hould fall in love with you; you will quit <HI>Ariantes</HI> who is never to be a King, for <HI>Spar|gapi&s;es</HI> who ere long is to have a Kingdome: Al&s;o if the &s;ame fortune (pur&s;ued he in a &s;coffing Rallery) &s;hould let you &s;ee either the King of <HI>Phrigia,</HI> the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> or the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> you would for any of them quit the King of the <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> and &s;o pa&s;|&s;ing from King to King, if <HI>Jupiter</HI> &s;hould take a phancie to pro&s;titute one of the gods at your feet, or to come upon his Eagle to do you homage, you would then be unfaithfull unto all terre&s;triall Kings, to entertain the lea&s;t of the gods: Oh I be&s;eech you <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) do not u&s;e &s;uch reverent names to &s;hew the folly of your mind, if you would have me to appea&s;e you: I care not for appearing, (&s;aid he unto her) but I would either ju&s;tifie you, or el&s;e make you repent of the inju&s;tice you have done me. If I have failed I will repent, &s;aid &s;he unto him, but &s;ince I have not, I mu&s;t needs prote&s;t that you are very injurious to complain: That the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> did never di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;s you of that place which you had in my heart: And that unle&s;s he were able to make me &agrave; Queen, I will never be more unto him than I am. I pray judge then whether a Prince without a Principality (as you &s;ay) be able to give me a Crown. Since in all likelyhood (replied he and &s;miled) Fortune will never do Ju&s;tice unto your merit, nor find you a King to &s;et you upon a Throne; me thinks you might very well &s;peak more obligingly unto me than you have done, and to tell me, that though Fortune would make you a Queen, and that a great one, yet you would not make me the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man upon earth. But however, &s;ince you a&s;&s;ure me that none under the degree of a King, &s;hall ever &s;upplant me in your opinion, my &s;oul will be at &s;ome re&s;t. I will promi&s;e you as much, replied &s;he, upon condition you will not move me to alter my way of living with <HI>Ariantes</HI> while&s;t he &s;tayes here. For I mu&s;t profe&s;s unto you, that I cannot endure the reports of &s;uch as envie me, who doubtle&s;s will &s;ay, that I would never have changed my way of living with the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> but for the love of you, moreover it will much concern your intere&s;t and fortune: Alas Ma|dam, replied he, as for my fortune it is not a rea&s;on to be alledged unto me: for I think upon nothing but pre&s;erving you: No, no, Madam, deceive not your &s;elf, that is not the way to bring me unto your opinion; and therefore be confident, that as long as it con|cerns onely my Fortune, I will with abundance of joy &s;acrifice it all, to have &s;o much &s;ati&s;|faction as to &s;ee you treat the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;harply: But &s;till I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that if it reflect upon your honour, I will have as great a care of it as your &s;elf, and therefore I do con&s;ent you &s;hould be &s;omething civill towards that Prince; Provided Madam, you have a little care of comforting me in this di&s;pair that I am in, and provided you do multiply your goodne&s;s towards me: for if you do not, I &s;hall lo&s;e all my patience, and be forced to do &s;uch things as will di&s;plea&s;e both you and my &s;elf when I have done them. Think upon it therefore Madam, and con&s;ider what it is to incen&s;e a Lover who hath a &s;oul both high and &s;en&s;ible, and who in the very center of his heart prefers none before him, but &s;uch as have more vertue and merit than him&s;elf.</P>
<P>The truth is, Madam, (pur&s;ued he vehemently) if you &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider it you will find, that qualitie doth not infu&s;e any wit into the words of him who &s;peaks; nor alters his &s;ence, nor doth at all contribute unto di&s;cour&s;e: Therefore you need not wonder I &s;hould take it ill that you &s;hould be perfidious unto me for <HI>Ariantes</HI> his &s;ake, though a Prince, more then if he were my equall. After this, the violence of his mind being by degrees cooled, he began to talk mo&s;t &s;ubmi&s;&s;ively unto <HI>Elibe&s;is;</HI> and was &s;o full of his pa&s;&s;ionate expre&s;&s;ions, as in the end he permitted her to continue her complacency unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> as &s;he had begun, while&s;t he &s;tayed at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> which he thought would not be long: &s;o that they parted very good friends; yet they continued not long &s;o, for I do not think one day pa&s;&s;ed without a &s;quable and a reconcilement.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Ariantes</HI> being &s;till more and more in the fetters of love, and not being &s;atisfied with the bare civilitie of <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> he re&s;olved to tell her his mind: But &s;ince her re&s;olution was to ca&s;t him off, and to engage no further with him; he &s;hunned
<PB N="19" REF="803">
being alone with him; but &s;till continued her complai&s;ancy: &s;o as by this means, &s;he &s;atisfied <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> and arrived at her propo&s;ed end, which was, to keep this Prince &s;till in love with her as long as he &s;tayed at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> only by being complacential and civil. Thus as great a de&s;ire as <HI>Ariantes</HI> had to expre&s;s the thoughts of his Soul, he found it a hard matter to do: and the harder, becau&s;e <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> had a friend called <HI>Argyri&s;pe</HI> whom &s;he entreated never to be out of her pre&s;ence as long as the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> was at <HI>I&s;&s;edon:</HI> So that the&s;e two Ladies being continually together, this lover could not meet with his de&s;ired opportunity. Again, &s;ince love cannot long lye hidden, he came to know that <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> did not hate <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> but this in lieu of dimini&s;hing his pa&s;&s;ion, did augment it: and it grew to that height that he was capable of any undertaking to &s;atisfie it. Al&s;o he did &s;o vigilantly watch his opportunity of talking in private with <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> that he found it mauger her intentions a few dayes after he &s;ought it: I under&s;tood &s;ince from her &s;elf, that this Prince did expre&s;s him&s;elf as pa&s;&s;ionately as ever lover did: For after he had aggra|vated the Grandure of his affection, he let her know how he was not ignorant of that e&s;teem &s;he had of <HI>Agather&s;es:</HI> And afterwards he took an odd cour&s;e of obliging her to prefer him before that Lover. Moreover, Madam, &s;aid he unto her (after much of her di&s;cour&s;e) do not think I will blame you for the e&s;teem you have of <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> and for preferring him before all others: For truely it was your choice before I had the honour to be known unto you, and <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> is a mo&s;t perfectly accompli&s;hed man: &s;o I cannot condemn what you have done for him before I knew you, and before I loved you: And to &s;hew you that I am ju&s;t, I do not blame <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> for continuing his affection, though he do know I love you, becau&s;e I know very well that you have not forbidden him. But Madam, as I am ju&s;t both unto you, and <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> &s;o I expect you &s;hould be ju&s;t unto me, and that you will be plea&s;ed to take &s;o much pains as to examine both my pa&s;&s;ion and his, to the end, that without any con&s;ideration of our conditions and qualities, you may chu&s;e him who loves you be&s;t. But I be&s;eech you examine the bu&s;ine&s;s very care|fully; ask both him and me the mo&s;t difficult proofs of our loves: And if you finde that there is a greater difference between his Pa&s;&s;ion and mine, then there is between my birth and his, I con&s;ent you &s;hould believe I do not love you, and that you &s;hould hate me. Sir, replied <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> I will not &s;ay that there is no intimate affection from <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> to me or from me to him: for the honour you have done me merits more &s;incerity from me than &s;o: but I mu&s;t tell you that though I &s;hould do as you de&s;ire, and &s;hould find that you love me more than <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> doth, yet I ought not to ca&s;t him off: For truely Sir, our qualities are alike, and it hath plea&s;ed Fortune to put me much below you: &s;o as &s;ince I cannot imagine there &s;hould be any innocent affection between two of unequall qualities: doubtle&s;s to follow the rules of rea&s;on, I ought to be ju&s;t unto your merit, and not &s;uffer my &s;elf to be dazled with the glory of captivating &s;uch a heart as yours. Truely Madam, replied <HI>Ariantes,</HI> you cannot in more civill tearms tell me, that you will not ca&s;t off <HI>Aga|ther&s;es;</HI> but know (too charming <HI>Elibe&s;is)</HI> there are no words which can make me re|ceive &s;o cruell an an&s;wer without abundance of grief and anger: Eloquence may indeed &s;weeten the har&s;he&s;t news, and &s;ometimes it is u&s;ed in telling the deaths of deare&s;t friends: but when it is imployed to take hopes out of a lovers heart it is too too weak to do it with|out abundance of &s;orrow.</P>
<P>But that you may a&s;&s;ure your &s;elf it is impo&s;&s;ible for me to lo&s;e my hopes, I declare unto you, that I will never do it: For I find &s;uch an ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibilitie of living with|out hopes of your love that my very rea&s;on tells me, I mu&s;t keep it alive in my heart. Since &s;o Sir, (replied <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> and &s;miled) It is in vain to wi&s;h you would de&s;pair, and there|fore I conceive it better to give you the liberty of believing as you plea&s;e, provided I may keep to my &s;elf the &s;ame liberty of doing what I ought, and what I would. If you doe what you ought Madam, replied <HI>Ariantes,</HI> you will doe nothing again&s;t me: For truely though it were &s;o that you gave <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> &s;ome hopes of happine&s;s, it was in a time when his happine&s;s would not have been my mi&s;ery: But now when his happine&s;s will be my death, you ought not to de&s;ire it, nor I con&s;ent unto it: Therefore Madam, I be&s;eech you con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly what you re&s;olve upon: Moreover I am &s;o well acquainted with your inclinations that I know ambition is the predominate Pa&s;&s;ion of your &s;oul: So as if the poore merits of my per&s;on do not move you, yet I be&s;eech you let my qualitie finde acceptance and make amends: and let <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> pay more re&s;pects unto <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> as a Prince&s;s then he can do, as her Lover.</P>
<P>Sir, (replied &s;he much perplexed) your language is the mo&s;t obliging in the world, and
<PB N="20" REF="804">
hath a mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible operation, both upon my heart and my &s;pirits: But &s;ince I mu&s;t not di&s;&s;emble with you Sir, I mu&s;t tell you Sir, I have already told <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> I will never ca&s;t him off, unle&s;s it be to be a Queen. Therefore Sir, &s;ince I am not your Subject; &s;ince you have no ab&s;olute command over me; and &s;ince I have promi&s;ed unto him eternall af|fection, I be&s;eech you be &s;o good as to let me live in quietne&s;s. If you Madam would let me live in quietne&s;s (replied he after he had &s;tudied a while) certainly I &s;hall let you: but &s;ince you will not, take it not ill, I be&s;eech you if I let not you: but I conjure you Madam, to promi&s;e me two things: The fir&s;t is, that you will not marry <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> within the compa&s;s of one year: The &s;econd, that if in the mean time a King do come and pro&s;trate a Crown at your feet you will accept of it and ca&s;t off <HI>Agather&s;es:</HI> Alas Sir, (replied <HI>Elybe&s;&s;is,</HI> and laughed) How can I give any an&s;wer unto &s;uch an impo&s;&s;ible &s;uppo&s;ition? For truely I do not frequent the Court of any &s;trange King: Long live <HI>Thomiris</HI> our Queen; and <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> is &s;o young that I &s;hall be old before &s;he know how to love, and therefore I profe&s;s I know not how to an&s;wer you.</P>
<P>Since the thing is &s;o far from po&s;&s;ibilitie, replied <HI>Ariantes,</HI> there can be no danger in an|&s;wering it, &s;ince it is not like to happen. Truly Sir, replied &s;he, I think you are in the right: Therefore Sir, I will tell you, that as to the fir&s;t of your things whereof you &s;peak, <HI>Agather|&s;es</HI> cannot think of marrying me within the time you have pre&s;cribed, becau&s;e both his af|fairs and mine will not permit it: And as for the other, I tell you again, &s;ince you will have me; That if a King do come and offer me a Crown, and <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> do not advice me to accept, then I think I &s;hall, becau&s;e I &s;hould then think he did not love me, and con&s;e|quently might break off with him. And for my part (&s;aid <HI>Ariantes</HI> and interrupted her) I conceive that if he &s;hould advi&s;e you to accept of it, you would have good cau&s;e to accu&s;e him for want of love; and therefore whether he advi&s;e you or not, &s;till ye ought to prefer a King before a Subject, and rather chu&s;e to be a Queen than the Mi&s;tre&s;s of <HI>Agather&s;es.</HI> Se|riou&s;ly, Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> then) you &s;well my joyes to hear you talk thus; and truly I cannot be better plea&s;ed, then to know that all you have &s;aid are but fla&s;hes of plea&s;ant wit: Time Madam will &s;hew that, replied <HI>Ariantes,</HI> in the mean time remember you have promi&s;ed me not to marrie <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> within one year; and that if in this time, a King comes and begs of you upon his knees to be a Queen, you will accept of the Crown he offers you; The&s;e are very ea&s;ie to be promi&s;ed, replied <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> and laughed: for truly Sir, I have no de&s;ire to marry any who&s;oever: and I am, and ever &s;hall as long as I live be de&s;irous of being a Queen, as far as I may de&s;ire it without folly. After this much com|pany coming in, the di&s;cour&s;e changed, and <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> was put into a notable dilemma: for the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> was &s;o full of tender expre&s;&s;ions in the beginning of their di&s;cour&s;e, and afterwards told &s;uch things &s;o improbable, that &s;ometimes &s;he feared he mocked her. But otherwi&s;e &s;he had &s;o good an opinion of his merit, that &s;he hath &s;ince &s;aid; &s;he had more rea&s;on to belive that the violence of <HI>Ariantes</HI> love unto her cau&s;ed him to tell her of &s;uch improbabilities, then to think he &s;poke not &s;eriou&s;ly when he &s;aid he loved her: However it be, &s;he &s;pake not a word unto <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> of all that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> had &s;aid unto her: for though &s;he did not &s;ee any po&s;&s;ibility in the propo&s;ition which he made her; yet &s;ince &s;he did not de&s;ire to lo&s;e this Prince, though &s;he intended to keep <HI>Agather|&s;es,</HI> &s;he would not acquaint him with the conference.</P>
<P>But Sir, to the end you may not wonder as well as <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> why <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;hould &s;peak as he did; be plea&s;ed to know, that an <HI>I&s;&s;edonian</HI> of great qualitie had been with <HI>Ariantes</HI> that morning, and per&s;waded him to think of making him&s;elf King, and al&s;o offered him the means how to bring it to pa&s;s. At fir&s;t, the propo&s;ition &s;eemed unto the Prince not onely as unju&s;t, but as impo&s;&s;ible. Yet &s;ince he would not reject the motion without more &s;erious con&s;ideration, he pre&s;&s;ed the man who &s;poke unto him, who&s;e name was <HI>Octoma&s;a|des,</HI> to tell him upon what motives he grounded &s;o great a de&s;ign. Sir, (replied he, as I under&s;tood from him&s;elf) I fir&s;t ground it upon Ju&s;tice, and &s;econdly upon your courage: and upon the earne&s;t de&s;ire of the people to have a King who will &s;tay in <HI>I&s;&s;edon.</HI> For Sir, the Law by which <HI>Thomiris</HI> reigns to your prejudice, is, that the elde&s;t &s;on or the elde&s;t daughter unto the King of the <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> ought to &s;ucceed in the Throne: &s;ince &s;o, &s;aid <HI>Ariantes</HI> the reign of <HI>Thomiris</HI> is ju&s;t, for &s;he is &s;ix years elder then I. No Sir, replied <HI>Octoma&s;ades,</HI> and thus I will make it good: The Law of the Kingdom &s;ayes, that the elde&s;t childe of the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> &s;hall reign: Now when <HI>Thomiris</HI> was born the Prince <HI>Lypacaris</HI> your father and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> was not King, and in all likelyhood was never like to be; &s;o as &s;he cannot truly be called the elde&s;t daughter unto the King of the <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> &s;ince
<PB N="21" REF="804">
when &s;he came into the world her Father was not King: So Sir, &s;ince you were born two years after <HI>Lypacaris</HI> wore the Crown, it is you Sir who are the Kings right born, though he had a Daughter before; and to &s;peak equitably, <HI>Thomiris</HI> is Daughter unto the Prince <HI>Lipacaris,</HI> and you are Son unto the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edons.</HI> After this Sir, I think you need not doubt the Ju&s;tice of your Title and Right, or at the lea&s;t of a very plau&s;ible pretence. Moreover, all the people do exceedingly murmure at the remotene&s;s of that Prince&s;s who prefers her Tents before our &s;tately Towns, in&s;omuch, as I am very confident, that if you will plea&s;e to think of a&s;cending the Throne, you may do it with much ea&s;e, I will of|fer my life and fortunes in your &s;ervice, and al&s;o engage all my friends, which are no &s;mall number.</P>
<P><HI>Airantes</HI> hearing <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> &s;peak thus, &s;tood pau&s;ing a while, and returned no an|&s;wer: But &s;ince he had a very generous &s;oul naturally, until love did alter his inclination, he hearkened unto what <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> &s;aid, rather as a &s;ubtilty to make him revolt from <HI>Thomiris,</HI> then as a real rea&s;on to pretend unto the Crown which &s;he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed: So not accepting his offer, he only thanked him for his zeal which he expre&s;&s;ed unto him. But Sir, by this which I &s;hall now tell you, you may admire the omnipotence of Love. <HI>Ariantes</HI> who hearkened unto <HI>Octoma&s;ades,</HI> as I told you, did change his minde whil&s;t he was talk|ing with <HI>Elib &s;is,</HI> for having di&s;covered the unlimitable ambition of her &s;oul, he re&s;ol|ved to attempt that out of love, which he refu&s;ed out of ambition; &s;o as it may very well be &s;aid, that his de&s;ire of raigning only in the heart of <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> moved him unto a de&s;ire of raigning over the <HI>I&s;&s;edons:</HI> And indeed this was the only rea&s;on of his Speech unto <HI>E|libe&s;is,</HI> when he engaged her to promi&s;e not to marry <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> within one year, and to accept of a Crown if it were offered her, imagining that within the compa&s;s of this time, his enterprize might either be executed or fru&s;trated: But Sir, it was more then a light thought which love in&s;pired into him, for it was a de&s;ign fully re&s;olved upon, and a de&s;ign which he began to &s;et on foot immediately, in order to which, he &s;ent for <HI>Octoma&s;ades,</HI> and that rea&s;on which before he hearkened unto as a &s;ubtilty, appeared now unto him the ju&s;te&s;t title in the world: So that conferring with him, they concluded upon the mat|ter, and re&s;olved that <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;hould upon &s;ome pretence let <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> return, when|&s;oever <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;hould call him home; that in the mean time <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;hould make as many friends as he could, that <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> &s;hould labour all his, that the people &s;hould be diverted with publike Fea&s;ts, and to have men about him, who know how to in&s;inu|ate thoughts fit for the execution of &s;o great a de&s;ign: Furthermore, they framed a De|claration, to manife&s;t, that the War which <HI>Ariantes</HI> undertook, was ju&s;t, and their main drift was to make them&s;elves ma&s;ters of <HI>I&s;&s;edon.</HI> But whil&s;t <HI>Ariantes</HI> was bu&s;ied in &s;ati&s;|fying his Love by his ambition, <HI>Adonacris,</HI> who had only the thoughts of love upon his &s;oul, did every day by degrees unperceivedly get new e&s;teem in the heart of the fair and charming <HI>Noromanta;</HI> and as tho&s;e who have only one de&s;ign in hand, do execute it bet|ter then tho&s;e who have many &s;everal things in hand; &s;o therefore, <HI>Adonacris</HI> having no other de&s;ign, then to get the love of <HI>Noromanta,</HI> it is no wonder if he did in a &s;hort time effectuate it, for truly he was infinitely officious, and he was &s;o a&s;&s;iduous in his vi&s;its, that he &s;aw her at all houres when decency would permit. <HI>Noromanta</HI> on her &s;ide, having a violent inclination towards <HI>Adonacris,</HI> did but faintly re&s;i&s;t him, and did in&s;en&s;ibly &s;uf|fer her heart to be engaged in an affection which &s;he dur&s;t not call love, le&s;t &s;he &s;hould be obliged to re&s;i&s;t and overcome it. 'Tis true, this Love had all the purity in it that was po&s;&s;ible, nor do I think any pa&s;&s;ion in the world could be more refined, or more vertuous then theirs: Nor would <HI>Noromanta</HI> accu&s;tome <HI>Adonacris</HI> to talk to her of his love, though &s;he was very willing he &s;hould love her, and give her a thou&s;and expre&s;&s;ions of it, but her mode&s;ty was &s;o &s;crupulous, that &s;he would not let him know her minde.</P>
<P>However &s;ince &s;he knew her father did not love to live at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> &s;he could not hope that though <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;hould aske his con&s;ent, yet he would never grant it: And <HI>Ado|nacris</HI> who had a father of an imperious and fanta&s;tical humor, he knew not how to make any &s;uch propo&s;ition unto him as a marriage with <HI>Noromata;</HI> who though of a very no|ble family, yet &s;he was not rich enough for him. However, though neither of them could &s;ee any hopes of living together, yet they loved each other, and loved without telling each other of it. But yet <HI>Adonacris</HI> was not very obedient; but he complained of that which he was forbidden to complain: And the fair <HI>Noromanta,</HI> for all her demure carriage of the matter did &s;ometimes let <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;ee the thoughts of her &s;oul in her eyes. So that whil&s;t <HI>Ariantes</HI> had a heart that was ravelled both with love and ambition;
<PB N="22" REF="805">
while&s;t the heart of <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> was &s;welled with jealou&s;ie, and whil&s;t <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> knew not well which &s;he &s;hould chu&s;e, and which refu&s;e: <HI>Adonacris</HI> and <HI>Noromata</HI> did live lives as &s;weet as almo&s;t po&s;&s;ible; for they equally loved each other: and they loved without being known unto any, and they &s;aw one another every day: Yet love being a wonder|ous unquiet and re&s;tle&s;s pa&s;&s;ion, which will never let a heart be at re&s;t, <HI>Adonacris</HI> had ma|ny houres of &s;orrow and melahcholy: And truly when he con&s;idered that as well as his dear <HI>Noromata</HI> loved him, perhaps he &s;hould never arive at his full de&s;ired happine&s;s, the very apprehen&s;ion of the future, made him think the pre&s;ent very mi&s;erable: But for all that though his fears of an uncertain mi&s;ery, did &s;ometimes grieve him, yet &s;ince he en|joyed the e&s;teem of <HI>Noromata,</HI> he was comforted and cheared up his hopes: So that the&s;e two per&s;ons having nothing in their Souls to conceal from each other, did make &s;uch a &s;weet and innocent exchange of &s;ecrets, and &s;uch an agreeable and &s;incere commu|nication of thoughts, that their hearts were more united then ever. <HI>Adonacris</HI> obtain|ed &s;o much favour, as to write &s;ometimes unto her: not but that he &s;aw her every day; but &s;ince it often fell out that much company was with her, he de&s;ired &s;o much li|berty as to tell her that by letter, which he would not tell her before the world: And &s;ince it is more civil for a mode&s;t per&s;on to read a letter of tenderne&s;s, then to hear it, <HI>Adonacris</HI> did write &s;uch pa&s;&s;ionate pa&s;&s;ages unto <HI>Noromata,</HI> that &s;he had no mind to under&s;tand them: Al&s;o &s;he would &s;ometimes an&s;wer him, otherwi&s;e then &s;he dur&s;t tell him, with tongue. But though <HI>Adonacris</HI> and <HI>Noromata</HI> did enjoy much tranquility; yet it was not &s;o with <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elibe&s;is:</HI> For though this lover did &s;uffer her to continue her civilities unto <HI>Ariantes</HI> whil&s;t he &s;taid at <HI>I&s;&s;edon;</HI> yet he could not endure it, and &s;ometimes did forget both his promi&s;e unto <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> and his re&s;pects unto <HI>Ari|antes.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> being neither in love, nor was ambitious, he imployed his times in &s;uch things as Princes of his age u&s;e to delight in: And whil&s;t <HI>Ariantes</HI> was plotting to di&s;throne him, to the end he might take the heart of <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> from <HI>Agather|&s;es:</HI> poor <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> was delighting him&s;elf in his plea&s;ures. Things &s;tanding upon the&s;e terms, it was known in <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> that you Sir, was with <HI>Thomiris,,</HI> and al&s;o all your adven|tures: So that <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> Sir, clo&s;ing with an occa&s;ion which was &s;o favorable unto his de&s;ign, did cunningly publi&s;h to the people, the Queens pa&s;&s;ionate doating upon you, how &s;he would arre&s;t you, and how you got out of her power, by the means of the prince <HI>Inda|ther&s;es,</HI> adding many things more then truth, purpo&s;ely to take off that e&s;teem which the people had of her; for he knew very well there was no better way to make them revolt, then to take away that re&s;pect which they had unto that Prince&s;s. And indeed, the de|&s;ign of <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> did take effect: for a&s;&s;oon as the people knew all pa&s;&s;ages in the Tents Royal, they murmured from murmur, they began to be in&s;olently high: and from in&s;olency they fell to flat &s;edition: &s;o as things did grow up to the highe&s;t pitch of di&s;or|der: And Sir, you mu&s;t know that <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> did not do all this out of any affection un|to <HI>Ariantes,</HI> nor out of any hatred unto <HI>Thomiris;</HI> but only out of his own particular am|bition. But he carryed the matter &s;o that in a &s;hort time he gained all the Grandees in the State, he changed or divided all the peoples hearts: and he knew &s;o well how to make u&s;e both of his friends and enemies, that all was in a flame, and all without any danger to him: For <HI>Thomiris</HI> was &s;o drowned in her &s;orrows for your departure Sir, that &s;he cared not a &s;traw what became of her Dominions. Yet before the bu&s;ine&s;s came to execution, <HI>Octoma|&s;ades</HI> thought it expedient to tarry till <HI>Thomiris</HI> called home <HI>Spargapi&s;es:</HI> And indeed the wi&s;e <HI>Terez,</HI> whom you &s;aw with that Prince&s;s, moving her to &s;end for the Prince her &s;on and <HI>Ariantes, Spargapi&s;es</HI> obeyed, and <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;tayed at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> under pretence of be|ing &s;ick, and a&s;&s;uring the young Prince his Nephew, that he would &s;hortly follow him. But Sir, he was no &s;ooner gone, then <HI>Ariantes</HI> did &s;et his de&s;ign on foot: And <HI>Octoma|&s;ades</HI> having cajoled with the town, and all his friends were per&s;waded that if <HI>Ariantes</HI> were once King, it would be <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> that would Reign under his name. And the people were &s;o incen&s;ed, and &s;o apt for &s;edition, as it was very ea&s;ie to move them again&s;t him whom the Prince&s;s had tru&s;ted with her Authority; al&s;o to drive him out of the Town, and make the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> ma&s;ter of it. And indeed, &s;ince he had no Army which could come up time enough to appea&s;e this di&s;order: <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> did happily ex|ecute his de&s;ign of fei&s;ing upon <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and began war in the very heart of the Kingdom. I &s;hall not Sir, in&s;i&s;t upon any particulat relation of the whole bu&s;ine&s;s; for I have &s;o ma|ny other pa&s;&s;ages le&s;s tedious to tell you, that I will only in two words tell you, that the
<PB N="23" REF="805">
people by the Artefice of <HI>Octoma&s;ades,</HI> did rebel: &s;ome &s;aid according as they were in|&s;pired, that <HI>Ariantes</HI> was their legitimate King, and that <HI>Thomiris</HI> did but u&s;urp the King|dom of <HI>I&s;&s;edons</HI> from him: others did &s;econd them, and all proclaimed <HI>Ariantes</HI> King, who took up arms and drove the Lievetenant of <HI>Thomiris</HI> out of the Kingdom, and &s;e|cured all the &s;trong places of the Town: And all this in &s;o &s;hort a time, that it had been done without any re&s;i&s;tance, if <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> had not been a rub unto his de&s;ign: But Sir, &s;ince the pa&s;&s;ages were extraordinary, I be&s;eech you give me leave to in&s;i&s;t a little long|er upon them. Be plea&s;ed to know therefore Sir, that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> who&s;e mind was en|flamed with love and jealou&s;ie, he vi&s;ited <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> as much as he could; not only be|cau&s;e he was plea&s;ed with the &s;ight of her, but becau&s;e he would hinder <HI>Ariantes</HI> from all private di&s;cour&s;e: &s;o as when this great tumult was in <HI>I&s;&s;edon, Agather&s;es</HI> was with <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> who lodged far from that part of the town where the &s;edition began; in &s;o much as <HI>Arian|tes</HI> was ma&s;ter of a great part of the Town before they knew it. But at la&s;t, the di&s;order was &s;o great and univer&s;all, that the noi&s;e of it reached their ears, and interrupted <HI>Agather|&s;es,</HI> who was di&s;cour&s;ing with <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> both concerning his love and his jealou&s;ie: As they were much &s;urpri&s;ed at &s;o great a noi&s;e, and full of curio&s;itie to know the cau&s;e; one of the women of <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> came frighted in, and told her mi&s;tre&s;s that all the town was in arms: That <HI>Ariantes</HI> would make him&s;elf King and that none dur&s;t re&s;i&s;t him. You may well imagine Sir, that this news filled <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> with wonder: yet <HI>Agather|&s;es</HI> believed that <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> did not onely &s;eem fuller of wonder than really &s;he was, and that &s;he knew &s;omething of the de&s;ign: For I forgot to tell you Sir; that the night before, <HI>A|riantes</HI> talked at lea&s;t two howers together of his pa&s;&s;ion with her, and <HI>A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ather&s;es</HI> knew it. So that this Lover, hearing his Rivall would be King, and fearing lea&s;t he &s;hould become his Subject, his &s;orrows were beyond expre&s;&s;ion: and the more, becau&s;e he believed or at lea&s;t feared, that <HI>Elebe&s;is</HI> was Prince to the plot and approved of it: &s;o as not knowing what to believe, or not to believe, he looked fixedly upon <HI>Elebe&s;is,</HI> as if his eyes would look into the very bottom of her heart; I have rea&s;on to think Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) that you are acquainted with the unju&s;t proceedings of the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> &s;ince you told me once, that unle&s;s you were a Queen, I was in no danger of lo&s;ing you: But know Madam, that &s;ince I am as faithfull a Subject as a Lover, and as terrible an enemy as a Ri|vall, the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> is not yet in a condition to offer you a Crown; and he &s;hall never &s;et you upon the Throne, untill after he hath &s;ent me to my grave: Let me therefore leave you Madam, and either go meet death, or give it him, who removes me out of your heart: For I do profe&s;s I can never live a Subject, either unto my Rivall or my mi&s;tre&s;s: And I &s;wear by all the gods that are adored at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> or any where el&s;e in the world, that I will never be your Subject or <HI>Ariantes:</HI> After this <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> went his way though <HI>Ele|be&s;is</HI> would have &s;tayed him: for though &s;he was ambitious and de&s;ired to pre&s;erve <HI>Ari|antes,</HI> yet &s;he loved <HI>Agather&s;es:</HI> But it was in vain to recall him; for &s;ince the noi&s;e in|crea&s;ed <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> tran&s;ported with rage and fury, would needs go and &s;ee if he could find any means to qua&s;h the Rivals de&s;ign: &s;o as he went out at a back door, lea&s;t he &s;hould be compa&s;&s;ed about with a croud of &s;editious people, and not know what to do.</P>
<P>But he was no &s;ooner got out, then he met one of his friends, who with a hundred men onely would &s;eize upon a For or Tower, which <HI>Ariantes</HI> was not yet ma&s;ter of: So as <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> without more delay went with this party to oppo&s;e <HI>Ariantes.</HI> But before they could get into this Tower, they met with this Prince, and fought him with incredible va|lour: As for <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> he did as much as any jealous Lover could, who fought with his Rivall: and he made his way &s;o through the pre&s;s and got unto the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> who &s;eeing him come on &s;o furiou&s;ly, received him with the &s;ame vigour, the other a&s;&s;aulted him asking him for all the tumult, whether he fought, as &s;ubject unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> or as the lover of <HI>Elebe&s;is?</HI> I fight (replied he fiercely) to hinder you from being King; to hinder <HI>Elebe&s;is</HI> from being Queen; and to keep my &s;elf from being &s;ubject unto either her or you. After this, <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> made a blow at <HI>Ariantes</HI> which &s;lightly hurt him in the left arm: And <HI>Ariantes</HI> made another at <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> which &s;cratched him on the right &s;ide; and which had killed him, had he not warded it with much cunning and force.</P>
<P>But in conclu&s;ion, <HI>Ariantes</HI> being ten times more numerous then his enemies, <HI>Agathar|&s;es</HI> was not able to retard the de&s;igns of this Prince: For all his men being neither &s;ouldiers, nor men of quality, they ran away as &s;oon as they &s;aw ten or twelve of them&s;elves killed: So that <HI>Agathar&s;es</HI> fearing to fall under the power of his Rivall, or el&s;e to become either his Pri&s;oner or &s;ubject, he was forced to retreat by a back-lane: but it was with &s;o much
<PB N="24" REF="806">
&s;orrow and rage, that never man was more de&s;perate. All he could do was to get into the hou&s;e of a friend: for &s;ince he had a&s;&s;aulted <HI>Ariantes,</HI> he dur&s;t not go into his own hou&s;e: Furthermore, he &s;adly heard that nothing could with&s;tand his Rivall; and that the tumul|tuous a&s;&s;embly had declared that <HI>Thomiris,</HI> was onely daughter unto the Prince <HI>Lipacaris,</HI> and that <HI>Ariantes</HI> was the &s;on unto the late King of <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> and con&s;equently King accord|ing to the Lawes of the Realm: But to his greate&s;t grief, he was given to under&s;tand, that <HI>Ariantes</HI> who&s;e wound was &s;o &s;light, that he wore his arm in a &s;carf rather for fa&s;hion than need, had been a whole hou&s;e with <HI>Elibe&s;is.</HI> And indeed Sir, &s;ince the ambition of this Prince was onely an effect of his love, he no &s;ooner &s;aw his de&s;ign executed, but maugre all his bu&s;ine&s;s, he would needs vi&s;it her whom he loved and adored: and he might the better do it, becau&s;e the main weight of this great enterprize did mo&s;t depend upon <HI>Octo|ma&s;ades.</HI> I under&s;tand that when he fir&s;t entred into <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> Chamber, he found her very &s;ad, yet &s;he received him very lively.</P>
<P>Now Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) the King which means to pre&s;ent you with a Crown, will very &s;hortly be in a capacity to put it upon your head, and to do Ju&s;tice unto your me|rit: But Madam, It is to you onely I ow my thanks for the obedience of my &s;ubjects, for if I had not been your &s;lave, I had &s;till been &s;ubject unto <HI>I homiris:</HI> yet &s;ince I would not &s;eat you upon an ill e&s;tabli&s;hed Throne, I come now onely to make a tender of it unto you, and that you will be plea&s;ed to prepare your &s;elf ere long to a&s;cend it, and to be&s;eech you not to make any prayers which may move the gods to for&s;ake me, or to protect <HI>Thomi|ris</HI> to my prejudice and advantage of <HI>Agather&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>I mu&s;t confe&s;s <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ir, replyed &s;he, that my rea&s;on is at pre&s;ent &s;o di&s;tracted, that I am not able to give an an&s;wer: and therefore I be&s;eech you give me &s;ome time, not onely to re|collect into my memory what you have &s;aid unto me, but al&s;o to con&s;ider what I &s;hall &s;ay unto you; for truely Sir, I am yet &s;o unre&s;olved that I know not well whether I &s;peak un|to the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> or unto the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edons:</HI> You will ere long know it Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) and if you will not thwart your own Fortunes and mine, you &s;hall know that I am King of the <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> and by my cea&s;ing to be your &s;ubject, you may begin to be my Queen.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Ariantes</HI> retired, and left <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> in a great uncertainty: for truly &s;ince &s;he loved <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> it was not po&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould be a Queen unle&s;s her con&s;tancy was &s;ha|ken: But &s;ince the Throne of a new King did but a little charm her, &s;he re&s;olved upon nothing, but would determine upon the matter hereafter according to the event of things: Thus not knowing whether &s;he had more love or ambition, her mind was in much uncer|taintie.</P>
<P>In the mean time <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> who was hid in his friends hou&s;e was in a mo&s;t horrid di&s;|pair; Can I live &s;aid he, and &s;uffer my Rivall to be a King? and my &s;elf to be a Subject both unto him and <HI>Elibe&s;is?</HI> Fie, fie, I cannot be &s;o ba&s;ely unworthy: I mu&s;t either finde out a way to hinder my Rivall from being King, and my mi&s;tre&s;s from being Queen, or el&s;e I mu&s;t and will die with di&s;pair and grief. Afterwards falling into a profound &s;tudie, he remembred that there was &s;ome places in the walls of <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> which were broken, and the breaches &s;o great, that he might ea&s;ily get out with hor&s;es: So as conceiving that the multitude and weight of bu&s;ine&s;s which lay upon <HI>Ariantes</HI> &amp; <HI>Octoma&s;ades,</HI> might keep them from any thoughts of repairing tho&s;e breaches, or from guarding them, he thought his de&s;ign not impo&s;&s;ible: for &s;ince no army was on foot, they had more rea&s;on to think up|on Levies, and to &s;ecure them&s;elves in the Town, than to attempt any thing without it: &s;o that <HI>Agathar&s;es</HI> believed, that if <HI>Elib &s;is</HI> plea&s;ed, he could get her out of <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> by the help of his friends through one of the&s;e breaches: And by this device re&s;t quietly without being &s;ubject either unto his Rivall or his Mi&s;tre&s;s. But not to make a vain Pro|po&s;ition, he provided as many men as was nece&s;&s;ary for her guard: He &s;ent to view the places, and he was &s;o indu&s;trious, as in all likelyhood he wanted nothing but the con&s;ent of <HI>Elibe&s;is.</HI> So that having put all things into good order, he writ that &s;ame night unto <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> to give him a private audience, which con&s;idering the pre&s;ent juncture of things, &s;he dur&s;t not refu&s;e. For &s;ince &s;he knew him to be of a very violent temper, &s;he feared le&s;t he &s;hould either peri&s;h in &s;ome de&s;perate attempt, or el&s;e cau&s;e <HI>Ariantes</HI> to peri&s;h: &s;o as thinking &s;he &s;hould at lea&s;t per&s;wade him unto patience, untill &s;he was fully re&s;olved in her &s;elf, &s;he re&s;olved for the pre&s;ent to go the next morning upon a vi&s;it unto his wife, in who&s;e hou&s;e <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> lay hid: and &s;o &s;ee him with more &s;afety than at her own hou&s;e.</P>
<P><PB N="25" REF="806" MS="y">
But Sir, before I acquaint you with the di&s;cour&s;e of the&s;e two per&s;ons, I mu&s;t needs ac|quaint you with the cruel &s;eparation of <HI>Adonacris</HI> and <HI>Noromanta:</HI> for at the beginning of this tumult, the father of this fair one being faithfully devoted to the &s;ervice of <HI>Tho|miris,</HI> and &s;eeing the de&s;ign of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> he would not &s;tay any longer in a Rebellious Town: Therefore a&s;&s;oon as he &s;aw <HI>Ariantes</HI> was like to thrive in his de&s;ign, and not be|ing able to oppo&s;e him, he went out of <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> in the di&s;order, and carryed his daughter with him: and before any Guards was &s;et upon the gates, and whil&s;t all was in a tumult, he put <HI>Noromanta</HI> in a Coach, and got out before any could acquaint <HI>Adonacris.</HI> You may imagine Sir, how this went to his heart, and how he was wonder-&s;truck when after he had followed <HI>Ariantes</HI> all the day, and pa&s;t all the peril, he heard that <HI>Noromanta</HI> was not in <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> yet &s;ince he imagined that her father would carry her to his own hou&s;e, his &s;orrows le&s;&s;ened, in hopes to hear from her if he &s;ent an Expre&s;s: and indeed he writ unto her the very &s;ame hour, and &s;ent his Letter by one of his own men; for con|&s;idering the &s;tate of things, Honour would not permit him to ab&s;ent his per&s;on, being engaged in the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> Partie. But to return unto <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> and <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> be plea&s;ed to know Sir, that <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> was with the Lady, in who&s;e hou&s;e &s;he was to &s;ee <HI>Aga|ther&s;es,</HI> and where indeed &s;he did &s;ee him. But to the end this meeting might be clo&s;ely carryed, <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> carryed with her only one woman, and that di&s;cour&s;e might be more free, chance ordered it &s;o, that the Lady of the hou&s;e being &s;ick, <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> could &s;ee her but a while, and the Lady left her with <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> and the woman which followed her: And a&s;&s;oon as this lover &s;aw him&s;elf at liberty to &s;peak his thoughts; I know not Madam, &s;aid he unto <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> whether you will hear me without hate; but I am certain you can|not deny me what I &s;hall aske, without de&s;erving I &s;hould leave loving; for, not to trouble you with any long winded &s;tory, if you refu&s;e to go out of <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and to get out of the power of my Rival, I &s;hall have rea&s;on to think you prefer him before me, and that you will willingly &s;ubmit unto him: And to remove all difficulty, I &s;hall tell you in two words, I know an infallible way how to get you out of <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> this very night en&s;uing. I have men ready for your guard: A Lady of your acquaintance and friend&s;hip, hating this rebellious Town, will go out of it with you: And I will carry you both unto the Queen, begging nothing from you, but that you will not expo&s;e your &s;elf unto the Tyranny of an u&s;urper, who doubtle&s;s will pre&s;ently fall, and ruine you if you &s;hould be &s;o unju&s;t as to for&s;ake me for him. I a&s;&s;ure you Sir, (replied <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> with much a&s;toni&s;h|ment) That I would go out of <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> with all my heart, but &s;ince I cannot do it with my honor, I mu&s;t &s;tay here: For truly how can I with any han&s;omene&s;s go out, having a fa|ther and a brother engaged with the Prince <HI>Ariantes?</HI> but truly (added &s;he &s;ubtilly, and purpo&s;ely to appea&s;e him) I cannot tell whether I &s;hould be able to deny you, if I were &s;ure his de&s;ign would pro&s;per; but I pray Sir, con&s;ider that <HI>Ariantes</HI> will know of my I departure, and knowing will follow me, and &s;ending men after, will bring me back: and &s;hould be extreamly &s;orry to &s;ee you killed before my face, or at lea&s;t made a pri&s;oner, and therefore it's better to &s;it &s;till then to run &s;uch dangerous hazards. Do not deceive both your &s;elf and me Madam (replied <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> &s;harply) for you can never per&s;wade me that it is a fitting a woman of your beauty &s;hould &s;tay under the power of an u&s;urper, who is in love with you, when as you may if you plea&s;e get out: and I mu&s;t go a little further Madam and tell you, that though I were not your lover; though you had never made me any promi&s;es of eternal affection: and though you had no other inducement to go out of <HI>I&s;&s;e|don</HI> but your own honor; yet you ought to go if you could, and &s;teal away, even from your parents if they &s;hould oppo&s;e it: unle&s;s you were re&s;olved to obey the Prince <HI>Ari|antes</HI> in all things without any exception: you know Madam, he loves you as much as po&s;&s;ible, and yet you will remain under his power. Tell me I be&s;eech you Madam, what &s;afety can you have of your Per&s;on when you are under the command of a Prince, who to pull the Crown off his Si&s;ters head, doth violate all manner of Rights, &s;tifles all the Laws of nature and Ju&s;tice, and who to &s;atisfie his ambition, cares not to &s;et two Kingdoms in a flame, to make Rivers of blood, and Mountains of dead men: Con&s;ider Madam, what he will do to &s;atisfie his love, which is a more quick, lively and active pa&s;&s;ion; yet you think yuur &s;elf &s;afe under the power of &s;uch a lover, but does not con&s;ider that he will be tran&s;ported into the mo&s;t violent extremities if you re&s;i&s;t him: If you do not apprehend all this Madam, it is becau&s;e you are re&s;olved not to re&s;i&s;t him, for otherwi&s;e you would quickly take me at my word, and get out of <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> this very night: However I mu&s;t tell you thus much, that to be the wife of a wicked <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">u&s;urper, who doubtle&s;s will ere long be
<PB N="26" REF="807">
overwhelmed in the ruines of his new ill gotten Throne, is a mo&s;t mi&s;erable piece of For|tune: and according to all probabilities, <HI>Ariantes</HI> will &s;hortly be in that condition. But the truth is (added he, and lifted up his eyes to heaven) that if he be not mi&s;erable untill after you have made him happie, he will die with glory, and I with unequalled de&s;pair.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider therefore Madam, I conjure you, what an&s;wer you will give me: Think &s;eri|ou&s;ly what an amorous Tyrant will de&s;ire who is ma&s;ter of her he loves, moreover, I &s;wear unto you by all the Divinities of Heaven and Earth, that if you will not do what in all rea|&s;on you ought, I will do all that Love, Rage, Jealou&s;ie, hatred and revenge can make a de&s;perate Lover do, either to ruine his Rivall, or to be revenged upon his Mi&s;tre&s;s. For I do profe&s;s once again, I will never be a Subject either unto <HI>Ariantes</HI> or <HI>Elebe&s;is:</HI> Yea, ex|pre&s;s your &s;elf &s;o violently (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that Sir, I know not how to an&s;wer you: and you an&s;wer me &s;o coldly replied he that I may well enough under&s;tand you; but &s;ince my love is above my rea&s;on I will not believe what your eyes do tell me, and what your words do make me under&s;tand: Therefore to give you a little time of repentance, con&s;i|der my affection to you. I am violent its true, but the &s;ame fire which inflames my an|ger when I am wronged, the &s;ame makes my love &s;o zealous; and therefore do not upbraid me with my impetuo&s;ity, I conjure you, unle&s;s you will augment it, and if it be po&s;&s;ible, cure your mind of &s;o much weakne&s;s as to be dazled with the deceiving gli&s;ter of Gran|dure, though it be a ligitimate grandure, and not u&s;urped as that of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> which is but a bubble of the people, and will vani&s;h to nothing within a while. Con&s;ider well too am|bitious <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> and act not both again&s;t your &s;elf and me: and do not drive a man into di&s;pair who is not ma&s;ter of his own thoughts when his love is injured; Speak Madam, I be&s;eech you, but be &s;ure you &s;peak as you ought to do. Doubtle&s;s, I &s;hall &s;peak as I ought to do, replied &s;he, but I do not think I &s;hall &s;peak as you would have me; for the truth is, I cannot &s;uffer my &s;elf to be violently carried away. Oh Madam, (replied he and interrupt|ed her) this word violently do not &s;ute with my intentions, &s;ince I am &s;o far from offer|ing any violence, that I would have you avoid it; but I &s;ee you do not fear what the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> will do, when he is ma&s;ter of your heart.</P>
<P>But Madam, &s;ince he hath driven me out of it, you mu&s;t give me leave to do what I can to drive him out of the Throne which he hath u&s;urped, though I cannot drive him out of your heart. And therefore give me leave to do the duty of a true Subject and a faithfull Lover in taking the Queens part: Yet let me fir&s;t acquaint you, that when&s;oever you hear any Troops are marching again&s;t <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> know that I am certainly in the head of them; and when you hear that <HI>Ariantes</HI> is wounded or like to be, be &s;ure it is I, who will do what I can to kill him: In &s;hort Madam, you may be &s;ure, that if the war continue, my Rivall or I mu&s;t die: And be confident I will u&s;e the utmo&s;t &s;trength of my power, to leav loving you and to become all hate and revenge. The&s;e Madam, are the thoughts which you have in&s;pired into a man who could have no other but to adore you, if you would not change him for another: You are &s;o very violent (replied &s;he) that I know not what to &s;ay; You are &s;o unrea&s;onable, an&s;wered he, that the mo&s;t patient man alive would be tran&s;ported more than I am.</P>
<P>For Madam, what one obliging word do you give me? I tell you (an&s;wered &s;he) that I e&s;teem you as much as ever I did, yet for all that I mu&s;t act with prudence; and therefore though I &s;hould be glad to go out of <HI>I&s;&s;edon;</HI> yet I mu&s;t not, &s;ince I cannot without a crime, and without expo&s;ing my &s;elf unto the anger of my father, my brother, and expo|&s;ing them to be ill u&s;ed by the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> who would &s;u&s;pect them acce&s;&s;aries to my flight. You are a very good daughter Madam, (replied <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> coldly) and a good &s;i&s;ter, but believe me a very bad Lover: I be&s;eech you Sir, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) do not unju&s;tly complain again&s;t me, but wait upon the event of things; you tell me that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> will &s;hortly be hurried from the Throne: &s;tay then and expect his fall with patience, and let both you and me live at re&s;t till then. I do very well under&s;tand you Madam, (replied he ha&s;tily;) you would have me let you alone untill you may make your choice according to the event of things; that is to &s;ay, if the de&s;ign of <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;ucceed well, you are re&s;olved to clo&s;e with him, and look upon me as your Subject; and if it &s;uc|ceed ill, then perhaps you will admit of me for your &s;lave. But Madam, the heart of <HI>Aga|ther&s;es</HI> cannot &s;o ba&s;ely clo&s;e with time: I have loved you and you have not hated me; keep in that mind &s;till I be&s;eech you, or if you cannot, give me leave to trie if I can fall off al&s;o. For truely Madam: (pur&s;ued he with much vehemencie) I wi&s;h <HI>Hercules</HI> may beat my brains out with his club; that <HI>Neptune</HI> may pu&s;h me into the bottom of the Sea with
<PB N="27" REF="807">
his Trident, and that <HI>Jupiter</HI> may bla&s;t me with his Thunder-bolt, if ever I depend upon the good or bad &s;ucce&s;s of the war. Therefore Madam, chu&s;e now which you plea&s;e, or ne|ver; but con&s;ider I be&s;eech you, that <HI>Ariantes</HI> is an u&s;urper of four and twenty hours &s;tanding: That his Throne &s;tands but upon loo&s;e &s;and, and that I am a mo&s;t faithful &s;ub|ject to the Queen, and the mo&s;t faithful lover in the world. Moreover <HI>Ariantes</HI> did not love you till of late, and I have both lov'd and ador'd you many years: <HI>Ariantes</HI> will not love you till he enjoy you; but I will love you till I die: but to oblige me unto this Ma|dam, you mu&s;t quit <HI>I&s;&s;edon;</HI> If the Gods who&s;e names you u&s;e, replied <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> were not extreamly good, doubtle&s;s they would puni&s;h you for all your prophanations, and your inju&s;tice; but to give you a direct an&s;wer, I will peremptorily tell you that I will not go out of <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and becau&s;e your violencies doth authorize mine, I mu&s;t tell you further, that if you had loved me without &s;elf-intere&s;t, you would never haue grudged my being a Queen; but had rather have been my &s;ubject, then my Husband: but it is no argument of a &s;uperlative love, to de&s;ire the enjoyment of her he loves, and not to endure a Rival &s;hould po&s;&s;e&s;s her: Who&s;oever does not de&s;ire the enjoyment of her he loves, (replied <HI>Agather&s;es)</HI> is not any &s;uperlative lover. Ah Madam, truly I cannot love &s;o, and who&s;oever can be contented to part with her he loves, loves but imperfectly: But Ma|dam, &s;ince you will not do as I de&s;ire, I mu&s;t do as you would not have me.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> finding more love in her heart then ambition, expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf as well as po&s;&s;ibly &s;he could to appea&s;e him, to molifie him, and to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">elude him; yet not telling him that &s;he would go out of <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> nor directly promi&s;ing &s;he would not mar|ry <HI>Ariantes.</HI> But <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> having wit at will, did know the thoughts of her heart, as well as if &s;he had ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;&s;ed them: and indeed he did &s;o plainly &s;ee, that &s;he would neither lo&s;e him nor keep him, that he was tran&s;ported more then before: And <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> al&s;o having her turn of anger, did upon a &s;udden leave him, and &s;o they both parted very ill &s;atisfied with each other. <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> told me &s;ince, that he intended to de&s;ire the man with whom he lodged, to keep <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> in his hou&s;e, to the end he might have carryed her away the night following whether &s;he wonld or no: But this de&s;ign being very imprudent, he thought that neither his friend nor his wife would ever con|&s;ent unto it; &s;o as he rejected that thought, as a thing impo&s;&s;ible to be executed. In the mean time, after he had in vain per&s;waded <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> to go out of <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> he began to think of getting out him&s;elf, and the rather becau&s;e he was adverti&s;ed that the Prince <HI>A|riantes</HI> cau&s;ed a &s;earch to be made for him, and would &s;ecure his per&s;on: therefore with|out further delay, he di&s;gui&s;ed him&s;elf, and the night following he went out of <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> through the breaches in the walls; and he went out &s;o happily, that if he had deferred it one day longer, he had mi&s;&s;ed of his aim; for <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> cau&s;ed tho&s;e breaches to be repaired the very next morning. But at parting he writ unto <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> and in &s;uch an odd manner, as never was love letter in the like: for my part, I think I have given a hundred copies of it, and I have writ it &s;o oft that I think I am able to repeat it word for word: And thus this de&s;perate lover writ unto his ambitious Mi&s;tris.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>AGATHERSES <HI>unto</HI> ELIBESIS.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>I</HI> Could not chu&s;e but tell you at parting, that &s;ince fortune and love could make people mi|&s;erable, they never left a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y in &s;uch a cruel incertainty as you and I: For Madam, you &s;tay in <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> not knowing whether you &s;hall be Queen, though you have a mo&s;t ambitious de&s;ire of being &s;o: And I depart out of it not well knowing whether I can hinder my Rival from being King, nor whether I can bani&s;h you out of my heart, as you bani&s;ht me out of yours: But I am &s;ure only of this, that if I do continue loving you, it &s;hall be again&s;t my will: And though I &s;hould love you as long as I lived, with the &s;ame zeal I did when <HI>Ariantes</HI> came fir&s;t to <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> yet I will never tell you &s;o as long as I live: This Madam is the very la&s;t Te&s;ti|mony of my love you &s;hall ever receive from me: But my going into the &s;ervice of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> &s;hall not be the la&s;t Te&s;timony of hatred, which my Rival &s;hall receive. Adieu Madam, I know not whether Fortune will ever give you any &s;ubjects; but I am &s;ure love gave you a &s;lave that de&s;erved to be kept, and the chains he wore perhaps would have been more glorious to you, then the Crown you hope to wear will be.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>AGATHERSES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><PB N="28" REF="808">
Though this Letter was &s;omthing &s;harp, <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> yet was not much moved at it; but &s;ince ambition was then predominat, &s;he would not an&s;wer it: And <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> under|&s;tanding by him who delivered it, that &s;he &s;aid &s;he had no an&s;wer to return, he entred in|to a new de&s;pair, which made him pa&s;s for one of the faithful &s;ubjects in the world: For Sir, he went unto the Tents Royal, and offered <HI>Thomiris</HI> to levy men at his own charge, and to &s;pend both his &s;tate and fortune in her &s;ervice. And &s;ince that Prince&s;s could not find a man of more courage and &s;pirit then he, &s;he made him Lievtenant General of the army which &s;he intended to &s;end again&s;t <HI>I&s;&s;edon;</HI> and which &s;he would not lead her &s;elf, becau&s;e &s;he fell &s;ick of &s;orrow for your departure Sir. But while&s;t <HI>Thomiris</HI> did &s;trive to hinder <HI>Ariantes</HI> from making him&s;elf King, <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;tudied how to keep the Crown he had got, and how to make <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> Queen. Whil&s;t, I &s;ay, <HI>Adonacris</HI> did wait with much impatience for the return of him he &s;ent unto his dear <HI>Noromata,</HI> that Lady was in a &s;trange conjuncture of troubles. For Sir, be plea&s;ed to know, that her father, who&s;e name was <HI>Targitas,</HI> and who was an imperious and violent man, after he came to his hou&s;e bethought him&s;elf how to &s;ignalize his fidelitie to <HI>Thomiris:</HI> and this hou&s;e of his being very &s;trong, he made a Garri&s;on of it, and prepared him&s;elf to go unto the Armie, as &s;oon as the Queen had begun her march.</P>
<P>But Sir, &s;ince in the beginning of the&s;e troubles every one looked like an enemy, and every one &s;tood upon his guard, he whom <HI>Adonacris</HI> had &s;ent unto <HI>Noromata,</HI> could not carry him&s;elf &s;o, but the father of this fair one di&s;covered that he had &s;ome &s;ecret bu&s;ine&s;s: &s;o that cau&s;ing him to be &s;topped and &s;earched, they found the letter which <HI>Adonacris</HI> writ unto <HI>Noromata:</HI> which as he told me &s;ince was very long, and very tender: For &s;ince he fore&s;aw that he &s;hould be long from her, and knew not whether he could write after, he de&s;ired to put her in memorie of his zealous Pa&s;&s;ion: but this Letter which he hoped would produce &s;ome good effects proved quite the contrary; for Sir, the father of <HI>Noromata,</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw it, but he was extremely angry, for he &s;aw his daughter did not hate him who writ it.</P>
<P>So as imagining this affection to be of another nature then it was, he applied all violent remedies to break it off: For though he e&s;teemed <HI>Adonacris</HI> very much, yet he would not have him marry his daughter, though upon no other rea&s;on, but becau&s;e he &s;ided with <HI>Ariantes:</HI> So that this violent man without more delay re&s;olved to marry her to a man of good account, called <HI>Sitalces,</HI> who had been long in love with her, and asked the que&s;ti|on before ever he went to <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> but he intreated him to &s;tay for an an&s;wer untill his re|turn: And &s;o re&s;olving that the fir&s;t news which <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;hould hear of <HI>Noromata,</HI> &s;hould be of her marriage, he kept the man who brought the letter under the notion of a &s;pie; and gave as favourable an an&s;wer unto <HI>Sitalces</HI> as he could po&s;&s;ibly either expect or de&s;ire. After which he went unto <HI>Noromataes</HI> chamber, and commanded her to receive <HI>Sitalces</HI> as the man whom &s;he was to marry within the compa&s;s of eight dayes, without any Ceremony; it not being fit &s;aid he to fea&s;t it at the beginning of a Civill war. You may imagine Sir, how <HI>Noromata</HI> was &s;urprized at this and troubled at this command: for being naturally of a &s;weet, mild and mode&s;t temper, &s;he knew not how to re&s;i&s;t <HI>Targitas,</HI> yet &s;ince <HI>Sitalces</HI> was one that made open profe&s;&s;ion of bravery, and to be the fir&s;t al|wayes in all dangers and attempts: &s;he be&s;eeched her father to con&s;ider, that to marry her now unto <HI>Sitalces</HI> in the begining of a bloody war, was to put her pre&s;ently into mourning, and therefore de&s;ired him to &s;tay till things were compo&s;ed betwixt <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes.</HI> But <HI>Targitas</HI> knowing very well her real rea&s;on, he was very angry at her, and told her that without any more adoe &s;he mu&s;t obey, and obey pre&s;ently, and with a good will. And that you may the &s;ooner re&s;olve upon it (&s;aid he in a tran&s;port of anger) Let me tell you, that though you &s;hould not marrie <HI>Sitalces,</HI> yet you &s;hall never marrie <HI>Adonacris.</HI> You may imagine Sir, how <HI>Noromata</HI> wondred her father &s;hould know of any pa&s;&s;ages in <HI>I&s;&s;edon;</HI> but her wonder increa&s;ed when &s;he offered to ju&s;tifie and excu&s;e her &s;elf, for he charged her not to &s;peak; telling her, that &s;he could no way ju&s;tifie her admittance of <HI>Adonacris</HI> without his leave, then by marrying <HI>Sitalces</HI> at his command. <HI>Noromanta</HI> did not yet yield; but at la&s;t yield &s;he mu&s;t, and &s;uffered <HI>Sitalces</HI> to vi&s;it her as the man whom &s;he was to marry.</P>
<P>And indeed within eight dayes after, he did marry her much again&s;t her will; for Sir, you mu&s;t know that <HI>Targitas</HI> was a man &s;o peremptory, and had in his face &s;uch a terror as cau&s;ed fear; &s;o that <HI>Noromata</HI> was excu&s;able in not re&s;i&s;ting him: and the rather, becau&s;e &s;he obeyed him with extream &s;orrow and repugnancy. But that which rendred her mo&s;t
<PB N="29" REF="808">
de&s;erving pitty, was becau&s;e &s;he had an extream naturall aver&s;ion again&s;t <HI>Sitalces,</HI> as &s;he had an inclination unto <HI>Adonacris:</HI> yet fear and vertue together moved her to obey <HI>Tar|gitas.</HI> But to compleat her grief the next morning after the marriage her father came in|to her chamber, and &s;hewed her the Letter which <HI>Adonacris</HI> writ: I would not &s;hew you daughter (&s;aid he unto her) what <HI>Adonacris</HI> hath writ unto you, untill I had put you into a condition of an&s;wering as I would have you. But now &s;ince you are wife unto <HI>Sitalces,</HI> I cannot think you will be the Mi&s;tre&s;s of <HI>Adonacris.</HI> And therefore, &s;ince I would have all manner of gallantries end betwixt you, and have no ill con&s;equences; I pray write unto him in my pre&s;ence; but write as I &s;hall de&s;ire you, and as vertue requires you &s;hould: which is, that you are the wife of <HI>Sitalces;</HI> that you would have him never to write unto you again, and that you forbid him ever to &s;ee you again as long as you live. To tell you Sir, how <HI>Noromata</HI> grieved at the &s;ight of <HI>Adonacris</HI> his letter, and at his apprehending the &s;ad news of her marriage, is not an ea&s;ie matter: yet &s;ince her father was a man that would not be dallied with, re&s;olve &s;he mu&s;t, to write, or not to write; did &s;he follow her own inclination, write &s;he would not, &s;ince &s;he would not write &s;uch bad news. But af|terwards, con&s;idering &s;he was married unto <HI>Sitalces,</HI> and it was not fit to hold any longer commerce with <HI>Adonacris,</HI> therefore &s;he thought be&s;t to overcome her &s;elf, and not an|ger her father, who being all violence and ha&s;te had acquainted him that married her with the bu&s;ine&s;s.</P>
<P>Thus Sir, though the fair <HI>Noromata</HI> had her &s;oul full of affection to <HI>Adonacris,</HI> though her eyes did &s;wim in tears, her heart beat, and her hand tremble, yet &s;he did write as <HI>Tar|gitas</HI> would have her. Tis true, that maugre the trouble of her mind, &s;he called &s;uch words to expre&s;s what her father de&s;ired, as it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee her &s;oul was full of &s;orrow. However, as &s;oon as this letter was writ <HI>Targitas</HI> delivered it unto the man whom <HI>Ado|nacris</HI> &s;ent; And not permitting him to &s;ee <HI>Noromata,</HI> he cau&s;ed him to be conducted a dayes journey from the place where he was.</P>
<P>All this while <HI>Adonacris</HI> was in a mo&s;t impatient perplexitie, and expectation of his re|turn whom he had &s;ent unto her. But alas, his return was much more grievous unto him, when he under&s;tood how he had been arre&s;ted, &s;earched, and <HI>Targitas</HI> &s;een his letter: But much more &s;till was his &s;orrow, when he heard that <HI>Noromata</HI> had married <HI>Sitalces,</HI> when he read her letter: Since I was the confident of his &s;orrows, I am able to a&s;&s;ure you that they were in a mo&s;t high degree: but &s;ince he knew that <HI>Noromata</HI> had an aver&s;ion unto <HI>Sitalces,</HI> he could not charge her with incon&s;tancie, only of a little weakne&s;s, though it was &s;uch as her vertue might excu&s;e, &s;ince &s;he did it onely in obedience to her father: But &s;ince this was a mi&s;ery without remedy, he complained &s;ometimes in &s;uch feeling expre&s;&s;i|ons as moved me to pittie him very much.</P>
<P>Alas, alas (&s;aid he the day he received <HI>Noromatas</HI> letter) into what &s;trange de&s;tiny am I re&s;erved? If I had a dozen Rivals and all preferred before me, I &s;hould be much le&s;s mi|&s;erable then I am, though <HI>Noromata</HI> doth not hate me, and hath a husband whom &s;he loves not. For &s;uch a mi&s;ery though great, yet was not without a remedy: But that <HI>No|romata</HI> &s;hould be wife unto one whom &s;he hates; and that &s;he &s;hould be a woman of a rare vertue, this is a thing which leaves me nothing to do but complain and pittie both her and my &s;elf. Yet &s;urely her affection unto me was not great, &s;ince &s;he was able to obey &s;o &s;oon; and I wi&s;h unto the gods that mine to her were no more violent. However Sir, <HI>Adonacris</HI> had a de&s;ire that <HI>Noromata</HI> &s;hould know his &s;orrows; and therefore as &s;oon as he heard that <HI>Targitas</HI> and <HI>Sitalces</HI> were gone unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> three dayes after the marri|age, and that they had &s;ent unto a Town called <HI>Typanis,</HI> with intention to continue there as long as the war la&s;ted, he di&s;patched one of his &s;ervants unto the place where &s;he was. Yet Sir, &s;he would not read his letter, but &s;ent it back &s;ealed together with this note, which had neither &s;uper&s;cription, nor &s;ub&s;cription unto it.</P>
<LETTER>
<P>SInce I am not now the &s;ame I was when I permitted you to write unto me, forbear writing unto one whom decency will not allow &s;o much as to &s;ee your letters, much le&s;s to an&s;wer them: I have not opened this you &s;ent, for I do not love to hear of mi&s;eries which I neither can nor ought to ea&s;e: And I de&s;ire you with all my heart, never to write to me again as long as you live; And to believe confidently, that I can never do any thing more advantagious for you, than not to excu&s;e my &s;elf, and permit you to hate me, if you cannot cea&s;e loving unle&s;s you pa&s;s from love to hatred. After this, ask no more of me, for I do profe&s;s this is the la&s;t time of writing unto you, and I would not have written now, but onely to de&s;ire you to write no more unto me.</P>
</LETTER>
<P><PB N="30" REF="809">
After the reading of this letter Sir, the mi&s;erable <HI>Adonacris</HI> had nothing to do, but to &s;trive with his &s;orrows, and to &s;uffer them without &s;eeking a remedy. Yet he was vexed with a fre&s;h inquietude: For you mu&s;t know that after <HI>Thomiris</HI> had her Army up, and <HI>Ariantes</HI> in the head, <HI>Agathar&s;es</HI> upon the fir&s;t occa&s;ion killed the brother unto a Lady of high account, called <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> whom I told you was a friend unto <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> &s;o as by this means <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> being one of the riche&s;t matches in all <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> the father of <HI>Adonacris</HI> and <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Ty&s;&s;agetties,</HI> had a fancy to marry his &s;on unto her; and he was &s;o earne&s;t upon it that he never let him injoy any re&s;t. Al&s;o he imployed the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> to per&s;wade him unto a marriage with her. For in tho&s;e times of tumult Ceremonies were not &s;tood upon; and therefore the mourning of <HI>Argirispe</HI> was no hindrance unto her marriage: And as for <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> &s;he was not unwilling to marry &s;uch a well accompli&s;hed man, who was brother unto her who was &s;hortly to be a Queen: So as the whole Family of <HI>Adonacris</HI> being met together to per&s;ecute him, and to tell him that he did not love the Grandure of his hou&s;e: he was &s;o chid by them that in the end he told them, he would do as they de&s;ired.</P>
<P>Thus was the marriage made in four days, by the authority of <HI>Ariantes;</HI> but to tell you truly, his greate&s;t enducement was, becau&s;e I per&s;waded him to &s;tifle a pa&s;&s;ion in which he had no hopes; and becau&s;e he hoped that perhaps the beauty of <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> might by degrees root <HI>Noromata</HI> out of his heart. Thus though <HI>Adonacris</HI> did &s;till love <HI>Noro|mata,</HI> and not love <HI>Argirispe;</HI> yet he lived very lively towards her. But to his com|fort, the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> having viewed his Troops, departed from <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> with inten|tion to meet the Army of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> which was advancing with de&s;ign to decide the matter by battel; and by this means <HI>Adonacris</HI> was delivered from his con&s;traint of being with <HI>Argiri&s;pe.</HI> Thus <HI>Sitalces</HI> and <HI>Adonacris</HI> were engaged in two contrary &s;ides; for <HI>Sital|ces</HI> followed his father in law, and went to <HI>Thomiris</HI> three days after his marriage with <HI>Noromata:</HI> And <HI>Adonacris</HI> engaged with <HI>Ariantes:</HI> &s;o as they were in contrary &s;ides, as well as <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> who as I told you before was Lievtenant General of <HI>Thomiris</HI> her Army, which the young <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> commanded, by the advice of the pru|dent <HI>Therez,</HI> by rea&s;on of the Queens indi&s;po&s;ition. But to &s;peak truth, &s;ince <HI>Sparga|pi&s;es</HI> was but a child, and his name only u&s;ed to prevent the pretention of others; and &s;ince <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> was more forward then any other, being exa&s;perated by the whet-&s;tones of love, hatred and revenge, it was he who indeed was General of the Army.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> before he went from <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> did &s;et guards upon <HI>Elibe&s;is;</HI> le&s;t during his ab&s;ence the friends of <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> &s;hould attempt any thing again&s;t her. But Sir, I forgat to tell you, that before he went away; he courted <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> as ear|ne&s;tly as he could to marry him: For though he had told her that his Throne was yet but ill e&s;tabli&s;hed to &s;et her upon it; yet &s;ince his love increa&s;ed, he pre&s;&s;ed her unto it: yet all in vain; for &s;he was re&s;olved to marry none under a King, and a King quietly &s;ettled in his Dominion: It being certain that of all Subjects &s;he loved <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> be&s;t, and much better than <HI>Ariantes</HI> though a Prince.</P>
<P>Thus finding &s;everall pretences which did not incen&s;e this Prince, &s;he denied his de&s;ire, and he was forced to retire without marriage: So as by this means <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> was not in &s;o bad a condition as <HI>Adonacris;</HI> for he had a Rivall to fight with, who&s;e death might be advantagious to him. But as for <HI>Adonacris,</HI> though <HI>Sitalces</HI> were killed he were never the better, &s;ince <HI>Agari&s;pes</HI> was his wife: &s;o that I think none could be in a &s;adder condition than he was during all that war. I will not make any particular relation of this War unto you Sir, le&s;t I &s;hould abu&s;e your patience: yet I mu&s;t needs tell you, that when both armies met, and many Subjects of one Prince&s;s ready to kill each other, the mo&s;t prudent of both &s;ides and the lea&s;t intere&s;ted did make &s;ome overtures of an accommodation, and began to talk mildly upon the matter before they fell to blows: So as the wi&s;e <HI>Terez</HI> and <HI>Targitas,</HI> did &s;o negotiate the bu&s;ine&s;s, mauger both <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> and <HI>Octoma&s;ades,</HI> who were all for war; one out of ambition, the other out of love, that they brought the bu&s;ine&s;s to a kind of Treaty.</P>
<P>And within a few dayes after, it was re&s;olved to meet at a certain place and confer, and each &s;ide give their rea&s;ons, and thereupon to advi&s;e upon the be&s;t expedients of compo|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing the difference. The place of conference being re&s;olved upon, <HI>Ariantes</HI> nominated <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> and &s;ix other Commi&s;&s;ioners on his &s;ide: <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> carried the matter &s;o well that he him&s;elf was chief Commi&s;&s;ioner for <HI>Thomiris,</HI> to the end he might tran&s;act
<PB N="31" REF="809">
again&s;t <HI>Ariantes,</HI> as well during the conference as the War; and certainly he did mo&s;t worthily acquit him&s;elf, for do not think it po&s;&s;ible any could bring &s;tronger rea&s;ons to maintain, that though <HI>Thomiris</HI> was born before her Father came to the Crown, yet &s;he ought to be looked upon as the elde&s;t Daughter unto the King of the <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> and not only as the Daughter of <HI>Lipacaris,</HI> and con&s;equently &s;ince the Laws of the Land made the elde&s;t Child of the King to raign without any difference of Sex, <HI>Thomiris</HI> was lawful Queen, and <HI>Ariantes</HI> an U&s;urper.</P>
<P><HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> maintained very &s;trongly, that though the Laws of the Land made the el|de&s;t Child of the King to raign, yet it ought to be the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> &s;ince he only was Son unto the King of the <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> and <HI>Thomiris</HI> the Daughter of a Subject, though &s;he was his elde&s;t Si&s;ter, and by con&s;equence incapable of raigning; &s;ince it was the elde&s;t Child of a King who&s;e due it is: The truth is (&s;aid he to maintain the right of <HI>Ariantes) Ari|antes</HI> pretends not to the Crown, as Son unto <HI>Lipacaris,</HI> but only as Son unto the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edons:</HI> For truly a forced expo&s;ition ought not to be given unto that Law which gives him for the Scepter; it mu&s;t be under&s;tood according to the letter, and be known, that tho&s;e who made it, had &s;ufficient rea&s;ons to authorize it: Certainly there is all the e|quity in the world, that the People who can never have too much re&s;pect unto tho&s;e who ought to command them, &s;hould have another kind of per&s;on over them then them&s;elves, to wit, a per&s;on that is incapable of raigning, and &s;ubject to the &s;ame obedience they are: To avoid which inconvenience, it mu&s;t not be <HI>Thomiris</HI> which mu&s;t raign, &s;ince all the people know her born in a private condition, when her Father was no King; but on the contrary, it ought to be the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> whom the people &s;aw born upon a Throne. But what if it will be objected? Why, though the Prince <HI>Lipacaris</HI> was a Subject, yet he made him&s;elf King. 'Tis true indeed, he did &s;o, but it was after another manner; for the Prince <HI>Lipacaris</HI> did make him&s;elf King by the right of Conquerours, but his Succe&s;&s;ors cannot be King, but by the Laws he e&s;tabli&s;hed; So it mu&s;t be the Son or Daughter of a King, and not of a Subject, who ought legally to &s;ucceed. Moreover, there is one rea&s;on which moves me to expound the Law thus; for certainly a Throne &s;tamps a new Character of Grandure upon tho&s;e who are upon it: And tho&s;e who are born Kings, have more Royal inclinations, more worthy of a Scepter, then others who are born in a lower con|dition: And to &s;peak rationally, the fir&s;t day of a mans life who makes him&s;elf King, is the fir&s;t day that he &s;teps upon the Throne, &s;o as all before it were not his, and it mu&s;t be &s;ince he was the Father of his Subjects, that he can be called the Father of his Chil|dren.</P>
<P>Thus I conclude, that the Law which &s;ayes that the Fir&s;t-born of the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edons</HI> ought to raign, ought to be expounded as I have done, though <HI>Lipacares</HI> had had a Son elder then <HI>Ariantes</HI> in lieu of <HI>Thomiris;</HI> from a more forcible rea&s;on therefore it ought to be thus, &s;ince it is more advantagious to the people to have a King, then a Queen. Fur|thermore, every thing argues in favour of the &s;ide which I maintain; for <HI>Thomiris</HI> in yeelding the <HI>I&s;&s;edonian</HI> Crown unto the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> remains &s;till Queen of the <HI>Ma&s;|&s;agettes;</HI> on the contrary, the Son unto the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> who only ought to raign over them, will be without a Kingdom, and indeed the <HI>I&s;&s;edons</HI> will have neither King nor Queen, for &s;ince the marriage of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> &s;he never comes among&s;t them, and &s;he &s;uf|ficiently makes it known, that Nature hath not infu&s;ed into her heart that tender affection which Kings ought to have unto their people, &s;ince &s;he never honours them with her pre&s;ence; and it may be &s;aid, that &s;he rather treats them like a People which &s;he &s;ub|jected by U&s;urpation, then Subjects which a legal and &s;ucce&s;&s;ive right did give her, &s;ince &s;he governs them by Sub&s;titutes, and never comes her &s;elf among&s;t them. But not to u&s;e rea&s;ons and arguments where the authority of the Law is &s;ufficient, I will maintain, that &s;ince the Elde&s;t Child of the <HI>I&s;&s;edonian</HI> King ought to raign, it ought to be the Prince <HI>A|riantes.</HI> And I will further affirm, that it would be more glorious unto <HI>Thomiris</HI> to be the Wife, the Mother, and the Si&s;ter of a King; then to have one Crown more, and have a Brother that is Subject unto the Prince her Son: So as I conclude, that if &s;he will have the Wars to cea&s;e, &s;he mu&s;t re&s;tore the Crown of <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> unto him, to whom legally it be|longs; and that &s;he let him be her brother by nature, and her Ally by intere&s;t of his Crown, and not a Subject. After this Sir, the eloquence of <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> went a little fur|ther, and enlarged it &s;elf in commendations of the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> but concluded that he would rely wholly upon the Law, which was; that the elde&s;t Child unto the King of <HI>I&s;&s;e|dons</HI> &s;hould raign.</P>
<P><PB N="32" REF="810">
I willingly con&s;ent (replied <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> after <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> had done) that the Law be punctually relied upon, which would have the elde&s;t Child unto the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edons</HI> to raign, &s;ince that is the foundation upon which the right Title of <HI>Thomiris</HI> her raign is built, and by which <HI>Ariantes</HI> ought to be looked upon only as an U&s;urper: And to prove that <HI>Thomiris</HI> is the elde&s;t Daughter unto the <HI>I&s;&s;edonian</HI> King, though &s;he was born, when he was only the Prince <HI>Licaparis;</HI> I need only &s;ay, that <HI>Lipacaris</HI> and the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> being all one and the &s;ame per&s;on, <HI>Thomir's</HI> cannot be the elde&s;t Daughter of the one, but &s;he mu&s;t be the elde&s;t Daughter of the other. Al&s;o, if you tell me &s;he is not the Daughter to the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> I will tell you again that <HI>Ariantes</HI> is the Son of <HI>Lipacaris,</HI> and you cannot deny it by the &s;ame rea&s;on: For truly <HI>Lipacaris</HI> in a&s;cending the Throne, did not cea&s;e to be the &s;ame he was before in all things directly relating to his per&s;on, he was &s;till brave and generous, he was the Husband of his Wife, Father to his Daughter, Cozen to his kindred, and indeed all the very &s;ame he was before his being King: The elevati|on of his Fortune did not &s;ubvert the cour&s;e of nature, it did not break the ligaments of proximity, and all his power cannot make that which is, never to have been: So &s;ince <HI>Lipacaris</HI> had a Daughter before he was King, &s;he is &s;till his Daughter, though after|wards he a&s;cended a Throne. I would gladly know, if &s;he be not Daughter to the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> who&s;e Daughter &s;he is? For as &s;oon as the King her Father was upon the Throne, it &s;eems he was no longer <HI>Lipacaris,</HI> but <HI>Lipacaris</HI> was &s;o mixed, incorporated, and confounded with the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> that none ever knew how to &s;eparate them. So that &s;ince <HI>Lipacaris</HI> is King of the <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> &s;ince the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edons</HI> is <HI>Lipacaris,</HI> and &s;ince they are both but one and the &s;ame, it mu&s;t follow by nece&s;&s;ary con&s;equence, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> is elde&s;t Daughter unto the King, and her unto whom the Laws gives the Crown: That the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> is her Subject, and that he mo&s;t unju&s;tly takes up Arms, by giving an interprecation unto the Laws of the Land, which they will not admit of. To &s;ay, that the people before they can re&s;pect tho&s;e who ought to be their Ma&s;ters, mu&s;t obey <HI>Ariantes</HI> before <HI>Thomiris,</HI> becau&s;e they had &s;een her a Subject like them&s;elves, this in my opinion is the &s;trange&s;t thing in the world: They might as well &s;ay, that the people, becau&s;e they had &s;een <HI>Lipacaris</HI> a Subject like them&s;elves thirty years together, ought not to obey him after the Gods had placed him upon the Throne. But there are &s;tronger ar|guments and rea&s;ons why they ought to obey the Daughter of their King, unto whom the Law gives more right unto the Crown of <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> then force did unto <HI>Lipacaris.</HI> More|over, there is much &s;hallowne&s;s in that argument which &s;ayes that <HI>Thomiris</HI> hath more Crowns then one, and therefore may well part with the other, for if &s;he had a hundred, yet the Crown of <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> is hers, and no rea&s;on but why &s;he &s;hould keep it: Private per|&s;ons may &s;omtimes doubtle&s;s yeeld &s;omthing which de&s;cends unto them from their Fa|thers, but Kngs never ought to yeeld Kingdomes: And though it be &s;aid, that it is not more glorious unto <HI>Thomiris</HI> to be the Daughter of a King, then to be the Si&s;ter of ano|ther, yet I &s;ay &s;he ought to in&s;i&s;t peremptorily upon her right unto the Kingdom of <HI>I&s;|&s;edon,</HI> over which &s;he hath raigned with &s;o much glory, that her pre&s;ence was not ne|ce&s;&s;ary to make her people obedient, &s;o wi&s;ely did &s;he govern them. But not to di&s;pute whether a King or a Queen is more advantagious unto the people, I &s;ay, as I &s;aid before, that &s;ince <HI>Lipacaris</HI> and the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edons</HI> are both one and the &s;ame per&s;on, and &s;ince <HI>Thomiris</HI> is elder then <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and elde&s;t Daughter to the Queen, &s;he ought to continue her Raign, as &s;he began, &s;ince the Lawes of the Land require it, and &s;ince &s;he a&s;cended the Throne by the peoples con&s;ent. And indeed, to &s;peak rationally, what &s;trange Chi|mique divi&s;ion would it be to divide <HI>Lipacaris</HI> from the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edons?</HI> It was the vir|tues of <HI>Lipacaris</HI> which made him King, and he did greater things to get upon the Throne then he did afterwards: So as it would be great inju&s;tice to put &s;o great a difference be|tween what he was when he de&s;erved to be King, and what he was after he was a King. In my opinion, who&s;oever is &s;o happy as to make him&s;elf a King, may be looked upon as one even from his Cradle to his Grave: For as it may be &s;aid, it is the Gods who gives Crowns as be&s;t plea&s;eth them; &s;o it may be &s;aid, that who&s;oever is to be a King, is &s;o from his birth, becau&s;e it was &s;o decreed from the beginning: So though men did not know that <HI>Lipacaris</HI> was to be King, yet by an infallible fatality he was to be &s;o, and from his Cradle induced with all high qualities, fit to be ranked in the Catalogue of Kings, by that power which Soveraignly di&s;po&s;es of Monarchies and Empires, and which before he was born, knew whether <HI>Thomiris</HI> or <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;hould raign.</P>
<P><HI>Lipacaris</HI> then being by the Gods put into the rank of Kings, as &s;oon as he was put into
<PB N="33" REF="810">
the rank of men, though it &s;hould be granted that <HI>Thomiris</HI> is only Daughter unto <HI>Lipa|caris,</HI> yet it mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity follow, that &s;he is al&s;o Daughter unto the King of <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> &s;ince he was marked out for &s;uch a one by tho&s;e who have right to give unto men &s;uch Characters as be&s;t plea&s;eth them. But not to fly unto any &s;ubtilties to maintain the equi|ty of a cau&s;e which nothing can weaken, I &s;hall tell you only in two words, that the Law &s;ayes, the Kingdome belongs unto the elde&s;t Child of the King, without di&s;tinction of Sex, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> is five years elder then the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> that as &s;oon as <HI>Lipacaris</HI> cea&s;ed being a Subject, and began to be a King, <HI>Thomiris</HI> al&s;o cea&s;ed to be the Daughter of a Subject, and began to be the Daughter of a King; and that unle&s;s it can be &s;aid her Fa|ther was never King of <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> they cannot take from her the quality of a Kings Daugh|ter, &s;ince &s;he cannot change her Father, as he changed his Fortune. So that being his, and brought up with him, &s;he is as he is, and by con&s;equence is legitimate Queen accord|ing to the Laws of the Land, and by the &s;ame con&s;equence, the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> cannot pretend unto any thing but a pardon for his crime, and to be the prime Subject unto this great Queen. I believe Sir you will think, that a conference of men who affected not Peace would come to nothing; but that on the contrary, it would exa&s;perate their &s;pirits; for &s;ince <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> hated <HI>Ariantes,</HI> he u&s;ed many offen&s;ive invectives; and &s;ince <HI>Octo|ma&s;ades</HI> feared nothing more then to come under the la&s;h of a Queen, whom he had wronged, he was full of tart expre&s;&s;ions again&s;t her pa&s;&s;ion, to the end he might hinder the War from cea&s;ing.</P>
<P>Thus after three daies conference and repetition of things, rather again&s;t Peace then for it, the Treaty ended, and the War began. But Sir, the thing mo&s;t remarkable was, that whil&s;t <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> and <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> conferred together, <HI>Adonacris</HI> accompanying <HI>Octoma&s;ades,</HI> and <HI>Sitalces Agather&s;es,</HI> the mi&s;erable <HI>Adonacris</HI> had the &s;orrow to &s;ee the Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or of his dear <HI>Noromata,</HI> whom he yet knew not; for <HI>Sitalces</HI> was one of the Grand Signiors in his Country, who was well contented with his Quality, who came in|to the Wars when it came to him, and who never came at Court but by chance: So as <HI>Adonacris</HI> had never &s;een him: And that which mo&s;t amazed him was, that &s;ince <HI>Sitalces</HI> did not know that he had any intelligence with his Wife, that he was in love with her, or any acquaintance between them, he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf alwayes unto him, to propo&s;e &s;uch expedients as he fancied: So that &s;ince it was not po&s;&s;ible he &s;hould &s;ee the Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or of his dear <HI>Noromata,</HI> without extream grief, he was in a mo&s;t perplexed condition, and the wor&s;e, becau&s;e his love encrea&s;ed: For <HI>Sitalces</HI> being one of tho&s;e who think they can ne|ver talk too much of their Wives, and &s;ince it was &s;o &s;hort a time &s;ince he was married, that he talked of her more like a Lover then a Husband. It chanced one day whil&s;t the Commi&s;&s;ioners were conferring together, a friend of <HI>Sitalces</HI> told him in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Adonacris,</HI> that he had more rea&s;on then any other to per&s;wade <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> unto an accommodation, and to end the War: For truly, &s;aid he unto him, it is one of the hard|e&s;t adventures that can befall a man, who having been whole years in love with a Beauty, &s;hould part from her three daies after he had married her: 'Tis very true, replied <HI>Sital|ces,</HI> the Adventure is very cro&s;s, and I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I wi&s;h an end of the War, as much becau&s;e I would return unto <HI>Noromata,</HI> as becau&s;e I am a Lover of my Coun|tryes Peace.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t <HI>Sitalces</HI> talked thus, <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;poke not a word, but &s;ighed in &s;ecret: Yet this friend unto <HI>Sitalces</HI> being a man that would put a hundred que&s;tions, and <HI>Sitalces</HI> being one, who though he had wit enough; yet was not &s;o delicate as to know one needs not an&s;wer preci&s;ely unto every que&s;tion which is asked: Such Que&s;tions, and &s;uch An&s;wers pa&s;&s;ed between them, as made <HI>Adonacris</HI> de&s;perate; for this impertinent friend did ob|lige <HI>Sitalces,</HI> not only to relate his pa&s;&s;ion unto <HI>Noromata,</HI> but all pa&s;&s;ages &s;ince his marriage, which <HI>Sitalces</HI> did aggravate in &s;uch tearms, as &s;o &s;added the &s;oul of <HI>Adona|cris,</HI> that he was ready to lo&s;e his patience, and utter &s;uch things as might make it known that he was the Lover of <HI>Noromata;</HI> yet he could not part from the place where he was, becau&s;e re&s;entments of love would not let him forbear audience of all that could be &s;aid concerning <HI>Noromata.</HI> But at the la&s;t he gathered &s;ome comfort from the words of <HI>Sitalces;</HI> for his friend asked him (after a hundred impertinent que&s;tions) whether <HI>No|romata</HI> was not as &s;ad at parting, as &s;he was glad of his company? And whether &s;he did not water her cheeks with tears? <HI>Sitalces</HI> an&s;wered him, that it &s;eemed he never knew <HI>Noromata,</HI> &s;ince he did not think her able to Mi&s;tre&s;s her &s;elf in all things: For truly, &s;aid he, &s;he hath &s;uch a command over her &s;elf, that when I married her, there was not
<PB N="34" REF="811">
the lea&s;t &s;ign of any joy in her eyes, and when I parted from her, there appeared not the lea&s;t &s;orrow in her countenance: And I am per&s;waded &s;he can love and hate to the height if &s;he plea&s;e, without being di&s;covered; and when I parted from her, &s;he did &s;o well hide her thoughts from me, that &s;he &s;eemed to be neither glad nor &s;ad, onely mode&s;t and &s;e|rious.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>Sitalces</HI> had &s;aid &s;o, the di&s;cour&s;e changing &s;ubject <HI>Adonacris</HI> retired, to in|joy the con&s;olation of thinking that <HI>Sitalces</HI> never &s;aw any joyes in the eyes of <HI>Noromata,</HI> &s;ince he married her; and this thought was the &s;weeter, becau&s;e he remembred how often he had &s;een joy dance in her cheeks and eyes when he had given her any te&s;timony of his love, and how by a &s;weet communication of looks without any words, &s;he imparted her heart unto him. So that not doubting but <HI>Noromata</HI> was capable enough of joy, and knowing by experience that &s;he was not alwayes a mi&s;tre&s;s of her &s;elf, &s;ince &s;he had more than once in vain &s;triven to hide her thoughts, he therefore thought to his comfort that &s;he did not love <HI>Sitalces</HI> when &s;he married him; and that perhaps &s;he loved him &s;till, at lea&s;t grieved for him. So that his love increa&s;ing, he was &s;o vexed that he was married, as he had almo&s;t as much ado to keep him&s;elf from hating <HI>Argari&s;pe,</HI> as from loving <HI>Noroma|ta.</HI> For truely (&s;aid he in him&s;elf) &s;ince my affection to <HI>Noromata</HI> is not bruti&s;h, onely grounded upon &s;ence; if I were &s;ure that <HI>Noromata</HI> loved me as well as I loved her, though &s;he be the wife of <HI>Sitalces,</HI> and as ab&s;ent as I am, yet I &s;hould entertain my &s;elf with many a plea&s;ing thought, and injoy many a &s;weet minute. But alas, how &s;hould <HI>Noromata</HI> ever believe I love her, &s;ince I married <HI>Argiri&s;pe?</HI> &s;ince &s;he knows not how I was forced to it: nor can con&s;ider that my affection to her is the cau&s;e of it: Perhaps &s;he is glad that my de&s;ign of marrying did not take effect, &s;ince I was &s;o apt to change: but alas, <HI>Noromata,</HI> you are much mi&s;taken if you think &s;o; for Heavens know I never loved <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> but &s;till you, and &s;hall do ever. But alas, what &s;hould, or what would I have <HI>Noromata</HI> do? <HI>Si|talces</HI> injoyes her; &s;he is all vertue; and I &s;hall never &s;ee her again: &s;tifle a pa&s;&s;ion <HI>Ado|nacris,</HI> which will do nothing but torment thee; and be not &s;o fooli&s;hly fond, as eternally to de&s;ire things impo&s;&s;ible, and to love where there is not the lea&s;t hope. <HI>Adonacris</HI> had good rea&s;on to con&s;ult with his rea&s;on how to quench his flames, for I a&s;&s;ure you his love augmented by &s;uppre&s;&s;ing it, and he was the more overcome by &s;triving again&s;t it. In the mean time the Treaty being ended as I told you before, <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> and <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> part|ed, both very glad that nothing was done.</P>
<P>But as <HI>Adonacris</HI> was going away, <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> came to him, and (&s;peaking in his high and excellent Tone) I Pray <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;aid he unto him, do me the favour to tell the fair <HI>Elibe|&s;is,</HI> that it is not long of <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> but me, the peace is not concluded; and that I hin|dred <HI>Ariantes</HI> from being King, by a Pa&s;&s;ion le&s;s intere&s;ted, then that by which <HI>Octoma&s;a|des</HI> would hinder <HI>Thomiris</HI> from being Queen; &s;ince his is ambition, and mine revenge. Since perhaps you &s;hall be the Subject of <HI>Ariantes</HI> Sir, whether you will or no (replied <HI>Adonacris)</HI> I will do you &s;o good an office as not to tell my &s;i&s;ter a thing which may offend her, but will tell it her from my &s;elf: Alas (replied <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> in a fury and went away) if ever I be Subject unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> be confident, that I will be a very rebellious one. After this <HI>Adonacris</HI> returned a &s;harp an&s;wer, but <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> did not hear him: And the truth is, he did &s;o di&s;like the proceedings of <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> with <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> that he retained the one half of his re&s;entment, out of a thought that &s;he had done him wrong.</P>
<P>In the mean while, as the &s;tate of things then &s;tood, a battell had decided the bu&s;ine&s;s, and quite ruined the &s;ide which lo&s;t it, and therefore both &s;ides were very cautions of fighting untill they &s;aw a great probability of being victorious. But &s;ince both &s;ides had officers admirably well known in Martiall affairs: Since <HI>Ariantes</HI> of his &s;ide, and <HI>Aga|ther&s;es</HI> of the other, were both very circum&s;pect; it was not ea&s;ie for either &s;ide to &s;up|pre&s;s each other.</P>
<P>Moreover, &s;ince <HI>Thomiris</HI> hoped every day to recover of her langui&s;hing di&s;ea&s;e which her &s;orrows for your departure Sir, had cau&s;ed; &s;he would not hazard her Army: And to tell you truely what I think, I am per&s;waded &s;he had a mind to keep her Forces for another de&s;ign then to puni&s;h <HI>Ariantes,</HI> whom &s;he alwayes believed would be reduced into his duty when &s;he de&s;ired him. So that <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> having &s;everall orders from <HI>Thomiris,</HI> to attempt nothing ra&s;hly, they were con&s;trayned to hazard nothing ra&s;hly, nor be &s;o forward as otherwi&s;e they would. Thus both &s;ides often skirmi&s;hed, but never came to any de&s;iding battle. Again, &s;ince the Army was not far from <HI>I&s;&s;edon, Ariantes</HI> often &s;tole a day to go and &s;ee <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> who&s;e &s;oul was much un&s;etled: for the truth is, &s;he
<PB N="35" REF="811">
loved <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> whether &s;he would or no: But ambition having a greater prevalence in her &s;oul, then love had, &s;he could not treat <HI>Ariantes</HI> ill, in hopes of being Queen: &s;o as when he came to &s;ee her, &s;he received him with all po&s;&s;ible &s;weetne&s;s. Yet &s;he &s;till enqui|red concerning <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> and would often tell one of his intimate friends whom he left in <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> many obliging pa&s;&s;ages concerning him in hopes of bringing him back unto her, in ca&s;e <HI>Ariantes</HI> was not King.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> who loved <HI>Adonacris</HI> more then &s;he was loved, and who was one that made a misfortune of every thing, &s;he was in continuall fears of his being killed, or at lea&s;t being wounded: for &s;ince &s;he was ignorant of his being in love with <HI>No|romata</HI> before his marriage; and &s;ince he behaved him&s;elf very civilly towards her; &s;he was not at all jealous, though her naturall temper was very apt for it as well as <HI>Sitalces.</HI> As for <HI>Noromata,</HI> &s;he droned away a very malancholly life; yet her comfort was, that her hu&s;|band was not with her; and that &s;he could be &s;ad and no body &s;ee her: for the truth is, &s;he had &s;uch a tenderne&s;s of &s;oul towards <HI>Adonacris,</HI> which all her vertue could not over|come. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">et &s;he was vexed at heart to hear he was married, though &s;he knew very well her anger was ill grounded, and that &s;ince &s;he never intended to &s;ee <HI>Adonacris</HI> again, it was no matter whether &s;he was married or not married. But for all that, Love being a pa&s;&s;ion which will never be &s;ubject unto rea&s;on, <HI>Noromata</HI> with all her rea&s;on could not chu&s;e but murmur in &s;ecret, that <HI>Adonacris</HI> was married as well as her &s;elf: yet &s;he mur|mured without any hatred, and accu&s;ed him onely of the &s;ame inju&s;tice whereof &s;he accu|&s;ed her &s;elf.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Sitalces,</HI> he had no other &s;orrow upon his &s;oul but for being at &s;uch a di&s;tance for her he loved: the truth is, his &s;orrow proceeded more from &s;parks of jealou&s;ie, than love, though he knew not whom to be jealous of: and this was his very rea&s;on why he could not be ab&s;ent from her he loved.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> he was in a wor&s;e condition then all the re&s;t; for his Love, his hatred, his jealou&s;ie, and his thir&s;ty de&s;ire of revenge, would not let him enjoy one minute of re&s;t: and which is &s;trange, he did what he could to hide his love unto <HI>Elibe&s;is;</HI> and to per&s;wade all he talked to, that he hated his Rivall and &s;lighted his Mi&s;tre&s;s: yet at la&s;t, I made him confe&s;s he loved her, and made him confe&s;s in a very odd way. For telling him one day that I thought he was &s;till in love with <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> he &s;harply interrupted me as if I had done him the greate&s;t injury in the world.</P>
<P>How <HI>Anabaris</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) can you think I am &s;till in love with <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> &s;ince &s;he hath preferred <HI>Ariantes</HI> before me? Since you know very well (&s;aid I unto him) that it is not the per&s;on of <HI>Ariantes</HI> which &s;he prefers; and that it is onely the gli&s;tering of that Crown which he hath promi&s;ed her, which dazels her eyes, you need not be &s;o angry; but look upon her rather as weak than incon&s;tant: I look upon her, (replied he angerly) as incon&s;tant, as weak, and as perfidious both: I look upon her as one, whom I am &s;orry I ever loved; as one whom I never love, or to &s;ay better, as one whom I never loved at all: Should you hate your Rivall any le&s;s, replied I, I &s;hould think you loved your Mi&s;tre&s;s le&s;s: but as long as I &s;ee &s;uch hot &s;parks of hatred and &s;uch ardent de&s;ires of revenge, I &s;hall ever-think that you either di&s;&s;emble your thoughts when you &s;ay you do not love <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> or that your &s;elf doth not know them: for as &s;oon as love cea&s;eth, jealou&s;ie will cea&s;e al&s;o: and that hatred which it cau&s;eth will at lea&s;t grow le&s;s, if not quite extingui&s;h. When any di&s;putes again&s;t me (replied <HI>Agather&s;es)</HI> they mu&s;t not alledge generall rules, for I declare I &s;hall except again&s;t them all: Since it is certain I do not build upon any thing but my &s;elf, e&s;pecially in matters of love. So as without examining whether jealou&s;ie cea&s;e in the hearts of others when love cea&s;eth, and whether hatred dimini&s;h, I onely know, that though I do not love <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> yet I do &s;o extreamly hate <HI>Ariantes,</HI> that I wi&s;h his ruine, and that I were in a condition to go and ask <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> whether it were more advantagious to be over|whelmed under the ruines of a &s;hattered Throne, then to wait quietly at the foot of that Throne: And mauger her ambition, I would there were in her heart one &s;park of that fire which once I kindled, and that it might flame higher and hotter then ever, to the end I might have the plea&s;ure of being revenged upon her weakne&s;s and incon&s;tancy, by telling her ingeniou&s;ly that I will never love her again. Time will tell you (&s;aid I unto him) which of us two are in the right; After this, I &s;aid no more unto <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> becau&s;e I was re&s;olved to put a trick upon him, and make him &s;ee that he did love <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> &s;till, though he did not think he loved her. And indeed about four dayes after this di&s;pute, as I was one evening in his Tent, I cau&s;ed a letter to be brought unto me by one of my men, which
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I my &s;elf did forge, and which I received in his pre&s;ence, and which after I asked his leave, I did read in a Corner of the Tent: He knowing that I had a way to receive intelligence from <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> he asked me if it came from thence, and I being then alone with him, I told him, that it did, and added with a &s;erious countenance, that I wi&s;hed all he told me foure daies &s;ince were true. I had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but he earne&s;tly asked me why I &s;aid &s;o? Before I give an an&s;wer, (&s;aid I unto him) you mu&s;t tell me whether you are &s;ure you do not love <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> for if you do not, then you may read this Letter; but if you do love her, never read it, unle&s;s you have a de&s;ire to die with grief: If only that a&s;&s;urance be re|qui&s;ite (replied he ha&s;tily) give me the Letter; and as he &s;aid &s;o, he took it, and began to read the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Sir,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>WE know not here yet, whether or no Fortune will have <HI>Ariantes</HI> to be King; but in all likelyhood the Gods will not let <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> be a Queen, for &s;he is extreamly &s;ick, and I cannot tell whether at this houre I write, death hath not driven all ambition out of her heart: Some &s;ay, that her &s;orrowes to &s;ee &s;o much incertainty in the Fortunes of that Prince whom &s;he hath preferred before <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> is the cau&s;e of her malady and death: But for my part, I think her mind hath no &s;hare in the malady of her body; and I can a&s;&s;ure you, few men know whether &s;he grieves more for the lo&s;s of a Crown, or for the lo&s;s of <HI>Agather&s;es.</HI> How|ever it be, you &s;hall receive further upon the fir&s;t occa&s;ion.</P>
</LETTER>
<P>I ob&s;erved him all the while he was reading this Letter, and &s;aw that he changed co|lour twenty times as he read it, yet having a high and proud Soul, though a lump of &s;or|row did hang like lead upon his heart, yet he gave me the Letter, and would not &s;eem &s;o much as troubled, but told me that now he began to be revenged, after which he was &s;i|lent, and began to walk. But he no &s;ooner took a turn in his Tent, but forgetting I was there, he began to lift up his eyes unto heaven in a fury, to &s;tamp his foot upon the ground, and to walk &s;omtimes fa&s;t, and &s;omtimes &s;low, and to &s;hew all the &s;igns of a mo&s;t di&s;tempered man, when any thing di&s;quiets his &s;oul. But &s;ince I had a mind to plea&s;e my &s;elf with my own trick, and de&s;ired he &s;hould know I perceived his &s;orrows, I told him that I was very &s;orry he was mi&s;taken, and that I had &s;hewed him the Letter which cau&s;ed &s;o much &s;adde&s;s.</P>
<P>I had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but he told me that I was much mi&s;taken in him, if I thought his &s;orrows proceeded from any tenderne&s;s unto <HI>Elibe&s;is;</HI> and &s;ince I mu&s;t explain my &s;elf; know, that my rage proceeds rather from this, that it is not <HI>Ariantes</HI> in lieu of <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> which is going to the Grave: I believe it, replied I, but &s;ince <HI>Ariantes</HI> may al&s;o die in this War, I &s;ee no rea&s;on why you &s;hould grieve now, for ye&s;terday you were not at all trou|bled; and therefore I mu&s;t conclude, that it is the malady of <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> which troubles you: Yes cruel friend (&s;aid he then unto me in as much anger as &s;orrow) it is the malady of <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> that troubles me, &s;ince you will dive into my heart, and &s;ince I cannot hide it: Yes, yes, it is the malady of <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> which goes neer my heart, and her death will cer|tainly be mine: And I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that as weak, as incon&s;tant, and as perfidious as <HI>Eli|be&s;is</HI> is, I mu&s;t follow her to the grave as &s;oon as I have my Rival thither: I had much a do to live and not love her, but I cannot &s;ee her die without renewing my flame. After this (pittile&s;s friend) you may triumph over my weakne&s;s, and with rea&s;on upbraid me as the weake&s;t man alive. I &s;hall not Sir upbraid you with your weakne&s;s (&s;aid I unto him) but I &s;hall chide you for keeping it &s;o &s;ecret from me: Yet Sir (added I and &s;miled) I mu&s;t confe&s;s I was deceived as well as you, for if I had thought you had loved <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> I &s;hould never have put &s;uch a trick upon you, as to forge the Letter which I &s;hewed unto you: How (&s;aid he) is not <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> extreamly &s;ick? No Sir, replied I, but I am &s;ure you are &s;ick of that di&s;ea&s;e which hath &s;o long tormented you: Oh mo&s;t cruel friend, &s;aid he unto me, tell me truly what I mu&s;t tru&s;t unto, and deceive me not again, for it concerns me to know in what condition <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> is, that I may regulate my thoughts accordingly; for if <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> die, I plainly perceive that my pa&s;&s;ion will revive, and I mu&s;t die with her, but if <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> be living and in health, I mu&s;t hate her if I can, or at lea&s;t &s;eem as if I did. I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I could not chu&s;e but laugh to hear <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> talk &s;o: Truly Sir, &s;aid I un|to him, if you do love <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> you will love her living as well as dead, and if you hate her, you will hate her memory as well as her per&s;on: No, replied he, you are but a Novice in love, if you know not how to make a di&s;tinction between the&s;e two things; for <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI>
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in her grave can never be enjoyed by my Rival; &s;o as pity molifying my heart, I &s;hall look upon her as one who cea&s;ed to be perfidious in cea&s;ing to live; as one who loved me, as one who loved not <HI>Ariantes,</HI> nor ever could love him. But <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> living as an uncon|&s;tant woman who hath for&s;aken me, and one whom I ought to for&s;ake, one who may make my Rival happy by his fruition of her, and one who to &s;atisfie her ambition and va|nity cares not if &s;he make me mi&s;erable; and therefore I conclude, that I can love <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> in her grave, and hate her living: You may conclude what you plea&s;e Sir (&s;aid I unto him) but if you will &s;peak truly, you do love <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> living, and you do know it as well as I do. 'Tis true (replied he ha&s;tily) I do love her more then I thought I did, and I am &s;o angry both again&s;t her and my &s;elf, that &s;he &s;hould have &s;o much power over me whether I will or no, that I hope very &s;hame will cure me, and cha&s;e her ab&s;olutely out of my heart; and though I had no other rea&s;on but to hide my weakne&s;s from you, yet I were obliged in point of honour to cure my &s;elf, to let you &s;ee my genero&s;ity is above my love: Yes, yes, you your &s;elf &s;hall cau&s;e me to cure my folly, and hold me for the weake&s;t and ba|&s;e&s;t of men, if before the War end you do not &s;ee me hate <HI>Elibe&s;is:</HI> If the War cea&s;e not before your love (replied I and laughed) it will be long before we &s;hall have peace. Af|ter this, I &s;eriou&s;ly asked pardon for cau&s;ing &s;o much &s;orrow in him, and he very ear|ne&s;tly entreated me not to tell any living that he &s;till loved <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> for truly, &s;aid he, my affection to her is of &s;uch a nature, that though I had turned <HI>Ariantes</HI> out of his new erected Throne, though I had killed him, though I had taken <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and though <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> were in my power, yet I had rather die then give her any te&s;timony of my love, though I &s;hould love her better then ever I did. I do believe you think as you &s;peak Sir, replied I, but for my particular I do not believe you, for who&s;oever loves, would be lo|ved again, and do any thing in the world to obtain it; therefore I a&s;&s;ure my &s;elf with much rea&s;on, that if Fortune do make you the Conquerour of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> yet &s;till you will be a Slave unto <HI>Elibe&s;is.</HI> After this Sir our di&s;cour&s;e cea&s;ed, and &s;ince that day I have been the Confident of his mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts, though he knew I was a friend unto <HI>Adonacris.</HI> 'Tis true, he was not ab&s;olutely out with him<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, for he knew very well that <HI>E|libe&s;is</HI> did not follow the coun&s;el of her Brother in all things, and that &s;he only tru&s;ted to her &s;elf.</P>
<P>But not to be over-tedious in particularizing this War, let me only tell you Sir, that the year being far &s;pent, both &s;ides endeavoured to take up their Winter Quarters in their Enemies Country; and in pur&s;uance of the&s;e endeavours, there was more blood &s;pilt, then in all the year before. The conte&s;t Sir was &s;o &s;harp at the pa&s;&s;age over a little River which <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> would maintain, that the very water &s;eemed as if turned into blood; but at la&s;t <HI>Ariantes</HI> was forced to leave the pa&s;&s;age unto his Enemies, and to retreat with his Troops towards <HI>I&s;&s;edon:</HI> Yet &s;ince this victory did co&s;t <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> very dear, and &s;ince he had more men killed then <HI>Ariantes</HI> had, he &s;aid, that true it was, he had lo&s;t his bag|gage and the River, but yet that <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> had lo&s;t &s;o much blood in gaining it, that &s;uch another gain would ruine him: 'Tis true, maugre this rallary, that this pa&s;&s;age which we got, was the cau&s;e of this Prince his ruine, becau&s;e this obliged him to quarter him&s;elf &s;o neer <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> that all about it were undone; the Inhabitants murmured, and this cau&s;ed us to &s;eek for better quarters, and a more firtil Country.</P>
<P>In the mean time Sir, <HI>Adonacris</HI> was taken Pri&s;oner by <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Sitalces</HI> by <HI>A|riantes. Ariantes</HI> &s;ent <HI>Sitalces</HI> unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> &s;ent <HI>Adonacris</HI> unto a Town called <HI>Typanis,</HI> where that Prince would quarter in the Winter, for he would not return to the Tents Royal, becau&s;e it was too far from his Army. Thus Sir, Fortune brought <HI>A|donacris</HI> and <HI>Noromata</HI> together, who as I told you before, had orders from her Husband to &s;tay there until the end of the War: I being the friend of <HI>Adonacris,</HI> did him all the good offices I could; 'tis true, he &s;tood in no great need of me, for <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> moved <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> to treat him &s;o well, that he was &s;uffered to go about upon his parol as &s;oon as he came to <HI>Tipanis:</HI> You may well conceive Sir, that <HI>Adonacris</HI> did not think his confine|ment very rigorous, &s;ince he was &s;o neer his dear <HI>Noromata;</HI> and on the contrary, you may well think that <HI>Sitalces</HI> who loved his wife very well, and who was of a jealous temper, did re&s;ent his with abundance of grief. Yet <HI>Adonacris</HI> was much vexed at the lo&s;s of his baggage, becau&s;e all the Letters which <HI>Noromata</HI> writ unto him before &s;he was married, were among&s;t it; yet &s;ince he had found her, he cheered up him&s;elf, and could not ima|gine the Souldiers could do him any ill office. <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> al&s;o was much troubled at the impri&s;onment of <HI>Adonacris;</HI> but as for <HI>Noromata</HI> Sir, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t needs tell you a little more
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preci&s;ely how &s;he knew that her Husband was Pri&s;oner unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and her Lover un|to <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> for truly this &s;trange chance did produce &s;uch a fine adventure, that I think fit not to omit the lea&s;t circum&s;tance. Be plea&s;ed to know then Sir, that the news of this great fight being carried unto <HI>Tipanis,</HI> it was there publi&s;hed, as commonly they u&s;e to do all great actions, to wit, with a thou&s;and fal&s;e circum&s;tances; &s;omtimes men are killed who are &s;till alive, &s;ome are mortally wounded, who are only Pri&s;oners, and &s;ome are report|ed to be Pri&s;oners who are at liberty, and &s;ome again who are never &s;poken of are Pri&s;oners wounded &amp; dead: In&s;omuch as after the rate of &s;uch confu&s;ed uncertain news, where truth and lies are &s;o all mixed together, that nothing is certain: As &s;oon as it was &s;aid in <HI>Tipa|nis</HI> that the Armies had fought, it was reported that <HI>Sitalces</HI> was wounded and taken Pri|&s;oner, and that <HI>Adonacris</HI> was dead: You may imagine Sir how this news &s;urprized and grieved <HI>Noromata,</HI> &s;he that was all virtue, of a mo&s;t tender &s;oul, po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with a violent pa&s;&s;ion, could not hear her Husband was wounded and a Pri&s;oner without &s;ome &s;orrow, though &s;he did not love him, nor hear <HI>Adonacris</HI> was dead with extream grief, yet it was &s;ome advantage unto her, that &s;he had now &s;ome pretence for her &s;orrows, and an appa|rent cau&s;e to ask news, and &s;atisfie her &s;elf in all circum&s;tances, which indeed &s;he did with extream earne&s;tne&s;s: So that &s;ince there was no place where &s;he could &s;o &s;oon and certainly know news from the Army, then from the Wife unto the Governour of <HI>Tipanis,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Eliorante,</HI> and who was one of the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed Ladies in the world, and the mo&s;t generous, &s;o &s;he went immediately unto her: Yet &s;ince &s;he was not fully &s;atisfied of what &s;he de&s;ired to know, &s;he re&s;olved to go thither every day until cer|tain news came from the Army: But &s;he dur&s;t not ask any thing concerning <HI>Adonacris,</HI> and though &s;he knew that their affections had been carried very clo&s;ely, yet &s;he had not the boldne&s;s to inquire, but hoped that in asking of all the dead, the Pri&s;oners, and the wounded in general, and of her Husband in particular, &s;he &s;hould hear &s;ome certainty of him &s;he de&s;ired to hear: So as in this hope, &s;he went, as I told you before, unto <HI>Elio|rante,</HI> not only the &s;ame day the news was divulged, but the next day, and the day af|ter that.</P>
<P>As &s;he was with this Lady, there came a Po&s;t, which confirmed the news of the fight, and of <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> Victory; and who a&s;&s;ured <HI>Noromata</HI> that her Husband was a Pri&s;on|er, but not wounded: So that <HI>Eliorante</HI> in rejoycing with her, told her &s;he had rea&s;on to be glad it was no wor&s;e with her Husband, &s;ince the wor&s;t half of the bad news was not true. Since <HI>Noromata</HI> was very rational, &s;he would have con&s;ented unto what <HI>Eliorante</HI> &s;aid, if nothing el&s;e had di&s;quieted her mind; but being mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly troubled at what &s;he dur&s;t not make appear, &s;he was glad &s;he had a colour for the molancholy which &s;he could not bani&s;h from her eyes do what &s;he could; and therefore &s;he told <HI>Eliorante,</HI> that though &s;he was very glad to hear that <HI>Sitalces</HI> was not wounded, yet &s;he could not chu&s;e but grieve at his being a Pri&s;oner: However; &s;he cared not &s;o much what &s;he &s;aid unto <HI>Eliorante,</HI> as &s;he hearkened with an attentive ear unto what the Po&s;t &s;aid unto the Gover|nour of <HI>Tipanis,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Arita&s;pes,</HI> and who was then in his Wives Chamber: And &s;he confu&s;edly heard him &s;ay, that the Pri&s;oners were coming, and that there was one whom <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> would have let go about the Town upon his parol, and be u&s;ed very well. But as &s;oon as &s;he heard this, there was heard a great noy&s;e of men who talk|ed loud in a great Plain before the Governours hou&s;e: Pre&s;ently after, the noy&s;e drew neerer, and pa&s;&s;ed from that Plain to the Court, from the Court to the Stairs, and from the Stairs unto the outer Chamber, at la&s;t they came to tell <HI>Arita&s;pes,</HI> that the Pri&s;oners which <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> had &s;ent were come, and that there was &s;ome men of Quality among&s;t them, who were in the outer Chamber. As &s;oon as this was &s;aid, all the Ladies that were with <HI>Eliorante,</HI> except <HI>Noromata,</HI> pre&s;&s;ed her to de&s;ire <HI>Aritaspes</HI> that the Pri&s;oners might come into the Chamber. But as for <HI>Noromata,</HI> &s;ince &s;he alwayes feared to hear of <HI>Adonacris</HI> his death, &s;he was not de&s;irous of it; but on the contrary, not daring to tru&s;t her con&s;tancy, &s;he offered to go away; &s;aying, She had no intere&s;t in the news, &s;ince &s;he knew of <HI>Sitalces</HI> as much as &s;he de&s;ired to know: But <HI>Eliorante</HI> &s;tayed her; and told her very gallantly, that it belonged unto her more then any other to entertain the Pri&s;on|ers very well, &s;ince her Husband was in the &s;ame condition: For &s;aid &s;he, It's credible that the &s;ame u&s;age we &s;hall &s;hew unto tho&s;e which are &s;ent unto us, the &s;ame will the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;hew unto tho&s;e under his power: So that <HI>Noromata</HI> not daring to re&s;i&s;t any longer &s;tayed: And <HI>Eliorante</HI> de&s;iring <HI>Aritaspes</HI> to &s;atisfie the curio&s;ity of all the La|dies who had a de&s;ire to &s;ee the Pri&s;oners, he told them &s;miling, that though he &s;hould
<PB N="39" REF="814">
thereby more expo&s;e them to be their Pri&s;oners, then the Pri&s;oners of <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> yet he would &s;atisfie them. And then commanding them to enter, the Lievtenant of <HI>Sparga|pi&s;es</HI> Guard who conducted them appeared fir&s;t; after him, <HI>Adonacris</HI> entred in the head of ten or twelve Officers, and he entred with &s;o good a grace, and &s;uch a noble ayr, as it was ea&s;ie to know he had &s;old his liberty very dear, and that his captivity was no &s;hame unto him: You may well think Sir, how <HI>Noromata</HI> was &s;urprized at the &s;ight of <HI>Adona|cris,</HI> whom &s;he thought dead; to &s;ee <HI>Adonacris</HI> whom &s;he had not &s;een &s;ince they were &s;o kind together, &s;ince they were both married, and &s;ince they thought never to write unto each other again, nor &s;ee one another as long as they lived. The &s;urprize of <HI>Ado|nacris</HI> was as great, for though he knew <HI>Noromata</HI> was at <HI>Tipanis,</HI> yet he did not think to find her in that place. Moreover, &s;o it chanced, that the fir&s;t per&s;on who &s;aw <HI>Adonacris,</HI> was <HI>Noromata,</HI> and al&s;o he &s;aw her very &s;ad: And though he knew not the true cau&s;e of that &s;adne&s;s which appeared in her countenance, yet he was well &s;atisfied that &s;he &s;eemed di&s;plea&s;ed at her fortune; for he did not then think that &s;he could be &s;o melancholy for the impri&s;onment of <HI>Sitalces;</HI> but thinking to make this moment of happine&s;s to him&s;elf, he interpreted that blu&s;h which appeared in the cheeks of <HI>Noromata</HI> when &s;he fir&s;t &s;aw him unto his own advantage; and indeed I under&s;tood by a Lady who was my friend, and pre&s;ent at this enterview, and who knew all the &s;ecrets of this affection, that <HI>Noromata</HI> blu&s;hed in &s;uch a manner, as it was ea&s;ie to perceive, that &s;he who blu&s;hed was not di&s;|plea&s;ed, for her eyes grew more lively, and &s;uch a joy did &s;pread it &s;elf &s;o all over her face, that it pre&s;ently made a deep impre&s;&s;ion upon the heart of <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">donacris:</HI> Indeed Sir, there was &s;omthing &s;o pa&s;&s;ionate, and &s;o &s;ignificative in the looks of the&s;e two per&s;ons at this unthought of meeting, that they told each other without de&s;ign, that they loved one a|nother &s;till, that they would love alwayes, and that they were both very mi&s;erable: However, the fir&s;t unpremeditated thought which la&s;t not long, being over, the virtuous <HI>Noromata,</HI> after &s;he had blu&s;hed for love, did blush again for shame at her weakne&s;s, and did &s;o &s;trive with her &s;elf, that she shunned the eyes of <HI>Adonacris,</HI> and a&s;&s;umed unto her own the &s;ame &s;adne&s;s which appeared in them before he came in; and it was the more ea&s;ie to be done, becau&s;e her joys to &s;ee <HI>Adonacris</HI> living, whom she thought to be dead, were tempered with her &s;orrows, that she could not innocently either love him, or be lo|ved. And this thought did &s;o imprint it &s;elf upon her &s;oul, as it co&s;t her many a &s;igh. Think upon it <HI>Noromata</HI> (&s;aid she then unto her &s;elf) Con&s;ider well what thou would&s;t do, and what thou oughte&s;t to do: <HI>Adonacris</HI> is amiable, it's true, and thou do&s;t love him more then thou oughte&s;t to do: But for all that, &s;ince thou do&s;t love him without power of doing otherwi&s;e, thou love&s;t him without a Crime, provided he know it not, and pro|vided thou never lets him know it; but on the contrary shun him, as if thou did&s;t hate him. Con&s;ider <HI>Noromata,</HI> that it concerns thy glory, and to pre&s;erve thy virtue, con&s;ider that thy Father knows <HI>Adonacris</HI> loved thee at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and that if thou do&s;t &s;uffer him to &s;ee thee at thy own hou&s;e, he cannot chu&s;e but have thoughts which will be di&s;advantagi|ous to thee: But e&s;pecially con&s;ider, that <HI>Adonacris</HI> will e&s;teem thee le&s;s, if thou should&s;t give him any te&s;timonies of thy affection, then if thou bee&s;t only upon terms of indifferen|cy with him: And out of a more Noble re&s;entment con&s;ider, that thou would&s;t e&s;teem thy &s;elf le&s;s, and that who&s;oever does not e&s;teem them&s;elves, can never he happy, nor me|rit the e&s;teem of others.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t <HI>Noromata</HI> was thus rea&s;oning with her &s;elf, one would have thought she &s;tudied &s;o profoundly, that her &s;tudy had no object, and as if her mind was far off any thing a|bout her: So that after <HI>Arita&s;pes</HI> had &s;poken unto all the Pri&s;oners, and told <HI>Adonacris</HI> that he had orders to lodg him at his own hou&s;e, and to give him all the Town of <HI>Tipa|nis</HI> for his Pri&s;on, and to let him pa&s;s upon his parol, he turned towards <HI>Noromata,</HI> who as I told you, &s;eemed to be in a deep &s;tudy: For ought I &s;ee Madam (&s;aid he unto her) you care not for &s;eeing the Pri&s;oners of the Prince <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> but I believe you think more upon tho&s;e that are pri&s;oners unto the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and think more upon <HI>Sital|ces</HI> whom you &s;ee not, then upon <HI>Adonacris</HI> whom you do &s;ee, though I think you knew him at <HI>I&s;&s;edon:</HI> 'Tis very true Sir (replied <HI>Noromata</HI> with a trembling heart, though not &s;eeming &s;o) that I am thinking upon <HI>Sitalces:</HI> And I am thinking al&s;o upon <HI>Adonacris</HI> (added she with incredible re&s;olution) but it is how to get an exchange between him and <HI>Sitalces.</HI></P>
<P>The di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Noromata</HI> did &s;o much &s;urprize <HI>Adonacris,</HI> that he knew not what to an&s;wer: 'Tis true, his &s;ilence was not ob&s;erved, for <HI>Eliorante</HI> beginning to &s;peak, she
<PB N="40" REF="815">
gave him time to recollect him&s;elf. The de&s;ign you have Madam, of relea&s;ing two &s;uch gal|lant men at once (&s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Noromata)</HI> is &s;o noble and worthy your &s;elf, that I believe there is none but will do you what &s;ervice they can unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and <HI>Spargapi&s;es:</HI> And if the friends of <HI>Adonacris</HI> will &s;olicite with yours, it is to be hoped you will very &s;hortly have the joy of &s;eeing <HI>Sitalces,</HI> and the &s;orrow of parting from <HI>Adonacris.</HI> If his impri&s;on|ment be no wor&s;e than mine (&s;aid <HI>Adonacris)</HI> a liberty which will be di&s;advantagious to his &s;ide, is not to be wi&s;hed: So that Madam, &s;ince <HI>Sitalces</HI> is more con&s;iderable in the party of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> than I am in <HI>Ariantes,</HI> I &s;hall not murmure though I be not exchanged for a man, who may more hurt my &s;ide by his valour, than I can &s;erve it by mine. And therefore I &s;hall never &s;olicite for my liberty, but leave it unto the con&s;ideration of the Prince whom I &s;erve.</P>
<P>This an&s;wer is &s;o mode&s;t, &s;o generous and &s;o gallant (replied <HI>Arita&s;pes</HI> and &s;miled) that you could not be more ingenious if you were a pri&s;oner unto one of the&s;e Ladies: However Sir, (added he, and gave him no time to reply) though the fetters you are to have will not be &s;o heavie, as tho&s;e which they perhaps would impo&s;e upon you, yet I think its fit I carry you unto a place where you may re&s;t your &s;elf: And accordingly <HI>Ari|taspes</HI> preparing him&s;elf to go out, did put <HI>Adonacris</HI> before him, though a Pri&s;oner, and conducted him into a very noble room.</P>
<P>After which, he took all requi&s;ite orders for the re&s;t of the Pri&s;oners, who were not to pa&s;s upon their Parol&punc; as <HI>Adonacris</HI> was. But Sir, I forgot to tell you that <HI>Noromata</HI> did hold her countenance &s;o re&s;olutely, when <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;aluted her in going out of <HI>Eliorantes</HI> chamber, that he &s;aw no more in her eyes than when he fir&s;t entred; onely a cold and &s;e|rious civility, which had &s;truck him into de&s;pair, had he not remembred her pa&s;&s;ionate tenderne&s;s which he &s;aw a quarter of an hour before. Al&s;o he thought that perhaps the pre&s;ence of &s;o many per&s;ons made her re&s;train her &s;elf: but he was quickly deprived of that con&s;olation: for being lodged in a Chamber which opened into the Court, wherein was a Balcone not very high, he &s;tayed in it in hopes to &s;ee <HI>Noromata</HI> as &s;he went out: And indeed his hope was not deceived; for &s;he having more di&s;quiet thoughts than &s;he imagined &s;he could ma&s;ter; &s;he went out as &s;oon as <HI>Adonacris</HI> came into the Balcone: But though he &s;aluted her with all imaginable re&s;pect, and followed her with his eyes, not onely till &s;he was in the Coach, but al&s;o till the Coach was out of the Court; he could obtain no more from her, but onely a civill congie without any looks of her eye or &s;ign with her head, or wagging of hand, which he could interpret to his advantage: &s;o that he went out of the Balcone very &s;adly. However, the fir&s;t looks of <HI>Noromata</HI> made &s;uch a &s;en&s;ible impre&s;&s;ion in him, and &s;o well per&s;waded him that &s;he did not hate him, that he knew not what con&s;truction to make upon this la&s;t coldne&s;s. Let it be as it will (&s;aid he to him&s;elf, as he told me &s;ince) the be&s;t I can think of it is, that <HI>Noromata</HI> would not have me know &s;he doth not hate me.</P>
<P>But alas, my dear <HI>Noromata</HI> (added he) If I be &s;o happy as not to be hated, all your hollow cold treatments will be in vain; for I &s;hall di&s;cern whether your expre&s;&s;ions of ha|tred be cau&s;ed by a reall aver&s;ion, or by prudence onely. After this, <HI>Adonacris</HI> began to ca&s;t about how to &s;ee her, and to &s;ee her in private; for he &s;till found her &s;o fair, that his love &s;till augmented; yet this love as violent as it was, &s;till was all purity: And <HI>Ado|nacris</HI> was &s;o well acquainted with the vertue of <HI>Noromata,</HI> that he &s;et mo&s;t &s;evere limits unto his de&s;ires; &s;o that being full per&s;waded of the innocency in his affection, he thought <HI>Noromata</HI> might and ought to an&s;wer him: And imagining an unexpre&s;&s;able joy, if he could once in his life hear from the mouth of <HI>Noromata,</HI> that he was not hated, he thought upon nothing el&s;e but how to &s;peak with her, when none could hear but her &s;elf. But while&s;t he was contriving how to bring this to pa&s;s, <HI>Noromata</HI> was thinking how to avoid all conver&s;ation with him: as for &s;eeing her, &s;he &s;aw &s;he could not. And indeed &s;he could not go out of <HI>Tipanis,</HI> during the war: nor could &s;he leave off her vi&s;its unto <HI>Eli|orantes</HI> and the re&s;t of her friends, without giving them cau&s;e to ask her rea&s;on: All &s;he had to do was, not to &s;ee <HI>Adonacris</HI> at her own lodging, and to &s;hun him if &s;he met him any where el&s;e: yet &s;he found &s;o great a repugnancy to take this cour&s;e, that any other vertue be&s;ides hers would have &s;ubmitted unto a Pa&s;&s;ion &s;o tender and &s;trong. However <HI>Noromata</HI> did &s;urmount her &s;elf, but not her inclination, though &s;he did all &s;he could to overcome it: untill now &s;he only indeavoured to love <HI>Adonacris;</HI> but now &s;eeing the danger greater, &s;he indeavoured to force her heart unto a love of <HI>Sitalces,</HI> but alas, &s;he could not.</P>
<P><PB N="41" REF="815">
But her vertue finding an ample Subject to make it &s;elf appear, &s;he re&s;olved to do as much for <HI>Sitalces,</HI> as if &s;he had loved him better than her &s;elf: but to do nothing for <HI>Adonacris:</HI> And &s;o neglect no means which might procure an exchange for her husband, though his pre&s;ence was mo&s;t grievous, and the pre&s;ence of <HI>Adonacris</HI> mo&s;t agreeable to her. <HI>Noromata</HI> did not re&s;olve upon this ra&s;hly and tumultuou&s;ly, but upon mature ex|amination and con&s;ideration of it a whole night together without a wink of &s;leep, untill at la&s;t, the wearine&s;s of her &s;pirits compelled her. But when &s;he waked, &s;he received in one quatter of an houre, three letters of different &s;tiles, which came from three different Per&s;ons: For a Po&s;t from <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> which came to adverti&s;e <HI>Arita&s;pes,</HI> that the Prince <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> and him&s;elf would &s;hortly come unto <HI>Tipanis,</HI> did bring her one from <HI>Si|talces</HI> at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> whether <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> had &s;ent the man to inquire of one of his friends, who could not be found either among&s;t the wounded or dead, or among&s;t the living on his &s;ide: the &s;econd was from <HI>Argiri&s;pes,</HI> who conceived her to &s;olicite as zealou&s;ly at <HI>Ti|panis</HI> for the liberty of <HI>Adonacris,</HI> as &s;he would do at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> for the liberty of <HI>Sitalces.</HI> And the third was from <HI>Adonacris,</HI> which a &s;ervant unto this pri&s;oner had given unto one of her women by another name, than that of his ma&s;ters, and without &s;taying for an an|&s;wer: for <HI>Adonacris</HI> feared le&s;t <HI>Noromata</HI> &s;hould &s;end it back &s;ealed as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw the character of the &s;uper&s;cription. So that the vertuous <HI>Noromata</HI> finding all at once, a let|ler from her Lover, one from her husband and another from <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> &s;he was in a &s;trange perplexity; had &s;he honoured her own inclination, &s;he had opened that from <HI>Adonacris</HI> and had looked upon that from <HI>Sitalces</HI> the la&s;t: Yet this virtuous Lady &s;urmounting her &s;elf, re&s;olved not to open the letter from <HI>Adonacris</HI> at all, to reade that from <HI>Sital|ces,</HI> and, then that from <HI>Argiri&s;pes:</HI> So throwing upon the Table, that letter which came from the hand of him that was mo&s;t dear unto her, &s;he opened her husbands, but opened it with a &s;igh, and was long before &s;he was able to read it, &s;o &s;ad was her &s;oul: but at la&s;t having read it, &s;he found &s;ome expre&s;&s;ion of affection, and &s;ome of civility: but <HI>Sitalces</HI> having no polite faculty in writing, though he had wit enough, the&s;e civilities had neither any tenderne&s;s nor gallantry in them; only as much as might come from a husband, who naturall was not gallant, and from one who valued his liberty more than any thing el&s;e; yet indeed there was &s;ome expre&s;&s;ions of Love in his Letter, but truely very little obliging: for he bluntly intimated unto her how he was troubled that <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> and the whole Court would winter at <HI>Tipanis,</HI> and that &s;he was like to have &s;o much good company: Adding afterwards &s;everall directions concerning his liberty and his e&s;tate, with as much familiarity as if they had been married ten years, though God knows, they had been only three poor dayes together.</P>
<P>So after <HI>Noromata</HI> had read it with many a &s;igh, and looked upon the Letter from <HI>Ado|nacris</HI> which lay upon the Table; Alas (&s;aid &s;he to her &s;elf) what a difference is there be|tween that Letter and this I have read? yet I mu&s;t not look into it, but do all which this I have read appoints me: Upon &s;econd thoughts, &s;he found &s;ome danger in tru&s;ting any one to carry it back unto him; and thought it more convenient to give it han&s;omly unto him her &s;elf, the fir&s;t time &s;he met him at <HI>Eliorantes,</HI> where &s;he imagined to meet him &s;oone&s;t: So that taking up the Letter, &s;he put it in her pocket, and began to reade that from <HI>Argi|ri&s;pes.</HI> But as &s;he confe&s;&s;ed &s;ince, &s;he read it with a trembling heart; for as oft as &s;he found the name of <HI>Adonacris,</HI> &s;he blu&s;ht, and could not chu&s;e but entertain &s;ome thoughts which had &s;omething of hatred and jealou&s;ie in them; and wi&s;hed that <HI>Adonacris</HI> loved <HI>Argiri&s;pes</HI> no better then &s;he loved <HI>Sitalces:</HI> yet in a minute after, &s;he condemned the&s;e thoughts, and not &s;hrinking a jot from her virtue and be&s;t re&s;olution, &s;he went unto a publick &s;acrifice which was that day offered upon a little hill full of trees which was with|in the Town: For you know Sir, we never u&s;e to &s;acrifice but under the great Canopy of Heaven; our Fathers believing that men cannot build a Temple worthy of the Gods: nor do we u&s;e to &s;acrifice &s;o often as other People; it being only once a moneth that the&s;e publick acts of Piety are performed: So that <HI>Noromata</HI> going that day unto the &s;actifice, and principally to ask the Gods power to overcome the pa&s;&s;ion of her &s;oul; &s;he came un|to the foot of the hill, about which was built great magnificent Galleries, under which the Ladies u&s;ed to &s;hade them&s;elves from the heat of the Sun: our Religion requiring only the &s;acrificers, and tho&s;e who a&s;&s;i&s;t them to be under the open Heavens: Yet &s;ome of our Ladies who are of a preci&s;e Piety and &s;crupulous Con&s;ciences never go into the&s;e Gal|leries, but when it is either exce&s;&s;ively hot, or exce&s;&s;ively cold: So that <HI>Noromata,</HI> who was very full of devotion, placed her &s;elf that day among&s;t the multitude with many
<PB N="42" REF="816">
other Ladies of quality. Her devotion was not di&s;turbed by the pre&s;ence of <HI>Adonacris,</HI> for <HI>Arita&s;pes</HI> kept him with him: but &s;he prayed unto the Gods with &s;o much &s;erenity of &s;oul and tranquility of &s;pirit, that &s;he thought &s;he obtained from them a new &s;trength, and went home with intentions to go unto <HI>Eliorantes</HI> as &s;oon as &s;he had dined, purpo&s;ely to find a fit opportunity of giving back the Letter unto <HI>Adonacris;</HI> and accordingly as &s;oon as &s;he did ri&s;e from the Table, &s;he commanded her Coach to be made ready: And to the end <HI>Ado|nacris</HI> &s;hould not think &s;he had the lea&s;t de&s;ign of kindling any flame in his heart, &s;he went in a very carele&s;s and negligent dre&s;s, pretending the impri&s;onment of her husband; But though her habit was &s;imple; and though &s;he wore onely five or &s;ix carele&s;s curles of her hair on either &s;ide, yet &s;ince &s;he could not chu&s;e but be hand&s;ome, &s;he appeared to be as hand&s;ome without, as with a dre&s;s: But as &s;he looked her &s;elf in a gla&s;s, to &s;ee if &s;he was as negligent in her dre&s;s as &s;he would be, &s;he did hide &s;ome of her curles under her hood, thinking them too gallant for one who had a de&s;ign not to plea&s;e, though &s;he wi&s;hed in her heart that <HI>Adonacris</HI> would not hate her.</P>
<P>But while&s;t &s;he was con&s;ulting with her Mirror to &s;ee her &s;elf dre&s;t carele&s;ly enough, &s;he &s;igned, remembring how circum&s;pect &s;he had formerly been at <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> to plea&s;e <HI>Adona|cris.</HI> But at la&s;t, &s;he left her gla&s;s, and went into her clo&s;&s;et, to &s;ee out of the ob&s;ervance of her women, whether &s;he had the Letter in her pocket; and found that the &s;eal had been cru&s;hed open in the pre&s;s during the &s;acrifice: &s;o that &s;he could not re&s;tore it unto <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;ealed. At the fir&s;t, &s;he was extreamly vexed at her &s;elf, and held it a long while in hand before &s;he would read it: But at la&s;t, con&s;idering though &s;he &s;hould re&s;tore it back unread, yet he would think &s;he had read it, therefore &s;he re&s;olved to reade it. But fir&s;t, &s;he examined her &s;elf what rea&s;on &s;he had &s;o to do? For (&s;aid &s;he to her &s;elf) can&s;t thou think <HI>Noromata,</HI> that <HI>Adonacris</HI> would ever have writ unto thee to tell thee of thy in|juries, and to give thee cau&s;es of hating him? Ha&s;t thou not &s;een in his eyes, that the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion which is in thy heart again&s;t thy will, is al&s;o in his? Why then &s;houlde&s;t thou reade his Letter? wilt thou thy &s;elf tempt thy own virtue? Thou knowe&s;t, that thou ha&s;t re&s;olved to dye a thou&s;and deaths, rather than to do any thing unworthy of thy &s;elf; and yet thou art ready to reade a Letter from a man whom thou knowe&s;t doth love thee; and which is &s;trange&s;t, from a man, whom thou knowe&s;t thou do&s;t not hate. After this, <HI>No|romata</HI> fell into a deep &s;erious &s;tudy, afterwards re&s;olving to keep clo&s;e unto her former principles, what tenderne&s;s &s;oever &s;he found in the Letter, &s;he did reade it, and found the&s;e words:</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>ADONACRIS unto NOROMATA.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>DId I not know that I have not the lea&s;t thought which is unworthy of your vertue, I &s;hould never a&s;&s;ume the boldne&s;s to beg a private audience, that I may tell you what my heart thinks upon the inju&s;tice which you have done me.</P>
<P>But being &s;ure that I do not entertain one thought that can offend you, I conjure you Ma|dam, to grant me &s;o much favour as once before I die, to tell you what I have &s;uffered, and what I do &s;uffer for you. And to oblige you, not to deny me, I do &s;olemnly prote&s;t unto you Madam, that I love you without any de&s;ires or hopes; and if you plea&s;e, I will never &s;peak unto you of that pa&s;&s;ion, which is and ever will be in my &s;oul, as long as I live: Provided you will give me leave, onely to put you in memorie of what it was, when once you thought it innocent. Thus asking you nothing, neither for the pre&s;ent nor the future, and de&s;iring no other favour, but one|ly to talk with you of a thing thats pa&s;t, doubtle&s;s you would be unju&s;t, if you &s;hould deny me. But Madam, If you will deny me, I be&s;eech you forbid me your &s;elf from telling you that I do love you &s;till, more then ever any did or could. For Madam, I mu&s;t profe&s;s, that if you &s;hould by your &s;ilence make me under&s;tand, it is not your plea&s;ure I &s;hould tell you as much, I would not obey you. No Madam, though your fair eyes, as powerfull as they are, &s;hould tell me as much a thou&s;and times, in that mute and rigorous language. The truth is Madam, it is &s;o difficult a thing, not to &s;peak of a malady unto the Per&s;on, for who&s;e &s;ake it is endured, that I had need to receive this Commande<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">en in &s;uch a manner as may force me to obedience. You know Madam, what power you ever had over me: I prote&s;t it is not le&s;&s;oned; and what&s;oever you command me, I &s;hall obey, provided I receive the command from your own mouth, and pro|vided you do not forbid me to love you, untill the death of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ADONACRIS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><PB N="43" REF="816">
This Letter being full of tenderne&s;s and re&s;pect, <HI>Noromata</HI> could not reade it without a &s;igh; and &s;he hath told me &s;ince that &s;he was never in all her life, in a greater perplexity than after this: But for all that, this Letter which at fir&s;t &s;he would not reade, &s;he now read it thrice over; and read it with &s;uch re&s;entments as &s;he was never able to expre&s;s: for &s;he was extream &s;ad after the reading it, but it was &s;uch a &s;adne&s;s, as had &s;uch a &s;atisfaction in it, as made the &s;ame thing which grieved, not to di&s;plea&s;e her. However, after &s;he had &s;pent a quarter of an hour upon the Love of <HI>Adonacris,</HI> &s;he revived out of her weakne&s;s, as out of a Lethargie of Spirit: And tearing the Letter in pieces; I would to the gods, &s;aid &s;he, I were as well able to tear my tenderne&s;s unto <HI>Adonacris</HI> out of my heart, as I am to tear this te&s;timony of his affection.</P>
<P>After this, altering her de&s;ign of going unto <HI>Eliorantes,</HI> &s;he &s;aid, that &s;he would not go abroad, nor &s;ee any body, having no mind to expo&s;e her &s;elf &s;o &s;oon unto the &s;ight of <HI>Adonacris.</HI> But to vex her, one came to tell her from <HI>Eliorantes,</HI> that if &s;he would write unto <HI>Sitalces</HI> &s;he could &s;end her Letter, &s;o it was written pre&s;ently. Thus <HI>Noromata,</HI> who&s;e fan&s;ie was filled with the conceit of a Letter from her Lover whom &s;he loved, was forced to an&s;wer her husbands, whom &s;he loved not; and did &s;o with much ado. She began her Letter five or &s;ix &s;everall times before &s;he could end it: for though &s;he had <HI>Sitalces</HI> letter before her, purpo&s;ely to give a punctuall an&s;wer unto every Article; yet that from <HI>Ado|nacris</HI> was &s;o imprinted in her thoughts, that &s;he writ rather unto <HI>Adonacris,</HI> than <HI>Sitalces:</HI> but at la&s;t being angry again&s;t her &s;elf, &s;he overcame it, and writ unto her husband with much re&s;pect; al&s;o an&s;wered <HI>Argiri&s;pes</HI> with much civility: After which &s;he undre&s;t her &s;elf and went to bed, as a pretence of &s;eeing no body, no not &s;o much as her own women. And to that end, &s;he &s;aid &s;he was troubled with an extream pain in her head, which &s;ilence, darkne&s;s and &s;leep would cure. So as her women &s;hut up all the windowes and drew the curtains very clo&s;e, and &s;o left her at liberty to think upon the malady which tormented her: To tell you Sir, all that <HI>Noromata</HI> did both again&s;t her &s;elf and <HI>Adonacris,</HI> would be a very hard task: For truly all that a Per&s;on of a great Spirit, of a great courage and of a great virtue could think or do to quench the flames of a violent pa&s;&s;ion, <HI>Noromata</HI> did; and carried her &s;elf &s;o towards <HI>Adonacris,</HI> that he could not &s;o much as gue&s;s &s;he de&s;ired he &s;hould love her.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince &s;he thought it not expedient to let him know her mind at the fir&s;t by her proceedings; &s;he &s;hunned &s;eeing him, and told it the next day that &s;he was not well, and that &s;he would &s;ee no body: &s;o that by this means <HI>Adonacris</HI> came many times to &s;ee her, and mi&s;&s;ed of his aims, nor could he &s;o much as know whether or no, &s;he had received his Letter. And he feared extreamly, that he was deceived when he believed that <HI>Noromata</HI> did not hate him. On the other &s;ide <HI>Arita&s;pes</HI> being adverti&s;ed that the young <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> would come the next day, he went to meet him with all the Gallantry of <HI>Tipanis:</HI> But though all the honours of the victory were done unto <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> yet it was <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> who de&s;erved them: for <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> was &s;o young, as he was ab&s;olutely uncapable of any high actions on commendations for them, but onely followed the advice of the wi&s;e <HI>Terez</HI> and <HI>Agather&s;es:</HI> So that as &s;oon as he came to <HI>Tipanis, Agather&s;es</HI> who to oblige <HI>Adonacris</HI> the more, and to make <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> the more a&s;hamed, he pre&s;ented him unto <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> who as he was advi&s;ed, received him very civilly. Thus the conqueror, and the conquered, lived together with extream civility; and <HI>Adonacris</HI> was more obliged unto that young Prince than if he had given him his liberty: for be plea&s;ed to know Sir, that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> telling him it was fit he &s;hould vi&s;it <HI>Noromata,</HI> who&s;e husband was pri&s;o|ner in his cau&s;e, he went the &s;ame hour unto her, and offered unto her his be&s;t &s;ervice in geting the liberty of <HI>Sitalces.</HI></P>
<P>And <HI>Adonacris</HI> having that evening had a great deal of di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> and letting him know that he never contributed unto the ambition of <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> there was &s;uch a corre&s;pondency between them, that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> asked him if he would wait upon <HI>Sparga|pi&s;es</HI> unto <HI>Noromata: Adonacris</HI> joyfully accepting the offer, did accompany this young Prince unto this fair one, who faining to be ill, did &s;it upon her bed to receive this vi&s;it, little thinking <HI>Adonacris</HI> had been th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">re: But when &s;he &s;aw him, and had looked him in the face, her di&s;order was &s;o great that &s;he changed colour, imagining that he would in|terpret all her thoughts into his own advantage. But being a per&s;on of a mo&s;t re&s;olute &s;pirit, and a great &s;oul, &s;he in&s;tantly recollected her &s;elf: And &s;eeming to take no notice of <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;he an&s;wered unto the civilities of <HI>Spargipi&s;es</HI> concerning the impri&s;onment of her husband. But to do it in &s;uch a manner as might let <HI>Adonacris</HI> know, (whom &s;he
<PB N="44" REF="817">
&s;aw hearkning very attentively) that &s;he had all the thoughts, which a mode&s;t wife ought to have upon the like occa&s;ion, &s;he thanked <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> with a mo&s;t re&s;pective civility, for all his offers; conjuring him with abundance of earne&s;tne&s;s, to do all he could for the liberty of her husband.</P>
<P>But Sir, added &s;he, it is not here I &s;hould make this Petition to you; the fir&s;t day I &s;tir out, &s;hall be to be&s;eech you, you would be plea&s;ed to grant me one of your Pri&s;oners, that I may propound an exchange unto the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> between him and <HI>Sitalces.</HI> You need not &s;tay &s;o long Madam, replied <HI>Agathar&s;es</HI> (&s;eeing <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> knew well how far he ought to &s;atisfie <HI>Noromata's</HI> reque&s;t) for I &s;uppo&s;e the Prince hath already granted your reque&s;t. <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> then imagining by what <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> &s;aid, that he ought not to deny her, did confirm what <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> &s;aid; and asked her the name of that Pri&s;oner whom &s;he de&s;ired to propound unto <HI>Ariantes</HI> in exchange of <HI>Sitalces.</HI> Sir, &s;aid &s;he then, and blu&s;ht, I &s;hould have &s;ome hopes of my husbands liberty, if you would be plea&s;ed to grant me <HI>Adonacris,</HI> &s;ince it is very probable <HI>Ariantes</HI> will not let the brother of the fair <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> be a Pri&s;oner: As <HI>Noromata</HI> could not name <HI>Adonacris,</HI> without a blu&s;h, &s;o <HI>Adonacris</HI> could not hear him&s;elf named without a blu&s;h al&s;o, e&s;pecially upon &s;uch a cro&s;s conjecture. However, he knew not how to oppo&s;e his liberty directly; and his expre&s;&s;ion of gallan|try which he u&s;ed in <HI>Eliorantes</HI> chamber when <HI>Noromata</HI> &s;poke of his exchange for <HI>Sital|ces,</HI> was not fit to be &s;poken &s;eriou&s;ly. Yet being a bu&s;ine&s;s which he could not con&s;ent unto, nor indeed reject, unle&s;s in Rallery: he addre&s;&s;ed his di&s;cour&s;e unto <HI>Noromata;</HI> Truly Madam, &s;aid he unto her and &s;miled, I believe that <HI>Sitalces</HI> will not be plea&s;ed at your motion, and he had rather be a Pri&s;oner than be exchanged for me: This mode&s;ty is &s;o &s;trangely exce&s;&s;ive (replied <HI>Noromata</HI> but looked not upon him) that I have rea&s;on to think you &s;peak by contraries: but be it as it will, &s;ince the Prince is plea&s;ed to grant me my de&s;ire it &s;hall be the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> who &s;hall decide the matter, who I believe will decide it according to my wi&s;h; &s;ince it is not credible he can deny the fair <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> to break off your fetters at the in&s;tance of one, who doubtle&s;s hath zealou&s;ly importuned him to it: So as I be&s;eech you give me leave to hope that you will very &s;hortly be at li|berty, and that I &s;hall very &s;hortly &s;ee <HI>Sitalces</HI> return.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> not u&s;ing to make any long vi&s;its, e&s;pecially when they are only Ceremonious, he did ri&s;e up without giving <HI>Adonacris</HI> any time to reply unto <HI>Noromata:</HI> and he went to view &s;ome places in the Town which <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> thought fit to be fortified: And <HI>Adonacris</HI> not thinking it fit for him to follow him unto that place, he &s;tayed with &s;ome others at the door of <HI>Noromata's</HI> hou&s;e: But &s;ince it was the cu&s;tome of men to part without any Ceremony in &s;uch occa&s;ions, tho&s;e who &s;tayed talking with <HI>Adonacris,</HI> having &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s to go about, they left him alone with his own men at the gate where he was, &s;o that &s;eeing it &s;till open, and imagining that <HI>Noromata</HI> might expect his re-entry, and that &s;he would not deny him enterance into her chamber, he went in boldly, and going up the &s;tairs he &s;aw the door of <HI>Noromata's</HI> chamber open; &s;o that without any more delay he went towards the bed where &s;he was &s;itting. But to delude her women, and indeed her &s;elf con&s;enting, Madam, (&s;aid he upon his fir&s;t addre&s;s) The Prince <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> hath &s;ent me back unto you, to talk of &s;ome things which concerns you to know, before he &s;end unto <HI>Ariantes</HI> concerning the exchange of <HI>Sitalces:</HI> and therefore I be&s;eech you, Madam, permit me a quarter of an hours audience. <HI>Noromata</HI> did &s;o wonder to &s;ee <HI>Adonacris</HI> again, as in that di&s;order &s;he had not hand&s;ome pretence of denying that reque&s;t: And fearing that her women would think her not zealous for her husbands liberty, if &s;he did not hear him, &s;he was forced to an&s;wer him as though &s;he did believe him, though indeed &s;he did not: And indeed I'am per&s;waded that <HI>Noromata</HI> for all her vertue, was not very &s;ory &s;he had found an occa&s;ion of talking once again in her life in private with <HI>Adonacris,</HI> her &s;elf not contributing unto it. So that &s;eeming as I told you before to believe <HI>Spargapri|&s;es</HI> &s;ent him, &s;he made him &s;it down and prepared her &s;elf for audience. And to make this conference more free, her women who were extreamly de&s;irous to tell others, that <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> had promi&s;ed to &s;et their Ma&s;ter at liberty, went into their Mi&s;tre&s;s Wardrobe to talk with other women who were there. So that leaving the door open that they might hear <HI>Noromata</HI> if &s;he called; <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;aw them go into the Wardrobe, and that he had all the liberty he could de&s;ire of talking with his dear <HI>Noromata;</HI> who not taking notice of her women, had &s;uch a trembling at her heart, that &s;he neither knew what &s;he &s;aw, nor what &s;he &s;hould think of her &s;elf.</P>
<P>But at la&s;t, after <HI>Adonacris</HI> had &s;ilently looked upon her with as much grief as love: I
<PB N="45" REF="817">
hope Madam, (&s;aid he unto her with a &s;igh) that &s;ince Fortune hath brought me unto you, you wil not bani&s;h me: I be&s;eech you Madam con&s;ider of your inju&s;tice to me, and treat me not &s;o. If I were &s;till the &s;ame I was at <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> (replied <HI>Noromata</HI> mode&s;tly) doubtle&s;s I &s;hould be unju&s;t in doing &s;o; but Sir, &s;ince I am not now what I was then, no nor you your &s;elf the &s;ame, certainly I mu&s;t do nothing but what becomes my duty: and if I have any power over you, I both conjure and be&s;eech you with all my heart to go away, to come no more at my hou&s;e, to &s;hun &s;eeing me any where el&s;e as much as you can, and to indeavour your liberty with as much zeal as I &s;hall: Your power over me Madam, is &s;uch, replied he, that if it be your po&s;itive plea&s;ure to do as you &s;ay, I &s;hall indeavour to do what I can to obey you: But fir&s;t Madam I be&s;eech you hearken unto all my rea&s;ons: Let me acquaint you with the pre&s;ent &s;tate of my &s;oul; examine your own a little, and by calling to memory what is pa&s;t, you may the better know what to do in the future. Moreover Ma|dam, I be&s;eech you deny me not what I &s;hall ask; for if you do, I profe&s;s though I would yet I cannot obey you: Then you have writ me a lie, replied &s;he when you &s;ent me word that provided I did my &s;elf forbid you &s;eeing me, you would obey: I &s;ay it again Madam, (added he) but before you do forbid me any thing. I be&s;eech you hear me: upon condi|tion that this &s;hall be the la&s;t time (replied &s;he) I will hear what you plea&s;e. I &s;hall tell you then Madam, replied he, That you have done me the greate&s;t inju&s;tice in the world in for&s;aking me for <HI>Sitacles;</HI> for truly Madam, I am fully per&s;waded, that when I had the honour to &s;ee you at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> you did not then di&s;&s;emble your thoughts, when your good|ne&s;s was plea&s;ed to te&s;tifie, that tho&s;e thoughts which I had of you did not di&s;plea&s;e you: Al&s;o I remember very well, that the la&s;t day I had the honour to &s;ee you, your eyes did then be&s;tow more obliging glimp&s;es upon me than ever before; in&s;omuch as their language permitted me to hope for happine&s;s: But when Fortune once &s;eparated me from you, you Madam, made me the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man alive; and <HI>Sitalces</HI> who certainly knows not the excellency of that Trea&s;ure which he injoyes, was preferred before me. Had I volun|tarily preferred <HI>Sitalces</HI> before you Sir, (replied &s;he) certainly I had been much to blame; though you had been much his inferiour in all accompli&s;hments; for then I &s;hould have been branded with incon&s;tancy and perfidie: But alas, <HI>Adonacris</HI> (pur&s;ued &s;he and &s;igh|ed) I am not &s;o; &s;ince &s;urely I &s;hould be much happier than I am, if I were more blame|able; and I am afraid that if I were more blameable towards you, I were more innocent: For truly, you have no rea&s;on to upbraid me, and I obeyed my Father with &s;o much un|willingne&s;s, and married <HI>Sitalces</HI> with &s;o much repugnancy, that I may very well doubt, you had a little too far ingaged my heart; and I have the more rea&s;on to chide my own weakne&s;s, by how much I know you have been charmed by the fair <HI>Argiri&s;pes:</HI> Alas Ma|dam, &s;aid he, can you blame me for marrying <HI>Argiri&s;pes</HI> after you had married <HI>Sitalces?</HI> I do not accu&s;e you Sir, of any crime (replied &s;he): But truly I do accu&s;e my &s;elf, le&s;t you &s;hould; Nay, nay, Madam, replied he, I will not excu&s;e my &s;elf; but confe&s;s that I did not love <HI>Argiri&s;pes</HI> when I married her, and that I did not marry her untill you had fir&s;t mar|ried <HI>Sitalces,</HI> and was &s;o civill as to for&s;ake me.</P>
<P>I do ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s (I &s;ay,) that I ought not to have married her, but ought to have di&s;obeyed both <HI>Ariantes</HI> and my Father, and rejected the advice of all my friends: I con|fe&s;s al&s;o I did you wrong, in hoping that the injoyment of <HI>Argiri&s;pes</HI> could never comfort me for the lo&s;s of you, but ought ever to continue de&s;perate of all comforts: But for all this Madam, though I have failed in my duty, yet I failed with abundance of &s;orrow, and have failed without any incon&s;tancy or perfidiou&s;ne&s;s. However it be Sir, (&s;aid <HI>No|romata</HI> and interrupted him) &s;ince you are now the husband of <HI>Argiri&s;pes,</HI> and I the wife of <HI>Sitalces,</HI> I ought not to entertain the lea&s;t &s;park of your affection, nor give you the the lea&s;t glimp&s;e of yours: but ought if it be po&s;&s;ible never to &s;ee you again. Oh Madam, (cried <HI>Adonacris)</HI> you never did love me, if you be able to do &s;o.</P>
<P>To te&s;tifie unto you, replied <HI>Noromata,</HI> that I exact no great difficulties from you Sir, I will with a blu&s;h confe&s;s that I did love you more then ever I did tell you, and that you are &s;till not &s;o indifferent unto me as you imagine, or as you ought to be: But let me tell you after all this, that though I loved you more than ever any did, and though I hated <HI>Sitalces</HI> wor&s;e than a toad, yet I &s;hall do what now I am re&s;olved upon, out of a re|&s;entment of honour; and indeed I ought to do it out of another rea&s;on than it: for truly <HI>Adonacris,</HI> what &s;weetne&s;s can you find in &s;eeing me eternally mi&s;erable? and what plea|&s;ure can I have in &s;eeing you for ever unfortunate? and therefore it is much better to do what I ought, than otherwi&s;e: for &s;ince it is the plea&s;ure of Fortune, that I mu&s;t never be
<PB N="46" REF="818">
happy: yet let me however be innocent, and let me know that I did not de&s;erve &s;o &s;ad a fate. To hear you to &s;peak Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) would make one think that you &s;u&s;pect my affection to be of &s;ome vitious &s;train: but know Madam, I be&s;eech you, that my &s;oul is not capable of any &s;uch thoughts: know that I do really love you with|out the lea&s;t pretence or hope, but only not to be hated. I am contented, if you plea&s;e that your affection to me only be only a little kind of tender amity, provided only you will let me love you more zealou&s;ly then ever any did: Live &s;till eternally happily with <HI>Sitalces,</HI> &s;ince it is the plea&s;ure of the Gods, you &s;hould be his, and if I can, I will live well with <HI>Argyrispe,</HI> &s;ince my cro&s;s fate hath obliged me unto it: But Madam, &s;ince I can never give her my heart, let me keep it for you: Let me do that, I &s;ay which you cannot hinder me from doing, and put me not to a nece&s;&s;ity of di&s;obeying you. What I de|&s;ire Madam, is, me thinks, but a &s;mall thing, &s;ince I am contented with your being only my friend, with a provi&s;ion of letting me to be eternally your lover. You may phra&s;e my love by what Epithite you plea&s;e; call it e&s;teem, friend&s;hip or tenderne&s;s, if you will, provided you will let me &s;ee you, let me love you, and let me think it my chiefe&s;t felici|ty to be near you. Of &s;o many beauties which <HI>Sitalces</HI> enjoys in you, I ask only &s;ome of tho&s;e favourable looks which heretofore were wont to afford me &s;o many &s;weet mi|nutes: Oh Madam, I be&s;eech you con&s;ider well upon what I ask, your eyes by looking fa|vourably upon me will not be le&s;s &s;weet unto <HI>Sitalces,</HI> and when he looks upon you, he will never finde my image there; if I &s;hould happily de&s;ire any thing that were criminal, you may have &s;ome hand&s;ome pretence of &s;ome denying; for truly if I &s;hould de&s;ire often occa&s;ions of talking with you in private, any &s;u&s;pitious meetings, though happily inno|cent, you might then tell me that I did hazard your reputation: But alas Madam, I de|&s;ire nothing from you, but that you will not hate me, that you will not di&s;&s;emble your thoughts, that you will let me love you, and that you will not turn away your fair eyes when they accidentally look upon mine: In &s;hort Madam, do not &s;eek me, nor do not &s;hun me, &s;uffer me only to &s;ee you, and do not complain again&s;t me: Let me, I &s;ay, &s;ee you without any affectation, as a thou&s;and others do, and that I may talk to you when chance lends me an occa&s;ion: If you will, I will not &s;o long as I live tell you that I love you, one|ly content my &s;elf with &s;aying, that once I did love you: But truly Madam, if you &s;hould turn me to di&s;pair, I may happily do &s;uch things as will di&s;plea&s;e you; therefore I be&s;eech you be not &s;o zealous in your &s;olicitation for my liberty, in exchange for <HI>Sitalces,</HI> for it would be a piece of inhumanity to break tho&s;e Chains which fetter me as a Pri&s;oner of War, &s;ince you can break tho&s;e Chains which fetter me as a pri&s;oner of Love: Leave the bu&s;ine&s;s unto fortune, and oppo&s;e not my comfort of &s;eeing you: You have already done enough as the wife of <HI>Sitalces,</HI> and if you will do as you ought, you mu&s;t not negotiate any more for him, &s;ince you cannot &s;olicite for him unle&s;s with &s;trange inhumanity you &s;oli|cite again&s;t me: The truth is Madam, I &s;hall die if you deliver me; I much more de&s;ire death, then liberty, &s;ince I cannot have it without lo&s;ing you.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t <HI>Adonacris</HI> was talking thus, <HI>Noromata</HI> looked down with her eyes, and was in a mo&s;t unconceiveable torment of thoughts. However, &s;ince glory did exceedingly qua&s;h the tenderne&s;s of her &s;oul, &s;he would not be per&s;waded, and &s;he told <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;o re&s;olute|ly, that &s;he would earne&s;tly &s;olicite for the delivery of <HI>Sitalces,</HI> that he plainly perceived he could not prevail with her: But Madam, &s;aid he then, &s;ince you will have <HI>Sitalces</HI> re|lea&s;ed, I be&s;eech you &s;olicite for his liberty and not mine: There are &s;o many other Pri|&s;oners in your Party, for whom you get his exchange, that unle&s;s you be ob&s;tinately re|&s;olved to deny me all things, you will not deny me this. Ah <HI>Adonacris,</HI> replied &s;he, I per|ceive you do not know the depth of my heart; for truly (if I could &s;peak it without a blu&s;h) I &s;hould tell you, and confe&s;s, that if decency would permit it, I would &s;olicite your return unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> without bringing <HI>Sitalces</HI> back unto <HI>Tipanis,</HI> and would ea&s;ily be out of his &s;ight, &s;o I might never &s;ee you again. However, you ought to be &s;o far from murmuring at what I &s;ay, that you are much obliged to me. But <HI>Adonacris,</HI> after I have confe&s;&s;ed that your pre&s;ence is terrible to me, and that it is a matter mo&s;t hard to &s;ee and to hate you, I mu&s;t re&s;olve never to &s;ee you again, as long as I live, but when I cannot prevent it, and therefore I mu&s;t even now begin to conjure you to be gon: Let me tell you Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that I cannot go until you have promi&s;ed not to &s;tifle your light inclinati|on to me, and until you promi&s;e not to be offended if I do not endeavor my liberty &s;o earne&s;tly as you do. But Sir, &s;aid <HI>Noromata,</HI> if you do not endeavor it, people will have great rea&s;on to wonder, and dive into a cau&s;e &s;o extraordinary, therefore <HI>Ado|nacris</HI>
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you mu&s;t endeavour it: Ah Madam, &s;aid he, you can never move me to it: And &s;ince by denying me all, you give me a right to deny you &s;omething, I a&s;&s;ure you that in this I cannot do as you de&s;ire; and if I be relea&s;ed, or to &s;ay better bani&s;hed, it &s;hall be onely your Act not mine. After this, <HI>Adonacris</HI> expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf &s;o tenderly unto <HI>Noromata,</HI> as that fair and virtuous per&s;on, not being able to hear him without much tenderne&s;s of heart, &s;he began to be angry with her &s;elf, and commanded <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;o peremptorily to retire, that he was con&s;trained to obey her: But Madam, &s;aid he (as &s;he ro&s;e up) when will you give me leave to &s;peake unto you? I will give you leave to bid me farewell (&s;aid &s;he unto him) the &s;ame day you are to depart from <HI>Tipanis</HI> to <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> in exchange of <HI>Si|talces.</HI> Oh Madam, &s;aid he, the limits of your virtue are too har&s;hly narrow, and you are all cruelty in &s;aying &s;o. I know not whether it be cruelty to &s;ay &s;o, but I am &s;ure my thoughts tell me that I ought to &s;peak as I do. Then Madam, &s;aid he unto her, tell me how I &s;hould interpret your words: interpret them as you plea&s;e, replied &s;he, &s;o you will be immediately gone, &s;o you will not return hither again, and &s;o you will never &s;eek for me any where el&s;e.</P>
<P>I promi&s;e you Madam, replied he, to do you all I am able to obey you; but in promi|&s;ing that, I promi&s;e nothing: for I cannot chu&s;e but court all opportunities of &s;eeing you. After this <HI>Noromata</HI> did &s;o expre&s;ly command him to go out of her chamber, that he did obey her. But he obeyed not till after he had looked <HI>Noromata</HI> in the face a long while without giving one word; and till he di&s;covered in her fair eyes, that her heart and tongue did not agree, and that &s;he bani&s;hed him with much &s;orrow. But away he went the &s;ad|de&s;t Lover in the world, and left her al&s;o in the &s;ame condition: For the truth is, &s;he lo|ved <HI>Adonacris</HI> more than ever: But for all that, having a high and virtuous &s;oul, &s;he checked the tenderne&s;s of her affection; and the next morning &s;he claimed promi&s;e of <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> and &s;olicited <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> to &s;end immediately unto <HI>Ariantes</HI> about the ex|change of <HI>Adonacris</HI> for <HI>Sitalces.</HI> And the amorous <HI>Adonacris,</HI> &s;eeing how earne&s;tly <HI>Noromata</HI> &s;olicited, his grief increa&s;ed.</P>
<P>But &s;ince Love is a pa&s;&s;ion which can find expedients for all occa&s;ions, <HI>Adonacris</HI> found one out to hinder his own and <HI>Sitalces</HI> liberty: for it was a grand cordiall unto his pa&s;&s;io|onate &s;oul to be near <HI>Noromata,</HI> though he never &s;aw her but incen&s;ed: &s;o that to hinder the happine&s;s of <HI>Sitalces,</HI> and to make him&s;elf a little le&s;s mi&s;erable by hindring his liberty he &s;ent &s;ecretly unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and writ unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> to tell him that <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> would addre&s;s him&s;ef unto him, and offer him in exchange for <HI>Sitalces;</HI> but his zeal unto his &s;er|vice would advice, not to relea&s; him till the &s;pring when the Army was in the field where he might fight in his quarrell. For con&s;idering the juncture of affairs, he thought that if he remained a pri&s;oner all this winter time, he &s;hould be able to di&s;cover many of the enemies de&s;igns, much to his advantage. He told this Prince further, that he hoped to make him &s;ome Creatures in <HI>Tipanis:</HI> adding that it concerned him not to relea&s;e <HI>Sitalces</HI> untill the end of the winter, becau&s;e if he were pre&s;ently relea&s;ed, he knew that being very rich, he would make new levies to recruit the Army of <HI>Spargapi&s;es:</HI> Furthermore, he told him, that he was well able to do him this &s;ervice, becau&s;e his impri&s;onment was not har&s;h; but to the end his plot might better take, he told him al&s;o, that <HI>Argyri&s;pe</HI> and <HI>Ty&s;&s;agette</HI> &s;hould not have any knowledge of this &s;ecret, and that his be&s;t way would be onely to draw the bu&s;ine&s;s out at length without either con&s;enting or infu&s;ing. Thus the winter being very long in that Countrey, <HI>Adonacris</HI> hoped for much comfort from the length of his impri|&s;onment: and indeed his plot did take admirably well as I &s;hall pre&s;ently tell you. Again, he writ unto <HI>Argyri&s;pes,</HI> as if he were in &s;ome hopes of his &s;peedy relea&s;e, though he had indeed &s;ome fears that it would not be &s;o &s;oon as he de&s;ired: But while&s;t the man whom <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> would &s;end unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> was preparing for her departure; while&s;t <HI>No|romata</HI> was &s;oliciting from her husbands return, and the departure of <HI>Adonacris,</HI> &s;he was extreamly grieved: for asking two things &s;o contrary to his own inclinations. While&s;t <HI>Adonacris</HI> was doing all he could to hinder his own relea&s;ment, and <HI>Sitalces</HI> al&s;o, <HI>Agathir|&s;es,</HI> who&s;e pa&s;&s;ion was &s;till violently high, was bu&s;ie in making all the world believe that he was not in love with <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> to the end the fame of it might reach as far as <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and that <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> might not think he loved her; thinking it a thing unworthy of him&s;elf to continue loving one who had preferred her ambition of being a Queen before her affection. So that he was extreamly bu&s;ie in giving in&s;truction unto him who was going unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> lea&s;t he &s;hould contradict his re&s;entments: and in order to that, he made choice of a man who depended ab&s;olutely upon him&s;elf. But at the &s;ame time while&s;t he was in&s;tructing
<PB N="48" REF="819">
him to &s;peak nothing which might make it believed that he loved <HI>Elibe&s;is;</HI> and that he did not act again&s;t <HI>Ariantes,</HI> but onely as a true &s;ubject unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> he ordered him al|&s;o to enquire very circum&s;pectly, in what manner <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> behaved her &s;elf towards <HI>Ari|antes:</HI> However, not thinking his revenge upon her to be enough in per&s;wading her that he loved not her, unle&s;s he made her al&s;o beleeve that he loved another, he re&s;olved up|on a full &s;atisfaction unto his revenge, in &s;eeming to be de&s;perately in love with &s;ome La|dy in <HI>Tipanis.</HI> And there being no beauty of a greater lu&s;ter then <HI>Noromata,</HI> nor more fit to rai&s;e a belief that he was in love, he determined to counterfeit addre&s;&s;es to her, and all the winter long to court this beauty with continual Fea&s;ts, and to clo&s;et up all his real re&s;entments; in his own heart, that the lea&s;t &s;ign of any &s;orrow &s;hould not appear in his face. In order to which, he began his frequent vi&s;its unto <HI>Noromata,</HI> and to make many addre&s;&s;es unto the Governors wife of <HI>Tipanis,</HI> at who&s;e hou&s;e all the Ladies did rendezvouz.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Noromata</HI> thinking it unfit for a wife, who&s;e husband was a pri&s;oner to be frequenter of &s;o many diver&s;ions: &s;he would needs excu&s;e her &s;elf from them; but &s;ince <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> at the &s;olicitation of <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> was very importunate with her, &s;he was forced to be le&s;s &s;olitary than otherwi&s;e &s;he would: For all the friends of <HI>Sitalces</HI> told her that there was no prudence in the world in incen&s;ing a Prince, who might hinder the relea&s;ement of her husband: So that <HI>Noromata,</HI> as melancholly as &s;he was, yet was obli|ged to be in plea&s;ant company. And thus though <HI>Adonacris</HI> could not &s;ee her at her own hou&s;e, unle&s;s when he went with the young <HI>Spargapri&s;es:</HI> yet he &s;aw her very often in other places whether &s;he would or no, &s;o as he received &s;ome con&s;olation: Al&s;o he car|ried the matter &s;o hand&s;omly, that &s;he not contributing unto it, he found wayes how to talk with her a quarter of an hour together, when no ears but her own could hear: &s;o that though &s;he &s;aid nothing unto him, but what was worthy of her vertue, yet he did of|tentimes break into expre&s;&s;ions of his pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>But the counterfeit pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> &s;eemed the greater wonder unto <HI>Adonacris:</HI> for &s;ince he took that fancy up, he was almo&s;t perpetually with <HI>Noromata:</HI> and by con&s;e|quence it was very hard for <HI>Adonacris</HI> to talk with her in private.</P>
<P>Again, as fair and charming as <HI>Noromata</HI> was, yet <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> took no other delight in &s;eeing and talking with her, then his thoughts of &s;pighting <HI>Elibe&s;is:</HI> For he knew very well it would vex her to the very heart when &s;he &s;hould hear her loved any other after her. Thus <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> di&s;turbed the minds of the&s;e two per&s;ons without receving any great &s;atisfaction unto him&s;elf, or at lea&s;t any tranquile &s;atisfaction. But (&s;aid I one day unto him, &s;eeing the con&s;traint wherein he lived) I cannot under&s;tand why you &s;hould &s;o di&s;&s;emble; for what matter is it what <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> thinks of you? what matter? (replied he &s;harply) why it doth &s;o much concern me, that &s;he &s;hould believe I do not now love her, that I &s;hould be even de&s;perate if he &s;hould not think me in love with <HI>Noromata.</HI> For truly I cannot endure &s;he &s;hould ever &s;u&s;pect me of any puling weakne&s;s; but on the contrary, I had rather &s;he &s;hould think me a thou&s;and times more in love with <HI>Noromata,</HI> than ever I was with her.</P>
<P>But (&s;aid I unto him) in &s;atisfying your fancie, you do but ill &s;ervice unto the &s;ide you have taken: for do you think that <HI>Sitalces</HI> when he is relea&s;ed will take it well, that you you &s;hould be in love with his wife? Provided <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> take it ill (replied he very &s;harply) I care not a &s;traw how <HI>Sitalces</HI> takes it: Yet (added he) I had never made choice of <HI>No|romata,</HI> had there been any other in <HI>Tipanis,</HI> who&s;e beauty was fam'd enough to make <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> fully believe I quit her for the other.</P>
<P>But &s;ince there is none &s;o fair and charming as <HI>Noromata,</HI> &s;he mu&s;t be the object of my pretended love, which mu&s;t &s;atisfie my revenge: And more then this (added he) I will do all I am able to per&s;wade my &s;elf, that I do love <HI>Noromata. Noromata</HI> being mo&s;t virtuous (&s;aid I unto him) I am per&s;waded that you will not be a jot the happier if you &s;hould be really in love with her: Ah my dear <HI>Anabaris</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) that rigour which is cau&s;ed by the virtue of the per&s;on loved, will never fill a &s;oul &s;o full of &s;orrow as will the incon&s;tancy of an ambitious woman, who loves nothing but a <HI>Chimera</HI> of gran|dure which &s;he fancies: So that though <HI>Noromata</HI> &s;hould treat me ill, yet I &s;hould be le&s;s mi&s;erable then I am, and &s;hould have this &s;atisfaction at lea&s;t, to know that &s;he whom I loved did de&s;erve to be &s;o, whereas by continuing my love of <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> I &s;hould conti|nue loving one, who de&s;erves not &s;o much as my e&s;teem: If you do not e&s;teem her (&s;aid I unto him) you do not love her, for I cannot &s;ee how Love can &s;ub&s;i&s;t without e&s;teem:
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I did e&s;teem her when I fir&s;t began to love her (pur&s;ued he) and did &s;ince long e&s;teem her; but let me tell you withal, that now I do not e&s;teem her, nor ever will, though I am &s;trangely afraid, that I &s;hall love her &s;till: I &s;ee &s;he is as fair as fair can be, that &s;he hath as much wit as is attributed unto the very Gods, and that &s;he hath &s;uch a &s;trange kinde of engaging charms, when &s;he plea&s;es, that it is a matter mo&s;t difficult to defend ones &s;elf again&s;t them. But for all this, it may be &s;aid, that I e&s;teem in her what is e&s;timable, but cannot truly &s;ay that I e&s;teem her; for truly when I look upon her as a per&s;on blinded with grandure, one who would prefer a man that is defective both in body and minde &s;o he be upon a Throne, before the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed man, I cannot e&s;teem her: But Sir, &s;aid I unto him, the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> is no &s;uch man as you &s;peak of: 'Tis true, re|plied he, but &s;he does not value his merits no more then mine: Then Sir, replied I, if &s;he be &s;uch an ambitious piece, Can you think &s;he will care whether you love her or no, or will be &s;orry if you &s;hould love another? At the lea&s;t, &s;he will not be glad if I love ano|ther (replied he) So that though I cannot make her grieve, yet I &s;hall deprive her the plea|&s;ure to think that I can love none but &s;he; and therefore though <HI>Sitalces</HI> &s;hould change &s;ides, I would not change my thoughts: And indeed Sir <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> began his gallantry in &s;uch per&s;picuous manner, as it was impo&s;&s;ible but to make a great noy&s;e in the world; but yet in the mid&s;t of all, he had &s;uch inward frettings of heart, which he was not able to Ma&s;ter, as that they appeared in &s;pite of his teeth: For my particular, I have &s;een him when all the Ladies were a&s;&s;embled to dance, to &s;tand all the night in the corner of the room, never &s;o much as minding what they did, no not <HI>Noromata</HI> her &s;elf. However, this did not undeceive tho&s;e who thought him in love, for they thought his &s;adne&s;s pro|ceeded from <HI>Noromata's</HI> not an&s;wering his affection: She her &s;elf thought as much, and whil&s;t his minde was all upon <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> they thought that <HI>Noromata's</HI> rigour racked his thoughts. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Adonacris</HI> was &s;o grieved at this high kinde of gallantry, that had not I given him &s;ome cordial, I think he had died: but being his intimate friend, and might impart the &s;ecret of <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> without any prejndice to him, I did let him know that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> did not love <HI>Noromata,</HI> but only did &s;trive to love her: Ah my dear friend (&s;aid <HI>Adonacris</HI> to me) if <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> would love <HI>Noromata,</HI> certainly he will, for &s;he is too too fair and lovely, not to an&s;wer the de&s;ires of all that would love her. As you cannot love <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> though you would, as fair as &s;he is (&s;aid I unto him) though &s;he were not your Si&s;ter, &s;o <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> cannot love <HI>Noromata,</HI> though he de&s;ire it. I wi&s;h it with all my &s;oul, replied he, but I am afraid my wi&s;h will not prevent it: But Sir (&s;aid I unto him) I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that I cannot under&s;tand this &s;train of jealou&s;ie which now po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth you; for methinks when one is in love with a per&s;on who hath a husband, he never need be jealous of a Lover which is not loved: Alas <HI>Anabaris</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Adonacris)</HI> you are an ignorant in matters of love, if you do not know the difference between being jealous of a Rival and jealous of a Husband: I cannot tell whether I am an ignorant in amorous matters (replied I) but I beleeve I am in the right when I &s;ay that it is a much greater vexatious matter to &s;ee the Per&s;on whom one loves enjoyed by a husband; then to &s;ee her only loved by a Rival. If the husband were her lover when he married her, re|plied he, I mu&s;t confe&s;s nothing is more hard to be endured; And when a lover becomes a husband the ca&s;e is altered: for a Rival who is not loved troubles me no more if I &s;hould &s;ee him talke with <HI>Noromata,</HI> then <HI>Sitalces</HI> doth by enjoying her; for a husband who is not loved, will never be, but a hated lover, may be hereafter loved: Thus you &s;ee a va&s;t difference between a husband and a Rival: Therefore I think my &s;elf infinitely obliged unto you for acquainting me that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> is not my Rival. Thus Sir, you &s;ee what the re&s;entments of the&s;e three per&s;ons were: <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> loved <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> &s;till, and would &s;eem as if he loved <HI>Noromata,</HI> and not her: <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;till loved her whom he loved at fir&s;t, but dur&s;t not either &s;ay or be &s;een &s;o to do: And <HI>Noromata,</HI> though &s;he could not chu&s;e but &s;till love <HI>Adonacris,</HI> yet &s;eemed as if &s;he dearly loved <HI>Sitalces</HI> and not him.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the man whom <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> &s;ent unto <HI>Ariantes</HI> in the name of <HI>Spar|gapi&s;es,</HI> not arriving at <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> untill after the me&s;&s;enger which <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;ent unto that Prince, he did not &s;peed &s;o well as he hoped; for the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> really beleeving <HI>Adonacris,</HI> did protract the bu&s;ine&s;s, and di&s;mi&s;&s;ed the Envoy from <HI>Spargapi&s;&s;es</HI> without either a denial or a con&s;ent unto his demands. So that <HI>Argyri&s;pe</HI> hearing that <HI>Ariantes</HI> did not con&s;ent unto this exchange &s;o readily as he hoped, &s;he addre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf unto her Si&s;ter in law, and de&s;ired her favor in obtaining her husbands liberty of this new King:
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But <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> told her that, that &s;he had already &s;poke unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> who &s;aid he would fir&s;t con&s;ider upon it: Adding that &s;he did &s;olicite in her behalf, with all imagineable care. But Sir, you mu&s;t know, that <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> indeed had &s;poken unto the Prince <HI>Arian|tes</HI> for the liberty of <HI>Adonacris,</HI> and he fearing to deny the liberty of her brother without telling her the rea&s;on, he &s;hewed her what this pri&s;oner had writ unto him, upon condi|tion &s;he &s;hould not &s;peak of it unto <HI>Argyri&s;pe</HI> or any other: She &s;eeing this, that her brother de&s;ired not to be relea&s;ed, that his &s;taying at <HI>Tipanis,</HI> would advantage to the new Kings affaires, and prejudice the Queens; &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Ariantes</HI> to deny her very peremptorily, as often as &s;he &s;hould at the in&s;tance of her Si&s;ter in law, &s;olicite him for the liberty of <HI>Adonacris:</HI> So that by this means the de&s;ign of this lover and pri&s;oner, did take admirable effect.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Sitalces</HI> under&s;tanding that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> did make it &s;ome difficulty of exchanging him for <HI>Adonacris,</HI> was much perplexed at his being ab&s;ent from his wife at a time when &s;o many Gallants were at <HI>Tipanis:</HI> So that jealou&s;ie obliged him to write in an&s;wer to his wives letter, that he had appointed her to offer <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> any thing which much conduces unto the continuation of the war, &s;o he would procure his liberty. Furthermore, <HI>Argyri&s;pe</HI> not coutenting her &s;elf with the an&s;wer of <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> did write unto her Husband that &s;he was re&s;olved rather to offer the half of all her e&s;tate to procure his liberty, then to let him lye a long winter in pri&s;on; for &s;he being naturally of a jealous and unquiet temper, and loving her Husband very dearly, his ab&s;ence was in|tollerable to her. So that <HI>Sitalces</HI> not knowing that <HI>Adonacris</HI> was in love with his wife, or that his wife did not hate him, al&s;o <HI>Argyri&s;pe</HI> not knowing the&s;e things neither, they were both of them in a mo&s;t unquiet condition, and they partly &s;hewed it; for <HI>Sitalces</HI> being upon his parol, as well as <HI>Adonacris,</HI> he went &s;omtimes to vi&s;it her, and confer upon the be&s;t expedients, for the recovery of her Husbands liberty and his own: And thus the equality of their intere&s;ts did beget a confidence in each other: But whil&s;t the&s;e two were plotting for expedients to advance their de&s;igns, <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> was a little perplexed in re&s;i&s;ting the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and refu&s;ing to marry him without angring him. However, being re&s;olved not to marry under a King, and &s;eeing his Throne yet in a tottering condition, &s;he held him &s;till cunningly in hand, but &s;till intended, that if <HI>Ariantes</HI> were not King, then to renew with <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> not doubting but that he would return to her, if &s;he would re|return to him. And indeed &s;he tempered &s;o cunningly with <HI>Ariantes,</HI> that he beleeved the rea&s;on why &s;he would not marry him during the war, was in re&s;pect of his own inte|re&s;t: for having wit at will, &s;he told him that &s;ince her quality was inferior to his if he &s;hould then marry her, it would give the adver&s;e party a collour for &s;aying many things prejudicial again&s;t him: So that &s;he going thus &s;ubtily to work, <HI>Ariantes</HI> thought him|&s;elf obliged unto her for denying him.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, the me&s;&s;enger which <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> &s;ent to this Prince, being returned to <HI>Tipanis,</HI> with an an&s;wer nothing &s;atisfactory; <HI>Noromata</HI> was not a little a&s;toni&s;hed; for &s;he could not imagine why <HI>Ariantes</HI> would not relea&s;e the brother of her he loved, by relea&s;ing <HI>Sitalces:</HI> &s;he began to &s;u&s;pect that <HI>Adonacris</HI> was him&s;elf an ob&s;tacle unto his own liberty; but &s;ince &s;he could not imagine which way he &s;hould do it, &s;he could not po&s;itively beleeve it. However, though &s;he &s;huned meeting with <HI>Adonacris</HI> as much as &s;he could, and &s;olicited hard to &s;end him further from her by relea&s;ing him: yet &s;he was not &s;orry in her heart that <HI>Sitalces</HI> (&s;he not contributing to it) was &s;till at <HI>I&s;&s;edon;</HI> and <HI>Adonacris</HI> yet at <HI>Tipanis.</HI> Yet notwith&s;tanding all this, as &s;oon as &s;he received her Hus|bands Letter which appointed her to offer any thing in the world unto <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> to ob|tain his liberty, &s;he re&s;olved upon obedience.</P>
<P>Furthermore, <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;eeing his Plot did &s;o happily hit, he was infinitly joyed it. But to the end <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;hould not di&s;cover his drift, but &s;till let him continue a pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">|&s;oner all the winter, he did really &s;pie &s;o narrowly into the de&s;igns of <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> all the Cabinet intrica&s;es of <HI>Tipanis</HI> and likewi&s;e of the Tent Royal, that he did of<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;end intelligence of great importance unto that Prince; in &s;o much as there was no nee<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> of giving any new rea&s;ons why he &s;hould not be relea&s;ed: becau&s;e the intere&s;t of State was rea&s;on enough.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> in continuing his mask of love unto <HI>Noromata,</HI> he was nothing &s;o circum&s;pect as he might be in hindering <HI>Ariantes</HI> from the Throne: But his greate&s;t grief was, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> during her langui&s;hing di&s;ea&s;e, did &s;end &s;uch ambigu|ous Orders; as it was ea&s;ie to know that her &s;oul was troubled at &s;omething el&s;e then at
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the War, and that She had &s;ome other de&s;ign, &s;ince She would not hazard her Forces; and indeed <HI>Noromata</HI>'s Father, who was with that Queen, did one day write, that he heard her &s;ay, She had rather loo&s;e the Kingdom of the <HI>I&s;&s;edons,</HI> then her Army: How|ever, &s;end what orders She would, <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> was re&s;olved to give battel as &s;oon as Win|ter was done, or el&s;e to force <HI>Ariantes</HI> into <HI>I&s;&s;edon.</HI> But Winter being very long in that Country, he mu&s;t endure a long torment; yet it was &s;ome con&s;olation unto him to hear from <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> his Envoy, that the reports in <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> was, <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> would not marry <HI>Ari|antes</HI> until the end of the War. But &s;ince the pa&s;&s;ion of his &s;oul was &s;uch as u&s;eth ordina|rily to in&s;pire him with thoughts quite oppo&s;ite unto one another, he would &s;ome daies wi&s;h that <HI>Ariantes</HI> had married <HI>Elibe&s;is:</HI> Yes <HI>Anabaris,</HI> (&s;aid he one day unto me) I &s;wear unto you by all the Gods, that if I were &s;ure to vanqui&s;h <HI>Ariantes</HI> to morrow, I would have him marry <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> to day; for it would be the greate&s;t delight in the world unto me, to &s;ee a Scepter fall out of the hand of this perfidious woman; and my revenge would not be to the full, if the fall of <HI>Ariantes</HI> Throne did overwhelm only him&s;elf; and if I did not &s;ee <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> a Queen without a Crown, or to &s;ay better, the Widdow of a vanqui&s;hed U&s;urper, and by con&s;equence without honour, without rank, and without &s;upport, in nece&s;&s;ity to have recour&s;e unto me, to obtain for her &s;ome &s;mall corner in that Kingdom which She hopes to po&s;&s;e&s;s: Should you ever &s;ee her in &s;uch a deplorable condition (&s;aid I unto him) I am confident your joys would be mixed with much pity: Fie <HI>Anabaris</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) I cannot pity tho&s;e who cannot pity me, and as my mi|&s;eries never moved <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> &s;o hers &s;hall never move me, or if they do, it &s;hall be only out o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> meer genero&s;ity, and out of my &s;atisfaction to let her know, that &s;uch a Subject as my &s;elf does better merit her affection, then &s;uch a Soveraigne as <HI>Ari|antes.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Noromata</HI> in ob&s;ervance of her husbands orders did &s;peak unto <HI>Aga|ther&s;es,</HI> according as he de&s;ired her; but &s;ince he &s;eemed to be in love with her, he thought fit to an&s;wer her in ambiguous terms, though he did intend to do what he could to relea&s;e <HI>Sitalces.</HI> And &s;ince he would have her think him to be really her Lover, to the end, that &s;he being fir&s;t deceived, others al&s;o might be the &s;ooner; he told her very wittily, that her de&s;ires of &s;eeing <HI>Sitalces</HI> relea&s;ed had blinded her, &s;ince &s;he made &s;uch Propo&s;itions as were di&s;honorable to him: For truly (&s;aid he) if it &s;hould be known you offer &s;o much for his liberty, it would be thought, that his &s;ide did not much value him; and therefore it is requi&s;ite to manage his honour a little better, and give <HI>Ariantes</HI> time to advi&s;e upon it; for his an&s;wer was not &s;o clear, but that it was requi&s;ite to &s;end a &s;econd time unto him, without making any new Propo&s;itions: Therefore Madam, have a little patience, and let time bring that de&s;ign to pa&s;s, which perhaps would be ruined with ha&s;te.</P>
<P>This Sir was the an&s;wer which <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> gave her, who being glad of a pretence to &s;end again unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> that he might hear news of <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> and publi&s;h it, that he was in Love with <HI>Noromata,</HI> he moved <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> to &s;end thither the &s;econd time: So that <HI>Noromata</HI> writ unto <HI>Sitalces</HI> all that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> &s;aid unto her: <HI>Adonacris</HI> al&s;o an&s;wered <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> and wi&s;hed her to be wary in her offers for his liberty, becau&s;e if things change|ed not, he had an infallible way of getting his liberty, which now he could not write. In the mean time, whil&s;t the&s;e de&s;igns, which had &s;o many &s;ecret ob&s;tacles, were in agitation, <HI>Adonacris</HI> was very vigilant, to take all opportunities of &s;eeing and talking with <HI>Noroma|ta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> who, for his part, &s;hunned him as much as &s;he could, though &s;he did very tenderly love him. But when chance only brought them together, and when <HI>Adonacris</HI> could not &s;u&s;pect that &s;he gave him any opportunities of talking with her, then &s;he could not chu&s;e but be much joyed, and take great delight in hearing him talk to her; yet the&s;e delights and joys, had &s;ome bitter mixed with their &s;weets, for &s;he was &s;o extreamly careful of being over-obliging in her language, that &s;he &s;o &s;tifled the thoughts of her heart, as put him in|to a cruel qualm, &s;he was &s;o fearful it &s;hould be known, that he did, and &s;till doth love her, as &s;he oftentimes did contradict the mo&s;t ju&s;t things; and if he at any time did hold an argument with another, &s;he would alwayes take his adver&s;e part, &s;o &s;crupulous and careful was this vertuous Lady of her reputation; yet <HI>Adonacris</HI> knew very well, that when&s;oever &s;he was oppo&s;ite to him, She did it not out of harted. But as the great pru|dence of <HI>Noromata</HI> did deprive him of a hundred innocent delights, in depriving him of all private conference with her; &s;o he chanced one day to argue again&s;t <HI>Eliorante</HI> in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Noromata,</HI> upon a Subject, which obliquely had &s;ome coherence with the adventure
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which grieved him: For be plea&s;ed to know, that there was two Ladies in <HI>Tipanis,</HI> who&s;e vertues and reputations were very different: For one, who&s;e name was <HI>Menopea,</HI> was po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with a mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ion in her heart, and &s;ecretly held corre&s;pondencies of Gallantry with a very bravely accompli&s;hed man; but She carried her &s;elf with &s;o much prudence, &s;uch &s;trickt re&s;ervedne&s;s, and &s;o mode&s;tly, that except very few who knew the truth, all the world thought <HI>Menopea</HI> to be the mo&s;t vertuous per&s;on upon earth, and the lea&s;t capable of any corre&s;pondencies of Gallantry with any one. There was al&s;o another Lady, who&s;e name was <HI>Orique,</HI> who was as really vertuous as ever any was, yet extreamly expo&s;ed to &s;candal, becau&s;e She had a conceipt, that it was &s;ufficient to be vertuous with|out &s;eeming &s;o. So that being only cautious le&s;t any of her actions &s;hould be e&s;&s;entially ill, and never caring for appearances by which the world in general u&s;eth to judg, She expo&s;ed her reputation unto &s;o much &s;lander and envy, that all the Town (except a few who knew her very well) did think that all men were her Lovers, yes, her favoured Lovers. Thus She who was the Gallant, pa&s;&s;ed for &s;evere and vertuous, and She who was the vertuous, pa&s;&s;ed for the Gallant, &amp; &s;eemed to do many things again&s;t the Rule of Vertue Falling then into di&s;cour&s;e of the&s;e two Ladies whom &s;o few did rightly know; <HI>Eliorante, Noromata,</HI> and <HI>Adonacris</HI> being together, and <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> coming al&s;o in, <HI>Noromata</HI> began to blame that vertuous Lady, who tru&s;ted too much unto her own goodne&s;s, and who was not enough ob&s;ervant over her actions. I could never have thought (&s;aid <HI>Adonacris</HI> and &s;miled) that of two per&s;ons, the one only &s;eeming vertuous and not being; the other being vertu|ous, and not &s;eeming, that the fair <HI>Noromata</HI> would take her part who was not vertuous: I do not take her part, replied <HI>Noromata,</HI> and yet I am again&s;t her who is vertuous, and is not careful of &s;eeming &s;o al&s;o: For truly if a woman love not her reputation, I cannot be well &s;atisfied with her vertue, nor know I well whether She truly merits the name of Vertuous: It is mo&s;t dangerous to &s;ubject ones &s;elf unto cen&s;ure, and I will maintain, that though one be not vertuous, yet they ought at lea&s;t to endeavour to appear &s;o, and much more She who really is vertuous: For my part, replied <HI>Adonacris,</HI> I am per&s;waded it is &s;ufficient if one do nothing again&s;t vertue, and one needs not to in&s;i&s;t &s;o preci&s;ely up|on endeavours to take away all manner of pretences of &s;lander; for as tho&s;e who are mo&s;t a&s;&s;iduous in frequenting &s;acred duties, are often accu&s;ed of hypocri&s;ie; &s;o it mu&s;t be concluded a thing impo&s;&s;ible to prevent all &s;candal and cen&s;ure: And &s;o &s;ince malici|ous and envious people will be talking and belching out their venome, do what one can, it were a piece of unju&s;tice unto ones &s;elf to be all their life long rigid and &s;evere, for fear of being talked of: Much better it is, to let ones mind &s;ore above all that malice can &s;ay, then to &s;tand eternally upon a watchful guard again&s;t all tongues: For my particular (&s;aid <HI>Agather&s;as</HI> then) I think <HI>Adonacris</HI> to be in the right: For to carry ones &s;elf &s;o, as no|thing can be &s;aid again&s;t them, is a thing mo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible: And indeed, we &s;ee every day, that one and the &s;ame action both commended and condemned, according to the &s;everal humours of men; and to ju&s;tifie what <HI>Adonacris</HI> hath &s;aid, hypocri&s;ie is commonly called piety: They do ill who do &s;o, &s;aid <HI>Noromata</HI> and interrupted him: But for all that, what is good mu&s;t appear to be &s;o, and ill habits ought to be concealed: Your opinion &s;eems &s;o rea&s;onable, replied <HI>Eliorante,</HI> that I cannot believe any is able to contradict it: Yet I &s;hall Madam, replied <HI>Agather&s;es;</HI> for there is nothing wor&s;e becomes an heroique &s;oul, then to &s;tudy how the world &s;hould &s;ee all their good qualities; yet according to your Tenents, a man mu&s;t never do any brave action, but fir&s;t he mu&s;t call for &s;ome wit|ne&s;&s;es unto it, he mu&s;t never be liberal but in publique, and he mu&s;t do all the good he can, only becau&s;e people mu&s;t know it, and talk of it: No; no, replied <HI>Noromata,</HI> you put an ill expo&s;ition upon my words: How then mu&s;t I expound them, replied he? To under&s;tand me rightly, an&s;wered She, I would not have any do good with a de&s;ign it &s;hould be known; but in things which may reflect upon ones reputation, I would have one never to do any thing which may &s;tain it: For example, I would have a man &s;o regu|late his life, as none can think but that he is valiant: I would have a woman live &s;o pru|dently, that none can &s;u&s;pect her vertue; and not to content them&s;elves only with being vertuous, but be careful to avoid all things which may make her believed otherwi&s;e: A|las Madam, &s;aid <HI>Adonacris,</HI> your Rule is mo&s;t &s;evere, for all the plea&s;ure of life con&s;i&s;ts in &s;uch things as may be ill interpreted according to &s;everal humours: I do confe&s;s it, &s;aid She; but &s;ince they cannot be done without hazarding reputation, I will affirm, that the &s;orrow for lo&s;ing it, is greater then all the delights that can be found: But Madam, (re|plied <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> plea&s;antly) you mu&s;t do nothing as long as you live, but in your Cham|ber;
<PB N="53" REF="821">
nay, I know not whether &s;uch a retreat would not be al&s;o &s;ubject unto &s;candal; for it would be &s;aid, that you would never live &s;o, but becau&s;e <HI>Sitalces</HI> would otherwi&s;e be jealous: 'Tis true, &s;aid &s;he, and &s;miled, but they would then &s;ay that I did not give him any cau&s;e of jealou&s;ie: By your rules, added <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> a Lady mu&s;t carefully avoid all private conference with men, whom others do think do love her; She mu&s;t never walk under a hundred women at once, and in a Garden be alwayes in the throng of company, and never go a&s;ide to talk with any friend about any bu&s;ine&s;s; She mu&s;t alwayes talk a|loud, and never talk of the Beauties of the Time, or of &s;hadows, or walks, le&s;t it &s;hould be thought you talk as if you were in love; certainly She mu&s;t talk more with men She hates, then with men She loves, le&s;t otherwi&s;e &s;he &s;hould be &s;candaled: So a Lady who is &s;o cheary of her reputation, mu&s;t live ever without any friends of either Sex, le&s;t it &s;hould be &s;aid, they are either her Lovers, or her Confidents: None of all this, replied She, for I allow her friends of both Sexes; but I would have a Wife live &s;o, as none can accu&s;e her of having any favoured Lovers; and therefore as &s;oon as ever a Lady knows that any man is in love with her, She mu&s;t carefully avoid both &s;aying or doing any thing, that he may take any advantage to him&s;elf by it, but live &s;o re&s;ervedly, that none can &s;o much as &s;u&s;pect her favourable to him, and to avoid all occa&s;ions of his &s;peaking to her, le&s;t it &s;hould be thought he &s;peaks of his love: For my part, I whom as little apt to &s;lan|der as another, I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that I cannot &s;ee a Lover hold long di&s;cour&s;e with his Mi|&s;tre&s;s, but I mu&s;t needs think, he is talking neither of State affairs, nor martial matters. So that &s;ince She may draw a great inconveniency upon her &s;elf, for a little plea&s;ure, I mu&s;t conclude, She ought never to run the hazard of it. To in&s;tance in the fair <HI>Orique,</HI> for an example. All the world knows that She it mo&s;t horribly &s;landered with keeping private conference with a Gallant in a Garden, yet I do know of a mo&s;t infallible certainty, that all the while he was with her, he only related his affection that he bore unto a Lady who was with <HI>Thomir<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">s.</HI> Do you think that the plea&s;ure of the &s;tory did merit the hazard of her reputation, in pa&s;&s;ing away a whole afternoon with a man whom She loved not? I mu&s;t confe&s;s, &s;aid <HI>Adonacris</HI> then, that &s;ince <HI>Orique</HI> did not love the man, and &s;ince he had nothing to &s;ay unto her which concerned her &s;elf, She had better to have let that meeting alone.</P>
<P>But &s;till I mu&s;t &s;ay, that when a woman e&s;teems a man in an extradinary manner, it were weakne&s;s in her to deprive her &s;elf of the plea&s;ure of talking in &s;ecret, only becau&s;e perhaps &s;he may be talked of, and it's enough if She do nothing again&s;t the Laws of ver|tue; for if She do love very well the plea&s;ure of free di&s;cour&s;e with him She loves, 'twill be above the talk of &s;piteful tongues. One that hears you talk, would &s;ay, replied <HI>Noro|mata,</HI> that you do not value honour, and that you do not under&s;tand the &s;orrows of &s;uch as are injuriou&s;ly di&s;honoured; yet I a&s;&s;ure you, there is nothing more hard to be endu|red, then &s;tander, when it reflects upon ones honour; as that which reflects upon ones wit or beauty, I am one who of all the world am lea&s;t concerned; for truly &s;hould they &s;ay of me that I am &s;imple, or ugly, it would not anger me at all; but &s;hould they &s;ay of me, that I was addicted to Gallantry, and a Go&s;&s;iper, this would mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly grieve me, nor could I endure to be the Subject of any injurious Rallary: To live after your mode, (replied <HI>Agather&s;es)</HI> were to live more unto others then them&s;elves: It &s;eems (replied <HI>Noromata</HI> and laughed) that in all your actions you would &s;trive only to plea&s;e your &s;elf, without any &s;atisfaction unto others: Since others care not for contenting me (replied he) I never trouble my mind with contenting others; for &s;etting the intere&s;t of her I love a|&s;ide, and the intere&s;t of my friends, which is ever dearer unto me then my own, neither tho&s;e who are above me, nor tho&s;e who are below me, &s;hall never hinder me from do|ing what I have a de&s;ire to do, provided it be but hone&s;t; and it is the greate&s;t folly in the world to do every thing according to the fancy of all our acquaintance, for Courtiers and Citizens &s;ee things with different eyes, old men and young the like, melancholy and merry men are of &s;everal minds: Such as we call <HI>Libertines,</HI> and pious people, have thoughts quite contrary; women who are fair, and &s;uch as are ill-favoured, have often ve|ry various thoughts. So that who&s;oever will content all &s;orts of people at once, will certainly &s;pend their time to very ill purpo&s;e: For my particular; replied <HI>Noromata,</HI> I &s;hould &s;pend it much to wor&s;e purpo&s;e, if all the&s;e &s;orts of people you &s;peak of &s;hould unite them&s;elves to wound my reputation, as doubtle&s;s they would, &s;hould I give them cau&s;e; for certainly there is a kind of malignity that raigns in the minds of all the world in general, which makes them apt to interpret in an ill &s;en&s;e, all things that may receive
<PB N="54" REF="822">
an expo&s;ition of that nature: But Madam, replied <HI>Adonacris,</HI> what hurt doth any ill ex|po&s;ition of any of your actions do you, when it is &s;poken out of your pre&s;ence, and never to your face? Though I &s;hould have no other grief, replied She, but to think that people will &s;ay the wor&s;t they can of me; and to think they will &s;ay of me as they do of others, it were enough to bla&s;t all the plea&s;ures I &s;hould take in the pre&s;ence of that per|&s;on I loved be&s;t in the world: However, &s;aid <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> Do we live for others, and not our &s;elves? Yes &s;ure, for our &s;elves in the fir&s;t place; if &s;o, Why are we not contented with the &s;ecret te&s;timony of our own con&s;ciences, and never torment our &s;elves at any people who love us not, nor e&s;teem us, nor whom we know not, let them think or &s;ay what they will. The rea&s;on why I will live as I do intend to do, replied <HI>Noromata,</HI> is becau&s;e we are to live for our &s;elves: for it is the &s;trange&s;t thing in the world, that one &s;hould loo&s;e their reputation without a cau&s;e; and my humour is &s;uch, that I would &s;oon|er pardon the misbehaviour of a per&s;on, who&s;e manners are really irregular, then I would the misbehaviour of one who is vertuous; and truly I cannot conceive why one &s;hould manage their reputations carele&s;ly&punc; when they know they de&s;erve well, nor why one &s;hould not take a little pains to appear &s;o, &s;ince it is ea&s;ie to be done, and dangerous not to be done. Though you &s;hould appear never &s;o good, (replied <HI>Agather&s;es)</HI> yet all ap|pearances are no armour again&s;t &s;lander: For as you know by experience, that <HI>Menopea</HI> with all her vertuous appearances, yet is not &s;o: So I could &s;ay, if I would, that all your actions are but di&s;&s;imulations, and that I know &s;ome things which do give all your acti|ons the lye: When I have done all I can (replied She) I cannot chide my &s;elf if my re|putation be &s;candalized, nor &s;hall I be expo&s;ed unto a thou&s;and dangers, as tho&s;e are, who think them&s;elves above all that can be &s;aid or thought; for tho&s;e who de&s;pi&s;e the thoughts of others, will in time come to de&s;pi&s;e the thoughts of them&s;elves: However, I mu&s;t tell you Madam, (replied <HI>Agather&s;es)</HI> your life will be extreamly tedious to you, if you &s;hould live alwayes in a con&s;trained cour&s;e. The example of <HI>Menopea</HI> and <HI>Orique</HI> do clearly &s;hew it unto you, for though <HI>Menopea</HI> doth both love, and is beloved; and by con&s;equence enjoyes all that is requi&s;ite to make the happie&s;t per&s;on in the world, and en|joyes all imaginable plea&s;ures, yet her clo&s;e re&s;ervedne&s;s, which &s;he ob&s;erves to hide her corre&s;pondency with her Lover, doth daily bring a thou&s;and inconveniences upon her, for &s;he dares neither look nor &s;peak unto her Lover, but with mo&s;t intolerable pre-caution; and as She lives, I am confident that She has not one hour of a thou&s;and which is ab&s;o|lutely agreeable unto her wi&s;h; but on the contrary, <HI>Menopea,</HI> though not in love, nor in any particular corre&s;pondency with any, yet She lives the mo&s;t plea&s;ant life in the world, only becau&s;e what She does, She does without con&s;traint: If you be more a Lo|ver of your Liberty then your glory, replied <HI>Noromata,</HI> you then had good rea&s;on for what you &s;ay; but for my part, &s;ince I value my honor above my liberty, I have good rea&s;on for what I &s;ay, and to maintain that a woman who cares not for her reputation, but is con|tented with the e&s;teem of her &s;elf, not valuing the e&s;teem of others, She does deeply ex|po&s;e her &s;elf to do things again&s;t vertue, more then one who &s;ets a prize upon her honour. Truly Madam, &s;aid <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> you would have our Ladies more re&s;erved then &s;ome of our Godde&s;&s;es, for&mdash;I would you not &s;peak thus again&s;t the reverence which is due unto the Gods, (replied <HI>Noromata,</HI> not giving him time to tell on) and if it be po&s;&s;ible, leave off that ill cu&s;tom of u&s;ing the name of the Gods alwayes to ju&s;tifie every trifle: I had rather you would &s;wear by <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> and by <HI>Eliorante,</HI> &s;aid She and &s;miled, then by <HI>Mars,</HI> and by <HI>Hercules,</HI> were I of the opinion which many of our young Court Gallants are, who &s;carcely think they were ever men, much le&s;s Gods: For ought I &s;ee Madam (replied <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> and &s;miled al&s;o) you think me an ab&s;olute <HI>Libertine:</HI> No, replied She, for if I did think you &s;o, I promi&s;e you that &s;hould not be any friend of mine; but I blame you, and with rea&s;on, for accu&s;toming your &s;elf unto an ill habit of &s;peaking over|&s;lightly and irreverently of things in our Religion, yet truly in my opinion the argument is but weak, to &s;ay we ought to believe no further then we under&s;tand, &s;ince there are a thou&s;and things in nature we cannot comprehend. I have heard &s;ay, that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> among&s;t his rarities had a Stone, which made tho&s;e who wore it invi&s;ible: Yet it is a much harder matter to believe what is &s;aid concerning the power of our Gods, then what is related con|cerning the vertue of this wonder the <HI>Heliotrope.</HI> Commonly tho&s;e who je&s;t mo&s;t at &s;a|cred things, do but imperfectly know what it is which hardens the hail, and whitens the Snow; nor know they at all what that boy&s;terous winde is which often di&s;roots the &s;tur|die&s;t oaks (though it touches them, and &s;omtimes blows them over) yet the&s;e men mu&s;t
<PB N="55" REF="822">
be prying and medling with the Cabinet &s;ecrets of Eternity, they will be Reformers of the be&s;t e&s;tabli&s;hed Religions, and out of their capritious fond fancies, de&s;troy all the Tem|ples and Altars of the world; and all this, becau&s;e not believing that there is a God, they think all that plea&s;eth them is permittable: But as for you <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> (added <HI>Noromata)</HI> who&s;e manners are both innocent and virtuous, and who is not of their opinion, who think that the Gods do neither puni&s;h nor reward, only becau&s;e they may live in more liberty; I advi&s;e you as a friend, not to be carried away with the ill cu&s;tomes of the world: Your zeal Madam, replied <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> makes you &s;o eloquent, that I cannot tell how to deny you, but will promi&s;e you, (mo&s;t charming <HI>Noromata)</HI> that I will do as much as I can to believe, that <HI>Mars</HI> is jealous, that <HI>Vulcan</HI> is a Cuckold, and that <HI>Ve|nus</HI> did equally delude them both.</P>
<P>As <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> &s;aid &s;o, the young <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> entred, who broke off this di&s;cour&s;e, and hindred <HI>Noromata</HI> from an&s;wering <HI>Agather&s;es.</HI> But &s;ince he &s;tayed not long with <HI>Elio|rante,</HI> he carried <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> with him, and Fortune was &s;o favourable unto <HI>Adonacris,</HI> that one having &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s with <HI>Eliorante,</HI> &s;he went into her Clo&s;et, and de&s;ired <HI>No|romata</HI> as her intimate friend, to entertain <HI>Adonacris</HI> until &s;he returned. At the fir&s;t <HI>No|romata</HI> told her, that She de&s;ired her excu&s;e, becau&s;e She was to be gone her &s;elf; but She &s;aid this in &s;uch a faint manner, that <HI>Eliorante</HI> imagining She had no rea&s;ons which re|ally induced her to be gone &s;o &s;oon, did tell with all freedom of friend&s;hip that She would not bid her adieu, and that if She found her not with <HI>Adonacris</HI> at her return, She would quarrel with her: So that <HI>Noromata,</HI> who indeed could not part from <HI>Adonacris</HI> without &s;orrow, She had not power to deny <HI>Eliorante,</HI> who not &s;taying for her an&s;wer, went un|to her Clo&s;et, and left her alone with her Lover. But <HI>Eliorante</HI> had no &s;ooner left them but <HI>Adonacris</HI> began di&s;cour&s;e.</P>
<P>I wonder Madam, &s;aid he unto her and &s;miled, that you will not rather venture a quar|rel with <HI>Eliorante,</HI> then &s;tay with a man who infinitely adores you: Certain I &s;hould do &s;o, (replied She, and both &s;miled and blu&s;ht) if I did not fear <HI>Eliorante</HI> would conceive &s;ome &s;uch thing if I &s;hould quit you: Oh Madam, &s;aid <HI>Adonacris,</HI> as long as your care of your glory obligeth you to things of this nature; I &s;hall never murmure: But Madam &s;aid he (and a&s;&s;umed a mo&s;t &s;erious a&s;pect) to lo&s;e no more of this precious time, but to &s;peak more &s;eriou&s;ly, I be&s;eech you; why are you &s;o re&s;olute of my bani&s;hment by your getting my relea&s;e? Alas, <HI>Sitalces</HI> will &s;ee you all the daies of his life; but I, heavens know perhaps &s;hall never &s;ee you again, after I am relea&s;ed: Allow then Madam of a thing which Fortune hath brought to pa&s;s without your con&s;ent, for truly Madam, you &s;hall not relea&s;e me &s;o &s;oon as you imagine: Therefore I be&s;eech you, let me not have a|ny cau&s;e to complain again&s;t you for any rigour as long as I am with you; I de&s;ire only to &s;ee you, and talk to you when none hears but your &s;elf, do not an&s;wer me if you plea&s;e, and let me only tell you that I did love you, and not that I do &s;o &s;till: Since I can talk this day unto you (&s;aid &s;he unto him) and not upbraid my &s;elf for giving you any occa|&s;ion, I will con&s;ent unto your de&s;ires; but <HI>Adonacris,</HI> it &s;hall be &s;till to tell you the &s;ame things over again, and to a&s;&s;ure you, that &s;ince I cannot bani&s;h you from my heart, I will do what I can to bani&s;h you from <HI>Tipanis.</HI> Since I hope Madam, replied <HI>Adonacris,</HI> that Fortune will be more favourable unto me then you are, and not bani&s;h me &s;o &s;oon, I am contented you &s;hould continue your &s;olicitations for the liberty of <HI>Sitalces,</HI> and by con&s;e|quence for mine: But Madam, that which I do reque&s;t, and reque&s;t with abundance of zeal, is that you will be plea&s;ed as long as I do &s;tay here, to let me talk to you, and &s;ee you often: I do allow it but too much (&s;aid &s;he unto him) and if you did but know how I chide my &s;elf for my indulgency towards you&mdash;Alas Madam (&s;aid <HI>Adonacris</HI> and interrupted her) If you call your behaviour to me indulgency, I wonder what you will call your rigour? What I do (replied She) is certainly more then I ought to do; for truly <HI>Adonacris,</HI> that affection which might have been innocent at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> is now become vicious at <HI>Tipanis,</HI> that I am now more faulty in &s;uffering you to love me, then I was be|fore in loving you: And truly I intend (added She and &s;ighed) to conjure both you and my &s;elf to do &s;o no more; but <HI>Adonacris,</HI> I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I know not whether I have power to execute my intentions.</P>
<P>As he was going to reply, <HI>Eliorante</HI> returned, who gave <HI>Noromata</HI> as many thanks for &s;taying there, as <HI>Adonacris</HI> did unto her in his heart for &s;taying her. The truth is, her &s;o &s;oon return did a little take off the good offices She had done him, and as he had a de|&s;ire to thank her, &s;o had he al&s;o to complain again&s;t her. But Sir, whil&s;t the&s;e things
<PB N="56" REF="823">
pa&s;&s;ed at <HI>Tipanis,</HI> other accidents fell out at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> which put new faces upon things: For be plea&s;ed to know, that when <HI>Adonacris</HI> was taken Pri&s;oner, he thought, as I told you before, that all his baggage was plundered by the Souldiers: So that though he was very &s;orry for the lo&s;s of his dear <HI>Noromata</HI>'s Letters which he valued above his mo&s;t pre|cious jewels; yet he hoped, that they would be lo&s;t unto all the world, as well as unto him&s;elf; and that tho&s;e who plundred the baggage would never trouble them&s;elves with &s;uch trifles as would not be worth any thing unto them, but would either tear or burn them: So that though they were never like to be any comfort unto him, yet at lea&s;t they would never hurt him. But Fortune did otherwi&s;e di&s;po&s;e of them, and cau&s;ed unhappily for him, that one of his &s;ervants, who was mo&s;t zealou&s;ly devoted unto his &s;ervice, who &s;eeing the Army routed, and baggage like to be lo&s;t, re&s;olved to get his Ma&s;ters things in|to &s;ome &s;afety, and to execute his de&s;ign, he &s;aved the carriage, by &s;eeming to be of the other &s;ide: Yet as &s;oon as night was come, he fell extreamly &s;ick, and the Inhabitants of the Town where he quartered, did pillage him of all he had, and left him nothing con&s;i|derable, but a little Cabinet of a Fi&s;hes Skin, which was both hand&s;om and rich, and in which was <HI>Noromata</HI>'s Letters.</P>
<P>This &s;ervant after his recovery believed, that &s;ince he was much neerer <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> then <HI>Ti|panis,</HI> it was be&s;t for him to go thither, and ask <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> what &s;ervice She would com|mand him, and whether he &s;hould return to his Ma&s;ter, or take &s;ome other cour&s;e. This de&s;ign of his being very rea&s;onable, he did execute it, and returned to <HI>I&s;&s;edon;</HI> and to let <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> &s;ee his fidelity, he &s;hewed this Cabinet unto her, not knowing what was within it; and it is to be &s;uppo&s;ed, that tho&s;e who &s;tole all the baggage from this &s;ervant, finding this Cabinet to be but little and light, and thinking no matter of money in it, did either &s;light or forget it, as a thing of no worth. But Sir, as it is the nature of all jealous per&s;ons generally to be full of curio&s;ity, though there be no rea&s;on for any jealou&s;ie in the world: So <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> had a &s;trong natural inclination to open this Cabinet, and to read the&s;e Let|ters, yet not knowing any rea&s;on why: And indeed, I have heard one of her friends &s;ay, that She never was in the Chamber of any one whom She vi&s;ited, but if She were alone, and found any Letters upon the Table, She would open them, or at the lea&s;t had a great de&s;ire unto it: You may ea&s;ily imagine then Sir, con&s;idering the humour of <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> as I have de&s;cribed it, that She could not &s;ee this Cabinet, but needs mu&s;t open it. But Sir, the wor&s;t was, <HI>Sitalces,</HI> whom I told you, was a frequent vi&s;iter of <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> was then pre&s;ent with her, and She being naturally of an impatient temper, She opened this Cabinet in his pre&s;ence, and he who opened it, being forced to u&s;e &s;ome &s;trength unto it, it broke all in pieces, and the Letters opened in falling out, and one of them falling un|happily upon <HI>Sitalces,</HI> he took it up to pre&s;ent it unto <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> not thinking it was from his Wife: But he was &s;trangely &s;urprized when he &s;aw the &s;uper&s;cription, and knew it to be the hand of <HI>Noromata,</HI> his di&s;order was &s;uch, that altering his intention of giving it unto <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> he now de&s;igned to keep it, though he knew not any hand&s;ome pretence for it.</P>
<P>But <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> &s;aved him the labour of &s;eeking out for an excu&s;e, for She &s;eeing and know|ing the hand, was al&s;o much &s;urprized, and jealou&s;ie beginning to rouze up her heart, She was as full of curio&s;ity as <HI>Sitalces:</HI> I never knew (&s;aid She unto him) that ever there was any &s;uch intimacy between <HI>Noromata</HI> and <HI>Adonacris,</HI> as to write Letters unto each o|ther, but I believe Sir you know more then I do. <HI>Sitalces</HI> hearing <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> &s;ay &s;o, was much puzled for an an&s;wer, but at la&s;t did ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s, that he was as ignorant as her &s;elf of any Letters that <HI>Noromata</HI> writ unto <HI>Adonacris,</HI> but he &s;poke with &s;uch trem|bling of heart, that he &s;carce knew what he &s;aid. But in conclu&s;ion, the&s;e two jealous per&s;ons agreed to read the&s;e Letters, and to &s;ee of what nature they were: For truly Sir, &s;aid <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> &s;ince the&s;e Letters were written by your Wife, it is but ju&s;t you &s;hould &s;ee them, and ju&s;t al&s;o, that &s;ince they were written unto my Husband that I &s;ee them. But Sir, I be&s;eech you admire a little at the oddne&s;s of de&s;tiny in this bu&s;ine&s;s, and to add unto your wonder, be plea&s;ed to know, that though all <HI>Noromata</HI>'s Letters were only matters of civility, yet they &s;o indited, as if they had &s;ome Characters of love in them. Moreover, they were not dated, &s;o that <HI>Sitalces</HI> and <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> knew not whether they were writ before, or after their marriages: So that by this means <HI>Sitalces</HI> and <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> thought that they had matter of accu&s;ation enough again&s;t <HI>Noromata.</HI> But to return from whence I digre&s;&s;ed, <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> and <HI>Sitalces</HI> beginning to read them, with &s;uch re&s;entments, as you may well imagine: The fir&s;t Letter was thus indited.</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="57" REF="823">
<HEAD>NOROMATA <HI>unto</HI> ADONACRIS.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>IT &s;eems I am not &s;o &s;incere as you are, for I would not that you &s;hould be able to Divine my thoughts, as you &s;eem to de&s;ire I &s;hould yours; yet do not think that I do entertain any which are di&s;advantagious to you, nor any which are much to your advantage, but I am of an humour, which per&s;wades me to let none have &s;o much power over me, as I my &s;elf have, but be conte&s;ted with &s;o much as I do give you, and without diving into my thoughts: Let it &s;uf|fice I give you leave to interpret all my words in the mo&s;t obliging &s;en&s;e you can.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>NOROMATA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>Though this Letter was indeed only civil and gallant, yet it &s;o netled the &s;oul of <HI>Sital|ces,</HI> that it turned it all at once into jealou&s;ie, hatred, and fury; nor did it move le&s;s di&s;|order in the &s;oul of <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> when She read another Letter, which if my memory fail not, contained the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>NOROMATA <HI>unto</HI> ADONACRIS.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>Could I write that I do con&s;ent you &s;hould love me, and not tacitly tell you at the &s;ame time, that I do love you, doubtle&s;s I &s;hould do it: But &s;ince my permi&s;&s;ion may be inter|preted &s;o, I will not allow it; all the favour you &s;hall receive from me, is this, That I do leave you at liberty to love me, or not to love me, as you plea&s;e, without any permittance or forbiddance from</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>NOROMATA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>After the reading of this Letter, <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> looked upon <HI>Sitalces,</HI> and &s;aw his thoughts &s;o well in his eyes, that &s;he thought it unnece&s;&s;ary to ask him. I under&s;tood &s;ince by a woman who was with her, and who &s;tood in a corner of the Chamber during all the con|ference which &s;he had with <HI>Sitalces,</HI> that both of their countenances changed, their eyes were &s;o full of fury, and their &s;ouls &s;o troubled, that it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee their hearts were di&s;ordered with more then one pa&s;&s;ion. I &s;hall not trouble you Sir with a relation of what they &s;aid unto each other, though this woman made an exact relation of all unto me; for indeed their conference was &s;o full of anger and fury, that it would be no great plea&s;ure unto you to hear it: However, they read all <HI>Noromata's</HI> Letters, and though they found none more engaging then the&s;e two which I have already related, yet they drew out of them very vexatious con&s;equences. As for <HI>Sitalces,</HI> he told <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> in the heat of his tran&s;port, that knowing <HI>Noromata</HI> &s;o well as he did, he took all the&s;e her civilities to be &s;o many &s;igns of Love: And <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> al&s;o told <HI>Sitalces,</HI> that knowing her Husbands di&s;|cretion &s;o well as &s;he did, &s;he was &s;ure he had burned the mo&s;t obliging of <HI>Noromata</HI>'s Let|ters, and kept only &s;uch as were mo&s;t indifferent: Somtimes they concurred in their opini|ons of things, and &s;omtimes again they differed, and their exce&s;s of vexation made them &s;omtimes jar with one another; and indeed <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> did almo&s;t down-right tell <HI>Sitalces,</HI> that his wife had &s;toln the heart of her husband from her, becau&s;e he had not merit en|ough to get hers: And <HI>Sitalces</HI> told <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> that <HI>Adonacris</HI> would never have loved <HI>Noromata,</HI> but becau&s;e he did not think his own wife amiable: Yet &s;ince their intere&s;t were alike, and &s;ince they were both wholly bent upon revenge, after the heat of fury was a little cooled, they agreed to make tho&s;e two per&s;ons mi&s;erable who cau&s;ed their &s;orrows. And at la&s;t they began to con&s;ider why <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;hould make &s;uch a difficulty in accepting upon the exchange which they had propounded, to con&s;ider the &s;light &s;orrows which <HI>A|donacris</HI> expre&s;&s;ed in his Letters at his not being relea&s;ed; and thereupon concluding, that it was <HI>Adonacris</HI> who had writ unto his Si&s;ter to retard his relea&s;ement; and afterwards
<PB N="58" REF="824">
concluded, that <HI>Noromata</HI> was of the plot, and con&s;ented unto it, and that <HI>Adonacris</HI> and &s;he did &s;pend whole daies together in laughing and mocking at their &s;orrows, and at all the pains they have taken to procure the exchange. <HI>Sitalces</HI> for his particular, did not now doubt of the rea&s;on why <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> did not &s;olicite <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> to make any large offers unto the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> for his exchange, for he knew it was his Wife who hindred him, and who did not negotiate as he de&s;ired her: And <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> al&s;o believed, that the rea&s;on why her Husband &s;ent her word not to offer any thing for his relea&s;ement, becau&s;e he knew an infallible way to procure it, that the rea&s;on was, becau&s;e he de&s;ired not to be at liberty: So that both of them being in one minde, there was no violent cour&s;e which they did not both of them re&s;olve upon: And after they had well examined what cour&s;e to take, they concluded it be&s;t to let <HI>Adonacris</HI> and <HI>Noromata</HI> know, that they were not ignorant of their affections; and to drive the nail &s;o home, that this their intimation to them &s;hould oblige them to remove tho&s;e ob&s;tacles which hindered their ex|change, re&s;olving after this to proceed further, when they &s;hould &s;ee their an&s;wers. So that the &s;econd Me&s;&s;enger from <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> being ready to depart from <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> without doing any thing more then at fir&s;t time, they writ by him. But Sir, I forget to tell you, that &s;ince this me&s;&s;enger from <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> had private orders from his Ma&s;ter to publi&s;h at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> How it was reported in <HI>Tipanis,</HI> that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> was in love with <HI>Noromata,</HI> to the end <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> might know it; &s;o it chanced that the poor <HI>Sitalces</HI> came to the know|ledg of it al&s;o: So that believing then his Wife had two Lovers in one place in lieu of one, he was in a mo&s;t mi&s;erable condition: But though this was very &s;ad news unto him, yet it was not &s;o unto the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> but on the contrary; he much rejoyced at it; and thinking it to conduce much unto his advantage that <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> &s;hould know it, he made her a Vi&s;it, purpo&s;ely to acquaint her with it. But Sir, his de&s;ign did not hit &s;o happily as he hoped, for <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> could not hear that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> had left loving her, and that he loved another without abundance of grief; and <HI>Ariantes</HI> told it unto her in &s;uch a &s;urprizing manner, that he plainly perceived how this new pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> did trouble her; and not being able to forbear &s;ome expre&s;&s;ions of his thoughts: If I &s;hould believe your eyes Madam (&s;aid he unto her) I &s;hould think that your lo&s;s of <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> his heart doth as much trouble you, as if I had lo&s;t a Battel, or as if you had lo&s;t a Crown: If my eyes have di&s;covered any &s;orrow unto you (replied <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> wittily, and blu&s;ht) they have ve|ry ill interpreted the thoughts of my heart, &s;ince I a&s;&s;ure you <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> hath not any &s;hare in them: But I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that &s;ince I do not love <HI>Noromata,</HI> I am not very glad, that a man whom heretofore I have communicated &s;o much unto, &s;hould now go and tattle all our pa&s;&s;ages unto her: Yet Madam (replied <HI>Ariantes)</HI> I could never di&s;cover the lea&s;t falling out betwixt you and <HI>Noromata</HI> all the while &s;he was here: 'Tis true (replied <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> a little non-plu&s;t) there was no vi&s;ible quarrel between us: But Sir (added &s;he with a marvellous vivacity of Spirit) When two are neer of the &s;ame age, of the &s;ame quality, pretend unto the &s;ame e&s;teem, and the &s;ame commendations, and when they are neither old nor ugly, it is not a que&s;tion to be asked, whether there be any quarrels between two &s;uch: For though they live together in all civility, yet believe it Sir, if you look well into their hearts, you will find but little friend&s;hip there to each other: Oh Madam (&s;aid <HI>Ariantes</HI> in looking fixedly upon her) your cares to per&s;wade me that you are capable of envy, makes me &s;u&s;picious: I am fearful to di&s;cover, that all your affecti|ons are upon <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> and that you only held me in hand out of ambition: Truly Madam, I conceive it not ju&s;t, that &s;ince I became a Rebel unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> only out of love to you, &s;ince I began a War, only to Crown you, that I &s;hould loo&s;e your e&s;teem by loo&s;ing a Battel, and that if I &s;hould loo&s;e a Crown, to loo&s;e al&s;o all hopes of enjoying you: I be&s;eech you Madam, &s;ince <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> does not now love you, but loves ano|ther, let me have the happine&s;s to po&s;&s;e&s;s his room: Be not &s;o unju&s;t, as to love him who loves not you, and not to love a Prince, who loves you more then him&s;elf. I have already told you Sir (replied &s;he) that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> hath no &s;hare in that anger which my eyes again&s;t my will di&s;covers unto you; but to &s;top all your complaints, let me tell you, that if you had told me <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> had been in love with any other then <HI>Noromata,</HI> you &s;hould have &s;een le&s;s di&s;order in my looks: I wi&s;h I could believe you Madam (re|plied he) but if I be not much mi&s;taken, I do rightly under&s;tand the language of your eyes, and unle&s;s you give me &s;ome more obliging language then yet you have, but will &s;till per&s;wade me that I am not loved, I &s;hall give over all matters of War, and &s;trive<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> no longer to crown a per&s;on, who grieves more for a Slave that hath broke his Ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">
<PB N="59" REF="824">
then for me, who hazards my life to &s;et her upon a Throne: Truly Sir (replied <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> craftily, who&s;e ambition revived in her heart) you are mo&s;t &s;trangely earne&s;t: But &s;ince it is fit I &s;atisfie you, I will acquaint you with the true cau&s;e of all the &s;orrow you &s;ee in my eyes, though I &s;hall hardly do it without a blu&s;h; for truly Sir, &s;ince you will needs have me confe&s;s the truth, I mu&s;t tell you, that I cannot hear of <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> his cea&s;ing to love me, but I mu&s;t needs think that perhaps the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> will one day do the like, and con&s;equently mu&s;t extreamly grieve at the very thought of it; and judg, I be|&s;eech you, if I have not good cau&s;e for it: Your language Madam is &s;o favourable (re|plied <HI>Ariantes)</HI> that I had rather accu&s;e your eyes of an untruth, then not to believe you, and Madam, I had rather believe what plea&s;eth me, then what grieveth me, though I be deceived by it. However, &s;ay what <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> would unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> yet &s;he was extreamly vexed that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> did not love her, and her hopes of his being one day her Subject, did not countervail her &s;orrows for his not being her Slave, though then &s;he had no in|tentions of making him happy. But whil&s;t <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> had more thoughts then &s;he was able to Mi&s;tre&s;s, and whil&s;t both love and ambition did tear her in pieces almo&s;t with equal vi|olence, &s;he knew not that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> in counterfeiting not to love her, did yet love her with extream zeal, and he &s;uffered more in loving her, then &s;he could do in thinking he did not. But as great as her &s;ufferings were, they were but &s;mall, in compari&s;on of what <HI>Noromata</HI> endured when &s;he received her Husbands Letter. And indeed Sir, this Letter was writ in &s;uch a cruel &s;tile, as never did Letter contain more bitter marks of extream jea|lou&s;ie and anger, for he did not only hint unto her that he knew of the corre&s;pondency with <HI>Adonacris;</HI> but he told her al&s;o in mo&s;t tart expre&s;&s;ions, that &s;he hindered his re|lea&s;ement, purpo&s;ely to be out of his &s;ight, and with <HI>Adonacris.</HI> After this, he men|tioned &s;omthing concerning the pretended Love of <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> mixing &s;omtimes among&s;t his injurious hints, &s;ome re&s;entments of love, and ended his Letter with a Declaration, That if &s;he did not find out &s;ome wayes that <HI>Adonacris</HI> might be within a few daies at <HI>I&s;|&s;edon,</HI> and that he might return unto <HI>Tipanis,</HI> he would never &s;ee her again; but make it known to all the world, that the rea&s;on of it was becau&s;e &s;he loved <HI>Adonacris:</HI> You may judg Sir, how this Letter troubled the virtuous <HI>Noromata,</HI> and how a per&s;on who loved her glory with &s;o much pa&s;&s;ion, could not &s;ee her own in &s;uch eminent danger without extream &s;orrow. Then did &s;he plainly &s;ee, that to be innocent was not enough to have tranquility of mind, &s;ince though &s;he never did any thing again&s;t the Rules of virtue, yet was &s;he extreamly troubled that her Husband &s;hould &s;u&s;pect her, and that he would publi&s;h her &s;u&s;pitious, and ruine her reputation. But her greate&s;t torment was, that mau|gre all the&s;e unju&s;t a&s;per&s;ions, &s;he &s;till loved <HI>Adonacris</HI> mo&s;t tenderly, who for his part was as angry as <HI>Noromata</HI> was grieved; for <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> in her Letter to him, did intimate, that &s;he knew of his affection unto <HI>Noromata,</HI> that &s;he had &s;ome Letters of that fair ones writing in her hands, that &s;he believed him to be mo&s;t tenderly loved, that &s;he thought he had been an ob&s;tacle unto all her endeavours for his relea&s;e, and that he cho&s;e rather to be a Pri&s;oner with <HI>Noromata,</HI> then at liberty with her; adding further, a thou&s;and in|ducements to repent of his infidelity, and as many menaces to be revenged upon <HI>Noro|mata,</HI> for making <HI>Sitalces</HI> u&s;e her hardly, if he did not change his mind. But that which mo&s;t pinched him was, <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> intimated unto him, that <HI>Sitalces</HI> knew he loved his Wife, and that he had &s;een her Letters; for &s;ince he loved her in as Noble and Honora|ble a way as was po&s;&s;ible, and &s;ince he was none of tho&s;e Lovers who care not for the reputation of tho&s;e per&s;ons whom they love, it grieved him to the &s;oul that <HI>Noromata</HI>'s honour &s;hould be brought in que&s;tion for his &s;ake: But that which put his patience to the highe&s;t te&s;t was, that the virtuous per&s;on who was &s;o &s;evere, and had carried her &s;elf with &s;uch cautious re&s;ervedne&s;s; when &s;he had none to &s;atisfie but her &s;elf, would not now &s;o much as &s;ee him, when &s;he under&s;tood her husband knew of his affection to her. Moreover, he feared that &s;he would mo&s;t horribly hate him, becau&s;e her Letters had fallen into &s;uch dangerous hands; &s;o that as plea&s;ing as the &s;ight of <HI>Noromata</HI> was unto him, yet his fears of &s;eeing her incen&s;ed again&s;t him, did fill him full of &s;trange appre|hen&s;ions. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> having received a Letter from one of his friends at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> which intimated unto him, how <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> was extreamly angry when &s;he heard that he did not love her; he was as much joyed at this, as heretofore he had been, when &s;he gave him the greate&s;t te&s;timonies that his affection plea&s;ed her. And indeed, as I came unto him the next morning after he received this Letter, he no &s;ooner &s;aw me, but coming towards me with a plea&s;ant a&s;pect: Come my dear <HI>Anabaris</HI> (&s;aid he unto me)
<PB N="60" REF="825">
I am now arrived at that point I would be, and have received the be&s;t news in the world: Is it (&s;aid I again) that we &s;hall &s;hortly have peace or victory? No, no, repli|ed he, I a&s;&s;ure you neither peace nor war have any &s;hare in what I am about to tell you. It is only matters of love which I &s;hall relate: Then a&s;&s;uredly, replied I, you will tell me that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> is fallen out with his Mi&s;tre&s;s, and <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> is per&s;waded, that the Crown which he would give her, is not comparable unto the affection you bear unto her: No; &s;aid he, but <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> believes I love her not, and is vexed at it to the heart. But Sir (&s;aid I unto him) if her anger &s;hould turn unto hatred, would you be &s;o well plea&s;ed as you &s;eem to be? If it &s;hould, &s;aid he, I know not what I &s;hould be, but &s;ure I am, that it joys me much She is angry, and I never took more plea&s;ure in per&s;wading her that I love her, then I have in making her believe, that I do not love her: And if after all this, I can throw down the Throne which &s;he hopes to a&s;cend, and have &s;o much &s;atisfaction as to &s;ee her without a King, without a Kingdom, without Subjects, and with|out a Slave, I &s;hall be the happie&s;t man alive: Yes, yes, Sir, replied I, &s;o you would, if you could bring your &s;elf once to that pa&s;s, as to hate her or at lea&s;t not to love her, for if you think to be revenged of her by &s;till loving her, believe me Sir, the revenge will light upon your &s;elf: Though it &s;hould (&s;aid he to me) yet I &s;hould do as if I were happy; for I do profe&s;s, that I would die a thou&s;and times, rather then <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> &s;hould ever know that <HI>I</HI> do not hate her: So that if I could be as happy as I could wi&s;h, and could not con|ceal my &s;elf, rather then tell her that I loved her, I would hide my &s;elf; and to be &s;in|cere with you, I have long time &s;ince re&s;olved, that as &s;oon as I have revenged my &s;elf upon my Rival, to begin a new form of life, and leave off the company of all &s;uch as Fortune hath been plea&s;ed to &s;et above me, for I am &s;o weary of &s;eeing my &s;elf below them, that I cannot endure it; indeed I can neither flatter them, nor crouch unto them. Moreover; there is one &s;trong fancy in my mind which mightily torments, and &s;ince I mu&s;t di&s;cover my weakne&s;s unto you, I will tell you what it is: Know then, that I can|not &s;ee a man Superiour to me, do any thing ill-favouredly, but I am infinitely angry at Fortune for placing them in that condition they are; it is not out of any tenderne&s;s that I do intere&s;t my &s;elf in their imperfections, but on the contrary, there is an Antipathy in my nature again&s;t all that are above me, which is the rea&s;on that I cannot endure to &s;ee Princes either weak, or timerous, or covetous, or fooli&s;h, when I &s;ee &s;uch, I cannot chu&s;e but cur&s;e Fortune, becau&s;e She did not rank them according to their merit: Truth is, I am &s;o unable to endure that ill-favoured men &s;hould be placed above me, that I cannot brook <HI>Vulcan</HI> &s;hould be ranked among&s;t the Gods: Judg then, whether I can allow &s;uch as have the hearts of Slaves, the ru&s;ticity of a poor Fi&s;herman, the language of a ba&s;e Trade&s;|man, &s;hould be ranked in the Catalogue of Princes: If <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> Sir (&s;aid I unto him and &s;miled) did hear what you &s;ay, She would, according to her cu&s;tom, accu&s;e you of pro|phanation, and I think She had good rea&s;on for it: I know not what rea&s;on She hath (&s;aid he unto me) but I am &s;ure I have rea&s;on to take it ill She &s;hould betray me, and to be glad that I have vexed her.</P>
<P>But Sir, to return unto <HI>Noromata,</HI> give me leave to tell you, that this purely virtuous per&s;on; after She had &s;pent the whole night in &s;orrow, and &s;eeking remedy again&s;t &s;uch an important mi&s;ery, She had a new cau&s;e of grief, for She received a Letter from her Father who was with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and who knowing that <HI>Adonacris</HI> was at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and not being ignorant of his corre&s;pondency with <HI>Noromata</HI> before her marriage, did &s;end her word, that if ever he heard She let <HI>Adonacris</HI> come into her hou&s;e, he would make her the mo&s;t mi&s;erable woman of her Sex. So that being on all &s;ides overwhelmed with &s;orrows, She took the mo&s;t generous re&s;olution in the world, maugre all her tenderne&s;s to <HI>Adona|cris,</HI> and her aver&s;ion to <HI>Sitalces.</HI> For Sir, &s;ince She did apprehend it not hand&s;ome to exchange a Lover for a Husband, She re&s;olved to ju&s;tifie her &s;elf in her Husbands opini|on, and to let him &s;ee She was no ob&s;tacle unto his liberty; She re&s;olved, I &s;ay, to &s;teal out o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Tipanis,</HI> and to return unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> to <HI>Sitalces:</HI> But alas Sir, this re&s;olution wa&s; not without <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ny a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, and much ado to execute? yet &s;ince there was no other <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> to redeem her reputation, She fully determined upon it (maugre her repugnanc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">) <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ve him She loved, and to go unto him She hated: The tender affection of her heart unto <HI>Adonacris,</HI> moved <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o wi&s;h that She could &s;peak once more in her life unto him, to know by what &s;ad <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> her Letters came into her Husbands hands, but She could not find a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">it op<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e &s;hould do him &s;uch a favour as She &s;hould upbraid her &s;elf withal, therefore She never went about it; but Fortune having no mind they &s;hould
<PB N="61" REF="825">
part in &s;ilence, did bring it to pa&s;s without her medling in it, as I &s;hall hereafter tell you. In the mean time <HI>Noromata</HI> contriving a way how to get out of <HI>Tipanis,</HI> and to pa&s;s the Guards and <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> &s;afely, She did at la&s;t hit upon one which did happily hit. She went unto <HI>Eliorante,</HI> and told her, as She might truly, that her Husband had a &s;ervant whom he loved very well, who was taken pri&s;oner with her, and who was married a little before he was taken. But to advance her de&s;ign, She added a lye unto this truth, and told her, that the Wife of this &s;ervant hearing that her Husband was fallen &s;ick at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and earne&s;tly de&s;ired to &s;ee her, She was very de&s;irous to go thither unto him. After which, <HI>Noromata</HI> aggravating the &s;orrows of this wife, de&s;ired <HI>Eliorantes</HI> favour to pro|cure a pa&s;port for her, conjuring her to &s;olicite her Husband for it, and not let any know that She did meddle in the bu&s;ine&s;s: For (&s;aid She unto her with much &s;ubtilty) I have &s;o many things to ask of <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> concerning my Husbands liberty, that I &s;hould be unwilling to trouble them with the bu&s;ine&s;s of others, e&s;pecially in a bu&s;i|ne&s;s which is of no great importance. <HI>Eliorante</HI> being glad of any importunity to ob|lige <HI>Noromata,</HI> did never examine her rea&s;ons any further, but told her, that if &s;he would &s;tay half an houre in her Chamber, She would give her an accompt how ready She was to &s;atisfie her de&s;ires: She had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but <HI>Adonacris,</HI> as if he de&s;tined to &s;peak un|to <HI>Noromata</HI> no where but at <HI>Eliorantes,</HI> did enter: So that <HI>Eliorante</HI> &s;eeing him; Sir, &s;aid She, I once before entreated you to entertain <HI>Noromata</HI> whil&s;t I retired unto my Clo|&s;et; and I be&s;eech you once again to make the time &s;eem le&s;s tedious unto her, whil&s;t I go a little and execute &s;ome of her commands: I know not Madam, replied <HI>Adonacris,</HI> whether I &s;hall be able to fulfill your commands; but I am &s;ure, that though I do not di|vert her as I de&s;ire, yet my intentions are to do nothing that &s;hall di&s;plea&s;e her: After this, <HI>Eliorante</HI> went out to mediate unto her Husband in <HI>Noromata's</HI> bu&s;ine&s;s: So as the&s;e two per&s;ons who had mo&s;t violent inclinations to love each other, and who yet had thoughts very different, had the freedome of talk together; yet they &s;aid not what they thought, for <HI>Noromata</HI> never acquainted <HI>Adonacris</HI> with her de&s;ign of going unto <HI>Sitalces,</HI> le&s;t he &s;hould hinder her: And <HI>Adonacris</HI> never acquainted <HI>Noromata</HI> with the Letter which <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> &s;ent unto him, le&s;t it &s;hould grieve her. <HI>Noromata</HI> on her &s;ide would not tell him of tho&s;e Letters which <HI>Sitalces</HI> had &s;een, though &s;he had a great de&s;ire unto it; for She con&s;idered, that though his baggage was lo&s;t, and was the cau&s;e of it, yet the fault was not in him. Al&s;o &s;ince She could not tell him of it, without making him the Confident of her Husbands jealou&s;ie, &s;he could not do it, thinking it would oblige <HI>A|donacris</HI> too much, and con&s;equently reflect upon her honour: But con&s;idering, that though She had now the liberty to talk unto him, yet She was never like to have it a|gain, She could not chu&s;e but &s;igh. <HI>Adonacris</HI> ob&s;erving it, and &s;eeing her eyes full of curio&s;ity: I know Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that I &s;hall very ill acquit my &s;elf of that Commi&s;&s;ion which <HI>Eliorante</HI> hath given me to divert you; and I know too well by that &s;igh which I heard, that my company is not plea&s;ing enough to keep you from &s;ome an|gry thoughts: Doubtle&s;s Sir, replied She, my thoughts do not plea&s;e me, but I will be &s;o ju&s;t as not to accu&s;e you for it, and ask your pardon that I do not force my &s;elf unto more complacency. Oh Madam (&s;aid <HI>Adonacris)</HI> It is mo&s;t injurious to ask this par|don; and I have more rea&s;on to complain that you will not tell me the cau&s;e of that &s;igh, then complain of you for &s;ighing: For truly Madam, methinks the lea&s;t part that I can pretend unto in your confidence, is that of your &s;orrows: But Madam, to &s;hew that I am ea&s;ily contented in my pa&s;&s;ion, I will ask of you le&s;s then ever any Lover did, and de|clare unto you, that if you will be plea&s;ed to grant it, I will never complain of you. Though you may ask it Sir, replied She, as my Lover, yet you &s;hall never obtain it: I will ask then as your friend Madam, replied he, &s;ince the name of Lover is offen&s;ive to you; but I be&s;eech you let it be as a friend who loves none el&s;e but you, nor ever will: I only ask the favour to know all your griefs; conceal all your joys from me, but I be&s;eech you make me a Partner in your &s;orrows, and let me know why you &s;ighed. After this, I am confident you will not &s;ay I ask too much, and that my affection is hard to be &s;atis|fied, &s;ince I only ask to be a &s;harer in a &s;igh, and to know the cau&s;e of it. In demand|ing that Sir, replied <HI>Noromata,</HI> you ask perhaps more then you are aware, and more then I can grant: The truth is, there are &s;ome &s;orrows which one cannot impart without be|ing too much engaged, and my humour is &s;uch, that the mo&s;t engaging thing which I can do for tho&s;e I love, is to tru&s;t them with mine, and to make them &s;harers with me. Then Madam (replied <HI>Adonacris)</HI> I be&s;eech you tell me what it was which made you
<PB N="62" REF="826">
&s;igh, for I mu&s;t confe&s;s I cannot under&s;tand the cau&s;e of it? Without further examina|tion of cau&s;es, replied She, I a&s;&s;ure you I neither can nor will tell you; for the truth is <HI>Adonacris,</HI> rea&s;on will not permit me to put confidence in a man whom I ought not to &s;ee, and unto whom I ought not to &s;peak as I do, if I &s;hould keep my &s;elf to the limits of exact virtue: And this is the la&s;t day I intend to hold any private conference with you, and to behave my &s;elf &s;o, as you &s;hall have none with me, for I will never upbraid my &s;elf with doing more then I ought to have done: Alas Madam (&s;aid <HI>Adonacris)</HI> if you do now no more then you ought, it may be &s;aid that you do nothing; for it is impo&s;&s;ible one &s;hould do le&s;s then you have done: But Madam, if it be your re&s;olution that I &s;hall never talk with you in private after this day, then you mu&s;t this day regulate all the re&s;t of my life, and tell me what is your plea&s;ure I &s;hall do: I do profe&s;s I will never either do, or &s;ay, or think any thing which &s;hall di&s;plea&s;e you: If &s;o, replied <HI>Noromata,</HI> I will once in my life make u&s;e of that power which I have over you; but <HI>Adonacris,</HI> it &s;hall be in com|manding you to live as well with <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> as I am re&s;olved to do with <HI>Sitalces,</HI> and in conjuring you not to tell &s;o much as your &s;elf, that ever you loved me, nor to think any more of any thing which may renew the memory of our friend&s;hip. Alas Madam, replied <HI>Adonacris,</HI> if you would be obeyed, you mu&s;t command &s;uch things as can be done; but here you command me three things, two of which are ab&s;olute impo&s;&s;ibilities, and the other an extream difficulty: I mu&s;t Madam, maugre you command, tell my &s;elf, that I do love you, &s;ince it is not your plea&s;ure I &s;hould tell you of it; I mu&s;t needs, I cannot chu&s;e, but think of you, &s;ince you will not give me leave to talk to you. Yes, yes Ma|dam, I mu&s;t both think and &s;peak of you, &s;ince I can neither think or &s;peak of any thing el&s;e, not but that I have done all I am able to forget you: But alas, I have done it in vain, for where&s;oever I go, and what&s;oever I do, my imagination is all on you: I have been in the Wars, and in the very heat of fight, and mo&s;t dangerous occurrencies my mind hath &s;till kept to its ordinary object: if I come into any company where you are not, I pre&s;ently lament your ab&s;ence, and value not their pre&s;ence: I never walk out but my mind is plea&s;ingly fill'd with a thou&s;and thoughts of what you have done, and of what I have heard you &s;ay, and my &s;leep is nothing but dreams of you: And Madam, if I could tell you without hinting my crimes unto you, I would &s;ay, that <HI>I</HI> did not marry <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> without a thought of <HI>Noromata,</HI> as perfidious as She hath been unto me; and if <HI>I</HI> could &s;hew you the true &s;tate of my &s;oul, when after your example <HI>I</HI> did for ever engage my &s;elf you would &s;ee that my heart di&s;avowed all the words of engagement which my tongue pronounced, and <HI>I</HI> thought more of what <HI>I</HI> lo&s;t, then what <HI>I</HI> got; yet for all this, you are &s;o unju&s;t as to command me not to think any more of you: But let me tell you Ma|dam, that if the Gods be ju&s;t, they will force you to think of me, and they will grant me &s;o much favour, as to cau&s;e you many an angry minute by my being much in your minde: In wi&s;hing as <HI>I</HI> do (replied She) that the Gods will give you the &s;ame tranquility of mind which <HI>I</HI> wi&s;h unto my &s;elf, <HI>I</HI> am more ju&s;t then you are; and con&s;equently have rea&s;on to believe, that they will rather hear my prayers then yours: But Madam, <HI>I</HI> be|&s;eech you (&s;aid he unto her) what hurt can a pure innocent pa&s;&s;ion do you, when it is locked up in my heart? And what matter is it when <HI>I</HI> am out of your &s;ight, whether <HI>I</HI> think of you or no? So <HI>I</HI> could think that you do not think of me (replied She) doubt|le&s;s it would not at all concern me, but &s;till it would concern you, that you might be more at re&s;t. Then Madam (&s;aid he unto her, and looked upon her with amorous eyes) <HI>I</HI> may hope when <HI>I</HI> &s;ee you not, that you will think to gue&s;s whether <HI>I</HI> think upon you or no, and con&s;equently <HI>I</HI> am not &s;o mi&s;erable as <HI>I</HI> imagined; for it is &s;ome con&s;olation to know, that you have not bani&s;hed me out of your memory, though out of your heart. Oh Madam, for heavens &s;ake (added he with mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionate earne&s;tne&s;s) do not deny every thing to a Lover, who is not of their humours, which think felicity con&s;i&s;ts in the highe&s;t favours, but on the contrary, he knows how to multiply the delight, by the price which he will &s;et upon the meane&s;t favours, Permit me Madam, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you, only to think of you, and to believe, that &s;omtimes you do me the honour to think of me, and <HI>I</HI> &s;hall not murmure at your exce&s;&s;ive rigour: <HI>I</HI> &s;hould think that what <HI>I</HI> ask cannot offend you, nor would it be a grand crime, if <HI>I</HI> be&s;eeched you to pronounce the name of <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;ome|times: For my part <HI>I</HI> do prote&s;t unto you Madam, that the name of <HI>Noromata</HI> is very often in my <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">th, and it is a &s;ound &s;o agreeable to me, that <HI>I</HI> cannot hear it without a|bundance of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ght: But Madam, <HI>I</HI> a&s;&s;ure my &s;elf that mine is not &s;o to you; and you can hear it pronounced a thou&s;and times without the lea&s;t alteration in your colour.</P>
<P><PB N="63" REF="826">
As <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Noromata</HI> (who was vexed at her &s;elf in &s;ecret that She was not &s;o in&s;en&s;ible as he &s;aid She was) could not chu&s;e but blu&s;h. So that <HI>Adonacris</HI> ob|&s;erving it, he was now as full of curio&s;ity to know the cau&s;e of that blu&s;h, as he was be|fore to know the cau&s;e of the &s;igh: But &s;ince <HI>Noromata</HI>'s mode&s;ty would not give her leave to tell him, She only left him &s;o much &s;ubject, as whereby he might gue&s;s that her heart entertained no di&s;advantagious thoughts of him; for he importuning her to tell him her thoughts, and She thinking upon her de&s;ign of going unto <HI>Sitalces,</HI> and parting from <HI>Adonacris,</HI> the tenderne&s;s of her &s;oul did appear more in her eyes then She de&s;ired it &s;hould, and her very words did utter &s;omthing to him again&s;t her mind; for as he did importunately pre&s;s her to tel him her thoughts a little more clearly, and what her plea&s;ure was to command him, &s;he gave him an an&s;wer much more favourable then She intended one quarter of an hour before: You are &s;o very importunate (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that becau&s;e I would be rid of you, <HI>I</HI> will confe&s;s ingenuou&s;ly, that I am not &s;o ab&s;olute a Mi|&s;tre&s;s of my heart, as of my actions, and that my thoughts and my words do not agree, and that when I command you to forget me, yet I &s;hould not have been very glad if you had obeyed me; all I can &s;ay unto you <HI>Adonacris</HI> is, that what re&s;olutions &s;oever I have taken, to do alwayes what I ought to do, yet I perceive I &s;hould more ea&s;ily pardon you if you do not forget me, that I &s;hould my &s;elf; if I do not. In the mean time, whe|ther I bani&s;h you out of my heart or not, yet I will &s;o behave my &s;elf towards you, as if you had not the lea&s;t &s;hare in it, and after this <HI>Adonacris,</HI> ask me no more; I know that I do give you more obliging language then I would, and the words which I pronounced do make me blu&s;h as oft as I remember them: But for all that, the infidelity which my o|bedience to my Father did make me commit again&s;t you, doth merit doubtle&s;s that I &s;hould puni&s;h my &s;elf, and comfort you; and therefore, though <HI>I</HI> have &s;aid more unto you then did become me, yet <HI>I</HI> do not repent of it, though <HI>I</HI> know I &s;hall repent as &s;oon as you are gone. You have rea&s;on Madam, replied <HI>Adonacris,</HI> to repent of what you have &s;aid, for it is &s;o little obliging unto me, that I conceive you have great cau&s;e of re|pentance.</P>
<P>As <HI>Adonacris</HI> pronounced the&s;e words, <HI>Eliorante</HI> returned; &s;o that <HI>Noromata</HI> fearing that She would &s;peak before him of that office which She was to do for her, and fearing le&s;t his Love &s;hould gue&s;s at her &s;ecret intention, She went towards <HI>Eliorante,</HI> and under|&s;tood from her, that what She de&s;ired &s;hould be effected before the day was done, <HI>Elio|rante</HI> a&s;&s;uring her that it re&s;ted only upon this, That the wife unto the &s;ervant of <HI>Sitalces</HI> who was to go and vi&s;it her &s;ick Husband, was not to depart until the next morning. <HI>No|romata</HI> having obtained her wi&s;h, thanked <HI>Eliorante</HI> for the favour, and took her leave im|mediately, but when &s;he turned towards <HI>Adonacris</HI> to &s;alute him, and it coming into her thoughts that perhaps She &s;hould never &s;ee him again, &s;uch a deep melancholy did &s;eize upon her Spirit, that tears &s;tood in her eyes. But &s;he no &s;ooner perceived this weakne&s;s in her &s;elf, but &s;he ha&s;ted out, le&s;t it &s;hould be ob&s;erved: So pulling her Hood ha&s;tily down, She did the better hide tho&s;e impre&s;&s;ions of &s;orrow which came from her heart unto her face: But though She had wit enough to hide, yet She had not power of over|coming her &s;ad re&s;entments, but pa&s;&s;ed over all that day and the night following in &s;uch tran&s;ports of violent &s;orrow, as She confe&s;&s;ed &s;ince, that She was never in all her life in &s;o &s;ad a condition. However, her virtue being above her &s;orrows, &s;he kept clo&s;e unto her re&s;olution of going unto her Husband, and to per&s;wade him that She did not ob&s;truct his liberty, nor de&s;ire the &s;ociety of <HI>Adonacris.</HI> And in order to this, &s;he made choice of two ancient &s;ervants unto <HI>Sitalces</HI> to conduct her, and a woman to go with her, giving or|der that a Coach &s;hould be ready by break of day, but not her own Coach, le&s;t her de|&s;ign &s;hould be di&s;covered. And to the end her departure &s;hould not be known until &s;he was gotten far enough from <HI>Tipanis</HI> to be overtaken, if <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> &s;hould &s;end after her, this virtuous Lady commanded her women which &s;he left at <HI>Tipanis</HI> to let none come in|to her Chamber for three daies after, and to tell all the re&s;t of her Dome&s;tiques that &s;he was &s;ick, having to this end imparted her de&s;ign unto an old Phy&s;itian her friend, who promi&s;ed to come unto her Chamber, as if &s;he were really &s;ick. And to the end he &s;hould not be ill treated by <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> and <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> when the thing was di&s;covered: It was a|greed upon that he &s;hould &s;ay he was deceived, and that one of <HI>Noromata</HI>'s women did counterfeit her voice, and lay in her bed, and the Curtains being drawn, he thought it to be her Mi&s;tre&s;s, and that &s;he was &s;ick. Moreover, &s;he writ a Letter unto <HI>Eliorante,</HI> give|ing orders to deliver it three daies after her departure. To be &s;hort, the bu&s;ine&s;s was car|ried
<PB N="64" REF="827">
&s;o well, that none of her &s;ervants knew it, except tho&s;e who were of the con&s;piracy. So that putting the woman which was to go with her in the be&s;t place of the Coach, She cau&s;ed her to &s;peak unto the Keepers of the Gates, and &s;hew them her Pa&s;port, which was to let her pa&s;s out with one woman, and two men to conduct her. Thus it being very early, and not light enough to know one another, She ea&s;ily got out undi&s;covered, but not without much &s;orrow; for when She was out of the Town, and began to think that perhaps She &s;hould never &s;ee <HI>Adonacris</HI> again, whom She &s;o tenderly loved, and that She was going to abide eternally with <HI>Sitalces,</HI> whom She loved not, her &s;adne&s;s was above expre&s;&s;ion, and her journey was the mo&s;t melancholy that is imaginable, yet &s;omtimes She rejoyced in the doing of an act of &s;o much heroique virtue, but &s;omtimes again this joy did co&s;t her very dear: However, She pa&s;&s;ed over her journey without any ob&s;tacle, for all the Troops of <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> obeyed the Pa&s;port, and when She came into the Quar|ters of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> She di&s;covered her &s;elf unto the Commander in Chief, and de&s;ired a Guard to be conducted unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> where She arrived &s;ooner then She de&s;ired, though her re&s;olution was yet to go unto it.</P>
<P>But Sir, before I tell you how <HI>Sitalces</HI> received her, I mu&s;t acquaint you with &s;ome pa&s;&s;ages at <HI>Tipanis,</HI> be plea&s;ed to know therefore, that <HI>Noromata</HI>'s orders were &s;o well obeyed, that every one believed her to be at home, yes <HI>Adonacris</HI> did believe it more re|ally then any other; &s;o that he pa&s;&s;ed over the&s;e three daies well enough; yet at the end, <HI>Eliorante</HI> received <HI>Noromata</HI>'s Letter, which de&s;ired pardon for deceiving her, and con|cealing her de&s;ign, and which intimated unto her, that She was gone to her Husband and to &s;olicite <HI>Ariantes</HI> for his liberty. But when <HI>Eliorante</HI> received this Letter, <HI>Adonacris</HI> was with her, and She not being able to conceal her admiration, did acquaint him with the cau&s;e of it. You may well imagine Sir, that the admiration of <HI>Adonacris</HI> was above <HI>Eliorantes,</HI> and he cried out &s;o loud when he heard that <HI>Noromata</HI> had not been in <HI>Tipa|nis</HI> this three daies, that <HI>Eliorante</HI> who had a mo&s;t &s;harp wit, began to &s;u&s;pect that he had a far greater intere&s;t in this departed Lady, then ever She imagined. How Madam (&s;aid he unto her) is not <HI>Noromata</HI> here? You will &s;ee that by her Letter (&s;aid She and &s;hewed it him) and you will doubtle&s;s &s;ay that <HI>Noromata</HI> is the be&s;t Wife in the world. <HI>Adonacris</HI> taking the Letter did read it with as much grief as wonder, and with as much wonder at <HI>Noromata</HI>'s virtue, as at her beauty. When he had done reading the Letter, <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> came in, who under&s;tanding how &s;quares went, did think it &s;till convenient for him to make a &s;hew as if he were much troubled at <HI>Noromata</HI>'s departure, purpo&s;ely to make <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> believe that he loved <HI>Noromata:</HI> So that expre&s;&s;ing much grief, he was much more zealous then <HI>Adonacris,</HI> who dur&s;t not expre&s;s his. However, the bu&s;ine&s;s had no remedy, for in all probability before <HI>Noromata</HI> could be overtaken, She would be in the Quarters of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> where he could not &s;tay her. So that <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;eeing he had nothing el&s;e to do but lament, he retired to his Chamber, but with &s;o &s;ad a &s;oul, that I am confident never was &s;uch a &s;udden alteration &s;een as was in his face; indeed he was not the &s;ame man he was before, and &s;orrow was &s;o apparent in his eyes, and he had &s;uch a deadly palene&s;s in his cheeks, that any one would have &s;aid he was not only &s;adly affli|cted, but that he would not live, and yet his condition was wor&s;e within an hour after he was gone from <HI>Eliorantes.</HI></P>
<P>And Sir, to acquaint you with the cau&s;e of the augmentation of his &s;orrows, give me leave to acquaint you, how by an unparallelled example of Fortune, the very &s;ame time that <HI>Noromata</HI> out of her virtue went unto her Husband, <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> out of her jealou&s;ie, came to hers.</P>
<P>Thus when <HI>Noromata</HI> came to <HI>I&s;&s;edon, Argiri&s;pe</HI> came to <HI>Tipanis,</HI> and came ju&s;t in the height of <HI>Adonacris</HI> his &s;orrows for the departure of <HI>Noromata;</HI> and being conducted by an Officer of <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> his Army, who brought her to <HI>Tipanis,</HI> and made her known unto that Prince and <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> they did receive her with much civility; and thinking that <HI>Adonacris</HI> would be very plea&s;ingly &s;urprized at the &s;ight of her, they cau&s;ed her to be conducted unto his Chamber, before he was acquainted with her coming. I being then with the grieved <HI>Adonacris,</HI> am able to relate their meeting as an eye-witne&s;s: But Sir, I am not able to repre&s;ent unto you the wonder of this &s;ad Lover, when he &s;aw her enter; Truth is, it was &s;o great, and his &s;oul was in &s;uch a maze, that he was not Ma&s;ter of his own thoughts; &s;o that in lieu of hiding that &s;orrow which appeared in his face, and anger meeting with his melancholy, he &s;eemed more de&s;irous to quarrel with her, then to &s;alute her. Yet bethinking with him&s;elf, that in relation unto <HI>Noromata's</HI> intere&s;t, his be&s;t
<PB N="65" REF="827">
way was to force him&s;elf, Love did more then his rea&s;on could to per&s;wade him, and he did &s;o &s;trive with him&s;elf, that he almo&s;t made his &s;orrows to &s;eem only wonder, and en|deavoured to per&s;wade <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> that his &s;adne&s;s was only an effect of his impri&s;onment: Therefore he &s;aluted her very civilly, and expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf as hand&s;omly as was requi&s;ite at &s;uch a meeting.</P>
<P>But <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> being witty and jealous al&s;o, She dived &s;o far into his heart, that as &s;oon as She &s;et her eyes upon him, She &s;aw, that She was the cau&s;e of his grief, and <HI>Agather|&s;es</HI> telling her at fir&s;t, how <HI>Noromata</HI>'s de&s;ign and hers did &s;trangely parallel, She ea&s;ily apprehended that her Husband grieved only for the ab&s;ence of that fair one. So that though the departure of <HI>Noromata</HI> did leave her thoughts in &s;ome doubt, yet the &s;adne&s;s of <HI>Adonacris</HI> did confirm her in her jealou&s;ie: And I can a&s;&s;ure you, that this meeting had no|thing of &s;weet &amp; plea&s;ingne&s;s in it. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Eliorante</HI> came to offer <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> all the accommodations within the compa&s;s of her power, <HI>Adonacris</HI> took that time to go unto &s;ome place where he might lament. And taking me a&s;ide, we went pre&s;ently after unto a Clo&s;et, in which we no &s;ooner were, but he broke out into mo&s;t &s;ad expre&s;&s;ions of the pittiful condition wherein he was; his greate&s;t perplexity was, that being a man excel|lently qualified, he could not be imperious over <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> nor could he rid him&s;elf that way from the cruel per&s;ecution in which he was; and certainly he gave it a true Epithite of per&s;ecution; for <HI>Eliorante</HI> was no &s;ooner gone, but this jealous woman twitted him with all imaginable malice: Truly (&s;aid She unto him) if you had fallen in love with <HI>Noromata</HI> after our marriage, you could be accu&s;ed only of weakne&s;s and uncon&s;tancy; but being in Love with her before you may (and with abundance of rea&s;on and Ju&s;tice) be charged with perfidiou&s;ne&s;s, with trea&s;on, and with indi&s;cretion: Pray tell me, how could you ever think to live happily with one you loved not? Do not deceive your &s;elf, and de|ny your love unto the Wife of <HI>Sitalces,</HI> for I have in my hands all her Letters to you, and I know very well that you are a Pri&s;oner unto <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> only becau&s;e you are the Slave of <HI>Noromata.</HI> Al&s;o I know very well, that you did with a premeditated de&s;ign ab|&s;ent your &s;elf, only to be far off from her you loved not. To te&s;tifie my &s;incerity (an|&s;wered he) I will ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s that I did love <HI>Noromata,</HI> and that I do &s;till hold her virtues in the &s;ame admiration; but I prote&s;t Madam, that I do hold no private cor|re&s;pondency with her, and tho&s;e Letters you have of hers to me were written before her marriage, and con&s;equently before you were. I further prote&s;t, that &s;ince that, I never received any more from her but common civility, and in all likelyhood it will be long be|fore I &s;hall &s;ee her again, perhaps never. Moreover, though it were &s;o, that &s;uch a pa&s;&s;i|on had &s;eized upon my &s;oul, as I could not ma&s;ter, yet were I not too blame, &s;ince I was not able to overcome it, and &s;ince I &s;hould behave my &s;elf never the wor&s;e towards you: Therefore Madam, &s;ince I am able to a&s;&s;ure you, that I never received the lea&s;t favour from <HI>Noromata,</HI> and &s;ince you never receive any rudene&s;s or incivility from me, I hope I may well be&s;eech you to re&s;t &s;atisfied, and let me be at re&s;t al&s;o. But <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> did not do as <HI>Adonacris</HI> de&s;ired her, but went from him in a chafe, telling him &s;harply, that &s;ince he went about to delude her, She would carry her &s;elf as one that would not be deluded, but as one that knew all his weakne&s;&s;es and infidelities; but that which mo&s;t netled her, was to &s;ee, that all She &s;aid unto <HI>Adonacris</HI> did not anger him, and to &s;ee his Spirits &s;o ta|ken up with &s;orrow for the departure of <HI>Noromata,</HI> that he hardly minded what She &s;aid. So that She being vexed more and more, She vented &s;uch bitter expre&s;&s;ions unto <HI>Adona|cris,</HI> that he was forced to go into another Chamber. In the mean time, &s;ince he had no minde to be a Pri&s;oner; but only becau&s;e <HI>Noromata</HI> was at <HI>Tipanis,</HI> &s;o now, he de&s;ired his liberty, &s;ince She was not there. So that the next morning he &s;ent &s;ecretly to the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> be&s;eeching him now not to ob&s;truct his liberty, becau&s;e now he did very pun|ctually know of all the de&s;igns of his Enemies, and con&s;equently he would be u&s;ele&s;s at <HI>Tipanis</HI> Now Sir, I have acquainted you how <HI>Adonacris</HI> received <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> give me leave to tell you in few words how <HI>Sitalces</HI> received <HI>Noromata.</HI> I a&s;&s;ure my &s;elf Sir, that you will think her action generous enough to oblige her Husband unto a good reception of it and her, but it did not, for on the contrary, he received her very ill, and not putting any good con&s;truction upon her re&s;olutions, he twitted her with the Letters which She had writ unto <HI>Adonacris;</HI> he told her She had not &s;olicited for his liberty, and that She would not have come from <HI>Tipanis,</HI> but becau&s;e She knew that <HI>Adonacris</HI> would not long continue there, and would relea&s;e him&s;elf &s;ome other way then by the exchange which was pro|pounded. All this while She took this unju&s;t accu&s;ation &s;o patiently, that She was not &s;o
<PB N="66" REF="828">
much as moved again&s;t <HI>Sitalces,</HI> only &s;aying without any bitterne&s;s, as much unto him as might ju&s;tifie her &s;elf, though her &s;oul was full of grief as &s;orrow, to &s;ee her innocency &s;o unju&s;tly injured: But Sir, to abridg my relation as much as I may, the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> having received the Letter from <HI>Adonacris,</HI> he did no longer retard his relea&s;e; and <HI>A|gather&s;es</HI> de&s;iring &s;till to per&s;wade <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> that he was in love with <HI>Noromata,</HI> did pre&s;s on the exchange between <HI>Sitalces</HI> and <HI>Adonacris,</HI> to the end he might make her believe that he did it only to &s;ee her again, and indeed <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> did not onely believe that he did it for <HI>Noromata</HI>'s &s;ake; but al&s;o She thought that <HI>Noromata,</HI> who&s;e virtue She was well per&s;waded of, had not come out of <HI>Tipanis,</HI> but only to avoid the trouble which She was put unto by the affection of <HI>Agather&s;es:</HI> So that being extreamly grieved, She would willingly have oppo&s;ed her Brothers liberty, purpo&s;ely to hinder <HI>Sitalces</HI> from car|rying his Wife to <HI>Tipanis:</HI> But &s;ince hand&s;omne&s;s would not allow her to do &s;o, She di&s;|&s;embled her re&s;entments, le&s;t <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;hould gue&s;s the cau&s;e of them. But all things being concluded upon on both &s;ides, it was re&s;olved that <HI>Sitalces</HI> and his Wife &s;hould that &s;ame day depart from <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> unto <HI>Tipanis;</HI> that <HI>Adonacris</HI> and <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> &s;hould &s;et out of <HI>Tipanis</HI> to come for <HI>I&s;&s;edon;</HI> and for an equal &s;ecurity of both &s;ides, the&s;e four per&s;ons were to meet in a place, which was ju&s;t between the Quarters of both Armies, to the end that the Convoy which brought <HI>Adonacris</HI> and <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> from <HI>Tipanis,</HI> might carry <HI>Sitalces</HI> and <HI>Noromata</HI> thither, &amp; that Convoy which brought <HI>Noromata</HI> &amp; <HI>Sitalces</HI> from <HI>I&s;|&s;edon,</HI> might carry <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> &amp; <HI>Adonacris</HI> thither. So that by this means Sir, the&s;e four per|&s;ons &s;aw each other, and talked together. In the mean, <HI>Sitalces</HI> &amp; <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> were extreamly vexed at this adventure, yet dine all together they mu&s;t, for he who was to &s;ee this ex|change performed on the part of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> being a man of a generous mind, he made the&s;e Pri&s;oners and Ladies a very &s;umptuous Fea&s;t; &s;o that the con&s;traint of <HI>Sitalces</HI> and <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> continued very long; and it was the greater, becau&s;e they dur&s;t not talk toge|ther, le&s;t they &s;hould give <HI>Adonacris</HI> time to talk to <HI>Noramata;</HI> and yet they needed not to fear it, for <HI>Noromata</HI> did not only carefully &s;hun talking with <HI>Adonacris,</HI> but even looking upon him al&s;o; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">et &s;he could not be &s;o careful, but he would &s;omtimes look in her eyes, and find much &s;orrow in them, and he carried it &s;o cunningly, that whil&s;t he who treated them was talking to <HI>Sitalces</HI> and <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> he &s;poke unto <HI>Noromata</HI> in a low voice, and conjured her to confe&s;s that Fortune was extreamly unju&s;t in not letting <HI>Sitalces</HI> carry <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> unto <HI>Tipanis,</HI> and him her unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon.</HI> But <HI>Noromata</HI> being re|&s;olved to be neither &s;weet nor &s;harp with him, would not give any an&s;wer, and &s;eeming not to hear him, She changed place, not &s;o much as looking upon him, yet <HI>Adonacris</HI> made no que&s;tion but that She heard what he &s;aid, and con&s;ented to it in her heart, for She could not chu&s;e but blu&s;h and &s;igh in changing her place. In the mean time, the hour of their parting being come, <HI>Adonacris,</HI> who did not love <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> but loved <HI>Noroma|ta,</HI> did take the way to <HI>I&s;&s;edon;</HI> and <HI>Noromata,</HI> who did not love <HI>Sitalces,</HI> but loved <HI>Ado|nacris,</HI> took the way to <HI>Tipanis,</HI> waited upon by her per&s;ecutor, and parting from the mo&s;t re&s;pective Lover in the world; and She parted from him with &s;o much &s;etled re&s;olu|tion, that She did not &s;o much as turn her head a&s;ide to look after him, but it was not &s;o with <HI>Adonacris,</HI> for though he intended to re&s;train him&s;elf, le&s;t he &s;hould incen&s;e <HI>Ar|giri&s;pe,</HI> yet he looked after <HI>Noromata</HI> as long as ever he could, and turned his head after her above twenty times when She was out of &s;ight. I &s;hall not any longer in&s;i&s;t upon any aggravations of the various thoughts in all the&s;e per&s;ons, &s;ince it is &s;ufficient to know the &s;tate of their &s;ouls by the &s;tate of their Fortunes. But give me leave to tell you Sir, that the end of Winter being come, both &s;ides began to think of taking the Field. <HI>Aga|ther&s;es</HI> had &s;till the di&s;plea&s;ure to know that <HI>Thomiris</HI> would have him &s;till be wary of his Troops, and not to give Battel unle&s;s he was forced unto it, becau&s;e She had &s;ome grand de&s;ign which She would not publi&s;h; and <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> in his head of hatred unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> he de&s;ired to tumble him pre&s;ently from his Throne, and not to protract the War. And he &s;o wrought upon the wi&s;e <HI>Terez,</HI> who had a great prevalency with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> that he per&s;waded him there was no way to ruine <HI>Ariantes</HI> but by Battel; &s;o that this Prince&s;s did at la&s;t permit him to hazard a fight, if occa&s;ion was favourably offered. <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> not willing to loo&s;e a minute of time, cau&s;ed <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> to draw his Troops fir&s;t out of their Winter Quarters, and draw towards <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> which began to &s;uffer much; becau&s;e the Army of <HI>Ariantes</HI> had been clo&s;e under the Gates of that Town all that &s;harp &s;ea&s;on.</P>
<P><HI>Ariantes</HI> al&s;o &s;eeing his Enemies in &s;uch ha&s;te, did take the Field al&s;o, and went to take his leave of <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> with extraordinary melancholy, which was no good <HI>omen</HI> unto
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him; the greate&s;t cau&s;e of his &s;adne&s;s was, becau&s;e he knew almo&s;t of a certainty, that <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> did not value his love, but out of ambitious ends; &s;o that his mind being filled with this thought, he could not chu&s;e but expre&s;s &s;omthing of it at his bidding her adieu. Since I know not Madam, &s;aid he unto her, whether fortune will &s;mile or frown upon me, I mu&s;t tell you, that I know not how you will look upon me when I &s;hall return, nor know I Madam, whether you know it your &s;elf, &s;ince my good or bad fortune de|pends upon the Fate of Arms: However, &s;ince it is not your plea&s;ure I &s;hould be happy before the War be ended, yet I be&s;eech you a&s;&s;ure me, that I may loo&s;e a Battel, and yet not loo&s;e you: If you will be plea&s;ed to honour me with this favour Madam, I a&s;&s;ure you, I &s;hall not be ea&s;ily overcome: But if you will not, alas &s;orrow it &s;elf will van|qui&s;h me before I fight: Methinks Sir (an&s;wered <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> very wittily) that I could an|&s;wer you in not an&s;wering, only by be&s;eeching you to an&s;wer your &s;elf all that I would an&s;wer, if I &s;hould utter all the thoughts of my &s;oul: Therefore Sir, &s;ince it is &s;ufficient for you to imagine what I would &s;ay, if I would &s;atisfie you it is better to imploy that little time which I have of &s;eeing you, in a&s;&s;uring you, that I &s;hall &s;pend the time of your ab&s;ence in making prayers for your return, and in wi&s;hing mo&s;t zealou&s;ly, that I may &s;oon &s;ee you return victorious over all your Enemies. More then this Sir do not ask me, unle&s;s you would have me think, that you &s;eek out for a pretence of quarrelling with me: No Madam, I do not &s;eek for any pretence of quarrelling with you, but it is you that &s;eeks for a pretence of not giving me a direct an&s;wer. However, &s;ince it is your plea|&s;ure I &s;hould be kept in ignorance until the end of the War, I mu&s;t obey, though I can tell you it is with much ado. After this, <HI>Ariantas</HI> left <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> who to keep him upon &s;uch terms as She de&s;ired, did permit her eyes to tell him more then his mouth, to the end, that if he were victorious, he might be &s;till her Slave, and She a Queen. In conclu|&s;ion, She did &s;o cunningly manage the mind of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> both by her looks, and the man|ner of her bidding him adieu, that he did almo&s;t repent of his &s;u&s;pitio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, and parted from her not ill &s;atisfied, though She did not &s;ay any thing that could engage her &s;elf to follow his Fortune, if it was not good. But in conclu&s;ion Sir, that Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> de|parted from <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and went unto his Army, which was not far off, and <HI>Adonacris</HI> had the comfort of being ab&s;ent from <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> by following him; and well may I call it comfort, for She was perpetually twitting him, though he carried him&s;elf very ci|villy towards her, for all her jealou&s;ies of him. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Noromata</HI> had the plea&s;ure of &s;eeing <HI>Sitalces</HI> depart, and go unto the Army, and rid her from the mo&s;t terrible per&s;ecution that is imaginable; for ever &s;ince She came from <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> until he left her at <HI>Tipanis,</HI> there was every day &s;ome jars pa&s;&s;ed between them: But Sir, not to trou|ble you with the jealous thoughts of <HI>Sitalces</HI> and <HI>Argirispe,</HI> nor with the tender and vir|tuous thoughts of <HI>Noromata,</HI> nor with the amorous imaginations of <HI>Adonacris,</HI> give me leave to tell you, that <HI>Agather&s;is</HI> having &s;till a de&s;ign in his heart to ruine his Rival, he neglected no occa&s;ions of it; for he did not only husband every advantage which the fate of Arms did give him, but al&s;o he held private corre&s;pondencies within <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> purpo&s;ely to move the Inhabitants of the Town to rebel again&s;t <HI>Ariantes,</HI> during his ab&s;ence. For|tune al&s;o was &s;o favourable unto him, that at the fir&s;t drawing into the Field, he put the Vanguard of <HI>Ariantes</HI> to the rout; and though this fir&s;t occa&s;ion was not deep in blood, yet this fir&s;t advantage &s;erved to quell the hearts of that Princes &s;ide, and to incourage the oppo&s;ite Party, not but that <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> lo&s;t as many men of Quality as <HI>Ariantes</HI> did; but yet he being the Ma&s;ter of the Field, Fame did Trumpet him victorious: But Sir, the mo&s;t remarkable pa&s;&s;age of this encounter was, that <HI>Sitalces</HI> was killed in it; and <HI>Noromata</HI> behaved her &s;elf &s;o, as if She had no cau&s;e of rejoycing at his death; yet truly She did not mo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> in the deepe&s;t blacks, but kept &s;uch an even temper in all her actions, that no one living could lay any fault to her charge. She al&s;o had the happi|ne&s;s to know, that it was not <HI>Adonacris</HI> who killed <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">italces,</HI> for he was not in the fight; indeed it was the wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e <HI>Terez,</HI> who commanded the Re&s;erve Brigade that day, and it was <HI>Terez,</HI> who with his own hand killed <HI>Sitalces:</HI> 'Tis true, he re|venged his death by the la&s;t blow he &s;truck, for it wounded him &s;o deep and dangerou&s;ly, that this wi&s;e and experienced Captain was &s;tonied, and could not get up on hor&s;eback. But Sir, though the death of <HI>Sitalces</HI> did at fir&s;t give &s;ome &s;atisfaction unto <HI>Adonacris,</HI> be|cau&s;e he thought that now <HI>Noromata</HI> would be at re&s;t and liberty, yet afterwards it did double his torment; for when he con&s;idered, that had he not married <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> he had married <HI>Noromata,</HI> his mind was mo&s;t lamentably tormented; but to ea&s;e him&s;elf, he intended to let <HI>Noromata</HI> know his mind: So that &s;ending one of his &s;ervant<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ecretly
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unto <HI>Tipanis,</HI> hoping that <HI>Noromata,</HI> now having no jealous Husband to fear, &s;he would not &s;tartle at a Letter from him, &s;ince now all decency did allow her to receive any Letter from an ab&s;ent friend: But his hope was ill bottomed; for <HI>Noromata</HI> was &s;o far from re|ceiving or an&s;wering it, that &s;he refu&s;ed it and was angry at him, though &s;till &s;he retained much tenderne&s;s towards him. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> was &s;o extreamly troubled at the death of <HI>Sitalces,</HI> that &s;he was almo&s;t &s;tarke mad; re&s;enting it as a mo&s;t con&s;ide|rable lo&s;s, &s;ince &s;he whom <HI>Adonacris</HI> loved, had lo&s;t one of the mo&s;t jealous husbands in the world. But the wonder of all is, <HI>Argiri&s;pe</HI> being a little ill when &s;he heard of <HI>Sital|ces</HI> his death, &s;he was then in &s;uch a fear of death, lea&s;t then <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;hould marry <HI>Noromata,</HI> that &s;he fell into a very violent feavor, and died in earne&s;t: I &s;hall not tell you Sir, how <HI>Adonacris</HI> took her death, for having de&s;cribed him before, to be a very accompli&s;hed man, you may well imagine that he would not expre&s;s any joy; but having al&s;o de&s;cribed him in love, you may well think he was no great mourner.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> making his be&s;t u&s;e of his victory he did &s;o negotiate by his councels that <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> was advi&s;ed by him in all things, and therefore it was re|&s;olved to give a deciding battel: And though it did not concern the intere&s;ts of <HI>Ariantes</HI> to hazard any thing lightly; yet give battel he mu&s;t, becau&s;e he under&s;tood from <HI>Octo|ma&s;edes,</HI> that if he did not vanqui&s;h pre&s;ently, the people of <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> would revolt, for they grew weary of the war. But Sir, though this Prince did as much as any great and valient Captain could, yet he lo&s;t the battel, and was forced to hide him&s;elf in a poor Sheperds hut; in the mid&s;t of a thick wood: intending to &s;ave his per&s;on from the vic|tory of his Rival, and in the night time to get into <HI>I&s;&s;edon.</HI> And to do it more &s;afely, he &s;ent one of his &s;ervants to &s;pie out the pathes of the wood, to &s;erve him as a guide: But Sir, the return of this &s;ervant brought him abundance of grief; for he brought him an Officer whom that Prince had left in <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and whom this &s;ervant did accidentally meet: This Officer told him that at the very &s;ame time the battel was fighting, there was a &s;edition rai&s;ed in <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> by the friends of <HI>Agather&s;es:</HI> And that his enemies were become ma&s;ters of the Town after a &s;harp di&s;pute; After which they &s;ent unto <HI>Sparga|pi&s;&s;es</HI> to tell him, that if <HI>Thomiris</HI> would pardon their rebellion, they were ready to en|ter into her obedience: So that I am confident Sir, (added this Officer) that <HI>Spargipi&s;es</HI> is at this very hour the ma&s;ter of <HI>I&s;&s;edon;</HI> for I &s;aw a far off, &s;ome of his Troops march|ing that way.</P>
<P><HI>Ariantes</HI> hearing this &s;ad news, was extreamly &s;ad: but love being &s;till above his am|bition, he never asked any particulars of this di&s;order, but asked him very ha&s;tily what news of <HI>Elibe&s;is:</HI> Sir, an&s;wered the Officer, the Father of <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> no &s;ooner heard how &s;quares went, but he departed the Town with all his hou&s;hold, and con&s;equently carry|ed his daughter with him, fearing doubtle&s;s to fall into the power of <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> until things were better &s;ettled. Afterwards <HI>Ariantes</HI> asked him whether he knew which way <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> went; and the Officer telling him that he thought unto a Ca&s;tle which belonged unto <HI>Ti&s;&s;agettes</HI> &s;ome three hundred furlongs from <HI>I&s;&s;edon.</HI> This Prince having neither Army nor place of retreat, re&s;olved to go whether his love invited him, beleeving that the father of <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> would not deny him reception into his hou&s;e which was very &s;trong; and where he might rally together &s;ome part of his &s;hattered Army: But Sir, this Prince was deceived in his hope<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc; For <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> would not receive him but upon condition he would depart the next morning, telling him, that this hou&s;e was not &s;trong enough to re&s;i&s;t a victorious Army, and therefore would not expo&s;e her and his family unto ruine: But Sir, the thing which &s;truck him even dead with &s;orrow, was That when he &s;aw <HI>Eli|be&s;is,</HI> he found her much different from what &s;he was at <HI>I&s;&s;edon;</HI> and far from following his fortunes when &s;he &s;aw it ill. Yet this Prince did acco&s;t her in &s;uch an humble &s;ubmi&s;|&s;ive manner (as I under&s;tood &s;ince by one of her women) that the heart of any but hers would have melted. Now Madam, (&s;aid he unto her, with a mo&s;t melancholy look) I am come to know whether I have lo&s;t your affection in lo&s;ing the battel; and whether you have cha&s;ed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> out of your heart, as they have cha&s;ed me out of <HI>I&s;&s;edon.</HI> Truly Sir, (replied &s;he) my &s;oul is &s;o di&s;turbed with fears, that I cannot tell you what to think and as the &s;tate of your fortune &s;tands, I do not think my affection can do you any good, for when you have overwhelmed me under the ruins of that Throne upon which you in|tended to &s;et me, you will be never the better: Therefore Sir, let me advi&s;e you to think upon your own &s;afety, and think no more of me: Fie Madam (&s;aid he and looked upon her with wonder) are you &s;o inhumane as to di&s;cover the neutrality of your &s;oul unto me
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upon &s;uch an occa&s;ion as this? I begun the war only to make you a Queen, and will you for&s;ake me as &s;oon as fortune for&s;akes me? will you not favor me &s;o far as to di&s;|&s;emble part of your thoughts? Ah Madam, this is &s;o &s;trange that I cannot beleeve I rightly under&s;tood you, and therefore I be&s;eech you explain your words, and tell me what I mu&s;t truly think of you; you may think Sir, that I would do any thing in my pow|er to make you mount a Throne (replied &s;he) But you mu&s;t think withall, that &s;ince I am not able to alter your fortune, I will not fooli&s;hly and to no purpo&s;e follow it: nor can I &s;ee which way your propo&s;ition to me can any way advantage or oblige me: I can|not tell whether it can any way oblige you Madam (replied he) but I am &s;ure your ex|pre&s;&s;ions have not much genero&s;ity in them; And unle&s;s I be the ba&s;e&s;t of men, I &s;hall hate you as much as ever I loved you: You may do even as you plea&s;e Sir, (an&s;wered &s;he) for truly my humor is to comply with the times, and change as they do: Then Madam, replied he, I &s;ee you know how to change with fortune, I know not Sir, how you can blame me for it, replied &s;he, but I do think it commendable and wi&s;dom &s;o to do. Madam, &s;aid he, is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould not apprehend that this act is &s;o unwor|thy of your &s;elf, that if <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> knew it, he would certainly e&s;teem you much le&s;s? and I am mo&s;t confident that as furious as he is, he would treat me better then you have done, if I &s;hould fall into his power, though he be both my enemy and my Rival. But Madam (added he to vex her) &s;ince his example tels me that it is not impo&s;&s;ible to cea&s;e loving you, I &s;hall hope to imitate him, and though I &s;hall not be a King, yet I &s;hall have &s;ome advantagious hopes of not being your &s;lave, and I think that I &s;hall be as great a gainer by getting out of your power, as I am a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> lo&s;er by lo&s;ing a Crown. After this, <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> wi&s;hing him heartily out of her fathers hou&s;e, lea&s;t <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> hearing he was there, &s;hould come and &s;eek him, and lea&s;t he &s;hould fall into the power of a man who loved her not, &s;he talked to him &s;o &s;harply, that <HI>Ariantes</HI> not being able to endure it, did abruptly leave her, and going out of the Ca&s;tle went to &s;eek a Sanctuary with <HI>Octo|ma&s;ad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> his Cou&s;in, or at lea&s;t to &s;tay a while with him conceal'd, to &s;ee if any remedy for his misfortune was to be found.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the ambitious <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> being vexed to the heart that &s;he had lo&s;t <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> and that her ambition did thrive no better, &s;he could not avoyd that mi&s;ery which &s;he feared, which was, that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> would hear the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> had been at her fathers hou&s;e, and would come thither to look for him, as a puni&s;hment upon her for her incon&s;tancy, for her ambition and hardne&s;s of heart unto <HI>Ariantes. Aga|ther&s;es</HI> hearing he had been at the father of <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> Ca&s;tle, he had no &s;ooner carryed <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> unto <HI>I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">edon</HI> who&s;e Inhabitants opened their Gates, but he went thither with &s;ome of his forces fancying high &s;atisfaction in getting both his Rival and his Mi&s;tre&s;s into his power, and was in hopes of full revenge for all the mi&s;eries he had endured. But he was much &s;urprized when coming to the Ca&s;tle, and by a Herald demanded the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> he was an&s;wered, that he was not there. At the fir&s;t he would not beleeve it, but at la&s;t he was forced unto it, for <HI>Ti&s;&s;agettes</HI> being retired unto this Ca&s;tle in the tu|mult, he &s;ell very &s;ick, and was not able to defend it if it were a&s;&s;aulted. So that con|ceiving the &s;ooner he yeilded, the better it would be for him; he re&s;olved to treat, and to obtain liberty for him&s;elf and his daughter: And to that end thinking it was not po&s;|&s;ible that a man who had once loved <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> &s;hould have any inveterate quarrel, he commanded her to parle with <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> &s;ince he was in bed and not able to do it, de|&s;iring her to u&s;e her be&s;t ingenuity to move <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> not to bring him under the pow|er of <HI>Thomiris.</HI> After which, giving notice unto <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> that he would parle, and <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> con&s;enting unto it, the Troop retreated, to make a void place before the Ca&s;tle gate, before which, was a kind of Portal, which the Courts of gaurds in time of war made u&s;e of: And this place being cho&s;en to treat in, <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> with a very &s;mall number of his men, advanced. But he was much &s;urprized, when in lieu of &s;eeing <HI>Ti&s;&s;a|gettes</HI> appear, he &s;aw only his daughter, accompanied only with &s;ome few men and wo|men: for he loved her &s;till in &s;pite of his teeth, and could not look upon her, without &s;ome agitation of &s;pirits. Yet he was &s;o fully re&s;olved not to &s;hew any &s;igns of love un|to her, that the better to hide his weakne&s;s, he &s;eemed to be a little arrogant; and he was &s;o glad at heart to &s;ee <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> in lieu of being Queen, to &s;tand in need of his protecti|on, that ea&s;ily &s;urmounting the tenderne&s;s of his love, he carryed him&s;elf as if he would gu&s;t his revenge with full delight: and after he had &s;aluted <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> there appeared &s;uch a kind of in&s;olent joy in his face, as was enough to vex her: but that which mo&s;t vexed
<PB N="70" REF="830">
her was, he would not give her leave to &s;peak fir&s;t: Madam (&s;aid he, and looked &s;ternly upon her) you &s;ee I was not mi&s;taken, when I told you heretofore, that For|tune would never do ju&s;tice unto your merit in making you a Queen; but the wor&s;t is, in lieu of being a Queen, you mu&s;t now be a Subject unto a Prince&s;s whom you have incen&s;ed. Since <HI>Thomiris</HI> is a Debtor unto your valour (replied <HI>Elibe&s;is)</HI> for the Victorie which her Son hath gotten, I hope She will not deny you any thing; but I will hope that you will obtain of her liberty for my Father, and all his Fa|mily.</P>
<P>Since it were a mo&s;t cruel thing to make a Queen a Slave (replied <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> to vex her) I will promi&s;e you Madam to move <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;o far, as that She will give me leave to &s;et you at liberty, that you may follow the Fortune of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and conduct you unto the place where he is retired; therefore Madam, if you know it, as I doubt not but you do, I be&s;eech you acquaint me, that I may appoint a Convoy for you thither: Fie <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> (cried She) your revenge goes too far in &s;aying &s;o: Why Madam (replied he with a counterfeit wonder) do you take it ill I &s;hould offer to convoy you unto a Prince, for who&s;e &s;ake you for&s;ook me? 'Tis true, he is no King, nor ever &s;hall be, and in all probability is like to wander from Kingdom to Kingdom among&s;t &s;tranger Princes; but for all that, it is to be thought, that when you contracted friend&s;hip with him, when you &s;lighted my love to accept of his, you then con&s;idered what the &s;equel of his for|tune might be, and re&s;olved to follow it: For I mu&s;t tell you ingeniou&s;ly, it were un|worthy if you &s;hould for&s;ake a Prince becau&s;e Eortune hath for&s;aken him, as you did me, becau&s;e you &s;aw him more hopeful then my &s;elf: If you did not love <HI>Noromata</HI> and hate <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> (replied She) you would not &s;peak thus unto me, you would forget a weakne&s;s which ambition only cau&s;ed, and endeavour to regain what you have lo&s;t: Since Madam this enterview is upon a bu&s;ine&s;s of War, wherein love has no part, I &s;hall not now make any exact explanation of my thoughts, it will be enough to tell you what I writ unto you before, that though I &s;hould love you more then ever I did, yet you would not accept it for the love of me; and though you &s;hould repent of what you have done, yet I am not beholding to you for it, &s;ince you changed only, becau&s;e Fortune changed; and truly Madam, I de&s;ire not to be taken as the mo&s;t happy, but as the mo&s;t loved, and loved for &s;omthing which is purely my own, and not for any collateral re&s;pects and rea|&s;ons, which do not really relate unto the per&s;on: Therefore Madam, without any in|forming you whether I do love you, or whether I ever will love you, or without en|quiring whether you love <HI>Ariantes,</HI> or whether you have ca&s;t him off, I only ask you what <HI>Ty&s;&s;agattes</HI> demands of me: Had you been a little more inqui&s;itive Sir, (replied She) perhaps you would not have repented it; but &s;ince you are not, let me tell you from my Father, that he de&s;ires <HI>Thomiris</HI> would pardon him, and that <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> would do the like, and permit him to live in quiet at his own hou&s;e with his Family. Since Ma|dam, replied he, his hou&s;e is too &s;trong to be in the hands of a Rebel, that mu&s;t not be, but <HI>Ty&s;&s;agettes</HI> and you mu&s;t go to <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and &s;tay there till Peace be fully &s;etled in the State, unle&s;s, as I told you before, you had rather follow the fortunes of <HI>Ariantes.</HI> Since we are not in a capacity to re&s;i&s;t you, replied She, we mu&s;t &s;ubmit unto your will. Ah Madam, &s;aid he, had you gone out of <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> when I de&s;ired you, you would have entred with more delight then now you are like, but &s;ince what's pa&s;t cannot be recall|ed, the future mu&s;t be di&s;po&s;ed according to my mind, and that you Madam &s;hall have no more power in my heart, then <HI>Ariantes</HI> hath in the Kingdom of <HI>I&s;&s;edon.</HI> It plainly ap|pears, replied She, that I have none at all, &s;ince you in&s;ult &s;o over one that is mi&s;era|ble, and will not &s;o much as ask whether or no I am capable of repentance: I do never intend to inquire Madam (replied he) becau&s;e though you &s;hould repent, yet I would not alter my re&s;olution never to love you: Since it is &s;o (&s;aid &s;he, and would have left him in a fume) then I pray let me have your hatred, and with the &s;ame hand you tum|bled <HI>Ariantes</HI> from his Throne, pull down, if you can, the Ca&s;tle into which I enter, that burying me in its ruines, I may find an end of my mi&s;eries: No, no Madam (&s;aid he and &s;tayed her) I will not do &s;o, and as violent as you are, I will never pull down that Altar unto which once I &s;acrificed: So Madam, though I am fully re&s;olved never to give you any &s;igns of my love as long as I live, yet you &s;hall ta&s;te of my genero&s;ity; and to revenge my &s;elf in a more noble way, I will &s;o highly protect you, that perhaps I will force you to repent as long as you live of your behaviour to me; and to begin it Madam, I be&s;eech you let <HI>Ty&s;&s;agettes</HI> know, that provided he will let me conduct him
<PB N="71" REF="830">
to <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and that you wil accompany him, he &s;hal &s;hortly be readmitted unto the favor of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> and &s;hall not loo&s;e the lea&s;t jot of his e&s;tate: So that Ma|dam (except the heart which you have re&s;tored me, and which I will never render a|gain) you may be in the &s;ame condition you were before you knew <HI>Ariantes.</HI> As that heart e&s;caped me, replied <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> &s;o it may e&s;cape <HI>Noromata:</HI> No matter, replied he, whether <HI>Noromata</HI> keep it or no; but I tell you, that though it were ab&s;olutely in my own di&s;po&s;e, yet it &s;hall never be yours: For Madam, &s;hould I render it unto you, perhaps when &s;ome other U&s;urper would come, and promi&s;e you a Crown, you would re&s;tore it me again: I could never have believed (&s;aid She) that you are able to be &s;o tart; but &s;ince to my &s;hame, I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that I have merited &s;ome part of it, I will endure it as patiently as if I were altogether innocent; Yet I mu&s;t tell you, that they have &s;o much incen&s;ed my &s;pirits, that I wi&s;h my Father would rather peri&s;h in his hou&s;e, then to be ob|liged unto a man, who does things only out of revenge upon me. After this, <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> re|tired, though <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> would have &s;tayed her: However, &s;ince <HI>Ty&s;&s;agettes</HI> was of a milder temper then his Daughter, he accepted of the Propo&s;ition which <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> made, and accordingly the next morning, by rea&s;on of his &s;ickne&s;s, he took Coach and went towards <HI>I&s;&s;edon, Elibe&s;is</HI> following him with her women. But Sir, I forgot to tell you, that before their departure, <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> who gave them a Convoy, and took command of the Ca&s;tle, had private conference with <HI>Elibe&s;is;</HI> but the wonder was, he found her changed &s;ince he &s;aw her la&s;t; for be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Ariantes</HI> having received a Let|ter from <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> which gave him &s;ome new hopes, and that he had gathered together &s;ome Troops of his &s;hattered Army, he writ unto her; That &s;ince he had not lo&s;t all his hopes, he be&s;eeched her, &s;ince &s;he was capable only of ambition, to look upon him yet as in a po&s;&s;ibility of making her a Queen: So that Sir, this Lady, being now of another mind, She talked more &s;harply unto <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> then She did before, yet She &s;till talked &s;omthing, which made him &s;ee that it vexed her to think he did not love her. But as good Fortune for <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> would have it, as She went unto her Coach, <HI>Ariantes</HI> his Letter fell out of her pocket, <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> took it up un&s;een, and read it as &s;oon as the Coach was gone; and imagining that the&s;e new hopes of <HI>Ariantes</HI> cau&s;ed the arrogant alteration which he found in her, he was &s;o extreamly incen&s;ed, that had he followed the fir&s;t motions of choller, he had &s;ent after <HI>Ty&s;&s;agettes</HI> and <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> and had &s;ent them Pri&s;oners to the Tent-Royal; but I being then with him, and he acquainting me with the cau&s;e of his fury, I hindred him from following them; and told him, it was a better cour&s;e to leave loving <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> any longer: I can do no more then &s;trive, (replied he ha&s;tilie) but I do profe&s;s this la&s;t weakne&s;s of hers, hath qua&s;hed all my love to her, and hath brought into my heart &s;uch a kinde of hatred and &s;corn of her, that if I be not much mi&s;taken in my &s;elf, the&s;e pa&s;&s;ions will be as violent in me, as ever my love was: Methinks I &s;ee <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> now with other eyes then I was wont; and I begin to think She hath not that beauty and &s;pirit which methoughts She had. But <HI>Anabaris,</HI> though She were fairer then ever <HI>Venus</HI> is painted, and had more Charms then ever any had, yet for all this, I &s;hould hate her: You are now (&s;aid I unto him) in &s;uch a height of cholor, that you do not know whether you do love or hate <HI>Elibe&s;is.</HI> Ah <HI>Anabaris,</HI> &s;aid he unto me, it is not now with me, as heretofore it was, when you made me confe&s;s I loved her, though I thought I did not; and to te&s;tifie it unto you, I profe&s;s, I wi&s;h &s;he were as ill-favoured, as if &s;he were a hundred years old, and I think I &s;hould wi&s;h her dead, were I not per&s;waded that Death is a remedie again&s;t all &s;orts of mi&s;erie, and thereby She would e&s;cape all tho&s;e I de&s;ire may fall upon her.</P>
<P>I &s;hould never make an end Sir, if I &s;hould relate all that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> &s;aid in his anger; and therefore to abbreviate the &s;tory, let me only tell you, that to give <HI>A|riantes</HI> no time of recruiting his forces, <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> went &s;treight unto the place where he was, and did &s;o ab&s;olutely qua&s;h him, that he was forced, as brave as he was, to &s;ave him&s;elf with <HI>Octoma&s;ades, Adonacris,</HI> and &s;ome &s;ervants in a thick Forre&s;t, where they found a little hou&s;e. In the mean time, after they had con&s;idered what to do, they re&s;olved to &s;tay hid in that place for a while, and to &s;end to enquire the &s;tate of things.</P>
<P>But Sir, they &s;oon heard that all obeyed <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> and as things &s;tood, there was no hopes left for them; yet they under&s;tood, that mo&s;t people murmured
<PB N="72" REF="831">
much again&s;t <HI>Thomirss,</HI> becau&s;e of her amorous pa&s;&s;ion, which they &s;aid her Soul was ingaged, and that they had &s;till a di&s;po&s;ition to revolt: But &s;ince that conjuncture was not then fit to be made u&s;e of, and &s;ince in all probability She would not con|tinue long in that minde, they re&s;olved, that knowing <HI>Ty&s;&s;agettes</HI> had made his Peace, <HI>Adonacris</HI> &s;hould &s;ecretly render him&s;elf to his Father, and afterwards, as occa&s;ion &s;erved, put all his friends at <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> into a di&s;po&s;ition of a new Rebel|lion.</P>
<P>They re&s;olved further, that <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> &s;hould go to the Prince of <HI>Callipides,</HI> and obtain fre&s;h Forces when it &s;hould be time, and that <HI>Ariantes,</HI> who knew how ill the Queen his Si&s;ter had treated you Sir, &s;hould come unto your Army, and help you to deliver <HI>Mandana,</HI> who was then reported to be in <HI>Armenia,</HI> to the end, that obtaining e&s;teem and amitie, he might afterwards obtain &s;ome aid from you, in ca&s;e <HI>Adonacris</HI> could bring things into a condition fit for a new Rebellion. But &s;ince it did neerly concern the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> that <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;hould not know where he was le&s;t &s;he &s;hould di&s;cover his de&s;igns, and hinder you from aiding him, he re&s;olved to change his name, and take upon him that of <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> and the rather, becau&s;e he was &s;ure, that neither you Sir, nor any in the Court, could know him; for as <HI>Scithians</HI> are &s;eldom &s;een in the Court of other Nations, &s;o other Nations are &s;eldom &s;een in the Court of <HI>Scithia.</HI></P>
<P>Thus Sir <HI>Ariantes</HI> became <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> and he met with you in <HI>Lidia. Octoma&s;ades,</HI> he went unto the Prince of the <HI>Callipides,</HI> and <HI>Adonacris</HI> went unto his friends hou&s;e, until he had made his Peace, which would ea&s;ily be done. For to pacifie things the &s;ooner, a General Act of Pardon was granted unto all Rebels, except the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and <HI>Octoma&s;ades,</HI> who were the fir&s;t beginners of this Revolt. But Sir, I forgot to tell you, that whil&s;t <HI>Ariantes</HI> was hid in that Forre&s;t I &s;poke of, he writ un-<HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> who &s;eeing his Fortunes de&s;perate, did return him &s;o &s;harp an an&s;wer, that this Prince began to cure him&s;elf of his pa&s;&s;ion towards her. And he told <HI>Adonacris,</HI> when he &s;aw the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> neer the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes</HI> (as I remember) where he &s;aid that Prince&s;s delivered you Sir, that he then began to hope he had ab|&s;olutely left loving <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> and that he was &s;o charmed with the beauty of <HI>Mandana,</HI> that he thought her a thou&s;and times fairer then <HI>Elibe&s;is.</HI></P>
<P>How's this, (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> and interrupted him) did <HI>Ariantes,</HI> who then called him&s;elf <HI>A|naxaris,</HI> and who was a Pri&s;oner as well as I, when <HI>Mandana</HI> relea&s;ed me neer the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> did he begin that very day to love <HI>Mandana?</HI> He did not &s;ay Sir, that he be|gan to love her that very day, replied <HI>Anabaris,</HI> but he &s;aid, That he began that day to leave loving <HI>Elibe&s;is.</HI></P>
<P>However, to return from whence I digre&s;&s;ed, and to acquaint you with the &s;tate of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and his Affaires, I mu&s;t tell you, that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> hating <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> in his very Soul, would needs, as &s;oon as he came at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> (&s;ay what I could unto him) go and carry <HI>Ariantes</HI> Letter unto her, which She let fall as She took Coach; and which now he would needs re&s;tore, as an excu&s;e of his la&s;t time of ever talking to her. And indeed, &s;ince he knew how to hate her, with as much violence as ever he loved her, he went unto her very early: So that <HI>Elibe&s;is,</HI> who &s;till loved him for all her ambition, imagined, that perhaps he would return unto her; for though &s;he knew very well, that &s;he had lo&s;t the Letter of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> yet &s;he could not ima|gine that he had found it. But &s;he was not long in that errour; for as &s;oon as e|ver he acco&s;ted her, he gave her the Letter: I be&s;eech you pardon me Madam (&s;aid he unto her) for re&s;toring it no &s;ooner: But &s;ince in reading it, I found my Soul di&s;po&s;ed to hate you, as much as ever I loved you, I de&s;ired to read it very often, to the end I might love you no longer; for as weak and ambitious as you were, I loved you, even when I told you that I did not. But now, thanks unto my own &s;pite, I am come to that pa&s;s, as I do not onely not love you, but I do hate you, and hate with as quiet and calme a hatred, as ever any was capable of. And I a&s;&s;ure you, I never had more plea&s;ure heretofore in telling you that I loved you, then I have now in telling you that I hate you, and ever &s;hall do, as long as I live. Moreover Madam, never think that this is &s;o, becau&s;e I love <HI>Noromata;</HI> for I do prote&s;t, I neither do, nor ever did love her, for you were the cau&s;e I never loved any; for I looked upon all fair women in general, onely as beautiful objects, without any capitulation. But now I look upon you in particular, as one of the
<PB N="73" REF="831">
weake&s;t, the mo&s;t ambitious, and perfidious per&s;on in the world: And now Madam, I have no more to &s;ay unto you: I wi&s;h, &s;aid &s;he, that you had &s;aid le&s;s; but &s;ince you tell me plainly that you hate me, I mu&s;t do the like, and hate you: Agreed Madam (re|plied he, and did ri&s;e up) But if you know not how to hate, better then you know how to love, your hatred will never do me any great harm. Upon the&s;e words <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> left her, and went from her &s;o well &s;atisfied with what he had &s;aid, that it was very apparent he did not love her.</P>
<P>Thus this woman, who would needs entertain both love and ambition at once, did not &s;atisfie either of tho&s;e two pa&s;&s;ions; and it may well be &s;aid, that &s;he did not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">gn in the heart of <HI>Agather&s;es,</HI> but only becau&s;e &s;he would needs raign over <HI>I&s;&s;edon.</HI> And thus, af|ter &s;he had lo&s;t two Lovers, the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ions &s;till remained gnawing in her heart, &s;o as She became &s;o melancholy, and &s;o unhealthful, that &s;he became extreamly ugly More|over, <HI>Adonacris</HI> hath chid her a thou&s;and times for her behaviour, both towards <HI>Agather|&s;es</HI> and towards <HI>Ariantes:</HI> So that her her own fault did bring all &s;orts of mi&s;ery upon her. In the mean time, <HI>Adonacris</HI> was no &s;ooner at liberty to do what he would, and all the Kingdom quiet, but he prepared him&s;elf for <HI>Tipanis,</HI> yet that labour was &s;aved: For <HI>Noromata</HI> having &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s of importance at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> &s;he came thither ju&s;t as he was ready to depart it: You may well imagine Sir, that the meeting of the&s;e two per&s;ons was no more plea&s;ing at <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> then when Fortune brought them together at <HI>Tipanis:</HI> for then <HI>Adonacris</HI> was Husband unto <HI>Argiri&s;pe,</HI> as <HI>Sitalces</HI> was unto <HI>Noromata;</HI> but now, they were both free, yet <HI>Noromata</HI> made &s;ome &s;cruple of marrying him &s;o &s;oon</P>
<P>But her Father having changed his opinion of <HI>Adonacris,</HI> becau&s;e now he thought him unloo&s;ed from the intere&s;ts of <HI>Ariantes.</HI> This Marriage was made as &s;oon as they returned to the Tents Royal, and &s;olemnized in mighty magnificence. Thus the adven|ture of <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> and <HI>Adonacris,</HI> did both end very happily; for that of <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> ended with the recovery of his liberty, and that of <HI>Adonacris</HI> in the enjoyment of his Mi&s;tre&s;s; <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> bragged, that he thought him&s;elf more happy in enjoying him&s;elf, then his Mi&s;tre&s;s.</P>
<P>After this, when all was quiet, <HI>Spatgapi&s;es</HI> ret<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> to <HI>Tho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ris,</HI> and <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> after a voyage to her, and was Crowned with Lawrels of that Victory which he had ob|tained, he returned to <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> where he lived as he did before the War, to wit, not caring for any above him, or any thing el&s;e, but to enjoy his friends, and plea&s;e him&s;elf. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Adonacris</HI> amid&s;t all his joyes did not forget his promi&s;es unto the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> but on the contrary, he tran&s;acted with &s;o much wi&s;dom (after <HI>Sparga|pi&s;es</HI> was returned to <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and <HI>Terez</HI> carried away in his Coach) that he had laid a plot, and carried it &s;o juditiou&s;ly, that nothing was di&s;covered. The truth is, there was much more facility in the matter, becau&s;e both the <HI>I&s;&s;edonians</HI> and the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes</HI> did extreamly murmure to &s;ee how carele&s;ly <HI>Thomiris</HI> di&s;patched the affairs of her two King|domes, &s;ince her pa&s;&s;ion was above her rea&s;on; and that which mo&s;t incen&s;ed the peo|ple was, becau&s;e they &s;aw continual preparations of War, and could not &s;ee an Enemy that Prince&s;s had to fight with. So that <HI>Adonacris</HI> clo&s;ing with &s;uch a favourable oppor|tunity, did not depart from <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> to come unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> until after he had brought things into a condition of commanding in one day the Metropolis of the Kingdom, and <HI>Tipanis,</HI> and until an Army from the Prince of <HI>Callipedes</HI> entred, which <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> had negotiated, and levied men under another pretence. So that by this means <HI>Ariantes</HI> will hazard to &s;poil all the de&s;ign, by carrying away <HI>Mandana;</HI> for he told <HI>Indather&s;es,</HI> that if he did not find the de&s;ign of getting upon a Throne infallible when he came upon the Frontiers of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> he would negotiate with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> knowing very well, that con&s;idering her affection to you, he could certainly make his peace with her, by bringing the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> into her power, and by demanding her protection to marry her, and to defend her again&s;t you Sir: And certainly Sir, I make no que&s;tion but this negotiation takes; for that Prince&s;s is &s;o fully bent either to make you change your minde Sir, or el&s;e to be revenged of you, by declaring War, that &s;he hearing I condemned &s;uch an unju&s;t enterprize, was &s;o incen&s;ed again&s;t me, as for the &s;ecurity of my per&s;on I came out of her Dominions. And &s;ince Fame Trumpets the glory of your Armes Sir through the whole earth, I re&s;olved to imploy the time of my Exile, in being a witne&s;s of all tho&s;e glorious actions, of which Renown makes a noy&s;e through all the world. But as Fate a&s;&s;embles and &s;evers friends and enemies as &s;he plea&s;eth, in coming hither, I met the &s;er|vant
<PB N="74" REF="832">
of <HI>Adonacris,</HI> who carried me to the place where his Ma&s;ter was, from whom I re|ceived the knowledg of the&s;e la&s;t Occurrences, after we had renewed our ancient acquain|tance.</P>
<P><HI>Anabaris</HI> having ended, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aid he was much obliged to him for acquainting him with many things, which might help him to prevent the de&s;ign of <HI>Ariantes.</HI> Al&s;o he de|&s;ired him, to a&s;&s;ure <HI>Adonacris</HI> that he would be glad to &s;erve him. After which, to make u&s;e of this intelligence, he di&s;patched another Po&s;t to <HI>Gelonide,</HI> to inform her of all, that might hinder <HI>Thomiris</HI> from having <HI>Mandana</HI> in her power.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The End of the Fir&s;t Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="book">
<PB N="75" REF="832">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR The Grand CYRUS. The Nineth Part.  Book. II.</HEAD>
<P>_AFfter <HI>Cyrus</HI> had well examined all the intelligence concerning <HI>Ariantes,</HI> which he received from the friend of <HI>Adonacris,</HI> he concluded, that his be&s;t cour&s;e was to execute his former re&s;olution, and to march to|wards the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettan</HI> Country, to the end he might fall upon <HI>The|miris,</HI> if &s;he received <HI>Mandana</HI> with intentions of keeping her, or upon <HI>Ariantes,</HI> if he carried her to <HI>I&s;&s;edon.</HI> So that the next morning betimes giving out all requi&s;ite orders, and him&s;elf ordering the ways which every Troop was to take, he departed two daies after: But before he went, he vi|&s;ited <HI>Adonacris (Indather&s;es</HI> being with him) with whom he had &s;o much di&s;cour&s;e, as let him &s;ee, that <HI>Anabaris</HI> gave a true Character of him, when he &s;o highly commended him. This vi&s;it was more then a vi&s;it of civility, for <HI>Cyrus</HI> told <HI>Adonacris,</HI> that being ac|quainted with his virtues by <HI>Indather&s;es,</HI> he de&s;ired him to go unto the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and endeavour to bring him unto rea&s;on, and make him repent of that unju&s;t re&s;olution which he had taken: Sir, replied <HI>Adonacris,</HI> though you had not made this Propo&s;ition unto me, yet I would have addre&s;&s;ed my &s;elf unto you for liberty to do as you command me. But Sir, &s;ince the high e&s;teem which I know the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> hath of you, and the ob|ligations upon him, as <HI>Anaxaris</HI> could not di&s;&s;wade him from following his pa&s;&s;ion, I fear I &s;hall not prevail with him; yet I am re&s;olved to do what I can, both for your &s;ake and his, as &s;oon as my wounds will permit me. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> imbraced <HI>Anabaris</HI> al&s;o, who offered to do him all the &s;ervice he was able in delivering <HI>Mandana,</HI> knowing that the li|berty of that Prince&s;s would prevent the de&s;olation of his Country. As for <HI>Indather&s;es,</HI> though he had cured him&s;elf of his dotage upon <HI>Thomiris,</HI> yet for all that he was not al|together
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neuter and indifferent; but on the contrary, he could not chu&s;e but wi&s;h as ge|nerous as he was, that nothing might &s;ucceed happily unto her. So mixing a thought of revenge unto the intere&s;ts of <HI>Cyrus</HI> whom he highly honored, he followed him with much joy.</P>
<P>This march having much wearied his Army, he thought it convenient to make a halt before he advanced any further towards <HI>Thomiris,</HI> whom he knew had a hugely numer|ous Army. Al&s;o not yet knowing where <HI>Mandana</HI> was, he thought good to get more in|telligence before he went any further; but he &s;tayed not long for it, becau&s;e the third day, as he was talking with the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles, Feraulas</HI> returned, who by his looks made <HI>Cyrus</HI> to know that he had &s;ome news concerning his Prince&s;s. For heavens &s;ake, dear <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid he at fir&s;t unto him) tell me quickly what news of <HI>Man|dana?</HI> For I know by your eyes that you have &s;omthing to tell me of her. 'Tis trne Sir, replied he, I can tell you &s;omthing which you de&s;ire to know: but the wor&s;t is, I can tell you nothing that will plea&s;e you: Be plea&s;ed to know, that in obedience to your orders, I went unto the next Port to the place where I left you; but Sir, in lieu of finding many Ships to follow <HI>Ariantes,</HI> I found but one that was fit to &s;ail the &s;ame hour: So that imbarquing with twenty of tho&s;e men which you gave me, I left the re&s;t to get into other Ships which were preparing; and I told my Pilot, that my de&s;ign was only to cro&s;s the Sea to|wards <HI>Colchides,</HI> in hopes to hear &s;ome news of a Ship which I was in que&s;t of: Indeed Sir, I was &s;o fortunate as to under&s;tand from &s;ome Fi&s;hers, that they &s;aw &s;uch a Ship as I enquired after, which though it had not a favourable winde, yet &s;till made forward: So that hoping it was the &s;ame I de&s;ired to find, I de&s;ired my Pilot to &s;teer that way, and to follow it. To &s;ay the truth Sir, it plainly appeared, that the Gods were plea&s;ed you &s;hould know where <HI>Mandana</HI> is; for after this, I &s;till met with Barks or Ships which met with that I followed: That which did confirm me in my opinion this Ship was <HI>Ariantes,</HI> was, becau&s;e the Captain of a Ship I met with told me, that he &s;aw upon the Deck of that which I enquired after, two very fair Ladies, which &s;eemed to be much troubled, and a third, who&s;e face he could not &s;ee, becau&s;e &s;he was alwayes wiping her eyes as if &s;he wept. This Sir made me very glad; but gladder I was when he told me, that the Pilot which guided this Ship I enquired after, had conference with him I met, and asked him whether he might &s;afely Land neer that place where the River <HI>Pha&s;es</HI> empties it &s;elf into the Euxine Sea; and this Pilot a&s;&s;uring him that he might, provided he took the water at full tide, and avoided one Rock which the water covered neer that place. I made u&s;e Sir of all this, and made immediately unto the place where <HI>Ariantes</HI> would land, but he having much the &s;tart of me, make what ha&s;t I could, he was landed before I came there: But 'tis true, I under&s;tood that he had carried the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> unto a Ca&s;tle not above &s;ix furlongs from thence, and which is &s;eated upon the River <HI>Pha&s;es.</HI> But now my greate&s;t fear was, that if I &s;hewed my &s;elf, I &s;hould be known by tho&s;e who followed <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and <HI>An|dramites.</HI> So that to hear more certainly, I &s;ent tho&s;e to Land whom I brought from the Port where I fir&s;t imbarqued, but they being a company of dull fellows, I was not a jot the better informed; all they could tell me was, that it was a thing impo&s;&s;ible for me to attempt the delivery of that Prince&s;s, for <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>Andramites</HI> did &s;o carefully guard her, and the Ca&s;tle was naturally &s;o very &s;trong, that all would be in vain: So that having only twenty men, I could do nothing more then as a Spie. Then after many daies patience, I could devi&s;e no better way, then to endeavour the getting one of <HI>Ariantes</HI> men into my Ship, that I might out of him get &s;ome light of <HI>Ariantes</HI> his de&s;ign, and to keep him there.</P>
<P>So that making choice of three re&s;olute Souldiers, I put them into the habit of Marri|ners; after which, they went and fell in conference with them of a Ship upon that Port; for being all of them idle, when they are off their Guard, they have nothing to do but to walk, and hunt &s;ome of tho&s;e birds which <HI>Pha&s;es</HI> gives a name unto, and of which there are a great abundance in that River. So that after they were landed, and had walked and hunted together, and talked of &s;everal indifferent things, tho&s;e of <HI>Ariantes</HI> Ship de&s;ired tho&s;e I &s;ent to come into their Ship, and they to render civility for civility, invited them into theirs. So it chanced that almo&s;t all tho&s;e who were invited, were called away upon &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s, and only one of them &s;taid behind them. Here Sir may the order of Pro|vidence be wondered at, for this man who &s;tayed behinde, chanced to be one of <HI>Manda|na</HI>'s Guard, and a man be&s;t able to &s;atisfie me in all I de&s;ired to know: So that as &s;oon as he was in my Ship, I &s;hewed my &s;elf unto him, and &s;o amazed him, that imagining you
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were there al&s;o, and would throw him over-board, as a puni&s;hment for his crime, he threw him&s;elf at my feet: For heavens &s;ake <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;aid he, I be&s;eech you &s;ave my life; for if our Prince will &s;pare me, I &s;hall inform him of &s;uch things, as may perhaps deliver <HI>Mandana.</HI> You may well imagine Sir, that I promi&s;ed his life unto him, upon condition he would be as good as his word, and indeed I made &s;uch u&s;e of his fears and hopes, that he told me all he knew. And <HI>Andramites</HI> having lo&s;t his man after the Combat, he had entertained this fellow to wait upon him, until he found his own, or got another. So that this man being very intimate with him, he often heard the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>An|dramites</HI> concerning their de&s;igns. Pray <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> and interrupted him) tell me quickly if you know them: I &s;hall tell you Sir, replied <HI>Feraulas,</HI> how I under&s;tand by this Guard, that though the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> has a great minde to make him&s;elf King of <HI>I&s;&s;edon;</HI> yet he had rather pre&s;erve <HI>Mandana,</HI> then conquer a Kingdom, and hazard the lo&s;ing of her, not doubting but both you and <HI>Thomiris</HI> will fall upon him, if he carry her unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon.</HI></P>
<P>So that caring for nothing but how to keep <HI>Mandana,</HI> he was no &s;ooner a&s;hore, but he writ unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and to all his friends about her, be&s;eeching her to forget what was pa&s;t, and he would &s;olemnly renounce all his claim unto the Crown of <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> and pre|tend unto nothing but the quality of her Subject, provided &s;he would receive <HI>Mandana</HI> in|to her Court, that &s;he would promi&s;e never to render her unto you Sir, but u&s;e her be&s;t endeavours that he might marry her. Thus Sir, you may well conceive, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> would not refu&s;e a Propo&s;ition which would a&s;&s;ure her of a Crown, and which would bring that per&s;on into her power, whom &s;he believed was the only cau&s;e why you Sir did not love her. Al&s;o this Guard told me, that <HI>Ariantes</HI> received an an&s;wer as favourable as he could wi&s;h; that <HI>Thomiris</HI> would forget all that was pa&s;t, and offered him what &s;e|curity he would de&s;ire for the &s;afety of his and <HI>Mandana</HI>'s per&s;on; and that &s;he would &s;olemnly ingage her &s;elf never to re&s;tore her unto you Sir. And indeed this Guard fur|ther told me, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;ent two men of Quality unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> to tell him, that if he de&s;ired her Son in Ho&s;tage, &s;he would give him, provided he would let <HI>Mandana</HI> be in her power. But <HI>Ariantes</HI> knowing very well that <HI>Thomiris</HI> had &s;uch an intere&s;t as would make her keep promi&s;e, as to <HI>Mandana,</HI> he thought it his be&s;t cour&s;e ab&s;olutely to tru&s;t her; therefore the next morning he went by Land unto <HI>Colchides,</HI> and from thence to <HI>Thomiris.</HI></P>
<P>At the &s;ame time he &s;ent unto one, who as I think was called <HI>Octoma&s;ades,</HI> to tell him, that now he had no further de&s;ign of making him&s;elf King: He &s;ent al&s;o unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon,</HI> to all them that had &s;tirred in his behalf, to tell them the &s;ame. I heard all this I tell you from the mouth of <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>Andramites,</HI> as they talked together, not thinking that I heard them, for Love had &s;o blinded them both, that they hardly knew who was pre|&s;ent. After this Sir, I believed this Guard could tell me no more, and I thought my be&s;t cour&s;e would be to gain this fellow, and to &s;end him back, purpo&s;ely to hear more news of <HI>Mandana.</HI> And indeed, I in&s;pired him with &s;o much horror again&s;t the perfidiou&s;ne&s;s of all them that had betrayed you, that I am confident he will prove a faithful Spy; yet I &s;ent him not away, until I had asked him how <HI>Ariantes</HI> behaved him&s;elf towards the Prin|ce&s;s, and he told me, that he was &s;o full of reverence and re&s;pect, that &s;he had no rea|&s;on to complain of any thing but his carrying her away; yet he a&s;&s;ured me, that &s;he was extreamly troubled, and that if &s;he had not the comfort of <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI>'s company, he knew not what &s;he would do, for <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> was &s;o full of &s;orrow and anger again&s;t <HI>An|dramites,</HI> that &s;he was not in any capacity of a Comforter. But Sir, not to tru&s;t too much unto this fellow, I hoi&s;ted Sail as &s;oon as I had &s;et him on Land, le&s;t he &s;hould be|tray me, and cau&s;e me to be &s;tayed, and &s;o hinder me from coming to adverti&s;e you: Yet &s;ince I was very de&s;irous to know certainly whether the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> departed the next morning according to this fellows relation: I put a good way into the Sea, and &s;ent one in a Cock-boat to enquire the truth; being extreamly &s;orry, that I had not men en|ough wherewith to hinder him from carrying <HI>Mandana</HI> with him: But &s;ince I had men too few to have any &s;uch thoughts, I conceived it a better cour&s;e to come immediately and acquaint you Sir with what I heard, then to attempt things impo&s;&s;ible; yet I could not make &s;o much ha&s;te as I de&s;ired, becau&s;e the winds were contrary: But if <HI>Gelonide,</HI> who heretofore was very kinde unto you, have a mind &s;he may let you know all the news of <HI>Mandana.</HI> But Sir, I forgot to tell you that this Guard, who vowed fidelity, did al&s;o promi&s;e me to acquaint her that I had &s;poken with him, upon the fir&s;t opportunity
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that he found. And that he would a&s;&s;ure her, you would deliver her out of the Power of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> very &s;hortly, as well as you had done out of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;irias,</HI> and the King of <HI>Pontus.</HI> Indeed <HI>Feraulas</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> you have done me mo&s;t notable &s;ervice, in cau&s;ing him to &s;peak of me unto my Prince&s;s: But (&s;aid he and turned towards <HI>Maza|ree</HI> and the Prince <HI>Mer&s;iles)</HI> I do not &s;ee any thing we have to &s;tay for; as he &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Ortalques</HI> appeared, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> admiring his ha&s;t, received him with joy, in hopes of hearing &s;omthing concerning <HI>Mandana,</HI> and indeed his hopes were not deceived: for <HI>Ortalques</HI> told him that &s;ince he went all the way by land, he came not to the Tents Roy|al until the day before <HI>Mandana</HI> arrived, and was there received in huge pomp: How (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> have you been in the very &s;ame place where <HI>Mandana</HI> was? Yes Sir, replied <HI>Ortal|ques,</HI> and <HI>Gelonide</HI> unto whom I gave your Letter that night, would needs have me &s;ee that Prince&s;s enter. <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> then, could not chu&s;e but enquire of her he adored: &s;o that he en|gaged <HI>Ortalques</HI> to &s;peak of <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> and to tell him that &s;he and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> were &s;till with the Prince&s;s, But I pray (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> what &s;ays <HI>Gelonide?</HI> you &s;hall know Sir, replied <HI>Ortalques,</HI> when you have peru&s;ed what I &s;hall pre&s;ent unto you. In &s;aying &s;o, <HI>Ortalques</HI> gave <HI>Cyrus</HI> a packet which was &s;o big as filled him full of curio&s;ity to open it in all ha&s;t: as &s;o he did: But he was plea&s;ingly &s;urprized, when he &s;aw <HI>Gelonides</HI> Letter which accom|panied with two others, the one from <HI>Mandana,</HI> the other from the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> And fir&s;t he read <HI>Mandana's,</HI> wherein he found the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>MANDANA <HI>unto</HI> CYRUS.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>IT is by the goodne&s;s and wi&s;dom of the virtuous <HI>Gelonide,</HI> That I have &s;o much liberty as to tell you, that if I did not remember the great Acts you have already done to deliver me, I &s;hould de&s;pair of ever being free; But &s;ince I have not lo&s;t the memory of them, I &s;hall &s;till hope to &s;ee you break tho&s;e chains which impri&s;on me: yet mannage well your life, and do not expo&s;e me by expo&s;ing your &s;elf too far, unto the greate&s;t of all misfortunes. <HI>Ortalques</HI> will tell you how I have been received by the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettan</HI> Queen: but let me tell you, that I have abundance of comfort in finding the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> here; for &s;ince &s;he cannot yet meet with happine&s;s, I am glad that we are mi&s;erable together: for truly I love her &s;o well, that I was to blame in accu&s;ing you for the &s;afe. This is all that one can &s;ay who hopes ere long to be delivered by you; if fortune will but be ju&s;t unto your valor, as I will be unto your vir|tue and your affection.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>MANDANA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>The reading of this Letter made <HI>Cyrus</HI> both glad and &s;ad, he was joyed to finde &s;ome expre&s;&s;ions of tenderne&s;s towards him: but grieved that &s;uch an Illu&s;trious per&s;on &s;hould be under the power of an incen&s;ed Queen, and of a Rival who had an Army more nume|rous then his: but after a whiles re&s;entment both of joy and &s;orrow, he opened <HI>Aramin|tas</HI> Letter, which gave him the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>ARAMINTA <HI>unto</HI> CYRUS.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Perceive that fortune will &s;till have me delivered either as the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> or as a &s;lave with her, However to acknowledge my obligations to you Sir, I a&s;&s;ure you that I will do all is po&s;&s;ible to make her pri&s;on le&s;s tedious unto her, and will be as careful to ea&s;e her mi|&s;eries, as my own: In exchange of which, I conjure you Sir, to have a care of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> in what part of the world &s;oever he be; and oblige the Prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> to chide the unju&s;t <HI>Phraartes</HI> for his violent re&s;olutions. I ask your pardon Sir, for &s;peaking of any thing but the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> at a time when I know &s;he takes up your whole minde: but &s;ince I know you will mea&s;ure the mi&s;eries of others by your own, I &s;hall hope for a pardon, and the rather becau&s;e I ask it in the name of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> who&s;e merits and virtues I ad|mire, and in who&s;e Name I hope you will not deny.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ARAMINTA.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>What e&s;teem &s;oever <HI>Cyrus</HI> had of this excellent Prince&s;s who writ this Letter, doubt|le&s;s he had read it in ha&s;t, as the &s;tate of his &s;oul then &s;tood, if &s;he had not both begun
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and ended it with the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> But finding things which related both unto his Mi&s;tre&s;s and his friend, he read it both with lea&s;ure and &s;atisfaction: Afterward he opened <HI>Gelonides,</HI> and found what follows.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>GELONIDE</HI> unto the Invinceable <HI>CYRUS.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>SInce I conceive it better to tru&s;t <HI>Ortalques</HI> then this thin Paper, with what is worthy your knowledge, I will not therefore write it: Only tell you Sir, you may be a&s;&s;ured I will &s;erve the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> in all things. For &s;ince it is good &s;ervice unto the Queen whom I &s;erve, to oppo&s;e what&s;oever &s;he would do again&s;t you; and &s;ince it is a good office unto you without betraying her, beleeve it Sir, I &s;hall do it with all the wit I am capaple of, and with all affection po&s;&s;ible.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>GELONIDE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>As <HI>Cyrus</HI> ended the reading this Letter, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> came to him: and this Prince knowing they writ unto <HI>Gelonide</HI> he asked <HI>Ortalquis</HI> whether &s;he had returned any an&s;wers to them? And after he &s;aid that &s;he had an&s;wered them, he bad him deliver the Letters unto him; for &s;ince they writ only concerning <HI>Mandana,</HI> he had more inte|re&s;t in her an&s;wer then they had: And it was apparent by tho&s;e two Letters that &s;he re|ally intended to do all good offices &s;he was able, for that Prince&s;s. However after he had read them aloud, and given them unto whom they were written, he commanded <HI>Ortalques</HI> to tell him all he knew concerning <HI>Mandana,</HI> and to &s;peak in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Mazares, Mer&s;iles, Aglatidas, Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas.</HI> Sir, Replied <HI>Ortalques,</HI> I do under&s;tand by <HI>Gelonide,</HI> that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> after he had carreed away <HI>Mandana,</HI> did land as <HI>Cholchides:</HI> and afterwards had negotiated &s;o well with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> that &s;he to get <HI>Mandana</HI> into her power, promi&s;ed him to forget all pa&s;t pa&s;&s;ages: never to re&s;tore that Prince&s;s back, and to endeavor a marriage with her to him. As I have gotten her out of the power of the <HI>A&s;&s;irian</HI> King, and the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> replied <HI>Cyeus</HI> ha&s;tily, &s;o I hope to get her out of the power of <HI>Thomiris:</HI> Her Tents are not &s;o hard to be &s;caled, as walls of <HI>Sinope, Babylon, Sardis</HI> and <HI>Cumes.</HI> But <HI>Ortalques,</HI> go on (&s;aid he) and tell me all I de&s;ire to know, e&s;pecially how the Queen of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agets</HI> doth treat <HI>Mandana,</HI> and whether you have &s;een her? Sir, replied <HI>Ortalques,</HI> to &s;atisfie your curio&s;ity, I mu&s;t tell you, that as &s;oon as the Treaty between <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> was ended: there appeared more joy in the face of that Queen, then ever appeared &s;ince you parted from her, and the very thought of having the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> in her power, was a mo&s;t incredibly &s;atisfaction unto her: But to the end this Treaty might be the more &s;olidly concluded, there was an enterview, between <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>Thomiris,</HI> upon the Banks of the River <HI>Araxes;</HI> that Prince having left <HI>Mandana</HI> under the Guard of <HI>Andramites</HI> while&s;t he went to meet the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettan</HI> Queen: Moreover I under&s;tand by <HI>Gelonide</HI> who was pre|&s;ent at this Enterview, that there was a Solemn reconciliation made between them: yet <HI>Ariantes</HI> carryed it &s;o cunningly, that he &s;poke not a word unto <HI>Thomiris</HI> of her affecti|on unto you Sir, and &s;he carryed her &s;elf &s;o demurely, maugre the violence of her tem|per, that &s;he told him that the rea&s;on why &s;he treated him &s;o well, was not becau&s;e he was her brother, but becau&s;e he was Rival unto you Sir, yet they under&s;tood each other very well. But in conclu&s;ion, the more ea&s;ily to make the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> di&s;pair of liberty, and not to greeve <HI>Ariantes,</HI> they re&s;olved to bring her through all the Army of <HI>Thomidis:</HI> And accordingly Sir, when <HI>Mandana</HI> was conducted by the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> to the Queen his Si&s;ter: <HI>Thomiris</HI> cau&s;ed her Army to be drawn up into Battalia in a great plain; So that <HI>Mandana</HI> (unto whom &s;he &s;ent a &s;tately Charriot, and a Comple|ment by one of her Officers) did pa&s;s through the mid&s;t of all the&s;e Troops, who&s;e mul|titude and magnificence made that Prince&s;s extreamly melancholy, as <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> told me &s;ince. However, <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>Andramites</HI> did ride on hor&s;e-back after <HI>Mandanas</HI> Char|riot, which was conducted into a mo&s;t Stately Tent, next unto that belonging to the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> for whom <HI>Phraartes</HI> after he carried her away, asked Sanctuary, and protection from the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettan</HI> Queen: But Sir, &s;he was no &s;ooner there, then they placed Guards upon her, and within an hour after, <HI>Thomiris</HI> came to vi&s;it her; for the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> upon the Treaty obliged her to do all imagineable honors unto her: and
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it is to be beleeved, that though &s;he had no other rea&s;on for her vi&s;it unto this Prince&s;s, but only the &s;atisfaction of her own Curio&s;ity, yet that was enough.</P>
<P>To give you Sir, an exact relation of all the pa&s;&s;ages at this enterview, will be a diffi|cult task: For <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> told them unto me in &s;uch ha&s;t, that perhaps I may forget &s;ome circum&s;tances, though I did my be&s;t to remember all: But Sir, give me leave to tell you, that when <HI>Thomiris</HI> came in, <HI>Mandana</HI> was lamenting with <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> the cruelty of her fortune, and as &s;oon as &s;he knew that <HI>Thomiris</HI> was coming, &s;he went unto the door of the Tent to meet her, and received her with as much &s;adne&s;s in her countenance, as civility in her language: but Sir, for all her &s;adne&s;s, <HI>Thomiris</HI> was amaz|ed at the beauty of this Prince&s;s: at lea&s;t tho&s;e who were pre&s;ent ob&s;erved, that as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw her, &s;he blu&s;ht, and &s;uch admiration appeared in her eyes, that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> be|leeved &s;he repented of her injuries unto a per&s;on of &s;uch rare beauty: <HI>Mandana</HI> al&s;o, found <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;o fair (though &s;he had not the fre&s;hne&s;s of &s;ixteen upon her cheeks) that <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> charged me to tell you Sir, that <HI>Mandana</HI> thought her &s;elf obliged unto you, for refu&s;ing the affection of &s;o fair a Queen as &s;he. The truth is Sir, <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;eemed to be not above two and twenty, or three and twenty at the mo&s;t. But to return from whence I degre&s;&s;ed, the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettan</HI> Queen no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Mandana,</HI> but this Prince&s;s began to &s;peak. I know not Madam (&s;aid &s;he unto her in the A&s;&s;irian Tongue, knowing <HI>Thomiris</HI> could &s;peak it) whether I ought to complain again&s;t, or commend you, for the honors you have done me; yet &s;ince fame &s;peaks &s;o loud in your advantage, I &s;hall hope that for your honor and my &s;atisfaction, you will protect me: I will beleeve that the&s;e Gaurds which you have placed about me, are more for my &s;afety, then to keep me Captive: I am almo&s;t per&s;waded, that your rea&s;on Madam will &s;atisfie <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and that he will re|pent of his unju&s;t cour&s;e: As he is my brother Madam, replied <HI>Thomiris,</HI> It would not be ju&s;t in me to be again&s;t him ab&s;olutely, but give me leave to tell you Madam, that as &s;oon as you have &s;et him at liberty, I will do the like to you, and I promi&s;e, that when he is no more your &s;lave, you &s;hall be no longer my pri&s;oner; and this is as much as I ought to promi&s;e you: But Madam, the chief cau&s;e of my coming hither, is to tell you that your Captivity &s;hall not be har&s;h, and that you &s;hall be waited upon with all reverence and re&s;pect, due unto your quality and merit: Though this be very civil and obliging, replied the Prince&s;s, yet I cannot chu&s;e but think it infinitly har&s;h; for I be&s;eech you Madam, tell me what right had <HI>Ariantes</HI> to bring me hither, and what colour of right have you to keep me here? By the right of force and Arms Madam, replied <HI>Thomiris,</HI> which is the very &s;ame right <HI>Cyrus</HI> hath to be Conqueror of the greate&s;t part of <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> However Madam, let us not now examine my brothers rea&s;ons, nor let us talk either at this time of liberty or impri&s;onment: victory is &s;o u&s;ed to follow <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that though you &s;hould not be free until after he hath vanqui&s;hed me, yet doubtle&s;s you will expect it ve|ry &s;hortly: for truly what likelyhood is there, that a Queen can re&s;i&s;t a Prince who hath Conquered &s;o many Kings? for I have neither walled Towns, nor fortified places, nor no Sanctuary but the valor of my own Subjects: therefore Madam. it is very improba|ble that a Prince&s;s whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> e&s;teems not, can long defend her &s;elf again&s;t him: In|deed Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Mandana</HI> very prudently and interrupted her) I cannot agree unto all you &s;ay, for I know that <HI>Cyrus</HI> doth infinitely e&s;teem you. I know better then you do Madam, what he thinks of me (replied <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and blu&s;ht for &s;hame) But for all that, I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, as weak as I am, and though the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans</HI> have no &s;trong Towns, yet they are not ea&s;ily vanqui&s;hed. For they fight only for glory; and never fear that a long war will ruine their Towns and hou&s;es, becau&s;e they have them not, they will fight re&s;olutely, and never &s;ubmit till the la&s;t ga&s;p. But Madam, added &s;he, I be&s;eech you let us talk no longer of victory or of war: let us leave the future to the Gods, and let us at this time think upon nothing that may di&s;plea&s;e you: and to that end Madam, I will &s;uffer the Prince&s;s of <HI>Pontus,</HI> who is here, to &s;ee you; for &s;he being of that Country where there is more politene&s;s then you will finde in ours, I beleeve &s;he will more divert you, and will think her &s;elf very happy in the &s;ociety of &s;uch a one as you.</P>
<P><HI>Mandana</HI> wondering to hear that <HI>Araminta</HI> was there, could not chu&s;e but expre&s;s her wonder, and ask how &s;he came thither. So that <HI>Thomiris</HI> who was not &s;orry to change the di&s;cour&s;e, told her in few words, that the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> brought her thi|ther, and de&s;ired protection for her. After which, <HI>Thomiris</HI> not being able to &s;tay long|er with a per&s;on whom &s;he found fairer then &s;he wi&s;hed, did retire, after a civil comple|ment
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unto <HI>Mandana.</HI> She was no &s;ooner gone, but the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> by him who guarded her, did enter into the Chamber of this Prince&s;s. But <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, this en|terview was more plea&s;ing then that of <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Thomiris;</HI> for though the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es had never &s;een each other yet they acco&s;ted each other as if they had been anci|tent friends; and the &s;uitablene&s;s of both their fortunes together, with the high e&s;teem they had of each other by the reports of &s;uch as &s;poke of their merits, did pre&s;ently con|tract a mo&s;t intimate league of love between the&s;e two admirable Ladies.</P>
<P>The &s;ame al&s;o was between <HI>He&s;ionide</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia:</HI> And as for <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> her de&s;tiny was &s;o happy upon this occa&s;ion, that &s;he became a great con&s;olation unto the&s;e two Prin|ce&s;&s;es; for though &s;he was extreamly grieved at <HI>Mandana</HI>'s mi&s;ery, and to &s;ee <HI>Andrami|tes</HI> &s;o neer her, yet a kind of &s;piteful &s;orrow (if I may &s;o phra&s;e it) made her expre&s;s a thou&s;and plea&s;ant pa&s;&s;ages, &s;ince &s;he came to that place. But Sir, to conclude all I know, be plea&s;ed to under&s;tand, that the virtuous <HI>Gelonide</HI> carried the matter &s;o hand&s;om|ly, that the next morning &s;he brought me to the &s;peech of <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> who &s;hewed me a glimp&s;e of the Prince&s;s, who commanded me to acquaint you with all I knew. So Sir, <HI>Gelonide</HI> thinking it convenient that you &s;hould pre&s;ently be acquainted with the &s;tate of things, did give me a packet to pre&s;ent unto you, &s;he bad me &s;et forward the next morn|ing, and procured me a Guide, le&s;t I &s;hould be &s;topped at the pa&s;&s;age over the River <HI>Araxes:</HI> But as I took my leave of her, &s;he commanded me to tell you Sir, that &s;he would do all that ever &s;he could to infu&s;e rea&s;on into the minde of <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes,</HI> yet adding, that &s;he feared all would be to no purpo&s;e. After this, <HI>Ortalques</HI> was &s;ilent, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> put many que&s;tions unto him, unto which he an&s;wered according to his know|ledg or ignorance, and after he had &s;ufficiently &s;atisfied his Ma&s;ters curio&s;ity, he reti|red. But as for the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> though he dur&s;t not interrupt them, yet he was extreamly de&s;irous to be &s;atisfied of all pa&s;&s;ages concerning <HI>Dorali&s;a;</HI> and therefore up|on the fir&s;t occa&s;ion, he left <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and went to talk with <HI>Ortalques</HI> at more lea&s;ure. In the mean time, &s;ince no further intelligence was to be expected, <HI>Cyrus</HI> re&s;olved with <HI>Mazares</HI> to advance to the River <HI>Araxes,</HI> and afterwards to carry things fairly towards a Queen, who&s;e inju&s;tice proceeded only from her too much affection to him; he &s;ent a per&s;on of good quality to her, to demand the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Ara|minta,</HI> before he proceeded to the la&s;t remedy of War. In the <HI>interim,</HI> he took order for &s;o many Boats as would make a Bridg over the River <HI>Araxes:</HI> So that calling a Councel the next day, more for form then need, it was re&s;olved upon as he propounded, and accordingly his Army began to march, and marched without any ob&s;tacle unto the River <HI>Araxes,</HI> where it encamped.</P>
<P>He was no &s;ooner there, but he under&s;tood that the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> Wife unto <HI>Ti|granes,</HI> was come unto a little Town which was one of his Quarters, and that from thence &s;he would come unto him, to enquire news of her Husband from his mouth. <HI>Cy|rus</HI> having a high e&s;teem of this Prince&s;s, and knowing how &s;orry <HI>Tigranes</HI> was for her, and &s;he for him, he would needs go and vi&s;it her, &s;ince he had time enough to do it without prejudice to his de&s;ign; for &s;ince he could not &s;end to <HI>Thomiris</HI> until the next day, he had that day entire to render civilities unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Armenia:</HI> And cer|tainly <HI>Cyrus</HI> had abundance of rea&s;on for his high e&s;teem of her, for indeed &s;he was a Prince&s;s of a mo&s;t extraordinary merit: The very truth is, <HI>One&s;ile</HI> had all the excellency that could be wi&s;hed for in women, either for graces of body, or qualities of &s;oul. <HI>One&s;ile</HI> was big, of a tall &s;tature, and a mo&s;t excellent pre&s;ence, &s;he had brown hair, black eyes, pure complexion, delicate skin, lips red and &s;miling, and the whole compo&s;ure of her face plea&s;ing, though of a very particular cimitry, for one could not &s;ay that it was ei|ther ab&s;olutely oval, or ab&s;olutely round. Moreover, her no&s;e was rightly &s;haped, nei|ther too great, nor too little, but it and every part &s;o fitly proportioned, as made her the faire&s;t and mo&s;t charming beauty in the world, for &s;he was not only all that I have already de&s;cribed, but moreover, there was &s;uch a &s;plendent lu&s;tre in her eyes, &s;uch a fine|ne&s;s of ayr, and &s;o noble and &s;prightly a phy&s;iognomy, &s;uch a particular beauty in her mouth, a neck &s;o admirably fair, and &s;o brave a Character in all her ge&s;tures, as did in|finitely plea&s;e: So that though &s;he had no other graces but tho&s;e of her per&s;on, yet they were enough to beget both love and wonder, yet her mind did &s;hine more gloriou&s;ly then her eyes, for it was mo&s;t penetrating, mo&s;t knowing, mo&s;t plea&s;ing, mo&s;t &s;olid, and of a mo&s;t va&s;t capacity: For though her fancy was &s;o ready and quick, that &s;he did anticipate the thoughts of all who talked unto her, and though her manner of conceiving things
<PB N="82" REF="836">
might be called &s;omtimes a divination, yet it is mo&s;t certain, that as quick as her fancy and imagination was, yet it did never go before her judgment, which alwayes gave a true judgment upon every thing: 'Tis true, &s;he might &s;omtimes &s;eem blameable for not be|ing alwayes &s;o, for the truth is, there were &s;ome few men in the world which could &s;o much take up her mind, that &s;he could not for a long time think upon any thing but what they &s;aid unto her; but &s;he would return &s;o hand&s;omly and plea&s;ingly out of the&s;e little di&s;tractions (for which her intimate friends did chide her) that &s;he would an&s;wer &s;o ju&s;t|ly unto what they thought &s;he did not hear, as it was apparent, that that which &s;eemed di&s;traction and &s;tudying, was only an effect of her va&s;t mind which could not be confined to one &s;ingle object, but divided it &s;elf into &s;o many &s;everal, as it was not po&s;&s;ible, whil&s;t it was &s;o divided, but &s;omthing mu&s;t appear, either in the tone of the voice, or in the eyes, or in &s;ome of the actions, and I think, that her genero&s;ity may as well be accu&s;ed, for often when &s;he hath been hearkening unto one friend, &s;he hath been thinking how to &s;erve another.</P>
<P>Thus it may without flattery be &s;aid, that what&s;oever the Prince&s;s of <HI>Armenia</HI> can be accu&s;ed of, does conduce to render her more amiable, and more perfect, and are only pure effects of the greatne&s;s of her &s;oul and goodne&s;s; and when &s;he talked in good ear|ne&s;t unto any, her di&s;cour&s;e was the mo&s;t plea&s;ing in the world, and able to give full &s;a|tisfaction unto the mo&s;t delicate and difficult que&s;tions, there being nothing &s;o high unto which &s;he could not give a good accompt, nor nothing &s;o low, unto which &s;he would not Nobly &s;peak. Moreover, it may be &s;aid, that never any &s;erious per&s;on would be &s;o wit|tily merry when &s;he had a mind, nor ever any had &s;uch a fine mixture of mode&s;ty and Gallantry together, as this Prince&s;s, nor who better under&s;tood the &s;ubtilties and intriques of the world.</P>
<P>As <HI>One&s;ile</HI> was eloquent in her language, &s;o was &s;he as excellent at her pen; few wo|men ever writ comparably to her, yet for all this, her eloquence, her wit, and her beauty came &s;hort of her genero&s;ity, of her goodne&s;s, and of her virtue; never any had a &s;oul more &s;olidly generous then <HI>One&s;ile</HI> had, nor did ever any know how to oblige in a more noble way, for &s;he would not only do &s;uch favours for her friends as they de&s;ired of her, but &s;he would do &s;uch offices for them, as they never did, nor dur&s;t ask her. Moreover, who&s;oever was virtuous, was &s;ure of her protection, and &s;he was &s;o much ta|ken with any extraordinary merit, that &s;he could never &s;ee any man of parts mi&s;erable without much &s;orrow, though they had no relation to her: Indeed, <HI>One&s;ile</HI> had &s;o great and noble a heart, that though &s;he was de&s;tined to &s;it upon the Throne of <HI>Armenia,</HI> yet it may truly be &s;aid, that &s;he was below her fortune and merit; and all the world who knew her did &s;o pity her want of health, that they did mo&s;t zealou&s;ly pray for it. More|over &s;till, <HI>One&s;ile</HI> was as liberal as ever any was, and the very truth is, &s;he had all the virtues in a high degree, and &s;he was &s;o re&s;pective, and &s;o tenderly loved of every one that had the honor to come unto her, as it was no wonder the merit of &s;uch a per&s;on &s;hould make a deep impre&s;&s;ion in the mind of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and move him to all po&s;&s;ible civility in going to her; as &s;oon as he heard &s;he intended to come unto him; and he went with <HI>Indather&s;es,</HI> and &s;ix more only.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>One&s;ile</HI> heard that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was coming to her, &s;he went to meet him; but he going very fa&s;t up the &s;tairs, &s;he was no further then the door of her Chamber, where after the fir&s;t complements were over, and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;aluted a Cozen of <HI>One&s;iles</HI> which was with her, he pre&s;ented <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> unto her, and in few words acquainted her with his quality and merit: After which, <HI>One&s;ile</HI> expre&s;&s;ed her &s;orrows for the actions of her Brother-in-law <HI>Phraartes,</HI> and that &s;he could not hear where <HI>Tigranes</HI> was, whom &s;he heard went with <HI>Spitridates</HI> to &s;eek his Brother, and to move him concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta:</HI> I am confident Sir (&s;aid &s;he after many other things) that you will think my &s;orrows not without good cau&s;e, and that hearing <HI>Phraartes</HI> was gone to ask retreat from <HI>Thomiris,</HI> I had rea&s;on to undertake this journey, to the end if <HI>Tigranes</HI> came hither, I might prevent tho&s;e two Brothers from killing each other; for <HI>Phraartes</HI> al|wayes expre&s;&s;ing much friend&s;hip to me, I had &s;ome hopes of reducing him to rea&s;on if I could &s;ee him: I wi&s;h unto the Gods Madam, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that you could per&s;wade both <HI>Phraartes</HI> and the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> to &s;et tho&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es whom they carried a|way at liberty, and that the reports of &s;uch a noble adventure might bring <HI>Tigranes</HI> back to you. But Madam, not to &s;pend time in vain wi&s;hes, give me leave to tell you, that I make no doubt but you will ere long &s;ee the Prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> here: for &s;ince it is impo&s;&s;i|ble,
<PB N="83" REF="836">
but fame mu&s;t needs tell him that the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> is with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and that I am at the River <HI>Araxes,</HI> it is very credible that I am not deceived in &s;aying you will &s;ee him very &s;hortly.</P>
<P>While&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> was thus talking with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Armenia, Indather&s;es</HI> and other men of quality who came with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> did talke unto the co&s;en of <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Telagene,</HI> who was one of the mo&s;t noble families in all <HI>Armenia.</HI> This Lady under|&s;tood Greek, and <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> having got that Language very perfectly, in his que&s;t of <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> he much delighted to talk with her; and certainly not without great rea&s;on, for &s;he had many attractive and plea&s;ing quallities. <HI>Telagene</HI> was of a mean &s;tature, but well made: She had eyes great and blue, of a &s;weet and langui&s;hing lu&s;tre, which plea&s;|ed infinitly: Her complexion was &s;mooth; her face oval, and her hair &s;o fine, that one may call it fair without doing her a favor. Moreover <HI>Telagene,</HI> had not only much beauty, much &s;weetne&s;s; but her memory was furni&s;hed with all the excellencies of <HI>Greece;</HI> And from <HI>He&s;iode</HI> unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> nothing of all that the Mu&s;es produced, e&s;caped her curio&s;ity: Her reading gave her a mo&s;t excellent faculty in writing, and that &s;o gal|lantly, as that might with rea&s;on be ranked among&s;t tho&s;e which rendred her mo&s;t amia|ble: Her di&s;cour&s;e was &s;weet and complai&s;ant: Her &s;oul was tenderly inclined unto friend&s;hip; and all her inclinations &s;o noble and di&s;po&s;ed unto virtue, that it was no wonder if <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> took delight in talking with her, and thought the time not a quar|ter of an hour, when <HI>Cyrus</HI> went from the Prince&s;s of <HI>Armenia,</HI> who was re&s;olved to &s;tay in that place, in hopes of &s;eeing the Prince <HI>Tigranes:</HI> For the Town where &s;he was, being an allie both unto the King of <HI>Armenia,</HI> and the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> &s;he was &s;afe enough there: Al&s;o <HI>Cyrus</HI> being Ma&s;ter of the Field on this &s;ide <HI>Araxaes:</HI> And all the Forces of <HI>Thomiris</HI> being on the other &s;ide: &s;he might &s;afely enough &s;tay there.</P>
<P>In the mean time, as <HI>Cyrus</HI> returned back along the River, with tho&s;e who accompa|nied him, he &s;aw a good way before him, a man who went into a Boat, which was &s;o little, as not being able to hold his Hor&s;e, he let him go, and beckened unto another man on hor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e-back, as if he de&s;ired him to make ha&s;t. <HI>Cyrus</HI> ob&s;erving this, the loo&s;e Hor&s;e came towards him, and &s;eeing him to be a very hand&s;ome hor&s;e, he conceived the ma&s;ter to be a man of quality. <HI>Cyrus</HI> being full of curio&s;ity to know who he was, did gallop as fa&s;t as he could to the place where this Boat was. But when he was within fifty paces, and he in the Boat knowing <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he changed his intentions of &s;taying for the man he beckened unto, and rowed in all ha&s;t from the River &s;ide: And indeed the two fi&s;hers who undertook to pa&s;s him over, did row &s;o fa&s;t from &s;hore; that there was no &s;taying of them. <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not know this Man, for he &s;o turned his head from the Shore, that he could not &s;ee his face; yet he know whom he was; for the man who was coming to|wards him, &s;eeing his ma&s;ter &s;tayed not, he turned back and endeavored to &s;hun meet|ing with tho&s;e whom he &s;aw: But <HI>Cyrus</HI> being &s;till fuller of curio&s;ity, he made towards him &s;o fa&s;t, that the man being amazed at the &s;ight of him, had not power to fly away. But lighting ha&s;tily from his Hor&s;e, he fell on his knees before <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who at fir&s;t knew him not; but pre&s;ently recollecting his memory, he knew him to be one of tho&s;e forty Caviliers who heretofore had con&s;pired again&s;t him, and whom he had pardoned.</P>
<P>In the mean time, this wretch &s;eeing him&s;elf in the power of a Prince unto whom he owed his life: and who&s;e life he would have taken away, began to &s;peak in a trembling tone: I may be a&s;hamed Sir, (&s;aid he unto him) to appear before you, and may &s;eem ungrateful: But Sir, if you will be plea&s;ed to con&s;ider by what a pitiful adventure I came to &s;erve a Ma&s;ter who is your enemy, I beleeve you will pardon me; For Sir, I was born a &s;ubject unto the Prince of <HI>C<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">mes,</HI> and I returned unto that Town when you be&s;ieged it: And being cho&s;en one of the guard of the Ca&s;tle, when <HI>Anaxaris</HI> made him&s;elf ma&s;ter of it, and drove out the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> that unfortunate Prince commanding me to fol|low him in his flight, I did &s;o, and never for&s;ook him &s;ince. How (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and looked towards the River) is he who is in that Boat, the King of <HI>Pontus?</HI> yes Sir, re|plied he, and I am not afraid to tell you that he is the mo&s;t mi&s;erable Prince upon Earth. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> looked both up and down the River, to &s;ee if he could <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ind a Poat to execute a de&s;ign which he had in his minde; but &s;eeing none, he turned towards the man again: Though after I have &s;aved your life (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto him) I might ea&s;ily puni&s;h you for bearing Arms again&s;t me, yet I will once more promi&s;e a pardon, pro|vided you will truly tell me, what the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> hath done, &s;ince he went from the Tombe of <HI>Mene&s;teus,</HI> and what his de&s;ign is in going into the Country of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes:</HI>
<PB N="84" REF="837">
Sir, (replied the man very glad to hear <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ay &s;o) to inform you truly of all this, be plea&s;|ed to know, that the unfortunate King of <HI>Pontus</HI> mi&s;erably wounded, departing in the night, and going along a Terrent, was in a hundred dangers of lo&s;ing his life; but at la&s;t, day beginning to break, as weak as he was, he went &s;o fa&s;t, that he got into a thick wood, and lighted from his Hor&s;e, then lay under a Tree, becau&s;e he could not go any further. As &s;oon as he was layd, the lo&s;s of blood had &s;o weakened him, that he &s;wounded; &s;o that then I was in a mo&s;t pittiful ca&s;e: But hearing accidentally &s;ome Cock crow, I concluded that &s;ome hou&s;e mu&s;t need be neer; &s;o that going to the place where I heard the Cock, I found a Shepherds Cottage &s;ome two hundred paces from the place where the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> lay, and finding in it a good charitable old man, I told him in what condition my Ma&s;ter was, but did not acquaint him with his quality. This hone&s;t officious Shepherd calling up all his family, went with me to the root of that Tree where I left the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> in a &s;wound; and being moved with compa&s;&s;ion he did not only carry him to his Cottage, but he dre&s;&s;ed his wounds, telling him that it was his fortune in his youth to receive a wound, and an old Shepherd &s;hewed him an herb that grew in the wood, which would both &s;top blood and clo&s;e up the wound. Truth is Sir, this wi&s;e Shep|herd having dre&s;&s;ed the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> he brought him out of his &s;wound, and was &s;o careful over him, that he &s;aved his life. However, falling into a Feavor, he was not able to go out of this Cottage until he heard that <HI>Mandana</HI> was carried away, and that you Sir, was marched towards the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans.</HI> So that making no que&s;tion but the place unto which <HI>Cyrus</HI> went, was that where <HI>Mandana</HI> was, he made that way, tra|velling only in the night, till he heard of certainty that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and then he re&s;olved to go thither. But Sir, I a&s;&s;ure you he had much adoe to take this re&s;olution; and though I am not worthy to be a confident of &s;o great a Princes &s;orrows, yet I did know &s;ome of his thoughts: And indeed he took my diligence about him, &s;ince he came from <HI>Cumes</HI> &s;o kindely, and having none el&s;e to talk unto ra|ther then not talk, he would &s;ometimes be moan him&s;elf to me: And after I acquainted him where the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> was, and who carryed her away, I &s;aw the perplexity of his mind. Then &s;eeing he was put to the nece&s;&s;ity of chu&s;ing one &s;ide, he was &s;o per|plexed, that he knew not which to chu&s;e. Sometimes his minde was to fight again&s;t that Prince who took <HI>Mandana</HI> away; but &s;ince he could not finde a heart to be in your Army, he could not re&s;olve upon that cour&s;e, but cho&s;e rather to take the part of <HI>The|miris;</HI> with a re&s;olution to &s;erve in her Army unknown: And in ca&s;e he were di&s;covered then to tell the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> that he pretended not now unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> and all he aimed at, was to hinder <HI>Cyrus</HI> from enjoying her: For being per&s;waded, that the Prin|ce&s;s would never con&s;ent that <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;hould marry her, he thought that in yielding him all, he yielded him nothing: Thus he went thither, without any hopes but only of &s;ee|ing <HI>Mandana</HI> before he died, and to meet with death in that war. This Sir, is the de&s;ign of the <HI>Pontean</HI> King, whom I have heard a thou&s;and and a thou&s;and times &s;ay, that when he remembred his obligations unto you Sir, he could not chu&s;e but complain again&s;t the violence of his pa&s;&s;ion which forced him to be both unju&s;t and ungrateful. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing the man could tell him no more, he pardoned him: And I will give you leave (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> to pa&s;s over the River, and to return unto your Ma&s;ter, and tell him from me, that it is the part but of a bad lover, to &s;ide with the Ravi&s;her of his Mi&s;tre&s;s. Tell him further, that if he be truly generous, he will come and imploy his valor for her li|berty, and fight in my Army: Tell him, that I offer him all that the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> his &s;i&s;ter offered him in <HI>Didia:</HI> And &s;ince the Gods are not plea&s;ed that his merits &s;hould move the heart of <HI>Mandana</HI> me thinks he &s;hould rather yield her unto me, then unto the Prince <HI>Ariantes.</HI> Tell him that <HI>Mandana</HI> will hate him if he fight for her Ra|vi&s;her, and will be his friend if he fight for her liberty.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> having &s;poken the&s;e words, he left this Cavilier, and as he marched on, he complained unto <HI>Indather&s;es,</HI> that fortune &s;hould &s;end &s;o violent a man among&s;t his enemies. When he came near his Tent and lighted from his hor&s;e, &s;ome Caviliers brought four men unto him which they had &s;topped as they endeavored to get over the River. As &s;oon as he ca&s;t his eyes upon the elde&s;t of them, he knew him to be no ordinary man; yet his clothes were mean and carele&s;s, and his face rather illfavored then fair; yet for all this, there was &s;uch a &s;prightline&s;s in his phi&s;iognomy, and &s;uch fine tranquility in his looks, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was moved thereby to that opinion; the re&s;t of his companions were han&s;ome, and in the prime of their age; but as for him, he &s;eemed to be above fifty.</P>
<P><PB N="85" REF="837">
<HI>Indather&s;es</HI> being with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> knew him to be <HI>Anachar&s;is;</HI> &s;o that this worthy Ne|phew of &s;uch an illu&s;trious Uncle &s;poke fir&s;t unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> I hope Sir (&s;aid he unto him) that the&s;e pri&s;oners will find a favourable reception, as &s;oon as you &s;hall know, that the famous <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> whom I &s;ought &s;o all over <HI>Greece,</HI> is now in your power. Since my Souldiers (replied <HI>Cyrus</HI> mo&s;t obligingly) ought to take none but my Enemies Pri&s;oners, and &s;ince I do not take the wi&s;e <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> to be one of that number, I declare him free, and am &s;o far from thinking him my pri&s;oner, that I &s;hall think it a great honour if he will give me leave to be his friend: Sir, replied <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> you have no rea&s;on to rank me in the number of your Enemies, &s;ince I have made too publique a profe&s;&s;ion of being a friend unto all &s;uch as are owners of any extraordinary merit, not to e&s;teem my &s;elf in being yours. But Sir, I de&s;ire you as a &s;ingular favour to believe, that I do not at all give you my friend&s;hip as you are the Conquerour of <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> but as you are the Conquerour of Vices, and a Profe&s;&s;or of all the virtues. Did you know me Sir, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;hould then commend me as you do, I &s;hould think my &s;elf the mo&s;t glorious of men; but &s;ince you know me only by Fame, which has long u&s;ed to flatter me, I cannot take any great delight in the commendations of a man who merits them the mo&s;t of any man live|ing.</P>
<P>After this, that place being unfit for any long di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Cyrus</HI> took <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> by the hand, and carried him unto his Tent; as &s;oon as he was there, he asked him who tho&s;e were which were with him; who &s;eemed more like <HI>Grecians</HI> then <HI>Scithians?</HI> Sir, replied <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> he who is next you is indeed a mo&s;t illu&s;trious Greek, called <HI>Cher&s;ias,</HI> a mo&s;t excellently accompli&s;hed man, and one who is young as he is, is thought worthy as well as <HI>Mene&s;iphiles</HI> and <HI>Diocles</HI> to be at that famous Banquet of the Seven Sages, where it was my happine&s;s to meet them, and of which all the world hath &s;o much talked. To be born a &s;ubject unto the Sage <HI>Bias,</HI> (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> to be the friend of the wi&s;e <HI>Ana|char&s;is,</HI> and to have been in the &s;ociety of <HI>Periander, Cleobulus, Solon, Pittacus, Thales,</HI> and <HI>Chilon,</HI> is &s;o great an advantage, as it is ea&s;ily believed that <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> does merit that honour. I a&s;&s;ure you Sir (replied <HI>Cher&s;ias)</HI> if all tho&s;e you have named &s;hould often make &s;uch ill choice of their friends as they have done of me, they would not merit the names of wi&s;e; but to &s;ay truth, certainly they had never done it, but in advantage unto me; I am mo&s;t &s;ure, that <HI>Solon</HI> in chu&s;ing <HI>Mene&s;iphiles,</HI> whom you &s;ee there, was not decei|ved in his choice, no more then the King of <HI>Corinth</HI> in loving <HI>Diocles,</HI> whom you &s;ee there next that generous <HI>Athenian:</HI> For my part, replied <HI>Diocles,</HI> I am obliged in memory of that great Prince of whom I had the honour to be loved, to &s;ay, that it was my zeal unto his glory which made him excu&s;e all my faults: And I may al&s;o &s;ay (added <HI>Meno&s;i|philes,</HI> that it was my love unto my Country which moved <HI>Solon</HI> to be my friend: How|ever it be Sir, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I do already much e&s;teem you all, though I have not yet had the honor of knowing you: But I be&s;eech you, what cau&s;e did move three famous Greeks to come into <HI>Scithea,</HI> which doubtle&s;s is nothing &s;o plea&s;ant a Country as <HI>Greece?</HI> Sir (replied <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> and &s;miled) the&s;e famous <HI>Grecians</HI> would per&s;wade me, that they came hither more for love of me, then out of any curio&s;ity of travelling, but I cannot tell whether I &s;hould merit the friend&s;hip of &s;o many wi&s;e men if I &s;hould &s;uffer my &s;elf to be &s;o ea&s;ily deceived: For my part (replied <HI>Diocles)</HI> the &s;tronge&s;t motive of my ma|king this journey was to &s;ee the Country where the man was born whom the Sages of <HI>Greece</HI> admired. As for me (added <HI>Cher&s;ias)</HI> I cared not &s;o much for &s;eeing the Coun|try of <HI>Anachar&s;is)</HI> as for &s;eeing <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> him&s;elf, and for bettering my &s;elf by his wi&s;|dome: I mu&s;t &s;incerely acknowledg Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Mene&s;iphiles)</HI> that the rea&s;on of my cro&s;|&s;ing the Seas, and pa&s;&s;ing out of <HI>Europe</HI> into <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> was not only to follow <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> but al&s;o to have the honour of being a witne&s;s to &s;ome of tho&s;e great acts which Fame &s;peaks &s;o loud of through all the world; and to &s;ee in your per&s;on Sir, the man whom of all people in the world the famous <HI>Solon</HI> mo&s;t e&s;teems; and he charged me to tell you Sir, how joyed he was when he heard of your generous act in &s;aving the King of <HI>Lydia</HI> from the fury of the faggot: I am extreamly glad, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that <HI>Solon</HI> can remem|ber me; and I a&s;&s;ure you I will omit no opportunity of letting you &s;ee how much I ho|nor the virtue of that wi&s;e man. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> u&s;ed a thou&s;and obliging expre&s;&s;ions unto that famous Scithian, who an&s;wered him with all imaginable civility; and though there was a kind of natural &s;everity in his di&s;po&s;ition, and though he was a profe&s;&s;ed E|nemy unto all frivolous ceremonies which pa&s;s for the complements of the time, yet his travels through <HI>Greece</HI> and <HI>Egypt</HI> had a little &s;weetened the &s;everity of his nature, and
<PB N="86" REF="838">
&s;omthing civilized his Phylo&s;ophy: So that though he was a little au&s;teer, yet he was al&s;o &s;weet and plea&s;ing, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> did him all honors imaginable; he would have them in one of his Tents, he cau&s;ed his own Officers to wait upon them, and he treated <HI>Cher&s;i|as, Diocles,</HI> and <HI>Mene&s;iphiles</HI> &s;o well, that they were charmed with his genero&s;ity. In the mean time, &s;ince the mind of <HI>Cyrus</HI> did run continually upon the intere&s;ts of <HI>Mandana,</HI> it came into his thoughts to de&s;ire <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> that he would be a Mediator betwixt <HI>Tho|miris</HI> and him, for having a de&s;ign to &s;end unto that Prince&s;s before he entred into her Country, he conceived this wi&s;e Scithean to be fitter then any other to per&s;wade her. This thought no &s;ooner came into his head, but he imparted it unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> who ap|proved of it.</P>
<P>So that to lo&s;e no time, he went unto the Tent where <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> was lodged, and took him a&s;ide to propound his de&s;ires unto him: To te&s;tifie unto you Sir, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> how much I honor your virtue, and how well I am per&s;waded of all that Fame &s;peaks concerning your &s;ufficiency and hone&s;ty, I be&s;eech you, wi&s;e <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> to arbitrate the bu&s;ine&s;s betwixt me and the Queen of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> I de&s;ire you would go unto her, and move her to relea&s;e the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> who &s;he cannot detain without a gro&s;s viola|tion of all Laws; for I will render &s;o much re&s;pect unto that Prince&s;s, as I will not make any War upon her, until after &s;he hath denied me what with all Ju&s;tice I &s;hall demand: Sir, replied <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> I know not how to be an Arbitrator of your differences; for &s;ince I can never take any unju&s;t &s;ide, I declare unto you, that though I be a Scithean, I cannot &s;ide with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> but am ab&s;olutely all for you; yet if you plea&s;e Sir to honor me with the Quality of your Amba&s;&s;ador, I &s;hall with all my heart go unto that Prin|ce&s;s, and endeavour to infu&s;e &s;ome rea&s;on into her &s;oul, and prevent a war which can|not chu&s;e but prove deep in blood: For Sir (added this wi&s;e Scithean very mode&s;tly) I believe I do under&s;tand the language of <HI>Thomiris</HI> better then any about you doth; al&s;o I have Greek enough to under&s;tand your meaning. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> to lo&s;e no time, acquainted him with the &s;tate of things, and without telling him how <HI>Thomiris</HI> was in love with him, he in&s;tructed him in all rea&s;ons and expedients to per&s;wade that Queen. <HI>Cyrus</HI> al&s;o &s;poke to him concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> that he would endeavour her liberty; and after he had talked above two hours in private with him, it was re&s;olved that <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> &s;hould pa&s;s over the river the next morning, and accordingly this re&s;olution was executed. <HI>Cyrus</HI> would have &s;et <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> forth in an equipage befitting his worth; but he told him, that thanks be to the Gods he had long &s;ince left off all manner of vanities; and therefore be&s;eeched him to let him go by him&s;elf without any other company; for <HI>Cher&s;ias, Diocles,</HI> and <HI>Mene&s;iphiles</HI> being Greeks, and the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans</HI> not loving that Nation, he thought it not convenient to carry them; yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> would not &s;uffer him to go &s;o, but would needs have <HI>Ortalques</HI> and two &s;ervants go with him, and the rea&s;on why <HI>Cyrus</HI> made choice of <HI>Ortalques</HI> was, becau&s;e he intended to write by him unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> to <HI>Araminta,</HI> and to <HI>Gelonide,</HI> unto whom he was already known: But to the end the voyage of this Sage Scithean might the better pro&s;per, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent <HI>A|donacris</HI> another way to per&s;wade <HI>Ariantes</HI> not to per&s;i&s;t in his unju&s;t cour&s;e: <HI>Anabaris</HI> al&s;o gave <HI>Ortalques</HI> many Letters for &s;ome friends he had about the Tents-Royal, whom he de&s;ired they would move <HI>Thomiris</HI> to re&s;tore <HI>Mandana.</HI> So that thus many men nego|tiating at once, there was &s;ome rea&s;on for hope that the voyage of <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> would not be in vain. In the mean time, this wi&s;e <HI>Scithean</HI> having wafted over the River in a Boat, he was &s;topped by &s;ome Souldiers on the other &s;ide, who after they knew his bu&s;ine&s;s, conducted him to <HI>Thomiris.</HI></P>
<P>But whil&s;t <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> was going to this Queen, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was making prayers for the hap|py &s;ucce&s;s of his voyage, and that <HI>Thomiris</HI> might be as much moved by his rea&s;ons, as he was by o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s virtue: However, <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing that in the be&s;t hoped for expeditions, was <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> be looked unto; &s;o he gave all nece&s;&s;ary Orders for making a Bridg of Boats, and he divided his time &s;o well, that he had &s;ome to &s;pend in vi&s;iting of the&s;e three friends unto <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> who &s;eemed unto him to be worthy of that honor: Somtimes he would t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"></HI> of the late <HI>Corinthean</HI> King, and of the Queen his Daughter; &s;omtimes a|g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">n he would &s;peak of <HI>Sol<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> concerning <HI>Policrite,</HI> and of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> unto <HI>Mene&s;iphiles;</HI> and &s;ometimes he would de&s;ire <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> to di&s;cour&s;e concerning the wi&s;e <HI>Bias,</HI> unto whom he was a Subject: But he taked principal unto them all three concerning <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> for &s;ince <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> upon the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">tion of <HI>Mandana</HI>'s liberty, he thought it his duty to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">&s;t in him, the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> any el&s;e.</P>
<P><PB N="87" REF="838">
So that one morning having <HI>Indather&s;es, Cher&s;ias, Diocles</HI> and <HI>Mene&s;iphiles</HI> with him: He conjured them all to tell him what they knew concerning him. <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> then told him, that <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> was wi&s;e even in his very Cradle: That indeed he never was a child, that he knew almo&s;t all things before he was taught them; That his manners and behavi|or was all innocency, and that his way of life, was ever very far from all that can be named voluptious. That from his infancy he &s;coffed at grandure, and would never ad|mit of any difference between men, but what virtue made. This Sir, added <HI>Indather&s;es,</HI> was <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> before he went out of the Country of the <HI>Thauro&s;cites,</HI> judge you what he is now after &s;o many years travel in <HI>Egypt</HI> and <HI>Greece,</HI> which are the places where all the virtues and &s;ublime&s;t Sciences are mo&s;t practized; and after the friend&s;hip of &s;o many ex|cellent men.</P>
<P>For my particular, &s;aid <HI>Mene&s;iphiles,</HI> I can a&s;&s;ure you that <HI>Solon</HI> was charmed with the virtue of <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> when he came to <HI>Athens:</HI> And beleeve it, their fir&s;t meeting was &s;omething extraordinary: For <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> beleeving that it was enough to be what he was, to be well received by <HI>Solon,</HI> he never &s;ought out for any man to pre&s;ent him un|to him, but went him&s;elf upon his fir&s;t vi&s;it; So that having clothes meaner then the&s;e you &s;ee him wear, and <HI>Solons</HI> minde being po&s;e&s;&s;ed with &s;ome &s;erious thoughts, he asked him roughly what he was? I am, an&s;wered he, a poor &s;tranger, who came to <HI>Athens</HI> only to be acquainted with you, and to get your friend&s;hip. I cannot tell, replied <HI>Solon,</HI> what advantage you may get, by being acquainted with me, but I know that it is better getting of friends in ones own Country, then in a &s;trange one; If &s;o, an&s;wered <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> and &s;miled, then you that are in your own Country and your own hou&s;e, mu&s;t be ac|quainted with me, and make me your friend. This quick an&s;wer did much &s;urprize <HI>So|lon:</HI> &s;o that looking better upon <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> he &s;aw in his phi&s;iognomy a kinde of gran|dure, which made him repent of the manner of his reception; &s;o that embracing him, he asked pardon for his incivility: And to repair his fault, he would needs have him lodge with him: But Sir, while&s;t he was there, he uttered a thou&s;and excellent things, which made his capacity apparent: for <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> being altogether for Monarchical government he &s;hewed a Million of inconveniencies in any other; and &s;aid boldly in a full A&s;&s;embly (when he &s;aw publique affairs con&s;ulted upon by a multitude) that he thought it very &s;trange, that wi&s;e men &s;hould propound things concerning the publique good, and fools decide them, hinting at the abundance of young men who over-voted the old in all great A&s;&s;emblies, and who for want of old experience, are unable to rea&s;on ju&s;tly in the man|age of great affairs. In &s;hort Sir, <HI>Solon</HI> found <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> &s;o admirably knowing in all things, that he con&s;ulted with him, and relied upon his judgment in things of highe&s;t concernment, and made him known unto all his friends; Truly, &s;aid <HI>Cher&s;ias,</HI> it was <HI>Solon</HI> who writ unto <HI>Bias,</HI> what <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> was: And it was he al&s;o (&s;aid <HI>Diocles)</HI> who cau&s;ed <HI>Periander</HI> to invite him unto that famous Fea&s;t, at which, except my &s;elf who by their favor was permitted, there was none but per&s;ons of mo&s;t illu&s;trious fame: and in|deed, this Fea&s;t for the excellency of it, was called the Banquet of the &s;even Sages, not comprehending the re&s;t who were there, becau&s;e indeed it was prepared only for them; As <HI>Diocles</HI> &s;aid &s;o, one came to acquaint <HI>Cyrus</HI> that the Prince&s;s of <HI>Armenia</HI> was coming, &s;o that de&s;iring to do her all po&s;&s;ible honors, he went to meet her at the door of his Tent, where he received her with much civility, telling her that if &s;he had any &s;ervice to com|mand her, &s;he did him much wrong not to command him to come &amp; wait upon her. Since it would not become me Sir, &s;aid &s;he &amp; &s;miled, to command him, who comands mo&s;t of all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> I thought it more fit to come my &s;elf to tell you that I have heard newes of <HI>Spitrida|tes</HI> and <HI>Tigranes. One&s;ile</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> being very impatient to know what they had done &s;ince their departure, and where they were, he de&s;ired her to tell him. So that this Prince&s;s acquainted him how &s;ince <HI>Tigranes</HI> embarqued from <HI>Gala<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ia,</HI> with the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> to follow <HI>Phraartes</HI> who had carryed away <HI>Araminta,</HI> they wandred continually from Sea to Sea, &amp; could hear nothing of her, until at la&s;t landing at <HI>Cholchi|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es,</HI> they under&s;tood that <HI>Phraartes</HI> had carried <HI>Araminta</HI> unto the Dominions of <HI>Thomi|ris,</HI> and that <HI>Mandana</HI> was there al&s;o, and that he would march with his Army towards that part of the River <HI>Araxes</HI> which limits the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes</HI> on that &s;ide. And <HI>Tigranes</HI> who writ all this unto me, further added, that as &s;oon as their Equipage which was in making, was ready, they would come unto you Sir: and <HI>Tigranes</HI> told me further, that he would think him&s;elf obliged unto me, if I would come unto this place whither of my &s;elf I am come.</P>
<P><PB N="88" REF="839">
<HI>Cyrus</HI> hearing this, &s;eemed to be much joyed that <HI>Tigranes</HI> and <HI>Spitridates</HI> would &s;o &s;hortly be in his Army: For truly Madam (&s;aid he unto her) I do value tho&s;e two Prin|ces as good as ten thou&s;and men, and I do not doubt but I &s;hall deliver <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;ince they will fight for her: They would think them&s;elves very happy Sir, replied &s;he, if they can contribute any thing towards the delivery of &s;o famous a Prince&s;s; at lea&s;t I am able to an&s;wer for <HI>Tigranes,</HI> that he de&s;ires nothing more zealou&s;ly, then to have the glory of &s;erving you Sir.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> acquainted <HI>One&s;ile</HI> how he had &s;ent to <HI>Thomiris;</HI> and &s;ince he knew <HI>One&s;ile</HI> to be of a very illu&s;trious hou&s;e, originally a Greek Republique, he pre&s;ented tho&s;e three <HI>Grecians</HI> unto her, with whom he was talking before &s;he came in, and pre|&s;ented them as men who were e&s;teemed by all the Grandees of <HI>Greece:</HI> So that this Prin|ce&s;s being very civil, &s;he received them with the &s;weete&s;t grace that was po&s;&s;ible; the fair <HI>Telagene</HI> who was with her, did no le&s;s, and they were all three &s;o happy in this di&s;cour&s;e, that at the very fir&s;t meeting they got the e&s;teem of this Prince&s;s, and her lovely Cozen. In the mean time, it being dinner time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> told <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> that he left it to her choice whom &s;he would be plea&s;ed to have dine with her, not excepting him&s;elf. I have already told you Sir, replied &s;he, that it becomes not me to pre&s;cribe any thing unto the Con|querour of <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> 'Tis true Madam, &s;aid he unto her, But I an&s;wered alwayes that you might command me any thing. Thus both <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>One&s;ile</HI> did &s;o vie civilities, that they could not excel each other.</P>
<P>But whil&s;t they were talking, mo&s;t of the company there being withdrawed out of re|&s;pect, there was none remaining but <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> and tho&s;e three <HI>Grecians,</HI> who dined with <HI>Cyrus, One&s;ile,</HI> and <HI>Telagene,</HI> and two other Ladies of Quality who followed that Prince&s;s in her travels: So that the la&s;t thing which <HI>Cyrus</HI> talked on with <HI>Diocles, Mene|&s;iphiles,</HI> and <HI>Cher&s;ias,</HI> being the Banquet of the Seven Sages, as &s;oon as they did ri&s;e from the Table, he turned towards them: Though there be not &s;o many Sages at this dinner (&s;aid he unto them) as at that Fea&s;t in <HI>Corinth;</HI> yet I believe we had one advantage which they had not. Since the&s;e Ladies who are here, replied <HI>Diocles,</HI> were not there, nor you neither Sir, doubtle&s;s there wanted the greate&s;t ornaments of the world: But Sir, I a&s;&s;ure you, that Fea&s;t was more gallant then you imagine it, for it was not only an A&s;&s;embly of grave Phylo&s;ophers, but al&s;o a mo&s;t plea&s;ant meeting of Ladies, for the late Queen of <HI>Corinth</HI> was there, &s;he who raigns at this day al&s;o, and the Prince&s;s <HI>Eumetis,</HI> who o|therwi&s;e is called the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes,</HI> &s;he was al&s;o there with the wi&s;e <HI>Cleobulus</HI> her Fa|ther. Moreover, there was an Emba&s;&s;ador from the King of <HI>Egypt,</HI> called <HI>Niloxenus;</HI> the intimate friends of <HI>Periander</HI> were there al&s;o; the merry <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> who at his departure from <HI>Lidia</HI> came to <HI>Corinth,</HI> he was there; and indeed this A&s;&s;embly was &s;o mixed, that there was enough to find in it all that would &s;atisfie any humor. The truth is, added <HI>Mene&s;iphiles,</HI> all manner of things was di&s;cour&s;ed upon, que&s;tions were argued upon all imaginable &s;ub|jects; Policy, Morality, Oeconomy, Plea&s;ures, Riddles, and Mu&s;ique were treated upon, abundance of plea&s;ing rallary, a million of que&s;tions in matter of love were put, many an a|morous hi&s;tory was related, the adventure of <HI>Arion</HI> was told, who al&s;o was there: Indeed Sir, this Fea&s;t de&s;erved the Fame it hath gotten over all <HI>Greece:</HI> For my part, &s;aid <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> I have had the greate&s;t de&s;ire in the world to know all the particulars of it, &s;ince a <HI>Greci|an</HI> once coming to <HI>Artaxates</HI> told me &s;omthing of it, but not being pre&s;ent, he told me only as much as filled me fuller of curio&s;ity, but nothing to &s;atisfie me: Since &s;o Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> you &s;peak it in a happy hour, for <HI>Mene&s;iphiles, Diocles,</HI> and <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> were all three pre&s;ent at it, and are able to &s;atisfie you: Now Sirs, &s;aid he, I know not how time can be better imployed, then in hearing the &s;ayings of the&s;e Sages of the world, and of the mo&s;t meritorious Prince&s;&s;es upon earth: For truly Madam, the Prince&s;s <HI>Cle<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">bu|line</HI> is a per&s;on compo&s;ed of wonders, and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes</HI> hath been de&s;cribed un|to me &s;o amiable, that the time will be very well &s;pent in hearing their wits. After this, <HI>One&s;ile</HI> importuning <HI>Diocles, Mene&s;iphiles</HI> and <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> to acquaint them with all that was done and &s;aid at this famous Fea&s;ts, the&s;e three friends did in civility di&s;pute among&s;t them|&s;elves, who &s;hould have the honor to relate it. But in conclu&s;ion, it being agreed that <HI>Mene&s;iphiles</HI> &s;hould begin it, and that <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> &s;hould end it, the fir&s;t began to &s;peak in the&s;e terms, addre&s;&s;ing his Speech unto <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> according to the orders he received from <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="speech">
<PB N="89" REF="839">
<HEAD>The Banquet of the Seven Sages.</HEAD>
<P>BEfore I begin the de&s;cription of this famous Fea&s;t which the Greeks do call <HI>Simpo&s;ia,</HI> it's fit I tell you Madam, that though I have related it a hundred times in my daies, yet I cannot deliver it in the &s;ame terms, though I never did vary from truth in any, when I told unto men of knowing capacities I never mentioned any thing but what pa&s;&s;ed among the Sages, and of things &s;uitable to their under&s;tandings, but never told them of any pa&s;|&s;ages in the Garden among&s;t the Prince&s;&s;es, <HI>Cher&s;ias, E&s;ope</HI> and my &s;elf, whil&s;t the Seven Sages were di&s;cour&s;ing in high points of Phylo&s;ophy with <HI>Anachar&s;is, Niloxenus,</HI> and &s;ome others. But &s;ince I am now to make this relation unto you, I think it convenient not to omit the plea&s;ing pa&s;&s;ages of the day preceding this Fea&s;t; give me leave therefore to tell you Madam, that &s;ince nothing was then talked on in <HI>Corinth</HI> but of the&s;e famous men who were met there at one time, and of that Emba&s;&s;ador from <HI>Ama&s;is;</HI> who they &s;aid was &s;ent unto the Seven Sages of <HI>Greece,</HI> every one was fill'd with curio&s;ity to know what he would ask of them from the King his Ma&s;ter: Great talk was al&s;o of an extraordinary fore&s;ight in one of tho&s;e Sages called <HI>Chilon&punc;</HI> who &s;melling &s;omthing of the <HI>Lacedemoni|an</HI> &s;everity, being of that Country, he was nothing of <HI>Salons</HI> humour, nor of the other Sages, who &s;uited their Philo&s;ophy according to the mode of the world; as for <HI>Chilon,</HI> he would have all the world conformable unto him: So that &s;quaring all the actions of his life by the &s;traight rule of rea&s;on, he was as careful as he could be to conver&s;e with none but &s;uch as he e&s;teemed, and none el&s;e; and to prevent his being in any other company, when&s;oever his friends invited him to eat at their hou&s;es, he would fir&s;t ask who would be there, before he would make any promi&s;e, &s;aying, That a man who travelled at Sea might be in the &s;ame Ship with men who plea&s;ed him not, as well as a valiant Souldier might be in the &s;ame Tent with a Coward, becau&s;e nece&s;&s;ity of travelling and encamping with &s;uch as Fortune brought together, did allow it without any imprudence: But the ca&s;e was otherwi&s;e in going to Fea&s;ts, and the man was out of his wits that would venture him|&s;elf wilfully among&s;t a mi&s;cellany of all &s;orts of &s;everal people: So that according to his humour and cu&s;tome, when <HI>Periander</HI> invited him to be at this famous Banquet, <HI>Chilon</HI> asked before he would promi&s;e to make one, who would be there? As they named unto him <HI>Thales, Solon, Pittacus, Bias, Cleobulus,</HI> and <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> he was very well contented, and was well plea&s;ed al&s;o that <HI>E&s;ope</HI> was to be there; but when he was told there would be &s;ome Ladies al&s;o, he refu&s;ed to go, and had ab&s;olutely ab&s;ented him&s;elf, if they had not been named unto him; yet &s;eeing there was to be but three: The fir&s;t <HI>Meli&s;&s;a,</HI> Wife to <HI>Periander:</HI> The &s;econd, the Prince&s;s her Daughter; and the third, the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes;</HI> and that the&s;e three were the Wives and Daughters to as wi&s;e men as him&s;elf, he promi|&s;ed to be there. As for <HI>Diocles, Mene&s;ophiles,</HI> and my &s;elf, he did us the favour not to refu&s;e our company: Yet &s;ince he had never &s;poken unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes, E&s;ope</HI> under&s;tood that he inquired of her very inqui&s;itively, he was full of his Rallary all that evening with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes,</HI> playing upon the &s;everity of <HI>Chilon</HI> in the wittie&s;t and plea&s;ant manner in the world, affirming boldly, that nothing in the world was more dan|gerous then being over-wi&s;e: For my part (&s;aid he and &s;miled) it plainly appears that I am not of <HI>Chilons</HI> humour; at lea&s;t, the Fable which I compo&s;ed of the Country-Mou&s;e, which came to &s;up with the City-Mou&s;e, makes it appear: I am not &s;o &s;evere as this <HI>Lacedemonian:</HI> But (&s;aid <HI>Eumetis</HI> then unto him) your Country-Mou&s;e do &s;o much re|pent the leaving of her Achorns whereon &s;he lived, and her coming for better cheer, when &s;he heard the door open where the City-Rat fea&s;ted her &s;elf, that I cannot tell whe|ther <HI>Chilon</HI> or you have greater rea&s;ons for your opinions, and whether he have not more rea&s;on to be at home in quiet, then come unto &s;uch ill company as mine: However, I &s;hould be very angry with my &s;elf, if I &s;hould be the cau&s;e of his not being at the Fea&s;t to morrow; for I have heard &s;ay, that though he be &s;evere, yet he is a mo&s;t excellent man; and though he be melancholy, yet he is &s;en&s;ible of joy: Since now it is very late, replied <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> he cannot &s;ee you before the Fea&s;t: Yet I have heard &s;ay, replied &s;he, that <HI>Chilon</HI> never judges upon any thing by reports, nor ever tru&s;ts any but him&s;elf Then it were requi&s;ite (replied <HI>Cleobuline)</HI> that the Prince&s;s <HI>Eumetis</HI> did write &s;ome piece of wit, which may be &s;hewed unto him, and that &s;he compo&s;e one of tho&s;e plea&s;ant Riddles which &s;he u&s;ed &s;o happily to invent, and &s;end it unto him, that he may know &s;he has as much wit as him&s;elf.</P>
<P><PB N="90" REF="840">
As &s;oon as <HI>Cleobuline</HI> &s;aid &s;o, all the company concurred in her opinion, and moved <HI>Eumetis</HI> to compo&s;e a Riddle: So that <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> who had alwayes a Table-Book about him, did take one out of his pocket, and offered him&s;elf as Secretary unto that Prince&s;s, who being excellent good at Rallary, told <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> that &s;he would let him be her Secretary for once, provided he would let her be his another time: So that &s;eeming to &s;tudy a while, &s;he writ in <HI>E&s;ops</HI> Table-book a Riddle which formerly &s;he had made, and which none e|ver yet &s;aw, but in lieu of addre&s;&s;ing it unto <HI>Chilon,</HI> &s;he addre&s;&s;ed it unto <HI>Cleobuline.</HI> Then after &s;he had written it in <HI>E&s;opes</HI> Table-Book, &s;he gave it unto <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> and he did read the&s;e words in a di&s;tinct voice.</P>
<LG>
<HEAD>A Riddle unto the Prince&s;s of Corinth.</HEAD>
<L><HI>What is it?</HI></L>
<L>Which flatters not Kings more then Beggers.</L>
<L>Which &s;erves to correct the faults of others, yet knows them not.</L>
<L>Which is Dumb, and yet gives Coun&s;el.</L>
<L>Which when, in the right is not believed, but when it flatters, is alwayes cre|dited.</L>
<L>Which one part of the world makes u&s;e of, to conquer the other.</L>
<L>Which is multiplied by its own ruine?</L>
</LG>
<P>For my part (&s;aid <HI>E&s;ope</HI> and &s;hrugged his &s;houlders) I mu&s;t confe&s;s that I better un|der&s;tand the language of my Crows, then the words of the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes,</HI> though their voices be nothing &s;o charming as hers; and I confe&s;s to my &s;hame, that I cannot re&s;olve this Riddle: And I will not &s;ay for my &s;elf, as I made my Fox &s;ay, when he &s;aid, That the fruit which he could not reach was too green, and therefore would not reach them: So I will not &s;ay I will not unty this Riddle, but ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s, that I can|not, but am confident that it would puzzle all the Seven Sages of <HI>Greece:</HI> Really <HI>E&s;ope</HI> (&s;aid the Prince&s;s of <HI>Corinth,</HI> and took the Table-Book) it is a great &s;hame unto you not to under&s;tand this Riddle, &s;ince you could under&s;tand that which none el&s;e could without you: Since my &s;hame is a glory unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Eumetis,</HI> &s;aid he, doubtle&s;s you will rejoyce at it: I mu&s;t confe&s;s it (replied She) but I &s;hould rejoyce much more, if I could have the honor of finding that out which you cannot: However, replied <HI>Eu|metis,</HI> I would not have you find this Riddle out, until <HI>Chilon</HI> hath tryed what he can do, &s;ince I writ it only to get his good opinion of me: If you plea&s;e Madam, &s;aid <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> I will &s;hew it unto him immediately, for I know he is in <HI>Perianders</HI> Chamber. At fir&s;t <HI>Eu|metis</HI> was again&s;t this, but <HI>Cleobuline</HI> being of <HI>E&s;opes</HI> opinion, She bad him &s;hew it un|to <HI>Chilon;</HI> yet he would not, until after all the company confe&s;&s;ed they under&s;tood it not: However, <HI>E&s;ope</HI> went, and found <HI>Chilon</HI> in <HI>Perianders</HI> Chamber, unto whom he &s;aid he had &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s of con&s;equence to impart: He being u&s;ed to the plea&s;ant hu|mours of <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> and expected &s;ome diver&s;ion of wit from him, he hearkened unto him, though he had then with him <HI>Solon, Thal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, Chilon,</HI> and <HI>Pi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tacus:</HI> So that after <HI>Periander</HI> had given him leave to &s;peak, he told <HI>Chilon,</HI> that knowing he loved not to go unto a|ny Fea&s;t, unle&s;s he were acquainted with all the Ghe&s;s, and not being ignorant how he had never &s;poken unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes,</HI> he had brought him one of her Riddles, to the end he might &s;ee &s;ome of her wit, and not refu&s;e her company the next day. Af|ter which pre&s;enting the Riddle unto him, and <HI>Chilon</HI> as &s;evere as he was, loving Ralla|ry, at the de&s;ire of <HI>Periander</HI> he began to read it aloud; after which, he confe&s;&s;ed that he did not under&s;tand it, and that if it proved as true as it was ob&s;cnre, it was an admi|rable good one: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Periander,</HI> I &s;ay as much as <HI>Chilon:</HI> And for my part added <HI>Thales,</HI> I &s;hould be le&s;s troubled in ob&s;erving the cour&s;e of the Sun, and regula|ting &s;ea&s;ons and years, then I am in finding out this Riddle. As for <HI>Solon,</HI> he found it out as &s;oon as ever he heard it, but being naturally civil towards all Ladies, and Gallan|try, not being incompatible with his Phylo&s;ophy, he would not make it known that he had found it out, purpo&s;e to glad the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes</HI> that her Riddle was undi&s;cover|ed: So that <HI>E&s;ope</HI> by the order of <HI>Periander</HI> returned to bring back the interpretation of this Riddle: For till then, &s;aid he, it cannot with Ju&s;tice be commended, &s;ince it is not enough to be good, but it mu&s;t be under&s;tood al&s;o, and be found true in every part, and that when the thing is known, one &s;hall admire one did not under&s;tand it. So <HI>E&s;ope</HI> re|turned,
<PB N="91" REF="840">
and told <HI>Eumetis</HI> She had puzled all the Sages, and that none of them did under|&s;tand it: Since &s;uch things as the&s;e (replied the Prince&s;s of <HI>Corinth</HI> mode&s;tly) are &s;om|times found out more by chance then wit, perhaps I have done that which &s;ome more a|ble then my &s;elf could not: And truly <HI>E&s;ope</HI> (&s;aid She) if you will ca&s;t your eyes upon that gla&s;s which you &s;ee upon the Table, I am confident you will find that it does flatter the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes</HI> no more then the Slave behind her, and therefore it was ju&s;t to &s;ay it does not flatter Kings any more then Beggers; and that it's true, it doth correct the faults of others, yet knows them not, at lea&s;t I am &s;ure it hath done me a good office a thou&s;and times, yet knew not what it did: It is al&s;o as true (pur&s;ued She) that this Mirror Coun&s;els, but &s;peaks not, &s;ince it hath told me that Carnation colours better be|comes me then Green. It is al&s;o as true, that a Mirror is alwayes believed when it flat|ters, and not believed when it does not. Moreover, the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes,</HI> that half of the world makes u&s;e of a Mirror to conquer the other, could not be enough commended; for all Beauty who would make Conque&s;ts, do it by the advice of their Mirrours, and add fre&s;h Graces unto their Beauty; &s;o that She could not expre&s;s her thought more nobly: And if you will &s;ee how the la&s;t part of my Riddle holds true (&s;aid She and &s;miled, you may let my gla&s;s fall, and find twenty gla&s;&s;es, and twenty <HI>Eumetti&s;es</HI> for one, &s;o that it might well be &s;aid it was multiplied by its ruine. Really, &s;aid <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> I know not who merits mo&s;t commendations, She who made this Riddle, or She who found it out: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Eumetis,</HI> the Prince&s;s <HI>Cleobuline</HI> de&s;erves mo&s;t, for the interpretation is more ingenious then the Riddle it &s;elf: However it be, &s;aid <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> I will go pre&s;ently and tell <HI>Periander,</HI> that the Prince&s;s his Daughter hath done more then he could do, and indeed &s;o he did; but he expounded the Riddle unto the King of <HI>Corinth</HI> after his own mode, to wit Ralla|ry; for as &s;oon as <HI>Periander</HI> &s;aw him: Well <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> &s;aid he, What's that which flatters Kings no more then Beggers? It is a thing Sir, &s;aid he, which let's the Prince&s;s of <HI>Co|rinth,</HI> &s;ee every day when She dre&s;&s;eth her &s;elf, that She is the faire&s;t Prince&s;s in the world, and which &s;omtimes lets me &s;ee that I am the uglie&s;t fellow upon earth. As &s;oon as <HI>E&s;ope</HI> had &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Periander, Solon, Thales, Pitticus,</HI> and <HI>Chilon</HI> began to laugh, and confe&s;s that the Riddle was mo&s;t ingenious: After which, <HI>E&s;ope</HI> began to commend the in|terpretation which the Prince&s;s of <HI>Corinth</HI> had made upon it, and to ask <HI>Chilon</HI> whether he thought <HI>Eumetis</HI> worthy to be at the Fea&s;t with him: Doubtle&s;s She hath a mo&s;t rare wit; (replied he) But <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> I hope you can a&s;&s;ure me, that the Charms of her &s;oul will plea&s;e as well as the Beauty of her wit: After this, <HI>E&s;ope</HI> broke out into a hundred plea&s;ant ex|pre&s;&s;ions, twitting at the &s;everity of his Phylo&s;ophy, and the exce&s;s of his prudence; and afterwards he returned to the Prince&s;&s;es whom he did entertain &s;o ple&s;antly, that it was late before they retired.</P>
<P>However, the next morning <HI>Periander</HI> went unto the place where he intended to make this great Fea&s;t: For to the end, it might be more plea&s;ing, he would have it out of the Town, at a place called the <HI>Lecheon</HI> Port, neer the Temple of <HI>Venus:</HI> And indeed it was the mo&s;t beautiful place in the world: Fir&s;t the Hou&s;e was a mo&s;t magnificent &s;tructure, and had a huge va&s;t Hall Arched, and fit for &s;o great an A&s;&s;embly: Then there is a mo&s;t rare Garden, and a mo&s;t plea&s;ant Grove along the Sea &s;ide, with &s;uch goodly walkes, that a fitter place could not be found again in the world, to entertain &s;uch a company as <HI>Periander</HI> intended, and to pa&s;s away a day in plea&s;ure. But &s;ince he was to treat men that were wi&s;e in the mo&s;t Soveraign degree, he would not u&s;e all his magnificence, left he &s;hould offend their moderation: The truth is, he bani&s;hed &s;uperfluity, but had abun|dance, kept order, and was neat: Al&s;o he had excellent Mu&s;ique, and after dinner, he had a Masque of Dancing for a repa&s;t. But to do all things with &s;plendor, he &s;ent a Coach unto every one of his invited Che&s;ts, and he received them at the Gate of the hou&s;e where he was to treat them, as if he were only a private man, declaring unto them all as they came, that he would not be a King that day; and that the la&s;t Act of Authori|ty which he would u&s;e all that day &s;hould be to command them, to look upon him as their friend, and not at all as the King of <HI>Corinth.</HI> Had I given &s;uch a King unto my Frogs (&s;aid <HI>E&s;ope</HI> and &s;miled, &s;peaking in a low voice) they had not di&s;obeyed him, when he di&s;plea&s;ed them. Ha <HI>E&s;ope</HI> (replied <HI>Periander</HI> and &s;miled) Though you had made me King of your Frogs, yet they would have been Rebels: But you do know the nature of people &s;o admirably well, who u&s;e to murmure both again&s;t clement and &s;evere Princes, that you with much rea&s;on do merit to be this day a companion unto them that <HI>Greece</HI> hath mo&s;t admirable.</P>
<P><PB N="92" REF="841">
As <HI>E&s;ope</HI> was ready to an&s;wer, the Queen of <HI>Corinth,</HI> the Prince&s;s her Daughter, and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes</HI> came in: Pre&s;ently after, <HI>Solon, Chilon,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the com|pany a&s;&s;embled, for <HI>Thales, Pittacus, Bias, Cleobulus, Anachar&s;is, Niloxenus, M<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 span">|les, Cher&s;ias,</HI> a man of <HI>Corinth</HI> called <HI>Cleodemus, Ardales</HI> that famous Mu&s;itian, and my &s;elf were there before.</P>
<P>I &s;hall not now tell you Sir the fir&s;t complements which all the&s;e illu&s;trious per&s;ons u&s;ed, &s;ince by &s;uch things they cannot be di&s;tingui&s;hed from ordinary men; nor will I de&s;cribe the Fea&s;t unto you, it will be &s;ufficient I tell you that all was exqui&s;ite, the Mu&s;ique ex|cellent, the Dances admirable, and the di&s;cour&s;e ravi&s;hing: The truth is, there was &s;uch a &s;pirit of joy which did &s;o &s;pread it &s;elf through all the company, and which did much bani&s;h all &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s, yet this jollity had nothing in it which was not worthy of tho&s;e whereof the company was compo&s;ed; the company played upon <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> and he played upon them after his u&s;ual rate of rallary, and <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> him&s;elf was &s;o good at it, that no Grecian was better at rallary then he: The Prince&s;&s;es al&s;o did much contribute to the plea&s;ure of this mixed conver&s;ation, which changed &s;ubject according to the humour of tho&s;e who &s;poke; and <HI>Periander</HI> would have the Prince&s;s his Daughter with her own hand give Chaplets of Flowers unto every one of the Ghe&s;s, according to the cu&s;tom of that place. In the mean time, &s;ince this was not an a&s;&s;embly of Gallants, but of Sages on|ly, <HI>Cleobuline</HI> and <HI>Eumetis</HI> were not dre&s;&s;ed as if they were going to a Ball, yet &s;o hand|&s;ome, that I never &s;aw them better then that day. But Madam, as &s;oon as they were all ri&s;en from the Table, <HI>Niloxenus</HI> the King of <HI>Aegypts</HI> Emba&s;&s;ador, who was &s;ent onely to con&s;ult with the Seven Sages upon certain Propo&s;itions which the King of <HI>Aethiopia</HI> made unto his Ma&s;ter, he changed the di&s;cour&s;e: For after he had read that Kings Let|ter, and <HI>Bias</HI> had given a plea&s;ing an&s;wer unto the odd Propo&s;ition which the King of <HI>Aethiopia</HI> made unto him, and which I &s;hall not repeat, becau&s;e all the world knows it, they fell upon more &s;erious things: They began to examine what would render a King mo&s;t glorious: <HI>Solon</HI> &s;aid, If my memory fail not, that a King cannot render him&s;elf more glorious then in communicating his Authority: <HI>Cleobulus</HI> &s;aid in his turn, that he was a wi&s;e Prince who never tru&s;ted unto any: <HI>Pittacus</HI> &s;aid, that the greate&s;t glory was for a King to make all his Subjects fear him; and <HI>Chilon</HI> &s;aid, It was mo&s;t glorious to love ho|nor above all. As for the re&s;t of the Sages, I mu&s;t confe&s;s Sir, I do not well remember what they &s;aid: But as for <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> I do remember very well he &s;aid, that King was al|wayes mo&s;t glorious, who had the valour of a Lion, the &s;ubtilty of a Fox, and to his Subjects the love of a Pelican to her young ones: And for my part (added he with an admirable action) I mo&s;t u&s;e my Bea&s;ts and my Birds as well in my compari&s;ons, as in my Fables.</P>
<P>But after every one had an&s;wered &s;omthing to the rallary of <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> they fell into di&s;|cour&s;e concerning Republiques: And <HI>Thales</HI> &s;aid, That to govern a Commonwealth well, men mu&s;t be kept neither too poor, nor too rich: <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> &s;aid, That the be&s;t way was to make virtue and vice the only di&s;tinction of the Inhabitants: <HI>Pittacus</HI> &s;aid, That Commonwealth was in be&s;t order where the virtuous commanded, and the vicious had no Authority: <HI>Cleobulus</HI> &s;aid, That Commonwealth was happie&s;t where the people feared Infamy more then the Law: <HI>Solon</HI> &s;aid, They were be&s;t, where tho&s;e who were not oppre&s;&s;ed, protected them who were, and pro&s;ecuted the oppre&s;&s;ors as their own Enemies: <HI>Bias</HI> &s;aid, Where the people feared the Law as a Tyrant: <HI>Chilon</HI> &s;aid, Where ambition was bani&s;hed: And <HI>Periander</HI> affirmed, that there the State was happie&s;t, where the publique Intere&s;t of the Country was above all private intere&s;ts: After which, they di&s;cour&s;ed upon &s;everal other theams; and indeed, after they had talked of Monarchies and Republiques, they di&s;cour&s;ed concerning the Government of private Families, and <HI>Chilon</HI> maintained, That to be the be&s;t governed, which mo&s;t re&s;embled the &s;tate of a Monarchy, who&s;e Authority is in one only: For my particular, &s;aid <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> I take mo&s;t delight in being like to the King of <HI>Bees,</HI> to wit, &s;ole Ma&s;ter of my hou&s;e: But I mu&s;t con|fe&s;s, that when I was a Slave, I had rather have been in my Ma&s;ters hou&s;e, as <HI>Ants</HI> are in theirs; to wit, with equality in all things: After which, the Emba&s;&s;ador of <HI>Ama&s;is</HI> falling upon the mo&s;t &s;ublime Subjects, they began to define what Time, what Light, and what Truth was, and to &s;peak of Death, of Fortune, and of the Gods. So that the three Prince&s;&s;es having in mode&s;ty no mind to meddle in &s;uch di&s;cour&s;e, they retired, and went to walk in that plea&s;ant Grove I told you of, which was by the Sea &s;ide. Thus they left the Seven Sages with <HI>Anachar&s;is, Niloxenus, Cleodemus,</HI> and <HI>Diocles,</HI> to talk concern|ing
<PB N="93" REF="841">
the mo&s;t &s;ublime Sciences. In the mean time, <HI>E&s;ope</HI> naturally loving the company of Ladies better then mens; and <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> and I being obliged to wait upon the Prince&s;&s;es, and to &s;peak truth, &s;ince we were not &s;o wi&s;e and knowing men as tho&s;e we left, we were not &s;orry to wait upon the&s;e amiable per&s;ons: Our company al&s;o encrea&s;ed, for many in Co|rinth being full of curio&s;ity to &s;ee the&s;e Seven Sages of <HI>Greece</HI> together, and al&s;o to &s;ee that famous Scithean who was &s;o highly &s;poke of, the Prince&s;&s;es, with <HI>Perianders</HI> leave, gave orders to tho&s;e who kept the Gates of the Garden, after Dinner to let in ten or twelve Ladies of Quality. So that the Prince&s;&s;es in their going out of the Hall &s;eeing them, the&s;e Ladies followed them into the Grove, <HI>Cleobuline</HI> a&s;&s;uring them, that She would let them &s;ee tho&s;e illu&s;trious men whom they &s;o longed to know; but &s;ince they were then very bu&s;ie, they mu&s;t &s;tay till they went out of the Hall. After which, go|ing to this Grove, they came to a place, which towards the Sea &s;ide re&s;embled a Half-Moon, having round about it &s;eats of Gra&s;s, and the&s;e &s;eats being at the feet of Trees, a great number might &s;it very convenient, &s;ince the place was &s;haded. The&s;e Prince&s;&s;es then being come to this place, they &s;at down, and cau&s;ed all tho&s;e to &s;it al&s;o who were of Quality befitting their pre&s;ence; the re&s;t either &s;tood behind, or el&s;e lay upon the ground. As for <HI>Ae&s;ope,</HI> he &s;tood behind the Prince&s;s <HI>Eumetis,</HI> leaning again&s;t a Tree, at the root of which was a &s;eat of Gra&s;s, upon which She &s;at with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Corinth.</HI> As for <HI>Mili&s;&s;a,</HI> She was &s;eparated from them, and was talking in private with two of the new-come Ladies So that it was a plea&s;ant &s;ight to &s;ee the head of <HI>Ae&s;ope</HI> between the heads of tho&s;e two fair Prince&s;&s;es: Yet certainly, as ugly as he was, he made one de|light to look upon him; for maugre his ugline&s;s, there was &s;uch a kind of &s;ubtilty in his phy&s;iognomy, and all his actions were &s;o ingenious, and &s;o plea&s;ing, that I a&s;&s;ure you he plea&s;ed as much by his per&s;on, and well by his way of &s;peaking things, as by the things them&s;elves. As for <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> and I, we &s;tood before the Prince&s;&s;es, with &s;ome o|thers which they had let enter with them, and the Ladies I &s;poke of.</P>
<P>As the beauties were in this po&s;ture, one of the Ladies began to &s;ay &s;he was exceeding &s;orry that a Prince called <HI>Ba&s;ilides</HI> was not then at <HI>Corinth,</HI> another greeved that a gallant named <HI>Myrinthus</HI> was ab&s;ent al&s;o, wi&s;hing he had &s;een that which perhaps they &s;hall ne|ver &s;ee again, it not being po&s;&s;ible fortune &s;hould a&s;&s;emble &s;o many great men together. For my part, &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>Eumetis,</HI> I am vexed at the <HI>Egyptian</HI> Emba&s;&s;adors being here this day, for though he be a well accompli&s;hed man, yet I wi&s;h he had been ab&s;ent &s;ince if he had not come in with his que&s;tions, the conver&s;ation had not been &s;o &s;erious; for I mu&s;t confe&s;s that I am very much plea&s;ed with the reading of many things which I do not like in conver&s;ation, perhaps it is an ill grounded nicene&s;s of minde in me, but for all that, I would he had in lieu of talking of time, of light, and of truth, propounded &s;ome que&s;tions of gallantry unto the Sages: As for <HI>Solon,</HI> replied I, I a&s;&s;ure you he would have plea&s;ed you upon &s;uch a &s;ubject, e&s;pecially if he had talked of love. As for love, replied <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> I confe&s;s I &s;hold not care to hear it &s;poken of before &s;uch pieces of gravity; for though it be a pa&s;&s;ion as well as the re&s;t, and though it &s;tands in as much need of the Sages help, as any of the other pa&s;&s;ions, to regulate the minds of &s;uch as are po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with it: yet certainly none is able to &s;peak upon that &s;ubject han&s;omely, unle&s;s he were in a capacity either to love, or to be beloved. I be&s;eech you Madam, replied <HI>Cher&s;ias,</HI> did never any tell you that no wi&s;eman could ever be in love? For my part, (&s;aid <HI>Eumetis</HI> to the Prin|ce&s;s of <HI>Corinth)</HI> I wi&s;h <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> were in love with you, that he might not return into <HI>Scithia,</HI> but &s;tay always in <HI>Greece:</HI> were he in love with me, and &s;o old as he is, replied the Prince&s;s of <HI>Corinth,</HI> you would never de&s;ire he &s;hould &s;tay here; for if he did, certainly he would not be &s;o wi&s;e as he is: to &s;peak rationally (&s;aid the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes)</HI> love is a ridiculous thing in an old man: And more in an old woman, replied <HI>Cleobuline:</HI> Doubt|le&s;s itis, an&s;wered <HI>Eumetis,</HI> but yet this is the difference, &s;ince the he lover is obliged unto more ceremony then the &s;he loved, he is put to the nece&s;&s;ity of appearing more ri|diculous. <HI>Eumetis</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but all the company concurred with her, and an old lover was blazed in his ridiculous collors; for my particular &s;aid one of the Ladies, methinks I &s;ee him a thing out of fa&s;hion, one that will walke as if he were young, yet do what he can, is old and walks &s;o: he will be talking of &s;uch matters of gallantry, which none can under&s;tand; he cannot tell how, and yet he will talk of love, and can talk of nothing el&s;e. I would fain know, &s;aid <HI>Eumetis,</HI> whether there be any Lady that de&s;ires to hear &s;uch a one talk? If there be, replied <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> que&s;tionle&s;s it is to gear him: But yet (added &s;he and turned towards <HI>Ae&s;ope)</HI> what &s;ay you unto all this? I &s;ay Ma|dam,
<PB N="94" REF="842">
replied he, as my Wolfe &s;aid unto the Shepherds who were eating mutton in their Cottage, (what a noi&s;e would be made, if I &s;hould do as you do.) I am confident Ma|dam, added he, that you know how to make the application; for if I &s;hould &s;ay as much as you do, I &s;hould pre&s;ently be branded with the name of a maker of biting and Satiri|cal Fables; but becau&s;e you are great Prince&s;&s;es, you are allowed to devour a poor man alive, with more cruelty then the Shepherds devoured the mutton. I think (&s;aid <HI>Eume|tis</HI> and laughed as well as all the company) that you intere&s;t your &s;elf in this old mans bu&s;ine&s;s, becau&s;e you do intend to be in love your &s;elf: Never que&s;tion it Madam, repli|ed he; but you do not con&s;ider that I have a greater advantage then others have; for &s;ince I was an ugly fellow at fifteen, and can be no wor&s;e at a hundred, I &s;hall not be &s;o ridiculous as another, though I were in love with a leg in my grave. Since you are per|&s;waded (and with rea&s;on) replied <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> that the plea&s;ingne&s;s of your wit will get you more love then your per&s;on can, certainly you have more priviledge for being long in love then any other. But added <HI>Eumetis,</HI> &s;ince we talk of love, and talk unto <HI>Ae&s;ope,</HI> I mu&s;t needs ask, whether he be &s;till in love with the famous <HI>Rhodophe,</HI> whom they &s;ay is now in <HI>Egypt?</HI> No Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I am not in love, &s;ince the brother of the famous <HI>Sapho</HI> is: and I wi&s;h that all the bea&s;ts I ever made &s;peak, may devour me, if ever I do love her again. If it be really true you do not love her, replied <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> you need not make &s;uch cruel imprications again&s;t your &s;elf; for I am fully per&s;waded one cannot love one per&s;on twice, and that it is ea&s;ier to love twenty one after another, then to love one, with whom he was quite broken off. This Rule, replied I, is not &s;o gene|ral but will admit of an exception in a friend of mine, which loved one woman twice, with equal flames. But are you &s;ure, replied <HI>Cher&s;ias,</HI> that your friend does think &s;o him&s;elf? for perhaps he never loved but once, whom he thought he loved twice, and happily ne|ver left loving her; for &s;ometimes anger makes &s;uch a blu&s;ter in the heart of a lover, that love lies lurking in it, though he know it not, and the truth is, he often thinks he hates, when he loves, and thinks he has forgotten her whom he always thinks upon: So that when I &s;ay it never happens that one loves one per&s;on twice, I mean that he did really cea&s;e to love her, and not leave the lea&s;t &s;park unextingui&s;hed, which may revive again; for if it do, the fire never went out. For my part, replied <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> I do not think there is any &s;uch impo&s;&s;ibility for one to love the &s;ame per&s;on twice, as you imagine, for though a cinder be extingui&s;hed, and has been &s;o long, certainly it will take fire &s;ooner then if it had never been lighted. And &s;o I conclude, that the fir&s;t Love makes a di&s;po&s;ition for a &s;econd, and that it is more ea&s;ie to love one whom he loved before, then another: For my particular Madam, replied <HI>Cher&s;ias,</HI> I know by experience it was the ca&s;e of a Nephew unto the wi&s;e <HI>Bias,</HI> who was as bravely a qualified man as any in the world, and as far from erecting &s;hattered Altars as ever any was, or from Sacrificing one heart twice unto one and the &s;ame Divinity. This is &s;o nice a que&s;tien, replied the Prince&s;s <HI>Eumetis,</HI> that to imitate the re&s;t of the company whom we dined withal, we mu&s;t argue and examine as they do the highe&s;t and difficult points in Phylo&s;ophy: If an example will make good my opinion, replied I, I will ea&s;ily prove that one may twice love one and the &s;ame per|&s;on: Nay, if an example will do it, replied <HI>Cher&s;ias,</HI> I &s;hall get the better of you, and make it evident, That one cannot begin again to love a Lady, after he had once ab&s;o|lutely given over loving her. As <HI>Cher&s;ia</HI> &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Melli&s;&s;a</HI> ri&s;ing up to walk, and becking to one whom &s;he would have follow her; the Prince&s;s, and all the re&s;t of the Ladies &s;tayed &s;till with <HI>Cher&s;ias, E&s;ope,</HI> &s;ome others, and my &s;elf. So that the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes,</HI> who was plea&s;ed with this que&s;tion which was worthy of her curio&s;ity, obliged <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> and me to relate the two examples of which we &s;poke, and afterwards to make good our opinions with the be&s;t rea&s;ons we could produce; adding afterwards, that the major Vote of the company &s;hould decide the controver&s;ie: With all my heart, &s;aid <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> But methinks it requi&s;ite, &s;aid <HI>Eumetis,</HI> that <HI>Ae&s;ope</HI> have a double voice: If &s;o, &s;aid he, I &s;hall give them on his &s;ide, who holds that one cannot love one per&s;on twice. Fie <HI>Ae&s;ope</HI> (replied <HI>Eumetis</HI> and laughed) you give your opinion too &s;oon, &s;ince you will pronounce Judgment before the cau&s;e be pleaded: I have been &s;o frequently familiar with &s;ome cer|tain babling Birds (replied he and &s;miled) that you need not wonder if that be my fault. But truly Madam, I am &s;o fully per&s;waded of what <HI>Mene&s;iphiles</HI> will &s;ay, and that one cannot love one per&s;on twice, that I thought it not ami&s;s to declare at the beginning, what I knew I &s;hould &s;ay at the end, maugre all the rea&s;ons of <HI>Mene&s;iphiles.</HI> However it be &s;aid <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> I pray lend your audience, unle&s;s you will have me think you le&s;s
<PB N="95" REF="842">
wi&s;e then tho&s;e Birds, who carry &s;tones in their throat to &s;top their garrulity. After this, the two Prince&s;&s;es having commanded <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> and me to relate our examples, and after|wards our rea&s;ons, it was re&s;olved that I &s;hould fir&s;t relate the Hi&s;tory of my friend, which I did in the&s;e following terms, addre&s;&s;ing my Speech unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes</HI> by the command of <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> as I do addre&s;s it now unto you Madam, by the command of that great Prince who is pre&s;ent.</P>
<DIV4 TYPE="section">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of <HI>PHILIDAS;</HI> and of <HI>ANAXANDRIDE.</HI></HEAD>
<P>SInce it is not convenient at this pre&s;ent Madam to make any long relation, I will not mention who were the Fathers of tho&s;e who&s;e &s;tories I am to relate, only a&s;&s;ure you, that <HI>Philidas</HI> and <HI>Anaxandride,</HI> who&s;e adventures I &s;hall relate in a few words, were both born at <HI>Megares,</HI> and were extracted from the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Families of that famous Town; and fortune hath not only made them equal in their births, but al&s;o in their me|rits and per&s;ons, for <HI>Philidas</HI> is as hand&s;om as <HI>Anaxandride</HI> is fair, and <HI>Anaxandride</HI> hath as fine a wit as <HI>Philidas,</HI> though his be high and admirable. Moreover, there is a marvellous Sympathy in their humours, and their age al&s;o is proportionable, for <HI>Anax|andride</HI> is at this pre&s;ent not above nineteen years of age, and <HI>Philidas</HI> twenty: Be&s;ides all this, be plea&s;ed to know, that they have &s;een each other from their cradles, their hou&s;es joyned, and their Fathers were intimate friends. After all this Madam, I a&s;&s;ure my &s;elf, that when I &s;hall tell you how <HI>Philidas</HI> fell in love with <HI>Anaxandride</HI> as &s;oon as he was capable of Love, and how &s;he did not reject his affection, you will think him the happie&s;t Lover in the world; and I can a&s;&s;ure you, that as long as his fir&s;t pa&s;&s;ion la&s;ted, he met with Ro&s;es, and no prickles in them, but ta&s;ted all the &s;weets of Love without a|ny bitters, for he was as much e&s;teemed as he did e&s;teem, and I think no le&s;s loved then he did love; he &s;aw her, and talked with her when he would; their Parents &s;aw their in|clinations, and did not cro&s;s them; and if any thing kept <HI>Philidas</HI> from motioning a mar|riage with his Mi&s;tre&s;s unto his Parents, it was only becau&s;e he would not think of Marri|age as long as an Unkle who&s;e Heir he was to be, was ab&s;ent; and this Unkle being gone to travel, and not to return until a year was over, <HI>Philidas</HI> thought upon nothing but how to divert his Mi&s;tre&s;s. In the mean time, this condition of his was too happy and too tranquile, and this hope, which never had any mixture of fears, did &s;o glut the mind of <HI>Philidas,</HI> that he hoped for the enjoyment of his Mi&s;tre&s;s without any delight, and he was &s;o &s;added with her &s;weetne&s;s and civilities, that he became in&s;en&s;ible of all her fa|vours, not but that he loved her &s;till, and &s;aw her often, but thinking him&s;elf &s;ure of her affection, and that he never needed to ask that que&s;tion, he therefore had nothing oftentimes to &s;ay unto her; and indeed he has told me, that he has been fain to talk of news, and of meer indifferencies when he hath been alone with her, becau&s;e his Love gave him no new &s;ubject of di&s;cour&s;e: Indeed Madam, this quiet hope, and this equality of happine&s;s, together with the certainty of being loved, did by degrees infu&s;e &s;uch a lue-warmne&s;s of affection into <HI>Philidas,</HI> that being to go into the Country, he was more joyed at his going to &s;ee the Country dre&s;t in her fre&s;h green garment, then he was &s;orry to part from his Mi&s;tre&s;s. However, though there was a great Sympathy of humour be|tween <HI>Philidas</HI> and <HI>Anaxandri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e,</HI> yet there was a notable difference in their hearts up|on this occa&s;ion; for as the love of <HI>Philidas</HI> le&s;&s;ened, that of <HI>Anaxandride</HI> encrea&s;ed; and to vex her more, when he came to take his leave, &s;he perceived he &s;poke with too much indifferency; yet &s;ince that was not a fit time to quarrel, &s;he &s;hewed no &s;ign of di&s;|content at the alteration of his mind: So that he left her without any quarrelling, and without any vexation ever &s;ince he fir&s;t fell in love with her; yet &s;ince he asked leave to write unto her, and obtained it, he did write accordingly to her, but his Letter was only a bare de&s;cription of the Country, and his delights in &s;itting under a &s;hade, and hearing the Birds &s;ing in a wood; yet at the end of his Letter, he wi&s;hed her where he was but it was in &s;uch a faint manner, as made it evident, that he wi&s;hed her there more to hear Nightingals, then to talk to her of any Love matters: Yet <HI>Anaxandride</HI> being per&s;wade|ed, that it was dangerous to quarrel with an ab&s;ent Lover, as long as he had a minde to keep him, &s;he writ unto him, as if there were no alteration in her heart: But all this her goodne&s;s working its ordinary effect in the &s;oul of <HI>Philidas,</HI> he waited without any impa|tience for the day on which he was wont to hear from <HI>Alexandride,</HI> and I received it from his own mouth, That his love to her did &s;o cool, that he received a Letter from this fair one
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in the morning, and never did read it till night when he went to bed. <HI>Philidas</HI> being then thus coldly indifferent, after &s;o much hot affection as chance would have it, his fa|ther writing to him that he &s;hould go unto <HI>Salamine</HI> about &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s, there he &s;aw a great Beauty called <HI>Timoxenes,</HI> and the Father of this fair one being to go and dwell at <HI>Megares,</HI> he was very glad to contract friend&s;hip with a man of his Quality: So that in a few daies <HI>Philidas</HI> had all po&s;&s;ible freedom in his hou&s;e. But Madam, as the too much &s;weetne&s;s of <HI>Anaxandride,</HI> and the too much happine&s;s of <HI>Philidas,</HI> had glutted and cooled his affection, &s;o the fanta&s;ticalne&s;s of <HI>Timoxene</HI> cau&s;ed his incon&s;tancy to her. For Madam he found in her all things contrary to the other; for certainly, never any was of a more unequal and peevi&s;h humour, nor who loved better to wrangle with her Lo|vers, and fall out with her friends; for it was the common talk, <HI>Timoxene</HI> &s;aid &s;uch and &s;uch a thing, <HI>Timoxene</HI> &s;aid &s;uch a one told her &s;o, <HI>Timoxene</HI> complains again&s;t &s;uch a one, or &s;uch a one complains again&s;t her; <HI>Timoxene</HI> is fallen out with him, or <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> with her; and the truth is, <HI>Timoxene</HI> out of her perver&s;e inequality of humour, did &s;o in|tangle things, and trouble both her &s;elf and all the world, that &s;he bani&s;hed almo&s;t eve|ry one from the place where &s;he was, for &s;he made every one to fall in love with her, or el&s;e &s;owed &s;eeds of divi&s;ion between tho&s;e who intended to contract mo&s;t &s;olid friend&s;hip, all this out of her unequality of humour: For &s;ome daies &s;he would tell what&s;oever was told her for the greate&s;t &s;ecret, and on others on the contrary; her be&s;t friends could not &s;crue the lea&s;t &s;illable out of her; and &s;omtimes &s;he would care &s;o little what &s;he &s;aid, that &s;he would &s;peak again&s;t her own intere&s;t. However, <HI>Timoxene</HI> was amiable and loved; but the truth is, &s;he had more lovers then friends, yet as fanta&s;tical as &s;he was, &s;he won many to love her, and though &s;he was mo&s;t unequal in her humours, yet it may be &s;aid; &s;he did what &s;he could to anger love, but not to ruine it, for her fanta&s;mes la&s;ted not long, and when &s;he was in a good humour, there was not a more charming, cheri&s;hing, and &s;weeter per&s;on in the world. Indeed &s;omtimes one would &s;wear, &s;he was ever all &s;weetne&s;s and plea&s;iug: So that in this good mood a man would give her more power o|ver his heart, then he was able to recal again.</P>
<P><HI>Timoxene</HI> being as I have de&s;cribed her, &s;he was in one of tho&s;e plea&s;ing fits, when <HI>Philidas</HI> fir&s;t &s;aw her. So that &s;ince his love to <HI>Anaxandride</HI> was extingui&s;hed by her too much &s;weetne&s;s, and his too much happine&s;s; her <HI>Idea</HI> did not hinder him from thinking <HI>Timoxene</HI> very fair and infinitely witty. Moreover, he learned that very fir&s;t day, how &s;he had many Lovers; and he knew al&s;o, thrt &s;he was one who&s;e affection was the mo&s;t difficult in the world to be gotten, and the harde&s;t to be kept when it was gotten. But Madam, without further aggravations of this fanta&s;tical adventure, let me tell you, that <HI>Philidas</HI> being weary of being happy, or to &s;ay better, not re&s;enting his good fortune, becau&s;e he was too much accu&s;tomed unto it, he &s;ought to make him&s;elf mi&s;erable in thinking to find felicity, for he &s;aw <HI>Timoxene</HI> &s;o often, that he fell in love with her, and by con&s;equence left loving <HI>Anaxandride;</HI> So as it cannot be &s;aid he loved her &s;till, &s;ince the greate&s;t &s;ign of not loving a per&s;on, is to love another. But to tell you truly, <HI>Phi|lidas</HI> was no &s;ooner the lover of <HI>Timoxene,</HI> but he was rouzed out of that amorous Le|thargy, in which the &s;weetne&s;s of <HI>Anaxandride</HI> had lulled him, for from the very fir&s;t day he began to love this fanta&s;tical per&s;on, he was as full of jealou&s;ie as love, and as full of anger as jealou&s;ie: However, that which in all rea&s;on &s;hould have le&s;&s;ened his pa&s;&s;ion, did encrea&s;e it, and he became as fa&s;t fettered in the chains of <HI>Timoxene,</HI> as ever he was with <HI>Anaxandrides.</HI></P>
<P>But as Fame commonly carries &s;uch news, &s;o that the fair one at <HI>Megares</HI> quickly heard that her Lover was perfidious, and that he was fallen in love at <HI>Salamine:</HI> So that &s;ince &s;he really loved him, &s;he was incredibly &s;ad at the news, yet it was a very glorious, &s;orrow; for re&s;olving to &s;light him who &s;lighted her, &s;he endeavoured all po&s;&s;ible ways to quiet her own minde: But to tell you truly, the hatred which &s;ucceeded her love, did put her to as much pain as her love had done. In the mean time, &s;ince as I told you be|fore, the Father of <HI>Timoxene</HI> intended to go and dwell at <HI>Megares;</HI> &s;o he went thither with all his Family, and <HI>Philidas</HI> returned with him. And as it is the cu&s;tome of the place, that when any &s;trange Ladies come thither, all the Ladie of the Town u&s;e to vi&s;it her. So <HI>Anaxandride</HI> went to <HI>Timoxene</HI> with her Mother, and to perform a piece of civility unto a per&s;on who had taken the heart of her Lover from her, &s;he was &s;o unfortunate as to find <HI>Philidas</HI> there; yet I have heard her &s;ay &s;ince, that &s;he took more plea&s;ure in this vi&s;it then &s;he expected, for &s;ince &s;he had no de&s;ire to find <HI>Timoxene</HI> fair, her imagina|tion
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did &s;o flatter her pa&s;&s;ion, that &s;he fancied <HI>Timoxene</HI> otherwi&s;e then &s;he was, for &s;he thought her hair too red, though it was the pale&s;t fair in the world, &s;he thought her co|lour too high, though it was well compo&s;ed, her eyes &s;he thought too &s;harp, though they were rather langui&s;hing, her lips pale though vermilion, and her making ill-fa|voured, though it was very hand&s;ome: So that a&s;cribing doubtle&s;s as much unto her own beauty, as &s;he detracted from her Rival, &s;he fancied her a thou&s;and times le&s;s fair then &s;he was, and believed her &s;elf to be fairer then ever &s;he did; at lea&s;t, &s;he told me, that She thought &s;o: But the thing mo&s;t ob&s;erveable was, her joyes in being per&s;waded that <HI>Philidas</HI> had no excu&s;e for his incon&s;tancy, and that he was a lo&s;er by his change: And truly (&s;aid &s;he one day unto me) I verily believe I &s;hould have died with &s;pite, if I had not found <HI>Timoxene</HI> much inferiour to me in every thing. Methinks (added &s;he) that &s;pite hath &s;o altered my heart, that <HI>Philidas</HI> is not &s;o hand&s;om as he was when he lo|ved me; and I wonder that I &s;hould be then &s;o mad, as to think him amiable: But now <HI>Philidas,</HI> &s;eems unto me to be another man, methinks his mind not &s;o noble, his wit duller, his action more forced, his very accent as changed, and methinks he hath gotten &s;uch a kind of clowni&s;hne&s;s at <HI>Salamine,</HI> as it is a &s;hame unto all I&s;lands. The truth is, added She, I thought my old Lover &s;o little plea&s;ing that day, his Mi&s;tre&s;s &s;o far from lovely, and my &s;elf &s;o far above them both, that I went away from this vi&s;it le&s;s trou|bled then ever I imagined. But after all this (pur&s;ued &s;he) though I had no de&s;ire that <HI>Phi|lidas</HI> &s;hould &s;till love me, yet &s;till I was vexed &s;trangely that he &s;hould love <HI>Timoxene.</HI> In the mean time Madam, out of a re&s;entment of honour, <HI>Anaxandride</HI> re&s;olved never to twit <HI>Philidas</HI> with it, but contented her &s;elf only with &s;hunning to meet him, and to treat him very coldly in what place &s;oever &s;he found him: And indeed &s;o &s;he did for a long while. But Madam, &s;ince <HI>Timoxene</HI> had not changed her humors in changing places; &s;he was the &s;ame at <HI>Megares,</HI> which &s;he was wont to be at <HI>Salamine,</HI> and made there much more di&s;order, for being there unknown, all the men and women were &s;ooner trapped, and the half of her life being very amiable, they kept her company as a per|&s;on whom they all e&s;teemed, and doubtle&s;s they &s;aw her in the good vain, but were ig|norant of her fault, that &s;ome daies She could not conceal any thing: So that it being u|&s;ual in tho&s;e who would contract friend&s;hip with any new comer, to acquaint them with all the news of the Town, to the end She may not be any longer a &s;tranger; there were &s;ome men and women who did her that office, but were ill requited as well as <HI>Philidas,</HI> for in one of tho&s;e daies when &s;he could not conceal any thing She knew, She &s;et all the the Town &s;o together by the ears, that never the like was heard of, nor &s;o many jars in &s;o &s;hort a time. The wor&s;t was, &s;ince She u&s;ed often to hear all things without right ap|plication, She confounded them by her repetition of them</P>
<P>Thus &s;he cau&s;ed to be told unto <HI>Philidas</HI> what another did &s;ay of him, and to that o|ther what <HI>Philidas</HI> &s;aid of him: So that quarrel upon quarrel did ari&s;e; but the &s;trange&s;t thing was, <HI>Timoxenes</HI> did no more care for any of tho&s;e quarrels She had cau&s;ed, then if She had no hand in them at all, and She knew &s;o well how to make her own peace, that She did ea&s;ily reconcile her &s;elf to all; but the wor&s;t was, She could not &s;o ea&s;ily reconcile others. <HI>Philidas</HI> being excellently accompli&s;hed, and a man of a clear &s;pirit and wit; as amorous as he was, he &s;aw that <HI>Timoxene</HI> had &s;ome ill qualities among&s;t her good ones, but being of an humour to &s;urmount all difficulties, it may well be &s;aid, that the Prickles made him think the Ro&s;es &s;weeter, &s;ince the unequality of <HI>Timoxenes</HI> did for a long time augment his pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>But at la&s;t, this inequality produced a very vexatious effect, for now her inequality had got into the thoughts of her heart, and &s;he was not only &s;omtimes merry, and &s;omtimes &s;aid, but tho&s;e whom She loved to day, were not &s;ure to be &s;o to morrow: So that She did not look upon <HI>Philidas</HI> neither as her lover, nor her friend, but looked upon ano|ther more favourably then upon him: So that after <HI>Philidas</HI> had tryed alwayes to get a|gain into her favour, he would &s;ee whether jealou&s;ie would work upon her: So that ma|king a &s;hew, as if he would renew with <HI>Anaxandride,</HI> he endeavoured for an occa&s;ion of &s;eeing her, and went unto her hou&s;e with one who was a Cozen unto that fair one, who was much her friend. But Madam, the &s;trangene&s;s of this adventure was, that when <HI>Philidas</HI> returned to <HI>Anaxandrides</HI> hou&s;e, he was extreamly in love, and extreamly jealous of <HI>Timoxene,</HI> and had no tenderne&s;s at all to the fir&s;t: The rea&s;on why he would &s;eem to love <HI>Anaxandride</HI> rather then any other, was, becau&s;e it was mo&s;t likely. Moreover, he alwayes found her &s;o &s;weet, that he thought he could quit her when he plea&s;ed, and
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nothing would happen of it but as formerly; yet he found it otherwi&s;e, for &s;ince <HI>Anax|andride</HI> was noble as well as &s;weet, She re&s;ented the incon&s;tancy of <HI>Philidas</HI> &s;o bitterly, that had it not been more in love to her &s;elf then him, She would have made it appear: But when he came to her again, and would have &s;poke in private with her, he was ama|zed when he found her upon other terms then he expected, for he believed that <HI>Anax|andride</HI> would have received him with all joy, at any time he plea&s;ed; yet She &s;poke &s;o very &s;harply unto him this fir&s;t vi&s;it, that he plainly &s;aw him&s;elf ab&s;olutely lo&s;t, and that it was a harder matter for him to regain the heart of <HI>Anaxandride,</HI> then the heart of <HI>Ti|moxene:</HI> So that as his love was cooled by the facility of her being happy, &s;o She began from that day to rekindle it, by the difficulty he found in being &s;o again: The truth is Madam, though I cannot under&s;tand the rea&s;on of it, yet it is mo&s;t certain, that the &s;harpne&s;s of <HI>Anaxandride</HI> began to work that in the heart of <HI>Philidas,</HI> which her too much &s;weetne&s;s had taken away: Yet he did not pa&s;s from one extream to another in an in&s;tant, but in a very few daies he left loving <HI>Timoxene,</HI> and began to love <HI>Anaxandride</HI> again with more hot flames then ever he did: Then did he remember his happy condition formerly, and thought him&s;elf the more unfortunate, and he thought him&s;elf &s;o much too blame for being in&s;en&s;ible of his happine&s;s, that it made him much the more mi&s;era|ble.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Anaxandride,</HI> though She did not now love <HI>Philidas,</HI> yet in point of glory She could not chu&s;e but be glad to &s;ee him fettered in her chains again: and find|ing that rigor was the way to rai&s;e his pa&s;&s;ion, She &s;hewed it in &s;o high a manner, as was enough to make love die in any heart but his, In the mean time, the wor&s;e <HI>Anaxandri|de</HI> treated him, the more was he in love with her, and more repented of his incon&s;tan|cy: Pray Sir (&s;aid I one day unto him, &s;eeing him melancholy) Why did you leave loving <HI>Anaxandride</HI> without any cau&s;e? And why did you renew it without rea&s;on? For truly when you quitted her, She was as lovely as ever; and when you repented, She was no more amiable then when you ca&s;t her off; and therefore I have good rea&s;on to ask you why you did leave loving her, or el&s;e why you began to love her again? I left loving her, replied he, becau&s;e I was &s;o accu&s;tomed to be happy, that I did believe I could not be more; and I began to adore her again, becau&s;e I was weary of being mi&s;erable, and knew that I could not be happy without her: But Sir, replied I, She is the very &s;ame She was when you loved another, and the &s;ame She was when you for&s;ook her: Ah <HI>Mene&s;iphiles,</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) I would it were true that <HI>Anaxandride</HI> were the &s;ame She was when I for&s;ook her. No no, She was then &s;weet, but now cruel, She did then love me, but now hates me: I mu&s;t tell you Sir, (&s;aid I then unto him and laughed) this difference doth not &s;eem to me very fit to cau&s;e love, but it had been more rea&s;onable to have continued loving her when &s;he was kind, and when She loved you, then to begin loving her again when She is cruel, and hates you: I mu&s;t &s;adly confe&s;s all this (&s;aid he unto me) But alas, &s;ince I am not Ma&s;ter of my own heart, what would you have me do? Yet I find it &s;ome &s;weetne&s;s, to think that <HI>Anaxandride</HI> would not have hated me, but be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">au&s;e I did not love her, and mu&s;t hope, that as She pa&s;&s;ed from love to hatred, &s;o She may pa&s;s from hatred to love again: Had you fallen in love with any other, replied I, and that after you had loved <HI>Anaxandride</HI> and <HI>Timoxene,</HI> you had loved a hundred, I &s;hould not have wondered &s;o much, as that you &s;hould love <HI>Anaxandride</HI> again. I know, &s;aid I, That one may fall out with a Mi&s;tre&s;s, and renew again: I know that believing her per&s;idious, one may hate her, and afterwards finding her to be innocent, may begin to love a new; but I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I cannot conceive, that having left <HI>Anaxanarine</HI> with|out any cau&s;e, it can be po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould ever love her again: Yet truly &s;o it is (re|plied he) That never any man loved any woman more then I do her, and I do now hate my &s;elf as much as I do love her. When I con&s;ider upon the happine&s;s I have fooli&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> lo&s;t, and upon the incertainty of ever regaining it again, I think my &s;elf the mo&s;t mi&s;er|able Lover that ever breathed; other Lovers do only de&s;ire &s;uch favours as they ne|ver ta&s;ted, and therefore know not the &s;weetne&s;s of them; but the ca&s;e is much more mi&s;erable with me, &s;ince I do de&s;ire a happine&s;s which I have enjoyed, the greatne&s;s whereof I know: But Sir (&s;aid I unto him) you found &s;uch &s;mall happine&s;s in the en|joying of it, that I know not why you &s;hould &s;o earne&s;tly de&s;ire the fruition again: I de|&s;ire it, replied he, becau&s;e now I know better the price of what I have lo&s;t, then I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> when I enjoyed it.</P>
<P>To tell you Madam that <HI>Philidas</HI> loved <HI>Anaxandride</HI> twice, is not enough to prove th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">
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one may love one and the &s;ame per&s;on twice, unle&s;s I tell you al&s;o, that <HI>Anaxandride</HI> did love <HI>Philidas</HI> twice al&s;o. But certain it is, that this revived Lover did &s;trive &s;o violently to reconquer the heart he lo&s;t, that at la&s;t <HI>Anaxandride</HI> cea&s;ing to hate him, did begin again to love him, and at this very hour do love with &s;o much tenderne&s;s, that they are to be married within a few daies. Thus Madam I have furni&s;hed you with an example, that one may love the &s;ame per&s;on twice; and certainly there is more probability, that one &s;hould begin again to love her whom formerly he found amiable, then to love a fre&s;h Mi&s;tre&s;s. Though there be much delight to be taken in hearing you &s;peak (&s;aid the Prin|ce&s;s of <HI>Corinth</HI> unto me) yet I mu&s;t needs interrupt you: for I do conceive it fit before you give your rea&s;ons, that <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> relate us an example oppo&s;ite to yours, to the end that arguing afterwards upon both, the que&s;tion may be better cleared, and the di&s;pute more plea&s;ing. Since what the Prince&s;s of <HI>Corinth</HI> &s;aid was very rea&s;onable, <HI>Eumetis</HI> and all the company approving of it, &s;ilence was impo&s;ed upon me; and <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> relate|ed his promi&s;ed adventure: So that after all the company had renued their attention, <HI>Cher|&s;ias</HI> began in the&s;e terms.</P>
</DIV4>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of <HI>AGLATONICE,</HI> and of <HI>IPHICRATES.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>BEfore I begin the adventure which I am to relate, I conceive it not impertinent to our purpo&s;e, that I acquaint you with the manner of living in our Court, le&s;t you not imagining the Town of <HI>Prienes</HI> to be &s;uch a one as it is, you &s;hould &s;u&s;pect the truth, when you &s;ee me introduce &s;o many gallant per&s;ons in my relation: Therefore Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that the wi&s;e <HI>Bias,</HI> who governs our &s;tate as chief head, hath made it &s;o famous as little as it is, that it is con&s;iderable unto all our Neighbour States, and I dare boldly &s;ay, that of &s;o many famous Greek Collonies, which pa&s;&s;ed into <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and there rendred them&s;elves potent, there is not one which hath in &s;uch purity pre&s;erved the politne&s;s of its original, as ours. Moreover, the wi&s;e <HI>Bias</HI> having no children, he hath looked upon a Nephew of his as his Succe&s;&s;or. This illu&s;trious Nephew, who&s;e name is <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> being a mo&s;t admirably accompli&s;hed man, he hath rendred our Court full with men of excellent parts; for as the Unkle did attract many knowing men, &s;o the Nephew by the example of his valour, hath drawn many brave men thither, and by his genero&s;ity many generous men.</P>
<P>As for our Ladies, I can a&s;&s;ure you confidently, that few <HI>A&s;iatique</HI> Towns have more fair ones, or more amiable; but that which makes the Court compleatly gallant is, <HI>Bias</HI> hath a Niece, who as rarely accompli&s;hed as <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> is yet not more then She, though She be not his Si&s;ter, for She is Daughter unto a Si&s;ter of <HI>Bias,</HI> and he a Son unto his Brother; it is at her hou&s;e where all the men of Quality rendezvouz, both all the La|dies, and all the wits and gallants. Moreover Madam I can a&s;&s;ure you, that the Court of <HI>Policrates</HI> is not more gallant then ours, and one cannot find more diver&s;ions at <HI>Mi|lete</HI> or <HI>Lesbos,</HI> then at <HI>Priene.</HI> Give me leave to tell you further Madam, that <HI>Iphicra|tes</HI> is not only rarely accompli&s;hed in re&s;pect of his valour and Spirit, but al&s;o becau&s;e he is the mo&s;t &s;incere man alive. Moreover, his per&s;on doth extreamly plea&s;e, for he is of a hand&s;om &s;tature, a good behaviour, and his greate&s;t Enemies cannot charge him with any fault: 'Tis true, that his &s;incerity cau&s;es him &s;ometimes to &s;peak things a little drily; but for all that, he is e&s;teemed by all the world, and loved by all tho&s;e who know him except of that per&s;on, whom of all the world he mo&s;t de&s;ired to be. After this Madam, it is requi&s;ite I tell you, who this fair and unju&s;t per&s;on is of whom I &s;peak, be plea&s;ed to know therefore Madam, that <HI>Iphicrates</HI> after many years ab&s;ence; returned unto <HI>Priene</HI> one evening when there was a Ball kept at the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lanthes</HI> hou&s;e, Niece unto <HI>Bias,</HI> and as one of his age never u&s;es to let &s;lip &s;uch an occa&s;ion, he made him&s;elf ready in all ha&s;t to go unto this meeting, which doubtle&s;s was worthy of his curi|o&s;ity; for I never &s;aw all our Ladies more fair, then they were that night, &s;ince there was not one ill dre&s;&s;ed; and indeed one among&s;t them, who was mo&s;t knowing in &s;uch things confe&s;&s;ed, that they never had a more glorious meeting then this, for it had not the pre&s;&s;ing croud of great fea&s;ts; nor was it one of tho&s;e petty A&s;&s;emblies, where the men have no choice of Ladies to dance withal. Moreover, the Hall was as light as day, and the Mu&s;ique was in an excellent humour.</P>
<P><PB N="100" REF="846">
<HI>Iphicrates</HI> then being entred into the place where they danced with all the gladne&s;s of a man who found &s;uch diver&s;ions, the fir&s;t hour of his arrival: he went to the end of the Hall, where he &s;aw three or four of his ancient friends, talking with &s;ome Ladies who danced not at that time. So that being extreamly glad to &s;ee them, a thou&s;and civil complements pa&s;&s;ed among&s;t them: The Prince&s;s of <HI>Lanthes,</HI> for her particular &s;eemed to be much joyed at his return, and all the gallants who were dancing, made &s;igns either with hand or head, that they longed for the end of the dance, purpo&s;ely to tell him that they were glad of his return. But after the fir&s;t civilities were over, <HI>Iphicrates</HI> had the liberty to view all the beauties of the Ball, and found one among&s;t the re&s;t very lovely, whom he could not remember he had ever &s;een at any meeting before he went from <HI>Pri|ene,</HI> and the truth was, he was in the right; for &s;he was then &s;o young when he went away, that &s;he never went to any Balls: and &s;o it chanced that he never &s;aw her in her infancy; So that wondering to &s;ee her, he asked me who &s;he was, I being one of tho&s;e who was next her? and certainly it was no wonder that this Lady who&s;e name was <HI>Aglatonice</HI> &s;hould rai&s;e his curio&s;ity, &s;he being one of the mo&s;t charming beauties in the world: her compo&s;ure was &s;o noble and hand&s;ome? her Air &s;o gallant and free, that though &s;he was a brown beauty, yet &s;he dimmed the lu&s;ters of all the fair beauties in <HI>Priene.</HI> Doubt|le&s;s there was tho&s;e who had many features, and as good as hers, and perhaps better; but there was not one who could be truly &s;aid a more perfect beauty, &s;ince none did compareably plea&s;e &s;o much as &s;he.</P>
<P><HI>Aglatonice</HI> being as I tell you, <HI>Iphicrates</HI> asked me (as I told you before) who &s;he was? and whether I ever &s;aw her at her own hou&s;e? I &s;uppo&s;e (&s;aid I unto him after I had told her name) that you would never ask this la&s;t que&s;tion, but becau&s;e you intend to be ac|quainted with her; but let me tell you <HI>Iphicrates</HI> (added I) <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> is a mo&s;t dange|rous per&s;on to be &s;een. I know very well, replied he, that &s;uch a beauty as &s;he cannot be &s;een without &s;ome danger: Though that be true as you mean it is, replied I, yet that is not my meaning: What do you mean, replied he? I mean, &s;aid I, that this Lady who is &s;o infinitely lovely and born to be loved, is one of the lea&s;t loving creatures that is in the whole univer&s;e, as tho&s;e &s;ay who think they know her be&s;t; but for my part I am per&s;waded they do not very well know her, and that there are &s;everal ways to pene|trate her heart which they never found out. I pray, &s;aid he unto me, do me the favor to give me the Charracter of this Lady: &s;hould I give it without flattery (&s;aid I and &s;miled) you would never fall in love with her, though I &s;hould with all give her a thou&s;and com|mendations: I pray do then (&s;aid he and &s;miled as well as I) for I am much mi&s;taken in my &s;elf, if I have not already &s;ome light inclination in my heart to love her: I &s;hall then tell you (&s;aid I unto him) that though <HI>Aglatonice</HI> be a Lady of an infinite witt and &s;pirit yet of all that come unto her, &s;he makes no di&s;tinction between men of mean parts, and men of highe&s;t accompli&s;hments, nor between them and &s;uch as are of no qualities at all: &s;o that I a&s;&s;ure you, <HI>Aglatonice</HI> as virtuous as &s;he is, yet never put back any adorer. And yet the world cannot &s;ay &s;he is light; but &s;he has found out an art of having a thou&s;and lovers, and never denies any without being further taxed then to be a lover of plea&s;ures and gallantry in general, and cannot to this hour be accu&s;ed of loving any gallant in par|ticular: Al&s;o there is always &s;o great a croud of &s;ervants about her, as I cannot tell how to mention them; She will allow all to look upon her, and to &s;igh, nor will &s;he forbid any to love her; &s;o that &s;he has always an infinite number of Rivals about her, who be|cau&s;e one is not favored more then another, they live lovingly together without any quar|rels, and almo&s;t without any hatred, and as long as the eyes of <HI>Aglatonice</HI> does not put any difference between them, they do not envy one another. Since then I mu&s;t be mi|&s;erable if <HI>Aglatonice</HI> repul&s;e me (replied <HI>Iphicrates</HI> and laughed) you make me very glad for it is &s;ome &s;atisfaction to be &s;ure not to be treated ill at the fir&s;t: 'Tis true, replied I, but it is a &s;ad &s;tory that after ten years court&s;hip, you cannot hope for any more <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> from her, then you had the fir&s;t day: and to be upon no better terms with her, then a hundred others, who have neither merit nor hand&s;omene&s;s in them. But is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid he) that &s;uch a one as &s;he &s;hould &s;uffer her &s;elf to be loved by &s;uch as are altogether without merit? I prote&s;t unto you Sir, (&s;aid I unto him) I know &s;ome who love her that have no merit at all: and I do prote&s;t further, that &s;he has lovers of all &s;orts, even from the Philo&s;opher, to the fool, and from the valiant man even to the very varlet. Though only out of curio&s;ity, replied <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">,</HI> yet I pray carry me unto her tomor|row: unle&s;s by great chance (&s;aid I unto him) this curio&s;ity will co&s;t you very dear;
<PB N="101" REF="846">
for though I have told you enough to keep you from loving her; yet I am confident, that unle&s;s you do love &s;ome other, you will love her; for &s;he will plea&s;e you above any other and more then any but her &s;elf can. So that &s;ince you are of a temper quite oppo&s;ite to hers, you will be if I be not much mi&s;taken, the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man alive, if you &s;hould fall in love with her. You &s;et her forth in &s;uch a rigorous Charracter; replied he, that I cannot &s;ee any &s;uch cau&s;es of fear: how Sir, &s;aid I unto him, do you not think it the mo&s;t cruell thing in the world to love one who will confound you with a thou&s;and others? and from whom you can expect no more then what you find the fir&s;t day; for &s;he will hark|en unto all: but &s;he will an&s;wer none &s;o kindly as to render them happy; nor &s;o &s;harply as to make them de&s;pair. However, &s;aid he, &s;ee her I mu&s;t, and you will do me a favor if you will carry me unto her to morrow.</P>
<P>This Sir, was the fir&s;t di&s;cour&s;e I had with <HI>Iphicrates</HI> concerning <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> unto whom he could not &s;peak that night, though he would; for &s;he had no &s;ooner done dancing, but ten or twelve were at her feet; and they no &s;ooner came off, but as many more took their places. But Madam, not to &s;pend time in trivials: I carryed <HI>Iphicrates</HI> the next day unto <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> who received him with that gallant and univer&s;al civility which &s;he &s;hewed unto all her vi&s;itants: So that &s;ince &s;he had the be&s;t grace in the world in every thing &s;he did, and &s;ince it was impo&s;&s;ible but &s;he mu&s;t plea&s;e, he was charmed with the &s;ight of her, and he parted from her more in love, then all they he left behind him: yet he did not then tell me as much; but I plainly perceived it, and fearing he &s;hould be too far engaged, I u&s;ed all my arguments to di&s;&s;wade him, though I could &s;ay no wor&s;e of <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> then what I had before: for the truth is, &s;he is one of the mo&s;t rarely accompli&s;hed women in the world: yet Madam it was in vain for me to attempt hindring him from loving <HI>Aglatonice;</HI> for I under&s;tood &s;ince, that this love had its cau&s;e from the Stars, again&s;t which all rea&s;ons were too weak. And indeed, had it not been &s;o, <HI>Iphicrates</HI> had not loved <HI>Aglatonice</HI> &s;o long; but would have left off, as &s;oon as he &s;aw the horrible inju&s;tice &s;he did him, and that you may know it, it is requi&s;ite I acquaint you with &s;omething that proceeded it. Be plea&s;ed to know then, that <HI>Iphicrates</HI> after his fir&s;t vi&s;it, went afterwards by him&s;elf to <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> and went &s;o often, that at la&s;t he could go no where el&s;e. Yet it is not ea&s;ie to under&s;tand why he &s;hould: for this La|dy who never in all her life refu&s;ed any Adoration, or any Adorer, did not accept of that declaration of love which <HI>Iphicrates</HI> made her; but on the contrary found &s;o much &s;corn in her eyes, and &s;uch neutrality and faint indifference in her an&s;wers, as &s;urely had choak|ed his pa&s;&s;ion, had he not been in that condition he was. But his heart being already too far engaged, to retreat upon the fir&s;t repul&s;e, in lieu of cooling his love became more hot: and as till then, he loved her only by inclination, now he loved her with re&s;olution, and determined to oppo&s;e all that oppo&s;ed his happine&s;s. At the fir&s;t, he found &s;ome advantage in being wor&s;e treated then a thou&s;and others, and he thought the rea&s;on was becau&s;e he was more feared then any other: The truth was, he flattered him&s;elf as one that would continue loving her, and indeed as one who could not chu&s;e: yet &s;ometimes her har&s;hne&s;s to him, did almo&s;t drive him into di&s;pair: And one day, being alone with her, becau&s;e he would needs be the la&s;t man, he began to chide her, and to complain of her rigor towards him: for truly Madam (&s;aid he unto her, after many other things) I mu&s;t needs wonder how you can be &s;o inhumane as to forbid me loving you, &s;ince you admit of &s;o many Rivals as your beauty hath made me. If among&s;t this great number, you had made choice of one which was really worthy of your choice, and had bani&s;hed all the re&s;t, doubtle&s;s I &s;hould have much greeved that it was not my fate to be cho&s;en; but yet I &s;hould have made a retreat among the multitude: and if I had complained, it &s;hould have been in &s;ecret, and it &s;hould have been more at my want of merit, then at you. But Madam, the ca&s;e is otherwi&s;e, you have made choice of none, but admit of a thou&s;and, and among&s;t this thou&s;and, you make choice of me, to treat me the wor&s;t of them all: yet I do not &s;ee they are more &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive nor re&s;pective then my &s;elf. I be|&s;eech you Madam, doe one of the&s;e two things; either forbid them to love you as you have done me, or let me love you as they do: yet this propo&s;ition was not accepted, though ju&s;t: for <HI>Aglatonice</HI> maugre all his complaints, did &s;uffer all to love her but him, but him &s;he did forbid: So that his own heart not being able to hold all his &s;or|rows, he made choice of me for the confident of his pa&s;&s;ion. At fir&s;t, I would not pitty him, but upbraided him for neglecting my advice: but at la&s;t, he moved me to &s;o much compa&s;&s;ion, as I became a &s;harer in his &s;orrows.</P>
<P><PB N="102" REF="847">
Is not my &s;tory &s;ad (&s;aid he unto me) and wonderful, that She &s;hould treat me the very wor&s;t of my Rivals, and yet I know no remedy? Had I but one Rival or two, I could finde out wayes to be rid of them. But now, unle&s;&s;e <HI>I</HI> will fight a|bove a hundred combats, and a&s;&s;emble &s;o many friends as <HI>Aglatonice</HI> has Lo|vers, I cannot &s;ee it a po&s;&s;ible to be rid of all my Rivals; and though I had rid my &s;elf of them all, I believe that it would not have any more ingratiated me? Since its credible it would have vexed her to the heart to lo&s;e her croud of Adorers, and it would have trou|bled her more to have &s;een me alone with her, then when I was in the company of &s;o ma|ny men whom I loved not: But Sir, &s;aid I unto him, &s;ince you cannot overcome your Rivals, let me advi&s;e you to overcome your &s;elf: Ah <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) I did not follow your coun&s;el'; but to tell you truly, I did &s;trive, but it was in vain; and <HI>Agla|tonice</HI> for all her indulgency to others, and cruelty to me, has &s;o great a power in my heart, that I am out of all hopes to leave loving her: After this, <HI>Iphicrates</HI> pa&s;&s;ing from one thought unto another: Yet this is &s;ome comfort (added he) that <HI>Aglatonice</HI> makes no choice of any whom She &s;uffers to be about her; for if She &s;hould do that unto one which She does unto all, I &s;hould think my &s;elf a thou&s;and times more mi&s;erable then I am; for then I &s;hould believe She did really love him with whom She &s;hould live in a par|ticular and obliging manner, but &s;ince She hearkens unto all, it is evident She loves the Gallantry more then the Gallant, &s;o that I am half &s;atisfied: If She did only love Gal|lantry in general, replied I, Why does She not admit of yours as well as of the re&s;t? Fie cruel friend, &s;aid he, Why would you bla&s;t that little con&s;olation which I had in de|luding my &s;elf? Becau&s;e (&s;aid I to him) I will not flatter up a di&s;ea&s;e which I de&s;ire to cure. No, no, (&s;aid he to me) never think of finding wayes to make me leave loving <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> for I do profe&s;s and declare I cannot hate her, nor ever will. Then do love her, &s;aid I; But let me tell you, that to love, and not be loved, or without hopes of be|ing &s;o, is a thing which I will never advi&s;e you unto. This Madam was the mind of <HI>Iphi|crates</HI> when his mi&s;ery augmented, which I think I told you was like to drive him into ex|tream di&s;pair. Be plea&s;ed to know, that as <HI>Aglatonice</HI> did almo&s;t every day make a new Conque&s;t, &s;o there was a man of Rank, who yet was never in love; but becau&s;e it was the mode to love <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> he would be in fa&s;hion, and tell her he loved her, and encrea&s;e the number of &s;uch as offered incen&s;e unto her: But Madam, be plea&s;ed to know al&s;o, that this fre&s;h Lover of <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> was the very poor|e&s;t parted fellow of all her Lovers, his wit had neither height, nor depth, nor conceipt, nor quickne&s;s, nor plea&s;ingne&s;s in it; it might truly be called a trifling wit, which &s;port|ed it &s;elf in &s;uch pittiful poor things, and was &s;o far from any Gallantry, that unle&s;s to very ill ta&s;ts, it was intolerable to all accompli&s;hed men. However, <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> being as I have de&s;cribed, and <HI>Iphicrates</HI> al&s;o, yet there was a huge difference in their de&s;tinies, as there was in their de&s;arts: For <HI>Aglatonice</HI> as full of excellencies as She was, yet was mo&s;t extreamly unju&s;t, not only in denying her affection unto <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> but al&s;o in ac|cepting of <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> much more favourably then any other. Thus out of an unparallel|led fanta&s;tical fate, the mo&s;t rarely accompli&s;hed man of all her Lovers was only &s;corned, and the pittifulle&s;t poor parted fellow of them all, was really preferred before all the re&s;t. The inju&s;tice of <HI>Aglatonice</HI> was not at fir&s;t perceived, for it was &s;uch an unlikely thing that <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> &s;hould ever be preferred, that none could &s;u&s;pect her of &s;uch extream weakne&s;s. But as an ill-treated lover u&s;eth to ob&s;erve his Mi&s;tre&s;s neerer then any other, &s;o <HI>Iphicrates</HI> quickly &s;aw that <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> was not only permitted as others were, but pre|ferred before them: For &s;ince <HI>Aglatonice</HI> had as gaeat an inclination to him, as She had an aver&s;ion unto <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> She expre&s;&s;ed more Symptoms of her affection to him She re|ally loved, then to him She did only &s;uffer: So that the unfortunate <HI>Iphicrates</HI> was grieve|ed beyond all expre&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>Then began he to do all he was able not to love her, but as there was &s;ome predomi|nate power which forced him to love her, and likewi&s;e the like power which forced <HI>A|glatonice</HI> to hate him, he was con&s;trained to love her whether he would or no. In the mean time, &s;ince he &s;aw this new Slave every day more like to raign Soveraignly in the heart of <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> and that reports of it began already to fly abroad, he re&s;olved to talk with her, and once in his life to tell her his mind plainly, &s;o that he watched an op|portunity of privacy, yet it was a long time before he could find it: For <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> who naturally made a bu&s;ine&s;s of every trifle, was perpetually about her; but at la&s;t <HI>Iphicra|tes</HI> having communicated his de&s;ign unto me, I promi&s;ed to rid him from the per&s;ecution
<PB N="103" REF="847">
of <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> for tomorrow; and in order to that, I did engage him to be at a hunting meeting, which kept him, until it was very night: So that <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> who went betimes unto <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> had all the conveniency of talk with her he could wi&s;h.</P>
<P>When he fir&s;t entred into her Chamber, She was reading, but not daring to read on, She laid the Book upon the Table negligently, but did not &s;hut it, as if She intended to read pre&s;ently again; and She laid it down in &s;uch a manner, as <HI>Iphicrates</HI> perceived that She was di&s;plea&s;ed at his interrupting her, &s;o that it confirmed him in his re&s;olution of complaining again&s;t her: Yet &s;ince he would not begin his di&s;cour&s;e with complaints, he &s;aluted her very re&s;pectively: What book &s;oever that is you laid by Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) I am &s;ure my company does not plea&s;e you &s;o much as the reading of it did. Truly Sir, &s;aid &s;he, I was not weary with reading it, for it is not with a bad book, as it is with a weari&s;ome friend, &s;ince one may when they will lay the Book a&s;ide, but not &s;o ea&s;ily berid of trouble&s;ome company. Since I am per&s;waded that you have more Lovers then friends (replied I and laughed) I think Madam you were never put to the tryal of that trouble: Though I do agree to what you &s;ay, replied She, yet this does not conclude but I may be troubled, &s;ince there are trouble&s;ome Lovers, as well as trouble&s;ome friends. I know Madam, replied he, how neerly I am concerned in what you &s;ay, but I know with|al, that there is a Lover &s;omtimes with you, who &s;hould not be thought trouble&s;ome, and another al&s;o who &s;hould, at lea&s;t is &s;o to all that know him, except your &s;elf. <HI>Iphicrates</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but <HI>Aglatonice</HI> blu&s;hed for anger and &s;hame, for it was impo&s;&s;ible, maugre her aver&s;ion to <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> and inclination to <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> but &s;he mu&s;t needs know there was a va&s;t difference between tho&s;e two men. So that <HI>Iphicrates</HI> perceiving he had netled her, he grew more bold, though he was re&s;olved not to tran&s;gre&s;s the limits of ci|vility and re&s;pect; &s;o that not giving her &s;o much time as to an&s;wer: I be&s;eech you Ma|dam, &s;aid he unto her, Pardon the exce&s;s of my &s;incerity and plainne&s;s, and as you know it is a virtue which I neither can nor will leave off, &s;o I be&s;eech you let me now tell you my mind fully. So none hath any right to take more liberty then they &s;hould give unto another (replied <HI>Aglatonice</HI> coldly) <HI>I</HI> &s;uppo&s;e you will al&s;o let my tongue take the like liberty of telling my mind if the fancy take me. You may well think Madam, replied he, that a man unto whom you deny every thing, cannot think he hath any right to impo&s;e any Laws upon you: Therefore Madam, when <HI>I</HI> have uttered my mind, you may freely tell me what you plea&s;e, declaring unto you before hand, that the wor&s;t you can tell me &s;hall not &s;urprize me.</P>
<P>But not to lo&s;e &s;uch precious time, the thing <HI>I</HI> have to tell you is, that as violent as my pa&s;&s;ion is unto you, <HI>I</HI> have taught it how to &s;uit it &s;elf unto my bad fortune, and to &s;ub|&s;i&s;t without any hope: Yes Madam, pur&s;ued he, <HI>I</HI> can continue loving you, without any hopes of ever being loved again; and the exce&s;s of my affection is able to do that, which no other Lover but my &s;elf ever could: You know Madam, there was a time when I de&s;i|red you to hearken unto me, as you did unto a hundred others, or el&s;e not to hearken unto tho&s;e others more then you did unto me: But now, being grown more rea&s;onable, and knowing it was not ju&s;t to impo&s;e har&s;h Laws upon her from whom I was to receive them, I am contented Madam you &s;hould hearken unto all tho&s;e whom before I de&s;ired you would not hearken; and I am contented al&s;o you &s;hould not hearken unto me, and to carry my moderation a little higher: I do declare unto you, that all the &s;ervices which I have done you, and all tho&s;e I &s;hall do, and all tho&s;e I have a de&s;ire to do; all I &s;ay will never as long as I live de&s;ire any other recompence, but only this, That you will never hearken unto <HI>Chri&s;ippus;</HI> I conjure you unto it with all imaginable re&s;pect, and all po&s;|&s;ible affection; for truly Madam, he does not merit your ear: I leave you all the re&s;t of my Rivals; &s;o you will but treat him ill; and I do prote&s;t Madam, it concerns your honor as much as it doth my tranquility, to do as I de&s;ire: You think then (replied She) that <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> is much in my favour: Doubtle&s;s I do, replied he, and much better then he de&s;erves, &s;ince he is not ill-treated, of this truth I am not confidently per&s;waded. You have &s;o little to do in any thing that concerns me, an&s;wered She, that I advi&s;e you to &s;ave your labour of pre&s;cribing Laws to me, for I conceive my &s;elf to have right to heark|en unto whom I plea&s;e, and to impo&s;e &s;ilence upon whom I plea&s;e, without any thing to any one, I am &s;atisfied my &s;elf, and I care not a &s;traw whether you be or no. But Ma|dam, &s;aid he then unto her, is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould not be &s;en&s;ible of your inju&s;tice, in hearkening unto <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> more then unto me? What does it concern you, replied She, whether I hearken unto him, or any el&s;e, &s;ince I am fully re&s;olved never to hearken unto
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you? And to &s;peak truly, the difference between tho&s;e you would have me hearken unto, and tho&s;e you you would have me not hearken unto, is only in this, I can hear them with|out loving them, and I am &s;o good as to &s;ave you the labour of telling me a hundred things to no purpo&s;e: Alas Madam, cryed he out, all this might well have been &s;aid unto one who did not love you, but to me, who adores you with infinite devotion, and who can think of nothing but you, it is impo&s;&s;ible you &s;hould deceive me; for though you &s;hould di&s;&s;emble your thoughts, yet I could di&s;cover the happine&s;s of <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> in all your actions; and to tell you truly Madam without flattery, he has not comparably &s;o much wit as you have; therefore I be&s;eech you for your own honors &s;ake, make not choice of him, for I profe&s;s I cannot endure you &s;hould endure him: Though <HI>I</HI> did not love <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> more then any other, replied She, yet I a&s;&s;ure you, that you have done him a very good office, in telling me that you hate him, for though it be only to &s;pite you, I will treat him more civilly then ever I did; for the truth is <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> I do intend to be free, and you &s;hall have nothing to do with the carriage of my &s;elf: I have as much right to make choice of my acquaintance, as I have of the cholors I am to wear; and it con|cerns you as little whether <HI>I</HI> &s;ee <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> or &s;ee him not, as it doth whether <HI>I</HI> wear Carna|tion or Green. Since Carnation doth better become you Madam, then green (replied he &amp; &s;miled) the choice of what cholors you wear is not &s;o indifferent to me as you imagine: for &s;ince <HI>I</HI> do intere&s;t my &s;elf in the glory of your beauty as well as of your wit, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould be gladder to &s;ee you wear what doth become you, then what not. So Madam it does concern me whether you &s;ee <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> or &s;ee him not, &s;ince though <HI>I</HI> had no intere&s;t directly of my own, yet &s;ince <HI>I</HI> am extreamly concerned in your honor, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould be &s;orry you &s;hould blemi&s;h it in &s;uffering &s;uch a Lover. <HI>I</HI> pray <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> &s;aid She unto him, put not my patience to the utmo&s;t te&s;t, for <HI>I</HI> am &s;o fully re&s;olved that all your &s;ayings cannot per|&s;wade me; and the truth is, if it be your de&s;tiny never to be loved, you cannot alter your fate; and if the fate of <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> be not to be hated, he &s;hall not, &s;ay you what you can; therefore &s;et your mind at re&s;t concerning that matter, and to do you all the ju&s;tice <HI>I</HI> am able, <HI>I</HI> will ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s, that <HI>I</HI> know there are &s;ome thoughts of you in my heart, which are not altogether ju&s;t, but &s;ince I am not ju&s;t in it unto my &s;elf as well as you, you have no cau&s;e to complain: How Madam, &s;aid he unto her, would you not have me com|plain of your preferring <HI>Chri&s;ipus</HI> before me? Alas Madam, that is not in my power, and not to lye unto you, my mind is &s;o incen&s;ed at it, that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould rejoyce with all my heart if you &s;hould love any one of all my Rivals, and not him. Since it will do you no good to &s;peak &s;eriou&s;ly (replied She with half a &s;mile) I &s;hall confe&s;s more then you would have me; for <HI>I</HI> do a&s;&s;ure you, there is not one of all tho&s;e whom you call my Rivals, which I do not love a thou&s;and times better then <HI>I</HI> do you, no, not excepting <HI>Chri&s;ippus:</HI> Had you excepted him, replied he, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould have lamented my misfortune in &s;ecret, but &s;ince you do not, my complaints &s;hall cry aloud, &s;o loud, that perhaps you will be forced to confe&s;s, that you did me wrong in driving me to di&s;pair.</P>
<P>As <HI>Aglatonice</HI> was going to an&s;wer, one of her deare&s;t friends entred, who did her the greate&s;t courte&s;ie that could be to break off this conference, and She no &s;ooner &s;aw her, but She went to meet her with extraordinary civility. <HI>Iphicrates</HI> being then in no hu|mour to talk of things indifferent, retired, and with &s;o many marks of vexation in his face, that the Lady who entred, who&s;e name was <HI>Parthenopea,</HI> perceived it, and asked <HI>Aglatonice</HI> the rea&s;on of his going out: For heavens &s;ake (an&s;wered She) pre&s;s me not to tell you why I jarred with <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> for I cannot think upon it without anger: I do not u&s;e to &s;crew out the &s;ecrets of my friends (replied <HI>Parthenopea)</HI> But to te&s;tifie that I am more really yours then any el&s;e, and con&s;equently may challenge a more particular priviledge then any other of your friends, I mu&s;t give you &s;ome advice which perchance will di&s;plea&s;e, and tell you, that there are &s;ome reports fly abroad which are di&s;advantagi|ous to you, yet it is a thing only whi&s;pered, and not &s;poken as an ab&s;olute affirmative: But for all that, I would it were not &s;poke of at all, and I did even this day affirm confi|dently unto tho&s;e who told it unto me, that they were mi&s;taken, and that what they told me was ab&s;olutely fal&s;e, yet <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t confe&s;s <HI>I</HI> am a little afraid it was too true: Since <HI>I</HI> have not the art of divination (replied <HI>Aglatonice</HI> and changed colour) <HI>I</HI> know not what you mean, nor do well know whether <HI>I</HI> &s;hould de&s;ire to know it: But &s;ince <HI>I</HI> am armed again&s;t any thing the world can &s;ay, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you tell me what it &s;ayes of me? Since you give me leave (replied <HI>Parthen pea) I</HI> &s;hall tell you, that &s;uch reports go as you ought to di&s;avow, for its &s;aid, That out of the great number of Lovers which your beauty hath
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made, you have made choice of two to be the objects of two different pa&s;&s;ions, That you hate <HI>Iphicrates</HI> who is the be&s;t accompli&s;hed man of all your Lovers, and that you love <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> who is the wor&s;t. Judg <HI>Aglatonice</HI> whether I have not rea&s;on to &s;ay, that you ought to di&s;avow this for truth: Doubtle&s;s, replied She, I &s;hall not acknowledg that I love <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> but I &s;hall ea&s;ily confe&s;s, that I do not love <HI>Iphicrates.</HI> Since you are &s;o unju&s;t (replied <HI>Parthenopea,</HI> and looked earne&s;tly upon her) as not to love the be&s;t ac|compli&s;hed of all your Lovers, I &s;hall extreamly fear that you do Love him that is the lea&s;t worthy: For truly, who&s;oever does inju&s;tice unto true merit, may as well be favour|able unto him that hath more: You &s;peak &s;o home, replied <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> that though you were the intimate friend of <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> you could not &s;ay more in his behalf: <HI>I</HI> am no in|timate friend unto <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> (replied <HI>Parthenopea)</HI> but <HI>I</HI> am unto you, and under that notion, <HI>I</HI> conjure you to open your heart unto me, that <HI>I</HI> may know whether <HI>I</HI> &s;hould ju&s;tifie or accu&s;e you; but &s;ince we may chance be interrupted here, if you plea&s;e we wil go and walk in &s;ome &s;olitarie Garden.</P>
<P>So that <HI>Aglatonice</HI> taking her at her word, they went both in <HI>Parthenopea</HI>'s Coach to walk in a Garden which is by the Sea &s;ide: But though <HI>Aglatonice</HI> was naturally of a merry humour, yet now She was verie re&s;erved, and walked the length of that long walk in the Garden without &s;peaking one word, and when &s;he came to the end of it, they &s;ate down upon &s;eats of gra&s;s; after which, <HI>Parthenopea</HI> &s;peaking fir&s;t. Had we come hither only to look upon the Sea (&s;aid She unto her) and to hear the plea&s;ant murmure it makes again&s;t the Rocks, you are rightly fitted; for you look and hear &s;o attentively that <HI>I</HI> believe you think upon nothing el&s;e: <HI>I</HI> a&s;&s;ure you (replied <HI>Aglatonice) I</HI> think, it better to hearken unto the noi&s;e of the Sea, then unto you. <HI>I</HI> think not &s;o (replied <HI>Par|thenopea)</HI> for <HI>I</HI> had much rather you would hear me then the Sea; therefore <HI>I</HI> pray tell me truly what are your thoughts, both of <HI>Iphicrates</HI> and of <HI>Chri&s;ippus.</HI> And to begin with the fir&s;t of the&s;e, tell me your rea&s;on if you can, why you hate him, or at lea&s;t why you do not love him? Truly, an&s;wered <HI>Aglatonice, I</HI> cannot tell my &s;elf, for <HI>I</HI> am forced to confe&s;s, that he hath a thou&s;and good qualities, and no bad ones; but for all that, as there is &s;omthing in it which makes me that <HI>I</HI> cannot love him, &s;o al&s;o there is &s;omthing, though <HI>I</HI> know not what, which makes me hate him: Though <HI>I</HI> &s;hould con&s;ent to what you &s;ay (an&s;wered <HI>Parthenopea)</HI> yet <HI>I</HI> cannot con&s;ent that there is any rea&s;on for your &s;omthing, and <HI>I</HI> know not what you mention unto which you a&s;cribe &s;uch power to re|gulate your hatred, or your love: For my part, if rea&s;on told me that <HI>Iphicrates</HI> had a thou&s;and good qualities, and <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> a thou&s;and bad ones, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould &s;ooner believe it, that all your &s;omthings and your <HI>I</HI> know not whats, which are of &s;uch &s;ubtil natures, that done knows where to find them, or how to define them. You &s;peak &s;o plea&s;antly of the&s;e, I know not whats, replied <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> that it is to be believed none was ever troubled with them for you, &s;ince you know not the power of them.</P>
<P>To &s;hew you that <HI>I</HI> am not ignorant (replied <HI>Parthenopea) I</HI> acknowledg that there is an <HI>I</HI> know not what kind of ayr in your per&s;on, and I know not what kinde of excellencie in your Spiris which doth pleafe and charm me; but for all that, <HI>I</HI> know very well that you are in the wrong, and if <HI>I</HI> were in the place of <HI>Iphicrates, I</HI> am &s;ure, that this <HI>I</HI> know not what you &s;peak of, would make me leave loving you. But &s;ince he can|not hate me, replied &s;he, Can he think much that <HI>I</HI> cannot force my affection to him? There is as much rea&s;on for the one, as for the other, and as one may love by rea&s;on, &s;o one may hate by prudence. For my part (replied <HI>Parthenopea) I</HI> am per&s;waded one may and ought, but when rea&s;on is not &s;trong enough to rule all the thoughts of your heart, yet however it ought to be powerful enough to regulate all your actions: And &s;o, &s;ince all the world condemns your rigour unto <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> doubtle&s;s you ought to force, and change your way of behaviour towards him. Then, replied She, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t change my heart and my minde, or el&s;e change <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> otherwi&s;e <HI>I</HI> a&s;&s;ure you <HI>I</HI> &s;hall behave my &s;elf towards him as heretofore <HI>I</HI> have done. As for <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> replied <HI>Parthenopea,</HI> what would you have changed in him? Which of his qualities would you have him leave? <HI>I</HI> a&s;&s;ure you, replied <HI>Aglatonice, I</HI> &s;hould be much puzled to tell you; for when <HI>I</HI> do well examine <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> and find him hand&s;om, that he is a man of courage and wit, that he &s;peaks elegantly, that he is &s;incere and generous: <HI>I</HI> find al&s;o, that every one of the&s;e qua|lities in particular doth plea&s;e me; but I do finde al&s;o, that being put all together, they do not plea&s;e me; and that though <HI>Iphicrates</HI> be an excellently accom|pli&s;hed man, yet is not &s;o as he ought to be to make me love him. But (replied <HI>Parthe|nopea)</HI>
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as you have ingeuiou&s;lie told me what you think of <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> &s;o tell me <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you what you think of <HI>Chri&s;ippus?</HI> But by all means tell me &s;incerely. Since perhaps you would think more then is true, if <HI>I</HI> &s;hould make a my&s;terie of it (replied <HI>Aglatonice)</HI> I will confe&s;s unto you, That as I do not well know what it is which cau&s;eth my aver&s;ion unto <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> &s;o I know much le&s;s the cau&s;e of my inclination not to hate <HI>Chri&s;ippus.</HI> And to &s;hew you that I am not blinde (added She and blu&s;ht) I know verie wel, that when I examine all that is good in <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> I cannot finde one &s;ingle excellent quality, but find that there is many things in him which I wi&s;h were not: But for all that, when I look up|on him without examination, I mu&s;t confe&s;s that he doth not di&s;plea&s;e me &s;o much as ma|ny others, who are much more e&s;teemed in the world then he is I do pro&s;e&s;s <HI>Aglato|nice</HI> (replied <HI>Parthenopea)</HI> this is intolerable; for if you were not altogether prejudicate|ed, and if you did not know the good that is in <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> and the ill that is in <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> I &s;hould then pitie you in lieu of accu&s;ing you: But to &s;ee that you &s;hould &s;light that, which by your own confe&s;&s;ion you know to be worthie of e&s;teem, and to &s;ee you love that which you know is not amiable, this is a thing &s;o &s;trange, that I do hate you &s;hould be capable of it. Yet endure it you mu&s;t, replied She, for I do prote&s;t I can do no otherwi&s;e. Then you do the greate&s;t piece of inju&s;tice that ever was done (replied She) Since I do what plea&s;e|eth my &s;elf, replied <HI>Aglatonice, I</HI> will never trouble my &s;elf any further. But then, an|&s;wered <HI>Parthenopea, I</HI> mu&s;t not any more deny that which <HI>I</HI> did &s;o earne&s;t deny before, and you mu&s;t dictate unto me how you would have me an&s;wer tho&s;e who accu&s;e you for hating of <HI>Iphic ate,</HI> and loving <HI>Chri&s;ippus;</HI> As for <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> replied <HI>Aglatonice</HI> &s;harply, <HI>I</HI> will not acknowledg that <HI>I</HI> love him, for you know <HI>I</HI> do not u&s;e to avow any &s;uch things; all <HI>I</HI> would have you do for me is, to keep me from being blamed for my aver&s;ion u to <HI>Iphi|crates.</HI> To avoid that blame, replied <HI>Parthenopea,</HI> you mu&s;t treat <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> le&s;s favourable then you do, and mu&s;t not hearken any more unto that croud of Lovers which pre&s;s about you, for then the world will &s;ay you have changed your humour, and hath bani&s;hed all Gallants in general, becau&s;e you affect not Gallantrie. But that you &s;hould &s;uffer a hun|dred to love you, and out of this hundred you &s;hould chu&s;e the lea&s;t de&s;erving man, and dot endure <HI>Iphicrates</HI> the mo&s;t meritorious, this is the mo&s;t unrea&s;onable thing that ever a|ny did. However it be, an&s;wered <HI>Aglatonice, I</HI> &s;hall not follow your coun&s;el, for <HI>I</HI> do love the world, and hate &s;olitude; and &s;ince tho&s;e who throng about me do onlie make a noi&s;e, it is a diver&s;ion to me, and to tell you trulie, <HI>I</HI> delight not in &s;ilence unle&s;s in a For|re&s;t; and yet <HI>I</HI> had rather hear the croaking of Crows, as har&s;h as the noi&s;e is, the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> hear nothing at all, and therefore <HI>I</HI> will continue &s;eeing tho&s;e <HI>I</HI> u&s;e to do, and <HI>I</HI> a&s;&s;ure you <HI>I</HI> will not ab&s;olutely thwart my &s;elf; and <HI>I</HI> am fully per&s;waded, that ever &s;ince there were a|ny men, there hath been continuallie &s;ome who have loved more out of fancie then rea|&s;on, and therefore though <HI>I</HI> did love <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> more then <HI>I</HI> do, yet <HI>I</HI> were not &s;o blameable as you make me. Al&s;o &s;ince <HI>I</HI> wil never do any thing for <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> again&s;t what <HI>I</HI> owe unto my &s;elf, &s;urelie it were unju&s;t <HI>I</HI> &s;hould go and trouble the tranquilitie of my life onlie for the &s;atisfaction of <HI>Iphicrates;</HI> and therefore my dear <HI>Parthenopea,</HI> let not this piece of inju&s;tice wherewith you upbraid me, make me lo&s;e your e&s;teem or friend&s;hip. As for my friend&s;hip, replied She, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall leave it with you; but as for my e&s;teem, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t confe&s;s you have a le&s;s &s;hare in it, then you had when <HI>I</HI> came to you: for trulie when <HI>I I</HI> con&s;ider, that you &s;hould &s;light the mo&s;t de&s;erving of your Lovers, and prefer the verie wor&s;t, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall think you capable of being unju&s;t in matters of friend&s;hip, as well as in matters of Gallantrie, and to prefer the wor&s;t woman in all the Court before me, &s;ince there can be no greater a difference between her &amp; me, then between <HI>Iphicrates</HI> &amp; <HI>Chri&s;ip|pus.</HI> That which doth mo&s;t comfort me in your anger is, replied <HI>Aglatonice</HI> &amp; &s;miled, though out of &s;pite, becau&s;e <HI>I</HI> perceive you do not think <HI>I</HI> love <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> very well, for if you did think &s;o, you would not &s;peak &s;o &s;cornfullie of me. On the contrarie, replied <HI>Par|thenopea, I</HI> &s;peak as <HI>I</HI> do, becau&s;e <HI>I</HI> think you do love him, for if <HI>I</HI> did not think &s;o, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould not &s;peak at all. But <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t needs confe&s;s, that &s;eeing you &s;o amiable as you are, <HI>I</HI> cannot endure you &s;hould love below your &s;elf, and &s;corn a Lover who indeed is wor|thie of you; and therefore, that <HI>I</HI> may no more upbraid you with the&s;e two things, <HI>I</HI> be|&s;eech you &s;trive with your &s;elf either to leave &s;corning <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> or to leave loving <HI>Chri&s;ip|pus.</HI> Trulie <HI>Parthenopea,</HI> &s;aid She and blu&s;hed, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould be verie much puzled &s;hould <HI>I</HI> offer it, to make choice of one of thee two, for they &s;eem unto me both equallie difficult, and &s;ince <HI>I</HI> cannot endure any difficulties, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you pardon, if <HI>I</HI> do not attempt either.</P>
<P>This Madam was the conference between <HI>Aglatonice</HI> and <HI>Parthenopea,</HI> which yet did not
<PB N="107" REF="849">
end thus. For be plea&s;ed to know that the Garden wherein they were having three doors, <HI>Iphicrates</HI> to entertain his own melancholy thoughts did enter in at one, where <HI>Parthe|nopea</HI>'s Coach was not; and not &s;u&s;pecting <HI>Aglatonice</HI> to be there, he began to mu&s;e up|on the oddne&s;s of his fate, and &s;o went on in his &s;tudie, until he came to the place where <HI>Aglatonice</HI> and <HI>Parthenopea</HI> did &s;it. But to render this accident more extraordinarie, <HI>Chri|&s;ippus</HI> returning from hunting &s;ooner then I wi&s;hed, I made the motion when we came to the Gate <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> this Garden, to light from our hor&s;es, and take a turn in it: For &s;aid I, hunt|ing habits are not fit for the vi&s;it of Ladies. So that <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> not dreaming of my de&s;ign (which was to keep him from interrupting my friend) and being unwilling to di&s;plea&s;e a man who had diverted him all that day, he lighted from his hor&s;e, and went fir&s;t into the Garden. We had not gone thirty paces, but we &s;aw <HI>Aglatonice, Parthenopea,</HI> &amp; <HI>Iphicrates</HI> al|together, and yet they &s;aw not us. I &s;eeing this, though I could not do my friend a great|er plea&s;ure, then to &s;tave off his Rival all the re&s;t of the day: So as I per&s;waded <HI>Chri|&s;ippus,</HI> that &s;ince the&s;e Ladies &s;aw us not, our be&s;t way was to retreat, &s;ince it was not hand&s;om to &s;hew our &s;elves in &s;uch rude habits. But <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> being in love, and of a ha&s;ty Spirit to execute what ere he had a fancie to, in lieu of an&s;wering me, he went &s;traight to <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> caring no more for me, then if I had been none of his company. But Madam, in his addre&s;s to her, he u&s;ed &s;uch trivial expre&s;&s;ions, which had neither &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s, or Gal|lantrie, or delight in them, that <HI>Parthenopea</HI> looking &s;lily upon <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> She made her blu&s;h: But on the contrarie, <HI>Iphicrates</HI> &s;poke &s;o exactlie, and played &s;o hand&s;omlie up|on his Rival, that <HI>Aglatonice</HI> in her aver&s;ion to him was no le&s;s vexed, that <HI>Iphicrates</HI> did &s;peak well, then She was a&s;hamed <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> &s;poke ill: So that not to be forced to com|mend <HI>Iphicrates</HI> in &s;ecret, nor blame <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> She talked on continually.</P>
<P><HI>Parthenopea</HI> having a &s;ubtil wit, and perceiving that <HI>Aglatonice</HI> talked only to make o|thers &s;ilent, did whi&s;per her in the ear and chide her: All will not do (&s;aid She unto her) for though you hinder <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> from talking of trifles, and <HI>Iphicrates</HI> from &s;peak|ing excellently, yet you cannot hinder, but that there will be &s;till a va&s;t difference be|tween them; for indeed you need onlie to ob&s;erve, how they hearken to you, and how they under&s;tand you, to make the di&s;tinction. I profe&s;s <HI>Parthenopea</HI> (&s;aid She as loud as She could) you are this day one of my cruel per&s;ecutors: Have I not good rea&s;on? (replied <HI>Parthenopea)</HI> For my part (&s;aid <HI>Iphicrates</HI> to contradict <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> though he knew not of whom they &s;poke) I am per&s;waded, that <HI>Parthenopea</HI> is in the right: For my part (&s;aid <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> to contradict <HI>Iphicrates)</HI> I think <HI>Aglatonice</HI> is in the right. I a&s;&s;ure you, (replied <HI>Parthenopea</HI> and &s;miled) you do her the greate&s;t wrong in the world to think &s;o, and there were never any thoughts more unju&s;t then hers. Then I am verie happie in taking your part, replied <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> for &s;ince I cannot be of <HI>Aglatonices.</HI> I mu&s;t be on rea&s;ons &s;ide. Though <HI>Parthenopea</HI>'s &s;ide be the mo&s;t ju&s;t that can be, replied <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> yet you are very unju&s;t, becau&s;e you take her part, and know not why. Af|ter this, <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> would have &s;aid &s;omthing, as if he would have given the mo&s;t convin|cing rea&s;ons in the world to prove, that he was more ju&s;t then <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> but all his argu|ments were as light as ayr, and <HI>Parthenopea</HI> could not forbear laughing; And <HI>Aglato|nice</HI> not being able to &s;tay any longer &s;aid, That She feared it would rain, and &s;o retired. But to the grief of <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> this inhumane per&s;on, notwith&s;tanding the great diffe|rence which She &s;aw between him and <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> She turned verie obliginglie towards the la&s;t of the&s;e, and giving him her hand: Since you took my part; &s;aid &s;he unto him, it is but ju&s;t I carry you to the garden door, and let <HI>Parthenopea</HI> do that office if &s;he plea&s;e for her Champion <HI>Iphicrates.</HI> I a&s;&s;ure you, replied <HI>Parthenopea,</HI> and laughed, &s;ince <HI>Iphicrates</HI> was with you before <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> came in, he &s;hall not lo&s;e the plea&s;ure he would have had, if <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> had not come; therefore he &s;hall lead you as well as <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> and for me. I hope <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> will do me the favour to conduct me; and indeed Madam &s;o it was, <HI>Iphi|crates</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> both of them did lead <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> and I pre&s;ented my hand unto <HI>Parthenopea,</HI> who as long as we were in the walk which led us to the Gate where her Coach was, She did very hand&s;omly twit <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> with his follies, and applaud <HI>Iphi|crates,</HI> but at la&s;t we parted.</P>
<P><HI>Parthenopea</HI> carried <HI>Aglatonice</HI> to her hou&s;e, <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> went home, and I went with <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> who as &s;oon as we were in his Chamber, related unto me all his di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Aglatonice.</HI> Well, &s;aid I unto him, after I had heard him out, What do you now re&s;olve upon? To be, replied he, the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man alive. For my part, &s;aid I un|to him, Methinks you &s;hould take a more generous cour&s;e, and it is much better to cea&s;e
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loving <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> then thus eternally to &s;erve her. I do confe&s;s it, &s;aid he, but I mu&s;t do as I can. It is &s;o natural, replied I, not to love tho&s;e who love not us, and to hate tho&s;e who hate us, that I wonder you &s;hould &s;till love <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> who you know can never love you: Oh cruel friend (&s;aid he then unto me) be contented to tell me that She does not love me, and do not &s;ay &s;he never will. Since I know no better way to extin|gui&s;h Love then to extingui&s;h hope, replied I, I &s;hould be &s;orry to give you any fal&s;e grounds for it, but would gladly cure you at once of a di&s;ea&s;e, which none <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> admini|&s;ter any remedie unto, but only your &s;elf: All you &s;ay, replied he, is full of rea&s;on? But for all that, there is &s;uch a &s;trong inclination in my heart towards <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> that I am per&s;waded I &s;hould love her, though in the arms of my Rival, and mu&s;t love her, though &s;he drive me to the Aby&s;s of di&s;pair: Indeed I do not love that <HI>Aglatenice</HI> &s;hould have &s;uch an unmea&s;urable love unto all that can be called plea&s;ures and diver&s;ions, nor do I affect &s;he &s;hould have &s;uch a croud alwayes about her, and le&s;s, that &s;he &s;hould receive incen&s;e for all that offer it; I am al&s;o vexed to the &s;oul, that &s;he &s;hould never refu&s;e any heart but mine, e&s;pecially that &s;he &s;hould treat <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> with a thou&s;and favours above others, but for all this <HI>I</HI> love her; and if I be not much mi&s;taken, &s;hall love her as long as I live. But I am &s;o bafled in my adventure this day, that I am re&s;olved to try all re|medies which are u&s;ed to advi&s;e &s;uch as are in love: And &s;ince I have heard &s;ay, that ab|&s;ence is a mo&s;t excellent one, I will get me further off <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> and will depart with|out bidding her adieu.</P>
<P><HI>Iphicrates</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but to incourage him in his de&s;ign, I u&s;ed all my ar|guments to per&s;wade him to leave <HI>Priene</HI> for a time, and accordingly, within three daies after, he did depart, and departed without taking his leave of <HI>Aglatonice.</HI> Yet I am &s;ure that he repented a hundred times of his re&s;olution; but for all that, he did put it into ex|ecution in &s;pite of his love, and went to pa&s;s away his exile in <HI>Samos,</HI> to the end that be|ing in a Court of high Gallantrie, he might the better cure him&s;elf of his pa&s;&s;ion. More|over, during his ab&s;ence, I did write unto him all that I thought expedient to cha&s;e Love out of his heart, for <HI>Aglatonice</HI> entertained no fre&s;h Lover, but I &s;ent him word of it, nor &s;he conferred no new favour upon <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> but he had it in a Letter from me: She &s;poke al&s;o many bitter invictives again&s;t him, which I did let him know; and indeed <HI>I</HI> o|mitted nothing which might conduce to his cure. For all this Madam, my remedies were in vain, and ab&s;ence, as powerful as it is, could not change the heart of <HI>Iphicrates.</HI> So that finding him&s;elf as deep in love as ever, and &s;ince ab&s;ence did but make him more mi|&s;erable at <HI>Samos</HI> then he was at <HI>Priene,</HI> he writ me a Letter, which <HI>I</HI> will relate, becau&s;e it is not long.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>IPHICRATES <HI>unto</HI> CHERSIAS.</HEAD>
<P><HI>TRuth is, my dear</HI> Cher&s;ias, <HI>I kn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">w to my <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ame, that I am the ba&s; &s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">man alive, &s;ince I do plainly &s;ee, I am not able to leave loving</HI> Aglatonice; <HI>and &s;ince &s;o, I mu&s;t content my &s;elf with the mi&s;ery of loving her without hopes of being loved, and not be &s;o mi&s;erable, as to love her and be ab&s;ent too; therefore within this three daies I &s;hall imbarque, and come to &s;eek &s;ome comfort in doing &s;ome ill office unto</HI> Chri&s;ippus, <HI>and in acquainting you with the mi&s;e|ries of your friend.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>IPHICRATES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P><HI>I</HI> mu&s;t confe&s;s Madam, that as well as Floved <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> I received his Letter without any joy, and heard of his return with much &s;orrow; for I having contracted an intima|cy with <HI>Parthenopea,</HI> and &s;he being extreamly vexed at the inju&s;tice of <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> I un|der&s;tood by her that <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> was daily more and more happy, not that there was any thing in him to &s;tave off other Lovers from his Mi&s;tre&s;s, but it was becau&s;e he was incom|parably better in her fancy and opinion then any other, though &s;he had no rea&s;on in the earth for it. So that when <HI>Iphicrates</HI> returned unto <HI>Priene,</HI> he found things in a wor&s;e condition then when he left it: And certainly he found it &s;o, for when he went upon his fir&s;t vi&s;it unto <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> &s;he received him with a &s;trange coldne&s;s, and returned &s;uch faint an&s;wers to all he &s;aid, and turned matters &s;o to other &s;ubjects, that <HI>Iphicrates</HI> could
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not under&s;tand her. But he having an excellent wit, he pre&s;ently perceived the malice of this unju&s;t woman, and having no minde to be bafled into &s;ilence before &s;o many Rivals, as &s;oon as he &s;aw his opportunity he began to &s;peak&punc; and talked as fa&s;t upon things which pa&s;&s;ed at <HI>Samos</HI> whil&s;t he was in the Court of <HI>Policrite,</HI> as <HI>Aglatonice</HI> talked of pa&s;&s;ages in <HI>Priene,</HI> during his ab&s;ence; but the difference was, he told all his &s;tories in a plea|&s;ant merry manner, for being de&s;irous to let her &s;ee he under&s;tood her de&s;ign, he talked for an hour together the mo&s;t plea&s;antly that is imaginable, but all was of things &s;o far out of the knowledg of <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> that &s;he had no greater &s;hare in his di&s;cour&s;e, then he had in hers before; and the better to facilitate his de&s;ign, there was one at that time with <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> who had been in <HI>Samos:</HI> And &s;ince there happen'd a mo&s;t &s;trange acci|dent concerning a Ring which <HI>Policrite</HI> let fall into the Sea, at a Fea&s;t with Ladies upon the water, and which was found again a few daies after, he addre&s;&s;ed his di&s;cour&s;e continu|ally unto this man, and intermixing in his di&s;cour&s;e the names of <HI>Alcidamia, Meneclides,</HI> and <HI>Aca&s;ta,</HI> who were Ladies of that Court, he talked of &s;tately Edifices, and com|po&s;ed things and his talk into &s;uch an ingenious mi&s;cellany, that <HI>Aglatonice</HI> could not catch an opportunity of hand&s;omly interrupting him, as he had interrupted her. But at la&s;t, &s;he being put beyond her patience, and not being able to endure that <HI>Iphicrates</HI> &s;hould return malice for malice, &s;he cut him off &s;hort: I have often heard &s;ay (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that the fir&s;t vi&s;its of a man returned from travel are very dangerous, but I never tryed it till now: For (added &s;he in a twitting rallary) here is <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> who hath been no further then <HI>Samos,</HI> yet he is as greedy to tell all he has &s;een, as if he had been in <HI>Per|&s;ia, Aegypt, Babylon, Ecbatan,</HI> and <HI>Scithea,</HI> and he talks, as if he had &s;een &s;uch &s;trange things as never were talked of before. Being per&s;waded Madam that you know mo&s;t ex|actly all. Rules of Civility, replied he half &s;miling, and never u&s;e to fail in the lea&s;t cir|cum&s;tance, I did believe, that &s;ince you thought good to talk a whole hour of things which I under&s;tood not, &s;o you will not take it ill, if I talked of things which you did not under&s;tand; and the rather, becau&s;e tho&s;e who return from travel have a peculiar priviledg for being heard: For my part, replied <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> I know not why they &s;hould have that priviledg, for I do not care for knowing things which happen not in the place where I live: Doubtle&s;s Sir (replied <HI>Iphicrates)</HI> it is an argument of great moderation of minde, to confine ones curio&s;ity to the place where he dwells, and it is the only way to get good information: Though it &s;eem you are not of opinion with <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> an&s;wer|ed <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> yet I mu&s;t tell you, that <HI>I</HI> fear nothing in the world more, then to meet with the&s;e makers of journeys, and tellers of &s;trange prodigies, who will make it a whole daies work in telling you, that in &s;uch a place is a River which empties it &s;elf into a Gulf, and ri&s;es again a hundred furlongs off; and in another place he found Mountains higher then the Clouds; that in <HI>Aegppt</HI> the High-Prie&s;ts Surple&s;&s;es are with Fringe and Ta&s;&s;els upon it, that the King of <HI>Medes</HI> Throne is all of gold, that in <HI>Phrygia</HI> the Gordian knot is the &s;trange&s;t thing that ever was &s;een, and a hundred &s;uch: But I pray, &s;aid &s;he in the prettie&s;t rapture of wit that ever was &s;een, What have I to do with this River, that Mountain, the High-Prie&s;t, the Throne of Gold, and that Knot which none can unty? Is it not better to tell of things within the compa&s;s of our knowledge, and of &s;uch things as concerns us, then of &s;uch things of which we have no need? Yet there are a &s;ort of men who are extreamly ignorant in any thing that concerns them, and knowing enough in things which concerns them not: For my particular, pur&s;ued &s;he, I know a man who can number up all the Mon&s;ters about the river <HI>Nilus;</HI> and knows, as he &s;ayes, how the Phoenix is produced, and the <HI>Halcions,</HI> who for all that does not know half the creatures of his own Country.</P>
<P>Though the mind of <HI>Iphicrates</HI> was netled at the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> yet he could not chu&s;e but think it plea&s;ant: Yet I being pre&s;ent at the conference, and was de&s;irous to turn all into rallary, I began to &s;peak, and told <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> that if ever <HI>I</HI> travelled, I would be &s;ure of never &s;eeing her, until I was weary of relating unto others all that I had &s;een abroad: Truly, &s;aid &s;he, you would do me a plea&s;ure in it: Yet truly, &s;aid I unto her; what you &s;ay is not &s;o full of rea&s;on as you think it; for I am per&s;waded, that to confine ones knowledg only unto the things of ones own Country, is the way to limit our knowledg into too narrow a compa&s;s, and there is much plea&s;ure to be taken in being ac|quainted with things that are excellent in all other Countryes: I confe&s;s it, replied &s;he, and I believe that tho&s;e who travel have very much &s;atisfaction; but yet <HI>I</HI> would not have them at their return, tire tho&s;e they meet withal with continual relations of it, but tarry
<PB N="110" REF="851">
till fit opportunities to talk of what they have &s;een, does naturally offer them&s;elves, and and not to catch at all opportunities of talking thereupon. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> I wonder how any one can finde any &s;atisfaction in being in a &s;trange Country where they do not under&s;tand the language, to be put to the inconveniency of changing their lodg|ings every night, and often put to many a hard &s;hift: Since you did never travel Sir (re|plied <HI>Iphicrates</HI> coldly) doubtle&s;s you are ignorant of the pains and the plea&s;ures of tho&s;e who have; yet you may think your &s;elf happy that can &s;it at ea&s;e with <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> and hear what others have learned with &s;o much wearine&s;s and fears: For my part (&s;aid <HI>A|glatonice,</HI> purpo&s;ely to hinder <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> from &s;peaking impertinently) I am not at all &s;orry to know how they live in other Courts: But to tell you truly, it is an argument of great defect in judgment, to be alwayes relating what one hath &s;een: Since I am ju&s;t Ma|dam, replied <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> I do concur with you; for it is very true, one ought to chu&s;e then per&s;ons unto whom he &s;peaks of &s;uch things, and never to be long and tedious in his rela|tions, unle&s;s he be ingaged by the particular curio&s;ity of tho&s;e unto whom he &s;peaks, for in &s;uch a ca&s;e one may de&s;cribe a whole Country without any ab&s;urdity: But my meaning is Madam, that the mo&s;t plea&s;ing &s;tudy one can follow, is travels; and the faire<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> diver|&s;ion in the world is, to be acquainted (e&s;pecially from a man of ingenuity) with what is rare, and worthy of ob&s;ervation in all places he hath been, provided it be told without affectation, and without in&s;i&s;ting upon &s;uch things, as are neither diverting nor nece&s;&s;a|ry; for I mu&s;t confe&s;s, when men will trouble them&s;elves and the company with telling a thou&s;and impertinent circum&s;tances, which relate nothing to the purpo&s;e, but are tedi|ous, it were to be wi&s;hed, that &s;uch had never &s;tirred from home; for &s;uch, if they had known le&s;s, they had &s;poken le&s;s.</P>
<P>Moreover, there are another &s;ort of men, who u&s;e to ob&s;erve nothing but what they &s;hould forget, and never minde &s;uch things as are mo&s;t worthy of con&s;ideration. But however, though I de&s;ire to know nothing but what is worthy to be known, yet I had ra|ther one &s;hould tell me &s;ome frivilous things, provided there be any diver&s;ion in them, then that they &s;hould tell me nothing at all; and be&s;ides all this, it is oftentimes more agreeable to company, to talk of what is far off us, then what is neer; for there is &s;uch &s;trange news abroad here at this time, that it is better to talk of any thing el&s;e: Since I do as much de&s;ire to know the pa&s;&s;ages of <HI>Priene,</HI> replied <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> as I do hate to know what happens any where el&s;e, I would you would tell me what this &s;trange news is? Another time I &s;hall Sir, an&s;wered <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> but now I will not tell it un|to any but <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> if She plea&s;e to hear it.</P>
<P><HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> hearing <HI>Iphicrates</HI> &s;ay &s;o, was very importunate with <HI>Aglatonice</HI> to know it, in hopes to know it him&s;elf afterwards: But She having as much wit as he had little, did know very well, that She was concerned in what he would tell her, &s;o as &s;he told <HI>Chri&s;ip|pus,</HI> that She was not &s;o full of curio&s;ity as he was, and therefore would not de&s;ire of <HI>Iphicrates</HI> any thing he would not tell unto others. But the more &s;he denied <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> the more he importun'd her, and was &s;o earne&s;t with <HI>Iphicrates</HI> to impart this &s;trange news, that She to &s;top the fooli&s;h importunitie of <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> did &s;uffer <HI>Iphicrates</HI> to tell it her in a low voice, and the be&s;t je&s;t was, whil&s;t he talked with her, his Rival was the gladde&s;t man in the world, imagining that what&s;oever was told unto <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> he &s;hould know it before night, but he was mi&s;taken, for the bu&s;ine&s;s was of another nature then to be im|parted unto <HI>Chri&s;ippus:</HI> And indeed Madam, as &s;oon as this Lover had obtained leave to &s;peak low, he whi&s;pered <HI>Aglatonice</HI> in the ear: The &s;trange news I heard as I came hither was (&s;aid he unto her) that you do &s;till continue unju&s;t; and that <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> though an A&s;s, is more in your favour then ever he was, but that I on the other &s;ide am far wor&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Iphicrates</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid this, but <HI>Aglatonice</HI> with a &s;trange inhumanity, and incre|dible boldne&s;s began to &s;peak, and told <HI>Iphicrates</HI> aloud, that all this he told her was no news at all, and that She knew all he &s;aid long &s;ince, and that nothing in the world was more true then it: I leave you to judg Madam, whether or no this cruel an&s;wer did in|cen&s;e <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> yet it did not much move him, but he contented him&s;elf with telling <HI>A|glatonice,</HI> that he was very &s;orry She knew it, and &s;hould have been very glad if &s;he had not; after which, not being able to &s;tay any longer there, he went out, and I with him; and &s;o we left <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> importuning <HI>Aglatonice</HI> to tell him what <HI>Iphicrates</HI> had &s;aid. But Sir, this unfortunate Lover had a mind &s;o unquiet, that I never in all my life &s;aw &s;uch &s;igns of fury in the face of a man; and as &s;oon as he came into his Chamber, he talked to me,
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as if he would run out of his wits: But, &s;aid I unto him, Why do you not make u&s;e of all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages to hate <HI>Aglatonice?</HI> I do prote&s;t, &s;aid he unto me, My heart begins to re&s;ent that which it never did before, for till now, I thought that I &s;hould love <HI>Aglato|nice</HI> even in the very Arms of my Rival; but now I begin to think, that if She &s;hould marry him, I &s;hould hate her: If you be very certain of what you &s;ay, replied I, I would do your Rival &s;ervice in lieu of hindering him; for &s;ince you cannot be loved, it is better to hate, then love her who cannot love you, and to cure your &s;elf by hatred, then to be eternally mi&s;erable, in &s;uffering for one that will neither care nor comfort you. Though I make no que&s;tion (replied he) but that remedy would cure me, yet I do prote&s;t I will not &s;eek it, but on the contrary, will hinder my &s;elf from u&s;ing it as much as I can, not but that my minde de&s;ires a cure, but yet my heart re&s;i&s;ts it; and the truth is, I am the mo&s;t mi&s;erable Lover that ever was. After this Madam, I u&s;ed a hundred &s;harp inve|ctives again&s;t <HI>Aglatonice;</HI> and I perceived &s;o well, that if <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> married her, he would not love her, as I re&s;olved to u&s;e my utmo&s;t endeavours in ha&s;ting the happine&s;s of <HI>Chri&s;ippus.</HI></P>
<P>Thus to &s;erve my friend; <HI>I</HI> &s;erved his Rival, and did as much for his Enemy, as <HI>I</HI> could have done for him. But in conclu&s;ion Madam, not to be over-tedious, let me tell you, that to &s;atisfie his pa&s;&s;ion by his revenge, he fought with <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> and di&s;armed him: But vanqui&s;hed as he was, <HI>Aglatonice</HI> &s;till preferred him before <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> whom She hated much more then before the Combat: So that I re&s;olved to negotiate the bu&s;ine&s;s with one that was Cozen unto <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> whom I was well acquainted with, and was &s;o happy in my tran&s;action, that the Marriage between <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> and her was made up; yet I under&s;tood &s;ince from <HI>Parthenopea,</HI> that though <HI>Aglatonice</HI> loved <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> yet yet She could hardly re&s;olve to marry him: But at la&s;t Madam, &s;he did marry him with|out any &s;eeming repugnancy. In the mean time, it was no &s;ooner reported that <HI>Chri&s;ip|pus</HI> was to marry <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> but it was again reported, that he had already married her, for the marriage was not above four daies in compleating: So that <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> who was gone a daies journey out of <HI>Priene,</HI> knew nothing of all this: But Madam, he received the news of it in &s;o &s;trange a manner, as I think you never heard the like; and I being accidentally at his Gate when he returned, as &s;oon as he lighted from his hor&s;e, and both of us come into his Chamber, he told me how he pa&s;&s;ed by the lodging of <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> and there was &s;uch a croud of people, that he believed there had been &s;ome qnarrel, ask|ing me if I knew between whom: I know not (&s;aid I unto him) whether <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> have been quarrelling or no, but I know very well that he married <HI>Aglatonice</HI> ye&s;terday, and that there are a great croud of people at his hou&s;e: How (cried out <HI>Iphicrates) A|glatonice</HI> married to <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> Yes, replied I, and I mu&s;t &s;ummon you to be as good as your word; and ask you if you will hate her? Yes, yes, (replied he very &s;harply) I will, I will hate her, and hate her &s;o heartily, that if <HI>I</HI> do not hate her, I will hate my &s;elf: For truly <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) I mu&s;t not by any means continue loving a fooli&s;h woman; that hath wholly be&s;towed her &s;elf upon the poore&s;t parted fellow that lives a|mong&s;t men: Had She only treated me ill, &s;aid he, I prote&s;t I &s;hould &s;till have loved her as long as I lived; or had She only preferred <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> before me without marriage, I &s;hould have &s;uffered her inju&s;tice without hatred: But to ca&s;t away her &s;elf, to &s;atisfie the pa&s;&s;ion of &s;uch a man as <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> this is a &s;in &s;o &s;imple, that <HI>I</HI> can never pardon it: Yes, yes, <HI>Cher&s;ias,</HI> &s;aid he, hold me for the ba&s;e&s;t of men if ever I be either an Adorer or Lover of her that is Wife unto <HI>Chri&s;ippus.</HI></P>
<P>At the&s;e words <HI>Iphicrates</HI> &s;topped, as if he would ask him&s;elf whether all this was true, then &s;aid he upon a &s;udden; No, no, I &s;hall quickly leave loving <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> for <HI>I</HI> find in my &s;elf a great di&s;po&s;ition to &s;corn her: You may well imagine Madam, that I con|firmed him in this minde as much as I could, and indeed he was &s;o fully re&s;olved to drive <HI>Aglatonice</HI> out of his heart, that in a few daies he found his anger to be higher then his Love: And as a great help to his cure, he never came in any place where <HI>Aglatonice</HI> was not much condemned; &s;o that curing him&s;elf by a re&s;entment of &s;pite, he pa&s;&s;ed from anger to hatred, and a while after, from hatred to indifferency, and at la&s;t not to endure the very &s;ight of her. In the mean time, this unju&s;t per&s;on was ju&s;tly puni&s;hed for her inju&s;tice, for the &s;hallow capacity of <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> reaching no higher then a terre&s;trial and gro&s;s love, and being of as light a &s;pirit as ever was known, as &s;oon as <HI>Aglatonice</HI> was his Wife, he was no more her Lover. So that &s;ince &s;he could not &s;ee this without &s;orrow, and that a per&s;on who was u&s;ed to receive offers of incen&s;e, now to receive &s;lights and
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&s;corn, &s;he was not only angry and grieved at this, but &s;he was a&s;hamed al&s;o of being the Wife unto &s;uch a Husband; yet &s;tanding upon her honour, &s;he would not expre&s;s her re&s;entments, but carried it very fair to the world, as before. All her Lovers, except <HI>I|phicrates,</HI> continued their vi&s;its to her, and though now under the notion of friends, yet &s;till were her Lovers.</P>
<P>But <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> though a man of a very narrow &s;oul, and not capable of any deep di&s;cernment, yet he began to be jealous: The truth is, it was no jealou&s;ie of Love, which amid&s;t of all its fanta&s;mes, pre&s;erves &s;ome re&s;pect unto the per&s;on of whom he is jealous, and may be truly called the jealou&s;ie of a Lover; but it was a jealou&s;ie of honour, which commonly cau&s;es all tho&s;e who are capable of it to be extravagant with a noy&s;e: So that the unju&s;t <HI>Aglatonice</HI> did &s;ee her &s;elf expo&s;ed unto all manner of mi&s;eries: I al&s;o under|&s;tood from <HI>Parthenopea,</HI> that She began to be &s;o &s;en&s;ible of her inju&s;tice in preferring <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> before <HI>Iphicrates,</HI> that according as She did drive the fir&s;t of the&s;e out of her heart, &s;he received in the &s;econd, and repented her &s;elf for treating him as &s;he had done; yet She being indeed virtuous, all this pa&s;&s;ed in her minde without being perceived, yet She was not altogether &s;o mi&s;erable as another might have been in her ca&s;e, for being a Lover of plea&s;ures, for all the fanta&s;tical humours of <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> She did divert her &s;elf. But now every one of her Lovers began to fall off, and to do what they could to di&s;plea&s;e her, and at la&s;t, did hate her, as much as before they loved her: So that Madam, <HI>Iphi|crates</HI> had the &s;atisfaction to &s;ee his Rivals revenged upon his Mi&s;tre&s;s, and his Mi&s;tre&s;s re|venged upon his Rivals; and he had this advantage, to gu&s;t his revenge with tranquility, and to finde his heart &s;o freely di&s;ingaged from that pa&s;&s;ion which did before tyrannize o|ver it, that he could not po&s;&s;ibly be freer then now he was. But Madam, to come unto that which will prove, that it is not an ea&s;ie matter to love the &s;ame per&s;on twice, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Chri&s;ippus</HI> did engage him&s;elf in a quarrel, did fight, and was kill|ed, &s;o that <HI>Aglatonice</HI> was rid of an odd husband, and in a capacity to do ju&s;tice unto <HI>I|phicrates,</HI> if <HI>Iphicrates</HI> was in the &s;ame mind as before; And indeed Madam, after &s;he had left off mourning, &s;he changed her lodging, and chance did &s;o fall out, that her lodging was directly over again&s;t that of her ancient Lover. So that civility obliging him to &s;ee her, he did vi&s;it her, and the rather, becau&s;e he found his heart &s;o ab&s;olutely di&s;ingaged, that it was all indifferency, and had neither hatred nor affection to her: In this tranquil minde, <HI>Iphicrates</HI> did venture to &s;ee <HI>Aglatonice</HI> again, and &s;aw her, without the lea&s;t di|&s;turbance of his tranquility, yet <HI>Aglatonice</HI> was as far as ever, and he knew very well, that if he would he could &s;ucceed in the place of <HI>Chri&s;ippus,</HI> yet he did not finde the lea&s;t mo|tion of Love, but was &s;o far from it, as I have heard him &s;ay, he would rather marry an ugly old witch, then begin again to love <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> and his &s;oul was &s;o &s;etled in in&s;en&s;i|bility, that he would often talk to her of old pa&s;&s;ages between them, and rally at them. In the mean time, I mu&s;t confe&s;s unto you, that I was nothing plea&s;ed at the&s;e vi&s;its; but was afraid le&s;t he &s;hould re-ingage him&s;elf, for he being a man of &s;trong and violent pa&s;|&s;ions, <HI>I</HI> wi&s;hed for his own re&s;ts &s;ake, that he &s;hould never fall in Love again with her. So that one evening, pre&s;&s;ing him to go no more unto <HI>Aglatonice,</HI> I pray <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> (&s;aid he) never trouble your &s;elf, nor fear that I &s;hall ever re-ingage my &s;elf; but yet&punc; She is &s;o fair, (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him) and &s;o &s;weet as ever &s;he was before, that I mu&s;t needs fear it: 'Tis true, &s;aid he, But <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> know, that my love of her being once extingui&s;hed, all her art can never kindle it again: Since I hate her now, I &s;hall never love her again, it is a thing ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible, for hatred is a pa&s;&s;ion as violent as love, Love may change it &s;elf into hatred when Love precedes, but when Love pa&s;&s;es into hatred, from hatred to &s;corn and from &s;corn to dead neutrality, be a&s;&s;ured, one can never love again: And indeed Ma|dam the event &s;hewed, that <HI>Iphicrates</HI> was not mi&s;taken, for he could never love <HI>Agla|tonice</HI> again, though he &s;aw her a thou&s;and times after the death of <HI>Chri&s;ippus;</HI> but on the contrary, I have &s;een him become a Confident nnto one of her Lovers; and I have &s;een him marry another, though he was certain that he might have married <HI>Aglatonice</HI> if he would. After this Madam, I a&s;&s;ure my &s;elf you will think this example &s;ufficient to prove, that one cannot love one and the &s;ame per&s;on twice, and is as &s;trong an example, as that which <HI>Mene&s;iphiles</HI> related to prove, that one may be twice in&s;pired with love of the &s;ame per&s;on.</P>
<P>When I had ended my relation, the Prince&s;s of <HI>Corinth,</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes,</HI> both confe&s;&s;ed, that the&s;e two examples were extreamly contrary: But rea&s;ons being al|wayes more prevalent then examples (&s;aid <HI>Eumetis</HI> to the company) it were good to ex|amine
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and know whether tho&s;e of <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> have more &s;olidity in them, then tho&s;e <HI>Mene|&s;iphiles.</HI></P>
<P>But Madam, as I was going to an&s;wer, all the Sages were &s;een to come in, accompa|nied with <HI>Niloxenus, Diocles,</HI> and <HI>Cleodemes,</HI> who after they had argued upon high and excellent que&s;tions, came out of the Hal<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> where the Prince&s;&s;es left them, and came to take the ayr where they were: However, &s;ince the Prince&s;&s;es had a de&s;ire to hear the rea|&s;ons of <HI>Mene&s;iphiles</HI> and my &s;elf, <HI>Eumetis</HI> addre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf unto <HI>Periander,</HI> and told him, that he came very opportunely to be judg of a que&s;tion of Gallantry, unto which all the company were to give their opinions: For Sir (added She) though it be no que|&s;tion concerning Government of Kingdoms, or ruling of Commonwealths, yet I think it not unworthy the curio&s;ity of the Sages, &s;ince it is concerning all the odd effects of &s;o powerful and general a pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>Periander</HI> then being acquainted with the que&s;tion, <HI>Solon</HI> whom it concerned did think it &s;o nice, that he &s;aid he was ready to give his opinion, and turning towards the re&s;t, one out of inclination, another out of complacency, and all di&s;po&s;ed them&s;elves to give their Votes: So that <HI>Meli&s;&s;a</HI> being come, and every one taking their places except <HI>Ae&s;ope,</HI> who left his, <HI>Cleobuline</HI> commanded me to give my rea&s;ons, permitting <HI>Mene&s;iphiles</HI> to interrupt me when he plea&s;ed: So that after I had a little thought upon what to &s;ay, I addre&s;&s;ed my &s;elf unto <HI>Mene&s;iphiles,</HI> as again&s;t whom I was to di&s;pute: Methinks (&s;aid I unto him) to judg rightly upon the que&s;tion in hand, and to know truly whether it be not a thing extreamly rare (if not impo&s;&s;ible) to love one Lady twice, it mu&s;t be con&s;i|dered what cau&s;es love, to the end it may be &s;een whether it be found in a per&s;on whom one loved before: Since it is the &s;ame per&s;on, replied <HI>Mene&s;iphiles,</HI> it mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;i|ty follow, that the &s;ame is to be found in her the &s;econd time, which was in her the fir&s;t; to wit, the &s;ame beauty the &s;ame Spirit, and the &s;ame agreeablene&s;s; and therefore &s;ince the&s;e did invite the fir&s;t time, they may al&s;o the &s;econd. Not at all, replied I, for though all the&s;e be the &s;ame, yet they may want one particular charm which highly &s;ets them off, and that is novelty; for that lu&s;tre which at the fir&s;t did dazle the eyes, and beget admi|ration, by being well acquainted with them, they become but ordinary, u&s;e and cu&s;tome does glut the &s;en&s;es, and it is with beauty as with perfumes, which after the fir&s;t time, lo&s;e their &s;mells, and con&s;equently cannot beget a &s;econd liking, or make a new Conque&s;t. Moreover, as there is a nece&s;&s;ity of hopes growing up with love: So I hold it a mo&s;t dif|ficult thing for hope to revive when one leaves off loving out of rea&s;on, or di&s;pair, or when Love of it &s;elf doth extingui&s;h, and I am per&s;waded that when one leaves off de&s;i|ring a thing, becau&s;e he doth think it not worthy to be de&s;ired, it is not an ea&s;ie matter to renew that de&s;ire again: However, it is impo&s;&s;ible that hope &s;hould grow without de|&s;ires, and that love can &s;ub&s;i&s;t without hope. I do very well grant, there may be &s;ome quarrelling, during which one may imagine that he does not love, though &s;till he do, but I cannot conceive that when one doth really cea&s;e to love, one &s;hould ever begin again to love the &s;ame per&s;on. Yet it is mo&s;t commonly &s;een, replied <HI>Mene&s;iphiles,</HI> that a Candle extingui&s;hed will be more ea&s;ily lighted again, then if it had never been lighted; and though there be no heat at all left in, yet there doth remain a kinde of di&s;po&s;ition, which makes it more capable of taking fire; and I am verily per&s;waded, that when one hath vehemently loved a per&s;on, there does &s;till re&s;ide &s;ome light touch of heat in the heart of that Lover, which makes him more di&s;po&s;ed to be moved at the charms of her he loved before, then at the charms of any other; for it mu&s;t be granted, that &s;he has &s;uch charms as will plea&s;e him, becau&s;e they plea&s;ed him before, and therefore is more fit and likely to ingage him the &s;econd time, then any other per&s;on. For my part, replied I, I mu&s;t con|fe&s;s I cannot under&s;tand how a per&s;on, who&s;e charms had not power enough to keep a man from cea&s;ing to love her, &s;hould have power to make the &s;ame Lover love her the &s;econd time: For I am per&s;waded, that as it is ea&s;ier to keep the fire from extingui&s;hing, then it is to light it; &s;o it is more ea&s;ie to pre&s;erve Love, then to recreate it: So that in my opi|nion, as &s;oon as a Lady &s;ees that her beauty cannot hold her Lover, &s;he never need to think of ever fettering him again, if once he really broke her chains: But commonly tho&s;e who are &s;aid to begin to love the &s;ame per&s;on again, did never really leave loving her, though they thought they did, and que&s;tionle&s;s &s;ome &s;parks of the old fire lay hid in the Embers, and &s;eeming dead, did deceive their own thoughts: Indeed there are &s;ome jea|lous Lovers, who are &s;o bold in their raptures, as to &s;ay they do not love, though all the world knows there can be no real jealou&s;ie without love: There are others al&s;o, who be|cau&s;e
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they have &s;ome &s;parks or effects of hatred in their minde, pre&s;ently they think they do hate: For &s;omtimes one &s;hall &s;ee them in an angry mood, make cruel imprications a|gain&s;t tho&s;e they adored, yet it often happens, that they would not cur&s;e them, but be|cau&s;e they love them. But be&s;ides the&s;e two &s;orts of Lovers, who love and know it not, and who think they begin to love upon a new &s;core, when as they do only continue the old; there is a third kinde, who think, as the re&s;t, that they are not in love, becau&s;e their Love cools, and &s;lacks a little for a time, and they are not &s;en&s;ible of it, either in point of joyes, or point of &s;orrows; but for all that, their affections are but a&s;leep, not dead: And when this kinde of Love begins to quicken by any accident, it mu&s;t be &s;aid only to waken, not revive. So that I do not wonder, many are per&s;waded one may love the &s;ame per&s;on twice, &s;ince the very &s;ame per&s;ons, who have the&s;e kinds of pa&s;&s;ion where|of I &s;peak, are deceived them&s;elves fir&s;t, and then they deceive others, and yet it holds mo&s;t con&s;tantly true, that (without a prodigy) one cannot love one beauty twice, yes I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that when love cea&s;es by rea&s;on of any &s;trange or unju&s;t cau&s;e, one may cea&s;e and begin again to love: For example, if a man in love thinks he is betrayed, and in the heat of his re&s;entment he pa&s;&s;es from love to hatred, and a while after he finds that he was mi&s;taken, I believe it will be an ea&s;ie matter to revive that pa&s;&s;ion in his heart which he bani&s;hed, becau&s;e he finds her to be the &s;ame She was when he loved her, this is rather a continuance, then a recommencement of love; but for any other manner, for which a man may break off with his Mi&s;tre&s;s, I hold it impo&s;&s;ible he &s;hould ever love her twice. Since it hath happened &s;o in <HI>Philidas,</HI> replied <HI>Mene&s;iphiles,</HI> it may again happen &s;o in another. And &s;ince it did not happen &s;o in <HI>Iphicrates</HI> (replied I) it is not likely it &s;hould happen &s;o again, for every thing did invite him as much as po&s;&s;ible to begin again to love <HI>Aglatonice.</HI> The intere&s;t of his fortune did &s;uit with that of his love, if he could have loved; &s;he was fairer then ever, &s;he was nothing &s;o cruel, <HI>Iphicrates</HI> was ingaged no where el&s;e, he &s;aw her every day, he talked with her every hour, his &s;oul was naturally amorous, and he had loved as violently as ever any did, and yet for all this, he could not love her the &s;econd time, and doubtle&s;s the rule holds true in love as in all things el&s;e, that when they are once de&s;troyed and gone, they never return to be the &s;ame they were again. But <HI>Cher&s;ias,</HI> replied <HI>Mene&s;iphiles,</HI> I have many rea&s;ons more &s;trong again&s;t you; for I believe that the mo&s;t e&s;&s;ential cau&s;e of love, is that invi&s;ible band that tyes hearts &s;o fa&s;t together, and is called Sympathy; and I do believe al&s;o, that this Sympathy can never end: Since we &s;ee all natural inclinations never change, either among&s;t Inani|mates, animals, or men; for the Load&s;tone will love to draw iron to it as long as it is a Load&s;tone, the Lion will fear that Bird which is called the Herald of the day, as long as he is a Lion; men do keep the fir&s;t inclinations which nature gave them, even unto death; and indeed a covetous man will never be liberal, without a &s;trange violence upon him&s;elf, the envious man never commends any without regret, and an ambitious man will never &s;ubmit without &s;orrow; and in my opinion, all the&s;e &s;everal inclinations are not more &s;trong in our hearts, then that Sympathy is, which makes us love one per&s;on more then another: So that as all the&s;e inclinations do &s;ub&s;i&s;t, as long as we &s;ub&s;i&s;t our &s;elves, it fol|lows of ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity, that the Sympathy which makes us love, doth &s;ub&s;i&s;t al&s;o: 'Tis true, our inclinations are &s;omtimes forced by rea&s;on, though we &s;till have them; and the effects of this Sympathy whereof I &s;peak, may be &s;u&s;pended by &s;ome accident; but for all that, it cannot cea&s;e being, and con&s;equently I conclude, that there is &s;till a great di&s;|po&s;ition to love what formerly one loved, &s;ince the cau&s;e never cea&s;ed: And as there are &s;ome certain things which hinder the effects of the Load&s;tone, &s;o there may be which hinder the effects of Sympathy, but removing tho&s;e ob&s;tacles, the Sympathy begins a|gain to operate, and I am &s;o verily per&s;waded of what I &s;ay, that I do much more won|der to &s;ee one leave loving what he loved before, then to &s;ee one love one and the &s;ame per&s;on twice.</P>
<P>Cu&s;tome and habitude which is &s;o &s;trong in all things, makes al&s;o the minde to have a natural propencity of loving again that per&s;on whom it loved long: The boughs of trees tatched to a wall, are &s;o accu&s;tomed to that po&s;ture they are put unto, that of them&s;elves they ply unto it, though untatched, &s;o powerful is habit and cu&s;tome in every thing. So that it is no wonder at all, if there be a great facility of loving the &s;econd time that per&s;on whom one loved before, &s;ince they do no more then what before they had done: And indeed the example of <HI>Philidas,</HI> and <HI>Anaxandride,</HI> makes it apparent, that the rea&s;ons I have given are good, for had there not been a powerful Sympathy between them, they
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had never renewed their Love: <HI>Philidas</HI> had too much wronged <HI>Anaxandride</HI> ever to think of becoming her Lover again, had he not been forced unto it, and <HI>Anaxandride</HI> had too unju&s;tly for&s;aken him; ever to tru&s;t his affection; yet they loved more zealou&s;ly the &s;econd time, then they did the fir&s;t; and whether Sympathy or habilitude, or both together, were the cau&s;e they &s;till do love with as much zeal as fidelity, and in all likely-hoods will continue &s;o eternally.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Mene&s;iphiles</HI> being &s;ilent, the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes</HI> who was the cau&s;e of this di&s;pute, de&s;ired all this illu&s;trious company they would be plea&s;ed to give their opinions in the matter; and there being men too much knowing to give their opinions without their rea&s;ons, the&s;e wi&s;e men did make the mo&s;t plea&s;ing definition of Love that ever was. But in conclu&s;ion, the plurality of Votes was on the &s;ide of <HI>Mene&s;iphiles,</HI> for they did not only conclude, that one might love one and the &s;ame per&s;on twice, but al&s;o, that it was much much more ea&s;ie for a man to return unto his fir&s;t Mi&s;tre&s;s, then to love a new one; yet they acknowledged that it does not happen &s;o often as it ought, adding, that mo&s;t of tho&s;e who cea&s;e to love, did doubtle&s;s never love very much: For my part (&s;aid <HI>Ae&s;ope,</HI> who was of a contrary opinion to theirs) <HI>I</HI> am &s;ure that <HI>I</HI> loved <HI>Rhodope</HI> as well, or better then ever any did or could love, and <HI>I</HI> am as &s;ure that now <HI>I</HI> do not love her, nor ever &s;hall, <HI>I</HI> fortifie the &s;ide of <HI>Mone&s;iphiles</HI> by my example, nor do <HI>I</HI> like that men &s;hould be le&s;s rational then the Tirtles, who never love but once. After this, pa&s;&s;ing from one &s;ubject to another; the Que&s;tion was asked, Why beauty did not nece&s;&s;arily produce Love in the &s;ouls of all tho&s;e who beheld it alike? Why &s;ome women who were not at all fair, yet rai&s;ed great and violent pa&s;&s;ions, in&s;tancing al&s;o many examples of its odd effects. <HI>Solon</HI> &s;aid, that as hope nouri&s;hed love, &s;o jealou&s;ie did augment it, pro|vided it was not over violent, and it grounded. <HI>Periander</HI> on the contrary maintained, that this pa&s;&s;ion was an Enemy to love, though it was in&s;eparable companion. <HI>Bias</HI> take|ing a third &s;ide &s;aid, That a Lover might be capable of jealou&s;ie, yet never jealous. <HI>Pit|tacus</HI> affirmed, that one was never jealous, but when the party loved did give &s;ome cau&s;e of it, and if that cau&s;e was given he ought to hate her: <HI>Cleobulus</HI> and <HI>Thales</HI> on the cou|trary &s;aid, that love without jealou&s;ie was but faint and cold: And <HI>Chilon</HI> according to his natural &s;everity &s;aid, That one &s;hould not be jealous of any thing but his own glory: As for <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> he &s;aid, that one ought to be jealous of every thing he loved, affirm|ing, that one cannot love any thing dearly, but they will fear to lo&s;e the enjoyment of it, and that one cannot fear the lo&s;s of it without &s;ome &s;parks of jealou&s;ie. As for <HI>Ae&s;ope,</HI> he u&s;ing his Bea&s;ts and Birds to &s;et forth his Phylo&s;ophy, he &s;aid, that as the Pelican gives life unto tho&s;e who give her death, &s;o jealou&s;ie is a pa&s;&s;ion that murders the love which gave it being As for the Prince&s;&s;es, they confined them&s;elves to the mode&s;ty of their Sex, and &s;ubmitted to the opinions of the Sages.</P>
<P>As they were thus di&s;cour&s;ing, one came and acquainted <HI>Periander</HI> with the accident that befell <HI>Arion,</HI> and <HI>Periander</HI> cau&s;ing the man to relate it unto all the company, this wonderful adventure was an admirable diver&s;ion to them: For he de&s;cribed how the <HI>Dolphin</HI> &s;aved <HI>Arion</HI> &s;o admirably well, and how he brought him to the Port of <HI>Tenarus,</HI> that it was as plea&s;ing as if they had &s;een it. But this accident being known to all the world, I &s;hall not trouble you Madam with the rela|tion of it, only tell you, how <HI>Periander</HI> remembering he had heard <HI>Thales</HI> &s;ay, that men ought only to tell probabilities, but never any thing which is not, though it be true; therefore he asked him pardon, for cau&s;ing a relation to be made which &s;eemed almo&s;t im|po&s;&s;ible: 'Tis very true, &s;aid the wi&s;e <HI>Bias,</HI> that was one of <HI>Thales</HI> his Maximes; and I have heard him al&s;o &s;ay, that one &s;hould never believe their Enemies in things which &s;eem|ed mo&s;t credible: But to believe their friends in things incredible: And therefore you need not fear that he will accu&s;e you. After this, divers examples were related of the love of <HI>Dolphins</HI> towards men: <HI>Solon</HI> related that of <HI>He&s;iode,</HI> who&s;e body a <HI>Dolphin</HI> carried to Land neer the Town of <HI>Molicry,</HI> and which was a cau&s;e that they who murdered that famous Poet, were puni&s;hed. <HI>Pittacus</HI> al&s;o related an example of the goodne&s;s in <HI>Dol|phins</HI> to one who&s;e name was <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nalus,</HI> Son unto the Founder of <HI>Mytilene,</HI> who&s;e life the <HI>Dolphins</HI> &s;aved. Well then (&s;aid <HI>Ae&s;ope</HI> and laughed) Since <HI>Dolphins</HI> do &s;uch wonders, Why do you mock at my Gayes and my Crows for &s;peaking? For my part (&s;aid <HI>Cleo|bulin)</HI> I do not mock, for they &s;peak &s;o well. that it is hard for any to &s;peak better: Though you do not Madam, replied he, yet there are men who judg of things according to appearances, and who becau&s;e they &s;ee they are but Bea&s;ts, which <HI>I</HI> introduce, do ne|ver
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think that it was a man that made them &s;peak; not that they are much in the wrong (added he) for one cannot know the truth by appearances: Then you have forgot your Fox (replied <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> very plea&s;antly) for when you made him enter into conte&s;t with the Leopard, to know which of them two had the mo&s;t &s;pots, he de&s;ired his Judg not &s;o much to con&s;ider the exteriour &s;pots which the Leopard had upon his skin, as tho&s;e he had in his head, a&s;&s;uring him, that if he did well con&s;ider his, he would find greater variety then in his who di&s;puted &s;o much which was be&s;t &s;potted: 'Tis true (&s;aid <HI>E&s;ope)</HI> I did contradict my &s;elf: But to tell you truly, added he and laughed, I have made &s;o many Bea&s;ts to &s;peak, that I fear by teaching them my language, I &s;hall at la&s;t learn theirs, and by making them become what I am, I &s;hall my &s;elf become what they are: Ah <HI>E|&s;ope,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Eumetis,</HI> what Spirit &s;oever you have in&s;pired into your Bea&s;ts and Birds, you have yet much more then you have infu&s;ed into them.</P>
<P>After this, every one according to their inclinations, parted into &s;everal companies in that plea&s;ant Grove: <HI>Chilon</HI> he went walking with <HI>Anachar&s;is, Periander</HI> with <HI>Thales, Niloxenus, Bias, Pittacus, Cleobulus</HI> and <HI>Cleodema:</HI> But <HI>Solon</HI> having a natural inclinati|on unto Gallantry, he &s;tayed with the Ladies, and made the conver&s;ation more plea&s;ant then ever any I knew in all my life: Indeed this man &s;o wi&s;e, and &s;o highly prudent, did know &s;o well how to comply with the times, and per&s;ons unto whom he &s;poke, that he could &s;peak upon every Subject: The truth is, it argued no ba&s;ene&s;s of &s;pirit in him, for being with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Corinth,</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Lindes,</HI> he might well talk of the mo&s;t &s;ublime matters without any fear of being not under&s;tood, and he related all that was &s;aid among&s;t the Sages, &s;ince the Prince&s;&s;es came out of the Hall, and did it with &s;o much, and in &s;o few words, that he did epitomize all their excellent di&s;cour&s;e, to wit, all that morality or policy could teach. Afterwards <HI>Solon</HI> told the two Prince&s;&s;es, that they ought to think them&s;elves infinitely happy in being &s;o much above all the re&s;t of their Sex, and yet to have &s;o much moderation as to keep within &s;uch limits as mode&s;ty required all Ladies &s;hould in matters of Sciences, and not to &s;hew any &s;uch weakne&s;s as women are commonly charged with: For truly, &s;aid he and &s;miled, there are but a very few who are not &s;o weak as to wi&s;h them&s;elves loved by more men then they would love. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Cleobuline,</HI> I believe one may without a crime wi&s;h to be e&s;teemed by all the world, but I cannot allow any &s;hould make more men in love with them, then they would love: Yet I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, replied <HI>Solon,</HI> it is the general mind of mo&s;t beauties, and a mind more dangerous then they imagine: Yet there are many, replied <HI>Eumetis,</HI> who do only out of vanity, and do not wi&s;h to be loved, but becau&s;e they think that the e&s;teem of Beauty is love: 'Tis true (replied <HI>Solon)</HI> it is often &s;o; but yet for all that, few Ladies would love, if they were never loved, and when they wi&s;h that men &s;hould love them, they then begin to love al&s;o: For my part, &s;aid <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> I cannot think it nece&s;&s;ary to love a Lady before &s;he loves him; and as there are an infinite number of men who love fir&s;t, &s;o I believe there are an infinite number of women who loue fir&s;t al&s;o; and though all the Sages &s;hould &s;ay the contrary, I &s;hould hardly believe them. Ah <HI>E&s;ope</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Eumetis)</HI> What inju&s;tice do you unto our Sex? Believe it Madam (replied he) I am not &s;o unju&s;t as you imagine: For I be&s;eech you, what rea&s;on have we to love before we be loved, more then you have? Have Ladies hearts different from the hearts of men? Is not love a pa&s;&s;i|on in their &s;ouls as well as in all mens? Is it an act of their will to love, or not to love? The rea&s;on why it is not &s;o often &s;aid that women love not, and are not beloved more then men, is becau&s;e only decency has e&s;tabli&s;hed &s;o a Law, that it is le&s;s &s;hame for a man then a woman to love, and not be beloved: But the truth is, all the difference betwixt us is, when women love and are not loved, they &s;ay not a word of it, nor make any complaints, and men do tell it, and complain aloud; for &s;ince they have eyes, and wit, and hearts capable of being moved, it mu&s;t be concluded, that they can love before they be loved, as well as men, and to prove it, there need only be con&s;idered, that love alone, be it as zealous as it will, does not oblige them to love, but the lover mu&s;t al&s;o plea&s;e them, for if he do not, all his love will not be worth a &s;traw.</P>
<P>As <HI>E&s;ope</HI> &s;aid &s;o, and <HI>Solon</HI> was ready to an&s;wer, all the &s;everal companies which were parted, did accidentally meet in a place which &s;ix walks joyned, &s;o that the company re|joyned again. And <HI>Solon</HI> finding the que&s;tion which <HI>E&s;ope</HI> put to be worthy of curio&s;ity, did propound it unto the illu&s;trious company, who prepared them&s;elves to give their opi|nions. For my part, &s;aid the Prince&s;s of <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">indes, I</HI> think it &s;o &s;trange to love before I be loved, that I cannot endure to hear our Sex accu&s;ed of any &s;uch weakne&s;s. But Madam,
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&s;aid <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> it mu&s;t be one of the two that mu&s;t begin to love, and if &s;o, why not the wo|man as well as the man-lover: Becau&s;e (replied <HI>Eumetis)</HI> decency will not permit it: But Madam, &s;aid <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> &s;ince the Law of Nature is more ancient then the Law of Decen|cy, that argument is but weak. It is certain, &s;aid <HI>Solon,</HI> that to &s;peak truly, a woman may love before &s;he be loved as well as a man, yet it is as certain, that it is not &s;o, &s;o often, and the be&s;t rea&s;on that can be given for it is, becau&s;e women are fairer, and all the ornaments both of body and minde more attractive, and more engaging then mens, and con&s;equent|ly their merits does produce a more quick effect then ours, &s;o that commonly men do love them before they have lei&s;ure to be loved again. Moreover, women are born with more vanity, and &s;o have le&s;s di&s;po&s;ition to be fir&s;t in love; and as they are brought up, they are not permitted to follow the pure cour&s;e of nature, becau&s;e from the very Cradle they are &s;o told and taught not to love before they are loved, that they keep a continual Guard upon them&s;elves; yet for all that, I am per&s;waded it is not impo&s;&s;ible, but it may be &s;o &s;omtimes: I a&s;&s;ure my &s;elf, replied <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> that <HI>Chilon</HI> with his au&s;terity would think him&s;elf di&s;honored, if he &s;hould read &s;uch a Lecture upon Love as <HI>Solon</HI> hath done: Truly, replied he, I find him to be very knowing in matters of Gallantry, to be a maker of &s;uch excellent Laws, at lea&s;t I know there is none in <HI>Lacedemonia,</HI> who knows &s;o much as he: Since the <HI>Athenians,</HI> replied <HI>Solon,</HI> are nothing &s;o wi&s;e as the <HI>Lacedemonians,</HI> I can confe&s;s without &s;hame, that I do under&s;tand what love is, as well as the re&s;t of the pa&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>But to return to the que&s;tion in hand, what is the opinion of the company? For my part (&s;aid <HI>Thales)</HI> I think a woman may love the fir&s;t, but I think withal, that few women can love long unle&s;s they be loved, and not pa&s;s from love to hatred: For my par|ticular, replied <HI>Periander,</HI> I think it may be &s;o, but I think al&s;o, that a Lady is not very a|miable, if in loving &s;he does not &s;oon make her &s;elf loved: I am &s;o fully per&s;waded, &s;aid <HI>Cleobulus</HI> and &s;miled, that Ladies are more fit to be loved then to love, that I am &s;o far from thinking they &s;hould love fir&s;t, that I can hardly think they will love when they are loved: I am not of that opinion (&s;aid <HI>Bias)</HI> for I do think that when they are loved, they will love more earne&s;tly and firmly then men; but <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t confe&s;s, <HI>I</HI> can hardly think they can love fir&s;t, becau&s;e there is not one of a thou&s;and women who does not love tho&s;e te&s;timonies which&punc; love u&s;eth to produce, better then the Lover who gives them; and &s;ince the&s;e te&s;timonies cannot be met with, if &s;he love fir&s;t, I am per&s;waded they are not capable of it. For my part, &s;aid <HI>Pittacus,</HI> I think that love not being an act of the will, it grows in the heart of a woman before She be loved, as well as in the heart of a man: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> I know not what the power of love is in <HI>Greece,</HI> but in <HI>Scithia</HI> neither men nor women do love before they be loved, or at lea&s;t before they finde a di&s;po&s;ition, and hopes of being loved ere long, for I do not think it po&s;&s;ible love &s;hould &s;ub&s;i&s;t without tho&s;e conditions, not but that there may be &s;ome exceptions, but to &s;peak in general, it is as I &s;ay: Though <HI>Egypt,</HI> replied <HI>Niloxenus,</HI> be far different from <HI>Scithea</HI> in all things, yet they think as you &s;ay. Well, &s;aid <HI>Solon,</HI> it mu&s;t be grant|ed, that it is not impo&s;&s;ible but Ladies may love before they be loved: Truly, &s;aid the Prince&s;s of <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">indes,</HI> it is not impo&s;&s;ible, but yet it is very difficult: Yes Madam, &s;aid <HI>Solon,</HI> to &s;uch as have &s;uch &s;ouls as you have: But that would be too great a favour un|to your Sex, and to &s;et you too much above us, if we &s;hould attribute &s;uch thoughts as yours unto all women.</P>
<P>As <HI>Eumetis</HI> was going to an&s;wer the civility of <HI>Solon,</HI> a &s;weet Con&s;ort of Mu&s;ique was heard in the mid&s;t of the Grove, which impo&s;ed &s;ilence unto all the company, unto which after they had hearkened a while, they parted again into &s;everal companies; but as the Sun was ready to &s;et, and <HI>Thales</HI> u&s;ing to ob&s;erve the heavens, he &s;tayed to look up|on that glorious Planet, which having &s;pread its golden rayes upon the Sea, did &s;eem to communicate a part of its light unto it. As for <HI>Solon,</HI> he &s;taying to hear the Mu&s;ique with the Ladies, by chance he &s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed at the root of a tree clo&s;e by, a long file of <HI>A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tes,</HI> which with wonderful earne&s;tne&s;s, order, and affection, did work for their publique utili|ty: So as admiring the order which they kept in their works, he contemplated upon them very &s;eriou&s;ly; but <HI>E&s;ope</HI> who was next him, knew well enough what he thought, and what it was which invited his &s;erious looks: Confe&s;s the truth Sir (&s;aid he unto him and &s;miled) would you not be glad the <HI>Athenians</HI> would ob&s;erve your Laws, &s;o well as the&s;e ob&s;erve theirs? I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s it (replied <HI>Solon</HI> and laughed, as well as all that heard him) and I confe&s;s it to the &s;hame of my Country: Since your Country hath a
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man who gives them &s;uch ju&s;t Laws (replied <HI>Cleobuline)</HI> it mu&s;t needs be very glorious: It would be much more, if they would ob&s;erve them, replied he, then in giving birth un|to a man, who perhaps keeps them not him&s;elf.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Solon</HI> entring into di&s;cour&s;e of the Government of people, he was full of rare expre&s;&s;ions, and all the company a&s;&s;embling the third time, the di&s;cour&s;e grew all &s;erious, each of them reporting the mo&s;t commendable cu&s;toms of his City. <HI>Thales</HI> &s;poke of the <HI>Mile&s;ian</HI> Piety: <HI>Pittacus</HI> of the Martial inclination of the <HI>Militenian</HI> Inhabitants. <HI>Bias</HI> of their politne&s;s which dwelt in <HI>Priene: Cleobuline</HI> of the <HI>Lindean</HI> hone&s;ty: <HI>Pe|riander</HI> of the ambitious people in <HI>Corinth: Solon</HI> of the &s;tirring and &s;editious humour of the <HI>Athenians,</HI> and <HI>Chilon</HI> of the au&s;tere and virtuous inclination of the <HI>Lacedemoni|ans.</HI> After which, examining the virtues and vices of all the&s;e &s;everal and different peo|ple, they di&s;cour&s;ed &s;o long upon it, that it was full time to return to <HI>Corinth:</HI> And in|deed the di&s;cour&s;e of the&s;e great wits did &s;o much win upon the Spirits of all who heard them, that <HI>E&s;ope</HI> had not ob&s;erved abundance of birds, which came to take up their lodgings in the woods, and had not &s;hewed by them unto all the company what time of the night it was, it had been too late for them to have returned: And he came to all the Sages, telling them very plea&s;antly, that the&s;e birds were wi&s;er then they, and better knew the time of the night then they did. In conclu&s;ion Madam, all the company con|curr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed with <HI>E&s;ope,</HI> that it would be night before they reached <HI>Corinth,</HI> if they tarried any longer; and &s;o all departed fully &s;atisfied with the daies di&s;cour&s;e: Yet Madam, do not judg of it by my imperfect relation, for I mu&s;t confe&s;s my unworthine&s;s to be a relator of all the pa&s;&s;ages at this Banquet of the Sages.</P>
<P><HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> having ended, he received a thou&s;and thanks from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and as many civili|ties from <HI>One&s;ile;</HI> the like did <HI>Mene&s;iphiles.</HI> After which, &s;aying &s;he would make u&s;e of that advice which <HI>E&s;ope</HI> gave unto the Sages. She did ri&s;e up to depart, le&s;t it &s;hould be dark before &s;he came to that little Town where &s;he lodged. But <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;iring her to take part of a collation before &s;he went, &s;he &s;tayed; and during all that time, nothing was talked on, but on what <HI>Mene&s;iphiles</HI> and <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> had related; and <HI>I</HI> cannot tell whether the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>One&s;ile</HI> during the collation, was not as admirable as that of the Sages during theirs: <HI>Telagenes</HI> al&s;o had a thou&s;and quirks of a plea&s;ant wit. After which, <HI>One&s;ile</HI> taking Coach, &s;he departed with a Convoy, and left <HI>Cyrus</HI> in a &s;trange im|patience, to hear &s;omthing of the happy &s;ucce&s;s of <HI>Anachar&s;is.</HI> In the mean time, though he would willingly have taken &s;ome hours to talk with him&s;elf, yet he &s;pent it all in keep|ing up that Noble heat in the hearts of his Commanders and Souldiers, which had got|ten him &s;o many glorious Victories. So that talking &s;omtimes to one, and &s;omtimes to ano|ther, he in&s;pired them all with that heroique heat which was in his own heart: <HI>Mazares</HI> al&s;o did much help him in di&s;po&s;ing the Souldiers to fight gallantly when time &s;hould call them to it, though the &s;mall intere&s;t he had in all the&s;e Victories did procure him many a &s;ad hour, and truly his virtue &s;tood in need of all its &s;trength to re&s;i&s;t his love. <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> for his particular was not le&s;s zealous then <HI>Mazares,</HI> though he had no &s;urety of <HI>Dora|li&s;a</HI>'s affection; yet he had this &s;atisfaction to know, that though he was not loved, yet no other was, and that <HI>Andramites</HI> was hated. In the mean time, after he had with much impatience long looked for the return of <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> that famous <HI>Scithean</HI> returned with|out obtaining any thing from <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and without <HI>Ortalques</HI> his being able to get a &s;ight of <HI>Mandana,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he was then more &s;trictly guarded then at the beginning; yet &s;ince he&s;aw <HI>Gelonide,</HI> the Prince&s;s received his Letter, and returned an an&s;wer, but the an&s;wer was in &s;uch a moving &s;train, as it did more grieve then comfort him. <HI>Araminta</HI> al&s;o an|&s;wered in a way &s;o fit to incite &s;adne&s;s, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was much more mi&s;erable after the re|turn of <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> then he was before. But I pray (&s;aid this grieved Prince unto that Noble <HI>Scithean,</HI> after he &s;aid he could obtain nothing) What can <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;ay to colour the War which &s;he brings upon her &s;elf, by detaining the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana?</HI> She &s;ayes Sir (replied he) as much as any can &s;ay that will not tell the true rea&s;on why &s;he acts with &s;o much inju&s;tice. Indeed &s;he hath publi&s;hed a Manife&s;t to the people, and in the Courts of both the Scitheans, by which &s;he declares that you a&s;pire unto Univer&s;al Mo|narchy, and that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is but the pretence to colour your ambition: That when this fails you, then you will finde another, and that's her rea&s;on &s;he will not re&s;tore her unto you, &s;ince it is &s;ome &s;ecurity to her &s;elf to have her in her power. After this, &s;he conveens all the people, and all the Princes who are ignorant of your authori|ty, to unite them&s;elves couragiou&s;ly, and to give a &s;top to your Victories.</P>
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Thus Sir, your great Conque&s;ts giving &s;ome colour to her rea&s;ons, this Manife&s;t is doubtle&s;s very well taken by the people, who &s;eeing She is re&s;olved to make War with you, do begin to think out of their dull capacities that now it is not in her pa&s;&s;ion which incites her unto her undertakings; &s;o that the Ma&s;&s;agettans &s;eem as if re&s;olved to defend her to the very la&s;t man. The re&s;t of the Scithean Kings do combine again&s;t you, and not one of them but makes Levies, and joyns with <HI>Thomiris</HI> again&s;t you. But Sir, the wor&s;t I have to tell you is, <HI>Ariantes</HI> having been in your Army, and being mo&s;t knowing in all pa&s;&s;ages, he conceives, that when you have pa&s;&s;ed over the river <HI>Araxes,</HI> you can|not get to the Tents Royal, but by &s;uch a way as where one file can but pa&s;s at once: So that to give a &s;top to your pa&s;&s;age, he hath built a Fort which is now almo&s;t fini&s;hed, pur|po&s;ely to defend that pa&s;s, knowing that if your Army do take that way of the Plains, it will peri&s;h, by rea&s;on of the abundance of waters: So that conceiving you mu&s;t come by that place which he hath fortified, he thinks you not in a condition to do any good; and indeed, <HI>Thomiris</HI> cares &s;o little for guarding the pa&s;s over <HI>Araxes,</HI> that &s;he charged me to tell you, that &s;he will have no peace but what victory will give her; and to make it appear &s;he has no minde to protract the war, &s;he con&s;ents if you plea&s;e, that you &s;hall enter into her Country, and in order to that, her troops &s;hall retreat three daies journey from <HI>Araxes:</HI> Yes wi&s;e <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> &s;ince the Ma&s;&s;agettan Queen will have it &s;o, I will enter into her Country; and though the Fort &s;he has erected be more difficult to take then <HI>Babilon</HI> was, it &s;hall not &s;top my de&s;igns: Sir (replied this Sage Scithean) though <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;eemed to be very high and ob&s;tinate in her re&s;olutions, yet I di&s;pair not, but to &s;ee her change her minde, if the fir&s;t accidents of this War &s;hould &s;ucceed ill, and therefore Sir di&s;pair not.</P>
<P>After this Sir, <HI>Ortalques</HI> told <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that one of <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Guard (who &s;aid he had &s;een <HI>Feraulas</HI> on the banks of <HI>Pha&s;es,</HI> and had promi&s;ed to acquaint him with all he knew) had charged him to tell him, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> would never have offered to let him pa&s;s over the river <HI>Araxes,</HI> but to engage him in a battel upon an advantagious place, that &s;he would never have offered it, but in a belief he would not accept it; and that unle&s;s he could take that Fort which <HI>Ariantes</HI> had built, it would be a hard matter to overcome her, or come neer the Tents-Royal. But to take this Fort, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I mu&s;t pa&s;s over the river <HI>Araxes,</HI> and be perfectly acquainted with the &s;cituation. Moreover Sir, re|plied <HI>Ortalques, Gelonide</HI> charged me to tell you, that <HI>Ariantes</HI> did what he could to hin|der <HI>Thomiris</HI> from &s;ending you word by <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> that &s;he would let you pa&s;s over the river <HI>Araxes,</HI> becau&s;e he &s;aid that it was the wor&s;t that could befal him: But this Prin|ce&s;s de&s;iring no more but to ingage you Sir in her Country, intends (as <HI>Gelonide</HI> &s;ayes) That when you are entred into her Conntry, to break or burn your Bridg of Boats by which you pa&s;&s;ed over the River, to the end &s;he might be &s;ure to have you in her power if &s;he got the victory, as &s;he hoped &s;he &s;hould, by rea&s;on of tho&s;e difficult pa&s;&s;es you would be ingaged to take; and that's the rea&s;on (as &s;he told me) why <HI>Thomiris</HI> does not advauce with her Army, but will &s;uffer you to pa&s;s over, and come to &s;eek her: She told me further, That <HI>Aripit&punc;s,</HI> who is &s;till in love with that Prince&s;s, does bring her great aid: But never was the like reports heard, as of their unequalled pains which built the Fort which <HI>Ariantes</HI> erected, and which is called the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> becau&s;e it was the <HI>Sauromates</HI> which made it; for that people being u&s;ed to work in the Mines in their own Country, they can carry and remove the earth with &s;uch ea&s;e and ha&s;te, that they will do more work in one moneth, then others can do in four. Moreover <HI>Gelonide</HI> told me how &s;he had di&s;covered, That not long &s;ince <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had &s;ent &s;ecretly unto <HI>Thomi|ris,</HI> and was negotiating &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s of great importance with her. And Sir, &s;he had told me further, if one had not told her that <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;ent for her; and doubtle&s;s there had been &s;ome combat between &s;ome per&s;ons of note; for the Me&s;&s;enger from <HI>Thomiris</HI> to her &s;aid, That there had been &s;ome di&s;order about a quarrel; but &s;ince he did no fur|ther explain him&s;elf, and &s;ince I was to leave him, and depart the &s;ame hour with <HI>Ana|char&s;is,</HI> I could know no further. But &s;ince <HI>Adonacris</HI> does &s;tay a day or two longer, in hopes to work upon <HI>Ariantes,</HI> you may happily at his return know whether this great di&s;order will any thing advantage you Sir, or no: And <HI>Anabaris</HI> can al&s;o by him &s;end you word what he can gather from his friends, for he hath conferred with them, and will &s;end their an&s;wers by him.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;iring the advice of all the able men about him, upon a bu&s;ine&s;s of &s;uch importance, he held a Council of War, at which he entreated <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> to be pre|&s;ent,
<PB N="120" REF="856">
but that Sage Scithean told him that he would be ever ready to execute his orders, but de&s;ired excu&s;e from medling in my&s;teries of &s;o high a nature. So then <HI>Cyrus</HI> a&s;&s;em|bling <HI>Croe&s;&s;us, Artamas, Mazares, Myr&s;iles, Intaphernes, Gadates, Gobrias, Indather&s;es,</HI> and all the re&s;t who u&s;ed to &s;it in Councel, he propounded the &s;tate of things unto them. At the fir&s;t, the plurality of voices was, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould &s;end unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> to tell her he was ready to retreat three daies journey from <HI>Araxes,</HI> &s;o &s;he would her &s;elf in per&s;on come over in the head of her Army to meet him, &s;o &s;he would bring the Prince&s;s <HI>Man|dana</HI> with her, and &s;o &s;he would promi&s;e to re&s;tore her if &s;he was overcome, and &s;o &s;he would engage her &s;elf to give battel within three daies after &s;he had pa&s;&s;ed over the ri|ver. But <HI>Cyrus</HI> not being accu&s;tomed to go back, and not being able to &s;tir a foot fur|ther from the place where he was to deliver <HI>Mandana,</HI> it was evident that this Propo&s;iti|on did not plea&s;e him; and he was very glad to &s;ee that <HI>Croe&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> were not of that opinion, but of his. And the truth is (&s;aid he to all the A&s;&s;embly) to go back before a Queen after our vanqui&s;hing &s;o many valiant Kings, were to di&s;honour our Ar|my. Moreover, who knows whether after we have overcome them they will yeeld unto us the fruits of our Victory, though they &s;hould promi&s;e it? And whether in coming o|ver the river whereof they are Ma&s;ters, they will not defend it with the remnant of their broken Army, and hinder us from delivering <HI>Mandana?</HI> So that to act prudently, and with glory both, I conclude it be&s;t to accept of the offer which <HI>Thomiris</HI> makes of let|ing us pa&s;s over the river <HI>Araxes,</HI> for pa&s;s we mu&s;t, though &s;he &s;hould defend it: But Sir (&s;aid <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> to him) the advice which was given you does merit very good con&s;ider|ation: For your Army cannot advance towards <HI>Thomiris</HI> by the Plains, by rea&s;on of wa|ter; and to pa&s;s through the woods where &s;he hath built a Fort, the pa&s;s is &s;o narrow, that I dare not an&s;wer for the event, if you pa&s;s that way with your Army: When we are on the other &s;ide of the river, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then will we finde out which pa&s;s is be&s;t; for indeed it is to no purpo&s;e to capitulate with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and to tell her that if &s;he be overcome then &s;he &s;hall re&s;tore <HI>Mandana,</HI> but if &s;he be, that will follow of it &s;elf, and therefore it need not be demanded: And though I &s;hould be beaten, and my Army &s;hat|tered, I would fetch another and renew the war; and as long as there is a man left in all the Countryes I have conquered, or in the Countryes of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> or my Fathers, I will &s;till fight for <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Delivery; and therefore over the river <HI>Araxes</HI> we mu&s;t pa&s;s &s;ome way or other. I under&s;tand this morning that Boats and all things nece&s;&s;ary to make a Bridg are ready, and without &s;taying for any an&s;wer from <HI>Thomiris,</HI> they &s;hall begin the Bridg this very day; in the mean time, I will &s;end <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to tell <HI>Thomiris,</HI> that I will ere long come and bring my an&s;wer my &s;elf in the head of my Army.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;poke this with &s;uch a re&s;olute voice, that none dur&s;t oppo&s;e his will: So that every one conforming them&s;elves thereunto, this Prince a&s;&s;ured them that his re&s;olution would &s;ucceed happily; and indeed he made his words good, for he be&s;tirred him&s;elf with &s;o much diligence, and gave out orders with &s;o much judgment, and they were ex|ecuted with &s;o much quickne&s;s, that the Bridg over <HI>Araxes</HI> &s;eemed to be made by en|chantment; for the Boats were brought &s;o &s;uddenly, and tyed unto one another in &s;o &s;hort a time, that the Troops of <HI>Thomiris</HI> did not know the Bridg was made before the Van-guard of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his Army was over. 'Tis true, to deceive them, this Prince cau&s;ed &s;ome Boats to be brought unto a place over again&s;t them, and began to work, as if the Bridg was to be made in that place. And whil&s;t they were amu&s;ing them&s;elves about this feigned Bridg, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was making another much below the other, in a place where on the other &s;ide there was no hou&s;es. So that this Bridg being made without any ob&s;tacle, there was two Brigades drawn up into <HI>Battalia</HI> by break of day on the other &s;ide of the river, to facilitate the Pa&s;s of the Army, if any oppo&s;ition come: But <HI>Cyrus</HI> needed not to fear that, for there was &s;uch a terror among&s;t the men of <HI>Thomiris</HI> when they knew of certainty that the Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> had pa&s;&s;ed the river, as they knew not what to do; yet the Commanders after they had a little heartened their men, they forced them to march towards the place where this Army pa&s;&s;ed over: But when they came there, they would not permit them to attempt any thing, for the whole Vanguard of <HI>Cyrus</HI> being all over, and drawn into <HI>Battalia,</HI> they were in a good po&s;ture of defence: Yet the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans</HI> made &s;ome skirmi&s;hes, but they &s;ucceeded &s;o ill, that they were forced to retreat, and &s;end Po&s;t ha&s;te unto the Tents Royal to acquaint <HI>Thomiris</HI> with the pa&s;&s;age of <HI>Cyrus</HI> over the river.</P>
<P>In the mean while, this Prince having &s;pent all the night and all the day in pa&s;&s;ing over
<PB N="121" REF="856">
the re&s;t of his Army, and had given orders for their incampment, he re&s;olved, without giving &s;o much time unto <HI>Thomiris</HI> as to be acquainted with his pa&s;&s;age, to &s;end &s;ome Troops towards her, and him&s;elf to go in per&s;on and view tho&s;e narrow pa&s;&s;es which was &s;o much talked of; for knowing that this Prince&s;s intended to guard the pa&s;&s;es, and not advance with her Army, he would &s;ee whether there was any po&s;&s;ibility of &s;urprizing the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> before &s;he had &s;topped the advenues in the Wood, and before the Fort was fini&s;hed. So that taking &s;ome guides, he went with <HI>Mazares, Indather&s;es, A|ra&s;pes, Aglatidas, Ligdamis,</HI> and twelve or fifteen others, to view the&s;e pa&s;&s;es. So that &s;etting out at midnight, and making towards the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> he got to the en|trance into the Wood by break of day, without any ob&s;tacle, or any fear of any; for conceiving <HI>Thomiris</HI> to be &s;till at the Tents Royal, where <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> left her, &s;he could not &s;o &s;oon hear of his pa&s;&s;age, or guard the narrow pa&s;&s;es which he went to view, &s;ince &s;he thought him to be on the other &s;ide of the river.</P>
<P>Thus tru&s;ting to his own prudence and good fortune, he entred into the wood by the conduct of his guides. But he was no &s;ooner got a hundred paces within it, then he heard upon his left hand a noy&s;e of hor&s;es. Pre&s;ently after, he e&s;pied the Queen of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes</HI> on hor&s;eback in the head of thirty Cavaliers, coming towards him. This &s;ight &s;o &s;urprized <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that in lieu of advancing towards her, his fir&s;t thought was to check his hor&s;e from going &s;o fa&s;t, yet indeed he could not wel tell what his thoughts were at that time. As for <HI>Thomiris,</HI> as &s;oon as &s;he &s;pied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> fury did &s;o rai&s;e her heart, that &s;he turned fiercely towards tho&s;e who followed her. Valiant <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;hewed them <HI>Cyrus</HI> with her hand) you would this day end the war, and revenge your Queen, if you could bring into my fetters that terrible Enemy which I &s;hew unto you.</P>
<P>Upon the&s;e words, tho&s;e who followed <HI>Thomiris,</HI> advanced towards <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and this fair incen&s;ed Queen having that day a Sword hanging in a Chain of Gold, who&s;e Buckles were &s;et with Diamonds, &s;he drew it fiercely out of the Scabbard, and by a menacing action made a &s;ign unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that &s;he thought her &s;elf now able to be revenged upon him for his &s;corn. On the other &s;ide, this Prince, who out of an heroique &s;hame to draw his Sword again&s;t a woman, and a woman who heretofore had loved him, and &s;till did, as angry as &s;he was, he &s;eeing her men coming to a&s;&s;ault him, and con&s;idering that if he could get <HI>Thomiris</HI> into his power the war would not be &s;o long, &s;ince <HI>Ariantes</HI> had not &s;o much power over the people, and &s;o con&s;equently <HI>Mandana</HI> would be &s;ooner de|livered, he turned towards tho&s;e who followed him, and after many incouragements, and charging them not to kill <HI>Thomiris,</HI> but endeavour to take her, he advanced towards them al&s;o, and fell on &s;o &s;harply, that though they were more in number, &s;tronger, yet the fir&s;t &s;hoke made them believe they had the wor&s;t of the bargain, and <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;ent one of her men in all ha&s;te unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> who was viewing on the other &s;ide to come and help as &s;oon as he could. In the mean time, the fight was fierce, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> made his way through the fir&s;t rank of his Enemies, and breaking through the re&s;t, but getting neer <HI>Thomiris,</HI> fury and jealou&s;ie together obliged her to draw her Sword. <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw this, but letting the point of his Sword fall, and &s;u&s;pending his valour: For heavens &s;ake Madam (cried he) force me not to u&s;e my Sword again&s;t a Queen, whom I would have &s;erved were &s;he not unju&s;t. <HI>Thomiris</HI> no &s;ooner heard the&s;e words, but &s;he commanded her men to cea&s;e fighting. <HI>Cyrus</HI> did the like; and both being obeyed, an object both terrible and glorious, both was to be &s;een in the wood, for eight or ten men might be &s;een dead upon the &s;pot, and tho&s;e who were alive had &s;uch a fierce grimne&s;s in their looks, as expre&s;&s;ed abundance of terror. As for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> though there was fierce|ne&s;s in his eyes, and anger and fury in his &s;oul, and had a Sword all bloody in his hand, yet his action was &s;o full of re&s;pect, and it was &s;o apparent, that his de&s;ire was to deliver <HI>Mandana</HI> without ruine unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> that there was none but plainly &s;aw it, and the genero&s;ity of his heart. As for <HI>Thomiris,</HI> &s;he was &s;o fair that day, as none but <HI>Mandana</HI> in the world could come in compari&s;on with her. This Prince&s;s was that day mounted upon a goo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ly black hor&s;e, who&s;e trapping was pure gold; the habit of <HI>Thomiris</HI> was cloth of Gold with borders of green, mixed with Carnation, and it was made after the mode of <HI>Pallas</HI> when painted armed; her Gown being tacked with buckles of Diamonds, made her Buskins to be &s;een, which was &s;uitable to the re&s;t of her habits: The dre&s;s up|on ber head was adorned with precious &s;tones, and a Carnation white and green plume did hover over her fair hair, which waving at the plea&s;ure of the winde, did confu&s;edly
<PB N="122" REF="857">
mix with the feathers as &s;he turned her head, and a thou&s;and negligent, but lovely curls, gave a rare lu&s;tre unto her beauty. Moreover, her &s;leeves being turned up, and tacked higher then her elbows, and &s;he holding the Bridle of her Hor&s;e in one hand, and her Sword in the other, the faire&s;t arms in the world were to be &s;een quite bare. Fury al&s;o had put &s;uch a fre&s;h Carnation upon her cheeks, that &s;he was now far fairer then ordinary. Al&s;o her joy to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and to find him in &s;uch a re&s;pective po&s;ture towards her, had &s;o quelled that fury which was a little before in her a&s;pect, as &s;he &s;eemed infinitely amiable and charming Al&s;o her hopes of taking him if <HI>Ariantes</HI> came &s;oon enough to aid her, did fill her full of delight, and moved her to &s;peak le&s;s &s;harply unto him, purpo&s;ely to &s;tay him the longer: So that after the combat was cea&s;ed, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> had let fall the point of his Sword, and de&s;ired her not to force him to ruine a Queen whom he de&s;ired to &s;erve: This fair Souldier, an&s;wered him, that &s;ince it was he who began the war, &s;he might continue it without inju&s;tice: The war Madam (&s;aid he unto her) &s;hall quickly end, if you will be plea&s;ed to deliver the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana:</HI> Doubtle&s;s (replied &s;he) <HI>Manda|na</HI> will be quickly delivered, if you plea&s;e; for provided you will become a pri&s;oner in her room, I will ingage my &s;elf to make <HI>Ariantes</HI> to deliver her, or el&s;e I will do it with|out him. When you have &s;ent her back into my Camp (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> I do ingage my &s;elf to come into yours Madam, provided <HI>Mandana</HI> con&s;ent unto it: For I do prote&s;t Madam, I would do any thing in the world to procure her liberty and your favour. To procure my favour (an&s;wered &s;he, and le&s;&s;ened her tone) you know that the way is not to be <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Lover: For as long as you are (added &s;he, and rai&s;ed her voice a|gain) She &s;hall be my Pri&s;oner, and I will be revenged upon her for all the injuries you did me, in departing out of my Dominions without my permi&s;&s;ion. Oh Madam (cried out <HI>Cyrus)</HI> if you keep <HI>Mandana</HI> Pri&s;oner only to be revenged upon me, I be&s;eech you deliver her, and I will promi&s;e you to puni&s;h my &s;elf for the crime whereof you accu&s;e me, and of which I cannot repent. At the&s;e words, <HI>Ariantes</HI> accidentally appeared with his Troop, though he had no orders from <HI>Thomiris.</HI></P>
<P>This Prince&s;s &s;eeing him before <HI>Cyrus</HI> did, and not doubting but now <HI>Cyrus</HI> would be in her Fetters as well as <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he told him, That it was not now a time to talk of <HI>Mandana</HI>'s liberty, but to &s;urrender his Sword, and become her Slave. She had no &s;ooner &s;aid the&s;e words, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> and all his company &s;eeing <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>Andrami|tes</HI> coming in the head of fifteen or twenty hor&s;e, they then gave them&s;elves for lo&s;t. In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing no delay was expedient, and that he was &s;o far from taking <HI>Thomiris,</HI> that he was him&s;elf in danger to be taken, he took upon the right hand for fear of being compa&s;&s;ed about; one pa&s;&s;age at this incounter was excellently remarkable, for <HI>Cy|rus</HI> as he parted in an in&s;tant from <HI>Thomiris,</HI> it was in his power to have killed her, &amp; he &s;aw the thing &s;o ea&s;ie to be done, that it was his virtue only which re&s;trained his arm; he was &s;o ab&s;olutely Ma&s;ter of her and him&s;elf at this time, that imagining it would be a &s;hame for him to kill a Queen, he u&s;ed not the lea&s;t action which might rai&s;e &s;u&s;pition he had any &s;uch thought; but on the contrary, as he left her. Learn Madam (&s;aid he unto he&punc;) by the re&s;pect I bear unto you, to re&s;pect the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and do to her what is fit, &s;ince I do not to you what I could. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Thomiris</HI> who &s;aw that <HI>Cy|rus</HI> by his re&s;pect gave her an opportunity to give him a blow, did upon the fir&s;t brunt of her fury lift up her arm, but a &s;econd thought re&s;training the fir&s;t, &s;he negligently let fall her Sword, and looked whether <HI>Arian<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es</HI> was coming. In the mean time, this Rival unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;eeing that this Prince by rea&s;on of his quickne&s;s could not be compa&s;&s;ed a|bout, he joyned his Troop unto that of <HI>Thomiris;</HI> &s;o that now he overnumbered his E|nemy by more then half. 'Tis true, his repugnancy to fight again&s;t a Prince unto whom he was obliged, did &s;omthing le&s;&s;en his ordinary valor, and made him fall on more faintly. But <HI>Thomiris</HI> charging her men not to kill <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but to take him, and promi&s;ing great re|wards if they did take him, &s;he did &s;o incourage them, that the Conquerour of all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> was never &s;o neer taking Pri&s;oner &s;ince he was at the Ca&s;tle of <HI>Hermes,</HI> as now. But his great heart being bravely &s;econded by <HI>Mazares, Indather&s;es, Aglatidas, Ligdames, A|ra&s;pes, Feraulas,</HI> and others which followed him, they did &s;o clo&s;ely unite them&s;elves, and kept a pa&s;s in the wood where they could not be compa&s;&s;ed about &s;o well, that they &s;tood the fir&s;t charge of <HI>Aria<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tes</HI> &s;o vigorou&s;ly, as tho&s;e who would have broken them were broken them&s;elves So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> falling violently into the body of his Enemies, he met with <HI>Ariantes.</HI> As for <HI>Thomiris,</HI> &s;he only gave orders, and fought not, &s;till charge|ing her men continually not to kill <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but to take him In the mean time, when this
<PB N="123" REF="857">
Prince was neer enough <HI>Ariantes</HI> to be heard: Oh thou perfidious <HI>Anaxaris</HI> (&s;aid he, and fell upon him) re&s;tore me that Prince&s;s whom I tru&s;ted thee withal: I cannot tell whether <HI>Anaxaris</HI> will re&s;tore her unto you (replied that Prince, and warded the blow which <HI>Cyrus</HI> made at him) but I am &s;ure <HI>Ariantes</HI> will not, though he knows he does you wrong, and is ungrateful. After this, the&s;e two fierce Enemies talking only with their hands, the combat became hot, and if their numbers had been a little more equal then it was, <HI>Cyrus</HI> had certainly defeated his Rival, as brave as he was. But &s;ince he &s;till retained his judgment, he perceived that if he &s;trive only to vanqui&s;h <HI>Ariantes,</HI> him&s;elf would be overcome by his men, and fall into the power of <HI>Thomiris:</HI> So that after he had very dangerou&s;ly wounded <HI>Ariantes</HI> in the left &s;houlder, and &s;eeing there was no way but to retreat, he di&s;ingaged him&s;elf from amid&s;t his Enemies, and rallying all his men together, he &s;till retreated fighting, and &s;o bravely, that his followers began to faint upon it: For &s;ince <HI>Ariantes</HI> by rea&s;on of his wound did not follow, and &s;ince <HI>Thomiris</HI> would not follow any further for fear of an Ambu&s;cado, <HI>Cyrus</HI> by his wi&s;dom and rare valour made good his retreat; with the lo&s;s only of three Cavaliers. In his return he perceived that he had received a flight wound in his right &s;itle: So that &s;eeing no more Enemies to fight with, he ha&s;ted his march that he might be dre&s;&s;ed, and came very happily to his Camp, where he was expected with much impatience, and &s;o he left <HI>Thomiris</HI> in mo&s;t in|&s;ufferable di&s;pair.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The End of the Second Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="book">
<PB N="120" REF="858">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR The Grand CYRUS. The Nineth Part. BOOK. III.</HEAD>
<P>_AS &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was come unto his Tent, he altered the orders which he had given <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> of going to <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and he took a &s;hort accompt of the &s;tate of things whil&s;t his Chyrur|gions were &s;ent for, and gave his orders for every thing in &s;o &s;hort a time, that he had nothing to do when they came, but to &s;earch his wound, which they found to be very &s;light, and without any danger: But yet they told <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that it was ab&s;o|lutely nece&s;&s;ary for him to keep his bed two daies, and to be &s;e|ven or eight before he ventured on hor&s;eback, becau&s;e his wound being neer his hip, it could not clo&s;e in a &s;hort time, unle&s;s he gave it re&s;t; adding, that if he did not take that cour&s;e, it would be in danger of a Gangreen, and make him much wor&s;e. At the fir&s;t, <HI>Cyrus</HI> would not obey them, thinking &s;even or eight daies, as &s;o many ages; for he knew that as long as he could not &s;tir, his Army could not attempt any thing. Yet at la&s;t, con&s;idering that their advice in &s;uch things was to be followed, he obeyed them; yet he had &s;carce re&s;ted him&s;elfe two hours, but <HI>Adonacris,</HI> who &s;tayed in the Tents Royal after <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> returned, and came to give an accompt of his voyage: Truth is, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not hugely ha&s;ty to ask him news, con&s;idering the tempers he had left <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> in: However, he had a de&s;ire to know what made him &s;o &s;oon quit the Tents Royal, and what moved <HI>Thomi|ris</HI>
<PB N="121" REF="858">
and <HI>Ariantes</HI> to go into the woods where he met them, for he knew they could not have any intelligence of his pa&s;&s;ing over <HI>Araxes.</HI> So that as &s;oon as <HI>Adonacris</HI> came to him; I do not ask you generous <HI>Adonacris</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) How you have prevail|ed with <HI>Ariantes;</HI> for having talked with him when he had a Sword in his hand, I know what an&s;wer he made you: But I ask you, what moved <HI>Thomiris</HI> to come into the wood on this &s;ide the Fort of <HI>Sauromates?</HI> Sir (replied <HI>Adonacris)</HI> to &s;atisfie your curio&s;ity, I mu&s;t tell you of many important pa&s;&s;ages; and therefore though my negotiation pro|ved ineffectual, yet I be&s;eech you give me leave to acquaint you with what I have done, to the end you may better under&s;tand what I have to acquaint you withal: I &s;hall tell you then Sir, &s;ince your &s;ilence &s;eems to give con&s;ent, that true it is, I have not prevailed with <HI>Ariantes;</HI> yet mo&s;t certain it is, that once I &s;aw his mind &s;tagger, and when I re|membred him of all his obligations to you, I found in him as much &s;hame as love. Yes my dear <HI>Adonacris</HI> (&s;aid he then unto me, when I pre&s;&s;ed him very earne&s;tly) all that you tell me is mo&s;t true, and I mu&s;t confe&s;s that <HI>Anaxaris</HI> is a ba&s;e ungrateful and perfi|dious man, &s;uch a one as <HI>Cyrus</HI> has rea&s;on to hate, and that he is equally unworthy, both of the friend&s;hip of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and of <HI>Mandana</HI>'s love. But <HI>Adonacris,</HI> though <HI>Ari|antes</HI> had a de&s;ire to repair the fault of <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> that it would be in vain if he &s;hould attempt it; for <HI>Mandana</HI> is &s;o little in his di&s;po&s;e, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> will hardly &s;uffer him to &s;ee her, and therefore he is far from any ability of rendring her unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> Therefore, &s;ince I &s;hould repent in vain, becau&s;e I cannot relea&s;e her if I would, I had better not repent at all: Al&s;o I am per&s;waded, that I &s;hould ere long repent that ever I repented: And therefore, I be&s;eech you do what you can to make my Rival hate me without &s;corn, and endeavour to le&s;&s;en the greatne&s;s of my crime, by in&s;tancing the greatne&s;s of my love.</P>
<P>After this Sir, I redoubled my rea&s;ons and my prayers, and I dare a&s;&s;ure you my affec|tion at that time made me &s;ay much more then a more able man then my &s;elf could have i|magined at that time, and upon this occa&s;ion. But as I was with this Prince, one came from <HI>Thomiris,</HI> to acquaint him, that the Prince <HI>Phraartes</HI> going to &s;ee the works at the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> did meet with a &s;tranger and fought with him, and that he was mortally wounded as well as his Enemy: So that <HI>Phraartes</HI> being high in the e&s;teem of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> &s;he no &s;ooner heard in what condition he was, but &s;he went from the Tents Royal unto the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> where they had carried him, becau&s;e he fought neer that place: So that &s;etting out about two hours after <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> and carrying the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>Andramites</HI> with her, I followed them, hoping that my importunity might happily work with <HI>Ariantes.</HI></P>
<P>Thus I came with them as far as the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> where we were no &s;ooner ar|rived, but <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> went to vi&s;it <HI>Phraartes,</HI> whom they found at the la&s;t ga&s;p, yet having his intellects perfect, he de&s;ired to &s;peak with them in private, and &s;o he did for half an hour: After which, he growing &s;peechle&s;s, they left him; but it was very ob&s;erveable, that as &s;oon as they had talked with <HI>Phraartes,</HI> they con&s;ulted a long time together, the mind of <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;eeming to be di&s;plea&s;ed at &s;omthing. After this, <HI>Thomiris</HI> left him, and went to &s;ee him whom <HI>Phraartes</HI> had fought with, whom they brought into the &s;ame place. So that it is to be imagined this unknown man was &s;ome very con&s;iderable per&s;on: However, I could not know any more of him; all I can tell you is, they are both dead, and the &s;ame honors were done unto them. But Sir, to end my relation, <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>Thomiris</HI> having a de&s;ign to ingage you among&s;t tho&s;e narrow pa&s;&s;es which are in the woods about the Fort of the <HI>Sauromates,</HI> went to view them, and to &s;ee where they &s;hould place their men, in ca&s;e you came over <HI>Araxes.</HI> But &s;ince it would be too much to view them all in one day, if they went together, <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>A|riantes</HI> took &s;everal wayes into the woods to view the&s;e pa&s;&s;es, not knowing that you had pa&s;&s;ed the river; and tho&s;e who watched the river, thinking her to be at the Tents Roy|al, it's probable they &s;ent their intelligence thither; and I can a&s;&s;ure you they knew no|thing of it at the Fort of the <HI>Sauromates,</HI> until the return of <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes.</HI> In the mean time, though <HI>Ariantes</HI> was wounded, he would needs &s;end news of it unto the Tents Royal, where the body of the Army lay, but he would not let me &s;peak with him: So that I returned to you Sir, very &s;orry I was not able to do you any better &s;ervice, no more then the friends of <HI>Anabaris,</HI> who have all promi&s;ed me to let &s;lip no opportunity which Fortune &s;hall pre&s;ent unto them, to endeavour the liberty of <HI>Mandana.</HI> When <HI>Adonacris</HI> had pronounced the&s;e words, one came and told <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that the man to
<PB N="126" REF="859">
whom he &s;pake unto neer <HI>Araxes,</HI> when he returned from &s;eeing <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> asked very ear|ne&s;tly to &s;peak with him. So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> thinking it to be the &s;ame man whom he &s;ent to the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> to tell him it was better fighting on his &s;ide, then for the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana,</HI> he commanded him to enter. So <HI>Adonacris</HI> being retired, and this man en|tred, <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked him, What he had to &s;ay from the King his Ma&s;ter? Sir (an&s;wered he and &s;ighed) I be&s;eech you pardon me that I cannot conceal my &s;orrows for the death of a Prince who was your Rival; but what he hath commanded me to tell you, will per|haps render me excu&s;eable, and oblige you to lament the misfortune of &s;o great a Prince. How (cryed out <HI>Cyrus)</HI> Is the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> dead? Yes Sir, replied he, and died with thoughts very contrary to the Prince who gave him his death. This is &s;uch a wonder to me (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that you mu&s;t relate the accident with all its circum&s;tances before you can make me believe it: Which to do Sir (an&s;wered the man) I mu&s;t tell you, that after I left you, I went over the River at the next pa&s;&s;age, and I was &s;o happy, that the next morning I met with the King my Ma&s;ter, who &s;tayed at the fir&s;t hou&s;e to get a hor&s;e. But Sir, though I told him all that you charged me withal, and though he was much moved at it, yet he continued his journey three daies after; and being told, that the way through the wood was the neere&s;t way to go unto the place where the Army was, he took it, and went unto the Fort of the <HI>Saumorats,</HI> where enquiring of news in general, he under&s;tood that <HI>Phraartes</HI> (whom he knew at <HI>Cumes)</HI> was in the Tents Royal; and he heard further, that he was to come that very &s;ame day unto the place where we were I cannot tell you Sir the thoughts of this much to be lamented Prince upon this occa&s;ion: Ah Fortune, Fortune, cried he out, thou art too fully re&s;olved to per&s;ecute me, and my con&s;tancy mu&s;t &s;ubmit, mu&s;t I be overwhelmed with &s;o many di&s;graces all at once? I love, heavens knows, and I am not beloved; I have lo&s;t two Kingdoms, and my Ene|mies po&s;&s;e&s;s them; I am obliged unto the Rival who is preferred before me; I do infi|nitely e&s;teem that Prince&s;s who prefers him, and him al&s;o as much as &s;he doth; I do hate <HI>Ariantes,</HI> both as my Rival, as the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and as my Vanqui&s;her; yet for all this; I am re&s;olved to fight for him, rather then for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and to compleat all my mi&s;eries, I do find the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Araminta</HI> in this Court: Will honor &s;uffer thee to &s;ee a Prince that &s;tole away thy Si&s;ter, and not be revenged for that affront? No, no, &s;ince thou art not capable of any ill, but what Love forced thee to commit, thou can&s;t ne|ver be excu&s;ed if thou do&s;t.</P>
<P>After this Sir, this great Prince was &s;ilent, and making &s;igns unto me that he would be alone, I retired. But as chance would have it, next to the Tent where I was, there happened to be two &s;trangers, who&s;e language was not unknown unto me, for I had been &s;o long in <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Bythinia,</HI> that I very well under&s;tood&punc; the language which they &s;poke, it being the &s;ame. I heard the&s;e two then &s;peak aloud, becau&s;e they did not think I did under&s;tand them; and one of them told the other, that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would be ex|treamly glad to get <HI>Araminta</HI> into his power, and that he doubted not but that the Prin|ce&s;&s;es which he would give as Ho&s;tages, would &s;hortly bring it to pa&s;s: 'Tis true, replied the other, <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> would perhaps be glad, but <HI>Spitridates</HI> would be &s;orry if he knew it; and I cannot tell whether it be wi&s;dom or no in us thus blindly to &s;erve <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> in all his violences, and when the Prince his Son comes to raign, he will make us repent it. After this Sir, the&s;e two men changing place, I could not hear any more what they &s;aid: However, I thought it fit to let my Ma&s;ter know what I heard, and therefore went to tell him, and he having a longing de&s;ire to know more, and not doubting but tho&s;e I heard talk were his Subjects, he re&s;olved to &s;hew him&s;elf unto them: And indeed with|out more con&s;ulting with him&s;elf, he went out of his Tent, and went to the place where the&s;e men were, who were &s;o amazed at the &s;ight of him, that though they &s;aw him in a condition far different from what they had formerly &s;een him, yet now they trembled, and were infinitely re&s;pective to him: He knowing their thoughts by their actions, took advantage of the di&s;order in their &s;pirits, and &s;poke with &s;uch Maje&s;ty, that he obliged them to tell him what they did in that place: So as he under&s;tood by them that <HI>Ar&s;amo|nes</HI> (who heard <HI>Phraartes</HI> went towards the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes)</HI> had &s;ent unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and offered her a very con&s;iderable diver&s;ion of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> by a powerful a&s;&s;aulting him, and by rai&s;ing a party in <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> provided &s;he would put <HI>Araminta</HI> into her power, ingage|ing him&s;elf al&s;o to let her marry <HI>Phraartes,</HI> and offered her for &s;ecurity of this Treaty, to put the Prince&s;s his Daughter, and the Prince&s;s his Niece into his power, upon condition &s;he would promi&s;e al&s;o, that if ever <HI>Spitridates</HI> came into her power, during the Wars &s;he
<PB N="127" REF="859">
had with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;he would put him unto his. After this, the&s;e two men who were of <HI>Heraclea,</HI> told him, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> accepted of the offer, and <HI>Phraartes</HI> accepted and con|&s;ented unto it al&s;o, thinking he was more &s;ure to marry <HI>Araminta</HI> in the Court of <HI>Ar&s;a|mones,</HI> then in the Court of <HI>Thomiris:</HI> The&s;e men al&s;o added, That they came into that Country and &s;tayed in it, to keep things in the &s;ame condition they are, and that ere long the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> would arrive. Then they &s;aid that they came to &s;ee this Fort out of curio&s;ity only, and they under&s;tood that <HI>Phraartes</HI> would be there al&s;o that day. And indeed Sir, the&s;e Subjects unto the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> told him as much as he de&s;ired to know, and when they told him that <HI>Phraartes</HI> was gone to view the works without, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> charged the&s;e two men not to tell what he was, and charging them with as much authority as if he were upon the Throne: Afterwards he took hor&s;e, none knowing his de&s;ign. But Sir, not to trouble you with too many imper|tinencies, he went to the place where they &s;aid <HI>Phraartes</HI> was, yet he did not &s;hew him|&s;elf at fir&s;t unto him; but as &s;oon as he &s;pied him, he galloped a little into the wood, and gave me a Letter in which he had written &s;omthing, which he charged me to give <HI>Phra|artes</HI> who was looking upon the workmen; but not to tell him whom he was: I in obe|dience to my Ma&s;ter carried the Letter, <HI>Phraartes</HI> read it, then asked me in a low voice who &s;ent it, and where he was? Sir (&s;aid I unto him) he is within two hundred paces of this place, but as for his name he hath charged me not to tell it, and I dare not di&s;o|bey him.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Phraartes</HI> being brave, and his valour a little que&s;tioned, he &s;tood no longer in asking the name of him who de&s;ired to &s;ee him with a Sword in his hand, but thought of contenting this unknown man who demanded &s;atisfaction for a wrong; and imagining (as he &s;aid afterwards) that perhaps it was <HI>Spitridates,</HI> he would not any longer defer the giving him his de&s;ired &s;atisfaction: So that &s;ending away all his men upon &s;everal pre|tences, and after he had &s;ent me back to tell my Ma&s;ter that he would be with him pre|&s;ently; he followed me within a quarter of an hour after, and came to the place where I appointed, without any other company but one Page only, and without other arms then a Sword: For my Ma&s;ter, as I under&s;tood &s;ince, did &s;end him word, that a Sword only &s;hould decide their difference. But Sir, he wondered much when he came to the place where his Enemy was, and knew him not, but this wonder was quickly vani&s;hed by the entrance of another; for as &s;oon as the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;aw him, he drew his Sword, and advancing towards him: 'Tis now a fit time to tell you (&s;aid he unto him) that I am the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI>'s Brother, and am able to hinder you from putting her into the hands of the U&s;urper of my Kingdoms. If you be the &s;ame you &s;ay (replied <HI>Phra|artes</HI> and drew his Sword) you need not complain again&s;t a Prince who would take <HI>Ara|minta</HI> from <HI>Spitridates,</HI> whom you love not. 'Tis true, I love him not (replied he) but I do e&s;teem him, which is more then you do. To be a Ravi&s;her away of <HI>Mandana</HI> as you are (replied <HI>Phraartes</HI> in a &s;urely manner) you are very &s;en&s;ible of a carrying away. At the&s;e words, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> with out any an&s;wer advanced towards him with in|credible fury and valour: <HI>Phraartes</HI> on his &s;ide he fought like a man that was &s;orry to fight again&s;t the Brother of his Mi&s;tre&s;s; yet his valour being a little clowni&s;h, as they who knew him &s;aid, he fought with the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> with as much animo&s;ity, as if he had been his Rival: For my part, I was forced to be a Spectator of the Combat, for <HI>Phraartes</HI> having but one Page with him, I could do no otherwi&s;e. But Sir, after a long and &s;harp di&s;pute, and both mortally wounded in &s;everal places, the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> ran <HI>Phraartes</HI> through the body, &s;o that he fell from his hor&s;e, and let his Sword fall, which the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> lighting in an in&s;tant, &s;eized upon.</P>
<P>Thus was he the Vanqui&s;her of <HI>Phraartes;</HI> but he no &s;ooner &s;aw him&s;elf victorious, but he fell al&s;o within four paces of his Enemy: So that I being forced to make u&s;e of the Conquereds Page to help the Conquerour, I &s;ent him to acquaint them in the Fort with this accident. So that many people coming in, they carried the&s;e two wounded per&s;ons into the Fort of the <HI>Saur<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">mates,</HI> and &s;ent to acquaint <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> with the pa&s;&s;age. In the mean time, though a Chyrurgion &s;aid my Ma&s;ters wounds were mor|tal as well as <HI>Phraartes,</HI> yet I told not who he was, le&s;t they &s;hould arre&s;t me, and ha&s;ten his death by that violence. But when <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> came, I under&s;tood that <HI>Phraartes</HI> told them, and de&s;ired them to promi&s;e they would hold on the Treaty with <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> to the end that <HI>Araminta</HI> being once in his power, &s;he might never marry <HI>Spitridates.</HI> But Sir, as &s;oon as <HI>Phraartes</HI> had made this unju&s;t de&s;ire unto <HI>Thomirs</HI> and
<PB N="128" REF="860">
<HI>Ariantes,</HI> he lo&s;t his &s;peech, and a little after his life. In the mean time, <HI>Thomiris</HI> know|ing from <HI>Phraartes</HI> the quality of my Ma&s;ter, &s;he came to &s;ee him, followed only by one man of quality, called <HI>Andramites:</HI> As for <HI>Ariant<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s,</HI> it is to be imagined, that he would not vi&s;it his Rival: But Sir, this mi&s;erable Prince, into who&s;e minde the approaches of death had infu&s;ed more ju&s;t thoughts both of youSir, and <HI>Mandana,</HI> he u&s;ed &s;uch moving ar|guments to oblige that Queen to re&s;tore the Prince&s;s unto you Sir, and to per&s;wade <HI>Ari|ant<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> unto a repentance of his violence, that &s;hould I relate them to you Sir, you would be charmed with his virtue: yet for all this, I plainly &s;ee Sir, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> will not be per&s;waded; nor &s;tayed &s;he long with him, but though an enemy, yet &s;he promi&s;ed to have a care of him. I have &s;o &s;mall a &s;hare in life (&s;aid he unto her) that I will not aske you Madam, any thing for my &s;elf; no not &s;o much as a Tombe, for I do not de&s;ire to eternize the memory of my mi&s;eries. But Madam, (&s;aid he and &s;ighed) I beg all things of you for <HI>Mandana:</HI> After this, <HI>Th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">miris</HI> going out, without any direct an&s;wer, and this mi&s;erable King perceiving he could not live long, commanded me to let the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> know, as &s;oon as I could, that he repented of his violence to her, though he could never repent of loving her, and conjured her, not to hate his memory. As for you Sir, he charged me to tell you, that he was extreamly &s;orry he died ungrateful, and that he could not chu&s;e but dye your Rival: and de&s;ired you to have a care of the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta;</HI> al&s;o to tell you, that he would dye the friend of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and commanded me to tell him as much. After this Sir, his rea&s;on beginning to rove, he &s;pent the whole night in talking continually of <HI>Mandana,</HI> but without any cau&s;e or moving thereunto; afterwards growing weak upon a &s;udden, he dyed about break of day: and thus both Conquered and Conqueror dyed almo&s;t ot one munit: and after their deaths they receiv|ed the &s;ame honours by order from <HI>Thomiris.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time, that Prince&s;s being upon the place, &s;he would needs go and view the woods about the Fort, before &s;he returned: and in the m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">an time, and while&s;t you Sir, was fighting with <HI>Ariantes,</HI> a &s;ervant unto <HI>Andramites,</HI> whom he had left there up|on &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s, came and addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf unto me out of curio&s;ity to know who it was I &s;o much greeved for his death: For Sir, I forgot to tell you, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> did not publi&s;h his quality after his death, and I imagine her rea&s;on for it was, becau&s;e the news of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his death &s;hould not be carried unto the Prince&s;s his Si&s;ter, before &s;he returned to the Tents Royal; But Sir, as &s;oon as this &s;ervant unto <HI>Andramites</HI> had acco&s;ted me, we knew each other, and remembred that we bore Armes together at the Sieg of <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> when the Prince <HI>Artamas,</HI> went under the name of <HI>Cleand<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r:</HI> So that embracing each other with joy, we began to relate our adventures, and to renew our old friend&s;hip which formerly was very great: But to tye the knot more fa&s;t between us; he imparted unto me his intententions of &s;erving you Sir, and I told him al&s;o who was my ma&s;ter, and what he had charged me to tell you, upon his death bed: So that encou|raging each other in our intentions of repairing the faults we had committed again&s;t you, and of doing you &s;ome con&s;iderable &s;ervice, we walked together about the Fort; and ob|&s;erved that at the place which is not yet fini&s;hed, it is &s;o ea&s;ily to be &s;urprized, that with five hundred men only, one may become Ma&s;ter of it: So then wi&s;hing earne&s;tly that you had pa&s;&s;ed over the River <HI>Araxes,</HI> to attempt this enterprize, we thought our wi&s;h|es had been in vain, becau&s;e we then knew not that you had already pa&s;&s;ed it. But Sir, when <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> returned wounded we quickly under&s;tood that you were neerer then we imagined. So that now this &s;ervant of <HI>Andramites</HI> and I, looking upon this bu&s;ine&s;s as a thing very fea&s;able, we carefully examined the matter again: and to fa|cilitate our de&s;ign, <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> departing, <HI>Andramites,</HI> as good luck was, did leave this &s;ervant in the Fort, by orders from <HI>Ariantes,</HI> with orders to come and acquaint them when it was fini&s;hed: and he left him there al&s;o as a Surveyor over the workmen; for this man the better to further <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">his de&s;ign, had &s;o in&s;inuated with his Ma&s;ter, that he made him be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eeve he had &s;erved the Prince of <HI>Cumes,</HI> in the Fortifications of his Town, and that he under&s;tood the art of it as well as any man: Then Sir, after the departure of <HI>Thomir</HI> and <HI>Ariant<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s,</HI> this man and I con&s;idering the Scituation and pre&s;ent condition of the place, we re&s;olved, that I &s;hould come and acquaint you, how, if you would be plea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed to &s;end five hund<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed men &s;peedily, by &s;uch a way as a guide I have provided will &s;hew you, you may pre&s;ently become Ma&s;ter of it: But Sir, this mu&s;t be done pre&s;ently, for it is reporte<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, that as &s;oon as <HI>Thomiris</HI> is returned to the Tents Royal, and hath tak|en all orders for the &s;ecurity of t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and for the departure of <HI>Ara|minta,</HI>
<PB N="129" REF="860">
whom &s;he will &s;end unto <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> as &s;oon as the two Ho&s;tage Prince&s;s are come, &s;he will then return with her whole Army to make good the pa&s;&s;es which he hath viewed, and to ingage you to fight in a place which will be very di&s;advantagious to you. There|fore Sir, ha&s;t mu&s;t be made, and no greater number mu&s;t be imployed then I mentioned, le&s;t the Fort &s;hould have intelligence. You tell me &s;o many &s;trange things at once (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that I know not which to an&s;wer fir&s;t; yet I mu&s;t tell you, that I do much la|ment the pittiful fate of the Pontean King, I do commend your fidelity to him, and I will recompence your zeal to me.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> enquiring of him the true &s;tate of the place, he found him talk &s;o pertinently, that he &s;aw there was great probability of doing &s;ome good in the de|&s;ign, &s;o it were &s;peedily executed; and he &s;ent for <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> only to con|fer with them about it, having no minde to impart it unto a Council of War, le&s;t it &s;hould be known. So having broke it unto them, and told them that he thought it worth the hazard of five hundred men, they concurred with him in opinion: So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> make|ing choice of <HI>Feraulas</HI> for this bold attempt, he &s;ent for him; and afterwards he called out the Troops which he was to command, and giving him all nece&s;&s;ary in&s;tructions, it was re&s;olved he &s;hould &s;et out in the beginning of the night, and when he was neer the Fort to make a &s;ign by fire, which would adverti&s;e the &s;ervant of <HI>Andramites</HI> of their being there, and he according to agreement would an&s;wer them by another, and let them preci&s;ely know the place where they were to &s;urprize the Fort; and in order to all the&s;e re&s;olutions, tho&s;e Troops which <HI>Cyrus</HI> made choice of to be under the command of <HI>Feraulas,</HI> departed in the beginning of the night, guided by the man whom the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his &s;ervant had provided. But after they were gone, <HI>Cyrus</HI> began with lea&s;ure to con&s;ider the lamentable death of the <HI>Pontean</HI> King, and to deplore the mi&s;|fortune of a Prince whom Fate had &s;trangely per&s;ecuted all his life long. Afterwards calling to memory the death of the <HI>A&s;&s;irian</HI> King, he was full of compa&s;&s;ion for the&s;e two illu&s;trious Rivals, as he was of amity to <HI>Mazares.</HI> So that contracting all the ha|tred he ever bore unto them again&s;t <HI>Ariantes,</HI> he hated him alone as much as ever he did them all together; yet it was &s;uch a hatred as was accompanied with e&s;teem for all the high acts he had done at <HI>Sardis,</HI> and at <HI>Cumes:</HI> But the greate&s;t grief of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was, that he was not to &s;tir yet for &s;ome certain daies; but in the mean time he gave orders for every thing, and &s;aw all tho&s;e who had any thing to &s;ay unto him: 'Tis true, the de|&s;ire he had to hear the &s;ucce&s;s of this enterprize did take up much of his mind, &s;o as it was not entirely at liberty; yet he talked unto all his friends, as if his &s;oul had no extra|ordinary cares upon it, and to inquire very obligingly of all their intere&s;ts: He asked <HI>Artamas</HI> how <HI>Palmis</HI> did; <HI>Agla<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">idas</HI> of <HI>Ame&s;tris;</HI> and <HI>Ligdamis</HI> of <HI>Cleonice:</HI> But as for <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> he would never acquaint him with the Treaty between <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> and <HI>Thomiris,</HI> becau&s;e it &s;hould not grieve him: And he commanded all the Officers who&s;e Quarters were neer <HI>Araxes,</HI> that if they met with any Cavalry conducting Ladies, that they &s;hould u&s;e them re&s;pectively, and bring them to his Camp: Truth is, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was not long in this ignorance; for being one morning at that Bridg of Boats which <HI>Cy|rus</HI> had made over <HI>Araxes,</HI> to view &s;ome Troops pa&s;s which were newly come, and which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had &s;ent unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he e&s;pied the Prince <HI>Atergatis,</HI> and as &s;oon as ever he &s;aw him he went to him, and without lighting from his hor&s;e, becau&s;e the place would not permit it, they &s;haked hands, and confirmed their friend&s;hip: But having many que&s;tions to ask each other, they went further from the Pre&s;s; and <HI>Intaphernes</HI> finding much melancholy in the eyes of his friend, his heart began to fear, and he had a great mind to ask how the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> did, but he dur&s;t not; yet being able to hold no longer: Well my dear <HI>Atergatis</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) Are you bani&s;hed from <HI>Ar&s;a|mones</HI> for doing me any good offices unto the Prince&s;s his Daughter? Alas, alas, (repli|ed <HI>Atergatis</HI> and &s;ighed) You would much wonder did you know the cau&s;e of my jour|ney, and you would both wonder and grieve if you knew that the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> are either now in the power of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> or will be very &s;hort|ly, and that the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> will be &s;hortly in the power of <HI>Ar&s;amones:</HI> How's this (cried out <HI>Intaphernes)</HI> Can there be any truth in this you tell me? For heavens &s;ake tell me, how comes this &s;ad adventure to pa&s;s? After this, <HI>Atergatis</HI> told him as much as <HI>Cyrus</HI> knew concerning it; to wit, the Treaty between <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ar&s;amones.</HI> But (&s;aid <HI>Intaphernes</HI> unto him) How could you &s;uffer &s;uch an unju&s;t thing without op|po&s;ition? Had I known it, I &s;hould have thwarted it, replied <HI>Atergatis,</HI> but <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI>
<PB N="130" REF="861">
did negotiate the bu&s;ine&s;s &s;o &s;ecretly, as all was concluded before I knew any thing, and to prevent any ob&s;tacle in the departure of the Prince&s;&s;es, he &s;ent me to <HI>Heraclea</HI> whil&s;t he &s;hipped them for <HI>Chri&s;ipalis,</HI> to &s;end them unto <HI>Thomiris.</HI> But as &s;oon as the Prin|ce&s;&s;es knew their de&s;ign, they were &s;o &s;ad at it, that moving the heart of one in the Ship to pity them, he promi&s;ed to come and acquaint me as &s;oon as the Ship came to Land; and the next morning the Ship came a&s;hore, becau&s;e the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> de&s;ired to &s;end and offer a Sacrifice at a Temple which was by the Sea &s;ide, and this man came then out of the Ship and never returned, but come immediately to me, and acquainted me in few words with all the pa&s;&s;age: So that conceiving I could not po&s;&s;ible overtake the Prin|ce&s;&s;es, nor ought to return unto <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> nor &s;tay about that bu&s;ine&s;s he had im|ployed me, I came in all ha&s;t unto you, and about three daies march hence, I met the&s;e Troops with whom I came: But in my way I under&s;tood that the Prince&s;s are carried by away far off, to the end they might &s;hun the Camp of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> when they pa&s;&s;ed over <HI>Araxes.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Intaphernes</HI> hearing this &s;ad news, was all &s;orrow: But at la&s;t he told <HI>Atergatis,</HI> that hoping well in the valour of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who in delivering <HI>Mandana,</HI> would deliver the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es al&s;o, he prepared to carry him into his Tent, after he had &s;ent to adverti&s;e him of his intentions: So as <HI>Cyrus</HI> not being ignorant of his name and quality, nor of his merit and adventures, nor of the friend&s;hip which was between <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and him, he received him with all po&s;&s;ible civility: But when <HI>Intaphernes</HI> would have acquainted him with the Treaty which <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> had made, he &s;topped him, and &s;aid he was not ignorant of, but kept it &s;ecret, becau&s;e he de&s;ired to &s;ave him &s;ome &s;ighs; adding, that as &s;oon as ever he heard of it, he gave orders to all his Officers, that if they met with any La|dies to re&s;pect them, and bring them to his Camp. After which, the&s;e two Lovers being both &s;atisfied with the cares of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> they thanked him with equal civility: <HI>Atergatis</HI> for his particular did it with &s;o good a grace, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw he merited that excellent Character which he who related his hi&s;tory had given of him. But to begin their friend|&s;hip by a confidence, they condoled their misfortunes together, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> made &s;uch a pathetical abridgment of all his mi&s;eries unto the&s;e two Lovers, that he &s;u&s;pended their &s;orrows for their own, becau&s;e they found his ca&s;e wor&s;e then their own. For truly (&s;aid he unto them) you have no Rivals who hold your Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es Captive, and <HI>Thomiris</HI> hath no intere&s;t to treat them ill: But as for <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he is under the power of a Lover, and under the power of a Queen, who thinks &s;he has rea&s;on to hold her from me. In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> under&s;tanding more preci&s;ely the way which the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es would take in coming from <HI>Bythinia,</HI> he commanded &s;everal Parties to &s;cout about the River <HI>Araxes,</HI> as far as there was any hopes of meeting with them, or at lea&s;t the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> whom <HI>Thomiris</HI> was to &s;end unto <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> when the other Prince&s;&s;es came unto her; and he imagined that She would &s;end her with the &s;ame Convoy, and by the &s;ame way. So that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> having a great de&s;ire to go them&s;elves in per&s;on, <HI>Cyrus</HI> con&s;idering their intere&s;t, permitted them, telling them mo&s;t obliging|ly, that he was very &s;orry he could not go him&s;elf, and help them to deliver their Prin|ce&s;s, as he hoped they would help him to deliver <HI>Mandana.</HI> In the mean time, <HI>Ana|char&s;is</HI> being charmed with the virtue of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> did vi&s;it him very often, telling every one he &s;poke unto, that hitherto he had learned to talk of wi&s;dome, but by the actions of <HI>Cyrus</HI> he would learn to practi&s;e it. This Prince al&s;o for his part did finde &s;uch a real &s;incerity in the conver&s;ation of this Sage Scithean, as did infinitely plea&s;e him; and &s;uch a grandure of thought, as did much move his inclination. Al&s;o the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Ana|char&s;is</HI> did much help to drive away his melancholy and &s;orrows that he was not able to act, and made him expect with much le&s;s impatiency the &s;ucce&s;s of his enterprize. But at la&s;t, better news came then he dur&s;t hope for, and that Guard of <HI>Mandana</HI>'s, who was become <HI>Andramites</HI> &s;ervant, al&s;o who had plotted the bu&s;ine&s;s, came to beg his par|don, and told <HI>Cyrus</HI> that his enterprize was effected, and that he was Ma&s;ter of the Fort; and to particularize this great attempt, he told him that <HI>Feraulas</HI> conducted by the King of <HI>Ponts</HI> man, did march &s;o fa&s;t and happily, that tho&s;e within the Fort had not the lea&s;t knowledg of his coming, and that the &s;ign by fire was &s;o well given and taken, and the a&s;&s;ault &s;o &s;urprized the Garri&s;on, that they were damped with fear, and cut in pieces.</P>
<P>Moreover, that <HI>Feraulas</HI> after he was Ma&s;ter of the place, had &s;o incouraged the work|men, and promi&s;ed &s;uch great recompences unto them if they fini&s;hed the work, that tho&s;e men having heard of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and his liberality, did fall on work, and promi&s;ed to
<PB N="131" REF="861">
fini&s;h it within two daies. This great and good news infu&s;ed as much joy into this Prince, as if he had been in a condition to advance with all his Army. But be&s;ides that his wounds would not give him leave, another accident fell out which hindered him from thinking of it; which was, That the river <HI>Araxes</HI> by rea&s;on of great winds which to&s;&s;ed the water, had broken his Bridg, and the current of the river was &s;o impetuous, that mo&s;t of the Boats were broken, and &s;hattered in pieces one again&s;t another. So that &s;ince the Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> could get no &s;ub&s;i&s;tance but from the other &s;ide of the River, his whole care was to repair the Bridg, that he might &s;end over victual and ammunition to his Army: All they could do, the Bridg being broken, was to &s;end over every day as much as tho&s;e Boats which remained could carry, to make them &s;ub&s;i&s;t. Thus <HI>Cyrus</HI> was of nece&s;&s;ity forced to wait and attempt nothing till he could get on hor&s;eback, and until the Bridg was made again, and al&s;o till victual and ammunition nece&s;&s;ary for his march was pa&s;&s;ed over. In the mean time he took incredible pains to repair the bridg, and &s;ent him who brought the news of the Fort being taken, to tell <HI>Feraulas,</HI> that if he were a&s;&s;aulted to defend him&s;elf, in hopes of a &s;peedy relief: But after he had kept his bed four daies, the Chyrurgions permitted him to ri&s;e, &s;o he would not go out of his Tent of four or five daies more. So that being one morning with <HI>Mazares, Artamas,</HI> and <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> one came to tell him that the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> were coming, and that they brought &s;ome Ladies with them. This news did extreamly &s;urprize <HI>Cyrus,</HI> yet upon better thoughts he imagined, that perhaps they had met with their Prince&s;&s;es, and got them out of the hands of tho&s;e who would have carried them unto <HI>Thomiris:</HI> So that hearing tho&s;e two Princes de&s;ired leave to bring tho&s;e two Ladies unto him, he was well contented. But this Prince was much &s;urprized when <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> brought in the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> and <HI>He&s;ionide,</HI> in lieu of the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> and <HI>I|&s;trina,</HI> whom he expected. 'Tis true, he &s;aw her &s;o &s;ad, that thinking &s;he knew of the King her Brothers death, he dur&s;t not expre&s;s any joyes, nor begin to treat her as Queen; and beginning to think that <HI>Mandana</HI> had lo&s;t a great comfort in lo&s;ing the company of this Prince&s;s, he could not retain his fir&s;t joyes of &s;eeing her, but he let her &s;ee by his eyes, that he would perform all he had promi&s;ed: Yet this Prince&s;s having as much judg|ment as &s;pirit, did think <HI>Cyrus</HI> would be much troubled to tell her of the King her Bro|thers death, &s;he re&s;olved to &s;peak unto him fir&s;t; and indeed &s;he was no &s;ooner come in|to his Tent, at the entrance into which he received her, but beginning to &s;peak fir&s;t: Give me leave to tell you Sir (&s;aid &s;he unto him) in ju&s;tification of that &s;orrow which &s;irs upon my cheeks, that though I have rea&s;on to rejoyce of my liberty, and at the ho|nor of &s;eeing you, yet my Brothers death is the cau&s;e of my &s;orrow; and to ju&s;tifie his memory, I mu&s;t acquaint you, how I under&s;tand from <HI>Thomiris,</HI> that he repented of all his violencies unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> and though he have perhaps merited no pity from you, yet he has merited your permi&s;&s;ion to let me lament him: I have done it my &s;elf Madam (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> and have extreamly pittied the &s;ad de&s;tiny of &s;o great a Prince; and I thank the Gods with all my heart, that though he hath been my Rival and my Enemy, yet that you Madam cannot charge me with his death: And I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, that if I could revive him, though with the &s;ame Love unto the Prince&s;s <HI>Man|dana,</HI> yet I &s;hould joyfully do it to cea&s;e your &s;orrows, and &s;top your tears. But Madam (&s;aid he, being forced by the violence of his love) Why did you not bring the Prince&s;s
<HI>Mandana</HI> with you? That I might have been obliged unto the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> for delivering her, as I am for &s;etting you at liberty: Alas Sir (re|plied &s;he) I need not an&s;wer this que&s;tion; but after I have commended your genero&s;i|ty in lamenting the death of your Enemy, I mu&s;t tell you, that the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> is now guarded with &s;o much exactne&s;s, that there is no delivering her but by the over|throw of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> yet &s;he is waited upon with much re&s;pect, and &s;he knows &s;o well how to make her Ravi&s;hers fear her, that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> trembles as oft as he comes neer her, and &s;peaks unto her as humbly as if &s;he were not in his power. But Sir (pur&s;ued &s;he) the news of taking the Fort of <HI>Sauromates</HI> hath extreamly amazed the Queen of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> and if the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> had not been wounded, it had been ere now be|&s;ieged; but that Prince being unable to act; by rea&s;on of his wounds, I believe the de|&s;ign is deferred for &s;ome certain daies: After this Sir, I mu&s;t needs (maugre my &s;or|row) tell you of the Prince <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> their genero&s;ity, who knowing that tho&s;e who conducted me were carrying me unto <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> (a mortal E|nemy unto the King my Brother) did fight them, and brought me unto you Sir: When
<PB N="132" REF="862">
you know them well, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> you will finde that you are more obliged unto them, then you imagine; for as you are a Debtor unto them for your liberty, &s;o are you unto the Prince <HI>Atergatis,</HI> for the liberty of <HI>Spitridates:</HI> When one hath done no more then what was their duty to be done (replied that Prince) there is no obligations owing; and by the &s;ame rea&s;on (added <HI>Intaphernes)</HI> I do declare, that &s;ince I have done no more then what I ought to have done, I cannot pretend unto any right of obligation: However it be (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> you will give us leave to think what we plea&s;e. But Madam (added he) I can &s;tay no longer before I tell you, that we expect the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> his being here very &s;hortly: Do you know Sir, replied <HI>Araminta,</HI> and both blu&s;h'd and &s;igh'd) where that unfortunate Prince is? I do not directly know in what place he is Ma|dam (replied <HI>Cyrus)</HI> I know he will arrive here ere long, and that he was at a Port in <HI>Cholcides,</HI> when the Prince <HI>Tigranes</HI> did write unto the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> and &s;o I know he will ere long have the happine&s;s of &s;eeing you. After this Sir, <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> in what place they met this Prince&s;s: And after they an&s;wered, that they found her as &s;he was pa&s;&s;ing over the river, he asked <HI>Araminta</HI> whether the two Prince&s;|&s;es which <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> gave as Ho&s;tages unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> were come or no? To which &s;he an&s;wered, as &s;he had before <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> that they arrived the day before &s;he came away, and that &s;he was extreamly &s;orry &s;he could not obtain &s;o much leave as to &s;ee the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> whom &s;he had long loved. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> told her, that though the unfortunate King her Brother had only left her the Title of a Queen, yet he would treat her as Queen in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of tho&s;e two Kingdoms which he had lo&s;t: For Madam (&s;aid he unto her) I know that the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> will re&s;tore them to you, and I am &s;ure he will never enjoy the u&s;urpation of <HI>Ar&s;amones;</HI> but as &s;oon as he comes here, will treat you as Queen of <HI>Pontus,</HI> though his Father po&s;&s;e&s;s the King|dom. And Madam, if it be the plea&s;ure of fortune that I &s;hall deliver <HI>Mandana, Ar|&s;amones</HI> &s;hall render Ju&s;tice unto &s;uch as it is due unto. <HI>Araminta</HI> charmed with the civi|lity of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> did an&s;wer him with as much genero&s;ity and &s;pirit, and with as much &s;or|row as genero&s;ity.</P>
<P>After which, <HI>Cyrus</HI> ordered that &s;he &s;hould be waited upon unto a &s;tately Tent, and to &s;tay there until Boats were ready to convey her unto the Town where <HI>One&s;ile</HI> was, where &s;he might be more conveniently and &s;afe. At the fir&s;t, though <HI>Araminta</HI> did in|finitely e&s;teem that Prince&s;s, yet when it was propo&s;ed to be with her, &s;he could hardly con&s;ent unto it, becau&s;e &s;he was Si&s;ter in Law unto <HI>Phraartes;</HI> but <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;atisfying her that this Prince&s;s did highly condemn the violence of <HI>Phraartes,</HI> and that <HI>Tigranes</HI> was a dear friend unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and a great Enemy unto his Brother for carrying her away, &s;he was well contented to be with her: Al&s;o &s;he &s;eeing but two wayes to chu&s;e, either to &s;tay in an Army, or to &s;tay with a mo&s;t virtuous Prince&s;s, &s;he quickly re&s;olved with her &s;elf, and was conducted by <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> unto her the day following: <HI>Cyrus</HI> fir&s;t &s;ending to acquaint <HI>One&s;ile</HI> with the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his death, and with the death of <HI>Phraartes,</HI> al|&s;o with the arrival of <HI>Araminta,</HI> to the end &s;he might know how &s;he ought to receive her.</P>
<P>The meeting of the&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es was very tender, and they &s;poke &s;o excellently unto each other, as it was mo&s;t evident they had both of them as much judgment as &s;pi|rit, and as much virtue as judgment. In the mean time, the Bridg being repaired, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> being ready to go out of his Tent, he re&s;olved to pa&s;s over with all po&s;&s;ible &s;peed all &s;uch provi&s;ions as were requi&s;ite during his march, and to di&s;encamp as &s;oon as they were over, giving &s;everal orders for a continual &s;upply of &s;ub&s;i&s;tance for his Army. So that being to depart within two daies, he re&s;olved to imploy one of them upon a Vi&s;it unto the Queen of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and to bid adieu unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Armenia.</HI> Since <HI>Cyrus</HI> loved the company of <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> very well, he obliged him unto this vi&s;it with him. So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;etting out betimes in the morning, accompanied with that renowned Scithe|an, <HI>Indather&s;es, Ara&s;pes, Ligdamis, Aglatidas, Mene&s;iphiles,</HI> and <HI>Cher&s;ias,</HI> it was early when he arrived. Since <HI>Araminta</HI> was in mourning, and moreover &s;ince he would treat her as a Queen, he went fir&s;t unto her, and afterwards unto the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;ile.</HI> But he took no notice at his entrance, that <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> did not follow him, but &s;tayed at the bottom of the &s;tairs with a &s;tranger: 'Tis true, as &s;oon as he was in <HI>Araminta</HI>'s Chamber, he mi&s;&s;ed him, and asked for him: But <HI>Cher&s;ias</HI> telling him that he &s;tayed with a man who &s;eemed to have much bu&s;ine&s;s with him, he went on with his vi&s;it, and did ingage him&s;elf &s;o deep in talk of <HI>Mandana</HI> with <HI>Araminta,</HI> that he forgot <HI>Anachar&s;is;</HI> for
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&s;ince &s;he had &s;o lately &s;een his Prince&s;s, he could talk of nothing el&s;e; and it was &s;o great a plea&s;ure to him to talk with one who had &s;o lately &s;een and &s;poke with her, that he never thought of his going unto <HI>One&s;ile:</HI> yet at la&s;t he left her, and went unto the Prin|ce&s;s of <HI>Armenia,</HI> and in pa&s;&s;ing from one Chamber to another, he &s;aw a man of a hand|&s;ome pre&s;ence who &s;eemed to be a <HI>Grecian,</HI> walking in the outer Chamber with <HI>Ana|char&s;is,</HI> and who no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Mene&s;iphiles,</HI> but he came unto him; yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> being neer <HI>One&s;iles</HI> Chamber, he entred without &s;taying, his minde being &s;o full of <HI>Manda|na,</HI> that he would not interrupt his own thoughts by asking <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> why he did not follow him: But when he was in the mid&s;t of <HI>One&s;iles</HI> outer Chamber, <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> over|took him, and be&s;eeched him to let a friend of <HI>Solons,</HI> of <HI>Mene&s;iphiles,</HI> and his (who&s;e name was <HI>Silamis)</HI> have the honour to ki&s;s his hand: So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;taying, and the <HI>Grecian</HI> being neer him, he &s;aluted him very civilly, and told him, That &s;ince it was impo&s;&s;ible to be a friend unto &s;o many rare men, unle&s;s him&s;elf were excellently accom|pli&s;hed, he was very de&s;irous to be acquainted with him. After which, asking him what was the cau&s;e of his voyage, <HI>Silamis</HI> an&s;wered, That having &s;everal rea&s;ons to be ab|&s;ent from <HI>Athens,</HI> he re&s;olved for <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and to come unto <HI>Artaxates</HI> to &s;ee <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> un|to whom he had the honour to be allied: And <HI>Solon</HI> having obliged him to &s;ee <HI>Anachar|&s;is,</HI> who he knew came unto <HI>A&s;ia</HI> with <HI>Mene&s;iphiles, Diocles,</HI> and <HI>Cher&s;ias,</HI> and to tell him from <HI>Solon,</HI> that he had good rea&s;on to &s;ay as heretofore he did, when he compo&s;ed his Laws; and he was very glad to hear from the Prince&s;s of <HI>Armenia,</HI> that this Sage Sci|thean was in the Army: Did I not fear, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus;</HI> That I make this Prince&s;s &s;tay too long, I &s;hould entreat you to tell me what it was which <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> &s;aid unto <HI>Solon;</HI> for certainly &s;ince he thinks it worthy of his memory, &s;o long it is &s;omthing that is worthy the knowing: It is &s;o Sir (replied <HI>Silamis)</HI> And &s;ince he &s;aid it, all the world makes u&s;e of it, when they talk upon the &s;ame &s;ubject. What I then &s;aid was yet &s;o &s;imple, replied <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> that it does not de&s;erve the honor of remembrance: Since the Prince&s;s of <HI>Armenia</HI> is a Lady of an admirable wit, replied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and began to walk, &s;he &s;hall be judg, and I will entreat <HI>Salamis</HI> to tell it in her pre&s;ence: And indeed after <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;a|luted that Prince&s;s, after he had pre&s;ented <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> unto her, and told her of <HI>Silamis,</HI> whom &s;he &s;aid came the day before, he be&s;eeched her to judg whether <HI>Solon</HI> and all the accompli&s;hed men of <HI>Athens,</HI> had rea&s;on to remember &s;ome words which <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> had &s;poken unto that wi&s;e Legi&s;lator when he was at that famous City. The <HI>Athenians</HI> (re|plied <HI>One&s;ile)</HI> have a reputation of &s;uch excellent wit, as it is to be believed, that what|&s;oever they think worthy of remembrance, certainly does merit to be &s;o by all the world.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> turning towards <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> pre&s;&s;ed him to tell what it was he &s;aid to <HI>Solon:</HI> Truly Sir, &s;aid he unto him, What I then &s;aid unto him, &s;eemed then &s;o unrea&s;on|able, that there mu&s;t needs happen &s;ome great change before he could change his opinion; Such a change hath happened at <HI>Athens,</HI> replied <HI>Silamis,</HI> that you need not wonder he &s;hould change his opinion, &amp; that he &s;hould &s;ee that you knew better then he did the nature of the people, whom he pretended to govern by the &s;ole authority of his Laws: Truth is Sir, replied <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> then, that &s;eeing what the manners of the <HI>Athenians</HI> were, and al&s;o con&s;ider|ing all the men in general, I thought it &s;trange, that a man &s;o wi&s;e as <HI>Solon,</HI> who well enough knew the impetuo&s;ity of all pa&s;&s;ions which di&s;order the lives of men, and who al&s;o knew how audacious and &s;tupid the multitude is, that he &s;hould pretend to e&s;tabli&s;h order among&s;t &s;o great a people, and to make Concord and Virtue raign among&s;t them only by his Laws: So that when he alledged unto me his Laws, as remedies again&s;t all the evils of his Country. Ah <HI>Solon</HI> (&s;aid I, and looked earne&s;tly upon him) Laws are but ingenious Nets which catch the little flies, and let the great ones e&s;cape, being ea&s;ily broken by force: So that I do fore&s;ee by all the certain conjectures that Science can give, that weak ones only ob&s;erve Laws, and &s;trong ones break them, and at la&s;t bring them unto &s;uch a contemptible condition as they are kept by none, unle&s;s the Law of Armes, and fear compel them to be ob&s;erved more then Ju&s;tice can. I wonder not at all, &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that the&s;e words &s;hould be remembred, and as for my part I &s;hall never forget them. Doubtle&s;s, &s;aid the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> they are mo&s;t worthy to be remembred, And the more, replied <HI>Silamis,</HI> becau&s;e the event doth &s;hew that <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> was in the right: For truly the Laws of <HI>Solon</HI> were very ill ob&s;erved in his ab&s;ence, and &s;ince his return, things are grown into &s;uch di&s;order, the Pi&s;i&s;tratres who was only a Citizen of <HI>Athen,</HI> is at this day the Ma&s;ter of it. Then is he not the friend of <HI>Solon</HI> (replied <HI>A|nachar&s;is.)</HI>
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Pardon me Sir (replied <HI>Silamis)</HI> But I cannot tell whether <HI>Solon</HI> be his or no, though he &s;ee him &s;omtimes, and give him coun&s;el. This &s;eems to me, replied <HI>O|ne&s;ile,</HI> very &s;trange news, that <HI>Athens</HI> &s;hould not be free: And to me more &s;trange (re|plied <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;hould &s;ubject it: For when I knew him at <HI>Athens,</HI> he was of &s;uch an humour, that I could not think him a man &s;o much applied unto bu&s;ine&s;s, as to bring about &s;o great a de&s;ign, for when I &s;aw him, he was wholly devoted unto plea|&s;ures: 'Tis true, I &s;tayed but a while at <HI>Athens,</HI> and &s;o am not able to judg rightly of him: Sir (replied <HI>Silamis) Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> cannot be &s;o ea&s;ily known as another man may, for certainly it may mo&s;t truly be &s;aid of him, that he is three or four &s;everal different men. However, though tho&s;e who are mo&s;t zealous for liberty do call him the Tyrant of <HI>Athens,</HI> yet I mu&s;t needs affirm him to be a man of as much merit as any in the world; and &s;ince the Commonwealth hath lo&s;t her liberty, it is advantagious unto it, to be &s;ub|ject unto <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> who&s;e life is &s;uch a mi&s;cellaneous my&s;tery, that one may make &s;e|veral relations of him, all true, and yet not re&s;emble one another: For he who will re|late only the actions of his valour, will give an Idea of Valour it &s;elf: To report all his intrigues and factions he hath been in, is to make a de&s;cription of a turbulent, unquiet, and ambitious man: To relate his &s;weetne&s;s, his &s;incerity, his genero&s;ity, his liberality, and his magnificence, is to make the picture of a true man of Honor; and to tell of his Loves and Gallantries, is to make a model of a mo&s;t plea&s;ing Lover, and great Gal|lant.</P>
<P>This Character of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> replied <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> fills me full of curio&s;ity to know all his adventures: <HI>Silamis</HI> is &s;o well acquainted with them, replied <HI>Mene&s;iphiles;</HI> that he knows them as well as <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> him&s;elf. Since &s;o (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> I &s;hall entreat him, as he de&s;ires me to be his friend, &s;o that he will relate it unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Armenia:</HI> Sir, &s;ince Fame long &s;ince did wholly devote me yours, replied <HI>Silamis,</HI> you may com|mand me any thing: Since I u&s;e only entreaties to my friends, an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I &s;hall not command you, but I &s;hall entreat you in the name of the <HI>Armenian</HI> Prince&s;s, to re|late the life of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates.</HI> But &s;ince it is likely that the wi&s;e <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> would think his time ill &s;pent, in hearing a hi&s;tory of Love, I will advi&s;e him to go and vi&s;it the Queen of <HI>Pontus.</HI></P>
<P>At fir&s;t <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> would not go, &s;aying, That what&s;oever was worthy the ear of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> was worthy to be hearkened unto by all the world. But <HI>Silamis</HI> having given him a Letter from <HI>Solon</HI> which he longed to read again, becau&s;e he read it ha&s;tily before, he was not &s;orry for having that pretence of going out. So that obeying <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he retired. And as &s;oon as he was gone, <HI>One&s;ile</HI> &s;olicited <HI>Silamis</HI> to keep his word, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> pre&s;|&s;ing him al&s;o, he prepared him&s;elf to &s;atisfie their curio&s;ities: And after he had a while recollected his memory, and dige&s;ted into a method what he was to &s;ay, he began his relation in this manner, &s;peaking unto <HI>One&s;ile</HI> by the order of <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>The Hi&s;tory of <HI>PISISTRATES.</HI></HEAD>
<P>SInce I know Madam, that I &s;peak unto one who does not only know the pa&s;&s;ages of that Country where &s;he lives, but al&s;o knows as much as is requi&s;ite for any great Prince&s;s, I &s;hall omit many things in my relation which I &s;hould have in&s;erted, had I &s;poken unto a per&s;on ignorant in the affairs of <HI>Greece.</HI> Al&s;o &s;ince it is the Hi&s;tory of <HI>Pi|&s;i&s;trates</HI> which I am to relate, and not the hi&s;tory of <HI>Athens,</HI> I need not in&s;i&s;t long upon the General Affairs of our Commonwealth, but &s;hall only &s;ay what it pertinent unto <HI>Pi|&s;i&s;trates.</HI> But Madam, &s;ince Noble Birth is a great advantage when virtue adorns it with its lu&s;tre, I mu&s;t tell you, that his is as worthy of him, as he is of them from whom he is de&s;cended, for he comes from the right line of one of the Sons of <HI>Ajax,</HI> called <HI>Philaeus,</HI> who was a Citizen of <HI>Athens</HI> with his Brother named <HI>Euri&s;aces,</HI> who gave the I&s;le of <HI>Sa|lamine</HI> unto the <HI>Athenians.</HI> And I can a&s;&s;ure you, that his heart is higher then his birth, and there are few men in all <HI>Greece</HI> of greater qualities then he. As for his per&s;on, it did infinitely plea&s;e, and he had all the features of a &s;weet face: 'Tis true, his No&s;e was a lit|tle with the bigge&s;t, and rai&s;ed in the middle, but no more then was an ornament; and certain it is, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> could not have a more Noble and finer Ayr then <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> had, e&s;pe|cially when he was not in his negligent garb, or on one of tho&s;e daies when he was &s;o diffe|rent from him&s;elf, that one could hardly know him; and then, when he was in one of
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tho&s;e melancholy and &s;l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ggi&s;h humours, he would not be only negligent in his habit, but al&s;o &s;eemed to be another man, his hair which was fair &s;eemed brown, and not curled; his making which was hand&s;om, was le&s;s plea&s;ing, and there was &s;uch a &s;trange carele&s;ne&s;s in every part of his per&s;on, as one would have &s;aid his &s;pirit was no more in his body, then he was <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates.</HI> But on one of tho&s;e daies when he was him&s;elf, a man of a more high carriage, and more noble and &s;weet ayr, could not be &s;een. Moreover Madam, he was not only wont to be different from him&s;elf, at &s;ome certain times and daies, but al&s;o his very heart was full of contrarieties, and oppo&s;ite inclinations; for he would be mer|ry, and he would be melancholy, and he was of a hot temper, though he loved idlene&s;s. Moreover, it mu&s;t needs be &s;aid in his commendations, that he had wit in abundance, a wit in fa&s;hion, a cultivated wit; but it mu&s;t be &s;aid al&s;o, That though he was of a &s;luggi&s;h humour, yet he was the mo&s;t active man alive, when the fancy took him, for he was able to turn the whole cour&s;e of his life, to &s;leep when he &s;hould wake, and to wake when he &s;hould &s;leep, yet naturally he loved re&s;t; and when he took it, he took it with more tranquility then another; yet this love of re&s;t was no hinderance, but he could ea|&s;ily throw him&s;elf into the tumult of bu&s;ine&s;s, and he had &s;uch a delicate and &s;harp &s;pi|rit, that he could not endure the Government of any one, but would be continually complaining again&s;t tho&s;e who had the admini&s;tration of affairs what&s;oever they were: So that though he had the publique good for his object, and though his own intentions were very good, yet &s;omtimes he would act as if they were not, and be conver&s;ant with &s;uch as were the mo&s;t turbulent fellows in the Commonwealth: Yet for all this, he loved all manner of plea&s;ures, not only tho&s;e of a high and Noble &s;train, but al&s;o the mo&s;t ru|&s;tique and childi&s;h: It plea&s;ed him extreamly to &s;ee Shepherds dance after a &s;hawm, un|der a &s;hadow in a green Meadow; he would play for pins with a boy, and rather then fail, divert him&s;elf with the meane&s;t things. Moreover, cu&s;tome was &s;o prevalent with him, that &s;omtimes it held the place of rea&s;on, merit, and beauty: And indeed, he did &s;o accu&s;tome him&s;elf unto the places where he dwelt, to the &s;treets he walked, to the hou&s;es he went unto, to the Porters who opened the Gates, to the Slaves he met, and to the per&s;ons he did vi&s;it, more then ever any man did accu&s;tome him&s;elf: And this cu&s;tome was &s;o &s;trong in him, that &s;ome ugly eyes which he hath accu&s;tomed him&s;elf to look upon, hath plea&s;ed him better then the faire&s;t eyes in the world which he &s;eldome &s;ees, and is out of the Quarters he u&s;es to inhabit; yet &s;omtimes he would be very vari|able in his plea&s;ures, &s;omtimes limming would be his predominate fancy, and he did no|thing el&s;e but go from Painter to Painter, from Clo&s;et to Clo&s;et, and to di&s;cour&s;e of that Art: Otherwhiles Mu&s;ique would have its turn, and he would wholly devote him&s;elf un|to harmony; another while dancing was all his fancy, and his imagination was filled with Balls and meetings: Then again, he would be in Love with Books, and Poetry was his Mi&s;tre&s;s, and he had &s;uch an excellent memory, that he was able to quote all that was excellent in any Author he had read.</P>
<P>Thus pa&s;&s;ing from one pa&s;&s;ion to another, <HI>Solon</HI> told him one day merrily, in chiding him for his incon&s;tancy, that he had loved all the Mu&s;es one after another, even from <HI>Melpomene</HI> unto <HI>Pter&s;ichore.</HI> Moreover Madam, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was not onely a Lover of Ver&s;e, but al&s;o he compo&s;ed them mo&s;t excellently and gallantly, <HI>Solon</HI> him&s;elf applaud|ed him; but the mo&s;t commendable quality in <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was, that he was as good, as zealous, and as faithful a friend as ever any could be, he was magnificent and liberal, he was brave and generous, and though he was more ambitious then he thought him&s;elf, yet he had an unintere&s;ted &s;oul; and the greate&s;t fault that could be laid in the di&s;h of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;tra|tes</HI> was, that he was too much wedded to his own opinions, and to believe too ea&s;ily, that what&s;oever he thought, would happen as he did imagine it. Moreover, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> had one quality which I forgot to mention, which was, that when he was accu&s;tomed unto any one, ab&s;ence could never unaccu&s;tome him, and though he had not &s;een one of his friends for ten years, yet when&s;oever fortune brought them together, he would &s;peak to them with as much familiarity, as if he had &s;een them every day, and would talk of things pa&s;t, as if he could not live without them; yet for all this, he could be long with|out &s;eeing or &s;orrowing for them; So I think, that I had rea&s;on to &s;ay at the beginning of my di&s;cour&s;e, that there was a hundred things in his humour, and way which &s;eemed to be incompatible. And yet for all that, he was a mo&s;t excellent compleat man; and I am confident Madam, that after this di&s;cription of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> you will wonder he &s;hould ever think of making him&s;elf Lord of <HI>Athens,</HI> &s;ince it is not likely a man &s;o much de|voted
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to plea&s;ures, of an unbya&s;&s;ed &s;oul, one who loved <HI>Solon</HI> &s;o well, &s;hould <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> of u&s;urping Soveraign Authority. But Madam, when I have related his adven<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> will wonder much more, and admire how one heart could contain &s;o much amb<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &s;o much love. I &s;hall not trouble you Madam, with relating the beginnings of <HI>Pi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> his life, though they were with much glory; for he did &s;ignalize him&s;elf at the enterprize of <HI>Salamine,</HI> and did many other Noble Acts: But let me in few words tell you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> that at &s;eventeen years of age his Father forced him to marry, and within three years after his Wife died.</P>
<P>This Marriage being made by force without love, and only an act of obedience unto his Father, no pa&s;&s;ages happed whil&s;t it la&s;ted worthy to be related unto you. But Ma|dam, after he had &s;acrificed his liberty this fir&s;t time unto his family, he would &s;acrifice it unto him&s;elf the &s;econd time, as you &s;hall know by the &s;equel of the &s;tory; yet its fit you know, that his Mother and <HI>Solons</HI> being neer Cozens, he received the Sapient Docu|ments of this famous man even from his very cradle, yet this was no hinderance unto his matter of Gallantry: For be&s;ides that, <HI>Solon</HI> was no Enemy unto love, he affected and de&s;ired that the youth of <HI>Athens</HI> might more &s;et their minds upon matters of Gallantry; then matters of ambition, and it would more conduce to the liberty of his Country: For truly (&s;aid he one day unto <HI>Thales</HI> when he was in our City) as long as <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and all the re&s;t of his volley are Slaves unto our Beauties, they will never think of make|ing us theirs. So that Madam, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> being naturally gallant, and not being re&s;train|ed from it any manner of way, no not by the Councels of a man whom he thought (and with rea&s;on) to be Soveraignly wi&s;e, he devoted him&s;elf wholly unto plea&s;ures, and laid hold upon every occa&s;ion of diverting both him&s;elf and others: 'Tis true, there were &s;ome that &s;aid, that at that time he thought upon making him&s;elf Lord of <HI>Athens,</HI> and that he carried it &s;o only to colour his de&s;igns: But <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> him&s;elf &s;aid, that Fortune brought him to that height he was by her own fancy, without any long premeditation. However it were, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was no &s;ooner ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of him&s;elf, but he &s;eemed to think upon nothing but pa&s;&s;ing away his time merrily; and certainly he was in a place the fitte&s;t in the world for it: For Madam, though commonly the Courts of great Kings are more proper for great diver&s;ions, then Republiques are, becau&s;e the Palaces of Princes does more invite men of admirable parts, then they can be in a place where the power is divided; yet I a&s;&s;ure you, <HI>Athens</HI> was then in &s;o high a lu&s;tre, that there were few places in the world where one could more fully divert them&s;elves: For be&s;ides, that the bu&s;ine&s;s of whole <HI>Greece</HI> was done at <HI>Athens,</HI> which cau&s;ed a huge concour&s;e of &s;trangers, there was al&s;o by a favourable con&s;tellation abundance of mo&s;t lovely women, and &s;o many wits of both Sexes at that time, as if the Gods had &s;ent them all at once to honour our Country: Al&s;o peace and tranquility looked as if it would la&s;t for ever. The Laws of <HI>Solon</HI> were then religiou&s;ly ob&s;erved, though there happened &s;ome di&s;order in his ab|&s;ence; peace, plenty and abundance flouri&s;hed then in <HI>Athens</HI> more then in any place of the world; yet the <HI>Cylonian</HI> Con&s;piracy, which made &s;uch a ring in the world, had yet left &s;ome &s;parks in the embers, and &s;erved for a pretence of all our divi&s;ions: Not that by rea&s;on of all the pa&s;t divi&s;ions there was not any di&s;po&s;ition to any new ones in the minds of mo&s;t men; but &s;ince it was lately &s;ince the fir&s;t di&s;orders were appea&s;ed, there was &s;o great a calm in appearance, as put all tho&s;e who loved quietne&s;s in hopes that it would la&s;t long: So that now nothing was feared but that &s;leeping peace would ru&s;t us: But among&s;t the young&s;ters of highe&s;t rank, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was the mo&s;t con&s;iderable: <HI>Li|curgus</HI> and <HI>Theocrites</HI> who were men of the fir&s;t form, and &s;ons unto one called <HI>Ari&s;talas,</HI> were al&s;o in high e&s;teem, though of different humours; and there was another, who&s;e name was <HI>Ari&s;ton,</HI> who was infinitely plea&s;ing. As for the Ladies, among&s;t that multi|tude of ornaments unto our City, <HI>Cleorante</HI> who was Daughter unto a man very con&s;i|derable in <HI>Athens</HI> called <HI>Megacles,</HI> held the fir&s;t rank as well as <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> daughter unto
<HI>Philombrotus,</HI> and <HI>Euridamia,</HI> the Kin&s;woman of <HI>Solon.</HI> But Madam, I be&s;eech you, give me leave to let you know them according to the order, as <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> came to know them, and in order to that, I mu&s;t tell you, that though our City was under the protection of <HI>Minerva,</HI> yet &s;he held <HI>Cere<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> in particular veneration; and indeed, &s;he had a very fa|mous Temple in <HI>Athens;</HI> and every year there was celebrated two Fea&s;ts unto her honor, which we called <HI>The&s;mophoria,</HI> where women are the principal actors of the ceremony: For be&s;ides &s;everal other au&s;terities, they would watch nine nights together in the Tem|ple of this Godde&s;s, and in honour of <HI>Ceres,</HI> they would there be dre&s;&s;ed as if they
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were going to a Ball: So that this Temple being very beautiful and enlightened with a thou&s;and Lamps, it was a mo&s;t glorious &s;ight to view the&s;e Ladies when they watched nine nights until after midnight; and there was not a man of any quality but he was there; men of age came only to honor the Godde&s;s, and the young men came more in devoti|on to the Ladies then to <HI>Ceres.</HI> One of the&s;e nights then, <HI>Pi&s;istrates,</HI> unto whom I was a piece of a friend, made a motion to go thither, and I having nothing el&s;e to do, went with him: <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> then had no particular Engagement upon him more then I had. But as &s;oon as we had placed our &s;elves by chance, more then out of any affected choice, the lovely <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> Daughter of <HI>Philombrotus,</HI> who followed her mother, came and &s;at next us, and was &s;o very plea&s;ant, that though &s;he &s;poke not unto us, yet &s;he &s;eemed by the ayr wherewith &s;he received our &s;alute, that &s;he was not &s;orry we were &s;o neer her: For Madam, you mu&s;t know, there was not any per&s;on in the world who had &s;uch &s;ignificant actions as &s;he; and indeed with a wink of her eye, a nod of her head, or &s;ign with her hand, &s;he could commend or di&s;prai&s;e, and make others under&s;tand a thou&s;and &s;everal things. Moreover, <HI>Cerinthe</HI> though brown and little, yet &s;he was infinitely amiable, all the features of her face were delicate and fair, her cheeks fre&s;h, her eyes quick, her ayr &s;prightly and plea&s;ant, and for her bigne&s;s maje&s;tical; her phy&s;iognomy did not deceive one, &s;he had wit in abundance, and was infinitely merry.</P>
<P>She being &s;uch a piece as I have de&s;cribed, you may imagine Madam that we were not ill placed &s;ince next her: But her mother being a mighty preci&s;e piece of au&s;terity, as &s;oon as we began to &s;ay &s;omthing concerning our good fortune, &s;he impo&s;ed &s;ilence, and &s;aid nothing, but it was in &s;uch an obliging manner, though &s;he &s;poke only in the lan|guage of her eyes, that yet we ea&s;ily perceived, if &s;he had not &s;tood more in fear of her Mother then the Godde&s;s, &s;he would have gladly an&s;wered us. Thus this fir&s;t &s;ight of her being pa&s;&s;ed, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and I retired, murmuring much again&s;t the mother of <HI>Cerin|the;</HI> for we knew well enough, that but for her, we &s;hould have had &s;ome di&s;cour&s;e du|ring the intervals of the ceremony: However, though <HI>Cerinthe</HI> was very fair in the eyes of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> yet he never &s;o much as thought upon her the next day, nor went he unto the Temple.</P>
<P>But the third day going thither alone, and betimes, he chanced to &s;it next <HI>Cerinthe</HI> a|gain, though not in the &s;ame place where he &s;aw her fir&s;t, and to his happine&s;s her Mo|ther was not then with her, but there was with her a Kin&s;woman which was not of &s;o Pu|ritanical a temper. <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw her next him, but coming very re&s;pectfully to her ear: You did &s;o cruelly forbid me Madam the other day to expre&s;s my joyes of be|ing need you (&s;aid he unto her) That I cannot tell whether you permit it now: It is &s;o great a happine&s;s (replied &s;he) to be in a multitude, and &s;it next a man of excellent parts, that I believe <HI>Ceres</HI> will pardon me if I &s;hould imploy one minute in receiving your civilities unto me. A minute Madam is &s;o very little (replied he) that if you allow me no more, I &s;hall be but ill &s;atisfied: Should you &s;pend a whole day here (replied &s;he and &s;miled) perhaps you would think minutes very long: Yet Madam, I finde &s;omthing in your eyes (replied he) which makes me think I could &s;pend my whole life here with much delight: Fie <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> (&s;aid &s;he turning her head a&s;ide, and impo&s;ing &s;ilence upon him with her hand) I will not hear you any longer: Yet <HI>Cerinthe</HI> was not &s;o good as her word, for &s;he &s;till li&s;tned from time to time unto what <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;aid: 'Tis true, &s;he did not an&s;wer, but &s;till charged him to be &s;ilent: But Madam, from that night <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> did accu&s;tome him&s;elf to &s;ee <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> and did it with abundance of care as long as the nine daies ceremony la&s;ted: So that at the end of this Fea&s;t they were grown intimate friends. <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was extreamly vexed, that as long as this ceremony la&s;ted, Ladies received no vi|&s;its: So that as great a de&s;ire as he had to &s;ee <HI>Cerinthe</HI> at her own hou&s;e, he mu&s;t wait un|til the nine daies were pa&s;t. But as &s;oon as they were over, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> went unto the wife of <HI>Philombrotus,</HI> who received him very well, and de&s;ired that her Daughter &s;hould al&s;o receive him with much civility, for &s;he knew that her Husband was de&s;irous to get &s;uch friends as <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Cerinthe</HI> being of a very merry compo&s;ition, and naturally loved Rallary, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and &s;he fell into great familiarity the fir&s;t vi&s;it. And &s;ince &s;everal &s;erious per&s;ons came in, who took up the mother of <HI>Cerintae, Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> talked much more freely then he had done, if the company had been more general, he engaged him&s;elf into no di&s;cour&s;e but with her, not that he thought him&s;elf in love with her, nor indeed was he very much; but the truth is, he had that kinde of amorous accu&s;tomancy towards her, of which I
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told you before he was apt for; and &s;he had towards him that fir&s;t favourable inclination which is often &s;econded with a violent pa&s;&s;ion: So that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> being that day in one of his merry fits, and <HI>Cerinthe</HI> being (as u&s;ually &s;he was) frolique, they were not wea|ry of one another.</P>
<P>At fir&s;t they di&s;cour&s;ed of all they had &s;een in the Temple during the nine daies Fea&s;t: Of &s;uch Lovers as were wrong placed in being far from tho&s;e they loved, or of &s;ome jeal|ous husbands which they had &s;een, who had never been there but to &s;ee who was with their wives: So that after many an innocent Satyre, and manya plea&s;ant di&s;cription, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;tra|tes</HI> upon a &s;uddain interrupted <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> and &s;aid unto her, I pray Madam, after you have talked of every one you have &s;een in the Temple of <HI>Ceres</HI> nine daies together, why do you not &s;peak one word of me? I profe&s;s <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he and &s;miled, you are the &s;trange&s;t man in the world to ask &s;uch a que&s;tion, for what can I &s;ay of you, but that you very ill obeyed me when I did forbid you talking? and you were the lea&s;t devout in all the a&s;&s;embly. All this is true Madam (replied he) but this is not all you can &s;ay of me; for I am confident that as you &s;aw &s;ome Lovers who could not &s;it next their Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es, and &s;ome Husbands looking who were with their wives, &s;o you &s;aw as well, that you were already very deep in my heart: I do prote&s;t unto you, &s;aid &s;he and laughed, I did not &s;o much as &s;ee my &s;elf in your eyes: It was not long of me Madam, replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> for I looked in yours as much as po&s;&s;ibly I could, and endeavoured to let you &s;ee in mine, that I did you Ju&s;tice, and thought you far fairer then all I could &s;ee be&s;ides: Your eyes Sir, replied &s;he, may tell lyes as well as your tongue can &s;latter: And to puni&s;h you (ad|ded &s;he and laughed) I could almo&s;t wi&s;h all you &s;ay were true, and that you were deep|ly in love with me, for I have had a long longing curio&s;ity to &s;ee a man really in Love: Oh Madam, &s;aid he unto her, certainly you are not &s;incere, for it is impo&s;&s;ible but that you have &s;een many Lovers, &s;ince you are neither blinde nor invi&s;ible: But to &s;peak in your own terms, I am the mo&s;t mi&s;taken man alive, if your curio&s;ity be not quickly &s;atis|fied; for if I be not yet in love with you, yet I dare &s;wear that it wants &s;o little of it, that two looks more will fully do it: Do not think Sir, &s;aid &s;he being excellent at Rallary, that when I &s;ay I long to &s;ee a Lover, I mean &s;uch Lovers as &s;ay they are in Love, but are not, for I have no de&s;ire to &s;ee &s;uch a one: But on the contrary, I mean &s;uch a Lover as is a|ble to do all that the mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ion in the world can make one do: What do you mean Madam, &s;aid he? I mean, &s;aid &s;he, that he &s;hould (if occa&s;ion pre&s;ent it &s;elf) kill him&s;elf, throw him&s;elf down a precipice, and poy&s;on him&s;elf for very di&s;pair. But Ma|dam, replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> I pray tell me which one of the&s;e three te&s;timonies of Love would you have a man give you, if you &s;hould make him in Love? For, &s;aid he and laughed, a man cannot kill him&s;elf, throw him&s;elf down a Precipice, and poy&s;on him&s;elf all at once. But Madam, to tell you truly, added he, methinks I &s;ee too much joy in your eyes, to de|&s;ire any &s;uch tragical te&s;timonies as the&s;e: And I am the mo&s;t mi&s;taken man in the world, if you would not take more delight in &s;ome mu&s;ique which a Lover &s;hould pre&s;ent unto you, then in &s;eeing him kill him&s;elf; and therefore Madam be plea&s;ed to make an ingeni|ous confe&s;&s;ion, that you do not de&s;ire any &s;uch &s;ad &s;igns of Love; for I mu&s;t needs con|fe&s;s, that I take &s;uch infinite plea&s;ure in &s;eeing you, as if you &s;hould require it, I &s;hould not obey you. Truly <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, your &s;incerity does plea&s;e me; yet I mu&s;t tell you, that then you mu&s;t be no other then my friend, for if I &s;hould wi&s;h you my Lover, I &s;hould wi&s;h you al&s;o to be &s;uch a one as I mean; to wit, pale, &s;ober, grave and melan|choly, &s;omtimes unquiet, di&s;ordered, and re&s;erved; and indeed to be the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man in the world, I would not have you one of tho&s;e who can play with a Feather, and divert them&s;elves at every thing: However Madam, &s;aid <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> I be&s;eech you receive me as your Lover, and afterwards I will try if I can become conformable to your de&s;ires. But Madam, you mu&s;t not think I can grow pale, lean, &s;ober and melancholy in four and twenty hours: No, no Sir, &s;aid &s;he and laughed, I am not &s;o unrea&s;onable, I will allow you fifteen daies to fall in love with me, and fifteen daies more after that to become &s;uch a pittiful Lover as I de&s;ire out of curio&s;ity to &s;ee; for &s;ince I am none of tho&s;e great beau|ties who wound in an in&s;tant, you will &s;tand in need of all this time to become only a lit|tle re&s;erved: But if at the expiration of this moneth which I allow you, added &s;he, you are not become the mo&s;t pittiful puling Lover in the world, you mu&s;t give me leave to think you will never be &s;uch a one: But Madam, &s;aid he unto her, &s;ince it does depend wholly upon you whether I mu&s;t be happy or mi&s;erable, it is not in me to promi&s;e whe|ther I &s;hall, or &s;hall not be &s;o; but I am able to ingage my &s;elf, to be more in Love with you then ever any was; and to be &s;incere with you, if my Love &s;hould encrea&s;e as it hath
<PB N="139" REF="865">
done this la&s;t quarter of an hour, I &s;hall not need halfe fifteen days to become the mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionate lover upon Earth. Seriou&s;ly <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I &s;hould be very angry, if you &s;peak truly; for to di&s;cover the very bottom of my heart unto you, I care not for &s;uch real lovers, as for &s;uch as think they are &s;o and are not, and yet make much more noy&s;e of it then tho&s;e who really are: for I think it does reflect much upon a wo|mans honor, to admit of &s;uch a croud of Adorers, as many mo&s;t vainly do. Yet me-thinks Madam (replied <HI>Pi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;trates)</HI> It is a honor to Reign Sovereignly over the hearts of &s;o many men. I do a&s;&s;ure you Sir, much le&s;s then you do imagine (replied <HI>Cerinthe)</HI> for to tell you truly, I am confident that when one is young, and not altogether ugly, one may with a very mean merit, &s;o they have any han&s;omene&s;s, make them&s;elves followed, and get a Troop of mo&s;t a&s;&s;iduous lovers: &s;ince certainly that is not any effect of great beauty or wit; but depends only upon &s;ome certain petty effected indulgencies, and a kind of Air which is mo&s;t fit to attract, which makes men &s;eem more then friends, and dare not &s;ee &s;uch women without applauding their &s;weetne&s;s: On the contrary, I dare affirm, that without this attractive behaviour, the faire&s;t per&s;on in the world and the mo&s;t charming, &s;hall never have this multitude of lovers: So that &s;ince I think, many lovers are no effects or arguments of extraordinary merit in &s;uch as have them; but ra|ther of their weakne&s;s, I &s;hould be very &s;orry to have any &s;uch: And though I tell you I long to have one, yet I had much rather never &s;ee him, then to be perpetually impor|tuned with &s;uch complaints, as I can never &s;atisfie: and I am &s;o afraid to meet with any &s;uch, that I dare not make my &s;elf any friends, lea&s;t they &s;hould afterwards change the nature of friend&s;hip into love at la&s;t. For ought I &s;ee Madam (replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates)</HI> my de&s;tiny is changed in a &s;hort time, &s;ince within this quarter of an hour, you de&s;ired to &s;ee a lover, and now forbids me being your friend. I a&s;&s;ure you Sir, (&s;aid &s;he and laughed) I think it &s;o good to have no acquaintance, that I think it would be a very ill office to make me al|ter my opinion. For my part Madam, (replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates)</HI> I &s;hall not oppo&s;e your humour of having no friends, and of not affecting to have an infinite number of lovers; but I mu&s;t confe&s;s I cannot endure that you &s;hould not entertain one, or that I &s;hould not be that one.</P>
<P>As <HI>Cerinthe</HI> was ready to reply, tho&s;e Ladies who were talking with her mother, being gon, their di&s;cour&s;e was interrupted. Yet <HI>Cerinthe</HI> being of a merry nature, and one that loved Rallary, &s;he knew &s;o well how to carry the matter, without &s;aying either yea or no, unto <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> that he continued &s;eeing her he much delight; for he was &s;o deeply in love with <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> that he took a greater plea&s;ure in talking with her, then in any other in the world; yet not &s;o far as to have all the inquietudes of a violent pa&s;&s;ion; but on the contrary was always much joyed; for he &s;aw <HI>Cerinthe</HI> every day, who chu&s;ing him for her companion in Rallary, made him the glade&s;t man alive, by her thou&s;and plea&s;ant conceits, which &s;he told him upon &s;everal &s;ubjects. But Madam, that you may the better under&s;tand what did mo&s;t contribute unto their diver&s;ions a long time, be plea&s;|ed to know, that <HI>Theocrites</HI> of whom I &s;poke before, who was &s;econd &s;on unto <HI>Ari&s;tolas,</HI> was extreamly in love al&s;o with <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> but in &s;uch a manner, as made her extreamly merry, and acquaint <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> with a hundred of her conceits. Not but that <HI>Theocrite</HI> was very han&s;ome and had &s;pirit enough: but being naturally of a grave, Sage and &s;eri|ous temper, he talked of love, as if he were upon &s;ome politique negotiation, and he loved as if he were in Print. Indeed, Madam, he was one of tho&s;e lovers, who would ask a par|don if he did but &s;igh a little too loud; you may imagine that &s;uch a man was &s;port enough to <HI>Cerinthe.</HI> In the mean time: as frolique as &s;he was, the Lady who of all the Town, did mo&s;t vi&s;it her, was <HI>Euridamia,</HI> kin&s;woman unto <HI>Solon,</HI> who was a per&s;on &s;o &s;erious, and cold, who&s;e eyes were always in a langui&s;hing melancholy, which was one of her greate&s;t charmes, though &s;he had many others; for <HI>Euridamia</HI> was fair, and had abun|dance of wit, and of a &s;weet and plea&s;ing &s;pirit. So it &s;eemed as if fortune took delight to oppo&s;e the &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s of <HI>Euridamia,</HI> and the gravity of <HI>Theocrite</HI> again&s;t the Gagety of <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> to make it &s;eem the more: And that &s;he had al&s;o infu&s;ed into <HI>Pi&s;i&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">cates,</HI> &s;e|veral things, which did &s;ympathize with the &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s of <HI>Euridamia,</HI> and the merrine&s;s of <HI>Cerinthe:</HI> and he did equally accu&s;tom him&s;elf to &s;ee them both, and they were both more or le&s;s plea&s;ed with him, in their turnes, according to the humour he was in; for when he was melancholy, then he would &s;it by <HI>Euridamia,</HI> and when he was merry, he was all for <HI>Cerinthe:</HI> However, certain it is, that at fir&s;t, he made a further progre&s;s into the heart of the melancholy one, then into the heart of the merry, though &s;he al&s;o e&s;teemed <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> more then any other. For my part, I was every day in their com|pany,
<PB N="140" REF="866">
and I took a &s;trange delight to &s;ee how odly love had ordered things between the&s;e the&s;e four per&s;ons. For it &s;eemed as if <HI>Theocrites</HI> had been purpo&s;ely cut out to love <HI>Eu|ridamia,</HI> by rea&s;on of the &s;utablene&s;s in their melancholies, it &s;eemed al&s;o that <HI>Cerinthe</HI> &s;hould be mo&s;t moved by the merit of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and not <HI>Pi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;trates</HI> with hers: yet it was the plea&s;ure of Cupid, to make the melancholy per&s;on love the merry: That <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;hould almo&s;t love both the &s;erious, and the jocond; and that the merry one &s;hould al|mo&s;t love none. For my part, I was the happie&s;t in the company; for I was in &s;uch fa|vour with all the&s;e per&s;ons, that they made all their complaints unto me as occa&s;ions fell out: Indeed, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> would often complain that he thought <HI>Theocrites</HI> was too often with <HI>Cerinthe: Cerinthe</HI> al&s;o &s;he complained again&s;t the too frequent vi&s;its of this over &s;erious lover, becau&s;e he &s;aid, that &s;he did not give her time to rally after her own way, again&s;t love: <HI>Theocrites</HI> on his &s;ide, he complained that he was forced to love a per&s;on, who&s;e humour was &s;o oppo&s;ite unto his own: And <HI>Euridamia</HI> al&s;o accu&s;ed <HI>Cerinthe</HI> for geering at all &s;orts of men, not &s;paring her very friends: 'Tis true, &s;he did &s;o, even before her face as well as behind her back: and I remember one day when <HI>Cerinthe</HI> was in one of her plea&s;ant humours, &s;he began to counterfet <HI>Theocrites,</HI> and to act his manner of &s;peaking and action, even to his very looks: So that <HI>Euridamia</HI> perceiving how &s;he plea&s;ed <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> &s;he could not chu&s;e but check her Rallary, perhaps as much out of a re&s;entment of jealou&s;ie, as Ju&s;tice. I profe&s;s <HI>Cerinthe</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto her) you comit a mo&s;t horible piece of inju&s;tice, in treating <HI>Theocrite</HI> after this manner; I do profe&s;s (re|plied <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and laughed) you are much more unju&s;t then I am, in offering to do an ill office both unto <HI>Theocrites</HI> and me: For I &s;wear, if I &s;hould not laugh in his ab&s;ence at a hundred of his actions, I &s;hould not endure his pre&s;ence. Therefore if you think he loves me, and that my pre&s;ence plea&s;eth him, you mu&s;t let me laugh at his melancholy; for when all is done, &s;till I will &s;ay that <HI>Theocrites</HI> is a man of much honor; but to think that when I &s;ee him all gravity from morning till night: or to harken a whole day to his &s;erious &s;ighs, and that I &s;hould not laugh at them and plea&s;e my &s;elf: This is the way to be neither friend unto <HI>Theocrite</HI> nor me, &s;ince you would make him much more melan|choly, and deprive me of much delight. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> then) I think the fair <HI>Cerinthe</HI> in the right: and for my part, (added I) I am of <HI>Euridamia's</HI> opinion, and thinks there's nothing more inhumane then to gear a poor lover. To &s;peak &s;eriou&s;ly (&s;aid <HI>Euridamia</HI> then) I think no Rallary to be innocent: then am I very often to blame (replied <HI>Cerinthe)</HI> for I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that I find no company &s;o plea&s;ing as that where there is a kind of agreeable malice mixed in it, which makes it more merry and full of life; and to &s;peak &s;eriou&s;ly, if any Rallary be innocent, it is at a &s;erious and grave lover: gal|lantry without mirth and jocundry is a thing &s;o extravagant, as I wonder every one &s;hould not laugh at it; for certainly it were no odder thing to &s;ee the general Coun&s;el of all <HI>Greece</HI> to fall a dancing when they &s;hould talk of State matters, then to &s;ee a lover and a gallant of a &s;evere and grave garb: &s;ince you are not ignorant that you can Rally han&s;omely (replied <HI>Euridamia</HI> out of &s;pite, &s;eeing <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> laugh at what <HI>Cerinthe</HI> &s;aid, you think that you may without any &s;cruple Rally thus as you do: And I am confident you think all that can be plea&s;ing, mu&s;t be &s;poken in Rallary. Fie <HI>Euridamia</HI> (replied &s;he) that's too far; yet I mu&s;t confe&s;s, it is a piece of difficulty, to keep up any plea&s;ant thought in ones mind, which one knows they can well vent; and to tell you truly I think it argues more delicacy of wit to Rally hand&s;omely, then to do many things which &s;eem more difficult. It mu&s;t needs be confe&s;&s;ed (added <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates)</HI> that it argues much wit to turn things han&s;omely as they plea&s;e: and it is &s;ometimes more delight to be geared by you, then to be applauded by another. It is certain (added I) that <HI>Cerinthe</HI> is admirable good at it when &s;he plea&s;eth: but it is as certain al&s;o, that ma|ny per&s;ons will be medling with Rallary, who ought not. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Euridamia)</HI> I will go further then you, and &s;ay again, that almo&s;t no Rallary can be innocent; and who&s;oever gets a habit of it, are in great danger to lo&s;e all friend&s;hip, all hone&s;ty and all goodne&s;s. Really (&s;aid <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and laughed) you u&s;e me very cruelly: I u&s;e you ac|cording as you de&s;erve (replied <HI>Euridamia)</HI> not but that I know very well there is a kind of Gallant Rallary, which hath le&s;s; malignity in it then others have: but I will main|tain, that who&s;oever u&s;eth to Rally often, does walk upon precipies: and it is the bard|e&s;t thing in the world to walk even, and do it well without danger or wronging the Laws of friend&s;hip and goodne&s;s, and without wronging them&s;elves al&s;o: For it is a thing al|mo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible to u&s;e it without hatred or at lea&s;t feared, and the very truth is, none are
<PB N="141" REF="866">
allowed to u&s;e it; al&s;o I do know very few men who are ju&s;t &s;ubjects of Rallary. How? (&s;aid <HI>Cerinthe)</HI> will you defend all men in the world? I a&s;&s;ure you (replied <HI>Euridamia</HI> I would have none for&s;ake you.</P>
<P>For fir&s;t, pur&s;ued &s;he, I would not have one je&s;t, not only upon their particular friends, but al&s;o not upon their acquaintance: Fir&s;t chu&s;e them well, and be as nice as you plea&s;e in the choice, but when you have cho&s;en them, by no means play upon them, I cannot allow of their opinions, who will not &s;pare tho&s;e whom they love be&s;t in the world: For in my opinion it is mo&s;t dangerous to divert ones &s;elf at the expences of ones friends. However, &s;aid <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> you will give <HI>Cerinthe</HI> leave to play upon her Ene|mies; Truly, replied <HI>Euredamia,</HI> I cannot allow that more then upon friends, for Rallary is the poore&s;t kinde of revenge that can be rendred: For ought I &s;ee (&s;aid <HI>Cerinthe)</HI> you will not allow one &s;o much as to rally with ones &s;elf: I a&s;&s;ure you, replied &s;he, though that be the mo&s;t harmle&s;s Rallary that can be, yet if it be not done with abundance of judgment, it will be found no great diver&s;ion, and &s;urely it is a more difficult matter to play upon ones &s;elf, then upon any other. Moreover, added &s;he, I cannot allow any rallary upon &s;uch as are men of mean or no merit, for it is never hand&s;om; nor do I al|low it upon men of parts, becau&s;e it were inju&s;tice to de&s;cant upon one &s;light fault, in prejudice of a thou&s;and good qualities: But if one will needs be rallying, let it be upon ones &s;elf, but never &s;peak any thing that may anger, or any thing that will do more then a little animate conver&s;ation, for in that ca&s;e I confe&s;s it is allowable to chide ones be&s;t friends. But <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> how few men are there who knows how to rally either wittily or innocently? And truly I do not wonder at it, for the talent mu&s;t be born with them, no art can infu&s;e it; and who&s;oever will force his naturals, will be &s;o far from diverting o|thers with his Rallary, that he will be the &s;ubject of Rallary him&s;elf: It is not &s;o in any other plea&s;ing qualities of wit, &s;ince they may be all acquired by pains and &s;tudy; but as for the gift of rallary, Nature only mu&s;t give it, and Judgment mu&s;t guide it: It is not enough to have many plea&s;ant thoughts, but there mu&s;t be al&s;o &s;uch an expre&s;&s;ion as mu&s;t render them agreeable; the ayr, the a&s;pect, the tone, and every part in general mu&s;t con|tribute. I &s;hould never have thought, &s;aid <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> that a per&s;on &s;o &s;erious as <HI>Euri|damia</HI> is, could &s;peak &s;o well of a quality &s;he never practi&s;eth: On the contrary, replied &s;he, I ought to be more believed becau&s;e I rally not; for having no intere&s;t in it, I &s;peak without any pa&s;&s;ion, and examine of kinds of Rallary without inju&s;tice unto any: But to tell you truly, except one of my friends who hath a mo&s;t admirable delicacy of wit and fancy, I know none but <HI>Cerinthe</HI> whom I will allow to rally: Truth is (&s;aid I then) there is nothing more in&s;ufferable then &s;uch men as are alwayes &s;landering, and who&s;e whole thoughts are rallary, who think becau&s;e they gro&s;ly rub upon the faults of others, there|fore they are good at rallary: There are another &s;ort of &s;currilous men, replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;tra|tes,</HI> who make me mad when I meet with them, for all their delight con&s;i&s;ts in a Popular and ba&s;e way of talk, which fills the imagination with nothing but villanous things, and which make it apparent unto all who hear them, that they have &s;pent the greate&s;t part of their lives in the very wor&s;t company of the world. Ah <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cerinthe)</HI> you delight me extreamly to hear you hate &s;uch men; for though I do defend Rallary in ge|neral, yet I &s;hould for&s;ake all manner of Jocundry, rather then &s;uch &s;hould be permitted, e&s;pecially this you &s;peak of in particular; for the truth is, I would have Rallary to be gallant, and have a little touch of malice; but yet I would have it mode&s;t and delicate, that it wound neither the ears, nor the imagination, and that it make one blu&s;h only for anger: There are yet another &s;ort of Je&s;ters, replied <HI>Euridamia,</HI> who tyer my patience when I meet them; for their fancy is to play upon all, &s;o that racking their wits to finde an occa&s;ion, they bring out a thou&s;and tedious things for one of any conceipt in it; and for three or four happy Je&s;ts which they had broken in all their lives, you &s;hall hear a hun|dred thou&s;ands bad ones from them: For my part; replied I, I met once with a man who madded me with his continual repetitions of what he thought he had wittily &s;aid, and it was &s;uch a je&s;t, as I dare &s;wear I have heard above a hundred times before: I cannot endure tho&s;e Tale-tellers, added <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> who alwayes laugh fir&s;t at their own tale, and who &s;hould laugh alone if they never told them unto any but me. After all this, &s;aid <HI>Eurida|mia,</HI> there is another &s;ort the mo&s;t tedious of all, &s;ince in my opinion nothing is more unhand&s;om, then a certain kinde of faint cold Rallary which is good for nothing, &s;uch as when they &s;ee tho&s;e they talk with have a de&s;ign to be plea&s;ant, yet they will not be &s;o, no|thing can be more tyer&s;om then this. The&s;e tellers of long tedious &s;tories, replied I, who
<PB N="152" REF="867">
bring in a hundred impertinencies for one plea&s;ing pa&s;&s;age, are a mo&s;t trouble&s;ome &s;ort of people, though they them&s;elves are very plea&s;ing, and it is &s;o hard a matter to &s;peak neither too much nor too little, in telling a long &s;tory, that few men can do it well. The&s;e great men of old Proverbs, replied <HI>Euridamia,</HI> are very impertinent, not but that when a Proverb is aptly applied, it is very plea&s;ing, but when the Proverb is nought or ill ap|plied, it has a contrary effect. For my part, added <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> That as errant fools as they are, yet they &s;erve to divert me; for though they talk much, and laugh at what them|&s;elves &s;ay and think, though they make a great noy&s;e, and talk har&s;hly, I can laugh as heartily at them as if they were the be&s;t company in the world: But the rea&s;on why you laugh, replied <HI>Euridamia,</HI> is becau&s;e you are naturally merrie, and finde an ample mat|ter of Rallary upon tho&s;e who do it ill-favonredly. However, added <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> we ought to be all of <HI>Euridamia</HI>'s opinion, for &s;ince Rallary is a thing &s;o difficult to be done well, &s;he has good rea&s;on to &s;ay that it is very dangerous to u&s;e it often. I do agree, &s;aid <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> that bad Rallary is to be condemned, and that the Satyrical, the gro&s;s, the cold, and the extravagant is not to be endured; but as for the gallant, delicate, fine, and witty, I &s;hall oppo&s;e her, and defend it as far as I am able, and <HI>Euridamia</HI> mu&s;t ei|ther be ab&s;olutely of my opinion, or el&s;e directly tell me what &s;ort of Rallary &s;he will per|mit me to take delight in: I have already told you, replied <HI>Euridamia,</HI> that there is none which I approve of, though there be &s;ome which plea&s;eth me: Tell me then which plea&s;e|eth you, &s;aid <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> for I do believe what plea&s;eth you will plea&s;e all the world, and though it be only to correct <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> I be&s;eech you e&s;tabli&s;h the Law of Rallarie, pro|te&s;ting unto you, that I will ob&s;erve it as exactly as the Laws of <HI>Solon.</HI> For my part, &s;aid <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and laughed, I will not &s;ay &s;o much, and if I am not much mi&s;taken, the &s;ame may be &s;aid of the Laws which &s;he &s;hall make, as was &s;aid by <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> of our Legi&s;la|tor. However (&s;aid <HI>Euridamia)</HI> Since <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;ayes he will ob&s;erve them, I will venture to make them: And I do promi&s;e al&s;o never to break them, &s;aid I unto her, pro|vided you give them unto us pre&s;ently. The word Law does &s;o much fright me, &s;aid <HI>Euridamia,</HI> that I dare hardly pronounce it; and therefore to &s;peak a little more mo|de&s;tly, I will only tell you my opinion, and &s;ubmit unto your own judgments. I &s;hall tell you then, added &s;he, that I would have Rallarie natural, not forced, I would not have any to &s;eek it; for certainly if it come not of it &s;elf unpumpt for, and without pains, it will never come well and plea&s;ingly off. Moreover, there mu&s;t be &s;uch a great inter|val and difference between Rallarie and Satyri&s;m, that one may never be taken for the o|ther. I know very wel &s;ome &s;ay, That if Rallarie be not a little biting, it will never take well, but for my part, I con&s;ider it otherwi&s;e: Truth is, I would have it &s;urprize, and &s;en&s;iblie touch him to whom it is addre&s;&s;ed, but I would not have the wounds it makes to be too deep, nor prick the hearts of tho&s;e who re&s;ent it, otherwi&s;e then tho&s;e are pricked who gather Ro&s;es, and finde a &s;weet &s;mell to make amends: I would have Rallarie rai&s;e the fancie, and quicken the imagination with a wit full of fire, which retaining &s;ome part of its original, may &s;hine only as the &s;tars do, but burn not. Again, I would not have one be alwayes in a vein of Rallarie, few long continuances in Rallarie but are naught: But above all, I would have everie one know his talent of wit, and be contented; and therefore tho&s;e unto whom nature hath not given a nimblene&s;s and quickne&s;s either in their actions or feature of face, or in their expre&s;&s;ions, are never to meddle with more then &s;he hath given them, for art commonly mars all, let him follow only his own Ge|nius, and not anothers: It is not with Rallarie as with pictures, which &s;omtimes are co|pied &s;o like the original, that one cannot know the copie from its original; but in matter of Rallarie, there is no imitating another, and therefore let him never attempt it. But to &s;peak &s;omthing concerning tho&s;e ill Je&s;ters and tellers of tales which we have condemn|ed, I would have &s;uch as tell a tale, never to &s;ay it is delightful before hand; I would have the tale to be either very natural, or el&s;e verie witty and pertinent, that the beginning be not more plea&s;ant then the ending, and above all things, I would have it new and &s;hort. Tho&s;e who are to make long &s;tories, I would have them do it with art and method, that they &s;u&s;pend the minds of their Auditors, and if it be po&s;&s;ible to deceive them, in ending their di&s;cour&s;e contrarie to their expectations: But principallie let them not u&s;e any im|pertinencies, let not their eloquence be either intricate or drailing, but on the contrary, let them pa&s;s from one thing to another without puzzle or confu&s;ion, and not to inter|rupt them&s;elves too often, in &s;aying, I had forgot to tell you, or by &s;aying, I &s;hould have
<PB N="143" REF="867">
told you, and a hundred &s;uch like with &s;uch u&s;e, as have no method nor order in their thoughts.</P>
<P>Furthermore, I would have them be &s;ure to &s;peak in the language of compleat men, not like tho&s;e whom <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> did mo&s;t wi&s;ely mention, unle&s;s in ca&s;e he be to imitate how a Slave &s;poke unto his Ma&s;ter, or &s;o; for then, &s;ince imitation is his aim, the neerer he imitates, the more commendable it is. Moreover, I would not have them be too covet|ous of their thoughts, but to take a care as much as po&s;&s;ible not to repeat any thing twice. As for &s;uch as are full of old Proverbs in their Rallarie, I have already &s;aid, that they may be pertinent; and I &s;ay again, that if they be natural, pat, and applicative to the bu&s;ine&s;s, they much illu&s;trate. But to &s;peak upon that which is po&s;itively called Rallary or je&s;ting, I &s;ay, that to rally right, is requi&s;ite to have a wit full of fire, a quick fancy, a delicate judgment, and a memory full of variety to be u&s;ed upon all occa&s;ions; he mu&s;t know the world, and plea&s;e it, he mu&s;t have a natural nimblene&s;s of wit, and a kinde of bold fa|miliarity, which without any &s;mack of in&s;olence mu&s;t plea&s;e, and impo&s;e &s;ilence upon o|thers. Ah <HI>Euridamia,</HI> replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> What abundance of wit is requi&s;ite to make up &s;uch a one as you de&s;cribe? For my part, &s;aid <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> I believe if &s;he would lay a|&s;ide her &s;erious humour, not one in all <HI>Greece</HI> could rally better then &s;he: Seriou&s;ne&s;s, replied <HI>Euridamia,</HI> is not &s;o great an ob&s;tacle unto fine Rallary as you imagine; for I once knew a man, who had &s;uch a langui&s;hing ayr with him, &s;o melancholy and &s;o dull a garb, as I never &s;aw the like; and yet he was the fulle&s;t of plea&s;ant wit and gallant Rallary, that ever I &s;aw man in my life like him. Now though I have hinted unto you how one ought to rally, yet I mu&s;t repeat what I &s;aid before, and maintain that one ought to have a great care how he rallies, e&s;pecially upon his friends, yet there is one general rule which will never fail, which is, to &s;ay nothing of &s;uch as one would not willingly have them un|der&s;tand, and never to &s;ay any thing of them&s;elves &s;o biting as to hinder the delight of &s;uch as hear him; for it is not ju&s;t to &s;ay any thing of your friends which will plea&s;e o|thers more then them, nor to put them into &s;uch a nece&s;&s;ity as to reply &s;uch things as will plea&s;e you le&s;s then the company, for friend is &s;o nice a matter, that one cannot too much fear the wounding it; and indeed to &s;peak rationally, the&s;e biting quiblets do not make the be&s;t rallary. The delight any takes in them, proceeds more from the malignity of their own inclinations, then from any right art of Rallary; and certainly a trifle hand|&s;omly retorted, is more fit for plea&s;ant Rallary then a Satyrical invective, who&s;e name is only changed and called <HI>Rallary:</HI> It is no fault to be ill at <HI>Rallary,</HI> but it is a grand one to lo&s;e ones friend rather then his je&s;t: All you &s;ay, replied <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> is &s;o like the Cozen of <HI>Solon,</HI> that I think he left you all his wi&s;dom when he went out of <HI>Athens.</HI> I am &s;ure, &s;aid <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> She has &s;poken all according to the rule of good and &s;ound rea&s;on: I know but too much for my &s;atisfaction (replied <HI>Cerinthe)</HI> for if I &s;hould regulate my &s;elf according to her documents, I &s;hould never &s;peak as long as I live: It would be too great a lo&s;s to impo&s;e &s;ilence upon you Madam (replied I) &s;ince few can &s;peak &s;o well.</P>
<P>As I &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Theocrite</HI> entred in <HI>Querpo,</HI> with a mo&s;t maje&s;tique gravity, which turn|ed the di&s;cour&s;e, and pre&s;ently parted the company; for <HI>Euridamia</HI> going away, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;tra|tes</HI> whom &s;he had plea&s;ed very well that day, pre&s;ented his hand unto her, and I follow|ing pre&s;ently after, we left <HI>Cerinthe</HI> with her melancholy Lover, whom She &s;uffered only to divert her &s;elf, and to tell us the next day how grave and &s;eriou&s;ly he Courted her.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> not well knowing whether he was Lover or friend unto <HI>Cerinthe</HI> or <HI>Euridamia,</HI> whether he was in Love with one, and a friend to the other, or loved both, he placed him&s;elf almo&s;t equally poized between the&s;e two Ladies: Truth is, it was (as I told you before) according to the humour he was in: As for examyle, on one of tho&s;e daies when he found fault with all the evils in the Commonwealth, then he was all for <HI>Euridamia,</HI> and never looked at <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> but he would complain unto <HI>Euri|damia</HI> of all the ill management of Affa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rs, examining them to the bottom, ob&s;erving all their defects, and &s;eeking out all remedies, as if what he &s;aid unto <HI>Euridamia</HI> were to be followed: Indeed his Spirits and imagination was as zealous, as if he were per&s;wade|ing all the people in <HI>Athens,</HI> and driving the nail more home; he fore&s;aw all the bene|fits and all the mi&s;eries of the Commonwealth according to his thoughts, and made &s;uch a &s;ubver&s;ion of things, that if Fortune had executed his will, none in <HI>Athens</HI> could have &s;tayed where he was.</P>
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In the mean time, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> mixed &s;ome matters of Gallantry with his policy: So that <HI>Euridamia</HI> lent a plea&s;ing ear unto him, and he was very glad of it. But then in one of his merry daies, he would &s;pend it all with <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> with whom he plotted projects of plea&s;ure and diver&s;ion more then policy, walks, balls, mu&s;ique where the principal de|&s;igns, whole afternoons were &s;pent in Councils how to contrive them, and imagining a thou&s;and other delights: Yet during all the&s;e daies of &s;port, <HI>Theocrite</HI> and <HI>Euridamia</HI> were out of tune; yet this grave Lover was much more unhappy then this &s;erious Lover; for &s;he having an infinite wit, knew well enough that <HI>Cerinthe</HI> had no more power upon the heart of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> then &s;he had: But as for <HI>Theocrite,</HI> he knew &s;o well that he had no &s;hare in the heart of <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> that he was troubled to the &s;oul; and yet he &s;aw that this Lady was not capable of any great compliance with any one: But &s;ince <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> plea&s;ed her more then any other, he grew extreamly jealous: But Madam, if <HI>Cerinthe</HI> had rea&s;on to &s;ay that a &s;erious Lover was a very odd thing, I am &s;ure that I have more rea&s;on to &s;ay that a jealous grave lover is no le&s;s; and the truth is Madam, a &s;tranger &s;ight could not be &s;een then <HI>Theocrite</HI> when he was jealous; for it being a pa&s;&s;ion which of it &s;elf carries melancholy along with it, judg I be&s;eech you what he was, who was na|turally &s;o before; but the &s;trange&s;t thing was to &s;ee this man &s;o &s;erious, and who&s;e acti|ons were wont to be alwayes &s;o in print, now full of all frivilous cares, and impertinent cu|rio&s;ities, that jealou&s;ie could in&s;pire unto a man mo&s;t apt for it. In the mean time, I delighted my &s;elf in the &s;adne&s;s of others, and in their joyes al&s;o; for being then much in favour with <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates, I</HI> &s;hared iu his diver&s;ions; and &s;peaking unto him one day con|cerning <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and <HI>Euridamia, I</HI> pre&s;&s;ed him to tell how his minde &s;tood affected un|to them; They are both of them &s;o much in my minde (replied he) That did <HI>I</HI> know but one of them, I am per&s;waded I &s;hould be extreamly in love with her, but becau&s;e <HI>I</HI> equally e&s;teem them both, my heart is not re&s;olved what to do: And <HI>I</HI> think <HI>I</HI> may well &s;ay, that <HI>I</HI> do love them much better then <HI>I</HI> do any other of my friends, and le&s;s then a Mi&s;tre&s;s unto whom <HI>I</HI> &s;hould wholly devote my &s;elf. This an&s;wer is &s;o &s;trange, replied I and laughed, that <HI>I</HI> think you give it rather as good conceipt, then as your real thoughts: <HI>I</HI> do prote&s;t, &s;aid he unto me, <HI>I</HI> tell you really what my heart thinks; for if <HI>Euridamia</HI> had not come unto <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> when fir&s;t <HI>I</HI> knew her, <HI>I</HI> had then fallen down right in love with her; and if I had known <HI>Euridamia</HI> and never been acquainted with <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> I be|believe <HI>I</HI> &s;hould have loved her mo&s;t tenderly: Truth is <HI>Silamis,</HI> &s;aid he to me, The jo|cundry of <HI>Cerinthe</HI> does &s;o much plea&s;e me, and the melancholy of <HI>Euridamia</HI> does &s;o &s;o much charm me, as <HI>I</HI> am confident if either of tho&s;e two &s;hould go into the Country for one moneth, <HI>I</HI> am fully per&s;waded that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould fall deeply in love with her who &s;tay|ed in <HI>Athens. I</HI> profe&s;s, &s;aid <HI>I,</HI> this is mo&s;t admirable: Be it what it will, &s;aid he, what <HI>I</HI> &s;ay is true: But Sir, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him, How can your minde be divided &s;o between two per&s;ons of &s;uch oppo&s;ite humours? The&s;e two per&s;ons of humours &s;o oppo&s;ite, replied he, have each of them in their way abundance of merit, and therefore no wonder my minde &s;hould be un&s;etled, and the wonder is the le&s;s, becau&s;e they do not re&s;emble one another, for if they were both merry, or both melancholy, doubtle&s;s <HI>I</HI> &s;hould make choice of her who&s;e mirth or melancholy mo&s;t plea&s;ed me: But becau&s;e <HI>I</HI> do finde that in the one which <HI>I</HI> do not finde in the other, <HI>I</HI> am forced to part my e&s;teem and my affecti|on: And &s;o it may al&s;o be &s;aid, that <HI>I</HI> do love them both, or at lea&s;t have an equal di&s;|po&s;ition to love them: And indeed Madam <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> lied not, &s;ince had it not been for his inclination towards <HI>Euridamia,</HI> he had in all likelyhood fallen in love with <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> and had it not been for his inclination to <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> he had fallen al&s;o in love with <HI>Euri|damia.</HI></P>
<P>However; the&s;e two Ladies at la&s;t perceiving that they them&s;elves were equally ob&s;ta|cles, to keep the heart of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> from each other, they began to love one another much le&s;s. In&s;omuch as <HI>Cerinthe</HI> who was u&s;ed to &s;peak of <HI>Euridamia,</HI> and to &s;ay only, that &s;he was very &s;erious, did now &s;ay upon &s;everal occa&s;ions, that &s;he was lumpi&s;hly me|lancholy; and <HI>Euridamia</HI> on her &s;ide, who was wont only to &s;ay that <HI>Cerinthe</HI> loved Ral|lary a little too well, accu&s;ed her now of &s;landering, and as a lover of mi&s;chief; in&s;o|much as this petty divi&s;ion produced divers quarrels between the&s;e two Ladies, which &s;trangely perplexed <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates;</HI> for they would both of them be forcing him to take their parts, yet he carried it &s;o hand&s;omly, that &s;omtimes condemning the one, and &s;ome|times the other, he became a Judg of their differences, and did not declare him|&s;elf.</P>
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But in the interim of all the&s;e &s;quabbles, <HI>Theocrites</HI> continuing &s;till the gravity of his hu|mour, made no further progre&s;s into the heart of <HI>Cerinthe</HI> then ordinary, and con&s;e|quently was more mi&s;erable then he was u&s;ed to be. Things &s;tanding upon the&s;e tearms, and <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;till &s;aying, that but for <HI>Euridamia</HI> he had loved <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> and but for <HI>Ce|rinthe</HI> he had loved <HI>Euridamia;</HI> I under&s;tood that <HI>Philombrotus</HI> was to go into the Coun|try with his whole family: I no &s;ooner heard this, but I went unto <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and ad|dre&s;&s;ing my &s;elf unto him: Well Sir (&s;aid I unto him and laughed) We &s;hall &s;hortly &s;ee whether your words be true or no, and whether you will fall in love with <HI>Euredamia</HI> as &s;oon as <HI>Cerinthe</HI> is out of your &s;ight, for I under&s;tand &s;he is going into the Country: How; &s;aid he, <HI>Cerinthe</HI> into the Country? Yes Sir, an&s;wered I, and I under&s;tand <HI>Phi|lombrotus</HI> re&s;olves upon it to morrow: Then am I in a mi&s;erable ca&s;e (&s;aid he to me) for I under&s;tood ye&s;terday thar <HI>Euridamia</HI> goes away al&s;o to morrow; and as you were com|ing to me, I was &s;aying to my &s;elf, That I mu&s;t prepare to fall in love with <HI>Cerinthe</HI> du|ring the ab&s;ence of <HI>Euridamia,</HI> but for ought I &s;ee I am out of that danger &s;ince they both go. Since it is not likely (replied I and laughed) that the &s;ame chance which cau&s;ed them to depart both in one day, will make them return al&s;o both in one day, I &s;hall not di&s;pair but to &s;ee my curio&s;ity &s;atisfied ere it be long, and we &s;hall &s;ee whether you will fall in love with her who returns fir&s;t. In the mean time, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> thought him&s;elf extreamly concerned in the ab&s;ence of both the&s;e Ladies; yet &s;ince he had rather only a bare amorous inclination towards them, then any real love, he comforted up him|&s;elf; and being obliged to take a journey him&s;elf a little after their departure, change of place helped to di&s;&s;ipate melancholy thoughts: But Madam, I being he of all his friends with whom he held mo&s;t familiarity, he ingaged me to go this journey with him, telling me the more to induce me to it, that he was to go neer tho&s;e famous Bathes which are at the foot of the Mountain <HI>Thermopiles,</HI> and that we &s;hould go thither and divert our &s;elves &s;ome daies after he had fini&s;hed his bu&s;ine&s;s: For Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that the&s;e Bathes are &s;o famous, that for three moneths an infinite number of per&s;ons of greate&s;t quality in all <HI>Greece</HI> re&s;ort thither: Not &s;ick, langui&s;hing, and di&s;ea&s;ed per&s;ons: But the opinion of tho&s;e be&s;t known in the virtues of the&s;e Bathes, is, that they are more proper to pre&s;erve health, then to cure di&s;ea&s;es: So that all tho&s;e who re&s;ort thither are in a fit condition for diver&s;ions. Moreover, Ladies having a fancy that the&s;e Bathes do augment their beauty, or at lea&s;t pre&s;erve it, there is every year a huge re&s;ort of them thither under pretence of preventing di&s;ea&s;es, though really only to keep longer fair, or at lea&s;t to divert them&s;elves, for this is a rule in all Bathes, that melancholy is by all means to be bani&s;hed, and mirth mu&s;t be made as much as may be: So Madam, &s;ince I had ne|ver been there, but often heard excellent diver&s;ions to be there met with, I accepted of the offer which <HI>Pi&s;i&s;tratss</HI> made unto me. I &s;hall not in&s;i&s;t upon telling you what bu&s;ine&s;s carried <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> unto <HI>Thermopol<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> for I mu&s;t confe&s;s he kept it &s;ecret from me, yet I thought it was to confer with &s;ome who were bani&s;hed from <HI>Athens,</HI> which might be u&s;e|ful to him in the change which he hath &s;ince brought about, though he would not confe&s;s &s;o much unto me: However, I went this voyage with him; and after he had left me two daies with one of his friends whil&s;t he di&s;patched his unknown bu&s;ine&s;s, he returned, and we went unto <HI>Thermopiles,</HI> which was not above half a daies journey off us. But Madam, it is very requi&s;ite I acquaint you both with the place, and the manner how they live at the&s;e Bathes for three moneths in the year: Be plea&s;ed therefore to know Madam, that very neer this mountain of <HI>Thermopiles,</HI> which parts <HI>Greece,</HI> and leaves but one narrow and difficult pa&s;&s;age by which one can pa&s;s from one part of <HI>Creece</HI> unto the other: Here &s;tands a Town called <HI>Alpenes,</HI> wherein are many hou&s;es commodious for lodging, &s;uch as re&s;ort to the Bathes; but the place where the Bathes &s;tand, hath in it &s;omthing both &s;alvage and plea&s;ing: Indeed when one is at that &s;trait pa&s;&s;age by which men come from one part of <HI>Greece</HI> into another, one &s;hall &s;ee a mo&s;t inacce&s;&s;ible mountain, environed with af|frighting Precipices, which reach as far as Mount <HI>E<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">na</HI> towards the We&s;t; and on that &s;ide towards the Ea&s;t may the Sea be &s;een, and a kinde of Mari&s;h ground, &s;o full of &s;ources and bogs, as there is no going: 'Tis true, that de&s;cending a little lower towards that &s;ide which looks towards <HI>Artimi&s;ion,</HI> there is a mo&s;t plea&s;ant Meadow, and though it be in the view of this hideous mountain, and on the other &s;ide the Sea, yet there are an infinite number of trees growing about it. Moreover, &s;ince it is there where the&s;e Bathes are, they have drained away the bogs and mari&s;h waters, and conveying them away by &s;everal chan|nels, the&s;e famous Bathes are pre&s;erved: There are al&s;o made at both ends of the Meadow
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above a hundred, all bathing tubs of Marble, unto which when they plea&s;e they can con|vey the water; and &s;ince every one who comes unto this Bath brings with them a magni|ficent Tent to cover over the bath they imploy, the&s;e &s;everal Tents &s;tanding in this Mea|dow do make a mo&s;t delighting object. But Madam, I forgot to tell you, that the rea&s;on why this is &s;o, is becau&s;e the&s;e waters being naturally lue-warm, do lo&s;e their virtue if tran&s;|ported, and therefore they mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity bath in the &s;ame place where they &s;pring: Yet here the Ladies have every one their bath in private, as well as if in their Chambers; and the Tents appointed for the men are at the other end of the Meadow in re&s;pect unto the Ladies; yet there is a Gallery between them, where Guards are kept during the hours of bathing, &s;o that the men do wait upon the Ladies &s;o far only as this Gallerie; after which they go into their own private Tents, where they are at full liberty: Al&s;o the men do never bathe at the &s;ame hours they do, for they bathe mornings, and the Ladies even|ings: So that after they have waited upon the Ladies to the Gallery, they afterwards walk in the Meadows, and wait until they have done bathing, and then to conduct them unto their coaches which &s;tand in ranks in the Meadow, and this year was a mo&s;t rare year for abundance of company: Indeed there was Ladies from all parts of <HI>Greece;</HI> &s;ome from <HI>Athens,</HI> &s;ome from <HI>Thebes,</HI> others from <HI>Magares, Argos, Corinth, Chalcis, Delphos,</HI> and a hundred other places; and I do verily believe, except from <HI>Lacedemon,</HI> there was company from all the principal Towns in <HI>Greece.</HI> Moreover, there was Mu&s;itians from all places in the world which had any fame for excellency: Indeed there was no plea&s;ure, but it was there to be found, and more pure then in any other place, for there was not a man who had the face of bu&s;ine&s;s or dome&s;tique occa&s;ions upon him, all their care was only to divert, But Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that the hours of the womens bathing being an hour before Sun&s;et, as the mens was an hour after the ri&s;ing, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and I came to <HI>Hermopiles</HI> when the Ladies were in their Tents: So that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> having been there formerly, he knew the cu&s;tome of the place, and we alighted from our hor&s;es at the &s;ide of the Meadow, then went to walk as the re&s;t did; for &s;ince we had not come far, we were in equipage well enough to appear before the Ladies: Al&s;o <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> (who as good luck was) was not in one of his negligent humours, he had on a Country habit, the mo&s;t magnificent and gallant that po&s;&s;ibly could be &s;een: But we had no &s;ooner walk|ed twenty paces in the Meadow, but an <HI>Athenian</HI> man of quality called <HI>Ari&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n,</HI> named us unto the company with whom he was, and came to meet us with them; and it being the cu&s;tom of the place for tho&s;e who came fir&s;t to do honors unto &s;uch as come after, they received us very civilly. For my part, being altogether a &s;tranger, I viewed the&s;e &s;e|veral Tents with much delight, and informed my &s;elf from <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> of all I de&s;ired to know.</P>
<P>But after the fir&s;t civilities were over, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and I being parted from the re&s;t with <HI>Ari&s;ton,</HI> we asked him if there were any beauties of Fame there that year? And after he had told us, that there was many who were very fair, others le&s;s fair, others le&s;s then they, and others not fair at all: I &s;pied among the Tents of the Ladies, one walking a|lone very re&s;ervedly, who&s;e garb was extreamly noble, and habit very gallant: Indeed Madam I forgot to tell you, that they u&s;e to dre&s;s them&s;elves after a very particular man|ner in that place, which truly is very plea&s;ing and delightful; for the habit of the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> is re&s;emblant unto that which Painters dre&s;s the Nymphes of <HI>Diana</HI> in; and the r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> the cu&s;tome is, that &s;ince they mu&s;t undre&s;s them&s;elves to bathe, &s;uch a dre&s;s was in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">&punc; as was both gallant and convenient for that purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>But to return from whence I digre&s;&s;ed, I told you that I &s;aw one walking alo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> not &s;eeing her face, I asked <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> who &s;he was? Though you know her no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">r walk (&s;aid he unto me) yet &s;he is one of our <HI>Athe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ian</HI> beauties. At the&s;e wo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">i|&s;i&s;trates</HI> looking more attentively upon her, and &s;he turning her face towards us, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">w her to be <HI>Cleorante,</HI> of whom I &s;poke in the beginning of my di&s;cour&s;e, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> was Daughter unto <HI>Megacles,</HI> a principal <HI>Athenian.</HI> He no &s;ooner knew her, but <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ed her, though he had never &s;poke unto her; for &s;ince there had been an oppo&s;ite faction between their Fathers, there was no familiarity between their Families: Yet <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Athens</HI> was then all in tranquility, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and <HI>Megacles</HI> were upon civil terms, though they u&s;ed not to vi&s;it each other: But <HI>Megacles</HI> not being at the bathe, only his Wife call|ed <HI>Erophile,</HI> this did facilitate the acquaintance of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and <HI>Cleorante.</HI> In the mean time, &s;ince this fair one returned her &s;alute &s;o civilly, &s;he obliged <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> to talk longer of her, and to ask <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> how long &s;he had been at the bathes: So little a while, repli|ed
<PB N="147" REF="870">
he, that if you had been &s;een privately at <HI>Athens</HI> with her, I &s;hould have thought you had held intelligence together, for <HI>Erophile</HI> and &s;he have been here only two daies. But how comes it to pa&s;s (&s;aid I unto <HI>Ari&s;ton)</HI> that <HI>Cleorante</HI> does not bathe? For I finde her fair enough to pre&s;erve her beauty: The rea&s;on is (replied he) becau&s;e &s;he is &s;o fair, as &s;he think &s;hould wrong her &s;elf &s;hould &s;he u&s;e a thing which has a reputation of imbelli&s;hing it. I thought indeed, &s;aid <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> then, that <HI>Cleorante</HI> was very fair; at lea&s;t I remember very well, that in the time of our divi&s;ions at <HI>Athens,</HI> I &s;aw her one day in the Church at a neerer di&s;tance then now I do, and I &s;aid unto one, that I was very &s;orry <HI>Megacles</HI> had &s;o fair a Daughter. You &s;peak of this in &s;uch a plea&s;ant manner, (re|plied <HI>Ari&s;ton)</HI> as would move one to &s;ay you had no eyes: I a&s;&s;ure you (&s;aid he unto us) that I have not eyes alwayes for that which I look upon, for if my minde and my eyes do not hold intelligence together, I know not well what I &s;ee.</P>
<P>As <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;aid &s;o, we &s;aw many Ladies coming out of their Tents after they had ba|thed them&s;elves, who meeting with <HI>Cleorante,</HI> began to walk together towards the Gal|lery; and &s;ince we were very neer them, we &s;aluted them. But as they turned back &s;tay|ing for other Ladies to come out from bathing, <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> at the reque&s;t of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;poke unto her: I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid he unto <HI>Cleorante)</HI> do not &s;o &s;oon deprive us of the happine&s;s in &s;eeing you, but give me leave to pre&s;ent two <HI>Athenians</HI> to you, who are &s;orry they have need of my mediation to make them&s;elves known unto you, and that they have not hitherto the honor to be acquainted. <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> being a particular friend unto <HI>Cle|orante,</HI> &s;he &s;tayed, and kept one of her friends with her named <HI>Cephi&s;e,</HI> and coming then out of the Gallerie with as much grace as civility: If the&s;e noble <HI>Athenians,</HI> &s;aid &s;he, would know me better then they do, they mu&s;t di&s;claim from tho&s;e civilities you tell me of: It appears very plainly Madam, replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> that I have not the honor to be known unto you, &s;ince you think I can di&s;claim from what <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> hath &s;aid unto you. For my part Madam, added I, I think it is &s;ufficient that the fair <HI>Cleorante</HI> does know her &s;elf, not to doubt, but that as &s;oon as any &s;ees her, they mu&s;t needs be &s;orry they &s;aw her no &s;ooner: At lea&s;t I am &s;ure, &s;aid <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> to her, that <HI>Silamis</HI> thought you &s;o fair, as he wondred why you &s;hould not bathe your &s;elf, &s;ince the bathes have a reputation of pre|&s;erving beauty. Since I do know my &s;elf very well, replied &s;he and &s;miled, I have good rea&s;on to think that your friend finding &s;o little of beauty as I have in my face, he thinks I &s;hould wrong my &s;elf if I &s;hould hazard the lo&s;ing of it, in a thought, that if I &s;hould lo&s;e any, there would not remain &s;o much as would let me be endured: I profe&s;s Madam, &s;aid the Lady who was with her, you do wrong unto &s;o great a beauty as yours is: I be|&s;eech you, &s;aid <HI>Cleorante</HI> and &s;miled, do not &s;mother me with commendations, for &s;ince <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and <HI>Silamis</HI> do hardly know me, they will think I love to be commended, hear|ing one of my friends flatter me &s;o highly; and I pray know that I do not love to be com|mended to my face, though I mu&s;t confe&s;s I love it well enough in &s;peaking unto others, behinde my back. But I be&s;eech you Madam, replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> what &s;atisfaction will tho&s;e commendations do you which you hear not, and very often will never know of. As for example, added he, I am confident, that though I &s;hould depart to morrow and never &s;ee you again as long as I live, yet <HI>I</HI> &s;hould &s;peak above a hundred times of you, and you never know it: Perhaps you Sir would &s;peak &s;o little in my advantage, replied &s;he, and &s;miled, that it would be better for me not to know what you &s;ay of me: <HI>I</HI> a&s;&s;ure you Ma|dam, &s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her, if you did well know <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> you would ea&s;ily believe that he never &s;peaks &s;o oft of one that does not plea&s;e him; and &s;he would know al&s;o, added <HI>Pi|&s;i&s;trates,</HI> that <HI>I</HI> am alwayes &s;peaking of her who plea&s;eth me. As <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Ero|phile,</HI> and almo&s;t all the Ladies being come out of their Tents, <HI>Cleorante</HI> left us, and went unto her mother, who doubtle&s;s had been one of greate&s;t beauties in all <HI>Athens,</HI> and &s;till was very well: Tho&s;e who had &s;een her young, yet &s;aid, that &s;he was never &s;o lovely as <HI>Cleorante,</HI> who indeed was one of the mo&s;t charming Beauties upon earth; for be&s;ides that her Beauty was a Beauty of great lu&s;tre, &s;he had al&s;o &s;uch rare ayr of youth, &s;uch a plea&s;ing and merry mode&s;ty, and &s;uch an inviting power, that it was an impo&s;&s;ibility to re|&s;i&s;t her.</P>
<P>But Madam, as &s;oon as &s;he had left us, we went, as all the re&s;t of the men did who walk|ed in the Meadow, to wait upon the Ladies at the door of the Gallery, and to pre&s;ent our hands unto them; for in that place men have as much liberty as at a Ball, where it is not nece&s;&s;ary to be acquainted before they &s;peak, or dance together. In the mean time, <HI>A|ri&s;ton</HI> being next the door, and (as <HI>I</HI> &s;aid before) being a particular friend unto <HI>Cleorante,</HI>
<PB N="148" REF="871">
when &s;he went out, &s;he tendred her hand unto him; but as &s;oon as he took it, he turned towards <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and told him, that as a te&s;timony of his friend&s;hip he would &s;urrender his place unto him: And (added he, &s;peaking unto <HI>Cleorante)</HI> as he de&s;erves it better then I, &s;o I be&s;eech you Madam let him have it: It &s;eems you are weary, replied &s;he and laughed, and de&s;iring <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;hould be &s;o al&s;o, you would have him go away to mor|row: No Madam, an&s;wered <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> but on the contrary <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> de&s;ires my &s;tay here, and therefore he lets me have the honor of &s;peaking to you: However it be (&s;aid <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> in leaving them) I hope you will tell me what you talk of at the end of the walk. After this, <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> pre&s;ented his hand unto another Lady, and I mine unto <HI>Cleorantes</HI> friend, of whom I &s;poke: So that the evening being very fair, they walked a long time; <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and <HI>Cleorante</HI> had &s;o much lei&s;ure as to talk enough to let one another know, that they had both of them mo&s;t admirable wits. But the hour of returning unto <HI>Alpene</HI> being come, <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> came to them, becau&s;e the Lady whom he waited upon went fir&s;t a|way, and as &s;oon as he had put her in the Coach, he came and asked <HI>Cleorante</HI> and <HI>Pi|&s;i&s;trates</HI> how they liked one another: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and laughed, I mu&s;t tell you, that I was never in all my life &s;o taken with any, as I am with <HI>Cleorante,</HI> and me-thinks I have been acquainted with her ever &s;ince &s;he began fir&s;t to live: For my part, &s;aid this fair one, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> is &s;o little a &s;tranger unto me, that I believe if I had any &s;ecrets, I dur&s;t tru&s;t them unto him. To te&s;tifie unto you (added <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates)</HI> that we were not at any non-plus, as ordinarily tho&s;e are who are fir&s;t acquainted: I a&s;&s;ure you we talked all the while, and yet not of any beauties of the time, or that of the place, nor of any &s;uch kinde of things as people u&s;e to talk of when they have nothing el&s;e to &s;ay. As <HI>Pi|&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Erophile</HI> being returned to call her Daughter, <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> advanced towards her, and told her at the de&s;ire of his friend, that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> had a de&s;ign to go with her to her hou&s;e: So that &s;he &s;taying, he &s;aluted her, and &s;he received him very well; for &s;he being a Lover of peace, quietne&s;s, and plea&s;ures, &s;he was very de&s;irous to contract an amity between <HI>Megacles</HI> and <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates;</HI> yet this conver&s;ation was not long: For &s;ince it was very late we only waited upon the Ladies to their coach: After which, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates, A|ri&s;ton,</HI> and I, we walked a little longer.</P>
<P>In the mean time, they had no &s;ooner left us, but I &s;aid unto <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> in a laughing manner, that I found he would ere long be accu&s;tomed unto <HI>Cleorante:</HI> But be &s;ure, &s;aid I unto him, whil&s;t <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> was taking order for our lodging, that fir&s;t you have unaccu|&s;tomed your &s;elf from <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> and from <HI>Euridamia:</HI> We &s;hall &s;tay &s;o little here, replied he and laughed, that I &s;hall not have lei&s;ure to accu&s;tom my &s;elf in earne&s;t with <HI>Cleoran|te:</HI> And we &s;hall return &s;o &s;oon unto <HI>Athens,</HI> that I &s;hall not have lei&s;ure to unaccu&s;tom my &s;elf from <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and <HI>Euridamia:</HI> But <HI>Euridamia</HI> and <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, will not be there when you return, for they are both in the Country: 'Tis very true, &s;aid he unto me, I profe&s;s I had forgotten that: Really, &s;aid I unto him and laughed, this is a mo&s;t infallible proof that you are not in love with them: For it is without example, either in a Lover or a friend, that they &s;hould forget they bad adieu unto their Mi&s;tre&s;s or friend, and not remember whether they be ab&s;ent or pre&s;ent: Since I laughed &s;omthing loud, <HI>A|ri&s;ton</HI> coming towards us, asked what I laughed at? But <HI>Pi&s;i&s;traees</HI> not well knowing any rea&s;on why, forbad me to tell him &s;o earne&s;tly, that indeed I did not: After which, we began again to talk of <HI>Cleorante,</HI> and we asked him, whether &s;he had as much goodne&s;s as &s;he had beauty: Doubtle&s;s &s;he hath (replied <HI>Ari&s;ton)</HI> but &s;he hath one good quality which is very particular, for &s;he is unequal humoured, without any fanta&s;ticalne&s;s, and &s;he is at that very &s;ame time one of the mo&s;t equal humoured per&s;ons upon earth, in ma|ny things. This is a thing, replied I, which cannot be ea&s;ily comprehended: Yet it is mo&s;t true, replied he, for mo&s;t certain it is, that <HI>Cleorante</HI> is alwayes one of the be&s;t per&s;ons in the world, and loves her friends with the mo&s;t even, con&s;tant, and equality of humour. In what then is &s;he unequally humoured? replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates.</HI> In this, an&s;wered he, that &s;he is &s;omtimes merry, and &s;omtimes &s;erious, and yet her jocundry never makes her too merry, nor her &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s too melancholy, but for all that, &s;he is of a very different hu|mour, though &s;he be alwayes equally good. Moreover, the very &s;ame plea&s;ures will not equally delight her; for &s;ome daies it is a torment unto her to talk of going to a Ball, and &s;omtimes &s;he is wholly intent upon it; and yet, whether &s;he be merry or &s;erious, &s;he is al|wayes equally amiable to all her friends, for &s;he never has any petti&s;h humours towards them, how different &s;oever &s;he be to her &s;elf; and indeed it may well be &s;aid, that &s;he is only different and unequal, to the end &s;he may the more plea&s;e, and make it appear &s;he
<PB N="149" REF="871">
has all the charms that can be found in two tempers &s;o oppo&s;ite to each other: You &s;et <HI>Cleorante</HI> out by &s;uch a Character, as fills me full of curio&s;ity to know her more particu|larly, replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and I think that if I had no bu&s;ine&s;s at <HI>Athens,</HI> I &s;hould &s;tay here as long as &s;he did; but &s;ince I intend my time here to be not above &s;even or eight daies, I de&s;ire to imploy that time in &s;eeing her as much as I can: If that be your de&s;ign, replied <HI>Ari&s;ton,</HI> then we mu&s;t retire; for it is this very night that all the Ladies met at her mothers hou&s;e to dance.</P>
<P><HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> went towards our hor&s;es, at the &s;ide of the Meadow with <HI>Ari&s;tons:</HI> After which, we went unto <HI>Alpenes,</HI> and lodged at <HI>Ari|&s;tons</HI> hou&s;e, who gave his own Chamber unto <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and divided another between me and him&s;elf, for there was this year &s;uch a multitude of people at the Bathes, that with|out him we &s;hould have been puzled for a lodging. In the mean time, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> having his men and equipage with him, he put him&s;elf into a habit for dancing, and did it doubt|le&s;s without having the lea&s;t thought of falling in love with <HI>Cleorante;</HI> on the contrary, when I came unto his Chamber, he talked with me of <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and <HI>Euridamia</HI> as we were wont, and he wi&s;hed them in that place, asking me, which I thought would fir&s;t return to <HI>Athens,</HI> adding, that as &s;oon as he returned thither, he intended to write unto them of all the pa&s;&s;ages at the bathe, and to make an ample relation of them. After which, <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> al&s;o entring, to tell us it was time to go, and acquainting us with the mode of their Gal|lantry, to the end we might not &s;eem as &s;trangers, we went unto <HI>Erophiles</HI> hou&s;e, who with <HI>Cleorante,</HI> received us with much civility, and <HI>Cleorante</HI> putting her &s;elf into another dre&s;s after her return from the bathes, with an addition of Jewels thereunto, &s;he was a fre&s;h lu&s;tre of beauty in the eye of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates.</HI> Again, &s;ince he was better acquainted with her then any of the re&s;t, and &s;ince &s;he was the only Lady of all the company except <HI>Ce|phi&s;e,</HI> unto whom he ever &s;poke, therefore he applied him&s;elf more a&s;&s;iduou&s;ly unto her, and took her out to dance ofter then any other. Both of them chancing that night to be in their frolique humours, they danced &s;o well together, that all the company admired them: Truth is Madam, it may well be &s;aid, they pa&s;&s;ed away that night together in pri|vate amid&s;t a great multitude, &s;o &s;eldom were they &s;eparated; for my part, though I ap|plied my &s;elf to Court <HI>Cephi&s;e,</HI> yet I ob&s;erved by the countenance of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> that he was not weary of his imployment, and by <HI>Cleorantes,</HI> that he was welcome to her: Al&s;o I plainly &s;aw, that all the great Fea&s;ts of <HI>Athens</HI> did never divert <HI>Pi&s;istrates</HI> &s;o much as this A&s;&s;embly, and indeed it was &s;uch as would delight any, for the Ladies were very fair, they were in more Gallantry of dre&s;s then ordinary, and there was a kinde of greater free|dom then at tho&s;e Balls which are kept in Towns. But the hour of retiring being come, and the company parting, we parted as the re&s;t did, and in our return I ob&s;erved, that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was extreamly gay and ple&s;ant: So that coming to him, whil&s;t <HI>Ariston</HI> was talk|ing to &s;ome other men: Doubtle&s;s, &s;aid I unto him, you are extreamly well &s;atisfied with your vi&s;it of <HI>Cleorante,</HI> &s;ince you are &s;o merry and lively at &s;uch a time when every one de&s;ires to &s;leep, and is weary with dancing or waking: Alas <HI>Silamis</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) did you but know my adventure, you would wonder? What in the name of the Gods may it be, &s;aid I unto him? It is, &s;aid he, that I have found <HI>Cerinthe</HI> in <HI>Cleorante:</HI> How <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> &s;aid I unto him, they are nothing alike, for <HI>Cleorante</HI> is tall and fair, and <HI>Ce|rinthe</HI> is little and black: But it mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed, &s;aid <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> that the tall and fair is a greater beauty then the little and black, and all the charms of wit and jocundry which are in <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> are likewi&s;e to be found in <HI>Cleorante,</HI> only here's the difference, <HI>Cleorante</HI> ral|lies with le&s;s malice, and if I be not much mi&s;taken, &s;he has a &s;oul more tender then <HI>Ce|rinthe:</HI> But Sir, &s;aid I unto him and laughed, As when we were at <HI>Athens,</HI> there was no|thing but the pre&s;ence of <HI>Euridamia</HI> which hindred you from loving <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> &s;o I &s;hall think that nothing el&s;e will hinder you from loving <HI>Cleorante,</HI> &s;ince you finde the charmes of <HI>Cerinthe</HI> in her: Since we are to tarry here but eight daies, replied be and &s;miled, I &s;hall not be perfidious either unto <HI>Cerinthe</HI> or <HI>Euridamia,</HI> yet &s;ince <HI>Cleorante</HI> makes me remem|ber <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> I know not whether &s;he will have the advantage of the other. As I was ready to reply, <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> coming to us, he asked <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> whether what he had &s;aid unto him before they went unto the Ball, did any thing profit him? And whether he ob&s;erved how clo&s;ely a man of <HI>Cerinthe</HI> had Courted a Lady of <HI>Argos?</HI> and many other &s;uch que&s;tions: You might do well to ask <HI>Silamis</HI> whether he &s;aw any &s;uch, replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates:</HI> As for my part, I &s;aw none but <HI>Cleorante,</HI> who &s;eemed unto me &s;o fair and &s;o lovely, as I under&s;tand not why I &s;hould not be on the &s;ide of <HI>Megacles,</HI> that I may be a friend unto his Daugh|ter.
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Since it is much a more ea&s;ie matter to be her Lover then his friend, replied <HI>Ari&s;ton,</HI> per|haps it had been better for you, if you had never &s;een her, or at lea&s;t not &s;o &s;oon: No, replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> but on the contrary, for if it be my fate to fall in Love with <HI>Cleoran|te,</HI> I would have it at the very fir&s;t &s;ight of her, for then I &s;hall &s;ooner find a recompence to my million of &s;ervices, or at lea&s;t &s;tave off the more Lovers, and hinder Rivals: Yet &s;he hath one very re&s;olute Lover, replied <HI>Ari&s;ton.</HI> I believe, &s;aid I, it is the Brother of <HI>The|ocrite,</HI> called <HI>Lycurgus.</HI> The very &s;ame (replied <HI>Ari&s;ton)</HI> and he hath &s;o long loved her without being loved again, that I think he will love her as long as he lives: Provided it be alwayes &s;o, &s;aid <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> he will not much prejudice his Rivals: Yet I a&s;&s;ure you, replied I, that a Rival is alwayes a mote in ones eye, though he be hated. As I &s;aid &s;o, we came to <HI>Ari&s;tons</HI> lodging; &s;o that it being very late after we had waited upon <HI>Pi&s;i&s;tra|tes</HI> to his Chamber, we went into ours. In the mean time, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> being very Noble, and his dancing fancy continuing, he told <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> at parting, that he de&s;ired to give a Ball, and <HI>Cephi&s;e</HI> being <HI>Ari&s;tons</HI> Cozen, he entreated him to oblige her that it might be kept at her hou&s;e, and <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> re&s;olved to go him&s;elf and imploy the afternoon following in entreating that favour from her, and in inviting mo&s;t of the con&s;iderable Ladies: But &s;ince he would needs begin with <HI>Erophile,</HI> becau&s;e of <HI>Cleorante,</HI> we made not &s;o many vi&s;its as we intended, for the vi&s;it la&s;ted almo&s;t all the day. In the mean time, I ob&s;erved that <HI>Cleorante</HI> and he were nothing &s;o frolique as the night before; but on the coutrary, &s;he was all &s;erious and grave. The truth is, I never in my life &s;aw a melancholy per&s;on &s;o &s;weet and lovely, nor a mode&s;ty more charming then hers: <HI>I</HI> had need to coyn a word to expre&s;s the ayr of her a&s;pect rightly when &s;he is not in that frolique humour which &s;omtimes takes her; for the word melancholy is too much, the word &s;erious al&s;o gives an <HI>Idea</HI> of too grave a per&s;on; but &s;uch a phra&s;e it mu&s;t be, as will &s;peak <HI>Cleorante</HI> neither di|rectly &s;erious, nor melancholy; but &s;omthing that is &s;o langui&s;hing, &s;o &s;weet, and &s;o mo|de&s;t, as infinitely plea&s;eth, and imprints re&s;pect. But Madam, after we had waited upon the Ladies to their Coach, and came to the Meadow, we walked whil&s;t the Ladies bathed. <HI>Pi&s;istrates</HI> drawing me a&s;ide very earne&s;tly: Did I not fear (&s;aid he unto me) that you would mock me, <HI>I</HI> would tell you the &s;trange&s;t pa&s;&s;age that ever happened unto any. For truly (&s;aid he) ye&s;terday <HI>I</HI> found <HI>Cerinthe</HI> in <HI>Cleorante,</HI> and to day I prote&s;t; I found <HI>Euridamia,</HI> an <HI>Euridamia</HI> without melachonly, an <HI>Euridamia</HI> a thou&s;and times more charm|ing then the other: I profe&s;s unto you Sir, &s;aid I unto him and laughed, this is a great happine&s;s, to find two friends or two Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es that are ab&s;ent in one per&s;on, and this one more amiable then they both: It is &s;o, &s;aid he, for <HI>Cleorante</HI> &s;erious is <HI>Euridamia,</HI> and <HI>Clerante</HI> merry is <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> and this is &s;o true, that if you will ob&s;erve her, you will finde I am in the right. The thing is &s;o worthy of curio&s;ity, replied I and laughed, that I &s;hall be &s;ure to ob&s;erve it.</P>
<P>But in the mean time, &s;aid I, <HI>I</HI> do not &s;ee Sir how you can re&s;i&s;t a per&s;on who hath the charms of two, the one of which had overcome you, if you had not &s;een the other: <HI>I</HI> told you ye&s;terday, replied he, that we &s;hall &s;tay &s;o little here, as <HI>I</HI> &s;hall not have lei&s;ure to tye my &s;elf unto <HI>Cleorante,</HI> or untye my &s;elf from <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> and <HI>Euridamia.</HI> As I was ready to an&s;wer him, we were interrupted by &s;everal per&s;ons, and all the re&s;t of the day <HI>I</HI> could talk no more with him; for as &s;oon as the Ladies came out of the Gallery, he pre|&s;ented his hand unto <HI>Cleorante,</HI> and never left her, until &s;he took Coach. Moreover, as &s;oon as ever we were ri&s;en from dinner, we went unto a Ladies hou&s;e of <HI>Argos,</HI> with whom the company was to pa&s;s away the afternoon, and as &s;oon as we came there, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> applied him&s;elf to <HI>Cleorante.</HI></P>
<P>At our going from thence, he a&s;&s;embled all the Mu&s;itians in <HI>Alpenes</HI> to play (as he &s;aid) unto all the Ladies; but to tell you truly, we began at <HI>Cleorantes,</HI> and were &s;o long before her Window, that the Sun was ready to ri&s;e before we returned to our lodgings: And <HI>I</HI> a&s;&s;ure you it may well be &s;aid, that we rather waked then diverted &s;ome of the Ladies. But at la&s;t, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> being every way Noble and magnificent, his de&s;ign of the Ball was exe|cuted, he went to prepare <HI>Cephi&s;e,</HI> who undertook to invite the Ladies, and to the har|mony he added a mo&s;t rare banquet; and he did &s;o often ingage him&s;elf in &s;uch Fea&s;ts whil&s;t he was at <HI>Al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">enes,</HI> as I &s;aw it would be longer then eight daies before we &s;hould de|part; and indeed Madam <HI>I</HI> was not mi&s;taken, for in liev of eight daies, we &s;tayed there two entire months. However, that eight day being come, I &s;aw that in lieu of dreaming upon my departure, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> taking order for a great Fea&s;t which he intended to make: So that not being able to forbear chiding him: <HI>I</HI> &s;ee, &s;aid I unto him, there is no &s;ign of our
<PB N="151" REF="872">
return to <HI>Athens;</HI> but I pray Sir, Do that which you &s;aid you would: Then put me in memory of it, replied he, for I mu&s;t confe&s;s I have forgotten what it was I &s;aid unto you. How? &s;aid I, Do you not remember how you &s;aid you would write unto <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and <HI>Euridamia?</HI> And make them ample relations of all your diver&s;ions at the Bathes, and of all you &s;aw there? When I had that de&s;ign, replied he and laughed, I knew not that I &s;hould find <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and <HI>Euridamia</HI> at <HI>Alpenes;</HI> and truly <HI>Silamis,</HI> to &s;peak more &s;eriou&s;ly &amp; &s;incerely both, I cannot tel whether I &s;hould much plea&s;e them in relating all pa&s;&s;ages here, e&s;pecially the pa&s;&s;ages in my heart: For truly <HI>Silamis,</HI> I never &s;aw my &s;elf &s;o neer not be|ing my &s;elf as now. To &s;peak the truth, replied I, it would he &s;trange news to &s;end them, that you are in love with <HI>Cleorante;</HI> for I am &s;ure both of them had hopes of captivating you them&s;elves. However, &s;aid he, whether I fall in love with <HI>Cleorante</HI> or no, I do think it very expedient that you do write unto them a true relation of all the pa&s;&s;ages at the baths, and that you &s;end them word (as great news) how you believe I am in love with <HI>Cleo|rante;</HI> for if I do fall in love with her, the thing will not &s;urprize them when we return to <HI>Athens,</HI> and if I do not fall in love with her, we can turn it into Rallary. I would with all my heart, &s;aid I unto him: But why &s;hould <HI>I</HI> write unto tho&s;e two Ladies unle&s;s you write al&s;o? Then do not write, &s;aid he, for <HI>I</HI> cannot write any thing to them at this pre|&s;ent, not but that <HI>I</HI> do very much e&s;teem them; but <HI>Cl<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">orante</HI> is &s;o much in my fancy, that <HI>I</HI> can think upon nothing el&s;e. And the truth is Madam, he had &s;o accu&s;tomed him&s;elf to &s;ee <HI>Cleorante,</HI> that he could not endure to be from her; yet he did not plainly tell her that he loved her, but all his actions &s;poke it for him, and there was not one at the bathes which did not &s;ee and &s;peak of it. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Cleorante</HI> did very much e&s;teem <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates;</HI> and it was apparent no man did plea&s;e her &s;o well as he did. The truth is, his whole care was to divert her, and it was he alone who made all the diver&s;ions &s;ince he came to the bathes. Since there was that year many more women then men, <HI>I</HI> under&s;tood by <HI>Cephi&s;e,</HI> that when we came, the Ladies intended to be at the charges of the Mu&s;ique and all the diver&s;ions, becau&s;e there was &s;ome men who &s;ought for &s;ome poor pretences, to be excu&s;ed from it; but after <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> came, none ever medled with it but him&s;elf. In the mean while, &s;ince the inequality of humours in <HI>Cleorante</HI> and <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> did not every day hit alike, there happened the pretie&s;t di&s;putes in the world between them: But when they jumped both in one humour, it was the rare&s;t &s;ight imaginable to &s;ee them together. For my part (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> one day unto <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and laughed) <HI>I</HI> &s;hould think it much better to have a &s;erious friend and merry friend &s;everal, then to have them both in one per&s;on, for when <HI>Cleorante</HI> is in her langui&s;hing humour, and you not, then cannot you tell where to be merry, whereas if they were &s;eparate, you might be either merry or melancholy accord|ing to your own humour: You do &s;o much divert your &s;elf at my follies, &s;aid he to me, that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould do you a very bad office if <HI>I</HI> &s;hould &s;ee <HI>Cleorante</HI> no more, and therefore me-thinks you &s;hould be glad <HI>I</HI> love her.</P>
<P><HI>Pi<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;trates</HI> &s;poke this in &s;uch an angry ayr, that <HI>I</HI> plainly perceived the merry humour was not upon him that day, and <HI>I</HI> &s;aw he was &s;erious, and re&s;erved, and angry, even be|fore <HI>Cleorante;</HI> and <HI>I</HI> had the plea&s;ure to &s;ee two per&s;ons which infinitely e&s;teemed each o|ther in oppo&s;ite opinions: Truth is, this did not happen very oft; but when <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> had a fancy of Poetry, and <HI>Cleorante</HI> a fancy of Mu&s;ique, they would compo&s;e mo&s;t rare E|logies and Satyres of tho&s;e two arts; and &s;o of all the re&s;t, as occa&s;ions were offered: But one day, policy and publique Affairs was their conte&s;t; for as we heard that morn|ing there had been &s;ome &s;tirs in <HI>Athens,</HI> &s;ince our departure, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> being then in his lumpi&s;h humour, and fancy of regulating the Commonwealth, he bolted out a hundred quibbles again&s;t &s;uch as had the Authority in our City: So that <HI>Cleorante</HI> being in her merry fit, and unwilling to &s;pend all the day upon matters of policy, &s;he began to con|tradict him; and the rather, becau&s;e <HI>Erophile</HI> being bu&s;ie in her Clo&s;et writing unto <HI>Me|gacles,</HI> there was none but <HI>Cephi&s;e, Pi<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;trates,</HI> and me with her. So that after &s;he had &s;uf|fered <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> to inveigh again&s;t the di&s;orders of the Commonwealth neer half an hour, &s;he abruptly interrupted him: Is it po&s;&s;ible <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, you &s;hould not con&s;ider that ever &s;ince any force or Laws were, and &s;ince they made difference of men, there has ever been &s;ome who have ill commanded, and &s;ome who were ill obeyed? And therefore time is but ill &s;pent in continual complaints, which will do no good: Why? &s;aid he, Will you not give me leave to complain that &s;o many things &s;hould be done again&s;t all rea&s;on? And to &s;ee, that the <HI>Ath<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">nians</HI> who thought them&s;elves free becau&s;e they had no King, &s;hould now be Slaves unto a hundred Tyrants who have all the Authority in
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their hands? And who do nothing but inrich them&s;elves, and impoveri&s;h others? Is it po&s;&s;ible one &s;hould endure, and &s;ay nothing, a thou&s;and inju&s;tices every day? And that <HI>Athens</HI> which is the mo&s;t famous City of all <HI>Greece</HI> &s;hould be ready to peri&s;h, becau&s;e the Governours do govern it ill: I a&s;&s;ure you (&s;aid &s;he unto him) rather then torment my &s;elf as you do, I would do any thing el&s;e; for if you can govern it better, do, and you would do well: But &s;ince it is not the plea&s;ure of fortune to ca&s;t the conduct of Affairs up|on you, believe me <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> it is better to let them alone: And be confident, that as what others do doth not plea&s;e you, &s;o what you would do would not plea&s;e others, if you were in their places. If it did not plea&s;e them, yet it ought to do (replied he) for I am &s;ure that <HI>I</HI> would do nothing but what was ju&s;t. Though you did nothing but what was ju&s;t (replied <HI>Cleorant?)</HI> yet they would complain of you; for indeed whether King|dom or Commonwealth, complaints will be; and therefore &s;ince (to &s;peak generally) the&s;e kind of complaints do better become the heard of people, then men of Quality: I would complain as little as I could I a&s;&s;ure you (replied <HI>Cephi&s;e) Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> is not the on|ly man of his quality who complains, but there are many others. Were he the only man replied <HI>Cleorante,</HI> I &s;hould not find fault with his complaints; for being my friend I &s;hould impo&s;e &s;ilence upon him, or el&s;e de&s;ire him not to &s;ee me till his politique humour were o|ver: But all men of his Volley have of late got &s;uch a cu&s;tom of eternal talking concern|ing the Publike good, and matters of State, as that they are become in&s;upportable. Some of them we &s;ee no &s;ooner come from School, but pre&s;ently they pretend to be Reformers of the Commonwealth.</P>
<P>Some women there are al&s;o, who having only as much wit as to dre&s;s them&s;elves, will as boldly give their opinions upon the mo&s;t difficult bu&s;ine&s;&s;es of State, as if they had the wi&s;dom and experience of <HI>Solon.</HI> In the mean time, it would be nothing &s;o ab&s;urd to &s;ee the Seven Sages of <HI>Greece</HI> bu&s;ie them&s;elves in the choice of Ribons or Fa&s;hions, as to &s;ee the&s;e young people of both Sexes meddle with matters of Government: Truth is (&s;aid <HI>Cephi&s;e,</HI> and laughed as well as <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and <HI>I)</HI> Policy is &s;o unfit a &s;ubject for a whole afternoons di&s;cour&s;e among&s;t Ladies, as I will not meddle with it: For my part, (added I, to carry favour with the Ladies) I will never talk of it with women unle&s;s I be forced. And for my part (&s;aid <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> crabbedly) I will talk of it as often as the mind takes me, for I am a declared Enemy again&s;t all manner of inju&s;tice, and mo&s;t zealous for the publique good. But I pray Sir, replied <HI>Cleorante,</HI> What good will the&s;e complaints do you, or a|ny el&s;e, be they never &s;o ju&s;t? For when you have &s;pent a whole day in talking, all your talk does nothing. Al&s;o you often rea&s;on upon fal&s;e grounds, added &s;he, becau&s;e you know the things, and do not know the motives: you propo&s;e a hundred expedients which can never be followed; and therefore time is ill &s;pent in talking of evils which cannot be remedied by talking; and though it were po&s;&s;ible to find remedies by changing the Go|vernment, yet I have heard many able men &s;ay it were better to live in a di&s;ordered Go|vernment, then to alter it: And therefore <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> the be&s;t cour&s;e is to pray unto the Gods, that they would be plea&s;ed to place able men at the Stern of Affairs, but if it &s;hall not be their plea&s;ure to &s;end &s;uch, let us &s;ee their faults, but not do them, and not &s;pend our whole lives in talking of policy, and making needle&s;s complaints; Unle&s;s, added &s;he and laughed, you have &s;ome &s;ecret de&s;ign which you will not impart unto us, and unle&s;s by vilifying the Government you would incite the people to Rebellion, and make your &s;elf the Tyrant of <HI>Athens.</HI> Since <HI>I</HI> cannot be &s;o, but <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t be yours al&s;o Madam, replied he &s;harply, I have almo&s;t a mind to endeavour it: For to have &s;uch a Subject as you, I would not think the name of Tyrant odious: But I &s;ee Madam, &s;aid he, you are not &s;o zeal|ous for the liberty of your Country, but that you would hate me if I &s;hould &s;et it free. Truly, &s;aid &s;he and laughed, provided that in four and twenty hours &s;pace you could make a calm in <HI>Athens,</HI> that there &s;hould be neither Civil nor Forraign War, and that you would make a Law forbidding talking again&s;t State matters, e&s;pecially young Gallants and La|dies, I &s;hould not much care if you had the Government, becau&s;e I am per&s;waded that there is much more &s;afety and le&s;s faction in a Monarchical e&s;tate, then in a Common-wealth. But &s;ince this will never come to pa&s;s, and &s;ince you cannot raign without abun|dance of trouble and divi&s;ion, keep your &s;elf contented, I conjure you, and let us rather talk of dancing, mu&s;ique, Poetry, Painting, or any thing, then of policy. Since you will not talk of what I would have you, replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates, I</HI> will not talk of what you de&s;ire, but I will ask you which you would rather chu&s;e, I &s;hould be the Tyrant of <HI>Athens,</HI> or yours, as your Lover, or as your Husband? <HI>Cleorante</HI> is &s;o generous, replied <HI>Cephi&s;e,</HI> that
<PB N="153" REF="873">
I can gue&s;s what &s;he will an&s;wer: For my part, replied I, I cannot &s;o ea&s;ily gue&s;s: And yet you ea&s;ily may (replied <HI>Cleorante)</HI> for you may imagine I had rather all the <HI>Athe|nians</HI> were Subjects unto <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> then that I were his Slave? But <HI>Cleorante,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Ce|phi&s;e</HI> to her; Where is your love to your Country? But <HI>Cephi&s;e,</HI> replied <HI>Cleorante,</HI> Where is the love unto my &s;elf? No, no, added &s;he, let us not deceive our &s;elves, our particular intere&s;t is dearer to us then the general; and all tho&s;e Zelots for their Coun|try aim mo&s;t at their own good: Therefore I declare unto you, that I had rather a thou|&s;and times <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> were the Tyrant of <HI>Athens,</HI> then mine. I am &s;o far from being &s;o, replied he, and looked upon her with abundance of Love, as I think nothing more impo&s;&s;ible: If you take not good heed Madam, &s;aid <HI>Cephi&s;e</HI> and &s;miled, as &s;he turned towards <HI>Cleorante,</HI> In your forbidding <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> to talk of policy, you will perhaps oblige him to talk of love. Though I do not much love any &s;hould &s;peak unto me of it, replied <HI>Cleorante</HI> and laughed, yet &s;o one talk gallantly of that Subject, I had rather be obliged to hear it, then to hear talk of State matters, e&s;pecially &s;ome certain men in the world, for there are &s;ome whom it concerns not who governs, becau&s;e they have no intere&s;t, yet do trouble them&s;elves as much, as if they had as much right to pretend unto it, as <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> hath. But Madam, replied he, Is there any who have no intere&s;t in the Government? Can &s;ervants them&s;elves be happy, when their Ma&s;ters are not? I know not, &s;aid &s;he unto him in the pretie&s;t fret in the world, Whether they can or no; but I am &s;ure there is no great plea&s;ure in &s;eeing you when you have your politique humour in your head: If you will Madam, &s;aid he unto her, I will never &s;peak of it a|gain as long as I live. If you can do &s;o, replied &s;he and &s;miled, you will do me a great plea&s;ure. But Madam, replied he, I will not ingage my &s;elf but upon this condition, that I may &s;peak what&s;oever I plea&s;e both of you and of my &s;elf. <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but <HI>Cephi&s;e</HI> and I condemned her for accepting his offer, yet for a while &s;he did forbid him; for &s;he &s;aid, What can he &s;ay of me and him&s;elf? If he tell me of my faults, he will vex me; and if he commend me, he will not much divert me, for <HI>I</HI> do not love to be commended to my face. Moreover, if he commend him&s;elf, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall e&s;teem him le&s;s, and if he di&s;commend him&s;elf, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall think it a di&s;guized pride. So that not &s;eeing what plea&s;ure <HI>I</HI> can have in &s;uffering him to &s;peak often both of him&s;elf and me, it mu&s;t be concluded that <HI>I</HI> do hate policy in accepting his Propo&s;ition. Thus Madam this Treaty ended, and <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> ingaged him&s;elf to talk no more of State matters un|to <HI>Cleorante,</HI> and <HI>Cleorante</HI> promi&s;ed <HI>Pi&s;istrates</HI> to let him &s;ay what he plea&s;ed both of her and him&s;elf, yet not to have this liberty but when he was in his humour of policy: But Madam, &s;ince this I a&s;&s;ure you, he made u&s;e of his priviledg in telling her &s;he was the faire&s;t that ever he &s;aw, and gave her good cau&s;e to believe he loved more then ever any did: So that <HI>Cleorante</HI> having a pretence for letting him &s;peak thus; without taking the thing as &s;erious, &s;he mannaged the matter &s;o hand&s;omly, that when <HI>Erophile</HI> talked of returning unto <HI>Athens, Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> had no more to &s;ay unto <HI>Cleorante,</HI> but that he was in good earne&s;t, when he &s;aid he loved her. However, &s;ince <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;tayed at the bathes, only becau&s;e <HI>Cleorante</HI> was there, he offered him&s;elf unto <HI>Erophile</HI> to be her Guard, &s;o that we returned with her. <HI>Cephi&s;e</HI> and <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> al&s;o returned with us. But Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that an accident happened which &s;trangely perplexed <HI>Pi|&s;i&s;trates;</HI> for it chanced unhappily, that when we were neer <HI>Athens</HI> we lo&s;t our way, and to compleat the di&s;a&s;ter, night being upon us, <HI>Erophiles</HI> Coach broke, and broke ju&s;t before the Gate of a ba&s;e Court which &s;eemed to belong unto a hou&s;e of good capaci|ty: So that &s;ince we had no cour&s;e but to de&s;ire the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of the Ma&s;ter of the hou&s;e, we lighted from our hor&s;es, and the Ladies came out of the Coach, and began to walk, whil&s;t <HI>Pi&s;istrates</HI> went and de&s;ired a lodging for all this good company in the great hou&s;e. So that going yn foot to the Gate of this ba&s;e Court, to know who&s;e the hou&s;e was he knockt, and the Gates were opened. And they were no &s;ooner open, but within four paces of him, he &s;aw <HI>Philombrotus</HI> his Wife, <HI>Cerinthe, Euridamia,</HI> and <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> who came out to &s;ee them; &amp; having a de&s;ign to walk into the fields, took that way where the Coach was broken. You may imagine Madam, how <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was &s;urprized at this &s;ight; yet &s;ince he was &s;o neer <HI>Philombrotus,</HI> that he had no lei&s;ure to con&s;ider; and &s;eeing
<PB N="154" REF="874">
there was no altering his de&s;ign, he went on very confidently, and &s;aluted him and all the Ladies. After which, acquainting him with the accident which had befallen <HI>Erophi|les</HI> Coach, <HI>Philombrotus</HI> prevented him in the reque&s;t he intended to make, and offered very nobly to lodg all that good company, toward<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> whom he was walking with his. So that the&s;e two companies meeting, you may conceive Madam in what a vexed conditi|on <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was; for be&s;ides his loving <HI>Cleorante</HI> incomparably better then ever he loved either <HI>Cerinthe</HI> or <HI>Euridamia,</HI> the &s;ight of <HI>Lycurgus</HI> di&s;plea&s;ed him, becau&s;e he under&s;tood by <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> that he was deep in love with <HI>Cleorante;</HI> al&s;o he had an ob&s;ervant eye over this enterview: Truth is, he had &s;o much &s;atisfaction as to &s;ee, that <HI>Cleorante</HI> received his Rival very coldly. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Cerinth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> and <HI>Euridamia</HI> had no relations to the bathes which had acquainted them with <HI>Cleor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> Conque&s;t, they both of them looked upon <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> as their own; So that they were both of them in their wayes <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">gely civil unto him. <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> on his &s;ide was the &s;ame, but he knew then very well<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> that the&s;e two Ladies whom heretofore he thought to have fall<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> in love withal, &s;hould now never be but in the degree of friends; and he perceived al&s;o by the thoughts he had of <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> that he needed not to ask him of what nature the affecti|on was which he had unto <HI>Cleorante,</HI> &s;ince he needed not to que&s;tion but it was Love. In the mean time, <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and <HI>Euridamia</HI> finding <HI>Cleorante</HI> admirably fair that day, be|cau&s;e they knew not that &s;he had taken <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> from them, they could not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">u&s;e but commend her, whil&s;t <HI>Philombrotus</HI> and his Wife were talking unto <HI>Erophile.</HI> Truly Ma|dam, &s;aid <HI>Cerinthe</HI> unto <HI>Cleorante,</HI> I do find you are &s;o much imbelli&s;hed, that you per|&s;wade me the bathes have indeed that virtue which is attributed unto them. No, no, Madam, &s;aid <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> boldly and interrupted her, Never a&s;cribe more unto the Baths then what's their due, for <HI>Cleorante</HI> returns and never bathed, and that fre&s;hne&s;s which you &s;ee upon her cheek, is only an effect of her youth and her own beauty; and <HI>I</HI> do prote&s;t, that out of a multitude of high beauties which bathed every day, there was not one who&s;e lu&s;tre &s;he did not dim: Since you went not to bathe your &s;elf, replied <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> and blu&s;ht for anger at the commendations which he gave <HI>Cleorante,</HI> it is to be thought Madam you went thither only to perplex the hearts of all tho&s;e who &s;aw you there. But you &s;ee Madam (replied &s;he, and pointed at <HI>Pi&s;t&s;trates, Ari&s;ton,</HI> and me, that I have &s;pared tho&s;e of my own Country; for they are too merry to have their hearts wounded: Tho&s;e wounds are &s;o &s;weet, replied I, &s;eeing the non-plus of <HI>Pi&s;i|&s;trates,</HI> that one may be glad to have them, and that joy which appears in the faces of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates, Ari&s;ton,</HI> and me, is a convincing proof that you have not very much wound|ed us: On the contrary, replied <HI>Euridamia,</HI> and looked upon <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates, I</HI> think it &s;o glorious to be wounded by &s;o fair a hand, that it would be a difficult thing not to be joyed at it. However it be (&s;aid <HI>Cephi&s;e,</HI> not knowing the intere&s;t which <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and <HI>Euridamia</HI> had in <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates)</HI> I a&s;&s;ure you there was not &s;o many men this year un|to whom the Bathes have done good unto, as there are whom the eyes of <HI>Cleorante</HI> hath done hurt unto: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Cerinthe</HI> in way of Rallary, to try whether her &s;u&s;pition were rightly grounded, <HI>I</HI> care not what hurt they have done unto the men of <HI>Thebes, Delphos, Argos,</HI> or <HI>Megares,</HI> &s;o the <HI>Athenians</HI> be free; but for them, I mu&s;t confe&s;s, <HI>I</HI> would not have her bring them back Slaves. <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates, Ariston,</HI> and <HI>Silamu</HI> do agree &s;o well together, replied <HI>Euridamia,</HI> that there is no likelyhood of their be|ing Rivals: For my particular, &s;aid <HI>Ari&s;ton, I</HI> do declare openly that I dare not be in love with <HI>Cleorante,</HI> and am but only her friend: For my part, &s;aid <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> I will not &s;o directly tell what I am, for methinks it is not hand&s;om to tell before all the world, whether one be in love or no.</P>
<P>This an&s;wer which <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> made was not interpreted after the &s;ame manner, for <HI>Cerinthe</HI> flattering her &s;elf, did alter her opinion, and thought that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;aid only &s;o, becau&s;e he thought it not civil to tell a fair Lady to her face, that he was not in love with her. <HI>Euridamia</HI> for her part, &s;he &s;eeing no &s;hare &s;he had in the an&s;wer of <HI>Pi&s;i|&s;trates,</HI> knew not whether the hidden &s;en&s;e of his words related unto <HI>Cleorante</HI> or <HI>Ce|rinthe:</HI> But as for <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> the looks of <HI>Cleorante</HI> did clearly evidence unto him the ob&s;curity of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> his di&s;cour&s;e; for this fair one turning her eyes accidentally to|wards <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates, L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">curgus</HI> &s;aw &s;he took them off again in &s;uch a manner, as made him
<PB N="155" REF="874">
judg, &s;he knew <HI>Pi&s;istrates</HI> loved her more then he would tell: So that the very &s;ame words which extingui&s;hed jealou&s;ie in the heart of <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> did kindle it in <HI>Lycurgus:</HI> They put <HI>Euridamia</HI> into doubt, and a&s;&s;ured <HI>Cleorante</HI> of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> his di&s;cretion.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Philombrotus</HI> and his Wife who were talking with <HI>Erophile,</HI> beginning to walk towards their hou&s;e, and commanding &s;ome of their Servants to get the broken Coach mended, <HI>Cephi&s;e, Cleorante, Euridamia, Cerinthe, Pi&s;i&s;tra|tes, Lycurgus, Ari&s;ton,</HI> and I, did follow them, and chance did &s;o favourably order the bu&s;ine&s;s for <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> that without any exceptions; he helped <HI>Cleorante</HI> to walk, for it was the cu&s;tom of the Country, for the &s;trangers alwayes go fir&s;t: So <HI>Lycurgus</HI> led <HI>Cephi&s;e, Ari&s;ton, Euridamia,</HI> and I <HI>Cerinthe.</HI> Truth is, &s;he &s;poke not much unto me, for &s;he had alwayes &s;omthing to &s;ay unto <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> or unto <HI>Cleorante: Euridamia</HI> for her part, &s;he entertained <HI>Silamis</HI> no better, and <HI>Lycurgus</HI> did not much divert <HI>Cephi&s;e.</HI> Truth is Madam, as things &s;tood, if we had &s;tayed longer, we &s;hould have been all weary: For though <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was not where he would be, &s;ince he was not at freedome, he thought him&s;elf nothing happy; and the pre&s;ence of his Rival, and tho&s;e two friends who pretended to be his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es, did damp all his plea&s;ures.</P>
<P>But being come into the hou&s;e of <HI>Philombrotus,</HI> they carried <HI>Erophile, Ciphi&s;e,</HI> and <HI>Cleorante</HI> into a very fair Chamber where they left them for a time at liberty to re&s;t them&s;elves. So that by this means <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was ingaged to be with <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and <HI>Euridamia,</HI> without <HI>Cleorante:</HI> Yet he carried him&s;elf well enough in this di&s;|cour&s;e, for &s;ince he alwayes e&s;teemed them, and &s;aw them both together, he &s;poke nothing which might make them think he was changed; and if they had &s;een him only out of <HI>Cleorantes</HI> company, they would have believed him to be the &s;ame he was when he went from <HI>Athens.</HI> But they continued not long in the&s;e thoughts, after <HI>Erophile, Cephi&s;e,</HI> and <HI>Cleorante</HI> came out of their Chambers, and went into a Parler which looked into a lovely Garden where <HI>Cerinthe, Euridamia,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the company were: For as &s;oon as <HI>Cleorante</HI> appeared, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> went to her, and had &s;o quite forgotten that <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and <HI>Euridamia</HI> ob&s;erved him, as though &s;he had not been above half an hour out of his &s;ight, yet he &s;eemed as glad to &s;ee her again, as if he had been moneths from her: So that now the melancholy and merry Ladies began both to think one and the &s;ame thing, and concluded certainly that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;tra|tes</HI> was in love with <HI>Cleorante,</HI> for <HI>Cerinthe</HI> was vexed, and <HI>Euridamia</HI> was &s;ad, yet both of them had one equal con&s;olation in the adventure, for <HI>Cerinthe</HI> had rather lo&s;e <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> by <HI>Cleorante</HI> then by <HI>Euridamia,</HI> and <HI>Euridamia</HI> had rather <HI>Cleorante</HI> &s;hould get <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> from her, then <HI>Cerinthe</HI> &s;hould: Yet this poor con&s;olation did not &s;o much cheer them up, but that it might be ea&s;ily ob&s;erved there was &s;omthing in their minds which did not plea&s;e them, for <HI>Cerinthes</HI> Rallary was a little too tart, and <HI>Euridamia</HI>'s melancholy would not give her leave to &s;peak: So that <HI>Cleorante</HI> having a di&s;cerning wit, &s;he quickly perceived that the&s;e two Ladies pretended &s;om|thing to the heart of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates;</HI> and being full of curio&s;ity to know the certainty, al&s;o knowing I was intimate with <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> &s;he o laid her plot after Supper, that &s;he engaged me to talk with her, purpo&s;ely to pump &s;atisfaction out of me: On the other &s;ide, <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and <HI>Euridamia</HI> having a burning de&s;ire to know all pa&s;&s;ages at <HI>Thermopiles</HI> between <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and <HI>Cleorante,</HI> they began to communi|cate their de&s;ign, and to &s;eek out wayes to be informed: So that &s;eeing <HI>Cleorante</HI> talk with me, <HI>Cerinthe</HI> fell into di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Ari&s;ton,</HI> intending to &s;queeze him, whil&s;t <HI>Euridamia</HI> talked with <HI>Cephi&s;e</HI> with the &s;ame de&s;ign: And &s;ince <HI>Philombrotus</HI> and his Wife talked low with <HI>Erophile, Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and <HI>Lycurgus</HI> were forced to talk together, though they had no great inclination to it, for <HI>Lycurgus</HI> knew well en|ough that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was his Rival: And <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> knew from <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> that <HI>Lycur|gus</HI> was his: So that I do verily believe Madam, never was night pa&s;&s;ed with le&s;s a|greeablene&s;s, where all the company were rarely accompli&s;hed per&s;ons: As for <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> they were &s;trangely weary of one another: <HI>Cleorante</HI> was not over well plea&s;ed, becau&s;e I would not impart as much as &s;he de&s;ired to know:
<PB N="156" REF="875">
<HI>Cerinthe</HI> and <HI>Euridamia</HI> were wor&s;e &s;atisfied, becau&s;e <HI>Cephi&s;e</HI> and <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> told them particularly many things, which made them think <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> in love with <HI>Cleoran|te:</HI> But Madam, the &s;trange&s;t pa&s;&s;age was, <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> had no &s;ooner told <HI>Cerinthe</HI> that he thought <HI>Cleorante</HI> had conquered the heart of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> but this malicious La|dy, who knew not what <HI>Cephi&s;e</HI> had &s;aid unto <HI>Euridamia,</HI> had a &s;trange impatience to let her know what <HI>Ariston</HI> had told her, purpo&s;ely to vex her, and to make her believe that &s;he cared not for it; and indeed locking up all her anger in her own heart, and a&s;&s;uming into her eyes her natural blithne&s;s, &s;he took <HI>Euridamia</HI> apart, and told her as very good news, that &s;he knew by <HI>Ariston, Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was in love with <HI>Cleorante.</HI></P>
<P>But to drive her malice a little further, &s;he &s;poke &s;o loud unto <HI>Euridamia,</HI> that <HI>Ly|ourgus</HI> heard her, and if <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> had not been in a deep &s;tudy, he had heard her al&s;o; for <HI>I</HI> heard her to the place where I was, though it was further off her then he was, In the mean time, <HI>Euridamia</HI> knowing well the mind of <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> &s;he re|turned malice for malice, and did &s;o aggravate unto her what <HI>Cephi&s;e</HI> had &s;aid con|cerning the love of <HI>Pi&s;istrates</HI> unto <HI>Cleorante,</HI> that &s;he netled <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> more then <HI>Cerinthe</HI> had her.</P>
<P>Thus the&s;e two Rivals in revenging them&s;elves upon one another, were revenged al&s;o upon him they had lo&s;t; for <HI>Lycurgus</HI> &s;o well knew that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was his Ri|val, that his heart &s;well'd with jealou&s;ie and hatred. In the mean time, after all the&s;e particular conferences, a general conver&s;ation began, which was no more plea&s;ing then the re&s;t, for &s;ince none &s;poke what they thought, it was very dull and drooping: Nor did it la&s;t long, for as &s;oon as <HI>Philombrotus</HI> made the motion unto <HI>Erophile</HI> of retiring betimes, becau&s;e &s;he &s;aid &s;he would be &s;tirring betimes in the morning, none did oppo&s;e it, but every one willingly parted except <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> who could not &s;o willingly part &s;o &s;oon from <HI>Cleorante.</HI> However, to compleat the adventure, the Sun was no &s;ooner ri&s;en but <HI>Theocrite</HI> arrived, with intentions to dine with <HI>Philombrotus;</HI> but in coming he met his Brother (whom jealou&s;ie had waked) walking in the way by which <HI>Erophile</HI> came the day before: So that light|ing from his hor&s;e, he asked how <HI>Cerinthe</HI> did, whom &s;till he loved extreamly, though &s;he jeered him as much for his gravity and &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s, as ever &s;he did. So that <HI>Lycurgus</HI> having his mind full of his own vexations, and not being ignorant that his Brother had &s;ome jealou&s;ie of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> before he went to the bathe, he began to tell him who was in the hou&s;e. How? cried out <HI>Theocrites,</HI> extreamly vexed to find a man there whom he thought to be his Rival, is <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> here? Yes (replied <HI>Lycurgus)</HI> he is, but it has plea&s;ed Fortune to make him more my Rival then ever he was yours: Then you are fallen in love with <HI>Cerinthe</HI> &s;ince <HI>I</HI> was here, replied <HI>Theocrite</HI> with as much wonder as grief: No, no, replied <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> but <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> is fallen in love with <HI>Cleorante,</HI> whil&s;t he was at the bathe with her, Alas Brother, replied <HI>Theocrite, I</HI> mu&s;t needs ask you pardon for not being able to grieve at your misfortune, for <HI>I</HI> find it &s;o great a happine&s;s to hear that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> is not my Rival, that <HI>I</HI> am not able to grieve at anything: For a melancholy man (replied <HI>Lycurgus</HI> churli&s;hly) you are the mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible of joy that ever <HI>I</HI> &s;aw &s;ince you can rejoyce at my mi&s;ery: When <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> hath been as long your Rival as he hath been mine, an&s;wered <HI>Theocrites,</HI> you will pardon my joyes to find none. The truth is, perhaps you will not be &s;o mi&s;erable as I was, &s;ince he may chance find <HI>Cleorante,</HI> not &s;o kind as he did <HI>Cerinthe.</HI> Alas Brother, &s;aid <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> there is a great difference between <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and <HI>Cleorante;</HI> for the fir&s;t is capable neither of hatred nor love, and you had no rea&s;on to fear that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> could win any more upon her then any other, further then diverting her, which you could not do, be|cau&s;e your humour was oppo&s;ite unto hers. But as for <HI>Cleorante;</HI> though &s;he have &s;ome &s;uitablene&s;s of &s;pirit with <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> yet &s;he has not &s;uch a heart, for I am &s;ure &s;he knows how to love and hate, and I am in danger to be the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man in the world.</P>
<P>As <HI>Lycurg<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates, Ari&s;ton,</HI> and <HI>I,</HI> came where they were: So that we were obliged to &s;alute <HI>Theocrite,</HI> whom we had not &s;een before. But Madam,
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the wonder was, this grave and melancholy man acco&s;ted us with a &s;mile, and I ob|&s;erved it as a thing &s;o extraordinary, as I came to <HI>Pi&s;istrates</HI> and told him, that cer|tainly <HI>Theocrite</HI> hath divined that he &s;hould not be his Rival. In the mean time, &s;ince we knew that <HI>Erophiles</HI> Coach was mended, and that &s;he would go betimes, we took the way towards the hou&s;e, where we found all the Ladies together, whom <HI>Theocrite</HI> &s;aluted with &s;uch a kind of ayr, as was much le&s;s grave then was accu&s;tom|ed; yet I think <HI>Cerinthe</HI> had took no notice of him, had not <HI>I</HI> told her (as a thing extraordinary) that <HI>I</HI> had &s;een him almo&s;t laugh: Truly, &s;aid &s;he, in the humour I am in, I &s;hould be very glad if <HI>Theocrite</HI> could become as merry as <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> as melancholy as <HI>Theocrite:</HI> Fie Madam, &s;aid I unto her and &s;miled, I be&s;eech you why would you wi&s;h <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> to be melancholy? Truly <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> replied &s;he and laughed al&s;o, hath done nothing that concerns me: But I am &s;o much obliged unto <HI>Theocrite,</HI> that the lea&s;t I can do for him, is to wi&s;h him merry and joyful: Seriou&s;ly (&s;aid I unto her) if you would once make him &s;o by marry|ing him, I think he would be no longer melancholy: But the wor&s;t for him is (re|plied &s;he) my affection mu&s;t precede his mirth, and I would have it contrary, and &s;ee his good humour precede my affection: But Madam, it was very ob&s;ervable, <HI>Theocrites</HI> was the lea&s;t melancholy of all the company, though he was as melan|choly a piece as ever lived, for <HI>Cerinthe</HI> being vexed at the change of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> &s;he was not as &s;he u&s;ed to do: <HI>Euridamia</HI> her melancholy was double, <HI>Cleorante</HI> was angry to &s;ee that <HI>Lycurgus</HI> &s;hould by his looks and words give out &s;ome expre&s;&s;i|ons of jealou&s;ie, nor was <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> in any joy, not only becau&s;e he was a little gravelled between <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and <HI>Euridamia,</HI> but al&s;o becau&s;e <HI>Lycurgus</HI> continued his affection unto <HI>Cleorante.</HI> As for <HI>Cephi&s;e, Ari&s;ton</HI> and my &s;elf we were &s;o afraid to di&s;oblige any one by laughing too much at all pa&s;&s;ages, that to avoid it, we put on faces of gravity and &s;orrow as much as po&s;&s;ibly we could. But at la&s;t we parted, yet not without <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> who faining &s;ome earne&s;t bu&s;ine&s;s at <HI>Athens,</HI> returned with us, and was &s;trangely trouble&s;ome unto us, though he was a man very well accom|pli&s;hed, yet we were weary of him, becau&s;e he hindred us from laughing at all our ob&s;ervations. Moreover, <HI>Pi&s;istrates</HI> and he being never in the &s;ame opinion, they were &s;o &s;harp once in their arguments, as we feared they would have quarrelled. But at la&s;t, the Cloud being blown over, we came to <HI>Athens,</HI> and after we had carried the Ladies to their hou&s;es, were all parted. In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Euridamia</HI> and <HI>Cerinthe</HI> were long ab&s;ent, the love of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> to <HI>Cleorante</HI> did grow &s;o violent, and he &s;o accu&s;tomed him&s;elf to &s;ee her, to love her and none el&s;e, that it had been a very hard matter to have made him change his cour&s;e of life: But Madam, it was very ob&s;erveable, that <HI>Cerinthe</HI> being returned to <HI>Athens</HI> before <HI>Euridamia,</HI> and hearing that <HI>Pi&s;istrates</HI> &s;tirred not out of <HI>Cleorantes</HI> hou&s;e: That he made her many great Fea&s;ts, and that all the world believed him in love with her, &s;he became the mo&s;t indulgent friend that ever was unto <HI>Euridamia:</HI> For &s;he writ unto her the next morning, and &s;o continued every Po&s;t whil&s;t &s;he &s;tayed in the Country, and cer|tainly &s;he wanted not matter, for not a day pa&s;&s;ed, but <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> pre&s;ented <HI>Cleo|rante</HI>
with &s;ome notable diver&s;ion or other, or el&s;e that he had not &s;ome wrangle with <HI>Lycurgus:</HI> So that <HI>Cerinthe</HI> thinking (and with rea&s;on) that &s;he could not get better information then from a jealous Lover; &s;he treated <HI>Theocrites</HI> as kindly as &s;he could, purpo&s;ely to make him her Spy, and tell her all he knew of his Brother, colouring her curio&s;ity with her de&s;ire of knowing all <HI>Cleorantes</HI> wayes: So that <HI>Theocrite</HI> being very glad of &s;uch a Commi&s;&s;ion, did tell her, not only all he knew concerning his Brother, but all that he could imagine expedient to &s;et <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> further from her heart.</P>
<P>Thus by this means <HI>Cerinthe</HI> did daily make great relations unto <HI>Euridamia</HI> of all pa&s;&s;ages between <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and <HI>Cleorante</HI> &s;ending her a mo&s;t exact de&s;cription of e|very thing, even to the very lea&s;t circum&s;tance, purpo&s;ely to be revenged upon her, &s;ince &s;he could not be revenged neither upon <HI>Cleorante</HI> nor <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates;</HI> for con&s;idering that had it not been for <HI>Euridamia,</HI> &s;he had captivated <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> be|fore he went unto the Bathes, &s;he was a mo&s;t extream ill wi&s;her unto her, not that
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<HI>Cerinthe</HI> was of any humour of ever loving much, or grieving much for &s;uch a lo&s;s; but yet &s;he was &s;o &s;orry for it, &s;o vexed, and &s;o a&s;hamed, as one may almo&s;t &s;ay, that without either love or jealou&s;ie, &s;he carried her &s;elf, as if &s;he had two pa&s;&s;ions at once in her &s;oul. In the mean time, &s;ince the return of <HI>Cleorante, Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> took many occa&s;ions to &s;peak of his love, and &s;ince he plea&s;ed her infinitely better then <HI>Lycurgus</HI> or any el&s;e, &s;he did not treat him unkindly, and though &s;he did not re|ceive his affection &s;o well as he wi&s;hed, yet it was not out of any aver&s;ion, but on|ly out of mode&s;ty and prudence; for certainly &s;he did infinitely e&s;teem him. More|over Madam, you mu&s;t not imagine <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> one of the&s;e eternal &s;ighers, who do nothing but pule and complain, and torment them&s;elves; nor one of tho&s;e who are continually talking of their love, and nothing el&s;e; but on the contrary, he never talked of it long, nor but in two fa&s;hions, either in bare Gallantry and mirth, or in making &s;uch earne&s;t prote&s;tations, expre&s;&s;ed in &s;uch affirmative terms and pa&s;&s;i|onate, as there was no doubting of what he &s;aid, &s;o &s;incere and vehement was he alwayes in his di&s;cour&s;e.</P>
<P>In the mean while, as &s;oon as <HI>Euridamia</HI> was returned out of the Country, <HI>Ce|rinthe</HI> gave her a vi&s;it, purpo&s;ely to &s;ee whether the news &s;he &s;ent her had wrought her de&s;ired effects upon her cheeks and eyes: Yet &s;he did not receive the plea&s;ure of her hopes; for <HI>Cleorante</HI> being come thither, &s;he &s;eemed &s;o fair that day, that I do believe both her Rivals would in their hearts confe&s;s they ought to yeeld unto her, and that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> had a good excu&s;e, though they had &s;ome right to accu&s;e him of incon&s;tancy. However, though doubtle&s;s they knew that <HI>Cleorante</HI> was worthy of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> his love, yet they thought him blameable, though to &s;ay truly, he was not; &s;ince he never had more then a good inclination to love them, but never had profe&s;&s;ed any particular affection unto either of them. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Cleoran|te</HI> di&s;covering at la&s;t the thoughts of the&s;e two Ladies, &s;he thought her &s;elf the more obliged unto <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> who&s;e love &s;he now received, both out of honor, and out of acknowledgment; yet in her talk to him, &s;he did not acknowledg either that he loved her, or &s;he him; and I do think that &s;ince the fir&s;t time there was ever any Lovers, there was never di&s;cour&s;e like that they had one day, and which <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> told unto me the day after.</P>
<P>For <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> being one day after Dinner alone with <HI>Cleorante,</HI> prote&s;ting that he loved her beyond all humane expre&s;&s;ions: Truly (&s;aid &s;he and interrupted him) I do not think you know well whether you love me or no: For to tell you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">uly, &s;ome daies I think you love me much, and other daies you make me believe you neither do, nor ever did love me: I &s;ee Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that you &s;peak this only becau&s;e you take delight to vex me: But Madam, let me tell you, that what you &s;ay in Rallary, I can &s;ay in &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s: For truly <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t confe&s;s (if I may with|out pre&s;umption) that &s;omtimes I think you do e&s;teem me, and I &s;ee in your eye a kind of amorous glance which bids me hope: But &s;omtimes again, I think you to be ab&s;olutely indifferent; &amp; therefore Madam you would do me the greate&s;t favor in the world, if you would be plea&s;ed &s;eriou&s;ly to di&s;cover the &s;ecret of your heart unto me, that I may &s;ee upon what bottom <HI>I</HI> &s;tand: Did I certainly know (replied &s;he and &s;miled) upon what term I am in your heart, <HI>I</HI> could ea&s;ily acquaint you upon what terms you are in mine; and to tell you truly, my thoughts do &s;o ab&s;olutely depend upon yours, that I do not know whether I have any affection unto you, or only indifferency; and therefore I mu&s;t fir&s;t know what affection you have un|to me, before I truly tell you what affection I have to you. The way to know it Madam, replied he ha&s;tily, is to examine all my actions&punc; all my words, and even all my looks, and &s;ee whether all the&s;e do not tell you that I love you: For I do prote&s;t Madam, <HI>I</HI> will not go out of your Chamber until you have po&s;i|tively told me whether you think I love you or no, and told me al&s;o, how <HI>I</HI> am in your opinion. To te&s;tifie that I will do you Ju&s;tice (&s;aid &s;he and laughed) <HI>I</HI> will examine all that you have done, and do you examine all that <HI>I</HI> have done, to the end we may both know what to think of one another: And indeed Madam, they began to &s;peak of them&s;elves, as if they had &s;poken of &s;ome in whom they had no
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intere&s;t, and to examine their own thoughts as really, as if they had not known them.</P>
<P>But after <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> had forced <HI>Cleorante</HI> to confe&s;s, that &s;he had cau&s;e to think he loved her, yet &s;he would not &s;ay &s;he loved him, but &s;aid, that though &s;he did think he loved her, yet he loved her only for him&s;elf, and that his affection was bya&s;&s;ed, and not unintere&s;ted. Ah Madam (&s;aid he) I am ea&s;ier to be contented then you are, for I prote&s;t I &s;hould be &s;o far from taking it ill you &s;hould love me for your own &s;ake, that I &s;hould think it much more glorious to love me &s;o, then if you loved me for my &s;elf only: You are &s;o &s;imple, &s;aid &s;he, that I know not why I &s;hould an&s;wer you: You are &s;o pittile&s;s Madam (replied he) that I can &s;ay nothing, but tell you; That if you will not tell me upon what terms I am in your minde, I will do all I can to delude my &s;elf, and think that <HI>I</HI> am not upon &s;uch bad terms as I imagined. But Ma|dam, without any further repetition of this conference. In conclu&s;ion they agreed not to hate one another, and <HI>Cleorante</HI> not point blank &s;aying &s;he lo|ved him, yet made &s;uch a hand&s;ome choice of her terms, that &s;he let him un|der&s;tand &s;he was glad he loved her; yet they had many little jarrings, during which, he would &s;eem, as if he would return unto <HI>Cerinthe</HI> or <HI>Euridamia,</HI> but he quickly turned again to <HI>Cleorante;</HI> and though he gave &s;ome minutes of jealou&s;ie unto <HI>Theocrites,</HI> he gave whole moneths unto <HI>Lycurgus.</HI> In the mean time, <HI>Cerinthe</HI> having a drafty wit, did &s;o contrive the matter, as &s;he infu&s;ed &s;ome &s;parks of jealou&s;ie into <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> for &s;he had got <HI>Cleorante</HI> to a Fea&s;t, and &s;poke not a word unto her; and the Lady who invited her kept the bu&s;ine&s;s very &s;ecretly. In the mean time, <HI>Lycurgus</HI> was the man who made the Fea&s;t, though <HI>Cleorante</HI> knew not of it, when &s;he promi&s;ed to be there, yet <HI>Cerinthe</HI> had not that full &s;atisfaction which &s;he expected: For Madam, though <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was for &s;ome hours a little jealous, yet out of a kind of pride, he would not &s;eem to be &s;o; for he was per&s;waded, that who&s;oever is jealous long, mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity have an ill opinion either of them&s;elves, or the per&s;on lo|ved. But Madam, the odde&s;t thing in <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was, I made him confe&s;s that his jealou&s;ie was daily, and without any new accidents either from his Rival or his Mi&s;tre&s;s, he was daily and hourly jealous, more or le&s;s, according to the ebb <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">low of his humour. Moreover, the quarrels which <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;omtimes had with <HI>Cleorante</HI> were &s;o &s;hort, that he had no &s;ooner declared War, but he ne|gotiated for peace, and he was &s;o accu&s;tomed to love <HI>Cleorante,</HI> and to &s;ee her, that oft-times he would go unto her without any intention, and when he had bu&s;ine&s;s in another place: But Madam, to aggravate this accu&s;tomancy, as far as imagination can go, I mu&s;t tell you it is certain, that the le&s;&s;ening of his jea|lou&s;ie was his accu&s;toming him&s;elf &s;o much to the &s;ight of his Rival, that he was hardly jealous at all, and that which would have augmented it in another, did le&s;&s;en it in him. However, though one &s;ingle pa&s;&s;ion was not enough to ob|lige <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> to hate his Rival <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> with whom <HI>Cleorante</HI> charged him to live civilly; yet two pa&s;&s;ions did unite them&s;elves together, to move him unto it; for he under&s;tood that <HI>Lycurgus</HI> did afre&s;h endeavour to &s;tir up the old troubles of <HI>Athens,</HI> which had put all the Attique Country in divi&s;ion: So that ambition being joyned to his love, <HI>Lycurgus</HI> became intolerable to him, and to oppo&s;e him both in the one and the other, he cajoled and bandled with tho&s;e of his faction, who were no &s;mall number: For Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, there was alwayes three Factions among&s;t the Attique people, which were alwayes ready to rebel as &s;oon as they found Commanders to countenance them: Tho&s;e towards the Sea alwayes made one body by them&s;elves; tho&s;e of the Plain made another, and tho&s;e of the Mountains and Trade&s;men did alwayes unite them|&s;elves as &s;oon as there was any divi&s;ion in <HI>Athens.</HI> But Madam, that which mo&s;t perplexed <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was, that endeavouring to di&s;cover how <HI>Lycurgus</HI> cajoled among&s;t tho&s;e of the Plain, he under&s;tood al&s;o that the Maritine parts were al&s;o up, but all his care could not finde out what moved them thereunto. Be&s;ides
<PB N="160" REF="877">
this, there was another thing which did much di&s;quiet him: For though he did much endeavour to reconcile him&s;elf with <HI>Megacles</HI> the Father of <HI>Cleorante,</HI> yet he could not oblige him to renew cordially with him, though he did live civilly enough: So that he knew not how, either to enjoy his Mi&s;tre&s;s, or to ruine his Rival. But his greate&s;t fear was, le&s;t <HI>Megacles</HI> &s;hould unite him&s;elf with <HI>Lycur|gus,</HI> for if he had, then he had been unhappy both in his love, and in his ambiti|on, &s;ince his Party would have been thereby more weak, and he &s;hould have lo&s;t his Mi&s;tre&s;s. You may imagine Madam, whether that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> had not bu&s;ine&s;s enough. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Lycurgus</HI> being re&s;olved to get <HI>Pi|&s;i&s;trates</HI> bani&s;hed, purpo&s;ely to &s;end him further from <HI>Cleorante,</HI> he did &s;e|cretly in&s;inuate into the minds of the people, that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> a&s;pired unto Ty|ranny; and <HI>Theocrites,</HI> &s;et on by <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> did hinder him as much as he could. As for <HI>Euridamia,</HI> &s;he being more prudent then <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> &s;he di&s;&s;embled her thoughts, &amp; cured her &s;elf of her weakne&s;s by that of her friend. In the mean time I perceived <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> had &s;omething in his mind which he would not impart unto me; yet he told me all that related unto <HI>Cleorante,</HI> but I could not &s;ee he had a|ny rea&s;on to be unquet at tho&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, but was upon rather better terms with her then ever; yet for all that, he would not di&s;cover the bottom of his heart unto me; and though I was the Confident of his love, yet I was not of his am|bition; for knowing that I loved the tranquility of my Country very well, he did not think I would approve of his thoughts. Furthermore, &s;ince he knew I was ignorant of de&s;igns he &s;ore&s;aw, that if once things came to extremity and Arms, then it would be no fit time to marry <HI>Cleorante:</HI> So that de&s;iring to di&s;patch that before things were more imbroyled, he went unto her and asked her leave, he might imploy all the friends he had in <HI>Athens,</HI> to per&s;wade <HI>Megacles</HI> unto his Marriage with her: As for <HI>Erophile,</HI> he was &s;ure &s;he would willingly con&s;ent unto it: And to prepare the mind of <HI>Cleorante</HI> unto his demands, he &s;poke un|to her with as much tenderne&s;s as love it &s;elf could in&s;pire, and &s;o earne&s;tly, that indeed the heart of <HI>Cleorante</HI> was moved; and &s;he confe&s;&s;ed that his affection had mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly obliged her, and would an&s;wer him as far as decency and mode&s;ty would permit: But when he pre&s;&s;ed her to con&s;ent he might pre&s;ently marry her, &s;he changed colour: Alas <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> &s;aid &s;he unto him, What do you ask? I ask Madam, &s;aid he unto her, to be happy: Say rather (replied &s;he) you ask not to love me any longer, but voluntarily to lo&s;e all the &s;weets that that my conver&s;ation can give you: For truly <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> Love may go beyond the Grave, but not beyond Marriage; and therefore I am per&s;waded that who|&s;oever would love alwayes, ought not to marry the per&s;on loved; and there is no more rea&s;onable ob&s;tacle to hinder the thoughts of Marriage, then to know one loves: E&s;teem in marriage doubtle&s;s is nece&s;&s;ary, but there needs no violent pa&s;|&s;ion: Love may grow between people who marry, and may la&s;t after their marriage, but it cannot long &s;ub&s;i&s;t, when as it is Love before Marriage; ex|perience hath &s;hewed it a thou&s;and and a thou&s;and times, that fruition gluts; and therefore <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;ince you love me, and &s;ince I &s;hould be glad you &s;hould alwayes do &s;o, talk no more of marriage, at lea&s;t &s;tay until my Father will force me to marry another; for in that ca&s;e, come what mi&s;ery will, I had rather hazard the &s;eeing your love die, then to live with any other then you: Your language Madam, replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> hath &s;omthing in it, both &s;o &s;weet and &s;o &s;harp, that I know not whether I &s;hould commend your goodne&s;s, or complain again&s;t your rigour: Truly, &s;aid &s;he, you have no cau&s;e to complain, &s;ince I do not entertain one di&s;advantagious thought of you: But I mu&s;t con|fe&s;s, I am &s;o fearful to &s;ee that change in you, which I &s;ee in all Lovers once married, that I cannot fear any thing in the world more, for all men that ever I &s;aw, no &s;ooner become Husbands, but they cea&s;e to be Lovers: And I have known &s;ome al&s;o, who have cea&s;ed to be civil unto tho&s;e who formerly they adored,
<PB N="161" REF="877">
and who care not a &s;traw for their mi&s;tre&s;&s;es, as &s;oon as they are their wives. I know Ma|dam &s;aid he unto her, that it &s;ometimes happens as you &s;ay, but I am &s;ure it will never happen &s;o to me. So every one before they marry, think, replied &s;he; and therefore you can give me no &s;ecurity of your affection. I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, &s;aid &s;he unto him, that I am per&s;waded you will love me as long as we are in the &s;ame condition we already are: but I am per&s;waded al&s;o, that you would not love me either more or le&s;&s;e, if you &s;hould marry me: yet I doe not tell you, that I will never marry you, for I have already told you, that rather then marry another, and be obliged to break with you, I would hazard the lo&s;ing of your affection. Moreover, though I were not in this mind, yet I would not advi&s;e you at this time, to make any &s;uch propo&s;ition to my Father, for he is of late &s;o froward and unquiet, that I think it would be a hard matter to make any Propo&s;ition which would plea&s;e him. Since this la&s;t rea&s;on Madam, replied <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> is full of &s;oliditie, I cannot gain&s;ay it; but for the other, I will oppo&s;e it with all my &s;trength, and prote&s;t unto you with as much &s;inceritie as love, that when&s;oever I &s;hall be &s;o happie as to become your Husband, I &s;hall then vow my &s;elfe your eternal Lover. However, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> for all this, was forced to obey <HI>Cleorante,</HI> and not &s;peake unto <HI>Megacles</HI> in a time when he was &s;o melancholly, le&s;t he &s;hould receive a perver&s;e an&s;wer. But Madam, things being in this condition, <HI>Solon</HI> returned to <HI>Athens,</HI> where he was not &s;orrie to find <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> in love, becau&s;e he hoped that pa&s;&s;ion would cloak his ambition. Yet he was extreamly &s;ad, when going to vi&s;it <HI>Euridamea</HI> (who as I told you was his Cozen) he &s;aw <HI>Cleorante:</HI> For Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, <HI>Solon</HI> found her &s;o prodigiou&s;ly like a Daugher of his, na|med <HI>Policrite</HI> (who maried unto a Prince of the I&s;le of <HI>Cyprus,</HI> called <HI>Philoxipe)</HI> that her mirrour could not repre&s;ent a more near &amp; lively re&s;emblance. Now Madam, the cau&s;e of his &s;adne&s;&s;e was, becau&s;e on a time when the famous <HI>Epimenedes</HI> was at <HI>Athens,</HI> he told him by a Spirit of Divination, that his wife who was then great with Child, &s;hould be delivered of a Daughter, and that he &s;hould not educate her at <HI>Athens,</HI> becau&s;e if &s;he lived there, he would be in danger of &s;o much &s;orrow, as to &s;ee her make the Tyrant of her Countrie fall in love with her. So that <HI>Solon</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Cleorante</HI> at <HI>Euridamea's,</HI> and &s;eeing her great re&s;emblance with <HI>Policrite,</HI> he was extreamlie &s;urpri&s;ed at the love which <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> bore her; or he conjectured, and with rea&s;on, that &s;ince he loved <HI>Cleorante,</HI> he would al&s;o have loved <HI>Policrite,</HI> whom &s;he &s;o perfectly re&s;embled; &s;o that beginning to feare that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> would make him&s;elfe Ma&s;ter of <HI>Athens,</HI> he began to have a vigilant eye over his actions. Yet he &s;poke not then of his feare, nor of the cau&s;e: but &s;ince that, he expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elfe unto many of his intimate friends. However, this famous man com|mended the beauty of <HI>Cleorante</HI> very highly: and as &s;ome told him, that his Lawes had united the hearts of the <HI>Athenians</HI> a long time; he turned towards her, They have done you wrong Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) for I am per&s;waded, that to keepe the peace of <HI>Athens</HI> at this pre&s;ent, is to have all the brave and ambitious Gallants to think of no|thing, but how to Conquer your heart, and not to think of &s;owing &s;editions among&s;t the people; therefore (added he, and prepared to goe away) I commit them all into your cu&s;tody, in hopes to finde them all more amorous then ambitious, and no other di&s;|order in the Towne, but betweene Rivalls: And I doe prote&s;t unto you (&s;aid he, and &s;miled) that if you doe not in&s;pire them all with the love of their Countrie, I will attri|bute unto you, all the evils they &s;hall commit; and complaine again&s;t you, more then they &s;hall of your &s;everitie. <HI>Solon</HI> &s;poke this with &s;uch a noble Aire, and &s;o becomming &s;uch a man as he was, that none could comprehend that there was a double &s;ence in his words; And <HI>Cleorante</HI> an&s;wered as unto a bare Civilitie, prote&s;ting unto him, that &s;he had not &s;o much vanitie as to thinke &s;he could doe that which his Laws could not. However Madam, <HI>Solon</HI> went from her, and went away, in a deep &s;tudie, for he had ever found <HI>Epimenides</HI> &s;o true in all his predictions, as he extreamly feared he would not faile in this. Moreover he was very inqui&s;itive into the actions of <HI>Lycurgus, Theocrites,</HI> and <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates;</HI> and under&s;tood how tho&s;e of the Plaine, tho&s;e of the Sea-&s;ide, and tho&s;e of the Moun|taine, were up in Armes; &s;o that he plainly &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">w all humane prudence was mo&s;t uncertaine; for he now apprehended that the love of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> of <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> and of <HI>Theocrites,</HI> was the true cau&s;e of all the <HI>Athenian</HI> Divi&s;ions, though it did not appeare &s;o in the eyes of the people, and con&s;equently that he was in the wrong, when he rejoyced to heare that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was in love, and that he had &s;aid, that as long as the Gallants of our Citie were &s;laves to the beauties, they would never thinke of becomming our Ma&s;ters. The wor&s;t was, his Travels had weakned him, and his age would not let act with the &s;ame vi|gour
<PB N="162" REF="878">
for the common good, as formerly he had; for he had not &s;trength enough to make &s;peeches in publick, yet he was as indu&s;trious as he was able to calm this &s;torm, which threatned the common wealths, and in order to that he &s;poke unto all the Ring-leaders of the parties, and addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elfe fir&s;t unto <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> to per&s;wade him unto quiet|ne&s;s, and not to a&s;pire unto any higher glory, then to be the protectour of the Athenian Liberty. <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> did outwardly receive the admonitions of <HI>Solon</HI> &s;o well, that any o|ther but he would have thought he had no hidden ambition in his heart, nor any further de&s;ign then to oppo&s;e <HI>Licurgus;</HI> yet old birds are not catched with chaffe, nor could <HI>Solon</HI> be deceived, for he made no que&s;tion, but either out of the hatred to his Rivall, or love to <HI>Cleorante,</HI> or el&s;e ambition, he a&s;pired to be Ma&s;ter of <HI>Athens;</HI> &s;o that <HI>Solon</HI> u&s;ed all the arguments that eloquence and rea&s;on together had mo&s;t prevailent and per&s;wa&s;ive to di&s;&s;wade <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> from it, who not directly oppo&s;ing what he &s;aid, he a&s;&s;ur'd him only in generall without any particularizing, that he would never do any thing which would hurt the Athenians, prote&s;ting that all his aime was to thwart <HI>Licurgus.</HI> On the other &s;ide, <HI>Solon</HI> who knew the bottom of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, did &s;peak unto the Rivall of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> per&s;wading him to think no more upon <HI>Cleorante,</HI> but to &s;acrifice that pa&s;&s;ion for the tranquillitie of his country, aggravating &s;o eagerly the grandure of the crime in tho&s;e who begin &s;edition in a &s;tate, as it was impo&s;&s;ible for any man to &s;ay more: For (&s;aid he unto him) the fire which you kindle, will not extingui&s;h when you would have it, and the heartburnings which are between <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and you, pa&s;&s;ing into the hearts of all tho&s;e who follow your &s;everall factions, will divide Brothers again&s;t Brothers, Fathers again&s;t Children, Servants again&s;t Ma&s;ters, and make &s;o great a di&s;order in <HI>Athens,</HI> that you cannot chu&s;e but abhor your own actions, when you &s;hall &s;ee the &s;ad con&s;equences of them. Moreover do but con&s;ider that one of the&s;e two mu&s;t needs follow, you mu&s;t either prove a &s;lave unto your Rivall, if his party prove &s;tronger then yours, or el&s;e you mu&s;t be the tyrant of <HI>Athens,</HI> if your partie prove &s;tronger then his: Judge then I pray in the choice of the&s;e two, Tyrant or Slave, it be not much better to continue a good hone&s;t Citizen. <HI>Cleorante</HI> (added he) is not the only fair one in all <HI>Athens:</HI> If you do but well con&s;ider all the mi&s;eries which fall upon a &s;tate divided, you will find the enjoyment of <HI>Cleorante</HI> (who loves your Rivall better then &s;he does you) will never recompence the va&s;t number of crimes which are commited during the di&s;orders which you have cau&s;ed. The truth is Madam, <HI>Solons</HI> arguments &s;o wrought upon <HI>Licurgus,</HI> as he told him, provided <HI>Pi&s;i&s;tra|tes</HI> would renounce the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of <HI>Cleorante</HI> as well as he, then he would cea&s;e being his enemy. But <HI>Solon</HI> knowing very well that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> would never be brought to that, he thought upon another expedient, which was to go unto <HI>Megacles,</HI> and per&s;wade him to make a publick declaration, that he would never give his daughter either unto <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> or <HI>Licurgus.</HI> But <HI>Megacles</HI> having &s;ome hidden de&s;ign, received the per&s;wa&s;ions of <HI>Solon</HI> &s;o ill, as it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee he had a &s;hare in the divi&s;ions of <HI>Athens;</HI> and indeed he di&s;|covered that it was he who was the Patron of the Maritine Rebels, but for all his di&s;co|very, things grew higher and higher. In the mean time <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was extreamly per|plexed to find out who it was that made the third party in <HI>Athens,</HI> for though <HI>Solon</HI> knew it, yet he told not him, conceiving better to have three revolted factions, then one; and he u&s;ed all his witts to keep any two of them from joyning, he could not apprehend that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and <HI>Licurgus</HI> would ever comply, becau&s;e Rivalls will never be of one &s;ide, but his fear was that <HI>Megacles</HI> &s;hould fall into one of them, yet after better infor|mation of things, that fear was al&s;o frivolous, for he under&s;tood that though <HI>Megacles</HI> would, yet the Maritine people would not con&s;ent, but for&s;ake him; and the truth was, there was &s;uch a feud between the Maritine people, and the plaines, as they would never unite, for being a duller &s;ort of people then the other, and more mutinous; the Maritines have a fancy, that they are men who hold up the glory of <HI>Athens,</HI> and are able to do it by force; &s;o that &s;corning the other, there can never be any good corre&s;pondency between them, &s;o that <HI>Solon</HI> though not able to reunite all the Citty, yet had this con&s;olation at lea&s;t, that none of the three factions could corre&s;pond and unite with one another. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Cerinthe</HI> &s;till put <HI>Theocrite</HI> upon <HI>Licurgus,</HI> purpo&s;ely to be revenged upon <HI>Pi|&s;i&s;trates;</HI> an I &s;ince his gravity did better &s;uit with that imployment then with gallantry, his negotiation with <HI>Licurgus</HI> better plea&s;ed him, then di&s;cour&s;ing of his Love. Further|more, <HI>Philombrotus</HI> who knew not the &s;ecret de&s;ignes of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and who thought that he &s;tirred only in oppo&s;ition of tho&s;e who di&s;turbed the publick peace, he went unto him, and offered him&s;elfe with all his friends, and to acquaint him, that <HI>Megacles</HI> was
<PB N="163" REF="878">
the chiefe of the <HI>Maritine</HI> Faction; adding, that he was &s;ure, they were more oppo&s;ite unto him, then unto <HI>Lycurgus.</HI> You may judge Madam, how <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was &s;urpri&s;ed, when he under&s;tood by the Father of a Lady whom he loved not, that the Father of her he did love, was the Patron of a Faction oppo&s;ite unto his: and what a &s;trange Combate there was in his heart, betwixt his love and his ambition: At fir&s;t, he would not believe it, but afterwards <HI>Philombrotus</HI> did &s;o particularize things upon him upon his owne knowledge, that he did not doubt the truth: He hath told it &s;ince, that his fir&s;t thought was, to &s;acrifice his ambition unto his love, and to lay a&s;ide all faction; but when hee con&s;idered that his Rivals Partie was pui&s;&s;ant, and that it was impo&s;&s;ible to joyn his facti|on with that of <HI>Megacles,</HI> he thought it more expedient, that his ambition &s;hould &s;erve his love, and &s;o he would not contend any more with him&s;elfe; yet making it a &s;cruple of genero&s;ity, to make u&s;e of the Father of <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and his friends, con&s;idering upon what termes he was with his Daughter, he did not accept of that offer which <HI>Philombrotus</HI> made him, nor did he flatly refu&s;e it, le&s;t he &s;hould fall in with one of the either two Factions, and entreated him to give him all intelligence he could. But after he was gone, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was extreamly affraid that <HI>Cleorante</HI> &s;hould take it ill, when &s;he knew the truth. However, he would not tell her, that he was of a faction contrary to <HI>Megacles,</HI> and <HI>Lycurgus</HI> both: But to take a middle Cour&s;e, that <HI>Cleorante</HI> might not be incen&s;ed when &s;he knew the pa&s;&s;ages, he employed one of his Confidents, to propound unto <HI>Mega|cles</HI> an union of their two Factions, though he knew it a thing almo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible to be ef|fected; but he did it only to have &s;ome excu&s;e for him&s;elf, if <HI>Cleorante</HI> &s;hould offer to accu&s;e him.</P>
<P>And indeeed, this Propo&s;ition unto <HI>Megacles</HI> &s;erved onely to make him think that his ambition was the onely meanes to &s;atisfie his love: for <HI>Megacles</HI> told the man who made the motion, that he had no faction, nor did he thinke <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> had any, but &s;ince it &s;eemed he had, he would de&s;ire him to come no more at his hou&s;e, becau&s;e hee would not have it &s;aid, he had any friend who was a troubler of the Common-Wealth. You may ea&s;ily imagine Madam, how &s;ad <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was, when he was debarred from &s;eeing <HI>Cleorante,</HI> e&s;pecially when meeting him at a friends hou&s;e the next morning after by chance, &s;he told him that her Father had charged her not to &s;ee him, and asked him the rea&s;on of it: but after he had acquainted her with the Propo&s;ition he had made, and the cruell an&s;wer he had received: I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid he unto her) be not &s;o unju&s;t as <HI>Megacles,</HI> and doe not hate me. Certainly I &s;hall not hate you, unle&s;&s;e you give me cau&s;e (replied &s;he) but let me tell you, I &s;hall extreamly complaine again&s;t you, if you be an enemy to my Father: I wi&s;h to the Gods he would not bandy any faction in <HI>A|thens;</HI> but &s;ince I cannot hinder him, I mu&s;t conjure you not to oppo&s;e him. I doe not de&s;ire you &s;hould unite with him; but I de&s;ire you to doe any thing that may pre&s;erve peace. Alas, Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) &s;ince <HI>Lycurgus</HI> &s;trives all he can to embroyle the &s;tate, and ruine me, I know not what to &s;ay; all I can promi&s;e is, onely to oppo&s;e my Rivall without any thoughts of hurt unto <HI>Megacles:</HI> But withall, let me tell you Ma|dam, That if Fortune doe &s;o imbroyle things, that I cannot enjoy you, unle&s;s I be the Tyrant of <HI>Athens,</HI> I &s;hall endeavour it, rather then &s;uffer <HI>Lycurgus</HI> to enjoy you. Ah <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) the&s;e are &s;trange expre&s;&s;ions: my ca&s;e is &s;o (replied he) that the mo&s;t innocent wi&s;h I can make is, that I were powerfull enough to be revenged upon <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> and to force <HI>Megacles</HI> to let me love you: But as for him, Madam, I be&s;eech you fear nothing, &s;o wil you only leave <HI>Lycurgus</HI> to my revenge. I cannot allow it, replied &s;he, but content your &s;elfe that I doe not defend him; carry your &s;elfe towards my Father, as you may not drive me to the nece&s;&s;itie of never &s;eeing you againe, and of &s;eem|ing to hate you, though I doe not; for <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> deceive not your &s;elfe, but be confident that I will never become yours, without the con&s;ent of him who hath mo&s;t due to di&s;|po&s;e of me. Perhaps I have engaged my heart unto you a little too far without his per|mi&s;&s;ion; but believe it, I will not make good my faults by &s;econding them: And though I did love you more then I ought, yet I can take up and doe &s;o no more. Thus Madam, the meeting of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and <HI>Cleorante</HI> pa&s;&s;ed. Much more had they to &s;ay unto one another, but &s;ince <HI>Cleorante</HI> came out without her Mothers knowledge, they parted &s;oo|ner then they de&s;ired, and with much &s;orrow. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Cerinthe</HI> hearing that <HI>Philombrotus</HI> offered to comply with the faction of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> &s;he was exceedingly grie|ved; for &s;ince &s;he had much contributed by the meanes of <HI>Theocrite,</HI> to make <HI>Lycurgus</HI> powerful, and to animate him again&s;t <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> &s;hee &s;aw &s;hee had tran&s;acted again&s;t her owne Father, and con&s;equently, wrought her owne raine. But though to &s;ee her Father
<PB N="164" REF="879">
&s;erve <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> was very much again&s;t her minde; yet &s;he knew not whether &s;hee &s;hould forbid or command <HI>Theocrite</HI> to goe on: for to tell him he &s;hould continue on as he doth, is to work her Fathers and her own ruine; and to forbid him, was to fortifie the faction of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> or at lea&s;t weaken his enemies; &s;o that &s;he was as much perplexed as <HI>Cleorante,</HI> who had at lea&s;t &s;o much &s;atisfaction as to know, that &s;hee had no hand in the di&s;orders which were readie to break out.</P>
<P>Furthermore, <HI>Theocrite</HI> very de&s;irous to ruine <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> &s;ince thereby he was more in the favour of <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> and did his Brother &s;ervice; yet he began to feare, that if <HI>Lycur|gus</HI> ever married <HI>Cleorante, Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> would then returne unto <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> and &s;o from his Brothers Rivall, he would become his. As for <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> all his plots were how to ru|ine his Rivall. But while&s;t the &s;oules of all the&s;e were &s;welled with the&s;e tumultuous thoughts, I did &s;ometimes vi&s;ite <HI>Euridamea,</HI> who being cured of her weakne&s;&s;e, did &s;peak of things pa&s;t unto me with as much &s;inceritie, as &s;he did of changes pre&s;ent with confi|dence. At fir&s;t, &s;he thought that I knew of all the plots of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates:</HI> but afterwards I told her &s;o &s;eriou&s;ly, that I was onely the confident of his love, that &s;he believed me, and talked to me afterwards, as unto one who loved the tranquillitie of my Country; &s;o we condoled together the mi&s;eries which wee imagined it was like to fall unto. For every one whi&s;pered that &s;ome &s;ad &s;tory was plotting, and which ere long would breake out: and there was then &s;uch a &s;trange di&s;mayedne&s;&s;e in the mindes of all tho&s;e who took none of the&s;e three &s;actions, that they could not endeavour the remedie of tho&s;e mi&s;eries they fore&s;aw. They imployed whole dayes in telling one another all were undone, and that Common-Wealth was ready to be ruined, but they went no farther: And while&s;t all the Factions did cavill with every one of their Parties, all tho&s;e who were of no faction, lockt them&s;elves up in their owne hou&s;es, unle&s;&s;e they went &s;ometimes to condole with a friend who was of their opinion. As for my &s;elfe, &s;ince I &s;aw <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> was not willing to open his heart unto me, and knowing <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> was the onely Confident of his ambition, as I was of his love, I asked him no farther, nor did he impart any farther, not talking any more with me concerning <HI>Cleorante,</HI> becau&s;e as the &s;tate of things then &s;tood, he could not talk of her, but of other pa&s;&s;ages al&s;o, which he would not have me know, becau&s;e he knew I was an enemy to all Novelty, and had often heard me &s;ay, that I had rather obey a Tyrant who raigned peaceably, then begin a Warre to ruine him. However <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> being a man of huge parts, of all tho&s;e who &s;tirred in the Common-wealth he &s;eemed lea&s;t bu&s;ie, yet acted as high as any other: 'Tis true, the Grandees of each Faction, had their meetings more in the night then the day, &s;o that I can a&s;&s;ure you, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates, Lycurgus,</HI> and <HI>Megacles,</HI> hardly &s;lept all the while.</P>
<P>Things &s;tanding on the&s;e termes, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> having re&s;olved upon a conference &s;ecretly, with &s;ome new &s;editious per&s;ons who were out of the Towne, he intended (after hee had pa&s;&s;ed away mo&s;t of the night in going from hou&s;e to hou&s;e, to make &s;ure of his Faction) to goe out of <HI>Athens</HI> in a Coach by break of day, and &s;o he did, without any with him but one &s;ervant. But Madam, when he was about fifteen furlongs from the Towne, he was &s;et upon by four men, again&s;t whom he did &s;o couragiou&s;ly defend him|&s;elfe, that they could not kill him, for they e&s;pied &s;o many comming towards them afar off, as they dur&s;t not &s;tay it, and &s;eeing <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> bleed &s;o exreamly fa&s;t, doubtle&s;&s;e they thought his wounds mortall, though they were not. But a Country fellow who &s;aw the pa&s;&s;age &s;ome hundred &s;paces off, did tell me &s;ince, that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> did doe even miracles at that time: But he &s;eeing him&s;elfe all bloody, and perceiving he was not dangerou&s;ly wounded, he would if he could, draw &s;ome advantage from the mi&s;-fortune: &s;o that ta|king his Coach, he went back to the Towne, in a fit condition to move the people, for he was bloody from top to toe. And he came unto the Towne very luckily, for there was a great number of people gathered together in a great place within <HI>Athens</HI> which he cro&s;|&s;ed over, all which were of his faction. So that when <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> had told the people, that that his, and the Common-Wealths Enemies, had brought him unto that condition: there began a great murmuring again&s;t <HI>Lycurgus</HI> and <HI>Megacles,</HI> among&s;t the people. Many of the two contrary Factions turned on <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> his &s;ide: and the Object was &s;o pittifull, and moved the hearts of the people &s;o much, that in a quarter of an hours &s;pace, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> had abundance of men of all &s;ides, ready to take up Armes in his defence. In the meane time, when he &s;aw the people much moved, he went home to get him&s;elfe dre&s;&s;ed, but he was followed with a huge herd of people, who encrea&s;ed &s;till, every one relating the accident according to his fancie or pa&s;&s;ion. Some &s;aid, <HI>Megacles</HI> wounded
<PB N="165" REF="879">
him with his own hands, other &s;aid it was <HI>Licurgus,</HI> and others again that it was <HI>The|ocrites:</HI> yet there were &s;ome who &s;aid that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> blooded him&s;elfe, only to move the people to compa&s;&s;ion; but his own party were &s;o farre from believing this, that they gave no faith to the witty quibble which <HI>Solon</HI> put upon him when he met him in that pickle, and &s;aid that he played the part of <HI>Vly&s;&s;es</HI> in <HI>Homer</HI> but very ill, for you (&s;aid he) wound your &s;elfe to delude your own Cittizens, but he wounded him&s;elf to deceive his enemies.</P>
<P>But Madam, neither <HI>Solon</HI> nor any el&s;e was harkened unto; and this wife Law-maker did &s;trive in vain to lay the &s;torm, yet he did cau&s;e an a&s;&s;embly at <HI>Pritunea,</HI> the place where they u&s;ed to con&s;ult upon publick affairs: there he al&s;o con&s;ulted to &s;ee whether there was any remedy again&s;t &s;o great a tumult: as for <HI>Licurgus</HI> and <HI>Megacles,</HI> their care was to keep them&s;elves from heing &s;urprized, and to purge them&s;elves of an act that was imputed unto them; &s;o that <HI>Megacles</HI> was at the Pyrean Gate in the head of a great num|ber of his faction, and <HI>Licurgus</HI> was by the Temple of <HI>Minerva</HI> with many of his friends. In the mean while the general Councell being a&s;&s;embled, <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> who was there, &s;peaking very <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">emently again&s;t tho&s;e who would have killed <HI>Pisi&s;trates,</HI> and rehear|&s;ing all the good &s;ervices he had done for the common-wealth, particularly the taking of <HI>Megares</HI> and <HI>Ny&s;ea,</HI> he &s;aid after all this, that it was but fit that the Common-wealth &s;hould allow him a guard for the &s;afetie of his per&s;on, which motion being approved of by the major vote, yet <HI>Solon</HI> did mo&s;t eagerly oppo&s;e it by Orations unto the people with incredible vigour, yet all his oppo&s;ition was in vain; and the Councell not having the boldne&s;&s;e of <HI>Solon,</HI> dur&s;t not be again&s;t the people, who &s;aid <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;hould have a guard, and that without any limiting him to any number; and indeed &s;o he had that ve|ry &s;ame hour, and <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> made choi&s;e of them. But Madam, you may well imagine in what a condition <HI>Cleorante</HI> and <HI>Corinthe</HI> were, during &s;o great a tumult; as for the fir&s;t of them, &s;he was &s;o much troubled as one po&s;&s;ibly could be; for one of her women had told her, that her Father had killed <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and that he him&s;elf was like to be &s;o by the friends of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and therefore Madam, it may well be conceived how &s;ad a per&s;on &s;he was, who&s;e Lover was dead, who though her own Father had killed him, and was al&s;o in the &s;ame danger him&s;elfe, yet &s;he was quickly better informed concerning <HI>Pi&s;i&s;tra|tes;</HI> but &s;ince &s;he heard he was wounded, and knew not what would become of her Fa|ther, &s;he &s;till remained much troubled; yet &s;he could never believe that her Father would ever be a murtherer, nor did &s;he much &s;u&s;pect <HI>Licurgus:</HI> and I am verily per&s;waded, that this wicked act was done by &s;ome re&s;olute men who&s;e zeal to liberty became fury; and <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> him&s;elfe was of that opinion. As for <HI>Cerinthe</HI> you may al&s;o imagine, that &s;he had many di&s;quieted thoughts, for &s;he knew that <HI>Philombrotus</HI> was gone to <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> who&s;e partie &s;he was an ill wi&s;her unto, though &s;he would not have <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> peri&s;h in it: In the mean time the wounds of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> being but &s;leight, though he had lo&s;t much blood, he pre&s;ently appeared in publick, but he appeared with guards, who&s;e num|ber did every day increa&s;e, and hearing that <HI>Licurgus</HI> and <HI>Megacles</HI> were treating to|gether, and perhaps would unite, and make him lo&s;e at once both that &s;overaign autho|rity unto which he a&s;pired, and <HI>Cleorante</HI> al&s;o, he prevented them, by &s;eizing upon a Ca&s;tle which commanded all the Town. But Madam, &s;ince he thought no le&s;&s;e of being <HI>Cleorantes</HI> Ma&s;ter, as Ma&s;ter of <HI>Athens;</HI> he gave order, that a&s;&s;oon as ever he was in the Ca&s;tle, &s;ome men &s;hould go into the hou&s;e of <HI>Megacles,</HI> and &s;eize upon his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e with her Mother: but <HI>Eropbile,</HI> and <HI>Cleorante</HI> being quicker in their cour&s;es then the men who had that employment, they were not to be found; for <HI>Megacles</HI> no &s;ooner heard that <HI>Pi|&s;i&s;trates</HI> had &s;eized upon the Ca&s;tle, and that all his friends were up in Armes, but he thought of flying, and &s;ent in all ha&s;t to his wife and daughter to come unto the Pyrean Port, where then he was, yet &s;he did not obey him; for the tumult was &s;o great in the Town, that her Coach could not pa&s;&s;e, and therefore &s;he re&s;olved to take Sanctuary in the Temple of <HI>Minerva,</HI> where &s;he might be &s;afe, and where &s;he and <HI>Cleorante</HI> &s;tayed among&s;t the Nunnes; and indeed there &s;he was received with <HI>Cleorante,</HI> and &s;he &s;ent to acquaint <HI>Megacles</HI> with her re&s;olution, &s;o that &s;ince he could do no otherwi&s;e, he reti|red. <HI>Licurgus</HI> for his part, he hearing that his Rivall was Ma&s;ter of <HI>Athens,</HI> went to the hou&s;e of <HI>Megacles</HI> to &s;eize upon <HI>Cleorante,</HI> but not finding her there, he was grieved to the &s;oule that his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e was in his Rivalls power; and <HI>Theocrites</HI> was no le&s;&s;e, &s;ince he was to be ab&s;ent from <HI>Cerinthe</HI> by his going out of <HI>Athens:</HI> However, both <HI>Li|curgus</HI> and he had no other cour&s;e to take, but to retire, for the di&s;may was &s;o great through all the Town, as never was the like known; all the men who were of the oppo|&s;ite
<PB N="166" REF="880">
parties did flie with equall ha&s;t; tho&s;e of the victorious party &s;eized upon all the pub|lick places, and all the Cittizens who loved peace, did &s;hut them&s;elves up in their own hou&s;es, and dur&s;t not oppo&s;e the lo&s;&s;e of their liberty; yet <HI>Solon</HI> in the heat of this great tumult went into the &s;treets, exhorting the people to take up Armes, and prevent their &s;lavery, and &s;hake off the yoke which would be impo&s;ed upon them; he chid them for their ba&s;e tamene&s;&s;e of &s;pirit, and neglected no argument which might move them to op|po&s;e <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> but all was in vain, for the people were more willing to enter into fetters then take up armes for their liberty: So that after this <HI>Solon</HI> went home, and told all he met, that after all his endeavours he had gotten this &s;atisfaction at the lea&s;t, that he was the la&s;t man that would enter into the Athenian &s;lavery; &s;ome of his friends advi&s;ed him to fly, but he would not, &s;aying, he could never &s;erve his country in flying, but might happily by &s;taying. In the mean time, though <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> might well have re&s;t &s;atisfied with &s;eeing his Rivall fly, and all his enemies out of <HI>Athens,</HI> yet for two daies he thought him&s;elfe very mi&s;erable; for he thought <HI>Megacles</HI> or <HI>Licurgus</HI> had carried <HI>Cleorante</HI> with them: but at la&s;t having di&s;covered that &s;he was in the Temple of <HI>Minerva,</HI> he went to vi&s;it her, a&s;&s;oon as he had taken all nece&s;&s;ary orders for the &s;ecuritie of <HI>Athens,</HI> and to let her &s;ee that though he had u&s;urped Soveraign authority, yet he did not intend that his government &s;hould be Tyrannicall; and he &s;ent to ask permi&s;&s;ion to &s;ee <HI>Erophile</HI> and <HI>Cleorante,</HI> as if he had been only a &s;imple Citizen: al&s;o he &s;ent unto <HI>Solon,</HI> and a&s;&s;ured him, that the alteration of Government &s;hould not change any of tho&s;e Laws he had made, but that he would be the fir&s;t who would ob&s;erve them. But Sir, <HI>Solon</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;o generou&s;ly and &s;harply both, that one of his friends &s;aid he did him&s;elfe wrong in &s;peaking as he did; for truly &s;aid his friend, what do you tru&s;t in, that you &s;hould &s;peak &s;o boldly? In my age (an&s;wered he) for I have &s;o &s;hort a time to live, that I hazard little in hazarding it; and I &s;hould lo&s;e much more if I &s;hould lo&s;e my honour, by flattering my old friend in his humour of Tyranny. In the mean time <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> being then in a condition not to be denyed any thing, the Governe&s;&s;e of the Nunnes in the Tem|ple of <HI>Minerva</HI> con&s;ented to his reque&s;t: 'tis true he &s;aw none but <HI>Cleorante,</HI> for <HI>Erophile</HI> was not well. At fir&s;t <HI>Cleorante</HI> made &s;ome &s;cruple at &s;eeing <HI>Pisi&s;trates,</HI> but her Mother commanding her, to the end &s;he might &s;peak for her Father, &s;he willingly obeyed. To give you an exact account of all the&s;e two &s;aid, Madam, is more then I can do, for they &s;aid &s;o much, that I believe them&s;elves would have a hard task to remember all; yet I un|der&s;tood that <HI>Cleorante</HI> received him very faintly, &s;he chid him for his ambition, and &s;aid, had he been more in Love, he would have been le&s;&s;e ambitious. Madam (&s;aid he un|to her) you do not well under&s;tand things if you believe all you &s;peak, for truly though I was weary of obeying &s;o many bad commanders, yet I do prote&s;t, if <HI>Licurgus</HI> had not made any attempts, I had re&s;ted in quiet: But Madam, when I &s;aw my &s;elfe in a conditi|on to lo&s;e you, and to become a &s;lave to my Rivall, it was time to flie unto the la&s;t re|fuge: Moreover Madam, it was not long of me that <HI>Megacles</HI> &s;tayed not in <HI>Athens,</HI> for I u&s;ed all means po&s;&s;ible to comply with him, and had I not known that he fell in treaty with <HI>Licurgus,</HI> and that you were to be the ho&s;tage in the hand of my enemy, <HI>Athens</HI> had yet been in the unhappy condition of being governed by a rude multitude. However it be, &s;aid <HI>Cleorante,</HI> my Father is exiled <HI>Athens,</HI> he &s;peaks of you as of his enemy, and looks upon you as a man who hath ruined the liberty of his Country; therefore without further examination of the matter, I require three things from you, fir&s;t, not to attri|bute what you have done unto that affection you had unto me; the &s;econd, to let my Mother and me go out of <HI>Athens</HI> unto my Father: and the third, to content your &s;elfe with driving out your enemies, and not to take away the liberty of the Athenians. I &s;hall think my &s;elf exceedingly mi&s;erable to deny you any thing Madam (an&s;wered he) but truly &s;o it is, I cannot con&s;ent unto any of the&s;e, for truly I cannot without a gro&s;&s;e lie &s;ay, that it was my ambition more then Love which made me Ma&s;ter of <HI>Athens,</HI> nor can I permit you to go out, &s;ince then you would certainly fall under the power of my Rivall, with whom <HI>Megacles</HI> hath doubtle&s;&s;e concluded the treaty which he began, nor can I put my &s;elfe out of that authority which the Gods have put into my hands, &s;ince there is my on|ly hope of moving <HI>Megacles,</HI> to con&s;ent unto my happine&s;&s;e, in letting you be the partaker&punc; of it: So Madam, though I had no ambition, and though I were not per&s;waded as I am, that the alteration of government is advantagious unto the Athenians, yet my Love only is enough to de&s;ire things &s;hould be as they are; for to be &s;erious, I had rather be the Ty|rant of <HI>Athens,</HI> then to lo&s;e my hopes of enjoying you, or to &s;ee you in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of my
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Rivall. But to te&s;tifie, that my love tran&s;cends my ambition, &s;ince you are &s;o zealous for the <HI>Athenian</HI> liberty, I am ready to goe out of it, upon condition it may be with you. Yes Madam, after I have made my &s;elf ma&s;ter of the mo&s;t famous City in all Greece: after I have driven out all my Enemies, and put my &s;elfe in a condition to make all the <HI>Atheni|ans</HI> happy in governing them better then they were before: yet I will for&s;ake all, provided you will follow my fortune, and let us live together in &s;ome <HI>A&s;ian</HI> Kingdome: for I con|fe&s;&s;e Madam, I have &s;uch an aver&s;ion again&s;t all divided Authority, that I had rather bee the &s;lave of a great King, then to be the greate&s;t Citizen in any Common-wealth: and therefore Madam, it re&s;ts onely upon you, what I mu&s;t re&s;olve upon. The remedy which you propo&s;e, replyed &s;he, being wor&s;e then the Di&s;ea&s;e I de&s;ire to cure, I will not accept of it, for thanks be to God, I have no hand either in my Fathers mi&s;ery, or in any of your actions: But I &s;hould have a great &s;hare in them all, if I &s;hould follow your fortune, with|out the con&s;ent of tho&s;e who have a right to di&s;po&s;e of me.</P>
<P>In the mean time, I have a great deal of rea&s;on to complaine again&s;t you, for denying me every thing. Aske me any thing, replied he, which will not hazard the lo&s;ing you, and if I doe deny it, be it what it will, hold me for the ba&s;e&s;t of all men living. But Madam, if it doe not conduce to the keeping of you, I cannot hearken unto it. Moreover, I be&s;eech you Madam, let not this title of Tyrant which my Enemies have a&s;per&s;ed upon me, hin|der you from thinking me worthy the being your &s;lave, promi&s;ing you to u&s;e all my en|deavours to bring <HI>Megacles</HI> unto <HI>Athens:</HI> And I will aske no other condition, but his con&s;ent into my happine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cleorante</HI> u&s;ed all her arguments to per&s;wade <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> not onely as the Daughter of <HI>Megacles,</HI> but as a Citizen of <HI>Athens.</HI> But the love and ambition of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> being in that bu&s;ine&s;&s;e in&s;eparable, &s;he could obtaine no farther of him, but libertie to &s;tay where &s;he was, until <HI>Megacles</HI> changed his minde. But when <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> afterwards asked leave to &s;ee her every day, &s;he denyed him, and &s;aid, &s;he would not bring her &s;elfe into &s;u&s;pition of knowing his de&s;ignes: and indeed &s;he was in &s;o good earne&s;t, that as much a Ma&s;ter of <HI>Athens</HI> as he was, obey her he mu&s;t; but yet as it was with an ill will; yet &s;ince he feared nothing &s;o much as to di&s;plea&s;e her, he contented him&s;elf with hearing from her every day: And indeed, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> and <HI>Cleorante</HI> did carry them&s;elves &s;o prudently in their affections, that the General voyce of all Greece did not attribute any love unto the u&s;urpation of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> nor unto the hatred betweene <HI>Lycurgus</HI> and him. In the meane, this new &s;overaigne of <HI>Athens</HI> behaved him&s;elfe with &s;o much moderation, as if he had never de&s;ired any &s;overaigne Authoritie, but onely to make the Lawes of <HI>Solon</HI> better ob&s;erved, and to render Ju&s;tice unto all according to their demerits. <HI>Solon</HI> al&s;o went often to vi&s;it this Great Man, and he confe&s;&s;ed, that he wanted nothing, but the being borne the Sonne of a King, to have made him one of the greate&s;t Princes in the world. And <HI>Solon</HI> afterwards &s;aid, that if the people of <HI>Athens</HI> could but forget that they been long without a Ma&s;ter, they might be the happie&s;t people upon earth.</P>
<P><HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> &s;o carryed the matter, that <HI>Solon</HI> after a&s;&s;i&s;ted him with his Coun&s;els; and an accident fell out, which made <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> voluntarily &s;ubmit to be puni&s;hed for infring|ing one of his Lawes. In the meane time he remembred the e&s;teeme which he ever had of <HI>Cerinthe</HI> and <HI>Euridamea,</HI> and highly favoured of all tho&s;e of that Family. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Megacles</HI> and <HI>Lycurgus</HI> united them&s;elves together, and &s;o carryed the matter by bribes, that one night, one of the Gates &s;hould be delivered up unto him: After which they &s;urprized the Ca&s;tle, and forced <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> to goe out of <HI>Athens,</HI> though he did as much as any brave and valiant man could. Thus the Conquered became Conquerours, and the Conqueror was the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man in the world: 'Tis true, his Rivall was not &s;o happy as he hoped, for as <HI>Megacles</HI> did intend to call for his Wife and Daughter out of the Temple of <HI>Minerva,</HI> purpo&s;ely to marry <HI>Cleorante</HI> the next day unto <HI>Lycur|gus, Cleorante</HI> with her mothers leave (who hated <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> and loved <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates)</HI> claimed the priviledge of the Temple, which is a place inviolable for all tho&s;e who retire thither. And <HI>Cleorante</HI> &s;ent her Father word, &s;he was re&s;olved to &s;tay there. Many men thought that <HI>Megacles</HI> con&s;ented to it, and would never have promi&s;ed his Daugh|ter unto <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> but becau&s;e he &s;tood in need of him. But however is was, <HI>Lycurgus</HI> might complaine as long as he would, and pre&s;&s;e <HI>Megacles</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> keep his word, yet <HI>Cleoran|te</HI> would &s;tay in the Temple. In the meane time, <HI>Theocrite</HI> went to <HI>Cerinthe,</HI> and asked a recompence for having brought her de&s;ignes &s;o well to pa&s;&s;e, but &s;ince the di&s;orders of <HI>Athens</HI> did not plea&s;e her, &s;he entertained him as coldly as if he had not done what
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&s;he had de&s;ired him. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Megacles</HI> and <HI>Lycurgus</HI> did &s;o ill agree together, and their government was &s;o Tyrannicall, that they horridly hated each other, and &s;o did all the people, in&s;omuch as all the people &s;aid aloud, that if they mu&s;t obey any one, it &s;hould be <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and repented of the change: <HI>Megacles</HI> hearing this, and being ad|verti&s;ed that <HI>Lycurgus</HI> intended to take <HI>Cleorante</HI> out of the Temple, and that he intended to get, <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> bani&s;hed for ever, and to render the antient liberty to the Athenians, he was almo&s;t at his witts end.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, being retired with a great number of his friends about <HI>Athens,</HI> he was in a de&s;perate condition: yet he was much comforted by the re&s;olution which <HI>Cleo|rante</HI> had taken: but for all that, he was as much perplexed as any ambitious Lover could be when all &s;ucceeds ill: For my part, I being &s;ick during the time of the&s;e di&s;or|ders, I was of no &s;ide, but re&s;ted in quietne&s;&s;e to &s;ee how Fortune would decide &s;o great a difference. In the mean time, not a day pa&s;&s;ed, but &s;ome quarrell, or &s;ome di&s;order or other happened in &s;ome quarter of <HI>Athens;</HI> for be&s;ides the inclination of the divided people thereunto, certainly the friends of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> did much contribute to them: For my part, I under&s;tood that <HI>Ari&s;ton</HI> came di&s;gui&s;ed into <HI>Athens,</HI> and cau&s;ed many com|motions, in one of which <HI>Theocrites</HI> was killed; but it was very ob&s;ervable, that <HI>Cerinthe</HI> was &s;o little grieved at it, that when <HI>Euridamea</HI> came to comfort her, &s;he cruelly &s;aid, that &s;he was glad of it, for &s;he gained more by his death in lo&s;ing his vi&s;its, then &s;he did lo&s;e by lo&s;ing his affection.</P>
<P>But di&s;orders encrea&s;ed every day <HI>Megacles</HI> and <HI>Lycurgus</HI> jarred more and more, and all things were in &s;uch a pittiful condition, as every one had great fears that the Town would be Cantoned, and the people fall to kill one another. In the interim, <HI>Erophile</HI> who wi&s;hed with all her heart that her daughter were married unto <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> did not lo&s;e the lea&s;t opportunity to effect it, and per&s;waded her Husband to comply with him: <HI>Megacles</HI> ha|ving no other &s;ide to take, con&s;idering the &s;tate of his affairs with <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> he complied with her de&s;ires more ea&s;ily then &s;he imagined; for <HI>Megacles</HI> knew, that though he &s;hould force his daughter to marry <HI>Lycurgus,</HI> yet he could never endure he &s;hould ever raign in prejudice of him&s;elfe; nor was he ignorant, that being de&s;cended from <HI>Alemeon</HI> whom the Athenians never loved, it would be a hard matter for him to raign, con&s;idering the &s;tate of things: In the mean time, &s;ince be knew how to recant from that extream aver&s;ion which he &s;eemed to have again&s;t <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates:</HI> &s;ome &s;aid, that to have a colour for it, he gave out that <HI>Minerva</HI> had in&s;pired him with &s;uch a thought, and in order to that, he hired a huge big woman, who was very fair, to dre&s;&s;e her &s;elfe like unto <HI>Minerva,</HI> and to fit in a gilded Chair &s;ome few furlongs from <HI>Athens,</HI> that afterwards &s;he &s;hould come unto the Walls at Sun-ri&s;e, which is the time that mo&s;t people u&s;e to goe and come out of the Town, and the four Trumpets going before her Chariot, &s;he &s;hould tell every one that &s;he was <HI>Minerva,</HI> and that &s;he commanded all the Athenians to receive <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and obey him. However it were, or whether this were true or no, yet it is mo&s;t certain Madam, that a great talk went one morning about the Town, that <HI>Minerva</HI> had appeared unto many Athenians, and had commanded them to receive <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and obey him: <HI>Megacles</HI> him&s;elfe &s;aid &s;he had appeared unto him a&s;well as unto others. This fancy working upon the &s;pirits of people more then rea&s;on could, it united the people of the plain, them of the Mountain, and them of the Maritine places altogether; &s;o that then all the people asked for <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> and tho&s;e who &s;ome daies before called him Tyrant, and had bani&s;hed him as &s;uch an one, did now look upon him as a Legitimate Prince, ordained by <HI>Minerva.</HI> In the mean time <HI>Megacles</HI> &s;ent to treat with <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates,</HI> though <HI>Lycurgus</HI> oppo&s;ed him, and the very &s;ame day that <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> entred into <HI>Athens</HI> in triumph, his Rivall went out at another Gate, and he was received with &s;o many acclamations of the people, and &s;uch joy, as I could not chu&s;e but admire at the lightne&s;&s;e of men: But to compleat his happine&s;&s;e, he became both at one time the Lord of <HI>Athens,</HI> and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or of <HI>Cleorante,</HI> whom the next day he married with much &s;atisfaction, and within eight daies he &s;etled <HI>Athens</HI> in &s;uch a quiet condition, as a &s;tranger newly come could never believe it was in &s;uch a pittifull condition as it was; nothing was to be &s;een but fea&s;ts and thank&s;givings, all the di&s;cour&s;e of the Town was upon the genero&s;ity, liberality and goodne&s;&s;e of <HI>Pi&s;i&s;irates,</HI> for be was an honourer of all the Arts, and of them who practi&s;ed them: He founded a huge Library at <HI>Athens,</HI> he gathered together the books of <HI>Homer,</HI> which time had a little di&s;ordered; he Married <HI>Cerinthe</HI> unto <HI>Ari&s;ton,</HI> who was fallen in love with her, and <HI>Euridamea</HI> unto a Co&s;en of <HI>Ceriuthe</HI>'s, &s;o that all the di&s;orders which
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his love and ambition had cau&s;ed, being appea&s;ed, <HI>Athens</HI> was more quiet then ever' and <HI>Pi&s;i&s;trates</HI> the happie&s;t man in the world: e&s;pecially in that his greate&s;t Enemies con|fe&s;&s;ed, that he did de&s;erve his happine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>SIlamis</HI> having ended his Story, he was highly applauded by all his Hearers: After which, they di&s;cour&s;ed upon the incon&s;tancy of things, and the lightne&s;&s;e of the people, who never &s;peake of their owne minds, which alwaies depends more upon the opinions of others then their owne, or el&s;e more upon their giddy fancies, then upon right rea&s;on. But &s;ince it was late, and &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> intended to take his leave of <HI>Araminte</HI> before hee reeurned to the Camp, he left <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> and went to the Queene of <HI>Pontus,</HI> where he found <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> charmed with the &s;oliditie of her wit, to whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> al&s;o bad adiew very quickly, becau&s;e his love required that he &s;hould goe in all ha&s;t, to give orders requi&s;ite for the March of his Army. Yet he left her not before he had &s;ome di&s;cour&s;e concerning <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and concerning <HI>Mandana,</HI> which &s;o much tooke up his minde, that he never wanted matter to talke of: However, <HI>Silamis</HI> being brave and gallant, he left <HI>One&s;ile</HI> and followed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who &s;eemed much obliged unto him, for &s;trengthning his Army with &s;o brave an accompli&s;hed man as him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>But this Prince was no &s;ooner come to his Tent, then <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> entered as <HI>Gobrias</HI> was with him. As &s;oone as <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw him, he wondered where he had beene, and at his long ab&s;ence, for &s;aid he unto him, I was &s;trangely amazed to &s;ee the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> with|out you, when after you had delivered him, he came unto me at the Tombe of <HI>Abrada|tes,</HI> and told me he knew not what was become of you: and therefore you mu&s;t acquaint me with all pa&s;&s;ages. Sir, replyed <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> I &s;hall &s;ay nothing of what I did with <HI>Ar&s;a|mones,</HI> nor of the &s;urpri&s;al of the Ca&s;tle, where the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> was kept, for I doe be|lieve you are not ignorant of them. But give me leave to tell you, that after this Prince was delivered, and we going towards <HI>Cames</HI> where we thought you were, and comming upon the Frontiers of <HI>Galatia,</HI> we went through a wood before it was day, for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> impatience, cau&s;ed him to &s;et out above three hours before Aurora appeared: &s;o that wandering in this wood which was very thick, when the Sun ro&s;e, I was all alone by my &s;elfe: and I had not gone above a thou&s;and &s;paces, but I heard a noi&s;e on my right hand, immediately after I &s;aw two women, one &s;eeming to be mi&s;tre&s;&s;e unto the other, in who&s;e face much feare and griefe appeared; &s;o that going gently towards them, I &s;alu|ted them as civilly as I could, intending to aske them, whether they &s;tood in any need of my helpe. But &s;ir, this faire lamenting Lady, gave me no time to doe it; for knowing me, &s;he &s;pake fir&s;t, and asked helpe: as &s;oone as &s;he &s;pake, her voyce made me know her much better then my owne eyes, So that then knowing her to be the faire <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> Daughter to the wi&s;e <HI>Gobrias,</HI> before whom I &s;peak, I lighted ha&s;tily from my hor&s;e and went to her with all due re&s;pects: How (&s;aid <HI>Gabrias,</HI> and could not forbear) did you find my Daughter in the Wood, whom I left in a Ca&s;tle with an Aunt, who hath lately writ unto me, that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was with her? Is <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that Daughter whom I found with <HI>Gobrias,</HI> at the beginning of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> Warre, who I thought to be one of the greate&s;t beauties in the world? Yes, &s;ir, (Replyed <HI>Hida&s;pes)</HI> the very &s;ame you meane, who no &s;ooner &s;aw me light from my hor&s;e, but &s;he acquainted me in &s;hort, that &s;he had beene carryed away by one called <HI>A&s;tidamas,</HI> who being pur&s;ued by his Rivall which had fallen upon him, was forced to leave her under a Tree with her woman. And while&s;t they fought with extreame animo&s;ity, &s;he got into the thick of the wood un&s;een, and happily &s;he found a Cave into which &s;he entered, and &s;tayed a whole day and a night there, during all which time, &s;he &s;till heard a noi&s;e: But never any &s;tirre &s;ince the Sun did ri&s;e, fearing le&s;t &s;ome wild bea&s;ts and famine &s;hould force them out; they came to the high way &s;ide where I was, and covered them&s;elves with leaves, waiting till any came whom they thought would helpe them, and they thanked the Gods for &s;ending me thither.</P>
<P>Is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid <HI>Gobrias)</HI> that <HI>A&s;tidamas</HI> &s;hould carry away my Daughter, the Son of my Si&s;ter in law, he who hath a million of Obligations upon him? and who could never commit &s;uch an act, unle&s;&s;e he were the mo&s;t ungratefull and ba&s;e&s;t man in the world? Yes &s;ir, (an&s;wered <HI>Hida&s;pes)</HI> but he is puni&s;hed for his crime, by another who is no le&s;&s;e innocent then him&s;elfe, for he was killed by a man of good ranck, named <HI>Licander,</HI> with whom he was fighting, when the faire <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> got into the wood: yet &s;he was ignorant of his death &s;till after &s;he &s;pake with me, but came to know it pre&s;ently after; for being in
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a &s;trange amaz<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ment to imagine how I could &s;ecure her per&s;on, being alone, and having but one hor&s;e; as good luck was, as I was talking with her, an empty Coach came by, and talking with the Coachman, I under&s;tood that it belonged to a Lady of Quality, who had lent it unto one of her friends, and was returning back, and that this Ladies hou&s;e was not above fifteene furlongs di&s;tant from the place; &s;o that without more adoe, I de&s;ired <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> to goe into the Coach with her woman, and to entreate a lodging with the Lady who owed it, until &s;ome cour&s;e was re&s;olved upon. Since no better cour&s;e could be thought upon, &s;he willingly con&s;ented, and I promi&s;ed &s;uch recompence to the Coach-man, as he was very glad of the imployment: So, the faire <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> went into the Coach, and I promi&s;ed her to dye, rather then &s;he &s;hould receive any wrong. But &s;ir, after wee had gone three or foure furlongs, we &s;aw five or &s;ix dead men, and among&s;t them, <HI>A&s;tida|mas.</HI> The faire and &s;ad <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> grew pale at the &s;ight, who turning her head a&s;ide from this &s;ad &s;pectacle, &s;he told me that her Ravi&s;her was among&s;t tho&s;e dead men: &s;ince he is dead (&s;aid I unto her) you need not feare him: Alas <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> (cryed &s;he) though <HI>A&s;ti|damas</HI> be dead, yet all my Enemies are not. And indeed &s;ir, &s;he had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but a very hand&s;ome Man, followed by foure others comming out of the thick Wood, no &s;ooner &s;aw her, but comming up to the Coach: Why Madam, &s;aid he unto her, doe you &s;hun your deliverer? If you will merit that name &s;ir, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) let me pa&s;&s;e un|der the conduct of <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> and follow me no farther; for truly <HI>Licander,</HI> I would not be under your power. Since I have beene a long time under yours Madam (replied he) you have no rea&s;on to feare me, but may well permit me to be your Guard: And indeed Madam, (added he, and looked fiercely upon me) I am re&s;olved that a <HI>Per&s;ian</HI> &s;hall not rob me of that glory, nor will I let the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> Conqueror obtaine that honour which you have denyed me, &s;ince I have at this pre&s;ent more right unto it then he: &s;ince all the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI>'s &s;ubjects (&s;aid I unto him) are onely &s;laves unto the Prince whom I &s;erve, you have no right unto the Daughter of the valiant <HI>Gobrias,</HI> who is at this time under his protection: and therefore I mu&s;t tell you, that I will not leave her, until I have conducted her unto the place where &s;he de&s;ires to go.</P>
<P>Since you are &s;ingle, &s;aid he unto me, and I have company, I know not how to an&s;wer you; but I am &s;ure you &s;hall not follow me long. If the faire <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> doe not forbid me (replyed I) I will follow you as long you follow her: At the&s;e words <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> being &s;o good, as to feare le&s;t he &s;hould make u&s;e of the Advantage he had of me, and fearing al|&s;o to fall under his power: &s;he began to u&s;e all her Rethorique to per&s;wade him unto her de&s;ires, but all in vaine. So that comming to a part of the wood, where were &s;everal waies, <HI>Licander</HI> would needs force the Coachman to drive the way he de&s;ired, and not that way which went to his Ladies hou&s;e. And not being able to &s;uffer the violence which this unju&s;t Lover offered unto the faire <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> though I fore&s;aw my certaine ruine, yet I drew my &s;word, and went &s;traight to <HI>Licander,</HI> whom I &s;lightly hurt in the left arme the fir&s;t thru&s;t I made. <HI>Licander</HI> &s;tanding in a po&s;ture of defence, did very gallantly charge his man to &s;tand &s;till, &s;aying he him&s;elfe would conquer me. But &s;ir, he was &s;o ill obeyed, that for all his charge, they fell all upon me at once; yet I was &s;o happy and quick, that in charging through them, I wounded one &s;o dangerou&s;ly, that he fell among&s;t our Hor&s;es feet: but yet I had three upon me, and <HI>Licander</HI> &s;eeing one of his fallen, did not charge his men then from falling upon me; all I was able to doe, was to wound another of my Enemies, for while&s;t I was making at a third, <HI>Licander</HI> gave me &s;uch a blow, that I fell downe as dead: After which, I could onely heare the cryes of the faire <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and could not &s;ee any farther of the pa&s;&s;ages: Yet I under&s;tand &s;ince, that <HI>Licander</HI> forced the Coach-man to drive the way he de&s;ired. In the meane time, my lo&s;s of blood, and my &s;orrow, was &s;uch, that I was not able to relieve <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> that it made me in&s;en&s;ible; and I returned not to my &s;elfe, till &s;ome &s;hepheards finding me in that pittiful condition, carried me unto that Ladies hou&s;e, unto whom the Coach belonged. She being a woman of great virtue, &s;he had a great care of me. But my mind running mo&s;t upon <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> after I had thanked her for her favours, I told her in &s;hort all the pa&s;&s;ages, acquainting her with the quality and merit of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and de&s;ired her to &s;end &s;ome of her &s;ervants and relieve her if po&s;|&s;ible: or if &s;he had not upon a &s;udden men enough to doe it, yet at lea&s;t to &s;end one to follow them, and know the place where the Ravi&s;her carried her, confe&s;&s;ing ingenuou&s;ly to you, that I had then no thoughts of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King. But &s;ir, This Lady not being able to &s;atisfie my fir&s;t de&s;ire, yet &s;he did the &s;econd, and immediately made choice of a witty and bold fellow, whom I informed which way the Coach took, and &s;o away hee
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went with intentions to follow, till he had lodged them in &s;ome place where they were likely to &s;tay. After this Sir, I &s;uffered incredible mi&s;eries, for my wounds being very great, and being in a place where the Chirurgeons were not very good, I was in a hundred dan|gers of death; yet I &s;ent unto you Sir, but &s;ince you have not received my excu&s;es why I did not follow the King of <HI>A&s;syria,</HI> certainly &s;ome accidents have befallen the me&s;&s;engers I im|ployed. But yet (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> interrupted him) do you know no more concerning <HI>Arpa&s;ia?</HI> And have you no intelligence (added <HI>Gobrias)</HI> of the place where <HI>Licander</HI> carried her? yes Sir, replied <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> for the man whom the Lady &s;ent after them, did play his part &s;o well and cunningly, that he got him&s;elfe &s;ome daies into the &s;ervice of <HI>Licander:</HI> But to be &s;hort, the man returned, and I under&s;tand by him, that <HI>Licander</HI> being heretofore acquainted with the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> in <HI>A&s;syria,</HI> had at fir&s;t a de&s;ign to chu&s;e the Court of <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> for his recreat, becau&s;e <HI>Atergatis</HI> was there, but hearing that there were &s;ome di&s;orders about the King of <HI>A&s;syria</HI>'s liberty, he altered his mind, and embarqued on the <HI>Euxine</HI> Sea when the Tempe&s;t did ca&s;t him upon <HI>Colchides,</HI> where he &s;tayed, and where he &s;aid he would <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> a long while; al&s;o the fair <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> falling &s;ick, it was un|likely he could <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> though he would. So Sir, hearing this, and &s;ince I had &s;ome hopes of being able ere long to ride on hor&s;e-back; al&s;o pre&s;ently after hearing of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI>'s carrying away, and of the King of <HI>A&s;syria</HI>'s death, and al&s;o of your march to|wards the Ma&s;&s;agetts, I confe&s;&s;e my de&s;ign was to go towards the place where <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was, to &s;ee if I could get her out of <HI>Licander</HI>'s hands, knowing Sir, that to do any &s;er|vice unto tho&s;e you loved, was to do &s;ervice unto your &s;elfe: But when I came there, I heard to my &s;orrow, that <HI>Licander</HI> re&s;olved to go unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and pa&s;&s;e over <HI>Araxis</HI> and indeed I followed him as farre as I could, unle&s;&s;e I would be taken by the enemy, and untill I &s;aw there was no hopes of delivering <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> but by delivering the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana;</HI> for I under&s;tand &s;ince, that <HI>Licander</HI> and <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> are now with <HI>Thomiris.</HI> I am very glad replyed <HI>Gobrias;</HI> that there is any hopes my daughter may be delivered by the Conqueror of <HI>A&s;ia.</HI> I a&s;&s;ure you an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that I look upon this advantage as one of the &s;weete&s;t fruits of my Victory if I get it, and next after the liberty of <HI>Mandana, Arpa&s;ia</HI>'s &s;hall be my greate&s;t joy. In &s;aying &s;o, <HI>Cyrus</HI> ob&s;erved <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> and remem|bring that he had heretofore &s;u&s;pected him of being in Love with that fair one, he thought now that he was not then mi&s;taken, for he thought that it was more then only genero&s;itie which made him &s;o zealous; yet he had no lei&s;ure to make any reflection thereupon, for having many Emi&s;&s;aries abroad, and &s;pies among&s;t the enemies, one of them returned and acquainted him, that the Army of <HI>Thomiris</HI> did dayly encrea&s;e, that <HI>Terez</HI> an old experienced Souldier was there, though very lame of his old wounds; that <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> was come up with tho&s;e Troops which the Prince of the Callipices permit|ted him to levie in his Country, when his de&s;ign was to make <HI>Ariantes</HI> King of the I&s;&s;e|dons: and now &s;ince <HI>Ariantes</HI> had made his peace, he brought them for the Service of that Queen: He further told him that <HI>Agather&s;es</HI> came to him with a huge aid from <HI>I&s;&s;e|don;</HI> that the Scythian Kingdomes had al&s;o &s;ent in very gallant Regiments, and that
<HI>Aripithes</HI> came up with an Army the more con&s;iderable, becau&s;e the Sauromites were a warlick people: But the wor&s;t of all was, <HI>Ariantes</HI> was &s;ooner &s;ound of his wounds then was hoped, and in all likelyhood, the Fort of <HI>Sauromates</HI> would be &s;ooner &s;et upon then <HI>Cyrus</HI> could hinder them; and indeed the very next morning he had certain information that the enemy began the Siege; al&s;o he received intelligence at the &s;ame time out of the frontiers of <HI>Medea,</HI> that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was dead, though this newes did extreamly trouble him, yet he thought it of &s;uch importance, as not to divulge it, le&s;t it &s;hould damp the conrages of his Souldiers, &s;o that he &s;hut up all his &s;orrowes in his own brea&s;t: In the mean time he took order for every thing, and de&s;ired <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> to &s;tay with the Queen of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Armenia,</HI> to the end if he had any need of him, he might &s;end thither to him: But <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing very well that bold re&s;olutions ought to be taken up with very few, he conferred only with <HI>Mazares,</HI> and opening his heart unto him, and told him that though he did not call a Councell of of Warre, yet he was re&s;ol|ved to give Battle; &s;o that <HI>Mazares</HI> being of his opinion, and de&s;iring no more but to know more certainly the Pa&s;&s;es which <HI>Cyrus</HI> had not viewed, becau&s;e his meeting with <HI>Thomiris</HI> hindered him to go farre enough into the Wood: this Prince re&s;olved to march as if the de&s;ign only were to relieve the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> and that in the mean time <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;hould march on with &s;ome troopes, not only to view the pa&s;&s;es, but al&s;o re|lieve the place if he could, and enable <HI>Feraulas</HI> to hold his enemies in play awhile, and in
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order to this, the day following, the whole Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> began to march, as if only to relieve the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> which truly was a difficult bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, becau&s;e this Fort, though near a Forre&s;t, yet &s;tood in the mid&s;t of a plain, invironed with wood, &s;o rugged and boggy, that it was impo&s;&s;ible any waies to avoid the&s;e long narrow pa&s;&s;es: 'tis true, that &s;ide towards <HI>Araxes</HI> the wood was not above twelve or fourteen furlongs thorough, but after a very narrow and difficult pa&s;&s;e, it did ince&s;&s;antly enlarge it &s;elfe, and one might di&s;cover the plain, yet this way was very naught, for the plain being all bogges, by rea&s;on of abundance of Waters which flow from &s;everall parts, it was impo&s;&s;ible to march in ranks, and would be very difficult to pa&s;&s;e by files, it is true, in coming near to the Fort, all the&s;e difficulties cea&s;e, for the place is more &s;andy and dry, and there was room enough to draw up two great Armies into Battalia. In the mean while <HI>Mazares</HI> fol|lowing the re&s;olutions which <HI>Cyrus</HI> and he had taken, he marched &s;o ha&s;tily with his com|manded party, that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> was but new &s;et) down before the Fort of the <HI>Sauromats,</HI> when he came to the beginning of the Woo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Now did the Prince call into his heart the Love of glory, and the Love of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and re&s;olved to carry in reliefe to the place, to the end <HI>Feraulas</HI> might hold his enemies in play, till <HI>Cyrus</HI> forced them either to fight or retreat; yet &s;ometimes when he thought that the happy &s;ucce&s;&s;e of the enterprize would reflect more upon his Rivall then him&s;elfe, and that victory would make him the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or of <HI>Mandana,</HI> he would give a &s;top unto his Hor&s;e and go &s;oftly; but thinking better upon it, and his vertue &s;urmounting his Love, he recollected him&s;elfe, and by extraordinary ha&s;t regained the time which that &s;park of jealou&s;ie cau&s;ed him to lo&s;e, and indeed he did that, which almo&s;t none other but him&s;elf could do, and he was no &s;ooner come unto the entry of the wood, but he drew a hundred and fifty hor&s;e out of that little party which he commanded, and appointed them to get into the Fort, and in order to that, he commanded them to go on the back &s;ide of the Wood, that they might be un&s;een, and expre&s;ly forbad them to attempt getting in, untill they heard him give a hot alarum to the enemies Camp with all his Troops, and then to take that time to get into the Fort if they could; and indeed <HI>Mazares</HI> did &s;o happily pa&s;&s;e the narrow way which the enemy could not have time yet to guard, that in the mid&s;t of the night he fell upon the main guard of the Ma&s;&s;agetts, and &s;o &s;harply, that he drive them as farre as their Camp, where the Alarum was &s;o high and generall, that the hundred and fifty hor&s;e in ambu&s;h, did ea&s;ily get into the Fort: 'Tis true, there was a &s;mall guard of Ma&s;&s;agetts which did oppo&s;e them, but they ea&s;ily forced through them, and into the place, into the which they entered without the lo&s;&s;e of one man. In the mean while, a&s;&s;oon as <HI>Ma|zares</HI> under&s;tood by the &s;ignall, which the Fort of <HI>Sauromates</HI> made, according to ap|pointment betwixt them, that the relief was entered, he began to think of making his re|treat, and the &s;ooner becau&s;e he knew that all the Cavalry of <HI>Thomiris</HI> Camp were in armes: Doubtle&s;&s;e this retreat was very difficult to be made, and certainly had been full of danger, if <HI>Mazares</HI> had not made extraordinary ha&s;t, but in retreating, day beginn|ing to break, he ob&s;erved the importance of the pa&s;&s;age, and mo&s;t prudently judged, that upon this difficult pa&s;&s;age, did depend the good or bad &s;ucce&s;&s;e of the Warre. Thus the de&s;ign of <HI>Mazares</HI> being happily executed as it was boldly attempted, he went to give
<HI>Cyrus</HI> an accompt, who received him with a thou&s;and Welcomes, commending him as highly for what he had done, as it was po&s;&s;ible one Rivall could commend another, as (maugre all his power) <HI>Mazares</HI> was unto him: But after <HI>Mazares</HI> had given him an ac|count of his actions, <HI>Cyrus</HI> acquainted him, how &s;ince his departure he under&s;tood, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> had left <HI>Mandana</HI> in the Tents royall with a very &s;trong guard, that the Prin|ce&s;&s;e of <HI>Bithinia,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina</HI> had liberty to &s;ee her, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> was come into the Army, that <HI>Ariantes</HI> commanded under her orders, that the valiant and wi&s;e <HI>Terez</HI> (as ill as he was of his wounds which he received in the Battle which <HI>Agatheris</HI> heretofore got again&s;t <HI>Ariantes)</HI> was Lieutenant Generall of this Army; that all the flower of bravery among&s;t all the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetes</HI> and experienced Officers were there, and were hugly numerous: He told him farther, that <HI>Ariantes</HI> had divided his troops into &s;ix quarters round about the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> that he had placed his greate&s;t &s;trength on that &s;ide toward <HI>Araxes,</HI> and that he never offered to draw any Lines, or ca&s;t up any ditches about the Fort, becau&s;e he hoped he &s;hould carry it in a &s;hort time: He told him that <HI>Ariantes</HI> had placed his courts of guard very judiciou&s;ly, as he might judge by that which he found at the advenue of the narrow pa&s;&s;age towards <HI>Araxes;</HI> adding that this Prince had &s;o well ordered his Sentinalls and Scouts, that it was impo&s;&s;ible to
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enter into the plaine which was compa&s;&s;ed about with Wood, but he would be acquain|ted with it. But after <HI>Cyrus</HI> had told <HI>Mazares</HI> all he knew, he added, that without more adoe, he ab&s;olutely mu&s;t give battel: and indeed, calling a Councel of Warre that very houre, he told all the Officers of his Army what <HI>Mazares</HI> had done, and what far|ther he knew, telling them afterwards, that he was ab&s;olutely re&s;olved to relieve the Fort of <HI>Sauromates:</HI> And to that end, he thought it ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary to advance in all ha&s;t unto that Pa&s;&s;e, by which they mu&s;t goe unto their Enemies: for truly &s;aid he unto them, if the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes</HI> &s;hould attempt to defend it, they will be forced to unfurni&s;h their Quarters, and by con&s;equence leave us one pa&s;&s;age free to relieve the Fort; and if they doe let us pa&s;&s;e without fighting us, wee &s;hall then get into the plaine without any dif|ficulty, and &s;hall be able to give battel upon equall termes and advantages, Al|&s;o (added he, to bring them to his opinion) though we &s;hould not then thinke it con|venient to give battel, yet we ought to doe as I &s;ay, &s;ince thereby we &s;hall be &s;till gaining &s;everal Quarters, and fortifying them, and thereby force the Enemy to change theirs, and leave us &s;ome pa&s;&s;age to relieve the Fort: After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> to bring them more ea&s;ily to his minde, acquainted them with the intelligence he had revealed concerning the death of <HI>Ciaxares:</HI> adding, that this &s;ad newes was a great rea&s;on to induce them unto a quick di&s;patch of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: for truly (&s;aid he with an admirable grace) his death if it bee po&s;&s;ibl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, ought not to be known unto our So<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">liers, but upon the place of Combat, after the victory is gotten; at lea&s;t I am &s;ure, we mu&s;t not &s;uffer the Fort of <HI>Sauromates</HI> be ta|ken in &s;ight of our Army, but rather hazard peri&s;hing, then receive &s;uch an affront, and retard the liberty of <HI>Mandana</HI> by being too wi&s;e. <HI>Cyrus</HI> having done &s;peaking, all his Hearers were of his opinion, and <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> him&s;elfe was of that opinion al&s;o, though at the pa&s;&s;age over <HI>Araxes,</HI> he apprehended much danger in hazarding battel: But &s;ince hee thought that the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes</HI> would be ma&s;ters of the &s;trait pa&s;&s;age, &s;ince the Action of <HI>Mazares,</HI> and would di&s;pute it, he did not oppo&s;e the opinion of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> becau&s;e hee thought it would never come to a deciding battel, but onely &s;ome great skirmi&s;hes at the enterance into the wood, during which, they might perhaps put &s;ome con&s;iderable reliefe into the Fort; and &s;o the whole Army not being engaged on this &s;ide the difficult pa&s;|&s;ages, <HI>Cyrus</HI> him&s;elfe would be con&s;trained out of his own prudence to retreat, and not engage his Army to &s;ight in di&s;advantagious Quarters. So there being no conte&s;t, <HI>Cyrus</HI> re|&s;olved that his Army &s;hould advance that very hour unto the place which the Inhabitants of the Country call the plaine of <HI>Gelons,</HI> (becau&s;e a people of that name were once here|tofore there beaten) and the day following he marched &s;traight towards the Enemy. But before he departed, he began to give out all requi&s;ite orders, to regulate the march of every Regiment, to di&s;tribute the &s;everal Quarters unto his Officers, to re&s;olve upon the general order of the battel; and exhorted all his men to fight &s;o couragiou&s;ly, that they might come off with Glory, from a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of &s;o much danger, that all they had gone through before, were nothing in compari&s;on it, by rea&s;on of tho&s;e difficult pa&s;&s;es where the Enemy was to be &s;ought withall: 'Tis true, the joyes which <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw in all his Troops when he departed from the plaine of <HI>Gelons,</HI> &s;eemed to pre&s;age a victory: for certainly, though all his Souldiers had been a&s;&s;ured of victory, they could not have marched with more cheerefuln&s;&s;e, then they did now in going to &s;hare in the dangers un|to which the greate&s;t Prince in the world was going to expo&s;e him&s;elf unto. In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was re&s;olved that his Army &s;hould fight in two Brigades: that the&s;e two Brigades &s;hould be &s;econded with a body of Re&s;erve, which <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> was to Com|mand; that <HI>Aglatidas</HI> &s;hould be in the Head of the Infantry, that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> &s;hould command the Left-wing; and <HI>Mazares</HI> under him, the Right; where the Prince <HI>Artamas, Intaphernes, Atergatis, Gobrias, Gadates, Mer&s;iles, Intathyr&s;es, Per&s;odes,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the Heroes, who had no employment, &s;hould fight neare his per&s;on. But <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who was as great a Captaine as valiant Souldier, he believed, becau&s;e in all likelihood he &s;hould fight the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes</HI> in tho&s;e difficult pa&s;&s;es, therefore it was expedient to line his Cavalrie with &s;ome Infantry; and to that end, betweene every &s;qua|dron, he placed a hundred Archers, appointing afterwards all the re&s;t of the Archers to be the Guards of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> the King of <HI>Hircanius</HI> Guards, and his own, al&s;o the <HI>A&s;&s;irian</HI> Cavalry to be upon both &s;ides of the Right and Left wings. But to the end nothing might clogge him, he &s;ent his Baggage to the &s;ide of <HI>Araxes,</HI> and afterwards marched in the Head of his Army, which &s;eeming to be guided by one &s;oul in every part, came to the entrance of the Wood; and Orders were &s;o wi&s;ely given, and exactly executed by all,
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that not one Souldier was to be an inch out of his ranck. <HI>Cyrus</HI> began now to be in hopes of happy &s;ucce&s;&s;e, and the Idea of <HI>Mandana</HI> did &s;o wholly take up his minde, that feares of any approaching dangers had no roome in his thoughts. But while&s;t this great Prince was advancing with all po&s;&s;ible Heroique heat, and employing all his Cares for re|liefe of the Fort, <HI>Ariantes</HI> under the Order of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> was vigorou&s;ly endeavouring to take it, before his Rival could arive: And indeed he followed on &s;o clo&s;e, and a&s;&s;aulted it &s;o often, that is is to be imagined, that without the reliefe which <HI>Mazares</HI> had gotten unto it, it could never have held out &s;o long, as to give <HI>Cyrus</HI> time enough to execute his de&s;ignes: For it was &s;o ill furni&s;hed with all manner of nece&s;&s;aries to &s;u&s;tain a Siege, that it was impo&s;&s;ible for the valour of <HI>Feraulas</HI> to have defended it: Al&s;o <HI>Ariantes</HI> thought it &s;o incon&s;iderable, that he would never trouble him&s;elfe with making any workes about it, though he had learned very well under <HI>Cyrus;</HI> how to make formal Sieges. Moreover, &s;ince the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes</HI> have no Townes, but live all in portable Tents, <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ari|antes,</HI> could not get any information of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his March, nor of his Number: for all the people about <HI>Araxi,</HI> fled away as &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> pa&s;&s;ed the River; &s;o as there could not be any certaine intelligence given, nor was the Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> thought to be &s;o nume|rous as they were: and they were ignorant of his &s;trength, until they heard the Army was entered into the wood; and &s;eemed re&s;olved to pa&s;&s;e through tho&s;e &s;traits, &s;o as they were forced to be tumultuous in their re&s;olutions, and knew not well whether they &s;hould defend the tho&s;e pa&s;&s;es, or expect their Enemy in the plaine, and there end the difference by a deci&s;ive battel. <HI>Ariantes</HI> opinion was to give a &s;top unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> in the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, and in order to that, to line the woods with part of their Infantry, and to back them with a good body of Cavalry, for by this cour&s;e it was impo&s;&s;ible that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould come to execute his de&s;ignes: al&s;o while&s;t they were thus amu&s;ing his Army, they might ea&s;ily take the Fort with a few Forces, for he had certaine intelligence, it could not hold out above two dayes. The &s;age and valiant <HI>Terez;</HI> concurred with the opinion of <HI>Ariantes, Aga|ther&s;es, Octoma&s;ades,</HI> and all the old experienced blades were of the &s;ame minde: But <HI>Thomiris</HI> thinking it better to fight <HI>Cyrus</HI> in her Country, then to defend the&s;e pa&s;&s;es; &s;he was not of their opinion, but &s;aid the de&s;igne was di&s;honourable, and it was as good as nothing, for her Army to doe nothing but take a poore Fort, &s;ince they were in the head of a pui&s;&s;ant Army: &s;he &s;aid it was much better for them to give battel pre&s;ently, then to &s;tay till the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes</HI> were more informed of their Enemies valour: And that it was more advantagious for them to fight farre off <HI>Araxis,</HI> and in a plaine in the mid|de&s;t of a Wood where the Enemy was ignorant of the pa&s;&s;es, then neare the place where they had a boate-bridge over the River. <HI>Ariantes</HI> yet oppo&s;ed her as much as ever he could but &s;he without any farther hearing or giving any rea&s;on, &s;he told him perempto|rily it &s;hould be &s;o: and accordingly it was re&s;olved, to let the whole Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> pa&s;s into the plaine without any &s;top or oppo&s;ition. Truth is, though this re&s;olution of <HI>Thomiris</HI> had not been followed, yet, they had been forced to take it; for while&s;t the in|tere&s;t of <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> moved them to different opinions; and while&s;t they were debating what to doe, or not d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e, the Forlorne hope of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his Army, appeared clo&s;e by the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettan</HI> Campe: &s;o that then <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;eeing no way but to a&s;&s;emble all their Quarters, and to thinke of nothing but fighting; and to lo&s;e no time, <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;ent in po&s;t ha&s;t to <HI>Aripithes</HI> to make ha&s;t, and joyn with them. But to omit no|thing which a great Captaine could doe upon &s;uch an important occa&s;ion, you mu&s;t know, that <HI>Cyrus,</HI> when he departed from the plaine of <HI>Gelons,</HI> towards the entrance into the wood, he marched in battalia upon two banks, until he came to the entrance of the &s;trait Pa&s;&s;es, and to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> into nothing ra&s;hly, he &s;ent <HI>Mazares</HI> to view them, and hee made choice of him for that imployment; becau&s;e he had been already in the woods, when he relieved the Fort: But this generous Rival unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> finding the&s;e pa&s;&s;es defended onely with a Guard of fifty Hor&s;e, he ea&s;ily beat them off, and returned to tell this Prince, that he might ea&s;ily be ma&s;ter of the&s;e pa&s;&s;es, provided he made ha&s;t. So that now it was apparent there would be a battel, &s;ince the Enemy did not guard the Pa&s;&s;es, and &s;ince <HI>Cy|rus</HI> would engage them beyond the wood. <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> now was of another opinion, and u&s;ed all his argument to alter the de&s;igne. But <HI>Cyrus</HI> having told him in few words his rea|&s;ons why he would fight, commanded him to goe immediately unto tho&s;e Forces which he was to command. The zeale which <HI>Cyrus</HI> had to fight, and quickly to deliver <HI>Man|dana,</HI> was &s;o high, that fearing &s;omething &s;hould be an ob&s;tacle unto his re&s;olution of figh|ting, he would not follow what the dictates of his prudence hinted unto him: but on the
<PB N="175" REF="885">
contrary, out of his exce&s;&s;e of Love, and de&s;ire of glory, would needs advance &s;o near the enemy, that it &s;hould be impo&s;&s;ible to di&s;engage him&s;elfe from a generall combate. Tis true, &s;ince <HI>Myr&s;iles, Intaphernes,</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> had their Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es with <HI>Mandana,</HI> they did not contrary a de&s;ign which would ha&s;ten their liberty, nor did <HI>Artamas</HI> and <HI>Indather&s;es</HI> thwart it. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then having fixed upon this bold and generous re&s;olution, he went with all the Cavalry of his right wing, unto a little hill which was neer the enemy, and there he &s;tayed: a&s;&s;oon as he was there, he di&s;patched order upon order to the re&s;t of his troops, to make all po&s;&s;ible ha&s;t after him. In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing the rules of Warre very well, he al&s;o knew that his Love of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and de&s;ire of glo|ry having drawn him &s;o near the enemy before his army was joyned, he had extreamly endangered him&s;elfe and all his army; for it is mo&s;t certain, that if the Ma&s;&s;agettes had at that time fallen upon him with all their Cavalry, it had been impo&s;&s;ible for him to have with&s;tood their force; but to carry the matter as well as he could, and avoid the danger in which he was with glory, this great &s;oule &s;tood in &s;uch a re&s;olute po&s;ture, and &s;o hand&s;omely placed tho&s;e few forces he had, that he wholly covered the top of that hill on which he &s;tood, &s;o that by this means the Ma&s;&s;agets could have no knowledge of what forces he had behind, and not imagining that &s;o incon&s;iderable a party as ap|peared, &s;hould ever advance alone &s;o near them, they conceived that it was &s;econded with the whole Army, and therefore had no mind to give the a&s;&s;ault: yet they did in|tend to charge through the body, to &s;ee what was behind it, and therefore they made &s;everall &s;kirmi&s;hes, but all being with bad &s;ucce&s;&s;e, they gave over and re&s;ted, untill they had a&s;&s;embled all their &s;everall quarters into Battallie. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> who was next <HI>Cyrus,</HI> wondered at his de&s;ign, and was in perpetuall fears till the re&s;t of the Forces came up, for he plainly &s;aw, that if <HI>Ariantes</HI> had known in what condition he was, he were utterly ruined; when he looked towards the enemies Army, he &s;aw them &s;o hugely numerous in compari&s;on of his &s;mall party, that it might well be &s;aid, <HI>Ariantes</HI> might have vanqui|&s;hed them with a wi&s;h; and when he &s;aw the Forces of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;o farre off, that there was no appearance of them, he was even de&s;perate: But at la&s;t, Fortune being re&s;olved that this great Prince &s;hould never peri&s;h by an act of courage, wherein yet &s;ome prudence was, things happened better then his hopes; &s;o that both &s;ides &s;taying till their forces came up, they both drew into Battalia: The forces of <HI>Cyrus</HI> pa&s;&s;ed the &s;traits without any di&s;|order, tho&s;e of <HI>Thomiris</HI> came up and joyned, and both &s;ides cho&s;e their ground with e|quall advantage: That ground which <HI>Cyrus</HI> cho&s;e to make his Camp of Battle, was large enough to range his whole Army in that order he was re&s;olved they &s;hould fight; indeed he had cho&s;en a ri&s;ing ground which looked over all the plain, e&s;pecially from the ma|ri&s;h grounds which was upon the left hand unto the entry into the wood, which not be|ing thick in that place, his &s;quadrons might well enough range them&s;elves in it: on the other &s;ide, there was another ri&s;ing ground oppo&s;it unto that which <HI>Cyrus</HI> was po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed of, of an equall height, where the Ma&s;&s;agetts quartered, &s;o that between the&s;e two armies there was &s;uch an equall de&s;cent, which made a kind of a little plain, as tho&s;e who were experienced in the art of Warr did know, that the fir&s;t a&s;&s;aulter was in danger to be over|come: Moreover, before the right wing of the Ma&s;&s;agettes, by a little River, was a very high and thick wood, which reached to the bottom of the valley; &s;o as it was to be i|magined, that <HI>Ariantes</HI> to make u&s;e of that advantagious &s;cituation, would place there &s;ome Archers, which would extreamly gall <HI>Cyrus</HI> when he came to fight. Thus you &s;ee what ground <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> cho&s;e for the two mo&s;t warlick Armies in the world to fight upon, and where the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the rare&s;t Prince&s;&s;e upon earth was to be di&s;pu|ted: In the mean time they had lei&s;ure enough to po&s;t them&s;elves, and did draw up in great order and quietne&s;&s;e; for both being re&s;olved to give Battle, they never skirmi&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, but thought only of the main Battle.</P>
<P>Thus the&s;e two great Captaines drew up their armies and forces as they came up, as if they had been agreed &s;o to do; yet the truth is, the Artillery of <HI>Thomiris</HI> her Army, did much more hurt unto the Army of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then that of <HI>Cyrus</HI> did upon hers, becau&s;e &s;he had many more of them; and indeed the invincible <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not di&s;play the wings of his Army, nor &s;tretch out his Battalions without great danger of the enemies Artillery and engines; yet his high re&s;olution made all his Troops &s;o &s;tout, that Maugre all the mi&s;chief of the&s;e engines, they &s;tood firm to their &s;tations, though they &s;aw many of them&s;elves kill'd and wounded, among&s;t which the valiant <HI>Ara&s;pes</HI> received a hurt up|his thigh; but after incredible toile, and indefatigable vigilancy, <HI>Cyrus</HI> had the &s;atisfacti|on
<PB N="176" REF="886">
to &s;ee that his whole Army had pa&s;&s;ed the &s;trait pa&s;&s;ages, that the body of his re&s;erve, after they had got out of the woods, went to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e the place which he appointed them, and that he had time enough to fight, &s;ince the Sun was above two howers high; &s;o that though this valiant Prince knew very well, by rea&s;on of the de&s;cent into the valley, it was more difficulty to a&s;&s;ault, then to be a&s;&s;aulted, yet his impatient zeal of fighting for <HI>Mandana</HI>'s liberty, and his own glory, per&s;waded him, that it was not advantagious to give his enemies any longer time to make good their ground, but that it was much more glorious to a&s;&s;ault then to be a&s;&s;aulted.</P>
<P>So that alwaies u&s;ing to follow the dictates of his own great heart, when they were not flatly again&s;t the rules of prudence, he gave orders to advance and fight; yet for all this and much again&s;t his mind, he altered his intention, by rea&s;on of &s;uch a &s;trange ac|cident as was like to have proved fatally &s;ad unto his whole Army, and ca&s;t him into &s;uch a danger, as all his valour and prudence could not repair; for the ra&s;h headlong valour of the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> had like to have cau&s;ed &s;uch a misfortune, as was not po&s;&s;ible for him to fore&s;ee, for &s;ince the left wing of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his army was towards the boggy grounds, this Prince could not believe but that it was there &s;ecure, and that the e|nemy would make no attempts upon it, &s;o that he him&s;elf was alwaies in the right wing, as in the place where he expected mo&s;t danger: Moreover &s;ince he knew him&s;elfe to be the Soul of his army, and would tru&s;t none but him&s;elfe with things of highe&s;t importance, he was extreamly bu&s;ie in ob&s;erving the motions of the Ma&s;&s;agettan Army, that he might regulate his de&s;igns accordingly: <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> for his part &s;eeing there was nothing like to be attempted upon the left wing which he was to lead, he came to be with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and relyed wholly upon the King of <HI>Hyrcania:</HI> but this King being extreamly vexed that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> &s;hould be preferred before him, becau&s;e he thought him to be a vanqui&s;hed King, he had a great de&s;ire to &s;hew &s;ome high exploit in his ab&s;ence; al&s;o he bore an ill will un|to <HI>Mazares,</HI> becau&s;e he thought <HI>Cyrus</HI> by his means treated <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> &s;o well, and bear|ing a huge envy unto him for that noble enterprize of relieving the Fort of the <HI>Sauro|mates,</HI> he re&s;olved to perform &s;ome &s;uch glorious act, as &s;hould tran&s;cend all others.</P>
<P>In the&s;e thoughts he imagined, that if the left wing which he was to command could cro&s;&s;e over the boggs, he &s;hould be able to do great &s;ervice, by getting behind the Wood; being per&s;waded that the Ma&s;&s;agettan Army being in fear of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> could not oppo&s;e his de&s;ign: &s;o that being prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed by his pa&s;&s;ions which tyrannized over his heart, he never con&s;idered the dangerous con&s;equences of that march, but went towards this mari&s;h ground with all his Cavalry, and a great part of his Infantry, not &s;o much as &s;ending <HI>Cyrus</HI> any word of it. Thus by this ra&s;h attempt, which was again&s;t all mi|litary orders, he did hazard the glory of the greate&s;t Prince upon earth, and likewi&s;e en|dangered the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Mandana's</HI> liberty for ever. <HI>Cyrus</HI> who knew nothing of what the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had done, had given the generall order to march toward the enemy, and being alwaies accu&s;tomed to be immediatly obeyed, all the &s;everall bodies of which his army was compos'd did even begin to move, when he was acquainted with what the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> had done; however, he no &s;ooner heard it, but without any u&s;ele&s;&s;e complaints which could not remedy &s;o great an evill, he cau&s;ed his army to make a halt, and went him&s;elfe with incredible ha&s;t to &s;ett things in order again: But in his going, O how vexed was he again&s;t that Prince, and what di&s;turbance was in his thoughts, who one minute before was full of hopes to conquer, and now in danger to be conquer'd, and that ea&s;ily: and indeed, during this cro&s;&s;e conjuncture, <HI>Cyrus</HI> had rea&s;on to fear that the Ma&s;&s;agettaus would take advantage of this great di&s;order; for a huge Army might be &s;een upon a &s;udden to &s;tagger, and one might here &s;ee the Ma&s;sagettans found their Trumpetts and beat their Drums, and move in Battallia, as if they intended to fall upon the Army of <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<P>Now did he think the di&s;mall an&s;wer of the Sihill would be fulfilled; that he &s;hould in|fallibly fall into the Power of <HI>Thomiris:</HI> That <HI>Mandana</HI>'s Liberty would be lo&s;t, and that his Rivall would pre&s;ently enjoy her. Yet &s;ince his great &s;oul did not &s;ink under the burthen of this injury, he be&s;tirred him&s;elf to remedie the di&s;a&s;ter; and to that end, he cau&s;ed &s;ome Troopes of the &s;econd Brigade to advance, and &s;upply the place of tho&s;e whom the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> had carried away and left void. But though <HI>Cyrus</HI> did be|&s;tirre him&s;elf with as much Prudence as quickne&s;&s;e; yet certainly, if <HI>Ariantes</HI> had then a&s;&s;aulted the Army <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that Prince who never before had bin Conquered had now lo&s;t the Victory, and perhaps hIs life. But the Heavens did more favour him, then to let him
<PB N="177" REF="886">
lo&s;e his Glory by the fault of another. And fortune, who u&s;es to favour great and He|roique attempts, would not let the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans</HI> &s;ee the advantage which was offered them, for they did not perceive what the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> had done: And the incompa|rable <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;o quickly filled up all the void places which tho&s;e Troopes who went into the boggs had quitted, that not one of the Commanders of <HI>Thomiris</HI> Armie did e|ver ob&s;erve it; and the motion of their Army was cau&s;ed onely becau&s;e they would enlarge their Battalia, and make room for their &s;econd Divi&s;ion to draw up more conveniently; So that making a &s;top within four hundred Paces of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his Army, it was evident they had no de&s;ign to fall on. On the other &s;ide, this great Captain, de&s;iring at any rate to re|duce things into right order, did &s;end to the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> &s;uch expre&s;&s;e and po&s;itive orders to return in all ha&s;t with his Troopes, and cau&s;ed it to be &s;poken &s;o earne&s;tly in the pre&s;ence of his men what danger the whole Armie was expo&s;ed unto, that whether hee would or no, they would obey: and &s;o they did; for the Troopes which he conducted, did &s;o quickly obey, and cro&s;&s;ed the boggs &s;o ha&s;tily, that they were pre&s;ently on their fir&s;t ground. Thus by the wi&s;e conduct of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the whole Army was in &s;uch order as he de&s;ired, before 'twas night. This Prince had &s;o much Command over him&s;elf, that hee received the King of <HI>Hircanias</HI> excu&s;e extreamly &s;weetly, le&s;t if he had not, he &s;hould not be &s;o well &s;erved the next morning, as he de&s;ired to be. Yet he was vexed to the &s;oul to &s;ee this cro&s;&s;e adventure had retarded fighting: But &s;ince there was no remedie, he took care for the &s;afety of the Camp, as <HI>Ariantes</HI> did for his. So that both &s;ecuring them|&s;elves, by &s;everall Courts of Guard; A hu&s;ht &s;ilence was in both the&s;e huge Armies which were over&s;haddowed with night: yet the common darkne&s;&s;e was le&s;&s;ened by rea&s;on of ma|ny fires which the Souldiers made in both Campes, which were &s;o near each other, that tho&s;e who &s;tood upon the hills a little di&s;tance off, could not perceive any interval which parted them: But the wonder was, the night was not di&s;turbed with either true or fal&s;e alarum from either &s;ide; but all were in as calme a &s;ilence, as if it were in the mo&s;t &s;olitary de&s;art: yet the Camp of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw through the Enemies Army &s;ome artificiall fires, which tho&s;e who defended the Fort of <HI>Sauromates</HI> did continually ca&s;t up, which made it manife&s;t that they were a&s;&s;aulted; and that the &s;ilence which then reigned was not a &s;ilence of peace, which would not be broken after Sun was up, unle&s;&s;e by the harmonie of Birds. Truth is, there was not a &s;ouldier in both Armies which did not certainly know that there would be a generall Combate the next day: for the &s;cituation of both Camps was &s;uch, as was equally impo&s;&s;ible to retreat without the danger of defeat by being for|ced to fight in di&s;order and confu&s;ion. For being both inclo&s;ed within a Plain compa&s;&s;ed about with wood, one might well &s;ay that both Nature and Fortune did contribute un|to a nece&s;&s;ity of fighting. But <HI>Cyrus,</HI> being incomparable in all things, did teach his men by his own example, that brave men mu&s;t expect great dangers in &s;ilence, &amp; without unquietne&s;&s;e. Therefore as &s;oon as he had vi&s;ited all the Courts of Guard, which he had placed for the &s;afety of his Camp: he pa&s;&s;ed the re&s;t of the night in a Tent, which &s;tood in the head of his Infantry: he commanded al&s;o that they &s;hould wake him, an hour be|fore day; as if he had thought his de&s;ire of Glory not enough to do it: yet his men could not obey him; for as ha&s;ty as they could be, he was before them. And <HI>Mazares, Myr&s;iles, Intaphernes, Atergatis,</HI> and <HI>Artamas,</HI> were no more &s;luggards then that vali|ant Prince whom they followed. But though the night had been hu&s;ht and quiet, yee <HI>Au|rora</HI> was tumultuous: The fires of both Camps extingui&s;hed as the &s;tarres did; And there was then in both Campes a noi&s;e compo&s;ed of &s;o many &s;everall noi&s;es, and &s;uch an Ecchoing Murmure as all the field was fill'd with it. The Birds them&s;elves, (except &s;uch as live upon what death allowes them, and alwaies follow Armes) did for&s;ake the Woods all about: and as the night &s;pake the &s;oft language of Peace, the break of day &s;poke in the thunder of War, with as grim as it looked; yet had &s;omething of delight in it. In the mean time, as quick as the Suns Cour&s;e is, yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> had given his la&s;t orders before it apeared in our Hori&s;on: and gave them with &s;o much judgement, and made tho&s;e who received them, to under&s;tand them &s;o well, as if he had in&s;pired both &s;pirits and hearts fit to execute them: his whole Army moved together in an in&s;tant all at once, and kept &s;uch evenne&s;&s;e, as they came clo&s;e to the Enemy without the lea&s;t di&s;order, though they went with &s;uch an impetuo&s;ity, as the pre&s;ence of <HI>Cyrus</HI> u&s;ed to in&s;pire into all his Troopes; and which without any ra&s;hne&s;&s;e, onely made their vigour and impatience of fighting to appear. In the mean time, on that &s;ide towards the right wing, there was a
<PB N="176" REF="887">
tall and thick Wood, which the valiant and experienced <HI>Terez</HI> had lined with a thou|&s;and Archers, who began to fight; yet found he not that advantage which he expected: for <HI>Cyrus</HI> fore&s;eeing that the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans</HI> would not leave that place unlined, he cau&s;ed a party of Hor&s;e to fall upon that thou&s;and Archers, and placed &s;ome foot al&s;o among&s;t his hor&s;e, between every &s;quadron. So that the&s;e Archers being vigorou&s;ly charged, they were forced to yield: yet &s;aved not them&s;elves by flying, for they were every man of them killed upon the place where they lay in ambu&s;cado. But the prudence of <HI>Cyrus</HI> moving him to think that his Troops might be &s;quandered in the Wood, he commanded <HI>Ma|zares</HI> to wheel about the Wood to the right hand, with his fir&s;t brigade, to prevent that di&s;order. So as this Generous Rivall obeying him, <HI>Cyrus</HI> in the head of the &s;econd brigade, and towards the left &s;ide of the Wood he advanced to the Enemy, with all the Gallants of his Army: and advanced with the &s;ame valour, wherewith he had vanqui&s;hed others. In the mean time <HI>Mazares,</HI> who was as valiant as amorous, and who was well knowing in the art of War, wheeled about the Wood without any di&s;order, and to lo&s;e no time, he cau&s;ed the body which he commanded to draw towards the right hand, to the end he might a&s;&s;ault the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans</HI> on the flank, whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> a&s;&s;aulted them in the Front.</P>
<P>The ambitious <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> who commanded the left wing of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans,</HI> was extreamly &s;urpri&s;ed, when contrary to his expectation he &s;aw him&s;elf a&s;&s;aulted on two &s;ides; for he was confident in the thou&s;and Archers which <HI>Terez</HI> had placed in the Wood, through which he knew any mu&s;t pa&s;&s;e before they could come and a&s;&s;ault him on that &s;ide: yet for all his &s;urpri&s;e, hee behaved him&s;elf like a man of courage: and though he might be taxed with want of a little fore&s;ight; yet could not be accu&s;ed for want of valour; And indeed he did very gallantly re&s;i&s;t &s;ome &s;quadrons which a&s;&s;aulted him: but without &s;ucce&s;&s;e: For as there is nothing &s;o dangerous as to alter the orders of Troops, in the face of a terrible Enemy. So upon the very fir&s;t &s;hock <HI>Mazares</HI> broke many &s;qudrons of <HI>Thomiris;</HI> So that the Troops of <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> tumbled one over ano|ther as &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> charged them in Per&s;on; and fled with &s;o much precipitation, as ne|ver was the like di&s;order &s;een.</P>
<P>But &s;ince th is valiant Prince knew that flying Enemies are already overcome, he ne|ver followed them; but de&s;iring to find a more noble &s;ubject unto his valour; he appoin|ed <HI>Mazares</HI> to vanqui&s;h the Cavalry which he had already &s;quandered, le&s;t they &s;hould rally again; and went him&s;elfe &s;treight unto the Enemies Infantry, again&s;t whom he did even miracles, as afterwards you &s;hall hear; But that you may better &s;ee, how victory followes <HI>Cyrus</HI> and none el&s;e; It chanced that whil&s;t he had put to flight all that &s;tood in head again&s;t him, and thought it not fit to follow them, and whil&s;t he wheeled about his &s;quadrons again&s;t the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettan</HI> Infantry, not one of his men being out of Ranke, he conceived him&s;elf able to go behind the Army of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and advantagiou&s;ly fall upon that victorious wing which had routed <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> who&s;e Brigade indeed was the deci|ding point of the Battle.</P>
<P>Thus it may wel be &s;aid, that his Prudence and his Valour were almo&s;t equal gainers; and forced Fortune to render Ju&s;tice unto the equity of his cau&s;e; &amp; he routed them. However the eternally renowned <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not quietly enjoy this greet glory which he had gotten and vvell de&s;erved: for &s;ince his Rivall vvas yet living, and <HI>Mandana</HI> not relea&s;ed, he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> thought him&s;elf not at al happy. Yet he was joyed to hear that his intelligence concerning <HI>Ciaxares</HI> was not true; yet tho&s;e reports did not ri&s;e without &s;ome ground: for doubtle&s;&s;e, the King of <HI>Medes</HI> was &s;o extreamly grieved at this la&s;t carrying away of <HI>Mandana,</HI> that he fell &s;o extreamly &s;ick, as all in <HI>Ecbatan</HI> feared his death, and all the Kingdome thought him dead. <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not joyed at this newes only, becau&s;e he loved <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> though he had held him Pri&s;oner; but al&s;o becau&s;e the Prince&s;&s;e &s;hould not be grieved at her Fathers death at a time when &s;he was deprived of all con&s;olation, and loaded with all mi&s;eries. And that &s;he might hear nothing of it, he made continuall skirmi&s;hes upon all favourable occa&s;ions.</P>
<P>But after <HI>Cyrus</HI> had entirely defeated the left wing of his Enemies (as I told you had a&s;&s;aulted the Infantry of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans,</HI> and a&s;&s;aulted them in &s;uch order and vigour without the lea&s;t di&s;order in his owne, hee al&s;o routed the Infantry of <HI>Callipides;</HI> tho&s;e of the <HI>I&s;&s;edons;</HI> and quite defeated tho&s;e of the two <HI>Scythian</HI> Kings.</P>
<P><PB N="177" REF="887">
But when he was in this glorious condition, wherein hee might well hope to be quickly Conqueror, he &s;aw upon a &s;udden the pittifull-&s;tate unto which his left wing was brought; and plainly &s;aw, that all did ab&s;olutely depend upon tho&s;e Forces which were with him. So that to lo&s;e no time, in following tho&s;e whom he had al|ready Routed; he thought onely of Conquering tho&s;e, who had Routed his men. So that after he had by his looks put fre&s;h hearts into his men, he for&s;ook his new got Victory and went to fall upon that part of the Army of <HI>Thomiris</HI> which had routed his; and finding them all carele&s;&s;e, and in &s;uch a negligence as Victory u&s;eth to put them into, who know not how to u&s;e it after it is gotten, he entirely defeated them without much pain. And &s;o it happed, that tho&s;e who e&s;caped the Victory of <HI>Cyrus</HI> by flying, were met withall by <HI>Mazares.</HI> Thus the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> had the glory to vanqui&s;h tho&s;e, who vanqui&s;hed his; Entirely to defeat the two wings of his Enemies Army; and to have vanqui&s;hed a great part of <HI>Thoniris</HI> her foot. There remained now, none but a huge body of Infantry to fight with, which being compo&s;ed onely of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans,</HI> were placed near the Artillery of that Army: and who &s;eemed to &s;tand in &s;uch a re&s;olute Po&s;ture, that it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee that they would defend their lives and liberties, with the la&s;t drop of that blood; the valiant <HI>Terez</HI> commanded this body: but being very lame by rea&s;on of the former received wounds, hee could not ride; but alwaies was carried in a little Chariot. This old experienced Captain, be|ing thus in the head of the&s;e <HI>Ma&s;sagettans, Cyrus</HI> a&s;&s;aulted them; and he made the more ha&s;t, becau&s;e hee under&s;tood by &s;ome Pri&s;oners which were taken, that the Prince <HI>Aripithis</HI> was coming up with a Pui&s;&s;ant Army of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> and that hee was already in the Wood; al&s;o under&s;tanding that <HI>Mazares</HI> (who was in pur&s;uite of tho&s;e whom he routed) had not met with <HI>Aripithis,</HI> hee thought it be&s;t to fall on this Enemy before the other was joyned. Yet he had but few hor&s;e with him, for they were all bu&s;ie in Pillaging after the la&s;t Victory. But for all that, or without &s;taying for the body of his Re&s;erve, he couragiou&s;ly charged the Enemy, though hee had but few hor&s;e to back him. But after he had beaten all the &s;everall bodies of <HI>Thomiris</HI> Army, and not finding <HI>Ariantes,</HI> he charged this in hopes of meeting with him. However <HI>Terez</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Cyrus</HI> come in with &s;uch fury, yet moved not: but commanded his men not to draw an Arrow untill all their Enemies wree within le&s;&s;e then Arrow-&s;hot; But when <HI>Cyrus</HI> was vvithin that di&s;tance, <HI>Terez</HI> that old Souldier, opened his Batta|lions, and gave &s;uch a volley from their Engines, and Bowes, that the Aire vvas ob|&s;cur'd, and the Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> extreamly galled; and if the extream valour of that Prince had not held up their hearts, tho&s;e vvho vanqui&s;hed others had novv been vanqui&s;hed them&s;elves. But as good luck vvas, <HI>Terez</HI> had no Cavalry to repul&s;e them, and &s;o &s;ince he could make no advantage of their di&s;order, they did not recoyl: but <HI>Cyrus</HI> did &s;o enharten them, that he led them on again. But <HI>Terez</HI> having time enough to charge his Engines again, this &s;econd a&s;&s;ault had no better &s;ucce&s;&s;e then the fir&s;t. And it was the third time before the Conqueror of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> could break the&s;e fierce Enemies, though he did things which were ab&s;olute Prodigies; and though the Princes with him did &s;ignalize them&s;elves by a thou&s;and acts of courage. Yet all this re&s;olute valour of the&s;e <HI>Ma&s;sagettans,</HI> was u&s;ele&s;&s;e to them; for <HI>Cyrus</HI> having cau&s;ed the body of his re&s;erve to advance; and &s;ome other Troops whom hee had &s;ent in pur&s;uite, being returned, he compa&s;&s;ed about this valiant Infantry on all &s;ides. So as the&s;e couragious Ma&s;&s;agettans, having no way left but to render them&s;elves, and &s;ince they might do it with honour, they made &s;uch &s;ignes as tho&s;e u&s;e who demand quarter, and the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;iring to &s;ave the lives of &s;uch brave men, ad|vanced towards them to take their words, and to give his; but &s;ince he advanced without making any &s;ign of giving quarter, they thought he came to a&s;&s;ault them, &s;o that di&s;charging their engines and Arrows afre&s;h, all tho&s;e who followed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;aw that Prince in &s;uch imminent danger, that out of their loves to him, they fell up|on the&s;e valiant Ma&s;&s;agettans without any orders, and &s;o a&s;&s;aulted them on all &s;ides at once, that they quite broke them, and di&s;per&s;ed their Battalions: In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> moved with a generous Pa&s;&s;ion to &s;ee &s;o many brave &s;ouldiers like to pe|ri&s;h, his action was as glorious, in &s;triving to &s;ave them as it was a little before in
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killing others; for maugre all the tumult and confu&s;ion, hee ran into the mid&s;t of the Conquered, and Conquerors, crying as loud as ever he could that quarter &s;hould be given to the Ma&s;&s;agettans, menacing with heroique fury, all tho&s;e who helped him to get the victory, if they did not pardon the Conquered and obey him. This command was no &s;ooner heard, but pre&s;ently the Souldiers of <HI>Cyrus</HI> cea&s;ed killing, and the Ma&s;&s;agettans charmed with the clemency of their Conqueror, threw down their Armes, and flocked all about him, looking upon him then as their Protector, whom a minut before they fought again&s;t as their enemy: Indeed their was not an Officer, who did not de&s;ire the honour of rendring him&s;elfe unto that Prince, and not a common &s;ouldier who at lea&s;t longed not to come near him, and they &s;eemed not &s;orry for lo&s;ing the Battle, &s;ince &s;o great and clement a Prince had gotten it; and their actions were &s;o &s;ignificative to expre&s;s the high thoughts they had of this <HI>Hero</HI>'s clemency, that words needed not to expre&s;s them; for maugre the tumult which could not be appea&s;ed in an in&s;tant, they acknowledged that their joyes to &s;ee their illu&s;tri|ous Conqueror did much comfort them for being Conquered.</P>
<P>In the meane time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing that Conquerors mu&s;t never &s;leepe in the Armes of a Victory, as &s;oone as he had &s;aved the live of the&s;e valiant <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans,</HI> had given Orders for the &s;afety of the Pri&s;oners, and had commanded to have a care of the body of the valiant <HI>Tlerez,</HI> who was killed at this bout, hee intended pre&s;ently to Rallie his victorious Troopes, purpo&s;ely to relieve <HI>Mazares,</HI> in ca&s;e he had met and were repul&s;ed by <HI>Aripithis;</HI> and to goe him&s;elfe and fall upon the Prince of <HI>Sauro|mates,</HI> if he dur&s;t come out of the Woods unto the Plaines. But as he was bu&s;ied in Rallying them together, <HI>Mazares</HI> who had been in pur&s;uite of his Enemies, arived, and acquainted <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that <HI>Aripithis</HI> not daring to engage him in the Plaine, kept &s;till in the Woods, where he had received into the narrow pa&s;&s;es, the Troopes which he had broken; adding, that for all this, he pur&s;ued them ha&s;tily, and under&s;tood by &s;ome pri&s;oners taken in the Woods, that the Forces of <HI>Aripithis</HI> which had not fought, were retreated in &s;uch confu&s;ion, that one could hardly di&s;cern them from tho&s;e who defeated them. But can you not learne from tho&s;e Pri&s;oners (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> after he had in few words commended <HI>Mazares</HI> for what he had done) the rea&s;on why I &s;hould not meet with <HI>Ariantes</HI> all this day, though I have mo&s;t carefully &s;ought for him? nor can you not learne where <HI>Thomiris</HI> was during the fight? or in what place the Prince her Sonne fought? As for <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;ir, replied <HI>Mazares,</HI> you were not likely to meet him, for while&s;t you &s;ir were defeating the Left-wing of his Army, he fought in the Right, and routed your Left-wing: &s;o that while&s;t you were a&s;&s;aulting his Infantry, he left the wing which he commanded, to helpe tho&s;e whom I pur&s;ued; but &s;eeing he could not, and knew by tho&s;e whom you routed, that you had vanqui&s;hed his victorious wing; he went to joyne with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> who &s;tayed in that part of the wood where <HI>Aripithis</HI> was to come. So that &s;eeing no like|lihood of victory, they &s;ent Orders to tho&s;e Forces which were before the Fort, to retire, and they them&s;elves al&s;o are retired: <HI>Aripithis</HI> &s;taying farre in the wood with his forces, I did not think good to engage him in the narrow Pa&s;&s;es, but came to you &s;ir, to tell you, that there is none who can di&s;pute the victory to you, but as for <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> I know nothing. <HI>Mazares</HI> had no &s;ooner done &s;peaking, but <HI>Cyrus</HI> de|&s;iring to teach his men by his example, that all ble&s;&s;ings come onely from heaven, he fell downe upon his knees, and looking up to the Sunne, which is the adored Deity of the <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI> he gave thanks for the victory: Thus he was &s;eene victorious in the mid&s;t of a field full of dead and dying men, under the homage of his valour unto the God whom he adored. All his Troopes after his example did the like, and eve|ry one according to the Religion of his Country, did the like gratitude for &s;uch a &s;ignall victory: indeed never was any more compleat, the whole Army of the Ene|my was vanqui&s;hed, not a &s;quadron un&s;cattered and undi&s;per&s;ed. Few of the Officers, but what were either kil'd or pri&s;oners: the valiant <HI>Terez</HI> dyed in the head of that couragious Infantry which fought the la&s;t: All the Enemies Engines and Batteries were taken, and &s;erved for a Trophie of Glory unto the Conqueror; their Bag|gage enriched all the Souldiers of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his Army; and in te&s;timony of this great
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Conquerors victory, he incamped in the Enemies Campe; but his greate&s;t glory was, that <HI>Myr&s;iles, Artamas, Intaphernes, Atergates, Gobrias, Gadates, Indathir&s;es,</HI> and all that were at this great dayes worke, did publi&s;h aloud, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> alone wonne the bat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">el.</P>
<P>And it is mo&s;t certaine, without any flattery of him, that the prudence by which he guided his valour, did get him the day; for had he not re&s;trained the impetuo&s;ity of his courage, and the forwardne&s;s of his Troopes, when he had broken the Left-wing of his Enemies, things had not &s;ucceeded &s;o happily. For <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> having led on his Troopes with a little too much precipitation, they were pre&s;ently routed; not but that hee did &s;ignalize him&s;elfe upon that occa&s;ion, and &s;hewed much courage; but yet after he had received a great wound in his right Arme, and was carryed out of the fight, he had the &s;orow to &s;ee that wing which he commanded quite put to flight; many battalians of his Infantry torne in pieces, all his Engines taken by the <HI>Ma&s;&s;a|gettans;</HI> and indeed to have &s;eene all his men peri&s;h, had not the body of Re&s;erve advanced in the Areare to their reliefe. Thus one would have &s;aid, that the victory had been on both &s;ides; for the Right-wing of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> where he him&s;elfe was, did rout the Left-wing of <HI>Thomiris:</HI> and the Right-wing of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> where <HI>Arian|tes</HI> was, did rout the Left-wing of <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<P>But while&s;t this double victory was on either &s;ide, the Infantry was not idle; for that of <HI>Cyrus</HI> advanced again&s;t that of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans.</HI> After all, the mo&s;t plea&s;ing of his thoughts upon this occa&s;ion was, to imagine that the noi&s;e of his victory would reach <HI>Mandana;</HI> and that &s;he would thank him for what he had done to deliver her.</P>
<P>As he was thus enjoying the &s;weet fruits of his victory, in thinking upon his Prince&s;s, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> came ha&s;tily to him, and told him, that one of the Pri&s;oners who had the honour to be taken by his own hand, was the Prince <HI>Spargapi&s;es.</HI> How? (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> the Son of <HI>Thomiris</HI> my Pri&s;oner? Yes Sir, (replyed <HI>Chri&s;antes)</HI> But tho&s;e unto whom you committed all the Pri&s;oners in guard, having ob&s;erved that this Prince whom they knew not, had made more endeavours to e&s;cape then any of the re&s;t, and &s;eeing that they had a great number to guard, they bound him for the more &s;ecuritie; but a Ma&s;&s;agettan who had &s;een me heretofore with you at the Tents Royall, not being able to endurethe Son of his Queen to be in that condition, and con&s;idering that I could not know him, becau&s;e he was at <HI>I&s;sedon,</HI> when you Sir were with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> he acquainted me who he was, in hopes of better u&s;age: but <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> hearing and ob&s;erving that I under&s;tood his language, he called unto me: Since I cannot conceal my &s;elfe (&s;aid he unto me) I pray let <HI>Cyrus</HI> know how his men u&s;e me like a &s;lave, and I de&s;ire &s;o much favour from him, as to be treated as a Pri&s;oner of Warre, and not to be tyed up as I am. This Prince had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but going to him, I endeavoured to let him know that you would be extreamly &s;orry for the u&s;age he had received, and I would pre&s;ently have cau&s;ed him to be unbound, but he who had the chief command of the guard not being there, the Souldiers who under&s;tood not what that Prince &s;aid unto me, would not lo&s;e him, &s;o that I came in all ha&s;t to acquaint you Sir, that you may give orders for it. <HI>Cyrus</HI> no &s;ooner heard what <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> &s;aid, but he imagined that <HI>Mandana</HI> would be loaded with the &s;ame chains <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> was, and that <HI>Thomiris</HI> would revenge upon her the hard u&s;age her Sonne had received, &s;o that being both griev'd and vexed at what his men had done, though he was very glad of &s;uch a Pri&s;oner, he &s;ent <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> with <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> to cau&s;e him to be delivered, and to bring him to his Tent, commanding them to tell <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> that he had ra|ther have been bound him&s;elfe, then to &s;ee &s;o great a Prince as he in &s;uch a condi|tion.</P>
<P><HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;autes,</HI> according to the orders of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> went to <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> and unbound him with their own hands, after they had told him what <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;aid: As long as they &s;poke, this young Prince (who was very lovely, though of a &s;urly deportment) did hearken to them without any interruption, but he hearkened unto them with &s;uch a fretting look, as made it &s;eem he took his misfortune with much impatiency, &s;o that de&s;iring to comfort him, they added unto what <HI>Cyrus</HI> had
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al&s;o charged him with a Letter to <HI>Dorali&s;&s;a, Feraulas</HI> another to <HI>Marte&s;&s;ia; Hida&s;pes</HI> and <HI>Gobrias</HI> de&s;ired him to enquire very carefully whether a Lady came unto <HI>Thomi|ris,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> conducted by a man who&s;e name was <HI>Licander. Ado|nacris</HI> al&s;o writ by him unto <HI>Agathir&s;es,</HI> who he knew was with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and thereby moved him to compo&s;e things as much as he could: And <HI>Anabaris</HI> al&s;o writ unto all his friends which he had in that Court to do the like. Thus <HI>Ortal|gues</HI> was charged with &s;o many different commi&s;&s;ions, that he &s;tood in need of all his wit to acquit him&s;elfe well of them all: <HI>Mazares</HI> had a good mind to &s;end one unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> but he Ma&s;tered him&s;elfe, and contented him&s;elfe with thinking upon her, without moving her to think upon him. In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> talked a long while with <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> in private; after which, that &s;age Scythian went with the Envoy of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> who went next the Chariot which carryed the Corps of <HI>Spargapi&s;es:</HI> But a&s;&s;oon as they were gone, <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave him&s;elfe wholly to fitt his Army for an advance towards the Tents Royall, in ca&s;e <HI>Tho|miris</HI> did not change her mind, as there was no great likelyhood &s;he would. In the mean time <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in &s;uch a mi&s;erable condition, as no &s;ignes of any victory was to be &s;een in him. <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;uffered incredible torment of mind; and <HI>Mandana,</HI> though a Captive, yet had more &s;weet minutes then they all had; for &s;ince the fame of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his victory had reached her ear, maugre all the oppo|&s;itions of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> &s;he was extreamly well &s;atisfied, and talked merrily with <HI>Dorali&s;&s;a:</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;&s;ia.</HI> The Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bithina,</HI> were joyed beyond meafure, for they verily believed that it was advan|tagious for them that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould be Conqueror; and the fair <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> whom <HI>Lican|der</HI> had brought unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> was in the &s;ame mind.</P>
<P>In the meane time, <HI>Ariantes</HI> u&s;ed all his endeavour to Rallie that Army which <HI>Cy|rus</HI> had Routed: and gave all requi&s;ite orders for &s;ecuring and guarding the narrow pa&s;&s;es in the Wood, that his Rivall might not advance towards the Tents Royall, un|till all the Forces of <HI>Thomiris</HI> were joyned. <HI>Aripithis</HI> who bore a deadly hatred unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> becau&s;e he was per&s;waded, that if <HI>Thomiris</HI> had not loved him, he &s;hould have been happy; therefore he endeavoured all he could to give a &s;top unto the Victories of that Prince. Yet he wi&s;hed with all his heart that <HI>Mandana</HI> were out of the Power of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and his mind was &s;o ravelled that he knew not him&s;elf what to wi&s;h. Since his Troopes did not yet fight, he &s;tayed at the entry into the wood, to &s;top <HI>Cyrus</HI> if he advanced. So it happed, that when <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> was killed a Pri&s;oner e&s;caped, for this accident made &s;uch a noi&s;e, as the Pri&s;oners were more carele&s;ly guarded; their &s;ouldiers lurking &s;ome nights in the woods, at le&s;t came to the place where <HI>A|ripithis</HI> was. This Prince knowing hee had been a Pri&s;oner unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> asked him what newes; The &s;ouldiers having but a confu&s;ed knowledge of <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> death, &s;aid, that that Prince was taken: That the &s;ouldiers of <HI>Cyrus</HI> bound him, and carried him into a Tent &s;eparate from theirs, and that a little time after it was &s;aid he was dead, Yet adding afterwards, that the &s;ouldiers of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aid he killed him&s;elf. <HI>Ari|pithis</HI> de&s;iring no more, then to drive <HI>Cyrus</HI> out of the heart of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> made u&s;e of this report, to that end; Not that he did &s;u&s;pect <HI>Cyrus</HI> would ever kill <HI>Spargapi&s;es:</HI> but knowing that <HI>Thomiris</HI> was of a violent &s;pirit; and that the tale of this &s;ouldier was &s;omething probable, and enough to make that Queen think that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had trea|ted her &s;on very ill; he moved this &s;ouldier by large promi&s;es of recompence, to tell <HI>Thomiris</HI> the &s;ame tale he told him, and to chu&s;e his time when he &s;hould be pre&s;ent. At fir&s;t, this &s;ouldier dorred at it: for the valour and clemency of <HI>Cyrus</HI> having gain|ed his heart, he was unwilling to infu&s;e any &s;u&s;pitions of cruelty into <HI>Thomiris.</HI> But at la&s;t, <HI>Aripithis</HI> telling him, that it highly concerned <HI>Thomiris</HI> to know it, and joyn|ing menaces with his promi&s;es, he undertook it. So that as &s;oon as <HI>Aripithis</HI> came to the Tents Royall and was with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> this &s;ouldier pre&s;ented him&s;elf, and told the Queen what he had told <HI>Aripithis:</HI> to wit, that the Prince her Son was taken Pri&s;oner; that they bound him; that he was carried into a Tent by him&s;elf; and that pre&s;ently after it was reported he was dead, which made &s;uch a hurley burley, that in the interim he e&s;caped. <HI>Thomiris</HI> no &s;ooner heard this from the &s;ouldier, but <HI>Aripi|this</HI>
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added, that he knew as much from two others, though he dur&s;t not tell her. Is it po&s;&s;ible (cryed out <HI>Thomiris)</HI> That my Son &s;hould be dead? Dead by orders from <HI>Cyrus?</HI> Is <HI>Cyrus</HI> capable of &s;uch a bloody Act, again&s;t all the Lawes of Honor or War? Is his hatred of me &s;o high, as it makes him violate all manner of Rights? Since &s;o, I mu&s;t and will be revenged. As &s;he pronounced the&s;e words, one came and told her, that <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> was come with the me&s;&s;enger &s;he &s;ent to <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and brought the body of the Prince her Son. She no &s;oooner heard this, but all in a fury, &s;he went out, and pa&s;&s;ed from Tent to Tent, untill &s;he came unto one which opened into a great Plain, as if &s;he would her &s;elf go &s;ee whether this was true or no: But as &s;oon as &s;he came into this great Tent, &s;he &s;aw the Coffin in which the Prince her Son did lie. This &s;ad object both grieving and amazing her, and her mind being al&s;o highly incen&s;ed to think that the man whom of all the World &s;he loved be&s;t, &s;hould kill her Son, &s;he was almo&s;t &s;tarke mad. She no &s;ooner &s;aw the Coffin, but after &s;uch a &s;ad cry; as would have tendered a heart of &s;tone, &s;he addre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf unto <HI>Anachar&s;is:</HI> How dur&s;t you (&s;aid &s;he unto him with eyes ful of fury) bring me any thing from the murthe|rer of my Son? who certainly would never have &s;ent me his Corpes, but becau&s;e hee hoped it would be my death. The Phra&s;e you give Madam unto that great Prince who &s;ent me to you, doth &s;o ill and &s;o little &s;ute unto him, (&s;aid <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> to her) that I am forced to interrupt your Maje&s;tie, and to hinder you from wronging the Generous, and mo&s;t illu&s;trious Prince upon Earth. Ah <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> (cryed &s;hee) I mu&s;t interrupt you: For I cannot endure to hear a Prince commended who has treated my Son &s;o ill, who cau&s;ed him to be bound like a &s;lave, and who has mo&s;t inhumanely &s;tabbed him. I be&s;eech you Madam (replyed <HI>Anachar&s;is)</HI> be plea&s;ed to receive the truth from my mouth, and harken not unto tho&s;e Lies which are belched out by the Enemies of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> For believe it Madam; confidently believe it, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> never treated <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> ill: But on the Contrary, &s;ent in all ha&s;t to unbind him; and was grieved to the &s;oul when he heard that young and generous Prince had &s;tab|bed him&s;elf, as &s;oon as ever he was unbound. Since I was not in the Tent where that unfortunate Prince dyed, replyed &s;he, I cannot directly tell the pa&s;&s;ages: But I am &s;ure that in all likelyhood, <HI>Cyrus</HI> cau&s;ed him to be killed. For he was bound, and none of the Pri&s;oners be&s;ides; he was carried into a Tent by him&s;elfe: and as &s;oon as two men came to him from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> his death was pre&s;ently publi&s;hed. Al&s;o though it bee as you &s;ay; yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> is not innocent: for though my &s;on did not die by any order from him, yet the rigour which was u&s;ed to him, did cau&s;e his death: and therefore I charge you to &s;ay no more in his behalf; but command you to tell him from mee, that I declare eternal War with him: That in revenge of my &s;ons death, I will loaden <HI>Mandana</HI> with more Irons, then that unfortunate Prince carried. And that within a few daies I will &s;end him back the Corps of that Prince&s;&s;e whom he adores, in the &s;ame Coffin which brought my Sonne. As &s;he &s;aid &s;o, the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> coming to her, and hearing the&s;e words, hee grew pale with fear and wonder; So that his love of <HI>Mandana</HI> moving him, he was nece&s;&s;itated to ju&s;tifie his Rivall, le&s;t the vio|lence of <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;hould become dangerous. Al&s;o &s;hee had no &s;ooner pronounced terrible words, but <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;poke unto her with as much reverence as &s;orrow: you know Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that Fate hath brought me into that condition, as I can never be a friend unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> but have many rea&s;ons to hate him; Yet for al that, honour bids me tell your Maje&s;ty, that I can never believe that <HI>Cyrus</HI> did either u&s;e ill or kill the Prince <HI>Srargapi&s;es;</HI> for he is one that &s;tands more upon his glory, then to have his hand in any ba&s;e act; and I mu&s;t tell you Madam, that <HI>Mandana</HI> being in your hands, it is not credible he &s;hould ever do &s;uch a thing. I know (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that this Prince had no rea&s;on for it, but I know better, that how&s;oever it was, he was the cau&s;e of my &s;onnes death, and if I cannot be revenged upon him, yet I ought, and will upon <HI>Mandana,</HI> and therefore (added &s;he, tran&s;|ported with fury) I take it ill you &s;hould &s;et limits to my vengeance, and ju&s;tifie the murtherer of a Prince in pre&s;ence of his Corps, and unto whom you &s;hould have been &s;ubject. For Heavens &s;ake Madam (&s;aid <HI>Atachar&s;is</HI> then) &s;tifle all the&s;e thoughts, and let your rea&s;on &s;urmount your &s;orrows; for I am mo&s;t confident, that
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to morrow you will repent of this daies thoughts. I have already told you (replied &s;he) that I will hearken no more unto you; yet tell <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that if within three daies he will come and put him&s;elfe into my fetters, I will &s;pare <HI>Mandana</HI>'s life, if he will not, I will take my cour&s;e, and in lieu of &s;eeing her in triumph, as he hoped, he &s;hall &s;ee her in <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> Co&s;fin. <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;eeing her &s;o incen&s;ed, would have &s;aid &s;omething to appea&s;e her fury; but abruptly left them, after &s;he had given three commands. The Fir&s;t, to &s;et the Corps of <HI>Spargapi&s;es</HI> in one of her Tents, in the hands of Religious men: the &s;econd to double the guards upon <HI>Mandana:</HI> and the third, that <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> &s;hould depart that very minute, and not &s;peak unto any one living. And indeed this wi&s;e and victorious Scythian, was forced to obey this unju&s;t Prince&s;s, and carry unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> the &s;adde&s;t news that ever he received, &s;ince <HI>Mazares</HI> told him at <HI>Synope,</HI> that <HI>Mandana</HI> was drowned.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>The end of the Ninth Part.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 N="10" TYPE="part">
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<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR THE GRAND CYRUS. THE TENTH AND LAST PART.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="book">
<HEAD>BOOK I.</HEAD>
<P>_SINCE <HI>Ortalgues</HI> was not with <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> when he had audie|ence from <HI>Thomiris,</HI> becau&s;e he was bu&s;ied in di&s;charging him&s;elfe of tho&s;e Letters which he took upon him to deliver; Tho&s;e who were to &s;ee <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> depart that very houre from the Tents Royall, never thought upon him: So that <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> with tho&s;e who waited upon the Corps of <HI>Spar|gapi&s;es,</HI> went away without <HI>Ortalgues.</HI> But when <HI>Anachar|&s;is</HI> came to the la&s;t guard of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans,</HI> which was at the &s;trait pa&s;&s;age in the wood; and began to think upon the Gulfe of &s;orrow which the &s;oule of <HI>Cyrus</HI> would be plunged into, to reflect upon all the mi&s;eries of this life, and to con&s;ider the &s;ad con&s;equences which do commonly follow all violent Pa&s;&s;ions: How happy did he think him&s;elfe, in that he had wholy &s;ubdued all his pa&s;&s;ions unto his rea&s;on? and that he was above the reach of fortune, in &s;corn|ing all that &s;hee was able to do unto him, and in applying him&s;elfe only unto the love of vertue, and &s;tudy of Philo&s;ophy; yet he &s;tood in need of all his wi&s;dome, to keep him&s;elf from murmuring again&s;t the gods whom he adored, for expo&s;ing <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto &s;o many di&s;a&s;terous adventures; But his greate&s;t care was, to find out &s;uch words as might &s;weeten that me&s;&s;age which he was to deliver unto him from <HI>Tho|miris:</HI> yet that labour was &s;aved; for this revengfull Prince&s;&s;e imagining that <HI>Ana|char&s;is</HI> would not deliver her me&s;&s;age in &s;uch tearms as &s;hee expre&s;&s;ed, did &s;end an emi&s;&s;ary of her own unto <HI>Cyrus;</HI> not only to &s;ee that her me&s;&s;age was fully de|livered, but al&s;o to know his preci&s;e an&s;wer. So that though this envy from <HI>Tho|miris</HI> did &s;et out two hours after <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> yet making more ha&s;t then he did, he overtook him, before he came to the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> where <HI>Cyrus</HI> was. Thus this wi&s;e <HI>Scithian</HI> had not power to le&s;&s;en his &s;orrows, by concealing a little, the fury of <HI>Thomiris;</HI> for he was &s;ure that this me&s;&s;enger would &s;peak her me&s;&s;age in
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her own words. However, this great and mi&s;erable Prince no &s;ooner knew that <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> was returned with a me&s;&s;enger from <HI>Thomiris</HI> but his heart and &s;pirits did begin to beat a turbulent and di&s;ordered pul&s;e: hopes and feares did &s;ucce&s;&s;ively rai&s;e and deject him. There was then pre&s;ent with him, <HI>Mazares, Artamas, Ater|gates, Intaphernes, Hida&s;pes, Ara&s;pes,</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas.</HI> But though much inquietude and impatience appeared in all their faces; yet it was ea&s;ie to di&s;cern, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mazanes</HI> had &s;uch a curio&s;ity to know the bu&s;ine&s;s of this envey from <HI>Thomiris,</HI> as could not po&s;&s;ibly proceed but from one and the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion. Indeed, they had both of them &s;uch a de&s;ire to heare how that Queen received the news of her Sons death, and were &s;o affraid lea&s;t &s;he &s;hould have &s;ome revenging re&s;olutions upon <HI>Mandana,</HI> as they expre&s;&s;ed their &s;orrows and their feares in every wrinkle of their faces. They did communicat their &s;adne&s;&s;e and impatiency by their very looks: Though <HI>Mazanes</HI> did &s;till &s;trive as much as ever he could to hide &s;ome part of his re&s;entments, purpo&s;ely to hide his love from his generous Rivall, with whom he neither could nor would di&s;pute for <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet he had much ado. But at la&s;t <HI>Cy|rus</HI> commanded that <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> &s;hould enter, and the me&s;senger from <HI>Thomiris</HI> to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ay in the next Tent untill he was a little in&s;tructed what to &s;ay unto him. Come wi&s;e <HI>Anacharsis,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> to him, as &s;oon as he appeared) how has <HI>Tho|miris</HI> received you? Alas Sir, (replyed he and &s;ighed.) I would the fidelity that I owe unto you would permit me to di&s;gui&s;e &s;ome part of that Prince&s;s &s;ury from you: But &s;ince you mu&s;t know it, and &s;ince this me&s;senger will not mince it, I mu&s;t tell you, that this unju&s;t Queen did receive me &s;o unworthy both of you and her &s;elfe, that even the very wor&s;t is to be feared, and nothing that is good is to be hoped for Alas <HI>Anacharsis</HI> (cryed <HI>Cyrus</HI> out) &s;o there be nothing to feare concerning <HI>Man|dana:</HI> Let fortune do her wor&s;t, any way el&s;e, and I will freely abandon my &s;elfe unto the furie of <HI>Thomiris:</HI> But what's her greif? and what unju&s;t revenge does &s;he draw from the death of <HI>Epargapnes?</HI> Sir (&s;aid <HI>Anacharsis</HI> then) &s;ince it is not impo&s;|&s;ible but her mind may change &s;ince I left her, I conceive it fityou know what this me&s;&s;enger will tel you, before I impart what &s;he commanded me to &s;ay unto you, for upon &s;econd &s;erious con&s;ideration, I canot beleeve &s;he can continue in &s;uch unju&s;t thoughts, but will even abhorre her own inju&s;tice. Since you will not tell me what <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;aid (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> you give me &s;ome cau&s;e to think that &s;he does intend the mo&s;t horrid cruelty in the world; And that &s;hee intends to loaden the Prin|ce&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> with the weight of her Irons. <HI>Anacharsis,</HI> being de&s;irous to make him feare the very wor&s;t, did returne him two or three (&s;omething) indirect an|&s;wers; to the end that fearing the wor&s;t, he might apprehend le&s;s fears, afterwards. So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> imagining, that perhaps <HI>Thomiris</HI> intended to put <HI>Mandana</HI> to death broke out into &s;uch &s;ad expre&s;&s;ions, as <HI>Anacharsis</HI> thought it time to tell him the truth: and &s;o in few words he accquainted him, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> did accu&s;e him for killing her &s;on; and commanded him to tell him, that if he did not render him&s;elfe within three dayes under her power, &s;hee would &s;end back the body of <HI>Mandana</HI> in the &s;ame Coffin, in which he &s;ent the body of her Son. Yet to your comfort Sir (con|tinued is <HI>Anacharsis)</HI> I mu&s;t in all tell tell you, that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> does all he can to ju&s;tifie you in the opinion of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and you may be a&s;sured his di&s;po&s;i|tion is &s;uch, as that he will oppo&s;e the fury of this incen&s;ed Queen, as much as ever he can. Alas <HI>Anacharsis</HI> (cryed out <HI>Cyrus</HI> in a &s;ad di&s;paire) nothing can &s;top the reveng of &s;uch an humour as, <HI>Thomiris</HI> is off: And, I &s;ee my &s;elf in the &s;adde&s;t con|dition of any man in the world. For my particular (&s;aid <HI>Mazanes</HI> with much &s;ad|ne&s;s) I am per&s;waded that <HI>Thomiris</HI> for her own intere&s;t will not put <HI>Mandana</HI> to death. But I am fully per&s;waded (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that &s;hee will; only be re|venged upon mee, unle&s;s I will ruine my &s;elfe: And I am fully re&s;olved to do it, rather then hazard this mo&s;t excellent Prince&s;s. However I mu&s;t heare what the me&s;&s;enger from this cruell Queen will &s;ay: Then commanding he &s;hould enter, this <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetan</HI> told <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that <HI>Thomiris</HI> fearing <HI>Anacharsis</HI> &s;hould not fully deliver his me&s;&s;age &s;he &s;ent him, to let him know that if within three dayes, he did not ren|der him&s;elfe unto her, &s;he would put <HI>Mandana</HI> to death, and &s;end him her Corps. Will you unju&s;t Queen, (replyed <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ternly) that within this three dayes &s;hee that have my an&s;wer: and tell her al&s;o; that if &s;hee offer any violence unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mundana,</HI> I will not pardon one of the Pri&s;oners who are in my
<PB N="3" REF="892">
hands; and laying a&s;ide that re&s;pect which hitherto I ever bore her, though &s;hee was my enemy, I will mo&s;t hotly pur&s;ue her, untill I have revenged the Prince&s;&s;e whom &s;hee &s;hall wrong; Yet I will hope, that you will find the mind of the <HI>Ma&s;|&s;agettan</HI> Queen changed when you are returned to her; and that &s;he will repent of her Inju&s;tice and cruelty, again&s;t a Prince who never offended her: But once more, I charge you to tell her, it is her be&s;t to take heed of injuring the Prince&s;&s;e. <HI>Man|dana:</HI> a&s;&s;ure her, it concerns the lives of all the Pri&s;oners which are, or ever &s;hall be in my power. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> having di&s;mi&s;&s;ed the me&s;&s;enger, he was a while &s;i|lent, con&s;idering what to re&s;olve upon. At fir&s;t, he thought it be&s;t to march im|mediatly to the Tents Royall, to force the pa&s;&s;es; and in the head of his Army, to &s;ave the life of his Prince&s;&s;e: but afterwards con&s;idering that the more he pre&s;&s;ed upon <HI>Thomiris,</HI> the more rea&s;on he had to fear <HI>Mandana,</HI> and than the nearer the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agetan</HI> Queen was unto her ruine, &s;he would the &s;ooner ha&s;ten <HI>Mandanas,</HI> he knew not what to re&s;olve upon. But as his great heart advi&s;ed him to fight, &s;o his love per&s;waded him, rather then to hazard his Prince&s;&s;e, to put him&s;elfe into the hands of <HI>Thomiris:</HI> Provided &s;he would relea&s;e <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet &s;ince it was not like|ly &s;he would relea&s;e her, though he &s;hould put him&s;elfe into her power, he re|jected that thought as well as the re&s;t. In the mean time, con&s;idering the &s;tate of things, he mu&s;t either &s;ubmit him&s;elf her Pri&s;oner, or endanger the life of <HI>Mandana.</HI> So as not knowing what to re&s;olve upon, his mind was &s;o turbulent, as not being able to enclo&s;e his &s;orrows in his own heart; for heavens &s;ake (&s;aid he unto all the company) tell me each of you, what you think to be my be&s;t cour&s;e, and what I &s;hould do, not to hazard the life of my Prince&s;&s;e? But I be&s;eech you, con&s;ider only her, and never care what becomes of mee: Advi&s;e me what I &s;hall do to &s;ave her, and never con&s;ider my Army, nor my Conque&s;ts, nor my life, for I am &s;o farre from all the&s;e con&s;iderations, that I do not value my own Glory, in competition of her &s;afety. And though it be a &s;hame for the Conqueror of <HI>Thomiris</HI> to take her fetters upon him; yet I am mo&s;t ready to do it, unle&s;&s;e you can find out &s;ome other way to keep my Prince&s;&s;e from peri&s;hing. I know ther's none among&s;t you who dare tell me, it is requi&s;ite to receive fetters from the hands of a Queen whom I have conquered, but unle&s;&s;e you find me out &s;ome better expedient, I &s;hall tell it un|to my &s;elf: For my part Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Anachar&s;is)</HI> I conceive the be&s;t expedient is to draw the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e out at length, by returning a dubious an&s;wer, and &s;o gaine time for the Prince <HI>Arcantes</HI> either to per&s;wade <HI>Thomiris</HI> unto rea&s;on, or el&s;e til he get him&s;elfe into a condition able to give a &s;top unto her violences. Alas wi&s;e <HI>Anachar|&s;is</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> It &s;eems you are ignorant of the height of that pa&s;&s;ion which po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;eth me, &s;ince you think it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould love, even but a few dayes, in &s;uch a cruel incertainty. The truth is, (added <HI>Mazones</HI> mo&s;t &s;adly) minuts wherein the life of <HI>Mandana</HI> is feared, &s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">m very long unto tho&s;e who are neerly interre&s;ted in her. Since I am well acquainted with the power of Love, replyed <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> I do ea&s;ily under&s;tand your meaning: but to &s;peak unto the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e (as I do think) I can never beleeve that Queen who had never made warre, but only to make her &s;elf loved, will ever give &s;o great a provocation of hatred unto him of whom &s;hee de&s;ires to be loved, as this, to put the Prince&s;&s;e whom he adores to death.</P>
<P>Since <HI>Thomiris</HI> is reported to be of a mo&s;t ha&s;ty and violent temper, replyed <HI>A|tergatis,</HI> what you &s;ay is no &s;ecurity for <HI>Mandanas</HI> life: But my greate&s;t hope is in the love of <HI>Arcantes:</HI> for &s;ince his pa&s;&s;ion hath been &s;o high as to make him forget his duty unto the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus:</HI> and &s;o violent as to attempt &s;o bould an act, as to carry her away before his face, doubtle&s;&s;e he will be as forward and ingenious as to pre&s;erve <HI>Mandanas</HI> life, and to find out away of &s;topping the violence of <HI>Tho|miris.</HI> Though he &s;hould not, replyed <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> yet I cannot beleeve that <HI>Thomiris</HI> will offer to make any attempts upon the life of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana:</HI> For being fre&s;hly defeated.</P>
<P>It were the mo&s;t &s;en&s;el<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;e peece of imprudence in the world, to incen&s;e her Con|queror, by any &s;uch cruelty, and therefore I cannot beleeve shee will ever offer it. Since shee receives fre&s;h forces from &s;everall places, replyed <HI>Ara&s;pes,</HI> the con&s;idera|tion of the Battell lo&s;t will not hinder her revenge: But, as the Prince <HI>Atergates</HI> mo&s;t wi&s;ely &s;aid, <HI>Ariantes</HI> will give a &s;top and doubtle&s;&s;e oppo&s;e her with good &s;ucce&s;&s;e: for his Cau&s;e will appeare &s;o ju&s;t, that I doe beleeve all the Subjects of
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<HI>Thomiris</HI> would turne Rebells, if &s;he &s;hould command them to put the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> to death. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and addre&s;&s;ed his &s;peech to <HI>Cy|rus)</HI> I am very well acquainted with all the re&s;entments that, either love or jealou&s;y can infu&s;e, and I cannot beleeve that the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettan</HI> Queen will ever put the Prin|ce&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> to death, but only gives out this thundring threatning, to keep you Sir, from advancing towards her, untill her fre&s;h forces be come up, and joyned un|to the re&s;t of her &s;hattered Army. I mu&s;t confe&s;s, if &s;he were too hard pre&s;&s;ed upon, di&s;paire might perchance move her unto any thing: And I do beleeve that if you were in her power, the life of <HI>Mandana</HI> would be then more in danger then it is: But as the &s;tate of things &s;tands, I cannot think &s;he dares revenge her &s;elfe upon a Prince&s;&s;e, who&s;e death would turne all rationall men living to be her enemies. I &s;ee, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that you give me your opinions, of what I am to fear or hope for, but I do not &s;ee that you tell me, what I ought to do; yet &s;omething I mu&s;t do: I am engaged to an&s;wer this unju&s;t Prince&s;&s;e; and I mu&s;t an&s;wer &s;o as may not endanger <HI>Mandana.</HI> The propo&s;ition which the wi&s;e <HI>Anacharis</HI> made, replyed <HI>Artamas,</HI> &s;eems to me mo&s;t expedient, for a dubious an&s;wer will give you time to argue with this furious Queen, and will give the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> al&s;o lea&s;ure to contrive the &s;afety of <HI>Mandana.</HI> Oh Heavens, (cryed <HI>Cyrus</HI> out) unto what a mi&s;erable con|dition am I brought? &s;ince I mu&s;t expect the &s;afety of my Prince&s;s from a Rivali whom I would have killed, and who mu&s;t peri&s;h unle&s;&s;e I peri&s;h my &s;elf: No no, I cannot re&s;t in this condition: I mu&s;t u&s;e more violent remedies unto the mi&s;ery which torments mee: For though I &s;hould give an ambiguous an&s;wer unto this un|ju&s;t Prince&s;&s;e, yet after all, I mu&s;t make it cleer, and &s;till returne unto the &s;ame point where I was. Tis true Sir, replyed <HI>Anachar&s;is;</HI> but to bring you unto my o|pinion, let me tell you Sir, than to &s;top the execution of any wicked act, e&s;pecially an act of cruelty, there needs no more but to defer the fir&s;t motions of it, for I am confident that there are very few people in the world who are &s;o extreamly wicked, as to c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e long ob&s;tinate in the intentions of any unhumane action Moreo|ver, be ple<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> con&s;ider that <HI>Thomiris</HI> is not naturally wicked: The furie that is now in her mind is but a &s;tranger, and therefore its likely, that if one give her lea&s;ure to examine the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e &s;he will not do what you do feare, &s;ince it is a thing oppo&s;ite to her own intere&s;ts. For if <HI>Mandana</HI> were out of her power, what &s;urety had &s;he, if &s;he &s;hould fall into yours? whereas, &s;he having her, &s;he can make her peace when &s;he plea&s;eth, and when&s;oever &s;he is plea&s;ed to re&s;tore that Prince&s;s &s;he is able to di&s;arme you: Therefore Sir, let it not too much trouble you: Doe all that <HI>Prudence</HI> dictates unto you, and leave the re&s;t unto the godds, who will ne|ver &s;uffer &s;o vertuous a Prince&s;s as <HI>Mandana</HI> to dye a death &s;o tragicall. Alas, wi&s;e <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> As great a confidence as I have in the Ju&s;tice of the godds, yet I dare not tru&s;t them with the life of my Prince&s;s, for their wayes are a|bove the reach of all men: and we do &s;o often &s;e the innocent become mi&s;erable, and the wicked pro&s;perous, that all <HI>Mandanas</HI> virtue, is no &s;ecurity to me again&s;t the inju&s;tice of <HI>Thomiris:</HI> yet I will follow your Coun&s;ell, and when the time comes give &s;uch an an&s;wer as you advi&s;e. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeming as if he de&s;ired to be alone, all the company retired, and left him at liberty to dige&s;t his own &s;orrows. Yet they were no &s;ooner gone, but this terrible menace of <HI>Thomiris</HI> coming into his mind, it did &s;o di&s;compo&s;e all his thoughts that hee knew not what to re&s;olve upon, and &s;ometimes he could &s;ee no way but to put him&s;elfe unto the power of the incen&s;ed Queen: for when he fancied <HI>Mandanas</HI> body in <HI>Spurgapi&s;ies</HI> Coffin, his rea&s;on roved and th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ad imagination, made him think <HI>Mandana</HI> really dead: yet his love &s;ugge&s;ting many <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">multuous thoughts, he no &s;ooner re&s;olved upon one thing but he pre&s;ently condemned it, and &s;ince he could find no way which was infallible &s;afe|ty for <HI>Mandanas</HI> life, he could not &s;tay long in any one thought: and the nicenes of his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;&s;ion made him think that <HI>Mandana</HI> had great rea&s;on to upbraid him here|after if he did not put him&s;elf in Pri&s;on to relea&s;e her: But the greate&s;t difficulty was how he &s;hould be &s;ure of her &s;afety, if he did a&s;&s;ume her <HI>Chaines:</HI> for <HI>Tho|miris</HI> would not relea&s;e her untill he was in her fetters, and there was not rea&s;on he &s;hould a&s;&s;ume them before &s;he was at liberty. But alas (added he) this unju&s;t Prin|ce&s;&s;e did not &s;ay &s;he would relea&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> if I put my &s;elfe into her power, but only &s;aid, that &s;he would not put her to death: Fie, fie, cruell <HI>Thomiris</HI> (pur&s;ued
<PB N="5" REF="893">
hee) can you threaten a Prince &s;o cruelly, who when he could have killed you, did let fall the point of his Sword? and who out of his re&s;pects to you, did injure his love? unju&s;t Prince&s;s! Can <HI>Mandana</HI> be in your power and you not love her? Can you think me culpable for being faithfull to her? Can you know her and threaten her life? Is it po&s;&s;ible any &s;hould be &s;o cruell as to obey you, if you &s;hould command them to take away her life? yet <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> heard this di&s;mall menace from your own mouth: and I have heard it from your Emi&s;&s;arie. After this, the &s;oule of <HI>Cyrus</HI> being &s;added with this di&s;mall thought, his mind was full of confu&s;ed fancies, which refu&s;ing and di&s;ordering all his faculties be had not &s;o much liberty, as to rea|&s;on the matter aright for a long while: But at la&s;t, the&s;e dull Clouds beginning to di&s;&s;ipate, and the eyes of his rea&s;on &s;eeing cleerer, he looked upon things as he ought to do, and &s;aw no way more rationall then that which <HI>Anachare&s;is</HI> advi&s;ed him unto. Yet &s;ince this Councell did more &s;atisfie his rea&s;on then his love, he did &s;omewhat more then it; and &s;ent <HI>Teraccles</HI> &s;ecretly unto <HI>Arcantes,</HI> to tell him, that he committed the life of <HI>Mandana</HI> unto his Guard; Prote&s;ting unto him that his own Per&s;on &s;hould an&s;wer for hers, if <HI>Thomiris</HI> put her to death: And to &s;hew the height of his love, he fully re&s;olved, according as <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;hould &s;ay after the ambiguons an&s;wer which he would make her, to put him&s;elfe into the power of that Queen, Provided &s;he would both &s;pare the life of that Prince&s;s, and relea&s;e her: So that his heart being at &s;ome re&s;t after this re&s;olution taken, he found him&s;elfe able to think upon what an&s;wer he &s;hould &s;end unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> which might &s;pin out the time to a length. And after he had well thought upon it, he re&s;olved to &s;end <HI>Chri|&s;antes</HI> the third day, to tell this unju&s;t Prince&s;s, that before he would put him&s;elfe into her hands, it was requi&s;ite he &s;hould know what &s;ecurity &s;he would give him for the life of <HI>Mandana,</HI> declaring unto her, that there was no other, then to &s;et her at liberty, and &s;end her to the King of <HI>Meades.</HI> But to have two &s;trings unto his Bow, he intended to advance with his whole Army, the &s;ame day which <HI>Chri&s;an|tes</HI> departed, and quarter him&s;elfe at the very entrance into the wood, to the end, the an&s;wer of <HI>Thomiris</HI> might be more moderate. But though this Re&s;olution was the mo&s;t rea&s;onable which he could take, yet he was not &s;atisfied with it: and he thought that there was a better cour&s;e to be taken, though he knew not what it was &s;o as relap&s;ing into his complaints he was in a very mi&s;erable condition. <HI>Mazares</HI> for his part, his &s;ufferings were incredible, and they were the more &s;harp, becau&s;e he dur&s;t not let them be &s;een, lea&s;t by &s;hewing his &s;orrows, he &s;hould &s;hew his love. <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> were full of inquietudes; for they conceived that if bu&s;ine&s;&s;e were more intangled, the Prince&s;s whom they loved would not be over|&s;afe in the hands of <HI>Thomiris. Gobrias</HI> and <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> had the very &s;ame thoughts for <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> the fir&s;t, concerned as a father, the &s;econd as a lover. <HI>Myr&s;yles,</HI> in his affection unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> had much &s;orrow, for &s;ince he knew <HI>Mandana</HI> loved her, his love made him fearful, that the revenge of <HI>Thomiris</HI> would fall al&s;o upon her: So that, whether out of intere&s;t and concernment, or out of compa&s;&s;ion upon the my|&s;eries of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> There were very few in the whole Army who were not &s;ufferers, and full of &s;orrows. But the time when <HI>Cyrus</HI> was to returne his An&s;wer being come, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas,</HI> being ready to depart, the fir&s;t unto the Ma&s;&s;aget|tan Queen, and the other &s;ecretly unto her brother, It was told <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that a man, taken at the entrance into the wood, de&s;ired to &s;peak with him, from <HI>Ariantes:</HI> At this very word, <HI>Cyrus</HI> trembled, not only out of hatred to his Rivall, but out of feares to heare &s;ome &s;ad news from the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana.</HI></P>
<P>So as being extreamly impatient to know what his enemy had &s;ent unto him for, he commanded him to be brought in, and as hee was in this fearefull impatience de|&s;iring to know what he feared, This me&s;&s;enger from <HI>Ariantes</HI> came unto him, and &s;peaking in a low voice, did with much exactne&s;s and reverence, deliver his me&s;|&s;age. Sir, (&s;aid he unto <HI>Cyrus)</HI> The Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> knowing your affection unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> was afraid <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ea&s;t you &s;hould do as the Ma&s;&s;agettan Queen de&s;ires, out of your feares to hazard <HI>Mandanas</HI> life. Therefore, in acknowledgement of his obli|gations to you, and out of his de&s;ire to &s;erve the Prince&s;s whom he adores, he hath commanded me to tell you, that you mu&s;t be &s;ure to keep your &s;elfe out of the power of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and as long as you did &s;o, he would an&s;wer for the life of <HI>Man|dana:</HI> But on the contrary if you did not, then perhaps, he &s;hould not be able to
<PB N="6" REF="894">
&s;ave her, but Sir, Lea&s;t my me&s;&s;age &s;hould be &s;u&s;pected, I be&s;eech you keep me in your cu&s;tody, until the &s;ervant of yours called <HI>Ortalgues,</HI> returnes from the Tents Royall, and acquaints you with the &s;tate of things, and what the Prince <HI>Arcantes</HI> hath done for the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana.</HI> Since he is to returne this night (added he) I &s;hall not be long in cu&s;tody, but will a&s;&s;ure you that when you &s;ee him, you will not doubt of the &s;incere advice which the Prince <HI>Arcantes</HI> gives you, though he be your Rivall and your enemy.</P>
<P>Since I may very well doubt the hone&s;ty of a Prince who once deceived me, in carrying away the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> I will take you at your word; and &s;ince <HI>Ortalgues</HI> in to returne this night, I will &s;et you at liberty againe to morrow morning, after this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> committing this Ma&s;&s;agettan into the cu&s;tody of tho&s;e who brought him in, re&s;olved to &s;tay the &s;ending of <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> unto <HI>Thomiris</HI> that night, there being yet time enough to returne the an&s;wer hee had promi&s;ed. Though this Me&s;sage from <HI>Ariantes</HI> might well have been a comfort unto him, yet his inquietude redoubled: for be&s;ides his mi&s;tru&s;t of a Rivalls Me&s;|&s;age, he was in extream unpatience, untill <HI>Ortalgues</HI> returned, &s;o that he could not re&s;t in any place: And certainly, he had great rea&s;on to de&s;ire the knowledge of what he longed for, becau&s;e pa&s;sages at the Tents Royall might very well alter &s;ince the departure of <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> and the me&s;senger from <HI>Thomiris.</HI> And indeed, that unju&s;t Queen, had no &s;ooner commanded <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> to depart without &s;peaking unto any, but <HI>Mandanas</HI> Guards were doubled: <HI>Ariantes</HI> unto whom the life of that Prince&s;s was &s;o deere, had rather <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould enjoy her, then to &s;ee her dye, and therefore, he went immediatly, and made &s;ure of her Guards, and went to work &s;o hand&s;omly and happily, that unknown unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> he was more Ma&s;ter of <HI>Man|danas</HI> Guard, then <HI>Thomiris</HI> was a Mi&s;tris. That which did much facilitate the de&s;ign of the Prince, was becau&s;e he who commanded tho&s;e forces which were de&s;igned for <HI>Mandanas</HI> Guard, had a brother who was Pri&s;oner unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> So that being concerned in the pre&s;ervation of this Prince&s;s life: <HI>Ariantes</HI> made it appeare unto him, that his brother was lo&s;t for ever, if <HI>Thomiris</HI> put <HI>Mandana</HI> to death: &s;o that either out of a re&s;entment of honour, or compa&s;&s;ion, or intere&s;t of his Brother, or friend&s;hip unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> or all, he promi&s;ed rather to dye, then <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;hould put <HI>Mandana</HI> to death. <HI>Ariantes</HI> being well &s;atisfied with this, he went and plot|ted with all his friends, and endeavouring to make &s;ure of &s;ome of tho&s;e Captains whch had e&s;caped from the Battell, he told them all that was po&s;&s;ible to make them abhorre this di&s;mall intention of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and ju&s;tified <HI>Cyrus</HI> as much as ever he could concerning the death of <HI>Spargapices,</HI> to the end that the de&s;ign of his Si&s;ter might appeare the more unju&s;t. Furthermore <HI>Ortalgues</HI> who was concealed in a friends Tent, all the time he was in the Tents Royal, he &s;aluted the friend of <HI>Ana|baris</HI> and <HI>Adonacris,</HI> to oppo&s;e <HI>Thomiris.</HI> So as there was a great hurley burley in their Court. Moreover, <HI>Ortalgues</HI> going to vi&s;it <HI>Gelonide,</HI> he incited her to &s;erve <HI>Mandana.</HI> But yet &s;he could not deliver tho&s;e Letters which he had for that Prin|ce&s;s, only promi&s;ed him to per&s;wade <HI>Thomiris</HI> unto rea&s;on with all the Arguments &s;he was able to produce. <HI>Ortalgues</HI> in this great di&s;order, could not deliver any of the Letters which he undertook, except tho&s;e unto <HI>Adonacris</HI> and <HI>Anabaris.</HI> And the pre&s;ervation of <HI>Mandanas</HI> life did &s;o wholly take up his mind, that he could not think of any thing el&s;e. In the mean time, this unfortunate Prince&s;s wondered at the doubling of her Guards. <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> no le&s;s then &s;hee. Yet they were greeved much more, when enquiring of one of the Guards the Cau&s;e, he told them, &s;o as expecting every minute when <HI>Mandanas</HI> throat &s;hould be cut, the&s;e two generous minded Ladies were greeved beyond all comforts. On the other &s;ide, the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> having not the liberty to &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> and enquiring the &s;tate of things, they were exceedingly &s;ad. <HI>Arpa|&s;ia</HI> for her part, &s;he found her &s;elfe in a mi&s;erable condition, by being in the Court of a Queen who was capable of &s;o great a peece of Inju&s;tice. And <HI>Aripithis</HI> him|&s;elfe, who was the cau&s;e of all this tumult, was extreamly vexed to &s;ee <HI>Thomiris</HI> as full of love as fury, and to &s;ee that the mea&s;ure of the one was the mea&s;ure of the other.</P>
<P>Though all the&s;e &s;everal-Per&s;ons did &s;uffer very much, yet all was nothing in com|pari&s;on of what <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;uffered. For Love, Hatred, Revenge, Jealou&s;ie, and
<PB N="7" REF="894">
all Pa&s;&s;ions, did &s;hiver her heart with &s;uch violence, as I a&s;&s;ure you &s;he was in a mo&s;t &s;trange Condition. The truth is, after the fir&s;t fury was over, &s;he &s;aw there was no Coulor to &s;u&s;pect <HI>Cyrus</HI> of killing <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> yet &s;he was very Cautious of not divulging this thought: for having a De&s;ign to revenge her &s;lighted love upon <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he would &s;till have this &s;ad Pretence for her Revenge to blind the eyes of the People: So that though &s;he could not &s;ee the hands of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;tained with the blood of her Son, yet &s;he would &s;hed the blood of <HI>Mandana,</HI> purpo&s;ely to take away the cau&s;e of that Princes Love; yet &s;ometimes &s;he doubted of his inno|cency, and looking upon him as the Murtherer of <HI>Spargapi&s;es,</HI> &s;he would make him|&s;elf a Sacrifice upon the Coffin of her Son.</P>
<P>But after the&s;e tumultuous Motions had ruffled her mind, thinking &s;omtimes that perhaps <HI>Cyrus</HI> would put him&s;elf into her Power, part of her Fury cooled, and &s;he began to con&s;ider what &s;he &s;hould do to ju&s;tifie <HI>Cyrus</HI> before the People, and ju&s;ti|fie her &s;elf before <HI>Cyrus.</HI> So that being &s;omtimes &s;urprized with thoughts of Re|venge and hatred, and &s;omtimes with thoughts of Love, &s;he was a&s;hamed at her own weakne&s;s, and abhorred her own Cruelty; but the&s;e good Intervals came not often, but commonly Fury was the Mi&s;tre&s;s of her Rea&s;on. Con&s;ider <HI>Thomiris,</HI> (would &s;he &s;ay) and be carefull to keep up the great Pretence thou ha&s;t to be re|venged of thy proud Enemy, who hath &s;o cruelly affronted thee: and though thou art &s;ure, he did not kill thy Son, yet &s;till look upon him as the cau&s;e of his death; for though he were innocent, yet he is Culpable of &s;o many others, that he de&s;erves thy hatred. Truth is, he is a trouble to thy tranquility, he hath cau&s;ed the to lo&s;e all the innocency of thy life, and he hath made the do things again&s;t thy own Glo|ry. Pur&s;ue him therfore to death, and be revenged upon a Prince&s;s who is the cau&s;e of his &s;corning thee. Con&s;ider that the Pa&s;&s;ion which he rai&s;ed in thy heart, hath &s;ent thy Son to his Grave: and that the fire of thy love hath kindled &s;uch a Warr, as nothing perhaps will extingui&s;h, but the blood of all thy Subjects. Sacrifice therfore <HI>Mandana</HI> as the fir&s;t Victim of thy Revenge, and &s;tay till <HI>Cyrus</HI> be him|&s;elf in a condition to be Sacrificed as a Victim unto thy Re&s;entments. But what am I doing (&s;ayd &s;he, and reprehended her &s;elf) and what do I &s;peak in my Fury? I talk of Sacrificing a Prince who whether I will or no, does Raign in my heart, and who no &s;ooner would be in my power, but I &s;hould be ab&s;olutely in his? Can I &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> a Pri&s;oner and look upon him with eyes and heart of hatred? yes, yes I can, for &s;ince he comes into my Chains only out of his love to <HI>Mandana,</HI> doubtle&s;s I &s;hall hate him more then ever I loved him: After this, <HI>Thomiris</HI> being re&s;olved to give way unto her fury, intended to move the hearts of the People by the Funerals of <HI>Spargapi&s;es;</HI> to the end &s;o &s;ad an Object might animate the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans</HI> to re|venge the death of their Prince, And indeed this &s;ad Ceremony moved many tears. <HI>Aripathes</HI> in particular was deep in mourning, and &s;o was <HI>Ariantes:</HI> But after the Ceremony was ended, <HI>Ariantes</HI> followed <HI>Thomiris</HI> to her Tent, and having made &s;ure of many friends, particularly of <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> and <HI>Agathi&s;es,</HI> he talked to her very boldly in favour of <HI>Mandana,</HI> moving her to &s;end her back unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> So as this Prince&s;s being exa&s;perated &s;he an&s;wered him very &s;harply: but <HI>Ariantes</HI> was re&s;olute and cared not; therfore: he went on, and told her all that was fit to be &s;poken, both for her own Glory, and the Pre&s;ervation of that Prince&s;s whom he lo|ved. For I mu&s;t profe&s;s unto you, Madam, &s;ayd he unto her, that &s;ince &s;he never had been in your power but for me, I will do all that I am able to get her from you, if you offer to attempt any thing again&s;t her. Since you are able to do but little, (&s;ayd &s;he very &s;harply to him) I &s;hall not much value what you do: In the mean time. I charge you to &s;ee me no more till I &s;end for you, I will obey you, Madam, replyed <HI>Ariantes,</HI> but I pray take it not ill if I do &s;top you in all you &s;hall attempt again&s;t <HI>Mandana.</HI> If <HI>Cyrus</HI> do put him&s;elf under my power (replyed &s;he) you need not fear that Prince&s;s: If he do not I &s;hall follow my own advice, and not yours.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Ariantes</HI> having left her, &s;he went into a Tent which was her Clo&s;et, and called for <HI>Aripithes,</HI> purpo&s;ely to give him &s;everall Orders for oppo&s;ing <HI>Arian|tes,</HI> if he &s;hould attempt any thing: but it was to late; For this Prince had not only got almo&s;t all the Officers and Sou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">s on his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, but he had al&s;o &s;ent unto tho&s;e Forces which were coming up, to make &s;ure of them al&s;o, if need were. More|over;
<PB N="8" REF="895">
<HI>Aripithes</HI> though glad to be imployed by <HI>Thomiris,</HI> yet he was very fearfull lea&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould become her Pri&s;oner; imagining that if ever <HI>Thomiris</HI> &s;aw him, all her fury would dye. Al&s;o he being adverti&s;ed that <HI>Ariantes</HI> had many friends, and that this re&s;olution of <HI>Thomiris</HI> to put <HI>Mandana</HI> to death, did incen&s;e all men of any honour; he plainly &s;aw that he was Ma&s;ter only of that body which was un|der his Command: And this act of cruelty &s;eemed &s;o horridly &s;trange unto all the World, that he dur&s;t not ab&s;olutely tru&s;t unto that neither.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the wi&s;e <HI>Gelonide</HI> knowing that there was no thwarting the fury of <HI>Thomiris</HI> at fir&s;t, yet now thought it time to &s;peak, and endeavour to re|duce her unto Rea&s;on: Therfore &s;triving to in&s;inuate her &s;elf hand&s;omly into the mind of the enraged Queen, &s;he did not vehemently contradict her, but on the con|trary excu&s;ed her violencies by &s;ome &s;hallow rea&s;ons; &s;o that &s;he might afterwards without incen&s;ing her, produce more &s;ollid Arguments to per&s;wade her. And in|deed, when &s;he was alone with <HI>Thomiris,</HI> &s;he complained again&s;t the lamentable con|dition into which Fortune had brought her, and pittied her that &s;he &s;hould be brought unto &s;uch a cruell nece&s;&s;ity, as to be revenged upon &s;o great a Prince as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was. For though <HI>Gelonide</HI> did wi&s;h with all her heart, that <HI>Thomiris</HI> did not love that Prince, yet as the ca&s;e &s;tood, &s;he thought no way better to re|&s;train her hands from the blood of <HI>Mandana,</HI> then by the intere&s;t of her love. Therefore fetching a compa&s;s the better to arrive at her end, truly, Madam, (&s;ayd &s;he unto her, after much other di&s;cour&s;e) you are much to be pittied in your &s;eeking revenge upon a Prince who is &s;o much in Fortunes favour, and &s;o much e|&s;teemed by all the World: For though they &s;ay, Revenge is &s;weet, yet I am per&s;wa|ded that a Soul truly generous cannot &s;eek revenge without abundance of Repug|nancy, e&s;pecially when it mu&s;t be &s;teeped in blood. However, Madam (added &s;he very cunningly) I hope your Soule hath changed its Pa&s;&s;ion, and though it be troubled with the di&s;quiet con&s;equences of Hatred, yet it is freed from the con&s;equencies of Love; Alas <HI>Gelonide</HI> (replyed &s;he) I am more mi&s;erable then you imagine me, and this fir&s;t Pa&s;&s;ion hath not driven the other out of my heart. But I be&s;eech you, Madam (replyed <HI>Gelonide)</HI> what likely-hood is there you &s;hould love <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;till? for if you did you would never &s;trive to make him hate you, by per&s;ecuting <HI>Man|dana,</HI> for I am mo&s;t confident that <HI>Cyrus</HI> would hate you much le&s;s for per&s;ecuting him&s;elf then for per&s;ecuting her whom he adores: and therfore, Madam, if you do not hate that Prince, think &s;eriou&s;ly upon what you do, and if you will be advi&s;ed by me, in lieu of menacing the life of that Prince&s;s, you &s;hall protect it, and force that Prince by your genero&s;ity, to confe&s;s you merit his E&s;teem, if not his Affecti|on. But I am mo&s;t &s;ure, Madam, that if you &s;hed the blood of this Prince&s;s, and do not hate <HI>Cyrus,</HI> you will make your &s;elf the mo&s;t mi&s;erable woman in the World: and therfore con&s;ider well upon it, if you do hate him, then I grant you may &s;atis|fie your revenge by the mo&s;t cruell and fatall wayes: But if you do not hate him, give a &s;top unto your fury, and con&s;ider that if you do put <HI>Mandana</HI> to death, <HI>Cyrus</HI> will do the like to you. And though tis po&s;&s;ible the love of <HI>Cyrus</HI> may dye with this Prince&s;s, yet he will be &s;ure to be your Enemy if you did put her to death. Honour doth &s;o engage him to make Warr upon you, that though he &s;hould here|after love you, yet he dur&s;t not entertain any peace with you. Therfore, Madam, &s;ound your heart to the bottom, and take he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d lea&s;t thinking to entertain only ha|tred, you find it to be all love. I have heard &s;ay indeed, that the&s;e two Pa&s;&s;ions, as oppo&s;ite as they are, yet do &s;omtimes &s;o di&s;gui&s;e them&s;elves in &s;uch fallacious &s;hews, as they cannot be known from each other; and when one hath thought he acted by dictates of Hatred, it was indeed by dictates of Love. Alas <HI>Gelonide</HI> (&s;ayd the Queen) I have to my &s;hame found all this to be true: For I mu&s;t with a blu&s;h confe&s;s that <HI>Cyrus</HI> is not out of my heart, and if I did not love him &s;till, I &s;hould not &s;eek re|venge upon <HI>Mandana:</HI> However I do carry it, as if I would revenge the death of my Son, though to &s;peak truth, my heart doth not accu&s;e him for it: Yes, yes <HI>Ge|lonide,</HI> &s;ince I mu&s;t open my heart unto you, I do look upon him as ungratefull to|wards me, and not as if he were the Murtherer of <HI>Spargapi&s;es.</HI> Thus at the very &s;ame time, whil&s;t I taxe him in Publick with this horrid Crime, I do ju&s;tifie him in the Clo&s;et of my heart as much as I can. Since it is &s;o, Madam, replyed <HI>Gelonide,</HI> you mu&s;t carry it otherwi&s;e, and not put your&s;elf into &s;uch a State, as it will be impo&s;|&s;ible
<PB N="9" REF="895">
for you to be happy, if Fortune &s;hould wheel about: For, Madam, if you do not proceed to the very la&s;t Extremity, who knows but you may hereafter have <HI>Cy|rus</HI> in your Power: he may chance be your Pri&s;oner of Warr, and may perchance become fettered in your Chains by Love, if you u&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> well; at lea&s;t this Prince will e&s;teem you more, and may happily in the end do ju&s;tice both unto your Merit and your Affection: Who knows al&s;o whether tho&s;e Forces which are com|ing up to joyn with yours, may not get you the advantage over <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as now he hath it over you? and whether <HI>Ciaxares</HI> may not be brought to demand Peace up|on no other condition, but to exchange <HI>Cyrus</HI> for <HI>Mandana?</HI> And who knows whe|ther this happy Peace may not &s;atisfie the Pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Ariantes</HI> and you both? There is &s;o little probability in all you &s;ay (replyed <HI>Thomyris</HI> and &s;ighed) that I cannot flatter my &s;elf with any thoughts of it: However, Madam, replyed <HI>Gelonide,</HI> though it be not probable, yet it is not impo&s;&s;ible. But if you put <HI>Mandana</HI> to death, it is ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould either love you, or make any Peace with you? Ah <HI>Gelonide,</HI> replyed &s;he, you are a great &s;top unto my Revenge: Why will you hinder me from the enjoyment of the only Plea&s;ure that I can ever hope for? yet I find your words make a deep impre&s;&s;ion in my heart, and my fears to incurr the hatred of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> re&s;train me from hating <HI>Mandana.</HI> I wi&s;h with all my heart, Madam, replyed <HI>Gelonide,</HI> that I were able to ea&s;e your Maje&s;ty of your &s;uf|ferings, but &s;ince I cannot, yet I would per&s;wade you if you love <HI>Cyrus,</HI> not to pro|voke him to hate you, by Sacrificing <HI>Mandana</HI> unto your Revenge. For by that means I &s;hould pre&s;erve your glory, and perhaps &s;omthing &s;atisfie the pa&s;&s;ion which raigns in your Soul. As for my Glory, replyed <HI>Thomyris,</HI> I value it not, for &s;ince I do not e&s;teem my &s;elf, I care not whether others do e&s;teem me, or no. As <HI>Thomyris</HI> was &s;peaking this, an old Officer of hers, who had ever been very faithfull and affe|ctionate to her Service, came to tell her how he was very certainly given to under|&s;tand that <HI>Ariantes</HI> was Ma&s;ter of all her Forces, and that he had &s;ent unto tho&s;e who were coming up, that he, who guarded <HI>Mandana</HI> was wholly at his Command; and that the People in generall began to fear the anger of the Gods if &s;he &s;hould put this innocent Prince&s;s to death; that they began to murmure, and perhaps would Rebell, if &s;he per&s;i&s;ted in her De&s;ign.</P>
<P>Since this advi&s;e came from a man whom &s;he knew mo&s;t faithfull, it made &s;ome impre&s;&s;ion upon her Spirits: and <HI>Gelonides</HI> di&s;cour&s;e having prepared her Soul to re|ceive it wel, &s;he thanked him for it; and after &s;he had di&s;mi&s;&s;ed him, &s;he began to con|&s;ider unto what a mi&s;erable condition &s;he had brought her &s;elf, and to examine &s;eri|ou&s;ly what <HI>Gelonide</HI> had &s;ayd: Al&s;o con&s;idering that if &s;he &s;hould put <HI>Mandana</HI> to death, it would then ab&s;olutely be impo&s;&s;ible <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould ever love her; her heart began to relent, and repent of what her Fury had hurried her unto: yet &s;ince &s;he did not think it impo&s;&s;ible but <HI>Cyrus</HI> might &s;ubmit him&s;elf her Pri&s;oner, to deliver his Prince&s;s, &s;he did not repent of the Me&s;&s;age which &s;he had &s;ent; yet &s;he re&s;olved that if he did not, then to &s;eek out for &s;ome pretence to moderate her fury, though &s;he did not very well know how to recall things, &s;ince they had gone &s;o far. She asked <HI>Genolide</HI> how &s;he &s;hould follow her advi&s;e, in ca&s;e <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould not &s;ubmit him&s;elf her Pri&s;oner? Alas, Madam, &s;ayd <HI>Gelonide,</HI> Violence, and Vices need Pre|tences; but an act of Vertue and Goodne&s;s never needs any: And therfore if your Maje&s;ty re&s;olve to change your mind, you ought to undeceive <HI>Ariantes</HI> immediat|ly, before things break out into a flame: For who knows whether that Prince having a pretence to accu&s;e you of cruelty again&s;t the per&s;on he loves, will not make u&s;e of tho&s;e whom he armes again&s;t you, to pull the Crown from off your head, as formerly he would have done? Di&s;arme your &s;elf therfore, Madam, that you may di&s;arme him: and if you will follow my advice, tell him plainly that you never had any intentions, to do as you &s;eemed, but only to get <HI>Cyrus</HI> into your Power, and &s;o &s;ooner end the Warr, and better &s;ecure the Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of <HI>Mandana</HI> unto him; you may al&s;o tell him, Madam, that the rea&s;on why your Revenge is not executed upon <HI>Mandana,</HI> is only in con&s;ideration of him. No, no (&s;ayd <HI>Thomyris</HI> unto her) I cannot tell him &s;o, for I have already told him the contrary: All I can &s;ay to him, is, that for the love of him I altred my mind. But <HI>Gelonide,</HI> when I have told the Prince my Brother &s;o, what &s;hould I &s;ay unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and all tho&s;e who know I have &s;ent unto him? you may &s;ay, replyed <HI>Gelonide,</HI> that you never would have u&s;ed &s;uch &s;harp menaces, but
<PB N="10" REF="896">
only to procure peace unto the people, but &s;ince you found not your expected effects, you never intended to &s;tain your reputation, by any action of cruelty: Thus, doing nothing again&s;t the intere&s;t of your own pa&s;&s;ion, you will get much glory unto your &s;elfe. I know not whether I &s;hall get any or no (replyed <HI>Tho|miris</HI> and &s;ighed) but I am &s;ure that I de&s;erve none; and &s;ee, I am the mo&s;t cul|pable, and mo&s;t mi&s;erable per&s;on upon the earth. In the mean time, &s;ince I have al|ready &s;aid, that I thought <HI>Cyrus</HI> had killed my &s;on; How can I now &s;ay, that I have changed my opinion? &s;ince you only &s;ayd it in the heat of your pa&s;&s;ions and &s;orrowes (replyed <HI>Geloniae)</HI> no &s;ollid heed will be grounded upon your words, and all the world is &s;o per&s;waded, that it could never be, that though &s;uch a thing were, yet they will never accu&s;e you. After this, <HI>Thomiris</HI> falling into a deep &s;tudy; and &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idering the danger unto which &s;hee was expo&s;ed, e&s;pe|cially what <HI>Gelonide</HI> &s;ayd, concerning the hatred of <HI>Cyrus</HI> if &s;he put <HI>Mandana</HI> to death, &s;hee re&s;olved to &s;end for <HI>Ariantes</HI> immediatly. At fir&s;t, this Prince was a|mazed at this command, and &s;ome would have per&s;waded him from obedience, out of their fears this Prince&s;&s;e &s;hould arre&s;t him: But <HI>Ariantes</HI> being confident in his friends, e&s;pecially in him who guarded <HI>Mandana,</HI> went unto <HI>Thomiris</HI> with much boldne&s;&s;e. When he came to her, he askt her, whether &s;hee &s;ent for him, to tell him that &s;hee had changed her mind? and &s;he an&s;wered him &s;o cunningly, that any but him&s;elfe would have been deceived by her di&s;cour&s;e; and would have beleeved that &s;he had no other con&s;ideration in re&s;training her revenge, but what &s;he &s;aid &s;he had. Yet <HI>Ariantes</HI> under&s;tood well enough, that it was her pa&s;&s;i|on which was the principall cau&s;e of the alteration in her mind, but he made no &s;hew of it unto her, and was willing to take upon him&s;elfe all the obligation. Al&s;o &s;he added, that &s;he never had any intentions to put <HI>Mandana</HI> to death, but only to oblige <HI>Cyrus</HI> to &s;ubmit him&s;elf under her power. However, though &s;hee &s;poke with abundance of &s;eeming &s;incerity, yet <HI>Ariantes</HI> knew very well, that &s;he bore an extream hatred unto <HI>Mandana:</HI> and that though <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould &s;ubmit him&s;elfe, yet &s;he might &s;acrifice the Prince&s;&s;e whom he adored, if &s;he were not hindred by force. So then fearing lea&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> in a rapture of his pa&s;&s;ion &s;hould do as <HI>Thomiris</HI> de&s;ired, he re&s;olved to prevent him. However, a reconciliation was made between <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and before they parted, they re&s;olved upon what &s;hould be &s;ayd unto the people, what <HI>Cyrus</HI> had an&s;wered, and upon what their expe|cted forces &s;hould do, when they were come up.</P>
<P>After which <HI>Ariantes</HI> leaving the Prince&s;&s;e, he went immediatly unto his Tent to di&s;patch away a me&s;&s;enger unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but as he was in&s;tructing him, what he &s;hould &s;ay unto his Rivall, he was told <HI>Ortalgues</HI> de&s;ired to &s;peak with him: In|deed, this tru&s;ty &s;ervant, by the advi&s;e of <HI>Gelonide,</HI> came to tell the Prince, how he had &s;tayed in the Tents Royall, and de&s;ired him for a pa&s;&s;e, to return unto his Ma|&s;ter, be&s;eeching him, for his own glories &s;ake, to do him &s;o much honour as to give him &s;ome a&s;&s;urance of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandanas</HI> life: For truly Sir (&s;ayd he) knowing already what you have done for her, I have &s;ome rea&s;on to hope that though you did it not, for the intere&s;t of that great Prince unto whom I belong, yet you will give me leave to carry the joyfull news unto him, of your being he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Protector. <HI>Ariantes</HI> being much taken with the boldne&s;s of <HI>Ortalgues,</HI> he received him very well, and very obligingly told him, that he &s;aw <HI>Cyrus</HI> was every way happy, even in his Dome&s;tiques: Afterwards told him, that though <HI>Cyrus</HI> was both his Enemy and Rivall, yet he would neither be ungratefull nor wicked, but would ever acknowledge the Obligations upon him, &s;ince the time he was <HI>Anaxa|ris,</HI> by the a&s;&s;urance he would give him of <HI>Mandanas</HI> &s;afety, as long as &s;hee was under the Queen his &s;i&s;ters power; and the better to per&s;wade him unto a beleif of it, he told him as much as in any hand&s;omene&s;&s;e he could, what he had done for the pre&s;ervation of that Prince&s;&s;e, he al&s;o told him that he might go unto his Ma&s;ter, but to avoid &s;u&s;pition, the man whom he intended to &s;end with him &s;hould go by him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>In the mean time <HI>Ortalgues</HI> after he under&s;tood that the me&s;&s;enger of <HI>Thomiris</HI> was returned, and under&s;tood from <HI>Gelonide,</HI> the good &s;tate of every thing, he de|parted without rendring the Letters which he took upon him to deliver: But he went in the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettan</HI> habit, and with an order from <HI>Ariantes,</HI> lea&s;t he &s;hould
<PB N="11" REF="896">
be &s;tayed by his forces. So as this faithfull &s;ervant arriving ju&s;t as the me&s;&s;enger from <HI>Ariantes</HI> was telling <HI>Cyrus</HI> that he would come, he overjoyed that Prince when he told him all that <HI>Gelonide</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;ayd unto him; and when he &s;aw <HI>Mandanas</HI> life was in no danger: So that de&s;iring to &s;hare his joyes among&s;t his deare&s;t freinds, e&s;pecially unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> though his Rivall, he &s;ent for him, al&s;o for <HI>Anachar&s;is, Artamus, Myr&s;iles, Intapharnes,</HI> and <HI>Artagatis:</HI> yet the three la&s;t were very angry their Letters were not delivered, but for all that were very glad to hear that their mi&s;tre&s;&s;es were well. In the mean time <HI>Cyrus</HI> altred the an&s;wer which he would give unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> yet he did not alter it without &s;erious exami|nation, whether he &s;hould build upon <HI>Ariantes</HI> and <HI>Gelonide</HI> or no: But when he con&s;idered that <HI>Ariantes</HI> was in love with <HI>Mandana,</HI> he concluded upon an ab&s;o|lute nece&s;&s;ity of beleeving him, becau&s;e he was concerned in the life of this Prince&s;s, &s;o that being confirmed in this re&s;olution, he told <HI>Ariantes</HI> me&s;&s;enger, as he di&s;mi&s;|&s;ed him, and rewarded him with a rich pre&s;ent, that the proceedings of his Ma&s;ter were &s;o generous, that he would for ever e&s;teem him; and did not di&s;paire, but hereafter he &s;hould be beholding to him, for &s;etting the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> at liber|ty, but in the mean time he conjured him for his own Glories &s;ake, to continue her Protector: and to acquaint him with any thing which may &s;ecure the life of that Prince&s;s: For truly (&s;ayd he unto the me&s;&s;enger of his Rivall) I do &s;o highly e|&s;teem <HI>Ariantes</HI> for what he hath done, as if he &s;hould &s;end me word, that <HI>Mandana</HI> were in danger, unle&s;&s;e I came and a&s;&s;umed the Fetters of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> I think I &s;hould take his word. On the other &s;ide, this great Prince charged <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> to tell the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettan</HI> Queen, that he had more confidence in her virtue, then to fear <HI>Mandanas</HI> life, and that he was confident of her &s;afety, under her power, nor &s;hould he doubt his own, were he under her power al&s;o; which if &s;he de&s;ire, &s;he mu&s;t fir&s;t remit <HI>Mandana</HI> into the King of <HI>Medeas</HI> hands, adding, that what &s;he be|fore &s;ent to him, he beleeved was &s;poken in the height of her &s;orrowes: and could never think that &s;he had any bad intentions again&s;t the life of that Prince&s;s, and therefore he had no more to &s;ay, but to crave pardon for not beleeving her me&s;&s;enger; and to make amends for that fault, he would ingage him&s;elf by oath, to treat all his Pri&s;oners as well as if they were in his own army. <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> having received the&s;e in&s;tructions went unto <HI>Thomiris,</HI> but though <HI>Cyrus</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Arian|tes</HI> by his me&s;&s;enger, yet he would have <HI>Feraulus</HI> accompany <HI>Chry&s;antes,</HI> to deli|ver his mind unto his Rivall, and &s;o the&s;e two faithfull &s;ervants unto a mo&s;t illu|&s;trious Ma&s;ter, went to acquit them&s;elves of their charges. The an&s;wer of <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto <HI>Thomiris</HI> being all &s;weetne&s;s, and civility, and &s;hee not knowing how that Prince had been informed of the true &s;tate of her &s;oul, either from <HI>Ariantes</HI> or <HI>Ge|lonide,</HI> &s;he was exceedingly joyed, e&s;pecially becau&s;e the pa&s;&s;ion of her &s;oul made her beleeve, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not &s;o much in love with <HI>Mandana,</HI> as &s;he imagined, &s;ince to redeem her, he would not hazard him&s;elf: So as this imagination flatte|ring her mind, &s;he received <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> very favorably, and told him, that &s;he be|gan to think that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not culpable of her Sonns death: adding that &s;hee would indeavour to cleer him, and if &s;hee found him innocent, he needed not to fear <HI>Mandanas</HI> life. In the mean time, &s;he hoped ere long to have him in her pow|er, and within this few dayes to have as great an advantage over him, as he had got over her. But &s;hee having a de&s;ire to gain a little time untill her forces were come up, &s;hee propounded unto <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> a ce&s;&s;ation; to treat (as &s;hee &s;ayd) con|cerning the liberty of &s;ome pri&s;oners, hinting of many things in her di&s;cour&s;e which induced him to think, that perhaps &s;he de&s;ired this time to con&s;ider and overcome her &s;elfe, and to re&s;tore <HI>Mandana</HI> to liberty, &s;o that he parted with promi&s;e to acquaint his Ma&s;ter with all &s;he &s;ayd. <HI>Feraulus</HI> for his, part went unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> who gave a very civill an&s;wer unto the me&s;&s;age of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but as cunning as <HI>Feraulus</HI> was, it was impo&s;&s;ible for him to get a &s;ight either of <HI>Mandana, Corali&s;a,</HI> or <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> yet &s;he &s;aw <HI>Gelonide,</HI> and &s;hee was as favourable to him as po&s;&s;ible. But &s;ince the Captaine of <HI>Mandanas</HI> guard was more the creature of <HI>Ariantes</HI> then unto <HI>Thomiris</HI> the Prince&s;&s;e was mo&s;t &s;tricktly guarded: yet he under&s;tood that they were &s;erved with much re&s;pect, and that &s;hee had no other trouble but her &s;olitude, and the vi&s;its of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> which were very tedious to her, though he behaved him&s;elfe with as much &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion as if he were her &s;lave: But though <HI>Feraulus</HI> had not leave to &s;ee
<PB N="12" REF="897">
<HI>Mandana,</HI> yet he &s;aw the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> and the faire <HI>Arpasia,</HI> unto whom he pre&s;ented commendations from <HI>Gadotes, Intaphernes, Ater|gates, Gabrias</HI> and <HI>Hydagres,</HI> in whom they had &s;everall concernments. Yet they had not liberty to write; but they charged <HI>Feraulas</HI> which &s;ayd many things by word of mouth, that he &s;tood in need of a good memory to return them all. The Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> enquired very much concerning the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta,</HI> being much joyed that <HI>Spitridates,</HI> would be at the Camp of <HI>Cyrus</HI> very &s;hortly. But the time of departure being come, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> pre&s;&s;ed <HI>Feraulas,</HI> to make ha&s;te, and &s;o he left them, after he had ob&s;erved that there was a great intimacy between <HI>Serpa|cia,</HI> and tho&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es. In the mean time <HI>Cyrus</HI> followed his fir&s;t re&s;olution, and marched to the entrance into the wood as &s;oon as <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> was gone; and quartred him&s;elf &s;o neer the Enemies Guard, that they had continuall skirmi&s;hes, &s;o as it was in that Place where <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> gave an accompt of their voyage. The propo&s;ition which <HI>Thomiris</HI> made, did much perplex <HI>Cyrus,</HI> for he beleeved it was only to gain time; but <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> thinking he had di&s;covered the thoughts of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> a&s;&s;ured him, that there was &s;omething in her mind which would be advantagious to him, if he gave her lea&s;ure to &s;urmount her pa&s;&s;i|on. Yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> for all this, could not re&s;olve upon this truce, but had continued, forcing the pa&s;&s;ages which the <HI>Sauromates</HI> guarded, if a certain Ingeneer had not come into his army, who was famous for many admirable &s;ecrets. Indeed &s;ince this pa&s;&s;age was very long, and difficult to be forced, <HI>Cyrus</HI> had a hard task to attempt it, and &s;ince it was likely to weaken his army very much, he gave care unto this In|gineer, who propo&s;ed a way to pa&s;&s;e the&s;e &s;traits, with le&s;&s;e lo&s;&s;e, provided he made a truce for &s;ome few dayes, during which time; he could prepare all things ne|ce&s;&s;ary for his de&s;ign. But <HI>Cyrus,</HI> being unwilling to hazard any thing upon the prudence of others, he would have this Arti&s;t fir&s;t &s;hew him the way which he inten|ded to work. This ingineer thus told him,</P>
<P>That having ob&s;erved two great pa&s;&s;ages in the woods which were not above fif|teen furlongs from each other; and that they were the only places by which there was any pa&s;&s;age, he further perceived that the enemyes guarded the one of the&s;e much more carefully then the other, and where they had many more men, becau&s;e they were per&s;waded that they &s;hould be a&s;&s;aulted. Moreover he &s;ayd, that whil&s;t the truce was, when &s;ouldiers have liberty to go and come into the Camps, then &s;ome of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ouldiers, commanded for that purpo&s;e, &s;hould &s;eeme to walk in the wood between the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, and through again&s;t all the trees, a certain compo&s;ition prepared with &s;uch art, as it &s;hould &s;tick unto any thing it touches, and which hath &s;uch a di&s;po&s;ition to burn, that the lea&s;t &s;park given to the fir&s;t tree, will &s;et the whole forre&s;t on fire, provided that there be trees from di&s;tance to di&s;tance prepa|red with this compo&s;ition to receive the fire and communicate it &s;elfe. So Sir (&s;ayd this Ingineer to <HI>Cyrus)</HI> when trees at their &s;everall di&s;tances are prepared with this compo&s;ition, which will never be di&s;covered, becau&s;e its of the colour of the bark and mo&s;&s;e, you may make choi&s;e of a night when the wind is up, as always it u|&s;eth after &s;un &s;et till &s;un ri&s;e, to &s;et fire to the fir&s;t tree, and to advance towards that pa&s;&s;e which is weake&s;t guarded, and in the heighth of their fears, begin your a&s;|&s;ault: Tho&s;e of the one pa&s;&s;e dare not pa&s;&s;e through the flames, to releive the o|ther. Your men Sir will not be affrighted, becau&s;e they know the plot; but &s;ayd <HI>Cyrus,</HI> will not this be as dangerous for us as for our enemies? No Sir (replyed the man) For the wind commonly blowing one way at that time of the year, tho&s;e trees mu&s;t be prepared only which &s;tand one way, and not that &s;ide of the way which you are to take, &s;o as your troops taking the right &s;ide, may pa&s;&s;e without danger, &amp; wil not at all be affrighted as your enemies, but take fre&s;h courage, becau&s;e the flames do fight for them. <HI>Cyrus</HI> after this, put &s;everall que&s;tions to the man, and would needs &s;ee the experiment of this &s;trange compo&s;ition, who&s;e cheife ma|teriall was the mud of a lake which is in <HI>Comagines,</HI> neer a town called <HI>Samo&s;ate,</HI> and which is &s;o gluttinous, that it will &s;tick unto any thing it toucheth; and hath &s;uch a naturall di&s;po&s;ition to burn and con&s;ume that unto which it &s;ticks, that the lea&s;t &s;park will make a great blaze, this fire is the mo&s;t dangerous, becau&s;e water will not quench it, nor any thing el&s;e, but much <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">arth thrown upon it. Thus this Ingineer a&s;&s;ured <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that it had done prodigies, and &s;ayd that <HI>Medea</HI> made u&s;e of it to put
<PB N="13" REF="897">
<HI>Creu&s;eus</HI> to death. This great Prince advi&s;ed him not to publi&s;h &s;o great a &s;ecret, lea&s;t it &s;hould put the hone&s;ty of many a man to the Te&s;t. However, &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> hearkned unto this propo&s;ition, at the &s;ame time, when <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> told him that <HI>Thomiris</HI> de&s;ired a truce, he was the more willing to hearken unto it, &s;ince in lieu of retarding his de&s;ignes, it would forward them, yet his great heart had &s;ome repugnance again&s;t all manner of truces in war: But <HI>Mazanes</HI> did &s;o pre&s;s him to make u&s;e of this invention to &s;horten the war, that fearing lea&s;t <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould ac|cu&s;e him for being over &s;crupulous in point of honour, when perhaps her life depen|ded upon it, he re&s;olved upon it: So as calling a Coun&s;ell of war about it, it was con|cluded that he &s;hould not deny this truce, and thereupon <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> to <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and the peace was concluded for eight dayes, and publi&s;hed in both Camps. <HI>Thomiris</HI> made many propo&s;itions concerning the Officers of her army that were taken pri&s;oners, at the la&s;t battle which &s;he lo&s;t: Al&s;o to delude the people and make them beleive that her pa&s;&s;ion was not the cau&s;e of the War, &s;he made &s;ome propo&s;itions of peace, which truly were not altogether unrea&s;onable, except in that &s;he demanded <HI>Mandana</HI> to &s;tay three years in her Court as as ho&s;tage. In the mean time <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;ired <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> to go unto <HI>Thomiris</HI> and tell her, that he could not give any direct an&s;wer, unle&s;&s;e &s;he would permit him to &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> and know from her own mouth whether &s;he would con&s;ent unto his propo&s;itions: But do what <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> could, &s;he would not permit that; So as all the eight daies were &s;pent in frivolous negotiations: Yet there was an uncertain kind of a hope that there would be a change in the heart of <HI>Thomiris,</HI> and the rather, becau&s;e that Queen prompted by her pa&s;&s;ion, de&s;ired to treat with <HI>Cyrus</HI> him&s;elfe, in a fancy that her pre&s;ence might perhaps move the heart of the Prince, who not daring to refu&s;e this interview, though it went again&s;t his mind, de&s;ired that he might &s;peak with <HI>Ariantes,</HI> though they would not let him &s;peak with <HI>Mandana,</HI> doubtle&s;s <HI>Cy|rus</HI> had no mind to &s;ee <HI>Thomiris,</HI> nor did <HI>Ariantes</HI> de&s;ire the &s;ight of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> But their intere&s;ts were &s;o odly mixt, that neither of them dur&s;t deny the motion. Thus they prepared them&s;elves for the&s;e &s;everall interviews; which was re&s;olved to be in the mid&s;t of the wood between both armies. <HI>Atergates</HI> and <HI>Intaphernes</HI> deman|ded to &s;ee the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina: Hida&s;pes</HI> and <HI>Ga|brias</HI> demanded to &s;ee the fair <HI>Arpa&s;ia:</HI> but though their demands were no le&s;&s;e ju&s;t then the other, yet <HI>Thomiris</HI> refu&s;ed them, but it was at the in&s;tance of <HI>Lycander:</HI> So that the fair <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> had the &s;orrowes, not to &s;ee either her father or her Lover, &s;o that &s;he greived mo&s;t extreamly at it.</P>
<P>The Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bithinia</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> who did infintely e&s;teem her, did indeavour to comfort her, and offered her to tell tho&s;e two Princes, whom they were to &s;ee within a day or two, what&s;oever &s;hee would plea&s;e to have them know: And certainly the&s;e two Princes had good rea&s;on to intere&s;t them&s;eves in behalf of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> who que&s;tionle&s;&s;e was no ordnary per&s;on. She was big and tall, though her Grandure was no more then &s;o much as to plea&s;e. Her hair was a lovely dark brown as ever was &s;een, and was &s;o apt to curl, that the lea&s;t whiffle of wind did turne it into hand&s;omer rings then any art could do. The modell of <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> face was ovall, &s;he had gray, full, and pa&s;&s;ionate eyes, and the corners of her mouth had &s;uch a particular kind of &s;mile, that it was enough to &s;ee the lower part of her face, and to know her, her lips were &s;o even and per&s;ect carnation, that her beau|ty was &s;o incomparable, her cheeks were &s;o plea&s;ingly round, and had &s;uch an ami|able fre&s;h plumpne&s;&s;e, that though the complexion of <HI>Arpasia</HI> was not of the clee|re&s;t lu&s;ter, yet was &s;he a great beauty, becau&s;e there was an exact uniformity in e|very part, tis true, her no&s;e had not &s;o much regularity as the re&s;t of her face, yet it was not &s;o, as did bla&s;t the re&s;t of her feature, and if it were any defect, it &s;erved as a foyl to &s;et the re&s;t of her excellings better off, who be&s;ides all the&s;e, ha|ving mo&s;t pure white teeth, and faire neck and armes, was doubtle&s;&s;e one of the mo&s;t charming Ladyes of the world; her Garb was &s;o high, her aire &s;o noble, and her walking agreeable, that none could look on her, without a di&s;po&s;ition to love her, She danced with as good a grace as &s;hee walked, and had &s;uch a nature of mirth and gravity together, as did infinitely plea&s;e: her humour was as charming as her beauty, for &s;hee was alwayes &s;weet, civill, and affable &s;he had a good incli|nation to Rallary, or at lea&s;t to love tho&s;e who did it well, but &s;he gave a check un|to
<PB N="14" REF="898">
her inclination, and commonly &s;eemed more grave then merry: Yet notwith|&s;tanding &s;he loved plea&s;ures, e&s;pecially company, and company a little gallant, &s;he could not &s;pend a whole afternoon with one freind in private without being weary, for &s;hee had a kind of active &s;pirit which was an enemy to all l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">mpi&s;hne&s;&s;e, and which made all &s;hee did delightfull. Moreover, &s;hee was naturally magnificent, liberall, and good, and had a &s;oul &s;o tender, as would make one almo&s;t a&s;&s;ured not to be hated, though one &s;hould tell her that they were in love with her, yet &s;he was not capable of any violent pa&s;&s;ion, &amp; the plea&s;ure of being loved made her &s;ometimes &s;uffer her &s;elf to be &s;o, rather then out of any real inclination. She was not at all fanta|&s;ticall, &amp; that de&s;ire to plea&s;e which was in her heart, proceeded from a more further noble cau&s;e. Furthermore, &s;hee had a witt &s;o &s;harp, and &s;hee could &s;o cunningly pumpe the minds of tho&s;e, who&s;e de&s;ignes &s;hee de&s;ired to know, as it may be &s;aid &s;hee had a key to open their hearts, and look into their &s;ecrets; and all this without any &s;eeming of &s;ubtiltie: indeed her temper was &s;o oppo&s;ite unto any guile, that &s;hee never had any freind whom &s;hee once deceived: but was apt to a kind of generous confidence which had rather be expo&s;ed to be deceived by others, then to be &s;o &s;ubtle as to prevent being deceived. This <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> with her Beauty, Wit, and goodne&s;&s;e, did &s;o plea&s;e the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> that they were de&s;irous to know her adventures, e&s;pecially &s;ince &s;hee would imply them in &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e unto tho&s;e Princes whom they were to &s;ee; For truly (&s;aid <HI>I&s;trina</HI> to her, after much other di&s;cour&s;e) It is not po&s;&s;ible wee &s;hould be able to do you any right &s;ervice, unle&s;&s;e we do know the &s;tate of your misfortunes. They are of &s;uch a nature (replyed &s;hee) that I can expect no advantage from you by telling of them, but only your pitty. Though you cannot Madam, replyed the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bithinia,</HI> yet I be&s;eech you tel them unto us, for truly as for my part, I do finde great ca&s;e unto my mi&s;eries, by being pittied. Doubtle&s;s its true Madam, (replyed <HI>Arpa&s;ia)</HI> But I am &s;o unable to relate all the accidentes of my life my &s;elf, that if you would know them, it mu&s;t be from her who has a &s;hare in my misfortunes, for be&s;ides her knowing of them as well as my &s;elfe, I cannot relate &s;uch things with any order, which have &s;o much di&s;ordered my mind. I know tis &s;aid that the remembrance of mi&s;eries is &s;weet: but I mu&s;t be happy fir&s;t before I can take any delight in remem|bring my pa&s;t misfortunes: And therefore &s;ince I am not in that condition, I be&s;eech you di&s;pen&s;e with me. We &s;hall willingly di&s;pen&s;e with you Madam (replied the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bithinia)</HI> provided the amiable <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> who is with you, will under|take it in your roome. I am contented, an&s;wered <HI>Arpasia;</HI> then I be&s;eech you (&s;aid <HI>I&s;trina)</HI> let it be this day; for &s;ince we do not directly know when wee &s;hall goe and &s;ee tho&s;e Princes, unto whom you will imploy us: It is requi&s;it we &s;hould be knowing in the &s;tate of your fortune as &s;oon as you can. To te&s;tifie how willing I am to di&s;cover my misfortunes unto you (an&s;wered &s;hee) I will go unto <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> and give her orders to acquaint you with all my weakne&s;&s;es: &s;hee is a woman who&s;e hard fortune cannot deject, by dejecting her hou&s;e and familie; and who has &s;uch a &s;hare in all that relates unto me that shee knowes all my thoughts: And therefore you may give credit unto all that shee will &s;ay, excepting in any commendations which perhaps &s;hee will give me: For happily her friend&s;hip to me may bya&s;&s;e her. When wee have heard her, replied the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bitihnia,</HI> wee &s;hall give you all ju&s;tice, and &s;hall beleeve as wee ought to doe. After this <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> retyred, and <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> &s;tayed with the Prince&s;&s;es, asking them pardon before hand&punc; for her want of any art to relate what they required; Then after many civilities, they pre&s;&s;ed her to begin the relation, which &s;he did in the&s;e termes, addre&s;&s;ing her &s;peech unto the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bithinia.</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
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<HEAD>THE HISTORY OF ARPASIA.</HEAD>
<P>THough I am per&s;waded, you have &s;o good an opinion of <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> judgment, as to think, that &s;he would never have comamnded me to relate her adventures, if &s;he had not known that I was able to make a perfect relation of things pa&s;t; yet I mu&s;t tell you, Madam, that none upon earth knows them better then I do, and I dare al|mo&s;t &s;ay, that I know them better then her &s;elf: For the truth is, that the heavy burthen of her &s;orrowes, hath hindred her from ob&s;ervance of ma|ny which I have &s;een with le&s;&s;e trouble, though I was ever a &s;harer in all her mi&s;eries: For fortune having ruin'd the family from which I de&s;cended, which heretofore kept my &s;elf in a good rank, and having lo&s;t tho&s;e who gave me life, when I was very young, I was put unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> as having the honour to be allied unto her, by my Mother. And having continued with this excellent Lady ever &s;ince my infancy, I have not only &s;een her adventures with my own eyes, but further, I have known her mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts. I &s;hall not trouble you Madam with a relation of <HI>Arpa|&s;ias</HI> birth: For you are not ignorant that <HI>Gabrias</HI> her Father hath a little Domini|on, which depends only upon the Gods and him&s;elfe; and that <HI>Gadates</HI> and he were two Grandees, who heretofore pretended to marry <HI>Nitocris.</HI> Nor &s;hall I aggra|vate the mi&s;eries of the fair <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> which began by the death of her elder Bro|ther, who dyed after &s;o &s;ad a manner at <HI>Babylon,</HI> by the violence of the late King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> that it is not po&s;&s;ible that you &s;hould know it, and <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was then &s;o young, that &s;he was not capable of any long &s;orrowes for it. But Madam, it it is requi&s;ite you know, that <HI>Gabrias,</HI> even &s;ince the lo&s;&s;e of his Son, did wholy de|cline the intere&s;ts of the A&s;&s;yrian Prince. Yet he did conceal his Re&s;entments, out of his Re&s;pects unto the Queen <HI>Nitocris,</HI> who then lived: But as &s;oon as &s;he was dead, and that Prince had brought the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> to <HI>Babylon,</HI> his de&s;ire of re|venge began to break out, and his whole imaginations were how to ruine the <HI>A&s;&s;y|rian</HI> King. And to that end, he did not only enter into league with all his neigh|bour Princes again&s;t him, but al&s;o united him&s;elfe with all the Malecontents of that Court. But Madam, before I go any further, I mu&s;t tell you, that <HI>Gabrias</HI> having lo&s;t his Wife as well as his Son, did &s;et his whole affection upon the amiable <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and &s;he was then upon her 15 year, and he loved her the more, becau&s;e he looked upon her as a per&s;on who would contribute unto that revenge which he would take upon the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> as afterwards I &s;hall tell you in the &s;equell of my di&s;|cour&s;e. In the mean time be plea&s;ed to know, that there was a Governour of a Province which belonged to that King, who knowing that he loved him not&punc; and that he would certainly take his government from him, he &s;ought an occa&s;ion to re|volt; &s;o that not being ignorant, that <HI>Gabrias</HI> had cau&s;e of complaint, he &s;ent a Nephew of his to him purpo&s;ely to &s;ound him, and he &s;ent him pre&s;ently after the death of <HI>Nitocris.</HI> But Madam, &s;ince he of whom I &s;peak who&s;e name was <HI>A&s;tidamas</HI> was the cheife cau&s;e of all <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> mi&s;eries, it is requi&s;ite I make a de&s;cription of him unto you, as he was when he came to the town where <HI>Gabrias</HI> did mo&s;t com|monly re&s;ide, and where <HI>Arta&s;ia</HI> did infinitly delight, and to tell you truly, it was not without cau&s;e. For it was exceedingly plea&s;ant both in its &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ituation and the country about it, and al&s;o in re&s;pect of a &s;tately Ca&s;tle which was its principall &s;trength. Moreover, though this little Court had no great tumults, and thro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ging,
<PB N="16" REF="899">
yet was it veryagreeable and delightfull, and hugely plea&s;ed <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> as &s;oon as he &s;aw it: But to de&s;cribe him as I intended, I mu&s;t &s;ay he was of a mean&s;tature, but hand&s;ome and well made, his hayr and eyes black, and without either extra|ordinary hand&s;omene&s;s or ugline&s;&s;e. It may be &s;ayd, he was pa&s;&s;ible enough, e|&s;pecially becau&s;e he knew the mode of the world, and a free merry way which much plea&s;ed. Moreover, he was rich and hand&s;om in his cloathes, and he knew &s;o well how to &s;uit and fit him&s;elf, that he was never &s;een in ill &s;orted colours. Moreover, his company was good and plea&s;ing, and he had &s;uch a kind of way with him, that he did not need to &s;trive for excellent things to plea&s;e; for his manner of way and aire, in &s;peaking the mo&s;t commune things, did make them pa&s;s for excellent. Yet he was a man better at generall conver&s;ation then private di&s;cour&s;e, for having a kind of a merry unquietne&s;s of &s;pirit, which made him perpetually pa&s;s from object, to object; he could nor indure to talk long upon one thing, or to one per&s;on: So as the greater the company, the merrier was he. He danced with a good grace, and for a man of his quality, &s;ung pa&s;&s;ing well; Now Madam, after all the good qualities of <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> give me leave to tel his bad ones, and acquaint you that his manners were not very innocent. In point of valour, he could not be que&s;tioned, but he had a mo&s;t voluptuous &s;oul; and took his plea&s;ure in &s;uch an odd way, as one could not know him and love him. As for his matter of love, it was &s;omthing particular, for &s;omtimes he would &s;eem incon&s;tant, and &s;omtimes deeply in love, yet to de|fine him rightly, he more de&s;ired to be loved, than he loved tho&s;e who loved him though upon &s;ome occa&s;ions, he hath &s;eemed really to love.</P>
<P>Truth is, Some things he did, are attributed to that pa&s;&s;ion which ought not to be &s;o. For if he had a mind to do a thing, he would go through with it at any rate, not for any love to the thing it &s;elf, but becau&s;e he had undertaken it, yet he appeared very civill, affable, and ready to court the fir&s;t Lady that he met, in the way of gallantry, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> being &s;uch a one as I have de&s;cribed, did come, as I told you from his Uncle to &s;ound the depth of <HI>Gabrias</HI> and his thoughts, and to move him unto &s;ome attempts again&s;t the now King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> &s;o as he was received with much joy and magnificence. He commanded <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> to &s;hew himall the Ladyes of her acquaintance, yet there was no great a&s;&s;emblies, by rea&s;on of the Queens death: But they often walked &amp; &s;omtimes hunted, and only common plea&s;ures were the di|ver&s;ions. At the fir&s;t all the Ladyes, liked <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> except <HI>Arpasia,</HI> for whether &s;he &s;ooner found out his ill qualities than the re&s;t, or whither it was out of a na|turall aver&s;ion to him, &s;he was fain to force her &s;elfe unto a commendation of him, yet this did not then appear, for knowing the mind of her Father, &s;he &s;hewed all imaginable civility to <HI>A&s;tidamus.</HI> As for him he &s;eemed to be &s;o taken with the beauty of this excellent Lady, with her wit and merit, that none made any que&s;ti|on but that he was in love with her: And <HI>Arpasia</HI> her &s;elf thought &s;o as well as the re&s;t, and though &s;he entertained not one thought which was advantageous to him, &s;he &s;aw this growing pa&s;&s;ion without giving any check,</P>
<P>For fir&s;t, &s;he could not fore&s;ee that his love could prejudice her, &s;ince &s;he was to be gon within a few dayes.</P>
<P>And &s;econdly; Her age might well excu&s;e her, for &s;he was not &s;orry for making any new conque&s;t.</P>
<P>Thus <HI>Arpasia</HI> not repul&s;ing <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> nor &s;eeming to take notice of his pa&s;&s;i|on, did go very civily towards him, and he being apt to flatter him&s;elf with hope, he was a Lover without any mi&s;ery, though he had no rea&s;on to hope for any hap|pine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>However, all the world talked of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> love unto <HI>Arpasia;</HI> And I think o|thers &s;poke of it more then he him&s;elf did, and they talked &s;o much of it, that the made u&s;e of the&s;e reports, to di&s;cover his affection unto <HI>Arpasia;</HI> and indeed he did it very gallantly, and in a particular manner, though &s;he was a little &s;harp with him. He chanced to be there one day when all the company did &s;eperate them&s;elves into couples, and it was <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> his good fortune to talk with <HI>Arpasia.</HI> And clo&s;ing with this opportunity, he fell into talk with her, and commended her, know|ing very well that commendation is the be&s;t preparative, to make a Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e re|ceive a declaration of love favourably. But &s;ince <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> would needs out of mo|de&s;ty change the di&s;cour&s;e, lea&s;t &s;he &s;hould go further then &s;he de&s;ired: and af|ter
<PB N="17" REF="899">
&s;he hand&s;omly defended her &s;elf again&s;t her flatteries, &s;he ob&s;erved, how chance had brought &s;o many thither, as made even couples, two and two. But that which I mo&s;t admire at (added &s;he) is, that every one of the&s;e couples hath &s;ome priva|cies together, and that fortune &s;hould &s;o well place them, as that they may talke in &s;ecret together. I wi&s;h with all my heart Madam (&s;ayd <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> who heard two Ladies next him talk of his pa&s;&s;ion to <HI>Arpasia)</HI> that after your admiration as what Fortune hath done, you knew what every one in the company &s;ayes, and that you would command them to tell you pre&s;ently: I a&s;&s;ure you Sir, replyed &s;he, that if they have any humours to &s;atisfie my curio&s;ity they would do me a great plea&s;ure in it. And me more then you Madam (replyed he) not that I think you to be of a more inqui&s;itive nature then I am; but I can ea&s;ily gue&s;s by their faces what they talk of, and think that it is upon &s;omthing which you de&s;ire to know, I profe&s;s <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> replyed &s;he, you are very excellent at the &s;cience of conjectures and &s;ince you can tell what people do &s;ay when they &s;peak low, I pray tell me. To &s;hew you that, I am not much mi&s;taken (replyed he) I will tell you what tho&s;e two Ladyes next me did &s;ay, and afterwards you &s;hall ask them whether I was far off the mark or not; I will (an&s;wered &s;he) But it &s;hall be upon condition, that if you fail in your gue&s;&s;es you &s;hall never meddle with Divination again, I will wil|lingly ingage my &s;elf (replyed he) becau&s;e I am &s;ure, that I am not mi&s;taken. Then tell me replyed &s;he, what tho&s;e two Ladyes &s;ayd, they &s;ayd Madam, (an&s;wered he and looked &s;tedfa&s;tly upon her) that I am de&s;peratly in love with you, and there|fore you need not think it &s;trange, that I &s;hould gue&s;s what they &s;ay, as well as they gue&s;s what I have mo&s;t truly thought: Fie <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> (replyed <HI>Arpasia</HI> and blu&s;ht) you are a very bad Diviner, and &s;o are tho&s;e Ladyes al&s;o, if they do think as you &s;ay: I be&s;eech you Madam (replyed he) let me de&s;ire them to confe&s;s what they &s;ayd, and what they thought: As for the la&s;t of the&s;e (replyed &s;he) it will be a hard matter for you to make them confe&s;s it, and as for the other, it is to no purpo&s;e. Provided Madam &s;ayd he, you will beleive me upon my word, I &s;hal I not need the te&s;timonies of tho&s;e Ladies; but if you will not, I mu&s;t intreat all tho&s;e who talk of my love, to talk of it unto you, as they do unto others, And I be&s;eech you Madam, be no more offended at me, and to what I &s;hall &s;ay, than you will be at them when they &s;ay any thing unto you. Your language (replyed &s;he) will pa&s;&s;e for &s;uch a plea&s;ant peice of raillary, that I &s;hall not take it &s;eriou&s;ly. Provided Madam, an&s;wered he, that you will think my Raillary to be really true, you may let it pa&s;&s;e for what you plea&s;e. If I &s;hould thinke &s;o, (replied <HI>Arpasia)</HI> it would be &s;o little advantageous to you as you had better not de&s;ire it: however I do profe&s;&s;e that I doe not love &s;uch <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aillarie. And if I thought you had any intention to u&s;e it any more, I would never talke in private with you as long as I lived. This is extreame unju&s;t Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that you &s;hould &s;uffer all the world to tell you that I doe love you, and not to allow me, who knowes the truth of it better than they, I a&s;&s;ure you (replied &s;hee) none ever told me that you were in love with me; or if they had, it had been no great plea&s;ure to me. Then am very unhappie (replied he for ever &s;ince there were any Ladies I am confident non would be ever offended when they were told that they had made a new conque&s;t, though they will &s;eem angry when they are told of it: and it is a mo&s;t horrible Inju&s;tice in all women. Since I am not of your opinion I &s;hall (replied &s;he aloud purpo&s;ely to make the company generall) de&s;ire all the com|pany to Judge whether it be Ju&s;t in you to condemn all Ladies as you do; Every one hearing what <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &s;aid, broke of their private conferences, and began to harken unto her, and aske what the Inju&s;tice of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was? hee confident|ly affirmes (&s;aid &s;hee,) that all women are well plea&s;ed when they are told of any new conque&s;t they have made. You Madam were ever &s;o Ju&s;t (replied one of tho&s;e Ladies to whom &s;hee &s;poke who&s;e name was <HI>Stenobira)</HI> that I am &s;ure to be on the right &s;ide, if I be on yours; you are &s;o able your &s;elfe Madam to maintaine an ill cau&s;e (added another of the Ladies) as you are able to vanqui&s;h <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> without any a&s;&s;i&s;tance of mine. For my part (&s;aid a man of qualitie called <HI>Tirimenes)</HI> I do conceive the complaint which <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> makes of Ladies is &s;o rea&s;onable, that I have a thou&s;and times murmured again&s;t their inju&s;tice: truth is, &s;aid <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> to &s;peake in generall all women are unju&s;t in making men to love them, and not let them &s;peake of it to them: But if any Lady have any rea&s;on to take it ill from a man who is in love with her, to tell her of it;
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&s;hee hath much more rea&s;on to take it ill from men who are not in love with her, to talk other conque&s;ts; yet cu&s;tom hath made this Inju&s;tice almo&s;t a Law, and one may tell a woman &s;hee ever makes all men mi&s;erable; that her eyes kindle fire in the hearts of men; that &s;ome are ready to dye for her, &amp; &s;uch like; In the mean time if a man do but open his mouth and tell her that he loves her, &s;he is ready to bani&s;h him; to treat him ill; to impo&s;e eternall &s;ilence, and to threaten everla&s;ting hatred. This rule is not &s;o generall as you imagine (replied <HI>Stenobira</HI> and &s;miled) for I doe know &s;ome weomen, who will be more angry with a freind for chiding them, for making any in love with them, than they will be with their Lovers for telling them they are in love: tis true, it happens &s;o &s;omtimes (&s;ayd <HI>Terimone)</HI> but you never heard of it; but when a Lady hath contracted amity with him who is &s;o plain with her, &s;o that her anger is not cau&s;ed by any exce&s;&s;e of &s;everitie: <HI>Tirimenes</HI> is in the right (&s;aid <HI>A&s;tidamus)</HI> but I cannot endure that they who &s;uffer them&s;elves to be told a 1000. times in the year that this man is in love with them, &amp; that man is in love with them; yet wil not &s;uffer him who adores them, to tel them &s;o much as once how many mi&s;erieshe endures for their &s;akes, if there be anyreformation to be made in the cu&s;tom (replied <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &s;harply) doubtle&s;s it is to be only in this, that weomen &s;hould never harken unto their lovers, nor let their freinds chide them for making any in love|with them. Not but that women might hear men without any anger if they would leave off all flatteries: but when they will be talking of &s;uch things as they them|&s;elves do know ought not to be hearkned unto, their anger in that ca&s;e hath a mo&s;t ju&s;t ground. Madam replied <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> you defend a bad cau&s;e, with &s;o much wit, that as long as you are &s;peaking, I am ready to &s;ubmit unto your arguments but as &s;oon as ever you are &s;ilent, I returne unto my fir&s;t opinion, and declare, that if it be a crime to make men in love with you, than you have no rea&s;on to take it well that your freinds do tell you of it: but if it be not, than you may very well permit him whom you have captivated, to tell you of it as well as others: For there is no Ju&s;tice that tho&s;e who endure no torments nor inquietudes from the pa&s;&s;ion they &s;peak of, &s;hould have liberty to &s;peak of it unto you: Whil&s;t tho&s;e who &s;uffer mo&s;t mi&s;erable tortures, are not permitted to complain and tell where their pain doth lie. For my particular (replied <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> and blu&s;hed) I have no concernment in this di&s;|pute: For I am none of tho&s;e who u&s;e to hearken unto their Lovers with delight or who are angry with their friends, nor do I remember that any ever told me, any was in love with me. Fie Madam (replied <HI>Stenobira)</HI> who knew nothing of the pa&s;&s;ages between <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> and <HI>Arpa&s;ia)</HI> you are not now &s;incere: For I have told you that I do know &s;ome men, whom your beauty hath tormented. Then is my memo|ry very bad (replied &s;hee faintly) But if that be true and that I may make &s;ome pro|fit of what <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> hath &s;aid, I mu&s;t be angry with you and truly <HI>Stenobira,</HI> I could ea&s;ily be &s;o, if I could believe you. After this, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> making a motion to walk, the conver&s;ation changed, and during the walk the&s;e two Ladies being next <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> he over-heard what they &s;aid, and how <HI>Stenobira</HI> told <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> that <HI>A&s;ti|damus</HI> was in love with her: however <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> having a naturall aver&s;ion to him, &s;he was as much vexed to think that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> &s;hould love her, as &s;he would have been to hear that one whom &s;he loved had hated her. But to exa&s;perate her aver&s;ion it was di&s;covered that at the very &s;ame time he &s;eemed to be in love with her, he al&s;o was ve|ry frequent with another Lady of quality who was very fair, but of &s;o bad a carriage, that &s;uch as were any thing cautions of their reputation, never frequented her. So that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> extreamly di&s;liking all &s;uch as could carry them&s;elves equally compliant unto all weomen, &s;o they were fair: &s;he conceived &s;uch a kind of aver&s;ion towards <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> as did very neerly re&s;emble hatred, &s;o that if &s;he had not been full of re|&s;pects unto her Father, &s;he could not have concealed it. But <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> being mo&s;t agreable unto all &s;uch as did not perfectly know him, mo&s;t of the Ladies did much e&s;teem him. At la&s;t, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> after he had been a month with <HI>Gabrias</HI> he returned to his uncle, who looked upon him as his &s;on, &s;ince he had no children, and he retur|ned without any rea&s;on of much commending, or much complaining again&s;t <HI>Arpa|&s;ia:</HI> For &s;he carryed her &s;elf with &s;o much prudence out of feare to anger her father, that her aver&s;ion to <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> did not appear &s;o much as unto me, whom &s;hee was plea&s;ed to honour as her Confident. Some dayes after his returne to <HI>Alfenes,</HI> there came a me&s;&s;enger from <HI>Protogenes,</HI> the Uncle of <HI>A&s;tidamus;</HI> and for many dayes together it was under&s;tood that <HI>Gabrias</HI> &s;ent unto <HI>Protogenes</HI> and <HI>Protogenes</HI> unto <HI>Gabrias</HI> yet none did wonder at it. For &s;ince the carrying away of
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the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> had then put oll <HI>A&s;ia</HI> into an univer&s;all di&s;order: And &s;ince the death of the Queen <HI>Nitocris</HI> had wrought a great change in the minds of all &s;uch as were tyed to the intere&s;ts of the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> King, it was conceived, that every one thinking of their own &s;afety; &amp; examining which &s;ide to take in a war which was ap|parantly fore &s;een, that there was &s;ome negotiation between <HI>Gabrias</HI> and <HI>Protogenes,</HI> yet the &s;ecret of the affair was not &s;een, but ere it was long, we found it out: For Ma|dam be plea&s;ed to know that <HI>Gabrias</HI> having treated with <HI>Protogenes</HI> purpo&s;ely to be revenged upon the king of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> they both re&s;olved to take part with <HI>Cyrus</HI> but not to declare them&s;elves until that Prince had an army in the field, and was advan|cing towards <HI>Babylon,</HI> as it was likely he would. But that their intere&s;ts might be the more vnited, &amp; their treaty more &s;olidly made, a marriage between <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &amp; <HI>A&s;ti|damus</HI> was re&s;olved upon. So that one morning, when this fair one little dreamed of it, <HI>Gabrias</HI> came to tell her that &s;he mu&s;t prepare her &s;elf to go unto <HI>Alfenes</HI> &amp; with|in eight dayes to marry him. You may imagine Madam, how &s;ad <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was at this news: but &s;ince &s;he &s;tood in fear of <HI>Gabrias,</HI> &s;he dur&s;t not let the horrid <HI>Antipathy</HI> be|tween the marriage &amp; her appear: knowing very well that if &s;he did &s;hew her aver&s;i|on it was to no purpo&s;e: For her Father would not breake a treaty of that nature, though &s;he &s;hould imploy all her tears to win him unto it: So as forcing her &s;elf with a &s;trange violence to conceal the exce&s;s of her &s;orrowes, &s;he told her Father, that &s;he was all obedience, but &s;he told him it with &s;o much &s;adne&s;s as betrayd her heart, &amp; let him know more than &s;he would have &s;hewed, yet notwith&s;tanding <HI>Gabrias</HI> being too deeply engaged in his de&s;igns of revenge, would not take any notice of her repug|nancy: But gave all requi&s;ite orders that the voyage &s;hould be very magnificent. For &s;ince he de&s;ired to cloak the league from all &s;u&s;pition; he publi&s;hed the marriage of his daughter with <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> purpo&s;ely becau&s;e none &s;hould wonder at his going un|to <HI>Alfenes,</HI> nor beleive that it was to confer with <HI>Protogenes.</HI> So that the marriage of his daughter being the pretext of his voyage, the preparations for it were with all magnificence &amp; noi&s;e; and <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was con&s;trained to receive the vi&s;its of all tho&s;e who came to rejoyce with her, for a thing which was the &s;adde&s;t news in the world unto her, &s;o that &s;tanding in need of all her patience &s;he was forced to ea&s;e her heart unto me, and complain again&s;t the rigor of her fortune. In the mean time, as the &s;tate of affairs &s;tood, they required all ha&s;te in the bu&s;ines, and all things requi&s;ite for the voyage were in readynes; &amp; we departed &s;ooner then wee expected: Almo&s;t all the young gallants of any note about <HI>Gabrias</HI> did wait upon him; and this little Court Errant (that I may phra&s;e it) had been very plea&s;ant, if the heart of <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> had not been &s;o full of &s;ecret &s;orrowes; &s;he was al&s;o obliged by her Fathers command to an&s;wer a Letter which <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> &s;ent her; and to an&s;wer it with all the civility of a per&s;on who looked upon him as her husband, though truly the letter which &s;hee received from him was none of the mo&s;t oblidging, the letter yet was well written and full of wit: Every word was full of civility and re&s;pect, and yet &s;o couched that they were not at all obliging; For there was &s;uch a kind of faint luke-warmnes in it as made it neither tender nor pa&s;&s;ionate, but as if it were writen by a man who was not in love, only writ a love letter, becau&s;e he was obliged, or forced unto it.</P>
<P>You may ea&s;ily imagin what kind of di&s;cour&s;e <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and I had, during this voyage and &s;he would have none in the Coach with her, but only me, purpo&s;ely to have the liberty of talke; and pretending the heat of the weather, &s;he &s;ent all her other weomen into other Coaches. &s;he, and I were a whole day together, tal|king of nothing but her misfortune: and the neerer we drew unto <HI>Alfenes,</HI> the more her melancholly increa&s;ed. So that being within two dayes journey, &s;he &s;ee|med as if &s;he were nothing but a lump of &s;adne&s;s. Yet &s;he had the comfort to un|der&s;tand that <HI>Gabrias</HI> would &s;tay &s;ome dayes at a town by the way; untill he were better &s;atisfied from <HI>Protogenes,</HI> in &s;ome points concerning the treaty, which he would have ended by negotiation before he advanced any further. Yet we were ig|norant of the true cau&s;e of this &s;tay; but <HI>Gabrias</HI> told his Daughter, that the rea|&s;on of it was, becau&s;e all things for her magnificent reception were not yet in rea|dines. However it was, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was glad of the &s;top, though &s;he was &s;orry to be &s;o neer a place where &s;he was to be mi&s;erable. But Madam, it is requi&s;ite I ac|quaint you with a pa&s;&s;age which hapned that day when we were &s;o &s;ad, before we came to the town where we were to &s;tay; neer unto which there was a River, over which there was a bridg only of plancks for foot people, but not for coaches, becau&s;e
<PB N="20" REF="901">
it was too weak and narrow: We under&s;tood al&s;o from &s;ome Country people, that the Ford over which the Coach was to pa&s;s, was much ob&s;tructed by rubbi&s;h which a &s;tood had brought with it: and was very dangerous untill it was a little &s;coured; &s;o that we came out of the Coach to go over this foot bridge: <HI>Gabrias</HI> going him|&s;elf to &s;ee whether the men &s;ayd true, we &s;tayed a long time upon this bridge, be|yond which, we e&s;pied a man of a mo&s;t admirable pre&s;ence walking on the other &s;ide of this River, and who a&s;&s;oon as we &s;tayed, &s;topped and looked upon us al&s;o. <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> mind being full of melancholly, &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw this hand&s;om &s;tranger, but imagining him to be &s;ome friend unto <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> whom he had &s;ent unto her Father, &s;he chang&punc;d her colour, and turning towards me: Alas <HI>Ni&s;ide,</HI> (&s;ayd &s;he unto me) I &s;hould be very &s;orry if this &s;tranger, who &s;eems to be &s;o hand&s;om, &s;hould proove a me&s;&s;enger from <HI>A&s;tidamus:</HI> For I mu&s;t confe&s;s my aver&s;ion to him is &s;uch, as I wi&s;h him only to have fools unto his freinds, and I wi&s;h my &s;elf &s;uch a one for his &s;ake; that he may have a wife worthy of him&s;elf: Your wi&s;h, Madam, is &s;o unju&s;t, (&s;ayd I unto her) and the execution of it &s;o impo&s;&s;ible, that you make it altogether in vain: But as for this &s;tranger, there is no liklyhood that he &s;hould be any friend unto <HI>A&s;tidamus:</HI> For if he were, he would advance; and I am confi|dent that he &s;tayes only to have the plea&s;ure of &s;eeing you at a neerer di&s;tance when you have pa&s;&s;ed the bridge: For as we can di&s;cern him to be very hand&s;om, &s;o may he di&s;cern enough in you to invite his looks, and perhaps (&s;ayd I unto her laugh|ing, purpo&s;ely to drive her out of her melancholly) if he look upon you but one quarter of an hour longer, he will become a Rivall unto <HI>Astidamus:</HI> At lea&s;t his Garb &s;peaks his condition to be worthy of it. I wi&s;h with all my heart he were (re|plyed <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &s;uddenly) and I wi&s;h this man, who ere he be, were &s;o far in love with me, as to prevent the de&s;ignes of <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> upon condition that I &s;hould not love him &s;o much my &s;elf as to di&s;turb the quiet of my life. I had thought Ma|dam (&s;ayd I unto her) that your hatred to <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was &s;o great, as that you would have gone on with your wi&s;h without any condition; and that you would rather have been the Lover of this &s;tranger, than the wife of the other: Truly, (re|plyed &s;he) if there were any po&s;&s;ibility in the propo&s;ition, I &s;hould be &s;trangely per|plexed if it &s;hould be made unto me; for I would do almo&s;t any thing in the world to keep me from marrying <HI>A&s;tidamus:</HI> As we were talking thus, I &s;aw that this &s;tranger looked upon <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> very earne&s;tly, &amp; coming in&s;en&s;ibly neer the end of the bridge, where he thought &s;he would pa&s;s, he &s;eemed as if he liked her a far off, and de&s;ired to &s;ee her neerer; &s;o that we continued talking of him, untill we came out of the Coach, to pa&s;s over the bridge. But Madam, the pro&s;pect being admirably good, e&s;pecial|ly when we were upon the mid&s;t of the bridge, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &s;tayed a long time there to delight her &s;elf with &s;o fair an Object; thinking that &s;he deferred her mi&s;eries &s;ome munits, in not making any ha&s;t over. Indeed, the place was very delectable: One &s;ide of the River looked towards the ruines of a &s;tately Ca&s;tle, which &s;et limits to the eye that way: On the other &s;ide, the river did &s;o turn and wind it &s;elf through a great and plea&s;ant meadow, that one would have thought there had been five or &s;ixe &s;everall Rivers in one place: But that which rendred the pro&s;pect mo&s;t delight|full, was a rank of mountains beyond the meadows, which riding upon the back of each other, &s;eemed to reach the Clouds, and barracado up the Country that way: On the other &s;ide, towards the town, which &s;tood neer this little River, the eye was unlimited, but plea&s;ingly invited to look upon &s;everall plumps of wood, many pretty hamlets, abundance of Shepheards Cottages, milions of flocks and heards wherewith the plains were covered, &s;o as <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &s;tanding in the mid&s;t of this bridge and viewing the&s;e ru&s;tick beauties, &s;he &s;tayed there, as I told you before; and &s;he &s;tayed the longer, becau&s;e a cloud having masked the Sun, &s;he might do it without any inconveniency: So as by this means, the &s;tranger who &s;tood at the end of the bridge had time enough to admire her beauty, who being unmasked appeared fai|rer than ever I &s;aw her before: She being a little hot, her complexion was higher than ordinary, and the winds whifling her hair negligently, &s;he often ordred it with her fair hands, &s;o as this &s;tranger might &s;ee both them, and her arms incomparably white.</P>
<P>But after a long &s;urvey of this beautifull pro&s;pect, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> pa&s;&s;ed the bridge, the &s;tranger never taking his eyes off her, for I confe&s;&s;e to you Madam, that I eyed him
<PB N="21" REF="901">
as much as he did <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> though out of a different rea&s;on: For I looked upon him, only becau&s;e his admiration at her beauty plea&s;ed me, and he looked upon her doubtle&s;s, becau&s;e he found her the faire&s;t peice, that ever he had &s;een in his life. However, as &s;oon as <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> came neer him, he very re&s;pectfully &s;aluted her; and did his complement &s;o hand&s;omly as it was ea&s;y to perceive that he was a man of qua|lity, and one who had &s;een the world. But after <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> had pa&s;&s;ed the bridge, &s;he &s;at down upon a pillar, which time had tumbled down, and half &s;unk into the earth, &s;ince it fir&s;t fell, and the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e &s;he did &s;it untill her Coach had found out a more conve|nient ford, and came unto her: All the men went over on hor&s;e-back with <HI>Gabri|as,</HI> and went with him to the town which was clo&s;e by, and two or three only &s;tay|ing with <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> &s;he began to talk of &s;everall things: All this while the &s;tranger &s;taying in the &s;ame place with his freind, he &s;till looked upon her, as if he had a great de&s;ire to come neer her: And indeed, fortune favoured his de&s;ign; for <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> being naturally of an inqui&s;itive di&s;po&s;ition, &s;he inquired of every thing that was de&s;erving it, and wondred to &s;ee &s;uch a goodly pillar as that whereon &s;he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ate, in a place where &s;he &s;aw no ruins of any building: For the old defaced Ca&s;tle which was one of the beauties of the Country was a great di&s;tance of it. So that &s;he &s;ent one of her &s;ervants to enquire of two men who were neer this &s;tranger, for what u&s;e this &s;tately pillar had been? But the two men being only Merchants, they knew nothing of it; but an&s;wered they were ignorant, yet the curio&s;ity of <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was fully &s;atisfied, for &s;ince they were neer this &s;tranger, he heard what was asked them and what they an&s;wered. So then he being very glad of an occa&s;ion to talk with one who&s;e beauty he &s;o much admired, he told <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> Officer that he would come and &s;atisfie her cu|rio&s;ity, and after he had asked her name and quality, he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf very re|&s;pectively unto her.</P>
<P>Madam (&s;ayd he unto her) I think my &s;elf very happy in being ye&s;terday &s;o in|qui&s;itive as to &s;atisfie my &s;elf in what you de&s;ire to know, becau&s;e I &s;hall this day have the glory of &s;atisfying the curio&s;ity of the greate&s;t beauty in the World. Sir, &s;aid &s;he and ro&s;e up to &s;alute him, I do &s;o little de&s;erve the commendations which you be&s;tow upon me, that I cannot choo&s;e but think you to be a flatterer, at lea&s;t I can &s;ee &s;o much in the river as I pa&s;&s;e, as makes me blu&s;h at the applau&s;e which you are plea&s;ed to give me: But noble &s;tranger, (&s;ayd &s;he and gave him not &s;o much time as to reply) &s;ince you know the meaning of this &s;tately column who&s;e de&s;ti|ny is &s;o much changed, I be&s;eech you inform me; I thought to have told you Ma|dam, replyed he, that the de&s;tiny of this pillar is much greater than perhaps you imagin, for it is a memoriall of the victories of the great <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> who heretofore made greater conque&s;ts then ever any of his predece&s;&s;ors did, and who&s;e cu&s;tome was to erect &s;uch columns in the Countryes where he obtained his victories, and to ingrave not only his name and country, but to in&s;culp the valour or the cowar|dize of tho&s;e he vanqui&s;hed: Thus was he wont to eternize the &s;hame, or the glory of his enemies, according as they did more or le&s;s, with&s;tand his valour, by ere|cting &s;uch columns as here you &s;ee and &s;it upon: He made al&s;o other &s;tatues of him&s;elf, for two of them are to be &s;een hewed out of mo&s;t admirable &s;tone; one of them &s;tands in the way between <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> and <HI>Phoceus,</HI> and the other between <HI>Sar|dis</HI> and <HI>Smirna:</HI> But as old time is the ruin of all things &s;ucce&s;&s;ively, &s;o this pillar hath le&s;s re&s;i&s;ted its fading &s;troke, than tho&s;e &s;tatues, which are yet very fre&s;h; how|ever Madam (added he mo&s;t gallantly) the happy fate of this column hath not a|bandoned it; for &s;ince it hath the honour to &s;erve you for a &s;eat, it hath de&s;er|ved a fre&s;h erection, to the end al&s;o, none other &s;hould profane it, by &s;itting upon it after you: And I know not, (added he and &s;miled) whether if your conque&s;ts were al&s;o ingraved upon it, they would not appear to be greater than tho&s;e of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris.</HI> Had you re&s;erved this la&s;t peice of flattery, Sir (replyed &s;he) I &s;hould have told you that I am very &s;orry for meeting with &s;o nobly accompli&s;hed a man as you are, becau&s;e I am &s;o &s;oon to part from him; but now I mu&s;t tell you, that I think my &s;elf happy in parting &s;o &s;oon, lea&s;t I &s;hould have lo&s;t that right opinion which I have of my &s;elf&punc; However I give you many thanks Sir for the favours you have done me, in &s;atisfy|ing my curio&s;ity. After this, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> looking better upon the Pillar, &s;he found an old in&s;cription, which this &s;tranger did interpret, and &s;o neatly, as it was ap|parant, he was a man of an excellent wit: And <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> being de&s;irous to te&s;tify the
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good opinion &s;he conceived of him, &s;he asked him, who he was, in a very oblig|ing manner, It would &s;eem very &s;trange Sir, (&s;aid &s;he unto him) if I &s;hould be inqui&s;itive concerning this Column and not be as full of curio&s;ity to know the man who hath &s;o well informed me, of what country he is, and of what name, and therefore I be&s;eech you acquaint me with both: Madam (replyed he very mode&s;t|ly) I have done &s;o little honour unto the country which gave me birth, that I be+&s;eech you give me leave to &s;tay untill I have well de&s;erved from it, before I make it known unto you: And let it &s;uffice to acquaint you Madam, that men call me <HI>Meliantes</HI> without any further knowledge of my Country. Be your Country what it will Sir, replyed &s;he, you de&s;erve much commendation, and though I have known you but one poor quarter of an hower only, yet I am &s;ure I &s;hall never &s;peak of you but &s;hal applaud you. As <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &s;aid &s;o, her Coach came up, and <HI>Meliantes</HI> having an&s;wered as one who had &s;ome rea&s;on not to de&s;cribe his country, &s;he ur|ged him no further. But <HI>Meliantes</HI> under&s;tanding that &s;he was to &s;tay in the town, he begged the honour to vi&s;it her, and &s;he was willing to &s;atisfie his de&s;ire; &s;o that parting very civily from <HI>Meliantes,</HI> &s;he took Coach, and I with her. But Madam, all the way to the town we talked of nothing but <HI>Meliantes</HI> and commended his Be|haviour, his Garb, his Aire, and his Spirit. Al&s;o I under&s;tood &s;ince, that all the re&s;t of that day he talked of nothing unto his companion, but of <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> beauty, and after he had a long time talked and walked by the river &s;ide, he returned to the Town, with his freind, and returned thither with intentions to enquire more parti|cularly of the cau&s;e of <HI>Gabrias</HI> his voyage; and indeed he met with a fit opportuni|ty as I &s;hall tell you afterwards. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was &s;o hugely &s;atisfi|ed with <HI>Meliantes</HI> that &s;he told her Father whom &s;he had met withall, relating how he had informed her concerning the pillar of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris:</HI> Al&s;o &s;he enquired of the man at who&s;e hou&s;e &s;he lodged, whether he knew &s;uch a &s;tranger as &s;he de&s;cribed, but he an&s;wered that he knew him not, further than that, he had been three dayes in the town, &amp; that he &s;eemed to be a man of very good rank adding that the next mor|ning after he came, he &s;ent a &s;ervant &s;ome whither, and &s;ince that, he did nothing but walk continually with his freind and enquire very particularly concerning the Country. But Madam, whil&s;t <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was enquiring concerning <HI>Meliantes, Meli|antes</HI> was al&s;o enquiring very diligently concerning <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and fell in with a &s;er|vant of <HI>Gabrias,</HI> whom he met in a great plain before the Temple of that town: for &s;ince all &s;trangers have a particular right to fall into di&s;cour&s;e when they meet in a country, in which they are equally &s;trangers, it was an ea&s;y matter for <HI>Meliantes</HI> to fail into di&s;cour&s;e with this &s;ervant, who naturally loved to talk, and who told him more than ever <HI>Meliantes</HI> asked: For he did not only acquaint him, that <HI>Gabri|as</HI> was going unto <HI>Alfenes;</HI> but he told him al&s;o, that he was going to marry his Daughter unto <HI>A&s;tidamus:</HI> Further, hinting to him that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> did not love him, nor was plea&s;ed with the marriage, and out of his exce&s;&s;ive zeal to <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> to ju&s;tify her aver&s;ion, he acquainted him with the irregular demeanour of <HI>Astidamus.</HI></P>
<P>Thus <HI>Meliantes</HI> did as perfectly know the &s;tate of <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> fortune, as if he had known her from her Cradle: And under&s;tanding that <HI>Gabrias</HI> would &s;tay &s;ome dayes in that place, he intended to vi&s;it him the next morning; &amp; accordingly did &s;o with his friend who&s;e name was <HI>Phormion.</HI> Since <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> had &s;poken very advantageou&s;ly of <HI>Meliantes</HI> unto her father, hee entertained him very civily: and his per&s;on was &s;o fitt to plea&s;e, and his way was every way &s;o noble, that he got a good opinion at the very fir&s;t &s;ight: For he was bigge; of a noble &s;tature; and of an admirable deportment.</P>
<P>Moreover his haire was che&s;t nut colour, his face &s;omthing long his eyes brown: Teeth white, mouth hand&s;om, and his phy&s;iognomy &s;o ingenious, that it &s;poke him witty before he &s;pake: yet he &s;poke mo&s;t excelently well though his accent was &s;om|thing different from ours&punc; and though <HI>Meliantes</HI> was already knowing in &s;o many &s;everall things as it was a wonder con&s;idering his age, how he &s;hould attain unto it; yet his conver&s;ation, was naturall and ea&s;y: and &s;poke with &s;uch facilitie, that one might &s;ee he &s;poke no more than what he knew, though he &s;poke of every thing&punc; at lea&s;t I am &s;ure, I never heard him &s;peak any thing which I would have un&s;aid again, al&s;o he compo&s;ed ver&s;e excellently, and writ admirable pro&s;e; he had a quick fancy, a &s;parkling witt, A plea&s;ant humour; a noble heart, and mo&s;t generous inclinations
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he courted all per&s;ons of any extraordinary merit with a &s;trange de&s;ire of acquain|tance: and could &s;o finely in&s;inuate him&s;elf into their &s;pirits, that they no &s;ooner were acquainted with him, but he got their e&s;teem and affection: All that knew him, knew him to have a mo&s;t tender heart, and pa&s;&s;ionate &s;oul: And when he had any de&s;igne to oblidge any one, he u&s;ed &s;uch expre&s;&s;ions, as when he &s;poke of friend&s;hip, one would have thought, he &s;poke of love.</P>
<P><HI>Meliantes</HI> then being thus amiable did exceedingly plea&s;e <HI>Gabrias,</HI> who de&s;ired his company as long as he &s;tayed in that place; he would by all means have him at dinner with his freind <HI>Phormion,</HI> who without all doubt was a man of much merit: and to compleat his good fortune, <HI>Gabrias</HI> de&s;ired him to vi&s;it <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> who dined that day in private: and <HI>Meliantes</HI> willingly obeying where his own inclination invited him, he went unto <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> chamber, who was glad to &s;ee him. Since they had already &s;o much e&s;teem of each other, as to de&s;ire an augmentation of it, it &s;ee|med by their conver&s;ation, that they had no de&s;ignes to conceale their wits; &amp; they &s;hewed them without any affectation: their di&s;cour&s;e were &s;o plea&s;ing &amp; diverting that all the company had &s;hares in their joyes of confirming that e&s;teem which they had of each other. The principal &s;ubject of their conver&s;ings was that univer&s;all chain of all things in the world; which if one linke be but changed a hundred thou|&s;and linkes will change al&s;o. For truly (&s;aid <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> unto <HI>Meliantes</HI> very &s;weetly) if <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had never pa&s;&s;ed out of <HI>Affrica</HI> into <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> perhaps I &s;hould never have &s;poken to you: For then he had never erected that pillar upon which I &s;ate, which was the commencement of our acquaintance: and if old time had not def<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ced it, I &s;hould never have known you; for had the in&s;cription bin faire, my father would have under&s;tod it, and I &s;hould not have had any need of you. So that I am a debtor unto two very different things, for the plea&s;ure which I have in your company Fir&s;t unto that illu&s;trious conqueror, who erected that Columne. Secondly to time, which did ruin it, and which made me &s;tand in need of your help to &s;ati&s;fie my cu|rio&s;itie. I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes</HI> and &s;miled) remember what you &s;ay, that if ever my acquaintance &s;hould become trouble&s;ome to you, you may &s;till accu&s;e <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> and not me: And I &s;hould be very glad you &s;hould think, there is a fatall nece&s;&s;itie upon all things in the world, to the end you may complain a|again&s;t de&s;tiny, if ever my vi&s;its become tedious to you. I cannot tell Sir, replied &s;he, whether I &s;hould have any cau&s;e to complain, again&s;t that which fir&s;t made us acquainted, but I am &s;ure I &s;hall complain again&s;t you, if you will not acquaint me more preci&s;ely who you are. I have already told you Madam, replied he, one of the rea&s;ons which hinders me, and I &s;hall not de&s;paire; but hereafter I may tel you the re&s;t, if I do not acquaint you with what you de&s;ire to know: you &s;peak Sir replied &s;he as if we were to live out all our lives together: and yet in all probability we &s;hall quickly part. Since you neither know who I am Madam, replied he, and &s;miled) nor what my bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is, for ought you know, my bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is to the place unto which you go. my wi&s;hes do &s;o &s;eldom happen (replied &s;he) that I cannot believe that, and I am per&s;waded that accompli&s;hed men are &s;o farr from coming unto the place whether I go that I &s;hould rather bani&s;h all that are there. your language Madam, is &s;o obliging (replied <HI>Meliantes)</HI> that though I had no bu&s;ine&s;&s;eat <HI>Alfenes,</HI> yet it is my duty to go thither only to make my &s;elfe worthy of the&s;e honours, you have done me. But Madam, to tell you &s;omthing of my fortune, be plea&s;ed to know, that being in an humour of travell, I have &s;een all <HI>Greece</HI> and having contracted an intimate amity with <HI>Phormion</HI> my friend unto whom I am obliged for all the plea&s;ures I have found in his country, I came to &s;hew him all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> as he hath &s;hew|ed me all <HI>Greece:</HI> therefore Madam, having no other bu&s;ines but to &s;hew him what <HI>A&s;ia</HI> hath mo&s;t rare and admirable, I cannot do better than follow you, &s;ince there can be nothing more excellent then your &s;elf: But truly Madam (added he) &s;ince I finde you to be as full of mode&s;ty as beauty; and that your own de&s;erved pray&s;es make you blu&s;h. give me leave to tell you that I go unto <HI>Alfenes</HI> only to &s;ee the &s;trange and admirable lake of <HI>Arethu&s;us</HI> which the Tiger cro&s;&s;ed. This being a bu&s;i|nes more rationall than the other (replied &s;he) I &s;hall be glad you intend it, and &s;hall hope to have your good company the longer. Since <HI>Phormion</HI> had not the language which <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &s;poke very perfectly, he &s;aid little this fir&s;t vi&s;it: but that little he &s;aid, &s;poke him worthy to be the friend of <HI>Meliantes.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time, night drawing on, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> went to walke in a plea&s;ant garden
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and <HI>Mediantes</HI> waited upon her, &s;o as he &s;aw her, and talked with her a whole af|ternoon together. He returned the &s;ame night unto <HI>Gabrias,</HI> and went the next morning unto <HI>Arpasia,</HI> with whom he was exceedingly charmed, and unto whom he was very welcom: Al&s;o &s;he &s;poke of him unto me, with many te&s;timonies of e|&s;teem. Her aver&s;ion to <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was a great advantage unto him, and &s;he thought it &s;ome &s;weetne&s;&s;e that &s;he e&s;temed others more than &s;he did him; But <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me one evening when <HI>Meliantes</HI> had &s;pent the whole day with her) what think you of this &s;tranger? am I not very unfortunate to meet with excellent men for my freinds, and with a husband whom I hate? But alas, my fate is &s;ad, in mee|ting with <HI>Astidamus</HI> in lieu of <HI>Meliantes?</HI> the one is infinitly agreeable to my mind, The other is a man between whom, and me there is an invincible <HI>Antipathy,</HI> and yet I mu&s;t pa&s;&s;e away all my dayes with him: This, this is a rigour which I am not able to endure. Me thinks, this would be a revenge upon this inju&s;tice, if I &s;hould be&s;tow my e&s;teem upon <HI>Meliantes:</HI> and I have every moment a fancy to meet with men whom I can e&s;teem and love; to the end that when I come unto <HI>Alfenes,</HI> I &s;hould have &s;o di&s;po&s;ed of all my e&s;teem and amity, that I &s;hould not be able to e&s;teem or love any I &s;hall find there. As for amity Madam, replied I, I conceive that it is li|mited unto a certain number of per&s;ons, beyond which it cannot go: But as for e|&s;teem I am confident that you being ju&s;t, will, whether you will or no, e&s;teem all you &s;hall think worthy &s;o to be; you will e&s;teem even in <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> all that is e&s;teemable: Truly <HI>Niside</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to me) my thoughts of him are &s;uch, as I am not able to do ju&s;tice unto the goodne&s;&s;e that is in him: Not but that I do much condemn my &s;elf for it, but yet I cannot choo&s;e and am &s;o little mi&s;tre&s;&s;e of my &s;elf, and the motions of my own heart, that I beleive <HI>Meliantes</HI> had good rea&s;on to tell me that all mu&s;t be attributed unto de&s;tiny: For I am per&s;waded that many things which we think we do out of choi&s;e, are yet indeed done out of a compul&s;ive nece&s;|&s;ity, This then Madam, was the temper of <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> mind, all the while we &s;tayed at that place where we met with <HI>Meliantes,</HI> and our &s;tay was longer than we ima|gined: for many me&s;&s;engers and me&s;&s;ages pa&s;&s;ed between <HI>Protogenes</HI> and <HI>Gabrias</HI> concerning bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which was altogether unknown to me: and which had no relation to any thing but the league which they made again&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> upon which only the marriage of <HI>Arpasia</HI> did depend. Thus <HI>Meliantes</HI> did enioy the &s;ight of <HI>Arpasia</HI> more in twelve dayes that we &s;tayed there, than po&s;&s;ibly he could in three monthes in a great town: Al&s;o it may very well be &s;ayd, that he knew her &s;o well that he knew her too much for his tranquility, For he fell as de&s;peratly in love with her as ever man was, with any: Yet he told none of it at that time except <HI>Phormion</HI> unto whom he was forced to confe&s;s his growing affection: lea&s;t he &s;hould thwart his de&s;ign of &s;taying longer at <HI>Alfenes</HI> then they intended; and as we under&s;tood &s;ince he was put unto a pittifull plunge: For Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was really called <HI>Clidaris,</HI> of a family very noble in a Province of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and departing very young from the hou&s;e of his Father, he had travelled ever &s;ince. But the better to under&s;tand this adventure, I mu&s;t al&s;o tel you, that when he departed, he had a &s;i&s;ter who&s;e name was <HI>Cleonide,</HI> who at three years of age was &s;ent to <HI>Alfenes</HI> by her Father, who had lo&s;t his Wife; and who &s;ent her thither to be educated with one of his &s;i&s;ters, who was married there, &s;o as <HI>Melian|tes</HI> had both a &s;i&s;ter &amp; an aunt in that place unto which we were to go; but &s;uch a &s;i&s;ter and aunt as unto whom he was unknown; for his aunt was married in <HI>Alfenes</HI> be|fore he was born, and his &s;i&s;ter was &s;o young when he departed, that he could neither know her nor be known; But his greate&s;t plunge was, that in his &s;hewing <HI>A&s;ia</HI> unto his friend <HI>Phormion,</HI> he had been at <HI>Samo&s;ates,</HI> where his friend fell &s;ick: And the wor&s;t was he &s;tayed there a long time in courting the affection of a &s;i&s;ter unto <HI>A&s;ti|damus</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Argeli&s;e.</HI> For &s;ince the mother of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> loved her daughter very wel, &s;he &s;tayed there with her, &s;o that <HI>Meliantes</HI> having made a further progre&s;s into her affection then ever he hoped, when he fir&s;t began to court her, he now found him&s;elf put to a cruell plunge, con&s;idering the pre&s;ent &s;tate and pa&s;&s;ion of his &s;oul. <HI>Phormion</HI> al&s;o was much &s;urpri&s;ed when he di&s;covered his friends love; I be&s;eech you friend, (&s;aid he unto him) do but con&s;ider a little the &s;tate of things, ponder upon the &s;ad &s;equells of your pa&s;&s;ion, and the &s;mall hopes you have to have in it: For you love a Lady, who within the&s;e eight days is to be married unto a man, who&s;e &s;i&s;ter beleives that you will eternally love her: And the truth
<PB N="25" REF="903">
is Madam, <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> was of that opinion. Yet thus much mu&s;t be &s;aid in <HI>Meliantes</HI> defence, that &s;he did more contribute unto his Errour than he did; for I have per|fectly under&s;tood &s;ince that when he fir&s;t &s;aw her at <HI>Samo&s;ates,</HI> his court&s;hip was onely a certain particular civility which many would never have phra&s;ed love, though &s;he did &s;o interpret it.</P>
<P>But the rea&s;on why this Lady did &s;o ea&s;ily believe people loved her, was, be|cau&s;e &s;hee knew very well &s;he was amiable, and was per&s;waded all men were ap|ter for Love than amity; and that if any man was a&s;&s;iduous in his vi&s;its, pre&s;ently &s;he thought him to be in Love with her: So that &s;ince &s;he plea&s;ed <HI>Meliantes,</HI> hee &s;aw her oft enough to per&s;wade her he was in Love: and &s;he having a &s;trong in|clination to him, &s;hee entertained him as a man both loved, and in love with her. But &s;ince &s;he could not carry it &s;o, without <HI>Meliantes</HI> knowing her thoughts, he complyed very much with her, and did him&s;elfe thinke he was in Love: For he &s;aw that &s;he was faire, that &s;he plea&s;ed him, and that then he lo|ved none but her. Yet upon &s;erious examinion of his thoughts, that kind of affe|ction which he bore unto <HI>Argely&s;e,</HI> was rather a gallant kind of friend&s;hip, than a violent Love: And yet he hath acknowledged, that when he was &s;eparated from her, he beleeved him&s;elfe in Love, and was never out of that opinion, untill he fell in Love with <HI>Arpa&s;ia.</HI></P>
<P>In the meane time, mo&s;t certaine it is, that when he left <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> he gave her very obliging language: And I am per&s;waded that if he had never &s;een <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> he had continued loving <HI>Argeli&s;e.</HI> And indeed, when he re&s;olved to goe unto <HI>Alfenes,</HI> and &s;hew the Lake of <HI>Arethu&s;us</HI> unto <HI>Phormeon,</HI> his de&s;igne was to Court the affection of <HI>Astidamus,</HI> though he had no intention then to make him|&s;elfe known; not thinking it fit to appeare in the place where his Si&s;ter dwelt, untill he was in better equipage. Al&s;o he left off his right Name, and a&s;&s;umed that of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> purpo&s;ely to di&s;gui&s;e him&s;elfe from <HI>Cleonide,</HI> untill hee had a Traine proportionable to his Quality: As for his face, &s;he could not know it, for the rea&s;ons afore&s;aid.</P>
<P>But <HI>Phormion</HI> having lamed his Hor&s;e by leaping over a d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">h, the pretended <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;ent his &s;ervant unto the next good Towne to get another; and whil&s;t they &s;tayed for his return, the meeting with <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> made &s;uch a &s;trange revo|lution in the heart and de&s;igns of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> that <HI>Phormion</HI> could not choo&s;e but wonder to &s;ee his friend &s;o wrapt beyond all rea&s;on with his pa&s;&s;ion: So as he u&s;ed all his per&s;wa&s;ions, arguments and rea&s;ons to avert him from this growing pa&s;&s;ion. I had rather never &s;ee the Lake of <HI>Arethu&s;us</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Phormion</HI> unto him) than to go unto <HI>Alfenes,</HI> and &s;ee you become the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man alive: And I had rather be the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man upon Earth (replyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> than be &s;epa|rated from <HI>Arpa&s;ia:</HI> But do not think friend (added he) that I have &s;ubmitted without re&s;i&s;tance: No, I have tryed all wayes to quench my flames, and to revive my affection unto <HI>Argeli&s;e.</HI> Furthermore, I plainely &s;ee the odne&s;&s;e of my de&s;igne, and the alteration in my heart towards <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> is the &s;trange&s;t thing in the world: For men may love or hate others whom they do know, and alter their minds, but I think it was never heard, that one &s;hould love, or hate a man whom he never &s;aw: Yet my de&s;ign was to purcha&s;e the Love of <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and I have changed my mind before I know him. For though when I came hither, my intention was to love him, yet now I have a di&s;po&s;ition to hate him: Truth is, there is a great alteration in the cau&s;e; for when I fir&s;t &s;aw the faire and tempt|ing <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> I con&s;idered him as the Brother of my Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, but now look upon him, as my Rivall.</P>
<P>But friend (&s;aid <HI>Phormion)</HI> without any arguments drawn from <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> to cure your new-taken-up pa&s;&s;ion, I will only aske you upon what bottom do you ground any hopes? I ground my hopes (replyed he) upon <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> hating <HI>A&s;ti|damus,</HI> and this thought affords me more delight than I am able to expre&s;&s;e. But friend, replyed <HI>Phormion,</HI> though &s;he do hate him, yet &s;he intends to marry him. 'Tis true, &s;he doth &s;o, an&s;wered hee, but &s;he intends it with reluctancy: But if you would have me tell you how ingenious my pa&s;&s;ion is to frame a chimericall hope which hath no foundation but only upon the greatne&s;&s;e of my Love: I mu&s;t tell you, my deare <HI>Phormion,</HI> that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> cannot choo&s;e but hate <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and
<PB N="26" REF="904">
that &s;he hath done all &s;he is able, to love him, but cannot: and it is not impo&s;&s;ible but I may be that happy one whom &s;he may de&s;ire to hate, but cannot. Alas <HI>Meliantes</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Phormion)</HI> that heart mu&s;t needs be too much &s;tung with Love, which can forge any &s;uch fal&s;e-grounded hopes as the&s;e. I confe&s;&s;e it friend (re|plyed he) and my folly is not yet &s;o great, but I can &s;ee it: Yet there is no other remedy for my mi&s;ery, and therefore I mu&s;t love <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and wait upon her to <HI>Alfenes.</HI> In &s;o doing (replyed <HI>Phormion)</HI> you waite upon her to her Marriage, and perhaps you will &s;ee <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> there: Oh cruell friend (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes</HI> then) do not bla&s;t me with &s;uch dire predictions, but let me rea&s;on the matter after my own way: But I pray friend, reylyed <HI>Phormion,</HI> how can you rea&s;on it to your owne advantage? Tho&s;e who never knew how to love (replyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> are not able to finde out &s;uch rea&s;ons as one that is in Love can: And I believe it is a more ea&s;ie matter for an Aegyptian to under&s;tand the Language of a Per&s;ian untaught, than it is for a man who is not in Love, to under&s;tand the thoughts of a Lover: But be it as it will, I will love <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> untill I know that &s;he loves <HI>A&s;ti|damus.</HI> But what though &s;he &s;hould hate him as long as &s;he lives (&s;aid <HI>Phormion</HI> to him) you yet are not a jot the better. I know not what I &s;hall be (replyed he) but I am &s;ure I cannot do what I would: and though <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> &s;hould be there, yet I &s;hould not change my mind: Not but that I know very well, my pa&s;&s;ion has a very ill foundation: but yet I will love the faire <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> though it be only to make it appeare that Love is able to grow and &s;ub&s;i&s;t without any hopes; at lea&s;t I am &s;ure the grandure of her beauty will be a good excu&s;e for my weakene&s;&s;e: and to &s;peake rationally, it is a great inju&s;tice to de&s;ire any one unto more than he is a|ble; wi&s;dome would cea&s;e to be wi&s;dome, if it &s;hould move one unto impo&s;&s;ibi|lities. And therefore my deare <HI>Phormion,</HI> &s;ince I am not able to overcome my pa&s;&s;ion, I be&s;eech you humour me in my weakne&s;&s;e: and to make me le&s;&s;e mi&s;e|rable, help me to delude my &s;elfe. This Madam, was the &s;tate of <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;oul: <HI>Phormion</HI> &s;eeing it was in vaine to check the love of his friend, and that his di&s;|ea&s;e did every moment encrea&s;e, did a little yeeld unto him, and according to his fir&s;t de&s;ign re&s;olved to goe unto <HI>Alfenes.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Meliantes</HI> being all complacence unto <HI>Gabrias,</HI> he quickly got his love: So as making u&s;e of that amity, and de&s;iring to be as in&s;eparable as he could from <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> he be&s;eeched <HI>Gabrias</HI> to let him waite upon him to <HI>Alfe|nes,</HI> and that <HI>Phormion</HI> and he might pa&s;&s;e in the number of tho&s;e who waited upon him in this voyage, either to honour him, or to &s;atisfie their Curio&s;ity. You may well think, Madam, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was not denyed; for &s;ince his reque&s;t was agreeable unto the de&s;ire of <HI>Gabrias,</HI> and an honour unto him, he granted it with much joy. <HI>Meliantes</HI> al&s;o carried the matter &s;o hand&s;omely, that none could &s;u&s;|pect he had any &s;ecret thoughts in his &s;oul: And <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> did thinke that the drift of his reque&s;t was only to be better received in that petty Court, in which <HI>Ar|pa&s;ia</HI> her &s;elfe was the faire&s;t Starr. However, &s;ince &s;he e&s;temed him very much, &s;he was glad of his de&s;ign: and now looking upon him as a friend, whom &s;he was not like to loo&s;e &s;o &s;oon, &s;he behaved her &s;elfe more obligingly towards him; and likewi&s;e he towards her &s;o re&s;pectively, that &s;hee could not choo&s;e but be very well &s;atisfied with him: Al&s;o &s;he began to &s;peak more &s;incerely to him, and for|cing her &s;elfe le&s;&s;e than ordinary, &s;hee would &s;ometimes &s;igh before him; and not telling him the cau&s;e, &s;he would &s;hew him &s;ome of her &s;orrows.</P>
<P>But Madam, how joyfull was her &s;adne&s;&s;e to him? thinking it to be onely an effect of her hatred unto his Rivall. And it often fell out, that this faire one would &s;peake unto mee in his pre&s;ence concerning her aver&s;ion to <HI>Astidamus,</HI> thinking that he did not under&s;tand the meaning; but hee was better informed than &s;he imagined, for he under&s;tood all as well as I did, and hee was &s;o joyed as it may be &s;ayd that <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> hatred of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was one cau&s;e of <HI>Meliantes</HI> Love unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia.</HI></P>
<P>But in conclu&s;ion, all the Negotiations between <HI>Protogenes</HI> and <HI>Gabrias</HI> being en|ded, <HI>Gabrias</HI> told his Daughter one Evening, that they mu&s;t depart in the Morning, and that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> would meet her half way between that, and <HI>Alfenes.</HI> You may well imagine how <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> re&s;ented this news, for &s;he had &s;ome far fetched hopes that perhaps <HI>Protegenes</HI> and <HI>Gabrias</HI> would jarr during this long Negotiation,
<PB N="27" REF="904">
and that her Marriage with <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> would break off. <HI>Meliantes</HI> was al&s;o as &s;ad as &s;ad could be, but he did &s;o hand&s;omly palliate the Cau&s;e, that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> ob&s;erving him, did imagine that her Sorrows only was the cau&s;e of his: yet &s;he did force and temper her Grief by her Vertue and Prudence. But when I was alone with her, &s;he would ea&s;e her heart by complaining: <HI>Meliantes</HI> al&s;o for his particular did the &s;ame, when he was in private with his Friend <HI>Phormion.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time, the Servant of <HI>Meliantes</HI> being returned in good time, with a very fine Hor&s;e, which he had bought for his Ma&s;ters Friend, he prepared to wait upon <HI>Gabrias</HI> and <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and to advance towards his Rivall. It would be extream ra&s;hne&s;s in me, Madam, to attempt the relation of all <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> thoughts upon this occa&s;ion; for I think it is impo&s;&s;ible for any to expre&s;s them, un|le&s;s they were Sufferers in the &s;ame Predicament with them.</P>
<P>The Mi&s;eries which <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> apprehended drawing neer, and de&s;iring to ea&s;e her Soul by Complaints, &s;he would have me only with her in the Coach: Yet I was ra|ther an Aggravater than an Ea&s;er of her Sorrows; For &s;ince I verily believed that &s;he mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity marry <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> I endeavoured to per&s;wade her that tho&s;e good Qualities he had might very well excu&s;e his bad ones: For truly, Madam, &s;ayd I, unto her, doubtles he is hand&s;om, he has a good wit, and brave carriage, his company is plea&s;ant and merry, and if one did not know the irregularity of his behaviour, all things de&s;irable might be found in him. Moreover, Madam, &s;ince it is not the cu&s;tome for Per&s;ons of your Quality to have the liberty of cho&s;ing your Husbands, Fortune commonly cho&s;eth them better for you than your Rea&s;on can. Alas <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> (&s;ayd &s;he unto me) your Arguments are but weak Con&s;olations; I know <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> hath &s;ome good per&s;onall Qualities, and &s;o far I could willingly let &s;ome good ones excu&s;e the bad ones, but &s;ince all his Excellencies con&s;i&s;t in his Per&s;on, and &s;ince all his bad Qualities are in his Inclination and Soul, I cannot poize one again&s;t another to comfort my &s;elf; and there is &s;omthing &s;o Antipatheous be|tween <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> and me, as I cannot tell whether the intere&s;t of mine own Glory be prevalent enough to make me &s;acrifice all the Joyes of my life unto him. This, Madam, was the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> and me, as we travelled.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Meliantes</HI> he was in a wor&s;e condition, for <HI>Gabrias</HI> talked with him all that day, and told him as a great favour that he would pre&s;ent him unto <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> as &s;oon as ere they met. At la&s;t we entred into a great Plaine, and &s;aw a body of Ca|valry coming out of a Wood towards us: <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> making no que&s;tion but that it was <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> the very &s;ight had like to have broken all her Re&s;olutions of con|&s;training her &s;elf, and if the Plain had been &s;horter, certainly &s;he had wanted time to recollect her &s;elf. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Meliantes</HI> being upon the point to &s;ee him who was to enjoy her, he loved; his heart did beat a mo&s;t &s;trange di&s;orderly March; yet he had one more &s;truggle with him&s;elf, and endeavoured to look upon <HI>A&s;tida|mus</HI> rather as the Brother of <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> than as the Lover of <HI>Arpa&s;ia:</HI> but alas all in vain. He no &s;ooner &s;pied this body of Cavalry which appeared, but he looked to|wards <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and endeavoured to ob&s;erve her thoughts, and finding nothing in her face but &s;ad Meiancholly, he was extreamly well &s;atisfied. In the mean time, <HI>Ga|brias</HI> not heeding either the &s;adne&s;s of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> nor the Inquietude of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> he &s;ayd he would mend his pace, to meet him who was coming towards them, and &s;o he did, &s;o as <HI>Meliantes</HI> followed as the re&s;t did, and made ha&s;t to &s;ee a man whom he had de&s;ired never to &s;ee. The Interveiw of <HI>Gabrias</HI> and <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> had all the Ci|vilities and Ceremonies u&s;uall at &s;uch meetings: <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> alighted fir&s;t from his Hor&s;e, and <HI>Gabrias</HI> after him, and walking towards one another, they embraced with many expre&s;&s;ions of &s;atisfaction. After which <HI>Gabrias</HI> turned him about, in|tending to pre&s;ent <HI>Meliantes</HI> unto <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> thinking he was behind him. But this concealed Lover de&s;irous to defer the Embraces of his Rivall, had mixed him|&s;elf with the re&s;t of his Retinue; &s;o as by this means, he was con&s;tramed to pre&s;ent them all as they came up: But when he came unto <HI>Meliantes, Gabrias</HI> made a more particular Eulogy concerning him, purpo&s;ely to render his Merit the more re|commendable unto <HI>Astidamus,</HI> who received him mo&s;t civily: So as this unfortu|nate Lover was forced to render unto his Rivall, Civility for Ciuility. <HI>Phormion</HI> al&s;o was well received by <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and this Interview pa&s;&s;ed better betwixt <HI>Ar|pa&s;ia</HI> and him.</P>
<P><PB N="28" REF="905">
But to tell you how it was, be plea&s;ed to know, that whil&s;t <HI>Gabrias</HI> was pre&s;ent|ing all his Retinue unto <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> our Coach was &s;till advancing, &s;o as we came to the place where the&s;e Complements pa&s;&s;ed, ju&s;t as <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> had ended: and coming then towards <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> doubtle&s;&s;e it was expected &s;he &s;hould command the Coach-man to &s;top: but her mind being extreamely troubled, &s;he &s;aid not a word, &s;o as the Coach-man went on: And I think, if <HI>Gabrias</HI> had not cryed out unto him to &s;tay, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> would have let him to drive on, though &s;he &s;aw <HI>A&s;ti|damus</HI> well enough coming towards her.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, there appeared &s;o much di&s;order in the Countenance of this Lover, that in all my life I never &s;aw the like: For my part, I believe it was an effect of his anger, that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> would not command her Coach to &s;tay; and be|cau&s;e he found &s;uch a faint coldne&s;&s;e in the face of that faire one.</P>
<P>In the meane time, as I de&s;ired to come out of the Coach, to let him have the more liberty of talke with <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> he would not permit it, but told <HI>Gabrias,</HI> who pre&s;ented him to his Daughter, that <HI>Protegenes</HI> expected them with much impatience, and that he would not retard him from a benefit which he wi&s;hed &s;o much to receive one, which he did not de&s;erve. <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> Madam, &s;pake this with a kind of forced Civility, though naturally he had a free way, and aire with him: &s;o as it was ea&s;ie to perceive that his minde was perplexed. Many who ob|&s;erved the agitation of his &s;oule, did believe this to be an effect of the Gran|dure of his pa&s;&s;ion: but for my part, I always believed it to be an effect of his anger.</P>
<P>In the mean while <HI>Meliantes,</HI> who &s;lunk away when <HI>Gabrias</HI> &s;hould have pre|&s;ented him unto <HI>Astidamus,</HI> he drew as neer as he could po&s;&s;ible, to &s;ee the mee|ting of <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> and him; and indeed he got &s;o neer, that he could ob&s;erve every motion in their countenances, e&s;pecially in <HI>Arpa&s;ias,</HI> whom he eyed more then hee did <HI>A&s;tidamus:</HI> for pre&s;uppo&s;ing him to be in love with her, hee never looked in his eyes: But hoping to find &s;ome &s;parks of aver&s;ion in the eyes of <HI>Ar|pa&s;ia,</HI> he ob&s;erved her with &s;o much attention, that who&s;oever &s;aw him, might plainly perceive that he was deeply concerned in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. At lea&s;t <HI>Phormion</HI> told me &s;o &s;ince; for my part, I looked upon none but <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> only, and won|dred to &s;ee &s;o much di&s;content in his face at a time when he &s;hould have been all joy, that I know not what to think. However, after &s;ome &s;hort and &s;light Com|plements the Coach went on: <HI>Gabrias, A&s;tidamus,</HI> and all the re&s;t took Hor&s;e and went before: So as I being at liberty to &s;peak my thoughts unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> I told her &s;he did not well in not commanding the Coach to &s;tay: Alas <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to me) I never thought upon any &s;uch command: and had I followed my owne inclination, I &s;hould have given a command quite contrary: But <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> (&s;aid &s;he to me) I think it very &s;trange, that in lieu of upbraiding <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> for his faint and hollow accou&s;t, you do accu&s;e me, and not him. Since Madam, your incivility did precede his faintne&s;&s;e (&s;aid I very boldly unto her) I mu&s;t heare him &s;peak, be|fore I can wonder at his proceeding: For I do verily believe, that his anger at what you did, was the cau&s;e of his cold behaviour. However it be (&s;aid &s;he) hee did me a very great plea&s;ure in receiving me no better; yet I am very angry at it. To be pleas'd and angry both at one thing, replyed I, is very &s;trange: Yet I am both (replyed &s;he) for my joyes at what he hath done, proceeds principally from his angrying me. Truly Madam (&s;aid I unto her) you move mee to abundance of pitty, to &s;ee you &s;o carefull to hate a man with whom you are to pa&s;&s;e away all your life. Since I am &s;ure (an&s;wered &s;he) that it is ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible I &s;hould ever love him: my be&s;t cour&s;e is to finde &s;ome comfort in my hatred of him, and that I do per&s;wade my &s;elfe it is ju&s;t, lea&s;t I &s;hould be con&s;trayned to accu&s;e my &s;elfe.</P>
<P>In the mean time, being come to the River <HI>Tigris, A&s;tidamus</HI> by orders from <HI>Protogenes,</HI> did make us take upon the left hand, purpo&s;ely to &s;hew <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> the Lake of <HI>Arethu&s;us,</HI> through which the <HI>Tigris</HI> pa&s;&s;eth, and never mingles waters. Afterwards, turning towards the Towne, we entred at a Port towards the Plaine, where <HI>Gabrias</HI> and <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> received many Complements from <HI>Protogenes,</HI> I &s;hall omit the tedious relating how all the Inhabitants of the goodly Towne were in Armes; how all the &s;treets were full of people, how the windows were adorned with Ladies of quality, and how <HI>Protogenes</HI> &s;tood expecting at the gate of his
<PB N="29" REF="905">
Palace, not being able to goe any further. Since this meeting had nothing ob|&s;ervable in it, I &s;hall pa&s;&s;e it over: Yet I mu&s;t tell you, how <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> having re|collected him&s;elfe out of that di&s;order of mind, the cau&s;e of which we do not know, he helped <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> out of her Coach; and after <HI>Protogenes</HI> had &s;aluted her, did waite upon her to her Chamber, &s;o as now the Torments of <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Arpa|&s;ia</HI> did begin to double. Yet <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> did not trouble her that night: for &s;ince &s;he feined her &s;elf to be very weary, he left her to the liberty of her re&s;t: But the next morning &s;he mu&s;t prepare her &s;elf to receive the vi&s;its of all the per&s;ons of quality in <HI>Alfenes</HI> of both &s;exes. It was &s;ome comfort unto her that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> came not neer her all that day; for &s;ince <HI>Protogenes</HI> could neither goe nor ride, by rea&s;on of &s;ome infirmities, it was the Office of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> to &s;hew <HI>Gabrias</HI> all the Town: but in exchange, <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;pent all the day with <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and was a witne&s;&s;e of all the vi&s;its which &s;he received: So as knowing the names of his Aunt, and &s;i&s;ter, which dwelt in <HI>Alfenes,</HI> though he knew not their faces, nor they him, he care ully ask|ed the names of all the Ladies which came into <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> Chamber, and long he a&s;|ked in vaine: But at la&s;t towards evening, there came a grave Lady well in yeares, and a young one following, admirably faire, who&s;e names hee al&s;o enquired: and pre&s;ently he was told that the ancient Ladies name was <HI>Ferinte,</HI> and the young ones <HI>Cleonide,</HI> &s;o as now he knew the one to be his Aunt, and the other his Si&s;ter. Yet he would not make him&s;elfe known unto them; nor tru&s;t him&s;elfe unto two per&s;ons who&s;e tempers he did not know: nor would he tell <HI>Phormion</HI> which were they, nor could <HI>Phormion</HI> know which were they vnle&s;&s;e <HI>Meliantes</HI> told him, becau&s;e he knew not their names, only knew that he had an Aunt, and a Si&s;ter at <HI>Alfenes.</HI> Howe|ver <HI>Cleonide</HI> being the faire&s;t and mo&s;t lovely of all that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> had &s;een in <HI>Alfenes,</HI> &s;he received her with as particular civility, as if &s;he had known her to be the &s;i&s;ter of <HI>Meliantes.</HI></P>
<P>This Lover flattering his pa&s;&s;ion, and ob&s;erving the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> unto <HI>Cleonide,</HI> he imagined that it was rather an effect of a &s;trong inclination than of beauty: So as making this application unto his advantage, he hoped that perhaps &s;he might have the &s;ame inclination unto the Brother which &s;hee had unto the Si|&s;ter. But the very truth is, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> did only render ju&s;tice unto the merit of <HI>Cleo|nide:</HI> And indeed Madam, a more amiable per&s;on could not be upon earth than &s;he; for not only all the features of her face were &s;o many particular beauties, but al&s;o &s;he had the Aire of a high beauty; and all the charmes which &s;weetne&s;&s;e it &s;elfe could infu&s;e into faire eyes, were que&s;tionle&s;&s;e in hers: Shee had al&s;o &s;uch a kind of pa&s;&s;ionate Languor, as who&s;oever &s;aw her, could not choo&s;e but thinke them&s;elves ble&s;t in her Love: Moreover &s;he &s;poke admirably well, and was &s;uch a profe&s;&s;ed E|nemy unto all kind of detraction, that &s;hee would give even her Enemies a good word when they de&s;erved it: And if any fault could be found in <HI>Cleonide,</HI> it was in having a &s;oul too apt to tru&s;t &s;uch as promi&s;ed amity; for as &s;he would deceive none, &s;o &s;he thought none would deceive her: and yet this fault did make her appear much more amiable, becau&s;e &s;he was the very Embleme of &s;incerity, and that confidence which &s;he had in others, did make her much more charming: Yet &s;he was a little &s;ad the fir&s;t day <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &s;aw her: And <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> after he had carryed <HI>Gabrias</HI> unto the Chamber of <HI>Protogenes,</HI> he entred into that of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> who redoubled her commendations when &s;he &s;aw him, telling him that &s;he admired he &s;hould ne|ver &s;peak of <HI>Cleonides</HI> beauty, when <HI>Protogenes</HI> &s;ent him unto <HI>Gabrias. Arpa&s;ia</HI> wondred al&s;o he &s;hould never mention her unto her. This obliging civility of <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> did not only make her unto whom it was addre&s;&s;ed to blu&s;h, but al&s;o it made &s;ome alteration in the face of <HI>A&s;tidamus;</HI> and made him an&s;wer as if he were a little non-plu&s;t. Yet tho&s;e who tooke notice of it, believed that the rea&s;on was, becau&s;e he was unwilling to commend one beauty in the pre&s;ence of another. As for <HI>Meliantes,</HI> he conceived (as he told me &s;ince) that had he been in the room of <HI>Astidamus,</HI> he &s;hould have been an&s;wered otherwi&s;e; for my part (&s;aid he, and &s;poke unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia)</HI> I am fully per&s;waded Madam, that &s;uch a beauty as yours does &s;o much take up the thoughts of tho&s;e who behold it, that they have not the liberty of remembring any other. You have very good rea&s;on, Sir, to &s;peak as you do (replyed <HI>Cleonide)</HI> being a little netled) and I a&s;&s;ure you, I &s;hould think my &s;elfe much obliged unto that per&s;on who &s;hould think of me in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Ar|pa&s;ia.
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Meliantes</HI> knowing that <HI>Cleonide</HI> was his Si&s;ter, and that it would be known to all hereafter, he valued not his &s;i&s;ters anger, at his under-valuing her beauty, and attributing all unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> imagining that when &s;he knew him to be her Brother, &s;he would pardon him.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince &s;he knew it not, &s;he could not choo&s;e but contradict <HI>Meliantes</HI> in all his di&s;cour&s;e. As for <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> he was &s;o backward in any obli|ging expre&s;&s;ions unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> that every one took &s;peciall notice of it: She her|&s;elfe al&s;o perceived it as well as the re&s;t, and better: So that after all the company was gone out of her Chamber, &s;he &s;poke unto me with &s;o much anger, as made me pitty her. Would not any one &s;ay that heard <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> &s;peak (&s;aid &s;he unto me) that he was already my Husband? and conceiving it fit not to commend the beau|ty of his Wife, he dur&s;t not &s;peak to me at all: Judg I be&s;eech you what he would do, if I &s;hould marry him. I profe&s;&s;e he behaves him&s;elfe &s;o oddly, that if a &s;tranger were in the company; and were told that I had a Lover among&s;t them who was to marry me, he would never gue&s;s it to bee <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> but would rather think it <HI>Meliantes:</HI> And to &s;peak the very truth, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> looks like a Husband da&s;ht out of countenance with the commendations that is given to his Wife: and <HI>Meliantes</HI> talks like a brave and civill Gallant, though he be none of mine.</P>
<P>For my part Madam (&s;aid I unto her, though I thought it not) I think <HI>A&s;tida|mus</HI> is &s;o deeply in Love with you, that he is out of his wits, for he was no &s;uch man the fir&s;t time I &s;aw him, Fie, fie, <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) if <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> were out of his wits for the love of me, and did commit any incivilities, they would be of another nature: and hee would &s;ooner di&s;oblige all at the beauties in <HI>Alfenes</HI> then di&s;oblige mee as he hath done, in commending mee &s;o faintly as hee hath done. As &s;oon as <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> had &s;aid &s;o, &s;he received very welcome news from <HI>Ga|brias,</HI> for a &s;ervant of his came to acquaint her from him in &s;ecret, that <HI>Protogenes</HI> and he were re&s;olved not to proceed unto the Marriage of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> and her, untill they had &s;ent to ask the new King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> leave, &amp; not to break off with him till the Armie of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in the Field, which was not yet neere them enough to de|clare without danger: adding, that in the mean time they would give &s;ecret orders to make &s;ure of the Souldiers, to the end that when they did declare they might be con&s;iderable unto that Prince who&s;e part they &s;hould take. <HI>Arpasia</HI> hearing that her mi&s;ery was at lea&s;t deferred, &s;he was joyed beyond all expre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Meliantes</HI> learning to know the pa&s;&s;ions of others by his own, he thought that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was not in Love with <HI>Arpasia:</HI> &s;o that applying him&s;elfe to di&s;cover his thoughts, he ob&s;erved him with all vigilancy: and the truth is, when <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> did &s;traine him&s;elfe to &s;peak <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> faire, one might plainly &s;ee that his &s;pirit had not its ordinary liberty, but was in a continuall con|&s;traint. Moreover, the pre&s;ence of <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was no hinderance unto him from &s;pen|ding mo&s;t of his time in &s;uch diver&s;ions and recreations as mo&s;t &s;uited with his own inclination, as much as if &s;he had been ab&s;ent; for he played both night and day at tho&s;e &s;ports and games which the <HI>Lydians</HI> invented: Al&s;o hee u&s;ed many ob&s;cure and unknown vi&s;its, and none knew how he &s;pent halfe his time, nor what he did. But though <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was very &s;low in his vi&s;its of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> yet <HI>Meliantes</HI> was ve|ry a&s;&s;iduous, and was continually with her, with whom he was grown a mo&s;t in|timate Confident.</P>
<P>However, <HI>Protogenes</HI> being noble and magnificent every way, he made continu|all Fea&s;ts and Banquets; and among&s;t the re&s;t, he prepared one mo&s;t gallant, to &s;et forth the variety of the <HI>Arethu&s;ean</HI> Lake: And the better to de&s;cribe it unto you Ma|dam, give me leave to &s;peak &s;omething of the cour&s;e of that famous River which runs by <HI>Alfenes,</HI> and cro&s;&s;eth the Lake of <HI>Arethu&s;a;</HI> for indeed Madam, the River <HI>Tygres</HI> hath this particularity, that one little &s;pring which ri&s;eth from the Mountain <HI>Nithates</HI> is the Mother of this River. Truth is, it doth not all the way own the &s;ame name; for being very gentle in its fir&s;t &s;ource, the Inhabitants of the Coun|trey do call it <HI>Diglito,</HI> as much as to &s;ay, &s;low, and lazie: and it doth not take the name of <HI>Tygres,</HI> which &s;ignifies an Arrow, untill by falling from &s;ome grounds which it doth water, it hath gotten the rapidity and &s;wiftne&s;&s;e of an Arrow; and when it comes to <HI>Alfenes,</HI> where that great and famous Lake of <HI>Arethu&s;a</HI> is, it runs through it with &s;uch impetuo&s;ity, that its waters doe not mingle with it: and the
<PB N="31" REF="906">
Fi&s;hes being carryed by the violence of its cour&s;e, do not mingle with tho&s;e of the Lake; nor tho&s;e of the Lake, with them of the River.</P>
<P>On the contrary, this turbulent water is &s;o oppo&s;ite unto the nature of tho&s;e Fi|&s;hes which the Lake doth nouri&s;h, that they never come neer the place where the River runs: &s;o as it may very truly be &s;ayd, the Lake and the River are continually together, and yet always &s;eparate, &s;ince they never mingle. This River hath be|&s;ides many &s;ingularities which are worthy of curio&s;ity: but I mu&s;t not in&s;i&s;t upon them, becau&s;e it is my bu&s;ine&s;s to &s;peak of the Lake and the Fea&s;t which was made upon it: and only to let you know, that <HI>Protegenes</HI> having a de&s;ire to make it ap|peare that all the wonders of the Lake were true, his de&s;ign was to make a very noble Fea&s;t upon it, &s;ince it had more variety of diver&s;ion than any other. 'Tis true, that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was very bu&s;ie at this Fea&s;t, and took great care of it: and had he behaved him&s;elfe towards <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> as he ought to have done when he &s;pake unto her, &s;he had good rea&s;on to be well &s;atisfied with this magnificence. Yet ju&s;tice mu&s;t be done unto <HI>Meliantes</HI> upon occa&s;ion, for he did contribute much unto the inventions of this: And the better to de&s;cribe unto you, Madam, be plea|&s;ed to know; That as &s;oon as Dinner was done, all the Ladies accompanied with tho&s;e men who were to wait upon them, came unto the banks of the Lake, the La|dies in Coaches, the men on Hor&s;es: Yet before I tell you what wee found there, and what we &s;aw, I mu&s;t repre&s;ent unto you that Noble and lovely Pro&s;pect which that place did offer unto the eye. Imagine that you &s;aw a Lake of &s;o large an extent as it &s;eemed to be a little Sea; but a Sea mo&s;t &s;erene and calme, where no waves or billows were to&s;&s;ed by the windes; and where the waters were only frizled by &s;uch a gentle gale which did not threaten any &s;hipwrack. And imagine al&s;o you &s;aw afarr off a great and plea&s;ant Countrey watered by the River <HI>Tygris;</HI> which coming with impetuous force enters into this Lake which cro&s;&s;eth it, and as I told you before, keeps &s;till its naturall &s;wiftne&s;&s;e: So as in the mid&s;t of this quiet and &s;leeping water, may be &s;een this turbulent River, rowling its waves one after ano|ther with &s;uch precipitation, as if it would over-flow a plea&s;ant Meadow, neer which &s;tands the Town of <HI>Alfenes.</HI></P>
<P>The very colour of the waters are &s;o different, as it is mo&s;t apparent they doe not mingle: But that which renders this object the more beautifull, is two &s;tately Pavillions built at the entrance; and at the i&s;&s;ue of the River, into, and out of this Lake, purpo&s;ely to &s;ee more conveniently the wonderfull pa&s;&s;age of this River, and to view the plea&s;ant pro&s;pect. But Madam, to return from whence I digre&s;|&s;ed, give me leave to tell you, that when all the company was come to the Lake, there was thirty little Barques painted and gilt with &s;tately Tents and Canopies, to umbrage the Ladies from the Suns heate, &s;o as &s;ince every Barque would hold eight or ten per&s;ons, be&s;ides tho&s;e who guided it; there might be in each &s;o much good company as not to trouble one another: and as commonly every one &s;trives to &s;uit their company to their be&s;t content, it is to be believed that every one was well plea&s;ed that day. For none was forced into any particular <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">arge, but every one culled them&s;elves as they be&s;t liked, without any Ceremony, or con&s;ide|ration of Ranke. Yet it was not altogether &s;o: for &s;ince &s;ome out of their Pru|dence do con&s;train them&s;elves, there were &s;ome who were not placed where they de&s;ired to be.</P>
<P><HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> being much taken with <HI>Cleonide,</HI> &s;he would needs have her and two o|thers in her Barge, where al&s;o &s;he was plea&s;ed to have me. Al&s;o &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Meli|antes</HI> to be there; and as for <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> he mu&s;t be there for more rea&s;ons than one. As for <HI>Protogenes</HI> and <HI>Gabrias,</HI> they were in another, with others &s;utable to their gravity and age. But when the&s;e thirty Barges were all filled, and the plea|&s;ant Fleet began to &s;aile upon the Lake, it made the mo&s;t delightfull object in the world. Be&s;ides the&s;e thirty Barges which were de&s;igned for the Company, there were many others which held Mu&s;itians and Servants, which made a mo&s;t melodi|ous harmony upon the waters. Be&s;ides the&s;e, there were other de&s;igns for Fi&s;hers in the River, that it might be apparently &s;een, the Fi&s;hes which were taken in the one, were not the &s;ame with the other, although the River run through the Lake. And indeed Madam, the wonder is without any doubt: For our Fleet being &s;ome|times upon the Lake; and &s;ometimes upon the River <HI>Tygris,</HI> we &s;aw their Nets full
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of fi&s;hes twenty &s;everall times, and never found one fi&s;h of the lake in the nets that were ca&s;t into the river, Nor one fi&s;h of the river in any net that was ca&s;t into the Lake. though the nets were thrown at a very con&s;iderable di&s;tance, &s;o as the &s;ight &s;eemed to be incredible. but it was extream delightfull to be &s;omtimes in the calm, and &s;omtimes upon the rough waters: For when we were upon the Lake, we mo|ved unperceiveable, and it might be tearmed rather a &s;liding than a &s;ailing, but when we pa&s;&s;ed from the lake on to the current of the river, we perceived the motion as if it were upon the &s;ea, &s;o as we were mo&s;t of our time upon the lake where we found mo&s;t plea&s;ure and mo&s;t &s;afety: and yet there was not one per&s;on who was not de|&s;irous to be upon both. But after variety of delights upon the waters, we rowed to|wards the &s;tately pavilion which was erected at the entrance of the river <HI>Tigris</HI> in|to the lake of <HI>Arethu&s;us.</HI> After landing, all the Ladyes were conducted into a great and &s;tately chamber, open on four &s;ides, the better to enjoy this goodly pro&s;pect: As for the men, after they had waited upon the Ladyes into this chamber, they mounted them&s;elves upon hor&s;es which waited for them upon the banks of the river and in a hunting equipage, they prepared them&s;elves. For <HI>Protogenes</HI> had cau&s;ed &s;eve|rall wild bea&s;ts to be taken in Toyles and brought thither, and let loo&s;e; purpo&s;ely to divert the Ladyes. Thus all the gallants were turned hunters, and the Ladyes out of windows &s;pectators, the cha&s;e began, but could not run out of the Ladyes &s;ight, becau&s;e the Lake and the river did bound them on both &s;ides, &amp; <HI>Protogenes</HI> had &s;top|ped the pa&s;&s;ages on the other &s;ides with toyles, and armed men: So as the Cha&s;e ran twenty times under the window of the Ladyes; all the men being admirably well hor&s;'d, their habits rich and hand&s;om, this hunting moved much delight. But after the hunting and the fi&s;hings were ended, and after the hunters and Fi&s;hers had offered the fruits of their labour unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> the Ladyes were conducted a &s;tory higher, where to our wonder we found a mo&s;t rare collation full of magnificence and variety: yet this was not the conclu&s;ion of the diver&s;ion; for after we were ri&s;en from the Table, we went down again into the room where we viewed the hun|ting, and where a Ball began. I &s;hall not make any preci&s;e relation of the Pa&s;&s;ages there; nor how unquiet <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> appeared: but give me leave to tell you Ma|dam, that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> appeared mo&s;t admirably fair; and that <HI>Cleonide</HI> appeared as &s;he was, for though it be very difficult to find two great beauties together, and the one not ecclip&s;e the other, yet the beauty of the&s;e two being very different, they both pre&s;erved their own Lu&s;ters. But as for all the re&s;t of the <HI>Alfenian</HI> beauties, though very &s;air, yet they mu&s;t all &s;ubmit unto <HI>Arpasia</HI> and <HI>Cleonide.</HI> Among&s;t the re&s;t of this a&s;&s;embly, there was one who mu&s;t needs have a &s;hare in my di&s;cour&s;e, who though &s;he had no pretence in the earth unto any beauty, yet medled with all the beauties that ever came within the compa&s;s of her acquaintance: for I do veri|ly beleive Madam, that &s;ince the time that detraction, and &s;lander fir&s;t began, there was never any &s;o excellent at it as &s;he: and con&s;idering the univer&s;all hatred which &s;he bore unto all her acquaintance, one would &s;ay, &s;he would be revenged upon all mankind; becau&s;e the Gods had made her no fairer than &s;he was. She would de|&s;cant as boldly upon the faults of others, as if &s;he had none her &s;elf. Yet mo&s;t cer|tain it is, &s;he was very neer of re&s;emblance unto all that was uglyand di&s;agreeable; yet &s;he had &s;uch a kind of bold confidence as made men hardly dare to think of her, as &s;he de&s;erved.</P>
<P>And yet for all that, there were &s;ome men, even rationall men, who both &s;aw her, and courted her, though I am per&s;waded there was &s;ome &s;ecret malignity of &s;pirit in them which made them to take delight in tho&s;e continuall backbitings and &s;landers, which &s;he vented. Moreover, all the malicious minded men in <HI>Alfenes</HI> did &s;o flock unto her with &s;uch tales, as was fewell to her detracting humour, that none had better intelligence than &s;he. Moreover, as there were many men in re|&s;pect of their own honours would not &s;peak &s;o ill of others as &s;he did, becau&s;e they had an appearance of virtue; &s;o they arrived at their de&s;ired end by contracting confidence with this per&s;on, who&s;e name was <HI>Alcianipe:</HI> Thus &s;paring them&s;elves the labour of detracting they did as much hurt by &s;etting her on, as if they them|&s;elves had vented the &s;lander, yes and more; for &s;ince it was the accu&s;tomed practi&s;e of <HI>Alcianipe</HI> to &s;lander, &s;he was grown wonderfull ingenious in it: And for my part, I cannot chu&s;e but wonder at her memory of things: For Madam, if
<PB N="33" REF="907">
there were any family in <HI>Alfenes,</HI> which pretended unto Antiquity, &s;he would frame their Genealogy after her mode, and &s;o as &s;hould make you beleive it was o|therwi&s;e than as they pretended. Moreover, if any one of a family had committed any fault, though three ages &s;ince; yet all the family mu&s;t be branded with it, and &s;he would &s;ay it was a vice hereditary to all the hou&s;e, As for the beauty of women &s;he never commended any, but when it might &s;erve her turn to make her pa&s;s for a gallant, or make her husband jealous. If &s;he were to be credited, there was not a rich man in all <HI>Alfenes,</HI> nor any one that was noble nor a man that had not be|trayed his freind, nor a woman that had not &s;ome private corre&s;pondency of gal|lantry.</P>
<P>Again, &s;he would play at &s;mall games, rather than &s;it out, and exerci&s;e her &s;elf in trivall &s;candalls, every woman if fair, was alwayes five or &s;ix years elder with her than with any el&s;e, and &s;he had a wit &s;o fit for &s;uch &s;landers, that &s;he would make a|ny almo&s;t beleive her. For &s;he would dre&s;s up her lyes with &s;uch probable circum|&s;tances, as none could think &s;he could invent them: And though &s;he was known unto all the world to make open profe&s;&s;ion, of &s;peaking all upon all, without any exception, yet there were a &s;ort of men who did beleive her: Furthermore, &s;ince &s;he had made her &s;elf to be extreamly feared, many women would vi&s;it her, al|though they knew well enough, that as &s;oon as they were out of her hou&s;e, &s;he would give a Character to all tho&s;e that remained: Yet &s;ince, they had a conceit that &s;he would &s;peak wor&s;t of them, if they did not vi&s;it her, they did &s;ee her though they never e&s;teemed or loved her: And &s;ince many women are more joy|ed to hear ill &s;poken of &s;uch as they love not, than they are greived to hear ill of them&s;elves, they came to receive that &s;atisfaction from <HI>Alcianipe,</HI> at the hazard of expo&s;ing them&s;elves unto her Satyricall la&s;h; &s;o as by this means &s;he was as much vi&s;ited, as if &s;he was the be&s;t woman in the world. For my part, I confe&s;s, I have grumbled at my friends a thou&s;and times for going to her, and I never went, but when I was forced, for I do hate, as I do the Devill &s;uch per&s;ons as &s;pit all venome, and never &s;peak any truth but when it may do hurt. Moreover, <HI>Alcianipe,</HI> did &s;peak exceeding well, and made choi&s;e of &s;uch good phra&s;es to &s;et out her lyes, that none living would imagin &s;he forged them.</P>
<P>This <HI>Alcianipe</HI> was at this fea&s;t, but &s;he came thither with de&s;ign to make fal&s;e De&s;criptions of all that were there, unto <HI>Meliantes,</HI> who as chance would have it, &s;ate next her; whil&s;t <HI>Astidamus</HI> took out <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> to dance, and he hath &s;ince told me, that &s;he had a la&s;h at every one in the company, not excepting <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> who &s;he &s;aid was &s;curvily dre&s;t that day, though heaven knows &s;he was never better in her life.</P>
<P>In the mean time, all the men of quality who followed <HI>Gabrias,</HI> being very de&s;irous to know all tho&s;e of that petty Court, there was one who&s;e name was <HI>Pelinthes,</HI> who as any man took any Lady out to dance, he asked <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">heir names and qualities; and &s;he an&s;wering alwayes according to her humour, <HI>Meliantes</HI> being one on &s;ide, and he on the other, they put a thou&s;and que&s;tions to her. I be&s;eech you (&s;aid <HI>Pe|linthes,</HI> &s;eeing a Lady of a good pre&s;ence and quality) tell me who that Lady is? If you &s;hould judge of her by the Grandure of her air (replyed &s;he) you would think her to be &s;ome kin to the Gods, and to &s;ay the truth (added &s;he, to palliate her &s;candall) &s;he is a very admirable Lady, for every action and word of hers &s;peaks her of a royall race, yet heavens know, her grandfather was no better than a poor &s;tranger, who&s;e Originall the Gods do know and none el&s;e, and tho&s;e who are acquainted with her can tell you, &s;he &s;mells of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of her ance&s;tors in all her inclinations, and though &s;he looks more like a Queen than a Subject, yet &s;he &s;peaks as if her education were among&s;t the ba&s;e&s;t &s;ort of pe&s;ants: her carriage al&s;o di&s;plea&s;eth, &s;he cannot &s;o much as make a curte&s;y as others do, and has a mo&s;t ill fa|vored gate: yet truly to &s;peak truth, &s;he is a very good woman. I be&s;eech you (&s;ayd <HI>Meliantes</HI> and interrupted her) what man is that who is in the corner of the room, and &s;eems to be &s;o melancholly? and what makes he here at a fea&s;t of joy, in &s;o &s;ad a po&s;ture? Truly Sir (&s;aid &s;he) it is no wonder he &s;hould be &s;o &s;ad, for there are very few men who can indure their wives &s;hould love all the World; and as gallant as you are Sir, if you were in his room, confident I am, you would be as much perplexed as he is, for that gay and frolik Lady who you &s;ee at the other
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end of the room, and courted by &s;o many men is his wife. I do verily beleive her virtuous (added &s;he) but yet &s;he lives very &s;u&s;pitiou&s;ly. The truth is, &s;he cares not for her husband, &s;he is perpetually from home, and co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed continually by a croud of gallants, whil&s;t her poor husband for his honours &s;ake dare hardly &s;hew him&s;elf, but &s;leeps at home.</P>
<P>In the mean time, Tis he who pays for all the entertainment the wife makes unto her gallants, and for her rich dre&s;s which invites them to her, and I beleive al&s;o pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es for the pictures which &s;he be&s;towes upon her Adorers, and &s;he is as jolly a Lady as ever lived unto tho&s;e who vi&s;it her, and will take no notice of her behaviour, or her husbands mi&s;ery.</P>
<P>I am &s;ure (replied <HI>Pelinthes,</HI> and &s;hewed her another Lady, who appeared very melancholly) that yonder Lady does not put her husband unto any &s;uch &s;orrows, at lea&s;t &s;he hath not the garb of gallantry. Truth is (&s;aid &s;he) &s;he does not make him jealous; but &s;he torments him as bad another way: For &s;he being a well ac|compli&s;hed woman, &s;he thinks him too highly obliged unto her, and puts him to abundance of torment, for &s;he is &s;o jealous, as that &s;he hates all the women &s;he &s;ees, and puts incivilities upon them, yet truly I think &s;he cannot be accu&s;ed of gal|lantry, for I beleive her virtue was never put to the te&s;t. I &s;ee another, next her (re|plyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> who looks high enough to &s;corn her husband if &s;he have one, you are not mi&s;taken Sir (&s;aid &s;he) for &s;he being of a better family than him &s;he mar|ried, &s;he treats him more like a &s;lave than a husband, and the wor&s;t is, becau&s;e he is in|feriour unto her. &s;he admits of gallants inferiour unto him. Her Inju&s;tice is &s;o great (repli'd <HI>Pelinthes)</HI> that I wil no longer look upon her; but had rather ask you who the man is which is behind her, &amp; is &s;o magnificent? would not any one think, &s;aid &s;he, that he was the owner of all the riches in the coffers of <HI>Crae&s;us?</HI> and yet he is only a man of fortune witbout any E&s;tate, nor can any tell how he lives: Some think that his expen|ces are at the co&s;t of other men, and I beleive the man who &s;tands next <HI>Arpasia,</HI> prays for it, However, he whom you &s;ee next <HI>Protogenes,</HI> is hugely rich, but extreamly covetous: The other next him is abominably prodigall though poor; that young Lady not far off him, is as very a go&s;&s;ip as ever lived, &s;he in the blew is as crafty as ever lived, and that other in the carnation ribands, is the mo&s;t envious woman a live; for &s;he is vexed to the heart if any other have any thing that is good. After his, <HI>Alcianipe</HI> looking upon all the company, and without any intreaties from <HI>Me|liantes</HI> or <HI>Pelinthes,</HI> &s;he began a mo&s;t bitter invective and fal&s;e, Satyricall Chara|cter of every one there.</P>
<P><HI>Meliantes,</HI> &s;eeing &s;he had a good word from none. re&s;olved to &s;peak of his rivall, and <HI>Alcianipe</HI> after a hint upon the ill dre&s;&s;e of <HI>Arpasia,</HI> &s;he began to commend her highly, on purpo&s;e to have a better occa&s;ion of blaming <HI>A&s;tidamus:</HI> For (&s;ayd &s;he unto <HI>Meliantes)</HI> Con&s;idering his behaviour unto her, one would &s;ay that he did not think her fair, but tis no wonder (added &s;he) for he is one of the mo&s;t irre|gular minded men in the world; and had I been acquainted with <HI>Gabrias.</HI> I would have hindred him from giving his daughter unto a man of &s;uch a temper, then did &s;he begin to tell him of all the extravagancies of <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">g a hundred things more than ever were true, but I am the mo&s;t mi&s;taken woman in the world, (&s;aid &s;he) if <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> have not &s;ome &s;ecret haunts which withdraweth his mind from <HI>Arpa&s;ia:</HI> for he &s;om<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">imes goes out very early, and comes in very late and none knows where he hath been, and &s;omtimes an unknown me&s;&s;enger brings him letters, but tis no matter, I &s;hall know the intrigue of the bu&s;ine&s;s within this eight dayes, and &s;hall &s;et &s;o many &s;pies upon him, that it &s;hall be hard for him to e&s;cape me.</P>
<P>Oh I be&s;eech you let me a have &s;hare in your confidence (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes</HI> then unto her very earne&s;tly,) with all my heart &s;aid &s;he, upon condition that in your ob&s;ervation of <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> you will acquaint me with all your di&s;coveries. You may well imagin Madam, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> did willingly promi&s;e her what &s;he de&s;ired, &s;o their treaty ended, they parted, and all the company broke up. And the &s;ame barges which brought us thither, carried us back, for the Moon being at the full, and the heavens cleer and &s;erene, <HI>Protogenes</HI> fore&s;aw it would be the mo&s;t plea&s;ant returning in the night: And indeed Madam, I do not think there ever was a more plea&s;ant voyage than this of the night, the day being nothing comparable
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unto it, and univer&s;all &s;ilence raigned all over, and was not interrupted by any thing but only the no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e of oares, a gentle waft of wind brought the perfumes of the meadowes upon the water: The Moon and the Stars were as well in the Lake as in the Firmament. But que&s;tionle&s;s, the greate&s;t plea&s;ure was in the conver&s;ati|on of <HI>Arpa&s;ia, Cleonide, Meliantes</HI> and <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> for all returned in the &s;ame Barge in which they came. When we had put off from &s;hoar, and di&s;cour&s;ed a lit|tle upon the fine&s;&s;e of the night, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> having already heard enough concerning <HI>Alcianipe,</HI> and taking notice how <HI>Meliantes</HI> talked a long time with her, &s;he be|gan to ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">de him, and tell him that &s;he could hardly pardon the choi&s;e he made: For to make u&s;e of a compari&s;on which the place affords me, &s;aid &s;he, The fi&s;hes in the river <HI>Tigris</HI> mingle not them&s;elves with tho&s;e of the Lake, nor they of the Lake with tho&s;e of the river, even &s;o would I have all the world do, for though the good and the bad be promi&s;ciou&s;ly together in the world, yet I would never have them to mingle; but after the example of the&s;e fi&s;hes keep apart: Let the virtuous ne|ver have any commerce with the vicious, let the good be with the good, and the bad with the bad, the angry with the angry, the merry with the merry, wits with wits, fools with fools, and &s;o like to like will ever be mo&s;t &s;utable: I would not have <HI>Meliantes</HI> who is the free&s;t man alive from detraction, hold conference with the mo&s;t &s;candalizing woman upon earth. I give you thanks Madam (replyed <HI>Me|liantes)</HI> for your wi&s;e advice; but perhaps Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cleonide,</HI> who owed <HI>Me|liantes</HI> a &s;pite &s;ince the fir&s;t meeting) your are not &s;o ju&s;t as you imagin your &s;elf, for I can put very &s;mall difference between him that can with delight hearken unto detraction, and her who doth detract, and therefore &s;ince <HI>Meliantes</HI> made choi&s;e of <HI>Alcianipes</HI> company, you do him too great a favour to &s;ay he is the free&s;t from de|traction of any man alive; for had he been a hater of it, he would have changed place, and betook him&s;elf unto better company than hers, he applied him&s;elfe unto.</P>
<P>Perhaps (replyed <HI>Meliantes</HI> and &s;miled) the fair <HI>Cleonide</HI> will repent of the wrong &s;he does me, when &s;he knowes me a little better; and in the mean time, I mu&s;t tell her, that it was chance only, that brought me unto that place, where I met <HI>Alcianipe:</HI> And my curio&s;ity to know, whether all the reports of her were true, made me hold di&s;cour&s;e with her. However, replyed <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> I be&s;eech you tell us, how you found her? Though to &s;ay, that <HI>Alcianipe</HI> was a little free in telling me her thoughts of every thing; does not imply that &s;he is detractive (replyed <HI>Me|liantes)</HI> yet I mu&s;t not tell what &s;he &s;aid; but I had rather commend what the fair <HI>Arpasia</HI> hath &s;aid, than to blame <HI>Alcianipe</HI> for what &s;he &s;aid: And the wi&s;h which the fair <HI>Arpasia</HI> made is altogether ju&s;t, for fortune is mo&s;t injurious in indi&s;&s;olua|bly linking the intere&s;ts of per&s;ons who are of an oppo&s;ite humour together, and forcing them to live mi&s;celaniou&s;ly together when they may finde others, who are more &s;utable to their humour. I am confident (added <HI>Arpasia,)</HI> that there is no town in the world where &s;uch an equall partition may not be made, and where e|very one may plea&s;e him&s;elf in his own Quarters, without going unto others. Where on the contrary, as things are di&s;po&s;ed, there are few men who are not wea|ry of what they are obliged to do, and of the the per&s;ons whom they are obliged to &s;ee, &s;o it would be better if every one might plea&s;e them&s;elves. Tis true, replied <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> it were very well if it could be &s;o, and if it could, I beleive few would &s;tay in the place where they are, I beleive (&s;aid one of the Ladies in the company) there would be a change in mo&s;t of the barges upon the Lake. Truly, I am &s;o little worthy to be where I am (replyed <HI>Meliantes</HI> mo&s;t mode&s;tly) that I &s;hould fear abani&s;hment. Indeed you have talked with <HI>Alcianipe</HI> &s;o long, (replyed <HI>Arpasia</HI> and &s;miled) that you do almo&s;t de&s;erve it: but &s;ince, I am per&s;waded you talked with her, only to convert her from &s;peaking ill of others, I a&s;&s;ure you by my con|&s;ent you &s;hould not change your place. For my part (&s;aid <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> not &s;o much as looking upon <HI>Arpasia)</HI> I am &s;o well where I am, that rather than pa&s;s into ano|ther, I would throw my &s;elf into the lake, that te&s;timony of affection which you expre&s;s unto the company (replyed <HI>Cleonide</HI> and both &s;miled and blu&s;ht) is not &s;o great as perhaps the fair <HI>Arpasia</HI> imagines; for &s;ince iron will not &s;ink if it be thrown into this lake, you would not be in any danger of drowning, if you &s;hould throw in your &s;elf: And therefore to render the te&s;timony of your e&s;teem more valuable, you &s;hould &s;ay that you would throw your &s;elf into the river which hath
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not that wonderfull virtue that makes the Lake &s;o famous. The Lake is &s;o neer the River (replyed <HI>Astidamus</HI> and laughed) that you need not quarrell with me a|bout it, unle&s;s you would have me under&s;tand by it, that I &s;hould go out of the barge, if <HI>Arpasias</HI> wi&s;h &s;hould come to pa&s;s, and yet (added he upon &s;econd thoughts) I am per&s;waded, that if all the good were with the good, all the wicked with the wicked, all fooles with fools, and all wits with wits, the world would not be &s;o plea&s;ing as it is: For that univer&s;all mi&s;cellany of &s;o many different humours in it, is a great part of its beauty. I a&s;&s;ure you replyed <HI>Arpasia</HI> that if diver&s;ity of men do make the beauty of the world, I am &s;ure its beauty is oft times a puni&s;hment unto all men of accompli&s;hments: For there can be no greater torment than to be always with per&s;ons whom they e&s;teem not, and yet as things are ordered, half of our lives are &s;pent among&s;t the people whom we wi&s;h we never &s;aw I mu&s;t confe&s;s (replyed <HI>A&s;tidamus)</HI> that we are not alwayes where we would be, and at this very houre, if a change were permitted to be made among&s;t all the barges which are upon the Lake, what hath already been &s;aid, would be found to be true. But I be|&s;eech you, (replyed <HI>Cleonide,)</HI> who do you imagine would change their places? After this, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> an&s;wering only to &s;atisfie his curio&s;ity, he went from barge to barge to &s;ee who were in them; &s;o as vi&s;iting all the re&s;t, they were all highly plea&s;ed, that the per&s;ons might divide them&s;elves according to their fancies. But &s;ince <HI>A&s;tidamus, Cleonide,</HI> and the <HI>Alfenian</HI> Ladyes did be&s;t know the &s;toryes of their town, they were to appoint who was to &s;hift into this barge, and who into that; &s;o as changing all the order of the company in generall, there was &s;carcely one in all the company who had not their places a&s;&s;igned them but only <HI>Alcianipe: Arpasia</HI> ob&s;erving this, earne&s;tly be&s;eeched <HI>Cleonide,</HI> not to place her in her barge. for I do prote&s;t &s;aid &s;he, I do &s;o abhor detracting per&s;ons, that if you &s;hould bring her hither, I &s;hould rather wi&s;h my &s;elf in the bottom of the Lake, than in her com|pany. I had rather ten millions &s;uch as &s;he were thrown into the river <HI>Tigris,</HI> re|plyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> than that you &s;hould expo&s;e your &s;elf into the lake: Truly (ad|ded &s;he) &s;candalizing people are worthy of the wor&s;t puni&s;hments: and of all De|tractors, a woman is mo&s;t odious; I could endure it with more patience from the mouth of a man than from a woman. For as there are &s;ome virtues more nece&s;&s;ary in a woman than in a man, &s;o there are &s;ome vices more tollerable in men than in wo|men: For one cannot &s;candall, but one mu&s;t lye, and one cannot lye, but one mu&s;t be in&s;olent and bold, which is a quality mo&s;t unbecoming a woman: men are permit|ted to be bold, &amp; therefore more allowable to &s;candall than women, who if they will keep within the limits of mode&s;ty ought never to act any virtue with too much bold|ne&s;s, and therefore I mu&s;t conclude a woman &s;landerer, to be a mon&s;ter; and that &s;he who will wound the reputation of another, cares not for her own, but may well be &s;u&s;pected of all the crimes which &s;he fa&s;ly brands upon others. I &s;ee, (&s;ayd <HI>A&s;ti|damus)</HI> that we cannot all tell what to do with the poor <HI>Alcianipe,</HI> but that we mu&s;t leave her in &s;ome barge by her &s;elf: It had been well, an&s;wered <HI>Arpasia,</HI> if we had left her at her own hou&s;e; but the wor&s;t is, almo&s;t all the world takes more delight in hearing others &s;landered, than in hearing them commended.</P>
<P>As <HI>Arpasia</HI> &s;aid &s;o, &s;he did not only &s;ee the barge where <HI>Alcianipe</HI> was coming neer hers, but under&s;tood how that Lady be&s;eeched her leave to &s;peak a word or two with <HI>Meliantes,</HI> &s;o that as much as &s;he hated her for her &s;landring, yet &s;ince &s;he could not be uncivill before &s;o much company, &s;he could not deny her: but con&s;ented &s;o coldly, as made it apparant &s;hee was di&s;plea&s;ed.</P>
<P>In the mean time <HI>Meliantes</HI> was pittifully non-plu&s;t, yet &s;ince he could not deny &s;peaking unto a per&s;on of her quality, and &s;ince his promi&s;e ingaged him, he leaned towards <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he barge where <HI>Alcianipe</HI> was, who leaning al&s;o towards him, told him in his ear, that &s;ince he left her, &s;he had learned &s;ome things which did oblige her to promi&s;e him the &s;econd time to di&s;cover the bu&s;ine&s;s within the&s;e eight days, wher|of &s;he told him &s;he had &s;ome &s;u&s;pition. <HI>Meliantes</HI> could not choo&s;e but thank her, &amp; be&s;eech her not to fail of her word, and he &s;pake &s;o loud, that <HI>Arpasia</HI> heard, and could not choo&s;e but chide him. A&s;&s;oon as <HI>Alcianipes</HI> barge was parted from hers. On the other &s;ide <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> who under&s;tood better than any what they &s;aid, hearing that <HI>Alcianipe</HI> had promi&s;ed <HI>Meliantes,</HI> to di&s;cover a bu&s;ines unto him, he told <HI>Arpa|sia</HI> of it, little thinking that he him&s;elf was concerned in it. After this they began &s;o
<PB N="37" REF="909">
unanimou&s;ly to importune him to tell what it was which <HI>Alcianipe</HI> had promi&s;ed to him. What&s;oever &s;he &s;aid (replyed he and &s;miled) it was a &s;ecret of no great importance if I &s;hould tell it in the pre&s;ence of &s;even or eight per&s;ons at once. Then choo&s;e one among&s;t all the company (replyed <HI>Arpasia)</HI> unto whom you may im|part the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e you have with &s;uch a dangerous per&s;on, and &s;o ju&s;tify your &s;elfe.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o that &s;he keep promi&s;e with me (an&s;wered he) perhaps I &s;hal be as de&s;irous to tell you, as you are de&s;irous to know it. The company is not extreamlybeholding to you, replyed <HI>Cleonide,</HI> &s;ince you do not think one in it worthy to be tru&s;ted with a &s;ecret which cannot be of any great importance, &s;ince <HI>Alcianipe,</HI> is a partner in it with you. Since the barge came to land, ju&s;t as <HI>Cleonide</HI> had &s;poken, <HI>Meliantes</HI> retur|ned her a &s;hort an&s;wer of civility, &amp; pre&s;ented his hand to conduct her to her coach; for <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> being obliged to wait upon <HI>Arpasia,</HI> rea&s;on did bind him to &s;ubmit, and help <HI>Cleonide,</HI> who knew not that he was her brother. But Madam, not to trouble you with trifles, let me only tell you, <HI>Meliantes</HI> grew into &s;uch favour with <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> that at la&s;t &s;he told him of her aver&s;ion to <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and complai|ned unto him of his behaviour, towards her, yet &s;he told me &s;ince, that &s;he would not have done &s;o, had &s;he not perceived that he had di&s;covered the thoughts of her &s;oul, &s;o as conceiving it better to tru&s;t him with a &s;ecret, and &s;o oblige him, &s;he did impart it to him. And chance did &s;omthing contribute unto this confidence, for <HI>Meliantes</HI> talking a whole afternoon with her, a hundred odd di&s;cour&s;es pa&s;&s;ed between them which they never thought on at the beginning, Yet <HI>Meliantes</HI> men|tioned not the lea&s;t hint which might move her to &s;u&s;pect he was in love with her; but he u&s;ed his be&s;t Rethorick to purcha&s;e her e&s;teem and amity, for he did mo&s;t in|geniou&s;ly in&s;inuate into all her thoughts, and pi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tied her in &s;uch an obliging man|ner, that &s;he did not conceal the lea&s;t thought of her heart from him.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Phormion</HI> &s;eeing the love of <HI>Meliantes</HI> to increa&s;e every minute, he endeavoured to bring <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> into his thoughts purpo&s;ely to take him off from <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> but all his endeavours were fruitle&s;s: For <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> aver&s;i on to <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> and her confidence, did &s;o flatter his pa&s;&s;ion, that though he had no rea&s;onable hopes, yet he thought it injurious to re&s;i&s;t his pa&s;&s;ion. Again, the promi&s;e of <HI>Al|cianipe</HI> coming into his memory, he went unto her the la&s;t of the eight dayes, which &s;he prefixed, yet he could not be &s;atisfied in what he de&s;ired to know, and yet he un|der&s;tood enough to augment <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> hatred of <HI>A&s;tidamus:</HI> For <HI>Alcianipe</HI> told him of an infallible certainty, that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> had long &s;ince contracted his affection with a Lady of quality, and moreover, that &s;he knew he had promi&s;ed her, never to marry <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> a&s;&s;uring him, that within the compa&s;s of four dayes more at furthe&s;t; &s;he &s;hould be able to tell him, her name. You may imagin Madam, how welcome this news was unto <HI>Meliantes;</HI> yet &s;ince he knew <HI>Alcianipe</HI> to be a mo&s;t horrible backbiter, he feared extreamly, lea&s;t all this &s;hould not be true.</P>
<P>But &s;ince one is apt to beleive any thing which flatters a violent pa&s;&s;ion, he did verily beleive that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was in love with &s;ome other be&s;ides <HI>Arpasia;</HI> and the rather, becau&s;e he &s;aw no rea&s;on in the earth, why he &s;hould behave him&s;elf as he did, with that mo&s;t admirable Lady: So as conjuring <HI>Alcianipe</HI> mo&s;t earne&s;tly to finde out the name of her with whom <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> held &s;uch private corre&s;pondency, &s;he promi&s;ed him to &s;atisfie his de&s;ire.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Meliantes</HI> being come from her hou&s;e unto <HI>Arpasias,</HI> he un|der&s;tood that <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> had not been there all that day, nor the night before: So that he began to accu&s;e him of mo&s;t horrible inju&s;tice, for applying him&s;elf with no more a&s;&s;iduity unto her.</P>
<P>For my part (replyed <HI>Arpasia)</HI> his pre&s;ence doth &s;o little plea&s;e me, that if I were not condemned to live all my life with him, I &s;hould be very glad never to &s;ee him again. But &s;ince I mu&s;t marry him, tis very &s;trange he &s;hould behave him&s;elf towards me, as he doth. Tis a great misfortune not to love one, whom one is to marry, but it is a greater to be &s;lighted and &s;corned by &s;uch a one: Did <HI>A&s;ti|damus</HI> love me and I not love him again? I &s;hould think that my aver&s;ion might in time wear away, but both hating him, and being hated, what likelyhood is there, I &s;hould overcome my hatred? For nothing in the world is more naturall than not to love tho&s;e who love not us, e&s;pecially when they do not &s;eem amiable.</P>
<P><PB N="38" REF="910">
<HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;eeing her in this mind, would needs per&s;wade her to acquaint <HI>Ga|brias</HI> with her aver&s;ion to <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and to intreat him not to oblige her to mar|ry him, but &s;he told him again, that &s;ince her Father made that match only to con|firm the treaty with <HI>Protogenes,</HI> purpo&s;ely to be revenged upon the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> it was not probable he would break it off upon a bare aver&s;ion, having no other ground but that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> does not expre&s;s any affection. But Madam, (&s;aid he) being tran&s;ported by his pa&s;&s;ion) if you did know that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was far in Love with another, and did promi&s;e her every day never to marry you, would you not let <HI>Gabrias</HI> know it al&s;o? Double&s;&s;e I &s;hould, replyed <HI>Arpa&s;ia;</HI> but what probabi|lity is there, that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> &s;hould let his Uncle &s;end to the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> if he did not intend to go on with the marriage? Since they &s;end only to that Prince, ra|ther to amu&s;e him than to ask his leave, &s;aid <HI>Meliantes, A&s;tidamus</HI> cares not for it; And &s;ince he can be &s;o unju&s;t as not to love you, but to love another, it is not &s;trange if he be as irregular in point of Prudence, as in point of Love. But I be&s;eech you Sir (&s;aid <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> to him) what moves you to &s;peak thus? is this the &s;ecret bu&s;ine&s;s which <HI>Alcianipe</HI> promi&s;ed you to di&s;cover? For Heavens &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ke <HI>Me|liantes,</HI> I conjure you by our amity to conceal nothing from me that may be preju|diciall unto <HI>A&s;tidamus.</HI> This conjuration is &s;o prevalent Madam, (replyed he) that I cannot with&s;tand it; and then he began ingeniou&s;ly to tell her all that <HI>Alcia|nipe</HI> told him, and what &s;he had further promi&s;ed to tell him. Alas, alas <HI>Meliantes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) &s;ince <HI>Alcianipe</HI> doth not more particularize things, nor tell the name of her unto whom, &s;he &s;aith, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> hath promi&s;ed never to marry me, I cannot) put my Father out of conceit with him, and <HI>Alcianipe</HI> hath &s;uch a reputation for lying, that what &s;he &s;aith will never per&s;wade <HI>Gabrias</HI> unto what I de&s;ire: Not but that I do veryly beleive <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> is deeply in love with &s;ome, or other; who is in <HI>Alfenes,</HI> for when I fir&s;t &s;aw him, he did not behave him&s;elf as now he doth to me, and therefore I conclude; that it is the pre&s;ence of this per&s;on who ere &s;he be, that obliges him unto it: But however it be (added &s;he) we mu&s;t endeavour to know more. and therefore though I do extreamly hate <HI>Alcianipe,</HI> yet I de&s;ire you to continue &s;eeing her, and oblige her to tell you the name of this pretended Mi|&s;tre&s;s unto <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> for when we know it, perhaps we &s;hall di&s;cover all the re&s;t without <HI>Alcianipe.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Meliantes</HI> ravi&s;hed to hear <HI>Arpasia</HI> &s;peak thus, did mo&s;t willingly promi&s;e, what &s;he de&s;ired, and waited with abundance of impatience for the day which <HI>Alcianipe</HI> appointed to tell him the name of her, whom <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> loved.</P>
<P>Since I was very intimate with <HI>Arpasia,</HI> I was not ignorant of the confidence which &s;he put in <HI>Meliantes,</HI> and he knew al&s;o, what thoughts &s;he had of me: &s;o as when we and opportunity met together, we di&s;cour&s;ed of all that related unto this mo&s;t admirable Lady: We endeavoured to gue&s;&s;e who it could be; that <HI>A&s;ti|damus</HI> &s;hould prefer before her; but all our conjectures were &s;o wide of the mark, that we could not ground any rea&s;onable &s;u&s;pition of the per&s;on. But at la&s;t the day which <HI>Alcianipe</HI> had a&s;&s;igned being come, he went to challenge her promi&s;e, but could not meet with her, yet at her going out, &s;he left order to tell him that &s;he was gon unto <HI>Cleonides</HI> Aunt, and that &s;he referred it to his choi&s;e, whether he would come unto her, or &s;tay till &s;he returned, which would be very &s;hortly. Though <HI>Meliantes</HI> did not fear being known by his Aunt, or his &s;i&s;ter, with whom <HI>Alcianipe</HI> was, yet he would not go thither, but cho&s;e rather to &s;tay till &s;he retur|ned, conceiving that if he made that vi&s;it, it would be longer before he could be &s;a|tisfied in what he &s;o much de&s;ired to know; &s;o as he going into a garden which be|longed unto the hou&s;e of that Lady, he walked there in a long<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ng expectation of he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> return: But when he &s;aw <HI>Alcianipe</HI> return with a blith, and merry countenance, he doubted not but that his curio&s;ity would receive a full &s;atisfaction.</P>
<P>Well Madam, (&s;aid he as &s;oon as he &s;aw her) Do you know the name of that fair one, who has &s;o much power as to make <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> unju&s;t unto the mo&s;t admi|rable <HI>Arpa&s;ia?</HI> I know it &s;o well Sir, replyed &s;he, that none can know any thing more certain, but my greate&s;t wonder is, that we &s;hould no &s;ooner di&s;cover the intrigue of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: for the very name of <HI>Cleonide,</HI> was no &s;ooner mentioned, but a hundred pa&s;&s;ages which I had &s;een did come &s;o fre&s;h unto my memory, that
<PB N="39" REF="910">
I was &s;ure, there is a mo&s;t intimate corre&s;pondency between <HI>Astidamus</HI> and her. How Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes,</HI> much amazed to hear the name of his Si&s;ter <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">s it <HI>Cleonide,</HI> with whom <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> holds a corre&s;pondency of gallantry? Yes, (re|plyed &s;he) and I no &s;ooner heard it was &s;he, whom he loved but I went to her, purpo&s;ely to ob&s;erve her countenance very exactly in talking of <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and her Aunt not being pre&s;ent, I had &s;o much di&s;cour&s;e with her, as hath fully &s;atisfied me of the truth; for I made her blu&s;h a hundred times in talking of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and I am &s;ure &s;he is not only in love, but &s;he is jealous al&s;o: And &s;he has not &s;o much confidence in the promi&s;es of <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> as &s;he has fears, lea&s;t the beauty of <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &s;hould make him incon&s;tant, or at lea&s;t, though he &s;hould not be unfaithfull, yet his re&s;pects unto <HI>Protogenes</HI> will oblige him to obedience.</P>
<P>But I be&s;eech you <HI>Alcianipe</HI> (replyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> are you &s;ure that it is <HI>Cleonide</HI> with whom <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> holds corre&s;pondency? for I have heard &s;ay, that &s;he is a very &s;ollitary per&s;on; and I perceive &s;he rather flyes the world than courts it: Tis true, (replyed &s;he&punc;) that <HI>Cleonide</HI> &s;huns all company; but her rea&s;on for it is, to remove all cau&s;e of jealou&s;y from <HI>A&s;tidamus:</HI> Moreover, it is not a new taken up affection; for he was in love with her before ere he &s;aw <HI>Arpa&s;ia:</HI> and yet his heart was much moved with her beauty the fir&s;t time he &s;aw her; but as &s;oon as he was out of her &s;ight, and returned to <HI>Cleonide,</HI> this vapour of love vani&s;h'd, and his fir&s;t to <HI>Cleonide</HI> became more violent, and he told <HI>Cleonide</HI> when he returned, that <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> beauty had charmed his eyes, but not his heart; or if &s;he had, one favorable look from her, would have di&s;&s;olved the inchantment. How is it po&s;&s;ible replyed <HI>Meliantes,</HI> you &s;hould come to know all the&s;e particular circum&s;tances? nay I know more yet (added &s;he) for I know that it is at the hou&s;e of one of her freinds, where &s;he meets with <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and &s;he meets him at &s;uch houres, as they can|not be interrupted, becau&s;e commonly it is late. But Madam, (replyed <HI>Melian|tes) Cleonide</HI> pa&s;&s;eth for a per&s;on of virtue and honour. As for virtue Sir, (re|plyed <HI>Alcianipe)</HI> I beleive &s;hee is the owner of it, and though not naturally, yet out of prudence; &s;hee knows <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> &s;o well, that &s;hee perceives to be au|&s;teer is the only way to be loved long; for my part (replyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> I mu&s;t give a more noble motive unto the virtue of <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and beleive, that though <HI>A|&s;tidamus,</HI> were not of that humour, yet &s;he would carry her &s;elf towards him as the doth, However it be (&s;aid <HI>Alcianipe) Cleonide</HI> cannot be accu&s;ed for managing the affection of <HI>A&s;tidamus;</HI> for as I &s;aid before, &s;he meets him every evening at her freinds hou&s;e. I mu&s;t confe&s;s replyed <HI>Meliantes,</HI> I cannot well comprehend how this can be. You will better comprehend it Sir, (an&s;wered <HI>Alcianipe)</HI> when I have told you that her aunts garden and her freinds are clo&s;e together, that there is a dore out of the one into the other; that her friend is a widdow, and that her aunt &s;u&s;pecting nothing of the league between <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> and her Neece, permits her to walk every evening with her friend, and never thinks much, though it be late before &s;he return. Thus <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> &s;ees her when he plea&s;eth,: And that he may &s;ee her un&s;een or unknown, he goes through the hou&s;e of one of his freinds who lives in another &s;treet, and who hath a back door opo&s;ite to that garden door of <HI>Cleonides</HI> friend, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> his &s;ervants &s;tand waiting at the fore-door of his friend with whom people think he is &s;o that there is almo&s;t none but his confi|dent and her confident, who know any thing of the bu&s;ine&s;s. Than it mu&s;t of ne|ce&s;&s;ity be, replyed <HI>Meliantes,</HI> that one of the&s;e confidents, have betrayed their tru&s;t, &s;ince you do know it: No (&s;aid &s;he) but it is a maid whom <HI>Cleonides</HI> friend turned out of her &s;ervice, which maid is &s;i&s;ter unto another, who &s;erves me; it is &s;he who knows all the pa&s;&s;ages, not only out of her own knowledge and &s;ight, but al&s;o by another maid &s;ervant unto <HI>Cleonide,</HI> who told her all the&s;e Circum&s;tances. And yet I a&s;&s;ure you that <HI>Cleonide</HI> did what &s;he could to hinder her friend from tur|ning away her maid, lea&s;t &s;he &s;hould tell tiles, but &s;he would not be per&s;waded: And certainly (added <HI>Alcianipe,)</HI> they expo&s;e them&s;elves to much danger, who tru&s;t their &s;ervants with their bu&s;ine&s;s of gallantry; for when &s;uch per&s;ons know any &s;ecret of that nature, their mi&s;tre&s;&s;es are their &s;laves: and I know <HI>Cle|onide</HI> &s;tands in &s;trange awe of her &s;ervant, becau&s;e &s;he knows of her affection, &s;o that it mu&s;t be concluded, &s;he loves either her honour, or <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> very well, &s;ince that &s;he dares not turn her away: However, her friend, wanting her patience, and
<PB N="40" REF="911">
not being &s;o much intere&s;ted as &s;he was, &s;he di&s;charged her maid, from whole mouth I know all this that I tell you.</P>
<P>Perhaps (replyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> &s;he added more than is true; no, no, (replyed <HI>Alcianipe</HI> after her detracting manner) I know &s;he hath not told me all: and that there is yet much more behind; yet &s;he told me, that &s;he is fully per&s;waded that <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> though he do love <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and not <HI>Arpa&s;ia&punc;</HI> yet he will deceive the fir&s;t of the&s;e, and marry the &s;econd, becau&s;e he dare not di&s;obey <HI>Protegenes,</HI> from whom he expects all his fortunes, &s;o as it may be thought, he will deceive both and him&s;elf too.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;eeing he could get no more out of <HI>Alcianipe,</HI> he left her, after many de&s;ires not to publi&s;h what &s;he knew, pretending that his de&s;ign was not to prejudice <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> but indeed his rea&s;on was, lea&s;t the reputation of his &s;i&s;ter &s;hould be &s;tained. As &s;oon as he quitted <HI>Alcianipe,</HI> he met <HI>Phormion</HI> whom he found &s;o &s;ad and unquiet that he was &s;ure &s;omthing troubled his mind.</P>
<P><HI>Meliantes</HI> then was in a great perplexity, for on the one &s;ide he was much joyed to &s;ee that he was able to prejudice <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> but on the other &s;ide, he was very &s;orry to know of the League between his &s;i&s;ter and him: A re&s;entment of love, and a re&s;entment of honour did &s;o divide his &s;oul, that he was not able to reconcile &s;o great a difference by him&s;elf, and therefore he re&s;olved to impart his greif unto his friend, who already knew all the &s;ecrets of his life. So that after <HI>Phormion</HI> had asked him how he did, they &s;ate down together in a place fit for di&s;cour&s;e, and then he told him all he knew, and afterwards told him, how not fore&s;eeing how this Lad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> whom <HI>Alcianipe</HI> &s;aid was mi&s;tre&s;s unto <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> could be his &s;i&s;ter, he had inga|ged him&s;elf unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> to acquaint her with her name, as &s;oon as <HI>Alcianipe</HI> had informed him. Unto what a &s;trange dilemma am I driven (&s;aid he) for to pre|judice <HI>A&s;tidamus.</HI> I mu&s;t tell <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> that he hath promi&s;ed <HI>Cleonide;</HI> never to mar|ry <HI>Arpa&s;ia:</HI> And to &s;alve up the reputation of my &s;i&s;ter, it is fit I &s;hould conceal the gallantry of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> to her: However, to argue rationally, though honour forbids me to break off the marriage of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> with <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> yet doubtle&s;&s;e I ought to acquaint her with all pa&s;&s;ages, purpo&s;ely to oblige her not to marry him, and to force him to marry <HI>Cleonide.</HI> But by what right, replyed <HI>Phormion,</HI> can you force him to marry <HI>Cleonide,</HI> &s;ince you have had as great a corre&s;pondency with his &s;i&s;ter as he hath with yours? Ah <HI>Phormion</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes)</HI> there is a great dif|ference between <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> and me; for he loves <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and I do only e&s;teem <HI>Ar|geli&s;e,</HI> and therefore it is much more obligation for him than for me, to keep pro|mi&s;es; than for me I &s;ay who am &s;o deeply in love with <HI>Arpasia,</HI> that I am not a|ble to an&s;wer the affection of <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> And yet to &s;peake truly, I know, that if <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was acquainted with all pa&s;&s;ages at <HI>Samo&s;ates,</HI> he had almo&s;t as good rea&s;on to complain again&s;t the corre&s;pondency which I held with his &s;i&s;ter, as I have again&s;t him for holding corre&s;pondency with mine. I know al&s;o that it be|comes me not to publi&s;h the gallantry of a per&s;on who is &s;o neerly allied to me; but I know withall, that loving <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> as I do, I mu&s;t con&s;ider the &s;atisfaction of my love; and without any re&s;pects of Ju&s;tice, Honour, Intere&s;t of a &s;i&s;ter, or <HI>Argeli|&s;e,</HI> I mu&s;t re&s;olve to act according to the dictates of my love; and therefore my dear <HI>Phormion</HI> I mu&s;t acquaint <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> with the love of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> to <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and al&s;o tell her &s;he is my &s;i&s;ter, as the greater te&s;timony of my affection, and the more to oblige her unto &s;ecrecy. Then I &s;ee (&s;aid <HI>Phormion)</HI> that you are re&s;olved to acquaint her with your quality, and more than that, (replyed he ha&s;tily) for I am re&s;olved to acquaint her with my love: Truth is, I know not well whether I can or no; for I am &s;o full of fears to offend her, and oblige her to change her way of living with me, that I cannot tell whether I have power to tell her. For my part (replyed <HI>Phormion)</HI> I &s;hould think it better to &s;tay, untill her marriage with <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> was quite broken off: &s;hould I follow your advi&s;e (replyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> &s;he would think I cro&s;&s;ed the de&s;igns of <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> only as the brother of <HI>Cleoni|de,</HI> and not in any con&s;ideration of her intere&s;t. Were it my ca&s;e as tis yours (re|plied <HI>Phormion)</HI> I would not yet mention any thing unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia;</HI> but &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">uld conceal both my being her Lover, and <HI>Cleonides</HI> brother: So that thinking you to be only her friend, &s;he will give more credit unto your words and not thinking you to be the brother of <HI>Cleonide,</HI> &s;he will not imagine you have any concern<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">
<PB N="41" REF="911">
but her own in the bu&s;ine&s;s. <HI>Meliantes</HI> finding the advice of <HI>Phormion</HI> to be very rationall, he re&s;olved to follow it. This being re&s;olved upon, <HI>Meliantes</HI> went un|to <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> with intentions to acquaint her with the affection of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> to <HI>Cle|onide,</HI> yet intending to conceal what might be di&s;advantagious to him&s;elf, and to &s;peak more of the affection of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> to <HI>Cleonide;</HI> than hers to him. Yet he could not &s;peak in private with her, &s;o &s;oon as he hoped, becau&s;e he found both this unfaithfull Lover, and his &s;i&s;ter there.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as they were &s;et down, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> told <HI>Cleonide</HI> in a low voice, that he had received a Letter from a friend of his at <HI>Samo&s;ates,</HI> which let him under&s;tand, that ere long be &s;he would know her dear brother, whom &s;he &s;o much de&s;ired to know. <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> hearing what <HI>Astidamus</HI> &s;aid, &s;he began to &s;peak, and adre&s;&s;ing her words unto <HI>Cleonide,</HI> though I think (&s;aid &s;he) that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> did intend that you only Madam, &s;hould hear him, yet I be&s;eech you, give me leave to intrude into your di&s;cour&s;e, and ask how it comes to pa&s;s, you &s;hould have a brother whom you know not.</P>
<P>Since I was not above three years of age Madam, (replyed &s;hee) when I left the Province where I was born, to come and live with my aunt at <HI>Alfenes;</HI> and &s;ince I never &s;aw my brother, but at that age, I may very well &s;ay I know him not; for certainly he is much altered &s;ince that time, and though <HI>Clidaris</HI> was very like me, yet I beleive I &s;hould not know him: Yet by his letters, I &s;hould know him ve|ry well, for I have received many Letters from him, yet for all that I &s;hould not know his face if I &s;hould meet him. If he be &s;uch a man as my friend de&s;cribes him, replyed <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> you have rea&s;on to de&s;ire the &s;ight of him; for his Letter tells me, that he is one of the mo&s;t hand&s;ome&s;t men, and be&s;t wits in the world: It tells me al&s;o, that he is very kind with one of my &s;i&s;ters, who dwells in that place, and &s;peaks &s;o highly in his commendations, that I am already his friend before I &s;ee him, You may imagin, Madam, how <HI>Meliantes</HI> was non-plu&s;t, when he heard him&s;elf thus talked of in his own pre&s;ence; yet he was afraid, lea&s;t he &s;hould render him&s;elf &s;upect, if he &s;hould put in nere a word; and therefore he asked <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> ve|ry confidently when <HI>Cleonides</HI> brother would come thither? I cannot tell you (re|plyed he) for the Letter beares no date.</P>
<P>For my part (replyed <HI>Cleonide)</HI> I wi&s;h that none had writ &s;o much in his com|mendations; for commonly high commendations rai&s;e high expectations, and the per&s;on mu&s;t be highly meritorious, that can an&s;wer them. It is &s;o very likely, that the fair <HI>Cleonide</HI> hath a mo&s;t de&s;erving man to her brother (replyed <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> very obligingly) that I have a great d&s;po&s;ition already to e&s;teem him when&s;oever he comes, Your expre&s;&s;ion Madam, replyed &s;he, is infinitely obliging, but to know whether I may in rea&s;on beleive what is writ concerning my brother, I mu&s;t aske whether he, who gives this Character of my brother, be a competent Judge of true merit? or whether he be not one of tho&s;e common commenders, who u&s;e to make no difference between per&s;ons of inferiour parts, and per&s;ons of extraordinary me|rits? No on, (replyed <HI>A&s;tidamus)</HI> he who writ the Letter gives the &s;ame Chara|cter of <HI>Clidaris,</HI> and therefore I dare an&s;wer for him, for if my freind have any fault, it is in being too niggardly in his commendations, and in his e&s;teeming over few per|&s;ons, and therefore I am mo&s;t confident that <HI>Clidaris</HI> is a mo&s;t excellent man, and has a million of mo&s;t admirable parts, &s;ince my friend commends him: For he who writ this Letter is &s;o curions to be plea&s;ed, that there are &s;carce four men in the Province where he lives, who are &s;ufficiently accomplished for his pallat, and to define him in few words, he is one of tho&s;e nice and delicate men who u&s;e to anatomize the the hearts and &s;pirits of any before he will commend them, who examines all the words and actions of tho&s;e he &s;ees, and who will &s;ee into their very thoughts before he will &s;peak either good or bad of them. Judge then, whether I have not rea&s;on to be confident, that <HI>Clidaris,</HI> is worthy to be <HI>Cleonides</HI> brother.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> according to his cu&s;tom turned the talk, of which <HI>Meliantes</HI> was very glad, and was very frolick in di&s;cour&s;e; yet what &s;oever he &s;aid, &s;till he was nothing at all appliant unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia.</HI></P>
<P>Pre&s;ently after, <HI>Cleonide</HI> going away, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> went al&s;o, So that <HI>Meliantes</HI> remaining alone with <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> he looked upon him very &s;eriou&s;ly; for reflecting up|on what <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> had &s;aid concerning the brother of <HI>Cleonide,</HI> she imagined (con|&s;idering
<PB N="42" REF="912">
the place where she met him, and his de&s;ires to conceal his country) that <HI>Meliantes</HI> might be he; And the rather, becau&s;e the Character which was gi|ven of <HI>Cleonides</HI> Brother, did fit him. Yet not de&s;iring to make her &s;u&s;pition ap|peare untill further certainty, &s;he rou&s;ed her &s;elfe out of her &s;erious &s;tudy, ju&s;t as <HI>Meliantes</HI> intended to interrupt her to tell her what he had under&s;tood from, <HI>Alcianipe,</HI> and beginning to &s;peak: Con&s;idering the &s;tate of things, I am very &s;or|ry Madam (&s;aid he unto her) that I cannot &s;peak as well of <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> as they have written unto him concerning <HI>Cleonides</HI> brother; But Madam, the fidelity I have vowed unto you, and the zeale that I have unto your &s;ervice, forces me to tell you that I do know the name of her whom <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> hath long loved, and unto whom he hath promi&s;ed never to marry you: I wi&s;h with all my heart (re|plyed &s;he) that he would keep his promi&s;e. But <HI>Meliantes</HI> (added &s;he) who who is &s;he that hath &s;o captivated the heart of <HI>Astidamus?</HI> It is <HI>Cleonide,</HI> Madam (replyed he) and I know &s;uch circum&s;tances of his affection to her, that I mu&s;t needs &s;ay he is infinitely too blame to be &s;o engaged as he is; How (cryed out <HI>Arpa&s;ia)</HI> is it <HI>Cleonide,</HI> with whom <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> holds intelligence? Yes Madam (an&s;wered he) it is <HI>Cleonide;</HI> and <HI>Alcianipe</HI> hath &s;o particularized things unto me, that I cannot make the lea&s;t doubt of the truth.</P>
<P><HI>Alcianipe</HI> is &s;o &s;candalous (replyed &s;he) that there is no great heed to be ta|ken unto what &s;he &s;aith: But &s;ince I know how to di&s;cern truth from lies (re|plyed he) I dare a&s;&s;ure you Madam, that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> doth love <HI>Cleonide.</HI></P>
<P>After this, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was a while mute: and reflecting upon her former &s;u&s;piti|ons, they all vani&s;ht, and &s;he thought no more that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was Brother un|to <HI>Cleonide,</HI> &s;ince he told her of the intelligence which &s;he had with <HI>A&s;tidamus.</HI> Afterwards calling to memory a hundred pa&s;&s;ages which formerly &s;he took no no|tice of, &s;he found, that indeed there was good cau&s;e to think that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> loved <HI>Cleonide:</HI> But maugre her aver&s;ion to him, &s;he could not choo&s;e but beare him a kind of &s;pight for loving that faire one: Yet her &s;light re&s;entment of it quickly vani&s;ht, and in a moment after &s;he was extreamly joyed, in hopes that this love of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> would break off her Marriage: and &s;he gave &s;o many te&s;ti|monies of it unto <HI>Meliantes,</HI> that hee was fully &s;atisfied. Yet notwith&s;tanding, &s;ince &s;he was re&s;olved to &s;tay untill <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> did him&s;elfe break off, becau&s;e &s;he was afraid to anger her Father, <HI>Meliantes</HI> was forced to tell her that though <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> did dearly love <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and had promi&s;ed her to break off his Mar|riage for her &s;ake; yet becau&s;e all his fortunes did depend upon <HI>Protogenes:</HI> and becau&s;e he was afraid to loo&s;e them by loo&s;ing his favour, he was re&s;olved to mar|ry her, and to deceive <HI>Cleonide.</HI> How (&s;aid <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> then) does <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> in|tend to marry me, and not to love me? and to love <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and not marry her? Oh <HI>Meliantes,</HI> I am not able to endure this double treachery: And &s;ince I &s;hould be more mi&s;erable in marrying a man, who neither loves me, nor I him, than <HI>Cle|onide</HI> would be, in not marrying a man who both loves her, and &s;he him. it is my office to prevent &s;uch a misfortune: For truly, though I had no aver&s;ion to him, yet his very infidelity to <HI>Cleonide</HI> is enough to hinder mee from marrying him: therefore I be&s;eech you <HI>Meliantes,</HI> help me out of this extream &s;trait, and en|deavour to get &s;uch convincing proofs of the promi&s;es which this Impo&s;tor hath made unto <HI>Cleonide,</HI> that I may &s;hew them unto my Father, and afterwards de|clare unto him, that I never will marry <HI>A&s;tidamus.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Meliantes</HI> hearing what <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &s;aid, began to &s;tudy upon it, and to imagine how he might give her &s;atisfaction: After which, he de&s;ired &s;ome dayes of con&s;i|deration, conjuring her in the interim not to &s;peak a &s;yllable of what he had told her for feare (&s;aid he) that if <HI>Protogenes</HI> &s;hould heare of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> his love, he &s;hould ha&s;ten his Marriage with her.</P>
<P>Thus <HI>Meliantes</HI> glo&s;&s;ing the reputation of his &s;i&s;ter with a plau&s;ible pretence, he be&s;towed a thou&s;and obliging and tender expre&s;&s;ions upon <HI>Arpa&s;ia;</HI> who con|ceiving her &s;elfe infinitely beholding unto him, began to pre&s;&s;e him a little more earne&s;tly to tell him who he was. I be&s;eech you <HI>Meliantes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) what ju|&s;tice is it, that you &s;hould know all the &s;ecrets of my very &s;oule, and that I &s;hould not know &s;o much of the Country which gave you a birth? When Madam I have done you any con&s;iderable &s;ervice (replyed he) I promi&s;e you to tell you who I
<PB N="43" REF="912">
am: And to &s;et a more certain limit of time unto your &s;atisfaction, I promi&s;e to tell you what&s;oever you &s;hall de&s;ire to know of me, upon the day that your Mar|riage with <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> &s;hall be broken off. But in the interim Madam (added he being tran&s;ported by the violence of his pa&s;&s;ion) I be&s;eech you honour me &s;o farr as to believe, that my birth is &s;uch, as that I am not altogether unworthy to be ranked in the number of your friends: And if <HI>Astidamus</HI> had &s;uch thoughts in his heart as I have, he had never loved <HI>Cleonide.</HI> Though this expre&s;&s;ion was a kind of declaration of Love, yet <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> did not take it in that &s;en&s;e, but belie|ved that he &s;aid &s;o only to expre&s;&s;e his e&s;teem, &s;o that she an&s;wered him very civi|ly: At fir&s;t, he was angry &s;he did not under&s;tand him; but in a moment after, he was glad of it: So that after &s;everall obliging expre&s;&s;ions on both &s;ides, they par|ted. But Madam, whil&s;t the&s;e things pa&s;&s;ed thus, <HI>Protogenes</HI> having ob&s;erved, that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> did not behave him&s;elf towards <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> as he ought, he &s;pake very &s;harply unto him, and charged him to carry him&s;elf better, &amp; to prepare him&s;elf to marry her very &s;hortly: For (&s;aid he) whether the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> con&s;ent or not con&s;ent, you &s;hall marry her. <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> who had &s;pirit enough, and was real|ly re&s;olved to betray <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and marry <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> told <HI>Protogenes</HI> very confi|dently, that he did not think he was obliged to live with one whom he was to marry in that way of Gallantry, as if he Courted one whom he knew not whe|ther he &s;hould marry her or not: but be a&s;&s;ured Sir (&s;aid hee) that I &s;hall obey you when you plea&s;e. But Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that a Servant unto <HI>Protogenes</HI> who was acquainted with <HI>Alcianipe,</HI> having heard this Confe|rence, he told it unto her, and &s;he made it known unto <HI>Meliantes,</HI> who was extreamly perplexed at it. Was ever mi&s;ery equall unto mine? (&s;aid he unto <HI>Phormion,</HI> who &s;ince told it unto me) For all other Lovers are commonly mi&s;erable, either becau&s;e they are hated, or becau&s;e they have Rivals loved: And yet mo&s;t certain it is, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> doth e&s;teem me, I have no Rivall: and he who pretends to marry her without a dram of Love, is hated: And yet for all this, I am the mo&s;t mi&s;erable of men, &s;ince I am like to &s;ee the man whom I do hate, enjoy the per|&s;on whom I do love, and to betray and for&s;ake my Si&s;ter: So that by this meanes he will bla&s;t both my love &amp; my honour, if I do not give a check unto his de&s;igns: and yet it is not an ea&s;ie matter to effect: For <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> will obey <HI>Protogenes; Protegenes</HI> will have him to marry <HI>Arpa&s;ia:</HI> And <HI>Gabrias</HI> de&s;ires it as much as he, unle&s;&s;e I do let him &s;ee the treachery of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> towards <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and <HI>Ar|pa&s;ia.</HI></P>
<P>But &s;hall I my &s;elfe publish the intelligence which he holds with my Si&s;ter be|fore I am &s;ure I can oblige him to marry her? And can I have the confidence to quarrell with him for ca&s;ting off my Si&s;ter, when as I did the like to his? Truth is, I am not &s;o incon&s;tant as he is, becau&s;e I loved her le&s;&s;e; but this excu&s;e is not &s;ufficient to excu&s;e me. What &s;hall I do my dear <HI>Phormion</HI> (&s;aid hee unto him) Truly (replyed his friend) I am as much to &s;eek for advice as your &s;elfe: But the be&s;t Councell I can give, is, to overcome your pa&s;&s;ion, as <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> hath his. For he is in Love with <HI>Cleonide,</HI> yet is re&s;olved to marry another: Therefore I pray Sir, call <HI>Argely&s;e</HI> into your memory and heart, and quit <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> as he hath <HI>Cleonide.</HI> As for the intere&s;t of <HI>Cleonide,</HI> unle&s;&s;e you knew how to force <HI>A&s;tida|mus</HI> to marry her, it were better to &s;mother all reports of her intelligence with him, than to divulge it. But that cannot be, replyed <HI>Meliantes,</HI> &s;ince I had never known of it but by <HI>Alcianipe,</HI> who never knows any thing that may wound ano|thers reputation, but she tells it to a hundred &s;everall per&s;ons; and I am told, that if &s;he do know of any &s;uch bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, if company come not in quickly unto whom she may impart it, shee will goe out and &s;eek them. Al&s;o I am credibly informed, that if she be &s;ick, nothing will &s;ooner cure her, nor make her quit her Bed, than to have &s;ome &s;uch tittle-tattle or other to carry unto &s;ome whom shee thinks it will plea&s;e or &s;pight; for she tran&s;acts by &s;everall motives, though all e|qually ill: and can you thinke she will not tell all men the &s;ame she hath told me? Yes yes, <HI>Phormion, Alcianipe</HI> is &s;ilent in nothing but in Commendations: Nay perhaps she will draw out an innocent corre&s;pondency to become a great Crime: And to be &s;incere with you, though <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> did not betray my &s;i&s;ter, yet
<PB N="44" REF="913">
should I hate him no le&s;&s;e than I do, it is enough that he is likely to marry <HI>Arpa|&s;ia,</HI> to make me ruine him if I can. But Sir (&s;aid <HI>Phormion) Arpa&s;ia</HI> does not &s;o much as know that you do love her. She knows that I do vi&s;ite her, and that I admire her (replyed he) and I hope that ere long she will know that I love her, though I never tell her, for my pa&s;&s;ion is too violent to be &s;mothered: and she can|not choo&s;e but &s;ee it. All I have to do, is to poy&s;on <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> in the opinion of <HI>Ar|pasias</HI> father by acquainting him with his love of <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and by producing &s;uch circum&s;tances as shall make <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> appear what he is, to wit, an impo&s;tor, and perfidious; I perceive by your looks (added he) that you think it &s;trange I &s;hould give &s;uch terrible names unto <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> having an opinion that I do merit them as well as he: But <HI>Phormion</HI> be not deceived, for if there be any equality in our crims it is not in our proceedings, when I thought my &s;elf in love with <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> it was becau&s;e I knew not then what Love was, but now I know, that it was only e&s;teem and friend&s;hip, which I profe&s;&s;ed unto her, and if I did quit her, it was, becau&s;e a mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ion forced me unto it, and &s;he is beholding unto me for doing all I could to keep my heart from her, but the ca&s;e is not the &s;ame with <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> for he is deeply in love with <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and maugre this love he quits her for his intere&s;t of fortune.</P>
<P>Moreover, he is &s;o unju&s;t, not only to for&s;ake her, but to betray her by di&s;&s;em|bling his incon&s;tancy, lea&s;t &s;he &s;hould hinder him in his de&s;igne of marrying <HI>Arpa|&s;ia</HI> but tis far otherwi&s;e with me, for if <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> were heer, I &s;hould re&s;ent her mi&s;|fortunes as my own, Ah <HI>Meliantes</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Phormion</HI> and interrupted him) you &s;ay &s;o, becau&s;e <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> is not at <HI>Alfenes:</HI> for I a&s;&s;ure you, it is a greater difficulty than you imagin; for any brave man to tell a woman whom once he &s;eemed to love that now he does not love her; and if &s;he were here at this pre&s;ent, you would be driven into an extream perplexity. No doubt of it (replyed he,) but that I should be extreamly ashamed at the &s;ight of her, yet for all that, rather than betray her as <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> doth my &s;i&s;ter, I would di&s;cover my weakne&s;s unto her, I would confe&s;s my fault, &amp; ask a pardon for it: But &s;ince I perceive you will not give me any advi&s;e. I will follow the dictates of my own thoughts. So <HI>Meliantes</HI> after he had &s;tudied a while, went out, and went to give <HI>Cleonide</HI> a vi&s;it with whom he had often been, as well as with all other Ladies of quality, in <HI>Alfenes.</HI> Yet he could not &s;peak with her &s;o &s;oon as he de&s;ired, becau&s;e much company was with her aunt and her, but they being gon all, except one man who &s;tayed about &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s with the Lady of the hou&s;e, he had all the liberty of talk, he could wish, and as &s;oon as he was alone with <HI>Cleonide,</HI> he took out one of tho&s;e Letters which heretofore she had writ unto him, and asked her if she knew the hand: <HI>Cleonide</HI> took it and began to read it, little thinking it to be of her own writing, but when she read a line, she knew it to be one which she &s;ent unto her brother, at fir&s;t, she looked &s;eriou&s;ly upon him, but he had an air &s;o unre&s;emblant, unto all his family, that not knowing why her brother should conceal him&s;elf, she did not think her &s;elf to be his &s;i&s;ter, but imagin|ed him to be only &s;ome freind unto her brother, I be&s;eech you Sir, &s;aid she unto him, do you know him unto whom this Letter was written? if you do, pray tell me where he is, and why he gave it unto you? I shall &s;atisfie you in all your demands (re|plyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> yes, and more, provided you will promi&s;e me not to &s;peak a &s;il|lable of any thing I shall tell you, no not unto <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> (added he, and looked earne&s;tly upon her) At the&s;e words <HI>Cleonide</HI> blusht, and doing &s;omthing about her head, purpo&s;ely to hide her blushes, I do not wonder (&s;aid she unto him) that you should de&s;ire me to tell no body what you &s;ay, but I have rea&s;on to be offended at you, for particularizing <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and that you should &s;peak of him, as if I could know nothing, but I mu&s;t impart it unto him. All <HI>I</HI> can do at pre&s;ent for your &s;atisfaction (replyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> is to a&s;&s;ure you, that when I have told you all I have to &s;ay, you will &s;o cleerly &s;ee, that I have no intentions to offend you that you will repent your &s;u&s;pition of it. But unju&s;t <HI>Cleonide,</HI> (pur&s;ued he) the bu&s;ine&s;s is of &s;uch a nature, that you mu&s;t be &s;ure none come to interrupt us; and oblige you unto a private conference, I &s;wear unto you by all that is &s;acred, that you will be the mo&s;t mi&s;erable per&s;on of all your quality and &s;ex, if you do not hearken unto me, and po&s;itively beleeve all that I shall &s;ay, when you have heard me.</P>
<P><PB N="45" REF="913">
You expre&s;s your &s;elf &s;o very &s;trangely, replyed &s;he, that though you &s;hould tell me nothing but &s;ad &s;tories, yet I mu&s;t confe&s;s my curio&s;ity &s;uch, that I cannot choo&s;e but hear you, and therefore if you plea&s;e, we will walk into the garden, where we &s;hall not be interrupted, for I will appoint if any come in, they &s;hall be carried into my aunts chamber, with all my heart (replyed <HI>Meliantes,)</HI> but fir&s;t you mu&s;t promi&s;e me not to &s;peak a word unto <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> of any thing I &s;hall tell you; and indeed you mu&s;t promi&s;e me mo&s;t &s;olemnly and &s;eriou&s;ly. If I do promi&s;e you to tell no body (an&s;wered <HI>Cleonide</HI> and &s;till blu&s;hed) I do tacitely imply, that I will not tell <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and therefore why do you in&s;i&s;t &s;o perempto|rily upon &s;uch a frivolous ceremony, which in my opinion is an affront put upon me: Nay, nay, never in&s;i&s;t upon &s;uch nicities, (replyed he) nor ruine your &s;elf upon imaginary punctilioes. <HI>Cleonide</HI> hearing <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;o plain, &s;he began to be angry in good earne&s;t, and would not give him audience; but &s;ince the &s;ame thing which angred her, did al&s;o &s;well her with curio&s;ity, &s;he &s;urmounted her re|&s;entments and told <HI>Meliantes,</HI> that there was never any &s;uch League between <HI>A&s;ti|damus</HI> and her, she would promi&s;e him never to reveal what he should tell her.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Meliantes</HI> took her by the hand, and carried her unto a &s;eat in an Arbor; when they were &s;et, <HI>Cleonide</HI> fir&s;t began; well <HI>Meliantes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) I pray tell me who gave you that Letter which you &s;hewed me? before I give you direct an&s;wer (replyed he) I mu&s;t mo&s;t &s;eriou&s;ly prote&s;t unto you, that all I shall &s;ay unto you is as certainly true, as that you are my &s;i&s;ter, is not more &s;ure, nor more certain, that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> intends to betray you; at the&s;e words <HI>Cleonide</HI> &s;tood in amaze, her colour went and came a hundred times: Fir&s;t she looked upon <HI>Me|liantes,</HI> then looked off him with abundance of shame. Somtimes she wished all he &s;aid were true, and &s;omtimes de&s;ired all might be fal&s;e; being vexed to the &s;oul she should begin acquaintance with her brother, by &s;uch a shamefull adventure. But at la&s;t, to cleer her doubts, the names of <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Clidaris,</HI> are &s;o un|like (replyed she) that I could not take the one for the other, &s;ince names are not e&s;&s;entially fixed to the bearers, &s;aid he, but that they may shift them as they plea&s;e, your rea&s;on is not at all convincing, but to come neer the &s;ub&s;tance of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, I will ingage my &s;elf to shew you all the Letters which ever you writ un|to me, and more than that, I will tell you the &s;ub&s;tance of all that ever I writ unto you, and to cleer my &s;elf more manife&s;tly unto you, I will write in your pre&s;ence what you shall plea&s;e, that you may compare my writing with tho&s;e Letters which <HI>Clidaris</HI> writ unto you, and &s;o plainly &s;ee, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Clidaris</HI> are the &s;ame without more delay he pull'd out of his pocket, both Pen, Ink, and Paper, and began to write &s;ome lines which he gave unto <HI>Cleonide,</HI> but she was more amazed than ever, when she found written, that if she would follow his coun&s;ell, she should never marry <HI>A&s;tidamus:</HI> she &s;aw enough by the hand, to a&s;&s;ure her, he was her brother. But before she could recover out of h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> wonder, <HI>Meliantes</HI> told her &s;o many particulars concerning her family, as put her out of all doubt, but to cleer the matter more fully, she asked him how it could come to pa&s;s, the freind of <HI>A&s;ti|damus</HI> should write word that he had &s;een you at <HI>Samo&s;ates?</HI> Then <HI>Meliantes</HI> be|gan to relate unto her, his travells into that place, and how it was his fortune to meet <HI>Gabrias</HI> and <HI>Arpa&s;ia.</HI> I be&s;eech you (&s;aid <HI>Cleonide</HI> then) why did you change your name? and why would you not make your &s;elf known to me at fir&s;t? your que&s;tions (dear &s;i&s;ter) replyed he, are of &s;uch importance, that <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t not an&s;wer them untill that after you have ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;&s;ed unto me, that <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> is in love with you, that he hath promi&s;ed you never to marry <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> &amp; that you do beleive him: Alas, brother (&s;aid she and blusht,) <HI>I</HI> am not able to confe&s;&s;e &s;uch things of that nature: that you may no longer di&s;&s;emble the matter (replyed <HI>Me|liantes)</HI> know, that I am not ignorant in any thing that hath pa&s;&s;ed betwixt you; and to in&s;tance in &s;ome, <HI>I</HI> do know, that you u&s;e to meet <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> in a garden of your friends, which joynes unto this, in which we are, e&s;pecially &s;ince <HI>Arpasia</HI> came hither, &amp; that it was there he &s;wore a thou&s;and fal&s;e other unto you: and in|deed <HI>I</HI> know of a mo&s;t infallible certainty, that if you do not follow my coun&s;ells, he will marry <HI>Arpasia.</HI></P>
<P>Moreover, to induce you unto an ab&s;olute confidence in me, <HI>I</HI> will tru&s;t you with the only &s;ecret of my &s;oul and life, and acquaint you, that <HI>I</HI> am as much concer|ned
<PB N="46" REF="914">
in this marriage as you are, for to tell you truly, <HI>I</HI> am in love with <HI>Arpasia</HI> in love &s;o deeply, that if the life of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> be dear unto you, you mu&s;t help me to make him faithfull unto you, and do as <HI>I</HI> shall direct you to hinder him from marrying her whom <HI>I</HI> do love and adore: for <HI>I</HI> do profe&s;s unto you, that if you do not, you will endanger either to &s;ee your brother kill your Lover, or your Lover kill your brother, think &s;eriou&s;ly upon what <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, and be confident that you have as great an intere&s;t as I have in the advice which I shall give you. You fill me &s;o full of wonder, (replyed <HI>Cleonide)</HI> that <HI>I</HI> know not what an&s;wer to return. The bu&s;ine&s;s is of &s;uch a neer concernment (replyed he) that you mu&s;t an&s;wer, and that you may more &s;incerely open your &s;elf, <HI>I</HI> de&s;ire you to con&s;ider, that <HI>I</HI> do not offer to reprove you for your affection to <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> for <HI>I</HI> have a &s;trong con+fidence in your virtue, and I know experimentally, that love is not a thing volunta|ry, and I were unju&s;t if <HI>I</HI> should expect more force from you than <HI>I</HI> have my &s;elf; but excu&s;ing your imbecilities, as <HI>I</HI> expect you should do mine, you mu&s;t &s;incerely acquaint me with all the pa&s;&s;ages betwixt <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> and you, to the end <HI>I</HI> may force him to fidelity, and keep him from making me mi&s;erable; if you do not, I vow un|to the Gods, that before you can &s;ee <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> to tell him what I have &s;aid un|to you, I will &s;ee him, and tell him &s;uch a &s;tory, as may become fatall to one of us: And therefore my deare&s;t &s;i&s;ter, I do conjure you by your own honour, &amp; by the af|fection you have unto <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> to prevent both your own and my mi&s;ery, and not to deny a thing, which I do know as certainly as you do your &s;elf. You pre&s;&s;e me in &s;o &s;trange a manner, (replyed <HI>Cleonide)</HI> that <HI>I</HI> have not power either to deny or confe&s;&s;e what you ask; yet you mu&s;t do the la&s;t of the&s;e (replyed <HI>Meli|antes)</HI> if you will pre&s;erve your own Honour, and your Lover, and not hinder the happine&s;s of a Brother, who will be a debtor unto you for all his felicity, if you will but think upon your own.</P>
<P>After this, adding a thou&s;and tender and obliging conjurations, unto what he had &s;aid before, <HI>Cleonide</HI> confe&s;&s;ed that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> had long loved her, and &s;till told her every day, that he continued the &s;ame, and after the fir&s;t Ice was broken, &s;he told <HI>Meliantes</HI> as much as he de&s;ired to know. But as a ju&s;tification of her &s;elf &s;he aggravated the Court&s;hip and cares, which <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> had taken to win her heart, and told her brother, that he had writ Letters unto her, every day: <HI>Meli|antes</HI> pre&s;&s;ed her to &s;ee his Letters, and &s;o importunately, that &s;he fearing if &s;he &s;hould deny him, he would think them of another nature than they were, and knowing that they would rather ju&s;tify than accu&s;e her, &s;he pulled two of them out of her pocket, the one received la&s;t night, the other in the morning, and gave them unto <HI>Meliantes,</HI> who opening them, did find in them as much as he could de&s;ire; and if my memory do not much fail me, they were to this effect following.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>To the Incredulous <HI>CLEONIDE.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>WILL you not beleeve me, when I promi&s;e and prote&s;t, that I do not love <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and that I love none but you? but it &s;eems you are re&s;olved to be as unju&s;t as you are rigorous, in doubting the &s;incerity of my words. I be&s;eech you, be not deluded by fallacious appearances; but be confidently per&s;waded, that I will never marry <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> and that I will eternally love the fair <HI>Cleonide.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ASTIDAMUS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>You may imagin Madam, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was not a little glad he had got this Letter into his hands; and in hopes to finde another, as pertinent to his purpo&s;e, he opened it in all ha&s;te and found the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="47" REF="914">
<HEAD>To the &V;nju&s;t <HI>CLEONIDE.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>I</HI> Wonder why you &s;hould not, but I am &s;ure you may beleeve me when I prote&s;t, that <HI>Protogenes</HI> with all his power over me, &s;hall not be able to make me perfidi|ous, unto my dear <HI>Cleonide:</HI> Beleeve it, that either by the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria's</HI> means or my Mothers, who will be &s;hortly here, and I will break off my marriage with <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and if you be as con&s;tant as I am faithfull, we will love one another for ever.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ASTIDAMUS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>Though this &s;econd Letter was as fit as the fir&s;t, to be laid in the di&s;h of <HI>Astida|mus,</HI> yet it did not plea&s;e <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;o well as the fir&s;t, becau&s;e it mentioned the arrivall of his Rivalls mother, and becau&s;e he made no que&s;tion but <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> would come with her. So that this news brings &s;purrs to ha&s;ten on his de&s;igne of pre|venting <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> he was re&s;olved not to re&s;tore the&s;e two Letters unto his Si|&s;ter, but to keep them, and &s;hew them unto <HI>Arpasia,</HI> that &s;he might &s;hew them unto <HI>Gabrias,</HI> and &s;o break off the marriage: Not but that he knew all that <HI>A&s;ti|damus</HI> &s;aid in his Letters was fal&s;e, and he mentioned the coming of his Mother to his marriage, the better to delude her.</P>
<P>But after a tumultuous reflection upon all the&s;e things, in &s;tead of re&s;toring the Letters to his Si&s;ter, he put them in his pocket, and told her, that upon them de|pended both his good fortune, and hers. At fir&s;t <HI>Cleonide</HI> oppo&s;ed his de&s;igne; no no &s;i&s;ter (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes)</HI> I will not re&s;tore them, for they are &s;o nece&s;&s;ary to pre&s;erve <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> for you, and yet <HI>Arpasia</HI> for me, that I &s;hould do both you, and my &s;elf very ill &s;ervice if I &s;hould part with them. For as I told you before, <HI>A|&s;tidamus</HI> intends to deceive you, and he po&s;itively promi&s;ed <HI>Protogenes,</HI> ye&s;terday to marry <HI>Arpasia</HI> when&s;oever he plea&s;ed, and he carries fair with you, lea&s;t you &s;hould ob&s;truct his marriage with her. After this, <HI>Meliantes,</HI> making a more exact relation of all pa&s;&s;ages unto her, he told her to bring her to his mind, that there was no cour&s;e to be taken but one of the&s;e two, either he mu&s;t fight with <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> or el&s;e break off his marriage with <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> by making u&s;e of the&s;e Letters.</P>
<P><HI>Cleonide</HI> liking the la&s;t of the&s;e wayes better than the fir&s;t, &s;he con&s;ented he &s;hould have the letters, after his promi&s;e that he would &s;hew them unto none but <HI>Gabrias</HI> and <HI>Arpasia,</HI> and it was her wi&s;e&s;t cour&s;e to con&s;ent, for &s;he knew not how to hinder him. However, he made her promi&s;e him, not to di&s;cover unto her Lo|ver who he was, untill his marriage with <HI>Arpasia,</HI> was broken off. And he did &s;o plainly demon&s;trate unto her, that &s;he would ruin her &s;elf and honour, if &s;he did not prove faithfull unto him, and likewi&s;e that &s;he would put the life of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> in danger, that he did not fear, but &s;hee would keep promi&s;e with him; &s;o that parting upon mutuall promi&s;es of fidelity, <HI>Cleonide</HI> &s;tayed in the garden contem|plating upon the adventure.</P>
<P>And <HI>Meliantes</HI> went unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> with intention to &s;hew her the Letters of <HI>A|&s;tidamus;</HI> and indeed, as &s;oon as they could talk in private together, &s;he gave him an opportunity of &s;hewing them unto her, and asked him, what news from <HI>Alcia|nipe?</HI> he having no mind to let her know, that <HI>Cleonide</HI> was his &s;i&s;ter, lea&s;t &s;he &s;hould think he had &s;ome ends in per&s;ecuting <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> he let her go on in her o|pinion, that he knew all from this woman, &s;o that he gave her the Letters to read, the hand &s;he knew; but Madam, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> read them with different thoughts, for they made her both glad and angry: And her aver&s;ion to <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> did &s;o in|crea&s;e, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> had been very happy if &s;he had loved him, as much as &s;he ha|ted <HI>A&s;tidamus.</HI> I prote&s;t <HI>Meliantes,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) the infidelity of <HI>A&s;ti|damus</HI> unto <HI>Cleonide</HI> makes me hate him more than his in&s;en&s;ibility unto me doth, and I &s;hould &s;ooner pardon him for &s;lighting me, than for betraying her. For my particular (replyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> I am not of your mind, for I think the greate&s;t crime of <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> is his not loving you, and next to it, his infidelity unto <HI>Cleoni|de;</HI>
<PB N="48" REF="915">
but to &s;ee you and not to love you is a crime incredible: Could it ever be ima|gined that a lover of <HI>Cleonide,</HI> would be the husband of <HI>Arpa&s;ia?</HI> or could it enter into the heart of a man to marry <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and not love her? the&s;e are &s;o far a|bove my beleife, that had not <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> given his in&s;en&s;ibility under his own hand in tho&s;e two letters, I could not have given any credit unto it.</P>
<P>I think it le&s;s &s;trange (replyed &s;he) that he &s;hould be in&s;en&s;ible towards me, than that he &s;hould be unfaithfull unto <HI>Cleonide.</HI> But I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes)</HI> what cour&s;e do you intend to take? I intend to &s;hew the&s;e Letters un|to my father, (replyed &s;he) and to tell him, that I will never marry <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and to open my heart unto you, as unto a man whom I dare tru&s;t, above any one in the world, I will a&s;&s;ure you, that if he will force me to marry him, I &s;hall not obey him, but I &s;hall hope that &s;ince he is &s;en&s;ible of honour, he will have better thoughts. Doubtle&s;&s;e, he knowes that I do not love <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> but I beleive he does not know my rea&s;on for it, he thinks it is only an aver&s;ion in nature, which time and rea&s;on might &s;urmount; but I am confident, when he &s;hall &s;ee the&s;e Letters, he will be of another mind.</P>
<P>Perhaps madam, (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes)</HI> rea&s;ons of &s;tate will be his greate&s;t con&s;ide|ration, No, &s;aid &s;he, I hope to per&s;wade him by the&s;e Letters, that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> does not intend to marry me; and to put an open affront upon him, though <HI>Proto|genes</HI> &s;hould pre&s;s him to it: And I hope to per&s;wade him to anticipate <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and break off with him, before he break off with ns; in conclu&s;ion, <HI>Meliantes,</HI> I hope to tran&s;act the matter &s;o, that it &s;hall not be long of me, if the fair <HI>Cleonide</HI> do not marry <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and if I do not quit <HI>Alfenes,</HI> never to come into it again, the truth is (added &s;he mo&s;t obligingly) I &s;hall depart with much &s;orrow, &s;ince I &s;hall thereby loo&s;e you. Since I &s;tay at <HI>Alfenes,</HI> only for the love of you, Madam, (replyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> I &s;hall depart when you do, and if Fortune do not thwart my intentions, I think Madam, that I &s;hall go whether you go; for you have &s;o great a power over me; that I am not able to live far from you. If I have &s;o much power over you (replyed &s;he) as you would make be beleive I have, then tell me who you are, and acquaint me with the &s;ecrets of your heart, as I have you, with mine. I would the Gods, Madam, (&s;aid he) and looked fixedly upon her) that you could gue&s;s them without my telling you: For the truth is, there is nothing in my &s;oul which I would not have you know, yet I cannot without much pain tell you all the thoughts of my heart.</P>
<P>For Madam, I dare not di&s;cover all my imbecillities, I dare not tell you how I Love a mo&s;t divine per&s;on without all hopes, I dare not for my life aggravate all the mi&s;eries which this pa&s;&s;ion hath cau&s;ed me to endure, e&s;pecially unto you Madam, who&s;e actions are all guided by &s;olidity of rea&s;on, not but that the per&s;on whom I adore, hath &s;o many excellencies, as will well excu&s;e all my imbecillities, For &s;he is beauty in the very ab&s;tract, her wit tran&s;cends all capacities, &s;he hath virtue &amp; goodne&s;&s;e in the &s;uperlative degree, &amp; &s;he doth a little e&s;teem me, but for all this Madam, I dare not be &s;o bold as to tell you of my pa&s;&s;ion. The wor&s;t is (re|plyed <HI>Arpasia</HI> not &s;u&s;pecting his love to her) I have heard you &s;ay, that one can|not be in love, but one mu&s;t be mi&s;erable al&s;o, and therefore for my own intere&s;t, I mu&s;t needs grieve for you, &s;ince it is not likely we &s;hall be long together in one place. However added &s;he, not giving him time to an&s;wer her) &s;ince the per&s;on whom you adore, hath &s;o much Beauty, Wit, Virtue, Goodne&s;s, and E&s;teem of you, I cannot &s;ee you are much to be pittied: I &s;hould not indeed be very unhappy (replyed he) if &s;he did know without being offended, that I did love her, but &s;ince I never told her, I am in continuall fears, lea&s;t she should di&s;cover my pa&s;|&s;ion; and yet at the &s;ame time I am greived that she doth not divine it, and yet she mu&s;t divine it, if she do know it (added he) for I never dare tell her that I do love her.</P>
<P><HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;poke this with &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ionate air, as made <HI>Arpasia</HI> blush, and was con&s;trained to applyit unto her &s;elf, and &s;ince she could not have any &s;uch thoughts without &s;ome appearance of it in her countenance, <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;aw that he was un|der&s;tood, &s;o as fearing to &s;ay too much, and thinking he had &s;aid enough to make her &s;u&s;pect what he would have her know, he turned the di&s;cour&s;e and began again to talk of <HI>Astidamus, Cleonide,</HI> and <HI>Gabrias,</HI> and &s;o freed both her, and him&s;elf from
<PB N="49" REF="915">
a non-plus: And this cau&s;ed her not to be offended at this half dec laration of his Love:</P>
<P>However, she was no &s;ooner retired, But she did me the honour to impart all the pa&s;&s;age unto me, and to tell me her opinion: which done, I told her that I had ob&s;erved a hundred pa&s;&s;ages from <HI>Meliantes,</HI> which moved me to beleive as &s;he did, for truly (&s;aid I unto her) he hates <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> only becau&s;e he loves you, and he hates him in &s;uch a manner, as per&s;wades me that his condition is worthy to be his rivall. As for his quality (replyed <HI>Arpa&s;ia)</HI> I doubt much le&s;s of it, than of his love. For all the thoughts of his &s;oul are &s;o noble, and there is &s;omething &s;o high in all his proceedings, that I am mo&s;t confident his quality is great; but for all that <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) I mu&s;t look upon him only as a freind which for|tune gave me, and which she will quickly take from me, and I ought to be well &s;a|tisfied, if fate will only keep me from marrying <HI>A&s;tidamus.</HI></P>
<P>After this, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> changing di&s;cour&s;e, we talked of nothing, but what &s;he &s;hould &s;ay the next morning unto <HI>Gabrias:</HI> And indeed, as &s;oon as &s;he awaked, and had dre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf, &s;he went unto her father, unto whom &s;he addre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf with &s;o much Prudence and Re&s;pect, that after he had read the Letters, and knowing the hand, he &s;eemed to con&s;ent, that &s;hee &s;hould not marry him, who writ them, yet he told her, that to break off with a &s;pecious pretence, it was expe|dient to &s;tay untill the me&s;&s;enger which <HI>Protogenes</HI> and he had &s;ent unto <HI>Babylon,</HI> was returned, becau&s;e in all probability the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> would not approve of this marriage, and would give a pretence both unto <HI>Protogenes</HI> and him, not to proceed unto a conclu&s;ion of marriage; though they were once re&s;olved upon it, whether the King did con&s;ent unto it or no. Daughter (&s;aid he unto her) I am confident that as &s;oon as <HI>Protogenes</HI> &s;hall &s;ee the&s;e two Letters, he will confe&s;&s;e you have rea&s;on to be again&s;t your marriage with <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and if our other intere&s;ts will not unite us without this allyance; I &s;hall break off with him when it is conve|nient time.</P>
<P>In the mean time, it is pollicy to di&s;&s;emble as he doth, untill the time be ripe, and fit to te&s;tifie our re&s;entments: For the truth is, <HI>Protogenes</HI> is ma&s;ter of <HI>Alfenes,</HI> and if I &s;hould go imprudently to work, he might make his peace with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;i|ria</HI> when he plea&s;ed, by delivering me up unto him.</P>
<P>This &s;peech of <HI>Gabrias</HI> unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> &s;eeming rea&s;onable, &s;he thanked him for it, and expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf in the mo&s;t tender and obliging Language &s;he could devi&s;e, to confirm him in his opinion. So that not daring to pre&s;&s;e him unto a re&s;titution of the Letters, becau&s;e he &s;aid, that he would &s;hew them unto <HI>Protogenes,</HI> when it was fit time, &s;he left them in his hands and went unto her Chamber with much &s;a|tisfaction: and yet &s;he had no great cau&s;e; for be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that <HI>Gabrias</HI> &s;poke &s;o unto her, only to amuze her, and keep her from divulging her re|&s;entment, of ill treating <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> For <HI>Gabrias</HI> having a full de&s;ign to be revenged upon the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> his mind and con&s;iderations ran only upon that, and not the &s;atisfaction of <HI>Arpasia,</HI> &s;o that intending to accompli&s;h this marriage, he &s;ent to <HI>Meliantes,</HI> and de&s;ired him to come and &s;peak with him; who coming in all ha&s;te, he found him in his clo&s;et, holding the two Letters in his hand.</P>
<P>To te&s;tify unto you (&s;aid <HI>Gabrias</HI> unto him) how I e&s;teem your Wi&s;dome and friend&s;hip, I will tru&s;t you with the greate&s;t &s;ecret of my family, and try if it be po&s;|&s;ible to make you &s;ide with that party which I am rai&s;ing again&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;i|ria.</HI></P>
<P>After this, <HI>Gabrias</HI> aggravated all his cau&s;es of complaint which he had again&s;t that Prince, then told him of the Treaty which he had with <HI>Protogenes,</HI> acquainted him, that the marriage of <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was concluded upon, only for that rea&s;on, and told him all that <HI>Arpasia</HI> had told him before, and all her an&s;wers; But you <HI>Meli|antes</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) being a man of under&s;tanding, I know will ea&s;ily conceive that I an&s;wered my daughter as I did, only to gain time, for it were a gro&s;&s;e ab|&s;urdity, to break off with <HI>Protogenes,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> loves <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and is not in love with my daughter: For the marriages of per&s;ons of her quality are to be made upon &s;ollid grounds, never in&s;i&s;ting upon &s;uch trifles as conduce nothing to the e&s;tabli&s;hment of families, And though <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> do love <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and not <HI>Ar|pa&s;ia,</HI> no matter, for his mind may change; and though it do not, it is but accor|ding
<PB N="50" REF="916">
to that order, which Nature and Cu&s;tome hath e&s;tabli&s;hed; for very few husbands are Lovers of their wives. And therefore &s;ince <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> hath courage and &s;pirit enough and can &s;erve to execute, my revenge, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> mu&s;t re&s;olve to marry him yet &s;ince I de&s;ire that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> would apply him&s;elf unto her rather by fair means th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n by my ab&s;olute authority, I have made choi&s;e of you to per&s;wade <HI>A|&s;tidamus</HI> unto a little more compliance with her, and that he may &s;ee how he is obliged unto me, for my di&s;cretion in the knowledge that I have of his Love unto <HI>Cleonide,</HI> &s;hew him the&s;e two Letters which I put into your hands. In &s;aying &s;o, <HI>Gabrias</HI> gave <HI>Meliantes</HI> the Letters, who &s;eeming to read them, as if he had never &s;een them before, afterwards told <HI>Gabrias,</HI> that &s;ince <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> had promi&s;ed <HI>Cleonide,</HI> never to marry <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> he could not beleive it was in his power to per|&s;wade him to live better with her: Nay nay, never think &s;o, &s;aid <HI>Gabrias,</HI> though <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> promi&s;ed <HI>Cleonide</HI> never to marry <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> yet he promi&s;ed <HI>Protogenes</HI> to marry her when ere he plea&s;ed. And indeed, to di&s;cover the &s;ecret of the bu&s;i|ne&s;s unto you, I mu&s;t tell you, that the man who was &s;ent unto the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria</HI> is already returned, although it be not publi&s;hed, becau&s;e a &s;uppo&s;ed an&s;wer of that Prince mu&s;t be contrived, as if he had con&s;ented unto the marriage, although he did not; and I mu&s;t tell you al&s;o, that as &s;oon as the mother and &s;i&s;ter of <HI>A&s;ti|damus</HI> are arrived, the marriage is to be celebrated. Therefore in this <HI>Interim</HI> which willnot be long, I would have you tell <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> that I am acquainted with his being in love with <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and that my daughter knowes of it al&s;o: For &s;ince I do know of an infallible certainty, that although he do love <HI>Cleonide,</HI> yet he will mar|ry <HI>Arpasia,</HI> I am per&s;waded that to avoid her per&s;ecution after marriage, he will &s;trive with him&s;elf and break with <HI>Cleonide</HI> &s;ooner then he would, if he thought that this gallantry was not known, either to me or my daughter; tell him that I will carefully conceale it from <HI>Protogenes,</HI> provided he will apply him&s;elf to appea&s;e <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and tell him on the other &s;ide, that if he will not do as he ought, I will di&s;cover him both unto <HI>Protogenes,</HI> and all the world</P>
<P>I leave you to imagin Madam, how <HI>Meliantes</HI> reli&s;hed this imployment, whe|ther he con&s;idered him&s;elf as the Lover of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> or as the brother of <HI>Cleonide:</HI> And yet he was forced to accept of it, lea&s;t <HI>Gabrias</HI> &s;hould be&s;tow it upon another who would &s;tickle in the bu&s;ine&s;s more than he would; therefore he promi&s;ed <HI>Ga|brias</HI> to obey his commands, yet he would not per&s;wade him to expo&s;e <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> to &s;o much mi&s;ery, as to marry <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> &s;ince &s;he had a mo&s;t invincible aver&s;ion to him.</P>
<P>But at la&s;t, <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;eeing he could prevaile nothing with him, he left him, and went away with more &s;orrow then he was able to undergoe: Under&s;tanding that much company was with <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> he was in no fit tune to enter; but he went unto <HI>Cleonide,</HI> whom he found alone, to aske her whether &s;he had &s;een <HI>A|&s;tidamus</HI> the night before, in the place where &s;he was u&s;ed to meet him? Alas brother (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I have &s;een him but too often; for &s;ince you have ope|ned my eyes I have &s;een his infidelity &s;o cleer in this, that I make no que&s;tion of it: It was but ye&s;terday that he promi&s;ed me not to marry <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> but he &s;poke more faintly than u&s;uall: and he did &s;o harp upon the imperious humour of <HI>Pro|togenes,</HI> That I know he prepares him&s;elf for obedience: Trueth is, dear Brother, <HI>Astidamus</HI> is a mo&s;t perfidious man, one who hath &s;to<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> from you, and will take his heart from me, unle&s;&s;e you find &s;ome means to prevent your mi&s;|fortune and mine: He told me ye&s;terday (added &s;he) that his Mother and his Si|&s;ter would perhaps arrive to morrow: but he feared extreamly, that his Mother would not be able to oppo&s;e the Marriage, as he hoped and wi&s;hed. How (&s;ayd <HI>Meliantes)</HI> will <HI>Argely&s;e</HI> be at <HI>Alfenes</HI> to morrow? if &s;o, I mu&s;t have recour&s;e unto the mo&s;t extream remedies.</P>
<P><HI>Cleonide</HI> &s;urprized at her Brothers &s;peeches, asked him why he &s;ayd &s;o? But <HI>Meliantes</HI> not being willing to tell her the Cau&s;e, did &s;ay that his &s;orrows were &s;o great, that he knew not what he &s;aid: &s;o that after about a quarter of an hours &s;tay, he returned to <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> to &s;ee if the company was gone: and under|&s;tanding that there was none but <HI>Alcianipe,</HI> two other Ladies, and a man of good account in <HI>Alfenes,</HI> named <HI>Mero&s;us,</HI> he thought they would depart pre|&s;ently, and therefore he entred, but he was deceived; for <HI>Alcianipe</HI> was in &s;uch a
<PB N="51" REF="916">
talkative humour that day, as he thought &s;he would never give over. Not but that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> did civilly expre&s;&s;e her &s;elfe to take no plea&s;ure in detraction: Yet &s;ince &s;he imagined that <HI>Meliantes</HI> knew of the gallantries of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> only from her, therefore &s;he endured her with moae patience then &s;he would, if &s;he had not thought that it was by her meanes that her Marriage with <HI>Astidamus</HI> was to be broken off.</P>
<P>Moreover, &s;ince the Language of <HI>Gabrias</HI> had filled her full of joy, <HI>Meliantes</HI> found her as plea&s;ant as he was &s;add: and &s;he expo&s;ed her &s;elfe unto Raillary with <HI>Mero&s;us</HI> and <HI>Alcianipe.</HI> But <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;poke not a word all the while, and was &s;o re&s;erved, that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> took notice of it, and imagined that her &s;u&s;pitions of his being in Love with her, were not ill grounded: &s;o that after <HI>Alcianipe, Mero|&s;us,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the Ladies were gone, &s;he avoyded talking in private with him, as much as &s;he could. And to that end &s;he called all her women one after another: but <HI>Meliantes</HI> having bu&s;ine&s;s of concernment to impart unto her, be|&s;eeched her to let him have an hours Audience, and that pre&s;ently: For Madam (&s;aid he unto her, and &s;ighed) I a&s;&s;ure you it imports all the happine&s;&s;e of your life that you do heare me, and that immediately. <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> knowing that <HI>Melian|tes</HI> had &s;ome cro&s;&s;e adventure or other to tell her, &s;he changed colour, and de&s;i|red him to acquaint her what misfortune had of late happened? So then ha&s;ting to tell her all that <HI>Gabrias</HI> had told him, lea&s;t any &s;hould come in to interrupt them, he acquainted her in few words with all the Conference he had with her Father, and with &s;o many &s;ignes of &s;orrow in his Countenance, as it was plainly to be &s;een that the intere&s;t of <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> did neerly concern him. How <HI>Meliantes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) is my Father &s;o inhumane as to make me a &s;acrifice unto his Revenge? Can he finde a heart to make mee the mo&s;t mi&s;erable woman upon Earth, onely to &s;atisfie his ambition? Would he marry me unto a man who can betray the be&s;t of women? Can <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> quit <HI>Cleonide</HI> whom he loves to obey <HI>Protogenes?</HI> and mu&s;t I marry <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> who loves me not, to obey a Father? and yet Religion bids me not di&s;obey him, although all my Prayers and my teares cannot move him.</P>
<P>How's this Madam (replyed <HI>Meliantes</HI> ha&s;tily) can you ever finde a heart to marry <HI>A&s;tidamus?</HI> Que&s;tionle&s;&s;e I &s;hall &s;ooner find a heart to dye (replyed &s;he) and yet I think I shall re&s;olve upon it, rather than incurre the shame of di&s;obey|ing &s;uch a Father as <HI>Gabrias:</HI> and yet all remedies mu&s;t fir&s;t be tryed: and I can|not tell whether it would be expedient to acquaint <HI>Cleonide</HI> with the infidelity of her Lover, to the end, that &s;he u&s;ing her endeavours to prevent being betrayed, &s;he may prevent my being mi&s;erable al&s;o. Alas Madam, (replyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> that is already done, and to no purpo&s;e, why (replyed <HI>Arpa&s;ia,)</HI> hath <HI>Alcianipe</HI> &s;poke unto <HI>Cleonide,</HI> no Madam, (an&s;wered he) but I have &s;poke unto her my &s;elf, and &s;ince it concernes you as well as my &s;elf, that you know who I am, be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that I am <HI>Cleonides</HI> brother. Are you <HI>Cleonides</HI> brother? (replyed <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> with much a&s;toni&s;hment) are you he, of whom the friend of <HI>A|&s;tidamus</HI> gave &s;o noble a character? Yes Madam, (replyed he) I am the unfor|tunate <HI>Clidaris.</HI> under the name of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> whom <HI>Cleonide</HI> never &s;aw &s;ince &s;he was two years old.</P>
<P>I am very glad (replyed &s;he) that I was not mi&s;taken, when I thought your quality &s;utable to your merit? al&s;o it joyes me that being <HI>Cleonides</HI> brother, it concerns you almo&s;t as much as me, that I do not marry <HI>A&s;tidamus:</HI> When you &s;hall know me, well Madam, replyed he, perhaps you &s;hall &s;ee, that it concerns me more than you; and that though <HI>Cleonide</HI> were not my &s;i&s;ter, yet my concern|ment would be the &s;ame, For truly Madam, not to di&s;gui&s;e my &s;elf and my &s;oul any longer, I mu&s;t tell you that I became your captive in &s;peaking of the conque&s;ts of <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> the very fir&s;t day, that I had the honour to &s;ee you.</P>
<P>Yes Madam, the very fir&s;t minute of your &s;ight, was the fir&s;t minute of my pa&s;&s;i|on; and I have ever &s;ince loved you in &s;uch a re&s;pective manner, that you need not be offended if I a&s;&s;ume &s;o much boldne&s;s to tell you of it, in &s;uch a time when I would not have you attribute all I &s;hall do again&s;t <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> unto the Intere&s;t of my &s;i&s;ter.</P>
<P>I am in &s;uch a mi&s;erable condition already (replyed <HI>Arpa&s;ia)</HI> that you &s;hould
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not &s;peak thus unto me, and deprive me of the con&s;olation which I had in opening my heart unto you Why Madam (&s;aid he) will you &s;hut up your heart from me, becau&s;e I give you my own? and will you not be &s;till my friend, becau&s;e I love you Truly Madam, if &s;o, I mu&s;t needs &s;ay, you are both unju&s;t and Rigorous: For Madam, my affection unto you is not incompatible with your virtue; &s;ince I ask nothing of you at pre&s;ent, but only that you will give me leave to love you, and that I may oppo&s;e my &s;elf again&s;t the de&s;igns of <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> I have &s;uch a pretence as that you need not be &s;een to have any &s;hare in it; and if I be not the mo&s;t mi|&s;taken man in the world, I will prevent your marrying him, without putting you to the nece&s;&s;ity of di&s;obeying <HI>Gabrias,</HI> though all this be very advantageous to me, (replyed &s;he) yet though you have offended me, I would not have you take any cour&s;e that may prove fatall unto either of you, and I had rather be the wife of <HI>A|&s;tidamus,</HI> than be the cau&s;e of any ones death, I would not hazard the life of <HI>A&s;ti|damus,</HI> much more yours.</P>
<P>Moreover, (added &s;he) to te&s;tifie unto you, that my e&s;teem and amity is very great, &s;ince it can &s;ub&s;i&s;t after a declaration of love, <HI>I</HI> will pardon your boldne&s;s upon condition that hereafter you will not &s;peak unto me, but under the notion of a friend, and as <HI>Meliantes.</HI></P>
<P>Yet Madam, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you (replyed he) Let <HI>Clidaris</HI> hope that he &s;hall have a favourable acception from you, when&s;oever things are in &s;uch a condition, that he may let <HI>Gabrias</HI> know what thoughts he hath of you. <HI>I</HI> will permit him to hope, (replyed &s;he) that if he can oblige my father to be as favourable to him, as he is unto <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> that then, <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, <HI>I</HI> will not be &s;o aver&s;e to him, as <HI>I</HI> am unto that perfidious Lover: And more than this <HI>Meliantes</HI> do not move me unto, un|le&s;&s;e you de&s;ire <HI>I</HI> &s;hould break quite off with you; though all this be almo&s;t no|thing (replyed he) yet <HI>I</HI> &s;hall be &s;atisfied with your goodne&s;s, provided you will give me leave to tell you that <HI>I</HI> do love you with a more fervency than ever any did; that never Lover &s;uffered more than ever <HI>I</HI> have, nor was ever any love more vio|lent, and more &s;olid both, than mine to you.</P>
<P>For beleive it Madam, <HI>I</HI> love you with a certainty never to leave off loving you, and <HI>I</HI> love you without the contribution of any hopes, and without any compla|cency from you to increa&s;e it, &s;ince you did not &s;o much as &s;u&s;pect that <HI>I</HI> was in Love with you.</P>
<P>And the love that flames in my &s;oul having its fewell rather from the &s;tars, than from rea&s;on, &s;o that nothing can quench it, but mu&s;t not be extingui&s;hed, except in my grave, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you therefore admit of it; and let all <HI>I</HI> &s;hall do again&s;t <HI>A&s;ti|damus,</HI> have a favourable reception from you. As <HI>Meliantes</HI> was &s;aying this, <HI>Asti|damus</HI> with three others entred into <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> chamber, &s;o as &s;ilence being forced up|on both, the talk mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity change; and <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> being that day in a plea&s;ant humour, and moreover, having a de&s;ign to marry <HI>Arpasia,</HI> he re&s;olved to change his way of behaviour towards her, and to win upon her mind, he applyed him unto her, and every one with all imaginable agreeablene&s;&s;e; but as <HI>I</HI> remember, <HI>I</HI> told you before how he pa&s;&s;ed from one &s;ubject unto another, without arguing any thing to the bottom, &s;o <HI>I</HI> may now very well &s;ay, that within the compa&s;&s;e of one houre he talked of a hundred &s;everall &s;ubjects: For he had up, not only all the news at <HI>Babylon,</HI> but al&s;o all the pa&s;&s;ages at <HI>Alfenes,</HI> he talked of every thing hee did that day he related what was &s;poken, in all the places where he had been&punc; and he asked <HI>Arpasia</HI> what &s;he had been doing, then did he chide <HI>Meliantes</HI> for his &s;i|lence: afterwards he talked of mu&s;ick and of painting, and brought in &s;o many &s;e|verall things, that one of the company taking notice of this great variety, did hint it into others by way of commending <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> for (&s;aid he) there is nothing in the world more tedious, then begin in company with &s;uch people as dwell upon the fir&s;t &s;ubject they begin to &s;peak upon, and do &s;o rip up the very botome of a bu&s;i|ne&s;s, that for a whole afternoon together, they will never change di&s;cour&s;e, for &s;ince talk &s;hould be free and natural; and every one in the company to have an e|qual Liberty of changing as they think good, it is a gro&s;&s;e absurdity to &s;top the mouthes of any one, or to interrupt them.</P>
<P>For my part, &s;aid <HI>Meliantes</HI> very faintly) <HI>I</HI> do not under&s;tand your rule to be generall, for <HI>I</HI> do know &s;ome per&s;ons who can make much better diver&s;ion in
<PB N="53" REF="917">
talking upon one &s;ubject, than in relating all the novelties of the World. If you &s;peak of Love unto any per&s;on (replyed <HI>A&s;tidamus)</HI> I think you have good rea|&s;on not to change di&s;cour&s;e; and yet unle&s;&s;e you paint your pa&s;&s;ion with variety of col<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ours, you will but tyre the per&s;on and your &s;elf too: Tho&s;e who know how to love (replyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> are not &s;o &s;oon weary, as others who know not; And Love hath this peculiarity unto it &s;elf, as it doth &s;o &s;weetly take up the minds of tho&s;e it doth po &s;&s;e&s;s, that &s;ilence often is a diver&s;ion; and two per&s;ons in Love, provided they may be together, will &s;it, and gaze, and never be weary, though they &s;peak not a word unto each other.</P>
<P>However it be, (&s;aid <HI>A&s;tidamus)</HI> I love variety in all things, variety of flowers in a meadow does very well (&s;aid <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> in a langui&s;hing tone) but I do not love it in other things; and whether it be out of &s;lowne&s;s or barrenne&s;s of wit, I know not, I u&s;e to talk long upon a &s;ubject which plea&s;eth me.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Meliantes</HI> driving the bu&s;ine&s;s a little further, he moved <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> to an&s;wer him &s;omewhat tartly, &s;o as if <HI>Arpasia</HI> had not carried her &s;elf very di&s;|creetly, they had quarrelled in her pre&s;ence, and yet they parted very civilly, and every one went home with different thoughts. <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> for her part was much di&s;|quieted, for &s;ince &s;he had concluded nothing with <HI>Meliantes,</HI> &s;he was afraid lea&s;t he &s;hould take &s;ome violent cour&s;e; and the more, becau&s;e &s;he knew he had no o|ther way to break off her marriage; and becau&s;e &s;he &s;aw mo&s;t perfectly that he was in love with her, &s;o that calling me into her clo&s;et, &s;he acquainted me with the cau&s;e of all her &s;orrowes, &s;he told me what <HI>Gabrias</HI> &s;aid unto <HI>Meliantes;</HI> and all that <HI>Meliantes</HI> had &s;aid unto her, both of his birth and pa&s;&s;ion, and afterwards &s;he did aggravate her misfortunes with &s;o many &s;ighs, tears, and &s;ignificative expre&s;|&s;ions, that &s;he in&s;pired me with all her &s;orrowes, yet Madam, (&s;aid I unto her to comfort her) you have this advantage, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> is both <HI>Cleonides</HI> brother, and your Lover: Doubtle&s;s it is (replyed &s;he) to prevent <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> from mar|rying me; but <HI>Ni&s;ide,</HI> it is an advantage which much di&s;quiets me, for I e&s;teem <HI>Meliantes</HI> more than to wi&s;h h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s ruin in my &s;afety, and I e&s;teem him more than to de&s;ire that his e&s;teem &s;hould be &s;econded by a greater obligation. Since <HI>Meliantes</HI> is of &s;o good a quality, (replyed I) you need not fear being obliged unto him: and if by breaking off your marriage with <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> he &s;hould come to marry you <HI>I</HI> &s;ee no rea&s;on you have to complain again&s;t your fortune. Not &s;o ha&s;ty, good <HI>Ni|&s;ide,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) let us entertain no &s;uch ill grounded hopes, <HI>Meliantes</HI> doubtle&s;s hath as many charmes both of &s;oul and body, as any man in the world; yet for all that, though I conceive well enough of him as a friend, yet I know him not well enough to wi&s;h he were my husband; though I know very well he loves me, and though I have a very particular e&s;teem of him, and &s;ince I know my &s;elf to be mo&s;t unfortunate, I dare not wi&s;h it, lea&s;t <HI>I</HI> &s;hould wi&s;h &s;omething to my own di&s;-advantage.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was thus rea&s;oning upon the matter, the &s;oul of <HI>Meliantes</HI> was re&s;tle&s;ly un&s;atisfied, for knowing that <HI>Astidamus</HI> was re&s;olved to marry <HI>Arpasia,</HI> that <HI>Gabrias</HI> would force his daughter to obey him, and that &s;he, ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">gre her re|pugnancy, had a di&s;po&s;ition unto it, he &s;aw that there was no remedyes again&s;t his mi&s;eries, but &s;uch as were mo&s;t violent.</P>
<P>Moreover, knowing of a certainty that <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> would come, he fore&s;aw, mi|&s;ery upon mi&s;ery, and knew nor how to untwi&s;t this ravelled clew of fortune: So that after he had pa&s;&s;ed over a whole night without &s;leep, and without imparting his inquietudes unto <HI>Phormion</HI> becau&s;e he thought him too wi&s;e to give &s;uch violent coun&s;ell, as that which he gave him&s;elf, he got up in all ha&s;te, and without any with him but a page, he went to the place where he knew <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> u&s;ed to walk in the mornings, who lodging on that &s;ide of the town towards the Lake, he went every morning to take the fre&s;h air, at &s;uch an houre, when men of his age have lea&s;t to do, becau&s;e it was no time for vi&s;its, nor a time when the Ladyes go into the Tem|ple.</P>
<P>But <HI>Meliantes</HI> being there very early, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was not yet come; &s;o as he had time enough to examine what he had to do; but the more he examined the pre&s;ent condition of his &s;oul, the le&s;&s;e alteration he found in his re&s;olution. Think well with thy &s;elf <HI>Meliantes,</HI> (&s;aid he to him&s;elf, as he told me &s;ince) con&s;ider
<PB N="54" REF="918">
what thou art about; <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> is brother unto <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> unto whom thou art obliged; whom thou doe&s;t e&s;teem, for whom thou had&s;t a kind of amity which thou did&s;t think to be love, and &s;o did that lovely but unfortunate Lady, think al&s;o: con|tent thy &s;elf therefore with being perfidious, and do not quarrell with one who is &s;o dear unto her. But alas, (&s;aid he, and reprehended him&s;elf) how can <HI>I</HI> con&s;i|der <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> only as <HI>Argeli&s;es</HI> brother, &s;ince he is to marry <HI>Arpasia,</HI> and betray <HI>Cleonide?</HI> yet as for this la&s;t crime, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould be &s;o ju&s;t as to pardon him, &s;ince I am guilty of the &s;ame my &s;elf; but for the other, I am not able to endure it: No no, I am not able to endure that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> &s;hould ever marry <HI>Arpasia;</HI> and &s;ince I cannot prevent it, unle&s;s I take &s;ome violent cour&s;e, I mu&s;t re&s;olve upon it, and put it in execution with all boldne&s;s and con&s;tancy.</P>
<P>As he was in this mind, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> appeared, having none with him, but one page al&s;o, &s;o that going towards him, he &s;aluted him, to the end their Pages &s;hould take no notice: After which <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> began to &s;peak; how comes it to pa&s;&s;e <HI>Meliantes,</HI> (&s;aid he unto him) that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould meet you in a walk which I thought had been frequented by none but my &s;elf? You meet me here, (replyed hee) be|cau&s;e <HI>I</HI> came to &s;eek you, and tel you, that <HI>I</HI> have a bu&s;ine&s;s of importance to impart, which <HI>I</HI> beleive will be agreeable to your Minde; For con&s;idering the thoughts which I know you have of <HI>Cleonide,</HI> I make no doubt but you will be glad to know that I am her brother, and that you will make u&s;e of tho&s;e expedients which <HI>I</HI> &s;hall advi&s;e you unto, by not marrying <HI>Arpasia</HI> whom you love not, and by marrying <HI>Cleonide,</HI> whom <HI>I</HI> know you do love.</P>
<P>How (replyed <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> much a&s;tonied) are you <HI>Clidaris</HI> who pa&s;&s;ed by <HI>Sa|mo&s;ates?</HI> Yes, (replyed he) <HI>I</HI> am the &s;ame <HI>Clidaris</HI> of whom you received an advan|tageous Character, and who comes to &s;ummon you unto a performance of your promi&s;e unto my &s;i&s;ter, Not that &s;he is my intelligencer, but &s;ince the generall vogue of the Town is, that you are going to marry <HI>Arpasia,</HI> I &s;hould be very glad (for my own honours &s;ake, which links me with hers iu this bu&s;ine&s;s) to under&s;tand from your own mouth, the truth of your intentions.</P>
<P>But to the end you may not beleive <HI>I</HI> a&s;&s;ume a name which belongs not unto me (&s;aid he, and &s;hewed him the two Letters which he had written unto <HI>Cleonide)</HI> &s;o here your own hand, which <HI>I</HI> could not have but from the hand of my &s;i&s;ter, and an&s;wer me punctually unto what I &s;hall ask you When I writ the&s;e two Letters un|to <HI>Cleonide</HI> (replyed <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> &s;harply) I did intend to do what I writ, but now I &s;ee &s;he doubts my promi&s;es that &s;he &s;ends to me for a more cleer manife&s;tation, and that &s;he hath concealed from me your being her brother, her infidel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ty <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> all di&s;|pence with mine, nor ever was my engagement &s;o great with <HI>Cleonide,</HI> that her re|putation &s;hould be at &s;take, I loved her, and &s;he allowed me, but never was any noi&s;e made of it in the world, and though it &s;hould be known I was in Love with her; and was not hated, yet would &s;he not be di&s;honored by it, whether any know it or no, replyed <HI>Meliantes</HI> it is no matter, its enough I know it, to make me move you unto a performance of your promi&s;e which you made unto her.</P>
<P>I had performed it, (replyed <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> craftily) had &s;he tru&s;ted unto my word, but now I do not think it fit to incen&s;e <HI>Protogenes,</HI> lo&s;e all my fortunes, and put an affront upon <HI>Gabrias</HI> and <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> to &s;atisfie a per&s;on, who hath put an affront up|on me,</P>
<P>Will you not then marry <HI>Cleonide,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes</HI> coldly) and do you intend to marry <HI>Arpasia?</HI> &s;ince rea&s;on requires I &s;hould, I will (replyed <HI>A&s;tidamus)</HI> and <HI>I</HI> know not who or what can hinder me. Should <HI>I</HI> follow my own inclination (reply|ed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> my &s;word &s;hould force you to that, which the con&s;ideration of Ju&s;tice will not. But a prevalent rea&s;on, be&s;t known to my &s;elf forbidding me to u&s;e that extream untill <HI>I</HI> be forced, <HI>I</HI> will acquaint you further. that <HI>I</HI> am no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> only <HI>Cleonides</HI> brother, but al&s;o the Lover of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> &s;o as though <HI>I</HI> could con&s;ent you &s;hould &s;light my &s;i&s;ter, yet <HI>I</HI> cannot let you marry my mi&s;tre&s;s: And therefore having a double intere&s;t in the affair, <HI>I</HI> advi&s;e you to examine the matter, and re&s;olve co|ragiou&s;ly to do what becomes you, &s;ince as <HI>I</HI> th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nk there is no great difficulty in it, for &s;ince you do not love <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> but do love <HI>Cleonide</HI> you may mo&s;t ea&s;ily &s;atisfie both me, and your &s;elf.</P>
<P>Since <HI>I</HI> value my honour above all things (replyed <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> &s;harply) I need
<PB N="55" REF="918">
not &s;pend more time in deliberation; and therefore let the difference be termina|ted by Combate, to let you &s;ee that it is not your &s;word can force me to keep pro|mi&s;es, to that end let us &s;end our &s;ervants further off: So the&s;e two Enemies be|gan to fight with as much Courage as animo&s;ity: But &s;triving to vanqui&s;h, and when they were ready to kill each other, a Coach full of Ladies, and many men on hor&s;e-back appeared very neer them: and they came &s;o happily, that neither of them were wounded when they were forced to end their Combate.</P>
<P>But the wonder was, who &s;hould be in the Coach but the Mother of <HI>Astida|mus,</HI> and <HI>Argely&s;e?</HI> So that the fir&s;t object of this faire one was to &s;ee her Brother with a &s;word in his hand fighing again&s;t her pretended Lover, of who&s;e infidelity &s;he was ignorant. As &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw them, &s;he cryed out in te&s;timony of her wonder and &s;orrows; &s;o as being parted, they knew her voyce, and turned their heads to the place from whence the voyce came. <HI>Meliantes</HI> looking upon her, and &s;he upon him, he was &s;o a&s;hamed to think &s;he &s;hould know of his new pa&s;&s;i|on, that he had much ado to endure her looks. Yet he &s;aluted both her Mother and her very civilly: and asking pardon for his being found in that Condition with her Brother, he told her in two words, that it was an effect of his misfortune and mi&s;ery which de&s;erved pitty.</P>
<P>In the mean while, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> and <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;eeing much company come in, and their Pages appearing, they &s;aw that they could not prevent their being car|ryed to the Town, from which they were not di&s;tant above two hundred paces: and in which they no &s;ooner were, but <HI>Protogenes</HI> &s;et Guards upon them, untill he knew the cau&s;e of their Quarrell, and had &s;een <HI>Gabrias:</HI> For &s;ince <HI>Meliantes</HI> came with him, he thought it not expedient to do any thing in the bu&s;ine&s;s with|out him. You may imagine Madam, what a noi&s;e this Combate made in <HI>Alfenes,</HI> and in what a Condition all tho&s;e per&s;ons were who had any intere&s;t in the bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>When <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> heard the newes, and thought upon the danger unto which <HI>Me|liantes</HI> had expo&s;ed him&s;elfe, and what a noy&s;e this quarrell would make, &s;hee was extreamly troubled, she was afraid, le&s;t they &s;hould think that &s;he had con|tributed any thing to the Combate, al&s;o feared that this quarrell in lieu of brea|king the Marriage, would ha&s;ten it. In the mean time, &s;hee knew not how to be &s;atisfied of the truth, but was forced unto patience, till time did &s;atisfie her curio&s;i|ty. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Cleonide</HI> was as angry both again&s;t her Brother, and again&s;t her Lover: She thought the fir&s;t of the&s;e did not care for her, &s;ince he would kill a man, whom he knew &s;he affected with much tenderne&s;&s;e: Al&s;o &s;hee thought that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> did not love her, but was a mo&s;t perfidious man, &s;ince he would kill her brother. So that being angry &s;ometimes again&s;t one, and &s;ometimes a|gain&s;t another, &s;he was in a mo&s;t impatient de&s;ire to know more circum&s;tances of the Combate. <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> for his part, he was not a little perplexed, for he &s;tood in extream feare of <HI>Protogenes,</HI> becau&s;e his fortunes depended upon him, and therefore was extreamly afraid le&s;t he should be offended at his engagement with <HI>Cleonide;</HI> the love he bore unto her never troubled him, nor made him a&s;hamed; and that e&s;teem which he had of <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> made him loath she should know of his incon&s;tancy and double dealing.</P>
<P><HI>Meliantes</HI> for his particular was in a mo&s;t re&s;tle&s;&s;e condition, out of feare le&s;t <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &s;hould be offended at what he had done, and that he had told <HI>A&s;tida|mus</HI> how he was in Love with her: The pre&s;ence of <HI>Argely&s;e</HI> was no &s;mall griefe and &s;hame unto him, though he had &s;ome &s;mall Con&s;olation out of a far-fetcht hope that he &s;hould break off the Marriage of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> with <HI>Arpa&s;ia.</HI></P>
<P>But as for <HI>Argely&s;e,</HI> &s;he knew not what to thinke of the Combate between her Brother &amp; <HI>Meliantes,</HI> &amp; &s;he was very diligent to find out the truth of the bu&s;ines: And though <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was under guard, yet &s;he could &s;peak with him, becau&s;e &s;he was not a per&s;on &s;u&s;pected. <HI>Argely&s;e</HI> then taking her Brother a&s;ide, whil&s;t her Mother was with <HI>Protogenes,</HI> negotiating for a reconcilement of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, &s;he pre&s;&s;ed him to tell her the cau&s;e of his quarrell with <HI>Meliantes:</HI> And <HI>A&s;tida|mus</HI> being willing to &s;atisfie her, he began to relate his love unto <HI>Cleonide,</HI> his voy|age unto <HI>Gabrias,</HI> his affection unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> his renewing with <HI>Cleonide</HI> after his return, his fears of di&s;plea&s;ing <HI>Protogenes</HI> if he &s;hould confe&s;&s;e his pa&s;&s;ion, and his ambitious de&s;ign of for&s;aking <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and marrying <HI>Arpa&s;ia.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="56" REF="919">
Is it as the brother of <HI>Cleonide</HI> (&s;aid the impatient <HI>Argely&s;e</HI> and interrupted him) that <HI>Meliantes</HI> fought with you: Doubtle&s;s it is (replyed he) and more, for he fought with me as the Lover of <HI>Arpa&s;ia.</HI> As the Lover of <HI>Arpa&s;ia?</HI> (&s;ayd <HI>Argely&s;e</HI> and blu&s;hed) it is impo&s;&s;ible. Since I had it from his own mouth (reply|ed <HI>A&s;tidamus)</HI> I need not doubt it. Is it po&s;&s;ible brother (replyed <HI>Argely&s;e)</HI> that <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;hould love <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and fight with you rather as her Lover, than as <HI>Cle|onides</HI> Brother? I am &s;o certain of it (replyed he) that you need not que&s;tion it a|ny further: But Si&s;ter (&s;aid <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and looked earne&s;tly upon her) why doe you think it &s;o &s;trange that <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;hould be in Love with <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> who is one of the greate&s;t Beauties in the world? Did he per&s;wade you whil&s;t he was at <HI>Sa|mo&s;ates</HI> that he loved you? and have I the &s;ame intere&s;t of honour to be revenged upon him, as he pretends to have of me? I be&s;eech you tell mee whether I conje|cture right, as the alteration of your Countenance doth per&s;wade me that I do. Speak, dear Si&s;ter (&s;ayd hee) I conjure you to tell mee truely.</P>
<P>Alas dear brother, what would you have me tell you? &s;aid &s;he, I would have you tell me the truth (replyed he) but then I mu&s;t hold my hand before my eyes when I tell it (replyed she) I meane when I tell you, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> is perfidious, who per&s;waded me that he loved me, and told me that his chiefe de&s;igne in coming to <HI>Alfenes</HI> was to get your Love, but I perceive he hath changed his mind: yet I do not &s;ee what advantage I &s;hall get by acquainting you with his infidelity, and my weakne&s;&s;e: For truly brother, as long as you are re&s;olved to for&s;ake <HI>Cleonids</HI> for <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> you cannot upbraid him that he &s;hould for&s;ake me. 'Tis very true, re|plyed <HI>A&s;tidamus;</HI> but he hath not &s;o much right to pretend unto the Love of <HI>Ar|pa&s;ia,</HI> as I have: And though <HI>I</HI> receive no other advantage from his flighting you, but that it will hinder him from being the Lover of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> yet that is very great, and you have rea&s;on to think your &s;elfe happy in coming &s;o opportunely to be re|venged on him: Alas brother, &s;aid &s;hee, you will be more revenged upon me than him, if you publi&s;h the innnocent affection which <HI>I</HI> have unto that unfaithfull man. However, replyed <HI>A&s;tidamus, I</HI> mu&s;t make him appeare as culpable as <HI>I</HI> am to <HI>Cleonide;</HI> and to that end <HI>I</HI> conjure you to acquaint me with all the te&s;timonies of his affection which ever he gave unto you. Alas (&s;aid &s;he and &s;ighed againe) &s;ince I am not in a Condition to receive any, <HI>I</HI> will not remember them any more.</P>
<P>As they were thus in di&s;cour&s;e, they were interrupted by &s;everall per&s;ons of quality who came in a Complement unto <HI>Astidamus</HI> after his Combate: So as <HI>Ar|gely&s;e</HI> being forced to retire and hide her &s;orrows, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> remained alone with them who came to vi&s;it him. But as &s;oon as ever they were gone, he employ'd all his endeavours to get one of the Guards to carry a Letter unto <HI>Meliantes,</HI> by which he intimated unto him, that &s;ince he had begun a quarrell with him as he was the brother of <HI>Cleonide,</HI> and the Lover of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> he thought good to tell him from the brother of <HI>Argely&s;e,</HI> and from him that was to marry <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> that he &s;hould endeavour to e&s;cape from his Guards the night following, as he hoped to do from his, to the end they might fini&s;h their Combate in a Place which he appointed, un|le&s;&s;e he would yeeld <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> to him, and marry <HI>Argely&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>But Madam, this Letter was not delivered unto <HI>Meliantes;</HI> for &s;ince <HI>Protogenes</HI> cau&s;ed him to be guarded more clo&s;ely than <HI>A&s;tidamus;</HI> the man who was to deli|ver this Letter unto <HI>Meliantes</HI> was &s;topped and &s;earched by the Guards: and this Letter being found about him, he was carried unto <HI>Protogenes,</HI> when <HI>Gabrias</HI> and the Mother of <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> and he were together. You may judg Madam, what di&s;order this Letter cau&s;ed, for by it <HI>Protogenes</HI> knew that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was unfaith|full unto the Si&s;ter of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> and that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was unfaithfull unto the &s;i|&s;ter of <HI>A&s;tidamus. Gabrias</HI> for his part, he &s;aw more plainly than before, that his Daughter had good rea&s;on for her aver&s;ion again&s;t a man who did not love her: And the Mother of <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> under&s;tood that the heart of her Daughter was more engaged than she imagined.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;uch an adventure as this was not to be kept &s;ecret, for the letter was read aloud by tho&s;e who took the man which should have given it unto <HI>Meliantes:</HI> Two dayes were &s;pent in the examination of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, before any thing could be re&s;olved upon: Such an univer&s;all report was &s;pread over all <HI>Alfe|nes,</HI> that nothing el&s;e was talked of. You may imagine, that <HI>Alcianipe</HI> was as bu|&s;ie
<PB N="57" REF="919">
as the bu&s;ie&s;t, in giving advice; and tumbling truths and lyes together, &s;he com|po&s;ed a mo&s;t &s;trange hi&s;tory of all tho&s;e per&s;ons. But Madam, it is fit I &s;hould tell you how &s;adly the fair <HI>Arpasia</HI> re&s;ented it, when &s;he heard that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was accu&s;ed of Infidelity to <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> though he was unfaithfull, only becau&s;e he lov|ed her.</P>
<P>However, &s;he alwaies affirmed to me, that her &s;orro w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s proceeded only from re|&s;entments of e&s;teem and freind&s;hip.</P>
<P>But Madam, (&s;aid I unto her) Since the infidelity of <HI>Meliantes</HI> is advantage|ous to you, me thinks he de&s;erves to be excu&s;ed, and that you &s;hould not be greived, e&s;pecially &s;ince you are in good hopes not to marry <HI>A&s;tidamus;</HI> and &s;ince it may &s;o come to pa&s;&s;e, that you may marry <HI>Meliantes,</HI> who is one of the be&s;t ac|compli&s;hed men in the world. <HI>Meliantes</HI> replyed &s;he, mo&s;t certainly is a very ex|cellent man, but &s;ince he can be unfaithfull, he can never be my Lover with any hopes of being loved, my friend indeed he may be, and under that notion, I can both pitty and excu&s;e him, but he mu&s;t never pretend any further.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Meliantes</HI> knowing that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> did know of all his adventure with <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> and that <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> knew of his love to <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> he intreated two different things from <HI>Phormion,</HI> for he de&s;ired him to go and make excu&s;es for him to her, unto whom he had been unfaithfull, and al&s;o unto her, who made him commit the infidelity.</P>
<P>Since tho&s;e who guarded him, had orders to let <HI>Phormion</HI> come to him, becau&s;e it was known he carried him&s;elf very moderatly, he had the liberty to vent all the variety of his thoughts unto him. I be&s;eech you dear friend (&s;aid he unto him) u&s;e all your Rethorick to &s;weeten the &s;harpne&s;s of <HI>Argeli&s;es</HI> mind, provided you mention nothing which may offend my love unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia;</HI> but when you talk with that divine per&s;on, who raigns Soveraign in my &s;oul, imply all the faculties of your ingenuity &s;o, that &s;he may not deprive me of her e&s;teem. Were <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> a common per&s;on, I &s;hould hope &s;he would thank me for my infidelity, but knowing her as I do, I fear &s;he will &s;u&s;pect my pa&s;&s;ion; tell her then I be&s;eech you, who knowes my heart, that I am le&s;s unfaithfull than &s;he imagines, &s;ince I was never in love with <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> &s;o far as &s;he beleived: Yet do not in&s;ult upon that unhappy per&s;on, but prote&s;t unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> that though <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> was fir&s;t my affectionate freind, yet &s;he was not my fir&s;t Love, tell her my heart deceived me, when I thought I was in love with <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> and that the young experience which I had in that pa&s;&s;ion, made me tell harmle&s;s lyes, when I a&s;&s;ured <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> that I loved her, &s;ince it is a mo&s;t certain trueth, that the power of <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> charmes hath prefectly taught me that I was ne|ver really in love with any, untill I fir&s;t &s;aw her, and &s;ince it is &s;o, <HI>I</HI> ought not to be looked upon as an unfaithfull man, who&s;e love mu&s;t be &s;u&s;pected.</P>
<P><HI>Phormion</HI> would have endeavoured to avert him from the Love of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> but he was not able.</P>
<P>In the mean time, this wi&s;e and faithfull friend, who in that little time he had been in <HI>Alfenes,</HI> had gotten a Language which was not naturall unto him, did very ex|actly execute that imployment which <HI>Meliantes</HI> did put upon him, but he found <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> &s;o chollerick, that do what he could, he was not able to qualifie her incen|&s;ed &s;pirit. As for <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> he found her very &s;weet and civill, and &s;he told him, that &s;he thought her &s;elf much obliged unto <HI>Meliantes,</HI> for hazarding his life in her be|half, though &s;he could have wi&s;hed he had not applied &s;uch violent remedies, but &s;he de&s;ired him to tell <HI>Meliantes</HI> from her, that &s;he wi&s;hed, he would not any long|er continue ob&s;tinate in loving her, &s;ince he did but loo&s;e his Labour. Then <HI>Phor|mion</HI> for all that, did per&s;wade her withall the rea&s;ons which his friend had fur|ni&s;hed him withall, but &s;he told him again &s;o re&s;olutely, that &s;he would never en|tertain a Lover whom &s;he could &s;u&s;pect of incon&s;tancy, that he plainly &s;aw, <HI>Meli|antes</HI> had no hopes.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide <HI>Cleonide</HI> &s;eeing infallibly, that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> for&s;ook her out of &s;elf intere&s;t, &s;he was &s;o incen&s;ed again&s;t him, as &s;he declared that though he &s;hould return again unto her, yet he &s;hould return in vain. for &s;he would never marry a man, who had more ambition in his heart than love.</P>
<P>This example of <HI>Cleonides</HI> genero&s;ity, wrought &s;o upon the heart of <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> that &s;he being out of hopes <HI>Meliantes</HI> would ever become her &s;lave again, &s;he &s;aid
<PB N="58" REF="920">
as much as <HI>Cleonide</HI> did, &s;o as the re&s;entments of the&s;e three per&s;ons, being quickly known unto <HI>Protogenes,</HI> and <HI>Gabrias,</HI> they did not think the bu&s;ine&s;s &s;o difficult to be compo&s;ed; yet were they very &s;orry to &s;ee, that the marriage of <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> and <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> could no be con&s;ummated; but &s;ince they &s;till united their intere&s;ts a|gain&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> they made the be&s;t of this adventure they could: So that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 words"> <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> were almo&s;t equally culpable to each other, and their &s;i&s;ters, and that <HI>Cleonide</HI> and <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> would not pretend unto their Lovers, nor <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> unto <HI>Meliantes;</HI> they conceived that there was nothing el&s;e to be done, but to prevent a &s;econd combate: And imploying the per&s;wa&s;ions of all their friends, the&s;e two enemies did &s;eem to yeild unto the de&s;ires of their freinds purpo&s;e|ly to be rid of their guards; and they con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ented to imbtace each other, promi&s;ing to quarrell no more: But for all that, hating one another with an inveterate ma|lice, as they imbraced each other, there pa&s;&s;ed a reciprocall challenge between them, and they carried it &s;o cunningly, that none perceived it.</P>
<P>They both went out of <HI>Alfenes</HI> the night following, and fought the next morn|ing by break of day, where none was pre&s;ent to part them, <HI>Meliantes</HI> wounded <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> very dangerou&s;ly, and di&s;armed him, &s;o that &s;eeing he could not enter into <HI>Alfenes,</HI> after this combat, con&s;idering the condition of his enemy, he reti|red, after he had put him into the hands of his page, who waited upon him, and that he &s;ent his own page unto <HI>Phormion,</HI> to acquaint him with the place where he would &s;tay for him, giving him a Letter al&s;o for <HI>Arpasia.</HI></P>
<P>Thus Madam, immediatly after this fair one under&s;tood, that <HI>Astidamus</HI> was brought in much wounded, this page found an opportunity to give her his Ma&s;ters Letter, wherein was writ the&s;e words, if my memory fail me not.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>To the Fair <HI>ARPASIA.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Have oft heard &s;ay, that one may treat a per&s;idious Lover ill; but I cannot think it ju&s;t, to u&s;e a faithfull Lover &s;o, I conceive Madam, that <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> cannot hate me without &s;hee be unju&s;t; and I conceive you cannot hate me unle&s;s you be cruell. However, though perhaps you beleive not this, yet I cannot choo&s;e but conjure you to remember, that had it not been for my love to you, you had been the wife of <HI>A&s;ti|damus,</HI> and beleeve, that in what part of the world &s;oever I am, I &s;hall be eternally your Lover, and &s;hall be more faithful under the name of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> than ever I was under that of <HI>Clidaris.</HI></P>
</LETTER>
<P>I being with <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> when &s;he read this Letter, I ob&s;erved &s;he could not read it without &s;ome di&s;order, yet &s;hee would not an&s;wer it, only intreated <HI>Phormion</HI> when he came to bid her adue, to tell his friend, that &s;he was &s;o ju&s;t as never to for|get her Obligations to him, conjuring him to think of her as a per&s;on, who could not be any more than his friend.</P>
<P>But Madam, after <HI>Phormion</HI> had met with <HI>Meliantes,</HI> &s;ince it was ea&s;y to fore|&s;ee, that <HI>Gabrias</HI> would very &s;hortly return, he would not go very far from <HI>Alfe|nes,</HI> purpo&s;ely to know the pa&s;&s;ages there, and being re&s;olved to &s;peak with <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &s;ay what <HI>Phormion</HI> could, he would meet <HI>Arpasia</HI> upon the way.</P>
<P>In the mean time, whil&s;t we were at <HI>Alfenes, Gabrias</HI> was much perplexed; for &s;ince <HI>Meliantes</HI> did fir&s;t come with him, and &s;ince it was he who pre&s;ented him un|to <HI>Protogenes,</HI> this man greiving to &s;ee his nephew in danger of death, pretended that <HI>Gabrias</HI> mu&s;t needs know where <HI>Meliantes</HI> was, and that it was fit he &s;hould inform him.</P>
<P><HI>Gabrias</HI> for his part, being per&s;waded, that this Duell was fought without any foul play, and with equall advantage, and thinking it again&s;t the Laws of honour to pur&s;ue <HI>Meliantes,</HI> he told <HI>Protogenes,</HI> that he knew not where he was: But though he did know, he would not tell him, unle&s;s his thoughts were better than he &s;aw them. So as growing in&s;en&s;ibly very bitter one again&s;t another, though their
<PB N="59" REF="920">
intere&s;ts required an union, they parted upon ill terms, and much animo&s;ity one again&s;t another.</P>
<P>But I do verily beleive, the black tongued <HI>Alcianipe</HI> did blow the bellowes of their anger very much, for &s;he divulgd a report, that <HI>Protogenes</HI> had a de&s;ign to di&s;cover the intentions, which <HI>Gabrias</HI> had of taking part with <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> and to make his own pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ce with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> intended to &s;end both him and <HI>Ar+pasia</HI> unto <HI>Babylon,</HI> and at the very &s;ame time, &s;he told others, that <HI>Gabrias</HI> thin|king to betray <HI>Protogenes,</HI> had &s;ecretly conveyed &s;ome &s;ouldiers into <HI>Alfenes,</HI> and that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> did &s;et on <HI>Meliantes</HI> to fight with <HI>Astidamus,</HI> but the wonder was, that &s;he thinking to tell a lye did tell a truth, for &s;he affirmed, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was to meet <HI>Arpa&s;ia?</HI> upon the high way, as &s;he travelled. Moreover, &s;he &s;aid, that &s;he was &s;ure there was mo&s;t intimate affection between them: Again, &s;he would not allow that this duel was fought with fair play, and vented &s;uch invectives, both a|gain&s;t <HI>Cleonide</HI> and <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> that her venemous tongue did become odious, unto all that had any intere&s;t in the&s;e two Ladies, or had any &s;parks of virtue in them; &amp; &s;he had drawn &s;uch an univer&s;al hatred upon her &s;elf, when we came from <HI>Alfenes,</HI> that all the Ladies intended to forbear any more vi&s;its unto her, as the mo&s;t dange|rous and dete&s;table per&s;on upon earth.</P>
<P>In the mean time, after our departure was re&s;olved upon, and that <HI>Gabrias</HI> and <HI>Protogenes,</HI> though they defied one another, yet carrying it as if they were good freinds, all the Ladies came to bid adieu unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and to te&s;tifie their &s;orrows to loo&s;e her, yet <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> mu&s;t be excepted; who faining to be &s;ick, could not find in her heart to vi&s;it a per&s;on, who had taken the heart of her Lover from her, and who &s;hee thought, had cau&s;ed her brother to be in that condition he was, but as for <HI>Cleonide,</HI> &s;hee came, and had much di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> in a ver y obliging way.</P>
<P>However, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> telling her, that &s;he beleived, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> would return unto her as &s;oon as he was recovered; <HI>Cleonide</HI> an&s;wered her, that thanks be to the Gods, her recovery had preceded his, for Madam, (&s;aid &s;he unto her) if <HI>A&s;tida|mus</HI> had ca&s;t me off, only ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of love to you, than your rare beauty, and excellent merit, might have excu&s;ed him; and I &s;hould have ea&s;ily pardoned him, but that he &s;hould quit me out of &s;elf intere&s;t, thisisa thing which moves me to &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">orn him and to rejoyce that I have thrown him out of my heart. And indeed Madam, this fair one de&s;iring to be out of that place where &s;he had received &s;uch a mo&s;t &s;en&s;i|ble injury, de&s;ired her aunt, that &s;he might go back unto her Father, where &s;hort|ly after, &s;he was very advantageou&s;ly married.</P>
<P>However, we under&s;tood before our departure that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> would not die of his wounds, and we under&s;tood further, how it greived his very &s;oul, that he could not &s;atisfie neither hisambition nor his Love, and therefore conceived a mo&s;t horrible hatred again&s;t his Conquerour, for <HI>Protogenes</HI> was much incen&s;ed again&s;t him: <HI>Cleonide,</HI> &s;he went away, and he &s;aw there was no likelyhood of ever marry|ing <HI>Arpa&s;ia.</HI></P>
<P>But in conclu&s;ion Madam, we parted; and not dreaming of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> we met him upon the road. Tis true, <HI>Gabrias</HI> did not &s;ee him, and it is as true, that <HI>Arpa|&s;ia</HI> had not &s;een him but for me: For be plea&s;ed to know, that as we came to the Town, where he &s;aw her the fir&s;t time, and informed her concerning the Column which was erected by <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris,</HI> a man unknown unto me brought me a Letter from <HI>Meliantes,</HI> which conjured me to help him unto an opportunity of bidding <HI>Arpa|&s;ia</HI> adieu, and that &s;ince he had been in&s;trumentall, in breaking off her marriage with <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> &s;he would not deny him that favour, upon which con&s;ideration, I thought it not fit to deny him what he asked, and knowing <HI>Arpasias</HI> mind &s;o well as I did, I did not think &s;he would be &s;orry to &s;ee him. Yet I thought it ex|pedient not to ask her permi&s;&s;ion, &s;ince perhaps her &s;crupulous virtue might dorr at it, &s;o as returning an an&s;wer unto <HI>Meliantes,</HI> who was concealed in the town where he lay, I told him, I would u&s;e my be&s;t endeavours of getting <HI>Arpasia</HI> to walk in a garden belonging to the hou&s;e where we lodged, and if he would be at the dore of the garden which was towards the River, I would open it unto him, when <HI>Arpa|sia</HI> was there And accordingly it was carried; for it being an ea&s;y matter to per|&s;wade <HI>Arpasia</HI> unto a walk when it was fair, becau&s;e &s;he loved it extreamly, I mo|ved
<PB N="60" REF="921">
it unto her as &s;oon as &s;he did ri&s;e from Supper: <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> then went whether I de&s;ired with very little company, and <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;aw her, and &s;poke to her in an Alley where none but I was with her, and without her contributing unto it: for &s;ince it was her cu&s;tom to talk often in private with me; as &s;oon as &s;he called me all the re&s;t of her women withdrew. I need not tell you, Madam, how &s;he was &s;ur|prized at the &s;ight of <HI>Meliantes;</HI> but I will tell you, that as &s;oon as he came neer her, he addre&s;&s;ed him&s;elfe, I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;ayd he unto her) permit me to receive &s;o much &s;atisfaction, as to hear from your owne mouth, the rea&s;ons of my condemnation, and to know by what motives, the be&s;t and mo&s;t &s;weet Lady upon earth is become the mo&s;t rigorous; for truly Madam, as long as I pa&s;&s;ed un|der the notion of the &s;trange <HI>Meliantes,</HI> you e&s;teemed me and was very freindly, but as &s;oon as ever you knew who I was, and knew that I did infinitely love you, then you began to be unju&s;t. To te&s;tifie that I am not &s;o (replyed <HI>Arpa&s;ia)</HI> I a&s;|&s;ure you that I do remember all my obligations to you, and will never forget the good &s;ervice you did me in preventing my marriage with <HI>A&s;tidamus;</HI> and to ma|nife&s;t my &s;incerity, more then it may be, I ought, I will ingeniou&s;ly tell you, that if you had never loved <HI>Argely&s;e,</HI> or at lea&s;t had not promi&s;ed eternall affection unto her, perhaps I &s;hould have permitted you to love me in &s;uch a way as you de|&s;ire; &s;ince &s;etting your infidelity a&s;ide, I do finde you a man every way worthy of my Fathers choice and mine. The truth is, your birth, your wit, your courage, your goodne&s;&s;e, your genero&s;ity, and a thou&s;and other good qualities, are very complai&s;ant; but &s;ince you have been &s;o perfidious unto <HI>Argely&s;e</HI> who is infinitly amiable, you may as well be &s;o unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> if &s;he &s;hould permit you to love her. Alas Madam (&s;ayd he unto her) I never bore unto <HI>Argely&s;e</HI> more than tender friend&s;hip: By excu&s;ing your &s;elfe one way (replyed &s;he) you accu&s;e your &s;elfe another, for if you were in love with <HI>Argely&s;e,</HI> then you were onely an incon|&s;tant man, and if you were not in love with her, then you were wor&s;e then in|con&s;tant, in not telling her as much, but ingaging her heart without ingaging yours al&s;o: if <HI>Phormion</HI> told you at <HI>Alfenes,</HI> what I de&s;ired him (replyed <HI>Meli|antes)</HI> he told you that indeed I thought my &s;elfe in love with her, but yet it was onely amity, and therefore ought not to pa&s;&s;e for a perfidious man in your opi|nion, though I may pa&s;&s;e for an uncon&s;tant man in <HI>Argeli&s;es.</HI> However it be, re|plyed <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> I mu&s;t never rank you in any other forme, than in the degree of friend&s;hip; and therefore I pray you regulate your minde accordingly and be|leeve that it is &s;o impo&s;&s;ible I &s;hould ever be &s;ure of your affection, as you would be a very unhappy man if I &s;hould &s;uffer you to love me: For <HI>Argely&s;e</HI> is faire and charming, and &s;ince &s;he was not able to returne your heart, it is unlikely I &s;hould; and to tell you truly, as the &s;tate of things are, I ought to di&s;po&s;e of my &s;elfe; for &s;ince my Father did once intend to &s;acrifice me unto his Revenge, he may perhaps do the like againe, and in all probability I am de&s;tined to make the mo&s;t advanta|geous treaty for him; and I con&s;ider my &s;elfe as an Ho&s;tage, not knowing into who&s;e power I &s;hall fall.</P>
<P>If I would oblige you unto many things Madam (replyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> then you had rea&s;on to u&s;e the&s;e arguments again&s;t me, but alas I do not Madam; all I de&s;ire is, that you would let me love you, and that you would be plea&s;ed to refer the knowledg of my fidelity to time, which is the be&s;t Judge of faithfull affections: and I begg this of you before the beginning of a mo&s;t rigorous ab&s;ence, and my love will be put upon a mo&s;t dangerous te&s;t, &s;o as if I prove an incon&s;tant man, I &s;hall never trouble you againe, &s;ince I &s;hall never &s;ee you any more; and if I prove faithfull, I &s;hould be unju&s;t if I did not de&s;ire the honour of &s;erving you a|gaine. Therefore I be&s;eech you Madam, grant me the liberty to love you, and con&s;ider how &s;mall a thing it is I aske, for though you &s;hould not grant it, yet I could not choo&s;e but &s;till adore you, and though you &s;hould forbid me, yet I mu&s;t di&s;obey: But though I &s;hould love you whether you will or no, yet I &s;hould ima|gine it a great happine&s;&s;e if I could obtaine your leave for it; therefore deny it not I conjure you Madam, &s;ince I begg it without condition. I freely con&s;ent (&s;aid &s;he unto him) that you &s;hould &s;till continue my Freind, but as for matter of Love, never looke for any leave from me: If you do drive me into de&s;paire Madam (&s;aid he unto her) you will force me to follow you and never leave you, untill I have
<PB N="61" REF="921">
obtained what I now beg, I think you more generous <HI>Meliantes</HI> (replyed <HI>Arpasia)</HI> than to expo&s;e my honour. And &s;ince the venomous tongued <HI>Alcianipe</HI> hath given it out, that I obliged you to fight with <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> it would be beleived, if you &s;hould take that cour&s;e, and therefore I conjure you not to thinke of it, nor de&s;ire any thing which doth cro&s;s my inclination. Let us part therefore &s;ince rea&s;on requires it, and &s;ubmit to your de&s;tiny, without de&s;iring to be the arbitrator of your own fortune.</P>
<P>If the Gods be re&s;olved you &s;hould love me, and that I &s;hould change my mind, they will do it by ways unknown unto us, and if they will not, you will trouble your &s;elf in vain.</P>
<P>Do therefore I pray you what prudence requires you &s;hould, and without any complaints again&s;t my rigour, be a&s;&s;ured that you have more of my e&s;teem and confidence than ever any per&s;on had; alas Madam (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes</HI> then) how little do I want of being happy? for you need but add four or five words more unto what you have &s;aid, to make me mo&s;t compleatly happy.</P>
<P>After this, he u&s;ed many tender expre&s;&s;ions, which indeed did tender the heart of <HI>Arpasia,</HI> but did not make her re&s;olutions &s;tagger, &s;o as &s;he parted from him, without giving him leave, either to love or follow her, and his fears of incen&s;ing her, made him re&s;olve upon a patient departure the next morning, &s;o he returned home with a violent pa&s;&s;ion, and without hope, and <HI>Arpasia</HI> returned unto her fa|ther, having a very great e&s;teem of <HI>Meliantes.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time, tho&s;e who are tyed unto others by &s;uch intere&s;ts as are muta|ble and various, are never well united, longer than the rea&s;on which united doth continue, and therefore <HI>Protogenes</HI> thinking it better to &s;it &s;till, than ingage him|&s;elf in a doubtfull war, he broke off with <HI>Gabrias,</HI> &s;o that he alone gave ju&s;t &s;u&s;pi|tions of revolt from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> and prudence requiring, that he &s;hould do what his de&s;ire of revenge had in&s;pired him withall, he fortified his pall<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ce, and made it a garri&s;on, and prepared him&s;elf to take part with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> (as &s;oon as that Prince, who then went under the name of <HI>Artamenes)</HI> &s;hould approach.</P>
<P>In the mean time, we under&s;tood <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was &s;till very ill of his wounds, and kept his bed a long time; al&s;o we heard that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was not yet cured of his pa&s;&s;ion, for he writ very often unto <HI>Arpasia,</HI> though &s;he did never an&s;wer any of his Letters: Tis true, &s;he &s;uffered me &s;omtimes to write unto him, but ever com|manded me to forbid him writing any more unto her, unle&s;s he could better regu|late his mind: And at &s;ometimes me thought, that I had &s;ome rea&s;ons to think, that if <HI>Meliantes</HI> were but with <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and were ob&s;equious in courting her, &s;he would forget his infidelity unto <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> but &s;o many &s;everall occa&s;ions obliged <HI>Melian|tes</HI> to &s;tay in his own country, that he could not po&s;&s;ibly leave it: for be&s;ides his fathers unwillingne&s;s to part with him, he was engaged in a bu&s;ine&s;s which would not allow him with honour to depart from the place, where his enemies would draw an advantage from his ab&s;ence.</P>
<P>In the mean time, All <HI>Asia</HI> being up in arms, either for the illu&s;trious <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> or for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> nothing el&s;e was talked of, and the name of <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> was &s;o famous, that it was continually in the mouthes both of his friends, and enemies, with equall admiration. <HI>Gabrias,</HI> being re&s;olved to take his part, he heard to his great greif, that his army was not &s;o &s;trong as the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria's,</HI> but he heard al&s;o to his great joy', of the happy Omen which he had, when in be|gining to march, he &s;aw a great Eagle flying upon his right hand, which making towards <HI>Babylon,</HI> &s;eemed to teach him the way he was to take; and he heard fur|ther, to his great &s;atisfaction, that he had repul&s;ed the fir&s;t troops of his enemies, and forced his pa&s;&s;age over the River <HI>Gnides.</HI> But Madam, a few dayes after, we heard with wonder, of the invention which the famous <HI>Artamenes</HI> had to make his army pa&s;s the river, dividing it into three&s;core &s;everall channells, al&s;o we heard further to our hearts joy, how he had di&s;ordered the <HI>A&s;&s;iryan</HI> troops, after he had pa&s;&s;ed the river, and how great a terrour he had &s;truck into the body of the army, &s;o as <HI>Gabrias</HI> now &s;eeing nothing but a River between him and <HI>Artamenes,</HI> from whom he looked for protection, he prepared to go and ask it him&s;elfe in per|&s;on, He went then in the head of three hundred hor&s;e only to meet this <HI>Hero,</HI> to offer him all that was in his power, I need not tell you Madam, how the renou|ned
<PB N="62" REF="922">
<HI>Artamenes</HI> received <HI>Gabrias,</HI> for you need not doubt of the goodne&s;s of that Prince, nor with what magnificence <HI>Gabrias</HI> entertained him at his pallace; and yet there hapned &s;ome pa&s;&s;ages &s;o pertinent, unto the Hi&s;tory of <HI>Arpasia,</HI> that <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t not omit them, I &s;hall therefore tell you Madam, that the fir&s;t day <HI>Artamenes</HI> &s;aw the fair <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> an i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lu&s;trious <HI>Persian</HI> called <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> was then with him; &s;o as after the fir&s;t civilities, <HI>Artamenes</HI> being obliged to talke with <HI>Gabrias,</HI> who had mentioned unto him &s;omthing concerning a negotiation which he had with the Prince <HI>Gadates,</HI> to engage him in the intere&s;t of <HI>Cyaxeres,</HI> It was <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> only who talked mo&s;t unto the fair <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> but her wonder was to hear him &s;peak in her own Language very exactly.</P>
<P>I being an eye witne&s;s of all pa&s;&s;ages at this interview, mu&s;t needs confe&s;s, that I thought <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> to be infinitely lovely, yet he was not very tall, being neither too high nor two low, he was very hand&s;ome. Moreover, all the features of his face were excellent, and his air infinitely noble; though he was highly brave, yet there was no fero&s;ity in his humour, or behaviour, but on the contrary, he had a marvailous charming &s;weetne&s;s in his phy&s;iognomy, his wit was nimble and &s;mooth, and indeed fortune could not bring a more dangerous Rivall unto <HI>Meliantes</HI> than he.</P>
<P>Not that I intend to commend the merits of the one above the other, for I mu&s;t ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s, I am unwothy to be a Judge between two &s;uch &s;uperlative men; but I am confidently per&s;waded, that none but <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> could ever becom a competitor with him, in the heart of <HI>Arpasia,</HI> &s;o it chanced, that their fir&s;t di&s;|cour&s;e was &s;omthing di&s;avantageous unto <HI>Meliantes,</HI> becau&s;e it was advantageous unto <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> for the conference between <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Gabrias</HI> being very long, the di&s;cour&s;e between <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> and <HI>Arpasia</HI> was not &s;hort, but they had time e|nough to talk of many &s;everall things: So that after <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> had elegantly com|mended the beauty of <HI>Arpasia,</HI> and that &s;he had rejected his applauds, with much ingenuity and mode&s;ty; they began to talk of the alteration and revolution which war brings upon all things when it continues long, for it often happens (&s;aid <HI>Hy|da&s;pes)</HI> that war makes &s;trange &s;ubver&s;ions in the dominions of Love, &s;ince it &s;eperates many Lovers from the per&s;ons loved, and many do either cure them&s;elves of their pa&s;&s;ions, or change their mi&s;tre&s;&s;es by changing places, but as for the la&s;t of the&s;e, it never befalls any <HI>Persians;</HI> perfidiou&s;ne&s;s in Love, is a crime which they can never be upbraided with in any Ju&s;tice. Since it is naturall for every one, to be Lover of their own countries (replyed <HI>Arpasia)</HI> I do not wonder, to hear you commend your own; but I beleive Sir, that there are Infidells of that nature in all countries of the world.</P>
<P>Truly Madam (&s;aid he unto her) I know none in <HI>Per&s;epolis,</HI> and the whole court of <HI>Camby&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> cannot produce an example to convince me of a Lye, doubtle&s;&s;e there are &s;ome who cea&s;e loving &s;omtimes, out of rea&s;on, either becau&s;e their mi|&s;tre&s;&s;es are too rigid, or for &s;ome other good cau&s;e, but never was any found who changed their affection out of any naturall incon&s;tancy, or becau&s;e they found o|ther Ladyes more fair than tho&s;e, they fir&s;t loved; and they are &s;o fully per&s;waded, that changing without a good cau&s;e is p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rfidiou&s;ne&s;s, that they make it a point of honour not to change affection out of fanta&s;ticallne&s;s, but to re&s;i&s;t their own inclinations, if they offer to change affection without very good cau&s;e,</P>
<P>As <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> &s;aid &s;o, the remembrance of <HI>Meliantes</HI> made <HI>Arpasia</HI> blu&s;h, at lea&s;t &s;he told me &s;o &s;ince, &s;o as to hide this little di&s;order, the cau&s;e whereof &s;he knew very well, &s;he begun to &s;peak, and told <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> (who &s;he &s;aw ob&s;erved her) that to keep her &s;el<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> in his good opinion &s;he would tell him the cau&s;e of that alteration in her face, for truly &s;aid &s;he unto him,) I cannot hear you blame infidelity, but <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t needs be &s;orry for a freind whom I do accu&s;e al&s;o.</P>
<P>For my Particular, (&s;aid <HI>Hyda&s;pes)</HI> were I a woman, I &s;hould never love a man who had taken his affection from another, for who &s;oever will be perfidious to one will al&s;o be perfidious to two, and con&s;equently to all the world. I ever had that opinion Sir, replyed <HI>Arpasia,</HI> but to go rationally to work, I conceive it be&s;t neither to tru&s;t tho&s;e who are perfidious, nor tho&s;e who are not, &s;ince though they be not yet they may be.</P>
<P>Indeed Madam &s;aid <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> you mu&s;t alwaies except <HI>Persians,</HI> and of all <HI>Per&s;ians,</HI>
<PB N="63" REF="922">
you mu&s;t put <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> in the fir&s;t Rank of tho&s;e who are uncapable of any change in their affections. Truth is, Madam, I do &s;o re&s;olutely love what I do love, that I know not how to retreat: what I think once fair I &s;hall think it &s;o as long as I live, and I am &s;o extreamly jealous of my own thoughts, that I can never change: And I dare a&s;&s;ure you that as I have this day begun to e&s;teem you, &s;o I &s;hall e&s;teem you till death; for I cannot think I &s;hall ever di&s;cover any thing in your Soul which is not as fair as your face, nor do I doubt but that you have as much genero&s;ity as wit.</P>
<P>After this, they talked of many other things which I remember not, but I remem|ber very well that <HI>Arpasia</HI> talked of nothing but <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> all the re&s;t of the day; and I under&s;tood &s;ince <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">hat <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> talked of nothing but <HI>Arpasia</HI> after he left her. The day following he &s;aw her again and applauded her more than the day before, and to perfect their acquaintance, <HI>Gabrias</HI> intending to put his Pallace into the hands of <HI>Artamenes</HI> purpo&s;ely to purcha&s;e his confidence; <HI>Artamenes</HI> left <HI>Hy|da&s;pes</HI> in it, untill <HI>Gabrias</HI> had fini&s;hed his treaty with <HI>Gadates,</HI> and then both to come unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> before he gave any Battel.</P>
<P><HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> was not a little joyed to remain in a place where <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> would be un|der his power; for the t<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">uth is, Madam, there was &s;uch a powerfull &s;ympathy be|tween the&s;e two per&s;ons, as I may very well &s;ay that never was grea<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">er progre&s;s of affection made in &s;o &s;hort a time. In the Interim, <HI>Gabrias</HI> left a Si&s;ter in Law of his with his Daughter during his ab&s;ence, for he followed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and never left him &s;ince: What inclination &s;oever <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> had unto <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> yet &s;he was troubled to &s;ee him Ma&s;ter of the hou&s;e where &s;he was: but he did u&s;e his power with &s;o much &s;weetne&s;s and di&s;cretion that &s;he had all the rea&s;on in the world to commend him for the re&s;pect he u&s;ed to her; And indeed as it is impo&s;&s;ible for a Lover to be without re&s;pect, &s;o his awe of her is not to be wondred at, &s;ince he fell in love with her at the very fir&s;t &s;ight; y<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">t he dur&s;t not give her any te&s;timonies of it, lea&s;t &s;he &s;hould imagine that his boldne&s;s was an effect of that authority which he had up|on him. Thus he &s;ighed and dur&s;t not tell her, untill &s;ome happy Accident would give him an opportunity of manife&s;ting his love. Not but that he &s;aw her at all hours when hand&s;omne&s;s would permit; for &s;ince he had very little to do in that place, and &s;ince he took extream delight in &s;eeing her, he was almo&s;t in&s;eparable from her, but for all that his fears &s;eal<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">d up his mouth. Yet to acquaint you how he came to di&s;cover his pa&s;&s;ion: be plea&s;ed to know that <HI>Hydaspes</HI> being very carefull of keeping the place which was of a very great con&s;equence, the Guards were very exact, &s;o as a man who was u&s;ed to bring Letters from <HI>Meliantes</HI> coming to the Gates he was &s;tayed, and &s;ince he did not give a very good account of his bu&s;ine&s;s, he was &s;earched, and they found about him a Packet without &s;ub&s;cription, which <HI>Hydaspes</HI> opened as &s;oon as it was brought unto him. But in lieu of finding any de&s;igns again&s;t the place, he &s;aw it concerned the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of &s;ome fair ones heart, and &s;o far from Martiall ma<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">ters that the Letter treat<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">d all of love, and a Love un|&s;atisfied and wor&s;e recompenced, &s;ince the &s;tile of the&s;e Letters were full of re&s;pect, <HI>Hydaspes</HI> imagined that they were intended unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia;</HI> So as the growing pa&s;|&s;ion of his Soul being full of curio&s;ity, he would &s;ee him who brought this Packet, unto whom he put many Que&s;tions, purpo&s;ely to make him confe&s;s from whom he brought tho&s;e Letters (for there was one unto him) and unto whom he was to deliver them. But, Madam, <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> was &s;o over joyed to know by this Letter that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was treated ill, and that he had hopes <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was not in love with any as he grew more in love with her than before, yet he knew not what to do with this Letter: for he conceived that <HI>Arpasia</HI> would hereafter know how it fell into his hands; &s;o as he told him who had confe&s;&s;ed from whom it came and to whom they were addre&s;&s;ed, that he &s;hould take &s;peciall care of not bettaying the &s;ecrets of his Ma&s;ter: After which he went to &s;ee <HI>Arpasia</HI> having the&s;e Letters in his Pocket.</P>
<P>After &s;he had talked with him of &s;everall things, &s;he asked him whether he heard any news from <HI>Ciaxares</HI> or from <HI>Artamenes?</HI> No, Madam (&s;ayd he unto her) but I have this day received a Packet which is not directed unto me, which I will im|part unto you, in &s;aying &s;o, he took the two Letters from <HI>Meliantes</HI> out of his Pocket, and telling her how the Guards at the Gate had &s;topped him who brought them, he told her afterwards that &s;ince the man would not tell unto whom he was
<PB N="64" REF="923">
to carry them, he would fir&s;t before he re&s;tored them unto him know whether &s;he was that fair &s;evere One unto whom they were intended: for certainly, Madam, &s;ayd he and gave them unto her, that it mu&s;t be unto &s;ome per&s;on of Quality: <HI>Arpasia</HI> was exceedingly perplexed at this, becau&s;e as &s;oon as ever &s;he &s;aw the Let|ters &s;he knew they were from <HI>Meliantes</HI> to her: &s;o as to get out of this perplexity, &s;he told <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> that &s;he was &s;o &s;crupulous in point of Letters, as &s;he would not &s;ee wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ther they were to her or no, nor did &s;he think it hone&s;ty to &s;ee too far into the &s;ecrets of others; yet <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &s;poke this after &s;uch a manner, as let <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> know that &s;he knew them to be the hand of <HI>Meliantes:</HI> but he was &s;o joyed that &s;he &s;hould think her &s;elf &s;o little concerned in tho&s;e letters, that he could not choo&s;e but let his joyes appear in his eyes: yet notwith&s;tanding &s;ince <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> did not think he knew &s;he had any intere&s;t in them, &s;he would have been very glad that they were out of his hands, for &s;he per&s;waded him to re&s;tore them back to the m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n, or el&s;e to tear them in peeces: Since, Madam, you give this advi&s;e before you know what they contain, replyed <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> I think that as much as I do re&s;pect you, yet I &s;hall not follow it; If reading them will oblige you to burn them (&s;ayd &s;he and took them) I had rather &s;ee them, and indeed, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> having really a de&s;ire to know what was in them, &s;he took them, and turned towards the light to read them as if &s;he had not well enough &s;een, purpo&s;ely to hide her blu&s;hes: Yet all would not do, for <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> turned as &s;he did and looked attentively upon her as long as &s;he was reading the&s;e two Letters which I can &s;hew you; for by chance having them about me the &s;ame day <HI>Arpasia</HI> was carried away, <HI>I</HI> kept them ever &s;ince: and therfore not to tru&s;t unto my memory I will read them unto you, that you may the better know what thoughts <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> and <HI>Arpasia</HI> had, that unto me was thus di|rected.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>&V;nto the mo&s;t cruell Confident of my <HI>PASSION.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>I</HI> Wonder not &s;o much at the cruelty of that mo&s;t admired Per&s;on whom I adore as at yours, nor do I wonder &s;o much that &s;he &s;hould never an&s;wer me, as that you &s;hould write unto me, to a&s;&s;ure me that &s;he will never write; for &s;ince I cannot leave loving her, I would delude my &s;elf and live le&s;s mi&s;erable, and not run into mad de&s;pair as you would make me: I am re&s;olved to come ere long and &s;ee whether your words will be bet|ter than your Letters.</P>
<P>In the Interim, be &s;o good as to &s;hew this unto her who raigns in my heart, and tell her that it is &s;o ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible for me to be only her friend, as I &s;hall di&s;obey her as long as I live, if &s;he continue ob&s;tinate in &s;o unju&s;t a command.</P>
</LETTER>
<P>As long as this Letter was in reading, <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> all the while looked upon <HI>Ar|pa&s;ia,</HI> who &s;eeing there was nothing in it which would admit of an ill con&s;truction, did &s;o well recouer her di&s;order, that &s;he began to read this which I &s;hall read unto you, without any agitation of &s;pirits, though it was intended unto her in the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="61" REF="923">
<HEAD>&V;nto the mo&s;t fair but mo&s;t inhumane Per&s;on in the World.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>YOu are &s;o very unjust, that no Patience can indure it without complaint, for you are plea&s;ed not only not to an&s;wer me, and to cau&s;e another to write, that you will not write any more unto me; but you command me by her that my love &s;hould turn it &s;elf into friend&s;hip, and if I do not, that then your friend&s;hip would turn it &s;elf into hatred: I cannot tell, Madam, whether your Soul be capable of &s;uch a Prodigious change or no; But I am &s;ure my love cannot become friend&s;hip and no more: Beleive it, Madam, I be&s;eech you, that all your tran&s;cendent Merits are not able to work this change in me; But on the contrary know, that be as rigorous as you can unto me, yet I cannot choo&s;e but &s;till love you.</P>
</LETTER>
<P>After <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> had read this Letter, &s;he told <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> that &s;ince it appeared it was intented unto &s;ome virtuous Per&s;on, it was pitty it &s;hould be made publike, &amp; ther|fore to prevent it, &s;he would be keeper of it, for (&s;ayd &s;he and &s;miled) &s;ince &s;he unto whom it is intended does not an&s;wer him who writ it, I have changed my opinion, &amp; do not think it fit to be re&s;tored unto the man who brought it, lea&s;t &s;ince it hath been opened he &s;hould abu&s;e it: Al&s;o it is fitter to remain in my hands than yours, Sir, for &s;ince &s;he unto whom it was meant, is very virtuous &amp; re&s;erved, I will &s;pare her the &s;orrows of any ever knowing that any is in love with her. I do imagine, Madam, replyed <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> that you do know who this fair and virtuous Per&s;on is, and if it be as I do imagine (added he and looked her in the face) I am contented to leave the&s;e two Letters with you, upon condition you will promi&s;e me that &s;he &s;hall never return any an&s;wer to them, or at lea&s;t not an&s;wer them favourably. I profe&s;s <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> (&s;ayd <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> and laughed) I do wonder you &s;hould &s;peak thus, for you know not who writ tho&s;e Letters, nor unto whom they were written, and yet you would intere&s;t me in this innocent bu&s;ine&s;s. Indeed, Madam, replyed he, I do intere&s;t my &s;elf more in this bu&s;ine&s;s than ever I did in any other, and therfore I conjure you to honour me &s;o far as to promi&s;e me that &s;he unto whom this un|known lover hath written will not make any an&s;wer: All I can do, replyed &s;he, is to promi&s;e you that if I do come to know her, &s;he &s;hall not an&s;wer with my con|&s;ent: I ask no more, Madam, replyed he, for &s;o &s;he will never an&s;wer. But, Madam (pur&s;ued he and would not give her time to reply) I be&s;eech you ask her, whether all who &s;hall pretend to love her mu&s;t expect to be as unhappy as this Lover, and whether &s;he will not an&s;wer unto words &s;poken no more then &s;he will Letters? There is &s;o little rea&s;on in your demands, Sir, replyed &s;he, that I know not what to an&s;wer, for you cannot tell whether ever I &s;hall know her unto whom this Letter is intended, nor do I know her my &s;elf, and yet you would have me di&s;cover the &s;e|crets of her heart, and tell her your thoughts, and that I almo&s;t think you are in love with her. As for the la&s;t of the&s;e, Madam, replyed he, I be&s;eech you never doubt it, but be confidently per&s;waded that I am more in love with her unto whom this Letter was written, than he who writ it can be. As <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was ready to reply, her Aunt entred; &s;o that the conference being broken, the Letters remained with <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> who gave them unto me before <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> to te&s;tifie unto him that &s;he did not value them, for &s;he knew by his la&s;t own words that he either knew or &s;trongly &s;u&s;pected that it was &s;he who had the greate&s;t intere&s;t in them: But, Madam, to a|void being tedious after &s;o long a relation, <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> carried him&s;elf &s;o well and re|&s;pectively unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and he &s;o fully per&s;waded her that he had never been un|faithfull nor ever could be, that he was more happy than ever <HI>Meliantes</HI> was &s;ince the fair <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> permitted him to love her. Thus this fair Per&s;on dividing the ten|derne&s;s of her heart, &s;he kept all her friend&s;hip for <HI>Meliantes,</HI> and all her love for <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> who was more ob&s;equious unto her than ever any other Lover was. But Madam, one &s;trange Accident chanced: for be plea&s;ed to know that <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> ha|ving
<PB N="66" REF="924">
&s;ent back the man who brought the Letters from <HI>Meliantes;</HI> this Lover was &s;o grieved at the adventure, that ha&s;ting his Journey he came di&s;gui&s;ed unto the Pa|lace: But &s;ince none was permitted to enter without very &s;trick inqui&s;ition, and &s;ince he had a noble Aire which he could not di&s;gui&s;e, he was &s;tayed, and known who he was by &s;ome men who waited upon <HI>Gabrias</HI> at <HI>Alfenes,</HI> and who beleiving him to be one of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yrias</HI> &s;ide, adverti&s;ed <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> who in lieu of be|ing glad to &s;ee his Rivall in his power, was very &s;orry for it, for he found him &s;o hand&s;om and amiable, that be feared his being loved.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> quickly hearing that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was &s;tayed by <HI>Hyda|&s;pes,</HI> &s;he beleived that her Obligations to him for breaking off her Marriage with <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> and her reall e&s;teem of him, did require that &s;he would intreat <HI>Hyda&s;|pes</HI> to u&s;e him well, but to do it and not make him jealous, &s;he de&s;ired him to &s;et him at liberty and &s;end him away with a Convoy, lea&s;t he &s;hould fall into the hands of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who might perhaps take him for an Enemy, though he had not yet declared him&s;elf. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Meliantes</HI> who had wit at will, did know very well by the proceedings of <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> that he was in love with <HI>Arpa&s;ia;</HI> for when he was &s;tayed, as having &s;ome de&s;ign upon the place, <HI>Meliantes</HI> de&s;ired he might be carried before <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> that &s;he might an&s;wer for his innocency, a&s;&s;uring him&s;elf that as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw him, &s;he would cleer him of any &s;uch de&s;ign: <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> an|&s;wering him &s;omwhat nicely he gave <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;ome cau&s;e of &s;u&s;pition that <HI>Hi|da&s;pes</HI> loved her, and that he knew of his love al&s;o, &s;o as he thought him&s;elf in wor&s;e condition than before, and the wor&s;e when he knew all the certainty of it by a man of his acquaintance who belonged unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia;</HI> But he thought him&s;elf wor&s;t of all when <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> told him, that at the reque&s;t of <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> he might go whether he plea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed, and that he would let him have a Convoy to Guard him; but he would by no means depart untill he had &s;een <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and was &s;o re&s;olutely ob|&s;tinate: The <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> hearing of it, and fearing he &s;hould make too great a blun|der in the bu&s;ine&s;s, &s;he intreated <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> to let him &s;ee her. Untill now <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> was &s;o re&s;pective unto her, as he &s;eemed to be ignorant of <HI>Meliantes</HI> his love; but when &s;he de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">red to &s;ee him he could not choo&s;e but hinder him, yet he did it with &s;o much re&s;pect, as he was &s;o far from offending her, as he obliged her to confe&s;s all her Adventure with <HI>Meliantes,</HI> and not to di&s;gui&s;e her e&s;teem and amity to him. But, Madam (&s;ayd <HI>Hyda&s;pes)</HI> what &s;ecurity can I have again&s;t &s;uch an accom|pli&s;ht Rivall as he is, if you &s;hould grant him the honour to &s;ee you? you, I &s;ay, who have done nothing for me but what friend&s;hip may require you &s;hould do for him. I pray <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> (&s;ayd &s;he and blu&s;ht) oblige me not to tell you what difference I make between <HI>Meliantes</HI> and you; content your &s;elf with this that I de&s;ire of you a Favour which h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> can never enjoy without loo&s;ing me, &s;ince if you give him that liberty which I ask for him he mu&s;t go far enough from me.</P>
<P>In conclu&s;ion, <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> commanded that <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;hould be brought unto <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> Chamber, before he was conducted out of the Town: But &s;ince &s;he did not think that <HI>Meliantes</HI> had any &s;u&s;pition that <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> was in love with her, &s;he was not afraid to &s;ee him: but on the contrary, did de&s;ire it in hopes <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">to per|&s;wade him to think no more upon her. But after the fir&s;t &s;alute &s;he told him he was beholding unto <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> for &s;etting him at liberty and not acquainting <HI>Artamenes:</HI> Alas, Madam, &s;ayd he unto her, though I do not acknowledge the liberty which he gives me for a Favour, yet I &s;hall not be ungratefull: But I think that I have more rea&s;on of complaint again&s;t his bani&s;hing of me, than to thank him for my liberty: For, Madam, I &s;ee <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> loves you, &amp; if I be not much mi&s;taken, <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> is much more fortunate and happy in your favour than ever <HI>Meliantes</HI> was. All that I can &s;ay unto you, is (replyed <HI>Arpa&s;ia)</HI> that I will do ju&s;tice unto you both, and what place &s;oever you had in my heart, you &s;hall hold it as long as I live; nor is it &s;o bad a one as you imagine, for I hold you in the degree of e&s;teem, Acknowledgment and Friend&s;hip: how glorious &s;oever that honour be, Madam (replyed he) yet would<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> mo&s;t willingly exchange with <HI>Hyda&s;pes;</HI> however I am mo&s;t &s;ure he can|not love you with a Zeal comparable to me: However it be <HI>Meliantes,</HI> &s;ayd <HI>Ar|pa&s;ia,</HI> &s;ince <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> look upon you only as my friend, it will not concern you whether <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> be my Lover or no, but if you value my friend&s;hip, it concerns you to &s;peak nothing which may offend me; and therfore I conjure you for your own
<PB N="67" REF="924">
&s;ake to confirm your mind unto mine and to be per&s;waded of two things; the fir&s;t is, that your friend&s;hip may pre&s;erve mine as long as I live: The &s;econd is that your love may procure you my hatred; for <HI>Meliantes</HI> do not deceive your, &s;elf, and know that I did never deceive you, but as &s;oon as ever I knew of your fide|lity to <HI>Argeli&s;e,</HI> I alwayes told you, that neither I would nor could tru&s;t your af|fection. But I be&s;eech you, Madam (replyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> who ever told you that <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> who is a per&s;on hath not committed as great a peece of Infidelity as this wherwith you upbraid me? yet <HI>Meliantes</HI> may talk and complain as long as he will before he can change the heart of <HI>Arpa&s;ia:</HI> &s;he tells him indeed that &s;he doth infinitely e&s;teem him, but &s;he tells him withall that his love mu&s;t never find re|compence nor be indured, and he mu&s;t part from her without &s;o much leave as to love her without any hopes, although &s;he doth promi&s;e friend&s;hip as long as &s;he lives. <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> being extreamly de&s;irous to know how his di&s;cour&s;e with <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> had thriven, he would be &s;atisfied by &s;eeing him, and gue&s;s by his eyes whether he had been well or ill received; and indeed it was apparant by the &s;adne&s;s of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> that <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> had good cau&s;e to rejoyce. The interview of the&s;e two Rivalls was very hollow hearted, and never Pri&s;oner received his liberty with fewer &s;igns of acknowledgment. Thus, Madam, the amiable and unhappy <HI>Meliantes</HI> went much again&s;t his will from a place where he left his Mi&s;tre&s;s in the power of his Rivall; Tis true, &s;he was not long there for pre&s;ently after we heard that <HI>Gabrias</HI> had fini&s;hed the Treaty of <HI>Gadates</HI> with <HI>Artamenes;</HI> that the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> and the Prince of the <HI>Cadu&s;ians</HI> having received &s;ome di&s;contents from the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> took part with <HI>Ciaxares.</HI> That the King of <HI>Cyprus</HI> had &s;ent Forces unto <HI>Artamenes</HI> un|der the command of the two famous Grecians, the one named <HI>Themocrates,</HI> the o|ther <HI>Philocles,</HI> and that within a few daies after a Battel would be fought which in probability would be deci&s;&s;ive: So as <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> being per&s;waded that <HI>Artamenes</HI> would &s;end for him, he began to prepare him&s;elf for a &s;udden departure, as &s;oon as ever he &s;hould receive orders for it, and he knew that love and honour do not al|waies require the &s;ame things; for he had a good mind to go whether his honour called him, and he had a good mind al&s;o to &s;tay where his affection invited him.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Artamenes</HI> having now a full confidence in <HI>Gabrias</HI> who had linked <HI>Gadates</HI> unto his Intere&s;ts, would needs out of his genero&s;ity give back the ab&s;olute Authority of his Palace unto him; So as we were much &s;urpri&s;ed one morning when we heard that <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> had received commands to go unto the Ar|my: That the Forces which <HI>Artamenes</HI> had left in the Town, had orders al&s;o to go out, and that <HI>Gabrias</HI> &s;ent a Cou&s;in of his to command there in his Palace. I &s;hall not in&s;i&s;t upon any relations unto you Madam, what <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> and <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> thought upon this occa&s;ion, for you will ea&s;ily conceive them &s;ince I have already told you that <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> was infinitely in love with <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and <HI>Arpasia</HI> had a &s;trong inclina|tion towards <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> yet &s;he would not ingage her &s;elf further than to permit her Lover to love her, and to &s;end her news during his ab&s;ence.</P>
<P>But Madam, pre&s;ently after, fame &s;poke loud in the glory of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> and very advantageou&s;ly of <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> for we heard, that the fir&s;t of the&s;e gained the bat|tell again&s;t the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and the &s;econd, having orders to fall upon the King of <HI>Phrygia,</HI> had overcome him, and took him pri&s;oner, and which added to his glo|ry, in writing to <HI>Arpasia,</HI> he mentioned not a word of him&s;elf, nor any thing but of <HI>Artamenes</HI> only; in who&s;e applau&s;e he told &s;uch wonders as was hardly credible the valour of a man could reach &s;o high, as he did &s;et him out.</P>
<P>Af<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">er this Madam, &s;uch was &s;till the affection of <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> that in what place &s;oever either he or &s;he was, &s;he was never above ten dayes without a Letter from him. During the &s;iege of <HI>Babylon,</HI> &s;he received one con&s;tantly every four days; and whil&s;t he was at <HI>Synope,</HI> &s;hee received one oftner than ordinary, becau&s;e he had matter enough to &s;end her.</P>
<P>Indeed Madam, during all the <HI>Armenian</HI> and the <HI>Lydian</HI> war, there was a con|&s;tant commerce of intelligence with out any interruption, until the renowned <HI>Arta|menes</HI> left that name for that of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;ent <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> from the Camp at <HI>Cumes</HI> to relea&s;e the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria.</HI></P>
<P>But Madam, I forgot to tell you, that when <HI>Cyrus</HI> went into <HI>Armenia</HI> from <HI>Sy|nope,</HI> there was a mo&s;t pe&s;tilent infection in the place where we were, &s;o as the
<PB N="68" REF="925">
Aunt of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> with whom we then were, was con&s;trained to go out into ano|ther &s;trong Ca&s;tle belonging unto <HI>Gabrias,</HI> purpo&s;ely to avoid the contagious air, and in that place &s;he continued untill that accident hapned, which cau&s;ed her to be at pre&s;ent under the power of <HI>Thomyris.</HI> And to acquaint you with this mi&s;|fortune in few words, be plea&s;ed to know, that this Aunt unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> had a &s;on by a former husband, who had been a long time from her, and returned ju&s;t when we came to that Ca&s;tle: He was no &s;ooner arrived, but he fell in Love with <HI>Ar|pa&s;ia,</HI> but dur&s;t not at fir&s;t acquaint her; not but that this man who&s;e name was <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> was audacious enough naturally, but <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> being then very &s;ollitary. &s;he would not give him any occa&s;ions of talking in private with her; for I being &s;he, who knew all the &s;ecrets of her &s;oul, &s;he was never better plea&s;ed, than when &s;he could freely talk with me without any witne&s;&s;es, and indeed, we had alwayes a hundred things to talk of, though we had nothing to do. That which mo&s;t did a|maze us, was, that we never heard any thing of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> and to increa&s;e our wonder, we heard afterwards, that he was not in his own country, nor knew any where he was. As for <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> the Nephew of <HI>Protogenes,</HI> we had better infor|mation concerning him, for we heard, that after he was recovered, he &s;ought for <HI>Meliantes</HI> to fight with him, and not meeting with him, he returned unto <HI>Alfenes,</HI> where he carried him&s;elf &s;o, that he &s;o much offended <HI>Protogenes,</HI> as that he would not acknowledge him for his &s;ucce&s;&s;or, but bani&s;h'd him his pre&s;ence, &s;o as leaving <HI>Alfenes,</HI> he went to travell, &s;o as when the other <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> fell in love with <HI>Ar|pa&s;ia,</HI> we knew not were <HI>Meliantes,</HI> nor his ancient Rivall was.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince the pa&s;&s;ion of this fre&s;h Lover augmented, &s;o that it was impo&s;&s;ible for him; but if ever he &s;aw <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> alone, to di&s;cover his pa&s;&s;ion unto her, but he did di&s;cover it in &s;uch an arrogant manner, that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was extreamly angry with him, and an&s;wered him with &s;uch authority, forbidding him to make the lea&s;t mention of any &s;uch thing, as he &s;aw there was little hopes of e|ver being loved, yet the &s;lenderne&s;s of his hopes did not quench the flames of his pa&s;&s;ion, but on the contrary, they blazed out more violently, &s;o as de&s;pair made him take up a re&s;olution, as unju&s;t as violent.</P>
<P>For Madam, his de&s;ign was to &s;uborn the guards of the Ca&s;tle, and &s;eize upon it, afterwards to force <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> to marry him: But Madam, whil&s;t he was plotting this de&s;ign, the other <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> plotted another al&s;o, for being out of favour both with <HI>Protogenes</HI> and al&s;o his Mother, he knew not what cour&s;e to take &s;ince he had heard &s;omthing how <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> was in Love with <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> he could not find a heart to take that &s;ide he was on, nor could he attempt any thing for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;iria,</HI> who was out of all hopes to get upon his Throne again. So that in this perplexity of mind, knowing <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was in this Ca&s;tle, his de&s;ign was to &s;urprize it; and make him&s;elf ma&s;ter of it, and to be revenged upon <HI>Meliantes</HI> where&s;oe|ver he was, by po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> of whom he had &s;uch a mi&s;cellany of thoughts, as I think no man living is able to de&s;cribe them.</P>
<P>But Madam, to let you know more than our &s;elves did at that time, give me leave to tell you that <HI>Meliantes,</HI> who was not heard of in any place, had al&s;o a very odd de&s;ign.</P>
<P>As I remember Madam, I told you that <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> had given him a convoy to con|duct him whither he plea&s;ed, when at the reque&s;t of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> he was relea&s;ed. But as fate cannot be avoided, &s;o it hapned, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> wandring from one place to another, he was met by &s;ome forces belonging unto <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who was not then known to be <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;o as by this means he was made a pri&s;oner, and as chance would have it, this accident hapned ju&s;t as <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> had orders to go unto <HI>Arta|menes,</HI> and upon his way, did meet tho&s;e who took <HI>Meliantes.</HI> whom he knew as he pa&s;&s;ed by, &s;o that he being a Rivall unto whom he &s;tood in fear of, he was very glad to &s;ee him in &s;uch a condition, as that he could not make any u&s;e of his ab|&s;ence, nor go di&s;gui&s;ed unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia:</HI> Al&s;o it chanced, that the Officer who com|manded that party which took <HI>Meliantes,</HI> was his very particular, and &s;ingular good friend, &s;o as coming to him, he asked him, what he intended to do with his Pri|&s;oner? &amp; the other an&s;wering, that all pri&s;oners belonging to tho&s;e who took them, he &s;hould go into a little ca&s;tle under his command, and &s;tay there untill <HI>Artame|nes</HI> did know the quality of the pri&s;oner: As &s;oon as he had &s;aid &s;o, a Re&s;entment
<PB N="69" REF="925">
of Love and jealou&s;y, moved <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> to tell his freind, that this Pri&s;oner was his Rivall; and lea&s;t he &s;hould take any advantage of his ab&s;ence, he was glad he was a pri&s;oner: and would be glad he did continue &s;o untill the war were ended, oblige|ing him notwith&s;tanding to treat him very well, during all the time of his captivity which &s;eemed would be long.</P>
<P><HI>Meliantes</HI> was accordingly conducted unto this little Ca&s;tle and left there un|der the keeping of him who commanded there in chief; but Madam, to return un|to the la&s;t Lover of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and unto the Nephew of <HI>Protogenes,</HI> give me leave to tell you, that the de&s;ign which <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> of <HI>Alfenes</HI> had of &s;urprizing the Ca&s;tle, and the de&s;ign of the other <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> al&s;o, was to make a mutiny in the Garri&s;on, again&s;t him who commanded it, to the end they might become Ma&s;ters of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and they were &s;o &s;trangely conducted by the de&s;tinies, that the execution of both their de&s;igne was to be in one and the &s;ame night, and al&s;o in one and the &s;ame houre: So as Madam; never was di&s;order like unto this, in which we were, for whil&s;t the &s;ouldiers which this new Lover had gained, went unto the chamber of him who commanded in chief, with intentions either to turn him out of the place, or to kill him, if he re&s;i&s;ted. <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> of <HI>Alfenes</HI> in the head of three hundred men, which the Governour of a neighbour Garri&s;on (who was his freind, and called <HI>Lycander)</HI> had given him, he came and &s;et Ladders again&s;t the walls of the Ca|&s;tle.</P>
<P>You may ea&s;ily imagin, how the Commander in chief was &s;urprized, to &s;ee him|&s;elf a&s;&s;aulted by his own &s;ouldiers; Al&s;o you may imagin, how the other <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was a&s;toni&s;hed, to &s;ee that the Ca&s;tle &s;hould be &s;tormed by men whom he knew not, however, be they who they would, he mu&s;t think upon defending him&s;elf: but &s;ince he would not have enemies both without and within al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o, he cau&s;ed him who commanded the Ca&s;tle for <HI>Gabrias,</HI> to be &s;tabbed, and al&s;o all the &s;ouldiers who were of his intelligence to be killed.</P>
<P>But &s;ince the execution of this cruell Command required &s;ome time, it gave &s;o much time unto <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> of <HI>Alfenes,</HI> as to get many of his men into the Ca&s;tle, then there began &s;uch a horrid combate, as the very memory of it makes me quake, we no &s;ooner heard this hideous noi&s;e, but we got up in all ha&s;te and not being a|ble to do any thing el&s;e, we fell unto our prayers.</P>
<P>But Madam, whil&s;t <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> of <HI>Alfenes</HI> did his be&s;t to make him&s;elf Ma&s;ter of the place, and whil&s;t the other <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> did re&s;olutely defend it, they heard a noi&s;e of armed men approaching, &s;o as both &s;ides taking the allarum, both <HI>A&s;ti, mus</HI> of <HI>Alfenes</HI> and the other <HI>A&s;tidamus,</HI> thought how only to get away <HI>Arpasia,</HI> &s;o as both of them under&s;tanding where her chamber was, they both went unto its but by two &s;everall &s;tayres.</P>
<P>Imagin I be&s;eech you, in what a pittifull ca&s;e we were in, for on the one &s;ide, we heard a voice of the &s;econd <HI>Astidamus,</HI> who we heard had killed the Comman|der of the Ca&s;tle, and all his Souldiers, and on the other &s;ide, we heard a voice which we knew not, for <HI>Astidamus</HI> of <HI>Alfenes</HI> did not &s;peak or if he did, wee knew not his voice. But our greate&s;t amuze was, to hear on both &s;ides the name of <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> called upon, &s;o as we would not open the dore unto either of them. But at la&s;t <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> of <HI>Alfenes</HI> fir&s;t breaking open the dore, we &s;aw him enter with a drawn &s;word in his hand, and immediatly after, three of his men forced <HI>Arpasia</HI> to go down the great &s;tayres, and I following her very clo&s;e, we were carryed into the Court, we were forced upon hor&s;e back, thus they carried us away, maugre all our complaints and cries, before the other <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> could oppo&s;eit, for he be|ing in a &s;trait &s;tair ca&s;e, <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> of <HI>Alfenes</HI> &s;et &s;om of his men to hinder his com|ing out, untill he him&s;elf was got out of the ca&s;tle.</P>
<P>In the mean time, tho&s;e armed men which were heard, and who ha&s;tned the car|rying away of <HI>Arpasia,</HI> were not &s;uch as he &s;uppo&s;ed them, for he under&s;tood by <HI>Lycander,</HI> whom he met, that the inhabitants of the town, no &s;ooner heard that the garri&s;on was weakned; but they took up arms, and forced him to go out of their town, with the remnant of &s;ouldiers which he had.</P>
<P>Thus Madam, it was he who came to <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> of <HI>Alfenes,</HI> who under&s;tanding how he had cau&s;ed a misfortune unto his freind, and by this means had no place of retreat neer, he thought him&s;elf in a &s;ad condition.</P>
<P><PB N="70" REF="926">
But <HI>Lycander</HI> and <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> were in a wor&s;e &s;tate, when at break of day they perceived that their &s;ouldiers had left them, and having now al&s;o &s;ome twenty hor|&s;es remaining, they forced us to make all imaginable ha&s;te, wee not knowing whither they would carry us.</P>
<P>But Madam, the &s;trange&s;t thing was that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> of <HI>Alfenes</HI> in carrying a|way <HI>Arpasia,</HI> out of re&s;entments both of revenge and intere&s;t, was more in love with her than ever, and had been culpable of being moved by adulatory language, had &s;he pardoned this unju&s;t Lover.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Lycander</HI> his friend who had never &s;een <HI>Arpasia</HI> before, was &s;o taken with her beauty, that it was impo&s;&s;ible for him to look upon her without wonder.</P>
<P>Mean time, we marched on &s;till, not knowing whither they carryed us, but at la&s;t we came to a wood where we &s;Aw the other <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> appear in the head of ten or twelve hor&s;e, who came to a&s;&s;ault that <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> who carried us away. As for <HI>Lycander,</HI> he was parted from us, with four or five of his men to find out the way through the wood, through which we were to pa&s;&s;e: The combat Madam was feirce and bloody; the two <HI>A&s;tidamu&s;es</HI> were driven to &s;uch a nece&s;&s;ity of thinking up|on them&s;elves, as I do not think they thought upon <HI>Arpasia.</HI></P>
<P>She and I alighted whil&s;t tho&s;e who looked unto us, went to defend the lives of their ma&s;ters, and the other <HI>A&s;tidamus</HI> was &s;o bu&s;ie in fighting with his enemy, that he took no notice of us. So that taking this opportunity, we ran into the thick of the wood, whil&s;t they were fighting. In the mean time, as we under&s;tood &s;ince the &s;econd <HI>Astidamus</HI> was killed by the other, and <HI>Lycander</HI> turning back at the noi&s;e which he heard was accu&s;ed by his freind for carrying away <HI>Arpasia</HI> whil&s;t he was fighting; for the affection of <HI>Lycander</HI> unto that fair one was &s;o vi&s;ible, that he perceived it: Yet this accu&s;ation was fal&s;e, for there was no appearance of it, &s;ince <HI>Lycander</HI> returned home with his men; but for all that, they quarrelled and fought, and <HI>Lycander</HI> killed him with his own hand. After this victory, he &s;ought us all the day and all the night, and all in vain, for we had hid oyr&s;elves in a cave, which at this time &s;erved us for a Sanctuary, but the fear of wild bea&s;ts and famin to|gether forcing us out the next morning, we were &s;o happy as to meet <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> who after he had delivered the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> whom he accompanied unto <HI>Cy|rus</HI> at <HI>Cumes,</HI> he lo&s;t his way in the wood where we met with him.</P>
<P><HI>Niside</HI> making here a &s;top, related more particularly what <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> had done for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and the joyes which <HI>Arpasia</HI> expre&s;&s;ed to meet with him, telling afterwards how an empty coach came accidentally by, in which <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> put her: How they had &s;een men lye dead in the wood among&s;t which <HI>Arpasia</HI> knew her ravi&s;her to be one likewi&s;e, &s;he related the arrivall of <HI>Lycander,</HI> the conte&s;t between <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> and him, their combate; and all that <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> did untill he fell dead clo&s;e by the Coach of <HI>Arpasia.</HI> Afterwards &s;he told the Prince&s;&s;es, how <HI>Lycander</HI> having for|merly an acquaintance with <HI>Atergatis</HI> in <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> intended to carry <HI>Arpasia</HI> into that Court as his retreat, but afterwards when hee &s;aw that &s;hee was troubled at it, he altered his de&s;ign, and imbarqued upon the <HI>Euxine</HI> &s;ea, and how by tem|pe&s;t they were driven unto <HI>Cholcidis,</HI> where <HI>Arpasia</HI> fell &s;ick of &s;orrow.</P>
<P>The truth is Madam, (pur&s;ued <HI>Niside)</HI> &s;he was &s;o extreamly grieved at the cro&s;|ne&s;s of her fortune, and at her feares of <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> his death, that her health was much impaired; She did nothing but talk unto me of all her misfortunes among which &s;he reckoned this for one, that &s;he knew not what was become of the un|fortunate <HI>Meliantes.</HI> But when &s;he was a little recovered, we under&s;tood, that <HI>Lycander</HI> hearing of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his approach, re&s;olved to take part with <HI>Thomyris,</HI> and obtained her Protection. But to our wonder, I thought one morning at the fir&s;t opening of our Tents, that I &s;aw the mi&s;erable <HI>Meliantes</HI> di&s;gui&s;ed in the habit of a <HI>Me&s;&s;agettan;</HI> &s;o that Madam, &s;ince <HI>Arpasia</HI> hath three Lovers living, and all brave men, I cannot think her at the end of her mi&s;eryes, nor that you can add any com|forts unto her, but to pitty her and to let <HI>Gabrias</HI> hnow the mi&s;erable condition in which &s;he is, and to intere&s;t your &s;elf in her misfortunes.</P>
<P><HI>Niside</HI> having ended her Relation, the Prince&s;&s;es expre&s;&s;ed much &s;atisfaction from her, and thought it convenient, that as &s;oon as they &s;aw, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>A|tergatis</HI> to make known by them unto <HI>Gabrias</HI> and <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> the true &s;tate of <HI>Arpa|sias
<PB N="71" REF="926">
Arpa&s;ias</HI> fortunes. But whil&s;t they were preparing for their great interview which was to add con&s;olation unto them, they knew not, that the heart of <HI>Thomyris</HI> en|tained &s;uch thoughts as were like to prevent them. The truth is, this Queen who her &s;elf de&s;ired this truce, and who wi&s;hed for a &s;ight of <HI>Cyrus</HI> being upon the point of meeting, her heart began to tremble, &s;o that &s;he could not ma&s;ter it, and as all pa&s;&s;ionate per&s;ons are more apt to change their opinions than others, becau&s;e they are wholy guided by the motions of tho&s;e pa&s;&s;ions which po&s;&s;e&s;s them; &s;o <HI>Thomyris</HI> now feared, what before &s;hee de&s;ired, and began to be quite of another mind. For (&s;ayd &s;he) what is it I would &s;ay unto <HI>Cyrus?</HI> and what can I hope he will &s;ay unto me? &s;hall I &s;peak unto him concerning hatred or concerning love? &s;hall I appear unto him as a Lover or as an Enemy? is it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould ever think he can change his thoughts of me, &s;ince I cannot change my thoughts of him? Am I now more amiable than I was, when he &s;tole out of my Court? No, no, but on the contrary, I am &s;o unlike what I was, that I can hardly know my &s;elf: when I look in my Gla&s;s I find mine eyes are not &s;o much changed as I imagined, but yet my Glory is &s;tained, and I am &s;o di&s;honoured, that it is impo&s;&s;ible <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould now e&s;teem me, though I am not culpable of any other fault but too much loving him: And therefore &s;ince there is no manner of likelyhood that I &s;hould change his heart, by &s;uch an interview as this, I will not &s;ee him, or at lea&s;t untill after <HI>Ariantes</HI> hath &s;een him: For if he &s;peak &s;till with much affection of <HI>Manodna,</HI> I mu&s;t not &s;ee him at all; for if I do &s;ee him. I cannot afterwards treat him as the murtherer of my Son: I know very well that I can &s;ay I have learned &s;ome things which I knew not off before; but I know again, that I &s;hall expo&s;e my &s;elf by &s;eeing him unto the mo&s;t cruell adventure that can po&s;&s;ibly befall any one that is in Love, which is, to find hatred and &s;corn in the eyes of the per&s;on loved. Stay therfore I will, untill <HI>Cyrus</HI> hath &s;een his Rivall, and I will not expo&s;e my &s;elf to be &s;corned by a Prince who&s;e glory is &s;o firmly grounded, that all the world will think whom&s;oever he &s;corns is worthy to be &s;o.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Thomyris</HI> being &s;ettled in her re&s;olution, gave all requi&s;ite orders for the interview of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Ariantes,</HI> for that of <HI>Intaphernes, Atergatis, I&s;trina,</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia. Cynus</HI> on his &s;ide, prepared to &s;ee his Rivall, and en|deavoured to per&s;wade him, not to be her Pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ecutor after he had been her Deli|verer.</P>
<P>But to loo&s;e no time in the interim of this Truce, in ca&s;e that all per&s;wa&s;ions pro|ved fruitle&s;s, that Ingeneer with whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> had agreed, was &s;o diligent in his bu&s;i|ne&s;s, that he had prepared &s;o many Trees as were requi&s;ite to burn all the wood be|tween the two narrow pa&s;&s;ages, and he did it &s;o cunningly by the help of tho&s;e Souldiers which <HI>Cyrus</HI> appointed to follow his order;, that not one of either-&s;ide knew of the bu&s;ine&s;s, excepting tho&s;e who were nece&s;&s;ary for the execution of it.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the day and houre for this interview being come; both &s;ides prepared them&s;elves for it, yet the&s;e two interviews were performed &s;everall waies, for <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> were conducted by the Officers of <HI>Thomyris</HI> unto a Tent where tho&s;e two Prince&s;&s;es whom they were to &s;ee &s;hould be brought: That of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> was to be on Hor&s;e-back between the two Frontier Guards of both Camps, and in a place where the wood being divided into three &s;everall di|vi&s;ions, there was a great Plain between for this Interview.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Intaphennes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> went unto the place which they longed to be at, and they had undertaken &s;o many &s;everall bu&s;ine&s;&s;es that if they had di&s;patched them all, they would not have had any time to talk of love unto their Prince&s;&s;es; for <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;ined them to talk unto them concerning <HI>Mandana: Myr&s;iles</HI> conjured them to enquire of <HI>Dorali&s;a; Gabrias</HI> obliged them to know all circum&s;tances concerning <HI>Arpasia: Hyda&s;pes</HI> al&s;o conjured them unto the &s;ame, by the &s;en&s;ibility of their own Pa&s;&s;ions: So as &s;ince all Lovers do more willingly &s;erve &s;uch friends as are in love, than others, they were more ready to do a good Office for <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> in con&s;ideration of her Lover than in con&s;ideration of her Fa|ther, but they thought principally of tho&s;e joyes which they were going to receive, which were &s;o great, that when they entred into the Tent, where their Prince&s;&s;es were permitted to meet them, they could not expre&s;s their thoughts by their words. As for the Prince&s;&s;es they were more Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es of them&s;elves than the Princes: for
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though the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> perhaps had as great a de&s;ire to &s;peak unto <HI>Atergatis,</HI> as unto <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> yet &s;he went to her Brother before &s;he went unto her Lover.</P>
<P><HI>Atergatis</HI> for his part without any con&s;ideration of the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinias</HI> rank, he &s;aluted <HI>I&s;trina</HI> fir&s;t, and went where his love invited him: The di&s;cour&s;e of the&s;e four Per&s;ons a fir&s;t was generall, for &s;ince they were acquainted with all the &s;ecrets of each others hearts, and &s;ince their fortunes were &s;o twi&s;ted that they could not &s;ever them, they repeated all the misfortunes which hapned &s;ince they &s;aw one an|other: They &s;pake of <HI>Spitridates</HI> and <HI>Aramenta</HI> of <HI>Gadates</HI> and <HI>Gabrias,</HI> of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana: Atergatis</HI> remembred the reque&s;t of <HI>Myr&s;yles,</HI> and <HI>Intaphernes</HI> that of <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> and the Prince&s;&s;es told them all that they thought conducing to the &s;ervice of <HI>Arpa&s;ia.</HI> But afterwards failing in&s;en&s;ibly into particular talk without changing of places, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> talked in private with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> with <HI>I&s;trina:</HI> So as in this hours private di&s;cour&s;e they renewed their af|fections and tyed &s;tronger knots of love than ever.</P>
<P>On the other-&s;ide, the hour of the interview between <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> being come, the&s;e two Rivals with equall numbers of men met in the Plain which I &s;poke of before in the Wood, and according to the agreement they met on hor&s;-back; yet they might very well talk in private, becau&s;e all the company kept purpo&s;ely at convenient di&s;tances.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the &s;pirits of the&s;e two Rivals were very different: for <HI>Arian|tes</HI> knowing he had betrayed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he was much a&s;hamed to look him in the face, and if he dur&s;t have di&s;obeyed <HI>Thomyris</HI> he would not have con&s;ented unto this interview; yet love being a Pa&s;&s;ion which excu&s;eth all things, he conceived that his Crime being cau&s;ed by exce&s;s of love he was not &s;o criminall as he thought him|&s;elf; and he no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but looking upon him as a Rivall, and a Rivall loved, his anger did di&s;&s;ipate a great part of his &s;hame. As for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he looked up|on <HI>Ariantes</HI> as that Traitor, and ungratefull <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> who had robbed him of all his felicity in carry<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ng away <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet con&s;idering how he had her in his power, his exce&s;s of Love did cool his re&s;entment, al&s;o the la&s;t genero&s;ity of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> di&s;po&s;ed him to look le&s;&s;e fiercely upon him. <HI>Cyrus</HI> at this time, was waited upon by <HI>Mazares, Myr&s;iles, Ara&s;pes, Aglatidas, Sylamis, Mne&s;iphiles, Chyr&s;ias, Chry&s;antes, Lygdamis,</HI> and many others. And <HI>Ariantes</HI> was followed by <HI>Octoma|&s;ades, Agathir&s;is, Andramites,</HI> and all the mo&s;t con&s;iderable men in the Court of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> except <HI>Aripithes,</HI> who could not endure the &s;ight of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but with a &s;word in his hand; for being per&s;waded, that if <HI>Thomyris</HI> had not loved this Prince then he had been happy, he hated him mo&s;t extreamly. But at la&s;t, <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>A|riantes</HI> being met, and having &s;aluted each other, only out of complementall gene|ro&s;ity, <HI>Cyrus</HI> began to &s;peak fir&s;t.</P>
<P>Before I begin to &s;peak unto you, (&s;aid he unto him) I would gladly know from your own mouth, whether I &s;hould look upon you as the valiant <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> whom I mo&s;t dearly loved, or as the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Mandana,</HI> whom I am obliged to hate: Were it po&s;&s;ible (replyed he) that I could be the &s;ame <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> I was in <HI>Lydia,</HI> or when I was pri&s;oner at <HI>Cumes,</HI> I &s;hould wi&s;h your friend&s;hip; but &s;ince, it is im|po&s;&s;ible for me to be any other than the Lover of the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana;</HI> I beleive that I &s;hall hardly be the freind of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> not but that I am extreamly &s;orry, for|tune &s;hould force me to be ungratefull; but &s;ince Sir you know the power of <HI>Man|dana's</HI> charmes, I have no excu&s;e for my pa&s;&s;ion, but that it is above my rea&s;on. Though I were the mo&s;t in love of any man living, (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> yet Love &s;hould never make me do any thing which I &s;hould repent of, nor which &s;hould bring reproach upon me. It is &s;o ea&s;ie a matter to be ju&s;t, when one is happy (re|plyed <HI>Ariante's)</HI> and &s;o difficult a bu&s;ine&s;s not to be unju&s;t when one is mi&s;erable, that it is no wonder at the difference betwixt you and me in this bu&s;ine<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s: &s;ince you have no mind, (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that I &s;hould con&s;ider you as a man which will hearken unto Rea&s;on, Ju&s;tice, or Genero&s;ity; but as a man whom Love mu&s;t di&s;|pence with all the duties of rationall &s;ociety, I mu&s;t tell you, that looking upon you &s;imply as the Lover of <HI>Mandana,</HI> I mu&s;t look upon you as a man who does even the very wor&s;t he can do: For (added he without &s;peaking a word of <HI>Thomyris</HI> his pa&s;&s;ion) in keeping <HI>Mandana</HI> in the power of the <HI>Me&s;&s;agettan</HI> Queen (who mo&s;t unju&s;tly accu&s;eth me of her &s;ons death) you expo&s;e her unto all the Rigours
<GAP DESC="missing" EXTENT="2 pages">
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which revenge is capable of, and you are the mo&s;t unworthy Lover in the world, if you prefer your own intere&s;t before the life of her you love; and therefore to do ju&s;tly, let not <HI>Mandana</HI> be in the power of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> make choice of &s;uch a Sanctu|ary for her as may be inviolable, in any place of the world: And then not to ruin your protectors by an unju&s;t war, let us end our difference by &s;ingle combate: It was a thing which <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ged my &s;elf into with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> though he was a pri&s;oner, and I have more rea&s;on to offer it unto a man who is in the head of an ar|my. For (&s;aid he) out of his high genero&s;ity, to &s;hew that Love does not make me &s;o unju&s;t as you are, I do confe&s;s, that if my mo&s;t faithfull pa&s;&s;ion had not &s;et me above all my Rivalls, or if death had made me quit the right which I have unto the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of <HI>Mandana,</HI> then there were none in the world but <HI>Mazares</HI> who could di&s;pute with you for her. To give you a direct an&s;wer unto the propo&s;ition which you make (replyed <HI>Ariantes)</HI> I mu&s;t tell you that I am not in a condition to accept of it, for doubtle&s;s, I am &s;trong enough to hinder <HI>Thomyris</HI> from attem|ting any thing again&s;t the life of the Prince&s;&s;e, but not to get her out of her hands.</P>
<P>Moreover, to make it appear that I am unju&s;t only in matters relating to my Love, I do declare, that in con&s;ideration of tho&s;e obligations upon me when I was <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> I will never fight again&s;t you, but in the way of war, unle&s;s fortune &s;hould bring us together as it did in the wood, neer the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> &s;o as all I can &s;ay unto you is, that I wil defend the life of <HI>Mandana,</HI> again&s;t the Queen my &s;i&s;ter, as if &s;he were my utter enemy, and I will keep the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that Prin|ce&s;s again&s;t you, as if you had never ingaged me by your obligations, provided you will defend her again&s;t <HI>Thomyris,</HI> (replyed <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;harply) I care not what re&s;o|lutions you take again&s;t mee, for &s;ince the war I make is ju&s;t, and &s;ince the Gods are &s;o likewi&s;e, and &s;ince my armes u&s;e to be fortunate, it may &s;o come to pa&s;&s;e that the <HI>Me&s;&s;agettan</HI> Queen may come to repent of her injuries, and you al&s;o re|pent of what you have done. Fortune replyed <HI>Ariantes,</HI> is &s;omtimes weary with al|waies favouring the &s;ame man; I know not whether fortune be weary (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> but I am &s;ure the Gods are never weary of being ju&s;t, nor will I ever be weary of per&s;ecuting the per&s;ecutors of <HI>Mandana</HI> all the world over: Think there|fore of what I propo&s;e before we part, I offer once more to fight with you, and to lay a&s;ide all tho&s;e advantages which war hath given me, provided <HI>Mandana</HI> may be &s;afe, yes (added this Illu&s;trious Prince) I will engage my &s;elf, to &s;urrender the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> to carry my forces beyond <HI>Araxes,</HI> and never to make more war upon <HI>Thomyris,</HI> provided you will oblige her to put the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> in &s;ome place of &s;afety. I have already told you (replyed <HI>Ariantes)</HI> that I am able to defend the life of <HI>Mandana</HI> again&s;t <HI>Thomyris,</HI> but I cannot get her out of her pow|er, than theres an end of the truce this very hour (replyed <HI>Cyrus</HI> very angerly) nor will I &s;ee <HI>Thomyris;</HI> for &s;ince you cannot per&s;wade her, I am &s;ure I cannot: however, be you the Protector of <HI>Mandana</HI> again&s;t <HI>Thomyris,</HI> and to give you an example of my equity I declare unto you, that if <HI>Mandana</HI> do prefer you before me and have a mind to make you happy, I do declare, I &s;ay, that I will lay down armes, and without any thoughts of revenge either upon <HI>Thomyris</HI> or upon you, I will only think to cure my &s;elf by death, but yet I will hear her declaration of it from her own mouth.</P>
<P>Alas, alas (&s;aid <HI>Ariantes)</HI> you know too well, that <HI>Mandana</HI> will not pronounce &s;entence on my &s;ide, and therefore I can &s;ay no more unto you, than what I have already: Since it is &s;o, (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;harply) I mu&s;t retire and prepare my &s;elf to fight with you in the head of my army, &s;ince you will not otherwi&s;e. When I meet you &s;o, (replyed <HI>Ariantes,) I</HI> &s;hall defend my &s;elf as I have done, and perphaps I &s;hall vanqui&s;h you, as <HI>I</HI> have done (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> and retired) As this Prince pro|nounced the&s;e la&s;t words with much ha&s;te, &s;o <HI>Ariantes</HI> did not well under&s;tand them, but returning a doubtfull an&s;wer which <HI>Cyrus</HI> under&s;tood not neither. They both of them retyred looking fiercely upon one another, and &s;aying no more. Yet a ve|ry notable difference might be &s;een in the fiercen&s;&s;e of the&s;e two Princes: for there appeared in <HI>Ariantes</HI> a mixture of &s;hame and melancholly among&s;t the fierce|ne&s;s of his countenance, but in <HI>Cyrus,</HI> nothing could be &s;een but great and Heroick: For though the the fire of his anger &s;parkled in his eyes, yet he had a maje&s;ty in his countenance, and &s;uch a kind of noblene&s;s and grandure in his carriage, and &s;uch a
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&s;prightly activity in his looks, as his anger appeared to be very terrible, He tur|ned him&s;elf twice or thrice towards his Rivall, after he was parted; but as for <HI>Ari|antes</HI> he had not power to do the like, for he having virtuous inclinations, he had a &s;trange repugnancy in him&s;elf, as oft as his love did force to things or thoughts again&s;t virtue:</P>
<P>However, as &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> he told them all the di&s;cour&s;e which <HI>Ariantes</HI> and he had, for &s;ince they &s;tood at di&s;tances in the wood they had not heard what they &s;aid: but he &s;poke unto them with &s;uch a &s;pright|ly countenance, as made it apparant to them, that he thought of nothing &s;o much as to be fighting. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Thomyris</HI> who waited impatiently for the re|turn of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> that &s;he might deliberate after that, whether &s;he would &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> or no, and &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw the Prince her brother, but &s;he de&s;ired an account of this interview. Since <HI>Ariantes</HI> could not faithfully relate all the conference, lea&s;t he &s;hould move her unto &s;ome violent re&s;olutions again&s;t <HI>Mandana,</HI> he would never touch upon that &s;tring, but though out of a re&s;entment of love unto his mi|&s;tre&s;s, he dur&s;t not incen&s;e <HI>Thomyris,</HI> again&s;t his Rivall; yet that Prince&s;s having a peircing apprehen&s;ion, plainly perceived, that there was no hopes <HI>Cyrus</HI> would not cea&s;e loving <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;o that having no di&s;po&s;ition to &s;ee him, &s;he colloured it with a pretence, that &s;he had received &s;ome Letters which advi&s;ed her that it was not expedient to expo&s;e her &s;elf unto that interview, which &s;he re&s;olved upon with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;o as by this means, that Prince was delivered from this trouble: Yet he had the con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">olation to under&s;tand by the return of <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> that <HI>Mandana</HI> was not ill treated, and excepting the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ollitude in which &s;he lived, &s;ince the death of <HI>Spargapiees,</HI> &s;he &s;uffered under no notion of violence. Howe|ver, the truce being ended, <HI>Cyrus</HI> be thought him&s;elf of executing his de&s;ign; &s;o as giving all requi&s;ite orders for it, he was ready the next night to try the rare &s;ecret of the Ingeneer, which would burn all the wood between the two &s;trait pa&s;&s;ages and cut off all communicat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">on between the enemies quarters. <HI>Cyrus</HI> then having made choi&s;e of &s;uch troops as were to a&s;&s;ault the enemy at that place which was mo&s;t weakly guarded, he prepared him&s;elf for the execution of this enterprize which was of &s;o great importance.</P>
<P>Yet he did not quit that quarter which he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed neer the other pa&s;s, lea&s;t the enemy &s;hould di&s;cover his de&s;ign.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the project of the Ingeneer did take admirably well: For he judiciou&s;ly fore&s;aw, that the wind would ri&s;e to favour his enterprize, and would ri&s;e &s;o, as would blow the flames towards tho&s;e Enemies which would releive tho&s;e which <HI>Cyrus</HI> a&s;&s;aulted, and not towards the troops of that Prince. Night being come, <HI>Cyrus</HI> ordered his men fit for an a&s;&s;ault; but before he marched, he acquain|ted the officers with the fire, which would be on their left hand, and they acquain|ted their &s;ouldiers, &s;o as the thing pa&s;&s;ing from mouth to mouth, every one was pre|pared in a quarter of an hour, not to wonder at an accident &s;o extraordinary, but on the contrary, to beleive that the victory would be certainly theirs, almo&s;t without any danger.</P>
<P>This being the &s;tate of things, <HI>Cyrus</HI> in the head of his troops, began to march to|wards the pa&s;s: But lea&s;t the a&s;&s;ault &s;hould precede the burning, a&s;&s;oon as that Prince began to march, the Ingeneer according to his fir&s;t de&s;ign, did &s;et fire unto twelve trees which he had prepared to receive it, and &s;o judiciou&s;ly, that tho&s;e twelve trees being in &s;everall places, and in the mid&s;t of many others which were rubbed with the &s;ame compo&s;ition, immediatly all that wood which &s;eperated the two pa&s;&s;es was in a flame, <HI>Cyrus</HI> making his a&s;&s;ault at the &s;ame time that the fire began, the enemy was &s;trangely &s;urprized, yet &s;ince he who commanded that pa&s;s, was a very brave and gallant men, he made a &s;tout re&s;i&s;tance, in hopes that the fire would not run through the wood, and in hopes he &s;hould be releived by <HI>Aripithes</HI> who was at the other pa&s;s, but he was deceived in his hopes, for the conflagrati|on was &s;o great, that never was object more full of terrour and a&s;toni&s;&s;iment.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince the wind wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ted the flames towards that &s;ide on which <HI>Aripithes</HI> was they never hindred the march of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his troops, &s;o as they had all fire on their left hand without any trouble unto them; but on the contrary it hel|ped them in their way with light, and was a terrour to the enemy they were to fight
<PB N="77" REF="928">
withall Not but that this valiant Commander who had the Guard of that pa&s;s, and was a <HI>Sauromate</HI> by birth, did mo&s;t couragiou&s;ly oppo&s;e <HI>Cyrus;</HI> And <HI>Aripithes</HI> on his &s;ide being adverti&s;ed of the A&s;&s;ault which was made upon that Pa&s;s, he would needs come in per&s;on to defend it: but the flames being an ob&s;tacle unto him, he was forced to go a great way about to oppo&s;e the pa&s;&s;age of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> but this great Prince did not give him any time for it; for &s;eeing that the valiant Sauromate whom he had before him, would rather peri&s;h then for&s;ake the Pa&s;s which he guarded, he would needs make the a&s;&s;ault in per&s;on, and fell on &s;o couragiou&s;ly, that he forced him to give ground. And as tho&s;e who fight retyring do not alwaies pre&s;erve their u&s;uall judgment; &s;o this valiant Sauromate retyred towards the Wood which was on fire, yet &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> conceived that by driving him further, he &s;hould leave the pa&s;&s;age &s;o open unto his Troops, that <HI>Mazares</HI> &amp; <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> might pa&s;s whil&s;t he was fighting; he did force him on &s;o vigorou&s;ly, as it might in &s;ome &s;ort be &s;ayd he did drive him too far. And indeed this couragious Sauromate &s;eeing him&s;elf and his men in a mo&s;t terrible extremity, he turned his valour into de&s;pair, and did &s;uch prodigious Acts of Valour, as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was never in all his life in &s;o much danger as now: And that you may the better know into what danger this great Prince was expo&s;ed; be plea&s;ed to know that driving tho&s;e valiant Sauromates towards the inflamed Trees, in hopes to force them to yeild them&s;elves, he al&s;o had engaged him&s;elf in the fire; for &s;ince the Souldiers who did according to the commands of the Ingeneir, he unluckily prepared &s;ome Trees to receive the fire in a place where he did not command them, and where <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not think any had been prepared, &s;o it chanced that the fire took hold of the&s;e Trees, in&s;omuch as <HI>Cyrus</HI> who was fighting with the Sauromates, was upon a &s;udden in the mid&s;ts of fire and fla&s;hing flames; yet he was &s;o fully re&s;olved to vanqui&s;h this va<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ant Sauromatan Comman|der, that he &s;till pur&s;ued him: Never was Combate more terrible then this; the great light which was in all the Wood, did make a &s;trange fury appear in the coun|tenances of the Combatants: Their Arms did gli&s;ter exceedingly, and the fire and &s;moak together did &s;o alter objects, as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was hardly knowable; But though he could not be known by the colour of his Complexion, yet he was by his valour. In the mean time, the flames increa&s;ed, and the blows of <HI>Cyrus</HI> falling thicker, the Sauromates to avoid them, did run into that part of the Wood which was mo&s;t in flames, and thinking therfore to avoid his pur&s;uit, a huge Tree did fall and gave a &s;top unto their flight, &s;o as they dyed in a mo&s;t horrid manner. Moreover the hor|&s;es being frighted at this fall of fire, they carried their Ma&s;ters into the mo&s;t dange|rous places of the Combate, the&s;e mi&s;erable Animals choo&s;ing rather to avoid the flames then their Riders Enemies: The rumbling of the wind which blew the flames a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ded unto the crackling of leaves, the falling of fiery Trees, and to the &s;crikes of dying and vanqui&s;hed men, did make a noi&s;e more hideous and terrible then the murmuring of the enraged Sea and mo&s;t loud thunder together could do. <HI>Cyrus</HI> thus being in th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> condition, at la&s;t &s;aw all his Enemies dead, except that valiant Sau|romate whom he de&s;ired to overcome and one other, and he &s;aw him&s;elf abando|ned by tho&s;e few men which followed him, not that they were fled, but the fall of an enflamed Tree having &s;eparated them from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> they knew not how to come at him again; &s;o as this great Prince was alone in the mid&s;t of fire and flames, again&s;t two mo&s;t terrible Enemies. However in lieu of being a&s;toni&s;hed, he became more valiant and hardy, and fought it out with &s;uch &s;trange vigour, that he vanqui&s;hed the two Sauromates, for he ran the one thorough the body, and wounded the other in his right arm and thigh, and came with &s;uch fury upon him, that he overthrew his hor&s;e, which to avoid the flames left his Ma&s;ter wounded and di&s;armed, for his Sword broke in the fall, &s;o that getting up again with much <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">do, he &s;aw him&s;elf at the mercy of this Conquerour, and at the mercy of the fire. But <HI>Cyrus</HI> being infi|nitely admired for his valour and clemency: when this Sauromate had yeilded him|&s;elf, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw him without Armes, or Hor&s;e, or power to walk, he let him get up behind him, purpo&s;ely to &s;hew him the way through this enflamed Wood and Laborinth of fire (as I may call it) in which he was engaged. So this valiant Pri&s;oner accepting the offer of his illu&s;trious Conqueror, he got up behind him, and turning &s;omtimes to the right hand, and &s;omtimes to the left, to avoid the flames
<PB N="78" REF="929">
and fall of Trees, they came at la&s;t to the place where <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> had drawn up their Troops, not taking any care for him, becau&s;e they imagined that he was returned unto the entrance of the Wood, as &s;oon as he was a&s;&s;ured of the pa&s;|&s;age: But he was no &s;ooner with them, then they under&s;tood from the mouth of his Pri&s;oner what Miracles he had done, and how generous he was in &s;aving his life. However the better to merit the Commendations which his Pri&s;oner had gi|ven him, he cau&s;ed him to be &s;et on hor&s;-back behind <HI>Ortalgues</HI> who had orders to carry him unto the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> to &s;ee him dre&s;&s;ed, and to have a great care of him: Afterwards this great Prince left <HI>Mazares</HI> and <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> to bring all the Troops through the pa&s;&s;age, whil&s;t he him&s;elf went beyond the Wood, and drew them up into Battaglia as they pa&s;&s;ed, lea&s;t <HI>Aripithis</HI> or <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;hould come charge them in di&s;order. And to act with as much Prudence as Courage he did not disfurni&s;h that Quarter which was neer the other pa&s;&s;age, but guarded that which he had already pa&s;&s;ed, that he might make u&s;e of it upon all occa&s;ions.</P>
<P>In the mean time, he had no rea&s;on to fear his being a&s;&s;aulted; for the fiering of the Wood and the noi&s;e of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his pa&s;&s;age had put the Enemy into &s;uch a terri|ble di&s;may, as they were not in any condition to make any attempts; &s;o that with|in two hours after the Sun was up, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was gotten on the other &s;ide of the Wood in the head of his Army, drawn all up into regular Battaglia, with the lo&s;s of a very incon&s;iderable number of men.</P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The end of the fir&s;t Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="part">
<PB N="79" REF="929">
<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR, THE GRAND CYRUS. THE TENTH AND LAST PART. AND SECOND BOOK.</HEAD>
<P>_AS Fortune is plea&s;ed to entail happy Events upon &s;ome, and Mi&s;eries after mi&s;ery upon others, after her own Capritious humour; So <HI>Cyrus</HI> had not only the ad|vantage to pa&s;s his Army, but he had al&s;o the joyes to know that <HI>Ciaxares</HI> had &s;ent him a very con&s;iderable body both of Hor&s;e and Foot; and he under&s;tood al&s;o that <HI>Tigranes</HI> and <HI>Spitridates</HI> would arive within three daies at the Town where the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;ile</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>Aramenta</HI> Quartered, and by con&s;equence to have two of the mo&s;t valiant men in the world in his Army. But whil&s;t he had the&s;e Con&s;olations, <HI>Thomyris</HI> who was come unto her troops which were not far off from the Vanguard of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> was in a mo&s;t incredible de&s;pair, when &s;he &s;aw the Army of an Enemy whom &s;he could not choo&s;e but love, and when &s;he &s;aw it had pa&s;&s;ed tho&s;e &s;traights which &s;he hoped to have kept untill all the re&s;t of her Forces were come up which &s;he expected, &s;o as never thinking of defending or guarding the Pa&s;&s;es &s;he called back the Troops of <HI>Aripithes,</HI> and was extreamly offended at him, though he was in no fault, yet &s;he chid him as if he could have kept the Wood from being burnt; or as if he could have marched through the flames to releive them whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> a&s;&s;aulted.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the wood continued &s;till burning, and <HI>Thomyris</HI> beheld the flames from off a little Hill, thinking all the Horizon that way had been circled with a girdle of fire. The truth is, the Conflagration was &s;o great that if the wind had not cea&s;ed upon a &s;udden, it had not been &s;o &s;oon ex&s;tingui&s;hed. But at la&s;t, the
<PB N="80" REF="930">
Air being &s;erene and calm the fire did not communicate it &s;elf, but as &s;oon as tho&s;e trees which were on fire were con&s;umed, the fire extingui&s;hed of it &s;elf, &s;o that after this, that wood which was &s;o plea&s;ant and delightfull, was become one of the mo&s;t af|frighting objects in the world; for be&s;ides the great heap of cindars, and extin|gui&s;hed coales, which might be &s;een, one might behold &s;ome trees &s;tanding, but without leaves or branches, only &s;tumps bla&s;ted though not burnt down, &s;o as it was become a terrour to the pritty birds which harboured in it, and could not fa|ford them the branch of one tree for an umbrage. <HI>Cyrus</HI> al&s;o could &s;ee the Fort of <HI>Sauromates</HI> from his camp, and indeed the place was &s;o altered, that it &s;eemed not the &s;ame it was</P>
<P>In the mean time, Though <HI>Cyrus</HI> had a great de&s;ire to march towards <HI>Tho|myris,</HI> yet he dur&s;t not advance any further, untill he had ammunition for his army, and though he was not far off from <HI>Thomyris,</HI> yet he knew he could not force her to fight, becau&s;e of a little river which favored her retreat. And indeed, <HI>Ariantes</HI> thinking it not expedient to fight until all the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">orces which <HI>Thomyris</HI> expected were joyned, he &s;et &s;ome troops to defend the Ford over that river, and retired him&s;elf neer the Tents Royall, intrenching him&s;elf &s;o advantageou&s;ly, that it was very dan|gerous to a&s;&s;ault him: After which they held a coun&s;ell of war, wherein it was re|&s;olved, to hazard a battel, as &s;oon as tho&s;e forces which they expected were arri|ved.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> were like to fall out again, for that Queen &s;eeing that <HI>Mandana's</HI> guards were more affectionate unto <HI>Ariantes</HI> then unto her, &s;he intended to change them; to the end, that if &s;he lo&s;t the battel, yet &s;he might have that Prince&s;s in her power, and to make u&s;e of her, either for her revenge or for her &s;afety. But &s;ince <HI>Ariantes</HI> was no le&s;&s;e afraid that <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould fall under the power of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> then under the power of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he did &s;o earne&s;tly oppo&s;e her de&s;ign of changing him who commanded <HI>Mandana's</HI> guard, that &s;he dur&s;t not per&s;i&s;t in her re&s;olution, in a time when the lea&s;t divi&s;ion in her army might make them ea&s;ily overcome.</P>
<P>However, &s;ince &s;he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ent &s;everall orders to ha&s;ten up the troops, they made &s;uch ha&s;t, that they came unto the generall Rendezvouz, before <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in a condi|tion to advance, and arrived without any danger, for being beyond the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ents Royall, <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not hinder them from joyning But this great Prince was &s;o ex|treamly impatient of fighting, that as &s;oon as all things nece&s;&s;ary for the &s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">i|&s;tance of his army were ready, he marched toward the Enemy, who for a time di&s;puted the pa&s;&s;age over the river, but at la&s;t they left it, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> cau&s;ing im|mediatly, many bridges to be made with faggots and planks, for the pa&s;&s;age of his Infantry, he got over all his army in a day and a half, and put them into battle ar|ray. But as he was ju&s;t ready to march, the wi&s;e and virtuous <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> came un|to him who &s;eeing things at the very la&s;t extreamity be&s;eeched <HI>Cyrus</HI> to let him go and feel the pul&s;e of <HI>Thomyris</HI> once more: For Sir (&s;aid he unto him) I con|ceive that <HI>Mandana</HI> will be in more danger if &s;he loo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e the battell, then if you lo&s;t it. Could you per&s;w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">de me of that (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> I think that I &s;hould &s;uffer my &s;elf to be overcome. However it be Sir (replyed <HI>Anachar&s;is)</HI> I conceive <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hat to make the gods propicious unto you it is requi&s;ite that you take &s;uch a cour&s;e as that you may not be accu&s;ed of all the blood which will be &s;pilt in this battell, which you are going to fight, and therefore I beg of you three days to try what my la&s;t endeavours can do: I mu&s;t confe&s;s wi&s;e <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> (replied <HI>Cyrus</HI> I can|not chu&s;e but wonder you &s;hould have any hopes that <HI>Thomyris</HI> will <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">g her mind: But &s;ince I cannot deny &s;uch a man as you I am contented you &s;hould <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ee <HI>Thomyris,</HI> though I conceive it is again&s;t my honour to talk of any peace, after &s;uch advantages as I have gotten. On the contrary Sir (replyed <HI>Anachar&s;is)</HI> Conque|rours may make propo&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ions of peace with honour it is only the conquered who can demand it with &s;hame, nor would I go unto this Queen as an En<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">oy from you Sir, but only as a bare Mediatour, and as a man who &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;iders the lo&s;&s;e of &s;o many brave men, as mu&s;t needs be lo&s;t in the battell; &s;o pa&s;&s;ing for no more then a Mediatour, between you and <HI>Thomyris,</HI> you may both of you deny what I &s;hall propound if you have a mind, but however I will never be upbraided with negle|cting any thing that may &s;top the effu&s;ion of &s;o much innocent blood as needs mu&s;t
<PB N="76" REF="930">
be &s;pilt, be the War never &s;o ju&s;t After this <HI>Cyrus</HI> being unwilling to deny <HI>A|nachar&s;is</HI> who &s;ayd he would not retard his de&s;ign above three dayes, he told him that he con&s;ented unto it; And commanding a Herald to conduct him, this wi&s;e <HI>Scythian</HI> went unto <HI>Thomyris.</HI> As &s;oon as he came unto the fir&s;t of her Troops he was &s;topped and that Prince&s;s being immediately adverti&s;ed of his Arrival, &s;he ima|gined that this virtuous <HI>Scythian</HI> was come more at the in&s;tance of <HI>Cyrus</HI> then his own, &s;o as flattering up her &s;elf in a fal&s;e grounded hope, &s;he commanded he &s;hould be very civilly u&s;ed and brought unto her.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> knowing that things difficult are never brought to pa&s;s at fir&s;t, he re&s;olved to behave him&s;elf &s;o as that Queen might imagine that he did not tell her all he had in commi&s;&s;ion to impart, to the end that &s;till hoping for more &s;he might not &s;uddenly &s;end him away as &s;he was wont, but might give him time to tell her all his rea&s;ons, and might let him &s;peak with <HI>Ariantes</HI> al&s;o: And indeed this Sage <HI>Scythian</HI> carried him&s;elf with &s;o much Prudence that <HI>Thomyris</HI> did hearken unto him very plau&s;ibly, and he tempered her &s;pirit, that he wanted but a little of per&s;wading her, that if &s;he would &s;et <HI>Mandana</HI> at liberty &s;he might hope <HI>Cyrus</HI> would change his mind; yet he &s;pake nothing which mig<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t po&s;itively be &s;o interpreted; but telling her in generall, &s;he could never be happy as long as &s;he was unju&s;t; Her prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed imagination did &s;o deceave her, that &s;he demanded a Truce the &s;econd time: So that <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> returning unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and coming back again unto <HI>Thomyris.</HI> A Truce was concluded for five daies before any of ei|ther &s;ide knew why it was made, or upon what they would treat. How<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ver, made it was, and all well meaning per&s;ons about <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> were bu&s;ier then e|ver to in&s;pire their thoughts with more ju&s;t re&s;entments then tho&s;e which love gave them. As for <HI>Cyrus</HI> there was no que&s;tion but he would yeild unto peace with <HI>Thomyris,</HI> provided &s;he would re&s;tore <HI>Mandana.</HI></P>
<P>But whil&s;t all the&s;e u&s;ele&s;s Negotiations were tran&s;acting, <HI>Spitridates</HI> and <HI>Tigra|nes</HI> came unto the Town where <HI>One&s;ile</HI> and the Queen of <HI>Pontus</HI> were; And For|tune at la&s;t as aver&s;e as &s;he had been, unto <HI>Araminta</HI> and <HI>Spitridates</HI> permitted them the joyes of &s;eeing each other again: yet the interview of the&s;e four per&s;ons had &s;ome &s;adne&s;s mixed with their &s;atisfactions; for it was impo&s;&s;ible for them to meet without remembrance of the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> his death, and of that of <HI>Phra|artes,</HI> and that with thoughts &s;uitable to the cruelty of their F<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tes. But the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;ile</HI> did &s;o manage the matter that their joyes were above their &s;orrows. After they had talked along time in <HI>One&s;iles</HI> Chamber, <HI>Araminta</HI> going unto her own, <HI>Spitridates</HI> waited upon her, and had private conference with that Prince&s;s, whom he had never &s;een, &s;ince he cau&s;ed her to get out of <HI>Cabira</HI> whether <HI>Artanus</HI> had carried her and from whence &s;he intended to go into <HI>Armenia,</HI> where &s;he thought the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> her brother was: He not being able to expre&s;s his joyes at the &s;ight of that fair, virtuous, and charming Prince&s;s, after &s;o many misfortunes he made his complaints unto her in a mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionate manner. I &s;ee, Madam (&s;ayd he unto her) that mi&s;eries are in&s;eparable from <HI>Spitridates,</HI> &s;ince I am extreamly grie|ved that my words are not able to expre&s;s my joyes that I have the honour once more to &s;ee you I a&s;&s;ure you, Sir (replyed <HI>Araminta</HI> mo&s;t obligingly, that to i|magine your joyes, I need only mea&s;ure them by my own Ah, Madam (&s;ayd <HI>Spitridates)</HI> as obliging as your Language is, yet I am &s;ure it is unju&s;t; for it is not po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould he &s;o glad to &s;ee me again, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> I am to &s;ee you, and to have the liberty of telling you all the Torments that I have endured: you have had one Sir, (an&s;wered &s;he and half &s;miled) which I advi&s;e you not to remember me of, for after &s;o many rea&s;ons of commending you, I have no mind to complain again&s;t you I under&s;tand you very well Madam (&s;ayd he unto her) you would know all the Torments which the unfortunate <HI>Spitridates</HI> hath endured when he was a Wande|rer, a Fugitive, a Pri&s;oner wounded and ab&s;ent; but you would not hear of the Torments which he endured when he was &s;o b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d as to be jealous: And yet he hath been more mi&s;erable by rea&s;on of his jealou&s;ie then by all the re&s;t of his misfor|tunes: But, Madam, &s;ince it is your plea&s;ure to have it &s;o, I will &s;ubmit, and will not excu&s;e my weakne&s;s, but ask a pardon for it, and will undergo any puni&s;hment you &s;hall plea&s;e to inflict.</P>
<P>Afterwards the&s;e two illu&s;trious per&s;ons calling unto memory all the adventures
<PB N="82" REF="931">
which had befallen them from their Infancy untill now, they found the number of them &s;o great, that they admired how they were able to endure them, and they had &s;een &s;o great an example of giddy Fortunes incon&s;tancy, as they dur&s;t not a&s;&s;ure them&s;elves of any long continuance of the happine&s;s which they then enjoyed; yet upon &s;econd thoughts they beleived that &s;ince they had now met together, there could not any fortunes befall them wor&s;e then before: So as confirming that inno|cent affection which they had formerly promi&s;ed, it may very well be &s;ayd that the knot was fa&s;ter tyed then ever before. <HI>Spitridates</HI> not knowing that <HI>Cyrus</HI> treated <HI>Araminta</HI> as Queen of <HI>Pontus</HI> &s;ince the death of her Brother, he &s;poke unto her as acknowledging her &s;o, although her Father was in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that Kingdom which gave her that Title; and indeed he behaved him&s;elf like a Prince who was worthy to re&s;emble <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and who indeed did re&s;emble him as neer in the Qualities of his Soul, as in the Features of his Face. On the other &s;ide, the particular di&s;cour&s;e be|tween <HI>Tygranes</HI> and <HI>One&s;ile</HI> was with as much tender, &s;olid, and &s;incere affection, as could po&s;&s;ibly be found in two per&s;ons who loved mo&s;t deerly: For <HI>Tigranes</HI> had not renounced all the Civilities and re&s;pects of a Lover, though he was the hu&s;|band of the admirable <HI>One&s;ile:</HI> The fair <HI>Telagene</HI> had al&s;o a &s;hare in the joyes of the&s;e two illu&s;trious Per&s;ons; and the wi&s;e <HI>He&s;ionide</HI> was &s;o glad to &s;ee <HI>Spitridates</HI> again, that <HI>Araminta</HI> her &s;elf could not be more.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Spitridates</HI> and <HI>Tigranes</HI> under&s;tood that there was a Treaty in agitation, they made no &s;uch ha&s;t in going unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> But <HI>One&s;ile</HI> con|ceiving that if the Army of this Prince &s;hould move further off, <HI>Araminta</HI> and &s;he &s;hould hear &s;eldomer from tho&s;e who were &s;o dear unto them, &s;he propounded un|to the Queen of <HI>Pontus,</HI> to go unto the Fort of <HI>Sauromates</HI> of which <HI>Cyrus</HI> was Ma&s;ter, and there wait the Succe&s;s of the War: <HI>Araminta</HI> liking the motion, they propounded it afterwards unto <HI>Tigranes</HI> and <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who not thinking of any danger unto the Prince&s;&s;es in that place, and finding it very convenient for them if the War continued, they thanked them for their intentions, and prepared to wait upon them thither; and &s;o they departed the next morning: But to the end they might be received unto the Fort without any &s;top, <HI>Tigranes</HI> &s;ent to acquaint <HI>Cyrus</HI> with the intentions of the Queen of <HI>Pontus</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> &s;o as that Prince being very glad of the news, he gave all nece&s;&s;ary orders for their fit recep|tion into that Fort, preparing him&s;elf to make a vi&s;it unto the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es, &s;ince the Treaty would permit him, and &s;ince it was not above four hours riding between his Camp &amp; the Fort; and he was &s;o quick in his bu&s;ine&s;s, that <HI>Tigranes</HI> and <HI>Spitridates</HI> intending to come unto the Camp, were not &s;et out of the Fort when he arrived; &s;o as being much a&s;hamed they &s;hould be thus prevented, they went to meet him, and a&s;&s;ured him that had they not thought he had been bu&s;ie about the Treaty, they would not have &s;tayed &s;o long before they had ki&s;&s;ed his hand. I come not hither, Sirs, (an&s;wered that Prince) to receive excu&s;es for a bu&s;ine&s;s which de&s;ires none, but only to participate of your joyes which you have both given and receiv<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d to and from the mo&s;t excellent Prince&s;&s;es in the world. Afterwards <HI>Cyrus</HI> asked them why they &s;tayed &s;o long in the Port where they landed, and they told him that at fir&s;t, it was to put them&s;elves into an equipage fit for coming into the Army, and that afterwards they &s;tayed there a while, to know whether the great reports of a Rebellion in <HI>Bythinia</HI> were true or no, but hearing no certainty of it came at la&s;t to the place where love and honour did invite them.</P>
<P>After this <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Spitridates</HI> making a &s;hort repetition of both their misfor|tunes, <HI>Cyrus</HI> mo&s;t obligingly told that Prince how he was very glad that he did not re&s;emble him in one thing. It is &s;o glorious, Sir, to re&s;emble you in all (replyed <HI>Spitridates)</HI> that I wonder you &s;hould &s;ay &s;o: Doubtle&s;s you will agree with me (&s;ayd <HI>Cyrus)</HI> as &s;oon as I have told you that you have great rea&s;on to be well &s;a|tisfied in being no further off the Prince&s;s you love as I am off her whom I adore, but that you may be no longer from her (&s;ayd he mo&s;t &s;weetly) let me carry you unto her, and &s;o <HI>Cyrus</HI> went unto the Chamber of that Prince&s;s with whom was <HI>One&s;ile:</HI> The &s;ight of this Prince did &s;o &s;urpri&s;e <HI>Araminta,</HI> that &s;he could not choo&s;e but blu&s;h in remembrance of that unju&s;t Jealou&s;ie which <HI>Spitridates</HI> appre|hended; yet &s;ince &s;he knew him to be perfectly cured, &s;he pre&s;ently recollected her &s;elf, and the conver&s;ation was that day very agreeable.</P>
<P><PB N="83" REF="931">
The Prince <HI>Indather&s;is, Atergatis, Silamus, Mne&s;epher&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Cher&s;ias,</HI> did wait upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> this little journey, &s;o as it was impo&s;&s;ible that &s;o many excel|lent wits &s;hould be together, and their di&s;cour&s;e not be infinitely plea&s;ing. <HI>Spitri|dates</HI> and <HI>Intaphernes</HI> imbraced each other by the orders of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;o did <HI>Ater|gatis</HI> and <HI>Spitridates,</HI> from whom that Prince under&s;tood that it was they, who had delivered <HI>Araminta.</HI></P>
<P>But <HI>Cyrus</HI> intending to dine at the Fort, after he had made his fir&s;t vi&s;it unto the Prince&s;&s;es, he would make a &s;econd unto the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> who was brought thither after he had received his wounds in the la&s;t battell; afterwards he would go and &s;ee the valiant <HI>Sauromate</HI> al&s;o, who&s;e life he had &s;aved after he had vanqui|&s;hed him, by carrying him out of the flames, in wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ch he had peri&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d, had not his genero&s;ity &s;aved him. but in go<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ng thither, one of the Guard belonging to the Fort, brought two men unto him, who &s;aid they were &s;ent thither. And <HI>Cyrus</HI> was very gladly &s;urprized to &s;ee that one of them was the jealous <HI>Leontidus:</HI> Al&s;o he no &s;ooner <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">pied him, but he went and very kindly imbraced him.</P>
<P>Dear <HI>Leontidus,</HI> (&s;aid he unto him after the fir&s;t complement) I pray tell me whether I mu&s;t owe my joyes of &s;eeing you, unto your jealou&s;y, or unto my good fortune? Truly Sir (replyed he) I know not well unto whom I owe the ho|nour I have to &s;ee you, but I come hither, becau&s;e the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> &s;ent me, becau&s;e my own inclination invited me, and becau&s;e my bad fortune hath driven me from <HI>Alcidamie,</HI> before I have had experience of the wor&s;t kind of jealou&s;y, and yet I think replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that you have had experience of all &s;orts that are, for you have been jealous of <HI>Policates,</HI> who was your &s;uperiour, and of <HI>Hyparchus</HI> who was your inferiour in all things. I think (I &s;ay) you have been jealous of a man who was your friend, and of another who was your enemy, and had tryall of all &s;orts of jealou&s;y under the &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n.</P>
<P>There was only one kind (replyed he) but &s;ince it is the mo&s;tterrible of all, I have no mind to expo&s;e my &s;elf unto it. When we are in a place more conveni|ent (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> and when I have more lea&s;ure, you &s;hall in&s;truct me with the conclu&s;ion of your adventure, but in the <HI>Interim</HI> I pray tell me how fares the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> and the fair <HI>Alcionide?</HI> they are both of them &s;o happy in each other, replyed <HI>Leontidus,</HI> that nothing can trouble their felicity unle&s;&s;e the thought of your mi&s;&punc;fortunes, and of that, they are very &s;en&s;ibly greived; al&s;o they both of them charged me to tell you, how &s;adly they think them&s;elves concerned for you, and the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> in particular commanded me to make a tender unto you of all that is in his power, &amp; I left him in a re&s;olution of coming to &s;erve you in per|&s;on, if he under&s;tood from me that the war was like to la&s;t long, and to &s;end him word how the true &s;tate of things doth &s;tand, was his chief rea&s;on of his &s;ending me unto you.</P>
<P>After this, and after <HI>Cyrus</HI> had returned a very obliging an&s;wer, unto the kind|ne&s;s of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> he thought upon his de&s;ign of vi&s;iting that valiant <HI>Sauromate,</HI> who&s;e life he had &s;aved: So as <HI>Leontidus</HI> followed him with the other who was with him, whom he pre&s;ented unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> as his friend, who&s;e name was <HI>Democe|des,</HI> and they were witne&s;s of the di&s;cour&s;e between this generous Conquerour and this brave pri&s;oner, and they took greater delight in it, becau&s;e it was in Greek, their naturall language. As for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> it was no wonder to them, he &s;hould &s;peak it, as well as his own but they were extreamly a&s;toni&s;hed to hear a <HI>Sauromate</HI> &s;peak Greek and they could not choo&s;e but expre&s;s their admiration unto one another. <HI>Cyrus</HI> half hearing them, and half gue&s;&s;ing what they &s;aid, he told that valiant Pri&s;oner who &s;till kept his bed; that he was much honoured in being commended by <HI>Grecians,</HI> and &s;uch as were the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed men in all <HI>Greece;</HI> for <HI>I con|tidus</HI> is &s;uch a one of my own knowledge, and <HI>Democedes</HI> in being his friend mu&s;t needs be the like. If <HI>Democedes</HI> had no other advantage then in being my friend (re|plyed <HI>Leontidus)</HI> he would have gotten that great opinion which is due unto his merit; But Sir, when I &s;hall have acquainted you that he is the intimate and par|ticular freind of <HI>Saph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> and that he is brother unto the deare&s;t friend of that famous <HI>Lesbian,</HI> I beleive you will think the commendations which he gives, are of a far greater value than mine. How &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> is <HI>Democedes</HI> the freind of <HI>Saph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> and brother unto the fair <HI>Cydnon,</HI> whom I &s;aw at <HI>Mytilene:</HI> yes Sir, (replyed <HI>Demo|cedes)</HI>
<PB N="84" REF="932">
I am the brother of <HI>Cydnon,</HI> and the freind of <HI>Sapho,</HI> who h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d a thou|&s;and times of the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes.</HI> For you know Sir, that when you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">anded at <HI>Lesbos,</HI> you went under that name. I be&s;eech you do me the favour (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> to tell me in what condition that illu&s;trious per&s;on is? Sir, (replyed <HI>De|mocedes)</HI> I cannot well tell, for I come into <HI>Scythia</HI> to &s;ee if I can hear any news of her: If you only de&s;ire to know how &s;he does (replyed the pri&s;oner) I am able to &s;horten your journey, for it is not long &s;ince I &s;aw her, you do both of you &s;o much &s;urprize me, (replyed that Prince) as I cannot tell what I &s;hould think: For <HI>Democedes,</HI> &s;ayes he, came into <HI>Scythia</HI> to &s;ee <HI>Sapho,</HI> and at <HI>Sauromates,</HI> &s;ayes he) I, &s;aw her not long &s;ince, and if the la&s;t of the&s;e be true, (&s;aid <HI>Democedes,)</HI> I &s;hould be very glad of it. and if what you &s;ay be true, replyed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I &s;hould think it ve|ry &s;trange: For how could <HI>Sapho</HI> leave her own country, and come unto one &s;o far di&s;tant? The adventure of that admirable Lady is &s;o extraordinary (replyed he) as nothing can be &s;tranger; yet her life is not filled with &s;uch great events, as commonly happen unto per&s;ons of a higher fortune than &s;he is of. But for all that, there is &s;omthing &s;o &s;ingular and particular in her fate, as that it may very well be &s;aid, &s;uch things have hapned unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> as never hapned unto any: Happen what will (replyed that valiant <HI>Sauromate,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Mezontes,</HI> I am able to tell you of &s;ome things which you cannot know without me.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> was extreamly de&s;irous to know what both of them knew, but &s;ince he was afraid of making the Queen of <HI>Pontus</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;ile</HI> &s;tay over long, he left <HI>Democedes</HI> with <HI>Mereontes,</HI> conjuring him to tell at better lei&s;ure, what he had heard and knew concerning <HI>Sapho;</HI> after which he went unto the Prince&s;&s;es. <HI>One|&s;ile</HI> who was giving an excellent judgment upon a que&s;tion in di&s;pute, the Prince&s;s <HI>Araminta</HI> to commend her &s;ayd, that &s;he did not think that the famous <HI>Sapho</HI> who was &s;o talked of over all the world, could judge better upon ver&s;es, than &s;hee could do of every thing, &s;o this giving <HI>Cyrus</HI> an occa&s;ion to &s;peak of her, he told them all that he heard of that illu&s;trious per&s;on, and commended her &s;o highly, that they were confident &s;he did merit that reputation which &s;he had: So as much de|&s;iring to know her adventures, they be&s;eeched <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he would intreat <HI>De|mocides</HI> to relate them; &s;o as coming with <HI>Leontidus</HI> and many others into <HI>Ari|mintaes</HI> chamber, pre&s;ently after dinner, <HI>Cyrus</HI> acquainted him with the curio&s;ity of the Prince&s;&s;es, and de&s;ired him to give them that &s;atisfaction. yet &s;ince there is a nece&s;&s;ity of my returning to the Camp, (continued he) I mu&s;t needs ask you whether the relation will be long and whether it will be told in the compa&s;s of two houres? Sir, (replyed he) one may if he plea&s;e, Epitomize the large&s;t hi&s;tory into that time, and I will ingage my &s;elf <HI>Saphoes</HI> &s;hall be no longer, though there be many long di&s;cour&s;es which I ought not to omit if you de&s;ire the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es &s;hould very well know the life of this excellent per&s;on. Since time is &s;o pretious &s;aid <HI>Ara|minta,</HI> let us not loo&s;e it; but to the end this &s;tory may be better heard, let us go into my clo&s;et, So <HI>Araminta, One&s;ile, Cyrus, Telagenes, Spitridates,</HI> and <HI>In|dithyr&s;es,</HI> went into a little Tent, which &s;he u&s;ed as a clo&s;et, and all the re&s;t &s;tay|ed with <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and <HI>Atergatis,</HI> and <HI>Tygranes,</HI> who di&s;cour&s;ing upon this conflagration which helped the army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto an ea&s;ie pa&s;&s;age, they never thought of following them.</P>
<P>However, the&s;e &s;ix per&s;ons were no &s;ooner in a place with <HI>Democedes,</HI> but <HI>Cy|rus</HI> intreated him to begin his relation; but I be&s;eech you (&s;aid he) &s;ince the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es do not know <HI>Sapho,</HI> only by reports, tell them exactly who &s;he is, be|fore you acquaint them with her adventures; for doubtle&s;s nothing doth more at|tract the &s;pirits of tho&s;e who are to hear the hi&s;tory, than to make them well ac|quainted with the per&s;on whom it concerns. The commands you impo&s;e upon me Sir, replyed <HI>Democedes,</HI> are very hard to be obeyed; for it is not &s;o ea&s;ie a matter to draw the picture of the heart, and mind; and all the inclinations of a per&s;on, as it is to draw the picture of her face, &s;ince there is requi&s;ite a certain &s;pirit of di&s;cern|ment, which does know to finde out a difference between things &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">mblable, and things reall, and without which, one cannot make a true re&s;emblance: He ought to know how to di&s;tingui&s;h all the &s;everall degrees of melancholly, and mirth, and not content him&s;elfe to &s;ay in generall, that &s;uch a one is &s;erious, or &s;uch a one is merry, as many men do; for certainly there are a thou&s;and petty ob|&s;ervations
<PB N="85" REF="932">
to be made, which make a great difference in tempers which &s;eem not oppo&s;ite, yet that it is which makes the re&s;emblance true: For as all women, who have great, gray, and &s;weet eyes, do not re&s;emble one another, &s;o there are a mil|lion of per&s;ons of whom the &s;ame things may al&s;o be &s;aid, which yet do not re&s;em|ble one another, neither in their minds nor faces, and therefore as I &s;ayd before, it is requi&s;ite to have the art of putting a difference, between the melanchollick and the &s;erious, and between the diverting and the merry, when one will draw &s;uch a picture as requires neither pen&s;ills nor colours, I perceive by what you &s;ay (reply|ed <HI>One&s;ile)</HI> that when you have &s;hewed us the picture of <HI>Sapho,</HI> I &s;hall know her better than I do my &s;elf. Though I have the advantage to know that admirable Lady, (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> yet I am confident that you will know her better by <HI>De|mocides</HI> than I do.</P>
<P>To &s;pend no time in commending the painter, who mu&s;t draw this fine peice, (&s;aid <HI>Spitridates)</HI> I be&s;eech you oblige him to begin his work. <HI>Araminta</HI> &s;e|conding <HI>Spitridates, Democedes</HI> began his relation, addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech unto the Queen of <HI>Pontus,</HI></P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<HEAD>THE HISTORY OF SAPHO.</HEAD>
<P>SINCE it is very naturall for every one to commend &s;uch things in which them&s;elves have intere&s;ts, I think Madam, it will plead my excu&s;e, if in commending the admirable <HI>Sapho,</HI> I al&s;o commend her country, becau&s;e it is my own; and if in ob&s;erving unto you all the advantages of her birth, I tell you, that &s;he was born in one of the mo&s;t delectable places in the world. The very truth is Madam, The I&s;le of <HI>Lesbos</HI> is both &s;o plea&s;ant, and &s;o fertile, as the <HI>Egean</HI> &s;ea hath none comparable unto it: This I&s;le is bigg e|nough in &s;ome places to make one think it is joyned to the Continent, but it is none of tho&s;e which are &s;o mountanous as they &s;eem to be, only a huge ma&s;&s;e of rocks in the mid&s;t of the &s;ea: Nor is it like &s;ome of tho&s;e which having no ri&s;ing ground in them, &s;eem alwayes expo&s;ed unto fury of the waves, which inviron them: But on the contrary, the I&s;le of <HI>Lesbos,</HI> can boa&s;t of all the varieties which any great king|dome joyned to the continent, can produce. For towards the Ea&s;t, it hath moun|tains and great woods, and towards the We&s;t, meadows and plea&s;ant plaines. The aire there is pure and healthy, the goodne&s;s of the ground produceth plenty: com|merce is great and free, and the Continent &s;o neer towards <HI>Phrygia,</HI> that in two houres one may when they plea&s;e &s;ee a forraigne Court. Moreover, <HI>Mytilene</HI> the <HI>Metropolis,</HI> is &s;o excellently well built, and hath two &s;uch goodly ports, that &s;tran|gers admire them, and find much delight in &s;taying there.</P>
<P>This Madam, is the place of <HI>Sapho's</HI> birth, The wi&s;e <HI>Pittacus</HI> is the Prince of it, and attracts an infinite number of accompli&s;hed men. He had a &s;on called <HI>Ty&s;an|der,</HI> a man the mo&s;t rarely qualified in the world, and who did contribute much to the plea&s;ure of the place, yet &s;ince it is long &s;ince he dyed, I &s;hall &s;peak no more of him, though he was one of <HI>Saphoes</HI> Adorers.</P>
<P>Now Madam, after I have acquainted you with the place of her birth, I will &s;ay &s;omthing of her quality, &s;he was the daughter of a man of note, called <HI>Scamandogenes</HI> of &s;o noble a race, that no family in <HI>Mytilene</HI> could &s;hew a longer or more unque|&s;tionable pedegree: <HI>Sapho</HI> again had the advantage to be the daughter unto a Father and Mother, who were per&s;ons of great &s;pirits and virtue, but &s;he was &s;o unfortu|nate as to loo&s;e them &s;o &s;oon, as &s;he received from them only her fir&s;t inclinations unto goodne&s;s, for &s;he was but &s;ix years of age when they dyed, tis true, they left
<PB N="86" REF="933">
her under the tuition of a Cou&s;in, who had all requi&s;ite qualities for the educati|on of a young per&s;on, and they left her an e&s;tate much below her ment, yet e|nough, not to &s;tand in need unto any; nay more, to appear very decent and hand|&s;omely in the wo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ld.</P>
<P>Yet &s;he had a brother called <HI>Charaxes,</HI> who was left very rich: For <HI>Scaman|drogines</HI> when he dyed, divided his E&s;tate very inequally, and left much more unto his &s;onne then his daughter, though, to &s;ay truth, he did not de&s;erve it, and though &s;he de&s;erved a Crown. Indeed Madam, I do not thinke all <HI>Greece</HI> ever had a per&s;on &s;o comparable unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> yet I &s;hall not now relate unto you any pa&s;&s;ages of her infancy: for &s;he was &s;o very little while a Child, that at twelve years of age, &s;he was &s;poken of as a per&s;on who&s;e beauty, &s;pirit, and judgment were already <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">pe, and made all the world to wonder: only thus much let mee tell you, that never was in any found, inclinations more noble, nor a greater apt|ne&s;&s;e to learn any thing &s;he de&s;ired to know.</P>
<P>However, though <HI>Sapho</HI> was charming even from her very Cradle, yet I will draw you the picture of her per&s;on and mind, only as &s;he is at this pre&s;ent, to the end you may the better know her.</P>
<P>Give me leave to tell you then Madam, that though you here &s;peak of <HI>Sapho</HI> as the mo&s;t charming per&s;on of all <HI>Greece,</HI> yet you mu&s;t not imagine her to be one of tho&s;e, in whom Env<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e cannot finde a fault: But yet you mu&s;t know, that though &s;he be none of tho&s;e which I &s;peak of, yet &s;he is able to in&s;pire greater pa&s;&s;ions then the greate&s;t beauty of the Earth: And thou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h &s;he &s;ayes &s;he is very low, when &s;he would detract from her &s;elfe, yet &s;he is of a rea&s;onable &s;tature: but &s;o noble, and &s;o well made as po&s;&s;ibly can be de&s;ired. As for her Complexi|on, it is none of the highe&s;t Lu&s;tre, yet &s;o well, as none can &s;ay but that &s;he is ve|ry faire: But her eyes are &s;o unexpre&s;&s;ably lovely, &s;o fine, &s;o &s;weet, &s;o qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ck, &s;o amorous, and &s;o &s;prightly, as the lu&s;tre of them &s;trikes to the very heart of tho&s;e she looks upon: The truth is, they &s;parkle like fire, and yet have &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ionate &s;weetne&s;&s;e, as shews that Vivacity and Languer are not things incompatible in the eyes of <HI>Sapho:</HI> That which made their greate&s;t lu&s;tre was, that there never was a greater oppo&s;ition then was between the black and white of her eyes, and yet this great oppo&s;ition did not cau&s;e any harshne&s;&s;e to appeare in them: but there was &s;uch an amorous kind of &s;pirit which did &s;weeten them in &s;uch a char|ming manner, as I do not believe there was ever any per&s;on, who&s;e looks were more dreadfull. Moreover, she had many things which are &s;eldome found to|gether: For her phy&s;iognomic was both &s;ubtle and mode&s;t, and yet she had a kind of g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">andure and haughtine&s;&s;e in her Garbe and Aire: Her face was ovall, her mouth little and redd, an <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">her hands &s;o admirable, as if they were made to take hearts; o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> if you knew how dearly &s;he loved the Mu&s;es, you would &s;ay they were worthy to gather the faire&s;t &s;lowers of <HI>Perna&s;&s;us.</HI> But Madam, the&s;e are not they which make <HI>Sapho</HI> mo&s;t amiable: For the charms of her wit do infinitely tran&s;cend tho&s;e of her beauty: And indeed it is of &s;o va&s;t an extent, as it may mo&s;t truly be &s;aid, that what &s;he under&s;tands not; cannot be reach'd by any o|ther: And &s;he is &s;o wonderfully apt to learn any thing, that &s;he hath made it her owne, before you would think &s;he began to learn</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, &s;he had naturally an inclination to compo&s;ever&s;e; and &s;he has &s;o happi|ly improved her &s;elfe, as none whoever excells her: And &s;he hath invented &s;uch &s;ingular mea&s;ures, as <HI>He&s;iode</HI> and <HI>Homer</HI> were ignorant of; and have found &s;uch an approbation in the world, as they that bear the name of the inventor unto this day and are called <HI>Saphiques.</HI></P>
<P>She wrote al&s;o mo&s;t admirably in Pro&s;e, and there was an amorous Character upon all the works of this rare Lady, that &s;he moved and &s;oftned the hearts of all &s;uch as read what &s;hee writ. I have &s;een her compo&s;e a Song upon a &s;udden, which was a thou&s;and times more moving then the mourning Elegie could b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">and her wit had &s;uch an amorous way with it; as none other be&s;ides her &s;elfe ever had. She expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elfe in &s;uch things as were mo&s;t difficult, mo&s;t delicately: And &s;he knew &s;o well how to read an Anatomy Lectur upon an amorous heart (fit be lawfull to &s;ay <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o) that &s;he could make an exact de&s;cription of all its jealou&s;ies, all its inquietudes, all its impatiencies, all its joyes, all its di&s;gu&s;ts, its murmures,
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its di&s;pairs, its hopes, its feares, its revotls, and all the tumultuous imaginations of it.</P>
<P>Moreover, the mo&s;t admirable <HI>Sapho</HI> did not only know what belonged to matters of Love, but al&s;o much better what belonged to matters of gene|ro&s;ity: Indeed &s;he knew &s;o perfectly how both to write and &s;peak of every thing, that there was nothing which did not come within the compa&s;&s;e of her know|ledg; and yet one would not imagine it a knowledge infu&s;ed: for <HI>Sapho</HI> had &s;een all that was worthy of &s;ight, and took much p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ines to be in&s;tructed in all that was worthy of curio&s;ity.</P>
<P>Moreover &s;he played upon the Lute, and &s;ung pa&s;&s;ing well, &s;he danced with an ex|cellent grace, and would divert her &s;elf and others mo&s;t admirably in a harmle&s;s Rallary; and which was mo&s;t admirable in her: This per&s;on who was &s;o know|ing in &s;o many &s;everall things knew them without the lea&s;t &s;park of o&s;tentation or pride, and without &s;corning tho&s;e who knew them not; her di&s;cour&s;e is &s;o natu|rall, &s;o free, &s;o ea&s;ie, and &s;o gallant, as one &s;hould never hear her talk in generall Company, but of &s;uch things as a per&s;on of a good wit might talk of without ha|ving &s;tudyed for what &s;he knew: Not but that knowing men might &s;ee that Na|ture alone could not arrive at that height &s;he did; but it was becau&s;e &s;he was &s;o carefull to keep her &s;elf within the Sphere of her own Sex, as &s;he almo&s;t never &s;poke of any thing but &s;uch as was within the compa&s;s of a Ladies knowledge, and it was to her very &s;ingular good friends, that &s;he would impart the depth of her know|ledge unto: yet it mu&s;t not be imagined that <HI>Sapho</HI> affected any gro&s;s kind of ig|norance in her Conver&s;ation: But on the contrary, &s;he was full of witty and plea|&s;ant conceits.</P>
<P>Moreover, &s;hee could &s;peak &s;o &s;ingularly well, both unto things &s;erious, and things gallant and Airie; as it was admired one per&s;on &s;hould have talents &s;o op|po&s;ite. But what is mo&s;t worthy of commendations in <HI>Sapho</HI> is, that in the whole world there was not a Per&s;on fuller of goodne&s;&s;e then &s;hee; nor more generous, nor more officious, nor le&s;&s;e intere&s;ted. Againe, her friend&s;hip was full of fideli|ty: her &s;oule was &s;o tender, and her heart &s;o pa&s;&s;ionate, that que&s;tionle&s;&s;e, it was a&s;upream felicity to be the friend of <HI>Sapho:</HI> for &s;he had &s;uch an ingenious &s;pirit, and &s;uch a witty way of inventing new means to oblige tho&s;e whom &s;hee e&s;teemed, and to: make them know her affection, that though &s;hee &s;eemed not to do any extraordinary thing, yet &s;he per&s;waded them that &s;he loved them deerly: &s;hee was ab&s;olutly incapable of envie: And &s;he would do Ju&s;tice unto any merit, with &s;o much genero&s;ity, that &s;he took greater delight in commending others, then in being commended. Be&s;ides all this, &s;hee was full of complacency, which with|out the lea&s;t dram of ba&s;ene&s;&s;e in it, was infinitly agreeable: and if &s;hee at any time denied her friends, &s;he did it with &s;o much civility and &s;weetne&s;&s;e, that &s;he obliged them by her deniall: and imagine, I pray, how &s;he would oblige them if &s;he &s;hould grant them her friend&s;hip and confidence. This Madam, is the compo|&s;ition of the rare <HI>Sapho,</HI> who&s;e Brother is fraught with inclinations far different from tho&s;e of his admired Si&s;ter: Not but that <HI>Charaxes</HI> hath &s;ome qualities which are good, but with all, he hath many bad ones.</P>
<P>He had courage indeed out it was a be&s;tiall courage, &s;uch as makes a Dog more valiant then a Deer, and not &s;uch a generous valour as is requi&s;it in a compleat man. But Madam, this rare woman being &s;o accompli&s;hed as I have de&s;cribed her, &s;he made &s;o great a rumour in <HI>Mylitene,</HI> notwith&s;tanding all her mode&s;ty, and care to conceale her knowledge that fame carried her name throughout all Greece, and that &s;o gloriou&s;ly, that untill then, never any of her &s;ex had &s;o great a re|putation.</P>
<P>The greate&s;t wits of the world were greedy of her Ver&s;es, and all Greece pre&s;er|ved them with care and admiration, yet &s;he did impart them with &s;o much diffi|culty, and &s;eemed to value them &s;o little, that it augmented her glory&punc; Moreover, one could never know what times &s;he took to make them, for &s;he was a daily vi|&s;itor of her friends, and one &s;hould hardly ever &s;ee her either read or write: and &s;he was &s;o good a di&s;po&s;er of her time, that &s;he had &s;ome <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">r her &s;elf, and &s;ome for her friends. Moreover, &s;he was &s;uch an ab&s;olute Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e of her own mind, that what care<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;oever were in her &s;oule, they never appeared in her eyes, unle&s;&s;e
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it was her mind they &s;hould. But Madam, I have not &s;aid enough yet of the mo&s;t admirable <HI>Sapho;</HI> for I mu&s;t furt er tell you to the end you may the better per|ceive her judgment, that there were &s;ome Per&s;ons whom &s;he honoured with her Amity. And among&s;t the re&s;t there were foure who had the principall &s;hares in her diver&s;ions: The fir&s;t was called <HI>Amithone:</HI> The &s;econd <HI>Erinne:</HI> the third <HI>Athys,</HI> and the fourth <HI>Cydnon</HI> my &s;i&s;ter.</P>
<P>However, though <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t be not hand&s;ome to commend &s;uch as are neere allyed unto us, wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h he &s;ame &s;incerity and applau&s;e as others, yet to the glory of <HI>Sapho,</HI> I &s;hall &s;peak of them all very advantageou&s;ly. For &s;ince <HI>Cydnon</HI> was her fir&s;t friend, it is but ju&s;t I &s;hould ju&s;tifie her choice.</P>
<P>And to begin the de&s;cription of the&s;e four, give mee leave to tell you, that <HI>A|mithone,</HI> was a very big woman, of a very advantageous &s;tature, and a goodly pre|&s;ence; who though not rarely faire, yet &s;he attracted looks, and plea&s;ed infinit|ly: her hamour was &s;weet and agreeable, &s;he &s;poke mo&s;t elegantly, and with|out any learning but what &s;he gleaned from the di&s;cour&s;e of <HI>Sapho,</HI> and &s;uch ac|compli&s;hed men as talked with her, &s;he under&s;tood things of mo&s;t deep and diffi|cult knowledge. And the great naturall parts which the gods had given her, to|gether with the &s;ociety of learned people, enabled her to &s;peak with much judge|ment.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Erinne,</HI> it was otherwi&s;e with her, for her wit and ingenuity was all cul|tivated with abundance of care: &s;o as though her naturall endowments were not &s;o great as tho&s;e of <HI>Amithone,</HI> yet Art had &s;o &s;uppli'd the deficiency of Nature, that her company was infinitly charming. Her fancy would not reach &s;o high as <HI>Ami|thones,</HI> yet &s;he would compo&s;e good ver&s;e; and if the mode&s;ty of <HI>Sapho</HI> may be cre|dited, they are to be preferred before hers.</P>
<P>As for the faire <HI>Athys,</HI> it may well be &s;aid, that &s;he had all the goodne&s;&s;e of the other two: for &s;he had naturally abundance of wit and did polli&s;h it by many noble &s;ciences, and the conver&s;ation of all the accompli&s;hed men in <HI>Mytilene. Sa|pho</HI> al&s;o had in&s;pired her with that Aire of mode&s;ty which rendred her &s;o charming, in&s;omuch as &s;he could not endure any &s;hould tell her, that &s;he knew any thing more then other Ladies did: nor would &s;he ever confe&s;&s;e that &s;he knew any thing, but by the guid onely of common &s;ence, and the u&s;age of the World. Her Per&s;on was infinitly charming: Her &s;tature good, her Haire flaxen <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o light, that it may well be termed faire: The wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">le proportion of her face was infinitly agreeable: her mouth was a wonder: her no&s;e well proportioned, he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> eyes &s;parkling, her Aire mode&s;t, and her humour &s;weet.</P>
<P>However though the&s;e three Ladies were mo&s;t admirable, yet <HI>Cydnon</HI> was more loved by <HI>Sapho,</HI> then they all three. And further then this Madam. I know not how to give you my own Si&s;ters Picture: and yet I think it is allowable to commend her though only in ju&s;tification of <HI>Saphoes</HI> choi&s;e, and therefore let me tell you, that all tho&s;e who u&s;e to &s;peak of her beauty, do report her faire and hand&s;ome, though she be little and brown, but &s;ince it is not by the hand&s;omne&s;&s;e of her Per|&s;on, that she got the amity of <HI>Sapho,</HI> I will &s;peak more of her humour and witt, then of her beauty. Be plea&s;ed to know then, that <HI>Cydnon</HI> is naturally merry, gay, &s;weet, ob&s;equious and complai&s;ant: she has a certaine &s;pirit of expedition which makes her never find any difficulty, in doing any thing for her friends. Doubtle&s;&s;e, she was knowing enough in all excellent Sciences, and ver&s;ed her &s;elf in &s;uch things as mo&s;t &s;uited with the humour of <HI>Sapho.</HI> The mirth of <HI>Cydnon,</HI> is not exce&s;&s;ive, nor at all given to Rallary, unle&s;&s;e it be in a mo&s;t innocent manner.</P>
<P>The&s;e four Per&s;ons, dwelling near <HI>Sapho,</HI> they were &s;o often together, that they were in&s;eperable. Not but that they vi&s;ited other Ladies al&s;o, but not with &s;uch A&s;&s;iduity as they did her: And the union betwixt them was &s;o great, that none u&s;ed to invite any one of them unto any fea&s;t unle&s;s they invited all.</P>
<P>You may imagine Madam, that the&s;e Ladies were followed and courted by all the Gallants of the time, which I a&s;&s;ure you were no &s;mall number, e&s;pecially when the Prince <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> the &s;on of <HI>Pittacus</HI> was in love with <HI>Sapho,</HI> Since this Prince was her fir&s;t conque&s;t, I know not whether I shall keep within my pre&s;cri|bed compa&s;s, and be a little longer in my &s;tory then I re&s;olved, yet I shall not &s;tand to make any exact de&s;cription of his merit: for &s;ince he is dead, that will but &s;erve to
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move pitty for his &s;ad fate, only let me tell you thus much, that he was a man who merited the e&s;teem of the Illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and his &s;orrows for him al&s;o after death. <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> then, being a mo&s;t rarely accompli&s;hed man, and in the prime of his youth, there was a great meeting at <HI>Mytilene</HI> about the marriage of <HI>Amitho|ne,</HI> who married a man hugely rich, and who for certain rea&s;ons of &s;tate was much looked upon by <HI>Pittacus:</HI> who honouring the Fea&s;t with his pre&s;ence, and with the Prince his Son. <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> then &s;poke unto the faire <HI>Sapho</HI> the fir&s;t time. But his wonder was to find her &s;o &s;ad, though at a Wedding, and the Bride her friend. So that taking occa&s;ion at that lovely melancholy which appeared in her eyes to begin acquaintance with her: Perhaps you may think me very bold lovely <HI>Sapho</HI> (&s;aid he unto her) for beginning my di&s;cour&s;e with you, as if you had as great a confidence in me as I wi&s;h you had, yet I cannot choo&s;e but ask you, why you are more &s;erious this day, then I have u&s;ed to &s;ee you in the Temple, where &s;ome|times I had the honour to meet you, for truely, having a long time de&s;ired the happine&s;&s;e to &s;peak unto you, I &s;hall now be exceeding glad to know whether I ought to pitty you for any misfortune which hath fallen unto you, to the end I may at the fir&s;t beginning of our acquaintance, render you &s;ome te&s;timony of af|fection by my &s;en&s;ibility of what&s;oever concerns you. Your language Sir is &s;o obliging, replyed <HI>Sapho,</HI> that it de&s;erves I &s;hould acquaint you with the cau&s;e of my &s;adne&s;&s;e, which perhaps you will find &s;o &s;light, that you will not be much troubled to be a &s;harer in it, for truly Sir (&s;aid &s;he and &s;miled) I mu&s;t acquaint you that I never was at any marriage fe&s;tivall without melancholy, and my mind is &s;o very irregular, that I cannot rejoice at the happine&s;&s;e of <HI>Amithone</HI> though &s;he be one of my deare&s;t friends, and though I am as &s;en&s;ible a per&s;on as any is in the world of any joyes which happen unto tho&s;e I love. Doubtle&s;&s;e Madam, replyed <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> then you do not look upon marriage as a happine&s;&s;e. The truth is Sir, (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> I look upon it as a &s;lavery. Then Madam (replyed <HI>Ty&s;an|der)</HI> do you look upon all men, as Tirants? I do look upon them (replied &s;he) as men that may be &s;o, as &s;oon as they become husbands. This Imagination comes alwayes into my mind when I am at any marriage, and I am &s;ure, that a melan|choly will cea&s;e upon me, by rea&s;on of that little intere&s;t which I have in the hap|pine&s;s of that per&s;on who is to be marryed. I am extreamly afraid Madam, replyed <HI>Tyfander</HI> that this your hatred of marriage in particular, &s;hould proceed from your hatred of all men in generall, and yet, beleeve me, you would be very unju&s;t, if you &s;hould advance your own &s;ex &s;o much above ours. The truth is (continued he) if there were many &s;uch women as your &s;elf, you had &s;ome rea&s;on for it, nay if there were only two or three &s;uch in the whole world, I should con&s;ent unto it. But lovely <HI>Sapho</HI> (pur&s;ued he) &s;ince you are the only one in the whole world, who hath found out the Art, to unite all the virtue and all the good qualities of both &s;exes, in one &s;ingle per&s;on: I be&s;eech you content your &s;elf to be e&s;teemed or en|vyed by all weomen, and &s;o to be adored by all men without hating them in ge|nerall.</P>
<P>Since I cannot be unju&s;t (replyed &s;he) I know very well, that I ought not to a&s;&s;ume unto my &s;elf any &s;hare in tho&s;e Prai&s;es which you give me, and I know that there are many men &s;o excellently accompli&s;hed, as they de&s;erve all my e&s;teem and may obtain &s;ome &s;hare in my friend&s;hip: But as &s;oon as ever I look upon them as Husbands, then I do look upon them as Ma&s;ters, Ma&s;ters &s;o apt to become Tyrants, as I cannot choo&s;e but at that time to hate them, and to thank the Gods, that they have not given me any great inclination unto that fatal thing, which they call mar|riage. But, Madam (replyed <HI>Ti&s;ander)</HI> when &s;ome happy and rarely accompli&s;hed man &s;hould move your heart, perhaps then you will change your mind. I cannot tell, Sir (replyed &s;he) whether I &s;hall change my mind or no; but I am &s;ure, that I had rather even lo&s;e my wits then ever lo&s;e my liberty; and I am fully re&s;olved never to make my Slave my Tyrant. I am &s;o far from conceiving (replyed <HI>Ti&s;an|der)</HI> that there can be any one in the world who dares be &s;o bold as to cea&s;e obay|ing you, that I am confident none dare command you. For how can it be imagi|ned that a mo&s;t admirable Lady who is knowing in all things; Nay, I be&s;eech you. Sir (&s;ayd <HI>Sapho</HI> and mode&s;tly interrupted him) do not &s;peak thus, for I know &s;o very little, that I know not whether I have any rea&s;on for what I &s;ay. As &s;oon as
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&s;he had &s;ayd &s;o, one calling away <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> about &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s, he was forced to leave <HI>Sapho,</HI> but he left his heart with that fair One, nor was this love long concea|led; for <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> being young, and of a quality which attracted many eyes upon him, every one did pre&s;ently perceive his love unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> for he went unto her the next day after the marriage of <HI>Aminothe</HI> and was ob&s;equious and Courtly to her, as there was no doubt but that he was in love with that mo&s;t admirable Lady. At that time all manner of Plea&s;ures were in their highe&s;t Lu&s;tre at <HI>Mytilene,</HI> and e|very day had its fre&s;h diver&s;ions.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Ti&s;anders</HI> Fate being not to get the love of <HI>Sapho,</HI> and her Fancy could not comply that way, &s;he only e&s;teemed him; and acknowledged the favour of his affection, but could not follow the councels of her brother who ad|vi&s;ed her to &s;acrifice her liberty unto Fortune by an&s;wering the love of that Prince. But <HI>Sapho</HI> naturally hating Marriage, and not affecting <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> &s;he would by no means con&s;ent unto it, though &s;he were &s;ure &s;he might marry him with the con&s;ent of <HI>Pittacus.</HI> However, &s;ince he was &s;till in hopes to win her affection, He cour|ted her with a thou&s;and Entertainments, and filled the Town full of Diver&s;ions, in&s;omuch as the little Court was &s;o full of Gallantry as none could be more. In|deed the admirable <HI>Sapho</HI> had in&s;pired &s;uch a &s;pirit of politenes into all that con|ver&s;ed with her, which al&s;o did communicate it &s;elf unto tho&s;e who never &s;aw her, as it was a wonder that it &s;hould not &s;pread it &s;elf through all the Town of <HI>Myti|lene,</HI> and al&s;o throughout all the I&s;le of <HI>Lesbos,</HI> but it did not; for Envy, Igno|rance, and Malignity kept almo&s;t half the Town from being benefited by the Con|ver&s;ation of <HI>Sapho</HI> and her friends. But to &s;ay truly &s;he was no loo&s;er by not &s;ee|ing the&s;e kind of people, unto whom the Grandure of her &s;pirit and wit was a ter|rour. Few &s;trangers ever came to <HI>Lesbos,</HI> who went not immediatly unto the admired <HI>Sapho,</HI> and who went not out charmed with her di&s;cour&s;e? And certainly they had rea&s;on, for it was impo&s;&s;ible for any to talk two hours with her without a high e&s;teem of her, and without a great inclination to love her. Al&s;o there was a knot of five or &s;ix of us men who were in&s;eparable, and who alwaies waited upon <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> when he went unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> and who &s;omtimes went unto her without him, when her &s;everity made him &s;o melancholy, that he would not go.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the ignorant and envious <HI>Caball</HI> which was oppo&s;ite unto ours, did talk of us in &s;uch plea&s;ant manner, as I cannot think upon it without a little wonder: For they &s;ayd, we never talked of any thing at <HI>Saphos</HI> but Poetry Philo&s;ophy, and my&s;terious que&s;tions, and I think they &s;ayd, that we taught Ma|gick there al&s;o. The truth is, the&s;e profe&s;&s;ed Enemies unto all Wit, Sence, Rea&s;on, and Virtue are a mo&s;t dangerous &s;ort of People; for I found that the mo&s;t ra|tionall among&s;t all tho&s;e who &s;hunned <HI>Sapho</HI> and her friends were a &s;ort of young fine, &s;turdy, and merry Fellows who made it their brag, that they were no Schol|lars, and who&s;e ignorant vanity made them &s;o bold as to cen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ure and judge of what they knew not, and who were per&s;waded that men of parts and wit did no|thing but talk of things which they under&s;tood not: Thus did they talk of the&s;e Per&s;ons whom they &s;hunned with much care, and made &s;uch extravagant Tales of them, as were mo&s;t ridiculous unto &s;uch as were in their Sen&s;es. But be&s;ides this generation of people who are capable only of a Vapory and di&s;ordered kind of Jol|lity, there was al&s;o a &s;ort of women which I rank together with them who &s;hun the company of <HI>Sapho</HI> and her friends and who are al&s;o full of their own frothy Ral|lary: Truth is, they are a &s;ort of women who think it their duty to know nothing unle&s;s that they are fair, and how to dre&s;s them&s;elves; Women I &s;ay, who never talk of any thing but Fa&s;hions, who&s;e Gallantry con&s;i&s;ts in eating the Collations which their Gallants be&s;tow upon them, and who&s;e di&s;cour&s;e is nothing but mo&s;t egregious folly.</P>
<P>There was al&s;o another generation of Women, who thinking that exact Virtue requires a Lady &s;hould know no more than how to be wife unto her Husband, Mother unto her Children, and Mi&s;tre&s;s of her Family, they think <HI>Sapho,</HI> and her friends &s;pend too much time in Conver&s;ation, and that they ought not to di&s;cour&s;e &s;o much upon things which are not of ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity.</P>
<P>There are al&s;o &s;ome of the&s;e men who look upon their wives as the chief Servant in the hou&s;e, who forbid their Children to read any books but Prayer-books, and
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who will not allow them upon any terms to &s;ing one of <HI>Sapho's</HI> &s;ongs.</P>
<P>Again, there was &s;ome both men and women who &s;hunned us, and who, with|out Inju&s;tice cannot be counted among&s;t the dull herd of bea&s;tly people, &s;ince they are per&s;ons of quality. And indeed, there were &s;ome men of ingenious parts, be|ing prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with a fal&s;e imagination, who beleived our way of living was &s;uch, as the&s;e ignorant men reported; and who not endeavouring to un-deceive them|&s;elves, re&s;ted in their errour. Truth is, there was one thing which did much con|tribute unto their implicite beleife: For Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that there was a woman in <HI>Mytilene,</HI> who having &s;een <HI>Sapho</HI> when &s;he was very young, &s;he took up a fancy to imitate her, and &s;he thought that &s;he did imitate her &s;o well, that changing her lodging, &s;he pretended to be the <HI>Sapho</HI> of her quarter.</P>
<P>But the truth was, &s;hee imitated &s;o &s;curvily, that never were two per&s;ons more n nlike. You may be plea&s;ed to remember Madam, how I told you, that <HI>Sa|pho,</HI> though &s;hee was admirably knowing in all things, yet &s;hee would not make a &s;hew of it, and that her di&s;cour&s;e was naturall, ea&s;ie, free, and gallant. But alas, it was quite contrary with this Lady, who&s;e name was <HI>Damophile,</HI> for all her pre|tended imitation of <HI>Sapho.</HI></P>
<P>But to make a de&s;cription of her, and to let you &s;ee the difference between the&s;e two per&s;ons, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Damophile</HI> taking a toy in her head to imi|tate <HI>Sapho,</HI> &s;he did not attempt to imitate her in every particular, but only in being as knowing as &s;he was, &amp; thinking &s;he had found out a mo&s;t my&s;terious way of get|ting more reputation than &s;he had, &s;he did all that the other did not. Fir&s;t, She had alwayes about her, five or &s;ix &s;everall ma&s;ters, the lea&s;t learned of all which, I think did read A&s;trology unto her, &s;he was continually writing Letters unto &s;uch men as made profe&s;&s;ion of profound learning, and knowledge: She &s;corned to ca&s;t an eye upon an illiterate per&s;on; fifteen or twenty books were alwaies upon her Table, and when any came into her chamber, one of them was alwaies in her hand, and I am mo&s;t certain &s;he had many more books in her clo&s;et than ever &s;he look|ed into, and &s;he read more than ever <HI>Sapho</HI> had. Moreover, <HI>Damophile</HI> was all fu&s;tian and bigg words, which &s;he pronounced with a grave and imperious tone, though &s;he &s;poke but of a trifle, whereas <HI>Sapho</HI> on the contrary, lapped up the mo&s;t &s;ublime learning in the lowe&s;t language.</P>
<P>Moreover, <HI>Damophile</HI> not thinking that knowledge and learning was compatible with Oconimick affairs, &s;he never medled with any family affairs, but <HI>Sapho</HI> &s;he loo|ked into every thing, even of the meane&s;t con&s;equence: Again, <HI>Damophile</HI> did not only &s;peak in the &s;tile of books, but &s;hee would be alwaies talking of books them|&s;elves, and cited Authors in her common talk, as fa&s;t as if &s;he were a profe&s;&s;or in &s;ome famous Univer&s;ity. But the rare&s;t pa&s;&s;age of all was, that &s;he was &s;u&s;pected to have promi&s;ed a very favourable ear unto an ill favoured fellow, who had ex|pre&s;&s;ed &s;ome kind of tender affection to her, upon condition, that he would com|po&s;e a copy of ver&s;es, and let her pa&s;s for the Author of them, to the end &s;he might re&s;emble <HI>Sapho,</HI> &s;he &s;ought all manner of opportunities of publi&s;hing what &s;he knew, and even tyred people with a relation of her learning, &s;o as I a&s;&s;ure you, that as there is nothing more taking and charming than a woman who&s;e mind is furni&s;hed with excellent knowledge when &s;he knows how to u&s;e it; &s;o there is nothing &s;o ridiculous nor trouble&s;ome, than a woman that is fooli&s;hly learned.</P>
<P><HI>Damophile,</HI> being then &s;uch a one as I have de&s;cribed, &s;he was a cau&s;e why tho&s;e people who &s;hunned <HI>Sapho</HI> and her friends, did imagin that our conver&s;ation was like unto that <HI>Damophile,</HI> who was &s;aid to imitate <HI>Sapho,</HI> &s;o as a thou&s;and odd re|ports were divulged concerning us, at which we laughed when we heard of them, thinking our &s;elves very happy, that the opinion which the&s;e men had of our &s;ociety, did keep them from troubling us by their pre&s;ence. As for <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> &s;ince he was in love, he had much ado to endure the&s;e fooli&s;h reports; but puni&s;hed two or three of the&s;e wicked &s;coffers at wit, and handled them &s;harply that they were forced to quit the Court.</P>
<P>But Madam, To in&s;i&s;t no longer upon the love of that Prince, I will only tell you, that after he had tryed alwaies po&s;&s;ible to winn the heart of <HI>Sapho,</HI> the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> his friend came unto <HI>Mytilene,</HI> after he had lo&s;t his Dominions &amp; all his fleet, having nothing left in the world but only two &s;hips. Yet that Prince
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having a great and re&s;olute &s;oul, after he had been a while at <HI>Mytilene,</HI> was very de&s;irous to &s;ee the admirable <HI>Sapho,</HI> whom he e&s;teemed very highly.</P>
<P>But Madam, Since <HI>Ty&s;anders</HI> love is not the principall &s;ubject of <HI>Sapho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> hi&s;tory. I will not in&s;i&s;t any longer upon it; but to tell you, that &s;he could not love him, and that he was in &s;uch a de&s;perate condition, that he re&s;olved to imbarque with the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> when he went from <HI>Lesbos,</HI> and try if ab&s;ence could cure him, but he did not depart before he bade adieu unto the admirable <HI>Sapho.</HI></P>
<P>Since my &s;i&s;ter did know all her &s;ecrets, and &s;ince &s;he imparted all unto me af|ter his departure from <HI>Le&s;bos,</HI> I under&s;tood all the pa&s;&s;ages between them, and how this ad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eu was taken with the fine&s;t di&s;cour&s;e that ever was. For <HI>Sapho</HI> car|ried her&s;elf &s;o ingenuou&s;ly, that &s;he per&s;waded <HI>Ly&s;ander</HI> &s;he was nothing to blame in not an&s;wering his affection, and that &s;he had taken almo&s;t as much paines in forcing her heart to affect him, as he had to winn her affection: In&s;omuch as he parted from <HI>Sapho</HI> without complaining again&s;t her, though he parted from her the mo&s;t &s;ad &s;oule that ever breath'd.</P>
<P>When he was gone from <HI>Mytelene,</HI> he left a man behind him who&s;e name was <HI>Alces,</HI> a man of a &s;ubtle wit, who al&s;o had a notable faculty in Ver&s;e, with or|ders to &s;peak of him as oft as he could unto the mo&s;t admirable <HI>Sapho,</HI> and in his ab&s;ence to give him an exact accompt of all pa&s;&s;ages, to the end he might re|turn if occa&s;ions required. To &s;ay truth, he could never have cho&s;en a man more a&s;&s;idiou&s;ly diligent, then he was with the faire <HI>Sapho:</HI> For he being in love with the charming <HI>Athys</HI> who was continually with her, it was an ea&s;ie matter for him to be a faithfull &s;pie unto <HI>Ti&s;ander;</HI> and the fitter for that purpo&s;e, becau&s;e <HI>Al|ces</HI> had a nimble and witty boy, and one that was a notable prier into privacies.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Sapho</HI> only e&s;teeming <HI>Ti&s;ander,</HI> his ab&s;ence was no hinderance unto her Diver&s;ions, and our &s;ociety was within a few dayes as jocund as ever it was, and more, for the di&s;contents of <HI>Ti&s;ander</HI> did &s;ometimes make it melancho|ly. Then were we a knot of five or &s;ixe of us, who had nothing el&s;e to do, but to &s;ee <HI>Sapho</HI> every day: Not but that we made many other vi&s;its; but to tell you truly they were &s;hort ones, and we always returned betimes, to the end we might meet at <HI>Saphoes,</HI> where <HI>Amithone, Erinne, Athys,</HI> and <HI>Cydnon</HI> alwayes were. When the weather was faire, we went to take the Aire, either upon the Sea, or by the Sea &s;ide: And when the weather would not permit us, wee &s;tayed at the hou&s;e of the admirable <HI>Sapho,</HI> which was as plea&s;ant a &s;eate as was in the world, for her Chamber, her outer Chamber, and her Clo&s;et were upon one floore, and looked towards the Sea.</P>
<P>However, to tell you the very truth, few men ever looked upon <HI>Sapho,</HI> but they loved her, or at lea&s;t e&s;teemed her above the degree of a friend: And though <HI>Alces</HI> was in Love with the faire <HI>Athys,</HI> yet I hav<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ard him con|fe&s;&s;e, that the e&s;teem he had of <HI>Sapho</HI> was of a higher nature then that he had of me, though he loved me exceeding well: but certainly there is a kinde of &s;ubtle and penetrating fire in the eyes of <HI>Sapho,</HI> which at lea&s;t heates, if not burnes all hearts.</P>
<P>Moreover, it mu&s;t not be imagined that our &s;ociety was full of Ceremony, for it was all naturall and full of freedome: and if there was any con&s;traint, it was in that we had a continuall de&s;ire to commend <HI>Sapho,</HI> but dur&s;t not, becau&s;e it was offen&s;ive to her. Sometimes we &s;hould mutinie again&s;t her, becau&s;e &s;he would neither give us, nor &s;hew us any of her ver&s;es, but were put to a thou&s;and devices before we could obtaine them.</P>
<P>For my particular, I had the advantage of all the re&s;t; for &s;ince &s;he tru&s;ted my &s;i&s;ter, I &s;aw the excellent works of the admirable <HI>Sapho</HI> by her meanes: And I did &s;o admire the rarities which &s;he &s;hewed me, and the freene&s;&s;e of her illu&s;trious friend from all manner of vanity, as I thought it a thing impo&s;&s;ible to over-e&s;teem the mo&s;t admirable <HI>Sapho.</HI> For <HI>Cydnon</HI> &s;hewed me Elogies, Songs, Epigrams, and a thou&s;and other peeces of rare wit, &s;o as I could nor choo&s;e but wonder that a womans capacity could po&s;&s;ibly reach the height of them; for her ver&s;e was &s;o true, her expre&s;&s;ions &s;o even, her fancy &s;o noble, and pa&s;&s;ions &s;o tender, as to think them incomparable was the lea&s;t I could do. However, this excellent wo|man who&s;e knowledge was &s;uperlative in all things, was more mode&s;t than tho&s;e
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who knew nothing: And an accident one day chanced which did plainly evidence the truth of this unto all tho&s;e who were together in a place where <HI>Sapho</HI> and <HI>Damophile</HI> met.</P>
<P>But Madam, the better to acquaint you with the accident, I mu&s;t tell you, that there was in <HI>Mitilene</HI> a mo&s;t rare confort of Mu&s;ique which the whole Town u|&s;ed to goe and heare at a Lady of qualities hou&s;e, whether <HI>Sapho</HI> and all her com|pany went, with the re&s;t of the Ladies: It was an A&s;&s;embly where the gates were open to all, where acquaintance was not requi&s;ite, and where one might &s;ee a hundred per&s;ons whom they never &s;aw before, nor perhaps ever &s;hould &s;ee again, and where all &s;orts of company re&s;orted: Chance had &s;o contrived it, that <HI>Sapho</HI> &s;ate next <HI>Damophile,</HI> &s;o that untill the Mu&s;ique began, &s;he was con&s;trained to hold di&s;cour&s;e with her, and with tho&s;e about her. <HI>Damophile</HI> never being with|out two or three half witted per&s;ons about her, &s;uch as make them&s;elves more a|ble then really they are, <HI>Sapho</HI> was mo&s;t terribly perplexed, for &s;he &s;tood in fear of none more then that &s;ort of people: and certainly it was not without rea&s;on that &s;he feared them that day: For &s;he was no &s;ooner &s;et, but one of <HI>Damophi|les</HI> friends put a Grammaticall que&s;tion unto her. Unto which <HI>Sapho</HI> negligent|ly an&s;wered; and turning her head the other way, &s;aid, that &s;ince &s;he never lear|ned to &s;peak but only by cu&s;tome, &s;he could not give him any an&s;wer.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as &s;he had &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Damophile</HI> told her in a low voyce with intolerable impudence, that he would con&s;ult with her upon a doubt concerning a ver&s;e in <HI>He&s;iode,</HI> which &s;he did not well under&s;tand. I a&s;&s;ure you (replyed <HI>Sapho</HI> very mode&s;tly and &s;miled) you would do much better to con&s;ult with &s;ome body el&s;e; for I never u&s;e to con&s;ult with any but my Mirrour to know what wor&s;t becomes me, and therefore I am far unfit to con&s;ult upon difficult que&s;tions. As &s;oon as &s;he had &s;aid &s;o, one came from the other other end of the Room very ha&s;tly, and asked whether it was &s;he who made the &s;ongs which were going to be &s;ung&punc; I a&s;|&s;ure you (&s;aid &s;he, and blu&s;ht for anger) that I have done nothing this day but weary my &s;elfe with vexing; for I am &s;o impatient till the Mu&s;ique begin, that I never wi&s;hed for any thing in my life more earne&s;tly.</P>
<P>For my part Madam (&s;aid one of <HI>Damophiles</HI> friends) I had much rather heare one of your ingenuous Epigrams than all the Mu&s;ique: As <HI>Sapho</HI> was ready to an|&s;wer unto this, another came with a paper in his hand, and d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed her &s;he would be plea&s;ed to read that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">logie, and give her opinion of it: So as &s;ince &s;hee had much rather read the ver&s;es of another, then to heare others talk of hers in &s;uch an odd manner, &s;he began to read them to her &s;elfe, or at lea&s;t &s;eemed to do &s;o; for &s;he was &s;o vexed at her place, as that &s;he could not judg of ver&s;es though &s;he had attempted it. But that which cau&s;ed the greate&s;t di&s;traction, was to heare both men and women behind her, talking of her wit, of her ver&s;es, and of her learning, &s;hewing her unto others, and every one &s;hooting a fools bolt according to their fancies: One &s;aid &s;he did not look like a learned per&s;on, others &s;aid that &s;he knew more then &s;he would &s;peak: and one man among&s;t the re&s;t &s;aid, that he would not have his Wife &s;o wi&s;e as &s;he was: and a woman wi&s;hed that she had but ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">f her knowledg, &s;o as every one according to their inclinations commended her, or di&s;commended her, whil&s;t she &s;eemed to be intent upon the paper of ver&s;es.</P>
<P>In the mean while, <HI>Damophile</HI> talked with two or three of her half-witted Companions and &s;pake &s;uch thundring words, which &s;ignified nothing, that they being at la&s;t de&s;irous to heare two &s;uch oppo&s;ite per&s;ons as <HI>Sapho</HI> and <HI>Damophile</HI> talk together, I was the fir&s;t who de&s;ired her whether she would or no to give back the Elogie unto him who gave it unto her, purpo&s;ely to force her unto this Conference. And indeed <HI>Sapho</HI> being glad to &s;ee me &s;o neer her, becau&s;e she ho|ped then to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">k unto none but me, she re&s;tored the Elogie unto him who made it, unto whom she &s;aid that she had not wit enough to judg, and therefore dur&s;t not commend him.</P>
<P>After which, turning her &s;elfe towards me; well <HI>Democedes</HI> (&s;aid she unto me in a low voyce) Though I was very unhappy in &s;itting &s;o neer <HI>Damophile</HI> and her friends, yet I am very glad you came to my reliefe: Nay, nay Madam (&s;aid I un|to her and laughed) I came not hither to that end; for in my opinion it concerns your honour to talk, to the end the wo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ld may know that you u&s;e not to talk like
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unto <HI>Damophile:</HI> And indeed, after this I intruded into the company of <HI>Damophi|le</HI> and tho&s;e &s;he talked unto; addre&s;&s;ing my &s;peech alwayes unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> as angry as she was.</P>
<P>In the mean time, there was one man among&s;t tho&s;e that were with <HI>Damophile,</HI> who indeed &s;poke very well, and began to talke of harmony, and of the nature of Love very eloquently. But Madam it was admirable to &s;ee the difference be|tween <HI>Sapho</HI> and <HI>Damophile,</HI> for the la&s;t of the&s;e never left interrupting him who &s;poke, and making impertinent objections, which &s;he under&s;tood not her &s;elfe, nor could any el&s;e make any &s;en&s;e of them. As for <HI>Sapho,</HI> &s;hee never &s;pake but when a que&s;tion did ab&s;olutely require an an&s;wer from her: And though &s;he al|wayes &s;aid &s;he under&s;tood not the thing in di&s;cour&s;e, yet &s;he &s;poke as one who under&s;tood better than &s;ome that would undertake to teach: And for all her mo|de&s;ty and vexation, and maugre the &s;implicity of her expre&s;&s;ions, it was apparant &s;he under&s;tood all things, and that <HI>Damophile</HI> under&s;tood nothing. The la&s;t of the&s;e, in &s;peaking much, &s;aid little; and the other in &s;peaking almo&s;t nothing, yet &s;poke enough to make her &s;elfe admired. At la&s;t the Mu&s;ique begun; and as &s;oon as it was ended, <HI>Sapho</HI> did ri&s;e up in all ha&s;t; and pretending &s;ome earne&s;t bu&s;i|ne&s;s, &s;he removed from <HI>Damophile,</HI> who no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> being willing to let her goe before &s;he had given her &s;ome other fre&s;h di&s;gu&s;t, &s;he told her, that doubtle&s;&s;e her bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e was to fini&s;h a Song which was yet in her Chamber unperfected: <HI>Sapho</HI> un|der&s;tood very well what <HI>Damophile</HI> &s;aid, but &s;he would not trouble her &s;elfe &s;o far as to an&s;wer. On the contrary, &s;he took me by the hand, and went on the other &s;ide of the room where <HI>Amithone, Erinne,</HI> and <HI>Cydnon</HI> were placed.</P>
<P>They were no &s;ooner met, but &s;he pre&s;&s;ed them very earne&s;tly to be gone, and indeed forced them to go &s;ooner than otherwi&s;e they would: I pray Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cydnon,</HI> &s;eeing her blu&s;h and all in di&s;order) what accident hath hapned which make<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> you de&s;ire to be gone &s;o ha&s;tily? When wee are all in my Chamber (&s;aid &s;he) I will tell you; for I mu&s;t have a little time to recollect my &s;elfe, after my adventure: however (&s;aid <HI>Amithone</HI> unto me) I pray tell us what hath hapned unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> for you were with her? For my part (&s;aid <HI>Athyes,</HI> and gave me no time to an&s;wer) I cannot devi&s;e what it &s;hould be: Perhaps replyed <HI>Erinne,</HI> that <HI>Democide</HI> doth know no more then you do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Pardon me, replyed I, for I do know, but I will not know, unle&s;&s;e the faire <HI>Sapho</HI> be plea&s;ed to give me leave to impart it. I would not only have <HI>Amithone, Erinne,</HI> and <HI>Cydnon</HI> know it (replyed &s;he) but I would have all the world al&s;o know (if it were po&s;&s;ible) how I do hate <HI>Da|mophile</HI> and all her friends, and how &s;orry I am to finde &s;o many fools in the world.</P>
<P><HI>Sapho</HI> expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elfe in &s;uch a pretty chife, that &s;he made me laugh: and as we were thus di&s;cour&s;ing, <HI>Alces</HI> (who I told you was a man who pa&s;&s;ed for a good witt in <HI>Mytelene,</HI> and who was &s;o) came unto us with another man of good note named <HI>Nicanor:</HI> And they came to <HI>Sapho's</HI> gate, where al&s;o we met a Lady called <HI>Philire</HI> who entred al&s;o. As &s;oon as wee were entred into the Chamber, and &s;et, all the Ladies asked me what the matter was: when <HI>Sapho</HI> heard this que|&s;tion asked me, &s;he turned towards them: No no (&s;aid &s;he, it is not <HI>Democedes</HI> which can tell you what I vex at: For there is none who knows it but my &s;elfe: I be&s;eech you tell us then, &s;aid <HI>Nicanor,</HI> who was a well-accompli&s;hed man, and who had none of tho&s;e faul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s which mo&s;t young men of his quality u&s;e to have. The thing you aske (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> is not &s;o ea&s;ie to be told as you imagine: But &s;ince I mu&s;t tell you, it is that I am &s;o weary of being thought a wit, and of pa&s;&s;ing for a Schollar, as I begin to make it my chief felicity neither to read, nor write, nor &s;peak; and if it were a thing po&s;&s;ible to forget them, I prote&s;t I would begin this very hour to be dumb, and would forget to read and write, and &s;peak as long as I lived: So weary am I of the fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e in people, and of the per&s;e|cution which in&s;eparately is upon &s;uch as have a reputation of more w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t or know|ledge, then how to curle their haire, and make choi&s;e of their Ribbands.</P>
<P><HI>Sapho</HI> &s;poke this in &s;uch a lovely fret, and with &s;uch a &s;prightly aire, that her hand&s;ome anger did cau&s;e more love, more liking, and more amity in the &s;oules of all her Auditors But I be&s;eech you (&s;aid <HI>Cydnon)</HI> tell us a little more preci&s;ely what's the cau&s;e of all this? How is it po&s;&s;ible (replyed &s;he) that you &s;hould &s;ee
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me &s;it &s;o long, &s;o neer <HI>Damophile</HI> and her pack of quarter witted per&s;ons, and not pitty me, and think that I &s;pent my time very ill? had you been of the &s;ame &s;ide where I was (replyed <HI>Phylere,</HI> and laughed) you would not have been troubled with any over wi&s;e Ladies: I a&s;&s;ure you (replyed &s;he) I know not where I &s;hould be; for I &s;aw about you four or five women, who making an open profe&s;&s;ion of ha|ting every one that has any wit, and who affect &s;uch dull gro&s;s kind of ignorance, as hath vexed and wearied me, but had you been, where I was (&s;aid <HI>Nicanor)</HI> you had found better entertainment, and more complacency; for there were none but &s;uch men about me as would have highly commended you, happily they might (repli|ed &s;hee) but perhaps not after my mode; for <HI>Nicanor,</HI> mo&s;t men of your quality do &s;o little know how to &s;peak unto &s;uch a one as I am, that they do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">anger me when they think to oblige me: And except the&s;e who are pre&s;ent with me, I know very few who have &s;poken any thing which hath plea&s;ed me, and yet there are &s;ome here al&s;o who have &s;omtimes vexed me; at lea&s;t <HI>I</HI> have rea&s;on to complain that they will not acquaint every one, how <HI>I</HI> de&s;ire to be treated. As for <HI>Alces</HI> (added &s;he) <HI>I</HI> am &s;ure he knows my mind better than all the re&s;t of the company. Tis true, (&s;aid he and laughed) that this profe&s;&s;ion of wit is very trouble&s;ome.</P>
<P>How can it be trouble&s;ome (replyed) <HI>Phylire?)</HI> and what hurt can that re|putation which <HI>Sapho</HI> hath over all the world, do unto her? has &s;he not great rea|&s;on to rejoice, that all the wits of <HI>Athens, Corinth, Lacede<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">on, Thebes, Argos, Delphos,</HI> and in all <HI>Greece,</HI> &s;hould talk of her with admiration? As for &s;uch men as know me not (replyed <HI>Sapho) I</HI> am contented they may talk as they plea&s;e; but <HI>I</HI> am very ill &s;atisfied with mo&s;t of tho&s;e who daily &s;ee me, and if you plea&s;e, <HI>I</HI> will make all my complaints unto you, to the end <HI>Nicanor</HI> may in&s;truct the Court how they ought to behave them&s;elves towards wits, and to the end <HI>Phylixe</HI> may acquaint the Ladies of her neighbour-hood how to live withtho&s;e of ours, and al&s;o to the end that <HI>Amithone, Erinne, Athys,</HI> and <HI>Cydnon</HI> may not accu&s;e me of be|ing fanta&s;ticall in my complaints.</P>
<P>Therefore to &s;peak unto the point in generall, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t tell you once more, that there is nothing more trouble&s;ome than to have a good wit, and to be treated ac|cordingly; if one have any birth, and noblene&s;s of heart: For this is an infallible <HI>Maxime,</HI> that when one gets an applau&s;e from the multitudes by the fla&s;hes of that wit, or any reputation above another by writing ver&s;es or pro&s;e, they do lo&s;e half of their noblene&s;s, and are not like any of their family or kin if they meddle with writing any books, and indeed they will be treated after another manner, than tho&s;e are, who never meddle with any writing; and it will be &s;aid, that &s;uch were de&s;tined only to plea&s;e others and are obliged by a Law to be &s;till writing peice after peice; and if they leave writing, they will be no longer regarded: If they be rich, it will hardly be beleived, and if they be not, it is the wor&s;t of fortune, a poor man who is not guilty of any wit, is better u&s;ed, than if he were. Yet I &s;ee (replyed <HI>Nycanor)</HI> that all the Court doth very much cheri&s;h tho&s;e who are addi|cted to writing.</P>
<P>I do a&s;&s;ure you (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> that they are cheri&s;hed after a very &s;trange man|ner, for almo&s;t all young gallants u&s;e to treat tho&s;e, who are addicted to writing, as they u&s;e to treat their Taylors and &s;hoomakers. Indeed they think that they have rendred all that is due to their merit when they have cur&s;ularly commended them: For my part; they cannot do me a greater di&s;plea&s;ure, than to talk impertinently of tho&s;e ver&s;es which I writ only to plea&s;e my &s;elf. I cannot endure that one &s;hould come unto me, and de&s;ire me to make an Elogy for him, another a &s;ong, and a third come and ask me whither &s;uch an Epigram was mine; I cannot endure that they &s;hould not &s;peak unto me, as they do unto others, &s;ince I de&s;ire to be as others are, and cannot be di&s;tingui&s;hed after &s;o odd a manner: They do not &s;peak unto me as they u&s;e unto others if they would make an excu&s;e for not &s;eeing me, they tell me it was becau&s;e they were afraid to interrupt my &s;tudy, if at any time they accu&s;e me of being too re&s;erved, they tell me that I am never well but when I am by my &s;elf, if I &s;ay my head akes, they tell me it is the di&s;ea&s;e of all good wits: Nay my Phy&s;i|tian when I complain of any little pain, he mu&s;t be telling me al&s;o that the &s;ame temper which cau&s;eth my good wit, cau&s;eth my di&s;ea&s;e. The truth is, Ver&s;es, Wit,
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and Knowledge, are &s;uch troubles unto me, that I begin to look upon Ignorance, and &s;tupidity as the only happine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>The truth is, replyed <HI>Alces,</HI> the fair <HI>Sapho</HI> hath great rea&s;on for her complaints: and were it not for the &s;atisfaction which her writing does give unto her &s;elf, &s;he had never u&s;ed her pen, though never &s;o learnedly, for my part I have &s;een many Courts in the world and <HI>I</HI> have ob&s;erved mo&s;t horrible Inju&s;tice done unto all wri|ters, Every Grandee de&s;ires to be commended but they receive the incen&s;e which is offered, unto them as a tribute due, without any regard unto the hand which offe|red: For my particular I once pre&s;ented a poem unto a Prince, who took it and li|ked it, but never did &s;o much as ask to &s;ee me; yet to tell you truly, Con&s;idering how he u&s;ed me, I took heart and loved the Author, better than I did the Prince: And my mind better &s;atisfied in having a heart more genuine than his, then if for|tune had &s;et me as much above him as he was above me. Oh! my dear <HI>Alces</HI> (re|plyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> how infinitely do you joy me? for nothing gives me greater &s;atisfa|ction than that I am able to tell my &s;elf, my &s;oul is more noble than tho&s;e, whom giddy fortune has &s;et above me. But for all this I cannot choo&s;e but oftentimes be ve|ry &s;en&s;ible of tho&s;e di&s;gu&s;ts which my reputation of wit doth cau&s;e unto me, for I ob&s;erve both men and women when they talk unto me are much perplexed becau&s;e they have a fancy, that they mu&s;t not &s;peak unto me as they do unto others, and they are &s;o per&s;waded, that I con&s;train my &s;elf in &s;peaking unto them, that they con+&s;train them&s;elves al&s;o to go beyond their la&s;t, in&s;omuch as I wi&s;h that I could <HI>&V;n-Sapho</HI> my &s;elf; and if my heart could be &s;een, it would manife&s;t, that nothing could more vex me than to take me for a witty and under&s;tanding woman. And therefore I conjure all the company, to ea&s;e me of this per&s;ecution, by publi&s;hing to all the world, that I am not as I am taken to be, but that it is <HI>Alces</HI> who compo&s;ed tho&s;e ver&s;es which pa&s;s under my name, and that I have nothing in me which is worthy of e&s;teem; to the end all &s;orts may let me alone in quietne&s;s, without either &s;eeking for me, or &s;hunning me: For I mu&s;t confe&s;s, I would neither be courted, or &s;hunned as a woman of wit.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as &s;he had &s;aid &s;o, much company&punc; came in, who cau&s;ed the di&s;cour&s;e to change,; but as for <HI>Sapho,</HI> &s;he &s;poke very little all that day (as my &s;i&s;ter told me) for I went out as the company encrea&s;ed, becau&s;e I heard of the arrivall of two of my old friends, who had been long abroad in Travels. But, Madam, &s;ince one of them who&s;e name is <HI>Phaon,</HI> hath a great &s;hare in the Hi&s;tory which I am relating, It is requi&s;ite I &s;peak of him a little more particularly then of the other who was called <HI>Thimi&s;togenes,</HI> yet I mu&s;t acquaint you that they were both of them <HI>Lesbians,</HI> that were practi&s;ed in one exerci&s;e together, and that during ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> fir&s;t years I did e|qually love them, &amp; yet at their return me-thought I had lo&s;t the one, though I &s;aw them both: And to explain this Riddle, be plea&s;ed to know that when <HI>Phaon</HI> and <HI>Thimi&s;togenes</HI> departed I loved the la&s;t of the&s;e a little better then the fir&s;t, becau&s;e indeed he was then more amiable both in his humour and in his Per&s;on: But at their return I found a very great alteration, for the one was grown very ill-favou|red, and the other much more hand&s;om; the wit of <HI>Thimi&s;togenes</HI> was not at all improved, but <HI>Phaon</HI> was &s;o mended, that I a&s;&s;ure you he much excelled him, and few men could be found more amiable then he: As for his Per&s;on, doubtle&s;s it was incomparable, for he was extraordinary fair, but &s;uch a fairne&s;s as does not re|&s;emble the beauty of Ladies, though he had all the good deportments of his own Sex, and all the beauty of others, his &s;tature was tall and noble though not of the highe&s;t pitch, his hair very brown, his eyes black and lovely, his cheeks plump, his Teeth white, his No&s;e even proportioned, and his Aire haughty; moreover for a man, he had mo&s;t fair hands, a &s;prightly look, a promi&s;ing Phy&s;iognomy, and I know not what kind of pa&s;&s;ionatne&s;s in his a&s;pect without any affection which &s;poke him very apt to become a mo&s;t compleat Gallant. Indeed, Madam, <HI>Phaon</HI> is &s;o fair and every way &s;o hand&s;ome, that the people of <HI>Lesbos</HI> invented the odde&s;t Fable of him in the world: Fo he being the Son of a man in great reputation at <HI>Mytilene</HI> who had commanded Navies in &s;everall Was: The dull people &s;ay, that when he was very young and playing in a little Boat neer one of his Fathers
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Ships <HI>Venus</HI> came to him, and de&s;ired him to carry a me&s;&s;age for her in that Boat unto a certain <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">d: And in recompence of his Service &s;he made him &s;o fair as he was. Thus without any other ground for this Fable (unle&s;s becau&s;e <HI>Phaon</HI> con|trary to cu&s;tom of men was not &s;o fair when he was a Child as &s;ince he became a man) all the people of <HI>Lesbos</HI> do beleive this Fable, as really as if it were a very truth. But, Madam as <HI>Phaon</HI> is amiable in his Per&s;on, &s;o is he al&s;o in his humour and &s;pirit, for he is very civill &s;weet and affable, and without too much mirth, or too much melancholy, he is all that is imaginable to plea&s;e: be&s;ides this, his Aire is naturall ea&s;ie and agreeable, he &s;peaks well, and home to the purpo&s;e: moreover he had a naturall inclination of Gallantry, and there was &s;uch a &s;utablene&s;s be|tween his Per&s;on, his Humour, and his W<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t, as one would &s;ay, they were made for one another. As for <HI>Thimi&s;togenes</HI> he did not at all re&s;emble him, not that he was very ill favoured, but becau&s;e he did not plea&s;e, and becau&s;e his Aire was forced and con&s;trained: Nor was it that he is without any wit at all, but becau&s;e that wit he has is wrong bia&s;&s;ed, and he was very &s;eldom in the right, but is &s;o accu&s;tomed to be in the wrong, that one may be almo&s;t a&s;&s;ured to choo&s;e well if they only take that which he choo&s;eth not; And he is very much addicted to love all excellencies, and to Court accompli&s;hed men, though it is beyond his reach to know them.</P>
<P>The&s;e two men whom I have de&s;cribed had long travelled together without any great affection, or without much Society together: for as &s;oon as they came into any Town their inclinations parted them, and that which plea&s;ed the one did never plea&s;e the other. Thus they wree together upon the high-waies, but never in any other place; According to this their cu&s;tom, as &s;oon as they arrived at <HI>Mytilene,</HI> they &s;evered, &s;o as I al&s;o &s;ought them &s;everally, but could not find them; for as I &s;ought them they were &s;eeing others, in&s;omuch that it was the next morning before I &s;aw them: But as &s;oon as I found the difference between <HI>Thimi&s;togenes</HI> and <HI>Pha|on,</HI> I changed al&s;o as they had done, for I loved <HI>Phaon</HI> better then I did <HI>Thimi&s;toge|nes:</HI> However, &s;ince I was not the fir&s;t whom they had met with in <HI>Mytilene</HI> I found them already informed of the great beauty in <HI>Sapho,</HI> yet not by men who knew how to commend her according to her Merit: For they had only told them that &s;he was a great Wit, and under&s;tanding Per&s;on, and one that had a mo&s;t ad|mirable faculty in compo&s;ing Ver&s;es. But the wonder was, that though the &s;ame Character was given unto them both, yet it produced &s;everall effects, for <HI>Thimi&s;to|genes</HI> out of the curio&s;ity to &s;ee all Excellences, was extreamly impatient of &s;ee|ing <HI>Sapho.</HI> And <HI>Phaon</HI> on the contrary who had &s;een <HI>Damophile</HI> the night before as &s;he came from the Mu&s;ick hou&s;e had no de&s;ire at all to be acquainted with <HI>Sa|pho,</HI> and indeed he was &s;o far from de&s;iring it, when I &s;pake unto him and offered to carry him thither, that he refu&s;ed the Vi&s;ite, in lieu of de&s;iring it.</P>
<P>But <HI>Thimi&s;togenes</HI> was &s;o eager, that he was extreamly importunate with me to carry him unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> though I would not, becau&s;e I found him unworthy of her acquaintance: And I was as importunate with <HI>Phaon</HI> to &s;ee her, though he would not, out of a conceipt he had that it was a thing almo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible for a woman to be learned and not ridiculous, or at lea&s;t not trouble&s;ome: Al&s;o the little expe|rience with <HI>Phaon</HI> had in matters of Love, had &s;uffered an error to grow in his mind (which was quickly rooted out,) That it was better to be in love with a faire foole than a woman of a great wit: So as one day when I had pre&s;&s;ed him to goe and &s;ee <HI>Sapho,</HI> and he ob&s;tinatly had refu&s;ed, I was very angry with him for not gi|ving credit unto what I told him; For (&s;aid I unto him) what rea&s;on can you give me, why you will not &s;ee <HI>Sapho?</HI> Fir&s;t, (&s;aid he unto me) they &s;ay that <HI>Damo|phile</HI> is a Coop<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e of <HI>Sapho.</HI> Secondly, I profe&s;s, that if &s;he be, it is impo&s;&s;ible the Original &s;hould ever plea&s;e me, for I have found <HI>Damophile</HI> &s;uch a ridiculous piece of foll<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, that I would run from Country to Country rather than meet with her whom &s;he re&s;embles. Oh mo&s;t unju&s;t friend, (&s;aid I unto him) did you but know what wrong you have done unto the mo&s;t admirable <HI>Sapho</HI> you would abhor your inju&s;tice, and repent of the injury done unto me in accu&s;ing me of ig|norance in true merit: I accu&s;e you not (&s;aid he unto me) but friend you know e|very one has a &s;everall gu&s;t, and a &s;everall fancy: and for my part I de&s;ire only the &s;ight of &s;uch Ladies as will divert me, and not teach me, for I am mo&s;t terribly a|fraid of &s;uch as &s;well them&s;elves into bigg words, for &s;mall matters; &s;uch as are al|wayes
<PB N="98" REF="939">
upon the top of <HI>Parna&s;&s;us,</HI> and never talk unto men, but in the language of gods: And if you will needs have me di&s;cover the &s;ecret of my &s;oule unto you, I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that in <HI>Sicily</HI> I was in love with a faire foole; and I will not run the hazard of being in love with a faire wit, who perhaps will make me de&s;paire. There|fore I conjure you to trouble me no more; For if <HI>Sapho</HI> be &s;uch a one as I do ima|gine her, &s;he will make me mo&s;t horribly hate her: And if &s;he be &s;uch a one as you &s;ay &s;he is, perhaps I &s;hall love her too well to keep my &s;elf in quietne&s;&s;e. But is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid I unto him) that you could fall in love with a foole; The truth is (re|plyed he and laughed) I was not in love with a foole but I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, that there was &s;uch a faire foole whom I did not hate.</P>
<P>I perceive then (&s;aid I unto him) that one may love beauty where&s;oever it is, though in a fair woman without any wit, but I cannot imagine one &s;hould love her per&s;on be &s;he never &s;o faire: Al&s;o <HI>I</HI> perceive you do not know all the delicate de|lights of rough pa&s;&s;ion, &s;ince you never loved any but a faire foole: <HI>I</HI> know not whether <HI>I</HI> knew all the delights, replyed <HI>Phaon)</HI> but I am &s;ure that I know all the torments: Alas my deare friend, (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him) you are but a Novice in love, for none are ever happy in it, unle&s;&s;e they be fir&s;t mi&s;erable. Tho&s;e doe not de&s;erve the &s;weet which will not ta&s;t the bitter; a thing mu&s;t be de&s;ired with inquietude before it can be enjoyed with delight: and before one can know all the &s;weets of love he mu&s;t love a woman that hath wit. For my part (continued <HI>I) I</HI> love a faire Picture which cannot talk fooli&s;hly, better then a faire woman, who tattles and committs a thou&s;and impertinencies. As we were thus talk|ing, <HI>Themi&s;togenes</HI> came in, who&s;e mind being oppo&s;ite unto <HI>Phaons,</HI> he entreated me to carry him unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> telling me he had a very earne&s;t de&s;ire to &s;e her: and adding, that in all likely-hood he &s;hould fall in love with her, if he found her &s;uch a beauty as he imagined. If &s;o &s;ir (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> purpo&s;ely to prevent him) <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t not carry you thither, for you would be extreamly mi&s;erable if you &s;hould become a lover of a per&s;on, who has &s;o many others. Thus <HI>I</HI> not being able to per&s;wade <HI>Phaon,</HI> and <HI>Themi&s;togenes</HI> not being able to per&s;wade me, we parted, but <HI>I</HI> won|dred when after dinner being at <HI>Saphoes,</HI> &s;hee &s;hould tell me that <HI>Nicanor</HI> and <HI>Phy|lire</HI> who had &s;een <HI>Phaon,</HI> did give him &s;uch a noble Character, as though it was not her u&s;e to affect fre&s;h acquaintance yet &s;he could not choo&s;e but de&s;ire his. The very truth is Madam, (replyed <HI>I) Phaon</HI> is a per&s;on, of very extraordinary merit, &s;ince he is your intimate friend (replyed &s;he) <HI>I</HI> &s;hall hope he will come and vi&s;it <HI>Cydnon,</HI> and &s;o happily <HI>I</HI> shall &s;ee him at her Chamber.</P>
<P><HI>I</HI> believe Madam, (replyed <HI>I)</HI> that he would &s;ee you at your own hou&s;e before a|ny other place, did he not &s;tand in feare of you: Alas <HI>Democedes</HI> (&s;aid shee unto me) why should any friend of yours &s;tand in feare of me; but to be plaine with you, <HI>I</HI> shall think you have infu&s;ed a bad opinion of me into him, if he do not come and &s;ee me, you may imagine Madam how this expre&s;&s;ion of <HI>Saphoes</HI> perplexed me, knowing the mind of <HI>Phaon</HI> as I did; but I engaged my &s;elf to bring him unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> and accordingly I went very &s;eriou&s;ly unto <HI>Phaon,</HI> and de&s;ired him to make this vi&s;ite for my &s;ake, if not for <HI>Saphos;</HI> but I had much ado to per&s;wade him, yet being affraid to fall out with me, he yeilded: but told me withall, that I mu&s;t take this Complacency as a great argument of his friend-&s;hip, and afterwards promi&s;ed me to go the next day with me unto <HI>Sapho:</HI> But that which mo&s;t troubled me was, that I dur&s;t not carry him unle&s;s I carry <HI>Themi&s;togenes</HI> al&s;o, becau&s;e he would be very angry with me if I had not; &s;o that to carry a very plea&s;ing man unto her, I was con&s;trained to carry a very ill Companion al&s;o. I adverti&s;ed <HI>Sapho</HI> of this in|tended vi&s;ite, and &s;he acquainted all her dear friends with it, &s;o that <HI>Amithone, Erinne, Athys,</HI> and <HI>Cydon</HI> were all with her, when <HI>Phaon, Themi&s;togenes</HI> and <HI>I</HI> came thither, <HI>Sapho</HI> being one of the mo&s;t plea&s;ing Per&s;ons in the world at the fir&s;t &s;ight, and the mo&s;t obliging when &s;he plea&s;ed; &s;he received us extreamly kindly, and in &s;uch a gallant manner, that <HI>I</HI> &s;aw very well <HI>Phaon</HI> was much &s;urpri&s;ed, and that he did not expect to find her Aire &s;o free, &s;o amiable, and &s;o naturall.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Themi&s;togenes, I</HI> ob&s;erved that he was a&s;toni&s;hed as well as <HI>Phaon,</HI> but it was in a different manner, yet being both of them prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with an opinion of <HI>Saphos</HI> knowledge, and conceiving they ought to &s;peak in an Elevated &s;tile, they begun their di&s;cour&s;e in a grave, &s;erious, and very &s;olemn Tone. And though
<PB N="99" REF="939">
I told <HI>Phaon</HI> there needed no &s;uch &s;etting off him&s;elf in Print, yet he did not beleive me; &s;o that thinking he ought to commend her as a Per&s;on extraordinary, and in the highe&s;t Phra&s;es, he began his Encomium with a very eloquent Exordi|um. But <HI>Sapho</HI> &s;topping his Oration, and turning towards me, I profe&s;&s;e <HI>Demo|cides</HI> (&s;aid she) I have great rea&s;on to complaine again&s;t you: Again&s;t me Madam (replied I with a&s;tonishment) Yes (replied she) again&s;t you; for &s;ince <HI>Phaon</HI> does not know me, it were inju&s;tice to complain again&s;t him: and therefore I do po|&s;itively accu&s;e you for all the&s;e applauds which he be&s;tows upon me; for had you acquainted him that I do not affect any Commendations, I believe him to be a more accomplished man then to turn his Complacency into, &s;uch flatteries as can|not chu&s;e but di&s;plea&s;e me. I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, replyed I, I advi&s;ed him not to offend the mode&s;ty of your humour: Then 'tis apparent hee does not know me (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> But <HI>Phaon</HI> (continued she and turned towards him) &s;ince I do not love to be beholding unto Fame, I shall take it as a very &s;ingular favour if you would judg of mee onely by your own knowledg: Let time and experience give you the knowledg of me: For it would be very unju&s;t in you to judge of me upon the reports of others. Madam (replyed <HI>Phaon,</HI> and &s;miled) I do admire your Mode&s;ty, and that's all I dare &s;ay; for to acknowledg that you merit more commendations then Fame doth give you, is to tell you that you merit more then ever any did. Can fame give you better report (added <HI>Themi&s;togenes,</HI> thinking to hit the naile upon the head) then that a Lady can make better ver&s;es then ever <HI>Homer</HI> did? and that &s;he is wi&s;er then all the &s;even Sages of <HI>Greece?</HI> However Sir (&s;aid <HI>Sapho)</HI> I cannot endure that any should tell me of any &s;uch things; and the greate&s;t injury my friends can do me, is to think that I love to be commended: For &s;ince I know that I am not wi&s;e, I cannot endure to be told that I am: and though I were &s;o, yet &s;urely I &s;hould hate flattery: I cannot deny but that I have made &s;ome fooli&s;h ver&s;es; but Poetry being only an effect of a natural inclination, as mu&s;ique is, I ought to be no more commended for making ver&s;es, then for &s;inging.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Sapho</HI> turning the di&s;cour&s;e upon &s;ome other &s;ubject very ingeniou&s;|ly, &s;he was extream carefull to talk of nothing that might &s;mell of too much wi&s;dome: but on the contrary, &s;he pa&s;&s;ed away all the afternoon in a plea&s;ant Ral|lary with her friends, twitting them with a thou&s;and petty pa&s;&s;ages concerning their Caballa, which yet were &s;o intelligible, that <HI>Phaon</HI> and <HI>Themi&s;togenes</HI> did take as much delight in them as tho&s;e did who were acquainted with the pa&s;&s;ages.</P>
<P>Afterwards <HI>Alces</HI> and <HI>Nicanor</HI> coming in, <HI>Sapho</HI> began to chide the fir&s;t of them for a cu&s;tome which he had, and which he always u&s;ed when occa&s;ion pre|&s;ented it &s;elfe. For Madam, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Alces</HI> had &s;uch a fancy of a faire woman, that he could not endure tho&s;e who were not &s;o, and he would al|wayes be &s;ure to change place when&s;oever Chance had &s;et him neere any ill-fa|voured per&s;on: So it hapned, when he was in <HI>Sapho's</HI> Chamber, that a Woman came in, who indeed was very ugly; he according to his humour went out, and went &s;o abruptly, that the woman plainly &s;aw, that he vvent out purpo&s;ely to &s;hun her. <HI>Sapho</HI> being de&s;irous to turn di&s;cour&s;e another vvay, began after a gal|lant manner, to condemn his nicene&s;&s;e, and in his per&s;on to blame mo&s;t young Gallants of the time vvho&s;e Cu&s;tome was to do the like: Truly Madam (&s;aid <HI>Al|ces</HI> unto her) I had not gone out at that time from your Chamber, but becau&s;e I de&s;ired to go unto the faire <HI>Athys,</HI> and I do prote&s;t not upon any other rea&s;on: I pray <HI>Alces,</HI> replyed <HI>Athys,</HI> make not your vi&s;it unto me your excu&s;e, for you came not to me that day: Then I went unto <HI>Amithones</HI> (added he) no replyed that faire one, for both <HI>Erinne, Cydnon,</HI> and my &s;elfe did &s;ee you out of the win|dow of my Chamber walking about two hours with a friend of yours, who is one of the uglie&s;t men that ever any eye beheld, and who que&s;tionle&s;&s;e is more ugly then the Lady who you &s;hunned. I profe&s;&s;e it is very &s;trange (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> you &s;hould have &s;uch irregular thoughts: and I would gladly know why you should more tolerate an ugly man than an ugly Woman: and why you should shun an ugly Woman as much as you would the Plague: This is an injury unto our Sexe, and as if Women were made for no other u&s;e then Colours are, to plea&s;e the eye. This <HI>Alces,</HI> is mo&s;t unju&s;t; for if you love that only which is faire, and hate that which is foul, why have you not faire friends, as well as faire Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es?
<PB N="100" REF="940">
and why are you not as carefull to shun ugly Men as ugly Women? Women as well as Men that are ill favoured, may have a thou&s;and charms of wit, and a thou|&s;and beauties of &s;oule, and therefore why more hated? Yet I &s;ee mo&s;t young Gallants are guilty of this inju&s;tice: yes there are &s;ome men who are extreamly ugly them&s;elves, yet cannot endure a Woman &s;o: They de&s;ire the faire&s;t eyes should look favourably upon them, and yet they will look upon none but faire Women vvith the uglie&s;t eyes under the Sun. I knovv one vvho looks upon him|&s;elfe in a gla&s;&s;e, as if he vvere the hand&s;ome&s;t of all men living: and though he can look upon his ovvn deformities vvith delight, yet he cannot with any patience en|dure the deformities of others: You expre&s;&s;e your thoughts Madam &s;o excellently, replyed <HI>Phaon,</HI> that <HI>I</HI> believe <HI>Alces</HI> with all his wit will have much ado to an&s;wer you. <HI>I</HI> a&s;&s;ure you (replyed <HI>Alces)</HI> that <HI>I</HI> had rather acknowledg a fault in me, then go about to ju&s;tifie my &s;elfe, &s;ince <HI>I</HI> cannot do it, unle&s;s <HI>I</HI> should &s;peak many things again&s;t Ladies in generall. You expre&s;s your &s;elfe with &s;o much malignity (replyed <HI>Amithone)</HI> that you de&s;erve (as a puni&s;hment for &s;hunning &s;uch wo|men as are not faire) all faire ones &s;hould avoid meeting with you.</P>
<P>Provided one faire one will not fly me (replyed he, looking upon <HI>Athys)</HI> I &s;hould not much grieve if all the re&s;t did. Though I were faire (replyed <HI>Erinne)</HI> yet I &s;hould be none of tho&s;e who would give any comfort unto you: And &s;ince <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> am not (added <HI>Athys,</HI> and blu&s;hed) I have nothing to do but to comfort my &s;elfe that I am not in the number of tho&s;e who can comfort <HI>Alces:</HI> For hee is &s;o nice, that he cannot endure tho&s;e (who like me) are neither faire nor ugly. This is &s;o unju&s;t (replyed <HI>Alces)</HI> as I wonder that the faire <HI>Sapho</HI> who u&s;eth to be ju&s;t unto merit, can endure it. The rea&s;on is, replyed &s;he, becau&s;e it belongs not un|to me to commend the beauty of <HI>Athys</HI> in your pre&s;ence: For &s;ince you have &s;uch tender and delicate eyes as cannot look upon any ugline&s;&s;e in women, I am per|&s;waded they are al&s;o judicious enough to know true beauty, and that you can commend her better then any other. However (continued &s;he) I would gladly know, whether <HI>Phaon</HI> and <HI>Themistogenes</HI> be as nice as <HI>Alces</HI> is: As for <HI>Nicanor</HI> and <HI>Democides,</HI> I know they have &s;ome friends who are none of the faire&s;t. For my part Madam (replyed <HI>Phaon)</HI> though I am a great adorer of beauty, yet I should think it a great wrong unto Ladies, if I should look upon it as the only ad|vantage of their &s;exe: And I can a&s;&s;ure you, I am &s;o farr from the opinion of <HI>Al|ces,</HI> that I am per&s;waded it is not a thing impo&s;&s;ible to be in love with a woman who hath no beauty at all, provided she be not extreamly ugly: For there are women who have &s;uch rare beauties of mind, and &s;uch engaging graces in their humours, that they may infinitely plea&s;e, and be very amiable. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Themi&s;togenes)</HI> I should much better love a woman who is knowing in all high and excellent things, though she were not hand&s;ome, then I should an ignorant faire one. For ought I &s;ee (replyed <HI>Sapho</HI> and laughed) I can never be loved either by <HI>Al|ces,</HI> or by <HI>Themi&s;togenes:</HI> For I am not faire as the fir&s;t would have his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, nor am I knowing, as <HI>Themi&s;togenes</HI> de&s;ires his to be: and therefore it is my be&s;t cour&s;e to make <HI>Nicanor, Phaon,</HI> and <HI>Democedes</HI> my friends: But if in &s;eeking to make them your friends (replyed <HI>Cydnon,</HI> and &s;miled) you should finde a Lover of any of them, what would you &s;ay then? Doubtle&s;&s;e I should &s;ay, replyed she, that I have found more then ever I did, or more then I do de&s;ire.</P>
<P>As <HI>Nicanor, Phaon,</HI> and I were ready to reply, <HI>Cynegira</HI> entred into her Chamber, who&s;e pre&s;ence made our di&s;cour&s;e to change, and <HI>Nicanor, Phaon, Themy&s;togenes</HI> and I went pre&s;ently out. Yet Madam, &s;ince there was a very plea|&s;ant Plain before <HI>Sapho's</HI> Lodging, we walked there: And after one turn, <HI>Phaon</HI> began to &s;peak in a low voyce unto me, becau&s;e he vvould not have <HI>Nicanor</HI> knovv his opinion of <HI>Sapho.</HI> Ah dear friend (&s;aid hee unto mee) vvhat an Enemy had I been unto my &s;elfe, had I not &s;een the mo&s;t admired <HI>Sapho?</HI> Well (&s;aid I unto him) have you found her over-wi&s;e? does &s;he much re&s;emble <HI>Damophile?</HI> was there any nece&s;&s;ity of talking concerning high matters as you imagined you &s;hould? For my part (&s;aid he) I am &s;o charmed with the &s;ight of her, that I can|not think any one in the world comparably &s;o amiable: For &s;he is &s;o &s;weet, &s;o &s;o|ciable, and &s;o gallant, as I find her all &s;uperlative; and when I con&s;ider how this excellent Woman who is ver&s;ed in the mo&s;t &s;ublime knowledg, did divert her
<PB N="101" REF="940">
&s;elfe &s;o plea&s;ingly in triviall things, I begin to feare I &s;hall fall in Love with her, if I &s;hould continue &s;eeing her: and yet I think it is impo&s;&s;ible for me to forbeare. I thought you would change your opinion of her (&s;aid I unto him) as &s;oon as you &s;aw her: But I would gladly know (&s;aid he) whether &s;he be alwayes &s;o ami|able as &s;he was this day; and whether she have no tincture of that pride, which is almo&s;t in&s;eparable from &s;uch as have any extraordinary parts? Tell me friend, does she always &s;peak with &s;o little aflectation or sharpne&s;&s;e as she did now?</P>
<P>All I can &s;ay unto you is, replyed I, that she is &s;ometimes as much above what you &s;aw her now, as you found her now above what you expected: Oh <HI>Demo|cedes,</HI> replyed he, it is not po&s;&s;ible: The faire <HI>Sapho</HI> cannot, no it is mo&s;t impo&s;&s;i|ble she should appear more amiable than she did this day.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Nicanor</HI> began to talk with <HI>Phaon,</HI> and <HI>Themi&s;togenes</HI> began to ad|dre&s;&s;e his &s;peech unto me very faintly: I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e unto you (&s;aid he unto me) I have been much a&s;tonished this afternoon: Why (&s;aid I) are you not plea&s;ed with the &s;ight of <HI>Sapho?</HI> So little, replyed he, that were I not per&s;waded she concealed her knowledg becau&s;e there was many Women in the company, I should lay a&s;ide the high opinion which I had conceived of her: For truly I heard her not &s;peak any thing this day which any other Lady did not know as well as she, &amp; might &s;peak as well. Yet you mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e (replyed I coldly) that though she did &s;peak like a Lady, yet it was like a Lady who &s;poke very well.</P>
<P>I mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e, &s;aid he, that she u&s;ed no barbarous words; but to tell you truly, I expected much more from her then I found: Perhaps you expected (&s;aid I unto him) that she should have read a Phylo&s;ophy Lecture, re&s;olved &s;ome difficult que&s;tions, and explained &s;ome ob&s;cure places in <HI>He&s;iode</HI> and <HI>Homer?</HI> I expected at lea&s;t (&s;aid he) that nothing would have come out of her mouth but high matter, w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ich should have made her knowledg appeare: And for my part, I tell you ingenuou&s;ly, that I am per&s;waded she will &s;ometimes shew her know|ledg, for it is not po&s;&s;ible she should get &s;uch a reputation over all <HI>Greece,</HI> if she talked of nothing but trifles, &s;uch as I heard her &s;peak of this day.</P>
<P>You may imagin Madam, how I wondred at the difference of opinion between <HI>Phaon</HI> and <HI>Themi&s;togenes.</HI> In the mean time, <HI>Themi&s;togenes</HI> &s;poke &s;o loud, that <HI>Phaon</HI> confu&s;edly heard what he &s;aid, &s;o that being now one of the mo&s;t jealous admirers of <HI>Sapho,</HI> he came unto us, and asked me of what <HI>Themi&s;togenes</HI> talked? He told me (replyed I and &s;miled) that he could not &s;ee how <HI>Sapho</HI> &s;hould de|&s;erve all tho&s;e applauds which are attributed unto her; but that he expected from her, a thou&s;and excellencies, which &s;he never &s;o much as mentioned. I perceive, (replyed <HI>Phaon</HI> faintly) that the fair <HI>Sapho</HI> cannot get the e&s;teem both of <HI>The|mi&s;togenes</HI> and me, for I do infinitely e&s;teem her. After her di&s;cour&s;e upon all the&s;e trifles, where with he upbraids her; but I &s;hould &s;carcely have e&s;teemed her, had &s;he only talked of &s;uch high matters as he imagined &s;he would; &s;o that it follows of ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity, &s;he cannot plea&s;e us both: I confe&s;s it (replyed <HI>Themi&s;to|genes</HI> faintly) but the difficulty is to know whether it were not more advantage|ous for <HI>Sapho,</HI> to &s;atisfie me than to &s;atisfie you. If you plea&s;e to let <HI>Nicanor</HI> and <HI>Democedes</HI> be our Judges, replyed <HI>Phaon, I</HI> &s;hall con&s;ent unto it.</P>
<P>Since <HI>I</HI> am altogether on your &s;ide (replyed <HI>Nicanor</HI> unto <HI>Phaon)</HI> and directly again&s;t <HI>Themistogenes,</HI> I am not a competent judge: it is no wonder, &s;aid <HI>Phaon,</HI> that <HI>Themi&s;tegenes</HI> and <HI>I</HI> &s;hould differ in Opinions, for it is not above two years &s;ince, we were both of one mind, in any thing: &s;o as it is not &s;trange that as &s;oon as <HI>I</HI> began to admire <HI>Sapho</HI> he &s;hould not admire her; but prefer <HI>Damophile</HI> be|cau&s;e <HI>I</HI> preferr <HI>Sapho</HI> before all the women <HI>I</HI> ever &s;aw: and indeed <HI>I</HI> have abun|dance of rea&s;on &s;o to do, for to write as &s;he writes, and to di&s;cour&s;e as &s;he doth, are two qualities &s;o admirable, that &s;he de&s;erves the e&s;teem of the world. But yet <HI>I</HI> pray tell mee (replyed <HI>Themi&s;togenes</HI> in &s;uch a pelt as made us laugh) what hath &s;he &s;aid which hath excellency in it? &s;he &s;poke elegantly and gallantly (replyed <HI>Phaon)</HI> and &s;he &s;poke with mode&s;ty, and in &s;uch a di&s;creet manner, as &s;he hath merited my admiration; but not mine (replyed he) for <HI>I</HI> never u&s;e to ad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ny thing but what is extraordinary: <HI>I</HI> once knew a man at <HI>Athens</HI> (re|plyed <HI>Phaon)</HI> who was of the &s;ame humour with <HI>Themi&s;togenes,</HI> for he knew not how to put a difference between things which men admire, and things which make
<PB N="102" REF="941">
men a&s;toni&s;hed; <HI>I</HI> cannot tell you whether <HI>I</HI> am of his humour you mean, or no (replyed <HI>Themi&s;togenes</HI> very <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">iercely) but <HI>I</HI> am &s;ure <HI>I</HI> cannot &s;ee any diffe|rence between <HI>Sapho</HI> and other women of <HI>Mytelene,</HI> by any di&s;cour&s;e <HI>I</HI> heard her utter, and in the humour <HI>I</HI> am in, if &s;he do not elevate her Mu&s;e to a higher &s;train than <HI>I</HI> heard her this day, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall beleive &s;ome hath made her ver&s;es and publi&s;h|ed them in her name.</P>
<P><HI>Phaon</HI> hearing <HI>Themistogenes</HI> &s;ay &s;o, began fir&s;t to laugh, and afterwards to be angry in good earne&s;t, &s;o as replying very &s;harply upon one another: they &s;ell to quarrell: <HI>Nicanor</HI> and <HI>I</HI> &s;hould have had much ado to part them, if <HI>Alces</HI> and two more had not accidentally come in.</P>
<P>However, &s;ince this quarrell could not be taken up upon the &s;udden, it was the next day before they were reconciled; &s;o as it was divulged all over the Town. But <HI>Phaons</HI> advantage was, that <HI>I</HI> related all the pa&s;&s;age unto my &s;i&s;ter, and &s;he unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> in&s;omuch as the very fir&s;t day that he &s;aw <HI>Sapho,</HI> &s;he under&s;tood that &s;he was obliged to him.</P>
<P>This reconciliation had one Circum&s;tance in it which was very remarkable; for <HI>Phaon</HI> would not be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">eind<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> with <HI>Themi&s;togenes,</HI> untill he had acknowledged him|&s;elf too blame in judging &s;o ra&s;hly upon <HI>Saphoes</HI> merit, &s;o as this excellent Lady hea|ring of all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages did think her &s;elf very much beholden unto <HI>Phaon,</HI> and the next time &s;he &s;aw him, &s;he received him very obligingly, and &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw him enter into her chamber, but &s;he went to meet him mo&s;t civily, and acc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ted him with &s;uch &s;ingular and gallant complements, that it de&s;erves a reher&s;all: For looking upon him with a &s;miling countenance: Sir, &s;aid &s;he unto him, you have &s;o commended me for not talking of high matters, that <HI>I</HI> care &s;carcely thank you for the favour lea&s;t contrary to my cu&s;tome <HI>I</HI> &s;hould u&s;e any &s;uch big phra&s;es as might purcha&s;e the e&s;teem of <HI>Themi&s;togenes,</HI> and loo&s;e yours.</P>
<P>Your language Madam (replyed he) is &s;o full of wit and gallantry that <HI>I</HI> can|not repent of my di&s;gu&s;t again&s;t <HI>Themi&s;togenes,</HI> for he who does not admire you, de&s;erves an immortall quarrell from all rationall men, when you are well acquain|ted with me Sir, (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> you will &s;ee that I am not &s;o jealous of my ho|nour: And that as long as they do not a&s;per&s;e my virtue and my goodne&s;s, I care not what they &s;ay.</P>
<P>Afterwards <HI>Sapho,</HI> cau&s;ing <HI>Phaon</HI> to &s;it down, the company were very plea&s;ant, for not only all her intimate friends were there, but <HI>Phylire, Nicanor,</HI> and I were there al&s;o, And after much di&s;cour&s;e upon the Errour of <HI>Themi&s;togenes,</HI> who thought every one to be ignorant, if they do not talk of high things, <HI>Phylire</HI> &s;aid that though gro&s;s ignorance was a mo&s;t odious fault, yet &s;he thought it better all women were &s;o, then to be overwi&s;e, for do but imagin, &s;aid &s;he, what a pe&s;tilent per&s;ecution it would be, if we had but two or three damo&s;ells more in <HI>Mytelene,</HI> But I be&s;eech you imagin al&s;o on the other &s;ide replyed <HI>Phaon,</HI> what a felicity it would be if there were but five or &s;ix <HI>Saphoes</HI> in the whole world, and if <HI>Athens, Delphos, Thebes,</HI> and <HI>Argos,</HI> could boa&s;t of that honour as well as <HI>Mytelene.</HI> Oh <HI>Phaon</HI> re|plyed <HI>Sapho,</HI> and blu&s;hed) I be&s;eech you do not le&s;&s;en my Obligations by over|commending me, and remember that I do not affect it, nor would I pa&s;s for wi&s;e. For the truth is, that though I do know &s;ome things, which all women do not know, yet I am &s;ure I know le&s;s, than all women ought to know.</P>
<P>Truly Madam, (replyed <HI>Cydnon</HI> and laughed) you do engage them unto a great task, and to &s;peak &s;incerely, you know &s;o much, that I cannot tell how you &s;hould conceal your knowledge from them, nor how you &s;hould infu&s;e it into them. I am very certain (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> that I know &s;o very little, that if all women, would imploy that time well which they imploy idely, they would know a thou&s;and times more than I do. Your expre&s;&s;ions Madam, are &s;o ingenious, &s;o mode&s;t, and &s;o noble, (replyed <HI>Phaon)</HI> that though what you &s;ay as relating to your &s;elfe be not po&s;itively true, yet I cannot for my life choo&s;e but commend you: For it is mo&s;t certain that mo&s;t Ladies are much to blame in &s;pending many a mo&s;t precious houre, which might be much better imployed than they u&s;e to do.</P>
<P>For my particular (&s;aid <HI>Phylire)</HI> I cannot tell how Ladies can learn any thing though they would; for often times, I have not &s;o much lea&s;ure as to go unto the temple, and I have a friend who is every day &s;o long in dre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf, that the &s;un is &s;et before &s;he can get out of her Chamber.</P>
<P><PB N="103" REF="941">
I have often thought (replyed <HI>Amithone)</HI> that <HI>Sapho</HI> could not afford her &s;elf &s;o much time as to &s;leep and do all shee did, untill I went a journey with her into the Countrey; But &s;ince then, I have been convinced of my error, by &s;eeing her or|der her time &s;o well, that she had lea&s;ure to do a thou&s;and things, which I could not do: for she found as much time to &s;leep as kept her complexion fresh, and her eyes in Lu&s;ter: she had time enough to dre&s;&s;e her &s;elf as gallantly as any did: she had al&s;o her times of reading, writing, &s;tudying, walking, and &s;till time enough to look unto her bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and to enjoy her friends. And all this without being troubled, or being bu&s;ie. I would she would teach me the &s;ecret (&s;aid the faire <HI>A|this)</HI> for could I learn it, I would &s;trive to know more then I do. But before you oblige her to impart &s;o great a &s;ecret (replyed <HI>Erinne)</HI> I would all women here would wel examin whetherit be expedient that women generally, should know more then they do. I think that Que&s;tion will ea&s;ily be re&s;olved (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> for I mu&s;t confe&s;s that though I am a declared enemy unto all women who are alwayes in their Altitudes of knowledge and wi&s;edome, yet I cannot choo&s;e but extreamely condemne the other extreame, and be a&s;hamed to &s;ee &s;o many women of quality &s;o gro&s;ely ignorant, as in my opinion, they di&s;honour their &s;ex. Nor know I any thing more injurious unto our &s;ex, then that any &s;hould &s;ay a woman is not obliged to learn any thing: for if &s;o, then would I al&s;o have her forbidden to &s;peak, and not taught to write: for if &s;he may write and &s;peak, it is but rea&s;on &s;he &s;hould u&s;e all helps to better her under&s;tanding, to informe her judgment, and to learne how to &s;peak and write well. And &s;eriou&s;ly it is the odde&s;t thing in the world to ob&s;erve how women commonly are educated: They mu&s;t not be any Go&s;&s;ippers nor Gallants, and yet they are taught with abundance of care every quality that belongs to gallantry, but never any thing that will fortifie their virtue, or im|prove their wits: Dancing, &s;inging, and playing, are parts that mu&s;t not by any means be neglected, but are never in&s;tructed in any thing which may make them &s;peak well, or carry them&s;elves in any bu&s;ine&s;s with di&s;cretion: And con&s;idering how &s;ome Ladies lead their lives, one would think, that they were forbidden all rea&s;on, or wit, for they doe nothing in the world but &s;leep, grow fat. and make them&s;elves faire, and never do or &s;ay any thing but fooli&s;hly. And I am &s;ure there's none in the company but knows &s;ome unto whom what I &s;ay is applicative: For my part, I do know one who u&s;eth continually to &s;leep above twelve houres: who &s;pends three or foure in dre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf, or to &s;ay better in undre&s;&s;ing her &s;elf, for &s;he &s;pends half the time, in undoing what &s;he did before, afterwards &s;he imployes two or three more in her repa&s;ts and collations, and all the re&s;t of the day is &s;pent among&s;t men unto whom &s;he knowes not how to talke: Judge I be|&s;eech you, whether the life of this Lady is not well &s;pent: I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, replyed <HI>Alces,</HI> many Ladies, do live as you do &s;ay.</P>
<P>For my part, replyed <HI>Cydnon,</HI> I am not at all concerned in what &s;he &s;ayes, for &s;ince I &s;pend my whole time in her company, I cannot be charged with any mi&s;|pending it: Oh <HI>Cydnon,</HI> replyed <HI>Amithone,</HI> I hartily thank you for finding out &s;o good a rea&s;on, to make my ignorance excu&s;able, &s;ince I have as much right unto it as you (added the faire <HI>Athys)</HI> I may make the &s;ame u&s;e of it.</P>
<P>Were I as knowing as you are, (replyed <HI>Erinne)</HI> I &s;hould not &s;tand in need of a|ny excu&s;e: For my part, (&s;aid <HI>Phylire)</HI> I have no excu&s;e for my &s;elfe: For I have &s;o &s;eldome the happine&s;&s;e of &s;eeing <HI>Sapho,</HI> that I cannot make it my excu&s;e to have imployed any of my time in her company. And I mu&s;t ingeniou&s;ly con|fe&s;&s;e, that &s;ometimes I trifle away a whole day, and yet cannot &s;ay that I had any con&s;iderable bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: For my part (&s;aid <HI>Sapho,)</HI> to &s;peak in generall, the rea&s;on why women have &s;o little time, is becau&s;e they &s;pend it idely, and make a great bu&s;ine&s;s of every trifle: one mi&s;placed Curle is an hours rectification, and takes up more time, then a thing both of profit and delight would do, yet I would not have it thought (added &s;he) that I am at all again&s;t any womens ornaments or dancing, &s;inging or playing or &s;uch accompli&s;hments: no, on the contrary, I allow them all delights and recreations: but to tell you truely, I would have them take as much care in dre&s;&s;ing their minds as well as their bodies. And between being knowing and ignorant, I would have them take the middle between the&s;e two ex|treams, which will keep them from being trouble&s;ome, by their ignorant &s;tupidity
<PB N="104" REF="942">
or impertinent audacity. I a&s;&s;ure you, replyed <HI>Amythone,</HI> this way is very hard to be found out. If any living can find it, and teach it, replyed <HI>Phaon,</HI> it mu&s;t be <HI>Sapho.</HI> For my particular (replyed <HI>Philire)</HI> I &s;hould be infinitly obliged unto her, if &s;he would be plea&s;ed to tell me how far a woman ought to be knowing: Doubtle&s;s it is very difficult (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> to give a generall rule for what you aske: for there are &s;uch variety and difference of &s;pirits that no Law can be &s;o uni|ver&s;all, and not unju&s;t.</P>
<P>Yet I conceive this for an infallible Maxime, that though I would have wo|men to know more then generally they do, yet I would not have them talke as if they were knowing at all I would have them give others leave and cau&s;e to &s;ay, that they know more then they will vaunt of, that they have good wits, that they can &s;peak well, and write elegantly, but I would not have it &s;aid of them, that they are learned: Not but that tho&s;e who are not called learned may know as much, and perhaps more then tho&s;e unto whom they give that Title: yet I would have them conceale their knowledge and witts: Then I perceive (&s;aid <HI>Philire)</HI> That there are &s;ome things which either they mu&s;t not know, or el&s;e they mu&s;t not &s;hew them though they do know them. It is mo&s;t certainly true, (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> that there are &s;ome &s;ciences which women ought never to learn, and that there are others which they may, yet they ought never to confe&s;&s;e they know them though they may let people gue&s;&s;e as much. But, I be&s;eech you, unto what purpo&s;e is it for them to know &s;uch things as they mu&s;t never be known to know? (replyes <HI>Philire)</HI> it wil help them to under&s;tand what tho&s;e who are more learned then them &s;elves do &s;ay (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> and to &s;peak al&s;o to the purpo&s;e, without &s;peaking booki&s;hly, but only as if naturall ingenuity in&s;tructed them. Al&s;o there are a hun|dred delectable Sciences, which are not nece&s;&s;ary to be kept &s;ecret, for they may very well &s;peak forraigne Languages, they may confe&s;&s;e that they have read <HI>Homer, He&s;iod,</HI> and the excellent works of the illu&s;trious <HI>Ari&s;thius,</HI> without any &s;hewing too much Scholler&s;hip: Al&s;o they may give their opinions in &s;o mode&s;t a manner without any unbecommingne&s;&s;e to their &s;ex, as they may thereby make their witt, their knowledge and their judgement to appeare. They may and ought to know, all the helps unto writing well for in my opinion, it is a mo&s;t gro&s;&s;e error, to &s;ay they would have women &s;peak well and write ill, and the priviledge of ignorance which they pretend unto is &s;o &s;hamefull unto all their &s;ex in generall, that if they under&s;tood it they would blu&s;h. The truth is, &s;aid <HI>Nicanor.</HI> There is &s;o little coherence in the letters of Ladies, and &s;uch odd Orthographie, as if they writ them purpo&s;ely not to be under&s;tood, yet tho&s;e very &s;ame Ladies (&s;aid <HI>Sapho)</HI> and laughed, who commit &s;uch gro&s;&s;e faults in their writings, and have &s;pent all their &s;tock of wit in the fir&s;t line, they will mock a whole day together at a poore &s;tranger, who hath only mi&s;taken one word for another, yet it is much more &s;trange to &s;ee a witty woman commit a hundred faults in writing her own naturall Language, then to &s;ee a <HI>Sythian</HI> &s;peak all Greek. Alas, (&s;aid <HI>Philire</HI> and laughed) how deeply am I concerned in your di&s;cour&s;e? yet you &s;peak &s;o very well (replyed I) as I cannot think it po&s;&s;ible but you mu&s;t write well al&s;o. I do beleeve (reply|ed <HI>Sapho)</HI> that <HI>Philire</HI> writes as well as &s;he &s;peakes: but by your leave, there are &s;ome women who &s;peak well and write ill, and all merely by their own negligence: I would gladly know how that comes to pa&s;&s;e (&s;aid the faire <HI>Athis)</HI> The rea&s;on is, (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> becau&s;e mo&s;t women do not care for reading, or el&s;e they doe not read applicatively, but run on without any reflection upon what they read: So that though they have read the very &s;ame words which they write a thou&s;and times over, yet they vi&s;ite them wrong, and mi&s;locating the letters they patch up confu&s;ed non&s;ence by a cu&s;tome. All this is mo&s;t true, (replyed <HI>Erinne)</HI> For ye|&s;terday I made a vi&s;it unto one of my friends who is newly returned out of the Countrey, and I caryed all the Letters which &s;he had writ unto me, that &s;he might read them unto me.</P>
<P>Tis plaine therefore, replyed <HI>Sapho.,</HI> that I had good rea&s;on to wi&s;h women would u&s;e to read much, and to read with application: And when they are a lone to make choi&s;e of &s;ome merry or &s;erious book according to their humour, for it is mo&s;t certaine that reading doth &s;ooner, and better refine wit, and informe the judg|ment, then conver&s;ation alone can, for truely Conver&s;ation doth only give us the
<PB N="105" REF="942">
fir&s;t thoughts of tho&s;e who &s;peak, which often are tumultuous, and &s;o undige&s;ted that the &s;peakers do condemne them within a quarter of an hour after; But reading gives us the concocted Opinion of tho&s;e who writ the books we read. So that though they read &s;imply for their delight, yet it will imprint &s;omething in the mind of the Reader, which will better it, and pre&s;erve them from falling into many gro&s;&s;e errors which ignorance would plung them unto: For my part (&s;aid <HI>Alces)</HI> I know one of tho&s;e bold Ignorants, who will be talking of every thing though &s;he know nothing, who talking the other day unto a &s;tranger which was relating his Travells, &s;he di&s;covered her ignorance &s;o farre, as it appeared &s;he thought the Ca&s;pian Sea greater then the Egean and that the Euxine Sea was beyond the Ca&s;|pian. And that the Egean Sea was the lea&s;t of all others. I would advi&s;e all wo|men, replied <HI>Sapho,</HI> not to talke much of what they know well, and not to talk at all of what they know not.</P>
<P>And indeed, I would have them, never to be very knowing nor very ignorant, but only to manage well tho&s;e advantages which nature hath given them. I would have them (as I &s;aid before) be as carefull to beautifie their minds (as their Per|&s;ons. But I be&s;eech you (&s;aid <HI>Phylire)</HI> how can women find lei&s;ure to read and learn any thing? That time which Ladies lo&s;e in doing nothing, or in doing things nothing to any purpo&s;e (replyed <HI>Sapho,</HI> would &s;erve to let them know enough, to conceale their ignorance. Moreover, do not imagine, I would have any woman &s;uch a perpetuall Reader as never to talk: No, (but on the contrary) I would have her read only &s;o much as will teach her how to &s;peak well. And would advi&s;e them to Conver&s;ation, as well as to the other, provided they never tran&s;gre&s;s the mo|de&s;tie of their Sex. But I wi&s;h with all my heart that women were not &s;uch &s;lug|gards as they are, and I wi&s;h that I my &s;elfe may apply the&s;e Councells unto my &s;elf which I give unto others. Madam, replyed <HI>Phaon</HI> your mode&s;ty goes too farr, and you need not &s;ay that of your &s;elf which none does think. The truth is, &s;aid <HI>Nicanor,</HI> the fair <HI>Sapho</HI> is very unju&s;t unto her own merit. She is &s;o ju&s;t unto the merit of others, (replyed <HI>Athys)</HI> that it were &s;trange &s;he &s;hould not be &s;o unto her owne.</P>
<P>Her advantage is (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> that every one renders her that ju&s;tice which &s;he denyes her &s;elf; And though &s;he conceals her &s;elf as much as &s;he can, yet her excellencies are known unto all Greece: You clip the wings of Fame (replied <HI>Pha|on</HI> and &s;miled) For I am certaine that the name of <HI>Sapho</HI> is famous throughout the whole World. For Heavens &s;ake (&s;aid the mo&s;t admirable woman interrupting him and blu&s;hing) &s;peak not thus in my pre&s;ence<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> for I cannot endure it &s;hould be thought I take any delight in &s;uch high Applauds, &s;ince I am mo&s;t confidently per&s;waded (and I &s;peak it with all the &s;incerity of my heart) that I do not de&s;erve them: if that be true Madam, replyed <HI>Athys,</HI> it is very &s;trange, that you &s;hould be knowing in &s;o many things, and yet be ignorant of your own merit: Seriou&s;ly (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> in a lovely ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e) unle&s;&s;e you do unaccu&s;tome your &s;elves from commending me, I &s;hall unaccu&s;tome my &s;elf from &s;eeing you any more. Oh Ma|dam (cryed <HI>Phaon, Nicanor, Alces</HI> and I all at once. For Heavens &s;ake do not threaten us with any &s;uch &s;ad affliction. But after this, <HI>Sapho</HI> continuing her di&s;|cour&s;e with her accu&s;tomed mode&s;tie, &s;he told us a hundred plea&s;ing &s;tories, and knew &s;o well how to charm the company that we parted not till night:</P>
<P>At our going from <HI>Saphos</HI> hou&s;e, we &s;aw <HI>Thimi&s;togenes</HI> leading <HI>Damophile:</HI> and the next day we heard by one of his friends, that he preferred her a thou&s;and de|grees before <HI>Sapho:</HI> So as wondering at his extravagancie we both of us promi&s;|ed to &s;hun him as well as <HI>Damophile.</HI> In the mean time, I began to perceave, that <HI>Phaon</HI> in all likelyhood would fall in Love with <HI>Sapho,</HI> if he were not &s;o already. On the other&s;ide, I under&s;tood by my Si&s;ter that <HI>Sapho</HI> did infinitly e&s;teeme him, and that he plea&s;ed her more then all the men &s;he ever &s;aw. <HI>Alces</HI> who was <HI>Ti&s;an|ders</HI> &s;pie did al&s;o perceive this growing love of <HI>Phaon,</HI> and the inclination of <HI>Sapho,</HI> for he hinted as much unto the faire <HI>Athys</HI> with whom he was in Love: <HI>Nicanor</HI> who was one of <HI>Saphoes</HI> adorers, had &s;ome &s;light &s;u&s;pition of it. And both <HI>Ami|thone</HI> and <HI>Erinne</HI> did perceive it as the re&s;t did. As for <HI>Sapho,</HI> &s;he knew that <HI>Phaon</HI> was in love with her before he ever told her; for she had &s;uch a &s;uitable and delicate &s;pirit of di&s;cernment into every thing, that she perfectly knew what thoughts
<PB N="106" REF="943">
every one had of her, and &s;ometimes knew them before they knew them|&s;elves: As fervent as the friend&s;hip was which any bore unto this charming Lady, &s;he would never take it under any notion of Love: And how faint and cold &s;oever this pa&s;&s;ion was in the hearts of &s;ome men who were not capable of any zealous fires, by rea&s;on of their frozen tempers, &s;he would never take them under the no|tion of Friend&s;hip: &s;o that it is mo&s;t certain, &s;he preci&s;ely knew in what degree a|ny one loved her: and it was &s;o impo&s;&s;ible to conceale it from her, that it was ab|&s;olure folly to attempt it; for &s;he could &s;o well di&s;tingui&s;h between the lookes of friend&s;hip and the looks of Love, that &s;he was never mi&s;taken.</P>
<P>Moreover &s;he did not only know of what natures the affection of any was unto her: but al&s;o &s;he knew what thoughts every one who u&s;ed to vi&s;it her, had unto one another: So as this di&s;cerning knowledg of all hearts enabled her to manage matters &s;o cunningly, that &s;he made all Rivalls live in peace, and &s;he augmen|ted or le&s;&s;ened the affection which any bore unto her, almo&s;t as &s;he plea&s;ed. And yet this la&s;t quality had more difficulty in it then the other, for &s;he is &s;o very love|ly, that it is a very hard matter for any Lover to go le&s;&s;e: yet &s;till &s;he would &s;o temper them, as that they would tell her no more then what &s;he had a mind to heare.</P>
<P><HI>Sapho</HI> having &s;uch a di&s;cerning eye, &s;he quickly &s;aw that <HI>Phaon</HI> was in Love with her: and the &s;ight of it did not offend her, but found &s;uch a &s;weet reli&s;h of it in her heart, as &s;he plainly &s;aw, that if &s;he would ever defend her &s;elfe again&s;t <HI>Phaon,</HI> &s;hee mu&s;t begin betimes, &s;o as &s;hee re&s;olved to overcome her &s;elfe: But &s;he could not re&s;olve to hinder <HI>Phaon</HI> from ioving her, and contented her &s;elfe with never an&s;wering his affection by the like. However, <HI>Cydnon</HI> being her grand Confident, they held a Councell together about it, which I intend to relate unto you, that you may the better know the temper of <HI>Sapho's</HI> &s;oule.</P>
<P>My &s;i&s;ter being then with her one Evening, and both leaning upon a <HI>Balcone</HI> which opened towards the Sea, &s;he &s;aw by Moon light &s;ome &s;hips coming to <HI>My|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">elene.</HI> I wi&s;h the&s;e be not the Ships of <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> which bring back <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> unto us (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;miled): For that Prince being of very much merit, I wi&s;h for his own tranquility he may not return unto a Place where he would be more mi&s;erable then when he departed: I cannot &s;ee (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> that any great alterations have hapned here &s;ince his departure: For I hold him in the &s;ame de|gree of e&s;teem as I did, and my heart has the &s;ame re&s;olutions of never loving him: if that were all, replyed <HI>Cydnon,</HI> he would not be &s;o mi&s;erable as he is like to be; but I know there is &s;omething more in it, I wonder (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> why you &s;hould &s;ay &s;o. Since you would needs have it (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> I mu&s;t tell you, that <HI>Phaon</HI> is here: <HI>Cydnon</HI> you are always &s;o full of your Querks (replyed <HI>Sapho</HI> and blu&s;hed) that I need not wonder at them. I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, replyed <HI>Cyd|non,</HI> there is no Quarks in what I &s;ay; for it is &s;o apparant <HI>Phaon</HI> is in Love with you, as it is impo&s;&s;ible to be one hour in his company, and not perceive it: And when he is in your pre&s;ence, they mu&s;t be blind who do not &s;ee it, and deaf who cannot under&s;tand it by his words; for he &s;peaks always with &s;uch cordiall ear|ne&s;tne&s;&s;e, that his thoughts cannot be doubted: However, replyed <HI>Sapho,</HI> they do not &s;ee mee an&s;wer him with the &s;ame earne&s;tne&s;&s;e. You Madam (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> doe know &s;o well how to regulate all your actions, that your thoughts can never bee knowne by your Actions: Yet I who know you better then any others, I am mo&s;t confident you do not hate <HI>Phaon,</HI> and that if Fate have re&s;olved you mu&s;t love any, it mu&s;t be him: I perceive <HI>Cydnon</HI> (replyed &s;hee and &s;miled) that you think you have &s;toln from mee the Art of knowing the thoughts of others by bare conjectures: but I believe that you are now mi&s;taken in your Conjectures and Predictions: 'Tis true (added &s;he) That <HI>Phaon</HI> was very glad to find that I did re&s;emble <HI>Damophile:</HI> and (to be &s;incere with you) I know he loves me, or at lea&s;t hath &s;ome inclination to it: But I mu&s;t profe&s;&s;e unto you, that I have no intentions to an&s;wer his Love. For &s;ince exact decency requires one &s;hould not only defend them&s;elves again&s;t criminall affections, but from the mo&s;t innocent al&s;o, I mu&s;t ob&s;erve it, and not expo&s;e my &s;elfe unto &s;candall, al|though I am per&s;waded that it is not impo&s;&s;ible but one may love very innocent|ly. I do believe it is not impo&s;&s;ible (replyed <HI>Cydnon):</HI> And &s;ince there are many
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men have hone&s;t hearts, there can be no great danger in engaging with them. It is &s;o dangerous (&s;aid <HI>Sapho)</HI> that &s;ince I knew the world, I never knew two whom I could think capable of any complyance of &s;uch a nature as I imagine.</P>
<P>But to &s;peak unto you as unto my &s;econd &s;elfe, though decency hath &s;o e&s;ta|bli&s;hed it a Law, that Women &s;hould not love any by rea&s;on of the bad con&s;e|quences which Love may cau&s;e when it is in bad minds and hearts, which have only gro&s;&s;e, brutall, and terre&s;triall thoughts: yet let me po&s;itively tell you, that it is unju&s;t, and without derogation from &s;olid virtue. I believe one may make &s;ome di&s;tinction between &s;ome men, and contract a pure affection with one whom one &s;hall make choi&s;e of.</P>
<P>And indeed, the Gods who never made any thing in vaine, did not create in vaine a certain inclination in our &s;ouls to love: But <HI>Cydnon,</HI> the grand difficulty is to regulate this affection, to make a good choi&s;e of him whom one would love, and to carry it &s;o di&s;creetly, that &s;candall it &s;elfe cannot cavill at it: And when all is done, it is mo&s;t certain that nothing is comparably &s;o &s;weet as to be loved by a per&s;on whom one doth love. Doubt not but that I do condemn all the irregu|lar extravagancies of Love, but I do not condemn the pa&s;&s;ion it &s;elfe which cau|&s;ed it: And the truth is, tho&s;e extravagancies proceed rather from the di&s;tempers of tho&s;e who are in Love, then from Love it &s;elfe: and it mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed, that they who do not know, that I know not what which redoubles all delights, and has the art of giving &s;weetne&s;&s;e unto inquietude, they do not know how far joys can reach. As for tho&s;e Ladies who take delight in being loved without loving a|gain, they have no other &s;atisfaction then what their own vanities affords them: But I do comprehend that there are a thou&s;and &s;weers which are all purity and all innocency in a mutuall affection. This agreeable exchange of thoughts, of &s;e|cret thoughts, this communion of &s;ouls which is made between two per&s;ons who love each other, is a plea&s;ure unutterable, unconceivable. And to ju<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">g of Love by Friend&s;hip, I a&s;&s;ure you my deare <HI>Cydnon,</HI> that I am now more joyed in open|ing my heart unto you, then I &s;hould be if we were together at the mo&s;t glori|ons Fea&s;t in the world.</P>
<P>Then Madam, to ta&s;t the&s;e joyes more fully (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> I conjure you to open your mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts unto me, and confe&s;&s;e unto me &s;incerely, that if you find in <HI>Phaon</HI> all that is de&s;irable to contract &s;uch an affection with him as you imagine, that you would have much ado to defend your &s;elfe: And to carry this cond<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nce as far as it will go, tell me truly the nature of this affection, and in what manner you imagine it. Ah <HI>Cydnon</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto her) you engage me very far: Yet &s;ince I will not deny you any thing. I will an&s;wer to your que&s;tion, and tell you that <HI>I</HI> am not of their minds who &s;peak of Love, as of a thing which cannot be innocent, unle&s;&s;e they intend to marry: For my part, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t con|fe&s;&s;e unto you that the delicacy of my mind, of my fancy, and of that Idea which <HI>I</HI> conceive of this pa&s;&s;ion is &s;uch, that <HI>I</HI> do not think that kind of Matrimo|niall Love to be pure and noble enough; And if <HI>I</HI> found in my heart only a bare de&s;ire of marrying any one, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould blu&s;h as for a crime, upbraid my &s;elfe as with a thing unworthy of my &s;elfe, and &s;hould be more a&s;hamed then other women u&s;e to be of a criminall gallantry.</P>
<P>But <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you Madam (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> would you have any love you without any hopes? <HI>I</HI> would have him hope to be loved (replyed &s;he) but <HI>I</HI> would not have him hope any further; and it is the greate&s;t folly in the world to love a|ny one unle&s;&s;e with intention to love for ever: but to love any other way then as <HI>I</HI> intend, is to expre&s;&s;e ones &s;elfe to fall from Love unto indifferency, from indif|ferency to hatred, and from hatred to &s;corn.</P>
<P>But <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you tell me (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> how you intend one &s;hould love you, and how you do intend to love? <HI>I</HI> expect (&s;aid &s;he) that one &s;hould love me &s;ervently, that he &s;hould love none but me, and love me with all imagina|ble re&s;pect: <HI>I</HI> would have his love &s;o tender and &s;en&s;ible, as to think the lea&s;t tri|fle from me a delight, <HI>I</HI> would have his love to have the &s;olidity of friend&s;hip, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ounded upon e&s;teem and upon inclination. Moreover, <HI>I</HI> would have this Lover to be mo&s;t faithfull and &s;incere: yet would <HI>I</HI> have him to admit of no con|fident of his pa&s;&s;ion but my &s;elfe, but &s;o lock up his Love in his heart, that I may
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brag of being the only one who knows it: I would have him al&s;o tell me all his &s;e|crets, impart all his &s;orrows unto me: I would have the &s;ight of me to be his chief felicity, and that my ab&s;ence may be a mo&s;t &s;ad affliction to him: That hee never mention the lea&s;t &s;yllable to me, which may make me &s;u&s;pect his love, and that he fully per&s;wade me that it is fervent and eternally durable: In &s;hort, my deare <HI>Cydnon,</HI> I would have a Lover, and not a Husband: I would have him &s;uch a one as contenting him&s;elfe with the po&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;&s;ion of my heart, &s;hould love me till death and if I cannot find out &s;uch a one, I will never have any. Well Madam (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> &s;ince you have told me how you would be loved, &s;o I be&s;eech you tell me how you do intend to love. In telling the one, replyed &s;he, I have told you the other: and there ought to be no other difference of thoughts, then &s;uch as cu&s;tome hath e&s;tabli&s;hed, which requires that the man mu&s;t be more com|plai&s;ant, more ob&s;equious and more &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive: As for matter of tenderne&s;s and confidence, doubtles they ought to be both equall: and if any difference be to be made, it is in this, that the man ought to give te&s;timonies of his love, and the woman to let him only gue&s;s at hers.</P>
<P>If <HI>Phaon</HI> be ever &s;o happy (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> as to give you any te&s;t monies of his love, and that you permit him to gue&s;s at yours, doubtle&s;&s;e he will be the mo&s;t worthy of all mens envy. If he be worthy of rnvy replyed <HI>Sapho.</HI> I &s;hould much feare I &s;hould not be worthy of pitty: For con&s;idering the con&s;titution of my heart, if I &s;hould once love, I should love &s;o tenderly, and in &s;uch good earne&s;t, that it would be hard for any one to pay me back love with u&s;ury. Yet I am fully per&s;waded that to be happy in loving, one mu&s;t at lea&s;t believe that they are as much loved as they love; for otherwi&s;e one should be ashamed of their own weak|ne&s;&s;e, and vexed at the neutrality of the other. Therefore <HI>Cydnon,</HI> though I doe believe one may innocently love, and though I think <HI>Phaon</HI> to be amiable, and that he hath an inclination to love me, yet I am re&s;olved to do what I can, not to love him.</P>
<P>But Madam, whil&s;t <HI>Sapho</HI> was talking thus with my &s;i&s;ter, <HI>Phaon</HI> was talking with me of things very particular; and we two being always in&s;eparable, we wal|ked that Evening upon a Tarra&s;s, the end of which was towards the Sea, by which one goes to <HI>Sicily:</HI> So as after we had walked a while, he leaned upon the Rayls by him&s;elfe, and fell into &s;uch a profound mu&s;ing. that I knew he never thought I was there. I had formerly ob&s;erved many pa&s;&s;ages, which induced me to believe that he was in Love with <HI>Sapho,</HI> and therefore I knew he thought more of her then me. And to twitt him with it, I believe (&s;aid I unto him) that &s;ince you look &s;o earne&s;tly towards <HI>Sicily,</HI> you are thinking of that faire foole whom you loved there: Fie cruell friend (&s;aid he unto me) mock not at my mi&s;ery, it is e|nough you have been the cau&s;e of it, without in&s;ulting upon a wrerched man who hath changed his mind. Why (&s;aid I unto him) do you not think it better to love a faire foole, then a faire wi&s;e One? No no, <HI>Democedes</HI> (&s;aid he unto m) I think it &s;o &s;trange that I &s;hould ever love a witle&s;&s;e woman, that I am per&s;waded I was out of my own wits, or never had any untill I came from <HI>Sicily:</HI> But deare friend (added he) before I di&s;cover the &s;ecrets of my &s;oule unto you, tell me truly how you &s;tand affected unto the faire <HI>Sapho;</HI> for if you be my Rivall, you are not fit to be my Confident. Doubtle&s;&s;e I am a very great admirer of <HI>Sapho,</HI> replyed I, but I never dur&s;t be her Lover: Then friend I am bolder then you (re|plyed he) for I do love that divine Lady in &s;o high a manner, as I thinke I &s;hall loo&s;e my wits. When I fir&s;t carried you thither, replyed I, and &s;miled, you did not believe you could ever fall in love with any learned woman: Ah <HI>Democedes,</HI> &s;aid he unto me <HI>I</HI> did not think &s;he had learned the Art of charming hearts but alas was mi&s;taken: and I find you had good rea&s;on to &s;ay, that every one mu&s;t be mi|&s;erable before happy in Love: For &s;uch is the &s;tate <HI>I</HI> am in, that I find more de|light in only meeting the eyes of <HI>Sapho,</HI> then <HI>I</HI> did in being loved by my fair fool: I found no difficulty in obtaining her e&s;teem, and <HI>I</HI> wonder now that I did not &s;corn her. She looked upon me indeed very favourably, and looked upon me with eyes very faire: but they &s;ignified &s;o little, and under&s;tood my mind &s;o uery ill, that I wonder how <HI>I</HI> came to think her faire.</P>
<P>The truth is, <HI>Democedes,</HI> I am now very far from loving a faire <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ool, &s;ince I love
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the fair <HI>Sapho,</HI> but alas, the grand difficulty is, to tell her as much, and to tell her that I would be loved; &s;ince friend, you have all accompli&s;hments requi&s;ite to me|rit her e&s;teem (replyed I) how know you but you may winn her affection? I have been con&s;ulting with her eyes above the&s;e eight daies, (replyed he) and en|deavoured to diviue my de&s;tiny, and whether I am &s;o much in her favour as to di&s;|cover my love unto her, but to tell you truly, I know not what to think; &s;omtimes me thinks her eyes do give me &s;ome kind of far fetch hopes; and &s;omtimes again they bid me de&s;pair, but however, all her looks augments my love, my heart trem|bles at every glance of her eye, which in&s;pires me with &s;uch kind of I know not what delights, as I cannot expre&s;s them; when I am with her, I can do nothing el&s;e but look upon her, wonder not therefore at my mu&s;ing, (my dear <HI>Democedes)</HI> for my &s;oul is &s;o wholy taken up with this divine Lady, that though I &s;peak, yet I cannot think of any thing but her. I can think of nothing, but what heavenly de|light it would be to be beloved by &s;uch an Angell as &s;he, &amp; what an honour it would be, to infu&s;e &s;ome weakne&s;s into &s;o great a wit, as that of the mo&s;t admirable <HI>Sa|pho, I</HI> am thinking of all that <HI>I</HI> can &s;an &s;ay unto her, and when <HI>I</HI> am alone by my &s;elf, yet <HI>I</HI> have long conference with her: The truth is, <HI>I</HI> do find the fair <HI>Sa|pho,</HI> to be very Civill, Sweet and obliging to me; but for all that, &s;he tru&s;ts me with no &s;ecret, and <HI>I</HI> could never oblige her to &s;hew me any of her ver&s;es. This mo&s;t ad|mirable Lady is &s;o mode&s;t, (replyed <HI>I)</HI> that her denyall need be no wonder un|to you, for you have not yet been &s;o long acquainted, as to come unto the honour of &s;uch a &s;ingular priviledge.</P>
<P>But however, you have this advantage (&s;aid I unto him) that unto this hour &s;he never &s;u&s;pected you of ever loving any, though &s;he knows you have a very pa&s;|&s;ionate &s;oul.</P>
<P>After this Madam, we retyred, taking no notice whil&s;t we talked, that the moon was in an Ecclips; but in our retiring we met <HI>Themi&s;togenes</HI> with five or &s;ix men lear|ned in A&s;trology; whom, he was carrying unto <HI>Damophile,</HI> purpo&s;ely to argue with them in her pre&s;ence upon this Ecclips: And we under&s;tood afterwards, that they &s;pent almo&s;t all the night at her hou&s;e in talking of the earths interpo&s;ition between the Sun and the Moon, and many other things of that nature; &s;o that all the no|ble company who u&s;ed to meet at <HI>Saphoes,</HI> did much divert them&s;elves at this ad|venture, for &s;ince <HI>Cynegere</HI> (with whom <HI>Sapho</HI> dwelt) did very well know her wi&s;dome and di&s;cretion, &s;he permitted every one to go into her chamber, though <HI>Cynegire</HI> was not pre&s;ent, &s;o that <HI>Amithone, Erinne, Athys, Cydnon, Nica|nor, Phaon, Alces,</HI> and I, being all with <HI>Sapho,</HI> we made the conver&s;ation ve|ry plea&s;ant, by having up all the follies which were in agitation at <HI>Damophiles,</HI> and though <HI>Sapho</HI> did not affect any Rallary in her pre&s;ence yet &s;he did not contradict this, but on the contrary, was the fir&s;t which twitted <HI>Damophiles,</HI> to the end it might the better be known how great the difference was between them; &s;o as making a very plea&s;ant de&s;cription of a confu&s;ed company, &s;he did extreamly divert all her own &s;ociety. However, &s;aid <HI>Cydnon,</HI> we get this advantage from the fooli&s;h con|ver&s;ation of <HI>Damophile,</HI> that it &s;erves to render ours more diverting, by the ex|cellent di&s;cription which <HI>Sapho</HI> made of it; I wi&s;h &s;he would al&s;o de&s;cribe unto us, (replyed <HI>Phaon)</HI> all other kind of fanta&s;ticall conver&s;ations which are to be found in the world: Indeed &s;aid <HI>Athys,</HI> it would be very plea&s;ant if &s;he would be plea&s;ed to take &s;o much pains, as to ob&s;erve all their impertinencies.</P>
<P>You put me upon a hard imployment (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> it would be much bet|ter and &s;horter, if every one in particular would de&s;cribe that conver&s;ation which hath mo&s;t wearied them: For my part (&s;aid <HI>Erinne)</HI> I am very glad of that; for I was ye&s;terday in a company which I thought would have talked me to death, for I was in the mid&s;t of ten or twelve women, who talked everla&s;tingly; but of no o|ther &s;ubject than triviall dome&s;tique bu&s;ine&s;s, the fault of their &s;ervants, the good qualities of their children, and there was one woman among&s;t the re&s;t, who &s;pent an hour in repeating &s;illable after &s;illable, the fir&s;t pratling of her &s;on, who was three years of age, judge I be&s;eech you, what a fine time I had of it. I a&s;&s;ure you (re|plyed <HI>Nicanor)</HI> that I &s;pent my time no better than you did; for I was much a|gain&s;t my will engaged among&s;t a troop of women, who &s;pent a whole day in tal|king of nothing but the goodne&s;s or the badne&s;s of their cloathes, telling or asking
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what they co&s;t, &s;ome out of vanity &s;aid they, co&s;t more than they did: Others to &s;hew their skill in buying, &s;aid le&s;s: &s;o I wi&s;hed my part of the day out of the Cal|lendar: For my part (replyed the fair <HI>Athis)</HI> I was within the&s;e five daies with a company of Ladies, who though they had wit enough, yet were extreamly trou|ble&s;ome, for they were Ladies who were gallants by profe&s;&s;ion, who had every one their bu&s;ine&s;s, and bu&s;ine&s;s which did &s;o wholy take them up, as they thought of nothing but taking one anothers gallants from them, by al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> manner of &s;tratagems, &s;o as though one were not of their intrigues, yet one &s;hould be engaged with them or el&s;e either be driven to a non plus, or non-plus them.</P>
<P>Indeed as long as <HI>I</HI> was with them, <HI>I</HI> heard them alwaies talking, but never un|der&s;tood what they &s;aid, for there was one on my right hand, who told her who was next her, that &s;he knew &s;uch a one was broken off with &s;uch a one, and that this man had renewed with that woman, never naming any: And there was another on my left hand who talking to a Lady next her, the mo&s;t fooli&s;hly that ever was heard, for (&s;aid &s;he in a mighty fret) &s;he you know of, need not to brag of taking my Gallant from me, &s;ince &s;he had never gotten him from me, but becau&s;e <HI>I</HI> had ca&s;t him off, and if the toy take me, <HI>I</HI> can call him again, and &s;he &s;hall never be the bet|ter for him as long as &s;he lives, and the very truth is, <HI>I</HI> never was in all my life put &s;o much out of all patience, as that day.</P>
<P>For my part (&s;aid <HI>Cydnon)</HI> had I been in your room, <HI>I</HI> would have laughed at them who wearied me, but I could not do &s;o three days &s;ince at a man and a woman who&s;e whole di&s;cour&s;e was of two things, either of <HI>Mytelenian</HI> Geneulogies, or of the e&s;tates belonging to families; for what delight can be taken in hearing tell a whole day together; that <HI>Zenocrates</HI> was the &s;on of <HI>Tryphon, Clidemes</HI> &s;on to <HI>Leno|phantes, Lenophantes</HI> was de&s;cended from <HI>Tyr&s;eus,</HI> &amp; &s;o they begot one another: Al&s;o what plea&s;ure is to be taken in hearing one talk of &s;uch a hou&s;e wherein you have no intere&s;t, nor ever had, no nor is ever like to have as long as you live; how it was built by &s;uch a one, bought by another, and exchanged by a third, and that it is now at this pre&s;ent in the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of a man whom you know not? this que&s;tion|le&s;s is not very plea&s;ing (replyed <HI>Alcaes)</HI> but it is not &s;o tedious as to meet with a man who has &s;ome peevi&s;h bu&s;ine&s;s in hand, and will not talk of any thing el&s;e: For I once met a Sea Captain, who pretended that <HI>Pittacus</HI> ought to make him recom|pence for a &s;hip which he had lo&s;t, who held me three long and tedious hours in re|lating tho&s;e rea&s;ons which he had for his pretence; and who will an&s;wer and reply and object and an&s;wer <HI>Pro,</HI> and <HI>Con,</HI> as if the ca&s;e were pleading before a Judge: And the better to under&s;tand his lo&s;s, he would tell me by peece meale what he was forced to ca&s;t out of his &s;hip, and would name every per&s;on in it, one after another when it was to no purpo&s;e in the earth.</P>
<P>Tis true &s;aid <HI>Amithone,</HI> that this is a very great per&s;ecution; but I mu&s;t tell you, that grave and &s;erious conver&s;ations, where every word is delivered in <HI>Querpo,</HI> and where the lea&s;t &s;mile is not permitted, hath &s;omthing &s;o tedious in it, that I am never among&s;t &s;uch, but my head akes, for one mu&s;t alwaies &s;peak in one tone never laugh, but be as compo&s;ed as in the Temple; &s;uch company is very tedious (replyed <HI>Phaon)</HI> but there are a &s;ort quite oppo&s;ite unto tho&s;e who are infinitly a|gain&s;t the &s;train of my fancy; for I was one day at <HI>Syracu&s;e,</HI> with five or &s;ix women, and two or three men, who had a fancy, that to make the company more merry, could be continually laughing &s;o that as long as they went together, they laughed at every word which one &s;aid unto another, there was no jea&s;t or plea&s;ant conceit in it, but made &s;uch a mad dinn as deafed one another, and laughed, only becau&s;e others laughed without any other rea&s;on; but what is mo&s;t &s;trange is, that laugh|ter has &s;uch a contagion &s;ometimes in it, that there is no Antidote again&s;t the di&s;|ea&s;e; but being one day among&s;t the&s;e eternall laughers, they &s;o infected me, that I laughed untill tears trickled down my cheeks, and knew not any rea&s;on in the world for it: But to tell you truly, I was &s;o a&s;hamed at my &s;elf, that within a quar|ter of an hour after my joyes were turned into &s;orrows. Though it be much folly to laugh without any cau&s;e, (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> yet I &s;hould not be &s;o much weary, with being in the company of &s;uch merry people, as with tho&s;e who&s;e di&s;cour&s;e is nothing but tel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing &s;uch pittifull; and &s;ad, long winded &s;tories, as would tyre out Patience it &s;elf, for I know a woman who knows all the tragicall adventures which
<PB N="111" REF="945">
ever hapned; who will &s;pend a whole day in deploring the mi&s;eries of life, and in relating lamentable accidents in &s;uch a &s;ad and langui&s;hing tune, as if &s;he had been hired the &s;ing to dolefull ditty of the worlds mi&s;ery. Yet I do know a hou&s;e where their di&s;cour&s;e u&s;eth he be as irk&s;ome as po&s;&s;ible (replyed <HI>Erinne)</HI> for they never talk of any thing but the trifling pa&s;&s;ages of their neighbour hood, of which Cour|tiers, unle&s;s by great accident, I never &s;o much as heard of, or have any thing to do with, I have heard them name a hundred per&s;ons in one day, whom they know not; and they would talk of a hundred ob&s;cure pa&s;&s;ages, the noi&s;e of which never went out of the &s;treet where they were done, and which in them&s;elves were &s;o &s;illy and &s;o far from any delighting, as that they were very trouble&s;ome.</P>
<P>It is a great affliction, replyed <HI>Nicanor,</HI> to be in a great company where every one hath a &s;ecret, e&s;pecially unto one who hath none nor any thing to do, but to heare that humming murmure, which they make who are talking in low voyces, yet were there whi&s;pers upon reall &s;ecrets, replyed <HI>Sapho</HI> my patience would al|low it: but often times they are only upon a triviall bu&s;ine&s;&s;e no better then a Childs Rattle bought at the la&s;t faire. I know &s;ome people (added <HI>Alces;)</HI> who in my opinion are very weary &s;ome, though &s;ometimes they are a little plea&s;ing; for they have &s;uch a vaine of telling great News, as they never talke of any thing un|der a great Battle, on the &s;eige of &s;ome con&s;iderable Town, or &s;ome grand re|volution in the world: and they would have you to know, that the gods did not alter the face of the Univer&s;e, but only to furni&s;h them with di&s;cour&s;e: for excep|ting the&s;e high &s;tories, they have nothing to &s;ay, nor can endure any other talke: So as unle&s;&s;e you know the very bottome of Policie, and have Hi&s;tory at your fingers end, there is no talking with them of any thing. The truth is replyed I, It is very tedious, to harken unto &s;uch people: but &s;uch kind of People as without any care of the generall bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of the world, will heare of nothing but priva|cies, are very trouble&s;ome for you &s;hall &s;ee them alwayes as bu&s;ie as if they had a thou&s;and great weighty affaires in tran&s;action, though they are of no other nature then medling in other mens matters, and running from hou&s;e to hou&s;e with this or that tittle tattle, as publique Spies, who are every where, and de&s;ire not the know|ledge of any thing to any other end then to tell it again. All the&s;e kinds of people (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> are very obnoxious unto Civill &s;ocieties, and the principall Rule of all Companies ought to be, never to utter any thing again&s;t &s;ound judgmen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t. I would gladly know (&s;aid <HI>Ni<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">or)</HI> how you would have our Conver&s;ation to be regulated. To &s;peak in generall, replyed &s;he) our di&s;cour&s;e ought to be more of things ordinary and gallant, then of any high matters, yet I conceive, that nothing but what is di&s;creet mu&s;t intervene: Our talke ought to be free, plea&s;ing and perti|nent according to the times, places &amp; per&s;ons we talk of. To &s;peak alwayes nobly of inferiours &s;imply of high matters, very gallantly of things gallant, and all without any affectation, or earne&s;tne&s;&s;e. And though conver&s;ation ought alwayes to be na|turall and rea&s;onable; yet I mu&s;t needs &s;ay, that upon &s;ome occa&s;ions, &s;ciences may be hand&s;omly brought in, and triviall follies may al&s;o have their place, provi|ded they be ingenious and gallant. So as to &s;peak rationally, I conceive there is nothing but may be brought into Conver&s;ation &s;o it have wit: and judgment in it. But the mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary quality to render it &s;weet and plea&s;ant is a kind of Politne&s;&s;e of wit which ab&s;olutly excludes all manner of biting je<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> and &s;uch as may offend a cha&s;t eare.</P>
<P>I would have every one to have the Art of turning things &s;o ingeniou&s;ly as that they may without offence &s;peak of gallantry unto the mo&s;t Au&s;tere Nun in the world, and to tel a trifling tale unto the grave&s;t and mo&s;t &s;erious men: to talk of Sciences and ignorance if they be forced; and to vary ones wit, according to the things talked of, and Per&s;ons to whom they talk: But above all, I would have a certain &s;pirit of mirth to be predominant, which without any tincture of the follies in tho&s;e Eternall Laughers who make a great noi&s;e upon a little matter may in|&s;pire into the hearts of all the company, a di&s;po&s;ition to divert them&s;elves at any thing, and to be troubled at nothing: and I allow them to talk of greater matters provided &s;till they talk well, and without any pumping for their words, and of &s;uch things as are fit to be talked of.</P>
<P>The Laws Madam, which you gave unto Conver&s;ation are &s;uch (replyed <HI>Phaon)</HI>
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as who&s;oever &s;hall admire your wi&s;dom, and carry them&s;elves as you do, will me|rit the admiration of the whole Earth, for never any had &s;uch an Art of plea&s;ing of charming, and of diverting, as your &s;elfe. I would all you &s;ay were true, (replyed &s;he and blu&s;hed) and that I could beleeve you more then I do my &s;elfe, but to &s;hew you that I cannot, and that I know my &s;elf often faulty, I ingeniou&s;ly de|clare that I have &s;poken too much, and that in lieu of telling you all my Concepti|ons concerning &s;ociety, I &s;hould only have &s;aid as much of all the company as you have &s;aid of mee. After this, every one oppo&s;ing the mode&s;ty of <HI>Sapho,</HI> we all commended her &s;o highly that we more then half angred her, but afterwards the di&s;cour&s;e was &s;o gallant, &s;o free, &s;o plea&s;ant and merry, that it continued til night when we all parted. <HI>Phaon</HI> who more fettered in the netts of Love then before, would needs &s;tay the la&s;t with <HI>Sapho,</HI> and his pa&s;&s;ion was &s;o fervent that he re&s;ol|ved to give it a little vent, and not to leave her untill he had given her &s;ome glimps of it: So that after we were all gone, he asked pardon for troubling her &s;o long, but Madam (&s;aid he unto her) when I &s;aw you only in company, me thought I did not &s;ee you enough. Tis true, I am much bettered by your Elegant di&s;cour&s;e, and I do admire it more then any, but for all that, I am more joyed when I heare you in pre&s;ence of none el&s;e; and two or three words only which are interrupted only by my &s;elfe, do give me fuller &s;atisfaction, and would more ravi&s;h me, then al your excellent Language wherewith you have charmed all the company this day, were you in Love with me (replyed &s;he and &s;miled) I &s;hould think the&s;e expre&s;&s;ions very gallant, but &s;ince I entertaine none but friends, and will never look upon any Lovers, I much chide you, for profiting no better by my di&s;cour&s;e concerning Conver&s;ation. Since this your Language would be very &s;utable unto a Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, but not unto a friend. I be&s;eech you Madam, (&s;aid he) do you think my Language very &s;utable unto a Per&s;on whom I loved? you know I am alwayes &s;incere, reply|ed &s;he) and therefore you may beleive I &s;peak my thoughts. Then Madam (reply|ed he and looked upon her) my Language is mo&s;t &s;uitable unto you, for I do not &s;peak it only unto afriend, but unto one with whom I am mo&s;t de&s;peratly in love: and that in &s;uch an humble and reverent manner, that you cannot be offended at me. If decency would allow me (replyed <HI>Sapho,</HI> and blu&s;hed) not to be offended at a declaration of Love, I believe I &s;hould not be offended at you: But <HI>Phaon</HI> it will not, and therefore <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t either be angry with you, or el&s;e not believe you: Oh Madam (cryed out <HI>Phaon)</HI> never make any que&s;tion between the&s;e two, but be certaine, that I had rather be treated ill, then not believed.</P>
<P>Since you never &s;aw me angry (replyed &s;he very gallantly) you know not what you &s;ay, but &s;ince I know what is good for you better then you do your &s;elfe, <HI>I</HI> will neither be angry with you, nor believe you. Oh I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid he unto her) believe me and be angry too, if you cannot beleeve me without being angry: for as I told you before, I had much rather &s;ee you angry then incredu|lous. Since beliefe is a thing not in our own power (replyed &s;he) we cannot be|lieve what we would: And therefore when I &s;aid that it was in my choi&s;e whether I &s;hould believe you or be angry with you, I conceive that <HI>I</HI> &s;poke improperly, and had better &s;ay, That it being impo&s;&s;ible for me to believe you, it is al&s;o impo&s;&s;i|ble for me to be angry with you. But I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid he unto her) why cannot you believe that I love you? Is it becau&s;e you think your &s;elfe not fair and charming enough to captivate harts? Is it becau&s;e I have not wit enough to know your tran&s;cendencies? It is becau&s;e my &s;oule is frozen, and my heart incapable of any tender pa&s;&s;ion? Is it becau&s;e my eyes never yet met yours, and told them what my heart thinks? Or is it becau&s;e the mo&s;t admired <HI>Sapho</HI> does think the un|happy <HI>Phaon</HI> &s;o unworthy to beare her Chaines, that &s;he had rather think him in|&s;en&s;ible, then &s;uffer him to weare them? But Madam; &s;ay what you plea&s;e, I can never believe that a Per&s;on who is &s;o &s;uperlatively knowing in all things, should not know, that I adore her. I a&s;&s;ure you (replyed <HI>Sapho</HI> gallantly) I am &s;o farre from knowing it, that I am per&s;waded you do not know it your &s;elfe. Therefore to do you all the favour that I can, <HI>I</HI> will give you three Moneths time to examine your own thoughts without mentioning the lea&s;t &s;illable of any &s;uch thing unto me, and if after that you think &s;till that you love me, <HI>I</HI> shall advi&s;e upon it whe|ther <HI>I</HI> should believe you and be angry: In the mean time, let us both live, <HI>I</HI> con|jure
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you as formerly we u&s;ed, <HI>Sapho</HI> expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elfe with &s;uch a gallant aire that <HI>Phaon</HI> making no que&s;tion but that she believed he loved her, he thought him|&s;elfe very happy, in that he had &s;aid &s;o much, and was no wor&s;e treated: And <HI>Sapho</HI> being unwilling he should force her to be angry with him, she di&s;mi&s;&s;ed him, and kept &s;uch a &s;trict decorum in all her words; that if her eyes had not betrayed the &s;ecret of her heart, <HI>Phaon</HI> could not have gleaned any hopes: But &s;ince que|&s;tionle&s;&s;e &s;he had a very &s;trong inclination to him, her looks a&s;&s;ured him, that his pa&s;&s;ion did not di&s;plea&s;e her: So as he went away well &s;atisfied, and very extream|ly fettered in love.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Sapho</HI> was not &s;o well &s;atisfied, for my Si&s;ter told me, that &s;he was very unquiet. Not but that &s;he had all the advantageous thoughts of <HI>Pha|on</HI> that was po&s;&s;ible: but it was, becau&s;e knowing the tenderne&s;&s;e of her own heart, &s;he was afraid of being engaged to Love, and her feares were the more, be|cau&s;e &s;he perceived in her &s;oule &s;uch a favourable opinion of this Lover, that &s;he feared her rea&s;on was too weak for her inclination. And &s;he &s;aw &s;he had more rea&s;on to feare it, becau&s;e &s;he ob&s;erved that. All which <HI>Alces</HI> &s;aid unto her in behalfe of the Prince <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> did much more di&s;plea&s;e her then before: and &s;he ob&s;erved that &s;he did le&s;&s;e divert her &s;elfe among&s;t her friends, then &s;he was wont before <HI>Phaons</HI> acquaintance. She could not choo&s;e, when the fancy of compo&s;ing Ver&s;es was upon her, but think upon <HI>Phaon,</HI> and he did &s;o much run in her memo|ry, in her heart, and imagination; that &s;he would often name him for another: So that <HI>Cydnon</HI> did often in a je&s;ting way ask her what progre&s;&s;e &s;he made in the heart of <HI>Phaon?</HI> and what progre&s;&s;e <HI>Phaon</HI> made in hers? At the fir&s;t, <HI>Sapho</HI> was wont to an&s;wer in merriment, as &s;he asked the que&s;tion, but afterwards her an&s;wers were more &s;erious, and at la&s;t, her an&s;wers were &s;o peevi&s;h, that <HI>Cydnon</HI> for a time gave over asking any more. But after a two Months &s;ilence concerning that &s;ubject, &s;he who would not an&s;wer then unto any que&s;tions which were asked concerning <HI>Phaon,</HI> did now begin the fir&s;t to &s;peak of him. But the truth is, &s;he began not to till after the con&s;equence of an adventure which <HI>I</HI> &s;hall acquaint you with.</P>
<P>Be plea&s;ed to know then, that a mo&s;t admirable Limner who&s;e name was <HI>Le|on,</HI> coming unto <HI>Mitylene,</HI> all the friends of <HI>Sapho</HI> were importunate with her to let her Picture be taken, and they were &s;o very earne&s;t with her, that she was forced to &s;atisfie them in a very particular manner, for she was re&s;olved to let every one of her friends have one, both women and men, &s;o that her Lovers, to obtaine this honour, did all shroud them&s;elves under the notion of friends, and they pretend|ed unto this honour in &s;uch a gallant way, as she knew not how to avoid it, for <HI>Nicanor, Phaon, Alces</HI> and my &s;elfe, being one day at her hou&s;e: And <HI>Amithone Erinne, Athys,</HI> and <HI>Cydnon</HI> being there al&s;o; we all began to oblige <HI>Cynegire</HI> to &s;o|licite <HI>Sapho</HI> for her Picture, every one acquainting her with the rights they had to pretend unto it, &s;o that <HI>Nicanor</HI> and <HI>Phaon,</HI> though the Lovers of <HI>Sapho,</HI> yet plea|ded as if they were only her friends: And <HI>Alces</HI> though <HI>Ty&s;anders</HI> Solicitor, &s;ued for this Picture, unto a pretence of <HI>Ty&s;anders</HI> friend&s;hip, &s;o as there was only <HI>I</HI> who &s;aid what I thought. It was worth ob&s;ervation, to &s;ee how <HI>Nicanor</HI> was vexed that he could not obtaine <HI>Saphoes</HI> Picture without <HI>Phaon</HI> had it as well as him&s;elf, and to &s;ee how ill &s;atisfied <HI>Phaon</HI> was that <HI>Nicanor</HI> should have a Picture, which as he thought, he only de&s;erved. <HI>Alces</HI> wished that neither of them might have it, and he merrily &s;aid that if <HI>Sapho</HI> would be ruled by him, she should give it un|to none but him&s;elfe, for (&s;aid he unto her) &s;ince my heart was engaged before I had the honour to &s;ee you, you may very well give me your Picture without feare of any dangerous con&s;equences, but as for <HI>Nicanor</HI> and <HI>Phaon</HI> &s;ince none can &s;ee into their hearts, it is to be feared, that in thinking to give your Picture unto your friends only, you may give it unto your Lovers. As &s;oone as <HI>Alces</HI> had &s;aid &s;o <HI>Pha|on</HI> and <HI>Nicanor</HI> looked upon one another, as if they had been at a &s;tand for an an|&s;wer unto <HI>Alces,</HI> yet that trouble was &s;aved then, for I &s;peaking as for my owne intere&s;t &s;ince every one is for him&s;elf only (replyed I, in &s;peaking to <HI>Alces)</HI> I neither &s;peak for <HI>Nicanor</HI> nor <HI>Phaon,</HI> but I dare boldly affirm, that I may very well demand the Picture of the mo&s;t admirable <HI>Sapho,</HI> only as the Brother of <HI>Cydnon.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="114" REF="947">
And I affirm, (added <HI>Phaon)</HI> that <HI>Alces</HI> is not in a condition worthy of it, though his merits are enough for &s;ince he is in love with another, and &s;hould be &s;o happy as to get the picture of his mi&s;tre&s;s, then the picture of the mo&s;t tran&s;cen|dent <HI>Sapho,</HI> would be placed below another. Since perhaps he &s;hall never obtain that favour from his Mi&s;tre&s;s, (replyed <HI>Athys</HI> and blu&s;hed) I cannot think that rea&s;on &s;ufficient to hinder <HI>Sapho</HI> from granting her picture unto <HI>Alces,</HI> who I be|leive can never have a mi&s;tre&s;s, whom he will &s;et above her. However it be (&s;aid <HI>Phaon)</HI> I think it not expedient that the fair <HI>Sapho,</HI> &s;hould give her picture unto any, but &s;uch friends as are not in love as <HI>Alces</HI> is: If &s;o (&s;aid <HI>Nicanor</HI> unto <HI>Pha|on)</HI> who can a&s;&s;ure the fair <HI>Sapho,</HI> that you de&s;erve to have her picture? For &s;ince you are but new come into <HI>Mytelene,</HI> and have been long in <HI>Scicily,</HI> it is pro|bable you have a mi&s;tre&s;s there; but it is otherwi&s;e with me, for it is well known, that I u&s;e to vi&s;it none a&s;&s;idiou&s;ly, but the fair <HI>Sapho,</HI> and that I was never guilty of any gallantry which might render me unworthy of her picture.</P>
<P>Since I came unto <HI>Mytelene,</HI> without any invitation of bu&s;ine&s;s, (replyed <HI>Phaon)</HI> it is to be thought I was not in love where you mentioned, &s;ince I left it upon &s;uch ea&s;ie tearms, but without any pumping for rea&s;ons to ju&s;tifie my &s;elf, I do con&s;ent that the fair <HI>Sapho</HI> refu&s;e me her picture, if &s;he think I was in love with any in <HI>Scicily.</HI></P>
<P>For my part (&s;aid <HI>Amithone)</HI> if I were to be credited, none &s;hould have the fair <HI>Saphocs</HI> picture but my &s;elf. And if my advice would be taken, (&s;aid <HI>Erinne) I</HI> would have it &s;ent over all the world, &s;o <HI>I</HI> had it (replyed <HI>Athys)</HI> it &s;hould be done as &s;he plea&s;ed. And provided my brother had one (replyed <HI>Cydnon) I</HI> &s;hould be contented &s;he &s;hould deny it unto <HI>Alces,</HI> unto <HI>Nicanor,</HI> and unto <HI>Phaon, I</HI> conceive my be&s;t cour&s;e is (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> to give it unto none. No, no (&s;aid <HI>Cynegere)</HI> you &s;hall not be mi&s;tre&s;s of your &s;elf: But lea&s;t you &s;hould di&s;-oblige a|ny, you &s;hall give it unto all your friends without exception, for if you &s;hould ex|cept any one, perhaps you would do him a greater favour than in giving it. Though what <HI>Cynegere</HI> &s;aid might well have plea&s;ed all the company, yet <HI>Nicanor,</HI> and <HI>Pha|on</HI> did argue the bu&s;ine&s;s between them&s;elves; but at la&s;t, lea&s;t they &s;hould loo&s;e the Picture of <HI>Sapho,</HI> they agreed upon the matter, &s;ince the one could not have it, unle&s;s the other had it al&s;o, &s;ince <HI>Sapho</HI> knew what <HI>Phaon</HI> had &s;aid unto her, &s;he thought it expedient not to yeild &s;o &s;oon, but to take &s;ome particular exceptions a|gain&s;t him, &s;o as taking <HI>Nicanors</HI> part, &s;he told <HI>Phaon,</HI> that perhaps he had twenty pictures which he would place before hers and there pa&s;&s;ed a very gallant di&s;cour&s;e between them: For though he &s;eemed to have no other de&s;ign in prote&s;ting that he loved none in <HI>Scicily,</HI> but to obtain her picture, yet he made a thou&s;and prote|&s;tations of love unto her, which &s;he under&s;tood very well, though &s;he &s;eemed as if &s;he did not. Yet &s;he did vere gallantly put him to the puzzle, when he was to an&s;wer. For (&s;aid &s;he unto him) you think you have &s;aid enough when you have &s;worn that you loved none in <HI>Scicily,</HI> but beleeve me you have not; for you mu&s;t &s;wear al&s;o that you are in love with none in <HI>Mytelene.</HI></P>
<P>Madam, (&s;aid he unto her, to get him&s;elf out of this great plunge) &s;ince <HI>I</HI> have &s;een none but you, me thinks it is not nece&s;&s;ary to &s;ay any more then what <HI>I</HI> have already told you, for you know the cour&s;e of my life &s;ince <HI>I</HI> came hither, as well as my &s;elf, <HI>I</HI> know &s;o many lovely friends (replyed &s;he and &s;miled) that though you go no further than my Chamber, yet it is not impo&s;&s;ible, but you may be in Love.</P>
<P>For my particular (replyed <HI>Amithone)</HI> I &s;hall not hinder <HI>Phaon</HI> from your pi|cture; for <HI>I</HI> do declare that he is not in love with me: <HI>I</HI> can &s;ay &s;o much of my &s;elf (replyed <HI>Erinne) I</HI> can &s;ay more than that, (&s;aid <HI>Athys)</HI> &s;ince <HI>I</HI> dare an&s;wer for <HI>Cydnon,</HI> and my &s;elf. Though all this &s;hould be &s;o (&s;aid <HI>Alces,)</HI> yet all's not e|nough to oblige <HI>Sapho</HI> to give her picture unto <HI>Phaon,</HI> for perhaps he is in love with her, and &s;ince &s;he will be&s;tow her picture only upon her friends and not her Lovers, it is requi&s;ite he &s;wear, that he is not in love with her, if he would have her pi|cture.</P>
<P>As for that replyed <HI>Sapho, I</HI> wil di&s;pence with him, for <HI>I</HI> am per&s;waded his heart has no &s;uch thoughts of me, as may hinder me from giving him my picture. Since it is &s;o (&s;aid <HI>Cynegere,</HI> and gave <HI>Phaon</HI> no time to an&s;wer) there need no di&s;putes
<PB N="115" REF="947">
upon a thing re&s;olved upon: Therefore let the Arti&s;t begin his work to morrow: And indeed &s;o <HI>Leon</HI> did, for he began to take the Picture of <HI>Sapho</HI> the next day.</P>
<P>Thus were the friends, the Lovers, and the Rivals of <HI>Sapho</HI> equally favoured, yet <HI>Phaons</HI> &s;oule found abundance of &s;weetne&s;s in thinking that <HI>Sapho</HI> &s;hould know he loved her, and yet permit him her picture: But the&s;e &s;weet thoughts were mole&s;ted by others which followed a little after: For he could not have any thoughts that <HI>Nicanor</HI> &s;hould be favoured as well as him&s;elf without a heart-burning: Yet &s;ince he did not know whether his Rivall had di&s;covered his pa&s;&s;ion unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> he &s;oothed up his &s;oule with hopes. He knew al&s;o that <HI>Alces</HI> was <HI>Ty|&s;anders</HI> Confident, and they &s;o a&s;&s;ured him that there was no cau&s;e of any feares this way, that the picture which he was to have never troubled him.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Sapho</HI> out of her violent inclination unto <HI>Phaon,</HI> was not &s;orry that Chance had given her &s;uch an innocent way of be&s;towing her Picture upon him: And &s;he carryed her &s;elfe in &s;uch an obliging manner towards him, that it was impo&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould be &s;orry for it.</P>
<P>He &s;till keeps him&s;elf within his pre&s;cribed bounds, he hinted not the lea&s;t &s;yl|lable of his pa&s;&s;ion to her: But yet he made it appear unto her by &s;o many &s;everal other wayes, that never any had a more &s;ubtle art of loving without &s;peaking then he; and he did it &s;o curiou&s;ly without any affectation, that where &s;oever &s;he was, &s;he could not choo&s;e but &s;ee it, and none el&s;e but &s;he: if at any time &s;he had any accident of Joy, he did &s;o participate in it, that &s;he judging of his love by his &s;atisfaction, &s;he judged aright: if on the contrary, and chance did &s;eparate him from her, he made his &s;orrows &s;o di&s;creetly appear, that the judging of his love by his Grief, &s;he could not choo&s;e but think it great: The truth is, he &s;poke un|to her, and was never heard; and he &s;poke in an Aire &s;o di&s;creet, &s;o gallant, and &s;o pa&s;&s;ionate, that &s;he under&s;tood him as well as if he had u&s;ed his tongue: if he looked upon her, his eyes told her what his heart thought, and I have ob&s;erved a hundred times by a lovely blu&s;h which dyed the cheeks of <HI>Sapho,</HI> that &s;hee un|der&s;tood the Lauguage of his looks: and though &s;he had no de&s;ire to an&s;wer him, yet her faire eyes did it for her whether &s;he would or no. When her Picture was taking, and we looked on, &s;he would look fixedly upon <HI>Phaon:</HI> and her thoughts of him being very advantageous, &s;he had &s;uch a langui&s;hing and amorous Aire, though without any affectation, that <HI>Nicanor</HI> not being able to endure his Rivall &s;hould be &s;o favourably looked upon, told her, that &s;he looked not enough upon the Painter, to have her Picture well drawn, and that if &s;he continued in that deep &s;tudy, it would be taken too melancholick.</P>
<P><HI>Nicanor</HI> had no &s;ooner &s;aid &s;o, but <HI>Sapho</HI> blu&s;ht, for &s;he under&s;tood well e|nough out of what thoughts he &s;poke it: Yet &s;he knew how to give him an an|&s;wer &s;o to the purpo&s;e, that &s;he per&s;waded all the company it was impo&s;&s;ible to have her Picture taken without being &s;ubject unto tho&s;e kind of mu&s;ings, which proceed (&s;aid &s;he) from the con&s;traint of not &s;tirring.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Phaon,</HI> he was &s;o vexed at <HI>Nicanor,</HI> that he contradicted him all the re&s;t of the day. If <HI>Nicanor</HI> &s;aid that the Painter had happily hit upon the re&s;em|blance of <HI>Saphos</HI> eyes, <HI>Phaon</HI> would &s;ay, he thought not &s;o, but that he had much better taken the &s;mile of her mouth. If <HI>Nicanor</HI> &s;aid the picture was too pale, <HI>Phaon</HI> would &s;ay it was rather too high-coloured: and if the Painter &s;hould have wrought according to the various opinions of the&s;e two Rivals, they had had but a bad picture of their Mi&s;tre&s;s.</P>
<P>But that which was mo&s;t plea&s;ant in the contradicting humour of <HI>Phaon</HI> was, that after the Picture was fir&s;t rudely taken, <HI>Nicanor</HI> &s;aid that it wronged <HI>Sapho,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he was a thou&s;and times fairer then it: <HI>Phaon</HI> dur&s;t not contradict him, becau&s;e if he had, he had &s;aid the Picture was fairer then her for whom it was made; but his eyes made it evident, that he was vexed becau&s;e he could not contradict him: and becau&s;e he would oppo&s;e him in &s;omething, he began to flat|ter the Painter.</P>
<P>Therefore (&s;aid he) it is no wonder if no picture can be ab&s;olutely re&s;embling the mo&s;t admirable <HI>Sapho,</HI> becau&s;e there are &s;o many Angelicall features in her face, and fire &s;uch in her eyes as is unimitable: and that he was per&s;waded <HI>Leon</HI> had done it as well as any other Arti&s;t could, though &s;hort of the Originall. All the
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company knowing what the rea&s;on was which moved the&s;e men to thwart one a|nother, we tooke much delight in hearing them; for &s;ince their di&s;pute was not very bitter, becau&s;e they re&s;pected <HI>Sapho</HI> more then to quarrell in her pre&s;ence, we made our &s;elves admirable good &s;port at them, and <HI>Sapho</HI> her &s;elfe was not &s;orry to finde a new te&s;timony of <HI>Phaons</HI> love, by his ob&s;tinate contradicting of <HI>Nicanor.</HI></P>
<P>At the end of this Conver&s;ation, we had another diver&s;ion: For as we asked the Painter when he would be at lea&s;ure to take the pictures of the other Ladies, who intended to give <HI>Sapho</HI> their pictures, as &s;he would give them hers; the Painter an&s;wered that it could not be the day following, nor the day after that, becau&s;e he was very bu&s;ie in fini&s;hing a great piece of <HI>Damophiles,</HI> which had abundance of work about it.</P>
<P>But why (&s;aid <HI>Sapho</HI> to him) is there more work about her picture than mine? becau&s;e Madam (&s;aid he unto her) &s;he will have drawn be&s;ides her, a great Ta|ble, full of books, a Lute, many Mathematicall in&s;truments, and a thou&s;and o|ther things which may repre&s;ent her learning and knowledg. I think al&s;o &s;he in|tends her dre&s;&s;e to re&s;emble the Mu&s;es, &s;o as I a&s;&s;ure you her peece will require much time before it be fini&s;hed. For heavens <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ake <HI>Leon</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Sapho</HI> and laughed) dre&s;&s;e me like unto the ragged Shepherde&s;s <HI>Onone,</HI> that my picture may nothing re&s;emble <HI>Damophiles:</HI> and &s;he was &s;o earne&s;t upon it, that to content her, he promi&s;ed to draw her in the habit of a Shephearde&s;&s;e, whereas before &s;he re&s;em|bled a Nymph. After which &s;he did &s;o plea&s;antly and innocently play upon the picture of <HI>Damophile,</HI> that we ended the day very plea&s;antly.</P>
<P>But Madam, to abreviate my &s;tory as much as I can, be plea&s;ed to know, that <HI>Sapho's</HI> picture being fini&s;hed, it was one of the mo&s;t admirable peeces in the world. The habit of a Shephearde&s;s did &s;o become the Aire of her face, that ne|ver any was more amiable: &s;o as all the Copies which &s;hee was to give unto her friends being taken, and the pictures of <HI>Amithone, Athys, Erinne,</HI> and <HI>Cydnon</HI> be|ing al&s;o taken, all the&s;e &s;everall pictures were di&s;tributed: <HI>Sapho</HI> gave hers to her friends, and they gave theirs to her. But as for <HI>Nicanor, Phaon, Alces,</HI> and my &s;elfe which were in the catalogue of her friends, we only thanked her for her mo&s;t precious pre&s;ents, but it was in a very different manner; for <HI>Nicanor</HI> who dur&s;t not &s;peak of his pa&s;&s;ion, but thanked her, but under the notion of a friend, who dur&s;t not tell her that he was her Lover.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Phaon,</HI> he thanked her in &s;uch pa&s;&s;ionate Language, that though he did not pronounce the word Love, yet <HI>Sapho</HI> did hearken unto his Complement more then unto a Complement of amity. As for <HI>Alces,</HI> &s;ince he was &s;till an offici|ous Solicitor for the Prince <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> he told her in a low voyce, that he alone would not thank her for her precious liberality, but would &s;tay untill a per&s;on of more merit joyned with him. So as I was the only one who payd the tribute of thanks out of pure amity, and common gratitude.</P>
<P>In the mean while, while <HI>Phaon</HI> being the mo&s;t a&s;&s;iduous in his merits; hat day which he thanked her for his picture, he &s;tayed the la&s;t with her. So as looking upon the Originall of the picture which yet lay upon the Table, he began to talk of the extravagant <HI>Damophile,</HI> who would have her picture drawn with &s;o many Emblemes of knowledg about her: And afterwards he talked of what <HI>Sapho</HI> &s;aid, when &s;hee de&s;ired the Painter to dre&s;&s;e her re&s;emblant unto the Shephearde&s;&s;e <HI>Onone.</HI></P>
<P>However Madam (&s;aid he unto her) you may be &s;ure you &s;hall never have her de&s;tiny as you have her dre&s;s; for it is mo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible, if ever you love any, that he whom you love &s;hould for&s;ake you. Though the Godde&s;&s;es &s;hould every day have a fre&s;h conte&s;t about their Beauties (replyed &s;he and laughed) yet perhaps when I am in the humour of loving a Shepheard as <HI>Onone</HI> was, he &s;hould never be their Judg: and his con&s;tancy would not be put unto &s;uch a difficult Te&s;t as her Shepheard was: Oh Madam (cryed out he) if that happy Shepheard whom you &s;hall choo&s;e have but the heart of <HI>Phaon,</HI> he will never hearken unto the promi|&s;es of the faire&s;t of all the three Godde&s;&s;es, though &s;he &s;hould &s;hew him as much of beauty as made <HI>Paris</HI> perfidious: For really Madam, you are to me the only beauty in the whole world: I find none in it amiable but you; and my heart is &s;o
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wholy yours, that you deny it unto all other Ladies upon earth: And I think al&s;o (added he) that you keep it from all my friends; for I am &s;o &s;en&s;ible of you, that I am ab&s;olutely in&s;en&s;ible of any el&s;e. I pray Sir (&s;aid <HI>Sapho</HI> and interrupted him) con&s;ider well what you &s;ay; for if you go beyond the degree of a friend, you mu&s;t re&s;tore my picture, for I will not be upbraided with be&s;towing it upon any Lover. No, no Madam (&s;aid he) I can never re&s;tore your Picture, I mu&s;t lo&s;e my life before any have it out of my hands: and though you &s;hould be angry, bani&s;h me, and treat me with the wor&s;t of rigour, yet as long as I can do it with|out any witne&s;&s;e, I mu&s;t tell you that I do love you, and mu&s;t be&s;eech you not to hate me; for the very truth is, I cannot live unle&s;&s;e I love you, and I cannot love you without telling you; and I cannot tell you, unle&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> I conjure you to do ju&s;tice unto the grandure and fidelity of my of pa&s;&s;ion by preferring it before the quality and merit of all my Rivals. I perceive Madam (continued he) that you prepare your &s;elfe to give me an angry an&s;wers, but I am re&s;olved to endure it with all imagina|ble re&s;pect, yet will not obey you if you forbid me, telling you how I love you: This is a new way (replyed <HI>Sapho):</HI> will you profe&s;&s;e di&s;obedience, before the command be given which it is expected you &s;hould obey? However it be Madam (&s;aid he unto her) I am grown to that height that I cannot live as I have done; You mu&s;t either let me love you, or command me to dye. Since I have no right to regulate your love or your hatred (repyed &s;he) I have nothing either to for|bid or command you: and &s;ince you are a man of too many excellent parts for any to de&s;ire your death, I will lay no command upon you which &s;hall oblige you to &s;eek it: But I mu&s;t tell you, that though I am per&s;waded, that without any of|fence of decency I may permit you to love me, yet out of genero&s;ity I ought to acquaint you, that I am the mo&s;t difficult per&s;on in the world to be plea&s;ed: and therefore it is better not to engage your &s;elfe in an affection which perhaps will not be durable, though at pre&s;ent it be very violent; for indeed there is in all men &s;uch a naturall propen&s;ity into incon&s;tancy, hat though I were a thou&s;and times fai|rer then I am, yet it were fond imprudence in me to believe I &s;hould find one ab&s;o|lutly faithfull: Yet if ever I do admit of a lover, he &s;hal be &s;uch a one as upon whom time and ab&s;ence can have no power: Indeed I would have &s;uch a one as is not to be found in the world, and therefore I advi&s;e you to content your &s;elfe with the quality of my friend; for if I do allow you to love me, perhaps you will finde a mo&s;t mi&s;erable taske of of it, or el&s;e you will give over loving me. Oh Madam (&s;aid he unto her) do what you can, I &s;hall love you as long as any life is in mee, and the matters re&s;ts upon nothing, but to know whether you will let me tel you that I do love you, and whether there is any hopes of my being loved.</P>
<P>Since it is not forbidden to be curious (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> I &s;hould not be &s;orry if I knew in what manner you are able to love: and therefore without engaging my &s;elfe unto any thing, I am contented you tell me what thoughts this pa&s;&s;ion does infu&s;e unto you, for untill this houre I never knew any man who had not a thou&s;and gro&s;&s;e conceits of this pa&s;&s;ion, which I conceive of in a more pure and delicate manner. All I can &s;ay is, Madam (replyed he) that you are &s;o ab&s;olute Mi&s;tre&s;s of my heart, my mind, my will, and all my faculties, that you cannot but in&s;pire my thoughts into me: Yes Madam, you need only let me know the way how you would have me love you, and you &s;hall find in me a blind obedience unto your will; for the perfection of love is to will the &s;ame which the per&s;on lo|ved doth will.</P>
<P>But Madam, without any tedious repetition of every circum&s;tance of this Con|ference, I will only in &s;hort tell you, that <HI>Sapho</HI> without granting any thing unto <HI>Phaon,</HI> did not plunge him into any de&s;pair: And <HI>Phaon</HI> without obtaining any thing from <HI>Sapho,</HI> parted from her with a mind full of hopes; for though &s;he &s;aid nothing to him that was very favourable, yet &s;he &s;aid nothing that was di&s;plea|&s;ing; but her eyes gave her &s;uch &s;weet Language, that he could not choo&s;e but think him&s;elfe very happy in the convicture: Yet he would have e&s;teemed h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">m|&s;elfe much more happy, had hee heard the di&s;cour&s;e which <HI>Sapho</HI> had the next day with my &s;i&s;ter, for &s;he opened her very heart unto her. Ah <HI>Cydnon</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) how ill do I wi&s;h <HI>Democedes</HI> for acquainting me with <HI>Phaon?</HI> For he &s;till continues con&s;tant in loving me, and I am affraid <HI>I</HI> cannot refu&s;e his affection: I finde my
<PB N="118" REF="949">
rea&s;on doth but weakly defend my heart, and that it is &s;o little my own, that if <HI>Phaons</HI> be not more mine that it is, I am in a mo&s;t &s;ad condition.</P>
<P>Moreover, I know not what my de&s;ign is in di&s;covering my weakne&s;s unto you: For &s;omtimes I think it is to the end you &s;hould chide me, and make me repent, and &s;omtimes on the contrary, to the end you &s;hould &s;ooth me up in my &s;ollies. How|ever, I am extreamly vexed at the re&s;entments of my &s;oul, not but that I do find much &s;weetne&s;s in my inquietudes; but &s;till my rea&s;on being yet not altogether prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, it doth &s;hew me the danger unto which <HI>I</HI> am expo&s;ed, by permitting the affection of <HI>Phaon</HI> to find entertainment: For it is almo&s;t impo&s;&s;ible he &s;hould love me as <HI>I</HI> de&s;ire to be, and as impo&s;&s;ible <HI>I</HI> &s;hould love him le&s;s than <HI>I</HI> do.</P>
<P>The truth is Madam, (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> that if you would have <HI>Phaon</HI> to love you, and never to think of marrying, it will be a hard matter for him to obey you, and yet he mu&s;t (replyed &s;he) if he would have me love him, he mu&s;t con|tent him&s;elf with hopes of being loved, without pretending unto any further.</P>
<P>The&s;e Madam, were the thoughts of <HI>Sapho,</HI> and though &s;he had a great inclinati|on unto <HI>Phaon,</HI> yet &s;he bridled it a long time, and would neither &s;uffer him to tell that he did love her, nor to hope that &s;he would love him, and yet lived very civilly towards him, and to that point, as &s;he did not any longer conceal her wri|tings from him, &s;o that he and <HI>I</HI> being one day with her alone, we importun'd her to &s;hew us all her ver&s;es, and &s;o earne&s;tly, that at la&s;t &s;he con&s;ented to &s;hew us part of them; but &s;ince her mode&s;ty would not let her read them, &s;he gave them unto us, and went into her clo&s;et to an&s;wer a Letter which &s;he had received from one of her Cozens, but Madam, <HI>I</HI> am very &s;orry <HI>I</HI> cannot &s;hew you what there we &s;aw, not only becau&s;e it would be exceeding delightfull unto you; but becau&s;e al&s;o you might &s;ee what a &s;trange effect, the reading of the&s;e ver&s;es wrought in the heart of <HI>Phaon.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince I have not the&s;e excellent ver&s;es to &s;hew you, I mu&s;t en|deavour to let you under&s;tand it &s;ome other way; imagin therefore Madam, that after <HI>Sapho</HI> had given us her ver&s;es to read, and was gon into her clo&s;et, <HI>Phaon</HI> began to read an Elogy, which formerly &s;he had made unto my &s;i&s;ter during her long ab|&s;ence; he found them to be &s;o apt, &s;o moving, &s;o tender, and &s;o pa&s;&s;ionate that his heart melted at the reading them, and &s;topt above a hundred times to admire them. Afterwards, he read a &s;ong which &s;he had compo&s;ed upon my &s;i&s;ters return; where he found in few words all the raptures of joy, which the mo&s;t fervent affection could infu&s;e into an amorous &s;oul, at the re&s;eeing of a loved per&s;on, after a long &s;eperati|on: Then <HI>Phaon</HI> read another little peice of <HI>Saphoes Genius</HI> which &s;he had writ to expre&s;s her joyes upon her unexpected meeting of a per&s;on which &s;he loved, her ex|pre&s;&s;ions were &s;o &s;ignificative as it was apparant they were her own: She admi|rably de&s;cribed the &s;weetne&s;s of Looks, the trembling of Heart, which a &s;udden &s;ur|prize u&s;eth to cau&s;e, the di&s;order of the Countenance, the agitation of the Spi|rits, and all the motions of a pa&s;&s;ionate Soul. But Madam, after <HI>Phaon</HI> had read the&s;e ver&s;es aloud, he read them again in a low voice to him&s;elf, and when he had done, he looked earne&s;tly upon them without a word &s;peaking, or ability to read others.</P>
<P>I being de&s;irous to &s;atisfie my curio&s;ity, row&s;ed him out of tho&s;e mu&s;ings which <HI>I</HI> thought his admiration only had cau&s;ed, and forced him to read tho&s;e Ver&s;es which <HI>Sapho</HI> had made upon a jealous amity which had been betwixt <HI>Athys</HI> and <HI>A|mithone:</HI> But Madam, This jealou&s;y had the right Character of Love, and all the violencies which that tyrannicall pa&s;&s;ion could po&s;&s;ible in&s;pire into an amorous heart, were &s;o admirably expre&s;&s;ed, as it was ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible to mend them.</P>
<P>For my part <HI>I</HI> did nothing but applaud and admire the genius of <HI>Sapho,</HI> all the while <HI>Phaon</HI> was reading that peece, but as for him, he read it with attention &s;o full of pen&s;ivene&s;&s;e as I began to wonder; yet to lo&s;e no time in asking him the cau&s;e I &s;et my &s;elf to read &s;ome Ver&s;es which <HI>Sapho</HI> had made in the Country, during a little journey of eight hours which she went alone with my Si&s;ter unto a very plea|&s;ant hou&s;e of <HI>Saphoes,</HI> by the&s;e Ver&s;es she repre&s;ented the felicity of two Per&s;ons who love one another, and thereby proves that they &s;tand in need of none but them&s;elves to live happily, de&s;cribing afterwards the tenderne&s;&s;e of their affecti|ons; their &s;incerity one unto another, their delights, their recreations, their di&s;|cour&s;es,
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upon the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of amity and friendship, and a thou&s;and &s;uch like. And Madam, all that the mo&s;t delicate love could invent of &s;weetne&s;s was de&s;cri|bed by the&s;e lines, though it aggravate only the &s;weets of amity, and never in my life, did I &s;ee any &s;o full of Wit, &s;o gallant, and &s;o pa&s;&s;ionate: But as ex|cellent as they were, I could not read them out, for <HI>Phaon</HI> who harkned unto them with extraordinary attention, interrupted mee with the&s;e words. Ah <HI>Democedes</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) <HI>Sapho</HI> is the rare&s;t Per&s;on in the world, but I am the mo&s;t mi&s;erable Lover upon Earth, and you the mo&s;t &s;ubtile of all men living: As for the fir&s;t of the&s;e you mention (replyed I) I concurre with you, but I do not under&s;tand the &s;econd nor the third, for why are you the mo&s;t mi&s;erable Lover in the World? and why am I the mo&s;t &s;ubtile of all men living? I am the mo&s;t mi&s;erable Lover (replyed hee) becau&s;e <HI>Sapho</HI> is mo&s;t certainly in love with &s;ome one: And you the mo&s;t &s;ubtle, becau&s;e you a&s;&s;ure mee &s;hee is not in Love with any. But I be&s;eech you (&s;aid I unto him) upon what doe you ground your opinion that &s;he loves any one? <HI>I</HI> ground it, replyed he upon what <HI>I</HI> have read: For <HI>Democedes</HI> it is ab&s;olutely impo&s;&s;ible &s;he &s;hould write &s;o pa&s;&s;io|natly and tenderly, unle&s;&s;e &s;he had experimentally been pa&s;&s;ionate.</P>
<P>As <HI>Phaon</HI> &s;aid &s;o, <HI>Sapho</HI> returned, expecting a thou&s;and applauds from <HI>Phaon,</HI> But Madam, if <HI>I</HI> had not commended her &s;he had gone without a debt which was due unto her merit: for <HI>Phaons</HI> mind was &s;o &s;tung with a cau&s;ele&s;&s;e jealou&s;ie which &s;prung in his heart, that he could hardly &s;peak. Yet after <HI>I</HI> had given him time to recollect him&s;elfe, by my commending of <HI>Sapho:</HI> The &s;ame jealou&s;ie which cau&s;ed his &s;ilence, made him break it, to &s;ee if he could di&s;cover in the eyes of this exellent Lady, whether he had any ground for his &s;u&s;pitions. What I &s;ee here Madam is &s;o &s;urprizing (&s;aid he unto her) that you mu&s;t not think it &s;trange I &s;hould not be able to expre&s;&s;e my admiration: Since Sir an&s;wered &s;he) you have now been long e|nough acquainted with me to know that <HI>I</HI> do not love to be commended in my pre&s;ence, you would do me a plea&s;ure if you would &s;peak no more unto me of what you have &s;een.</P>
<P>Oh Madam (&s;aid he ha&s;tily) <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t needs &s;peak &s;omething, and ask you bould|ly, what you do with all that tenderne&s;&s;e, wherewith your heart is filled? for <HI>I</HI> have read &s;uch pa&s;&s;ionate expre&s;&s;ions, that the heart of the Writer mu&s;t needs be well experienced, and capable of Love: It is &s;o, with the merit of my friends (re|plyed &s;he and blu&s;hed) and my affection to them is &s;o tender, that if <HI>I</HI> had as much wit as amity, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould have written more pa&s;&s;ionatly than <HI>I</HI> did. <HI>Phaon</HI> eying <HI>Sa|pho</HI> very attentively, he ob&s;erved her blu&s;h, yet he could not divine that it was in his advantage, and that <HI>Sapho</HI> had not changed colour as &s;he an&s;wered him, but be|cau&s;e &s;he &s;ecretly chid her &s;elf for having too tender thoughts of him.</P>
<P>But on the contrary, interpreting her blu&s;h another way, he thought that <HI>Sa|phoes</HI> &s;oul was pa&s;&s;ionate for &s;ome of his Rivalls, and this beleife did rai&s;e &s;uch a di&s;|ordered damp in his &s;pirits, that he was &s;ilent upon a &s;udden: And if company had not come in, doubtle&s;s his &s;ilence had &s;eemed very odd unto the fair <HI>Sapho;</HI> but &s;ince <HI>Nicanor, Phylire,</HI> and &s;ome other Ladies came in, <HI>Sapho</HI> made ha&s;t to hide tho&s;e Ver&s;es which &s;he had &s;hewed unto us, &s;o as &s;he took no notice of <HI>Phaons</HI> &s;ilence.</P>
<P>In the mean time, perceiving his mind much unquiet, he made a &s;ign unto me, that we &s;hould go away: and indeed, whil&s;t <HI>Sapho</HI> was entertaining the&s;e Ladies, we went out without taking leave, and we went to walk by the Sea &s;ide. We were no &s;ooner there, but <HI>Phaon</HI> began to complain again&s;t me; for (&s;aid he) how can it be po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould be brother unto <HI>Saphoes</HI> be&s;t friend, and not know that &s;he is in love? for mo&s;t certainly &s;o &s;he is, or has been, for it mo&s;t ab&s;olutely im|po&s;&s;ible that any &s;hould expre&s;s them&s;elves &s;o pa&s;&s;ionatly, as &s;he hath done, unle&s;s &s;he had experimentally been po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with that pa&s;&s;ion: There is &s;uch odd, tender, and pa&s;&s;ionate phra&s;es in tho&s;e lines which <HI>Sapho</HI> &s;hewed us, that friend&s;hip alone could not &s;ugge&s;t them unto her, but ab&s;olutely &s;he either is in Love&punc; or hath been, for my part (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him) <HI>I</HI> have known <HI>Sapho</HI> from her Cradle; <HI>I</HI> have known all her acquaintances, <HI>I</HI> am the brother of one who knows all the &s;ecrets of her heart, and <HI>I</HI> do &s;olemnly prote&s;t unto you, that <HI>I</HI> am mo&s;t confidently per|&s;waded, though <HI>Sapho</HI> was loved by every one that &s;aw her, yet &s;he never was
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in love with any; but withall let me tell you that <HI>I</HI> think her very capable of that pa&s;&s;ion, and if ever it enter into her heart, &s;he will love with more tenderne&s;s and fidelity than ever any did: Alas <HI>Democedes</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) you do either de|ceive me, or el&s;e are deceived your &s;elf; for <HI>Sapho</HI> could never write tho&s;e ver&s;es unle&s;s &s;he were in love with &s;ome or other. But friend (&s;aid I to comfort his mind) if you had &s;een any of tho&s;e lines which <HI>Sapho</HI> writ upon a victory which <HI>Pittacus</HI> ob|tained, you would &s;ay &s;he can write as well upon war as upon Love, and by her writings you may as well infer that &s;he is a &s;ouldier, as in love, Alas <HI>Democedes</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) the ca&s;e is not the &s;ame, for the very reading of <HI>Homer,</HI> is enough to teach one how to &s;peak of war, but it is Love only which can teah one how to &s;peak of Love.</P>
<P>For my part, replyed <HI>I, I</HI> know not how you argue, but <HI>I</HI> am &s;ure <HI>Homer</HI> &s;peaks of Love as well as War, and <HI>Sapho</HI> might learn to &s;peak as he did. Ah <HI>Democedes,</HI> (&s;aid he with a pen&s;ive look) gladly would <HI>I</HI> beleive it was you who taught <HI>Sapho</HI> to write &s;o pa&s;&s;ionatly as &s;he doth, for if you did not, you would &s;ay as <HI>I</HI> do, and &s;wear that it is impo&s;&s;ible any &s;hould write well of Love, and not be in Love, if you do but compare tho&s;e expre&s;&s;ions of <HI>Homer,</HI> with tho&s;e of <HI>Sapho,</HI> you &s;hall find a va&s;t difference, hone&s;t <HI>Homer</HI> does better &s;et out the friend&s;hip of <HI>Patroclus</HI> and <HI>Achilles</HI> than he doth the Love of <HI>Achilles</HI> and <HI>Pri&s;eus,:</HI> had <HI>Sapho</HI> only u&s;ed &s;uch high expre&s;&s;ions as Love doth cau&s;e, and not u&s;ed them pa&s;&s;ionatly, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould have be|leived as you do, that &s;he might have writ of Love, and not have loved any.</P>
<P>But <HI>Democedes,</HI> &s;he has &s;uch delicate, tender, and pa&s;&s;ionate fancies, as are impo&s;|&s;ible to proceed from any heart, but &s;uch a one as is in love, the truth is, <HI>I</HI> know it by my own experience, for when <HI>I</HI> returned unto <HI>Mytelene, I</HI> mu&s;t ingenion&s;ly confe&s;s, that <HI>I</HI> did not know what Love was, but in &s;uch a gro&s;s manner, as <HI>I</HI> &s;hould never have under&s;tood the depth of <HI>Saphoes</HI> lines: And that fair fool whom <HI>I</HI> loved in <HI>Scicily,</HI> did in&s;pire me with thoughts only propotionable into her own wit: Therefore my love of <HI>Sapho,</HI> hath taught me to know infallibly, what is in her heart, and I have now nothing el&s;e to do, but to learn who that happy one is whom this fair one loves, and in&s;pires her with &s;uch tender, and pa&s;&s;ionate thoughts. Therefore my dear <HI>Democedes</HI> (added he) if it was not you who taught her this Art, then help me to di&s;cover whom it is &s;he loves, to the end I may of two cour&s;es, take the one of them; either to cure my &s;elf, or el&s;e to ruin my Rivall. Se|riou&s;ly (&s;aid I unto him once again) I cannot po&s;&s;ibly beleive that <HI>Sapho</HI> is in love with any: for it is mo&s;t certain, that &s;he neither loves the Prince <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> nor <HI>Nicanor:</HI> For the&s;e two Lovers kept &s;uch jealous eyes upon one another, that they would have found it out, had there been any cau&s;e of &s;u&s;pition given them; and therefore friend, you have no cau&s;e to trouble your mind with any &s;uch fanta|&s;ticall and ill grounded jealou&s;y. I know not <HI>Democedes</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) how its po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould think as you &s;ay: For my part, though I had &s;een with my own eyes, and heard with my own ears, a thou&s;and pa&s;&s;ages which might per&s;wade me, that <HI>Sapho</HI> either is, or hath been in Love, I could not more confidently be|leive it then I do: Therefore if it be &s;o, that you are not in love with this fair per|&s;on; nor have any manner of hidden intere&s;t, in &s;aying as you do, I conjure you to imploy all your ingenuity, in di&s;covering what I de&s;ire to know: <HI>Cydnon</HI> loves you &s;o dearly, and you have &s;o much wit of your own (added he, and flattered me) that if you will, you may quickly finde out, who that happy one is, which raigns in the heart of <HI>Sapho,</HI> and in&s;pires her with &s;uch pa&s;&s;ionate thoughts. Oh! Heavens (&s;aid he) how worthy &s;hould I think my &s;elf of envy, if the mo&s;t admi|rable <HI>Sapho</HI> had &s;uch thoughts of me, as &s;he has of &s;ome other; the greate&s;t won|der to me is, that he &s;hould have the honour to make her in love with him, and that their corre&s;pondencies &s;hould not be di&s;covered, and how is it po&s;&s;ible he &s;hould conceal &s;o great a felicity?</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Phaon</HI> u&s;ed a hundred expre&s;&s;ions, which made both his Love and his Jealou&s;y equally apparant, and I did promi&s;e him to be as carefull in enquiring of what he de&s;ired to know, as if i had been as fully per&s;waded of it as he was. In the mean time, <HI>I</HI> was certain that <HI>Sapho</HI> loved none, unle&s;&s;e &s;he loved him, and that her writing &s;o pa&s;&s;ionatly, proceeded only from a naturall tenderne&s;s of her Soul. Yet for the &s;atisfaction of my friend, <HI>I</HI> asked my &s;i&s;ter the que&s;tion, as if <HI>I</HI>
<PB N="121" REF="950">
had doubted it: But I asked her in vain, for &s;he did not &s;o much as tell me that &s;he began to love <HI>Phaon,</HI> &s;o as telling <HI>Phaon</HI> that <HI>I</HI> could not di&s;cover any thing, he was extreamly di&s;quieted, and confe&s;&s;ed &s;ince, that &s;omtimes he beleived <HI>Sapho</HI> lo|ved me, and that her friend&s;hip unto my &s;i&s;ter was but her umbrage to &s;hroud her affection unto me.</P>
<P>In the mean time &s;ince he could not di&s;vcoer any thing which might confirm him in his beleife, he dur&s;t not make it appear unto me, and yet he could not &s;o con|&s;train him&s;elf, but that <HI>I</HI> perceived his &s;oul was in a very Hell: And indeed, this fanta&s;ticall jealou&s;y did torment him in &s;uch a cruell manner, that all the world per|ceived it as well as <HI>I,</HI> that he was extreamly troubled. <HI>Sapho</HI> her &s;elf, asked him the rea&s;on of the alteration in his humour, but he dur&s;t not tell her, nor dur&s;t he &s;peak any more to me by rea&s;on of his jealous fancies, &s;o as he did live a melanchol|lick life.</P>
<P>Moreover, &s;ince it was not po&s;&s;ible for him but to hear many of <HI>Saphoes</HI> ver&s;es repeated every day, this was a dayly fre&s;h torment unto him, for he could not hear them without a tremble of heart: Again, he kept an ob&s;ervant eye upon all the men which u&s;ed to come often unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> and al&s;o he was very vigilant over &s;ome who never came there: And jealou&s;y did never torment any per&s;on more than it did <HI>Phaon;</HI> though he had no cau&s;e, but was the only one that was loved of all <HI>Saphoes</HI> Lovers. He knew not what to do, no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> what to think, to clear &s;u&s;pitions: So as he re&s;olved to go into the Country for a while, and try if that would cure him, both of his Love, and of his jealou&s;y, he took up this re&s;olution without im|parting it unto any, in&s;omuch as <HI>I</HI> was much &s;urprized at his departure: <HI>Sapho</HI> al&s;o murmured much, that he would not bid her adue before he went, and all the re&s;t of his friends did nothing but ask the rea&s;on.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;o it chanced, that <HI>I</HI> had &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;s which called me into the country, and <HI>I</HI> went two days after <HI>Phaon, I</HI> was no &s;ooner out of <HI>Mytelene,</HI> but the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> landed there, to leave the Prince <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> in that place, whom the invincible <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who then named him&s;elf <HI>Artamenes,</HI> had wounded in &s;everall places, when both falling into the &s;ea, they had a combate together &s;o admi|rably &s;trange, and extraordinary, that the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> who was then called the <HI>Famous Pirate,</HI> had as great a de&s;ire to &s;ave the life of his enemy, who had &s;o bravely re&s;i&s;ted him, as the life of a friend, who was infinitly dear unto him: But Madam, to wave this pa&s;&s;age, the Prince <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> returned to <HI>Mytelene</HI> yet wor&s;e of tho&s;e wounds, which the eyes of <HI>Sapho</HI> had made in his heart, than of tho&s;e he re|ceived from the illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes,</HI> who honoured the fair <HI>Sapho</HI> with a vi&s;it, which &s;atisfied her &s;o well, that &s;he &s;poke of none but him for a long time.</P>
<P>But at la&s;t, the Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> went away, and left <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> there, <HI>I</HI> al&s;o returned to <HI>Mytelene,</HI> and <HI>Phaon</HI> hearing of his Rivalls being returned al&s;o; but his jealou&s;y was it which cau&s;ed his return: imagin, that perhaps it was the Prince <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> whom <HI>Sapho</HI> loved, though none &s;poke of it. When he was returned, e|very one did chide him for his &s;udden departure; but he did &s;o little hearken unto their Rallary upon it, as they gave over talking any more of it. <HI>Sapho,</HI> &s;he gloomed, and would not &s;peak to him. Al&s;o &s;he being per&s;waded, that his &s;olitarine&s;s was an effect of his Love unto her, &s;he pittied him, and would not twit him with it.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Alces</HI> was a clo&s;e Solicitor for the Prince <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> but all his &s;ollicitations would not do, for &s;he would not give him any favourable countenance: And indeed, &s;he was not in a condition for it; for &s;he did already love <HI>Phaon</HI> very tenderly, or at lea&s;t had a &s;trong inclination to him. Yet &s;ince the merit and the quality of <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> did oblige her to look well upon him, &s;he denied him her heart without any incivility, and without denying him her e&s;teem; yet &s;he had a great quarrel with <HI>Alces,</HI> for giving unto <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> that picture which &s;he had be&s;tow|ed upon him&s;elf, yet he knew &s;o well how to excu&s;e him&s;elf, that &s;he did pardon him in her heart, though &s;he alwaies &s;aid, &s;he would never pardon him.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Sapho</HI> having many envyers, there were &s;ome Ladies who told <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> that <HI>Sapho</HI> had given her Picture unto &s;o many, only as a &s;hroud to cover her giving it unto <HI>Phaon,</HI> and they &s;pake &s;o highly of this fre&s;h Lover of <HI>Sapho,</HI> that jealou&s;ie joyned it &s;elfe with love to torment him.</P>
<P>And as fewell to the fire, <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> found that <HI>Phaon</HI> was &s;o amiable, as he was
<PB N="122" REF="951">
apt to believe him beloved: So as both of them were a like jealous. <HI>Nicanor</HI> for his part, hee was not exempted &s;ince he was jealous both of him that was lo|ved, and of him that was not, for he feared lea&s;t the Quality of <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> &s;hould win much upon <HI>Sapho,</HI> and he feared no le&s;&s;e, lea&s;t the extraordinary merit of <HI>Pha|on</HI> &s;hould make him mi&s;erable.</P>
<P>In the mean time this beloved Lover who made all his Rivals unhappy, was no more happy then they were, for often &s;eeing the tender and pa&s;&s;ionate Ver&s;es of <HI>Sapho,</HI> his jealou&s;ie augmented every minute. Alas (would he often &s;ay) how great would my felicity be, if in reading all the&s;e pa&s;&s;ionate expre&s;&s;ions, I could hope to be Loved by a Per&s;on, who knows &s;o well how to love? and who by the tender|ne&s;&s;e of her heart does a&s;&s;ure all tho&s;e &s;he loves of a thou&s;and felicities, which o|thers are ignorant of, and which the greate&s;t beauties of the World knows not how to give.</P>
<P>For beauty only hath no further attraction, but what the grace of novelty doth give it. But the tenderne&s;&s;e of an amorous and pa&s;&s;ionate heart is an unexhau&s;tible &s;ource of fre&s;h delights, which &s;pring newly every moment, &amp; which augments love with Time, whereas commonly Time doth dimini&s;h it. But the wor&s;t is, the ten|derne&s;&s;e of <HI>Sapho,</HI> being for another, &s;he makes me as mi&s;erable as &s;he makes that other happy. And all her tender and pa&s;&s;ionate Lines which would be &s;o many joyes unto me if I were Loved: do now mo&s;t horridly afflict me, becau&s;e I am not loved.</P>
<P><HI>Phaon</HI> then being thus re&s;tle&s;&s;e, not knowing what to do, nor tru&s;ting any more in me, he thought that if he could &s;ee all that <HI>Sapho</HI> had written, perhaps he might pick &s;omething out which might &s;atisfie him, and come to know who it was which in&s;pired her with &s;uch tender and pa&s;&s;ionate thoughts: So as after this, he asked every one he met for the Ver&s;es of <HI>Sapho,</HI> and was importunate al&s;o with her, when he was alone with her: Al&s;o when he was with her, he u&s;ed to look con|tinually upon her table, whether &s;he had left any papers upon it: In the end, he re&s;olved to &s;uborne one of <HI>Saphoes</HI> women, under colour of curio&s;ity only to &s;ee her excellent Ver&s;es, to &s;teale them out of her Mi&s;tre&s;s Clo&s;et, but do what he could, he could not corrupt her: But as la&s;t an accident chanced without which perhaps he had never &s;een them, and which cau&s;ed a great di&s;order and re&s;tle&s;nes in his mind.</P>
<P>Be plea&s;ed to know then Madam, That the Prince <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> being recovered, he came to &s;ee <HI>Sapho,</HI> and came with abundance of company; &s;o as this vi&s;it affording no fit opportunities of making his complaints unto the faire <HI>Sapho,</HI> the di&s;cour&s;e was only upon things indifferent: And &s;ince <HI>Cynegire,</HI> with whom &s;he lived, had much repaired, and beautified her hou&s;e, &s;ince the departure of that Prince, they talked very much of what &s;he had done, e&s;pecially of <HI>Saphos</HI> Clo&s;et which had been much adorned with painting &s;ince <HI>Ty&s;anders</HI> departure. This Prince, de&s;iring then to &s;ee it, and &s;he not daring to deny him, &s;he opened the Dore, and all the com|pany went in. So that <HI>Phaon</HI> entring among&s;t the re&s;t, he ob&s;erved that <HI>Sapho</HI> &s;eeing &s;ome Papers upon the Table &s;he blu&s;ht, and ha&s;ted to put them into a Box halfe open, which her ha&s;t perhaps made her forget to &s;hut againe. And <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> having drawn her to the window (under pretence of a fine pro&s;pect to talk a little in private with her) &s;he had not time to &s;hut it clo&s;e, <HI>Phaons</HI> jealou&s;ie was upon the Rack to &s;ee the&s;e papers which made her blu&s;h, and which &s;he was &s;o ha&s;ty to put up. So that to lo&s;e no time, whil&s;t <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> was talking with <HI>Sapho,</HI> and whil&s;t others were looking upon the Pictures in her Clo&s;et, he went gently to the Box, and took out the papers. After which not being able to &s;tay in that place he went into the Chamber againe, to &s;ee whether he ought to keep them, or put them where they were.</P>
<P>He no &s;ooner opened the Paper, but he &s;aw they were Ver&s;es, and ver&s;es written with <HI>Saphoes</HI> own hand So as not judging he could have conveniency of reading them in that place without interruption and &s;eeing by the fir&s;t words that they de|&s;erved his curio&s;ity, hee went out of the hou&s;e, and went to walk alone in a Gar|den which was by the Sea &s;ide, and which was alwayes open to all Commers, as &s;oon as he was there, he opened the paper, and there read the&s;e ver&s;es, which I am
<PB N="123" REF="951">
now going to &s;hew you, for I had them, as he had them that is, without the name of that Per&s;on for whom they were made, as you may perceive by the Copy.</P>
<LG>
<L>My paine is great; extreame is my delight:</L>
<L>I mu&s;e all day; I &s;leep not in the night:</L>
<L>To &s;ay I am in Love, I cannot yet,</L>
<L>But yet I'me &s;ure, this doth re&s;emble it.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>One only object takes up all my mind;</L>
<L>In nothing el&s;e can I a plea&s;ure find:</L>
<L>If this be it, to have a wounded heart,</L>
<L>Ther's none can be more &s;en&s;ible of &s;mart.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>My &s;oule is &s;et on fire by certaine Rayes;</L>
<L>The Sun le&s;&s;e plea&s;eth in the chille&s;t dayes:</L>
<L>No eye as yet doth &s;ee my flame; but &s;ure</L>
<L>Fire has no heat in't more then I endure.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>When I &s;ee&mdash;then my &s;oule's at ea&s;e</L>
<L>He out of &s;ight, ther's nothing can me plea&s;e:</L>
<L>Perhaps he is my vanqui&s;her; but yet,</L>
<L>I will be ignorant of my defeat.</L>
</LG>
<LG>
<L>All that he &s;ayes, &s;eemes full of charms to mee;</L>
<L>And in his &s;ilence, no felicity,</L>
<L>Ha&s;t thou laid down thy Armes, oh heart &s;o brave?</L>
<L>I cannot tell, but I believe I have.</L>
</LG>
<P>After the Queen of <HI>Pontus</HI> had read the&s;e lines, &s;he re&s;tored them unto <HI>Demo|cedes,</HI> conjuring him to tell her what operation the&s;e ver&s;es had in the &s;pirit of <HI>Phaon.</HI></P>
<P>I under&s;tand &s;ince from him&s;elfe, Madam (replyed <HI>Democedes,</HI> and continued his relation) that the&s;e ver&s;es did rai&s;e &s;uch a &s;torm in his heart, that He was halfe an hour before he could begin to read them againe, though he had a great de&s;ire unto it: for though he did believe that <HI>Sapho</HI> either was then in Love, or had been in love, yet he did not believe it &s;o confidently, but he was &s;trangly &s;urprized to &s;ee it under her own hand: But at la&s;t beginning to read the&s;e ver&s;es over againe, and finding them more amorous the &s;econd time then the fir&s;t, he was &s;o tran|&s;ported with furie, that he thought to have torne them all in peeces and thrown them into the Sea. And as he was ju&s;t ready to doe it, a fancy came into his head which prevented him, which was, to con&s;ider who&s;e Name of all tho&s;e who u&s;ed to frequent <HI>Saphoes</HI> company, did mo&s;t concurre and &s;ute with the ver&s;e, in that blank which was left for it. For he conceived (notwith&s;tanding his furie) that if <HI>Sapho</HI> would have given him any other name then his owne, &s;he would have writ it down in her ver&s;e. So he concluded, and rationally, that the name which would fit the ver&s;e was the name of him for whom they were made: therefore looking againe upon tho&s;e foure ver&s;es where it was written.</P>
<LG>
<L>When I &s;ee&mdash;then my &s;oule's at ea&s;e;</L>
<L>He out of &s;ight, ther's nothing can it plea&s;e:</L>
<L>Perhaps he is my Conqueror, but yet,</L>
<L>I will be ignorant of my defeat.</L>
</LG>
<P>He began to con&s;ider what name would make up the ver&s;e: but he was there at a great puzzle. For that of <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> was too long a &s;yllable: That of <HI>Nicanor</HI> the like, and mine was longer then either. <HI>Phaon</HI> fond, that the name of <HI>Alces</HI> was the ju&s;t length for the ver&s;e, but his love of the faire <HI>Athys</HI> was &s;o well known un|to all the world, and it was al&s;o well known that he was <HI>Ty&s;anders</HI> confident, that
<PB N="124" REF="952">
this made no impre&s;&s;ion upon his mind. Afterwards, he examined the Names of all the men of Rank which u&s;ed to vi&s;it <HI>Sapho,</HI> but found none which fitted the ver&s;e, becau&s;e they were all too long, al&s;o he examined the names of all tho&s;e who did not vi&s;it her, never&s;omuch as thinking of his own. For &s;ince he knew that <HI>Sapho</HI> had made tho&s;e ver&s;es which cau&s;ed his fir&s;t jealou&s;ie before he knew her, he never dreamed that tho&s;e which had cau&s;ed him &s;o much &s;orrow, would have cau|&s;ed much joy, had he known the cau&s;e: and he was farre from any &s;uch thoughts as that he had never examined whether his own name did fit the ver&s;e, when I accordingly came unto him. But Madam, the wonder was, to &s;ee <HI>Phaon,</HI> who &s;ince his fanta&s;ticall jealou&s;ie looked very much a &s;quint at me, now become very kind againe, becau&s;e my name did not fit the ver&s;e, &s;o as he acco&s;ted me with his accu&s;tomed freedome; and took me for his confident as familiarly as if I had never cau&s;ed any of his jealou&s;ie. And he no &s;ooner &s;aw me, but comming to me, &s;ince we are both in the wrong (&s;aid he unto me and embraced me) I be&s;eech you my dear <HI>Democedes,</HI> let us forget what's pa&s;t, and begin our amity a new, for now I plainly &s;ee I was in the wrong in thinking it was you who had taught <HI>Sapho</HI> to know all the delicacies of Love, and I can make it appear unto you that you were in the wrong to believe, &s;he was not in love. Is it po&s;sible (&s;aid I unto him) That you &s;hould have &s;uch clear te&s;timonies of it, as cannot be doubted? You &s;hall quickly &s;ee that (&s;aid he) by reading the&s;e ver&s;es which I &s;tole from her, you know her &s;tile and her hand, and happily may gue&s;&s;e at the name of him for whom they were, made, for my mind is &s;o full of perplexities, that I confe&s;&s;e I cannot gue&s;&s;e at him; After this, I begin to read <HI>Saphoes</HI> ver&s;es, but in reading them I found at the very fir&s;t, that the name of <HI>Phaon</HI> fill'd up the ver&s;e, and I remembred &s;o many pa&s;&s;ages which had made me believe that <HI>Sapho</HI> did not hate him, as I made no doubt but that they were made for him, and I did the more believe it, becau&s;e I could not find any name except that of <HI>Alces</HI> which did run right in ver&s;e, and as for <HI>Alces I</HI> knew it could not be him, &s;o as intending to comfort him, for my part (&s;aid <HI>I)</HI> I &s;ee no &s;uch difficulty in finding out a name which will fitly fill up the blank in the ver&s;e, and I am confident the fair <HI>Sapho</HI> did intend it thus.</P>
<LG>
<L>When I &s;ee <HI>Phaon</HI> then my &s;oul's at ea&s;e</L>
<L>He out of &s;ight, ther's nothing can me plea&s;e</L>
<L>Perhaps he is my vanqui&s;her, but yet</L>
<L>I will be ignorant of my defeat.</L>
</LG>
<P>Ah <HI>Democedes</HI> (cryed he out) Tis true indeed, my name does fit the ver&s;e, but the ver&s;e fits not me, and <HI>I</HI> cannot choo&s;e but wonder how you &s;hould &s;o &s;uddenly think upon my name. As for my part, did not &s;o much as think upon it whether or no my name was <HI>Phaon.</HI> However this accident ads no comfort unto me, for all the&s;e excellent, tender, amorous and pa&s;sionate Copies of the faire <HI>Saphoes</HI> were all written before <HI>I</HI> ever knew her, and therefore it is to be thought they were made for &s;ome other happy one who has the felicity to teach her all the tenderne&s;&s;e of Love, in making him&s;elf Loved.</P>
<P>For my part (replyed he) I know not whether I be mi&s;taken; but me thinks tho&s;e Characters do not look as if they had been long writ. But I am the mo&s;t mi&s;taken man in the world if the&s;e ver&s;es were not made for you, and if you in lieu of be|ing the mo&s;t mi&s;erable, are not yet the mo&s;t happy Lover in the world.</P>
<P>How? (&s;aid he) do you think <HI>Sapho</HI> could love me and I not perceive it? and that a man who looks upon her every minute; ob&s;erves all her Actions and all her words, and does all he can to gue&s;&s;e her thoughts, &s;hould not he &s;ee &s;he loves him? Ah <HI>Democedes,</HI> this is impo&s;&s;ible, and it is but too true, that the&s;e ver&s;es were ne|ver made for me. As he &s;aid &s;o, we heard a great noi&s;e of many people talking, and turning about, we &s;aw comming towards us, the Prince <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> leading <HI>Sapho</HI> who had with her all her friends, <HI>Nicanor, Alces</HI> and many others. So as re&s;toring back the ver&s;es unto <HI>Phaon,</HI> he ha&s;tily put them in his pocket. But <HI>Sapho</HI> having ob&s;erved that <HI>Phaon</HI> left them abruptly, &s;he began to chide him, and chid him in &s;uch a gallant manner for preferring &s;olitude before &s;uch good company, that he was obliged to walk along with them, and &s;o we both did, though we had
<PB N="125" REF="952">
no great fancy unto it, for &s;he was very pen&s;ive, and I had &s;ome other bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. But at la&s;t, we came unto the end of the Garden which was towards the Sea, where we found a Barque, into which we went, and chance placing <HI>Phaon</HI> very neere <HI>Ty|&s;ander</HI> and <HI>Sapho,</HI> he plainly &s;aw the ver&s;es were not made for that Prince, for <HI>Sa|pho</HI> did not an&s;wer him with &s;o much as one favourable look, but was &s;o cold and hollow towards him, as it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee there was no great &s;ympathy of hearts. In the mean time, he was &s;o taken up with his own thoughts, that he had no &s;hare in the generall conver&s;ation.</P>
<P>That which I had &s;aid unto him comming often into his imagination he often &s;weetly flattered up him&s;elf, but pre&s;ently after beginning to think upon the amo|rous expre&s;&s;ions which <HI>Sapho</HI> u&s;ed, and that they were written before he knew her, his jealou&s;ie revived; So as pa&s;&s;ing from hopes to fears, he entertained him&s;elfe, and talked unto none, he fell into a deep &s;tudy and leaning over the Barque, hee looked attentively upon that bubbling froth which is alwayes at the Prow of tho&s;e Barques which &s;aile &s;wiftly. <HI>Phaon</HI> was too dear in the e&s;teem of <HI>Sapho,</HI> for her not to ob&s;erve his pen&s;ivene&s;&s;e, &s;o as &s;he both took notice of him, and cau&s;ed others to take notice al&s;o. But among&s;t the re&s;t, <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> who knew <HI>Phaon</HI> was in love with <HI>Sapho,</HI> and that <HI>Sapho</HI> did not hate <HI>Phaon,</HI> he kept a very ob&s;ervant eye upon him, endeavouring to find out, why he was &s;o melanchollick, and if it were po&s;&s;ible to find what the cau&s;e was, becau&s;e he was in <HI>Saphoes</HI> disfavour, or el&s;e whether it was only becau&s;e he was too much in love with her. So as looking up|on him no le&s;s then upon <HI>Sapho,</HI> It unhappily fel out that <HI>Phaon</HI> in taking &s;ome|thing out of his pocket, not knowing what he did, and without interrupting his mu&s;ing, he puld out <HI>Saphoes</HI> ver&s;es al&s;o which fell at the feet of <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> who &s;ee|ing them fall, &s;toop'd and unperceivedly took them up: But Madam after he had read them, he was no le&s;&s;e pen&s;ive then <HI>Phaon,</HI> for in a thought that he was his Rivall, he feared to find that which he would not have &s;ought, but in hopes not to find it.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Cydnon</HI> &s;eeing that <HI>Phaons</HI> mu&s;ing troubled <HI>Sapho,</HI> &s;he began to &s;peak unto him, and and aske him the cau&s;e, which you may well imagine hee would not tell her. But <HI>Sapho's</HI> ver&s;es running much in his mind, he put his hand in his pocket to feele whether they were there; though he doubted it not; for it is very cu&s;tomary for tho&s;e in Love to do many things which they would not do, were their rea&s;on free: <HI>Phaon</HI> then finding them not in his pocket, was &s;trangely amazed when he &s;aw that he had them not: Yet he dur&s;t not expre&s;&s;e his wonder, nor &s;ay he had lo&s;t them; for if he had, he had acquainted <HI>Sapho</HI> with his theeve|ry, and &s;hould have been extreamly a&s;hamed. Moreover, not knowing certainly whether he lo&s;t them in the Garden, or in the Barque, or whether they were faln into the Sea, he dur&s;t not make Hue and Cry after his lo&s;&s;e, e&s;pecially for <HI>Sapho's</HI> &s;ake, and her concernment: For though he was very jealous, yet he was very re|&s;pective of her, and her glory was more con&s;iderable unto him, than his owne tranquility: &s;o as he contented him&s;elfe with looking all about him, not telling what he looked for: but as he was very earne&s;t in it, though he did endeavour to do it without any affectation, <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> knew very well that what his Rivall had lo&s;t did wring him at the heart, and that what he had found would perhaps be a &s;ad &s;atisfaction of his doubts. But at la&s;t, our Maritime diver&s;ion being en|ded, we waited upon the Ladies home, and conducted al&s;o the Prince <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> unto his Lodging; who as &s;oon as he was there, went into his Clo&s;et, opened the Paper which he found, and read tho&s;e ver&s;es which troubled him, as much as they had his Rivall.</P>
<P>But Madam, he was not &s;o much puzzled as his Rivall was, to find out the name which was to fill up the imperfect ver&s;e; for he never doubted, but that <HI>Phaon</HI> was the name, and he beleived al&s;o, that <HI>Sapho</HI> had given the&s;e ver&s;es unto his Rivall, with her own hand, and that the knot of affection between them, was already &s;o fa&s;t tyed, that nothing could unloo&s;e it: You may imagin Madam, how vexatious were the&s;e thoughts unto him, and he &s;aid &s;ince, that never any thing in his life did more trouble him: <HI>Phaon</HI> on the other &s;ide was far from any quietne&s;s of mind; for maugre his jealou&s;y, he was extreamly &s;en&s;ible of <HI>Saphoes</HI> reputation, who was in as great a perplexity as he was: For Madam, this excellent Lady did &s;o repent
<PB N="126" REF="953">
of leaving tho&s;e ver&s;es in danger of being &s;een, that as &s;oon as ever &s;he returned home, &s;he went into her Clo&s;et with intentions to burn them, and never to make a|ny of the like nature again; but &s;hee was much &s;urprized and afflicted, when &s;hee could not finde them in the place where &s;he put them: She would not tru&s;t unto her memory, but &s;earched in all other places, where there was any po&s;&s;iblity of their being, but at la&s;t concluding that que&s;tionle&s;s they were &s;toln from her, &s;he was &s;o extreamly afflicted, that never in all her life &s;he was the like.</P>
<P>However, in this perplexity of &s;pirit, she could not imagin a wi&s;h more &s;weet, then that it might be <HI>Phaon</HI> who had taken away the&s;e ver&s;es, though &s;he was much a&s;hamed he &s;hould ever &s;ee them, for being ignorant of his jealou&s;y, &s;he ima|gined he would apply them unto him&s;elf, but though &s;he wish'd it, yet she could not hope it was <HI>Phaon</HI> who had them, becau&s;e she &s;aw him &s;o &s;ad, she could not &s;u&s;pect him.</P>
<P>And remembring that he went from her hou&s;e immediatly after <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> came into her Clo&s;et, she could not think he had time enough to commit the theft, &s;o that not knowing whom to &s;u&s;pect, she was infinitely troubled.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> &s;eeing by the&s;e Ver&s;es that <HI>Sapho</HI> loved <HI>Phaon,</HI> and not doubting but that his Rivall had received the&s;e ver&s;es from the hand of his Mi|&s;tre&s;s, and that the knot of their affections was undi&s;&s;olvably tyed, he re&s;olved to overcome his pa&s;&s;ion, but to carry his re&s;pects of <HI>Sapho</HI> as far as po&s;&s;ible: And though <HI>Alces</HI> was his Confident, yet he did not shew him the&s;e ver&s;es.</P>
<P>Tis true, he was three whole dayes in con&s;ulting upon this re&s;olution, during which time he did not &s;ee <HI>Sapho,</HI> who for her part avoided all company as much as she could for fear of hearing of the&s;e ver&s;es.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Phaon</HI> dur&s;t not &s;ee her; for he perceived, it would be im|po&s;&s;ible for him not to give her many te&s;timonies o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> his troubles, pen&s;ivene&s;s, and jealou&s;y. <HI>Nicanor,</HI> he was &s;o puzled to finde out the rea&s;on why the&s;e two Rivals and his mi&s;tre&s;s should be all &s;o &s;ollitary at one time, that he was no le&s;s unquiet than they were.</P>
<P>But at la&s;t, <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> &s;triving with him&s;elf, he was Conquerour, and &s;ent unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> to de&s;ire a private Conference, about &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of concernment; <HI>Sapho</HI> not daring to deny him by rea&s;on of his quality, con&s;ented; but it was with regret, becau&s;e &s;he feared his bu&s;ine&s;s was about the Ver&s;es: Not but that &s;he thought it impo&s;&s;ible it &s;hould be him who took the Ver&s;es out of her Clo&s;et, for &s;he had him alwaies in her eye, but her fear was, &s;ome other had given them unto him.</P>
<P>In the mean time, this hour of audience being come, <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> went to <HI>Sapho,</HI> without any one to wait upon him; but in Lieu of acco&s;ting her as u&s;ually, he &s;a|luted her with a faint, and &s;erious civility, though with much re&s;pect, which did infer unto her, that he had &s;ome angry bu&s;ine&s;s to impart: None but they being in the Chamber, <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> had the freedome of talk, &s;o as loo&s;ing no time, <HI>I</HI> come now Madam, (&s;aid he unto her) to render you the greate&s;t te&s;timony of my love that ever any did, by re&s;toring unto you tho&s;e ver&s;es which <HI>Phaon</HI> lo&s;t, and which you gave unto him: And truly, any other be&s;ides my &s;elf would in revenge of your cruelty, have &s;hewed them unto all the world; but my re&s;pects of you are &s;o great, that notwith&s;tanding your rigour, I am afraid to di&s;plea&s;e you, and would gladly pre&s;erve your e&s;teem, though I cannot obtain your affection.</P>
<P>In &s;aying &s;o, <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> gave <HI>Sapho</HI> tho&s;e ver&s;es which &s;he made for <HI>Phaon</HI> his Ri|vall, he gave them open, and let her &s;ee how he had &s;upplyed the blanck with the name of <HI>Phaon.</HI> You may well imagin Madam, that <HI>Sapho</HI> did not take the&s;e ver&s;es without a blu&s;h, yet after a little recollecting her &s;elf, &s;he attempted to do two things at once: The fir&s;t, ab&s;olutely to di&s;-engage <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> from her affection: And the &s;econd, to per&s;wade him, that the&s;e ver&s;es were made, neither for <HI>Phaon</HI> in particular, nor for any other in generall.</P>
<P>But all her Sophi&s;try, her Rethorick, and her Arguments, could not reach half of her de&s;ires, for though &s;he did di&s;-engage <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> from loving her, yet &s;he could not make him beleive, that the&s;e ver&s;es were made for any other then <HI>Phaon.</HI> She could not per&s;wade him, but that &s;he gave them unto <HI>Phaon</HI> with her own hand though &s;he told him true, when &s;he &s;aid he &s;toln them from her. No, no Madam;
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(&s;aid <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> to her) you can never per&s;wade me to it, for &s;he who can give a heart, may well give ver&s;es; one may &s;omtimes give a heart (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> and yet give nothing el&s;e: And this circum&s;tance which you &s;o much undervalue, is &s;o con&s;iderable to me, that there is no compari&s;on between my making ver&s;es for <HI>Phaon,</HI> and giving them unto him with my own hand: Suppo&s;e I had a very &s;trong inclination to him, it would be no &s;uch wonder, if I &s;hould tell my &s;elf the thoughts of my own heart; and though it be a weakne&s;s, yet it thwarts not the Laws of mo|de&s;ty, &s;ince none &s;hould know it but my &s;elf: But Sir, you have done me &s;o great a wrong in accu&s;ing me, of giving the&s;e ver&s;es unto <HI>Phaon,</HI> and you think &s;o &s;trang|ly of me, that I wonder you have not divulged them unto all the word, for if I were &s;o indi&s;creet as to give the&s;e ver&s;es unto <HI>Phaon,</HI> I were al&s;o unworthy of &s;o much di&s;cretion in you.</P>
<P>However, <HI>I</HI> give you thanks for re&s;toring them, and conjure you to tell me tru|ly how you came by them, for &s;ince I hold no particular corre&s;pondency with <HI>Pha|on,</HI> I cannot know it from any but your &s;elf: Oh Madam, replyed <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> my actions do not merit this incredulity: yet &s;ince perhaps <HI>Phaon</HI> will not tell you that he lo&s;t tho&s;e ver&s;es which he &s;hould &s;o carefully have kept, I will tell you that I &s;aw them fall out of his pocket, that evening when we took the air upon the Sea, and <HI>I</HI> took them up, not knowing they included the &s;entence of my death. <HI>Phaon</HI> was &s;o &s;ad that evening (replyed &s;he) as me thinks you may be per&s;waded, I did not give the&s;e ver&s;es unto him, and that he did not think they were made for him. For to tell you truly, the conque&s;t of <HI>Saphoes</HI> heart, is not &s;o ea&s;ie a matter, as that he &s;hould have the vanity, to think he hath done it: or to be joyed at it.</P>
<P>However it be Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Ty&s;ander)</HI> I am mo&s;t confidently per&s;waded that <HI>Phaon</HI> is as much loved as I am hated, and if I had not more re&s;pective thoughts of you than ever any ill treated Lover had, I &s;hould find means how to &s;end back <HI>Phaon</HI> into <HI>Scicily.</HI></P>
<P>But &s;ince it would be in vain to bani&s;h him out of this i&s;le, becau&s;e I cannot bani&s;h him out of your heart, I will not, Madam, be your Tyrant, after I have been your Slave: But Madam, in acknowledgment of my re&s;pects, I be&s;eech you be &s;incere, and ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s the true &s;tate of your Soul, as I have&punc; mine unto you, to the end I may leave you at re&s;t, and endeavour to recover mine. Sir, (replyed <HI>Sapho</HI> and blu&s;ht) if I were able to give you my affection, as <HI>I</HI> am my e&s;teem, doubt|le&s;s <HI>I</HI> &s;hould, in acknowledgment of your genero&s;ity; but to be &s;incere with you Sir, there hath been ever &s;uch a powerfull ob&s;truction in your de&s;ign of obtaining my Love, that do what <HI>I</HI> can, <HI>I</HI> shall never be able to remove it: And after this Sir, be &s;atisfied, and ask me no more, for &s;ince <HI>I</HI> cannot love you, it concerns not you whether ever <HI>I</HI> love <HI>Phaon</HI> or no. <HI>I</HI> do not ask the que&s;tion for any further clea|ring of my knowledge Madam, (replied he) for <HI>I</HI> do not at all doubt it; but I ask it only, that <HI>I</HI> may once more in my life commend you, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you Sir (reply|ed <HI>Sapho)</HI> do not per&s;i&s;t in a thing &s;o unju&s;t, and impertinent; but content your &s;elf, that I tell you, I cannot love you, and that I do not perceive in <HI>Phaon</HI> the &s;ame impo&s;&s;ibility of loving him, as I do of you: That is enough Madam, (&s;aid he and ri&s;e up,) to make me the mo&s;t mi&s;erable of men, yet &s;ince I am fully re&s;olved to re&s;pect you for ever, I will not do what I am able to break down violently that wall which &s;eperates me from your affection: I will only wi&s;h in parting from you that you may hereafter know, though you have given your heart unto the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed of all your Lovers, yet you have not given it unto the mo&s;t faithfull, and mo&s;t amorous.</P>
<P>After this Madam, <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> went away, but with &s;o much &s;adne&s;s in his looks, that <HI>Sapho,</HI> as in&s;en&s;ible as &s;he was to him, did feel her heart was a little moved. But &s;ince there were then &s;uch things in agitation. as did move it much more, &s;he thought more of <HI>Phaon,</HI> than <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> and &s;he had a fre&s;h &s;ubject for tho&s;e thoughts, by a vi&s;it which my &s;i&s;ter made unto her.</P>
<P>For be plea&s;ed to know Madam, hat I &s;eeing <HI>Phaon</HI> in &s;uch a gulph of &s;orrows, and having my &s;elf a great de&s;ire to know truly whether the&s;e ver&s;es which had cau&s;ed &s;o much di&s;order, were made for <HI>Phaon,</HI> as I thought they were, I went unto <HI>Cydnon,</HI> with whom I lived; not only as with a mo&s;t dear &s;i&s;ter, but as with a mo&s;t faithfull friend, and as a great &s;ecret, I told her of my friends jealou&s;y; of
<PB N="128" REF="954">
the adventure of the ver&s;es, and conjured her to tell me whether they were made for <HI>Phaon.</HI> If they were made for any one, replyed she, certainly they were made for him: but Brother, I know nothing of them, nor did <HI>Sapho</HI> ever shew mee the ver&s;es you &s;peak of. However (&s;aid I unto her) the poor <HI>Phaon</HI> who thinks they were made for &s;ome other, is &s;o extreamly jealous and &s;ad, that I think he will dye, unle&s;s you help me to a&s;&s;i&s;t &amp; comfort him. Truly brother (replyed she) it is not an ea&s;ie matter to be done, for <HI>Sapho</HI> who &s;eldome keeps any &s;ecret from me, never mentioned this adventure: And I do not &s;ee how I can &s;peak unto him unle&s;&s;e he &s;peak unto me: 'Tis true (added she) that I have hardly &s;een her two minutes &s;ince we were upon the Sea: But I will promi&s;e you to &s;ee <HI>Sapho,</HI> and do <HI>Phaon</HI> any good Office I can.</P>
<P>After this I did aggravate the jealou&s;ie of this Lover as much as I could, pur|po&s;ely to make them pitty his mi&s;ery: but the more I &s;poke, the more I &s;aw &s;hee had a mind to laugh; for &s;he knowing all <HI>Sapho's</HI> thoughts of <HI>Phaon,</HI> &s;he was &s;o tickled to thinke that he him&s;elfe &s;hould be the beloved Rivall which &s;o much af|flicted him, as for her heart &s;he could not forbeare. Cruell &s;i&s;ter (&s;aid I unto her) I did not acquaint you with the mi&s;eries of my friend for you to laugh at them, I a&s;&s;ure you he de&s;erves more pitty then laughter. If I thought &s;o brother (replyed &s;he) I &s;hould not laugh: But &s;ince I know <HI>Phaon</HI> has no Rivall whom be need to fear, I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e I cannot choo&s;e but laugh at his ill-grounded &s;orrows: For it is as good &s;port as po&s;&s;ible can be, to ob&s;erve the follies of the wi|&s;e&s;t men, when they are once engaged in a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of this nature: And therefore I pray pardon this naturall di&s;po&s;ition of mirth, when I meet with &s;uch occa&s;ions as this, and believe that I will do <HI>Phaon</HI> all the offices of a friend I can. And in|deed Madam, as &s;oon as &s;he was gone, &s;he went unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> and came thither a|bout a quarter of an hour after <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> went away: &s;o as <HI>Sapho's</HI> mind being ful, and de&s;irous to unburthen it unto her &s;i&s;ter, &s;he called her into her Clo&s;et: and giving orders that none &s;hould come unto her, &s;he conjured <HI>Cydnon</HI> to pardon her for with-holding a &s;ecret from her three dayes together; for truly my deare <HI>Cydnon</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Sapho</HI> unto her, after &s;he had told her the adventure) never any thing in all my life did &s;o cruelly vexe me: and nothing was more intolerable to me, then that <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> &s;hould &s;ee any ver&s;es of &s;uch a nature: nor nothing more terrible to me, than to think that <HI>Phaon</HI> &s;hould have read them.</P>
<P>For my part (continued &s;he) I do not think I &s;hall be able to &s;ee him: and I have &s;een none the&s;e three dayes, purpo&s;ely to avoid meeting with him; not but that I &s;ometimes wished it might be he who should find the&s;e ver&s;es; but I wished it when I thought he had them not: Yet now it is otherwi&s;e with me, and I had rather a hundred others had &s;een them then <HI>Phaon,</HI> for how dare I ever look him in the face after &s;uch a peevish adventure? The truth is, I have rea&s;on to fear, that his tru&s;ting unto the affection which I beare unto him, will now talk to him with le&s;&s;e re&s;pect, and will think his Conque&s;t &s;o ea&s;ie, that it is no glory unto him. If you have any cau&s;e of fears (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> it is not at any thing you have &s;aid: And to te&s;tifie how ab&s;olutely I am devoted yours, Madam, I will betray a &s;ecret unto you which a Brother hath entru&s;ted mee withall. And acquaint you that <HI>Phaon</HI> is the mo&s;t mi&s;erable, and the mo&s;t jealous of all men living He is not then in Love with me (replyed <HI>Sapho</HI> and blushed) he is more in Love with you (re|plyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> than ever any was: but he is &s;o jealous, and in &s;uch a fanta&s;ticall manner, as I know not how you can cure him. This Aenigma is &s;o ob&s;cure, an|&s;wered <HI>Sapho,</HI> that it pa&s;&s;eth my under&s;tanding when I have expounded it (reply|ed she) you will better under&s;tand it, but your a&s;tonishment will not be a jot the le&s;&s;e: For on that day when you &s;hewed <HI>Phaon</HI> and <HI>Democedes</HI> your ver&s;es, <HI>Phaon</HI> found in them &s;uch pa&s;&s;ionate expre&s;&s;ions, as he concluded mo&s;t certainly you ei|ther were in Love, or had been, and that it was impo&s;&s;ible any living should write &s;o tenderly, unle&s;&s;e they had been in Love; &s;o as this odd fancy being in his head, he hath &s;ince &s;uffered mo&s;t incredible afflictions, and hath done nothing el&s;e but hunt out after this &s;uppo&s;ed Rivall, who hath in&s;pired you with &s;uch tenderne&s;&s;e in your ver&s;es.</P>
<P>But I be&s;eech you <HI>Cydnon</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Sapho</HI> and interrupted her) tell mee &s;eriou&s;ly whether all this you tell me be not &s;ome quibble of your own wit? No no, re|plyed
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&s;he, there is nothing truer then what I tell you: For the mi&s;erable <HI>Phaon</HI> is &s;o po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with this imagination, that in lieu of applying them unto him&s;elfe, or rejoycing at his good fortune, he is carefully examining what names &s;utes be&s;t with that blanck which was left in a ver&s;e: and for my part, I have &s;uch merry Conceptions upon this pa&s;&s;age, that did I not &s;ee you very pen&s;ive, I &s;hould laugh heartily: However I be&s;eech you &s;eriou&s;ly to find out &s;ome way how to cure poor <HI>Phaon</HI> of his jealou&s;ie; for my Brother repre&s;ents him in &s;uch a mi&s;erable conditi|on, that he de&s;erves &s;ome help and &s;uccour. I perceive then (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> that <HI>Democedes</HI> hath &s;een the&s;e cruell ver&s;es which make me &s;o a&s;hamed: And that though I have told <HI>Phaon</HI> a hundred times, if ever I admitted of any Lover, he &s;hould never have any Confident; yet I &s;ee that I am like to have as many Confi|dents of my weakne&s;&s;e as there are men in <HI>Mytelene.</HI> Not but that I know very well (continued &s;he very obligingly) <HI>Democedes</HI> is very di&s;creet: but for all that <HI>Cydnon</HI> confe&s;&s;e the truth, did not he gue&s;&s;e at the name better then <HI>Phaon?</HI> He did not tell me (replyed &s;he) but <HI>I</HI> a&s;&s;ured him that either the&s;e Ver&s;es were intended for none, or el&s;e that they were intended for <HI>Phaon.</HI> For he being his particular friend, <HI>I</HI> thought thereby the more to engage his di&s;cretion, and to keep him from further enquiry into a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of which <HI>I</HI> promi&s;ed to give him an accompt.</P>
<P>But <HI>Cydnon</HI> (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> what accompt can you give him which will be advantageous unto me? For to tell him that I love <HI>Phaon,</HI> is horrid unto me: To &s;wear that I love him not, will make him believe I love another: and to pro|te&s;t that I love none (con&s;idering the fancy which <HI>Phaon</HI> hath in his head) will augment his jealou&s;ie and not ju&s;tifie me: However I wi&s;h I could find out an ex|pedient which would prevent his jealou&s;ie which would pre&s;erve his affection, which would hide mine from <HI>Democedes,</HI> and which would only let <HI>Phaon</HI> gue&s;&s;e at mine: For my part (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> con&s;idering the language of my brother, I think it will be a very hard matter to cure <HI>Phaon</HI> of his jealou&s;ie, unle&s;&s;e you will acquaint him with your tenderne&s;&s;e of him: Fye fye <HI>Cydnon</HI> (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> I had rather he &s;hould continue eternally jealous, than that he &s;hould &s;ee all my weakne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Then you care not for pre&s;erving his heart (an&s;wered <HI>Cydnon)</HI> for you know better than I do, that long jealou&s;ie &s;mothers love. The foundation of <HI>Phaons</HI> jealou&s;ie hath &s;o little &s;olidity in it (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> that I cannot thinke it will la&s;t long. Nay on the contrary (an&s;wered my &s;i&s;ter) &s;ince it hath no foundation, it is harder to drive away: As for example, if <HI>Phaon</HI> were po&s;itively jealous of <HI>Nicanor,</HI> then there no way but to treat <HI>Nicanor</HI> ill, and &s;ee him no more, to make his jealou&s;ie cea&s;e: but &s;ince hee is jealous onely becau&s;e you have written your ver&s;es in &s;uch tender and pa&s;&s;ionate &s;traines as might per&s;wade one a lit|tle that you are in love, it is impo&s;&s;ible you &s;hould ever cure him; but by giving him &s;ome cau&s;e to think you have none but him, and to let him think that the ver&s;es he hath &s;een belongs to him. As I did gue&s;&s;e at his affection to me before he told me of it (an&s;wered &s;hee) &s;o let him gue&s;&s;e if he can at the tenderne&s;&s;e I have to him: For if he do not, he &s;hall never know it for me. But yet (&s;aid <HI>Cyd|non)</HI> mu&s;t he not know any thing more concerning that ver&s;e which wants a name? Is it not enough (replyed &s;he) that he &s;ayes that the names of all others (who are in any likelihood of loving me) does not &s;ute with it, and that his doth? is not this enough to make him under&s;tand, that either they were made for none, or they were made for him?</P>
<P>If his fancy were not prepo&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> doubtle&s;s what you &s;ay were &s;ufficient: but as the con&s;titution of his mind is, if the con&s;ervation of <HI>Phaon</HI> be dear unto you, &s;omething el&s;e mu&s;t be done, and you mu&s;t permit my brother at the lea&s;t to give him &s;ome comfort and hopes in his mi&s;ery. Provided hee could doe it without giving any &s;u&s;pitions of my con&s;ent (replyed <HI>Sapho) Democedes</HI> may tell him what he will to per&s;wade him I am not in Love with any; for I had rather <HI>Phaon</HI> &s;hould think I love him, then to think I will permit any o|ther to love me.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Sapho</HI> told <HI>Cydnon</HI> all that <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> &s;aid unto her: Thus you &s;ee (&s;aid &s;he unto her) that <HI>Phaons</HI> Rivall is better informed of my &s;orrows for him, then
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he him&s;elf is. The truth is <HI>Cydnon</HI> (continued &s;he) my fate is very &s;trange, for <HI>Ty|&s;ander</HI> knows that I do love <HI>Phaon,</HI> and he knows it &s;o certainly that he hath a|bandoned me upon it: And <HI>Phaon</HI> on the contrary is ready to quit me, becau&s;e he thinks I love another and not him, &s;o as being, (as if it were) a Rivall, unto him&s;elfe, he doth him&s;elf more hurt then all his Rivalls, and hath brought in unto the mo&s;t &s;trange conjecture that ever a per&s;on of my humour could be. For women ought never to &s;ay that they are in Love, but only that they are loved. Therefore <HI>Cyd|non</HI> we mu&s;t &s;ubmit the adventure unto fortune. But take heed Madam, replyed &s;he, you do not repent of what you have &s;aid. If <HI>I</HI> do repent of what <HI>I</HI> have &s;aid (replyed &s;he) <HI>I</HI> &s;hall not do any more then what <HI>I</HI> have done a thou&s;and times &s;ince <HI>I</HI> fir&s;t knew <HI>Phaon,</HI> for <HI>I</HI> have repented <HI>I</HI> ever de&s;ired <HI>Democedes</HI> to bring me acquainted with him, <HI>I</HI> repented that ever <HI>I</HI> &s;poke unto him, that ever <HI>I</HI> loved him, and that ever <HI>I</HI> compo&s;ed tho&s;e unhappy ver&s;es which cau&s;ed this la&s;t di&s;or|der, and to tell you my thoughts plainly <HI>I</HI> repent of all <HI>I</HI> ever &s;aid or did &s;ince <HI>I</HI> was fir&s;t taught to &s;peak; And if <HI>I</HI> &s;hould keep <HI>Phaon</HI> by any endeavours which are unworthy of my &s;elf, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould repent eternally, and to tell you truely if <HI>I</HI> &s;hould lo&s;e him by my too &s;crupulous &s;everity <HI>I</HI> &s;hould repent it till my death.</P>
<P>This Madam was the temper of <HI>Saphoes</HI> mind when my Si&s;ter talked with her, &s;o as knowing very well that &s;he would give her con&s;ent unto <HI>Phaons</HI> cure of jealou|&s;ie; by any wayes which might not engage her too farre, &s;he would pre&s;&s;e her no further, and as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw me, &s;he told me that <HI>Phaon</HI> was to blame, that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould advi&s;e him to &s;ee <HI>Sapho</HI> as &s;oon as he could, and that mo&s;t certainly he had no rea&s;on to feare any Rivalls. But Madam, the &s;trange&s;t pa&s;&s;age in all this ren|conuter was, that <HI>Saphos</HI> mind was taken up with &s;o many various thoughts, that &s;he never thought of any anger again&s;t <HI>Phaon,</HI> for being &s;o bold as to take the&s;e ver&s;es out of her Clo&s;et.</P>
<P>However <HI>Cydnon</HI> tran&s;acted &s;o well with me, and I with <HI>Phaon,</HI> that though he did not po&s;itively believe all I told him, yet he re&s;olved to go unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> and to go with intentions of telling her the very bottom of his &s;oule: yet in the interim, a chance happened which changed his mind.</P>
<P>For an univer&s;all report went about all <HI>Mytilene,</HI> that <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> was re&s;olved to &s;ee <HI>Sapho</HI> no more. <HI>Phaon</HI> imagining that the Prince would never have quitte&punc; her, unle&s;&s;e he had di&s;covered that &s;he was in love with &s;ome one, his, jealou&s;ie renew|ed, and broke of his fir&s;t de&s;ign. Not but that he had rea&s;on to believe of <HI>Ty&s;an|der</HI> as he did, but he did not know that it was him&s;elf who di&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">engaged that Prince from the love of <HI>Sapho:</HI> But at la&s;t after he had pa&s;&s;ed over two dayes in this un|certainty, he re&s;olved again to go unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> and di&s;cover unto her the&punc; grandure of his Love, and the violency of his jealou&s;ie: and indeed he went unto her the next day &s;o early, that he found none with her.</P>
<P>It is an ea&s;ie matter to tell you Madam, the re&s;entments of the&s;e two per&s;ons: For <HI>Sapho</HI> was a&s;hamed of her own weakne&s;&s;e and pittied the weakne&s;&s;e of <HI>Phaon:</HI> and this Lover had &s;o many &s;everall re&s;entments, as it is impo&s;sible to repre&s;ent them, for he told me that his love and his jealou&s;ie re-doubled, and yet al&s;o he had &s;ome reviver of his hopes. But at la&s;t, having &s;aluted each other with equall a|gitation of &s;pirits, <HI>Phaon</HI> asked <HI>Sapho</HI> pardon for being &s;o long from her. But Ma|dam, (&s;aid he) I know not, whether after I have asked pardon for not &s;eeing you, I &s;hould al&s;o ask it for &s;eeing you: For I am come with a re&s;olution to talk of &s;o many things, as that I am afraid of talking &s;omething which &s;hall di&s;plea&s;e you, though I am re&s;olved to &s;ay nothing that &s;hall be unworthy of that love and re|&s;pect which I have unto you.</P>
<P>Sir, replyed &s;he, we have had &s;o few occa&s;ions of any quarrells &s;ince we were ac|quainted, that I know not what you can &s;ay otherwi&s;e. I mu&s;t ask you Madam, replyed he, whether I was not much to blame in being the mo&s;t jealous man alive? I mu&s;t conjure you to talk &s;incerely with me; I mu&s;t be&s;eech you to have compa&s;|&s;ion upon my weakne&s;&s;e; To examine well the pa&s;sion which cau&s;ed it, to ponder all the rea&s;ons which may excu&s;e my jealou&s;ie, and if it be po&s;sible, not to drive me unto de&s;paire.</P>
<P>All the&s;e, replyed <HI>Sar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">,</HI> do argue, that there is &s;uch a great di&s;order in your mind, as I &s;hould out of pitty do that, which in rea&s;on I ought not to do, if I did
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hearken unto the exact Rules of Ju&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ce and decency. And therefore I will harken unto your complaints, and let you &s;peak of your jealou&s;ie though I cannot en|dure you &s;hould &s;peak of your Love. Speak then <HI>Phaon,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he againe unto him) and tell me of whom you are jealous? I know not Madam (&s;aid he unto her) but I am &s;ure, that &s;ometimes I think I have all imaginable cau&s;es. For Madam you have &s;uch pa&s;&s;ionate expre&s;sions in your writings, as you mu&s;t of nece&s;sity have been &s;en&s;ible of them your&s;elf. And you have made &s;uch ver&s;es which I was &s;o bold as to &s;teal away, as have co&s;t me a million of &s;ighs, and perhaps will co&s;t me my life, if you of your goodne&s;&s;e will nor apply a remedy to cure me: But what remedy (&s;aid <HI>Sapho)</HI> will cure you? you mu&s;t per&s;wade me (replyed he) that you have loved none, and that if ever you love any it &s;hall be the unfortunate <HI>Pha|on.</HI> But Madam, &s;ince this is an impo&s;&s;ibility, I will not ask it, but will po&s;sitively ask you the true &s;tate of your &s;oule, and will ask you the name of him for whom you made tho&s;e ver&s;es which I was &s;o pre&s;umptuous as totake out of your Clo&s;et.</P>
<P>To an&s;wer in generall unto all you ask, (replyed &s;he) I mu&s;t tell you, that I did write &s;o pa&s;sionatly, becau&s;e naturally, I have a tender &s;oule, and I a&s;&s;ure you af|terwards, that if I have made any jealous, yet certainly it ought not to have been you. For I will tell you for mine own honour, as much as for your tranquility, that I loved none, the &s;ame day you came unto <HI>Mytelene,</HI> and I a&s;&s;ure you fur|ther, that I have done nothing &s;ince which &s;hould make you jealous: And to te|&s;tifie the truth of what I &s;ay, I will give you leave to ob&s;erve all my actions, all my words, and all my very looks, and if after that you find any cau&s;e of jealou&s;ie, then be &s;o, even unto furie; and be per&s;waded that in permitting you to be jealous I have done more for you, then ever I did for any.</P>
<P>Since Madam, you cannot permit me to be jealous (replyed he) unle&s;&s;e you per|mit me to be in love, I mu&s;t give you mo&s;t humble thanks for that permi&s;&s;ion, as for the greate&s;t favour in the world; yet I &s;hould be much more obliged, if you would be plea&s;ed to tell me whom you are plea&s;ed I &s;hould love, then to give me leave to be jealous? And therefore, tell me Madam, I be&s;eech you, whether I may hope, that you will ever be &s;o tender unto me as you know mo&s;t admirably well how to expre&s;&s;e? &s;hould I not be too pre&s;umptuous in pretending unto tho&s;e ver&s;es which &s;o cruelly have made me jealous? But Madam, before I can believe &s;uch a glorious a&s;&s;urance, you mu&s;t be very &s;incere: you mu&s;t tell me more then what yet you have; you mu&s;t &s;hew me your heart, as I have &s;hewed you mine; and you mu&s;t not keep back any &s;ecret of your &s;oule, before I can know you. Though you have loved one before I had the honour to be known unto you, yet I have no rea&s;on to complaine: Not but that I wi&s;h with a mo&s;t pa&s;sionate de&s;ire, that I were the fir&s;t who entred into your heart: but yet if that happine&s;&s;e be not po&s;sible however I &s;hall e&s;teem my &s;elf very happy in being the &s;ucce&s;&s;our of that mo&s;t happy Rivall.</P>
<P>Speak then, Divine <HI>Sapho,</HI> and tell me whether I mu&s;t be jealous? whether I mu&s;t be happy? or whether I mu&s;t be mi&s;erable? and to tell me in two fatall words, whether mu&s;t live or dye? <HI>Phaon</HI> expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf in an Aire &s;o full of reverent re&s;pect, he had in his voice &s;uch a kind of Rethoricall tone; and hee looked upon <HI>Sapho</HI> in &s;uch a &s;ubmi&s;&s;e and pa&s;sionate manner, that this faire one not being able treat &s;uch a Lover ill whom &s;he had a mind to pre&s;erve, &s;he &s;poke unto him &s;o di&s;creetly that without telling him &s;he loved him, &s;he did re-animate his hopes, did di&s;sipate his jealou&s;ie, augment his pa&s;sion, and fild his &s;oule full of joy.</P>
<P>Indeed the&s;e two Lovers, who in beginning their di&s;cour&s;e knew hardly what to &s;ay, and who had a thou&s;and thoughts in in their hearts which they thought &s;hould never be revealed, yet at la&s;t imparted all, and made &s;uch a &s;incere exchange of all their mo&s;t &s;ecret thoughts, that all in the heart of <HI>Sapho,</HI> pa&s;&s;ed into the &s;oule of <HI>Phaon,</HI> and all that was in the &s;oule of <HI>Phaon</HI> pa&s;&s;ed into the &s;oule of <HI>Sapho.</HI> Al|&s;o they agreed upon the Articles and Conditions of their Love. For <HI>Phaon</HI> pro|mi&s;ed <HI>Sapho</HI> which de&s;ired it, never to de&s;ire any thing of her, but the enjoyment and po&s;&s;e&s;sion of her heart: And &s;he promi&s;ed him al&s;o, never to receive any unto her heart, but him.</P>
<P>After this, they told each other all the particular pa&s;&s;ages of their Lives. And
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ever &s;ince Madam, there hath been &s;uch an admirable union between the&s;e two per&s;ons as never were their equalls &s;een; the love of <HI>Phaon</HI> augmented with his happine&s;s, and the affection of <HI>Sapho</HI> became more violent, by the acquaintance &s;he had of the greatne&s;s of her Lovers Love. Never were two hearts &s;een more uni|ted; nor ever did Love joyn two together, with more purity and zeale.</P>
<P>They communicated unto each other all their thoughts, and they under&s;tood one another without telling them; they &s;aw in each others eyes, the motions of of their hearts, and &s;aw them all &s;o tender and pa&s;&s;ionate unto each other, that the more they looked, the more they loved: yet the peace between them was not &s;o &s;ollidly e&s;tabli&s;hed but they had &s;ome amorous wars, and though they loved as much po&s;&s;ible, yet they would &s;ometimes complain that they loved not enough, but there was never any &s;uch civill wars as did di&s;turb the Halcyon Serenity of their Loves.</P>
<P>In the mean time, ever &s;ince this conjunction of hearts between <HI>Phaon</HI> and <HI>Sapho, Nicanor</HI> hath been in a mi&s;erable condition, and <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> e&s;teemed him&s;elf as hap|py as prudent, in di&s;-engaging him&s;elf from his pa&s;&s;ion. The truth is, he cured him&s;elf by another beauty; for <HI>Pittacus</HI> being re&s;olved to marry him unto the fait <HI>Alcionide,</HI> he went to <HI>Gnides,</HI> where &s;he was, and where he fell as much in love with her as with <HI>Sapho,</HI> but for his love to the one, he &s;till pre&s;erved much e&s;teem for the other.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Charaxes</HI> the brother of <HI>Sapho,</HI> who took it ill &s;he &s;hould re|fu&s;e the affection of <HI>Ty&s;ander,</HI> and admit of <HI>Phaons,</HI> went to travell, and departed without taking his leave, or bidding adieu to any. On the other &s;ide, though <HI>Nicanor</HI> did &s;till mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionately love <HI>Sapho,</HI> and horridly hated <HI>Phaon,</HI> yet he of|fered no violence unto either: For &s;uch was the admirable di&s;cretion of <HI>Sapho,</HI> in keeping every one within the limits of their due re&s;pects, and in uniting the mo&s;t di|vided &s;pirits, that though &s;he could not make them perfect friends, yet &s;he kept them from down right quarrelling. All this while <HI>Phaon</HI> being a&s;&s;ured, that he was preferred before all his Rivalls, he was not jealous of any: And indeed he was highly happy in it; for <HI>Sapho</HI> cau&s;ed &s;o many to be in love with her, that <HI>Alces</HI> him&s;elf, as deeply in love as he was with the fair <HI>Athys,</HI> began to waver and divide his heart: And except <HI>Themi&s;togenes,</HI> who could not love any which did not re&s;emble <HI>Damophile,</HI> there was not one man of any &s;oul or quality, who had not &s;ome &s;parks of Love unto <HI>Sapho.</HI></P>
<P>For my part, being <HI>Phaons</HI> choice, and particular friend, I ever defended my &s;elf again&s;t her Arrows, and was never down right in love with her, but I had &s;o much affection unto her, as kept me from loving any other.</P>
<P>In the mean time, this univer&s;all approbation of <HI>Sapho,</HI> incen&s;ed all the Ladies who pretending unto high beauty, had hardly any adorers, whil&s;t <HI>Sapho,</HI> who&s;e mode&s;ty would not let her think &s;he had any, was invironed with a croud of them. But the wonder was, that this mo&s;t rare woman, without the lea&s;t digre&s;&s;ion from that fidelity &s;he owed unto <HI>Phaon,</HI> did &s;till maintain her &s;overaignity in the &s;ouls of all her Lovers: For behaving her &s;elf &s;o di&s;creetly, that none of them ever &s;aid any thing unto her, which &s;he would not have them, &s;he never had any cau&s;e to complain again&s;t them, and by con&s;equence had no cau&s;e to bani&s;h them from her: Not but that <HI>Phaon</HI> would &s;ome days complain a little again&s;t &s;uch a croud about her, but when &s;he gave him to under&s;tand; that prudence required he &s;hould hide him&s;elf among the croud, becau&s;e if &s;he &s;hould bani&s;h them, &s;he &s;hould bani&s;h him al&s;o, or el&s;e her glory would &s;uffer diminution, then <HI>Phaon</HI> was contented to endure all the Lovers of <HI>Sapho,</HI> who dur&s;t not appear under any other notion than that of friends.</P>
<P>For my part, I have wondred a hundred times at that power, which <HI>Sapho</HI> had over her &s;laves: For though there was not one of them, who did not know that &s;he loved <HI>Phaon,</HI> and <HI>Phaon</HI> only, yet there was not one of them who was out of hopes, though &s;he gave them not the lea&s;t ground: And though they all hated <HI>Phaon,</HI> yet they neither dur&s;t, nor could hurt him: Nor did they jar among them&s;elves, for &s;ince they could be jealous of none but <HI>Phaon</HI> only, they grew into a kind of confidence together.</P>
<P>Thus, the Loved, the Lovers, the Lover loved, and the ill treated Rivalls, all were together, without the lea&s;t conte&s;t that was trouble&s;ome unto our &s;oci|ety;
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and which was mo&s;t admirable, <HI>Sapho</HI> in the mid&s;t of this croud, did find out waies to give <HI>Phaon</HI> a thou&s;and te&s;timonies of her affection to him, and unpercei|ved to &s;acrifice all his Rivalls unto him. Thus, without doing any thing again&s;t the exact rules of civility, and without any allurements, <HI>Sapho</HI> had the glory to have an infinite number of adorers, and without any of that &s;everity of tho&s;e faithfull Lovers, who con&s;train them&s;elves &s;o much, that they almo&s;t become &s;avage, <HI>Pha|on</HI> and &s;he enjoyed all the &s;weets of a mo&s;t pure and innocent Love; for they were none of tho&s;e who as &s;oon as they are certain of their mi&s;tre&s;&s;es, and &s;ervants, do u&s;e to renounce almo&s;t all manner of Gallantry, as if they had been married many a year, for <HI>Phaon</HI> was as Courtly as humble, and a&s;&s;idious, as if he had yet to con|quer that noble heart which he already enjoyed: And <HI>Sapho</HI> was as exact, and as regularly civill and complai&s;ant, as if her conque&s;t were uncertain. Moreover, Fea&s;ts, Plea&s;ures, and Joyes, did in&s;eperably follow them: And though they were mo&s;t a&s;&s;ured of each others e&s;teem, yet they did &s;trive with all imaginable cares to pre&s;erve it.</P>
<P>This Madam, was the life which <HI>Phaon</HI> and <HI>Sapho</HI> lived, whil&s;t they were happy: yet as the Empire of Love is as &s;ubject unto great revolutions, as others are; &s;o this calme, and &s;ilken peace, which was in the heart of <HI>Sapho,</HI> was not perpetuall, though it &s;eemed as if it would be eternall For mo&s;t certain it is, that never Lover had a more perfect heart of expre&s;&s;ing much love, then <HI>Phaon</HI> had, he never &s;aw any in <HI>Mytelene,</HI> but <HI>Sapho:</HI> And indeed it may almo&s;t be &s;aid, that he did &s;carcely &s;ee tho&s;e who were friends unto his Mi&s;tre&s;s, though he was continually with her, for his eyes and mind were &s;o wholly fixed upon the admired <HI>Sapho,</HI> as &s;he could not doubt, but that &s;he was the only &s;oul of his thoughts, where&s;oever he was. And &s;ince there is nothing more obliging, than to make a difference of a per&s;on in the mid&s;t of a great company, he knew &s;o well how to oblige <HI>Sapho</HI> this way when any occa&s;ions were offered, as I never in my life, &s;aw his like. Moreover, when he was with her, he &s;eemed &s;o happy, &s;o contented, and &s;o &s;en&s;ible of the lea&s;t of her favours, as &s;hee having ab&s;olutely the mo&s;t tender &s;oul in the world, did think there was nothing de&s;irable which was not in her Lover: She was infinitely charmed with the delicacy of his wit; he had &s;omtimes a certain kind of &s;weet and melancholly blithne&s;s, (if I may &s;o call it) which furni&s;hed him with &s;uch diver|ting conceits, as that they cannot be repeated without derogation.</P>
<P>Moreover, being naturally curious and inqui&s;itive, they had alwaies &s;ome amo|rous wrangle or other which made their di&s;cour&s;e more &s;weet: For &s;omtimes <HI>Phaon</HI> would needs know why &s;he blu&s;hed, &s;omtimes why &s;he mu&s;ed; and his ex|ce&s;&s;ive curio&s;ity went &s;o far that one day, there hapned a tender amorous di&s;pute between them, becau&s;e <HI>Phaon</HI> asked <HI>Sapho,</HI> why &s;he was more &s;weet unto him that day than any other? afflicting him&s;elf as much, becau&s;e &s;he would not tell him, as if &s;he had treated him ill. But Sir, (&s;aid &s;he, having no mind to &s;atifie his ob&s;tinate curio&s;ity) &s;omtimes you ask me &s;uch triviall que&s;tions, with &s;o much good earne&s;t|ne&s;s, that I mu&s;t needs ask you in my turne, what is the cau&s;e of this generall curi|o&s;ity, which cau&s;eth us &s;o many petty quarrells? I &s;hould not think &s;trange at your curio&s;ity in things e&s;&s;entiall, and of concernment, but your humour is &s;uch, that you are inqui&s;itive of every trifle: Yes Madam (&s;aid he unto her) I am &s;o, and ever &s;hall be, of every thing that concerns you, and if I could, I would oblige you to give me an account of all your thoughts, and of all your looks, for Madam, as you have given extream &s;traight limits unto my de&s;ires, and as you have permit|ted me to a&s;pire no further, than the enjoyment and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of your heart: how can you think I &s;hould be a&s;&s;ured of it, if I did not know all the pa&s;&s;ages in it? and therefore think not &s;trange, I cannot endure you &s;hould deny me what I ask; for by ac|quainting me &s;ometimes why you blu&s;h'd, why you &s;tudied, &amp; why you did not look upon me: you put me into po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of that heart which you have promi&s;ed me, and you joy me beyond my expre&s;&s;ions: And indeed <HI>I</HI> &s;et a greater value upon one of tho&s;e little hidden thoughts, which obligingly di&s;cover your heart unto me than &s;ome would of greater favours who are not capable of all the nice delicacies of Love, therefore Madam <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you deny no more, the &s;atisfaction of my curio|&s;ity though it ask only trifles of you, and trifles, which &s;eem unto you unrea&s;onable.</P>
<P>For indeed Madam, (added he, and &s;miled) Love is a Child, which delights him&s;elf in toyes, and has innocent fata&s;mes, &s;o that looking upon my too much cu|&s;itie
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is an effect of the grandure of my love, I hope you will comply with my weak|ne&s;&s;e, and rather then afflict me by telling me nothing, you will tell me all I shall aske.</P>
<P>You may judg Madam, after this, that the Love of <HI>Phaon</HI> was very tender, in|genuous, and gallant: and that loving one who knew the be&s;t in the world how to love, and who had a &s;uperlative witt, you may imagine they enjoyed a thou|&s;and delights, which tho&s;e of a dull and gro&s;&s;e capacity in matters of Love, are ig|norant of: Yet &s;ometimes when <HI>Phaon</HI> con&s;idered that <HI>Sapho</HI> would not marry, and that &s;he was the mo&s;t vertuous woman in the world, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he would be &s;omething pen&s;ive upon the matter: but &s;he knew &s;o well how to di&s;&s;ipate tho&s;e muddy mi&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of melancholly, the cau&s;e of which &s;he quickly di&s;covered, as he was forced to confe&s;&s;e that he was the happie&s;t Lover alive.</P>
<P>In the mean time, as I told you before, <HI>Nicanor</HI> being &s;till in love with <HI>Sapho,</HI> and <HI>Alces</HI> wanted but little of it, Jealou&s;ie did &s;o &s;eize upon the heart of the faire <HI>Athys,</HI> and of <HI>Nicanor,</HI> that in the end it much mole&s;ted the felicity of the&s;e mo&s;t happy Lovers.</P>
<P>And the better to let you under&s;tand the cau&s;e of this alteration, I mu&s;t ac|quaint you with a kind of a Fea&s;t which <HI>Sapho</HI> made at a hou&s;e of hers &s;ome hun|dred furlongs from <HI>Mytelene,</HI> and which without di&s;pute was the mo&s;t plea&s;ant leat in the I&s;le: And indeed, all that was de&s;irable in a Countrey hou&s;e was there to be found; for it was clo&s;e by the Sea, and yet was full of the mo&s;t rare fre&s;h Springs and Fountains that ever were &s;een. Moreover, it had &s;everall lovely Groves, Meadows, Gardens, and Grotto's: The &s;tructure al&s;o was very &s;tately, &s;o as every Summer <HI>Sapho</HI> went with <HI>Cynegire</HI> unto it, and all their friends came to vi&s;ite them.</P>
<P>We being all there in that delightfull &s;ea&s;on, which may be termed the youth of the yeare; and when the fir&s;t greenne&s;s of the hearbs and leaves renders the Countrey mo&s;t plea&s;ing, <HI>Sapho</HI> with <HI>Cynegire</HI> invited all her deare friends, to pa&s;s away a whole day with them. But though &s;he invited only friends, yet others al&s;o came: For <HI>Nicanor, Alces, Phaon,</HI> and I waited upon <HI>Amithone, Athys, Erinne,</HI> and <HI>Cydnon:</HI> And Chance &s;o ordered it, that the very &s;ame day <HI>Philire</HI> with her two friends and two Adorers of <HI>Sapho</HI> came thither in the afternoon, not knowing that we were there, &s;o as the company were very frolick that day.</P>
<P>I &s;hall not relate unto you Madam the particulars of this Fea&s;t: only tell you, that though <HI>Sapho</HI> and her Cou&s;in were dre&s;&s;ed only in white, decked with flow|ers, yet were they &s;o gallant, that a prettier &s;ight could not be &s;een.</P>
<P>When we came to <HI>Sapho's</HI> hou&s;e, &s;he met us with two of her women in a little thick Grove, in the mid&s;t of which is a mo&s;t admirable Spring, running by the foot of a huge Tree, who&s;e branches were &s;o large and thick, that they did not only over-&s;hadow the Fountain, but many &s;eats of Gra&s;&s;e al&s;o which were about it. <HI>Sapho</HI> meeting us in this place in &s;uch a dre&s;&s;e as I mentioned, &s;he received us with &s;uch a gallant Aire, and in &s;o noble a Garbe, that in my life I never &s;aw her &s;o lovely: For &s;he had the fragrancy of the whole Spring in her face, her eyes had the lu&s;tre of the ri&s;ing Sun, when fir&s;t it appears without a Cloud: and her joys which &s;he expre&s;&s;ed at the &s;ight of us, did &s;o vi&s;ibly glance it &s;elfe upon us by her lovely looks, as pre&s;aged a very plea&s;ing pa&s;&s;ing away of that day: There was not one in all the company upon whom &s;he be&s;towed not a very obliging Com|plement, and who did not thinke that &s;hee was &s;weeter unto them then unto o|thers.</P>
<P>But I, who always had an ob&s;ervant eye upon her, was not &s;o much mi&s;taken as they were; for in the very mid&s;t of this tumultuous joy which &s;he expre&s;&s;ed at the &s;ight of us, I &s;aw in her faire eyes &s;omething &s;o &s;ingular towards <HI>Phaon</HI> when &s;he made her Complement to him, that tho&s;e advantageous thoughts which her heart harboured of him were very apparant unto my eye. However, all this jolly company de&s;iring to &s;tay a while in that place, our Coaches went behind the Grove unto <HI>Sapho's</HI> hou&s;e, and we &s;tayed to enjoy the delight of that plea|&s;ing &s;hade, the agreeable murmure of the Fountain, and plea&s;ant noi&s;e of the leaves which an ea&s;ie gale of winde did whifle.</P>
<P>This fir&s;t conver&s;ation was &s;omething mi&s;cellaneous, and pa&s;&s;ed from object
<PB N="135" REF="957">
to object: At the fir&s;t, tho&s;e Ladies which came from <HI>Mytelene,</HI> began to com|mend the beauty of <HI>Sapho,</HI> and admired how &s;he kept her &s;elfe from being Sun|burnt: Con&s;idering that as long as she vvas in the Country, she vvas perpetually abroad. <HI>Sapho</HI> on her &s;ide, she gave them &s;uch &s;vveet adulatory Language, as cu&s;tome hath introduced among&s;t &s;uch Ladies as knovv the World, and are both young and faire.</P>
<P>After she had asked us all the nevvs of <HI>Mytilene,</HI> We in our turns asked her all the pa&s;&s;ages of her &s;olitude; <HI>Cydnon</HI> chid her for not writing unto her, <HI>Erinne</HI> for not remembring her, <HI>Athys</HI> for going avvay vvithout bidding her Adieu; and all of us together told her that she affected &s;olitude &s;o much, and her ab&s;ence vvas &s;uch an affliction to us, that we could not any longer endure it, To prove that what you &s;ay is true (replyed <HI>Sapho</HI> very &s;weetly) you mu&s;t acquaint me how you have &s;pent your time this eight days &s;ince I came hither: For if you can make it appeare that you do really regret my ab&s;ence, I believe I &s;hall return with you: but to tell you truly, I am per&s;waded that you were all full of diver&s;ions, notwith&s;tanding my ab&s;ence. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Nicanor)</HI> I went no whither but unto <HI>Pittacus</HI> about bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of much importance, concerning a friend of mine: And the faire <HI>Athys</HI> knows very well, that though I am her neer Neigh|bour, yet I never &s;aw her; it is very true indeed (replyed &s;he) <HI>Nicanor</HI> hath been very &s;olitary &s;ince your departure: And for my particular (added &s;he very crafcily) I have not been &s;o, for I have &s;een much company, and walked abroad very often, but for all that I was extream weary of your ab&s;ence, and wi&s;hed for you a hundred and a hundred times: I am &s;ure <HI>Phaon</HI> who was with me twice when I walked to take the Aire, does know that I expre&s;&s;ed as much, and that I chid him for being no &s;adder then he was at your ab&s;ence.</P>
<P>I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e (replyed <HI>Phaon)</HI> that ye&s;terday you chid me, but it was unju&s;t|ly. For tho&s;e joyes which then appeared in my eyes, were only cau&s;ed becau&s;e I was to come hither this day. You have very cunningly recovered your &s;elfe out of that net which the faire <HI>Athys</HI> unawares had like to have entangled you in (re|plyed <HI>Alces)</HI> but I know not whether you can &s;o well get out of that which I &s;hall put you into, when I &s;hall tell you that the very next morning after <HI>Sapho</HI> de|parted, we made five or &s;ixe vi&s;its together, and you were not at all di&s;contented. <HI>Sapho,</HI> replyed hee, hath &s;o well taught mee to be civill, that I had rather vi&s;ite none, then &s;ay nothing to them: Yet <HI>Cydnon</HI> whom I &s;aw &s;ome 2 or 3 days after, can tell you, that &s;he &s;aw me very melancholly. 'Tis true (replyed <HI>Amythone)</HI> but I know not whether it was at the ab&s;ence of <HI>Sapho,</HI> for you were very merry the day before, and was at play, and lo&s;t much. Since the faire <HI>Sapho</HI> knows very well (replyed he) that I have no covetous &s;oule, I do not feare &s;he will &s;u&s;pect me for being more &s;adde for what I lo&s;t at play, then for the lo&s;&s;e of her &s;ight.</P>
<P>However it be (&s;aid &s;he, and both blu&s;ht and &s;miled) I perceive that you had no time to be much di&s;contented; for you have frequented walks, you have made vi|&s;its, you have been at play, and doubtle&s;&s;e have kept your Court with <HI>Pittacus,</HI> therefore being your friend, I mu&s;t rejoyce you have &s;pent your time &s;o well, but I have little rea&s;on to thank you for thinking &s;o little of me. Oh Madam (&s;aid he unto her) condemn me not before you heare me: I &s;hall heare you ano|ther time (replyed &s;he) as for this day, let us, after your example, think upon no|thing but jocundry.</P>
<P><HI>Sapho</HI> &s;poke this with &s;o free an Aire, that <HI>Phaon</HI> was not troubled at it: And in|deed, though at the fir&s;t &s;he thought that <HI>Phaon</HI> was not much troubled at her ab&s;ence, yet &s;ince &s;he received every day a Letter from him &s;ince &s;he came into the Country, &s;he conceived that he did it rather out of prudence then any defect of Love, &s;o as this was no hinderance to her from being very merry all the re&s;t of the day.</P>
<P>But after this good company had re&s;ted them&s;elves a while, &amp; after I had given <HI>Sapho</HI> an accompt of what I had done during her ab&s;ence, she carried us through this plea&s;ant grove unto a garden door which opened into a long walk, which led us unto the porch of the hou&s;e where <HI>Cynegire</HI> received us. I shall not make any relation of the furniture in this hou&s;e, nor of the neatne&s;&s;e of our Repa&s;t, or of the Aromatique &s;mels which perfumed the rooms, for I will not in&s;i&s;t upon &s;uch
<PB N="136" REF="958">
trivialls: But give me leave to tell you, that an howre after we were ri&s;en from the Table, and were removed into a very plea&s;ant withdrawing Room, next the dining Chamber, <HI>Phylire</HI> and her Company arrived: So as this encrea&s;e of good Compa|ny, augmented the joyes of <HI>Sapho;</HI> and &s;he behaved her &s;elf &s;o nobly unto all in the hou&s;e, that <HI>Phaon</HI> being charmed at the &s;ight of her, and not being Ma&s;ter of his pa&s;&s;ion, he expre&s;&s;ed his admiration &s;o openly, that <HI>Sapho</HI> made a &s;igne unto him, to &s;hut up his wonder in his heart, for he applauded her with &s;uch aggrava|tions, he approached her with &s;uch earne&s;tne&s;&s;e, and looked upon her with &s;o much love, that indeed there was &s;ome cau&s;e to think (con&s;idering his joyes in &s;ee|ing her) that if he had been out of her &s;ight he would have run mad.</P>
<P>In the meane time, a little after <HI>Phylire</HI> was come, and had pre&s;ented all her company unto <HI>Sapho;</HI> This mo&s;t admirable Lady told them all that &s;he would &s;hew them a place more plea&s;ant then that they were in. And indeed, <HI>Cynegere</HI> and &s;he carryed us throug<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc; a long clo&s;e walk in a wood, which appeared &s;o wild and &s;o farre from any habitation, as one would have thought it a de&s;art: And at the end of the thicke&s;t part of this wood, there was a great Grotto, which nature had be|gun, and which Art and <HI>Saphoes</HI> ingenuity had finished; And which indeed is one of the mo&s;t delightfull things in the world. For it was large, it was coole, it was deep, and yet it was light enough; The Rock, had rarity of all Colours, and that which was added unto it, was &s;uch an excellent imitation of Nature, as one would think, Art had no hand in it.</P>
<P>Seats were contrived round about this Grott, and in &s;uch a ru&s;tique manner as if chance only had been the Contriver, yet were they very ea&s;ie and hand&s;ome, for by a &s;ingular artifice one is made believe that the mo&s;&s;e which growes there, are Cushions: The little Purling Rivolet which runs through it, by its coolne&s;&s;e, renders the place more delectable.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides all this, there were &s;everall openings into a &s;econd Grott invi&s;ible to this other, through which &s;uch Voco-ducts were placed, as one might ea&s;ily heare what one &s;aid unto another.</P>
<P>The place being thus plea&s;ant, <HI>Cynegire</HI> and <HI>Sapho</HI> conducted us thither, we were no &s;ooner &s;et, but upon a &s;udden we heard a mo&s;t admirable harmony, which came from the &s;econd Grott into that in which we were, and which filled it with &s;uch Seraphique Aires, as never was a more charming &s;urpri&s;e. At fir&s;t, we thought it was <HI>Sapho</HI> who appointed this diver&s;ion, but &s;he was &s;o a&s;toni&s;hed al&s;o that we quickly perceived it was not &s;he.</P>
<P>In the mean time, all the Company looked upon <HI>Sapho,</HI> and &s;he looked upon all the company, but to tell you truely, &s;he no &s;ooner looked upon <HI>Phaon,</HI> but &s;he knew it to be a piece of his gallantry. He yet would not openly acknowledge it, but it pa&s;&s;ed for a piece of enchantment all the day, and furni&s;hed the Con|ver&s;ation with a very plea&s;ant Subject. But <HI>Cynegire</HI> being mo&s;t curious of all the Company, &s;he went out of that Grott with one of the Ladies which came with <HI>Phylire,</HI> intending to go into the other Grott, and know from the mouths of the Mu&s;itians, who &s;ent them, after which, &s;he walked in a &s;olitary Alley not farr off. In the meane time, this gallantry of <HI>Phaons,</HI> cau&s;ed every one to extoll it, and him both, though he &s;aid &s;till, that he did not merit any &s;uch applau&s;e, and that his Gallantry came &s;hort of &s;uch an entertainment. <HI>Phaon</HI> (&s;aid my Si&s;ter unto him) if we &s;hould believe you, you were notably trapped; for tho&s;e who really have gallant &s;oules, do know they have &s;uch, and take it ill any &s;hould think they have not, and indeed they have rea&s;on to in&s;i&s;t upon &s;uch qualities as makes them prized above others.</P>
<P>One mu&s;t have gallant inclinations, (replyed <HI>Alces</HI> and &s;miled) that can &s;peak as you do, one ought to have Rationall inclinations as wel as gallant (replyed &s;he) for it men do things no otherwi&s;e then as I intend they will never plea&s;e very well. For my part, (replyed <HI>Amithone)</HI> I would very gladly know, in what, this kind of Gallantry con&s;i&s;ts of which <HI>Cydnon</HI> &s;peaks: For my particular, (&s;aid <HI>Pha|on</HI> and interrupted her) I had much rather we &s;hould talk of this then any thing el&s;e, for I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, I meet with &s;o many &s;curvy Gallants in this world, who yet do make great progre&s;&s;e in the hearts of &s;ome Ladies, that true, and really noble Gallants, make not &s;o many conque&s;ts as they do. And therefore I would have
<PB N="137" REF="958">
us begin here a de&s;cription of bad Gallantry, to the end, that at our returne un|to <HI>Mytelene,</HI> we may infu&s;e our Maxims into the minds of all the Town.</P>
<P>Then it is al&s;o requi&s;ite (replyed <HI>Phylire)</HI> that you give Lawes and Rules unto the noble kind of Gallantry: for it will &s;ignifie nothing if you &s;hould only blame the one, and not teach us the other.</P>
<P>For my part (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> I am &s;uch a profe&s;&s;ed enemy unto all bad gallants, though <HI>I</HI> do love a gallant Aire in all things, and &s;hould be ravished with &s;uch conver&s;ation if it were not in this place; but to tell you truely, (added she and &s;miled <HI>I</HI> would not it &s;aid in <HI>Mytelene,</HI> that we a&s;&s;embled here, to make Lawes for Love.</P>
<P>For my part, (replyed <HI>Phaon)</HI> I will talk of nothing el&s;e this day. And for my particular (&s;aid I) I believe I cannot &s;peak of any other &s;ubject. It is indeed &s;o plea&s;ing) (replyed <HI>Nicanor)</HI> that it would be difficult to change it into a better. It is al&s;o &s;o nece&s;&s;ary (&s;aid <HI>Alces)</HI> that I know not what we &s;hould talk of, if not of this.</P>
<P>We talked of all the news before Dinner, (replyed <HI>Phaon)</HI> we commended the beauty of the place, and we have talked almo&s;t of every thing, &s;o as we &s;hall have nothing to do (&s;aid <HI>Phaon</HI> unto <HI>Sapho)</HI> unle&s;&s;e you will let us eyther commend you, or let us talk of Gallantry. Believe me (replyed &s;he) I had rather you &s;hould talk of Gallantry, then commend me. Then Madam, replyed <HI>Phaon,</HI> I be&s;eech you give us leave to talk of it all the day, for as my &s;oule is now di&s;po&s;'d, I think my &s;elf almo&s;t as witty as you are when you are out of your good humour. If you be no more (replyed &s;he) you would be le&s;&s;e gallant then you are. But I be&s;eech you (&s;aid the faire <HI>Athys</HI> unto <HI>Supho)</HI> tell us how you came to be the mo&s;t gallant per|&s;on in the world. I do not intend to accu&s;e you of any Gallantrie (continued &s;he craftily) when I &s;ay &s;o, but to commend you becau&s;e you neither do, nor &s;ay any thing but with a gallant Aire: Though I have not &s;o much vanity as to believe this you &s;ay is applicative unto me, (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> yet I do think, I know your meaning, and that there is a kind of gallantry without any love, which is &s;ome|times to be u&s;ed in mo&s;t &s;erious matters; and which gives an excellent charme un|to all that one does, or &s;ayes.</P>
<P>In the meane time, this gallant Aire I meane does not altogether con&s;i&s;t in much wit, much judgement, and much knowledge, but is a thing &s;o particular, and &s;o difficult to be acquired when one hath it not, that one knowes not how to learne it, or where to &s;eek it. For I know a man whom all the Court knows, who is very hand&s;ome, hath wit enough, who is very magnificent in his attendance, in his hou&s;e and in his habit, who is able and &s;peaks well, who hath done all that e|ver he can to get a gallant Aire, and who is for all that, the lea&s;t gallant of all men living, But pray you (&s;aid <HI>Amithone)</HI> what is this gallant Aire which is &s;o plea&s;ing? It is I know not what (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> which is compounded of a hundred &s;everall things: It is a work of Nature infu&s;ed into the Per&s;ons who have it; moreover, much comerce with the World and Court doth help, the Conver&s;ation of wo|men al&s;o, doth much contribute: And I dare maintaine, that never any had an Aire of gallantry, who &s;hunned di&s;cour&s;e with per&s;ons of my own &s;ex; and if I dur&s;t, I would &s;ay, that before a man can attaine unto this gallant Aire, he mu&s;t once in his life have &s;ome &s;mall inclination unto Love: But take heed, (replyed <HI>A|mithone)</HI> that you do not engage your &s;elf to farr by &s;peaking as you do, for if it be nece&s;&s;ary to have been in love before they can attaine this Aire of gallantry, it mu&s;t follow by nece&s;&s;ary inference, that a Lady who hath this gallant Aire hath loved &s;ome or other. No, replyed <HI>Sapho,</HI> for though I do maintaine that a man mu&s;t have hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> heart a little engaged before he can attaine this Aire, yet I maintaine al&s;o, that for a Lady to acquire it, it is &s;ufficient if &s;he receive a favourable di&s;po&s;i|tion unto it, from Nature, that &s;he hath &s;een the World, that &s;he be acquainted with men of parts, and that &s;he have a de&s;igne to plea&s;e all in generall without lo|ving any in particular. For all that, me, thinks (&s;aid the faire <HI>Athys)</HI> that the word Gallant is too much abu&s;ed: for I like it well that one &s;hould &s;ay this is gallantly thought: or this is gallantly &s;aid&punc; and a thou&s;and &s;uch like, who&s;e wit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> beares a part in it; but it is not &s;o to &s;ay, this habit is very gallant, or that man is very gal|lantly dre&s;t.</P>
<P><PB N="138" REF="959">
For my part (&s;aid <HI>Phaon)</HI> I make no &s;uch difficulty of it, for it is that gallant air which <HI>Sapho,</HI> hath in her minde, and in all her per&s;on, that makes the dre&s;&s;e &s;he weares become her &s;o well; and to prove the truth, one &s;hall &s;ee &s;ome Ladies at a Ball, who are rarely dre&s;t, and who yet are but ugly in compari&s;on of that &s;imple dre&s;&s;e which hath its gallantry from the Per&s;on who weares it.</P>
<P>For my particular, (added <HI>Sapho)</HI> I think one may put a gallant Aire upon all, and that any may keep it as long as they live; but to tell you truly, and to &s;peak in generall, this kind of gallantry is the work of another, and mu&s;t either be in love, or have a naturall de&s;ire to plea&s;e before it can be gotten. Not but that as I &s;aid before, there are &s;ome per&s;ons of great rank and quality, who cannot have it, for they want that naturall Mould, which puts I know not what kind of &s;pirit, which plea&s;eth unto things lea&s;t capable, and infu&s;eth into the mo&s;t common talk a &s;ecret charm which &s;atisfieth, and diverteth: There is I &s;ay, I know not what kind of gallant &s;pirit infu&s;ed into the per&s;on which po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth it, both in his Wit, in his Speech, his Action, and in his Habit: This is it which doth accompli&s;h men, which renders them amiable, and which makes them loved.</P>
<P>Indeed, there is a kind of Byas or faculty in telling of things, which &s;ets a value upon them, and tho&s;e who have this faculty, may oftentimes &s;peak of that, which others dare not &s;o much as think, but in my opinion, the gallant Air in conver&s;a|tion, con&s;i&s;ts principally, in &s;peaking of things in an ea&s;ie and naturall manner: To incline unto more &s;weetne&s;s, and mirth, then unto the &s;erious and &s;harp, to &s;peak ea&s;ily, and in apt terms without affectation, there mu&s;t be al&s;o a kind of in&s;inuating and flattering &s;pirit, to &s;ubdue the minds of others, and if I could ex|pre&s;s my meaning well, I would confe&s;s unto you, that one cannot be compleat|ly amiable without this gallant Air.</P>
<P>Tis true, &s;aid <HI>Alces,</HI> that it is difficult to plea&s;e without it; but yet it mu&s;t be confe&s;&s;ed, that tho&s;e unto whom it is ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary, are tho&s;e who make pro|fe&s;&s;ion of gallantry.</P>
<P>It is mo&s;t certain (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> that a Lover without this air of gallantry, is a mo&s;t pittifull thing. And the wor&s;t is (continued he) there are an infinite num|ber of young men who are but newly &s;tept into the world, which beleive all gal|lantry to con&s;i&s;t in the mo&s;t fanta&s;ticall mode, which &s;ome fond fooli&s;h Taylor in|vented, and in being bold and talking much: In going unto all hou&s;es who&s;e gates are open, having no bu&s;ine&s;s there but to talk of trifles, without either Gallantry, Pa&s;&s;ion, or Wit.</P>
<P>There are &s;ome (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> who think them&s;elves very gallant men, if they can but &s;ay, they have &s;een all the gallant women in the town, and brag, that <HI>I</HI> was ye&s;terday with &s;uch a one, and the day before with that Lady: I pre&s;ented a third with a <HI>Serenade,</HI> I treated <HI>Sapho,</HI> and all her company with a banquet, I was with another troop of Ladies the day following, and &s;o of the re&s;t.</P>
<P>The&s;e &s;ort which you mention (replyed <HI>Sapho,)</HI> are not in the number of good Gallans for certainly they are very &s;hallow witted, and full of folly; but I am much more afraid of tho&s;e eternall langui&s;hors, who are alwaies telling &s;mooth tales, who are deeply in love with the gray, the black, the brown eyes, with equall fervency: who think they are hugely di&s;honored, if they have been an houre with a woman, and not &s;ighed: For my part I cannot endure them, and I am confident, they &s;ay nothing unto him which they had not &s;aid a thou&s;and times unto others, &s;o as I am not able, either to hearken unto them, or to return an an&s;wer. I mu&s;t con|fe&s;s replyed <HI>Phaon,</HI> the&s;e univer&s;al &s;ighers are a &s;ort of &s;trange men but we do know &s;ome brisk and fiery Lovers, which are no more than they, and all the company knows one, who is in love with a great beauty, who &s;weares all the oathes under heaven, that he loves her more than ever any did or can, that he will dye a hundred deaths to do her &s;ervice, that he will kill all tho&s;e who dare di&s;plea&s;e her, and would take it for a great favour if &s;he will bid him go, and kill any man for her &s;ervice.</P>
<P>This man is &s;o bruti&s;h, (replyed <HI>Erinne)</HI> that he de&s;erves not to be &s;poke unto; but I would gladly know, what one &s;hould think of certain merry gallants, who never talk of Love but in rallary, and yet are alwaies talking of it, who being nei|ther bu&s;ibodies nor Lovers, are continually walking from place to place, to vent their jocund gallantry, without any other de&s;ign.</P>
<P><PB N="139" REF="959">
The&s;e greggs &s;eldome &s;tay long in a place, nor do they much trouble me when I meet with them, for &s;ome of them divert me; but tho&s;e who mo&s;t anger me, are &s;uch reall bu&s;i-bodies as have ten or twelve &s;everall intrigues and plots, without a dram of Love in any of them, who have a hundred &s;everall bu&s;ine&s;&s;es, and yet not one.</P>
<P>I a&s;&s;ure you (replyed <HI>Phylire)</HI> tho&s;e ob&s;tinate Lovers who are alwaies melan|cholly, are never plea&s;ing to me nor them&s;elves; and I know one who is always &s;o &s;adly &s;ober, that I think him jealous, or that he is thinking of killing his Rivall, or poy&s;oning him&s;elf. Doubtle&s;s there are &s;ome &s;uch gloomy Lovers, (replyed <HI>Pha|on)</HI> who are as di&s;plea&s;ing as you think them: But amiable <HI>Phylire,</HI> there may be &s;ome faithfull Lovers as &s;ad, who yet are not &s;o trouble&s;ome. This is mo&s;t con|&s;tantly true (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> that there are very few men who are deeply in love, and very gallant, and who are le&s;s plea&s;ing unto others, than they are unto tho&s;e they love: And though love &s;eems to be but a trifle, yet it is the rare&s;t thing in the world, to find a Lover who can trifle it hand&s;omly. But yet (&s;aid I, and ad|dre&s;&s;ed my &s;peech unto <HI>Sapho)</HI> it is not ju&s;t to examine only the gallants, but it is better to talk of gallantry in generall, to the end that the gallantry of Ladies in particular, may al&s;o be talked of.</P>
<P>I a&s;&s;ure you (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> there are &s;ome who are gro&s;s in their gallantry, that it would be both a favour and an honour unto them, not to talk of it. Yet I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s, that women are to be blamed for the ill gallantry of men; for if they did but know how to make u&s;e of tho&s;e priviledges&punc; which belong unto their &s;ex, they would make men right gallants, and would never &s;uffer them to fail in their due re&s;pects: Indeed, they would never &s;uffer a hundred uncivill familia|rities, which mo&s;t new gallants would bring into the world, for there is a great intervall between a con&s;trained Ceremony and incivility; and if all gallant Ladies did but well under&s;tand of the my&s;tery of behaving them&s;elves, their gallants would be more re&s;pective, and more complai&s;ant, and by con&s;equence more plea&s;ing. But the wor&s;t is, tho&s;e women who have taken a crochet of gallantry into their heads, do imagine, that unle&s;s they be indulgent unto their gallants, they cannot keep them, and all tho&s;e I &s;peak of do neither care for their own reputation, nor for the advantage of their own gallantry, but only how to take off a Lover from this Lady, to attract this gallant, to pre&s;erve another, and to engage a thou&s;and if they could: There are &s;ome al&s;o (continued &s;he) which do wor&s;e, and who keep a hundred private corre&s;pondencies <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n lieu of one.</P>
<P>Tis true, (replyed <HI>Amithone)</HI> I know &s;ome women who&s;e gallantry is a very horrour unto any of any virtue, and behave them&s;elves &s;o impudently, as it may truly be &s;aid, that they make it their glory, which &s;hould be their &s;hame; but I am &s;ure their Gallants them&s;elves do &s;corn them, and as they behave them&s;elves, they will never have any who will e&s;teem them, for men will not hazard their reputati|ons for them. Yet we u&s;e to &s;ee many men (replyed <HI>Erinne)</HI> who never care for the reputation of tho&s;e Ladyes they love; &s;ince they care not for their own (replyed <HI>Cydnon)</HI> I know not how they &s;hould care for others. But I be&s;eech you (&s;aid <HI>Nicanor)</HI> is it impo&s;&s;ible you &s;hould find nothing to &s;ay of gallants, and gallantry, but what is ill? <HI>I</HI> a&s;&s;ure you (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> it is much ea&s;ier to &s;peak ill then good of them, con&s;idering what a great number of men there are, which will be medling with things they under&s;tand not; yet certain it is, that if Ladies in generall, did but know how to manage, it would be po&s;&s;ible, to bring into the world &s;uch a &s;prightly, plea&s;ant, and innocent gallantry, as &s;hould never be offen|&s;ive, neither unto prudence nor virtue. Indeed, if Ladies would not value their Lovers, but according to their merits, and not according to their flatteries and fa|vours, the conque&s;t of their hearts being more difficult, then men would be more complai&s;ant, more ob&s;equious, more humble, and more re&s;pective then they are; women would be al&s;o le&s;s intere&s;ted, le&s;s cheaters, le&s;s &s;imple, and le&s;s di&s;honored than they are. So as every one being in their right Sphere, Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es, and Servants Servants; delights would abound in the world, Politene&s;s would flo|ri&s;h, and true gallantry would be &s;een in its right colours, then &s;hould we never as now we do, hear men talk of women in generall with much &s;corn, nor &s;hould we hear them brag publikely of their favours. Then we &s;hould not &s;ee any women ca&s;t
<PB N="140" REF="960">
off all mode&s;ty and &s;hame, though they be the charms of right gallantry; we &s;hould never &s;ee Ladies quarrelling about a Lover, nor out of mercenery thoughts, &s;ell their hearts as if they were Diamonds: For indeed, if gallantry be at any time allowable it mu&s;t be, when the gallant cannot be upbraided with anything, but this, that they could not choo&s;e but love another, better than them&s;elves.</P>
<P>As <HI>Sapho</HI> &s;ayd &s;o, <HI>Cynegire,</HI> and the Lady who was walking with her, being re|turned, the di&s;cour&s;e was interrupted, and an humour of walking coming into the generall fancy, all the company went out of the <HI>Grotto,</HI> and went to walk in a &s;ha|dy, long, and large Arbour, and the mu&s;ick following, the &s;pirit of dancing came on them for an houre, which was performed mo&s;t excellently.</P>
<P>In the mean time, though it was not likely that <HI>Phaon</HI> could find any opportu|nity of privacy with <HI>Sapho,</HI> at a time when &s;he had &s;o many Complements to per|form unto &s;o many &s;everall per&s;ons as did her the honourof this vi&s;it, yet he met with an occa&s;ion; for as every on<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> had an occa&s;ion to walk a little after their dan|cing, &s;o he pre&s;ented his hand unto <HI>Sapho:</HI> And by this means, going more &s;oft|ly then the re&s;t, they did in&s;en&s;ibly &s;eparate them&s;elves &s;ome eight or ten paces from all the company, and talked unto her of his pa&s;&s;ion, and in &s;uch vehement raptures, that <HI>Sapho,</HI> as difficult as it was to plea&s;e her in matter of tenderne&s;s, was well &s;atisfied with him that day. Indeed, he told her &s;o directly all that &s;he thought he would tell her, and that in &s;uch an obliging manner, that &s;he thought him worthy to &s;hew him her Joyes which &s;he had in his loving her, and yet &s;he chidd him for being &s;o plea&s;ant in her ab&s;ence: but he an&s;wered &s;o well, that &s;he did not think his jocundry proceeded from his inclinations: and indeed he was &s;o extreamly joyed at the &s;ight of her, as &s;he could not imagine but he would grieve for her ab&s;ence: but as &s;weet as <HI>Phaons</HI> company was unto her, &s;hee left it, and went unto the re&s;t of the company, who were &s;o well plea&s;ed with the place, that they could not part from it untill the evening after Supper. <HI>Sapho</HI> kept <HI>Cydnon</HI> with her, and the re&s;t promi&s;ed to write unto her: &s;o that after we were gone, the&s;e two Ladies talked a long time together. But on <HI>Sapho's</HI> &s;ide more &s;adly, be|cau&s;e &s;he could not well brook the ab&s;ence of <HI>Phaon,</HI> yet was it &s;o &s;weet a kind of &s;adne&s;&s;e, and did not deject her, nor hinder her from a mo&s;t excellent di&s;cour&s;e unto my &s;i&s;ter upon the tenderne&s;s of Love.</P>
<P>The truth is, my deare <HI>Cydnon</HI> (&s;aid she unto her) Love is a mo&s;t phanta&s;ticall pa&s;&s;ion: For though one doth wish nothing more zealou&s;ly then the happine&s;&s;e of the per&s;on they love, yet I should at this time be extreamly &s;orry if <HI>Phaon</HI> should not as much grieve at his being out of my &s;ight, as I do for being out of his: and &s;ometimes I am &s;o vexed when he is ab&s;ent from me, that I cannot tell what he does, and what he thinks, that it makes me almo&s;t as &s;ad as if I knew certainly that he never thought upon me at all, yet perhaps he entertains &s;uch thoughts as would even ravish me with joy if I could know them, and finde in <HI>Phaons</HI> heart &s;uch as are in my own.</P>
<P>But Madam, whil&s;t <HI>Sapho</HI> was thus talking with my Si&s;ter, all our company were returned unto <HI>Mytelene,</HI> and returned with &s;uch a &s;pirit of joy as I am not able to expre&s;&s;e, except <HI>Nicanor,</HI> who was not able to frolick it like the re&s;t, be|cau&s;e he was out of hopes of <HI>Sapho's</HI> love. Perhaps Madam, you will think I was mi&s;taken when I excepted only <HI>Nicanor,</HI> and that I should have excepted <HI>Phaon:</HI> But Madam, I mu&s;t acquaint you how he had &s;uch a Fancy as I thinke never any Lover be&s;ides him&s;elfe had: For <HI>Phaon,</HI> though he had a mo&s;t tender and pa&s;&s;io|nate &s;oule, and did love with an inconceivable zeale, yet was his &s;oule &s;eldome &s;en&s;ible of any &s;orrow; and ab&s;ence, as harsh as it is unto all other Lovers, &s;el|dome much troubled him, though he was as much joyed to be with her he lo|ved, as one knows how to imagine: Indeed I have &s;een him &s;ometimes with <HI>Sa|pho</HI> in &s;uch raptures of delight, as were very neare an exta&s;ie, and I have &s;een him ab&s;ent from her without any exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow: Not but that hee loved her both pre&s;ent and ab&s;ent, more then ever any was able to expre&s;&s;e: but the rea&s;on was, becau&s;e his &s;oule was more &s;en&s;ible of joy then &s;orrow; and becau&s;e as &s;oone as he had lo&s;t his greate&s;t delight, he would &s;eek out le&s;&s;e to comfort him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>Indeed his &s;oule was &s;o addicted to follow all that could plea&s;e him, and to shun any thing that would make him melancholly, as hee was &s;ometimes able to
<PB N="144" REF="960">
be ab&s;ent from her he loved mo&s;t, vvithout being very mi&s;erable. Yet this did not hinder, but when he &s;aw the per&s;on he loved again, he vvould think him&s;elfe as happy as if he had never been afflicted: &s;uch joyes vvould &s;parkle in his eyes, and &s;uch an unexpre&s;&s;able &s;pirit vvould &s;pread it &s;elfe over all his Countenance, as &s;uf|ficiently te&s;tified the &s;atisfaction he had in &s;eeing her vvhom he adored: &s;o as one could not imagine that a man vvho could enjoy a happine&s;s vvith &s;uch high delight, could part from it vvithout abundance of &s;orrovv.</P>
<P><HI>Sapho</HI> al&s;o is excu&s;able for being &s;o long ignorant, that <HI>Phaon</HI> ta&s;ted only the &s;vveets of Love, vvithout the bitters, for shee &s;avv him &s;o tran&s;ported vvith joyes when he was with her, that &s;he might ea&s;ily imagine him full of &s;adne&s;&s;e when he was from her: For my part, I thought at fir&s;t, that he did it only out of pru|dence, the better to hide his love unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> and that his frolick humour all the way as we returned to <HI>Mytelene,</HI> was only to blind the company.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the jolly humour of <HI>Phaon</HI> encrea&s;ed the &s;ullen humour of <HI>Nicanor,</HI> he thought that that mirth of his Rivall proceeded from the obliging behaviour of <HI>Sapho,</HI> and therefore he could not hide his joyes. As for <HI>Athys,</HI> her jealou&s;ie begetting in her fancy a de&s;ire to di&s;quiet <HI>Sapho,</HI> &s;he remembred the di&s;cour&s;e which <HI>Sapho</HI> and the company had concerning <HI>Sapho's</HI> diver&s;ions during his ab&s;ence: &s;o as negotiating the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e with as much wit as malice, &s;he &s;ent two dayes after her return, a &s;ervant unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> with a Letter which I needs mu&s;t acquaint you with, for if I be not much mi&s;taken in it, it was in the&s;e Terms.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>ATHYS <HI>unto</HI> SAPHO.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>SInce I cannot forget my promi&s;e of writing unto you all the newes, I am de&s;irous to acquit my &s;elfe: But &s;ince <HI>Mytelene</HI> affords little, I mu&s;t acquaint you with our Journey, which was no le&s;&s;e diverting in our return, then in our coming to you; for <HI>Phaon</HI> and <HI>Alces</HI> were in the blithe&s;t humours in the world: and except <HI>Nicanor</HI> who was very melancholly, all the re&s;t of the company thought the way very &s;hort. Truth is, <HI>Phaon</HI> and <HI>Alces</HI> were &s;o full of their Jollities, that I &s;hould fill my Letter full of mirth, and &s;well it into a volume if I &s;hould write them all: But &s;ince I thinke it not good to divert you too much in the Countrey, le&s;t it &s;hould keepe you too long from &s;atisfying the wi&s;hes of your friends by your pre&s;ence, I will not mention them: Al&s;o I am forced to fini&s;h my Letter, becau&s;e I have promi&s;ed to divert my &s;elfe in walking with <HI>Phaon</HI> and <HI>Alces,</HI> and they do &s;tay for me: I &s;aw &s;o much blithene&s;&s;e in their faces this morning at the Temple, that I have rea&s;on to believe they will be in a very plea&s;ant humour; but for my part, I a&s;&s;ure you, I &s;hall take delight in nothing more then in &s;eeing you againe.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>ATHYS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>This Madam, was the Letter of <HI>Athys,</HI> which doubtles contained in it all imagi|nable malice; for it hurt <HI>Alces,</HI> it di&s;quieted <HI>Sapho,</HI> and it was prejudicial both unto <HI>Phaon</HI> and <HI>Alces,</HI> by the good office it did <HI>Nicanor.</HI> However, this Letter perhaps had not met with its intended &s;ucce&s;s, if <HI>Amithone, Erinne, Phylire, Alces, Nicanor,</HI> and <HI>Phaon,</HI> had not written, and mentioned &s;uch things as confirmed what <HI>Athys</HI> had written; for <HI>Amithone,</HI> after many pa&s;&s;ages in their <HI>Caballa,</HI> mentioned that <HI>Phaon</HI> was more plea&s;ant than ever he was in his life: <HI>Erinne</HI> for her particular, to prove the tenderne&s;&s;e of her affection, did &s;end her word how &s;hee could brag, that &s;he was the mo&s;t melancholy of all the company who had been with her, ex|cept <HI>Nicanor:</HI> And <HI>Philire</HI> writt, that if the merry humour of <HI>Phaon</HI> had not been a comfort unto her in her ab&s;ence &s;ince her return, &s;he &s;hould have been out of the world. <HI>Alces</HI> not &s;aying directly that <HI>Phaon</HI> was either merry or &s;ad, only filled his Letter with many plea&s;ant conceits of <HI>Phaons:</HI> And as for <HI>Nicanor,</HI> his
<PB N="142" REF="961">
Letter was &s;o melancholly, though yet a very plea&s;ant &s;atyre of all our jocundry, that he confirmed what all the re&s;t had written. But the wonder of all was, that <HI>Phaons</HI> own Letter was again&s;t him&s;elf: For though he &s;hrouded his Joyes under a pretence of Love, yet he found not his expected effect, as I &s;hall tell you, when you have heard <HI>Phaons</HI> Letter, which was thus written.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD><HI>PHAON</HI> unto the mo&s;t charming <HI>SAPHO.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>DOubtle&s;&s;e you have a mo&s;t &s;trange power over me, &amp; your words, when you plea&s;e, have greater force in them then any inchantments: For your obliging expre&s;&s;i|ons a little before I parted from you, did infu&s;e &s;uch joyes into my &s;oule, that all the har&s;hne&s;&s;e of ab&s;ence from you cannot hinder me from remembring them with extream delight: Judg how I &s;hall be ravi&s;ht when you return hither.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Moreover, I hope you will take my joyes as greater te&s;timonies of my Love, then if I had been onely a lump of &s;orrows; for I conceive it better to receive favours with &s;o great a &s;en&s;ibility of them as &s;hall comfort in ab&s;ence, then to endure ab&s;ence with &s;o much inquietude as makes favours forgotten: Nor can I well tell which is the greater argument of love, to be &s;en&s;ible of favours, or to be &s;en&s;ible of that mi&s;|fortune which &s;evers us. Yet I de&s;ire with all my &s;oule to heare from your owne month, what I ought to believe, and that I may &s;oone prote&s;t unto you upon my knees that I am the mo&s;t devoted yours.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>PHAON.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>This Madam, was the Letter of <HI>Phaon:</HI> As for mine, it was the only one which did him neither good nor hurt, becau&s;e it did not &s;o much as mention him: For &s;ince I thought him too merry for an ab&s;ent Lover, and &s;ince I was re&s;olved not to prejudice him, I cho&s;e rather not to &s;peak of him at all, then to &s;peak in his di&s;-advantage. But whil&s;t the&s;e Letters were coming from <HI>Mytelene,</HI> to the place where <HI>Sapho</HI> was, &s;he and <HI>Cydnon</HI> were talking together with all the freedome which the Countrey and friend&s;hip would allow: But they talked of things very far off any thoughts of <HI>Phaon;</HI> for indeed both of them being &s;itting by the Foun|taine which I talked of before, di&s;cour&s;ed upon the bitterne&s;&s;e of ab&s;ence, and the &s;orrows which it cau&s;ed in the &s;oules of all &s;uch as are &s;en&s;ible of it. For my part (&s;aid <HI>Cydnon)</HI> I am &s;o &s;en&s;ible of it, that &s;ince your departure from <HI>Mytelene,</HI> I have enjoyed no delights with any tranquility; for when I made any vi&s;its, I was wi&s;hing you there: if I went any walke, I regretted your not being there; if I heard any good news, I was vexed that I could not impart it unto you: and indeed I neither did, nor &s;aid, nor thought any thing wherein you had not &s;ome &s;hare, and which did not make mee melancholly in thoughts onely of your ab&s;ence. Indeed (&s;aid <HI>Sapho</HI> then) I am much obliged to you; for in my opinion, the mo&s;t certaine te&s;timonie of the tenderne&s;&s;e in any affection is &s;adne&s;&s;e in ab&s;ence. But Madam, as &s;oone as &s;hee had pronounced the&s;e words, that Servant who brought the Letter from <HI>Athys,</HI> arrived, and pre&s;ented it unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> who read it halfe aloud, to the end <HI>Cydnon</HI> might heare: But when &s;he read that part which intimated the plea&s;ant humour of <HI>Phaon,</HI> &s;he blu&s;hed, and her heart trembled. Yet recollecting her &s;elfe, &s;he appointed the Servant to &s;tay for an an&s;wer, and did ri&s;e up with intentions to write unto <HI>A|thys:</HI> and &s;he was no &s;ooner ri&s;en, but another Me&s;&s;enger from <HI>Phaon</HI> arrived, with all the other Letters except that of <HI>Nicanors,</HI> and as for his he &s;ent it ano|ther way. But Madam, my Si&s;ter &s;ince told me that never was the like di&s;order, as in the heart of <HI>Sapho;</HI> for after &s;he had read that Letter from <HI>Athys,</HI> with &s;uch re&s;entment as I told you, &s;he read that of <HI>Amithones</HI> with more agitation of &s;oul: that of <HI>Erinnes</HI> with more wonder: that from <HI>Phylire</HI> with more vexation; that
<PB N="143" REF="961">
from <HI>Alces,</HI> with more pen&s;ivene&s;&s;e; that from <HI>Nicanor</HI> with more shame, and that from <HI>Phaon</HI> with more &s;orrow, though she kept it the la&s;t, in hopes of grea|te&s;t delight. Imagine I be&s;eech you Madam, what effects the&s;e Letters might worke in the mind of a Lady who could not endure the ab&s;ence of <HI>Phaon</HI> without much &s;orrow, &amp; who had &s;pent a whole day with my &s;i&s;ter in di&s;cour&s;ing upon the bitterne&s;&s;e of ab&s;ence, and upon the &s;orrows which a Lover endures when he is out of her &s;ight whom he loves. <HI>Cydnon</HI> told me that there appeared &s;o much vvon|der in the face of <HI>Sapho</HI> upon the reading of the&s;e Letters, as shee thought &s;ome &s;trange accident had hapned at <HI>Mytelene;</HI> for <HI>Sapho</HI> had read the Letter of <HI>Athys</HI> only aloud unto her, but she vvas not long ignorant of <HI>Sapho's</HI> vvonder; for as &s;oon as that fair one had read over all tho&s;e Letters, she gave them unto my &s;i&s;ter, and vvith a deep &s;igh, See (&s;aid she unto her) hovv little <HI>Phaon</HI> re&s;embles you, and hovv friendship in you does more then Love in him can do.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cydnon</HI> began to read the&s;e Letters, and vvas not &s;o much a&s;tonished at them as <HI>Sapho</HI> vvas; for she ob&s;erved alvvays, that <HI>Phaon</HI> did divert him&s;elfe at every thing, and vvas never &s;ad upon any occa&s;ion. But &s;ince she knevv that I loved <HI>Phaon</HI> very vvell, she vvould endeavour to excu&s;e him: And in order to that, she told <HI>Sapho</HI> she had no &s;uch rea&s;on to trouble her &s;elf &s;o much at any thing vvhich had been vvritten: For truly (&s;aid she unto her) vvhat&s;oever <HI>Athys, Nicanor,</HI> and <HI>Alces</HI> vvrit ought to be &s;u&s;pected; and you ought to read vvhat <HI>Phaon</HI> vvrit, as a thing vvhich he had never vvritten, but becau&s;e it &s;eemed unto him as acceptable unto you; al&s;o you ought to con&s;ider vvhat <HI>Amithone, Erinne,</HI> and <HI>Phylire</HI> vvrit vvithout any inquietude, &s;ince it's probable that <HI>Phaon</HI> at his return, &s;eeing hovv they ob&s;erved him, did only out of his prudence &s;eem more plea&s;ant then really he was: Ah <HI>Cydnon</HI> (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> I thought to be as prudent as <HI>Phaon,</HI> and yet I was not able to be merry within an houre after his departure: all I was able to do, was not to appeare very melancholly, and therefore I pray never offer to excu&s;e him, for I cannot: I know <HI>Phaon</HI> is an intimate friend unto <HI>Democedes:</HI> but <HI>Cydnon,</HI> methinks he &s;hould more have thought upon me then him: Did I think him culpable (replyed &s;he) doubtle&s;&s;e I &s;hould condemn him; why (replyed &s;he) can you think it po&s;&s;ible <HI>Phaon</HI> &s;hould be &s;o plea&s;ant as to make &s;o many &s;everall people &s;peak of his jollity, but it mu&s;t needs proceed from his want of Love? Ah <HI>Cydnon,</HI> it can be no otherwi&s;e: and I find him &s;o little &s;en&s;i|ble of my ab&s;ence, that I could find in my heart to bani&s;h him out of it: For my deare <HI>Cydnon,</HI> I am not able to endure, that whil&s;t I am grieving my &s;elfe for his ab&s;ence, he &s;hould divert both him&s;elfe and others with as much freedome of &s;pi|rit as if he had never &s;een me: For my part (&s;aid <HI>Cydnon)</HI> I &s;ee him &s;o full of joy when he &s;ees you, as I cannot believe but he is full of &s;orrows when he &s;ees you not: Rea&s;on and Love doubtle&s;&s;e would have it &s;o (replyed &s;he) yet all the&s;e &s;ixe &s;everall per&s;ons depo&s;e again&s;t him, and indeed he condemns him&s;elf by his own Letter.</P>
<P>Appearances may &s;o deceive (&s;aid <HI>Cydnon</HI> to her) as it would not be rationall in you to be much troubled at a thing which you know only upon uncertainties. To know it better my deare <HI>Cydnon</HI> (replyed &s;he) I will intreat you to return unto <HI>Mytelene,</HI> I will borrow <HI>Cynegires</HI> Coach for you, and you may give it out that you are returned upon &s;uch important bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which called you thither: I in the interim will &s;tay here fifteen days in expectation to heare from you, whether <HI>Phaon</HI> continue his jollity as he begun: But my deare <HI>Cydnon,</HI> I conjure you to let me have every day from you a mo&s;t faithfull and true relation of all his mirth, of his humours, and of his diver&s;ions; for the very truth is, if he love me only when he &s;ees me, I will &s;light his love, and if I can I vvill quench my ovvn. <HI>Cyd|non</HI> then employed all her rhetorick to appea&s;e her, but &s;he thought it &s;o &s;trange that <HI>Phaon</HI> &s;hould be merry vvhil&s;t she vvas &s;ad, as all my Si&s;ters eloquence could not alter her mind, &s;o as she mu&s;t do as she vvould have her, and return to <HI>My|telene,</HI> upon promi&s;es of &s;uch fidelity as &s;he dur&s;t not faile her. In the mean time <HI>Sapho</HI> an&s;wered all tho&s;e Letters &s;he received, taking no notice of any di&s;content again&s;t <HI>Phaons</HI> jollity: but not being able to hold out long, &s;hee hinted the&s;e few lines unto <HI>Phaon.</HI></P>
<LETTER>
<PB N="141" REF="962">
<HEAD>SAPHO <HI>unto</HI> PHAON.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I <HI>Make no que&s;tion, but joy may &s;ometimes be a &s;igne of a very tender affecti|on: but I que&s;tion whether it be &s;o as you intend it. When I &s;hall come to</HI> Mytelene, <HI>I &s;hall &s;ee, whether yours be worthy of being valued as te&s;timonies of that affection which you had rendred unto me.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>SAPHO.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>Though this Letter was &s;omething &s;hort and dry, yet <HI>Phaon</HI> never feared that <HI>Sapho</HI> was angry with him, but thought that &s;he had &s;o many an&s;wers to write, that &s;he could not have time to write any longer unto him: &s;o as never changing his way of living, he behaved him&s;elfe after <HI>Cydnons</HI> return as he did before, which was, in &s;eeking all occa&s;ions of cheering up him&s;elfe in the ab&s;ence of <HI>Sapho.</HI> In the mean while &s;he &s;ent every day a &s;ervant unto <HI>Mytelene</HI> in &s;ecret, to know from <HI>Cydnon</HI> newes of <HI>Phaon,</HI> &s;o as &s;he received every day &s;omething which affli|cted her; for <HI>Phaon</HI> was of &s;uch an humour, that he could not deny him&s;elfe any one plea&s;ure, as if the rea&s;on why he was &s;o continually with <HI>Sapho</HI> whil&s;t he was in <HI>Mytelene,</HI> had been only becau&s;e more delights were to be met withall there then in any other places. But this was no hinderance to him of taking up with meaner plea&s;ures when he was out of her &s;ight whom he loved: So as <HI>Sapho</HI> ha|ving engaged my &s;i&s;ter by oath to &s;end her word of all that <HI>Phaon</HI> did, &s;he un|der&s;tood that he haunted all the diver&s;ions in <HI>Mytelene,</HI> and that he &s;eemed as if he had no di&s;contents at his being there: &s;o as her mind being extreamly incen&s;ed again&s;t him, &s;he could nor find a heart to &s;ee him, before &s;he had let him know that &s;he was di&s;plea&s;ed: To that end &s;he &s;ent unto him the day before her return unto <HI>Mytelene,</HI> an exact memoriall of all his delights which he had during her ab|&s;ence, hinting unto him every particular dayes vi&s;it which he made, the plea&s;ant walkes which he took, all the diver&s;ions which he took; and in a word, all that hee did: and to this Diurnall &s;hee joyned a Letter which was very neer the&s;e words,</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>SAPHO <HI>unto</HI> PHAON.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>SInce it is not to be believed that the &s;ight of me will not adde &s;o much unto your plea&s;ures as my ab&s;ence, I conceive that my returne will perhaps be but a di&s;turbance unto your delights: You may perceive by this Diurnall which I &s;end you, that I have a very exact accompt of all your diver&s;ions: but the que|&s;tion is, whether it be to puni&s;h or to recompence you. For to tell you truly, I be|lieve we are not both of one opinion; and I am per&s;waded that you are not &s;o &s;orry for di&s;plea&s;ing me, as you joyed in my ab&s;ence, and therefore you have no &s;hare in the affection, or e&s;teem of</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>SAPHO.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>Since <HI>Phaon</HI> was really mo&s;t extreamly in love with <HI>Sapho,</HI> and knew that &s;he was to return the next day, he did re&s;ent this Letter vvith much agitation of &s;pi|rit, but hoped to make his peace at the fir&s;t &s;ight of her. Yet to the end he might &s;ee her before &s;he came unto <HI>Mytelene,</HI> he came unto me, and after he had &s;hevv|ed
<PB N="145" REF="962">
me the Letter, he intreated me to go with him, and meet her at a very rugged uneven place, where all tho&s;e who come in Coaches mu&s;t come out of them, &s;o that <HI>Phaon</HI> and I &s;tayed under &s;ome willowes, in that rugged place; as &s;oon as we were alighted from our hor&s;es, and &s;tayed in expectation of their coming, <HI>I</HI> began to chide <HI>Phaon</HI> for his humour: For (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him) how is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould be much in love with <HI>Sapho,</HI> and be &s;o little &s;en&s;ible of &s;orrow in her ab|&s;ence? when you are with her, you are &s;o ravi&s;hed with joyes, as per&s;wades me you would die if you were out of her &s;ight.</P>
<P>The truth is (&s;aid he) one cannot have a more violent pa&s;&s;ion, than is in my Soul, and my hopes of &s;eeing <HI>Sapho</HI> this day, does at this very houre &s;o joy my heart, that could you but &s;ee into my &s;oul, you would confe&s;s that <HI>I</HI> do love <HI>Sa|pho</HI> better than any loved; but yet <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t needs confe&s;s, that &s;etting my jealou&s;ie a&s;ide, there are few things can make me very &s;ad. <HI>I</HI> do profe&s;s (&s;aid he) if <HI>I</HI> fea|red <HI>Sapho</HI> would not love, <HI>I</HI> think <HI>I</HI> &s;hould run into de&s;perate madne&s;s, in what place &s;oever <HI>I</HI> were; but when <HI>I</HI> have rea&s;on to hope <HI>I</HI> am loved, when <HI>I</HI> hear of her being well every day, and when <HI>I</HI> know &s;he will &s;hortly return, and <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s, that <HI>I</HI> cannot be pen&s;ive and melancholly without a cau&s;e: And my &s;oul is &s;o propence and inclinable to court all delights, to &s;hun all &s;orrows, that <HI>I</HI> u&s;e all the be&s;t means <HI>I</HI> can to &s;weeten the har&s;hne&s;s of ab&s;ence: But for all that, as &s;oon as <HI>I</HI> &s;ee but <HI>Sapho</HI> again, you &s;hall &s;ee me eternally with her, and &s;ee me the mo&s;t amourous of all men living.</P>
<P>Ah <HI>Phaon</HI> (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto him) to love as you do, is enough to make one be|leive you love your &s;elf more than your mi&s;tre&s;s: But yet it is mo&s;t certainly true, (replyed he) there is none in the world would undertake more difficulties for <HI>Sa|phoes</HI> &s;ervice than <HI>I</HI> would, <HI>I</HI> would blindly obey her in any thing, <HI>I</HI> am more care|full, more exact, and more &s;ubmi&s;s, than ever any was; <HI>I</HI> have a heart more ten|der, than ever any had; <HI>I</HI> delight in the lea&s;t of her favours, one favourable look &s;wells me with joy, <HI>I</HI> have a million of tumultuous thoughts when <HI>I</HI> am with her, <HI>I</HI> e&s;teem her, <HI>I</HI> admire her, and <HI>I</HI> adore her with as much reverence as <HI>I</HI> do the Gods; and my joyes are &s;o full when <HI>I</HI> talk in particular with her, as never any Lover in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of his mi&s;tre&s;s, had a fuller te&s;entment of delight. And after this, <HI>I</HI> pray judge whether <HI>I</HI> be not in Love, and whether you have rea&s;on to ac|cu&s;e me for want of it.</P>
<P>Tis true, my &s;oul doth naturally &s;hun &s;orrows, and affects plea&s;ures, but what does it concern the per&s;on loved, whether her Lover be &s;ad or merry, &s;o he never fail in any reall duties of a faithfull Lover.</P>
<P>As he &s;ayd &s;o, we &s;aw the Coach of <HI>Cynegire</HI> appear a far off, &s;o as <HI>Phaon</HI> and I took hor&s;e, and in a rapture of Pa&s;&s;ion, went as fa&s;t as ever he could to meet <HI>Sapho,</HI> and he was &s;o extreamly earne&s;t, as that it could not be que&s;tioned but that he was mo&s;t de&s;perately in Love: And if the fair <HI>Sapho</HI> had &s;een him, doubtle&s;s &s;he would have repented of what &s;he writ; and he acco&s;ted her with &s;o much joy, and love in his heart and eyes, that had &s;he not wholly tru&s;ted unto <HI>Cydnon,</HI> &s;he had doubted of her intelligence, and beleived that <HI>Phaon</HI> had &s;ighed all the time of her ab&s;ence. But for all that, &s;ince &s;he could not doubt of what my Si&s;ter had written, &s;he recei|ved <HI>Phaon</HI> but with a hollow and faint Civility, and had received him wor&s;e if <HI>Cy|negire</HI> had not been pre&s;ent: However after the&s;e fir&s;t Complements were pa&s;&s;ed, the Coach went on untill it came to the rugged place which I mentioned, where the Ladies mu&s;t go on foot. I being <HI>Phaons</HI> friend, I pre&s;ented my hand unto <HI>Cynegire,</HI> purpo&s;ely that he might have the opportunity of talking with <HI>Sapho;</HI> for this rug|ged way was above two hundred Paces, before it was fit to take Coach again: and the Coach not being able to go &s;o fa&s;t as we, we re&s;ted under &s;ome Willow Trees, where I drew <HI>Cynegire</HI> apart, under pretence of talking with her concerning a great de&s;ign which <HI>Pittacus</HI> was negotiating.</P>
<P>Thus <HI>Phaon</HI> had an opportuniy of talking with <HI>Sapho,</HI> but &s;he intending to chide him; no &s;ooner &s;aw him in that pa&s;&s;ionate po&s;ture, but her heart began to re|lent, whether &s;he would or no; yet &s;triving to retain her anger, &s;he asked <HI>Phaon</HI> how he was able to quit his diver&s;ions to meet her: but &s;he asked the que&s;tion with a blu&s;h, &s;o as <HI>Phaon</HI> by her looks &s;eeing &s;he would be appea&s;ed he was well &s;a|tisfied: why, Madam, doe you aske &s;uch a que&s;tion (&s;ayd he unto her) and
<PB N="146" REF="963">
what cau&s;e have I given you to write to me as you did? &s;ince I harboured no joyes but what you cau&s;ed? for I be&s;eech you, Madam (&s;ayd he unto her) how can you think a man who had hopes in your favour, can ever be &s;ad? Therfore, Madam, when I was ab&s;ent from you without &s;orrows, it was upon no other rea&s;on, but becau&s;e I knew you had not bani&s;hed me your heart: And indeed, Madam, this thought was &s;o &s;weet, and filled my Soul &s;o full of joyes, that as long as I was hap|py in your love, I defied Fortune to make me mi&s;erable: Yes, Madam, provided I may enjoy your affection, I can be contented to part with all my E&s;tate, be an Ex|ile, a Pri&s;oner, and loadned with all manner of mi&s;eries, and be merry. Therfore I be&s;eech you, Madam, I be&s;eech you blame your &s;elf for tho&s;e innocent joyes which you have cau&s;ed. As for my part, I am per&s;waded that it would argue want of love and re&s;pect, if my joyes of being loved by the Divine <HI>Sapho,</HI> were not infinitely a|bove any &s;orrows that can be for her ab&s;ence. Moreover, Madam (&s;ayd he with a mo&s;t tender and pa&s;&s;ionate Aire) to judge how &s;en&s;ible I am when I am out of your &s;ight, I be&s;eech you con&s;ider my &s;en&s;ibility when I &s;ee you: Look in my eyes, mo&s;t charming <HI>Sapho,</HI> and &s;ee them tell you that I think you fairer then ever, and that I am more joyed at the &s;ight of you then ever any was, and am the mo&s;t in love with you of all men living; but if they do tell you that I love you more then ever any other heart was capable of, then I be&s;eech you never trouble your &s;elf with en|duiring what I do when I am out of your &s;ight: but con&s;ider only, that never any Lover did pro&s;trate him&s;elf at your feet with a Pa&s;&s;ion more violent and tender then mine is; for I be&s;eech you what matter is it how I do te&s;tifie my love when you are not in pre&s;ence, &s;o you do &s;till find in me the &s;ame zeal and the &s;ame pa&s;&s;i|on. For my part, I wi&s;hed you all manner of diver&s;ions in the Country, and I hoped that the jocund humour of <HI>Cydnon</HI> would keep you from thinking your Solitude tedious. Oh <HI>Phaon</HI> (cryed <HI>Sapho</HI> out) you know not how to love, if you can de|&s;ire that your ab&s;ence &s;hould not trouble me: and for my part, I do declare unto you that I &s;hall never be plea&s;ed at you, if you be not the mo&s;t melancholly man living, when you are ab&s;ent from me. Then, Madam (&s;ayd he unto her) I mu&s;t forget that you do love me, for if I do not, I cannot po&s;&s;ibly be mi&s;erable: No (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> but on the contrary, it is the memory of that which I conceive &s;hould make you the more mi&s;erable; at lea&s;t I am &s;ure that the melancholly which your ab&s;ence cau&s;eth in me, is, becau&s;e I am ab&s;ent from a per&s;on whom I thought loved me: Oh, Madam, replyed <HI>Phaon,</HI> your opinion and mine ought to be very different in this, for it is not po&s;&s;ible that you &s;hould rejoyce for being adored by me, &s;o much as I &s;hould for being loved by you, &s;o as it is no wonder if the memory of my pa&s;&s;ion do not comfort you in my ab&s;ence, nor is it &s;trange that the memory of your goodne&s;s to me, do le&s;&s;en tho&s;e &s;orrows which your ab&s;ence cau&s;eth; for Madam, I mu&s;t &s;ay again, I cannot be melancholy as long as I am &s;ure you love me. Que&s;tionle&s;s there is much wit in your Language (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> but not much love; and if your eyes did not help out your words, I &s;hould think you do not love me; for to be ab&s;ent from her, one loves, and not melancholly, is one of the greate&s;t &s;igns of luke-warm indifferency that can be. Oh, Madam (&s;ayd he unto her) How can you think I do not love you? could you ever &s;u&s;pect either any of my actions or my words? All I &s;ee of you (an&s;wered &s;he) does doubtle&s;s &s;peak your pa&s;&s;ion, but all I &s;ee not, &s;peaks your indifferency; for in my ab&s;ence you can make many Vi&s;its with delight, you can walk abroad in company, you can be frolick and plea&s;ant, and not the lea&s;t wrinkle of melancholly appear in your coun|tenance: and yet that which makes me mo&s;t wonder, you can have delicate and tender thoughts, and expre&s;s your &s;elf &s;o pa&s;&s;ionately as if you grieved for being ab|&s;ent: And yet I cannot conceive how one can po&s;&s;e&s;s a thing with any joy which he can part with without any &s;orrow: And &s;ometimes I think that you are not at all joyed at my pre&s;ence, &s;ince my ab&s;ence never makes you melancholly. Oh, Ma|dam (&s;ayd he unto her in &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ionate manner as made her blu&s;h) I dare de|fie you in this, do your wor&s;t, and you cannot choo&s;e but beleive, that when I am in your pre&s;ence, I am the mo&s;t deep in love with you of any living: Yes, yes, Di|vine <HI>Sapho,</HI> though you have been told that I hanted <HI>Balles</HI> every day during your ab&s;ence, that I entertained all the beauties in <HI>Mytelene:</HI> and though you have been told perhaps that I am incon&s;tant, yet I am mo&s;t confident that when you look into
<PB N="147" REF="963">
my eyes, you will &s;ee my heart loves you beyond the expre&s;&s;ion of any tongue; and indeed never any Lover had more rea&s;on to love then I: For fir&s;t, you are without exception the faire&s;t in the world, I have a more propen&s;e inclination to love you than ever any had; I e&s;teem you beyond all admiration, and I do love you the more, becau&s;e both my inclination and my rea&s;on advi&s;eth me unto it, and al&s;o becau&s;e my gratitude exacts it from me: Nay, as for this la&s;t rea&s;on of your love (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> I would never have it mentioned; why, Madam (replyed <HI>Pha|on)</HI> would you not have me gratefull and acknowledge your goodne&s;s and all your favours? <HI>I</HI> would have every one gratefull (replyed &s;he) but I would not have gratitude the only cau&s;e of affection, and if one &s;hould love me only becau&s;e I love him, he would do me a mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible injury: For indeed I would have one love me for &s;o many other rea&s;ons, that though he were naturally ungratefull yet he might mo&s;t zealou&s;ly love me: And therefore never ranke your gratitude among&s;t the cau&s;es of your pa&s;&s;ion, if you would per&s;wade me that you love me as I would be, for that is neither civill nor gallant, nor pa&s;&s;ionate. Gratitude indeed may be|get amity but never Love: I would willingly you &s;hould tell me, that it fa&s;tens the knot which ties you, but as I told you before, I would not have you number it a|mong the cau&s;es of your pa&s;&s;ion, for then, of con&s;equence my favours mu&s;t pre|ced your a ffection, and on the contrary, I hoped, your affection had preceded my favours: and that if I a&s;cribed your Love unto any cau&s;e, it &s;hould have been unto your own inclination, and my own merit, for my humour is &s;uch, as I can|not endure one &s;hould love me for any other cau&s;es. I remember (continued &s;he) that once I hated a very lovely woman, becau&s;e I di&s;covered, that all her &s;emblan|ces of affection to me, did not proceed from any tenderne&s;&s;e unto me; but only in hopes that happily I &s;hould bring her name into &s;ome of my ver&s;es, and de&s;cribe her Character.</P>
<P>Judge therefore <HI>Phaon,</HI> whether I &s;hould take it well you &s;hould love me for any other rea&s;on, then becau&s;e you think me amiable, and becau&s;e you cannot chu&s;e but love me. When <HI>Sapho</HI> had &s;aid this, and the Coach being over all the rugged way, their di&s;cour&s;e was forced to end as well as mine with <HI>Cynegire;</HI> with whom I held a long di&s;cour&s;e concerning the Politiques, purpo&s;ely to give <HI>Phaon</HI> time enough to expre&s;&s;e his love unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> and make his peace with her.</P>
<P>However, this faire one parted not from him without &s;ome te&s;timonies of her anger, for as they were parting, &s;he asked him in what plea&s;ant company he would pa&s;&s;e away the evening, as for us (added &s;he and pointed unto <HI>Cynegire)</HI> we &s;hall &s;ee none this day? I &s;hall pa&s;&s;e it away (replyed he) only with <HI>Democrates,</HI> and talk only with him of my joyes for your Returne, you had done much better, re|plyed &s;he, if you had talked with him before, of your &s;orrows for my ab&s;ence. But afterwards, taking Coach, <HI>Phaon</HI> pre&s;ented his hand to help her, &s;o re&s;pectively and his eyes had &s;uch amorous looks, as <HI>Sapho</HI> could not choo&s;e but repent of her accu&s;ation, and indeed, the very truth is, it is impo&s;&s;ible that any &s;hould be more extreamly in love then <HI>Phaon,</HI> though he could not be very &s;en&s;ible of &s;uch &s;or|rows as ab&s;ence cau&s;ed, but on the contrary, did comfort him&s;elf with the plea|&s;ure of one thing for the lo&s;&s;e of another: However, this chiding of <HI>Saphoes,</HI> made him pa&s;&s;e away that night in &s;olitude, and indeed, he was &s;o glad that he had made his peace with her as hee needed no other delights. Not that &s;he did &s;ay, &s;he would pardon him, but they u&s;ed to under&s;tand one another &s;o well without &s;peaking, that looks betwixt them were as good as words. And though <HI>Sapho</HI> had chidden <HI>Phaon</HI> very much, yet he &s;aw by her eyes, that he was &s;till in her heart as he was wont to be. And indeed, going betimes the next morning unto her, he concluded his Peace, and they were an hower together with all the joyes which the reconciliation of fallen out Lovers, ever cau&s;eth But at la&s;t their plea&s;ure was interrupted by <HI>Alces,</HI> who now loving <HI>Sapho</HI> no le&s;&s;e then the faire <HI>Athys,</HI> was very diligent in waiting upon her. Tis true his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e came pre&s;ent|ly after but you may be &s;ure, it was Jealou&s;ie more then love which cau&s;ed her vi&s;it: and though &s;he knew <HI>Sapho</HI> did not love <HI>Alces</HI> yet &s;he could not choo&s;e but be jea|lous. <HI>Nicanor</HI> al&s;o was none of the la&s;t in paying his devotions to <HI>Sapho:</HI> And <HI>A|mithone, Erinne</HI> and <HI>Cydnon</HI> comming in al&s;o, the A&s;&s;embly &s;welled into their u|&s;uall number. At the fir&s;t; <HI>Athys, Amythone</HI> and <HI>Erinne</HI> began to talk of their
<PB N="148" REF="964">
Journey and their returne, which was no plea&s;ing &s;tory unto <HI>Phaon.</HI> And they had harped much more upon that &s;tring if <HI>Phylire</HI> had not come in, and brought with her a &s;tranger of a very hand&s;ome pre&s;ence whom &s;he pre&s;ented unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> and who was Brother unto that valiant Pri&s;oner called <HI>Moriontes,</HI> whom the invincible <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;aved from the flames in the wood, after he had vanqui&s;hed him. But Madam, this man &s;eemed &s;o unlike a &s;tranger, that none que&s;tioned but that he was o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ome of the mo&s;t Civilized Townes in Greece, and did not &s;u&s;pect him to be a Scythian, yet his complexion and haire did not &s;ute with the mode of Greece, for both were very white, and he very faire, but that rule being not generall, every one notwith&s;tanding thought him a Grecian, for he had not only the Aire and Garbe of a Greek, but al&s;o he &s;poke the Language very elegantly, his per&s;on was very plea&s;ing; his &s;tature was not very tall, but noble and gracefull, his action was free and jolly. The features of his face were agreeable and lovely, his eyes a little langui&s;hing and he had the department of a man of a high quality. More|over his wit was both &s;harp and di&s;creet, and his Aire both gallant and &s;prightly: his Conception of things and his expre&s;&s;ions of them was neat. And indeed, this illu&s;trious Scythian is a man as amiable and of as admirable parts, as any man in the World.</P>
<P><HI>Sapho</HI> having alwayes a particular Genius to honour all &s;trangers who came to vi&s;it her, &s;he received him with that gallant civility which was naturall unto her, and to te&s;tifie how glad &s;he was to &s;ee him, &s;he complained again&s;t all the compa|ny, for not telling her that a &s;tranger of &s;uch excellent accompli&s;hments was in <HI>Mytelene.</HI> It was but ye&s;terday Madam, replyed <HI>Phylire,</HI> that a Brother of mine who hath been abroad in travells and now returned, did bring him unto me. Since he hath not been in a condition to pre&s;ent him&s;elfe unto you, becau&s;e he hath been a little &s;ick, and &s;ince he &s;tood in need of me to pre&s;ent him unto you when who was recovered, he de&s;ired it might be by my means that <HI>Clyrantes</HI> might know that admirable Lady of whom he hath heard talk of with &s;o much e&s;teem through|out all the Grecian Cities where he hath travelled. Did <HI>I</HI> affect Glory more then my own &s;atisfaction. (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> doubtle&s;&s;e <HI>I</HI> &s;hould be very &s;ory to &s;ee a man who que&s;tionle&s;&s;e will e&s;teem me more before he is acquainted with me, then afterwards. But &s;ince I value not an ill gotten e&s;teem, I will run the hazards of lo&s;ing his, and &s;ee if I can purcha&s;e &s;ome part of his friend&s;hip in lieu of it. To de&s;troy that e&s;teem I have of you Madam (replyed this welcome &s;tranger and &s;mi|led) is but an ill way to get my friend&s;hip: But Madam you are &s;o a&s;&s;ured to keep my e&s;teem and purcha&s;e my friend&s;hip, that you care not what you &s;ay: And though you have yet &s;poken but little, yet that little is &s;o well, as I am mo&s;t con|fident that you &s;peak alwayes &s;o. Wave your commendations of me Sir (replyed <HI>Sapho</HI> very gallantly) until you find &s;ome rea&s;on for it: And therefore I be&s;eech you, favour me &s;o farre as not to flatter me until you &s;hall find me worthy to be flattered by &s;o well accompli&s;hed a man as your &s;elf, you are very froward Ma|dam (replyed <HI>Clyrantes)</HI> in giving that glorious attribute &s;o &s;uddenly upon a Scy|thian. I have &s;uch a Reputation of knowing the merits of men at the fir&s;t (replyed &s;he) that a friend of mine &s;ometimes &s;aies, that I u&s;e to divine them, and therefore Sir do not &s;u&s;pect me of being too ha&s;ty in giving my judgment, &s;ince it is a pecu|liar Talent which I have, never to be mi&s;taken in the choice of tho&s;e, whom I think worthy of my commendations.</P>
<P>After th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, all the company having part in this di&s;cour&s;e, it was very plea&s;ing. And &s;ince <HI>Sapho</HI> could not choo&s;e but wonder at the politne&s;&s;e of <HI>Clyrantes,</HI> &s;he a&s;|ked him, how it was po&s;&s;ible the politne&s;&s;e of the Scythians &s;hould not be as much fam'd as of the Grecians, if they were all &s;uch as he was. My Country Madam, re|plyed he, is indeed &s;o neare Scythia that &s;ome do take us and Scythians to be al one: However, I am not only a Scythian, but originally a Sauromate which is a Coun|try &s;omething more rude, for the cu&s;toms and manners of the Sauromates were &s;avage, yet true it is, that though I am a Sauromate, yet I am of a Country which hath no tincture of their cu&s;tomes: And in di&s;tinction from the other, we are cal|led the new Sauromates; yet we hold no commerce with them, for it being our po|licie to hold no corre&s;pondency with any Neighbours, lea&s;t &s;trange cu&s;toms &s;hould
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corrupt our manners, we do all we can to live upon what our Country affords us, and not be beholding unto the commerce of other Nations.</P>
<P>This (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> hath &s;ome re&s;emblance unto the Lacedemonian Con&s;tituti|on, which took extraordinary care, that no &s;trange cu&s;toms &s;hould be introduced unto their owne. But when you tel me, that you hold core&s;pondency with no Neighbours, I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, that I cannot under&s;tand, how that can be and que|&s;tionle&s;&s;e, it would be very delightfull unto all the company, if you would be plea|&s;ed to take &s;o much paines as to make us under&s;tand it, and to relate the Originall of a people, and the manners of their Country which mu&s;t needs be very plea&s;ant, if it produce men like unto your &s;elf. I be&s;eech you Madam, (replyed <HI>Clyrantes)</HI> do not judge of my Country by me. And to render that Ju&s;tice which I ought to pay unto it, I will tel you what it is: Be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that the Sauroma|tes in general, which &s;ome do mingle with Scythians, and others di&s;tingui&s;h, do &s;til retaine &s;uch odd cu&s;toms, that their very &s;acrifices do &s;peak the ferocity of their Nature. For in Lieu of building Temples unto <HI>Mars</HI> who is the God whom they adore, or erecting his &s;tatue, they heap up together a huge pile of wood, which they &s;et on fire; and when it is con&s;umed, they &s;et a Sword in the mid&s;t of this great heap of A&s;hes, before which, they &s;acrifice tho&s;e Pri&s;oners which they take in Warre; yet the people have been much more cruel, and &s;avage then now they are; for the Prince who at this day governs them, hath infu&s;ed much civilitie into their Natures: But in tho&s;e dayes, when they were more barbarous: Fortune ha|ving brought among&s;t them &s;ome Greeks, from whom the Challipides do &s;ay they are de&s;cended. they &s;eated them&s;elves in a place which borders upon the banks of the River <HI>Tanais,</HI> and they did &s;o well indoctrinate &s;ome of the principall Sauro|mates, as they made them abhorre their own cu&s;toms, and embrace theirs; in &s;o much as one of tho&s;e Grecians did in&s;en&s;ibly get &s;uch Authority over all their Country, That the People did acknowledge one of them for their head. And the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e came to that height, as when the Prince who then raigned over the Sauromates would oppo&s;e this Junction; he found it a very difficult bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, for the commo|tion was &s;o great and &s;udden, that it came to blowes. And this Greek being both valiant and prudent, the Sauromattan Prince could not vanqui&s;h him, but on the contrary, he was forced to let them have a petty Dominion, in the mid&s;t of his own Kingdom, and could not help it. For Madam, this famous Grecian a&s;&s;embled to gether all &s;uch as would voluntarily be his Di&s;ciples and Subjects, he drew them to|wards the confines of that place which he made choi&s;e of for their habitation, and wa&s;ted the Country &s;o al about, that al &s;eemed to be a de&s;art Thus, after he had maintained Warrs, five or &s;ix years with much glory. the Prince of Sauromates was forced to make a Peace, and to &s;uffer another Dominion to be in the heart of his own Kindome which was become a de&s;art all about this new Dominion. But one of the conditions of this Peace was, that it &s;hould be equally forbidden both unto the ancient &s;ubjects of this Saucromatan Prince, and to tho&s;e of this new So|veraign, to till the Lands which the la&s;t had laid wa&s;t, or to build any hou&s;es or Co|tages upon it. And indeed Madam, this was &s;o &s;tricktly ob&s;erved by our forefa|thers, that at this day it is three great dayes journey at the lea&s;t over this Wil|derne&s;&s;e: So as one of the be&s;t cultivated Countries in the world, is hedged in with another which is not at all inhabited. And it may be well &s;aid, that your I&s;le is not &s;o without Neighbours as my Country is, though it be joyned to the con|tinent. For it is an ea&s;ier matter to pa&s;&s;e between <HI>Mytilene</HI> into <HI>Phrygia</HI> then out of my Country unto any habitable place.</P>
<P>This de&s;cription is &s;o very particular, replyed <HI>Sapho;</HI> And the <HI>Idea</HI> of this little Dominion which hath no Neighbours, doth &s;o plea&s;e me: That if women were as well permitted to travell as men, I &s;hould be full of curio&s;ity till I &s;aw it. Your curio&s;ity Madam, replyed <HI>Clirantes</HI> would be much better &s;atisfied then you can imagine. For that illu&s;trious Grecian our fir&s;t Prince, did hedge about his Do|minions with a de&s;art, only to hedge in all the virtues, and the &s;ecrecies, which he would infu&s;e into the &s;oules of his Subjects, and to hinder the vices of his Neighbours, from &s;poiling his de&s;ign: And having many able men with him, he e&s;tabli&s;hed &s;uch good orders among&s;t them, as in a &s;hort time their manners were wholy changed: So as this Prince living unto a great age, he had time enough to
<PB N="150" REF="965">
e&s;tabli&s;h his Lawes, and left a &s;onne prudent enough to maintaine them. He lived to receive &s;o much &s;atisfaction, as to &s;ee all the Arts and Sciences flouri&s;h in his Do|minions, and his memory is &s;o deare unto us, that we accompt our years, from the time of his raign. But I be&s;eech you Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Sapho</HI> then unto him) &s;atisfie us a little better concerning your cu&s;toms. Since Madam (replyed <HI>Clirantes)</HI> they are almo&s;t all Graecian, I &s;hould but be tedious, &s;ince you know them better then I do. It will therefore &s;uffice if I acquaint you with what we believe. And there|fore be plea&s;ed to know Madam, that we think of the gods as you do. That ex|cept &s;ome reliques of ancient Sauromatique Ceremonies which our fir&s;t King would not out of policy aboli&s;h, our &s;acrifices are like unto yours, our Townes, our hou&s;es, or Villages, are much re&s;emblant unto yours here, but I mu&s;t tell you that our Dominion is not &s;o large; for there is but one great City, fifty Towns, and two hundred Villages: The truth is, that the City is one of the mo&s;t plea&s;ant places in the World; and if &s;trangers were permitted egre&s;&s;e and regre&s;&s;e, its re|putation would be fam'd over all the World, but &s;ince it is our cu&s;tome to de|barre them, the reputation of our Country is confined within its own limits, and the de&s;arts which environ us; and we think our &s;elves &s;o happy in neither envying nor being envyed by others that we value not the Worlds ignorance of our hap|pine&s;&s;e. But I be&s;eech you, (replyed <HI>Amithone)</HI> when one comes into your Coun|try, are they not &s;uffered to go out againe? They never admit of any but upon that condition, replyed <HI>Clirantes:</HI> For there are Guards kept at all the advances, and none are &s;uffered to enter unle&s;&s;e they be thought worthy. Indeed when any one hath a de&s;ire to dwell in our Country, the Guards &s;top them, and carry them to the Prince who transferres them unto certaine Officers appointed for that purpo&s;e, to be examined three Moneths together, to &s;ee their manners, and whether they know any thing worthy to be received among&s;t us, and after all this, they are to &s;weare never to go out of the Country without the Princes leave, who u&s;eth very &s;eldome to grant it. They are al&s;o to &s;weare inviolably to ob&s;erve all our Cu&s;tomes, after which they give them e&s;tates proportionable to their qualities and merit. But when any de&s;ires to travell who is a Native (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> mu&s;t they have Licence al&s;o from the Prince? Yes Madam, replyed he, and much adoe to obtaine it, but when it is granted, and they returne againe into their Country, they mu&s;t al&s;o &s;ubmit unto the &s;ame examination for three Moneths, to try whether their travells have not corrupted their manners.</P>
<P>This con&s;traint indeed is very vexatious, and once there was a rebellion about it, which ended not without a civill Warre: But at la&s;t the Prince then raigning bani&s;hed all the Rebells out of his Dominions, and this great Collonie went and inhabited towards a River which is called <HI>Danabins,</HI> where they e&s;tabli&s;hed the ve|ry &s;ame cu&s;tomes which cau&s;ed their Rebellion, for they made a De&s;art al&s;o about their Dominions like unto ours.</P>
<P>But Madam, not to tyre you with tedious relations of the Pollicy and govern|ment of my country: Give me leave to acquaint you only with the pre&s;ent condi|tion of our Court, for indeed Madam, we are governed by a young Queen, who hath only one Son, and who is one of the mo&s;t rarely accompli&s;hed Princes in the world. Since the Arts and Sciences are among&s;t us, it cannot be otherwi&s;e imagin|ed that our Court is well refined; for &s;ince we have long lived in peace, Gallantry is in its greate&s;t lu&s;tre, Lawes are made peculiarly for Love, and there are pu|ni&s;hments ordained for unfaithfull Lovers as well as for rebellious &s;ubjects: Indeed, fidelity is held in &s;uch veneration among&s;t us, as it is kept untill death: Tho&s;e who marry for Love, have not Liberty to marry again, but are cau&s;ed to make a pub|lick declaration again&s;t it.</P>
<P>Moreover, it is as cu&s;tomary to go and comfort an ab&s;ent Lover, as it is here to comfort one in mourning, and if one &s;hould frequent any diver&s;ions in the ab&s;cence of his Mi&s;tre&s;s, it would be &s;o layed in his di&s;h, as it is never &s;een among&s;t us.</P>
<P>We know &s;ome among&s;t us (replyed <HI>Sapho</HI> and blu&s;hed) who would think that cu&s;tom to be very har&s;h: It is &s;o generally u&s;ed among&s;t us (replyed <HI>Cli|rantes)</HI> that there are none but do ob&s;erve it; for &s;ince the fir&s;t founder of our &s;tate intended to keep his Subjects in their Country, he would enchain them by Love.</P>
<P><PB N="151" REF="965">
Thus is Gallantry among&s;t us pre&s;erved as an effect of policy, our cu&s;tomes of Love are as ancient as our State; and almo&s;t as inviolable as our Religion: Thus cannot one change his Mi&s;tre&s;s, before he plead the cau&s;es of his incon&s;tan|cy; nor can the mi&s;tre&s;s ca&s;t off her Lover, unle&s;s &s;he declare the rea&s;on of her change. And &s;ince Peace, Idlene&s;s, and Plenty, do alwaies abound among&s;t us, nothing but Love is di&s;cour&s;ed of in our conver&s;ations, &s;o as tho&s;e who come in|to our Country, mu&s;t needs pa&s;s through the Country of the ancient <HI>Sauromates,</HI> they wonder, after they have &s;een &s;o many &s;alvage people, to find us &s;o civili|zed and gallant.</P>
<P>Moreover, &s;ince our Founder was a Graecian, the Greek tongue is pre&s;erved a|mong&s;t us in its purity, not that it is the vulgar language of the people; but there is not any of quality who under&s;tands it not, and there are &s;ome wits in our Court, who&s;e lines the fair <HI>Sapha</HI> would not think unworthy of her reading. You have de|&s;cribed your Country after &s;uch a plea&s;ing manner (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> and you do &s;o well confirm all you have &s;aid in its prai&s;es, by your own pre&s;ence, that were it not &s;o far di&s;tant from us as it is, I think I &s;hould quit my own, and go dwell there: After this, all the company had their voices in this di&s;cour&s;e, and <HI>Clirantes</HI> did ac|quit him&s;elf &s;o excellently well, as he got the e&s;teem of every one. But <HI>Sapho</HI> knowing with a &s;trange fore&s;ight, what&s;oever pa&s;&s;ed in the hearts of &s;uch as &s;he ob|&s;erved, &s;he foretold at this very fir&s;t vi&s;it, that <HI>Clirantes</HI> &s;hould fall in Love with <HI>Phylire,</HI> and <HI>Phylire</HI> &s;hould not hate <HI>Clirantes,</HI> if he &s;tayed in their i&s;le: And indeed, what hapned afterwards, did evidence that &s;he was not mi&s;taken.</P>
<P>In the mean time, though <HI>Sapho</HI> and <HI>Phaon</HI> were &s;incerely reconciled, yet there was &s;till in <HI>Saphoes</HI> mind a &s;trong di&s;po&s;ition to &s;u&s;pect, that <HI>Phaon</HI> did not love her as &s;he de&s;ired to be: <HI>Athys, Alces,</HI> and <HI>Nicanor,</HI> were not wanting to blow the coales of anger between them, for <HI>Phaon</HI> could not &s;tirr any whither, but they informed <HI>Sapho,</HI> and if he was at any time plea&s;ant out of her pre&s;ence, &s;he was immediatly told of it. And &s;ince it was not po&s;&s;ible for him to alter his hu|mour, he &s;till diverted him&s;elf every where, and was grieved for nothing. When he was with <HI>Sapho,</HI> doubtle&s;s he thought him&s;elf the happie&s;t man in the world, and joy did &s;o vi&s;ibly &s;parkle in his eyes, that one might ea&s;ily &s;ee, that &s;he was Queen Regent in his heart, but for all that, when he did not &s;ee her, he did not grieve, and &s;ince it was not po&s;&s;ible he &s;hould di&s;gui&s;e his humour, e&s;pecially having the eyes of &s;o many watchfull &s;pies upon him, who did him all the ill offices they could, <HI>Sapho</HI> could not re&s;t in any quietne&s;s. As &s;oon as ever <HI>Phaon</HI> was out of her &s;ight, &s;he &s;till enquired what he did, and hearing commonly, that where&s;oever he was, &s;till he was very merry, &s;he grieved more than I am able to expre&s;s, though my &s;i|&s;ter told me &s;ome of her complaints again&s;t <HI>Phaon:</HI> Was ever any de&s;tiny compa|rable unto mine (&s;aid &s;he one day unto <HI>Cydnon)</HI> for one would imagine, that I &s;hould be very happy in being loved by one of the mo&s;t accompli&s;hed, and mo&s;t a|miable men in the world, yet I &s;hould be much happier did he hate me; for his ha|tred would cure me of that affection I have unto him: But in this condition into which I am brought, I can neither hate him nor love him with any tranquile de|light, and the wor&s;t is, my mi&s;ery is without remedy; for if <HI>Phaon</HI> did not love me I &s;hould hope he might hereafter love me as I de&s;ire, if he were ab&s;olutely incon|&s;tant, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould hope he would return unto me, and if he hated me, I &s;hould hope his hatred would not be immortall; but he loves me certainly as much as he is able to love, and were he the &s;ame when he &s;ees me not, that he is when he doth &s;ee me, then I &s;hould de&s;ire no more; yet for all that &s;ervent love which appears in all his Actions, in all his Words, and in all his Looks, I am nothing &s;atisfied with him, &s;o as I am the mo&s;t mi&s;erable per&s;on in the world; for &s;ince the cau&s;e of my di&s;like can never change, it mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity follow, that I &s;hall be alwaies mi&s;e|rable.</P>
<P>But (&s;aid <HI>Cydnon</HI> unto her) &s;ince you are plea&s;ed with him as long as he is in your &s;ight, therefore I would advi&s;e you to &s;ee him and marry him, to the end he may never part from you.</P>
<P>Ah <HI>Cydnon</HI> (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> though I never had taken up a con&s;tant re&s;olution never to marry, yet the humour of <HI>Phaon</HI> is enough to make me re&s;olve it; for if in this condition we are, I be not able to make him greive when he &s;ees me not,
<PB N="152" REF="966">
I &s;hal not be able to do it, in a time, when perhaps <HI>I</HI> cannot make him plea&s;ed with the &s;ight of me.</P>
<P>But Madam, (replied <HI>Cydnon)</HI> what remedy can you finde? <HI>I</HI> will endeavour (&s;aid &s;he) to make <HI>Phaon</HI> as full of &s;orrow as my &s;elf, which if I could bring to pa&s;s, I &s;hould be more joyed, than I am able to expre&s;s: I have &s;een him &s;o &s;en&s;i|ble of jealou&s;ie (replied <HI>Cydnon)</HI> that if you would give him any cau&s;e of it, I am confident you would have tho&s;e joyes you wi&s;h for. It is re&s;olved upon (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> and I will from this day, begin to treat <HI>Nicanor</HI> &s;o wel that &s;ince he can|not grieve when he &s;ees me not, I wil perhaps make him grieve when he doth &s;ee me. And indeed Madam, the fair <HI>Sapho</HI> took up this re&s;olution, and did put it in execution &s;o hand&s;omly, that <HI>Phaon</HI> grew extreamly jealous, and as &s;ad as &s;he could de&s;ire him to be.</P>
<P>At the fir&s;t, &s;he was much joyed, and all the complaints which he made unto her were &s;o &s;weet and plea&s;ing, that &s;he would not &s;o &s;oon cau&s;e them to cea&s;e.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Nicanor</HI> could not tell from whence this his good fortune proceeded, and <HI>Alces</HI> did &s;o wonder to &s;ee <HI>Sapho</HI> change for the wor&s;e, that he did ab&s;olutly return unto the fair <HI>Athys.</HI></P>
<P>However, <HI>Phaon</HI> whom the pangs of jealou&s;y tormented, knew not how this alteration in <HI>Sapho</HI> &s;hould come to pa&s;s, yet <HI>I</HI> told him, that his humour was the cau&s;e, but he would not beleive me; and he began to hate <HI>Nicanor</HI> &s;o horridly, that he could not endure him. Thus was this poor Lover, both hated by his Rival, and not loved by his Mi&s;tre&s;s: And his mi&s;ery was the more, becau&s;e having a piercing Wit, he perceived, that indeed <HI>Sapho</HI> did not love him, but &s;till loved <HI>Phaon,</HI> &s;o as then looking upon her favours, as an artifice to augment the Love of his Rival, he grew more angry with <HI>Sapho</HI> then with <HI>Phaon,</HI> and this mi&s;cellany of of re&s;entments produced &s;uch plea&s;ant effects in the hearts of the&s;e three per&s;ons, as the like was never known. But at la&s;t the&s;e two incen&s;ed Lovers, not being able to hold out any longer, they quarrelled and fought, none knowing who got the advantage, becau&s;e they were parted be&s;ore their combat ended: But <HI>Pittacus</HI> being a wi&s;e Prince and much grieved at the news of <HI>Ty&s;anders</HI> death, he was &s;o angred at this quarrell; that he bani&s;hed them both for a year, to prevent any dan|gerous con&s;equences: So as <HI>Phaon</HI> having dwelt more in <HI>Sicily,</HI> than in any other place, he re&s;olved to &s;pend the time of his Exile there, and <HI>Nicanor</HI> intended for <HI>Phrygia:</HI> But <HI>Phaon</HI> was &s;o earne&s;t with me to negotiate &s;o for him, as <HI>Cyanon</HI> might help him to the &s;ight of <HI>Sapho</HI> in private, before he departed, that I did what I could to &s;atisfie him. Nor did I find much difficulty to effect it, for as <HI>Sa|phoes</HI> violent pa&s;&s;ion cau&s;ed her to repent of making <HI>Phaon</HI> jealous, and &s;he had as great a de&s;ire to pardon him, as he had to be pardoned, for knowing his humour, &s;he thought that nothing could be more dangerous for her than ab&s;ence&punc; But at la&s;t, having intreated <HI>Cydnon</HI> to mediate with <HI>Sapho,</HI> and having obliged her to di&s;|cover unto me that her friend had never favoured <HI>Nicanor,</HI> but only to make <HI>Pha|on</HI> jealous, I told this welcom and important &s;ecret unto my friend, who at fir&s;t would not beleive it, but as it is impo&s;&s;ible to be long unper&s;waded of a thing which one wi&s;heth, he thought that &s;uch a thing might be, and he re&s;olved to clear his doubt by looking in the fair eyes of <HI>Sapho.</HI></P>
<P>But at la&s;t their meeeing being to be at <HI>Cydnons</HI> hou&s;e, their amity was renewed in the mo&s;t tender manner in the world.</P>
<P>Well Madam (&s;ayd <HI>Phaon</HI> unto her at fir&s;t meeting) after you have made me the mo&s;t jealous and mo&s;t mi&s;erable man alive, do you now think me the mo&s;t a|morous of all your Lovers? and though my joyes in being loved by you could not per&s;wade you, yet will my &s;orrows in being for&s;aken, work with you? had you been for&s;aken (replyed &s;he) you &s;hould never have had opportunities to make your complaints unto me, for I would never have &s;een you: But <HI>Phaon,</HI> if you have &s;uffered any torments thank your &s;elfe, &s;ince if you had known how to Love, I &s;hould never have taught you by any &s;o vexatious a cour&s;e as jealou&s;ie:</P>
<P>Truly madam, &s;aid he unto her) your invention was mo&s;t cruell. But I be&s;eech you tell me? Did you never love <HI>Nicanor?</HI> and did you &s;till love me? Let me tell you only half of what you aske (an&s;wered &s;he and blu&s;ht) and gue&s;&s;e your &s;elf at the re&s;t.</P>
<P><PB N="153" REF="966">
After this, Madam, the&s;e two incen&s;ed Pen&s;ons being in&s;en&s;ibly pacified, they expre&s;&s;ed them&s;elves unto each other, in as pa&s;&s;ionate and tender termes that Love could invent: yet <HI>Saphoes</HI> joyes were not compleat, for the thought of this long and cruell ab&s;ence did &s;o di&s;quiet her, that &s;he did not fully enjoy the &s;weets of this pacification. (For &s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Phaon)</HI> what can I expect from you and your hu|mour? you I &s;ay, who are never moved but with what you &s;ee, and not at all with what you &s;ee not, for though it were po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould continue faithfull du|ring this long ab&s;ence, yet it is impo&s;&s;ible you &s;hould &s;uffer as much as I do: and &s;ince you are capable of joyes and delights, within two dayes after you have left me, what will you do when you have been whole Moneths out of my &s;ight, have, I not rea&s;on to feare the loo&s;ing of you, for in a long ab&s;ence, I know nothing but &s;orrow which can be a faithfull guard over the heart of a Lover. Indeed love is &s;o accu&s;tomed to grow among&s;t plea&s;ures as it may well be &s;aid that joy is the fir&s;t ne|ce&s;&s;ary di&s;po&s;ition unto its growth. And &s;ince que&s;tionle&s;&s;e your mind will be all upon delights as &s;oon as ever you are out of my &s;ight; I have rea&s;on to believe, that &s;ome new Love will take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of your heart, and drive mine out.</P>
<P>Since Madam I never loved any comparably &s;o much as you (replyed <HI>Phaon)</HI> be|cau&s;e I never found any comparably &s;o amiable as to merit my affection, I mu&s;t in|geniou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e that I never had any great commerce with Love, untill I &s;aw you. The truth is, I have a hundred times perceived a pa&s;&s;ion begin to fla&s;h a little and extingui&s;h againe in the very pre&s;ence of her I thought to have loved, and in|deed I have &s;ome dayes been &s;o unlike my &s;elfe from my fir&s;t entrance into compa|ny untill I went out againe, that I knew not my &s;elfe. I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e I had &s;ome de&s;ires which begun both to live and die, in one and the &s;ame day, not knowing well why I had them, nor why I had them no longer.</P>
<P>But as for you Madam, your power has a greater influence upon me, I love you after another manner, and when I do apprehend the bitterne&s;s of this horrid ab|&s;ence, I begin to prepare my &s;elf for infinite mi&s;eries, for this bitter ab&s;ence is un|like all the re&s;t; indeed, when you were in the Country. I alwaies expected your return &s;o &s;hortly, that it was no wonder if my hopes of &s;oon &s;eeing you &s;hould di|mini&s;h my &s;orrows, and that my beleif of your loving me, was &s;o joyfull unto me, as to keep me from grieving: But alas Madam, a whole year looks like a little eterni|ty to me, and I &s;hall go away in fear, that you are not fully per&s;waded of the great ne&s;s of my Love.</P>
<P>But Madam, I be&s;eech you judge me not by what is pae&s;t, &s;ince certainly I never loved you, &s;o much as I now do. Yes divine <HI>Sapho,</HI> I do love you more than ever, and more than ever I &s;hall any other, and more than ever I can hope to be loved, I beleive it, (&s;aid &s;he, and interrupted him) but for all that, in all appearances you do love me le&s;s, then you thought you did after you had been fifteen dayes out of my &s;ight.</P>
<P>After this, returning a very plau&s;ible an&s;wer, he made a million of prote&s;ta|tions of fidelity unto the fair <HI>Sapho,</HI> and in &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ionate manner, as &s;he was per&s;waded that the heart of <HI>Phaon</HI> was changed, and that he would re&s;ent this long ab&s;ence with abundance of &s;orrow; &s;o as both of them u&s;ed the mo&s;t delicate and pa&s;&s;ionate expre&s;&s;ions, that Love could po&s;&s;ibly infu&s;e into the hearts and tongues of two per&s;ons deeply in Love, and ready to depart from each other: Thus <HI>Sapho</HI> and <HI>Phaon</HI> parted, infinitely &s;atisfied and reconciled: <HI>Phaon</HI> imbanqued the next morning; and <HI>Sapho</HI> went in the country, carrying my &s;i&s;ter with her; but &s;he went not thither, &s;o much to enjoy the &s;weets of &s;ollitude, as to hide the &s;orrows of her &s;oul, and to avoid bidding adieu unto <HI>Nicanor</HI> who know too weH, that all the favour he received, belonged not unto him. But Madam, &s;ince <HI>Phaons</HI> depar|ture, <HI>Sapho</HI> was all melancholly: Tis true, at her return unto <HI>Mytelene</HI> &s;he contracted a very great league of friend&s;hip with <HI>Clyrantes,</HI> who was &s;o extreamly in love with <HI>Phylire,</HI> as none could be more.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the company at <HI>Saphoes</HI> was nothing &s;o plea&s;ant as hereto|fore, becau&s;e &s;he was grown to very melancholly that &s;he &s;hunned as much as hand|&s;omne&s;s would permit her all occa&s;ions of delight, &s;o all the good company broke up: For <HI>Alces</HI> at la&s;t married <HI>Ashys,</HI> who &s;ince her marriage did not fre|quent <HI>Saphoes.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="154" REF="967">
<HI>Erinne,</HI> &s;he fell &s;ick of a langui&s;hing di&s;ea&s;e: my &s;i&s;ter went into <HI>Phrygia</HI> with my Mother, who was of that Countrey, and <HI>Amithone</HI> went into the Country, &s;o as I was the only One left, unto whom <HI>Sapho</HI> could talke with any confidence: And yet &s;he had one deare friend whom I did not mention at the beginning of my relation, becau&s;e &s;he was ab&s;ent from <HI>Mytelene</HI> during all the time of this long love: but &s;ince &s;he returned the &s;ame day my &s;i&s;ter departed, it may well be &s;ayd &s;he took her place: And certainly &s;he was worthy of <HI>Sapho's</HI> friend&s;hip, though her fortunes were not &s;o high as the re&s;t of her friends.</P>
<P>Indeed, this Lady who was called <HI>Agela&s;te,</HI> by rea&s;on of her melancholly tem|per, had mo&s;t rare qualities: her per&s;on did plea&s;e much more then &s;ome could who were fairer then &s;he: She was not tall, but hand&s;ome, her hair was brown, her eyes gray and &s;weet, her face a little long, her no&s;e &s;omething high, her mouth pretty, her complexion well, but a little pale; her teeth white, her neck admirable, her hands and arms faire, and her Phy&s;iognomy &s;o wi&s;e and mode&s;t, that every one had a good opinion of her at the very fir&s;t &s;ight.</P>
<P><HI>Agela&s;te</HI> al&s;o played upon the Lute mo&s;t admirably: But <HI>I</HI> alwayes mo&s;t e&s;tee|med her for her wit, her di&s;cretion, her goodne&s;&s;e, and her fidelity were &s;o great, that one might tru&s;t her with any thing in the world: Moreover, though &s;he was naturally melancholly: Yet &s;he would be very plea&s;ant in company, e&s;pecially with her intimate friends, for unle&s;&s;e with them &s;he &s;poke little: <HI>Agela&s;te</HI> then, being as <HI>I</HI> have de&s;cribed her, &s;he was in&s;eparable from <HI>Sapho,</HI> &s;ince all the re&s;t of her friends had left her: And <HI>Phylire</HI> al&s;o did vi&s;it her much oftner then &s;he did before: The truth is, <HI>Sapho</HI> &s;tood in need of &s;ome comfort at that time, for you mu&s;t know that <HI>Cynegire</HI> with whom &s;he lived, and to whom &s;he was much obliged, dyed: and a few dayes after &s;he heard that her Brother, of whom &s;he al|wayes heard bad newes, was faln in love with a Slave called <HI>Rhodope,</HI> whom <HI>E&s;ope</HI> al&s;o had loved, and that the pa&s;&s;ion of <HI>Charaxes</HI> had been &s;o extream, that after he had enfranchi&s;ed her, his love of her had quite ruined him.</P>
<P>Al&s;o <HI>Sapho</HI> under&s;tood that <HI>Rhodope,</HI> who&s;e beauty and art had rendered her more famous in <HI>Aegypt,</HI> then her vertue had, &s;he &s;ent him back to <HI>Mytelene</HI> in a mo&s;t lamentable condition. Moreover, the death of <HI>Ty&s;ander</HI> had &s;o altered the Court of <HI>Pittacus,</HI> that people did not live in that Citie as formerly they did; yet <HI>Sapho</HI> was &s;o happy as to finde a &s;atisfaction in her &s;elfe without &s;eeking it in others.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the greate&s;t inquietude which &s;he had being <HI>Phaons</HI> ab&s;ence: &s;he was forced (though &s;he did not affect to have any Confident) to let me talke unto her &s;ometimes, for <HI>I</HI> was the conveyer of all the Letters between <HI>Phaon</HI> and her; yet it was not po&s;&s;ible to have many Letters from him, which was no &s;mall addition to her inquietudes: But Madam, &s;he was much more re&s;tle&s;&s;e and un|quiet a little after, when &s;he receiving a packet from <HI>Phaon</HI> which <HI>I</HI> brought in all ha&s;t unto her, &s;he found be&s;ides her Lovers letter, a Note directed unto him, written with a womans hand; but &s;o &s;curvily writ, that it was evident, she who writ it was not guilty of over much wit. In the mean time, it appeared by it that <HI>Phaon</HI> had writ many Letters unto her, that he was much in her favour, and that he had given her &s;everall Serenades: And indeed Madam, <HI>I</HI> under&s;tood after|wards, that though <HI>Phaon</HI> did love <HI>Sapho</HI> mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionately, yet he would &s;ome|times &s;olace him&s;elfe with that faire Foole whom he had formerly loved in <HI>Sicily.</HI> Not that there was any compari&s;on between tho&s;e thoughts which he had of <HI>Sa|pho</HI> and this faire Sycilian; for his pa&s;&s;ion was mo&s;t zealous and &s;ervent to the fir&s;t of the&s;e, and his engagements to the other might rather be called a mu&s;ing, then any reall affection. However, he did divert him&s;elf as much as if he had not been ab&s;ent from that per&s;on whom he loved with mo&s;t pa&s;&s;ionate tenderne&s;&s;e. But to return unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> you may imagine Madam, how &s;he was &s;urprized to find in <HI>Phaons</HI> packet this note directed unto her, and a Note &s;tuffed with the mo&s;t fond, &s;imple gallantry in the world: indeed, I think that never &s;uch a piece was &s;een, yet the Character was faire enough, but that &s;erved only to render it ridi|culous; for the Orthography was &s;o bad, the &s;en&s;e &s;o &s;hallow, the expre&s;&s;ions &s;o poor, and the order of words &s;o confu&s;ed, and oppo&s;ite unto all rules of eloquence and rea&s;on, as it is a wonder how any woman of quality could po&s;&s;ibly write af|ter
<PB N="155" REF="967">
&s;uch a rate. But the odde&s;t thing was, that the Letter which <HI>Phaon</HI> writ unto <HI>Sapho</HI> was the mo&s;t elegant, the mo&s;t gallant and pa&s;&s;ionate peece that ever was &s;een: &s;o as it was not credible, that any man who writ &s;o well, could hold any particular corre&s;pondency with a woman who writ &s;o ill: Yet it appeared by this Note, that <HI>Phaon</HI> did often &s;ee her, and that he had given her &s;everall Serenades as I told you before: And I a&s;&s;ure you <HI>Sapho</HI> was &s;o &s;adly a&s;toni&s;hed at this cruell adventure, that not being able to hide her &s;orrows, &s;he communicated them unto <HI>Agela&s;te,</HI> and me.</P>
<P>Did ever any &s;ee &s;uch unparalled weakne&s;&s;e as this in your friend? (&s;aid &s;he unto me) I know that when he &s;ees me, he loves me as much as he is capable of: I know al&s;o, that then he thinks him&s;elfe unable to take delight in the company of any other per&s;on: and yet it appars by this Paper, that he bears &s;ome kind of affe|ction unto the verye&s;t fool in the world, and that hee mingles her Letters and mine indifferently together, though I think mine have &s;ome order of &s;ence in them, and tho&s;e of his new Mi&s;tre&s;s none. Since I knew the humour of <HI>Phaon</HI> better then <HI>Sapho</HI> did, I did my friend the be&s;t office I could, and endeavoured to per&s;wade this admirable woman, that the heart of this Lover had no &s;hare in any of the&s;e plea&s;ures which he took during his ab&s;ence, and that <HI>Phaon</HI> lived as he did, rather to look upon the&s;e trifles, then to divert him&s;elf in them.</P>
<P>Ah <HI>Democedes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) a grieved Lover cannot find a heart to look upon &s;uch trifles: And if <HI>Phaon</HI> loved me as he &s;hould do, the mo&s;t plea&s;ing <HI>Se|renades</HI> would never divert him: he would be &s;o indi&s;po&s;ed to give them unto o|thers as he doth, that he wouold &s;hun the place where others give them: And therefore I am re&s;olved to love him no longer, but will hate my &s;elfe&punc; if I cannot hate him. It was in vain for me to prote&s;t unto <HI>Sapho</HI> that <HI>Phaons</HI> love did not change, and that it was only an effect of his humour, wherein his heart had no &s;hare, for &s;he would not believe it: &s;o as in the rapture of her &s;orrows, &s;he an|&s;wered <HI>Phaon</HI> in a very &s;ingular manner, for &s;he &s;ent him back the note which he had unawares &s;ent unto her, and writ only the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<HEAD>SAPHO <HI>unto</HI> PHAON.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>SInce you have contracted amity with a Lady, who&s;e Letter I have &s;ent you backe, re&s;olve to breake off ours; for I thinke it an unworthy thing in me, to let a man have any &s;hare any longer in my heart, who hath withdrawn his owne from mee to give it unto another, &s;o much unworthy of him&s;elfe.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>SAPHO.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>This Letter doubtle&s;&s;e was enough to enforce &s;orrow into the &s;oule of <HI>Phaon:</HI> but to tell you truly, I writ him another which grieved him to the very heart of his &s;oule; for I chid him &s;o home for his levity, and did &s;o terrifie him with his likelihood of loo&s;ing <HI>Sapho's</HI> affection, that as &s;oon as he had read her Letter and mine, he became a Convert: when he con&s;idered that <HI>Sapho</HI> perhaps would with|draw her heart from him, he ea&s;ily re&s;olved to quit the le&s;&s;er delights to pre&s;erve the greater: &s;o as knowing no better way to reconcile him&s;elfe unto <HI>Sapho,</HI> then by quitting <HI>Sicily,</HI> and coming to her, he re&s;olved to come di&s;gui&s;ed unto <HI>Lesbos,</HI> and accordingly he came in a Merchants Ship: And landing at a Port in a corner of our I&s;le, he concealed him&s;elfe with a friend who had a hou&s;e very near unto that of <HI>Sapho's</HI> in the Countrey. He was no &s;ooner there, but enquiring where &s;he, and I was, but he under&s;tood that I was gone a journey of fifteen dayes, and that <HI>Sapho</HI> was at her own hou&s;e vvithout any other company then her dear <HI>Agela&s;te:</HI> &s;o as lo&s;ing no time, and knovving her u&s;uall hours of vvalking unto that Foun|taine
<PB N="156" REF="968">
vvhich formerly I mentioned, he vvent and hid him&s;elfe in a little thicket of Trees vvhich grevv about it, leaving his hor&s;e &s;ome fifty paces off vvith a Lac|quey: he had not vvaited there a quarter of an houre but he favv <HI>Sapho</HI> and her friend appeare; and &s;avv her &s;o &s;ad, that as in&s;en&s;ible as he vvas of &s;orrovv, his heart was tendered: 'Tis true, the thought of being &s;o tenderly loved by the mo&s;t excellent woman in the world, did make him more joyed at it, then <HI>Sapho's</HI> &s;adne&s;&s;e made them melancholly. However, he would give her time to &s;it downe before he would &s;hew him&s;elfe, to the end he might a little dige&s;t tho&s;e &s;orrows which this fight cau&s;ed in him. But as it chanced, the&s;e two Ladies did &s;it down upon a &s;eate of Gra&s;&s;e with their backs towards <HI>Phaon,</HI> &s;o as he could ea&s;ily hear what they &s;aid; for the Grove was very thick in that place, and he crept &s;o gently, that they could neither heare nor &s;ee him. They were no &s;ooner &s;et, but <HI>Sapho</HI> began to &s;peak.</P>
<P>But my deare <HI>Agela&s;te</HI> (&s;aid she unto her) there is &s;o little appearance in what you tell me, that I know not whether I &s;hould believe it, and therefore I de&s;ire to know all the particulars of this adventure. They are very ea&s;ily known (re|plyed she) For ye&s;terday in the afternoon I under&s;tood from the mouth of <HI>Phy|lire,</HI> that <HI>Clirantes</HI> (who&s;e quality is &s;o great that he is neer Cou&s;en to the Queen of <HI>Sauromates)</HI> is &s;o much in love with her, as that he will marry her, if &s;he will follow his fortunes, and go into his Country. So as <HI>Phylire</HI> who loves him no le&s;s than he her, and is freely in his own di&s;po&s;tion, &s;he is re&s;olved upon it, and rea|dy to follow this Illu&s;trious <HI>Sauromate.</HI> But &s;ince &s;he de&s;ires the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e may be done without any noi&s;e, &s;he imparted the &s;ecret unto me, and willed me to de|&s;ire that you would be plea&s;ed to let them be married in your hou&s;e; which done, they would pre&s;ently after depart, and go into that Countrey, where there are &s;uch &s;evere Laws again&s;t unfaithfull Lovers. I wi&s;h with all my heart (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> that the incon&s;tant <HI>Phaon</HI> were there al&s;o, that he might be puni&s;hed for his levity. And <HI>Agela&s;te</HI> (continued &s;he &s;ighing) &s;ince I know you have no great bu&s;ine&s;&s;e at <HI>Mytelene,</HI> but all places in the world are alike unto you, why may not we two follow <HI>Phylire</HI> into the happy Country of <HI>Clirantes?</HI> For I mu&s;t confe&s;s I cannot endure living in <HI>Mytelene.</HI></P>
<P>But Madam (replyed <HI>Agelaste)</HI> as long as <HI>Phaon</HI> is in your heart, I would not advi&s;e you to go into a Country where he cannot be admitted: As long as I am not in <HI>Phaons</HI> heart (replyed <HI>Sapho)</HI> I &s;hould be glad to be in any place where I may never &s;ee him: and therefore my deare <HI>Agela&s;te,</HI> if you be able to follow my Fortune, we will both of us follow <HI>Phylires:</HI> For truly there is nothing in <HI>Mytelene</HI> which doth not di&s;plea&s;e me: <HI>Charaxes</HI> is come to per&s;ecute me, all the world wearies me, I &s;hall never &s;ee <HI>Phaon</HI> there: Or if I do, I &s;hall &s;ee him incon&s;tant, &s;o as I &s;hall think him unworthy of my affection. Oh Madam (cry|ed he out, and came out of the place where he was hid, and kneeling down before her) Do not u&s;e the mo&s;t faithfull Lover alive &s;o unju&s;tly: and to te&s;tifie that I am &s;uch a one, I be&s;eech you let me go with you into that happy Countrey where all unfaithfull Lovers are &s;o &s;everely puni&s;hed: For &s;ince I &s;hall never be ab&s;ent from you there, I &s;hall not feare the Laws which are made again&s;t &s;uch as divert them&s;elves in the ab&s;ence of their Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es: Is it po&s;&s;ible <HI>Phaon</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Sapho)</HI> that you &s;hould be &s;o impudent as to &s;peak thus after your la&s;t crime? Yes Madam (&s;aid he unto her) the love of my &s;oule unto you hath taught me &s;o much impu|dence, that I dare be&s;eech you to do unto me as I do under&s;tand <HI>Phylire</HI> intends unto <HI>Clirantes:</HI> For Madam, it is as certain as that the Heavens are above us, that I am the mo&s;t faithfull Lover upon Earth: Carry me into any place where I can never go from you, and you will find me the mo&s;t con&s;tant Lover that ever lived: I can never confe&s;&s;e that my weakneffes did ever merit the name of incon&s;tant: For Madam, I have adored you every minute of time &s;ince I fir&s;t knew you: I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e that I have a &s;oule which is addicted unto plea&s;ures, and vvhich flies from any &s;ad thoughts: But for all that, &s;ince I had any apprehen&s;ions of loving you, I have quitted all that you can imagine may &s;teale avvay my heart, and upon my knees <HI>I</HI> beg the favour never to let me leave you againe: <HI>I</HI> knovv that <HI>I</HI> cannot vvith &s;afety appeare in <HI>Mytelene,</HI> and that <HI>I</HI> am to continue yet a long time bani&s;hed: But if it be &s;o that you do love me, you will al&s;o bani&s;h your &s;elfe
<PB N="157" REF="968">
for the love of me: For the very truth is Madam, I will never be ab&s;ent from you againe; and I am &s;o fully re&s;olved upon it, that though I were &s;ure <HI>Pittacus</HI> would arre&s;t me to morrow, yet would I not &s;tirre, for I had rather be his pri&s;o|ner then not your &s;lave Madam, and I would endure any torment in the world, rather then hazard the loo&s;ing you. Try Madam (&s;aid hee unto her) whether you are able to undertake a bold re&s;olution: I have left <HI>Sicily</HI> you &s;ee, as &s;oon as I &s;aw there was a nece&s;&s;ity of ju&s;tifying my &s;elfe in your opinion: Quit therefore <HI>Lesbos</HI> Madam without regret, to the end you may be as &s;ure of me; I will not li|mit you Madam, unto any place upon earth, &s;ince there is none wherein I cannot finde a happine&s;&s;e, &s;o I may &s;ee you, and &s;o you be unto me as formerly you have been, and as I hope you will be &s;till, notwith&s;tanding all my imbecilities. But <HI>Phaon</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Sapho</HI> then) is it po&s;&s;ible you &s;hould think what you &s;peak? and can <HI>I</HI> ever think that a man who is &s;o familiar with &s;uch a &s;imple per&s;on as &s;he who&s;e Letter <HI>I</HI> &s;ent you, can ever affect me who does nothing re&s;emble her? Tell mee <HI>Phaon,</HI> did you love her? Did you cea&s;e loving me? Do you love me yet? or do you now now begin to have &s;ome affection to mee? mu&s;t <HI>I</HI> look upon that love which <HI>I</HI> &s;ee in your eyes as a faithfull love? as a feigned love? or as a newly re|vived love? Look upon it Madam (replyed he) as a Love mortall which may &s;ometime hide it &s;elfe, but can never extinguish: And therefore for your owne tranquility Madam, and for my happine&s;&s;e let us make our fortunes in&s;eparable.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Sapho</HI> de&s;ired him to make an ingenuous confe&s;&s;ion of his la&s;t weak|ne&s;&s;e, and to relate all his adventures in <HI>Sicily,</HI> which he did with &s;o much &s;ince|rity, that <HI>Sapho</HI> was &s;atisfied. Yes Madam (&s;aid he unto her) <HI>I</HI> will confe&s;&s;e, that finding there a per&s;on whom I loved before I knew you; but Madam, &s;he did afford me only imperfect joyes, and my heart was never wholly engaged: I have al&s;o received from her &s;ome &s;ignes of tender affection; but I was without any trouble, ever ready to quit them as &s;oon as you called me back.</P>
<P>The truth is Madam, I was a little weak, but not incon&s;tant: my eyes 'tis true did find that you were not the only faire one upon Earth; but my heart never found any whom it could truly love but only the mo&s;t admirable <HI>Sapho.</HI> And to give you &s;ecurity again&s;t any future weakne&s;&s;e, I be&s;eech you make choi&s;e of what de&s;art I&s;le you plea&s;e where we may live together: For my part, I profe&s;&s;e that you are my All: and &s;o I may &s;ee you, I de&s;ire nothing el&s;e. Though I did nothing but heare you &s;peak, yet would my felicity be great: the charms of your wit, without being &s;econded by tho&s;e of your beauty, are enough to render me mo&s;t happy: All other per&s;ons that ever I met withall are &s;o ill practi&s;ed in the Art of obliging, that their greate&s;t favours are but trifles in compari&s;on with the lea&s;t of yours.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Phaon</HI> u&s;ed many more mo&s;t tender and pa&s;&s;ionate expre&s;&s;ions unto the admirable <HI>Sapho&punc;</HI> who an&s;wered him a long time as if she would not pardon him: but at la&s;t her anger cooling whether she would or no, she did not make him di&s;pair: but taking a medium between the&s;e two extreams, she permitted him to hope for a pardon &amp; promi&s;ed to meet him the next morning in the &s;ame place.</P>
<P>But Madam, why should I hold you &s;o long from the end of this adventure? <HI>Sapho</HI> &s;pent the whole night with <HI>Agela&s;te</HI> in con&s;idering what to re&s;olve upon; and upon &s;erious debate she concluded that she could not live happily upon the earth without the love of <HI>Phaon,</HI> and that &s;he could not a&s;&s;ure her &s;elfe of his affection as long as he was from her: So that after she had well con&s;idered how to order all her bu&s;ine&s;&s;e concerning her e&s;tate, she re&s;olved to put <HI>Phaon</HI> unto a great tryall of his love by obliging him to follow her in her de&s;ign of going with <HI>Phylire,</HI> and by obliging him to follow her upon certainties never to marry her: And ha&s;t being requi&s;ite in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, becau&s;e <HI>Phylire</HI> was to be marryed with|in eight dayes, and to depart the morrow after the &s;olemnization; <HI>Sapho</HI> acquain|ted <HI>Phaon</HI> the next day with her re&s;olutions: At the fir&s;t he liked the propo&s;ition of going with her into the Countrey of the new <HI>Sauromates</HI> very well, but he found it a hard chapter to promi&s;e he would never importune her unto marriage: But at la&s;t, &s;ince she gave him leave to love her, and promi&s;ed to love him, he promi&s;ed to do what she plea&s;ed: &s;o as after this, <HI>Sapho</HI> thought her &s;elfe the happie&s;t per&s;on in the world, and <HI>Phaon</HI> al&s;o thought him&s;elfe the happie&s;t Lover
<PB N="158" REF="969">
upon earth, &s;ince <HI>Agela&s;te</HI> had neither Father nor Mother living, but had lo&s;t all which could render <HI>Lesbos</HI> delightfull unto her, &s;he followed the fortune of <HI>Sapho</HI> who left her own Country with as much joy as <HI>Phaon</HI> had, to be in her favour And they both of them &s;o &s;atisfied each other by this re&s;olution, that they were mo&s;t glad to be quit of it. I was not at <HI>Mytelene</HI> when this pa&s;&s;ed: My Si&s;ter was in <HI>Phrigia,</HI> and though we had been with <HI>Sapho,</HI> I believe &s;he would not have imparted her de&s;ign unto us, lea&s;t we &s;hould oppo&s;e it.</P>
<P>The greate&s;t motive unto her forwardne&s;&s;e in this de&s;igne was, that knowing there was but one City in all this little Dominion of the new Sauromates, <HI>Phaon</HI> could not be often from her, &s;o as being &s;atisfied with his love in her pre&s;ence, &s;he hoped that place would yield her much content, &s;ince he could not po&s;&s;ibly be long ab&s;ent from her.</P>
<P>In the meane time, <HI>Agela&s;te</HI> having acquainted <HI>Phylire</HI> and <HI>Clirantes</HI> with the de&s;igne of <HI>Sapho</HI> and <HI>Phaon,</HI> they were extreamly glad of it, for that Illu&s;trious <HI>Sauromate,</HI> did know, that all tho&s;e Per&s;ons would ea&s;ily be admitted into his Country. Al&s;o con&s;idering the credit which he had with the Queen, he made no que&s;tion but all this good company would be extreamly well entertained. There great comfort in this journey was, that they had no thoughts to take for their &s;ub&s;i&s;tance. For <HI>Clirantes</HI> fir&s;t a&s;&s;ured them, that his e&s;tate was &s;ufficient to main|taine them all in full lu&s;ter, and be&s;ides this, It was the cu&s;tome of the Country for the Prince to give &s;uch e&s;tates unto &s;uch &s;trangers as are received, as is fitting for their quality and merit, and all this, <HI>Philires</HI> brother did know of a certainty.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Sapho</HI> did depart with intentions never to returne againe, &s;he di&s;po&s;ed of her e&s;tate as if &s;he were going to dye, and left Letters which con|tained her will, in the hands of an old Kin&s;woman &s;he had with orders not to open them untill a month after: After which, the marriage of <HI>Clyrantes</HI> and <HI>Philire</HI> was &s;ecretly &s;olemnized: And the next morning all this good company embar|qued, with intentions to pa&s;&s;e the Bo&s;phorus of Thrace, and to enter into the Euxine Sea afterwards to land about the Maeotidan lake. But they were no &s;ooner imbarqued, then there did ri&s;e a Tempe&s;t which changed their cour&s;e, for after it had to&s;&s;ed them from place to place, and from &s;hore to &s;hore, it ca&s;t them upon Epirus at the foot of a great Rock which is beaten upon by the Leucadian Sea, and upon which is built the Temple of <HI>Apollo;</HI> This Rock hath al&s;o another thing ve|ry ob&s;ervable, for it is &s;aid that there and from thence <HI>Deucalion,</HI> when he was in love in <HI>The&s;&s;alia</HI> did throw him&s;elfe into the Sea, and cooled his pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>However, after all this good company had rendred thanks unto the gods there adored, and after their &s;hip was repaired, they imbarqued and &s;teered their cour&s;e very pro&s;perou&s;ly, as <HI>Meriontes</HI> told me. But Madam, before I tell you any fur|ther what he related unto me, I mu&s;t acquaint you with the wonder of all them in <HI>Mytelene</HI> when <HI>Saphoes</HI> Co&s;en opened the Letters, in which &s;he had declared how her E&s;tate &s;hould be di&s;po&s;ed of: For when &s;he was gon; &s;he colloured her journey with the accompli&s;hment of a vow to <HI>Diana,</HI> who had a Temple &s;ome three days journey from <HI>Lesbos.</HI></P>
<P>But when they &s;aw &s;he di&s;po&s;ed of her E&s;tate as one who would never return a|gain, they kew not what to think.</P>
<P>In the mean time, out of her genero&s;ity, &s;he left almo&s;t her E&s;tate unto <HI>Cha|raxes,</HI> though they were at great difference; as for all tho&s;e things which were in her clo&s;et, &s;he bequeathed them among&s;t her friends, not mentioning her de&s;ign, nor the place unto which &s;he was gone: So as every one thought and &s;poke accor|ding to their fancies. Since &s;ome reports went a broad, that &s;he was di&s;plea&s;ed with <HI>Phaon</HI> for fallingin Love in <HI>Scicily.</HI> and &s;ince they knew not that he was returned un|to her, &s;ome beleived that &s;he was gone unto him, others &s;aid that &s;he ca&s;t her &s;elfe away, and indeed this la&s;t beleif was the mo&s;t generall, though not the mo&s;t probable. For &s;ince it was known that <HI>Sapho</HI> was at her hou&s;e in the country, be|fore &s;he imbarqued; the <HI>Plebeans,</HI> who always love wonders, and often beleive them &s;ooner than probalities, did &s;ay, that as &s;he was by the &s;ide of that plea&s;ant Fountain which <HI>I</HI> mentioned a <HI>Nagade</HI> appeared unto her, who did bid her go un|to <HI>Epirus,</HI> and that &s;he &s;hould throw her &s;elf into the &s;ea, in a place where a <HI>Du|calion</HI> formerly had thrown him&s;elf, and that &s;he &s;hould there be cured of her pa&s;&s;i|on,
<PB N="159" REF="969">
as he was of his, adding afterwards, that <HI>Sapho</HI> did immediatly obey the <HI>Na|gade,</HI> that &s;he went unto <HI>Epirus,</HI> that &s;he did precipitate her &s;elf, and that death in the end cured her pa&s;&s;ion. But the truth was, the more under&s;tanding &s;ort of peo|ple, did not credit any &s;uch far fetcht unlike &s;tories; for <HI>Sapho</HI> was known to be wi&s;er than &s;o: Al&s;o after I was returned unto <HI>Mytelene,</HI> I made &s;uch exact inqui|&s;ition, that at la&s;t, this friend of <HI>Phaons</HI> with whom he had concealed him&s;elf &s;ome certain dayes, did di&s;cover unto me that <HI>Phaon</HI> had been with him, that he had &s;een <HI>Sapho</HI> very often, and that he was gone away with her, but &s;ince he knew no further, <HI>I</HI> was &s;till ignorant of my friends de&s;ign: However, <HI>I</HI> was &s;o far &s;atisfied, that <HI>I</HI> knew <HI>Sapho</HI> was not dead, and that <HI>Phaon</HI> was happy in her favour, for <HI>I</HI> might well imagin, that they would never have gone together, unle&s;s they had been very well reconciled. But the pa&s;&s;age mo&s;t ob&s;ervable was, that though <HI>Phylire,</HI> her brother, and <HI>Agela&s;te</HI> were vani&s;hed as well as <HI>Sapho,</HI> yet they were not &s;o much as mentioned; for <HI>Saphoes</HI> adventure did &s;o take up their &s;pirits and minds, that they talked of none but her.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the poor <HI>Nycanor</HI> was a gainer by this accident; for when he heard that <HI>Sapho</HI> had drowned her &s;elf, becau&s;e &s;he thought <HI>Phaon</HI> perfidious he cured him&s;elf of his pa&s;&s;ion, thinking it not fit to love the memory of one who&s;e love was &s;o extream to another:</P>
<P>As for <HI>Damophile,</HI> &s;he was the only one who rejoyced at <HI>Saphoes</HI> ruin, becau&s;e then &s;he thought her &s;elf the only wi&s;e woman in <HI>Mytelene.</HI></P>
<P>But Madam, after my &s;i&s;ter was returned from <HI>Phrygia,</HI> we di&s;covered that <HI>Cli|rantes</HI> had marryed <HI>Phylire</HI> before they departed, &s;o as remembring we heard from <HI>Clirantes</HI> an admirable de&s;cription of his Countryes Laws, we imagined, that it was thither unto which <HI>Sapho, Phaon,</HI> and <HI>Agela&s;te</HI> were gon, and &s;o confidently, as to &s;atisfie my &s;elf, I underdertook this voyage with <HI>Leontidus,</HI> whom I met.</P>
<P>In the mean time, I may &s;ay that this journey did pro&s;per neither well nor ill: For <HI>I</HI> under&s;tood by the valiant <HI>Meriontes,</HI> that <HI>Sapho</HI> and <HI>Phaon</HI> were received by the <HI>Sauromartan</HI> queen, with more honours than ever were done unto any &s;tran|gers, that &s;he was lodged in the Queens own Pallace, that <HI>Phaon</HI> was lodged in <HI>Glirantes</HI> his hou&s;e, that they were both of them the delights of that Court, that <HI>Phylire</HI> is there in high e&s;teem, and that <HI>Agela<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e</HI> hath gotten the hearts of all the Gallantry. But that which is mo&s;t con&s;iderable, <HI>Phaon</HI> is at this pre&s;ent, the mo&s;t faithfull Lover in the world, and <HI>Sapho</HI> the happie&s;t per&s;on upon Earth, for &s;he is adored by all the Court, it is &s;he who di&s;tributes all the favours which the Queen of <HI>Sauromates</HI> confers upon any; and &s;he &s;ees <HI>Phaon</HI> continue con&s;tant in mo&s;t &s;ervent and everla&s;ting affections. And yet they had a little quarrell &s;ince they came thither, for &s;ince there are Laws and Rules for Love, and &s;ince there are Judges who &s;tudy nothing but what relates unto that pa&s;&s;ion, <HI>Phaon</HI> com|menced a &s;uit again&s;t <HI>Sapho,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he would nor permit him to hope ever to marry her: <HI>Sapho,</HI> &s;he put in her an&s;wer, and pleaded her own cau&s;e, as <HI>Phaon</HI> did his, and both did it mo&s;t admirably well: But in conclu&s;ion, <HI>Sapho</HI> did make it &s;o evidently appear, that the way to love eternally with equall flames, was never to marry, that the Judges gave &s;entence again&s;t <HI>Phaon,</HI> and condemned him not to urge her any more by way of &s;uite; declaring, that it was a favour which he ought to expect from her &s;elf, and that he would e&s;teem him&s;elf the mo&s;t happy Lo|ver in the Earth, and being loved by the mo&s;t excellent per&s;on in the world, and by a per&s;on who would not deny him the enjoyment of her &s;elf, but only becau&s;e &s;he would always enjoy his heart; &s;o as after this, they lived in the &s;weete&s;t tran|quility that is imaginable: But what is mo&s;t cruell for me, is, that <HI>Meriontes</HI> told me, <HI>Sapho</HI> and <HI>Phaon</HI> were &s;o afraid, lea&s;t any &s;hould come from <HI>Mytelene</HI> to di|&s;turb their happine&s;s, as they have obliged the Queen, &s;trictly to forbid the recep|tion of any &s;trangers into that country for ten years, &s;o as my journey is &s;topped. Thus whil&s;t <HI>Sapho</HI> is enjoying the good fortune which &s;he de&s;erves, &s;he is belei|ved to be dead throughout all <HI>Greece,</HI> and will ever be &s;o beleived; for I under|&s;tand that the &s;hip which carried them, did peri&s;h in its return.</P>
<P>Thus whil&s;t this famous <HI>Lesbian</HI> is doubtle&s;s every day compo&s;ing mo&s;t gallant, and pa&s;&s;ionate fancies in Ver&s;e, all the illu&s;trious wits of <HI>Greece,</HI> are writing Epi|taphes unto her glory.</P>
<P><PB N="160" REF="970">
<HI>Democedes</HI> having ended, all the company was &s;o full of wonder, that none were able to impo&s;e &s;ilence upon them&s;elves, and if the bu&s;ine&s;s of the invincible <HI>Cyrus</HI> had not urged his return, the applauds of <HI>Sapho</HI> had taken up all tho&s;e illu&s;trious per&s;ons a longer time. But as the fervent love of <HI>Phaon</HI> and <HI>Sapho</HI> did revive his Love of <HI>Mandana</HI> in his heart, he ha&s;ted away, to &s;ee if <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> had &s;ent any good news from <HI>Thomyris,</HI> therefore after many a complement unto the Queen of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Armenia,</HI> he bade them adieu, but to the great grief of tho&s;e Prince&s;&s;es, <HI>Tygranes,</HI> and <HI>Spitridates</HI> followed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and had not time e|nough to &s;hew the &s;orrows which they had to leave them, yet <HI>Spitridates</HI> took an opportunity to draw <HI>Araminta</HI> a&s;ide, and expre&s;&s;ed &s;o much aflection unto her, that &s;he could not choo&s;e but &s;hew &s;ome of her tenderne&s;s unto him. I perceive Ma|dam (&s;aid he unto her after many other things) that I never find you, but I pre|&s;ently loo&s;e you again, and I no &s;ooner begin my joyes at the &s;eeing of you; but I mu&s;t grieve for parting from you. But my comfort is (added he) we &s;hall be &s;o neer, that I &s;hall every day let you know my &s;ufferings, as I &s;end you the victo|ries of <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<P>Since there is no victory, but may co&s;t too dear, (replyed &s;he mo&s;t obligingly) I &s;hall never be at re&s;t: For truly <HI>Spitridates,</HI> we are both of us born under &s;uch unhappy Planets, that doubtle&s;s our Fears ought to be greater than our Hopes, However Madam, (&s;aid <HI>Spitridates)</HI> I &s;hall not loo&s;e my hope, of being loved by you, if the Gods be plea&s;ed I &s;hould live after the victory of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> or el&s;e of being lamented, if they are re&s;olved I &s;hould peri&s;h in the War, &s;o death not forbid|ding my hope, you Madam <HI>I</HI> hope will give me leave to pre&s;erve it: For I find it &s;o &s;weet to be a&s;&s;ured I &s;hall receive te&s;timonies of your affection living or dead, that no thought can be more plea&s;ing unto me. And therefore Madam, that the&s;e thoughts may never abandon me, do me the honour to tell me, that I have rea&s;on to entertaine them: you may be &s;o a&s;&s;ured of them Sir, an&s;wered &s;he, as you would do me an injury to ask me new a&s;&s;urances. Hope therefore <HI>Spitridates,</HI> as muchas you can for happine&s;&s;e (&s;aid &s;he and blu&s;hed) and I will in your ab&s;ence both hope and wi&s;h the &s;ight of you againe.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> having done all his civilities, <HI>Spitridates</HI> mu&s;t leave <HI>A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">iminta;</HI> And <HI>Tigranes</HI> mu&s;t content him&s;elfe to tell his faire <HI>One&s;ile</HI> in two words, that his heart was full of &s;orrow to part &s;o &s;oone.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> in his returne to the Camp called <HI>Leontidus</HI> to him; with whom he thought that he had not talked enough concerning <HI>Thra&s;ibulus,</HI> yet he talked not to him all of that Prince, for he sked him of his love, and asked him the meaning, of that which he &s;aid, when he a&s;&s;ured him, that he had no mind to expo&s;e him&s;elf unto the mo&s;t dangerous of all jealou&s;ies; Sir, replyed <HI>Leontidas,</HI> I can quickly give you &s;atisfaction in that: For after I had been jealous of my friends, of my enemies, of my equalls, of inferiours of &s;uperiours, <HI>I</HI> found that <HI>Alcidamea</HI> who had lo&s;t her beauty, did recover it againe, and <HI>I</HI> found her &s;o favourable, that <HI>I</HI> &s;aw <HI>I</HI> could marry her But Sir, when <HI>I</HI> &s;aw my &s;elf in this condition <HI>I</HI> perceived al&s;o, that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould be &s;till jealous after <HI>I</HI> had marryed her, for &s;eeking about for her rea&s;on why &s;he &s;hould &s;o &s;uddenly change her thoughts of me, <HI>I</HI> found out that &s;he lodged very neer one of her ancient Lovers. Al&s;o <HI>I</HI> was re&s;olved, that if <HI>I</HI> did marry her, to carry her into the Country the very next day. So as perceiving in my heart a di&s;po&s;ition to be a jealous Husband, as I had ever been a jealous Lover. I conceived that I &s;hould have lived a mo&s;t mi&s;erable life, if I had married <HI>Alcidamea,</HI> therefore out of my feares of hating her and being hated my &s;elfe, I thought it better not to marry her; for I may cea&s;e to be jealous in cea&s;&s;ing to love, but when I am a Hu&s;|band and jealous, then Jealou&s;ie will not cea&s;e with the pa&s;&s;ion which cau&s;ed it; but this thing cal'd Honour which cau&s;eth &s;o much jealou&s;ie as well as love cau&s;eth jea|lou&s;ie to la&s;t till death, and would never let me live in quiet. For there is no re|conciliations of Husbands and Wives, as there is between Lovers and Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es, the one hath a thou&s;and &s;weets in it, and the other nothing but quarrells and per&s;ecu|tions. And therefore Sir, having had tryall of all &s;orts of jealou&s;ies, and appre|hending this kind to be the wor&s;t of all, I am re&s;olved never to try it but have broke off with <HI>Alcidamia,</HI> never to renew againe.</P>
<P>If you had bin as much in love as you were when you thought <HI>Policrates</HI> loved your
<PB N="161" REF="970">
Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> you would not have been &s;o fore&s;eeing, nor would you have refu&s;ed the enjoyment of her: But certainly &s;o many &s;everall &s;orts of Jealou|&s;ies have damped your pa&s;&s;ion, and being then more prudent then amorous, per|haps you knevv that <HI>Alcidamia</HI> vvould alvvays give you cau&s;es of jealou&s;ie.</P>
<P>However it be Sir (added he) I am fully re&s;olved never to love any thing but glory: and knowing I could meet with it no where &s;o &s;oon as with you, I am come to dye in your &s;ervice, or at lea&s;t to fight for the liberty of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> having returned a very civill an&s;wer unto <HI>Leontidus,</HI> he talked a little with <HI>Democedes</HI> concerning the mo&s;t admirable <HI>Sapho,</HI> and &s;o afterwards unto every one which followed, e&s;pecially unto <HI>Spitridates</HI> and <HI>Tigranes,</HI> whom he lodged next unto his own Tent: And to te&s;tifie his confidence in them, he &s;hewed them the next mornnig the manner of his Encampment; and conferred with them of his de&s;ign to a&s;&s;ault the Enemy as &s;oon as the Truce was ended: In order to that, he ob&s;erved unto them the &s;cituation of the ground, &amp; all the advantages which might be taken, every one giving his opinion and his rea&s;on for it. But &s;ince the opinion of <HI>Spitridates</HI> did not concur with that of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who thought it better to go unto the Enemy another way then that which <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hewed him, he intended &s;ilently to go and ob&s;erve the &s;everall Quarters neare&s;t hand, and the rather, becau&s;e the Truce did afford him the liberty.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, whil&s;t <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> was negotiating in vain with <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Arcantes, Aripithes</HI> was extreamly angry, becau&s;e the Queen of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes</HI> did u&s;e him &s;o ill, &s;o as his fancy was full of violent re&s;olutions. And indeed, the Prince conceiving that if <HI>Cyrus</HI> were dead, then he might &s;ooner gain the heart of that Queen, he re&s;olved that either he, or his Rivall &s;hould peri&s;h. In order to this, he &s;tole away in the night from the Camp of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> and went towards that of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> di&s;gui&s;ed in the habit of a <HI>Per&s;ian,</HI> the better to pa&s;&s;e un-ob&s;erved among&s;t the Troops of that Prince: For knowing his genero&s;ity and courage, he was per&s;waded, that as he had fought with the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and offered the like unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> &s;o he would not deny him the &s;ame honour: So as taking his way, he came about Sun-ri&s;ing unto a little hill which was between the two Camps, where <HI>Spitridates</HI> was al&s;o arrived, the better to ob&s;erve the &s;everall grounds which he thought mo&s;t fit to &s;eize upon to fight the Enemy with advan|tage, and to the end that afterwards he might better per&s;wade <HI>Cyrus.</HI> In the mean time this Prince having none with him but one Squire, as <HI>Aripithes</HI> had, they met upon equall termes.</P>
<P><HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Aripithes</HI> in the habit of a Per&s;ian, did not at fir&s;t take him for an Enemy: But <HI>Aripithes</HI> being mi&s;taken by the re&s;emblance which <HI>Spitrida|tes</HI> had with <HI>Cyrus;</HI> he no &s;ooner &s;aw him, but &s;uppo&s;ing him to be his Rivall, he was &s;o tran&s;ported with fury, that his eyes were not able to di&s;cern the little difference which was between tho&s;e two Princes. Indeed, he thought that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;omething more high and noble in his Aire than <HI>Spitridatee</HI> had, though <HI>Spitridates</HI> had as brave a pre&s;ence as any man in the world. The &s;oule of <HI>Aripi|thes</HI> then being &s;welled with all the animo&s;itie of a de&s;pi&s;ed Lover, he drew his &s;word; and advancing towards him whom he looked upon as the only Eclip&s;er of his glory and felicity: Though I never &s;aw you &s;ince you bore the name of <HI>Ar|tamenes</HI> (&s;aid he unto him in the A&s;&s;yrian Language, which <HI>Spitridates</HI> under|&s;tood) yet I can know you to be <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and vvill look upon you as one that &s;hall be a Victime offered unto the love of <HI>Aripithes,</HI> who cannot be happy as long as you are living.</P>
<P>Were I indeed <HI>Cyrus</HI> (replyed <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and went back apace to draw his Sword) the event of the Combate would not be dubious, but your defeat would be infallible: Yet though I am not &s;o valiant as he, yet perhaps I &s;hall let you &s;ee that I &s;hall ea&s;ily overcome any Enemy of his: <HI>Aripithes</HI> being all fury, did but confu&s;edly under&s;tand what <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;aid: but in lieu of an&s;wer, he fell up|on that Prince who received him with &s;o much vigour, that <HI>Aripithes</HI> had not lea&s;ure to undeceive him&s;elfe of his errour, that it was <HI>Cyrus</HI> whom he fought with:</P>
<P><HI>Spitridates</HI> looking upon his Antagoni&s;t as an Enemy unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he fought
<PB N="162" REF="971">
with as much feare as if he had been his own particular Enemy, &s;o as <HI>Aripithes</HI> found his valour too weak to vanqui&s;h &s;uch an Enemy: in&s;omuch as fury being the ab&s;olute mi&s;tre&s;&s;e of his mind, he expo&s;ed him&s;elfe in &s;uch a de&s;perate man|ner as it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee, he was re&s;olved either to vanqui&s;h, or dye, and wi&s;hed for no more but either victory, or death: Yet he fought &s;o valiantly, that he mo|ved <HI>Spitridates</HI> to e&s;teem him, though he knew him not; for he &s;aw, that if this fierce Enemy had managed all his advantages well, he had found him a hard taske to overcome: Not but that the blows of <HI>Aripithes</HI> did hit, and pierced the armes of his Enemy in many places: but Fortune did enfeeble the arme of <HI>Aripithes,</HI> purpo&s;ely to pre&s;erve <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who had only one &s;light hurt in his left arme; whereas on the contrary, <HI>Spitridates</HI> could not touch <HI>Aripithes,</HI> but he &s;angu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h'd his armes, and wounded him in &s;o many places, that he &s;aw the victory was not like to be his; nor could he hope for any help from his Squire, for he was al&s;o van|qui&s;hed by him who belonged unto <HI>Spitridates.</HI></P>
<P>Things being thus, <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was gone to view the pla|ces which rai&s;ed their Conte&s;t: and de&s;iring to &s;ee them again, he arrived at the place where this Duel was fought: &s;o as knowing <HI>Aripithes</HI> at fir&s;t, and doubting but that he was mi&s;taken in the re&s;emblance of <HI>Spitridates</HI> unto him, he went ha&s;tily to them to let this <HI>Sauromate</HI> Prince &s;ee his errour, and to make him re|pent his a&s;&s;aulting a Prince who was not his Enemy. And adding words unto his Pre&s;ence, <HI>Aripithes</HI> knew him; and was &s;o a&s;toni&s;hed, that he recoyled &s;ome pa|ces back to con&s;ider upon the &s;trange adventure. After that he plainly &s;aw his mi|&s;take, had I &s;een the blood of my Enemy (&s;aid he unto <HI>Spitridates)</HI> I &s;hould not repent had I let it out as <HI>I</HI> do of yours; nor &s;hould <HI>I</HI> ever have complained of that which <HI>I</HI> have lo&s;t, or of my being vanqui&s;hed: <HI>I</HI> am &s;o fully per&s;waded, va|liant &s;tranger (replyed <HI>Spitridates</HI> mode&s;tly) that it was the name of <HI>Cyrus</HI> which vanqui&s;hed you, that <HI>I</HI> do not pretend unto the glory of our Combate, &s;ince it is rather the fortune of that Princes Arms which are invincible, then my own valour which kept me from being vanqui&s;hed. No (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> &s;ince you have &s;upply|ed my place, the valour of <HI>Aripithes</HI> found greater re&s;i&s;tance then he could have from me: But valiant Enemy (&s;aid he and turned towards him) &s;ince you have a de&s;ire <HI>I</HI> &s;hould be yours, <HI>I</HI> am well contented to bee &s;o, though <HI>I</HI> am not your Rivall. And to &s;tay untill you are in a condition to finde the difference be|tween the valour of <HI>Spitridates</HI> and mine, let me conduct you into one of my Tents, that you may be dre&s;&s;ed with as much care as if you were the be&s;t of my friends: No, replyed <HI>Aripithes</HI> fiercely, for generous Enemies ought not to re|ceive any thing from each other but death. And becau&s;e I will not le&s;&s;en my ha|tred by receiving of benefits, I will refu&s;e your offer, and de&s;ire no other favour from you, but to let me return unto the Camp of <HI>Thomyris.</HI></P>
<P>Though I might very well treat you as a Spye (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> &s;ince you are found in a di&s;gui&s;ed habit during the Treaty: Yet I will not, but will let you have a Coach to carry you where you plea&s;e. <HI>Aripithes</HI> at fir&s;t refu&s;ed this la&s;t favour, but at la&s;t perceiving he was not able to ride, he was forced to accept of it: And <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent immediately to &s;eek a Coach and Chyrurgeons, and left one to helpe his Squire to hold him up, for he was not able to &s;tand by him&s;elfe. <HI>Spitridates</HI> at parting gave him a very civill Complement, unto which the other an&s;wered with a kind of &s;urly civility. After which, this Prince followed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to per|&s;wade him unto his opinion concerning the ground which they had viewed.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince he had received a little hurt in his left arme, <HI>Cyrus</HI> would &s;ee him dre&s;&s;ed, though <HI>Spitridates</HI> would not have him: and &s;ince the armes of that Prince were cut in &s;everall places, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;ent him tho&s;e rich Armes which he wore the fir&s;t time when the forty Cavalliers con&s;pired to kill him, and &s;ince wore upon &s;everall great occa&s;ions. Since they were very rich and magnifi|cent, the Pre&s;ent was worthy both of the giver and Receiver.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the five dayes of Treaty being expired, and <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> had effected nothing, this &s;age Scythian was forced to leave <HI>Thomyris</HI> unto her bad de&s;tinies, and came unto <HI>Cyrus.</HI> But it is ob&s;ervable, that before he departed, he under&s;tood how that Queen hearing how <HI>Aripithes</HI> was returned wounded, and that he went from the Camp with a de&s;ign of killing <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;he was &s;o incen&s;ed a|gain&s;t
<PB N="163" REF="971">
him, that &s;he commanded him to retire; for though &s;he much complained again&s;t <HI>Cyrus,</HI> yet &s;he did not wi&s;h his death: &s;o as not being able to hide her an|gry re&s;entments: and <HI>Aripithes</HI> hearing of them, he was &s;o grieved, that he dyed within twenty four hours after. But <HI>Thomyris</HI> was not long in this mind; for &s;o it chanced, that on the la&s;t day of the Treaty, <HI>Cyrus</HI> writ unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> and &s;ent her Letter by a di&s;gui&s;ed &s;ervant, to the end <HI>Gelonide</HI> might convey it unto that Prince&s;&s;e: This Letter in lieu of coming to the hands of <HI>Gelonide,</HI> did fall in|to the hands of <HI>Thomyris;</HI> for the &s;ervant being &s;topped by the way by &s;ome acci|dent or other, he came not to the place where the Queen was untill an hour af|ter the Treaty ended: but it did &s;o perplex the heart of this Prince&s;&s;e, that hatred took the place of Love: For <HI>Cyrus</HI> thinking this would be the la&s;t Letter which he &s;hould write unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> before the end of the Warre, which could never end before either his death, or the liberty of his Prince&s;s, he writ it with un-ima|ginable pa&s;&s;ionatene&s;s concerning her, and with extream bitterne&s;&s;e concerning <HI>Thomyris.</HI></P>
<P>The truth is, all the mo&s;t tender expre&s;&s;ions which the mo&s;t zealous love could invent, were included within this Letter, which came to the hands of this Queen who&s;e &s;pirits were &s;o much incen&s;ed at it, that if <HI>Cyrus</HI> had promi&s;ed her &s;ome eternall affection, and had by this given her &s;ome te&s;timonies of his incon&s;tancy, &s;he could not po&s;&s;ibly have been more incen&s;ed again&s;t him: So as thinking upon nothing but Warre and Revenge, and all her Forces being in as good a po&s;ture as &s;he could wi&s;h, &s;he prepared for a Combate.</P>
<P><HI>Ariantes</HI> on his &s;ide, &s;eeing that a Battle mu&s;t be fought to decide this great bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e upon which depended the happine&s;&s;e or mi&s;ery of &s;o many illu&s;trious per|&s;ons, began to think upon all manner of &s;tratagems which might ruine <HI>Cyrus:</HI> and finding that it would be a marvellous di&s;advantage to him, if <HI>Thomyris</HI> could get the Fort of <HI>Sauromates</HI> into her power, becau&s;e then if the Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> were engaged on this &s;ide the woods, he had no place of retreat in ca&s;e he were o|vercome: and therefore he imagined all manner of wayes how to bring this great de&s;ign about.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> on the other &s;ide being much perplexed that <HI>Thomyris</HI> by her frivolous Negotiations had retarded his de&s;igns, he did begin to think how he might by his diligence gayn that time which had been lo&s;t: Yet he had the &s;atisfaction of be|ing commended by the wi&s;e <HI>Anachar&s;is,</HI> who declared him free from all the &s;add con&s;equences of this War. After which, he went unto the Queen of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Armenia</HI> at the Fort of <HI>Sauromates.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean while, how de&s;irous &s;oever both &s;ides were of fighting, yet it was a long time before any a&s;&s;aults were given; becau&s;e each &s;ide watching for advan|tage, and unwilling to hazard a definitive Battle ra&s;hly, they would not fall on without &s;ome appearance of it.: But in the interim of all the&s;e great preparations, <HI>Mandana</HI> lived in &s;uch a generall ignorance as that &s;he knew nothing; For nei|ther the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> nor <HI>I&s;trina,</HI> nor <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> did &s;ee her, &s;o as &s;he had no other con&s;olation but what &s;he had from <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia.</HI> Yet &s;he had &s;o much &s;atisfaction as to imagine, that if things went not on the &s;ide of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> they would tell her: For <HI>Thomiris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> u&s;ed always to let her know the wor&s;t, but concealed the be&s;t news from her: And &s;ince it was many dayes &s;ince they told her any thing, &s;he concluded by infallible con&s;equence, that the &s;ide of <HI>Cyrus</HI> had the advantage: Thus her hopes that <HI>Cyrus</HI> would be victorious, and &s;he ere long relea&s;ed, did afford her &s;oule much tranquility.</P>
<P>But at la&s;t, after long watching for advantages on both &s;ides, both <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Thomyris</HI> re&s;olved to give Battle: And though <HI>Cyrus</HI> could have wi&s;hed a little longer delay, becau&s;e he knew that a very great force vvhich <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent him vvas very nigh: Yet &s;ince he never in his life refu&s;ed fighting vvhen any occa&s;ion vvas offered, he could not novv recoile: &s;o as every one in both Armies prepa|ring for a Fight, one might have &s;een the very &s;ame &s;pirit, and the &s;ame zeale in tvvo huge Armies. On the one &s;ide, <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> omitted nothing which might conduce to obtaine the victory. On the other &s;ide, <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Man|danes</HI> were as vigilant and circum&s;pect as po&s;&s;ible, to vanqui&s;h and relea&s;e <HI>Man|dana. Myr&s;iles, Intaphernes, Atergatis,</HI> and <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> exa&s;perated by intere&s;t of
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Love, they did contribute their whole a&s;&s;i&s;tance unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and to get the vi|ctory: And the la&s;t of the&s;e had a new rea&s;on to de&s;ire it, for he under&s;tood that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was in the Tents Royall, and that <HI>Lycander</HI> did not know him to be his Rivall.</P>
<P>Moreover, <HI>Artamus, Tygranes, Spitridates,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the brave Ones in this Army, prepared them&s;elves for victory or death. But though <HI>Cyrus</HI> at other times when he was ready to give battell, was wont to be all joy, yet now his &s;pirits were not &s;o tranquill as he was wont, and he perceived in him&s;elf &s;uch a &s;ecret me|lancholly (the cau&s;e of which he knew not) as &s;eemed a bad Omen unto him. Yet he did di&s;&s;emble it as much as he could, and tempered his &s;ad thoughs with rea&s;on: Indeed, he was as active as if he re&s;ented no &s;uch thoughts, yet that day he would weare only a a common &s;uit of Arms; but as for <HI>Spitridates,</HI> he wore tho&s;e which <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave him, and he wore them with &s;o good a grace, and &s;o noble a Aire, as he was much more re&s;embling that illu&s;trious <HI>Hero;</HI> Indeed many &s;ouldiers who knew not that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had given tho&s;e rich arms unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> did take him for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and were deceived by that marvelous re&s;emblance which was between them. How|ever, though <HI>Cyrus</HI> had only common Arms, yet he had &s;o high an Air, and &s;uch a Princely command, that it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee, that it was his admirable pre&s;ence which was his only ornament, and which attracted the looks of all about him: But at la&s;t after Orders were given in both Armies, &s;ome certain &s;pies which <HI>Cyrus</HI> had in the Army of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> returned unto his, who acquainted him that in the morning, there had been a combate betwixt two &s;trangers who were with that Queen, the name of the one was <HI>Meliantes,</HI> and the other <HI>Lycander;</HI> that the fir&s;t had killed the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;econd, and that the Conquerour was &s;till in favour with <HI>Thomyris,</HI> and would be in the battell, relating afterwards, all they knew concerning the Enemies Army.</P>
<P><HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> being then with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> heard what the &s;pies &s;aid, for he commanded them to &s;peak aloud before <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> &s;o as being exceedingly grieved that this ami|able Rivall was not killed by the Ravi&s;her of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> he made a hundred vows to meet him in the battell, and to have a particular combat with him in the generall battell, for he alwaies had ob&s;erved that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was &s;o much in <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> favour that he could not choo&s;e but be jealous, yet &s;ince that place was not fit for the ex|pre&s;&s;ing the re&s;entments of his Soule, hee &s;aid not a word unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who&s;e mind was &s;o taken up with de&s;ires of vanqui&s;hing, that he took no notice of <HI>Hy|da&s;pes.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean while, the fatall moment de&s;tined for the beginning of this bloody battle being come, the two Armies which were drawn up, almo&s;t with equal advan|tage, advanced; and as &s;oon as ever they were within bow &s;hot, a cloud of Arrows began to dusk the Air: But when their Quiers were emptied, and that all their other Engins had done their Execution, the &s;word undertook to decide this great and terrible dayes work, which did nothing re&s;emble the battells which <HI>Cyrus</HI> formerly &s;ought: For in other battells he alwaies fought his Troops in order, but in this he could not po&s;&s;ibly, and there was &s;uch a confu&s;ion in both Armies, that the &s;ouldiers hardly knew their own colours.</P>
<P>However, the fight was &s;harp and bloody, and there was &s;uch an animo&s;ity between the Combatants, as there appeared the &s;ame cruelty in both of them. As for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> his actions were this day &s;o prodigious, that were they particula|rized, they would be incredible, for in the mid&s;t of this great di&s;order, where death looked grim on all &s;ides, he helpt the feeble, rallied tho&s;e which fled, and going continually from place to place, it may be &s;aid, that he run through all the dangers of the battell, yet his care could not bring him to meet with <HI>Ariantes,</HI> but he killed the valiant <HI>Octoma&s;ades</HI> with his own hand, and he made his way through all places where his &s;word did glitter: Indeed, this great Prince being &s;econded by the valour of <HI>Mazares,</HI> and &s;o many valiant Commanders and brave men, that he had put his Enemies &s;o to rout, as the victory had been his without di&s;pute, <HI>Tho|miris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> had been ruin'd, and <HI>Mandana</HI> relea&s;ed, had it not been for one peice of ill news which he received. For as he was in this glorious condition, intel|ligence was brought him, that <HI>Andramites</HI> had &s;urprized the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> that he had &s;ent the Queen of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Armenia,</HI> unto the
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Tents Royall; that <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> and the King of <HI>Hyrcania,</HI> were in the Fort very &s;lenderly guarded; that <HI>Andramites</HI> told <HI>Meriontes</HI> that he was free, and that <HI>Meriontes</HI> told him again, he would not be &s;o, but would return unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> as &s;oon as he could take hor&s;e, for he would not be delivered by any hand, but that which had &s;aved his life: Adding, that <HI>Andramites</HI> was with his Troops, between the Fort and the Wood which was burnt.</P>
<P>This news doubtle&s;s did much trouble <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but &s;ince the bringers of it, had told it confu&s;edly unto all they met, it had &s;uch ill con&s;equences, that it intirely changed the de&s;tiny of the battell, for things were told and heard in tumult, they are never rightly under&s;tood, &s;o as pa&s;&s;ing in a &s;hort time from mouth to mouth, in the very mid&s;t of the Combat, the tale was &s;o changed, that it was told the Van-guard, that the Rearguard was routed, that the Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;et about on all &s;ides, and that <HI>Thomyris</HI> her &s;elf in per&s;on, was at the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> to hin|der <HI>Cyrus</HI> in his retreat.</P>
<P>This fal&s;e news did &s;o blunt the valour of the &s;ouldiers, that from hopes of being Conquerours, they fell to fears of being conquered, and indeed were like to be &s;o; for they were &s;o full of Pannick fears, that the flying Enemy perceiving it, did rally again, and the de&s;tiny changing, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">they &s;hrunk before tho&s;e whom they put to rout: <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who was gon to the left wing, after this ill news was known, he was &s;o compa&s;&s;ed by tho&s;e whom fears had mo&s;t put into confu&s;ion, that he did what he could to infu&s;e courage into them, and to bring them to fight, but he could not, yet he rea&s;&s;embled a little body, with which he kept his ground, but it was &s;o incon&s;i|derable in compari&s;on of that va&s;t body which was before him, that as brave as he was, he thought it impo&s;&s;ible to retreat without di&s;honour, but this Prince wear|ing tho&s;e rich arms which <HI>Cyrus</HI> had formerly &s;o gloriou&s;ly worn, he thought him|&s;elf obliged to do &s;omthing extraordinary, and therefore he incouraged tho&s;e whom he had rallied to &s;econd him in his de&s;ign, and by his example, to move tho&s;e who fled to return, &s;o as in this dangerous occa&s;ion he did things worthy his re&s;em|blance of <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Ariantes</HI> being in the head of tho&s;e who were before <HI>Spitri|dates</HI> al&s;o knowing tho&s;e arms, and being mi&s;taken by the re&s;emblance between <HI>Cyrus</HI> and that Prince, he verily thought him to be his Rivall, &s;o as he made to|towards him, and a&s;&s;aulted him with &s;uch vigour, that it was apparant, he was per|&s;waded; if he could overcome this terrible Enemy, he &s;hould overcome the whole Army.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;eeing him&s;elf &s;o hotly &s;et upon, did defend him|&s;elf in &s;uch an heroick manner, that if the little body in which he was, had been a|ble to held up again&s;t that which <HI>Ariantes</HI> commanded, he had not been overcom, but being extreamly <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nequall in number, they were intirely broken, do what <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> could, who was already wounded in &s;everall places.</P>
<P>However, &s;ince he was parted from <HI>Ariantes,</HI> by the tumult in the combat, he thought that he might retreat; but as he was endeavouring it, he was compa&s;&s;ed about you with fifteen or twenty Ma&s;&s;agettans or Gelons, who thinking him to be <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and thinking to end the war by ending his life, never endeavoured to take him pri&s;oner, lea&s;t his valour &s;hould then become ma&s;ter of theirs, but falling all at once upon <HI>Spitridates,</HI> this great and unfortunate Prince, did &s;ee him&s;elf in mo&s;t ex|tream danger: However, though he had none with him but a very few of his own men, yet he encouraged them to do as he did, and indeed they did &s;o bravely &s;econd him, that if a Javelin which run him through, had not made him fall from his hor&s;e, he had been able to have vanqui&s;hed his vanqui&s;hers. But as &s;oon as this illu&s;trious Prince was fallen, &s;ome of his men coming to him; and de&s;iring to &s;tay with him: No, no my companions, (&s;aid he unto them,) you mu&s;t not &s;tay with me, for it is here where I mu&s;t dye, but it is not here where you mu&s;t vanqui&s;h, and get that Prince&s;s whom I adore, out of the power of the cruell <HI>Thomyris:</HI> The&s;e generous words being heard by the enemy, they wer more per&s;waded that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> for they thought that the Prince&s;s whom he &s;pok of was the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana,</HI> though <HI>Spitridates</HI> doubtle&s;s meant <HI>Araminta,</HI> whom he heard <HI>Andramites</HI> had &s;ent unto the Tents Royall, &s;o as falling upon him all at once, they killed him out right though his men did as much as men could do to hinder them, and then began &s;uch
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a re&s;olute combate for his body, as never was the like, for &s;ince a report went a|mong the &s;ouldiers which fled, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was on that &s;ide, &s;ome of them rallied, and fought with more courage to revenge their Prince whom they thought dead, and to defend his corps, than they had done to obtain the victory. But <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;ide being the &s;tronger, they carried away this illu&s;trious Corps, and &s;lew all tho&s;e who made re&s;i&s;tance: All this while, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing the generall terrour in all his Troops, and not being able to be every where, he &s;ent about his friends &s;everall ways, to try if they could infu&s;e heart into them, whil&s;t he endeavoured to rally tho&s;e who were about him.</P>
<P>He &s;ent therefore <HI>Mazares</HI> on one &s;ide, and <HI>Artamus</HI> on another, and likewi&s;e he di&s;per&s;ed <HI>Intaphernes, Atergatis, Indather&s;is, Hyda&s;pes,</HI> and all the brave ones of his Army, &s;o as &s;ending them away one after another, as he thought mo&s;t expedient, there &s;tayed not one man of command with him, and there remained none but his very &s;elf to rally all his di&s;per&s;ed Troops. Indeed he a&s;&s;embled toge|ther a few &s;cattered &s;ouldiers, and drawing them into a little body, he did not only hold a great one in play, but routed them, and killed abundance with his own hand: Tho&s;e whom he &s;ent unto &s;everall places to do the like, did &s;o well obey him, that they each of them rallied a little body of men, with which they &s;lew abundance of their Enemies, &s;o as they did not loo&s;e &s;o many men in the la&s;t battell which <HI>Cyrus</HI> won, as they did at this time. Yet &s;ince all the&s;e petty divi&s;ions did fight only par|ticular combats, and did not joyn, <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not &s;ee any hopes of vanqui&s;hing; but however, he had hopes of not being overcome, if the noi&s;e of his death had not been divulg'd among&s;t the Enemy; who taking fre&s;h hearts, and crying out unto tho&s;e they fought with, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was dead did &s;trike a great terrour in tho&s;e pla|ces where that Prince was not, &s;o as night coming on, the Ma&s;&s;agettans remained upon the field as Ma&s;ters.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing him&s;elf in this pittifull condition, bethought him&s;elf how he might, not fall into the hands of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> &s;o that he with only twenty did mo&s;t prodigi|ou&s;ly di&s;-engage them&s;elves from at the lea&s;t two hundred who had &s;et them about; but in his retreat, he met with another body of men, in the head of whom was the young and valiant <HI>Meliantes,</HI> who 'was &s;eeking all about for <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> and could not meet with him; &s;o as to comfort him&s;elf by the defeat of tho&s;e he met withall, he fell upon them. Since his number was very unequall, and he a brave man without cruelty, he offered to give them quarter if they would lay down Arms. But <HI>Cyrus</HI> being unaccu&s;tomed to receive any &s;uch favours from any with Arms in their hands, he an&s;wered them only with blows, and defended him&s;elf in &s;uch an heroick manner, that he &s;tood the la&s;t of his own men in the mid&s;t of his Enemys without one wound. But &s;ince his courage made <HI>Meliantes</HI> admire him, he charged his men not to kill him, but to take him, which they could hardly have done, if the &s;word of <HI>Cyrus</HI> had not broken.</P>
<P>But at la&s;t, when he &s;aw him&s;elf &s;ingle and without arms, he did not make any vain re&s;i&s;tance; but &s;till pre&s;erving his Judgment &s;ound in the mid&s;t of all the&s;e dangers, he bethought him&s;elf how to render him&s;elf unto &s;ome Officer who was not a Ma&s;&s;agettan, lea&s;t he &s;hould be known, and having ob&s;erved by the com|mands which <HI>Meliantes</HI> gave, that he had the tone of an <HI>A&s;&s;yrian,</HI> and that he was no &s;ubject unto <HI>Thomyris,</HI> he rendred him&s;elf unto him.</P>
<P><HI>Meliantes</HI> thinking him&s;elf obliged unto him for his choice, he promi&s;ed that he &s;hould bee u&s;ed according to the meritt of his valour, and to te&s;tifie (&s;aid hee unto him) how much your bravery hath purcha&s;ed my e&s;teem, though it be almo&s;t night, yet you &s;hall not be bound as other pri&s;oners u&s;e to be, only I require your word that you will not e&s;cape.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> con&s;idering his condition, accepted his civility, and <HI>Meliantes</HI> de&s;iring him to ride next him, and hearing a retreat &s;ounding in all quarters, he took the way towards the camp, but in the way, Oh Heavens, what did the mi&s;erable <HI>Cyrus</HI> think? what &s;orrows did he not &s;uffer? for he &s;aw his army defeated, he &s;aw him&s;elf a pri|&s;oner and he could not hope to pa&s;s as unknown long Yet &s;ince he unto whom he had rendred him&s;elf did not know him, he had &s;ome comfort, and carried him&s;elf &s;o well all the way that he confirmed him in his intention of treating him well.</P>
<P>And indeed, though <HI>Cyrus</HI> had that day very meane Armes, and did
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not affect to &s;peaks like a man of any extraordinary parts, yet <HI>Meliantes</HI> after he &s;aw him in his Tent, did make no que&s;tion, but that he was a pri&s;oner of &s;ome great quality, and remembring how long he him&s;elf had been a pri&s;oner when he was taken by the Troops of <HI>Cyrus</HI> in <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> he would render the &s;ame civi|lities which he received: For &s;ince <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> did impri&s;on him only out of jealous re&s;entments, he was treated very favourably, &s;o that <HI>Meliantes</HI> being charmed with the valour, the Spirit, the hand&s;om Pre&s;ence, and the con&s;tancy of his pri&s;oner, he carried him into his Tent, and cau&s;ed all his men to be as re&s;pective to him as to him&s;elf: Nor was he (out of a generous re&s;entment) very forward in divulging what he thought of his pri&s;oners quality untill he knew it a little better, intending not to di&s;cover it unto <HI>Thomyris,</HI> if it proved to be as great as he did imagine it: Unle&s;s his quality was &s;uch as might oblige that Queen to put <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> into his pow|er; for &s;ince he had no dependance upon <HI>Thomyris,</HI> he was re&s;olved to do his pri|&s;oner no ill office, if the intere&s;t of his Love did not oblige him unto it: Thus <HI>Cy|rus</HI> not knowing any thing, <HI>Meliantes</HI> was thinking how he might be&s;t keep his pri&s;oner from being known who he was.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> being ignorant of <HI>Meliantes</HI> his thoughts, and judg|ing by his Air, and Phy&s;iognomy, that happily he might be in Love, he thought it expedient to tell him in ob&s;cure tearms, that the intere&s;t of a pa&s;&s;ion which was predominate in his &s;oule required that he &s;hould be unknown in the Camp of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> and that afterwards he &s;hould conjure him to do him that good Office.</P>
<P>And indeed <HI>Cyrus</HI> did expre&s;s him&s;elf &s;o &s;weetly, that he obliged <HI>Meliantes</HI> to promi&s;e him any thing. And though <HI>Meliantes</HI> knew very well that his Pri&s;oner would not di&s;cover all his &s;ecret; yet &s;ince he doubted not but that he was in love, he added compa&s;&s;ion unto his e&s;teeme; and expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf &s;o generou&s;ly unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that this great Prince was charmed with his virtue. Yet the &s;oule of <HI>Cy|rus</HI> was not &s;o tranquill, as to &s;et his mind wholly upon any thing which did not relate unto the pre&s;ent &s;tate and intere&s;t of his love: But when he remembred all the Victories which he had gotten, and con&s;idered the pittifull condition wherein he was, he could not choo&s;e but wonder at the ficklene&s;s of fortune, and grieve for his owne mi&s;ery.</P>
<P>For indeed it now depended wholly upon <HI>Meliantes,</HI> whether he would pre|&s;ent him unto <HI>Thomyris,</HI> or put him into the hands of his Rivall; nor did he know whether his whole Army was defeated: whether <HI>Mazares</HI> was dead or taken Pri|&s;oner, and whether &s;o many Princes as were his friends, might rally his Troops, and joyn them with that pui&s;&s;ant relief which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent him, nor did he know how they could joyne, if it was true that <HI>Andramites</HI> had con&s;iderable forces between the Fort and the Wood. But his greate&s;t perplexity was the thought that they would pre&s;ently acquaint <HI>Mandana</HI> with his defeat: So as fearing lea&s;t the alteration in his fortune &s;hould work upon that heart of that Prince&s;s, he &s;uffered unexpre&s;&s;able torments: And he thought his condition &s;o deplorable, that he be|lieved the an&s;wer of the <HI>Sibill</HI> would pre&s;ently be fulfilled, and that he &s;hould pe|ri&s;h by the cruelty of <HI>Thomyris.</HI></P>
<P>But whil&s;t he was in all the&s;e melancholly cogitations, all his men were in a &s;trange inquietude. For &s;ince he appeared no where, they thought him either dead or taken Pri&s;oner. So as never was &s;uch a dolefull murmure heard.</P>
<P><HI>Cre&s;&s;us, Mazares, Myr&s;iles, Artamus, Gdbrius, Gadates, Intaphernes. Aterga|tis, Indather&s;is, Hida&s;pes,</HI> and all tho&s;e who had any command in the Army, en|deavoured to per&s;wade their Souldiers, that <HI>Cyrus,</HI> was not dead, lea&s;t after they had rallied them, they &s;hould run away againe: Likewi&s;e they did not think it ex+pedient, to &s;ay that they thought him a Pri&s;oner, nor to &s;end unto the Camp of <HI>Thomyris</HI> to enquire of him; lea&s;t if he &s;hould be there unknown unto the enemy. So that all the&s;e Princes &s;aid, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing in what a bad condition the Army was, was gone to the Auxiliaries which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent, &s;o that being in the head of a fre&s;h Army he might vanqui&s;h his vanqui&s;hers: Adding, (&s;ince <HI>Spitridates</HI> ap|peared not) that they were both gone together: For the truth was, they knew not what was become of either.</P>
<P>However <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraidas</HI> who were grieved beyond mea&s;ure, that no|thing
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was known concerning their illu&s;trious Ma&s;ter, they di&s;gui&s;ed them&s;elves in the habit of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans,</HI> to the end they might the better pa&s;&s;e through the enemies Camp, and heare what they &s;aid of him.</P>
<P>Thus, whil&s;t <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> by the con&s;ent of all the Princes did take upon them the command of the Rallied Troops, untill it was known what was become of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> The&s;e two faithfull &s;ervants, went not only unto the Camp of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> but al&s;o unto the Tents Royall which were very neare, whether they under&s;tood the Queen was gone, pre&s;ently after the Battell: Indeed, a chance happened, which cau&s;ed this incen&s;ed and amorous Queen to take that Re&s;olution. For &s;ince tho&s;e who killed <HI>Spitridates</HI> took him for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;ince one of tho&s;e who commanded the Gelons in that Army, had a mo&s;t feirce and cruell &s;oule, he had cut off the head of that unfortunate Prince; and being followed by his companions, who carried the Corps upon cro&s;&s;ed Lances, he did pre&s;ent it unto <HI>Thomyris,</HI> who&s;e mind be|ing extreamly incen&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Cyrus,</HI> by rea&s;on of the la&s;t letter which &s;he &s;aw, &s;he received this &s;ad pre&s;ent, in a mo&s;t inhumane manner. Yet at the fir&s;t apprehen|&s;ion, &s;he thought to turne away her eyes from &s;uch a terrible object, but recol|lecting all her rage and the animo&s;ity of her heart, &s;he beheld it afterwards, with|out any &s;ymptoms of compa&s;&s;ion, though her mind was much perplexed. And the more when this Captaine who pre&s;ented this glorious victime, told her the words which <HI>Spitridates</HI> &s;pake, when being fallen, he bad his men go away, becau&s;e that was the place where he was to dye, but not where they were to vanqui&s;h and deli|ver the Prince&s;&s;e whom he adored, by forcing her out of the power of <HI>Thomyris.</HI> Then did her hatred double. For thinking this to be the head of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> tho&s;e la&s;t words did &s;o revives and augment her choller, that &s;tifling all thoughts of love, hu|manity and compa&s;&s;ion, &s;he was inflamed with jealou&s;ie, hatred and fury, &s;he re|nounced all the tenderne&s;&s;e of her &s;ex, and dignity of her birth, and yet for an umbrage of her inhumanity, &s;he &s;eemed to be much troubled: So that without a word of her Pa&s;&s;ion, &s;he began again to &s;peak of <HI>Cyrus</HI> as the murtherer of her &s;onne, and as a Prince who to &s;atisfie the gu&s;t of his ambition, did quench it with Rivers of blood: She gave the Captaine of the Gelons as many thanks as if he had wonn her a hundred Battles, &s;he made him huge promi&s;es of large recom|pences, and commanded him to follow her with that illu&s;trious head in his hand. So that after &s;he had &s;ent to acquaint <HI>Ariantes</HI> (who was rallying his Troops which were much weaker then tho&s;e of the Rivall) that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was dead, &amp; that he &s;hould &s;tay in the Camp, &s;he took hor&s;e being attended with her Guard, and two hundred Archers, this Captaine going behind her, and carrying the head which he had pre&s;ented:</P>
<P>But the ob&s;ervation was, that tho&s;e who &s;aw this Queen ride in this cruell man|ner, were all mo&s;t horridly a&s;hamed at her, and pittied him whom they imagined dead. For all the Ma&s;&s;agettans did &s;o well know, that the Warr which <HI>Cyrus</HI> made was ju&s;t, and that <HI>Thomyris</HI> was in the wrong, that they were much grieved at this tryumphant Tragedy.</P>
<P>However &s;ince it was night, and &s;ince &s;hee had found out a way to per&s;ecute <HI>Mandana,</HI> though &s;he could not be revenged upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> in a manner &s;o &s;en&s;ible, &s;he would &s;tay untill it was day to act a piece of cruelty wherein &s;he hoped for great delight. So that commanding that a great Ba&s;on &s;hould be filled with blood, and &s;et in the plaine which was before the Tents and e&s;pecially before <HI>Atandanas</HI> whe|ther they had brought <HI>Ariminta</HI> and the Prince&s;s <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> &s;he came thither the next morning with all her Guard, and all tho&s;e who were in the Tents Royall. Yet &s;he had pa&s;&s;ed away the night in mo&s;t terrible and &s;trange apprehen&s;ions, for &s;ometimes, the image of <HI>Cyrus</HI> living, made her pitty his death, and &s;ometimes the con&s;tant love of that Prince unto <HI>Mandana</HI> made her rejoyce he was not living, yet it was a mo&s;t re&s;tle&s;s and tumultuous joy, which left &s;uch &s;mal &s;ignes of delight in her eyes, that nothing was to be &s;een in them, but &s;ignes of fury and rage.</P>
<P><HI>Thomyris</HI> was that day dre&s;&s;ed, as when &s;he went into the Warres, and &s;he held a &s;taffe of command in her hand which &s;he alwayes u&s;ed with a menacing action, though &s;he had no enemy neare to fight with all. Yet to be more &s;en|&s;ibly revenged upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> in the per&s;on of <HI>Mandana,</HI> This incen&s;ed Queen cau|&s;ed the Tent of that mo&s;t excellent Prince&s;s to be &s;et open with whom was <HI>Ara|minta,
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One &s;ile, Dorali&s;a,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> to the end they might behold the &s;adde&s;t &s;pectacle that their eyes could look upon.</P>
<P>Since it was not known, what <HI>Thomyris</HI> intended to do with this great Ba&s;on full of blood, which &s;he had cau&s;ed to be &s;et before <HI>Mandanas</HI> Tent, curio&s;ity had flocked together a huge croud of all manner of people, who all talked of what was intended, with much incertainty.</P>
<P>But at la&s;t, <HI>Thomyris</HI> comming out of her Tent, and the Captaine of the Gelons following her with the &s;uppo&s;ed head of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> all the people fixed their looks up|on this &s;ad object. And <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Ariminta</HI> looking on as the re&s;t did, had thoughts which others had not, for though this head was disfigured, yet it kept a great re&s;emblance of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> So that <HI>Mandana</HI> not que&s;tioning, but that it was the head of <HI>Cyrus</HI> whom &s;he loved with a mo&s;t pure and innocent affection; her &s;orrows did &s;urpri&s;e her in &s;o &s;trange a manner, that after &s;he had made a mo&s;t dolefull &s;crike, her voice failed her upon a &s;udden: As for <HI>Ariminta,</HI> though &s;he could not &s;u&s;pect that this was the head of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> becau&s;e &s;he knew not why <HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;hould be &s;o cruell again&s;t him, yet the death of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the griefe of <HI>Man|dana,</HI> and the cruelty of <HI>Thomyris</HI> did much move her.</P>
<P>However, this incen&s;ed Queen, after &s;he had cau&s;ed the head to be &s;hewed unto the people, and told them in few words that now Peace was like to en&s;ue &s;ince &s;he could &s;hew them the head of him who had cau&s;ed the Warre and murdered her &s;on &s;he commanded him who held this illu&s;trious head, to plunge it three times in this Ba&s;on full of bloud; To the end, (&s;aid &s;he being tran&s;ported with fury and jealou&s;ie) that he who&s;e thir&s;t of it could never be quenched whil&s;t he lived, yet he might have enough of it when he was dead.</P>
<P>This terrible command was no &s;ooner given, but this Gelon Captaine who&s;e na|ture was cruell, did plung this head, three times in the Ba&s;on of blood, and took it out againe in &s;uch a condition as cau&s;ed horrour in all tho&s;e who had any huma|nity in them.</P>
<P>This &s;ad &s;pectacle dejected the eyes of all the Spectators, and the cruell <HI>Thomy|ris</HI> her &s;elf, could not choo&s;e but turne away her head, lifting up her eyes towards Heaven, rather as cur&s;ing then imploring the gods. But as for the &s;ad <HI>Mandana,</HI> when &s;he &s;aw the blood run down from all parts of this head as &s;he lo&s;t her &s;peech by the fir&s;t &s;ight, &s;o &s;he lo&s;t her &s;ight and under&s;tanding at the &s;econd; and &s;woun|ded between the Armes of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia.</HI></P>
<P>In the meane time, <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> and <HI>Feraulus</HI> comming ju&s;t as this cruel Execu|tioner did plung this head into the Ba&s;on of bloody, they shared with <HI>Mandana</HI> in her &s;orrows, for &s;ince they did not &s;ee the Armes of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> they thought it to be the head of their illu&s;trious Ma&s;ter, <HI>Feraulus</HI> tran&s;ported with griefe and rage, would needs throw him&s;elf into the Pre&s;s, and take it out of their hands, or el&s;e be killed: But <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> with holding him by &s;hewing him <HI>Mandana,</HI> and telling him that he would do <HI>Cyrus</HI> better &s;ervice by his life, he had not time to do it; for as &s;oon as the Captaine had plunged the head three times in the Ba&s;on, The cruell <HI>Thomyris</HI> perceiving the horrour, which this action cau&s;ed in the faces of all her people, she commanded it to be carryed unto the body from whence it was &s;eve|red, and both carryed into a Tent untill further orders: After which, cau&s;ing <HI>Mandanas</HI> Tent to be &s;hut, &s;he returned to her own, with &s;uch rage and tumul|tuous thoughts, that &s;he hated her &s;elf no le&s;&s;e then &s;he did <HI>Mandana.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<TRAILER>The end of the &s;econd Book.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="book">
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<HEAD>ARTAMENES, OR, THE GRAND CYRUS. THE TENTH AND LAST PART, AND THIRD and la&s;t BOOK.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_THOMYRIS</HI> was no &s;ooner returned into her Tent, but this &s;ad object which &s;truck horrour into all the be|holders, and had made &s;ome impre&s;&s;ion in her owne heart, did &s;o &s;ting her con&s;cience and &s;pirits, that &s;he knew not what &s;he did, or what &s;he &s;hould do. Indeed, now and then &s;he thought that this action of Cruelty was but a poor piece of revenge: and her mind pa&s;&s;ing from object to object, &s;he fancied the Illu&s;trious <HI>Artamenes,</HI> as he was the fir&s;t time &s;he gave him Audience as Emba&s;&s;ador from <HI>Cyaxares:</HI> and con&s;idering al&s;o the pittifull condition &s;he did now &s;ee him in; &s;he grew pale, and trembled for horrour, and &s;ome &s;parks of compa&s;&s;ion en|tring into her heart whether &s;he would or no, they revived in it &s;ome thoughts of tenderne&s;&s;e and love, which did more cruelly torment her then all her fury, her ra<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e, and her jealou&s;ie: How <HI>Thomyris</HI> (&s;aid &s;he) is <HI>Cyrus</HI> dead whom thou did&s;t pa&s;&s;ionately love? and can&s;t thou &s;ee his head &s;evered from his body without ex|ce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow? Could&s;t thou find a heart to command it to be plunged in a ba&s;on full of blood&punc; Fie, fie, thou do&s;t merit his hatred, but art worthy of the Epethite of cruell <HI>Thomyris,</HI> which he gave thee in his La&s;t Letter, and with his expiring breath. Yes, yes, inhumane Prince&s;s that thou art, is it pitty he &s;hould be un|faithfull unto that Prince&s;s whom he loves; thou do&s;t de&s;erve he &s;hould be as cruell unto thee, as thou art unto him. Though thou do&s;t keep <HI>Mandana</HI> in thy power, yet he did let the point of his Sword fall when thou did&s;t meet him in the
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wood of the <HI>Sauromates:</HI> Though he might ea&s;ily have killed thee, yet thou tri|umphe&s;t in his death: Yes mercile&s;&s;e <HI>Thomyris,</HI> though this Prince was infinitely in love with <HI>Mandana,</HI> yet he would not deprive thee of life: Thou who ha&s;t vaunted to have loved him better then ever any el&s;e knew how; can&s;t thou look upon him dead, without any re&s;entments of &s;orrow? and ha&s;t thou nothing el&s;e to do but invent &s;uch Cruelties as will make thee odious unto thy very &s;elfe, and all the world? After this, <HI>Thomyris</HI> being &s;ilent, &s;he had a thou&s;and &s;everall imagi|nations upon this adventure: and &s;he did &s;o particularly call to memory all that ever <HI>Cyrus</HI> had done or &s;aid in her Court, when he carried the name of <HI>Artame|nes,</HI> that her heart beginning to melt, &s;he grieved for that Prince, who&s;e death did at the fir&s;t news of it fill her full of joyes; and &s;he grieved with more appre|hen&s;ive &s;orrow, then ever her &s;oule was before &s;en&s;ible of. And though as oft as &s;he remembred his la&s;t words, &s;he could not grieve for the death of him who pro|nounced them: Yet Love being the mo&s;t prevailing pa&s;&s;ion of her heart, &s;he &s;ome|times thought that &s;he &s;aw <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;en&s;ible and living, yet was an object le&s;&s;e grieving, then <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in that condition which &s;he &s;aw him. So as tormenting her &s;elfe all manner of wayes that an amorous heart could be tormented, &s;he was as great a &s;ufferer as any could be. Her mo&s;t &s;en&s;ible perplexity was, that know|ing how <HI>Ariantes</HI> loved <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he thought that &s;he had not liberty enough to treat her ill, and to be revenged of her, both for the death of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> her own cruelty, and for her own misfortunes: So as her &s;oule having &s;o many tor|ments to endure at once, that for &s;ome days &s;he was unable to order the generall affairs of her E&s;tate, but &s;ent all tho&s;e who came unto her about any bu&s;ine&s;s, unto the Prince her brother: And that you may &s;ee the inequality of her thoughts; for all this act of cruelty &s;truck horrour into all beholders, yet &s;he commanded that all due rights &s;hould be done unto the Corps of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and that they &s;hould be performed as not coming from her orders.</P>
<P>But to return unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> and to &s;ay &s;omething of her re&s;entments, when &s;he &s;aw the bloody head of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> which &s;he thought to be <HI>Cyrus,</HI> be plea&s;ed to know that &s;he continued &s;o long in her &s;wound, that this &s;ad Scaene was not on|ly ended when &s;he recovered out of it, by the cares of <HI>Araminta, One&s;ile, Dorali|&s;e,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia:</HI> But the Tent was &s;hut, and all the people di&s;per&s;ed before &s;he recovered her &s;ight and &s;peech; when &s;he fir&s;t opened her eyes, &s;he turned away her head and &s;hut them again, for her imagination being &s;till filled with that terrible object which cau&s;ed her &s;wounding, &s;he thought that &s;he &s;aw it &s;till.</P>
<P>But after her eyes were a little &s;etled, and her rea&s;on recollected, &s;he knew that &s;he &s;aw nothing but people mourning, with faces and eyes all &s;welled with teares, both for her grief, and for the death of him who cau&s;ed it: Indeed, the unfortunate <HI>Araminta</HI> not knowing what a &s;ad share she had in this fatall lo&s;&s;e which thus grieved <HI>Mandana,</HI> she was mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly troubled, and yet she endea|voured to give all the con&s;olation she was able, not knowing that she her &s;elfe &s;tood mo&s;t in need of it: And therefore beginning to &s;peak; In the name of the Gods Madam (&s;aid she unto <HI>Mandana)</HI> make your con&s;tancy and patience appear, rouze up your &s;elfe, and con&s;ider, that if you should kill your &s;elf with grief, your death and his perhaps would be without revenge: but if on the contrary you en|deavour to live, all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> will take Arms for your liberty, and for revenge of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his death.</P>
<P>Alas (&s;aid the &s;ad <HI>Mandana)</HI> how hard a thing is it to follow your coun&s;ell? and therefore Madam (continued she, beginning to flow in tears, which the exce&s;s of her &s;orrow had til then re&s;trained) before you give me any more of this advice, I pray con&s;ider whether your &s;elfe were able to live, if you should &s;ee <HI>Spitridates</HI> in that pittifull condition which I have &s;een <HI>Cyrus.</HI> But oh heavens (continued she, and would not give <HI>Araminta</HI> time to an&s;wer) is it po&s;&s;ible that I should live, and &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> dead? But mo&s;t illu&s;trious Prince, though I am yet living, yet I would thou could&s;t know, it is again&s;t my will, and that I look upon death as the only thing de&s;irable: Indeed, what have I el&s;e to do but to dye? For &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> is dead, victory is not to be looked for. It were folly to think that any can now either revenge his death, or deliver me, &s;ince he could not relea&s;e me: And though they should, what should I do in a world wherein is nothing that can
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<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="171" REF="978">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="172" REF="979">
plea&s;e me? I should do nothing but continually lament the death of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and should not have &s;o much &s;atisfaction as to shed my teares upon his Tomb: For con&s;idering how the cruell <HI>Thomyris</HI> hath u&s;ed his &s;acred Corps, certainly she will cau&s;e it to be torn in pieces by wild bea&s;ts: &s;o as it is better to dye pre&s;ently, then to live in &s;uch an eternall &s;orrow, which would brand me with ingratitude to the greate&s;t Prince in the world; for alas, how great is my debt unto <HI>Cyrus?</HI> and therefore I were mo&s;t unworthy of that con&s;tant affection he bore unto me, if I could think upon any thing but death.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Mandana</HI> being &s;ilent, becau&s;e a flood of tears would not &s;uffer her to &s;peak, <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &amp; <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> in their turns did u&s;e all their per&s;wa&s;ive arguments of comfort. As for <HI>Araminta,</HI> it coming into her mind, that perhaps <HI>Spitridates</HI> was al&s;o killed, her &s;oule was &s;o troubled that she hardly minded what <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;aid: and the certain death of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> together with the incertainty of <HI>Spitrida|tes</HI> his life, did &s;o di&s;quiet her mind, that she could not continue comforting <HI>Mandana</HI> as she begun: And indeed, con&s;idering the &s;ad condition of that Prin|ce&s;s, it was a hard matter to find any apparant rea&s;ons by which they could per|&s;wade her that she was not in a mo&s;t mi&s;erable condition: and all tho&s;e about her could do nothing el&s;e but shed bitter tears, and lament the lo&s;&s;e as well as she: All were in tears at once, and they wept as if they would all weep continually.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> thinking the death of his Ma&s;ter certain, he re|&s;olved to carry this &s;ad news unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> and all the Princes in the Army, le&s;t if reports of it should be divulged among&s;t the Souldiers any other way, they would not be &s;o forward to revenge his death: But as for <HI>Feraulas,</HI> he would &s;tay upon the place, to know what they did vvith the Corps of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and to try if he could &s;ee <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> to lament vvith her the misfortune of this Prince, and to receive &s;ome orders from <HI>Mandana;</HI> for he imagined that &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> vvas dead, they vvould not guard her &s;o &s;trictly.</P>
<P>In the mean time, it may well be &s;aid, that the &s;uppo&s;ed death of this great Conqueror did more illu&s;trate his glory when it was known on both &s;ides, in being lamented both by his friends and Enemies. <HI>Thomyris</HI> her &s;elfe grieved, <HI>Ariantes</HI> did pitty, though not grieve: All the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agertans</HI> lamented him, all his friends de&s;ired no life, but to revenge his death: <HI>Mazares</HI> lamented his death, as if he had not been his Rivall: All the Souldiers grieved for him as their Father, and &s;ome of tho&s;e who fled from the Battle did kill them&s;elves for very &s;hame and &s;or|row, that this Prince &s;hould &s;uffer for their ba&s;ene&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Moreover, be&s;ides tho&s;e who grieved for him out of affection, genero&s;ity, and compa&s;&s;ion, there were many who were engaged to it by particular intere&s;ts: For <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> did &s;ee that their Prince&s;s could not be &s;o &s;oon re|lea&s;ed, <HI>Gabrias</HI> and <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> had the &s;ame concerning <HI>Arpa&s;ia: Tigranes</HI> had the &s;ame thought for the admirable <HI>One&s;ile.</HI> Again, the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia, I|strina, One&s;ile, Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and <HI>Telagene</HI> did &s;ee that their chains would not be &s;o &s;oon broken: But whil&s;t all the world were lamenting the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and were ignorant of <HI>Spitridates</HI> his de&s;tiny, <HI>Cyrus</HI> under&s;tanding by <HI>Meliantes</HI> that he was thought to be dead, he was both &s;ad and glad of it: Yet he had many more rea&s;ons to be &s;orry; for when he heard of this Tragicall Ceremony of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> he verily believed that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was dead, and that they were mi&s;taken by the great re&s;emblance betwixt him and that unfortunate Prince, &s;o that be&s;ides his own mi&s;eries, he was extreamly &s;en&s;ible of his lo&s;&s;e, and <HI>Araminta's</HI> &s;orrows.</P>
<P>Moreover, he was not only &s;en&s;ible of <HI>Mandana's</HI> re&s;entments, in a beliefe that he was dead, but he feared le&s;t her re&s;entments &s;hould prejudice him in another manner: For (&s;aid he in him&s;elfe) though &s;he did never change her thoughts of me, is it not to be feared that this &s;uppo&s;ed death will make her change tho&s;e thoughts &s;he had of me; for (&s;aid he out of &s;ome jealous apprehen&s;ioos) one may be faithfull unto a living Lover, when one is not &s;o unto a dead one. Few carry their affections further then to the Grave of the per&s;on loved: &s;o as &s;ince the be|lief of my death may either cau&s;e her death, or cau&s;e her to be incon&s;tant, it doth more concern me that <HI>Mandana</HI> do know that I am living, than that <HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;hould be ignorant of it: In the mean time, I know no more how to &s;hew my &s;elf unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> then I know how to hide my &s;elfe from <HI>Thomyris;</HI> for &s;hould I
<PB N="173" REF="979">
aske <HI>Meliantes</HI> any que&s;tions concerning that Prince&s;&s;e, he would perhaps not only &s;u&s;pect who I am, but would imagine it concerns <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> to know that I am in his hands: So that <HI>Cyrus</HI> not knowing what to re&s;olve upon, either to procure his liberty, or to let <HI>Mandana</HI> know he was not dead, his &s;oule was in a mo&s;t &s;ad condition. Yet upon &s;econd thoughts, he conceived it expedi|ent to &s;ay nothing unto <HI>Meliantes</HI> for &s;ome dayes, le&s;t his too much earne&s;t|ne&s;&s;e &s;hould render him &s;u&s;pected: and that afterwards he would aske &s;o much favour from him, as to &s;end to one of his friends to acquaint him that he was a pri&s;oner, and to let this friend of his come di&s;gui&s;ed into the Camp of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> and confer with him about ways for his relea&s;ement.</P>
<P>But during this little intervall, things went rea&s;onable well; for <HI>Mazares</HI> after he had rallyed his Troops, he entrenched them very advantageou&s;ly, in expectation of tho&s;e Forces which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent: And <HI>Ariantes</HI> having a mo&s;t earne&s;t de&s;ire to &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> and &s;till fearing the violence of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> he al&s;o entrenched his Army, and went unto the Tents Royall; for though it was victorious, yet the victory had co&s;t him &s;o dear, that he was not in a condition to attempt any thing again&s;t <HI>Mazares,</HI> con&s;idering the ground he had cho&s;en for his intrenchment: Yet did he find no great &s;atisfaction in his voyage; for he found the mind of <HI>Tho|myris</HI> &s;o incen&s;ed and unquiet, that no propo&s;ition could be made which did not vex her, e&s;pecially any thing which related unto <HI>Mandana.</HI> On the other &s;ide, having vi&s;ited the Prince&s;s whom he adored, he found his entertainment &s;o bad, that he was forced to retyre, and &s;tay till her forrows were a little over.</P>
<P>The truth is, &s;he gave him &s;uch &s;harp Language, &s;he charged him &s;o oft with the death of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> &s;he prote&s;ted &s;o earne&s;tly that &s;he would not live, but only to the end the King her Father, and the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> might continue the War again&s;t <HI>Thomyris,</HI> to deliver her, and be revenged for the death of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> and &s;he did &s;o fully a&s;&s;ure him, that &s;he hated him as much as if he had killed <HI>Cyrus</HI> with his owne hands, that this Prince did think him&s;elfe in a wor&s;e Condition by the death of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then by his life.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> the Prince&s;s <HI>I&s;trina</HI> and <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> were alwayes together, not having the liberty to &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> with whom <HI>Ara|minta</HI> and <HI>One&s;ile</HI> continually were: For &s;ince they were put there in the ab&s;ence of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> when <HI>Andramites</HI> &s;ent them to the Tents Royall, <HI>Ariantes</HI> dur&s;t not incen&s;e the Prince&s;s &s;o far as to take them away: Al&s;o, &s;ince it was believed that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was dead, they did not &s;o much care if company came to her, and the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia, I&s;trina,</HI> &amp; <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> had leave to &s;ee her in the pre&s;ence of him who commanded her Guard: 'Tis true, they had no great comfort in &s;eeing her, for they &s;aw her &s;o full of &s;orrows, as they did not think &s;he was able to endure them long.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> hearing that <HI>Licander</HI> her Ravi&s;her was killed by an unknown hand: and under&s;tanding from <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> who was with her, that &s;he &s;aw <HI>Meliantes</HI> in a di&s;gui&s;e, &s;he made no que&s;tion but it was he unto whom &s;he was obliged for it: but &s;he knew not whether &s;he &s;hould be &s;ad or glad at it; for though &s;he did &s;till much e&s;teem him, yet &s;he had &s;till much tenderne&s;&s;e and inclination unto <HI>Hyda&s;pes:</HI> But &s;ince the matter was not hard to &s;ee <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and &s;ince <HI>Meliantes</HI> his pa&s;&s;ion was always in his mind, he took this opportunity, and came one mor|ning unto <HI>Ni&s;ide,</HI> unto whom he had addre&s;&s;e without much difficulty.</P>
<P><HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> being always his friend, she was glad to &s;ee him, and to heare from his own mouth, that it was he who killed <HI>Licander.</HI> He told her then how he came di&s;gui&s;ed unto this Court, le&s;t <HI>Licander</HI> should induce <HI>Thomyris</HI> to arre&s;t him: and that he was in hopes to rid him&s;elfe of one Rivall by particular Duell, and of the other by generall Combate: After which, he de&s;ired <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> to help him unto the &s;ight of <HI>Arpa&s;ia:</HI> and indeed, she being de&s;irous to do him any favour, she procured him the opportunity without telling <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> who was &s;o &s;urprized at the &s;ight of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> that she knew not how she should receive him.</P>
<P>But &s;ince <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> had cunningly hinted unto her, that certainly it was he who killed <HI>Licander,</HI> and moreover, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was more amiable than ever he was; her affection to <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> could not hinder her from receiving a man whom she much e&s;teemed, very civilly, e&s;pecially &s;ince she had very tender thoughts of
<PB N="174" REF="980">
him, before she knew of his affection unto <HI>Argeli&s;e:</HI> And though <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> did co|lour this civility to him, for that he had ventured his life in ruining her Ravisher; and though her expre&s;&s;ions might well give him to under&s;tand that her mind was not changed, and that she could hold him in no other degree than that of friend|ship; yet for all that, she expre&s;&s;ed her &s;elfe, and he an&s;wered her &s;o tenderly and pa&s;&s;ionately, that he engaged her whether she would or no to be very obliging towards him: Al&s;o he obtained leave to vi&s;ite her, yet upon condition never to mention any matter of Love: &s;o as he thought him&s;elfe very happy in his misfor|tune; for &s;ince he believed <HI>Cyrus</HI> to be dead, he did not think that <HI>Hidaspes</HI> would be in any condition to di&s;pute with him for <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> &s;o as he returned to his pri&s;oner with much &s;atisfaction: And as &s;oon as he was with him, he fell into di&s;cour&s;e upon the power of Love; he told him what was &s;aid of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and of all their pa&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>But whil&s;t things pa&s;&s;ed thus in the Camp of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> in the Tents Royall, and in the Camp of <HI>Mazares,</HI> the news of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his death being carryed unto the Fort of <HI>Sauromates, Meriontes</HI> having no mind to be relea&s;ed by <HI>Andramites;</HI> and &s;eeing <HI>Cyrus</HI> who had &s;aved his life was dead, he would not go unto the Camp of that Prince as he intended: and being able to ride on hor&s;-back, he be&s;ee|ched the Commander of the Fort to let him go unto the Camp of <HI>Thomyris:</HI> But it being late when he came thither, and having intimate acquaintance with <HI>Me|liantes,</HI> he asked an Officer whom he did accidentally meet with, whether he knew <HI>Meliantes</HI> his Quarters, and under&s;tanding by him that he was within fifty paces of it, he went to de&s;ire a nights lodging with him. As &s;oon as he &s;aw <HI>Meliantes,</HI> he talked of nothing but the valour of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> of his high &s;oule, of his genero&s;ity, and how he &s;aved his life; how he treated him during his impri&s;onment, and was &s;o high in his commendations, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> thinking to do a favour unto his Pri&s;oner, in letting him &s;ee a man who &s;pake &s;o highly of a Prince who&s;e part he took, he brought him into the Tent where he was: For though he knew that his pri&s;oner did not de&s;ire to be known, yet he made no difficulty of bringing in <HI>Me|riontes,</HI> becau&s;e he could not imagine that he &s;hould know him, &s;ince they were of contrary &s;ides, &s;o as in this thought he carried <HI>Meriontes</HI> into the Tent where he was. At his fir&s;t entrance, both <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Meriontes</HI> were &s;o a&s;toni&s;hed, that they were not Ma&s;ters of their fir&s;t thoughts: <HI>Meriontes</HI> no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but cryed out, oh Sir (&s;aid he unto him) can I believe my eyes? Is it po&s;&s;ible that <HI>Cyrus,</HI> whom two hundred thou&s;and men believe to be dead, &s;hould be alive? At the&s;e words, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;eeing there was no longer any concealing him&s;elfe from <HI>Meliantes,</HI> he was forced to have recour&s;e unto tho&s;e who knew him: You &s;ee valiant <HI>Mereontes</HI> (&s;aid he) how incon&s;tant Fortune is, &s;ince &s;he hath reduced me unto the mo&s;t mi&s;erable condition of men, if you do not oblige the generous <HI>Me|liantes</HI> not to di&s;cover me.</P>
<P><HI>Mereontes</HI> having lea&s;ure whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;pake, to recollect him&s;elf out of his wonder, repented of his ha&s;tine&s;&s;e: But knowing <HI>Meliantes</HI> to be a man of a mo&s;t generous &s;pirit, and of quick apprehen&s;ion, he &s;aw there was no remedy. How|ever, <HI>Mereontes</HI> thinking him&s;elfe infinitely obliged unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> who had &s;aved his life in an heroique way, he turned towards <HI>Meliantes,</HI> and told him, that if he did not behave him&s;elfe towards his pre&s;ence as he would have done, had he not known him, he would become his mortall Eenemy. But there was no need of all this; For <HI>Meliantes</HI> having no dependance upon <HI>Thomyris,</HI> was &s;o glad to &s;ee him&s;elfe ma&s;ter of the De&s;tinie of the greate&s;t Prince in the world, he interrupted <HI>Mereontes,</HI> and a&s;&s;ured him that <HI>Cyrus</HI> needed not to feare any thing: Al&s;o a &s;econd thought coming into his mind, he conceived that it would be advantage|ous unto him to oblige <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;ince he might thereby oblige <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> to cea&s;e his pretences unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia:</HI> &s;o as continuing to &s;peak, &s;ince Sir, I am no Subject unto <HI>Thomyris</HI> (&s;aid he unto <HI>Cyrus)</HI> only a Voluntier in her party: and &s;ince Love only brought me hither, I think it would be no blemi&s;h unto honour, if I did &s;et you out of her power.</P>
<P>For my part (added <HI>Meriontes)</HI> I &s;hall go further then you: For though I were her Subject, and in your place, knowing her in ju&s;tice and cruelty, by her late horri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> act, I &s;hould think it my duty to free this illu&s;trious Prince out of her hands
<PB N="175" REF="980">
and &s;hould think my &s;elf a more Enemy unto that Queen than he is; if I &s;hould give her any occa&s;ion to commit an act &s;o ba&s;e.</P>
<P>But generous <HI>Meliantes,</HI> whether you be &s;ubject unto <HI>Thomyris</HI> or no, you are obliged not to di&s;cover that <HI>Cyrus</HI> is in your hands. However &s;ince I am a pri&s;o|ner unto your pri&s;oner, I will never for&s;ake him, for &s;ince my life is his, I will loo&s;e it rather, than let him come into the hands of his Enemies. Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes)</HI> though there was no genero&s;ity in my nature, yet &s;ure I &s;hould be &s;o by the exam|ples which the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> and you have given, and therefore <HI>Mereontes</HI> take no thought for your illu&s;trious Conquerour, for &s;ince now I know enough of him, I am &s;o far from thinking him my pri&s;oner, that I and my de&s;tiny is more in his hands, than he or his in mine: Oh generous <HI>Meliantes,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> if there be any thing within the compa&s;s of my power, wherein I may &s;erve you, tell me I conjure you, and to te&s;tifie that I am not unworthy of your genero&s;ity, I declare that I would not de&s;ire to oblige you unto this, but only for the inte|re&s;t of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and let me tell you al&s;o, (to &s;hew that I had conceived a great opinion of you) that I have &s;everall times intended to tru&s;t your genero&s;ity and di|&s;cretion; not knowing well what thoughts you had of me.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Meliantes</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Cyrus</HI> in &s;uch a manner, as did evidence unto him, that he might expect any thing from him; and <HI>Mereontes</HI> &s;hewed him&s;elf &s;o zealous for the &s;afety of his deliverer, that this Prince had great rea&s;on to put much confidence in the affection of two &s;uch men as had both wit and courage enough: <HI>Meliantes</HI> acquainted al&s;o <HI>Mereontes</HI> with one thing which much confirmed him in his thoughts; for he told him that <HI>Aripithes,</HI> upon who&s;e &s;core he became enga|ged on <HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;ide, did dye &s;o much di&s;plea&s;ed again&s;t her, that he commanded &s;everall of his &s;ervants, to tell all his Officers, that he would not have them fight any longer in her &s;ervice: So as the&s;e two virtuous men finding no &s;cruple in their de&s;ign of &s;erving the greate&s;t Prince upon Earth, again&s;t the mo&s;t unju&s;t Prince&s;s in the world, they promi&s;ed &s;o much fidelity unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he had rea&s;on to e&s;teem him&s;elf happy in his mi&s;ery, in finding two friends of &s;o much virtue: And to oblige them unto a more affectionate devotion to him, he u&s;ed all the heroique expre&s;&s;ions that was inventable; yet he had &s;o high an opinion of their virtue and quality, as that he would not intere&s;t them by any ambitious hopes; but thought that in promi&s;ing them his friend&s;hip, he promi&s;ed them all, and he did that in as noble a manner, as if he had promi&s;ed Kingdoms unto them.</P>
<P>After <HI>Cyrus</HI> had &s;aid all unto <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Mereontes,</HI> which he thought fit to engage them in his &s;ervice, the fir&s;t of the&s;e mo&s;t humbly be&s;ought him, he might impart one thing which concerned him to know: And <HI>Cyrus</HI> con&s;enting, Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes</HI> unto him) to te&s;tifie my &s;incerity in my promi&s;ing of &s;erving you and delivering you as &s;oon as I can without danger, I mu&s;t acquaint you that I am a Rivall unto <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> whom you mo&s;t dearly love, and I conjure you in con&s;i|ration of what I will do for you, that you will &s;tand neutrall between him and me, if ever fortune put us into a condition to di&s;pute for the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of <HI>Arpa&s;ia:</HI> How (&s;aid <HI>Cyrvs)</HI> are you a Rivall unto <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> and have I the misfortune to be friend unto one who is your Enemy?</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Meliantes</HI> told <HI>Cyrus</HI> in two words, the &s;tate of his fortune, not concealing from him that he had &s;een <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> &s;ince the battell: After which <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aid in de&s;iring me to be neutrall between <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> and you, generous <HI>Meliantes,</HI> you de&s;ire me much le&s;s than I will promi&s;e you: For I will faithfully promi&s;e, that if ever it be my fortune to &s;ee him again, I will conjure him to cea&s;e loving <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and will be as earne&s;t with him, as if I were his Rivall, as well as your friend; but after this I will not promi&s;e you any more, for my humour is &s;uch, that I will never ab&s;olutely command my friends, e&s;pecially in matters of Love. But I will promi&s;e you to &s;peak both unto <HI>Gabrias</HI> and <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> as much as I can in your behalf: Then Sir, (replyed <HI>Meliantes)</HI> I have no more to &s;ay, but to a&s;|&s;ure you that though you had denied me, yet I would have done all I could to &s;erve you.</P>
<P>The wor&s;t is (added he) that it is not an ea&s;ie matter to get you from this place where we now are unto your own Camp, without danger of being taken by &s;ome who may know you: Therefore it is be&s;t to go in the night time unto the Tents
<PB N="176" REF="981">
Royall; for were you there, and di&s;-engaged from the quarters of the Army, it would be much more ea&s;ie to take a compa&s;s, and meet tho&s;e Auxiliaries which <HI>Ci|axares</HI> &s;ends you, and otherwi&s;e I confe&s;s <HI>I</HI> can &s;ee no likelyhood of getting you un|to your Camp.</P>
<P><HI>Mereontes</HI> concurring with the opinion of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> apprehending much danger if he &s;hould be known, he concurred al&s;o; but the main difficulty is in going &s;afely into the Tents Royall, and getting out: At la&s;t, <HI>Meliantes</HI> re&s;ol|ved to faign him&s;elf &s;ick, and under pretence of heat, not to go in the day, but would go in a Coach clo&s;e up, to avoid the humidity of the night.</P>
<P>Thus it was re&s;olved, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould go in the Coach with him, that <HI>Me|reontes</HI> &s;hould guard them with his friends, and that they &s;hould not &s;et out untill it was dark.</P>
<P>But &s;ince it was requi&s;ite that <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;hould have a little time to counterfeit him&s;elf &s;ick, and &s;ince <HI>Mereontes</HI> who would not for&s;ake his illu&s;trious Conque|rour, would not &s;hew him&s;elf, they &s;pent that day all three together, for it was told at the Entrance into the Tent, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was &s;ick, and therefore would not be &s;een; &s;o as having time enough to entertain them&s;elves with di&s;cour&s;e, and having now nothing to talk of but them&s;elves, <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Mereontes</HI> were a|long time in lamenting <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and admiring all the wonders of his life. But <HI>Cyrus</HI> knowing that nothing was more obliging, than to &s;eem de&s;irous of knowing the fortunes of friends, he was very earne&s;t with <HI>Meliantes,</HI> to particularize the pa&s;|&s;ages of his life a little better to him, and afterwards he pre&s;&s;ed <HI>Mereontes</HI> to tell him his: For truly (&s;aid he unto him) after <HI>Democedes</HI> told me your Country, after I have &s;een you fight, and after this your la&s;t act of genero&s;ity, I cannot choo&s;e but be very de&s;irous to know what moved you to leave &s;o good a country: Sir, (replied <HI>Mereontes)</HI> my adventures have been &s;o poor, and there hath been &s;o few extraordinary Events in my life, that indeed there is &s;ome rea&s;on to wonder, why I &s;hould voluntarily bani&s;h my &s;elf from a Country &s;o plea&s;ant, if it were not an ordinary thing to &s;ee that Love can make men mi&s;erable, without the power of Fortune: And there pa&s;&s;eth many &s;trange and extraordinary thoughts in the heart of a Lover, which &s;eem nothing in the eyes of the world, &s;o as he can be mi&s;erable when nothing appears unto other men why he &s;hould be &s;o.</P>
<P>Alas, &s;aid <HI>Meliantes,</HI> I know this to be true by Experience: The mo&s;t tran&s;en|dent per&s;on whom I adore, &s;he e&s;teems me, and is very friendly unto me; but for all that, I am yet the mo&s;t mi&s;erable Lover in the world, &s;ince her affection unto my Rivall is of another nature, though &s;he does nothing more unto him than un|to me.</P>
<P>The mi&s;ery which I complain of, (replyed <HI>Mereontes)</HI> &s;eemes doubtle&s;s le&s;s than yours; but I have a &s;oul &s;o nice, and I do love in &s;uch a tender manner, that it is intollerable to me: &s;ince we can do nothing better (in a time when we can do nothing for the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana)</HI> &s;aid <HI>Cyrus,</HI> then to know the life of a man who is willing to &s;erve her, I be&s;eech you acquaint us with it. I mu&s;t tell you a|gain Sir, (replyed <HI>Mereontes)</HI> my adventures are too poor for the knowledge of &s;uch a Prince as you are, though I mu&s;t confe&s;s your de&s;tiny &s;eems to be &s;omthing dubious. However <HI>Mereontes</HI> (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> I be&s;eech you &s;atisfie my de&s;ire, but to the end <HI>Meliantes</HI> may have the knowledge of your adventure, tell him in (I be&s;eech you) few words, the cu&s;tomes of the country of the new Sauromates.</P>
<P><HI>Mereontes</HI> in obedience unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> told <HI>Meliantes</HI> in as con&s;ice a manner as he could, the Originall of the new Sauromates, their Lives, their Cu&s;tomes, and all that <HI>Democedes</HI> mentioned in <HI>Saphoes</HI> hi&s;tory, and began his di&s;cour&s;e in the&s;e Termes.</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="history">
<PB N="177" REF="981">
<HEAD>THE HISTORY OF MEREONTES, AND DORINICE.</HEAD>
<P>ISHALL not need to tell you Sir, that <HI>I</HI> am de&s;cended from a family which holds a con&s;iderable Rank in my country; for &s;ince <HI>Democedes</HI> hath rela|ted the hi&s;tory of <HI>Sapho, I</HI> am &s;ure he hath told you of <HI>Clirantes,</HI> who is my brother, and by con&s;equence who <HI>I</HI> am. Nor am <HI>I</HI> obliged to acquaint you with the life of our Court: For &s;ince you do know it to be gallant, that there are Judges e&s;tabli&s;hed to determine all the differences of Lovers, and that the mo&s;t admirable <HI>Sapho</HI> is very happy there, you will ea&s;ily beleive what <HI>I</HI> &s;hall &s;ay.</P>
<P>But Sir, &s;ince the beauty and merit of one who&s;e name is <HI>Dorinice,</HI> is the foun|dation of this adventure, and the cau&s;e of my misfortune, it is requi&s;ite <HI>I</HI> de&s;cribe her unto you, to the end you may the better know the violence of my pa&s;&s;ion, and the greatne&s;s of my mi&s;ery: Since it was not the quality of <HI>Dorinice</HI> which made me love her, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall tell you only by the by, that her family from whence &s;he is de&s;|cended is very illu&s;trious; but let me tell you that &s;he is adorned with a thou&s;and qualities which attract Love.</P>
<P>Indeed &s;he is of a very hand&s;om &s;tature, her Complexion is rare, her Eyes black, and full of &s;pirit; her hair is fair, her &s;mile charming, her Teeth white, her Air both gallant, noble, and mode&s;t, and her neck and hands mo&s;t fair.</P>
<P>Moreover, her Wit is &s;uperlative, her humour alwaies equally the &s;ame, and there is &s;uch a ju&s;t mixture of mirth and &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s in this per&s;on, that &s;he doth infinitely plea&s;e and &s;uite with all the world, both the melancholly and the merry. She &s;eemed to be a very good friend, and indeed &s;he was &s;o, though to my &s;orrow <HI>I</HI> found her heart but hollow, yet it was a di&s;gui&s;ed hollowne&s;s: For when one fir&s;t &s;ees her, and &s;ees the freene&s;s of her looks, her civility and &s;weetne&s;s, one would &s;ay, that for the time he had made a far progre&s;s into her &s;oul, and yet one &s;hould not be one &s;tep further in her favour at the end of three months, than they are at the end of three dayes, and the like at the end of three years, all imaginable &s;ervices and court&s;hip will not work upon her heart.</P>
<P>Then Sir, I mu&s;t tell you, that though we have but one City in our State, yet <HI>Do|rinice</HI> was eighteen years of age before <HI>I</HI> ever &s;poke unto her: For be&s;ides the big|ne&s;s of our City, which is &s;o large, that one may ea&s;ily be long there and not par|ticularly known, &s;o it was, that &s;everall trifling pa&s;&s;ions did take up many of my young dayes, and as chance would have it, <HI>I</HI> fell into a <HI>Caballe</HI> oppo&s;ite unto that of <HI>Dorinices</HI> Mother, &s;o as it may be &s;aid, <HI>I</HI> knew her and <HI>I</HI> knew her not. But &s;ince &s;everall changes chanced, which ab&s;olutely di&s;-engaged my heart, <HI>I</HI> chanced one day to meet this fair one in an a&s;&s;embly at the Queens. Thinking <HI>I</HI> &s;hould much &s;pite tho&s;e Ladies whom <HI>I</HI> had broke off withall, if <HI>I</HI> did entertain <HI>Dorinice,</HI> whom <HI>I</HI> knew they loved not, <HI>I</HI> began di&s;cour&s;e with her.</P>
<P><PB N="178" REF="982">
Thus I entertained her the fir&s;t time more in &s;pight to others then to plea&s;e my &s;elf, not but that <HI>I</HI> found much plea&s;ure in her company, for &s;ince &s;he was glad to &s;ee I had quitted the Ladies whom &s;he loved not, &s;he received me better then when I was in favour with her Enemies, and yet &s;he chid me when I began to tell her, that I thought my &s;elf very happy in her company. Before I give any direct an&s;wer un|to your Civility, Sir, replyed &s;he, and &s;miled, I be&s;eech you give me leave to exa|mine a little, whether <HI>I</HI> &s;hould take you as a Spy or as a de&s;ertor of your friends, or as one who hath changed &s;ides. Oh mo&s;t lovely <HI>Dorinice</HI> (&s;aid I and interrupted her) I am neither a Spy nor a De&s;ertor of my friends, but <HI>I</HI> have changed my &s;ide with &s;o much rea&s;on, that you cannot in any ju&s;tice blame me; yet lea&s;t you &s;hould have an ill opinion of me, <HI>I</HI> will not &s;peak any ill of your Enemies, but &s;ince I have &s;o much good to &s;peak of you, time is better imployed in that then in the other: Were you to talk long, replyed &s;he, and &s;miled, you would both trouble me and your &s;elf, for I have &s;o many faults and &s;o few good qualities, that you would find it, Sir, a hard task to talk of &s;uch things only as &s;hould plea&s;e me: But &s;ince, Sir, it is probable you will tell me more of my good then my bad qualities, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall hope you will not tell me any thing which will di&s;plea&s;e me: At the lea&s;t <HI>I</HI> am &s;ure, Ma|dam (&s;aid I unto her) <HI>I</HI> &s;hall &s;ay nothing but truth, when I tell you that you are the mo&s;t faire&s;t and lovelie&s;t per&s;on in the world.</P>
<P>As <HI>Dorinice</HI> was ready to reply, they came to take her out to dance, &s;o as all that night I could not talk any more with her. But &s;ince &s;he had infinitely plea&s;ed me, and &s;ince I ob&s;erved that I had &s;ufficiently vexed tho&s;e Ladies whom I intended to &s;pite, I went the next day with one of my friends unto the hou&s;e of <HI>Dorinices</HI> Mo|ther, who&s;e name was <HI>Elicrate,</HI> and, Sir, I was &s;o much taken both with the Mo|ther and the Daughter, that I repented I had been &s;o long unacquainted with them, for the truth was, their &s;ociety was infinitely more plea&s;ing then that I had quitted; for tho&s;e Ladies whom <HI>I</HI> had left off were per&s;ons who admitted all &s;orts of men without exception or choice, which que&s;tionle&s;s goes again&s;t the grain of tho&s;e who have nice and delicate &s;pirits, and not at all advantageous unto &s;uch as frequent them: But, Sir, it was otherwi&s;e in the hou&s;e of <HI>Elicrate,</HI> for almo&s;t none frequen|ted it, but men of excellent parts; and <HI>Dorinice</HI> had &s;uch an art of wearying tho&s;e who were not well accompli&s;hed, that if any &s;uch came once there, they were &s;ure not to come twice; and yet there was alwaies much company with her, becau&s;e there was men more of excellent parts in our Court: And, Sir, you mu&s;t know that this Lady, though never capable of love, nor ever will as long as &s;he lives, yet is &s;he the greate&s;t fondling in friend&s;hip that is in the world, for &s;he has friends of all &s;orts, and the wonder is, &s;he gets them every day, and loo&s;es none, and does &s;o well keep all &s;uch &s;ecrets as are intru&s;ted to her, that &s;he never injures any, but as far as &s;he is able, is ready to do any &s;ervice for tho&s;e whom&punc; &s;he hath promi&s;ed any place in her friend&s;hip: Yet as I &s;aid in the beginning of my di&s;cour&s;e, &s;he hath this particular quality, that &s;he hath &s;et bounds about her heart, beyond the limits of which none who&s;oever can ever go; for one &s;hall be as high in her favour at three months as they can be in three years.</P>
<P><HI>Dorinice</HI> being as I have de&s;cribed her very amiable and engaging at the fir&s;t, I thought my &s;elf the happie&s;t man alive in her acquaintance; and I pre&s;ently per|ceived, that my thoughts of her might be phra&s;ed Love, and not at all Friend&s;hip: yet I thought my &s;elf not at all the more mi&s;erable; for &s;ince I knew that I had &s;ome &s;hare in her e&s;teem, and that &s;he promi&s;ed me her friend&s;hip, I thought that I might pretend unto her love: But to carry it according to the common Maximes of all prudent Lovers; I did not declare my &s;elf at the fir&s;t, but &s;tayed untill her heart was a little engaged, before I openly told and divulged that I was in love with her. However I was very a&s;&s;iduous in my Vi&s;its, and courted her with all imagina|ble &s;ubmi&s;&s;ions, for the friend&s;hip which men held with her did exact from them the &s;ame &s;ervices almo&s;t that Love did, and I was &s;o happy in my behaviour, that in a &s;hort time &s;he did me the favour to admit me into the catalogue of her friends; yet I mu&s;t confe&s;s, this rank did not altogether plea&s;e me; for &s;ince &s;he was rank|ed higher in my heart, I could not be contented with that rank which I had in hers. The truth is, I flattered up my &s;elf with hopes, that as &s;oon as &s;he knew I loved her,
<PB N="178" REF="982">
&s;he would then di&s;tingui&s;h me from the re&s;t; and though I know &s;he made open profe&s;&s;ion never to admit of any Gallantry: yet as one is apt to flatter ones &s;elf with what they love &s;o I thought that I might happily be excepted out of that gene|rall rule: So as not being able to endure this cruell incertainty, I re&s;olved to di&s;|cover my pa&s;&s;ion unto her, and I re&s;olved upon it, after I had &s;pent a whole day with her in extream melancholy; for I was per&s;waded that all her friends would at other times be &s;o much about her, that I could not find a fitter opportunity: So as I &s;taying the la&s;t with her, I began to &s;peak unto her, and de&s;ired her to tell me whether I was as much in her heart that day as I had been in her Chamber? Doubt|le&s;s you are, replyed &s;he, as all my friends are: Oh, Madam (&s;ayd I) there is no ju&s;tice I &s;hould be thronged with &s;uch a croud of friends in your heart, &s;ince you are &s;ingle and alone in mine; and therfore, Madam, I mu&s;t either be excluded out of your heart, or el&s;e all tho&s;e men you croud with me in it, mu&s;t; for otherwi&s;e I mu&s;t confe&s;s, that I cannot be at any re&s;t there: Alas, Madam, continued I, and would not give her time to an&s;wer me, it is extream inju&s;tice to mix me with them, for I am not of their rank, nor are my thoughts like theirs: Indeed, I am &s;o far from entertaining you (as &s;ome of them do) with my ambition, that I do declare the height of my ambition I: to be loved by you; I am &s;o far from telling you of any Intrigues and Caballs (like theirs) that I will never be of any, in which you are not: I have &s;o little to do with dome&s;tick bu&s;ine&s;s and cares, that I never think of any but what you have cau&s;ed in me, and &s;o far am I from talking of any love which I bear unto others. that <HI>I</HI> can talk of nothing but my love to you: and therfore Madam, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you judg whether it be ju&s;t you &s;hould rank me among&s;t &s;uch men as nothing re&s;emble me? Doubtle&s;s it is not (replyed &s;he and &s;miled) for if you be &s;uch as you &s;ay, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t exclude you from my heart, and admit another in your room; for it were not ju&s;t (added &s;he by way of rallary) that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould bani&s;h a hundred out of it, to admit of one, but much better it is to bani&s;h the one and keep the hundred, and therfore <HI>Meriontes,</HI> It is in your own choi&s;e, if you be my friend, as <HI>I</HI> ever thought you) be quiet in my heart, as all the re&s;t of my friends are, but if you be not, take it not ill if <HI>I</HI> do exclude you: However, &s;ince I do not well under&s;tand you, nor will take &s;o much pains as to examine whether what you &s;ay be true, I will beleive you upon your word.</P>
<P>Since it is &s;o, Madam, replyed <HI>I,</HI> I be&s;eech you beleive that I am not only your friend, but your Lover al&s;o: for I profe&s;s, that I am not able to live in &s;uch a pre&s;s of friends. Since it is &s;o (&s;ayd &s;he) you mu&s;t out of my heart, and you would do me a plea&s;ure, if you would drive me out of yours. for &s;ince I am there alone, it is very likely con&s;idering my humour, I &s;hall be very weary of being there. Madam, (&s;ayd I unto her) you an&s;wer me with &s;o little &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s, that I be&s;eech you nei|ther look upon me as your Lover nor as your friend. Seriou&s;ly, replyed &s;he, <HI>I</HI> know not well what to think; but <HI>Mereontes</HI> if you will beleive me, you will con|tent your &s;elf with the Rank of a friend, for I mu&s;t ingeniou&s;ly tell you, that other|wi&s;e you mu&s;t loo&s;e me: were it a thing which were in my own choice (an&s;wered I) I would choo&s;e rather the quality of a friend then of a Lover; for I &s;ee all that are under that notion are well plea&s;ed, &s;atisfied and at re&s;t: But alas, Madam, it is o|therwi&s;e with me, and though you &s;hould rank me in the fir&s;t Sphere of your friends, yet I mu&s;t, whether you, or I will or no, be your Lover, and be &s;o until death; Since, Sir (replyed &s;he) you may happily be mi&s;taken in your affection to me, and think of it more then it is, I will not yet exclude you out of my heart, but will &s;tay a little untill you be better &s;atisfied whether you are only of a temper in friend|&s;hip &s;omthing different from others, &s;uch a temper as being neither love nor friend|&s;hip, yet &s;o like unto both that either name, without inju&s;tice may be attributed un|to either of them.</P>
<P>Oh, Madam (&s;aid I) my affection to you is not of that nature, for I ma mo&s;t certain that friend&s;hip hath never any de&s;ires, nor inquietudes, nor jealou&s;ie in it; Oh <HI>Mereontes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) I plainly &s;ee that you know not what a tender and gallant friend&s;hip is, for &s;uch friends as I de&s;ire will de&s;ire to be loved, they will be unquiet when they have been long ab&s;ent from their friends, and be jealous to &s;ee any others about them. But, Madam (&s;aid I unto her) &s;ince you cau&s;e jealou&s;ie, and have &s;uch abundance of friends, I wonder they &s;hould
<PB N="180" REF="983">
not quarrell. The more you &s;peak of this tender and gallant friend&s;hip which I mean, Sir (replyed <HI>Dorinice)</HI> the more you &s;eem to be ignorant; for the jealou&s;ie which it in&s;pires is not of the &s;ame nature as that which Love d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> cau&s;e, is, but on the contrary, it is a &s;weet plea&s;ing and ingenious Spirit, which helps di&s;cour&s;e, which augments friend&s;hip which is never melancholick, lumpi&s;h or &s;ad, and which produceth no other effects but &s;uch as make men more courtly, more neat, and more complai&s;ant, &s;uch as rather makes others jealous of them then they of others: So as it may be &s;aid, that the friend&s;hip of which I &s;peak, hath all the &s;weets of love without any of the bitters: Moreover (added &s;he) I mean not &s;uch a kind of friend|&s;hip, whereof there is not above two or three examples in a whole age; nor of &s;uch men as have but one only friend in the world: The fir&s;t of the&s;e mu&s;t be able to dye for their friends, and be as full of genero&s;ity as tender friend&s;hip: And as for the other who are &s;o nice and delicate that they can find but one only in all the world that they think worthy of their friend&s;hip; certainly they are neither plea|&s;ing to them&s;elves nor others: For &s;ince they cannot be merry with any but tho&s;e they love, and &s;ince there is but one Phoenix in the world which they can find, cer|tainly they find their diver&s;ions very &s;eldom. Nor do I require that &s;olid friend|&s;hip which is found in the grave Sages of the world, for they are too cold, too dry, and too tyring melancholick; Such men as the&s;e will content them&s;elves with loving you in the depth of their heart, with &s;erving you upon extraordinary occa&s;ions, and to &s;peak well of you when it highly concerns you, but will never tell you that they do love you: They neglect all petty Complements and duties of friend&s;hip, and are alwaies &s;o &s;erious, that they cannot endure any mirth: yet truly my opinion is, that for the mo&s;t part it is the triviall Civilities and Complements which makes the mo&s;t friend&s;hip; as for great and high Services they are &s;o rare, as it is impo&s;|&s;ible they &s;hould both beget and nouri&s;h friend&s;hip. For ought I &s;ee, Madam (re|plyed I) the friend&s;hip which you de&s;ire hath &s;uch a neer re&s;emblance with love, that I begin to think my &s;elf more mi&s;erable then I did imagine, and to look upon all your friends as my Rivalls. Since I have friends, Sir, (replyed &s;he) who are in love with &s;ome Ladies whom you do know, you are much mi&s;taken if you think them my Lovers: However, Madam, replyed I, I would gladly know how you do rank all your friends; To begin (replyed <HI>Dorinice)</HI> I mu&s;t tell you, that my a|morous friends are alwaies of the lowe&s;t rank in my heart though I am often very much delighted to hear them tell their folly and fond adventures: And if you will name unto me any, I will ingeniou&s;ly tell you in what degree they are in my o|pinion&punc; Then tell me, Madam, &s;aid I, in what Sphere you place a friend of yours, who&s;e Soul is &s;o ambitious, that <HI>I</HI> think it enjoyes not one minute of re&s;t? As for him (&s;aid &s;he) he is neither in the fir&s;t nor la&s;t, but in in the rank of tho&s;e from whom <HI>I</HI> hear many &s;ecrets, but whom <HI>I</HI> would not tru&s;t with any of my own if I had any. You have another friend, Madam replyed I. who indeed is a man of much merit, but he is &s;o rude and feirce, that I cannot tell what &s;weetne&s;s his friend|&s;hip &s;hould afford you, nor in what rank you can place him, for you have none who re&s;embles him. I a&s;&s;ure you (replyed &s;he) that this feirce friend of whom you &s;peak, as irregular in friend&s;hip as he &s;eems unto you, yet he is not one of the lowe&s;t rank in my heart, and &s;hould his feircene&s;s a little mollifie, he might per|haps be in the fir&s;t: for he does not &s;eem as if he were de&s;irous one &s;hould love him, though there be nothing more like to cau&s;e it, then that.</P>
<P>But M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">dam (&s;aid I unto her) you have another friend who&s;e name is <HI>Artimas,</HI> and who if he be not in the fir&s;t rank, yet he will be ere long: For indeed he has all quilities that are requi&s;ite to plea&s;e, and I do ob&s;erve that he doth already ve|ry much plea&s;e you: 'Tis true (&s;aid &s;he) that he whom you mention is according to your de&s;cription; for he is hand&s;ome, and he has a mo&s;t excellent and plea&s;ing wit: He writes well both in ver&s;e and pro&s;e: he can be both merry and &s;erious, and he began his friend&s;hip in the mo&s;t ingenuous way in the world. He &s;eems &s;o tender, &s;o &s;weet, &s;o civill, and &s;o affable, and has &s;uch an obliging way with him, as would per&s;wade any one he loves them better than ever he did any. Moreo|ver, he &s;eems &s;o extreamly glad to &s;ee you; he is &s;o hugely &s;en&s;ible of benefits, and &s;o de&s;irous to be loved, that one cannot choo&s;e but have a di&s;po&s;ition to love him: but let me tell you withall, that whether he is &s;o weary of his friend&s;hip, or
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glutted with accu&s;tomacy of favours, or not &s;en&s;ible of them; or whether it be incon&s;tancy in his nature, he is &s;o un-equall in his amity, and &s;o negligent, that though he were ungratefull, or coldly indifferent, he could not be wor&s;e than &s;ometimes he is: Sometimes he will be a whole day together with you, and not &s;peak a word: he will &s;ee you as if he &s;aw you not, and will be of &s;uch a &s;luggi&s;h faint &s;pirit, as he will both amaze and vex any that have any intere&s;t in him; for nothing doth more &s;urprize him then to &s;ee men who have held a corre&s;pondency, become as cold and indifferent, as if they were not acquainted. Yet &s;ince I have not been long enough acquainted with him you &s;peak of, to pa&s;&s;e any definitive judgment of him; all I can &s;ay unto you is, that mo&s;t infallibly he will either be in the fir&s;t or la&s;t rank in my opinion: Nor can I directly tell you what place he will have in my heart, &s;ince that depends more upon him then me; for if he thus continue unequall and luke-warm, perhaps he will be in the lowe&s;t rank of my friends: and if he become as he was when I fir&s;t knew him, and not &s;o trouble|&s;ome as almo&s;t all the young Gallants of the Court are, who thereby render them&s;elves incapable of any illu&s;trious Conque&s;t, either in Love or friend&s;hip, then he &s;hall be in the rank of my deare&s;t friends.</P>
<P>But I be&s;eech you Madam (replyed I) tell me more po&s;itively what degree is a Cou&s;en of mine, who u&s;eth to vi&s;it you oftner than any other except my &s;elfe: as for him (&s;aid &s;he) I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e he is in the &s;ame degree that you are, for in|deed I &s;ee nothing in our friend&s;hip which doth now plea&s;e me: The beginning was gallant, the &s;equell was obliging, and I have ob&s;erved him very carefull to plea&s;e me: He &s;eems more tender and more &s;en&s;ible then he was at our fir&s;t ac|quaintance: he is more glad to &s;ee me, and we divert our &s;elves better then when we talk together, then in the infancy of our friend&s;hip. You have al&s;o another friend (replyed I) who loves to talk with you in private, as if he were your Lover. And I have ob&s;erved, that when any came to you, he would always make a third: He whom you &s;peak of (replyed &s;he) is none of the lea&s;t in my favour, for indeed it is one of the greate&s;t &s;igns of a good wit to hold particular di&s;cour&s;e; and the greate&s;t proof that one can give that he is plea&s;ed with his friend, is to court in private: and did you know the good will I beare unto him you mean, becau&s;e I think he is better plea&s;ed when he finds me alone, then with much company, you would &s;ee that I do much prefer him before &s;uch vapourers that are out of their element, unle&s;&s;e they be in a great tumultuous company, where they mu&s;t &s;peak loud before they can be heard, and who had rather be in the very wor&s;t company of a Town, then &s;pend an afternoon in civill di&s;cour&s;e with two or three rationall per&s;ons. Yet they are the greate&s;t loo&s;ers by it; for I am &s;ure, that commonly &s;uch men get &s;uch ill habits as renders them le&s;&s;e amiable, and le&s;&s;e inclinable to love.</P>
<P>But <HI>Mereontes</HI> (continued &s;he) to &s;ave you the labour of naming of any more, I wil a&s;&s;ure you that there is but you &amp; three or four more who are in the fir&s;t form of my friends: and as for the re&s;t, I imagine you will not much care for them. Why Madam (replyed I) do you think that I am &s;atisfied with your admitting three or foure Co-equalls in your heart? When you con&s;ider (replyed &s;he that I have a hundred friends, and that I think but three or four of them your Equals, me thinks you &s;hould be well &s;atisfied, and think your &s;elfe happy. Alas Madam, re|plyed I, were I only your friend, I &s;hould not be contented with it; for I am of &s;uch an humour, that I would be the fir&s;t of the four; and therefore being your Lo|ver, I cannot e&s;teem my &s;elfe happy in my conviction with &s;o many friends. To te&s;tifie (replyed &s;he) that I will do all I can for you, I will tell you, that you are the fir&s;t, provided you will not &s;peak any more of your pretended love. Alas Madam (replyed I) I find no great &s;ecurity in all this, &s;ince you have a friend who may be in the fir&s;t rank, and another who&s;e place you know not, therefore this la&s;t may exclude me and all the re&s;t: Since I know not what is to come (an|&s;wered she) I will &s;peak of the pre&s;ent: And therefore all I can &s;ay unto you is, that if he of whom you &s;peak doth continue as he hath been of late, it is not all his merit, all his wit, nor all his hand&s;omne&s;&s;e that can obtain him the fir&s;t ranke of my friends: and I will tell you after, that of all tho&s;e who have any place in my friendship, you shall have the fir&s;t ranke if you will. Alas Madam (&s;aid I) a
<PB N="182" REF="984">
Lover can never be contented with the fir&s;t quality of a friend; and I had rather be in the lowe&s;t rank of your Lovers, than in the highe&s;t of your friends. How|ever, <HI>Mereontes</HI> (&s;aid she) this is all I can do; Con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly upon it, for if you should refu&s;e the fir&s;t ranke of my friends, perhaps I shall become your Ene|my: As I was ready to an&s;wer, one came in, and &s;aid her Mother did aske for her: &s;o that I left her, not accepting the quality of her fir&s;t friend, and she not permitting me to be her Lover.</P>
<P>Yet &s;ince I had di&s;covered my pa&s;&s;ion, my heart was &s;omething more at ea&s;e: and my greate&s;t hope was, in knowing certainly that <HI>Dorinice</HI> did hold me in the notion of friendship, &s;o as imagining it not impo&s;&s;ible but her affection might change its nature, and believing it a more ea&s;ie &s;tep from friendship to love, then from indifferency unto that pa&s;&s;ion, my hopes did keep life in them: &s;o as I pa&s;|&s;ed over &s;ome dayes without any great inquietude, thinking it but fit I should give <HI>Dorinice</HI> &s;ome time of con&s;ideration before I could expect any recompence: Yet there was not a day in which this multitude of her friends did not perplex me, and in which I did not feare that this which &s;ome of them called friendship, may be called by the name of Love: and indeed I under&s;tood at la&s;t, that there were at lea&s;t two Lovers in this di&s;gui&s;e of friend&s;hip: &s;o that with jealou&s;ie and love together, I had many a vexatious hour. Yet after I had vvell ob&s;erved the&s;e con|cealed Rivalls, I was not &s;o jealous of them, as of &s;ome other of her friends: Not but that one of them was very hand&s;ome, and likely to prove a very dangerous Rivall, for his per&s;on was very plea&s;ing, and he had a delicate wit: and &s;ince his fir&s;t affection was unto a per&s;on of great merit and wit, this did infu&s;e &s;uch a po|litene&s;&s;e into his conver&s;ation, as made him &s;o accompli&s;hed as he was; for it is mo&s;t certain that nothing is more pernicious unto young men, then fir&s;t to engage them &s;elves in Love with fooli&s;h per&s;ons: and indeed, this &s;econd Rivall made this apparant which I &s;peak, for he was better born than the other, al&s;o he had wit and &s;pirit enough: and yet it was his misfortune to fall at fir&s;t into intimacy and familiarity with many women of mean merit, who were unfa&s;hionable, and knew not the world, &s;o as he bla&s;ted his wit by their &s;ociety, and did in&s;en&s;ibly accu|&s;tome him&s;elfe, to be &s;uch a one as his company were, &s;o as I had no cau&s;e to fear him: And for the other, though he had wit, merit, and manners enough, yet I did not feare him neither; becau&s;e <HI>Dorinice</HI> &s;u&s;pecting him in Love with her, did treat him wor&s;e than the re&s;t of her friends. I &s;aw al&s;o very clearly, that the&s;e two R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">vals had not &s;o great a part as my &s;elfe in the heart of this faire one; for &s;he was plea&s;ed to tell me what they &s;aid unto her: But as for her friends, &s;he would not impart the lea&s;t &s;yllable of what they &s;aid, though I vowed &s;he was mo&s;t ab&s;o|lute Mi&s;tre&s;s of my hear, and told her, that though genero&s;ity required that I &s;hould never reveale the &s;ecrets of my friends: Yet &s;he had &s;uch a power over me, that I could not keep my own: But this aggravation of my Love cau&s;ed a great quarrell the next day; for be plea&s;ed to know Sir, that both of us meeting the day following in a place where one of the Ladies who formerly I loved was with much other company, <HI>Dorinice</HI> very craftily began to talk of the power which a Mi&s;tre&s;s hath over the heart of her Lover: and hearing that &s;ome reports of my pa&s;&s;ion were divulged in our Court, &s;he would needs be &s;o plea&s;ant as to twit me with it. And to that end &s;he told me very openly, that as I was talking the day before with her, I &s;aid, that as &s;oon as ever I became a Lover, I would &s;acrifice all my own, and my friends &s;ecrets unto my Mi&s;tre&s;s, and that I had already told her all the pa&s;&s;ages of my fir&s;t Love: So as being driven to the nece&s;&s;ity either of contradicting what &s;he whom I then loved had &s;aid, or el&s;e di&s;plea&s;ing her whom I loved not, I made choi&s;e of the latter, and would rather anger my old Mi&s;tre&s;s then my new one; yet I turned the matter as well as I could: Indeed I &s;aid (re|plyed I unto <HI>Dorinice)</HI> that when one is in love, one hath nothing which is their own: but I did not &s;ay I would relate the &s;ecrets of friends and former loves unto my Mi&s;tre&s;s, what I &s;aid was this, that if &s;he would needs know them, and com|mand me peremptorily to tell them, I &s;hould have much ado to di&s;obey her. Yet (replyed one of <HI>Dorinices</HI> friends vvho alvvays told her every thing) I do not think that ought to be; for if I did, I vvould never tell any thing unto my friends: For my part (&s;aid the Lady vvhom I loved) I think he is a perfidious Lover, vvho
<PB N="183" REF="984">
reveals the &s;ecrets of his Friend unto his Mi&s;tre&s;s, and that &s;he is an unvvorthy Mi&s;tre&s;s vvho shall de&s;ire it.</P>
<P>For my particular (replyed a friend of <HI>Dorinices</HI> vvho&s;e name vvas <HI>Nirtile,</HI> un|to vvhom &s;he made &s;igne to contradict that Lady vvhom I loved) I do not under|&s;tand your meaning, but I am &s;ure that the greater &s;vvetne&s;&s;e of love is the ab&s;o|lute empire of a Lovers heart: and if I had one who &s;hould conceale any thing from me which I de&s;ired to know, I would never look upon him again; for he did not love me, if he did not blindly obey me, right or wrong: and I would not only have a Lover tell the &s;ecrets of his friends, but I would al&s;o have him commit an unju&s;t act if I &s;hould command him: he may as well do the la&s;t (replyed a friend of <HI>Dorinices,</HI> who&s;e name was <HI>Oxaris)</HI> as reveale the &s;ecrets of his friends, which of all things in the world ought mo&s;t inviolably to be kept: and for my part, who does not think that Ju&s;tice and genero&s;ity are incompatible with love, I cannot think it allowable to be perfidious, but am &s;o much again&s;t it, that had I a Mi|&s;tre&s;&s;e who vvould exact this te&s;timony of my love, I &s;hould no longer e&s;teem her, and con&s;equently be no longer her Lover, and &s;o &s;hould never tell her my friends &s;ecrets.</P>
<P>Did you knovv vvhat Love vvere (replyed I) you vvould not have &s;aid &s;o: For though a Mi&s;tre&s;s &s;hould command unju&s;t things, yet for all that one cannot leave loving her for it: for if love vvere a thing voluntary, it vvould of nece&s;&s;ity follovv that all the vvorld vvould love none but admirable per&s;ons, &s;uch as there is not perhaps three in a vvhole Kingdome, and in a vvhole age: and there vvould be &s;uch a croud about them, that there vvould be no approaching: Yet experience &s;hevvs us every day, that there are men of great vvits, parts, and &s;pirits, vvho fall in love vvith per&s;ons that have faults, and faults vvhich they knovv of, and vvhich yet vvill not cure their pa&s;&s;ions. I knovv very vvel (replyed <HI>Oxaris</HI> &s;harply) that one may find his Mi&s;tre&s;s a little pale, or a little &s;vvarthy complexioned, and yet not leave loving her: and one may knovv that there is &s;ome unequality in her humour, and &s;ome levity in her &s;pirit, and yet not change, yet I cannot under&s;tand how one &s;hould continue loving a woman without hone&s;ty and vertue. And I dare boldly affirm that the per&s;on who reveals the &s;ecrets of his friends, is as great an offender again&s;t the rules of vertue and hone&s;ty, as any Traytor is; and there is nothing in the world more odious then to betray tho&s;e who tru&s;t them. Were I to judg only of the thing it &s;elfe (replyed <HI>Nyrtile)</HI> I &s;hould condemn it: But however I mu&s;t needs affirm, that if a man be in love, and will not tell his Mi|&s;tre&s;&s;e all he knows i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;he de&s;ire it, he does but love by halfes; for he is not &s;o much obliged in point of honour, to conceale the &s;ecrets of his friends, as he is in point of love to tell his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e what &s;he de&s;ires to know: For he is not to exa|mine whether her de&s;ires be ju&s;t or no, but to give her a te&s;timony of his love, he is to obey her blindly; &s;ince there is no greater than that of obedience, and with|out obedience there is no love nor delight in loving.</P>
<P>For my part (replyed my former Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e) I know not how to comprehend this: and for my part (replyed <HI>Oxaris)</HI> I &s;ee no rea&s;on in it: Fer I be&s;eech you (&s;aid he unto <HI>Dorinice,</HI> though he did not di&s;pute the matter with her) may there not be many ju&s;t cau&s;es of cea&s;ing to love: Doubtle&s;&s;e there may (replyed &s;he:) if &s;o (replyed he) why is it more ju&s;t, that jealou&s;ie &s;hould make love dye, then when you di&s;cover your Mi&s;tre&s;s is not truly vertuous; as &s;he is not, if &s;hee would have you perfidious; is there not much more rea&s;on to break off with her for that, then becau&s;e &s;he did not ca&s;t an eye a little favourably upon a Rivall? &s;hould I look upon you as a Phylo&s;opher: you have rea&s;on for what you &s;ay (an|&s;wers <HI>Nirtile)</HI> but when I look upon you as a Lover, I cannot think you ought to deny your Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e any thing. Truth is, i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> you deny her any thing that is unju&s;t, you are to be looked upon as a wi&s;e man, who&s;e pa&s;&s;ions are all in his own com|mand.</P>
<P>But for all that, the Lady who required the inju&s;tice from you, will charge you with being a bad Lover: For though &s;he be in the wrong, to de&s;ire any thing that in unrea&s;onable, however you have no rea&s;on to deny her, and you can expect nothing, unle&s;&s;e whil&s;t your friends do &s;ay you are di&s;creet, your Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e will &s;ay you know not how to love. The be&s;t of it is (replyed I) not to grieve the
<PB N="184" REF="985">
Lady too much with whom I had former corre&s;pondency) There are but few La|dies who are &s;o unju&s;t, or who will trouble them&s;elves with knowing a thou&s;and trifles which they have nothing to do withall.</P>
<P>For my part (replyed <HI>Dorinice</HI> very maliciou&s;ly) were I in the humour of ha|ving a Lover, my chief delight would be in making him relate all pa&s;&s;ages of his pa&s;t love. As for the &s;ecrets of his friends, I would not de&s;ire to know them: but as for trifles of gallantry which are &s;uch fond follies when they are pa&s;t, and &s;eem always &s;o to them who have no intere&s;t in them, I &s;hould take the greate&s;t plea&s;ure in the world in hearing them exactly related unto me: and if any rea&s;on induce me to admit of a Lover, I think it will be in hopes of this delight, in which I fancy &s;uch great diver&s;ion: And if I do make choi&s;e of a Lover, it &s;hall be of &s;uch a one who hath loved many others; for though they &s;ay fir&s;t pa&s;&s;ions are mo&s;t vi|olent, yet I would not be his fir&s;t Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, le&s;t I &s;hould loo&s;e the plea&s;ures which I mentioned before. If Madam, the knowledg of many &s;ecrets do &s;o much delight one (replyed I) then if you &s;hould admit of a Lover who were of <HI>Nirtiles</HI> hu|mour, he would have a fine time of it, if you &s;hould reveale all the &s;ecrets of your friends unto him: You I &s;ay, who has &s;uch a multitude of them, that they can hardly be numbred. I cannot tell whether you jeer me in this or no (replyed &s;he and &s;miled) but I conceive the greate&s;t commendations that can be given me is, that I have &s;o much wit as to get and keep &s;o many friends: But Madam (&s;aid I unto her to turn the di&s;cour&s;e) do you think it any honour in admitting &s;o ma|ny of them? and do you believe that under colour of this gallant kind of friend|&s;hip you ought to have a thou&s;and at a time? if &s;o, I mu&s;t needs confe&s;&s;e, that I think it a great conveniency for a Lover to have many Mi&s;tre&s;&s;es, as for a Lady to have many Gallants. I am &s;o fully per&s;waded (replyed <HI>Dorinice)</HI> that one may have as many friends as they will, that I look upon my friend&s;hip as a thing infi|nite: and when I have purcha&s;ed any new friend, and payd him my friend|&s;hip for it, after the rate that I think he e&s;teems me, yet I find my &s;elfe as rich within a quarter of an hour after, as if I had given him nothing for it: Then I per|ceive (&s;aid I unto her) that it is not according to merit that you grant your affe|ction. No (replyed &s;he) merit is the mea&s;ure of my e&s;teem, and friend&s;hip the mea&s;ure of my friend&s;hip, and thus I a&s;&s;ure you I u&s;e to di&s;tribute my &s;elfe very equally.</P>
<P>For my particular (replyed I) I cannot conceive that one can much love &s;uch a number of men, nor know how any man can content him&s;elf with the hun|dred part of a heart; for if I had not a whole one, I &s;hould never think my &s;elfe happy. Then you &s;hall never have one (replyed <HI>Dorinice</HI> and &s;miled) for I will never give all mine unto one man. After which, &s;he ri&s;ing up, and I going with her, I complained again&s;t her for her malice, and afterwards in a low voyce u&s;ed all my Rhethorick to per&s;wade her unto a permi&s;&s;ion of my pa&s;&s;ion: But all to no purpo&s;e, and all my arguments and per&s;wa&s;ions could obtaine no more from her, then the fir&s;t of her friends: &s;o as &s;eeing no other remedy, I would try, if I could content my &s;elfe with that rank &s;he gave me in her heart: And indeed, I mu&s;t needs &s;ay, that <HI>Dorinice</HI> was as good as her promi&s;e unto me, and I had no cau&s;e to think that &s;he was more favourable unto any friend than unto me: For &s;he &s;pake to me with much confidence, &s;he was always very glad to &s;ee me, &s;he di&s;|cour&s;ed with delight, and &s;he would &s;incerely give mee her opinion in any thing we talked of. Moreover, &s;he did intere&s;t her &s;elfe in my fortune; if I were &s;icke, &s;he would &s;end con&s;tantly to &s;ee how I did: if by chance I were two dayes from her, &s;he would have me tell her what I had been doing: She took my part always ever again&s;t her deare&s;t friends: &s;he would highly commend me: &s;he would have all her acquaintance e&s;teem me, and was every way very obliging. So as it may be &s;aid, that I enjoyed all the &s;weets and plea&s;ures of a mo&s;t &s;ollid, tender, and gallant friend&s;hip. Yet all this while I was nothing contented, and the mo&s;t fa|vourable looks of <HI>Dorinice</HI> made me more angry then plea&s;ed; for though I never &s;aw her eyes incen&s;ed, yet I could never &s;ee them as I de&s;ired: The truth is, &s;he looked upon me, as people u&s;e to look upon all indifferent objects which are in their &s;ight; her eyes were all tranquility, and I could never &s;ee in them the lea&s;t langui&s;hing glance which is the true character of Love.</P>
<P><PB N="185" REF="985">
<HI>I</HI> never &s;aw them troubled, tran&s;ported, or pa&s;&s;ionate; they had no language of Love in them, nor did they under&s;tand me when mine &s;poke in that dialect: So as <HI>I</HI> could never think my &s;elf happy.</P>
<P>Moreover, though &s;he was alwaies gladder when <HI>I</HI> talked with her, than any o|ther of her friends, yet <HI>I</HI> could never perceive that my conver&s;ation made any deepe impre&s;&s;ion; for if any who had any private bu&s;ine&s;s came unto her, &s;he would leave me to talk with him, and leave me without any Regret: al&s;o be at &s;everall diver&s;ions wherein <HI>I</HI> had no &s;hare without any inquietudes, and all the priviledge <HI>I</HI> had by being her fir&s;t friend was, that &s;he would &s;omtimes be a little freer with me than with others, and knowing that <HI>I</HI> did love her though <HI>I</HI> did not often tell her &s;o, &s;he u&s;ed all waies imaginable to make me beleive, that her Amity would never be any other than Amity, and indeed &s;he did &s;o well per|&s;wade me of it, that <HI>I</HI> thought my &s;elf the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man alive. So as not be|ing able to contain my &s;elf any longer, <HI>I</HI> fell into a continuall cour&s;e of complaints and complained &s;o much that <HI>I</HI> was trouble&s;ome unto her: And the very truth is, my complaints were excu&s;able, for there is nothing upon Earth more intollerable then to be extreamly in Love with one who retturns only friend&s;hip: And there is no compari&s;on to be made between that mi&s;ery, and to love without being loved again: For in this ca&s;e one is perpetually neer a happine&s;s, and never is like to en|joy it, and all &s;ervices are to no end further than what one already knows, which can never give any content for it is a mo&s;t undoubted truth, that the mo&s;t fervent friend&s;hip in the world, is not comparable to the lowe&s;t degree of Love: Yet <HI>Dorinice</HI> would needs one day per&s;wade me, that my complaints were unju&s;t, for (&s;aid &s;he) were my affection to you of another nature than it is, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould do le&s;s for you then <HI>I</HI> do: <HI>I</HI> &s;hould think Madam, (&s;aid <HI>I</HI> unto her) that in doing le&s;s, you did more, and I am &s;o confident of what <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, that <HI>I</HI> &s;hould think my &s;elf more happy if <HI>I</HI> could &s;ee you &s;ometimes turn away your fair eyes for fear of mee|ting mine, than to &s;ee them &s;o full of tranquility as they are; and to &s;hew you how little my Love is &s;atisfied with your friend&s;hip <HI>I</HI> do declare unto you Madam, that your indifferency would be much le&s;s intollerable. This is &s;o very fanta&s;ticall (re|plied &s;he) that <HI>I</HI> almo&s;t think you are out of your wits; were you in love Madam but one quarter of an hour, (replyed <HI>I)</HI> you would quickly finde that the mo&s;t mi&s;erable condition of a Lover, is to be per&s;waded that he mu&s;t never be loved; &s;o that Madam, beignning to think that it is is an ea&s;ier &s;tep from indifferency unto Love, than that a long continued friend&s;hip &s;hould become that pa&s;&s;ion, you need not wonder <HI>I</HI> &s;hould think my &s;elf the mo&s;t mi&s;erable of men, in that <HI>I</HI> &s;ee all my Love, all my Cares, and all my Services can never alter the nature of your affe|ction to me. And yet Madam, me thinks it is &s;o ea&s;ie a matter for you to make me happy, that I know no rea&s;on why you do not: For I am contented you &s;hould love me le&s;s than you do, &s;o you will but love me in another manner, and other|wi&s;e it is impo&s;&s;ible I &s;hould ever be &s;atisfied, for Love is never &s;atisfied but with Love again, and all your tender, gallant, and &s;olid friend&s;hip is not comparable to the lowe&s;t degree of that pa&s;&s;ion, and therefore <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you judge, whether it be likely to &s;atisfie the mo&s;t violent pa&s;&s;ion that ever was: For all this (repli|ed <HI>Dorinice) I</HI> mu&s;t tell you again, that if <HI>I</HI> &s;hould love in that manner as you mean, you would be le&s;s happy th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n you are; for now <HI>I</HI> &s;hew you all the tender|ne&s;s of my heart, <HI>I</HI> communicate my very &s;oul unto you, and <HI>I</HI> have a thou&s;and obliging cares for you; whereas if <HI>I</HI> &s;hould love you as you de&s;ire <HI>I</HI> &s;hould, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould then conceal all the tenderne&s;s of my thoughts from you, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould make choi&s;e of the mo&s;t indifferent words to expre&s;s my affection to you, and <HI>I</HI> &s;hould &s;hun the place where you are, and therefore I pray judge whether you would not be more mi&s;erable in my Love than in my friend&s;hip: And to tell you truly, it is my friend&s;hip unto which you are beholding, for this my indulgency in &s;uffering you to &s;peak thus unto me of your pa&s;&s;ion, for did I not perceive the con&s;titution of my heart &s;uch, as it is impo&s;&s;ible <HI>I</HI> &s;hould ever love you in any other manner, I &s;hould never &s;uffer you.</P>
<P>Oh Madam, (&s;aid I) this is the extremity of cruelty; how ignorant are you in the &s;weets of Love and of being loving, a hundred and a hundred thou&s;and friends cannot afford one &s;ingle gu&s;t of it. I be&s;eech you con&s;ider, that you have not an
<PB N="186" REF="986">
ab&s;olute power over any one of your friends; there is not one of them but are able to deny you &s;omthing: Whereas your power over me is ab&s;olute without any ex|ception, you are mi&s;tre&s;s of my de&s;tiny, you can frame all my good fortune, and all my bad, and you have &s;uch an ab&s;olute Empire in my heart, that you mu&s;t raign in it as long as you live. But Madam, to raign with delight, you mu&s;t take &s;ome care for the pre&s;ervation of your authority: Ca&s;t off therefore Madam, this multitude of friends, among&s;t all which, perhaps there is not one who truly merits the name of friend, or are realy worthy of your friend&s;hip: But if you will not rid your &s;elf of this croud which are trouble&s;ome both to you and me, yet I be&s;eech you make &s;ome difference in your Love betwixt me and them, for <HI>I</HI> do affect &s;ingularity &s;o much in matter of affection, that I cannot endure to be loved in the &s;ame degree with others. Put &s;ome difference, I be&s;eech you Madam, betwixt me and your friends, and know that if you do not, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t infallibly either loo&s;e my life, or my rea&s;on and wits, for <HI>I</HI> am mo&s;t certain <HI>I</HI> can never loo&s;e that affection which <HI>I</HI> have unto you.</P>
<P>Me thinks <HI>Mereontes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) that in telling you <HI>I</HI> e&s;teem you as the cheif of my friends, and &s;o di&s;tingui&s;h you, that this &s;hould content you: Alas Ma|dam (replyed <HI>I)</HI> though you &s;hould tell me that <HI>I</HI> am your only friend, and though <HI>I</HI> am a Lover of &s;ingularity, yet &s;hould <HI>I</HI> not be contented; for your affe|ction is &s;till friend&s;hip, and before <HI>I</HI> can be &s;atisfied, your friend&s;hip mu&s;t either become Love or my Love friend&s;hip, and therefore &s;ince it is an ea&s;ier matter to add &s;ome degree of heat unto your affection, than it is to quench the flames of mine, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you and conjure you to &s;trive a little to love me in another manner then you do.</P>
<P>But <HI>Mereontes,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto me) do you not con&s;ider that if <HI>I</HI> &s;hould love you as you de&s;ire, you &s;hall receive no favours from me? and that I cannot be &s;o indulgent to you as now <HI>I</HI> am, for <HI>I</HI> &s;ee you, and I talk as long as you plea&s;e: Yes Madam (replyed he &s;harply) you do &s;ee me, and you do talk with me; but you do them not with the &s;ame joy which you would, if you loved me as I de&s;ire: There wants that mutuall exchange of plea&s;ures which does nouri&s;h and augment Love, and which is the cheif felicity of Lovers And therefore Madam only out of cu|rio&s;ity, <HI>I</HI> be&s;eech you try the difference between Love and Friend&s;hip, and do not de|prive your &s;elf of lifes greate&s;t delight, by making me the mo&s;t mi&s;erable of men.</P>
<P>Yet all the&s;e intimations in the &s;weets of Love unto <HI>Dorinice</HI> were to no purpo&s;e, for Sir, &s;he was unalterable, and I could not obtain the lea&s;t hope of ever changing her mind: So I was in a mo&s;t mi&s;erable condition, nor could I make any appeal to the Judges and Laws of Love, becau&s;e they were e&s;tabli&s;hed only for &s;uch as do or did love one another, and I bring the only party that ever loved, I could not have any remedy for them. Yet was I not able to inclo&s;e all my &s;orrows in my heart, but complained in &s;uch a &s;ad manner unto <HI>Doronices</HI> friend who&s;e name was <HI>Nyrti|le,</HI> that I did mollifie her heart, and moved her to &s;peak in my behalf unto her friend.</P>
<P>And as they were walking one day in a Garden, &s;he &s;evered her from the re&s;t of her company, and told her &s;he did not well to mixe me among the number of her other friends, and that &s;he had no rea&s;on to entertain &s;uch a croud of them as &s;he did. For truly, (&s;aid <HI>Nyrtile</HI> to her) my humour is &s;uch that I had rather make choi&s;e of &s;ome man of accompli&s;hed parts, than to love a hundred or two. Alas <HI>Nirtile,</HI> (&s;aid &s;he than unto her) can you think I do love all tho&s;e who tearm them&s;elves my friends? I cannot tell (an&s;wered <HI>Nirtile)</HI> but you &s;eem as if you did, and as if you thought them all the mo&s;t faithfull, and &s;incere friends in the world.</P>
<P>The truth is (an&s;wered <HI>Dorinice)</HI> I am ju&s;t unto all my friends, for I know how to di&s;tingui&s;h betwixt tho&s;e who vi&s;it me out of vanity, or for intere&s;t, or out of cu&s;tome, or out of inclination: And I have unto tho&s;e who love me, &s;uch a kind of civility as befits &s;uch as are to be e&s;teemed; for if I had not, I &s;hould de|prive my &s;elf of a thou&s;and delights, which the conver&s;ation of &s;uch men afforded it but for all that, I only love tho&s;e who love me very well, and I am able to make it my boa&s;t, that I am the ju&s;te&s;t per&s;on in the world unto all tho&s;e who u&s;e to &s;ee
<PB N="187" REF="986">
me&punc; You mu&s;t except <HI>Mereontes</HI> Madam, (replied <HI>Nyrtile)</HI> for certainly he has no rea&s;on to be plea&s;ed with you.</P>
<P>Perhaps he hath more rea&s;on than you imagin, (replied &s;he) for I a&s;&s;ure you, I have been &s;triving as much as I could the&s;e two months together, either to love him as he would be, or el&s;e to hate him: The one half of this had been enough to have told me (replied <HI>Nirtile)</HI> double&s;s it had (replied &s;he) but I could not unle&s;s I had lied; for the truth is, <HI>Mereontes</HI> doth every day move me unto both tho&s;e thoughts, though they be very oppo&s;ite to each other: When I look upon his re&s;tle&s;s inquietude, and con&s;ider his Merit, his Affection, and my own Friend|&s;hip to him, I wi&s;h I were able to make him happy by loving him as he de&s;ires: But on the other &s;ide, when he &s;mothers me with his complaints, upbraids me with my many friends, and permittance of many Lovers, this unju&s;t per&s;ecution makes me de&s;ire to hate him, and yet I find an equall impo&s;&s;ibility in both; and therefore I mu&s;t remain as I am, and if he be not contented, I cannot help it.</P>
<P>However Madam (&s;aid <HI>Nirtile</HI> to her) though you cannot love him, yet I be|&s;eech you be le&s;s friendly unto others, and le&s;&s;en the number of &s;uch friends as do &s;o neerly re&s;emble Lovers, that truly I wonder <HI>Merontes</HI> doth not look upon them as Rivalls. Nay, as for that <HI>Nirtile,</HI> (replied <HI>Dorinice)</HI> indeed I cannot do it, and to tell you truly, that was as much as I could do, did I love <HI>Mereontes?</HI> for the&s;e kind of triviall amities of gallantry do render conver&s;ation &s;o agreeable, and &s;o &s;weetly amu&s;e the mind, without di&s;quieting the heart, as I cannot part with one of them.</P>
<P>Truly Madam (replyed <HI>Nirtile)</HI> you are very unrea&s;onable, I know not (&s;aid <HI>Dorinice)</HI> whether I be unrea&s;onable; but I cannot think it any imprudence; for as I do behave my &s;elf, I do enjoy a thou&s;and plea&s;ures without hazarding my reputation, and I do enjoy them without any inquietudes of melancholly, and therefore I pray tell <HI>Mercontes,</HI> (if he did intere&s;t you to &s;peak unto me) that his be&s;t cour&s;e is to re&s;t in quiet, and to let me re&s;t &s;o al&s;o. For it were a mo&s;t cruell thing that one who enjoyes all the delights of innocent gallantry, &s;hould expo&s;e her &s;elf unto all the per&s;ecutions of Love, when &s;he is not capable of that pa&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>After this <HI>Nirtile</HI> had no more to &s;ay, but as one that was very &s;incere, &s;he told me the next morning all the di&s;cour&s;e, with intention to per&s;wade me, either to comply with the humour of <HI>Dorinice,</HI> or to quench my flames of Love, but to tell you truly, I could do neither.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the &s;ea&s;on of the year came on, in which we were wont to cele|brate a great fea&s;t of thanks, unto the gods for &s;eperating us from the ancient Sauro|mates, this was the time when <HI>Dorinices</HI> croud of friends did more perplex me then u|&s;uall, for &s;he was continually taken up with &s;ome peice of court&s;hip or other, &s;o as I may &s;ay, I &s;aw her and &s;aw her not; and to my grief I ob&s;erved every day an additi|on of new friends which others brought unto her: And as &s;oon as the admirable <HI>Sapho</HI> came into our Court, <HI>Phacn,</HI> and the brother of <HI>Phylire</HI> were al&s;o admitted in|to the number of her friends. I wi&s;hed that I could make my &s;elf as many friends as &s;he did, to try if any &s;uch delight could be found in a multitude, but it was impo&s;|&s;ible for me, yet I &s;aw <HI>Sapho</HI> and <HI>Agela&s;te</HI> very often, and complained of my mi|&s;ery unto them; for my pa&s;&s;ion was grown &s;o publick, that every one knew of it. And truly I mu&s;t needs confe&s;s, I found much comfort from them; for both of them did &s;o penetrate into the depth of my thoughts, that I perceived they knew them as well as my &s;elf. And &s;ince they did not think it expedient to flatter me, they ingeniou&s;ly told me, that they did not think &s;o ancient a friend&s;hip as that of <HI>Dorinices</HI> unto me, could ever become love, &s;o Sir, knowing <HI>Sapho</HI> to be one, who knew every one that came into her company, the &s;oone&s;t and mo&s;t perfectly of any one in the world; I grounded as much upon what &s;he &s;aid as if &s;he had been one who could infallibly tell the future fate of things: And though I found much comfort in complaining unto her again&s;t the unalterable coldne&s;s of <HI>Dorinices</HI> heart, yet &s;he made me much more mi&s;erable, by telling me her thoughts. But in the confidence that I had in the depth of her wi&s;dome, I de&s;ired her &s;he would be plea&s;ed to take &s;o much pains as to &s;ound the depth of <HI>Dorinices</HI> mind, and to tell me then her opinion; &s;o as I obliged her to promi&s;e me her be&s;t endeavour, and to report unto me the truth of her imaginations: And after &s;he had held much di&s;|cour&s;e
<PB N="188" REF="987">
with <HI>Dorinice</HI> &s;everall times: After a &s;erious con&s;ideration of her behavi|our, and after extraordinary paines to know her throughly, and had &s;poken of me unto her with much affection; &s;he told me that there was no hopes that <HI>Do|rinice</HI> would ever change her mind: and that if I could not be contented with be|ing the fir&s;t of her friends, &s;he would advi&s;e me to be no longer her Lover: Alas Madam (&s;aid I unto her) it is not the quality of <HI>Dorinices</HI> friend can ever &s;atisfie me: and yet were I the only one who had that title, perhaps I &s;hould pre&s;erve all my Love unto her, provided &s;he be&s;towed all her friend&s;hip upon me: But Ma|dam, &s;he adds every day unto the number of her friends, and therefore &s;ince <HI>Do|rinice</HI> cannot love me, nor let me have her entire friend&s;hip, I mu&s;t endeavour to quench my flames: For it is not po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould long continue loving one who&s;e &s;oule is &s;o rocky, that &s;he had rather make me mi&s;erable, than part from the lea&s;t of her friends: And &s;ince I am not able to leave loving her as long as I &s;ee her, I mu&s;t quit my Country. <HI>Sapho</HI> honouring me with her friend&s;hip, did at the fir&s;t oppo&s;e my de&s;ign: But at la&s;t, &s;he &s;aw I was &s;o mi&s;erable, that &s;he confe&s;&s;ed bani&s;hment would be more &s;weet unto me, then <HI>Dorinices</HI> pre&s;ence. Yet &s;ince &s;he would not omit any thing which might conduce unto my tranquility, &s;he brought it &s;o to pa&s;&s;e by the negotiation and di&s;cretion of <HI>Phaon,</HI> that though the Judges appointed for the determination of all differences in Love, could not by their Law meddle with any things but &s;uch as pa&s;&s;ed between per&s;ons who had once contra|cted affection, yet they would take conu&s;ance of this difference between <HI>Dorinice</HI> and me. At the fir&s;t it did much incen&s;e her: but &s;ince <HI>Sapho</HI> procured the Queen to countenance the matter by her Authority, &s;he was forced to put in her an&s;wer, and I al&s;o preferred my Complaint before the Judges.</P>
<P>Then they began to put &s;everall que&s;tions of much curio&s;ity, for they asked whether a Lover could content him&s;elfe with the friendship of one, who did not love any other? They asked al&s;o whether a Lover had any rea&s;on to be jealous of the friends unto his Mi&s;tre&s;s? and whether the&s;e two things were a cau&s;e of legall complaint, and a ju&s;t rea&s;on to change affection? Time will not allow me Sir, to particularize the whole matter unto you who have no intere&s;t in it: But give me leave to tel you in short, that after &s;erious con&s;ideration of the&s;e two que&s;tions, the judges &s;aid, that as to the fir&s;t it was out of all doubt, that Friendship could never come in compari&s;on with Love, nor give it &s;atisfaction: And they declared that a Lover might accu&s;e his Mi&s;tre&s;s of ingratitude, and complayn as of a high piece of inju&s;tice, if she doe not an&s;wer his &punc;affection with an affection of the &s;ame nature. For be&s;ides (&s;ay they) that Love is a pa&s;&s;ion which in all things re|quires equality of hearts. They &s;aid further, that a Lover can never be in &s;ecurity as long as his Mi&s;tre&s;s is only his friend; &s;ince he is in danger every moment to &s;ee her fall in love with another: &s;o as they declared that I had good rea&s;on not to be &s;atisfied with the friendship of <HI>Dorinice.</HI></P>
<P>Afterwards they &s;aid, that as to the &s;econd thing in que&s;tion, That jealou&s;ie was of &s;o large an extent, that po&s;&s;ibly it might be &s;o, as one might be jealous without any Rivalls, &s;ince one might be jealous of any thing, which too much took up the heart of the per&s;on loved; and (&s;aid he who reported the opinion of the a&s;&s;embly) &s;ince one is not &s;o jealous of tho&s;e thoughts which others have of the Lady whom one loves, as they are of tho&s;e thoughts which &s;he hath of o|thers, it follows, that one may be jealous of any thing which engageth her heart any manner of way: If &s;he affect any &s;olitude too much, a Lover may without extravagancy be a little jealous: Judg therefore I be&s;eech you then, &s;ince <HI>Dorini|ce</HI> having a hundred Friends who may become her Lovers, or who at lea&s;t take up a great part of her heart, and who fill up her time &s;o, that <HI>Mereontes</HI> can hardly ever &s;peak unto her: whether <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, &s;uch a Lover hath not rea&s;on to enter|tain &s;ome thoughts which may be termed jealou&s;ie, and whether he have not rea&s;on to complain of her, &s;ince &s;he is &s;o eternally taken up with her friends, and &s;uch friends as &s;o nearly re&s;emble Lovers, that one may ea&s;ily mi&s;take the one for the other.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as this was &s;aid, a friend of <HI>Dorinices</HI> who pretended unto the fir&s;t Rank, &s;tood up, and &s;aid that it was great inju&s;tice to think friends could be jea|lous: That this was the way to violate all the priviledges of friend&s;hip, which
<PB N="189" REF="987">
of all things upon earth ought to be mo&s;t inviolable: And that it would put a great di&s;order and confu&s;ion among&s;t all men, if love and friend&s;hip &s;hould be de|clared incompatible; for as friend&s;hip cannot be without love, &s;o love and friend|&s;hip may con&s;i&s;t together.</P>
<P>Then &s;he in&s;tanced many examples out of antiquity, to make it appear that one may be a zealous Lover and a zealous Friend both at one time: And among&s;t the re&s;t that of <HI>Achilles,</HI> who though extreamly in love with <HI>Bri&s;eis,</HI> yet loved <HI>Pa|trocles</HI> with abundance of tenderne&s;&s;e: And after this, he de&s;ired it might be de|clared, that <HI>Dorinice</HI> might admit of as many friends as &s;he plea&s;ed, without being &s;ubject unto any complaints again&s;t her: But Sir, after this friend of <HI>Dorinices</HI> had &s;aid all he could, and after <HI>I</HI> had an&s;wered all his objections again&s;t me, the Judges ordained, that <HI>Dorinice</HI> &s;hould make her choi&s;e, either to an&s;wer my affe|ction with the like: Or if &s;he could not, and would yet pre&s;erve me, to exclude all the re&s;t of her friends, to the end <HI>I</HI> might &s;olely remain in her heart: declaring, that if &s;he would do neither of the&s;e two, I might lawfully quit her without in|con&s;tancy, or being accu&s;ed of ingratitude. So Sir, <HI>Dorinice</HI> being unable ei|ther to love me, or renounce that multitude of friends which diverted her, she publiquely declared that &s;he was &s;o far from doing either of the&s;e two things, as &s;he was fully re&s;olved upon two other things quite contrary: For (&s;aid &s;he) I am re&s;olved never to love as long as I live, neither will I faile to admit of more new friends. You may ea&s;ily imagine Sir, how this cruell Declaration of <HI>Dorinices</HI> went to my heart: But that which fini&s;hed my de&s;pair was, that &s;he &s;ent unto me &s;he would never &s;ee me any more, and yet the very &s;ame day &s;he &s;ent this rigo|rous me&s;&s;age, &s;he admitted of two fre&s;h friends: &s;o as re&s;olving upon ab&s;ence, I employed the illu&s;trious <HI>Sapho</HI> to obtain a licence from the Queen, to go out o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> her Dominions: And &s;o I did, without bidding adieu unto any but <HI>Sapho, Agela|&s;te,</HI> and <HI>Phaon.</HI></P>
<P>As &s;oon as I had pa&s;&s;ed tho&s;e De&s;arts which environ our Country, I came into the Territories of the ancient <HI>Sauromates,</HI> where I found Troops ready to depart, which <HI>Aripithes</HI> had levyed for <HI>Thomyris:</HI> So as I conceiving War the be&s;t reme|dy again&s;t Love, I followed them without any other de&s;ign but to forget <HI>Dorinice.</HI> But though I am not able to do it, yet I am &s;o fully re&s;olved never to &s;ee her again, that I will voluntarily bani&s;h my &s;elfe for ever out of the mo&s;t plea&s;ant Countrey in the world. But Sir, if you will be plea&s;ed to give me leave to devote my &s;elfe in&s;eparably unto your &s;ervice, I &s;hall hope for more tranquility and &s;atisfaction then ever I had: And my joyes in finding &s;uch an illu&s;trious Protector will be a|bove my &s;orrows for the lo&s;&s;e of an unju&s;t Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Mereontes</HI> having ended his Relation and his Complement, <HI>Cyrus</HI> returned a very obliging an&s;wer unto this illu&s;trious <HI>Sauromate.</HI> After which, entring into deep Cogitations of his pa&s;t misfortunes and pre&s;ent mi&s;eries, he &s;pake little all the re&s;t of the day. But night being come, and all things ready, <HI>Cyrus</HI> entred into this clo&s;e Coach which <HI>Meliantes;</HI> and <HI>Mereontes</HI> being their Convoy, they got out by the favour of the night, none ob&s;erving that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in the Coach: And as they got well out of the Camp, &s;o they arrived at the Tents Royal; and as good luck for <HI>Cyrus</HI> was, the Tent of <HI>Meliantes</HI> being one of the very fir&s;t, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was pre&s;ently in a place where none could &s;ee him unle&s;&s;e <HI>Meliantes</HI> would, and where it was unlikely any would &s;eek for him; for his death was &s;o generally be|lieved on all &s;ides, that it was divulged over all places in the world. The <HI>Grecians</HI> which were in the Army writ into <HI>Greece,</HI> the <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> &s;ent unto <HI>Per&s;epolis;</HI> the <HI>Medes</HI> made it known in <HI>Media; Intaphernes</HI> writ into <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Bythinia;</HI> The <HI>A&s;&s;yrians</HI> &s;ent into <HI>Babylon: Thra&s;imedes</HI> writ it into <HI>Lycia: Ligdamis</HI> unto <HI>Ephe&s;us, Myr&s;iles</HI> unto <HI>Sardis,</HI> and &s;o all the re&s;t into their &s;everall Countreys: And the noi&s;e of his death was &s;o univer&s;ally divulged in all remote places, and &s;o generally believed, that many excellent Hi&s;tories were deceived by the mi|&s;take, and Hi&s;torians have left this &s;uppo&s;ed death of <HI>Cyrus</HI> in their Hi&s;tories, as true, though the truth is, it was the unfortunate <HI>Spitridates</HI> who lo&s;t his life, and pa&s;&s;ed for this illu&s;trious Conqueror.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Feraulas</HI> in this generall belief of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his death, endeavou|red all manner of ways to find out his Corps: And having many friends &s;ince the time that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was there under the name of <HI>Artamenes,</HI> hee employed all their
<PB N="190" REF="988">
helps in the di&s;covery: But in his Que&s;t of one thing, he di&s;covered another, which made him extreamly joyed; for he under&s;tood by accident, that the <HI>Gelon</HI> Captain who pre&s;ented the head of <HI>Spitridates</HI> unto <HI>Thomyris,</HI> as the head or <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> did endeavour to &s;ell tho&s;e rich Arms of gold which that unfortunate Prince did wear the la&s;t day of his life, and which <HI>Cyrus</HI> gave unto him after his Combate with <HI>Aripithes:</HI> So as <HI>Feraulas</HI> knowing that <HI>Cyrus</HI> wore a very common &s;uit of Arms that day, he concluded, that of nece&s;&s;ity it mu&s;t be the head of <HI>Spitridates</HI> which <HI>Thomyris</HI> plunged in blood, and not of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> &s;o as much hope and joy began to revive in his &s;oule, and &s;o as the death of <HI>Spitridates</HI> which before made him full of &s;orrow, now filled him full of joy.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, as &s;oon as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was got &s;afe into the Tent of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> where <HI>Mereontes</HI> was clo&s;e concealed with him, <HI>Meliantes</HI> began to contrive wayes for his deliverance: and yet he would not be &s;een in two dayes, le&s;t his Counterfeit &s;ickne&s;&s;e should be &s;u&s;pected: And during the&s;e two dayes, <HI>Mere|ontes</HI> and he did bethink them&s;elves whether there was any po&s;&s;ibility of relea&s;ing <HI>Mandana,</HI> as well as <HI>Cyrus:</HI> For &s;ince there was many <HI>Sauromates</HI> in the Army of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> who &s;ince the death of their Prince, had no affection unto that Prin|ce&s;s, they thought it no hard bu&s;ine&s;&s;e to move them unto a mutiny. And &s;ince it was <HI>Mereontes</HI> who had commanded them under <HI>Aripithes,</HI> it was mo&s;t fit for him to negotiate with the re&s;t of the Captains over tho&s;e Forces. So as <HI>Melian|tes</HI> and he communicating their thoughts unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he did &s;o concur with them, that he de&s;ired them to endeavour the execution of this de&s;ign, before they thought any more of getting him out of the Tents Royall. And truly &s;aid he un|to them, if you can bring the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e unto that pa&s;&s;e, as that there mu&s;t be any fighting for <HI>Mandana, I</HI> will be there in per&s;on, and not be a debtor unto your valour only for her Liberty.</P>
<P>That which did further the de&s;ign of <HI>Mereontes</HI> was, that there were many <HI>Sauromattan</HI> Captains in the Tents Royall, who &s;tayed there to aske the leave of <HI>Thomyris</HI> for their departure. So that to loo&s;e no time, after <HI>Meliantes</HI> had kept in two dayes to di&s;gui&s;e his &s;ickne&s;&s;e, he went out; and &s;ounding the minds of the <HI>Sauromattan</HI> Captains, who were all intimate friends unto <HI>Mereontes,</HI> he found their pul&s;es to beate according to his wishes: So as obliging them very hand|&s;omely to come one Evening unto his Tent, he let them &s;ee <HI>Mereontes,</HI> unto whom they did as much vow their obedience, as unto their Prince, expre&s;&s;ing &s;o much de&s;ire to revenge his death, as they wished <HI>Cyrus</HI> were living, that they might fight under his Banners: Yet <HI>Mereontes</HI> did not think it expedient to tell them that their wishes were accomplished, untill their de&s;ign was riper: but he de|&s;ired them to di&s;po&s;e the minds of their Souldiers, &s;o as they might obey them upon any occa&s;ion what&s;oever, a&s;&s;uring them, that if they did make them&s;elves Ma&s;ters of their Troops, he would very shortly give them a brave occa&s;ion to &s;ig|nalize their Valours, to revenge the death of <HI>Aripithes,</HI> to get much glory, and to enrich them&s;elves if they would. After which, &s;ome of them returned to the Camp, to do as <HI>Mereontes</HI> de&s;ired them, and the re&s;t &s;tayed &s;till to confer about the corre&s;pondency betwixt <HI>Mereontes</HI> and them.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> being acquainted with the promi&s;es of the&s;e Captains, he re&s;olved that when they had made &s;ure of their Souldiers, to give &s;ecret intelli|gence of this unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares,</HI> who commanded his Army, to the end that when the <HI>Sauromates</HI> did &s;ever them&s;elves from the Army of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> to fall upon the Tents Royal, they might at the &s;ame time fall upon the Camp of <HI>Ari|antes:</HI> And that tho&s;e great Auxiliaries which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent him under the name of <HI>Aglatidas</HI> his Kin&s;-man, might attempt to joyn with them, and enforce tho&s;e Troops which <HI>Andramites</HI> had &s;et to guard the pa&s;&s;ages: So as <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>A|riantes</HI> having &s;o many things to do at once, they might be the more di&s;mayed, and ea&s;ier overcome.</P>
<P>But &s;ince he would not attempt any thing ra&s;hly, untill he heard the <HI>Sauromat|tan</HI> Captains were a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ured of their Souldiers, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in a &s;trange perplexity, for he dur&s;t not make it known unto <HI>Mandana</HI> that he was alive, le&s;t the way of his conveying that news unto her &s;hould mi&s;carry, and &s;o he &s;hould both ruine him&s;elf, and deprive her of his a&s;&s;i&s;tance. Doubtle&s;&s;e he might have obliged <HI>Me|liantes</HI>
<PB N="191" REF="988">
to have made it known unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and by her, have conveyed it unto <HI>Mandana:</HI> But as oft as he con&s;idered, if he &s;hould fall into the hands of <HI>Thomy|ris,</HI> both he and &s;he were for ever ruined, he cho&s;e rather to let her be ignorant of his being living, then to hazard their being for ever mi&s;erable. Yet &s;ometimes he was &s;o extreamly de&s;irous &s;he &s;hould know he was living, that he was ready to run through all dangers, and would hazard all for one &s;ingle &s;ight of <HI>Mandana.</HI> That which mo&s;t augmented his de&s;ire of it was, becau&s;e he &s;aw no great difficul|ty in it; for he under&s;tood by <HI>Meliantes,</HI> that the Tent wherein &s;he was, was not now &s;o &s;trictly guarded: and that <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> were &s;o fully per|&s;waded of his death, that they feared not the &s;peaking of any unto her, and yet the Guards were &s;o &s;trict, as to hinder her from making an e&s;cape: <HI>Ariantes</HI> al&s;o was very circum&s;pect to hinder <HI>Thomyris</HI> from executing any revenge upon that Prin|ce&s;s: but it was no difficulty to obtain &s;o much liberty as to &s;peak with her, &s;ince the death of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was believed: So as this great Prince who had never &s;een <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;ince <HI>Ariantes</HI> under the name of <HI>Anaxaris</HI> carryed her away, had now a mo&s;t unmea&s;urable de&s;ire of &s;eeing her, &s;o as he could not choo&s;e but ex|pre&s;&s;e as much unto <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Mereontes:</HI> but they made it &s;o full of dan|ger unto him, that they di&s;&s;waded him: For Sir (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes</HI> unto him) &s;hould you be known, it would not be your life that would be in the danger, for the affection which <HI>Thomyris</HI> has unto you, would keep her from being &s;o cruell unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> living, as &s;he was unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> dead: But what cruelties will &s;he not inflict upon the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana?</HI> therefore I be&s;eech you command mee no &s;uch &s;ervice, as you may repent of it as long as you live, and which may render you the mi&s;erable&s;t of men.</P>
<P>So <HI>Cyrus</HI> being convinced both of his rea&s;ons and his prayers, he re&s;olved to give over all thoughts of &s;eeing <HI>Mandana,</HI> and think of nothing but how to conceale him&s;elf in expectation of this great attempt which <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Mere|ontes</HI> was plotting; for as <HI>Mereontes</HI> had great credit among&s;t the <HI>Sauromates,</HI> &s;o <HI>Meliantes</HI> endeavoured to gain &s;ome of <HI>Mandana's</HI> Guard, with whom he was in very good e&s;teem, yet he could not do any thing again&s;t <HI>Hyda&s;pes:</HI> and if he did get any new credit in the heart of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> it was without dimini&s;hing of the reputation of his Rivall. However, flattering him&s;elf, and knowing very well that <HI>A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">pa&s;ia</HI> e&s;teemed him very much; he believed that if he could once deliver <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Cyrus, Hydaspes</HI> then dur&s;t not di&s;pute with him for the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of <HI>Arpa&s;ia.</HI> But &s;ometimes the violence of his Love would put his Vertue unto a mo&s;t difficult tryall; for when he thought, that if he &s;hould put <HI>Cyrus</HI> into the hands of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> he &s;hould ea&s;ily oblige her to put <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> into his, his heart did a little &s;tagger: Yet for all that, <HI>Meliantes</HI> was both ju&s;t and generous, and would not buy the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> at &s;o unworthy a rate as the ruine of the greate&s;t Prince, and mo&s;t victorious Prince&s;s in the world. So as tran&s;acting up|on noble Principles, and choo&s;ing rather to be unfortunate, then to be happy by any ba&s;e wayes, or by the mi&s;eries of illu&s;trious per&s;ons, he &s;econded the valiant <HI>Mereontes,</HI> who had negotiated the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e &s;o happily, that all the Captains of his corre&s;pondency a&s;&s;ured him their Souldiers were at their command, and they at his, demanding yet &s;ome days to get the <HI>Gelous</HI> unto their &s;ide, who exceed|ingly murmured that it &s;hould be a Captain of their Nation, who in hope of re|compence &s;hould pre&s;ent the &s;uppo&s;ed head of <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto <HI>Thomyris;</HI> though they &s;aid, that without them he had never conquered that Prince.</P>
<P>In the interim, <HI>Cyrus</HI> heard by <HI>Meliantes,</HI> that the Armies were &s;till in their Trenches: That the Reliefe which <HI>Cyaxares</HI> &s;ent, drew neer: that <HI>Ar&s;amones</HI> was killed by a Rebellion of the people: that the Prince&s;s his Daughter was ex|treamly troubled, and that both &s;he and <HI>Araminta</HI> grieved that they could not hear what was become of <HI>Spitridates:</HI> But the mo&s;t ob&s;ervable of all was, <HI>Meli|antes</HI> under&s;tood by <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> that the&s;e two dayes <HI>Mandana</HI> was nothing &s;o &s;ad as &s;he was: her tears did &s;top, her &s;ighes were not &s;o frequent, and &s;he could talk of any thing. <HI>Cyrus</HI> asking every day how <HI>Mandana</HI> did; and <HI>Meliantes</HI> u&s;ing to &s;hew him the greatne&s;&s;e of her &s;orrows, becau&s;e he &s;aw it was &s;ome &s;weetne&s;&s;e unto him to know the fidelity of her he loved, he was much put to it, how to an|&s;wer him that day: yet &s;ince he would not di&s;quiet him, he told him that he knew
<PB N="192" REF="989">
not how &s;he did that day, but being &s;omthing &s;low in the return of his an&s;wer and the &s;pirit of a Lover being more penetrating than any others: <HI>Cyrus</HI> did know that <HI>Meliantes</HI> had not an&s;wered him &s;incerely; &s;o that imagining <HI>Mandana</HI> to be ve|ry &s;ick with grief, his &s;pirits were &s;o &s;tirred, and he expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf &s;o &s;adly unto <HI>Meliantes,</HI> as he acquainted him ingeniou&s;ly with what <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> had &s;aid, adding to qualifie the matter, that doubtle&s;s, <HI>Mandana</HI> did moderate her grief at the hea|ring of the relief which the King her Father had &s;ent: And therefore hoping to &s;ee his Death &s;hortly revenged, and her &s;elf delivered, the Exce&s;s of her &s;orrows did &s;omthing dimini&s;h.</P>
<P>Alas <HI>Meliantes</HI> (cryed <HI>Cyrus</HI> out) if <HI>Mandana</HI> can &s;o &s;oon forget my death, <HI>Mandana</HI> will never think upon revenging it; No, no, <HI>Mandana</HI> is unfaithfull: <HI>Ariantes</HI> triumphes over my misfortune, and I am the mo&s;t mi&s;erable of men. Oh I be&s;eech you Sir, (replied <HI>Meliantes)</HI> do not thus afflict your-&s;elf at what I tell you, untill you know whether you have any cau&s;e, for you have &s;o many reall cau&s;es to greive at, that me thinks you &s;hould not build upon any appearances which are often fallacious, No, no <HI>Meliantes,</HI> (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> the con&s;olation of <HI>Mandana</HI> can have no cau&s;e which can be advantageous unto me, and I am &s;ure that if &s;he had not changed her affection to me, &s;he could not beleive me dead, or receive her Liberty without Tears: And therefore I mu&s;t &s;adly conclude, that &s;ince &s;he can &s;o &s;oon clear up her &s;orrows, I mu&s;t de&s;pair; but yet <HI>Meliantes,</HI> I de&s;ire to dy at her feet after I have killed <HI>Ariantes.</HI> Sir, (replyed he) when our de&s;ign is ripe then perhaps in delivering <HI>Mandana,</HI> you may kill your Rivall, but in the mean time, I be&s;eech you be not too ra&s;h. Is it po&s;&s;ible unju&s;t Prince&s;s, (cryed out <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> and addre&s;&s;ed his &s;peech unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> as if &s;he had heard him) that you can &s;o &s;oon forget the Death of a Prince, who valued his own life not at a &s;traw, when he thought you dead at <HI>Synope?</HI> and who had mo&s;t infallibly killed him&s;elf, had he been certain that you were not living? you I &s;ay, who has made me a pro|mi&s;e of immortall affection, and who&s;e &s;oul alwaies &s;eemed unto me, &s;o high and generous. Oh mo&s;t ungratefull Prince&s;s, have you forgotten all I have done for you? can you retain in your imagination that bloody head which you thought to be mine, and be able to talk of things &s;o indifferent? Oh <HI>Mandana,</HI> Can you think me dead and not grieve? if it be &s;o, then am <HI>I</HI> the ba&s;e&s;t of all men living, if <HI>I</HI> continue &s;till my Love unto you.</P>
<P>As <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in this extreamity of grief, and as <HI>Meliantes</HI> was endeavouring to comfort him, they heard a great noi&s;e; and a little after they under&s;tood, that fire accidentally hapning in <HI>Mandana's</HI> Tents, they carried her, and all the re&s;t of the Ladies Pri&s;oners unto other Tents, and in their pa&s;&s;age to them, they mu&s;t of ne|ce&s;&s;ity go by the Tent where <HI>Cyrus</HI> was. This &s;adly afflicted Prince, would needs &s;ee <HI>Mandana</HI> with his own eyes, though <HI>Meliantes</HI> did what he could to hinder him: But <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Mereontes</HI> both got neer him, purpo&s;ely to hinder him from &s;hewing him&s;elf as <HI>Mandana</HI> pa&s;&s;ed by, and indeed they had good rea&s;on for their fore&s;ight; For when <HI>Mandana</HI> pa&s;&s;ed by, when he &s;aw her in a Coach guar|ded by <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and when he ob&s;erved in the Countenance of that Prince&s;s, a grave &s;adne&s;s without any extream &s;orrow, his re&s;entments were beyond all imagi|nation.</P>
<P>But to compleat up the totall &s;umm of his &s;orrows, <HI>Mandanas</HI> Coach was forced to &s;tay, becau&s;e one of the hor&s;es in that Coach wherein <HI>Araminta</HI> was, being lame upon a &s;udden, and that Coach going before <HI>Mandanas,</HI> it was al&s;o forced to &s;tay: And as chance would have it, &s;taying ju&s;t before the Tent where <HI>Cyrus</HI> was, that Prince had better lea&s;ure to ob&s;erve the motions of <HI>Mandanas</HI> face; he could not di&s;cover either any joyes or myrth in her, nor could he &s;ee any greif or exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow, but he &s;aw one thing which made him almo&s;t mad and needs would he go and upbraid <HI>Mandana</HI> with a thou&s;and reproaches: And if he had had any Arms, it is to be believed he would have &s;et upon his Rivall for all his great number of ar|med guards. The cau&s;e of his exce&s;&s;ive rage was, becau&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> having <HI>Dorali|&s;e</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> only in the Coach with her, and turning her head towards a mul|titude of people on her right hand which looked upon her as &s;he pa&s;&s;ed by; &s;he whi&s;pered <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> in the ear, &amp; &s;hewed unto her &s;ome body whom <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> al&s;o looked upon, and as <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hewed her, a little collour came into her Checks,
<PB N="193" REF="989">
which pre&s;ently di&s;&s;ipating part of her &s;adne&s;s, did bring into her eyes &s;uch an incli|nation unto joy as appears in the a&s;pects of &s;uch as &s;mile, yet this di&s;po&s;ition la&s;ted but an in&s;tant: For pre&s;ently after, <HI>Mandana</HI> lifting up her eyes unto Heaven, as if &s;he prayed for &s;omthing, returned unto her former a&s;pect of &s;erious &s;adne&s;s; but though this little &s;mile did la&s;t but an in&s;tant, yet it rai&s;ed a great and long &s;orrow in the &s;oul of <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<P>But as good fortune for him was, he was &s;o &s;urprized at this &s;ight, as his wonder did for a time deprive him of his &s;peech, otherwi&s;e certainly his complaints had been &s;o loud, that <HI>Mandana</HI> might have heard them from the Tent where he was, and as good luck was, <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Mereontes</HI> were with him, to hinder him from &s;hewing him&s;elf as he intended.</P>
<P>But the Hor&s;e in <HI>Aramintas</HI> Coach being recovered, both it and <HI>Mandanas</HI> be|gan to put on, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> loo&s;ing the &s;ight of this Prince&s;s, he remained in a mo&s;t mi&s;erable condition. Is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid he, after he had recovered him&s;elf) that <HI>Mandana</HI> can &s;mile under the power of my Rivall? and in a beleif that <HI>I</HI> am in my Grave? Since <HI>I</HI> have &s;een &s;uch a prodigious alteration in her heart, <HI>I</HI> &s;hall not de&s;|pair, but I can cea&s;e loving her. But alas the wor&s;t is, I do &s;till love her and &s;he loves not me; mi&s;erable wretch that I am (added this afflicted Prince) I did fore|&s;ee it was an ea&s;ier matter to be unfaithfull unto a dead Lover, than to a living, and yet I would not let <HI>Mandana</HI> know that I was not dead: But alas (continued he) how could I ever imagin, that a Prince&s;s who has &s;een the greate&s;t Princes in the world at her feet, and yet pre&s;erved her fidelity, &s;hould now be perfidious? How could I ever think that &s;he, who for the Love of me, had rejected the King of <HI>A&s;|&s;yria,</HI> the Prince <HI>Mazares,</HI> the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> him&s;elf, &s;hould the very next day think me in my grave, exclude me out of her heart, and memory, and become the mo&s;t ungratefull and mo&s;t unju&s;t per&s;on in the world? But Sir, (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes)</HI> I do not under&s;tand why any thing I have &s;aid unto you, or any thing you have &s;een, &s;hould &s;o exce&s;&s;ively trouble you: No, no <HI>Meliantes,</HI> (replied <HI>Cy|rus)</HI> I cannot be mi&s;taken, I know the very bottome of <HI>Mandanas</HI> heart, and I am &s;o &s;ure that &s;he had &s;ome plea&s;ing thoughts in her mind when I &s;aw her, that it is impo&s;&s;ible but I &s;hould be infinitely grieved. I thought that after all I had done for her, &s;he &s;hould not &s;o &s;oon forget me, but that &s;he &s;hould acknowledge my &s;er|vices by a long continued &s;orrow for my death, and yet I find her thoughts far diffe|rent, and in &s;uch a condition, that if our de&s;ign be not &s;uddenly executed, I &s;hall hear of her being at &s;ome publik Diver&s;ion, and that &s;he has recovered all her joyes and plea&s;ant humours again.</P>
<P>Oh Heavens! that I &s;hould ever &s;ee this day? is it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould outlive the &s;ight which I have &s;een? Yes, yes (added he upon &s;econd thoughts) I will live to be revenged upon her that does not lament my death, and to kill my happy Ri|vall who hath driven me out of the heart of that unju&s;t Prince&s;s, and who thinks him&s;elf my &s;ucce&s;&s;or in her affection: But perfidious <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> as long as I live, thou &s;halt never enjoy <HI>Mandana.</HI> Afterwards this afflicted Prince fell into many bitter expre&s;&s;ions, and was &s;o in&s;tant with <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Mereontes</HI> to ha&s;ten their de&s;ign, that he in&s;pired them with fre&s;h zeal to the Execution of it. And in|deed they did tran&s;act their bu&s;ine&s;s &s;o well that all the Sauromattan Captains did not only a&s;&s;ure him of all the Sauromates but of the Gelons al&s;o. So as now ha|ving nothing to do but to make it known unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was living, and to agree with them upon an hour of the&s;e &s;everall a&s;&s;aults which they thought fit to be made all at once, they propounded it as the &s;afe&s;t expedient, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;hould de&s;ire a Herauld of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> to go and &s;ee a friend of his, who was really a pri&s;oner on the other &s;ide, and that in the mean time, he who went with this Herauld &s;hould &s;peak in private with <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares,</HI> or if that could not be, then to <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> or <HI>Feraulas,</HI> and acquaint them that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was living, and inform them of the &s;tate of things. But all the difficulty being to find a faithfull man for this imployment whom they might tru&s;t, and finding none, they changed their intentions, and re&s;olved that <HI>Mereontes</HI> &s;hould di&s;gui&s;e him&s;elf, and go into the Camp of <HI>Mazares:</HI> For &s;aid he, I can do it without any danger, &s;ince if any of <HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;ide do &s;top me, they will know me and take me to be one of their own &s;ide, and if any of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his men take me, they will carry me unto <HI>Cr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;us</HI>
<PB N="194" REF="990">
and <HI>Mazares:</HI> After this <HI>Mereontes</HI> without more delay, di&s;gui&s;ed him&s;elf; and after he had received all nece&s;&s;ary in&s;tructions from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> for the Execution of the work, he departed.</P>
<P>But that tho&s;e Princes might give the more credit unto what he &s;hould tell them, <HI>Cyrus</HI> writ a little note of three lines only unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> which <HI>Mereontes</HI> might tear, or &s;wallow, in ca&s;e he were &s;topped by any of <HI>Thomyris</HI> men; and before he went, <HI>Cyrus</HI> maugre all his &s;orrows, courted his fidelity with a million of obliging expre&s;&s;ions. But they were needle&s;s, for <HI>Mereontes</HI> of him&s;elf was wholly devoted unto the &s;ervice of this Prince, and did negotiate the bu&s;ine&s;s with &s;o much ingenu|ity and fidelity, that though he was &s;topped &s;everall times, yet he happily went his journey; for his habit being of that Nation of which there was &s;ome in both Ar|mies, he was able to tell any &s;ide that he was of theirs, and he went through all the difficulties &s;o fortunately that he got unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares:</HI> the truth is, he did not &s;o much &s;urprize them as he expected. For <HI>Feraulas</HI> an hour before, was returned from the Tents Royall, and had told them, that certainly the head which <HI>Thomyris</HI> had plunged in bloud was not the head of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but of <HI>Spitridates:</HI> So has <HI>Mereontes</HI> giving <HI>Mazares</HI> that Letter which <HI>Cyrus</HI> wrote unto him, they had noe rea&s;on to doubt any thing he told them afterwards, al&s;o they knew him to be that valiant Sauromate, who&s;e life <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aved from the flames, after he had overcome him.</P>
<P>But it was very ob&s;ervable, that though all the hopes of <HI>Mazares</HI> did dy, by the reviving of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> yet he was &s;o generous as to rejoice at it: The truth is, that to uphold his virtue, he had recour&s;e unto his Love, and his hopes of &s;eeing <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;oon delivered; made him rejoyce that <HI>Cyrus</HI> lived. And to let the height of his genero&s;ity appear, he endeavoured all manner of waies to ha&s;ten the execution of a de&s;ign, which he thought being retarded, might ruin <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who being in a place where he might be di&s;covered he was in abundance of Danger. So as con&s;ulting with <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and finding it expedient to impart the bu&s;ine&s;s unto the mo&s;t con&s;iderable friends of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> they &s;ent for the Prince <HI>Artamus, Myr&s;iles, Tygranes, Intaphernes, Gabrias, Gadates, Atergatis, Indather&s;es, Hyda&s;pes,</HI> and <HI>Chry&s;antes.</HI></P>
<P>But in the interim, <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> cau&s;ed <HI>Mereontes</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> to tell them all they knew concerning <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana,</HI> both of them &s;adly bewailing the &s;ad re&s;entments of that Prince&s;s when &s;he heard of the &s;uppo&s;ed Death of <HI>Cy|rus.</HI> Sirs (&s;aid <HI>Mereontes)</HI> there is more need of bewailing that great Prince, than that Prince&s;s: At lea&s;t he thinks her two much comforted after his &s;uppo&s;ed death; for he &s;aw her in a Coach before his Tent, and &s;aw &s;o few &s;igns of &s;orrows in her face, that he &s;aw her &s;mile as &s;he talked unto <HI>Marte&s;ia.</HI> And to tell you tru|ly, I know not how &s;he can excu&s;e her &s;elf for being &s;o &s;oon comforted; but I am &s;ure never Lover was &s;o afflicted as the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> was when he &s;aw it, Alas, alas (cryed cut <HI>Feraulas)</HI> it is with much inju&s;tice, and the joyes which he &s;aw in the face of that Prince&s;s, ought infinitely to oblige hm: For generous <HI>Mereon|tes,</HI> that &s;ame day when <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw her, was the day when her Tent was on fire, and when they carried her into another, and that &s;ame day in the morning, I did let her know by <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> that it was the head of <HI>Spitridates</HI> wkich &s;he &s;aw, and not of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> &s;o as it is no wonder if having &s;ome hopes of that Princes life &s;he was not &s;o &s;ad as when her own eyes told her that he was dead: And when he &s;aw her &s;mile a little, double&s;s it was an effect of her affection to him: For <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> telling her how I was di&s;gui&s;ed, and among&s;t the multitude to &s;ee her pa&s;s by, &s;he knew mee, and &s;hewed mee unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> making a little &s;igne with her head unto me, to te&s;tifie &s;he was glad of the good news which I &s;ent her, and not being able to think that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was living without the appearance of &s;ome joy in her eyes, me thought indeed I &s;aw her &s;mile a little: Oh <HI>Feraulas,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Mereontes)</HI> how welcome will this news be unto <HI>Cyrus?</HI> for I am fully per&s;waded that from the fir&s;t day of his loving <HI>Mandana</HI> unto this houre, nothing hath hapned which ever made him half &s;o mi&s;erable as this accident: Sir, (replyed he) I can &s;o ea&s;ily ju&s;ti|fie this great Prince&s;s, that I have a great de&s;ire to return withall the ha&s;te <HI>I</HI> can to undeceive my illu&s;trious Ma&s;ter of this Errour. Indeed, <HI>I</HI> think it requi&s;ite (re|plyed <HI>Cre&s;&s;us)</HI> that you return with <HI>Mereontes:</HI> For con&s;idering the depth of his re&s;entments, perhaps he will imagine that <HI>Mereontes</HI> flatters him. Then whil&s;t
<PB N="195" REF="990">
<HI>Cre&s;&s;us, Mereontes,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> were thus talking, and expecting the coming of tho&s;e Princes whom they had &s;ent for, <HI>Mazares</HI> was entertaining him&s;elfe with his own thoughts, and carefully examined them, le&s;t his love should be too &s;trong for his vertue.</P>
<P>At la&s;t, all the illu&s;trious friends of <HI>Cyrus</HI> being come, and hearing with incredi|ble joy that he was alive, they loadned <HI>Mereontes</HI> with a million of Carre&s;les, and thanked him as heartily as if he had ray&s;ed him from the dead. But <HI>Mereon|tes</HI> being all genero&s;ity, &s;topped them, and &s;aid, that it was not he who had &s;aved the life of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> nor that would &s;et him at liberty, but that it was an illu&s;trious <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> called <HI>Meliantes.</HI> At the very name of <HI>Meliantes, Hida&s;pes</HI> changed colour, and could not choo&s;e but te&s;tifie his a &s;toni&s;hment. How (&s;aid he and <HI>Gabrias</HI> both) is it <HI>Meliantes</HI> who was heretofore of <HI>Alfenes,</HI> is it he unto whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> is a Pri&s;oner? Yes (replyed <HI>Mereontes)</HI> he who hath the De&s;tiny of <HI>Cyrus</HI> in his hands is the &s;ame <HI>Meliantes,</HI> who I under&s;tand did meet the faire <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> upon the banks of a little River, and who began his acquaintance with her, by re|lating how <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> had heretofore erected a &s;tately Collumn unto his glory, up|on which Collumn <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> did &s;it. <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> being extreamly vexed that <HI>Cyrus</HI> should be &s;o obliged unto his Rival, his re&s;entments of it were beyond expre&s;&s;ions: but being generous, he a&s;&s;ured the Princes that &s;ince he had promi&s;ed fidelity un|to <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he would keep it.</P>
<P>After which they re&s;olved to &s;end in all ha&s;t unto <HI>Artabatis,</HI> who brought up the pui&s;&s;ant Auxiliaties which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ent, to the end that things might be &s;o contrived, that at the very &s;ame time the <HI>Sauromates</HI> and the <HI>Gelons</HI> departed from the Army of <HI>Thomyris</HI> unto the Tents Royall, to try if they could deliver <HI>Mandana,</HI> they might fall upon <HI>Ariantes</HI> in three places at once.: And that <HI>Arta|batis</HI> dividing his Troops, might fall upon <HI>Andramites</HI> with one part, and &s;end another to encamp them&s;elves between the Tents Royal, and the Camp of <HI>Thomy|ris,</HI> and &s;o cut off communication between the&s;e two places, whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> was fighting with the <HI>Gelons</HI> and <HI>Sauromates</HI> again&s;t the re&s;t, with orders to relieve, if need required.</P>
<P>But &s;ince all this would require &s;ome time, <HI>Mereontes</HI> did not return, untill it was known that <HI>Artabatis</HI> had received the&s;e orders, and promi&s;ed exact obedi|ence; and untill he had taken a punctuall mea&s;ure for the march of tho&s;e Troops which were to encamp them&s;elves between the Tents Royall, and the Camp of <HI>Thomyris.</HI> The difficulty was, that <HI>Myr&s;iles, Intaphernes, Atergatis,</HI> and <HI>Hy|da&s;pes,</HI> who had each of them a Mi&s;tre&s;s in that place, would by all means joyne them&s;elves with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and fight next him: And indeed, though <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> told them it was not expedient they &s;hould go, le&s;t they &s;hould be taken, and prejudice that Prince, and di&s;cover him, yet they were re&s;olved upon it. Yet the la&s;t of of the&s;e could not take that re&s;olution without great agitation of &s;pirit, in a thought that he &s;hould there meet with a Rivall unto whom <HI>Cyrus</HI> owed his life and liberty. <HI>Artamas</HI> al&s;o had a great mind to go unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> if he could have gone without prejudice to his &s;ide: but &s;ince he thought that he &s;hould do better &s;ervice in the Army then in the Tents Royall, he re&s;trained his de&s;ires.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Indathir&s;es,</HI> he much de&s;ired he might fight in the &s;ight of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but a generous thought made him re&s;olve to go, and a&s;&s;ault <HI>Thomyris</HI> even in her very Tents. As for <HI>Feraulas,</HI> he was re&s;olved to go with <HI>Mereontes,</HI> and &s;o did <HI>Chri|&s;antes.</HI></P>
<P>But whil&s;t the&s;e things thus pa&s;&s;ed, and whil&s;t all the&s;e brave and gallant men were preparing them&s;elves to go and fight for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> for <HI>Mandana,</HI> and for all the re&s;t of the illu&s;trious Captives, there pa&s;&s;ed things of great importance in the Tents Royall. <HI>Thomyris,</HI> the more &s;he con&s;idered the &s;tate of her fortune, the more mi&s;erable &s;he found her &s;elfe: and the death of <HI>Cyrus</HI> taking at once from her the object both of her love, and of her revenge, her &s;oule conceived a mo&s;t horrid hatred both of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and of her &s;elfe, which did in &s;uch a cruell man|ner torment her, that her intellects were not very free. As for <HI>Ariantes,</HI> &s;ince he &s;aw <HI>Mandana</HI> was &s;omewhat le&s;&s;e melanchollick, he was abundantly joyed, &s;o as he was in greater hopes, and <HI>Mandana</HI> in le&s;&s;e per&s;ecution. Yet &s;he being of a generous &s;oule, &s;he was extreamly &s;ad at the misfortune of <HI>Araminta,</HI> when &s;he
<PB N="196" REF="991">
heard of <HI>Spitridates</HI> his death: Al&s;o, not knowing yet where <HI>Cyrus</HI> was, and not being &s;o much joyed as not to doubt his death, &s;he was far from thinking her &s;elfe in any happy condition, although <HI>Feraulas</HI> had put her in great hopes by <HI>Mar|te&s;ia,</HI> &s;o as &s;he &s;tood in need of <HI>Dorali&s;a's</HI> con&s;olation, who for her particular had the comfort of <HI>Andramites</HI> being far from her.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Meliantes,</HI> &s;ince he had &s;ometimes the liberty to &s;ee <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and hoped for much protection from <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he was in a happier condition than ever he was, &s;ince the time that <HI>Argeli&s;e</HI> arrived at <HI>Alfenes,</HI> to interrupt his felicity. But for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he was in a wor&s;e condition then ever; as oft as it came into his imagination that <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould &s;mile when &s;he thought him dead, and &s;o &s;oon after the barborous act of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> he thought that he had all the rea&s;on in the world to grieve. Truly (&s;aid he one day unto <HI>Meliantes)</HI> had <HI>Mandana</HI> changed her affe|ction when &s;he had &s;ome &s;parks of jealou&s;ie of the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Araminta,</HI> and had be|&s;towed it upon the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> I &s;hould have thought her more excu&s;able. But that &s;he &s;hould &s;mile the very next day after &s;he knew of my death, in a time when &s;he was &s;atisfied with my pa&s;&s;ion, and believed that I lo&s;t my life becau&s;e I would continue faithfull, and &s;lighted a great Queen becau&s;e I would be con|&s;tant unto her, this adventure is &s;o &s;trangely terrible, that if the&s;e eyes of my own had not &s;een it, I could never have believed it, and yet alas now I cannot doubt it: Oh heavens! what a &s;trange alteration is in her heart, &s;ince &s;he was in <HI>Sinope,</HI> and there thought me dead? In tho&s;e happy dayes &s;he lamented me, &s;he &s;ighed and &s;hed teares, and &s;eemed to refu&s;e all comforts; Yet then, I had &s;carce|ly done any thing for her, I had not &s;o much as told her that I loved her, and yet &s;he did all that rea&s;on required &s;he &s;hould. But alas now, when I may ju&s;tly de|mand a recompence for my million of &s;ervices, and when I have thus long loved her the mo&s;t fervently and con&s;tantly that was po&s;&s;ible, &s;he can &s;mile, and perhaps &s;o quite forget me, that &s;he never thinks upon the mi&s;erable <HI>Artamenes,</HI> or the unfortunate <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<P>Ah <HI>Mandana,</HI> unju&s;t <HI>Mandana!</HI> is it po&s;&s;ible I &s;hould ever have &s;uch cau&s;e to upbraid you? Can I live, and not go into the mid&s;t of your Guards? and in the very pre&s;ence of <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes,</HI> proclaim you the mo&s;t ungrateful per|&s;on in the world? No no, <HI>Meliantes,</HI> I cannot live, unle&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> know that I am living, and unle&s;&s;e &s;he know that I &s;aw her &s;mile when &s;he thought me dead: I am a&s;hamed that I &s;hould have more prudence then love, and my pa&s;&s;ion mu&s;t this very day make it appeare that I am fuller of Love, then Prudence. Oh <HI>Meli|antes</HI> (continued he) you mu&s;t needs invent &s;ome way to convey a Letter from me unto <HI>Mandana;</HI> for if you do not, I will go my &s;elf and chide her extreamly for her poor affection to me. <HI>Meliantes</HI> did what he could to avert him from this de|&s;ign; for &s;ince he could not deliver this Letter to <HI>Mandana's</HI> owne hand, becau&s;e he never u&s;ed to &s;ee her, he feared le&s;t &s;ome unlucky accident &s;hould happen which might ruine this Prince, and &s;poile the great de&s;ign which was ready almo&s;t for execution, which mo&s;t apparantly would &s;et both <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> at li|berty, and which would ruine <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes,</HI> &s;o as he u&s;ed the utmo&s;t of his arguments and per&s;wa&s;ions to turn his intention: but &s;ince the love of this Prince was above all the&s;e con&s;iderations, and his re&s;entments above his love, he he would not follow the advice of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> though he knew it rea&s;onable: &s;o as <HI>Meliantes</HI> fearing lea&s;t he &s;hould &s;teal out, and go unto <HI>Mandana</HI> him&s;elf, he promi&s;ed to do his be&s;t to deliver his Letter unto her.</P>
<P>So <HI>Cyrus</HI> calling for Pen and Paper, he writ pre&s;ently unto <HI>Mandan,</HI> but he writ when he was &s;o full of tumultuous thoughts, that his wit was never &s;o con|fu&s;ed as then; he never &s;o much as &s;topped nor &s;tayed to give it any method, but writ &s;o fa&s;t, that his hand had much ado to follow his fancy; and not at all con&s;ul|ting with his heart, he expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elfe in all the terms that both an incen&s;ed and re&s;pective Lover could invent. After which, &s;ealing up this Letter, he gave it unto <HI>Meliantes,</HI> who went the very &s;ame hour unto <HI>Ni&s;ide,</HI> and entreated her to deliver it unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> to the end &s;he might give it unto <HI>Mandana</HI> with all po&s;&s;ible &s;ecre&s;ie. <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> &s;he gave it unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> unto <HI>Mandana.</HI> But &s;ince <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> knew not who &s;ent it, becau&s;e <HI>Meliantes</HI> thought it not expedi|ent that &s;he &s;hould know how <HI>Cyrus</HI> was alive, though he knew her very di&s;creet
<PB N="197" REF="991">
&s;he could not tell <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> &s;o as <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> gave this Letter unto <HI>Mandana</HI> in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Araminta:</HI> And betwixt them two all manner of Ceremonies were ba|ni&s;hed, unle&s;s upon certain occa&s;ions when their qualities would not di&s;pen&s;e with them: So that <HI>Mandana</HI> receiving this Letter in pre&s;ence of <HI>Araminta,</HI> &s;he was extreamly impatient to &s;ee whether it came from <HI>Feraulas,</HI> and whether he had heard any thing which might confirm her hopes of <HI>Cyrus</HI> being alive: &s;o as after &s;he had asked <HI>Araminta</HI> leave to read this Letter, &s;he did &s;o, not bethinking her &s;elf that she had never &s;aid any thing unto this Prince&s;s of all that <HI>Feraulas</HI> had acquainted her withall.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Araminta</HI> thinking this Letter could be nothing but &s;ome adverti&s;ement concerning <HI>Mandana's</HI> delivery, she de&s;ired that she might &s;ee it, in hopes that perhaps &s;omething was &s;ent unto <HI>Mandana</HI> concerning <HI>Spitridates.</HI> So that fixing her eyes upon this Letter which <HI>Mandana</HI> ha&s;tily opened, with an earne&s;t de&s;ire to &s;ee what was in it. It was no &s;ooner opened, but <HI>Araminta</HI> knew it to be the hand of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> and judging at the very fir&s;t that if <HI>Cyrus</HI> was living, <HI>Spitridates</HI> mu&s;t be dead, and that there was a mi&s;take in their re&s;emblance, she gave &s;uch a dolorous and loud &s;criek, that the Guards which were at the other end of the Tent, did believe that &s;ome ill accident had chanced unto this Prince&s;s, &s;o as coming to her as well as <HI>He&s;ionide, Dorali&s;e</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> they found her &s;o perplexed, that they knew her &s;orrow was exce&s;&s;ive.</P>
<P>But the wor&s;t was, <HI>Mandana</HI> knowing at the very fir&s;t the hand of <HI>Cyrus</HI> as well as <HI>Araminta,</HI> &s;he was &s;o plea&s;ingly &s;urprized, and her mind was &s;o wholly ta|ken up, that taking no notice of <HI>Araminta,</HI> &s;he began to read, and read on untill the Guards were come up unto them: Then recollecting her &s;elfe, &s;he pre&s;ently put up the Letter, yet &s;he could not put it up &s;o &s;oon but the Guards &s;aw it.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Araminta</HI> &s;eeing &s;o many men about her, did make a &s;ign un|to them that &s;he was not well, and that &s;he would have them retire, which ac|cording to their re&s;pects they did: but &s;ince what they had &s;een had filled them full of curio&s;ity, they ob&s;erved the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es very clo&s;ely, each of them with intentions to report what they had &s;een and heard, unto tho&s;e upon whom they depended; for there was &s;ome of them who were more for <HI>Thomyris,</HI> than <HI>Arian|tes,</HI> and &s;ome al&s;o who were more for <HI>Ariantes,</HI> then <HI>Thomyris.</HI></P>
<P>After they were gone out of the Tent, they began to li&s;ten and hearken very attentively: and to tell you truly, they might ea&s;ily know that this Letter contai|ned &s;ome matter of great importance: For as &s;oon as ever they were retired, the &s;ad <HI>Araminta</HI> after a deep &s;igh, turned towards <HI>Mandana,</HI> and holding out her hand; I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid &s;he unto her) let me &s;ee whether I mu&s;t live, or dye, by &s;hewing me the Letter which you received; for if my eyes have not deceived me, I mu&s;t dye, and there is nothing which can hinder me.</P>
<P><HI>Mandana</HI> was much unre&s;olved what to do: for &s;hould &s;hee &s;hew her the Let|ter, &s;he &s;hould as good as tell her <HI>Cyrus</HI> was living, and by con&s;equence, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was dead. On the other &s;ide, should she not shew it unto her, she did as good as tell her the &s;ame, &s;ince con&s;idering the familiarity that u&s;ed to pa&s;&s;e between them, it was not likely <HI>Mandana</HI> should hide any thing from <HI>A|raminta,</HI> unle&s;&s;e &s;ome &s;uch thing as would afflict her. Al&s;o <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;eeing that she knew it to be the hand of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> it was all one, as if she shewed her the Letter. However, she mu&s;t return an an&s;wer unto the great and unfortunate Prince&s;s, and &s;o she did, with as much di&s;cretion as po&s;&s;ible.</P>
<P>The condition wherin I &s;ee you are (&s;aid she unto her when she asked a &s;ight of the Letter) does move me unto &s;o much pitty, that I would do any thing to le&s;&s;en your &s;orrows: therefore I mu&s;t not put my &s;elf to the hazard of aggravating them; as perhaps I might by shewing you this letter: for &s;ince I have not yet read it over, I cannot tell whether it intimate unto me that the Army of the King my Father is cut in pieces, and whether we are expo&s;ed unto perpetuall Captivity: and there|fore I be&s;eech you let me read this Letter in private, before I shew it unto you; and re&s;olve with your &s;elf if you can, to let me forbear the reading of it untill it be night; for &s;ince you &s;ee the &s;criek you gave, did put the Guards into &s;ome &s;u&s;|pition, and mooves them to watch us more narrowly, therefore it is di&s;cretion to forbear a while.</P>
<P><PB N="198" REF="992">
Alas Madam, replyed <HI>Araminta,</HI> you may as well tell me that I mu&s;t dye, as re|fu&s;e me what I aske. For if the writing which I &s;aw was the hand of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that's enough: And therefore Madam, I have no more to &s;ay unto you, but that &s;ince I am not able to govern my &s;orrows, I will go and hide my &s;elfe in my own Tent, le&s;t I should prejudice you.</P>
<P>In &s;aying &s;o, the &s;ad <HI>Araminta</HI> ro&s;e up, and went into a Tent which joyned un|to <HI>Mandana's,</HI> whether that Prince&s;s followed her: And they were no &s;ooner there, but <HI>Araminta</HI> giving her &s;elfe over unto &s;orrow, her expre&s;&s;ions would have tend<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed hearts that were as hard and pittile&s;&s;e as &s;tones. <HI>Mandana</HI> now would have done her the &s;ame office which she received from her, when she en|deavoured to comfort her, when <HI>Thomyris</HI> shewed her that Tragicall &s;pectacle: But alas, <HI>Araminta's</HI> &s;oule was not in any condition of receiving Con&s;olation; and therefore <HI>Mandana</HI> conceived, that &s;ince her &s;orrow was &s;o exce&s;&s;ive, it was better to let her know the truth now, then leave her in a languishing &s;u&s;pition of that which she mu&s;t one day know: So as no longer oppo&s;ing her &s;orrows, but condoling with her, <HI>Araminta</HI> was confirmed in the opinion which she had before, that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was dead: &s;o as being out of all hopes, her &s;orrow had no bounds and her &s;oule was &s;o over-&s;welled, that never thinking it might prejudice <HI>Manda|na,</HI> she cryed out &s;o loud, that all tho&s;e who were in the next Tent, might heare her complaints.</P>
<P>Alas (&s;aid she) could I &s;ee the unfortunate <HI>Spitridates</HI> dead, and I live? Is it po&s;&s;ible &s;o great, and &s;o virtuous a Prince should be &s;o cruelly treated both by For|tune and by <HI>Thomyris?</HI> After this <HI>Araminta</HI> was &s;ilent, and her Teares did flow in &s;uch abundance, that not being able to weep, to &s;igh, and to complain all at once, &s;he cea&s;ed her complaining: and during her &s;ad &s;ilence, it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee &s;he &s;uffered abundance of paine; and there was to be &s;een in her face &s;uch &s;igns of exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow, that &s;he would have moved the mo&s;t in&s;en&s;ible &s;oule unto pitty: her face was wholly changed, a mortall palene&s;&s;e was in her cheeks, her looks &s;ad enough to draw tears from the harde&s;t eyes; and the greatne&s;&s;e of her grief did &s;o appeare in all her actions, that <HI>Mandana</HI> was afraid le&s;t &s;he &s;hould take &s;ome &s;ad re&s;olution in hand: For <HI>Araminta</HI> being naturally as wi&s;e, and prudent a per&s;on as any in the world, the di&s;order of her &s;pirit &s;eemed the more &s;trange: For after &s;he had been a while &s;ilent, &s;he began to call to memory the things which had hapned unto <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and to &s;peak of them very earne&s;tly: &s;o as heaping up all the misfortunes of that Prince, &s;he accu&s;ed the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> though dead, for the lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Spitridates:</HI> Pre&s;ently after, &s;he would accu&s;e <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> and &s;ometimes &s;he would accu&s;e her &s;elfe. The truth is (did &s;hee &s;ay) I &s;hould either not have &s;uffered the affection of this Prince, or el&s;e &s;hould have better acknowledged it; for unfortunate <HI>Araminta</HI> had&s;t thou been more prudent and con&s;iderate, he had not died, nor neede&s;t thou to have been put to the nece&s;&s;ity of dying with him.</P>
<P>But for all that (continued &s;he) It is fit thou &s;hould&s;t make it appear that thou art worthy the love of <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and make thy own grief enough to take away thy life, without recour&s;e either unto &s;word, or poy&s;on: think upon the grandure of his affection, of his genero&s;ity and con&s;tancy. Remember it was for thy intere&s;t that he &s;uffered &s;o many impri&s;onments, for&s;ook &s;o many Crowns rather then for|&s;ake thee: and for the love of thee, had exiled him&s;elfe from a place where he might have been happy, had&s;t not thou made him mi&s;erable: Con&s;ider, that though thou did&s;t deny him all things, yet his pa&s;&s;ion was &s;till the &s;ame: and &s;ince thou ha&s;t been the cau&s;e of his death, courageou&s;ly follow him, and the more to incite thee unto it, con&s;ider that it is a &s;hame for thee to live. But I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid <HI>Mandana</HI> unto her in a low voyce) call to memory tho&s;e rea&s;ons which you gave me, when we beheld the &s;ad &s;pectacle which <HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;hewed us. Ah Madam, cryed out <HI>Araminta</HI> (not con&s;idering &s;he &s;hould not &s;peak of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;o loud) I mu&s;t needs reject your Councell as you rejected mine, and I be&s;eech you pardon me, if I grieve at the life of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;ince &s;uch is the will of Fate, I cannot heare of his being alive, but I mu&s;t at the &s;ame time heare of <HI>Spitridates</HI> being dead: I be&s;eech you Madam (&s;aid <HI>Mandana)</HI> &s;peak as little of that Prince as you can, le&s;t you &s;hould di&s;cover his being alive unto &s;ome who may do him
<PB N="199" REF="992">
hurt; for you know that there are many eyes and ears over us, and they may hear what you &s;ay unto the next Tent. I be&s;eech you Madam pardon me, &s;aid the &s;ad <HI>Araminta)</HI> if I have &s;aid any thing which I &s;hould not: For alas I cannot govern my grief, but I mu&s;t needs complain my &s;elf to death, and yet I think I cannot com|plain long: For after all the&s;e misfortunes which are fallen upon my family; after the lo&s;&s;e of the King my Brother; and after I have &s;een <HI>Spitridates</HI> dead, I &s;hould de&s;erve the&s;e misfortunes, if I did endure them.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Mandana</HI> gave a thou&s;and tender, obliging, and di&s;creet expre&s;&s;ions unto <HI>Araminta,</HI> and that mi&s;erable Prince&s;&s;e did an&s;wer her &s;o &s;orrowfully, that &s;he took away from <HI>Mandana</HI> much of her joy to &s;ee that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was living. But at la&s;t, <HI>Mandana</HI> conceiving <HI>He&s;ionide</HI> to be the mo&s;t fit to give any comfort unto <HI>Araminta:</HI> and thinking it not good to make the Guards over curious, &s;hee came into the Tent again, &s;he left her, and went into her own Tent again: But as &s;oon as &s;he was there, &s;he could not choo&s;e but read the Letter which <HI>Cyrus</HI> writ: yet &s;he was as carefull as po&s;&s;ible, le&s;t the Guards who &s;tood at the entrance into her Tent, &s;hould &s;ee her read it: And to that end &s;he de&s;ired <HI>Dorali&s;e</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to &s;tand before her whil&s;t she read the&s;e words.</P>
<LETTER>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MADAM,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>SInce my death hath been very indifferent unto you, I doubt not but my life will be &s;o al&s;o: and I am confident you will be as backward in your joys, that I am living, as you were forward in comforting your &s;elfe after you thought me dead. I must ingenuou&s;ly confe&s;&s;e unto you, that it is more to be revenged upon your infidelity then for any other rea&s;on that I acquaint you,</HI> Cyrus <HI>is not dead as you believed. The truth is, his life is no happine&s;&s;e unto him. For ha|ving &s;een you &s;mile that day you changed your Tent, Death will be much more &s;weet unto him, then a life in which he lives not in your heart. For Madam, one is not &s;o &s;oon comforted after the lo&s;&s;e of a per&s;on whom one loved: and the little thought which you had of my death makes me &s;o &s;en&s;ible and &s;ad, that doubtle&s;&s;e I &s;hall ere long give you an occa&s;ion to rejoyce the &s;econd time at my Ruine: Yet I will do what I can to live, that I may hinder my Rivall from tri|umphing over my misfortune, and thriving by your incon&s;tancy; and doubt|le&s;&s;e I &s;hall do all this by rendring you into the hands of the King your Father. When this is done, Madam, my only bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is to dye; for I have no rea&s;on to believe, that a man who&s;e death is &s;o indifferent unto you, can ever give you a|ny &s;atisfaction. Yet I will keep my re&s;pect &amp; my Love unto the la&s;t of my days, and I will be revenged of your ingratitude only upon my Rivall, and your Ene|mies. The&s;e Madam are the re&s;olutions of the revived</HI> Cyrus, <HI>who I thinke did merit to be longer lamented by her, of whom he ever had &s;uch tender thoughts, and to whom (as unju&s;t and perfidious as &s;he is) he alwayes paid the whole devotion of his heart.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>CYRUS.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>The reading of this Letter did &s;o much &s;urprize <HI>Mandana,</HI> that &s;hee called for <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> to &s;hew it unto them: and they obeying her, they did not &s;o well hide the Letter, but the Guards did &s;ee it; and thinking it to be the &s;ame which cau&s;ed <HI>Araminta</HI> to cry out, &s;ome of them went to acquaint <HI>Thomyris,</HI> and others to acquaint <HI>Ariantes</HI> with it, not doubting but that there was &s;ome|thing of extraordinary con&s;equence in it.</P>
<P>Moreover, &s;ince there was &s;ome who confu&s;edly over-heard the complaints of <HI>Araminta,</HI> wherein the name of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was brought in, they added this which
<PB N="200" REF="993">
they heard unto that which they had &s;een. Thus were <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> both at one time acquainted, that <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;ome way, or other had received Let|ters which were in all likelihood of great importance: For the Guards neglected not the lea&s;t circum&s;tance, but told them of the great &s;criek which <HI>Araminta</HI> gave at the &s;ight of it: The exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrow wherein &s;he was: her complaints after &s;he was in her Tent, the name of <HI>Cyrus</HI> pronounced, and the earne&s;tne&s;&s;e wherewith <HI>Mandana</HI> read this Letter after &s;he was returned into her own Tent: So as making no que&s;tion, but there was &s;ome bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of con&s;equence in this Letter, they began to con&s;ider upon the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>The Queen pre&s;ently after &s;ent for her brother; he came, and they began to con|&s;ult what might be the cau&s;e of <HI>Araminta's</HI> &s;orrow. At the fir&s;t <HI>Thomyris</HI> came neer the truth, for &s;he thought this Letter imported that <HI>Spitridates</HI> was dead. But <HI>Ariantes</HI> con&s;idering that <HI>Mandana</HI> was of late le&s;&s;e &s;ad then ordinary, he told it unto <HI>Thomyris,</HI> though he could not devi&s;e why <HI>Araminta</HI> &s;hould thus re|double her &s;orrows: Yet knowing that there was a re&s;emblance between <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Spitridates,</HI> a thought came into his head which &s;trangely troubled his heart: Yet &s;ince hee knew not that <HI>Cyrus</HI> had given <HI>Spitridates</HI> that rich &s;uit of Arms, which this Prince wore, and which made him to be taken for <HI>Cyrus;</HI> he was more quiet.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Thomyris,</HI> &s;ince &s;he only &s;ought for a pretence to per&s;ecute <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he told <HI>Ariantes,</HI> that ab&s;olutely &s;he would &s;ee that Letter which that Prince&s;&s;e had received, and would know the cau&s;e of <HI>Aramintas</HI> &s;orrows, and whether that would give any light unto the re&s;t, &s;aying that &s;he would go immediately unto the Prince&s;s under colour of a civill vi&s;it: And <HI>Ariantes</HI> concurring with her opinion, <HI>Thomyris</HI> did go unto <HI>Aramintas</HI> Tent, that Prince waiting upon her; where they found <HI>Mandana</HI> was returned, and where <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was come al&s;o upon reports of her &s;orrow.</P>
<P>In the mean time, this &s;udden coming of <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> did &s;o &s;ur|prize <HI>Mandana,</HI> as was ea&s;ie for them to imagine that there was &s;ome con&s;idera|ble thing in the wind.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide <HI>Araminta,</HI> who&s;e mind was all upon <HI>Spitridates,</HI> who&s;e head <HI>Thomyris</HI> had plunged &s;o in blood, &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw this Queen, but the fancy of this fearfull object coming into her mind, her grief was &s;o great, that never thinking upon either <HI>Cyrus,</HI> or <HI>Mandana,</HI> shee was not Mi&s;tre&s;s of her fir&s;t thoughts: but giving a great &s;criek, she turned away her head from the &s;ight of a Queen who was &s;o full of cruelty: So as <HI>Thomyris</HI> who ever found <HI>Araminta</HI> ve|ry civill, and di&s;creet in all her actions and words, she was extreamly &s;urprized at her behaviour. Yet drawing neer the Bed on which she lay, and beginning to &s;peak; Madam (&s;aid <HI>Thomyris</HI> unto her) you receive my civilities in &s;o &s;trange a manner, as I cannot choo&s;e but aske the rea&s;on of it? Since I do not value life (re|plyed <HI>Araminta</HI> in a violent manner) I have nothing to care for: and therefore Madam I will not tell you neither what afflicts me, nor what makes my &s;orrows &s;well at the &s;ight of you, nor why I re&s;olve to dye: But to acknowledg your Ci|vilities, I will tell you, that if you do not give over your thir&s;t after illu&s;trious blood, nor deliver the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> whom you detain by a mo&s;t unju&s;t and cruell War, you will make your &s;eife the object of mens hatred, and the Gods re|venge. More then this Madam, expect not from the mi&s;erable <HI>Araminta:</HI> Let her alone with the &s;orrows of her &s;oule without further diving into the cau&s;e of them, and let her expect that death which she de&s;ires, as the only thing that can give her any comfort.</P>
<P><HI>Araminta</HI> having &s;poken the&s;e words, was &s;ilent, and was &s;o drowned in &s;or|rows, that though she had de&s;ired to &s;peak more, yet her teares and &s;ighs did &s;o &s;tifle her, that it was impo&s;&s;ible.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Thomyris,</HI> who was not u&s;ed to &s;uch entertainment, blusht for anger: And turning towards <HI>Mandana,</HI> after she had looked upon <HI>Ariantes:</HI> It is you Madam (&s;aid she unto her) that mu&s;t acquaint me with the cau&s;e of this Prince&s;s &s;orrows; for I know that you received the Letter which brought her the news which afflicts her: Therefore Madam, never offer to deny a thing which I do mo&s;t certainly know, but shew this Letter unto me, for I will &s;ee it, &s;ince I have power enough to make my &s;elfe be obeyed.</P>
<P><PB N="201" REF="993">
<HI>Mandana</HI> hearing <HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;ay &s;o, was in a &s;trange perplexity, for &s;he knew very well the danger that there was in &s;hewing this Letter unto <HI>Thomyris,</HI> or in telling her that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was living, and in the Tents Royall: So as in this urgent ne|ce&s;&s;ity of an an&s;wer, &s;he would endeavour to to try if &s;he could take this Letter out of her pocket, and beginning to an&s;wer: As for the Letter you &s;peak of (re|plyed <HI>Mandana)</HI> I cannot &s;hew it unto you, becau&s;e I gave it back unto the man of the Guard who brought it unto me; but lea&s;t we &s;hould aggravate the &s;orrows of the Queen of <HI>Pontus,</HI> if it will plea&s;e your Maje&s;ty to go into my Tent, I will acquaint you with the cau&s;e of them.</P>
<P>Since <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;poke this with a confident and plea&s;ant look, <HI>Thomyris</HI> belei|ved that &s;he &s;poke &s;incerely: And <HI>Ariantes</HI> de&s;iring to keep <HI>Thomyris</HI> from do|ing any thing which might di&s;ta&s;te that Prince&s;s, he de&s;ired her to do &s;o. So as the Queen of the Ma&s;&s;agettans, pa&s;&s;ed from the Tent of the &s;ad <HI>Araminta,</HI> unto that of <HI>Mandana's.</HI></P>
<P>But in pa&s;&s;ing from one Tent unto another, <HI>Mandana,</HI> who followed <HI>Thomy|ris,</HI> and who ob&s;erved that <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> were at the dore of the Tent, &s;he ha&s;tily took the Letter out of her pocket to give it unto one of them. But as &s;he took it out with much ha&s;te, and would have given it either unto <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> or unto <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> the&s;e two, not knowing unto which of them &s;he would give it, be|cau&s;e &s;he made no &s;igne to &s;ignifie her intention, they both advanced to her at once: So that <HI>Mandana</HI> parting from the Letter a little too ha&s;tily and &s;oon, in Lien of leaving it in the hands either of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> or <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> it fell down; and fell &s;o unluckily, that when the&s;e two Ladies &s;tooped ha&s;tily to take it up, <HI>Thomy|ris</HI> turning her head to &s;ee whether <HI>Mandana</HI> followed, &s;he &s;aw it in the hands of <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ei<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed upon it immediatly.</P>
<P>As &s;oon as <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;aw this Letter in the hands of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> Oh Heavens! how vexed &s;he was? but there being no remidy, &s;he re&s;olved to take this cro&s;s adventure patiently, and pray to the Gods that this accident might not bring <HI>Cy|rus</HI> under the power of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> &s;o as &s;he did &s;trive to rea&s;&s;ume her confidence of &s;pirit, and to follow that Queen into her Tent; where &s;he was no &s;ooner come but &s;eeing <HI>Thomyris</HI> ready to open the Letter, and by con&s;equence to know the hand of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> (as well as <HI>Ariantes,</HI> who had often &s;een his hand) &s;he began to &s;peak with much Courage, Magnanimity, Prudence, and Di&s;cretion. I cannot tell Madam, (&s;aid &s;he unto her) what thoughts you will have when you under|&s;tand that <HI>Cyrus</HI> is not dead; but before you do under&s;tand it by this Letter which is written unto me. I do prote&s;t before all the Gods, that you &s;hall never know by me, from whom I received it. How (&s;aid <HI>Thomyris,</HI> and ha&s;ted to open the Letter) is not <HI>Cyrus</HI> dead? It is po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid <HI>Ariantes)</HI> that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould be living? if &s;o Madam, is it many dayes &s;ince you knew it: And that con&s;olati|on which I hoped for, in Lieu of rejoycing me mu&s;t afflict me.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t he was &s;peaking thus, <HI>Thomyris</HI> was read<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ng the Letter which <HI>Cyrus,</HI> writ unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> and &s;he read it with &s;uch tumultuous and oppo&s;ite thoughts that it was a great difficulty to reconcile them; for it filled her mind full of won|der, Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Jealou&s;y. So as being le&s;s able to endure the &s;ight of <HI>Mandana,</HI> when &s;he knew that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was alive then when he thought him dead, &s;he &s;hut up the Letter before &s;he had read it out, and turning towards <HI>Mandana,</HI> though you are re&s;olved Madam (&s;aid &s;he unto her) not to tell who brought you this Letter, yet I &s;hall find out away to make you confe&s;s it: You may ea&s;ily find out many waies to per&s;ecute me Madam (replyed <HI>Mandana)</HI> and to make me dy; but you can never find out any way to make me con e&s;&punc; any thing that may prejudice <HI>Cyrus:</HI> And you &s;hall never &s;ee me do any thing (replyed <HI>Thomyris</HI> in a great rage) that &s;hall plea&s;e <HI>Mandana.</HI></P>
<P>Afterwards, this Queen told <HI>Ariantes,</HI> that he mu&s;t double the Guards upon this Prince&s;s, and upon all the re&s;t of the Ladies: Al&s;o to let no communication be between them: And accordingly this order being ob&s;erved the very &s;ame hour they parted all the Prince&s;&s;es, for <HI>Araminta</HI> remained alone with <HI>He&s;ionide</HI> in|in her Tent: <HI>Mandana</HI> in hers with <HI>Dorali&s;e</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> and all the te&s;t with their own women. So as by this means, it was impo&s;&s;ible for <HI>Ni&s;ide,</HI> unto whom <HI>Meliantes</HI> had delivered the Letter of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to &s;end back unto him, and to ad|verti&s;e
<PB N="202" REF="994">
him of this great di&s;order, of which he was ignorant, becau&s;e he was then verybu&s;ie in a &s;ecrec conference between him, and the Sauromattan&punc; Captaines, with whom <HI>Mereontes,</HI> and he had treated.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> were no &s;o &s;ooner parted from their Tents, but they opened this Letter, and read it with &s;trange agitation of &s;pirit, though with different re&s;entments. For <HI>Thomyris</HI> out of &s;ome re&s;entments of Love, was very glad that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was not dead, and that he complained again&s;t <HI>Mandana,</HI> though otherwi&s;e &s;he would have been very &s;orry for the re&s;urrection of &s;uch an Enemy, and that he &s;hould be &s;o tender towards her Rivall. But for <HI>Ariantes,</HI> though his genero&s;ity had moved him to compa&s;&s;ionate his Rivalls death, yet he was extreamly &s;orry to hear he was living, and all the complaints he made again&s;t <HI>Mandana,</HI> did not comfort him.</P>
<P>However, both <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> finding by this Letter, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was alive, and that he either was, or had been in the Tents Royall, &s;ince he told <HI>Man|dana</HI> that he &s;aw her &s;mile, that day &s;he changed her Tent, they endeavoured to &s;ecure his per&s;on: but the great difficulty was, how to know where this great Prince was.</P>
<P>The truth is, fortune favoured their de&s;ign, for as they were thus con&s;ulting three pri&s;oners were brought in which <HI>Agathyr&s;is</HI> had taken and &s;ent unto <HI>Thomy|ris:</HI> The one of them was the Prince <HI>Atergatis</HI> di&s;gui&s;ed in a Ma&s;&s;agettan habit. The &s;econd was <HI>Intaphernes,</HI> and the third <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who had a Letter about him from <HI>Gabrias</HI> unto <HI>Meliantes.</HI> So as now not doubting but that <HI>Meleantes</HI> knew where <HI>Cyrus</HI> was, <HI>Thomyris</HI> commanded the Captain of her Guard to go that very houre and arre&s;t him, and to &s;earch his Tent very wel to &s;ee if they could find <HI>Cyrus;</HI> for the Letter from <HI>Gabrias,</HI> gave &s;ome &s;u&s;pition of &s;uch a thing: But &s;he gave &s;trict Commands, that what&s;oever he did to bring him alive, and if he did re&s;i&s;t, yet none to kill him.</P>
<P>After which, &s;he commanded that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> &s;hould be &s;trictly guarded; as for <HI>Feraulas,</HI> &s;he would &s;ee him, and examine him what he knew con|cerning his Ma&s;ter: And the &s;ooner to induce him unto a confe&s;&s;ion &s;he &s;poke unto him at fir&s;t with all imaginable &s;weetne&s;s: Afterwards &s;he threatned him, and at la&s;t did &s;peak unto him in &s;o much fury, that <HI>Feraulas</HI> was extreamly afraid lea&s;t <HI>Cy|rus</HI> &s;hould fall into the hands of a Prince&s;s, who&s;e pa&s;&s;ions were &s;o violent. But whil&s;t <HI>Thomyris</HI> imployed all her unprofitable menaces upon <HI>Feraulas</HI> to make him di&s;cover where his Ma&s;ter was, and whil&s;t <HI>Ariantes</HI> by order of <HI>Thomyris</HI> was gon to &s;et double Guards about the Tents Royall, that none might go out, or in without expre&s;s permi&s;&s;ion from the Queen; <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Meliantes</HI> were not without their &s;hares of trouble; for though <HI>Ni&s;ide</HI> could not adverti&s;e <HI>Melian|tes</HI> of all pa&s;&s;ages, and though <HI>Meliantes</HI> had been &s;o bu&s;ie that he &s;aw none that could inform him, yet one of his Dome&s;tiques telling him that <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Ari-</HI> had been in <HI>Mandana's</HI> Tent, and that Orders were given for a &s;trict guard upon that Prince&s;s, he feared (and with rea&s;on) that the Letter which <HI>Cyrus</HI> w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">it was di&s;covered, and that it was known he was living; &s;o as not conceiving it fit to conceal his fears from that Prince, he told him all his thoughts to the end he might prepare him&s;elf for going out of the Tents Royall the night following, or at lea&s;t to change his Tent, and to go into the Tent of one of tho&s;e Sauromattan Captains who were of their intelligence. But &s;ince it mu&s;t be night before this could be done, they had not time enough for it, for as they were in con&s;ultation what to do, the Captain of the Guard came with fifty followers, &s;o that &s;ince they could not defend them&s;elves in a Tent as in hou&s;es, all that <HI>Meliantes</HI> could do was to go towards the Captain of the Guard, who asked for him from <HI>Thomyris,</HI> a&s;&s;uring <HI>Cyrus</HI> that the would &s;ooner dy than di&s;cover him, and hoping that the Captain of the Guard would be contented with arre&s;ting him, but it was other|wi&s;e: For in Lieu of being contented with <HI>Meliantes,</HI> they would enter into the Tent from whence he came. <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;eeing this, he got between the dore of the Tent and the Captain of the Guard, and drawing his &s;word, and &s;topped him purpo&s;ely to give <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;o much time as to get out at another dore of &s;he Tent, and get into the Tent of that Sauromattan Captain, of which they had &s;poken: For as luck was, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was di&s;gui&s;ed in a Ma&s;&s;agettan habit ever &s;ince he came to
<PB N="203" REF="994">
<HI>Meliantes</HI> could hope for no more, then to gain &s;o much time, as till <HI>Cyrus</HI> got out. But as that Prince would have done &s;o, he found that the Captain of the guard had be&s;et the Tent round about; and it chanced &s;o, that the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> pa&s;|&s;ed accidentally that way as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was going out. So as &s;eeing an impo&s;&s;ibility any way to e&s;cape, he cho&s;e that place to get out at, where happily he might kill his Rivall before he was killed him&s;elf; for being in the mind he was, and con&s;ide|ring what minds <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> were in, he had much rather dy, than be a Pri&s;oner unto that Queen, or his Rivall: &s;o as this being his re&s;olution, he drew his &s;word; and calling <HI>Meliantes</HI> unto him, that they might fight both together, he went out of the Tent, accompanied with that generous A&s;&s;yrian, and four or five of his men; and &s;o &s;harply fell upon <HI>Ariantes,</HI> that though the Captain of the guard had be&s;et the Tent round, yet tho&s;e who were on that &s;ide where <HI>Cyrus</HI> went out, could not hinder him from having a blow at that Prince, after he had &s;everall times called him ungratefull <HI>Anaxaris,</HI> Per&s;idious <HI>Anaxaris. Ariantes</HI> being on hor&s;eback and <HI>Cyrus</HI> on foot, the blow which he made at that Prince did not hit as it was inten|ded, for the Hor&s;e of that Prince being curvetting as the blow was made, it was the Hor&s;e which received his blow in the flanck, and who not being able to endure the fu|ry of the &s;troak, did violently bound, and broak the &s;word of <HI>Cyrus. Meliantes</HI> &s;ee|ing this, out of his heroique genero&s;ity, he gave his unto this illu&s;trious <HI>Hero,</HI> and took another from one of tho&s;e who followed: After which <HI>Ariantes</HI> having time to know him to be his Rivall, he went towards him, with intention to end all the differences by his death; but his hor&s;e being much wounded, he fell, and his Rider al&s;o fell under him, who perhaps &s;aved the life of his Ma&s;ter by his own death For in this <HI>Interim,</HI> the Captain of the Guard with all his companions came out of the Tent, and &s;o &s;urrounded both <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and his brave A&s;&s;yrian, that they hindred them from falling upon <HI>Ariantes.</HI></P>
<P><HI>In</HI> the mean time, &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> would not render him&s;elf, and &s;ince the Captain of the Guard would not let him be killed, becau&s;e <HI>Thomyris</HI> had expre&s;ly comman|ded to bring him alive, <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;econded by <HI>Meliantes,</HI> killed &s;o great a number of them, that when <HI>Ariantes</HI> was di&s; engaged from under his hor&s;e, he did not think it fit to in&s;i&s;t upon &s;uch &s;trict orders from <HI>Thomyris;</HI> &s;o as thru&s;ting in among tho&s;e who would have taken <HI>Cyrus,</HI> he fell upon him with much vigour; <HI>Cyrus</HI> warded the bl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">w which he made at him, and returned another &s;o &s;harply that he was for|ced to &s;tep back. But whil&s;t things were in this condition, and whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Meliantes</HI> could hardly avoid death; con&s;idering the number of their a&s;&s;aulters, and their re&s;olution not to be taken; <HI>Thomyris,</HI> who&s;e impatiency and inquietude brought her out of her Tent&punc; appeared on hor&s;e back: So as &s;eeing this combate, and hearing the cau&s;e, &s;he advanced into the mid&s;t of the tumult, forbidding her men from killing <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and commanding <HI>Cyrus</HI> to render him&s;elf: But <HI>Ariantes</HI> being &s;trangely incen&s;ed again&s;t the ob&s;tinate re&s;i&s;tance of this Prince, valued not the command which <HI>Thomyris</HI> gave; but fell again upon his Riyall who had laid the captain of the Guard dead at his feet: But when <HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;aw this, and ob|&s;erved that <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not &s;ee <HI>Ariantes:</HI> She cryed out, take heed of your &s;elf <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> and guard the blow which one of my rebellious Subjects is making at you.</P>
<P>At the&s;e words, <HI>Cyrus</HI> who knew well the voice of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> turned him&s;elf about, and &s;aw that <HI>Ariantes</HI> was making a mo&s;t furious blow at him, &s;o as he warded the blow: But in the mean time, three or four of tho&s;e who came with the Queen, fell upon him and layd hold of his Arm, and hindering him from continuing his combate with <HI>Ariantes,</HI> they pre&s;ented him unto <HI>Thomyris,</HI> who was more joyed to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> in her power, then if &s;he had won a hundred battells, and conquered as many Kingdomes.</P>
<P>In the mean while, <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Cyrus</HI> taken, he fell upon <HI>Ariantes,</HI> who being vexed to the heart that he had not vanqui&s;hed his Rivall, he made a Pa&s;&s;e upon the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian:</HI> The&s;e two, then like two who would have either death or vi|ctory, maintained a fight mo&s;t courageou&s;ly: <HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;eeing it, and being ex|treamly angry again&s;t the Prince her Brother for di&s;obeying her, and for perpetu|ally oppo&s;ing of her when &s;he offered to per&s;ecute <HI>Mandana;</HI> &s;he commanded them both to be &s;eized upon, and that both the Prince her Brother, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and <HI>Meliantes</HI> &s;hould be carefully guarded: &s;o as &s;ince it was an ea&s;ie matter to take
<PB N="204" REF="995">
two men who were &s;triving one again&s;t the other, they were both of them ea&s;ily arre&s;ted: Yet there were &s;ome who were friends unto <HI>Ariantes,</HI> that would have made &s;ome &s;tir, but the pre&s;ence of <HI>Thomyris</HI> hindered them.</P>
<P>In the mean time, this Queen not knowing well what thoughts to have of <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> &s;he would not &s;peak unto him, but commanded he &s;hould be carryed into one of her Tents, and &s;o &s;trongly guarded as that there might be no feare of his e|&s;cape. As for <HI>Meliantes,</HI> he and <HI>Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> were put together, that one Guard might &s;erve them all. So that when <HI>Mereontes, Myr&s;iles, Chri|&s;antes,</HI> and <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> returned unto the Tents Royall di&s;gui&s;ed like <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans,</HI> they found <HI>Cyrus</HI> a Pri&s;oner, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was the like: That <HI>Ariantes</HI> was ar|re&s;ted: that <HI>Intaphernes, Atergatis,</HI> and <HI>Feraulas</HI> were taken, and that <HI>Man|dana</HI> was more &s;trictly guarded than ever: That <HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;ince the impri&s;onmet of her Brother had changed the Guards of that Prince&s;&s;e: and indeed they knew not how all this &s;udden alteration came about: So that to have a little time of con&s;i|deration what to do, they went &amp; concealed them&s;elves in a Tent of one of tho&s;e <HI>Sauromattan</HI> Captains with whom <HI>Mereontes</HI> had treated.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the report of <HI>Cyrus</HI> being alive did make &s;o great a noi&s;e, that the impri&s;onment of <HI>Ariantes</HI> did not make a greater. For nothing almo&s;t was tal|ked of but <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and it was &s;o much the talke of every one, that <HI>Mandana</HI> heard of it by her Guards. The Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> al&s;o under&s;tood from hers, that <HI>Intaphernes</HI> was arre&s;ted: <HI>I&s;trina</HI> heard that <HI>Atergatis</HI> had the &s;ame De&s;tinie: And <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was not ignorant that <HI>Meliantes</HI> was a pri&s;oner. So as then looking upon him as more mi&s;erable then <HI>Hydaspes,</HI> the tendernes of her heart augmented towards him, and &s;he was &s;orry to think that &s;he was the cau&s;e of &s;uch an excel|lent mans misfortune, who had killed two, which had rendered her mo&s;t mi&s;era|ble if they had lived: <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> al&s;o for her particular heard that <HI>Feraulas</HI> was in the hands of <HI>Thomyris:</HI> and Fate had &s;o di&s;po&s;ed of things, that nothing but &s;or|row and de&s;pair was on all &s;ides.</P>
<P>When this News was heard in the Army of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> there was an Univer&s;al mur|mure: And when it was known in the Army of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> all tho&s;e of any rea&s;on did apprehend that &s;he would by her violencies again&s;t <HI>Cyrus,</HI> again&s;t <HI>Mandana,</HI> and again&s;t the Prince her Brother, force her owne Subjects to arm them&s;elves a|gain&s;t her, and joyn with her Enemies.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the great De&s;ign which was ju&s;t ripe, was now not fit to be executed: For this change had made an alteration in their mea&s;ures; and this great Revolution did &s;o bla&s;t the &s;pirits of every one, as that they talked of no|thing but what had happened, and what was like to happen. But if per&s;ons indif|ferent were thus perplexed, what is to be thought of per&s;ons intere&s;ted, and a|mong&s;t them, the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana:</HI> For after the &s;ight of that cruell action of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> when &s;he thought <HI>Cyrus</HI> was dead, might she not well feare the &s;ame now while he was living, and in the power of this incen&s;ed Queen? The mo&s;t plea&s;ing thought she had, was in hopes to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> unfaithfull; for (&s;aid she un|to <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> is di&s;contented at me, and &s;eems by his Letter to believe that I was not grieved at his death, is it not likely that he will not think him&s;elfe obliged to be faithfull unto one whom he thinks perfidious? and &s;o cea&s;ing his &s;corn of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> he may perhaps begin to hate me? But alas (added she) this is the greate&s;t advantage I can expect unto my &s;elfe, if he should do &s;o; for if this unfortunate Prince &s;ay true, he loves me &s;till as perfidious as hee thinks me: So as if he continue ob&s;tinate &s;till again&s;t the cruell <HI>Thomyris,</HI> perhaps &s;he will cau&s;e him to be &s;tabbed in my pre&s;ence: &s;o as I am in &s;uch a condition, as I mu&s;t inevitably either &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> unfaithfull, or dye: Oh mo&s;t cruell nece&s;&s;ity (cryed &s;he out) oh rigorous Fate! unto what mi&s;eries have you re&s;erved me, and vvhat &s;trange Torments have you prepared for me? But oh ye mo&s;t ju&s;t gods! never let <HI>Cyrus</HI> accu&s;e me of any incon&s;tancy or ingratitude: Cleer up his &s;pirits I be&s;eech you; open his eyes, and let him &s;ee that he wrongs the mo&s;t faithfull per&s;on in the world by &s;u&s;pecting her of any infidelity. But alas (&s;aid &s;he, and re|prehended her &s;elfe) in wi&s;hing that <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould know the con&s;tancy of my af|fection, perhaps I wi&s;h his death, and make prayers again&s;t his life, &s;ince the more he belives me faithfull, the more he will incen&s;e the cruell <HI>Thomyris.</HI> Ma|dam
<PB N="205" REF="995">
(&s;aid <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> unto her) there hath hapned &s;uch wonderfull alterations in your life, that me thinks you &s;hould not de&s;pair of any thing: For <HI>Cyrus</HI> was thought to be dead in the <HI>Bythinian</HI> War; He thought you ready to peri&s;h in the Conflagration of <HI>Sinope;</HI> he believed you drown'd when he found <HI>Mazares</HI> rea|dy to expire; <HI>Mazares</HI> him&s;elfe thought &s;o a long time; <HI>Cyrus</HI> was believed &s;o o|ver all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> and you your &s;elfe thought you &s;aw him dead with your own eyes.</P>
<P>'Tis true <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> (replyed <HI>Mandana)</HI> that all the&s;e &s;o fell out: But it is a much greater difficulty to imagine how I &s;hould come happily out of this mi&s;era|ble condition wherein I am: For <HI>Cyrus</HI> is in the power of a mo&s;t cruell per&s;on, who &s;eemed to rejoyce at his death, vvho locked upon that bloody head of <HI>Spi|tridates</HI> vvhich &s;he thought vvas his, vvith much delight: and vvho&s;e &s;oule is in|&s;pired with &s;uch a violent and furious pa&s;&s;ion as is ready to prompt her unto any thing.</P>
<P>For my part Madam (replyed <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> I cannot imagin that <HI>Thomyris</HI> will be &s;o cruel unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> living, as &s;he was to <HI>Cyrus</HI> dead: For when she thought he had lo&s;t his life, perhaps a &s;ecret &s;orrow for his death cau&s;ed all her rage: and think|ing him dead in thoughts of &s;corn unto her, &s;he was cruell unto him after his death, but I cannot believe &s;he will be &s;o inhumane unto him living; for hopes both flattering and &s;weetning her &s;pirit, it will allay her cruelty: Al&s;o (added <HI>Dorali&s;a)</HI> when I con&s;ider how you got out of the power of the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> of <HI>Mazares,</HI> and of the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> you have rea&s;on to hope that both <HI>Cy|rus</HI> and you will get out of the power of <HI>Thomyris:</HI> Alas <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Manda|na) Cyrus</HI> cannot be his own deliverer, as he might have been mine? And though the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;hould be as happy as he is brave, and though he &s;hould have more genero&s;ity then love, yet I have no grounds for any hope, be|cau&s;e I believe that if he attempt any thing, the life of <HI>Cyrus</HI> will be the more in danger, &s;ince <HI>Thomyris</HI> had rather &s;ee him dye then delivered. Al&s;o it grieves me that his Rivall is a pri&s;oner as well as he: For he being obliged unto him, be|ing generous, and having &s;ome power over his own &s;pirit, I might hope if he were at liberty, that he would prevent all &s;ad con&s;equences of <HI>Thomyris</HI> her pa&s;&s;ion: But alas! it hath plea&s;ed the Gods to deprive me of all relief, and to take all hopes from me.</P>
<P>As <HI>Mandana</HI> was talking in this &s;ad manner, <HI>He&s;ionide</HI> all in tears came, and be|&s;eeched this Prince&s;s to go into <HI>Araminta's</HI> Tent: For though <HI>Thomyris</HI> had com|manded that all the captive Ladies &s;hould be &s;evered, yet <HI>Araminta</HI> was not, by rea&s;on of her exce&s;&s;ive &s;orrows.</P>
<P>As much grieved as <HI>Mandana</HI> was for her own intere&s;ts, yet &s;he would not de|ny a&s;&s;i&s;tance unto a Prince&s;s whom &s;he &s;o much e&s;teemed; but went into he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Tent, and found her in a mo&s;t lamentable condition, for &s;he would never eate any thing &s;ince &s;he knew of <HI>Spitridates</HI> his death: She was grown &s;o weak, and yet had &s;uch a violent Feaver, that it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee that her grief would &s;oon ea&s;e her of all her payns: Yet her rea&s;on was very perfect; and though her voyce was very faint, yet &s;he could expre&s;&s;e her &s;elfe mo&s;t &s;en&s;ibly unto <HI>Mandana:</HI> I beg your pardon Madam (&s;aid &s;he unto her) for augmenting your &s;orrows by a &s;ight of mine; yet &s;ince I have but a few minutes to live, I hoped that you would give me leave to make one reque&s;t unto you. Alas Madam (replyed <HI>Mandana)</HI> My condition is &s;o deplorable, that there is nothing in my power but to lament your misfortunes, and weep with you: Yet I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, that there is nothing but things impo&s;&s;ible which I would not do for you. My reque&s;t is (replyed the mi&s;erable <HI>Araminta)</HI> that by the power you have with <HI>Ariantes,</HI> you will obtain from him that <HI>Spitridates</HI> and I may have but one Tomb: That you will let the il|lu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> know I leave him all the right which I have unto the Kingdome of <HI>Pontus:</HI> And that I conjure him to keep in memory that unfortunate Prince who had the glory to re&s;emble him, and dye in his &s;ervice. But above all Madam, I be|&s;eech you, &s;o contrive it, that Death may unite what the cruelty of Fate hath &s;e|vered, and that <HI>Spitridates</HI> and <HI>Araminta</HI> may have but one Grave. I hope Ma|dam (replyed <HI>Mandana)</HI> that you will not &s;tand in need of my help, and that you will live to erect a Monument unto that Illu&s;trious Prince, for whom you grieve. But if you do not, alas Madam I &s;hall not be able to do that Office
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which you de&s;ire: For the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> is arre&s;ted by orders from <HI>Thomyris:</HI> The mi&s;erable <HI>Cyrus</HI> is in Fetters, and I am in as great a de&s;ire of death as you are. Do thy wor&s;t, Fortune, do thy wor&s;t (replyed <HI>Araminta</HI> weakly) and after thou ha&s;t taken two Kingdoms from me, deny me a Grave, and deprive me of the on|ly &s;atisfaction which I had left, which was my hope that the Prince whom <HI>Spitri|dates</HI> re&s;embled, might be happy. As for you Madam (added &s;he, holding <HI>Man|dana</HI> by the hand) I have nothing to &s;ay unto you, &s;ince you have occa&s;ions e|nough for your own Tears, and your afflictious de&s;erves them. After this, <HI>A|ransinta</HI> was &s;ilent, and turned to the other &s;ide: And about two hours after she fell into &s;uch a profound Lethargy, that she never recovered out of it, but only to pronouuce the name of the mi&s;erable <HI>Spitridates,</HI> and dyed patiently. Such a &s;ad augmentation of &s;orrow as this, filled the imagination of <HI>Mandana</HI> vvith all the horrours of death: Yet that of <HI>Araminta</HI> vvas mo&s;t vvorthy of life, and of that pa&s;&s;ion vvhich po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed her &s;oule: For during that quarter of an hour vvhich she recovered, she vvas full of high expre&s;&s;ions: She told <HI>Mandana</HI> that she did not &s;tand in need of all her patience &amp; con&s;tancy to &s;uffer the lo&s;&s;e of tvvo Kingdoms, to &s;uffer Exile and impri&s;onment: but she &s;tood in need of more then all she had, to endure the death of <HI>Spitridates.</HI> She &s;poke mo&s;t obligingly of the <HI>Bythinian</HI> Princelle: She recommended <HI>He&s;ionide</HI> unto her: She be&s;eeched the Gods to par|don her vveakne&s;&s;es and exce&s;&s;e of &s;orrovvs: Al&s;o she prayed them to unite her &s;pirit unto the &s;pirit of <HI>Spitridates.</HI> After vvhich, she dyed quietly vvithout any &s;trugling, or lo&s;&s;e of that beauty vvhich rendered her the mo&s;t charming Prince&s;s upon Earth, though that vvas the lovve&s;t of tho&s;e rare qualities vvhich made her admired.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Mandana</HI> endeavoured to do her that office vvhich she de&s;i|red, and entreated the Phy&s;itian of <HI>Thomyris</HI> vvho &s;avv her dye, to be a media|tor unto this Queen, that <HI>Aramintas</HI> Tomb and <HI>Spitridates</HI> his might be all one: And this man being much moved vvith compa&s;&s;ion, he obtained of <HI>Thomyris</HI> vvhat <HI>Araminta</HI> de&s;ired. Thus Death united vvhat Fortune had &s;eparated, and the&s;e tvvo illu&s;trious per&s;ons vvho could not &s;it upon one Throne, did lye both in one grave. But all this while <HI>Ariantes</HI> was in mo&s;t incredible torment, in fears le&s;t <HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;hould take any violent cour&s;e again&s;t <HI>Mandana:</HI> and his fears of it were &s;uch, that hee almo&s;t wi&s;hed her in the power of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> rather than of <HI>Thomyris.</HI></P>
<P>On the other &s;ide; <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> was extreamly grieved at his Arre&s;t, and that he was not able to do any &s;ervice unto <HI>Mandana, Cyrus,</HI> or <HI>Dorali&s;a. Intaphernes</HI> and <HI>Atergatis</HI> were as much grieved as he, but <HI>Feraulas</HI> was incomparably mo&s;t of all dejected. <HI>Meliantes</HI> al&s;o was vexed that <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> was not a Pri&s;oner, as wel as &s;ome of tho&s;e who came upon the &s;ame de&s;ign. The Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia</HI> grieved for the death of her brother for <HI>Araminta</HI> &amp; for the impri&s;onment of her Lover. <HI>I&s;trina</HI> al&s;o was &s;adly concerned in the affliction of that Prince&s;&s;e, &amp; in the misfortune of <HI>Atergatis:</HI> And <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was very &s;ad, becau&s;e <HI>Meliantes</HI> was a pri&s;oner, and be|cau&s;e &s;he knew not where <HI>Hydaspes</HI> was. But put all the mi&s;eries of all the&s;e per|&s;ons together, they were all incomparable to that of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> For when it came into his thoughts, that his Rivall was a pri&s;oner, becau&s;e he &s;hould not defend the life of <HI>Mandana</HI> again&s;t the fury of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> his grief was beyond all expre&s;&s;ion: which way &s;oever he turned his thoughts, he could find no con&s;olation. For if he con&s;idered <HI>Thomyris</HI> as his Enemy, he could not endure his fetters: If he thought upon her as his Lover, &s;he was more odious unto him: If he remembred all his victories, he remembred them with &s;orrow, &s;ince his Fate was changed: I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> he cal|led to memory the cruelty of <HI>Thomyris</HI> unto the dea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Spitridates,</HI> when &s;he took him for him&s;elfe, he prepared him&s;elfe to dye in the &s;ame cruell manner: And if he thought upon <HI>Mandana,</HI> he thought upon her with unimaginable &s;orrow, &s;ince he thought upon her to be unfaithfull, or at lea&s;t too little &s;en&s;ible of his death, and too &s;oon comforted at it. And yet this &s;ad thought did not le&s;&s;en his tender|ne&s;&s;e, nor his affection; but by a mo&s;t cruell and ingenuous device of Fate, he was all at once both full of anger, tenderne&s;&s;e, jealou&s;ie, pitty, love and fury: For &s;ometimes he would complain again&s;t <HI>Mandana,</HI> and &s;ometimes he would com|plain again&s;t him&s;elf in lieu of her. Pre&s;ently after, he would cur&s;e <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and in&s;tantly after that, he would wi&s;h him at liberty: Then would he make impreca|tions
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again&s;t <HI>Thomyris,</HI> and &s;ometimes again&s;t him&s;elfe, charging him&s;elfe with all the mi&s;eries of <HI>Mandana,</HI> with all his own, with all the violences of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> and al&s;o with all the affection which his Rivals bore unto the Prince&s;&s;e whom he adored: &s;o as pa&s;&s;ing continually from one &s;ad thought unto another, he was in perpetuall torment: But the &s;harpe&s;t part of all his mi&s;eries was, his opinion that <HI>Mandana</HI> did love him, or at lea&s;t did not love him enough. The cruelty of <HI>Thomyris</HI> did not &s;o much grate upon his &s;oule, as the want of affection in <HI>Man|dana</HI> did; for he was accu&s;tomed to &s;ee Death in his grimme&s;t look, but he was never u&s;ed to &s;ee <HI>Mandana</HI> perfidious, or indifferent. Al&s;o he had one addition of &s;orrow more, when he heard of <HI>Araminta's</HI> death by one of his Guards, and he &s;et that upon the &s;core of his own misfortunes, and began to number them all up. Is it not enough, oh cruell Fate (cryed he out) that I &s;hould be mi&s;erable in my own per&s;on? but I mu&s;t al&s;o be &s;o in the per&s;ons of tho&s;e whom I love? Mu&s;t <HI>Spitridates</HI> dye becau&s;e he re&s;embled me, and was my friend? Mu&s;t <HI>Araminta</HI> loo&s;e her life, becau&s;e I profe&s;&s;ed friend&s;hip to her? Mu&s;t <HI>Meliantes</HI> be impri&s;oned be|cau&s;e he protected me&punc; Mu&s;t I be mi&s;erable becau&s;e <HI>Thomyris</HI> loves me? and al&s;o becau&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> loves mee not? Fortune makes u&s;e of all this variety to torment me, and yet I could &s;upport them all, were I a&s;&s;ured of the affection of my Prince&s;&s;e: But alas I am far from that happy condition; for &s;ince &s;he can &s;oon comfort her &s;elfe after my death, it mu&s;t needs be concluded that &s;he values not my life, and therefore why &s;hould I, unle&s;&s;e again&s;t all rea&s;on, in hopes of re|venge; I had indeed &s;ome hopes that the Oracle had been fulfilled in <HI>Spitridates:</HI> but Heavens! I feare it is not, &s;ince I am under the power of a loving, and yet of an enraged Queen: <HI>Mandana</HI> is under the power of a proud Rivall, and I am out of <HI>Mandana's</HI> heart; and therefore I were ab&s;olutely out of my wits, if I &s;hould hope for any re&s;t, but in Death, yet thanks he unto the Gods, I am not capable of &s;uch a weakne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>But whil&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> was rea&s;oning with him&s;elfe in this &s;ad manner, <HI>Thomyris</HI> was &s;o full of unquiet di&s;tempers, as &s;he was not half a quarter of an hour in one mind. <HI>Gelonide</HI> knowing the very bottom of her heart, &s;he di&s;covered all the tumultuous thoughts of her &s;oule unto her. I perceive <HI>Gelonide</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto her, &s;eeing her look earne&s;tly upon her) that you de&s;ire to dive into my thoughts, but let me tell you, it is very difficult, for they wander upon &s;o many &s;everall &s;ubjects, as they continually &s;mother one another: and &s;uch is the agitation of my &s;oule, that it would &s;uffer much le&s;&s;e if I were in the condition of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> And yet (replyed <HI>Ge|lonide)</HI> that Prince is in a very ill condition; and I believe that if your Maje&s;tie con&s;ider it well, you will find a great difference between your fortune and his. Were I at peace with my &s;elf <HI>Gelonide</HI> (replyed <HI>Thomyris)</HI> you were in the right: but alas, there is &s;uch a Civill war in my heart, that &s;hivers it into pieces; For when I think how this Prince &s;lighted me both under the name of <HI>Artamenes</HI> and <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I cannot choo&s;e but hate him: And I am re&s;olved to put <HI>Mandana</HI> to death, to let him &s;ee her dead, and then to put him to death al&s;o: For if I con&s;i|der him upon that account, I cannot think upon any puni&s;hment which he de&s;erve not, he has &s;corned me enough to merit a thou&s;and deaths; he hath bla&s;ted my glory, he hath made the blood of my Subjects run like Rivers, and he hath cau&s;ed my &s;ons death. So as looking upon him upon this accompt, and having him in my power, I am often in a mind to ta&s;t the &s;weets of a full revenge.</P>
<P>But alas, the&s;e thoughts la&s;t but a while: and when I con&s;ider <HI>Cyrus</HI> as the greate&s;t Prince upon Earth, and as the mo&s;t excellently accompli&s;hed man in the whole world, my revenge dyes, and I am ready to excu&s;e him. Yes <HI>Gelonide,</HI> &s;ometimes I tell my &s;elfe that he loved <HI>Mandana</HI> before ere he &s;aw me; that he does no wrong unto me in not loving me, and that I am obliged unto him for &s;pa|ring my life, when he might ea&s;ily have killed me in the <HI>Sauromattan</HI> wood: But after all the&s;e Con&s;iderations, my &s;oule is never the quietter; for the le&s;&s;e rea&s;on I find to accu&s;e <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the more I find to accu&s;e my &s;elfe: But <HI>Gelonide,</HI> my greate&s;t grief is, that <HI>Cyrus</HI> doth mo&s;t horridly hate me, e&s;pecially &s;ince the time that the violence of my Love and Jealou&s;ie did prompt me unto that act of cruelty, which vet I only did, becau&s;e he had been cruell unto me. But as oft as I thinke upon <HI>Cyrus,</HI> unto whom I have expre&s;&s;ed a thou&s;and te&s;timonies of Love, and
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that he &s;hould know of this terrible effect of my hatred, I am vexed beyond my expre&s;&s;ion: For the truth is, I have a de&s;ire to &s;ee him, and yet I dare not, after this act of cruelty whereof he is not ignorant. 'Tis true, that if he do me ju&s;tice, he wil excu&s;e my cruelty, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> living doubtle&s;s ought to think him&s;elf obliged unto me, for what I did again&s;t <HI>Cyrus</HI> dead, &s;ince my inhumanity was as wel aneffect of my Love, as all tho&s;e te&s;timonies of tenderne&s;&s;e which I gave him upon a thou|&s;and occa&s;ions. Truly Madam (&s;aid <HI>Gelonide</HI> unto her) &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> can never be un|faithfull unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> as long as you give him &s;o many cau&s;es to hate you: It is not probable he &s;hould love you now, he may charge you with more hatred than love: And therefore your Maje&s;tie would do very well to re-e&s;tabli&s;h your glory by &s;ome great and high action, &s;uch an Act as would regain the e&s;teem of <HI>Cyrus.</HI> If you &s;hould now &s;et <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> free, and &s;end them to the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> you would do an Act which would render your glory immortall. Ah <HI>Ge|lonide</HI> (&s;aid <HI>Thomyris</HI> and interrupted her) I know very well that I ought to love my glory above <HI>Cyrus:</HI> But I have found by long experience that I cannot, and therefore without any con&s;ideration of genero&s;ity, or rea&s;on, or virtue, I mu&s;t take &s;uch a cour&s;e as <HI>Cyrus</HI> may Reign in my Dominions, and in my heart: And when all hopes of that is gone, then &s;hall my fury have no limits: and if I cannot ruine <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana,</HI> unle&s;&s;e I ruine <HI>Ariantes</HI> and my &s;elfe al&s;o, I will not &s;tick to &s;acrifice all unto my revenge.</P>
<P>But Madam (&s;aid <HI>Gelonide)</HI> I be&s;eech you con&s;ider, that though you have <HI>Cy|rus</HI> in your power, yet you have a formidable Army to fight again&s;t: <HI>Mazares</HI> is a brave man, the Reliefe which <HI>Ciaxares</HI> &s;ends, is pui&s;&s;ant, and the Prince <HI>Arian|tes</HI> is not in the head of your Army. I value not my own &s;afety (replyed <HI>Thomy|ris)</HI> and therefore <HI>Gelonide</HI> without any further con&s;ideration of the&s;e dangers wherewith you threaten me, which perhaps are not &s;o great as you imagine, I will think upon nothing but to get &s;o much boldne&s;&s;e as to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus.</HI> But Ma|dam (&s;aid <HI>Gelonide</HI> unto her) I would gladly know what you do aime at in &s;o do|ing? I intend (replyed <HI>Thomyris)</HI> to do all things po&s;&s;ible both ju&s;t and unju&s;t, which may induce <HI>Cyrus</HI> to quit <HI>Mandana;</HI> and an&s;wer my affection: and if I find there is no hopes of any good upon him, I will puni&s;h <HI>Ariantes</HI> for his old Rebellion, to the end that he may be no ob&s;tacle unto my Revenge: Then I will have <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;tabbed before the eyes of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> I will mingle the blood of <HI>Cy|rus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> together, and perhaps I will kill my &s;elf, if I finde this revenge not &s;weet enough. Alas Madam (cryed out <HI>Gelonide)</HI> what &s;trange thoughts are the&s;e? Alas <HI>Gelonide</HI> (replyed <HI>Thomyris)</HI> what &s;trange thoughts may not a Queen have, who loves a man which &s;lights her.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Gelonide</HI> offered to &s;ay &s;omething, but <HI>Thomyris</HI> commanded &s;ilence, and without more delay &s;he went unto the Tent of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> waited upon by the Lieutenant of her Guard, and &s;ome of his company which &s;tayed at the Tent door, and kept Centinel with the re&s;t of that Princes Guard: This Queen having no other women with her but <HI>Gelonide;</HI> for though &s;he did not approve of her o|pinion, yet she loved her, and alwayes carryed her with her, becau&s;e she was the only per&s;on unto whom she di&s;covered her love. But in her way thither, <HI>Thomy|ris</HI> as fierce as &s;he was her heart was &s;trangely a&s;hamed, yet the force of her pa&s;|&s;ion overcoming all; She entred into the Tent of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> without giving him any notice, &s;o as he was &s;trangely &s;urprized at this vi&s;it: Yet having a great &s;oule, a re|&s;olute &s;pirit, and a generous heart, there appeared no di&s;order in his Counte|nance, but he &s;hut up all his re&s;entments in his heart: And indeed, he no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Thomyris,</HI> but he &s;aluted her with all reverence that was due unto the Queen of <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes,</HI> and it was with all the coldne&s;&s;e that was due unto the Enemy of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and a Queen that had given him &s;uch a publique te&s;timony of her hatred, as to plunge that head in a ba&s;on of blood.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Thomyris,</HI> &s;he no &s;ooner &s;aw <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but &s;hame at her own inhumanity made her blu&s;h, and hindred her from &s;peaking fir&s;t: So as that Prince coming to|wards her, is it to demand my head Madam (&s;aid he unto her with a mo&s;t he|ro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">que boldnes) that you have taken this pains to come hither? to the end that &s;ee|ing it cut off with your own eyes, you may not be deceived the &s;econd time as you were at the fir&s;t? When I re&s;olved to &s;ee you Sir (replyed &s;he, and carryed him
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to the other end of the Tent) I prepared my &s;elfe for your reproaches, that I might have &s;ome right to retort them: For unju&s;t Prince, there is a notable dif|ference betwixt the cruelty which I have u&s;ed unto you, and that which you have u&s;ed unto me. For that terrible Act which &s;eems unto you &s;o full of inhu|manity, was only a rapture of my de&s;pair, in a beliefe that your la&s;t words were &s;igns of love unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> and of your hatred unto me. But though I was in|humane unto you, when I thought you could not be &s;en&s;ible of my cruelty; yet you were inhumane and cruell unto me, when I was &s;en&s;ible even of the lea&s;t of your &s;lights: and though I only plunged in blood the head of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;uppo&s;ed dead, yet you teare my heart in pieces living, yet unju&s;t Prince, you were the fir&s;t that began the cruelty: and if I was &s;o, it was after you had made me loo&s;e my pati|ence, and di&s;ordered my rea&s;on. Yet though you are my pri&s;oner, and by the right of Conquerors I may di&s;po&s;e of you as I plea&s;e, yet I will only tell you, the &s;ooner to induce you to quit <HI>Mandana:</HI> That unle&s;&s;e I comfort my &s;elf &s;o &s;oon af|ter your death as &s;he did, &s;he hath wronged you more than I have done by that act of cruelty, wherewith you upbraid me, and wherewith I upbraid my &s;elfe: For truly my fury and my hatred was an effect of my pa&s;&s;ion, but her forgetful|ne&s;&s;e was an effect of a light &s;oule, and faint feeble affection.</P>
<P>Therefore without asking, or be&s;eeching you to love me, I will only be&s;eech you not to love her any longer: That you will give your con&s;ent &s;he should mar|ry <HI>Ariantes</HI> whom she hates not: that I may &s;end her unto <HI>I&s;&s;edon</HI> with the Prince whom she shall marry. And that you will promi&s;e me never to &s;ee her again, upon the&s;e conditions, I will deliver you, and will not oblige you unto any acknow|ledgment of my affection. If you should peremptorily command me to love you, Madam, replyed he, though you have given me rea&s;on to hate you; yet it would be le&s;&s;e impo&s;&s;ible for me to obey you, then it would be for me not to love <HI>Man|dana,</HI> though &s;he were perfidious unto me: For the truth is Madam, you are a great Beauty, you have a great &s;oule, a high heart, and a thou&s;and excellent qualities, which as great an Enemy as you are, does move me to e&s;teem you: So that without infidelity to her whom I love and adore, I could be very friendly and e&s;teeming of you: But Madam, I can never leave loving <HI>Mandana,</HI> nor con|&s;ent &s;he &s;hould marry <HI>Ariantes,</HI> nor promi&s;e you never to &s;ee her again.</P>
<P>The truth is; though I &s;hould know of a mo&s;t infallible certainty that &s;he had left off loving me, yet I could never leave off loving her, without leaving off to live, nor endure &s;he &s;hould be enjoyed by another, without doing my utmo&s;t to prevent it, at the hazard of a thou&s;and lives which I &s;hould never value above my glory, or my Love: And therefore Madam, never expect I &s;hould promi&s;e you more then I am able to perform: For I know, that though I &s;hould be &s;o ba&s;e as to make &s;uch a promi&s;e unto you, yet I &s;hould be no &s;ooner at liberty, but I should Arm all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> the &s;econd time to pull <HI>Mandana</HI> out of the arms of my Rivall.</P>
<P>Therefore Madam, I be&s;eech you for your own tranquilities &s;ake, never think that I have &s;uch a kind of &s;pirit as can &s;ubmit and crouch unto any ill fortune; but on the contrary, be confident that if I were in the head of two hundred thou&s;and men, and you my pri&s;oner, I would do more for you, than now I am in your fetters: The truth is Madam, &s;ince I am per&s;waded that it is glorious not to grant that which cannot be denyed without danger, I will not promi&s;e you to leave loving <HI>Manda|na,</HI> or con&s;ent &s;he &s;hould marry <HI>Ariantes,</HI> nor promi&s;e to &s;ee her no more: Since of the&s;e three things which I ask (replyed <HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;harply) there is one of them which depends ab&s;olutely upon me and not at all upon you, I cannot tell whether it be prudence in you to incen&s;e any by your arrogant genero&s;ity, for I need not your con&s;ent to hinder you from ever &s;eeing <HI>Mandana;</HI> nor need it in <HI>Ariantes</HI> marriage of her, for &s;ince if I will, <HI>I</HI> can look upon you as the murtherer of my Son: If the fancy take me I &s;hall lock you up eternally in my chains. As Fortune hath brought me hither into them again&s;t my will (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> &s;o &s;he may chance to take me out again&s;t yours: And therefore Madam without any regard unto your needle&s;s threatnings, I will tell you with all po&s;&s;ible &s;incerity, that could I ever have been unfaithfull unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> your charms Madam would have made me &s;o, when I was in your Court under the name of <HI>Artamenes.</HI> And I mu&s;t ingeniou&s;ly confe&s;s, that I gave her a greater te&s;timony of my Love in not loving you, than in
<PB N="210" REF="998">
the taking of <HI>Babylon, Sardis,</HI> and <HI>Cumes:</HI> Since certainly it is a more ea&s;y mat|ter to win battells and take towns than to defend ones heart again&s;t &s;uch a per&s;on as you were when I had the honour fir&s;t to &s;ee you. For to tell you truly Madam, Though you be as fair now as then you were, yet you are le&s;s terrible to me now than you were than: For truly as &s;oon as you began to per&s;ecute <HI>Mandana,</HI> as &s;oon as ever you began to be cruell, and would needs make your &s;elf loved by ter|rour, you lo&s;t all that would make you amiable. I cannot tell (&s;aid &s;he, and in a rage interrupted him) whether <HI>I</HI> can make my &s;elf Loved, but <HI>I</HI> am &s;ure <HI>I</HI> can make my &s;elf be obeyed. And <HI>I</HI> perceive if <HI>I</HI> will ever have any re&s;t, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t hate you living as <HI>I</HI> did when you were dead, and &s;eek out my &s;atisfaction in revenge.</P>
<P>After this <HI>Thomyris</HI> went away and &s;tayed not for the an&s;wer of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;he carried with her more thoughts of fury than Love, &s;he was vexed at the Soul, be|cau&s;e &s;he had not &s;aid enough, to tender his heart, &s;he repented of every word &s;he pronounced, and &s;omtimes &s;he thought that if &s;he had gone the mild way, &s;he had better effected her de&s;ires. And &s;ometimes again &s;he thought that if &s;he had mena|naced him with the death of <HI>Mandana,</HI> it would have &s;taggered his con&s;tancy: So as being un&s;atisfied with her &s;elf, both at what &s;he had done, and what &s;he &s;hould have done, &s;he was mo&s;t in&s;ufferably tormented.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in a mi&s;erable condition; for not knowing that &s;he had &s;een that Letter which he had writ unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> he thought that what &s;he had &s;poke concerning <HI>Mandana's</HI> Levity, had a right ground, and was greived to the very &s;oul at it.</P>
<P>But whil&s;t the &s;ouls of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Thomyris</HI> were thus di&s;quietted, <HI>Mereontes</HI> who wasconceal'd among&s;t the Sauromattan Captains, with <HI>Myr&s;iles, Hyda&s;pes,</HI> &amp; <HI>Chry|&s;antes,</HI> they continued the &s;ame de&s;ign on foot, which once was ready for Executi|on: The <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ends of <HI>Ariantes</HI> al&s;o bethinking them&s;elves how to deliver this Prince, and knowing how the Sauromates were di&s;contented, did make a propo&s;ition to joyn with them, and get <HI>Ariantes</HI> out of the hands of <HI>Thomyris:</HI> The Sauromattan Cap|tains without giving any po&s;itive an&s;wer unto tho&s;e who made this propo&s;ition, ac|quainted <HI>Myr&s;iles, Hyda&s;pes, Mereontes,</HI> and <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> with it: Who all conceived, that if they could unite the friends of <HI>Ariantes</HI> unto theirs, that <HI>Thomy|ris</HI> would be infallibly lo&s;t, and that <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> would be delivered: The rea&s;on why they hoped this was not impo&s;&s;ible, was; becau&s;e they knew that the friends of <HI>Ariantes</HI> were afraid <HI>Thomyris</HI> would put that Prince to death; for &s;ince he once went about to take a crown from her, they thought that &s;he would &s;eek for a colour to palliate her revenge upon him: So as imagining that if this union could be made, it would make much for the advantage of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the&s;e Sauromattan Cap|tains entertained the motion, and brought things to that pa&s;s, that the friends of <HI>Ariantes</HI> conferred with the friends of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> But &s;ince neither &s;ide could an|&s;wer for tho&s;e Princes for whom they tran&s;acted; they agreed that both &s;ides &s;hould endeavour to make known the &s;tate of things unto them: And in order to that, <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> and <HI>Mereontes</HI> found out meanes to &s;end word unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> and <HI>Mazares,</HI> that they &s;hould attempt nothing untill they heard further from them.</P>
<P>In the mean time, there pa&s;&s;ed not a day in which <HI>Thomyris</HI> had not &s;ome new per&s;ecution for <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana.</HI> For &s;he obliged all the pri&s;oner Princes to &s;ee <HI>Cyrus</HI> one after another, and to per&s;wade him not to pretend any more unto <HI>Mandana:</HI> Al&s;o &s;he would have all the re&s;t of the Captives in their turns to &s;ee <HI>Mandana</HI> and move her to marry <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and &s;he &s;poke her &s;elf unto the Prince her brother, (and per&s;waded him not to think any more of marrying <HI>Mandana,</HI> but to give her over unto her vengeance; for this violent Queen was come to that pa&s;s that &s;he thought no more of making <HI>Cyrus</HI> love her, but only to take his Love off her whom he adored. So that when &s;he &s;aw it a thing impo&s;&s;ible to per&s;wade <HI>Mandana</HI> ever to marry <HI>Ariantes;</HI> &s;he had a fancy to per&s;wade <HI>Ariantes</HI> to let her be put to death. That which I de&s;ire of you Brother (&s;aid &s;he unto him) you &s;hould me thinks ask me, and &s;hould de&s;ire to be revenged of a &s;trong hearted per|&s;on who &s;corns and hates you: And though you had no other advantage by it, but to imagin the &s;orrows of your Rivall, yet that were enough to move your con&s;ent unto it.</P>
<P><PB N="211" REF="998">
If you will &s;uffer me (replyed <HI>Ariantes</HI> rough y) to go and ponyard <HI>Cyrus,</HI> I &s;hall perhaps con&s;ent that you &s;hall poy&s;on <HI>Mandana:</HI> I agree unto your propo|&s;ition, (an&s;wered <HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;uddenly.) Oh mo&s;t cruell Prince&s;s, (&s;aid <HI>Ariantes</HI> then) what a mo&s;t abominable Love is yours? No, no (added he) deceive not your &s;elf; I am the Enemy of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> but I will never be his butcher. And moreo|ver I do mo&s;t &s;olemnly prote&s;t, that if you attempt any thing again&s;t the life of <HI>Mandana,</HI> yours &s;hall infallibly an&s;wer for it; for though I cannot get out of your chains, yet I have friends who will revenge your cruelty, and I doubt not but all the world will arm them&s;elves and ruin you.</P>
<P><HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;eeing with what an Aire <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;poke this, was a&s;hamed, but it was a &s;hame accompanied with anger, which made her expre&s;s her &s;elf infinitely angry at that Prince: You think perhaps (&s;aid &s;he unto him) to get upon that Throne which once you rebelliou&s;ly mounted: But let me tell you, that I will keep you in my fetters as a vanqui&s;hed U&s;urper, and as a rebellious Subject.</P>
<P>After this, that enraged Queen left him, and left him with thoughts of hatred, as great and violent again&s;t him as again&s;t <HI>Mandana,</HI> and her re&s;olutions were as cruell again&s;t him as again&s;t her, &s;he knew &s;he was in the wrong; but that know|ledge did not induce her to repent, but rather increa&s;ed her fury. Yet in the mid&s;t of all the&s;e turbulencies&punc; &s;he &s;ent orders unto all the Officers of the army and endea|voured to di&s;po&s;e of things that &s;he might be the commander of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Manda|na's</HI> de&s;tiny: She had a thou&s;and de&s;ires to &s;ee that Prince again, and try if &s;he could overcome his mind by a thou&s;and te&s;timonies of tenderne&s;s and affection, but the arrogant pride of her heart, and &s;hame together, would not give her leave, but contented her &s;elf with cau&s;ing him to be told that &s;he asked no more then that he would pretend no more unto <HI>Mandana.</HI> So as by this means <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;aw him&s;elf delivered from the nece&s;&s;ity of any conference with her, nor could this Queen e|ver tell <HI>Mandana.</HI> any more that &s;he requi ed of her to yeild <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto her, but only that &s;he &s;hould marry <HI>Ariantes:</HI> Thus <HI>Thomyris</HI> thought to hide &s;ome part of her weakne&s;s and con&s;erve of her mode&s;ty a little more. Yet &s;omtimes&s;he would expre&s;s &s;uch vi&s;ible re&s;timonies of her pa&s;&s;ion. that all about her could not doubt it; for &s;he would continuall be asking what <HI>Cyrus</HI> did, and what he &s;aid? whether he did not murmure again&s;t her? whether he &s;poke of <HI>Mandana?</HI> and a thou&s;and &s;uch like, And what was mo&s;t &s;trange, &s;he would&s;omtimes men who neither did, nor could know any thing; for none except the Guards, and &s;uch as &s;he commanded, ever &s;aw him. So as it was impo&s;&s;ible for <HI>Myr&s;iles, Hyda&s;pes, Mereontes,</HI> and <HI>Chry|&s;antes,</HI> to acquaint <HI>Cyrus</HI> w th the treaty which they had with the friends of <HI>Ari|antes,</HI> who al&s;o on their &s;ides could not make their intentions known unto their Prince; &s;o that a&s;&s;embling one night in the Tent of one of the Sauromattan Cap|tains, where <HI>Myr&s;iles, Hyda&s;pes, Mereontes,</HI> and <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> were concealed, they re&s;olved, knowing the genero&s;ity of tho&s;e two Princes, to go on with that trea|ty as if they con&s;ented; a&s;&s;uring them&s;elves that they would not be again&s;t it.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t they were a&s;&s;embled to that end, <HI>Meliantes</HI> e&s;caped his guards, and came thither; much augmenting their hopes by &s;eeing their &s;ide &s;trengthned by &s;uch a valiant man who had intelligence of many things which <HI>Mereontes</HI> had not known but for him: Yet <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> was troubled to &s;ee his Rivall the Protector of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and <HI>Meliantes</HI> was a&s;toni&s;hed to &s;ee <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> in that place: yet con&s;idering how the ca&s;e of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and all things el&s;e &s;tood, he looked upon him in this bu&s;ine&s;s; as the friend of <HI>Cyrus</HI> rather then as the Lover of <HI>Alpa&s;ia;</HI> &s;o as telling him the &s;tate of affairs, he was of their opinion and conclnded that there was an ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity of uniting them&s;elves to deliver <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Ariantes.</HI> He who negotiated mo&s;t for <HI>Ariantes</HI> was a Ma&s;&s;agettan called <HI>Otryades,</HI> who had been the friend of <HI>Aripithes,</HI> and who had a great de&s;ire to &s;ee <HI>Ariantes</HI> King; &s;o as excepting again&s;t nothing which the friends of <HI>Cyrus</HI> propounded &s;o <HI>Ariantes</HI> might be delivered and out of the power of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> the Treaty was quickly concluded and agreed upon. They promi&s;ed a mutuall a&s;&s;i&s;tance to execute this great de&s;ign; they &s;wore they would fight joyntly again&s;t tho&s;e that would oppo&s;e the Liberty of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Ari|antes,</HI> and when tho&s;e two Princes were free, they would addre&s;s them&s;elves unto them to know what they would have them do, every one then <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o have the Liberty to take which &s;ide they plea&s;ed, in ca&s;e tho&s;e Princes could not continue friends:
<PB N="212" REF="999">
Yet there was one difficulty which <HI>Otryades</HI> dorr'd at, for the friends of <HI>Cyrus</HI> would have the fir&s;t attempt that was made upon the Tents Royal to deliver <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and the other &s;ide would have <HI>Ariantes</HI> fir&s;t delivered: Then there was an expedient propo&s;ed to reconcile the matter which was to go, and fall upon the Tents Royall of <HI>Thomyris</HI> and &s;ecure her per&s;on, for (&s;aid he who made the propo&s;ition) by a&s;&s;uring your &s;elves of that Queen you will deliver both <HI>Cyrus, Ariantes,</HI> and <HI>Mandana:</HI> But though there was &s;ome colour of rea&s;on in this propo&s;ition, yet the friends of <HI>Cyrus</HI> would not accept of it, becau&s;e they &s;aid that if they &s;hould fall upon <HI>Thomyris</HI> at fir&s;t they &s;hould hazard them&s;elves to be overcome, &s;ince it was impo&s;&s;ible but the people would arm them&s;elves for the defence of their Queen, wheras on the contra|ry, if their de&s;ign appeared to be only to deliver <HI>Cyrus,</HI> they wil not &s;tir, &s;o as finding no re&s;i&s;tance, the thing will be more ea&s;ily executed: Adding that if once they had <HI>Cyrus</HI> in the head of them, then victory would certainly be theirs. <HI>Otryades</HI> an|&s;wered unto this, that its true the Liberty of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was more ea&s;ily gotten that way, but not the Liberty of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> &s;ince it depended after that upon the will of his Rivall. So as finding out a middle way between the&s;e two extreams, <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> propo&s;ed to make two a&s;&s;aults at once, &s;o as to amu&s;e <HI>Thomyris</HI> the more, who would be forced to divide her Forces. So then it was re&s;olved that this expedient propounded by <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> &s;hould be followed, and that the Tents where <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> were guarded &s;hould be &s;et upon both at once: That they &s;hould not go unto that of <HI>Mandana,</HI> becau&s;e they would leave the glory of delivering her unto the two Princes: That in the mean time they &s;hould promi&s;e each other, that they who did fir&s;t execute their de&s;ign, and had effected it, they &s;hould go immediat|ly and a&s;&s;i&s;t the other to execute theirs, and that they &s;hould oblige the Prince whom they had delivered to go and help to deliver his Rivall. The&s;e things being thus re&s;olved upon, they waited for the day, and houre of Execution. They &s;ent away immediatly unto <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares,</HI> to the end they might fall upon the Camp of <HI>Thomyris;</HI> when the Sauromates came to the Tents Royall to joyn with the friends of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and to the end they might &s;end unto <HI>Artaba|tis</HI> to fall upon <HI>Andramites</HI> with part of his forces, and &s;end the re&s;t to entrench them&s;elves between the Tents Royall and the Camp of <HI>Thomyris:</HI> Thus it was re|&s;olved that after four daies, and ju&s;t at midnight after, this great de&s;ign &s;hould be executed: But at the end of this conference, <HI>Mereontes</HI> knowing upon what termes both <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> were, he came unto them, and very di&s;creet|ly obliged them to refer all their difference untill <HI>Cyrus</HI> was delivered, &s;o as both of them being per&s;waded unto it with equall genero&s;ity, they unanimou&s;ly tran&s;a|cted together for the intere&s;t of this great Prince as if they had never been Ri|valls. Thus <HI>Meliantes</HI> looked upon <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> as the friend of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and <HI>Hyda&s;|pes</HI> looked upon <HI>Meliantes</HI> as the Protector of this <HI>Hero.</HI></P>
<P>In the Interim, tho&s;e, for whom this great de&s;ign was in tran&s;action, were not a jot the le&s;s mi&s;erable, but &s;aw &s;o little likelyhood of any alteration in their for|tunes, that they did not only &s;uffer under their pre&s;ent afflictions, but al&s;o under the fears of tho&s;e which would infallibly fall upon them in the future: Yet <HI>Tho|myris</HI> was in a wor&s;e condition then they, becau&s;e her hopes were le&s;s then theirs; And all the &s;weetne&s;s that &s;he had in life, was only in the long torments which &s;he was preparing for tho&s;e who rendered her &s;o unhappy. But her principall drift was, to put off that Winter without fighting, to the end that the Army of <HI>Cyrus</HI> might be forced to retreat on the other &s;ide of <HI>A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">axes,</HI> it not being po&s;&s;i|ble it &s;hould &s;ub&s;i&s;t in an Enemies Country, by continuall &s;upplies &s;o far fetched.</P>
<P>As <HI>Thomyris</HI> was in this mind, and in order unto that, &s;ending order upon or|der not to hazard a fight, at lea&s;t, unle&s;s upon &s;ome great advantage, there chan|ced an accident, which much augmented her inquietudes: &s;o as it is a hard mat|ter that a great &s;ecret known unto many men &s;hould be long undi&s;covered, e&s;pe|cially when it is among&s;t per&s;ons of &s;everall &s;ides; &s;o there was one of <HI>Ariantes</HI> his friends, kin&s;man unto <HI>Otryades,</HI> who &s;eeing this great de&s;ign ripe, and that it would be executed the next day at midnight, he began to repent; for &s;ince he knew not how far the genero&s;ity of <HI>Cyrus</HI> might extend, he imagined that when this Prince was delivered, he would load <HI>Thomyris</HI> with the &s;ame Chains where|in he had been fettered: that he would ruine <HI>Ariantes;</HI> that he would make all
<PB N="213" REF="999">
the Ma&s;&s;agettans Tributaries, or el&s;e in revenge would quite extirpate them. So as wondering that he &s;hould have the&s;e thoughts no &s;ooner, he repented of his engagment with <HI>Otryades,</HI> and his repentance went &s;o far, that he intended to be|tray all tho&s;e unto whom he had promi&s;ed fidelity. Tis true, he thought that by acquainting <HI>Thomyris,</HI> he &s;hould oblige her to deliver <HI>Ariantes:</HI> So, without more delay he went unto the Queen &s;ecretly in the night, and de&s;ired private con|ference: At the fir&s;t, he de&s;ired of her a promi&s;e of <HI>Ariantes</HI> his liberty, in ca&s;e he acquainted her with &s;uch things, as &s;hould let her &s;ee he had done her the be&s;t &s;ervice that ever any did. But &s;ince that Queen would not engage her &s;elfe un|to any &s;uch promi&s;e, he then told her that he would impart no further unto her: <HI>Thomyris</HI> being incen&s;ed at him, &s;aid, that it was not his duty to capitulate with her, but bad him know that he was in her Tent, that &s;he was Mi&s;tre&s;s, both of his liberty and life, and therfore &s;he would make him tell all he knew, without any conditions.</P>
<P>This man being terrified by the fury of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> he told her all he knew con|cerning the de&s;ign which was to be executed the night following; al&s;o he did &s;o punctually circum&s;tance the bu&s;ine&s;s, that &s;he did not doubt of any thing he &s;aid, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o as &s;he was infinitely amazed and perplexed; and to confirm her beleif, <HI>Aga|thir&s;es</HI> &s;ent to acquaint her, That part of <HI>Artabates</HI> his Troops draw neer them, and that he could not dive into the de&s;ign of it: That he under&s;tood al&s;o by &s;ome Pri&s;oners which he had taken, that there was &s;ome great enterpri&s;e prepa|ring in the Camp of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and that he thought him&s;elf obliged to tell her how he under&s;tood that there was a Confederacy among&s;t &s;ome Officers in her Army. <HI>Thomyris</HI> finding a Concurrence with what the Kin&s;man of <HI>Otryades</HI> had told her, her Soul was &s;o perplexed, that &s;he knew not what to re&s;olve upon.</P>
<P>At the fir&s;t &s;he intended to arre&s;t <HI>Myr&s;iles, Meliantes, Hyda&s;pes, Mereontes,</HI> and <HI>Chry&s;antes,</HI> in the Tent where this Kin&s;man unto <HI>Otryades</HI> &s;aid they were: But upon &s;econd thoughts &s;he con&s;idered, that though they were arre&s;ted, yet they were but five men; that this would not hinder the Sauromates from &s;ever|ing from her Army, and from coming to the Tents Royall; nor would it hinder <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> from falling upon her Camp, nor <HI>Artabatis</HI> from a&s;&s;aulting <HI>Andramites,</HI> not the re&s;t of his Forces from encamping between the Tents Royall and her Camp; And that &s;o &s;he &s;hould only make a great noi&s;e to no purpo&s;e, and perhaps ha&s;ten the Execution of that de&s;ign which would ruine her: So as not knowing neither what to do, nor what to think, &s;he was almo&s;t out of her wits; But &s;ince her greate&s;t care was to hinder <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> from ever being happy together, her de&s;ign was to make &s;ure of them, and that their lives might be in her power, in ca&s;e &s;he was forced to fly: And in order to that, &s;he commanded that <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hould be immediatly removed out of that Tent where &s;he was unto another, neer that where <HI>Cyrus</HI> was kept; to the end, that if her Party proved the weaker, &s;he might put them to death before &s;he fled. For &s;he conceived that if the de&s;ign of her Enemies did take, &s;he could not be in a con|dition to carry them unto <HI>I&s;&s;idon,</HI> as her intention was to retire her &s;elf if &s;he was forced. Al&s;o &s;he gave orders&punc; that double Guards &s;hould be &s;et upon <HI>Ariantes?</HI> She commanded the Tent wherein <HI>Myr&s;iles, Meliantes, Hyda&s;pes, Mereontes,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> were concealed to be &s;et round in the evening; She commanded all the Caval<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y &s;he had to be ready upon a minutes warning: And &s;he acquainted all the Officers of her Army with what the kin&s;man of <HI>Otryades</HI> had told her; al&s;o &s;he ordered all the Souldiers to be ready in Armes, and &s;he her &s;elf made choi&s;e of him whom &s;he intended for the Murtherer of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana&punc;</HI> and accord|ingly &s;he &s;ent for that Ge<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">on Captain, who pre&s;ented her the head of <HI>Spitridates</HI> in lieu of the head of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and propounded this cruell act unto him, for know|ing him to be a man that was void of all humanity, and &s;o corrupt, &s;he beleived he would obey her in any thing; and indeed &s;he was not deceived in him, for this barbarous Ge<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">on promi&s;ed her to poyniard <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana,</HI> when&s;oever &s;he gave the word: And to that end &s;he gave him ab&s;olute command over all tho&s;e who guarded them, and permitted him al&s;o to have many of his own Soul|diers with him, in whom he tru&s;ted more, then in the former Guards of tho&s;e two Illu&s;trious Per&s;ons, who plainly perceived by this change, that &s;ome bad intenti|ons
<PB N="214" REF="1000">
were towards. This Gelon Captain being naturally har&s;h and cruell, he trea|ted them in a manner much different then they were before: For <HI>Mandana</HI> dur&s;t not &s;o much as whi&s;per unto <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> or <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> or <HI>H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ionide,</HI> who now wait|ed upon her, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> had not &s;o much liberty as to &s;peak unto any of the Guard.</P>
<P>But whil&s;t <HI>Thomyris</HI> was di&s;per&s;ing her &s;everall Commanders, the night came on, and all tho&s;e who laboured for the liberty of <HI>Cyrus, Ariantes,</HI> and <HI>Mandana&punc;</HI> prepared them&s;elves for the execution of the de&s;ign; <HI>Myr&s;iles, Meliantes, Hy|da&s;pes, Mereontes,</HI> and <HI>Chry&s;antes,</HI> were much &s;urpri&s;ed when they heard that <HI>Mandana's</HI> Tent was changed, and that there were &s;ome men in Armes who be|&s;et the Tent wherin they were. <HI>Otryades</HI> al&s;o wondered that he did not &s;ee his kin&s;man, and the more when he heard that he was &s;een to go into the Tent of <HI>Tho|myris,</HI> and being a man of much hone&s;ty, he &s;ent &s;ecretly to adverti&s;e <HI>Myr&s;iles, Meliantes, Hyda&s;pes, Mereontes,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> of his fears: So as they began to con&s;ult what they &s;hould do to get into &s;ome place where they might &s;afely wait untill they heard that the <HI>Sauromates,</HI> who were to quit the Camp of <HI>Thomy|ris,</HI> were come and had made an a&s;&s;ault upon tho&s;e who guarded the Tents Roy|all, and conceiving there was no &s;afe &s;taying in that Tent wherin they were, they got the Habits of &s;laves upon their own, and as &s;oon as ever it began to be dark, they went out at &s;everal dores unto another Tent where <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> carried them, and where he and <HI>Feraulas</HI> lay <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">id when they di&s;gui&s;ed them like <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans,</HI> and came to enquire of their Illu&s;trious Ma&s;ter: <HI>Otryades</HI> al&s;o, &s;hifted his Tent, and a&s;&s;embled &s;o many of his friends about him, as it had not been an ea&s;y matter to take him, thought <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t had been attempted.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Thomyris</HI> was in a &s;trang perplexity as &s;oon as the night came; for con&s;idering the intelligence which &s;he had received, &s;he had a de&s;ire to be in the head of her Army: but not being able to be far from <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Man|dana,</HI> &s;ince &s;he would be &s;ure to di&s;po&s;e of their lives, therfore &s;he would &s;tay in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ke Tents Royall: and in the mid&s;t of all her violent thoughts, &s;he found &s;ome &s;weetne&s;s in thinking, that though all her Army were defeated, though the Tents Royall were forced, and though &s;he were forced to fly, yet &s;he could pre|vent <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> from being delivered, &s;ince it was in her power to put them to death as &s;oon as &s;he &s;aw no other hopes. To that end, &s;he would not go to bed that night, but be in readine&s;s to give orders as &s;he &s;aw occa&s;ion, and to fly if forced. But at la&s;t the fatall time of di&s;turbing the &s;erenity of that quiet night being come, every one from &s;everall Quarters began to act their bu&s;ine&s;s at &s;uch a ju&s;t hour, that almo&s;t at the very &s;ame in&s;tant <HI>Artabatis</HI> fell upon <HI>An|dramites</HI> at the entrance of the Wood; <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> a&s;&s;aulted the Camp of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> The <HI>Sauromates</HI> came to the Tents Royall, half of <HI>Artabatis</HI> his For|ce<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> got between the Camp and the Tents Royall, and the friends of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>A|riantes</HI> met in the place appointed: And indeed as &s;oon as the <HI>Sauromates</HI> began the A&s;&s;ault, the friends of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Ariantes</HI> divided them&s;elves; one went to the Tent of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> the other to that of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> each of the&s;e courageous Troop<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> con&s;i&s;ting of about a hundred &s;tout Souldiers, which they had &s;ecretly made &s;ure of: So as <HI>Thomyris</HI> hearing by &s;everall waies at one time that her Camp was a&s;&s;aulted; That Forces had got betwixt and cut off all Communicati|on, that others would fall upon the Tents Royall, and that &s;ome al&s;o would a&s;|&s;ault the Tents of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Ariantes,</HI> &s;he was more perplexed then is imagina|ble. In this great di&s;order, &s;he commanded that they &s;hould defend that Tent wherein <HI>Cyrus</HI> was as her own, and indeed that wherin the Prince was, and that wherin <HI>Mandana</HI> was, were &s;o clo&s;e to hers, that they all made but one</P>
<P>In the mean time, according to the Ma&s;&s;agettan cu&s;tom in popular tumults, or in &s;urprizalls of War, every one began to &s;et a light upon the Tops of their Tents, to the end they might di&s;tingui&s;h between friends and Enemies: So as hard by this huge multitude of Tents having every one a Lamp like a guilded apple wherewith the Ma&s;&s;agetts u&s;e to adorn the tops of their Tents, they made &s;uch a plea&s;ant &s;hew&punc; and gave &s;uch a light as on <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">might ea&s;ily know friends from fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s. The Tent of <HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;tanding in the mid&s;t, and the highe&s;t, &s;he might di&s;cern from thence the noi&s;e which the Sauromates made in a&s;&s;aulting the Tents Royall. The noi&s;e
<PB N="215" REF="1000">
which <HI>Otryades</HI> made in a&s;&s;aulting the Tent of <HI>Ariantes;</HI> that which <HI>Myr&s;iles, Me|liantes, Hyda&s;pes, Mereontes, Chry&s;antes</HI> and their company made in for<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing tho&s;e who guarded a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">bar which was before the fir&s;t dore of the Tent where <HI>Cyrus</HI> was, which Tent was &s;o contrived, that they mu&s;t pa&s;s through three Tents before they came into that wherein he was, and by con&s;equence they had three Courts of guard to force.</P>
<P><HI>Thomyris</HI> hearing &s;uch a tumultuous hurly burly from all parts, did prepare her &s;elf for flight, and indeed there were hor&s;es ready behinde the Tent, and tho&s;e who were to wait upon her were ready al&s;o; and &s;he called for a ponyard, to the end &s;he might be mi&s;tre&s;s of her own life as well as of the lives of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana,</HI> and never become a Captive to her Enemies.</P>
<P>Every minut &s;ome came to acquaint her with the &s;tate of things, and every minut &s;he received a fre&s;h affliction: <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> having faln upon the Camp of <HI>Thomyris</HI> at the &s;ame time when the Sauromates fell upon the Tents Royall, they had put them to &s;uch great di&s;order, that all the valour of <HI>Agatherfis</HI> and of all the re&s;t of the high Officers, could not keep their men from &s;inking under their own fears: So as thinking it fit to acquaint <HI>Thomyris</HI> with the &s;tate of things, <HI>Agather|&s;is</HI> was &s;o plain with her, as &s;he knew that &s;ince &s;uch a valiant man as he de&s;paird of victory, &s;he might well fear the wor&s;t.</P>
<P>On the other &s;ide, the Sauromates who a&s;&s;aulted the Tents Royall fighting as well to revenge their dead Prince as to deliver <HI>Cyrus,</HI> their animo&s;ity was &s;o great that their valour was terrible, &s;o as <HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;aw all went wrong with her: But her greate&s;t greif was, tho&s;e who would force the Tent where <HI>Cyrus</HI> was were ma|&s;ters of the fir&s;t barr, and were fighting for the fir&s;t Entrance into the Tent. Her greate&s;t a&s;toni&s;hment was, that the people would not &s;tir again&s;t the Sauromates, nor offer to releive her: For &s;ince they thought the impri&s;onment of <HI>Cyrus</HI> to be unju&s;t, they wi&s;hed that he, and <HI>Mandana</HI> both were at liberty, in a thought that then the war would &s;oon be at an end.</P>
<P><HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;eeing her &s;elf in this extremity, had but the choi&s;e of the&s;e two waies before her flight, either to leave <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> happy in their liberty, or el&s;e to put them to death. A thought of Ju&s;tice, Genero&s;ity, and Love gave &s;ome re|pugnancy unto &s;uch a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tragicall re&s;olution, but on the other &s;ide, Love being ac|companied with Jealou&s;y, De&s;pair, and Fury, &s;he thought that &s;ince there was no hopes of enjoying the party loved, there was no way but revenge: Yet &s;he &s;tood and &s;tudied a while; as unre&s;olved, and would tarry till the very la&s;t extreamity, before &s;he did execute her cruell Re&s;olution. She intended to ponyard <HI>Mandana</HI> before &s;he killed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and &s;he intended, during this great tumult, to try once more if &s;he could tender the heart of that Prince: But as &s;he en<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">red into his Tent, &s;he heard him name her, &s;o as &s;taying to hear what he &s;aid, &s;he changed her mind: For <HI>Cyrus</HI> being in a &s;trange inquietude to know the cau&s;e of &s;o great a noi&s;e which he heard, he asked that cruell Captain of the Gelons whether <HI>Thomyris</HI> had de&s;ign|ed him for his butcher, and he an&s;wering him as arrogantly as if he were to pon|yard him pre&s;ently, <HI>Cyrus</HI> could not hold from &s;peaking &s;harply unto him, I plain|ly &s;ee (&s;aid he unto him) that you are fit to be the murthering mini&s;ter of that cruell Queens Inju&s;tice, and who had never been in a condition to per&s;ecute <HI>Man|dana,</HI> if I had killed her as I ea&s;ily could in the wood of <HI>Sacromates.</HI> That thou may&s;t not upbraid me for letting thee live, (cryed out the fierce <HI>Thomyris)</HI> as thou do&s;t upbraid thy &s;elf in &s;paring my life, I will cau&s;e thee to be &s;tabbed as &s;oon as <HI>Mandana</HI> has given up her la&s;t breath; and all the favour that thou can&s;t expect is to dy by the &s;ame hand that &s;he did, and that the dagger which peirced her heart &s;hall peirce thine al&s;o.</P>
<P>After this, &s;he called for the Captain of the Gelons, and went to her Tent leav|ving <HI>Cyrus</HI> more greived at her menaces again&s;t <HI>Mandana</HI> then ever he was before, as for his own life he did not value it; nor could he an&s;wer unto what that unju&s;t Queen &s;aid: for he did &s;o wonder to hear her voice, and to hear that &s;ad &s;entence again&s;t <HI>Mandana,</HI> that before he could recover him&s;elf out of his a&s;toni&s;hment, and be &s;ure that he under&s;tood how &s;he was gone; yet he could not choo&s;e but &s;peak out of the abundance of his greif as if &s;he were pre&s;ent, and vented &s;uch mov|ing expre&s;&s;ions, as if the Guards had under&s;tood him, doubtle&s;s their hearts had
<PB N="216" REF="1001">
been mollified; but &s;ince they did not under&s;tand that language wherein he expre&s;|&s;ed him&s;elf, they were not at all moved; For being almo&s;t all Gelons, they under|&s;tood not the <HI>Per&s;ian, Armenian, Grecian, Cappadocean,</HI> nor the <HI>Medean</HI> Lan|guage, &s;o as all the complaints of <HI>Cyrus</HI> before them, were but wind.</P>
<P>However, the tumult &s;till increa&s;ing, <HI>Thomyris</HI> under&s;tood that the Sauromates had forced tho&s;e who re&s;i&s;ted them. So as fore&s;eeing that <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> would infallibly be releived, if &s;he did not put them to death, and that &s;he her &s;elf would be taken if &s;he did not fly; &s;he commanded that barbarous Captain of the Gelons whom &s;he had brought into her Tent, to go and ponyard <HI>Mandana</HI> and af|terwards <HI>Cyrus;</HI> appointing him to let the death of that Prince&s;s be fir&s;t known unto him: This horrid Officer began to prepare him&s;elf for obedience, and he had not gone two paces but &s;he called him back, and told him in a &s;haking voice, that &s;he would have him kill <HI>Mandana,</HI> and not <HI>Cyrus:</HI> but one of the Guards coming in and acquainting her that the Tent wherein he was would be quickly for|ced, &s;he called for the fatall Executioner again: Go (&s;aid &s;he) and execute my fir&s;t commands, and be &s;ure you fir&s;t acquaint <HI>Cyrus</HI> with the death of <HI>Mandana,</HI> for I &s;hall not be revenged enough, unle&s;s he do al&s;o know of her death, as &s;oon as you have done, return back unto me and bring me word of the end of their lives, who have &s;o troubled the tranquility of mine, to the end I may &s;ee whether I mu&s;t dy, or fly. The inhumane <HI>Thomyris</HI> having given this mo&s;t horrid command, he who was to execute it, went into <HI>Mandana's</HI> Tent; as &s;oon as he was entred all the wo|men were heard to cry out mo&s;t lamentably, and pre&s;ently after, this bloody man came out with a dagger all bloody in his hand, and entring in that Equipage into the Tent of <HI>Cyrus;</HI> he went &s;traight towards that illu&s;trious Prince, with intentions to &s;trike him to the heart, and thought that his companions would help him in the a&s;&s;a&s;&s;ination, if his fir&s;t blow mi&s;&s;ed, but &s;ince he would exactly obey the Commands of <HI>Thomyris</HI> he told him in broken A&s;&s;yrian, that his dagger &s;till wreked with the blood of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and as &s;oon as he had &s;aid &s;o, he lifted up his Arm to &s;tabb the greate&s;t Prince upon Earth, but as he thought to have &s;truck him to the heart, <HI>Cyrus</HI> having heard of <HI>Mandana's</HI> death, and de&s;iring revenge, he did envigorate his va|liant &s;trength and &s;natched it out of his hand, and without more delay &s;truck him to the heart, and made him fall at his feet. This heroique action was done &s;o &s;udden|ly, and de&s;pair had made the vi&s;age of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;o terrible, that his guards were all affrighted and knew not what to do.</P>
<P>But at la&s;t one of them falling upon him, and by his Example, &s;hewing others what to do, <HI>Cyrus</HI> was in greater danger then ever, but fighting now in revenge of <HI>Mandana,</HI> more then in defence of his own life, his valour appeared more than ever.</P>
<P>He got a &s;word from one of the Guards, as before he got a Dagger from the Ge|lon Captain, and did things &s;o prodigious, as to relate them in particular, would &s;eem incredible: For he did not only kill three or four of the Guard, wounded many, &amp; made the re&s;t to fly, but he came boldly out of his Tent, &amp; went <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> that of <HI>Tho|myris,</HI> to &s;eek for &s;ome more noble victory to &s;acrifice unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> then tho&s;e he had in his Tent: So as all making way for &s;uch a terrible enemy, he went ju&s;t unto the doore of that Queens Tent, who expected the return of him whom, &s;he had com|manded to kill both <HI>Mandana</HI> and <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<P>Her wonder was not a little, when in Lieu of him, &s;he &s;aw <HI>Cyrus</HI> him&s;elf hol|ding a Dagger in one hand, and a Sword in the other, and who by a menacing a|ction made tho&s;e who guarded the Tent to let him enter.</P>
<P><HI>Thomyris</HI> &s;eeing his Action did think he came with intention to kill her, &s;o as ta|king the Dagger which &s;he had: No, no <HI>Cyrus</HI> (&s;aid &s;he, and &s;hewed it unto him) thou &s;halt not be ma&s;ter of my de&s;tiny, &s;ince I have not been Mi|&s;tre&s;s of thine, and if thou come&s;t a foot further, I will let thee &s;ee, in &s;lighting Death, that I was not worthy of thy &s;corn.</P>
<P><HI>Thomyris</HI> pronounced the&s;e words with &s;uch a re&s;olute voice, that the Grandure of her courage, equalling that of her cruelty, did a while &s;u&s;pend the intenti|ons of tho&s;e who heard her, for <HI>Cyrus</HI> did not advance, the Guards of the Queen did not fall upon that Prince, and for a while all was &s;ilent, as if a|mazed.</P>
<P><PB N="217" REF="1001">
But at la&s;t, the great Soule of <HI>Cyrus</HI> not permitting him to have any hand in the blood of a Queen as cruell as she was: Since I cannot kill thee (&s;aid he unto <HI>Thomyris)</HI> without polluting that hand which ought to revenge <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;a|crifice thy &s;elfe unju&s;t Queen unto her, who&s;e death thou gave&s;t, whil&s;t I go and be&s;tow it upon my Rivall. At the&s;e words <HI>Cyrus</HI> making his way through all that would &s;top his pa&s;&s;age (for hee knew not that <HI>Ariantes</HI> was pri&s;oner) he heard the &s;ame Queen who before commanded him to be killed, now forbid tho&s;e who a&s;&s;aulted him, and she came in per&s;on to forbid them.</P>
<P>As things were thus, another great noi&s;e was heard which made <HI>Cyrus</HI> be|lieve, that now he should shortly go unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> and dye before he had re|venged hers by the death of his Rivall. But he was &s;trangely &s;urprized to &s;ee that they who made that great noi&s;e were <HI>Myr&s;iles, Meliantes, Hyda&s;pes, Mereontes, Chri&s;antes,</HI> and tho&s;e who followed them; who after they had cleared their way, and forced unto the Tents of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> which they found empty, went af|terwards unto <HI>Mandana's,</HI> where they found the unfortunate <HI>He&s;ionide</HI> dead, whom the <HI>Gelon</HI> Captain had killed in lieu of <HI>Mandana;</HI> for she being of the &s;ame &s;tature, she had put on <HI>Mandana's</HI> cloaths, and <HI>Mandana</HI> hers, in hopes to e&s;cape during that great hurly burly which they heard: So as <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> and the re&s;t having no mind to leave <HI>Mandana</HI> in that Tent, did bring her along with them with <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> and <HI>Marte&s;ia,</HI> when they found <HI>Cyrus</HI> at the entrance into the Tent of <HI>Thomyris.</HI> This great Prince &s;eeing his Prince&s;&s;e among&s;t his friends, was &s;o tran&s;ported with joy, that hee never thought upon the ruine of that cruell Queen, who would have ruin'd her &s;elfe.</P>
<P>But on the contrary, his fir&s;t rapture of joy being over, he perceived that <HI>Tho|myris</HI> did lift up her arme to kill her &s;elfe, he cryed out unto tho&s;e who &s;tood nea|re&s;t to prevent her: For &s;eeing <HI>Mandana</HI> was not dead, though &s;he had given or|ders for it, yet did he mo&s;t generou&s;ly pardon her.</P>
<P>But during this tumultuous minute when friends &amp; enemies were &s;o mingled to|gether without fighting, another great and &s;trange noi&s;e was heard: &s;o as <HI>Cyrus</HI> thinking now upon nothing but how to pre&s;erve <HI>Mandana;</HI> he never thought up|on <HI>Thomyris;</HI> who being hindered by her own men from killing her &s;elfe, did take that opportunity to go out of her Tent by a back door: &s;o as taking Hor&s;e, &s;hee with tho&s;e who were to convoy her, for&s;ook the Tents Royall, and did abandon her &s;elfe un<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o more horrid &s;orrow than ever &s;oule was &s;en&s;ible of.</P>
<P>But whil&s;t &s;he was flying away, it hapned that tho&s;e who made the great noi&s;e were the Prince <HI>Intaphernes, Atergatis,</HI> &amp; <HI>Feraulas,</HI> who&s;e Guards being affrigh|ted at this great di&s;order, had left them: So as being got out, they went to the Tent of the <HI>Sauromates,</HI> who were to fight for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and afterwards unto the Tent of <HI>Thomyris</HI> where they found them: But when the fir&s;t apprehen&s;ions of joy were pa&s;&s;ed, <HI>Chry&s;antes</HI> not &s;eeing <HI>Thomyris</HI> in her Tent, asked <HI>Cyrus</HI> whe|ther he would not follow her, and bring her captive back? But this generous Prince under&s;tanding from <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> and <HI>Mereontes,</HI> the conditions of the Treaty which they held with the friends of his Rivall, he told <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> that it was bet|ter to keep promi&s;e with his friends in delivering <HI>Ariantes,</HI> than to pur&s;ue an unfortunate Queen, whom, que&s;tionle&s;&s;e the Gods would puni&s;h, with|out his medling with her. And indeed, <HI>Cyrus,</HI> after he had taken all requi&s;ite order for the &s;afety of <HI>Mandana,</HI> he went him&s;elfe to help the friends of <HI>Arian|tes</HI> and his own in the delivery of that Prince, but there was no need: For in go|ing thither, he met with <HI>Otryades,</HI> who told <HI>Mereontes,</HI> that <HI>Ariantes</HI> was dead. How (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> is <HI>Ariantes</HI> killed? Yes (replyed <HI>Otryades)</HI> and killed by an ancient Rivall of his, yet the truth is, that unfortunate Prince did urge him unto it: But I pray (&s;ayd <HI>Cyrus)</HI> let us under&s;tand in few words how <HI>Agathyr|&s;es</HI> came to kill <HI>Ariantes?</HI> Sir (replyed <HI>Otryades)</HI> when your Army had entirely defeated that of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> maugre all the valour of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans, Aga|thyr&s;es</HI> thought it his be&s;t cour&s;e to come with that &s;mall remnant of his Cavalry, and joyn him&s;elf with <HI>Thomyris.</HI> But Sir, in his way thither, all tho&s;e who fol|lowed him, for&s;ook him, except only five or &s;ixe. However, his great heart would needs go through unto that Queen: but in this way he was to pa&s;&s;e before the Tent of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and came ju&s;t thither, as we had delivered that Prince, unto
<PB N="218" REF="1002">
whom we had given Armes, to the end he might come according to our promi&s;e to your friends, and help them to deliver you. So as <HI>Ariantes</HI> &s;eeing <HI>Agathyr|&s;es</HI> (whom he had never &s;een &s;ince their la&s;t difference) and his mind being exa&s;|perated by his ill fortune, he &s;poke &s;omething unto him in an arrogant way, as if he had upbraided him with all the misfortunes of his life. <HI>Agathyr&s;es</HI> having a high and &s;en&s;ible &s;oule, an&s;wered him in the like: Upon which <HI>Ariantes</HI> without any reply drew his Sword, and fell upon him &s;o &s;uriou&s;ly, that <HI>Agathyr&s;es</HI> who out of his re&s;pect was alighted from his Hor&s;e, was forced to defend him&s;elfe: And indeed &s;o he did, in &s;uch a manner, that before we could part them, <HI>Arian|tes</HI> was mortally wounded, and <HI>Agathyr&s;es</HI> in the throng e&s;caped: So &s;ince <HI>Ari|antes</HI> was the fir&s;t who a&s;&s;aulted, honour would not permit us to follow him: However, as &s;oon as <HI>Ariantes</HI> was fallen, I thought hee &s;hould dye: therefore beginning to &s;peak, and looking upon me, 'Tis pa&s;t <HI>Otryades</HI> (&s;aid he unto me) and I have no more &s;hare in life, only &s;o much as to entreat you to tell <HI>Mandana</HI> that none ever gave her a greater te&s;timony of love, than my &s;elfe in being un|gratefull unto <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<P>After this, <HI>Ariantes</HI> growing weak, upon a &s;udden he expired: &s;o as having layd his Corps in the next Tent under the guard of &s;ome friends, I came with the re&s;t, to keep my promi&s;e unto the Prince <HI>Myr&s;ile, Meliantes, Hida&s;pes, Merion|tes</HI> and <HI>Chry&s;antes. Otryades</HI> having done &s;peaking, <HI>Cyrus</HI> according to his cu|&s;tome behaved him&s;elfe with all imaginable genero&s;ity; for he &s;poke very worthi|ly of the valour of <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and &s;eemed to lament his death very much, &s;ince he had taken from him the glory of u&s;ing him kindly.</P>
<P>After which, this great Prince received news that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> &amp; <HI>Mazares</HI> were ad|vancing toward the Tents Royal, &amp; were joyned with tho&s;e Forces which quarte|der between the Tents, and the Camp of <HI>Thomyris:</HI> That <HI>Artabatis</HI> had defeated <HI>Andramites,</HI> who dyed at that bout: and that at the &s;ame time he had re-taken the Fort of <HI>Sauromates,</HI> and con&s;equently delivered the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> and <HI>A|nachar&s;is.</HI> So as &s;eeing no more Enemies to fight again&s;t, he had nothing to do but to appea&s;e the great tumult which was in the Tents Royall, and to prevent plunder. Thus cau&s;ing Proclamation to be made, that <HI>Thomyris</HI> was fled, that <HI>Ariantes</HI> was dead, and that hee would pardon all the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans,</HI> &s;o they would lay down their Arms: In one hour all was quiet, all the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans</HI> layd down their Arms, and kept within their Tents: The <HI>Sauromates</HI> left plundering, and went under their En&s;igns unto all the advenues of the Tents Royall, unto the publique places, &amp; before the Tent where <HI>Mandana</HI> was: After which, <HI>Cyrus</HI> per|mitted <HI>Intephernes, Atergatis, Meliantes,</HI> and <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> to go unto the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia, I&s;trina, Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and <HI>Telagenes,</HI> to bring them unto <HI>Mandana:</HI> Yet he would not have given this permi&s;&s;ion unto <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> to &s;ee <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> but upon condition they &s;hould carry them&s;elves in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e as friends, and not aa the lovers of <HI>Arpa&s;ia.</HI> And indeed they obey|ed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who after he had given all requi&s;ite orders for all things, he went un|to <HI>Mandana,</HI> unto whom all the captive Prince&s;&s;es were come: And &s;he received him with &s;o many &s;ignes of joy in her countenance, that he thought him&s;elfe rich|ly recompenced for all the mi&s;eries he had endured &s;ince fir&s;t he began to love her.</P>
<P>And to render his happine&s;&s;e more compleat, <HI>Feraulas</HI> gave him to under&s;tand in few words, how much too blame he was in &s;u&s;pecting the fidelity of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and upbraiding her with tho&s;e joyes which &s;he &s;eemed to have after hee had ac|quainted her with his being alive: &s;o that his &s;oule being fully &s;atisfied, and his mind in perfect tranquility, he acco&s;ted her with unexpre&s;&s;able delight: Oh Ma|dam (&s;aid he unto her after he had &s;aluted her, and done all his befitting comple|ments unto the re&s;t of the Prince&s;&s;es with her) I begin now to hope that Fortune has done her wor&s;t, and that the Gods will render ju&s;tice unto your merit and virtue, &s;ince <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> have vanqui&s;hed our Enemies, &s;ince <HI>Artaba|tis</HI> hath done the like, and &s;ince the Fort of the <HI>Sauromates</HI> is taken.</P>
<P>My greate&s;t hope is (replyed <HI>Mandana</HI> mo&s;t obligingly, unto whom <HI>Feraulas</HI> had &s;poken enough to ju&s;tifie <HI>Cyrus</HI> for upbraiding her) that you do &s;o well de|&s;erve to be happy, as I need not fear being unfortunate, &s;ince you have per&s;wa|ded
<PB N="219" REF="1002">
me that you will never think your &s;elfe &s;o if I be mi&s;erable: But for all that Sir, I have &s;een &s;uch great and &s;udden alterations in my Fortune, that &s;ometimes my feares are above my hopes; Yet when I con&s;ider how the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> the King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Ariantes</HI> are all dead: That <HI>Thomyris</HI> is fled: that I am in the &s;ame place where I was a Captive: that you are ab&s;olute Ma&s;ter of the Tents Royall, that your Armies are victorious, that the Fort of <HI>Sauromates</HI> is is taken, that the pa&s;&s;age over the River <HI>Araxes</HI> is free, and that the Prince <HI>Ma|zares</HI> is more vertuous then amorous, me thinks I am much too blame if I fear a|ny thing, but have all the rea&s;on in the world to hope that the end of my life will be much more happy than the beginning was. Doubtle&s;&s;e Madam you have rea&s;on to think &s;o (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> But for me, who&s;e de&s;tiny is in your hands more than in Fortunes, I have &s;till more rea&s;on to feare, than hope.</P>
<P>As long as you believe me to be ju&s;t (an&s;wered <HI>Mandana</HI> mo&s;t obligingly) doubtle&s;&s;e you have more rea&s;on to hope than to feare: and therefore &s;ince I be|lieve you will do me ju&s;tice, I do not think it nece&s;&s;ary to give you any new te|&s;timonies of my acknowledgments: Alas Madam (&s;aid he) how ill does the word acknowledgment &s;ute with my expectations? my &s;upream hopes is in the honour of your affection; and I look upon it as a thing &s;o precious, that though I had done you millions of &s;ervices more then I have, yet I &s;hould think my &s;elfe infi|nitely ungratefull, if I did not de&s;ire to do you much more, and to employ every minute of my life in doing you new &s;ervices, and giving you fre&s;h te&s;timo|nies of my affection.</P>
<P>After this, the night being &s;o far &s;pent, that day was ready to break, <HI>Cyrus</HI> thought it fit to leave the Ladies to their re&s;t: And therefore left them in the Tent of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> whil&s;t hee went into another, with all the Princes who had been &s;harers with him in his mi&s;eries, and now were to be partakers of his happi|ne&s;&s;e. However, &s;ince <HI>Mandana</HI> in the mid&s;t of her joyes was &s;till grieved for the death of <HI>He&s;ionide,</HI> &s;he appointed all honours &s;hould be rendred unto her Fu|nerall, and <HI>Feraulas</HI> had it in charge to have an e&s;peciall care of it. On the o|ther &s;ide, <HI>Cyrus</HI> who&s;e eye was upon every thing, he took &s;ingular care, that all the women of <HI>Thomyris</HI> who did not follow her, &s;hould receive no wrong: As for <HI>Gelonide,</HI> though &s;he did not approve of that Queens pa&s;&s;ion, yet &s;he follow|ed her as a comforter in her mi&s;erie.</P>
<P>In the mean time, &s;ince it was impo&s;&s;ible to think upon any &s;leep that night, and &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> was accu&s;tomed to wake without any prejudice to him&s;elfe, he em|ployed that little time between his leaving <HI>Mandana</HI> and the break of day, in thinking of departure the next day from a place where his Prince&s;&s;e and he had endured &s;uch mi&s;eries: For &s;ince the Battle which <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> fought was not deep in blood, becau&s;e the <HI>Sauromates</HI> di&s;&s;erting the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agets,</HI> the Ar|my of <HI>Thomyris</HI> was put into di&s;order, he thought it not impo&s;&s;ible, and much le&s;&s;e when he heard that his Army was encamped within twelve furlongs of the Tents Royall; and that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> &s;ent to him to know what his plea|&s;ure was: &s;o as &s;eeing no ob&s;tacle unto his de&s;ign, &s;ince his Troops were rea&s;&s;em|bled, and encamped &s;o neer; as &s;oon as he thought that the Ladies had &s;ufficiently re&s;ted them&s;elves, and quitted all their feares, he &s;ent to aske <HI>Mandana</HI> whether &s;hee had rather be in the Camp or in the Tents Royall? And her thoughts being his, he began to give out his la&s;t Orders. But fir&s;t, the piety of <HI>Mandana</HI> moved her to begin her journey with a &s;acrifice of Thanks unto the Gods: So though the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agets</HI> had no Temples, yet &s;he offered a &s;acrifice of Thanks by an <HI>Ecbatane</HI> Prie&s;t, who was come into the Army of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and who came into the Tents Roy|all al&s;o, to &s;ee whether it was true that the Daughter of his King was at liberty.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> told <HI>Otryades</HI> that it was fit that all Funerall honours &s;hould be done unto the Prince <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and he left him wherewith to build a &s;tately Sepulchre and Monument for the Prince <HI>Spitridates</HI> and <HI>Araminta:</HI> and he com|manded that one al&s;o &s;hould be erected next theirs for the faithful <HI>He&s;ionide.</HI> Af|terwards he &s;ent &s;ome to follow <HI>Thomyris,</HI> and to tell her from him that though all the Countrey of the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettes</HI> might be his, as the re&s;t of his Conque&s;t, were, yet he would not pur&s;ue her, but generou&s;ly re&s;tore it unto her; declaring that he had never made War but for the liberty of <HI>Mandana,</HI> he would look no
<PB N="220" REF="1003">
further, but would turn back over <HI>Araxes,</HI> without taking away any thing that was hers, only &s;ome Coaches, which he could not get el&s;e-where, in which all the Prin|ce&s;&s;es &amp; Ladies did get, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> riding on Hor&s;-back, accompanyed with <HI>Myr&s;i|les, Intaphernes, Atergatis, Meliantes, Hydaspes, Mereontes, Chri&s;antes, Feraulas,</HI> and &s;ome other <HI>Sauromattan</HI> Captains which took his part were their Convoy, and carryed them to the Camp, cau&s;ing all his Troops to quit the Tents Royall, and march in Battalia behind <HI>Mandana.</HI> And whil&s;t &s;he was advancing tovvards the Camp of <HI>Cyrus, Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> prepared them&s;elves to receive her with all the honors which &s;o &s;hort a warning would permit. To that end they drew out all their Troops in their Arms, and making a Guard of &s;ixe furlongs in length, they went to meet them, accompanied with the Prince <HI>Tygranes, Artamas, Gada|tes, Indathyr&s;es,</HI> the Prince of <HI>Paphlagonia, Gabrias, Silamis, Ara&s;pes, Aglatidas, Lig&agrave;amis, Adonacris, Mne&s;iphiles, Cher&s;eas, Diocles,</HI> and many others.</P>
<P>The truth is, <HI>Mazares</HI> was not without new agitation of &s;oule: For in the time when he thought <HI>Cyrus</HI> dead, hope had a little revived in his heart, and there kindled new flames, &s;o as there was a new Combate between his virtue and his love: yet in the end virtue got the predominancy, and he had &s;uch a power over him&s;elfe, that nothing appeared in his countenance but a quiet joy, when he &s;aw <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> together, and &s;aw them in &s;uch a condition, as in all proba|bility they might hope for happine&s;&s;e together, and he received them hoth with many &s;igns of e&s;teem and amity: For after <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> had &s;aluted them, they gave a thou&s;and commendations unto <HI>Mazares,</HI> and afterwards unto all the men that accompanied them. <HI>Gadates,</HI> he was very glad to &s;ee <HI>I&s;trina</HI> again, <HI>Gabrias</HI> was joyed at the &s;ight of <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and he could not choo&s;e but be glad al&s;o to &s;ee <HI>Me|liantes,</HI> though he knew not well how to carry him&s;elf between him and <HI>Hida&s;pes. Indathyr&s;es</HI> was much &s;atisfied at the &s;ight of <HI>Telagenes,</HI> unto whom he had a &s;trong inclination: <HI>Tigranes</HI> was as much rejoyced to &s;ee <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> as if he were her Lover, and not her Husband. <HI>Intaphernes</HI> &s;poke unto the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> who was more &s;ad than any of the re&s;t, becau&s;e &s;he mourned for the death of her Father and <HI>Spitridates. Myr&s;iles</HI> he entertained <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> who according to her humour complained again&s;t him for not comforting her after the death of <HI>Andramites,</HI> of which &s;he was very glad. As for <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> they both &s;poke unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> and <HI>Gabrias,</HI> keeping mo&s;t exactly within the limits which <HI>Cyrus</HI> had pre&s;cribed them: So the way not being very fit for long di&s;cour&s;e, the entertain|ment of the&s;e excellent per&s;ons quickly ended, and continuing their march, they were received into the Camp with &s;uch acclamations of great joy as never was the like heard.</P>
<P>In the mean time, as impatient as <HI>Cyrus</HI> was to be far off the place where his Prince&s;&s;e and him&s;elfe had been Captives, yet there was a nece&s;&s;ity of lying in the Camp; for before all the Officers of the Army had expre&s;&s;ed all their Joyes and Complements, it was &s;o late as there was no thinking of departure: So as <HI>Man|dana</HI> and the other Prince&s;&s;es lodged in the Tents of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares, Cyrus</HI> in that of <HI>Artamas, Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Mazares</HI> in tho&s;e of <HI>Gabrias</HI> and <HI>Gadates,</HI> and all the re&s;t of the Princes in their own. <HI>Cyrus</HI> was no &s;ooner di&s;-engaged from that abundance of men who te&s;tified their joyes, but he went unto the Tent of the Prince&s;&s;es, where he pa&s;&s;ed away the Evening in &s;uch great delight, that he quite forgot all his pa&s;t mi&s;eries; for &s;ince there was not one Lady there who had not &s;ome particular friend to entertain, except <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> who entertained <HI>Mazares, Cyrus</HI> applyed him&s;elf wholly unto <HI>Mandana;</HI> and in &s;uch a mo&s;t agreeable man|ner, that in lieu of accu&s;ing, he was forced to ju&s;tifie her: For though <HI>Feraulas</HI> had told him that he was obliged unto her for that &s;mile which he &s;aw in her eyes as &s;he pa&s;&s;ed before his Tent, yet he was extreamly glad to hear from the mouth of his Prince&s;s, that &s;he grieved for him, and was not comforted after &s;he heard of his death: And &s;he did &s;o obligingly aggravate her griefe that day &s;he beheld the di&s;mall ceremony of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> that his joyes were unconceivable. And vvhen he looked upon the faire eyes of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and con&s;idered that they &s;hed teares for him, all the love of his heart appeared in his ovvne: and he thanked her for it in &s;uch a pa&s;&s;ionate manner, that <HI>Mandana</HI> thought him worthy of tho&s;e tears which &s;he &s;hed, and that he did merit her affection: So as laying a&s;ide that exact and
<PB N="221" REF="1003">
&s;evere re&s;ervedne&s;&s;e, which alwayes obliged her to hide the tenderne&s;&s;e of her thoughts, &s;hee did him the favour that night to di&s;cover part of her mind unto him, and to let him divine the re&s;t.</P>
<P>But whil&s;t the&s;e two illu&s;trious Lovers were making mutuall exchanges of love, <HI>Intaphernes</HI> did what he could to comfort his Prince&s;s in her mourning: <HI>Atergatis</HI> al&s;o entertained <HI>I&s;trina</HI> with abundance of &s;atisfaction; for &s;ince the King of <HI>A&s;&s;y|ria</HI> was dead, he believed <HI>Gadates</HI> would be no hinderance of his happine&s;&s;e. As for <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> though he was very much joyed in his talk with <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> yet he was le&s;&s;e happy then the re&s;t; becau&s;e her humour was &s;uch, that though &s;he had loved that Prince as well as he loved her, yet he would find &s;uch a &s;weet inequa|lity in her, as he would often complain of her rigour, even when &s;he intended to give him cau&s;e to commend her: For though &s;he was always equally generous towards her friends, yet &s;he was alwayes very unequall towards her Lovers: So as though <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> was much joyed in being with her, yet it was with a mixture of many bitter minutes.</P>
<P>But as for <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Hydaspes,</HI> they were the lea&s;t content of all; for &s;uch was the temper of <HI>Arpa&s;ia's</HI> mind, that endeavouring to carry faire unto both, &s;he obliged neither. Yet <HI>Meliantes</HI> was happier than <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> becau&s;e <HI>Hida&s;|pes</HI> thought <HI>Meliantes</HI> more in <HI>Arapa&s;ias</HI> favour than he was; &s;o as though <HI>Meli|antes</HI> was not altogether content with his Mi&s;tre&s;s, yet he was very glad to &s;ee the &s;adne&s;&s;e of his Rivall, though he extreamly grieved that he enjoyed but halfe that heart of her he loved. But as for <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> &s;ince he hoped to have enjoyed all; and &s;eeing it divided into two, his &s;orrows were above his expre&s;&s;ions; for in point of glory, he concealed his vexation from his Rivall. <HI>Meliantes</HI> al&s;o on his &s;ide, out o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the &s;ame motive he made it appear that he was more joyed than he was; and to get him &s;ome advantage over <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> it chanced when the di&s;cour&s;e was generall: and when <HI>Cyrus</HI> was ready to retire, that he &s;poke very advantageou&s;ly of <HI>Meliantes</HI> unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> and entreated her very obligingly to let him have the honour of her e&s;teeme and friend&s;hip: Al&s;o <HI>Melian|tes</HI> thought him&s;elfe highly recompenced for the &s;ervice he had done that Prince, &s;ince he had given him &s;uch commendations: For truly Madam (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> unto <HI>Mandana)</HI> I a&s;&s;ure you that <HI>Meliantes</HI> hath more conquered me by his virtue, than his valour, though his valour be &s;uch as made me his pri&s;oner: and &s;uch is his merit, that double&s;&s;e he de&s;erves your acquaintance.</P>
<P>Oh Sir! (&s;aid <HI>Meliantes)</HI> I cannot endure you &s;hould &s;ay you were my Pri&s;o|ner; for I have ever endeavoured to obey you &s;ince the fir&s;t time I had the honour to &s;ee you: 'Tis true (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> but however, by the laws of War, you might have commanded me, and in not doing it, your genero&s;ity the more ap|pears. Al&s;o I a&s;&s;ure you, that you have lo&s;t nothing by it; for my acknowledg|ment gives you more power over me, than the right of Conquerors can over the conquered.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> making him&s;elf ready to go away, <HI>Meliantes</HI> could not re|ply, and all the company parted. But <HI>Mandana</HI> did not yet go to bed; for &s;ince <HI>Cyrus</HI> had told her that he would &s;end away Po&s;ts unto <HI>Ecbatane</HI> and <HI>Per&s;epolis</HI> in the morning, that Prince&s;&s;e would write unto <HI>Ciaxares;</HI> &s;he writ al&s;o unto the Queen of <HI>Per&s;ia:</HI> And accordingly, <HI>Cyrus</HI> by break of day di&s;patched <HI>Ara&s;|pes</HI> towards <HI>Camby&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Aglatidas</HI> towards <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> making choi&s;e of the la&s;t of the&s;e to carry this great news unto the King of <HI>Medes,</HI> to the end he might &s;ee his deare <HI>Ame&s;tris.</HI> However, to loo&s;e no precious time, as &s;oon as all the Prin|ce&s;&s;es were ready, they departed, and all the Army marched: For though there was no Enemy appeared in a body, yet <HI>Cyrus</HI> would have his Army march in Battalia, untill he was on the other &s;ide of <HI>Araxes.</HI> And when he came unto the entrance into the wood which had been burned, <HI>Artabatis</HI> came and met <HI>Cy|rus,</HI> who received him as a man who had much contributed unto his liberty, by the victory he had gotten over <HI>Andramites,</HI> and by tho&s;e Troops which he &s;ent unto the Tents Royall. It was in that place al&s;o where the wi&s;e <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> did meet <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and did infinitely commend the moderation which he &s;hewed to|wards <HI>Thomyris:</HI> But <HI>Cyrus</HI> de&s;iring to render ju&s;tice unto the virtue of this illu|&s;trious Scythian, he pre&s;ented him unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> in a mo&s;t obliging manner,
<PB N="222" REF="1004">
and in few words acquainted her with the merit of this excellent man. This Prin|ce&s;&s;e al&s;o did him all imaginable honour, and rendered as much unto his vertue, as unto his quality, which vvas great.</P>
<P>Since the Fort of the <HI>Sauromates</HI> was in their way, and a convenient dayes journey, all the Prince&s;&s;es did lye there, and were received by the King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> who was well recovered of his wounds, and able to meet <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> at their entrance into the Fort, making many excu&s;es that he came no further to meet them: After which he told <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he would give him more than a Kingdome, if he would be plea&s;ed to render him what hee had lo&s;t, and what &s;o few ever knew that he had. This di&s;cour&s;e is &s;o dark unto me (reply|ed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that I cannot return an an&s;wer before you inform me what it is which you have lo&s;t, and which I can re&s;tore unto you. When you are in a more fitting place, Sir, to tell it in (replyed the King of <HI>Hircania)</HI> I &s;hall more preci&s;ely tell you, how I am this morning a&s;&s;ured that I have a &s;onne in your Army, though none ever thought that ever I had a &s;ucce&s;&s;or, or was ever marryed: And there|fore Sir, when I have cleered unto you &s;ome circum&s;tances which I &s;hall this day know, I &s;hall be&s;eech you to re&s;tore him unto me.</P>
<P>You may well imagine Sir (replyed <HI>Cyrus)</HI> that I &s;hould be very glad if I could contribute any thing unto your &s;atisfaction: You Sir, I &s;ay who was the fir&s;t that came in to my &s;ide, and unto whom my fir&s;t acknowledgments are due: Af|ter this, the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> returning a civill an&s;wer, without particularizing any thing of his adventure, <HI>Mandana</HI> was ready to come out of her Coach, and <HI>Cyrus</HI> left him to go and pre&s;ent his hand unto her. All the re&s;t of the Princes did the like unto the Prince&s;&s;es whom they adored: But <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> having two a|dorers who would equally &s;trive for that office, they were ready to quarrell a|bout it: And if <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> had not wi&s;ely carryed her &s;elfe, doubtle&s;&s;e they had faln foule upon one another.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> being adverti&s;ed of the pa&s;&s;age, and under&s;tanding that <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> was more in the wrong then <HI>Meliantes,</HI> he drew him apart: And after he had told him how he did not take it well that he &s;hould no better com|ply with a man unto whom he was &s;o much obliged, and unto whom hee might attribute the name of his Protector, he acquitted him&s;elfe of his promi&s;e made unto <HI>Meliantes,</HI> in de&s;iring <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> with all affectionate per&s;wa&s;ions, to thinke no more upon <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> but to yeeld her unto his Rivall. Sir (&s;aid <HI>Hydaspes)</HI> I mo&s;t humbly be&s;eech you, do not command me peremptorily, lea&s;t I &s;hould &s;hame my &s;elfe in my di&s;obedience. But Sir, to te&s;tifie how I re&s;pect the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">end of the il|lu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> in the per&s;on of my Rivall, I will promi&s;e, that if <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> make choi&s;e of him, and reject me, I will never di&s;turb his enjoyment of her, but will &s;ooner re&s;olve upon death, than mole&s;t a man who hath had the glory o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> doing you &s;uch con&s;iderable &s;ervice, and hath obtained your friend&s;hip.</P>
<P>Since you believe that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> will prefer you before <HI>Meliantes</HI> (replyed <HI>Cy|rus)</HI> you will in this do nothing which will oblige me. Alas Sir (replyed <HI>Hyda&s;|pes)</HI> I am much le&s;&s;e happy than you do imagine: For &s;ince my Rivall hath deli|vered <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> from the hands of <HI>Licander,</HI> he hath gotten &s;o much of her heart, that I know not which of us hath the greate&s;t &s;hare. Since it is to (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus)</HI> me thinks you may the more ea&s;ily yeeld him your halfe; for I cannot conceive there is any great happine&s;&s;e to be found in the enjoyment of a divided heart.</P>
<P>However it be, Sir, (replyed <HI>Hyda&s;pes)</HI> I &s;hall loo&s;e that &s;atisfaction which I have, and which I cannot voluntarily yeeld. Since it is &s;o (&s;ayd <HI>Cyrus)</HI> the Prince&s;&s;e <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;hall take the paines to negotiate the matter with the faire <HI>Arpa&s;ia:</HI> For I &s;hould be exceeding &s;orry, if any misfortunes &s;hould befall unto two men who are &s;o deare unto me. After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> went immediately unto <HI>Mandana,</HI> and entreated her to &s;peak with <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> to the end &s;ome cour&s;e might &s;peedily be taken in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, le&s;t the&s;e two Rivalls &s;hould quarrell about her. Yet fir&s;t he would talk with <HI>Gabrias;</HI> who having given unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> all the power he had over his Daughter, he enabled that Prince to do an act of Ju&s;tice between the&s;e two men whom he exceedingly loved.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Mandana</HI> talked with <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> in private: and telling her the &s;tate of things, al&s;o how &s;he was the Mi&s;tre&s;s of her own de&s;tiny, &s;hee was at a
<PB N="223" REF="1004">
&s;trange <HI>Dilemma.</HI> At the fir&s;t &s;he &s;aid that &s;he would refer her &s;elf unto the di&s;po&s;i|tion of her Father. But <HI>Mandana</HI> being very importunate with her to explain her &s;elf cleerly, &s;he was more puzled: For truly Madam (&s;aid &s;he, being re&s;olved to t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ll her plainly) I cannot give you any an&s;wer, all <HI>I</HI> can &s;ay, is to acquaint you in two words with the condition of my &s;oul, to the end you may, though <HI>I</HI> cannot well without a blu&s;h, that my fir&s;t inclination was towards <HI>Meliantes</HI> and that <HI>I</HI> e&s;teemed him, and was as tender towards him as po&s;&s;ibly one could be: <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t con|fe&s;s al&s;o, that <HI>I</HI> was infinitely beholding to him, in&s;omuch as but for him <HI>I</HI> had married a man whom <HI>I</HI> did mo&s;t horridly hate, and &s;hould have been con&s;equent|ly the mo&s;t mi&s;erable per&s;on upon Earth.</P>
<P>I mu&s;t further confe&s;s, that I was not &s;orry he did love me at <HI>Alfenes,</HI> and that had I never heard of his infidelity unto me, who&s;e name was <HI>Argeli&s;e;</HI> I had loved him again as he de&s;ired to be; but for all this Madam, I mu&s;t al&s;o tell you, that being fully re&s;olved to be only upon tearms of friend&s;hip with <HI>Meliantes,</HI> I came afterwards acquainted with <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> who&s;e humour and di&s;po&s;ition I found &s;o a|greeable unto my own, as at the fir&s;t <HI>I</HI> believed there would be a great affection betwixt us: And <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t tell you more than ever <HI>I</HI> did him, that my &s;ecret de&s;ign of di&s;-engaging my heart from <HI>Meliantes,</HI> did make me receive the Love of <HI>Hy|da&s;pes,</HI> &s;ooner than otherwi&s;e <HI>I</HI> had done, &s;o as not to di&s;&s;emble with you, <HI>I</HI> did did permit him to hope, and a while after promi&s;ed him my Love: Since this Ma|dam, there hath hapned many &s;trange revolutions, and not to in&s;i&s;t upon any but the la&s;t, <HI>I</HI> will tell you Madam, that notwith&s;tanding all my coldne&s;s to <HI>Melian|tes,</HI> he came di&s;gui&s;ed unto the Tents Royall, and was &s;o generous as to hazard his life in being the death of my la&s;t Ravi&s;her, and <HI>I</HI> may truly &s;ay Madam, that in killing <HI>Lycander,</HI> he hath received part of that affection which formerly <HI>I</HI> had unto him; &s;o as <HI>I</HI> am now in the mo&s;t peplexed condition in the World. For <HI>I</HI> know, that none can be more perfectly loved than <HI>I</HI> am both by <HI>Meliantes</HI> and by <HI>Hyda&s;|pes.</HI> The fir&s;t of which hath done me the mo&s;t con&s;iderable &s;ervice, and the &s;econd hath the Engagement of my promi&s;e, which <HI>I</HI> am not able to keep unle&s;s <HI>I</HI> be un|gratefull unto <HI>Meliantes,</HI> nor can <HI>I</HI> be&s;tow my &s;elf unto <HI>Meliantes,</HI> unle&s;s <HI>I</HI> be perfidious unto <HI>Hyda&s;pes.</HI></P>
<P>Thus can <HI>I</HI> give my &s;elf unto neither of the&s;e two, unle&s;s <HI>I</HI> &s;hould greive for him who&s;e <HI>I</HI> am not. And <HI>I</HI> am &s;o unre&s;olved what to do, that doubtle&s;s, <HI>I</HI> &s;hould repent it, if <HI>I</HI> &s;hould make my choi&s;e of either. For truly, <HI>I</HI> do no &s;ooner entertain an advantageous thought of <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> but pre&s;ently <HI>I</HI> have another which bla&s;ts it: And therefore Madam, to be &s;incere with you, <HI>I</HI> am not able to make him whom <HI>I</HI> &s;hall choo&s;e, or my &s;elf happy, in my choice.</P>
<P>After th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, <HI>Mandana</HI> endeavoured to di&s;cover whether all this proceeded from the reality of her mind, and indeed &s;he did &s;o plainly find that it was &s;o, as &s;he could not choo&s;e but wonder.</P>
<P>But the great difficulty was, to make <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> con&s;ent that her thoughts &s;hould be made known unto <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> yet re&s;olve upon it, &s;he mu&s;t: For after <HI>Mandana</HI> had given an account unto <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Gabrias</HI> of her conference; they could find out no better cour&s;e, then to tell both <HI>Meliantes</HI> and <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> in|geniou&s;ly how the ca&s;e &s;tood. So as &s;ending for them both, <HI>Mandana</HI> did &s;o di&s;|creetly acquaint them with <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> mind, and carried the matter with &s;uch arti|fice, as &s;he almo&s;t infu&s;ed an equall de&s;ire in them both, to yeild her unto one a|nother by the impo&s;&s;ibility which &s;he made them &s;ee in making eithe them&s;elves or her happy; yet they could not re&s;olve it &s;o upon a &s;udden, but de&s;ired two things. The one, that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> would in their pre&s;ence confirm all that the Prince&s;s <HI>Manda|na</HI> had told them, that they might &s;ee there was no po&s;&s;ibility of changing her mind The other, that they might have time given them untill the next day before they gave their an&s;wer. Their demands were granted, and <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was brought unto them, though much again&s;t her will: But when they &s;aw her, they found all that <HI>Mandana</HI> told them &s;o exactly true, that they equally thought them&s;elves mo&s;t mi&s;erable, yet <HI>Meliantes</HI> le&s;s than <HI>Hyda&s;pes:</HI> For after an ab&s;olute de&s;pair, he found &s;ome &s;weetne&s;s, in &s;eeing that he had made &s;ome Entrance into <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> heart, &s;ince he had gotten half of it from his Rivall, yet this partition was a great affliction unto him as well as unto <HI>Hyda&s;pes,</HI> and they were in a hundred minds, to
<PB N="214" REF="1005">
give over all thoughts of a per&s;on who could not tell what to re&s;olve upon: And thus they pa&s;&s;ed away that night in a re&s;tle&s;s perplexity.</P>
<P>However, <HI>Meliantes</HI> being as generous as amorous, the very thought that <HI>Hi|da&s;pes</HI> would &s;till be in a corner of <HI>Arpa&s;ias</HI> heart, though he &s;hould marry her; he was in a mind to quench his flames, but &s;ince genero&s;ity told him it was again&s;t the haire to yeild her unto his Rivall, he was re&s;olved not to do it, when one came to tell him that <HI>Cyrus</HI> was very de&s;irous to &s;peak with him, and &s;tayed for him in <HI>Mandana's</HI> chamber, He remembring his promi&s;e of giving an an&s;wer, did think it was that for which he &s;ent for him; but he was much &s;urprized when in entring into the the Chamber of that Prince&s;s, where there was only <HI>Cyrus</HI> and the King of <HI>Hyrcania,</HI> and he heard <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;ay that &s;he had &s;uch good news to tell him, as &s;he de&s;ired none &s;hould acquaint him with it but her &s;elf: For <HI>Meliantes</HI> (&s;aid &s;he unto him) you are Son unto a King, and to a King who was the fir&s;t friend of <HI>Cyrus</HI> when he begun the Warr: But the wor&s;t is, that in giving a Crown you mu&s;t loo&s;e a mi&s;tre&s;s; for the King your Father before whom I &s;peak hath acquain|ted me, that according to the Laws of his Kingdome it is not lawfnll for the &s;uc|ce&s;&s;or unto that Kingdome to marry a &s;tranger Prince&s;s. Madam (replyed <HI>Me|liantes,</HI> much amazed) what you are plea&s;ed to tell is &s;o far from any probability that not daring but to beleive your words, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t needs think <HI>I</HI> have not rightly under&s;tood them: No, no (replyed the King of <HI>Hyrcania)</HI> neither the Prince&s;s <HI>Mandana</HI> nor you are mi&s;taken; for you are really my Sonn, though you do not know it. And to te&s;tifie that I do know all that ever you have done, &s;ince you left the name of <HI>Clidaris</HI> and a&s;&s;umed that of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> I mu&s;t tell you that you were brought up in a Province of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> that you were beleived to be Son unto a man of quality there, that you thought <HI>Cleonide</HI> was your &s;i&s;ter, and that you have tra|velled all <HI>Greece.</HI></P>
<P>In the mean time tho&s;e from whom you thought you had your birth, were only the confidents of my marriage with a per&s;on whom I e&s;pou&s;ed &s;ecretly during the Life of my Father, and who dyed pre&s;ently after you were born: But I be&s;eech you Sir (&s;aid <HI>Cyrus</HI> and intterrupted him) what is the rea&s;on, why after the death of the late King of <HI>Hyrcania,</HI> you did not declare your marriage &amp; recall home the Prince your Son? The rea&s;on of it was Sir, (replied he) that having con&s;ulted with the Ora|cle of <HI>Jupiter Belus</HI> in <HI>Babylon</HI> concerning the birth of my &s;on. I was an&s;wered that if <HI>I</HI> did not conceal his quality, untill he had taken the greate&s;t Prince upon Earth Pri&s;oner he &s;hould become the mo&s;t mi&s;erable man in the world, and if on the con|trary <HI>I</HI> did not divulge it untill he was ma&s;ter of a Princes de&s;tiny who had the de&s;ti|ny of all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> in his hands, he &s;hould be able to cure him&s;elf of a pa&s;&s;ion which then would torment him, and afterwards be very happy all the re&s;t of his days. So in obe|dience to the Gods, <HI>I</HI> &s;ent my &s;on to travell into <HI>Greece,</HI> in expectation of their promi&s;es which now are accompli&s;hed, &s;ince my Son hath had the Glory to &s;ee the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus</HI> his pri&s;oner: So as al&s;o the man who did educate him, and when the men who did educate him, and when he beleived me to be his Father being come hither to tell me he under&s;tood that my &s;on under the name of <HI>Meliantes</HI> was in the Party of <HI>Thomyris,</HI> and that he thought it fit to avert him from it, <HI>I</HI> therefore do know of infallible certainty that <HI>Meliantes</HI> is my Sonn: But &s;ince under that name he hath had the Glory of doing &s;ome &s;ervice unto &s;o great a Prince, <HI>I</HI> would not have him own any other.</P>
<P>As long as the King of <HI>Hyrcania</HI> &s;poke, <HI>Meliantes</HI> had many different thoughts &s;ometimes he was glad that his birth was as great as his heart, and &s;omtimes when he thought his condition would bla&s;t his pretentions unto <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> he was &s;ad.</P>
<P>Thus Love and Ambition &s;trugling in his heart all the while the King of <HI>Hyrcania</HI> &s;poke, he knew not whether he &s;hould be &s;ad or glad. But as &s;oon as that Prince had done &s;peaking. Nature beginning to prevail with his Soul, he rendred unto the King his Father all po&s;&s;ible reverence in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana.</HI></P>
<P>After which, the King of <HI>Hyrcania</HI> by the permi&s;&s;ion of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> cau&s;ed the man whom <HI>Meliantes</HI> thought to be his Father, to enter, who confirmed all that he had &s;aid. So as it being out of all que&s;tion, the King of <HI>Hyrcania</HI> told <HI>Meliantes</HI> he was very &s;orry that the Lawes of his Kingdome were again&s;t the Lawes of his Love; but for all that, he hoped that a Crown would comfort him for the lo&s;&s;e of
<PB N="225" REF="1005">
<HI>Arpa&s;ia.</HI> So that without requiring any preci&s;e an&s;wer, but &s;uppo&s;ing that he would conform him&s;elfe to the Law, he told <HI>Cyrus</HI> in a low voyce, that hee was very impatient, until <HI>Meliantes</HI> was known unto the world for whom he was, ho|ping that the Complements and Addre&s;&s;es which would be made unto him upon the advantageous alteration of his condition would vvine its mind from its ordina|ry object, and hinder him from exce&s;&s;ive grief at his lo&s;&s;e of <HI>Arpa&s;ia.</HI> So <HI>Cyrus</HI> be&s;eeching <HI>Mandana</HI> to let the people enter into her Chamber, the happy adven|ture of <HI>Meliantes</HI> was quickly divulged: For the Prince <HI>Mazares, Artamus, Intaphernes, Atergatis,</HI> and many others came in, and were informed of it. Yet <HI>Meliantes,</HI> as &s;oon as he could di&s;ingage him&s;elfe from the company, and being prieked on by his pa&s;&s;ion, he went unto the Tent where <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was, who knew already who he was; for <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> had &s;ent to tell it unto <HI>Ni&s;ide,</HI> who told her: therefore &s;he received him as &s;onne unto the King of <HI>Hyrcania,</HI> to wit, with much more ceremony, and reverence.</P>
<P>But <HI>Meliantes</HI> at fir&s;t perceiving it: No no, Madam (&s;aid he unto her) I be&s;eech you do not change your way of behaviour unto me: For if you plea&s;e, <HI>Meliantes</HI> will be the very &s;ame he was ye&s;terday, &s;ince Fortune will needs have it &s;o, that he cannot be both &s;on unto the King of <HI>Hyrcania,</HI> and Husband unto the fair <HI>Arpa|&s;ia.</HI> After this, <HI>Meliantes</HI> acquainting her how the ca&s;e &s;tood, he prote&s;ted that if &s;he would give him her whole heart, he would with joy renounce all pre|ten&s;ions unto the Crown of <HI>Hyrcania,</HI> and would e&s;teem him&s;elfe much more hap|py in reigning there, than in a great Kingdome: But Madam (&s;aid he mo&s;t pa&s;&s;i|onately) you mu&s;t do it in all &s;incerity and Ju&s;tice: and con&s;ider, that <HI>Hydaspes</HI> perhaps would not quit a Crown to enjoy you.</P>
<P><HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was now much mooved at the expre&s;&s;ions of <HI>Meliantes:</HI> But being both full of genero&s;ity and &s;incerity, &s;he thought it not fit to di&s;&s;emble her thoughts, nor to let a Prince &s;o generous loo&s;e a Crown, &s;ince &s;he &s;aw it as great a difficulty for her to di&s;oblige <HI>Hida&s;pes,</HI> as him. But though &s;he vvas as &s;vveet in her expre&s;|&s;ions as po&s;&s;ible, as po&s;&s;ible, yet he thought him&s;elfe &s;o vvronged, that all the&s;e te&s;timonies of his Love &s;hould not oblige her vvhole heart, that he prote&s;ted he vvould never pretend more unto her; and that he vvould do all that ever he could to make am|bition &s;upply the place of his love, and vvould never affect any thing but glory, &s;ince he could never affect any but her, and &s;ince he could not obtain her Love: And accordingly, hee vvent from her in this mind: and meeting <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> by the vvay, he told him that he vvould yeeld <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> unto him; and a&s;&s;ured him, that though he could never cea&s;e being his Rivall, yet he vvould cea&s;e all pretentions unto the enjoyment of his Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e. <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> received this Declaration vvith &s;o much joy, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> began to repent: but the anger of his &s;oule coming in|to his reliefe, he did not change his mind; but on the contrary vvas &s;o confirmed, that he hoped vvith time to cure him&s;elfe of his pa&s;&s;ion, and vvithdravv his heart from one, vvho could give him but halfe of hers.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> had his &s;hires in the inquietudes of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> though he did not &s;hew it: For the <HI>Hircanian</HI> law, which did forbid the &s;ons of their Kings to marry &s;trange Prince&s;&s;es, was al&s;o the Law of the <HI>Cappadocians:</HI> &s;o as <HI>Mandana,</HI> as Queen of that Kingdome, could not marry <HI>Cyrus.</HI> Yet this Prince did conceale his &s;orrows, and would believe, that as <HI>Ciaxares</HI> might deny the Prince&s;s his daughter as Qu: of <HI>Cappadocia,</HI> yet he might give her to him as Prin|ce&s;&s;e of <HI>Media</HI> only. Not that this ob&s;tacle was new unto this Prince; but he had &s;o many other more weighty, that he never thought of it, untill the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> did mention the Law of his Kingdom, and untill <HI>Mandana</HI> told. <HI>Meli|antes,</HI> that in gaining a Crown, he mu&s;t loo&s;e a Mi&s;tre&s;&s;e. However, he di&s;&s;em|bled his inquietudes, and appeared the next day as plea&s;ant, as po&s;&s;ible.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Mandana</HI> having a great de&s;ire to be on the other &s;ide of <HI>A|raxes,</HI> &s;he entreated all the re&s;t of the prince&s;&s;es to ri&s;e betimes, &s;o as they went &s;o early, that the Troops could not follow them: But after they had pa&s;&s;ed over <HI>Araxes,</HI> and the Army al&s;o, the wi&s;e <HI>Anachar&s;is</HI> who had waited upon <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;o farre, did take his leave of him, and carryed <HI>In<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">thyr&s;es</HI> away with him. <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e|&s;iphiles, Cher&s;eas,</HI> and <HI>Diocles</HI> accompanied him, and continued their Travels, as they began.</P>
<P><PB N="226" REF="1006">
But this wi&s;e <HI>Scythian,</HI> at parting from <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana,</HI> did give them &s;uch high Elogies, as they had great rea&s;on to be as well &s;atisfied with him, as he with them. As for <HI>Indathyr&s;es,</HI> he left <HI>Cyrus</HI> much again&s;t his will, as well as the faire <HI>Telegenes:</HI> and had he thought &s;hee could have left <HI>Armenia,</HI> to go into the Countrey of the <HI>Sauromates,</HI> he would not have parted &s;o &s;oon: but he cho&s;e ra|ther to cure him&s;elfe of a growing pa&s;&s;ion by ab&s;ence, than vainly augmenting it by his &s;tay.</P>
<P>In the mean time, <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> continued on their journey; but out of prudence, he would not let the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> goe unto <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> for it was apparant, that <HI>Meliantes</HI> had need to be far from <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> to quench his flames. So as <HI>Cyrus</HI> making that his pretence, he moved the King of <HI>Hircania</HI> to go in|to his own Kingdome with the Troops which he brought: And in parting from <HI>Meliantes,</HI> he gave him &s;uch high applauds, inducing him to love glory only, as he had good rea&s;on to be well &s;atisfied. <HI>Mandana</HI> al&s;o te&s;tified &s;o much e&s;teem of him, and &s;o did all the Prince&s;&s;es and Princes which followed <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that he had all the rea&s;on in the world to be infinitely &s;atisfied. But his greate&s;t &s;atisfaction was to &s;ee, that <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> at parting did looke &s;o &s;adly, that <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> was angry at it.</P>
<P>Thus he departed with all the glory that he de&s;erved, and with as much &s;ati&s;|faction as his mind was capable of: For though <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> was infinitely amiable, yet every one murmured again&s;t her; and though <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> was a man of as ex|cellent parts as any in the world, yet they thought &s;he was injurious in not giving her whole heart unto <HI>Meliantes.</HI></P>
<P>However, when <HI>Mandana</HI> came near <HI>Media, Cyrus</HI> &s;ent Orders unto <HI>Arianita</HI> and all the re&s;t of the women whom he had left with <HI>Lyca&s;te,</HI> to be at <HI>Ecbatane.</HI> And that day they entred upon the Frontiers of <HI>Medea, Harpagus,</HI> and <HI>Pactias,</HI> who were gone unto <HI>Mytelene</HI> after the &s;iege of <HI>Cumes,</HI> becau&s;e the fir&s;t dur&s;t not &s;hew his face unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and the other unto the King of <HI>Lydia,</HI> they now returned; and addre&s;&s;ing them&s;elves unto <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> they informed him, that in their de&s;ign of travelling, they embarqued in a &s;hip which a tempe&s;t had driven into <HI>Mytilene,</HI> and that they went afterwards into the I&s;le of <HI>Crete,</HI> &s;o famous for the wonderfull Laborinth which is there to be &s;een: That being there, the &s;hop in which tho&s;e whom the Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> and <HI>Bomilcar</HI> had &s;ent unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> did there land: So as under&s;tanding that they had Letters from that Prince, and were going into a Countrey which was commended for its beauty, they followed them and came to <HI>Mar&s;eilles,</HI> where they &s;aw the admirable <HI>Cle|onisbe,</HI> and were pre&s;ent at her Marriage with the Prince of <HI>Phoceus,</HI> of whom they &s;poke all Imaginable good: Adding that not being able to live longer out of their own Countrey, they implored the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of <HI>Cleonisbe</HI> and that Prince; who being glad to meet with an occa&s;ion of thanking <HI>Cyrus</HI> for the happine&s;&s;e which they enjoyed, had writ a Letter of thanks unto him; and in it be&s;eeched him to pardon <HI>Harpagu<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> and to mediate <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> for a pardon of <HI>Pactias.</HI> So as <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> taking upon him that bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, he &s;poke unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> who not being a|ble to deny any thing in a time when fortune gave him all things he could hope for, he con&s;ented that <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> &s;hould pre&s;ent <HI>Harpagus</HI> unto him, and de&s;ired <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> to pardon <HI>Pactias:</HI> This Prince being extream glad to heare by them that the admirable <HI>Cleoni&s;be</HI> and the valiant Prince of <HI>Phoceus</HI> were happy together, though he was very &s;orry this ca&s;e was not &s;o with the generous <HI>Bomilcar.</HI></P>
<P>Afterwards <HI>Cyrus</HI> took all requi&s;ite order for <HI>Mandana's</HI> arrivall in <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> in an Equipage proportionable to her quality: And to that end he re&s;ted in a lit|tle Towne in a Province of <HI>Medea,</HI> which is called the Province of <HI>Sapires.</HI> Du|ring their &s;tay there, all that Love could invent, which was tender, &s;weet, and gallant, was u&s;ed by <HI>Cyrus,</HI> by <HI>Mandana, Intaphernus,</HI> the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia, Atergatis I&s;trina,</HI> and by <HI>Myr&s;iles.</HI> As for <HI>Dorali&s;a,</HI> &s;he followed her old humors, &s;ince certainly tender and pa&s;&s;ionate expre&s;&s;ions were not her cu&s;tome: all that &s;he was able to do, was to let the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> u&s;e them.</P>
<P>But when all things were ready, both for the Train of <HI>Mandana,</HI> and the Equi|page of <HI>A&s;ias</HI> Conqueror and for all the re&s;t of the Princes who followed him: This Hero leaving all his Army upon the Frontiers, except onely five hundred
<PB N="229" REF="1006">
Hor&s;e, he advanced towards <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> where <HI>Cyaxares</HI> expected them in impa|tience, proportionable to the joy which he hoped to receive in &s;eeing the Prince&s;s his Daughter. But <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> were plea&s;ingly &s;urprized, when they heard that <HI>Camby&s;es</HI> and the Queen his Wife were come unto <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> the cau&s;e of their voyage being unknown unto them.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the day of their triumphant entrance being come, the &s;ight was both unexpre&s;&s;ible and unimmaginable: And though the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria</HI> had prepared a very magnificent Triumph for the reception of <HI>Mandana</HI> into <HI>Babylon,</HI> when the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> by that Kings orders pre&s;ented her with the keys of it; yet it was nothing in compari&s;on of this. The truth is, the Prince <HI>Mazares</HI> did not contribute any thing unto it; for he made no preparations for it, becau&s;e he remembred that it was at &s;uch a Ceremony that he lo&s;t his liberty: So as looking upon <HI>Mandana</HI> that morning when &s;he had dre&s;&s;ed her &s;elfe; Take heed, Madam (&s;aid he unto her) le&s;t you &s;hould this day make &s;ome other as mi&s;erable as my &s;elf: For you may remember it was at &s;uch a Ceremony that I had the misfortune to fall in love with you: I was &s;o &s;ad and mi&s;erable that day (replyed <HI>Mandana</HI> and &s;miled) as it was no wonder your compa&s;&s;ion of my misfortunes &s;hould moli|fie your heart: But &s;ince I am this day in a happy condition, I need not feare any &s;uch adventure will befell me: And if I have any cau&s;e of feare, it is to loo&s;e your friend&s;hip: Oh Madam! (&s;aid <HI>Mazares</HI> and &s;ighed) did you but know my heart, you would &s;ee there was greater danger of my loo&s;ing yours, than you mine: and yet I a&s;&s;ure you Madam, you cannot deprive me of your friend&s;hip, unle&s;&s;e you be unju&s;t. Then I &s;hall never take away mine (replyed <HI>Mandana)</HI> for it is not my cu&s;tome to be unju&s;t: &s;o that as long as you keep your &s;elf as you are, I &s;hall be &s;ure to be the &s;ame I am, and will never change, unle&s;&s;e you do.</P>
<P>Your expre&s;&s;ions Madam (replyed <HI>Mazares)</HI> ought to be received with ful|ne&s;&s;e of joy: and though it do not appeare in my eyes, yet my heart is mo&s;t &s;en|&s;ible of it: But Madam, I be&s;eech you pardon an unvoluntary melancholly which perhaps will appear in my face again&s;t my will, &s;ince it is the only thing which you &s;hall ever have any cau&s;e to chide me for: Since it is &s;o (replyed &s;he) I will pitty, in lieu of chiding you, but do not think it &s;trange if I never aske you the cau&s;e of your &s;adne&s;&s;e. As <HI>Mandana</HI> &s;aid &s;o, one came to tell her that all things were ready for her departure; and pre&s;ently after, <HI>One&s;ile,</HI> the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythi|nia, I&s;trina, Arpa&s;ia,</HI> and <HI>Telegenes</HI> came into her Chamber, and &s;o dre&s;t, and &s;o fair, as it was evident that joy is a wonderfull advantage unto beauty, Yet the Prin|ce&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> was in mourning, but &s;o, that her beauty appeared not a jo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the le&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Mandana,</HI> &s;he was never &s;o faire as that day: And when <HI>Cyrus</HI> came in|to her Chamber to pre&s;ent his hand unto her, and to conduct her unto her Coach, he was &s;o &s;urprized and dazled at her beauty, that he &s;tood a long while gazing, and adoring it: For &s;ince he had never &s;een her &s;o dre&s;t, nor &s;o merry, &s;ince his de|parture from <HI>Cumes,</HI> hee thought her more charming than ever, and hee was more in Love than ever: and by con&s;equence the di&s;quiet of his &s;oule was the greater, though hee did &s;ometimes flatter him&s;elfe in a beliefe that it was ill grounded,</P>
<P>At la&s;t all the glorious Train departed; The Ladies all in rich Chariots of Tri|umph, and all the Princes on mo&s;t excellent Hor&s;es, and there was not the mea|ne&s;t &s;ervant who had not &s;ome marks of his Ma&s;ters magnificence. When they were within two hundred furlongs of <HI>Ecbatane, Ciaxares</HI> and <HI>Camby&s;es</HI> met them in the head of all the <HI>Per&s;ians</HI> and <HI>Medes</HI> of quality who followed them, and &s;tayed for them clo&s;e by a tryumphant Arch which they had erected unto the glory of <HI>A&s;ia's</HI> Conqueror, and <HI>Mandana's</HI> deliverer, where the In&s;criptions and paintings were &s;o ingenuous, as they extolled and repre&s;ented all the victories of that Prince. But <HI>Cyrus</HI> being as mode&s;t as valiant, he would not pa&s;&s;e under this Arch, which they had erected unto his glory, but left that honour unto <HI>Mandana</HI> as the true cau&s;e of all his Conque&s;ts.</P>
<P>This interview had all the circum&s;tances which could po&s;&s;ibly render it delight|full; for there appeared &s;o much joy in the Countenances of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and <HI>Cam|by&s;es,</HI> when they &s;aw <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana;</HI> and <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana</HI> were &s;o
<PB N="230" REF="1007">
glad to &s;ee them, as they did communicate the &s;ame unto all that &s;aw them, &s;o as never was &s;uch acclamations upon Earth as then. But being impatient to be in a place where they might talk, they went towards <HI>Ecbatane;</HI> and all the way there were &s;till new marks of magnificence to be &s;een either in the troops which were ran|ked on the right &amp; left hand, or in other tryumphant Arches erected to the glory of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana,</HI> or in the infinite number of men of all qualities, who came far and neer to meet them with Garlands and Crowns of flowers which they pre|&s;ented unto them and ca&s;t at their feet in homage to them</P>
<P>At the Gates of the town &s;tood all the Magi&s;trates who made Orations to them: Likewi&s;e at the Gates of the Temple were all the Magi of <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> ready to offer &s;acrifices of Thanks unto the Gods.</P>
<P>But as &s;oon as all the&s;e Kings, the&s;e Princes, the&s;e Prince&s;&s;es, and men of quality had taken tho&s;e places in the Temple which were a&s;&s;igned for them, the &s;ame accident which hapned in the time of <HI>A&s;tiages,</HI> did now happen again: For the Temple did &s;hake, the Lamps extingui&s;hed, all except one over the head of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> which burned &s;o clear and full of Lu&s;tare, as if all the re&s;t had united their lights unto it.</P>
<P>At the &s;ame time al&s;o, for a quarter of an hour together, was a noi&s;e heard in the vaults of the Temple which re&s;embled thunder, and the roaring of the &s;ea, and which &s;truck fear into the &s;ouls of all that heard it. This prodigy did amaze all the a&s;&s;embly; the Magi them&s;elves all except one were were affrighted and &s;o were all except <HI>Cyrus,</HI> in who&s;e countenance was not the lea&s;t &s;emblance of fear. When they offered to begin the &s;acrifice, they could not end it, for all the victims e&s;caped from tho&s;e who held them, and the Sacrificers a&s;&s;ured <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> that of nece&s;&s;ity they mu&s;t defer it til another time, and appeare the Gods unto whom they would &s;acrifice.</P>
<P>As for <HI>Cambi&s;es,</HI> he did imagin according to the Religion of his Country, that if the Gods were angry, that men &s;hould be &s;o bould as to adore them in Temples built with prophane hands. But as for the Magi, that there was &s;omthing of im|portance which the Gods would make known unto them by it.</P>
<P>The chief of them who was he which was lea&s;t amazed, did very well remember the interpretation which was formerly given upon tho&s;e Lamps which redoubled their light over the head of the Queen of <HI>Per&s;ia:</HI> Sa as imagining that the Gods required this accompli&s;hment of that prediction, he told <HI>Ciaxares</HI> that he mu&s;t re|tire unto his Palace, and that he mu&s;t give him time to ob&s;erve the &s;tars, and turn over his books, and to penetrate into the &s;ecrets of the Gods; and accordinly all this great company went out of the Temple into the Pallace; but this was &s;adly re|&s;ented by the Queen of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> and every one talked of this prodigy according to their &s;everall fancies. As for <HI>Ciaxares</HI> who was mo&s;t perplexed his rea&s;on why the Gods were &s;o angry, was, becau&s;e he would marry his Daughter again&s;t the Laws of the <HI>Cappadocean</HI> Kingdom, which would not have her marry a &s;tranger Prince So that not being able to keep his fears within the compa&s;s of his own heart he told them unto very many, and they became &s;o publick that they were the com|mon talk, and they made &s;uch deep impre&s;&s;ion upon the mind of <HI>Ciaxares</HI> that he &s;ent <HI>Aglatidas</HI> unto <HI>Babylon</HI> in his name to con&s;ult with the Oracle of <HI>Jupiter Be|lus.</HI> But in the Interim of this voyage, and whil&s;t the Magi were con&s;ulting with the &s;tars and their books; <HI>Cyrus</HI> was extreamly troubled, and <HI>Mandana</HI> for all her prudence could not choo&s;e but be very melanchollick. Is it po&s;&s;ible (&s;aid &s;he unto <HI>Marte&s;ia)</HI> that the de&s;tiny of <HI>Cyrus</HI> &s;hould be yet doubtfull? can it be that after be hath been impri&s;oned at <HI>Synope</HI> for the Love of me, After he hath &s;aved the life of the King my Father in the war again&s;t the late King of <HI>Pontus,</HI> after he hath won two battells in one day, after he had gloriou&s;ly ended that War, by bringing that King into captivity: After he hath beaten the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> taken <HI>Babylon,</HI> &s;urprized <HI>Synope,</HI> &s;ubdued <HI>Armenia,</HI> won the battell of <HI>Thyburra</HI> again&s;t <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> taken <HI>Sardis,</HI> put the King of <HI>Pontus</HI> to flight, after he had delivered me by taking <HI>Cumes:</HI> after he has vanqui&s;hed <HI>Thomyris</HI> and <HI>Ariantes,</HI> and gloriou&s;ly brought me home to <HI>Ecbatana.</HI> Can <HI>Cyrus</HI> I &s;ay, doubt of a recompence for all his Con|que&s;ts and Travells? he who above all this hath been thought twice to be dead, who was mangled almo&s;t in peices after the combate of two hundred, who has re|ceived
<PB N="229" REF="1007">
&s;everall mo&s;t dangerous wounds be&s;ides in &s;everall Encounters, who hath been pri&s;oner both of War, and State for the Love of me, and who hath given me a million of te&s;timonies of his Love, mu&s;t he be now &s;lighted? whil&s;t <HI>Mandana</HI> was thus complaining, and whil&s;t <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> was comforting her, all the town were at their prayers to appea&s;e the Gods.</P>
<P>But at la&s;t <HI>Aglatidas</HI> returned from <HI>Babylon,</HI> who after he had con&s;ulted with the Oracle in the name of <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> whether he might give his Daughter unto <HI>Cyrus,</HI> &s;ince he was a <HI>Per&s;ian,</HI> and &s;ince the <HI>Cappadocian</HI> Laws did prohibit that Prince&s;s to marry a &s;tranger, he was returned this an&s;wer.</P>
<LG>
<HEAD>The Oracle &rindx;</HEAD>
<L>Out of your thoughts expell</L>
<L>All fears of any danger.</L>
<L>Who can all <HI>A&s;ia</HI> quell,</L>
<L>In no place is a &s;tranger.</L>
</LG>
<P>This favourable an&s;wer did &s;o rejoice the hearts of <HI>Ciaxares, Cambi&s;es,</HI> the Queen of <HI>Per&s;ia, Cyrus, Mandana,</HI> and all that heard it; that it may be term|ed a publick joy; e&s;pecially becau&s;e it concurred with the Dooms of the Magi, who rendred an account unto <HI>Ciaxares,</HI> and <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> of all their ob&s;ervations be|fore all the Princes in the Court: For the cheif of the Magi addre&s;&s;ing his &s;peech unto the two Kings, told them a thing which made him the more wonderfull, be|cau&s;e it concurred with the &s;ecret thoughts of their own &s;ouls, although they did not impart them unto any.</P>
<P>Sirs (&s;aid he unto them) upon a recollection into my memory of things pa&s;t; and when I think upon that prodigy which hapned, when the Lights of &s;everall Lamps united them&s;elvs unto that which was over the head of the Queen of <HI>Per&s;ia;</HI> after <HI>I</HI> &s;ay a compari&s;on of that with this which wee have &s;een over the head of the illu&s;trious <HI>Cyrus:</HI> I examined the interpretation which was then upon it; I have con&s;ulted with the mo&s;t learned books we have, I have &s;eriou&s;ly ob&s;erved the &s;tars, I have &s;o cleerly read in Characters of Gold, and light, the will of the Gods, that I cannot make any more doubt of it.</P>
<P>And &s;irs (continued he and looked upon <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and <HI>Cambi&s;es)</HI> that which the Gods do require of you is, that you refer the the whole cares of your Kindoms upon the Government of the invincible <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and that you leaving off &s;overaign authority, he may be the &s;ole &s;overaign over all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> &s;o many Kings as he hath &s;ub|dued, do teach us that the Gods would have all obey him, and this is the interpre|tation of all the Lights extingui&s;hing and re-uniting again in one over the head of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> as tho&s;e were heretofore over the head of the Queen his Mother: yes, &s;irs I dare a&s;&s;ure you, that if you do, as I now &s;ay, you will &s;atisfie the Will of the Gods, your &s;acrifices will be acceptable unto them, and you will &s;ee no more prodigies to a&s;toni&s;h you.</P>
<P>But on the contrary, you will peaceably enjoy all the plea&s;ures of Life under the &s;hadow of <HI>Cyrus</HI> his palms and Trophies, you wil raign in his per&s;on, and without your being his Subjects, he may yet be the &s;ole Soveraign over all <HI>A&s;ia.</HI></P>
<P>Conform your &s;elves therefore unto the Will of Heaven: And that you may both conjunctly raign in the per&s;on of this great Prince, make up the marriage im|mediatly between <HI>Mandana</HI> and him.</P>
<P>This Magi had no &s;ooner done &s;peaking, but <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> declared their will, unto him, and told him that they were ready to conform them&s;e&s;ves unto the will of the Gods.</P>
<P>The mode&s;ty of <HI>Cyrus</HI> was &s;uch, that he refu&s;ed to accept the &s;overaign power, which the Kings would have yeilded up unto him; but they were &s;o urgent upon him, and the Magi told him &s;o peremptorily that the Gods would have it &s;o, as without any more delay <HI>Ciaxares</HI> and <HI>Cambi&s;es</HI> made a publick declaration the next day by which they made it known unto all the world that they did voluntarily in|ve&s;t their authorities in the hands of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and accordingly the cheif of the Magi in <HI>Ecbatane</HI> in the Pre&s;ence of all the court, and in the mid&s;t of as many people as that Temple was able to hold, did inve&s;t him with all the ceremonies and &s;igns of
<PB N="230" REF="1008">
Soveraign Authority, that is to &s;ay, with a Scepter, a Royall wreath, and all other things which di&s;tingui&s;h the Kings of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> and the Kings of <HI>Medes</HI> from other Princes. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> would haue thrown at his feet as many Crowns as he had con|quered Kingdoms, and made Tributary Kings: But <HI>Cyrus</HI> would not have it &s;o, not only out of mode&s;ty, but in con&s;ideration of <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> and <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> whom he highly e&s;teemed and ranked as his friends. The mo&s;t ob&s;ervable was, that the Sa|crifice which was offered after <HI>Cyrus</HI> was declared King, was very acceptably re|ceived: And the <HI>Magi</HI> a&s;&s;ured <HI>Cyaxares</HI> and <HI>Camby&s;es,</HI> that the Gods whom they adored, were never better plea&s;ed.</P>
<P>But after this magnificent Ceremony was accompli&s;hed, <HI>Cyrus</HI> had a mo&s;t impa|tient de&s;ire to &s;ee <HI>Mandana,</HI> that he might offer unto her all the Crowns which he had taken upon him: And di&s;-engaging him&s;elfe as &s;oon as he could, he went unto her to tender that Homage, and to a&s;&s;ure her that he thought him&s;elf more glorious in being her Slave, than in being Ma&s;ter of &s;o many Kingdoms.</P>
<P>In the mean time, the day of Marriage being &s;et downe, nothing was thought upon but preparations for that glorious Ceremony: And <HI>Cyrus</HI> being a mo&s;t dear lover of his friends, he thought al&s;o of their &s;atisfaction. Therefore hee per&s;wa|ded the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Bythinia,</HI> who had full power over her &s;elfe, to make <HI>Inta|phernes</HI> happy: As for <HI>Gadates;</HI> he did voluntarily con&s;ent unto it: And <HI>Cyrus</HI> af|ter that per&s;waded that Prince to give <HI>I&s;trina</HI> unto <HI>Atergatis.</HI> As for <HI>Arpa&s;ia,</HI> &s;he was in a &s;trange condition: For &s;he did &s;o re&s;ent the ab&s;ence of <HI>Meliantes,</HI> that <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> was hardly plea&s;ed: and &s;he was in many minds to recall <HI>Meliantes</HI> thought, at the rate of <HI>Hyda&s;pes</HI> his bani&s;hment: and yet &s;he was re&s;olved to mar|ry him, becau&s;e <HI>Gabrias</HI> her Father did &s;o command her: But certain it is, &s;he had much ado to carry her &s;elfe between her love, and her friend&s;hip, &s;ince &s;he neither made her&s;elfe, nor any of her friends happy, for <HI>Hydaspes</HI> was but half contented, after he had marryed her.</P>
<P>But when <HI>Cyrus</HI> went about to &s;atisfie the love of the Prince <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> he found him&s;elfe a little puzled, not that <HI>Cre&s;&s;us</HI> was again&s;t the affection of the Prince his &s;onne: For though the quality of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> was inferiour unto that Prince, yet con&s;idering the &s;tate of things he did not in&s;i&s;t upon it: But the main difficulty was, how <HI>Myr&s;iles</HI> &s;hould be a&s;&s;ured of her Love before he marryed her; for <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> would never confe&s;&s;e it, though tho&s;e who knew her be&s;t, believed that &s;hee did not hate <HI>Myr&s;iles.</HI> However, &s;he &s;poke always either &s;o lightly, or &s;o &s;harply, or &s;o negligently of it, that none knew well what to think; and which was rare, <HI>Cyrus</HI> did &s;ooner per&s;wade her to marry <HI>Myr&s;iles,</HI> than he could per&s;wade her to confe&s;s that &s;he loved him: but after &s;he was re&s;olved upon it, &s;he did this favour unto that Prince in a very plea&s;ant manner: For (&s;aid &s;he unto him) I know not why you &s;hould complain Sir. 'Tis true, I tell you that I do only e&s;teem you, but it is not that I do no more; but the rea&s;on is, becau&s;e I want words to expre&s;&s;e the thoughts of my heart, and therefore I had rather have you gue&s;s at my minde, than down-right tell you what it is.</P>
<P>But at la&s;t, after the mode&s;ty, and humour of <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> together, had made her &s;ay yes, and no, unto all the propo&s;itions which were made unto her, whether &s;he would marry or not marry; at la&s;t &s;he explained her &s;elf that &s;he con&s;ented to mar|ry the prince <HI>Myr&s;iles:</HI> And the&s;e foure marriages being re&s;olved upon, it was al&s;o re&s;olved that they &s;hould be &s;olemnized three days after that of <HI>Cyrus,</HI> to the end that the joyes of that Court might the longer continue: And certainly that Court was the mo&s;t glorious that ever was &s;een, for there were not a man nor woman of any quality in all <HI>Medea</HI> who was not there. The lovely <HI>Ami&s;tris</HI> al&s;o had quit|ted the &s;olitude wherein &s;he lived, during the ab&s;ence of her deare <HI>Aglatidas,</HI> and came to <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> whereof &s;he was &s;till one of the greate&s;t Ornaments.</P>
<P>But the day de&s;igned for the compleat felicity of <HI>Cyrus</HI> being come, the Tem|ple where the Ceremony of his Marriage was to be celebrated, was illuminated with a thou&s;and glorious Lamps: All the &s;treets of <HI>Ecbatane</HI> were hung with rich <HI>Sydonian</HI> Tape&s;try, Arches, Pyramides, Obeli&s;ques, and Garlands were erected and hung up to the glory of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana,</HI> all between the Palace and the Temple, who&s;e In&s;criptions being a mixture of Love and War, did embleme as well the grandure of his pa&s;&s;ion, as the grandure of his Conque&s;ts. Mo&s;t ad|mirable
<PB N="231" REF="1008">
Mu&s;ique made the Roof of the Temple eccho all the while of the Ceremo|ny: Never vvere &s;een &s;o many Kings and Princes in one place, us <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> that: and ne+ver did a Royall Chaplet become any head &s;o vvell, as that of <HI>Cyrus.</HI></P>
<P>As for <HI>Mandana,</HI> the Maje&s;ty of her deportment vvas &s;uch, as vvould have been an Ornament unto the vvhole World: And her beauty appeared &s;o &s;plen|dent that day, as &s;he ecclip&s;ed all the re&s;t of the Ladies, as much as the deportment, the &s;pirit, the valour, and the virtue of <HI>Cyrus</HI> did &s;urpa&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the merits of all other men upon earth. Both of them vvere the objects of admiration unto all <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> vvho be held them upon that &s;tately Throne vvhich vvas erected in the middle of the Temple: Yet this Ceremony vvas not honoured vvith the pre&s;ence of the Prince <HI>Mazares;</HI> for he finding his &s;oule not re&s;olute enough to behold the felicity of his Rivall, he returned into his own Countrey the night before the Marriage of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> but before he went, he left one Letter for <HI>Cyrus,</HI> and another for <HI>Man|dana,</HI> in which he u&s;ed &s;uch noble expre&s;&s;ions of him&s;elfe, as did &s;o double the e&s;teem which they had of him, that could he have &s;een their thoughts, hee had been well &s;atisfied. Indeed he did very well de&s;erve their e&s;teem; for he asked them pardon for his weakne&s;&s;e, he a&s;&s;ured <HI>Mandana</HI> that he would never <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">rry; he told <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that &s;ince he was never like to have an Heir, he intended that all his Subjects hereafter &s;hould become his, to the end <HI>Mandana</HI> might reign over the <HI>Saces,</HI> as well as in his heart.</P>
<P>Yet their &s;orrows for the departure of <HI>Mazares</HI> did not hinder, but that they e&s;teemed them&s;elves infinitely happy, in that the Gods had made their Fortunes in&s;eparable, and that they had tyed &s;uch an indi&s;&s;olvable knot, which nothing but death could unty. The three dayes after this great Ceremony were &s;pent in Fea&s;ts and Jollitie: and the fourth was the Marriage of <HI>Myr&s;iles, Intaphernes, Atergatis,</HI> and <HI>Hida&s;pes</HI> celebrated, and for a whole moneth after, there was no|thing but publique rejoycings, and diver&s;ions in this great Court.</P>
<P><HI>Cyrus</HI> had then information that <HI>Thomyris</HI> was returned unto the Tents Royal, and that <HI>Agathyr&s;es</HI> had po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed him&s;elfe of <HI>I&s;&s;idon,</HI> whil&s;t <HI>Thomyris</HI> was &s;o &s;unk in &s;orrow, that all the <HI>Ma&s;&s;agettans</HI> were preparing to di&s;-inthrone her, and that <HI>Elibe&s;is</HI> was become a Subject unto him, unto whom &s;he had been unfaithfull, in hopes of being a Queen.</P>
<P>After this, <HI>Cyrus</HI> received Deputations from all the Kingdoms which he had Conquered: from all the principall Cities which were under his obedience, and from all the Princes who were his Tributaries; from <HI>Babylon,</HI> from <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> from <HI>Sardis, Ephe&s;us Cumes, Sinope, Themi&s;eire, Artaxates, Apamea, Gnide,</HI> &amp; mothers, he received Homage. Tho&s;e who were ri&s;en again&s;t <HI>Ar&s;amones,</HI> &s;ent al&s;o their Deputies to offer unto him the Crowns of <HI>Pontus</HI> and <HI>Bythinia:</HI> Al&s;o he had par|ticular Deputies from <HI>Heraclea</HI> and <HI>Chry&s;opolis.</HI> The King of <HI>Phrygia</HI> &s;ent unto him his Emba&s;&s;adors with rich Pre&s;ents: The Queen <HI>Tarina,</HI> Mother of <HI>Mazares</HI> did the like: The Prince of <HI>Cilicia</HI> as much; the King of <HI>Armenia</HI> the &s;ame: The Prince <HI>Philoxipe</HI> al&s;o &s;ent to rejoyce with <HI>Cyrus,</HI> that the Ora<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> which the Prince&s;&s;e of <HI>Salamis</HI> had received, was &s;o happily accompli&s;hed in his per&s;on.</P>
<P><HI>Ama&s;is</HI> King of <HI>Aegypt,</HI> the Prince <HI>Se&s;o&s;tris</HI> his &s;on, and the faire <HI>Thimarette</HI> &s;ent to congratulate his Marriage: The Prince <HI>Thra&s;ibulus</HI> &s;ent his Complements: The King of <HI>Hircania,</HI> and the Prince <HI>Meliantes</HI> did the like. <HI>Pittacus</HI> as much, and all the Sages of <HI>Greece</HI> writ unto him to te&s;tifie their joy, that Fortune had done ju&s;tice to his virtue.</P>
<P>After all this, <HI>Camby&s;es</HI> and the Queen his wife returned unto <HI>Per&s;epolis,</HI> where they did nothing but devote them&s;elves unto prayers unto the Gods, though <HI>Cy|rus</HI> commanded <HI>A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;ius</HI> whom he &s;ent to command in <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI> to take their Coun|&s;els in all things. <HI>Tygranes</HI> and <HI>One&s;ile</HI> returned unto <HI>Artaxates,</HI> admiring the virtue both of <HI>Cyrus</HI> and <HI>Mandana: Silamis</HI> their Kin&s;man followed them. <HI>In|taphernes</HI> with the Prince&s;s of <HI>Bythinia</HI> went unto <HI>Chri&s;ipolis</HI> with the quality of a tributary King. <HI>Atergatis</HI> and <HI>I&s;trina</HI> followed, <HI>Gadates, Hida&s;pes,</HI> and <HI>Arpa&s;ia</HI> went with <HI>Gabrias.</HI> The Prince <HI>Artamas</HI> returned unto his dear <HI>Palmis: Cre&s;&s;us, Myr&s;iles,</HI> and <HI>Dorali&s;a</HI> &s;tayed in the Court of <HI>Cyrus:</HI> The Prince of <HI>Paphlago|nia</HI> marryed <HI>Telegene,</HI> and returned into his Country. <HI>Chri&s;antes</HI> had the govern|ment of <HI>Lydia, Aglatidas</HI> that of <HI>Babylon, Ligdamis</HI> that of <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> and retur|ned
<PB N="232" REF="1009">
towards his deare <HI>Cleonice: Araspes</HI> that of <HI>Cappadocia: Thra&s;imides</HI> that o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Curia,</HI> for th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Curians did voluntarily &s;ubmit them&s;elves unto <HI>Cyrus: Feraulas</HI> he waited &s;till about his per&s;on, and marryed <HI>Marte&s;ia</HI> a while after: <HI>Megabi&s;e</HI> was &s;ent into part of <HI>Arabia,</HI> which gave it &s;elfe up unto <HI>Cyrus:</HI> And this great Prince was &s;o well able to recompence out of the greatne&s;&s;e of his Conque&s;ts, that there was not one of tho&s;e who had done him any &s;ervice, which were not fully &s;atisfied with his libera<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">y. <HI>Ciaxares</HI> him&s;elfe was well contented to be without Soveraign power, though &s;uch an act is &s;eldome unaccompanied with repentance</P>
<P>Thus, this greate&s;t Prince in the World, after he had been the mo&s;t mi&s;erable o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> all L3370overs, became now the happie&s;t man upon Earth: For he was the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;or <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> the greate&s;t Beauty in all <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> of the mo&s;t virtuous per&s;on in the whole World, and a per&s;on who&s;e great &s;oule tran&s;cended the excellency of her beauty, and one who loved him, as well as he loved her. Moreover, his Dominions were bounded on the Ea&s;t with the Red Sea: On the We&s;t with the I&s;le of <HI>Cyprus</HI> and <HI>Aegypt:</HI> On the North with the <HI>Euxine</HI> &s;ea, and on the South by <HI>Ethiopia.</HI> Againe, he had the advantage to &s;ee him&s;elfe Ma&s;ter of all the Trea&s;ures of <HI>David, Salomon,</HI> and <HI>Cre&s;&s;us,</HI> and he &s;aw him&s;elfe at a higher pitch of glory than ever any other Prince did. Al&s;o he enjoyed his plea&s;ures with &s;o much Art, that pa&s;&s;ing away his Au|tumns at <HI>Ecbatane,</HI> his Winters at <HI>Babylon,</HI> his Summers at <HI>Su&s;a,</HI> it was an eter|nall Spring unto him without the inconveniency either of too much cold, or too much heat. Moreover, this great Prince did with abundance of glory &s;ettle &s;uch orders in his Dominions, and e&s;tabli&s;hed &s;uch excellent Laws both for War and Peace, that he merits to be propo&s;ed as a modell for all en&s;uing Princes to imitate. And to compleat his felicity, the Heavens did not mole&s;t him with the lea&s;t mi&s;|fortune all the re&s;t of his life: And let both Fortune and Love con&s;pire toge|ther to make a man as happy as ever they could, it was impo&s;&s;ible they could make him more happy than <HI>Cyrus</HI> was, ever &s;ince the day that he a&s;cended &s;o high a Throne, that all others on the Earth were much below him.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>The end of the Tenth and la&s;t Part of Cyrus le-Grand. FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="1009">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</GROUP>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
